Chapter 21: Frozen Passage
Byakko walked along the path back to Macalania Forest. Running into random fiends didn't bother him, considering he could destroy them without Tiger Fang. The warrior then saw a celestial path leading up into the trees. Out of curiosity, he followed the path into the trees and throughout the forest. The forest looked even more beautiful from that higher angle. He stopped at a fork in the path; one led to the entrance to the forest, the other to an orb carefully hidden behind several branches. Byakko walked up to the orb and touched it, hearing a voice instantly: Brave warrior, allow me to mend your broken sword…
He took out Tiger Fang and laid it in front of the orb. The broken pieces floated into the orb and were swallowed in a flash of bright light. When the light faded away, Byakko saw Tiger Fang laying in front of the orb again, completely repaired. He picked it up and sheathed it, "Thank you."
Quickly running towards Mt. Gagazet, he could hear the sounds of fighting from up ahead. As he turned the corner, he saw Kimahri fighting two larger Ronso alone. The warrior walked over to Umira, "What the heck is going on? Why isn't anyone helping Kimahri?"
"Those two are Yenke and Biran…" she said, keeping her eyes on Kimahri, "They won't let us pass until Kimahri has proven himself to them. If we interfered with the fight, we won't be allowed to pass through Mount Gagazet." Byakko growled slightly as the elder looked over at the warrior. Kimahri was a powerful warrior from what Byakko could see and what he heard from Yuna and Umira, but having to take on two Ronso warriors by himself seemed unfair. Kimahri took down one of the opposing Ronso, causing the other to become enraged. "That," Wakka said, "…can't be good."
"You can do it, Kimahri!" Yuna and Rikku yelled out, encouraging their friend. Kimahri nodded and charged Biran with all his strength, letting out a roar that could be heard echoing throughout Gagazet. Byakko fought the urge to join Kimahri in battle, now knowing of the rules of the match.
"Umira, are you sure I can't help him out whatsoever?" he asked with his hand on Tiger Fang. The summoner nodded, "All we can do is stand on the sidelines and wish him the best of luck."
"Dammit," Byakko growled, "I know he's tough… but I'm itching for a fight right now."
"Calm down, Byakko," Auron said, "You'll get your chance to fight when Kimahri wins." Byakko looked over at the elder warrior and nodded. Tidus walked over to Byakko, "You know, you're starting to remind me of Auron."
"Really?"
"Yes. You enjoy a good match, don't you?"
"Of course. Any chance to get stronger to protect Umira is a welcomed chance," Byakko said with a grin as the elder Ronso began to speak.
"Kimahri has proven himself. He and his summoner may pass through Mt. Gagazet," he said as Kimahri grinned. The silver-haired warrior walked over to Kimahri, "Good job, Kimahri." The Ronso nodded as Lulu looked up at the mountain trial.
"Many summoners and guardians have lost their lives traveling through Mt. Gagazet. Their unsent spirits became fiends, so expect a lot of company while we're traveling everyone," she said as the group began their tract up the mountain.
Umira shivered a little as Byakko wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. They ran into more graves that were left for the fallen guardians and summoners than fiends, stopping to pray at each one. "It's far too quiet here," Auron said, stopping by another grave. "Yea, it is," Byakko said, "Not even the fiends are attacking as often as Lulu mentioned."
"Something's not right…." Tidus walked ahead a little to the Save Sphere and touched it. "At least this was here. The fiends we did take on were a good challenge," he said, "Let's keep moving." As the group headed past the Save Sphere, Byakko and Kimahri both began to growl. Auron looked around.
"Everyone be on guard," he said, "We have company." They could hear what sounded like a familiar laugh before a figure that had been standing in front of them finally came into focus.
"You again, Seymour?!" Byakko yelled, drawing out Tiger Fang, "Didn't you learn your lesson in Bevelle?"
"I shall not be denied my destiny," he said, "I will have the summoner!" As Seymour began to change, Auron and Kimahri blocked Byakko's path.
"What are you two doing?!" he yelled, "Let me through!"
"Take Umira and go on ahead," Auron said, "Let us take care of him for you."
"But…"
"Protect Umira, Byakko," Kimahri said as the others stood ready to fight, "Run while you still have chance." The warrior put his sword away, grabbed Umira's hand and ran, looking back at the others for a brief moment. "Good luck, everyone," he said, softly.
Byakko and Umira traveled through the sharp, cold winds of Mount Gagazet. The young Al Bhed summoner sees what seems to be a makeshift altar. "Byakko, look at this," she said to him as she saw it. The long silver-haired guardian looks at it, nearly unaware of a Bashura coming at him from his right. Umira summoned Shiva the minute she sees the fiend. "Shiva, vanquish our enemy." Shiva quickly struck it down, which grabbed Byakko attention. As she dismissed her aeon, Byakko draws out Tiger Fang and slashes down the brute. "Thanks for the heads up, Umira," he said to her as he sheathed his weapon.
She smiled at him, causing his heart to skip a beat again. In a way, he never got tired of watching her smile. As a guardian, he must keep her safe from anything, including himself, especially after what happened when his suppressed anger was released at Bevelle when facing Seymour. They made it though the various bridges of mountain rock, through a small path with a view. I get the feeling that these Ronso will meet a horrible fate, he thought. As they went through the path, they become amazed at what is surrounding them. Both of them were fully surprised when they see what seemed to be a wall of fayth and a swirling pillar of magically enhanced water. Umira walked next to Byakko, still amazed by the sight in front of her. "Are all these…fayth?" "Looks like it." He responded as he walked toward the fayth wall, wondering what they are used for. "How can such power be controlled at this scale?" Byakko touched it and fell into a dream state. Umira rushes to her as he falls to the ground. "Byakko!!!"
