They entered what appeared to be a cathedral hall it had a high, domed ceiling, a balcony on the far wall above a great door, large pillars and columns , tapestries and statues decorated the place.
“Someone’s coming.” Rikku gasped.
Kimahri crossed his arms before his chest, ready to meet the intruder.
“Lady Yunalesca.” Yuna said.
Yunalesca walked into the room, her blue hair sticking out at strange angles and reminding Buffy of Seymour. She shuddered, turning back to Yunalesca.
She stepped through the large door, walking daintily to the top of the steps.
“Welcome to Zanarkand.” She did the prayer. “I congratulate you, Summoner, you have completed your pilgrimage.”
She raised first her left hand then her right. “I will now bestow you with that which you seek. The final summoning will be yours.”
She lowered her arms, looking intently at Yuna, she gestured with one arm. “Now, choose.”
Yuna was taken aback and she was not the only one. Buffy felt a deep dread welling up in her as the scantily clad, dead woman walked down the stairs.
“You must choose the one whom I will change to become the Fayth of the Final Summoning.”
“Bloody hell!”
Spike exclaimed. “You dead, Spiran types really have a problem with wanting to
turn people into Fayths.”
”I do not want to, I must, it is the way it is done, there must be a bond
between Chosen and Summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies; the
bond between husband and wife, mother and child or between friends. If that bond
is strong enough its’ light will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago I chose my
husband, Zaon, as my fayth. Our bond was true and I obtained the Final Aeon.
There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of worry and pain. For once you
call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final
liberation.”
“Okay, that’s it, this is too creepy, she’s just like Seymour.” Buffy said.
“I apologise, Lady guardian, if the truth upsets you, you must have known when you began where this path would take you.” She turned back to Yuna. “Your father, Braska, chose this path.”
She stepped back and an image appeared before them.
A young man with a ponytail who could only be Auron waved his hand. “It is not too late! Let us turn back!”
A man dressed in what looked like many oversized flower petals turned. “If I turn back who will defeat Sin? Would you have some other summoner and his guardians go through this?”
“But…my lord, there must be another way!” Auron pleaded.
Buffy wondered why Auron seemed to have aged, dead as he was, while Yunalesca, over one thousand, still looked about twenty.
The deeply tanned man with his scarred back to them spoke. “This is the only way we got now!”
He unfolded his arms, placing his hands on his hips. “Make me the fayth. I been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt into a star blitz player. Show him the view from the top, you know. But now I know there’s no way home for me. I’m never gonna see him again, my dream’s never gonna come true. So make me the fayth. I’ll fight Sin with you, Braska. Then maybe my life will have meaning, you know?”
“Don’t do this, Jecht!” Auron cried.
Jecht? Buffy remembered, Jecht was.. Tidus’ father. She turned to see what he was thinking his face was set with a stony indifference, and it was as if he had rehearsed the look too many times.
“If you live…” The phantom Auron continued. “there may be another way! We’ll think of something, I know!”
“Believe me, I’ve thought this through.” Jecht answered. “Besides, ain’t getting’ any younger, I may as well make myself useful.”
“Jecht..” Braska said, turning.
“What, you’re not gonna try to stop me too?”
“Sorry.. I mean, thank you.” Braska said.
“Braska still has to fight Sin, Auron.” Jecht said, putting his hands on Braska’s shoulders.
“Guard him well, make sure he gets there.”
Auron lowered his head.
“Well, let’s go.” Jecht began to walk towards the stairs, Braska following.
“Lord Braska, Jecht!” Auron turned.
“What do you want now?” Jecht asked, turning to face Auron, he had a giant ‘J’ tattooed on his chest.
“Sin always comes back.” Auron said. “It comes back after the Calm every time! The cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing!”
“But there’s always a chance it won’t come back this time.” Braska answered. “It’s worth trying.”
“I understand
what you’re saying, Auron. I’ll find a way to break the cycle.”
“You have a plan?” Auron asked.
“Jecht?” Braska said.
“Trust me, I’ll think of something.” As they walked through the door above, the memory of Auron collapsed to his knees.
Auron walked over to where the memory of him sat, he pulled out his giant sword and started hacking the air where the other Auron was.
“Auron! Buffy said sternly, walking over and grabbing his arm. “Quit it. You’ll need all your energy later.”
Auron turned to her, back to the group, shaking his head. “And.. the cycle went on.”
“We’ll break it!” Tidus said.
“But how?” Wakka stepped forward. “What, you got a plan now?”
Lulu stepped forward. “If one of us had to become a Fayth, I volunteer.”
“Me too, Yuna.” Wakka answered.
“That still won’t change anything, you know, you’d bring the Calm, and then what, that still won’t break the cycle.” Tidus reasoned.
“Listen, you want to defeat Sin and keep Yuna alive, you don’t want Sin to come back ya, that’s just not gonna happen, brudda, you know?”
“If you want everything you’ll end up with nothing.” Lulu added.
