A/N: As I mentioned in a previous chapter, this story is complete in my drafts and I'm gradually releasing chapters. Even after I finished the story, I still feel the need to write more Clive x OC content. I will be including oneshots/short stories after the main story is fully published. If you wish to request a certain scenario between Clive and Lyra, please comment here or PM me! I'd love to know what you all would like to see. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
•••••••••••••••••••

|| Eistla ||
|| Central Waloed ||

The moment Clive and Lyra arrived back in Eistla and walked into Edda's home, Joshua and Gav were more than overjoyed to see them.

"Clive! Lyra!" Joshua shouted in relief.

"Thank fuck. You two all right?" Gav asked the couple.

"We are." Clive walked up to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we're a damn sight better for seeing you, Joshua."

"Yes," Lyra agreed. "We're relieved to see you're all right, Joshua."

Joshua smiled at the woman before asking. "And Barnabas?"

Clive dropped his arm. "The king is dead."

"And, uh..." Gav glanced at Lyra. "What of the beast?"

She smiled and placed a hand over her heart. "I have been reunited with Crius." Her gaze drifted over to Edda. She then looked over at Clive, remembering what he told her when they were walking back to the village after they settled their little argument. "Clive..."

"I'll tell her," he replied.

Gathered around the expecting mother, Clive told her about the Akashic bodies he found at the top of the tower before fighting against Barnabas.

Edda was listening closely and felt overwhelmed by the truth. "So... So they're... They're all..." She couldn't bring herself to say it as she was overcome with sorrow.

Gav placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They are, but...so is their killer. He can't hurt anyone anymore. You're safe."

She covered her face and began to cry.

Gav gazed sadly at the weeping woman.

"Gav," Clive called out to the scout. "We need to talk."

While Clive spoke to Gav, Lyra comforted the crying Edda. She tried to shift the conversation to the child and managed to ease the woman. She smiled at seeing just how excited Edda was to bring her baby into this world regardless if it seemed to be crashing down around them. She only wanted to hold her child and be at peace with her even if it meant the end of the world was near.

After Clive finished talking to Gav, Lyra escorted Edda outside to where everybody was waiting.

"I'm sorry, Clive. You know I want nothing more than to go with you..." Gav said.

"I do," Clive replied. "But I'm glad you're heading back to the Enterprise nonetheless. And not just for Edda's sake. Our people need to know what happened here."

The scout smiled as he glanced at the mother next to him. "You can count on me."

"As can she, I hope."

"You'll need a way to cross the ravine seeing as the bridge is destroyed," Lyra chimed in. "Take Theia. She has wings that can get you both safely across. She can also aid in any trouble you come across along the way."

"That's the, uh...dragon one, aye?" Gav asked.

She laughed. "Indeed, she is."

Edda smiled as she gazed at Clive, Lyra, and Joshua. "Thank you, milords, milady."

The trio smiled at the woman as Gav slowly escorted Edda away from the house. Lyra followed behind them so she could introduce the woman to Theia.

Clive and Joshua stared at the three as they walked away.

"Do you think that was wise?" Joshua asked.

"Wiser than leaving a woman with child alone in the deadlands. They'll be safer at the hideaway...for now, at least." Clive turned to his brother. "This land is overrun with Akashic. The king himself was long turned—albeit by choice. All to serve Ultima in his damnable quest to forge the perfect vessel."

"The chaos Barnabas wreaked upon nation after nation... How many were killed for this?" Joshua inquired.

"Oh...he didn't consider it killing. More a...mercy of sorts. A way to end their suffering. He truly wanted to save mankind..and Ultima used that."

"As he uses us."

"But why us? What are we?"

"What are we? We are Dominants," Joshua answered. "That is our fate. But that doesn't mean we have to accept it. Which is why we fight. For the right to deny it. Is that not so?"

Clive met his brother's gaze before looking to the sky. "It is...for our sins. Barnabas said something else... That the Mothercrystals were Ultima's."

