The group had slept sweet and soundly with the arrival of the Florians from the previous night, along with a hearty meat-filled meal. The next morning, a blanket of fog passed through their camp, and Claire was the first one to awaken from her slumber, noticing the encroaching darkness around her and her allies. She stood up from her rest, snapped her knees back into place with a quick stretch, and scanned the surrounding area. Both Lyn and Alfaic were present, but Ardine was missing.
"What?" Claire mouthed to herself. Her focus was on counting the supplies around the camp fire. Only a few of them were missing, including the green sack containing Claire's dress. Just as she was about to stand up to awaken Lyn and Alfaic, she caught a clue of Ardine's descent away from the corner of her eye. Several snapped twigs, indicating that footsteps were in the vicinity, caught her attention.
Reaching for her folded blade, she moved toward the twigs, catching the footsteps in the dirt. The path led to a fogged entryway, which enabled Claire to hold herself back. She chose not to awaken Lyn and Alfaic, believing that she needed to muster the strength to brave through, despite potential droid threats being out there.
After slowly moving against the fog, Claire kept her guard up. The hoot of a night owl nearly shocked her to submission, but she kept herself going. When a light breeze pushed some of the fog away, she pushed herself forward, following the light tracks on the dirt to locate Ardine.
It was not until she found herself on a curved trail, with a large slab of stone propped up against a set of two trees bunched up together. Upon reaching up, several scribbles of certain names were inscribed on it, but they were intelligible. She continued to follow the winding path until she came across a small iron-fenced gate sheltered by low brick walls. The gate was open, and Claire readied herself for a potential threat.
As she endeavored through the straight path, she noticed several slate slabs jutting from the ground, indicating that the area was an old dilapidated gravesite. She continued moving until she managed to find Ardine with his back faced away from her, standing upon one of the main gravestones made of granite instead of slate. She approached him from behind, but tried her best not to scare him.
"Hey," Claire called in a soft tone. "What are you doing here?"
Ardine turned his head to face Claire with a disheartened expression. The life in his eyes were drained of its usual sport, and his smile seemed to lack any kind of real enthusiasm.
"Oh," He began. "You're here."
"Of course, old man. When I saw that you were gone, I had to look for you." Claire peeked at the gravestone, seeing it inscribed as the following: Luna and Mae, Loving Family. Upon closer inspection, a framed picture embedded in the gravestone showcased a youthful and healthy blonde woman holding an even younger girl who had barely acquired her baby teeth. Strands of hair indicated that she was under five, and the innocence of the child indicated that it had not known of the outside calamities that existed.
"Sorry," Ardine continued, looking at the gravestone. "I was about to head back."
"It's okay," Claire said, her curiosity peaking. "So, who was she?" She asked, looking at the blonde woman.
Ardine did not respond. He kneeled down and placed two orchids; one white, and one pink on the gravestone's granite base. His voice trickled down to a throaty low, shrouding his voice in darkness.
"She was my wife."
Claire's eyes widened as her heart nearly stopped. Something inside her body changed her entire demeanor, sending her into a silent frenzy of overwhelming emotion. Her mouth was left slightly agape as she struggled to contemplate the legitimacy of his statement. But she knew it was true after a split second.
"Your... wife?" Claire repeated, soaking in the fact of the matter.
Ardine nodded. His nod was incredibly slow that it seemed like he had an impairment in his neck.
"But I don't understand, what is she doing all the way here? Shouldn't she be-" Claire paused. She examined the photo once again and noticed the one key detail that she had completely overlooked because of her clueless innate attitude.
There were white eyes on both of them.
Claire turned her face to Ardine as soon as she figured it out. Ardine stared back at her, silent among it all. His silence seemed to speak a thousand words to Claire, now that she had found out the truth.
"They were Qliphosian..." Claire whispered, suddenly understanding the truth of the matter. Her breath almost stopped once she began piecing the puzzle together. "That's why you brought me here. To find them. That's why you care about the droids so much. Then... that means, that other girl next to her is..."
Ardine nodded, still soured over his emotions. "Daughter." He spoke in a hushed tone again, unable to even utter a sound word.
"Why?" Claire asked, eyebrows slanted down. "Why didn't you tell me this before we left?"
"'Old Men' like me usually don't go around telling people they're married to kids like you," Ardine clarified. "No, I'm only joking. It's always been a secret of mine that no one knew. You're the only one that knows."
"I'm... the only one? Why?"
