"...ra...!"

"...Ly..!"

"Lyra...!"

Hearing her name and feeling a hand against her cheek, Lyra opened her eyes. She was greeted by the sight of a frightened and panicked Clive. He was holding her against him, her upper body being lifted off the ground. She could see the beads of sweat on his face and small cuts on his cheeks. "Clive..." She lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek to examine the small cuts. "Are you all right?"

Clive was more than relieved to see her eyes open and hear her voice. Overcome with emotions, he gingerly placed a hand behind her head and pulled her close to him. He buried his nose into her golden locks and exhaled. "You're all right..."

"Minus the shoulder," she confessed.

Forgetting she had been stabbed, Clive pulled away from her. He let go of her once she was sitting up on her own. "Let me see." He moved around to get a good look at her back. He saw the bleeding wound through the tear in her clothes. Blood stained the fabric around the hole. He didn't have any bandages, having run off the moment after he pulled Gav to safety to find her. "We need to get you back to the hideaway."

"Trust me, it will heal before we get back," she told him. Although she couldn't heal herself, her body's natural healing ability was much greater than a human's. A wound such as this would heal completely within the hour.

She was about to get to her feet when all of a sudden, Clive picked her up in his arms. She was quick to wrap her arms around his neck, surprised at being picked up. "It's all right, Clive. My shoulder's injured, not my legs. I can walk."

"Let me," he told her.

She gazed into his sapphire eyes before nodding. She kept her arms around his neck as he carried her through the woods in the direction he came from. To break the silence, she asked, "Is Gav all right?"

"He's injured, but he'll survive," Clive answered. "It's because of you we were able to pull him up before the branch broke. What you did was...horrifying."

"It was the only solution I could come up with on the spot. If we both fell, I would have only been able to protect one of us." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry for frightening you, Clive."

"As long as you're safe," he replied. He fell silent for a few seconds before saying what he wanted to on the bridge. "I could never hate you, Lyra. I understand why you didn't tell me."

"Regardless, I never wanted you to find out the truth in such a way. I should have told you..."

"No, it's all right," he reassured her. "I also must thank you for protecting me from Garuda."

"You would have done the same for me," she replied. Glancing at his face, she remembered the small scratches littered across his cheeks. "Did the imperials do that, or did something else?"

"I..." Clive was a little embarrassed, but it didn't show in his voice or on his face. "Running through the woods haphazardly is what caused the scratches. They'll heal in—"

She didn't let him finish before she healed the small scratches. "They're minor cuts, making them an easy fix."

He smiled faintly. "Thank you, Lyra."

Soon, they found Cid and Gav. Both men were more than relieved to see Clive had found Lyra. He sat her down on a large rock.

Cid smiled at the woman, lowering his cigarette. "It's good to see you are in one piece, my lady. If it had been anyone else, they would have been skewered on a rock."

Gav sighed in relief. "Oh, fuck... I thought you had died!"

Lyra laughed. "I'm more resilient than I appear. The only casualty is my shoulder."

"Knowing you, you'll be all healed up before we get back to the hideaway," Cid responded. "In the meantime... Gav, what's the news?"

Gav looked at Clive, who was standing next to the rock Lyra was sitting on. "Well, I found out where your friend's heading, for one thing."

Clive sighed as his guilt returned. "Gav, I—"

"Him and his mate are on their way to your old stomping ground. Rosaria. You should have seen what they did to the imperials who tried to stop them... There's no question about it—he's a Dominant of Fire, all right."

Clive shook his head in denial. "He can't be..."

"Clive. I saw you turn into an Eikon before my very eyes," Cid spoke up. "Lyra has also confirmed your transformation from thirteen years ago. And yes, there's a good chance it was you who killed the Phoenix. But we weren't alone, were we? There was the fella you saw enter the whirlwind. Aye. I saw him too. You didn't dream it, Clive. He's out there."

"But...who is he?!" Clive questioned out of frustration.

"Don't ask me. I don't bloody know." Cid threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. "But I do know one thing. You're going to find him and find out. After all, you swore an oath."

His eyes narrowed. "What?"

