by 500 AF, Gran Pulse.
What should have been THE event to have saved everything and everyone had turned out to be... The results ended in disaster. What should have been the start of a wonderful and glamorous era unraveled before everyone's eyes. Serah's collapse told them that something loomed over the horizon, but what Hope, Noel, and Sazh along with Dadj witnessed took place before a move could be made. Apocalyptic movies was that sort of thing that you would enjoy on a television and not worry about.
Millions of souls had cried out, heralding the threads of chaos that erupted through the gate, merging the world that just launched Bhunivelze into the sky into the overcast Valhalla. Time no longer mattered. Dadj will never get older, there would be no new life, only what is now. Sure, you could likely get killed by starvation or means outside of age. It would become an eternal twilight.
The four males were overtaken by it all, the loss of Serah, and everything that they had worked hard to protect was washed away. Noel had blamed himself for it, because it was his blade that Caius rammed himself with. Sazh was the one that was most collected, Dadj was safe and unharmed. Dadj was quiet, playing with the chocobo that somehow made it through the time-lines. Hope wasn't responding to much of anything at all. The platinum haired man would move when prompted, moved into a smaller van sized transport unit so that they could move through Pulse on the search for answers.
Naturally, Sazh was the one driving, the most level headed one of the group that knew how to drive. He said he would teach Noel someday, when the kid became a man. The hunter objected to the kid comment, recognizing it for the attempt to break the ice that it was. The best that the eldest man could figure would be to head towards the building that kinda stood out from the rest would be a place to start. It struck him as the place to go, no more explanation than that.
Fang and Vanille's crystals were in the back, secure and sound. Serah was placed in some sort of preservation tech, so her body would decay at a fraction of the rate, provided that hasn't stopped with time too. For some reason, unexplained to them at the time, they couldn't bear to leave her behind. The ladies in crystal didn't deserve to get left behind either.
Along the way, Dadj was getting to know Noel, asking him questions, things to fill the silence. Questions that only a kid would think to ask. The chocobo however was nestled on Hope's lab. The bird seemed to want to try to help. The director however, he was holding it together, but barely. Sazh's best guess was that he was trying to find something to hang onto, that maybe Lightning would be able to be found, and some sort of instructions to fix this. Or Light would find them.
Eventually, the party had found Snow. The hero didn't look much better than the rest of them. One simple question told the party that he knew everything. Noel had tried to apologize for failing to protect Serah. As much as Snow would have loved to yell, he just shook his head, and replied that there was nothing to be done. When Snow had seen Serah's peaceful slumber, he had broke down, and when he could speak again, he had expressed relief that she seems to have passed on silently.
There was a question that nobody would really stand to ask. Fang and Vanille's crystals have been silent the entire time. Fang surely would have said something if she was aware of what was going on, Vanille would have probably tried to cheer them up. Tell them that it's not as hopeless as it seems. Give them that heart melting smile of hers and remind them that somewhere there will be answers. In a way, it could be said that her memory was what kept them going this far. Fang wasn't to be discredited however, she would have stood up after Vanille and asked everyone what they were waiting for. Lets go! Then start marching ahead in the direction that they were needed to point themselves at for it.
After what felt like double the driving time through the expanse, they finally got to the tower that seemed to be the place to go. It was a tough decision, to leave the crystals behind. Snow however reached inside, carefully plucking Serah out of the container she was in. Intending to carry her all the way up. The grieving lover had a haunch that it would be best to place Serah there to rest. Reason he thought that, the blond didn't know. It just in his words, felt right.
The tower was void of life, no monsters had come to play in the short while that it took to climb the tower. What they had found... What was discovered was the last straw to whatever it was that had held Hope together.
A pair of legs carried their owner to the center of the room, placing himself on his knees before the crystal in front of him. Hope's arms were crossed on Light's lap, and face buried in them. The dam of emotions had burst apart, turning the events of today into glass shards, making the injuries to his mind and spirit feel fresh and new. They seemed to have embedded there, the feelings of failure and despair were all that Estheim could feel.
"I see," Snow said, turning his attention to the three that hadn't really known how to react. "I guess it seems fitting. Time keeping apart, and yet rest together in the end." The man had walked across the room, taking Serah to her sister. He placed her against Hope and Light's leg, a flicker of lingering magic from protecting the elder Farron trickling down. Hope had looked up to watch with his companions, the dim light that encompassed the younger sister. Turning her body back to Crystal.
