#when will the jay ferin come back from the war | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

virtyt-blog1 · 7 years

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[ under the cut is the entire history written out on my blog. all 7000+ words of it. i figured it would be better to have it all in one place, so here it is! ]

[ WARNING: this is a summary of the all of the story of tales of legendia, as well as chloe’s past pre-game and her character quest, all recounted from her perspective ]

[ i genuinely commend everyone who sits through this <3 ]

chloe valens was the only child of lord and lady valens, esteemed nobles from the holy kingdom of gadoria, known all throughout the world as both a family of great nobility and of skilled, unwavering knights. she grew up in a happy household environment, learning swordsmanship and etiquette from both her mother and father, steadily becoming the perfect heir to the valens line.

of course, nothing perfect can last long.

it was on their way back to the valens household, with rain pounding against the roof of the carriage, that they were attacked. she could do little other than watch as the bandits raided the carriage, clashing swords with her parents; she could do even less as, one after the other, her parents fell, life drained from their eyes. that spurred her on, however, her legs moving seemingly on her own. as she took up her father’s blade, she felt no fear– yet, she froze as the threat left the bandit’s mouth, fear rearing its ugly maw in the back of her mind.

chloe valens was weak, that day, and the image of a serpent tattoo remained burned into her brain.

that was the last time she would ever be weak.

she swore her revenge, even as her world crumbled around her. even as the valens name fell onto her shoulders, and even as she cracked under the pressure of maintaining her family’s honour– a task simply impossible for a child. despite the whispered words of doubt and the quiet mockery, her head remained held high.

it was all for nought in the end; the valens name was stripped of all its power and influence.

as a simple knight, she had no duty to her name any longer. instead, she had only one goal– revenge. failure to avenge her parents that day stuck at the back of her mind, gnawing at her every thought, an issue desperate to be resolved. her mind turned to revenge, and it became her only goal ( for no matter where she would travel, what good deeds she would perform, the darkness that enveloped her would not be banished until the day she took revenge– no matter what she did, the question would be posed to all she met; “do you know of a swordsman with a snake tattoo?“ )

she felt no regrets as she requested her hair to be cut, and similarly felt nothing as her eyes found the long locks on the floor of her bedroom, the only tie to the girl she once was now severed.

that was her oath, her determination; she would not rest until her parents were avenged.

she didn’t quite imagine that, several months after beginning her search on the legacy, she would be drawn in by a gigantic pillar of light and subsequently in a mad dash to retrieve a brash, white-haired fighter’s younger sister from the various powers desperate to have the merines’ power for themselves.

her sense of justice spurs her on, despite coolidge’s brazen and inconsiderate nature, not letting her turn her back on someone in need. initially, she thinks not of the people she would ally herself with, instead thinking only of the scared young woman trapped in the bandit’s lair, separated from her only family. she would be a terrible knight were she turn her back and walk away upon hearing such a plight.

while she didn’t expect that the girl, shirley, would be whisked away by a blonde with pitch-black wings and a foul attitude to match. upon seeing it happen, however, she didn’t once hesitate to give chase alongside coolidge and raynard. norma soon joins their ragtag group ( and gives out absurd nicknames, she thinks, though she makes only minimal complaints )

they corner him in the secret passage– the resulting brawl leaves the winged man injured, and returns shirley to her brother’s side. the simpler part comes now, returning to werites beacon, though even that proves to be less cut-and-dry than expected. the appearance of the oresoren ( positively adorable creatures, she’ll admit ) and their tearful request for their group to defeat the “long long demon” proved to be something necessary for them to progress back towards the town–

though she hadn’t expected coolidge to be such a fool, splitting off from the group with shirley and losing her to vaclav’s forces.

( the next time she sees him, she has to bite back a snide “i told you so” )

she can’t bring herself to be surprised when, even after she departs with raynard in search of jay the unseen, coolidge and norma appear soon after with harriet in tow. she’s reluctant to trust him, considering both his previous attitude and stunts– but she’s always preferred trust over doubt.

chloe valens places her faith in not only coolidge, but all of them.

their plan ( courtesy of jay– an ally for sure, they’ve established ) is an expertly-crafted one, with little that could pull it apart. lady luck proves to be against them, however– after all, who could have foreseen the bandits’ interference?

in the carnage that follows, she catches a glimpse of a snake tattoo on the masked terror’s arm, and all those thoughts of revenge come flooding back. stingle the vicious, one of vaclav bolud’s three terrors. it hits her, however, that she is no longer alone– no, coolidge is fighting by her side and shirley has already broken free and entered the waterways.

