Author Topic: ~ FFX-2.5 : The Price of Eternity ~ French to English Translation  (Read 49296 times)

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Please show massive appreciation for ChercheurObscur! I have just ironed out the wordings in his translations.

If it were not for him, this thread would have never existed in the first place!

Our goal is to translate the entire novel. Please express your opinions on the novel's contents in the thread called, 'Final Fantasy X-2.5: The Truth' OR 'The Novella: Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eternal Cost~'

Have fun reading!


Update (ChercheurObscur) : Please show appreciation for kk too !

NOTE: In order to find chapters, press Ctrl + F and type in the chapter and number.

-------------------------


Chapter 1
---

Tidus was huddled up and was drifting in the darkness. Pictures were showing themselves in his mind. Was he able to see them, or were they only simple memories? He did not know. He was making out a man; he had a wide back covered by a stream of hairs and a woman was cuddled up against him: his parents. One day, his father had disappeared, and her mother had died of sorrow. As Tidus had suffered when he had understood he would not be able to comfort her, that her only son was insufficient! The pain, intact, woke up in his chest.

Just after, he was facing a huge crowd. He answered the cheering with a euphoric smile. Strangely, all sadness had left him... How was it possible? He gave in to this new sensation of well-being, and the questions which were bombarding him flew by.

A terrible monster had attacked his home, Zanarkand. Overcome by panic, Tidus had run for his life then had got lost.

Do not worry; he had only come to find you.

After spending hours swimming in Spira’s ocean, the young man had got closer to the coast. The scenery which was giving itself to Tidus, so different from his native region, had thrown him off balance. Despite everything, kindness and softness from inhabitants had put the smile back on Tidus' face. He had made some friends, they had travelled together. His sword in his hand, he had hunted down a lot of monsters.

He had fallen in love too. The day they had confessed to each other, Tidus had understood their story was impossible. Although it was a losing battle, he had refused to submit himself to destiny.

He was contemplating a sea made of clouds, memories of the day he had left Spira.

He was looking at himself from the back, on board the aircraft. Shadowing his fear, he had run along the deck before rushing forward.

Suddenly, his chest exploded with pain.

Yuna!

This cry shook his mind.

I am back, Yuna!

His view was not obstructed anymore: the limit between the darkness which was surrounding him and his own body had become clear. He felt pulled from chaos which was wrapping him.

I am coming!

His foot propelled him with all their strength to the world of Yuna.

He was coming closer to a boundary, the limit between "here" and "there". A luminous wall appeared to blink. Was it a call, or the symbol of a radiant world? Tidus was swimming upwards, always upwards. He was a splendid swimmer.

He broke through the wall and the light dazzled him. Then he discovered the white and azure world which was extending beyond the boundary. The air filled his lungs. He grimaced, surprised by an almost forgotten sensation; a smell was tickling his nostrils.

He was surrounded by the huge and endless ocean. Under his foot, Tidus seemed to discern the movement of a massive being. It was the living darkness with which he was part of, just an instant ago. If he was not careful, it was going to claim him back to itself.

I will not let myself be pushed around! I have just come back...

He turned over then discovered an island. A hill was overlooking a verdant triangle: Besaid. The waves were caressing a deserted beach. He whistled with his fingers. Although he received no answer, he felt reassured. His senses did not lie to him, everything was real. Even if nobody was present to answer his call, he was happy to hear this sound.

He started to swim toward the coast. Who was he going to meet first, when will he reach the shore?

Where are you, Yuna?

Just now, a deafening rumble cleared up the sky. Tidus looked up and discovered a sparkling colourful aircraft. Instinctively, the young man tried to get away from it. The aircraft initiated a large circle above him. Then a hatch opened and revealed a well-known figure: Yuna.

Without hesitation, she jumped into the void. Tidus watched her diving in direction of the surface of the ocean. She was wearing bright tinted clothes he had never seen. That is not the Yuna I know, he surprised himself by thinking. But this doubt disappeared when he perceived joy through the eyes of the young girl. She hurried to him in order to embrace him. Just now, he knew nothing else meant to her, and this feeling made him immensely happy.

“Is that really you?” she asked after hesitating.

“I think so.”

He wanted her to answer herself this question. She moved away from him and examined him as if she wanted to be sure about his identity.

“So?”

“Yes, it is really you.”

He let out a cry of relief.

“I am back!”

He clamped his arms around her and held her in his arms. During a short moment, he had been afraid of being rejected.

“I am back,” he repeated in Yuna's ears, again and again.

She embraced him in return:

“It is you, it is really you...”

A voice disrupted them:

“Hey, lovebirds! Are we bothering you?”

Wakka!

Tidus turned around in the direction of the coast. The little cove was swarming with people. He recognized Wakka and Lulu among the crowd of villagers.

“Oh, give us one minute at least!”

Tidus ended up grabbing Yuna's hand in order to drag her down to the beach. A new life was starting for him, a life only dedicated to their happiness. This thought was sending him into transports of joy.

“You are different...”

“I have experienced so many things during your absence!” she answered.

Her proud way of speaking surprised him, but he decided to not care about it. As long as he could run by her side, past was not important.

“I want to know everything!”


*

The villagers have been waiting impatiently for the return of Yuna; she had been gone for a long time. Tidus has known most of people here. They greeted him. There were Datto, Letty, Botta, Jassu, Keepa... What a pleasure to meet his playmates from the Besaid Aurochs once again!

Quite proud, Wakka introduced a swaddled infant in a cover to him:

“I am presenting you Vidina. He is adorable, don't you think?”

“Absolutely. But... may I ask who the mother is?”

“It is me,” a curt voice declared.

Tidus made an about-turn then found himself face to face with an opulent chest... Lulu's, to be precise.

“Well, we know who he takes after in the case of beauty,” the young man declared.

Lulu laughed, then took the infant from Wakka's arms.

“How many times did I tell you to not expose him to the wind of the open sea?”

“This is a child of the coast, what is the matter?”

“You could have waited for the beginning of the tide!”

“But, honey...”

A smile on his face, Tidus interposed himself between the parents:

“Hey, congratulations! You are finally living as a couple? I knew it!”

“Yes,” Lulu conceded. “Nothing extraordinary to be honest, and sometimes I feel like I have had enough of this...”

“Well thanks!” Wakka protested.

She ignored her partner:

“Say, Tidus, will you be staying here for a while?”

“If you want me here,” he answered with a worried tone.

“I see. Don't be mistaken, you are most welcome here.”

Lulu watched around them. The crowd started to leave the beach.

“We should go back to the village too.”

She swaddled her baby to her chin and joined people who were returning home. Tidus understood Lulu’s sudden goodbye since the baby was her priority, but he suddenly felt abandoned.

Wakka gave him a tap on the back:

“Let's go!”


On the road, the members of the Aurochs came to talk with him in turns. They told him about what happened to them during his absence, and the young man had felt like he had never left. Datto and Keepa told him about their progress, and it made him quite proud. New players had moved in on the island in order to join the team – news which touched him deeply. The tournament in which he had participated two years ago appeared to be the triggering factor.

They walked half an hour before arriving at the village.

“Tonight, we have planned a banquet, directed by the elders,” Lulu explained. “Help with the preparations, show yourself in your best light. Make a good impression! But before all that, you can rest there if you want.”

She was indicating the highest tent of the village. Tidus recognized the Crusaders’ dormitory.

“What do they do these days?” he asked.

“These days? Whatever they want. Yuna's room is inside the temple... in the same place as always.”

“Oh oh!” Wakka said teasingly.

He was carrying an armful of wood, probably in order to feed the blaze of the banquet. Tidus' cheeks did not need fire to become red and scorching.

“I know what you are up to, you two!” Lulu said curtly. “I forbid you to go there, Tidus! Your behaviour must not lead to confusion, at least until Yuna presents you to the elders. Furthermore, your attitude will determine villagers' opinion toward you. And since the temple has become useless, Yuna must support an idle clergy. She is not free to act, do not forget that.”

Lulu ended her tirade with a shrug, and her child struggled in her arms.

“Is she not happy?”

“Ask her yourself.”

“What you are telling me is not like her.”

Lulu appeared to agree with him.

“From what I have seen, her feelings are quite lukewarm: she feels responsible for the situation but the village stifles her. Therefore she flies over the region with Rikku and her team.”

“What do they do?”

“You will have to ask her about this too. But meanwhile, do not do something which could harm her.”

“Got it.”

Lulu went back to her own tent, and Tidus met the Aurochs. Yuna was standing before the temple, within reach of voice, however the young man could not talk to her. It appeared that the entire village had something to tell her, with no chance of escape. Of course, she could have come up with an excuse to leave, but she was too polite to do that. Kindness was Yuna's strength, and at this moment, this quality was not failing to irritate Tidus.

“She wants to talk to you too, I am sure,” Wakka declared.

The man tried to negotiate with the elders, but they refused to let the summoner go.

“They are keeping a sharp eye on you!” the young father exclaimed as soon as he came
back.

“Why? I was Yuna's guardian, and I stuck by her all the way. I deserve recognition and respect, and yet no one expresses either of them.”

“If you say so!” a derisive voice declared behind his back.

Rikku just arrived this moment. Because of her tanned body, she seemed stronger than in his memories.

“Hi, Tidus! It has been a long time!” she exclaimed.

She made an about-turn to call someone. A woman moved forward, she had smooth hair, a stern face, and black clothes displaying only her shoulders. The contrast with Rikku was startling.

“This is Paine, a friend. She has worked with Yuna.”

“Yuna talked to me about you,” the woman declared. “Actually, it was more like harping…”

She examined Tidus for a moment, as if she wanted to gauge him.

“Two years have passed,” Rikku said distantly. “and yet...”

The teenager got closer to Tidus until her nose brushed the young man and scrutinized him in her turn.

Two years... Tidus felt his stomach turning into lead. Through his conversations, he had understood that his absence had lasted several months. But two whole years...

“You are the same as always!” Rikku concluded.

He did not know whether to laugh or cry. He ended up giving a faint smile.

“Easy for you to say, look at yourself...”

Rikku leaned and folded her arms under her chest. Tidus caught sight of Yuna behind her back.

“You too, have not changed,” he finished absent-mindedly.

He was worried about Yuna. Her taste in clothing was different, and he was wondering if he was missing something else about her.

“Hey, I am here! Rikku exclaimed pouting. “You are different!”

“You just said the opposite,” Tidus told her.

“I am talking about your appearance. Inside, you are not the same. In the past, you were a bit stupider, but you were nicer at least.”

“Thank you for the compliment!”

They burst out laughing, and she began to narrate the events of the two last years. She told him about the Movement for the Truth, the sphere hunters and the Gullwings... At first, Tidus was questioning them, but he ended up annoyed by this flood of unknown names.

“You had fun, I can tell.”

“It looks like it is bothering you...”

“I don't have anything to talk about on my side, it is frustrating. Two years of absence, and not a single new thing... What might I have gone through all this time?”

“A break,” Paine said.

Her crooked grin made Tidus think she was joking. But he was sure of something: he could not discover what had happened to him these last two years if he stood rooted to the spot speaking.

“In any case, I am happy you had fun. If you had spent your days weeping over my absence, I would have felt guilty.”

He had spoken lightly, but Rikku frowned.

“I have not cried! I was angry. I needed to understand, to know what had happened to you, and why. I ended up giving up, but...”

“Yes?”

“Yuna seemed to take pleasure with the Gullwings' activities. But in my opinion, she made use of her time. She probably joined joyfully in sphere hunting or concerts, but ultimately, her only goal... was you. She wanted to find you again. Or forget you. I don't know.”

"Me?"

“Yes. She left the village when she saw you in a sphere.”

“Excuse me?”

“This boy: Shuyin, and Lenne: the girl he loved, had lived a thousand years ago. She was a summoner and a famous singer. They had experienced many things, but what you need to know is that Shuyin was your spitting image. Yuna has even wondered whether or not it was you. She had believed that she had a chance to find you again.

But after all that, we had found ourselves in front of a thousand-year-old war machine!” Rikku declared.

“Are you serious?”

It was a tall story, and yet Tidus had to admit that the reality often defied common sense. He decided to stay quiet.

“I know, it is unbelievable,” Rikku answered. “but I have seen it with my own eyes, and I must acknowledge that. If I had wondered about this, I would be dead before understanding what was happening.”

In order to illustrate her words, she gripped her hands around his neck and stuck her tongue out.

“The machine was named Vegnagun,” Paine declared. “It was enormous, and would have massacred everyone had Lenne not stopped Shuyin. But he activated her once more, and we had to deal with it.”

She screwed up her eyes and stared at Tidus.

“What are you looking at?” Tidus asked.

“According to Yuna, the Fayth would have promised her your return in exchange for having saved Spira.”

“So I am here thanks to him?”

“No!” Rikku exclaimed. “Yuna went out of her way to find you, not him!”

The other conversations broke off and everyone turned toward the little group. The elders were surrounding their summoner and Tidus felt the heavy pressure of their eyes. His eyes met those of Yuna. He read the words "sorry" and "later" on the lips of the young girl.

He smiled. Then, thinking he had to show his disappointment because of her restraint, he shrugged. Once again, Yuna said "later", enunciating carefully the syllables. An old woman frowned, staring at the young man and the summoner in turns. She reprimanded Yuna, who apologized profusely.

But "later" appeared to never come.

