Of course, the world of Spira is not my creation. Only the story and most of the characters in it are my own.

This is my first published fanfic. I hope you will enjoy. I will appreciate honest reviews, as that is a good way for me to improve my writing. Thanks.

Kasca sat in his little study inside the Kilika temple, studying the holy texts of Yevon. As a priest of Yevon, much of his time was spent like this. He would study the scrolls, the books, and the comments; everything he could find that was included in the teachings. He took his position as a priest seriously. To him, it was more than a job or just following tradition, it was a true search for divinity, something he was sure he had found underneath the tradition and the dogmas. His praying and studying had made him sure that there were true wisdom to be found in the teachings of Yevon.

He contiuned reading, occasionally writing some notes on his parchment. There was a knock on the door, and Father Brisku entered. With a curtious bow, he said, "Good morning, Father Kasca. The ceremony will begin momentarily". Kasca looked up, still holdning his quill. "Oh? Thank you, Father Brisku. I will attend shortly".

After another two minutes with quiet scribbling, he put down his quill and went to join the other priests in the weekly ceremony of the Yevon's Gratitude. His head was shaved as was custom to all priests. He wore the robes of Yevon, white with striped patterns of yellow, green and black. Being in his early thirties, he had been a priest for more than ten years.

Kasca walked out of the temple and headed towards the beach. He liked to take walks through the forest and down to the shore. It made him feel peaceful and relaxed. Well, except for the fiends, although there weren't that many at the moment. He knew the forest inside out; he had been running and playing here ever since he was a young boy. He was still a young boy when he started running up to the temple as a young apprentice instead of playing among the trees.

He walked the final steps down to the beach. The small bamboo huts stood all around the rim, children were playing down at the shore while their parents were talking and arranging their fishing equipment.

Kasca looked out the sea while the calm breeze made small waves flow gently towards him. He stood there, thinking about Sin. Somewhere, out there, it was. Kasca wondered what Sin was thinking – if such a creature was able to think. He was sure it could, in some odd way or another. When would it appear again? Would the children that ran so innocently around him live to grow old? He had noticed that even though the fiends weren't many, they appeared more frequently now than they used to. This usually meant that Sin was on his way; the fiends was attracted to him.

One of Kasca's special interest field as a priest was to study how and why the souls of the unsent turned into fiends – and exactly what made their number increase when Sin approached. So far, his results were not impressive, although he had discovered several interesting philosophical aspects that had kept him and his brethren eagerly awake more than one night.

The wind was getting more chilly as the sun was setting, and Kasca turned back home to the temple so he could be there in time for the evening prayer.

The ceremony was over, and Kasca was on his way back to his study when he noticed a young boy in the temple, clearly waiting for him. He walked up to the boy, smiled encouringly and asked, "Can I help you with something?" The boy handed him a stack of old books. "These books used to belong to Father Uska, and his last will was for you to have them. You are Father Kasca, aren't you?", the boy ended, a bit uncertainly. "Yes, I am", Kasca replied in a low voice, accepting the books. He hadn't known that Uska was dead.

He thanked the boy and saluted him while muttering, "may Yevon bless you", before he walked absentmindedly into his study. He thought of his old teacher. Father Uska had been the one that took Kasca in and trained him as a priest of Yevon when Kasca was still a boy. He had been a good teacher, both kind and strict, when he felt it necessary.

Two years ago, Uska had told Kasca that he would set out for his last pilgrimage. Kasca wasn't sure what he meant, since he knew of few other pilgrimages than the one of a summoner. And Uska was a priest. He opened his mouth to ask, but Uska just shook his head. "I won't be able to tell you more right now. But if I succed, you will know. And maybe also if I fail". With these words he saluted Kasca and left.

Kasca missed his teacher and mentor, and he was also quite confused concerning his last words. But time went on, and he soon found himself too preoccupied with the teachings to ponder his teacher's departure – until now, when he stood there with the late Uska's books in his arms. Sadness filled his heart when he sat down and leafed through the pages. At first he didn't really take any notice of the text, he just flipped the pages while his thoughts were elsewhere. But he started to take interest when he couldn't recognize the words. He read a chapter hurriedly, but couldn't recall having read it before. He quickly looked at the front cover of the book. "Summoning and praying..." was all he could make out in the ancient, almost vanished title. He had never heard of this book before. Curiously he started reading the book from page one.

