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occasionee
Chapter 12
With heavy hearts, Braska and Auron left the ruins of Zanarkand to silently ascend their way back to the top of Mt. Gagazet.
"My lord…" Auron then began. "What if this was a huge mistake? What if your Calm only lasts for a few days, and another nineteen years pass before anyone is able to defeat Sin again? What if… what if your daughter becomes a summoner?"
Braska was silent for a while before responding, as if he genuinely needed to consider his answer first.
"…Then please, guard her."
"What?"
"If Yuna wants to become a summoner… please guard her, Auron."
Once again, the summoner's response took Auron by surprise.
"Promise me you will guard her," Braska repeated with a hard look in his eyes.
"…I… I promise," the guardian finally swore.
Another long while of silence passed by, and the two travelers were almost halfway into the last upward slope before Auron again voiced what they both had been thinking the whole time.
"Jecht…"
"…Hm," Braska mumbled in agreement, "I miss him too."
"I'm… I'm glad I met him," Auron said quietly. "And… I'm looking forward to meeting his son."
"You'll think of a way to go to his Zanarkand?"
"…Yes. After I've taken Yuna to Besaid… I'm going to find my way there. I'm going to find it, no matter what."
"Will you ever come back?"
"Who knows… I might grow quite fond of a world without Yevon and pompous priests," Auron attempted a joke in the face of the grim atmosphere, which Braska rewarded with a genuine laughter.
"Thank you for everything, Auron."
Auron nodded.
"My lord."
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"…I wonder if Sin truly is eternal," Braska mused still later on, as they already neared the mountain trail leading down to the green plains of the Calm Lands.
"Hm," Auron could only respond.
"If there was another way to defeat it… what would it be? Would it finally break the cycle of a thousand years?"
"…They say that once we've atoned for our past mistakes… Sin will be gone," Auron stated the popular opinion.
"Yes… it's a fascinating thought, for sure," Braska admitted.
"You don't believe it?"
"…I wish I could have that much faith in the people of Spira."
"…Unattainable purity," Auron mused. "You may be right."
"But that doesn't mean I don't believe Sin will be gone one day," Braska continued. "There is surely a way to vanquish it for good… but as Jecht said, this is the only way we have now. People have waited for the Calm too long."
He turned to face Auron.
"It's time we rewarded that wait."
Auron looked away, but nodded in mild agreement.
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On arriving in the Calm Lands at long last, the men could already see Sin in the horizon, flying on its enormous white wings towards them.
Soon, they also discerned another figure, approaching them on foot through the morning fog. None other than Lady Indira.
"Summoner Braska," the woman greeted. "I see you're as vile and cold-blooded as your predecessor. Sacrificing Sir Jecht without a second thought."
Auron drew his sword at once.
"Watch it."
"It's a pity his sacrifice should be for nothing," Indira continued, hardly alarmed by the gesture. "You will never defeat Sin. You will never, never lay a finger on my Corentin."
"…Lady Indira," Braska began. "Throughout the centuries, Sin has always come here to fight summoners voluntarily. Why would it appear every time without fail… if not out of desire to be defeated?"
"…Why would it fight back, if not out of desire to live?" Indira countered.
"Because it is programmed to destroy," Auron replied. "It's the only thing it knows."
"…It cannot love," Braska added.
"But you can," Auron said. "If Sin truly is Sir Corentin… if it is truly your fiancé… you should let him rest. He has been Sin longer than anyone else before him. He must be tired."
"Sin will eventually turn against you, Lady Indira," Braska took over. "It protects no one. It only destroys."
"…And this is the fate you wish for Sir Jecht?" Indira asked quietly.
This silenced the two men for a moment.
"You believe me now, don't you?" Indira continued. "Sin truly is my fiancé. Every Final Aeon becomes a new Sin once the Calm ends. You know it now, don't you? Sir Jecht will be no exception. He will lead a wretched life of chaos, havoc and destruction. Sir Jecht the guardian of Braska will be celebrated as a hero… but the new Sin will be hated and fought against. Wouldn't you much rather have a stranger live that miserable life than your dear friend?"
Braska and Auron stared at her. The maestress's argument was highly contradictory, given her apparent love for her fiancé. Clearly she was only trying to sway their resolve, not voicing her own beliefs.
However, she was right about one thing.
They knew it now.
They believed her.
