Chapter 71: Dream Eater
Auron rose to his feet slowly. He looked over his shoulder at Rikku, his eyes burning. "I won't let them do this. I have to stop them."
"I don't think you're gonna be able to change their minds. Braska became a High Summoner, and got his statue put up in all of the temples. And you and Jecht became his
legendary Guardians. You inspired lots of Crusaders and Guardians afterwards, you know. You became a hero."
He flinched. "I don't feel like a hero," he said lowly. "I feel like a coward and a hypocrite."
Rikku sighed, drawing close enough to grab one of his hands. "I know this isn't want you want. But… if you stick around here moping about it, you
definitely won't change history. Nothing will
ever change if we don't even try. Besides…" She squeezed his hand tightly. "I don't want to give up either, not just yet! So… I think we should go after them."
He loitered at the bottom of the stairwell, torn. "And what if we succeed… what of you?" He looked at her intently. "What will happen to you if the future you know changes?"
"Hey!" Rikku swayed back and forth on her heels, smiling brightly to bolster Auron's confidence… and her own.
I won't be scared. I refuse! "You told me to stick to you like glue. I'm not gonna disappear on you now." She looked up the steps, and her younger self looked down at them, dancing nervously.
"What are you waiting for?" the memory called out to them.
Memory-Tidus stepped through them, looking up at young Rikku, and then turning around to face them. Rikku thought she'd never get used to that; the feeling that Tidus was present, and really looking at them. She felt a bit better to see Auron was just as taken aback as she was; he jerked back from the image in surprise.
"No doubt."
Auron relaxed marginally when his older incarnation appeared, proving the blond to be just another memory trapped in the dome.
The memory-Auron strode up the steps confidently.
"No hesitation."
Rikku tugged at Auron's arm. "You heard the man. Everyone else is putting everything on the line here! It wouldn't be right for us to just sit it out because we're afraid. Let's do it!"
With a quick intake of breath, Auron grabbed onto her arm and charged up the stairs before his doubt could rattle his resolve, racing by her fading memory of their future selves. She let him lead the way. He didn't stop when they crested the steps, crashing into the closed doors with a yell and shouldering them open.
They stumbled to a stop at the entranceway to the strange, floating platform of Yunalesca's domain. Only a few crumbled ruins overgrown with odd, twisting vines remained of the walls from what must have once been her private chambers. It hardly looked like a room at all, though; a familiar expanse of vertigo-inducing cosmos had completely replaced whatever might have been the chamber's boundaries. Millions of stars twinkled distantly in the blackened sky. If she stared at them for too long, Rikku felt like she might fall upwards into them. Her fingers tightened around Auron's sleeve, hoping he'd ground her, and her heart pounded in her chest.
Am I changing the future?
Her eyes dropped to Yunalesca, who was standing in the center of the platform, and she gasped. Auron released her, drawing his sword with a snarl.
Braska was standing before Yunalesca, loosely entangled in her arms. A few of her long tendrils of her hair had even snaked around him, coiling over his ankles and arms. But Yunalesca's smooth face revealed a slight wrinkle between her brows; it was as if she smelled something unpleasant.
The most likely source of her displeasure was Jecht, who was
also trapped on her other side. Unlike Braska, though, he was struggling fiercely against his bonds. She hadn't been as kind to Jecht; the other half of her mane of hair imprisoned him so completely that he looked like a mummy. The only thing he could still move freely was his mouth, and he was making full use of it by yelling profanities at his captor.
"Ah," Yunalesca said when they entered, looking relieved. "You've finally come."
Braska, who'd up until that point seemed calm, snapped his head towards them, his eyes widening in dismay for a fraction of a second.
"Lower your guard, Guardian," Yunalesca continued soothingly, beckoning for Auron to come closer. "I mean your Summoner no harm."
"Oh yeah? An' whatabout me, huh?" Jecht snapped, writhing even more fiercely. "You better watch out for this bitch, Red!"
Yunalesca's hair shifted and tightened its grasp around Jecht, sealing his mouth and muffling his shouts. "Dogs should know better than to bark at their masters!" she spat, livid. Her expression softened as she turned back to Braska, caressing his cheek with a tendril of hair in an unnervingly intimate gesture.
Rikku shivered in sympathetic chills, but Braska didn't react to Yunalesca's touch other than to frown. "Jecht is not my servant, my Lady. He is my Guardian, and I humbly ask that you release him."
