“Help me, damn you... I... am your god...”
As Vauthry’s sin-eater form dissipated into light, Fel was placed into the same darkness as she had thrice before. The particles of light flew to her, its tendrils entangling themselves with her aether-- this time though, the changes were far more noticeable. Fel could feel the impurities of the lightwardens’ aether, her own aether’s minute fractures widening by their joining--no, by its infestation.
She knew this would happen-- her Echo allowed her to detect the light aether’s incompatibility with her own after the defeat of Titania. Even at Y’shtola’s confrontation, she knew-- but the auri would not admit to the Scion the dangers of her role. Only she could absorb the aether corrupting the First-- only she could serve as the Warrior of Light.
Suddenly, her aether cracked-- the sound like thunder in her ears. Excruciating pain overtook all senses, and light spilled forth from her form. It was like nothing she felt before; as if the crushing agony had taken her heart and turned it into a black hole, threatening to engulf her. The warrior fell to her knees as her breath caught in her throat, hands splayed out before her to catch the fall. The corners of her vision faded to white, and she looked up to see the Exarch before her, isolated within a barrier as he tried to contain the light that began to return to the sky above them.
“N-no...”
Fel coughed, pure-white splatters coloring the floor beneath her-- a tell-tale sign that she had begun the transformation into a sin eater. No, she could do this. She could contain it. She had to.
Blinking, Fel found her hand outstretched towards the Exarch. A sad smile formed on the man’s expression, knowing his actions meant his imminent death. Suddenly, a loud crack sounded in the air, and the now-revealed miqote lay motionless on the ground in front of her, the barrier around them dissipated.
Another blink.
Emet before her, lecturing the Scions on her failures. On their failures.
Blink.
A snap. Emet whisks the Exarch away, bidding Fel to join him as the sin eater that she would become.
“No.... G’raha...!”
Fel woke with a start, the dark red ceilings above her blurring into vision. Was that a dream?
No-- the corners of her vision still burned white, and she tried to blink them away. With a sigh, she sat up. Of course Ardbert was there and said she had been in her room for days. Bidding him farewell, she opened the heavy wooden doors from her chambers and stepped out into the Pendants, assuring the innkeepers she was all right.
Anger flooded the Auri-- the Exarch was now gone, and in serious condition no less. Why had Urianger stopped them? Why did the Scions do nothing?
The first to meet her sights was Alphinaud as she entered the Cabinet of Curiosity-- little did the Scions know, the Auri had already poured herself over a majority of the books contained here, in search of a solution to the corruption of light. Eyes narrowed as she strode forward, knowing the boy had seen her coming.
“You did nothing! How could you have done nothing, you’re a Scion!”
The auri had the Elezen by the scruff of his coat, not caring the scene that she created. Her anger was too great-- her sorrow over her failure overwhelming. Tears formed in her eyes, but she let go of Alphinaud, the exertion too much for her current form to handle. She leaned against the nearest bookshelf, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. With gritted teeth and smoldering eyes, she glared at the Scion, awaiting his explanation.