“Are you sure you’re alright?” Tad asked again within the space of a few minutes.

For the first time, Amon thought about how this all must have looked from the outside to his poor cousin. He’d no idea that he just opened the gate of Syrcus Tower to its previous master, the one person that most of Eorzea would have not wanted to step one foot inside.

Especially not with all this talk of Ascians.

Which reminded Amon of why he was there. So lost had he become in questioning whether the Tower would still recognize him, he’d almost let slip the reason he’d come. Well, aside from the obvious Technologist things.

“Aye, I’m sorry. This must seem crazy to you,” the bard apologized, brushing himself off and composing himself once again.

“No more crazy than the rest of it,” Tad answered without hesitation.

So much as to spark Amon’s curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“Do you see nothing different with the Tower?”

“Well,” the Allagan peered up and around at the chamber. It was mostly as he remembered it but… “Aside from the fact that ‘tis awake when it should be asleep. I suppose the aether feels a little different than I recall, as well.”

He then fixed his cousin with a sharp look.

“What have you not told me?” Amon asked.

“Much,” Tad admitted. It was his turn to touch the crystal wall of the Tower. “Though you feel ‘tis still the Tower that you once knew?”

“Aye,” the bard replied, not allowing the conversation to be sidetracked. “What’s the secret?”

“’Tis no secret. ‘Tis just a minor… uh… complication.”

“Tad,” Amon lowered his voice in a chiding tone.

“In that this Tower currently rests in… another shard of existence.”

“A what?”

“A dimensional shard. A copy of our world,” Tad provided. “Though I’m afraid I don’t know the science behind it to explain what or how.”

“The Sundering theory?” Amon supplied in return. “I’ve heard tell of it amongst the Eorzeans. ‘Twas speculation amongst Allagan scholars on the topic, as well. And yet, you say that the Tower… that we… are in…”

“Another dimension, aye. ‘Tis what I understand to be true.”

The Allagan shook his head slowly. This had just created more questions than answers. “Then what is our Tower doing here?”

“You’d have to ask the Exarch,” Tad answered.

“The who?”

“The Exarch. He’s currently the one who controls the Tower here in this land. He has called it ‘The First,’ for whatever that might mean.”

Amon felt the hair on the nape of his neck stir at the thought of someone else controlling his Tower. It wouldn’t have been the first time, but he would see that it would be the last.

“Are you saying there’s someone awake within our Tower?”

“’Tis many people awake within the Tower. Or rather, this version of it.”

“How can that be?” Amon didn’t try to hide the skepticism in his voice. “Who could have opened the gates?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” Tad motioned to the doorway that would lead outside the chamber.

Suddenly, Amon was torn between curiosity and dread. If what Tad said was true, that there were people from another dimension populating the Tower – and controlling the Tower – the ramification for this could be massive.

He lowered his brows sharply. “Let us find this Exarch, then. But I pray that he does not keep me from looking for the answers that I seek.”

“Mayhaps if you ask nicely, he won’t,” Tad responded with a droll lift of one eyebrow.

Amon merely scowled at that. Not one to hesitate, the Allagan strode to the chamber’s closed doors and threw them open. Whomever was there would come to know that he was still the chosen Master of the Tower.

Tad almost made a move to stop his cousin from acting so brashly, but appeared to know that it would do no good. Amon would not be deferred. Instead, Tad allowed the bard to walk out of the Tower straight into a world of the unexpected.

Actually, Amon walked straight into the back of a guard he’d not realized was stationed outside the door. With a bit of an “Oomph!” at the collision – the fellow was fine, dressed from head to foot in armor as he was – the Allagan took a step back, coming to the realization that he needed to approach this unknown far more carefully.