Warriors of Light

Balance and Ruin

 

 

“Oh, come on,” Hyelin teased, elbowing Yeri in the side. “You’re not going to tell me you haven’t always wanted to ride in an airship before~?”

“An airship?” Irene asked cautiously. Even the Empire didn’t have something like that in their arsenal.

“There’s only one airship in the world,” Joy explained with undisguised disdain, “and it’s little more than a flying casino these days.”

What was an airship? A ship in the air? Seulgi had never heard of such a thing and was more than a little concerned that Hyelin was suggesting they ride in one. Even Boko couldn’t fly, and Seulgi was desperately hoping someone would suggest a more tried and true method for breaching the Southern Continent’s interior.

“Who do you know who has an airship?” Irene persisted, turning to Joy. It somehow made sense that an engineer like Joy would know all about it.

“I wouldn’t say I know them,” Joy clarified. “I just know of them. And I bet you do, too.” Irene raised an eyebrow at that.

“Does the name Moon Byuli ring any bells?” Yeri offered, and Seulgi was surprised to see a look of utter disgust cross Irene’s normally serious features.

Captain Moonbyul is what she goes by these days, I believe,” Joy added, still very clearly unimpressed. “Your bright idea is to get her to take us to Vector?”

Hyelin gave her a leveling look. “It’s better than your idea of just marching in there and getting flayed at the first checkpoint.”

Yeri stepped in between them as the redhead stood up from the chair, using Seulgi for support. “Ladies, ladies, please!” the blonde pleaded. Yeri knew why Hyelin was so quick to think of Moonbyul: their old gang used to do regular business with the airship pilot to mutual advantage. The notorious gambler indulged in many vices and kept the smugglers busy, while also offering them a little extra space in her ship’s cargo hold in exchange for a discount.

“Does she still… have an arrangement with you guys?” Yeri asked.

Hyelin shrugged. “She doesn’t come around as often as she used to, but the boss will know more.”

The boss. The leader of their old gang. Yeri became lost in thought as a different redhead was dug up from her memories.

“We’re not actually considering this, are we?” Irene asked Joy. They were already here, in Albrook. They were so close…

But Joy turned to Seulgi. “What do you think?” the queen asked.

Seulgi pointed at herself. “What? Me? What do I think of what?”

Irene glared at Joy suspiciously.

“What do you think we should do? You don’t know Captain Moonbyul, and you don’t really know anything about Vector I’m guessing…?” She waited only for Seulgi’s nod of confirmation before continuing. “You don’t have any of the biases that we have with this whole situation, so I want to know what you think.”

“Military strategy from the chocobo rancher,” Seulgi thought she heard Irene mutter. She was beginning to have mixed feelings about Irene becoming more vocal since when they had first met.  

“A chocobo rancher?” Hyelin repeated in surprise, turning to Seulgi.

Yeri clapped a hand on Seulgi’s shoulder. “Listen, just because we’re asking for her opinion doesn’t mean we have to go along with it.”

That vote of confidence seemed to put everyone else at ease, except for Seulgi.

She shrugged her shoulders awkwardly. “I don’t know. It seems like trying to head straight into Vector might be too dangerous right now…” and she paused, trying to gauge the others’ reactions. “If we try to head inland, and realize it’s not going to work… and then come back and our ship’s been impounded…”

Hyelin was giving her very encouraging nods while Yeri was pensive. Irene simply crossed her arms as she waited for Seulgi to finish, probably crafting a counter-argument. Joy seemed to be the only one listening impassively.

“But you guys seem to know more about their battle plans,” Seulgi continued cautiously. “Can we… can we afford to wait to attack while we look for this captain?” Could they afford to let another siege of Doma happen?

“It is a risk,” Joy admitted.

“You could say… it’s a gamble,” Hyelin added, unable to help herself. Joy’s fingers twitched, as if looking for her crossbow.

“There aren’t many cities left to protect,” Irene said darkly. As far as kingdoms were concerned, there was only Figaro left, and a few fringe city-states.

“We lost a lot of good people at Doma,” Joy began, “but there are still some other Returners out there. Our group is loosely affiliated and we try to attack the Empire on every side we can, so any push the Empire makes, I know Returners will be there with a response.” She paused as she mulled over Seulgi’s words. “But we were gathering for a final press on the capital. This was supposed to be it. We had all the tools and strategies laid out… and then the raid happened.”

