Chapter 7: Challenge

Although the weather still looked rough, Leon and Hurdy headed out west from Fum in the morning. The dirt road was clearly less traveled, with grasses growing in the middle and unpatched holes around. The structures were stranger, from forgotten civilizations or monster fortifications. As no large crystals had fallen in these lands past Fum, no places were inhabited by intelligent beings. There were occasionally campsites, with rings of stones around remains of fires.

They weren't going off the main road to dungeons, so other than some breaks to let the papaopamus rest, they traveled through the day to reach Mag Mell. The clouds were threatening, but it didn't storm until they were taking shelter under the giant pearlescent shells. As they weren't enclosed, the shells weren't much protection against the storms. The wind shook the shell, throwing the rain hard enough that it was difficult to talk. They ended up locking the wagon down under a shell and sleeping in there for the night.

In contrast, the next morning started off nice. There was an early mist that faded with the rising sun. While the ground was muddy, many flowers had bloomed in response to the rain. The strange structures of Mag Mell shimmered cleanly. The wind had calmed down to a pleasant breeze. Other than the muddy ground, it should be a decent day to go into the dungeon of Mount Vellenge.

It was a dungeon, one with a high level of danger. Leon knew this was the proper time to put on his full armor. The leather armor and some thin clothing made for padding underneath the heavy metal armor. Since it was made to be snug for best protection, he had to get Hurdy's help in getting the metal parts on. It covered him up entirely. Even the helmet had a special faceplate that allowed him a good range of vision without showing his face. It had been nearly a week, but it was a familiar weight that felt better to have back.

"Are you ready for this trial?" Hurdy asked him after they got his armor secure.

"Yes, how about you?" Leon asked. He wasn't worried about himself.

"Yes, I'll be fine," he said. And so they headed off.

Fortunately, Hurdy didn't freeze up at the base of the mountain. In fact, it wasn't long before he stopped to look at some faintly glowing grass growing in the rocky ground. The paths were old cracks in the mountain, jagged but weathered smooth. It should be dangerous, with plenty of places for monsters to jump down on them or attack from a hidden corner. However, it was quiet. Leon watched, but didn't see bad signs.

"What is that plant?" Leon asked, keeping an eye above.

"It's glowgrass," he said. "It doesn't look like much now, but it'll be much brighter at night. The thing is, it only grows in magic-rich environments. And if it's one of the first things we see, there's sure to be all kinds of rare and magical plants on this mountain. An herbalist or a potion brewer would love to come here."

"You seem quite intrigued yourself," Leon said, smiling at it.

"Right," then he seemed to realize something and got up. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to get distracted. It's just, this isn't a common plant even in dungeons."

"It's fine," Leon assured him. "I was expecting this place to be ominous and dangerous. But it feels so calm, at least here. We're also in no hurry; take whatever time you like."

Hurdy smiled in delight. "Right. I think I'll make notes on what plants we see, since other people would have more use of this information." He dug out his journal and made a note on the glowgrass.

There were a few monsters in their way, sentient mushrooms and strange monster guardians. But they were few and far between. Because of that, the narrow corridors actually worked to their advantage. Hurdy could keep to a corner or the path wall so that he could use his magic without monsters being able to sneak up behind him. Leon then needed less area to cover him completely. His weapon was strong enough to dispatch any magic resistant monsters around. Even with Hurdy making plant notes, they made good progress up the mountain.

Unknown centuries ago, the Crystal of Life had been here. But a meteor had crashed down, destroying the mountain and the crystal. That was the start of the curse of miasma. Although he didn't remember it, Leon felt like Hurdy had told him about that at some point. It was a legend that probably any scholar of magic would know. For them, it meant that at an apparent end of their path, they found themselves looking down in a massive crater. There was something like a giant specter in the center of it, a misty form with tiny sparkles and splinters around it.

"Look, the small pieces of the crystal have come back here," Hurdy said, then grabbed the shell pendant on his bag. The crystal was shining brighter than usual; Leon's own crystal pendant floated off his armor and disconnected from the cord. "Even with the four elemental crystals, the Crystal of Life is still around." He held his pendant out as the crystal on it lifted off and rejoined the specter with Leon's crystal.

Come forward, my seekers. I've been waiting for you.

They walked down the crater to meet up with the specter. "It's good to see that you've recovered as well," Hurdy said.

Not to my full power, but this situation is best for now. You both have responded to our request to come here for these trials. I would like to know from you both why you have chosen to come back here.