( with a part of her screaming to continue fighting, she disengages and enters the waterways herself. )

the name doesn’t properly settle in her mind until it’s far too late, until shirley has once again just barely evaded their grasp and the rushing water sweeps them all away. it crosses her mind as she flails and gaps out pleas for help, that she really should have known something like this would happen– nobody would name a ruin ‘the waterways’ without reason. regardless, she finds herself soaked and at the base of a waterfall, one of her best-kept secrets now known by another.

( why, oh why did it have to be him )

sandor becomes the next unlikely member of their unusual group, much to the chagrin of most ( if not all ) of the existing members. she quietly laments how loud their group has become, though their progression is not hindered by the new addition– they find themselves outside the ruins of frozen light soon enough, and then descending into the great hollow ( where she desperately attempts to drown out the thought of underwater travel by listening to raynard’s monster-related babbling and the bickering between norma and sandor )

to her credit, she looks far less ashamed than she feels upon coming to inside the ruins of frozen light after passing out as water flooded into the popo mk. II. nevertheless, she continues on, and they soon reach vaclav and shirley in the ruin depths. though she doesn’t exactly understand the events that unfold there ( the name “stella”, she’s certain, still rings in all of their minds ) not until later, she still wastes no time in rushing forward into battle– even after their loss, she moves with purpose, escaping the ruins and entering the forest of no return.

( she remains ashamed of her actions, of how easily she lost herself upon seeing stingle in the smouldering bandit camp,of how determined she was to take the man’s life– so determined that her friends’ welfare left her mind entirely, and once again revenge found its way to the forefront of her mind )

their luck appears to turn as maurits makes his appearance, once most of the ragtag group has calmed and they’ve been brought into the ferines village. they agree to aid him in his search for “the whisper crystal”, somewhere deep in the man-eating ruins ( and why oh why does she feel no surprise as norma falls for a natural trap, very nearly being eaten )

upon reaching the end of the ruins, they find the crystal, yes– as well as a woman, an amnesiac named grune. it’s a simple matter, deciding that they can’t in good conscience leave the woman ( who asks strange, strange questions, she thinks ) in such a dangerous place. grune ends up accompanying them as they return to maurits, handing over the whisper crystal.

the talk of war grinds any happiness, any contentedness into the dirt, however, as they learn of vaclav’s intentions ( and chloe herself is nothing short of furious, for nobody dares lay a finger on her homeland without incurring her w r a t h )and the feeling only intensifies as raynard firmly forbids them from involving themselves in the oncoming war.

she knows the way to clear her irritation is a good training session– she’s not exactly adverse to the idea of training alongside someone. she ends up opening up to coolidge, spilling her past ( because while people may know the public story, few know the details– and for all her grandeur as a knight, in truth she’s little but the same scared girl from all those years ago )

it’s a sigh of relief, when she finally puts her full faith, her full trust in someone– and she knows that, in turn, senel has also put that same faith and trust in her.

( it’s something that means the world to her, without a doubt )

raynard should have known, she thinks, as the four younger members of their group ( herself included, of course ) stubbornly demand to fight. they all have their own reasons, in the end, and no more doubts linger. it seems as though he can tell, considering his quick acquiescence.

they storm the battleground together.

the allied force comes together under maurits’ and jay’s strategy, automaton backup forces being steadily assembled by the ferines; their group is named as an independent platoon, their orders specific. break the enemy’s lines, don’t focus on weakening their forces. as they move along to their orders, skirting the edges of the battlefield– even the oresoren join in the fight, as much as jay would prefer they didn’t.

