Prelude to the Collapse

The group reluctantly agrees that they must take Tear with them to lower the lands, as she is the only one who can activate the passage rings. Spinoza approaches them, expressing his regret that his desire to do his own research resulted in the deaths of his friends. Anise doesn't want to believe him and doesn't understand why Luke and the others agree to trust him. Jade asks Spinoza to help them with the mission. Luke visits Tear and she acts like she is fine with dying. He yells at her for not being honest, then refuses to leave as she begins shaking only agreeing to turn around so he doesn't "see" her. In the morning the group goes to the Meggiora Highlands, where Tear activates the passage ring and nearly collapses again. She insists on continuing and they go on to the desert ruins where she faints after activating its passage ring. By the end of the day, they have only one Sephiroth left to activate and Spinoza has confirmed that they can seal the miasma. At camp that night, they realize Van must have somehow found and read the Seventh Fonstone. Guy remembers Van taking him to a "secret place" in Hod as a child and realizes now that it contains something that may be the fonstone. That night, Van approaches Tear and asks her to stop activating the passage rings, revealing that his body is also being affected. He again asks her to join him, but reflecting on her friends, she refuses. Asch interrupts and attacks Van. The others arrive just as Asch is badly wounded by Van. Van asks why he wants to save a world that left him despair. While he hates the world and wants the score destroyed, Asch says he has something precious he wants to protect, which Natalia realizes is her. Van tells him still needs him, not Luke, then turns again to Tear. Tear tells him to kill her and make a replica, since all he wants is a world of them. Van retreats and tells Asch to meet him at the Absorption Gate. Asch runs after him, refusing to allow Natalia to heal his wound. At the camp, Tear resolves to fight her brother to the end. In the morning, they go to Mount Roneal where the last passage ring is located, traveling through Keterberg as they can't land the Albiore in the avalance ridden area. While in Keterberg, they find Dist throwing a tantrum about being left behind. Jade turns him over to the military police after taking him into a alley and making him talk through unknown means. As the group continues, Ion and Luke discuss being replicas and Ion admits that he once felt like Sync, that he was nothing but a replacement that could die without regard. Luke isn't sure what he wants, but Ion tells him he will discover the answer after he is free from Van. Legretta, Arietta, and Largo attack. Realizing they are running out of time, Jade uses his fonic arts to cause an avalanche. The group gathers around Tear who creates a shield to protect them, while the soldiers and the God-Generals are pushed off a cliff. Afterwards they find themselves at the door to the passage ring. After the last ring is activated, something goes wrong and Jade realizes that the ring held a trap to cause the ring's activation to reverse the particle flow and accelerate the land collapse.