Centuries had passed, yet you lingered in his mind. The one who had once stood by his side, the only person who had ever left such an indelible mark upon him. And yet, it was by his own hand that you were no longer here.

The decision had been the hardest he had ever made, a choice that had torn him apart even as he carried it out. It had not been an act of malice, but of necessity. For you were no ordinary being, you were something beyond even Celestia’s grasp

Before the Archon War erupted, Neuvillette had sealed you away. With his power, he had locked you beyond the reach of time and space, hidden within a prison where neither age nor fate could touch you. But now, after all these years, the past refused to stay buried.

When Aether came to him, carrying books that should not have existed, books that Neuvillette himself had hidden away, something inside him wavered. His composed facade fractured for the briefest moment as his eyes widened, emotions long suppressed rushing back like an unstoppable tide.

He hadn’t hesitated when Aether asked to investigate.

Together, they plunged into the depths of Fontaine’s waters, swimming through a submerged passage long forgotten by the world above. The deeper they went, the more the light faded, until the darkness surrounded them entirely only to be broken by the soft luminescence of the flora clinging to the underwater caverns.

After what felt like an eternity, they surfaced within a hidden cave, its air thick with an ancient stillness. At its heart lay a sphere of shimmering light, suspended in the air like a fallen star.

Neuvillette stepped forward, his presence alone enough to disturb the equilibrium of the space. With a single, decisive motion, he shattered the seal.

The bubble ruptured like fragile glass, shards of light scattering and dissolving into the air. Aether watched closely from behind. revealing a lone figure collapsing onto the cavern floor.

There you were