Hope | there's a hole in time

[referent]

[It's been a while, he thinks. Sunleth Waterscape looks about the same, unchanged by the relentless passage of time that's given rise to Academia, whose matters have demanded his attention for so long in light of his recent awakening. Time hadn't been available; it still isn't, but that's no excuse to ignore where Vanille and Fang sleep. Hence, he's chosen to visit in the early hours of the morning with a little less sleep than the norm and a little more time for his old comrades. It's the least he can do.

He sees the pillar ahead, shimmering brilliantly against the verdant backdrop of nature. The corners of his lips tugging upward, he knits his brows. A hundred years from now, who knows how drastic the damage will be.

A spot of orange stops Hope in his tracks. With a cautious hunch of his shoulders, he turns his head in search of the source, which turns out to be a body slumped over the slop near the base of the crystal pillar. Hope dashes over to the figure and crouches, words of concern about to drop when he notices the all-too-familiar dress.

Flabbergasted, he stares.

Hope Estheim. Age 14.]

– how?