A/N: So sorry this took awhile to get out. The past 9-ish days have been uber stressful, my dog was attacked by a pittbull (in my own backyard no less), and I think I have a stress fracture in my foot. It never fails to astound me how everything can be fine in life and then BAM! 500 million things at once happen and you're left reeling in the wake. Astounding, simply astounding. Anyway, this chapter reveals a good portion of the main plot, and, while it's not as long as I wanted it to be, my brain stopped working so to save you a mostly good chapter with a bunch of crap at the end, I just simply stopped it at a good place. I hope you enjoy it! Really, I do :D Many thanks for the kind reviews :3 you guys are too good to me! *huge hug for all* Also! The pronunciation of the mystery woman will be at the bottom so as not to spoil it :P
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or anything to do with it.
Revelations
Vanille awoke slowly to the sound of a dull pounding from far away. Still mostly asleep, she rolled over and curled into the warm blankets, dismissing it as the storm. She sank back into a doze as Serah left her room to go check on it, Fang and Lightning curiously silent. After a few minutes Vanille sighed happily as Serah's quiet shuffle was heard going down the stairs and crossing to the door, the insistent noise stopping soon after. Another minute or so passed before a thunk was heard, followed by a muffled curse. Mm, wonder that was - maybe Serah hurt herself... Vanille let herself drift back into a doze again before strong, quick footsteps drew her away from it again. The measured steps and deep click-click-clack-click sounded like Lightning's footsteps. Vanille, finally giving up on sleeping with all the noise, slowly thought of the Lightning-sounding steps.
Lightning is supposed to be here upstairs with Fang.
The footsteps are coming from downstairs.
Vanille hadn't heard Lightning pass her room.
Serah had gone down the stairs and to where the front door was supposed to be.
A thunk had been heard not too long ago, akin to the sound of a body falling.
Only one pair of footsteps could be heard.
Suddenly dawning upon her, Vanille shot up from her bed with alarm. Someone's in the house - and probably hurt Serah getting in! She shot across her room and flung the door open, leaving her weapon by her bed. Any thought of stealth was lost upon the young Pulsian as she thundered down the stairs two steps at a time, jumping the last four and landing with a spring, turning to face the intruder in the living room with every intent of murder -
Only to find Lightning looking at her, amused, from beside the couch.
Only, it wasn't Lightning.
But it was.
Vanille squeaked and covered her mouth with both hands, realizing with a start that the woman looked exactly like the one from the photograph. The woman spoke, a smirk upon her face and mirth in her tone.
"You must be Vanille."
That voice - husky, deep, yet so feminine and..Lightning-like and so unLightning-like. It made Vanille's legs quiver with the power it held. Oh dear..I must have hit my head on the way down. She took note of the strange woman's garb, noticing with anxiety and curiosity the tall, long-bladed spear strapped to the woman's back. That blade alone is nearly half my size! She gulped at the thought of the woman skewering some helpless behemoth - that woman could terrify anything - with extreme ease and having a good time of it. Focus! She shook her head and looked again at the woman's face. She was still smirking, arms folded gainst her chest, balancing on one leg as her other was crossed at the ankle of the balancing leg, the toe end of a dark boot resting against the floor. Vanille held her chin up high, intimidated and intrigued by the exotic stranger who looked near exactly like a certain soldier she knew.
"That's me - who are you?" she asked as she slowly walked towards the couch, curiosity overpowering alarm. The woman chuckled, glancing down as she said, "Your friend might want to be awake first before I say anything." Confused, Vanille looked down and gargle-squeaked at the sight of an unconscious Serah resting on the soft cushions of the couch. The woman continued speaking as Vanille ran around to Serah's side, grasping her hand and gazing worriedly down at the peaceful face.
"She fainted the moment she saw me. I can't say I really blame her, but it makes things a little more complicated than I'd like."
Vanille tore her gaze away from Serah to gaze at the woman in astonishment. She noticed as she did a long scar on the woman's left eye. That looks viscious..is she blind in one eye? "Complicated? What are you talking about?"
