So I spat this chapter out in one go, four hours of work and five pages on Google Docs. After plotting out this chapter and review what remains of the game, I've figured out that this is the second last chapter until the end. So I'll be sure to make this story my #1 priority after school work so ya'll can get the ending faster!
POSTED 09.07.16 - 3,013 words
Wonder this time where she's gone
Wonder if she's gone to stay
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away.
~Ain't No Sunshine - Coeur De Pirate
Maeve's journey to Eden had been wrought with worry for her friends and family, for that's what she considered many of the l'Cie. Snow and Sazh were the caring father figures the raspberry blonde was missing in her life; Fang the wise but funny older sister she never had; Dajh and Hope the younger brothers she never knew she wanted. And then there was Alex, her real brother. She smiled lightly at the thought of her new extended family, only for it to crumble as the anxiety settled in her stomach. Her worried mind even lingered on the red-headed girl and Lightning, although she had only met the redhead once, and Lightning on various occasions but only for a few moments.
Her days continued like this for the two days it took for the carrier ship to reach Eden. Skyie was dressing her in fresh robes as they prepared to dock in the city, commenting that she had to look presentable for the Primarch. The teen's nerves were only heightened by the mention of Dysley, the man in charge who wanted her family dead. With the girl locked in her mind, the woman had no issue in dressing and styling the girl into what she deemed to be respectable and appropriate for her station as a rare l'Cie.
Upon docking at the Primarch's offices, she fell in with the PSICOM soldiers who had escorted her from the Palamecia to the floating city. Milling about the docking station were about a dozen of Sanctum Celebrants, blocking the l'Cie from catching a glimpse of the Primarch after stepping of the carrier. The PSICOM soldiers seemed to split off from the girl, only to be replaced with some Sanctum Archangels.
As the group weaved through the soldiers, Maeve silently began preparing for the fated meeting. What she knew of Dysley made her stomach turn unpleasantly; he was the one who ordered the Purge of Bodhum, and the execution of her friends and family. His appearance drew similarities to the Pope, but he acted nothing like the kind Father that she had learned about in Church.
However, when the soldiers and her finally broke through the crowd, it wasn't an old man's aristocratic tone of voice that greeted her.
"Welcome, Maeve Harris, favoured one of Lindzi." came the calm tones of Cid Raines, the man's appearance startling the teen into a small shock. The pinkette blinked her eyes in surprise for a brief moment, eventually finding her words again.
"Raines? I thought I was supposed to meet Primarch Dysley."
The Cavalry's leader smiled slightly before turning and extending an arm towards the building behind him, "Come. Let us walk and I will explain things as we go."
Maeve cautiously moved to stand beside the dark-haired man, keeping pace as he walked. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, waiting for him to speak.
"After an incident on the Palamecia with the Pulse l'Cie, the Primarch deemed it necessary to take a leave of absence. Before leaving, he saw it fit to appoint me to the position in his absence." Raines explained his rise to power simply, not sparing the young l'Cie beside him a glance.
"And all of this change occurred in one day?" the raspberry-blonde questioned, climbing a set of stairs as she followed the new Primarch and the escort.
"Yes. After the escape of the Pulse l'Cie, Primarch Dysley thought himself to be unfitting of the position as they escaped the Palamecia on his watch and killed many soldiers in doing so. Lieutenant Yaag Rosch is currently leading the investigation for hunting the l'Cie, as the Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat was slaughtered by them."
The man's calm announcement sent chills down Maeve's spine, she wasn't fond of the woman of course, but to hear that the woman had been killed by her family frightened her. The group had reached an office with a view of the city, pulling the teen from her inner musings. Walking up to the glass window, she gazed out across Eden with her russet brown eyes, trying to take in as much of the city as she could.
Raines dismissed the guards, moving to settle into the cushioned chair behind the massive oak desk. Flipping through some paperwork, he gave a look to the pink-haired girl lingering by the window.
"The door to your left will lead you to a private room for yourself. Skyie is already there and awaiting you if you need her. My private quarters are to the right if you need me and you cannot find me in my office. Tomorrow you will be concentrating on your focus, as your brand has advanced since I last saw it three days ago. It won't be long until you run out of time. And then in the late evening, we are to observe the race that has been arranged to take the people's minds off the Pulse issue." he said quite casually, Maeve looking at him sharply at the mention of her impending doom. Signing a document, Raines moved to another page as he dismissed her with a wave of his gloved hand.
"You may go now. I will let you know if plans change. Rest and let Skyie attend to you."
Dinner the night before had been a small affair- Raines sitting across from her with a large table between them, ladened with many strange dishes native to this world. There was very little conversation to be had, as the girl nervously picked at her food and worried her lower-lip between her teeth. She only stayed the bare-minimum amount of time that was considered polite before retreating to her room to attempt at resting for the day before her.