"…This is not just about Jecht," Braska stated as confidently as he could. "It's about all the people of Spira. They have longed for the Calm for nineteen years. Jecht chose this path, just as I chose mine. And we're not going to turn back."
"And how about you, Sir Auron?" Indira turned to the remaining guardian. "Is this what you wanted? Lord Braska will have soon departed to the Farplane, and the next time you see Sir Jecht, he will be Sin. And you will be all alone… regretting their sacrifices."
"…No. This is not what I wanted," Auron replied. "But what you're trying to do is not what I want, either. And even if I'm going to regret their deaths… I'm not going to regret yours."
"…I see," Indira said coolly, slowly starting to change form. "Be glad I'm sparing you from that pitiful fate."
The twisted maestress was now more determined than ever to eliminate her adversaries, who were but steps away from reaching their goal and challenging her fiancé to a battle to the death. No longer accompanied by Jecht, the two men were compelled to fight with greater fortitude as well.
Before long, however, they were faced with the same dilemma as the two previous times – neither party had what it took to defeat the other.
"See? You cannot kill me," Indira gloated. "And you will never kill him. It is meaningless to try!"
Sin had now landed from the sky, and its human fiancée hurried to greet it with a stroke on the forehead.
"You're safe, my love. You will be safe forever. Now, kill these petty beings. We wouldn't want them to disturb our eternal life."
However, much to the shock of the beautiful maestress, the monster instantly turned on her instead, starting to charge a powerful gravity spell.
"…C-Corentin, stop!" Indira cried in panic and surprise. "I know… I know you wouldn't hurt me."
Sin continued to charge the spell, oblivious to her pleading words.
"Corentin… it's me, Indira," she spluttered chokily. "Don't you know me anymore? I've protected you all these years. We shall live on forever, together. We shall have everything we were promised."
Now seconds away from firing the spell, Sin gave a wail, and Indira could no longer hide her desperation.
"Corentin…! Don't you remember anymore…?"
With a short, strident shriek, Sin fired the spell. Braska and Auron instinctively turned away at the mere noise of it, protecting their heads with their arms. Indira screamed in pain as the power wave hit her, bringing her to the ground with a thud.
Braska and Auron ran over to her rapidly fading form.
"…You win, Lord Braska," she chuckled weakly. "Please… release my Corentin from this dismal life. Perhaps in the Farplane… we can finally find that eternal happiness I always sought."
"…He'll be right behind you," Braska promised.
"…Thank you," Indira whispered contently as she closed her eyes and drew her last breath. The pyreflies left the maestress's body, and she serenely dissolved into the air.
Sin had now become aware of its potential challenger in the close proximity, and gave a long, sharp wail, as if to signal it was ready for the battle. Braska stood up calmly and raised his staff to summon his Final Aeon.
"Lord Braska, wait!" Auron stopped him. "Are you really going to go through with this? Jecht will become Sin! You're going to die, and never see your daughter again!"
Braska turned his head slightly, then silently lowered the staff for a moment. Then he stepped a little closer to the guardian and spoke as calmly as ever, "The night before I left on this journey… I went to the Chamber to speak with the Fayth, as I had done many times before."
"Speak… with the Fayth?" Auron echoed.
"…Yes," Braska replied. "…Three years ago, after Shayna passed away, was when I first started considering becoming a summoner. I soon decided against it, as I didn't want to leave Yuna alone. However, I always felt uneasy about that choice, so I went to the Fayth and asked him if the road to Zanarkand was mine to walk down. He told me to hesitate no more and begin my training immediately. Three months later, on the day that I received my first aeon… he told me to wait exactly three years before leaving on my pilgrimage. I was happy, of course, to have three more years to live and watch my daughter grow. I never did wonder why it was so important to leave exactly three years later from that day… but when I met Jecht, I understood."
Auron stared at him in confusion.
Braska looked down, then up again. "I didn't want to say it in his presence, but… Auron, his coming to Spira was no coincidence. He was meant to leave with us on this journey. This was all meant to happen."
"And… he was meant to become Sin?" Auron muttered in response.
Braska shook his head, "That, I don't know. All I know is that I have done the Fayth's will. Something may be about to change, Auron. But we will never know, unless I fight Sin now."
Auron still seemed reluctant, but somewhat convinced.
"…Very well, my lord."
"Oh, and Auron?"
"My lord?"
"Call me your 'lord' no more," the summoner requested plainly, "It pains me to have you address me that way. We are equals, are we not?"
Auron stared at him in surprise.
