Two months of plagued nightmares had left Freya more than a little exhausted. On the road, she had neither the time nor the willingness to study this daily phenomenon, much less discuss it with her companions, believing in full that it would do naught but burden their already uneasy and overloaded minds.

They had been hot on the heels of Morgen’s destructive path, but seemingly always just a step behind. It would avail them not to confront the man with no means of stopping him, but hopefully they could learn more, or at the very least not lose sight of their goal, they thought.

Rofocale Pass was no obstacle to them, given Suwi’s nepenthe heritage. Much like every other member of her species, she was unable to become lost, even in those labyrinthian halls. The wilderness of Norüman, however, held a few unpleasant surprises as they had to strike down their fair share of carnivorous beasts foolishly seeking a meal too close to the main roads.

This was the trio’s first-ever visit to Cran’Tal. They had heard tales of gargantuan scope of the Alphalodon’s carcass, which the city had been built in, around and hanging from - those stories paled in comparison to the real thing. It invoked a sense of dread and awe all at once, and they shuddered to imagine what manner of power or horrendous sacrifice must have been necessary to bring such a magnificent beast low.

Bothered by the extreme cold, Suwi strengthened the intensity of the elemental magic keeping her comfortably heated. “I know I’ve asked, but I’ll do it again - if you need, you can always ride on my back to heat yourself up.” The nebelian offered. The bruskan proudly shook her head sideways. “Though I’d love nothing more than to be so close to you, my dear, a nepenthe cannot be seen piggybacking in Cran’Tal. It would be far too degrading.” Diedrich smiled and hummed in agreement.

-He is most definitely here.

-Staff’s acting up again?

-So much, my spine’s tingling.

-That seems rather uncomfortable. Are you certain you don’t want me to carry it?

-After how violently it reacted last time? No. I don’t want to put you through that, Richie.

-Hmm. Hmm.

He felt a mix of embarrassment and joy at the nickname Freya had gifted him. Their bond had grown stronger as they faced a myriad of deranged altered beasts along their path - adversity, as always, breeding compassion and friendship. Along that path, given how twisted these creatures had been by the malefactor’s passage, the trio feared what calamity the dread monstrosities of Norüman could become by the act of his influence. Thus far, there had been no sign of his plan for this region.

They had studied the patterns. In Lindblum, he set a gaggle of foul abominations loose against the army. Bruska suffered mostly by its own hand, his presence merely spurring on further conflict by inciting rebellion amongst the populace against the tyranny of their emperor. In Jimmu, the weather conditions worsened to such an extent that brought many lesser cities surrounding the capital of Shin-Kurvast low, once more feeding the villain’s plan. With one direct attack and two seeming coincidences, the man’s plans had no rhyme or reason to them, other than the collection of that Entropic aether. What atrocity he would unleash upon Cran’Tal was a mystery to the trio - a fact that greatly disheartened them.

Firstly, they sought shelter. The city’s cozy architecture prompted them to explore interiors as well as exteriors, and what they discovered was a most pleasant experience. The inn they stayed at was small, but provided much-needed warmth and a sense of security.

Freya, however, still felt uneasy.

A feeling she could not well explain.

As if a pair of eyes observed her from each given corner.

Nothing she could see, obviously, and neither could her companions when questioned about the feeling.

It was a feeling all her own.

Setting her apart from the others. Alone. Isolated.

Mad.

The remainder of that evening saw the trio sharing a meal together, as usual, with the lindblumi being unusually distant. “Thinking about what he’ll do next?” Questioned Suwi, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. It took the princess a second to realize she was the one at the receiving end of that question. “O-oh. Yes. I’m only hoping we can stop it before it happens, this time.” She swiftly turned around, startled, a worried expression on her face. Diedrich furrowed his brow. “Nothing could sneak up on you, Freya. And we’re right in front of you - we’d let you know if you needed to turn around. What’s the matter?”

She looked back at her friend while approaching another bite of roast to her mouth. “Can’t shake that feeling. It’s really bothering me.” Suwi sighed, focusing aether in her eyes and examining the room with a quick glance. “Aethersight tells me everything’s normal. A lot of Element aether, but that’s to be expected. Okay? You can calm down. There’s nothing weird going on.”