Breakfast was less tense for the tired girl, who had only gotten a few hours of sleep between her nightmares and fits of worrying. Skyie, the kind woman, brought the l'Cie a small tray of food for her morning meal. The attendant was obviously aware of the girl's tender stomach, and brought her tea to accompany the light fruit salad that was her breakfast. Maeve slowly ate the strange fruits, likening their tastes to the melons and blueberries of her home. At the prompting of Skyie, the teen drank the tea in hopes of the herbal mix settling her stomach.
After a quick wash in the bathroom, the raspberry-blonde was dressed in a white and silver gown made of soft sheer material over her cotton shift. Her curls, now reaching the tops of her thighs, were once again pinned to her head at the front with a large braid. Rather than gemstones decorating her hair this time around, Maeve's hair was littered with white flowers of varying sizes.
After slipping on some shoes, the l'Cie walked into the office of Primarch Raines and took a seat across from the man. He looked the girl over for a long moment before giving her appearance a nod of approval.
"Now that you look acceptable, we can move onto deciphering your Focus." the dark-haired man stated, turning to grab some papers off to the side.
"Upon your last visit to Eden, you described your Focus to Jihl Nabaat, intending to work on it with her. Correct?" Maeve gave a small nod before he continued, "You described it as 'a woman turning to ice' and that you saw 'seven people' which included your brother. Can you link that image to anything now?"
The pinkette thought carefully, going over her Focus and trying to draw connections somewhere. It took fifteen minutes before she looked back at the Primarch with a knowing gaze.
"It was an image of Serah completing her Focus...which was to draw the others and myself in, so that the Fal'Cie could change them." she claimed quietly as the truth dawned on her.
"So that was the Pulse l'Cie's Focus.. But why would yours contain that image if it were not your own end? You are not crystal, so that cannot be all of your Focus." Raines rationalized quietly, lacing his gloved fingers together as he leaned forward on them.
The pinkette nodded before she began to retreat deep into her mind, looking for a piece of her Focus that she had missed. It was a half an hour later before the scene flashed behind her eyelids, playing again in the deep recess of her memory. The combined figure of a delicate woman and a rough man was easily categorized in her mind now as a Fal'Cie, towered menacingly over the previously unnoticed figures of Snow, Alex, Hope, Fang, Vanille, Lightning, Sazh and herself.
Russet-hued eyes opened swiftly as they looked into the blue ones opposite, "There was another image. I was with the Pulse l'Cie, and we were in a room facing a Fal'Cie. I don't know what one it was but it was tall and menacing.."
Raines observed the girl sitting before him, speaking softly after a moment.
"So, they will reach Orphan and destroy it…" the dark-haired Primarch said, his gaze becoming distant as his chair swung around to face the city.
"What's Orphan?" questioned the young l'Cie carefully, figiting with the end of her braid.
Raines let out a deadpan laugh, explaining briefly to the girl, "Orphan is the driving force behind Eden. We lose Orphan, Eden fails...and Cocoon falls…"
Maeve's mouth widened into a small o shape, a look of horror flickering across her face. The fate of herself and her new-found family was to kill the lifeforce of Cocoon?
Later on in the evening, Maeve found herself sitting to the right of Primarch Raines as he gave his opening speech for the race.
"People of Cocoon. My fellow citizens. We have survived the twilight, and gather to welcome the dawn of the day on which we decide our fate. Many are the lessons we have learned during our long night of hardship and sacrifice. And now we face choices, which must be made as our hearts dictate, and not abandoned to uncaring chance. Let us forge ahead with unflinching courage. And honour the fallen with action. With these hands we shape the future." the man paused for a second before snapping his fingers, and allowing the race to begin.
As Raines sat in the chair beside her, Maeve curled up in her chair and propped her head up on her hand. The girl observed the race with minor interest, as she was only present because the new Primarch had expected it of her. If she could, the raspberry-blonde would have been holed up in her room, worrying over the fact that she, along with the other l'Cie, would destroy the world. But she was out here, wearing a mask of boredom as she watched the competitors without interest.
The race had gone on for a few moments before it got interesting. Maeve sat up in her seat as an airship crashed on the track, causing a competitor to nearly wipe out. Instead of crashing, the racer was caught between the twin sisters, Shiva, with Snow perched on top of the cycle. The girl gave a gasp of delight at the appearance of her friends before her expression drooped at the memory of her earlier conversation with Raines.
"And so it begins."
Maeve watched with bated breath as her friends and family battled with the Sanctum forces in the breaking dawn of Phoenix's light. She desperately hoped that they would make it out alright but, the pinkette wished it wouldn't come at the cost of others lives. The l'Cie sighed in relief as her family appeared safe at the end of the race track, relaxing into her seat. However, an explosion in the city threw off her happy mood.
A Sanctum Archangel rushed into the office, skidding to a halt in front of Raines' desk.
"An army of creatures is attacking the city. It's a Pulse invasion force." the officer informed the pair, another explosion going off much closer than the last.