First he thought it was just an older book of the summoning of the Fayth, as he recognized some of the procedures and theories, but there were some oddities in the text – things he had never known.

"The ancient Fayth is for the true seeker to find, the roots of summoning lies within the Prayer of Dedication." He stared transfixed at the text in front of him. He had never seen that particular phrase before. "The Prayer of Dedication?" "The ancient Fayth?" Kasca was nonpuzzled by the words. Sure, there were seperate chapters of the holy texts dedicated to the Fayths, he knew them well, but he had never heard anything about the anicent Fayth, nor anything about this particular prayer. His heart beat fast with excitment – could this really be an unknown part of the belief? Was this why Father Uska disapperead?

Kasca flipped hurriedly back and forth in the old book, his eyes running speedily over the pages. This whole chapter was new to him; he had no idea!

The night came and went, with Kasca only leaving the table occaisonally to fetch some bread and tea. Father Brisku knocked on the door a couple of times during the next day, but Kasca just answered that he was deep in prayer and would return from his quarters when he was ready. Father Brisku accepted this instantly, as it was normal for a priest to retire a couple of days for prayer, meditation, and studying. This strenghtened the profound knowledge and understanding the priests had of the teachings of Yevon, and was a normal procedure in the life of the priests.

Three days later, Kasca emerged. He looked pale and tired, but seemed surprisingly eager and awake. He attended the cermon and retreated back to his quarters as soon as he could, without breaking the ceremonial etiquette. For the next days he prayed with more dedication than he had done in a long time. He stood in the midst of the temple, facing the statues of the High Summoners of the past, performing the prayer's salutation – with the hands out to either side, before bringing them in front of the chest – as though holding a sphere – and bowing. He had done this repeatedly while whispering a Yevon-prayer to himself, when he suddenly heard himself chanting,

"O Ancient Fayth
I pray for Thee
To guide me safe
Through Thy mystery
Unveil with Thine wisdom
the Orb of Insight."

Kasca nearly lost his concentration. He abruptedly stopped for a moment, in the middle of a bow. What words were these? He hadn't ... yes, he remembered. They were from the unknown portion of one of Uska's books – a prayer he had read about the Anicent Fayth. He wasn't aware that he had memorized it. Quickly he finished his bow and started praying again – now with the new (or should he say – ancient) wording.

After the first three recitings, he felt the usual sense of calm and spirituality, but after he had performed this prayer for a while, he sensed something else, something he hadn't felt before. Deep, deep inside of him, he could feel something he could only call a presence – in lack of a better word – that he couldn't recognize as any of the Fayths he had experienced before. He took a deep breath, continuing his prayer with a deeper dedication and trying at his best effort to contact the presence he could feel. With reverence and sincerity he repeated the words over and over again. "O Ancient Fayth, I pray for Thee ..." It resonated with the Hymn of the Fayth, he made sure he whispered every word with sincerity, consciusness and meaning. He reached a state of deep contemplation that he had not reached before; his every breath and part of his being was dedicated to the prayer. He meant every word he whispered, and they gave him a more profound meaning for every recitation. He closed his eyes. He could sense the Fayth inside the deepest part of his soul. The sensation grew stronger and clearer for every word he whispered, and soon he could see the Fayth clearly before him in his vision. The Fayth saluted him with the prayer's salutation, but it was more than the usual symbolic gesture, for Kasca could see an actual sphere between the Fayths hands. Kasca saluted back, still whispering the prayer. Without a word, the Fayth gave him the sphere and dissolved before him.

Kasca had a strange sensation that the sphere was inside him in one way or another – that he could access it if only ... he caught a glimpse of a strange, barren land, but as that image vanished, he realized he wouldn't be able to go any further at this time, so he gradually began the process of returning to the mundane world again. He whispered the prayer a couple of more times, now with a thankful tone, before ending with the normal prayer to the Fayth of the Temple. He then took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had been standing here praying, but he noticed that the sun was about to set. Quickly, almost in a daze, he returned to his quarters to write everything down while he could still remember every detail. He scribed several pages, intending to add them to the book after he had finished his work with the Anicent Fayth. As he dotted the last period, he sunk onto his bed, falling asleep instantly.