"Ah, but are you certain?" she cajoled. "You have only one
true Guardian. Look at how loyal he is, rushing to your side to serve you." She eyed Auron like a slab of meat. "Admirable, isn't he? Would you allow that yapping beast to speak in your stead?" she scoffed, lifting Jecht off the ground and giving him a shake. "
You are the one who must choose who is to become the Fayth. And
he is the most suitable."
Auron took a half-step forward, growling. "What is going on here? And why
me? I haven't volunteered!"
Yunalesca looked amused. She drew Braska closer and then faced him towards Auron, draping her arms over his shoulders. "
You are the Summoner;
you wield the power," she crooned to Braska. "It is a Summoner's Privilege to select his chosen one." Her lips drifted closer to his ear. "Did you know that your predecessor, High Summoner Dysley, also brought along such a spirited companion who shirked her holy duty? Yet he was still able to form a bond with her and achieve the Final Aeon. If your will is strong enough, you have the power to make
anyone yours." Her voice was low and sweet, enticing Braska to grasp whatever he wanted; everything he'd been denied in his life, he could have in death. "So I ask again… who will you select? Who should become your Fayth?"
Jecht somehow managed to work his mouth free of Yunalesca's grip, still fighting. "Oi! I said I was gonna do it!
Me!"
Some of Yunalesca's carefully-crafted equilibrium dissipated at Jecht's crude interruption, and she narrowed her eyes. "Ignore that
thing. He and the girl are unusual cases. At least your other hound is well-behaved." She spared Rikku a dismissive glance, turning her attention back to Braska.
Rikku let out an enraged gasp. "Excuse you!" she screeched. But then she stopped. "Wait a sec, why am
I an unusual case? What do you mean?" Her anger was quickly being replaced by fear. Obviously, Yunalesca could sense she was different. It wasn't that surprising; every Unsent she'd ever spent any amount of time talking to seemed to be able to notice something off about her. But… Yunalesca didn't look like she actually
knew anything. If she'd had any inkling Rikku would help kill her in the future, she'd definitely be doing a lot more than just tossing out insults, after all.
Yunalesca's fingers stopped the path they were tracing under Braska's chin, and she looked back at Rikku, her eyebrows rising. Then the chamber filled with her tinkling laughter. "Ah, I see! My Lord, does she not even know? You didn't tell her?"
Braska's eyes widened marginally; to Rikku, he seemed just as confused as everyone else was. Even Jecht stopped struggling, looking between her and Yunalesca.
"No, my Lady," Braska said smoothly after a moment, his eyes trained on her. "It was one of my few pleasures on this journey. Ignorance made her easier to control."
Rikku managed to keep her jaw from falling open at Braska's brazen lie.
He's playing her! she realized, and knew he was stalling for time for her benefit, trying to determine if she wanted him to squeeze more information out of the ancient Unsent. Even Auron got it, nudging her slightly with his elbow. She met Braska's eyes and gave him a tiny nod of permission, just as curious to know what Yunalesca meant as everyone else.
"I think it would be best to allow you to enlighten her," he continued, leaning in to Yunalesca's caress. "That way, she will suffer no illusions about my choice of Fayth. Please," he said, gesturing to Rikku. "Tell her the truth."
"Oh, you
are delightful! A thousand years ago, I would have made you into one of my priests. Such a pity that you were born into the wrong time." Stepping away from Braska, Yunalesca tossed her head. Her hair whipped Jecht forward, sending him flying into Rikku.
Like bowling pins, they went down in a tangle of limbs behind a surprised Auron. As soon as Jecht regained his balance, he cursed and pulled his sword out, rolling to his feet. Rikku was up just as quickly, hanging on to his arm to keep him from chucking the weapon at Yunalesca. "Jecht! I need to know this!" she hissed under her breath.
He lowered his sword marginally, but still looked ready to murder the Unsent. "Fine! But that patronizin' carcass needs some schoolin'," he grit out.
"Your bodies aren't real," Yunalesca said as she paced towards them, her melodious voice carrying. "You have
already been transformed. If either of you are turned into the Final Aeon, there may be unforeseen consequences. For neither of you are capable of creating a Fayth stone. It is impossible."
Jecht bristled beside her. "S'not like I didn't come to terms with what I am already! So just do me, ya rotten cadaver! Or are you too
scared to try, huh?"
