A damp, dark cell deep in the caverns of an ancient cave.
Wrought iron bars, the only view.
A single candle outside of the cell is the only comfort of light and warmth.
On his knees, Clive Rosfield is stripped and chained as if more than dignity has been taken from him.
A moment of silence like an animal sentenced to die, waiting, endlessly waiting for the call, its time is up.
Isolated, diminished, even feeling forgotten.
In his mind, a flashback plays out between two primordial beings of fire.
One, a phoenix.
The other, a demon.
“It was me.”
The scene shifts once more to the fight of the elements, the demon besting the Phoenix, finishing off the bird with an explosion that incinerates the land.
“I killed Joshua…”
Not even the appearance of Cidolfus Telemon, the mentor and father figure to Clive, could make things better.
He opens the cell, weapon in hand, but places it down on a nearby table.
“Ah, you’re awake. You’re just full of surprises. First that trick with Garuda, then…”
Not even he could comprehend what exactly Clive did.
“Didn’t know you had it in you.”
As if Cid couldn’t work out him out, Clive’s next words thrust even more confusion to the situation.
“Do it.”
“Kill me.”
Each sentence, only two words. Yet they caused him to go deeper into his despair like a fuse to a powder keg.
Then came the explosion.
Clive aggressively got up, still chained, to meet Cid eye to eye.
“It was me! I killed him! I killed Joshua! I killed them all! I’m a monster, and I deserve to die.”
Through Clive’s goading and outburst, Cid remained unphased.
“So end it! End it now! Please! PLEASE!”
His voice breaking, a plea to end his life. Someone who has nothing to live for.
A man so internally tortured, he could not see the way forward.
His answer.
His own demise.
When Hope Stops Feeling Real
Can you think back to the times when you were at your lowest?
When all you could see was despair?
Perhaps you’re there now.
The weight of hope feels heavy.
Cid’s only response after being on the receiving end of Clive’s rant was to knock him down.
That is what can happen when things become too much, it knocks us down.
The burden of hopelessness pushed further by violence or stern words, even when intentions are good, does not usually pave the way forward.
It only puts another barrier up between those helping and those who need help.
Beating oneself up is never the answer. Burdens need to be lightened, not become cumbersome.
The walls must crumble.
“I reckon I can take you, if that’s what you want.”
On the floor, through Clive’s sniffles and quick breaths, Cid responds with the way a mentor is to a student.
“But first, I thought I’d give you the benefit of my timeless wisdom.”
Cid wasn’t refusing Clive’s offer of a challenge. He was happy to give it to him, but his first step to getting Clive out of his state was to offer something more valuable.
Wisdom.
He was meeting Clive in the middle while being careful with his words and reaction.
What followed was the first signs of hope out of his struggle.
Cid unchained him from his bonds.
The Man Who Believed He Was Beyond Saving
“It seems to me, you see, that since you’re still breathing, you might as well make yourself useful.”
Moving towards the table, grabbing the very sword he brought in, wrapped in his old attire, Cid throws them to the ground in front of Clive.
“Get dressed…”
With Clive laying on the ground sobbing uncontrollably, Cid walks away.
Now free, Clive could do whatever he wanted.
The cell door was open.
Cid’s back was turned.
He had his sword lying in front of him.
Yet, the tears and cries of pain and trauma continued. The revelation of what he did still weighed heavy on him.
How long would he recover?
Would he ever recover?
Can you relate to this?
Does the hero’s journey end suddenly, whether by his hand or another?
One sentence changed all of that.
Cid knew what Clive was going to do before it happened.
Not foresight, but rather intuition, and a way to turn his hopelessness into purpose.
That feeling of knowing, but can’t explain.
“I’ll see you in the hall.”
Does he see this as the first step towards getting himself out of the pit?
In his case, literally and mentally.
In the next scene, he rises.
Donning the clothes and armour that rightfully belonged to him, he places his sword into its sheath and slowly staggers out of the cell.
His first words out of that dark prison reflected the new path in front of him.
“What’re you going to do now?”
Healing Begins When Running Ends
The first message to appear on the screen after Clive has left the cell is: ‘The Wages of Guilt’.
Clive had taken that first step, but the guilt still lingered like a spider dangling from its web.
The road ahead was uncertain, but the journey had begun.
To take the first step. That alone takes courage.
Healing begins within oneself; it isn’t until the battle is won internally that the results begin to show up on the outside.
That itself is a choice and one that no one else can make.
Clive wasn’t put in restraints because of something he did directly.
But because of the trauma, he was both deeply vulnerable and in a destructive state of mind.
This was why he was put in them for his own protection.
Cid unshackling him, then throwing his clothes and weapon to him was the door opening.
His choice.
Cid left him with the cell door open to let him decide.
Very often, hard choices can only be made by the person who needs to make them.
The influence of words and minds from other external forces cannot linger nearby.