Seulgi waited a moment then tentatively spoke up again. “Then why throw that all away by marching straight into the capital now? Shouldn’t we… I don’t know, try to regroup? Maybe we can come up with a better plan.”

It might not have been the most eloquent way of putting it, but now that Joy was presented with another option, she was starting to think that maybe they were being a little hasty. She glanced around the cabin and saw similarly doubtful expressions on the others’ faces. Except for Hyelin, who was rubbing her hands together eagerly.

“So, when do we leave~?”

+++

 

Irene was surprised to see a little girl sitting on one of the chairs lined along the wall when she arrived to her fencing lesson. She gripped her sheath awkwardly as she froze in the doorway. The other young girl hadn't noticed her yet, and was staring down at her feet as she kicked them back and forth in thought. Irene had never seen her before; she didn't realize there even were other children in the barracks aside from herself. Was she the daughter of one of the officers? Regardless, this was the time for Irene's fencing lesson, so what in Odin's name was she doing here? Irene looked around for the maestro, but the room was otherwise empty.

Irene froze up again as she saw the girl hop off the chair and skip towards her. She gave Irene a bright smile and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Wendy! I'm so happy to see another kid like me! I hope we can be friends!"

Wendy.

The Empire's Witch.

Irene stared down at her hand warily. To say she hadn't been curious about the rumors she had heard from the officers in the mess hall would be a lie, but she didn't know Gestahl's Witch was only a child like herself. In fact, Wendy looked like she might even be a few years younger than her. Irene finally put out her hand, and Wendy didn't hesitate to take it and give it a hearty shake.

"What's your name?" the younger girl asked excitedly.

"... Irene," she replied, fighting a smile that was beginning to form on her lips despite her apprehension.

The talk amongst the older officers hadn't been kind, and Irene was a little nervous about being alone with someone who was rumored to be able to light things on fire with just a look.

But this girl didn't look threatening at all.

In fact Wendy’s demeanor was so far removed from the word ‘threatening’ that Irene was beginning to doubt the validity of those rumors. She was having this disarming effect on Irene that was entirely unfamiliar and frankly a little disorienting.

"We're friends now, right?" Wendy pressed. "Oh, please say yes!"

Irene looked down at their hands again, seeing the way this little girl was holding Irene's in both of hers.

She had never had a friend before.

"... Yeah. We're friends."

+++

 

Irene opened her eyes to the sound of waves lapping against the hull of the small cutter, and the gentle rocking of her hammock as it hung between the ship's wooden ribs.

She leaned up carefully and looked around at the other hammocks. She saw through the gloom that new girl they had picked up, Hyelin, was sleeping in a hammock above Yeri, tacked to the opposite wall of the ship. This meant Seulgi should be fast asleep beneath her own. She very carefully slid out of her hammock and climbed down using the worn footholds carved into the wood of the ship.

But as she hopped down to the ground, she saw that Seulgi's hammock was empty.

Irene's gaze searched for Boko in the darkness, and she thought she could make out the figure of the chocobo gently cooing as it roosted at the front of the hull, nestled between the barrels.

No Seulgi.

Was she up on the deck? Irene had been hoping to get some air herself, but now she reconsidered, not exactly in the mood to make polite conversation with the rancher. But after another moment she decided to head topside anyway, wondering why it suddenly mattered to her at all where Seulgi was, and whether or not she might have to talk to her.

The night air was chilly, as she pushed open the trapdoor and stepped up onto the deck. Irene could make out Joy up at the helm, though she seemed to be keeping watch more than making any course corrections. The ex-general's attention was drawn, however, to the sound of a sword slicing through the air.

Seulgi was up near the prow, repeating a four- combination Irene had taught her: one-two-three-four, step-step-step-lunge. And then she would back up and start again.

"Hey," Joy whispered down to her.

Irene glanced back up at Joy and climbed the stairs up to join her at the helm. She gripped onto a length of rigging a few feet away from the redhead; it seemed like she was going to get pulled into a conversation whether she wanted it or not.

"Can't sleep?" Joy asked after a moment.

One-two-three-four, and then Seulgi paused as she wiped her arm across her forehead. She backed up to start again.

"No," Irene admitted, absently watching the eager trainee. "How much longer will you keep watch? I can stay if you want to rest."

Joy gave her a wane smile. "I might take you up on that, though it's really Yeri's turn next."

Irene shrugged. She was already awake and she could nudge the blonde when she got tired again.

Step-step-step-lunge.