( and even despite their next adversary being very much of the draconic variety, they don’t let up for a second– it soon lays defeated, and their panic over the oresoren is quelled when jay himself stomps the enemies cornering them. )

jay becomes their next ally, the next member of their strange group– though he joins to fight in place of the oresoren, he is one of them all the same.

they reach the bridge with little complication.

even she can’t deny her amusement at hearing melanie’s infuriated yelling as they slip past her ( nor can she deny her disappointment upon seeing her before her as they continue their mad dash up the legacy’s bridge )

everyone is impressed, without a doubt, by jay’s show of skill against cashel ( though perhaps even more so by moses’ incredible display of self-control in the face of such cruel taunting ) and there’s a sense of satisfaction, seeing the cocky ninja being repeatedly outdone by one of their own team.

the breath she takes in upon catching sight of stingle is so sharp that she actually feels lightheaded for a moment. she knows she has to keep herself under control, that she can’t snap, not now, not now not now–

( once again she’s brought back by her friends, and even though her anger is undeniable as he flees, she knows she has a duty to carry out their mission.

she is a woman who will never abandon her duty )

the rush of emotions upon reaching the bridge is almost too much for her– the horror of seeing mount zeriques obliterated in a matter of mere seconds, terror at the prospect of the exact same thing happening to baltoga, on top of the urgency to remove stella and shirley from the nerifes cannon, her anger towards vaclav for his countless horrible deeds…

she forces her emotions under control, and draws her blade.

the battle is an arduous one, yes, but in the end they emerge victorious. stella and shirley are removed from the machine, though their relief is short-lived– vaclav fires the cannon once more, and briefly, the pit of hopelessness that opens within her threatens to swallow her whole–

until her vision is blindedby pure golden light, and her own eyes watch on as the cannon’s beam is forced up into the air by that light, in an eerily familiar shape.

the threat of the cannon may be no more, yet the mood does not lift an inch. instead, the seven of them cannot tear their gaze from their true saviour– stella, laying far too still on the bridge’s floor, gathered up in senel’s arms. as she watches on, idly listening to walter’s explanation of stella’s power and her existence as the legacy itself, she doubts that any single one of them could hope to even force a smile in such a bleaksituation.

when all is said and done, the war is over– yet they exit the bridge with their heads held low, despite shirley’s presence at their side.

slowly but surely, peace returns to the legacy. each member of their strange group remains in or around werites beacon, all pursuing their own individual goals while staying close, aiding the efforts of returning peace to the legacy.

two weeks have passed since the war.

she has since negotiated with the werites beacon hospital director, who so kindly offered her a spare room, a place to live, given that the room remains vacant. she's grateful for how accepting and kind the people of werites beacon have proved themselves to be, truly.

of course, she wasn't quite expecting to be met with harriet and coolidge outside the hospital, nor for the smaller girl to present to her a gleaming medal, a smile just as bright plastered across her face. despite her protests, it ends up in her hands ( and she can't quite hold back the mournful stare she gives the item )

all seems fine when she, norma and moses come across fenimore in the city, and head to raynard's house-- though that image is crushed as the gadorian knight captain steps out from the main room and speaks in the same belittling tone ( and once again she bites back her rising fury and instead bows, forces out words of gratitude despite her friends' outward horror )

they soon journey to the ferines' village, finding themselves in conference with maurits ( despite walter's certain displeasure at such a fact ) and, later, in a room prepared for them. while she can't help but wonder what occurs as senel leaves their room late at night, and though she attempts to offer words of comfort the group's 'leader' stubbornly hears nothing any of them have to say.

the next day, they depart for a supposed hideout of remnants of vaclav's forces, led by walter. she should have known, she thinks when walter turns on them with a sharp tongue and a venomous tone to match; though he soon leaves, an ominous warning in his wake.

their return to the altar is a swift one, made in haste-- and both the lifeless bodies of ferines and the gadorian blade driven into the ground at the entrance only serve to intensify the dread that pools in her stomach. ( it hurts, when she pleads for her friends to listen, to believe her, that she would never do something of the sort, nor condone it. it hurts when they turn away without a word of belief. )

the journey up the alter, to where shirley waits without a doubt, only fuels that sense of dread. more bodies, the faint sound of an argument far above them, the threatening zephyr that appears alongside two fearful ferines as they near the summit; all of it drags together the image of a truly bleak situation. ( one look at fenimore tells her exactly what fate she has met-- and she feels sick knowing that it was her countrymen that committed such an atrocious deed )

( she can't quite stop herself from feeling guilty )

she relishes in being able to yell, to reprimand the self-absorbed captain for his horribly twisted views. she hates the fact that he can so easily make her freeze. not even senel and walter's argument, in all of its angry yelling and furious arm-swinging, garners no reaction.