"Wait wait wait wait," Rikku said, pushing him out of the way and taking a step forward. "What do you mean,
impossible? I'm a real person! Braska even tried to Send me once and failed!
Hello?"
"Is that what you think, girl?" Yunalesca broke out into peals of laughter. "This is wonderful! I haven't been so amused in centuries." She turned to Braska, clapping her hands together. "Truly you are unique, my Lord. Bringing with you not
one, but
two aeons."
The hum of the pyreflies echoed across the suddenly silent floor. For a moment Rikku felt like she really was falling into the void, because she couldn't feel the floor under her feet. Her heart thundered in her ears, drowning out all other sounds.
What?
Awareness prickled; everyone was looking at her. And Yunalesca was laughing.
Rikku came back to herself with a snap, anger sparking. "No way! Don't tell me you believe her!" She pointed a finger at Yunalesca. "You've got it all wrong!" Adrenaline spiking, she began bouncing on her heels, preparing for a fight.
Yunalesca sighed. "Such ignorance. I see that Bahamut has been taking liberties in my absence. I shall have to find a way to punish him later," she mused. "This is why I detest it when children are turned into Fayth. They never lose that spark of petulance." Her bright eyes turned towards Rikku. "Yes, even you, my poor, lost child. Look at the fire in your eyes. I can see what you're thinking. How you long to attack me and deny your truth. Shall I show you the extent of your power?"
Yunalesca's arm came up in a sudden motion, and the cry of the pyreflies swelled.
"
Aaah—!" A familiar pain and shock descended on her; fire raced down her spine as her muscles locked and time slowed. It felt like a thousand burning needles were piercing her skin, trying to tear her apart. Pure, raw magic flooded through her; she was going to disintegrate right before everyone, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. This time was much worse than any of her experiences in the Chambers of various Fayths; this was more akin to the first time she'd donned her Garment Grid in Bevelle. It was pure agony.
Yunalesca snapped her fingers, lowering her arm, and Rikku collapsed. She would've ended up as an insensate heap on the ground if not for Auron, who caught her as she sagged.
"No," she whispered, blood roaring in her ears and panic setting in.
"What did you do?" she gasped, staring at Yunalesca in real fear through the black spots speckling her vision.
"
I did nothing, child," Yunalesca replied imperiously, crossing her arms. "But it matters little who summoned you.
I am the Lady Yunalesca Yevon, the second greatest Summoner in all of Spira's history!" Her lips slanted into a cruel smile, and she flicked her gaze towards Jecht. "You should both consider that carefully before you make any further pathetic attempts at rebellion."
The threat was hollow, because the fight seemed to have seeped out of Jecht at Yunalesca's revelation. He kneeled and looked at Rikku knowingly, his eyes pained. "Oh, Blondie. You ain't a time traveler, are ya."
She shut her eyes and shook her head in denial. Auron's arms tightened around her, but she couldn't look at his face; she didn't want to see Braska's, either.
I can't be a Fayth. I can't be. I'm real!
"Time travel?" Yunalesca's voice was an unwelcome intrusion, but she continued to flay Rikku open with her words relentlessly. "Time is linear. A physical body can only move forward through it. You, an Al Bhed of all people, believing in such fanciful lies? Your kind prescribes to no superstition. You are a descendent of the Bedohls, Bevelle's finest machina warriors." Yunalesca's tone was acidic; she made the description sound like an insult rather than a compliment. "If nothing else, your tainted blood should know this best."
Every fiber of her being strained in denial. "I… I have a real body! I had a mom! I still have a dad! Friends, family!" She hated the desperation she heard in her own voice. "I have a whole life of my own!" She wanted to die for sounding so weak. No, she wanted to kill Yunalesca
again.
Yunalesca towered over her, silver hair fanning out behind her and blocking Rikku's view of the stars. "That life ended the moment you were summoned here, girl. You are but a dream, and your body the fuel to power it. You will have no Fayth stone here, because you already
are one." She stalked back over to Braska. "Now, my Lord, you understand why I believe those two are unfit. Your bond must be formed from the strength of
real flesh and blood. None other could have a hope of defeating Sin. Allow me to grant you the power of the Final Aeon with your one true Guardian."
And like that, she was dismissed from Yunalesca's awareness… just like any other summon.
"Rikku," Auron said, his voice low and desperate. "Rikku, look at me.
Please."
She couldn't; her eyes were locked on the woman who'd just ruined her life.
Was it even a life?
