-
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.
-
“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.
-
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...
-
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.
-
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.”
-
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.”
-
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.”
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.”
-
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.
-
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.
-
“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.
-
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!
-
Chapter 14
---
Valm dreamt of producing an aeon and becoming immortal.
He would live with Kush, and when the young woman would go into the Farplane to flower there, Valm would fall in with another summoner and would fight forever.
He had often wondered what Aeon Cores dreamt about, and how their creature saw the world. He would never know it. He was going to die like an ordinary man.
Gunshots had resounded behind him. A Bedohl in yellow, with a clumsy walk, had appeared suddenly. Smoke was still escaping from the barrel of the rifle he was tightening under his left arm. Valm did not know how many bullets he had fired. In the bedroom, everyone, except for the newcomer, was in a stupor. Then the hirsute Bedohl insulted his comrade vehemently. Kush stood up straight, screeched and fell again onto the bed. She could not stand, Ifahnal had to support her.
Valm was going to faint. Kush was screaming, but Valm did not want to answer her. She was getting on his nerves. As for the high-pitched bawls of the Bedohls, they were wearing him out. The owner of the rifle was vociferating, his right arm raised... with no hand at the end. His stump was wrapped with a dressing soaked with blood.
He has come to take revenge on me.
Valm's life against the hand of the Bedohl. In the eyes of the Guard, the deal appeared to be hardly stable. Somehow like this story of hell and flowers.
“How do you feel?” Ifahnal asked.
Valm would have wanted to tell him how his question was stupid, but he could not speak anymore.
“Are you in pain?”
Valm was not suffering. His death was imminent.
He directed his regard towards Kush, paralysed by stupefaction. Ifahnal was holding her in his arms. It was certainly one of the worst viewings that the Guard could bring along with him in his death, at the risk of turning himself into a terrifying monster.
“Ifahnal...”
Just a whisper, but it was enough. Without releasing Kush's shoulders, the summoner leaned over to him.
“Send me in the world beyond. I don't want to go into hell or become an affrayed creature."
“Valm,” Kush spoke, “I... I am sorry.”
“Summoner Ifahnal, who bears the name of the god of beauty... perform the rite.”
“Valm...”
Kush burst into tears. He continued to ignore her. From now on, this was the only way to punish her.
“Valm,” Ifahnal answered with a grimace, “you're mistaken.”
Valm would have liked to listen to the rest, but the night was falling in his world. He closed his eyes.
He had to get rid of his regrets; else he would turn into a monster. Hell was awaiting him. He had heard say of that in some cases, if the deceased was too angry, Sending rites could fail. He had to put himself in a favourable state of mind.
“Hurry, Ifahnal...”
“No!” Kush shouted.
Valm did not understand her reaction.
Why does she refuse me the ceremony? Does she want me to return as a monster? To go to hell?
This is her who is punishing me...
He had taken on the name of the god of order, but he had let himself get sucked into the chaos of passion. That was the source of all his errors. His place was indeed in hell.
‘I wonder what kinds of tortures are awaiting me over there…’ Valm thought – whose real name was Bria.
(Note: Bria is the French name for Briah.)
-
Chapter 15
---
Yuna woke up on a beach, Tidus beside her. Lying on her back, she was contemplating the sky. The light was strong, the sun at its zenith. They had not fainted for a long time. A slight noise made her head spin: Tidus' mouth was open and a little crab was trying to enter it. She got rid of it then stood up slowly. Thereafter, she caught hold of the young man under her shoulders and started to drag him to a shady place. She was moving backwards step by step, while encouraging herself in an undertone.
The heels of the young man were digging two little furrows in the sand.
Yuna was watching in turns these marks which extended as far as the sea, the beach behind her and, beyond, the trees and their shade. Without being discouraged, she kept hauling him.
Her back was in pain and the sun was burning her skin.
If only I had still my clothes!
She remembered vaguely having removed them...
Tidus moved:
“Ouch...”
Yuna stopped immediately.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“Yes, under my shoulders. It's you who's hurting me.”
She let go of him:
“Is that so? In that case, you'll manage everything by yourself!”
“I'm not complaining. If I'm in pain, then I'm alive. Can you keep hauling me?”
“My waist is killing me.”
“What a granny...”
She let herself fall onto the sand, close to him.
“May I, young man? I'm too old for this kind of stuff...”
The phrase "a gift of Yevon" crossed her mind, but she remained silent. She used it less often from now on, but it was difficult to get out of a habit learned during her childhood.
“Your shoulders must be suffering," Tidus noticed with compassion.
She nodded to confirm it.
If he was like she remembered, he was going to go on with an optimistic declaration.
“But a tanned skin is very pretty!”
She laughed.
“Indeed, and Rikku is a relevant example for this. But me, I'm burning, and that's all. Without cream or sphere, I run the risk to end up grilled!”
“Let's get ourselves in the shade then.”
“That's what I was doing, but an uncooperative person stopped me.”
Tidus burst out laughing. Yuna ran her hand over her red shoulder.
“That's great. "If I'm in pain, then I'm alive", isn't it?”
“I know a better way to make sure of that...”
He leaned over Yuna, who moved back.
“Hold on, young man!”
“Really? We're in the clear, don't you think that's a cause for celebration?”
He came close to her once again, his lips deformed in an exaggerated pout. Yuna giggled and pushed him away with a finger.
“Someone may be observing us! Look at this orange tower, it's like in Besaid.”
Tidus ceased to mess around and scrutinized the surroundings. He was showing the beginning of a path which sank into the interior.
“That's right, we can expect the Aurochs to show up momentarily.”
“Yet, we're somewhere else. The landscape is the same, but some details are missing."
There were neither wood pontoons, nor stakes where the ships moored, nor rets stacked on the sand.
“The storm! Tidus exclaimed. It might have blown away everything.”
“I don't think so. The bleach would be crawling with people. They must be searching for us everywhere.”
Before leaving the village, she had advised Wakka of her intention of getting on the Ace. Now, he must have been dead worried. She shook her head:
“It's like Besaid, but it's a different island. I really wonder where we are...”
“There's only one way to find it out. Let's go!”
-
Chapter 16
---
They took the path towards the inland and quickly reached a fork. If they were in Besaid, the right path would lead them to the ruins. But they struggled with a river they could have only crossed by swimming. The two young ones considered having spent enough time in water today and decided to turn around. They climbed a steep slope, and then they took the direction of the waterfalls' path. Thirsty, they were dreaming of the freshwater falling from the cliff.
“It really does looks like Besaid...” Tidus noticed.
“That's right. Yet, something is strange. I can see remnants of human occupation, but they evoke a people different from ours.”
She stopped to examine a stone statue on the verge. It reached their knees and represented a man. But because of time and elements, the details had faded and the back had disappeared.
“He has a beard and a staff. It's an old man,” Yuna said.
“A High Summoner?” Tidus suggested.
The young woman shook her head, as she was not convinced. They stood before the statue for a few moments, but did not discover anything about it. They set off and felt soon the atmosphere culling off. The rumble of the water finally reached them. They rushed forward at the double, while betting on the one who would get there first.
The waterfall's path reached a cliff, in a place where a river was throwing itself into the void. The air was always fresh here, even in the middle of the hottest day. Of course, the description matched Besaid's one. But this unknown island did not disappoint them.
Under the thin rain, Yuna raised her face and opened her mouth. Tidus imitated her.
“It feels so good!” the young woman rejoiced.
The fresh water was dissipating the burning sensation on her entire body.
“I feel like a new person,” her partner went further.
“Yes...”
“You think...” Tidus started, hesitant. “You think we've drowned?”
“So we would be...”
“Dead.”
“I don't know, I never died,” Yuna answered.
Tidus burst out laughing. Yet, the young girl had not wanted to mess around. A lot of factors allowed living beings to remain after their death.
She was thinking about "Unsents" like Auron; the legendary guardian who, two years earlier, had guided them during their journey. Seymour and the Great Maester Mika had chosen this path too. Someone greatly attached to this world could continue to lead a life almost unchanged, and nobody would ever notice otherwise.
Fayth, indispensable for every summoning, spent eternity between life and death. Aeons, deceased who appear in the hereafter, much like a good half of monsters; and even Sin, could be considered as "incarnate spirits". Death had not stopped.
When the young girl finished her explanation, Tidus appeared to shiver:
“I prefer not to think about all of this. Let's say we're really alive, and let's move on to something else!”
“It's you who broached the subject, but fine. What do you want to talk about?”
“For example, what about what you remember? Do you remember the shark, and our swimming?”
“Yes. I've seen the island, far away, and I've hoped it was Besaid. Then, I've swallowed water, twice. I've spitted and I've wanted to vomit. I've been in pain for a moment, and then... nothing else.”
Tidus was looking at her, visibly tense. She smiled at him:
“I've woken up on the beach. I don't know what happened between these two moments.”
He lowered his eyes and she wondered what he was thinking. When he raised his head, his face was serious.
“I want to tell you something important: don't ever give up. Don't sacrifice yourself for my sake. Living without you, I don't want that.”
“I have something to tell you too.”
Her hands on her hips, she stared at him:
“It wasn't easy. It never was. But you saved me so many times in the past and I don't want to call you for help anymore. I lived without you, and I don't want this to happen again. Well, I don't know what I'll do if it happens once again, but I'm sure of something: I refuse to request help from someone who disdains mine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“In the water, you were exhausted. And in the end, both of us drowned.”
“I'm sorry.”
“It will take some time for me to forgive you.”
She shook her head so hard that her wet hairs fluttered around her. Then she left in the direction of the village - assuming they were in Besaid. Tidus followed in her steps whilst whispering new apologies.
Yuna told him what was weighing on her, now she was feeling better.
“And you, what do you remember?” she asked him.
“I had the impression that my father had come to save us. He was huge!”
He spread his arms to illustrate his words.
“Maybe was it a hallucination,” he continued. “Anyway, we were very lucky.”
For sure they were very fortunate. She decided to be grateful, without trying to know more about this. Two years earlier, she would have decided in a gift of Yevon.
“But this sensation, the fact that it's impossible for us to say if it's real or imaginary...” Tidus continued. “I had the impression I was taken back two years, when Sin took me here.”
She did not answer. After a few quiet moments, he started to talk more loudly:
“What if it was the same thing right now? As if we were in Besaid, but from an otherworld?”
“I don't know...”
“It's an otherworld, I'm sure it is!” he repeated.
Why not? After all, he had already witnessed a similar situation, and it had taken him some time to understand it.
“In this case, can we go back home?”
The question seemed natural for her, but surprise was written on Tidus' face. They were not in the same state of mind apparently.
“I'm cold, let's move!” she declared joyfully, before setting off.
If they were in Besaid the village should not be too far. They just had to go through the ruins' path and come back down on the other side.
She did not know if Tidus was right, but his theory had the advantage to clarify a muddled situation.
They were walking in silence. Yuna would have wanted to comment on the characteristics of the landscape, but Tidus was staying several steps behind, as if he was upset. He had had to be delighted to be with her in this world. Not forever, of course, but until they find a way to return home. They could explore the island, exchange caresses and kisses. He did not think about those who were worried about them. He was not preoccupied with this.
‘I thought he knew me better than that... I am always concerned about others.’
“Look Yuna, it's amazing!” he suddenly exclaimed, lively.
She turned around, but he was showing a spot above her head. She turned around once again and discovered a sparkling orange tower.
“It's so bright... it looks like a brand new one!”
They were standing on the ruins' path. Yet, the construction in front of them could have been painted the day before.
With a cry of surprise, Tidus rushed towards the foot of the structure.
“That's from where Kimahri jumped!”
He was right. It was indeed the same place. But yet...
“Oh Yuna, it's working!”
He beckoned to her, and she complied. Closely, we could indeed hear a slight whirring.
“I wonder what it's used for...” she whispered.
He shrugged to show his ignorance.
“What about the village?” he said suddenly.
He left at the double in the direction of it and she hurried behind him.
Tidus was shuffling, waiting for Yuna.
In Besaid, the pass where he had stopped overhung the village. A stele designed to protect travellers was supposed to be rising at the edge of the path.
Yuna caught up with her partner and lowered her eyes. The village was not there, but everything else here matched her memories.
“Come over here!” he said.
He was examining a stone statue that rose in place of the stele. It was depicting a young man, life-size, sitting on a pedestal. Even if its details had faded through time, the figure was still recognizable. The man who was represented had rather thin wrists and ankles and...
“A chest!” Tidus noticed.
“It's a girl.”
“Her hands have disappeared, but I think she's praying, like this...”
He turned talk into action. He guessed right. Yuna approached the statue in order to examine it closely.
“She has wings,” Tidus said, now standing behind the statue. “And look, there's an inscription on the base.”
Yuna came beside him.
“Let's see... Luchera,” the young man continued. Maybe the name of the model who posed for this work?”
“Probably. I wonder who she was.”
“If people have erected a statue, she must have been famous,” Tidus noticed. “On the island, and elsewhere. But I don't know anything about Spira's history, so...”
Yuna was more educated than him about this point, but the name "Luchera" did not ring a bell.
“Look!”
He was pointing at the place where the village should have been.
"It must be what Luchera is looking at. And she's praying. That means there's something down there.”
From where they were standing, they could only see a forest.
*
As Yuna guessed, they did not find anything special where the village should have been standing. Hair grass and dense trees constituted a forest typical of the southern islands, rustling with familiar insects.
