Welcome to chapter 2. This goes out to Nikki of Spira for giving me the confidence to continue. :)
It was only after they were sure Tidus was stable that everybody left for the evening. They filed out one-by-one, Rikku clinging to Tidus longer than was probably necessary, but the tension in the air was palpable. Wakka gave him a solid clap on the back before leaving and even Lulu rubbed his shoulder in a rare display of affection.
As soon as the family was alone, Yuna guided them all to the living room, sitting Lunic and Lumina down at the couch. She offered to help Tidus into an armchair, as he was still visibly shaking, but he waved her hands away, probably attempting to save what was left of his pride. A very loud silence fell over them once they were all sitting around the coffee table.
Lumina sat hunched against the couch, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, an angry scowl marring her features. Lunic sat beside her, his entire body taught as a wire. Tidus was slumped over, staring at his hands where they rested in his lap, as if he expected them to disappear at any moment.
Finally, it was Lumina who broke the silence.
"What in Spira was that?" she shouted, startling them all so badly that they jumped. Really it shouldn't have surprised them, Lunic thought. Lumina's reaction to conflict had always been anger first and foremost.
"Lumina, please." Yuna's tone was patient but firm. "We'll…Explain everything. But you have to try to calm down."
"How can I calm down?" Lumina's voice had not shrunk in the slightest. "Dad looked like an unsent! Lunic's seeing things that don't exist and Lulu said dad's in big trouble!"
"Lumina—,"
"It's alright, Yuna," Tidus interrupted, still staring at his hands. "Let her yell. They both deserve to. We kept this from them for a long time."
"Kept what?" Lumina asked, her worried gaze flipping anxiously between their parents. "What is going on?"
Tidus and Yuna exchanged an unreadable glance and then Tidus heaved a sigh, leaning forward on his knees. "I'm not exactly what you think I am."
"What does that mean?" Lunic managed to ask, his voice trembling.
Tidus paused a moment to chew on his lip before responding. "You remember those stories we told you, when you were younger? About your mom's journey to defeat Sin?"
Lunic did, although Lumina looked confused. He'd always paid far more attention to the stories of their parents' past than his sister had. Lunic preferred knowledge. Lumina preferred to bask in the glory of it all.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lumina asked, solidifying her ignorance.
"Well, we left out a really important part," Tidus continued patiently. "Back then, when we learned about Zanarkand being nothing more than a Dream of the Fayth, well…So was I."
Both Lunic and Lumina stared at him in stunned silence.
"I wasn't born here. I came from Zanarkand. I was pulled to Spira to help defeat Sin. And when the Dream faded, I did too."
"Wh—," Lunic began to clarify his confusion, but Lumina cut him off.
"But you're here! That doesn't make any sense. What do you mean you faded? How could you be a dream?"
Tidus opened his mouth, but Yuna rested a gentle hand on his, signaling that she would like to continue. "Two years passed after Sin was defeated and I went on another journey with Rikku and Paine."
Lunic knew this story too. In fact, in a lot of ways he liked it better than the story about Sin. Back then, his mother had been harboring a lot of unspoken pain. But when she talked about her days with the Gullwings, her beautiful bi colored eyes lit up and she seemed to glow as she recounted their missions.
"Eventually, we found a sphere that held a recording of a man who looked a lot like your father."
"But he wasn't," Lunic said, ignoring the venomous look Lumina shot him. It wasn't his fault he knew more than her. "And you had to stop him from firing a dangerous Machina at all of Spira."
Yuna nodded, a small smile indicating the pride she had in her son at that moment. "The Fayth appeared to me then too. He asked if I would like to walk with your father again."
She looked at Tidus, who had taken her hand and was squeezing it comfortingly.
"When he reappeared, we didn't question how he'd returned. We just…accepted it." Yuna's gaze fell to her lap, almost ashamed. "It was easier than wondering and worrying."
Lumina's scowl had deepened and she waved her hands to stop the story. "So, hold on. You don't know what he's been this whole time? Seventeen years? Is it…Even possible he's still a dream? I mean—," She gestured vaguely to both herself and Lunic.
