Broken Alliance: By Crazed Unit

Author's Note- Hey, you fanfic readers! This fic was written by a group of five writers who you most likely know: Auron's Fan, Shadray, Da KeR MysTeRr, Sephirothxx, and Reyavie. Two or three of us have written up this chapter, and we are all extremely proud of it... If you're interested in knowing, each one of us made up our own character (with different personalities that you will encounter soon), resulting in five elemental summoners, who the story will be revolving around. Not everyone in the story is an OC, by the way, as you will meet quite a few people from the game... You are in for quite a few surprises here... (grins)

The first chapter is on the long side...but we had to make it that way for us to completely describe the beginning of everything to you.Read on.

Summary- Betrayed by one of their own, trapped for a thousand years, five elemental summoners from the city of Zanarkand seek a way to escape their prison and gainvengeance for all they have gone through. However, being released from a chamber after a thousand years would cause trouble for anyone, with or without the help of a certain group of summoners and guardians, right?

Disclaimer...
Sephirothxx: We don't own anything…
Auron's Fan: That's not true! We own all the OC's!
Shadray: and this sexy piece of lint that was in my pocket!
Da KeR MySteRr: -mutters- and the world…
Reyavie: Ker! You don't own the world!
Da Ker MySter: …yet… -shifty eyes-
Reyavie: -smacks forehead and give pleading look to reviewers- Please… just read and review…

And behold...chapter one.Enjoy!


Chapter One: The Betrayal

We still don't know how it all began. Everything was so normal—relatively normal. There's no way we could ever be called normal…but it was a routine we were all so used to. And then suddenly everything changed. Our world turned upside down. All we took as a certainty was taken from under our feet.

We're getting ahead of ourselves. Who is this "we"? Throughout history we were called different names—angels, demons… ghosts, monsters—I guess that is right in a way. We were all of that. But then we were something else—

Guardians.

It was—it still is—our job to protect this city with the elemental powers that we have been given. Or cursed with. And we will.

A single word can mean more than a thousand. For everyone around us we weren't more than that. We were heroes, protectors…Nothing more. Humanity…that was something we couldn't have. But we did. We trusted, felt…we failed.

Irony dictated we would fail at the hands of one of our own. The one place we would have never seen it coming from. Betrayal runs deep indeed. Unexpected and yet strong and painful. Just like greed…why did we trust so much? That will remain forever unknown. But all that was destroyed in one single moment by a friend's…a brother's hands.

The wound still bleeds even now, so many centuries after. It will never stop. We cannot forgive. Hate is a part of us all. Revenge is a harsh mistress. We follow it willingly. And we have our duty. We'll always have that. He will die. That we can promise. And the curse we brought to this world with him.

The different elements that each of us holds…it is our fate to use them not just for ourselves—but for the city. We must protect Zanarkand no matter the cost. Even if that means our lives. The fiends? They won't stop us from doing our job—not anymore.

We were once humans. Normal men and women struggling in a cold world.

We are nothing more than guardians now…and that's all we will ever be.

Zanarkand, Eleven of January, 2925

The city awakened slowly to the new day, the rising sun touching the dark buildings throwing light through windows and curtains, gently calling all its inhabitants to awareness. Artificial lights went out as they were no longer needed, random noises beginning to fill the streets as people began leaving the skyscrapers to unknown destinations.

But all of them stopped for a mere moment as the sun finally did its appearance, eyes turning to determinate places in unison as if it had been scheduled.

Towers met those looks.

Gigantic constructions in cylindrical form that surpassed all others with undeniable importance. Six of them, all different, all amazing in their own way distributed as to form a star around the city limits and then a central one, slightly taller than the ones around it.

The second the Sun finally raised totally movement exploded in each of them with a strength that would rivalled the light itself. Elements meshed abruptly, tendrils of magic touching themselves forming what was vaguely a shield encompassing the city while connecting the six buildings whose glory seemed enlarged by the spectacle touching them.

And people smiled as the power grew in intensity until it vanished to form a barely seen dome replacing the shining shield that had been there a moment before. It too faded into nothing. That was an unknown sign for all inhabitants to move, returning to their daily routine.

Not a look was spared to any of the figures standing in the balcony of each tower, watching silently as they lowered their arms as if they were one being. Slowly they raised their heads to each other, slight smiles, muttered greetings, silent displays of encouragement.

Nothing that could make them ignore the slight sadness and weariness in every gesture.

And just then, as if on cue, men and women appeared behind the first figures, heavy cloaks shadowing features that could be used to distinguish them. With a last wave they left and in the next moment the towers were once again nothing more than buildings, no proof of what had just happened to be seen.

At that time we didn't know what was going to happen. Our lives were set, the way we played that game something that would never be changed. We were dancers to another's tune, merely servants to Lords and Ladies that didn't spare us a single look. But we had each other. We confided, trusted, depended on our brothers and sisters of Fate. The ones shackled by the same constraints…That was the main reason for our failure.

Silence fell over the battlefield. An unnatural silence that seemed to scream louder than any words could have, louder than any human voice. Pyreflies filled the air, their soft lights hanging around the human forms still as statues. That same stillness around was broken a mere second after as they moved.

Two fell to the floor, breathing quickly or just sighing in relief before falling into silence. But one thing could be seen in every face without an exception: worry.

"Now do you believe me?" a young male said, raising both eyebrows.

The voice was loud, its tone strong and somewhat mocking. And its owner was much the same. Dark eyes, an ominous blue that even under the sunlight seemed almost black, carrying something all too akin to disgust and scorn. A dim shine in a hard face. The male was tall but skinny to the point where it could almost be confused with being sick—although he wasn't. Strength permeated each vein, each move and gesture. His dark blue robes flowed around him protectively, a large sword resting on the sheath he carried at his waist. He didn't seem to be older than 25.

He continued. "This is the third attack in two days. The fiends have come closer and closer to the city for the past four months and—"

"Shut up already, will you?" Roxi snapped angrily. "We know this already, Yevon. What are we, stupid?"

The voice brought the silence back but now it wasn't the calmness that it had reined merely moments before.

She was a woman, probably around her twenties, that was sitting by a side, head on her knees. Light brown hair fell around her in waves till her mid back held by a thin band, the black shirt and trousers meshing with the dark earth she was resting on. Her head rose showing harsh blue orbs and pale skin framing young features, her eyes narrowed in an unspoken warning. The way her hands held the handle of the giant black sword she was holding appeared to be enough to the rest of them.