“It's the same island, yet different... I think you're right, Tidus.”
“We must return to your world,” Tidus answered with a serious voice.
“Why?”
“For a thousand years, machines have been forbidden by Yevon's teachings, right? However, we heard the tower working. The village doesn't exist, but the same goes for the shrine. What if Yevon's teachings had not reached it? Not at that time, at least.”
She nodded slowly.
“War was raging before the precepts, right?”
“Yes.”
“Rikku told me about Shuyin and Lenne. I wonder if we're in their time. So we’re a thousand years back in time.”
“Hmm...”
“I don't ever want to find myself in the middle of fights. I heard say that summoners were sent to the front.”
“Ah...”
Since he had started to set out his theory, she was only answering with monosyllables. She was not able to think. His words were frightening her, because he was most probably right.”
“Don't worry. There must be a way to return home.”
“Are you sure about that?”
If there was a way to return, she wanted to know it. Maybe would it manage to appease her anxiety?
“If we can pass in one direction, we can do the same in another. Like Sin. It picked me up from Zanarkand and has taken me in your world, same goes for Auron. That must be why I saw my father before our arrival. He wanted me to understand that we could do the same thing in the other direction.”
Yuna thought his logic was a bit fragile, but she was grateful towards him because he was trying to do his best to reassure her.
“Thanks, that's kind of you...”
He appeared to be relieved when he saw her accepting his reasoning.
“So let's go!” he said.
“Where?
“Well, we're going to explore the island to find a way to return home.”
One of the vaguest objectives... but she could not find anything better. Hence she followed in his footsteps.
*
They were climbing back up the pass when Yuna let out a cry of exclamation.
“What's wrong?”
“This path, what is it? Where does it lead, since the village doesn't exist? Lots of people must have passed through to shape it!”
“I hadn't thought of that... It could just have been some rambler? The place is kind of pretty.”
“You think so?”
“I don't know, it was just an idea.”
He may be right once again...
“Oh!” Tidus exclaimed.
He hurried into the hair grass.
“Come over here!”
He had found another statue representing an old man, which had preserved more details than the previous one – this area was certainly safer against the elements.
“He has a staff,” Tidus noticed.
“And a bag on his back.”
“He reminds me of O'aka!” he said while laughing.
She imitated him. O'aka XXIII was a merchant they had met during their journey in Spira. People could see him in a lot of places and he devoted himself to keep his business running.
“Maybe it's his island?” Tidus continued. After all, he was the twenty-third... look at his staff!”
“It's not the same as the one on the other statue,” Yuna noticed.
“Yes, this part, there...”
He was pointing at a little horizontal bar, near the hand of the wrinkly. On one side a beak was engraved, and on the other a big cat tail.
“This beak...” Tidus began.
He followed the drawing with his finger before pointing at the direction indicated by the bar. Yuna only saw a clump of trees with big trunks – certainly centenarian. Tidus rushed towards them in order to examine them.
“Everything seems right, but I wonder what the meaning of these symbols is.”
Yuna looked around her. The copse in question was no different from the other ones. She cast her eyes over the statue again, and tried to remember the one they had found earlier.
“Stay here, I'm going to make sure of something, I'll be back!”
She rushed forwards on the path, in the direction of the waterfalls.
“Where are you going?”
“To find O'aka!”
They passed the statue of Luchera and took the road for the ruins again.
The first statue designing the old man looked like the one they had found near the forest.
“They took the same model and slightly modified his posing,” Yuna concluded.
“But isn't it O'aka?”
“No. And we may never know who it is. But look, there, the beak...”
It appeared that it was indicating the direction of the second statue, near the forest.
“Let's go back and see!” she shouted.
And she left in all haste, abandoning a taken-aback Tidus.
“I didn't know you were so impatient, he said when he caught up with her.
“I've spent too much time waiting.”
“I only came back yesterday… You could be gentler with me.”
“I would like to, but you spend your days complaining!”
“Fine, I didn't say anything…”
-
Chapter 17
They held a meeting in the shade of the trees standing in the waterfall's path. Their priority was the meticulous exploration of the island. Assuming that they would meet inhabitants, they should show them they did not have the intention of doing something bad. The two young people also agreed to stay on watch and detect every hostile person, in order to take flight. If they were parted from each other, they would meet on the beach where they had washed up.
“I think that's all...” Tidus concluded.
“Those statues are intriguing me,” Yuna added. “If we find another one, I want to examine it.”
Tidus acquiesced, and she resumed:
“There certainly must be someone living on this island. I hope the populace is not hostile.”
“Same here. But even if they're hostile, they'll definitely become milder when they'll see you.”
“Why?”
He pointed out Yuna's body. The young woman was only wearing a black bikini.
“I think I'll never get used to seeing you wearing that. It's... arousing. I hope you won't be mad with me being so frank.”
“Why do you sound so proud?”
He blushed.
“To hide my embarrassment...” he confessed with a little laugh.
They started to explore the island in every nook and cranny, without neglecting one path, even if it has just been traced by animals. They found other statues representing some old men, and all of them had a common trait:
“The staff always indicates dead end paths: A cliff that overhangs the sea, a scree, a copse of trees too dense to go through..”. Tidus summed up.
“That's right. I wonder if...”
“It doesn't make sense. Why not show us the path to follow, rather than the obstacles to avoid? It would be more practical, really...”
“But on such an island, people don't need signs. Therefore the statues must be there for the foreigners.”
“Like us, for example? But if we follow the indications, it leads us to a cliff. What are we supposed to understand? That it's dangerous? It's a waste of time. Without taking into account the fact that we could fall at night and break our necks. What a deceitful old man!”
“Those statues would be there to waste visitors' time, or lead them to fall from the cliff?” the young woman summarized.
“I would like to have a weapon,” Tidus declared.
“Clothes in my case. By dint of passing through the shrubs, I scratched myself everywhere.”
“I'm afraid that those who could offer you their wardrobe would prefer to throw us in the sea.”
“I think it's unlikely. I'm willing to think that those who live there are friendly, and that the statues warn us of danger. Maybe are they there to prevent kids from getting lost or hurting themselves while they're playing?”
It was making more sense for her.
“Well it's clear now,” she continued. “In your opinion, where can we find most people?”
“We've only found trees where the village should have been,” he reminded her.
“Maybe should we forget the Besaid we currently know?”
“Okay, but at your home, inhabitants settled there for a good reason, I guess.”
“The shrine has been built first, then the workers settled in around it.”
“Why building it in this place?”
“To prevent Sin from destroying it.”
“But we've found no building on this island. Sin must probably not exist in this time. If we've been taken back a thousand years...”
She pouted.
“I don't know if we can be certain about this date.”
Tidus folded his arms and raised his eyes to Heaven.
“I'd like to return to the place where the village should have been standing,” he said. “Is it okay for you?”
“Why?”
“This dear Luchera is intriguing me. Why is she up there, turned to this specific place? I have the impression that she's more important than the old man.”
“All right, let's go.”
They were taking, for the second time, a path which led nowhere, when they noticed that another path broke away from it. Without conferring, they held hands and hurried to it.
Yuna quickly discovered a piece of fabric fastened highly in a tree. A little farther down the path they found a second one, then a third one, and these hare and hounds led them deep into the forest.
These fabrics had not been fastened at the same time. Some of them were washed-out and ripped, whereas others, newer, were green like the leaves.
“Over there!” Tidus shouted joyfully, every time he found a new piece of fabric.
He was running from one to another without caring about the branches which were smacking him. Yuna, in her case, wanted to find clothes more than ever. The scratches on her body were not painful, but irritating.
“You're lagging behind, Yuna!”
“I'm coming, I'm coming... she answered without enthusiasm.
Tidus stopped himself and turned around.
“Show a bit more enthusiasm: We're going to find someone soon, and the solution to all our problems!”
‘He cannot be so naive!’ she thought.
Whosoever hid so carefully deep into the forest did not welcome intruders with open arms.
“You know, Yuna, Auron told me one day that you were difficult to read. However, your face reflects all of your emotions.”
She pressed her hands against her cheeks.
“Absolutely not!”
“I'm sorry,” he continued. “I've only be complaining since my return. I'm too impatient.”
He opened and closed his mouth several times before resuming with difficulty:
“From your point of view, I've disappeared for two years. That's not insignificant... But yet, you've welcomed me as if we had been separated the day before. I must thank you.”
As soon as I'm silent or tired, he thinks I'm mad with him and he becomes angry or apologises. I would like him to stop talking about this...
He must have read what she was thinking about on her face, because he continued:
“I'll be done soon, but I wanted to tell you that I intended to regain your confidence. And to do so, I must stop behaving like a spoiled child. I must pull myself together; become a good man, like Auron. Back then I thought he was a pain in the neck, but now I know I want to be like him. And if I manage to do so, you...”
She acquiesced, but she wanted to laugh. He could have put into practice this resolution without saying such a thing, but he had done it to be sure that she knows what efforts he was going to produce.
What a child!
He was thirsty for recognition and safety, and she could not ignore his lack of maturity. This is why they had quarrelled several times while they had just met again.
Two years...
For two years, time had stopped for Tidus. Seventeen and nineteen years old. Twenty and twenty-two. Twenty-five and twenty-seven... For the moment their age difference was a problem, but if they stayed together for a long time it would fade away. He irritated her sometimes; despite everything she had not changed her mind: she wanted to age by his side. This was her will since their first meeting.
“What are you thinking about?” Tidus asked.
“Why?”
“You're smiling.”
“That's a secret...”
“Yuna!” he answered with a begging tone.
It was funny and moving.
“Ouch!”
He rubbed himself on the back of his head before turning around. A balloon, similar to a blitzball, was rolling slowly at his foot.
“I wonder who its owner is...” the young man was taken back whilst looking around him.
He took a step forward to pick up the object, and Yuna felt tears stinging her eyes. Her legs were shivering. She squatted and folded her arms around her shoulders. She was suddenly overwhelmed by an unbearable sadness.
A powerful roar sounded through the air, and the young woman was thrown backwards. An object fell beside her. No, not an object... it was Tidus. His face was showing an expression of surprise. But only his head was visible, his body had disappeared.
Yuna lost consciousness.
*
Think of him. His name is Tidus, right?
An unknown voice was murmuring in Yuna's ears.
"Yes," she answered. "And you, who are you?"
I am... In this world, I may consider myself as a divinity.
"A god?"
The voice carried on after a silence:
Do not worry about me. You must only think about him.
"Okay."
It was an unfortunate accident.
"Excuse me?"
You do not know what happened, right? Tell me more about him, please. How did you meet?
"It was the day I became a summoner. It was the first time I was establishing a link with Valefor. When Tidus appeared, I knew immediately that he was different from the other men. No... I think he is a very normal man."
Tell me more. How much do you love him? Think about it.
"Okay."
Are you crying?
"I remember the day when I realised I could not tell him my feelings."
Think about happy moments, if there was any.
"Very well."
I will now use some of my magic, but it will not be easy.
"I understand."
I cannot erase your memories, only seal them. However, something may release them. Do you understand?
"Yes."
Great. Let us resume: you met him the day you became a summoner, then what?
Every moment spent with Tidus spread out in front of Yuna, and all of these memories flew past her like grains of sand, and into a tight fist.
"Whose is this hand?" the young girl asked.
Her question did not find an answer. The owner of the fist was hidden in the darkness. However, Yuna's mind was certain:
This is yours.
She grabbed it and put it against her cheek.
-
Chapter 18
“Yuna? Yuna!”
Someone was shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Tidus, leaning over her. She did not recognize the ceiling above him.
“You scared me,” he sighed. “You weren't responding at all; I thought you were dead!”
“Dead?” Me or you?” she asked.
A searing pain immediately manifested itself inside her head, and she held it in her hands.
“You all right? You must have hit your head strongly,” the young man declared.
She was not able to remember why she had asked this strange question about their possible death. She appeared to have a feeling about something atrocious related to Tidus, and about a will to save him...
“I have more than anything the impression that I cried a lot,” she answered.
He lay beside her.
“Me either, I don't remember what happened, but I'm hurting all over.”
“We've found rags in the trees, and we've thought they would lead us to a village.”
“I remember now. We've wanted to explore the forest Luchera seemed to protect, and we... uh? I can't remember.”
She searched inside her memories, but only found a vast sadness.
“I ran after something,” Tidus said.
Yuna stood up straight very carefully, in order to not awaken her headache.
“We must stop thinking about this,” she declared.
“Easier said than done. It's coming to my mind continuously.”
“It's because we're stuck inside this little dark room. Let's go out!”
She took the time to look around her: the walls and the floor were made of stone. A filthy smell was making her nauseous, but she did not know if it was coming from the room or the air itself. She got back on her feet slowly, and noticed she was dressed. She examined her new green dress, ornamented with geometrical patterns on the sleeves and the hem.
They went out and found themselves in a hallway with a tortuous floor. They saw other places, similar to the one they had just left. The place was dilapidated, and they found no clue about its function. As they were exploring, the smell, still strong, was making Yuna retch more and more vehemently.
They had no idea about the path to follow or what they were about to find there. Yet, they had to run this risk.
“But what smells so bad?” she ended up asking. “I have difficulty in breathing.”
“This is a very ancient smell. Don't be offended, but I smelt something similar the first time I entered the temple.”
“In Besaid? But this is my home!”
“That's why I asked you to not be offended. You always smell good, and I got used to the smell of the temple.”
