After making it out of the Gapwood, Qliphos's gargantuan space station was now visible, albeit still miles away from their location. As they stood on the edge of a strait connected by a rusty bridge, the four marveled at the sight of the obelisk-like monument that pierced through the dark clouds, stretching through infinity and beyond. Held together by massive cables to support a rotating disc around the obelisk, the space station was the pinnacle of mechanized achievement spanning across centuries.
But now, it was nothing more than the cornerstone of Rot influence. From the distance, infectious bulbous pustules and thick web-like coatings surrounded the obelisk, turning it into a beacon of affliction. The dense and thick air around the space station kept the Rot's infectious influence not only on ground, but in the skies around, permeating it through the clouds. Because of this, the darkness of the night transformed the space station into a haunted nightmare, as it symbolized a looming and terrifying presence no man would want to stumble towards.
As the sun was about to set for the group's second day off course, the path began to seem more uncertain to traverse throughout the night, for the presence of the battle droids began to terrorize their minds. But the sun still remained out; it would only be another hour before the night would blanket the skies.
Ardine paused and looked up at the sky as Claire and Lyn led the path ahead. "It's... starting to look familiar now." He said, exhaling a soft breath has he spoke.
Lyn and Claire turned around, as Alfaic hovered beside him. "You've... been here before? I thought you've never been to Qliphos before."
"In a way, yes," Ardine said. "Perhaps this is the furthest I've ventured before. But I recall some other place around here that I remember as clear as day. But it's not a good time to see to it. Maybe tomorrow."
"Tomorrow works." Alfaic said.
The group found themselves settling down a few meters away from the strait, nestling comfortably near an arching rock formation that provided them shelter. Ardine dropped the green sack containing Claire's dress on the ground, expunging the dust that remained dormant from within. Lyn and Claire sat together on a crooked log, lighting a flame that would provide them warmth for another resting spot.
"I'll find food this time," Ardine began, wrapping his rifle comfortably around his shoulder strap. "You can all stay put."
"Stew wasn't it for you, was it?" Alfaic asked.
"It was... delicious." Ardine sarcastically stated before venturing off into the woods.
Lyn and Claire basked in the flame's heat as Alfaic rested further away, giving them space from their previous battle. Claire held out her hands to wrap the warmth around her. There was silence between them, until Lyn's curiosity got the better of her.
"I wonder what it looked like before the Rot." Lyn begun, staring down toward her hands.
Claire didn't turn her head. "It's always been beautiful," She said. "Why? What did you think it looked like?"
"Well, probably a little less dark, well-maintained, and... filled with people?" Lyn assumed.
Claire laughed briefly through her nose. A single utter was all she could maintain. "Extraordinary way to put it, I'd say. Imagine a place where all people could flourish without having to worry about military jurisdiction. You would be able to come across a random person, and they would be smiling, proud of being present in the cornerstone of this world."
"Have you ever experienced that before?" Lyn asked, turning her head to face Claire.
"No," Claire immediately said. "It's all just a dream. Just... wishful thinking."
"I've noticed you say that word a lot."
Claire's interest was piqued. She tilted her head to the side. "What word?"
"Dream." Lyn clarified.
"Well..." Claire chuckled without showing a sign of humor. "What is there to even say? Humanity is made up of nothing but dreams now. The dream to survive, the dream to live comfortably..." She paused, clasping her hands together while peering deep into the flames of the bonfire. "The dream to live free."
"It will happen." Lyn said.
Claire laughed again, with a sarcastic scoff following after. "Really?"
"It will, because I'm fighting for it. The goal is to protect the people of this world, and to rid whatever enemies come from it. Destroying the ones responsible for the Rot," Lyn said, immediately thinking of the last three Krin brothers being the ones. "Once it happens, our dreams can become a reality, and your definition of a dream shall change forever."
"Truly wishful thinking," Claire repeated, resting her shoulders once the flame began to circulate through her entire short body. Her voice then lowered itself to a slow halt. "Someone told me the exact same thing, long ago."
"Who?" Lyn asked.
"I'd... rather not say."
"Why? Does it not help to speak the worries of the mind so that the body can heal?" She quoted Alfaic from back then, when Cethe and the citizens of Stravia passed onto heaven.
Claire's eyes widened. "Who said that?"
"Blade."
"What a corny statement," Claire emphasized. "But... you're right. I suppose it does help."
Lyn waited patiently. Both of them had completely eased themselves to the comfortable warmth of the flame. It almost felt like they were levitating in a hot sauna, transcending through their comfort zones to speak about almost anything.
"Her... name was Szene," Claire began, eyebrows furled up to indicate the bothersome memories of the conversation; Lyn was able to pick up on it, after interacting with numerous humans from the Bountiful Sands. "She was... one in a million. A beacon of light in the darkness. My only friend that I ever loved."
"What happened to her?" Lyn asked.
"She died trying to protect me," Claire continued, voice trailing off. She shook her head rapidly, and chose not to escalate. "I'm sorry, I just..."
"Take your time." Lyn calmly said.
Claire nodded, sucking in a hefty amount of bountiful air to spark her courage to speak the truth. "It's funny. I only knew her for two weeks, and yet she became someone that I admired. She had a certain strength to her, where her bluntness was key. She would always tell you how it was, regardless of whether or not it would make you feel terrible or happy. Always getting the boys we knew out of trouble... even me, out of trouble. But she would always take the blow even if we did get in trouble."