The woman drummed the fingers of one hand against her arm before replying. "If she fainted at just the sight of me, she will probably not listen to anything I have to say when she comes to. I can only imagine how her sister will react to me." Her tone was still amused, faintly curious and not at all worried. At the thought of Lightning, Vanille suddenly remembered Lightning and Fang were supposed to be upstairs - and yet they still hadn't come down. What are they doing up there? Each other? Just as she was about to scream for the two to come down, the woman spoke again.
"Before you scream your head off, Lightning and Fang are not here. They left a little while ago in a bit of a hurry."
Vanille whipped around to face the woman again. "What?" Suddenly worried, she scrambled to stand and raced towards the stairs again, clambering over two to three at once and sprinting down the hall to Fang and Lightning's shared room. She flung the door open and flipped the light switch, the sight of an angry pool of blood on the bed and on the floor beside it becoming her instant focus point. It made her stomach clench. She gasped and took a step back, noticing the pool was on Lightning's side of the bed. Her arm..something must have happened with her injury! Vanille's eyes widened and she dashed back down the hall and stairs again, this time leaping half of the steps all together. When she landed, the woman was now struggling to contain laughter, holding her gut with both hands. The sight stopped Vanille in her tracks, bewildered as to what was causing it.
"You..you sure are full of energy, aren't you?" the woman chuckled out, still fighting the urge to laugh. Vanille's cheeks began to burn with embarrassment. She huffed out her breath and made herself deliberately walk slowly back to her place at Serah's side. It suddenly occurred to her that this woman acted a lot like Fang. The smirking, the laughing at Vanille's antics - even the postures.
The woman broke her thoughts again by clearing her voice. "I suspect the two went to a medical facility of some sort - that arm of Lightning's didn't look so good. They'll probably return in awhile."
"Um, if you don't mind me asking - how do you know our names?" I wish I knew her name..maybe I'll just call her Spark? Clarice? Electricity?
"Mm, that'll have to wait as well."
Vanille blew out her breath in frustration. "And just how do I know I can trust you? You come to our house late at night in the middle of a storm and make poor Serah pass out from shock! I don't care how much you look like Lightning, I want your name and reason for being here!"
Another chuckle from the woman only made Vanille bristle. "Patience, young one. Serah should wake up soon."
As if on cue, the youngest Farron began to stir. Vanille looked down at her, running her fingers through Serah's hair.
"Vanille?" she mumbled, slowly blinking her eyes awake. Her vision was blurry at first, coming into focus slowly until she could completely make out a pouting Vanille hovering near her face. The young Pulsian's expression broke into a happy smile, however, at the sight of Serah awakening. She tugged her up, pulling the bewildered Serah into a happy hug. "Serah! You're okay!" Vanille exclaimed, beginning to squeeze all the air from Serah's lungs. Can't..breathe! Struggling to not suffocate, Serah awkwardly patted Vanille on the head and wheezed, "Vanille..less..squeeze...pleeaase!"
Vanille instantly retracted her hug of doom and looked sheepish. Serah immediately sucked in a large gulp of air to replenish her oxygen supply. "Oops..my bad - you okay, Serah?" Vanille inquired, scratching her cheek nervously. Serah smiled reassuringly and was about to reply before a voice cut in.
"Welcome back to the land of the awake, Serah."
Serah finally noticed the tall stranger standing by the armrest of the couch. She blinked rapidly, suddenly remembering what had happened before passing out. So I'm not dreaming after all. The woman was smiling, amused, as she nonchalantly leaned back on the loveseat not far behind her, crossing her legs and arms. Serah suddenly noticed she was only wearing a tank top similar to Fang's underneath the gray vest. "Aren't you cold?" she blurted upon her observation, coloring slightly at the stranger's immediate laugh. Great..she's like Fang and Lightning in one! Huffing, Serah crossed her arms and chose the first, unembarrassing sentence from the tip of her mind. "If you're going to laugh at me, you could at least tell us your name," she mumbled.
