A/N: Well, my first foray into crossovers! Both titles have such a rich mythology and a brilliant set of characters, so what would it look like if their worlds collided?

As with any story of mine, read, review, but most importantly, ENJOY!

I own neither Bleach, nor Final Fantasy

XXXXXX

The clacking of wheels on the railway made for a steady mantra of progress as the train barreled along. Outside of the passenger cars countless trees, houses and hills passed by in a blur on the early summer day.

Inside the car, there were only a handful of people, each minding their business, absorbed in their own thoughts. One, in particular, stared in deep contemplation out of the window to her right.

'The journey is over now…

I wonder when the next will begin.'

Lightni…Claire Farron shook her head as she mentally corrected herself for what felt like the millionth time.

'This is going to take some getting used to. I've been Lightning for so long, is there even a 'Claire' left? After having my emotions ripped from me, only to have them returned with even more, I am not sure that anything 'Claire' is left. Sure, Serah says that there is, but she's the eternal optimist...'

Serah.

The name never failed to stir the elder Farron's emotions. Serah—the one they had all gone to save. The one she called out to across time and space for help. The one she had failed, and yet was given a chance at redemption.

Allowing a rare, small smile to play on her lips, Claire continued to think about the sister that she loved so dearly. Though separated, on whatever world this was, the rose-haired woman could not say that she feared for her sister's safety anymore. As everyone from her 'family' had been launched to the far corners of the new planet, she had seen Snow grab Serah's hand and take off with her.

'Safe, indeed.'

Claire knew beyond any doubt that Snow would honor his second chance until his last breath. She had seen such life in his eyes when they had been reunited, as well as in her sister's. Should any force ever try to harm them again, she knew that Snow would move heaven to protect her. Hell, he had almost turned Cieth without her.

Claire chuckled at the thought. Not of Snow becoming a soulless monster, but of the reaction Serah had provided when she had found out.

Before the group had been separated, there had been a moment of peace, that was soon shattered by a loud clap of flesh meeting flesh, as well as laughter. 'Lightning' had let slip Snow's decision to absorb all of the chaos and succumb to his grief, damning him to become a Cie'th for Lightning to kill.

The sound of a momentous slap could be heard well into the distance, as the younger Farron had made her feelings on the stunt known. It had taken a few moments to calm the girl down enough to stop beating her hero's head. Almost immediately, she had switched to hugging him tightly, telling him that her older sister would be the absolute least of his worries, should he ever try to give up or leave her like that, again.

Looking out of the window at the passing countryside and touching her chest where her brand once resided, Claire couldn't help but wistfully think, 'Not like he'd have the chance, anyway.'

She had to admit, she had been looking forward to losing that brand ever since Lightning had gotten it all those years ago. Even with the incredible powers that she had gained, or the partnership with Odin that she had come to treasure, removal of the brand had been her primary goal.

Yet, now that she had accomplished that, as well as completed her duties as the savior, she couldn't help but to feel an inexplicable twinge of loss. For centuries, she had been a guardian, a protector. Now that it was all over, what was she left with?

Her humanity? Looking back, even with Bhunivelze's purging of her emotions, Claire couldn't say she had felt that she ever truly lost it. And there was her role as a protector. She had been a soldier before, a guardian in role as well as title, and those skills were still within her.

Still, even with those labels, there was nothing that stood out. She was no longer the 'Savior', no longer a terrifying l'Cie.

'I guess that means that I am just…ordinary. Tch'

She scoffed, smirking at the notion. Whether Lightning or Claire, 'ordinary' was not a word that she would ever allow to stick. No matter what she encountered in this life, Claire knew that she would make the most of it.

Serah had—in the maddening way that only she was capable of— seemed to disagree with the avoidance of ordinary, as the first suggestion from her lips was "Now we can work on finding you a boyfriend!"

Once Claire had gotten over the shock of her sister's resurrection of such an annoying topic, the response had been an immediate scowl, followed by a sharp punch to the gut of the guffawing Snow, and a menacing glare to the laughing Sazh.

Still smiling softly at the memories, Claire noticed that the train had begun to slow. Looking out of the opposite window, she saw a platform coming into view and heard an announcement over the train's speaker system.

"Arriving, Karakura Town."

Karakura Town. It was purely by chance that Claire had found this city, since she had no clue as to where she was, what the culture was, or even the name of where she had arrived. After landing none-too-gently from being launched to the earth, she had been surprised to discover that both Snow and Serah had landed with her.

