Chapter 28: The End of Zanarkand… The Birth of the City of the Dead

One month flew by with me not seeing anyone and turning into a complete recluse. I spent that month either moping or letting out my frustration by pounding on a punching bag I had in my gym. All I could think about the whole time was how I was going to destroy Areth. Every time I hit the punching bag, my mind thought of that fearful face I'd seen back in Trista's home and I relished in that. He knew I was after him. For a month, I thought of nothing but reaping my revenge for killing my friends one by one. It was an odd feeling. Trista had been my first kill in vengeance. I'd never murdered someone in that particular manner before. It was always on the battlefield, in a kill or be killed situation, but her, I gave her no mercy. She was completely defenseless by the time I took her life. It wasn't to save my friends. I'd killed Trista in cold blood and I knew it… and a part of me enjoyed it. A part of me enjoyed watching her breathe her last breath. A part of me relished in her torment.

Those evil blue eyes in my dream came to haunt my thoughts once more. The dream that showed four fronts of the war: Areth, Death, Zanarkand, and my friends. Areth was still out there, probably scheming even worse things to come. Areth… he had done so much just to get even with me. Ever since that blitzball championship so many months ago, he'd been after me, seeking revenge for his loss. In a way, our goals were the same. After I found out he'd betrayed us all, I wanted to see his lifeless body and his blood stain my sword for no more reason than payback for taking my friends away one by one. It was vengeance. That dream I had must have been trying to show me what path I was about to lead and I was blind to it the whole time. Unfortunately, it was far too late to undo what I'd chosen for myself.

That's when I realized that it had been a month. A month meant more than just a span of time. It meant that blitz season was starting and even though I was utterly crushed, I had a city of fans that needed this bit of entertainment from the Abes to keep their minds off of the war that wouldn't relent. A month meant that I'd run out of time. A month meant that Lenne was going to the front. If I didn't' think of something then, there would never be another chance. Areth and my revenge would have to wait. Lenne and Kirin were much more important. The blitz season would be my chance to distract Kirin from her pain like she had done for me so many years back. As for Lenne, hopefully I'd be inspired by the time the starting game of the season was done.

I left my house early the day of the Abes/Psyches game. I needed to clear my mind and let myself live again. I'd confined myself in my house for so long, sulking in losses, I'd nearly forgotten how to. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I remember how I used to do it each time I felt overwhelmed by my mother's death or dealing with people in my youth who humored themselves by calling me a "bastard" child because of it. It was something that could easily give me some hope that I'd get through this. Slowly, I walked to the pier and waited. Dawn and the sunrise that came with it always seemed to give me what I needed to deal with my problems, to deal with my pain. "Hi there…" A soft voice whispered. I turned to see her, my beautiful songstress, my love. "Lenne!" My eyes opened wide as I saw her. I'd thought she'd be on her way to Gagazet. She walked up next to me quietly and put a warm hand on my shoulder. It was then that I noticed I was a wreck. I hadn't even thought about appearances since I killed Trista to see that I never changed the bloodied outfit I was wearing that day. "What are you doing up so early?" Lenne asked, causing me to return my attention to her. I hadn't noticed then because I was preoccupied, but she was up rather early herself. Something must have been on her mind, too. "I'm waiting for the sunrise. I used to do it a lot when I was still getting over my mom's death. It really helps your spirit." I told her. "Can a sunrise do that much?" She asked. I looked at her and smiled, "Picture this… The city lights go out one by one. The stars fade. Then, the horizon glows, almost like it's on fire; first in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter until everything glows. It's really pretty." Lenne smiled warmly, putting both her hands on my chest and looking up into my eyes, "It must be…" I smiled back at her and pulled her into my embrace, knowing that soon, she'd be on her way to an imminent demise.

The sun rose and we watched it together, sitting on the pier and leaning against one another. I never wanted the moment to end, but I knew that it would have to. I couldn't be selfish. I couldn't force Lenne to stay. In my heart, I knew she was doing the right thing by going. If anything, the summoners could hold off Bevelle's machina for as long as they could. It was better than hiding, better than being a coward. I always wanted to protect my friends and keep them from harm. It would be wrong of me not to understand that Lenne wanted that, too. "So when are you going to the front?" I asked when the sun shined brightly to bring forth the morning. "Tonight… Yu Yevon said that the summoners had to show exactly a month from that day, remember? I got that message in the evening." She said, her voice quivering, probably from fear. I pulled her closer and she hugged me, "I'll find a way, Lenne. I'll keep you safe no matter what. I won't let you die." We spent a few more minutes silently and then departed, in all likelihood, never to see each other again.

I still didn't want to face any of my friends, especially not Kirin, so I spent the day like I had the month, beating my punching bag to a pulp. Takuma was right about one thing, though. I was thinking too much about the people of Zanarkand, about everybody else but myself. Then again, that's what being human is about. He was an unsent; what could he possibly feel about the living? Even if he was right and I shouldn't make everybody's losses mine, how could I not? Bevelle was everybody's problem and that meant I was doing the right thing, wasn't I? I just couldn't shake that one thing he said to me: "The world weeps and you try to absorb its pain." I knew I was doing myself in, but what choice did I have? I knew how badly it hurt when my mother died. Did I want to just let other people feel the same hurt that I did? Wouldn't the right thing, the human thing, be to put an end to suffering? If I failed to protect my friends from being hurt, wasn't it right to share the burden, to feel the guilt of failure? Kirin had helped me deal with my loss and I repaid her by costing both Damusa and Jurama's lives. It was my fault that they'd been killed and who really suffers for it if not Kirin. It was only fair that I feel miserable, too.

The day passed pretty quickly and I still hadn't thought of a solution to end all of the casualties, to end the suffering. I went on my way to the blitz stadium to get through with the game, trying to be as happy as I could be. It was all I could do to keep the spirit of Zanarkand high. I'd failed Kirin; the least I could do was help everyone else. "Can you sign this?" A kid asked me while I made my way to a crowd of cheerful fans. Nodding, I took the blitz ball and pen and signed "my" name. Another kid came up right after, followed by a third. When I was done with them, two girls came up to me, holding blitz balls near their face while desperately holding in their excitement at being so close to the Blitz Ace. "Can I have your autograph?" One of the girls said, her voice coming out a little awkwardly. No doubt she was holding back a scream. I'd received plenty of screams and squeals and even a few fainting incidents from fangirls throughout my career. "Sure." I said smoothly, taking the ball and spinning it on my finger to make them both wow. It had become second nature to me to do a little flirting in front of girls to meet their expectations and to keep up the Tidus appearance. I signed the balls and continued my act, "If I score tonight, I'll do this." I held out my hands making right angles with my index finger and thumb. "This'll mean it was for you." I said with my classic smile. Both of the girls giggled and did that hiding their face with a blitz ball thing again. I didn't know how I could flirt so easily when my heart was still thinking about the songstress that I'd soon lose, but I just did. I asked them where their seats were and remembered what part of the stadium that was in before nodding and trying to move on. "One, two, three… TEACH US HOW TO BLITZ!" The kids shouted in sync. "Um, tonight? Well…" I started to say, not really in the mood to play with kids since I felt so sour. "Please!" They all chanted together, looking at me with those innocent eyes that I just couldn't refuse. I still didn't want to think about doing anything that night after the game so I decided to make a compromise. "I can't tonight, but how about tomorrow?" I asked. All three of them cheered and performed the little bow thing that had become the blitzball sign for victory. In my opinion, that was the dumbest looking victory sign ever, but I wasn't the one that had to do it. I walked away from the crowd moments later and turned to say, "Cheer for me!" before I continued to the stadium and see my friends for the first time since Trista and Areth betrayed us.

