"Is that a share crystal?" asked Neptune, pointing to the piece of magicite with a curious look in her eyes. "Nah. It couldn't be. I can tell, you're not from my world, so you wouldn't have share power. So what is it then? Some kind of magic crystal? Can you rub it and look into weird and far off worlds with it? Sorry. Just being curious here. After all, getting to know new friends is important and everything. Something tells me it's more like a game disk than a share crystal anyways. Something you equip to augment your abilities and the like."
---
Dark clouds swirled overhead, the moisture clinging heavily to Alistia's clerical robes as she looked out over the field before her. Overhead the glowing and malicious red light of the moon pulsated down giving the field before her a sickly lighting. All around her, gathered from all three nations within the Alliance, was the last army of Eorzea. Not that troops didn't remain but, rather, if they fell here, there would be no more war. At her sides were her... companions. Fellow adventurers whom had stood at her side through thick and thin. Arbert, the leader of their group despite Alistia's powers due to his natural leadership, Blanhaerz whom was a massive towering Roegadyn paladin and faithful warrior of the light, J'rhoomale whom was a fellow Miqo'te despite being of the sun to Alistia's moon and the two getting along very poorly, Naillebert of elzen blood and arcane prowess, and herself of course. More were there as well, faces she recognized but the darkness seemed to veil their faces despite that it was midday. A loud noise filled the air as a streak of red filled the sky and an explosion rocked the earth miles away, strong enough to cause the pebbles on the ground to shudder. It wasn't even an attack. Just the sheer force of parts of the moon splintering off.
On the opposite side of the field, their lines already drawn up for battle and invasion, was the Garlean Empire. Their armored knights, their magitek machines, and worst of all, the glowing and pulsating red moon overhead. A sound filled the air as two more shards plummeted earthwards and the armies charged forwards towards each other with mighty cries of war. More shards rained down from on-high as the moon started to crack and blue light shone forth from within. More massive shards rained down and Alistia could see them slamming into the cities. Ul'dah, Gridania, Limsa, ripping through buildings with ease. Armies charged forth towards each other and the heavy clash of metal upon metal filled the air. Light flowed forth from Thyrus as Alistia tried to tap into the spirits of the earth, as, around her, soldiers met each other. A fellow Gridanian wielding a spear charged forth in the front lines only for the Garlean to raise his own shield up and, with a swift stroke, bring down his blade upon the Gridanian's neck. Instantly Alistia's mind snapped away from the spell of earth, changing over to healing magic as she cast, the light illuminating a body, a body she knew all too well to be little more now.
A blast of fire shot by her head as several of the magitek suits advanced forwards, their maws opened wide as fire magic formed for new blasts. A second volley came forth, wizzing past her head as she moved with deft feet to slip right between each of the blasts, only for them to slam into the ranks of Alliance forces incinerating multiple troops behind her. Her teeth gritted in anger as she tried to raise her staff up to launch an attack. Lightning shot out from her own ranks as Naillbert channeled forth magical lightning to strike the suits of armor as Albert rushed into the fray, his axe swinging wildly overhead and catching one of the suits of armor, practically ripping it up and off the ground before he brought the axe down upon it, terminating the suit. A volley of bullets ripped through the air, smacking into Albert and bouncing off his armor just as a barrier rose up and a volley of arrows from J'rhoomale silenced those whom had fired as the Miqo'te sprung through the air, bow in one hand and magic in the other in bardic fashion. Could she even do that? She couldn't remember the bard picking that technique up as she rushed to Albert's side, kneeling down beside him as she made sure he was fine. Blanhaerz came forth with his shield, planting it down firmly to block the rest of the incoming fire as Albert regained himself. Then, with a smile and wink, he turned around with the axe in-hand as he charged forth. Blanharz pulled up his shield and the two rushed forwards into the enemy lines, their blade and axe cutting through the enemies as another arrow silenced another Garlean. Another blast of fire from Magitek came down, missing the pair, only to explode as Naillbert returned with his own fire. Alistia hurried forwards, trying to get her staff up for support, only to not move. The muck of battle was too thick and her feet were being sucked into the mire. She pulled hard, trying to struggle to get free as her companions moved forth. Cries of battle as Alliance and Empire fought, explosions of magic and magiteck, arrow and bullet, and she was trying to pull herself free.
Then, overhead, the central spire of the moon came free. It rocketed earthwards, impacting the ground with its mighty size, towering upwards at least fourty stories tall if not more, the sheer force enough to cause both sides to cease their fighting as they tried to regain footing. Overhead the moon split open. A thousand upon a thousand pieces of moon filled the air as the primal Bahamut burst forth from within, tearing through it like it had been an eggshell. He was massive! His wings alone would have been large enough for a city to be founded upon, the palms of his hands large enough to cradle an entire platoon without noticing, and his maw large enough to end the battle with a single bite. As more and more of the moon fell away he let loose a mighty and massive bellow, loud enough to be heard around the world as thousands upon thousands of shards rained down, explosions piling on top of each other and ripping the land apart across Eorzea.
