Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A New Threat To Spira ❯ The Darkness Before Dawn ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Neon Ronin 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.06.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 282 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.06.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 282 | Status: Completed
[A/N: The usual disclaimer 'n stuff. When last we left our story, all hell had broken loose, in the form of an arrogant bastard named Malar. Now, the aftermath...]
10: The Darkness Before Dawn
Rikku stirred. She moaned softly as pinpricks of fire danced along her back. Her head tossed from side to side as images assaulted her brain. Paine collapsed and holding her head... The sudden impact of a blade cutting across her back... Yuna administering first aid and then getting pulled into the sky by a purple light... She began to squirm, crying out Yuna's name, when suddenly she felt a hand on her left shoulder. Her eyes opened slowly, not sure if they wanted to know who was there. Her vision was blurred but she could feel a bedspread beneath her and the cool breeze of a machina ventilation system, and she realized she must be back on board the Celsius.
"Yna oui ymnekrd, Rikku?" The man beside her came into focus and she realized it was Gippal. His clothing was ripped in several places and there was a bad gash over his good eye, but he was there. The image of the Hover pilot's head replayed itself in her head and she started to cry.
[Translation: Are you alright, Rikku?]
"Gippal... you're alive..." she whispered.
"So are you," he replied. "You were in pretty bad shape when we found you guys." He drew in a long breath and laid his hand gently on her forearm. "You scared the living hell out of me; I thought we were going to lose you at first." Rikku blinked the tears out of her eyes and saw that his forehead was creased with worry lines. The Gippal she had grown up with, the joking, braggart, bravado-filled man she knew wasn't there. His face was haggard, exhaustion and anxiety pervading every pore.
"I... What happened to the others? Nhadala, the diggers, what happened to them?" she asked, raising herself on her elbows. "Did they make it out okay??"
"Most of them did," Gippal replied. "When we lost radio contact with the Hover pilot we got suspicious that something was wrong, so we contacted Brother to see if he was able to reach you. He apparently tried twice and got no response, so I ordered an evac to get everyone out and find you guys." He shook his head sadly. "That's when those things began dropping out of the sky."
"Wrathfangs..." Rikku said with a sick expression on her face. "Malar said they were 'completing work' before I passed out..." The dam burst and she broke down sobbing, tears flowing down her face like rain. She felt Gippal put his arms around her shoulders and hold her to his chest, gently rocking her back and forth, and gradually the tears slowed to a trickle. "I thought everyone was gonna die," she whimpered.
"This is all my fault," came a low voice to their right. Rikku glanced over and saw Paine sitting on the edge of her bed, her hands clenched between her knees. "I let that son of a bitch get into my head, I wasn't strong enough." She looked up, and Rikku could see her face was contorted in self-loathing. "I thought I could face any challenge, any fiend, anything we ever ran across. But that man..." Paine shuddered and punched the pillow at her side. "I couldn't get him out of my head," she growled. "And I let him hurt you and the others through me."
"Paine..." said Rikku softly.
"He said..." Paine swallowed hard. "He said, 'blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh' just before he tore into my mind." She looked down at her hands and flexed her fingers. "I don't even want to think about what that means, although I can make a guess..."
"That man deserves to die a hundred times," Rikku said in a low, shaky voice. "Taking over your mind, killing my people, ripping Yunie away from us to do who knows what with her..." She looked up and wiped some of her tears away. "I know he supposedly can't die, but I'm not going to rest until I've found a way to kill him once and for all."
"Rikku..." She looked up at Gippal's face, which was more serious than she had ever seen in her life. "You're taking a hell of a risk, you know that? I know you're tough, I know what you've done before, but this is the first time I've nearly seen you die for a cause you believed in. What's happening here is bigger than you and all the other Gullwings put together."
"I know that," Rikku sniffed, "But what else can I do but fight?"
"You shouldn't have to fight alone, Rikku. You could use a good ally," Gippal said, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her eyes. "Let me contact the Council. We can mobilize League and Yevonite forces to protect civilians from fiend attacks, and any elite troops can help with the big boss when it comes down to it." He paused. "That includes me, too."
Rikku was speechless for a moment. "Gippal, I... I didn't want to ask you to fight, the Machine Faction needs you..."
"The Faction is part of the Council and doesn't need me to survive," he responded. "I've got a score to settle with Malar just as badly as you do."
"Even if we gather all the warriors in Spira, it won't help much unless we have all of the Elemental Crystals," Paine spoke up. "And one of them was crushed in the tower's collapse."
Rikku's eyes went wide. "No it wasn't, Paine," she said as she dug into her equipment pouch and pulled something out. The ruby disk shone brightly in her palm. "I snared it when I was diving out of the way of the roof collapse. It just felt like I needed to save it right then."
Paine stared for a moment, then smiled. "I think you just earned back a lot of respect points, Rikku."
The crystal began to glow and a small jet of flame shot forth from the surface. It spun into the air, growing in size yet not in heat, until a great plume of fire was burning in midair above the cabin floor. The figure of a woman coalesced within the fire, her hair crackling and snapping in all directions and a bright smile on her face. Gippal's jaw dropped as the figure glanced around the room.
"You must be the ones who found me," she said with the hint of a giggle in her voice. "I am Vora, the ever-so-brilliant Spirit of the Flame, Keeper of the Fire Crystal and all that fun stuff." She grinned for a brief moment, then her face turned very serious. "I can only assume that since I am awake, 'he' is back, am I right?"
Paine nodded. "If by 'he' you mean Malar, yes, he is back," she said with an edge of ice in her voice.
"He tried to kill us and he took one of us away," Rikku piped up. "We need your help so that we can go get Yunie and her crystal back!!"
"Her crystal? You mean he has captured one of my brethren? That can't be possible; we were constructed so that he could never physically touch us!"
"Well... He took them both together; Yunie was trying to fight him with the Water Crystal, but then..."
