Scenario:Izmir - Deadly Promise
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Deadly Promise
Steeped in Izmir's magic, the crew begins to see visions of her past. They learn that she met the last guardian when she was sacrificed to the cave and that he became like a father to her. When he died, he asked with his last breath that Izmir bring true peace to the cave.
One day, (Captain), Vyrn, and Lyria pile into Izmir's room, only to find it glazed over in ice and the woman herself gone.
She has left for the distant ice cave where they first met—to keep a promise she made with the last guardian, her father figure, long ago.
Once you boil down the pretty words and are left with only the deeds, that means she will sacrifice her life to a spirit known as the Ice Phantom.
The crew is torn, wanting both to save her and to respect her decision. But when a magical snowflake tells them Izmir does not want to die alone, it patches their will back together.
They struggle up steep slopes and white ice to meet her and, with their words, sway her resolve to die. Seeing this, the ghosts of the previous guardians attack the crew.
Izmir: Hah!
Izmir steps in and blasts the crew away with a wall of wind, sending them skidding down the ice-gilded slopes like boulders.
The frost encases their motionless bodies, drinking away their warmth and their senses.
Vyrn: Phew... Was worried you weren't gonna wake up, buddy.
???: ...
(Captain) sits up. The crew is in a small, poorly-lit room. A young girl sits in a corner, half-submerged in the murk.
She bears a striking resemblance to Izmir.
Lyria: I think we're in Larana's memories.
Lyria: My guess is... when she sent us flying with that blast, she steeped us in her magic, and that unlocked for us the deepest recesses of her mind.
Young Izmir: ...
Lyria is right. The girl before them is Izmir, many, many years ago, when she was forced to dwell in a hut.
Vyrn: She hasn't moved at all...
Vyrn: Not that there's any space to move in. And it's so dark. You're telling me she was trapped in here for years?
Empathy and pity seep into them as they watch the girl. Silent moments pass, before the door creaks open.
Village Head: Izmir. It's time to fulfill your duty.
White passes like a flurry of snow before the eyes of the crew. When it clears, they see they are stranded in the cavernous silence of the ice cave.
Izmir looks at the emptiness around her.
Young Izmir: So... I'm gonna die here, huh? But it's so lonely...
Guardian: Well hello, little one.
Young Izmir: ...!
Guardian: Oh! No, don't be scared. I'm a guardian, just like you.
Young Izmir: ...
Guardian: Ohh. They told you down at the village that the guardians all freeze to death—just like that, right?
Guardian: Well... that's not true. Actually, we've all got resistance to ice magic, and the stronger it is, the longer we survive. But, alas, we will expire in the end...
Guardian: Now! That's enough doom and gloom for now. Want to tell me your name?
Young Izmir: Why?
Guardian: Why? So I can throw you a party! You don't expect me to write "small skinny child" on the banner, do you?
Guardian: Haha. But, uh, there's only two people on the guest list: you and me. Hope you don't mind.
Young Izmir: ...
Young Izmir: Iz... mir...
Guardian: That's the name they give to the guardians. I'm called Izmir too, you know.
Guardian: I'm asking about your real name.
Young Izmir: ...
Guardian: You don't like it, do you? The name your parents gave you.
Young Izmir: ...
Guardian: But listen... Names are magical things. They've got special meaning—power, even.
Guardian: Doesn't have to be now, but someday... I want you to be able to shout your name up to the rooftops with pride.
Young Izmir: ...
Guardian: Aw, you're so cute when you're confused!
Young Izmir: ...!
Guardian: I want to be friends... real friends.
Guardian: So won't you tell me your real name?
Young Izmir: ...
Young Izmir: Lara... na...
Guardian: Larana, is it?
Guardian: What a pretty sound. Larana... I think it's perfect for you!
Young Izmir: ...!
Guardian: Well, Larana, it's very nice to meet you! From here on out, I've got your back, and I hope you've got mine.
