Final Fantasy XIV: Sundered Hero

Awakening

The Acre Of Healing 
1 day after Nidhogg's defeat 

Follicles of grass ripped through the air and passed along the wind that cut through like a knife.

Bruises and bloody marks laced the bodies of two men while their fists and kicks were strung together in seamless harmony. 

With each strike that was thrown, a sense of unwavering determination and grit cloaked the air around the two who were giving their all to out-show the other. 

Strun and Stryker had been sparring for a rough twenty-five minutes since arriving to the Acre of Healing, and with E-Sumi-Yan-brother to Kan-E-Senna-accompanying them with the goal of awakening the Warrior of Light, boredom struck like a fist through a plank and resulted in one of the most surprising workouts the both of them had gotten in a long time; all because they had nothing better to do. Stryker was particularly upset to have been shown up by that 3 foot tall murderer again, and while the Elezen he was fighting noticed how...off he seemed, he only used that anger from the monk as fuel to put his all into this rather bloody session of friendly fisticuffs. Meanwhile, the inside of the altar was ridden with the heroes closest to Dariya-all of them waiting eagerly for her awakening at the guiding hands of Cyprus and E-Sumi. As annoyed as the latter was to have to constantly explain himself, however, he was just as happy as the others to be able to see the hero of Eorzea in all her glory yet again.

"So, wait, run that by me again-"

"Alright, but this is the last time."

The boy lamented with a sigh as he stood near Dariya's sleeping body.

"Soul Surges are the aetherial encapsulations of one's emotions; simply put, what you felt during the battle against Nidhogg formed itself into a power befitting of your skills, and in turn, gave you a formerly inexplicable boost in strength that brought the wyrm to his end. All you have to do here is focus on that same feeling, and apply it to what Dariya is going through now. Only then should she awaken."

With the third explanation finally ringing clear, Cyprus understood all there was to having a Soul Surge; now having a solid grasp on what they were and what brought them about. With this in mind, though, his sudden outburst against Nidhogg made a lot more sense in hindsight. That unexplainable feeling of standoff-ish bravery was the fuel that he needed to fell the beast. It seemed like it just came out of nowhere at the time--but now, it was refreshing to have properly broadened his horizons through such potent information.

"...I can do that, yeah." 

He'd give E-Sumi the answer he wanted before stepping forward to gaze down at Dariya. His friend, practically the entire reason he was still here, had been on the shelf for two whole weeks because of one misfired arrow from G'raha Tia. He didn't blame G'raha, no, especially not in the situation they were in at the time. If anything, Cyprus blamed himself for not warning her of the arrow; hell, he was under the impression that he could have done anything to stop it and was only trying to suppress his feelings of guilt. Those wouldn't wake her up; he had to focus on what would. 

"..."

Silence filled the room while memories of Nidhogg began to flood back. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what caused his transformation, but Cyprus eventually found it to be a sense of recollection-the sacrifices made during the fall of Ala Mhigo that turned him into the man he is now. In a strange and poetic way, those same sacrifices could have been made during the defense effort of the Holy See. Any one of them could have perished at Nidhogg's hands, and the thought of having to live through a second massacre was what filled the paladin with that feeling of aggressive determination. This moment of recollection alone spawned a golden ball of light that emitted itself from Dariya's chest.