An unexpected sound broke the tension coldly as the other member of the group stood from the floor.

A large frown appeared on Cassandra's face. "Enough, both of you," she said sharply. The tone of voice, though not cold, clearly stated the woman was not up to deal with any more arguments. She seemed not much older than the other girl but clearly younger than the young man, wearing the same type of clothing as her female counterpart only in a shadowy grey colour. Also dark eyed and dark haired, a deep chocolate brown that made the pallid skin tone stand out all the more.

A hand was brought in front of her face, a small blue sphere resting on its palm. The sphere flickered with white light until the woman grabbed it and cupped it into her own hand. "Hello?" she said calmly into the communication device.

"We're finally done. Now can someone explain what's happening?" A male voice resounded from the sphere, light and yet carrying veiled annoyance.

"How would they know?" It was another female speaking from the sphere, her tone veiled with the weariness she could not hide. "They don't know anything more about the fiends' movements than that snail over there."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be smarter if we could find a better place to carry out this discussion than a battlefield?" another male suggested lowly. His voice also came from the blue device that was being held. "I'd rather not be maimed from behind by another pack of hungry fiends."

This sentence imposed silence once more only broken by the small sounds made by the pyreflies still innocently floating around.

"Send these…things," Yevon ordered sharply into the sphere. "We assemble here, at Alliance's Keep."

"Who died and made you boss?" Roxi retorted, ignoring the background of argument coming from the other line of the conversation. He seemed to ignore both.

"Do not call them things," was the single comment of the standing woman who had held the device. She lightly tossed the sphere to him, raising the silver glaive on her right hand.

That was the beginning. A call to arms if you will…or maybe not. I remember one of us saying that it was the small leak of a fountain before the dam broke and the water dragged us with its strength. But we never distrusted. As much as we quarrelled between ourselves, tempers as different as the powers bestowed to us, we never once expected one of us to turn from our task. We had been raised to it, the duty shackling more than our actions. It held our lives, our spirits. But the stone can only hold so much before it breaks. And when one stone breaks…the whole foundation falls with it.

-----xXx-----

Noise filled Zanarkand's streets when three companions passed through the city's gates. They stopped in a contrasting silence, eyes carefully watching the busy streets where little to no attention was drawn to them.

The taller form of the group grunted as someone unknowingly almost slammed into him. "I knew it," he said in a low voice. "This is becoming far too familiar for my tastes. Is it me, or are these people unbelievably ungrateful for our protection?"

Clothed in dark auburn like the colour of the dying flames, and at least over six-and-a-half feet tall, Xanthos stood out all the more even if he didn't tower over the two others. Brown hair barely touched his eyes matching the colour found in them, and he shook it out of the way of his eyesight as the girl standing next to him spoke.

She seemed to be only at the age of about 15 or 16, clearly the youngest in the group. "They are ungrateful, those creeps." She folded her arms as her eyelids narrowed. "I say we kick their asses. Who's WITH me?"

The shorter young man beside her frowned greatly. He looked about eighteen. "…I say we kick your ass, Lydia." Daniel continued. "Sadly, there is no way we can harm these people. We are meant to protect them remember? With or without our elements. Don't tell me you forgot."

He had golden-coloured, shimmering hair that fell down his face in collective strands, reaching below his eyes in the front, and shorter strands that ceased above his neck at the rear of his head. His bright, sapphire eyes looked down at the communication device resting in his hand as his thick, dark green shirt ruffled about with the wind.

"Well, excuse me for giving a good suggestion," Lydia replied with a stare. "It's not like I give them frequently."

Xanthos nodded in complete agreement with this fact, just as a loud, disturbing shout came from the sphere in Daniel's hand.

"ARE YOU LISTENING?" the bony, black-haired man boomed from the opposite end of the conversation.

He fumbled with the inconvenient communication mechanism before holding it out in front of him. "Sorry about that, Yev," he faltered. "We were a bit distracted by...someone." He sent a sideways glance at the female companion standing beside him, who smiled.

"What I was saying," Yevon explained, "was that obviously the fiends aren't stopping, and there is no way we can hold them off anymore. They are only growing by the second, just like they've been doing for the past week. And what's more—"

"Get to the point, before we rust," snorted the dark blue-eyed woman on the other line, tapping her foot against the floor impatiently.

Yevon narrowed his eyes, grimacing. "I was just getting to that, Roxi. We are elemental summoners, are we not? Meaning, we are special summoners meant to protect this city, the city of Zanarkand. Roxi, Cassandra, Lydia, Daniel, Xanthos, and I are the only elemental summoners in all of Spira, and all of us have our own equal—but different—elements. We summon the elements of darkness, thunder, space, wind, and fire, respectively. That's why they call us the 'special summoners of the elements.' You all know that."

"Of course we do. But thanks for the recap. Although no one needed it, and I still don't see your point," Cassandra replied in a dry tone.

"But of course you don't. He doesn't have a point. But what else is new?" Lydia said, peering closely into the sphere. She gaped when she saw that the people at the other end of the conversation obviously didn't have anywhere near as many fiends as they'd had to deal with earlier.

"And why do you all look completely unscathed?" she interrogated. "We've been fighting off the fiends here for days, and look at us!"

"You've only been over there for an hour," she corrected, her voice in an even drier tone. Nevertheless, Cassandra squinted to see them in the small machina device. They were panting hard like a pack of wild fiends themselves, and had bruised themselves countless times while battling. A few of their garments had rips, although she couldn't tell until she looked even closer.

The other two elemental summoners standing beside her weren't paying attention. Yevon was waiting for them to silence themselves naturally, so that he could continue speaking, and Roxi was glaring at an empty wall, tangled in her own thoughts.

"Oh, that's nothing. You obviously haven't fought many fiends over there at all," she said sarcastically, once she had fully observed their state of exhaustion. She frowned at the sight of all three of the people from the other end of the sphere gaping at her.

"That was sarcasm," she explained. "And what are you guys doing? Inviting fiends to attack you? That's why you are encountering so many of them. You should be running away."

The three pointed exasperatedly to a nearby sign that clearly stated "No Running Zone."

"We don't have much time." Yevon cleared his throat. "We only separated into two groups so that we could defeat all of the fiends. But it isn't working, as you can see. More and more fiends are beginning to come, and our powers alone can't stop them."

"So what's that supposed to mean?" Xanthos asked, ignoring a couple of bystanders who were staring at him like he'd just announced he was pregnant. He would've shooed them away if they hadn't mindlessly scurried away from him when he turned to look at them.