"Ultima's? Are you certain?"

"Five years ago, Lyra spoke of the Mothercrystals and how they are not gifts from the heavens. If they truly were, I doubt she would be aiding in their destruction. We also know that the Mothercrystals have been bleeding the land of aether. And that it's this which hastens the spread of the Blight. But what I cannot fathom is...what Ultima stands to gain from that." His attention was drawn back to his brother when a question popped into his head. "What did you find at the stronghold?"

"The truth about Ultima's prize. For so long, I believed it to be you, and you alone. Yet it is not merely Ifrit that he desires, but Ifrit and Phoenix both. That which we became in the skies over Twinside. Only when the twin flames are joined shall his vessel be complete. Quite why he needs a vessel is another question.

Unless...there is something he cannot achieve without one. Something his immaterial form precludes. Something requiring an unthinkable amount of aether—and a body resilient enough to channel it. If I did not know better, Brother... I would think that he meant to cast a spell. A spell a thousand years in the making... A spell to end all spells, which would explain the story Lyra discovered in Mimir's chronicle of the terraforming instrument."

Clive glanced in the direction his beloved had walked. "And he cannot do it without us. Nor without the Mothercrystals. But if we destroy them all—We will restore Lyra's powers and stop not only the Blight, but Ultima as well." He looked back at his brother. "We stick to the plan, then. Only this time—"

Joshua smiled. "We face him together with our own god by our sides." He nudged his fist against Clive's chest.

Lyra walked up the stairs, her footsteps announcing her presence. "Gossiping about me, are you?"

Clive grinned in amusement. "Perhaps a little."

She placed a hand on her hip with her own smirk. "As long as it's all good." Her smirk immediately fell when she told them what she needed to do before they departed for Stonhyrr. "I hope the both of you will indulge me before we depart."

Joshua glanced curiously at her. "What may we do for you, my friend?"

"What happened at the shelves..." She glanced between the two brothers. "I need it to happen again."

Clive's eyes widen. "What...?"

Joshua shared the same shocked expression as his brother. "You...wish to grant Ultima access to your mind?"

She nodded. "Yes. There are things only he knows, and I must learn the truth. If I willingly give him access to my full mind, I should be able to speak to him. And before you accuse me of being insane, I know..."

Clive clenched and unclenched his hands by his sides. Of course he hated the idea, but he knew she had to do this not only for her but them as well. "All right."

Joshua was just as troubled by the decision as Clive. "Are you certain, Lyra?"

"Yes." Her gaze drifted over to Clive. "Just promise to catch me when I fall."

He nodded. "I will."

Taking a deep breath, Lyra turned to Joshua. When he held out his hand to her, she placed her palm in his and was immediately taken by Ultima. Her eyes turned lifeless as her body collapsed. Clive caught her and slowly sunk to a single knee.

Joshua managed to suppress the pain and the cough that came with their touch. He kneeled down next to Clive. "We should make her comfortable."

Clive was more than in agreement. "Yes. The house should have a bed." He picked her up in his arms and carried her into the house. Locating the bed, he gently laid her down. He gazed at her seemingly lifeless body with concern. "I don't like this idea in the slightest."

"Neither do I," Joshua said. "But we must trust Lyra. For now, we wait."

. · : · . ✧ • ✦ • ✧ . · : · .

Inside her mind, Lyra glanced around to find herself in the middle of a lush forest. She walked until she found a large lake with an island at its center. Taking a step forward, she walked across the water's surface toward the island but stopped when she heard Ultima's voice echo around her.

"Beautiful, is it not?"

She looked around and couldn't see the entity. "Indeed, it is. However, I didn't grant you full access to my mind simply to take in the scenery."

"Though you have taken much from us, we agree you are of more value alive."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What have I stolen from you?"

"Humanity, our own creations... Do you truly cling to this naïveté? Or perhaps you have forgotten?"

