Chapter 29: Tainted Aeon

Auron set a glass of white liquid on the table.

Jecht leaned forward with suspicion. "What's that?"

"Shoopuff milk." Auron sat down across from him at the cafe in Luca. "Remember when you got drunk and attacked that Shoopuff at the moonflow? You swore off alcohol again and said this was the only thing you'd drink from now on. So, you made a promise, and this time you're keeping it."

"I didn't think they actually made this stuff."

"Well, they do. So, drink up."

Frowning at Auron, Jecht pulled the glass closer and sniffed it with distaste. "How about some tea instead?"

Auron smirked. "You made a promise, and you're not getting out of it."

Braska returned with a tray full of food and dispensed it between his friends and himself before sitting down, but among the items he set on the table were two more glasses of shoopuff milk.

Auron's smirk faded as Braska pushed one in front of him.

"I never made Yuna take medicine or eat something that I couldn't swallow myself," Braska announced with a grin. "I will treat my guardians with no less respect than my own flesh and blood. And this is how we can offer Jecht our support." He lifted his own glass of shoopuff milk to make a toast. "In celebration of our victory over the fiends on Mi'ihen High Road and Jecht staying sober since the Moonflow."

Jecht chuckled in low amusement at Auron's lack of enthusiasm about the drink now. Lifting his glass, he gave it a shake in front of the warrior monk's nose. "Drink up."

With a sigh, Auron reluctantly picked up his glass and clinked it against the other two.

All three men took a mouthful of their refreshment.

Auron winced at the taste and glanced at Jecht.

The blitzball player was on the verge of spitting it back out.

The two of them looked to Braska, who swallowed, but no longer seemed composed.

Auron figured that was enough to forgo his manners and set the glass back down.

Jecht coughed his mouthful back into the glass.

And Braska tried to wipe his mouth out with a napkin.

But their unanimous reactions made the lord summoner start laughing, which made his guardians laugh as well.

"That is the most god-awful stuff I ever drank!" Jecht declared.

Auron made a face. "Tastes like … thick, sour beans."

"How about some tea," Jecht suggested again, giving him a told-ya-so expression.

Braska, anxious to get the flavor out of his mouth, reached for his bowl of noodles. "Tea would be wonderful, Jecht."

The blitzball player stood, smacked the back of Auron's head for trying to make him drink the foul stuff in the first place, and headed to the counter to ask for three teas.

Braska chuckled over his noodles at the reluctant camaraderie that was growing between his two guardians and pinched half of a sliced egg between his chopsticks. "He's making progress, don't you think?"

"If you want to call a broken window, a beat-up shoopuff, and nearly getting us killed by a chocobo eater 'progress.'" Auron took a big bite from his inarizushi, glad to get the sour taste out of his mouth with something sweet.

The summoner chuckled again. "Well, Jecht seems to have taken our mission to heart now, even if he doesn't know as much about it as one would think, living in Zanarkand."

"Do you still believe him?"

"I have no reason not to until I see otherwise with my own eyes. It is strange, though. I can't help but wonder if he came to us through some sort of ... divine means."

"Jecht? Divine?" Auron snorted. "That's more than a little contradictory."

Braska smiled so that his eyes nearly squinted shut. "Is it? He knows nothing of the rest of Spira or Sin, so that makes him fearless and free in a way we can only envy. Concerning Zanarkand, he has intimate knowledge of a mystery that most of us only know through myth and legend. But more than that, he came exactly when we needed him." Braska dipped a small bunch of thinly sliced fresh vegetables in the spicy sauce pooling at the bottom of his noodles. "I feel he is a good omen. It's as if our paths were meant to cross—as if Yevon truly is looking after us."

Auron could hardly picture the great spirit of Yevon selecting someone as crass as Jecht to grace them with divine intervention. Still, he had to agree the circumstances were highly unusual.

"I can't help but wonder if the key to a future without Sin lies buried in the past. I may be leading this pilgrimage, but in truth, I feel compelled to follow him."

"No offense, but do you think that's wise, sir?"

"If we want to know how to defeat an ancient spirit, it makes sense to learn from an ancient spirit."