"It means there is only one way for us to destroy the rest of the fiends."

"What? Scare them away with your deadly breath?" Lydia questioned, wrinkling her nose and fanning away a peculiar odour coming from the communication sphere in Daniel's hand.

Yevon furrowed his brow. "What?"

Daniel pointed at the odour. "Err…what is this, a cartoon? Since when can you see odour?" he asked incredulously. He narrowed his eyes at the ugly smoke billowing out of the sphere and clouding it's insides. "Damn, the sphere's smoking. There must be something wrong with it."

"Then you'd better turn it off before something happens." Cassandra examined the sphere in Yevon's hands. "What the hell? This one's smoking too!"

"Get down here!" the black-haired man shouted quickly through the machina, before a spark shot out and the device flickered off.

"Oh dear," Lydia sighed.

Yes, we were elemental summoners. I had my own element, as did everyone else. We were all so different in so many ways—from our looks to our clothes to our elements to our personalities—but we all shared that same fate. We were supposed to protect the city of Zanarkand from fiends. Nothing more to it. Our lives came after the city and its inhabitants. Sounds fun right?

The fiends had been the result of the Machina War we were battling against Bevelle. The innocent souls who had died in the war had such a strong bond with the world of Spira that they had refuse to go to the Farplane. And they didn't remain unsent, either. They became fiends. A war lasting for the last thirty-one years had not done few victims.

And because of that damn war, we were fighting and protecting our city from them almost all the time. Every time another innocent person died in the war, there was one more fiend to fight—and then there got to be so many, we could hardly handle them. They just wouldn't stop coming.

Yevon was the only one who seemed to have a plan. So, after splitting up into two groups to try to kill off the different groups of fiends—and yes, we did use a communication device so that we could all talk as if we were all together—we rejoined them back at Alliance's Keep, which was the tower we all lived in. The tower that was made sorely for us.

I'm still surprised someone cared enough for us to build it at all.

The large, spacious, white room was completely empty except for the people standing quietly inside, creating short echoes with each body movement. The room connected to narrow stairs followed by the hallways which led to the six separate rooms, each with their own elemental decorations.

The personal room of the fire guardian was stuffed with sweltering heat that could make a machina dysfunction in minutes. Hence why Xanthos was late for everything. All alarm clocks ended up in a melted heap of plastic and none of the others had the slightest inclination to enter the furnace he called a room.

The wind summoner's room, on the other hand, was chilly and a fierce breeze flowed roughly throughout the inside of its borders, never-ending. Objects floated in the air, as the wind element had deprived the room of gravity. Daniel had been ranted at over and over again about how his things always ended up lowly floating in the hallway, making someone trip in the less appropriate moments.

The darkness element's room was black—no light, no colour, just total blackness and complete darkness to the point where nothing could be seen. The first time Lydia had unwillingly entered the room, she had left with a multitude of bruises and a very angered but smug Roxi. Eerie whispers of anonymous spirits echoed throughout the space making one wish not to wonder about their origin.

In the lightning summoner's room there was a constant surge of electricity on the floor. Every once in a while, the room would light up in a sudden flash of light, and a continuous roll of thunder echoed within its walls. Cassandra had lost count of the times she had been told off because of the short-circuits the sudden bouts of her element brought to the rest of the tower. The fact that she ignored them completely was a cause for some annoyance.

And in the space element's room there was no oxygen, gravity, or light—other than the occasional sight of a comet shooting by from wall to wall. Of course the day one of those small comets left the room to crash against an unsuspecting Xanthos was one to remember. Two days in the infirmary and a very interesting rendition as to why cosmic objects weren't something to keep in a room were the result of this rather ill-fated event.

No one knew or asked about what was in Yevon's room. A few curious members of the group wouldn't have minded sneaking in to look around, if only the last person—not one of the elementals, mind you—who had tried it hadn't ended up alone and confused the next morning……in Kilika.

But in the room that connected all the separate rooms together, no element could be found. In this lone area, the walls were not coloured, darkness was not superior, the oxygen was not deprived, and nothing else from the rest of the tower seemed to affect it. In fact, each of the elements from other parts of the tower had all merged and cancelled each other out in this one room, therefore leaving it as a blank, white circle of nothingness.

The six elemental guardians united in the area, all spread out among themselves in different positions.

The woman with chocolate brown hair and dark eyes lifted her head from her shoulder. "Are we going to decide how to rid Zanarkand of the fiends or not?" Cassandra asked edgily "It's not like we have a lot of time to spare"

Yevon stood and paced around the circular room, eyeing each of the guardians warily. When each of them slightly scooted away from him, he began to speak. He spoke loudly and did not stutter or pause with any word—it was strange, as quite a few of the other elemental guardians found it a bit questionable that he spoke like he was reading from a manual.

"It's been a while since Zanarkand has been safe from attacking fiends and warriors of the Bevellian army," he began, shifting his glares from one guardian to the next. He spoke almost threateningly, as if to make sure they wouldn't dare to disagree to what he was saying. "The people of Zanarkand know about us and our duties, although they know little of who were are. They are beginning to think that we've forgotten about protecting the city with so many fiends showing up and all. And I don't know about any of you, but I—"

"Stop talking like that," Roxi bluntly interjected.

The man stared into her eyes chillingly. It might have made a few of the other guardians flinch or wrinkle their nose in disgust if he'd done the same to them, but Roxi only narrowed her eyes and looked right through him as if he was a glass window. She never did like him much, although she trusted him and treated him the same as everyone else.

He blinked, and his stare broke. The man seemed to be surprised. "What are you talking about?" He smiled and cocked his head to the side oddly.

"…You aren't a drone."

"As far as we know," Daniel added pensively.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're speaking of." The smile, which seemed a bit unreal in the first place, remained on his face while his head and neck became erect again. "But I can assure you that whatever you are talking about, it's not as important as it seems."

"Well, whatever it is, it is quite annoying," Lydia remarked.

"Is the angry arguing really necessary?" Xan queried sadly. "Can't we all just get along?"

Both Roxi and Yevon, as well as Daniel, Cassandra, and Lydia, sent him a sharp look, and the young man quickly looked away. The lightning element user rolled her eyes and clearly said, "Everyone. Shut up and let him tell us his plan."

