#the scions and emet-selch | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rennivere · 5 months

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"You never told them?" He asked incredulously, practically gawking at the mage, taking a moment to look over the group before sparing a soft laugh of disbelief. "Oh. Oh, I'm impressed. That you managed to keep your upbringing as an Ascian a secret this long is truly something to be commended. Elidibus would be proud. Brava."

It was as if time had stopped.

At first, she wasn't sure she wasn't trapped in a dream. She'd pictured herself in this scenario at least a hundred times over the years, imagining how the Scions would react when she told them the truth about herself.

She was an Ascian - born and raised. The rift between shards was no place for a child, and yet it was there that she grew, her mind shaped and molded to believe unquestioningly in the Ardor.

Promises of greatness, of power, strength, and knowledge were spoken into her ear, filling her mind. She grew to worship Zodiark, just as she grew to loathe the people of the Source and its shards.

Then again, those people were hardly people at all - or so she was lead to believe. Even she was imperfect, just a fragment of what she could be if they succeeded in rejoining the star.

Naturally, like the rest of her kin, she sought that perfection. She never thought she would ever question her beliefs, until she met them.

The Scions were not weak, poor excuses for mankind. They were strong, intelligent, personable, loyal to a fault, and they extended a hand of invitation towards her based on a lie - that she was just a normal adventurer, and not an Ascian sent to infiltrate the Scions on behalf of the Emissary. Then again, why would they have any reason to distrust her, when she had so willingly killed one of her own in Thanalan?

He would not be the last, either. She would stand opposed to the Ascians again and again, and what began as a ruse to gain the trust of the Scions soon became Aletheia's reality. Hydaelyn certainly had more than just a simple hand in that matter, her words - whispered into Theia's mind in every dream - causing the mage to question everything she had ever known and been made to believe.

These people around her who were supposed to be frail, fragmented excuses for what they once were and could be were not sacrificial lambs for the greater 'good'. They were people, with their own lives, loves, and stories to tell.

They deserved to live and love.

They deserved the truth.

And yet, for years, Aletheia kept her deepest secret close to her chest, for fear that her closest companions would turn on her in an instant if they knew the truth of her deception. She tried to imagine every possible scenario, and always, something would deter her from disclosing the truth.

And now, with that truth exposed, every instance where she could have - should have - told the truth to her companions flashed through her mind.

Emet-Selch's words echoed in her head until her ears began to ring from the silence that followed.

"You know, ever since I first had the pleasure of seeing the famed Eikon-slayer, Warrior of Light-turned-Warrior of Darkness in person, I thought there was something a bit strange about you. A bit… familiar. At first I thought it might just be a side effect of immortality: Being cursed to see the same dull face reappear every century or so… but that's not it, is it?" "No, no. You're a bit older now, grown and matured… but you still have the same hopeful gaze that used to stare oh so longingly after Elidibus, praying he would give you the light of day. It wasn't often we allowed ones so young in on the truth, but you were a bit of a special case, weren't you? Oh, yes, I remember you now. Aletheia, was it? It has been oh-so long."

He had the gall to look surprised when the Scions turned to her in various degrees of confusion and shock. Urianger was the least outwardly affected - though Theia had long theorized that during the man's own stint as a double-agent, he had somehow learned of her truth, but kept it to himself. Still, his eyes shut, brows furrowing as he lifted a hand to stroke lightly at his chin in thought.

Beside him, Thancred reeled back, staring at Theia with wide, questioning eyes that desperately sought answers, silently begging the mage to dismiss Emet-Selch's claims.

Minfilia remained at his side, concern and uncertainty causing her to step forward, hands pressed to her chest as she peered around past her guardian, towards the Warrior.

"What is he talking about, Theia? Do you actually know each other?"

"Yes, pray tell, what is he talking about?" Alisaie pressed, turning her full body towards the mage, finally prompting Aletheia to break the unblinking, piercing glare she had on Emet-Selch.

"Are you implying that Aletheia is... an Ascian? That's absurd," Alphinaud tried to reason, giving a dismissive scoff - though there was a swirl of fear and uncertainty in his eyes as he looked towards the aforementioned mage, then back again, "You truly expect us to believe that?"