"They look good there." Sazh spoke, unsure of what else could be said. Scratching the back of his head while encouraging Dadj to go look around a bit.
Noel nodded in agreement, guilt written all over his face. "Yeah, I just wish it didn't have to be this way, you know?" A moment of two of trying to place his thoughts, still getting to know some of his current party members.
Dadj was playing with some stones in a place that he could be seen, safe and sound.
Sazh had looked over to the brunette, trying to figure out something to do. Just another instance of the old man looking out for the kids. He found this a familiar enough situation that he could handle being the leader for a little while. The younger ones would be better at this sort of thing, but for now, this was going to be how it worked. Especially when two of the three combat capable men were beside themselves with it.
"Your good at that hunting thing right? Perhaps you could find us all something to eat? I will look after those two." Sazh was trying to get things together, one step at a time. You would think Mr. Director would have stepped up already, but Hope just wasn't in his right mind yet.
Noel wasn't sure if he should go scouting or hunting just yet. "You going to be okay if something happens?"
"Yeah, I am sure things will be okay until you get back." Sazh gave an understanding look to Noel. It wasn't that he was trying to get rid of the youth, it just looked like he needed to get some things worked out of his system.
Noel gave a tired look of appreciation as he turned and headed out of the room, to look for some prey to eat. Grateful for the chance to go blow off some steam. The more he thought about it, the more sense that it was for him to do what he needs to do. Noel knew that he would be depended on if something happens, so clearing his mind was necessary.
Hope gradually started to calm down, his grief struck breathing sounding more collected and calm.
"Kid still awake?" Sazh asked, testing Snow to see what kind of mind that he was in. If he would respond, or if he was just as oblivious to the world as Hope was.
Snow turned his head, looking carefully at the only other man in the room, save the kid. "Actually, I think he passed out." Cried himself to sleep is more like it, Snow thought as he caressed Serah's statue. "I still feel like we are missing something."
Noel returned, about an hour later, with a good sized buck that he had managed to find wandering around the tower. With the help of Sazh and Snow, they drug it onto the balcony, to clean and cook it. Turn what they don't eat into jerky for later purposes.
One thing to be said about the endurance of Snow's character, it was that he could bounce back, and be able to set how he is feeling about something aside. He was the hero, heroes find solutions to problems. Maybe if they can find something that can magically undo the fate of the world, he could find a way to bring back his girls. "I know sis would punch me if I said that out loud, even though Serah and I aren't married yet, she's still family. Still one of my girls to protect."
The eldest laughed a little. "Yeah, soldier-girl would definably have a few things to say about that."
"You think we should wake Hope up? Meat's ready." Noel asked, teetering on the edge of letting him sleep.
"Nah," Snow voted, shaking his head. "It's looking like Hope hasn't changed much since he was a teen in something like this. I think the only thing that carried him this far was hoping to find Light not in crystal. He's got nothing to hang onto now."
Noel asked out of curiosity. He didn't know Hope as the 14 year old, so it was easy for him to imagine him as an adult when they saved Cocoon from the Fal-cie. "He and Lightning lovers?"
Sazh had thought about it for a minute. "He clung to her quite a bit, but was too focused on getting out of the l'acie mess to think about anything romantic. That was Snow's job."
Snow had sighed, looking at Serah once more. "Yeah, I just wish that I could do something for Serah now."
"Keep living," Noel said, matter of factly. "That is what she wanted to protect, so I think she would want you to try and carry on."
"Easier said than done," Snow spoke, finding a place to turn in for a while. He would pull off his trench and cover up with it, going to sleep until it was his turn to keep watch. He had worked out a schedual with Noel to take turns, so the other can sleep. Sazh due to his age was going to rest through the night. Hope, well, it was a collective wish that tomorrow he would be able to deal with things. They were going to need his mind if they were going to try and work with what they have.
Today was a day to get their inner emotions under control, tomorrow would be when they do a more active search on this place, and see if they can't turn anything up. A little later, in the transport, the crystals started to shimmer. It had taken a while for them, and was a lot of concentration on what power they had left. It was time to awaken.
