Her Children, One and All

Experience: 508,200
Gil: 4,000
Previous quest: Bonds of Adamant(ite)
Next quest: A Bold Decision
Cooler than Being Cool
For the Record
Harbinger of Breath
Patch: 6.0

Main Scenario Progress: 791 / 960 (82.4%)

Endwalker Progress: 93 / 155 (60%)

“

Fourchenault is ready to lead you to Hydaelyn at last.

— In-game description

Rewards

Satisfied with your level of preparedness, Fourchenault makes for the center of Thaumazein and invites you to follow. Given his lingering trepidation, however, you cannot help but wonder what as-yet-untold dangers await...

At Thaumazein's heart, Fourchenault explains that the bright blue and seemingly bottomless well of aether beneath you is the aetherial sea, and that the nearby shaft connects to the “Aitiascope,” a massive device by which the Forum peers into its depths to seek dialogue with Hydaelyn. Unfortunately, they have found little success since the Calamity weakened Her power, so you will be required to dive deeper than the Sharlayans ever dared if you would seek Her out. There, Fourchenault warns, drift memories strong enough to have escaped purgation by the cleansing tides, which may attempt to bar your path in death as they did in life...
- ※Speak with your companion NPCs outside the instance entrance if you wish to enlist them for this duty.
- ※Use the Duty Finder if you wish to complete the instance alongside fellow players.

With a little help from old friends, you fight your way past the vestiges of once-conquered foes to meet a soul but recently cast into the abyss, clinging to the world of the living even as he curses its hollowness. His parlor tricks are of no moment with the erstwhile Lady Iceheart shielding you once more, yet you struggle to destroy him once and for all. Instead, it is the vengeful spirit of Asahi who brings an end to the man that was once Hermes, many times Fandaniel, but Amon at the last, leaving the path to Hydaelyn open before you.

At the Mothercrystal, Hydaelyn welcomes you warmly, and gives the answer you sought─Meteion and the despair over which she presides can still be overcome. She cautions, however, that to do so will require tremendous power, and that a failed attempt means an end to your star and all life upon it. Thus does She challenge you to take up arms against Her, the very god of Light whose voice has echoed in your heart for so long, and prove your worth.
- ※To enlist your companion NPCs for this duty, speak with them near the entrance or access Duty Support via the main menu. Use the Duty Finder if you wish to complete the instance alongside fellow players.

With trust in your allies and resolve in your heart, you bring your hard-won might to bear against the avatar of divine Light. Her talents are many, Her refulgence blinding, but though it is a trial in every sense of the word, you and your comrades triumph.

In testing your power, Hydaelyn has exhausted the last of Her own. But all was by design, for Her plans from time immemorial were a means to this end, in which man proclaims himself ready to dictate his own future. In parting, She bequeaths you three gifts─the crystal that shall guide you to Meteion, the Mothercrystal's aether to see you there, and Her own power to give form to the formless, secured in Azem's own crystal. The last of these, She cautions, is not to be relied on overmuch, for only within yourself will you find deliverance.

With Hydaelyn's words still ringing in your ears, you return to report what you have learned to Fourchenault, Krile, and Livingway. Fourchenault assures his children that Sharlayan's starship is yours to do with as you will, while Livingway eagerly collects Meteion's crystal that the Loporrits may chart your course, encouraging you to take a well-earned rest in the meantime.

You have no difficulty drifting off upon falling into bed at the Baldesion Annex, yet your peaceful slumber is interrupted by the strangest dream of a familiar voice in one-sided conversation. Is this merely an echo brought to mind by your extended exposure to the aetherial sea, or something more?