Emet-Selch's expression was infuriating.

He looked genuinely dumbfounded.

The thick fabric of his gloves resulted in a dull, muted pat as he clapped slowly in response. His expression began to shift from one of genuine surprise to something far more sardonic, a slightly quirked brow, one corner of his lips upturned in a smirk as he lowered his hands back to his side, causing his weight to droop forward again into his usual slouch.

Theia said nothing, every word dying on her tongue as her hands balled into fists at her sides, digging the sharp points of her metal claws into her skin nearly hard enough to pierce both palms. She had half a mind to do just that - surely she deserved a bit of physical pain to pair with the emotional devastation.

Emet-Selch meanwhile must have taken her silence as an invitation to continue gloating.

"Well, I originally came here with a proposition for you and your little band of heroes - a possible alliance, in fact - but it appears I've made a bit of a mess for you to sort out, haven't I? My sincerest apologies, Hero. Would that I had the ability to take it all back so you could go about your merry way, keeping secrets, killing Lightwardens, and all that..."

"Alas, it seems I may have to choose another day to extend an olive branch to you and yours. I suppose I will give you a bit of privacy while you figure out how to justify the past few years of deception to your friends. Do try not to turn on each other: You'll need all the help you can get if you hope to defeat the remaining Lightwardens."

Theia thought she might scream. She thought she might conjure a blaze in her palm and lob it at the Ascian out of pure rage, but she was frozen, left only to watch as the man gave a flick of his wrist, a dismissive wave as he stepped towards the conjured portal of swirling darkness had had appeared only moments before. He stopped just shy of it however, his hand turning as he gave a gentle snap.

"Ah! But before I go: If your friends do happen to turn on you, or you decide you wish to hear my proposal in full, don't hesitate to seek me out. Difficult decisions lie ahead of you: Decisions best made with the benefit of knowledge to which only the eternal are privy."

A slight smirk curled onto his lips once more as his gaze locked on Aletheia's.

"Until then, hero."

The sound of the man's twisted, corrupt magic warping and twisting echoed off the crystalline walls of the Ocular as Emet-Selch passed through the shadowy portal, which rippled before shrinking around him, swallowing him.

Time seemed to halt as he disappeared, the room deathly silent aside from the natural hum of magic from the tower around them. No one seemed keen to speak first, though Theia could feel six sets of eyes peering through her.

In the end it was the Exarch who broke the silence with a somewhat uneasy clear of his throat.

"Perhaps it best to focus now on the matter at hand, and address some recent revelations at a later time," he suggested calmly, unaware of the short fuse he had just lit by speaking up.

"A later time?" Alisaie balked, her boots giving a squeak against the crystalline floor as she twisted towards Theia. "No, I think we address this now!" Steps far heavier than the girl's stature would imply echoed off the walls as she turned to place herself in front of Theia, staring up at the Hyur with eyes that swirled with everything from confusion, to fear, to rage.

"Is it true? Is what Emet-Selch said true, Theia?"

"I'd wager that her silence should more than suffice as an answer to that question," Thancred chimed in, his tone bitter. Aletheia swore she heard the leather of his gloves creak as his hands balled into fists at his sides. "An Ascian," he verbally spit, as if the word alone left a sour taste on his tongue.

"While 'tis true that this deception is great, I would implore thou all to remember that our friend hath been steadfast in her resolve. She hath never once strayed from the path of good, and hath proven through her actions alone to be a loyal companion. I suggest we do not let these revelations taint our opinions of our friend too hastily, and instead grant her a chance to explain herself,"

Urianger. Of course he would have a level head. Aletheia might have thanked him with a look, had Alisaie not scoffed, drawing her silver gaze.

"Oh yes, please do explain why you deemed it acceptable to keep a rather important detail about your life a secret from us this entire time! An Ascian? Really?"

"I have not answered to the Ascians since before the turn of the era," Theia finally spoke, though she wasn't able to get much further before Alphinaud was chiming in with a dry snort.

"So you admit it, then. While we have been fighting against the greatest threat our world has ever known, little did we know that one of their own was in our midst the entire time. Did you truly never deem it necessary or relevant to share this little fact with us? Has it truly just slipped your mind all this time?"

