The fight against Zenos… no… Elidibus… It was all still a blur in her mind… Aria opened one eye. “Where am I, she thought. I’m not in the land of Ghimlyt… It looks like…” Ishgard. Indeed, the woman had been rushed to the hospital after the confrontation so that she could receive medical attention. However, when she woke up, she hoped to see the face of her beloved, which was the case as soon as the news of her awakening reached his ears. As they talked, his presence comforted her after what she had just experienced. But the reunion was brief… A new dizziness… Always this voice talking about opening doors… And when she came to her senses, Aria noticed that Aymeric had just collapsed on the ground.
She panicked when she realized that he too had fallen into the same deep sleep as her comrades. She asked that the Lord Commander be transferred to the Rising Stone where she knew Tataru and Krille would take care of him until a solution was found. As she watched him sleep peacefully, Aria unclasped Aymeric’s azure earring and came to pin it to her ear. “I’ll give it back to you as soon as you wake up, my love. I promise,” she said before placing a kiss on his lips.
A handful of days passed while researchers from Garlond Ironworks excavated the foundations of the Crystal Tower in search of the famous device left for her by the strange man in her vision. As time passed, the fear of never seeing her friends or the man she loved haunted her. When the artifact was finally found, Aria headed for that famous First Shard. She crossed the gap between worlds and arrived at her destination…
Lavender trees… a blinding and everlasting light… Everything was very disturbing… She started walking towards what seemed to be a city in the distance and was stopped by a viera dressed in armor, telling her to introduce herself. The soldier was soon joined by a hooded man, the same one from her vision, who told her she was his guest. “That voice…” Aria was sure she knew it… “Could it be…”
The Warrior of Light didn’t have time to finish her thought when she heard someone running in her direction, the sound of chain mail singing under the speed of their steps. Her face lit up when she recognized her beloved and snuggled into his arms as he hugged her, a tear of relief and joy rolling down her cheek.
“Aymeric… Is that you…? I was so afraid of losing you..”
"And so was I" he said between a sigh "I could only wait and pray to meet you again for the past year."
His fingers ran through her blonde locks, stumbling in a familiar object. Pulling Aria's hair back on her ear, he saw his earring. The Borel blue jewel seemed to perfectly fit her as a member of the house, or so Aymeric thought in contempt. "It suits you well. Perhaps you should keep it."
As much as Aymeric wanted to take his time and have a proper reunion with Aria, he knew there were more hasty matters ahead. Captain Lyna and the Crystal Exarch were simply standing next to them, waiting. And the anxiety in the air to take the Warrior of Light to the Crystarium was clear as crystal.
"You should go. There is much to be explained and you probably have many questions" Aymeric said but looked at Lyna with almost beggy eyes, wanting any confirmation that he could join them. Lyna seemed to understand and announced that he was dismissed from his duties for the day and that someone else would take care of those. He couldn't thank the captain enough for the kindness.
