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“I must decline your offer.”
The finality of Gemma’s response brings her the same amount of shock as those around her.
The new woman she’d just met and been propositioned for assistance, Wuk Lamat of Tuliyollal, shifts from her prior expression of gleeful hope to perplexed surprise.
Erenville, confident that his regaling of tales about the Warrior of Light to his eager friend from the New World would amount to more than this, frowns in minor disappointment.
The same happens with Krile after her interest had piqued upon hearing the potential connections of the throne’s contest with her grandfather.
On the other hand, Alphinaud and Alisaie hide their similar thoughts better than the woman from Tural, but there is also subtle understanding in their eyes. Gemma swears the corners of Alisaie’s lips rise in a smile as though expecting this answer.
Finally, there is Hades at his wife’s side, not expressing his emotions at all. He remains a mystery to those around him, including the former Scions, leaving few clues that reveal his inner thoughts. Rather than say anything at all, he stays completely silent, letting Gemma handle this situation all on her own. The subtle writhing of his soul bound to hers informs her of his gentle coaxing, encouraging her to stay true to her answer.
That relaxes her from the suddenly uncomfortable situation she’s put herself in.
“Perhaps this is not what you wished to hear,” Gemma continues, watching Wuk Lamat with earnest. “However, I am no longer a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. I have settled down to get away from the requests of other nations and organizations. And most importantly, I… have a son to raise now.”
Few know of the growing family between her and Hades. They primarily keep to their island sanctuary and home, Elysia, since their return from Ultima Thule. Many moons were spent building their bonds together again—mending the fractures of their complicated relationship and learning from their trauma—before she became pregnant with their son. They had sworn their souls together by that point, partaking in the celebrations of an Eorzean bonding with their family and friends shortly after Zagreus’s birth.
While some unexpected events had occurred in the year since then, it has remained in Gemma and Hades’s best interests to focus on the growth of their son.
“I did not know of this when I spoke about your accomplishments to Wuk Lamat,” Erenville admits. As the one who invited Gemma to meet in Old Sharlayan for this impromptu meeting, he appears full of guilt now. “Had I known, I…”
Gemma shakes her head. “I would not have expected you to have this knowledge, especially given my disappearance since the Final Days. He is nearly one now and currently being watched by our friend at the Baldesion Annex while we meet.”
The gathered members outside the Studium nearly all appear understanding of Gemma’s reasons, but Wuk Lamat still looks disappointed. “Your explanation is sound, of course. But… you are certain of your answer? Your heroics and good deeds exactly suit the kind of champion I’d be honored to walk alongside with.”
“I am flattered by your words, but I am confident in my reply. While you’ve said that your father approves of foreign associates partaking in the contest, even encouraging it, my personal beliefs do not align. I have no desire to play a part in influencing another nation’s governing system. I already did plenty of that as a Scion. There is a reason I no longer call myself one.”
Everyone is quiet after Gemma’s words. She has the utmost desire to grab both Hades and Zagreus and flee from Old Sharlayan almost immediately, a mixture of both shame and embarrassment coursing through her. There should be no regret in the way she’s succinctly shared her feelings. That does not stop the lingering question in her chest raising to bring her momentary pause.
Even if it’s not what I want, should I help? that voice—another aspect of her—echoes back. What if the brother wins the contest and dooms their nation with his warmongering? What if they target Garlemald as they all suspect?
Is it right for me to decline?
To stop her train of thought, Alphinaud speaks up to break the silence. “Wuk Lamat, you will find that all of us former Scions have different opinions on the matter. While Gemma’s is sound, not all of us would follow the same course. If you would have us, my sister and I would be eager to join as your champions for the Dawnservant’s throne.”
Alisaie nods. “Given our recent work in Garlemald, we actually came to Old Sharlayan to learn more of how our neighbors of differing races and ideologies might engage with one another. Tural is a perfect example of what we were looking for.”
That brightens Wuk Lamat up almost instantly. “Truly? You would!?”