His lips curled into a nasty smile. "Thank you, Cassandra." He cleared his throat to make sure he had acquired everyone's attention, and before speaking once more, he cracked his knuckles in an unusual eerie manner. "As I was saying…"

As the man continued his speech, a woman in her early thirties standing outside looked hurriedly at the piece of crumbled paper in her hand and quickly opened it up to reread the address of the temple she was meant to visit. Almost late, was the only phrase that flowed through her mind as she recalled the soon-to-be-summoner who had told her to meet him at the place of worship.

The man who was meant to assemble with her had been learning how to become a well-trained summoner for the past three weeks, and today was the day he would fulfil his dream at last. She read the address mutely:

Lecciryh Temple

5 Stoned Drive

Zanarkand, Spira

"Lecciryh Temple…" The woman frowned. She slowly twirled around, looking desperately for a building that looked somewhat like the temple she had heard so much about. "I knew I should've visited this place before today," she mumbled to herself.

She swore under her breath and checked her watch. Five minutes 'til eight. Guardians were supposed to always be there for their summoners, were they not? And yet, here she was, not even ready to meet the person who she had promised to protect during their pilgrimage. "Once the summoner exits the Chamber of the Fayth," the priest had told her earlier, "you may congratulate him and begin the journey immediately."

In her frustration, she scowled and ripped the crumbled paper into shreds. The woman, annoyed, began hastily walking from street to street, looking for a building that resembled a temple.

Countless people pivoted their heads in her direction as she power-walked by them, her long, black hair lifting upwards with the wind. She checked each street in the northern area of the city, and was about to backtrack and try again when she caught sight of an elevated structure with a triangular, angled rooftop towering over her.

A hopeful smile escaped her lips. "Maybe that's it," she mumbled calmly to herself, peeping inside.

She saw a circular white room with almost half a dozen people sprawled out on the floor and a tall, very skinny man soaring above them, dictating unheard words. She squinted but saw no more than she had made out a moment ago. Desperately, the woman creaked open the door, the unlocked hinges making a soft sound that seemed like a screech to her frazzled nerves.

She doubted it was the right temple, but didn't want to leave unless she was one hundred percent positive that it was not the building she was looking for. After a while of thinking it out, she decided it couldn't hurt if she waited until the six people left the room before doing anything. This way, she thought, she could silently enter the room and pretend that she'd been there waiting for her summoner to come out all along.

She nodded in approval of her own plan, which seemed rather odd to a few people walking the streets nearby. Seeing a woman—with now completely dishevelled, long hair—spy on a group of people inside a temple and nod to herself all at once was an odd sight for everyday Zanarkandians.

She peeped through the open door, also carefully positioning her ears close enough to the inside of the temple as she could without being noticed by any of the six strangers lounging about in the room. She wanted to make sure she could tell when they were about to leave, so that she could quickly pretend like she wasn't spying on them by the time they exited. Luckily for her, she had very keen eyesight, and the room echoed with each sound that was made, making it very easy for her to observe.

"So, what are we going to do about this?" a blonde, blue-eyed boy was asking.

The man standing nodded. "There's only one thing to do with the fiends. Nothing else will work—nothing. And it is a very risky plan, so you all must trust me with this. I can not stress how important it is to—"

"Just tell us what theplan is," a dark woman interrupted, "before my sword accidentally meets your flesh." She gripped a large, black attacking weapon in her right hand that seemed to weigh more than herself. Still, she held it with ease, as if it was as light as a feather.

"I agree," the youngest-looking person in the group declared, suddenly standing up. "I have a life, you know."

"You mean we have lives, Lydia," the blonde corrected, gesturing to the people who were not standing.

"Stupid, pointless lives, but lives nonetheless," said the tallest of the group gloomily.

The girl named Lydia opened her mouth to respond to the blonde boy's comment, but was interrupted before she could make a sound.

The man standing made a loud throat-clearing noise to signal the others to silence themselves. Then he slowly turned to the girl who was also standing. "Sit down, Lydia," he commanded harshly. "Now, here's my plan. There is a thick book of enchantments that I've owned for years. It could come in handy to us. Just for you to get an idea of what kind of enchantments it has, I'll list a few that I remember. I think…spells that strengthen magic power, spells that weaken magic power, and spells that turn spies into ducks. Quite useful, really."

The woman peering in on them jolted.

"In any matter, I'm sure I could find a spell that would be of tremendous help to us." He pulled out an oversized black book with a golden border and quickly flipped through the pages until he found the one he'd been looking for. "Ah. Here we are…" he said darkly.

"This spell won't require a stacked pile of ingredients, will it?" asked a young lady with brown hair and grey attire.

The man nodded. "Yes, actually, it will. But don't worry about that right now." He squinted to see the tiny print in the book he was holding. "Yes, this is the spell. 'How To Combine the Six Elements of Darkness, Wind, Lightning, Fire, Space, and—' " He stopped.

"And what?"

His eyes darted around the room. "Not important," he said unpersuasively. "Not at all." He hurriedly began reading the ingredients out loud, not allowing anyone enough time to question him.

"We need two three-leafed plants, a feather, a book on the six spirits and elements of the planet, which we already have, a broom, aaaaaaaaaand… a lot more things."

"How many ingredients ARE there?" Lydia questioned, giving him an odd look, like he'd lost his mind.

The woman standing outside was dazed; she wondered what, exactly, was going on. Obviously, these people have some kind of duty to do, she concluded. She continued listening, her interest growing more and more as the unusual conversation progressed.

The standing man peered into the book, holding it very close to his face. Then, he said calmly, as if it they had all of the time in the world to collect these things, "Too many to count."

His words triggered complete silence in the room for a few moments, where the only noise that could be heard was the sound of Roxi standing up. She walked toward Yevon with a fixed stare implanted on her face before she said anything.

"I hope you know… I am not …collecting anything …for this worthless piece of trash … that you call a 'spell.' "

"It won't take long," Yevon said calmly. The woman frowned and took a spot leaning against the wall. "Now then. What are you waiting for? Get the ingredients!"

"What? We're getting them now, while you just stand and watch?" Xan asked disapprovingly.

"Yes, we don't have any time to wait. And while you five do that, I'll be in here, preparing the room for the enchantment."

After reading out the full list ingredients to the group—during which Lydia found it very hard not to fall asleep—the man slammed the book closed and dropped it on the floor by his feet.

"Now, nothing can go wrong, or there will be terrible consequences for all of us."

He had a very dour, unsmiling face when these words escaped his lips.

