"You've lived an interesting life," said Li as the visions stopped and everyone returned to the present. 

"Many would consider that an understatement, but yes," said Lira. Her weapon now stood by her side, held away from her, away from any intent to fight. "I could say the same about you. Little would I have ever known that there are those among your kind that defend and nourish."

"How much of myself did you see?" asked Li.

Lira looked at Tia with a smile. "Enough. Enough to trust you, for now."

"For now? Well, I do suppose that is good enough considering how stubborn you are," said Li with a sigh, his branched and leafed form heaving up and down with the motion. 

"A bad trait of mine. Never has lessened over the centuries," shrugged Lira. She knelt down to Tia's level. "And to you, little dragon, I am glad you are in capable and caring hands."

"Of course!" said Tia as she tugged at Li's hand proudly. 

"It is good to know that there still yet bloodlines of dragons that elude my father's will," said Lira. She looked up to Li with admiration for once. "And it is good to know a parent that knows the importance of what it means to live free."

"I try my best."

Tia smiled up at Li. "Papa is the best!" 

Li put his hand down, and Tia hopped into it. He raised her up to his shoulder such that she could easily see Lira eye to eye.

Tia pointed to Lira's eyes. "Pretty. Are you dragon like me? When I get eyes like that?"

"These eyes are a curse, little dragon," said Lira. She shook her head. "They may shine bright, but the blood they draw from is dark and selfish. To me, it seems your eyes far prettier. The bright green and the midnight black. They remind me of this world, at how it has so many ups and downs but in the end, it is still beautiful."

"Thanks," said Tia shyly. 

"And I am a dragon like you," said Lira. "But in some ways, we are different. I know how you feel, little one. You want to see other dragons. You want to go to Torr Valeris."

Li listened to hear what Lira would suggest.

"You should go," said Lira to Li's surprise. "You wish to explore, and nothing should stop you. But know that what you find, you may not like. Still, it should be you that comes to that realization."

Tia nodded. "I know. Papa tells me the dragons can be mean. Still want to see. Want to know."

"Good, good," said Lira. She directed her attention to Li. "I know you will accompany her to Torr Valeris should she go. You will find resistance, and I have no qualms with you crushing it. But if you can, spare my father Val."

"You of all people would ask for that?" said Li.

"I have no attachment to him. But he is important. He has fused with the world vein he slumbers upon, and his death means the death of the vein. There are ten veins upon this world and each is paramount in preventing the Old Ones from laying their tendrils here.

This one is already lost. Losing another would be disastrous."

"I see," said Li. He recalled what Sho-Gath had told him. The Old One could only reach out and contact Li because of a lack of "Aura" in this area.

This tied in with Tyr's memories. The world vein the Triforge dwarves sat upon died when Tyr drained it, and now, the aura that covered the planet, infusing it with a power that could repel the Old Ones, had weakened, particularly in this area.

Hence this tiny portal that Lira guarded over, though there were still details Li wished to know.

"When the time comes, I will do what I deem is right. But the life on this world, I will always have in mind," said Li.

Lira nodded and looked to Li, her rainbow eyes meeting Li's empty eye sockets. "I presume you have questions for me?"

"Yes. What were you doing here?"

"Guarding this rift," said Lira. "It is the least I could do to make things right. I was too busy beating back the demons in the south. Were I here, the vein would never have dried. Alas, I knew not there even was a vein here."

"When did you come to realize the importance of the veins. Of the existence of those like myself?" said Li. 

"I have always known to a degree. My father bred me to be the strongest of my kind solely to stand against the Darkness," explained Lira. "And I knew the Darkness was not the demons, for they were beneath the dragons of Val. No, I knew it was a force beyond them, but even father had not a clear idea of it. Only a vague, prophetic vision.

In fighting the demons during the Darkening, I talked to them. Came to know them. I understood then that the Heralds were seven parts of a greater seal guarding an even greater evil, but there had yet to be anyone in any land that knew much of this threat. 

When the Darkening ended, this fog clouded the expanse between the Triforge and the Shibboleth. I investigated it, of course, and found nightmare creatures pouring through from this rift. I slaughtered them all and created this copy to stand guard over the rift whilst I attempted to know more of the nature of this anomaly. 

My search for knowledge led me to Kel'Thor Citadel where I reached Shen'Sai, a lich who had explored into the depths of the great dark expanse beyond our planet. He was the only one that knew of the nature of the nightmare creatures, of the Old Ones that threatened existence at every corner across the stars.

With him, I came to understand the nature of the Abyss."

"I am curious of it too," mentioned Li. 

Lira nodded. "The slumbering Old One in the Abyss is but a messenger."

"That, I know," said Li, remembering the lore around Noctus turning into an Old One and calling for other eldritch beings to threaten the world. So it would seem that Noctus served the exact same purpose here. 

"Then I will tell you of the important parts. Noctus remains asleep primarily because of the ten world veins and the aura they create. The seals the demons have devised using the Signum that once imprisoned them as inspiration is impressive, yes, but not enough. 

Should the veins fall, then the demonic seals will tear apart like paper, and Noctus will awaken, bringing forth the true Darkness."

Lira pointed to the small tear in space. "That is Noctus attempting to open a void to his brethren with his dreams. The portal is small, capable only of attracting servants and spawn of the Old Ones, and that is because of the demonic seals. 

The only reason that even this small rift managed to open is because the Third Darkening and the fall of the world vein here coincided. Many of the heralds that carry the seven shards of the seal were slain with replacement hosts not yet found. With both world vein drained and the seal weakened, this rift opened.

In many ways, the demons must be thanked for saving this world, for without their seals, the Old Ones would have surely devastated this planet following the Third Darkening."

"Protect the world veins. Protect the heralds." Li nodded. "Then this world will remain safe. Or, as I am planning to do, kill Noctus."

Lira narrowed her eyes. "I have no doubt should you truly unleash your strength, you will match Noctus. But a battle between the two of you will be on a scale unparalleled. The damage to this world will be severe - it may even destroy this world entirely. 

I will admit I have no idea how to deal with the slumbering monster other than to keep it asleep. I hope you will be more useful than me in that regard."

"When it comes down to it, I am sure I will manage," said Li. He had always known that a fight between himself and Noctus would be a difficult one. 

Noctus was the only being here that was from New Game+ content. Stronger than any of the three great gods. The only one that existed on the same plane of power as Li.

In the game, Li had a truly fifty fifty solo raid matchup against Noctus, though with even just one additional player, the fight became rather easy.

He was confident to a degree because he had so many more powers than he had in the game, and he knew that when the time came, when he had to, he could tap into his eldritch powers while Noctus himself had only slumbered, his strength level staying presumably static unlike the gods such as Chi-You who had developed new skills and powers through time and training. 

But this was something to deliberate with more time. With more information that would come as Li reached the West. 

"For now, I will close that rift," said Li.