As Krile also speaks up with her interest, Gemma takes the moment to politely bow before turning to make her leave. She’s thankful that spirits have been lifted with her friends expressing their desire in assisting Wuk Lamat with the contest, taking a shred of the guilt away from her.
Still, something within her chest ails her. Perhaps reuniting with Zagreus will ease her mysterious worries. Even a few bells away from him makes her anxious.
Hades presses a hand against her arm before she starts walking away. Curious, she angles her gaze towards him still focused on the group now conversing together about future arrangements.
“Hades?” she wonders aloud, focusing on the interest writhing in his soul.
To her surprise, he looks entirely focused on Wuk Lamat for what feels like an eternity. She nearly speaks up again to ask what’s wrong when he finally pulls his sight away from the others.
“If you do not mind, I will remain for now,” he murmurs. As though to not worry her, he gifts her a quick wink. “Curiosity is all. I will meet you back at the annex shortly, my dear.”
‘Shortly’ turned into roughly a bell. In that time, Gemma merely watched Zagreus as he slept in their room, exhausted from the day’s travel to Old Sharlayan it seems. He gave Hythlodaeus nary an issue in her absence.
Her anxiety had primarily left her when being reunited with her son, simply enjoying the sounds of his breathing while she also finally took a breath after being alone for a time. However, there remained a lingering sadness in her chest that she couldn’t pinpoint.
Hades notices this when entering the room with Hythlodaeus again in tow. He gestures a greeting towards her, but also motions to hasten at his side which has her raise her eyebrows.
“Would you care for a walk with me?” he asks her. “Hyth has offered to watch him again.”
“That’s nearly all he’s been doing today, though,” Gemma mentions, her eyes shifting to their friend with a furrowed brow. “I think he’d rather meet up with the others in the city while we’re all here…”
“In due time, I’m certain I will have the pleasure!” Hythlodaeus insists. He crosses the room with a jolly few steps, peering down at the sleeping toddler. “It won’t be much trouble, I assure you. Our dear Hades has much to discuss with you, after all.”
“Does he?” Gemma glances at her husband with wonder. “Very well. Thank you, Hyth.”
Hand in hand, she and Hades leave the annex when dusk is settling in on the horizon. It’s arguably the most peaceful time in the city with most of its residents taking to their homes for the remainder of the evening, but the air is cool and refreshing—a telling sign of the shifting of seasons. Warm colors radiate over the water, reflecting the beautiful sunset in a myriad of rays.
He takes her to a nearby bridge where this sight is at its peak, electing to release her hand and rest his arms over the railing. She cocks her head in curiosity while remaining mesmerized by the beautiful sight of her soulmate framed by the peaceful landscape.
“Are you daydreaming?” she says with a chuckle, meeting him at his side to look over the view.
“I am recalling our time in Radz-at-Han nearly a year ago,” he replies. “The colors of the sky remind me much of the city.”
“Mmm.” Her eyes capture his with amusement. “Our honeymoon?”
“Indeed, as well as the ensuing adventure from a particular treasure map.”
“In no small part thanks to your knowing suggestion of what we would discover, my love,” she reminds him.
She catches the now growing smile on his face.
The memories from that time come flooding back to her. Perhaps by sheer coincidence or fate itself, their honeymoon in Radz-at-Han turned into the quite the adventure that shifted the dynamics of their world once again. They’d stumbled upon Estinien in the city and he’d given the couple a curious map to investigate should they wish.
Gemma thought it would lead to nothing more than a silly treasure hunt, but Hades had immediately recognized where the map would take them. He’d then shared with her the significance of the find, knowing that in due time, he would need to take Gemma to this place in the near future.
“The ruins beneath the waters of the Bounty…” That was the first time he’d made mention of it when they nearly parted in Ultima Thule.
But in Radz-at-Han with the map in hand, he’d finally shared more.
“Something stirs within these ruins that you must see.”
