The dawn over the Sandsea was merciless. Golden light spilled across endless dunes, and the wind carried dry whispers that rasped through armor joints. Clive's party gathered at the edge of the sand dome, their boots already sinking into the shifting grains.
Then their trinkets pulsed.
Sirius's voice came like a steady current, rich and clear. "You did well. But hunts are not just tests of strength. They are lessons. Today, I will teach you Terra Firma."
Symbols flared beneath their boots, etching glowing runes across the sand. The dunes beneath them hardened, shifting no more. Where once their steps sank, now the ground felt like stone.
"A shield keeps you standing," Sirius said. "But what good is a shield if you cannot move where you must? Terra Firma is the path beneath your feet — sand, mud, water, even ice. It makes the unstable firm, the treacherous safe. For a time, the world yields to you."
Clive took a tentative step. His boots no longer sank. Another step, and his balance held even as he swung his greatsword in a wide arc. For the first time since the desert hunts began, his footing felt solid.
His lips curled into a faint grin. "This… is exactly what I needed."
"Good," Sirius said. "Now practice."
---
They spread out across the dunes.
Serah was the first to push her limits. "Mog, bowsword!"
"Don't throw me into the sand, kupo!" he squeaked, but he transformed anyway.
Serah sprinted across a hardened dune, firing arrows into the sky and twirling as she ran. "This is amazing! I could dance all day like this!"
"You'll break nyour neck, kupo!" Mog groaned.
Vivi, emboldened, tried his own experiment. He ran toward a shallow pool left from the last storm, whispering the spell under his breath. His boots skimmed over the surface, leaving tiny ripples.
"I-I'm walking on water!" Vivi gasped, his glowing eyes wide.
Serah clapped and laughed. "Look at you, Vivi! You're like a little miracle!"
But then his concentration wavered. His feet slipped, and he plunged into the water with a splash.
Mog nearly fell out of midair laughing. "Miracle, kupo! More like drowned mouse!"
Vivi sputtered, soaked but grinning shyly as Luna helped him up.
Not to be outdone, Serah turned to the highest dune wall nearby. "Watch this!" She sprinted straight at it, her feet gripping the steep surface as if it were flat. For a few glorious seconds she ran vertically, whooping with laughter.
Then the spell faltered.
"Uh-oh."
She slid back down, tumbling in a spray of sand, landing flat on her back. Mog transformed back midair and flopped onto her stomach with a grunt.
"Reckless, kupo," he muttered, though his pom-pom was bouncing in embarrassment.
Serah groaned. "Worth it."
Auron stood at the top of the dune, unimpressed, arms folded. "Focus. The spell is for battle, not circus tricks."
But even he tried something: calmly walking sideways along the dune face, then halting mid-step as if gravity had forgotten him. He gave a single nod. "Practical."
Clive laughed under his breath as he steadied his own swings. "At least now I'm not sinking every strike. This changes everything."
Sirius's voice returned, firm. "Remember: Terra Firma drains stamina. Keep its circle small, or it will fail you when you need it most."
The party sobered, nodding. But the laughter of their failed stunts lingered, a warmth that steadied them. By the time Sirius's presence faded, their footing was sure, their confidence renewed.
---
The Giza Plains greeted them with a different challenge. Clouds swelled above, heavy with rain, and the tall grass hissed as the wind swept across the wetlands. Shallow water pooled in muddy fields, and the cries of birds echoed in the distance.
Villagers met them with weary eyes.
"The Tempest Wolf stalks us," an elder explained. "Its howls scatter our herds, tear apart our huts. Worse, it makes copies of itself — illusions that bite like the real thing. Hunters who chase one find claws at their backs."
Another added, "Its wind bursts knock men off their feet. In the mud, you don't stand up again before it kills you."
Clive nodded grimly. "Then we'll end it."
---
They tracked the beast into the tall grass until the wind shifted sharply.
The Tempest Wolf appeared atop a rise, its silver fur flickering with streaks of stormlight, its eyes glowing with unnatural aether. It opened its jaws and let out a piercing howl.
Wind slammed across the plains, bending the grass flat. Three shimmering clones burst into existence, circling the party with snapping jaws.
"Terra Firma!" Clive roared. The ground hardened beneath their feet, anchoring them against the gale.
He surged forward, greatsword cleaving through one clone, which burst into mist. Serah loosed arrows, Mog's bolts piercing another illusion until it shattered.
The real wolf howled again, wind whipping them sideways. But their footing held.
"Earth magick!" Luna cried.
Vivi planted his staff into the hardened ground. "Stonega!" The earth convulsed, rocks erupting upward to slam into the wolf's legs. It yelped, staggering.
The wolf responded with a burst of wind, sending its illusions to flank them. Auron stepped into their path, his curved blade carving wide arcs, cutting two copies down. "Stay focused. The real one bleeds."
Serah sprinted past him, arrows streaking into the wolf's side. "Got it! Aim for the lightning in its fur!"
The wolf howled again, the storm above answering. Rain began to fall, the plains turning slick with mud. But Terra Firma held their steps firm, their boots gripping as though on stone.
Clive pressed the advantage, his greatsword hammering into its side. "It can't outlast us now."
The wolf snarled, its illusions reforming, but this time they faltered quickly under coordinated strikes. Serah and Vivi dismantled them with arrows and lightning, while Auron punished every lunge with crushing blows.
At last, the Tempest Wolf staggered, panting, its stormlight dimming. Its clones vanished with a hiss.
Serah lowered her bow slightly, pity flashing in her eyes. "Poor thing. We used you as practice."
Clive did not hesitate. He raised his greatsword and drove it deep into the wolf's chest. The beast howled once, lightning flashing in the storm clouds, then collapsed into the mud.
---
The villagers rejoiced when proof of the kill was delivered. They pressed gil and the Wind-Fang Dagger into the party's hands, tears of relief shining in their eyes.
That evening, back in Rabanastre, the party gathered at the tavern again. Vivi and Mog immediately began arguing over who could eat faster, Serah and Luna chatted about Amalia's mysterious aura, and Auron quietly offered Clive advice about patience and control.
Clive sat a moment in silence, his trinket warm against his skin. Sirius… if Terra Firma is what you call a gift for hunting wolves… what greater storms are waiting?
The question lingered like thunder on the horizon.