Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to their respective owners.

Ch.10 Escape

The airship lifted off the ground; I strapped myself in, and prepared myself for one very bumpy ride. "Here we go!" Sazh said, and we began flying upward. Almost immediately blasts from airships started raining, and Hope and Vanille cried out in surprise. "Just hang on tight!" I told them. Sazh flew the ship up through a crevice, doing his best to dodge the shots fired. Lightning reached forward and said "Give me that," before grabbing hold of the trigger to fire the ships gun and firing.

After shooting a few rounds she hit one of the ships and it exploded, clearing the path for us to break through. We flew up, dodging bullets as PSICOM shot from us left and right. We flew through a narrow valley, and shot one side of a cliff so that it would collapse, one ship crashing into the rubble. After that no more ships followed us, and we flew off in relative silence. Sazh slammed down on the control panel and said "For the love of all that's good."

I chuckled slightly to myself, until the screen in front of me changed, showing an announcement from the Sanctum. An elderly man in a white robe with a purple crown was sitting before the camera, addressing the announcer. "The peace and prosperity of Cocoon is at stake. I assure you the Sanctum will employ every possible resource to combat these threats from the world below," he said. The reporter appeared and said "This announcement was made by Primarch Dysley in a recent Sanctum bulletin. When asked if they would support the Purge, 90% of citizens answered 'yes'.

"When asked about the possibility of future Purges, Primarch Dysley responded that he would only confer with fal'Cie Eden before weighing all options. 70% of citizens said they would future Purges in the future should they be needed."

"Yeah, let's just purge everyone. That'll fix it," Sazh said sarcastically. Vanille pointed at Dysley on the screen and asked "Um... who is this guy?" Sazh sighed and hung his head, but pulled himself back up and said "I mean, what do they teach kids these days? He's Galenth Dysley; the Sanctum Primarch. Murderer-in-chief." I frowned. To them he was just a face, but the face they saw wasn't even real. One that Primarch would become a real pain in the ass in the future.

We had a few seconds to admire the view before I heard shots fired. PSICOM was still on our tail, and we flew up to avoid being hit. Eventually we broke through the clouds, and for a few seconds we were blinded by light. Eventually though it faded, revealing Phoenix. "Wow," Vanille said in awe. I nodded in agreement and said "The fal'Cie Phoenix, Cocoon's own light in the sky." "Live and in the flesh," Sazh said.

I turned to see that the PSICOM were still after us. "They're still on our tail! Keep going!" I yelled to Sazh. He said "Got it!" and gunned the engine. We shot forward into the jungle of energy coils that came off of Phoenix. I had to say one thing, Sazh was a good pilot. He ducked and weaved through the coils of light, and one airship crashed into a beam and exploded. "One down," I said. But apparently I must have jinxed us, because the moment I said that another of the airships fired a missile, and it hit us on the side of our ship. Instantly the ship started to shudder, and it tilted forward at a sharp angle. "Get ready; we're goin' down!" Sazh warned. We fell, heading straight through the clouds.

Hope and Vanille were screaming their heads off, Sazh gripped harder than ever, and Lightning and I gripped the edges of our seats, bracing for impact. I could see the ground come closer… closer…. We crashed, and amidst the sounds of bending metal and screeching machinery, I blacked out.

xxx

I opened my eyes, and when I did I was no longer in the airship. I was standing on the edge of a beach. The water was the blue of sapphires, and the sand was a dark grey. The waves moved back and forth, lapping and hissing at the shore with every tide and turn. I looked beyond the sea to see that it stretched on without end, and when I turned around I saw a huge temple standing in the center of a sprawling city.

I was in Valhalla again.

I looked around; wondering why I was here again and if the goddess had called for me again, when there was a flash of light to my right. I turned, and when it faded a woman in armor stood before me. The armor was silver covered her entire body, while on the knees and elbows were small sharp pointed spikes and on her head was a sliver helmet that covered her face. On her shoulders was a cape of pure-white feathers, and out her helmet flowed waist-length silver hair.

At her side was a sword with an elegant sword in a silver metal sheath, and on the sheath were three lines of symbols that I could somehow understand. "A blade held by she who rules the Unseen Realm, fulfilling Mwynn's wish to watch over life and death. Beyond time, beyond reality, unyielding in her call to duty. Wielded by the goddess Etro, the reign of eternity is decided by the sword Yperochi."

I kneeled on the ground, and the goddess walked up until she was a few feet away from me, and said "There is no need for formalities this time around, Outsider. You may rise and speak to me as you normally would." I nodded, and I stood up on my feet. I could feel the divine power Etro possessed emanating from her, and it made me feel slightly dizzy. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Etro," I said.

