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Sometimes the Echo grants her strange visions that have nothing to do with the world as she knows it.

The first time it happened was the evening after she slew her first Primal, Ifrit. Despite her exhaustion Era thought she would never be able to fall asleep, far too keyed up from the day's events, yet the next thing she knew she was aiding a young boy using knowledge and skills she shouldn't have. Hyaelyn hadn't spoken a word to her about it, but Era was instinctively aware that the child was important to the world he was from. He was in danger, and she would free him from the dream he was trapped in.

When Era woke the following morning it was to Alphinaud's worried face accompanied by his informing her she could not be roused. She had slept a full day for no reason any of the healers on hand could discern. The Auri woman herself could give no answer, for all she could recall was that she had an odd dream.

It happened every now and then, always at unexpected moments. The boy quickly grew to tower over her by the third encounter with Noctis Era realized it was more than just a simple dream. Time passed oddly between their worlds. There was no consistent pace to it. It may have been months since her last vision but only a few days in the realm of Eos, or hours for her and weeks for him.

Always it felt like a dream no matter that Era knew otherwise. She felt disconnected; intangible. But Noctis could see her regardless.

In Eorzea she fought Primals and the First Brood. In Eos she would revive Noctis and his allies, boosting their strength and defense when they fell. It wasn't an overly frequent occurrence, but when staying in close quarters with allies they tended to notice when she was struck down by the Echo. Haurchefant had been frantic and Era had eased his frayed nerves. He was the first person she confided to about her role as the crown prince's guardian of sorts.

Then he died in her arms as her guardian.

Era did her duty to help Noctis whenever she was spirited away by the Echo, though she struggled for a time to be someone he could lean on for support. She barely had the strength to keep herself going, leaving her with little to spare for her charge. But she tried. Fought tooth and nail to be the guardian the prince needed.

After Ysayle her trips to Eos began to leave her drained even in Eorzea. It was to such a degree that young Alphinaud seemed to take on the role of a protector of sorts during her visions. He was so young - younger even than Noctis was now - and Era could not bring herself to confide in the boy. Aymeric, too, was struggling with all that had happened, as was Lord Edmont.

But then the Dragonsong War ends and a friend thought lost is returned to her. It's revitalizing, though she still finds herself in dire need of a rest she knows she will never get.

Era attempts it regardless, staying at the Fortemps Manor and catching up on the sleep she rarely lets herself have. She is just preparing for bed when her skull throbs with such force that she collapses to the floor, body suddenly devoid of strength.

When she rises she feels... odd. Because though she is clearly no longer in Fortemps Manor and is instead in a room she recognizes as someplace in Noctis' realm it feels much more...

Tangible.

Era can taste salt on the air. It fills her lungs and she exhales slowly, the slightest bit worried for how grounded she feels in this realm. Era has felt more connected to Eos in the past in some of Noctis' darker moments, allowing her to stay for a longer period of time than she usually could, though never quite to this extent.

She worries not for herself, but for her charge. Her tail twitches behind her, an indication of her current agitation.

"...Noctis?"

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His eyes are red and slightly puffy, but they're dry now. He's left alone for a few stretches at a time, and when there's nothing left to him but his thoughts, it's hard to hold himself together. It hurts like hell, and there's no time to adjust and let it get better. Soon, they have to move on, like Luna isn't dead, like Ignis isn't blind.

Noctis startles at Era's appearance but relaxes when he realizes who it really is. She's a familiar face, but the prince doesn't know who she is. Maybe it doesn't matter. No, it doesn't, not specifically. She's a friend, he knows that.

"Era?"

God, so much has changed since they'd last met. His kingdom has fallen, and he's lost so many people that he loves. It's painful to think about, but in the moment, he can think of nothing else.

Noctis racks his mind to find something to say, but it's full of Luna, of the blood staining her dress.

"Long time."

Era has no need to ask him if he's alright for it's written on his face that he is not. While she's improved at comforting others since the first time they met, she still finds it difficult. Conversing is difficult. She's always been much better as a silent shoulder to lean on.

But she recognizes the sort of grief on her young (not so young anymore - he's almost as she is now) charge's face for she has seen it in the mirror countless times. Noctis has experienced the kind of loss Era would never wish on anyone.

It's with the grace of a warrior that Era moves to stand closer to Noctis. She's careful to respect his personal space, hesitant to sit beside him until she's given some sort of sign that it would be alright.

"I'm sorry."

For it being so long since she last saw him. That he has been hurt so horrifically. That she wasn't there to safeguard him.

There are too many things that Era is sorry for and not enough words to express it all.

He clears his throat and tries to compose himself. Even if Era is a long-term friend like no other, Noctis has to be strong now. It's just so damn hard. Winning feels impossible. Now, he's just trying to lose with more dignity, he's trying to make the loses mean something.

"Insomnia fell. They used a fake peace treaty. Dad's dead." Noctis has spoken about Regis before as it was impossible to know his life and not know the king. "A lot of other people...then Luna."

Beautiful, sweet, innocent Luna. She deserved so much better, but now she's nothing more than a corpse and a memory he holds dear. A lot of people do; the Oracle was loved.