The officer continued to urge Raines, "Your Eminence, we must evacuate!" when out of nowhere, Cavalry soldiers appeared in the office. They covered the room and shot down the Sanctum Archangel without hesitation. Maeve's panic drove her out of the chair and onto the floor in front of the massive window.
Primarch Raines simply sat in his chair and gazed out at the city as more explosions went off, paying no heed to the killing taking place in the room. Rygdea stalked across the room and came to stand beside Raines, his mouth set in a firm and angry line. His gaze settled on Maeve for a brief second before flicking up to the exploding city of Eden.
"So Raines- is this the Cocoon you dreamed of?" his words harsh and bitter, but the Primarch remained unfazed by them.
"My dream is but a Fal'Cie fancy now. End it." the dark-haired man replied calmly, closing his eyes slowly. Rygdea sighed grimacing as he raised his gun and aimed it at the other man's head.
Maeve gasped as she watched, with tears in her eyes, as the man executed his friend and superior. The raspberry blonde covered her mouth to stifle her sobs as a platoon of Sanctum Archangels rushed in to the sight of the Primarch falling to the side, dead. The soldiers wasted no time and opened fire on the Cavalry, the men firing back in quick response.
"Goddamn idealism!" Rygdea ground out as he shot at the soldiers, "Ya feed it blood, and it howls for more!" Bullets began to pierce the glass behind the small l'Cie, who yelped in terror as glass fell down around her.
The gunfire ended, the Sanctum soldiers all dead on the ground of the office, and Rygdea and the Cavalry soldiers surrounding the raspberry-blonde girl. The man grabbed at the teen's forearm and pulled her up off the floor before shoving her to a soldier.
"Keep an eye on her; she's the key to finding Orphan." Maeve's mouth opened in horror at the realization that they were here to kill the Fal'Cie.
The Cavalry platoon guided her through the destroyed city, the cries of the civilians and the screeches of the creatures were wearing her nerves thin. At the sight of a man get crushed under the foot of some large creature, Maeve snapped.
"I can't! I can't do this!" the girl ripped her arm from the grasp of the Cavalry soldier, shoving the man away from her as she began hyperventilating. Rygdea seemed to grow irritated by her behaviour as he came to a stop and turned to chew the poor l'Cie out, only to widen his eyes at the sight of the girl's glowing brand.
"Shit! Men, move outta her way! Things are about to get real chaotic in a minute!" The man cried out to his soldiers, moving away from the girl quickly with his men following behind him. Maeve was on her knees crying out in pain as she clutched her brand, panting for air as it pulsed with power. A bright light blinded her for a moment before a rather tall and beautiful woman stood in front of her, perched on the edge of her harp as she observed the l'Cie.
Maeve's russet eyes widened at the appearance of the woman, the connection clicking in her mind. This was her eidolon.
The eidolon began to throw powerful spells towards her as she played her harp, throwing variations of ice, fire, slow, and silence at the pinkette without abandon. Maeve tried to defend herself with a mediguard, while struggling with her own magic as she had lost her staff in Palumpolum to PSICOM. The raspberry-blonde felt worn thin but she could tell that the eidolon was close to breaking. The young l'Cie powered up a strong ice spell before throwing it at the woman, finally getting her to submit to Maeve.
She dismissed the eidolon, collapsing on her knees as Maeve fought to catch her breath. Explosions continued around her, the sounds of terror filling her senses and setting her on edge.
"O'pitiful l'Cie, so strong and yet, so weak."
The pinkette spun around at the taunting voice of a man called out to her. When her russet-brown gaze landed on the finely dressed blonde, she narrowed her eyes as she hissed out lightly, "Dysley.."
"How unfortunate that we finally meet upon the eve of the end, Ms. Harris. I've heard so much about you from dear Alexander." the aristocratic drawl came across the small distance between them, the man drawing closer and closer each second.
"What do you want, you monster?!" the raspberry-blonde spat out, her voice coated with fear and hate as she glared at the man before her. The previous Primarch gave her a sinister grin before firmly grasping her chin in his fingers.
"I would like you to simply fulfill your Focus, my dear." He stated with a sneer, magic beginning to pool off him in powerful waves. Maeve's eyes widened in terror as she tried to struggle away, her attempts failing as Dysley pulled her from the desolated city.
The white hall they were now in was decorated in nothing but white couches, floating gently off the ground. The blonde man tossed the l'Cie onto a couch, shooting her a dispicable look filled with hate and disgust.
"Your kind is such a pain to deal with.. No matter, your presence will draw the other l'Cie in like moths to a flame, and Cocoon will fall at last. Take in what you can, Ms. Harris; I'm sure this is the first, and last time you will be able to gaze upon Orphan's Cradle!" The former Primarch laughed as he faded out of the room, leaving Maeve sprawled on a couch, waiting for something to happen.