She understood quickly that he was right.
“It's like the cloister of trials,” she noticed. “In Besaid, it leads to the chamber of the fayth, at the end of the temple.”
“But of course, that's right!” Tidus exclaimed.
Yuna, in her case, found every conclusion premature. Finding similarities with a place she was familiar with was appeasing her, but there were some differences too. The mysterious corridor was much bigger than the one in Besaid. They turned on a corner, and the impression of familiarity vanished immediately: this corner should not have existed.
“It's too big, no?” Tidus asked.
“Yes. But if the hallway and the rooms from now on were underground...”
Would the place correspond to the temple in her mind? She was not sure about that.
“It's bugging me!” she exclaimed.
“What's wrong?”
“I don't understand anything! How are we supposed to return home if I don't understand anything?”
“You're asking too much, Yuna.”
She felt anger building inside her, but he took her hand straight away and resumed:
“I have a hunch that everything will be fine from now on.”
“Why?”
“Because people living here rescued us. They wouldn't have done it if they had bad intentions.”
Still hand in hand, the young people pushed the door on which revealed the hallway. It opened onto the top step of long stairs which went down towards a huge circular room.
“Just like the temple in Besaid,” Yuna whispered.
“But they're not High Summoners,” Tidus answered while pointing out at the stone statues lined up along the wall.
‘These people are all dead,’ Yuna thought without knowing the reason. She was feeling Tidus’ hand holding hers strongly.
“Look, the statue of Luchera,” the young man whispered. “She's so sad.”
“That's right. But why do you think that she's sad?”
“Because of all people who died here. The past of this place contain so much pain...”
“How can we be sure about this?” she insisted.
“Someone wishes we understood him. Certainly the one who helped us.”
“He may expect us to do something.”
“But what?”
“Let's look for it!”
“You're right. You'll find it, I'm sure about it.”
She gave him a severe look, but a smile stretched her lips when she answered him:
“You sure are confident.”
“In you? Always!”
----------------------------------------------*--------------------------------------------------
Their unease vanished as they were exploring. They started to examine the statues which were enlivening the circular room. Each of them was perched on a base which bore an inscription – probably the name of the represented person.
Tidus quickly noticed the old man they had already met on the island. Supplied with a hat, a beard and a big bag, he was wearing a staff in his hand. The beak and the big cat tail were present too.
“That's not O'aka,” he declared while laughing.
He pointed out at the name engraved on the base:
“Anli, god of travellers. May you guide us on earth and on sea. And look at this one!”
He sidestepped to reveal another silhouette. Half naked but covered with an impressive armour, Luchera was holding a light sword in her hand.
“Luchera, goddess of war. Give us bravery and wisdom in the middle of the battle. Protect us with your outspread wings."
“Thus, this frail little girl watched over the place.”
Tidus hurried Yuna to examine the statues of the other divinities.
"Kush, goddess of abundance, give us our meal and the family to share it."
"Guard, protector of the Farplane, grant us calm and explosion."
"Valm, god of order, give us stability.”
"Kanaela, goddess of the moon, protect us against darkness."
"Sloan, god of vengeance, appease our resentment."
"Meiyoh, god of the sun, steep us in your light."
“It's like tales and legends. Or when we say: Victory smile upon us’.”
“Yes.”
Never would have Yuna thought that people had worshipped gods in the past. The only prayers she was aware of were reserved for High Summoners of Yevon or for the fayth who lay dormant in the holy of holies. Sometime, she had turned to the old man who had provided guidance to Yevon during its learning.
“Maybe people worshipped divinities like these ones before the diffusion of the teachings.”
“And Yevon would have supported that?” Tidus asked.
Then, while imitating the voice of the Great Maester Mika, he exclaimed:
“I forbid you to pronounce those names!”
It seems that Tidus was the only one able to imitate him in this way, Yuna thought. He had a gift for that.
“Look at that!”
The young man was showing a large plate on which were written columns of text.
“It's the list of the Guards of the summoners,” Tidus declared.
Yuna felt her pulse beating faster.
“"Summoners" is written on this plate?” she asked.
“Come look for yourself.”
She came closer and the young man resumed loudly:
"Valm, Sloan..."
“Aren't they god names?” Yuna asked.
“Yes, but I'm just reading what is written here.”
The young woman pouted.
“And this story about summoners,” she resumed, “what does it mean?”
“Summoners and their Guards – their guardians? - must have lived on this island and worshipped these gods.”
“But summoning is a technique of Yevon.”
“Maybe that's where you're mistaken,” Tidus answered with a pensive air.
He appeared to feel uncomfortable.
“Remember, this technique appeared way before the teachings and the foundation of the Church,” he continued. “You told me about of the story related to the war between Bevelle and Zanarkand. Summoners lived at that time, since Yevon sacrificed them...”
“Another point I hadn't thought of. In my mind, Yevon had created fayths, but I was wrong. I feel like a fool. If I had pondered for a few moments, I would have understood that.”
“It's because you've been raised with these faiths. After the war, the Church has certainly extended its power all over Spira. Nobody could be at variance with them anymore.”
She thought of the Al Bhed, which didn't follow the teachings, and of the bad treatment they had had to endure.
“This place sends shivers down my spine,” Tidus declared. “Let get out of here, okay?”
Yuna acquiesced, and her partner headed for what should be the big door of the temple in Besaid. The young girl was about to follow in his footsteps when she surveyed the tiling.
Summoners have treaded upon this floor...
And summoners mean fayths.
“Come, Yuna.”
“Wait, I would like to check something, but we must retrace our steps.”
“What's on your mind?”
“I wonder if the fayth is still here.”
“That's possible. In this case, you could use summoning...”
“Yes.”
“Splendid! But wait, if the war is still raging, you run the risk of being involved with it.”
“No, I don't think so. I won't let it happen.”
“So... Where is the fayth? Do you have an idea?”
“If he's close and willing to provide me a summoning, I should be able to feel his presence. But right now, I can't.”
“He must be in a farther place,” Tidus concluded.
But Yuna was thinking of another possibility: he may not be prone to meet her. Few people knew that when it came to summoning, the initiative was not the job of summoners, but fayths.
“You're right, yet,” she answered. “he's not here. His chamber must be located at the end of the hallway, quite near the room where we've woken up.”
“Let's go!” Tidus said.
He set foot on stairs which connected the circular room to the corridor.
“No, wait!”
“Why?”
“Before that, I want to know more about this place. We're not in the world of Yevon, and...”
Yuna seemed to look for words. Tidus waited.
“Summoner and fayth must establish an intimate link,” she continued. “Many ways exist to do so, even according to the teachings, and the method may be different, depending on the fayth...”
Tidus put his forefinger on Yuna's lips:
“I understand. You're scared?”
She nodded slowly.
“Then let's forget that. I don't like this story about intimate links. What if the fayth was a man?”
He forced himself to laugh but without any real feeling.
Her eyes aiming at the top of the stairs, Yuna sighed. Never would have she thought that she would fear a summoning. She had not practiced for two years. During this period of time, she had changed. She knew that if she failed the aeon could devour her mind. She did not want to run this risk anymore. Fear was tormenting her. But did she have the choice? She was just starting to foresee a way to go back to her world.
Tidus opened a door located under the stairs, on the left. The number 1, barely visible, was written. In Besaid, it led to the cells of the monks.
They were making out an inclined plane which sank into the dark. They could smell a strong metallic scent.
They crossed the threshold and perceived a slight vibration. Yuna remembered the mechanic tower they had heard work on the path of the ruins.
They arrived in a room even more vast than the one they had just left. The place was overflowing with unknown machines, positioned around a long table and a single chair. Furniture was crumbling under a piling up of tools. Everything was covered with a thick coat of dust, except for a narrow strip on the floor.
“These machines were used to build other ones,” Tidus whispered.
“It's a workshop,” Yuna acquiesced.
Shinra had told her about those "workshops" or "factories". According to the boy, the ancient world must have been overflowing with places like this one, judging from the number of machines it had bequeathed to them.
“What a smell!” Tidus grimaced. “Let's take a quick look and let's go out of this place. Look, there's a door at the end.”
He rushed for it and opened it without hesitation:
“I've found... beds!” he announced. “Bunk beds. The room is huge. A hundred people could sleep there. But there such a stench prevailing in this room!”
He closed the lead with a pout of disgust and met Yuna. After a brief overview of the room, he pointed out another way out:
“This way!”
--------------------------------------------- *--------------------------------------------------
“Come here, Yuna.”
A simple glance in this room had been enough for Tidus to understand its function: it was an armoury. He did not know what was supposed to happen in the future, but he could not let escape such an opportunity.
Three walls were hidden by shelfs which were displaying all kinds of swords. They entered and discovered points of arrows, top of weapon mallets and blades of axes. Yuna assumed that the handles, much as the other parts made of wood, had disintegrated.
“Everything is rusty, but we can still use some of these weapons,” Tidus noticed.
He was holding a rapier in his left hand and let his right one hanging around the shelfs, as if he was looking for a specific object.
“You should choose a weapon,” he recommended to her. The young woman was not delighted at all by this, but a weapon may indeed be useful.
“Ah, that's it!” Tidus exclaimed.
He was brandishing a little cobblestone.
“This's a whetstone,” he explained. “We must get rid of this rust.”
“You've done it before?”
“Never. But it must be like with kitchen knives, right?”
“Probably.”
They spend half an hour gathering and preparing their arsenal. Tidus had chosen a double-edged rapier equipped with a bell-shaped guard, and Yuna a dagger. It was a light weapon, with a magnificently polished handle. The young woman wrapped it in a long strip coming from the hem of her dress.
“There you go!” Tidus exclaimed joyfully, while brandishing his rapier.
But he was already frowning.
“Something's wrong?”
“I got carried away. In my opinion, I've sharpened it too much. I didn't know rust could penetrate the blade. I thought it was superficial.”
“I see...” Yuna answered, who was ignorant of this too.
She was anxious, because she was used to buying or receiving weapons, but that was not the case for assembly.
“I hope we won't meet anybody,” she added.
Me neither.”
------------------------------------------ *-----------------------------------------------------
They left the armoury and, for lack of rooms to visit, went back up to the circular room.
“Over here, now!” Tidus declared lightly before opening the door located under the stairs, on the right.
Yuna read the number two on it.
The lead was jammed: the young man had to pull with all his strength to make it move.
“So, what's in there?” he continued.
Yuna was recognizing him well right now. When he was anxious, he adopted a playful tone.
“A refectory, I would bet my life on it,” he continued. “There are long metallic tables and chairs. And at the end, it seems to be a kitchen. You want us to explore it?”
Yuna shook her head. She understood that her partner wanted to postpone their meeting with the fayth, and she appreciated it. But they had waited long enough. She turned towards the top of the stairs:
“Let's go.”
Tidus got in her way:
“Don't you want to breathe fresh air before that?”
Obstinate, she shook her head even more.
-
Chapter 19
They had to brace on the door to unblock it. Then, they opened it carefully, and the warm air of the night came inside the building. The young man had managed to convince his partner.
Above them, the leaves of the trees were filtering the light of the stars.
"What's that?" Tidus asked.
He was pointing at metallic pillars as large as his fist, at regular intervals between stone slabs. Far above the two young people, the pillars were supporting a wire network on which leaves were clinging, like a creeper vine would. Yuna had never seen such a plant.
"This camouflage hides the building", Tidus said joyfully. "The place looks like any forest plot, from above. We've been completely taken in!"
Yuna was preoccupied with something else.
"Along the path, we've been led by the pieces of fabric to a specific place. We've encountered a problem, someone has come to rescue us, and we've woken up inside the building, is that correct?"
Tidus acquiesced, unsure.
"It's quite easy to recognize this entrance," he noticed while sweeping the place with his eyes. "We've never come here, so that means the place we're looking for is ahead of us."
"Which place?"
"The place of our accident."
He unseathed his rapier before resuming:
"Let's go take a look."
He set off with a careful step. Yuna followed him. She was trying to convince herself that everything would be fine. Even if they had encountered a mysterious difficulty, they had found some help to overcome it. The young woman, who was refusing to give in to panic, decided to be optimistic.
They progressed slowly for a few minutes, then Tidus stopped.
"Look," he whispered.
He was showing the hill they could observe through the leaves. In the light of the stars, the statue of Luchera was standing out from the landscape.
Tidus could not help shouting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Impatient, they flung themselves along the path.
"That was a man?"
"No, a woman, I think."
They stopped suddenly and exchanged a incredulous look : "Luchera?"
On a part of the path, the relief of the ground hid the top of the hill. When they were able to see it again, they seemed to notice a silhouette. They set out again on the double.
Yuna was feeling safe. The unknown person did not mean any harm, she was sure of that. She had seen them swinging, slowly.
When they finally reached the top, the silhouette was still dancing.
"She's wearing the same clothes as you," Tidus noticed.
"Was it her who helped us?"
"That's a possibility. Look, isn't she performing a sending?"
In Tidus' mind, every dance was a sending.
"No," Yuna answered. "We can't see the souls of the dead. It would be fluttering in the night like a firefly."
Sometimes, it was difficult to discern it. But Yuna had never failed. For a summoner, the most important predisposition was the sensitivity to pyreflies.
"And the moves are different," Tidus added.
"That doesn't mean anything. The choreography is specific to the summoner, and some of them don't dance at all."
"Then why do you dance?"