"I thank you for the compliment. However, there are more pressing issues we have to discuss," Etro said. I frowned. "And what might those issues be?" "Nearing the end of our last encounter you wished to know more about your powers, the ones that you obtained even before you became a l'Cie. Is that correct?" the goddess asked. I nodded and asked "Can you give me any more insight as to what powers I might have, or how that meteorite gave them to me?"

"The meteorite shower that occurred in your world was my doing. I needed to see if you possessed enough strength to be able to have the chance of saving the timeline. You survived your impact with one of the meteorites, and in reward you gained your powers," Etro explained. My eye widened. "So the meteor shower was some kind of test?" Etro nodded. I thought about this for a moment, and then continued.

"So, I know that the powers I have allowed me to summon my sword, Indomitus, at will and I was able to create fire when I fought that metal scorpion on the Purge train. Are there any other powers I possess?" I asked. Again Etro nodded. "There are other powers that possess, but most of them will only appear in times of need, such as when you first arrived. I can however, awaken two powers in particular you possess." Before I could say or do anything, Etro reached forward, and with a gloved finger tapped me on my forehead.

The instant she did my mind exploded. It felt like my head was being split open while colors splashed in front of my eyes. I fell onto the sand and held my head in my heads. I squeezed my eyes shut, but behind them I could still see images. A silver moon turning black as night, a fallen goddess consumed by chaos, blood spilt and a woman disappearing from the world. I felt myself falling, falling….

Then new images appeared. Soldiers being stitched up by battle medics, doctors tending to the poor and hungry, and the smile on a child's face smiling when he was told he was no longer sick. I snapped open my eyes, the pain in my head faded, and I looked up to see the goddess standing over me. "Your new powers have awakened. Rise, Outsider." I slowly did, moving cautiously in case any quick move movements made my head hurt again.

I stood up fully and looked at the goddess. "What in your name just happened?" I asked bluntly. Etro chuckled. "Those images you saw correspond to the powers within you that I have awakened. The images of humans being cared for and attended to correspond to your second power; that power being that you are able to heal someone even if they are on the brink of death." My eye widened, and I was about to ask something when the goddess added "However, whenever you do so you will instantly fall unconscious."

I paused, and then I asked "And what about the other images? Do they explain my first power?" "Ah, indeed they do. Those images you saw were a few of my innumerable memories. Your second power is that you are able to touch the minds of others, and if one of you is nearing death, you may join your powers and minds together to ensure you or your companion's survival. However, this power will only work with both your and the other human's consent. Otherwise, it will not succeed."

"I don't know what to say, other than thank you," I said. "You are welcome. Now, you must leave. There will come a time soon where you will need to use the powers I have awakened within you. Go now, your future awaits Outsider."

The beach I was on faded, waves turned to shadows, and the once again the world went black.

xxx

I groaned, feeling myself slowly return to the world of the living. I pushed myself up and off the ground, but when I looked over I saw Lightning fighting a pack of monsters known as Thextrons. Instantly I snapped awake, and ran over and pulled Indomitus off my back. For the next few minutes Lightning and I fought back against the monsters, but they just kept coming and coming. A vaguely heard Vanille wake up behind us, and when she saw us fighting, she woke up Hope and Sazh, and all three of them came to help us.

With the five of us together we defeated the monsters in less than a minute. When we did Vanille sighed and said "I'm glad that's over." Sazh agreed, and sat down just as Lightning began to walk forward. "What, no break?" he asked. "Their tracking us," Lightning said simply. "I know. I know, but we aren't soldiers. We don't have your kind of stamina," Sazh said. Lightning responded "You've got enough to complain." "Oh that's-! Forget it!"

I stepped forward, and Lightning turned to look at me. "Look, I'm as ready to go as you are, but we do need to rest and recuperate, even if for a little bit." I looked at her. "I know you're strong, stronger than the rest of us put together, but don't try and tell me that a few short hours won't help." She stared at me with a cool anger in her eyes, but I held my ground. Eventually, she sighed and said "Fine. But only for a few hours."

I nodded and said "Thank you," but she had already gone off to take the first watch. Sazh and Vanille both sighed in exhaustion. I decided it would be best if I took a break as well, as sat down with them.

xxx

Well, we've made it to the Vile Peaks, and Etro has blessed Deiru with some new powers! How will he use them?

Stay tuned, and please review! (Flames will be ignored)