Through the Calm Lands

We cleared the camp out before leaving the Woods for good, figuring out rations and how much money we had in order to last us until the next merchant. If we were lucky, we could reach the resting spot that was settled within the middle of the Calm Lands by the end of the day. I didn't think about what would happen if we were unlucky. We'd gotten this far; there was no way it could get worse for us.

For our offence we had to rely on Lulu and Yuna casting spells and basically the rest of us were going to be pulling punches until we got new weapons. I didn't feel worried about fist-fighting, that was how I fought, but it was being the main physical force that daunted me. Everyone else was strong but they used weapons. I wasn't going to back down since the others relied on me. I just had to work a bit harder.

We were at the edge of the Woods to start off with, so the trees were thinning as we headed out to a slope and path between the cliffs. What we were met with was nothing but wide open space. The sun rising in the distance began to cast light on the grass and cliffs and illuminated the place. Far off we could see a ravine splitting the field into two, the other side impossible to reach. The little resting spot was visible but small though seeing our destination was always a good sign. Seeing so much wide open space was breathtaking in its own right. It was such a beautiful place and nothing like what I had seen in Spira previously.

"We're not far now," Lulu said. "Beyond the Calm Lands is Mount Gagazet. Beyond that mountain lies Zanarkand. For us, the road ends here. No towns, no villages, only endless plains." We all stared out onto the vastness before us, knowing that Lulu was right. It was just us now, nothing else.

"Many Summoners lose their way here," Auron commented as Yuna fell back onto the grass, staring up into the almost cloudless sky. After all we'd been through, it felt apt for him to say such a thing. I doubted that Yuna's resolve had wavered any.

"I've always known where to go," she said, smiling again. None of us wanted her to die but... no there had to be a way. We weren't going to just let Yuna die for nothing. Tidus was the one to voice our thoughts and it almost like a vow with the way he said it. I think he just wanted to believe that, if he said it enough, it would come true.

It was all silence after that. We all spent time staring at the Calm Lands, knowing that this was really our final destination of the Pilgrimage. Yuna would fight Sin here with her Final Aeon if we didn't find a way to stop her. Stopping Yuna from completing her Pilgrimage, that sounded like an impossible feat. With her faith in Yevon shaken I didn't know if that would change her perspective on the Final Aeon.

"I... I think we should start moving," I said. It was a unanimous agreement and we all started to head down the slopes towards the emptiness beyond.

As much as we tried to keep the atmosphere normal it still felt tense. Tidus and Yuna took the front with Auron and Kimahri not far behind them. Lulu and Wakka were close by as Lysander and Rikku were chatting idly. Oblivion was half-talking to Lulu, half-watching for anything coming towards us, fiends or otherwise, while the final three of us, myself, Angel and Grace, hung at the back. Grace's eyes were focused, thoroughly thinking over something quietly, moving straight ahead.

"Pyre and Karma stopped their Pilgrimage here," she said. It must have been another one of those flashbacks she mentioned. "It was just them, standing where we just were, planning the trip over Gagazet until Pyre... she just turned around and said that they were going back to Bevelle," Grace looked back the way we came for a moment. "I think she was scared to leave Siren on her own... or she was too scared to die."

"So why did she become Braska's Guardian then?" I asked. Grace shook her head, unsure.

"I don't know. I only see little parts," she said, "and really I've only seen one of Pyre on Braska's Pilgrimage; the rest are on of her on her's. Braska's Pilgrimage, the one I saw, was her trying to convince Siren to not be a Summoner."

"You must wonder how much of what you're seeing is relevant?" Angel spoke up. "All these flashbacks with no pay off? The phrase 'wiser in hindsight' might be evading these visions."

"Well, they don't always have to be important," Grace replied. "If I'm connected to Pyre then... then it must just be her trying to help me understand this place, and her, and everything else. It's just another form of it. Not everything has to mean something, you know."