Byakko woke up in what looks like a machina city. "What the hell is this place?" He walked around on a boat of some sort and goes into the door. It was a large room with items that are unfamiliar to him, things that he has never seen before. He picks up a picture of a man, a woman, and a young blonde boy until a voice called his from behind.
"Welcome, warrior, to Zanarkand." The voice came from a tan-skinned boy wearing a sleeveless purple hoodie with a picture of a strange wheel on the back. "You….you're Bahamut aren't you?" Byakko asked him. "Yes I am. I see that you remember me from Bevelle. You saw what Yevon is truly like before and soon it will end." Bahamut said to him, walking around the room. "This is Zanarkand? I thought it was nothing but ruins?" he asked, very confused.
"This is what Zanarkand looks like a thousand years ago, before the war." Both of them walked out of the room, looking the sight of the city lighting the waters around them. "Why all this? Why show me?" Byakko asked the young fayth. "Because it is not you or the summoner with you who will finally destroy Sin. You see, a thousand years ago, there were two great machina cities: Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle wanted Zanarkand to submit, but no such thing will happen. And so with its great machina, Bevelle attacked Zanarkand. Not even the summoners were a match for the weapons of Bevelle. After the attack, the remaining survivors and summoners became fayth for the great summoning."
Byakko looks at him, trying to find the answer. "I'm guessing that it's not Sin," the guardian said to him. The fayth nods and looks behind the silver-haired guardian to see someone behind him.
"Ah, Kaguya, glad you came," the fayth said. Byakko turns around to see a woman with long silver hair and bright emerald green eyes. His hands shook, his eyes wide open, and he realized who this woman is.
"M-mother, is that you?" She smiled at him and walked toward him slowly. Just as she was near him, she hugged him with such embrace, putting her head on his chest as he's a bit taller than her. She cried on his chest and said to him in an angelic voice that might rival Umira's.
"Byakko, my son, I have longed to see you." Kaguya looked at Byakko's face, seeing his facial features, "My, my. You have grown into such a wonderful young man, and a brave warrior, just like your father." Byakko was stunned just to see the one person he thought he would never see again.
"But how? …Aren't you…dead?"
"No, Byakko. I'm a fayth…the fayth of the very aeon that is within you," she said to him.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that. And you thought that he wasn't trying to be a good father, huh?" As he asked her this, her smile faded and she looked away from him, sighing, "Yes, I thought that he wouldn't take responsibility. But when I was awakened again and I felt his presence, I could tell that he wanted to take you in, but his duty as a guardian comes first." Byakko smiled a little as his mother took his hands onto her own.
"Mom, I was wondering, how is the aeon within me?" he asked her.
"You see, I became a fayth after I gave birth to you and healed. My hate and anger for Yevon bestowed my aeon with immense power. Any summoner who visited me and gained my aeon would be killed by it when they first summon it. So they put me in this place, and the aeon itself was sealed within you, as they were hoping that one day you will become the greatest and the most powerful of all maesters." He closed his eyes in disgust, "Until I found out how full of crap they are. Damn them…." But as his mother tried to comfort him, they heard a voice calling out of nowhere.
"Byakko!!"
She knew what she had to tell him from then on. "Listen my son, you and your summoner are not the ones who will defeat Sin, but a young man known to us as "The dream to end all dreams" and his summoner, as well as his friends, are the ones who will end the spiral of death."
"The dream to end all dreams?" A swarm of pyreflies reveal a young woman standing before them, calling out in a voice that is familiar to Byakko.
"Byakko! Please wake up!" He easily guessed who the voice belongs to, "Umira!" Kaguya placed her hand on her son's shoulder, making him look back at her. "Go back to her. She needs you more than you can image. But remember this: I'll always love you and I will always be in your heart, as you are still in mine, Byakko." She hugged him for one last time and then all of sudden, everything went blank and woke up to see Umira.
"Hey easy with the yelling will ya?" Byakko said in his usual goofy and optimistic tone. Umira can't help but tackle and hug him tightly, even kissed him on his lips quickly, and then let him go. "Byakko, what happened?" she asked him. Byakko stood up, patted the dust off of himself and turned back to her.
"Its like a dream of some sort. And I finally met her." She looked at him, wondering what he's taking about, "Her?"
"My mother, Umira. The fayth of the aeon within me. She told me something strange though." She smiled at him as he started to think about what his mother said. "Care to share?" she said to him. "Well, she said something about a dream to end all dreams, who happens to be a young man. Only he, his summoner, and his friends will truly defeat Sin," Byakko said thoughtfully. "Well, either way, we have to get thought the trials here," Umira looked ahead as she said that. They moved forward to confront what must be a test to see if a summoner will truly be worthy of the Final Aeon.
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A.N.: I am truly, truly sorry, everyone for keeping you waiting for this update, but since my last one, I had to deal with: two hurricanes, moving into a new house, starting school, getting a job in the medical field, beating Final Fantasy X for the first time (I cried so much watching the ending.) and then plan out moving to another city. Also, I had Byakko help me with this chapter. He wrote the last parts of it after Byakko and Umira left the others. But now, I'll add a special feature for "Follow Your Heart". If you have questions about the story (or even my life… if you care), e-mail them to me with the subject "Follow Your Heart Q&A". I might answer them on webcam. Again, sorry for the delay.