The elders still spoke to her for a long time, then a matron declared that Yuna must change and carried her away inside the temple. On the advice of Lulu, Tidus joined in the preparations of the banquet. Since the entire village was active, he ended up soon having nothing to do. With an embarrassed smile, he ended up joining Rikku and Paine.
They all spoke for a moment. They told him about what had happened during his absence and Kimahri Ronso. They alluded to New Yevon, the Youth League and the Machine Faction.

The more they were enlarging on Yuna's concert, the more they were irritating him. He had the impression that they were making light of the life-threatening adventure they all had.

“What’s the matter?” Rikku asked. “Are you in a bad mood?”

“Of course not...”

“Yeah, sure! You are going too far. I did my best to tell you everything, and you... If that is how it is, fine! I am going back to the aircraft!”

Tidus was asked by Paine to tell Yuna that they were going to leave and that they would come back in a few days. He barely mumbled some words by way of answer.

Nothing worse than to be alone in the middle of a crowd busy with a lot of things. He did not want that, he took refuge under the tent and he let himself fall onto a bed. His mind was full of questions and thoughts as the day was fading. Soon, Tidus thought. He closed his eyes and imagined Yuna's plausible face when she would finally meet him.

Wakka woke him up.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2015, 12:51:07 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter


CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2014, 05:01:24 pm »
“The boat is going to return with the catch of the evening. They will need some help to bring fish to the village. Come on, let's go! This is a job for the Aurochs!”

The team made the decision to play blitzball while waiting for the return of the boat. Provocative, Keepa proposed a race to the cove. Tidus accepted and rushed forward on the path with the others. However, he hurtled down the slope with only Yuna in mind, not one single thought for the competition.

She surely wonders where I am. I should have stayed in the village.

“You are slow, Tidus!” one of the boys exclaimed.

He looked around him. He was running as fast as he could, and yet everyone was outrunning him – except Wakka.

“Be careful, Wakka!” the man ahead mocked. “It’s nearly nightfall, you’ll risk falling. Slow down or you’ll hurt yourself!”

“Oh, shut up!” the person concerned replied.

Yet he was laughing as loudly as the others.

“Enough, guys! Stop!” he surrendered after a minute.

Unable to catch up, he had decided to force his team to wait for him. Tidus took advantage of the opportunity in order to slow down, and finally stop himself.

“Well, Wakka, did retirement do a number on you?”

Short-winded, running with sweat, the person concerned nodded before getting going again.

“You remember the tournament in which we have participated in, two years ago in Luca? I had planned to stop playing just after. I had told you about it, hadn’t I? I wanted to become a trainer. But we lost the next match... A bitter failure. It was different from when we were losing every time, but we have suffered from this. After this failure, we have trained every day, with all our strength. The villagers have even released us from our chores in order to let us give ourselves entirely over to the game. And we have improved! I even think we have reached our best level. By dint of watching Datto and Letty, I have wanted to practice again. But at this time, Yuna has started to talk about the Gullwings and to flail around, Lulu's stomach has filled out, and I have been more involved in the affairs of the village. I am as motivated as anybody, I am still young too, you see... well...”

He shrugged, as if he was saying: "You understand?” He was still as indecisive as before, Tidus thought.

“But every day, Lulu reprimands me...”

He scratched his head as if wanting to hide his embarrassment. The rest of the team was now far ahead from them: the two friends were not able to hear them any longer.

Tidus was moving, these two lost years in mind, when Wakka placed his arm around Tidus' neck.

Were we this close before? The young man asked himself.

Busy to seek in his memories, he kept walking, pushed by Wakka. The path they were following was surrounding the island; it was named "The waterfall’s path". Some thin droplets were falling from the top of the cliff, and they ended up soon being soaked. Wakka's fingers trailed up along Tidus' neck with a circle movement, up to his hairs, and started to scratch his head. The situation was getting more strange...

“What the hell are you doing!?” Tidus ended up exploding, while pushing away the hand of his friend.

“Sorry, but I had to be sure...”

Wakka appeared to regret his actions.

“You are really real? You are not an illusion, a spectre from the Farplane?”

“I hope so... Of course I am real!”

“Of course you are real!” Wakka exclaimed joyfully before he burst out laughing, as if making amends.

However, Tidus was not going to forget the words pronounced by his friend, forever etched in his mind. He thought of the other world, this place where the dead could show themselves, in reaction of prayers, and talk with each other... He remembered his first trip to the Farplane. He had thought about his mother, and she had appeared before him. Was he not a ghost as well?

“Are spectres only hallucinations?” he asked Wakka.

“Well… they are kinda like real visions.”

“In other words?”

- Here is how I understand things: the pyreflies react to the mind of the one who goes into the other world and takes shape of the person they want to meet. The conversation is just made up by the living. Therefore the dead can only say what the living wants to hear. If the living wishes for encouragement, the dead will give them some. If they wish for pity, the dead will comply.”

“Really?”

The explanation was lucid – something unusual with Wakka. Abruptly, Tidus understood: since his earliest childhood, Yuna's previous guardian had believed and followed Yevon's teachings. Then one day, he had discovered it was a lie. Without the support of the fayth, he had tried to explain the world which was surrounding him. This is what was hidden behind his so-clear answer.

“But we are on Besaid, not in the Farplane, right? So I am real.”

Then, Tidus pinched Wakka's waist. With a wonderful cry of indignation, the man ran away on the double.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2014, 03:08:19 am by CrystalOfLies »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2014, 01:09:45 pm »
Chapter 2
---


Besaid's waters overflowed with fish, but the catch ensured only the inhabitants' subsistence. In order to earn money, they produced a textile specific to the island. These last months, they had started to take advantage of the influx of people coming to visit the homeland of the High Summoner Yuna. They had converted a part of the temple to accommodate the travellers.

When Tidus arrived at the cove, the setting sun was dyeing the sky in orange, but the boat had not shown itself yet.

“What is this small boat?” the young man asked.

He was indicating a skiff moored at the pontoon. Wakka stood up straight:

“I am presenting you the Aurochs Ace!”

Since his return, Tidus had heard talk of the training boat of the team, the one in front of him, a lot of the time. He had imagined it bigger. The figurehead, which looked like a commemorative plate, probably symbolised a blitzball trophy. Unlike the original, always made of golf, this reproduction was only painted in yellow. The ensemble cut a sad figure.

“Thanks to this boat, the Aurochs have made considerable progress!

The shallow water surrounded Besaid. It stretched out so far that it was difficult to train here. In so little water, jumping was dangerous. Here is why the Aurochs lacked strength when they had to dive or to rise to the surface. Thanks to the Ace, the team could re-join from now on in deeper areas. In this way, they had adopted tactics using the whole sphere pool, like the "deep and shallow kick".

It has revolutionized our game,” Botta summarised, sticking out his chest.

Tidus patted the pectorals of his friend with a smile of approval.

“Originally, it was used for a little goods haulage, at Port Kilika,” Wakka explained. “We have restored it by ourselves. We have financed the purchase and the restoration work thanks to the villagers' donations. From now on, we must not disappoint them.
They started to warm up, under Letty's orders. With Datto, Botta, Jassu, Keepa and Rash, the new recruits Mesker and Karam, Wakka and Tidus, there were now ten. Wakka started to form two teams. Letty whistled with his fingers, and the match commenced.

They were following the rules of half blitz, a version which forbade players to disappear under the surface, with or without the ball, subject to penalties. Tidus received two already. He found it hard to control his movements.

“It is no big deal, don't worry!”

The cheering from his playmates was depressing him. Formerly, a level difference existed between a star player and a team from the countryside. Had the Aurochs improved so much, or had Tidus regressed that far?

“Beclem Clash!” Botta shouted suddenly.

The ball hit Tidus in the face.

Beclem, the previous trainer of the team, was famous for his severity. This unknown technique, taught by someone he had never met, shook him up definitively. In order to turn this stinging setback into a joke, he played dead. He was drifting on the surface of the sea, arms and legs flabby, when he heard a voice declaring:

“We are going to end with this: the team that scores the next point win the match, okay?”

Tidus stood up straight and noticed Keepa near himself, who was bearing a forced smile and added:

“The night is falling; we are not going to see the ball anymore.”

The long-awaited boat returned to the port, lit by powerful lamps. The Aurochs helped it to moor and unloaded the freight. The wooden crates were overflowing with fresh fish. Players and sailors moved the catch in bags that they shared out and put on their backs.

“And me?” Tidus asked. “You are not giving me something to take to the village?”

“Sorry,” one of the fishermen answered. “It was not a good day...”

The man, of around forty years old, broke off to stare at Tidus. Displaying an impressive stature, he had a luxuriant moustache but his skin was very pale.

“My name is Tidus, nice to meet you.”

“Bria.” (Note: Bria is Briah in French.)

He handed him a trident.

“Carry it for me, would you?”

“You fish with this weapon?”

Amused, Bria shook his hand:

“With a net. This is to protect myself.”

“Against monsters?”

“Do you have a moment, Wakka?” Bria asked point blank.
 
The two men drew away. Tidus could not hear their conversation, but Wakka's expression was enough for him to understand. Just after, the Aurochs, who were discussing the best way to cook fish, returned to the village, leaving Tidus and Bria behind in the cove.

Under the moonlight, the ocean was calm. Gelatinous and translucent creatures were crossing the beach without worrying about the men, to finally disappear in the trees. Monsters were still there, Tidus thought. Could he still fight them? Did he have the strength to do it? Or was he just a shadow of his former self, as the blitzball match had shown him?

“I had forgotten...” Bria murmured, while staring at the blitzball which was lying at his foot.

“Throw me a pass!” Tidus exclaimed.

He hoped to start the conversation again, but the fisherman ignored him and just stared at the young man, who returned this attitude in equal measure, for lack of anything better.
Bria's long hairs were waving because of the night breeze. With a closer look, he appeared to be younger than what Tidus had thought. His moustache made him look older. But the most striking was his eyes: they were a faded blue and brought to mind two pieces of glass polished by the waves.

“These eyes...” Bria began.

Surprised, Tidus drove the trident in the sand and rushed to the ball.

“These eyes have contemplated too long the distance.”

“Excuse me?”

This declaration was quite enigmatic and needed an explanation, yet the fisherman became silent again.

Tidus hit the ball, which rose above his head. He caught it with his right hand and moved it in his left hand with a smooth movement. Knee, head, shoulders... The sequence was deeply fixed in his muscles.

Since his interlocutor was staying quiet, Tidus changed his approach:

“You were not living here, two years ago.”

“No. I came to live near the High Summoner.”

“I see.”

“I take care of the temple, under monks’ authority. A month ago, I was transferred here from Bevelle. Did you hear about the members of New Yevon?”

“Yes.”

“A bloody bunch of chickens in my opinion!”

Tidus answered with an awkward smile but, deep down, he was applauding the fisherman’s words.

“Really? And what do you think about the Youth League?”

Minus habens.

“In other words?”

“All stupid.”

“You are quite strict. And what about the Machine Faction?”

Focused on the ball located on his head to prevent it from falling, Tidus was waiting for Bria's answer.

“I saw you coming.”

“Excuse me?”

Not really sure if he understood, the young man turned in the direction of the ocean. The ball fell in the sand.

“At midday. We heard of Yuna’s return thanks to the radio, and I followed the villagers. I saw you emerging from the ocean. How did you reach this place?”

Tidus did not feel like answering his question at all. An ill-conceived explanation could produce a disastrous impression. If he got into trouble with this man, linked to the religion of Yevon, who knows what consequences it could have for Yuna?

“Two years ago, you came from Zanarkand. Not from the ruined city we know, but from a fast-growing city. Nobody believes this... but I am willing to trust you.”

“Uh... Thanks!”

“How did you get to Spira back then?”

Tidus stayed quiet.

“According to the rumour, Sin carried you.”

“I don't know what to say.”

“Do you think he could have sent you back to Zanarkand?”

Once again, he did not want to answer his question. Anyway, Yuna had defeated Sin: he did not have a way to confirm this hypothesis. Yet Tidus was certain about one thing:

“The city I had known does not exist anymore. It was the one from the Summoning...”

“I would like you to tell me more about it.”

Tidus shrugged, without obligation.

“Sin had spread chaos across Zanarkand. How could the city have survived such a disaster?”

“It does not matter. Recently, I have perceived a lot of signs... I think I will be able soon to resolve the mystery which has kept me busy for a long time.”

“Which mystery are you talking about?”

“The greatest of all.”

The man burst out laughing, and Tidus lost his temper:

“Are you making fun of me? What do you want? Did you come to live near Yuna or have you been transferred from Bevelle? What do want to tell me? What is the true motive behind your presence?”

“I beg your pardon if I hurt you. My life is a bit too complex to be summed up. Humans try to introduce causal relationships, but the truth is that, these links, we invent them a posteriori."

“I hate these unknown words you speak in!”

Tidus immediately regretted his words. Bria said good night to him and left.

“Sorry,” the young man murmured.

To his utter astonishment, the fisherman waved to him: he had heard him.

Tidus thought he had just gone so far as to deny Auron, to whom he owed a lot. Bria was right: the lives of some people were too complex to be summed up within a few words. And when such a person wanted to hand down the fruit of its experience, it probably expressed itself like him.

Maybe will I find myself in the same situation one day?

Remaining alone on the shore, Tidus ascended the pontoon and laid down on it, his face turned in the direction of the sky. Oppressive clouds were hiding the stars. The wind was picking up, and the water lapping against the pillars of the pier appeared to accentuate itself.

