It was just a fairy tale, a legend. But, no matter how fantastic, there is always a grain of truth.
"Please…"
People say that long time ago, a girl was turned l'Cie.
"Hey, what's this?" The girl looks, amazed at the elaborate structure before her. She reaches out to it. Suddenly, her arm starts to burn. Everything took on a shade of blue as she spins around, and finally, she falls to the ground, a jet black mark forming on her wrist.
Unlike all the others, however, she turned to crystal immediately.
"This is weird," she breaths inside that dream. Then everything goes cold. Ice cold. She shivers, and wraps her arms around herself. She can see something glowing behind her closed eyelids, but she doesn't care. She is suddenly tired. She could close her eyes for a little bit, right?
This fairy tale isn't just about her.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, a brother and sister were dropped in Cocoon. The people thought they were friendly enough, but there was just something different about them. Something they couldn't quite pinpoint. Something strange. Maybe it was their dress. Their speech. Their attitude. It didn't matter, as the people shrugged off the uncomfortable feeling, thinking that they were just being silly. The person who had took them in didn't notice any of these strange things. She thought they were perfect, and loved them like her own son and daughter. One day, she took them to visit the Pulse ruins that had been collected and preserved.
It didn't go well.
"Sis? Sis!" the little boy cries, all alone. "Where are you?"
The girl hears the voice echoing through. "Hey!" she shouts. "Dax! Hang on, keep on yelling! I'll find you!" She races down the corridor, where she heard her brother's voice, only to find a tall, unyielding wall.
"Sis?" the voice sounded loudly, clearly behind the wall.
The girl twitches, and lets out a scream of rage. "It's not fair!" Her fists pound against the wall, as if attempting to knock it down.
Inexperienced with any of the workings of the ruins, they were soon separated, soon lost in the Pulsian maze.
The woman, just as well, hears the voices of her adopted son and daughter. She runs, as best as she could, but already, she knew the girl was racing to get to her brother. Never even thinking of their adopted mother. And the woman gives a sigh. She knows it is selfish, but she wishes the siblings loved each other just a little less. Maybe then, they'd have more room in their hearts for her…
No. She shouldn't think that way. She stops once, to take a breath, and wearily trots through.
Unknownst to the family, a Cocoon fal'Cie had taken residence in the ruins, thinking it perfect to settle in. The girl quickly came afoul of it.
"Hey, sis! Where are you?" He finds her shortly, her eyes closed, and leaning against one of those crystal things. He doesn't know what they are, but they look a lot like they're glowing. He can see them now, casting a soft blue light across his sister's face. She looks serene. More gentle. Unlike her naturally brash personality.
"There you are!" he exclaims, smiling, running to her side. "I was afraid I couldn't find you, and-" He falls silent as his fingers brush crystal instead of cloth. Looking closer, he sees that the crystal seems to have grown over her. "Sis?" He knows that she can take care of herself. She says so a lot. Though he isn't quite sure what that means (of course she takes care of herself, she's supposed to, like wash her face and brush her teeth), he knows that she's never in any real danger. He's seen her lean over the edge of a cliff and wave at him, grinning. Of course, with pale, frightened faces, Mommy and Daddy always got her away before she 'hurt herself, doing dangerous stunts like that." He knows very well that she'd never hurt herself on purpose. She said so.
But right now, the crystal doesn't look very comfortable. "Sis?" Why won't she answer? She's right there. He knows that she could hear. Maybe she's asleep?
Yeah! That sounded right. Maybe that's how the crystal got on her. She was asleep, so she couldn't move and - and – and…
Why couldn't she hear him then? Oh, that's right. The crystal must have covered her ears, too.
"Don't worry, sis," he whispers. "I'll get you out of there real soon. Promise!"
He couldn't very well do a pinky-promise when her hand was under crystal, but he did his best, and ran off trying to find one of those big axes he'd seen miners use.
The boy was next.
Curiously, he reaches out, and touches the same elaborate structure his sister did, unaware of the danger.
He never knew what happened.
He felt something burn against his back, but he ignores it. It's not important. Not important. At all. What's important is that he gets his sister out. It's important… He doesn't notice himself drop, leaning limply on the crystal.
The woman last.
She stares in horror at the approaching figures. "No… they told me it was safe…" Those tour guides said it was perfectly fine. Perfectly safe. Perfect place to learn about history. And it was supposed to be so pretty.
A stab of pain comes through, piercing her foot. She grits her teeth and bears it. The Cie'th, darkened and twisted as they are, come closer. She has never been strong, never been fast. She has no defenses. So she runs, hoping that her head-start would be enough, hoping the children are safe. She daren't cry out their names. If she does, they might get to her before she could get to her children. She turns the corner, and with a gasp, she sees a wall before her, tall and unyielding. There is no way out.
Her screams resound throughout the maze.
The boy, however, lives, never knowing he had been turned into a l'Cie.
His breaths are sharp, and he is gasping for air. Who cares? The other day, he learned this new trick. An hour ago, he learned this new trick. He thinks it's brilliant. Raising an arm, he whispers, "Thunder." A weak lightning bolt strikes the crystal. He grins in triumph. One step closer.
The Cie'th stay away from the boy, and where they know he is.
"Stay away!" he shouts, his voice getting higher and shriller, at the gnarled figures at the Cie'th. "AWAY!" He freezes up. Then, forcefully, he throws back his shoulders, wipes his face of all expression. "Fire." He enjoys watching them burn to ashes.
Sad in its own way.
The boy never realizes that his eyes turn yellow, that the dreaded mark on his skin grows larger and faster by the second. He doesn't notice that he gets any stronger, that he never ages, as days turn to weeks, and weeks into years. He doesn't notice anything.
At last. The boy smiles, as he is almost through the crystal. Almost to his sister.
Then the crystal grows again, reclaims his sister again. He drops to his knees, expressionless. He was so close…
He shouldn't cry, he knows that. Crying is for all the other girls in the kindergarten class.
A tear drops to the ground.
The years slowly pass, one by one. He doesn't realize that it's been anymore than a day, so intent is he upon his task. He is l'Cie. L'Cie are tools. Tools have no minds.
"Please, please, please…"
He toils on his task, day after day, year after year. Century after century.
"…wake up, please…"
He will work until he can restore his sister.
"I really miss you…"
He will work for eternity.
The little boy, who has been slaving over the crystal for hundreds of years, looks it over critically. Nothing has changed. With a sigh, he starts his work again.
Yet, somehow, he is still a boy. Not crystal, not Cie'th. Perhaps it is his strength of mind that keeps him from danger.
Perhaps.
"…please…"
Well? Whadja think?
Again, not sure if these characters are even OCs in the way that you normally thinking about. No canon interaction, nothing going horribly wrong, stuff like that. But it's still nice and tragic for you people who like dark and tragic-y stuff. I think.