A/N: Oh my god I left this for ages. Sorry about that. I only just remembered it after wanting to write yet another failed fanfiction. For the fight scene in this, you may want to put this after the youtube url: (watch?v=5h3U1tV_kBs) for the music I wrote the scene to. I tried my hand at making it more fighty, but fighting is really not my strong suit. But hey, can't get better without trying!
"A… Summoner?"
He looked at her with his eyes wide with fear. Esther's smile faded and she turned away. "It takes a while for the communion, correct? They'll be here for a while, so..." With that, Esther headed for the forest. Marcello ran after her, trying to stop her. But she was determined. Passing the Crusaders with just a nod of her head, she followed the familiar path to the Kilika Temple. Unlike in the game, she noted there was barely any resistance except for a stray fiend she merely dispatched without a thought. Determined to do this, the young woman climbed the steps up to the temple. By the time she reached the first landing, she felt herself needing a break, but slapped her cheeks instead and kept going.
A summoner wasn't without trials, after all. She could consider this her first trial. The trial of the seemingly endless stairs. Upon reaching the second landing, Marcello groaned and wiped his forehead as Esther continued forward. There were no words, only her determination that lead them forward. Once they arrived at the temple, Marcello reached out a hand but stopped midway and retracted it, looking at his palm. With a sigh, he put his hands in his pockets and continued to follow her into the temple.
"Why have you come to this temple?" The priest asked, staring at the two of them. "We are currently reading the rites for the falle-"
"I'm here to take the trials on." Esther said. "I'm becoming a Summoner. And this guy here is my Guardian-to-be."
"...I see." The priest stepped aside. "Then go, Lady Summoner, and take on the trials. I pray that you do not fail despite your lack of training."
"Thanks."
Fire was everywhere. The temple was the resting place for the Aeon, Ifrit, after all. Esther picked up one of the spheres and watched as the doors opened to the rest of the Trials. A puzzle meant to be solved. The puzzle, however, was extremely familiar to her and it was only because she'd done this trial several times over due to a consistent power outage that seemed to be against her ever clearing that trial. The spheres placed in the proper places opened up more of the Cloister, so she was able to progress with Marcello trailing along behind her, muttering to himself.
With the final sphere placed, the exit made itself known. The Fayth was up ahead, and the Aeon would be hers soon. Esther put her hand on the door, and it opened slowly. Turning to Marcello, she gave a small smile that didn't reach her eyes before turning her back on him and walking inside. The door shut behind her, leaving only her footsteps and the Hymn to be heard. It only took a minute for her to arrive at the Fayth. The man appeared before her, a ghost from the past.
"You are here to be a Summoner." He stated. "Pray, and we will see if you become one."
Esther nodded, and performed the Yevon prayer as she knelt down. The man's spirit dove within her and she gasped, seizing up before falling backwards. The ceiling was the last thing she saw before everything went black.
...Except it was only black for a moment before cracked earth formed under her feet, and the world around her was engulfed in flames. The man stood before her, before his being vanished and was replaced by the familiar Aeon, Ifrit.
Now come, Summoner! Show me your resolve, and I will lend you my strength as Ifrit! The man's voice echoed through her being. She bit her lip, pushing herself into a makeshift fighting stance. The world around her continued to burn, but she didn't feel the heat. No, she felt nothing. Ifrit roared before charging at her, and as he reared up to attack her, she dodged out of the way. Turning to face him, she wondered how to beat him. He gathered fire and threw it at her, in which she merely covered her face with her hands and closed her eyes as she waited for the fire to explode around her. But… a few moments passed before...
How?! How were you able to absorb that?! Ifrit roared. My fire… You're immune?! But how?!
Esther lowered her arms and opened her eyes. The fire dispersed as she looked at her hands. She was unharmed. Her clothing was still in tact as well. Roaring in anger, Ifrit charged to attack. They would be at a standstill if Esther didn't do something. Both of them could absorb fire and were immune to it. She had to think of something. Dodging around Ifrit's attacks, watching how he moved to get a good idea of where to dodge, Esther came up with a plan. She would use the momentum of his next attack to get onto his back, and disable him from there. It was worth a shot. As he came running, she watched for his attack and dodged out of the way, only to grab one of his horns and swing herself onto his back. He roared and shook, but Esther held on tight.