"Please… call me Braska."
The guardian finally gave a distracted nod.
"…Alright… Braska."
Sin was now moments away from launching its first attack, and Braska turned away from Auron with his staff raised once more.
"Stand back, Auron," he commanded.
Auron reluctantly obeyed as Braska called forth his Final Aeon - Jecht's new, monstrous form. It descended from between the clouds in one swift sweep of a flight, landing on the earth with a great jolt.
Auron stared at the aeon in utter shock.
"J-Jecht?"
Hearing his name, Jecht turned to face his companion with a vacant stare. The aeon then promptly turned back to Sin, fending off its first attack with a mere raise of his arm. The battle had begun.
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At Braska's command, the Final Aeon delivered the final blow. Sin gave one last shriek as it began to disintegrate, the pyreflies departing from its massive body in bundles of bright light. The monster then fell to its side, shaking the ground all the way to Mt. Gagazet, and vanished into the air as the last of the pyreflies left it.
Along with the pyreflies, something else also emerged from Sin: a small, purple creature resembling a tick. The creature was gone as quickly as it had come however, as it immediately flew into the Final Aeon, prompting a growl of anguish from the beast. The aeon appeared to struggle for a moment, but then began to change in colour and expression, as if having fallen into the possession of another being entirely.
The aeon then turned around to face the summoner that had once commanded it, now kneeling on the ground with the support of his staff, exhausted by the battle.
The summoner looked up, knowing what was to follow. A slight smile formed on his sweating face. The Final Aeon raised its blade, preparing to deal another fatal blow.
"Braskaaaaaaa!"
The Final Aeon landed the strike, bringing about an enormous blast, and Braska was flung against the ground headfirst. The Final Aeon began to shrink immediately after, slowly reverting back to its human form.
Stunned, panicked and scarcely comprehending what had happened, Auron stumbled his way to his two companions. Pyreflies were already flying out of their bodies.
"Braska! Braska!" Auron cried, lifting him up from the ground by the shoulders. "No… please don't die!"
He panickedly turned to the other body beside him, "Jecht! Open your eyes! Wake up!"
But there was no response from either.
"No… no…" Auron groaned, gazing into the ashen face of the lifeless summoner in his arms. This had happened before. Twice. Suddenly that day on Mushroom Rock flashed before him, when they had found the summoner lying beside the elevator after Sin's attack. As did the moment when he had cut the ropes on Braska's wrists in the crumbling Bevelle Temple prison, grabbed his shoulders and shouted out his name.
Both times, the summoner had opened his eyes. Surely he would do so now, too.
Only he didn't.
"…Braska…"
Braska's body vanished from Auron's shaking arms as the last few pyreflies left him, the content look unmistakable on the High Summoner's face. Unmistakable to anyone but his remaining guardian.
"No! Braska!"
Jecht's body also began to vanish, but as the last pyreflies left him, a puff of something resembling black smoke also came out, and he let out a quiet groan.
Auron gasped quietly. So he truly wasn't as dead as Braska was.
Only that didn't matter. They were both gone. He was now alone, just as Indira had predicted.
"No…" he whispered. "This cannot be the only way to defeat Sin… it just can't! She tricked him! Yunalesca tricked them both!"
With one swift, angry motion, Auron stood up, clenching his fists in fury.
"I won't let her get away with this. I'll avenge them if it's the last thing I do!"
With that, Auron immediately set out towards Mt. Gagazet, literally pushing every fiend and other obstacle out of the way.
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Arriving back in Zanarkand, Auronwhisked the specters of Ohalland, Indira and Corentin away with his hand. Hours after hours had passed since his departure, but rather than feeling fatigued, the guardian only seemed to grow more and more infuriated.
Reaching the Dome, he navigated his way through the Trials into the hall where they had first met Yunalesca. There he finally stopped to pant for a while, not having rested once since leaving the Calm Lands.
He then took the stairs up and marched through the door to the roof. There he found Yunalesca standing her back towards Auron, gazing off into the starry sky.
"Spira's terror has been vanquished once more," she whispered. "Tonight, she will sleep without fear."
"…But at what cost?" Auron muttered bitterly.
Yunalesca turned to face him.
"Why did you come back, Sir Auron?"
"There's something I need to know," he stated firmly. "Answer me without riddles."
Yunalesca didn't respond, but seemed to have no objections.
"...Is Sin eternal?" Auron then blurted out the question.
