Chapter 2: The Truth

When Tidus closed his eyes, he was afraid of never opening them again and if he did, he'd be back in that dark place where time and space stood still. What he didn't expect was to wake and find himself surrounded by colorful flowers and pyreflies. His blood ran cold. No. It couldn't be true. He sat up straight and scanned the area, taking mental notes of everything he saw—patches of fog, a pink sky, and an all too familiar waterfall. To his dismay, he was exactly where he feared—the Farplane.

A child-like voice came from behind, "Hello."

Every muscle in his body tensed at the sound. He knew that voice. It was the fayth—the one from Bevelle who told him he was a dream. This couldn't be happening.

Looking down, he noticed the familiar black and yellow uniform on his body. This had to be a nightmare; otherwise he'd still be naked. "Wake up, wake up," he chanted.

"You're not dreaming," said the fayth.

Tidus balled his hands into fists as a fiery rage threatened to consume his soul. It wasn't fair. How could the fayth be so cruel? He hadn't even been back a full twenty-four hours and they decided to rip him away, yet again.

Climbing to his feet, he turned to face the being which summoned him. The child-like apparition dressed in a purple cloak, silently hovered in front. "So this is it, huh? My time's up already?"

"Is that what you think?"

Tidus glowered at the fayth. "What else could it be?"

"You weren't in the Farplane before, were you?"

He couldn't help but feel like the fayth was taunting him, answering every question with a question. There was a time where he used to respect these so-called souls, but that time was now gone. Gritting his teeth, he let his anger be known. "No, I was in my own private hell thanks to you!"

The fayth remained unflinching. "We're sorry about that."

"You're sorry?" Tidus' cheeks burned with fury. If this being were a mortal creature, he would've killed it with his bare hands. "That's all you have to say? You're sorry!"

"You have every right to be angry. However, I summoned you here for a reason…to tell you the truth. Spira's future may very well depend on it."

The anger raging through his body was quickly replaced with dread. He was certain this meeting was about ending his existence, not to warn him of a new threat to Spira. "What are you talking about?"

"To prepare for the struggle ahead, you must fully understand what has been done."

He sensed whatever the fayth was about to reveal would be something far more complex than what he had initially thought. Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited impatiently for an explanation. "I'm listening."

"The universe is very unique and very unforgiving as you will come to understand. But first, what do you remember learning of Yu Yevon?"

"He was the leader of Zanarkand and a powerful summoner." Tidus paused and rubbed his chin, trying to remember the rest. "After the war with Bevelle he forced the surviving citizens to become the fayth for the sole purpose of keeping Zanarkand alive in a dream. Satisfied?"

"Let's not forget his creation of Sin and the spiral of death which lasted a thousand years."

Tidus frowned. "Where are you going with all this?"

"You were led to believe we were summoning the memories of the dead. That is not what we were summoning."

Now he was more confused than ever. Had the fayth been lying this whole time? He uncrossed his arms and let them fall to his side. "What were you summoning, then?"

"Zanarkand, of course. Just not the one from Spira."

His stomach turned icy. All this time he believed his Zanarkand was a dream. Was the fayth hinting at it actually being real? Something didn't add up. There had to be more to this. "Are you saying that I'm not a dream, after all?"

"That depends on your definition of a dream."

"Cut the crap!" Tidus snapped. "Tell me the truth already!"

"Yu Yevon wanted to summon your Zanarkand into our dimension. We willingly helped him at first, until we realized what the outcome would be. Your world would merge with ours, resulting in a paradoxical shift, which would ultimately destroy both realities."

His mind swirled in a haze. The life he had led before coming to Spira had been real, which meant he was real. His sense of relief was short lived as he thought about the fayth's betrayal. "Let me get this straight, you helped Yu Yevon start all this. So, you're ultimately responsible for Sin?"

"Yes, in a sense. The process had already begun. Yu Yevon used the souls of the dead as an energy source to further power what we referred to as the ultimate summon. We tried to stop him by helping other summoners. But all it did was slow his progress a decade at a time. If we didn't do something drastic soon, then Spira would be destroyed."

Upon hearing the fayth admit their crimes, his jaw tightened and his head throbbed from the anger swelling inside. "So, you used me?"

"Summoning a person or two from your reality would not destroy our realms. Your dimension is much stronger than ours. We needed someone from your Zanarkand to stop Yu Yevon. No one in Spira would've been able to end his vicious cycle. You and your father were our dream…our last hope."

A cold chill passed through his body. Part of him wanted to believe this story, but there were still many things that didn't make sense. "What about Auron? Did he know about this?"

The hooded apparition shook its head. "The dead are not bound to one world. When we sent him for you, he too, believed your world was a dreamland of our creation."

"I don't get it. If this is all true, why did I fade away after killing Yu Yevon? And where the hell was I for that matter?!"

"Our goal was to send you back to your rightful dimension. You would've had no memory of Spira or the events leading up to your departure from Zanarkand. It would've been like it never happened." The fayth lowered its head. "But something went wrong. You had spent too much time in this reality. Instead of returning home, you were trapped in a dimensional rift."

"You knew this and you left me there?!" Tidus growled. "Why bother sending me back at all? I didn't want to leave!"