"How long has she been like that?" Irene asked, nodding at Seulgi.

"About an hour now. We were talking for a while before that," Joy said leisurely.

"She should rest, too," Irene muttered.

Joy looked over at Irene curiously in the darkness. "I think she feels like she has a lot of catching up to do."

"She doesn't belong out here."

"Why not?" Joy asked with a note of surprise. "Doesn't she have just as much right to fight for her freedom as the rest of us?"

Irene was silent for a moment. The queen had a point, and Seulgi certainly had bravery and determination on her side, but if determination was all that it took to overthrow the Empire, this war would have ended long ago.

"I get it, you don't want to see her get killed. I feel the same," Joy reasoned.

Irene gave her a sidelong glance. She had seen many people die over the course of her career: soldiers who had become swept up in the rhetoric of the Empire and enlisted; bright-eyed young men who thought they were protecting their families too. She had seen them get cut down by the enemy - no, the resistance - over and over again. And death was death, whether it came for an Imperial soldier, or a country girl like Seulgi.

"Oh, right, sorry," Joy said in mild annoyance. "I forgot who I was talking to."

One-two-three-four. Irene let her gaze be pulled back to the rhythmic sound of Seulgi's footsteps. She was tired of it. She was tired of being assigned more officers, more platoons, only to see those under her command get struck down again and again. She didn't have anymore room in her heart for that kind of loss.

She was tired of making friends.

"Get some rest, Joy," Irene said.

"If you say so," the queen replied as she relinquished her post. "But Irene?"

Irene waited.

"I think we really need someone like her around. You know, to remind us why we're doing this."

Joy was right, Seulgi was a reminder for Irene. A reminder of why she had lost her post, and a reminder of every cruel decision she had made before that.

How many other brothers had she condemned to death?

+++

 

When Seulgi finally decided to take a break, she was surprised to see that Irene had taken Joy's place up at the helm. Seulgi was the only person on the ship who lacked navigational skills and she felt guilty that each of the other girls always lost sleep taking their turns keeping them on course. The least she could do was try and make sure she'd be handy in a fight by practicing her technique whenever she had a chance.

She wondered if Irene had been watching her, and if she had any comments about her form. She stuck her sword back in her belt and shook out her wrists the way Irene had shown her so sternly the other day before heading back towards the helm.

Irene frowned a little as she saw Seulgi begin to walk over. She really didn't need any new friends, but they were trying to avoid the coastlines as much as possible, in case their unmarked ship drew any unwanted attention, which meant they were stuck out at open sea with only each other for company.

"Hey," Seulgi said as she climbed the steps.

Irene nodded at her curtly.

Seulgi hesitated a few feet away, shifting her weight with the rocking of the ship before speaking up. "I didn't notice how late it was, I didn't get a chance to say goodnight to Joy."

Irene glanced at her. "I’m sure she didn’t want to bother you while you were practicing,” she said. Seulgi making a particular case about saying goodnight to Joy was curious to Irene. Did she think because she was a commoner and Joy was a queen that it meant she was supposed to attend Joy? Seulgi and Irene had both met Joy in similar ways, out in the wilds instead of in the austere confines of a castle’s great hall, so Joy’s royal title had never left much of an impression on Irene, or at least, not in the classist way it seemed to have impressed Seulgi. The title of ‘queen’ was something Irene had seen in more of a functional capacity while they were making their plans to undermine the Empire, more than a delineation between the aristocracy of the World of Balance versus its peasant classes.

And speaking of classism… “We still have several days before we'll reach Zozo." And next to Zozo was one of the hubs of the upper echelons of society, the city of Jidoor, with it’s famous opera house.

Seulgi nodded, then gave a small laugh that caused Irene to raise her eyebrow involuntarily. "I've never ridden in an airship before."

"... Me neither."

"Really?" Seulgi asked. Irene seemed like the type who was proficient at just about everything; she was surprised to hear there was something out there that Irene wasn't experienced with.

"You sound surprised," Irene stated. "You heard Joy: there's only one airship in the world." Irene wondered how someone who seemed to know so little about the world could be so ready to throw herself into their mission. It was an innocence Joy seemed to think they needed, but which Irene found to be a handicap in their plans.

"Oh, right." Seulgi was silent for a beat. "I guess I was just hoping you might have some insight about flying."

Irene watched her for a moment, then let her gaze drift up to the star-strewn sky. "Flying, huh?"