"We don't know," Tidus answered honestly. "It doesn't seem possible that I'm anything less than real. But what happened with the pyreflies…It looked just like the night I faded from Spira."
"We could talk to the Fayth again," Lunic suggested, his mind spinning a mile a minute. "He can give us the answers. Right? I mean, if he's the one who brought dad back in the first place."
Tidus nodded, but his eyes were tired. Yuna refused to meet anyone's gaze and Lumina was glancing between them all haplessly.
"Right now," Yuna said, rising from her chair. "I think we all need rest. It's very late. We can discuss our options in the morning."
Lunic didn't object, although he wanted to, as Yuna left and Tidus gave them both a sad smile. It occurred to Lunic then that if anything were to happen during the night, this might be the last time he'd ever see his father. Despite that knowledge, he sat frozen in place on the couch as Tidus stood, patting each of their heads in turn before following Yuna upstairs.
Lunic's gaze dropped to his lap and hot tears stung the corners of his eyes. Lumina sat beside him, uncharacteristically quiet, as she too absorbed all that they'd been told.
"I'm going to bed," she said finally, standing so quickly that the movement startled Lunic out of his reverie.
He watched as she swept out of the living room and up the stairs, leaving him alone as his mind continued to turn. What the Fayth said about ending the Dream…Did that include his father? And what was the Rift? Something about the Zanarkand his father had come from, perhaps? One of the biggest questions tugging at his mind, he realized, was what the Fayth had said about being a child of both worlds. If his father was indeed, still a dream…what did that make Lunic?
He was still reeling from the fact that most of what he'd been told of his father's life before them was a lie. He remembered being told that his father was born in Luca, moving to Besaid once he'd failed to join the Goers and instead meeting his mother and joining her quest to defeat Sin, who had killed both of his grandparents long before he was born. It was making him reel to realize it had all been a lie. His father had been born in another world, another time. It stung, but it also made sense as to why they would try to protect him and Lumina from this strange truth. It was all too much to take in.
Shaking his head to clear the spiraling thoughts, Lunic quickly rose from the couch and dashed after the others. It was dark on the first landing and he nearly collided with his sister, who had stopped and was currently crouched beside their parent's bedroom. The door had been left slightly ajar, and through the crack, Lunic could see his father pacing back and forth, running his hands through his messy blonde hair.
His arm was nearly yanked out of its socket as Lumina dragged him down to sit beside her, holding a finger to her lips to signal him to be silent.
"We should really go see the Fayth now," Tidus was murmuring, pacing in front of the bed. "We can't be sure that nothing will happen during the night. If you wake up and I'm—,"
"Nothing's going to happen." Lunic couldn't see his mother through the tiny crack, but she sounded almost…angry.
"You don't know that," Tidus objected, his own voice rising slightly.
"You don't either."
Sighing, Tidus brought his hands to his face, rubbing it furiously. "Look, I'll go to the temple now, see what he has to say. As long as we have some sort of answer, whether it's good or bad—,"
"No."
"What do you mean no?" Tidus shouted, throwing his arms out.
"I mean no!" Lunic didn't hear his mother yell often, but it was sort of…terrifying when she did. "You can't go see the Fayth. Not tonight. Not tomorrow."
"What are you talking about? Do you want answers or not? I have to go."
"You can't go," Yuna objected and Lunic finally saw her come into view, her arms wrapped around her middle as if she was trying to hold herself together. "Because what if he takes you away from me again? What if you don't come back?"
Tidus' arms fell back to his sides, his face softening. "Yuna…Whether I see him myself or not…That's a possibility."
She shook her head, silently, but Lunic saw her shoulders beginning to shake with sobs.
"You can't go," she whimpered. "I thought it hurt to lose you after knowing you for a year…But seventeen? What would I do?"
"Oh, Yuna." Tidus crossed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms, one hand cradling the back of her head and bringing her against his chest. "I won't let that happen. I'll—I'll do something."
A wet chuckle cut through Yuna's tears. "Where have I heard those words before?"
