AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter 2 of A Storm Gathers, the *possible* future sequel to my Worlds Collide story and a record of the events that will take place in Lightning Returns: FINAL FANTASY XIII. As always, no pairings (sorry!), angst, drama, etc. in this story. After all, with 13 days left to save the world, there isn't time to mess around…
As always, reviews are love! I'm curious to hear what you think of the story and LR:FFXIII. Take my advice and listen to the BGMs!
Write on,
WriteFF13
.:A STORM GATHERS:.
Chapter 2 – The Gathering Storm
The sudden realization that she wasn't alone in the world hit her like a blast of icy wind, nearly knocking her unconscious for another eternity or so.
Her mind reeling, Lightning simply stared at the boy – no, man – that kneeled beside her, the only sign of life she'd seen in over half a millennium. She remembered his name as clear as day, their battle together from centuries ago flashes through her mind; frames of the Gapra Whitewood, his innocent face peering up at her as she told him to abandon her in order to save himself…
He speaks again.
"You told me once you wouldn't abandon me…now I'm returning the favor," he said, leaning backwards now that he's sure Lightning Farron wouldn't faint from shock.
"Hope Estheim."
It was all she could say.
"Light."
Lightning shook her head, incredulous. After all this time, Hope had somehow survived the chaotic change of the world and now he was by her side, a companion yet again. The thought was comforting, but also extremely disturbing given the situation of the world. It wasn't the mortal realm or Valhalla anymore; it was a mix between the two, a combination of their fal'Cie, people, history…
Lightning sat up, holding her head in case it might suddenly fall apart in shards (she wouldn't be surprised if it did). Hope stands, looking around Etro's shrine as if seeing it for the first time.
"I don't remember coming here," he murmured, but she wasn't listening.
She glanced at the grown boy through her fingers, amazed at the transformation he had gone through since she had known him as a fourteen-year-old boy who had lost his mother. Now, he was taller than her and his eyes held a curiously intelligent glint in their blue orbs. Even the slightest changes made all the difference in the world to her, now that she was free from an eternity of sleep. Even when she witnessed the slight three-year difference in Serah during her battle with Caius, she had been taken aback. The world had moved forward as she remained in a realm beyond time. She dipped her head again, rubbing her temples.
I feel old…
Hope offered a hand; she accepted and pushed off from the ground shakily. For once, she felt weak and vulnerable, a feeling she didn't like at all. It gave her reassurance that Hope was at her side once again, even if it meant danger for him.
"Where are we, anyways?" Hope asked to no one in particular, holding a steadying hand on Lightning's shoulder pauldron which still continued to glint despite being made from crystal. A settling breeze wound through the shrine, causing the gossamer velvet curtains outside of the shrine to billow softly.
The two made their way out of the shrine and onto a rocky bluff, the sound of waves crashing against the shore reached their ears. Lightning breathed in the salty air, taking her first step outside of the shrine in five centuries.
A sharp pain plunged through her skull like a serrated knife dipped into fire, cutting of her train of thought until she fell to one knee, pressing both hands against her chest as if trying to dig through her skin. A scream threatened to escape her lips but she gritted her teeth, fighting the pain that racked her body, centered around one thing.
Hope fell to the ground beside her, shouting her name but remaining relatively calm. The scene taking place before him was reminiscent of an event that occurred many eons ago, in the dilapidated trash heap of the Vile Peaks. Then, Lightning's Eidolon had been summoned forth by her frustration; her l'Cie brand alit with a pink light. Now, something similar was happening, but instead of a l'Cie brand, an oval shape gleamed with a violent scarlet aura in the same placement as her l'Cie brand. The top and bottom of the oval smoothed into points to form a shape that had haunted Hope's mind days after the world was overcome by chaos.
Vaguely, he remembered the same shape appearing in the darkened sky, watching as Noel Kreiss held Lightning's sister close and Mog fall, unable to do anything, hopeless to stop the sudden wave of chaos that burst forth from the enormous Etro's gate. In seconds, chaos had poured into the mortal realm from Valhalla to entrap all in its dark embrace.
He had stood his ground atop Sazh's airship until the chaos tossed him into the abyss.
After that he knew nothing more.
Now he was seeing it again, glowing vibrantly and engraved in Lightning Farron.
["The Goddess Is Dead" – FFXIII-2 OST]
Red, red, red.
It was all she knew as an unknown symbol exploded on her chest, sending distress signals to her brain and causing her body to cease proper functioning. She fell to her knees, fighting whatever invading force dare try to take control of her mind, but it was useless. It was like the chaos…there was nothing to fight it with.
Faintly she heard Hope's voice shouting her name and shaking her, but she was stuck in a force field of pain, victim to a raspy voice whispering meaningless nothings into her mind. There's recognition to be found in the strange voice, and the realization comes to her in an instant, nearly staggering her to unconsciousness as her concentration lapsed.
