Gulool Ja Ja's Legacy: A FFXIV DT Rewrite + Expansion Concepts [Fanfiction]

Ch12: 9.0 Concept--Timeline Chaos

The Warrior of Light held up the relic cup once again, the symbol of Azem shining brightly as it began to activate.

The scions' attempt to save the lightning-filled shard of the ninth had been a failure-- not just once, but twice. When they first arrived, they were optimistic that they could resolve the imbalance of aether, and negotiate with the remnant kingdom of Lindblum, as well as other nations on the ninth. Their actions proved ineffective, against the shadowy cultish force underlying the beliefs of the ninth's inhabitants.

And so, the Warrior of Light chose to activate the cup-shaped relic. It did not simply allow traversal in between shards-- it was also capable of time travel.

In the Warrior of Light's mind, time travel had already been used. First, to save the first and prevent an eighth calamity. Then, it had been used to investigate the cause of the final days-- a trip to ancient Elpis.

As such, it should not hurt to employ the function of time travel with the cup-like relic, to achieve a desired result. Cause and effect, the flow of time, should adjust and naturally 'correct' itself, so the Warrior of Light thought.

Already, the Warrior of Light had gone back in time after the first failure. Once again, the chain of events had spiralled out of the scions' control. Thus, the Warrior of Light was forced to activate the cup-shaped relic once again.

Yet before the magic could fully activate, a rift split open before the Warrior of Light. Out stepped another Warrior of Light. Completely similar in appearance-- it was as if the Warrior of Light was looking directly into a mirror.

"Cease your actions. You cannot continue activating the relic!" The second Warrior of Light drew their time mage rod.

"Who are you?!" The Warrior of Light questioned the second.

"This other you is true in flesh and blood. This is no illusion," Y'shtola muttered.

"I am indeed you," the second Warrior of Light replied. "From another timeline. Your actions have created multiple timelines. Reality is beginning to fracture."

"Don't be ridiculous," the Warrior of Light scoffed. "There may be multiple timelines created by my actions. It is of no consequence to each individual timeline."

"So you wish to believe," the second Warrior of Light pointed their time rod at the original. "Yet our existence is partially shared, and unexplained chaos is beginning to infiltrate our worlds."

The Warrior of Light dismissed this second Warrior of Light's words. Failure was not an option. The ninth shard must be saved. There cannot be another void-like reflection.

"Hold that doppelganger back," the Warrior of Light bid the accompanying scions. "We cannot allow the ninth to become like the thirteenth!"

The scions cooperated, surrounding this second Warrior of Light. The Warrior of Light continued to channel aether into the cup-shaped relic.

"And I thought my other self and companions would listen to reason..." the second Warrior of Light mumbled in dismay, unable to act due to the surrounding scions' watchful gazes. "Well. Suit yourself. Best of luck, Alpha me."

The magic of the cup-shaped relic activated. The stars shifted around the Warrior of Light and scions' heads as they were whisked back in time to 'save point'.

They had returned back to the point of their arrival on the ninth, standing before a victorian era Alexandrian city.

Before the Warrior of Light could exhale in relief, a gigantic rift was ripped open. A dragon's head with red eyes pierced through as its claws parted the opening wider to allow entry for the body.