Braska didn't seem to share Auron's concern; he continued acting unsurprised, ignoring her just as easily as Yunalesca had. It hurt a little, but she knew better than to accept his nonchalant demeanor at face value.
"Shall we begin?" Yunalesca asked, smiling at Braska.
His answer to her was hesitant and slow. "I'm honored by your favor, my Lady, but first… is there truly any hope of the Final Aeon defeating Sin?"
Yunalesca pursed her lips, her expression tender. "Hope… is comforting. It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might be."
She's lying. She's lying about everything! Rikku opened her mouth, trying to make a sound, but all she could do was wheeze. The remnants of Yunalesca's vicious control echoed through her body; she shivered violently, her breath coming shallow, rapid pants.
"Take it slow," she heard Jecht saying, feeling his fingers wrap around her shoulder. "You gotta keep breathin', Rikku."
"Must I truly die?" she heard Braska ask even more softly.
Auron's arms tightened around her.
Yunalesca's pitiless eyes remained a hard contrast to the deceptive gentleness of her voice. "If you wish to defeat Sin, it is inevitable."
"Then…" Braska's steps sounded across the stone floor. He was coming closer to them. A new, different fission of fear passed through her. She tried to shield Auron with arms that wouldn't fully cooperate, her movements clumsy.
No. No, you can't choose him!
Jecht released her and stepped in front both of them. "Don't do it, B." He slammed his blade into the ground like a wall between Auron and the two summoners.
But Braska wasn't looking at either her or Auron. He stopped in front of Jecht, appraising him. "You're a good man," he finally said, losing some of the tension in his posture. "Thank you for protecting them even now. Rest assured, I'll honor your wishes."
Yunalesca stopped, her pleased expression dropping. "What?"
Even through her pain, Rikku viciously savored the other woman's look of disgruntled surprise.
Braska kept his amicable mask still firmly in place. "My Lady. You told me if my will was strong enough, I would have the power to make
anyone mine." He smiled at Jecht, this time more genuine. "Well then, my friend. Are you still willing to accompany me on this, our last journey together?"
"No!" Yunalesca screeched, her hair lashing out in agitated whips. "You would choose that… that…
thing as your bond? You defile the sacred ritual with your blasphemy!"
Braska turned to look at Yunalesca evenly. "It wouldn't be the first time I've defiled the Church, my Lady. Furthermore…" His knuckles whitened around his staff. "Jecht is not a
thing. He's my Guardian. And I choose him as my Fayth." His voice was firm and rich, and in it, Rikku heard the truth. That he didn't care. Not about Jecht's origins… nor her own. For Braska, Yunalesca's revelations had changed nothing.
It was glorious and terrible, all at the same time.
Jecht's mouth opened and closed, and then he shrugged, blooming into a smug grin. "Yeah. I accept, Braska." He smirked at Yunalesca. "Got that? It don't matter if I'm real or not. Only if he thinks so. Now are you gonna eat them words about bein' able to make Final Aeons, or are all you dead people nothin' but talk?"
Yunalesca's eyes darted to Braska and she grit her teeth, her hair continuing to lash out and send chips of stone flying wherever they struck. "You…" She closed her eyes, and abruptly the cries of the agitated pyreflies grew quiet. She settled herself, her hair winding docilely back around her body. "Very well. I can see your determination. But," she said, her voice growing sharp as she flicked a wrist at Auron and Rikku, still huddled together on the floor. "Those two must leave. The ritual is sullied enough. I will not allow it."
Her gaze towards Rikku was filled with malice, and instinctively Rikku pressed herself against Auron, her tremors returning.
"Let's go," Auron whispered, lifting her to her feet. She let him pull her along with him, away from Yunalesca's burning gaze.
The exited and the heavy doors shut behind them with a sense of finality. Rikku took another deep breath, then let out a soft sob. "Sorry. That was—well,
whew, right? I guess I ruined it. Your plan to stop them, I mean. I suck. I didn't know. I didn't even realize what I was! I should've guessed, though. What normal person freezes up in the Cloisters? It's so unfair, right? I messed up your whole plan, and I'm not even real or anything! Does that make me a fake? I don't think I'm a fake because I didn't think fakes would feel stuff. And I am
definitely feeling some stuff right now. Lots and lots of
stuff." A crazed giggle escaped as she gasped for breath. "I didn't even come here on my own! Someone
brought me! I was
summoned here! I'm nothing but a big lie—!"
