A woman walked along the winding path, stepping along the bits of concrete and grass, even as a strong wind ruffled at the back of her thin, red jacket.

"Hey, Lightning?"

Lightning paused in place for a moment, just long enough to cast a blank gaze over her shoulder. "I told you not to follow me."

A boy walked out from behind a nearby pillar. "You're really leaving?" He stood only tall enough to reach her shoulders, but his face was etched with a sense of concern, and his eyes, they already spoke of countless sights, for better or worse. "What about your promise?"

"My promise." Lightning moved forward again, and the corner of her lip curled as a second set of footsteps joined her own. "I don't recall any of my promises being time-sensitive, Mister Estheim."

"Well, I told you... Call me Hope." Hope frowned, glancing away. "Are you always like this, or is it just for my benefit?"

Lightning shook her head. "You'd better get back home."

"Why?" Hope blinked against the growing wind, and he hurried to keep up with her pace. "You're hiding something, Lightning..."

She paused. "You can call me Light."

"Okay..." Hope glanced down, gazing at the stretch of winding, metallic latticework, built into the ground. "Why are you leaving?"

Lightning knelt down, and she reached for the handle of a small hatch within the framework. "Business."

Hope could only as Lightning lifted a large, white dove into her hands, before she pushed the metal door shut. "But... You'll be back?"

Lightning nodded, and she held up one of the bird's wings, gently positioned between her index finger and thumb.

"Soon enough to keep teaching me?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "I still don't know just how much benefit you'll get from learning swordplay... But you have my word." She suddenly let her hand fall to the side, and the dove leapt out, fluttering out into the air, before it sharply banked off to the side, circling above. "Things are peaceful, at least right now... You should let the rest of us worry about that sort of stuff."

Hope tipped his head to watch the soaring bird. "But will it always be like this?"

Lightning glanced away to hide her smirk. "Smart kid, I'll give you that..." She shook her head. "Get on back. I should be home before long."

"Okay." Hope stood up with a nod. "Thank you, Lightning."

"Light."

Hope nodded again. "If your sister asks..?"

Lightning began to walk forward. "I'm doing errands, like I told you." She lifted one of her hands above her forehead, gazing up at the circling dove. "Although, if you want to get on my good side, try keep an eye out for that lumbering oaf."

Hope frowned. "Snow? He's not so-" With a sharp gasp, Hope stumbled back when a thin, yet blinding pillar of light seared into his line of vision, but after a moment of utter silence, he found himself alone, save for a single, drifting feather.

"...Really?" Hope let out a sigh, but he reached out to catch the white plume between his fingers. "Always so abrupt..." He took a long, deep breath, before he turned away, walking back towards the wide, sun-swept terrace. "You'd think she was just trying to show off, or something."

There was a quiet giggle. "Light's always been like that."

Hope almost jumped at the nearby voice, and he spun around, only to look upon the face of a woman nearly identical to Lightning herself, although he could tell that the features before him were softer, and slightly more carefree.

"Sorry... I'm just trying to keep tabs on her." The young woman grinned at him from her perch atop a concrete pillar, and Hope couldn't help but stare at the large, almost artful bow strung across her chest and back. "Sisterly concern, you know."

After a moment, Hope took a step forward. "Serah... I'm just glad it's you."

Serah had her legs crossed at the knee, supporting her chin with the palm of her hands. "Who else would it be?"

Hope shrugged. "I don't know." He walked over to lean against the base of the pillar, and his gaze began to drift, until he was staring down at the patchy bits of grass, poking out from between the fractured concrete. "Light's just been... A little strange, lately."

Serah leaned forward a bit. "How so?"

"Well..." Hope narrowed his eyes to think. "The first few times I trained with her, Lightning was... Completely focused on the task at hand, and she'd almost never let anything distract her from sparring."

Serah kept quiet for a moment. "But something changed?"

Hope nodded. "I actually managed to land a hit on her, yesterday." He glanced up to see Serah's expression. "Nothing serious! We were using wooden swords, not actual weaponry..."

Serah exhaled, before she nearly began to giggle. "Wow, she must have been really distracted... I just wonder what this 'business' could be."