"All hell broke loose and we lost them both," Paine continued.
"I see..." said Vora. She gazed at the three people before her with a studious eye. "Hmm... yes, yes. I can feel it. The raging spirit that will never be quenched, energy beyond compare. The one whose body and spirit have been touched by the dance of flame, whose hope and determination burn brightest in the company of those who care."
She turned to Rikku. "If you're going to face Malar, my power would serve you well."
Rikku stared. "Me? But I'm not even the best fighter among us! I may be alright, but I thought Paine would be..."
"It's okay, Rikku," Paine said with a sigh. "I didn't think I would be chosen anyway. I've been too cold for too long- and I don't mean that as a joke." She stood up and walked over. "You were always the real firecracker of the Gullwings anyway, Rikku. And she's right, you know- there haven't been many times I've seen you lose hope around us. Even when you ticked me off, your enthusiasm would keep us all going full tilt." She patted Rikku on the shoulder. "Just save the last crystal for me."
Rikku smiled. "So you're still going to fight along with us, right?"
"I can't change what happened in the desert," said Paine. "I wasn't strong enough then, but by the Fayth I'm going to do my damnedest to get that bastard back. He's going to pay for raping my mind and hurting my friends."
Rikku nodded. "Vora, I accept your power!" she cried. The flame became a serpent that wound through the air, wrapping itself around Rikku's right hand and shrinking until it became a faint flicker. The fires died down and revealed a golden fingerless glove on Rikku's hand, with the crystal set in the back. Ruby knuckle guards glinted in the light.
Gippal blinked. "So that's what those crystals are like... Living weapons, just like you said."
Rikku nodded. "We've got to get moving. Where's Tidus?" she asked as she pushed out of bed, wincing as she tried to ignore the scar across her back. Healing potion had closed the wound but had not removed the mark.
"He's on the bridge, last I saw him," said Paine. "He and Shinra were discussing some plan of attack. You'd better not get in his face too much, he looks terrible." Rikku barely heard the last part; she had already jumped to the lower floor of the cabin and was sprinting towards the elevator. The corridors held some of Nhadala's diggers and a pilot, most sporting bandages on various parts of their bodies. Rikku shook her head sadly as she punched the button for the bridge and waited for the lift to finish its long crawl up.
The lift stopped and Rikku was racing for the bridge before the doorway was fully open. The scar across her back was screaming at her, but she shrugged it off with a wince. The door to the bridge opened and she immediately skidded to a halt, not wanting to crash into the upper railing. Tidus paced back and forth slowly in front of Shinra's workstation where Shinra was frantically typing something into the computer. Buddy was in his usual seat, but Brother was sitting on Shinra's pile of junk with his head propped on both his hands. As the door opened, Tidus glanced up and Rikku could see a look of desperation and anger in his eyes. His visage softened when he saw her own tearstained face. He stopped pacing and crossed over and up the staircase, where Rikku put her arms around his waist and hugged him as if he were her own brother.
"It's going to be alright, Rikku," Tidus said with a lump in his throat as he hugged her in return. "Malar's got another thing coming if he thinks he can take her away. I've gone through too much just to go and lose her all over again." He looked down at her. "Are you okay now? You got whacked pretty bad earlier."
"I'll manage," she replied. "But what are we gonna do? For all we know, that Malar creep could've taken Yunie anywhere in Spira by now!"
"That's what Shinra and I were working on earlier," he replied. "We may not be able to tell where he is, but there's a high chance we can find out where he took Yuna." Tidus led Rikku down to Shinra's workstation and pointed to a screen showing a map of Spira. "We've set his jury-rigged crystal scanner on a narrow wave scan; instead of looking for any crystal signature, he's looking for one that matches the one he scanned in the first place- which is on Yuna's hand."
Rikku's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?" She began to jump up and down, but suddenly came to a halt as doubt crossed her face. "Wait a moment... oh no, what if the crystal isn't on Yunie's hand anymore? What if Malar took it away and took her in a different direction?" Worry lines crossed her face, then she shook her head as if trying to clear the cobwebs. "No, I can't think like that, there's no point in being a downer at a time like this!"
Tidus frowned. "You may have a point there, though... If he knows we have a means to track the crystal, he could be using this time to set a trap for us all." He folded his arms and sighed, shaking his head. "But trap or no trap, there's no way in hell I'm backing out on this. The scanner's the best chance we've got now, and if that doesn't work, we'll just have to think of something else!" Rikku looked at him and saw that his jaw was set in determination, but there was a wet glint at the corner of his eye. Brother just shook his head and sighed.
The door to the bridge opened again and Paine strode in. "Tidus, I know words can't make up for what I did earlier, but-"
"Paine, there's no need to apologize," he said. "I know it wasn't you behind those eyes, he was using you. You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over." He paused, remembering speaking those same words to Yuna in Kilika not so long ago. "You're our teammate- and our friend. I know you wouldn't have consciously done what Malar made you do."
"Damn straight I wouldn't have," she replied. "I am still going to make up for it, though. I can't just sit in that cabin all day and mope about while he goes around ripping Spira up. Once we get Yuna back, we're gonna find him and I am personally going to slit his throat."
Tidus smiled a little. "Good to know you're still good for a fight, Dr. P," he said lightly. He turned back to look at the sky out the cockpit windows, gazing at the cloud-dotted expanse before them.
Hold on, Yuna. I'm not going to let that parasite rip us apart; this is our story now. I swore we would be together always, and that's a promise I intend to keep. A tear rolled down Tidus' cheek, which he brushed away absently. I'm coming to get you back. Just hold on a little longer, my angel...
****************************************
"Where am I?"
