The Word of the Mother

Main Scenario Quest Template:Quest

Walkthrough

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Steps

• Speak with Matoya.

• Use the Duty Finder to enter the Antitower.

• Speak with Alphinaud.

Journal

• Alphinaud is eager to return to the search for Minfilia.

• It would seem that Krile and Thancred's foray into Castrum Meridianum was a success. According to Alphinaud, the pair have called a meeting in Idyllshire, where they will share their findings. But what could they have learned, and how might it lead you to the Antecedent?

• You learn that after concluding their investigation in the Praetorium, Krile and Thancred journeyed to the Sil'dih Aqueducts, where Minfilia was last seen. Apparently, the readings from these two locations yielded a unique aetheric signature─one which was also detected at the Isle of Val, where Krile claims she was shielded by the Blessing of Light. The conclusion is clear: Hydaelyn's intercessions can be measured and traced. Furthermore, Krile states that not two but three people were caught in Y'shtola's Flow. Unlike the Archons, however, the third individual appears to have vanished without a trace. Though it is something of a logical leap, Krile surmises that Hydaelyn─who has a demonstrated capacity to summon the consciousness of those blessed with the Echo to Her realm─may have guided Minfilia into the teleportation magick's compass, and thence summoned her, body and soul, unto the aetherial sea. Should this be the case, then the search must continue in that near-mythical place. Fortunately, it would seem that the Sharlayans built a structure to study the aetherial sea, and that its custodian yet remains, in defiance of the exodus...

• All things come at a price, and Matoya's permission is no different. Although she grants you and Thancred access to the Antitower, she demands that the others stay behind and assist her with various chores. You are soon denied even the bard's company, however, when Y'shtola forbids him from entering the tower, for fear of how he might be affected by the swirling aether within. And so it falls to you to explore the Sharlayan structure alone─or with some few of your fellow adventurers if you must, Matoya being a charitable sort.

※The Antitower can be accessed via the Duty Finder.

• As you drive back the last of the tower's magical guardians and silence descends, you take in your surroundings. What was it you thought to find here, in this forgotten place, left to molder until the end of time? And then, on the edge of hearing, a voice. “Hear... Feel... Think...”

• Once more, you bask in the light of the crystal, in the midst of the aetherial sea. A voice, familiar yet strange, welcomes you; Minfilia's at times, but at others... She calls herself the Word of the Mother, and with one will do they tell you a tale of the beginning─of when Light and Dark dwelt as one, before Zodiark's covetousness forced Hydaelyn to banish Him to the distant heavens. Not only was the star sundered in so doing, but the barriers between realities as well, giving birth to reflections of the source, wherein shards of light and dark were scattered. To restore Zodiark to His former glory do the Ascians ever labor, and each Calamity marks a Rejoining─the obliteration of a reflection, and a triumph of the Dark. Alas, before she can say more, the Word cries out in pain, and the Mothercrystal shudders. Your Crystal of Light, whose power she drew upon, is all but spent, and she has no choice but to return you to the tower. With a final desperate plea, the Word bids you farewell, before shattering into a thousand thousand pieces.

Upon returning to Matoya's cave, the waiting Scions rush to your side, bombarding you with questions about your foray into the Antitower. They soon fall silent, however, as you tell of your meeting with Minfilia, and of her transformation into the Word of the Mother. Alphinaud, at last realizing the implications of your encounter, cries out in despair for the loss of your leader, prompting Master Matoya to scold him for his childish naivety. She reminds him that wars are not won without sacrifice─that Minfilia made her choice, and that the Scions must move forward without her. Unimpressed by her lecture, Y'shtola leaves with Krile in tow, while Thancred storms out without uttering a word, leaving you alone with Alphinaud and Matoya.

• Though he does his best to accept that Minfilia made her choice, and that you must carry on without her, Alphinaud cannot help but wonder if there was not another way. Loss after loss, sacrifice upon sacrifice... Your victories have ever come at a price─one which Alphinaud seems increasingly unwilling to pay.