Hope's lungs tightened for a brief moment. "You don't think she'd..?"

Serah let out a quiet sigh, but she kept on smiling. "Lightning is a lot of things, some of which is to keep things as calm as possible... Just in order to take on the work for herself." Serah glanced down at the markings upon Hope's wrist. "You said were from a different colony at first, right?"

Hope nodded, rubbing at his arm. "Yeah, it was... We were closer to the shell, so it took the brunt of the impact." He slowly began to sit down, sliding to rest at the very base of the pillar. "Not many of us made it out."

Serah's smile faded. "I'm sorry."

Hope shook his head. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

Serah began to chew at her bottom lip for a moment, before she moved to jump down from the pillar, landing squarely on her feet. "We really should get back."

Hope held the feather up in the palm of his hand. "She left this."

Serah reached out to gently take the white plume, but when a certain shade of color swept over the pinion, she moved her hand back, until the feather had reverted it its natural state. "Then... She meant for you to have it. Maybe for good luck?"

Hope shrugged. "Sometimes, I don't think she'll even tolerate me being around much longer..."

Serah laughed, with a quick shake of her head. "Don't say that; she's just a little rougher than most..." She gestured for Hope to follow her. "Light has to act tough for us, you know?"

Hope rose back to his feet, stowing the feather away in his shirt pocket. "Yeah, but I haven't seen any monsters around since the first couple of waves."

Serah grinned. "We sure scared them off, huh?" She tapped at the bowstring across her chest. "Light taught me how to fight, too."

Hope started to smile. "I know Lightning doesn't care for him, but... Snow promised to teach me some grappling techniques, once he gets the chance."

Serah beamed, glancing over her shoulder. "He's probably one of best teachers you could find! Snow's got the size for it... More than enough, in fact."

Hope nearly laughed under his breath. "Sounds like those rumors are true."

Serah's expression wavered, before she turned back to face the thin, cobbled path. "I haven't heard any rumors."

"Well, I don't pay too much attention to them..." Hope glanced up to see a weathered, illegible sign-post, swinging just above the pathway. "But the word around town, people say that he made a certain... Public declaration."

Serah kept silent for a moment, before she turned back to reveal a grin, twirling once in place. "Man, you should've seen her face... I nearly thought that I'd have to get in between those two before Snow got his teeth knocked out!"

Hope looked down at his shoes. "Light's more than a little protective, I take it."

Serah nodded. "Well, in some ways she has to be... But she can be a little too thorough for her own good."

Hope moved to kick at a stray pebble as they walked further along the pathway. "She seems like a good sister."

Serah grinned. "Definitely... Light's really great."

After a moment of silence, Hope quietly cleared his throat. "What sort of bow is that?" He pointed at Serah's back. "You said she taught you how to use it."

Serah reached up to run her fingertips along the sleek, metal framework of the upper bow-limb. "It's a special weapon, just like hers... It's not just a bow." Serah giggled. "Have you ever heard of a familiar, Hope?"

Hope glanced over his shoulder. "Of course... Lightning used hers a minute ago."

Serah tapped along the bowstring. "Well, a weapon is an extension of yourself, and by that, an extension of your being." She looked up, gazing at the nearby outline of a village, built within the cracks and crags of the canyon walls. "Let's just say that Mog is almost as protective as Lightning..."

As the words left Serah's lips, Hope almost swore that he could sense a strange sort of presence laughing alongside them, but he could find nothing amiss within the small, grassy ravine.

As they entered the village gates, Serah spoke again. "Say..." She turned to face the rows of thatched, wooden buildings that had lined the canyon walls, linked together by suspended, wooden bridges. "Did you know about the Vestige, just above the cliff, there?"

Hope looked up to follow her gaze, only to find himself staring at a rather imposing, yet tilted structure. "The old ruin up there? I thought it was supposed to be empty."

Serah shook her head. "Empty of supplies, maybe... But what if there's something really interesting inside?" She turned to face Hope with a tiny smile. "Lightning said that she saw some really cool sculptures in there when they went out scouting; maybe we can find something useful for when she gets back!"

Hope frowned at the ruins above. "But... If it came from-" He shook his head. "Back when Cocoon..."

