FFXIVWrite Prompt #7 - Pawn
The sounds of her heels hitting stone stairs were the only things she could hear as she made her ascent up the tower. Ceres clutched her rapier tight as she wanted to be prepared for this confrontation. Still, something at the back of her mind ebbed a little sense of uncertainty in her. She knew she wasn't going to war against a powerful evil that threatened the land. It was her best friend.
Aldin closed his eyes when he heard the footsteps come closer. With the light clacking of heels against stone, the Xaela only knew one person who decided such footwear was necessary, even on the battlefield. And knowing that such gear did little to hinder the miqo'te's expertise.
"I knew you'd come," Aldin said, his back still turned from her, overlooking the alpine mountain scenery before him. "I had hoped this would never have happened, but I guess you chose this fate for us.
"I can only think of so many others that could stop me, to either put me in my place or have the resolve to kill me when they knew there was no other option. If I fail here, I fail in my mission."
"And there it is again, that damnable mission you keep going about." Aldin finally turned to face her, his hands to his sides. "You've not told a single person this mission. And now I've found out you're the one that disrupted all opportunities whenever we have tried to garner peace within the tribes."
"It's all for the greater good, I promise you."
"There is nothing great about it, Ceres!" Aldin cried out. "Why are you doing this?!"
"I'm sorry... I can't say..."
Aldin could only look at the face of his lost friend. He saw in her eyes that this wasn't a bout of madness or a sudden shift to an ulterior evil motive. On the contrary, she had a just cause for her actions, which pained him dearly. A singular tear rolled down his cheek as he pulled his katana from its sheathe and felt the heat of its aspected fire aether burn magically against the blade.
"It doesn't have to be this way," Aldin said softly, his fiery katana held firmly in his hand. "We can still work together to fix everything. We still have so much time, don't you see? It's not too late, Ceres."
The red mage shuttered softly at his words, but she did not once ease the grip on her rapier. Instead, she took it from its sheathe with her right hand and began focusing her aether into the crystal on her left. The crystal hummed to life as it hovered around her, in tune with her movements. The tip of her blade was pointed in his direction, unshaken, poised and focused on striking. Her nature of a fighter was ready, yet her face had a look of dolefulness on it. Her body was ready; her soul was second-guessing.
Aldin closed his eyes. "So be it."
The samurai dashed forward to meet the steel of the red mage, a trail of embers following his incredible speed. The reverberation of the sound alone pulsed throughout the open air as the two former friends locked eyes with one another, Aldin gauging Ceres one last time to no avail.
Ceres followed through with the next attack as she backflipped a few yalms away, bringing her focus crystal to cast two Verthunders. Aldin saw the telegraph of the cast, avoiding the first jolt effortlessly and narrowly missing the second – he had forgotten just how much power those crystals contained. Ceres followed up the spell casts by jumping forward, slashing away with her rapier with the Redoublement technique, utilizing the sword's swiftness for multiple thrusts.
Aldin parried each thrust and, without delay, gathered some aether within himself and unleashed a couple of strikes against Ceres. The smaller framed miqo'te felt the heat burning off the blade with each parry, her balance almost off while contending to the strikes of the au ra fighter. She stumbled backward to regain her footing, but it offered Aldin enough time to place his gathered aether into his blade and shoot a well-timed Enpi. It struck her hard and caused her to be pushed back another few yalms away.
Ceres cursed herself for having been opened to such a hit and cursed herself forward for letting it come to this. She knew he could defeat her easily if he wanted. He had the skill and the power to do so. However, she had a plan, and she hated every second that the idea came to be within her mind and how it played out. It was for the greater good, she reminded herself.
Another chance to cast, her focus charged and primed, she let out a Veraero. The torrential wind rocked Aldin, but he could withstand its biting blast. After the spell was cast, Ceres dashed toward him as if preparing to strike. Aldin was ready and held his guard up, formulating his own counter to finish this battle swiftly. However, as he was prepared for a slash, he was greeted with a magically created stone to the chest. Verstone. She had kept the stored power and cast her spell at a short distance. The blow caused him to stumble backward this time. His guard was gone, his chest was exposed, and Ceres used this moment to thrust her sword.
Internally she had hoped he would deflect that attack as well. But, instead, it met its mark on his heart. Aldin felt the sudden sting in his breast and saw the shocked expression on her face. But, of course, she didn't expect this outcome either, and he knew what would come next. He looked at her face a moment, then took one last breath.
"I hope this is worth it," he said before walking backward, the blade effortlessly sliding out and finally collapsing to the ground. The fire on his blade faded out beside him.
Ceres, too, dropped her sword, falling to her knees as she openly wept for the man she once called a comrade. Her sobs echoed from the tower. In place of rain, snow began to fall over the area due to the cooler climate, each snowflake caressing her heated face. She wished to die with him or to know a means to convince him of her chosen path. She knew it wouldn't ever be that way to have an ally to walk down this road with her. He would stop her by any means or die trying.
She felt a disruption of the wind coming from behind her. Ceres knew what it was. She didn't need to look. A portal of dark purple emerged, and from its center, a man wearing a black robe and black mask approached her, regarding her as one would a faithful pet. His head turned to her, then to Aldin.
"Then you are wholly committed?" he asked. "Very well, my dear. You will see that I am right and that where we go from here will be for the greater good of this star. We have much to prepare for now. You need only to follow my lead and the will of my masters."
Ceres nodded as she got to her feet. She was too numb now to understand her folly or to reconsider her place in this plan of his. Her path was before her now, and this robed man was the only one who could lead her through it.
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