Gnothi Se Auton
-Act I-
The Trine Prophecy
A Final Fantasy IV Story
By SpacemanSpiff
Chapter XVI
The Family We Share
Scene 5 – Mysidia, Matoya's Hut
"What?" Rydia asked awkwardly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Cecil looked as though he might burst from excitement, his eyes brimming and his attempts to contain a wide, goofy grin were hardly passable. Rydia turned her eyes to Matoya, who was already shedding tears of joy, and then her breath left her lungs as Cecil wrapped his strong arms around her, lifting her from the ground in a hug of pure bliss.
"Oh, Rydia do you have any idea what this means?" Cecil cried happily as he swung her in circles, holding her closer than ever before. He finally set her down, and she wobbled a bit, slightly dizzy from the sudden rush of motion. She shook her head with a laugh.
"I'm afraid I'll need something more to go on, Cecil," Rydia replied.
"Feros…your father…" Cecil began through fits of crying laughter. "He was my brother!"
"You mean…" Rydia took a step back as the shock of this revelation finally hit her. "You mean we are…related?"
"Yes!" Cecil replied excitedly, kneeling before her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Yes, Rydia, you are my brother's daughter…my niece."
"By the goddess, Cecil, I don't know what to say," she conceded as her own eyes filled with tears of elation. Without thinking she fell back into his embrace, shutting her eyes tightly as she let the floodgates of her emotions drain onto his shoulder. They held each other for a long moment of bliss, and when the last of their tears were exchanged, they parted with smiles of awe and delight. Neither of them could have prepared for news such as this, and they both seemed somewhat awkward towards each other for a moment, as though they were meeting for the first time.
"I feel as though this changes everything and nothing at the same time," Cecil finally spoke, feeling somewhat mystified as he looked upon the niece he never knew he had.
"Deep down, I've always considered you…you and Rosa…to be my family," Rydia confessed with a smile. "Now…I don't have to imagine it anymore."
Rydia's lip quivered at the thought, as the swell overwhelmed her once more, and they shared another embrace as the warmth of the light within the room filled their souls. Their final moment only ended at the sound of armor shifting uncomfortably in the corner of the room. Cecil glanced over to see Kain peering nervously at the exit, as though he was considering an escape with the current distraction taking everyone's attention. To Cecil's surprise, Kain remained, a small gesture that felt all the more significant to him now.
"We'll have plenty of time to get reacquainted," Cecil said as he stood up. "We should not waste this precious time with mother…or should I say your grandmother?"
"I must say I am thrilled to have lived long enough to see a grandchild," Matoya said with a gleeful smile. Rydia came to her side and held her hand once more.
"And I am glad to have met you, grandmother," Rydia replied with genuine joy.
"And of course I'll need your help when I begin my search for your father, Rydia," Cecil said. The sincerity of his offer was almost as shocking as the revelation that he was alive, as she spun around once again with eyes wide and mouth dropped open.
"What do you mean?" Rydia begged. "My father died when I was a child. I was there for his funeral. I saw the villagers lower him into the ground."
"What?" Cecil was baffled. He turned to his mother as he pulled FeRosYa's crystal from beneath his tunic. "Mother, does his crystal not have a faint aura? Am I deceiving myself?"
Matoya took the crystal and examined it carefully, twisting it in her fingers. She could not deny that there was a haze of red that kissed the edges of every facet. With a cursory glance it would appear vacant, but a hint of aura was present. She shook her head after a moment, as though she could not manifest an answer to this conundrum.
"I cannot say if this is your brother's aura," Matoya began cautiously. "Or if it is simply sensing the presence of his blood in Rydia. His crystal has been hollow for many years, it would seem unlikely for him to have suddenly reappeared alive and well."
"You think it could just be reacting to Rydia?" Cecil asked, somewhat deflated. He turned to Rydia with expectation. "When did you depart the Land of the Summons?"
"It has been two weeks since I reentered this world," Rydia answered.
"Then that may explain why I was the first to notice the aura," said Cecil, his eyes cast to the crystal in his mother's hand. "You must have already been in the upperworld when I first noticed the light."
"You seem troubled by this, SeSol," Matoya noticed. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, mother, I just…" Cecil began before he realized he was not the only person whose feelings on this matter were at stake. Rydia did not seem entirely upset, as she clearly believed her father was dead, but Cecil did not want to continue pressing a theory that went against the known facts. He pushed a smile to his lips in an attempt to break the tension. "Nevermind, I have discovered a new family member today, and that is something to celebrate. Rydia, this crystal was given to your father when he was first born by my mother and father. They whispered his name until it filled with light, binding his spirit to it."