Serah shrugged. "So? That will only make it more useful." She moved to point at the upper levels of the Vestige. "You remember what it was like, all those years ago... Right?"

Hope thought in silence for a moment, gazing off into the distance. "Yeah."

Serah nodded. "I mean, I'm not saying that we should go in without backup, of course..." She suddenly smiled at something within the village, and she jumped up to wave at someone in a nearby crowd. "Snow went in there, same as Light, so he'd know how to get in there in the first place!"

After a short moment, an almost ridiculously tall man walked up with a broad smile, moving over to draw Serah into a hug. "Hey, you!"

Serah grinned into the embrace. "Snow! Would you be up for a little exploration?"

Snow moved back after a moment, scratching at the stubble on his chin. "Suppose so... Where would we be heading?"

Serah pointed up at the canyon walls. "The Vestige... I've been wondering what else we could find inside it."

Snow's expression suddenly flickered into something a bit more serious, but after a moment, he shrugged it away. "Well... I did get sort of a weird vibe in there, but there were a lot of empty rooms that we didn't poke around. It could be worth a second look."

Serah started off right away, gently tugging Snow along by his wrist. "No need to introduce you guys, of course."

Snow glanced over at Hope, and they shared a nod. "Yeah, I've known kiddo here since before the fall..."

Hope moved over to follow after them. "It was only once our town had-" He paused, glancing away. "Well, Snow helped me out of that, and even out here... We met up again after the colony I was in disbanded."

Serah reached back to pat Hope's shoulder. "I'm glad you made it here."

Hope smiled a bit. "New Bodhum seems... Nicer, than any of the other outposts."

Snow laughed with a nod. "We like it that way! I can't really stand the bigwigs, myself... But Light and the others do a good job at keeping the peace."

Serah began to step up along a steep wooden staircase. "Although it's not like there's much threat of monsters anymore..."

Snow followed after her. "Yeah, but there's more than just monsters out there." He shook his head. "But it's barely even an issue now with the cloaking fields."

Hope glanced up at the layers of both residential buildings and small, commercial shacks, but he almost frowned upon spotting a mass of thick, gray clouds above the canyon walls, but after a moment, he turned back to face his companions. "Well, what about... Down below?"

Snow paused. "Below."

Hope nodded.

Serah glanced back over her shoulder. "I think that Lightning would be the one to ask."

Hope looked back down at the village, or more specifically, the crumbling platform that lead out from the canyon entrance, which tapered down to form the edge of the land itself, before a vast, almost endless expanse of blue lay where it left off.

"I guess so." Hope closed his eyes for a moment, before he turned, walking to catch up with his friends. "I just can't help but wonder... What's it like down there?"

A layer of steam billowed out over the darkened alleyway, and Lightning nearly lifted her hand to cover her mouth, but after a brief moment of slow, calculated breathing, she began to walk forward with a nod. "Sazh?"

After a moment, a solitary figure moved out from the adjacent street. "Lightning... Good to see you again."

With a nod, Lightning reached down into her jacket pocket, retrieving a small, folded letter. "From Dajh... He seems to have settled nicely."

Sazh broke out into a grin when he opened the letter, gazing along the scrawled, yet heartfelt doodles that lay within. "You know... For a while, I didn't think you'd even find him."

Lightning's expression wavered. "How old was he, when..?"

Sazh let out a low, wistful sigh. "It was... At least a hundred or so years after the second war, so I'd say..." He reach up to scratch at the back of his head. "I... I fell during the third, you know."

Lightning glanced away, and she said nothing for a moment. "...He enjoyed the book you sent." She nearly smiled at the memory. "He said that if you had any more for me to deliver..."

Sazh nodded. "I've got a few back at home, but I have a feeling you called today for something else."

Lightning slowly bit at the inside of her cheek. "I'm ready to meet the one you talked about."

Sazh paused for a moment, before he let out a quiet sigh. "Light, the thing about us fallen..."

With a curt nod, Lightning began to walk forward. "I can handle anything they throw at me."

"Light..." Sazh had to hurry to keep up with her. "I know you're one heck of a fighter, but these guys... They're on a whole different level."

Lightning shrugged. "What's the worst they can do?"

