Dream Sequence
-Tidus' thoughts and conversations with aeons-
/Anima's thoughts and conversations with Tidus and other aeons/
"Al Bhed Language"
He woke up lying on some rumble in the middle of a body of water. He was shivering, and his teeth chattered as he gripped the rubble that he woke up on.
"Anybody there?" He asked hoping that he wasn't alone. "Auron!" Maybe Auron washed up in this place with him. "Heeey!" He yelled when there was no reply.
-I might as well look around and see if I can't find some suitable shelter.- He thought gloomily as he looked around.
The water was freezing and the sky looked permanently overcast and charged with electricity; lightning flashed in the sky above him along with the booming of thunder. He found some potions for healing before making his way towards what looked like a temple. He walked along the broken walkway, collecting a Hi-Potion, before it collapse under him, sending him back into the freezing water.
He shivered before diving further down, ignoring the feeling of his limbs going numb, when he noticed giant double doors that he could enter through. Right before he reached them, three fish fiends, Sahagins, cut him off. He killed the first two easily with a slash of his sword and right when he was about to kill the third, a giant skeleton fish with glowing red lights mauled the Sahagin, spewing blood all over.
Tidus gulped knowing he wouldn't be able to defeat it but readying himself to attack anyway. He only got two hits in before deciding that he was better off just swimming away. He found an opening in the structure that he would be able to fit through and high tailed it out of there. The creature chased after him, but only succeeded in closing the hole with debris when it crashed into the side of the building.
Tidus gave a sigh of relief as he lay on the floor to catch his breath and heal his wounds. Once he was done he walked up the crumbling staircase and into the main room, noticing that it was even colder in this room then it was outside, though the temple offered much more protection from the elements.
"Cold..." He shivered, "Need...fire." He searched around the room noticing the ashes of an old camp fire. -Now all I need is flint and tinder. - The first room he searched had a crumbling staircase where he found a withered banquet and another Hi-Potion. He searched another room and noticed flint in a desk drawer and then made his way back to the main room. He was about ready to light a fire when he noticed that there was one more door that he didn't go through yet. He put off starting a fire to investigate the other room, giving into his curiosity, rubbing his hands together for warmth.
The room was falling apart and looked like one wrong step would send the whole place crumbling down on him. He saw a door on the other side and made his way carefully across. There were a few instances where the whole place groaned and he held his breath in case the floor decided it didn't like him and would crumbled beneath him, sending him to his untimely death. He finally made it across and went through the door. The next room had another door across from him and six statues, three on each side. He bypassed the statues that looked like they would come alive at any moment and eat him, and went through to the next room.
It was a circular room with tapestries along the wall and a statue in the floor with a clear dome over it. -What is that thing?- He shuffled closer and knelt down, rubbing his arms for warmth a few times before touching the dome. He flinched back when he felt a surge of energy, and then he was staring into the eyes of a woman. And not just any woman; he could see through her and she had glowing orbs of rainbows surrounding her. He gaped at her.
"Do you wish for my powers, Summoner?" She asked. Her voice was weary and filled with heartbreak.
"Wha-?" He continued to gape, not comprehending.
"Do you wish for my power?" She asked again.
"I don't understand." Tidus was even more confused and his head hurt. -Most definitely a concussion.-
"You are a summoner, are you not?" The woman asked patiently, looking at him with kind, yet sad eyes.
"I don't know what a summoner is, let alone what you are."
The woman stared at him for a minute judging the truthfulness of his words before nodding in understanding. "You were brought here by Sin, weren't you?"
Tidus nodded and jumped right into the story of the events that happened to cause him to appear in the ruins. He didn't even think of the strangeness of the situation he was in or the fact that he was talking to a stranger. It took him awhile, but when he was done, he looked expectantly at the ghost-like woman for an explanation.
"This is Baaj Temple, my home when I was human. I am a fayth, one who willingly gives up their soul while living and it was put in the statue before you." She pointed towards the dome and statue. "I did this so that other's may use my powers. Summoners are those with a high concentration of magic who have been taught the art of summoning. Only a few are able to use the power of the fayths' called Aeons, a creature manifestation of the fayth that is summoned to help summoners." The woman explained.
"What exactly do summoners do?" Tidus sat more comfortably on the floor, curling his legs closer to him for warmth.
"After their training at a temple and gaining the aeon at that temple, summoners go on a pilgrimage to visit the temples to gather each of the other aeons. They become stronger through their journey in order to defeat Sin."
"That thing can actually be defeated? It's huge!"
The woman chuckle, "Yes it can be defeated, but the way things are now, it only delays it and Sin becomes stronger. There are many duties of a summoner, but not all summoners decide to beat Sin. Some end their journey early and pursue other paths where their abilities are required."