"Because there exist people who can't see souls. In this case, how are they supposed to know if the one they love was sent correctly ? The dance of the officiate enables the concerned people to keep a strong memory of the ceremony. But a lot of people don't know that."
She kept quiet and put down her weapon on the ground. After a moment of hesitation, Tidus imitated her.
"We are sorry to disturb you," she began.
The silhouette stood still, then beckoned to them.
"Allow me to present me," Tidus said lightly
Yet, his expression was very serious.
He is overdoing it, Yuna thought. However, she decided to let him lead the conversation.
"Good evening," the unknown woman answered. "The stars are wonderful this night, are not they?"
She was little. In the middle of her thin face, flanked with black curls, her big eyes and her dimples drew attention. A wide dress, girded around the waist, was covering her thin body as far as the ankles. Her head reached Yuna's eyes in height.
No wonder I mistook her for a boy, from afar.
"I am Tidus."
"And I am Yuna."
The woman nodded :
"Kush."
Tidus let out an exclamation of surprise. Kush smiled, which illimunated immediately her face.
"Like the goddess of abundance?" Yuna asked.
"I do not look like her, I know," the young woman answered.
The young summoner stammered, embarassed.
"I have taken this name on," Kush explained. "I am not a divinity. This is a tradition, or a rule, to my people. After my death, someone else will become 'Kush'".
It made Tidus speechless.
"Who are your people?"
"The citizens of the holy Bevelle."
Yuna had never read a book or met someone mentioning Bevelle with this qualitative.
"Have you never heard of this place?" The frail young woman continued.
"The city is governed by gods?" Tidus asked. "But then... gods exist?"
Yuna feared that Kush got angry with them, but the young woman was smiling once again, and her dimples grew hollow.
"The city is on the authority of a religious government, which is mandated by gods. At least, that is what they affirm. As for the existence of divinities, the simple action of asking such a question could cause you serious problems."
"Oh..."
Tidus looked around him, anxious.
"Do not worry. Nobody can charge you with blasphemy or heresy anymore. In my opinion, I do not trust in them. But faith allows people to find some common ground. In the course of the seasons and our lifes, we join in the same rituals, and we understand that we are linked with each other, that we live in the same world. This is what happens when we take the name of a divinity on too. Incidentally, yet again, a ceremony is celebrated."
She indicated the sky with a finger :
"What is the name of the brightest star?" She asked.
"The Navel of the night," Yuna answered.
"Blitz Star!" Tidus announced at the same time.
"We call it Anli's Eye, Kush replied. He is the God who protects travellers."
She laughed and Yuna could not help doing the same.
"We have grown up in different worlds, and we are now gathered. Is not that wonderful?"
They agreed at the same time, and she resumed :
"But that is not what you want to know."
She was not smiling anymore.
Yuna wondered which question, among all those in her mind, was the most important. Tidus forestalled her :
"Where are we?"
The two young women found the formulation of his question a bit strange.
"He means, on which island," Yuna precised.
"Ah, I understand. I am sorry, I cannot answer your question. We call it 'Board of the War – South Division', but I cannot reveal its position."
"Board of the War?" Yuna repeated, abashed. "South Division?"
(Remember Kush uses the polite 'vous')
"That is correct. Vous are a Summoner, are not vous?"
Yuna nodded in agreement.
"And vous are her Guard?"
The two young people exhanged a questioning look. Tidus had been the guardian of Yuna. He had escorted and protected her during her journey.
"That is correct," Tidus ended up answering. "The Summoner Yuna and her Guard Tidus."
For a short moment, Kush's eyes appeared to search through the night. Yuna turned round and discovered a stocky silhouette just behind here.
"Shinra?" Yuna asked.
The newcomer was taller than the Shinra she knew, but he was wearing the same clothes as him : a yellow suit and a old gas mask.
"It does not speak. And I rue this lack. It is a mecanical Bedohl. Formerly, they were more numerous, but on this day, it is the last one."
She turned her palm towards the newcomer.
"Everything is fine. They are not enemies. They are the two persons you carried a bit earlier, remember. Their names are Yuna and Tidus. You do not have to eliminate them."
"What? Elim..." Tidus began.
Kush interrupted him :
"Introduce yourlselves," she ordered them. "Its visual device does not work anymore, and it has to use its audition to identify its interlocutors. It may be an end-of-life Bedohl, I do not know enough about its mechanism to be certain of this. But the false Bedohls have been built to destroy our enemies, therefore it will attack you if it thinks you are one of them. Introduce yourselves each time you meet it, and do it now once again, for more safety."
"I am Yuna."
"And I'm Tidus."
The strange character nodded and amble back along the path.
"What is the meaning behind those clothes and this mask?" Yuna asked.
"That is a ruse. Every Bedohl wore a similar outfit. Thus, nobody could differientiate the false ones from the true ones."
"I don't understand," Tidus took part. "Why were there false ones and true ones? And what is a Bedohl, to begin with?"
"A inferior people which carries out work. In order to make their life easier, some of them create machines, including false Bedohls."
"They are really great," Tidus whispered.
"No, they are awful! It is their inventions which have triggered the war. We have had to control them closely. My government has used magic to affix a mark on the body of each Bedohl. In order to not let them mingle with the population, we have ordered them to only speak a specific language. We have put in place all those measures for their own good..."
Yuna wondered if the young woman was refering to the Machina War. What was this magic used by her government? As for the Bedohls, it was reminding her of the Al Bhed. She had Al Bhed blood. Did her people come from the world of Kush?
"What exactly is the mark affixed on them?" Tidus asked on a light tone.
"A spiral deep in the eyes. Thus, wherever they go, they cannot conceal their nature."
"She's talking about Rikku and the others!" Tidus exclaimed, angry. "They're not 'inferior'!"
"They reap what they have sowed."
"Excuse me, ma'am, but you may have noticed that I have this mark in my eye," Yuna spoke, respectfully. "That is because my mother is Al Bhed... or should I say, 'Bedohl'."
Yuna saw surprise appearing on Kush's face. At the same time, the body of the young woman gleamed like a pyrefly.
"Well! To each their own, I suppose. But tell me, Yuna, is there another summoner in your family besides vous?"
"My father. He was named Braska."
"Maester Braska?"
"You don't know him?" Tidus asked. "He was High Summoner."
"Please accept my deepest apologies."
If they were in a different world, it was natural that nobody heard of Braska, Yuna thought.
"Kush," the young woman began. "May I call you, Kush, m'am?"
"Naturally."
"How have our two worlds met? When did they become separate?"
The young woman frowned but did not answer. For a few moments, she gleamed faintly, then became transparent. Tidus let out an exclamation of surprise, but she did not move. Calmly, Yuna held out her hand and touched Kush, who shone even more. But this time, instead of disappearing, the gleam spread, more and more glaring, until the body of the woman break up into a myriad of pyreflies.
"The Summoner," Yuna whispered, "where is he?"
Kush was dispersing in the wind. Without letting herself become overwhelmed, the young woman shouted:
"Where is the Summoner?"
He was certainly close.
"I want to meet him and talk to him. We just want to go back to our world. If you know a way to do it, tell us. Please!"
Kush had disappeared, but the pyreflies were still there, around the two young people, more and more numerous.
"Watch out!" Tidus shouted.
He drew Yuna against him and embraced her. Now, the entire landscape was gleaming : the lights were still dancing in the breeze.
The island was the fruit of a summoning. It was the result of pyreflies. Yuna had not felt well because of this massive energy concentration. The phenomenon was no different from what you felt if you was too close to Sin. As the hours passed, she had been accustomed to it. Unless the Summoner had recently intervened...
I will now use some of my magic, but it will not be easy, a voice declared.
Yuna thought Tidus had spoken, but the sound appeared to come from the pyreflies. They were connecting everything, from now now. And that included Yuna and the Summoner as well.
He was a man, and Yuna had already met him. But he had obscured this fact.
"I cannot erase your memories, only seal them."
Yuna had never heard of such a advanced skill. This Mage certainly possessed a peerless power.
"Yuna..." Tidus whispered. "Let's run away!"
"Where?"
"Anywhere."
He held her hand and drew her away along the path, on the double. She followed him without enthusiasm. Running away made no sense, and was not necessary. Under the influence of emotion or embarrassment, the Summoner was not able to maintain the summoning any longer, that is all. She had to explain that to Tidus.
But she did not manage to let out her words. Just before her, the silhouette of Tidus was blending into the pyreflies.
"That's enough!"
Surprised, the young man stood still.
"Stop that!" Yuna yelled in front to the night.
She raised her eyes. The gleams were ascending in the sky. Far above them, a star was shining strongly. Yuna would have wanted it to be the Navel of the night. If so, none of this would have happened. She would have been ignorant of this.
"Yuna?" Tidus took apart.
He seemed worried. He was still holding her hand. She drew him against her, and embraced him strongly.
"What is happening?"
"Don't say anything. Close your eyes. Think of me, of a enjoyable moment, any one."
She loosened her grip.
"On your knees," she murmured to him.
She held Tidus' head in her hands and put it against her stomach.
"Yuna? It hurts!"
"Be strong!"
She did not want him to see himself. He had not understood yet.
"What are you thinking about? Tell me."
After a moment of silence, he answered, with a muffled voice :
"Your birthmark."
"You're the only one to know it."
She was attempting to send her consciousness after the pyreflies to find the summoner. It was the same technique she used when she gave an order to an aeon.
Will it be a success? The last time she had made use of her art, it was in order to defeat Sin...
A picture appeared in her mind. A strange group was walking in a forest. The forest of Besaid. Two Bedohls were holding two long poles which were supporting a plate on which was seated a woman with elegant clothes. Her thin hood let catch a glimpse of her black and bright hair.
Kush.
A soldier was leading the way. An armor made of leather was covering his half-naked back, a sword was hanging on his hip.
A guardian?
Kush turned round, apparently surprised, and the setting of the vision changed. Yuna was seeing a little circular room. A spiral staircase was standing in the middle of the room, and the rim was almost entirely composed of windows. Inside the vision, Yuna came closer to them and discovered a cove through the panes. The young woman was overlooking the landscape. She recognized the port of Besaid, only the pontoon was missing. On the floor, several cushions were carefully stacked near a wood bowl filled with dried fruits and walnuts. She was feeling the sweet and bitter savors coming from it.
Our senses are in unison.
Suddenly, a atrocious pain hurt her chest. She was submerged by hatred, and by a so powerful love that it appeared to want to spring out of the pores of her skin. She was trapped by a storm of feelings.
A kick in the bowl, and the fruits scattered in the room.
Stop, a masculine voice ordered, old and hoarse, inside Yuna's mind.
"Where are you?" Yuna asked.
I accept to meet you, but on one condition. Accord me a favor.
"We will do our best."
My request can definitely be carried out , but the young man would achieve it more easily.
"I will tell him. What is it about?"
After a silence, the voice answered: killing a young girl.
-
Chapter 20
Night fell, and Bria was walking around Besaid. He walked along the coast despite the boulders which were making the progression difficult, explored inaccesible caves and parts of the forest where nobody has ever gone before. He did not see anywhere the monstruous monk Lulu had told him about.
As a rule, he let them rest in peace. But there were two former guardians in the village, and those persons could draw decaying spirits out. The situation would be even more complicated if Yuna and Tidus were present. He wanted to solve this problem before their return.
He was coming closer to the hill. The Navel of the night was shining in the sky.
The Navel of the night, not Anli’s Eye.
The woman he had told that the star was called Anli’s Eye had been so fond of this name that she had named her little tavern that she inherited from her parents, after it. On the verge of bankruptcy, she had bet that it would have brought her luck. She lost that bet.
Several warrior monks had come to fetch her to take her to the fortress of Bevelle. She was eight months pregnant that day. She had never come back. A short time later, a warrior had come back to the tavern with a wood box containing a newborn who would not stop crying : Bria’s daughter.
His wife had suffered a thousand tortures and, just before dying, had given birth to this child. The maesters of Yevon wanted to know where she had heard of the name “Anli’s Eye”, and would stop at nothing to find out. Until the end, she had protected Bria.
The warrior who had brought the child to him had offered his condolences, then had recommended him to run away.
He had told him his family owned an inn on the edge ofMacalania lake and was looking for a handyman. The warrior was named Gekkoh. Bria had taken an interest in the origin of his name and Gekkoh had glanced at him askance before telling him it originated from a famed ancestor.
Bria did not know why he had asked this question. Likewise, he did not understand how “Anli’s Eye” had come to his mind. To this day, he was still ignoring that.
Thanks to the recommendation of Gekkoh, Bria obtained the job at Macalania Lake. The mother of the innkeeper took care of the infant. Bria had named her Luchera. The name came to his mind instantaneously, and he had not managed to find another one thereafter.
But this name had posed a problem too.
One day, when the child was almost five years old, a monk had come from the temple of Macalania to ask some questions. Bria feared for his safety, but the innkeeper, who was a longstanding friend, interceded. Instead of sending a report to Bevelle, the monk demanded that Bria change the name of the child.
Bria was incapable of finding another name : he was convinced that, whatever he choose, it would bring misfortune to his daughter. In the end, the monk in question and the old woman who took care of her decided to name her Mohra. Bria found this name banal, but he hoped that it would provide a peaceful life to her child.
When Mohra was twenty, she was proposed to by a man. In the course of his visits, this regular customer had fallen in love with the young girl. She felt affection for the man too, and the union was encouraged. As long as her daughter agreed, Bria had no reason for being opposed to it. In order to explain the absence of her wife, he affirmed that she died because of a disease.
