Lyney

The people of Fontaine love their tales of mystery. The intricate case setups and unexpected twists and turns are captivating for all.

Magic recreates this experience under the converging spotlights. For the price of a ticket and some of your free time, you can embark on a wondrous journey amidst thunderous applause and astounded cries.

If you were to ask around as to which of Fontaine's "guides" is best at setting up such fantastical tours, most fans will tell you that it is Lyney.

Suave, romantic, and talented, he performs miracle after miracle with a casual air.

In this industry, one needs only a stable of staple tricks to ensure a renowned reputation and comfortable life.

However, Lyney's shows always feature some new trick. Some say that he was born into poverty, and the resultant burning hunger for fame and fortune drives his boundless desire to create.

In truth, he simply pursues novelty in his capacity as a performer — indeed, he feels that if he cannot put his whole heart into the show, his deep desire to perform cannot be fully satiated.

This is why, despite the applause rising to a fever pitch and beyond, he will rarely satisfy the crowd's calls for a reprise of his most well-known tricks. Some devoted fans consider this to be a bit of a shame...

...And for them, such regret will only continue to increase each time they purchase a ticket and go in to watch his show.

While Lyney first began his journey in magic to fill his stomach, he has continued to perfect his art even after becoming a person of some renown in Fontaine.

Magic, after all, has been his benefactor. Not only has it allowed him and his sister to survive, but it has also allowed them to gain the "acknowledgment" that most children, growing up in a loving home, would have received from their parents.

Even from an early age, performance was something closely tied to Lyney's life. Each time he would go on stage, Lyney would have the audience whooping and clapping. And yet, he did not lose himself in their adulation — if anything, it often troubled him.

If audiences were simply drawn to the spectacle of magic, then who was to say that they wouldn't abandon Lyney's stage as soon as they caught wind of a more enthralling show in town?

In other words, just as an audience would be attracted by petals and cards, they would also be pulled away by grander fireworks and crackling gun salutes. What else did magicians have up their sleeves to capture the hearts of their audience, beyond enticing them with ever more grandiose impressions of shock and awe?

In all of Lyney's performances afterward, audiences would begin to notice a change — Lyney would add many segments between performances in which he would interact with them.

Indeed, this magician seemed without any airs, sharing various fascinating anecdotes about his life, not even minding if the audience should try to guess at the secret behind his tricks.

Of course, the sharper wits amongst them would notice that Lyney's tales were not truth, but instead a way to build up the atmosphere, a bedding laid for a greater magic trick to land upon.

Yet no one would quibble about these white lies. After all, truth and falsehoods were already inextricable in many parts of the performance — why, even the magician himself could be said to have become a part of the magic.

Thus does Lyney sometimes appear near and dear, and other times just out of the reach of his audience, balancing human affinity and magical mystery perfectly in the palm of his hand, his smile leaving the audiences' imaginations free to run wild.

No matter how rich or poor, sad or glad the audience member, imagination is the great equalizer, carrying the charm of magic to all.

Thus did the mystery and elegance of this magician spread far and wide, with people even opining that his skill at creating an atmosphere is itself as exquisite as magic.

"Is that so? Well, I'm just trying to invite everyone to take a brief break from reality, that's all."

Lyney's new home was the Hotel Bouffes d'ete, located in a corner of the Court of Fontaine.

The place was home to many orphans who shared similar experiences with him and his sister. The people here helped each other like a family would, greeting the fallout and consequences of those tragic years together.

But the siblings, even with a recommendation from the manager of the Hotel, did not find it all that easy to fit in, nor was it easy for the children there to immediately accept these new "outsiders."

And in this environment, oppressive in its gloom, the water pumping equipment broke while Lynette was using it, right before everyone's eyes, deepening the distrust to the extreme.

Lyney could only step up and take responsibility, agreeing to fix the equipment so as not to affect everyone's daily lives.

In truth, he did not know all that much about repair work, but given Lynette's propensity for damaging various small devices, he had long gotten used to following his intuition to do some fixes here and there.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the complexity of the pumping equipment and difficulty of fixing it. While he succeeded in restoring it to normal operations, he remained at a complete loss as to whether he had solved the root problem or not, he could not tell.

But just as he was at his wit's end, a seemingly reticent young fellow stepped forth, examined, and restored the facilities, even expressing his apologies.