When I got to the locker room, the first person I saw was Kirin. I didn't know how to approach her so I just stood against a wall looking like an idiot. Obviously, she noticed and I walked over when she waved. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in so long! You didn't answer your door. Is everything alright?" She asked, almost as if nothing had happened. "Kirin… How are you? Did you… find the… I mean… I can't even say it…" I mumbled, memories of a month prior still haunting my mind. "You mean Trista's corpse? Yea, I saw that you brought it to me." She replied, knowing exactly what I was talking about. "What'd you end up doing with it?" I said lowly, not really wanting to know. She smiled a little, "You should know… I'm just not that kind of person… I took her to the cemetery. You sure made a mess of her, though." Relief hit my heart as I realized the Kirin I knew wasn't lost. I quickly hugged her close, mentally giving thanks to whatever kept Kirin from turning into a vengeful monster. "Alright, you don't have to choke me!" Kirin shouted, bringing me back to reality. I released her, looking into her eyes and finding that sweet innocent girl I once knew, still intact. "Now, are you alright? You've been so worried that you lost me that you made yourself a hermit." She joked, patting my still stained clothes. I was just glad that none of the fans had noticed the stains all over my clothing. That wouldn't have made for a very uplifting star blitzer. My guess was that the streetlights weren't bright enough for them to notice the difference between a shadow and a blood smear. "We have got to get you out of those threads. You can't be seen playing blitzball in that. What would Zanarkand think?" She said, looking over the horrendously filthy outfit I was wearing and had been wearing for the past few weeks. "Well, the only other outfit I have here is that strange one… You remember, the one Kion bought me?" I said, recalling the deformity of that bit of clothing. Kirin smiled a little and giggled somewhat, "Well, you're going to make Kion very happy today. I'm not letting you out of this locker room until you put that other stuff on and… burn this." I made a face and walked into the changing room to get on the other outfit. The reason I disliked it so much was because symmetry was a little important to me. The outfit Kion bought me had a regular length shorts leg and one that was so short, it showed part of my boxers. Something was wrong with whoever designed those pants. Not only that, the shirt's arm had a normal length T-shirt sleeve and then this long sleeve red thing that was severely out of place. Not to mention, the shirt only went down far enough to reach the middle of my chest. Then, there was the glove that went on my left hand. Not only was it bulky, it was hard to move my fingers because the material was so hard. Also, there was some kind of bracelet attached to it that really made no sense. I had no idea what Kion saw in that get up. In any case, I put it on and left the locker room.

"Ah, much better." Kirin said when she saw me. I felt ridiculous with all the unevenness of my clothes, "Kirin, I think the blood stains are making a fashion statement. I'll go back in and change again." Kirin ran over to me and halted me from making a run back into the locker room, "Nah, you look great. A little lop-sided, but great." "Hey, there's my bro. How ya doin', T? Ain't seen ya since ya ran outta Lennie's place. What happened between you two?" Rothel exclaimed, making his way to us. "A lot, believe me. It isn't the time to talk about it. I'll tell you after the game, okay?" I said, thinking back on Lenne and how she was probably at Mt. Gagazet awaiting orders. "Whoa! Like, you're so wearing that gear I got you. How's the feel man, how's the feel?" The completely stoned voice of Kion shouted from behind me as the Abes goalie and his girl friend made their way over to our little group. "Hi Kion. What's he on this time?" I said, asking Vena. The Abes' defensive player only laughed, "You know, for once, Kion's on nothing but a good mood." "Yea, nothin' like a good victory in waiting to get the blood pumpin', am I right?" He said, high as ever. "Yea, I can't wait 'til we whoop some Al Bhed ass. I don't care if they got good. I don't care 'bout Naru. I don't care 'bout Tappa. We gonna own 'em just like we own everybody else. Reignin' champs, none better, all challengers welcome, ya know?" Rothel followed up, pumping the rest of us up for yet another win. "Of course! We'll beat them, no problem." Kirin added, yet another half-hearted statement to lighten the mood and let us all focus on the game and entertaining our people. "This game's in the bag." Vena said, joining in. I shook my head and smiled at the guys. What a team… "Let's get in there and win us a blitz game." Just then, Haru finally showed up. "Haru, there you are. C'mon, the game's about to start. Can't get cold feet now." I happily said, putting an arm around the former rookie. Together, the Zanarkand Abes walked out to the arena to greet the fans and give them a show.

We entered in the same way we'd done before, the Zanarkand fans still as loud as ever. "What's our goal?" I asked again, following the old tradition. "Victory!" Everybody yelled. The guys took their spots along the rim of the arena and we waited for the Sphere Pool to form. The waves of electricity focused into one small dot in the center and exploded wowing the crowd as it had always managed to do, even after so many years. I looked into the water, my heart half lingering on the war. "Soon Lenne… I'll figure something out soon. Just keep fighting and stay with me. It'll all be behind us one day." I thought to myself before entering the Sphere Pool with my friends.

