According to the guidance node, you are but a few steps away from your destination. However, it would seem that intruders have been detected ahead. Follow the node towards the heart of the isle, and be ready to defend yourself.
Having opened the way to the Aetherochemical Research Facility, the guidance node bids you farewell and deactivates for what might very well be another five millennia. After casting a final glance at Gilly's motionless form, you turn your mind to the challenges of the present. Somewhere within, the archbishop and his knights await. Ready yourself for the worst and continue your pursuit.
Realizing the battle is lost, Igeyorhm attempts to flee, but before she can make good her escape, you destroy her with a blade of Light forged from the Eye's remaining aether. Alas, you are left without the means to strike down Lahabrea. Just when it seems certain that the Ascian will slip through your grasp, the archbishop and his knights arrive, bearing the body of Haldrath...and the Eye's long-lost twin. Having summoned the soul of the legendary King Thordan into himself, the archbishop conjures a divine blade using the power of the second Eye, and summarily executes Lahabrea. Judgment passed, the self-proclaimed god-king duly turns to leave, but not before issuing you a challenge. Answer it, and put an end to his madness once and for all.
At the end of a titanic struggle, you triumph over Thordan and his knights, bringing to an end their deranged dream of founding a new world order.
Still breathless from your exertions, you look up to see Estinien, who sullenly collects the Eye and its twin. Alas, in so doing, the dragoon falls prey to Nidhogg's lingering influence and is claimed as a vessel for the great wyrm's rage. No sooner has he departed than the facility begins to collapse around you, prompting Midgardsormr to appear once again, and bear you away to safety.
Still reeling from what you have seen, you rejoin your comrades aboard the Excelsior, and are borne back to Ishgard and a hero's welcome. At the airship landing, Midgardsormr addresses Aymeric, and the two speak candidly of the future, their meeting marking the start of the journey towards peace between man and dragon.
Some days later, the Holy See makes its long-awaited return to the Eorzean Alliance in an uplifting ceremony attended by the leaders of all four city–states. A fitting reward for your efforts, no doubt, but one that you wish Haurchefant, Ysayle, and Estinien could have seen... Speak with Alphinaud at Fortemps Manor and hear his thoughts on this momentous occasion.
Alphinaud is elated that his dream of a unified Eorzea has finally been realized. Though upheaval will invariably accompany the coming changes, he is confident that, with effort, peace and prosperity will follow. Together with your fellow Scions, do your part to see that it is so.
In the distant past, King Thordan and his knights twelve fought and defeated Nidhogg.
Though the victory cost them dear, they were rewarded with a great prize: the dread wyrm's eyes, both of which have since been held in the Holy See's safekeeping.
The Eye you possess was Nidhogg's left, and long has it served as the source of the Azure Dragoon's might. As for its twin...
It has lain here, joined to the person of Haldrath, the first Azure Dragoon. For though he learned to harness its power, he was ultimately consumed by it. Even in death, his body decays not─a pitiful end for a fabled hero.
My Ascian friend. Long have you and your kind sown the seeds of chaos by teaching mortals the secrets of summoning.
But if you assumed that we would meekly serve as your pawns, then you are gravely mistaken.
Gods feed upon aether. It matters not what form that aether takes. Ascian souls are no exception. With this power, I shall put an end to a thousand years of conflict.
Be they sown by Ascian, dragon, or primal, wheresoever the seeds of chaos threaten to quicken, I shall excise them with my divine blade and bring order to the world.
I am become that which you abhor, Warrior of Light. If you would take issue with my godhood, I shall answer you with my blade.
End of cutscene.
Confronting King Thordan in the Singularity Reactor
I daresay you are the first soul in Ishgardian history to arrive in our city upon dragonback. This scene shall be remembered for a thousand years to come.
My people have committed unspeakable atrocities against dragonkind─even against our own. Would that we could undo these wrongs...but we cannot.
Be that as it may, the future yet presents a chance to begin anew. Our nation has broken free of the shackles of a false faith, and Nidhogg shall lead his kindred against us no more.
I doubt not that it will require much effort and perseverance, but 'tis my belief that, in time, Ishgard will again become a place where man and dragon may abide together in harmony.
When first I bade you welcome before the Arc of the Worthy, little did I imagine that you would go on to steer the very course of our nation. I am proud to have borne witness to history in the making.
You know, seein' you flyin' in on dragonback helped put things in perspective. I mean, if man and dragon can put aside their differences, how hard can it be for the rest of us?
To be sure, our lives won't change overnight, and it'll take effort to bridge the gulf between highborn and lowborn, but I'm confident it'll all work out in the end.
Ishgard's return to the Eorzean Alliance has breathed new life into the Jeweled Crozier. The announcement had scarce been made when the merchants began eyeing opportunities in foreign markets.
I confess, I found the ceremony unexpectedly stirring... Each of us must play our part in building a brighter future for Ishgard─we who profess to rule most of all.
There you are, old boy/girl! We must go to the tavern together, and soon! My friends all demand to be introduced to the Warrior of Light, and they refuse to take no for an answer!
Pray pay no heed to Lord Emmanellain, Master/Mistress Surname. I am certain you have far more pressing demands on your time. And for his part, my lord has lessons to attend...
He has resumed training in the blade, you see, and has shown admirable dedication...for the most part. I believe he has a mind to take up Lord Haurchefant's mantle─but if he is to succeed in this, he will need all the help he can get, and as few distractions as possible.
After long years of estrangement, Ishgard rejoins her sister nations in the Alliance. Words cannot well express my joy.
None of this would have been possible without you, my friend.
Change is coming to Eorzea. Though it will inevitably bring with it a measure of upheaval, with hard work, peace and prosperity are sure to follow.
And yet, even as we look forward to the coming of a new age, we must needs be wary of old threats.
The lords of Garlemald have not relinquished their claim upon Eorzea, and we shall be forced to contend with them again ere long. And then there is the matter of our comrade Estinien, claimed body and soul by Nidhogg... If there is a way to rescue him, we must find it.
Suffice it to say, the path ahead holds no shortage of challenges, but together, we shall overcome them.
History
The following voiced lines were removed from the battle with Lahabrea and Igeyorhm after the fight was reworked in patch 6.3: