linkingup | FOR THOSE WE HAVE LOST

[There's this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he should be worried that all is not as it seems. It's that grief trying to sink in again. But Thordan is right there. They've almost got him!

Arven presses forward (6).]

Mabosstiff!

[Ruff! Mabosstiff darts ahead, ready to sink his teeth into the horrible man just ahead. He's not getting on that airship.

...right?]

[Unfortunately for Mabosstiff, he bites air. The man simply vanishes, as if he was never there to begin with.

While Mabosstiff is busy being baffled by that, Haurchefant suddenly comes to a stop.]

My friend! Look out!

[You have enough time to turn around to see what's happening before suddenly, it very much is happening.

A knight wielding a massive spear of light stands atop the building behind you. You don't have time to react before he flings it, and Haurchefant brings his shield up, running forward to protect you.

The shield takes the blow and Haurchefant grits his teeth, struggling to fight it off. For a brief moment, you feel like he'll deflect it and turn to smile at you, glad you're safe.

The spear breaks the shield. It pierces Haurchefant straight through. He falls to the ground. Your dear friend is injured - what will you do?]

[ What will she do? She’ll rush to him, to try and heal him or do anything at all.

But really, what can she do? He’s been pierced through and an injury like that is difficult to come back from. A sense of helplessness washes over her, her hands hovering over Haurchefant as she thinks of what she can possibly do. ]

We need to go get some help!

[ But what help is even here? ]

...Huh?

[Where'd he go?

Before Arven can question that too deeply, Haurchefant's warning rings out and he whirls around to see the spear come flying toward him and Aerith. But Haurchefant is a lifesaver as always, and he catches that attack with his shield like it's nothing.]

Haurchefant!

[Arven begins to cheer, grateful for the save...only for the spear to crack Haurchefant's shield and run him through.

Arven's smile immediately falters as his heart sinks like a rock to the bottom of his chest. He stands there as he falls, stunned to his core. He's briefly brought back to a harrowing experience of a horrifying metallic creature running its spear through Mabosstiff.]

...Haurchefant?

[But Aerith snaps him out of it and he staggers to her side in front of Haurchefant.]

W-We just need to stabilize him! If we can get him out of here, we can help him!

[Your friends in the back rush forward. One of them - Alphinaud - reaches out to try to help Aerith heal Haurchefant.]

The injury... it isn't closing up...

[Sure enough, with a gaping wound that large, it doesn't seem like healing magic is going to be enough. It doesn't help that whatever magic the knight used is something that Alphinaud doesn't know how to heal. Aerith's attempts are certainly appreciated but...

Haurchefant is going to die. There's no doubt in your minds.]

[ Grief rolls in like a tidal wave, one that threatens to overpower her. She ceases her continuous Diaramas, closing her eyes as her hands settle in her lap. ]

There’s nothing we can do.

[ She looks toward Arven, scooting over a bit so he can more easily join her at Haurchefant’s side. ]

I’m sorry…

[ That she can’t help more, that she’s letting the pain of grief already settle deep in her chest. ]

[No. No he's not. Haurchefant can't die!

Arven futilely tries to fight back tears.]

W-What do you mean it's not closing up?! Can't we do something 'til we get him some stronger magic?!

[He'll feel awful about this later. He knows it's not Alphinaud's or Aerith's fault. But he can't deal with this. He can't lose Haurchefant. That's his best bud!!]

[Haurchefant looks between the two of you, and though he's openly bleeding and clearly going through it right now, he smiles.]

Do not look at me so, my dear friends. A smile better suits a hero.

[There isn't much time left.]

[ She doesn’t blame Arven, not at all, and she won’t when this is all over either. She knows exactly what it’s like to lash out, to fight when one is overcome with grief.

It’s why, right now, all she can do is push herself through this moment. They need to keep moving forward, they need to keep going. They have to.

She takes one of Haurchefant’s hands in hers, squeezing it right as she manages to offer him one last smile. ]

[Arven's hand goes to Haurchefant's shoulder as he chokes back a sob. Haurchefant looking at them like that isn't helping! He doesn't want to say goodbye...

But if this is truly the end, then he can't let Haurchefant's last sight of him be a crying mess. He furiously rubs at his eyes and offers the best smile he can muster. It's shaky and his face is wet with tears, but there's no lack of love.]

[That seems to be what Haurchefant wanted indeed, because he passes with a smile on his face.

Silence follows. The others around you are almost unnaturally still for a long moment, until they suddenly fade from existence like Thordan did earlier. The knight up on the building is gone. The airship is gone. All that's left are the two of you and Haurchefant.

Just as it seems that there is nothing more to do here, you'll suddenly hear a voice: it is both familiar and unfamiliar, like it belongs to the people you know and love and yet someone you've never met all at the same time. You can't place it, but it asks you a very serious question.]

Would you save the world, knowing that your friend would die for it?

[Do you answer honestly?]

[ The silence is heavy, weighing down on her shoulders like a lead weight. With a breath that feels all too difficult to muster…

She answers honestly. ]

Yes. I would die to save everyone too. My friends and I all understand that about one another.

[ Would she do what she could to help them? Of course. But ultimately, they have all made that choice, and it is a choice that they are at peace with. ]

Besides… I’ve already lost friends to saving the world. We just have to keep going. For them.

[ For those we can yet save. ]

Edited 2024-10-14 18:31 (UTC)

[With Haurchefant gone, Arven curls in on himself and cries. Mabosstiff nudges against him and forces him to cling onto his fur instead. He continues to cry even when the memory fades, as if a dam for his real experiences back home has broken.

"You can't... You can't just go and say something like that now, Dad!"

The voice pierces his thoughts, causing him to look up.]

Knowing that a friend would die for it...

[He looks down at Mabosstiff, then to Haurchefant. He lost his dad for the sake of the world already. He can't...he can't do this again.

And so his answer is the opposite of Aerith's.]

No.

[The voice does not speak again. Slowly, the scenery around you fades to nothingness, to white. You aren't left with any time to consider that before you blink, and you're back in the Vault again. The stained glass window before you is now shattered, leaving six remaining.]

[ They're back… it feels surreal, like she’s been pulled and tugged in all sorts of different directions. The wind has been knocked out of her, but she finally manages to breathe.

And, she reaches out to take Arven’s hand and give it a comforting squeeze, should he let her. ]

[He does let her! He's still reeling from everything that just went down, so he's honestly grateful for the contact.]

Th-Thanks. [He uses his other hand to rub at his eyes some more.] And...sorry.

[That was a lot, and he feels like he wasn't on the same wavelength with her for a lot of it.]

Don’t worry about it.

[ She smiles softly. After all, Arven is just a kid. Learning how to process these things is hard even at Aerith’s age, and it certainly isn’t any easier for Arven. ]

We managed to get back here, and that’s what matters.

[ And now they can go help the others!! ]

...Yeah.

[It finally clicks that they're back in front of all the windows. For better or worse, they made it out.]

It felt so personal in the moment, but d'you think that was one of Fray's memories?

I think so.

[ She’ll give his hand another squeeze before letting go. ]

It felt so real. I think those are all things he felt himself in that moment.

FOR THOSE WE HAVE LOST | FRAY'S PALACE

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