"Yes, child, as it went with HaMut before him, and SeSol after," Matoya continued. "His name, FeRosYa…it means The Phoenix, Rising to the Light."
"So my father…was a Lunarian?" Rydia asked.
"A half-blood, yes. Your mother, however, was a full-blooded Lunarian," Matoya replied with a grin. "You probably have more Lunarian blood flowing in your veins than your uncle, in fact. It is why summoning comes so naturally to you, my dear. You may even have the lifespan of a Lunarian since I believe that trait seemed to only follow maternal lineages. Your grandfather would have known, he studied those things in his spare time. Pedigrees, passing of traits across generations and whatnot. I didn't have the mind for it like he did."
"How long do Lunarians live?" Rydia queried, uncertain she was prepared for the answer.
"Oh, on the order of a thousand years or so, my dear," Matoya answered matter-of-factly, as though it wasn't something anyone should be concerned about.
"A thousand years?!" Rydia blurted out rather embarrassingly, once again suffering the shock of revelations that seemed to be doled out by the minute.
"Give or take a century," Matoya added. Cecil came to Rydia's side to calm her.
"You may end up outliving us all, Rydia," Cecil joked with a smile. She conceded with a sigh and a smile in return.
"That is not something I wish to think about right now," she replied as she rubbed her head in an attempt to hasten the processing of all this new information.
"Rydia, my dear, I want you to have this," Matoya spoke as she lifted the crystal to the green-haired summoner. "You are its rightful heir. Let it always remind you of the courage your father showed by remaining in Mist despite my objections. I now believe he made the right choice, and you are the living validation of that belief. I see his strength of will in you, my child, and like the phoenix that rises from the ashes, you were also reborn from the flames that consumed Mist. You fought for this world, despite having everything taken from you. Please take this, as a memory of your father and may it always give you the courage to rise against adversity."
"Thank you, Matoya…I mean grandmother," Rydia graciously accepted the crystal, lifting the chain over her head and lowering it until it draped the smooth skin of her neck. The crystal rested peacefully upon her chest. "It feels warm. Do you think it…knows me?"
"It is possible, although again I am not as experienced with this as your grandfather was," Matoya confessed. "You will notice that SeSol's crystal shines brightly, as it reacts to his presence. It is bound to his spirit. It is possible that you carry a piece of your father's spirit in you."
"The way you pronounce Cecil's name…is it Lunarian?" Rydia asked.
"Yes. His given name is SeSolYa, which means Sacred Son of Light," Matoya answered.
"And the name HaMut was mentioned earlier," Rydia continued to probe. "That refers to Golbez?"
"Yes," Matoya responded kindly, but with brevity.
"He apparently assumed a new name when Zemus corrupted his mind," Cecil jumped in, knowing well that it was a tender subject for his mother. He didn't want her to relive that again if he could help it. The sound of a derisive huff could be heard across the room, and everyone turned towards its source.
Kain had not expected everyone to overhear him, and now felt incredibly awkward with all eyes upon him. He brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, as though he simply had a tickle that had been bothering him before.
"And what about you, young man?" Matoya asked the brooding dragon knight, who seemed mortified to suddenly become a part of this conversation.
"What about me?" Kain responded, attempting to temper his usual curt demeanor. Lucky for him, he was a man who found it easy to respect maternal figures.
"There is no need to hide by the door, I do not bite," Matoya said with a laugh, beckoning him with a wave of her hand. Cecil smiled as he saw his friend break and begin a slow approach. Rydia tried her best to let her guard down, but she could only muster a weak grin as he stepped into the candlelight by the bed. "So how are you connected to our little family?"
"I'm afraid I do not understand the question," Kain responded. He looked to Cecil for some suggestion, but Cecil seemed just as lost as he.
"I mean where does your Lunarian blood come from? Who were your parents?"
"I'm sorry, but I believe you are mistaken," Kain replied, waving his hands somewhat frantically to wave off any ideas of him being of Lunarian descent. "I was born of parents native to Baron. I have no connection to Mist or the Lunarians."
"That is strange," Matoya responded. Her lips pursed as she studied him for a moment. "I sense a presence in you. Something very familiar. I swear it feels as though HaMut is calling to me."
The room was silent. Cecil made the connection almost as quickly as Kain did, and Rydia wasn't far behind. Matoya was the only one left out of the loop in this particular case, and Cecil took it upon himself to clear up this misunderstanding.
"Mother, my friend, Kain," Cecil began, stopping briefly to collect the most diplomatic words for what he was about to say. "HaMut used dark magic to corrupt his mind, to turn him against all of us during the war. What you are likely sensing is the imprint that HaMut left on him."