"If you speak of the rift caused in the faith of the Circle of Malius, I am well aware of what I have done in the past. But...it sounds almost as if I have stolen much more than that."

"The echoes—servants forged by our own hands... You turned them against us."

"What? I thought those machines were built by the Fallen."

"You are mistaken, as all gods of this world were." Ultima suddenly appeared on the island, his body floating in the air. "With each annihilation of your being, we stole a fragment of your body and took it as our own. However, it seems you have recollected a few of those fragments. Only one remains."

Her eyes widen in realization. "That's why it was becoming more difficult to resurrect myself... It wasn't the lack of aether but the stolen fragments of my body..."

"The last eradication of your being was meant to siphon the last of your essence to erase you from this world, but it seems we made an uncalculated error—one we see as a way to rectify our mistake. We believed the slaughter of this world's pitiful gods was the only answer. Alas, it is not. Indra has shown us how to utilize those of the gods that remain—only you. Let the aether flow into your body and consume every thread of your being so you may join us in paradise once this world is reborn."

She shook her head. "The world you seek is not paradise. I could never stand by a god—false or not—who would attempt to enslave humanity simply so they could no longer disobey."

Ultima titled his head. "Free will has plagued the gods as well. No matter. We shall rectify this mistake as we have with the others."

Suddenly, Lyra's body plunged into the water below. She gasped in shock and fear before her head was forced under the water's surface. She tried to swim to the surface, but some unknown force was dragging her deeper and deeper into the water. She was dragged so deep that the sun could not reach the current depth.

Unable to hold her breath, water began to slowly fill her lungs. She was beginning to drown and didn't know how to escape. As her body continued to sink into the dark depths of the lake, she could hear someone shouting her name.

. · : · . ✧ • ✦ • ✧ . · : · .

Joshua was pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed. It had been only ten minutes since Lyra allowed Ultima into her mind, but he was getting more worried as time ticked by.

Clive was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hand placed over Lyra's as his worried gaze was focused on her death-like expression. He then looked over at his brother. "Is it possible for Ultima to harm Lyra in her own mind?"

"I'm afraid I do not know the answer to that question," Joshua answered honestly. "Considering how far his reach extends, we shouldn't dismiss the possibility. We must—" He looked over at the woman to see blood dripping from her nose, eyes, and ears. "Clive!"

Clive looked back at Lyra and began to panic at seeing the blood. He kneeled over her, his hands cradling her cheeks. "What are you doing to her, Ultima?" He wiped the blood falling from her eyes. "Lyra!"

Joshua ran to the side of the bed. He was afraid to touch the woman since it was because of him Ultima had access to her mind. "There must be a way to intervene..."

Just then, Lyra inhaled sharply as her eyes returned to normal. Her eyes darted around until they stopped on Clive. She exhaled a heavy sigh at seeing his face. Reaching up, she grabbed one of his hands that was still cradling her cheeks. "What a relief..."

"What happened?" Clive asked, staring into her emerald eyes.

"I was able to chat with Ultima, but..." She squeezed his hand. "He didn't like my answer."

Joshua found a clean piece of cloth and handed it to Clive. The older brother then helped Lyra sit up before wiping the blood from her nose, eyes, and ears.

She was surprised to see the white cloth painted with her blood. "So, he did have an affect on my body..."

"What did you speak of?" Joshua asked.

Lyra folded her hands in her lap and told the brothers what she had spoken of with Ultima in their brief conversation.

"The Mothercrystals..." Clive began. "They are also the location of these missing fragments. Shattering them not only stops the absorption of aether but also restores what Ultima has taken from you."

"It appears so," Lyra replied before standing up. "We must head for Stonyrr immediately."

"Are you certain you are well enough to travel?" Joshua asked. "There is no shame in a few moments of respite."

She smiled reassuringly at him. "Thank you for your concern, Joshua, but I am fine."

"But—"

Clive interrupted his brother by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, Joshua. You will not be winning this battle. Not even a sword through the gut could stop her."

