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Chapter 6: The Crystal Exarch
🕑 Added 2025-09-30 16:05:11 +0000 UTCAshem's gaze was fixed on the Crystal Exarch, her mind racing. Leo didn't recognize the man, but she did. She knew that voice—calm, gentle, and with a faint, underlying note of exhaustion. It was the voice of the man who had pulled her across worlds.
But there was more. His robes, the intricate staff slung across his back… they were all in the style of the Allagan Empire. The Allagans were a civilization of unimaginable power from her world, the same ones who had built the Crystal Tower itself. They had also been extinct for thousands of years. To see someone not just using their artifacts, but wearing their style like it was contemporary, was deeply unsettling. The hood obscuring his face only deepened the enigma.
Lyna, the rabbit-eared guard, simply sighed, a flicker of exasperated fondness in her eyes. "Another one of your mysterious friends, my Lord?" She gestured vaguely at Leo and Ashem with an open palm. "That would explain the strange clothes." She turned to the other guards. "I understand. I'll pass the word along so they can come and go freely."
With that, she faced Leo and Ashem again, her rabbit ears twitching. The fresh slash marks on her chakram still seemed to hum with residual energy. She gave them a slight, formal bow, the plates of her armor clinking softly.
"Please forgive my rudeness earlier," she said, her tone all business. "I hope you both enjoy your stay in the Crystarium."
The Crystal Exarch gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, then turned to Leo and Ashem. "Let's go. I know you have questions, but this is a confidential matter. We should find somewhere more private."
His tone was gentle, but it brooked no argument. He led them onto the long, sky-spanning bridge. But they only made it a short way before he stopped in a deserted section, away from the watchful eyes of the guards.
A soft breeze rustled the heavy fabric of his robe, pulling it back slightly. In the strange, perpetual daylight of this world, the light caught his exposed skin, and Leo's breath hitched in his throat. It wasn't just like crystal. It was crystal. He could see the facets, the deep, unnatural blue, the way it perfectly mimicked the material of the colossal tower in the distance.
So that's why they called him the Crystal Exarch.
The man turned, and the visible part of his face beneath the hood offered no explanation as his gaze fell first on Leo's stunned expression, then shifted to Ashem. A small, genuine smile touched his lips.
"First," he said, his voice filled with sincere warmth, "thank you for answering my call." For a man who was clearly the ruler of this city, his eagerness was palpable. He had rushed to the checkpoint to meet them, and now he couldn't wait even a moment longer to express his gratitude. "I… had intended to summon you directly to my chambers." He gestured vaguely, a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "My apologies. The coordinates were… slightly off."
He looked from Ashem to Leo, his smile widening slightly. "But it is a wonder to see you both arrived here safely." His tone shifted, becoming more serious, the weight of his purpose settling over them.
"This world is 'the First,' one of thirteen mirror dimensions of your own. The people here know me as the Crystal Exarch. I am the steward of this city, and I am the one who summoned you." He turned his head, his hooded gaze fixed on the towering crystal spire behind them.
Ashem crossed her arms. "Your summoning spell is dangerously reckless."
"Ah," the Exarch said, a note of clear embarrassment in his voice. "The situation… is complicated. Please, allow me to explain." He looked up at the oppressive, glowing sky, and the lightness left his voice. "The First is on the verge of being utterly consumed by the Light."
The image of the merchant's final, desperate moments flashed through Leo's mind. The cheerful man who had shared his tragic world with them was gone, devoured by that same light. The Exarch's words hit with a fresh, painful weight.
"One hundred years ago, a calamity known as the Flood of Light swept over this world. Over ninety percent of the land, and the life upon it, was erased. The few who survived were besieged by new monsters, born from the disaster itself. Creatures of pure Light that instinctively hunt and corrupt all life." He paused, his head bowed for a moment, a silent tribute to the lost. "We call them 'Sin Eaters.' The creature you just fought was one of them."
"To fight back, to save what little is left of this world, I learned the ancient arts to bridge the gap between dimensions. And now," he turned back to Ashem, his voice filled with a desperate hope, "I have finally succeeded in summoning the one warrior strong enough to combat the Light." He smiled. "But this isn't just about saving the First. This is about saving your home, the Source, as well."
Ashem looked at him, confused.
"The two worlds are linked," the Exarch said. "We can discuss the specifics once we're inside. And also…" His gaze fell upon Leo.
Leo cleared his throat. "My name is Leo Grant. Ashem thinks… she thinks I might be her from another world. That's why I was pulled in along with her."
The Exarch bowed his head deeply. "I am truly sorry, Leo. It was my lack of skill that dragged you into this dangerous place."
"No, no," Leo said quickly, shaking his head. " I should be thanking you. When your spell found me, I was about to be killed. If it wasn't for you, for both of you… I wouldn't be here at all."
Ashem looked at the Exarch. "Speaking of which, did something else go wrong? When Leo arrived, he was badly injured, and I felt all of his pain. Just now, when he fought, his attacks were drawing on my Aether." She frowned. "If I hadn't seen him appear in a completely separate teleportation circle, I would have thought he was like my… like Fray."
"Frey?" Leo asked.
"A… a part of me," Ashem explained, stumbling over the words. "My darker impulses and excess Aether, once separated from me. They formed their own personality before we eventually reunited."
The Crystal Exarch listened intently, then shook his head. "I apologize. I do not have a complete answer for your unique situation. But I can confirm one thing. Your soul Aethers are completely, perfectly identical—"
His words were cut off as a sudden, sharp gust of wind, heavy with the energy of the Light, swept across the bridge.
Ashem instinctively grabbed Leo's arm to steady him. For a split second, a searing image flashed behind both their eyes: a woman wearing a striking red mask. Ashem's long tail puffed up to twice its normal size, a purely feline reaction of shock. When she let go of Leo's arm, glowing, ethereal fingerprints lingered on both their skin, pulsing in perfect, synchronized rhythm.
"If I close my eyes," the Exarch said, his voice filled with awe, "and perceive you only by your Aether, there is no difference between you. You are one and the same."
His crystal finger traced a pattern in the air. A screen of light materialized between them, displaying two Aether waveforms, one green and one blue, laid perfectly on top of each other, moving as one. The entangled ripples gradually coalesced into the shape of a radiant sun—the same symbol Leo had seen in the summoning circle, the same one he'd glimpsed in his shared vision with Ashem.
"Incredible," the Exarch breathed. "Even Hydaelyn's Blessing of Light is perfectly synchronized between you."
Leo felt like his brain was short-circuiting. "Blessing of Light? What's that?"
"A gift from the very will of our planet, Hydaelyn," Ashem explained, her own voice a little shaky. "It stabilizes our internal Aether, protecting us from outside corruption. If we really are the same person… then it makes sense you would have it too."
"And only the Blessing of Light," the Exarch said, his voice ringing with newfound conviction, "can stand against a flood of it." He let out a long, emotional sigh. "Alright. That is enough for now." He looked at them both, a hint of his earlier embarrassment returning. "You are my honored guests. It was rude of me to keep you out here in the wilderness for so long. Please, let's get you inside."