She stopped babbling when Auron sealed his mouth against hers, swallowing her words. She froze in his arms, and then, when he refused to release her, melted against him. He didn't stop kissing her even then, instead parting her lips with his tongue. It was only when she was starting to grow light-headed and tingly from lack of oxygen that he backed away. They both spent a long moment gulping in air in deep, needy breaths.
"Uh," she started.
"Do you think I care?" He cut her off, sounding angry, and grabbed her shoulders to give her a frustrated shake. "Did you think anything I ever said to Jecht about it wouldn't apply to you as well?
I love you."
She felt an apology forming on her lips, but realized he'd probably blow up if it actually manifested. "I- I know," she amended lamely. "I mean, I love you too!"
He laughed and leaned against her, letting his arms drop around her sides. Then he let out a low sigh. "I failed."
"You tried," Rikku said, returning his loose hug. She wanted to soothe him, but her thoughts were still churning, unable to accept Yunalesca's words. In the middle of her attempt to be an understanding audience for Auron's own problems, her mind kept whirling back into maddening circles about herself. "I'm an
aeon?" she blurted suddenly, unable to contain it. "What the heck?!"
Auron let out another laugh, even though his expression was laced with frustration. "You never change. And it doesn't
matter. You're real enough to me." He looked at the door, just as unable to focus on her problems as she was on his. "What should we do? Do we wait? Is Jecht… was that
it? I didn't even say goodbye to him."
"I don't know," Rikku admitted, huddling closer. "I've never done this before, either. This," she said, waving her hand abstractedly at the chamber. "This was never part of Yunie's Pilgrimage."
Was I ever part of Yunie's Pilgrimage either?
Auron sighed. "Then all we can do is wait." He latched onto her hand. "Stay with me?"
Rikku ducked her head and nodded, clutching on to Auron like a tether to sanity as he led her down the stairs.
.x.x.x.
A bonfire crackled merrily in the corner of the room, fed by bits of torn tapestry and broken wooden statues. It was ruining the solemn ambience of the sanctum and completely destroying the decor, which was exactly why Rikku had made it so disproportionately large.
"Do you think the ritual failed?" Auron asked, his heel tapping nervously against the floor. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes glued to the double doors at the top of the steps. "How long is it supposed to take?"
"Don't look at me!" Rikku chided, pacing around the fire. "I mean, if it's anything like obtaining a normal Fayth, it could be hours. It used to take that long in the beginning for Braska
and Yunie. And well… I mean, I guess this one is harder than normal? Maybe?" She kicked her feet over the stone floor. "I wonder where all the Fayth stones went, though? Yunalesca's been making Guardians into Fayths for a thousand years now, right? They've gotta end up somewhere."
The sound of the double doors creaking open had Auron scrambling to his feet and Rikku whirling to face it with matching expressions of dread.
"… Wow. Geez, don't look so happy to see me or anythin'," Jecht said as soon as he caught sight of them.
Auron sank to his hands and knees, sagging in relief. Rikku's feet were faster, carrying her up the steps. She barreled into Jecht's arms, hugging him with a loud wail and sending him staggering back – right into Braska, who nearly fell over. Rikku grabbed him and pulled him in for a group hug.
"H-how?!" she sobbed, holding onto both of them as though they'd disappear if she let go. "How come you're both still here?"
Jecht gently plucked her off and helped Braska – obviously weakened – down the steps towards Auron, who was picking himself up off the ground. "Hell if I know. The dead chick said the same thing to me 'bout already bein' stoned. Which I guess is why I'm still here." He stuck a finger in his ear and cleaned it out it a profanely disgusting human gesture. "Y'know, I don't think she likes me much." He flicked his finger into the chamber with a rude smirk.
"So you mean the ritual
did fail!" Auron said, hope rising in his voice as he grabbed Braska and enveloped him in a tight embrace.
Surprised at the open display of affection, Braska was slow to return Auron's the gesture, though his arms eventually did tighten around the other man. He spent a few moments just holding on. Longer, maybe, than Auron was comfortable with, but neither of them made a move to break apart. Looking over Auron's back, Rikku watched Braska's face betray him. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and she finally knew just how panicked he'd really been under all of that calm, fearing that Yunalesca was going to transform Auron even without his permission. Finally, he let go and stepped back.