Ironically, it is in the silence where emptiness and darkness reside that very often help bring a decision to pass.
The right choice.
The People Who Help Carry the Darkness
“Finally crawled out of the crypt, eh? You look like it…“
Cid was waiting in the main area of The Hideaway for Clive.
It was clear, while not blessed with the gift of foresight, he understood Clive well enough.
The mentor and father figure in him knew what he was going to do next.
The struggle of being pulled out of the dark pit and into the halls of light and freedom cannot be done alone.
Clive had more than just Cid, he also had Jill Warrick, his childhood friend. Gav, the scout for The Hideaway and effectively Cid’s number two.
He also had Torgal, his loyal canine companion who never gave up on finding him, even when they were apart for over a decade.
The beauty of friends and companions lies in their power to raise others up when they fall.
What power alone against darkness can overcome it?
Each one of these companions assisted in his recovery, as well as offering something to Clive that he desperately needed.
Especially after going through a traumatic event as well as a psychological breakdown.
For Clive that step was getting out in the field.
Gav was already out in the wilds of The Kingsfall scouting for someone Clive wanted to locate and had picked up their scent.
Cid insisted that they go and meet him.
Being the ever faithful and loyal companion to Clive from childhood, Torgal came along too.
Choosing to get out of the pit is the first step.
Encouragement and positive reinforcement fuels the desire to keep walking forwards.
The right words accompanied by the right tone are equally important.
This is also part of the act of bearing another’s burdens.
Reminding someone that the weight they carry is not theirs to carry by themselves.
That isolation only deepens the wounds and the weight becomes more tiresome the longer one person holds on to it alone.
One who is lonely cannot shoulder the weight alone. To hear their call is to respond with love.
For the weary, a source of encouragement from a trusting person can be a great comfort.
Through positive reassurance and a helping hand, even the most broken person can find grace, especially when all they see is despair.
Grace Stronger Than Shame
One should not think abandonment is their lot in life, just because they broke under the pressures and weight of life.
Time.
A valuable asset and a solution to many things.
To move past the shame, the hurt, even the guilt.
Grace follows because it is about rebuilding identity slowly.
Rediscovering oneself through pain.
To give oneself grace is a beautiful gift.
Even an inner circle of close and trustworthy confidantes can also contribute to the healing, as well as the renewal.
No judgement, no condemnation.
Only a unity blessed by the grace of fellowship and love.
When Jill had regained consciousness and fully healed, she accompanied Clive on his mission to find out the truth about himself.
They returned to Phoenix Gate and entered the underground apodytery.
Following the trail of a hooded man that Clive saw enter before them.
They pushed onward.
Not knowing where they were going, they continued until they reached a room.
Neither Clive nor Jill understood why that one stood out.
After looking at a painting of what appears to be an omnipotent being, Clive was seemingly sucked into a dimension of his own mind.
His head, aching.
His vision, confusing.
The hooded figure awaited.
“You! You’re him. The second Dominant of Fire. Who are you?
The hooded figure replies menacingly:
“You.”
The hood is pulled back to reveal the figure is none other than Clive himself.
Another ominous voice sounds from within:
“We are you.”
Confronting ourselves is very often the biggest step we must take.
The fight within, the turning point and breakthrough.
Sometimes one must return to the place of hurt in order to fully close the chapter.
When You Don’t Know How to Begin Again
Flames from the past.
Clive stands within a circle surrounded by fire.
No way out and no way for anything to get in.
Young Joshua and young Clive make an appearance.
Seeing his brother, the older Clive rushes over, embracing him and tearfully tells him.
“I’m sorry. I failed you.”
Seeing his younger brother again, even though it was a vision, may have been a relief.
But the torment of the ordeal seemed to feel worse, like a wound that doesn’t stop bleeding.
The phoenix flames ignite from Joshua.
Both younger and older Clive stare up at Ifrit and Pheonix engaged in battle.
It is as if time had stood still for one to lament, yet see the pain of their past and present.
Younger Clive reflects: “Joshua died… I killed him…”
Older Clive adds on: “And I blamed another for what I did… to spare myself the guilt.”
“I feared that by accepting it, I would lose what little was left of me.”
“So I ran. From everything.”
The flames of Joshua draw into the frozen titan-like being of Phoenix, as if his soul is ascending into the afterlife.
Younger Clive, poses his older self with a question:
“And now? Are you ready to accept the truth?”
A very weighty question.
One that comes from none other than Clive himself.
Voices from the past carry much insight.
Providing a choice and action that can be both painful, yet freeing.
Younger Clive passes on his flame, the Blessing of the Phoenix to his older self.
In that moment, as he accepts it, Ifrit unfreezes.
Now, its attention was on Clive himself.
Younger Clive was gone and here the present Clive Rosfield stood alone to face the infernal and colossal being.
Not only was Clive facing internal demons, but now here he was confronting them head on.
Literally.
“No matter how bitter the truth that awaits me, I will press on.”