The woman outside quickly scrambled to the nearby street, blending in with the rest of the bystanders and the few joggers running along the sidewalks just in time—because five certain elemental summoners had just exited the temple, and she imagined it would have been a terrible sight for them to run into her if she was still standing there, spying on them as they walked out. She nervously greeted an elderly man rolling by on a wheelchair as if everything were normal. Still, from where she stood, she could hear the people from the temple talking as they made their way by her:

Xanthos shook his head. "Talk about problems. It is me, or is he constantly acting like he's the boss of the group?" He let out a long sigh. "I can't be the only one who noticed it."

Daniel nodded. "I've heard of leaders before, but this is ridiculous." He grunted, shaking the long hair out of his face, and continued. "Although, if I recall, the last time anyone else came up with an idea to protect the city better, we ended up almost dead, in the centre of a circle of livid fiends?"

The entire group slowly turned to face Lydia, who rolled her eyes. "That was not my fault."

"But still," said Cassandra, referring to the comment Xanthos had stated earlier, "it's a good point. About Yevon, I mean."

She suddenly remembered something her parents had told her when she was still very young. "A while ago, my parents used to I tell me that 'even the smallest feather can cause an avalanche the second it lands on the mountain.' Maybe this is what they meant..." She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "But I doubt it. He's just getting us to kill off the fiends faster."

As she continued walking, however, the thought about the avalanche would not leave her mind—it lingered, repeating itself over and over again. The others stared at her curiously.

" 'Even the smallest feather can cause an avalanche the second it lands on the mountain…' " she repeated quietly, mostly to herself.

She said it once more, and the 18-year-old beside her frowned. "I would hate to think about what would happen to that feather," he mumbled.

The group looked silently at each other for a moment, and then Cassandra shook the thoughts out of her head. "But never mind about that. We've gotta get those ingredients for the spell."

"Right, I say we split up," Lydia recommended, nodding. She pointed to the two different directions that the street divided into. "Half of us go right, half go left. And the one left over, um…goes left."

After deciding who would go which way, the group split up once more into two separate teams and walked off to collect the needed supplies.

The woman who had been talking to the elderly man in the wheelchair suddenly discontinued listening to his "rambled greetings," as she had not-so-kindly thought of it, and peeped around her in all directions. The group had left.

Saying a last "Nice to meet you!" to the man, she quickly snuck over to the temple to hear if anyone else was inside. She didn't think anyone was, after listening to the lone sound of emptiness that seeped through the crack in the door. She quickly tore into the temple, hoping the black-haired man from before had left with the others.

Her heart thumped painfully against her chest. She entered, and to her relief, he was nowhere to be seen when she walked inside. The woman looked around. A bit too plain for the temple she was looking for, wasn't it? She wanted to call out to someone, but stopped herself when she realized there still might be another person lingering about in other parts of the tower.

Slowly walking around, the 31-year-old woman was careful not to make any noises that could be heard from higher floors of the building. The place was so empty that short echoes were formed with her footsteps, even when she tip-toed—and she could only hope the sound would not be heard by anyone.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of a staircase leading to upper levels in the corner, and a hardly noticeable smile made its way across her face. Her heart began its pounding once more, and she got the odd feeling that someone was going to burst into the door and catch her spying. No one did.

Coming closer to the staircase, she stopped and looked curiously at a shelf hidden just in front of it. She hadn't seen it before—but it stared at her as though beckoning her closer to it. Strange. As she drew nearer, she realized the shelf was completely new, and had been purposely painted white to blend in with the walls and floor of the room. The single book on the shelf was also white-coloured, but there was also a hint of gold that glinted when she touched it and held it up to her face. It looked almost as if a god from the heavens had dropped it off or something. She furrowed her eyebrows as she slowly opened the book.

It had no title. It had no dedication page. It had no title page. It had—nothing, other than a good thirty pages of tiny print that she could hardly read until she held it three inches from her eyes. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She swallowed and silently read:

DISCLAIMER

I, THE AUTHOR OF THIS PRINTED BOOK, AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DEATHS OR SUICIDES THAT HAVE BEEN THE CONSEQUENTIAL RESULT OF THE PRINTING AND/OR MAKING OF THIS BOOK.

I, J. Grohms, have typed the following pages of this book in hopes of allowing someone—anyone—to uncover the true future of Spira, not only for their suspicions and curiosity, but for the hope of all living mankind—both those who are alive on this date, on September 3, 1304, and those who have the fate and destiny to be birthed thousands of years in the future.

Those who find this book useful, and those who plan to act with its words still fresh in their minds, have the choice of confronting what they fear bravely, or eventually allowing the harsh will of fate to kill them and those they love. Keep this information in mind if you continue. Read on.

The woman's eyes were widened to the size of golf balls at the time when she reached this page of the book. She wasn't sure exactly what it was referring to, and a part of her told her to quickly place it down and leave the temple immediately—but her hands wouldn't allow her to. She attempted in vain to shut the book, but her hands only shivered, until she gave up and decided she would flip the page. She exhaled loudly.

So far, it sounded like the book was a fake—something meant to scare its readers. But as she swallowed hard and blinked multiple times, she got the feeling that it was something to take seriously. She tensed.

The page turned, and she hadn't even done so much as moved.

The woman swallowed once more. She read on.

After spending one of my sleepless nights watching over a certain child, I've learned many a distasteful fact of the future. The eyes of children say a lot to men of my age—old, weary enchanters like me, who have spent years studying the art of determining the future of one's life have no trouble looking into a child's large, truthful eyes and telling him that he will grow up to be a spectacular person.

But this one child—unlike no other—had a different set of eyes. Cold, blue, like the malicious colour of the thrashing ocean that thrusts ships from one spot to another recklessly throughout the nights. Looking into these cold eyes, I knew it was true—

Spira was destined to be destroyed. Starting at the year 2925, a series of consecutive events will lead to the ultimate eradication of our planet.

In these last years of my life, I have forced myself to write this book day and night, until it has been thoroughly completed, not allowing myself to sleep a wink—not until this book has been published, and my own personal fate has been fulfilled. This is why I've written this; as the last hope for mankind to prevail, a last hope for Spira to live on.

You, the reader, have picked up this book, and you, the reader, have read my truthful words. Choose to believe them, or choose to question them, but be it as it may—if no one reads my words, if no believes what I have to say—

Spira is damned.

She swallowed once more. She was not going to place the book down. Not now. The only thing she wondered was what—exactly—this man was talking about, and who—exactly—the child was that he'd been babysitting that night. What did he see?

Something was going on—and she intended to find out what it was.

The woman, determined, fiercely glued her eyes to the next page and read.

-----xXx-----

Thud.