At first, Claire had been quite excited to have her sister near her. The two had taken the first day to investigate their immediate surroundings, and had enjoyed themselves, taking comfort in each other's company.

However, the loud, blonde, 'elephant in the room' was more of a presence than she cared to consistently deal with, and she soon began to feel intrusive on the engaged couple's privacy. Even more so, disturbed at their—expressions—of love to each other.

Quickly deciding that Serah was being well taken care of, the elder Farron had taken her leave, deciding to explore the new world that they had been brought to.

Upon discovering that she had arrived in a land known as 'Japan', she had grabbed a map, closed her eyes and tapped the map with one finger. When she had opened her eyes, her finger had landed on the town, thus giving her her the starting place of her new life.

Collecting her bags, Claire walked to the exit of the train, standing tensely as she waited for the doors to open. She couldn't help but feel nervous at the thought of starting an entirely new life in a place that she had absolutely no clue about, a place filled with complete strangers. Sighing, she shook her head.

When the doors finally slid apart with a slight hiss, she stepped out into the sunlight. Pausing just outside, she took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Looking up at the sky, she saw a long, white streak of cloud stretching acro—

Her thoughts were cut off as someone collided with her shoulder, knocking her off balance and making her lose her grip on her bags. As she stumbled, Claire felt her temper flare at having such a nice moment ruined by some random person who couldn't even pay attention to where they were going.

"Sorry, sorry!" a deeper male voice called, accompanying a firm grip on her arm that kept her from falling down. Quickly turning once she had gained her balance, tensed for a possible fight, Claire was shocked as she came face to face with a worried looking young man.

A quite handsome, worried looking young man. Unbidden, a rush of heat spread within her chest, and her breath caught in her throat as Serah's comments flickered through her mind.

Disturbed by the uncharacteristic thoughts, Claire shook her head in frustration, regained her balance and quickly jerked her arm out of the stranger's hand. "I would say 'Thank you', but you really just broke even," she said in an annoyed tone as she smoothed her shirt.

'If I wasn't in heels right now, I would have kicked your ass for being such a clumsy fool,' she thought, aggravated at the entire incident that was tainting her first step into her new life.

Lifting her head, she was able to get her first clear look at the young man who had nearly knocked her over. He stood several inches taller than her, and her eyes were immediately drawn to a head of messy orange hair, reminding her of some of the more creative styles she had seen on Cocoon.

Continuing her observation with a raised brow, Claire took in the muscular build underneath a white button-up with a loosened top button and tie, as well as grey slacks and polished shoes. Whoever this guy was, he was clearly someone who took care of himself.

Shaking her head minutely, Lightning's powers of assessment took over as she noticed the way that he stood, feet evenly spaced apart, shoulders squared, and—even with him running into her— a general air of alertness. Everything about the man screamed 'military experience.'

Yet, she was pretty sure that he wasn't currently military. With his hair, as well as his attire and the fact that he had run into her, she knew that he was a most likely a civilian now. The most important fact was that he didn't seem to be a threat. Still, she was slightly comforted at the fact that the first person she encountered likely had a background similar to hers.

Not having heard any response in several seconds, she watched as the orange haired man looked at her in confusion, then as his eyes lit up and he removed a pair of earbuds from his ears.

"Sorry about that, again," he said while reaching up and scratching the back of his head. "I guess I got so caught up listening to these that I didn't watch where I was going."

Trying her hardest not to scowl, Claire was having an even harder time not letting 'Lightning' teach the man a quick lesson in manners. She had never been one to suffer fools, nor those who neglected to mind their surroundings. Military or not, people had no excuse for walking around with their heads in the clouds.

'Tone it down, Farron, you're not a soldier anymore, nor is he.'

Gritting her teeth, she reminded herself that this was a new world. She needed to start fresh, and she couldn't deny that getting into a confrontation with the first person she meets is not a great start.

In reality, his apology seemed sincere, and to be honest… He actually seemed harmless enough. Groaning internally, she decided to try and make her first acquaintance in this new city, and chose to step out of her comfort zone by lightening the mood with a joke.

"Must've been an interesting song if it made you want to run me over," she said with a raised brow. However, her usual monotone made her sarcasm fall flat, and she wanted to slap her hand to her forehead as she saw the brief look of confusion on the man's face. It looked like she was going to have as hard of a time fitting in on this world as she did on Cocoon.

