FFX-3 Chat

Chapter 26

Yuna was seated on a wooden crate, on the pontoon of a boat devoured by rust. The hull had been repaired in several places. The boat was as big as the S.S. Liki, which shuttled back and forth between Besaid and Kilika. Yuna recognized the person represented on the figurehead: Anli, god of travellers.

Yuna turned around. Her skiff was floating on a sea of oil. On the starboard, she recognized the silhouette of an island.

"Eh..."

She spun round. An old thin man was seated on another crate.

"Nice to meet you Summoner Ifahnal. Or maybe do you prefer Johit?"

"Yes, please."

His white hairs, mustache and beard were contrasting with the black color of his robe. The edge of his hood was hiding his eyebrows. When he moved, Yuna noticed that they were white too.

"I have lived for ninety years. I have become an Unsent because I had to carry some things out, but..."

He shrugged, tired.

"I have only understood after my death that it would have been better for me to die much earlier. It must be a little unpleasant for you to meet an old man like me. I may not look like much, but when I was young, I dyed my hair in red... I was really stupid."

He stayed silent.

"Johit?"

"I prefer that you call me Sire Johit."

"Naturally," she answered despite her irritation. "Sire Johit, have you also summoned this boat?"

"Well, yes. Unfortunaly, I am not close anymore to the Aeon Core – that which you call "Fayth" -, therefore I can only recreate some places she knows well. The island is my strong point. If summoning is the materialization of the close link between Summoner and Aeon Core... let us say that I am using a distant link. Do not laugh. That is what happens when you create too many Aeon Cores, but I was ignorant of that fact."

"Summoners create the Fayths?" Yuna was surprised.

"That is how summoning worked in former times. The technique you use now has been altered in order to satisfy the Church of Yevon. You work with the fayth you were assigned, in order to create only what he wants. By forwarding your thoughts to him, you increase the power of the Aeon. An adaption certainly executed in order to facilitate the task during a battle."

"I can't believe it..."

"What is surprising you?"

"Everything I believed to be true was a lie."

"Somehow, it was. You have lived while being convinced of something... This has become your reality."

"I thought Aeons had disappeared from Spira forever, since Fayths are no more. And I didn't want to pratice anymore. I was convinced that summoning was just a weapon. But if it's not the case, if I can create islands and boats... I'm able to do a lot for everyone else, more than just dispense advice to them and send them into the other world after their death."

Johit put his hand on Yuna's. The body of the old man gleamed, and the young woman felt a consciousness – no, a knowledge – moving from Johit to her. He was passing down to her the technique to create a Aeon Core.

"Oh..."

What she saw made her blush.

"Sorry. That is how I proceeded. If you manage to achieve a similar state, you can do it differently. Thereafter, I developed a simpler method. But since this method skips some steps, there is a lack of power. This is a crual technique, to use sparingly. I advise you against resorting to it because you need a boat."

He shrugged and turned towards the island. Yuna imitated him.

"How many fayths do you need to summon this island?" She suddenly asked.

Countless persons had been required to recreate the city of Zanarkand.

For a moment, the man lowered his eyes. Yuna looked at the deck he was contemplating, before understanding. A shiver crossed along her spine.

"Do you want to see?"

"No."

"I insist. Else, I will not listen to your request," he answered with a serious tone. "Your wish is to go back to your Besaid, is it not?"

She raised her eyes. Johit was pointing out at a hatch, in a corner of the deck. He stood up straight and opened it, revealing stairs which sank into dark. A smell of rust and death assailed Yuna.