As it turned out, he was the one in charge of maintenance at the Hotel, and as he saw it, Lynette had been the unfortunate victim of his failure to detect and replace the aging components in the system in a timely manner.

Lyney, for his part, was far more impressed by the young fellow's skills than any talk of responsibility. He wanted to learn from the youth — if nothing else, this would make helping Lynette all the easier.

The youth was, for his part, no good at refusing, and thus did Lyney become his assistant in the Hotel's small workroom — and over time, he and this Freminet would become friends.

Lyney would prove unselfish in spending time on other Hotel residents, whether it be Freminet or others, but he would keep them company in comforting silence rather than ask them about their experiences.

In this he was guided by Lynette's succinct life advice: "No one needs self-satisfied concern."

In time, the residents became more willing to share some of their pasts with him, and Lyney would thus become better able to help them with their issues.

Freminet was somewhat perplexed by this, believing that Lyney, who was slowly becoming the core around which the Hotel spun, did not need to go this far.

Lyney joked that he had helped Freminet when they first met because he knew that his sister would cause further machine-related troubles down the line, and he was uncomfortable with that.

But at this point, there was no fooling Freminet with such words. Under his attentive gaze, Lyney could only tell him the truth.

"Because Lynette's my one and only family, I've learned from her how one should treat all members of their family."

On the Hotel Bouffes d'ete's Founding Day, all the children were abustle, draping festive colors all over the place.

To the residents, outside festivals and events were cold and emotionless things, foreign elements in their lives, and only this dwelling could bring them true warmth.

Everyone worked in concert to execute Lyney's plan. Lynette had purchased large amounts of festive ornaments, and together with the other children, she strung up colored streamers and hung handwritten festive greetings.

Freminet was ensuring that the magical props would operate properly — Lyney had faith in his craftsmanship, so much so that Freminet was completely entrusted with all the magic props this time.

Lyney himself was the busiest of all — not only did he have to ascertain everyone's progress, but he was also laying the final groundwork for a grand, unique magic trick in secret.

And thus was the banquet successfully held with everyone's support. The children danced to the joyous music playing from the grand hall's phonograph and enjoyed delicious food — this was the birthday of no one in particular, but this was the day they all felt they had gained new lives.

The finale, of course, was Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet's Founding Day magic show. The magic box was at the center of the room, and all waited with bated breath.

To preserve the secret behind the magic trick, even Lynette and Freminet knew not what was within. But as the room darkened and all eyes turned to Lyney, standing as he was in front of the box, even the highly-experienced magician showed some rare signs of trepidation.

"Now, you might consider the following words an exaggeration, but the "present" I am about to present to you all is, without doubt, the most important one we have received in our lives."

The paper firecrackers burst, and the once-empty box suddenly opened by itself. The crowd cheered, amazed — then fell suddenly into stunned silence.

What stood onstage was no present — nay, this was the Hotel's manager, its owner, and their "Father."

Her image was one of unsmiling dignity, and thus, though she did not come by often, no one dared to horse around whenever she was around.

Surely, Lyney had gone completely mad to have her make her appearance in such a frivolous way.

Yet, upon seeing the crowd's reaction, "Father" did not snap at anyone, opining merely that Lyney had kept this secret perfectly, just as a magic show should, declaring it worthy of praise.

That night, the children and their "Father" delighted in the various desserts together, and she personally sliced a serving of cake for each of them, which she herself enjoyed some of as well.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Lyney's Founding Day magic show was its ability to have even "Father" lay down her heavy burden and enjoy a brief moment of familial love.

Magic and secrets piled up at Lyney's feet, growing ever taller like a tower. Gazing down from the top at the people as they passed by in the world below, Lyney knew there was no going back.

Both the dazzling sleights of hand and the missions he would come to receive from Hotel Bouffes d'ete had made a habitual liar out of him.

And while lies could sometimes be useful for seizing an advantage, they were more often employed to keep more people from being dragged into trouble.

Lyney knew very well that once trust had collapsed, the scales of judgment would no longer remain impartial, and even noble goals would become twisted and thought of as evil.

As such, not revealing more than was absolutely necessary was prudent when working with others. More often than not, this makes things go more smoothly, with everyone getting the results they want.

But lies will not simply scatter on the wind, and Lyney must maintain this illusion with utmost care, all the while keeping his distance from those affected.

