Prologue Departure Not all fates are intertwined. Like falling leaves caught in a gentle wind, they may cross paths once upon a time, and fall all the same, but take different paths and see different lands before their journey is done. Many fall to the ground and become one again with the earth, or drift out to the water and sink to the bottom of the sea. Some are burned, some are stored, some are used and some are cherished... and plenty are buried. So many fates burning... their cries of anguish are the fiery crackle of blistered skin and frying flesh, lives that were once something now little more than caustic blisters amidst an orgy of necrosis. Yggdrasil will fall to the flames of jealousy... I wonder. I wonder where you, you brilliant little things, where will you land? " Now, if my calculation are correct~ " Gearbags snerked and hopped off of his table, waddling over to Kayle with a palm outstretched " these little babies will take you to the Southern Continents. They work off of a quasi wish spectrum which interprets your desires and, well... they're magic. Since each of you knows ' kinda ' where you wanna go, they should take you to Radelf and put you smack dab where you need to go. " Kayle reached down and picked up a little golden band out of the Gnome's grimy hands with a queezy stomach. " This isnae gonna mess up like the first reforging is it? " Kayle muttered, slipping the thing onto his forefinger. It popped on and seemed to lock around the digit, and had the texture of cooled grease which unsettled Kayle's stomach even further. A rush of air by his ears was the only warning he had to dodge out of the way of a particularly heavy wrench the gnome swung at his head. " I don't mess up! " Gearbags danced away as Kayle hooked his right fist and missed just above the gnome's short stature. " It's not my fault you're so indecisive, ya panzy. I want this, I want that, I want my Mommy, wahhhh! " " He's always had mommeh issues. " Florianne grinned and pried her ring out of the gnome's hands, and slipped it on. " Least yea have one, brat. " Myralin was leaning back, having been the only thing between Kayle's red cheeked glare and Florianne's cheshire grin. Gearbags tossed up the ring and Myralin caught it between his hands with a soft " clink ", quickly taking a few steps back to put it on. " Ah a pity... I would have liked to have studied this place a bit more. You as well in fact... are you sure you won't let me take a piece of you? Think of the advancements, the studies! A draft of pure intellect and... shall we call it charming charisma? " Venin popped the ring onto a gloved finger and inspected it with what the party could only assume was a close eye... his new mask left even more to be desired of what the hell venin's actual face was like. Gearbags danced away with a gleeful laugh and a shake of his head, tossing the final ring to the stoic statue in the corner who had ordained not to join the rest of the part in their... ' send off ' . " Much more interesting than the two bickering children. " " Yea wanna take that by meh fer a second time? I'll crack yer mask again. " Florianne knuckled her freshly banded fingers around Rigor mortis with that same grin, hefting her partner in crime lightly in her palm. She was too eager to fight. Something inside of her was twisting and turning inside her mind, and Kayle could... no... Kayle? Kayle pulled his hand quickly away from his sword as his thoughts began to swim and he lost himself in the link. Those weren't his thoughts. " Maybe yea did mess up, he's startin to look a bit green around the cheeks ain't he? " Florianne's words snapped Kayle out of his daze. " Mind yer own Kaspin. It's of no nevermind to you. " Kayle answered harshly, gripping the ring with his thumb. Florianne's eyebrows went up, but she shrugged it off and lightly hefted her morning star once more. " Are you all well and done? My, I remember now why I didn't enjoy guests! Too much bickering, too many squabbles! You young people simply can't enjoy the pleasure of manners and guests, ain't that right? " Gearbags affectionately patted his brother's soul jar which has just been given a fresh batch of alchemically brewed roses, and the little thing glowed a little in response. Gearbags cackled, spittle frothing as he laughed at some unseen joke and wiped away a tear from his eyes. " Oh hoo hoo, flesh indeed! Anyway, It's quite simple to activate, you only need to rub the ring three times! Oh, and i'd make sure to clench real hard. " A whoosh! pierced through the air as without a word Totlcatl vanished into thin air. He'd wanted to go in the end, Kayle just hadn't thought it was that badly. Gearbags, content with those words went back to his current work : a device that automatically toasted bread. Heresay. " Well... maybe we'll see each other when we get back. " Myralin offered with a smile that didn't look one bit sincere. A second whoosh, and Venin was gone. A scoff, and then a third saw that Florianne had silently left. Myralin looked at Kayle sheepishly, took a deep breath, and rubbed his ring. He too was sucked up. A month of waiting... all for this moment and so much had already changed. As Kayle looked down at that little band that slick of oil on the top of his stomach chilled until it made even his blood run cold. ' Do ah even want to go back? What's left that ah won't go and lose again, and again, and again... ' Gearbags coughed and blew his noise, and then resumed his idle clanging. Some sendoff. He didn't. He didn't want to go. It was just that something... some new little voice in the back of his mind that hadn't been there when he was a thief at freeport, or a fighter in Goldenrock that edged him on. Will ye forever let the earth chain ye to its depths... or will you rise above the flames and fly, li'l one ? He gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes. He rubbed the ring, and then... Nothing. Not the ground, nor the sky, nor the wind, not even reality itself. Suspended in animation for a single heartbeat, the universe melted away around him and left him in utter void. Then he fell.
