Gaia charged at the behemoth with a roar and pounced on it. She used her weight to knock it on its side and pin it to the ground. She swiped her claws against its flesh to begin slowly siphoning its health. Clive, Joshua, and Torgal were also able to deliver some blows to the behemoth before it pushed the tiger off its body.

Because of the goddess' size, the behemoth was mainly focused on her. It swiped its claws at her and even tried to bite into her flesh with its sharp teeth. Fortunately for her, she was able to dodge these attacks before delivering her own. Using powerful spell after powerful spell, she was able to knock the behemoth back and successfully stagger it.

Taking advantage of the downed beast, the party didn't hold back and delivered blow after blow to weaken it. They quickly backed away when the behemoth recovered.

Suddenly, the behemoth lunged toward Gaia and sunk its teeth into her neck and pinned her to the ground. The tiger roared in pain and tried to push the beast off of her by sinking her claws into its sides and using magic to free herself.

Clive, Joshua, and Torgal tried to aid her by attacking the beast, but it was too focused on tearing into her flesh that it seemed almost immune to their attacks. Using its tail, it knocked the three of them away. It then dragged Gaia's body across the stone, its teeth still sunk into her neck. Using all its strength, it tossed her body into the sea.

"No!" Clive shouted. He was about to run over to see where the goddess went, only to be stopped when Joshua grabbed his arm. He looked at his brother in confusion before his eyes darted over to the behemoth to see it standing on its hind legs. Aether gathered around the beast as it prepared to cast ecliptic meteor.

From the sky came a large flaming meteor that was heading straight for the brothers. Joshua stepped in front of Clive and threw out his arm in front of him. "Stand back! I'll conjure a ward!"

The moment Joshua cast the ward, he was consumed by a coughing fit and the barrier faded as quickly as it appeared. He placed a hand over his mouth as he coughed before falling to his knees.

"Joshua!" Clive shouted. He checked on his brother before stepping in front of him and semi-priming with Ifrit. "Desperate times!"

Joshua lifted his head to see his brother was going to try to stop the meteor. "Clive, no!"

"Trust me. I'm your Shield, remember." He raised his hand and channeled Ifrit's power to try and stop the flaming meteor. However, he realized it wouldn't be enough. "I think this might be a job for Ifrit..."

Joshua got to his feet and stood beside Clive, placing his hand over his to provide him with more power. "And why would you turn to him, Brother? When we fight, we fight together!"

Combining the power of the Phoenix and Ifrit, the two brothers were able to destroy the meteor before it could kill them. The meteor was gone and Ifrit's flames vanished from Clive's body.

"That wasn't too bad," Clive said.

Joshua caught his breath. "That was just the beginning."

Suddenly, Gaia jumped out of the sea. Her large form plowed into the behemoth and she used her weight to push it back.

"Or perhaps it is the end," Clive said as he watched the goddess push the behemoth into the sea with her. He and Joshua ran over to the edge of the platform just in time to see the behemoth's body being frozen before sinking below the water's surface. The beast would drown at the bottom of the sea, granting them an easy victory.

Gaia's form vanished.

Lyra's head broke through the water's surface and she coughed.

"Lyra!" Clive shouted her name.

She turned around in the water and saw both brothers on the ground above. She swam over to the platform and used the rubble to carefully climb her way out of the water.

Clive sheathed his sword and leaned over the edge to help her up. When she grabbed his hand, he pulled her up. He noticed her hand was freezing in his much warmer one. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she replied. "Thank you, Clive."

"Yet you are soaked," Joshua remarked.

"A little wind magic shall dry me in no time." She pulled her hand out of Clive's and used a small bit of aether to cast a wind spell that dried not only her clothes but her hair. Her now dry tresses fell over her shoulders. "The behemoth will drown at the bottom of the sea. We need not fear its return. We should press on."

"Yes," Joshua said. "Let us proceed into the city."

The party jumped across the gap in the bridge created by the behemoth's powerful magic. They now stood outside the city gates and gazed at the Mothercrystal. The only thing that stood before them and Stonhyrr was the stairwell leading up to the entrance.

"If it is like the others, the entrance to the inner sanctum will be at the foot of the crystal," Joshua said before looking over at his brother and Lyra. "We're almost there."