Why they came back… perhaps it meant why they were taking on the trials. Hurdy hesitated on answering, clasping his hands together and trying not to look away. Leon had a better idea of why he was doing this. "I for one don't want my legacy to be one of madness," he said. "I wasn't myself for all these years, forgetting everything when I fell asleep. Even if I'm not entirely my old self now, at least I can keep my new self rather than have it slip through my fingers. I also need to atone for what I've done in a state of madness. Following this paladin trial set me on a path to follow when I had nothing. If I happen to fail here, it may not be a loss after all because I've had enough stable days to find my own means of redemption. And if I do become a paladin to serve the crystals, I'm ready to do so out of gratitude. I can continue on this path of healing myself while helping to heal the world with you."

Then for yourself as much as for the sake of the world. But it is good you know that and do not pretend otherwise. For a soul in need of healing, such selfishness is forgivable. And you?

Having been given a moment, Hurdy had his answer. "I came out of curiosity and needing a direction to go as well. I don't expect anything more for myself out of this. But, I do feel greatly calmed when speaking to you crystals. Like I've met back up with an old friend who still understands me better than myself. I have come to realize that that's truly the case; I would not have figured out that my brother and I are the same person on my own. I don't think even he would have realized it so soon. So if I can help my dear friends, that's what I want to be doing even if I feel that dearness more than know it."

You still don't understand yourself and your own intentions as well as a normal person should. But your situation is complicated and you are making progress towards understanding. Neither of you presented false answers about the path we gave you.

"Did you give the plan for this trial to Hurdy back in Moschet Manor?" Leon asked. The crystals hadn't been there, but they should have the ability to do so.

Yes, we did. Hurdy, you have the best talent for hearing our natural voices of the peoples in the world, so we called upon you to come. We knew you would need help to get here. Thankfully, circumstance put you with Leon when the miasma lifted. As he needed direction and healing as well, we felt it was best to call upon you both.

"Well I'm glad for that, as we both had a friend to start with," Hurdy said.

Leon nodded to that. "Right, I'm glad for that too."

There was a genuine feel of being happy around them. This worked well. Now, the first trial we gave to you was a test of character. You both displayed compassion, courage, and commitment in your travels here. Leon also showed thoughtfulness to others over his own glory. Hurdy also showed wit and wisdom in solving our riddles. In this, you've both proven yourselves worthy. You also passed the second trial in Lynari Desert, so you shall take your third trial here.

Tsu Fai defeated Raem. However, he is a spirit who cannot be killed like beings such as yourselves die. He presents a threat even defeated. We have determined that the best way to handle him is to take away his memory and identity, much as he stole memory and identity from you both. That will allow him to be reborn as you both have, hopefully in a less cruel form. We will do what we can to help that.

"Then you want us to take out Raem's memory?" Hurdy asked. "How would we do that?"

I will send you to a realm of dreams; he will not be able to steal your memories there, but you will be able to defeat monsters of his memories. You will have to face your darkness before you can face Raem's memories as well. Are you prepared for this?

It was what he was expecting from Cecil's story. "Yes," Leon said, with Hurdy quick to agree.

Then good luck. Once you defeat the darkness, we will support you against Raem.

There was a flash of light that absorbed them into darkness when it faded. There appeared to be nothing around them at first. After a moment, a ring of light appeared on the ground. "Ah, you finally got here," a familiar voice said.

"Gurdy?" Leon asked, puzzled at this.

"Gurdy?" Hurdy echoed, glancing at him.

"Yup, it's me," he said, appearing like a ghost in the ring with them. He was wearing the red diamond outfit as opposed to Hurdy's white coat. He smiled. "Heh, are you surprised? I'm not supposed appear outside your head, or at the same time as you."

"But this is a dream space, so you can," Hurdy said. "What are you doing here?"

"Eh, I was wondering if we should really be doing this," Gurdy said, putting his hands behind his head. "It's a job we can do, yes, but how are we going to get paid for being servants to the crystals? They wouldn't have gil."

"But it's in service of the world, not just the crystals," Hurdy said.

Gurdy shook his head. "Yes, but money makes the world go around, you know? You need gil to get food unless you're willing to steal. Even if you grow veggies and stuff, you'll need money for seeds, tools, and land. So what are you gonna do to provide for yourself? You too, Leon, you two gonna beg or steal or something?"