I swam to my place opposite Tappa and looked him eye to eye. He smiled at me with both respect and arrogance as most of the competition usually did. He wanted to be better than me. He thought he was better than me. However, he knew to show his rivals their due. That had been what really bothered me about Areth's smile. He didn't have the show of respect we were supposed to have for each other. He just saw me as an insect he needed to crush. The blitz ball was sent up through the water and both of us swam to grab it. This time, Tappa tried to pull in right under the ball, swiveling around me whenever I tried to knock him away. If I had to credit him on any part of his skill, it'd have to be speed. Fortunately, even with his agility on par with my own, I knew a few tricks from years of being a blitzer and years of being Jecht's son. I faked him and rammed my shoulder into him so I could get under the ball myself. I grabbed it before Tappa could reach and he had to get on the defensive quickly while I tried maneuvering around him to keep the ball. His speed was incredible. After only ten seconds of trying my hardest to get away from him, I had no choice but to pass the ball. Haru caught the ball just fine, but he was tackled in an instant. The Al Bhed weren't letting up. They really wanted to be the special team, the one and only team that gave the Abes and their ace their first ever loss. The ball traded off between players over and over, each catch followed by a tackle. Finally though, I intercepted a pass and caught it. Unfortunately, just as I was about to go on the offensive, an elbow knocked me right back into Tappa's awaiting arms. He grabbed me and I struggled to get him off, but it was no use. Tappa was hanging onto me for everything it was worth. Once again, I had no choice but to pass the ball. This time though, I sent it downward in an attempt to distract Tappa and get him to chase after the ball. To my luck, he let me go and started to swim after the prize, allowing me to get the drop on him. I corkscrewed my feet at him when he went under me for the ball and then I headed for the goal. Naru had the ball in her possession, but when she went for a pass, she took too long. Rothel knew what I was doing and within a few moments had secured the ball from Naru's pass, readying a pass of his own. There were two guys trying to block me, Tappa fast approaching. I swerved and faked, awkwardly getting past them as I ran into a third defense. He was trying to get enough space to form a coverage area around me so every advancement I'd make, he'd make a retreat. Simply said, I backed him up to the edge of the Sphere Pool without him knowing and socked him in the chest with my right elbow, sending him straight into the bleachers. With one man down, three trying to catch up, and Naru nowhere near me, their goal had been left wide open. Rothel passed me the ball, but Tappa was quickly gaining. With Naru guarding Vena, Haru almost nowhere in sight, and Rothel a fairly good distance from the goal, my options were limited. If I went for the shot, Tappa's speed might be capable of blocking. "Pass it here T!" Kirin said from above. She was completely open with not a single Psyche within coverage range so I hurled it straight up at her. Quickly, she pushed her legs in toward her chest and when the ball reached, she spring-boarded it directly into the goal. I swam up to a cheering Kirin and gave her a high-five as Kion and Vena exchanged one, as well. "So, we're going for our signature moves already I see." I said, teasing. "Meh, those Psyches think they're tough, well we'll show them one for!" She exclaimed, patting me on the chest before swimming off. The ball went up again and Tappa got to it before I could, passing it quickly to Naru before I could take it from him. Haru and Kirin swam for her and cornered her while I continued to guard Tappa. Vena was being chased by another Psyche but Kion moved in and blocked her, allowing Vena to move in behind Naru and snatch the ball while she was too busy fending off the other two. The Psyche that Kion was guarding managed to lose him and went after Vena again so she chucked the ball to Rothel who signaled for me to go for a Jecht Shot. He motioned for Kirin to go after Naru and Kion to help Vena while I moved to the center of the Sphere Pool, waiting for the pass. Tappa saw what was coming and swam after Rothel to stop him from making the pass, while Haru looked on from near the bottom of the pool. It was then that he realized his mistake. Instead of passing me the ball, Rothel hurled it up and I darted for the surface.

I broke through the water and positioned myself near the ball, starting a backflip with a sly smirk on my face. Little did I know it would be the last time I'd ever smile again. As I started to plummet, my body almost upside down, I noticed projectiles, about five of them, heading straight for the Blitz Stadium. My eyes went wide as the missiles tore through the night air, several explosions from other missiles behind them. Before I could even warn the rest, they hit and I was blown upward from the massive burst of energy from the power generator of the Sphere Pool. Every bit of the building was engulfed in flame as I felt myself thrown around the air. At last, I was pushed toward a ledge and grabbed onto it with everything I had. The tremors from the collapsing building made clinging onto the ledge difficult, but I tried my best and managed to get both hands on it. Pieces of the walls kept falling toward the ground and the ledge I was holding became unstable. With a shake, I lost my grip and fell to the ground screaming.

When the shock in my body ceased, I pushed myself off the ground and tried to stand, the entire area whirling around me. I closed my eyes and put a hand to my forehead to drown out the panicked and fearful screaming and stop the dizziness in my head. A few seconds passed and I regained my focus, looking all around me and surveying the destruction. "KIRIN!" I screamed, "Rothel! Kion, Vena!" I searched frantically for them, hoping that they were okay. A lifeless Al Bhed body, pinned by a steel pipe to some rubble didn't help to ease my nerves. I struggled with some of the debris, climbing over some and prying a few bits away to get through a wrecked hall. I'd been blown all the way near the entrance of the stadium and I'd seen many people escape so the arena might not have been hit as hard. I moved through the bleachers, most of the seats ripped off by the force of the explosions. "Rothel! C'mon, if you guys are up, say something!" I shouted again. Awkwardly, I climbed and maneuvered around huge chunks of wall until I got near the slightly flooded balcony. I looked at the water and saw a little stream of red moving toward my feet. "Kirin! C'mon, this isn't the time to joke! This isn't funny!" I said again, slowly moving through the water as the red started getting thicker and darker. As I approached the ramp to the locker room area, I found Rothel lying sprawled on the floor, blood spewing out of the back of his head as his blank eyes stared at the sky. "ROTHEL!" I ran over to him and knelt down, lifting him up a little and seeing a jagged piece of the banister underneath, stained in a thick coat of crimson. Carefully, I put him down next to the slab of debris and shook him gently, "Wake up. Rothel, I know you can hear me… I said WAKE UP!" I shook harder and shouted louder, but Rothel's body remained limp and his face started looking paler while more blood dripped into the water and onto me. "ROTHEL, I SAID GET UP! I'm not taking no for an answer!" I screamed, punching him in the chest. I felt my arms shake, but I didn't care. I punched Rothel in the chest again and again, "You can't die! Do you understand me! I said, you are not dying! What about Larea? You're supposed to get married! You can't die!" I punched him again, tears flooding my eyes. I blinked them away and hit him again, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up roughly. The action snapped his neck back and closed his eyes. "NO! Don't you dare close your eyes on me! WAKE UP!" I screamed one last time before I collapsed into the water on top of him, the anguish at losing my best friend finally sinking in.

"Kirin!" I gasped, lifting my head off Rothel's chest. I had to find her. Even if Rothel was lost, there were still other people I could save. I pushed myself back to my feet and looked at my best friend's body one last time, "I'll get Bevelle for this. Don't worry Rothel… They'll pay the consequences, but right now, I have to find Kirin and the others." I looked around the rest of the balcony and found nothing but rubble so I climbed to the bottom of the wreck and continued my search from there. "Kirin? Vena, Kion! Where are you?" I walked slowly around the bottom of the stadium, calling out to my friends every now and then. Suddenly, I tripped over something and landed on some rocks. Wincing, I turned back to see what I tripped over and saw a hand. I looked over just a little to the left and saw another one, both leading to a huge boulder, blood streaming from the bottom into the water. I looked closer at the hands and realized that one had a ring on the fourth finger… Vena's engagement ring… The other hand was dully tanned like Kion's… I shook my head slightly in disbelief. They'd both been crushed under that stupid rock. In anger, I kicked the rock; a pointless move. "So you two are gone, also…" I muttered, touching the hands gently to say my goodbyes.