After a while of reading, she had a terribly difficult time trying to tear apart from the book—she supposed the enchanter must have placed some sort of spell on it, but she had no time to think. Someone was coming.

Thud.

She acted quickly, gripping the book in her hands so tightly, refusing to lose it or let go, that her hands had gone completely white. She didn't care.

Thud.

Her eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for a place to hide.

THUD.

She dove behind the shelf, attempting to not make a sound—

THUD.

She hardly breathed.

One last Thud could be heard from behind the shelf as Yevon himself re-entered the room from the staircase. He slowly looked around in all directions around the room, making sure no one was inside. He saw and heard nothing.

From behind the shelf, she clutched at her heart, willing it to stop smashing against her chest so violently.

Then, suddenly, a pounding knock sounded, as someone rapped hard on the other side of the door and entered.

Out of the corner of the woman's eye, she glimpsed a tall lady, somewhere in her twenties, with long, white hair approaching.

The man looked up at the entering person as the white-haired lady walked smartly inside. "Heh. Yunalesca. It's about time you showed up," he said. "I just had to share my excitement about this with someone," he said lowly, with a smirk.

"How is everything coming along?" She studied the book that had been previously dropped on the floor, and she gave the man a questioning look. "I suppose you've used the book of enchantments I gave you years ago?"

The tall, sick-looking man nodded. "Of course I have. What did you think? I'd forget the plans we made so long ago? The book is needed." He looked down at the black object, and a moment later, it was in his hand. He hadn't bent down to pick it up. "And I can't say how grateful I am for it, either."

"I see you've already learned a few tricks." Yunalesca smirked sophisticatedly. "How is everyone these days?"

Yevon walked around the room, tucking the book away, and he faced a white wall when he responded. "You mean the other elemental summoners? Hmph. They're fine."

The woman hiding blinked. She was beginning to understand it now. This group of people—she was stupid not to see it before. They were the people who she'd heard so much about but, like everyone else in the town, had never met or seen"They're the protective elements!"she inaudibly breathed to herself.

So that was what they were trying to do. Those six people—they were trying to find a way to destroy all of the Zanarkandian fiends! It was all beginning to come together now. And to think, just a few days ago, she, like many other citizens of the city, had thought they had stopped doing their job—judging from all of the fiends who had been emerging lately.

There was a long silence in the room. Yunalesca had a sharp look on her face. "You mean you haven't—"

"Not yet," he interjected darkly, "but I sent them off to find the ingredients for the spell. And it's working out perfectly."

Yunalesca grinned wickedly.

He continued, a foul smirk emerging on his features. "They have the wrong spell ingredients," he spat disgustingly. "Those fools think they're actually out looking for the ingredients to make out elemental powers stronger—hah!—when they are really looking for the ingredients that will destroy them, leaving this city defenceless."

"And Sin?" Yunalesca questioned immorally.

"They have no clue that I created him myself, along with half of the fiends here."

The hidden woman behind the shelf couldn't help herself. She gasped noticeably and walked out where she would be seen. "WHAT?"

Both heads snapped in her direction, smiles fading, and angry, merciless looks replacing them. Yevon looked furious. "Who…the HELL are you?" he boomed, his anger rising with every passing millisecond, "and what are you doing in here?"

The woman stood her ground. "Brenna Loxington," she stated firmly—and also stupidly, since she unknowingly had no protection from these two very unpleasant people. Still, the grasp she held on the book in her hands tightened, like she had all of the courage she needed to defeat them. "And what you're doing is wrong."

"Oh, it is it?" the woman with the long, white hair queried, fuming. "And how long have you been in here, listening?" Her stare was sharp.

"Long enough. And I'm putting a stop to this before it gets out of hand." She held up the book that she had been reading previously as a threat. "You didn't think I knew about this," she said, "did you?"

Yevon looked taken aback for a moment, his eyes widening. "Wha...where...?" He straightened himself up. "I don't know what you've been doing here, spying on us. And I don't even know who you are, but this little conversation you're having with us right now—"

"Is your last," Yunalesca finished for him.

She reached out to grab her, but Brenna was too quick. She darted out to the exit, past both her and Yevon, who shot toward her. Yevon grabbed her arm.

"Let GO!" She quickly sank her teeth into the flesh of his hand, tore away from his loosening grasp, and flew out of the temple, still holding the book in her hands and not daring to turn back to look.

She had to go, she had to tell the elemental summoners, and she had to do it fast. Yevon had already cast a powerful cure magic on himself and was tearing out of the room to catch her.

Sprinting like mad, she snapped her head around just in time to see Yevon stop dead in his tracks and suddenly raise his arms to the skies. She fled as fast as her legs would carry her, picking up speed after a while.

Brenna had no idea what Yevon was doing, but she knew it couldn't be good. There was no way she would let her city be destroyed. She was going to find the elements, she just had to. And then she would show them the book she had read, and—

Her thoughts ended and she zoomed past bystanders like a fierce, whipping wind, and had to shove many of them out of her way, not daring to lose any speed.

She was getting so far away from him that he seemed the size of an action figure, holding his hands up to the skies in the distance. The only thing she could make out was a white glow coming from his eyes, and his body suddenly becoming bordered in a very distinct, bright blaze, and then—

Swoosh!—

Her body froze, and a second later, she knew no more.

-----xXx-----

"So, tell me again, what exactly are we doing out here?"

Cassandra looked at Lydia and frowned. "We've gone over this a million times. We have to have a lot of room for the spell to work. Right?"

Yevon nodded speechlessly from his side of the circle.

"Yes, but it is really necessary for us to be so far away from the rest of the city?" Lydia asked, pointing to the buildings that suddenly seemed much more distant than a few moments ago. Not a soul was anywhere nearby other than the six of them.

The group was standing in an outstretched circle, bordering a large heap of items sprawled out on the ground before them. After over three hours of searching, the pile now consisted of a dictionary, six different coloured bird feathers, a pebble, a rare chocobo's tail, six small samples of each of the different elementals, a pile of wooden sticks, a DNA sample of each of the elemental summoners, the fur of one of the fiends, thirteen leaves, seven teeth, thirty-four eyelashes, a marble, a single tear, three thousand six hundred and eleven hairs (reluctantly, Cassandra and Daniel were forced to run around Northern Zanarkand, shaving off the hair of countless wandering citizens, which resulted in several vigorous chases around the city), seventeen popped balloons, a worn pair of boxers, two toenail clippings, a shoe, fourteen crumbled pieces of paper, four gil, five hundred fifty-seven million—

"Are you sure these are enough ingredients?" Cassandra mordantly questioned after narrowing her eyes at the mountain of piled trash in the centre of the circle.