Vyrn: This must be who Wondergirl made that promise with... The last guardian of the cave...
Lyria: Yeah... And her first friend.
Guardian: Ugh! Gaaah!
Young Izmir: No! Please! Don't leave me!
Another gust of white. The crew opens their eyes to see the last guardian writhing, fangs of the ice magic sunk deep into his vitals.
Guardian: Don't worry, Larana. I'm not going anywhere.
Young Izmir: Cause when you die, you'll be part of the cave? But I wanna hear your voice...
Guardian: No, Larana. I meant that'll I'll always be here... in your heart.
Young Izmir: What?
Guardian: When people die, their bodies disappear and their souls move on. Or... that's how it should be.
Guardian: Death is what makes life beautiful. And it's what makes love—the love the prince and princess shared, the love I feel for you...
Guardian: Gah!
Young Izmir: Your body! It's fading!
Guardian: Huff... Huff... All my hope... rests on you now...
Guardian: Larana... The ice cave... Grant it peace...
Guardian: I believe... in you...
Izmir: ...
Izmir: It's quiet now... Well, it figures... I'm all alone.
Izmir: But I've got a promise to keep.
Izmir: I'll protect the cave until it's time for me to...
Vyrn: Wow... This place is covered with snow!
Lyria: It feels like we're in a fairy tale! You could get lost in all this snow!
Izmir: ...!
What are they doing here?
What are they doing here?
Village Head: Oh, thank the skies. You're awake!
Vyrn: Wha... How'd we get back here?
Village Head: Your guess is as good as mine. We found you collapsed at the entrance to the village. Now, sit tight for a moment. I'm going to call the doctor.
As the minutes trickle by, it washes the fog from the minds of the crew, and they recall what happened to them.
Lyria: So I guess the last guardian was really important to Larana...
Lyria: He's why she was so set on keeping her promise.
Vyrn: Yeah... But now she's conflicted.
Izmir: (Captain)... Lyria... Vyrn...
Izmir: I wish I could've seen you... one last time...
Lyria: Well, if she's in trouble, we need to be there for her!
Lyria: She's not the only one with a promise to keep. I said I'd help her—so she'd never lose anything important again.
Vyrn: Yeah! We ain't givin' up!
Vyrn: Come to think of it, we promised to go shopping too!
Lyria: Larana still has so much to see and do. Once all this is over, we're going to travel and paint the skies! Together!
Now that they've seen the whole film roll of Izmir's past, the crew understands why she made the choices she did.
But they also know that she is a girl starved of life and friendship, and that her tale shouldn't—and can't—just end here.
Deadly Promise: Scene 2
In the world between life and death, Izmir speaks to the last guardian and realizes her desire to live. The ghosts of the other guardians try to make her go through with the sacrifice, but (Captain) arrives in the nick of time. The love Izmir shares with the crew allows her to overcome the Ice Phantom's powers of solitude and vanquish him.
Izmir: ...
Izmir lies in the ice cave, her face as peaceful as a death mask.
It is silent, it seems that air itself has been sucked from the space, leaving the vibrations of sound nothing to travel through.
The magic continues to bite into Izmir's flesh, eating ever nearer and nearer to the pith of her soul.
Izmir: (Captain), Vyrn, Lyria... I'm so glad you came for me...
Izmir: I got to speak with you... one last time... Now, I can let go...
Light wraps her body like a shroud, and her consciousness begins to fade.
Izmir: Isn't this... Auguste?
When she comes to, she sees she is standing on baked ivory dunes.
But in her gut, she knows she is not truly in Auguste. For the place feels oddly vast and empty, devoid of the pulse of life.
Izmir: My body is now one with the Spirit... I guess the ritual worked after all.
Izmir: Now, all that's left is to wait... until my soul is bound to the cave...
Izmir watches the waves lap at the sand, mesmerizing herself with the repetition, falling into a calm trance.
Izmir: I must've really wanted to see Auguste...
Izmir: It brings back so many memories... A happy ending to a happy life...