“But I want everything!” Tidus whined.
“Now you’re being childish.” Wakka said.
“I give up, so what would an adult do then? They know they can just throw away a summoner and then do whatever they like. You’re right I might not even have a chance but no way am I gonna just stand here and let Yuna go, and what Auron said about there being a way, I think it’s true.”
“You’ll think of something?” Rikku said.
“Yes. I’ll go ask Yunalesca. She’s got to know something.”
“You, really think she’ll help you?” Rikku asked, scratching her head.
“I don’t know, but I have to try.. This is my story it’ll go the way I want it or I’ll end it here.”
Yuna shook her head. “What you said about it being your story, well it’s my story too, you know.. It would be so easy to just let my fate carry me away, following the same path my whole life through.. but I can’t- what I do I do with no regrets.” She stepped forward, walking up the stairs and through the door at the top.
“Yuna.” Buffy ran after her.
They came out on a balcony, the night air was biting and the stars shone in the sky. Yunalesca walked up broken stairs on the other side of the balcony.
“Have you chosen the one to become your Fayth? Who will it be?”
“Might I ask something first?” Yuna said. “Will Sin come back even should I use the Final Summoning to defeat it?”
“Sin is eternal.” Yunalesca answered. “Every Aeon that defeats Sin becomes Sin in its’ place And thus is Sin reborn.”
“So that’s why Jecht became Sin..” Tidus mused.
“Sin is an inevitable part of Spira’s destiny. It is never-ending.”
Buffy looked
sad. “I thought so..”
”Never-ending?” Wakka asked. “But.. but… if we atone for our crimes, Sin will
stop coming back, ya? Someday it’ll be gone, ya?”
“Will humanity ever attain such purity?”
“This.. this cannot be!” Lulu said, angrily. The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It’s been our only hope all these years..”
“Hope is.. comforting. It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it may be.” Yunalesca answered.
“No!” Tidus yelled, as he did a memory was stirred up, before them a younger Auron appeared.
“No!” He cried. “Where is the sense in all this? Braska believed in Yevons teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!”
The memory Yunalesca spoke. “They chose to die, because they had hope.”
Young Auron cried out, lunging towards Yunalesca with his sword, she held up her hand, deflecting him and flinging him through the air, his sword embedded in the ground.
“Yevons teachings and the final summoning give the people of Spira hope. Without hope they would drown in their sorrow. Now choose, who will be the fayth? Who will be the one to renew Spira’s hope?”
“No-one. I would have gladly died, I live for the people of Spira and would have gladly died for them but no more. the final summoning is a false tradition that should be thrown away!”
“No it is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope to the people so they would forget sorrow.”
“Wrong my father my.. father wanted to make Spira’s sorrow go away, not just cover it up with lies.”
“Sorrow cannot be abolished, it is meaningless to try.” Yunalesca answered.
“My father.. I loved him so I will live with my sorrow, I will live my own life, I will defeat sorrow in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong, I don’t know when it will be but someday I will conquer it and I will do it without.. false hope.” Yuna answered.
“Poor creature you would throw away hope, it is better to die in hope than to live in sorrow, let me be your liberator.” As she spoke her hair began to flow out behind her as if some breeze were pulling it back, it darkened, becoming a strange, headdress that flowed down her back, seeming to fall into the ground.
Auron spoke “Now this is it now is the time to choose die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories, your fate is in your hands.”
“Yuna needs Kimahri. Kimahri protect Yuna.” Kimahri answered.
“Well I'm fighting!” Rikku announced, pumping her fist in the air and jigging.
“I can’t believe we’re gonna fight Lady Yunalesca! Gimme a break!” Wakka complained.
“You can always run.” Lulu answered.
“Hah! I’d never forgive myself, no way, not if I ran away now. Even in death ya!”
“My thoughts exactly.” Lulu smiled.
“Yuna! This is our story! now let’s see this thing through together!” Tidus yelled.
“Overdramatic, much?” Buffy said.
“Let them be, love, they enjoy all this ‘do or die’ hero talk.”
“Yeah, I
dunno, this ‘my story- your story stuff’s beginning to get on my nerves..”
”Look out!” Rikku called as Yunalesca attacked.
Yuna quickly summoned Bahamut, the great dragon fell upon Yunalesca, ripping her wide open, as he stood back, triumphant she fell to the ground, suddenly the headdress that fell down into the ground emerged from the crumbled floor. She rose high into the air, the headdress forming into a giant pillar, stinking of rotten flesh. From the ground underneath them, giant worms shot upwards, tearing chunks from their legs. Yuna waved her hands and a small wind seemed to float around all of them, lifting them from the ground and out of the reach of the worms.
Bahamut leapt into the air, great wings pumping and sending Buffy floating into Auron as he held onto a banister.