"I'm so sorry," Matoya replied earnestly, holding out her hand in offering. "I did not mean to bring up such painful memories. But may I ask you, do you still feel him? Still to this day?"
Kain did not answer at first. He looked away at the canvas wall, watched the light of the candle play with shadows in the folds of the fabric. Each crease held two faces, he noticed. Behind every soft white face, there was a cold dark shadow. A memory flashed through his mind: a howling, cold night; lightning flashes through a window of the bedroom; a frightened face appears and disappears.
Rydia watched carefully as the dragon knight considered the question before him. At first she felt a reflexive anger towards him for being so disrespectful in making Matoya wait for an answer, but when he turned back they locked eyes for a brief moment, and she saw something she had never seen in him before: fear.
"Yes," Kain responded quietly.
"So then he…" Matoya began, her eyes telling him that she knew what he had gone through, that she could feel the torture he must have endured. Her hand was still extended to him, and to Cecil and Rydia's surprise he reached out for her. When their fingers met, curled around each other, it was as if they suddenly shared their experiences, as though she had been there with him all along.
Matoya's eyes closed for a moment as she felt the spirit of HaMut reaching through to her, speaking to her, and she knew exactly what that meant. She knew the methods that HaMut had used to coerce him. She opened her eyes again and a single tear streaked down her cheek.
"I am so sorry, Kain. You have suffered more than any man should ever have to bear. What HaMut did to you…" Matoya paused as she noticed the slightest twitch of his eye on an otherwise stalwart face. "I would understand if you could never forgive him. I only hope that you find a way to release that piece of yourself, to let go of what has been done so that you may continue to do what you know in your heart is right."
"I…" Kain let out, sounding unusually frail. "It…was a pleasure to meet you, but I…" Kain stammered as he tried to control his emotions. He dropped his hands to his sides, nervously rubbing his thighs. He looked visibly shaken. "I do not wish to waste what little time you have with your son. I should go."
Without waiting for Cecil's protest, Kain turned and stepped out into the daylight, grabbing his helmet before disappearing around the corner of the receded canvas drape. Everyone sat in silence, staring at the doorway as though they expected him to come back. But he never did. Cecil worried that the man he knew may never return, that the damage to his psyche was irreparable, but he stubbornly pushed that angst aside, refusing to believe it for more than a fleeting moment.
"He needs you, SeSol," Matoya's whispered voice carried softly to his ear, turning his attention to her woeful face. She looked as though she had felt the specter of a loved one, the excitement of recognition quickly shattered by its disappearance. Cecil wondered what Golbez had done to leave the mark of his spirit on Kain, a brand that lingered for over two years. Cecil could see the pain in her eyes, and he knew that she was thinking of HaMut's turn against the family. It seemed to be its own haunting brand on her thoughts. "He needs someone that he can trust, for he clearly does not trust himself. You must be the one to show him that someone can have faith in him again, faith that he will do what is right for this world. As much envy and hatred as HaMut was able to dig out of him to turn him against you, he still cares for you and respects you a great deal. It may not be my place to tell you this, but he harbors considerations of his own self-destruction."
"You mean…some part of him wants to die?" Cecil asked with quiet alarm. "You were able to sense that just now?"
"Yes," Matoya responded worriedly. She glanced at Rydia, who was listening intently, her face also full of concern. "Though not of his own will or nature, he carries the blood of HaMut in his veins. With it he carries the fear that he will lose himself to it once more. But he cares for all of you. And he will ultimately need all of you to get through this. He has inadvertently become a part of this family, and as such he should have our support."
Rydia's eyes suddenly fell to the quilts that her hands rested upon, still kneeling at the bedside. She couldn't bear to look at her grandmother knowing the resentment she felt for Kain, and she was surprised to actually feel so ashamed of it now. She glanced back towards the doorway, replaying the dragon knight's anxious exit just moments ago.
"Could he still turn against us?" Rydia asked, turning back to Matoya with a look of serious concern. "Could Gol…I mean HaMut's blood still cause him to become evil?"
"It would not be HaMut's doing," Matoya assured her green-haired grandchild. "But left to his own devices, he may convince himself that he is filled with darkness, and he may even embrace it. If you do not wish for that to happen, then he needs to be surrounded by as many people that care for him as possible."
"He has hurt us…" Rydia began, turning her eyes to her uncle now, sadness filling her face. "…hurt you so many times before. I will not let that happen again."
"Then when he asks you for your forgiveness, and let me be clear you must wait for him to ask," Cecil started, the severity of his tone suggesting that she should take heed of this condition. "When he asks, you must be prepared to forgive him."
"How do I prepare myself for that?" Rydia whispered.
"Talk to him," was Cecil's only response.