Yuna stood shakily, looking all around her for something she recognized. The ground beneath her feet felt swimmy; it supported her weight yet had no real distinct form or hardness. She could not see any grass or rocks, could not see any stars, moon or sunlight. She could not see anything except herself. All around was darkness. There was not a sound anywhere except the echo of her own voice. She hugged herself and shuddered as a wave of nameless fear settled in the pit of her stomach. "Is anybody there?" she called out into the darkness. "What is this place?" Her voice was rising in urgency; the last time she had been engulfed in such a black nothingness was during her descent to the Farplane, just after her first encounter with Shuyin. The memory of that day came flooding back and she tried to close her mind to it. This can't be happening again. I can't go back to that place, I don't want to!!
She shot a glance to the crystal on her right hand. "Naia, what's going on? Help me!" she cried. There was no response; the crystal was as black as coal. She shook her hand viciously, but the familiar aqua glow did not emerge. She glanced around frantically and started to run, her boots pounding the black nothingness upon which she stood. "Isn't there anyone who can hear me???" she shrieked. Just then she became aware of a faint violet glow that winked into existence to her right. She drummed her feet to a halt and turned slowly.
A small amethyst-tinted orb was hanging in midair just a few short yards from her. She stared at it in wonderment, then took a step back as it began to slowly drift towards her. A whisper echoed through the air and the space directly around the orb began to shimmer, taking on the outline of a human chest. Yuna's eyes went wide as a man's form began to emerge around the orb, and she flinched as the sound of laughter pierced the silence that pervaded the darkness.
"There's no need to holler, Lady Yuna. I can hear you just fine." It was a man's voice, a tenor with subtle undertones of menace not unlike the purr of a cat. Yuna gasped; she had heard that voice before. The male form in front of her took on a more distinct silhouette- a distinct set of robes, an all too familiar hairline. She began to shake uncontrollably as the figure before her became clear and took a step towards her. Even the glint in his eyes was the same.
"S-Seymour..." she stammered, grasping at her belt only to find her guns were no longer there. "No, this isn't possible... It can't be! You can't be back! I Sent you myself!!" she screamed.
The image of Seymour began to laugh. "Well, well. Some memories are just to vivid to let go of, I suppose," he said, taking another step towards her. "Believe me, I know that feeling all too well." Yuna began to back away, but stopped as she noticed something. Seymour's voice had suddenly deepened a note, his form becoming indistinct. The Guado's hair melted in towards his head and his clothing became a fine mist, reshaping itself into a new form. Red-black checked sleeves emerged on the figure's arms, knee-length Blitzer trunks over his legs...
"Shuyin?!?" Yuna gaped in astonishment. "Wha... What in the name of Bahamut is going on??"
"It seems you have been through much, High Summoner Yuna," the figure spoke, uttering her name and title with ice in his voice. "Many trials, many black marks that you wish you could remove from your mind, but just can't." Shuyin's voice had dropped further to a menacing baritone, and the form became indistinct once more. "I have been through much, too. More than you could ever possibly imagine." The figure was practically face to face with her now, and all at once its features snapped into clear focus. The black hair, the ruby eyes, the menacing leer across his mouth. "Hello there." Yuna blinked and the expression on her face quickly shifted from fear and confusion to anger.
"MALAR!" She jerked her right hand back and slammed it forward into his face- and through it. She passed right through his face and right arm as if he was not even there, stumbled forward and collapsed on the blackness beyond. She stared at her hand and became aware of his low, mirthless laughter coming from behind her.
"Such impertinence. It ill suits you, 'Lady' Yuna," Malar purred as he circled around her. "I was just toying with images I found in your head, memories of people who seemed to have hurt you." He grinned sadistically. "Just having a little fun."
Yuna glared up at him. "Fun... What is it you want, you son of a bitch? Where am I?"
Malar twitched an eyebrow and folded his arms. "These are your new... quarters, as it were. I can't simply have you rising up to ruin everything, so I have taken care of that. You will be quite comfortable- for now, anyway. As for what I want... I suppose as my guest you do deserve an explanation."
He stepped forward and looked down upon her. His crimson eyes looked like they could cut diamonds. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be caught in an endless waking nightmare? Never fully awake, but unable to sleep? Unable to exert your full influence on the world around you? I have languished beneath the Plains of Woe for the last two thousand years, crippled and blinded by that accursed prison that Rilian and those damnable crystals set up- and for what, I ask you?" He turned and paced a few steps away before glaring at Yuna once again. "It was all petty jealousy; Rilian knew that the powers of Chaos held untapped potential, but he was too scared. He didn't want to take any risks. But I was not afraid. I dared step into a realm where he had only waded- and because of that, he grew jealous.
"He didn't want to face the fact that his student had surpassed him. He resented the fact that I had discovered the legendary Jewel of Entropy when no other Magus had been able to. And he detested the fact that I learned how to tap its power and bend the natural laws to my own desires. I kept telling him that the only way to truly keep the people safe from fiends was to delve into the very chaos that created them, but he refused to accept it. Instead, he turned his back on the power I offered and devoted himself to Elemental Arts and to..." Malar's face grew dark and he spit into the blackness, "Summoning."
Yuna blinked. "So the man who imprisoned you was a Summoner..."
"A CHARLATAN!!" Malar roared. He stepped towards Yuna and grabbed her by the shoulders, hauling her to her feet. "Rilian had no real idea what he was doing. Everybody thought it was a stroke of genius, find a means by which to summon fiends that were not fiends to protect those in need. Oh sure, he was able to create the means by which to summon the Great Aeon, the Avian Valefor, but nobody could comprehend what went into his efforts. Do you know the sacrifices he inflicted to make the ritual possible? His great creation, the Soul Statue Of The Fayth- how many times did he fail before he succeeded? How many willing souls gave themselves to his effort, only to die in agony as the binding rituals failed time and again?"
Yuna said nothing. Malar drew in a long breath, composing himself. "I was the only one who saw Rilian's wasted efforts. I knew he was on the wrong path, which is why I took it upon myself to find the right one. The power of Chaos is the only proper means by which to subdue and control the fiends of Spira, but no one accepted that. Nobody could see that I held the key to Spira's salvation." He let go of Yuna, letting her drop to her knees. "They refused to acknowledge my superiority, and for that all of Spira will pay."