"If Jecht is an ancient spirit, wouldn't that make him an unsent?"

"I don't believe so. He's too real to be a ghost, and he doesn't feed on vengeance the way unsent spirits and fiends do. Quite the opposite. He enjoys laughter and fun. And so do I. And didn't I ask you to stop calling me 'sir'?" Braska mildly scolded.

"Sorry, My Lord. Old habits die hard."

The summoner laughed. "So it would seem, Auron. So, it would seem."

Jecht returned, balancing three tall glasses of ice-cold tea between his hands, and set them in the center of the table before swiping one for himself and sitting down again. He drank nearly half the glass all in one continuous gulp. "Ahhhh! Much better."

Braska swallowed a mouthful as well. "Jecht, there's a blitzball stadium near the docks here in Luca. Would you like to see a game before we depart for Kilika?"

Jecht reached into his travel bag for a new sphere. "A Luca blitzball game, huh? I just hope they're good enough that I don't have to show 'em how it's done."

))((

In Besaid Village, after Braska successfully gained Valefor's aeon, the weak summoner leaned on the warrior monk's shoulder as they left the temple and headed down the dirt road between the small huts toward the village gates. "Lord Braska, are you sure you don't want to rest in the lodge?" Auron asked.

"There's time for the lodge tonight. Right now, I want to see the beach and enjoy the sun," the tired summoner answered, wiping the heavy sweat from his brow and tugging the blue hood beneath his headdress loose. He looked as if he were going to pass out in this heat if he didn't catch a cool breeze soon.

A blitzball suddenly flew toward Braska, but Jecht was quick to catch it. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing this thing!" he fussed at a group of young boys playing in the middle of the road as they passed. "You almost hit the summoner!"

"Uh, sorry 'bout that!" The oldest boy in the group—a boy with flame-colored hair—apologized. Turning, he scowled at a younger boy who also had flame-colored hair. "Chappu, you bonehead! You almost hit a summoner!" The older boy grasped the younger one about the neck and dragged him toward Lord Braska.

"Wakka! Lemme go! It was an accident!" Chappu protested.

"It doesn't matter, ya? Dad used to say always apologize when you hurt someone, even if you didn't mean to."

"You're not Dad!" Chappu tried to escape his big brother's headlock, but when he was deposited him in front of the exhausted summoner and saw how weak he looked, he bowed in apology with his brother. "We're sorry, sir," Chappu offered in a small, sincere voice.

Braska smiled at the boys. "Quite all right. Better than breaking someone's expensive window, right? At least the ball can bounce off of me." He cast a humored glance to Jecht before allowing Auron to continue leading him toward the beach.

Jecht cleared his throat. "Well, uh, anyway, be more careful next time." He spun the ball around his wrist, volleyed the ball through a few moves, and then flicked it into the air behind his shoulder. A stupefied Wakka caught the ball, and the professional blitzball player walked away, grinning to himself at the astonished looks on the boys' faces.

))((

When they arrived on the beach, Auron released Braska so that both of them could sit down in the sand at the edge of the tide and watch the sunset on the water's horizon. Braska removed his headdress and shoes, then immediately peeled out of his heavy, formal attire, down to his light linen clothing. It was as if removing his robes of office removed the heavy burden of his pilgrimage from his shoulders for a moment.

Jecht watched the drained summoner with concern as he lay his head on the robes and closed his eyes to cool off and bask in the last of the sun's rays. This was Braska's fifth summoning, and while he claimed it had been easier than any of the rest, it was clear that each progressive summoning was requiring more magical energy than the one before it. Perhaps that was why past summoners never returned; it took too much out of them. Barefoot and wading a few steps forward into the undulating waves, the blitzball player began picking shells out of the wet sand.

))((

Copying the summoner, Auron removed his coat and boots and rolled up the cuffs of his pants in a fruitless effort to keep the sand out of his clothes. Then, he pushed his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose and pulled a sphere from his pocket. "Where should we tuck this one for safekeeping?"