Freya kept chomping on that piece of delightfully spiced roast, feeling uncomfortably numb to the usually delightful sensation. A person so focused on her love of food as her, not enjoying a meal was nearly a crime in her eyes. It couldn’t be avoided. Her worry dominated her body in full.

Having received no reply from her companion, Suwi became unusually exasperated. Lifting from the bench, she headed towards her room without a word, nearly slamming the wooden door behind her.

Diedrich gently tapped his fork to the plate a few times, considering the best course of action. After a few seconds, he chimed in. “We’re all worried, selchite. I promise we’re not underestimating this. And I know it’s weighing more heavily on you, but please, try to relax. You’re gonna burn yourself out and… I really don’t want you to go through that.” Freya looked up at him, knowing he wouldn’t use that nickname lightly. Selchite, ‘the unstoppable crystal’. She was completely aware of how much he admired her tenacity - or stubbornness - from the moment he gifted her that moniker.

She nodded, moved by his words but uneasy still.

He grabbed a few more silent bites from his plate. With a gentle pat on the head, he left her to her thoughts.

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That loneliness felt even worse now. She hadn’t told either of them of the pain that wracked her body day and night since her last day in Madain Nym. It would feel an awkward subject to bring up, given it began long before their inclusion into her life. At odd moments, when the pain intensified, excessive Force aether flowed from her body - the feeling that accompanied that fact was akin to having her skin bloat and push away from her innards. No real physical reaction came with that feeling, however, only the pain. She questioned many times what it could mean, but her best theories were something or other related to an overflow of aether after utilizing the tower to perform that horrendous feat. Thinking about the death she inflicted haunted her still, so she steered her mind away from such thoughts whenever they arose.

The pain was beginning to dull her ability to discern truth from fiction, she told herself. It was the only possible explanation for that paranoia.

Perhaps she would ask the Shepherd for aid. Perhaps they were awake, even this late.

She snuck out of the inn in a hurried fashion. The Crystal Tower of Elements was but a few minutes away, and she reached it even faster with the aid of some incantations.

The main entryway to the tower was open. She stepped inside hesitantly, remarking how both similar and different it was from the others. The main differences were the hue - obviously -, and the overall size. It seemed quite larger than both Force and Enhancement, but still considered tiny when compared to Origination.

The inside seemed lit up, which she knew was a feature the guardian and steward could both control at will. There seemed to be no one in plain sight until a Crystalline Warforged revealed itself from behind one of the many bookshelves assorted there. The voice it projected into the princess’ head was far more metallic and stiff than she expected, even from a construct. “How many I aid thee?”, it asked. “Good tidings. I seek the tower’s guardian. Is the shepherd awake?”

Looking upward before replying telepathically, it seemed to see far beyond normal sight. “Affirmative. They will descend shortly. Please make thyself comfortable.” She was used to Warforged telepathy from her time spent around Theobald, her mother’s steward, but the feeling never ceased to be unsettling.

The princess sought a single-seat couch to make herself comfortable in. She made good use of the furs it was lined with to stave off the cold. It struck her as odd that the tower would be so cold, given the element it was aligned to. Keeping it warmed would be exceedingly simple with so much Elements aether just lying around, she told herself.

Only five minutes later, a tiny figure hovered down from the stairs. The stature of said figure combined with its hood-obscured features left her uneasy, as it reminded her of her quarry, but she quickly let that feeling go. Arising from her seat, she made her way towards the Shepherd, bowing as they both came within a reasonable distance of each other. “Guardian. I am princess Freya of Lindblum. I have come with a humble request for aid, should you find it in your gentle heart to be able to agree.”

The figure nodded. Its face remained obscured, which made the dual-toned voice coming from it equally confusing. “You may ask from me anything you desire, conduit-child. I am amenable.” The manner in which the person referred to Freya was wildly unusual, but she chose not to pursue that query at first. “I currently suffer an aether-induced ailment I am wholly unfamiliar with. It began after a visit to Madain Nym and the tower of Force. Perhaps if I tell you my symptoms you might explore your considerable trove of wisdom to aid me?” The Shepherd nodded, and the royal proceeded to elaborate to the best of her ability.