Once the Aurochs drop off the fish at the village, the banquet would begin, and Tidus could not talk to Yuna. Was it a punishment? Had someone managed to prevent the young man from seeing her? If Tidus ran into the one behind these goings-on, he would shrug it off and finally talk to the young woman. It would be so enjoyable...

"Humans try to introduce causal relationships, but the truth is that, these links, we invent them a posteriori."

Frustrated, Tidus let out a cry and tapped his foot on the boards of the pontoon. The wood returned a dull sound, but another sound, more high-pitched, metallic, answered him.

The boy stood up straight to look around him.

Vestiges of antique mechanisms remained in various locations of the island. Tidus doubted that someone knows about their initial purpose. Some of these ruins were erected near the cove like chimneys, their orange paint faded by age. A big gull was perched on the vestige nearest to the water. It was holding something between its legs and was pecking fervently at the object. The strange noise had come from it.

GONG, GONG, GONG!

Reassured, Tidus laid down once again and closed his eyes. By association of ideas, his mind opted for the Gullwings. Yuna had spent the two last years with this group made of young people, who seemed nice to her. To think that life had continued during his absence, and that his friends – Yes, even Yuna – had fun, made him feel uncomfortable. He saw again the smile of the summoner and the coloured clothes she wore from now on. She was no longer this shy seventeen-year-old, oppressed by the ordeals, that he had met two years ago, but a blooming woman.

He sighed. Would he have preferred her weeping over his disappearance? If someone had asked him the question, he might have given a positive answer... and he hated himself for that. On edge, he started to shake on the wood of the pontoon.


It was night-time, the fish was ready, yet Yuna was not there. Unsurprisingly, several elders were missing too.

“The old ladies got mixed up together once again,” Wakka murmured quietly, in order to not be heard.

He knew they had waited impatiently for the return of Yuna. All the villagers older than the young woman, Wakka included, had contributed to her blossoming, and it made them quite proud. Orphan of the High Summoner Braska, she had spent her childhood at the temple, surrounded with people with unshakeable faith. As to answer the elders' prayers, she had followed the path of her father. She had defeated Sin and had brought the long-awaited Calm back to Spira. Then the truth about Yevon's deception had been fully exposed, and the Church had collapsed.

Despite everything, elderly people continued following Yevon's teachings. "Everything they taught us is not wrong," they esteemed.

From now on, everyone was free to believe whatever they wanted. Yet the elders showed very little tolerance towards the others. To their eyes, the youth was mistaken about the way in life and had too much fun. Since always, the village had worked like a family, and the gap which was growing wider between the generations was breaking Wakka's heart.

The oldest were incapable of getting used to these disruptions. Young leaders, like Nooj and Baralai, embodied the change. Their influence had extended very fast, even to territories as distant as Besaid. A piece of information which reached villagers three days earlier was already outdated. This new era was disconcerting the elders, who had always known an immutable world.

Fortunately, Yuna had not forgotten what she owed them, and, in these vague times, they could trust the young woman.

“I wonder what they plan to do with her,” Wakka murmured.

He headed for the temple and filled his lungs with the familiar perfume, mixed with the smell of the damp stones that the building was releasing. He was happily reminded of his era of childhood.

A gift of Yevon...
« Last Edit: December 14, 2014, 04:01:44 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2014, 01:39:27 pm »
Chapter 3
---


“There is something on the roof!”

The man let the woman, who was pressed closely against him at the higher level of the first air duct, separate from him bluntly. Holding their breath, they kept their ears open. Once again; the same noise, as if something hard was hitting metal. The sound was coming from above and was resonating through the wall on a regular pace. GONG, GONG, GONG...

“What is it?” Kush whispered. (Note: Kush is Kushu in French.)

 “A bird,” Valm answered. “A gull, judging from the strength of the knocks.”

Evidently reassured, Kush laid down once again on the cushions, showing expressly her wish to laze a bit more. But Valm rose and put on his light armour. The young girl was looking at him adjusting the leather pieces on his chest composed of flexible muscles.

“How do vous know that this is a gull?” (Note: ‘Vous’ is a plural/formal French term for ‘you’.)

“Only birds and monkeys can get up there. Thanks to the sound, I guess an animal quite big is hitting metal with a hard object. Why imagine a monkey with a tool rather than a bird with a strong beak? In this place, there are only gulls.”

“Vous are correct. But what does it desire?”

“Maybe should you ask it?”

“Yet again, vous are correct.”

When she was a child, Kush had been chosen to take a summoner training course. She only knew the Bevelle haven and this island. Her lack of knowledge was astounding. Here is why she came round to Valm's opinion.

When they met for the first time, three years earlier, he had thought she made fun of him. He despised her silently, convinced to deal with a too spoiled child. Once enlightened about her personal history, he had been seized with sympathy for the young woman and, to his astonishment, his affection turned into love. Never, before Kush, would Valm have thought to love a summoner.

These people were sensitive to pyreflies, that is, the deceased. Formerly, Valm imagined them ominous, obsessed with death. However Kush, like all her comrades, felt the same emotions than the others. She was no different from Valm. Despite everything, the authorities had gathered people gifted of this talent and had created an elite corps subjected to strict instructions.

None of them were volunteers: summoners were so uncommon these could not refuse. Kush and her fellows sacrificed themselves for the government. In exchange, the serenity of their close family was guaranteed, to twenty five years after the death of the summoner.
Kush seemed noble: she was always dressed to the nines, yet she came from a poor family; which reassured Valm, coming from the same background. He had never left the island, but his oath had rescued his kind from poverty.

“I am going to go downstairs first,” he declared. “The Bedohls must have had enough of waiting for me.”

“Could we not see each other without them the next time?”

“Why? Do they annoy you?”

“Not at all. I would like us to meet, just the both of us.”

“And who will support your palanquin?”

She laughed gently.

“I can walk as well as vous. No, better.”

“Probably, but venomous insects introduced by the enemy have increased, and I fear that...”

“Are their bites dangerous?”

“Infernal.”

She laughed:

“Oh, Hell does not appeal to me at all!”

He knew what she was referring to. When he was a child, his grandmother was used to talking about this in the evenings. It was a place of endless throes where those who had dared to defy gods were sent, dead or alive. He who wanted to avoid it must obey his whole life. After his death, he would be reborn in the form of a flower in the other world, as a reward. Hell or flowers... When he was young, Valm considered these two fates were equal, but his grandmother knew so many anecdotes to justify every rule that it was futile to question. From now on, he understood the old lady was entirely devoted to the authorities, which embodied gods in the tangible world.

“Is it not possible to avoid the insects without resorting to the Bedohls?” Kush asked.

“Probably. I could carry you in dangerous areas.”

“That would be wonderful!”

“Great. Now, dress up.”

He headed for the spiral staircase, in order to go down and talk to the Bedohls. Just before he set down his feet on the first step, he glanced behind his shoulder. Kush had stood up straight to look at the outside through the opening. Her body was as slim as the one of the goddess Luchera, except for her hips, which were rounder. Valm was nearly surprised she did not have wings. The delicate item of clothing she had put on had slipped, which revealed the mark ornamenting her lower back, on the right. An adorable heart-shaped mark.

“There is someone at the water's edge!” Kush whispered.

He rushed to her side. The moonlight was allowing them to make out the details of the landscape.

“Over yonder, on the pontoon.”

A young man was standing near a shabby boat which was rocking with the waves.

A refugee, Valm thought. But why sneak inside the island? This is suicide.

Without taking his eyes off the unknown person, he hurried her to dress up. Then he raised his forefinger and his thumb to his mouth, in order to call the Bedohls. But it was not the time to whistle. The man, apparently nervous, was unloading a bag from the boat. After a moment of struggling to unknot it, he brought out a round object.

A ball?

The unknown person put the ball before him. Valm did not know what to think. He understood that a refugee might have drifted to the island... But what did he intend to do? Play? It was absurd.

The man turned in the direction of the tower and raised his eyes to Heaven.

A ruse! He knows I am gazing at him.

With a nonchalant step, he mowed away from the ball. He was a good actor, Valm had to admit it.

“That is a bomb!” he cried out.

He took Kush by the waist, snatched her away from the window and pushed her against the pillar in the middle of the room. He was pulling her down the stairs when the device exploded. Valm lost his balance. Instinctively, he held the head of the young girl against his chest. His back hit the angle of the stairs, and he let out a whine of pain. The back of his head bounced on a hard surface. He recognized the smell of gunpowder. He was going to faint, he could not avoid it. But as soon as he would regain consciousness, he would go kill the murderer. He would not let this island fall into the hands of the heretic mage.
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2015, 02:41:19 pm »
Chapter 4
---



   The Celsius was ripping slowly through the night air. It could not fly more slowly, else it would have run the risk of stalling and crashing.

   Inside the c*ckpit, Paine was listening to Rikku's, Brother's and Buddy's conversation. At his post, before his monitor, Shinra was turning his back to his comrades, focused on his task. Maybe was he making essential calculations for the flight, or maybe was he killing time with a puzzle. Behind his glasses and his mask, his facial expression remained inscrutable.

   “Is the storm approaching?” Paine asked, as she took advantage of a pause in the conversation.

   The Al Bhed, who expressed themselves in a different language from hers, spoke too fast, and she did not understand half of their conversations.

   Rikku was keeping a close watch on the radar.

   “A huge depression is approaching Besaid on the south,” she announced. “It is going to blow hard.”

   “We must inform them of this.”

   “The radio does not work,” Shinra answered, detached.

   Brother yelled, but the pilot contented himself with a shrug.

   “It’s working less and less, and not only with Besaid.”

   “Why?”

   “I do not know, I am just a kid you know.”

   The boy sometimes seemed annoying, but nobody knew machines better than him. Paine held him in high regard thanks to his skills; quite the opposite of Brother, who poured out ranting. Paine did not know what their leader was saying, but his shouts and his gesticulations were irritating her at the highest point.

   “In this case...” she began.

   Nobody listened to her.

   “Shut up!” she yelled.   

Brother stopped brusquely, standing in a ridiculous posture.
   
“Yes?”

   “Should we not hurry to reach Besaid before the storm? The village is made of hessian: we have to inform them of this.”

   “If the wind takes the tents, the inhabitants will lose everything,” Rikku acquiesced.

   Brother seemed about ready to cry. They had left Besaid at top speed, like thieves in the night. They had nowhere to go, but Buddy had preferred not to let their leader too close to the lovebirds, Yuna and Tidus.

   “After all, this is just a storm,” Paine reconsidered. “The inhabitants have overcome worse situations.”

   Their leader was pathetic. Nobody respected him.

   “You think so?” Rikku asked. “According to the radar... Oh! It went off!”

   “She may have had her days,” Shinra declared. “End of the road for her. After all, this is a millenary device: a breakdown is not nonsensical.”

   “Can you not build a new one?”

   “Let me think... Why not? After all, the Al Bhed are comfortable with the machines. But we only know how to use them. Of course, in order to exhume them, figure out their function, recondition them and understand how to operate them, we have developed knowledge and a certain dexterity. But we cannot build new ones. Sometimes, I wonder why. Don’t you find that strange? Even though Yevon loathed them, we have contributed to their use, but we have not retained a single plan in order to build them. Admittedly, we rediscover some rules and forms of calculation, but only when it is necessary. Our ancestors have left nothing. Why? Here resides the greatest mystery of the history of the Al Bhed.”
« Last Edit: January 19, 2015, 05:01:41 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2015, 01:38:20 pm »
Chapter 5
---


   Tidus had got on the Aurochs Ace. He had started to explore the boat in order to kill his ennui. He thought of the old combustion engine: in charge of transporting the team from the coast to the training area, even without wind. A powerful machine was necessary to see the job through the end.

   On the deck, near the stern, he found a hatch. It revealed the glaring engine in question. A ladder allowed him to reach it, but Tidus was averse to going down: his interest for the mechanics was obsolete.

   Near the bow, two-thirds the deck, rose a little hut. This narrow area housed the rudder wheel and a console whose buttons and sticks controlled the engine of the boat. There must be a radio, Tidus thought. He took a close look at a trident left in a corner. When he put it down, he brought down a ball, which rolled to the back of the hut, close to the partition facing the rudder. There, stairs led under the deck.

   He went down, crossed a door and went into a cabin. This cubby-hole was furnished with a double sofa, a bed and a little table. Both of the exterior walls, sofa side and bed side, had a round porthole. Close to the water line, they allowed people to enjoy the landscape. The moonlight which was filtering inside the cabin was faintly illuminating the ensemble.

   Tidus lay down onto the bed. The Ace was not in her youthful prime anymore, but this room adorned a state of conscientious. A Besaid fabric covered the walls, and decoration worthy of a hotel of the capital ornamented the ceiling. The ensemble was perplexing Tidus: the boat could transport ten people, but this cabin could only receive seven of them – if they closed up. And in order to enjoy it with a minimum of comfort, two people were the maximum.

   The young man was not a mood to penetrate the mysteries of this boat. Many others questions were taking up his mind.

For example...’ Tidus closed his eyes.
   
What, for example?


   The falling sensation woke him with a start. He stood up straight and retched. The boat was oscillating from top to bottom because of the swell.

   The wind has picked up.

   “Did I fall asleep?” the young man wondered aloud.

   How much time had passed? He did not know. The light was not penetrating the cabin anymore. He assumed that clouds were hiding the moon and the stars. He gazed out through a porthole: the coast was out of sight.
   
“You gotta be joking!”

