An old man stared out over the lush, green plains set out before his home. Picking up his trusty staff, he walked outside to take in some of the fresh morning air. It was at moments like this that he sometimes wished that he and his kind didn't have to be pulled from such beauty to become embroiled in conflicts that didn't necessarily concern them. However, on the occasions that they were called to fight, they tried their best to do so for the cause of good. It wasn't always that simple, as most times the control of their power was totally at the mercy of the inhabitants of the world, with ending up in the hands of evil a likely outcome that has occurred more than once. The old man remembered one time when their power was the source of the conflict. Finding themselves unable to leave, they sealed themselves away only to be rediscovered and nearly driven to extinction. There was also a time when their very home itself was called into battle…
"Elder, we are receiving some readings from Eden. You may want to take a look at them."
Ramuh sighed and reverted to his more familiar form as the God of Thunder. "Understood, Siren. I'm on my way."
We are a race of beings with no real set form, no real name...
A race that wanders amongst the stars from dimension to dimension.
Our purpose is to aid those worthy to command our powers,
And grant wisdom to those who desire it.
We have been called many things in our lifetime...
Espers, Summons, Guardian Forces, Eidolons...
I shall use the last name we were called by... It has a nice ring to it.
In our mighty ark, Eden, we convene to assess important issues about our future...
Summoned by me, the Great Elder Ramuh...
The Council of Aeons
The next day, Ramuh arrived at the Communion Temple, where all the aeons gathered whenever a meeting of the Council was held, alighting from Ixion who had given him a ride. A few other aeons milled about, waiting for the Council's address that was scheduled to take place after the meeting, but other than that, the meeting ground was empty.
"It seems we are amongst the first here, my friend."
The unicorn nodded his assent. "Indeed, Elder. Others seem to be just arriving."
"I see that you are well, my son."
"Mom!" Ixion turned his head to see another unicorn, the first of all of the Unicorns, hence that was the title that she was given for formal occasions. Otherwise, everyone else just called her Unicorn.
"You haven't been giving Elder Ramuh any trouble, have you?"
"Mom, come on! I'm not a young foal any more... I'm forty eons old already!"
"And you just remember that's forty eons less than me, young man!"
Ramuh couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Ixion and Unicorn went through the same routine every time she saw him. His attention was diverted to the centre of the meeting ground where a large circle of flame had just sprung ablaze. A chilly wind then crossed the plains.
"Ah, Ifrit and Shiva have arrived."
Ifrit, in human form, dusted himself off after the flames he had generated subsided.
"Is it me, or is it a little too drafty out here?"
"I was just about to say that it was a little warm... now I know why."
Ifrit raised an eyebrow. "Cold as ever, eh Shiva?"
"Hey, it's my job." Ifrit and Shiva then grinned and hugged each other. Despite their outward animosity towards each other, they were very close friends. They were also among the Elders that made up the Inner Circle of the council. As such, the next person they greeted after each other was Ramuh.
"How are things, Elder Ramuh?" inquired Ifrit.
"As well as they can be. You two seemed to have recovered well from the last manifestation. Ixion tells me that it was very taxing."
"It was, but we managed okay. After going through it so many times, you kind of get used to it." replied Shiva.
"Yes, I suppose. That is something that we'll go into in more detail once the rest of the Inner Circle arrives..." A splash, a rumble and two gusts of wind came from opposite directions. "And there are a few more now."
Leviathan emerged from the pool next to the meeting place, breaking its still, almost crystalline surface just as Titan stomped over to the group. Pandemona came from the northern end of the plain while Bahamut, fresh from his ever-spectacular entrance, flew over from the south. Unicorn came over from where she and her son were conversing and Madeen arrived along with Phoenix. Once Odin, arrived the Inner Circle was complete. Greetings went all around, and the Inner Circle then entered the temple to begin.
"Fellow Elders, I have called you here for an emergency council. Yesterday, while conversing with Eden, it told me that we might be approaching another manifestation dimension."