"You swore you'd avenge your brother's death. That you'd never rest until you'd hunted down the man responsible." Cid walked over to Clive and pounded his arm against his chest with a smirk. "Sooo... Find out if this man's responsible, and kill yourself if he's not."

"Cid, I..." Clive started, but he wasn't sure what to say.

Cid grinned. "Don't thank me, thank Gav."

Clive approached Gav, who was sitting on the ground with his back leaning against the cliffside. He kneeled and expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Gav."

Slightly embarrassed, Gav knocked his fist lightly against Clive's chest with a small chuckle. Lyra smiled at the sight before hopping off the rock with a small wince. She sighed in annoyance at the wound. "We best return to the hideaway. I think we all need some time to compose ourselves."

"Aye," Cid replied. "Does our goddess need to be carried again?"

"No," she responded promptly. "My legs are fine. It is only my shoulder."

"Are you certain?" Clive asked out of concern.

"Yes, I'll be fine," she told him. "Let's depart, shall we?"

|| The Hideaway ||
|| Central Storm Deadlands ||

Back at the hideaway, Gav was finishing his gallant tale as they walked through the entrance. "Spittin' great gouts of fire he was, like a bleedin' volcano!"

"Ever seen a volcano?" Cid asked, not believing his story for a second.

"What, you think I'm having you on?"

"Your tales do get rather...eccentric," Lyra commented.

Gav turned to her in shock. "They ain't that crazy!"

Suddenly, Tarja ran over to the group. "Clive! Lyra!" She was a little out of breath from running. "Your friend—she's awake!"

Clive and Lyra were both surprised but happy about the news. Seeing he was too shocked to say anything, she patted him on the arm and spoke to Tarja. "We'll go visit her. Thank you for watching over her, Tarja."

Seeing Clive was being handled by Lyra, Cid shooed away Tarja and Gav. "Right, you lot. Enough slacking." He then turned to the large man who had just finished talking to Charon. "Goetz! Come with me! Gav, go and get those wounds seen to."

Cid walked away.

Gav put on an act and pretended like his wound was life-threatening. "Give it to me straight—how long have I got?" He asked Tarja.

The physician pushed him into the Fat Chocobo, leaving Lyra and Clive to themselves.

The golden-haired woman nudged her beloved in the direction of the infirmary. "Go see her, Clive. I'll join you once I've tended to Gav."

Clive nodded. "All right."

Lyra followed after Gav and Tarja. She found them on the second floor of the Fat Chocobo. She saw the physician had taken off the bandage to examine the wound. "Let me, Tarja."

The woman was surprised to see her. "Are you not going to visit Jill?"

"I am, but I owe Gav an apology for scaring him earlier," she replied. "Let me heal him as payment."

"Oh, come now," Gav waved his uninjured arm at her. "I'm a big boy. I'll heal the old fashion way."

Lyra crossed her arms. "Oh, please. You know you prefer my method. Consider this payment for that little shock I gave you earlier as well."

Tarja glanced between the scout and the woman. "I...don't think I want to know what happened."

Lyra smiled in amusement. "I'm sure Gav will tell you the full story later. For now..." She examined the large gash on his arm. "Let's get you patched up." Knowing just how much magic she would need, she healed the wound within seconds.

"Ah..." Gav sighed in relief. "I feel so much better!"

"We better get that hole in your clothes mended," Tarja said. "I know you're a seamstress as well, Lyra, but leave that to me."

Just before she could respond, a blazing origami phoenix flew past her head. She held out her hand and it landed in her palm. A smile graced her face when she knew this was the talisman she gifted Jill. "I understand." The paper bird flapped its wings and flew around her. "If you need me, I shall be visiting a dear friend."

The origami phoenix flew ahead of her and guided her to the infirmary. She gently opened the door as to not startle Jill or Clive. The paper bird flew into the room and soared over to Jill, who was sitting on the bed next to Clive.

The silver-haired woman saw the talisman had returned. She watched it soar away earlier, confused. As the talisman unfolded itself and slid into the sleeve of her dress, she looked over her shoulder and gasped. "Lyra..."

