"The river is gone?" Li perked up. He stared at Lira for answers. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Lira answered with a simple shrug. "I cannot say. I know that these eyes of mine that can see the flow of fate only work in worlds where there is life a plenty. Elsewhere, such as in the void of stars, I see nothing."

"So what are you suggesting?" Li narrowed his eyes. "That somehow I am responsible for ending all life on this world? Ending this world, even?"

"That is what I initially thought," said Lira. "Seeing that was one of the primary reasons I did not trust you and attacked you. I hope you will understand me a bit better." 

She left out the fact that she had attacked Li largely also because of what he was in respect of his decision to conceal his true nature from those around him. 

"I can understand," said Li. "But what I do not understand is what your vision about me means."

"I would not think too much about it," said Lira.

"Hm? Is the prospect of the end of all life on this planet not worth thinking about?" said Li.

"Yes, of course, but my ability to see the ripples of fate is limited. If, for example, the ripple you cast is infinitely vast, so much larger than any else such that it drowns out everything else, then it may be that I perceive such scale as the river itself disappearing." Lira cocked her head. "Or perhaps your fate is tied to the end of all life or the shattering of this world. It is anyone's guess, really – my capacity to perceive fate was never meant to deal with scale such as this."

Lira gave Li a knowing look, and Li understood what she wanted to convey. It was a warning to be careful of the battles ahead, for even if it was impossible that himself Li would ever destroy the world, he might unintentionally do so through a battle with another. 

He had known since the moment he knew he would potentially have to face Noctus. 

Yes, Li could fight Noctus. Yes, he could win, probably more times than he would lose now that his powers went beyond those he had in the game world.

But what of the cost? He could not kill Noctus instantly, and unlike in a game, a boss battle of that caliber would never be confined to a tidy and neat arena.

A full scale confrontation between Old Ones such as Li and Noctus was, as Li was increasingly beginning to realize, beyond the capacity of a single planet. One single damage oriented Ultima-class spell from Li was capable of likely shattering the vast majority of an entire continent.

What would happen if spells of that caliber began to clash with each other? 

One of Noctus's most well-known and strongest spells was the ability to call down a mass meteor shower. That alone could likely wipe out a continent also, not to mention making the rest of the world utterly uninhabitable. 

This was power. This was a clash between titans amidst a world made of paper and inhabited by ants. 

Li breathed out, his expression set and serious. 

Lira saw this and said, "I would not worry much were I you. Relying on my vision is the last thing even I would do. Fate is fickle in the same vein that rushing water is. More likely than not, I am simply incapable of truly perceiving your fate. 

And besides, I know that you have the capability to safeguard this world. You know this too. And now that I have seen into your daughter's memories, I believe you will wield your power and influence to that end."

"Well, I guess that is reassuring in some way," said Li. He sighed, deciding to himself that in a way, Lira's attitude was the right one to take. There was no point fretting about unclear fates in an unpredictable future. 

No, it was better for him to act in the present and now to seize how the future turned out. 

"I believe in you, lad," said Old Thane, breaking the silence of worried faces among the mortals in the circle. "Always have. Known you were destined for greatness since the day I took you in. And, it seems to me, your greatness is such that not even fate itself can handle it, heh."

The others nodded to Old Thane's confident and cheery tone, but there was still a small sense of unease that Li sought to remove now.

"Thanks, old man," said Li. "But Lira is right. I am going to make this world right, and I know I will. All the life that was lost in past conflicts, I am restoring. Even now, you can see around yourselves life returning to what was once barren and desolate. 

It does not matter what stands in front of me. To make things right, to preserve the preciousness of life, I will overcome any obstacle, no matter how small or large."

"Well said." Lira stood up with a nod. "A good thing to hear before I go."

She walked towards Li, her tall, almost towering frame still seeming strangely gentle. Perhaps it was her demure dress she wore now instead of her armor, one that looked like it should have belonged to a dainty lady, or perhaps it was how fragile she seemed now, cracks lining all of her skin, her form almost completely see-through. 

Tia stirred in Li's arms, using her scaled hands to rub her eyes as she blinked, waking up. When she saw Lira, her eyes widened in waking.

"Dragon going!?" said Tia as she looked high up to Lira.

"For now, yes," said Lira. "Come, little dragon, I have something to give you."

"Really?" Tia looked up to Li for permission, and he nodded. She wriggled out of his arms and walked up to Lira. 

Lira kneeled down, but even with that, she was taller than Tia. 

"Sorry for sleeping," said Tia. "Can't handle long talks."

"You and me both," said Lira with a laugh. "Truth be told, I have another hour or so before I fully fade away, but I feel as if I have heard and said enough. Ah, though, it is still so wonderful to see another dragon. One that has not been corrupted by the blood of Val. Shows that there is still some freedom among our kind.

Here, little dragon-," Lira balled her hand into a fist and held it out towards Tia. Tia stared at it with expectant curiosity.

"What is it?" asked Tia, licking her lips in the hopes that it was something edible.

"I cannot give you much. I am only a shade, after all. An illusion created from arcane magic," said Lira. "All that I will give you, all that I have on me, it will all fade away. But this, I hope will still be a pleasant sight for your eyes."

Lira unraveled her fist, revealing a necklace within. The links of the necklace were fashioned in the shape of small, interlocking chains of what looked like solid, glowing red fire. The chains held a diadem shaped ruby that glimmered with a dull, ever present light, like embers smoldering in a fading fire. 

Tia took the necklace in her hands and looked at it with cocked hand. "Pretty," she said. "Can I eat it?"

"Hm, I suppose you could," said Lira. "But it would not taste good. Would not taste like anything, really. And it would not do much for you."

"Then what is it?" asked Li.

"My crystallized memories," said Lira. She put a hand over Tia's, closing the girl's fingers around the ruby. "Keep this safe for me, little dragon. When the time comes and my true self comes, do me a favor and give it to her. It may be necessary. And who knows, I do not know how, but maybe it will come to be useful for you as well."

Lira unclasped her hand around Tia's and Tia gave Lira a small nod, looking wonderingly at the gemstone necklace. 

"You put it around your neck," said Lira. "Unless you would prefer a bracelet? I can certainly shape it like so."

"No no, it okay," said Tia. She tentatively put the necklace around her neck, and Li began to realize then that he was distinctively not a good guide for Tia in terms of getting her to be familiar with, well, girl things. 

The few times Jeanne and Sylvie came over, they would dress her and tell her how to act properly and what to like and what to do, but Li himself had never really given thought about it.

Not to mention that Tia was not exactly fully human, and, in a way, he came to realize increasingly these days, neither was he – he never even once thought about immersing Tia in the more 'human' cultural things that he would have were he to have been fully human. 

Lira smiled and patted Tia's shoulder. "Good. I hope you will not grow up to be too much of a heart throb. Human boys can be all too troublesome sometimes, though potentially sweet."

"Any reason you want to give her your memories to carry?" said Li. "Figure they're safer with me, no?"

"And will she not be with you always? There is no difference then. And I wish to give her some sort of parting gift, if a temporary one," said Lira. 

She did not look at Li as she spoke, and there was something off about her tone. Lira, despite how long lived she was, was always a straightforward person. Entirely unlike the duchess who had used the years to hone her expressions and words to be utterly unreadable.

Li let this slide, however. He could easily check to see whether the memory crystal had anything wrong with it, and he did not sense that Lira would ever want to really hurt her or him at this point. Seeing into her soul made him understand her much better than many, and he knew well that she was not the type of person to ever hurt others with underhanded methods. 

"I suppose so," said Li.