"And I followed through that back then too, didn't I?" He smiled, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead. There was a long pause as his parents simply held each other, swaying slightly. "I just want answers…After all these years; losing this life that we've built together…I couldn't bear to do that to you. To the kids."
Yuna pulled back slightly to look up at him, her hands rising to cup his cheeks. "We'll figure something out, right? We always have."
He nodded, a tender smile gracing his lips. "Always."
Lunic looked away then; the gentleness of the moment that they weren't supposed to be watching making him squirm. He felt Lumina's hand around his arm then, like a vice as she tugged him down the hallway toward her room.
The door swung shut behind them with a soft click and Lunic hopped up onto her bed, his gaze unconsciously wandering around the space. He wasn't allowed in here often, but his sister's messy room was such a contrast to his own, it was impossible not to be intrigued. Her Blitz clothes were scattered all over the floor, Auroch's uniform wrinkled and dirty. Dozens of Blitzball posters adorned the walls, some depicting star players, but the biggest one was of the Auroch's during last year's Crystal Cup match. They'd come in second to the Goers, but Lunic had never seen his sister and Vidina smile so wide. She had a poster of their father too, back when he'd been Captain of the Aurochs. Lunic stared up at it, searching his father's face as if the answers would appear if he looked hard enough.
"Alright," Lumina began, sitting on the bed beside him and drawing her legs up. "I say we go talk to the Fayth. Tonight."
For a moment, Lunic waited for his own objection to spring forth, but nothing did. He wanted answers just as much as Lumina did, and it was clear from the conversation they'd witnessed between their parents that they were too afraid to go themselves.
"Mom and dad aren't gonna do it," Lumina continued, giving voice to his thoughts. "Or at least not tonight and by tomorrow it could be too late. So, let's go back to the temple and you call the Fayth again and we ask him what in Spira is going on."
"Okay."
Surprise took over Lumina's face; she'd obviously expected a little opposition. "Yeah?"
But Lunic was not willing to lose his father over a little fear of the Fayth. "Yeah."
"Great!" Lumina immediately lowered her voice. "We'll wait until they both go to sleep and then head out. Go back to your room just in case they check on us. I'll come grab you when it's time."
Lunic nodded again and scooted off the bed. He snuck out of the room, tip toeing past his parent's still open door and down the hall. He could still hear them murmuring as he passed, but the light had been turned off. It wouldn't be long until they were fast asleep.
Opening the door to his own room, Lunic slipped inside and headed for his closet. Nights on Besaid tended to hold a significant chill, and all he wore was his light beach tunic and pants. Throwing on a thick white robe he'd received from one of his favorite island visitors, Maechen, Lunic then slipped into bed, hiding underneath the covers.
He waited for any sound of his parents coming to check on them, but there was nothing. If anything, he assumed they'd already fallen asleep, still tangled up in each other. The fear he'd seen from both of them tonight was both startling and moving. It didn't surprise him really that they'd hidden his father's strange state of reality from them, especially since it seemed to cause both of them so much pain. But now that his very existence was in question, there was no more hiding it. And it was up to all of them to figure out what to do next. Whether his parents liked it or not he and Lumina were a part of this too.
Time seemed to stretch, the only sound in the room that of his heart thudding loudly in his chest. After what seemed like ages, but had probably been no more than a few minutes, the door to his room creaked open and Lumina stuck her head in.
"Let's go…"
Throwing off the covers, Lunic leapt up, scurrying after her as they tip toed downstairs. He was still so lost in his own thoughts, however, that he accidentally stepped on the one creaky stair at the bottom of the flight. They both paused, flinching and waiting for a response from upstairs. But, luckily, none came.
Taking his hand, Lumina pulled Lunic forward and hurried him out of the house into the streets of Besaid. A few scattered torches lit the way, as lights from all but a select few of the houses had been put out for the night. It was well past midnight at this point, and for any Besadian to be up at this hour was unheard of. Still, Lumina and Lunic crept carefully through the streets, heading for the temple as quickly and silently as they could.
