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Chapter Ten

~Ida~

Morning had come and gone as slow as the seasons turned and still there was no change in Cynyr. She was still as pale as the first day the Peace Ritual had begun. However, Ida had noticed some color had come back into her cheeks though she was still the color of snow.

Some of the feathers had fallen off of her wings too, blowing away as black ash in the wind as they crumbled away. Valefore was with Cynyr now, pouring in the energy like Xion had done before her. Ida had lost count how many times they had each been calming Cynyr's mind. Her turn would be coming soon once Valefore had worn herself out. Regardless of the long hours, everyone gave it their all.

The sun was steadily rising to its spot above them and the songs of the Pyerflies filled the air as the Hymn was sung again and again. The good thing about being dead and a spirit was that you never tired from singing. It was apart of the fayth and of all the dead to sing, a second nature like breathing was to the living. Pouring out energy was a whole different story, however.

Everyone had it, it was what gave them the ability to turn into Pyerflies, a flower, or whatever they wanted. After some time, that energy wore out and if you wanted to keep using it then it was best to rest it so that it could replenish itself. It was a never ending cycle of energy. It was similar to the power they had given Cynyr as a fayth child, only stronger. It, too, had to replenish.

Finally, Valefore was showing her fatigue and Ida quickly took her place, placing her finger tips at Cynyr's temples and calling forth the peace inside her to pour into her daughter's soul. She willed Cynyr to be calmed and soothed, to wake up again, but time was running out and there was still no change in her. This was the last stage. There were only a few more hours left before it was over. If she hadn't returned by then...all was lost. They would never get Cynyr back and Shadow would reek havoc on Spira once again, only worse.

In fact, the sign of her feathers falling off and turning to ash was proof enough of failure. She could have all the color in her cheeks that she wanted, but as long as her wings remained ashen and her skin white and translucent, she was doomed to the unrest. Whatever demons she was fighting off inside her were winning and she was becoming weaker. Ida was growing weary herself. Weary of no change happening, weary that Cynyr was weakening, but she was also growing frustrated. How could she just quit?

"You have to try Cynyr. It's all in your head, just...break free from it. Accept the peace, move towards it...embrace it. Come back to us." Cynyr remained silent and still and Ida continued to pour all of her heart and soul into her.

~Auron~

Auron watched Rikku carefully as she ran up the trail towards the lumbering giant, a flash bomb in one hand and an explosive that emitted a poison that caused dizziness in the other. As soon as she stopped to hold the flash bomb up Auron ducked back down with the others.

They covered their eyes as the flash bomb went off, and as soon as he heard the fiend turning to following Rikku back up the trail, he scrambled up and out of their hiding place followed by Paine, Yuna, and Tidus.

Quietly, they ran through the snow behind the giant. It turned the bend and continued after Rikku, moaning and lifting its sword to swing. Auron could hear Rikku squeak with fright before he saw her hold up the next bomb and he halted. Tidus, Yuna, and Paine did so as well and watched as the bomb was thrown as far and as high as Rikku could manage.

The bomb exploded at waist height on the zombie, a green smoke billowing out, but its poisonous tendrils weren't reaching high enough to do what Auron had hoped would happen. Auron cursed under his breath as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. Without the zombie breathing it in or getting it in its eyes, the plan would fail.

"Rikku! Move!" Auron shouted when he realized Rikku hadn't even tried to run as the zombie Cynyr was about to swing her sword down on her.

She jumped at the sound of Auron's voice before quickly turning and fleeing up the mountain. The sword came down with a rush of air that caught everyone's clothing and hair, snow spraying up and all around, but so did the smoke from Rikku's bomb. Auron squinted as he watched it, hope and relief filling his chest.

"Get back." He ordered the rest of his friends and they did so as the green gas slowly made its way up to the grotesque face of the giant zombie. Anxiously waiting, all five of them kept still and quiet as they watched. Then, Paine's cue came; Cynyr stumbled back with a hand over her face and groaned.