Seulgi was about to add something to that, but when she looked back over at Irene and saw the way the shorter girl was gazing up at the stars, she lost her train of thought.

"When you switch between crown guard and cross guard, don't wave the point of your sword around so much," Irene absently instructed, without looking at Seulgi. "Keep it one smooth motion. You need to control the end of your blade just as much as the rest of it."

Seulgi smiled and stepped closer.

"There's a swordsman up there too, you know?" she said, pointing up at the sky. Irene glared at her, and Seulgi's smile widened. "But maybe you already knew that."

Irene debated within herself for a moment before answering. "... No, I didn't." It was true, she knew a thing or two about navigation, but she was only familiar with constellations that helped her orient towards the cardinal points.

Seulgi leaned in and pointed upwards, trying to show Irene exactly what she was looking at. Irene squinted and looked along Seulgi's outstretched arm.

"There, those three stars are his belt, and then there and there, those ones are his shoulders. It kind of makes this hourglass shape," Seulgi explained.

Irene willed herself to look where Seulgi was pointing, instead of at the taller girl's dimly lit features. Seulgi’s open expression, and the way she spoke without judgement... Irene was finding herself more interested in the way the stars were reflected in her eyes than in her explanation of their configurations.

But… "Why is he called the swordsman?" she asked quietly.

"Oh," Seulgi paused. She tried to remember the way her father had told the story, all those years ago when he had taken Seulgi and her brother out on a late night walk around their fields. "Well, he’s really called the Warrior of Light. There’s a story about how he and his four friends saved the world from fiends trying to control the elements," and she risked a glance at Irene, to see if she thought the story sounded silly, but to her surprise, Irene was watching her intently. She continued, “S-so the Warriors of Light went around and defeated them, one by one, and helped save the world together.”

Together. “So why is he up there by himself?” Irene asked. Where were his friends?

“Oh, uh, my father said it’s because he’s waiting until the world’s in trouble again, then he’ll go find the others and save everyone.” She remembered asking the same question back then.

And Seulgi was giving her that goofy smile again. Irene leaned away from her, and Seulgi realized how close she had been standing in her attempt to show Irene the constellation.

"You should get some rest," Irene said quietly, looking back out at the sea.

But Seulgi wasn't in a hurry. "I suppose..."

"Go," Irene ordered. Seulgi's smile was reminding her of something, or rather, of someone, and she could feel herself beginning to get caught up in something that she couldn’t bare to face again.

Seulgi sighed and let her shoulders droop a bit. She began heading towards the stairs to the deck but paused and looked back, her expression dangerously wistful. "Goodnight, Irene."

Yes, Seulgi was a reminder to Irene. She reminded Irene of how she had lost her post, of all of the cruel decisions she had made throughout her career, and how easily innocence could be lost in this dangerous world of theirs.

But she heard herself say, in spite of her numerous misgivings, "Goodnight, Seulgi."

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ThisIsHaro
I messed up this chapter a bit structurally but more will come soon so I'm trying not to kick myself about it too much

Comments

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born10966 #1
Chapter 30: Oh gosh. Wendy entered the Esper world.
I think the elders had a hidden purpose. Thanks for the update Author Nim
railtracer08
357 streak #2
Chapter 30: Yay update! Happy new year! Everyone's (Eunji<3) together again too. Time to go rescue Wendy? 😶‍🌫️

(I finished FF12 lol. The battle system took a while to get used to but after setting up the right gambits it was fine.)
Oct_13_wen_03 35 streak #3
Chapter 30: Happy new year author nim 🤍, can't wait for more 🤍
KaiserKawaii #4
Chapter 30: Author! Happy New Year!
railtracer08
357 streak #5
Chapter 29: Finally caught up! And i gotta agree, it does feel like im watching the actual game lol (so much so that i finally got around around to starting ff12 cause i was in a ff mood 😂)
I wonder what's Moonbyul's story tho, and if it has something to do with our yet to be seen moo girls 👀 assuming they'll ever show up lol
P.s. Seulgi's too precious for this world
railtracer08
357 streak #6
Chapter 19: Joy + chainsaw is a combo i never knew i needed lmao 🤣
railtracer08
357 streak #7
Chapter 11: Girl, you got it baaaaad 😏
Oct_13_wen_03 35 streak #8
update please author nim
Eris78
#9
Chapter 29: Thank you for coming back!
eunxiaoxlove #10
Chapter 29: Aaaaahhh I missed this