I quickly got up and searched for Kirin. Take away anybody and everybody else, but Kirin's been threw enough. She lost Damusa and Jurama only a month back; she shouldn't have to die like this. I roamed around the area, tripping over rocks and stumbling around carelessly, shouting out for her every once in a while. I didn't want to give up on the small chance that Kirin was just knocked out, but I knew the only real reason I wasn't killed in that blast was because I was several feet above it. I admitted to myself that the "crowd" I saw escaping from the stadium was really just a few people, maybe a dozen if I was lucky. The chances Kirin had survived were slim to none. I walked on and shouted her name one more time, before stepping into a shallow pool of water. I looked down and didn't want to see what was in front of my eyes. Lying a few feet ahead of me, surrounded in a sea of crimson, was Kirin's body… whatever was left of it. From what I could see, the lower half of her body was torn off at the waist and thrown elsewhere. When I got closer, I saw that she was also missing her left arm, the scorch marks showing that it was blown off from the missiles. As if that wasn't bad enough, half of her face was sheared off, probably from being thrown against a wall. Tears streamed down my face as I stood there, my legs trembling. I felt cold on the inside and numb in my heart. They'd taken it away… Bevelle had taken everyone I cared about away from me… "Kir… in…" I muttered, my voice raspy and weak, "What has Bevelle done to you…" I walked over to her slowly and knelt beside her, brushing a few strands of hair away. "You'll be okay, Kirin… Everything'll be fine… You're going to be with Ju and Damu and see a huge field of flowers…" I whispered, choking back more tears as I struggled with the chaos in my mind. Kirin was dead. I felt my body tremble, a mix of hate and despair boiling within my heart, "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed to the night sky above, trying desperately to force the pain out. It was all I could do to keep from losing control. Still trembling, I lost my strength and cowered, pressing my forehead up against Kirin's. "Get some rest now… I'll take you to where you wanted to go… Remember? When we were kids… you told me that you wanted to see all of Zanarkand when you leave for the Farplane…" I whispered to her closed eyes, the act done to hold back the madness growing within. "Bevelle's taken everything from me… Bevelle's taken you away… There's nothing left for me…" I strained, my voice cracking as I hugged Kirin's lifeless body. "Wait… there's still hope… I can't save you… But, Lenne's still out there. I failed you, but maybe I can still save her… I'll be back, Kirin. I promise I'll be back. I'll take you to where you can see all of Zanarkand, but first I need to try and save Lenne. Please forgive me…" I said hoarsely, kissing her on the forehead before standing up and running as fast as I could back out of the Blitz Stadium.

I ran through the street, seeing machina everywhere. I didn't care. Lenne was my goal and machina meant she'd be near. She was sent to the front to defend Zanarkand from them as futile as it was. I ran along the road, disregarding the terrified screams from my home's citizens. I reached an area where a machina had embedded itself into a nearby building. It opened up spores and fired them at the road, the projectiles transforming into smaller machina… machina that were blocking my path… "Get… out… of my way…" I growled, unsheathing my sword. Of course, these were nothing but automatons and only knew to attack, but I could care less about that. "Get OUT OF MY WAY!" I screamed, rushing to the closest one and slicing it in two. The others tried to attack me, but I cut through the ones blocking my path and kept running. I had no time to seek revenge for my friends' deaths. I had yet another loved one I needed to save and I wasn't about to put that hope in jeopardy. The machina shot more pods at me, this time surrounding me on all sides. "You do NOT want to get in my way…" I ran through the ones in front of me and spun in the air, putting large gashes into the machina and continuing to run, dashing past the exploding bodies. Suddenly, a missile hit the road on my right side and I was thrown toward the edge. Telling myself that Lenne was still out there somewhere, I forced myself, tired as I was, to get up and keep going. After another few minutes, another explosion from behind me threw me forward, landing me in a heap. I was battered and exhausted, but that didn't matter. I picked myself back up, using my sword to pull myself back to my feet. Finally, I got to a wrecked section of the road and saw machina just beyond. They spotted me and fired, but I made a quick leap and got safely over the flames. The road was destroyed, but I made it across to the other side. Seeing a few soldiers, flaunting their advantage over me, I said, "Where is she? Tell me…" I walked over hastily, sword held firmly in hand and a mad expression on my face, eyes faded to the darkest blue and bloodshot from tearing earlier. The soldiers looked at me with fear and started to back away, but I wouldn't let them live. "Tell me where the summoner is." I hissed, steadily approaching and carving marks at whoever I reached. They started to run and I gave chase. I tore through them with ease and headed for the machina, taking apart the legs to make them fall. When all the enemy forces were taken down, I searched around. "Lenne?" I called out, "Lenne, are you here?" I looked everywhere in the vicinity but there wasn't a single summoner in sight. Bevelle must have made a surprise attack. They had so many machina, they could afford an attack on the front in the Calm Lands and a side attack, striking Zanarkand directly. "Machina will be the death of us all." I groaned, falling on the ground to catch my breath. Wait! That was the solution to Zanarkand's problems. Machina; Bevelle had such a surplus, why didn't I just think of borrowing one to use for our side? I could break into Bevelle and find their biggest, their strongest machina and blow holes into their lands. Why didn't I think of it sooner? If only that idea had come into my mind a month ago, all my friends would still be alive. In anger, I punched the ground. All of their lives would have been spared had I only not been so stupid.

Of course… I would be mincemeat if I just went in alone. I could get the job done, but it would cost me my life. I'd need help. Zanarkand's safety wasn't only my concern; there was still another person who was responsible with Zanarkand's fate. I got back to my feet and ran to a place I hadn't been to in a very long while… the origin of all summoners… Yu Yevon… I found my way back to the capitol building of Zanarkand. I banged roughly on the door, my strength waning from all I'd been through in that one night. "Yes? Oh my!" Yu Yevon said when he opened the door, gawking at my disheveled state. My clothes were charred and covered in dirt and I stood awkwardly, my legs barely able to hold me up. "Who are you?" He asked. "Never mind who I am. I came here because I think I know how we can stop Bevelle once and for all." I said stressfully, gasping for breath in between words. "Oh? Well by all means, do tell." He said in a strange way, almost like he didn't want Bevelle to stop attacking. "Machina… Bevelle's got so many machina, why don't we just go in there and take one for ourselves? I can find the best one, but I'll need your help to get back out. You know spells that could protect me while I operate the machina and then you can get me out with some levitation thing or something. If we work together, we can overcome Bevelle's attack and rid Zanarkand of the threat once and for all." I told him with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. "Do not be foolish. You will never make in alive, let alone hope to steal their powerful beasts of destruction. What makes you so confident in your abilities? You are no summoner." He said with the traditional pride. "Look, I know I can make it in and I know I can get the job done. All I need is an escape route. If you won't help me, I'll just go to Bevelle myself and take them down with me." I said with exasperation in my voice. Yu Yevon approached me and put a hand on my shoulder, "I cannot allow you to destroy Bevelle." With that said, I felt my body weaken and my vision blur. The world went dark and I collapsed on the ground in front of Yu Yevon's feet.