No more running. No more self-condemnation.
To push through the pain is to embrace a new strength untapped.
Clive withdraws his sword.
“Come, Ifrit! Show me who you truly are!”
A single mortal against an overpowered elemental being.
The music swells, raising in dramatic tension. The choir sings a language that is otherworldly. A combination of Latin and Ancient Greek.
Languages from the past long forgotten reflecting a clash between natural and supernatural that would cement itself into lore and legend.
They clash.
No holding back.
No quarter given.
Both utilising their full abilities against each other.
Despite being in an environment where fire and destruction dominate, Clive refuses to be beaten.
As Clive puts an end to the demon, extinguishing its flame, Ifrit dissipates.
The fight is won.
The challenge has been conquered.
Yet when good is triumphant, even evil refuses to stay beaten.
A devastating explosion of flame.
The walls of fire forming the circle intensify.
Clive caught off guard turns around.
Standing before him, another being.
Now stood something before him far worse than flame.
Shadow.
Its name: Infernal Shadow
“No…!”
“Still you deny it, even when the truth’s staring right at you.”
The darker and more sinister version of Clive Rosfield.
To face evil is terrifying, but when one must face themselves. That is where the true test comes.
Closing his eyes and taking a breath, Clive readies himself.
“Come on, Clive. Face your fears.”
They clash.
Human against their dark shadow.
A battle only one can face where no others can.
Yet even when alone, victory does not elude those who persevere and find strength within.
Just like a seed that finds strength to break through earth and rock to grow, bloom and stand tall.
Even as Clive gets the better of his darker self, it conjures up flames of its own, consuming it into something else.
When evil grows in power, will it be the shunning back or the mighty resistance against it, that will prevail?
As Clive seems to be defeated, a hand rests on his shoulder.
The hand of his younger self.
No words, just a hand.
Adult Clive already understanding what this means:
“No escape, eh?”
It’s alright, I’m done running from you.”
Like a blessing bestowed upon him, the light from the younger Clive resonates, before disappearing.
“Together, then.”
The flame in Clive’s hand ignites.
“It’s time to find out who we are. Once and for all.”
Clenching his hand into a fist, a message appears:
‘Accept the Truth’
Engulfing himself in flames, he faces the enemy once more.
Now it is a fight on another level.
One with flames that conquer, the other with flames that destroy.
One to dominate, the other to purge.
The music once again rises in dramatic intensity, the name of the piece of music reflecting the atmosphere and symbolism:
‘Find the Flame’
With his newfound powers, as well as his newly found resolve, Clive bests his opponent.
Again even in defeat, the Enemy is stubborn in its surrender.
Ifrit makes an appearance once more.
No longer the Infernal Shadow, but now the Infernal Titan.
Appearing in all its evil, tormenting and infernal glory, it roars defiantly.
“Enough. I know the truth of it now.”
With a power surging through his sword and a steadfastness that no water can quell, Clive calmly declares to the behemoth before him:
“You are not Ifrit, I am.”
Exploding in a wave of blaze, Clive transforms into the fire demon himself, vanquishing both demon and Shadow.
Victory was his.
With that came his new destiny. He was now…
The Dominant of Ifrit.
The Fire That Refused to Die
By facing Ifrit and a shadow version of himself, Clive learned to overcome the torment and guilt he carried.
He didn’t actually kill the phoenix. His Eikon Ifrit was responsible.
Wild.
Untamed.
Relentless.
The labels that Clive gave himself:
Pain.
Anger.
Denial.
Suffering.
They were now removed.
The fire he now embraced had burnt them away.
Like embers to paper, slowly disappearing into the wind.
Romans 8:1 says: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
People beat themselves up over mistakes.
Clive carried around labels.
But holding onto them is like a wound that festers, without treatment it will worsen and even become catastrophic.
That is what guilt does.
That is what shame does.
That is what negative labels do.
Even sin has the same effect.
Can you forgive yourself for mistakes?
For things you’ve caused whether directly or indirectly?
The first step is admitting, the next step is confronting.
The process may be painful, even uncomfortable, but there is a new freedom on the other side.
No more running.
No more hiding.
But through it all, there is also a silver lining.
What Clive didn’t know was that the powers of Ifrit were actually awoken by another.
A being ethereal.
Supernatural.
But Clive turned it around to be used for good.
He embodied Psalm 57:6.
Perhaps the enemy has manipulated you into believing you can’t rise to higher levels.
Can’t conquer the demons within you.
Ifrit was meant to be used for evil, but because Clive conquered him and overcame his guilt, he was now going to use him for good.
He embraced himself as the Dominant of Ifrit.
Cid and Jill understood him more than others as they also harvested Eikons within them.
Cidolfus Telemon, the Dominant of Ramuh.
Jill Warrick, the Dominant of Shiva.
Clive is proof that shattered people can heal.
Let the fire burn away your old labels.
For even new life can be found within the flames.