A full hour passed since their vessel's rerouting. After entering METIS's atmosphere, Lyn couldn't help but think about how insignificantly little in size they were compared to the rest of the world around them. After passing through countless islands and locations brimming with tall green grass and mountains blighted by the crimson-plagued Rot, their aerial journey came to an end as the ship's predetermined coordinates docked them on a sandy beach shore. A smaller vessel was docked on the opposite side of their vessel, not too far from where they landed.
Lyn was the first to exit from the cargo bay. At first, after stepping outside the downward slanted ramp, she stumbled her footing and almost landed on her knees, if it were not for a nearby palm tree that supported her weight. The blasting heat from the sun pressed against her forehead as she pushed herself off of the tree, stepping down onto the hot sand. The cargo bay from Ardine's vessel opened beyond her view. Claire was the first to step out, and her eyes instantly caught onto Lyn's with a cheerful expression as she raced toward her, almost collapsing from how fast she was going.
"Lyn!" She called, rushing toward Lyn with her arms open. The two embraced, with Lyn wrapping her arms around her shoulder. "So happy you made it out."
"Yeah, you too," Lyn said. "How are you feeling?"
Claire's mouth slanted sideways in disillusionment. "Just relieved it's all over, but... I can't help but shake the feeling that my home deserved better. All those innocent lives..."
"Don't shake that feeling. Hold onto it," Lyn said, patting her light brown head. "You did enough to save them up there. We should be grateful for that outcome."
"Still... so much has happened," Claire continued. "What I did up there, my hand, my powers... I can't even begin to explain how and why this is all happening."
"We'll get our answers soon," Lyn said, referencing herself as well. "I'm sure of it."
Ardine exited the cargo bay with his rifle holstered behind his back. His face showed sign of mild injury, including scratches and burns from his previous battle, but it made him appear more battle-ready and gritty. He approached the two with a confident smile, as if a hefty weight had been released from his shoulders. Lyn smiled back at him as Claire left her arms, joining them together in hand.
"Glad you made it." Ardine said.
"You too." Lyn replied.
The three of them turned to watch Alfaic departing from the cargo bay, raising his arm to shield his vision from the sun. Lyn realized that ever since he had transformed into a human, he hadn't experienced the sun's heat beating against his skin. It was all coming back to him.
Claire and Ardine exchanged giddy and fervent glances with each other as Lyn held her eyes upon Alfaic from a distance, watching him descend the cargo bay, shirtless with his tight black leather pants. Sweat glazed off of his forehead, dripping down his chin and lathering on his pectoral muscles. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead, subsequently brushing his frizzy white hair at the same time. Claire crossed her arms and smirked at Lyn, nudging her side with her elbow, catching her off guard.
"The old man told me you two were up to some funny business up there..." Claire teased.
"Huh? Funny business?" Lyn's voice arose in anxiety. She clasped her hands together and scattered her vision upon the two, switching between them at light speed. "Don't know what you mean by that."
"Hmph. Whatever you say..." Claire giggled, turning away.
Alfaic approached the group, keeping his distance as sweat continued to ooze off of his glistening skin. "Phew," He began. "Can't remember the last time I felt the sun on my skin. Feels like I just ran a marathon."
The three were silent as their eyes pooled together toward Alfaic's body. He caught them doing so, widening his eyebrows in confusion.
"What?" He asked.
"Think we're still getting used to your form," Ardine said, shifting his shoulders. "Wasn't a problem originally, but..."
"It'll take time," Claire inputted, curling her eyebrows. "But beyond everything that's happened so far, I'm just glad you're still on our side."
Alfaic moved to the side of the three and placed his hands on his hips as he watched the water sway toward the shores. Lyn's eyes glistened as she looked toward his back, envisioning the dream that he had endowed to her in space. She was imagining the boats sweeping through the waves and the current, and the endless amount of islands they would pass. She had a hunch that he was thinking of it as well.
"All I want... is to make things right," Alfaic said, turning his head back to the three. "This world deserves better, and I know my family has made it worse for everyone. An understatement, yes. I want to undo the damage they've done, and to break this cycle of death and destruction. I'm tired of seeing it all, and what I want is for it to all end. I'm willing to go the extra mile, if you'll join me."
Lyn stepped forward. Ardine and Claire both exchanged glances the moment she did, finding courage within her once-robotic heart.
"Wasn't easy having to do that to your brother," Ardine said, stepping forward as well with his hands tucked by his side. "I know... the pain of family hardships. And I won't watch as this world burns because of it."
Claire seemed hesitant, but she pressed on anyway, moving by their side. "Nothing against you... but your father still has to pay for what he did. I'll be here to settle the score for him as well."
"It's settled then." Alfaic said, exhaling a breath of relief.
"So, what's the plan?" Lyn asked, joining him by his side.