The boy sounded more hurt than angry, bewildered. He moved to stand beside his sister, perhaps to help anchor her lest her anger turn into something more - or perhaps ready to join her. Theia wasn't entirely sure, though she was certain that nothing pained her quite as much as seeing those near identical sets of eyes staring up at her in dismay.

While all of the Scions were undeniably dear to her, the twins had become especially important to the mage. She viewed them both as her own siblings - and if she was right, the feeling was mutual. Despite their capabilities as fighters and their shared fierce independence, Aletheia often found herself quietly and gently doting on the pair, always the first to remind the rest of their party that the Leveilleur twins were still, by all accounts, kids.

They did as teenagers often would of course - scoffing and defending their own faculty, insisting they didn't need any extra care than the rest. It only endeared the mage more to her two young companions.

That made the looks of disdain they gave her now hurt far, far worse.

"Clearly she did not think it necessary to be honest with us. It certainly puts into question what other secrets she has kept since the start," Thancred muttered dryly, contempt dripping from his words.

Alisaie was certainly passionate, but Thancred looked at her as if he were a lover scorned. Thancred was the one who recruited her into the Scions at the start after all, the one who put his trust in her and shared their secrets. Not to mention, he was also the one with a rather personal reason to despise the Ascians, beyond simply the threat they posed to the world.

She couldn't blame him for being upset. She couldn't blame any of them, frankly. She couldn't even blame Emet-Selch for exposing her truth - though she would, she realized consciously.

That was simply far easier than accepting all of the blame outright.

"Had I been honest upfront, would you truly have believed me if I said I was no longer loyal to the Ascians?" Aletheia asked, annoyance slipping into her tone as she turned to properly face the group, putting her back to the Exarch, who used that as an opportunity to approach the group, stopping not far from her left.

"Well we'll certainly never know now, given how you lied to us all this time," Alisaie spat bitterly, "Thancred makes a valid point. What else have you kept from us?"

"Nothing," Aletheia responded firmly, "I have been honest in every other regard. What would I gain from weaving a web of lies? Nothing," she repeated, her brows knitting above her bridge as her gaze flicked over the group. "Tis true: I am - was - an Ascian. I was born on the Source, but I was raised in the rift between shards, brought up to worship Zodiark and to believe only in the Ardor. I answered to the Emissary, and it was he who tasked me with seeking out the Scions and to report back with what I learned."

"But in seeking out the Scions, I encountered Hydaelyn. She spoke to me, and I began to see the truth. In meeting you all, I began to learn that everything I had been led to believe about mankind was a lie."

"And how long did that take, exactly?" Thancred scoffed, his arms rising to cross over his chest as he sneered at the mage. "Exactly how long was it before you stopped reporting back to your betters? How long were you sharing our secrets before you switched sides?"

Stubborn, stubborn man.

"Less time than it took for you to fall victim to Lahabrea's plotting," she said flatly, though her words were not pointed or accusatory. Thancred seemed to still take them as such though, given how his nose flared, arms unfolding as he moved to take a step forward, only for a small arm to outstretch across his midsection, giving him just enough pause to stop and look down at the pair of solid cerulean orbs staring up at him.

"Stop, stop," Minfilia insisted, her voice pleading. "I... I can't imagine how you all must be feeling right now... but it is as Urianger said: Theia has more than proven herself to be on our side. If she wasn't, why would she be helping with the Lightwardens? Not to mention all the stories you all have told me about what you've done together on the Source... if she were secretly still working with the Ascians... why would she do so much to thwart their plans...?"

Her words were enough to have Thancred stop fully in his tracks, his head tilting as his gaze downcast, though his posture gave away his continued frustration. He would not be so easily convinced.

"Agreed," the Exarch now chimed, "Which is again why I propose we turn our attention to the matter of the sin eaters. In striking down the Lightwardens of Lakeland and Il Mheg, together, you have accomplished more in your short time here than all of our forces managed in the last century,"

He emphasized together, Aletheia realized, stressing the word to help further his point. On either side of her, Theia heard both Thancred and Alisaie scoff, both equal parts unconvinced. Alphinaud on the other hand sighed, his head nodding.

