Chapter 10
Finally reaching the Bevelle Temple at the heart of the rapidly collapsing metropolis, Jecht and Auron hurried inside.
"Lord Braska! Lord Braska!" Auron called.
"Hey, Braska! Where are you?" Jecht shouted out.
The hurricane had now reached the temple, and the guardians could feel the ground quaking and the ceiling starting to crumble.
"…They must have thrown him in the dungeon," Auron deduced. "It's now or never."
Jecht nodded.
"Let's go!"
The guardians ran up what felt like an endless series of barely still complete spiral stairs to the dungeon, turning their heads left and right for the imprisoned summoner. Large sections of the prison had by now crashed down, making it harder to navigate.
"Heeey! Braska!" Jecht called over and over.
"Are we… too late?" Auron panicked.
"Shut up and search, Auron!" Jecht yelled.
At length they found the cell Braska had been thrown in, located next to an ornate entrance at the end of the corridor. The bars of the cell had caved in, but the summoner was unconscious and still bound by his wrists. Auron darted to him in shock.
"Lord Braska!"
Auron cut the ropes on Braska's wrists with the tip of his sword, and crouched down to shake him awake.
"Lord Braska!"
"…Auron…?" Braska whispered weakly as he opened his eyes.
"Are you hurt?" Auron asked quickly, almost getting hit by a piece of ceiling falling down. "We have to get out of here, now!"
"…No, I'm… I'm fine," Braska replied, standing up with some difficulty. "What's happening?"
"We're under attack by Sin," Auron informed.
At that very moment, the largest chunk of ceiling yet crashed to the floor right beside the cell, bringing down at least three pillars with it and effectively blocking their path.
"Uh, guys?" Jecht began with a nervous laugh. "Bad news, we can't go back the way we came."
Braska and Auron turned to look and saw he was right.
"That door any good?" Jecht asked, pointing to the elaborate gate at the opposite direction.
"…That door leads to Via Purifico," Auron replied. "The ultimate dungeon."
"So there isn't an exit?"
"Ironically, there is," Braska informed. "But it's behind an intricate labyrinth."
"What choice do we have?" Jecht reminded. "Let's go!"
With that, the three of them entered the maze, placing their hands above their heads to shelter themselves from the endlessly falling pieces of ceiling.
"Forgive me, my lord," Auron sighed to Braska. "We never should have left you alone."
"…No," Braska shook his head. "It is I who was too careless and fell into a simple trap."
Just then, as if to maliciously match Braska's words of regret, another bulky chunk of ceiling came loose right above him, threatening to crush the summoner underneath.
"Look out!"
Jecht's legs registered the situation before his head did, and he dashed to shove the summoner out of the harm's way – only barely missing the blow himself.
"Phewh… you alright?" the guardian asked, extending his hand to help Braska to his feet.
"…Yes, but… are you?" Braska asked in surprise.
"Just peachy," Jecht laughed. "Come on, gimme your hand."
Smiling, Braska took it. Auron, still not quite over what had almost happened, urged his companions to save it for later and quickly find a way out of his new least favourite place.
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At long last, the men reached the exit at the end of the dungeon and ran their way into freedom.
"You saved me," Braska said to his guardians. "Thank y…"
The summoner then looked up, seeing for the first time the state of turmoil his hometown was in.
"…Yuna!" Braska cried as the realization hit him, and he hurriedly turned on his heels to make towards Lady Gittel's house.
The guardians loyally followed in his wake, until, all of a sudden, Jecht was distracted by a familiar, distant voice.
"Corentin… Corentin…"
Jecht halted immediately and turned his head with a start. Braska, well ahead of the two guardians, continued on his way, but Auron noticed Jecht missing from his side and stopped as well.
"What is it?" Auron asked impatiently.
"Corentin… that's enough… that's enough…"
"Hey! Who's Corentin?" Jecht asked him in turn.
"What?"
"Corentin... you mustn't..."
Jecht gestured towards where the voice sounded from, "Can't you hear that?"