That something within the ruins named Alzadaal’s Legacy had been a void gate. Upon their journey and discovery of the phenomenon, much happened in quick succession. She’d informed Y’shtola and Vrtra, but the latter had already known of this gateway to the void.
The sequence of following events—the tragedy of Azdaja, Vrtra’s lost sibling, and the forces lingering within the void—led to consequences Gemma could not take on at the time with the recent birth of Zagreus. She felt utmost grief for Vrtra’s loss and concern for the dark forces making plans on the Thirteenth, but this time, it was not her place to become involved so intricately.
Her fellow former Scions were instead the ones to save Azdaja and foil the plans of Golbez alongside a new ally named Zero—a voidsent who was once bound to Zenos of all people—and for that, Gemma was grateful. Even if she did lend her assistance at times, such as traversing to the First to aid in the use of the everlasting light to balance against the void and ending the fiend Zeromus alongside Hades before it could break through to the Source, she could take little credit for what she did. It was primarily her allies who succeeded in the end.
“You are smiling.”
Gemma blinks, removing herself from her memory to look back at Hades. He’s watching her carefully with golden irises, half-lidded and full of questions he dares not unveil yet.
“Of course I would be,” she answers with confusion apparent in her tone.
“And thus, you have decided to not embark on another adventure?”
Oh.
She quickly comes to the realization of what he means to discuss with her. “So that’s what this is about…” That persistent tug of disappointment makes itself known in her chest again. A sigh comes from her lips, now feeling frustrated out of nowhere. “Do you not trust my answer to Wuk Lamat? I have no regrets with how I answered her proposal.”
He shakes his head in disagreement. “On the contrary, I am in full agreement with your answer—and your reasons.”
“Then…” She sighs again. The words are difficult for her to process in the wake of her tumultuous emotions. “Then what is this… uncertainty? Clearly, you sense something of the sort in me. I want nothing to do with another nation’s politics, let alone influence the election of its new leader. There is a reason why you are not directly intervening in the rebuilding of Garlemald when it comes to their governing body. We both have similar beliefs when it comes to our… involvement.”
“Indeed. Few others have such good sense as you and I.”
“So?” She presses him while ignoring his minor attempt of humor, wishing for his guidance in understanding what ails both of them. “What is it that you wish to share, Hades?”
He looks back out at the open sky and sea, taking a moment to reflect on both her words and the thoughts that seem to plague him. She remains quiet while patiently awaiting his answer.
“The sights we’ve seen—many are unexpected, such as our travels into Alzadaal’s Legacy and the Thirteenth, while others were planned like Radz-at-Han. The people we’ve helped, both new and old, are much the same. They bring a stirring within your breast, do they not, my dear?”
Gemma’s hand rises from her side to press against her chest, looking to find this sensation that Hades describes. It lingers still from the mere memories of their adventures in the past year.
Unexpected they were, and grueling as well. But he is right.
“Do not participate in this contest as you already declared,” he continues with a hint of ferocity that catches her attention. “But what is stopping you from seeking what you desire in that distant land? Is there not an adventure you seek from what was revealed from our Turali visitors?”
She contemplates his words, thinking on what they could mean. Her brain picks apart the conversation with Wuk Lamat and all she described in her initial proposal. The contest for a new Dawnservant to replace her father, the desire for champions from other nations to assist those partaking in the rite of succession, the mysterious involvement of a golden city…
A golden city…
She speaks without thinking. “Whatever did she mean about the contest supposedly involving the golden city? The one from the legends?”
“The fabled golden cities of the New World…”
Of course, she quickly realizes once again. I have heard this before, too.
“You know what Wuk Lamat was referring to when she mentioned a golden city,” Gemma says with confidence, awe upon her gaze as she watches Hades peer out over the horizon again. “And once again, you urge me to seek what it was you wished for me to see.”
He nods. “I sense the rush in your soul, my dear. Much as I have my own desires to guide you along the way, I also have no intention of forcing these decisions upon you.” His eyes shift from the view to meet hers. “The prospect of going to the New World troubles you, but why not consider what you stand to gain instead? That is, an enticing journey to a faraway continent, doing whatever you please. I daresay you may even feel some inclination to help Wuk Lamat after all. It is very much like you to help those in need.”