Sazh nearly reached over to grab at her shoulder, but he quickly thought better of it. "There's a reason we were cast out, you know."

Lightning paused at his tone, and she turned, gazing into his stern, yet gentle eyes. "'Etro will receive those that the great lord rejects.'"

Sazh took a deep breath. "Everything comes with a price."

Lightning nodded. "Then what are her terms? As if we had anything left to lose..."

Sazh cracked a grin. "That's one way to put it..." He turned, stretching out his shoulders. "But the grand old goddess of death is more of a 'final destination' than most." He suddenly squinted, turning back to examine Lightning's expression. "So what've you got planned in that thick skull of yours?"

Lightning looked away. "Probably something stupid, but it needs to be done." She began to walk forward again, but she kept her pace even and controlled. "Bhunivelze... Back in Cocoon, I saw a glimpse of something you might call insane."

Sazh quirked a single, bushy eyebrow. "And what might that have been?"

Lightning grit her teeth. "Expectant... He knew it was happening, and he did nothing to stop it."

Sazh opened his mouth to speak, but he found himself at a loss for words, so he closed it, before a strong, lingering flicker of worry crossed his mind. "Lightning, you can't really be-"

Lightning cleared her throat. "You know how many times I've heard that? You can't..." She narrowed her eyes. "'Lightning, you can't save her; becoming a l'Cie is permanent...'" She hissed through her teeth. "'Oh, you can't just leave the Sanctum's protection, you wouldn't last a day outside the walls!'"

Sazh frowned. "I get the-"

"You can't ever fly again; the great lord Bhunivelze-!" Lightning suddenly caught hold of her breath, blinking back the moisture from her eyes. "I've gotten real good at doing things I can't."

With a slow, silent nod, Sazh followed after her, until the alleyway had broken off into a wide, bustling street. "You really want to meet him?"

Lightning turned in place. "This needs to stay between us."

Sazh adjusted his stance to lean against a nearby street lamp. "The fallen are a tight-knit bunch, so just don't do anything too crazy."

Lightning nodded.

Sazh let out a long sigh. "Alright then... But you'd better be on your best behavior; it's not just your neck on the line."

The Vestige's exterior looked nearly seamless at first sight, but once Snow had led the way off to the side of the gigantic structure, they found that a small, yet grandiose entrance awaited them just beneath a low archway, settled within the tower itself.

"Hey, just how old do you think this place is..?" Hope glanced around at the glittering green lights, inlaid within the metal walls around them. "I haven't seen anything like this kind of architecture before... Not even back in Cocoon."

Serah glanced up at the tall, circular tower, staring out into the vast number tunnels and hallways that led away from the circular main chamber. "I really don't know... But maybe there's some information in here about it."

Snow strode over to glanced inside a nearby pathway. "Well, I did see a weird control panel in one of the rooms over here; we can try to find it again if you like."

Serah walked forward to follow after Snow, smiling all the while. "This is exciting! We could really find something helpful in here, if this is actually from Cocoon..."

Hope glanced up, shivering as their footsteps echoed endlessly throughout the hall, before he glanced back to see that Serah was walking along on her tiptoes, with a spring in her every step.

"Light said you found a bunch of strange machines, right?" Serah looked up at Snow. "Can you show us where those are, too?"

Snow nodded. "Just don't poke them around too much... We have no way of telling if they're dangerous or not."

Hope spoke up. "Hey, I remember hearing back home about machines that could talk and do useful things... Maybe they're something similar?"

Snow nearly shuddered. "I think I'd rather they turn out to be the non-chatty kind..."

Serah tapped at his shoulder. "Where's your sense of adventure?" She grinned at him. "Who knows, maybe they'll be nice ones."

Snow grinned back after a moment. "I guess so, but I've had more than my fair share of unfriendly machines."

Serah nodded. "Don't worry... If they look nasty, we can always fight them off."

"Hey, Serah?" Hope pointed at her shoulder. "Your bow is glowing."

Serah turned to look down at her back. "It is pretty dark in here." She began to trace along the metal curve of the bow. "Don't worry about it; Mog just wants to help out."

Hope tilted his head to the side. "What exactly is Mog? I've only ever seen a couple of familiars..."