Auron glanced after Braska in frustration.
"Hear what?"
"Why... why did you do this...?"
"Argh!" Jecht grunted with comparable frustration. "Just… who's Corentin?"
Auron stared at him for a while before answering.
"…Sir Corentin was a guardian to Lord Ohalland, alongside Lady Indira. Why do you ask?"
Jecht stared back at Auron, lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised them again at his now very confused friend. A sudden realization seemed to flash on his face as he turned on his heels and dashed off to the voice's direction.
"Jecht!"
For a moment, Auron was torn between going after Braska and going after Jecht, but in the end instinctively followed his summoner.
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Jecht struggled his way through the remains of the main street towards the voice, soon finding himself at the docks. The hurricane was already calming down, and Sin floated idly by the waterfront. The area had emptied of people, other than lifeless bodies on the ground. Only a solitary figure stood on the edge of the central platform, her arm stretched towards Sin's grotesque head.
Lady Indira.
"So… it was you all along," Jecht said quietly.
Indira slowly turned her head as she gently pressed her hand against Sin's forehead. Jecht snorted.
"You think that's your boyfriend, don't ya?"
Indira smiled amusedly.
"I do not 'think' anything, Sir Jecht."
"…You don't want us to kill him," Jecht continued gravely. "That's why you set up all those traps… and manipulated that priest into capturing Braska. That's how you've been 'helping' summoners for nineteen years."
"…Is it so wrong to want to protect your loved ones?" Indira asked innocently.
"You're bonkers, lady."
"I am not."
She now turned to face Jecht with an introductory gesture towards the monster.
"Meet my fiancé… Sir Corentin Garcon, from the Isle of Kilika."
Jecht sneered at the gigantic grey beast by her side.
"Quite the catch, ain't he?"
Indira chuckled alluringly.
"Laugh all you want, Sir Jecht. It's true. My fiancé gave his life for that devious Ohalland twenty years ago - and became the embodiment of suffering itself. I knew from the first moment I saw the reborn Sin. It is him. It is my Corentin."
"…And you really think this is the sorta life your fiancé wants to lead?" Jecht shot back. "Taking down town after town, unable to stop 'cause you keep offing summoners for him?"
"He has not objected," Indira responded coolly. "He does everything I command him to do."
"And more!"
This silenced Indira for a moment.
"Ain't that right?" Jecht continued. "You didn't want him to attack the city, 'cause you figured that Braska might get away in the chaos?"
The maestress turned away.
"Whether that's your fiancé or not… it's Sin. It will destroy, whether you want it to or not. And guess what? It will object. 'Cause it wants to die. It wants to be released."
"…No," Indira insisted. "Why would my Corentin want to die? He wants to be with me, forever. I will keep him alive for as long as I live. And maybe, someday… I'll discover the secrets of eternal life."
"You will never get that far," Jecht stated firmly. "'Cause we're taking your sweetheart down, me, Braska and Auron."
Indira chuckled quietly, lowering her eyes.
"It only takes two to vanquish Sin."
"What?"
"One of you is going to be left behind… just as I was," she declared. "Filled with emptiness… pining for your lost companions."
"…What the hell are you talkin' about?" Jecht yelled in confusion.
Indira now slowly raised her hand from Sin's forehead, and extended it towards Jecht, starting to prepare a powerful magic spell.
"That… you will never have to find out."
"Jecht!"
Indira quickly withdrew her hand as Braska and Auron ran to the scene.
"What… what's going on? Lady Indira…" Auron spluttered in bewilderment.
Indira gave him a pitying smile, and gestured towards Sin, "Go, my love."
Sin obeyed immediately, diving into the depths of the sea with a great splash.
"So…" Braska began gravely, "it is indeed you who has been plotting against summoners these nineteen years."
"What?" Auron exclaimed in shock.
"Lord Braska," Indira flashed another scornful smile. "Against all the odds, you're still alive."
"Lady Indira, what is the meaning of this?" Auron demanded.