"It didn't," Braska said quietly. He brought a hand to his chest, grasping at his robes, and Jecht's hand mirrored the motion in perfect sync. "We succeeded. But as Jecht said, Yunalesca was unable to trap his body in stone." He smiled at Jecht. "Your unique nature saved you, my friend."
"Yeah, well," Jecht said, rubbing the back of his head. "Being a dream's got its perks I guess." He stopped and crossed his arms, looking serious. "But it ain't all roses. I'm a part of Braska now. I can feel him, y'know? Like… we're connected somehow." He grimaced. "I think… once Braska calls on me, I'm gonna change. Don't know how. She didn't either," he said, tilting his head towards the double doors. "Maybe I'll never be able to go back. Guess we'll find out, huh?"
Auron scowled. "How can either of you be fine with any of this?"
Braska sighed and Jecht reached for him, supporting his weight. "Because it's necessary, Auron. This is what it takes to defeat Sin." He gave Jecht's arm a pat and straightened. "I've no wish to stay here in the presence of that woman. Let's leave; we can talk outside."
He stopped and regarded Rikku. "And you? Are you –?"
"I don't know. How are you supposed to feel when someone tells you you're not real?"
"Like shit," Jecht answered for her, raising a hand. "But I mean, only for a little while. It's your life, right? Mopin' around about it is like lettin' all the haters win. So what if we're dreams? Dreams are
awesome."
"Well, yeah," Rikku said, feeling warmer from his words than from any fire she'd made. Lifting a hand, she danced in place. "I'm not gonna let some thousand-year-old dead woman stop me now!"
"It still raises more questions than it answers, though," Braska said as he led them towards the exit. "Who really summoned either of you? Who can maintain that sort of power for so long? Is the future you're convinced of even real? I'd question it, but…" He squinted, and didn't say what they were all thinking; her memories of Yuna, Tidus, and Auron seemed entirely too detailed and accurate to have been complete fantasy. "The answer must lie in your own time. Perhaps someone sent you to us for a reason."
"I bet Bahamut knows," Rikku said, gritting her teeth. "He could have warned me about any of this!"
Braska shook his head. "Would he though? You've been called his pawn, even by our own allies."
"Perhaps you were sent to us to change history," Auron said fervently. "To keep any more Summoners from being sacrificed in the final battle. You said it yourself. Jecht is unique. Maybe Braska won't die if he summons Jecht."
"Auron, give it a rest," Jecht groaned, climbing back into the dilapidated outer chamber. He stopped on the steps, crossing his arms. "Look. Say Yunalesca's right, and I end up biting it when Braska calls on me. Can I ask you one last favor? Uh…" He opened his mouth, then looked at Braska and thought of something, wincing. "Nah… Never mind."
"Out with it!" Auron growled impatiently.
"Okay." Jecht sighed. "Listen good. Take care of Tidus. My son, in Zanarkand. He's such a crybaby. He needs someone there to hold his hand, see? Take care of him, will you?"
Auron stopped in surprise. "What?"
Jecht scowled. "Look, everyone can see you did a real good job with Yuna already. Plus, you'll have Blondie on your side. You could be like... the best badass team my boy could ever have on his side. Nobody'll mess with that crybaby with you two around." He grinned faintly, obviously thinking of Rikku's vision of the future by the campfire. "Or better yet. Just bring him along so he can meet Yuna."
"But how am I supposed to go to Zanarkand?"
Jecht's eyes gleamed, and a bit of that maniacal devotion to his plan, the one that made him brazen enough to challenge Yunalesca, shone through. "Hey! You said it yourself! There must be a way to get there, right? You'll find it."
Auron stared at Jecht in disbelief, and then shook his head. "All right. I will." He looked up, entirely serious. "I give you my word," he swore. "I'll take care of your son. I'll guard him with my life."
"Thanks, Auron," Jecht said, hearing the gravity of Auron's vow. His eyes misted slightly, and he leaned forward, pulling Auron into a bear hug. Rikku stifled a fond smile at Auron's surprised expression; he'd probably been hugged more times today than he had in his entire life, going so far as to even initiate one with Braska. He was so far out of his comfort zone that it took him a moment to return Jecht's gesture.
"You were always such a stiff," Jecht laughed, pounding Auron on the back. "But that's what I liked about you." He let Auron go, catching sight of the other man's dismayed face, and threw his head back and laughed.