Lyra smiled at her. "It's good to see you again, Jill."

Jill quickly got to her feet. She rushed over to Lyra and hugged her. "Founder... You're all right! The talisman you gave me... I always carried it with me in hopes I would see you again."

"I heard from Clive what happened on the battlefield. How did you become a prisoner of the Ironblood?"

Jill sighed heavily before explaining what happened. "They invaded...not long after the news arrived about Phoenix Gate. Rosaria had lost her leaders. The duchy was in chaos. The Iron Kingdom saw our weakness and pounced upon it. They killed the men, and captured the women..."

Clive stood up and walked over to the women. "And took you back to Ironholm."

"I thought they meant to have their fun with me before the end... But the end never came. My powers awoke, and everything changed," Jill said. "It all happened so fast..."

"And you were forced to fight their battle," Lyra mumbled sadly.

"We were told that the Ironblood had captured a Dominant and planned to bring her on their latest crusade," Clive confessed.

"Mm. They gave me a choice. To fight for them on the battlefield, or..." Jill's voice shook with anger and sorrow. "See my countrywomen slaughtered."

Clive looked away, anger bubbling in his veins. "And they call us Dominants..."

Jill was surprised at his words. "What...? What happened, Clive? What happened to you and Lyra at Phoenix Gate?"

Clive and Lyra looked at each other before telling Jill the full story. After they finished, he felt faint as he was still trying to come to terms with what happened thirteen years ago. Seeing this, Lyra helped him over to the bed. "Clive, please..." She sat him down on the bed and occupied the spot next to him.

Jill walked over and stood in front of her childhood friends.

Clive clenched his fists tightly, his head lowered. "It was me. I killed Joshua..."

Jill shook her head. "No... That's not true. I know you! You wouldn't do that!"

"It's the truth. I changed into him again, not long ago. The second Eikon of Fire. The one responsible."

Lyra placed a hand over one of his clenched fists. "I...don't think it's the truth."

Shocked, Clive lifted his head. "But you saw it with your own eyes."

"I did, but..." She squeezed his hand. "Something felt...strange. I can't describe it exactly, but that wasn't you. Something forced you to awaken. Because of that, you were not in control and you still aren't. Did anything stand out to you that night?"

"The hooded man. He spoke to me," Clive confessed. "What did he say? "We have found you..." What did he mean?"

"A hooded man..." Lyra thought out loud. "I did not see anyone like that that night, but I did sense someone."

"Clive, Lyra," Jill called out to her friends. "We should go back there. To Phoenix Gate. I need to know what really happened. As do both of you. You both need to know for certain."

"I agree," Lyra said. "We must discover the truth."

Jill gazed at Clive. "And if what you told me is true, and you did what you said you did...then we will face it together."

"To overcome the future, one must first face their past," Lyra said. "If you cannot come to terms with it, then you shall be consumed by it. We cannot allow that to happen, Clive. It is your past, but you are not alone. Jill and I will be with you." She squeezed his hand again, hoping it would be the push he needed.

"Lyra, Jill..." Clive exhaled. "All right."

"If it's all decided then, Jill will be needing a change of clothes," Tarja spoke up, announcing her presence.

"Ah, yes." Lyra stood up. She grabbed both of Clive's hands and pulled him toward the door. "You best wait outside, Clive. I shall help Jill."

Clive didn't argue. He nodded in understanding and left the infirmary.

Lyra closed the door as Tarja handed Jill a new set of clothes. While she changed, she folded the dress she previous wore nicely before asking, "The clothes fit, yes?"

Jill watched the talisman slip into the neckline of her blue vest. "Perfectly." She turned to Lyra and reached out for her hands. When they touched, she suddenly froze.

This worried the golden-haired woman. "Jill? What's wrong?"

As the sensation faded, Jill stared in awe at the older woman. "Gaia..."

She blinked in surprise. When Jill had first touched her, there was no reaction. However, the second touch was enough for the Eikon within her to recognize who she truly was. It was the same expression Cid wore when he discovered the truth. She smiled faintly and nodded. "My true name is Gaia. I am a goddess from the heavens who wishes to aid in the flourishment of this world. I...only learned the truth thirteen years ago, after the incident at Phoenix Gate. But please, call me Lyra. It is the name I am most fond of."