"Yeah, I would rather not have collected those hairs," Daniel agreed, staring at the man across from him who still held the black, golden-bordered book in his hands.

He thumbed through the pages in the book. After reading something inside, he carelessly shut it and tucked it away safely somewhere where the others could not see. He nodded sharply. "All the ingredients were necessary, no doubt about that."

No one responded. In their minds, they each did have their own "doubt about that." Still, they kept their mouths shut, refusing to launch any unnecessary comments. Yevon smiled.

"Well, looks like we're all ready, then. Just one more thing left to do… One more ingredient…" He quickly opened the book once more to the page. However, he didn't say anything for a while.

"Another ingredient?" Roxi snapped disapprovingly. "I'm losing patience."

He looked up from the book dramatically. "Yes. A drop of blood from each of your bodies."

Unwilling stares were exchanged, but once again, no one said a thing. They all seemed to be thinking the same thing: Why didn't he tell them about this before? There weren't supposed to be any secrets within the group—except, perhaps, the dark ones. But this? No, the man should've made it clear earlier.

Lydia wondered why he hadn't. She didn't speak of this, however, but instead asked another question lingering in her mind. "But…what?" she asked. "From our bodies? What about you?"

Yevon faltered. "What…? Me?" He shook his head and soon regained his usual, shady expression. "The book clearly states that it only needs five blood samples. Meaning, the five of you."

"Well, if you say so…" Xan said, shrugging his broad shoulders. "It doesn't make a difference anyway—as long as the city is safe."

But Daniel didn't look too sure. Something sounded funny to him—and it wasn't quite the 'haha' funny, either. It was more of the "Hmmm..." funny. "Uhhhhhhhh…are you sure?" he asked doubtfully.

Yevon pointed furiously to the book and held it up high for them all to see. "What, you think I'm lying? After all this?" His eyes widened angrily. "I can't BELIEVE you."

"Well, it's not like we can actually read that tiny print from here," Cassandra pointed out, her usually large amount of patience starting to deteriorate rapidly. "And I doubt we have the time to read it, anyway. We have to hurry before the fiends come again."

Yevon nodded. "Well—what are you waiting for?—the fate of Zanarkand is in our hands." He pointed downwards.

They looked at the ground, where, interestingly enough, there were suddenly five small but sharp knives lying patiently to be put to use. "…Where the hell did these come from?" Xanthos asked, swooping down to pick one up.

Yevon pointed to the book of spells. "This thing really does come in handy."

It was an odd feeling, using knives to cut yourself—but if it was for their city, it would have to be done. Ten seconds later, every guardian but Yevon had carefully cut a slight slit on their arm—except for Roxi, who ended up slicing an extremely large gash on her arm, much too used to causing such damage to fiends, as well as other beings. Still, the woman was unaffected, and refused harshly when Yevon suggested a cure spell. Five drops of dark red liquid fell down onto the pile of ingredients, and Yevon smiled satisfyingly.

"Alright, and now—the last thing."

Roxi exhaled sharply. "I thought you said that was the last thing," she said edgily.

"Seriously," said Lydia, "is this a joke?"

The more mysterious woman did not give anyone else a chance to answer. "It better not be." She gave the leading man a threatening look, and then glanced down at the large sword by her side, and smirked. "Or some very unfortunate things may occur down in this lone area, where no one but us is around." She laid a hand on the weapon, but did not pull it out of its sheath.

"I would hope not…" Xan agreed, shaking his head. "We don't need any more deaths."

"Just one more thing," Yevon repeated, ignoring these remarks, "and then the spell is done." He read a few sentences from the book, and then said, "If we want the spell to be preformed, we have to first recite the chant together."

"The chant?" Lydia asked curiously.

He nodded. " Repeat this: 'Use these things we've collected well, so that our strong wishes may become this spell.' "

The others exchanged looks, the same though in their minds "Is he serious?" before, slowly, repeating in unison:

"Use these things we've collected well…so that our strong wishes…may become this spell…?"

Almost immediately after these words left their mouths, the objects in the centre of the circle began to create smoke, just like the sphere earlier. Only, this smoke rose higher and higher into the sky until it reached the clouds, and the moment it did, the items were engulfed in a vast inferno. Two seconds later, however, the fire ceased and nothing was left but a small area of burnt grass.

"…What just happened?" asked a confused Lydia, after a while.

Daniel nodded with a faint smile. "The spell…it's working."

The guardians felt a surge of power flow through their bodies as the enchantment finally began. Roxi could feel a commanding strength in her grow and grow to a larger point. Her soul felt warm, her heart beating faster than ever before, until it began vibrating. Her blood rushed through her veins, her brain stinging with new thoughts, new energy. The others were feeling it too—the elements were becoming more and more powerful with every passing second. Nothing would be able to stop them from protecting anything now—nothing! New air filled her lungs as she took in a breath of oxygen. She felt invincible. Nothing was better than this. For the first time in a long time, her spirits lifted and she felt free, like she could do anything she wanted.

And then it all went away.

A piercing noise echoed through the atmosphere, which all of the sudden was almost too heavy for her to continue standing. The sky went very red, very dark, very shady, and suddenly, the Sun seemed to be dimming. She shut her eyes, struggling to keep from falling to the ground.

The noise echoing through her ears would not cease; it only grew louder and louder, until the five of them were screaming in searing pain. A sudden anger sprang up from her.

Her eyes snapped open. "YEVON! WHAT DID YOU DO!"

The cold man grinned maliciously, unaffected by whatever was happening to the others. "What?" he said loudly. "Did you think I was actually going to let you and the rest of the guardians protect Zanarkand? HAH! Why would I give a shit about this damn city?"

"What are you talking about!" Daniel shouted, slapping his hands over his ears to vainly try to drown out the screaming noise. "We've been fighting off the fiends here this whole time! And YOU were with us, you bastard! What, you FIND this FUNNY?"

"Of course not. Do you see me laughing?" the man responded calmly, his face serious. "You actually thought I cared about you and your stupid city. You must really be surprised." He laughed.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Cassandra screamed. "All this time—this WHOLE damn time! You were AGAINST us?" She suddenly shouted in pain, and dark purple clouds covered the sky in answer to her cry, giving birth to a sea of booming lightning strikes.