Lyn did not have a single person in her life that had a relationship like that with her. The idea never crossed her mind. But she could remember the relationship between Cethe and Elaina; two sisters where one had unfortunately met a saddening fate under unfaithful circumstances.
"I was lost, and she brought light to my life. She gave me hope even after knowing that I was a Qliphosian. At first, she cared, but that changed quickly," Claire said, smiling at the thought of her face. "Then the droids attacked... and the man in black..."
"Man in black?" Lyn asked. "Who is he?"
"I... don't know," Claire said, reliving the worst moment of her memories. Tears began to trail down her eyes, stinging her surrounding eyelids. "But that night... when she reached for my hand... she wanted me to fight for a better future... and to be free. And when I held her hand..." Claire's voice cracked as she gave up the resolve in her emotions, covering her eyes in sorrow.
A glimpse of Cethe's blonde locks decked Claire's image as Lyn peered deeper toward her grief. A reminiscent of a grieving Aema also reminded her of the many sorrows and betrayals of life. Claire was right; the world was run on dreams to fuel hope. But dreams die as progress dies, leaving nothing but empty memories and words. She was tired of it. She was tired of it all.
This tiresome mindset made her act. Lyn reached around Claire's shoulder and gently pulled her close to comfort her. Claire's eyes opened widely as she revealed herself to Lyn, astonished at her unusual behavior coming into full effect as prime consolation. Lyn gazed into Claire's white eyes and lightly smiled, just as Ardine and the others had taught her.
"Does this help?" Lyn asked.
Claire blinked rapidly before resting her head against Lyn's chest. "A little bit." She said.
Alfaic, who had been floating away from their position, begun to float back toward the fire. He witnessed Lyn preemptively take action to try and comfort Claire, which was a new astonishing sight to behold.
"The way you described her... inspires me to become like her," Lyn begun. It was an odd statement at first, according to her, but she ran along with it, for it was the truth. "Humanity is on its last legs. The people grow weary and tired. But seeing them depend on others, build, remake... gives them faith. So many of them depend on me to protect them."
"Don't you want to?" Claire asked.
"I do," Lyn confessed. "Because I too, am beginning to understand what humans go through."
"I suppose so." Claire said, remembering her conversation with Ardine at the previous camp.
"Do you think… you should move on?" Lyn asked.
"I…" Claire paused.
"If we steer on this path of grief, we may never grow from it. All we are doing is delaying the inevitable growth from it. But once humanity acknowledges the pain, perhaps it can be the beginning of the healing process," Lyn said. "That is what I learned… a while ago." She thought about the statue of Cethe and Damian, fused together to signify her understanding of her first time grieving for a lost soul.
"Well said," Ardine said, entering the conversation with hunted game on the back of his shoulder. He placed it on the grass in front of him, watching Lyn hold Claire with care. "And this Szene wanted you to protect others as well, I'm sure of it."
Claire looked at Ardine with a slight bit of contempt. "You... were listening in, old man?"
"Didn't mean to," Ardine said. "But I believe it's the truth."
Silence paraded the rest of the camp as time passed. Ardine began skinning the game with a sturdy knife, being extra careful not to tarnish the meat. Alfaic watched as Claire was fast asleep on Lyn's shoulder. Lyn watched Ardine prepare the meat by sticking it on sticks of sharpened tree branches that he brought on the journey, skewering it for preparation.
Dinner was setting straight as the night began to settle down, when suddenly, a twinkling sound, reminiscent of flowing wind chimes in a light zephyr. It was followed up by the twittering chirps of birds attached to it, whirring together like an amalgamation of flora and fauna. Claire bolted up from her sleep, dashing toward the origin of the sound with the face of a child celebrating their birthday and seeking their presents.
"Hey, HEY!" Ardine shouted, dropping one of the wooden sticks on the grass as Lyn and Alfaic both observed her hasty behavior. "Where the hell is she going now?"
"Guess it's time to find out." Alfaic said.
The three of them chased after Claire through the forest's trees until they reached the top of the rocky arch. Claire was seen tiptoeing, pointing at what seemed to be almost a million yellow glowing flowers with jellyfish-like tentacles flowing in a singular line, stretching across the night sky with firefly-like light emitting from all of them. They created a pathway that led to the mountains in the far distance, lighting up the distance with its brilliance.
Lyn, Ardine, and Alfaic ascended the arch's steps, standing beside Claire, who had the most joyous face any child had ever witnessed in a long millennia.
"Everyone, look!" Claire called to them. "It's the Florians! I can't believe this is even happening!"
"Florians?" Alfaic asked. "What are those?"
"They say that the Florians are of myth! They come once every hundred years as a sign of good luck and faith! That means... that this journey to Qliphos will have a positive outcome. I'm sure of it!" Claire explained.
The four rose their heads to watch the Florians fly through the sky with their gentle feelers dangling through the air, flowing like waves in the ocean. The aura of the Florians was so mighty that it managed to sprinkle its light-emitting dust down to the grounds from where it traveled, bringing light to the ground where it touched. Ardine smiled widely, as Lyn brushed her hand against the feelers of the fast moving Florians. Alfaic and Claire laughed together in enjoyment of the legendary sight, believing that her tale of the Florians was a sign of success from the hardships they had all faced in the past.
Perhaps there would be a sign of change to come with the arrival of those innocent creatures.