( she knows she will surely be branded a traitor for disobeying the order, an order directly from her king-- yet she wouldn't ever lift a hand to harm shirley, let alone take her life )

walter is suddenly far more threatening than he ever has been, with his hair glowing a bright blue ( like shirley's, like maurits' ) and his eres significantly more powerful than ever before. they're defeated too quickly.

it all happens far too fast-- shirley's words make no sense, and her blank tone does little to ease the situation. she barely blinks, and when she glances to the side she sees shirley's arm raised and senel trapped in an eerie-looking orb, writhing in pain. she can't quite stop herself from shouting at shirley, voice sharp and clear. it does little good, though-- she soon ends up kneeling on the ground, feeling her strength sapped out of her after shirley's ominous words ring through the air.

they hold a strange sort of gravity to them.

she's certain that all of them are grateful for the freak snowstorm ( though it ends up being grune's doing... maybe? ) that whisks them from the peak. the relief is short-lived as they are soon chased out of the area by all-too-familiar sentinel guards, leaving little time to consider the reason behind grune's conversation with her imaginary friend-- the revelation that their eres are no longer available is a worrying one, and the gravity of the situation only intensifies as they return to the city, finding that their predicament is shared among all eren.

the group is soon pulled apart by different duties, though senel faints soon after, and the remnants of the group soon have him safely in will's house, with harriet's help. harriet and grune soon take their leave, and she is called into the room-- though she would rather not, all things considered, and her apology comes sooner rather than later. she can barely look him in the eye, despite his insistence, and the yelling match that follows after only stirs her worries further.

in the end, she needn't have worried at all. it's apparent that war is not the answer, and they pledge to work together to find a solution. only after norma and grune barge their way into the room does the image of the lighthouse flash through her mind, and it soon becomes apparent that the others have experienced much the same thing.

her suspicions from the altar become fact, she soon finds, as the gadorian knight captain draws his blade at her, declaring her under arrest for treason. while she's flattered at senel's defense of her, the captain also declares him under arrest ( and she's never been more thankful for the bantam bouncers and their interventions-- the captain's plans of arrest are foiled and they continue on the path to their destination, now unhindered. )

their group is reunited at the lighthouse's open entrance, and when they enter, the elevator they unwittingly step onto descends without warning into the darkness below while norma and moses' panicked yells fill the air.

upon disembarking, chloe can't quite believe her eyes.

the place they've stumbled upon can only be described with one word: calm. the golden sand is perfectly soft, the air clean and fresh, the sea lapping at the beach without a threatening wave in sight. it's all too unreal, too good to be true. while the closed-off sky is intriguing, it is soon explained by jay-- the most important thing is the familiar itch at her fingertips, the strength flowing back into her form. her eres have returned, undoubtedly, and it appears to be the same for the others.

upon pondering their next move ( after moses' grand attempt at engaging the sentinels aboveground, which fails spectacularly-- as expected ) the same phenomenon appears. an image flashes into her mind, a compelling tug-- she knows she has to go there, and quickly. jay's suggestion spurs them on, and they begin their exploration of the underground they've found themselves in. once again her eyes fall on a familiar location, the ruin seen in her mind. the others raise similar thoughts, recognition of the red-highlighted ruins they stand before. the panel at the entrance proves useless, written in a language none of them can comprehend ( though norma makes quick work of their predicament with a simple swing of her foot. she's lucky her 'plan' didn't backfire )

inside the ruins, the heat is nothing short of stifling. briefly, she debates removing her hat and cape, though she decides against such actions. the decision to explore is made swiftly, and it's not too long before they find themselves before a glowing crystal-- upon making contact, another image floods her mind, an image of a gigantic white rectangular object floating on the ocean's surface. such an event repeats itself twice. the second image is one of an ominous light enveloping the white rectangle, and the third being a diamond-shaped mass of land. upon returning to the main room, they continue on-- a fourth crystal presents itself, and instead of an image they are pulled into a vision of the past. it soon passes, and the swirling vortex they find themselves in proves to be home to a gaet, much to will's delight. soon enough, the beast is defeated, and voices flood her mind in place of images. the earlier images are strung together in her mind, the sequence and connection now clear. it soon passes, and they find themselves outside the ruin, exhausted and confused. the oressoren's appearance is indeed a surprising one, as is the strange tablet-- they put aside their thoughts, however, and return to the newly-set-up camp.