Braska looked at it for a long moment before deciding. "Near the temple. I'm sure that will be an easy place for you to find it when you return with Yuna." His gaze returned to the ocean, where Jecht was skipping shells across the water. "This is a much more peaceful place than Bevelle. It suits her quiet nature, so I know she'll like living here. And the children are nice, so maybe she'll make some good friends. It sounded as if those two boys lost their father, so Sin must have already struck here. It looks like the island has had a little time to rebuild." Braska shook his head at the tragedy. "Too many lost fathers and mothers taken, while another generation of children is left to raise themselves. If I needed anything else to remind me why we're doing this … this is it."

Jecht brushed the clumps of sand from a shell he was fingering. Then, he pitched it beyond the tide and watched it skip three times. Each time the shell touched the water, it forced the surface to bend and ripple. The blitzball pro was in his element here, and yet he was gazing forlornly at the surf rather than diving into it.

"You're uncharacteristically quiet this evening, Jecht," Braska commented, breaking the silence.

"Just thinking." He pitched another shell and watched the ripples skid across the surface again.

"About what?"

Jecht pinched the remaining shell in his hand and studied it. "Sin brought me here. Sin may be the only way for me to go back. Maybe I have to touch it again."

Auron shook his head and rubbed a hand over a taught, sore arm muscle. "Sin's toxin is too dangerous, never mind the danger of getting close enough to touch it."

"I don't see that I have any other choice. But even if I do find a way back, Zanarkand is doomed. If Sin doesn't get it, the war will. Going home to tell my wife and kid that the city's going to be blown to ruins ... That's not much of a homecoming, you know?"

Braska sat upright, concerned. "Don't tell me you're giving up on going home. You're not giving up on your family, are you?"

Jecht pitched the shell, watched it skip, and then faced them. "No, but if I use Sin to go home … maybe I could grab my wife and kid and bring them here. It might not save them from Sin, but it will at least save them from the war. I think they'd like this place. Well, parts of it anyway. My wife would enjoy shopping in Luca, and my boy would probably love to kick a ball around on this beach and ride a shoopuff. When we find Sin again, do you guys think you could delay killing it until I can get them out?"

Braska sympathized but shook his head. "If Sin strikes down the Final Aeon because we're holding back, we may lose our only chance at defeating it. If the Final Aeon gets banished, I can't summon it again until it has rested. It's a one-time shot. I'm sorry, Jecht."

Jecht nodded at that logic. "Yeah. Stupid idea, I guess."

"Nothing stupid about it," Braska countered, despite having to turn it down. After a moment of thought, he draped an elbow over one knee. "I believe you should try it. I'm just not sure I can compromise the Final Aeon for one family, knowing all of Spira is at stake."

"Understood." Jecht picked up and skipped one final shell. This one promptly sank.

))((

"Still watching Jecht, I see?" Valefor sat down beside Bahamut in the sand.

Bahamut tried to dig into the sand between them, but his fingers made no contact. "Braska has all the main temples' aeons now. All he has left to find are the hidden ones. There's just one thing that concerns me. Jecht wants to touch Sin again to go home. And Braska is encouraging him to try it."

"You can't blame Jecht for wanting to go home."

"No, but if Jecht goes home, and Braska chooses Auron as his Final Aeon, this will all have been in vain. Braska has known Auron longer, so his bond with him is stronger, and Auron is more likely to volunteer. Maybe I should talk to Braska and let him know his hunch about Jecht being a divine summoning was correct, so he'll pick him."

"No. Remember what Shiva said? We can't force Braska to pick Jecht, and we can't force Jecht to volunteer. Our Fayth must be a willing servant of the summoner, just like us. We can't risk tainting the sacrifice with any negative emotions. Yevon's hate is strong enough to conjure Sin without us giving him an aeon already tainted with revenge."

Bahamut frowned as he watched the three men, each immersed in his own private thoughts while watching the sunset. The way Braska leaned on Auron while coming out of the temple, the boy couldn't help but fear that the summoner's close friendship with the warrior monk might ruin everything.

))((

As Braska's party passed the wall of the Fayth Scar on their way into Zanarkand, they paused to marvel at the morbid wonder. Jecht reached to touch the glowing magic, but Braska caught his hand. "It is probably not wise to disturb the Fayth."