The banquet took place in the huge room of the inn. Many friends of the groom came, and went into ecstastics in the face of the beauty of the bride, who was wearing wonderful wedding garb. In the corner of the room, Bria was observing his daughter. He was torn between joy and sadness.
“You bastard!” The father of the groom had suddenly shouted.
He had come from Bevelle for the occasion and Bria still remembered his voice and his breath which reeked of alcohol.
“It’s you who killed Meroh!”
The man told the audience how Bria had duped the woman in Bevelle, had meddled with their family, and had managed to change the name of the establishment, which had caused the death of the lady, Meroh.
In the past, the man was a regular customer, and after the departure of Bria and his daughter, he had heard of this rumor.
Bria denied this. Some guests evoked the existence of a double, others thought it was just the delirium of a drunkard. But the man added :
“You’re fishy. It’s been twenty years, and yet you’ve not changed. I’ve lost my hair and I’ve got a paunch, but what about you? Nothing! What are you? A monster? An Unsent? For how long do you plan to stay in this world?”
Mohra burst into tears, and the innkeepers lowered their head.
Bria had always contented himself with a modest job and avoided appearing in public as much as possible.
He let his mustache grow, then shaved it, in order to give the illusion of change. But he did not age, and a attentive observer could not ignore it.
Out of respect for the innnkeepers, the neighbours had not said anything, but since her chilhood, Mohra found the situation hard to bear.
Bria left. He could not talk with her anymore, but he kept watching over her.
The marriage was cancelled. The next year, the mother of the innkeeper died. Three years later, the owner of the establishment and his wife left for a trip. Along the way, they were attacked by Sin, and none saw them again. That is right: at this time, Sin came back.
Against all odds, Mohra took over the inn. But the reputation of the place had been affected, and there were less and less customers. Forced to close the inn, the young woman got rid of it, came back to Bevelle, and entered holy orders.
Bria did not know what was inside the mind of his daughter and what was best for her. He had not the instinct of a father. He was not cut out for having a family.
Mohra led a long and fulfilling life. She rose in the ranks of the religious hierarchy, and when she passed away, at the age of eighty, her obsequies were spectular. Bria attended them from afar. He had not changed since her birth.
By a cruel quirk of fate, he was incapable of remembering the face of his wife. He only remembered the words of their first conversation. Sitting down in a shabby tavern, he listened to the other customers and that is how he learnt that the daughter of the innkeeper was named Meroh. She was a hard-working and conscientious young girl, morevover without specific charm. But Bria did not care about that, and he came back to see her, day after day, attracted by her name. He had the impression that this word contained the key to a secret buried in the depths of himself : why he did not age.
His former life, that is before he met Meroh, was bound to a mystery. As if his memory was nibbled by worms, composed of disjointed snatches. His twenty-five early years had been swallowed by a dark hole.
He thought that if he managed to fill this gap of memory, he would be appeased and could finally die.
As centuries passed, while he was feeling guilty because of what had happened with Mohra and Meroh, he kept believing that.
How long has it been since that time ? Maybe a thousand years.
Only fragments of memories remained in his mind.
He spent most of his time as a warrior-monk in Bevelle. As soon as a comrade noticed Bria did not age, he resigned and disappeared. He kept a low profile about fifty years, while waiting for those who knew him to die. Then he went back to military life, in Bevelle once again, because he thought he was closer to the key to the mystery over there. He was wrong. He must have had to come to Besaid much earlier.
"But this is not my first visit… Well, I don’t think so."
A memory of the temple of Besaid came into his mind. At that time, there were only two High Summoner statues.
"And that hill…"
He had climbed it so many times! The scupture of a young teenage-like girl was standing on the side of the path.
Bria closed his eyes.
Only two High Summoner statues. At that time, the one of the goddess had already disappeared.
No, they are two different periods. But howewer hard he tried to search his memories, he could not learn anything else from them.
Sometimes, days were so similar that it was difficult to remember the past. That was not the case for Bria. Someone had stolen his story.
Who could be so maleficent?
He decided to go back to the village to talk with the elders.
They always narrated to him the same anecdotes, and Bria could recite their entire life by heart. They had led humble lifes, in the shadow of the teachings of Yevon, but as days passed, Bria liked them more and more.
“Kuut ajahehk.”
Bria turned round and discovered beings with absurd faces. The one who had spoken was a blond-haired boy, who was wearing big protective eyewear, whilst night had fallen. Beside him, a man with a wild look was exhibiting his torso and stomach, naked and tattooed with flames. Some friends of Yuna.
“Kuut ajahehk.”
The tatooed man greeted him in his turn, in Al Bhed, indifferent. Bria trembled. Al Bhed had renounced the teachings of Yevon, but that was not what caused his hatred. He hated their language. It reminded him of sadness and anger. He turned his back on them, waiting for them to leave.
“Is he ignoring us?” The boy wearing glasses asked.
“Because we’re just dirty Al Bhed. Ra'c mucehk rec rayt,” the tatooed man spat.
Bria was feeling sick.
“Eh, wait a minute!” A feminine voice added. “What are you doing, Brother?”
Bria heard people approaching. Some friends of Yuna once again, he supposed. The girl who speaks loud and the calm and short-haired woman. His only wish at the moment was for them to quickly go on their way.
“This old man is disrespecting us,” the boy wearing glasses answered.
Bria turned round in order to apologize, but he found himself face to face with the tattooed man.
The Al Bhed was staring at him, scowling. He was so close that Bria could see the spirals in his eyes.
“Mind your manners, sickening Bedohl!” Bria exclaimed.
He spit in the face of the tatooed man, who stepped backwards. The Al Bhed seemed saddened.
“It was a joke!” He protested on a pitiful tone.
Bria stepped backwards in his turn. He was astounbed by his words. Where did they come from? Probably from the place where Anli’s Eye, Luchera and Meroh were imprisoned.
“Big bro behaved badly, but that isn't a reason to spit in his face!” a feminine voice said.
“Don’t interfere, Rikku!” The boy wearing glasses answered.
“It was a joke!” the tattoed man repeated.
“Our peaceful party comes to an end,” a child’s voice took apart.
Bria turned his head.
“A false Bedohl!” He exclaimed.
Under the influence of emotion, his sight became blurred. He did not know anymore what was standing in front of him.
These glasses, this gas mask, this yellow suit… there was no doubt about it.
Gunshots behind me. A Bedohl in yellow, with a clumsy walk. Smoke is still escaping from the barrel of the riffle he is tightening under his left arm. I do not know how many bullets he has fired.
Turning his nose up at the man wearing glasses and his tattoed comrade, disdaining the two women, he headed for the false Bedohl. But his legs were so weak that he lost his balance. He held himself up as he could. He must have been appearing very clumsy in their eyes. To think that these subhumans were going to laugh at him!
One of their people has killed me.
Submerged by anger, he unsheathed his dagger.
“He’s serious?” A voice exclaimed.
The short-haired woman stood in his way and, with a kick, took his dagger away from him.
She is not a Bedohl, he thought, just as he received a blow on the back of his neck.
He fell down.
“What are you talking about?”
The half-naked Bedohl kneeled down and lean on him. Under her slender muscles, we could barely make out her ribs. Bria suddenly felt a desire he had not experienced for a long time.
“Why?” He exclaimed.
For a Bedohl?
“That's my question! They just greeted you.”
She leaned on him even more closely.
“Pfft…” She let out with a scornful tone.
Embarrassed, he turned away. He looked at the false Bedohl, who was walking slowly towards him.
“You’ve been saying Bedohl since our meeting. What is that?”
“Don’t come closer!”
Bria was about to lose consciousness.
The Bedohl has slapped the woman. I have wanted to go for his throat, but Ifahnal has held me back.
Ifahnal ?
A second slap, and Kush has opened her eyes.
-
Chapter 21
He suddenly opened his eyes while shouting "Kush", and then he lost consciousness once again. What is wrong with him? Rikku asked.
Wakka was not looking at Bria, but Lulu, who was silent.
"Was it necessary to tie him up?" He asked with a careful tone.
Lying before the stele standing on the top of the hill, bound hand and foot, Bria was still uncouscious.
"Whose side are you on?" Rikku responded to him.
"He's not a poor sod," Wakka protested. "I've only known him for one month, but he doesn't content himself with his work at the temple. He takes part in the chores of the village. And the elders like him. If they were to see him in this state... it makes me shudder."
"Yes, but..." Rikku started to protest.
"Originally, it was Brother who provoked him," Paine declared calmly. "Admittedly, he got out a knife but I don't think it was intented for one of us. I've had the impression he was seeing someone else. He was... staring into space."
"He was completely out his mind. This guy is dangerous."
"Say, Lu, what do we do?" Wakka asked.
"Something is wrong with him," Lulu said, "but we can't leave him here, in public view. The elders like him... We should take him to his room. Over there, we'll be able to examine him."
She nodded, resolute, and turned towards Buddy and Brother, who, seated on the ground, were listening in silence. They immediately leapt to their feet.
"You two, take him to the room."
"Ihtancduut," Brother shouted, standing at attention.
"Let's go," Wakka said, "I'm worried about Vidina."
"Why?" Lulu asked.
"Because I left him with the grandmothers!"
"I trust them more than you to take care of him..."
"You're unfair!" Wakka exclaimed, indignant.
Paine laughed quietly.
"No laughing when Yuna's not here!" Brother added, who was helping Buddy to stand Bria back up, and left him untied from now on.
-
Chapter 22
But where was Yuna?
The young woman had wanted to isolate herself. Tidus had insisted that Yuna does not move away too far, in order for him to hear her whistlings if need be. She had left just past noon. The sun was going to set, and she had not come back yet.
Tidus had settled himself in the room where they had regained consciousness. He followed the hallway and went out. Though the leaves of the trees, he was distinguishing the statue of Luchera. Another silhouette was standing near her.
"Yuna!" He shouted.
She turned and waved at him. But she was not looking at the right place. The trees were certainly preventing her from seeing him.
"Sir Tidus..."
Kushu appeared before him. He had understood that she was not a woman, but he did not know her true shape. Yuna cetainly knew, but she had not said anything, and he was refusing to ask her: he did not want to be unpleasant with her.
How about asking the right person?
"What are you, Kush ? Well, I mean..."
"Vous do not know ? I am an aeon."
"Oh!"
"Lady Yuna did not tell vous about our request?"
"About what?"
"We asked her to do something, but our conversation was two days ago, and..."
"What do you want from us?"
"Not both of you. Only vous, Tidus," Kush answered with a smile.
Her dimples were very lovely.
"go ahead and ask me."
-
Chapter 23
They took Bria to his cell, in the temple, and tied him to a pillar. Then Wakka and the Gullwings went back about their business. Bria was not really unconscious, but rather in a deep sleep. The monk who lived in the temple was looking after him. Lulu, hanging back, swept the room with her eyes, greeted the clergyman and went out in her turn.
This man had arrived in Besaid about ten years earlier, and was currently in charge of welcoming the public, both the inhabitants of the island and the tourists. This mission guaranteed him very busy days, but apart from that he hardly spoke. Therefore, it was difficult to know more about him, yet Lulu trusted him. After the fall of Yevon, he had responded to the anxiety of the oldest villagers. She had observed him for a long time, therefore she knew that he was open-minded and practical.
He had reassured everyone, explaining that it was the teachings which were at fault, not the villagers.
At that time, there was another monk living in Besaid, but he had turned into a monster. Before that, he was a man in the prime of life, whose head was divided by two thick eyebrows. More than a clergyman, he was an dogged scholarly person. When he was not in his cell surrounded with his books, you could find him in the holy of the holies that he cleaned and watched, zealous.
Since Yuna had defeated Sin, people had caught sight of him hanging around here and there on the island.
I wonder what he was doing, Lulu thought.
He had arrived at the temple three years earlier, and had spent all this time between these walls.
After the fall of Yevon, he has maybe discovered an interest for the outside world.
Two months earlier, she had learnt he had to return to Bevelle. Bria had come to replace him. A short time afterwards, the monk had disappeared in the dead of night. Witnesses had caught a glimpse of him, late at night, and early morning, he was no more. It would have been impossible for him to return to the Citadel in the meantime. Not to mention he had not gathered his things, and had left his belongings behind him.
Not surprising, since he has turned into a monster!
Lulu had seen him with her own eyes, trampling while letting out this strange cry : "Bria Bria Bria". This was not an auditory hallucination, she was sure about that.
She turned round to gaze one last time at the door of the cell.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hidden behind the temple, Shinra saw Lulu returning to her tent. Then he whispered in al bhed :
"She's finally gone."
"Let's end this," Brother answered in the same language.
"Okay, you deal with the monk while I talk with Bria."
"I want to talk with him too!"
"No, you make too much noise," Shinra responded to him.
"You damn brat!" Their leader protested.
"Shh! There's no time to lose."
"All right. Gullwings, men's section, let's go!"
They slipped to the entrance. Hardly had they crossed the heavy leaf when the monk noticed them.
"Did you forget something?"
Brother nodded and headed to the door located under the stairs.
"This is the room of the High Summoner," the monk informed him.
"Ah?"
Brother changed direction and came closer to the other door.
"You did that on purpose, right?" Buddy teased him.
"Zip it!"
"Anyway," Shinra took apart, "there's no point in all three of us meeting with Bria. That's not what we agreed to do."
