> She imparts this conviction unto us

>

> To manifest passion unyielding

>

> With no thought of shadow’s service

>

> Or what the light is shielding.

> “A toast! Praise be to the heroes of light!”

>

> While affluent felons of the world thrive,

>

> If all the world is joined in song,

>

> What hidden evils survive?

> And when the vile hammer has been fractured

>

> As dawn rises to smother the shade

>

> With no more foes left to vanquish

>

> Will they still accept our blade?

> - Khasar, ‘The Pontified,’ Part Two

The salt-kissed seas of Vesper Bay would, over time, become painfully familiar to you. Even though they share the same ocean as Limsa, there was always something different about how the wind carried the aromas in this particular place. Mayhaps it was the overabundance of monsters that dwelled in the nearby caves, or the uncomfortably close Garlean presence just some few malms north, or perhaps it was all in your mind. Regardless, time spent here had a habit of making your stomach churn, though none more so felt as you have just described than Erden.

Phekda instructs both you and him to wait outside of a small, worn-down building, whilst she and S’olahr move on ahead. Erden seems a bit restless, examining the surroundings, almost as if he’s looking for something specific. After a minute or so in the sun, he seems to shrink into himself.

“I just realized we left all our things in the Conjurer’s guild without telling them how long we’d be gone.” He takes a few steps towards the plaza at the center of town and sits on a bench facing the statue of Lolorito Nanarito, sponsor of Vesper Bay. Before you turn to join him, your ears twitch as you manage to overhear a faint but heated discussion coming from The Waking Sands. You can’t make out any of the words clearly, you just hear S’olahr and Phekda’s voices. Not wanting to pry, you move to join Erden instead.

You try your best to soothe him with your presence but the agitation is clearly starting to get to him. Not that you can blame him, exactly-- he made a leap of faith in the Deepcroft, and S’olahr let him land face first in the pavement.

“Phekda seems nice, wouldn’t you say?” You ask diplomatically. He turns to you with the weakest, most forced smile you’ve ever seen. “Oh Erden, you really shouldn’t worry so. I’m confident that things will work out.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” He lets out a heavy sigh and leans back on the bench. “S’olahr puts up a front, but I can tell he’s on edge. Phekda…I’m not sure what to make of her yet, but we’ll see.”

“But Phekda said that you’d be forgiven--”

“There’s no such thing.” He says sharply. “Have you seen how S’olahr and Phekda look at me? That will never go away.”

“...I’m sorry, Erden. I just wish there was something I could do to help ease your suffering.” You confess, but there is naught to be done, though a burning question fills your mind. “...When you say…’mistake,’ you mean to go and kill another person, right?” He looks away from you. “...A bad person.” You amend.

“There is no joy in what I have done, nor do I want to take up arms again.” His gaze drifts to the plaza’s statue. “Every time it’s...awful. But if I don’t do something, then so many more people will get hurt every day. Never anything flashy, mind you, which is why nobody else is spurred to action. But if you ask me, starving to death from poverty, or losing your home, or hell, even getting hooked on Somnus.” He turns back to you. “I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but there are some experiences worse than death, even if people just get used to seeing them.”

“Well…” You lean against his side. “You’re right about all of that, but maybe working with the scions will make it easy to solve those problems without resorting to violence.” You consider your own words. “Maybe I’m just being too naive.” When you look up, Erden seems a bit flushed.

“There’s something I need to tell you!” He suddenly erupts, before noticing how loud he just was. “U-um. It’s just. There’s something important you need to know about... before…” He clears his throat. “I’m just not sure you’ll still be able to see me the same way after you know. You’ll probably just think I’m crazy.”

“Erden.” You stare attentively and give a sympathetic smile. “Please, just talk to me. I know it’s easy to get in your own head about these sorts of things, but you can trust me, I promise.”

“...” He sighs and fishes for something in his pocket, and after a moment, presents his soul crystal to you. It is a beautiful dark maroon stone, delicately carved into the shape of a jagged heart. On its front is a six-sided star with a bottom point that mimics a blade. Once exposed to the sun, it immediately begins to secrete a shadow-like liquid to shield itself. “This is my soul crystal.” Your eyes trace the surface of the jewel, fascinated by what you see.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“There is a voice within.” He explains. “He-- uh, I call him Khasar, is the one that pushes me to seek justice so aggressively. Whenever I don’t have the crystal on me, I can’t hear his voice anymore. I would just cast it aside, but my magic is much weaker without it, and you know how bad some of these fights can get.” He clutches the crystal tightly and then hands it to you. “But...if you kept it, then I wouldn’t ever have to worry about that temptation again, and you could give it back to me if we ever get into a tough spot.”

“...Well…” You meet his earnest and solemn eyes. His hand trembles in anticipation, waiting on your breath. This could be a trick-- a scapegoat. ‘How convenient,’ you think. ‘So every bad thing you’ve done can be chalked up to something external to you? And you can just get rid of it?’ It would be a dream come true. You focus more on his words, read between the lines. He is pushed, not forced, but if he’s a maniac then why do you feel so safe by his side?

