Despite his bone-deep fatigue, he didn't sleep. He waited Veralla to drift off and then quietly left their room. He didn't put on the power armor. The was little point anymore. He took only a shields belt to keep the cold at bay and then went outside the stronghold, taking a walk around the mountainous ramparts.
He found a suitably panoramic spot, a wide curving esplanade, and went to the parapet at its edge. He leaned on the solid ornate stone and gazed at the heavens. Even though the rest of Terra Para was in constant turmoil, the sky above Ilsorin was calm and clear, kept pure by the giant serefi guardian that encompassed the entire fractal sub-region. The horizon wavered faintly now and then, yet there was no other indication the world outside was plunged into a maelstrom which defied the very fundamentals of spacetime. Airo stood alone on the ramparts, quietly watching the stars.
His journey was over. He had at last seen the Way. His life had begun anew and he had found new friends to celebrate it with. His faith had been restored and he had new ideals to strive for. He had been given salvation, and the light within his soul was shining brightly once more.
Only, it was too late. Ferrtau had won. Terra Para was doomed. Airo's second chance was destined to be short and surrounded by despair. And Veralla... she wouldn't even have a year to live. Airo had thought it was chance which twined their fates, yet now he wasn't sure anymore. Too much had happened to write it off as coincidence: his re-awakening from cryostasis, her heritage as Kalessia's child, and the fact that everything was put into motion when Ferrtau had gone mad from grief.
If anything, it was destiny. And as Magus had told Airo, there were no wrong interpretations of the Way. Perhaps everything happened exactly as it should and in the end all would be right. Airo only regretted he would not live to witness this final truth. Yet no matter what happened, he had Veralla, and for him that was enough.
He smiled, watching the skylight of the Great Cosmos, and then the last part of his redemption came.
He heard nothing. He sensed nothing. However, something made him turn around and he saw Ferrtau, standing only a couple of paces away.
His former friend still wore his Knight armor, the suit battered and antiquated from centuries of use, even though nanotechnology should've kept it pristine. Perhaps it was a symbol of Ferrtau himself – struggling, wearied, yet still poised and determined to achieve his visions.
Airo didn't know how Ferrtau had gotten here. Then it dawned on him that this must be some kind of a mind trick – for his former friend didn't attack and his tall, armored form had a faint surreal quality, like a dream too lucid. The two of them looked at each other for a silent minute, Airo calm and awaiting, Ferrtau dour and fulminating.
"The war is over, Dragonslayer," the Lightbringer finally spoke. "You and the pathetic Radiant Knights that follow you have lost."
Airo said nothing and kept watching Ferrtau.
"So much effort," Ferrtau continued. "So much sacrifice. The Dragonslayer, ready to do anything, even work alongside dragons, to achieve his revenge. And all that hypocrisy for naught. You astound me, Airo. The lengths you are willing to go just to defend your ambition. You think I am the monster? Look at you! You would burn whole worlds in order to enforce your views upon them! Look at yourself, Dragonslayer. This is all your fault!"
"Yes, I did terrible things in my life," Airo said quietly. "I made them, because I was misguided, and because I was in love. A love that was taken. If only either of those things were part of me, I would have been different. Everything would have been different."
"Love?" Ferrtau laughed bitterly. "You mean Zenassa? After all this time you still think about her. You are a fool, Airo. Zenassa was neither remarkable, nor particularly pure – she played with both of our feelings for so long, remember? And then she chose you, but as she made that choice, she continued to have affection for me. Did you know that? Did you ever realize your love was not equal, Airo? You were merely a tool for Zenassa, a brute who dragged beasts for her to study. Your love was built on basic convenience, Dragonslayer!"
Airo again remained silent, letting the Lightbringer's wave of scorn wash over him. He knew the truth. He knew why Ferrtau acted like this, why he did the things he did. Airo knew perfectly well the feeling that ravaged his former friend's soul.
Ferrtau was in grief.
"Well now, how does it feel? How does it feel to know your life has always been meaningless, Dragonslayer? You never managed to eradicate dragonkind, and now you will never have your revenge. You will never make me pay, Airo. You have lost. Forever!"
"I seek revenge no more," Airo said calmly.
Ferrtau paused, and fixed him with an incredulous look.
"I was wrong," Airo continued. "And I was cruel. I remember, Ferrtau... I remember when you first introduced me to Kalessia. I remember now the light in your eyes and the warmth of your voice. You were happy then. Even when you were drowned by guilt about what happened to Zenassa – yes, I remember that too – you still found the strength to embrace happiness. I was wrong, and you were right."
Ferrtau tried to say something, yet only managed to grimace wordlessly.
"I let my grief consume me." Airo turned away and leaned on the battlement, searching the starry heavens on the horizon. "Or rather, I did not let my grief to pass through me, to pain me fully, to cleanse me, and make me able to love again. I remained trapped in the past, while you proceeded toward the future, toward salvation. You allowed life inside you to bloom again, to make your love a thousand times greater, and you shared that love with the whole galaxy, becoming the Lightbringer, the greatest Radiant Knight to ever walk the stars.
