Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Ninety-ninth Sacrifice ❯ XIV ( Chapter 14 )

XIV

990 S.A.

 

Jecht held his head gingerly as he woke up groggy on the back of a strange creature. “Oh man, what happened?” asked Jecht. When he noticed that he was moving closer to a shoreline he sat bolt up right in his seat. “Whoa, where are we?”

“We are traveling on the Moonflow, about to dock at the northern port,” said Braska, watching the coast.

Noticing that Auron was intently watching the waters of the Moonflow, Jecht poked his head over the side as well. He was surprised to see an extensive city that looked similar to Zanarkand below the waters. “Whoa, what is that?”

“The sunken city of Mi'ihen,” said Auron. “The monster, Sin, sunk it centuries ago. Because of the ecological system of the Moonflow it has been preserved.”

“Huh,” said Jecht, still looking over the side. The city under the water reminded him of Zanarkand, and of the family he left behind. As he watched the city, he began to notice what they were traveling on. Their transport was not a ship, but a large animal, which startled Jecht. “Whoa, what are we riding?”

“A shoopuf ish whatsh you ish ridingsh,” said the animal's guide, as the animal clambered up onto the shore. Jecht held tightly to the rail so that he would not tumble from the harsh movements. When the animal stopped, the guide added, “Zhe shity of zhe Guadosh ish norzh of heresh.” He deftly pointed a blue, webbed finger ahead of them, then prepared to take another group back across the Moonflow.

Jecht, still in shock after having been talked to by what appeared to be a blue frog, only followed Braska and Auron. After they were on the forest path heading for yet another locale Jecht was unfamiliar with, Jecht asked, “So, what happened? I have a hell of a head ache.”

“You got drunk and attacked one of the transport animals thinking that it was a fiend,” said Braska frankly.

Auron added, “Now you owe Braska a thousand gil for the trouble.”

Jecht heaved a gulp that caught heavily in his throat. “Wow, my kid kept telling me I drunk too much. I'm so sorry guys; I promise I'll never drink again.”

“That better be a good promise,” said Auron, “We never know when we may need you.”

Scratching his sore head, Jecht asked, “Where are we going? Is it close to another temple?”

Auron got out his map of Spira to show Jecht again. “The last temple we were at was Djose, in the Mushroom Rock area. The next temple on the path is Macalania. It's covered in ice, so you may be at a disadvantage.” Auron had taken a note about the way Jecht was dressed.

“Oh, great,” muttered Jecht. “What about this area between Guadosalam and Macalania?” Jecht pointed at the map. “The Thunder Plains, now, why don't I like the sound of that?”

“I really don't know why they're call the Thunder Plains,” said Braska, leading the group as usual. Even though he was somewhat bogged down by his robes, he could move faster because he had nothing to carry, save for his staff of course. “They ought to be called the Lightning Plains. It's not like the thunder is what bolts down from the sky and hits you anyways.”

Jecht gulped a heavy breath of air. “Lightning can hit you there?”

“No worries,” said Braska. “The lightning, because it is so frequent is of such a low voltage that it doesn't really hurt. It only stings a little bit when you get hit, which wont happen if you make it to the towers in time.”

“Braska,” said Auron, “Why are you talking about this? We still have to get to Guadosalam before we venture into the Thunder Plains. And, I think the Guados would like to see you, you being a summoner and all.”

Nodding, Braska walked forward. An hour or two of silence between the three men: Braska was still mournful of his wife, Jecht was sourly embarrassed, and Auron was just, well, quiet. The first who decided to talk was Auron, quite remarkably. “I don't mean to be rude, but there is the entrance to the farplane in Guadosalam. You could say your last goodbyes, and all that.”

“Why would that be rude Auron?” smiled Braska. “I think that's a wonderful idea. That way you can say goodbye to your parents and you to your family, Jecht.”

“Sure, why not?” said Jecht, walking up to a platform that had been formed of the living tree. “It's not like this journey hasn't been weird and morbid enough already.”

“Just be glad we aren't at the finish line,” said Braska somberly.

“Why, what's at the finish line?” asked Jecht.

Both men glanced at Jecht somberly and proceeded through the entrance of the tree city of Guadosalam. When Jecht entered the city of the Guados, he felt like a bug. The whole city was within a series of huge and ancient trees. The tree the city itself was made of was probably older than the city of Zanarkand, but Jecht had never seen not heard of it before. When he first laid eyes on one of the Guado, he thought they were a growth of twigs coming out of the tree itself, until it started to talk to them.

