Cid wiped the sweat from his brow, his breathing still uneven.
"…Ria," he said, glancing at the shattered remains of the crystal. "Can you still use those? Even though I broke it into pieces?"
Ria knelt beside the fragments, her fingers hovering just above them.
"…Yes," she said slowly. "I can."
She hesitated.
"But Cid… these crystals are valuable. You could sell them and—"
"I don't care," Cid cut in.
Ria blinked.
Cid looked away slightly.
"I need someone strong beside me," he said. "If I'm going to find a cure for my mom."
Ria's expression softened.
"…Alright."
She stepped toward the largest fragment.
A jagged shard, still glowing faintly red.
She touched it.
The crystal pulsed.
A voice echoed through the chamber.
"Little human…"
Cid froze.
Slowly—
He turned.
The Dire Wolf's severed head twitched.
Its mouth did not move.
But the voice came from it all the same.
Ria stumbled back, raising her staff.
Cid drew his blade instantly.
"…What the hell?"
The voice continued.
Calm.
Ancient.
"I bring you no harm…"
A pause.
"…Only a word of wisdom."
Cid's eyes narrowed.
"And why should I trust anything coming from a dead monster?"
The crystal flickered—
Almost amused.
"Whether you believe me… matters little."
A faint hum filled the air.
"But hear this…"
"Trust not the words of the Deceivers."
Ria swallowed.
"…Deceivers?"
The voice grew weaker.
Like embers fading.
"Cherish your curse… young one."
"What you call a burden…"
"…may be your true blessing."
"Not the gifts of the Deceivers…"
"…but your own power."
The light dimmed.
Then—
Gone.
Silence.
Cid lowered his sword slowly.
"…Ria."
A pause.
"What the hell was that?"
She shook her head, pale.
"…That wasn't magic."
Her grip tightened.
"…That was something else."
Cid looked at the fading fragments.
Deceivers.
Curse.
Blessing.
His fist clenched.
"…Doesn't matter."
"I'm not stopping."
"Not until I save her."
Ria stepped beside him, placing a hand on his arm.
"…Then we face whatever comes next. Together."
Cid gave a tired smile.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…Are the crystals still usable?"
Ria nodded, kneeling again.
"They are."
"Good."
Cid turned toward the exit.
"Then let's—"
A faint glow flickered behind him.
Ria's eyes widened.
The fragments began to dissolve.
Streams of red light spiraled upward—
Flowing into her staff.
Into her body.
She inhaled sharply.
"Cid—wait—"
She turned—
Cid was on the ground.
Her heart stopped.
"…Cid?"
No response.
"CID!"
She tried to move—
But froze.
"…No…"
Her voice broke.
"I already started the absorption… I can't stop it…"
Her eyes trembled.
"Please…"
"…be alive…"
⚡ Cid's Vision — The Void
Darkness.
Endless.
Silent.
Cid's eyes opened.
"…Where—"
BOOM.
Lightning tore through the void.
For a single moment—
Everything existed.
And where the lightning struck—
A figure appeared.
Radiant.
Blinding.
Light poured from it like a living sun.
"Hello, child."
The voice echoed everywhere at once.
"I have been watching you."
Cid staggered back.
"…Who are you?"
A pause.
"And where the hell am I?"
The figure tilted slightly.
"And what do I want? And where are you?"
A soft chuckle.
"Humans are predictable."
Cid frowned.
"…Then stop talking in riddles and answer properly."
The light pulsed.
Amused.
"…Fair."
The void trembled.
Faint cracks spreading through nothingness itself.
"I do not have much time."
"You have completed your first trial."
Cid's eyes narrowed.
"…And?"
"Normally… this is where you would be granted your power."
A pause.
"And your curse."
Cid frowned.
"…Normally?"
The light flickered.
Unstable.
"It means…"
A pause.
"…you are one of those."
Cid's expression hardened.
"One of what?"
Silence.
Then—
"Your power…"
"…is Void Lightning."
Cid's breath caught.
"…Void… lightning?"
The darkness trembled.
"And your curse…"
The figure laughed.
Not cruel.
But knowing.
"…is the Curse of Erasure."
Everything shook.
Cid's voice lowered.
"…Erasure?"
"What does that even—"
The void began collapsing.
Light cracking apart.
The figure's final words echoed—
"Your lightning does not destroy…"
"…it unmakes."
"Be careful, child."
"Power like yours does not only kill enemies…"
A pause.
"…it erases bonds…"
"…memories…"
"…even fate itself."
The light shattered.
Cid fell.
Into nothing.