"What happened to them?" Jecht asked.

"Like all Fayth, they gave their lives to save others."

"But … what's that magic streaming out of them into the sky?"

"It looks like they're summoning something," Braska suggested, but was just as puzzled as Jecht. "What could they be summoning?"

Auron absently thumbed the slight beard growth under his chin. "The Final Aeon?"

Braska shook his head. "That would be my job."

"Maybe something is summoning them," Jecht countered.

With a disturbed expression, Braska studied the magic seals over the stone. But unable to make sense of it, he moved on, leading the way down into the ruins of Zanarkand. Auron followed close, keeping an eye out for fiends. Jecht lingered a moment longer, gazing at the bodies trapped in stone, searching the faces carefully. Then, sighing with relief when none of them looked familiar, he fell into step behind his other two companions.

As their champion walked away, some of the Fayth rose from their tomb and gathered along the pass. All eyes were on the trio heading toward the Zanarkand ruins. The time had come to see if their elaborate trick could defeat Yevon.

))((

Kaila closed her eyes and entered the dream to meet Bahamut on the houseboat. "They're here. Braska is ready to seek the Final Aeon," she informed him. Then, having delivered her message, she opened her eyes again and stepped forward among the others to follow Jecht down into the ruins to which he could never return. She accompanied the trio into the lost city and through the fallen temple to the last chamber of the Fayth on their journey, but then hid from Lady Yunalesca, behind one of the cracked columns.

As had been the case for over nine hundred years, the summoner and his guardians registered disappointment and dread upon learning the truth about the final stage of the ritual. It had been understood that Braska would sacrifice himself, but they had not realized the Fayth for the Final Aeon had to be one of his guardians. Braska faced his two friends, unable to find words, but his pain at having to make such a cruel decision was written all over his face. They had both fought so hard to protect him on their journey. They had both become his friends. How could he sacrifice either one? This wasn't justice; it was eternal damnation. Still, if it was the only hope that Spira had for a time of Calm ...

Bahamut ran into the temple and found Kaila. "What did I miss?"

"Sssh! Lady Yunalesca might hear you. Braska and the others just found out there is no Final Aeon."

The boy saddened. "Did he choose yet?"

Kaila shook her head. "I hate this part."

Bahamut nodded in morose agreement but watched anxiously as Braska started to follow Lady Yunalesca's apparition into the Final Summoning Chamber.

Then, Auron's resolve broke. He pleaded with Braska to turn back. Braska stopped at the bottom of the stairs but didn't turn around to face his guardians. Patient as always, but obviously struggling, he reminded them that if they could defeat Sin, no one else would have to bear this burden ever again. Auron insisted they try to think of another solution, but Jecht could see that Auron's pleas were only making Braska's difficult decision harder.

Jecht finally broke his silence. "Make me the Fayth."

Braska and Auron froze.

"I been doing some thinking," Jecht explained. "My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt a star blitz player. Show him the view from the top, you know. But now I know there's no way home for me. I'm never going to see him again. My dream's never gonna come true. So make me the Fayth. I'll fight Sin with you, Braska. Then maybe my life will have meaning, you know."

Bahamut and Kaila exhaled with relief, not realizing they'd been holding their breath. Their defiant, arrogant illusion had volunteered to do something selfless.

The disillusioned monk resumed his protests, reminding them that if Sin came back, no matter what, their deaths would mean nothing.

Braska, humbled by Jecht's offer, thanked him for volunteering and reminded Auron that the teachings of Yevon promised an Eternal Calm someday.

Jecht had never followed Yevon's teachings, though, not even in the Zanarkand of the past. "I understand what you're saying, Auron. I'll find a way to break the cycle."
As the doors of the Final Summoning Chamber slammed shut behind Jecht and Braska, Auron dropped to his knees, squeezing his eyes tight against what he felt at this betrayal. He was utterly unable to accept this outcome, now that they were here. And yet, his friends were determined to fight. Therefore, he had to continue with determination, too. Auron made himself stand and followed them through the chamber. Then, he knelt behind them and apologized for having protested. Braska's words consoled him, but Jecht asked for one final favor. "Take care of my son."