"Because she's a Qliphosian, like you. I know how it feels to be shunned your entire life because of your title. You can't change your fate once it's all set, because even if you try, it'll return to bite you back," He turned to face the gravestone. "That's what happened to them. They embraced their heritage, and now… they've lost."
Claire inhaled a breath of regret. She placed her right hand on her chest as she slowly took a seat beside the gravestone. "I-I… I'm so sorry," She said. "All along, I've been treating you so poorly, without a single thought in my mind about this. Without a single inch of thought about them. I never… I never knew. I…"
"Claire," Ardine called, kneeling down to face her head on. "It's okay. I don't need sympathy or anyone's pity. In fact, I'd like to apologize too. I never disclosed the truth about why I wanted you to help me, either."
"But.. it's justified," Claire interrupted. "No one should have to mention that, if ever!"
"I was looking for it all this time, and I finally found it," Ardine continued. "I wanted to see it, even if it meant going as far as putting myself into danger. In a way, I guess you could I used you, all for this. And for that, I apologize."
"No," Claire rejected. "No, don't do that. Don't apologize. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. It's me. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I just… always assumed…"
"Well," Ardine began. "You learn something new about the world every day."
Silence broke out between the two as Ardine bowed at the gravestone, paying his respects. It would be the only time he could do so, for his mission was much more significant than this. Claire watched from behind, paying attention to his deceased daughter in the framed picture.
She could have been me. But she wasn't, Claire thought. The agitation at the thought of the ones responsible for their deaths engrossed her mind. Suddenly, she began to feel ungrateful that she had survived, for his daughter's beauty rivaled that of Szene's. She was the most innocent child, caught among the crossfire of something uncontrollable. And this fueled the flame inside Claire's beating heart even further, causing her to cast aside the grief of the past.
She suddenly hatched an idea and approached Ardine from behind. She began unraveling the green sack nestled around his shoulders, catching him off guard.
"What are you doing?" Ardine asked.
Claire took the green sack and placed it in front of the two orchids on the base of the gravestone. A huge weight had been lifted on her shoulders. She bowed respectfully before turning to Ardine with a light smile, filled with a resemblance of hope.
It was as if Szene's baton pass was successful, and she had passed it on to another soul, now that she had grown.
"Your daughter would have looked so beautiful in my dress," Claire said. "So, I'm giving it to her. Passing the baton, so we may all grieve in peace, and move on."
"But your-"
"I don't need it," Claire emphasized. "Lyn was right, all along about me. I need to heal and move on, or else… I'll never grow. And… I don't think Szene and the others would have wanted this for me."
"I'm glad you see it now," Ardine said. "And… I'm glad you came along with us."
"Ardine…" Claire said his proper name for the first time.
"And, I'm glad you recognized it so early," Ardine continued. "It's not normal for a kid your age to experience the severities of life this early. Now that you've seen it-"
"We can both heal," Claire finished. "Grieve, but not forget."
"Yes… exactly."
Claire approached Ardine. Her short stature made her appear like a dwarf next to him, but she wanted to establish something together with him now that they were on mutual understanding. She extended her right hand out toward him, smiling gently at their previous conversation.
Ardine reciprocated, shaking her hand firmly in agreement of acceptance.
"To the future of this world, even in darkness." He said.
"Aye," Claire said. "Even in darkness."
"Right hand, only? Erpha?"
Claire's ears rang in agony as the echoing voice in the midst of the dense fog stunned her. It was him.
A sudden flock of ravens circulated toward the entrance of the graveyard, revealing the kingly man who annihilated Szene's village two weeks after Claire frequented as a guest. Now that time had passed, his black slick-back haired had transformed into a dull gray, still with his white eyes imitating Claire's Qliphosian heritage. He still wore his white and black striped fur coat, flowing down to his knees with his slim tight black pants.
"You haven't changed a bit." He voiced out with the same deep voice.
"YOU!" Claire's voice gritted against her throat, charging forward with her folded blade extended. However, Ardine shoved her back, pushing her against man with all his might.
"Claire, no!" Ardine shouted. "Get back!"
"No, STOP!" Claire spat, glaring at the man. "He's going to KILL YOU! Just like he killed Szene and my family!"
"Oh, don't treat me as one always so unkind, Erpha." The man responded delicately.
"Move out of the way, Ardine. I'm going to fucking kill him." Claire mouthed off. "Get out of the WAY!"