   He jumped over the table and pressed his nose against the other porthole. But darkness did not reveal anything to him. The Ace had left the cove. Until proven otherwise, it was moored...

   “Oh no, it cannot be...”

   He stood up straight and banged violently his head. He swore under the influence of anger and pain. Then, he started to feel for the exit. He found it when his forehead collided hard with the door frame. With one hand on his bump, which was swelling at full speed, he grumbled, while going back up the stairs leading to the upper deck. He stopped himself suddenly when he found a shape standing at the helm. A white hood on her head, she wore a dress ornamented with red patterns at the hems, which revealed leather shoes. A slight perfume was fluttering in the wind... The smell brought to mind Besaid temple.

   “Yuna!”

   His voice broke.

   “Yuna,” he repeated.

   She turned around and lowered her hood. Then, with her fingertips, she brushed Tidus' forehead.

   “Maybe I should have taken a sphere...”

   “Do not worry, it does not hurt anymore.”

   He shook his head so strongly that the young woman burst out laughing.

   “I am sorry to keep you waiting.”

   “It was terrible. I thought...”

   She put a forefinger on the lips of her partner.

   “In my case, I have waited for two years.”

   He nodded, and she pulled away her finger.

   “Sorry,” he whispered.

   “It is okay.”

   “Yuna...”

   He took a shy step forwards, but she turned her back on him. With a hesitant hand, she activated a stick.

   “Departure of the Aurochs Ace for a private cruise!” she announced joyfully.

   With a weak rumble, the engine set off, then the vibrations spread through the whole boat.

   “Do you know the other name of this boat?” she asked.

   “How am I supposed to know?” he replied, more curtly than he wished.

   “The Aurochs called it "The Buddies". Tonight, I let them know that we embarked; just you and me.”

   She turned round, her face was radiant. But she immediately lowered her eyes, as if she was dazzled. The little cabin which was waiting for them in his mind, Tidus felt his cheeks scorching.

   “We have just left the port,” she explained. “Do you mind if we row along the coast until the other side of the island? The wind has got stronger, but we could find a place to drop anchor...”

   “As you wish, I do not care about the wind.”

   He got closer to Yuna and put his left hand on the rudder wheel, over the one of the young woman. With his right palm, he pushed the stick forward. Under their foot, the noise of the engine heightened, and the Ace gently accelerated.

   “Do you know how to steer?”

   “I was practically born on a boat!”

   Tidus remembered all the times he had spent on his father's boat. His skills were tuned enough to steer. He looked back on everything he knew about the navigation. How was it possible to forget all this knowledge? But Yuna's perfume, mixed with the smell of the sea, was preventing him from thinking.

   “Shall we go down?” he suggested.

   “Shouldn't we wait until we drop the anchor? It will be safer...”

   “Do not bother with that. Come on, let us go down.”
« Last Edit: January 21, 2015, 12:34:08 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2015, 11:48:04 am »
Chapter 6
---

   He had used all his ammunition and the grenades he had, and had slaughtered several of the enemies which were moving towards him. He had only realized the weather change when he had left the island. Forewarning signs always arrived before a storm – oppressive clouds or a stronger wind -, but, blinded by excitement and fear of battle, he had noticed nothing. When we struggle for our survival, we do not think about what will happen consequently.

   The rain was so heavy that he found it difficult to see before him, and the gusts were projecting sea spray into his eyes. The small boat was pitching too strong, he was losing his balance. A string of curses, which would have made his mother unconscious, were rushing out of his lips.

   “Calm down, calm down...” he whispered.

   He wanted to leave the island as quickly as possible. He esteemed he had completed his mission.

   He had identified one of his targets at the top of the air tower. The man seemed young, but that was not Johit. He was dark-haired... Maybe Meroh? His Guards were present, along with someone else, probably a future Aeon Core. It must be a member of his   family or a kin. The more links between Summoner and Aeon Core were strong, the more powerful the entreated creature was. He hoped the bomb had killed both of them. He had to eliminate the mage at least, too dangerous. The others were easy to dismiss.

   This war between the two cities seemed endless, yet he had just given his life in order to put an end to it. Yes, he had sacrificed himself for peace.

   “No...”

   The murderer lowered his hands and raised his eyes to Heaven. The wind was stinging him and the sea spray was interfering with his sight.

   “The truth...”

   He had never thought of the outcome of the war. His single motivation was the Summoner Princess. He would have hoped to live by her side, to be his most loyal servant. He looked back on the ceremony over the course of which he had taken an oath. She had kissed him. The sweet smell of her hands came to mind, and this memory was enough to appease him.


   Suddenly, the murderer appeared to calm down. Valm was crawling in the shallow water. Only his upper head, from his eyes, protruded from the surface. He was approaching. He made out the face of his enemy. He was still a teenager. Had the Mage brainwashed him, or had the young man succumbed to the Sorceress’s charms?

   As if he had felt his presence, the murderer turned over. Valm leaped up and jumped into the small boat. He grasped the black hairs of the boy, attracted him and kneed him in the stomach. The enemy doubled up and vomited. Standing above him, Valm unsheathed his sabre. The teenager let out an inarticulate cry.

   His task completed, Valm attached little importance to the pyreflies of his victim, which were already vanishing. He preferred to rummage through the ship. He found no weapon, but thought that the small boat, equipped with an engine, could turn out helpful. He wanted to call for his comrades, but he had only his fingers to whistle. Maybe a fire... No, because of the storm, none of these solutions would prove to be efficient. Shading his eyes with his hands in order to see more clearly, Valm turned in the direction of the top of the island.

   “O Luchera, Goddess of War! Grant us your blessing, and protect us with your outspread wings!


   Hidden under the ground, at the centre of the island, the south Division of the Board of the War was isolated from outside noises.

   The majority of the stationed troops had gathered inside the stateroom. Silence was prevailing in the big room, hardly disrupted by some deadened tears.

   At the centre of the room, the altar was almost indistinguishable because of the sprays of flowers. Kush had just finished the Sending. Sloan, the brother of the victim, was still kneeling, his shoulders heaving with sobs. She came closer to him and put a hand on his strong back.

   Anli, whose real name was Pohlan, was dead, but his beautiful face was so peaceful that he appeared to sleep. The Summoner was still a teenager, yet his soul had just begun going to the world beyond.

   Alb, the team leader, approached.

   “What happened to the murderer, Sloan?” he asked with a voice on the blink because of the age.

   “It was a young girl. I have eliminated her.”

   “What about her soul?”

   “May she come back; I will take care of her once again!”

   Pleated eyebrows, Alb was about to reply, but the arrival of Valm, soaked from top to bottom, prevented him doing so.

   “What happened?” someone asked.

   Valm stared at Anli's corpse without answering.

   After a long moment, he came closer to Sloan to put a hand on his shoulder.

   “I will never forgive them,” the brother of the victim whispered.

   With a gloomy look, Valm acquiesced.

   “We are lacking people,” Sloan continued.
   
He turned to Alb:

   “When will you be able to deploy the mechanical Bedohls?”

   “We are encountering diverse problems, but in a close future, I think soon.”

   “Future? What a vague and troubling word. If you are lacking guinea pigs, leave it to me!”

   “We have already talked about it. This would be useless, apart from restricting the number of Bedohls and wasting my time. Force will not solve anything.”

   Sloan s-n-i-g-g-e-r-e-d:

   “You should say that to the Mage!”

   “Alb,” Valm spoke. “you appeared to take pleasure with your research on the Bedohls. But we are eagerly awaiting their arrival. We need this reinforcement, combatants which will work as long as one of our enemies will be alive. We must protect the Summoners and their Aeon Cores forever.”

   Kush was ready to cry, every time a future was mentioned. His eyes staring at his brother's corpse, Sloan raised his voice:

   “Let us rummage through the island. Some enemies may still be present.”
« Last Edit: January 22, 2015, 12:19:24 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2015, 04:41:11 pm »
Chapter 7
---

   The Celsius had landed at Besaid, at the entrance of the cove. As soon as Wakka boarded, he was greeted by the noises of an argument, coming from the c*ckpit.

   Brother, Rikku, Paine, Buddy and Shinra were there, but Wakka did not understand what they were saying. Even Rikku, who usually made the effort to translate, was joining the ranting openly.

   “The fuselage may be damaged,” Paine finally explained.

   “You cannot fly anymore?”

“No. We do not know the cause... even less how to repair. If we had continued until Luca, we could have asked other Al Bhed. Going back here was an error. They are arguing over this point. The conversation is lowbrow, believe me.”

   “Why did you come back?”

   “To let you know that a violent storm was coming.”

   “Did you try the radio?”

   “The island’s radio was already down,” Shinra spoke. “And now, ours is in the same state.”

   “You could not say that earlier? I came to use your radio. Yuna has disappeared!”

   Everyone kept quiet. Agape, Brother gave Wakka a shocked look.

   “Yuna? Missing?”

   “Yes. She boarded a boat, with Tidus. We thought they were on the other side of the island, but...”

   Brother screeched.

   Rikku looked at the outside through the porthole.

   “The sea is destructive,” she whispered.
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2015, 03:38:52 pm »
Chapter 8
---

   The Aurochs Ace was swinging slowly at the whim of the waves. Tidus did not know how much time had passed since they had abandoned the rudder. Oppressive clouds were still hiding the moon and the stars.

   Lying on the right side, he was daydreaming. On the other side of the table, on the sofa, the white hood of the summoner was gleaming in the dark.

   Behind his back, the young man was hearing a regular breathing. He had turned over a few moments earlier: Yuna was lying on the side, a cheek on her folded hands. Her knees pulled up to her chest, she was sleeping. Her face was very close to Tidus' neck.

   In the dark, the man had lost all notion of time. None of his friends, despite their conversations, had managed to clear up the unease which, since his return, was tormenting him. But a single moment by Yuna's side had sufficed to dissipate it. He was relishing his happiness.

   However, a gloomy feeling was overwhelming him gradually. He was feeling it, like a physical pain, which was tensing all his muscles and weighing on his stomach: culpability.

   Yuna moved a little, and Tidus closed his eyes.

   “She is watching me.”

   After a long moment, the young woman stood up straight and slowly walked over Tidus, in order not to touch him. He heard her, between the bed and the table, pick the clothes she had left on the floor, and dress up again.

   The boat was pitching strongly. Tidus opened his eyes and catched Yuna's ones.

   “Sorry, did I wake you up? I will be right back soon.”

   With a smile, she leaned in and kissed him. Tidus blushed. He decided to abandon his dark thoughts, because nothing justified them. He stood up in his turn and followed the white dress of Yuna in the gangway.

   He had climbed the stairs halfway when he heard the noise of a violent collision, just above him.

   “Yuna!”

   He took the stairs two by two. Yuna was grasping the rudder wheel. Firmly standing on her foot, she was looking at the outside.

   “We can't see anything,” she whispered.

   “What was that noise? Did you bang your head?”

   With an embarrassed smile, she combed a strand of hair over her turned-red forehead.

   “That's not funny! You don't have to look content. If you're in pain, you have the right to complain. Whether the pain is physical or moral, don't hesitate over tell me about it. I am here for you.”

   “Okay.”

   “I came back for this reason.”

   “Very well. You know, we won't be able to whistle anymore.”

   “Excuse me?”

   “To call each other. If we're together all the time...”

   “That's right.”

   Tidus came closer to Yuna once again. Immediately, the young woman tensed and moved back.

   “Forgive me, but we need to talk about something.”

   “Ah...”

   In order to hide his embarrassment, he stood in front of the window of the external little cabin. The outside was dark. Only the foam was standing out in darkness.

   “The elders have been asking about everything that has occurred in the temple... Learning that the Great Maester Mika was an unsent; that he didn't want the happiness of Spira, but only to ensure the continuity of his cult... That Yevon’s teachings to defeat Sin were in fact a way to bring him back to life...”

   “Yes?”

   “I've remained silent for a long time. I've not explained to them concretely my role in those events. I've not said how I'd defeated Sin for good, how I'd understood that Yevon’s teachings were just a pack of lies, and that the Church had become a parasite for our world. I've not often mentioned these subjects. Not with most of people, in any case.”

   “It would be quite the shock for the faithful.”

   “Yes, some people may be mad with me, or even hate me.”

   “I see.”

   “Because of this, after the death of the Great Maester and the appearance of the Movement of the Truth, Yevon clergy has formed Neo-Yevon, with Baralai... Oh, that's right, you don't know who Baralai is...”

   “Rikku and the others have told me about him. He's very close to Nooj and Gippal, right?”

   “That's right, where was I?”

   “But what are you trying to say?” Tidus asked, overcome by impatience.

   “I've kept most of these events quiet because I was worried. But the grandmothers wanted to know everything. They've begged, cried, they've accused me of egotism. Remaining silent for fear of what others would think, this is vanity. They've said that if I explained it to them, they would understand. And that otherwise, they wouldn't hold a grudge against me, so...”

   “So? Tell them! Tell them about this old crook called Mika who was keeping the machina only for himself. Tell them what this bastard called Seymour did at that time...”

   “I've told them. It has taken some time, but I've told them everything.”

   “And then?”

   “They've listened to me without interruption.”

   “All the better!”

   He didn't understand where this conversation was leading them.

   “No, that's not good.”

   “What do you mean?”

   “Just after, they've asked me: "Now, to whom will we be able to trust in order to guide us in our life?"”

   “They can decide by themselves.”
.
   “They've asked me if they must forget Yevon’s teachings.”

   “Of course: this was a swindle.”

