♦ Onwards ♦

The Warrior of Light would first meet the Abyssal Wyrm during the Defense of the Steps of Faith ¹. As if drawn by Vishap's struggle, it breached from the fog beneath the bridge. And just as the Ishgardians feared, it now nearly matched Vishap in size. It lunged and dragged the dragon over the bridge's edge by the throat, down into the abyss.It was only after unrest began to fester within Ishgard, following the revelation of the archbishop's deception ² , that the Abyssal Wyrm was found to be the lord of House Stieglitz. An incident reportedly broke out deep in the Western Coerthas Highlands between Ser Ignatius, Vincent, and Wesley. It's said that the count even drew his sword against Vincent after he refused to follow orders, pressuring the lord to transform and devour his closest companion. A witness from a nearby camp claimed to have then seen a sudden burst of dark fire and black liquid, accompanied by a terrible roar. Then there was the sickening crunch of flesh and bone. Horrified, the witness fled.Ser Ignatius was never seen again. Neither was a body ever recovered. Hours later, Wesley arrived at the Falcon's Nest with Vincent unconscious and bleeding on his Chocobo's back. The scholar worked hours upon hours, treating wounds that should have been fatal. And although Vincent's condition eventually stabilized, he would come to fall into a deep coma. Wesley finally agreed to discuss the incident with Ser Aymeric, but after the disastrous end to the peace conference ³, Nidhogg's return was the primary focus.Vincent remained comatose for the following weeks as the Warrior of Light and their companions made their journeys. So when the day finally came for the horde to storm the Steps of Faith ⁴, the Temple Knights were all but stunned to see the Abyssal Wyrm appear from the clouds. But they had no other choice than to take all the help they could get. With Vincent's aid, they were able to buy precious time. He only allowed himself to collapse again as the Warrior of Light returned with reinforcements. With Nidhogg's spirit finally laid to rest, Estinien and Vincent were taken to the infirmary.After much consideration, Vincent was ultimately found guilty of both the wyrm and his father's crimes. He did not fight this verdict. Though he was never in control when the wyrm manifested during his sleep, Vincent knew that the families of those he killed would not be satisfied without somewhere to place the blame. And perhaps he would have been sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment or even death, were it not for his unexpected support in the fight against Nidhogg's shade. Aymeric decided that he be spared an execution and instead exiled from the city of Ishgard.Vincent was now technically the count of House Stieglitz, but he willingly stripped himself of the title. He only pleaded that the Heisenbachs be permitted to remain in the city and inherit whatever status the system would allow them. He seemed intent on destroying everything his father fought to build, and that he did.He quietly left Ishgard as they celebrated the end of the Dragonsong War ⁵.

In the weeks that follow the end of the Dragonsong War, Vincent settled into a small cottage that was left abandoned near Anyx Trine to search for answers and study his condition in safe isolation. He remained relatively solitary, but in the meantime he wandered Dravania as a machinist for hire. And every now and then, he'd find himself keeping a watchful eye over Wesley and Coerthas.Vincent kept his distance from the gates of Ishgard, but he would still visit the surrounding settlements to meet with Wesley and aid in defenses. And so when the Warrior of Light, Lucia, and Aymeric visit Camp Dragonhead before leaving for Gridania ¹, they'd find Emmanellain blabbering to a mildly irritated and unamused ex-count. Apparently, Vincent saved the boy's life twice since he was appointed garrison commander. Aymeric weighed their current predicament and decided to speak with Vincent briefly and privately. He knew he could be pushing his luck, but once again they had to take all the help they could get- including Vincent's if he would offer it. As the trio departed for Gridania, Aymeric asked that he consider the request.The Griffin's assault on Baelsar's Wall would begin ² and, to the Scion's surprise, Vincent arrived at Hawthrone Hut to offer them his wings and fire. He claimed to only do so at his own benefit, considering it a prime opportunity to "get used to the scales". The battle ensued and ended with one less Scion and a primal encased in a cocoon of light.The search for a superweapon called "Omega" was launched while Y'shtola traveled over to monitor the cocoon above Baelsar's Wall. Here, she met Vincent as he prepared to leave for Dravania and recover from battle. Part of the Alliance still simmered with murmurs of the "ghastly dragon" that fought alongside them. And Y'shtola would be remiss not to notice the peculiar state of his aether the moment she saw him. She offered to share her thoughts- if he'd indulge her curiosity. Reluctantly, Vincent agreed.He later returned to the cottage in Dravania. He spent his days continuing experiments and flipping through old records. Vincent and Wesley had performed tests and studies before as teenagers, but after speaking with Y'shtola, it would soon become clear that they may have been examining his condition through the wrong lens- trying to answer their questions with pathology rather than aetherology.With some time and investigation, the observations listed below were made:

Vincent would continue to make the occasional appearance in assisting the Scions with the Ala Mhigan resistance effort. As the party made the voyage to Kugane, Vincent eventually crossed paths with Estinien while inspecting Omega's chasm in Gyr Abania ³.The two have always had a somewhat strained relationship up until the end of the Dragonsong War. The Azure Dragoon had been slightly suspicious of Vincent from the start; he never knew whether it was due to his tie to Nidhogg or simply a gut feeling....