It rose up before them as they approached; looking somehow far more daunting than Lunic had ever remembered it being. The inside was cold; the same chill he'd felt when talking with the Fayth seeping into his bones through the robe. Together, they made their way through the empty halls and into the Cloister. Lunic knew the way well and Lumina let him take the lead, following close behind, her head seemingly on a constant swivel as they walked through the dark passages.
"You okay?" Lunic asked when she'd nearly bumped into a third wall.
"I don't understand why you hang out in this place," she muttered angrily, trying to salvage her pride. "It's so creepy."
"Yeah, you've mentioned that," Lunic drawled.
"Well, it's true!"
"It's also full of history and it's where mom and dad met. It's a sacred place."
Lumina rolled her eyes. "Yevon is outdated and everybody knows it."
"Maybe," Lunic couldn't really argue that point. "But the temples are always going to be important to Spira's history."
He heard Lumina scoff again, but she said nothing, so Lunic considered that a win on his part. The two made their way to the lift in silence, both of them jumping as the glyph beneath their feet lit up, taking them down to the Chamber of the Fayth.
Lunic could see his breath forming crystals before his eyes as they entered the Chamber. It was even darker than it had been in the Cloister, the only light coming from the pyreflies that danced above the hole to the Farplane. He stared at them for a moment, waiting for the Fayth to take shape, but nothing happened.
"Well?" He stumbled forward when Lumina jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "Call it, let's get this over with."
"I didn't call it last time," he objected, shooting a scowl in her direction. "He…Called me."
He couldn't see Lumina's face, but he could practically feel the frustration coming off of her in waves. "You're kidding. What do we do then?"
"I mean, I can try to call him. Just…Hang on."
Lunic took a cautious step forward, flinching when the pyreflies scattered, seeming to react to his movement. They reformed slowly and Lunic only dared to move once they had resumed their swirling pattern.
Carefully, he reached one hand out as if to touch them, focusing all of his thoughts on the image of the Fayth as it had appeared before him.
Please, he tried to think the words into existence without letting them leave his mouth. Please be here. I need answers.
Lunic's trembling fingers reached further, the tip of his pointer finger brushing one of the pyreflies and in the next second a dazzling glow seemed to emanate from his palm. It morphed with the pyrefly's own light and once the spots cleared from his eyes, he saw the Fayth floating before them.
Lumina yelped and stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over herself in the dark.
"Another," the Fayth said simply, his hooded gaze on Lumina.
"This is my sister," Lunic explained, a strange sense of calm washing over him now that the Fayth was here. He had managed to call it and now it would explain what was going on. Everything would be fine.
"We know her," the Fayth replied. "The first born. The bridge."
"I thought—," Lunic began as an odd sense of jealousy washed over him. The Fayth's earlier message had seemed directed at him. Just as soon as it had appeared however, the feeling faded. Being more important than his sister didn't matter. What mattered was clarifying what the Fayth was saying. "I don't understand. What you told me earlier, can you explain? My father…He almost faded tonight. Why? What's the bridge and the Rift? What is the Dream?"
The Fayth was silent, staring at both of them for so long that Lunic wondered if it had even heard him. He opened his mouth to ask again, when suddenly the Fayth spoke.
"You are the bridge," he looked at both of them. "A child born of both Zanarkand and Spira. The Dream of the Fayth made into reality."
"And what does a bridge do exactly?" Lumina spoke up from close beside Lunic, her voice quavering uncharacteristically.
"You have the power to close the Rift between realities. Zanarkand is reemerging. It's very existence threatens that of Spira's."
"But…How?" Lunic asked, struggling to recall everything he'd learned from his books. "Zanarkand disappeared years ago. It faded with Sin, with our father."
"Shuyin," the Fayth murmured, as if the single word explained everything. "His hate and malice. Seventeen years ago, his shadow pulled us into darkness. He twisted our minds and our power. His hate summoned the Dark Aeons. And along with it a Dark Zanarkand."
Lumina and Lunic exchanged confused glances, but the Fayth continued unprompted.