   Yuna lowered her eyes and shook her head.

   “What?”

   “I've followed Yevon’s teachings too. Admittedly, it contains despicable lies, but the rest is not bad. After all, I've led a happy life, and I've met you.

   “Yuna!”

   She is surely not going to tell him this was a gift of Yevon, right?

   “What’s the problem with the grandmothers believing in them? It's their own choice.”

   She was using Tidus' words against him. It was irritating him.

   “You may be right,” he conceded.

   “So I must go back by tomorrow.”

   “Excuse me?”

   “I promised to join them in order to find a new prayer text.”

   “Why do they need you?”

   “It's my fault if they've lost their faith.”

   “Don't you think you've done enough for them?”

   “That's not a reason to cross my arms and wait.”

   “Yuna…”

   Tidus looked at the buckle which was hanging on the ear of the young woman. It was blue, with a pompom. Yuna didn't wear it in the cabin. When did she take the time to put it on again? Since Tidus had met her, she had always worn it, but the colour had not faded.

   “Yes?” she called him again.

   “I am the only one who has changed,” he thought.

   “No, nothing,” he answered loudly. “I understand. Let's hurry to return to the village.    We just need to find the right direction.”

   “I'm sorry.”

   Suddenly, he felt guilty to have manipulated her in such a way that she felt obligated to apologize. If he was in such a bad mood, it was not because of what she had said, but because she had refused a kiss.

   “It's all my fault,” he replied before turning his back on her in order to hide his unease.

   “I noticed, a bit earlier, that we weren't very good at apologizing to each other,” Yuna said with a clear voice. “During several weeks, we've travelled around Spira, climbed Mt. Gagazet, fought Sin and Yu Yevon... And then, during more than two years, we've been separate. No letter, no news. But during this time, my feelings have reinforced. And this morning, I met you again. Now, I know who you are and who I am. I know we can make an effort to understand each other. Hey, are you listening to me?”

   “Yes, of course.”

   “When I met you, I was seventeen years old, and I've fallen madly in love with you. And now that we're together again...”

   She was swinging; her cheeks turn red under the influence of the emotion.

   “From now on, she continued, we'll have to face everyday life. Above all, don't be mistaken on my intentions, I still love you and I don't want to leave you anymore.”

   “Ah…”

   "'Ah...' ?”

   “I love you too.”

   “What a relief!”

   Yuna was going to say something else, but she gave up on it. She turned over and started to use the console sticks, near the rudder. For a few seconds, we could only hear the noise of the buttons she was pushing.

   “We may have a problem,” she ended up saying... “I can't use the radar. We can't establish our position.”

   Just after, they discovered the radio also did not work anymore.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2015, 05:01:38 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2015, 02:27:17 pm »
Chapter 9
---

   The storm raged through the whole night in Besaid. Early morning, the depression moved away to the north, letting the coast full of algae – brown sarcasms and red seaweed. Stooping ahead, the villagers were crossing the beach in order to find remains thrown back from the sea. As soon as someone found one, he shouted, and Wakka or someone from the Aurochs rushed up to determine if the fragment came from the Ace.

   The objects which did not succeed the exam were gathered near the pontoon in order to be burnt. The smoke produced by the sodden wood could indicate the position of the island to Yuna and Tidus.

   Apart from that, there was no way to communicate. The Al Bhed thought that the devices had broken down at the same time because they had been discovered at the same level in Bikanel's sands. Wakka had not shared this theory with the rest of the inhabitants; he feared that they would lose all trust in the Al Bhed.

   Bria had his eyes glued to the open sea. The night before, he was the last one to speak to Tidus.

   “It's not your fault,” Wakka reminded him. “The storm is over, if the boat is still floating, they'll come back. If that's not the case, they'll surely find a plank to hold on. Tidus is strong. And as long as they're together, Yuna will be okay.”

   Bria replied with a nervous voice:

   “You can't delude yourself. If they're in water, their body temperature will decrease, and...”

   “My illusions don't concern you!”

   The fisherman gave a faint smile.

   “If we knew at least how to fix this thing!” Wakka sighed, his eyes fixed on the Celsius. “We could search for them from the sky. But according to Shinra, we can't repair it.”

   Bria snickered.

   “What's so funny?” Wakka asked curtly.

   “The situation. We are dependent on the machines. We become more and more lazy, but are incapable of repairing them if necessary. Our sins are spreading out across Spira. You'll soon see Sin returning.”

   “You're talking about the Al Bhed? If that's the case, you're going too far.”

   “You're not convinced that this scrap heap must stay on the ground? To not be able to search for Yuna? After all, you've already tried everything: you've crossed the beach, gathered wood and lit a fire... That's all you can do, right? If she remains lost, that's destiny. Nobody is guilty. You're not at fault. In fact, you're being prepared for receiving the worst news without feeling guilty.”

   “I can’t believe you... Since she was seven, I was like her big brother. What you're saying is awful!”

   “Then move on, Wakka.”

   “I know, but...”

   Distraught, the former blitball player shook his head. Then, as if he had a bright idea, he jumped on the pontoon.

   “We have to do more to find Yuna!” he said, loud enough for people to hear him. “Does someone have an idea?”

   “We have to fix the remaining boat as quickly as possible,” an old man replied, without ceasing to work on the boat in question.

   “The Port Kilika shuttle is going to arrive soon. We could ask the captain to search for Yuna,” one of the villagers proposed. “And if he refuses, we could ask him to solicit the fishermen from Port Kilika.”

   “But where do we begin the search?” another voice said. “The ocean is so vast...”

   “The storm has moved from the south to the north,” Bria spoke. “And you're all familiar with the currents of the island. You're not helpless.”

   Wakka caught his eyes and acquiesced silently before nodding, with a head sign, towards the airship:

   “I know a boy gifted with this kind of calculation. I'm going to talk to him.”

   “Does someone own a marine map of the region?” Bria asked.

   Letty left at the double to reach the village. As if they had only waited for this signal, the other villagers took their search up again.

   “You're used to setting people to work...”

   Bria turned over and found Lulu in front of him.

   “I didn't do anything. Wakka did. A lot of villagers obey him mindlessly. He's just discovered he was more popular than he thought.”

   Lulu was observing her husband, half in the water. He was starting to swim to reach the Celsius standing on the shallows and facing the beach. She nodded:

   “It's been a month since your arrival on the island, Bria.”

   “Indeed.”

   “The time has come to explain to us the intentions of this ‘Church of Neo-Yevon’ which sent you here.”

   “I'm a manager. Thefts have occurred in several temples. Because of this, we have decided to check all the accounts. That's why I'm here. I will surely receive a new mission, but until then, I wish to carry on taking part in the chores, and I would like to take care of the elderly.”

   “Are you concerned with your image?” Lulu asked with a charming smile.

   Bria looked at her with a suspicious look.

   “Do you remember your predecessor, declared missing?” she continued.

   “Yes, I've met him at the moment of my taking up of a position.”

   “Some people affirmed to having seen him haunting the ruins path. He would have become a monster.”

   “Is that so?”

   “According to the witnesses, he's lamenting constantly. We can especially hear him saying: ‘Bria, Bria, Bria, Bria, Bria...’”

   “They must have been mistaken. Usually, people who meet such creatures suffer from auditory hallucinations.”

   “Maybe,” she conceded.

   “And who would have bumped into this monster?”

   “Me.”

   Both of them gave a faint smile.

   “HEY!”

   The cry was coming from the sea. Wakka was standing near the Celsius. Only his head was protruding from the water. Bria waved to him. Lulu's partner raised his arms and crossed them to form an X. Then he picked up an object which was floating close to him and brandished it really high. It was a piece of wood painted in yellow. On the beach, distress overwhelmed the villagers. Everyone had recognized the fake blitzball trophy which ornamented the bow of the Ace.
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2015, 01:25:05 pm »
Chapter 10
---

   It was soon noon. Valm knew it because of the length of the shadow he was projecting.

   Standing on an air duct, he was taking advantage of this privileged place to contemplate the gathering of his comrades. They were ninety-five to sixty-three men and thirty-two women - sixteen years old for the youngest, twenty-five for the oldest. Valm was twenty-three.

   “Look at them, Sloan pointed out, who was the eldest. They're so harsh! I like it.”

   “That's right. But what about breakfast?”

   For the second time in the space of a few minutes, Valm's stomach pointed himself out loudly to him. He had not eaten anything since the explosion, the night before.

   “Could you really swallow something?” Sloan whispered.

   Valm remembered that the man had just said good bye to his little brother, and lowered his eyes.

   “Sorry.”

   With a curt smile, his friend gave him a tap on his shoulder:

   “You really have no shame! Go eat discreetly and come back when you'll be done.”

   On these words, Sloan joined the Guards’ circle in order to thank them for all of their gestures of solicitude and their pledges of revenge he had received during the obsequies of his brother. He kept his head stooped a long moment, but when he stood up straight, his attitude had completely changed.

   “We can't afford to lose more summoners. From now on, there're only two. What will we do, if we can't protect them?”

   Originally, they were five on the island. Six months later, the Guards had lost Mikka and Kanaela. And this morning, Anli. Now, there are only Kush and Ifahnal. (Note: Ifahnal is French for Ifarnal.)

   Bevelle was continuing to produce mechanical weapons, and the city appeared to have reached new heights in terms of technical prowess. Armoured units and heavy infantry corps were moving towards Zanarkand, destroying everything on their path. Day after day, the Guards were receiving news about their spectacular progression. But the worst fear of the Mages from Zanarkand, father and daughter, was not the ingenuity of a worker clan.  They were dreading above all people who possessed the same capacities as them: summoners. They were sending murderer after murderer to the island. To this day, twenty-eight Guards had been killed during skirmishes.

   “We're going to form two squads,” Sloan announced. “Line up by ten!”

   The order was carried out immediately.

   “Lines one to eight: search section, under my command. Kat, form the units!”

   The concerned one, who was standing in the front line, stuck out her chest.

   “Yes, sir!” she answered really loudly.

   “Lines nine and ten,” Sloan continued, “you guard the base. When you meet the ten comrades left on-site, you'll be under Valm's orders. Your priority: to protect the summoners. Go!”

   “Alright...” Valm whispered.

   He jumped from his vantage point and came closer to his men.

   “We're going to return to the base immediately. Be careful along the way. Kill the enemy as soon as you see them. Woman or child, I don't care: no hesitation! We mustn't repeat the errors of the past.”

   “Yes, sir!” the fifteen Guards answered all together.
   One day, a young boy had washed up on the island. Thinking he was a refugee, the men had brought him into their refectory. There, the child had detonated himself. The summoner Mikka had met his death in this attack.

   Valm and his comrades have had to gather Mikka's remains, dispersed by the bomb. When Valm remembered the scenery, he felt the anger building inside him, and could not help himself to appeal to the divinity of vengeance. He used the violence of this feeling to dissimulate his relief: Mikka was preferable to Kush.

      Back in the base, he sent a subaltern picking up a portion for himself. He devoured it while patrolling around gate number zero. In accordance with what will happen, he may be closing it off. He commanded the young Gekkoh and Romand to arrange visiospheres around the gates numbers one to five.

   Protected with enormous building stones, the gate number zero was not afraid of bombs. In order to hide the ensemble, an assembly of steel tubes was supporting an artificial vegetation. From a faraway point, the place looked like a forest plot. You had to pass under the scaffolding to reach the gate. The other exits opened in many places in the island, at the ends/extremities of the underground air ducts. From the outside, they took different shapes in order to blend into the landscape, but from the inside, all of them had the same structure. The ventilator, controlled from the control room, carried out the primary function of the pipe. But with his sharp blades, it prevented also all intrusion. When a Guard had to pass, a control panel allowed it to stop the helix thanks to a secret code modified every day.

   Valm passed the gate number zero and entered the stateroom. The round room was big enough to receive the whole personnel of the island, with the exception of the Bedohls. The stone statues, representing the divinities, lined up against the wall. Their vacant looks converged at the centre of the room, on the altar. The room hosted both ceremonies like baptisms or marriages and business meeting. Behind the altar, long stairs led to the inner gate number zero and the living area. The exits numbers one and two were located under the steps. Valm started to go up. At the same time, the gate number one opened, revealing a passage for Kush. This hall led to the armoury, to the workshop of the Bedohls workers and to their dormitory. Even lower should be located the machineries of the base. What could she be doing in such a mucky place? She had the right to go there, but...

   When Valm opened his mouth to call Kush, a hand grabbed the young woman by the wrist and pulled her violently.

   Valm rushed immediately to her, but Kush was already reappearing from behind the door. With an energising gesture, she was rubbing her lips up with her right glove. She ceased as soon as she noticed Valm's presence.

   “Is everything okay?” the Guard asked.

   She avoided his eyes and did not answer. At that time, Valm saw the person who had grasped the young woman: Ifahnal.
   A young eighteen-year-old summoner – one year younger than Kush -, his massive figure was not due to fighting or working, but to bodybuilding. He liked putting it on display with skin-tight clothes. His face was rather ordinary, those you forget right away.

   He must be conscious of it. His muscle structure, his getup and the red dye he used to colour his hair represented as many attempts to rectify this "problem". But these efforts only brought to him the contempt of the Guards. Even the name he chose – Ifahnal, divinity of beauty -, sparked off criticisms and mockeries. The summoner did not inspire respect at all. Valm often thought that it would have been to the boy's advantage to show his self as more down-to-earth.