Jill smiled at her. "Yes, Lyra. Goddess or not, you will always be my friend."

She was grateful for Jill's understanding. "Thank you, my friend. Now, let's not keep Clive waiting for too long."

Lyra grabbed Clive's sword and she left the infirmary with Jill and Tarja. They walked to the entrance of the hideaway, where Gav and Clive were chatting. She walked over and gave him his sword back. "I was in such a rush dragging you out of the infirmary I didn't allow you to take your sword."

Clive sheathed his blade with a smile. "Thank you, Lyra."

The golden-haired woman then glanced between him and Gav, smirking. "Aw, did we interrupt a bonding moment? We can come back later if you gentlemen need some privacy."

Gav shook his head. "Nope! Ya already know I'm awful at goodbyes. Just get him outta here before it gets even more awkward."

Lyra laughed before glancing between her two childhood friends. "In that case, we're off to the Three Reeds. From there, we will travel north to Martha's Rest."

Gav jammed a thumb in Clive's direction. "I've told 'im about Martha. You've met her a few time, haven't ya? I'm sure she'll remember you, Lyra."

"Leave it to me."

|| Three Reeds ||
|| Eastern Rosaria ||

Arriving at their destination, the party stood on the cliff that overlooked the area. Unlike Lyra, Jill and Clive were feeling nostalgic for their homeland.

"Rosaria. It's been thirteen years..." Jill mumbled.

Clive gazed out across the land. "But this breeze... The smell of the grass... It's just as I remember it."

"You haven't been back either?"

"I couldn't. Branded keep a close watch on each other in the imperial army. You'd get beheaded just for knowing a deserter. The only way out was on a mission."

Jill turned away from the view. "I see..."

"But mostly I was afraid." Clive walked away from the cliff. "Afraid to go back."

"I know."

"But I'm here now." Clive turned and looked between the two women in his company. "Thanks to the both of you."

Lyra had been silent until now because she wanted her friends to have time to take in the sight of their homeland. She, with Torgal next to her, stepped toward Clive and Jill. "I believe Jill is more becoming of that statement than I."

"Oh, nonsense," Jill said. "I heard from Tarja. You and Clive have been working in perfect sync since you two reunited. How did you become a resident of the hideaway?"

"I'm curious as well," Clive responded.

Lyra realized she had yet to tell Clive just how she met Cid. "Two years ago, I was discovered by imperial soldiers and was separated from Torgal. They shackled me and threw me in the back of a wagon with the intent to deliver me to Oriflamme. A few days past before someone attacked the wagon and freed me."

"Cid..." Clive muttered the man's name.

"Indeed," she said. "He was almost content with my lonely departure until he learned who I was from a single touch. Just as you did in the infirmary, Jill."

"What are you talking about?" Clive asked, puzzled.

"After you left, I grabbed Lyra's hands and was gifted with seeing the images of the heavens and the life she created with her own hands," Jill answered. "It was...magnificent."

"Eikons can recognize me through touch," Lyra said. "But, not you. Not yet, at least. Perhaps once you have full control over Ifrit, I can show you the same images I have to Jill and Cid."

"Ifrit," Clive parroted. "So that's his name."

Lyra placed a hand on her hip. "I think I've chatted too much. Let's keep going."

Clive and Jill nodded in agreement.

As they proceeded down the path, Lyra told them about the woman who they were looking for. "Martha is the woman who runs the inn. She's one of many among those who support Cid."

"So, she's a friend," Clive stated.

"To put it simply, yes."

"But can we say the same for her patrons?" Jill asked.

"Imperials don't tend to take well to those with my mark..." Clive looked between Jill and Lyra. "If anyone asks, I'm a Branded soldier, sworn to protect my noble mistresses."

Jill turned her attention to the golden-haired woman. "Our different features do not allow us to be passed off as siblings."

