Torchlight flickered and sputtered in the lowest reaches of a lonely cave hidden in Southern Thanalan. The midday sun was burning some yalms above, but secreted away in the depths of the cool rock there was only darkness and fire. At one end of a yawning chamber stood the crystalline structure that had vexed Warren for a sevenday now; Fulms thick, perfectly clear, with Howl encased in the center, suspended in the block like some sort of guarded treasure. An apt metaphor, despite the grotesque way in which it manifested.
"Sorry I'm late today. I was speaking with someone from the Ossuary, and I think I've got a lead."
Warren had explained what he'd been reading to the best of his abilities; He clutched snatches of notes and furiously scribbled translations that were attempts to break down the bits he didn't know into parts that he did. The cowled hyur seated opposite him in the quite confines of the library listened quietly, offering nothing while the highlander spoke and explained.
"Your understanding of thaumaturgy is dim, but you're grasping the base tenants with unlearned hands. It's not unlike how you say. In our world there is fire, combustion when proper parts of heat and fuel meet one another. Oil will burn as long as there is oil, but magical fire - that is to say, aetherial fire - is fueled by aether itself. There is no shortage of it, and this fire will burn even when it should not. It is how water elementals may be set alight by skilled hands. Beyond even that, however, is the truly primal element of fire. You spoke of 'denser' aetherial magics, and such things exist, though they are beyond our means to procure. If a campfire is the mundane, and the roving Bombs and Shrapnels are the aetherial, then the truly powerful magic you are referring to would be the likes of Ifrit's flame, or dragonfire."
"I haven't talked to Sei about it yet, but don't go thinking we're going to try and summon a Primal here or anything. That's the back-up plan."
Warren smiled and crossed to the prison, placing a hand on the edge of the crystal. It was still warm, like flesh, but hard and unyielding like before. Howl's eyes opened as the highlander drew closer, unseeing and unaware but looking in his direction again, as they had the days prior. It was a promising sign that tore out Warren's heart. Seeing his friend in such a state was difficult, even if answers were on the horizon.
"She's on her way now, I think. She's still going through a lot of things back home, so I'm giving her space. She knows I'm here for her, but..." He smiled sadly and breathed a small sigh of resignation. "But she's going to be there for him. We're in the long game, Howl. I've got to prove myself again, and it won't be done so quickly."
The crystal pulsed in a mockery of Howl's heartbeat. The damned thing was eating him, feeding on his aether and his spirit to keep itself conjured, and Warren was powerless to break it open for the time being. He tried hard to maintain his composure.
"I meant what I said, you know. This sort of thing, it puts a lot in perspective. So I'm going to have that talk once you're out of there, and recovered. Gods know I've been dragging my feet, but you deserve the option. Maybe something good will come out of this yet..."
He removed his hand and looked the crystal over, folding his arms. "She asked me last night if we could just run away together, the three of us. She said it was a dream, but it sounded so nice. Living on the land? I could see how much of the old trade routes I remember, we could see the world together. Just a dream, though."
Warren sighed tiredly. He had plenty of road before him yet before he could properly lay his burdens to rest, but in the meantime, he had dreams to help ease the load.
"Sorry I'm late today. I was speaking with someone from the Ossuary, and I think I've got a lead."
Warren had explained what he'd been reading to the best of his abilities; He clutched snatches of notes and furiously scribbled translations that were attempts to break down the bits he didn't know into parts that he did. The cowled hyur seated opposite him in the quite confines of the library listened quietly, offering nothing while the highlander spoke and explained.
"Your understanding of thaumaturgy is dim, but you're grasping the base tenants with unlearned hands. It's not unlike how you say. In our world there is fire, combustion when proper parts of heat and fuel meet one another. Oil will burn as long as there is oil, but magical fire - that is to say, aetherial fire - is fueled by aether itself. There is no shortage of it, and this fire will burn even when it should not. It is how water elementals may be set alight by skilled hands. Beyond even that, however, is the truly primal element of fire. You spoke of 'denser' aetherial magics, and such things exist, though they are beyond our means to procure. If a campfire is the mundane, and the roving Bombs and Shrapnels are the aetherial, then the truly powerful magic you are referring to would be the likes of Ifrit's flame, or dragonfire."
"I haven't talked to Sei about it yet, but don't go thinking we're going to try and summon a Primal here or anything. That's the back-up plan."
Warren smiled and crossed to the prison, placing a hand on the edge of the crystal. It was still warm, like flesh, but hard and unyielding like before. Howl's eyes opened as the highlander drew closer, unseeing and unaware but looking in his direction again, as they had the days prior. It was a promising sign that tore out Warren's heart. Seeing his friend in such a state was difficult, even if answers were on the horizon.
"She's on her way now, I think. She's still going through a lot of things back home, so I'm giving her space. She knows I'm here for her, but..." He smiled sadly and breathed a small sigh of resignation. "But she's going to be there for him. We're in the long game, Howl. I've got to prove myself again, and it won't be done so quickly."
The crystal pulsed in a mockery of Howl's heartbeat. The damned thing was eating him, feeding on his aether and his spirit to keep itself conjured, and Warren was powerless to break it open for the time being. He tried hard to maintain his composure.
"I meant what I said, you know. This sort of thing, it puts a lot in perspective. So I'm going to have that talk once you're out of there, and recovered. Gods know I've been dragging my feet, but you deserve the option. Maybe something good will come out of this yet..."
He removed his hand and looked the crystal over, folding his arms. "She asked me last night if we could just run away together, the three of us. She said it was a dream, but it sounded so nice. Living on the land? I could see how much of the old trade routes I remember, we could see the world together. Just a dream, though."
Warren sighed tiredly. He had plenty of road before him yet before he could properly lay his burdens to rest, but in the meantime, he had dreams to help ease the load.