   But he was a part of the most important persons inside the base. Almost a hundred Guards had sworn to protect him at the risk of their life. What else may he want?

   What Valm had just come upon shed a new light on Ifahnal's behavior: he could not care less about the respect of the Guards. Only the interest of the young woman was important for him.

   Seemingly, he had not obtained it yet. And Valm would make sure that it remains like this.

   “Is there something wrong?” he asked. “The situation is serious, and we don't have time for quarrels. If you have a problem, you must settle it as quickly as possible.”

   Ifahnal ignored the question:

   “The mechanical Bedohl is ready.”

   It was plainly a way to change the subject and avoid conflict, but Valm could not ignore the news:

   “Great.”

   Ifahnal smiled:

   “He has memorised my voice. Do you want me to call it? Armoured Bedohl, get out of there!”

   The boy seemed as proud as if he himself had created the false Bedohl. As for Kush, she had placed herself behind Valm, as if hiding. As if staying as far as possible from Ifahnal.

   The Bedohl appeared. It was as tall as Kush. Dressed with dark-yellow cotton, his head was covered with a hood, and his face was dissimulated behind glasses and a gas mask. At first glance, he appeared to not be able to fight and vanquish their enemies.

   “Is that…?”

   “It is,” Alb replied.

   The old man had climbed the stairs behind his creation.

   “It's not perfect yet, but...”

   Contrary to what his words were suggesting, Alb was radiating proud. Of the corner of his eye, Valm saw Ifahnal slipping away, a smile on his face. The Guard decided to focus on the false Bedohl. He would have a little discussion with the summoner later.

   “It doesn't seem really robust. Can it fight?”

   Valm brandished his sabre, and the Bedohl cringed.

   “Do you understand what I'm saying?”

   The machine nodded slowly.

   “In accordance with the specifications,” Alb précised, who was sticking out his chest.

   “In this case, unsheathe!” Valm ordered.

   The creature brought out a whip and twirled it around. The end of the string was drawing a confused outline. The Bedohl was not able to do battle. Valm supposed that the little verbal dispute which occurred this morning had incited him to unveil his work before its completion.

   He does not understand, the Guard thought with bitterness. We do not want it to obey us for the pleasure to see it give in. We need an effective weapon.

   “All of this is absurd,” he declared.

   With one blow of his sabre, he cut off the hand which was holding the whip. Blood gushed from the maimed member.

   Alb grasped the Bedohl by the elbow and pulled it.

   “I'm bringing it back to the workshop,” he apologized. “The final model will use a firearm. Chains and whips are problematic; you need to deal with the space around you in order to use them.”

   “He'll never reach the required level of precision to aim correctly. I'd prefer that it use throwing weapons. As for blood, is it compulsory?”

   A scarlet puddle had formed on the ground.

   “A ruse, to deceive the enemy. Yourself wondered if it was alive, right?”

   “How many units can you produce?”

   “Fifty units in the three next days. Maybe more.”

   Valm was pleasantly surprised by the answer.

   “We haven't hung around at the workshop,” Alb added with a provocative tone.
                                 
   He seemed offended.

   “Call them ‘worker Bedohls’. And remove the blood, or change its colour. Else the enemy won't be the only one deceived. I don't want ours to think that a comrade is hurt and take unnecessary risks. From faraway, they must look humans. Closely, the illusion is superfluous.”

   Valm was realizing that the ultimate soldier whom he hoped for so much was just a dream. For the moment, he would be bound to content himself with a pseudo Bedohl, with too realistic blood.

   “Tell us what is happening outside, Valm,” Kush spoke. “Is the enemy here?”

   “I think that's the case. But Sloan and his men will seek and destroy it. To do justice to his brother, he'll do his name the honour.”

   Sloan was the god of vengeance.

   “Then, are we safe?”

   “For the time being, yes. I would prefer that you hide in an individual refuge. Send word to Ifahnal... No, I'm going to tell him that myself.”

   They climbed the stairs in an embarrassed silence to the inner gate number zero and the living area.

   “Has something happened with Ifahnal?” Valm asked the young woman.

   “Yes, but nothing which could bother you. I will settle the problem with him. I wonder about how to react after having lost so many summoners... The best would be to send to us people to replace them, but do vous think that it will happen?”

   A ship must come to resupply them seven days later. But even if it transported personnel to ensure its safety, Valm did not think that they would agree to stay on the island.  After all, their line management, already aware of their situation, had not announced anything.

   “Reinforcements? I don't think so. According to the rumour, more and more people hide their summoner gift.”

   “They will go to hell,” she declared lightly.

   He understood that she wanted to change the subject.

   “Say, Valm, what would happen if someone sent to us a new female Summoner? Gentle, sensual, with a beautiful bosom..."

        "She wouldn't fail to find voluntaries to become her Aeon Cores.”

   “Men are so simple!” Kush answered with a theatrical sigh.

   Kush was the goddess of abundance. With her slender figure, the woman who had taken her name on was, just like Ifahnal and his personal aesthetic, often victim of mockeries.

   “You're right,” Valm answered. “And thanks to that, you'll remain mine.”
« Last Edit: February 03, 2015, 01:47:13 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2015, 02:16:54 pm »
Chapter 11
---

   In the middle of the night, the Ace was pitching so strongly that Tidus and Yuna were trying so hard to keep their balance.

   The two young people had torn the bed linen to make a rope and tie up to each other. Standing close to the rudder, Tidus was trying to look outside, in vain. Secured by Yuna, he ventured on the upper deck. His face lashed by the rain, he screwed up his eyes, without succeeding in piercing the darkness. He felt tightness on the rope coiled around him and turned over. Yuna wanted him to come back.

   “I couldn't see anything!” he explained when he came closer to her.
   
He was dripping with seawater.

   “We'll have to wait for the storm to subside,” she answered. “In a few hours, the sun will rise. And then, we'll be able to find our bearings and...”

   She grimaced. Finding the north was one thing, returning to Besaid was another.
 
   “And maybe we'll see the island,” she finished. “Don't worry. Moreover, our friends will search for us. From the sky, the Gullwings will find us in no time at all.”

   “You seem rather composed,” Tidus noted.

   “I may not look like much, but I've grown up on an island! And also experienced lots of scary adventures.”

   “You're already talking like an old woman,” Tidus declared with a disparaging tone, while showing an amused face.

   “The horror!”

   She gave a sulky pout. A few moments later, they caught each other's eye and they exchanged a smile.

   “I think everything will be okay,” Yuna repeated.

   “Despite all of our problems?”

   Suddenly, the ship plunged between two waves. Tidus felt his stomach turning, whereas Yuna closed her eyes. The young man executed a step towards her, but at this moment the hull of the Ace split open with an almost human whine. Losing his balance, Tidus hurt his head against the rudder. He smelt gunpowder and fainted.


   When he opened his eyes, the sun had risen. No more breaths of wind, no more clouds. And no more ship too. From the Ace, only a plank remained, barely large enough to support the weight of one person, and on which was resting Tidus.

   “Stay where you are, don't move,” a voice whispered.

   Yuna was just behind him. In water up to her shoulders, she was turning her back on him. A monster was facing her. The beast looked like a turtle, but it was enormous. Its head and the biggest part of its shell protruded out the surface. Glassy-eyed, it was releasing a light smell of rot.

   “Yuna...”

   Yuna turned over, and he discovered her distressed look, her sunk and ringed eyes.

   ‘Since when has she been protecting me?’

   The monster did not move, and Tidus wondered if Yuna had managed to calm it.

 Then he saw a stick... no, a trident, broken, driven into the neck of the monster.

   He imagined the battle that Yuna had had to fight against the beast, whereas himself was just baggage in the way.

   “I'm sorry,” he whispered.

   His partner expressed to him a weak smile, leaned her head and closed her eyes.

   “Yuna?”

   The summoner sank slowly into the water. As if following her, the monster plunged its head under the surface.

   Tidus sat up straight on his fragile plank, balancing carefully. Then he pulled on the rope still coiled around his waist. Straight after, Yuna reappeared above the waves. As fast as possible, he pulled the young woman near him, still followed by the monster, before holding her under her arms and hauling her beside him. But their refuge was precarious, and the beast was still there, very close. Tidus noted the vacant look, the shining fangs and the red tongue hiding behind. In his arms, he felt Yuna's body, so delicate that he feared to break it. This sensation remembered him of a happy event, which occurred two years ago: their first kiss, at Lake Macalania. The young woman he was holding against him was the same person he had kissed in the middle of the lake. This memory awoke inside him a powerful emotion.

   “I'll never forgive you!” Tidus shouted.

   Who was he speaking to? The monster? Himself? He did not know at all.

   “I'll protect her at all costs!”

   He stood up straight with caution and tried to untie the rope which was connecting them. While Tidus was struggling with the soaked fabric, the monster came nearer again and managed to put its chin on the plank. At that rate, the two young people would topple soon in water. Abandoning the node, Tidus leaped on the back of the beast. On all fours on the shell, he turned over the nape of the neck of the monster. He snatched half of the trident which Yuna had used to put the monster in isolation. He raised it sky-high and drove it with all his strength into the top of the head of the monster, where the weapon disappeared completely. Immediately, the chin of the turtle slid from the plank and fell in water. The monster ceased to move.

   A foul smell, going along with a repugnant liquid, was escaping right away from the wound.

   ‘We must escape,’ Tidus thought while seeing the gloomy humour spreading though the water.

   At this moment, a new animal broke the surface: a shark, with a body covered with reptile scales. He leaped above the couple and disappeared at the other side of the carcass of the giant turtle. Tidus heard a high-pitched whistling.

   ‘It is calling for its fellow creatures.’

   As if confirming this intuition, several creatures from the same species emerged and converged towards the head of the dead monster, which they started to devour. Standing on the back of the victim, Tidus was attending the feast, as mesmerised. He knew that he had to keep Yuna away from this macabre banquet as quickly as possible, but found it more careful to not approach the water. Were they constrained to stay here?

   ‘It’s make or break...

   He recovered the trident from the head of the turtle and went back to the plank where he had left Yuna, still unconscious. He coiled the rope around her waist, the one he had not managed to get rid of. He had to carry the young woman on his back, which turned out more difficult than planned on their makeshift raft. Tidus wondered suddenly if it would not have been better to stay on the half-devoured carcass.

   Carefully, he came close to the water's edge and took a deep breath. Concentrating all his energy in his legs, he leaped once again. But this time, he was holding Yuna. He had wrongly estimated the weight difference: instead of reaching the turtle, he fell in the water.

   He immediately felt being pulled down, and it took him a few seconds to understand what was happening. Then he remembered the rope which was still connecting him with Yuna: it had coiled itself around one of the squalls, which was having in tow the two young people under the water from now on.

   The animal in question suddenly cornered a long moment, in order to return to the carcass of the turtle.

   He seized the opportunity to let himself sink. He hoped then that Yuna would come to the surface. Without paying attention to its unwitting passengers, the squall started again its lunch. Tidus skirted it, praying its fellow creatures to not notice him. He caught Yuna and dragged her away with him in the open air. Then he coiled the rope around the dorsal fin of the squall. The first step of his plan was a success. From now on, he had to climb on the back of the animal. How will the creature react to this? Tidus did not know enough about this species to predict it.

   He had to struggle to mount the squall. The beast struggled, but, probably too focused on its lunch, it did not try to attack its tamer. The young man grabbed onto the dorsal fin which was splitting the sea surface to keep his posture.

   He had to install Yuna. He pulled the rope to take her to him. Despite all his efforts, he did not manage to wedge her on the back of the shark. She had to cling herself to the animal.

   “Yuna?  Are you hearing me, Yuna? I'm going to get the upper hand over this, don't worry. But I need you to wake up.”

   At this moment, another shark suddenly arose from the waves very close to the young woman and leaped above them after a long whistling. With a flash of inspiration, the young man raised two fingers to his mouth and answered it on the same tone. The tone was so strong that Yuna woke up with a start.

   “Tidus? Where are you?”

   “I'm here, just beside you.”

   She raised her head and saw him.

   “What happened?”

   “Monsters are turning around us, and I'm trying hard to control our mount. Don't worry, it's just a matter of time. There's no way we'll end up as shark snacks!”

   With a deep sigh, Yuna acquiesced.


   Once replete, the squall moved away from the carcass, swimming quietly just under the water surface.

   “I wonder where it's taking us...”

   “I would like it to go over there,” Yuna answered.

   She was showing a point on the horizon. Tidus screwed up his eyes.

   “It's... Besaid?”

   “I'm not sure. But any island will always be better than the back of a shark.”

   “We're drawing away from it,” Tidus noticed. “And quickly.”

   The squall was three times bigger than the young man, and the weight of its passengers did not appear to slow it.

   “Hey!” the young man shouted.

   Of course, the animal did not answer.

   “Well, I think I don't have a choice.”

   Tidus moved the trident in his left hand and jabbed the head of their mount on what appeared to be one of its cheeks.

   “And don't you dare plunge!” he averted it.

   If the shark sank too much under the surface, Tidus would have to goad it under the stomach. The young man loathed to spread blood through the water one more time. Furthermore, he would have to go down by the animal's side, which had already reached a considerable speed. And if they reached too important depths, pressure would add to the other difficulties.

   A long shiver spread along the body of the squall, which ended up obeying to the order of its tamer and cornered on the right, in direction of the island.

   “Forgive us,” Yuna declared.

