Tidus couldn't believe his eyes. The summit of Mt. Gagazet was unlike ANYTHING he had seen before.
They had followed the rocky path up to this crater, which was filled with water. And around this crater... a big stone wall was surrounding the still waters. But it wasn't a normal wall.
It was entirely made out of stone bodies.
"What... what is this?" he asked. "What are they?"
Yuna stepped beside him. "They are... Fayths."
Ranma stared. "THAT many?"
In between the petrified bodies, the water was flowing down and into the crater. Some mysterious force was hanging in the air, everyone could feel it.
Yuna closed her eyes. "I can feel it... they are summoning something."
"What could it be?" Ranma pondered. "The Final Aeon? Sin?"
Yuna shook her head. "I believe it's something else... I've never felt anything like it before."
Rikku ran up to Aura and glared at her. "Hey, you know something, right? After all, you've been here before. So, spill the beans!"
Aura smiled. "Look not to others for knowledge. This is your journey, too."
"Yunie might die, you know?" Rikku reminded her.
Tidus shook his head. "No... Aura's right, Rikku... This is our... this is my story." And he put his hand on the wall of bodies. Next to him, Ranma did the same.
And suddenly, like it happened before, they found themselves in another place.
Ranma looked around. "What the...? Where are the others? Are we in Sin, again?"
Tidus looked around. "This... is the houseboat I've been living in... this is my home."
"Welcome home," a voice said.
They turned around. Behind them, they could see a boy with a purple vest and cap. It was Bahamut's fayth.
Tidus gasped. "Now I remember where I saw you before. You're that kid I saw that day in Zanarkand, when Sin appeared, right? I mean, right before he took me to Spira."
Bahamut nodded. "That's right!"
Ranma looked around and looked at the boat, the harbor, the water, and the skyline of Zanarkand. "So... this is the Zanarkand you're from?" he asked. "But why are we here?"
Suddenly, they could hear voices.
"What's gotten into you? Hey!" Wakka's voice called out.
"Wake up! Wake up!" That was Rikku.
"Ranma, this isn't the time for a nap." Akane sounded angry. "Get up!"
"Wait a second..." Tidus said. "This is a dream?"
"Precisely," Bahamut nodded.
"Oh, come on," Ranma groaned. "We don't have time to be sleeping."
"You're not entirely correct," said the fayth. "This is a dream, but not yours."
"Then whose is it?" He looked at the blonde blitzball player. "Tidus?"
Bahamut shook his head. "Not exactly. You see: Tidus is a dream as well."
"WHAT?" Tidus cried out in shock. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Long ago, there was a war..." Bahamut began.
"A war with machina, right?" Ranma guessed. "The one Shuyin and Lenne were in, right?"
Suddenly, Shuyin's spirit form appeared next to them. "That's right," he said. "A war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle's machina assured their victory from the start. Spira had never seen such power. Vegnagun was the most powerful weapon, but there were many others. The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance. Zanarkand was doomed to oblivion. That's why I was so angry... I didn't want to lose Lenne..."
"That's why we tried to save it," Bahamut explained. "If only a memory."
The three boys looked at him with curious faces. "What did you do?" Tidus asked.
"It happened after Shuyin and Lenne had left for Bevelle. The remaining summoners and the townspeople that survived the war... They all became fayth. Fayth for the summoning."
"The summoning..." Ranma murmured. "You mean Sin?"
"No! I mean this place. A Zanarkand that never sleeps. The dreams of the fayth summoned the memories of this city. They summoned all the buildings, all the people who lived here."
Shuyin looked around. "So, it's like my old Zanarkand, right? How it was on the times of peace."
"Well, it is slightly different, but mostly, you are correct."
"I see it now," Tidus gasped and looked at Shuyin. "Every person of the town was just a memory... a memory of the people that once lived here for real. So that must mean... I'm a memory too... a memory of you!"
Shuyin was taken aback. He stared at the fayth. "Is... is that right? Is he... essentially me?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes!"
"But, wait a minute," Ranma interfered. "What would happen if you were to stop dreaming?"
Bahamut looked at the buildings. "The dream would disappear..."
And the houses of Zanarkand began vanishing, one after another.
"No!" Tidus shouted. "So what if I'm a dream. I like it here."
Bahamut sighed. "We've been dreaming so long... we're tired. Would you and your father... Would you let us rest? Both you and your father have been touched by Sin. Sin, the one whom all Spira - the spiral - revolves."
"What are you saying?" Tidus asked.
"You two are more than just dreams now. And not only because of Sin... also because of Shuyin."
Tidus looked at his counterpart. "What? Why?"
"Shuyin died... but his spirit, his essence... is now bound to your body, thanks to that dressphere. It makes you more real. Just a little more, and... maybe you are the one that will end our dreaming at last."
Ranma looked at the little boy. "You are Bahamut's fayth, right? Does that mean you are essentially an Esper... or are you the spirit of a summoner that already died?"
The fayth smiled. "I'm both, actually. After the summoners of Zanarkand went into their deep sleep, they merged with the Espers they summoned, and became Aeons. Some of us waited in the temples of Spira to help future summoners."
"If that's true..." Tidus said. "Then what about Sin?"
Suddenly, they heard once again the voices of their friends.
"Please! You have to wake up," Yuna shouted.
"Ranma-kun, open your eyes," Kasumi added.
Slowly, the image of the fayth and the houseboat faded. Ranma and Tidus found themselves back on the summit of Mt. Gagazet.
"What happened?" Wakka asked. "The two of you just zoned out there."
"Oh, it's nothing," Tidus chuckled nervously. "Nothing like a good nap."
Akane glared at Ranma. "You jerk! Don't make me worry like that any more, you hear?"
"You sure it was just a nap?" Nabiki pondered. "It was pretty weird, you know?"
"Of course it was just a nap," protested Tidus.
"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "Now we're awake, and we can continue our way. Let's go!"
Yuna looked at them and sighed. "You're poor liars..."
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Sat, 05 Aug 2006 14:23)
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