( their discussion that night not only reviews their findings in the ruin, butestablishes that they are in the quiet lands of oresoren legends-- as well as that, according to jay's beliefs, someone both guided them there and continues to guide them, listening in on their conversations. they agree to be wary. )

this process repeats itself three more times.

before they can enter the next ruins ( blue highlights, she notes ) they are met with a very familiar face-- walter makes his appearance, though short-lived. the main room this time is so cold she wishes she had at least five more layers. once again, gleaming crystals bring visions-- the first depicts the rectangular ship next to land. the second, shows the ship setting out to sea, and the third is an image of the mainland, unnaturally damaged. upon reaching the fourth crystal, they are transported into a vision of a horrible warground, littered with the bodies of the ferines. they find themselves in the same vortex, and a gaet appears all the same. their reward for victory this time is more voices, angry and confrontational for the most part, with a desperate plea at the end. once again, the images are joined together in a coherent sequence, and upon returning to her senses she finds herself outside the ruins, exhausted, faced with another mysterious tablet.

( that night, shirley's location is confirmed at mirage palace. once again they review the images they've seen. more questions are asked, more visions are given-- the mysterious entity remains present however, and jay admits to having his own suspicions. he asks if senel is prepared, and she can see the beginnings of tension forming between the two )

the third ruin is one with vibrant yellow highlighting its walls, and intense humidity within the main room-- she can't quite hold back a terrified yelp when, of all things, thunder strikes indoors. their investigation soon begins ( after norma decides to stop embarrassing her, that is ) and concludes in much the same fashion. this time, the first image depicts what appears to be a shooting star. the second is of a still ocean, and the third shows a colossal pillar of water ( and, upon reaching the main room once more, she decides she's sick of norma's meddling ) the fourth crystal draws them into a vision of floating above the ocean-- and she can't help the fear that overtakes her, clutching onto the nearest thing ( which happens to be senel, she realises far too late. ) what she feels upon seeing the vortex is without a doubt exasperation, in the face of will and moses' enthusiasm. confused and awed voices fill her mind before the images are strung together, the shooting star crashing into the ocean. she barely blinks and they are outside once more, musing over the meaning of the visions and the appearance of yet another strange tablet.

( the night brings more discussion-- another review of the day's events, leading once more into the identity, the beliefs of the mysterious identity. she objects vocally to the prospect of the orerines and ferines being too different for peace. jay's words strike a chord within her, and while moses confronts the ninja, she contemplates her stance. the tension grows once more. )

( it's then that jay reveals his suspicions; that nerifes, the will of the sea, the sea itself, is the mysterious entity guiding them-- and that there are two separate nerifes, one above and one below, one quiet and one raging. through this revelation, they ascertain shirley's possible intentions as the merines )

( the thought of the kindhearted ferines purging mankind is not one chloe relishes )

finally, they reach the fourth ruin, a temperate zone that offers far more comfort than the previous three. norma's outbursts are yet again ignored, and their exploration commences. the first light brings about a strange image, pillars surrounding a central unit, all rising from a body of water. the second shows the legacy, the ocean surrounding it shining, not unlike the ferines' hair. the third depicted a tidal wave, courtesy of the legacy's power. returning to the main room brings them little other than norma and grune's attempt at a comedy act ( appreciated, though not necessarily well-received ) and soon they find themselves in the fourth crystal's vision-- an unknown location, surrounded by ominously glowing lights and a woman who is surely a merines of the past. it's gone all too quickly, however, and soon enough yet another gaet lays defeated at their hands.

this time, the voices are strong-willed, speaking of becoming one with nerifes, eradicating the land. she barely has time to ponder this before she watched the images strung together, the so-called “wings of light” ( or so she assumes ) proving to be the cause of the tidal wave, the cause of the destruction of half of their world’s landmass.