   Tidus was not feeling guilty at all. Sharks know only one rule: To devour or to be devoured. It was the same for all beings in Spira, and the young man was just implementing this essential rule to survive in a merciless world. He had to be severe towards every being who threatened him. Spira's inhabitants were subjected to more than hard living situations.

   In this situation, Yuna was, without doubt, a treasure. Who else would have asked for the animal's forgiveness?

   He turned over towards his partner. She was lying flat on her stomach on the back of the shark, around which she had put her arms and her legs. He remembered the day when the young woman had summoned her first Aeon, Valefor.

   At that time, he did not know if he dealt with a wild beast or a monster, but he had understood that if Yuna was able to control a so powerful being, he could not live a normal story by her side.

   Suddenly, a new thought appeared in his mind and warmed his heart. He knew about the "normal" side of the summoner, better than anyone else. A lot of people were familiar with her public image, these of a young woman, serious and stubborn, inflexible too.

   ‘But me, I understand her like nobody else.’

   “What are you thinking about?” Yuna asked.

   “Why do you ask?"

   “You're smiling.”

   “Really? No, it must be the fatigue which is contracting the muscles of my face.”

   He turned towards their destination. Now, the island was close enough to make out the hill which was standing at the centre, and the greenery which was covering everything. Besaid or not, they would find food and water. He let out a little laugh.

   “What?”

   “Nothing.”

   “You secretive little thing!”

   She laughed in her turn, softly.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2015, 02:43:14 pm by ChercheurObscur »
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2015, 03:19:03 pm »
Chapter 12
---

   Sloan and his troops flushed four murderers out.

   They slaughtered the first three, but caught the last one to question him, and took him to the east side of the island.

   On the beach, Sloan and about twenty of his subordinates were surrounding the prisoner, buried in the sand up to his neck.

   “Kill me, let's get this over with!” the enemy declared.

   Young, he was quavering. All the agents of the Mage reacted the same way. When the murderer had understood only death was awaiting him, he refused to answer the questions and persisted in demanding to kill him.

   Sloan knew he would not squeeze anything out of this man. The Guard could not leave his post without receiving the associated order. A long wait was promised.

   Since they had settled on the island, they had led their battle in a passive way. For Sloan, who had dedicated his sabre to the goddess of war and had taken on the name of the god of vengeance, this situation was frustrating. Until now, he had suffered in silence while waiting for his brother to bind to his first Aeon Core.

   But Anli was dead, and Sloan hated his younger: smooth talker but indecisive, as strong as he loved him. When he had learnt that Anli possessed the gift, he felt so proud...

   ‘Now that he is not here anymore, who should I protect?

   The summoner at the head of Bevelle had declared the Mage of Zanarkand, his daughter and their supporters heretics, but it had not excommunicated them. Why? According to the rumours, Bevelle needed the charisma of the two Mages to win the war, and wanted to use them until the end. They had to lead Zanarkand to abandon the technological weapons, which would make the victory easier for Bevelle. Sloan thought the reasoning was twisted. We could not spare those who were renouncing the gods. They had to be eliminated as quickly as possible. That was the goal of the elite unit stationed on this island. But the Mages had understood the plan of their enemy, and were sending to it brainwashed murderers.

   ‘Is my government manipulating me, doing the same to it?’ Sloan thought suddenly.

   Even the children knew that the gods were imaginary. Yet, anyone could picture them. This common illusion tightened the links, to the extent that the men were ready to give their life for it.

   ‘Yes, this is brainwashing.

   “Do we begin the questioning?” Kat spoke.

   “He won't answer us,” Sloan replied before reconsidering. “Did you meet the Sorceress?” he asked. “People say that she's of an incomparable beauty. Is that right?”

   The prisoner remained silent. His eyes lost in the distance, he gave a faint smile.

   “You're nothing to her, you know that? She's just making use of you and your comrades before leaving you. Nobody will come to save you!”

   For an instant, the prisoner raised his eyes to Heaven.

   ‘Will reinforcements come from the sky?’

   Sloan was not seeing anything but he knew that flying devices had joined the ranks of the combatants. This kind of weapon was going to turn the tide, he was sure of that.

   “Kill me,” the man repeated.

   “I see. The tide is rising; your head will soon remain under the waves. You won't be the first one to try to breathe under water, but nobody managed to do it. Do you think you'll succeed where the others failed?”

   “You're a monster...”

   “One of your comrades has killed my little brother. Of course, you didn't do it yourself, but you could have. The problem, you see, it's that you've come here to kill him. So you won't get off so lightly. You'll die... but slowly. You'll leave this world while cursing it, and feeling pain. After that, do me a pleasure: turn into a monster and come back to me. The next time, I'll tear you into pieces then I'll throw them in fire.”

   Sloan had not finished talking yet the man burst out laughing. A soldier moved forward to silence him, but the captive had suddenly become silent again. He was staring at the sky.

   Everybody did the same. An unknown noise was approaching. A light whistling replied from the sand. This was the prisoner.

    A ship appeared to be flying over the opposite coast of the island. Then he appeared at the top of the mountain, just above the Luchera statue.

   This was the first time Sloan was seeing an aircraft. He discovered a triangular airship, very noisy and slow.

   Arriving above the beach, the machine turned itself on and started its descent.

   Sloan and his comrades all moved away in haste in order to shelter under the vegetation. When the officer took a look behind him, he saw that a part of the shell, under the aircraft, had opened: a battalion was already shinning down a set of thick ropes.

   His weapon in his hand, Sloan turned around and rushed towards the beach.

   On the back on each enemy, he was making out a bag made of strings, containing a ball: a bomb like the one Valm had described.

   Fifteen to twenty infantrymen were rappelling down. The first one put a foot on the beach and, without taking a break, fired intensively on the buried captive. Sloan saw the head of the murderer tipping over.

   The prisoner had behaved bravely, like a great soldier. If they had fought in the same camp, they would have got along well.

   “And yet...”

   He did not finish his sentence. His men were looking at him waiting for an order.

   “The last time I checked, a life was of better worth than that,” he said with a bitter laugh.

   He immediately became serious:

   “Return to the base, make a report to Valm, then place yourself under his orders. Kat will ensure the command of the group until there.”

   Then Sloan pointed his sabre in the direction of the enemy with a wild howl.

   “After my death, let Valm take over the name of Sloan!”

   ‘He has always been more worthy of this name than me.’

   Nobody returned to the base. The aircraft had spread enemies everywhere in the island. Exhausted, the young woman knew that she would meet her death very soon, but did not fear it. She has been waiting for this moment since the demise of the one who had counted so much to her.

   “Kanaela...”

   Despite her gift of summoner, she was killed six months earlier without having completed anything. And now that she was no more, what were the chances for Kat to have the honour to become an Aeon Core?

   Kush would choose Valm, and the Guard would produce an impressive creature. Who would Ifahnal have his heart set on? He was apparently in love with Kush, but the young woman rejected his advances. Anyway, Kat doubted that a summoner could become an Aeon Core. It would be a huge waste.

   In that case, there was still a place to take. Yet, even if Ifahnal chose Kat, the young woman doubted that they could reach a genuine soul bond. She had heard say that summoner and Aeon Core must have powerful mutual feelings in order for the ceremony to be fruitful.

   With Kanaela, everything would have been easy. But with Ifahnal...

   Offering his life to the promised one was one thing. To sacrifice itself for a stranger only for a pride desire was much more difficult. How she was regretting Kanaela's death!

   A set of close explosions pulled her from her thoughts.

   ‘They are launching an attack!’ She thought.

   If the massive aircraft was full of soldiers, the Guards had no chance of survival. Kat stood up straight; she would never be an Aeon Core, but she could still be the armed arm of vengeance.

   ‘O Sloan, give me the strength to lay low our enemies!’

   To give herself courage, she remembered her happy days, when Kanaela was by her side. She snaked in and out of the trees, until she reached a hilltop. From there, she could see the entrance of the base.

   Beside the dented gate number 3, Kat recognized the cadavers of Gekkoh and Romand. Her comrades were not dead in vain; they had dragged several enemies into the Farplane. A familiar sword jutted out from the body of one of them, a beautiful young man.

   Kat held back a cry and hurried to the gate number 0.

   She discovered a gaping breach, and a smell of blood assailed her immediately. At the same time, an object struck her back. She turned round. The forest appeared to be wilderness, but a ball was rolling slowly towards her foot. She heard a "click", and then the ball started to dilate.

   This was the last picture that Kat saw, just before being thrust out by the scorching blast of air.

   ‘Will I flower in the world beyond?’

*
   
Valm was searching for Kush.

   A few hours earlier, the stateroom was like a countryside hospital. But since the enemy had broken through their defence, it was more like a battlefield. The smell of death was unbearable.

   The souls were fluttering above the mass grave on which they were spreading a pasty glow.

   An explosion resounded outside, and a voice shouted the name of Kat. Just after, another one announced the death of the young woman. Nobody had the time to take care of the wounded persons. Although the Guards were an elite unit, their equipment was outdated. They could not stand up to Zanarkand's troops and to their constant technological progress.

“Despite everything...”

   ‘The time has come. We are more united than ever.’

   He was going to become an Aeon Core. It was the only way to turn the situation around.

   The stairs which led to the living quarters were partially collapsed and scorched.

‘Another bomb,’ Valm supposed.

   He stepped over the cadavers of the men he was responsible for, and sent a prayer to Guard, the god of the Farplane, to take care of them. When he reached the stairs, he turned around in order to behold the room. Ashamed of the relief he felt when he was certain that Kush's body was not amongst the cadavers, he started to climb the stairs again.

   Three enemies burst into the living room. At the same moment, the gate number 1 delivered passage to the troubling – or comical - procession of the mechanical Bedohls wearing their too-big suits and their gas mask. They went into the room slowly, while swirling their chains. The enemy opened fire.

   Alb had demanded three more days to complete his project. After three years of research, Valm was wondering what three days could have changed. The old man appeared suddenly behind his creations. He appeared to be on his last legs.

   “Valm! I'm leaving the workshop, sorry...”

   The Guard acquiesced brusquely.

   “Come back here!” Alb ordered the Bedohls, while handing a signal.

   “No,” Valm said. “They must fight.”

   “They would only get under your feet.”

   A new explosion announced the arrival of other enemies. Alb and his Bedohls headed towards the emergency exit, and Valm started to climb again. Just before crossing the inner gate, he turned around one last time. The living room was presenting a macabre scene where they were merging the flowers of the altar, the blood and the cadavers, in the funeral light of the drifting souls.

   “You're running away, coward!”

   A young man, a sabre in his hand, rushed towards Valm.

   He surely wanted to conserve his ammunition, which was going to make the battle more balanced. Valm went down to meet him.

   “Bring it on, son of a heretic!” the Guard spat out.

   He received the enemy with a large arc of his sabre and felt the weapon cutting into the side of his target as far as the navel. He made sure with a glimpse of the inflicted damage, then turned around and walked away towards the gate number 0. The ripped open man toppled into the void. Valm hurried. It should not take a lot of time before the soul of his victim turn into a monster, he thought, just before hearing a death throes cry resonating at the floor below.

   Some mechanical Bedohls were lying on the ground, covered with blood. Val thought of the workers who must remain in the workshop. He had never regarded the Bedohls as humans, but now he had pity on them.

   What happened next made him understand. He saw the mechanical Bedohls gathering around their injured comrades and helping them to stand up straight.

   ‘They are humans,’ he understood suddenly.

   Alb had never managed to create artificial combatants. He had made use of the Bedohls to insure his own escape.

   With a tightened jaw, Valm went downstairs slowly.
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2015, 03:19:24 pm »
   
“Alb!” he yelled.

   The old man had disappeared. Several false mechanical Bedohls – disguised persons, not to lure the enemy, but their allies – raised their eyes in direction of the Guard.

   “Say to Alb that he can run away wherever he wants: I'll find him and I'll make him pay for his treason!”

   To align in front of the enemy mechanical soldiers which would go fight in place of humans, here is the utopia which had supported him until now... Despite the fact he was a soldier, he had dreamt of a world where he would not have to fight. None should ever discover this secret desire.

   Their hands moved apart as an apologize gesture, the Bedohls answered with their own disgusting language.

   “Be quiet!” Valm intimidated them, exasperated on how they were informally talking to him.

   The memory of Kush, going back up from the workshop through the gate number 1, imposed on his mind. What could she do over there?

   “They're in the living quarters, Valm!”

   Suddenly back to the present, he raised his eyes. One of his men had popped his head, covered with blood, around the inner gate number 0.

   “The summoners, hurry...” he continued, before falling to the ground.

   ‘Kush!’

   The living quarters were similar to a labyrinth of corridors which led to bedrooms. This was the most protected place of the base. How could the enemy have accessed it?

   ‘Alb...’

   According to Valm, only Alb could have led them as far as there. Blinded by rage, he headed towards Kush's bedroom.

   A long-haired enemy, probably a woman, was progressing towards the end of the quarters while leaning on the wall. She appeared to be injured. Valm slipped behind her, put the point of his sabre on the neck of the enemy and pressed: he felt his spinal cord yielding to his sword. Then he trampled the cadaver and kicked her in the ribs.

   A very cruel act, he was completely aware of it. The battles were applying their influence on him. The wrath and the resentment of the slain were spreading along their souls.

   “Protect me, Luchera!” Valm exclaimed while setting forth in the corridor at the double.

   At the height of the battle, only one who retained his composure could hope to survive. And he had to remind himself when he would meet Kush. He had to be Valm, the Guard she was admiring and loving.