"You really believe that? Even with your current situation?" Angel asked, her eyes narrowing in questioning and curiosity.

"Things happen. Good or bad or indifferent, they happen. Not everything has to have some deep meaning or reasoning behind it. Sometimes they happen just because," Grace said with a small shrug. "It's just Pyre's past. It's not going to hold some magical key to understanding all of this. It's just another part of everything else but seeing her past doesn't have to mean anything other than a better understanding of her."

Angel did look confused at Grace's lack of frustration at the visions not having any relevance. She didn't give any response or argue but just kept walking with her brows furrowed and arms across her chest. She didn't say anything for the longest time, mulling over Grace's oddly rational attitude towards the visions. If I was having them I'd be confused and frustrated, not understanding why I was having them or what they were trying to say. Grace really seemed to believe that they were only flashbacks with no underlying meaning. She may very well have been right, I had never seen her visions but she had no reason to lie about them not meaning anything. If she was at ease with them then that was good.


Further into the fields we came across a machina construct with a giant fan and chest full of supplies. One Al Bhed man was standing next to it and noticed us approaching. Rikku and Lysander took charge and started speaking to him in Al Bhed while we all watched their discussion, though none of could really understand the entire thing. They were debating about something, sometimes their voices would raise or lower and the tone would turn solemn. Eventually the Al Bhed man came to an agreement with them and headed over to his chest, taking it off the construct and bringing it round to the front.

"He said we can take some weapons free of charge," Rikku said. "Though he doesn't have a lot, so I don't think we'll get everything for everyone."

"Long as we got something, ya?" Wakka responded.

The chest had very little variety in the way of weapons: swords were there but it was mostly guns. Lysander picked up a couple of handguns, looking fairly content that he had a set again, while Rikku picked up a claw weapon. Angel and Tidus were looking at the swords, both of them settling on some lightweight models; there was nothing like the swords Auron wielded. Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, and Yuna were unable to find anything suitable but magic didn't need to be channelled through staves and dolls, Kimahri was strong already as was Wakka. Grace couldn't find anything either but she was looking at the guns as was Oblivion, who picked up a rifle.

"You even know how to shoot one?" Lysander asked, checking his handguns a final time before putting them away.

"Of course I do," Oblivion answered. I noticed Grace pick up a gun as well, like a shotgun of sorts, surprising us a little.

"You know how to shoot that?" Lysander asked her. Grace frowned and carefully handled the weapon.

"No. I've never handled a gun before," she said. "But if I don't fight then all I do is dodge and make potions. So until I get a spear I'm using something else."

"Shotguns have a lot of kickback," Lysander warned. "Plus it's pretty close range so it's going to be harder for you to dodge crap." Grace sighed but kept examining the gun, frowning and putting it back before picking up a smaller gun. Lysander looked through the other weapons in the chest, "if you want I can show you how to shoot one. Hey Chris, you wanting one? You were an okay shot last time we did it."

"No thanks," I said. Grace gave another sigh and looked over to Lysander.

"So just point and shoot and we'll be fine?" She teased a little. Lysander's face furrowed in reply as Grace smiled and took the handgun. "Chill, Sandy. We should be able to reach the rest point quicker if more of us are fighting. Dryhg oui." The Al Bhed man nodded to Grace for her gratefulness, though I was a little surprised that she had learned a bit of Al Bhed.

When we had sorted ourselves again we made way to the resting point in the centre of the Calm Lands. Again it was fairly silent with our destination being in our sights, if only a small dot currently. We couldn't help but feel on edge with Yevon probably at the back of us, preparing to get us when they have the opportunity. It was a good thing that we were heading to less populated areas, though the Ronso... they were at Gagazet and fighting through them would be no small feat. Yuna was still set on getting to Zanarkand and failure wasn't an option, not for her and not for her Guardians. Zanarkand was still the end goal here and if Oblivion was telling the truth, that he would send us home after the Pilgrimage, then we really couldn't let anything get in our way.