"While I chose to be tormented by that which could be no more." Airo faced again his former friend and his grey eyes met Ferrtau's emerald gaze. "And now, our fates are reversed. I found the strength to live again, and you have fallen into the abyss. Yet you know it does not have to be this way. You need not walk that Way." Airo extended his hand in plea. "Set your grief free, Ferrtau. Stop this mad crusade. Be the hero everyone knows. Shut down the Reality Vortex."
After a long pause, Ferrtau said, "So, you have changed." Suddenly, he shook his head violently. "You think a single change of heart makes you know the Way? You think you know me, Airo!? You do not!" Ferrtau folded his armored arms. "You still are so naive. You have no idea what the stakes are. Perhaps if you have lived these past seven centuries, you would have seen what I truly fight for!"
"I know what I see," Airo said. "And it is the death of millions. How can that justify anything?"
"You lack the perspective!" Ferrtau exclaimed. "You cannot see how things are on a cosmic scale! If my Vision becomes true, all those deaths would be without consequence!"
"How could that ever happen?"
"Because I seek to bring Paradise, Airo! If I accomplish my gift to the Universe, I will unite everything into singularity! We shall all become One! We shall all live in peace, in happiness! We shall be immortal, eternal, endless! We shall be Love itself!!!"
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"And why do you want to do that, Ferrtau?"
"Why?? WHY??? How can you ask such a question!? Would you refuse the gift of Ascension? Would you shun a perfect utopia? Do you want to never experience death, loss, suffering? Do you want to see Zenassa again?"
"Yes, I want to see Zee again. Yet I do not know if I would have chosen to reunite with her in this way. Maybe. Maybe everyone wants the things you offer, or maybe there are those who do not want even Heaven itself. Yet what I ask, is why you seek to do this – to end the world as we know it and bring something else in its place."
"What I seek," Ferrtau began, and then abruptly faltered. "What I seek... is redemption." Tears welled in his eyes. "I seek to undo my mistakes. I seek the same thing you did, Airo."
"Then halt yourself, Ferrtau," Airo said. "See the error of your actions, and how they bring the same suffering to so many others. Forgive those who have wronged you, and move on."
"I cannot. There is no one to forgive... except myself. I was solely responsible for what happened to Kalessia. For what happened here. So now I must restore the terrible damage I have done in the ultimate manner – by renovating Everything."
"That is not the Way," Airo shook his head.
"What do you know about the Way!"
"I know what I have seen from you. I have seen your living chronicle. I know you for the exemplar you have been."
"Then you know what drives the shadow in my heart!"
"I know what drives the light in your soul."
They argued ardently for hours. Airo didn't feel the passage of time, as he sought to make peace with Ferrtau and tried to make him see reason. Yet his former friend was unwavering in his conviction. They wrangled back and forth, each seeking emotional or philosophical victory over the other. But Airo's belief in the Way was still tentative, while Ferrtau's will was implacable. In the end, try as he might, Airo realized words would not resolve this. Ferrtau was too far gone.
"Then at least give the galaxy another chance!" Airo shouted at last. "We can rebuild the Radiant Knights! We can return the light in people's hearts once more!"
Ferrtau made a negative gesture. "I am sorry, Airo, but I cannot do that. I have no time left. And after every triumph, fall inevitably follows. I can no longer bear that. I can no longer tolerate meaningless discord, to which I myself fell prey to. I have a Vision, and everyone shall thank me once I achieve Destiny."
"Ferrtau, listen to yourself, this is not–"
"Farewell, Airo. You have, in the end, proved yourself worthy of Ascension. That I shall not deny you, once the time comes. Do not despair. Everything will be all right. We all shall soon be together... now and forever."
And with those words, the Lightbringer vanished, his departure so sudden, it made Airo blink in confusion.
He glanced around. There was no one on the arctic ramparts, either physically or otherwise. Airo leaned on the stone parapet, again left with his musings.
He was no longer the person he once was. He was free to choose his path and to shape his own actions. He thought one last time about his past. He had changed so much. The world had changed so much. Ferrtau himself had changed, having lived through all these long centuries; not the tormented individual that had visited Airo now, but the true Ferrtau – the one who is and will always be remembered as the Lightbringer.
It was that person Airo wanted to see in this moment.
"Cloud, is it possible to project a simulspace right now?"
"I can, Commander, if you give me a few seconds to reprogram that shields emitter over there," came the SAI's artificial voice from somewhere nearby. "However, be advised there might be side effects in the form of minor to moderate headaches and sensory aberrations, as I'll have to beam a considerable amount of highly-modulated signals straight into your nerve centers over a large distance."