Yuna clasped her hands together in front of her face as she watched with hope and fear as Paine sprinted forward, bringing forth her fire energy and producing a large, bright flame in both hands. She quickly stopped just behind the feet of the giant, created a huge ball of fire, and blew on.

It grew larger and hotter and she lifted it above her head and brought it down to the ground. The snow was melted instantly as the fire licked up whatever it could find on the rock beneath it. She guided it around from the edge of the trail to the other end of it, blocking her and the others off from both Rikku and the giant who was stumbling back into the flames.

Paine jumped back and began spreading more of the fire as the others waited with anticipation. The fire grew, higher and larger until they could all feel its heat. At this point, Cynyr had already stepped into it and immediately began to stumbled away from it and she tried to turn around to see what had happened.

"It's working." Tidus said quietly as he watched in awe. Yuna seemed to be holding her breath and Rikku, far enough away from both the giant and the fire, was crouched in the snow watching with wide, fearful, green eyes.

Roaring with pain and anger, the giant zombie tried to stomp out the fire that now licked at the worn leather boot of her left foot but soon caught her second leg on fire. The zombie screamed with rage before it finally began to tilt backwards. Everyone gasped in surprise and hope as they watched it land heavily in the snow at the very edge of the mountain. The ground shook so violently, rocks fromthe peaks began to fall and tumble down, snow following after it. Auron and the others quickly jumped back and covered their heads as they watched the zombie finally lose her balance and tipped backwards. Finally, she began to fall. Auron's breath caught.

In that split second before the zombie disappeared, its one lone eye found and locked on Auron. Out of no where, he suddenly felt ashamed and guilty, but he quickly pushed it down as the creature finally fell to its death, chains and all. Not long after, the fire Paine had created went out, leaving a trail of blackened, bare rock.

Rikku had joined them within seconds when she confirmed for herself that the zombie wasn't going to suddenly appear up over the edge and kill her. Upon reaching the others, she squealed with nervous and triumphant delight.

"Wow, that was actually really amazing! We make a great team!"

"Auron, you're a genius." Tidus said with a grin and a thumbs up.

"Yeah!" Rikku agreed enthusiastically. "Thanks for saving our butts! What would we do without you?" Auron gave a snort and was about to say something when she suddenly ran up and hugged him. He stumbled back with surprise and immediately stiffened. He wasn't sure what to do other than to clear his throat nervously before saying, "I wasn't sure that would even work...but I'm relieved it did." He shifted his eyes nervously, looking anywhere but at Rikku and the others. He wasn't used to this kind of affection from her, much less from anyone. He wasn't the hugging type, especially in front of company.

Rikku finally let go of him and took a few steps back, grinning, as she pulled her arms behind her back. For some reason, something made him want to look over at Paine. She had her arms crossed, a smug look on her face matched with a small smirk as she watched Rikku with a raised brow. He quickly looked away from her before she could meet his gaze and Yuna, gratefully, broke the uncomfortable silence.

"But I have to wonder...what was that exactly? It looked so much like her, only..." she trailed off as she tried to find the right word.

"Creepier? Deader? More evil?" Tidus interjected. Yuna frowned, obviously not liking his choice of words though it described the zombie perfectly.

"I believe it was a copy of her." Auron finally said. "Perhaps a darker version, an evil twin if you will."

"My question is, how did it get here? That's no ordinary fiend." Paine pointed out.

"Remember the other fiend in Macalania? Auron started. "Wouldn't you say that was a creepier version of Ochu?"

"That's right!" Yuna exclaimed, then furrowed her brows with concern. "I'm worried...something doesn't seem quite right, perhaps..." She trailed off and shook her head.

"What do you mean exactly?" Paine asked but Yuna remained silent. She looked uncomfortable suddenly as she looked up at Auron. He sighed quietly to himself and took the opportunity to speak.

"You're talking about Cynyr."

Yuna bit her lip nervously and Auron turned away, wishing he hadn't said it. Now, there was more hope than ever that he would find her after all the elements had been collected, but as he hoped, he also held a deep dread. He had come to the conclusion a long time ago that the reason for all the elements was to trade them for Cynyr. How that was suppose to work, he didn't know but he knew there was a reason for it.