"How strange..." Lyra muttered, grabbing the brothers' attention.

Clive glanced over at her. "What's wrong?"

"Indra is not here. I would have thought he'd be in the company of Ultima after his earlier attack. Though, I won't complain about his absence. We've one false deity to concern ourselves with without the hindrance of another god. I will consider Indra's absence a stroke of luck for us."

"Then let's not waste this opportunity."

Not wasting another second, the party ascended the stairwell and entered Stonhyrr. They were immediately greeted by a horde of Akashic. They made quick work of the enemies before passing through a wrought iron gate to enter a courtyard that was also crawling with Akashic.

"And here I was hoping you'd be wrong," Clive said to his beloved as he drew his sword.

"Quite wishful thinking," Lyra remarked as she summoned her spear. "Though, I too wish my own words were false."

The party cleared the courtyard and pressed on.

Navigating through Stonhyrr, they fought through more and more hordes of Akashic. They ran up and down streets that were infested with the corrupted men.

After a battle near the port against an Akashic Gunnvaldr, they passed through another wrought iron gate and were even closer to Drake's Spine. They gazed at the statue of Odin's steed before looking to the bridge that connected the Mothercrystal and the city.

"Once we step onto that bridge, we'll be easy targets," Joshua stated.

"Leave protection detail to me," Lyra spoke up. "I'll ensure all of us can safely cross."

"We're in capable hands, then," Clive said.

Pushing forward, they fought through a group of orcs and entered the courtyard outside of the castle. This time, they were attacked by Ultima's thralls. They killed the weaker ones first before taking down the Undertaker. With the way clear, they entered the dark castle.

Up and down stairs, walking through corridors and rooms, they maneuvered through the castle until they came out near the ramparts. They fought against a couple of waves of Ultima's thralls before continuing through the ramparts.

Eventually, they came to an area of the ramparts that was much more open than the other parts. They weren't surprised in the slightest when an Akashic coeurl pounced on them and blocked their path. The beast was tough, but it didn't stand a chance.

With the way clear, they continued their trek to the Mothercrystal.

Leaving the ramparts, they soon arrived at the grand gate that blocked them from crossing the bridge to Drake's Spine. They were preparing themselves to open the gate when two Akashic Tognvaldrs appeared to block their path. They quickly disposed of the enemies, only for more Akashic to appear.

In the midst of the second wave of enemies, Joshua caught sight of the look in Clive's eyes and shouted, "Clive! You mustn't summon Ifrit. Not yet."

Clive slashed at an Akashic Osfreyr. "So I should let the burden fall to you and Lyra?!"

"Yes," Lyra answered, her spear piercing an Akashic Fodder. "Trust us, Clive!"

"Save your strength for the Mothercrystal," Joshua added.

Wave after wave, Akashic poured into the area. One by one, they fell. Even the large Akashic warlord wasn't able to stop the four companions. With the area cleared, they all caught their breaths.

Clive sheathed his sword as did Joshua. Lyra's spear vanished into thin air and she reached down to pet the tense Torgal. He was panting and nuzzled his head against her palm.

They thought they were in the clear until another horde of Akashic started to pour into the area.

Clive glared at the approaching horde. "There's no end to them...! The whole bloody army's here!"

Lyra looked around at all the Akashic. An idea popped into her head, but she was surprised when Clive suddenly pushed her and Joshua behind him.

"Stand back, Joshua, Lyra," Clive commanded them. "I'm summoning Ifrit."

Joshua lunged forward and grabbed his arm. "Stop! Clive, you mustn't! We still have a long way to go! If you tap your strength here, you'll have none left to destroy the heart!"

Clive met his brother's gaze. "Then you'd rather die?!"

"Of course not," Lyra calmly stepped in. "I have—"

The woman was interrupted when a ship rammed into the wall of the castle. The party recognized the red sails and were in utter shock. The Enterprise had arrived.

"Everybody off!" Mid's voice rang out.

Three people jumped off the ship and into the courtyard. It was Jill, Gav, and Dion.

Clive's eyes widen in surprise. "Jill?!"

"Gav!" Lyra shouted.

Jill used ice magic to freeze the Akashic's feet. Dion then jumped into the air with his spear and used his strength to kill all of the frozen Akashic with a single blow. With the way clear, Jill, Gav, and Dion rushed over to the others.