Stifling a smile, Braska turned and continued down the hallway. "We will have to return to Gagazet. The best place to challenge Sin would be the Calm Lands; we're less likely to incur casualties if we battle it there." He paused at the entrance to the sphere dome, glancing out warily for any sign of the Defender that had harried them on the way in. "Of course, we will have to make it there in one piece first."
"But how are we supposed to get Sin to come to the Calm Lands?" Rikku asked, and Braska looked surprised.
"Hmm? Do you mean Yuna didn't fight it there?"
Rikku scratched her cheek, trying to think of the best way to break the existence of airships to the others, then shrugged it off. "Uh, well, we didn't. It's complicated, but Sin… it came to us, not the other way around."
Rather than looking surprised, Braska nodded slowly. "Yes… Yunalesca hinted that much might happen. Sin is drawn to powerful aeons. Traditionally, it would appear if a High Summoner were to call upon their Final Aeon and wait. And that is why Summoners always wait in the Calm Lands."
"Huh," Rikku said. "I never knew that." Her mind began turning, processing the new information Yunalesca had provided. When Jecht had turned into Sin, they'd been able to lure him by using the Hymn. This Sin, however, wasn't Jecht. There was no guarantee the same tactic would work even if they
could get the populace of Spira behind them for the greatest flash mob concert of all time.
But
of course there had to have been some other way the other High Summoners had done it before; they'd been battling against Sin in the Calm Lands for a thousand years. Her heart began beating fast as she considered their options.
"Maybe…" She stole a glance at Jecht. "Maybe you don't have to use Jecht as the bait to do it, then. Maybe you don't have to summon him at all."
Jecht frowned. "Blondie –"
"No, I know what you're thinking, but hear me out first!" She glared at Jecht, knowing full well that he was secretly hoping to obtain a body that could travel to Dream Zanarkand when Braska transformed him.
"I know why High Summoners die when they call the Final Aeon. And it's not
calling the Final Aeon that kills them." She thought of Seymour, standing proudly in Luca while wielding Anima like a weapon. He hadn't even been dead that time! "It's
battling Sin that kills the Summoner. I think it wouldn't even really matter
what aeon Braska used if he fought. Because Sin… isn't Spira's real problem. "
"Rikku? What are you trying to say?" The hope in Auron's voice scared her; it was asking her to carry the weight of two worlds, even if he didn't realize what he was doing.
Maybe… if I'm not real, then this is what I was made for.
"See, Yunie and Tidus, they figured out Sin's secret. Why it always comes back. It's because Sin is an aeon, too. An aeon that forms armor around its Summoner." Even though she'd shut her eyes, she could feel them watching her; feel the two timelines she'd lived through converging and the pressure building to save them both. "Sin is the creation of the greatest High Summoner in Spira, Yu Yevon."
"Yunalesca said she was the second greatest Summoner," Braska said slowly. "Lady Yunalesca
Yevon."
Rikku nodded. "He's her father. And he's still… well, definitely not alive, but still continuously summoning inside." She carefully left out
what he was summoning, letting them all believe what she'd implied – that it was the enormous flying fiend-whale that the rest of Spira had named Sin. The weight on her back grew heavier.
"Maybe destiny
does exist," she murmured, sinking to her knees and wrapping her arms around them, knowing she was making what she thought was the
least bad choice out of no real good ones. "I believe it's Yunie's destiny to defeat Sin and bring the Eternal Calm, and not die while she's doing it," she continued, louder so that they could hear her. "That's already history in my time. It's something I don't
want to change."
A feeling of faint hope twisted itself around a heavy anchor of pain. Her mind wouldn't stop calculating the possibilities, though; she forced herself to keep going.
"So maybe I just need to change how we get to that point. Maybe there's a way to do this without
anybody dying."
She kept her voice light and eyes closed, because it was a lie. The mother of all lies, and one she couldn't afford to let them know she was telling. Auron knew her too well. And Braska was both a consummate liar
and an unusually perceptive lie detector. But most of all, Jecht could never find out. He didn't have anything tying him to Spira, not the way Tidus had Yuna. And Jecht loved Tidus more than anything else in the real world; if he knew the truth, it'd make him
dangerous.
It was a cruel choice she was making to ensure Auron, Braska, and Yuna's happiness, because she couldn't change the price of the sacrifice that would be required to bring the Eternal Calm. Killing Yu Yevon meant ending Jecht and Tidus' existence; they were both inexorably bound to Spira's fate.