The woman, still chuckling, slowly let the mirth die away before assuming a more thoughtful expression. She moved over to the actual seat behind her and sat before responding, recrossing her legs. "I've been called many things over the course of time..but you may call me *Pyres."
Vanille tilted her head to the side, finger pressed to cheek. "Pyres?"
Pyres's gaze stony gaze flickered over to the inquisitive woman. "Yes. Pyres."
Vanille didn't move from her position, nor did she look away. "Why Pyres?"
Serah, seeing Pyres raise an eyebrow, chose to intervene. "I think it's a nice name," she interjected before Vanille could ask another question. "As interesting as it is, though, there are more interesting things to discuss here - such as what your purpose is here, Pyres."
Pyres looked back at Serah, tapping her chin. "Smart. Good to see the family genes are still going strong."
The casually stated comment floored Serah. "Pardon?" she squeaked. Pyres continued gazing thoughtfully at her, finger tapping at a slowing pace. "You've noticed by now just how much your sister and I look alike, yes?" she asked, stony gaze unreadable. Serah swallowed nervously before nodding, glancing over at Vanille in fearful anticipation. "The reason," Pyres continued, "is because we are related, Serah. You, me, Lightning - all part of the same, exact bloodline." Serah stared, unable to respond. Her mouth opened and closed very slowly in an attempt to say something, but her mind was in too much shock. Thankfully, Pyres noticed her inability to speak and resumed her explanation. "I am one of your ancestors, so to speak, from many years ago - before the Fall, I mean."
What? Vanille's face scrunched in confusion. "The Fall? What is that?"
"The Fall was when civilzation as we knew it ended and humankind had to start anew. A sort of apocalypse, you could say. I expect you haven't heard of it before now because most of the evidence of advanced societies and technologies disappeared in the Fall." A near wistful look overtook Pyres. "But that is a story I will have to return to at a later time. At this moment, there are more pressing matters."
Silence fell when Pyres finished speaking. Rain was still falling outside, the steady rhythym of its droplets a soothing cadence. A clock ticked away somewhere in the room, counting down the time. The muted breaths of all three women were barely audible. Serah stared, unseeing, at Pyres. Vanille clasped her hands and bit her lip, deep in thought. Pyres sat comfortably, calmly awaiting the coming storm in whatever form it would take.
It built up with Vanille.
"Wait!" she burst out, eyes wide. "If you're her ancestor, and from many years ago, that must mean.."
Pyres dipped her head. "That I am a former l'cie; you are correct, Vanille." She began bouncing her foot. "I've been in more than just one crystal stasis - they weren't exactly lying when they said 'eternal life.' The only stipulation is that your life is only how long the fal'cie want it to be. So long as you are useful you shall live many years. However, with most of the fal'cie now gone, the odds of more l'cie being created are very low - there weren't that many left, either, when this century's band of l'cie overthrew the fal'cie. I expect I am probably the only one that survived my last crystal stasis to this time."
Serah came back to earth, eyes focusing on Pyres's hard gray orbs. "Most fal'cie? All of them were destroyed with the death of Orphan - there aren't any left," she stated, eying Pyres warily. The strange woman chuckled without humour, a dark look in her eyes. She gazed solemnly back at Serah as she replied, "All the ones you knew of, perhaps. There is one that is still around, brought back by the sudden deaths of so many fellow fal'cie. A few more, at the most, are probably out there as well. I don't know for sure. The only certain thing is that one fal'cie is back, and it is one that the worlds are better off without."
"Which fal'cie? What could there possibly be left?" Vanille asked, anxiousness and fear warring in her tone. Pyres flicked her eyes to Vanille before returning to Serah. Her lips flattened in thought for a few moments before she stood and grabbed the spear thing from her back in her right hand. Holding it almost lazily, she eyed something near the bottom of the blade, a distant look in her eyes. Serah and Vanille looked at each other, curious and concerned. A very small, very distant crack of thunder sounded from afar, ushering the strange woman into action. She walked over to Serah while signaling Vanille over, spear thing held like something precious and revolting at the same time. Vanille moved over immediately and hunched near Serah, looking up expectantly at Pyres.
