At the end of the wide plains of the Calm Lands, the pilgrimage group passed through steep cliffs and reached a bridge that crossed a deep trench. In front of them, the heights of Mt. Gagazet rose...
"When we reach Zanarkand," Tidus told his friends. "Maybe we find a way for me to return to my time, and perhaps then I can show you the blitzball stadium. Us Zanarkand Abes would play late in the night, and the stadium will be all lit up."
"Of course you'd win," Akane snickered.
"Yup," Tidus nodded. "And afterwards, we'd go and have fun in the city."
"In the middle of the night?" Yuna wondered.
Tidus smiled. "Doesn't matter! Zanarkand never sleeps! Let's go to the sea, before the sunrise. The city lights go out one by one. The stars fade... Then the horizon glows, almost like it's on fire. It's kinda rose-colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows. It's really... pretty. I know you'd like it."
"I wish I could see it," Yuna sadly said.
"Hey," Ranma intervened. "Nothing of that, now! We talked about it, remember? We'll find a way!"
'I wish it would be true...' Yuna thought.
Rikku's thoughts were similar: 'Oh please, please, please let Ranma be right!!'
When they crossed the bridge, Carbuncle's voice echoed through Ranma's mind: 'Ranma, stop!'
Ranma stopped. 'Huh? What's up?'
'See that path going down into the trench?' Carbuncle asked. Ranma nodded. 'What of it?'
"Hey Ranma, what's the matter? Gagazet's waiting for us," Akane joked.
Ranma pointed down the path. "Carbuncle told me to go down there."
'Yes, because there are new summons for you and Yuna.'
"Say what?" he asked in surprise.
"What did he say, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked.
"He said Yuna and me could get new summons down there."
"Really?" Yuna wondered. "But there's no temple around here."
Wakka looked down into the trench. "You know, that looks kinda familiar, ya? Lulu told me about this place when she came back from her first journey as a guardian."
"Lulu was a guardian, too?" Akane asked in surprise. Wakka nodded. "Yep, she was on two pilgrimages. The first one got her up to the Calm Lands. She was travelling together with Lady Ginnem, a powerful summoner from Besaid... but, she never returned home with Lulu..."
"What happened?" Tidus asked curiously.
Wakka sighed. "Lulu told me their story... She said, when they passed here, Lady Ginnem would feel this power from out of a cave that was below... and she thought it might be a lost fayth. A fayth that was sealed inside here, instead in a temple, for some reason. They found a fayth, and Lady Ginnem got a new Aeon. But... on their way outside, fiends attacked them. They were overwhelmed. Then Ginnem used her powers to let Lulu escape. But she had to stay behind herself... The last thing Lulu heard was her scream of death..."
"What a scary story," Nabiki shuddered. "And we're going down there?"
"Well, Lulu was Lady Ginnems only guardian," Yuna said. "I think we will be fine. And another Aeon or Esper will always be a big help in our fight against Sin. I say we go down."
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, that's what I'd suggest."
"Okay, fine," Nabiki sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this, but if you insist..."
Kasumi giggled. "When Nabiki was little, she always got scared when father told us scary ghost stories."
Nabiki turned red. "H-hey, that's not true..."
Kasumi and Akane giggled.
----
A large group of Guado was walking over the sacred bridge. Seymour was ready to follow his bride to the end of the world, if necessary.
Mika ran after him as fast as his old body could. "W-where are you going? We need to stay united. Yevon will fall if all the maesters are scattered. With Kinoc and Kelk gone, the two of us have to do our best of getting the situation under control."
Seymour turned around. "Old man... the situation is already out of your control. Accept it! You can't do anything about it."
"B-but the traitors, they..."
"Have already left for Mt. Gagazet. When they pass Ronso ground, we'll probably never be able to catch up with them."
Mika stared angrily at the younger maester. "Seymour! Get over your bride! She's not worth it! She will fail in Zanarkand, as so many before her. She and that... that upstart of a summoner... and calling him that is still mildly worded."
Seymour snorted. "Open your eyes, old man! Yevon is dead! The people saw the battle between the metal giants. Their faith in us has already crumbled, and with Kinoc and many of his monks leaving the town, they will completely lose it."
Mika fumed. "How dare you speak to me like that? Me, the Grand Maester of Yevon? We have to hold onto our teachings, or all hope will be lost."
"Senile old fool," Seymour spat. "Hope is overrated. The only thing that counts is power." He made a fist. "I already died... but I was powerful enough to raise from the dead. And I will raise up again... by taking the life of everyone in Spira."
