The two Wolves of Harmony locked eyes for a moment. Behind Jace's eyes of glass, Cayde could almost see the sparks of his soul reigniting once more. As if, at long last, Jace had found purpose.

Without hesitation, Cayde nodded a single time, agreeing to help Jace tear down the shrine that had served as a prison in disguise for many, many years.

"Thank you," Jace said in response, "Then let's get to work."

The two wolves stepped away from one another, and at the same time they had called upon their powers and abilities. Cayde began to channel the power of Harmony, and his sword of light forged itself in his jaws once more. He wielded Harmonia and glanced over at Jace.

Jace, no longer able to use the power of Harmony, instead called upon a different ability: himself. His glass body adjusted and shifted, shimmering slightly as a circle of molten glass spun around him.

"How are you... doing that?" Cayde asked.

"I may not be able to use the power of Harmony anymore, but all these years I've spent in this glass form has let me understand how to use abilities of my own."

"I see." Cayde nodded.

"I spent my whole life building this shrine," Jace growled, "Let's tear it down in less than an hour."

Filled with fury, Jace yelled as the circle of molten glass spun faster and faster, sparking against the ground and leaving visible scratches along the marble floor. Sparks flew in the air as his arsenal of glass seared the ground.

Cayde spun Harmonia in his jaws before slamming the blade into the floor, sending golden light flowing through the ground.

"Stand back!" Cayde yelled.

"Why?" Jace asked in response.

"This shrine... it's a place to honor Kimlasca. A place this spiritual must have Harmony flowing through it's very walls, and I imagine there's still plenty of it left after that sacrificial stunt Kimlasca pulled on me weeks ago." Cayde replied.

"What are you planning?"

"My sword... I'm going to seep the Harmony flowing through this shrine into my sword and supercharge it. It should be enough to deal a fatal blow to this shrine." Cayde explained.

"Good thinking. Let me help." Jace insisted.

"How?"

"I'll stir this place up a bit." He answered, and the molten glass surrounding him forged itself into a single large shard of glass, which Jace shaped into a molten hammer. He slammed it onto the ground time and time again, shaking the very foundation of the shrine.

Cayde's sword began to glow as the ground shook, absorbing the Harmony that flowed within. His sword glowed more and more, and he pulled it out of the ground shortly after.

"Cayde, the sacrificial circle!" Jace exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Drive your sword into the center of the circle where you sacrificed yourself! Surely that's where the most Harmony is housed."

"Got it!" Cayde ran over to the circle, standing in the center as he had once done weeks ago. He blinked, and for a brief moment remembered all of his friends who were here to watch him sacrifice himself to protect the land. It had all been a lie. All the energy that Cayde had used to supposedly "give his life" only served as a beacon for the next phase of the selfish plans of Kimlasca and Mystearica. He wondered if some of the energy had been used to strengthen Kimlasca...

Cayde narrowed his eyes, then drove his sword into the ground. Immediately, his sword began to glow brighter, radiating with a wondrous golden light like never before.

"Amazing..." Jace breathed as he watched the sword glow brighter, "I haven't seen this much Harmony since..."

"Cayde!!" He called out, "Be careful! That much Harmony coalesced into a single object... if you aren't careful, it'll drain your strength, and maybe worse!"

Cayde simply nodded, and grabbed the hilt of the sword with his jaws, lifting it out of the ground. Immediately, he felt an incredible surge of Harmony flow through his body, electrifying his soul. He yelled as the power was proving to be too strong for him. There was only one wolf who could wield an infinite amount of Harmony at a time, and that was Kimlasca... but this wasn't an infinite amount. Even so, it was much more than Cayde had ever felt flowing through him because of a single object.

Cayde closed his eyes. The sword was supercharged, and this would be the only chance he would have to strike with so much power.

He opened his eyes, narrowing them. He would never get another chance to wield this much power, and if he couldn't strike down upon the shrine now, the energy would disperse and the shrine would be far more difficult to bring down.

He lifted the sword up as it gleamed brightly, then brought it to his side. With another yell, Cayde leapt into the air, using his momentum and height to flip through the air to bring more force to his strike. Jace leapt forward, and disassembled the glass hammer that he wielded, shifting it back to the circle of molten glass, which he sent flying towards the ground, sticking into the floor.