“I thought to myself-- maybe you won’t be able to hear anything, right? Since you use so much light magic, it probably won’t influence you at all.” He almost cuts himself off. “Of course, if you ever hear anything, we can look for another solution! I could just start training even harder to make up for what I used to have.” He seems desperate. It’s very obvious to you that he believes what he is telling you, but can his own perceptions be trusted? To say nothing of the crystal.

Khasar, was it? You’ve never heard of such a voidsent. You reach for the crystal and emit a gentle light from your palm, burning through the thin shadows protecting it. Even as far as weak voidsent go, this is pitiful. What does that say about Erden? You look at him again, his gaze fixed on the crystal now. It pains you to see him so pulled apart-- a man who would do anything in pursuit of a world worth living in. You tighten your fist. A man who would risk everything for you.

“Alright.” You take the crystal and hold it tightly in your hand, ready to unleash a wave of light into it if needed. Seconds give way into minutes. Nothing at all. Does this crystal even have a voidsent in it? He looks relieved, a burden off of him. You suppose you are happy to shoulder it. “I know you’ll be strong enough without it.” You reassure him.

“I hope so.” He leans closer to you. “But I’d do whatever it took to keep you safe.” The words make your ears flicker, but before you can dwell on them S’olahr and Phekda come back to invite you in.

During their approach, Erden seems to focus on Phekda for a moment, before both of them simultaneously stop and clutch their heads. You try to hold Erden steady while praying he doesn’t topple forward, and S’olahr seems to reflectively grip Phekda’s left shoulder but doesn’t seem too overly concerned.

The dizzy spell they both seem to experience passes as quickly as it arrives. Erden immediately locked eyes with Phekda and seemed to struggle to put any words together.

“Y-you…” He began.

“You have The Echo?!” She interrupted, somewhere between surprised and offended that he hadn’t mentioned it beforehand. Erden gaped for a moment, trying to puzzle something together.

“...Yes, I do.” He straightens his back, taking a lot of pressure off of you. “When I lock eyes with someone, I can see…” He pauses to find the right words. “I can see what motivates them. Sometimes I just get a few sentiments, and sometimes…”

“Listen.” She speaks very sternly. “You are not to speak a damn word about what you just saw to anybody, do you understand?” She seems desperate-- perhaps even flustered. “ANYBODY!”

“Y-yes! Of course!” He raises his arms up defensively.

“...Right, then.” She composes herself. “I have great news. After explaining your situation to the other Scions, they’ve agreed to take you on. You’ll be under my watch, of course, but I know that you can become something much better than what you currently are-- you could be a great hero of Eorzea.”

“That sounds...good.” He says earnestly.

“I’m glad you think so.” She had a strong smile that S’olahr didn’t match. “Of course, this time, there will be no helmets or secret identity anything. In the event that it is revealed that you used to be Halone’s Champion, we’re going to want a way to prove to people that you have been doing better, and maybe if we’re lucky you’ll get out of whatever punishment they would otherwise give you.” She turns back towards the building. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Phekda and Erden quickly run ahead but S’olahr stops you in your tracks before you can follow.

“...S’anah’to.” He crosses his arms and clenches his jaw. “How could you not tell me about Erden sooner?!”

“...I…” Your shoulders tense. “There wasn’t really a good time, and it wasn’t really my business to share.”

“S’anah’to! That’s extremely reckless of you!” He scolds you. “K’yoko and I are lucky to still be alive after being around a killer like him. The fact that Phekda endorses his stay with the scions at all is baffling to me, but I have deferred to her judgement on the matter.” He seems to tear up a little. “I just can’t believe you wouldn’t think about our safety. K’yoko nearly died!”

“And the reason that she didn’t is because Erden was able to stop that cultist before reinforcements showed up!” You say defensively.

“No!” He snaps. “While Erden was busy being reckless, I was trying to loosen a stalactite to knock that man unconscious. If he had just waited a little bit longer…” He shakes his head. “But waiting never was Erden’s style, is it? He’d rather just rush into every situation and take the easy path, no matter the price!”

“Please, S’olahr, I’m begging you.” You clasp his right arm with both of your hands. “Just give him a chance. I know it’s easy to be afraid, but I promise that he has a good heart! He only wants to help people.”

“...” He looks down at the ground. “You sound just like her.” He gently pulls his arm free of your grip and runs his fingers through his hair. “...Even so, It’s going to take a long time for me to be able to trust you again. I know you were just trying to do what you thought was right, but you can’t just keep something so important from your friends-- from your family! Don’t you understand?”

“...I’m sorry, S’olahr.” You hang your head in shame. “I was trying my best to defuse the situation, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, least of all you.” S’olahr lingers on these words before moving into the Scion’s base with you in tow.