I still don't remember anything before my life in Ul'dah. That is, I don't have memories of a time before I had the Echo, but.....even so, when everything is over, I think
No. Not "think".
When everything is over, I
want Alisaie to use her magicks on me.
I'm already aware that--setting aside my amnesia--I've been repeatedly exposed to Hydaelyn. Then there's the Lightwarden mess and the way I've grown increasingly skilled at fighting unbelievably strong beings....
I'm aware I've been physically changed already, even if it's not noticeable.
In other words, an advanced case.
Granted, if I were to be treated now, the next primal to sneeze in my general direction would kill me. So I'll have to stay this way a while longer....but that time will be needed to perfect the method.
It must seem strange, that with so much free thought I would still want this. That I
could want this. But I've seen Bahamut loosen His grip on His thralls, and I've seen Her take hold of those She's touched. She and Zodiark are different from the primals I've killed, but I don't believe they're that different.
To put it another way, we sundered fragments seem physically unrelated to our other parts, but the Oracle of Light was reliably identifiable for a hundred years. And I'd rather avoid such a stifling fate.
Perhaps I should go back to the start--we have a means to cure the Tempered.
Not all of them, yet, but Alisaie is a particular combination of idealistic and stubborn that makes the impossible happen. The kind of combination that makes me believe again.
And it only took building the most advanced magitek terminal network, fueling it with roughly half of Ishgard's ceruleum stores, and promptly frying it to a crisp.
It's a good thing Raha wasn't napping with the rest of us.
Well....arguably, he's the one that pushed the system to its death. Shutting it down would've left us with damage to repair, though, and parts to fetch for a safeguard--everyone agrees it was worth it. Even if it somehow wasn't, we couldn't have done it without him--using magitek for the memory extraction was his idea.
The information we got from Azys Lla, and memorizing the technique also wouldn't have been done as quickly, if at all. His intimate knowledge of Allagan technology and culture--as well as his sway over them--have probably passed every other living soul's by now, Ascians included.
"And what", you ask, "is our heroic friend doing now?"
Acting like a child in a sweets store, mostly....and getting caught doing so.
In hindsight, I'm amazed the Exarch act lasted a bell, let alone years--his ears perk up at just about anything, and it's equally easy for surprise or embarrassment to wilt them. Factor in how many summers he's seen, and it's...addicting.
It makes me really,
really want to mess with him.
Just a little, though. And by that, of course, I mean "a lot". Call it making up for lost time, or something along those lines.
Mostly it's just fun.
Not very heroic, I suppose, but the title of hero has never really suited me. But I digress.
Getting everything together and future-proofing the technique took us back to Idyllshire....I never really stopped to appreciate it before now, even though most of the Scions would have known the place before it fell into ruin. Granted, the twins were young and most of my information comes from them, but...the others don't really talk about it.
As for the towers....sudden materialization usually requires glamors, but given what we know, an Ascian summoning isn't out of the question. As far as what they do and how we'll deal with them....let's just say I see a lot of, as Alisaie puts it, "stuffy meetings" in our future.