When I awoke, I was lying in water. "Huh? Where am I?" I said aloud, getting to my feet. The first thing I noticed were the iron bars in front of me and surrounding me. "Hey!" I shouted, grabbing at the bars and trying to pull them apart. I noticed a few guards near me and quickly screamed, "What do I get arrested for! Let me go already!" They kept talking amongst themselves, occasionally glancing at me like I wasn't even there. "You hear me don't you? What would you have done if she was your girl! Who cares if I use the enemy's machina? It was the only way to save the summoner! What would YOU have done instead! Let me out of here! LET ME SEE HER!" I screamed desperately and furiously, knowing full well that she could easy have been out on the Calm Lands at that very second, hopelessly overwhelmed by Bevelle. I shook the bars and hit them over and over again. There wasn't anything else I could do. If I couldn't get out of the cell, there was no way the summoners could survive for long. It took me about ten minutes to figure out that my efforts were in vain. All I really accomplished was giving the guards a show. Zanarkand's top blitzer losing it in a jail cell, who'd have thought. I slumped back in the cell and thought about how things went this far. Kirin and Rothel and Kion and Vena and Damusa and Jurama and who knows how many more of my fellow citizens of Zanarkand paid the price for what I failed to realize. It was all my fault they died. If I'd figured out that Areth was after me from the start, he'd never have the opportunity to report our weaknesses to the enemy. If I didn't give him the benefit of the doubt, I could have saved every one of my friends and even more perhaps. Not only that… if only I hadn't been so naïve and realized Yu Yevon couldn't help us at all. What was I thinking? Zanarkand has been a city of peace and luxury for as long as I can remember. What were we to Bevelle in terms of military? I should have fought harder and longer. If I kept going, maybe we could have gotten to the head of Bevelle and made him stop his war. Well, that was a stretch, but at least things would have been better than this…

A little bit of time passed and I saw a dark figure approaching from the distance. A guard must have gotten someone after hearing me yell. It was just like my dream, but the figure couldn't have been Areth, could it? "I see you are awake." The figure said in a distinct voice, "I have another method you could undertake that would serve our purpose as well." "Yu Yevon, what are you talking about?" I said, identifying the man with a sneer. Silently, the old crone approached the cell, his eyes looking at me with an air of spite, "If I call Lenne back from the frontlines, she would be safe from Bevelle's forces." "What's the catch because I know there has to be one." I told him in a doubting tone. "Alas, you have seen through my guise. Very well, I shall tell you of a wondrous plan to be rid of Bevelle's onslaught as well as live eternally in the hearts of Spirans." He said enthusiastically. "Again… what's the catch?" I grumbled. "Yes, I lost my thought there. Forgive an old and withering man. I am not as insightful as I used to be. Well, enough of my ramblings; I must tell you your role in the grand scheme." He said, his little tale already starting to bore me. "Bevelle's machina are great, however there are creatures of magic even more powerful than all of the machina Spira could ever design. These creatures are known as Sin and Penance. However, while the beast Penance can be contained with the power of fayth, Sin is far too feral to be allowed a gain in strength for longer than one decade at a time. Therefore, I have set a method in which a summoner can defeat Sin temporarily…" "What is the CATCH?..." I growled, unbelievably peeved at his stupid tale. My plan was far less complicated than this creature of the deep crap. "Oh yes, of course. My apologies once more. You and your lady summoner will help me destroy Sin before it destroys all life on Spira. Your summoner will bring forth an Aeon that will have enough power to pierce through Sin's body." He said. "Wait… Let me get this straight. You want to make a thing that is so unstable and uncontrollable that it'll attack anything and everything on Spira. All this just to beat Bevelle? Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I think my plan was a bit better. And… you still haven't gotten to the catch." I returned. "Alas, you are far too impatient. You see, Sin is a creature that surrounds an Aeon like a shell or a barrier to the outside world. Therefore, once you and your lady have defeated the original Sin, her Aeon will become the next Sin. This unending cycle will be how we can end wars on Spira for all eternity. They will be taught to discard the luxuries of machina and live a simpler life, one that could never hope to wage war." He explained. I sighed and spoke in a frustrated tone, "What is the catch for the last time… You said you wanted Lenne to summon an Aeon. I doubt any of her Aeons could pierce something that could annihilate all life on Spira." "Of course, I don't expect any of her Aeons to wield that much power. The Aeon I am referring to is a very special breed of Aeon, different for each summoner. You see, you will be that Aeon." He stated. I looked at him with the thought that he must be completely off his rocker, "Um, if you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly a candidate for faythood…" "Oh that is but a simple matter. With my tutelage, Lady Lenne will be capable of creating her own fayth. With her impressive skill, I have no doubts that she can learn this ability without fail." He started saying, as if the ink was already dry on the contract. "So you want me to become a fayth… Do you have any idea how stupid that is? Lenne would never agree to it and neither would I. Just help me with my plan." I said. "Foolish youth! You do not understand the elements at hand. Just do as you are told. Do not question those who comprehend a great many things you cannot hope to realize." He scolded, obviously frustrated at my insubordination. It was enough to make me realize he wasn't with helping Zanarkand any longer. "I'll never help you with whatever you're planning. Leave Lenne out of this, too." I said, watching as Yu Yevon slowly turned and began to leave, "Do you hear me? If you do anything to Lenne, death will be the least of your worries." As empty of a threat as it sounded, given my present state, I meant every word. I'm not one to fail and if Yu Yevon ever called me bluff, I'd find some way to show him that I keep my promises. Even death wouldn't stop me…