Lyra rushed forward and was hugged by Jill. She wrapped her arms around her childhood friend and embraced her back. "By the heavens..."

Jill giggled. "Surprised to see us?"

Lyra pulled away. "Of course we are."

Clive expressed his shock. "How did you—?"

"Gav," Jill replied, looking over at her other childhood friend. "He told us exactly where you'd be—even sniffed out a crack in the castle wall. And when we saw the heavens come crashing down, we had no choice but to believe him."

Shocked, Lyra and Clive looked over at Gav. The scout laughed in slight embarrassment.

Jill smiled at the goddess. "It's been quite a day."

Lyra laughed. "It has, indeed."

Joshua rushed over to Dion and hugged him. "To what do we owe this honor?"

Dion smiled at him as they pulled away from each other. "A debt I would see repaid."

"Prince Dion," Clive called out to the man as he, Jill, and Lyra walked over to join them. "It's good to see you well."

Dion turned to him. "So this must be Ifrit. And you..." He focused his full attention on Lyra. "You must be the goddess Gaia."

Lyra smiled at the prince. "Indeed, I am. However, I prefer to be called Lyra. It is a pleasure to formally meet you, Your Highness."

"Please, divine one." Dion grabbed her hand and kneeled on a single knee. Before he could say anything, what remained of Bahamut inside him allowed him to see the images of the heavens and the creations of the goddess. His eyes widened as the images faded. He looked up at the goddess. "All those falsifications..."

Lyra met his gaze with her confused one. "Falsifications?"

"Indra spoke of the corrupted goddess known as Gaia," Dion replied as he stood up and released her hand. "His falsehoods blinded my father, but not I."

She guiltily frowned. "I must apologize for Indra's involvement in the affairs of the Holy Empire. Truth be told, he was once a completely different man—one of which I admired. Aether has corrupted his mind and now he seeks the same as Ultima."

"You've done naught to warrant my forgiveness," Dion assured her.

"If you were corrupt, we'd be fucked," Gav spoke up.

The prince then turned his attention back to Clive. "Your uncle bade me give you a message. "Listen to your heart. It will guide your steel true. Your father would expect no less." That is all."

Clive placed a hand over his chest with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"For everything, Your Highness," Joshua added. He too was smiling.

The prince placed his hand on Joshua's shoulder. Like him, he was smiling. "Dion. Please."

Gav then interrupted their conversation. "You do realize the only thing we've freed so far is this wall from its foundations, right? Now if your lord- and ladyships are quite finished—"

"Well said, Gav," Clive said. "We have work to do."

When their conversation ended, Lyra noticed Goetz had gotten off the Enterprise. She ran over to the merchant to greet him. "Goetz! It's wonderful to see you again."

Goetz smiled from ear to ear before hugging the goddess. He was careful, remembering how he was much bigger than her. He laughed happily as he embraced her. "Yous here, Lyra!"

She giggled and did her best to hug him back. Unbeknownst to her and the merchant, their interaction was being watched by Dion. He was in awe at the goddess and how warm and kind she was to others.

"Such benevolence," Dion said.

"Indeed," Jill agreed. "She is the kindest soul I know."

Clive was gazing lovingly at Lyra. "Her kindness knows no bounds."

"How a true god should be," Dion added.

Jill and Dion walked over to the gate with Joshua and Gav. Goetz soon joined him after he finished talking to the goddess, leaving only her and Clive. She noticed the adoring look he was giving her and couldn't stop from smiling. "What's with that expression all of a sudden?"

"I was simply reminded of one of the reasons why I love you," he spoke honestly.

His words were a surprise but a welcomed one. She reached out her hand and placed it against his left cheek. Her thumb caressed the area just above his scar. "I truly do enjoy this sweet side of yours. Perhaps you could show it to me more often."

He covered her hand with his, his larger palm covering her entire hand. "I could possibly look into it."

She laughed. "Please do."

Clive and Lyra rejoined the others. While he went around talking to the others, she stared at the large gate. Figuring if it didn't open, she could fly everyone to the Mothercrystal.