On the other hand, why these two darker versions of an original had suddenly showed up during their mission was beyond him. But he had to agree with Yuna. Something was wrong and it had something to do with Cynyr.

"We should head back. Before the local fiends show up now that we've killed their predator." Auron finally said and everyone agreed silently as they walked back down the mountain each in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they boarded the airship that anyone spoke.

"Is everyone okay?" Brother asked when they entered the Bridge.

"We saw smoke." Buddy added as he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against one of the walls.

"We're all okay." Yuna assured them with a nod, then turned to Auron who stood to the side quietly. He met her eyes but only gave the smallest of nods. She turned to face him, as if ready to speak, but he was already walking towards the door. He needed to be alone for a while.

He locked the door behind him as he entered his room then went straight to his desk. Sitting down, he pulled out the elements and laid them gently on the table as he pulled out a pair of pliers from a drawer. He picked up the vial and popped off the cork top and set it aside.

Then, carefully, he picked up the feather in one hand and took one end of the chain in the other. He slid part of the quill through one of the openings in the chiains before grabbing the scrap of red fabric and wrapping it securely around both the chain and the feather where he had joined the two. He tied a knot, leaving a small tail of the fabric that was left and picked up the pliers.

After using the pliers to pull apart the top of the first link, he took the cork and stabbed the ends of the metal link into the bottom of it. Finally, he gently pushed the feather, the fabric, and chain down into the bottle before tightening the cork and held it up to examine his work.

He smiled, proud of what he had done with the elements. Then, he frowned as a new thought occurred to him. Fishing around in the drawers again he finally came up with a long leather string. He wrapped it several times around the neck of the bottle and tied a knot before tying the two ends together and pulling it over his head.

It hung low on his chest and he stood up to tuck it inside his jacket. He was both proud and embarrassed, but determined to keep the elements together and safe. Next, he went to the bathroom to see if it showed through his clothes. The leather string was still visible so he tucked that under the collar of his jacket, otherwise, it was hardly noticeable. He sighed with satisfaction and left the bathroom before prepping the desk for his sword so that he could clean it.

~Rin~

He awoke to the smell of berries and leaves burning. His body felt cold but he could tell he was sweating. Someone was stroking his forehead rhythmically as something tapped gently on his chest along with a low and gentle hum of a tune he didn't know. Finally, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his vision.

He was still confused by who and what he was looking at, but then memories flooded back to him and his eyes grew wide. Veriti, who had been murmuring something in a different tongue, stopped and quickly shushed him when his breathing quickened.

"You are still under the demon's possession, but I am slowly drawing him out." Veriti said in a soothing voice. Rin slowly calmed and relaxed. Then, he realized he no longer had a shirt on, his chest completely bare. Thankfully, his pants were still there and he sighed heavily.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I came quickly when I received word that you had gone into a mad state. You were lucky I got to you in time." She said softly before turning away to do something and Rin slowly rose from where he was laying.

"It's probably best you stay lying down, Rin." Veriti said when she turned back to him, a small bottle of something in her hand. Rin looked around the dimly lit room; there were candles everywhere and near by there was a small bowl on a table with something burning inside. He guessed that's where the smell was coming from.

"Where am I?" He asked, ignoring her request for him to lie back down.

"We are in a special room in the Elder's home where exorcism is preformed." She touched his shoulder and he jumped a little as he turned to face her. She smiled and nodded downwards.

"Please...lie back down. I will apply the purifying oil to your chest and then you may get up for a while, but you must stay in here. There is still much to do." Rin nodded and finally laid back against the soft cushions that had been his bed for some time now it seemed.

"How long have I been in here?" He asked as she drizzled the oil over his chest and began to slowly and gently massage it into his skin. He swallowed hard as he watched her do this, uncomfortable not because of her long claw like nails, but because no one, especially a woman, had ever touched him like that before.

"The morning has passed. Food and drink will be brought to you soon."

"What about you?" Rin asked.

"I shall join the Elder and my father in the dining area, but you must stay here. It is very important that we keep you in this atmosphere."