Izmir: ...
Izmir: That's right... I'm... happy...
Guardian: Larana! I've missed you!
Izmir: ...!
Izmir: I've missed you too! I've missed you so much!
Izmir's heels kick up sand as she runs towards the last guardian and throws herself into his arms.
Guardian: My daughter! You did it! You showed the skies what tough stuff you're made of. Just like I knew you would.
Izmir: I did... I sure did!
He ruffles her hair.
Guardian: So, how was it? Seeing the outside world? I bet a lot happened.
Izmir: Yeah. I don't know if I could ever tell you everything.
Izmir: Oh, but... I guess we'll be together forever now. That leaves enough time for a billion stories.
Izmir: Um, mind if we take a walk? I want to show you the beach. It's special to me.
She grabs hold of his hand and begins to skip and scrabble on the sand.
Izmir: It must've been a thousand degrees down in the mines of Valtz. Oh, I'd never felt more alive.
Guardian: I still can't believe there are mountains that breathe fire. The opposite of here, huh?
Izmir: Yes. Oh, and the food was...
As Izmir speaks, all her senses relive her adventures.
She can see the colorful shopfronts of foreign streets, hear the creak of the Grandcypher's boards, smell the singed air of volcanoes.
Izmir: And oceans are just these huge bodies of water, but there's something about them that draws you in... I could watch the waves roll forever.
Guardian: That's what we looking at now, right? An ocean... It seems endless.
Izmir: It almost is. And all sorts of creatures live in its depths. Once, I made a net of ice and fished up—oh, I don't know—a whole aquarium.
Izmir: There were shellfish, crabs, an octopus, and starfish... I couldn't believe it.
Guardian: Well, I certainly can. You've always been a natural at whatever you do, Larana.
Izmir: The ocean's generous, that's all... We rode through it too. On floats we hooked up to Swimmys. That certainly was a thrill.
Izmir: But you know what left the deepest impression on me? Fireworks. After dark, they set gunpowder alight—and send it flying up to explode into fountains of light.
Guardian: Explode? That sounds kind of scary.
Izmir: Yeah... The noise startled me at first. But, you know, everyone was there with me...
Izmir: ...
Lyria: It's so pretty!
Vyrn: Got that right.
Izmir: I felt so safe and whole... and the lights were so beautiful... It was like a dream.
Vyrn: You've still got space in your head for more mementos! I wonder what we'll do tomorrow...
Lyria: Hmm, I wonder...
Lyria: Ooh, look! The lights really look like flowers now!
Izmir: And I started thinking...
Izmir: About how I didn't want it to end...
Guardian: Larana...
Izmir: I hate winter... I wish it didn't exist...
Izmir: Why can't it always be summer? Then I could've stayed on that beach forever.
A storm is brewing within Izmir. She feels it as a prickling in her nose and heat behind her eyes.
Finally, tears slide like large raindrops down her cheeks.
Izmir: What? That's weird... Why am I crying?
Izmir: I just wanted to share... how happy I was in that moment!
Guardian: ...
The guardian rubs her tears away with his thumb, before bending down and looking into her eyes.
Guardian: You did, Larana. Beautifully. Thank you for sharing your joy with me.
Guardian: And to tell the truth, I'm glad you're crying. Because it means you can change the fate of the ice cave.
Izmir: The fate... of the ice cave?
Guardian: That's right. Listen, you have the right to chart your own course. You can fulfill your duty and cast your anchor down right here or... you can keep sailing the skies with your friends.
Izmir: What?
Guardian: Well? Assuming there was nothing tying you down, no duties to worry about, what would you choose?
Izmir: What are you saying? You know I came back to... do what needs to be done, right?
Izmir: And I can't hold back the magic anymore... It's eating away at me. I can't keep sailing like this.
Guardian: Really now? You're a guardian of ice that's walked beneath the summer sun, Larana. You're stronger than you think.
He puts large, steadying hands on her shoulders.