"His memories of his home, of the war, combined with his power over us, another dream was born. But it is dark. A nightmare. A twisted version of our own memories. A shadow of the former Dream. And it has grown with each passing year we have continued to dream it. A great darkness is forming within it. It is opening now and it threatens to spill into your world."
"So why can't you just stop dreaming it, huh? Shuyin is gone." Lumina looked to Lunic as if to make sure she was correct. He nodded and returned his attention to the Fayth.
"She's right. He was finally put to rest. Why did this Zanarkand stay behind?"
"Lady Yuna was the one to put Shuyin to rest, along with the darkness inside the Aeons. But she did not know of Zanarkands reemergence. Neither did we, until it began to feed on our power more and more, slowly absorbing us until it became strong enough to exist on its own. Now our Dream has become our own prison. And the Rift widens."
"The Rift?" Lunic repeated. "So Zanarkand connects to Spira through you?"
The Fayth nodded. "Destroy the Rift. Destroy us. Let the Dream end."
Lumina elbowed Lunic again and suddenly he remembered their father. "But what about our Dad? You brought him back. Won't ending the Dream end him too?"
The Fayth tilted his chin as if deep in thought. "He is no longer a dream. But he is not of Spira either."
"But the pyreflies…" Lunic was struggling to understand all of this.
"They react to him as they would any shadow of Zanarkand. He remains connected to that world."
"But he won't disappear, right?" Lumina asked, her voice strained. "He's not a dream anymore?"
"I cannot say," The fayth sounded sad. "When we collected his thoughts and memories to return him to Spira, we used what little remained of our power to make him corporeal. What keeps him tethered to your world now is a power beyond mine."
"That doesn't make any sense!" Lumina shouted, her voice reverberating off the stone walls. The Fayth just looked at her, expression unchanging.
"I am sorry. Maybe you will find the answers you seek in Zanarkand."
"We're going to Zanarkand?" Lumina balked.
"Close the Rift," the Fayth repeated. "Destroy us. Let the Dream end."
"Yeah, okay, we get it." She turned to Lunic. "Come on, we're not getting anything else out of this thing."
She turned to leave but Lunic raised his head, broaching one more question to the Fayth. "How do we get there? How do we close the Rift?"
"You are the bridge," The Fayth responded, as the pyreflies began to swirl and circle around it. "You know the way."
"Wait—!"
In a bright flash of light, the Fayth was gone and Lunic and Lumina stood blinking in the darkness. The anxiety slowly returned, weighing heavy in Lunic's gut. If anything, he had even more questions now. And he wished terribly that their parents had been there to hear everything. Relaying it wasn't going to be an easy task. What's worse was that it sounded like they now had a quest. One that, if they ignored, put the entirety of Spira in danger.
Together, Lunic and Lumina made their way out of the temple and back through Besaid. They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Lunic looked up from his feet as they reached their cabin in time to see the very hint of a rosy pink sunrise stretching across the horizon. If he was lucky, and able to shut out the Fayth's words for more than a few seconds, he'd get at least an hour of sleep before his parents woke him.
Granted he was able to sleep at all.
Following Lumina inside when she held the door open for him, Lunic kicked off his boots and trudged upstairs. He was about to turn for his room when Lumina grabbed his arm and pulled him around.
"Hey—,"
"Don't say anything about this to mom and dad yet, okay?" Her grip on his arm tightened almost nervously. "At least not yet. Maybe tonight. Let's just…See if we can make sense of it first."
Lunic wanted to argue, the whole reason they'd gone was so that their father would have answers, but he was too tired to battle with his sister. Instead, he jerked his arm away, nodded and shuffled towards his room. He could feel Lumina's eyes on his as he walked away, boring into his back until he shut the door, locking her out. Crawling into bed, Lunic closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and begging for sleep to come.
Of course, as he suspected, it did not, and he only managed to toss and turn for a few hours until there was a soft knock on his door and he could hear his mother's voice from the other side.
"Lunic?"
"I'm awake," he called, throwing the covers off in frustration and slouching out of bed.