'Really? You've now told a total of one joke in your entire life. Way to go, Farron.'

Yet, after only a moment, the man's eyes widened, and a small smirk spread across his lips. Giving a quick chuckle, he said, "Nah, can't say it was the music. I was listening to a medical lecture and got caught up in it. If anything, it only made me run you over so I could get to patch you up."

Raising her eyebrow again, Claire couldn't help the small twitch that tugged at the corner of her lips. However, her thoughts soon made her want to cover her face in exasperation.

'That has to be the most ridiculous line I have ever heard, and damn it all if it wasn't kind of cute. Wait…cute? What in the hell is wrong with me? Tch, thank any number of gods that neither you nor your jackass fiancé are here to see this, Serah. I would never hear the end of it.'

Her thoughts were cut short as the man scratched the back of his head and said, "I really am sorry I bumped into you, miss…"

Sensing that he was trying to get her name, she sighed and said, "Li..Claire. My name is Claire."

'Will it ever get to the point that I can say my actual name? This is getting to be beyond annoying.'

Her annoyance was quickly forgotten, as the man suddenly—as if he just remembered something—jutted his arm forward, clearly trying to initiate a handshake. Tentatively, she reached forward as well.

"Claire? Nice to meet you. I'm Ichigo. You must be new in town, so I'm sorry that your introduction to Karakura was me almost knocking you over," he said sheepishly.

Unable to find the will to glare, the rose haired woman met his gaze and said, "Yes, this is my first day in Japan. Being run over is certainly interesting, but I can't say it's the worst welcome I've ever received."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly, stifling a grimace. She had no desire to bring up anything that might start a conversation that she couldn't have. Though she would probably laugh at what would no doubt be a deeply confused expression if she were to mention 'L'Cie' and the like, Claire didn't want her first acquaintance in this world to consider her to be mentally unstable. Especially if he was a doctor.

Looking slightly confused, Ichigo simply shrugged. She could see questions in his eyes, however, a quick look at his watch changed his expression to one of surprise.

She could tell from his expression that he was battling whether or not to go. Admittedly, she had no idea what he would accomplish by staying, but she could not deny that he was an intriguing person. Slightly amused, she watched him look once more at his watch, back up at her, then nod slightly as if resolving something in his mind.

Meeting her gaze once more, he slipped his hand into his shirt pocket and pulled out a business card. "Fair enough. Well, Claire, it was nice meeting you. I have to run, but here's my card. Japan can be a bit of a cultural adjustment, so if you need anything, just give me a call."

With that, the tall man walked away. Looking down at the card, Claire read:

Ichigo Kurosaki, M.D.

Karakura Hospital, Kurosaki Clinic

080.5465.8793 (M)

ikurosaki

'Ichigo Kurosaki, huh? Well, I suppose there are worse people I could have met, besides a doctor.'

Picking up her bags and making her way toward the town, albeit down a different road, Claire frowned at the accompanying thoughts that were—for some reason—all in her sister's voice.

'A doctor, and cute! Did you see those muscles? He probably works out as much as you do, Claire! You should call him for a date!'

Frowning even more deeply, she shook her head and walked faster. Her sister had brought up single, silly idea, and now all she could hear was Serah's voice talking about it. She had plenty of other things to occupy her mind, and dating a guy wasn't one of them.

As she continued into the town, Claire took in the sights. While not a major metropolis, certainly nowhere near as big as some of Cocoon's cities, the town was large enough for her tastes. It was clean and quiet, something she was only recently finding the ability to appreciate.

The people seemed pleasant, as well. Multiple times, she had returned friendly greetings from complete strangers who seemed to be kind for the sake of being kind. However, she also noticed a few things that made her wonder just how…interesting… life in this place worked.

Peering into the windows of some of the shops that she passed, she found herself in awe of what she was seeing. Looking into a technology store, the gadgets and items that were displayed seemed somewhat…primitive. There was plenty of functionality, but nowhere near the sophistication of what she'd used on Cocoon.

'A different world, indeed,' she thought with a frown. While she had experienced as many different environments as one could, she was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed by the substantial differences between the basics of this world, and the one that she had lived in before. She was supposed to create a life here, not as a protector, not as a champion, but as…Claire Farron.