"I can do this..." She murmured to herself. Unfortunately, she was thrown off and hit the ground hard. Wincing from pain, Esther stood back up shakily and watched for Ifrit's next attack. He turned to face her and roared loudly, using Meteor Strike instead of going to claw her. Esther dodged out of the way, but got hit in the back with a claw attack, sending her into the cracked earth. She was going to lose. She wasn't going to be a Summoner…. She was going to be useless….
No… I refuse. I will NOT be seen as weak again.
Esther turned around onto her injured back, putting both her hands out in front of her. She felt the warmth in her hands as she pushed for the magic that Lulu said she had inside of her. The air shifted and warped in front of her hands before they burst into flames, making a familiar crackling sound as they did. She kept pushing for the magic, sending it all towards her hands.
"I won't lose to you!" Esther shouted, before expelling the magic from her body in a fiery torrent. Ifrit roared again as he got smacked in the face with it, stumbling back. Although it didn't hurt him, it had dazed him enough for Esther to get back on her feet and onto his back. Using the same technique, she fired another blast of fire into his neck, sending him into the cracked earth. Jumping off his back onto the ground, she stumbled and fell onto her knees, panting heavily and sweating.
...I see. So you do have what it takes to continue forward. Ifrit stood up. Turn, and look at me, Summoner.
She did as she was told, standing up shakily and turning to see the man instead of the Aeon. They stared at each other before he put a hand on his hip as the flames died down. The sun started to rise behind the man, and he grinned.
You've passed my test. Congratulations, Lady Summoner. I will be your faithful Aeon. Call upon me in your time of need, and I'll be there.
The world turned black, and warmth spread through her as the Aeon, Ifrit, was granted to her by the Fayth. Esther's eyes shot open and she sat up, staring at the Fayth. Though she could hear the Hymn, the spirit did not show back up. Shakily standing back up, feeling like she'd expended all of her energy, Esther turned and used the wall to lean on as she walked out of the room. Marcello was on the other side, waiting. When he saw the door open, he immediately ran over and helped her the rest of the way out.
"Did it work…?" He asked quietly.
"….I-I'm a Summoner now." Esther said, voice shaking. "I-I'm useful now… It's… a happy day for everyone."
With those words, she passed out. Marcello stumbled as her full weight was put on her and groaned before adjusting to pick her up in his arms and carried her to the elevator that had brought them down there in the first place. When he got there, the elevator came down with people on it. Marcello remembered them from the boat and stepped aside.
"Hey, hold on a sec." Wakka made his way over first. "Isn't that Esther? What happened to her? Did she-"
"She's a Summoner now." Marcello said, frowning slightly. "Do you think the priest will let her rest in the Temple?"
"He shouldn't have any objections." Yuna said with a soft smile that eased Marcello's worries. Lulu and Kimahri stepped off the elevator as he got on it. With a word of thanks, the elevator ascended to the top level, only to step off just as Tidus got pushed on by a burly man in overalls. Deciding not to get into it, Marcello continued forward to the main room, only to have the priest fuss over Esther and have her put in a room with him watching over her. She slept for a couple days, in which the priest had called in a seamstress to help with Esther's outfit, as she wasn't in proper attire for a summoner. The day Esther awoke, the seamstress was still there.
"Oh, you're up, Lady Summoner. Please, come over here." The seamstress got up and gestured to a podium. Getting out of bed, Esther stood on it. "...Oh, could you please undress? And no worries, your Guardian is outside."
She blinked, but sighed and obliged, taking off her sweater, boots and jeans, leaving her in her underwear. The seamstress went over her measurements before going to her workspace she'd set up before starting to work. Esther sat on her bed, waiting while covered with a blanket, as the seamstress made the ordered clothes. When they were finished a few hours later, she was ushered back to the podium and made to wear the clothes. A cloak tattered at the edges with fur around the collar was her main adornment, with a black halter shirt underneath that was see-through except for the bra, black see-through gloves, a long blue skirt and black boots.
It was obvious the cloak wasn't new, but a hand-me-down. The seamstress told her it was a lucky charm that'd ensure her safe return, but… Esther wasn't sure she'd ever return. Once she was done being outfitted, the seamstress left and Esther took that as a cue to leave herself. The priest and the believers said they would pray for her success as she and Marcello left the temple and headed back to the town. The townsfolk didn't bat an eyelash, which made things a lot easier for her. Heading towards the boat, she was stopped by one of the villagers.
"Are you leaving?" The old woman asked. Esther turned and nodded.
"Yeah. I need to start my pilgrimage." The woman's crinkled face fell. She felt bad. These people needed as much help as they could get. With a sigh, the woman turned back to the village.
