The threads shimmered faintly before Sirius' eyes. Some glowed steady, like rivers of light, while others flickered, broken and frayed. One in particular burned unevenly, pulsing with pain, a line stretched taut by guilt and tragedy. Sirius reached for it, brushing it with his hand. Memories and visions poured through him.
It was the thread of Clive Rosfield.
From the moment he first gave the boy the trinket in Rosaria, Sirius had known this would not be a simple life. Clive's fate was steeped in fire, grief, and sacrifice. And now, he saw every stage of that descent.
---
A boy stood in the training yard, sweat dripping from his brow as wooden swords clashed around him. Clive's breath came ragged, but his eyes burned—not from exhaustion, but from envy. Joshua, his younger brother, carried the Phoenix's blessing. The younger son held destiny. Clive, the elder, was left with nothing.
That hollow gnawed at him. Sirius saw the boy's silent breakdowns at night, fists clenched, nails digging into palms until blood welled.
The trinket at his chest warmed faintly. Not to erase his jealousy, but to prevent it from festering into hatred. A quiet nudge against despair. Enough to let Clive rise the next morning and still love his brother.
---
Then came the night Rosaria burned. Screams tore the sky, Joshua's fire engulfed the battlefield, and Clive's eyes widened in horror as his brother fell before him.
His knees buckled. His hands shook.
"I failed… I failed him!"
He would have broken there, his soul consumed by despair and self-loathing. But the trinket pulsed again, faint light threading through his veins. It steadied his mind, muffled the storm just enough for him to rise, sword trembling in his hands.
Grief did not vanish. But it did not destroy him either.
---
Years passed. Clive grew harder, colder, blade honed by vengeance. But in some battles, rage overtook reason. Sirius saw him standing amid ruin, his sword wet with blood not only of enemies, but innocents caught in the fire.
His own reflection in a pool of crimson stared back at him—feral, unrecognizable. His body shook.
"No… what have I done?"
The trinket flared, piercing through the haze, dragging him back from the brink of madness. His grip loosened on his weapon, his breath ragged. Without it, he might have lost himself completely.
---
In time, Sirius saw another wound strike deep. Cidolfus Telamon—rogue, rebel, father-figure. Clive knelt in the smoke, Cid's body before him, broken by the rebellion's fire.
"My father in rebellion… taken before his time," Clive whispered, his voice breaking.
The trinket glowed faintly, guarding his mind from collapsing beneath grief. Without it, Clive's will would have shattered under the weight of yet another loss.
---
Then came Dion Lesage—the Dragoon who soared with dragon wings and noble heart. Sirius watched his final moments, fate crushing him under despair and betrayal.
Clive's hands clenched into fists. His voice trembled.
"A noble soul, crushed beneath fate."
The trinket remained quiet this time, allowing Clive to endure the grief himself. He grew through it, though it weighed on him like another chain.
---
Every step of his journey, allies fell around him. Bearers, friends, comrades—all were swallowed by the endless march of war. Clive carried them all.
"Every life lost… another chain upon my heart."
The trinket's glow steadied his soul. The chains did not break him. They bent him, scarred him, but did not destroy.
---
Finally, Sirius saw the last battle. Ultima—the god of fate itself—loomed before Clive. Their clash shook the very foundations of Valisthea. Clive's body burned, every strike fueled by borrowed strength, by every sacrifice carried in his heart.
He triumphed. Ultima fell, light unraveling into nothing.
And Clive collapsed.
His chest no longer rose. His eyes dimmed. His thread of fate severed completely.
Destiny demanded his end.
---
Sirius stepped from the veil, kneeling beside the fallen man. His hand hovered above the trinket, now pulsing faintly though Clive's body lay still.
"The trinket saves those fated to die," Sirius whispered. "Destiny demands your death, but I refuse."
The trinket glowed fiercely, light pouring into Clive's chest. His body convulsed, lungs heaving as air returned to him. Slowly, painfully, his eyes opened.
"…I should be dead."
"You were," Sirius answered calmly. "But I gave you a good luck charm long ago. Do you remember?"
Clive's gaze fell to his chest. His trembling fingers touched the trinket. Memories surfaced—childhood jealousy soothed, rage quieted, grief survived. The warmth he thought his own strength… it had been this charm.
He looked up, eyes widening as recognition flickered. "…You… I know you. From long ago."
"Yes." Sirius offered a faint smile. "I am Sirius. The trinket was mine to give. I planted the seed, and it kept you alive when fate wanted you gone."
Clive's voice broke. "Why? My world… it's freed. I finished my story. Why save me now?"
Sirius' expression darkened slightly. "Because there is another truth. An alternate world exists—one of chaos. It devours realities, invades every Final Fantasy world it touches. If left unchecked, everything you've fought for will be erased."
Clive's jaw clenched. "…And if I return to Valisthea?"
"Then destiny will kill you again. Your journey here is finished. Death is your world's final demand." Sirius extended his hand. "But with me, with others who share your burden, you can fight again. Not because destiny says so, but because you choose to."
Clive looked at the trinket one last time. Its glow pulsed warmly, as though encouraging him. Slowly, he reached out and grasped Sirius' hand.
"…Then I'll fight. Not for fate. Not for destiny. But because I choose to."
Sirius' eyes softened. "Good. Then it's time you go to another world."
Light engulfed them both as the Aetherviel descended, veiled from mortal eyes. In a flash, Valisthea was gone.
They reappeared beneath the blazing sun, just outside the bustling walls of Rabanastre.
Clive staggered, taking in the sight. "Another world…"
Sirius stood beside him, voice calm but resolute. "Yes. And here, your new journey begins."