"There's nothing saying we can't do some side jobs for money," Leon said. He also could go back in the king's service as a knight; he knew the king was reasonable, enough to give an allowance for taking the crystals as the higher authority. It didn't explain what Hurdy would do. However, if he got accepted as a priest, many people were willing to support a traveling priest for their services.

"It is a necessity, but it's all too easy to focus solely on money," Hurdy said. "It's more important to help the crystals, but I would find something to help take care of myself. That's just common sense."

Gurdy shrugged. "Well you rely on an uncommon sense so often that I worry about you not following common sense. And I don't see why you're taking responsibility for so much. I mean, healing the whole world? It's a nice idea, but what can one person really do for something so big? And it's something that you might not see results from in your lifetime. So why put so much effort into this? Is the risk worth it?"

Hurdy frowned. "It's the wisdom of the crystals, and the Crystal of Life was the one who created all life and the world. If they say that this will heal the world, I trust them fully. Ignoring them would make the future worse for future generations, at best no different than now. I'm sure the crystals won't ask for something that I can't accomplish."

"You're sure you can have complete faith in the crystals?" Gurdy asked.

"Yes," Hurdy said.

"They've proven themselves to me in how they've helped us here," Leon added.

"Man, you both are simple folk," Gurdy said, sounding disappointed in them. "It all sounds good, but how's it going to work out in a practical sense? And with family? Leon, you have a wife and son even though you remember nothing about them. Are you gonna ignore them because they're strangers to you now?"

Leon felt troubled by the question; he did have a point. Jona and Leon Jr were strangers to him; he didn't think that he'd ever met his son. However, it felt wrong to ignore them. "My mind doesn't remember them, but my heart does," Leon said. "I don't mean to ignore them. It just might take some time for us to figure out how things are between us."

"Choosing the tough way then?" Gurdy asked.

"The right way," Leon said, certain of that.

"But not very good for yourself," Gurdy argued. "You might not be happy with the situation. And what about you, Hurdy? If you have to be off serving the crystal, you might not get a chance at that cute girl you met in Fum."

"What are you talking about?" Hurdy asked, puzzled.

"That girl Louisa," Gurdy said. "You should remember her, since you gave her your Cure ring."

He still seemed puzzled. "Right, that's because she was really interested in learning magic, but she needed somewhere to start."

"Come on, didn't you also do so because she's cute?" Gurdy asked. "That is a rare artifact; you should know that. It's not something that would be given away willy-nilly. On some level, you were giving that to her to impress her."

"I didn't think I was," Hurdy said, embarrassed and still confused about this. "Why are you arguing like this? We wouldn't have come all the way to Mount Vellenge on a whim."

Gurdy shrugged. "Maybe, but what were you expecting here?"

"We were facing the trial of darkness," Hurdy said, then seemed shocked. "But, you?"

"Why not me?" Gurdy said, hiding his smile behind the high collar of his coat. Or maybe that was a smirk. "You were expecting to face Leon's darkness? But he has already decided firmly that he does not want to leave that legacy behind; that would be too easy. On the other hand, I am your darker side. I only care about myself, and you by extension since you're my lighter side. My decisions guide our actions as much as yours do, even if we only affect each other subconsciously now. I'm a bit of a failure as a con artist, so I've made many people hate us. You've been lucky so far, both of you, but you won't stay lucky in avoiding the consequences of what you don't know you did. And since neither of you remembers the depths of your darkness well, we will continue to haunt you in the future."

"Well… um..." Hurdy said, having gone pale as he realized that people hating Gurdy meant that people might hate him.

"We'll deal with things as they come," Leon said. "And try to make the world a better place for having us in it. That's what we should do, and will."

Gurdy sighed at that. "Well, maybe your darker side can't speak up like I can. But I for one don't like this business. I don't want to be tied down by anything, not by duty, not by another person, not by boring work. Only one person should be inhabiting one body, so it seems that I'll have to take over to stop you from being stupidly selfless. That's what got us in this situation in the first place." He then cast a strange spell at them, a tide of damaging bubbles.

Leon was half the size of Hurdy (and he wasn't a particularly tall clavat at that), but he still tried to block the spell from reaching his friend. After a second of shock, Hurdy cast a protective magic shell over them both. "Wait, why are you doing this?" Hurdy asked, holding back on anything more.

"I just told you why," Gurdy said, then started casting a spell that caused a dark red ring under him. That seemed like the Comet spell. Leon wished he had some means to draw the spells to himself; his armor was capable of withstanding magic.