Though Auron had no idea how he would get to Jecht's Zanarkand, let alone find his son, he agreed. "All right, I will. I give you my word. I'll take care of your son. I'll guard him with my life."

Bahamut and Kaila followed Braska and Jecht further into the chamber as the final doors closed behind them, but rose high above and behind the temple ceiling to keep their distance from Lady Yunalesca.

After all this time, the powerful, unsent spirit still maintained her duty to her father, defending his honor as she spoke promising, but empty, words about giving Spira hope. After almost a thousand years, her unsent vigil and recitation of the sleep spell had become rote, but her dedication to preserving these routine sacrifices to pacify her father's rage had intensified. Even when Zaon's soul was freed, and he begged her to return to the Farplane with him, Yunalesca continued collecting the souls of summoners and their guardians to keep her father calm. Yet as she cast the transformation spells on Jecht, something happened that caught everyone by surprise.

The guardian's physical body should have collapsed to the ground and been absorbed into Zaon's seal. Instead, Jecht's body faded into pyreflies, which dispersed, but then swirled back together into the form of a spirit. For a second, the spirit blurred into something that looked like Jecht, but then the pyreflies swarmed into Braska with force. The overwhelmed summoner drew a sharp breath and fell forward to his knees.

Lady Yunalesca blinked and froze.

Kaila gasped, but Bahamut cupped a hand over her mouth so as not to give away their presence.

Braska fought to catch his breath, then sorrowfully reached for Jecht, but he, too, was confused about why no mortal body remained. "Where is the statue that will honor his sacrifice? Why is there still no Fayth?" After a long moment, Auron was at his side, helping him stand, and the summoner once more had to lean on his friend's strong shoulder as ancient, powerful magic flowed through him.

Yunalesca confronted them with anger and worry. "Tell me you didn't give me some kind of unsent soul to create a tainted Fayth!"

"My Lady, I did not know who our friend truly was, but we will do our best to honor whatever gift he has given to us." Braska bowed to the unsent summoner before taking his leave with his remaining guardian to begin the end of his journey: the return to the Calm Lands to fight Sin.

Angered and uncertain about what had just happened, Yunalesca flew out of the summoning chamber ahead of them.

Once they were alone, Kaila pulled Bahamut's hand from her mouth. "He had a soul! How could an illusion have a soul? Did we create another Jecht when we made him real?"

"I don't know what happened, but we'd better alert the others that something changed. Come on!" Bahamut and Kaila flew back to the Fayth Scar to report what they had witnessed. No one knew what to make of the fact that Jecht's illusion had a soul, but the general consensus was foreboding. The entire gathering of Fayth moved to the top of Mt. Gagazet to await the battle between Sin and Braska's Final Aeon.

))((

Auron supported Braska all the way back through the treacherous mountain pass, stopping only to rest through the night for a few hours during the deepest darkness. They said nothing to each other. Words seemed too profane for this sacred silence.

The next day, they continued through the unseen gathering of spirits and down into the Calm Lands below. There, the summoner stopped and gave his remaining guardian a hug.

"This is far enough, friend. Tell Yuna ... I love her."

"Lord Braska ..."

The summoner gave a sad laugh. "Auron, please. 'Braska' will do." Then, he walked away to a safe distance and lifted his staff to cast the Final Summoning. "Jecht, this is it. Spira needs you."

Jecht's aeon broke through the ground at Braska's feet—a larger-than-life, muscular hulk with long, clawed hands, spikes, and horns. Except for the black Abes tattoo that still adorned his chest and the red headband in his now-bushy-white mane, he didn't look anything like the man he once was. Braska was rendered speechless but knew what had to be done next. Bowing before him, he cast Yunalesca's meditative spell that would allow his spirit could leave his own body. He bowed once to Auron in gratitude for his service and friendship. But then he melded with his aeon to fortify him with more potent magic.