So Rilian was the first of the Summoners... Yuna thought to herself. She stared at Malar and pulled herself to her feet. "I know the sacrifice made to become a Fayth is great," she said in a shaking voice. "But you can't blame someone for trying to make this world a better place. Have you forgotten the people who gave themselves to the ritual did so of their own free will? How can you mourn the loss of those who died willingly and then turn around and claim innocent victims of your own?"
"You are a Summoner yourself; I don't expect you to understand," Malar growled. "Former Summoner or not, you are just as misguided and wayward as he was. Be aware, under normal circumstances I would have killed you on the spot." He paused, allowing a small smile to creep onto his face. "However, these are not normal circumstances. In fact, I suppose I even owe you some small thanks for what you did for me."
"What I did for you?!" Yuna sputtered. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"All these long years of my exile, the barrier kept the majority of my powers at bay," Malar continued. "Still, I could exert myself in some small way by letting the aura of Chaos seep into the very land around me. It would well up to the surface and become a direct reflection of my rage against my prison. It didn't take very long to permeate all of the Plains with my presence, and my anger could be unleashed on all who dared tread the land. For well over a millennium the climate in the Plains was a mirror image of my fury- raw, vicious, unpredictable." He paused. "Yet not long ago, for a brief moment, I actually felt at peace. I heard a melodious voice, caught snippets of a face projected by energy trapped within spheres. There was a song all around me, and for a short time it felt like I was free, that there was someone who was singing to reach me and quell my rage. But the moment was all too short, and it was gone again before I knew it. And for someone who cannot die, moments like that are few and far between.
"That face and that voice belong to you, Milady. And I shall preserve both for all time from this day forth, as my favor to you."
Yuna stared at him in shock. That concert was meant to bring the Youth League and New Yevon together... and because of that I attracted the attention of HIM? No... no, this can't be real! This is too much; I don't want to listen to his ravings anymore! She jerked herself to her feet. "I don't want any favors from a misguided lunatic, I want you to let me go!" she yelled as she dashed at him and tried to punch him repeatedly. Malar laughed as all her jabs passed right through his body with no resistance whatever.
"You foolish girl, can't you tell I'm not really here? This is merely the projection of me into your subconscious mind. Your body isn't technically here either, but be assured it is in good hands and will not be harmed." Yuna's eyes went wide, and he continued. "Your friends will most likely be wondering where you are by now, and even if they do track you down, I seriously doubt they will be able to release you. Not only do they lack the power, but their confidence must be rattled now that they know a descendant of mine is working with them." His red eyes glinted in the darkness.
"Descendant??" Yuna's hand suddenly flew to her mouth. "You mean... Paine?"
"I wondered whether Rilian would pursue the two children I sired out of wedlock before he sealed me in his pathetic prison. It would appear they lived and had descendants of their own, for no one in Spira had crimson eyes before I was born," he chuckled. "Now if you will excuse me, I've droned on for far too long. There is work that must be done. I do hope you will be comfortable here with your memories, for that is all the company you will have from now on." His form began to fade rapidly, until only the violet orb remained. "Until next time, High Summoner Yuna," his voice rang out as the orb vanished.
Yuna stood shaking for a moment, then began to run. She glanced in all possible directions, looking for a sign of light, but found none. Her feet broke into a mad dash, careening from one side to another. "Come back here!!" she shouted into the blackness, only to be answered by her own echo. "Anybody? Can you hear me???" she shrieked. She began to tremble viciously and her feet gave way beneath her, throwing her face-first to the nothingness that was the ground. Sobbing gasps made their way from her throat and she looked up only to be accosted by a series of faint images that hung in the air around her. The wedding to Seymour on the Highbridge... the face-off with her own friends in the Den of Woe... Shuyin embracing her on the Farplane with a sinister look in his eyes... and the worst image of all, Tidus fading before her very eyes on the deck of the Highwind. She tried to claw the visions away, but they persisted, growing ever closer. Clamping her eyes shut, fighting back tears, she did the only thing she could think of; she put her fingers to her lips and blew as hard as she could.
********************************************
Tidus jerked his head up and stared out the bow windows of the Celsius. Did I imagine that? he asked himself, beginning to pace nervously. I could almost swear I heard it... but did anyone else? He looked around. Everyone else was preoccupied with setting their Grids, choosing equipment or monitoring the scanner. He sighed and looked down at his hands. Maybe my mind's playing tricks on me, he said to himself. Then something caught his eye. The crystal on the back of his hand was scintillating ever so slightly, a sliver of sapphire flowing within the emerald glow.
The sound he thought he had heard came again, and he realized it wasn't his imagination. She's calling to me!
"I've got something!" Shinra called out. "It's not much, but there's a weak signal coming from Mt. Gagazet, near the peak. Very faint, though, and it doesn't match exactly, but..."
"It's her." Tidus turned towards Shinra's desk and looked at the screen. "Brother, get us on a course for Gagazet Peak. It's time to go to work."
"Are you sure?" Brother responded. "If the signal does not fit, it most likely is a trap! We cannot just blindly charge in!!"
"I know it's her, Brother. Set a course for Gagazet, now."
Brother stared at Tidus for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and heading for the control seat. Buddy stood up and walked over. "How can you be so sure we've got the right signal if it isn't a perfect match?" he asked.
"Looks like there's a winter storm brewing near the peak, too," Paine interjected. "That could be giving us a warped signal at that."
Tidus looked at them both and gave them a small smile. "I heard her whistle. And I promised her I'd come running at that call a long time ago." He strode towards the front of the ship and gazed out at the clouds. Looking down at the crystal on his hand, he nodded to himself.
"You think he might be starting to lose it?" Paine asked Rikku quietly. Rikku shook her head, pointing to the crystal on the back of her hand.