Suddenly, before Claire managed to break free from Ardine's grasp due to her short stature, time had froze across the realm, stopping all movement. The leaves falling from the fogged trees suspended in midair, and even the heartbeat of the ravens and animals that watched nearby had ceased. The man looked down at his feet, anticipating something coming to him.
At last, a piercing stab from behind him failed to strike him. An invisible golden barrier blocked it, revealing Alfaic, who had attempted to kill him from behind, had rammed himself toward his back. Once the golden barrier blasted Alfaic back, the man turned around with a disappointed, yet curious smile, as if an old friend had returned to him.
"Good to see you again... Alfaic." The man greeted with his raspy voice.
Alfaic did not reply. Instead, he continued to hover by the suspended leaves.
"Not even a proper greeting? How typical of you."
"Get away from them." Alfaic's voice deepened in anger.
"Or what?" The man turned his entire body toward Alfaic. "What could you possibly do to me that you haven't done already?"
"Or I'll kill you."
The man chuckled. "Strange, that's what Erpha was about to do to me before you stepped in," He said, pacing himself from side to side while keeping his impudent gaze upon Alfaic. "Still, I'm not here for you. I'm here for them," He stopped moving and extended his right hand out as a sort of offering. "You have to give them to me. Now."
"I would rather die than let you touch them." Alfaic threatened.
The man scoffed and shook his head in disappointment. "Still as stubborn as ever, I see," He said, lowering his arm. "You have allowed yourself to be manipulated by humanity to take the side of the survivors, is that correct?"
"You don't understand," Alfaic immediately responded. "People are changing. Humanity is restoring itself. You don't have to do this-"
"Don't be a fool, Alfaic," The man shouted at the top of his lungs. "You waste your time with these people when in reality, you could have still been with us. With your brothers."
"Don't lecture me," Alfaic said. "I still have a shred of humanity, unlike YOU, who gave it up years ago."
"And SO DID YOU!" The man retorted, examining all of Alfaic's design from the top of his blade to the handle. "That's why you ended up... like this. Your brothers had faith that you would change for the better. But all I see is a foolish sword who is steering their so called "friends" to the path of destruction."
Alfaic turned away.
"It's over," The man stated harshly, pointing out into the distance in the fog. "She is watching. She has ALWAYS been watching. And you linger here, endlessly, all for what?"
"I know, I KNOW!" Alfaic shouted back, turning to face the man. "But... if there was some way that we could change her mind-"
"There's no use in changing her mind. Her mind is already set. Once she decides so, calamity will come, and the end of all worlds shall begin. It shall all reset." The man said.
Alfaic turned away again. "I'm done talking to you." He said.
"You let your feelings blind you, Alfaic," The man said, walking past Alfaic with his eyes glued to him in spite. "That's why you've always been weak. Weaker than your brothers."
As the man passed him toward the entrance to the graveyard, an abundance of ravens began to flock around his aura, unable to pierce through his invisible golden barrier. He turned around with a sliver of hope in his eyes, wanting to make things right. "Bring your so called friends to the station. I shall take them off your hands, and your responsibility to defend them will be over." He commanded.
"I can't-"
"Think through things, and what I have said," The man repeated. "You've been one to act irrationally, just like you always have, and look where that got you," He turned his back against Alfaic and gazed up at the fogged sky, losing the luster in his voice. "You still have a choice. We can still live through this. So, think about it."
The man vanished in a blanket of mist as the ravens culled through the skies. The surrounding fog began to whisk away, bringing out the bright sun to shine upon them once more. Wet drops of dew and rain soaked the surroundings in a bath of serenity as peace was restored to the area. Time reverted to natural standing, and Claire and Ardine were left puzzled to Alfaic's sudden appearance.
"What happened?" Ardine asked.
"Where is he?!" Claire shouted, noticing Alfaic standing in front of her. From her eyes, all that she knew was the sudden appearance of the man completely whisked away, replaced by Alfaic.
"He's gone," Alfaic said. "Come on. Let's go home."
The word 'home' rattled Claire and Ardine's mind, to incomprehensible levels of abnormality. "Home? What?" Claire seemed take aback by the word. "Where is he?! We still have to go to Qliphos, we have to... to find out the truth! We have to figure things out!"
"There's no need to plan anymore," Alfaic insisted. "We're done here. If we continue any further-"
"No, no, no, this... this wasn't part of it!" Claire shouted, turning back to Ardine. "Are you listening to him, old man?!"
Ardine, who turned his head to face his family's gravestone, turned back and shrugged his shoulders. "You already know why I'm here. I'm done here too." He stated.