"Bah, the war only drags on because Zanarkand refuses to surrender." Somebody caught my attention from outside. I looked up and strained in the dim light and saw a guard… but it wasn't a Zanarkand uniform… What were Bevelle soldiers doing in Zanarkand! "You're wrong! If you'd stop attacking, there wouldn't be a war." I shouted, putting aside my shock. He scoffed, "We're not falling for that." "Someday…" I muttered, "Your precious weapons will end up destroying you." That someday would come soon… "Bah, you stupid Zanarkand idiots. Don't you get it? You lost already. You've been losing and you'll keep losing. Your own leader already realizes that. Get over it." He said. "Imagine the woman you love… Imagine she's out there in the midst of a losing battle. Tell me you wouldn't try to hope and pray like I'm doing. Tell me you wouldn't try to save her at all costs. Tell me you wouldn't try to lie to yourself." I told him, walking toward the bars. Likewise, the guard came toward me, signaling for the others to leave, "Do you expect me to care about you or your girlfriend? Kid, grow up. Love is stupid." He came toward the bars and looked me in the eyes, failing to notice my grin. "Love might be stupid, but not as stupid as you…" I sneered and reached my arm through the bars. I swung my arm around and pinned his neck to the bars while I grabbed his gun with my other hand, "Care about my girlfriend now? I'll never let her die and this should prove my resolve." I fired a few shots into the guard's chest and dropped the gun to search for the keys. I let go of the body and unlocked my cell, sneaking toward the door. Listening, I could hear that there were at least three conversing. My sword was most likely with them and there wasn't a chance in this life that I would let them keep it. I retrieved the gun and picked up the guard's body, awkwardly walking him to the door. I opened it and threw the body out at the guards, running through and locating my sword on a counter a few feet away. The guards started to fire at me so I had to evade somewhat before getting to the counter. I grabbed my weapon and turned, deflecting a few bullets before taking off. I couldn't waste anymore time than I already had. The fact that Yu Yevon told me he could call Lenne back from the front meant he was holding the summoners off for a little while. Besides, if I wouldn't help him with his plan, he'd need some other summoner to help him. It wouldn't work in his favor to send them off to their death just yet. Lenne was safe for the moment and I had to keep a promise. I ran to a hover cruiser, still dodging shots from the guards. It was good that Rothel taught me how to activate any hover, even without a key. I got on the hover, hearing one of the guards yelling that it was his, and drove off quickly.

I reached the blitz stadium shortly after. Kirin wanted to oversee Zanarkand and I knew of only one place to take her. I found her body in the same place I'd left it, the sight still stinging my broken heart. "I'm back… just like I said I would be. Before we go, we need to clean you up. I can't let you go out looking all disheveled like that now can I." I said quietly. I didn't know if I only wanted keep myself from breaking down or if I really thought she could hear me. The fact was, I wasn't sure my mind was very clear at that point. My heart knew Kirin was gone, but somehow, my mind seemed not to understand. I picked up her body slowly and carried her to the hover. There was no side seat on this one so I had to carry her in front of me. I drove back to my house and took her inside. The both of us were covered in blood and that was not the right way to present yourself. I got rid of Kirin's tattered outfit and scrubbed the blood off her, making sure to drain the wounds that she had. Once she was all clean, I looked in my closet and found one of the dresses Lenne had left from one of her concerts. Kirin and Lenne were about the same size so the dress fit pretty well. "Okay, now that you're all cleaned up," I said to her while looking at my own stained wear, "I think I should freshen up, too." I chucked my clothes into the hamper and took a shower. When I finished, I found another of my better outfits and got it on. Looking back, all of that really wasn't necessary, but at the time, I'm sure insanity was more useful than despair. "Alright, now we gotta get you to the highest place around so you can see all of Zanarkand." I said to her, using as happy of a voice as I could muster.

I put her in the back seat of my hoverglyph and drove toward Mt. Gagazet. Lenne was on the other side of the mountain, but I didn't want her to see Kirin like she was. It was bad enough I had to endure it. Besides, I didn't want her to see me either. It would be easier to let me go if her last meeting with me was this morning. I was going through with my plan and that meant I was going to die. I carried Kirin up Gagazet when the road started looking too rough and too narrow for my hover to move through. Soon after, a group of ronso halted my progression. I stared at them with cold eyes, slowly unsheathing my sword as I held Kirin close to me, "Get in my way and you die." None of them budged so I readied myself into an attack position. "Stop!" I heard a voice roar from afar. A large white ronso approached from the distance, his green eyes looking at me with solemn compassion. "Shuyin tell Galte truth… Where is Rothel?" He asked me, already knowing what answer I'd give him. "I'm sorry Galte… Rothel's gone… Bevelle attacked the blitz stadium… I'm the only one left." I told him. The ronso roared a painful cry and punched a nearby wall, "Galte understand… Ronso let you do what you must." When he finished, all of the ronso that had been blocking my path moved to the side. I nodded to Galte and kept walking, feeling a tear slide down my cheek as I recalled the vision of my best friend's pale face. I found my way to the summit of Gagazet and looked at the ravaged city I called home. I could see some light penetrating the darkness and realized that a new day was beginning. I put Kirin next to a boulder and jabbed my sword into the ground. I used it as a shovel, prying dirt away and making a hole. Each time I drew more dirt from the ground, it became more real that Kirin was gone and I felt teardrops swell in my eyes and drop into the hole I was creating. Finally, I couldn't take anymore and, in a fit of rage, I charged my weapon and unleashed a Force Rain at the ground, finishing the hole. I turned around and stabbed the ground a few times while trying my best to hold back my anger. It took a while, but I calmed down and wiped the tears from my face. I got back to Kirin and gently placed her in the hole, saying my final goodbye before pushing the dirt back. When the task was completed, I looked at my sword. "Maybe this thing can protect you better than I did." I said lowly, stabbing the sword into the ground in front of Kirin's grave, "I love you… Be at peace… I'll be with you soon…" I started my way back down to the hover. The ronso looked at me with sympathy from where they'd been standing since before. I walked to Galte and took a deep breath to stop the chaos in my mind, "Look after her for me…" "Gagazet mountain and ronso will protect Kirin." Galte told me, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. I nodded slightly to him and walked the rest of the way to my hover.

Bevelle would fall before the next sunset. I promised myself that my friends' deaths would be avenged. I promised myself that I would save Lenne. I promised myself that when I was done with Bevelle, there wouldn't ever be a second war. My hover sped through the outskirts of the Calm Lands, picking up as much speed as I could. If there were any machina assembled, they'd never see me coming. It took about five minutes to get to Bevelle's gate. Surprisingly, there were no machina anywhere. I drove straight through the gate, skidding to stop once I was inside. Somebody was in the way, but that was taken care of quite quickly once my hover crushed him. Within Bevelle lay a powerful creature of destruction... and I'd be the one to utilize it.