Serah smiled at him. "Well, Lightning has Odin, but he likes to stay with the other birds for the most part... But when it comes to familiars, looks are almost always deceiving." She giggled a bit. "I mean, Mog looks like a bow most of the time... But you should see him when something exciting is happening."

Snow held up his hands, revealing that his set of smooth, black gloves each bore a gleaming gemstone at the wrist. "Shiva and Nix."

Hope glanced between each glove. "Two? I've never heard of double familiars..."

Snow shrugged. "I guess it's a little unusual." He looked Hope over. "What about you, kiddo? Ever had the feeling that someone else was there with you?"

After a moment of thought, Hope shook his head. "I've heard that they're a little rare in the first place."

Serah nodded. "They usually take the form of a weapon, or something that you can easily carry with you." She smiled to herself, wandering away into the adjacent hall. "Light's a little different, though... She has her sword, but Odin can do a lot more than that."

Hope watched as Serah walked over to a nearby room, and he moved to follow her. "So he's not just a bird?"

Snow chuckled under his breath. "Well, what do birds have?"

As Serah moved to stand before a nearby panel, her breath almost hitched as the room slowly came alight, glowing brighter and brighter within the silent, dilapidated Vestige.

Hope's eyes went wide, and after a moment, he stepped back with a short gasp.

The tavern itself seemed to hold no secrets upon first glance, but when Lightning moved up to examine the inhabitants while she crossed beneath the rickety doorway, she was greeted by an overall feeling of unease, and yet somehow, a sense of familiarity.

Sazh cleared his throat. "Amodar, if we could have a word?" He walked over to stand in front of Lightning. "I know that you guys don't really keep up with the news from home, but-"

A stout, grizzled man rose to his feet. "Get the kid out of here, Sazh."

Lightning bit back a retort.

Sazh blinked twice. "Sir, if we could just-"

Amodar shook his head. "I don't have the will, or the patience to deal with his lackeys... Not in this century or the next." His gaze slid over to meet Lightning's own. "I'll say this once; we have no interest in either redemption or repentance."

Lightning took a step forward. "I'm not here to-"

"No." Amodar waved his hand, stepping out to block her path. "I've heard this line a thousand times, and if you think I'm exaggerating-" His eyes lit up as Lightning lurched forth, but before she could so much as raise her hand before him, his own fingers closed around her wrist, pinning her arm back against the wall with a sharp, snarling grunt.

Lightning let out a hiss, and she struck out with her free hand, but it was quickly yanked off the side as well, and she was pushed back, only to crash down against a nearby table.

"Eh, little Seraphim..." Amodar's lip curled as he seized hold of her throat. "Have you ever taken a single step out of Cocoon? Out from the Sanctum's gaze?" He frowned, tightening his grip. "I suppose you must have, to find your way down here..."

Lightning choked against the solid hold, but she struggled, pushing back, slowly rising up from the surface of the table, before she reached up to return the gesture, scratching down tightly against the hands clamped around her neck. "Fuck... The Sanctum."

Amodar's eyes widened by a slight fraction. "Have I gone senile? A Seraph with a spine..." He suddenly chuckled, easing his grip away. "You'd better hope your god isn't listening in, or you'll do better down here than you might intend."

Lightning quietly gasped, wheezing for breath, and as the air finally poured out into her lungs her lungs, a faint, flickering outline began to hover beside her shoulder-blades, but it had disappeared again just a moment. "I'm not here on Bhunivelze's orders... Or anyone's, for that matter."

Amodar moved away with a grunt, slowly retaking his seat. "Then I'd be curious to know why Sazh brought you here in the first place." He glanced to the side, meeting Sazh's gaze with a chuckle. "Not that I doubt your resolve, buddy."

Sazh rolled his eyes. "Lightning can speak for herself... But I don't think it's any secret about what happened to Cocoon."

Amodar shrugged, before he reached away for a glass atop the counter. "I honestly don't give a damn what goes on in the homeland."

Lightning glanced around, gazing at the assorted patrons of the bar, and she noted that an odd, lingering energy hovered about each and every one of them. "Bhunivelze... He abandoned us too, when it fell."