"All right, I don't like to seem rude, but I don't have the choice," Buddy pointed out before throwing himself on the monk.
The monk tried to run away, but the Al Bhed was faster. He caught him up, grasped him round the waist and joined his hands together around the man. The monk could not move at all. Straight after, Brother removed the polarizing glasses Poto was wearing and put them on the face of the clergyman.
Ignoring the protests of the victim, he burst out laughing when he saw the long eyelashes and the big eyes of Buddy. Straight after, he increased the light filtration of the glasses to the full.
"I can't see anything ! What did you do?"
"It's necessary for the time being," Buddy explained. "Now, go for the mouth!"
Brother gagged the monk with his big hand.
"I will let you take care of him," Shinra declared before crossing the door which led to the cells.
He heard what may be a noise of struggle, but he had just entered Bria's room, and he was petrified by a piercing look.
"Close the door behind you," the prisoner ordered quietly.
No, alone, I am not up to it, I need some help, the boy thought.
Yet, he complied obediently.
"Good Bedohl."
-
Chapter 24
Yuna had decided to walk around the island, alone, because staying with Tidus was too difficult. She had returned to the starting point, the circular room, but had not found a solution to the problem. She wishes she would have been able to share the pain inside her with her partner, to give him some relief. Was she in the wrong? Maybe could she save him from this suffering.
But another problem was preoccupying her...
"Killing a young girl."
If she told Tidus about the request of the summoner, would her former guardian accede to it? Maybe, if he thought he could please Yuna. Egocentric thought, she was aware of that, but she knew that the young man was often eager to please her.
"No", she declared aloud, "he would never do that, even for me."
"Vous wanted to be alone?"
Kush was standing against the altar, under the gaze of the statues.
"No, but staying with him was too difficult for me. I'm bad at hiding, and he always manages to know what I think. His considerations are hard to bear..."
Kush shrugged and laughed quietly.
"What?"
"He said the same thing. And he understands very well your need of solitude. Vous are very fortunate."
Yuna had the impression that Kush was making fun of her. She wanted to object, but changed her mind: after all, she was talking to a swarm of pyreflies.
She quickly came closer to the altar. The Aeon Core stepped backwards but Yuna grasped her hand and concentrated. Kush's skin began to shine.
"Is that your opinion, Summoner?"
Such aggressiveness.
"That's because you're unreasonable. You remind me of Yunalesca."
The Summoner Princess? You are offending me.
"Could you at least tell me your name?"
He did not answer.
Yuna turned towards the statues and began to enumerate them :
"Luchera, Guard, Alb, Valm, Kanaela, Sloan, Meiyoh, Mikka, Gekkoh, Romand, Anli, Ifahnal..."
Kush's silhouette trembled.
"Ifahnal ? 'Grant us beauty'?"
It does not look like me.
"Then what's your real name?"
Johit. From Muca.
"Muca?"
South of the continent.
"Ah, Luca."
Probably.
"Would you accord me an interview?" Yuna asked in the same respectful tone as Kush.
There was a silence, then a throat clearing.
Very well. But I am an Unsent, and I wish to disappear only when I will have decided it. Do I have your word?
"I promise you, I will not send you into the other world. Where do I have to meet you?"
Stay here, I am going to prepare the place of our meeting.
The illusion was so powerful that Yuna had forgotten everything around her was summoned. These events were unprecedented for her. Her and him practiced the same art, but they mastered very different techniques.
This is normal, Johit declared. We have contemplated a identical reality, but we have not understood it in the same manner, and each of us has believed in a distinct illusion.
Kush was fluttering like the scorching summer air, and was shining so strongly that Yuna had to protect her eyes.
-
Chapter 25
"My memories are back!"
Bria was lying on the floor, tied up, but still impressive. Shinra had never met such a man.
More than ever, the boy was delighted to have chosen one day to hide behind his glasses and his mask and to join the Gullwings. His lack of experience, because of his young age, was a problem that his brilliance did not manage to resolve. Worse still, he had been the chosen victim of mocking and bullying. His getup hid his distress or his tears, but he could not prevent his voice from trembling.
He decided to stay silent until he regain his composure. Fortunately, his interlocutor appeared to not care about being the only one to talk.
"Numerous memories have come back into my mind. Yet, a conversation between a Bedohl and myself seems like a new experience, currently. A brat, to be sure."
Shinra shrugged. He did not feel up to do more.
"But I've lost comrades because of underestimating a child due to his youth, so..."
Bria shook his head, as if to show that he will not repeat this error. He wriggled to sit up straight, cross-legged. On his guard, Shinra was waiting for the next move of the prisoner. Was he going to tell him how his comrades had died? If he was going to do so, there was a good chance that he would lose his temper, and the situation could become dangerous...
But the man changed the subject.
"You don't intend to call for help ?"
Shinra shook his head. Bria grumbled and stayed quiet. Relieved by his mutism, the boy began to examinate him. His hair and his mustache were hiding his face, and it was difficult to discern his expression. His faded look seemed to hide a secret. Shinra did not trust this man, and he knew it was the same for Lulu.
For a moment, Bria stared at Shinra in turn, before lowering his eyes.
"Leave me alone," he whispered.
His back suddenly stooped, as if the arrogance that had been supporting him so far had disappeared.
It was the perfect time to leave the room, the boy thought.
"What is a Bedohl? Why do you call me that, sir?"
Shinra had spoken with a tone more polite than the prisoner deserved, and he regretted it. But rephrasing it was not an option: that would lead him to admit that he had made a mistake.
The man sit up straight with a sour laugh
"All the Bedohls were like you. Now, people say "Al Bhed". In the past, a man named "Alb" was their leader. Some people called them "Alb's Bedohls" or "Albedohls". It's the Church who's decided to call you "Al Bhed". A name easier to spew out, I guess. It's just a simple patch, like all the teachings of Yevon."
"I didn't know. Nobody has told us about this."
This admission was not showing his best light to to the prisoner, but he paid that no mind. His main objective was first to draw his interlocutor out. Bria nodded kindly.
"Since it's origin, this world was governed by beings endowed with supernatural abilities. Those who have predispostions to magic and mastered it have always been given an advantage, and they have jealously guarded it until now. The daily life of the destitute people has been cruel for a long time. Think carefully: back in the days, magic was the only way to produce a flame. The Bedohls are the ones who have turned the tide. Their inventions have been called "machines" or "machinas" and have spread out all over the world. Of course, the people in charge did not appreciate that. But they knew the Bedohls were useful. Instead of forbiding them, they tried to find a way to take advantage of them. 'To coexist and to prosper', that was their motto."
Shinra was hanging onto Bria's every word. In the boy's mind, Spira's history had always begun with the Machina War. It was the first he was hearing talk of events preceding this conlict.
"But the faults are on both sides. The Bedohls have become more and more audacious, and the governments more and more tyrannical. Your ancestors carried on creating machines, but they were considered inferior to livestock from then on."
"But if that's the case, why..."
"Why did they carry on creating their machines ? Because if they refused to do it, they were killed. They have designed, built and maintained the weapons of the conflict. Rather than refusing and dying, they have chosen to live," Bria explained in a serious tone, before letting out a new sour laugh. "The Bedohls were really strange. They had created a hierarchy between them : those who had the monopoly on construction, those who could only use basic techniques, those who were restricted to physical work..."
The prisoner suddenly appeared to be sad.
"You're the descendants of the most destitute Bedohls."
"And what happened to Alb? You said we owed our name to him..."
"Let's say there was no room for him in the world of Yevon. I didn't even have to kill him."
"Excuse me?"
Shinra had thought that the man, passionate about history, liked to show off his knowledge. But he was apparently crazy. The boy knew that the mentaly ill could sometimes describe with realism a world which only existed in his mind. Maybe this was the case for Bria?
"The Alb I have known was just one of those who had taken on the name of the god of workers. His life and his death have probably changed nothing in history..."
He was appearing to stare into space. Shinra would not have been able to say if he was distracted or lost in his memories.
"Eh!" Bria let out with a familiar tone. "What is your name?"
"Shinra."
"Can you untie me, Shinra?"
"No, I can't."
"If you can't untie the knots, you can at least cut the cord."
"Hey! I'm not a kid!" The boy protested.
Howewer, Bria had not talked mockingly.
"Your airship is rooted to the post, right?"
"I don't see what..."
"And what if I tell you I know how to repair it?"
"You can do that, really?"
Those machines are designed so that they stop working after some time."
"Why?"
"For two reasons. First, you need to proceed to regular inspections. But if a machine still works without these inspections, nobody takes the time to do it, until an accident happen. And of course, the Bedohls would be given the blame for this. So, the mechanisms stop from time to time in order to maintain them. Furthermore, only Alb and his Bedohls knew how to put them back in working order. Thanks to that, they were indispensable. The governement could not eliminate them if they wanted to use their machines."
"This plan was not really great..."
"They couldn't plan ahead that the whole world was going to fall in the grip of a man determined to drop all technology."
Bria laughed, as if indifferent to the past events.
"How can you repair the airship ? You're not Bedohl."
"I've worked in Bevelle. Do you know what it looks like, from the inside?"
"A machine?"
"Exactly. And since the Bedohls are forbidden to enter the citadel, several persons had to learn how to maintain it. I'm a part of these initiated persons. I can't repair a damaged or broken mechanism, but I can restart it after a programmed stop."
"And you know the architecture of the machines? Like the engine, for example?"
"It depends on the model."
"Great!"
"I've been forbidden to inscribe these knowledges, but everything is still in mind."
"Excellent! That's great!"
The boy untied the prisoner quickly.
"Let's hurry Bria, The Fahrenheit is waiting for us!"
Behaving like a excited child, the boy was bouncing up and down.
"Thanks, Shinra..."
Bria stood up straight slowly, and suddenly gave a knee-strike to the chest of the young man. He had aimed at the stomach, but too bad: his victim was lying on the floor, inert. The man was not feeling guilty at all. Shinra was admittedly a child, but a Bedohl above all else.
"And don't call me Bria. I'm Sloan."
The time had come for him to take on the vengeful name that his comrade had himself taken on in the past.
From now on, he knew that he was an incarnate spirit. He held out his hand before him. It seemed that he was seeing it gleaming. Since he had discovered his condition, how long was he going to be able to maintain his body and his mind?
"I should hurry."
-
Chapter 26
Yuna was seated on a wooden crate, on the pontoon of a boat devoured by rust. The hull had been repaired in several places. The boat was as big as the S.S. Liki, which shuttled back and forth between Besaid and Kilika. Yuna recognized the person represented on the figurehead: Anli, god of travellers.
Yuna turned around. Her skiff was floating on a sea of oil. On the starboard, she recognized the silhouette of an island.
"Eh..."
She spun round. An old thin man was seated on another crate.
"Nice to meet you Summoner Ifahnal. Or maybe do you prefer Johit?"
"Yes, please."
His white hairs, mustache and beard were contrasting with the black color of his robe. The edge of his hood was hiding his eyebrows. When he moved, Yuna noticed that they were white too.
"I have lived for ninety years. I have become an Unsent because I had to carry some things out, but..."
He shrugged, tired.
"I have only understood after my death that it would have been better for me to die much earlier. It must be a little unpleasant for you to meet an old man like me. I may not look like much, but when I was young, I dyed my hair in red... I was really stupid."
He stayed silent.
"Johit?"
"I prefer that you call me Sire Johit."
"Naturally," she answered despite her irritation. "Sire Johit, have you also summoned this boat?"
"Well, yes. Unfortunaly, I am not close anymore to the Aeon Core – that which you call "Fayth" -, therefore I can only recreate some places she knows well. The island is my strong point. If summoning is the materialization of the close link between Summoner and Aeon Core... let us say that I am using a distant link. Do not laugh. That is what happens when you create too many Aeon Cores, but I was ignorant of that fact."
"Summoners create the Fayths?" Yuna was surprised.
"That is how summoning worked in former times. The technique you use now has been altered in order to satisfy the Church of Yevon. You work with the fayth you were assigned, in order to create only what he wants. By forwarding your thoughts to him, you increase the power of the Aeon. An adaption certainly executed in order to facilitate the task during a battle."
"I can't believe it..."
"What is surprising you?"
"Everything I believed to be true was a lie."
"Somehow, it was. You have lived while being convinced of something... This has become your reality."
"I thought Aeons had disappeared from Spira forever, since Fayths are no more. And I didn't want to pratice anymore. I was convinced that summoning was just a weapon. But if it's not the case, if I can create islands and boats... I'm able to do a lot for everyone else, more than just dispense advice to them and send them into the other world after their death."
Johit put his hand on Yuna's. The body of the old man gleamed, and the young woman felt a consciousness – no, a knowledge – moving from Johit to her. He was passing down to her the technique to create a Aeon Core.
"Oh..."
What she saw made her blush.
"Sorry. That is how I proceeded. If you manage to achieve a similar state, you can do it differently. Thereafter, I developed a simpler method. But since this method skips some steps, there is a lack of power. This is a crual technique, to use sparingly. I advise you against resorting to it because you need a boat."
He shrugged and turned towards the island. Yuna imitated him.
"How many fayths do you need to summon this island?" She suddenly asked.
Countless persons had been required to recreate the city of Zanarkand.
For a moment, the man lowered his eyes. Yuna looked at the deck he was contemplating, before understanding. A shiver crossed along her spine.