Guardian: Seal the whole mountain away.
Izmir: ...!
Guardian: The village, its evil customs, this very cave... Lock it all in a prison of ice, where even time is frozen.
Guardian: You could expel the poison that's been eating at you and destroy the chains that bind you—that bound all of us—to a lonely death. You could be free.
Izmir: No... It's impossible! I can't freeze the entire mountain.
Guardian: Yes you can. Do you know how much magic you've got stored in you?
His conviction is so strong, Izmir can feel it in the pressure of his gaze.
Guardian: And you've been using it too, fighting, exploring the skies. You've got a better handle on these powers than the rest of the guardians combined.
Guardian: Experience... and inborn resistance. That's what I call the perfect recipe for success.
Izmir: But if I seal the ice cave... what'll happen to you?
Guardian: Well... I'll sleep. Forever, in the ice. So I guess I won't be seeing you again.
Izmir: What? No! But I finally found you.
Guardian: Larana, listen. Me... the other guardians... none of us should be here right now.
Guardian: We need to move on—to the eternal home of all souls. It's the only way to bring peace to this cave.
Izmir: Peace...
Guardian: Larana... The ice cave... Grant it peace...
Guardian: I believe... in you...
Guardian: But we can't. We'd have to destroy the cave, and the Spirit is too powerful.
Guardian: Still, at the very least... we can lock it away forever.
Guardian: Then, when the time comes, you can rest—truly rest. And knowing that is peace enough for me.
Guardian: I don't hate eternal winter too much, you know? Because all I have to do to feel warm is close my eyes and imagine you out there, drinking in the colors of the seasons...
Izmir: ...
Izmir: I... I choose...
Guardian: Thank you for coming back and talking to me. I couldn't have asked for a happier ending!
Guardian: But you have to go now. As soon as I open a portal to the cave, dash through and don't look back.
The last guardian raises his hands, and a jagged gash streaks across the sky. Peeking through the opening is the perfect white of the ice cave.
Guardian: Goodbye! Take care of yourself!
Ghost Guardian 1: What's all this? You dare interfere with the ritual?
Guardian: Larana! Hurry!
Izmir: But...
Guardian: No buts! Go!
Izmir: ...!
Ghost Guardian 2: Oh no you don't!
As Izmir leaps upwards into the rift, cold fingers close around her ankle.
Izmir: Just... a little further!
She thrusts her face forward and peers with wide eyes at the stillness of the cave, but the malicious force at her heels is too strong, pulling her back down...
Izmir: ...!
Izmir: (Captain)? What are you doing here?
Izmir looks in disbelief at her hand, which still clings desperately to the captain's. Slowly, she relaxes her grip.
Lyria: We're here to talk with you! Properly!
Vyrn: We didn't, uh, come to eavesdrop... but we mighta heard your discussion with the last guardian, 'cause of all the ice magic floatin' in this cave.
Izmir: And then you saved me...
Izmir: But how are you even in here? I thought the Spirit's magic froze everyone who hasn't suffered complete solitude.
Vyrn: That's... a good question. Man, we were so focused on savin' you, we never stopped to think.
Izmir: ...
Lyria: Um, Larana? We heard about your two choices...
Lyria: Keep flying or drop your anchor here... And before you get the wrong idea, I want to say that I realize a big choice like this... should be yours to make.
Lyria: It's not our place to do more than watch over you...
Lyria clutches at Izmir's sleeve, and it seems she will never let go.
Lyria: But let us do that at least! Let us be here for you!
Izmir: Lyria...
Vyrn: Wondergirl, you left without a word 'cause you were worried about us, right?
Vyrn: You thought if we found out all you'd been through and all you still had to go through, it'd break our hearts.
Izmir: ...
Vyrn: And you're not wrong, but still... we want to share your pain and sadness... 'cause that's what friends do!
Vyrn: But, uh... I guess us sittin' here cryin' with you doesn't really solve anything, huh?