“Hello, my name Cedric,” said a Guado man. He offered his hand out to Braska, and he took it in a shake. After seeing two odd humanoid species in one day, Jecht found that the Hypellos were much more pleasant than the Guados. The Gaudos were pleasant, but they had an air of pompousness that he could see right through. The Guado were the type of people that could never be trusted, thought Jecht as he watched one approach.

This certain Guado had a different presence than the others. He was revered as he walked, but also shunned. This Guado was younger than the others that greeted the group, but he held a countenance of regal bearing unlike the others. Unlike the other Guado, this one was younger and much skinnier. His arms were not nearly as gangly, and he looked less like a branch coming out of the tree and more like a person apart from it. His blue hair was pointed and clumped as the other Guado's hair was, but it had a less leafy texture.

Bowing to Braska, the young Guado said, “Hello. My name is Seymour, son of Lord Jyscal, and I humbly welcome you to our city.”

Braska smiled and gave the young one a similar bow. “Hello, Seymour. I am in awe that the leader or your people would send out his own son to welcome a lowly traveler such as myself.”

“Such is customary with the arrival of all summoners,” said Seymour, looking up to Braska's face with strong eyes.

“How many other groups have been through here before us?” asked Jecht with a husky voice. He could not place his finger on it, but something about this boy made him uneasy, even more than the other Guado.

“Three, sir,” said Seymour, turning to face Jecht. “Every group was preparing to make their way through the Thunder Plains to the Temple of Yevon Macalania.”

Jecht let his mouth fall agape at the news the young prince related to them. “Three? We have three groups to compete with?”

“It's not a competition Jecht,” smiled Braska in his fatherly tone. Braska often talked to Jecht like this, even though Jecht was seven years older than Braska.

“Anyways,” noted Auron, “Braska already has Bahamut's aeon form, so we can sidestep the temple in Bevelle. Though, we're still stopping there because of Braska's daughter.”

In a quiet voice, Braska said, “Know when to talk and when not to, young Auron. It would do you a world of good in the future.”

“Yes sir,” said Auron, humiliated in front of the prince of the Guados.

Not aware of any misconduct, Seymour said, “You have a daughter, Sir Braska?”

“Yes, she is in Bevelle,” said Braska.

“How old is she?” asked the prince in a curious and child-like way.

“Seven,” said Braska, “About your age.”

Seymour's face grew a slight shade of pink; difficult considering his darker complexion. “Sir, I am sixteen, not seven.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” said Braska truthfully. “You just appear very young, for a Guado I mean.”

“I am half human, sir, so I have traits of both races.” Bowing again, Seymour stretched his hand out towards the rest of the city. “Will you require any accommodations for the night?”

“No,” said Braska, shaking his head slightly. “We are just here to visit the farplane, and then we are to travel through the Thunder Plains.”

“Then I shall leave you to your travels,” said the prince, bowing as he left.

“Hmph,” grunted Jecht after a few minutes. “There's something rotten about this place. And that kid just seems to be the rottenest out of them all.”

“And why would that be?” asked Auron, following Braska up a root that was shaped to be a pathway.

“I don't know,” said Jecht, following the two with difficulty up the branch, his bag being as heavy as it was. “When you've been around children as much as I have, you just know when they've done something wrong. And that kid seemed like that the whole time. You agree with me, right Braska?”

Braska nodded as he came up to a portal. The portal was clear and could be seen through easily, but looked as though it were a sheet of water. In front of the portal stood a Guado as a greeter. “Hello travelers, come to see the dead, have we?”

Jecht was alarmed at the old Guado's remark. “Greet the dead? What does he mean?”

“This is a greeting spot for the living to see their dead loved ones,” said Auron, sitting on the steps that lead up to the portal.

“See their dead loved ones?” asked Jecht. Watching Braska walk up the steps, Jecht understood. “He wants to see Sara.”

“One last time,” mumbled Auron.

“What was that Auron?” asked Jecht, slipping the heavy traveling pack from his shoulders.

“Oh, nothing,” said Auron. “We can't stay here too long. You should go in when you have the chance. If you really are from a thousand years ago, then everybody you knew should be in there, right?”

“Yeah,” said Jecht, feeling a heavy feeling catch in his throat. Whenever he thought about his family he felt like he was a huge disappointment to them. They could never understand what happened to him and he could never say sorry to them. At least this way he could see their ghosts and tell them his apologies and his sorrows. “Are you not going in, Auron?”