How was she supposed to start this new life?

Remembering the card in her pocket, Claire paused. Ichigo Kurosaki, the man she met earlier today. Should she take him up on his offer? She had to admit, the advice of an intelligent local could make the transition easier…

'And you could see him again…', Serah's voice sang in her mind. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Claire realized that she was beginning to hate her subconscious. Taking a deep breath, she brought her mind back to her initial thought. She wasn't the type to ask for help, nor was she truly interested in following her sister's suggestion.

Still, he seemed nice enough. Friendly, unassuming, and normal. She didn't make friends easily, nor was she the type to trust easily—this case was no exception—but she always trusted her instincts, and they had all checked out on her initial appraisal of the man. Claire was no social butterfly, so this Ichigo Kurosaki could very well end up being her first friend in this new world.

'Why does this always have to be so complicated?'

Sighing, she brought her mind back to the task at hand, and decided to think on everything else later.

Continuing on, she made her way towards the city center, where the apartment that she had seen a listing for was located. Etro seemed to have thought this out pretty thoroughly, as there had been a significant amount of money, a mobile phone, as well as multiple forms of identification in the bags that she had woken up with.

'I really hope that this is your severance package, Etro, and not just your way of prepping me for another shit-storm.'

Claire…well, Lightning…refused to believe that this was a machination of Bhunivelze. Though Etro had been killed, the rose haired woman sensed the goddess' hand in everything about her arrival. The Yuel's had obviously been taking their new duties seriously.

Finally arriving at the tall apartment building, the elder Farron shook her head to clear it, took a deep breath and opened the door.

XXXXXX

Rolling his shoulders as he stepped into his office, Ichigo felt several satisfying cracks. Twisting his neck, he heard a couple more. Today had been a long day, and he was glad that it was over.

To be honest, it wasn't really the day that had him worn down. This past week had seen an sharp increase in hollow activity, and of course, the shinigami that Soul Society had patrolling the town for years was worthless. Inexplicably, it was the same guy with an afro that was as lazy as he could be, so Ichigo had been working overtime trying to keep the moron from getting himself killed. Rolling his eyes at the thought, he looked around at his neatly organized office.

He had worked at the hospital today, as was his routine Monday through Wednesday. Thursdays through Saturdays were the days that he worked at the clinic, even with the constant stream of nonsense that was his dad's voice.

Ichigo had to say that he enjoyed his life, for the most part. Between work and hollow hunting, he found himself frequently occupied. He even enjoyed helping at the clinic, as it gave him time to see his sisters, who would often come by to see both him and his father.

Ugh, his father.

While Isshin always appreciated the help, he never ceased to give Ichigo hell about the fact that he should be out dating, having a life and working on making him grandchildren, rather than working every hour of the day fixing people and chasing hollows.

As he hung his white coat over the back of his office chair, Ichigo sighed. His dad was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it. It wasn't that he didn't care about dating or any of that stuff, he just had no idea as to what he should doing in that arena, so it was hard to find the energy and time to dedicate to it.

Ichigo snorted. Tatsuki was always busting his chops about how awkward he was with women, anyway. Rukia liked to, as well. Ever since she had finally gotten together with Renji, she seemed to consider herself a relationship expert and loved to lecture Ichigo on the subtleties of attracting women.

What was he supposed to do? He didn't exactly have a role model of how to be smooth and appealing to the fairer sex as he grew up. Most of the men he knew were either lecherous old farts, pricks with sticks up their asses, and no better at dating than himself.

Yoruichi had even 'graciously' offered to help, but the mischievous looks in both her and Kisuke's eyes were enough to have him quickly decline.

His dad had tried to help: Ichigo would give him credit for that. Though his ideas would likely get the younger Kurosaki slapped, the thought behind them was appreciated. Still, it had been his dad—in a rare display of seriousness—that had given some of the best advice:

'Son, don't be afraid of finding love. It can be scary, and it can drive you insane, but it's always…always…worth it. I'm not saying just grab the first woman you meet and marry her, but pull your head out of your ass sometimes and realize that there's more to life than medicine and slaying hollows.'

Plopping down in the chair behind his desk, Ichigo frowned. His dad was right. He needed to have a life outside of work.

'Wait…what?'

Why in the hell was he thinking about this? He had just worked a long, productive, successful day, so why was his love life—or lack thereof—something that made its way into his consciousness?