"Congratulations on making it to my domain. Just one little thing: Where do you think all our forces are?" A cynical voice jeered from the shadows. "What? You think Zanarkand's summoners can't handle your machina?" I returned, trying to see if I could spot an oncoming attack. I felt a presence behind me, purposely moving close enough to tap its shoulder into my back. "You know, I don't know what's worse, the fact that you came here without your sword or that you actually think Bevelle would be dumb enough to go after your battalion of summoners first." Areth snickered, still hiding from me in the darkness. "Wait... you're going to go for Zanarkand without going through Gagazet? But then..." I began to say. This wasn't a good revelation. Somehow, they knew how to get to Zanarkand without getting past the summoners. If they had all their forces, all at full capacity, Zanarkand would be annihilated. I had to move through with my plan quickly. "Hey Areth, what are we gonna do with him? He can't even hurt us at this point." The guy behind me said, his voice somewhat familiar. I felt the tip of a blade pressed on my lower back. Areth finally stepped out of the shade, "Well, we're going to hurt him, that's what. I think after we're done neutralizing him, we should show him his beloved home in shambles. It'll be a wonderful sight before we kill him. Don't you think so, Kamil?" "Kamil?" I said, turning around, "Oh, so this is that look-alike I mistook you for way back when. Tell me... Kamil, how's the neck? I don't know how good the hospital care around here is." "You bastard…" He growled, poking me in my gut with his gunblade. "Mind getting that off me? I don't really have time to play right now." I said, staring at Kamil's eyes. It was rather impressive how much the two of them were alike. You could say they were twins, only Kamil didn't look half as pale and still had his natural brown hair. "Shuyin, you want to sound tough still? We've got you beaten. One move and Kamil can easily gut you. Not to mention, you don't even have your sword. How foolish of you. You want to come to enemy grounds completely unarmed? That isn't very wise." Areth laughed, steadily approaching. "Actually…" I replied, my mouth curling into a sly smirk, "I'm not the unarmed one around here." Without another thought, I went into a somersault, allowing Kamil's blade to slide gently down my waist. When my legs reached, I tightened them around his sword and kicked him in the face as I continued to move. The force behind my somersault sent the sword flying into the sky. I finished the flip and waited, Kamil's gunblade steadily coming within my grasp. "Now who's unarmed?" I said. Areth shot a few rounds at me with his own gunblade, but I just jumped, grabbed the other weapon, deflected, and landed safely back in the same spot. Kamil finally shook off my kick and lunged at me. "NO!" Areth screamed. Too late… I spun and slashed off Kamil's left arm, stopping him in his tracks. Taking one more glance at Areth, I smirked at him with his own vile expression before plunging the gunblade into Kamil's chest and firing three rounds.

"You'll pay for that…" Areth growled, approaching quickly. "I'll pay for killing your friend? At least I had the guts to kill him in front of you. At least I didn't have to call in the army to take him or the rest of your friends out. I'm not a coward. I'm not the one that left my love to be slaughtered." I told him, pushing Kamil's body to the ground. Areth looked at me, seething with rage, "Left her? I knew there was nothing I could do to protect her so I ran against my will. You had that stupid unsent with you and it took forever for Trista and I to get rid of him. It took so long that I lost all my friends in the process. No, I didn't abandon her. I just thought ahead. With you here in Bevelle, distracted by the machina ferociously attacking Zanarkand, I know I can kill you and get Trista her revenge." "You make it seem like you actually care about someone other than yourself. If that was the case, you'd know enough to care about the pain you cause." I returned, pointing the gunblade at him, "Do you have any idea how much suffering you've given my friends? Do you know how painful it was to see Damusa burnt to a crisp or Rothel spewing blood from the back of his head or… Kirin… You took them away from me…" "Oh? Well good. You deserve everything you get. You rub our faces with your stupid victories and all of that was accomplished with a cheap move. You…" Areth started. "Oh will you give that a rest? So you hate me for being successful in my profession. Boo hoo. You know, that kinda pales in comparison to killing…" I interrupted. Areth fired a round at me, a shot that was meant to be dodged, "Quiet! I wasn't finished. Not only do you taunt all the teams in blitzball, you had to make it out that you were the victim in the championship game." I looked at the man like he was a spoiled child, "I blocked my own move in that game. It hurt a lot. Besides, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I win the championship by stopping the Jecht Shot and that means you should kill my friends? That means you should attack my home? WHAT ON SPIRA IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" "No, that's why I despise you. I killed your friends because they are blind enough to think you're worthy of their friendship. The attack on the blitz stadium was out of revenge for killing my friends. Now, I'll kill you for what you did to my Trista." He said plainly. I shook with fury, "You're insane…" "If insanity is my price for seeing the light, so be it." He replied. "Wait… How did you even know we'd be playing tonight?" I asked, the thought occurring to me just then. How did they know to attack Zanarkand and near the blitz stadium on that night and not any other? It could have been a mere coincidence, but that wouldn't explain how Areth knew about it and that the attack would kill the Abes. "So you finally thought of it? Well, allow me to explain the workings of a genius. Do you remember how the Abes came to play on that day? I think you can recall someone scheduling it, am I right?" He said, smiling at what I failed to notice. Haru was the one that made the match. "Haru…" I mumbled. "Ah yes, a wonderful backup plan." Areth replied. I gasped. Haru was a traitor, too. He made the match between the Psyches and us just so Bevelle knew where we and a huge amount of people would be. I was played for a fool. "Oh Shuyin. How the mighty have fallen. I hoped I'd find some way to push you off your pedestal. How does it feel to be defeated?" The snake hissed. I felt my face curl into a hideous smirk, "Areth… I may be defeated… but I'd rather be defeated than have to go through what I'm going to do to you."