"W-what are you talking about?" Mika stuttered.
Seymour snickered. "I will go with Lady Yuna to Zanarkand, city of the dead! With death on our side, we will save Spira, and for this...I will take from Yuna her strength, her life, and become the next Sin. I will destroy Spira! I will save it!"
"You're insane," Mika spat. "I won't let you leave like this!"
"Oh, really?" Seymour's eyes gleamed. "Then let me end your suffering, Mika... without your precious hope, why would you want to continue this farce? Let death embrace you..." He raised his left hand... and a small clay pot. "I have the power to kill even the dead..."
The pyreflies of the Alpha Fiend surrounded Seymour, and its transformative powers worked their magic. Seymour floated up into the air and took on a demonic appearance. His skin solidified into living stone, while behind his head, an eery structure resembling a gravestone towered, connected to the head of the transformed Half-Guado with stone ridges. Out of his shoulders, a strange-looking excrescent grew and grew, until it resembled a cross between an insect, a snake and a cat. The mentally enslaved Alpha Fiend, now connected to Seymour's changed body, screeched in a nightmarish voice.
Seymour Natus raised his hands. In a demonic voice, he yelled: "Rest forever, Mika... let me save you... by destroying you!"
He made a small gesture, and a big pillar of stone came up from the ground and surrounded Mika. When it broke apart, Mika could be seen... turned into a rigid statue. A look of terror could be seen of his solidified face.
Seymour gestured towards Alpha Mortibody, and the cursed fiend roared and swooshed through the air towards Mika's statue. He raised his right claw high above the petrified Grand Maester... and with one, violent stroke, shattered him into thousands of pieces.
Seymour laughed. "That's what will happen to everyone in Spira... once I become Sin, I will be unstoppable. And you, my beloved bride Yuna... will lead me to this goal by sacrificing your life on the altar of destiny!"
----
Ranma's group made its way through the fiend-packed cavern. Those fiends were far stronger then most of those they had been fighting until now.
"I really hope those new Aeons are worth all this trouble," Ukyo moaned while leaning against a wall of the cave. Rikku just nodded. She was still suffering from the results of a muting fiend attack, and they were out of Echo Screens and Remedys... and Yuna was out of magical powers by now.
Ranma peered through the masses of pyreflies. "With all these pyreflies, it's no wonder there are that many powerful fiends around here... many people must have died here over the years. Whatever is up ahead, it has to be quite powerful."
Nabiki gulped. "Um, I think I'll be waiting for you outside..." She got ready to leave.
That's when they all heard a deep groan.
Nabiki paled. "D-d-d-did you all just hear that?"
The other all nodded.
"Okay, that's what I thought. Thank you. I'll be on my way now..."
Akane gripped her sister hard on the arm. "You stay here! The cave is filled with fiends, it's way too dangerous to leave by yourself."
Ranma carefully approached the source of the voice. It sounded female... And then, he could see her: The translucent spirit of a woman, dressed in dark blue summoner clothing.
"Lady Ginnem," Yuna gasped. "What happened to her?"
"She became an unsent," Aura realized. "Yuna, send her. Quickly!"
But before Yuna could raise her rod, Ginnem made a gesture, and the pyreflies floated all away, as if they wanted to make room for something...
Then, a strange, ticking sound could be heard. As if it was an illusion, wavering translucent cherry trees in full bloom appeared in the cavern corridor. And underneath them, a shadowy figure came walking, wearing an elaborate robe. On its head, it wore a round hat, and its face was covered behind a creepy mask.
When the robe of the apparition shifted, they could see the hands of the figure resting on the handle of an old katana.
The figure stepped up to them and went into a battle stance. At the same time, a strange-looking, red dog jumped out of nowhere and took its place next to the dark Aeon... because that's what it was!
"Yojinbo," Yuna whispered. "The stolen fayth... the legends were true! They say his sword skills are unmatched in this world... and that he could kill enemies with one single strike."
Ranma gritted his teeth. "Sounds tough. Get ready! Here he comes!"
And they all twitched when Yojinbo took a grip on his katana's handle and pulled...
The light of the pyreflies reflected on gleaming steel, as the lost Aeon pulled out his weapon from its sheath.
And then, letting it trail behind him, the Samurai Aeon stormed forward, with flowing robes, ready for the final strike...
...the Zanmato!
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(Posted Thu, 03 Aug 2006 21:25)
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