What should have been THE event to have saved everything and everyone had turned out to be... The results ended in disaster. What should have been the start of a wonderful and glamorous era unraveled before everyone's eyes. Serah's collapse told them that something loomed over the horizon, but what Hope, Noel, and Sazh along with Dadj witnessed took place before a move could be made. Apocalyptic movies was that sort of thing that you would enjoy on a television and not worry about.
Millions of souls had cried out, heralding the threads of chaos that erupted through the gate, merging the world that just launched Bhunivelze into the sky into the overcast Valhalla. Time no longer mattered. Dadj will never get older, there would be no new life, only what is now. Sure, you could likely get killed by starvation or means outside of age. It would become an eternal twilight.
The four males were overtaken by it all, the loss of Serah, and everything that they had worked hard to protect was washed away. Noel had blamed himself for it, because it was his blade that Caius rammed himself with. Sazh was the one that was most collected, Dadj was safe and unharmed. Dadj was quiet, playing with the chocobo that somehow made it through the time-lines. Hope wasn't responding to much of anything at all. The platinum haired man would move when prompted, moved into a smaller van sized transport unit so that they could move through Pulse on the search for answers.
Naturally, Sazh was the one driving, the most level headed one of the group that knew how to drive. He said he would teach Noel someday, when the kid became a man. The hunter objected to the kid comment, recognizing it for the attempt to break the ice that it was. The best that the eldest man could figure would be to head towards the building that kinda stood out from the rest would be a place to start. It struck him as the place to go, no more explanation than that.
Fang and Vanille's crystals were in the back, secure and sound. Serah was placed in some sort of preservation tech, so her body would decay at a fraction of the rate, provided that hasn't stopped with time too. For some reason, unexplained to them at the time, they couldn't bear to leave her behind. The ladies in crystal didn't deserve to get left behind either.
Along the way, Dadj was getting to know Noel, asking him questions, things to fill the silence. Questions that only a kid would think to ask. The chocobo however was nestled on Hope's lab. The bird seemed to want to try to help. The director however, he was holding it together, but barely. Sazh's best guess was that he was trying to find something to hang onto, that maybe Lightning would be able to be found, and some sort of instructions to fix this. Or Light would find them.
Eventually, the party had found Snow. The hero didn't look much better than the rest of them. One simple question told the party that he knew everything. Noel had tried to apologize for failing to protect Serah. As much as Snow would have loved to yell, he just shook his head, and replied that there was nothing to be done. When Snow had seen Serah's peaceful slumber, he had broke down, and when he could speak again, he had expressed relief that she seems to have passed on silently.
There was a question that nobody would really stand to ask. Fang and Vanille's crystals have been silent the entire time. Fang surely would have said something if she was aware of what was going on, Vanille would have probably tried to cheer them up. Tell them that it's not as hopeless as it seems. Give them that heart melting smile of hers and remind them that somewhere there will be answers. In a way, it could be said that her memory was what kept them going this far. Fang wasn't to be discredited however, she would have stood up after Vanille and asked everyone what they were waiting for. Lets go! Then start marching ahead in the direction that they were needed to point themselves at for it.
After what felt like double the driving time through the expanse, they finally got to the tower that seemed to be the place to go. It was a tough decision, to leave the crystals behind. Snow however reached inside, carefully plucking Serah out of the container she was in. Intending to carry her all the way up. The grieving lover had a haunch that it would be best to place Serah there to rest. Reason he thought that, the blond didn't know. It just in his words, felt right.
The tower was void of life, no monsters had come to play in the short while that it took to climb the tower. What they had found... What was discovered was the last straw to whatever it was that had held Hope together.
A pair of legs carried their owner to the center of the room, placing himself on his knees before the crystal in front of him. Hope's arms were crossed on Light's lap, and face buried in them. The dam of emotions had burst apart, turning the events of today into glass shards, making the injuries to his mind and spirit feel fresh and new. They seemed to have embedded there, the feelings of failure and despair were all that Estheim could feel.
"I see," Snow said, turning his attention to the three that hadn't really known how to react. "I guess it seems fitting. Time keeping apart, and yet rest together in the end." The man had walked across the room, taking Serah to her sister. He placed her against Hope and Light's leg, a flicker of lingering magic from protecting the elder Farron trickling down. Hope had looked up to watch with his companions, the dim light that encompassed the younger sister. Turning her body back to Crystal.