It wasn't until he opened the door that he realized he was still wearing his thick robe from their excursion to the temple. Yuna blinked down at him, obviously confused by his choice in sleepwear, but before she could point it out he stammered, "I…Was cold."
Her eyes flickered to the mountain of quilts on his bed and then back to what Lunic knew was the petrified face of a horrible liar. Whether by luck, or some higher power, however, she did not question him and instead gestured for him to follow her downstairs.
He did, somewhat reluctantly, worry for what he might find of his father gnawing at his heart. Tidus was clearly still here. If he'd faded away during the night, he doubted that his mother would be so calm this morning. Then again, if Yuna was a master of anything, it was guarding her emotions. Lunic would be surprised if she'd gotten any sleep last night either. He doubted any of them had, for that matter.
Lunic realized he was right as he rounded the corner to the kitchen and came face-to-face with the tired figure of his father. He sat at the table across from Lumina, a brilliant grin spreading his cheeks despite the exhaustion in his eyes.
"What's this about, dad?" Lumina asked, peering warily at Tidus as he fiddled with something behind his back.
"I wasn't able to give you your gift yesterday," he explained, smile falling slightly. "Because of all…Well, the—You know."
Tactful.
"But!" Tidus perked up again. "I wanted to give you something very important. You're seventeen now, the same age I was when I received this gift from your Uncle Wakka. And someday, maybe you'll be able to pass it down to your own child."
"Dad!"
He waved a hand furiously. "Not—In the far, far future, of course. It's symbolic!"
Lunic knew he shouldn't have been surprised by his father's cheerful attitude this morning. Tidus was nothing if not the optimist. But even still, he deserved to feel the fear that Lunic knew must be eating away at him. Especially after last night.
"What is it?" Lumina asked, obviously now curious despite the embarrassed blush on her face.
Careful of the kitchen table, Tidus withdrew his sword from behind his back, holding it out before Lumina who gaped at it, blue eyes wide.
"You're giving me your sword?" Her voice was small, almost like a bewildered child's.
Tidus nodded, his smile returning. "Brotherhood is yours now. I hope you never have to use it, of course. But this sword carries a heavy legacy, one that I think you're ready to bear too."
Lumina reached out, touching the surface of the blade with careful fingers. She stood up suddenly, her chair screeching on the floor as she rounded the table and threw her arms around Tidus. Her reaction seemed to surprise him, but he took it in stride, chuckling and squeezing her back.
Lunic knew what it was the remnant of their conversation with the Fayth bringing tears to her eyes, not the sword. They hadn't received a clear answer in regards to their father's fate. But Tidus didn't know this and his chuckles faded as he felt her beginning to shake.
"Hey, you alright?"
Lumina nodded against his chest. "Yeah, I just…I really like the sword…"
She squeezed him tighter and Tidus groaned exaggeratedly. "Oof, not so tight. You're gonna break your old man's back."
Slowly, Lumina released him, rubbing the tears from her cheeks and returning his trademark grin. "Thanks, Dad. I'll take good care of it."
"That's all I ask," he replied, ruffling her hair and then turning to greet Lunic and Yuna, who still stood near the edge of the kitchen. "When did you two get here?"
Before either of them could answer, there was a knock on the front door and Lulu appeared, poking her head in before entering. "Yuna?"
"We're in the kitchen," Yuna replied, sweeping past Lunic to greet the former black mage.
Lunic watched as the two exchanged a few quiet whispers, heads tilted close together, no doubt discussing his father. When Tidus rounded the corner they looked up and stopped talking.
"Hey, Lulu," Tidus greeted her as if it were any other normal morning. "Here for breakfast?"
"No…" Even Lulu looked concerned by his cheerfulness. "I was just…Saying good morning."
It was beginning to irritate Lunic that everyone seemed fine with just ignoring last night's past events. It was as his mother had told them, it was easier to ignore than to wonder and worry. But he was seconds away from bursting with all the information he and Lumina had learned last night. The only thing stopping him was the knowing glare his sister gave him from across the room.