"I can handle that," Airo said. "If anything, I know my way to the medical level. Play Ferrtau's living chronicle."
"As you wish, Commander."
The calm starry night melted away, replaced by an entirely different setting.
The walls, floors, and ceilings were all silver-gold, illuminated by bright, cyan-purple light. Every surface was strong and functional in its design, yet elegant and aesthetic in its simple curves. The place was familiar. This was Ouroboros, or perhaps some of the other dreadnoughts the Order once had.
They were in an observation section of some sort, one of the walls entirely transparent, offering a grand panorama to the cosmos beyond. Vast armadas drifted amidst the stellar background, thousands of vessels separated into three distinct constellations, the largest gathering the galaxy had ever witnessed.
And in the center of all these battle-ready behemoths was a lush, lustrous planet, bejeweled with a host of moons and caressed with radiance by a trinity of suns. The knowledge came instinctively – this was Utopia Draconis. And glimmering in its intimate orbit was another astral army of smaller, yet far more threatening forms – those of space-bound warrior dragons.
Ferrtau and Kalessia watched silently the epochal scene, the Lightbringer fully dressed for battle. Both of their psyches were in great distress, tinged with sorrow, yet it was him who was more vulnerable to despair at this very moment.
It is hopeless, he mindcast, transfixed by the impending doom outside. Neither side wants to listen to us.
What would happen if they were left alone?, she queried, her webbed ears making the tiniest of flutters.
Carnage. The greatest tragedy ever to happen after the Cosmic Death. And whoever wins shall plunge the galaxy into a new era of darkness.
Then we have no choice. We have to fight them all.
He stilled in shock. Fight against both sides!? But those are your people, Kalessia!
And those are your people, too, my love. Her titanic form shifted minutely. You remember what Master Dei said to us. Sometimes, we have to make difficult choices. I am not making my current choice lightly. Yet it is the only choice that will ensure even the smallest approximation of peace.
But it will be interference on the grandest scale! Our duty is not to dictate the future of the galaxy! We are sworn to protect the galaxy, not to impose our will on it!
We have interfered before, she replied with a note of sadness. We have made rulings before. As much as we strive for our ideals, in the end we are still flawed beings – and that is what makes us so inspiring. That we try our best, despite our imperfections. And in the end, every choice we make, we make it with love – love for ourselves, love for others, and love for everything. It is Who We Are.
Yet... If we fight... The Order... The Order would be no more, Kalessia. Our shared dream would die. We cannot allow that! To what fate we doom the world if our sacred light winks out? Who would watch over the Way?
Shhh, she lowered and nudged him soothingly with her enormous snout. It is okay, Ferrtau. Our light shall not yet fade. Even if it does, another shall take its place in time. The Fire Eternal burns forever. Nothing can extinguish Its sacred flame.
I... I know that, my love. And yet... such a great sacrifice... to take so many lives... His mindwave pulsed, indicating the entire star system and the forces arrayed around it.
Ferrtau, she gently thought, embracing him in a microcosm of tail, claw, and snout. Do not worry about the future. Do not dwell on the past. Remain in the present, and focus on what is Now. Call forth your Light. Heighten your Awareness. Renew your Vow. Remember your True Self. See the beauty in every aspect of the Great Cosmos, Ferrtau. Accept everything with an open heart. I am here with you, my soulkin. I love you, Ferrtau.
I love you too, Kalessia, he replied with a hopeful expression. My dear angel, comforting me so well... you are the greatest blessing this world had ever had. You truly are a Knight hallowed in Radiance.
We all are, my love. We all are. We are the guiding beacon that lights the Way. She lifted her fierce amber gaze and looked at the cosmic panorama. And sometimes this light of ours burns, because that is one of its properties. We must accept that, just as we accept all of its other aspects. What we must do now, we do with heavy hearts. Yet we also do it with souls full of light and love.
She sought his eyes again, the same instant he lifted his tear-filled vision to meet hers.
"May the stars always shine upon our souls", they both said aloud, and their words resonated alongside their thoughts, sending into the wider world a blessing, a prayer, and a grace all at once.
Airo commanded Cloud to terminate simulspace. He did not need to see the terrible battle that followed. He did not need to see any more of Ferrtau's chronicle.
He had seen enough.
He silently declared that this was the way he would remember Ferrtau – as a man of honor, integrity, and boundless compassion. No matter his current crimes, no matter his past transgressions, to Airo, Ferrtau would always be the Lightbringer. Airo would remember his former friend with the good he had done and the galaxy he had protected for so long. He would remember both Ferrtau and Kalessia, the greatest Radiant Knights to ever live.
And if the Great Cosmos had willed it for Reality to be no more, then Airo would take those memories with him into Singularity, so that they would always shine unto Infinity itself.
He glanced one last time at the stars. Then he left the ramparts and went back to his room, where Veralla was sleeping, to spend the final days of his life together with her.