"They look good there." Sazh spoke, unsure of what else could be said. Scratching the back of his head while encouraging Dadj to go look around a bit.
Noel nodded in agreement, guilt written all over his face. "Yeah, I just wish it didn't have to be this way, you know?" A moment of two of trying to place his thoughts, still getting to know some of his current party members.
Dadj was playing with some stones in a place that he could be seen, safe and sound.
Sazh had looked over to the brunette, trying to figure out something to do. Just another instance of the old man looking out for the kids. He found this a familiar enough situation that he could handle being the leader for a little while. The younger ones would be better at this sort of thing, but for now, this was going to be how it worked. Especially when two of the three combat capable men were beside themselves with it.
"Your good at that hunting thing right? Perhaps you could find us all something to eat? I will look after those two." Sazh was trying to get things together, one step at a time. You would think Mr. Director would have stepped up already, but Hope just wasn't in his right mind yet.
Noel wasn't sure if he should go scouting or hunting just yet. "You going to be okay if something happens?"
"Yeah, I am sure things will be okay until you get back." Sazh gave an understanding look to Noel. It wasn't that he was trying to get rid of the youth, it just looked like he needed to get some things worked out of his system.
Noel gave a tired look of appreciation as he turned and headed out of the room, to look for some prey to eat. Grateful for the chance to go blow off some steam. The more he thought about it, the more sense that it was for him to do what he needs to do. Noel knew that he would be depended on if something happens, so clearing his mind was necessary.
Hope gradually started to calm down, his grief struck breathing sounding more collected and calm.
"Kid still awake?" Sazh asked, testing Snow to see what kind of mind that he was in. If he would respond, or if he was just as oblivious to the world as Hope was.
Snow turned his head, looking carefully at the only other man in the room, save the kid. "Actually, I think he passed out." Cried himself to sleep is more like it, Snow thought as he caressed Serah's statue. "I still feel like we are missing something."
Noel returned, about an hour later, with a good sized buck that he had managed to find wandering around the tower. With the help of Sazh and Snow, they drug it onto the balcony, to clean and cook it. Turn what they don't eat into jerky for later purposes.
One thing to be said about the endurance of Snow's character, it was that he could bounce back, and be able to set how he is feeling about something aside. He was the hero, heroes find solutions to problems. Maybe if they can find something that can magically undo the fate of the world, he could find a way to bring back his girls. "I know sis would punch me if I said that out loud, even though Serah and I aren't married yet, she's still family. Still one of my girls to protect."
The eldest laughed a little. "Yeah, soldier-girl would definably have a few things to say about that."
"You think we should wake Hope up? Meat's ready." Noel asked, teetering on the edge of letting him sleep.
"Nah," Snow voted, shaking his head. "It's looking like Hope hasn't changed much since he was a teen in something like this. I think the only thing that carried him this far was hoping to find Light not in crystal. He's got nothing to hang onto now."
Noel asked out of curiosity. He didn't know Hope as the 14 year old, so it was easy for him to imagine him as an adult when they saved Cocoon from the Fal-cie. "He and Lightning lovers?"
Sazh had thought about it for a minute. "He clung to her quite a bit, but was too focused on getting out of the l'acie mess to think about anything romantic. That was Snow's job."
Snow had sighed, looking at Serah once more. "Yeah, I just wish that I could do something for Serah now."
"Keep living," Noel said, matter of factly. "That is what she wanted to protect, so I think she would want you to try and carry on."
"Easier said than done," Snow spoke, finding a place to turn in for a while. He would pull off his trench and cover up with it, going to sleep until it was his turn to keep watch. He had worked out a schedual with Noel to take turns, so the other can sleep. Sazh due to his age was going to rest through the night. Hope, well, it was a collective wish that tomorrow he would be able to deal with things. They were going to need his mind if they were going to try and work with what they have.
Today was a day to get their inner emotions under control, tomorrow would be when they do a more active search on this place, and see if they can't turn anything up. A little later, in the transport, the crystals started to shimmer. It had taken a while for them, and was a lot of concentration on what power they had left. It was time to awaken.