"Well, I'll—Leave you to it," Lulu stumbled uncharacteristically over her words. "Vidina will be headed out for practice soon. I…Assume you're still holding it today?"
"'Course," Tidus grinned. "Why wouldn't we be?"
The others shifted awkwardly, glancing at one another, and then Lulu excused herself and Yuna hurried about making breakfast while Lumina ran upstairs to grab her blitz gear and Lunic took a seat across from Tidus at the table.
"You look tired, bud," Tidus observed, ignorant to the exhaustion in his own eyes. "Sleep okay?"
Lunic could only nod, his throat tightening with guilt. "You?"
He saw a flicker of shame pass over Tidus' face, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. "Yeah, just fine."
Lunic didn't believe him for a second, but he said nothing. Breakfast found its way to the table not long after and they all ate in relative silence. No matter how hard everyone was trying to pretend everything was alright, the truth hung heavy in the air.
Tidus gathered Lumina up as soon as they were finished and the two headed for practice at the beach. Tidus was coach for the Auroch's now, claiming he was too old to play anymore, but Lunic had always thought he'd retained his youthfulness. Before it had impressed him, now it worried him that maybe it had something to do with his existence as a dream. Did they age the same way? Or at all?
Lumina waved to Yuna before they left, but not before catching Lunic's gaze and mouthing the word, 'later'. She gave him a meaningful stare and then Tidus called to her and she bolted out the door. Lunic hurried to the window, watching them go, a pang of jealousy stabbing at his chest.
He'd never been one for Blitzball. And Tidus had tried. What father didn't want to teach their son to play the sport they loved? And especially, Lunic knew, because his grandpa had done the same with his father. But Lunic hated it. He hated the sand, the water, the rough play. Lumina was enraptured however. And Tidus had taken her under his wing by the time she was five. She was the Auroch's star player now, following in his footsteps and meanwhile, Lunic toiled his days away at a forgotten temple.
Learning an about a world that no longer existed.
He felt Yuna's hands on his shoulders suddenly and looked up just in time for her to press a kiss to his forehead.
"Are you alright?" she asked, catching the distress he was sure was clear on his face.
He nodded and turned to face her. "Do you need any help around the house today?"
She looked a bit surprised by his offer, but it clearly wasn't unwelcome and before he knew it Lunic was on his knees scrubbing away at the kitchen floor. Menial work, but he was grateful for the mindless task. At least for the moment he could try to forget the Fayth's warning and pretend like everybody else that it was a normal day.
That his world hadn't turned upside down.
He heard another knock on the door, but Yuna was there before he even had a chance to stand up. There was a quiet murmur and he heard the heavy shuffle of Lulu's dress as she entered the cabin again. Lunic kept his head down, peering only out of the corner of his eye as the two women convened in the living room. They took a seat at the couch and Lunic could see their mouths moving, but he wasn't close enough to hear.
Setting down his brush, Lunic stood and crept across the floor he'd just cleaned to the entrance of the living room. Crouching, he pressed his ear to the wall and strained to hear.
"—he wants to see the Fayth himself. I…told him no."
"Why?"
"What if something happens? What if the Fayth takes him away?"
"Don't you think that's a possibility whether he sees the Fayth or not?"
"That's what he said too…"
"If last night was any indication, it could happen at any moment."
"But why, Lulu? Why now?" His mother's voice was desperate. "It's been seventeen years. I thought, surely, after the kids were born—,"
"I don't have any answers for you, Yuna. Only the Fayth will. Perhaps you should speak with him? If not Tidus."
"You're right…I know you're right. I'll go. I just…I'm afraid."
"Of what you might hear?"
"Yes."
Lunic wanted to scream. He had the answers. Sort of. But Lumina had sworn him to secrecy and he'd agreed for some stupid reason. If he told them without her she'd skin him alive.
"Lunic told me something last night," Lulu said slowly, and Lunic froze, his heart stilling in his chest. "He said that the Fayth had told him about a Rift. Being a child born of both worlds."
Yuna did not respond, but Lunic could nearly hear the wheels in her head turning.