"D'Avuzel," Alfaic said as he reached into his pockets. He took the blue fragments out and looked at Ardine. "Managed to snag these in space after you lost them."
"Oh," Ardine began. "How clumsy of me."
"Yes, how clumsy of you." Claire repeated after him, side-eyeing him.
Alfaic dropped the fragments on the beach shore, eyeing them as they gave off the same bluish glow. Ardine and Claire moved beside him, glancing at the fragments along with Lyn.
"My friend over there should know more about where to find the rest of these. We're quite close, but we might need to cross over a bridge full of those Figments to reach there."
"When you say Figments... what are you on about?" Claire asked.
"I'm curious myself too." Ardine said.
"They're an inscrutable species of creatures with their own dialect and language," Alfaic began. "As I've said before, they've made a living in one of the islands I used to frequent when I was still with my family. They're perfectionist tall folk, and can't ever seem to hold down a conversation without needing to fix something. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if they're willing to see us through with my history with them. And to be honest... I'm not even sure if my friend's willing to help us out, too. We might need a Plan B."
"What did you do to your friend?" Claire asked.
"Well, ever since my family came to find me when I was still living with them, they weren't exactly the most gentle with their home. Some of them died, and they left their village in quite a mess. The last I ever saw from them had to do with my name, which was scribbled on some of the town's banners. Burned all of them to a crisp to condemn it after my connection with my family was apparent."
"How long has it been since you've seen them?" Lyn asked.
"A few years."
"Are they the type to hold a grudge?" Claire asked. "You said they're addicted to perfection, so they might have rebuilt their village in a day."
"That doesn't change the fact what I did to them." Alfaic said.
"Hmm, well, I don't care. A village full of perfectionists sounds like a nice relaxing paradise to rest in. I'm interested in seeing these lanky lampposts and what they've got to offer."
"We're not going there for vacation." Ardine reminded her.
"Boo-hoo, you always ruin the mood with everything, old man," Claire retorted, crossing her arms as she glared toward him. "Don't you think you deserve a little relaxing break as well? You've got some injuries that need to be treated too."
Lyn shifted her gaze toward Ardine. "Yeah. Would be nice." She agreed.
"Then, it's settled!" Claire cheered, moving in front of Alfaic. "I've got a plan. Lyn and Ardine and I will scope out the village and try to befriend them to make sure they forget all about what happened with you and your family, while you find your friend and ask him about the fragments. Then, we make peace, and hopefully they'll accept us with open arms. Then, they'll probably offer us a nice hot steaming bath, call us heroes, scribe my name on their banners, and-"
"Okay, don't get too carried away," Ardine said, rustling Claire's hair as he walked past her to pick up the fragments to stow away. "Fine, then. I just hope it's not too far."
"It's not - I'll lead the way," Alfaic said, taking point toward the shoreline as the wind swept through their fingers. "I've frequented this place before. When we get to the bridge, just stay behind me."
Ardine and Alfaic moved beside each other as Lyn and Claire followed from behind. They passed by a set of palm trees lined up against the shore, giving them temporary shade. The clouds moved much faster than they usually would, revealing small veiled hints of yellow aurora-like waves circulating in the skies in a wave-like motion. The pastel colored pink sands dispersed small crustaceans on the wet sand, moving back into the ocean for sustenance. From the distance, a small faint sight of a wooden decorated bridge could be made out, connected to a vast system of smaller islands and checkpoints.
Claire placed her hands behind her back and scooted besides Lyn, who kept her eyes far off the distance to admire the pleasant scenery. She watched with her. "Probably the most peace we've ever gotten in a while, hmm?" She said. "Fragments of aether floating adrift above the continent... makes the world feel like it's alive and talking to us."
"What is it saying?" Lyn asked.
"I dunno, maybe... save us! Save us!" Claire's voice turned growly. "Save us from this encroaching danger so that we may finally breathe from all this red smoke!"
Lyn chuckled. "I'd like that. I think I'm growing to admire the little beauty in this world, without the Rot and all. It has me really thinking where all of these creatures came from, and why the Rot Mother came to be. I don't know. Blade has me thinking about all these questions ever since he told me about his adventures."
Claire cocked her head toward Lyn. "What... exactly did you two do up there?" She asked.
Lyn looked ahead and back at Claire rapidly. Her face shifted into Claire's in moderate confusion as her eyebrows gently lifted themselves upward. "Am I... supposed to keep this a secret?" She asked with an innocent tone.
"No!" Claire exclaimed, stopping in her tracks and pointing at Lyn's face. "If you want to start being like us, you need to start telling me all the little secrets and rumors that you've faced. Double if it's from a guy. You know. Girl talk."
"Girl... talk?"