"But it doesn't make sense," Hurdy insisted, not casting anything in response. "We're brothers… I mean, yes, it's not in the normal fashion, but still..."

Gurdy finished his Comet spell, causing a flaming meteorite to fall on them. It would have struck them both, but something clicked in Leon's mind right as the comet changed its angle so that it struck only him. While it knocked him back a step, it didn't seem to put him in a dangerous state.

Still, Hurdy put a hand on his shoulder and cured him. "We worked through our emptiness together with the journals, Gurdy, so I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't think he wants to hurt you either," Leon said.

"What are you talking about?" Gurdy asked as a challenge, seeming like he didn't care. He cast a Thunder spell at them.

And again, Leon found the ability to make the magic strike only him. "I don't believe you're using your full strength in these spells. If you had, you might have taken me out already."

"And you're worried about me, so I know you care no matter how you say it," Hurdy said. "Why does there have to be only one of us? We have a fragmented personality, so this is normal for us. We shouldn't be fighting each other."

"Can we really coexist?" Gurdy said. "I am your darkness; I cause you problems. And you keep me from doing what I want. Do you really want me around?"

"Yes, because I often miss things that you notice immediately," Hurdy said. "If we could talk more freely, like we are now, I think we'd both be better off."

"You really want to keep me around?" he asked.

Hurdy nodded. "Yes. I don't care if you're my darkness because I don't believe that you're evil."

Gurdy laughed at that, tipping his hat. "Well I don't think I'm evil either. Maybe a fool, but not evil. But I had to try you on behalf of the crystals."

"I see," Hurdy said, relaxing at that. "But why would I fight with you anyhow?"

"Eh, you might change your mind on that," Gurdy said. "Hopefully it's not bad, but we are different. According to what the crystals told me, we did co-exist like brothers before confronting Raem, able to talk to each other. You were in control most of the time, but I did take over if I felt you needed it. If you can accept that you're not all sunshine and dreams because of me, well I would like to go back to that kind of existence. I'm just afraid that I'll end up annoying you."

"Well that's how brothers are, right?" Leon said jokingly.

"Right," Gurdy said cheerfully. "Well, for your trial here, I did my best to provoke and threaten you. But both of you questioned that and did not attack back."

"It was strange of you," Leon said. "You're a friend too, so I wanted to be sure what was going on."

"Right, we don't want to hurt you needlessly, even when you're being aggressive," Hurdy said. "I have a feeling, you'd avoid conflict and battle as much as possible."

"Ah, you got me there," Gurdy said. "As a result, you've both passed this trial. Leon, you have shown selfless courage despite your uncertainty after escaping your haunted state of madness. You have been accepted as a paladin of the crystals."

Yes, we believe you will grow into that legacy well.

Something shone around him, changing his armor and weapon. The latter became a true sword rather than something that resembled a crooked cudgel. Instead, it was a shining white sword that was nearly as big as he was. It had to be secured to a brace on the back of his new silver and white armor, near the shoulder. The concealing helmet was replaced with a partial helm that allowed his face to be seen. He was also given some new knowledge: some spells, some tactics to prioritize protecting others, and more about the spell draw ability. If he practiced that ability enough, he could learn to reflect magic back to its user.

"I'm honored to be given this path, thank you," he said. It did demand the strictest honor out of him, including finding ways to make amends for those who had suffered because of his time as the Black Knight. It was what he most wanted to do.

"I'm sure people will quickly realize you're worthy of this honor," Gurdy said. "Also, I did have to take my own trial while waiting for you both here. They think I still need to learn more restraint and such." He shrugged. "Maybe that's so, but anyhow, Hurdy, your better attitude has earned you acknowledgment as a sage of the crystals."

"A sage?" Hurdy asked, shocked at it. His attire didn't change as drastically, but he was given a staff that seemed to be made of an ancient piece of wood. Strange symbols could be seen carved all along it.

Gurdy nodded. "You have great knowledge, including that of many types of magic. Plus you can hear the voices of higher beings like the crystals, giving you secret knowledge that few others can attain. And it seems that I'm keeping you balanced with more earthly knowledge, which helps you in being worthy of the title of sage. Although, I've still got some ways to go before they might consider acknowledging me like that."

"If I can get named a sage, I think you could too," Hurdy said. "You know, since we're in a dream, you could probably stay with us and help take out Raem's memories."

"I would like that," Gurdy said, nodding to that idea. "Let's go show him what he's done to the world."