"If anyone does get suspicious, I'm positive we can convince them we are half-siblings. That should keep them from prying further," Lyra said.

Jill nodded. "That will do."

Continuing forward, they proceed through the Three Reeds. The main path was vacant of monsters, but the area away from the paved path was crawling with them. To avoid any unnecessary fights, they remained on the main road until they arrived at Martha's Rest. They crossed the bridge and entered the small village.

Acting as their guide, Lyra led Clive, Jill, and Torgal to the inn. When they stepped inside, she smiled at seeing the woman behind the counter. She approached the counter with Jill and Clive on either side of her. "You're glowing as bright as ever, Martha."

The woman behind the counter smiled back. "Well, I'll be. I wasn't expecting another visit from you so soon, Lady Edelweiss. Are ye here for your research?"

"Not this time, I'm afraid." Lyra gestured to her childhood friends. "We're in need of quick passage to Eastpool without alerting the garrison."

Martha's eyes narrowed when she saw the mark of Clive's cheek. "I don't mind helping you, but this Branded..."

Lyra leaned over the counter and whispered, "Could we talk somewhere more private?"

The woman nodded. "Follow me."

The party followed Martha up to the loft where no one would be able to hear their conversation.

Lyra provided the innkeeper with all the information she could to help her understand the situation.

"I see..." Martha said. "Sorry for before—can't be too wary of strangers asking questions in our game. I'm Martha—an old...friend of Cid's. He said he had high hopes for a Bearer who'd joined recently. I expect that's you, but I didn't expect you to be traveling with our lovely lady here. So...where is it you're headed?"

"For Phoenix Gate. We have questions that need answering," Clive answered.

"Is that so...?" Martha looked out the window. "Well, if you want to avoid the garrison, the road through Eastpool's your best bet. Or it would be, if the bridge hadn't collapsed. A right blummin' nuisance, it is, We've had no trade with the village for weeks. I did ask our carpenter to take a look at it, but he went out on another job and he hasn't come back."

"Do you think something might have happened to him?" Jill questioned.

The innkeeper put her hands on her hips. "Fingers crossed he's just taking his time. The alternative don't bear thinking about..."

"We'll find him, and make sure he's safe," Clive proclaimed. "We both need that bridge repaired—and your carpenter sounds like the man to do it."

Martha smiled faintly. "I see why Cid's got such a soft spot for you. If you could, I'd be in your debt."

"You said that he went out on a job?" Jill inquired.

"Right. He went down into the marshes to check on another bridge—the one by the Fallen Gate."

"The marshes were dangerous at the best of times. We should hurry," Clive said.

"There's a ladder to the side of the gate. That's the quickest way down, if you've a head for heights. His name is Bernard. Should you find him well, tell him Martha sent you—and that he's wanted at the bridge to Eastpool." Martha then spoke to the oldest among the three. "Oh, and before I forget—Lady Murdoch left a letter for you a while back, Lyra."

Lyra's brows furrowed in confusion. "She...did?"

Martha pulled out a small slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to the blonde.

She opened the piece of paper and saw only a single line.

'I miss you.'

Those three words caused tears to form in Lyra's eyes. She blinked them away and thanked Martha. She slid the note into the same pocket she kept her talismans in.

Clive and Jill glanced worriedly at her.

Lyra took a deep breath before exhaling. "If it's all right, I...I wish to fly ahead to Eastpool."

Clive placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go."

She then looked over at Jill, who nodded with a smile. Receiving their approval, she set her sights on the window. Walking up to it, she transformed into a hawk and flew out the window. Flying as fast as she could, she soared through the sky toward Eastpool in hopes of seeing her mother again after thirteen long years.

Once she reached Eastpool, she landed and reverted back before crossing the bridge. She looked around at the couple of people walking around. It was only then did she notice how quiet it was, almost as if the life have been siphoned from it.

Seeing her parents' house, she took a deep breath and walked up to the front door. She was about to knock when she heard the sound of a basket being dropped. She turned around to see Hanna staring at her with wide eyes. She was in so much shock she had dropped the basket of apples she had just bought.

Lyra smiled at her. "I'm home, Mother."