( at the thought of shirley doing much the same, ridding their world of the rest of its landmass, another cataclysm–her blood runs cold )

after jay speaks, no, taunts, she finds herself forcing out words of comfort as the tablet appears at senel’s feet. their return to camp is somewhat solemn, and their discussion is much the same– the word 'enemy’ in reference to the ferines is used far too much for her comfort ( though senel is, predictably, the first one to stand and vocally object, pleading for them to listen. she only does the same when jay’s words become too scathing, though even then she finds herself motivated to do little else )

nerifes’ glow interrupts them, however, and they waste no time in heading to the source– a raised image in the sand, four indents present. the tablets are soon ordered chronologically, depicting their history, the creation of the kingdom of terises.

she can’t help but raise an eyebrow at jay’s initial suggestion as the ocean glows before them– yet as will’s fingertips glow and he steps up to the water’s edge, speaking his answer clearly to nerifes and receiving a brighter glow, more powerful eres ( sacred, moses insists as he is asked next, and steps up– he doesn’t hesitate to declare his opinions, proud and strong as always. )

norma is next, and her reasons are more honest than anything, admissions that she desires simply to find the everlight– if stopping the cataclysm allows her to continue, she’ll do it. jay steps up, and his answer is steeped in fondness for the legacy, for his home. more speculation is thrown out as grune is selected next, and no words can quite grasp their collective confusion as the woman’s cheerful greeting appears to be enough of an answer for nerifes.

her own nails glow next, and she steps forward resolutely. each word that falls from her mouth is one that she sincerely believes in– so she may want peace, so she may believe it is possible. where is the fault in such hopes? her answer comes naturally.

❝ what i want is the power to stop the cataclysm, and to open a path to peace. ❞

admittedly, she feels a rush of relief as nerifes accepts her despite her overwhelming ideals, as she accepts the responsibility of nerifes' power.

( yet as nerifes refuses to hear senel's answer, she can't help but feel somewhat saddened by his outburst-- his anger, while in a way understandable, need not be directed at them. there's no reason for him to imply that he is the only person in their group that can do something about their situation )

she leaves the camp as hastily as she can upon their return, words of concern for their so-called 'leader' as she does so, following norma's lead. their group meet once more at the elevator ( because, in truth, she didn't depart to train-- she tested her eres aboveground, and was met with a very successful result, as were the others )

it's a private meeting, purposefully leaving senel out. while surprised at the somewhat harsh words from will and jay, she can see the sense in them-- at least, until the purple-clad ninja speaks of their alternative solution; killing shirley ( and her shock at the suggestion is only bolstered by his far-too-nonchalant comment, "if it comes to that, i'll do it myself". silently, she prays that it doesn't come to that as jay and moses begin to bicker once more. )

when night falls, she finds a moping senel at the water's edge. she isn't expecting him to listen to her and her perspective, despite her overwhelming sincerity-- yet he does, and he admits to her things she has never heard even the slightest inkling of as she holds the book in her hand ( operation report: merines capture. his name is there. he was one of vaclav's soldiers. his past spills out, the honesty and emotion in his voice as he reveals the dark truths of his life to her are something she has never heard from him before )

he blames himself, he admits, and for a brief moment she sees herself in him. ( the moment is shattered seconds later, when he starts talking about shirley's confession and him 'choosing' stella. she didn't quite expect the satisfaction she gets from slapping some sense into him-- literally. )

this time, she can't quite stop herself from yelling at him, because she can't quite stand seeing someone else running away from their feelings, hiding behind excuses ( and though he may not want to hear the truth, from her mouth or otherwise, it's what he needs to hear. how can he expect nerifes to understand him if he doesn't understand himself? )

her anger manifests itself in the form of another slap to the face, and the emotion in her voice when she expresses herself, how she feels in the face of his words ( "i know you so well it hurts" )

the advice she gives is sincere-- and when he tries to hide behind his excuses again, she doesn't take it, no. she repeats his weak excuses in a mocking falsetto ( later, she laments how strange that was of her, even in the heat of the moment ) before, of all things, she has to remind senel of how much shirley means to him. ( senel, who was so hell-bent on saving shirley from the forces who would use her power for evil. senel, who abandoned the prospect of help to get her to safety faster. senel, to whom shirley means more than the world. )

chloe watches on as he overcomes his doubts, as he steels his resolve-- and, when his fingertips begin to glow much the same as the rest of the group's had, she can't help but feel proud. the jovial atmosphere is quick to return as the rest of the group rush up-- the tension between senel and jay disappears as the ninja speaks of reworking their strategy ( with unwanted additions from moses, as per usual ) and, upon having the plan laid out for them and being shown to the tram, they set out for mirage palace. they reach the end of the tracks far too quickly, she thinks, and as they step out they find themselves on the winding pathways of mirage palace's courtyard.