"You are not of this world. We had already broken the rules by bringing you and your father to Spira. Allowing you to stay would have only made things worse. But it doesn't matter now. The damage has already been done."

It was at that moment when Tidus finally realized the fayth were nothing but a lie. They were ultimately responsible for his father's death. These were not the human souls they claimed to be. All this time they were trying to reverse a disastrous ritual which they helped create in the first place. Merging two realities into one was not something any human soul could do. "Just what exactly are you?"

"We're realm keepers. And Yu Yevon was one of us."

Tidus twisted his face into a scowl. "None of you were ever human, were you?"

"No, but it was in Spira's best interest to believe we were. We're energy beings who preside over the realms of the universe. We were never supposed to reveal our true identity. But the situation has changed. We broke the laws of the cosmos by meddling with another dimension. Yu Yevon left us no choice. Zanarkand's destruction caused him to falter. And now, we may all pay the ultimate price."

"Which is what?"

"The keepers from your realm are not happy. We violated the code. They will wage war on Spira."

"What?!" Tidus cried. "What are we gonna do when that happens?"

"Help us fight them."

"Is that why you brought me back?"

"We never intended for you to get stuck where you did. But it did rather work to our advantage. You're now part of this realm. And your daughter may be the key to our survival."

What was this thing talking about? He didn't have a kid. Did he knock some girl up in Zanarkand? They must be mistaken. "I dunno what you're talking about, but I don't have a daughter."

"Not as of yet, however, she was conceived earlier tonight."

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. How did it know all this? He felt violated and used as if he were some kind of perverted experiment. "Did you plan for this?"

"Yuna saved Spira from Vegnagun. We failed at returning you home. So, we gave her the one thing she had been longing for—you. Everything else was chance."

The being's words offered him little comfort. They had been playing the role of gods for far too long. This realm was their trophy and the people were just simply there as a means to an end. He now knew these creatures could not be trusted. And underestimating them would be a huge mistake. "You can't fight the other realm keepers on your own, can you? That's why you needed help to destroy Yu Yevon."

"We're not your enemy, Tidus. And we don't claim to be perfect by any means. You humans make far more mistakes than our kind. Don't judge us by Yevon's actions. Everything we did after was to preserve this realm and all its inhabitants."

A burning sensation shot across his right arm. He yelped and gripped the spot just below his elbow. After a few moments, the pain eased and a red, crescent moon appeared on his skin. "What the—"

"It's the symbol of our realm. Let it be a reminder that our meeting was no dream. They will be here within two decades." The hooded figure flickered and began to fade.

"Wait!" Tidus cried, taking a step forward. "What happens to a world when its keepers are destroyed?"

"It becomes vulnerable."

Tidus frowned. "To what exactly?"

"Being swallowed by the realm which defeats it."

Now it all made sense. These beings really wanted his Zanarkand. They would start a war with another realm just for a chance to claim his world for their own. And they truly believed they were doing nothing wrong? "You did plan on all this. The people from that realm will cease to exist, won't they?"

"Better them than us."

Those words would haunt him forever. His stomach twisted in knots as a wave of nausea washed over him. "You're nothing but monsters."

"You wanted to be part of Spira, remember? Well, you got your wish. We will meet again, Tidus, when your daughter comes of age. She will, without a doubt, be the most powerful person in Spira."

Before he could respond, the world around him plunged into darkness.

Tidus' eyes snapped open as he shot up in bed, breathing heavily. A familiar seaside ambiance surrounded him. He was back in the room at the Luca Inn. The sun shone brightly through the windows, stinging his eyes. Just then, he felt the mattress move beside him followed by a gentle hand on his back.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked, concern evident in her voice.

Unsure how to respond, he buried his face into his hands and tried to steady his breathing.

"Don't worry, you're safe," she mumbled against his shoulder. "It was just a bad dream."

Dragging his hands down his face, he prayed Yuna was right. His eyes shifted over to his right arm where he found the eerie red marking, confirming what he feared. The meeting he had in the Farplane had been real. He had conflicting emotions about the whole ordeal. Part of him was relieved to know he wasn't a dream, but the other part was horrified knowing what the future held.

"What's that on your arm?" Yuna asked, leaning over.

He pressed his lips together tightly, contemplating how to answer. "A reminder of how power corrupts absolutely."

Yuna arched a brow in response. "You're being very mysterious this morning."

"Sorry." He ran his hand down her shoulder and looked into her eyes. There would be no easy way to tell her what the realm keeper had revealed. Hell, he didn't even know if she'd believe him. Then, it dawned on him. If Spira's keepers could pull him and his father to this reality, then the keepers from his world could do the same for a few people from Spira.

"Whatcha thinking?" she asked.

"If I could take you and all our friends to my Zanarkand, would you go?"

Yuna giggled. "You're being silly."

"Maybe not," he muttered.

At that moment, he made a vow. Somehow, he would find a way to send his father's soul back to their world where he could negotiate with the keepers from his realm. The dead were boundless, after all. A new life for his family and friends in his Zanarkand, in return, they would aid in the destruction of Spira's realm keepers and put an end to their corruption—at least, that was the plan.