As Cayde struck the ground, a loud boom rang out, and the ground shattered beneath Harmonia. The shockwave blew Jace to the side, and rippled across the entire shrine, cracking the marble floors and pillars. The molten glass that Jace set on the ground exploded, setting fire to certain parts of the shrine that had been damaged by the shockwave.

When the dust settled, Cayde was still standing. The energy within his sword had dispersed, and his sword of golden light had returned to its normal state. He let the sword fade away as it usually did when Cayde was finished with it, and took a moment to take deep breaths.

Whenever he channeled the power of Harmony and used it, it had always been through himself. This time, he had gathered the Harmony within the Shrine of Kimlasca, absorbing it into his sword of pure harmonious light, and using it to strike. All the positive emotions, all the respect, all the honor that passing wolves paid to the shrine, had all coalesced within the shrine itself. Cayde had put that energy to use, instead of it remaining in the shrine. He made a note in his head not to do such risky things like that again.

His thoughts were interrupted as a piece of the ceiling fell, landing on the ground a few feet away from Cayde, causing him to jump back a bit. Jace looked up at the ceiling as he stood back up, seeing the moonlit sky above.

"Jace, are you okay? We need to get out of here, it won't be long until the whole place collapses!" Cayde exclaimed.

Jace gave him a nod, "Let's go!"

The flames spread, and the pillars began to fall. The shrine was slowly falling apart. The floor was beginning to crumble beneath their paws, causing them to quicken their pace as everything caved in around them.

One of the pillars broke, toppling over onto the ground. Jace was in the lead, giving him enough time to slide along the marble floor before the pillar fell. Cayde leapt over the fallen pillar instead, and the two ran out of the shrine just as part of the ceiling crumbled in front of the entrance, sealing it shut.

Cayde and Jace stopped, turning around to face the shrine. Slowly, it began to crumble, and the royal interior had been reduced to rubble, no different than the mossy, cracked exterior of the shrine. The flames from the explosions of molten glass had grown stronger, ensuring that the shrine truly did crumble and burn.

"So... that's that then, I suppose." Jace sighed.

Cayde put a paw on his shoulder, "It's okay, Jace. You're free now."

He nodded slightly, "To think... all those years I spent building this shrine. All those years I spent protecting it... and in the end, it was you and I who tore it down. The two wolves that Kimlasca had used the shrine for."

"It's poetic," Cayde said, smiling softly, "Not long ago I thought Kimlasca was the coolest, most divine and righteous creature to exist. I thought he would protect the world and that I'd play a part in that. I didn't think we would be pawns in a plan that would lead to the end of it."

"Hm." Jace looked at the flames, listening to the crumbling rubble and the crackling flames.

"Why did you trust me so easily, Jace? You devoted your whole life to this shrine, and gave up your chance at a peaceful afterlife to protect the shrine." Cayde asked.

"Deep down, I think I always knew. It's just... when someone devotes so much time to something in life, they want to do whatever they can to make it right, to see it all the way through and hope that it was all for a good cause. I always wanted to believe that I really was this great protector, but as the years went by, my heart stopped being blinded by the false promises and false reassurances Kimlasca made. I didn't listen to my heart though, as cheesy as that may sound. I didn't listen because I had given my whole life, and then some, to build and protect this shrine. I wanted so badly to believe that Kimlasca was telling the truth and that my heart was wrong, but deep down, I always knew... you were the one who finally made me see that it wasn't just me who felt that way." Jace explained.

"You were right all along though. I'm glad we learned the truth, Jace. At least now, we can make our own choices, follow our hearts and make our own fate." Cayde assured.

Jace smiled, "What will you do, Cayde?"

Cayde chuckled, "As cheesy as THIS sounds... save the world."

He looked at Cayde in surprise, "You want to save the world? That means you'll be going up against Kimlasca and Mystearica, though. They're... gods, you know."

"I know, but someone has to stop them, or at least try to. Everything we've done for them was all to set the stage for reawakening the Wolf of Balance, because that would rebuild the Bridge of Balance between their two lands in their own realm. Now that they can meet one another on this bridge, they'll fight to prove once and for all who is the strongest. Their power is too great though... the energy they create will rupture into our world and destroy it completely."