Bahamut leapt at the giant pillar with Yunalesca sitting on top of it. He raked at it with giant claws even as tentacles shot out of it, wrapping around him. He roared loudly and, as a tentacle shot directly through his throat, he gave one last lunge with his claws, ripping the pillar apart. Yunalesca collapsed to the ground.
“Okay, way gross!” Buffy commented, grimacing at a large, bleeding hole in her leg.
“Here, let me..” Lulu threw a potion over her, the familiar sparkling lights danced over her flesh, knitting it together.
Buffy felt herself gently touch the ground. She tried to shake off the floating sensation, walking towards where Yunalesca lay. “So, she’s dead, right.. She’s not gonna come after us, or anything?”
As Yuna opened her mouth to answer, Yunalesca answered for her, in a flash of green light she changed, becoming a giant, disembodied head. A long, lashing tongue shot out, knocking Buffy off her feet then slamming down on top of her. Buffy cried out in pain as she felt ribs smashing. She choked, feeling, suddenly, short of breath.
“Buffy!” Spike yelled, his voice hoarse, he ran towards her, only to be knocked over by the giant tongue, a light danced around him, becoming darker until he was completely immersed in the black light. He grinned with near exuberance, he felt strong, powerful, he broke from the light, racing towards the grotesquely large head.
Those looking on were astounded by what had happened, he seemed to have grown. His fingers becoming claws. His face, too, had changed, distorted. His forehead was large and bumpy and long fangs hung over his bottom lip.
Buffy looked up, gasping for breath as Yuna ran over, mending her ribs and dragging her a safe distance away. Spike had gone grr-face but there was something more to it. His hands.. and his eyes, instead of their normal yellow they glowed red. Not demonically red but as if a fire had been lit inside him and was showing in his eyes.
“Wha.. what’s happening?”
“It is an overdrive. A trance that warriors go into under certain circumstances.” Lulu answered. “If you remember, you yourself went through one whilst fighting Anima.”
Buffy remembered. At the time she had let it slip from her mind with all the fighting and running away. It had been like the spell her friends had cast to help her fight Adam. She stared as Spike tore flesh away from Yunalesca’s giant skull, a dark energy crackling around him.
“It is said,” Lulu continued. “That when a soul, no matter how primative, is placed under enough pressure, its’ true power erupts within the being, a pure, undiluted power.”
“Oh, I see..” Buffy trailed off. “But, Spike.. he doesn’t have a soul.”
Lulu gave her a sideways look. “Everyone has a soul, it is what gives them thought, hope, dispair, love and hate all come from the soul. Having a soul does not mean you have to be good. Seymour, too, has a soul. But there is no creature, living or dead that does not possess a soul. That is the essence of a summoning, the soul of the Fayth, called by the summoner.”
“But.. I.. everyone- back in my world, everyone said.. vampires don’t have souls.”
“I am unaware of what a ‘vampire’ is, however, perhaps the people in your world consider a soul to be something different. A conscience is often mistaken in song and literature as a ‘soul’.”
Lulu jerked backwards as a chunk of Yunalesca flew towards her.
“But surely you do not believe that Spike is without a soul. It is evident that he possesses one.” She waved her hand towards him as Yunalesca fell to the ground, fading and turning back into herself.
“Fools.” Yunalesca croaked. “If I die, so too does Spira’s hope.” She collapsed to one knee.
“Zaon, forgive me, Spira’s hope is gone..” With that she collapsed into a pillar of pyrelfies, floating upwards into the lightening sky.
Spike collapsed, exhausted to the ground.
“Spike!” Buffy ran over to him.
“Buffy, you’re okay.” He looked truly relieved. “I.. I think I killed her.”
Buffy knelt down, throwing her arms around him.
“Well. What shall we do now?” Lulu asked, breaking the silence.
“We’ll have to think of another way to defeat Sin.” Tidus said.
“It won’t be easy.” Auron cautioned.
“We can do it!” Rikku said, confidently.
“Let’s.. Let us leave this place.” Yuna said.
“Yes, let’s.” Lulu answered.
Outside the early morning air blew gently around them. Crisp and fresh with the promise of new hope, the promise of life.
They heard a roaring noise, turning towards the sea Buffy stopped in shock. A gigantic creature, grey like rotting flesh, floated in the water. It was about the size of a small town. Buffy had never imagined that anything of its’ size could possibly exist.
“Sin.” Lulu explained.
Buffy was surprised, strangely Sin seemed less evil-attacky than she’d expected, it turned and began too swim out to sea, as it did Buffy saw the airship, flying towards them, it flew directly past Sin, landing in the ruins.
As the airship took to the air Buffy looked out of the window at the sunrise. She breathed deeply. She had never taken the time to notice how every sunrise was different from the last, the wisps of cloud took on more spectacular colours, the sun seemed to shine with more hope. She could see ten thousand sunrises and still she wouldn’t grow tired of them. She turned, next to her Spike, too stared out of the window, a look on his face that matched her own. She took his hand, leaning against him and they watched the sun rise.
tbc