"I heard something too, in my mind. She was whistling for him... For all of us. I think she's hurting bad." A determined look crossed her face. "And you can bet we're gonna make Malar pay for it."
To Be Continued.
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10: The Darkness Before Dawn
Rikku stirred. She moaned softly as pinpricks of fire danced along her back. Her head tossed from side to side as images assaulted her brain. Paine collapsed and holding her head... The sudden impact of a blade cutting across her back... Yuna administering first aid and then getting pulled into the sky by a purple light... She began to squirm, crying out Yuna's name, when suddenly she felt a hand on her left shoulder. Her eyes opened slowly, not sure if they wanted to know who was there. Her vision was blurred but she could feel a bedspread beneath her and the cool breeze of a machina ventilation system, and she realized she must be back on board the Celsius.
"Yna oui ymnekrd, Rikku?" The man beside her came into focus and she realized it was Gippal. His clothing was ripped in several places and there was a bad gash over his good eye, but he was there. The image of the Hover pilot's head replayed itself in her head and she started to cry.
[Translation: Are you alright, Rikku?]
"Gippal... you're alive..." she whispered.
"So are you," he replied. "You were in pretty bad shape when we found you guys." He drew in a long breath and laid his hand gently on her forearm. "You scared the living hell out of me; I thought we were going to lose you at first." Rikku blinked the tears out of her eyes and saw that his forehead was creased with worry lines. The Gippal she had grown up with, the joking, braggart, bravado-filled man she knew wasn't there. His face was haggard, exhaustion and anxiety pervading every pore.
"I... What happened to the others? Nhadala, the diggers, what happened to them?" she asked, raising herself on her elbows. "Did they make it out okay??"
"Most of them did," Gippal replied. "When we lost radio contact with the Hover pilot we got suspicious that something was wrong, so we contacted Brother to see if he was able to reach you. He apparently tried twice and got no response, so I ordered an evac to get everyone out and find you guys." He shook his head sadly. "That's when those things began dropping out of the sky."
"Wrathfangs..." Rikku said with a sick expression on her face. "Malar said they were 'completing work' before I passed out..." The dam burst and she broke down sobbing, tears flowing down her face like rain. She felt Gippal put his arms around her shoulders and hold her to his chest, gently rocking her back and forth, and gradually the tears slowed to a trickle. "I thought everyone was gonna die," she whimpered.
"This is all my fault," came a low voice to their right. Rikku glanced over and saw Paine sitting on the edge of her bed, her hands clenched between her knees. "I let that son of a bitch get into my head, I wasn't strong enough." She looked up, and Rikku could see her face was contorted in self-loathing. "I thought I could face any challenge, any fiend, anything we ever ran across. But that man..." Paine shuddered and punched the pillow at her side. "I couldn't get him out of my head," she growled. "And I let him hurt you and the others through me."
"Paine..." said Rikku softly.
"He said..." Paine swallowed hard. "He said, 'blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh' just before he tore into my mind." She looked down at her hands and flexed her fingers. "I don't even want to think about what that means, although I can make a guess..."
"That man deserves to die a hundred times," Rikku said in a low, shaky voice. "Taking over your mind, killing my people, ripping Yunie away from us to do who knows what with her..." She looked up and wiped some of her tears away. "I know he supposedly can't die, but I'm not going to rest until I've found a way to kill him once and for all."
"Rikku..." She looked up at Gippal's face, which was more serious than she had ever seen in her life. "You're taking a hell of a risk, you know that? I know you're tough, I know what you've done before, but this is the first time I've nearly seen you die for a cause you believed in. What's happening here is bigger than you and all the other Gullwings put together."
"I know that," Rikku sniffed, "But what else can I do but fight?"
"You shouldn't have to fight alone, Rikku. You could use a good ally," Gippal said, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her eyes. "Let me contact the Council. We can mobilize League and Yevonite forces to protect civilians from fiend attacks, and any elite troops can help with the big boss when it comes down to it." He paused. "That includes me, too."
Rikku was speechless for a moment. "Gippal, I... I didn't want to ask you to fight, the Machine Faction needs you..."
"The Faction is part of the Council and doesn't need me to survive," he responded. "I've got a score to settle with Malar just as badly as you do."
"Even if we gather all the warriors in Spira, it won't help much unless we have all of the Elemental Crystals," Paine spoke up. "And one of them was crushed in the tower's collapse."
Rikku's eyes went wide. "No it wasn't, Paine," she said as she dug into her equipment pouch and pulled something out. The ruby disk shone brightly in her palm. "I snared it when I was diving out of the way of the roof collapse. It just felt like I needed to save it right then."
Paine stared for a moment, then smiled. "I think you just earned back a lot of respect points, Rikku."
The crystal began to glow and a small jet of flame shot forth from the surface. It spun into the air, growing in size yet not in heat, until a great plume of fire was burning in midair above the cabin floor. The figure of a woman coalesced within the fire, her hair crackling and snapping in all directions and a bright smile on her face. Gippal's jaw dropped as the figure glanced around the room.
"You must be the ones who found me," she said with the hint of a giggle in her voice. "I am Vora, the ever-so-brilliant Spirit of the Flame, Keeper of the Fire Crystal and all that fun stuff." She grinned for a brief moment, then her face turned very serious. "I can only assume that since I am awake, 'he' is back, am I right?"
Paine nodded. "If by 'he' you mean Malar, yes, he is back," she said with an edge of ice in her voice.
"He tried to kill us and he took one of us away," Rikku piped up. "We need your help so that we can go get Yunie and her crystal back!!"
"Her crystal? You mean he has captured one of my brethren? That can't be possible; we were constructed so that he could never physically touch us!"
"Well... He took them both together; Yunie was trying to fight him with the Water Crystal, but then..."
"All hell broke loose and we lost them both," Paine continued.