Tidus nodded and absorbed all the information. "You called me a summoner." He pointed out. "But I'm not. I don't know how to do any magic or anything like that."
"You have the ability to become a summoner, but you don't have to be one if you don't want to. The road of a summoner is dangerous and filled with hardship." She looked sadly towards Tidus. "I would advise that you think this over before deciding what you wish to do."
"If I do become a summoner, will I be able to defeat Sin?"
"There is a possibility, but not the way that summoners are currently using."
Tidus nodded before standing up, determined, "How do I become a summoner?"
The woman smile softly at him, "Usually you would start out as an apprentice either under a monk of a temple or another summoner."
Tidus' face started to fall and he clenched his fists at his side in frustration.
"But that really isn't necessary. If you accept my proposal, I will teach you all you need to know once I give you my power. I will take up space in the back of your mind and communicate telepathically to you. Although this could be uncomfortable, and you may start to forget some of your past memories."
Tidus smiled brightly. "My name's Tidus. What's your proposal?"
"My name is Anima, the Dark Aeon." She smiled. "My son, Maester Seymour Guado," Her voice gained a whispery and sad quality to it. "It is my fault for letting him become what he is." A little boy with blue hair was crying off to the side. Tidus knew he wasn't real because he could see through him. "He was always alone, half Guado, half man. I wanted to give him the strength to live by himself. And so I became a fayth. But... because I let him taste power, he began to thirst for more. He was not satisfied with my aeon. He wanted more. More power." She stared at Tidus sadly, with eyes filled with determination. "I want you to help my son. Stop Sin and stop my son's obsession. Will you do that for me, Summoner Tidus?"
"Yes." He whispered.
Anima launched herself at Tidus, mingling her powers with his. He fell backwards and groaned in pain. He definitely was not expecting the pain to his already battered body.
/Sorry. I forgot to mention the pain./
-It wouldn't have changed my decision anyway.-
He groaned and reluctantly picked himself off the ground and exited the room, passing the statue chamber and into the crumbling room. He wobble his way out and just as he reached the door, the room gave one big groan and collapsed leaving only the place Tidus was standing at intact.
-So close. Could've fell to my death.-
He made it to the camp fire and set about to lighting it. He sat as close to the fire as he could without actually sitting in it just to warm himself up. His stomach gave a gurgling noise that would have been awkward if anyone else was there.
"I need food!" He proclaimed as he laid back to rest.
"What do you want?" Tidus asked Auron as he stood in the middle of his boat house.
"It was a bad call. Your team lost because of you."
"You came to say THAT?"
"It's been... ten years. I thought you would be crying."
"Who? Me?" Tidus questioned furiously.
"You cried." The boy in purple appeared out of nowhere.
/Wake up! The fire is going out!/
Tidus startled awake. "No, wait! Wait! Don't go out on me!" He tried blowing on it in hopes that it would magically light back up. "Just hold on. I'll get more wood!" He went to leave but froze as he felt a presence behind him. He turned around as lightning struck and saw red eyes glaring back at him. The spider-mantis fiend jumped down in front of him. "Gimme a break!"
He attacked the Klikk as best he could, but it seemed like Tidus was the one that was hurting more than the fiend. He was hungry, tired, cold and sore; not the best combinations to be fighting with. Right when it looked like things were going badly for him, the door to his right exploded allowing people to swarm, in, guns pointed at the Klikk. One girl came over to him tossing a grenade at the fiend.
"You on my side? Cool." Tidus grinned impishly at the girl.
Tidus and the girl took turns hacking and slashing at the fiend with the occasional grenade thrown around, but eventually the two took down the monster, with Tidus doing a little dance in victory.
The girl took off her face mask and stared at Tidus.
"Whew! That was close." Tidus went to kneel down but had his hair pulled by one of the men and he was pulled back upwards. "Hey, lemme go!" All the men pointed guns at him and he stood stock still, frightened of being shot.
"Fryd ec drec?"
"Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!"
"Oac! Ed ec cu!"
"Fa gemm ed?" One of the men pulled a knife to Tidus' throat, ready to kill him, no doubt.
"Fyed! Fryd ev ed ec risyh?" The girl stopped the man, hopefully Tidus could get out of here without dying.
"Drao yna dra cysa eh taydr." The man took the knife away from Tidus' neck and pointed towards the girl.
"E vunpet ed! Fa pnehk ed fedr ic."
The girl walked closer to and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Cunno." She said before punching him in the gut and knocking him out.
AN: I hope you like it. I have the translation for the Al Bhed language down below, in the order it appears. Let me know if there are any mistakes. Please review.
Translations:
"What is this?"
"A fiend! In human disguise!"
"Yes! It is so!"
"We kill it?"
"Wait! What if it is human?"
"They are the same in death."
"Sorry."