Joshua's eyes widen in shock. "What?"

"Save storytime for the road," Lyra intervened, walking toward the door. "There is much ground between us and the capital. It will be the opportune moment to share any and all stories."

Clive and Joshua followed Lyra out of the house. They would need to travel north and headed to the northern gate of Eistla. With Barnabas dead, the barrier had disappeared and they were free to move across Ash toward the capital without being barred.

Passing through Mother's Mine, they soon arrive at the Great Southern Gate. The area was vast and open yet littered with what remained of trebuchets and spiked barricades. Carts, both intact and destroyed, were also among the rubble.

Clive stared at the grand gate that reached into the sky. "Don't tell me, the only way to the capital—"

"Is through that gate—just as you surmise," Joshua replied.

"There's an army down there, Joshua."

Joshua looked at his brother with a small smirk. "Yes. But I don't see any Dominants or gods."

Lyra crossed her arms. "I do hope Indra is the only corrupt god wandering this star..."

Now that Joshua had been reunited with his childhood friend after learning the truth about her, he was more curious than ever. "How many gods did Ultima slaughter?"

She lowered her head. Sorrow washed over her as she thought of all the gods she was close friends with. They were all like family, but there were also gods she wasn't well-acquainted with. However, that didn't make their deaths less painful. "Too many..."

Clive put a hand on her shoulder. "He will pay for what he has done."

She met his sapphire gaze. "But not before I have to slaughter another god who was once a dear friend. The sorrow will continue until this world is purged of those who wish to control it." She then cast her gaze to the large gate that stood between them and the capital. "We wanted this world to be the epitome of life without the intervention of gods. We wanted life to flourish and do what it desired without any shackles. In the world's current state, it is far from what we desired when we forged it..."

Joshua was the next to speak to her. "We will wrench this world from Ultima's grasp and return it to the path you and the other true gods chose for it."

Her eyes drifted to the sky above. Her long blonde locks blew in the breeze. "This world will need time to heal once we have eliminated Ultima, but I shall do all in my power to see to its survival."

"And we'll be standing by your side every step of the way," Clive told her.

She looked away from the sky and smiled at him. "I know, and it makes this burden easier to carry knowing you and so many others support me. We still have quite the path ahead of us and the next milestone is the destruction of Drake's Spine."

Joshua nodded. "Yes. Let's press on."

Making their way to the gate, they weren't surprised when they were greeted by a horde of Akashic and orcs. The four of them jumped into the fray and cut down wave after wave of enemies. With each wave they wiped out, they drew closer to the gate and soon it opened. More enemies poured from the open gate, one being an orcish warlord.

Although the enemy was large and tough, it didn't stand a chance against them. Now, all the enemies were gone and their way through the gate was cleared.

After the battle, Joshua began coughing. This caused both Clive and Lyra to worry.

"We can rest here if you like," Clive told his brother.

Joshua shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Regardless..." Lyra cast a healing incantation with him being the recipient. "You shouldn't push yourself too far. Tarja's medicine is excellent, but it isn't a miracle elixir."

He cast a smile in her direction. "Which is why you are here."

She laughed at his words. "I'm no miracle healer myself."

"But perhaps with the collapse of Drake's Spine, you will become a prodigal healer."

"I wouldn't hold your breath."

With the gate open, they proceeded to the other side. The moment they walked through the door to Kritten Hollow, they were welcomed by the vast openness that lay between them and Stonhyrr.

"Look, Clive, Lyra," Joshua called out to the couple.

All of them were staring at the capital and the large Mothercrystal that towered behind it.

"By the Founder... The place is a fortress," Clive said.

"We've infiltrated plenty of well-fortified strongholds," Lyra remarked. "Stonhyrr will be added to that list."

Clive grinned in amusement. "You have quite the faith in us."

"Of course I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Proceeding down the stairwell, they begin their trek across the aetherflooded landscape. They came across a few enemies they couldn't avoid and cut them down without hesitation. Following the path leading to the capital, they soon arrived at the bridge in Vidargraes. The party stopped to gaze at Stonhyrr.