   The quarters of the summoners were located in the core of the labyrinth. Ten doors opened onto their corridor. Kush's one had the number three. Arrived in front of the bedroom of the young woman, he froze. Since he had walked into Kush and Ifahnal back there, the situation had deteriorated.

   “May I talk to vous?” she had asked.

   “Later. My men are fighting.”

   “Really?”

   “Stop right now, this is not the time!”

   Valm gritted his teeth and hit his head against the door. Any fortress could fall if his commander had his mind filled with a woman. No need for a traitor for that.

   “Give me a chance to redeem myself...”

   He hit the panel board of the door, three times, according to the agreed pace. The dial lighted up. On the other side of the partition, a bell must ring out. But nobody reacted to it. The enemy had not reached this place yet, however the smell of death was already present. A metallic combination of gunpowder and blood, with the sweet touch left by the souls.

   ‘Kush...’

   He hit the board again, only one time. The door did not move. Nobody replied.

   Valm passed by the doors numbers 4 and 5, and stopped before the number 6. Ifahnal's bedroom. He knocked on the door and waited. And then a ball rolled towards his feet.

‘A bomb.’

   His first reflex was to send it back with a kick, but he feared that the impact would activate it. He jumped backwards and ran for his life. After the door number 10, the corridor formed an elbow to the right. Valm had barely the time to turn and to pin against the wall. The racket of the explosion did not suffice to drown out the surprise scream of Ifahnal. He had opened the door one second before the detonation. Valm swore and left his hideout.

   The enemy was standing on the other end of the corridor, close to the door number 1, and was progressing towards him. His sabre in his hand, Valm rushed towards the enemy. When he passed by the door number 6, he shouted: "Close it!"

   He was facing three combatants, which were moving in single file. The corridor, narrow, was slowing down the progression of the invaders. The head man, a brown-haired teenager, fired a shot. Valm immediately dove in order to avoid the bullet, rolled and stood up straight. His run-up led the point of his sabre against the throat of its opponent. He sliced it without hesitation. The two comrades of the dead one were even younger, and not really determined. Valm, covered with sweat and blood, read fear in their eyes. The second in the line froze, and his comrade bumped into him. Both of them lost their balance. Valm squatted, took the weapon of the dead, and fired. The bullet got through its target, and also hit the last enemy. The two combatants fell down. One where he was standing this instant, the other several steps further.

   “I can't manage to close the door, it's broken!”

   In a panic, Ifanahl hurtled into the corridor. The scenery he discovered made him grimace.

   “Evacuate!”

   The summoner did not move.

   “Where is Kush?” Valm asked. “She doesn't reply when I knock on her door.”

   Ifahnal stole a glance at his own bedroom then, awkwardly, stroked his chin before inviting the Guard to follow him.

   The room was square and not lovely, its walls had been let bare. The occupant of the room appeared to be less preoccupied by the decor than by his look.

   “She is in the back. But be careful... To be honest, I need to talk to you, before...”

   Valm saw the four-poster bed hidden with a screen and hurried to it.

   “Kush!”

   He moved the screen aside with a kick and discovered the young woman, half-naked and asleep.

   “Valm, wait...” Ifanahl spoke. “I only know this method... There exist other ones, but I have not been taught to use them.”

   The Guard turned round and sent his fist into the face of the summoner, who fell down on the ground. Then he caught hold of Kush's shoulders in order to shake her. She opened partway her eyes and smiled frailly.

   “What happened to you?” Valm asked.

   She did not answer. He tried to have her sit down and noticed her glassy look.

   “What the... Kush?”

   “Valm!” Ifanahl shouted.

   The concerned one turned over and discovered that the enemy had got into the bedroom. An enemy he thought to have been eliminated.

   The attacker brandished his sabre above his head. Valm was unarmed, and if he parried the blow, there was a good chance that the sword hit Kush. He took his decision and bent his knees. He had the intention of bumping into his assailant. But he did not have the time to do it: he saw the head of the man toppling in a blood geyser and rolling on the ground. The body hit Valm before falling down. In the frame of the door, a "mechanical" Bedohl rewound the rope he had just used, apparently proud of itself.

   Ifanahl stood up straight and spoke to the Bedohl. He was talking to it in the disgusting language of the creature. Then, both of them skirted Valm in shock to get closer  to Kush. They stood up the summoner and had her sit down on the bed. She appeared to be still spaced out. When the Bedohl slapped her, Valm wanted to go for the throat of the impudent one. But Ifanahl grasped the waist of the Guard and held him back with all his strength. After a second slap, Kush opened her eyes. The Bedohl took off its glasses and mask, revealing a hirsute head, vaguely familiar.

   He was a part of those who always supported the palanquin of the young woman. He said something, and, to Valm's utter astonishment, Kush answered him. But she did not do anything to cover her bare body, and did not have a single glance for her paramour.

   ‘I am the only one to not understand what is happening.’

   He felt his strength leaving him. But a dark feeling, possessing his own train of thought, was starting to bubble up inside his heart.

   'O Sloan, who should I kill first?'

   He tried to convince himself that the battle was ruining his mind, without great success. Finally, Kush turned towards him. He read astonishment, then confusion on her face. She hastily wrapped her chest and smiled perfunctorily.
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."

CrystalOfLies

  • Administrator
  • Summoner
  • *
  • Posts: 184
  • Boathouses, man.
    • View Profile
Re: ~Eternal Cost~: French to English Translation
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2015, 10:25:16 am »
Chapter 13
---

   The island was still far away, and even Tidus was not sure if they could reach the coastline. Their shark had run out of strength. It was floating on its back, stomach facing the sun. Tidus and Yuna were holding a pectoral fin and were talking to each other above the monster. The pyreflies which were escaping from the corpse were skimming Tidus before being carried away by the wind.

   “The scavengers should be here soon to devour it,” Yuna presaged while chattering. “We must move away.”

   The air was sweet, but the two of them had already spent too much time in the water. They were frozen and exhausted.

   Tidus acquiesced and firmed his grip on the fin. He pulled up his knees to his chest and pressed his sole again the side of the shark.

   “Let's go.”

   After a deep breath, he pressed on his legs and let go. He jumped backwards, and then started to swim towards the island. When he turned over Yuna, he saw her talking to the cadaver of the shark. Tidus whistled and waved to the young woman so that she joined him. She nodded and said farewell to their mount. He watched her coming closer slowly, swimming the breaststroke, and then they headed towards the island.

   The water was still deep.

   He was gazing at the progression of Yuna, who was moving on her back as of now. She was keeping a regular pace: she breathed out on two phases, then at the third one she stretched her arm backwards and breathed in deeply. He hoped that she could keep up like this much longer. If he had to come to her assistance, he wanted to keep his energy until the last minute.

   “Keep going, Yuna!”

   He talked to her when she breathed in, in order to not distract her.

   “Thank you!”

   She smiled at him, lost the pace of her breathing and swallowed water.

   She started to cough and spit out the water, and Tidus stretched his hand out to her. She was more tired than he had thought.

   “Sorry, I shouldn't have disrupted you.”

   She was now standing plumb, but was struggling to keep afloat. He placed himself behind her, passed his forearm under her chin and started to swim while supporting her.

   “I'm sorry...”

   “Don't worry. It’s easier like this, right?”

   “Yes, but I'm feeling guilty.”

   “I told you not to worry, really!”

   “Do I remove this?” she suggested while showing her large dress. “I have a swimsuit under it.”

   The item of clothing, which was floating around her, hindered her movements sometimes. It was starting to get in his way too.

   “Sure.”

   “Don't watch!” she said with a singing tone.

   “All right.”

   He averted his eyes. During a few moments, he felt her wriggling under his arm.

   “Okay, I'm done!”

   When he lowered his eyes, he discovered the back of Yuna’s neck, her dress rolled into a ball on her chest and her pale legs outstretched on the water’s surface.

   They remained silent a moment. Then:

   “Those monstrous sharks,” the young woman began, “there are none around Besaid. We must have moved far away from our island.”

   “Or maybe the storm dragged them away from their territory,” Tidus objected.

   “And they would have lost their way near Besaid?”

   “Yes, I think so. I wonder if we were that far away when we sank. It was dark, and then, with the morning mist, we might have not noticed the island.”

   “Do you think it's Besaid we're seeing right now?”

   “Yes, but you know it better than me, so if you say I'm wrong, I trust you.”

   He pivoted so that Yuna could see the island.

   “The shape is familiar, but something is wrong.”

   “What?”

   “The water is very cold. It's strange.”

   “Yes, I've also noticed,” the young man conceded.

   And this detail was worrying her. On the shallows which were surrounding Besaid, the water warmed up fast. But in the present case, her feet were freezing.

   “You know...” Yuna began with a hesitant tone.

   “Yes?” Tidus encouraged her.

   “We're not getting closer to the island.”

   She was right. They had swum in a straight line towards their destination, but Tidus had the impression of following a very different way.

   I do not have a good feeling about this...

   Was the current making them drift? If the movement of the tides was added to the equation, the danger was even more apparent. He stared desperately in the direction of the island. His right arm, with which he was swimming, was shivering with fatigue.

   He felt Yuna raising the one he had passed under her chin and pulling out her head.

   “Thank you for your help, I was able to rest. You'll move easier alone, right? I'll manage.”

   She had caught her breath.

   “Okay. I'll go ahead of you?”

   “Yes. It's better this way.”

   She left her dress rolled into a ball and smiled at Tidus. But she was appallingly pale, and her lips had blued.

   “Let's go!”

   He turned over in the direction of the island, which had moved away again.

   “Yes, let's go!” Yuna repeated behind him.

   He assented and started again to swim, slowly.

   He was wondering if, from now on, he could see the bottom. He plunged his head into the water to check. But as far as he was regarding, he was only meeting the darkness of the depths. Exactly like the day before, when he had returned to the world. He wondered if the ocean was going to engulf him afresh.

   Was his destiny to dissolve in the darkness with his new memories of Yuna?

   No way!

   He was sinking. He swam towards the surface and got his head above water. The island seemed always far.

   “Yuna...”

   He was exhausted.

   “Say, Yuna...”

   Tidus turned over. He was alone in the middle of the water.

   “No...”

   He took a deep breath to plunge, but stopped himself and whistled quietly. His throat and his lungs were burning him. His stomach was heavy like lead.

   "Okay, let's go!"

   In order to save Spira’s population from Sin's rage, Yuna had faced death, a smile on her face. Was it the same smile she had worn while they were swimming?

   She has not changed.

   It was the same for the distance between the island and them. Tidus felt overcome by distress.

   I cannot do anything from now on...

   He stared a last time at the so desired land. He wasn’t any closer than before, but he must have been seeing it from a different angle, because in the middle of the greenery, he discovered an orange mark. It was the colour of the metallic towers with which Besaid was dotted.

   “Yuna!” he yelled.

   He gathered his last ounce of strength and plunged into darkness.

   Yuna, Yuna, Yuna...

   He was ashamed. Two years earlier, he had come into this world, blown away by Sin and pushed by Auron, because Spira demanded a metamorphosis, and he was expected to be the catalyst. Was it the case again this time?

   Spira is demanding me. No, it is Yuna who needs me. She wanted to change, but she did not manage to do it. That is why I am here.

   He had plunged quite far under the surface, but did not see her yet. He raised his head: the white dress was drifting gently on the waves. He turned round and round and scrutinized the darkness. Unlike water in Blitzball spheres, seawater was scorching his eyes.
   He was hesitating over coming to the surface. He beat his foot and felt all his muscles tensing: they were screaming their exhaustion.

   He had already experienced this sensation during a match, at Zanarkand. His body was going to freeze, he knew it.

   In the middle of the match, he had slipped before the crowd of spectators. He had been a member of the team for a few months only.

   No...

   It did not happen. Only his experiences in Spira were real. The Zanarkand he remembered was just a dream.

   His chest was in pain. Was he drowning? Was he recalling a past accident?

Impossible to say.

   Dad...

   The day he felt himself drowning for the first time, he had called for his father, who had just put him into water so that he would learn how to swim. Tidus had swallowed water a lot of times before managing to wade into Zanarkand's waters. His memories were becoming more and more muddled, but he was seeing his father again, who was swimming like a fish, grabbing hold of him and getting him out of water.

   I am in pain, Dad. Help...

   His eyes closed, Tidus was scrutinizing the darkness in order to find his father.

   He is not here any more.

   He was mindful of being in the narrow space which separated dreams from reality. If he let go, he could avoid suffering.

   I am in pain...

   His body was burning him, his legs especially. The pain was real. His knees pulled up against his chest, in foetal position, he concentrated on this sensation. He was seeing himself drifting in the darkness.

   Who is there? Who is coming closer to me?

   He recognized a familiar impression, like the one he had felt when he had arrived in Spira the first time, mixed with Sin.

   He did not know any more if his eyelids were opened or closed, but he was catching sight of a white shape.

   Yuna?

   It was really her, locked in a shadow: a black and shiny shape, different from the darkness which was engulfing everything. It had the shape of a man, five times bigger than Yuna. The giant was holding the young woman in its arms and was coming closer to Tidus.

   Who is there?

   He screwed up his eyes. He was suffering. It was the reality.

   The giant he was observing was his father. He was swimming like a fish. In his right arm, he was holding Yuna. And in his left one...

   Thank you, Dad!
The official 'Shinra' of the FFX boards.

Wanna know stuff? Ask me. "I know everything."

I somehow can't answer? "... I'm just a kid."
Love Love x 1 View List