Ultimately, all she could do was mitigate the damage. She could try to save Auron and Braska, and give Jecht the chance to be a father to his son, even let Tidus to fall in love with Yuna all over again. It wouldn't change the fact that Jecht and Tidus – and maybe even herself – were doomed to disappear with the advent of the Eternal Calm. But if Dream Zanarkand was going to be destroyed anyway, Rikku was willing to force it to carry the entire burden of the sacrifice in place of the summoners of Spira.
At least, that's what she told herself. Deep down, she knew what she was really doing. She'd spent enough time around both Jecht and Tidus to know they were
real. Heck, she needed to believe she was just as real, too. After all, Jecht's Zanarkand wasn't an abstract dream of the Fayth; it was a place with real people who lived and died in it, all with their own hopes and dreams and thoughts and feelings. If Tidus could love Yuna and if she could love Auron… she knew perfectly well that she was making a choice to destroy an entire city of
people. And she was lying to
Jecht to do it.
The only one of us who never deserved to pay this price.
Her shoulders twitched; she felt miserable. But she thought of Yuna, and kept the smile on her face when she opened her eyes.
Braska was looking at her. "But how?" he asked softly, unwilling to yet put his faith completely in the fragile thread of hope she was spinning for them all.
"We've already destroyed pieces of Sin before by piercing that armor. Usually, only a Final Aeon is strong enough to do that by itself, but we had Keyakku helping us with his machina gun back then. And that's the point! You don't need a Final Aeon to destroy Sin's body… you just need enough
power."
She rocked on her feet, her words gaining momentum. "And we've already got that power! You have two Final Aeons, right? So what if they're not
yours! We could just use
them to lure Sin to us instead of Jecht. I think if we don't try to touch Yu Yevon and just hurt his armor enough, it'll take him a while to rebuild it into a new 'Sin.' No one in Spira would know the difference as long the attacks stopped. It'd be… like… a fake Calm! And eventually, when Sin came back… then… then maybe Yunie would still go on her own Pilgrimage."
"So you're sayin'… Braska don't need to change me at all?" Jecht said slowly. "I can stay human?" He obviously had mixed feelings about that, considering how he'd hung everything on a chance to evolve into a form that could pierce into Dream Zanarkand. "Why can't we just kill that Yu Yevon bastard ourselves then?"
"I don't think Sin would let us do that so easily," Rikku huffed.
"Wha, I thought you said Sin was just a big Yu Yevon suit," Jecht scoffed. "Why stop at breakin' his gear?"
Rikku tapped her chin. "That's the thing. Sin isn't
gear, Jecht. Sin's an aeon. It might have been corrupted by Yu Yevon, but it was once human, too."
"It's a Guardian," Braska, said, comprehension finally dawning. "The High Summoner's chosen Guardian becomes the Final Aeon. And then High Summoner dies when Yu Yevon breaks the Rapture and steals the Final Aeon to replace his broken armor.
That is why the cycle always continues."
"Wha?! Waitaminute," Jecht said, eyes popping open and looking alarmed. "I didn't sign up to become the next Sin!"
"There must be a catch," Auron interjected. "In a thousand years, not a single High Summoner has ever managed to kill Yu Yevon, then, even if his armor was defeated."
Steeling herself, Rikku carefully began weaving the lie that would trap Dream Zanarkand in its fate. "It's because Yu Yevon isn't really human anymore either. Not like Yunalesca, at least. You already saw that hair of hers, right? Her dad's
worse. The only thing that could touch him would be a powerful aeon. Nothing else will work. But if you face him with an aeon out, well then… Sin comes right back. It's a never-ending spiral. There's never been a pair of High Summoners before. It's always just one Summoner doing all the work with one aeon."
Jecht rubbed his chin. "So y'mean you just wanna knock 'im out an' not kill 'im. That way, nobody dies while we're doin' it… 'cept the people Sin attacks to let the world know he's back in action a few decades down the road." She could feel the disapproval laced through his critique.
"This is not the place to have this discussion," Auron said as he watched her, sensing something off. He glanced out into the sphere dome. "We'll return to Mount Gagazet first. Nothing good can come of staying in the city of the dead."
They nodded in agreement, and Rikku welcomed the respite. Still, she was glad when Jecht chose to attach himself to Braska's side, helping the weakened Summoner through the rest of the ruins. Auron stayed beside her, guiding her through. Grateful as she was for it, it still felt a little too much like she was picking sides.