Once all the arrangements were made, Clive walked up to the gate and stood next to Lyra as he addressed everyone. "You all know what it is that awaits us beyond this gate. And we shall face it together."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Clive started to push open the gate. However, he was stopped when he saw another horde of Akashic entering the courtyard. Among their ranks were Akashic behemoths. Goetz panicked and backed away from the encroaching enemies.

"It seems our hosts would rather we remained." Dion made a quick decision and ran over to the gate. "I will stay them."

"We will stay them," Jill corrected the prince as she ran up to the gate. "Go."

Gav joined the two. "Just don't keep us waiting!"

Dion, Jill, and Gav used their strength to push open the heavy gates.

Clive was more than grateful for their help. "Thank you."

As the gate slowly opened, Lyra stepped forward in order to provide protection so they could safely cross the bridge. She stepped through the small gap, only to freeze when she realized Ultima stood a few feet away from her. "Why...?"

Ultima raised his hand toward her. "Come, Gaia."

Her eyes widened when she sensed the aether. From behind, she could hear the clanking of armor and heard Clive shouting her name. Before she could do anything, she felt herself being dragged into darkness.

Having witnessed Ultima take her, Clive charged furiously at the entity. "What did you do?!"

Joshua was behind him, ready to unsheathe his blade at any second. Alas, the brothers were also taken by the void. Torgal had jumped through just in time to cross to the other side before the void was sealed.

|| The Interdimensional Rift ||

Clive was stirred from his unconscious state by Torgal's barking and whimpering. He pushed himself off the ground and came face to face with the canine. His eyes followed Torgal's movements when he walked over to an unconscious Joshua and nudged him with his nose.

"Joshua!" Clive rushed over to him and shook him. "Joshua, wake up!"

Awaking from his unconscious state, Joshua met his brother's worried gaze. "Clive, is that you?" He sat up and looked at their dark surroundings. He noticed the floating remnants of what appeared to be a temple. "This... This isn't Stonhyrr..."

Once the brothers were on their feet, Ultima's voice echoed around them. "Welcome to our darkness. A rift between worlds wherein your kind might...reflect."

"Show yourself!" Clive shouted angrily.

"Grave and many are the sins of man. And we would have you know them. All of them. As Fate has seen fit to deliver you home... Consider this our welcoming gift."

Joshua looked around again. "It would seem we are trapped."

"And the only way out is through Ultima." Clive gazed out into the darkness. "But first, we need to find Lyra."

"If she is here, we will find her."

The brothers took another look at their surroundings until they noticed a strange glow from the corner of their eyes. Looking for the source, they were bewildered at seeing a glowing spectral image of Lyra in a beautiful dress. Her golden locks were in a half-up half-down style and a golden laurel crown sat on top of her head.

Clive took a few steps toward the spectral image. "Lyra..." He reached a hand out to touch her, but Joshua stopped him by grabbing his outstretched arm.

"This is not Lyra," Joshua said. "This...imagery may be Ultima's trickery or possibly her way of communicating to us. We should exceed caution around this apparition. Though it appears as Lyra, we cannot neglect the possibility of it being dangerous."

Reluctantly, Clive retracted his hand. "Of course..." He muttered sadly.

"I too wish to reunite with Lyra," Joshua said after noticing his brother's melancholy. "However, we must be alert for her sake and ours."

Clive clenched his fist tightly. "Right."

The spectral image of the goddess turned and walked toward a path as it reconstructed itself. Her body radiated brilliantly and provided the perfect amount of light to navigate through the rift. The specter stopped and turned to the brothers.

"It...seems we have no choice," Joshua said. "We must follow her."

"Considering she is a light in this darkness, you won't hear me complaining," Clive remarked.

When Clive, Joshua, and Torgal started to follow the specter, they followed her up the path until she stopped. They were confused until Ultima appeared in the darkness above. His stiff gaze drifted to the spectral image. "The goddess' essence lingers and has taken shape. No matter."

Clive glared at the other-worldly entity. "What the hell do you want?!"

Ultima's attention returned to the brothers. "If you are to comprehend the full extent of your transgressions, we must go back. To the beginning."

The being vanished.

Clive and Joshua searched the darkness for him, but their attention was drawn to the floating rubble as it slowly assembled to create a stone tablet.

"When the world was still young..." Ultima's voice echoed through the darkness. "We visited upon it a miracle—magic. And in its light did all life flourish."