Then Bahamut took flight. His massive size catching shards and shrapnel in his wake. His speed fast enough to cause gusts strong enough to sweep people off their feet, and the pieces of the moon caught in his wake raining down upon the Alliance forces, ripping through them like the most savage of missile salvo's. All around her soldiers fell left and right. Two shards came towards Alistia who quickly managed to fling herself out of the way only for them to smack into more soldiers, the fires washing over their forms and char them to cinders as the torn face from one slammed firmly into her, its empty eyes and voiceless scream gazing up back towards her causing her to drop it in terror. More shards fell. More impacted the cities. The volume large enough to cause massive storms and waves of water, wind, and dust to wash over them. Her fellow companions came to her side, standing beside her and helping her upright.
Before them was Bahamut, in the air before them, ready to fight. He had almost destroyed everything with his mere passing and now the battle would be joined. His wings expanded in a mighty flap and parted the clouds, sending them scattering with ease. Suddenly, from across the land, massive spires of light shot forth towards the sky. Their final hope, their only hope, to stop such a powerful beast. The power of the twelve gods, called upon by fellow scions, issuing forth from across the entire continent. Spires of crystal and prayer rising upwards like massive spears, all the hopes of the people of the land condensed together. They rose upwards and surrounded the primal before shooting forwards, trying to impale him through and through as lightning and light surrounded Bahamut, his power protecting him. A shell started for form around him as, covering the entire sky, a mighty circle of magic formed, the full power of the gods coming to bear to seal the beast away again. Their symbols formed within the air, rising upwards, the seal almost finished. Only to be exploded in an instant, blasting away the prayers and hopes of the people, the power of the gods, and every chance at once as a mighty flare of power filled the sky, Bahamut remaining unphased, charging a flare to destroy all.
Alistia's hand came up, crying out to try and stop him, doing her best to bring the power of earth to bear, to form up, an attack, a ward, anything. As the very earth rose up to join in the flare there was only one fate. One conclusion. Light surrounded her companions as they were pulled away by teleportation magic. Alistia tried to run, the light seemingly forsaking her entirely, only to stumble and fall. A hand was clamped around her foot. Albert's. She screamed as she tried to pull herself away as, on the limits of her vision, she could see one of the scions, a close friend, getting ready to make the final sacrifice to stop Bahamut. His body glowed with crystaline light as, slowly, he started to rise up. His hand came down to grab Alistia's arm, pulling her deeper into the muck. He rose up higher and higher as Alistia tried to break free, tried to do anything, anything at all to stop the oncoming sacrifice as he shot through the air light a spear of light. Another arm came over her body as the head of an elzen woman came up besides her own. She twisted and tried to turn as the man slammed into Bahamut as another came forth to hold her down, that of a Roe woman, then a well-endowed Hyur woman, then an Ishgardian soldier... All as the final battle foe Eorzea played out overhead. More and more piled atop Alistia, soldiers, foes, friends, swarming over her, pulling her down below the mire and, just as her vision faded away, the sight of the mighty beast turned to crystal, defeated by the sacrifice of another.
---
Alistia gave a small yawn as she sat up on her bed, scratching her side before bringing her tail around for a scratch as well before bounding up and out of bed. Calmly she walked upstairs from her basement to her coffee table where a bowl of soup, a gift from a friend, lay out on the table.
"Please! Eat this! I haven't seen you eat anything in, like, a month. I made it especially for you." Alistia bent down to sniff it. It was a nice beef soup and, for a moment, she considered it before deciding she'd eat just a bit later. Getting dressed into her clerical robes she went over to a checklist. "Bloody dream again." mumbled to herself before yawning once more, stretching out as even her tail stood on end and her ears wriggled about. She had plans for today. A new group of adventurers needed training in one of the ancient temples, chocobo races, and today was the cactpot drawing! With a smile she opened the door to the outside and stepped out. Instantly a large yellow bird was on her, rubbing its head along her own.
"Hey Floofy! How are you doing boy? Feeling good?" she asked as she scratched him a bit and pet his beak. "Don't worry. I didn't forget about you. Just got a few errands and wanted to make sure you were awake. I'm going to get some stuff and I'll be right back." she said before pulling some greens out to feed him. Then she entered her house again and a green light filled the home.
---
"Mphg!" cried out Alistia, falling hard on her tail as she had been seated, bowl of soup formally in her hands now having suddenly found it's way atop her head as she collapsed down to the ground. She had just sat down and started to eat, a piece of meat stuck in her throat, when green light had suddenly filled her home. She coughed weakly, trying to wheeze just a bit and pound her chest to free the chunk.
"help!"