"Perhaps you are right. For now at least, let us focus on dealing with the sineaters. We can address certain... revelations once the greater threat has been addressed," the young Elezen suggested, his tone slipping into that of the young diplomat Alphinaud often portrayed himself as, for better or worse.

"Agreed. To that end, it is imperative that we address the remaining Lightwardens of Kholusia, Amh Araeng, and the Rak'tika Greatwood. Alas, their precise whereabouts are as of yet unknown to us," the Exarch agreed, "Which is why I propose we divide our forces and conduct a systematic survey of each region. Once we have found our quarry, we may then determine how best to proceed. I imagine this will also allow us all the time needed to gather our thoughts and decide how to best address the various matters at hand,"

"Fine," Alisaie muttered bitterly, "I'll take Amh Araeng by myself," she said firmly, leaving little room for argument from anyone else.

"Then I will make for Kholusia," Alphinaud followed, his body turning. Neither twin seemed inclined to meet the gaze Aletheia spared them both. "I have connections there both in and around Eulmore that may prove useful."

"Wonderful," the Exarch approved with a nod partially hidden beneath his cowl, the slightest smile tugging across his lips - the man clearly relieved that the party had not deigned to continue their verbal assault on their companion. "Then I would recommend the rest of you venture to Rak'tika, where you will find Y'shtola. We will need her aid in finding the Warden hiding there."

"I doubt all of us will be needed to find Y'shtola. Urianger, Minfilia, and I will venture there in search of her. It shouldn't take long to track her down,"

Ah. Thancred's words were a firm message on their own: Aletheia was not invited on their venture into the wood, it seemed. The mage felt her teeth grit as she turned to peer at the man, her gaze flicking towards Urianger, who met her eyes before giving a quiet sigh, clearly disinclined to argue.

"Very well then. I have my own matters to which to attend as well."

The Exarch brandished an envelope from within the folds of his robe, further drawing attention away from Aletheia's exposed past. He spoke of the invitation he received from Lord Vauthry, and his intent to take the man's offer, despite the thinly veiled trap it tried to conceal.

Aletheia had a mind to offer to accompany the Exarch, but she wasn't given the chance before the Exarch turned towards Alphinaud, personally requesting his escort instead, leaving little room for Aletheia to insert herself.

Thus, plans were set in motion, prompting her companions to turn and take their leave. Aletheia hesitated, her lips parting as she tried to find the words to say - something, anything, be it a desperate plea of her case or something else that might help rebuild their confidence in her... but her tongue went dry, any words she tried to utter never making it to her lips. She was left to watch as the five Scions departed the Ocular, leaving her to watch as the door began to swing shut behind them.

The silence that followed was so deafening, Aletheia nearly forgot that she wasn't alone.

"For what it is worth," the Exarch spoke, his words smooth, carrying a warmth to them that had Theia finally taking a breath, a modicum of hope fluttering in her gut as she turned to look at the man, who greeted her with a gentle smile beneath his hood, "I do not view you differently. As Urianger said, and Minfilia after him, you have more than proven yourself time and again to be a hero, just and true. It may take time for the others to see it that way... but I have faith that time will heal these fresh wounds."

Theia's brows furrowed in thought as her head dipped, lips pursing in a tight line as she bit gently at the inside of her bottom lip in thought. Perhaps he was right... but did she deserve their forgiveness?

"Thank you, Exarch," she finally said, her attempts at a steady tone somewhat failing, unease slipping into her words. The Exarch's response was only to smile a bit wider, nodding as he lifted a hand, his crystalline palm solid and cold as it moved to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly - a fleeting gesture of comfort before he let his arm fall back to his side.

"If but I could do more to help convince them. Alas..." he trailed off then, seeming to mull over his thoughts as Theia peered down at him with a pinched brow. "Might I suggest you also venture East to the Greatwood? Be it alone or with the others. Despite Thancred's words, I believe it would be beneficial to have more eyes and ears on the ground. And... perhaps you'll manage to stumble across Y'shtola yourself, and be able to share certain matters with her in your own words."

She couldn't argue with that.

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