A woman's frail, kind song…
The deceitful hiss of a viper's lies…
And the child's mix of genderbent breaths…
She chanted them out, one after the other, over and over again until the sound of their names was engraved in her brain.
"Etro, the Goddess of Death…Lindzei, the traitor to Pulse…and Orphan, the child she had cut down!"
The words were not her own, but she was an interpreter, a puppet to be sucked of all life until its use is needed no more, and she obeyed with no energy left to resist.
"The chaos has once again wreaked havoc upon the world. What was once found is now lost again…only she has the means to begin the search for it."
The voices began to fade, but instead of cringing away, Lightning reached out to them, hanging on to their last echo.
"The end of the new beginning has already begun."
"Lightning!"
She sat up with a start, jackknifing into a sitting position, heart pounding wildly. For the second time that day, she found herself unconscious. Hope kneeled nearby, his face pale and a distracted gaze clouding his vision.
"What the hell just happened?" Lightning muttered, exasperated.
"You…fainted."
He decided to take the easy way out and sort out his thoughts later. Right now, they needed to find another sign of life in this barren world.
The young woman donned in armor peered closely at him, sensing that he wasn't revealing everything. Nonetheless, she felt weak and her head still ached from the sudden intrusion of voices. She pushed her thoughts aside and focused on the immediate problem:
Where were they?
"Come on. We need to get out of here." Lightning regained her composure and set off determinedly down the rocky hillside, focused on reaching civilization. Hope followed silently, experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu. Once again, Lightning was the leader and he was following in her wake, trusting her instincts and experience. Yet he also felt uneasy...uneasy because he was unable to truly help Lightning. There was something else going on that she wasn't telling him, that much was certain. However, in their current situation, he didn't think it was the best option to bring it up. Once they found help, well...he'd figure it out.
Lightning cast a look overhead at the sky, which had begun to darken and flash with lightning, evidence of a gathering storm. Below them, the rocks surrounding Etro's shrine gave way to an outcrop that lead down to what looked to be a desert, but mist distorted their view. Her strength was slowly coming back to her, though she didn't feel the familiar hum of magic in her veins like she usually did…or rather, how she used to feel centuries ago. Hope caught up to her, and it was an almost comical view of the two walking side by side: a young woman with pale pink hair in the armor of a goddess and a silver-haired man donned in bright blues, yellows, and white.
It was a stark contrast to the palette of the world around them; bleak, unforgiveable, and dangerous. Even Etro's shrine had long since lost the vibrant, green clockwork rings that had sat atop the pinnacle, chiming off the hours for a realm that knew no time.
As they set off, a humorous thought sparked in Lightning's mind.
"Say, Hope…how old are you now?"
Hope blinked in surprise. "Twenty-four. Or at least, five hundred twenty-four; I'm not really sure anymore."
"The same age as me, huh? I guess time traveling will do that to you," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
The last time they had fought as a duo, Lightning was in a journey to defy the gods and save her sister; Hope was trying to exact revenge on Snow… but both had been led into battle by the deceiving fal'Cie. Now, they were older and maybe the only two left alive.
Hope raised his eyebrows in surprise; he hadn't thought of it that way. The very thought that he was now the same age as Lightning, someone who had stood in as a mother for him when his own mother had been ripped from his grasp, made him laugh.
"Well…this might be a little awkward."
["Blue Soul" – FFType-0 OST]
The fog that Lightning had caught a glimpse of earlier rolled in thick and heavy, coating the ground beneath their feet in a near-solid blanket, only impenetrable as they stepped through. After making their way down a strange rocky cliffside, they stopped to rest at the base of a huge boulder that had split from a huge overhang and laid to rest on the ground below; they leaned against it for support. Lightning had regained her strength, but her mind was still shaky after the strange visions that had flashed through her mind so fast, she hadn't caught even a second of them. Still, she was set on immediate survival.
Hope looked at her, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you okay so far, Light?"
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Since when did you become the adult?" she joked, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Hope turned away from her, shielding his eyes and squinting, trying to see through the thick wall of fog. "I think we're almost there."
Where is "there?"
"Right." She stood and walked to his side, surveying what little land they could see. As far as she was concerned, she was in enemy territory, and until they learned where they were and who was on their side, she was on high alert with an itchy trigger finger to boot.
"What's the plan? There might be monsters around here that were distorted by the chaos…who knows what's waiting for us?"
A small smile tugged the edges of Lightning's lips up. She began walking determinedly into the mist, blue eyes sparkling.
"Charge in, guns blazing."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Once again, this is not a HopexLight pairing! I just write them in-character, that's all with no hints of romance, yada yada yada! I hope you enjoyed my early rendition of Lightning Returns: FINAL FANTASY XIII, and let me know what you thought of the mysterious voices of Etro, Orphan, and Lindzei, as well as how Lightning and Hope interacted! Reviews make me happy!
-WriteFF13