Yunalesca was silent for a fair while before answering.
"Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never-ending."
Auron gave a quiet gasp at the dispreferred answer, then lowered his eyes, now visibly growing angrier.
"…This… this cannot be. There has to be a way we can be freed of it for good! It's in the teachings! It is what people have put their hope in for a thousand years!"
"Hope is… comforting," Yunalesca stated calmly. "It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might be."
"No!" Auron cried in anger, brandishing his sword against Yunalesca. "Where is the sense in all this? Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"
"They chose to die… because they had hope."
That was the last straw. With a great yell, Auron raised his sword and charged towards the High Summoner, who wasted no time in lifting her hand to repel his attack. With this serene motion, she stripped him of his sword at once, and he flew back, landing directly on his neck, bouncing off of the floor and making the same agonizing landing again. A sharp upward edge on the floor stone caught in his eye, ripping open the entire right half of his face, as the rest of his body followed his head.
But it was too late to feel the pain.
Yunalesca watched for a moment as the pyreflies left the guardian's body one by one, but soon grew tired and disappeared into the heavens.
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Hours later, Auron opened his eyes, his body hurting all over. His right eye was bleeding profusely, and as he raised his hand to block the stream, he winced at the pain of merely moving his arm.
"No…! I can't die now… I have to keep my promise to Braska… and Jecht…"
Auron began to stagger out of the Dome, unable to even stand straight. His vision was hazy from the loss of his right eye, and his head felt light and heavy as lead at the same time.
Suddenly, he seemed to discern a familiar character before him, but something seemed a little off. Pyreflies were flowing out of the frail old man, and his expression appeared unnatural and distorted.
"…Maester… Mika?"
"Sin… is never-ending…" Mika mumbled absently. "Its rebirth… is inevitable…"
With that, the maester ran off into the blur of the city, acknowledging Auron's presence in no way.
Deeming the encounter to have been an illusion, Auron continued to limp forward.
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By the time Auron reached the gates of Bevelle, he was already crawling. Finally, he felt the last ounce of his strength leave him, and collapsed on the ground, just outside the city.
Moments later, he could faintly hear someone approaching. A tall blue figure crouched over the barely conscious guardian, and Auron could just identify it as a young Ronso warrior with a broken horn.
Another illusion?
It mattered not. Well aware that this was his last chance, Auron gathered up his strength one last time and addressed the youth, "Listen to the wish of a man facing death…"
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That night, the city of Bevelle celebrated. Fireworks were lighting up the sky, and parades marching in honour of High Summoner Braska.
Among the crowds, a moved Adanna gazed off towards the sky, smiling and shedding tears at the same time.
"…He did it. He actually did it…"
At the marketplace, Lady Gittel accompanied Yuna through the crowd towards her house, giving a slight smile as the little girl absolutely beamed. Wherever she looked, people were praising her father, laughing at their previous doubts of him, saying what a hero he was…
"No one believed in him, but he went and brought the Calm all the same!"
"After nineteen years, no less! Who would have thought?"
"Three hoorays for High Summoner Braska!"
"Hooray, hooray, hooray!"
Yuna gave a happy chuckle to match the laughter that followed, then hurriedly chased after Lady Gittel as she opened the door of her house.
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Later that night, Yuna lay in her bed awake. Her high spirits had faded, and a lone tear oozed from the corner of her eye. Her father was dead. He was dead, and she would never see him again, ever…
After a while, she got up and wandered into the town, away from the celebrating crowds, to the bridge where she and her father had parted. She gazed off into the distance, seeing the outlying fields of the Calm Lands where High Summoner Braska had fought Sin.
Suddenly she heard soft, heavy footsteps from behind, and turned around to see the tallest, furriest and most frightening creature she had ever seen. The little girl gasped in horror.
The young Ronso warrior cleared his throat.
"Kimahri looking for the daughter of Braska."
Yuna stared at him, surprised by his deep but gentle voice.
"Kimahri looking for the daughter of Braska," Kimahri raised his voice, "by name of Yuna."
"I… I am Braska's daughter," Yuna finally spluttered in reply.
Hearing this, Kimahri marched closer, looking Yuna hard in the eye.
"Kimahri take Yuna as far from this place as Kimahri can. This is the wish of man facing death."
Yuna stared back at him, her eyes filling with salty water. Bursting into tears, she ran into Kimahri's arms, squeezing his fur with her both hands.
Kimahri held the little girl without saying a word.