"Something about living forever with that handsome devil over there," Jecht replied in her stead, nodding towards the receding form of Sin.
"…S-Sin…?" Auron stuttered.
"I grow tired of your ignorance," Indira dismissed his confusion. "Now perish!"
Maestress Indira was by far the mightiest enemy that Jecht, Braska and Auron had encountered on their journey. Her spells were extremely powerful, some of them unknown to them, and she also possessed considerable physical strength. This time their numerical superiority was not enough to give the men the advantage – they had to be both prompt and cunning in fighting her, and even then, she was never taken by surprise.
At long last, she appeared to lose her spirit and went from the offensive to the defensive, albeit it seemed more like she had grown tired of the fact she couldn't defeat her opponents than that she was on the verge of her own defeat.
"This isn't over," Indira warned. "You will never, never bring another Calm to Spira, not for as long as I live!"
With that, she disappeared in a mysterious white flash.
"Jecht, what happened?" Auron immediately began to question Jecht. "What did you mean by that… remark about Sin… "
Jecht recounted to his companions what had happened and what Indira had so confidently asserted about Sin's true identity.
"Sir Corentin… became Sin?" Auron echoed in disbelief.
"So he was engaged to Lady Indira," Braska mused in a far more composed tone.
"That's impossible!" Auron declared. "Sin is Sin! No one can become Sin!"
"That's what I said," Jecht shrugged. "She laughed to my face and said she'd know her fiancé when she sees him."
"…She does appear to be able to control Sin's actions," Braska pointed out.
"Maybe it's got a thing for her," Jecht snorted.
"This is ridiculous," Auron groaned. "We have to stop her."
"Yes," Braska agreed. "But before that…"
The summoner lowered his eyes to the ground, where the high priest's body lay inches away from his feet. Jecht and Auron nodded, and Braska began to perform the sending.
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Afterward, Adanna stumbled her way to the docks through the fallen buildings and ship wreckages, and warily approached Auron as she spotted him. Jecht and Braska stood a little farther away, gazing off to the tranquil horizon.
"My father… he is gone, isn't he?" she asked quietly, barely meeting the guardian's eyes.
"…Yes," Auron replied grimly. "I'm sorry."
"…No, I'm sorry. I should have realized earlier that Lord Braska was not at fault."
"Why did you help your father to capture him?" Auron quickly changed into to a sterner tone.
The young woman lowered her eyes.
"Because… I didn't want you to journey."
"…Why?" Auron asked in surprise.
"Someone was trying to kill you. I wanted you to quit before something happened."
Auron stared hard at the remorseful beauty, his bafflement only increased by her response.
"Auron…" Adanna began with an amused smile. "I love you. I've always loved you."
Her smile broadened as she made a small sound of embarrassment and continued, "I was still entertaining hopes of that match. I wanted you to come back home… and marry me."
She laughed playfully.
"How very selfish of me."
"Adanna…" Auron whispered as he finally regained his ability to speak. A while of silence then passed, and Adanna's lighthearted smile straightened.
"…It was Lady Indira, wasn't it? The one who poisoned my father's heart."
Auron nodded gravely.
"I've heard Lord Braska shares my gift," Adanna said, quickly switching back to her warm smile. "Being able to judge people by the look on their face."
Auron remained silent, but gave a hint of a smile back.
"Well… I wish you good luck," Adanna concluded the unilateral conversation. "Farewell, Sir Auron."
With that, the priest's daughter bowed, and scurried on her way before Auron could respond.
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Later on, Jecht, Braska and Auron assembled at the city gates.
"Are you sure you're alright, my lord?" Auron worriedly inquired from the visibly preoccupied Braska.
"Yes, I was able to avoid any serious injury," Braska was quick to assure him.
Something still seemed to be troubling the summoner, however, and Jecht was starting to feel it wasn't in his physical condition.
"Hey, Braska. What is it?"
After a short while of hesitation, Braska gave in and whispered, "Yuna, she…"
"Is she alright?" Jecht panicked.
