Dissidia Final Fantasy: Unus Mundus

Chapter Ten ~ The Derelict City (Warrior of Light)

The entire walk away from Cornelia was silent between the Warrior of Light and Garland. For what felt like the first time in his life, the Warrior of Light actually felt quite awkward, walking in silence with a man he once killed. Garland's face was hidden behind his helm, so it was at least easy for him to hide his emotions. The further they walked, the stranger the land seemed to appear. Finally, Garland decided to break the silence.

"We should probably stop before we collapse from exhaustion," he said. "I'm sure that woman would like to rest as well."

The Warrior of Light looked at the green-haired woman in his arms and nodded, gently laying her down in the grass as he turned towards Garland. "Could you gather some firewood?"

Immediately, Garland scoffed. "What? Why should I do it?"

"I don't trust you around this woman," the Warrior of Light responded. "I'd rather not make any unnecessary risks."

"Believe me. If I wanted to try something, I would have already done it." Garland sat down across from the Warrior of Light and the woman. "I would gain nothing in bringing harm to the woman, nor would I gain anything from trying something on you. I understand you're a warrior, but you're allowed to lower your guard when you don't need it."

The Warrior of Light understood where Garland was coming from. It was strange, but he agreed and he nodded. "I will gather firewood. Stay put." He turned around and headed into the forested area surrounding he and Garland. The woods were thick, and without the power of the Crystals, the Warrior of Light couldn't cast Fire to illuminate the area, so he just kept one hand along the trees to guide him. As he walked, he felt the texture of the ground beneath his feet change from the soft grass and crunching leaves to something harder. It felt like stone, but it was one solid and flat ground, not cobblestone. It was an asphalt street, cracked and faded from what appeared to be years of existence without any repair. The Warrior of Light knelt down and ran his fingers along the surface of the street. It was an unfamiliar feeling to him. Rough and cracked, yet very solid. Upon this discovery, the Warrior of Light attempted to feel around and see if he could find where the grass ended and the asphalt began, and after a bit of searching with his hands, he located the part. In a seamless transition, the grass and the soil below it faded into the asphalt street with some weeds poking out from the cracks in the pavement. "Garland!" the Warrior of Light spoke loudly. "I think I discovered something."

It took a moment, but Garland walked through the forest until he practically bumped into the Warrior of Light. "How can you see anything in this blasted forest?" he asked. "Not even the moon can illuminate this place with all these trees..."

"Feel the ground," said the Warrior of Light. "Touch the grass and then come over here. It's almost like the border between two different worlds."

Garland murmured to himself about the ridiculousness of the Warrior's request, but he did just that. He knelt down and pressed into the grass, gradually moving forward until he could no longer press into the soil of the grass and he found that the ground remained solid and hard. "It's a paved street," he said. "But it's not like any pavement I've ever felt."

"If it were brighter, I'd see what it is..." The Warrior of Light stood up and tried looking forward, but it was too dark for him to see. But while he and Garland remained in the forest for a good moment, they suddenly saw a bright red glow emerging from behind them. They both brandished their weapons and waited to see what it was, braced for an attack, but once the light was brighter, they saw that it was a gentle flame in the palm of a young green-haired woman, the same one they had brought with them.

"She's awake..." Garland spoke softly, lowering his sword. The Warrior of Light did the same and sheathed it, slowly approaching the woman, but the second he took a step towards her, she backed up and held the flame at him.