The light of Sirius's spell had barely faded when the streets of Dalmasca stirred. One moment, the plaza outside the Clan Hall was calm beneath the desert night sky. The next, a ripple of energy spread, bending air and space like a curtain torn aside.
Out of that brilliance, a man appeared. His presence alone seemed to weigh down the stones beneath his boots. Tall, broad-shouldered, armored in scarlet, his blade slung across his back — and his face, worn with scars and lines carved deep by battles long past. His single eye narrowed, adjusting to the world around him.
Auron.
Clive, Lunafreya, Vivi, Serah, and Mog froze as the light dissolved into motes that drifted upward like fireflies. This was no ordinary traveler.
Clive's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, his body tense. He'd seen countless warriors, countless hardened men scarred by war, but something about this one was different. His presence was not simply heavy — it was absolute, as though he carried not one lifetime of burdens but many.
Vivi's small voice broke the silence first. "He… he feels… old. Not just old like age. But like he's… seen too much."
Serah stepped forward cautiously, her trinket glowing faintly at her wrist. Her heart pounded. She had felt this kind of weight before — the heaviness of someone who had accepted death, only to keep walking anyway. "You're… like us," she whispered.
Auron's gaze flicked to her, then across the others. His tone, gravelly and blunt, cut straight through. "Where is this?"
"Dalmasca," Lunafreya answered softly. Her composure, as always, carried calm, though her fingers tightened against her skirts. "Another world — not Spira."
The name struck Auron like a blow. His jaw set, his hand brushing the rim of his jug, though he did not drink. "Spira… Then it is true. Sirius."
From the shadow of an archway, Sirius lingered, silent at first. He did not need to announce himself; the others felt his presence as surely as they had felt the weight of Auron's. He stepped into the torchlight only when Auron's single eye met his.
"You kept your promise," Auron said flatly, his voice low but without surprise.
"I did," Sirius replied simply.
The others looked between them, bewildered.
Serah's brow furrowed. "You knew him already?"
Sirius nodded once, then glanced to the party. "Long ago, I gave him the trinket — when his fate first claimed him. Tonight, destiny tried to take him again. I refused to let it."
Lunafreya pressed her hand against her chest, her expression soft with understanding. "Another thread… woven into ours."
Clive's eyes narrowed slightly, but not in suspicion — in recognition. The man before him was no stranger to grief. That was written into every line of his face.
Auron finally broke the silence, his gaze sweeping across them all. "So… I am not alone in this fate."
"No," Serah said quickly, shaking her head. "You're not. We're… the same. Sirius saved all of us too."
Vivi's voice quivered, but his words were brave. "We're not supposed to be alive in our worlds anymore. But here… we keep going."
The air grew heavy again, but this time it was not oppressive. It was the weight of shared truth.
Auron tilted his head back, staring at the starlit sky above Dalmasca. For the first time since his arrival, a sound slipped from him — a faint, tired chuckle. "Hmph. Death couldn't hold me. And now… neither will fate."
The others relaxed slightly at that, though none dared to laugh with him. It was not joy in his voice — it was resignation turned into resolve.
Sirius finally stepped forward, breaking their quiet reverence. "Auron, Clive, Lunafreya, Vivi, Serah. This is your fellowship now. Different worlds, different battles, same truth. You live outside destiny. And together, you will be the ones to meet the Chaos that comes."
Auron's eye narrowed, but he did not argue. Instead, he turned to the younger ones — to Serah, to Vivi, to Clive. "Then let us be done with words. When do we fight?"
Clive smirked faintly at that, an ember of respect sparking within him. "Soon enough. But first… we train. Together."
Lunafreya's voice, calm and warm, added softly: "And we learn. Of one another, and of what strength truly means."
Serah smiled, more hopeful than she had since her revival. "Then let's do it. Together."
Mog, finally fluttering up onto her shoulder, piped up cheerfully. "Kupo! Guess that means we're all a team now, kupo!"
Vivi giggled faintly at that, and even Auron allowed himself the shadow of a smile.
Sirius, watching them, said nothing more. But inside, he knew: another piece of the tapestry had fallen into place. Another soul saved from the hands of destiny. Another fighter ready for the war to come.
The night of Dalmasca felt heavier, yet brighter, with Auron now among them.
Clive broke the silence first, his arms crossed, studying the swordsman. "You've walked through death itself to stand here. Do you need time to rest first, or…" He hesitated, testing the man's resolve. "…or are you ready to fight now?"
Auron shifted, his hand tightening around the hilt of his massive katana. His lips curled into something caught between a smirk and a challenge. "Rest?" His voice was gravel, weathered by countless battles. "I've rested enough in death. Let's go kill something."
The words struck through the room like a spark. Clive's eyes narrowed, not in doubt, but in respect. "Then we hunt."
Vivi blinked in awe, clutching his staff tighter. "He sounds… serious."
Mog bobbed in the air beside Serah, fluffing his pom with a determined little squeak. "Kupo! With someone like him, the monsters won't know what hit them!"
Lunafreya's lips curved faintly, her composure unshaken. "Then let this be our trial together. A test of harmony, of steel and magic, of flame and faith."
Outside the city gates, the desert winds howled. The bounty board's most recent mark still hung fresh in Clive's mind—a beast troubling the outer trade roads. He had accepted it on behalf of the party days ago but delayed until Serah's arrival. Now, with Auron's iron will bolstering their ranks, the time had come.
The group strode into the sands, blades and staffs glinting in the sun, their footprints weaving together in the dunes. For Clive, this was another chance to temper their unity. For Vivi, another adventure to prove courage over fear. For Serah, her first true step alongside this strange fellowship. For Lunafreya, a chance to wield her gift as choice, not duty.
And for Auron, it was simple. The fight was his answer to everything.
The desert roared with life ahead. Their hunt had begun.