"No, crystals don't... that is, the one Crystal we do have doesn't do anything like that." It's just the Starscourge, if anything, that causes immortality. The soul of Eos takes life, rather than giving it, and the kind of immortality it can grant - through the ring - isn't the sort that he or anyone else should be seeking. "Only my family and the people we trust can access its magic. Though you could say it's connected through our souls, too."

A great deal of it is based on the linking of souls, after all- the soul of the planet connecting with the souls of the Lucii, and the living ruler of Lucis bonds with the souls of his forebears... lots of souls intermingling, so much that it's a wonder anyone can hold on to who they are. He's not sure how those hundreds of souls in the ring manage.

Ardbert draws his attention towards the possibility of approaching foes, so he shakes off his concerns about what just happened and shifts into a combat stance, ready to call on his weapon the moment it's required. "Show me what you've got."