As if on cue, an image of the pink haired woman that he had met today popped into his mind, causing him to groan.

'That was a rhetorical question, Zangetsu', he thought, only to receive a ghostly chuckle in response.

Claire. The woman he had nearly knocked over on her first day in Japan. There was no way that he was telling Tatsuki or Rukia about that, because he knew that they would laugh their asses off for at least a year.

Claire. Such an unusual name for this part of the world. Still, she had just arrived, so who knew where she actually came from. What frustrated Ichigo at the moment, though, was that he kind of wanted to know. So much so, that it had been a struggle, deciding whether or not to leave when he had been talking to her.

The woman had clearly been beautiful, but that felt like a secondary thing, after talking to her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about her—the way she held herself, the way she spoke… Something spoke to him.

Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose.

'Spoke to me?' "Damn it, what in the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered distractedly.

Yes, the woman was attractive, but that didn't matter, as it was clear that she could use a friend. New to the country, he could only imagine how difficult it was—and would be—to get used to life here. Maybe he would run into her again, and could help her acclimate herself to her new home? His thoughts were interrupted by a chuckle.

"You are an idiot, that's what," came a voice from the doorway. Looking up, Ichigo frowned. Standing at the entrance to his office was Uryu, leaning against the wall and pushing his glasses up his nose.

Had he spoken out loud? It wouldn't be the first time, he supposed. Still…looking up at the quincy, he couldn't help the urge to smash the glasses on that smug jackass's face. Why did it never fail that the know-it-all would be around whenever he was saying something that was clearly only intended for himself?

"You never cease to find new ways to be annoying, you know that?" he said, raising a brow as the dark haired man walked into his office and sat down in one of the chairs across the desk from him.

Chuckling once, Uryu said, "Whenever you speak, I always remember the old saying about the pot calling the kettle black."

"Did you come into my office just to bug the hell out of me?" Ichigo grumbled, leaning back in his chair. This seemed to be a trend. Whenever he would be frustrated or have his patience strained with things, Ishida would somehow magically appear to garner his attention and annoy him.

Actually, both men knew that neither was truly upset. It was strange, but after the last war, they had become quite a bit closer. They seemed to be able to read each other, much like his relationship with Chad. However, this meant that the younger Ishida was much more easily able to annoy him.

"While irritating you is certainly amusing, Kurosaki, I simply came by to make sure that you didn't screw me over again."

Seeing the blank look on Ichigo's face, Uryu groaned in frustration. "You forgot, didn't you? Damn it, Ichigo, you are not going to pull this yet again! You told Orihime that you would come and meet her friend, and you aren't backing out this time."

Ichigo sighed loudly as he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. In reality, he actually had forgotten about the blind double date that his friends had strong-armed him into.

'Maybe this was why I have been thinking about this ridiculous crap all day…'

"What is everyone's deal with focusing on my love life? Her, Tatsuki, Rukia, my dad, and now you?! It's like my life is a damn television drama."

A scoff met his complaint, as Uryu crossed his arms. "I really could not care less about your love life, or lack thereof, Kurosaki. My interest lies only in keeping Orihime's annoyance with your behavior from being taken out on me. You stand her friends up, she get's upset, and it all comes down on my head. Do you know how many tirades I have heard about 'Kurosaki-kun's insensitivity'?"

Ichigo couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped. It was hilarious, as ever since Uryu and Orihime had become a couple, new facets of their personalities had emerged in the strangest of scenarios. While some had been somewhat anticipated, others had been quite the shock to the group of friends.

The young, auburn haired woman—while still being the sweet, caring girl she'd always been—had developed quite a firm attitude, while the quincy had unfortunately shown signs of quickly bowing to her fury. Seeing them interact often left Ichigo rolling in laughter, which often translated into him being hit by one or both parties.

"Think that it's funny, do you? We'll see how much you laugh if I get Orihime to tell your father and Yuzu about your tendency to stand up perfectly nice girls and make them feel bad," Uryu said, a brow raised in annoyance.

Ichigo's laughter ceased instantly.

"You four-eyed prick."

If he thought Tatsuki and Rukia gave him a hard time and guilt tripped him over his lack of a social life, it was nothing compared to the tag team of his sister and father. Yuzu especially, as she also liked to police Ichigo's manners with the fairer sex. When she broke out the disappointed look that reminded him so much of his mother, but pouted in a way that showed she was certainly his little sister, he never lasted long.