"I didn't take you for a coward." Claire threatened, pushing herself toward Ardine.
"This has nothing to do with cowardice," Ardine insisted. "We all came here for different reasons. The mission is over."
"What? The mission is not over!" Claire shouted. "To the future, even in darkness, you said. To the FUTURE! What are we supposed to do? Rot away while everyone else cowers in fear?!"
"That's not our responsibility." Ardine said.
"It is our responsibility. It's MY responsibility!"
"You didn't even want to come in the first place," Ardine reminded her. "Or did you forget?"
"Yes, I DIDFORGET! "Claire shouted at the top of her lungs. "But I thought I had found people who had cared about me," She pointed at Ardine and Alfaic. "You, HIM? LYN?! I thought I had found people who wanted to make their dreams come true! Or was that all a lie?!"
"Claire..."
"No, TELL ME!" Claire's fury was incarnate. "Tell me the truth."
Ardine remained silent.
"We're wasting our time here," Alfaic insisted. "We're not going to the space station. We're going home, and that's final."
Claire turned around and rushed towards Alfaic, pointing at him with bitter rage splitting her personality in half. "And you-" She began. "You coming here to tell us to go home? None of this is normal. YOU'RE not normal! A fucking talking flying sword? What even are you? Who do you think you are?!"
"Step back." Alfaic commanded.
"He called me Erpha, just like he did when I first met him!" Claire continued. "He murdered my friends and my family, and you won't tell me who he is?!"
"I said, step back." Alfaic repeated.
"All of this was just for nothing. Just a lousy excuse to use me to get what you all-"
"STEP BACK!" Alfaic roared, sending a frenzy of explosive invisible energy, shooting Claire and Ardine off their feet. Yet Ardine managed to keep his stature, stepping against the current to sustain himself. Claire froze in place while Ardine sighed, turning away from the both of them. Her eyes twitched at his beratement, believing it wasn't sufficient enough to give her the answers that she wanted. Now, she had even more questions.
"We can't go," Alfaic continued. "We just can't. Because he's waiting for us, and he'll kill all of us."
"Then I'll kill him first," Claire insisted to Alfaic. "If you get in my way, I'll kill you."
Ardine gently placed his hand on Claire's right shoulder, tapping her twice. She looked back up toward him, despite her initial anger clouding her vision. He raised his eyebrows twice in quick succession, staring toward Alfaic while tapping multiple times. Claire, who turned to face Alfaic, noticed Lyn, who had been listening to everything, was behind a tree with her right hand extended outward.
"No, Alfaic's right," Ardine's voice began to pick up in a sarcastic tone that Claire managed to follow after thinking clearly for once. "We have to go back. There's no other way."
Lyn scooted closer to Alfaic, with him failing to realize that she was sneaking toward him.
"We have to accept it, Claire," Ardine continued. "We have to accept everything before it's too late."
"I'm... glad you all realize that." Alfaic said.
Claire and Ardine's eyes sharpened as soon as Lyn managed to reach arm's length with Alfaic.
"GO!" Ardine shouted.
Lyn lashed her hand out, snatching Alfaic's handle and absorbing the essence of his aura into her combat suit, causing him to temporarily vanish from existence. Claire dropped her tense shoulders, spinning around to combat Ardine for his excruciatingly well performed acting. Lyn sped to them as well, believing there was only a short amount of time before Alfaic would free himself.
"You traitor," Claire jokingly said, slapping Ardine's arm with her right hand while breathing rapidly. Ardine silently laughed with a bright smile that revealed his teeth. "Stop laughing, old man."
"Why should I?" Ardine jested. "I got you good. Plus, it was the only time I'd ever seen you be so honest in front of everyone. To the future! It's my responsibility!" He mockingly imitated Claire's exceedingly loud voice. "Did you hear that, Lyn?"
"I did." Lyn said.
"Shut up, already," Claire shoved him back again, holding in her own smile. "I didn't know you were acting. There's nothing to laugh about."
"Yes, you're right about that," Ardine coughed, apologizing. "Sorry about that. But I guess we know that the sword knows a little more than he should, isn't that right? We'll make sure to have a talk with him later, preferably. Right now..."
"We should get to the station," Lyn said, looking toward the exit to the graveyard and beyond to the towering obelisk. "We'll find more answers there," She turned back to Claire. "And you may face that man again. Are you ready?"
Claire nodded. "I am. Because I swore I would kill him."
Ardine took point, moving toward the exit. "No regrets."