"Do you want to see?"
"No."
"I insist. Else, I will not listen to your request," he answered with a serious tone. "Your wish is to go back to your Besaid, is it not?"
She raised her eyes. Johit was pointing out at a hatch, in a corner of the deck. He stood up straight and opened it, revealing stairs which sank into dark. A smell of rust and death assailed Yuna.
-
Chapter 27
Tidus was huddled up and drifting in the darkness, when pictures started appearing in his mind. Was he actually seeing them, or were they only memories? He did not know. A young girl was standing in front of him. She was holding the hands of the boy in hers.
Her features looked like those of a teenager. Tidus knew her name. It was... it was Kush.
Find me. Someone named Briah knows my location. In case he does not, he will still be able to lead you to me. If you do so, I will send Yuna back to her world.
"All I need to do is meet you?"
Yes. I want you to push my shoulder.
"Excuse me?"
I am seated in front of a window. I am looking outside. I want you to gently push my shoulder.
"Which window? Where?"
I do not know, but Briah will. I am sure of it. Go and see him.
"Very well. But promise me to save Yuna."
I will.
"But how do I leave the island? Is there a boat?
By swimming. You can do it. Head for the open sea, as far as you can. Think of the place you want to go.
"I will end up exhausted. What should I do then?"
Kushu glared.
"What is that?"
A spell which will allow you to reach the place you seek. But be careful; do not be late. The first symptoms will be minor, but soon, even the things most important to you will disappear. Great care needs to be taken with those who know your existence. Hurry, before the spell vanishes.
His view was not obstructed any more: 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'm coming!"
His feet propelled him with all their strength to the real world.He was coming closer to a boundary, the limit between "here" and "there". A luminous wall was appearing to blink. Was it a call, or the symbol of a radiant world? Tidus was swimming upwards, always upwards. He was a splendid swimmer.
"I'm back!"
-
Chapter 28
Under the deck, Yuna discovered a warehouse. The hold had been divided into several sections, which contained a pile of diverse objects. The young woman recognized several of them: some weapons she had seen in the armory, the dress she was wearing when she woke up, her cover, and several statues representing divinities. In the engine room, she discovered, not without surprise, a Choboco. The animal was sleeping and when she brushed it, he began to gleam. Had Johit summoned it?
She left the room and came upon a silhouette in the dark hallway. The man was heading towards her. No, not a man she corrected herself, a mechanical Bedohl. It appeared that it had seen her because it stepped up its pace.
"Yuna. I am Yuna."
He stopped and, with a little waving, turned around and walked away. On his back, he was holding a bag, made of rope, which contained a ball.
Suddenly, memories came back into Yuna's mind: the balloon which rolls on the path, Tidus leaning on it to pick it up... his head, at the foot of the young girl.
And I have revived him. With the help of this old Summoner. I have used all my energy, all my knowledge, and I have extracted Tidus from... who? From what?
Suddenly dizzy, she held her arm out towards the partition in order to catch hold of it. But her hand touched down on a door, and she entered involuntarily a new room.
The smell allowed her to quicky know what she was going to find.
She counted seven Fayths – or Aeon Cores according to Johit. Three men and four women.
"They are all Bedohls," the Summoner behind her explained. "We were stuck on the island, and only death was awaiting us. We wanted to leave. It over a thousand years ago. Along with the Bedohls, I have waited for the day of our escape. Fortnightly, a ship came to resupply us. We had decided to steal it. But at the end of the first week, our base had been violently under attack. Those two chaotic days killed so many people... At the morning of the third day, our aggressors left, and the ship duly berthed. We roamed the seas, but the enemy was everywhere. We have resigned ourselves to coming back to the island. Then, we lived peacefully for some time : the base had been abandoned. Thereafter, Yevon spread out its power in the world, and a team came to build a temple. We thought we could mingle with them, but as soon as they arrived, they began to hunt the Bedohls. Being captured meant death. They turned them into Aeon Cores, until their death. You know about my method. In the eyes of the others, this was without doubt ridiculous. Or ominous."
She could detect sadness in his voice. She was commiserating with him, but she was concentrated on her hand, on the fingers which had touched down the partition in order for her to keep her balance, on her skin which could feel the wood grain down to the smallest detail. She remembered that Johit had difficulties in maintaining his summonings when he was beset by powerful emotions. Yet, nothing was gleaming.
"This boat is real?"
The summoner nodded to confirm it, and Yuna rushed towards the deck.
She was still seeing the island, and now the cove too. A detail drew her attention...
She let out a cry of exclamation when she noticed that the mechanical towers which stood out of the forest seemed washed out because of the bad weather.
She had come back to Besaid.
Where is Tidus ?
She thought that he was waiting for her in the Aeon-island. But currently, Johit was not summoning anything. In that case, where was her partner?
The old man emerged slowly from the hold.
"Where is Tidus?"
"I told him that it was for your own good, and he immediately agreed."
-
Chapter 29
Every second Bria spent moving in the form of pyreflies, he could feel a little part of himself vanishing. He was wondering if it was similar to what the dead felt when they turned into fiends. And if the process occured too much, what remained of the soul, ultimately? His essence itself? Bria wanted to know, but he had a lot of things to do.
He was standing in the cove, looking at the open sea.
He closed his eyes and tried to think about the landscape he had last contemplated, his mind starting to be beffudled. If his will was strong enough, maybe could he reconstitute himself over there? He agreed to sacrifice himself, as long as he could preserve his desire for vengeance.
He concentrated his mind on a picture: a ship which was splitting the waves, the statue of Anli fixed on its bow.
"Here I come, Ifahnal-the-ugly-man! Ô Sloan, grant me your help!"
-
Chapter 30
Yuna did not know from where the pyreflies which were converging on the bow of the ship were coming. They were forming a sparkling ball of light. When the sparkle weakened, a silhouette appeared at the center. When she recognized the man, she jumped with surprise. She had already talked with him at the temple. His name was...
"Guard?" Johit exclaimed. "You have finally understood?"
The newcomer looked around him, then examined his own body. He seemed surprised, then shrugged.
"Why not," he whispered, before turning towards the Summoner. "It's been a long time, Ifahnal. You look bad. The poor god of beauty must be sobbing while looking at you. What happened to your red hair and your overbuilt muscles?"
"This name has always been playing tricks on me. It would have been better for me to lead a simplier life."
The old man had spoken with a very little voice, like a teenager.
"You too, it has taken you some time to understand..." the new comer pointed out to Ifahnal.
"Excuse me," Yuna interrupted. "Have you seen Tidus by chance?"
"I talked with him before the storm. I have in mind these memories, so familiar with another world, some fragments, and I wanted to know if he knew how to travel between realities. After all, he has come from Zanarkand... You know, High Summoner, thanks to your Bedohls, my memories are back!"
Johit shook his head and stepped backwards.
"So, I've decided to meet and greet the one who had stolen them."
The old man joined his hands and put down his fingertips on his forehead. The strange movement looked an apology, Yuna thought.
But at this moment, she smelt a burning smell, characterisctic of pyreflies, and a mouse as big as a dog appeared. The young woman wrinkled her nose and came closer to the Guard.
"I hadn't been bothered with a rat since a long time!" He let out while bursting out laughing.
Yuna remembered what the old man had told her a little earlier: because of his bad relation with his Fayth, he could only summon familiar objects.
"But that's only a rodent", the Guard added, before disappearing.
He reappeared just after, holding a rapier. Yuna recognized one of the weapons she had seen in the hold.
"When you understand how this body works, it becomes very useful!"
This man was living at the temple, with Yuna. They only greeted politely each other, but the young woman was feeling guilty for not having noticed his true nature.
His weapon raised, Bria rushed towards the animal and slashed it. The rat vanished in a cloud of light.
The Guard gave the Summoner a despising look, then disappeared in his turn to reappear behind the old man.
"Bria... Valm! Don't forget who gave you this body!"
"Oh, but I know well... I remember how Kush and yourself have betrayed me, before uniting with your repulsive Bedohls in order to lay a trap for me. The base has not been destroyed by the enemy, but you, Summoners!"
"Is that what you remember?"
"I understand now some things which escaped me at that time. Then? Since when you and Kush..."
"I regret it, Valm. I have kept manipulating your memories. Each time you remembered Kush and came to Besaid, I erased everything related to her."
"Why?"
"To avenge myself, and to prevent you from putting an end to that. Because of your deformed soul, you have seen a altered past. The reality is much prettier. The courage and the devotion of Kush..."
A din interrupted him, and the three of us turned towards the origin of the noise. The hatch which led to the hold was open, and the false Bedohl was slowly emerging from it. It was holding in his arms a ball... a bomb.
"Now, kill the Guard!" Johit ordered.
The Bedohl came closer to Valm with a hesitant step before stopping and putting down the bomb on the deck. It initiated the kick which had to send the ball on his target, but it suddenly stood still. Yuna, Bria and Johit were staring at him. A big wave made the ship toss around: the Bedohl lost its balance and fell flat on its back. His hand touched the ball which caused it to roll towards Johit. The old man burst out laughing joyfully.
"I had two brothers, but I am the only one to have the gift of Summoner."
"Run away!" Yuna yelled.
He ignored her and turned towards Bria:
"Do you know how much Kush was in love with you? She wanted you to live. Even if she did not want to become a Aeon Core and spend eternity between life and death, she came to me. She thought that without her, maybe you would have left the island."
"She wanted me to leave?"
"It was her intention to tell you about that, but the enemy attacked us, and you..."
The ball stopped gently at the foot of the old man.
"You died in the middle of the battle, and Kush... lost her mind. She put all her soul in the pyreflies which were escaping from your body, to gather them. It is by her efforts that you have become a incarnate spirit and that you stand here right now."
Yuna understood that, unwittingly, she had done the same thing with Tidus. Then the bomb exploded.
The pyreflies which were forming the old man spread out around Yuna and Bria, as if he did not want to leave them.
------------------------------------------------
"What have you done, for a thousand years?" Bria whispered.
Inside the lie which constitued his life, only the love and the promise shared with Kush were real. But he had attached too much importance to it.
If only she could still address him as vous, with her expressions so charming... he seemed to be picturing her adolescent smile.
Yuna began to dance on the deck of the ship, determined to spend the necessary time to send the soul of the Unsent in the other world.
She had difficulty in understanding the Summoner, who, after having seen that the wish of his Fayth had not come true, had let this tragedy continue for thousand years on end.
"Where is Kush?" Bria suddenly asked. "Where is the Aeon Core?"
Frenzied, his silhouette more and more gleaming, he was looking all around him. Staring at the hatch, he rushed towards it.
"There're only Bedohls over there!" Yuna told him.
"But where did he hide her?"
"You really don't know? There's no much time left. Ifahnal wanted to stop everything: he has certainly endeavored to destroy his Fayth."
She was very careful not to tell him that Tidus was charged with this task.
"If I'm still here, then it means that she's all right," Bria noted.
He was biting his lower lip, and the blood which was escaping from it was shining before disappearing.
"I apologize for having you involved in this story," he told her before disappearing.
-
Chapter 31
Bria's disappearance had plunged Besaid into chaos. And since Tidus had returned without Yuna, things had only gotten worse.
"Be quiet!" The young man ordered the villagers gathered in the tent of the crusaders. "I'll take reponsibility, I'll bring Yuna back. But I need your help. We need to find Bria."
A voice raised in order to ask the role of Tidus in this matter. Another one demanded to expel him from the island. Only Wakka's and Lulu's intervention allowed him to convince the masses to look for Bria.
"We won't find him," Rikku affirmed with a pout. "He escaped from a closed room. If he can get through walls made of stone... he's not human."
"Then, what is he?" Tidus asked with a beaten down tone.
"Those... things which come from the Farplane. Those piles of pyreflies which can wander our world without being noticed. They exist, right?"
"Let's postpone these speculations, okay?" Paine took apart. "Did someone examine his cell thoroughly? There may be a second exit."
"I examined it myself, with Brother and Buddy," Wakka protested.
"Maybe you should do it once again," Paine answered.
She left the tent, and Rikku and Lulu followed in her steps. Tidus apologized to Wakka and left in his turn.
"No, there's no backdoor," Buddy affirmed with a indolent tone. "The monk assured it to me."
In order to apologize for having forced his way in, Brother and himself had agreed to clean up the temple. Sitting on the ground in Bria's cell, they were taking a break.
"It's just to be sure," Paine answered while ferreting through the room.
Lying on the side, Brother was observing her while swearing in Al Bhed.
When she finished her inspection, she sighed:
"Nothing. No backdoor. I was in doubt, but now I'm convinced."
Wakka crossed his arms on his chest and raised his chin, in a defiant movement.
"I want to find Bria too," Shinra whispered.
He had stayed silent in a corner of the room until now.
"You won't be getting your revenge until I'm done with him," Tidus answered.
The boy shook his head.
"He knows so many astounding things, he can change my vision of the world, I'm sure of that."
"Do you want me to break his tooth?" Buddy asked, breezy.
"This kick on my chest is a blessing," Shinra answered while massaging his thorax.
And then a woman, belonging to the elders, entered the cell.
"Bria is not at the end of the temple?" She asked.
"I sent someone to check a second time. I don't think he's over there."
"In that case, I have an idea."
While everyone was looking at her, the old woman announced, with a detached air, something very surprising.
"He was not a criminal in the end," Lulu whispered after the revelation.
