The gardens of the Palace of Lights…
Trimmed hedges stand like sentinels, framing ancient stone fountains that murmur softly, their waters glistening under the midday sun. Marble statues of saints and heroes stand watch amid falling snowflakes, their gazes timeless and solemn.
It’s the final stretch leading to the Oracle’s palatial sanctuary, nestled deep within the heart of the Holy City. Those spires above were a gleaming beacon from afar… and now, up close… they’re even more of a sight for sore eyes!
Anna and I follow in Eris’ footsteps, weaving through this expanse of lush beauty, where every leaf and blossom breathes tranquillity. The crisp bite of the wintry air only heightens the stillness, lending this place an aura that rivals even the sacred courtyard of the Chantry of Eternal Light, its embrace gentle like a whispered prayer.
It’s nice, I’ll admit. Good vibes, even. Or not – the summer Seeds of the year are fast approaching, yet the air remains gripped by an unnatural winter chill as if the seasons themselves have been thrown into disarray. And it’s all because of…
The Demon Lord, and me. It means I have a Prophecy to fulfil… one Lesser Shard at a time. And this is the first of six.
Speaking of which… Eris hasn’t said a word to us the entire way here. Ever since she walked away from us, lost in her thoughts after that last exchange with Anna, she’s been completely silent. The weight on her shoulders is almost… palpable.
She’s wrestling with something deep in her mind… her thoughts spiralling into a place beyond our reach. Thinking about Anna’s words. Thinking about Lady Mezalune – the one who holds her salvation, yet refuses to grant it. And I reckon she wants our help!
I can tell. Back at St Elicia’s, I picked up a thing or two about reading people. It comes with the territory of being Student Council President, after all.
“I’ll show you both to your suite…” Eris says at last, stopping suddenly in the middle of the gardens, her back still turned to us. “There, you can prepare yourselves as you see fit before meeting Lady Nhaka. Ah, and I…”
Anna stirs beside me, parting her lips as if to say something, but I tighten my grip on her hand, stopping her just in time. She turns to me, confusion flickering in her eyes, but beneath that uncertainty… I see something else.
Determination.
I’ve seen it before. The same fire blazed in her eyes when she followed me into the darkness of the Highgrove Warrens’ to slay that Shadow Fiend. And it carries the heat of a thousand suns, a relentless will to let justice be done… even if the heavens fall.
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In the face of her resolve… all I can do is nod wordlessly, meeting her gaze with the same seriousness. Trust me, I plead in silence. Just a little longer.
“Anna…” Eris murmurs, her voice soft like a passing breeze. “I…”
She stops again, completely still this time, as though frozen in place by the weight of her own words.
“I thought about what you said. You’re right. I want to remember.”
“Eris…”
“I’ve had enough,” Eris says, her voice trembling like a fragile thread on the verge of snapping. “Enough of this emptiness in my heart. Enough of the headaches and blankness whenever I try to think about the past. I… don’t want to live like this anymore.”
Anna moves past me, stepping forward, and in the next instant, she wraps her arms around Eris from behind. Their backs are turned to me… but I can see them trembling and hear their soft sniffles in the cold air.
It hurts to watch. Hurts, because I know why Anna feels the way she does about Eris’ missing memories. Hurts, because I know Eris is right to want them back.
“Mister Roland won’t speak to me anymore…” Eris murmurs after a moment, her voice thick with emotion. “Nor anyone else from the Studio. I’ve written to them, reached out in every way I could, but… nothing.”
She exhales shakily. “The Sacred Shield has been good to me. But I still… I still don’t understand… why any of this is happening.”
I bow my head in solemn silence, the weight of the moment pressing heavily on my shoulders. Deep down, the Bard – once cursed to become the Demon’s Voice in another timeline – is a gentle soul. Soft-spoken, with a bleeding heart. Even after everything she’s endured, she still cares for that Manager of hers so deeply… just as I would for Anna. Or Lady Iris.
Good grief. She must’ve been terrified when the Demon Cult did what they did to her in the previous timeline. And I… just the thought of it pisses me off!
But that’s the past. That was another life. Another timeline. This is a new one, here and now… and Eris needs us!
“Yeah. We’ll have a word with Lady Mezalune,” I chime in, flashing a confident grin despite the gravity of the moment. “So don’t worry about it, alright?”
Eris looks at me, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then, at last, she nods.
“Even if the truth isn’t what I want to hear. I have to know.”
“Even if it hurts you?” Anna asks cautiously, her voice laced with quiet hesitation. “As you said… Miss Mezalune told you it was your choice to forget your memories.”
“Yes,” Eris answers, her breath steady as she closes her eyes briefly before opening them again, resolve hardening in her gaze. “It is my past. I have to live with it. I must.”
“We’ll do what needs to be done,” I say, pressing a hand over my heart. “We swear it.”
Eris offers us a small, sad smile as she dabs at her eyes with a handkerchief, erasing the last traces of her tears. “Thank you. Ah. We should get a move on – Lady Nhaka awaits.”
She straightens her posture before turning towards the palace entrance. With a graceful bow, she gestures for us to follow.
I glance at Anna, at the unease still lingering in her eyes… and squeeze her hand once more. She looks up at me, troubled, and I offer her nothing more than a small, understanding nod.
She nods back.
Together, hand in hand, we step forward… following Eris anew into the Palace of Lights.