“No, I have no need to. I left my parents seven years ago and I need no reminders of them. You go, see your family.”

“Alright,” said Jecht, walking up the steps to the mouth of the portal.

 

***

 

Upon entering the farplane Jecht found Braska quickly. The whole area was severely surreal to him. Pyreflies were everywhere, and the ground miles below them was covered in flowers on a little island. Everywhere else there were waterfalls that came from nowhere and went nowhere. Directly ahead of the stone observatory disc they stood on was a pillar of black smoke. In the center of the pillar was a blue, moon-like disc that glowed eerily.

“So, Braska,” said Jecht, stepping up slowly behind him. Floating in front of Braska at the same level but not on the stone disc were five people. The first Jecht recognized as Sara, Braska's newly deceased wife. The other four must have been the family he grew up with. “So, what do I do? You know, to see them?”

Sighing heavily, Braska said, “You go to the edge and then think about your loved ones.”

“Okay,” said Jecht, stepping to the edge of the stone disc. Closing his eyes, he envisioned his wife and son the way he remembered them. When he opened his eyes, he saw the sad and translucent face of his wife looking back at him. Surprised, Jecht nearly fell backwards. “Holy, honey, its you!”

The apparition of his dead wife did not make any moves or gestures. She only floated there.

“I'm so sorry I disappeared on you and Tidus! I never wanted to leave you two! I love you both more than anything in the world.” Pausing for a moment, Jecht searched around the farplane. He was sure he thought about his son as well as his wife. “Um, where's Tidus?”

“What was that Jecht?” answered Braska, thinking the question was directed at him.

“I can't see him!” exclaimed Jecht, still searching.

“See who?” asked Braska, coming over to Jecht. “Who are you looking for?”

“Tidus! My son!”

“Well,” said Braska reasonably, “If he's not here then he's alive.”

“That's impossible,” said Jecht. “A thousand years ago he was six years old. How could he still be alive?”

“Maybe he traveled through time, just as you did.”

Jecht felt a huge weight lift off of his heart. “Yeah, that's possible, isn't it?” Blowing a kiss to his wife, Jecht walked out of the farplane with Braska. “Do you think we could find him?”

“No,” said Braska, nodding to Auron as they walked down the steps. “There's a chance that he's still traveling through time as we speak. I don't want to have to think about children right now. I've decided that we're going to skip Bevelle and keep on through the Macalania Forest to the Calm Lands.”

“Why?” asked Auron, helping Jecht strap the pack on his shoulders. “Don't you want to see Yuna?”

“This whole journey will be a lot easier if I forget what I'm giving up to achieve my goal.”

Not responding to Braska's last remark, Auron and Jecht followed him through the city of Guadosalam. As Jecht noticed by the time they got to the Thunder Plains entrance that it was almost sunset. When they exited the city for the plains, Jecht was alarmed when a lightening strike hit the ground right in front of him. Feeling excited, Jecht quickly grabbed a sphere out of his pack. “Guys, I have an idea.”

“What is it?” asked Auron, having a sphere recorder thrust in his hands.

“I can dodge those!” exclaimed Jecht, watching the sky. “I want you to record me!” Shrugging out of his pack, Jecht deftly ran out into the open, away from the protection of the lightening towers.

Watching Jecht out in the middle of the plains, Braska asked, “What's going on?”

“Jecht wants me to record him,” said Auron, having turned the recorder on a while ago. Though, preoccupied with talking to Braska, he didn't have it turned the right way.

“Why?”

“Dodging a lightening strike,” answered Auron.

“Auron! Do you have it going?” shouted Jecht, anxiously watching the sky. “Yeah,” said Auron, still talking to Braska.

Watching the two talk, Jecht didn't notice one of the lightening strikes come down straight for him. The sphere recorded him being knocked to the ground, instead of him dodging the strike. From the ground he begrudgingly heard the two laughing at him.

Upon getting up, when Jecht raised his head. Including his two companions, he saw many more men, of which one was standing right in front of Braska menacingly. Jecht was incredulous that the man who appeared to be threatening Braska had larger muscles than he. When he approached, Braska drew in a sharp breath and Auron cursed.

“What? Who is that guy?” asked Jecht, who couldn't see clearly through the storm at the back of the group.

“Cid,” said Auron, “Braska's brother-in-law.”

“Oh,” said Jecht, feeling empathetically pale for Braska.

 

 

 

 

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