"I see..." said Vora. She gazed at the three people before her with a studious eye. "Hmm... yes, yes. I can feel it. The raging spirit that will never be quenched, energy beyond compare. The one whose body and spirit have been touched by the dance of flame, whose hope and determination burn brightest in the company of those who care."
She turned to Rikku. "If you're going to face Malar, my power would serve you well."
Rikku stared. "Me? But I'm not even the best fighter among us! I may be alright, but I thought Paine would be..."
"It's okay, Rikku," Paine said with a sigh. "I didn't think I would be chosen anyway. I've been too cold for too long- and I don't mean that as a joke." She stood up and walked over. "You were always the real firecracker of the Gullwings anyway, Rikku. And she's right, you know- there haven't been many times I've seen you lose hope around us. Even when you ticked me off, your enthusiasm would keep us all going full tilt." She patted Rikku on the shoulder. "Just save the last crystal for me."
Rikku smiled. "So you're still going to fight along with us, right?"
"I can't change what happened in the desert," said Paine. "I wasn't strong enough then, but by the Fayth I'm going to do my damnedest to get that bastard back. He's going to pay for raping my mind and hurting my friends."
Rikku nodded. "Vora, I accept your power!" she cried. The flame became a serpent that wound through the air, wrapping itself around Rikku's right hand and shrinking until it became a faint flicker. The fires died down and revealed a golden fingerless glove on Rikku's hand, with the crystal set in the back. Ruby knuckle guards glinted in the light.
Gippal blinked. "So that's what those crystals are like... Living weapons, just like you said."
Rikku nodded. "We've got to get moving. Where's Tidus?" she asked as she pushed out of bed, wincing as she tried to ignore the scar across her back. Healing potion had closed the wound but had not removed the mark.
"He's on the bridge, last I saw him," said Paine. "He and Shinra were discussing some plan of attack. You'd better not get in his face too much, he looks terrible." Rikku barely heard the last part; she had already jumped to the lower floor of the cabin and was sprinting towards the elevator. The corridors held some of Nhadala's diggers and a pilot, most sporting bandages on various parts of their bodies. Rikku shook her head sadly as she punched the button for the bridge and waited for the lift to finish its long crawl up.
The lift stopped and Rikku was racing for the bridge before the doorway was fully open. The scar across her back was screaming at her, but she shrugged it off with a wince. The door to the bridge opened and she immediately skidded to a halt, not wanting to crash into the upper railing. Tidus paced back and forth slowly in front of Shinra's workstation where Shinra was frantically typing something into the computer. Buddy was in his usual seat, but Brother was sitting on Shinra's pile of junk with his head propped on both his hands. As the door opened, Tidus glanced up and Rikku could see a look of desperation and anger in his eyes. His visage softened when he saw her own tearstained face. He stopped pacing and crossed over and up the staircase, where Rikku put her arms around his waist and hugged him as if he were her own brother.
"It's going to be alright, Rikku," Tidus said with a lump in his throat as he hugged her in return. "Malar's got another thing coming if he thinks he can take her away. I've gone through too much just to go and lose her all over again." He looked down at her. "Are you okay now? You got whacked pretty bad earlier."
"I'll manage," she replied. "But what are we gonna do? For all we know, that Malar creep could've taken Yunie anywhere in Spira by now!"
"That's what Shinra and I were working on earlier," he replied. "We may not be able to tell where he is, but there's a high chance we can find out where he took Yuna." Tidus led Rikku down to Shinra's workstation and pointed to a screen showing a map of Spira. "We've set his jury-rigged crystal scanner on a narrow wave scan; instead of looking for any crystal signature, he's looking for one that matches the one he scanned in the first place- which is on Yuna's hand."
Rikku's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?" She began to jump up and down, but suddenly came to a halt as doubt crossed her face. "Wait a moment... oh no, what if the crystal isn't on Yunie's hand anymore? What if Malar took it away and took her in a different direction?" Worry lines crossed her face, then she shook her head as if trying to clear the cobwebs. "No, I can't think like that, there's no point in being a downer at a time like this!"
Tidus frowned. "You may have a point there, though... If he knows we have a means to track the crystal, he could be using this time to set a trap for us all." He folded his arms and sighed, shaking his head. "But trap or no trap, there's no way in hell I'm backing out on this. The scanner's the best chance we've got now, and if that doesn't work, we'll just have to think of something else!" Rikku looked at him and saw that his jaw was set in determination, but there was a wet glint at the corner of his eye. Brother just shook his head and sighed.
The door to the bridge opened again and Paine strode in. "Tidus, I know words can't make up for what I did earlier, but-"
"Paine, there's no need to apologize," he said. "I know it wasn't you behind those eyes, he was using you. You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over." He paused, remembering speaking those same words to Yuna in Kilika not so long ago. "You're our teammate- and our friend. I know you wouldn't have consciously done what Malar made you do."
"Damn straight I wouldn't have," she replied. "I am still going to make up for it, though. I can't just sit in that cabin all day and mope about while he goes around ripping Spira up. Once we get Yuna back, we're gonna find him and I am personally going to slit his throat."
Tidus smiled a little. "Good to know you're still good for a fight, Dr. P," he said lightly. He turned back to look at the sky out the cockpit windows, gazing at the cloud-dotted expanse before them.
Hold on, Yuna. I'm not going to let that parasite rip us apart; this is our story now. I swore we would be together always, and that's a promise I intend to keep. A tear rolled down Tidus' cheek, which he brushed away absently. I'm coming to get you back. Just hold on a little longer, my angel...
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"Where am I?"
Yuna stood shakily, looking all around her for something she recognized. The ground beneath her feet felt swimmy; it supported her weight yet had no real distinct form or hardness. She could not see any grass or rocks, could not see any stars, moon or sunlight. She could not see anything except herself. All around was darkness. There was not a sound anywhere except the echo of her own voice. She hugged herself and shuddered as a wave of nameless fear settled in the pit of her stomach. "Is anybody there?" she called out into the darkness. "What is this place?" Her voice was rising in urgency; the last time she had been engulfed in such a black nothingness was during her descent to the Farplane, just after her first encounter with Shuyin. The memory of that day came flooding back and she tried to close her mind to it. This can't be happening again. I can't go back to that place, I don't want to!!
