Sirius had left the five in Eorzea, their threads entwined with the bustling guilds of Ul'dah, Gridania, and Limsa Lominsa. For now, they were safe, their growth in motion. With them settled, Sirius turned his attention to the web of fate that stretched endlessly before him.
One thread flickered faintly in his vision, like a candle trembling in the wind. It was Vivi's. The boy had returned to the Black Mage Village for the second time. Sirius lowered his hand, his eyes narrowing.
"Aether," he said.
"Yes, Master?"
"Take us back to Gaia. To the Mist Continent."
"As you command."
The Aetherveil veiled itself and slipped between the seams of worlds, emerging in silence above the familiar forest. Below, the trees stirred under the ripple of its invisible descent. Sirius stepped from the ship, descending into the clearing. His boots pressed against moss that whispered of solitude.
The village was not empty, not entirely. The lanterns were cold, the bridges creaked, and the graves lay unattended, but from one place—he felt it. Life, faint yet new, stirring in the shack.
Sirius crossed the silent paths. Each hut he passed carried a ghost of laughter, quiet greetings, the clumsy warmth of a people who had once found home here. Now only echoes remained. He paused at the door of the shack, then opened it.
Inside, the air was warm, thick with the scent of hay and life newly born.
The chocobo had hatched. But what greeted him was no ordinary chick.
Golden down clung to its small frame, feathers shimmering faintly like molten light. Its wings were broader than they should be, their edges faintly ridged like those of a dragon. Sparks crackled faintly along its beak as it chirped, and the sound carried not only the lilt of a bird but the low growl of something more ancient.
Its eyes glowed with an unnatural spark—too old, too knowing for a creature newly born.
The two Black Mages knelt beside it, their glowing eyes trembling with awe. No. 288 stood behind them, steady but watchful, hands folded in quiet acceptance.
Sirius stepped closer, his palm glowing faintly as he traced the energy pulsing through the chick. He exhaled, a soft breath of recognition. "So that's what happened…"
The mages looked up at him, startled but silent. Sirius's voice was calm, though there was weight behind it. "When I blessed you three with protection, I extended it to the egg as well. My blood runs with Bahamut's essence. And now…" His eyes softened as the chick hopped closer, sparks leaping from its beak. "That blood runs in this creature too."
The chocobo chirped again, half song, half roar. The lantern light flickered in response, as though shaken by the sound.
"You are both bird and dragon," Sirius said softly.
288's voice broke the hush. "We knew it was different… but we never understood why. Until now."
Sirius turned his gaze on them. "You've seen the child return. You've seen what remains here. Now I must ask—what of you three? Do you stay, guarding this new life, or do you leave, joining the others where your time will be longer?"
The two Mages looked at each other. One stroked the chick's damp feathers, the other clasped his trembling hands together.
"This chocobo…" one whispered, his voice catching. "It feels like family."
"When I look at it," the other said, voice shaking, "I feel something warm. Happy. As though we're not just… waiting anymore."
The chick flapped its half-feathered wings, scattering hay in a gust of heated air. Both mages laughed—real laughter, bright and unguarded, free of fear. The sound was awkward, unused, but pure.
288 placed a hand on their shoulders, grounding them. His voice was steady, though heavy. "My choice is the same as before. I'll stay. For them. For the life that just began. Someone must protect it."
Sirius studied them in silence, his expression unreadable. He had expected this answer, yet he let the quiet linger, testing the strength of their resolve. The chick hopped closer, nudging against one mage's robes, its eyes glowing with that strange draconic fire. The mage froze, then reached down with trembling hands to lift it.
Finally, Sirius raised his hand, magic shimmering at his fingertips. The air around them warmed, threads of light weaving into existence. "Then so be it. If you remain, you will not do so on borrowed days. I grant you sixty years of life—time enough to see this creature grow, time enough to protect each other."
The words sank into them like the rising sun.
One mage collapsed to his knees, his hat tilting forward as he pressed his hands against the earth. "Sixty… years?" His voice cracked in disbelief.
The other touched his chest, trembling. "We were made to count our days in months… always fearing the end. To wake every morning wondering if today was the day we would stop. And now…" His voice broke, glowing eyes shimmering like tears. "Now we have more life than we ever dreamed."
Warmth swept over them as Sirius's spell wove into their essence, filling the hollow ache that had always gnawed at their existence. For the first time, the shadow of fear receded.
The chocobo chirped loudly, hopping forward, as though it too understood the gift. Sparks danced along its beak, harmless but bright.
288 bowed his head, his voice low and certain. "Thank you. We will not waste it."
Sirius crouched once more, brushing his fingers gently over the chocobo's head. The tiny creature pressed into his hand, warmth radiating through his palm. A pulse of recognition surged through him—an echo of Bahamut's flame, wild and proud, but tempered by innocence.
He stood, turning toward the door. His cloak shifted as the night air brushed against him.
"This is your choice. Guard it. Cherish it. Live."
The mages bowed their heads. Behind them, the chick gave a cry—half chirp, half roar—that rang against the rafters. It was small still, fragile, but the sound carried a promise of what it might one day become.
Sirius stepped outside into the night, the sound of the chick's proud calls echoing behind him. He raised his gaze to the veiled ship waiting above, stars glinting faintly around its hidden frame. His voice was a whisper meant only for the void.
"Another anomaly is born. Let us see where your thread leads."
And then he was gone.