Joshua shattered the silence. "The calm before the storm."

"There's only one way into that city—across the bridge, through the main gate." Clive glanced to his left at Joshua and Lyra. "Right into the midst of whatever is left of the late king's army. Are you both ready for this?"

Joshua inhaled deeply before exhaling. He then looked over at Lyra, who nodded with a confident smile, before meeting his brother's gaze. "As ready as we'll ever be."

"I have desired to visit Stonhyrr for many years, but I did not expect it to be like this," Lyra said. "Our meeting with Ultima awaits. Shall we, gentlemen?"

Clive nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

|| Drake's Spine ||
|| Stonhyrr, Royal Capital of Waloed ||

On the outskirts of the capital, they crossed the bridge to reach the entrance of the city. They crouched through a small opening in a barricade and were horrified at the sight that greeted them. Corpses and abandoned wagons were scattered across the bridge. However, what surprised them wasn't the bloodbath but the normalcy of the bodies. None of them had turned.

"What the hell happened here?" Clive asked, shocked.

Joshua looked around at the corpses. "I dare not think. A stroke of good fortune, perhaps?"

Lyra examined the wounds of one of the dead royalists. She noticed the small amount of ash and aether surrounding the infested wounds. "These men were killed by Akashic. I would assume those who didn't fall victim to the aetherflood were killed by those who turned." She stood up and turned to the brothers. "From what we've seen so far, I doubt we'll find nothing more than Akashic wandering the streets of the capital."

"Then we'll need to exceed even more caution," Clive said.

"Yes," Joshua agreed.

As they continued to cross the bridge, it wasn't long before they encountered Akashic. They cleared the way and squeezed through a gate that was partially opened. They drew closer to the ramparts of Stonhyrr, only to stop at seeing a beast lying in wait for them. It roared as its yellow eyes radiated with ferocity.

Joshua stared in shock at seeing the immense creature. "That's a behemoth!"

"Who'd be mad enough to tame such a beast?!" Clive gaped in bewilderment.

Lyra stared at the beast, taking in its eyes. Her own eyes narrowed when she realized it was the same glow she saw in Bahamut's eyes and Titan's. "Is Ultima controlling this beast?"

The behemoth let out another thunderous roar as it conjured a sky full of meteors. The flaming rocks were heading straight for them.

Joshua quickly stepped in front of Clive, Lyra, and Torgal. "Stand back!" He placed a barrier around them to protect them from the meteors. One collided with the barrier and the flaming rock shattered alongside it. The flames consumed the barrier as it vanished. Joshua had fallen to his knees from the impact and using magic to protect everyone.

Lyra looked behind them to see the bridge was destroyed by one of the many meteors. The portion of the bridge that led into the city was also destroyed. They were stuck on the central platform as the behemoth clung to the ramparts.

Clive rushed to his brother and grabbed his arm. "Get up!" He pulled Joshua off the ground.

Joshua's eyes never left the beast. He watched it closely until he noticed it jump into the air. "Here it comes!"

The behemoth landed on the platform and roared.

Clive and Joshua drew their swords. The oldest brother's gaze drifted over to Lyra. "Transfiguration is one of your specialties. A beast as large as a behemoth shall suffice."

She smirked. "You read my mind." Stepping forward, she met the behemoth's possessed gaze as she called out to one of the guardian beasts. "Let our bodies harmonize, Crius."

With a powerful blast of aether, the goddess and beast combined to form a large tiger that was the same size as the behemoth.

With a roar, Gaia's large form stood across from the behemoth.

Joshua stared at the tiger in awe. "I never knew her ability of transmutation was achievable with her holy body."

"We've no time for admiration," Clive remarked. "Lyra!"

Hearing her name, Gaia knew it was time to strike the behemoth down. With another roar, she charged forward.

The battle against the behemoth had commenced.