"Cayde, they'll kill you!" Jace protested.

"Maybe. Probably," Cayde admitted, "But I have to try. My life, in comparison to ALL life on this earth, is nothing. I'd much rather die trying to save the lives of everyone else than to die with them on this earth knowing that I chose to do nothing about it."

Jace understood, and so he didn't argue against Cayde this time. Instead, he turned to look at the flames again. The shrine was slowly being reduced to rubble and ash.

"I wish you the best of luck, Cayde. I mean that. You deserve nothing but the best in life. A long, happy life full of accomplishment and joy."

"Why do you say that?"

"You've earned it."

"So have you, Jace."

Jace merely chuckled.

"Thank you though, Cayde."

"What for?" Cayde asked.

In response, Jace hugged him gently, "You've already made one step towards saving the world, because you saved my life. You saved my soul... from being in that shrine forever. You saved me."

Cayde hugged him back, "I'd do it all again, so long as I could help you every time. That's what a true Wolf of Harmony does," He smiled, "That's what WE do."

As the two wolves pulled away from their embrace, Cayde noticed Jace's body beginning to shimmer. His eyes widened as he began to see tiny specks of glass blowing away in the wind, shimmering in the moonlight.

"Jace, you're--!!"

He chuckled, "You said it yourself, Cayde. I'm free now." Jace closed his eyes.

"Your body is... fading away..." Cayde spoke softly and solemnly.

A small smile appeared on Jace's snout, "I know, but my soul isn't. You've finally freed my soul from this body of glass that's kept me here on this earth for so long."

More and more of his body began to fade away, shimmering in the moonlight.

Cayde's eyes began to water.

"Don't cry," Jace insisted, despite his eyes being closed. It was as if his soul itself sensed the emotions brewing within Cayde, "Smile."

He placed a paw on Cayde's shoulder, and Cayde managed to smile weakly.

"My life... my future... my fate... is finally..."

He opened his eyes and smiled for a final time.

"Mine."

His body faded away, and the final bits of glass that remained blew away in the wind, shimmering and twinkling in the moonlight like stardust. For a brief moment, Cayde could see a golden silhouette of a wolf standing where Jace once stood. It was his soul, finally free from the body of glass that had kept it on the earth. After a few moments, his soul had faded away as well, free at last.

Cayde didn't cry, but instead smiled as he knew that his friend had finally found peace.

"I won't forget you, Jace. Ever." Cayde assured, before turning to face the shrine. By now, the flames were beginning to diminish, and all that remained was ash and rubble.

He stood and watched the flames go out, which took some time. As the moon dipped below the mountains, and its ethereal white glow no longer basked the land, the sky began to ever-so-slightly grow brighter as the first light of a new day emerged.

Cayde looked up at the stars as they began to be dimmed out by the increasing light of the sky. To his surprise, he spotted a shooting star that soared through the sky, as if it were a final sendoff to his friend.

He took another look at the rubble that was once the Shrine of Kimlasca, and raised a paw in the air. The familiar golden glow of Harmony radiated through his paw, and once he set it back on the ground, the golden glow coursed through the ground. As the rubble diminished thanks to Cayde, flowers appeared in its place. In place of the rubble that was once the Shrine of Kimlasca was now a beautiful field of flowers. Flower petals blew softly in the morning breeze, and any trace of the structure that was once the Shrine of Kimlasca was gone, replaced by the beautiful flower field that served as a final resting place and memorial to the only wolf who deserved to have the area dedicated to them. Jace. Now, the stairs that once led to the shrine now led to this beautiful bed of flowers, painted with the numerous beautiful colors of nature.

Cayde reviewed his work, happy to have been able to pay his respects to a wolf who deserved such a thing. He dipped his head as a way of saying farewell, and then turned to make his way down the stairs, aiming to press on to the wasteland where Uldrich lived.

The sun began to emerge from behind the mountains in the distance, illuminating the land with the wondrous glow of sunlight.

When Cayde reached the bottom of the staircase, he turned to look up at where the flower field was, seeing rays of sunlight bask the flowers in its glow through the clearing in the forest.

And once more, he smiled.

"Thank you, Jace."