"I see..." He replied slowly and when she had finished massaging the oils into him, his muscles relaxed, surprising himself as he had not realized he had been so tense.

"How will you know when the demon is gone?" Rin asked.

"When you no longer sleep with your eyes open and rolled back speaking in a strange demonic language." Rin gulped, staring wide eyed at her. It took everything in him to remain lying down like she had asked him to and she smiled apologetically.

"It is one of the last stages before the demon takes over, but I am confident that I have temporarily subdued it."

"But it's still there."

"Yes, in order for the demon to be cast out I must first control you and it. The oil will help you relax and it will also sedate the demon inside so that I may draw him out."

"That makes sense." Rin mused, she nodded as she rose and went to the small table with the burning leaves and berries. She began adding more and the aroma intensified. Rin wrinkled his nose but said nothing.

As he laid there with his chest oily and glistening in the candle light, he began to feel a little drowsy though he knew he just had a long nap that morning. Nonetheless, he was about to drift off when, strangely, he felt an icy feeling in his finger tips he hadn't noticed was there before. He was certain it was just from the cold, but when the feeling intensified and moved up his hands, he knew it was something more.

When it had reached his arms he became more alert and looked down at his hands, half expecting them to be a bluish purple. They remained their natural color, but the icy feeling was still creeping through him as panic welled up inside him.

Just as he was about to say something to Veridi, something took hold of his throat, hushing him immediately. His eyes widened and fear washed over him like a tidal wave. No one else was in the room, yet he could definitely feel a cold hand gripping his throat threateningly. He swallowed hard as he began to hear a whispered voice speak into his ear.

"You will do as I say." He looked over at Veridi desperately, wondering why she hadn't heard the voice. As if to read his mind, a low and deep chuckle sounded in his ear as a voice spoke.

"Only you can hear me." Rin set his jaw, ready to jump up when he felt the icy feeling wrapping around his heart and he nearly gasped when another cold hand covered his mouth, tightly. It was then that he recognized the hands to be his own! But he hadn't moved them, he hadn't even felt them move.

As Veridi blew gently on the bowl of burning leaves and berries, Rin listened as the threatening voice continued.

"It won't be long now... Rin. But first, I'll have to stop this nonsense this Ronso woman has been doing to me for the past seven hours." It snarled and Rin gulped, afraid for not only his life, but Veridi's too. She straightened and Rin's hands left his mouth and throat to settle quietly beside him like before, but they remained in Shadow's control.

Suddenly, before Rin could say anything, there was a knock on the door and he let out a quiet sigh of relief, but the disembodied voice only laughed a low and menacing laugh. Veridi looked up and then back at Rin. "Remain there. I'll be back in a moment." She said before turning away, completely oblivious of what was going on inside of him and it was far too dark for her to see the distress on his face.

She moved to the door and Rin swallowed hard again, trying to figure out what to do to save both himself and Veridi. If he couldn't' save himself, then at least her. As if to read his thoughts again, Shadow scoffed in his ear again.

"Trust me, you can't do anything. You're in my control now."

Rin felt his heart beating fast despite the cold grip that was still around it. It was so cold he was sure his soul could feel it as well. It was then that he realized the icy feeling was slowly making its way throughout the rest of his body, but much to his relief it was at a much slower pace than it was with his hands and arms. He figured Shadow really only had control over what was cold because he could still feel his legs and feet perfectly fine.

That meant there was still a chance to stop Shadow from doing any harm to Veridi. He hoped Shadow couldn't read his mind because he was already feeling the hope and determination fill him. As he waited for Veridi to get done speaking with whomever it was out in the hall, he tried to catch what was being said.

All he heard were a few words here and there. "...smoke...friends...violent...Celsius." It wasn't enough to decipher what it was they were talking about; it just sounded like complete nonsense.

Finally, Veridi and the other Ronso finished talking and she came back inside while shutting the door firmly behind her. Rin stiffened again when he heard Shadow's deep menacing laugh echo through his head.

Uh oh, what's Shadow got up his sleeve this time? Something's about to go down. Please review! Jeffery is patiently awaiting his food! :D