Izmir: No. You three gave me just the push I needed.
Izmir: I'd spent so long denying my feelings that I'd forgotten what warmth and courage felt like...
Izmir: But you reminded me.
Izmir: And now I'm sure that what I really want... is to keep living with all of you!
Vyrn: That's my Wondergirl!
Izmir: Um, so mind if I ask a favor? Will you fight alongside me?
Choose: Thought you'd never ask!
Choose: Yes. To the bitter end.
Lyria: Oh, Larana. Why do you think we came here?
Izmir: Thank you... so much...
Izmir looks at (Captain), then Vyrn, then Lyria.
Izmir: But you know... I have no intention of breaking my promise.
Vyrn: Huh? But didn't you just?
Izmir: Don't worry. I'm not going to let the cave have me.
Izmir: Now that you're here, I think I can keep my promise and walk away with my life. No guarantees, but...
Ghost Guardian 1: This is why I said we must get rid of all temptation.
Vyrn: You ghosts again!
Ghost Guardian 2: Izmir... Child of solitude... Our brethren.
Ghost Guardian 2: We felt it, you know. When the last guardian crossed over, the void in your heart grew bigger.
Izmir: ...
Ghost Guardian 1: Giving up your "friends" may inspire the same pain.
Ghost Guardian 1: But the moment you become part of the cave, you will cease to feel. Then you can be at peace for all eternity.
Izmir: That's not peace... That's just going numb...
Ghost Guardian 2: What?
Izmir: People don't always do what you want them to do. Trusting someone means getting hurt.
Izmir: And I've been hurt... a lot...
Izmir: These past few years, I've felt pain and joy I never would've known on my own. I finally know what it means to be alive... and I love it.
Ghost Guardian 2: What! Do you mean you will not cross over?
Izmir: Sorry. You've done nothing wrong but...
Izmir: I want to live!
Izmir: Red Blast!
Ghost Guardian 1: Gah!
Izmir pins the ghosts to the wall with blades of ice, where they stay like mounted butterflies.
Izmir: Now! Follow me!
Deadly Promise: Scene 3
With the Phantom gone, the village no longer has to rob children of their lives. The headman apologizes to Izmir, who does not forgive him but offers understanding—the villagers were only trying to protect their friends and family. Izmir returns to life aboard the Grandcypher, and the joy of it makes her cry.
Izmir is back where the ice cave once stood.
Izmir: ...
She builds a grave on the tender grass, honoring the first man ever blessed and burdened with ice magic and all the guardians that came after.
She steps back so she stands shoulder to shoulder with (Captain), Vyrn, Lyria, and the village head. Their heads are all bowed in respect.
Izmir: (I hope you've shed all your burdens...)
Izmir: (And that you can finally rest in peace.)
Izmir: (Oh, and...)
There rises in her mind an image of the last guardian.
Izmir: (Don't worry about me. I'm going to keep living—with the memory of your love.)
Izmir: (Watch over me... from your eternal home.)
The wind caresses her hair like a soothing hand.
Village Head: Now that the Phantom's gone, we won't need to continue the sacrifices.
Village Head: How can we ever thank you?
Izmir: I don't deserve all the credit. My friends helped.
Village Head: Yes, of course. You all have my deepest gratitude.
Village Head: That, and...
Village Head: I'm sorry... for almost ruining your life.
Izmir: ...
Village Head: I know it's too little, too late... but as head of our village, I wanted to apologize to you. Properly.
Izmir looks at the face before her, crisscrossed with lines like a map of care and worry.
Izmir: Those words can't revive the dead. They can't bring back lost happiness.
Izmir: What you did can never be forgiven.
Izmir: I hate the village. And I'll go on hating it for the rest of my life.
Village Head: ...
Izmir: But... I get it. You all had people you were trying to protect.
Izmir: When I was out traveling, I learned what it felt like... to be afraid of losing someone.
Village Head: Izmir...
Izmir: My name is Larana.