-
Chapter 32
The ship was moving away from Besaid, and Yuna did not know what to do. She had entered the room containing the rudder, had pulled some levers and pushed some buttons, without any result. Since Johit had disappeared, the Chocobo was not here anymore. Yuna decided to try a summoning and headed towards the room where the Fayths were resting. Unfortunately, because of the time they had spent between life and death, the Bedohls had crystallized. Therefore the shock of the explosion had broken them.
A part of the Fayths should have turned into pyreflies, but Yuna did not see anything of the sort. She deduced that the Aeon Cores were really weak. Was it because of their age, or because the link with Ifahnal was poor? She did not know the answer.
"I can try to swim..."
There was a huge chance that she sink before reaching her goal. The problem would come after. The last time, she could rely on Tidus' presence to follow him in this other reality, as Tidus had accompanied Sin from Zanarkand.
Alone, she could not go anywhere.
She turned towards the island, more and more distant, and put her finger to her lips. Tidus had taught her how to whistle with her thumb and her forefinger. Should she call him now? If she did so, the young man would rush up immediately.
But she was fearing what would happen then...
-
Chapter 33
With the help of ropes, Aurochs and villagers had climbed the mechanical towers standing on the path of the ruins and had started examining them in every nook and cranny.
These vestiges were older than the village, and yet, everyone had always ignored them. The team which was searching them this day appeared to be excited. The teachings of Yevon had always forbiden the inhabitants to come closer to them. Seeing so many people gathered there was kind of new.
Even since the temple had lost his power, nobody had dared to transgress the rules. Sometimes, a foreigner climbed one of the towers, but the locals ignored this incursion.
"That's a bit much, isn't it?"
"Normal, if it's for Yuna," Wakka answered.
"That's the only reason?"
"You remember the monk who had worked here for several years and disappeared recently? Lulu suspected Bria of having killed him but, without proof, how could she make accusations? Futhermore, the culprit was very popular among the old women of the village. And she didn't want to interfere in the internal affairs of the Church. It had been the right thing to to."
"The death of the monk was accidental?"
"It seems so. He fell from a tower and was severely injured. Bria, who just came from Bevelle, found him and took him to the temple. The elders tried to save him, in vain."
"But why not tell him to the others ? Why did they hide his death?"
"The grandmothers had insisted. According to them, if the world learnt that a monk from Besaid had fallen from a machine, the disgrace would rain down upon the temple and all people who come to pray there."
"They judge severely a quite harmless behavior," Tidus declared.
He raised his head towards the top of the tower, from where the search party was going down, sliding down along ropes. They appeared to be having fun.
"I still don't understand what they're doing here. Why look for Bria in this place everyone hates?"
"Before the death of the monk, Bria had promised him to inspect the ruins and to send a report to Bevelle. He had planned to finish it today."
Tidus was not managing to determine the link between that and their search, but he decided to stay silent.
"The grandmother has come to say us he might have left to keep his word. As for how he has proceeded... that's another story."
"And you really think that after the return of Yuna, the storm, our disappearance... he would have run away in order to finish a report?"
"Every day, the elders asked him to do a wealth of things for them. It's not surprising if he fell behind. The grandmother was afraid. There is a chance that he took the risk of climb the ruins too fast and he fell."
"Unbelievable..."
"That must be how old women think."
"No, I meant Bria. I didn't know that the elders trusted him that much. He has hit a child, right?"
"Yes. In my opinion, Shinra hasn't made up this story. Yet, even for me who knows a little Bria, it's difficult to think he did such a thing."
"We must find him quickly."
"Okay, but what will you do after? You haven't told us anything."
"He knows where I must go."
"Go where? To do what? How will this new outing help you to bring Yuna back?"
"If the grandmothers trust Bria, you can trust me, right?"
Tidus was happy to have come back to Besaid and had not thought before involving Wakka and the others in his search. At present, he was regretting it. He could not explain to them what he had to do.
Push gently the shoulder of a woman seated beside a window...
He knows that there was more, behind this request, than what the words could let presage. He could not be delighted with this mission, even if Kush was smiling when she had explained it to him. He could see her dimples.
She had taken his two hands at that time, whilst they barely knew each other.
Had she tried to charm him in order to convince him to accede to her request? Without that, he might have not agreed. He had to do it alone.
"Listen, Wakka, thank the villagers for me. And say goodbye to them for me, too. I have to find Yuna alone."
As he was coming closer to the cove, he was constantly forcing the pace.
I wonder what Yuna is doing...
He was so impatient to see her again!
" A spell which will allow you to reach the place of your choice. "
But of course-- that's it!
Was he going to succeed?
He ran with all his strengh and focused on Yuna. When he reached the beach, the sand slowed him down, but he continued, until he stumbled.
The impact was more violent than he thought. Instead of dry sand, he had rolled onto planks, hard and soaked, until bumping into a soft object.
"Eh, you could be careful!" A exasperated voice let out.
He opened his eyes and discovered Yuna, seated on the ground, keeping her balance with the help of her two arms in order for her to not fall backwards.
She was glaring daggers at him.
"That really hurts!"
She stood straight slowly, adjusted her clothes and put her hands on her hips.
"Sorry!" He stuttered.
"Can you stop apologizing all the time?"
"Yes, sorr..." He closed his mouth and jumped on his foot.
"That's awesome, Yuna! Thanks to Kush's magic, I can go anywhere! Just a moment ago, I was on the beach, in Besaid. I just had to focus on a place to reach it. That's great, isn't it? By the way, where are we?"
"You've thought of this place to reach it, but you don't know where we are?"
"You could tell me, since you know it."
Delighted to have found Yuna, he came closer to her to kiss her. She was smiling, but showed quickly a displeased look.
"Let's take advantage of our momentum," he declared. "That's the principle of bliztball."
"And what's the next step then?"
"To talk with Kush."
"Where is she?" Yuna asked, surprised.
"No idea."
He could only rely on magic. He placed himself behind Yuna and embraced her with his arms. Yuna put her hands on his. He closed his eyes and thought of Kush. He immediately felt pins and needles run up and down his body. He ignored them and continued to concentrate. Soon after, he could smell pyreflies. He opened his eyes. Yuna and himself were envelopped in a powerful white light. Blinded, he closed his eyes.
He sensed that something was leaving him from the back of his head, something that he knew but yet could not identify.
He felt fright:
"We may have a problem..."
"Stay against me," Yuna answered with a resolute tone.
A heat flow transfered from the hands of the young girl to Tidus' arms, who took confidence from them.
"This is love," he whispered.
"Really?" She teased him
Thereafter, he felt a shock under his foot. Anxious, he opened his eyes once again: the light had disappeared, Yuna and himself were standing in a dilapidated room. A smell of rust was fluttering in the air. Before them, a pillar eroded by the corrosion, and a square window.
"I know where we are," Yuna said. "Look down, this is the cove of Besaid."
They came closer to the opening and noted that she was right. The ground was far away from them, but a familiar voice reached them.
"But where has he gone?" Rikku was grumbling.
The teenager and the Gullwings were walking away on the path which led to the village. Tidus immediately stepped backwards and bent down.
"Why are we hiding?" Yuna asked, squatting beside him.
he turned round and let out an exclamation of surprise:
"Kush!"
Wearing a pale green dress, the woman was sitting on a magnificent seat, which appeared to be moved in the empty and ruined room.
"You wanted to come... here?" Yuna asked.
She came closer to Kush and brushed her shoulder. She immediately stepped backwards: particles of light were dancing around her fingertips and the shoulder of the woman. Tidus examined Kush more closely. She was sitting straight on her seat, her hands joined together on her tightened legs, her eyes closed, her face lowered. She seemed half-asleep. But soon enough, Tidus could understand that there was no spark of life in this body anymore. Yet, Tidus was not sure about her death.
"Yuna... Who was the Kush we have talked to?"
"A Summoning."
"I see. You've been aware of that for a long time?"
"Since our first meeting, on the hill of the false Besaid."
"So, this island has been created, too? By who?"
Yuna was silently staring at Kush.
"There was a summoner who was in love with this woman," she ended up saying. "But he doesn't exist in this world anymore."
She seemed sad.
"Kush asked me to push her shoulder. If I do that..."
"She will fall from her seat and will break on the ground, like glass."
"Is that what she wants?"
He started to have doubts.
"And what if it was this Summoner who wanted to use me?"
"I don't know," Yuna answered. "But without the consent of the fayth, he's powerless."
"Then what do I have to do?"
"I don't know," her partner answered with a tired voice.
Outside, a crowd was forming. They could hear quite well Rikku, who was looking for Tidus. "There's light up there!" someone exclaimed. A blinding brightness had just flooded the room.
Tidus embraced Yuna to protect her. They stepped back against the most distant wall. Where could they run away if need be? The young man asked himself. But the light ended up vanishing and they could now discern the silhouette of a man.
"Bria!" Tidus exclaimed.
The man answered with an vacant look, before turning away and scanning the place. Finally, he looked at Kush.
He came closer to her, went down and bended knee and put his right hand on hers. With his left hand, he brushed Kush's leg, while murmuring her name.
Particles of light were slowly fluterring where they were touching. More went caressing Tidus' face, who discovered with surprise that they were coming from where his body was touching Yuna.
Bria stood up straight, leaned on Kush and put his forehead against hers.
"It's time to forgive and to put an end to this story."
They could feel tenderness and exhaustion in Bria's voice.
"Yuna and Tidus, am I correct?" He suddenly asked while turning towards the young people.
"You're not sure?" Tidus protested.
Bria came closer to them with an unstable walk. He put one hand on the young woman and the other on her partner.
"Am I mistaken?"
"No, but..."
"Pardon me. By dint of jumping from a place to another one, I've lost a lot of myself on the way. I wonder how I could have been ignorant of her location..." he told them with a sour laugh.
"Ifahnal's magic was powerful," Yuna answered.
"Ah, that one..." Bria said, without particular animosity.
He looked at Kush, then through the window – from his position, he could probably only see the sky – before turning towards Yuna, Tidus and finally Kush.
"I've loved two persons from the bottom of my heart: Meroh and Mohra. Jealous, Ifahnal has used his magic against me... Well, I think so."
"Isn't it Kush, that you've loved the most?" Yuna asked.
"I owe her a lot. She allowed me to stay in his world and to meet my wife and my daughter. After losing so much, I've finally understand it. Now that Ifahnal's power has disappeared, my mind is only composed of memories of my true self."
"And Kush?" Tidus insisted.
He was feeling a dark anger building inside himself.
Bria turned towards Kush, and his face lighted up with a large smile. He seemed serene.
"That's a puppy love, a story from a distant past."
On that note, he emitted a strong light.
"Wait!" Tidus exclaimed.
"I've been able to see her one last time. I'm glad."
"Don't leave us like that!"
"I have to go see a lot of people in order to apologize to them... ah, ask that young Al Bhed's forgiveness for me, will you? And tell him this, too: 'Guard, protector of the Farplane, grant us calm and explosion'. Bedohls have guaranteed themselves a social status thanks to their mastery of explosives. That's all I know. As for the rest, he'll have to search by himself."
"You've given your word!" Tidus took apart. "The report, the report!"
He wanted to hold Bria back by any way possible.
"Who cares about this paper?" The man answered while laughing.
The bright silhouette dilated, lost his human form and vanished.
Some pyreflies were still fluttering around Kush, as if they were reluctant to leave her. Soon enough, they were aspirated and disappeared in their turn.
"He has left," Yuna ended.
Tidus let out a cry of astonishment: Kush was starting to gleam.
"She's leaving, too."
"Will it be alright?" Tidus asked.
He had imagined a much more touching reunion between Kush and Bria.
"There are things we cannot change," Yuna answered with a serious tone.
Tidus was worried. His partner gently put her hand on his with a comforting gesture.
-
Chapter 34
Yuna had gone with Tidus to Zanarkand. The real Zanarkand, the ruined city. They had tried hard to follow the path they had taken during their first journey, two years earlier. The airship was still grounded, and Tidus could not use magic anymore to cover long distance – a magic only in words, Yuna insisted. They had contented themselves with walking.
Like in their memories, the pyreflies were dancing among the vestiges.
"I wonder what I actually am."
Yuna knew the answer, but she did not intend at all to give it to him. If he knew, everything would end. She was bearing in mind the vacant look of Bria. She was thinking of Johit, too, who had ceaselessly postponed the fateful moment.
"Maybe the Fayths have gathered the fragments of my mind to put me together?" Tidus ventured.
Then, after a pause, he added:
"Or maybe I'm still just a dream..."
But they were not draming, and sooner or later they will face up to reality. Like Kush, Yuna will have to make a choice: to obey the rules or to rebel.
"If that's the case, there's a chance that I disappear some day."
But this was the fate of the living, eternity was just a decoy. This thought appeased Yuna. Farewells were inevitable... but she would think about it in due course.
"As long as you're in my heart, and that I'm in yours, everything will be alright," Tidus resumed.
He did not know what had happened, but his radiant expression was wonderful.
"Is that what the Fayth told you?"
"No, but I like it!" He answered, while bursting out laughing.
While Yuna was contemplating the ruins, Tidus remembered their first meeting, and, like her, wanted to stay optimistic, regardless of the situation.
She turned round, and he offered her his most beautiful smile. The young girl gave him a really pale one, but it was enough for Tidus.
He had decided to have faith in her. By his side, he would be able to face up to this world.
He had faith in Yuna's smile.
To be continued...