She shot a glance to the crystal on her right hand. "Naia, what's going on? Help me!" she cried. There was no response; the crystal was as black as coal. She shook her hand viciously, but the familiar aqua glow did not emerge. She glanced around frantically and started to run, her boots pounding the black nothingness upon which she stood. "Isn't there anyone who can hear me???" she shrieked. Just then she became aware of a faint violet glow that winked into existence to her right. She drummed her feet to a halt and turned slowly.
A small amethyst-tinted orb was hanging in midair just a few short yards from her. She stared at it in wonderment, then took a step back as it began to slowly drift towards her. A whisper echoed through the air and the space directly around the orb began to shimmer, taking on the outline of a human chest. Yuna's eyes went wide as a man's form began to emerge around the orb, and she flinched as the sound of laughter pierced the silence that pervaded the darkness.
"There's no need to holler, Lady Yuna. I can hear you just fine." It was a man's voice, a tenor with subtle undertones of menace not unlike the purr of a cat. Yuna gasped; she had heard that voice before. The male form in front of her took on a more distinct silhouette- a distinct set of robes, an all too familiar hairline. She began to shake uncontrollably as the figure before her became clear and took a step towards her. Even the glint in his eyes was the same.
"S-Seymour..." she stammered, grasping at her belt only to find her guns were no longer there. "No, this isn't possible... It can't be! You can't be back! I Sent you myself!!" she screamed.
The image of Seymour began to laugh. "Well, well. Some memories are just to vivid to let go of, I suppose," he said, taking another step towards her. "Believe me, I know that feeling all too well." Yuna began to back away, but stopped as she noticed something. Seymour's voice had suddenly deepened a note, his form becoming indistinct. The Guado's hair melted in towards his head and his clothing became a fine mist, reshaping itself into a new form. Red-black checked sleeves emerged on the figure's arms, knee-length Blitzer trunks over his legs...
"Shuyin?!?" Yuna gaped in astonishment. "Wha... What in the name of Bahamut is going on??"
"It seems you have been through much, High Summoner Yuna," the figure spoke, uttering her name and title with ice in his voice. "Many trials, many black marks that you wish you could remove from your mind, but just can't." Shuyin's voice had dropped further to a menacing baritone, and the form became indistinct once more. "I have been through much, too. More than you could ever possibly imagine." The figure was practically face to face with her now, and all at once its features snapped into clear focus. The black hair, the ruby eyes, the menacing leer across his mouth. "Hello there." Yuna blinked and the expression on her face quickly shifted from fear and confusion to anger.
"MALAR!" She jerked her right hand back and slammed it forward into his face- and through it. She passed right through his face and right arm as if he was not even there, stumbled forward and collapsed on the blackness beyond. She stared at her hand and became aware of his low, mirthless laughter coming from behind her.
"Such impertinence. It ill suits you, 'Lady' Yuna," Malar purred as he circled around her. "I was just toying with images I found in your head, memories of people who seemed to have hurt you." He grinned sadistically. "Just having a little fun."
Yuna glared up at him. "Fun... What is it you want, you son of a bitch? Where am I?"
Malar twitched an eyebrow and folded his arms. "These are your new... quarters, as it were. I can't simply have you rising up to ruin everything, so I have taken care of that. You will be quite comfortable- for now, anyway. As for what I want... I suppose as my guest you do deserve an explanation."
He stepped forward and looked down upon her. His crimson eyes looked like they could cut diamonds. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be caught in an endless waking nightmare? Never fully awake, but unable to sleep? Unable to exert your full influence on the world around you? I have languished beneath the Plains of Woe for the last two thousand years, crippled and blinded by that accursed prison that Rilian and those damnable crystals set up- and for what, I ask you?" He turned and paced a few steps away before glaring at Yuna once again. "It was all petty jealousy; Rilian knew that the powers of Chaos held untapped potential, but he was too scared. He didn't want to take any risks. But I was not afraid. I dared step into a realm where he had only waded- and because of that, he grew jealous.
"He didn't want to face the fact that his student had surpassed him. He resented the fact that I had discovered the legendary Jewel of Entropy when no other Magus had been able to. And he detested the fact that I learned how to tap its power and bend the natural laws to my own desires. I kept telling him that the only way to truly keep the people safe from fiends was to delve into the very chaos that created them, but he refused to accept it. Instead, he turned his back on the power I offered and devoted himself to Elemental Arts and to..." Malar's face grew dark and he spit into the blackness, "Summoning."
Yuna blinked. "So the man who imprisoned you was a Summoner..."
"A CHARLATAN!!" Malar roared. He stepped towards Yuna and grabbed her by the shoulders, hauling her to her feet. "Rilian had no real idea what he was doing. Everybody thought it was a stroke of genius, find a means by which to summon fiends that were not fiends to protect those in need. Oh sure, he was able to create the means by which to summon the Great Aeon, the Avian Valefor, but nobody could comprehend what went into his efforts. Do you know the sacrifices he inflicted to make the ritual possible? His great creation, the Soul Statue Of The Fayth- how many times did he fail before he succeeded? How many willing souls gave themselves to his effort, only to die in agony as the binding rituals failed time and again?"
Yuna said nothing. Malar drew in a long breath, composing himself. "I was the only one who saw Rilian's wasted efforts. I knew he was on the wrong path, which is why I took it upon myself to find the right one. The power of Chaos is the only proper means by which to subdue and control the fiends of Spira, but no one accepted that. Nobody could see that I held the key to Spira's salvation." He let go of Yuna, letting her drop to her knees. "They refused to acknowledge my superiority, and for that all of Spira will pay."