'Shit,' he thought in exasperation. Uryu rarely pulled this card, but when he did, it usually meant that he was serious.

"Fine, whatever," Ichigo grumbled. Looking up, he saw that Uryu's brow hadn't lowered, but a small smirk played on his lips.

"Quit sulking, Kurosaki. It's one date, not likely to kill you. Well…unless you really screw it up. I mean, it's not like you have someone you were already thinking about," he added, his smirk growing infinitesimally.

The young shinigami's face showed his surprise, giving himself away just before he had managed to school it back to neutrality. The younger Ishida, being ever perceptive, chuckled in surprise.

"So you were thinking of someone? You had better not let the girls know, or you'll never hear the end of it. Anyone we know?" Uryu couldn't say that he was truly interested in who Ichigo dated or thought of, but the chance to make him squirm was hard to pass up.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo told him of his encounter with the woman named Claire, which only elicited a long sigh and a remark about his atrocious lack of manners.

After a moment, Uryu looked at his watch and said, "Come on, Kurosaki. We're meeting Orihime and her friend at eight, so we might as well leave now. Drop the attitude and at least try to be pleasant. You can daydream about your new friend later."

Making a rude gesture with his hand, Ichigo gathered his keys and wallet from his desk and followed his friend out of the office. As he locked the door, he couldn't help but wonder if he was going to actually see his 'new friend' again.

XXXXXX

Space.

Time.

Words, meaningless terms in the face of gods. Terms that indicated limitation were nothing in the face of the limitless.

Omnipotent…omniscient…immortal…praiseworthy… These were words to ascribe to gods.

Weren't they?

The thoughts burned in the mind of the god of light as he floated outside of space and time, struggling to hold onto the last strings of life.

'How did it come to this?'

His perfect world, his vision, had been destroyed by the one he had called to serve him—Lightning. The woman he had purified of the darkness within her, who he had blessed with such glorious power and purpose, had betrayed him and all but killed him.

Bhunivelze, had he possessed the strength, would have laughed bitterly as the answer was all too obvious.

'Etro, you have been a errant, devious child indeed.'

Etro—his one mistake—seemed to have come back to haunt him. It was becoming clear to the god now. In the meeting between his child and her champion, when they had briefly been one, it was obvious that the goddess had blessed the human with far more than a simple gift of power.

With his mind the only thing functioning at the moment, Bhunivelze suddenly realized that his creation must have planned this from the beginning. It would only make sense. The 'eyes of Etro,' as the gift was called, had clearly shown the goddess what was to come, prompting her into action.

The weakened deity could not have had many options, and she must have done more than simply grant the ability to see all of time to the one who was essentially their champion. Unlike the foolish mortals, he knew that Caius Ballad had not truly gained Etro's heart. The humans may have called it that, yet it was truly just part of her life force. Lightning would have received something else, something more.

Perhaps that was why he had been drawn to the rose haired warrior. Some form of sentiment must have clouded his judgment, as it was the only plausible explanation. Etro had always clamored for attention. Had this been another example?

It mattered not. All that mattered was what was to come. Surely, the foolish child did not think that this was the end? Did she honestly think that she had killed god? What arrogance!

Yet, as he thought it, he questioned his own arrogance. Life was slowly leaving him, of that he was sure. Without some form of sustenance, he would surely fade.

After what could have been moments, hours, even years, Bhunivelze felt…something. It was faint, and his sense was weak, but it was there. A pull, stronger than the gravity he had created, carried him to what appeared to be a long tunnel. The walls of the tunnel were odd, a strange form of liquid that he seemed to pass directly through.

Dismissing this new development as irrelevant, he began to focus on achieving crystallization. It was his only hope for survival, and—though loathe to admit it—time had become a factor.

His concentration was broken, however, as a small, bright orb of light began to travel through the tunnel.

Upon reaching him, as he happened to be a hindrance in the light's progress up the tunnel, the small orb disappeared into his broken chest. He felt a barely noticeable surge of energy, as he had somehow stumbled upon a purified soul—the only kind that he could see or have awareness of.

The smallest traces of a smile began to form. It would seem that life was not going to leave him, as he had thought. The god of light would return to punish his errant servant,though it would take time, and many more purified souls,.

'No matter,' the god thought.

After all, what did a god have, if not time?