"She is fine," Braska replied quietly, "but… when she saw me… she… she asked if I was back from my pilgrimage."
A heavy pause passed before he could bring himself to continue.
"Even though… even though she knows that I…"
Still another moment of silence went by, finally to be broken when Jecht whispered, "…That you're not gonna be back, are ya?"
Braska gave a small nod, his head turned away.
"You're gonna die fighting Sin… like Lord Ohalland before you. Like all summoners before you."
He nodded again.
"…I see."
"You don't seem all that surprised," the summoner noted.
"…I guess I kinda knew. Just… didn't wanna know."
"…I'm sorry."
Jecht remained silent.
"Are you still willing to go on?" Braska asked.
"…Yeah," Jecht replied after a short pause.
I meant what I said… but I couldn't stop thinking about Indira's words to me. 'It only takes two to vanquish Sin.' What the heck had she meant? Who was the third wheel… and why?
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Before leaving Bevelle, Jecht, Braska and Auron visited the marketplace, which had largely escaped Sin's attack thanks to its relatively close location to the northern outskirts of the city.
Jecht soon found himself eyeing a large black sword with red flame-like decorations, vended at the same stand where he had purchased his current weapon. The red longsword was by no means in a bad condition, but as he looked down at it, then at the black sword, then back at the red one, the latter was starting to feel more and more like a mere practice tool – something fit for an athlete turned warrior, but not for a guardian about to face the final showdown with Sin. And before he knew it, he was at the stand and shortly the proud owner of a sword as dark as night.
By and by, the trio left Bevelle and continued on via Macalania Woods to the green plains of the Calm Lands.
"This is the Calm Lands," Braska said as they reached the top of a hill with a grand view to the fields, "where I'm to fight Sin when the time comes."
Jecht absently gazed across the endless green plains.
"Braska… you sure there isn't even the most minuscule chance that you might live?"
"Jecht…" Braska began patiently.
"Fine!" Jecht quickly cut him off. "Just wonderin'."
"Win or lose, I will depart this life," Braska stated calmly. "That's how it's always been."
"Lose?" Jecht echoed. "There's a chance you might lose?"
"Not every summoner that acquires the Final Aeon succeeds in defeating Sin," Braska clarified.
"You're not gonna lose, Braska," Jecht assured the summoner.
"…I hope you're right, Jecht," Braska said cautiously.
As they made their way down to the fields, the three of them soon came to realize that they weren't a hundred percent certain they were going the right way – except for Jecht. He proudly assured his companions that he had a natural sense of direction, and could already smell the chilly mountain air of Mt. Gagazet. Braska gave a tentative nod and let him continue to lead the way, but Auron seemed rather suspicious of this natural talent of Jecht's.
Finally, after two hours of aimless wandering, Auron gestured towards the accessory shop at the centre of the Calm Lands, which they had already passed half an hour ago.
"See that?" he muttered to Jecht. "We've been going around in circles. So much for that 'natural sense of direction' of yours."
"Fine, fine," Jecht mumbled, "no need to rub it in my face."
Braska laughed, but stopped short when something behind the shop caught his eye.
"There's someone over there. Maybe they can help."
As they approached the figure, the men soon identified it as not only one but two people - a woman in a green dress lying lifeless on the ground, and a man kneeling down beside her, wiping bitter tears on his blood-spattered sleeve.
"Hey! What happened?" Jecht inquired.
"Is she…?" Auron began.
The man nodded.
"My sister, she... she faced off against Sin this morning. She… she didn't have what it takes."
"…I'm sorry," Braska said quietly. "Would you like me to perform the sending for her?"
The man shook his head.
"No… no, I just… I can't say goodbye yet."
"…As you wish."
Jecht studied the man and his deceased sister closely, suddenly flashing back to their encounter with the two young blitzers in Besaid.
"Are you guys a summoner party?" Chappu asked.
"Yes, we are," Braska said.
"You'd be the second this week!" Chappu said.
"I don't suppose the first were a mild-mannered young man and a determined young woman?"
"No, it was a lady in a long dress with her brother and sister."