"You summoners always leave behind those that care the most about you. My son was about your age when he left on his own pilgrimage. His guardian brought back the only thing left of him, his staff. Come with me for a moment before you go, Lady Summoner. I want to give you a parting gift."
Esther looked at Marcello, who shrugged before the two of them followed the old woman to her tiny cottage, relatively unharmed despite the attack from Sin a few days ago. There was some damage, but not so much that it would take days before it was repaired. Opening the door, the old woman ushered them inside and shut it behind her, going to the room in the back for a moment before coming back out, holding what looked like an odd wooden cane.
"I know this isn't much of a parting gift, but most summoners use staves. I hope it can help you in your journey. It's… hard for me to part from it, but my son once said that someone else may need use of him someday." She chuckled to himself before holding the staff out to Esther. "And by that, he means this staff. Take good care of it. It's the only way you can summon your Aeon, young Summoner."
With that, she ushered them out and bid them farewell. Both Esther and Marcello looked at each other.
"Okay, a random old lady gave you a gift. Unprompted, even." Marcello blinked. "That's weird."
"...You said it." Esther sighed and looked at the staff before looking to the ship. They had to go. The two of them ran towards the ship, wondering why the old lady was so generous despite not knowing Esther. Getting onboard after Marcello paid the fare for travel to Luca, the two of them sat against the railing. Thinking back, it'd been some time since she'd first arrived in this world. And things were already different, but yet the same. Characters that were never in the game were apparent, and she was finding out more things about the world that the game never told her. Like the battle with the Aeon… Setting the staff on her lap, Esther looked at the sky.
"I woke up in a temple, it was cold. And I met Tidus there." She said, staring at the clouds. "I was useless except for my rudimentary knowledge of Al Bhed. And now… Now look at me. I'm a Summoner starting her pilgrimage..."
She rustled in the pocket on the cloak, pulling out the lighter. She'd stashed it there before shoving her clothes in the bag Marcello was carrying. Opening it, she flicked it and the fire lit up. Staring at it dancing, she remembered the way the air had warped around her hands before flames had appeared. She'd done it on command in a time of need… Closing the lighter and putting it back in her pocket, she looked at Marcello.
"So, you're not from here." Marcello chuckled. "I guess it's fate that brought you here. Maybe you were needed for something."
Esther laughed. "I doubt it! I'm useless..." She trailed off, looking away and the smile fading as fast as it came. Marcello sighed and pat her back before throwing the hood of her cloak over her head. "H-hey!"
"Chill." Marcello chuckled. "You're fine, Esther."
"Rude..." Esther put the hood back down and sighed. It wasn't long before Yuna and her Guardians boarded as well. It'd been a while, so Yuna must've passed out not too long after she had. That meant that they'd be going to Luca at the same time. Getting up, she stretched and walked over to them, patting Tidus on the shoulder.
"So, what're you going to do when you get to Luca?" She asked. "Besides Blitzball?"
"Huh? O-oh… I'm going to try and find my way back to Zanarkand. What about you?" Tidus asked.
Esther chuckled. "Well, I think I'll be missing out on that. I don't plan on sticking around when we reach Luca. Good luck with what you're doing, okay?"
"Thanks. We'll need it."
The boat docked at Luca a couple days later, early in the morning. Esther couldn't sleep the prior night, so she was the first one off, followed by a drowsy Marcello. With a yawn, the two of them set off to the main square. As it was early in the morning, no one would be around except for the ones starting set up on their stalls. It was around this time Esther saw red. And not in a bad way. A red coat fluttered by as Esther stopped and turned to look at the person. The familiar walk from the game…
"...You're Auron, aren't you?"
Ending Note: OKAY so I did lag a bit and ended it awkwardly, but I promise I'll get into it in the next chapter! I just have to remember the specifics. Someone suggested that I split Esther off from the group and not have her interact much with the main cast, and I'm sort of going with it but with a pilgrimage, Esther's path will cross with the main cast's more often than not. As for the battle, I came up with some lore while talking to a friend. What if Summoners had to fight the Aeon before they would grant them their power, kind of like FFXV? Except instead of actually fighting them, they'd fight them in the dreaming world instead. Aaand that's when I realized that was my intention all along. There's so much lore I made up for this fanfic just off the top of my head. I'm sorry this chapter sucked, I was kind of trying to fit too much into too little. I'll try and fill in the plot holes as best as I can later. I apologize.
I'll update this fic sometime soon, hopefully, if I don't get lost within FFXIV again.