"Ignis... he lost his sight."

His head falls forward, into his hands.

"It's all screwed up."

There is not an ounce of her that is any good at politics, but she doesn't need that knowledge to understand what Noctis tells her. Noctis' home has fallen, King Regis is dead - likely from a last stand against his enemies. Era holds a great respect for the man despite never having truly met him. He reminds her of Lord Edmont, who has been the only father figure she's known in her life, and thus it saddens her to hear of his passing.

Losses are always hard. Sometimes you have to numb yourself to them in order to move forward. Sometimes you have to turn the pain into strength...

But Luna...

Hearing of the other woman's fate - a woman who Era was familiar with as a small, bright child - is like being thrown into the icy waters of the Coerthan Highlands. An immediate sense of dread fills her soul, for she was a kindred spirit of sorts to her. While Hydaelyn has her Warrior of Light, Eos had her Oracle. Without Luna and without the King's protective wall there is nothing to stop the darkness threatening this world.

Would that she could bestow one of her crystals of light upon Noctis, but she can't. And she cannot take Luna's place as an Oracle. She can only linger, heal what she can, then awake back in Eorzea to be her own world's beacon of hope.

But... Blindness is something she can deal with. Provided Ignis still has eyes to be healed and it wasn't of magical origin. It's a common affliction in Eorzea with many Voidsent and other creatures able to blind someone in combat. Era keeps a store of eye drop elixirs on her person for such instances, and while it may not recover the man's sight completely... But she puts that thought aside for the time being.

Era moves to sit next to Noctis, hesitating for only a moment before placing a hand on his shoulder, rubbing comforting circles against it like she's seen so many mothers do. She can remember when her hand did not seem so small against him, when he was naught but a small child in need of a guardian. For all that he's grown it's still difficult sometimes to see him as the man he has become.

"There is yet hope," she offers. "And it is okay to grieve freely, Noctis. Sadness is not a weakness."

"I don't have time to grieve!"

Noctis snaps at the situation, not at her, but his angry voice is pointed in the small room. He stands, his body still not very grounded, but he finds his balance and walks a few steps before stopping.

"Not wasting time is all I can do now unless I want to let all their sacrifices be for nothing." The prince turns to Era and pain shows in his deep eyes. "She believed I would save everybody, and all I could do was... " His voice cracks and his eyes close. "All I could do was watch while he killed her. What kind of king is this powerless?"

"There is always time to grieve," she says, voice steady as always. The only indication that his anger has bothered Era is the way her tail curls around her waist. "Grief does not mean you need to stop."

The pain in his eyes is one she recognizes - she sees it in the mirror every time she looks in a mirror. "You have no control over the lives or actions of others, king or no. It was her choice to aid you despite the risks. Mourn for her loss, but do not put the blame on yourself. It was not you who killed her, Noctis."

It is tempting to tell him just how well she can empathize. That she was in a situation the ended up not so different from his. Though Era doesn't have the comfort of knowing it wasn't her fault, because it was The killing blow had been meant for her, not her beloved friend.

But she hasn't shared with him the true extent of her role in her own world. That she is the Warrior of Light; Hydaelyn's last bastion against the invading darkness. That her sole reason for existing is as the weapon to save her world from all threats.

"You did not kill her. It was her sacrifice to make, not yours. The best thing you can do is honour it. Grow stronger. Push forward. Save as many others as you can."

"That's the plan, but that doesn't change what I did..." His fingers curl around the fabric of the bedsheet, pulling it into a fist. Equal parts of hurt and anger blind him, and in certain moments, it feels like it's too much. "Ardyn...that bastard, he stabbed her, he stabbed her while I lay there. Era, I couldn't save anybody."

Groaning, he looks up at the ceiling, face burning in shame. This isn't something he's telling anyone else so why is he spilling his heart out here?

Because it's her. Noctis knows the answer.

"What the hell kind of king can't save anybody?"

"The kind of king who understands loss, and will fight all the harder because of it."

Era's strength had grown significantly after what happened with Haurchefant, and again after Ysayle. Her desire to protect is what grants her more power than even Hydaelyn's Blessing can offer. She has no doubt that Noctis will grow exponentially from this experience.

"...I can leave with you some supplies that may prove useful."

Too high of a cost for knowledge. He knew pain existed, Era had been there throughout many of his trials, so why does he have to keep learning? When is it going to be enough?

But she's right in that Noctis isn't ready to give up. He has to finish this, he has to make sure balance is restored. Slowly, he shifts, drawing the attention from his mind to the girl in front of him.

"Yeah? Help how?"

"If someone goes blind due to injury... So long as the eye itself is still there we have enchanted eye drops to help restore vision," she reaches into her inventory, pulling out a few glass vials of Eye Drops to show him. "It will not restore sight entirely, but may improve it somewhat."

Era doubts it would help Ignis overly much. Perhaps enough to see light and shadow, if the injury has not been too severe. "I am not certain if you already have such a thing in Eos, but you are welcome to what I have on me at the moment. I have potions to cure many other ailments as well."

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