with a last-minute pep talk from will, powerful words spurring them on, they begin their assault on mirage palace.

they fight their way through countless zephyr and automata guards, until they finally find themselves faced by walter. though their battle is exhausting, they prevail-- yet, as expected, he refuses to give up, despite his state. he can barely keep himself upright, kneeling before their group, and for a moment she finds herself understanding him and his devotion ( for in the end, he is only carrying out his duty-- something she can respect, as a woman who does much the same )

yet, despite his injuries and exhaustion, his teriques is summoned and he retreats, likely to warn ( or remove ) shirley. they catch up soon enough, and their pleas are shouted across the large chamber, desperate to reach not the merines' ears but her heart. each word of hers is a warning, but senel doesn't back down. by some miracle, as he approaches his is not lashed out at, moving until he stands at the edge of the activation circle. from where she stands, with the rest of them, few words can be made out-- the lull lasts long enough that there's hope that he has gotten through to her, though such a thought is quelled when the light brightens, and chloe knows that she hasn't given in. when shirley's teriques manifests as bright blue wings behind her and senel prepares himself for battle, walter moves to stand before them once more, defiant as ever. they don't take action-- instead, they speak of the merines' expression ( doubtful, so doubtful despite the words she so confidently spoke )

a blinding light rings out, and then both the throne's light and shirley's teriques disappears, refusing to appear despite her desperate tries.

they move closer to the throne, hopeful until maurits' voice rings out, revealing the truths senel had only ever admitted to two people: herself and stella. shirley's voice becomes dangerously blank, then pained. she speaks her doubts and grievances aloud--

and her teriques returns, as does the throne's light.

shirley herself disappears.

they move to the balcony, and can do little other than watch as the wings of light rise from the legacy, a presence grand as it is ominous.

their thoughts turn to infiltrating the wings of light after they all say their piece-- after all, what can they do with a depressed 'leader'? everyone assures senel that his promise to them is not broken, that they are all determined to save shirley, to halt the cataclysm. jay's sharp eyes catch the beams of light that extend towards the wings of light ( his suspicions are soon confirmed-- the famed 'trail across the heavens' is what they all behold. soon they are back in werites beacon while jay tests whether the tram can run across the light trail, and norma declares her intent to throw a party to the rest of them )

( though she says attendance is optional, it certainly sounds mandatory )

she ends up wandering into the fountain plaza, finding only senel to be present. they talk about people; their interactions, how difficult it is for them to understand eachother, why it's so difficult... senel asks her, a heartfelt request, to be friends with shirley when she returns-- and she's more than happy to accept such a request. the missing members of their group soon file into the fountain plaza ( as do the bantam bouncers ) and the party begins, and ends, in high spirits.

the next day, they set out for the wings of light.

while the journey across is exhilarating, they all know what they must do.

before long, walter lands in their path, alongside an automaton robot far bigger ( and likely far more dangerous as well ) than any other they've seen before. it would take a blind person to not notice how pained each word he speaks is, how even now his injuries are taking their toll. he doesn't stop, however, despite knowing well that he will likely lose his life if he continues. ( he spills his story to them, voice laced with hatred for senel, and he draws his last breath in front of them )

maurits meets them as they finally reach shirley. he proves to be more powerful than any of them could have predicted. even as the others proclaim the battle to be over, she is not so foolish-- there is more to be expected from one who concealed such power, and as his strength increases they launch into battle once more ( this time, they are left exhausted, and maurits' body is pushed past its limits. he collapses, and she can't help the quiet sigh of relief )

they rush towards her and are promptly stopped by the familiar teriques-- each of them is encased in the same ominous ball of energy ( it's painful upon activation, yet maurits is speaking with such conviction that she fights through it, listening to him reveal things they shouldn't have missed upon learning of their ancestors )