As so the tower extended towards the skies, until there would be no one to take his hand if he reached out, and even their visages blurred in his eyes.

Falsehood was Lyney's constant and only companion on the path that he walked, and this road was long and lonely — this he was always clear-minded about.

Everyone knew the brilliant "Great Magician Lyney," but they loved only the mystery, the romance, the unattainable nature. They knew no love for the heart that lay deeper within.

He felt he had no right to pour out his mind to others, and yet he must carry on with gritted teeth, for the price of a fall from such heights was more than he could bear.

Having played too many parts, even Lyney would sometimes find himself questioning who "he" really was.

His dreams often took him back to the tower, where his resting place at the pinnacle vantage would grow smaller and smaller, and with the fog of death they called "betrayal" extending all around, there was nowhere for him to go.

But just before he could plummet, a hand grabbed onto him — and from it, he felt a familiar warmth that drew his soul back into his body, steadying "him" within himself once more.

"Thank you, Lynette..."

The awakening youth mumbled to himself.

While Hotel Bouffes d'ete's operations in Fontaine work toward a just cause, its methods can often be radical. Only the influence of "Father" and her control over the inner workings of the Court of Fontaine prevent any serious incidents from occurring.

There was once an official funded by Lyney who served in the Maison Gardiennage. This person provided both intel in support of the Hotel's operations and scrubbed clean the effects of some of the Hotel's clandestine actions.

These were actions that came with no small risk, but the official always performed them well, for he believed that the Fontaine of the present day needed someone like "Father" who could bypass the many layers of laws and regulations and take direct action.

Lyney once joked to him: "I'll be there if you ever need help, and if you're in danger, I'll come to rescue you... Well, don't expect too much of that last bit. Just stay on guard, alright?"

The official knew that this was Lyney's way of expressing concern, of course. Yet even words spoken in jest could prove prophetic later, and so they did — this official's deeds were eventually discovered, and on the brink of capture, he used an emergency communication device to send a message to Lyney.

Upon discovering the device, the Gardes who arrived at the scene mocked the official's naivete, claiming that the signal sent merely informed his compatriots to save themselves — no one would be stupid enough to try to save him.

The official's reply was also quite simple — even such an ending would have been fine for him, for he did not believe that his prior cooperation was the wrong decision.

But just as the Gardes were about to arrest the official, thick smoke began billowing forth from dispensers pre-planted nearby, and the official caught sight of a brilliant blaze—

The next moment, he was in the drink in the Fleuve Cendre, and was rescued by Freminet.

It was said that the Gardes spent a great deal of time chasing after the skyborne flame-trail, believing that the criminal must have used some flying machine to flee the scene, only to discover later naught but wood dressed in clothes, affixed to a glider.

In truth, Lyney had earlier used this device to draw the Gardes' attention away before getting the official out of his predicament.

The official admitted that he had not had high hopes when pressing the device. Magicians were untrustworthy, after all — but still, he had chosen to gamble on that tiny chance.

"Haha. Well, it is indeed a gamble to place your trust in others."

"But don't worry. Magicians might be full of hot air, but we will never betray the expectations of our audience."

There is a special entity amongst the cats adopted by Lyney and Lynette, and its name is "Rosseland."

Every cat in the Hotel has its own territory, but Rosseland has a special affinity for Lyney's hat.

A hat is a magician's most important prop, and each time Lyney must use it, he must first chase Rosseland out — a difficult affair when its displeased meows in response are so heartrending, especially to siblings like Lyney and Lynette, who themselves once struggled to find a home.

Thus the siblings began their search for a replacement, only to be met by refusal each time, no matter how lovely the new home — indeed, Rosseland would not even give them a second glance.

Lyney even specially commissioned an identical hat, thinking that this might put an end to the cat's choosiness, only for Rosseland to lay claim that new hat also, becoming aggrieved no matter which was whisked away.

But this was no feline tyranny. Indeed, Rosseland's requests were not terribly excessive. After much thought, Lyney eventually came up with a solution — to incorporate the cat into his magic shows.

He and Lynette constructed a little puppet inside the hat that would normally serve as Rosseland's cushion. During performances, Rosseland would burrow inside the puppet, causing it to jink this way and that in a mischievous and adorable manner.