He then again remembered Indira's words to him.
"One of you is going to be left behind… just as I was. Filled with emptiness… pining for your lost companions."
"…I shall be praying for your success, Lord Braska," the man said warmly.
"…Thank you," Braska replied.
As they walked away from the tragic pair, Jecht noted, "Well, looks like someone was able to escape her Ladyship's net."
"Yes," Auron said. "Defeated or not, she was the first summoner to fight Sin after nineteen long years."
"…Indeed she was," Braska said quietly.
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After resting at the accessory shop, the three of them soon found the right way towards Mt. Gagazet. Hardly had they digested the relief of this, however, when suddenly, near the bridge over the valley, the men spotted a familiar figure ascending the mountain trail.
"Maester Mika!" Braska exclaimed in surprise.
The maester gave no response, shortly disappearing from their sight. Jecht shrugged, and the three of them continued on, quickly forgetting about the bizarre encounter.
The men made their way up the trail to the first opening, where they met Maester Kelk Ronso, surrounded by young Ronso warriors rejoicing at their leader's visit.
"Summoner Braska," Kelk greeted. "I see you are still on the road."
"Indeed I am," Braska replied with a bow.
Kelk chuckled.
"It is ironic that you should have escaped Bevelle with the aid of your greatest enemy."
"You gonna let us pass or not?" Jecht demanded.
"…I have always believed in you," Kelk responded calmly.
"…Thank you," Braska said.
"I have but one question," Kelk stated.
"Sir?"
"Why were you arrested?"
"…For a crime I did not commit," Braska replied gravely.
"It was all a lie, okay?" Jecht backed him up.
"And who was behind this lie?" Kelk inquired.
"…Lady Indira."
"…I see," Kelk said. "Well, I shall not stand in the way of a summoner. The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you."
At Kelk's approval, the three of them continued up the trail, observed by a young Ronso warrior with a broken horn.
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Along the way to the summit, Braska suddenly stopped with an absent expression.
"My lord, what is it?" Auron asked.
"I would like to… record something," Braska replied.
"…Of course. Take your time."
"Send little Yuna my regards!" Jecht requested with a waving gesture, already marching off to let the summoner record in private.
"Jecht…" Braska said in surprise.
"Ohh… mine as well," Auron said, following in Jecht's wake.
"…I will," Braska promised.
He then waited a moment until Jecht and Auron stopped at a monument for fallen summoners, then placed the recording sphere on the ground and began speaking.
"Hello, Yuna," Braska greeted. "I hope you are well. I wonder how old you are, now that you're watching this sphere. You must be very beautiful, like your mother. I wish I could see you."
Braska turned towards Jecht and Auron in the background, shook his head amusedly, then turned back.
"Oh, by the way…" he continued, "Jecht and Auron send their regards. So far, our journey has been very entertaining. Of course, it is a hard journey, but I have no regrets. It is the path I have chosen. Yuna, when you have grown, you will have to find your own path. Do what you must do, the way you want to do it. Doors will always open themselves to those who do. Listen close, Yuna. Your future is yours to make. Live the way you want to. Whatever way that may be, you have your father's full support. Yuna, I will always be with you."
Braska then switched off the sphere, gazed at it for a moment, and then made his way to the headstone where Jecht and Auron waited.
"Are… you ready?" Auron asked.
Braska nodded.
"Let's go."
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Nearing the summit, the three of them soon met a familiar young man, resting beside another disheartening monument.
"Lord Braska!" Gordan greeted and stood up. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Looks like you and Eidel outpaced us again," Braska noted with a smile.
"Where is she?" Auron inquired.
"Scouting the area," Gordan replied. "She didn't feel like resting."
"She left you alone?" Auron asked sternly.
"Hey, I'm guarding her just as much as she's guarding me!" Gordan snapped in a slightly offended tone.
"So why aren't you with her?" Braska pointed out.
"…I guess you're right," Gordan responded quietly as he saw the fellow summoner's point.