An image appeared on the stone. It appeared to be a city. "Yet the price for this boon would prove heavy. A pall descended upon the land, painting the horizon black as night." The image slowly faded from the stone's surface. "Though we labored to forestall its spread, in this one endeavor, we stood powerless. And so we fled, that we might endure. Endure, that we might discover a means of salvation."

When Ultima's voice vanished and all was silent, Joshua reflected on the entity's words. "But if it was magic that caused the Blight...what of the Mothercrystals?"

Clive and Joshua then looked toward the path at hearing the sound of its reconstruction.

"I expect he'll tell us soon enough," Clive said. His gaze then fell on the glowing specter of Lyra. His eyes never left her being as he, Joshua, and Torgal followed her up the path. Many questions crossed his mind in regard to her spectral form and the information Ultima was sharing with them.

Not even a minute later, they arrived at an area lined with destroyed columns. Ultima's voice rang out a second time with him nowhere in sight. "Salvation, alas, was not readily to be had. First, we would require a land unvisited by the stain of corruption. An unprecedented journey lay before us. One beyond the limits of our fleshly bodies. And so we cast them off. Thus stripped to our very spirit did we find our new paradise."

A second stone tablet formed and the radiating image of the world appeared. "A land as pure as driven snow created by gods—Valisthea. Our first obstacle was the gods themselves, one we knew would never relinquish this world unto us."

"The slaughter of the heavens..." Joshua mumbled, his gaze drifting over to the spectral image of Lyra.

"With their annihilation, the world was ours and the true work began, for the black crept yet behind us. And soon did we arrive at a solution." The image of Valisthea began to fade and the stone tablet turned dark. "The illness having spread to every organ...there was but one escape from this fate. To start afresh."

Clive looked away from the stone tablet. "...With a new world. The one for which Barnabas labored. A paradise free from the Blight, where his god awaits. And where, if we only forfeit our wills and abandon everything we hold dear, humanity can join him. So, Ultima would have us follow in the footsteps of the king."

Joshua gazed at the stairwell leading further up the path. "And follow we shall." Turning back, he met his brother's eyes. "For now."

Clive, Joshua, and Torgal followed the illusion of the goddess deeper into the rift. The path continued to mend itself to give them easy access to the next structure of columns.

"To forge a new world would require not only power but a constitution strong enough to wield it," Ultima spoke again as a third stone tablet formed. "Acquiring the first would be simple. Untouched by the Blight, Valisthea was replete with aether. And we had only to place jewels in her crown to claim it. Acquiring the second, however, demanded... creativity. And so, I cast forth the seeds of humanity."

Clive gazed in bewilderment at the image of a Mothercrystal appearing on the stone tablet floating above. He remembered what Lyra told him and Jill at Laetny's Hoard. "Lyra knew... She knew the Mothercrystals and humanity were not creations of the true gods. But you... You created us...?"

Ultima appeared above the stone tablet. "Is that not what gods do? Is that not what the gods of this forged star did? Creation—it is the crux of all. We sowed the seeds for you, Mythos. All that you might one day blossom. And, our future thus secured, we thought to slumber...though that would prove a grave mistake. For it was as we slept that man committed his greatest sin—he awoke. Alone in a world bereft of his god's radiance, he stumbled blindly, desperate for guidance.

Finding no light, he sought to kindle his own. And from that single, errant impulse was his will born. Having discovered himself at last...and allowing a single goddess to stand against us for centuries upon centuries. Man turned his eyes inward and found he desired ever more. That which only magic might afford. Not even the goddess could stop man. So wars were waged, and brothers slain, for custody over that dwindling resource...and the land, she wept tears of black."

With those final words, Ultima vanished.

Joshua couldn't believe the being's words. "He would condemn us for this? Surely he cannot be so blind to his own hypocrisy."

"Not blind. Just unwilling to admit the truth," Clive remarked. "That we're one and the same—a truth Lyra has been fighting for all these centuries by herself. Even after a seemingly endless cycle of death and rebirth, not once has she given up on us—on humanity."

"Then we shan't admit defeat either," Joshua said. He looked at the spectral image of his childhood friend. "Not for us or for Lyra. We must find her before Ultima does whatever he desires to her."

Clive clenched both fists by his sides tightly. "He'll pay for everything he's done. Let's go."