They were moved to another place, one that looked like Moschet Manor. Unlike the real manor, there were many monsters in the central courtyard. Leon wasn't worried, though. He had Hurdy and Gurdy here, both of whom were skilled magic users who could attack multiple targets at once. They soon proved that they could combine their Comet spells to summon a storm of meteors that cleared out most of the room in one shot.

One they cleared the Moschet Manor room, the dream changed to something that resembled Mushroom Forest. As they continued to clear out monsters, the areas became misty and faded. They eventually came to a place that seemed to be made up of clouds and sky. Raem himself was there, confused and noticeably weakened. Brown feathers fell off his wings like spring blossoms on the wind. "You, what are you doing? You're my toys..."

"No we're not," Hurdy said.

"Right, people shouldn't be toys," Leon said. "Even the crystals agree that you've gone too far."

"You can't defeat me," he growled.

But they could now that the crystals could actively help them.

And so they did.

It was a gorgeous day at the Fields of Fum; the sun shone bright over a land without miasma. The residents were off at work, able to reach acres of fertile land that had required small crystals and risky adventures to use. Near the entrance of town, Leon had the papaopamus wagon ready to head on. But Hurdy was staying behind. "The elements of Water, Fire, and Air are well understood these days, but not Earth," he said. "So I want to learn as much as I can from this crystal."

"That makes sense," Leon said. "They gave us a broad mission to start with, so I'll leave this town to you."

Hurdy nodded. Once they had taken care of Raem, the crystals had asked them to help the tribes of the world grow closer in their coexistence. They were peaceful with each other for the most part, but most of them kept isolated from the others. The clavats at Fum might not be much trouble, but they might help their goal. Then Hurdy frowned a moment.

Leon nearly chuckled at that. "Is Gurdy still bugging you about that girl?"

"Yes," Hurdy admitted. "It wasn't on my mind, but..."

"Give it a shot, you might be pleasantly surprised," Leon said. "I have to talk with my family about our future. Maybe we'll move out here, maybe not. Either way, I do have to help convince other lilties to not be as dismissive of other tribes."

"I hope they listen," Hurdy said with a smile. "I'm sure the crystals will bring us back together if needed."

Leon smiled back. "Right. I'll send a letter by moogle after I get back. Take care."

As the ferry was on the Fum side of the river, Leon was able to reach Alfitaria by late afternoon. He should report in to the king, that he was alive, sane, and serving the crystals. But that could wait until tomorrow; he'd probably need to send advance notice of that. For now, he wanted to get back to his family. There was a problem that he wasn't sure of where their home was anymore. He thought that housing areas of this city were restricted as well.

The city felt familiar, nearly disorienting. But he recalled what Hurdy had said about the shells. He didn't have to worry about what was missing. Eventually, he'd find this place familiar with things he did remember. He followed his feelings, leading him to a large stairway heading up to a higher level of town.

A pair of lilty knights were waiting there. "This area is restricted to residents only," one of them said.

"Hang on," a voice that seemed familiar said. His dark helmet did obscure most of his face. "Is that you, Sir Esla?"

"Yes," he said. "I'm sorry, you seem familiar, but I can't remember."

"I've heard, so it's fine," he said. "I'm Sol Racht. My first year with the Alfitaria caravan was your last year with us, so I learned a great many practical skills from you. It's great to see you back, but what happened to your armor?"

"I still have it, but don't need it now," Leon said. "I've become a paladin, so the crystals granted me this set for my service to them."

"That's amazing!" Sol Racht said, impressed at it. "And so fitting for what I remember of you. Welcome back home; we're proud to have you as one of us."

He smiled at that, although something had him worried. "Thanks, although some people might not be happy with what news I brought here. But that's for later. I really don't remember anything from before about a week ago, but I was trying to come back home."

"Jona still lives at your old home, this way," Sol Racht said, gesturing to one of the streets before leading him there.

It was more difficult to put aside the unsettled feelings of emptiness on seeing his home. There was far too much that he should remember about this place. Since he wasn't sure, he knocked at the front door. This should go well; she was warm in her letter. He hoped he wouldn't cause them trouble.

After a minute, a lilty woman answered the door. "Yes?" she asked at first, then got a good look at him. Before he knew it, she was hugging him tight. "Leon! You're back!"

It surprised him, but he felt wonderfully happy right now. "Yes, I'm sorry it took so long, but I did return to you."

The world would be right again.