“‘Tis been a considerable gap of time, but I recall a similar phenomena occurring to me when I first became guardian to the tower of Elements.”, the Shepherd exposited. Their words were clear, and they seemed to refuse to expound further. “How is that possible?”, the princess questioned, as her knowledge of the mechanism of the Towers and guardianship seemed to lack considerably, if that statement was to hold any amount of truth.

“Guardianship arrives of necessity and affinity.” They tapped their staff to the floor of the tower, and its lighting became dim. Just a second later, the passage outwards was sealed by a thick layer of crimson crystal. It made Freya extremely uneasy, and all her senses were put on guard. “Say I was to cease being the tower’s guardian this very instant. What do you suppose would happen?”

-The tower would choose a new guardian?

-Precisely. One suited for the task.

-It would continue to be you, then, given you are still standing in it!

-Would it?

The Shepherd let go of their staff and it hovered mid-air, idly for a moment, then autonomously making for the center of the room, slotting itself into a previously invisible socket on the floor. The nepenthe-sized creature crossed their arms, displaying an unwavering resolve not to move. Freya looked between them and the staff several times, a thousand questions flowing through her mind. “You cannot possibly be serious.” They nodded. “Why do you doubt?”

-It goes against every conceivable established norm.

-Such as?

-There has never been one single guardian to two separate towers before.

-Do you wonder why that might be?

-A measure to keep one single person from obtaining an excessive amount of power, perhaps?

-If so, would the tower itself not oppose the concept?

-In theory.

-We can find out in practice.

-But wouldn’t it make my condition even worse?

-If I refused to teach you how to heal it, yes, without a doubt. I have not refused, however.

-Let me out of here.

-The tower is letting neither of us go until it has a guardian.

-I hope you’ll forgive me my words, but you are utterly insane for conceiving of this, Shepherd.

-I have not.

Freya paused. Every possible permutation of ideas crossed her mind, but only one made sense, and it enraged her. “You’re in league with that madman, aren’t you?” The small creature - if it was able to be called human at all - shrugged. “I have no notion of what you speak.” Freya paced around, even more irate than before. “Your grin can be heard in your eerie voice. What even are you?”

-A cursed nepenthe. That is all I’m willing to share.

-Cursed by who?

-By the burden of necessity.

-That word, again. I have a feeling like you’re trying to teach me something about its meaning.

-True wisdom is earned by living, my child. So long as you keep your eyes, mind and heart open, that is.

“Argh! You’re just as cryptic and condescending as he is.” Freya said, stopping her nervous striding. She gazed at the staff with a red-hot fury in her eyes. “Fine! I’ll prove your goddamn hypothesis wrong.” She quickly stepped towards the staff, grasping it firmly with one hand, fully expecting to be rejected or repelled back in some spectacular manner.

It did not happen.

Warmth, cold, a ferocious breeze, a thunderous feeling - they all filled her simultaneously. The tower lit up far brighter than before. Overwhelming power flowing through her once more, Freya screamed in agony. Her condition arose with thousandfold vengeance, nearly wrestling consciousness from the princess’ grasp. “Embrace it!” The Shepherd screamed. “Know that you are enough to contain such greatness, and let it flow through you!”

Those words were entirely foreign concepts to the princess, refused for an entire fifteen years. Still, she powered through the pain, refusing to let the pain overcome her. She pushed the aether through her body, painfully, believing that to be the ‘flow’ the nepenthe mentioned. After a few seconds of fully concentrating her efforts on that activity, her pain eased and the power subsided. She slumped to the floor, that crimson staff in hand, exhausted.

The nepenthe approached, patting her gently on the head. “You’re a step closer to your goal, child. However wayward your steps may feel, however winding the road, know that it matters not. The journey is all.” The princess panted on the floor, still struggling to maintain a hold of her consciousness. “Do you all just… Like to spout the same enigmatic bullshit?” She said shortly before losing her grasp on wakefulness.