"Yes, girl talk. There's some things you shouldn't share with guys like Alfaic, so that's why I'm here to lend an ear. Besides, there's still that story of me not trusting him, but we can save that for another time. What did he say to you up there?"
"Just... the dreams that he had when he was still young, venturing off into the endless sea of islands on his boat. How the relationship with his family wasn't so fractured back then, and how he would travel with his brothers by boat. They shared smiles back in the day. Then, he made me realize that there's still this beauty in this world. We shared some common dreams; eventually, once everything got better, we agreed to go with each other some time through those islands."
"Oh..." Claire's mouth strayed off to the side. "Well, I certainly didn't expect that."
"What do you mean?"
"Ehhh, he didn't seem like a sailor to me, or someone to own a boat. But...I guess... well, I learned from Szene, that usually when you have family problems, it stems all the way from the parents not understanding your wants and needs. He must have thought traveling through those islands was an escape from reality; the reality of his relationship with his father. Taking his brothers with him... must have made him realize that he wanted to save them too."
"I... I didn't realize that until you said it." Lyn confessed.
"We've all had our fair share of depressing problems," Claire continued. "But that story makes me despise his father even more. I wish I could have done something about it that night so that none of this would have happened."
"You've done enough. You know that, right?"
"I keep telling myself that, but..." Claire shook her head, wanting to move on from the conversation. "But, never mind that! Both of you agreeing to go to these islands is a huge change, especially for you!"
"A good change, or a bad change?" Lyn asked, crossing her arms.
"Mostly good, though I'd want a different guy inviting you out instead of him. Someone who's more charming, laidback, and doesn't have all these red flags popping out of him like some kind of balloon filled with confetti."
"Oh, so he's full of air?"
"Exactly," Claire giggled. "Full of air in that stupid head of his! I've had my fair share of boys wanting to charm me every day and night. I'd know."
"Hmm," Lyn began, staring off in the distance to watch both Ardine and Alfaic talking to each other. They seemed to be getting along, despite his relationship with the enemy. A quick glance over at Alfaic showed him rubbing the back of his head in nervousness, which was a sign that he was trying to make amends little by little to heal it all. She looked back onto Claire to propose an idea. "You're quite observant for a sixteen-year old, I'll give you that."
"Is that... supposed to be a compliment?" Claire asked, cocking her head.
Lyn nodded. "Take what you will from it. But I have an idea. You should tell me every time he does something stupid, or every time he's trying to charm me. What I've noticed is, I'm not as perceptive as you, after all." She said.
"Okay, it's a deal!" Claire laughed. "If there's anyone who's gonna start treating you right, they'll have to get past me first before they get to you!"
"What are you two yapping about back there?" Ardine called, stopping in his tracks.
"Nothing, just-"
"Girl talk." Lyn finished her sentence.
Ardine's eyebrow slanted upward as he curt his head to the side. They continued moving, despite their initial suspicions that they were conversing about the men.
"What do you remember about those boys you were talking about earlier?" Lyn asked.
Claire chuckled, eyes drawing toward the pinkish sand by her boots as they moved. "Well, one of them was goofy and almost infatuated with me, and one of them was serious, who hated Qliphosians. But if there's one thing I remembered, it was how despite it all, they made me feel like I really had a family for once. All this endless banter and bickering... it didn't make me hate them. It made me trust them even more."
"You must have been tired." Lyn said.
"I was, but... after taking some time to reflect on those moments, I really miss it," Claire confessed. "Those arguments we had, the disagreements, and even the fights... I didn't realize it was all gone until it hit me that night."
"That just shows me how people who aren't family can really feel like it. Like your relationship with Ardine, and mine with Blade."
"Hmm... I guess you're right," Claire agreed. "The old man and I haven't known each other for long, but it feels like we have. Especially with all of the arguments we've had. That man can't shut his mouth about the littlest things even if he tried," She stopped and turned her head to the side to view the shore. She puffed out a light wheeze. "I miss those boys," She said. "But then I look at the state of this world, and I think to myself, maybe they're better off out there, in peace, passed on."
"I know," Lyn said. "Let's make this world an actual inhabitable place, so that those who are still lucky enough to be here can get that chance. That way, no one ever has to be separated again."
Claire nodded and inched closer to Lyn, feeling closer to her than ever. "Sounds like a plan!"
"Claire!" Alfaic called, turning his head back. He pointed toward a brown bunny nibbling on some crops off the tall grass in the distance.
Claire gasped and rushed toward it as fast as she could, dropping all of the invisible weights and burdens about her brothers and her life as she reached for the bunny. Lyn was left behind, watching Ardine catch up with her to keep her safe. As she watched her three friends interact with each other, she was beginning to understand more about human life. But not just the complications, but the reasons of why it was worth living in the first place.
She glanced over at the ocean's reflection, staring beyond it, and envisioned a life where all of it would be possible.