So Rilian was the first of the Summoners... Yuna thought to herself. She stared at Malar and pulled herself to her feet. "I know the sacrifice made to become a Fayth is great," she said in a shaking voice. "But you can't blame someone for trying to make this world a better place. Have you forgotten the people who gave themselves to the ritual did so of their own free will? How can you mourn the loss of those who died willingly and then turn around and claim innocent victims of your own?"
"You are a Summoner yourself; I don't expect you to understand," Malar growled. "Former Summoner or not, you are just as misguided and wayward as he was. Be aware, under normal circumstances I would have killed you on the spot." He paused, allowing a small smile to creep onto his face. "However, these are not normal circumstances. In fact, I suppose I even owe you some small thanks for what you did for me."
"What I did for you?!" Yuna sputtered. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"All these long years of my exile, the barrier kept the majority of my powers at bay," Malar continued. "Still, I could exert myself in some small way by letting the aura of Chaos seep into the very land around me. It would well up to the surface and become a direct reflection of my rage against my prison. It didn't take very long to permeate all of the Plains with my presence, and my anger could be unleashed on all who dared tread the land. For well over a millennium the climate in the Plains was a mirror image of my fury- raw, vicious, unpredictable." He paused. "Yet not long ago, for a brief moment, I actually felt at peace. I heard a melodious voice, caught snippets of a face projected by energy trapped within spheres. There was a song all around me, and for a short time it felt like I was free, that there was someone who was singing to reach me and quell my rage. But the moment was all too short, and it was gone again before I knew it. And for someone who cannot die, moments like that are few and far between.
"That face and that voice belong to you, Milady. And I shall preserve both for all time from this day forth, as my favor to you."
Yuna stared at him in shock. That concert was meant to bring the Youth League and New Yevon together... and because of that I attracted the attention of HIM? No... no, this can't be real! This is too much; I don't want to listen to his ravings anymore! She jerked herself to her feet. "I don't want any favors from a misguided lunatic, I want you to let me go!" she yelled as she dashed at him and tried to punch him repeatedly. Malar laughed as all her jabs passed right through his body with no resistance whatever.
"You foolish girl, can't you tell I'm not really here? This is merely the projection of me into your subconscious mind. Your body isn't technically here either, but be assured it is in good hands and will not be harmed." Yuna's eyes went wide, and he continued. "Your friends will most likely be wondering where you are by now, and even if they do track you down, I seriously doubt they will be able to release you. Not only do they lack the power, but their confidence must be rattled now that they know a descendant of mine is working with them." His red eyes glinted in the darkness.
"Descendant??" Yuna's hand suddenly flew to her mouth. "You mean... Paine?"
"I wondered whether Rilian would pursue the two children I sired out of wedlock before he sealed me in his pathetic prison. It would appear they lived and had descendants of their own, for no one in Spira had crimson eyes before I was born," he chuckled. "Now if you will excuse me, I've droned on for far too long. There is work that must be done. I do hope you will be comfortable here with your memories, for that is all the company you will have from now on." His form began to fade rapidly, until only the violet orb remained. "Until next time, High Summoner Yuna," his voice rang out as the orb vanished.
Yuna stood shaking for a moment, then began to run. She glanced in all possible directions, looking for a sign of light, but found none. Her feet broke into a mad dash, careening from one side to another. "Come back here!!" she shouted into the blackness, only to be answered by her own echo. "Anybody? Can you hear me???" she shrieked. She began to tremble viciously and her feet gave way beneath her, throwing her face-first to the nothingness that was the ground. Sobbing gasps made their way from her throat and she looked up only to be accosted by a series of faint images that hung in the air around her. The wedding to Seymour on the Highbridge... the face-off with her own friends in the Den of Woe... Shuyin embracing her on the Farplane with a sinister look in his eyes... and the worst image of all, Tidus fading before her very eyes on the deck of the Highwind. She tried to claw the visions away, but they persisted, growing ever closer. Clamping her eyes shut, fighting back tears, she did the only thing she could think of; she put her fingers to her lips and blew as hard as she could.
********************************************
Tidus jerked his head up and stared out the bow windows of the Celsius. Did I imagine that? he asked himself, beginning to pace nervously. I could almost swear I heard it... but did anyone else? He looked around. Everyone else was preoccupied with setting their Grids, choosing equipment or monitoring the scanner. He sighed and looked down at his hands. Maybe my mind's playing tricks on me, he said to himself. Then something caught his eye. The crystal on the back of his hand was scintillating ever so slightly, a sliver of sapphire flowing within the emerald glow.
The sound he thought he had heard came again, and he realized it wasn't his imagination. She's calling to me!
"I've got something!" Shinra called out. "It's not much, but there's a weak signal coming from Mt. Gagazet, near the peak. Very faint, though, and it doesn't match exactly, but..."
"It's her." Tidus turned towards Shinra's desk and looked at the screen. "Brother, get us on a course for Gagazet Peak. It's time to go to work."
"Are you sure?" Brother responded. "If the signal does not fit, it most likely is a trap! We cannot just blindly charge in!!"
"I know it's her, Brother. Set a course for Gagazet, now."
Brother stared at Tidus for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and heading for the control seat. Buddy stood up and walked over. "How can you be so sure we've got the right signal if it isn't a perfect match?" he asked.
"Looks like there's a winter storm brewing near the peak, too," Paine interjected. "That could be giving us a warped signal at that."
Tidus looked at them both and gave them a small smile. "I heard her whistle. And I promised her I'd come running at that call a long time ago." He strode towards the front of the ship and gazed out at the clouds. Looking down at the crystal on his hand, he nodded to himself.
"You think he might be starting to lose it?" Paine asked Rikku quietly. Rikku shook her head, pointing to the crystal on the back of her hand.
"I heard something too, in my mind. She was whistling for him... For all of us. I think she's hurting bad." A determined look crossed her face. "And you can bet we're gonna make Malar pay for it."
To Be Continued.
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