Amodar quirked a single eyebrow. "Makes sense... When shit hits the fan, he's never wanted to deal with it." He lifted the glass to his mouth. "But that doesn't quite answer my question."

Lightning swallowed back a sigh, and she moved to sit straighter upon the edge of the table. "You'll need a little context, first... We settled on a small fragment of the shell; it was kept floating by its own gravitational field." She took a deep breath. "The Sanctum... They set up a permanent base to the west, but it was..." Lightning paused, gathering her thoughts. "Long story short, we had to leave. Quickly."

Sazh frowned. "Amodar... She saved my son."

With a slow nod, Amodar set down his glass. "So why are you here?"

Lightning rose to her feet. "I've heard stories about the goddess, Etro." She took a step forward. "And about her fallen flock."

"I'd hardly call us a flock." Amodar chuckled. "But I've seen stranger groups, for sure..."

Lightning nodded. "I'm here to open formal communication, as well as to inquire-"

Amodar raised his hand. "Girlie, look around you... Just play it cool, okay?" He shook his head. "This really isn't a formal sort of place."

Lightning glanced over to see a snoring patron who was slumped across the bar, resting beside his own drool. "I gathered."

Amodar began to smile. "Good, now tell me what you're here for."

Lightning nodded. "I have... Unfinished business, with the 'great lord' himself."

Both Amodar and Sazh couldn't help but stare when a soft, flickering light began to swirl, gathering out along her back and shoulders, but the glow was quickly tinged with both an unfamiliar color, as well as a strange, potent design at the edge.

Lightning almost smirked. "We've discovered quite a few things since the fall..."

With a sharp gasp, Serah stumbled away from the flickering panel, but as the glow intensified, she found herself frozen in place, gazing up at the strong, pulsing lights that began to appear from within the Vestige itself.

"Serah..." Snow turned to face her, and his eyes went wide. "This didn't happen before... What did you-?"

Serah shook her head back and forth. "I didn't do anything..." She moved forward to touch one of the swirling lights, and to her surprise, it began to curl up into her fingertips, glimmering from within. "It's actually... Really pretty."

Hope frowned at the glowing threads around him, but after a moment, his expression softened. "It's not doing anything bad..."

Snow relaxed slightly. "Suppose not."

After a moment of silence, a low, crackling voice echoed out from somewhere beneath them. "Excuse me?"

Three sets of gazes turned to the floor, simultaneously widening at the sight they received.

Amodar shrugged. "Well, you'd need a Nephilim."

"A what?" Lightning asked, "I thought the followers of Etro could-"

Amodar shook his head. "Look, I don't have all day to explain this to you." He folded his hands together. "Bhunivelze is a god, alright? You can't just walk up to him and air your grievances without ending up like us, or worse."

Lightning slowly began to nod.

"So, you'd need a Nephilim." Amodar grinned. "When the first handful of us settled here on Gran Pulse, you could imagine that the pickings were pretty slim..."

Lightning glanced away. "That, I can."

Amodar laughed through his teeth. "To put it simply, when facing a god, you'd need an individual with the immunity of a human, and the powers of a fallen Seraph." He leaned back in his chair. "That'd be a Nephilim."

After a moment, Lightning turned to face Sazh. "You're my only contact here; is there any way to find someone-"

Sazh held up his hands. "Look, I'm all for you sticking it to Bhunivelze, especially where it hurts, but this already sounds like a suicide mission." His gaze went slightly softer. "I'll always appreciate you looking out for Dajh, but I can't just put the both of us in the firing line like that."

Slowly, Lightning nodded. "I'll just have to start looking, then..." She began to turn in place, glancing back at Amodar. "Thank you for the information."

Amodar waved her off. "Eh... Any time, kiddo."

Sazh could only watch as his companion began to walk out through the front door, and he nearly had to squint at the split-second ray of light that seared off, tapering away into the air. "She's... A good kid."

Amodar shrugged, but there was something different to his gaze, an air of genuine contentment that hadn't graced his features in centuries. "Eh, a little reckless, maybe..." He watched as the delicate shape of a feather drifted down beside the windowsill, before it landed gently upon the doormat. "But I guess you can't help but root for the likes of that."