Pyres twirled her spear without warning, switching the hand it was held in before kneeling, holding it near the the bottom of the blade. She pointed at something scribbled on the metal of the weapon that was not quite visible yet. "This," she said, voice low, "is the mark of the fal'cie that has returned. For centuries it has been nothing but a faint shape, a shadow of what it once was. Now, it is slowly returning with the coming again of its creator, gaining substance and form as its fal'cie gains power." As Pyres spoke, the mark slowly became visible. It was a vortex of thick, twisting, flame-like lines that seemed to turn, arc, coil and spiral about upon the weapon. Even though it lacked colour and depth, it still made Serah dizzy with its maddening dance. She drew away first, shaking her head to dispel her light-headedness as Vanille continued to stare down into the confusing swirl. For some reason she couldn't identify, Serah was sure she'd seen it somewhere a long time. You just don't forget something like this.
Clearing her throat softly, Serah looked back up at Pyres questioningly. Pyres held her gaze, a somber and near sad look deep within her eyes. "And which fal'cie is that?" Serah asked quietly, mindful of Vanille still not moving from her spot beside her. Pyres sighed and stepped away, strapping her spear thing to her back as she went to sit back down. Her face was resigned as she faced the two young women. She didn't reply for a long time, merely looking at them as if she was greatly reluctant to respond.
"Isn't it obvious? Death, of course."
Serah blinked uncomprehendingly. "W-what?"
Pyres pursed her lips. "Maybe not quite so obvious in this century. Alright, it's like this: you know the story of how the Maker made the fal'cie and humans, yes?" she inquired. Serah and Vanille nodded in confirmation before Pyres continued. "Well, Death is sort of like the Maker's sibling of sorts and a cousin-ish to the fal'cie. The reason being is, you can't have life without there being death and vice versa. Like a yin and yang, the Maker and Death are opposites that need each other. The only difference is that while the Maker is now gone from whatever we are in - realm, world, dimension, universe - Death never really went away in the first place." She leaned back fully into the seat. "I'll give you a short rundown of the Fall. As you know from earlier, the Fall was basically an apocalypse of sorts. When it happened, Death faded away from the worlds unable to fully return. The Fall happened in the first place because of it and its insatiable lust for the living.
"But before I can get into that, you must know that originally, every human being lived here on Gran Pulse. It was only after the cataclysmic Fall that a majority of the fal'cie took what remaining humans were left up here to Cocoon and sealed it away from Gran Pulse. The fal'cie left here gave little support to the few humans left as well and so were more survivor oriented, and after enough years, distinct differences were developed between the two worlds. Cocoon people had a greater population and more technologically advanced weaponry, whereas the people on Gran Pulse were a few, hardy people, molded and shaped by the everyday difficulties presented by the untamed wilds. The War of Transgression was fought heartily indeed, but in the end the assistance of Cocoon fal'cie tipped the war in their favor.
"Now, since Death was no longer really present in the worlds, the Cocoon fal'cie were more able to protect and nurture their human pets up in their shell. That doesn't people didn't die, of course; they just didn't die as much as they would have if Death remained. So the population grew uncontrollably on Cocoon while Gran Pulse fended for itself. The fal'cie down here didn't care as much for the human residents and so just mostly left them alone, except for when the Cocoon fal'cie started stripping the land for Cocoon - then the Pulse fal'cie started making l'cie in retaliation. Battles and skirmishes were fought, but nothing really big until the War started. In the meantime, the Pulse fal'cie felt they should preserve worthy humans for later battles or wars and so sent chosen l'cie to do menial tasks, such as the ones who became cie'th stones, so that they would be preserved until they were needed again. You can figure out just from that particular example how well that worked out.
"Now, as for the Fall, it was caused by a string of events brought into motion by Death." She paused for a moment and focused on the youngest Farron. "Serah, how much do you know of our family history?"
*Pie-rus