( yet he also reveals that if the wings of light activate, shirley will die, and she hates that she can't bring herself to fight, too shocked at the realisation that her ancestors were the invaders from so, so long ago. she fuels that hatred into a blast of her eres at the teriques that hold senel, because someone needs to get to shirley, and he is without a doubt the most determined. the others follow suit. )

it breaks, and her face lights up. they did it.

the threatening hum of the wings of light dies down, and the threat of the cataclysm is no more. shirley, now of her own mind, frees them all from the teriques and makes her was down, alongside senel--

yet the hum begins once again as maurits takes shirley's place, as nerifes' power rushes to him and he attacks, vicious and unyielding. shirley's pleas fall on deaf ears, and maurits makes his disdain clear.

but, in the end, shirley was right. he lost his mind to the raging nerifes.

yet she finds herself unable to stand, even with shirley in nerifes' grasp, life threatened. she feels far too weak, too weak to even stand-- she can do little but watch as senel stands, rushing forward without hesitation, using the quiet nerifes' power to free shirley.

she watches the two nerifes' powers clash-- and she doesn't hesitate to remind the duo that the rest of them are there, too. that they're all ready to fight, to carry out the quiet nerifes' will.

adrenaline pumps through her body long after maurits, after the raging nerifes, is defeated.

chloe valens gazes out over a calm ocean at her friends' sides.

( for the first time in a long while, chloe departs from the legacy. she visits her parents grave, and faces them this time with her head held high. even so, she’s remorseful, and admits to them that she has to go back. the legacy is her home now. )

as the boat sails across the vast ocean back to port-on-rage, she thinks that her parents understand her reasons, her motivation.

( she would even dare say that they would be proud of her )

she hadn’t quite expected the situation facing the legacy when she returned from the mainland, from visiting her parents’ graves. the strange mist, unnaturally powerful monsters; however, she continues with her life as normal, patrolling the outer walls of werites beacon, living peacefully on the giant ship–

at least, until she met him.

alcott, a doting single father, and his sweet daughter elsa. she had no reason to suspect him, not until they locate his previously missing person in one of vaclav’s abandoned fortresses, not until her sharp eyes caught the unmistakeable serpentine shape peeking out from beneath his sleeve.

everything she had tried to suppress came rushing back. that night, her parents, revenge.

her blade is drawn moments before the grand gaet appears and distracts the others, and though she fights she does so absentmindedly– recklessly. not once does she study the beast and its attack patterns, no, her mind had kicked into overdrive ( because she knows, she knows she has to take revenge– and she should have known from the beginning, she reprimands herself, what a fool )

she barely notices as that same ominous mist takes hold of her, and all of a sudden she is once more a young girl escaping gadoria’s capital, a sword in hand and revenge on her mind.

everything that happens under the influence of the mist is a blur, however. it’s unclear, incomplete– almost as if she were looking in on another’s memories. she knows they are her own, though. she remembers the bandit, the fear in his eyes as she growled her threat over her shoulder, his frantic footsteps as he scrambled away. she remembers snapping at her friends, at coolidge, even as he attempted to calm her down, understand her reasoning despite her frenzied state–

( she’ll never forgive herself for what she did to him. she wants to forget yet the memory is too vivid– at times, when she closes her eyes, she can see the heavy rainfall and the blood staining the floor, senel struggling to find purchase on the dampened ground with the little strength he has left. her blade bit right through his side. there’s a part of her, somewhere, that feels utterly sick. )

she finds the runaway stingle, alcott, soon enough, though their duel is short-lived. they, her friends, find them in the clearing, shouting their support despite knowing what she’s done ( senel is there with them, after all ) and drawing her slowly back towards the light. to say she was surprised upon seeing the mist manifest herself as an image of her in her younger years would be an understatement of impressive magnitude, nonetheless, she fights alongside her dear friends, and overcomes the darkness that had taken hold of her once more.

despite swearing off of revenge, however, the regrets still linger– though she puts on a brave face and spends time with those she cares for as normal, what she has done weighs heavy on her mind.

nevertheless, she suppresses those dark feelings as best she can.

instead, she smiles.

#♘ out of character #♘ information #[ i pray for all of your souls ]

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