And as it turned out, Rosseland was not at all shy — indeed, it greatly enjoyed its new job. Perhaps the spotlight brought it much enjoyment indeed, for it would never prove quite so predisposed to exclusive ownership again, even when it had to temporarily leave its nest when off-stage.

During one of his shows, Lyney once made a rare error, having left a card he needed to produce on-stage backstage.

With all eyes on him, he had mere seconds to think of a way to save the situation while maintaining his easy-going demeanor.

But to his surprise, there was an unexpected weight in his hovering hat — it should have been empty, but Rosseland had somehow found its way inside.

Out came the puppet, and out with it came the card Lyney had needed, to the instantaneous applause of all. Lyney heaved a sigh of relief, but he was also quite shocked, in truth.

Some thought was put into this matter — but Lyney could only conclude that Rosseland had, influenced by the twins as it was, also mastered the art of the magical performance somehow.

After Lynette gained the favor of the gods, the missions she had to undertake grew more dangerous and difficult.

Only Vision-wielders like Lynette could fulfill the most dangerous missions while remaining completely anonymous, and the twins began to operate separately more often as a result.

Lyney found himself unable to adapt to this. Not only had the siblings been together since childhood, but he knew that he was not the only one who felt disturbed by this split.

He still desired to be beside her, lending her all the help he could — this was his non-negotiable desire.

Knowing his desire for power was no longer pure, Lyney concluded that he had become undeserving of divine favor. Yet he still desired a means to bridge the vast gulf in strength between him and his sister, which he did not possess. Unless...

To this end, he solemnly sought out "Father," expressing his belief that he needed the mysterious and perilous might of a Delusion to operate alongside his sister.

"Father" was silent for a long while, till at last two slanted crosses pinned him in place with a wrath rarely shown to the children of the Hotel, her gaze seeming to pierce his very soul.

"And would Lynette want you to do this?"

Her simple yet powerful question cut through the strings that bound his heart, and in a daze, his sister's words once more reverberated in his ears.

"No one needs self-satisfied concern."

Lyney did not need to ask his sister to know that she would never accept his desire to stay by her side with the use of a Delusion. It was only then that he realized the absurdity of his wish.

"Father" stood up and left, but not before reminding him that this was not the first time he had lacked power, but that he had found an answer before.

Lyney would lock himself in his room, trying to digest the reasoning behind the words "Father" had left him with. When he and his sister had been out on the streets, the answer he had found then had been "magic." What, then, would the answer be now?

Lyney found the dossiers for all the missions Lynette had taken up during this period, carefully analyzing the process of each one and modeling his sister's every action.

Was it really necessary to pass through this dangerous valley to get close to a target?

Was it really a must to leap into such a swift river to flee the scene?

No, this was just the Vision's light covering her.

Thus did Lyney start to make comprehensive plans for his sister's missions, using his understanding of her to design the most suitable routes, make the most practical tools, and choose the best rendezvous points.

The trust between them did not change. The look in Lynette's eyes when she left was no longer so strained, and they often embraced heartily and happily when meeting at the rendezvous point.

The pure desire to protect one's family would not be moved, gods' favor or no.

But even the best laid plans of mice and men may go awry. After conducting dozens of successful missions, the children of the Hotel were caught up in a betrayal, and as a result, Lynette's movements were exposed.

Before the siblings was a towering cliff, just like the night when Lynette had gained her Vision — but this time, it was Lyney's turn to reverse their fortunes in a moment of crisis.

He opened his emergency paraglider, and grabbing her, threw himself off the edge. But their pursuers followed, raining gunfire down on them.

Lyney twisted this way and that, avoiding many a shot, but still the glider was punctured in several spots. Unable to maintain balance, they began to plummet downward towards the embrace of the ground below.

Still, Lyney grit his teeth and refused to despair — should fate itself conspire to refute the answer he had come up with to protect his family, he would defy it to the end.

Their pursuers began to snicker, knowing that a fall at such speeds would be fatal — only to have a flame light up the skies, pushing the stricken glider toward a fast-flowing river nearby.

The power of Pyro changed the direction of their fall, while Anemo defended them from harm — and thus did the twin lights intertwine and spread under the moonlight, fading slowly like the applause that fills the stage during a curtain call.

Lyney did not guess at the meaning of the shining Vision he saw in his hand. The answer was, after all, no longer important.