This generated murmurs around the stone that the Inner Circle sat.
Pandemona voiced the questions that were undoubtedly on everyone's lips. "How long till we reach this dimension? And how severe is it?"
"Eden isn't exactly sure itself of either fact..." Ramuh answered. "All that it would tell me is that we would reach it soon. Shiva, Ifrit, Bahamut... how would you assess the performance of those that manifested for the first time in the last dimension? You need not tell me of Ixion as I studied him myself."
"I mostly kept my eye on Valefor." reported Ifrit. "Although he would rate as the weakest amongst us who were affected by the last manifestation, he was by no standard weak overall. He shows tremendous potential in my opinion."
"I watched over Anima, but after seeing her in battle, I'd say she doesn't need anybody to watch over her. She has amazing power." added Shiva.
"Yojimbo... he's agile, and packs quite a punch when he's ready. He has a slight attitude problem though..."
"Somewhat like you, Bahamut?" hinted Odin in a playful tone of mockery.
"Heh." Bahamut half sneered and half smiled. "Maybe that's why I like him so much..."
"Pardon the interruption, Elder Ramuh, but what bearing does the new breed's performance have on our current crisis?"
"I was just about to get to that, Leviathan." Ramuh turned to address the three again. "In your opinion, do you think those three would be able to survive another manifestation so soon?"
"Do you mean surviving the manifestation process or in the world itself?"
"Both."
Bahamut, Ifrit and Shiva looked at each other, then back at Ramuh.
"Yes, we believe that they should be able to survive."
"Good. Speaking of surviving... can you give us a progress report on Alexander, Madeen?"
"His recuperation is coming along fine…" replied Madeen. "From his latest scans, his injuries have healed considerably."
"Would he be able to survive a manifestation?"
"Perhaps, but his power might be severely limited, depending on how the dimension affects him."
"Elder Ramuh! Elder Ramuh!" The Inner Circle looked up to see Ark hovering over them and Asura waving frantically over the side of the ship.
"Asura! What in the cosmos is going on?"
"There's a message for you Elder... from Ultima and Omega. They wish to deliver it personally."
"Not now..." moaned Phoenix.
"What could they want at a time like this?" wondered Titan.
Ramuh sighed. "Let's find out." He approached the stone around which the Inner Circle sat. Placing his staff in a hole in the centre, he turned it, immediately bringing up a large screen. On it was two faces belonging to the greatest nemeses of the Council, the Brothers of Chaos, Ultima and Omega.
"What's the matter, Ramuh?" sneered Ultima. "We interrupt something?"
"As a matter of fact, yes you did."
"Good. Looks like a council meeting too... Hey, Shiva baby! Lookin' good!" Shiva had to visibly restrain herself from tossing an oversized ice block at the heckling Omega. It was just a screen she was looking at, and even if Omega were physically present, an oversized ice block would do no good against him. The Brothers of Chaos weren't ranked amongst the most powerful beings in the cosmos for nothing.
"What do you want?" Ramuh's eyebrow twitched.
Omega's tone was now serious. "Come on. You know what we want."
"I've told you before and I'll tell you again. The answer is no."
"Okay. Just wanted to hear that one last time before we took it by force..."
"NEVER!!!" Lightning flashed everywhere, signalling that Ramuh was now angry. "The likes of you will never violate the sanctity of Eden!"
Ultima chuckled. "Man, Ramuh you're so uptight! You need to relax more!"
"Yeah, it's not like you have to go out of your way to bring it to us, we're coming for it. And we'll be there really soon, so be sure to prepare a good welcome for us, okay? Till we meet in person!" Omega's face disappeared from view, then momentarily appeared again... "Oh and Shiva..." to blow a kiss at Shiva who, despite her usual blue complexion, was about to turn red with seething anger.
Ramuh sighed heavily. "Of all the times... The Council is dismissed. Begin preparations for battle."