Xanthos was on his knees, covering his ears desperately, muttering unknown words to himself. In less than a second, there was a circle of blazing fire bordering Yevon. Both the flames and the guardians surrounded him. The fire elemental stood up uneasily and glared speechlessly at the man in front of him. Very rarely did he get so angry. "Bastard! Were you plotting against us all along?"

"Fools." Yevon was still laughing. "You think you can do anything? The spell has already been made. Hah! And you thought I was giving you the spell ingredients to make the elements stronger! When in reality, you were out fetching me the supplies I needed to create a spell that will confine you all in a special dungeon that I made JUST for you. A dungeon far away from any place you know. I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely"

A sudden lightning strike of Cassandra's hit very close to the insane man.

"Oh! So you wanted us out of the way, so you could take control of Zanarkand, did you?" Lydia screeched angrily. "I can't believe you!"

Daniel whipped out a long, emerald green spear seemingly from nowhere. He would've lunged forward, but thought better of it. "Why would you DO this? The fiends! They'll destroy you!"

Yevon's laugh only grew louder as he avoided another lightning strike. "And that's the best part: you really believed me when I told you that your elemental magic wasn't enough to kill off the fiends." He shook his head in pity. "When it was really me who created over half of the fiends in the first place!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Roxi thundered from the other side of the flames, to Yevon. "YOU CREATED THEM? Oh, you're in for it." She raised her sword very high into the air, and, like Daniel, would have flung herself at him if the flames weren't in the way.

Yet Xanthos didn't care. He only made them larger, and slowly but surely, they were closing in on Yevon.

"Of course I did—with my elemental power, of course. What, you never wondered what it was?" He shook his head again. "Hmph. I bet you're still wondering, even after such a big hint," he cackled.

Roxi had lost her temper—she'd more than lost her temper. Her temper was long gone, never to be found again for a long, long time. Her eyes went very, very dark, and as they did so, a round orb of surging darkness came about from above her head. She flung out her hand, her fingers outstretched, and the orb went shooting directly at Yevon.

A huge mass of smoke thickened the atmosphere, and little by little, a looming figure became more and more visible. Yevon, although badly injured in various places, still stood, leaning on one leg, puffing like a fiend. He had partially blocked the attack, but as it was too powerful, there was nothing he could do to stop it before it reached him.

"Urgh… You…you think that can do anything to help you? NOTHING is going to help. Your time is up." He did not sound in the best shape, but Yevon was still alive and well. A third lightning strike could be heard as it surged down on the man, creating yet another field of thickening dust that shielded his body from view.

The piercing noise still echoed in the air.

"YEVON!" Daniel had had enough. From the purple skies came a loud, threatening gust of wind that fell down to the grounds, breaking through the grass and dirt underneath. It sharpened, and sure enough, there was a very powerful tornado in Zanarkand City. Yevon's eyes widened.

The wind storm zigzagged across the field until it came in very close contact with the man, sputtering not only rock and dust at the man, but also very tall trees and other large plants from the human-less area. After a while, the tornado zoomed in even closer to him, but once more, Yevon could not be seen through the thick dust that shielded him from view.

And then came a scream.

While this storm had been forming, Lydia's own little storm was being planned—although it was not at all little, and it could hardly be called a storm. All six elementals realized this when, from the thick clouds in the sky, came a massive, hurling object of rock and ice. It happened so fast that nobody saw it coming, as it thrust itself in the direction of the protruding dust surrounding Yevon.

As it made impact with the Earth, a loud, indescribable noise occurred, forcing out screams from people all the way in the city. The Earth vibrated, began to shake, and then—it seemed as if the ground were splitting into multiple parts, as the fire encircling Yevon fully closed on his body. Or at least it seemed that way…

Until a speedy, zooming object the size of him burst into the city.

But it had been too late anyway. The five elementals began to feel their energy declining quickly, and before any of them could say a thing, everything went black, and their powers had gone dormant.

Zanarkand looked like Zanarkand no more.

-----xXx-----

Days turned into weeks into months, before the summoners had any kind of contact from the outside world. Roxi was pacing around the room that had confined her. She had tried everything. She physically and verbally attacked the concrete slabs that surrounded her, but nothing got results.

"Roxi, we can feel your unease… will you stop freakin' pacing," Daniel shook his blond locks out of his eyes. "We aren't getting out anytime soon."

"That stupid bastard… wait till I get my hands on him, I swear… I'll kill him," she growled, clenching her fists at her side.

They silenced their voices when they felt another presence. It was not a warm presence; it was cold and unwelcoming. "You grow silent from my presence, do you have that much reverence for me?" a serene feminine voice cooed from the outer region of the chambers that sealed the elementals.

"Not even close," Cassandra voiced from her chamber.

The woman brushed her long white hair over her shoulders before crossing her arms. "Regardless, how is everything?" She smirked to herself before continuing. "I mean, what do you do to pass the free time you all have now?"

"Who exactly are you?" Xanthos irritably asked.

"Oh, how rude of me. I am Yunalesca, highest ranking person in Bevelle," she said with a grin across her features.

"Bevelle?" Lydia spoke with disgust. "Why would a person from Bevelle come to see us?"

"It wasn't a long journey actually…" the woman said with a smirk. "Maybe fifteen minutes…"

"What are you talking about?" Cassandra questioned as she got to her feet. Her mind had come to a conclusion on its own, but she didn't want to get ahead of herself, so she waited for the said Yunalesca to answer.

"You don't get it? Are you all really that dense?" she said as she laughed heartily to herself. "Well, I must say this situation must be the most ironic one I've ever come across. The place you fought so hard to protect your beloved home of Zanarkand from is the place that will be your place of residence for the rest of eternity."

"We're in Bevelle?" Daniel questioned, anger beginning to course through him. "Why in the name of Thanthos are we in Bevelle?"

"He's mocking us… everything we stood for. He placed us in Bevelle to add further shame to us," Cassandra explained quietly.

The outsider smirked to herself. Her job was done. She had furthered their misery. "Isn't it ironic?" she asked in a mocking tone.

Roxi gritted her teeth as she listened to the girl mock them from the outside. "Shut up and be gone. You aren't exactly a welcomed person here if that hadn't been gathered."

"Fine." She pursed her lips, not enthralled by the tone the dark elemental took with her. "I'll leave you to your own misery." Without another word she turned her back from the compartment and walked up the stairs, exiting the chamber. And those words were the last ones the summoners heard from anyone on the outside world.


Author's Note- Not too long, right? Be sure to leave a review, or bad things will happen to the Earth. And I mean...bad things.

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