Izmir: I hope this place changes for the better.
Village Head: It will! I promise!
When they return to the ship, it is like Izmir never left. They continue their journey and their missions.
A few weeks later, when there is room to take a breather, Izmir, (Captain), Vyrn, and Lyria visit a little art store in town.
Lyria: Whoa... Look at all these brushes. And there's so many types!
Izmir: Yeah, but let's start with the round tips, okay? If you can get yourself a thin, a medium, and a thick, you should be good to go.
Izmir: Go on, try drawing with them. See how they feel in your hand.
Lyria: Hehe.
Izmir: ...?
What's so funny?
What's so funny?
Lyria: Nothing! It's just... I'm having so much fun! And when you're having fun, you laugh!
Izmir: This is true.
Izmir: I'm enjoying myself too... even though we haven't bought anything.
She smiles, a genuine one that came from the heart.
Vyrn: Well, aren't you a happy sunbeam?
Vyrn: I remember when we first met, I thought your smile muscles were broken... Feels like forever ago now...
Izmir: ...
Izmir: You know, that tail of yours looks really flexible... I bet if I plucked it off, it'd make a good brush.
Vyrn: Uh, Wondergirl? You're scarin' me!
Izmir: Haha. I'm kidding. Just felt like teasing you a little.
Izmir: For old time's sake. Really does feel like forever ago when you said I "gave you the creeps."
Vyrn: Oh, uh... Sorry 'bout that!
Lyria: Larana! Come look! These brushes are so... rectangular!
Izmir: Well... those are the flat tips. You use them to...
They spent the next hour looking at the cut of bristles, feeling the texture of watercolor paper, comparing the hues of paint.
They come away from the store laden with purchases and stroll through town.
Lyria: Look at all this stuff! I can't wait to get home and start painting!
Izmir: What are you going to draw?
Lyria: Hm... I think I'll start with our summer vacation... Or no, with Valtz... Actually, today's shopping trip.
Lyria: Oh, there's too much to choose from!
Vyrn: Well, if you're plannin' on paintin' our adventures, why don't you read over your journal? Take your time; choose somethin' from there.
Lyria: Yeah! That's a great idea!
Vyrn: You did some heavy duty shoppin' yourself, Wondergirl. What are you gonna draw with all those new watercolors?
Izmir: ...
(Captain) looks at Izmir and sees large tears raining down her face.
The captain stops, worried.
Choose: What'd Vyrn do this time?
Vyrn: What! I didn't do nothin'!
Vyrn: Or, at least... nothin' I remember...
Continue 1
Izmir: Don't worry. It's just... I feel so happy and warm and complete... the tears started flowing on their own.
Izmir: I'm not sad at all.
Vyrn: Phew. You had me panickin' for a sec, Wondergirl.
Lyria: Oh, Larana, your tears. They're not freezing.
Izmir: Yeah. My ice magic doesn't come from the cave anymore.
Izmir: Now I cast spells using my own power. The magic's just another part of me.
Izmir: And that means I have complete control. Watch.
Izmir's face breaks into a grin, like a kid about to pull a prank.
She steps up to (Captain), leans over...
And, gentle as a petal dancing over on a breeze, her lips brush the captain's cheek.
Lyria: Gasp!
Vyrn: Did you just...
Izmir: It once was said I could freeze with a kiss.
Izmir: But that's no longer the case... Right, (Captain)?
Lyria: (Captain)'s not moving! Oh no! How do we defrost you?
Vyrn: Nah, still feels like flesh to me! (Captain)'s frozen in shock is all!
Izmir: Hehe. Guess a kiss is still too much for you.
Izmir looks pleased with herself.
Izmir: Oh, I know what I want to draw. Your face just now.
Izmir: I can't describe it, but it was just... perfect.
Izmir: Well, hurry up. We have to get back before I forget what it looked like!
She takes (Captain)'s hand and begins to run.
The captain realizes, as if for the first time, how her hand is as warm as a sunbeam.