"It's dangerous to be alone. There are fiends about, and…"
A moment of silence passed as Braska hesitated to finish his sentence.
"…Lady Indira… right?" Gordan guessed.
The men were silent.
"She was the one who tricked us into trying to kill you, so it wasn't hard to connect the dots," Gordan explained.
"…I'm sorry," Braska said. "You regarded her as a hero, didn't you?"
"Yeah… and to be honest, I still do," Gordan responded with a shy smile. "Though I never saw Lord Ohalland's Calm, many people did and it brought them happiness. And she was the one who made it happen, along with her two companions."
Auron laughed.
"I wish I could think like you."
"Yeah Gordan, you may be a tad too forgiving."
The men turned their heads to see Eidel returning from scouting.
"Sorry guys," she said to Braska, Jecht and Auron, "there's no way you'll reach Zanarkand before we do."
"…Looks like it," Braska admitted.
"We heard Sin attacked Bevelle," she then changed the subject.
"I'm almost glad I'll never see the city again," Gordan sighed. "I can preserve my beautiful memory of it."
Eidel nodded in agreement, and a moment of silence passed between the five travelers.
"We really should be going," Eidel finally said. "Farewell, Lord Braska, Sir Auron, Sir Jecht."
"Enjoy the Calm-soon-to-come!" Gordan wished.
Watching their young competition set off, Braska gave a deep sigh.
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Upon arriving on the summit, the three of them were abruptly attacked by a large, dragon-like fiend.
"Gah!" Jecht grunted. "She's not givin' up, is she?"
"Actually," Braska said, "this might be one of the guardian beasts sent to us by Lady Yunalesca."
"Lady Who?"
"We'll tell you once this is over!" Auron promised.
Having grown stronger in body and soul on their challenging journey, the men were able to take down the Sanctuary Keeper fairly quickly.
"So… Lady Who-You-Say-Again?" Jecht asked afterward.
"Lady Yunalesca," Braska repeated. "She was the first person to defeat Sin, almost a thousand years ago."
"Uhh… she's still alive?"
"…She is an unsent," Auron clarified.
"…Oh."
"She has since lived in Zanarkand, welcoming summoners who complete their pilgrimage," Braska continued.
"How do you know if you've never been to Zanarkand?" Jecht asked.
"Lady Indira used to tell lots of stories about Zanarkand back in the day," Auron explained. "Even if she would conceal some things, like whatever happened to Sir Corentin."
"…Well, now we know," Braska said.
"Oh come on, Braska!" Jecht was quick to protest. "You can't seriously…!"
"I have to take Jecht's side on this one, my lord," Auron backed him up. "That woman is delusional and her claims were absurd."
"Absurd like Jecht's claims about Zanarkand?" Braska shot back, well aware that Auron had long since ceased to doubt his fellow guardian.
"But… Lord Braska…"
"Let me guess," Jecht laughed, "we have to keep an open mind, right?"
Braska only smiled in answer.
Jecht snorted. "I hear ya."
The guardian's mind quickly wandered elsewhere, and after a while he mused aloud, "Yunalesca… Is that how you came up with Yuna? You're not hoping that she'll become a summoner, are ya?"
"No…" Braska responded. "I simply thought that Yuna sounded beautiful."
After a pause, the summoner inquired in turn, "So what about you, Jecht? Any hopes for your son's future?"
Jecht snorted.
"I just hope he'll stop crying and man up. Guess I can't really stop him from becoming a blitzer either. He's free to do what he wants… but…"
"…But what?"
"…I guess if he somehow found his way here, to Spira," Jecht pondered pensively, "…he could see life for what it really is, y'know?"
"…And… he could see you?"
Jecht was silent for a while, then raised his eyes from the snow to meet Braska's.
"I'm not going home, Braska. Whatever awaits on the other side of this mountain… it's not my Zanarkand. He won't be there. She won't be there. The only chance I'll ever see him again is if he comes here."
He then looked away again, letting out a small laughter.
"…Not like he'd ever go to find me. Little runt hates my guts."