We stood separated by a few feet, staring holes into each other as we readied our swords. A moment later, we were dashing into one another, swords clashing as we finished a pass. I quickly turned and ran at Areth's back, making a stab. He moved right and spun, his blade coming close to my neck. I ducked and let it pass harmlessly overhead and made a backflip, swinging my sword in front. He blocked, the power behind my strike sending him back a few steps. I landed and shot a round at Areth once I turned. He ran and dodged it, circling me and firing his own shot. I merely slashed and deflected it, running to Areth and kicking him in the face. He grunted, but quickly ducked and jabbed a shoulder into my other leg, sending me crashing. I winced in pain and felt Areth's blade pressed against my neck. "Checkmate, I win." He sneered. I slid to my left as he stabbed, sweeping my leg to knock Areth to the ground. Both of us got to our feet almost simultaneously, our blades aimed at the throat of the other. I smiled and fired in sync with him. While I moved my head to the side to dodge, he moved his gunblade and used it as a shield, managing to deflect the bullet while making the motion. With his position in defense, I made my move, punching him in the gut and stabbing. Areth winced from the punch, but had enough left in him to strike my gunblade with his own, redirecting my stab in between his legs. He closed the gap and twisted his legs, pulling my shoulder and forcing me to release my weapon. Then, he swung horizontally with his own weapon, attempting to take off my head. I bent backward, my body going low enough for the blade to pass just over my chest. Using momentum, I sprung back after his miss and socked him in the jaw. He reeled, blood leaking from his mouth. He spit out a bit of it and wiped his mouth with his arm. "This is NOT over yet!" He assured, readying his blade again, this time in a stance similar to Takuma's. I watched as he sliced the air in front of him with the gunblade, writing the word "death" in red energy. When he finished, the word beat, almost as if it had a pulse. "DIE!" He screamed. Suddenly, fireballs rained from the sky, striking the ground all around me. I raised the gunblade above my head to block a few, but there were so many, I eventually got hit. "What hit me…" I groaned, trying to get back to my feet. "That's one of my techniques. I call it Doom." Areth snickered, the sound of his boots alerting me to his location. I jumped up and dodged a shot from hitting me in the face. Without a moment's pause, I lunged at him, ramming him with my shoulder and spinning to capitalize. My sword just missed him as he took a quick leapt back. Without hesitation, I made a cartwheel and flipped into the air, slamming the gunblade down at the ground. Areth held up his sword and blocked my Spin Cut, but it took a lot of effort on his part and he flinched. Using this to my advantage, I went low after my landing and swept Areth's legs, causing him to fall. Spinning, I went to slam my sword onto his body, but he managed to roll out of the way as I took out a chunk of the ground. I looked at my weapon and noticed it had a few cracks in it, no doubt starting from the Doom overdrive and then expanding from all the harsh attacks following. Areth got back to his feet and motioned for me to advance so I lunged at him. We clashed swords and I could see that his blade was damaged as well, though far less than mine. "You'll never win. I won't let you. Trista's death will be mitigated. I didn't spend months living in that cesspool of a city just to let you taste victory yet again. I will kill you." He said confidently. I huffed, "You already have… You killed my heart when you murdered Kirin. I won't let you take my soul." I backed off slightly and caused Areth to trip, his strength having been applied heavily against my sword. I jumped to the side and stabbed downward at Areth's shoulder, but he dodged and spun his leg around, kicking me hard in the chest. I flew to the ground and my back skidded me to a stop. A second later, I was dodging bullets again. When the bullets stopped coming, I searched around and found Areth back in his Takuma pose. I figured he was going to use his overdrive again so I ran as close to him as possible. After all, a shower of fireballs was only useful if the target isn't so close to you that your own attack will hurt you too. I was within a yard of him when I realized my miscalculation. Instead of writing that "death" word again, he held the sword close to himself, the blade pointing upward. "Zantetsuken!" He sliced the air in between us and created a blade of energy that could have struck me dead center, killing me on the spot. Luckily, I was running with my sword held in front so it took the brunt of the hit, cracking that much more. The overdrive was incredibly powerful and, even with the gunblade blocking, I was thrown a good thirteen feet. While cringing from the pain, I noticed Areth's presence drawing nearer. He was preparing to come in for the kill. "Time to die, Shuyin…" He said quietly, "I'll make sure to bury you next to Lenne if they ever find her body." Lenne… I couldn't give up on saving her. Areth had to pay for all he'd done and I still needed to save her. Slowly, I pulled myself back to my feet. "Still want to fight? Haven't you yet realized you've lost? Zanarkand will fall regardless of what the summoners do. When we've destroyed it, our next focus will be them. Rest assured, Shuyin, should they be able to defeat the machina we've sent already, Vegnagun will take care of it." Areth exclaimed. "Veg… na… gun?" I muttered, breathing heavily. "Vegnagun is Bevelle's most powerful machina. Vegnagun is our trump card just in case Zanarkand's pitiful forces can actually get past the standard army. As for you, you're nothing. Zanarkand's summoners are far more of a threat than you. Farewell…" He said, aiming his gunblade at me. "No… They aren't any of your concern… I AM THE TERROR OF ZANARKAND!" I roared. I ran at Areth and slashed his hand, forcing him to let go of his weapon. It hit the ground and snapped in two, most likely damaged from the power of the Zantetsuken. I slashed Areth again and again, each time in a different area. I hit him in the arms and the legs and across the chest a few times before deciding to end my attack. I jumped and slashed Areth down the middle, flipping to get the full effect. I made a backflip and slashed him again. Finally, I swiped him across the chest horizontally and turned my back to him. Above me, I saw something I never would have expected. Hanging there, right above both Areth and me was Kirin's blitz ball. I knew what I had to do. I plunged the gunblade into the ground and jumped on it, using it as a step for my leap. When I reached Kirin's blitz ball, I began a backflip, kicking it on my way around. The bladed blitz ball sped into Areth's face, embedding itself halfway in. When I landed, I reclaimed the gunblade and swung around, slicing off Areth's head. The gunblade shattered from the force of my attack, the shards of metal flying everywhere. After taking a breath, I stood and walked over to the fallen body and glared down at it. At long last, his wretched life was ended. Another vision occurred. This time, I saw myself in some complex, Lenne at my side. Suddenly, I heard gunfire and the both of us fell to the ground. The last thing I saw was Lenne's face, a tear escaping her eyes. I knew that I had no time to spare.

"Vegnagun, huh? I guess that's what I've been looking for." I said to him. After thinking about how I would locate the machina, I looked back at the body. "I'll be needing these." I said, pulling off his clothing. I put on the Bevelle gear, grunting from having to touch such filth let alone wear it. I walked over to Kamil's body after I was done and acquired a helmet from him. Chances were, the Bevelle soldiers wouldn't even realize who I was if I approached in a Bevelle outfit, stained with blood. I walked around for a little while and eventually came to a guard. "Hey, are you alright!" He asked me, quickly coming to my aid. I faked injury and groaned in pain, "No, those stupid Zanarkand bastards got me. It doesn't matter though. I'm supposed to guard Vegnagun so I should be okay. Nobody's stupid enough to steal that thing." The guard laughed, "Yea, I know. Well, here, let me take you to your post. Once you're there, you can relax." I nodded and he took me all the way to some building. We rode a seleva down into a military base under the city. Then, he walked me over to a room with tons of monitors and sat me down in front of them. "There. You're all set. If you need anymore help, you know what to do." He said, taking his leave. I breathed a deep breath and waited until he was gone. Looking over all the monitors, I noticed one was a view of some really big machina… Vegnagun…

I quickly removed Areth's clothing and Kamil's helmet and threw them aside, shuddering slightly at the thought that I had to wear them a few moments before. I stealthily navigated the halls and corridors, eventually finding the room I saw in the monitors...

I stared at Vegnagun…