And so another one cracks the seal.

In the span of just a few hours, nearly all of the Esper Seals have been unlocked. It started with Hamut and Exodus. When the Judge-Sal’s seal - the most ancient of them all - was unlocked, Zodiark felt it. The waves of Mist travelled through the spectrum and he felt how Exodus was judging all those who opposed his Chosen One. He felt how all those who were against the Dragon of Archades would fall. And so they did - well in a manner of speaking.  The one that judges everyone and deems them below him is perfect for a Scion of Darkness who had eventually done the same thing to Ivalice and all those within it.

Following him was the Seal of the Gigas, to which young Jackson overcame great anguish to empower himself with all that is fiery and fierce. Determined and set in his ways, it was fitting that the one who held the ultimate key to healing anything would fall into the one who started out as an outcast. The one who swore to protect his friends and allies. A fitting seal and fitting Esper for a protector. 

Along the way, three more seals were unlocked -all seemingly tied to one another. Mateus, the Corrupt, Zeromus the Condemned, and the Pseudo-Queen and leader of the Scions of Darkness, Ultima, the High-Seraph - all unlocked through their chosen one’s intense emotions to protect those closest to them. 

For Savayna, her drive was to prove her worth. It was fitting that she unlocked it while corrupted by a foreign invader. But after it was all said and done and the Ice Queen herself took some time to cool off, it ended up being the one moment where she did prove that she belonged with everyone else. As did another. 

Probably considered the exact same as Savayna as well as the complete opposite, Nadeline Lenore also went through strides to prove her worth. First, it was to her family, then to her friends. And after she did the same to her own fiance, it was to her greatest enemy: herself. One that truly went beyond any and all previous expectations that anyone ever had about her, Nadeline surpassed the odds and actually went toe to toe with the Keeper of Precepts himself, Zodiark. Not an easy thing to do.And yet, she, like many before her, came up short. Though, it is worth noting that she would have died if not for the courageous efforts from Grant. Because he unlocked Zeromus’ impressive Seal of the Condemned, he, ironically, was Nadeline’s savior. That, above all else, was the defining moment for him.

And as they stood back to back and the rest came to join them, Zodiark would look on. His eyes seeing what he never thought would happen: Humes and Viera in arms about to oppose an enemy they could not hope to defeat with power that they knew that they didn’t have for long. To Zodiark, it was foolish, but to them, he was an enemy and they wanted to eliminate him. Perhaps it could be done, but not now. Not with the amount of power that they have. It simply wasn't the time.

So, as Zodiark seemed satisfied, he let his black armor fade and he was back in his robes. His tome had returned and his additional arms back as if on the blink of an eye. He gazed upon them all. He waved his arm and awakened Savayna. “[color=364f54]You all have impressed me. Especially you Rozarrian Girl and Condemned One. And for that, I will uphold my end of the bargain, Rozarrian Girl. You are allowed three truths. Any you seek and I will tell you. As the Keeper of Precepts, I am bound to my word. Now, speak and be heard.[/color]” Zodiark stated, looking at Nadeilne curiously.
[hr]
He pressed as hard as he could. All of the determination to rid Emiri of any and all of Zodiark’s influence was stronger than any amount of fatigue he was experiencing right now. The love and affection he held for Emiri was stronger than the injuries he sustained during his fights throughout the day. It didn’t matter to him. Nothing mattered more than getting Emiri back and out of the clutches of Keiran and any other possible ‘seed’. His eyes reflected the burning desire within him. They burned with the same brilliant gold and red that his entire body seemed to because he was now surrounded by a literal healing fire aura, all of which was being concentrated into Emiri’s entire body.

He felt himself running low on stamina. Belias would note that there was only so much power he could lend Jaakuna without it overwhelming and destroying his very soul, but Jaakuna quickly retorted that his life was meaningless without her. “[color=ed1c24]You hear me, Belias! I don’t care if I am destroyed in the process. If it means she is saved, [b]I don’t care what happens to me![/b][/color]” 

And as Jaakuna spoke those final words, something brought him out of his own frenzy. It was subtle. Warm. He felt warm hands grab his own. In the blink of an eye, Jaakuna’s Mist ceased its outward appearance and he was back to his pale self. Blonde hair a normal gold. His eyes back to the grassy-green. And above all else, when he looked down at Emiri, he saw a shade of violet that he never thought he’d ever see again. And tears from eyes he never thought he would see flow out of those eyes. And...and…

He embraced her. He didn’t say anything. Not a witty ‘you scared me half to death’ comment. Nothing came from his mouth. He just held her as close as he possibly could. For the first time in a long time, probably since before Chaos first wiped her memory, Jaakuna had his Emiri back. She returned to him and he couldn’t be happier. He never wanted to let her go.