She chuckles softly at his observation of her habits. “I can’t put it past me, I suppose…” After a pause of reflection, she still feels uneasy about this suggestion. “Still… what is it that you know, Hades? For what reason should I seek this golden city?”
“Outside of your mere curiosity?” he murmurs with a smirk. “Should my theories prove correct, I believe the current leader is using this contest as a means to further explore the golden city. That is what his daughter has implied with my further investigations.”
Gemma senses she understands where this is going. “You stayed to ask Wuk Lamat more questions after I left earlier.”
“And received more in response.” He reaches into his chest pocket and pulls out a piece of worn parchment she doesn’t recognize. “Krile also provided some curious information—a letter she’s kept that was addressed to her grandfather, written by Gulool Ja Ja, to investigate the golden city. However, we believe it may be forged.”
“The current Dawnservant again…” she shakes her head, unable to fit all the pieces together. “I’m not completely following your train of thought. What does it all mean?”
“Enough for me to conclude that the man should be in possession of something of exceptional value,” he finally says. That ferocity from before comes back into his expression. “I know enough to believe there is a connection. Regardless of our involvement in the contest, this likely possibility has piqued my interest considerably.”
Even just hearing Hades speak of this thing the Dawnservant may have stirs Gemma with utmost curiosity. It sends her heart racing in fervent want, sending all other logic from before aside to discover the secrets that are buried within that continent.
“I…” she begins, thinking of their son again. “Should we? While the idea is intriguing, I thought we wished to stay with Zagreus for a time.”
“What’s stopping us from taking him along?”
He’s right. So why am I pushing back?
She puffs her cheeks in embarrassment, the answer nearly there for her despite how much she’s fighting it. “Right—yes. But even if we considered this, for what reason should I follow this selfish curiosity over what is logical?”
“Your ethos, my dear,” he murmurs with a hint of longing. “It is in your nature to follow your heart’s desires—to chase that curiosity, leading to one new adventure after another—while staying true to your beliefs. Life is a series of journeys, and there's no telling what awaits the two of us on the long road. But what's important is to be true to yourself as you walk it. Only then can we hope to be content when we arrive at the end of one and step forward into another. Would you not agree?”
A stirring of wonder returns to her chest.
Ah… I see now.
It has taken her some time, but Gemma is finally fully understanding what Hades is trying to tell her. There is no obligation for her to heed the call of Wuk Lamat. But what is stopping her from chasing her curiosity to the New World of her own free will? What is stopping her from seeing these new sights and meeting new people, traversing a different path that may lead to the same outcome of discovering the secrets of a golden city?
There are limitless possibilities. Limitless adventures, memories, and tales to be created. The sole truth is that she craves them all, the soul of Azem the Wanderer radiating within her.
Nothing is stopping me, she realizes with a smile.
“I… well, I suppose you are right,” she says, releasing a small laugh when realizing how fun this new adventure suddenly sounds. Then, she nods in agreement. “Zagreus would appreciate the adventure alongside us, would he not? There’s no reason why he cannot come with us, as you said. My mother and father travelled all over Eorzea with me on their backs when they were merchants. I daresay that tradition can still be kept alive with our own family, after all.”
“A wonderful idea, my dear. Perhaps we can convince Hythlodaeus to join us on our travels as well. The man is just as eager to traverse a new land.”
“Then it is settled!”
Gemma pushes herself away from the railing and grabs his hand, pulling him with her to return back to the annex. The excitement is already brimming within her soul to discover what secrets may be found on this new adventure.
It is a feeling that’s been sorely missed.
“Let us proceed with our plans! I am already brimming with anticipation to discover all there is for Tural to share!”
With a smile full of confidence and his soul bursting with pride around hers, Hades gifts her with one of his lovely smirks.
“With haste, my dear wanderer.”