"I thought…Only Summoners could speak with the Fayth."
"I thought so too," Lulu agreed." Summoners or creatures of a similar nature. The Unsent…Dreams. Tidus and Sir Auron could speak with them as well during your pilgrimage, could they not?"
"But what does that mean for Lunic?" There was a hint of panic in Yuna's voice.
"I…" Lulu trailed off. "I don't know."
The bridge.
The words echoed in Lunic's head loudly, like a scream. He jumped when he heard his mother getting to her feet, followed by the jingle of Lulu's many bracelets. Scurrying back to the kitchen, he grabbed his brush and began scrubbing furiously at the floor.
"I'll go now," Yuna was saying as she and Lulu headed for the door. "I have to. Lunic?"
He scrambled into the hallway when she called him, trying his best to appear utterly casual. "Yeah, Mom?"
"I'm going out with Lulu. I'll be back in a bit, alright?"
"Cool, sounds good." He gave her a weak thumbs up, squirming when Yuna paused and just looked at him for a few moments. Suddenly, she crossed the hall and pulled him into a hug, pressing a kiss against the top of his head and lingering there. When she pulled away, cupping his cheeks tenderly, he saw tears glistening in her eyes. She gave him a tight smile and then turned on her heel and followed Lulu out of the cabin.
Lunic watched her go, the house suddenly large and oppressive now that he was alone.
Would the Fayth appear to her? Would she understand better than they had? Lunic was tempted to run after her, but instead he stood rooted to the spot, legs heavy as lead. Slowly, he went back to his task, scrubbing the already clean floor until it gleamed underneath his feat and his hands ached with newly formed calluses.
Afterwards, he wandered the house restlessly, trying to read but finding the words simply floated meaninglessly before his eyes. It was nearly an hour before Yuna returned and when she did, Lunic couldn't help but notice the dejected slump in her shoulders. Either she'd had no luck reaching the Fayth, or she had and whatever it told her had only served to worry her further.
Holding his tongue, Lunic helped her with lunch, his anxiety beginning to build the longer they waited for Tidus and Lumina. Practices weren't a short affair, but Lunic found himself worrying that something had happened to Tidus again as the time stretched on. Of course, he knew if something had, Lumina would have come to them. Even still, the unease was impossible to shake.
Finally, the two returned, covered in sand and sweat. Tidus' skin was a shade paler than usual, but before Lunic could ask if he was okay, Lumina threw her practice bag down and whirled to face them. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her gaze accusatory as she peered at Tidus. "Dad passed out during practice."
Tidus' mouth opened as if he wanted to argue, his blue eyes darting to Yuna then Lunic, but no excuse was forthcoming.
"What?" Yuna was at his side in an instant, one hand brushing his messy bangs aside to check his temperature. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Tidus replied, trying to remove her hand, but she slapped him away. "It was a little hot outside and I didn't get enough sleep last night. No big deal."
Lunic couldn't shake the feeling that his father's unconscious state hadn't been a dreamless one. And from the haunted look in his eye, Lunic knew he was probably right. He looked toward his sister, who caught his gaze and then nodded firmly.
But before Lunic could explain to his parents what they'd heard from the Fayth though, Lumina spoke.
"We went to see the Fayth last night."
Both Tidus and Yuna whipped around, shocked. Or rather, Yuna looked shocked, Tidus just seemed somehow even more tired.
"Oh, sorry," Lumina looked around innocently, offering a single shrug. "I wasn't sure how much longer we were going to pretend Dad's not seconds away from pissing off the face of Spira all together."
"Lumina!" The objection came from Yuna, but Lumina didn't apologize. In fact, if anything her face hardened further.
"Lunic?" Tidus drew his son's attention, his tone much more calm. "Did you see the Fayth again?"
Lips thinning, Lunic nodded once. The Fayth's words still didn't make much sense, but maybe now his parents could help. And in any case, one thing had been abundantly clear.
"What did he say?"
A heavy silence fell over the family as they waited for Lunic's response.
"We have to go to Zanarkand."
Thank you for reading!
