Now that entries have been revealed I can hopefully start cross-posting. This treat is dedicated to the prompter madame-oryx, who wrote in for Belgemine of Final Fantasy X! I immediately fell in love with the request seeing as it involved what her death might have entailed and subsequent determination to become an Unsent. Her character stuck with me because of those very questions and it was a fun challenge to try and answer them.
Thanks to Cassandra Cassidy for directing me to the LJ community hosting the event that made this story possible, Rare Women (2014), and taking one for us ladies by editing this into shape.
In the stories about Summoners fighting Sin, the tellers neglected mentioning the death part. Not that Belgemine needed such narrative anymore, but thinking on the topic, it was no surprise. Even when she was a child no one said exactly what became of the heroes and heroines after they defeated Sin. It stood to reason that like their tales they, too, must end. And if no one got to the sacrifice portion of the legends, then it was not possible to discuss what might come after.
Neither her family, supporters, nor Guardian brought up what the journey would mean for her personally, as if not putting words to it would stop Belgemine's demise from occurring. No one wanted to contemplate whether the fight would be agonizing or prolonged, so they did not bother. What outcome mattered was the peace that would wash across Spira – the greater good left behind for those left to carry on.
She'd assumed the hardship laid in reaching Zanarkand, and that her struggle would be in keeping her resolve. But she was wrong, or more accurately, her beliefs were misplaced. All along Belgemine was under the impression that if she persevered and did as was expected and carried the bulk of the burden, then victory was assured.
Instead, her apprentice paid the price for her arrogance and it was for naut.
I'm sorry, Belgemine thought, since she could no longer speak. There was no way to tell if her feelings or intentions carried, but she prayed they did. I'm so sorry, my pupil. Your trust was misplaced.
Pyreflies floated in a slow dance around her as the Aeon they were attached to fell to pieces up above. Belgemine had summoned it for the first and only time, a giant and majestic thing made of kaleidoscope colors and webbing thicker than any man-made armor. A wail like crickets at starlight filled the air in increments. At that moment, Belgemine would have given anything to comfort like she used to.
Hush now; remember when you shocked your own fingers? The pain will not be for long. This magic shall pass.
She watched as more and more of Sin appeared in the sky, no longer obscured by the opposing body. The enemy sailed through the air as easily as it did in water, its fins gliding through the clouds as if they were waves as it drifted further and further away from her. There wasn't a scratch on it.
Be at peace, my student, my loyal Guardian, for there will be beaches waiting for you, she beseeched, understanding that she was too weak to Send them properly. During the confrontation Belgemine's staff had been obliterated from the backlash of power. The notion that they might turn into a fiend spurred on her pleas.
Another wail echoed in the Zanarkand ruins and the summon was no more. Belgemine had closed her eyes at some point, too weary to keep them open, until a light source turned the back of her eyelids a soft pink. A single pyrefly slowly encroached and circled her head, casting a warm glow that encouraged Belgemine to raise a hand. The spirit passed right through her fingers like mist.
Oh, she mused, dazedly, You weren't crying then? Even now, you try and comfort me instead of the other way around. I… Thank you.
The pyrefly lingered. A hum like heartbreak trailed from the bright sphere, and Belgemine thought it sounded like her Guardian's voice. She thought this must be them, no doubt; it had to be.
Come now, listen to your teacher this once. The Farplane awaits and you must rest there. Do not remain where I cannot reach you, amongst this eternal despair. I will join you when I am ready and know where to find you.
And as trusting as her apprentice had been in life, the spirit eventually drifted away to the south. Though the pyrefly was smaller than most of the ones flying here, Belgemine could see the orb until it disappeared on the horizon where it blended into the pastels of morning. How very fitting, she decided.
But Belgemine did not go as promised, at least not yet. Where her pupil had been unquestioning to a fault, Belgemine had relied solely on her own strength and not that of her Aeons like a true Summoner should. Or her Guardian, when it'd mattered the most. Although she was the teacher it was her student who had taught her a lesson, and at a great cost.
Uncertainty did not frighten her any longer. No unknown fate would be enough to stop Belgemine from making certain that no one else made the same mistake again.