Auron nearly fell to his knees at the horrific sight but made himself draw his sword and stand over Braska's vulnerable body, prepared to defend him to his last breath. Over the cliffs from Zanarkand, the lone guardian could see Sin flying into the vicinity, answering the call of Jecht's challenge.

))((

Bahamut watched as Jecht drew a flaming sword from his chest and took the initiative against Sin. The boy was awed by the spectacle of what they had created but still surprised that the illusion survived the transformation into the Final Aeon.

"The illusion wasn't supposed to have a soul," Kaila spoke her friend's thoughts.

"It didn't. You saw it. There was nothing there when Jecht's body faded."

"But then the pyreflies took Jecht's form again. I think ... we somehow summoned the real Jecht!"

Bahamut considered the possibility. What if they had indeed summoned an unsent soul as an aeon? What if they had created something worse than Sin?

Jecht's sword, followed by a blast of magic, broke apart Sin's exterior shell. The Fayth's aeon had won, but this was nothing out of the ordinary. They had seen this battle too many times to be impressed yet. The only thing that changed over the years was the shape of each new aeon that challenged Sin. The real fight had only just begun.

"Wait! Jecht's memories were in the dream," the boy realized. "He couldn't be unsent. Maybe he was summoned from the Farplane or something."

"That's better than being unsent, but that still means he might be the real Jecht, out there being summoned against his will," Kaila worried.

Jecht's aeon flew into the cracked shell to challenge Sin's heart, the possessed aeon of his predecessor. After a long wait, there was an explosion within the shell, and the aeon armor began to dissolve in a massive cloud of swarming pyreflies. Within that swarm, the twisted black mass that was once Yu Yevon hovered near Jecht for a moment. He seemed to suspect something different about this Final Aeon, but then he sent out multiple waves of mind control magic to possess it. Jecht's aeon roared in defiance and slashed at the black mass.

Bahamut could hardly believe his eyes. "It's working! He's resisting Yevon's magic! He's fighting back!"

The battle held the rapt attention of every Fayth gathered on the mountain top. Braska's Final Aeon continued to throw a fury of physical and magical attacks against Yu Yevon. Yevon was able to summon two pillar-like pagodas to heal himself after each round. Eventually, the new aeon's attacks became weaker, and Yevon shifted from healing to launching his own attacks, wearing the new aeon down until he was able to break through his defenses and possess him.

"NO!" Bahamut clenched his fists. "Resist it! Keep fighting!"

But as Braska's soul was ripped from the aeon's body, the summoner's body slumped to the ground at Auron's feet.

Jecht released one final roar of anguish before Yevon gained control and melded. After a long pause, Jecht's aeon flew out of sight, back to Zanarkand.

Bahamut flew down into the Calm Lands, where Auron grieved the loss of both friends. The summoner's spirit stared at the boy with disheartened exhaustion and dismay. "Lord Braska, you were … so close." He tried to sound encouraging despite his sadness and disappointment. "Thank you for trying."

Braska stared at the small boy with slow understanding. "Jecht was sent to us … by you?"

Bahamut lowered his head in disheartened shame. His plan had failed, and they had possibly trapped the real Jecht into a fate worse than death. They had actually helped to create the next bringer of death and destruction to Spira, and there was no telling how much stronger this one would be. "What have we done?" The boy buried his face in his hands and cried.

Braska set his hand on the small spirit's shoulder and watched Auron struggle with the same sense of failure. "You gave us friendship, laughter, and hope. You've helped us give Spira another Calm. And maybe you've given our children something much, much more. Thank you. Jecht promised to find a way to end the cycle. Please continue to believe in him." He lifted his chin toward the departing aeon that had once been his friend. "I still do."

))((

Ten years passed before Jecht rose from the depths of his long hibernation as the new Sin. He had not been strong enough to break free of Yevon's possessive magic, but he did manage to do something no human Fayth managed to do before him. He retained his sense of who he was. He was acutely aware of what he had become, and he hated it.

Kaila and Bahamut met on Jecht's houseboat seeking solace from the guilt that plagued them as they waited with dread for the cycle to begin again. What they didn't realize, as they stared at the weapon of their own making, is that they were not alone.

"You're not my wife and son," a gruff voice complained behind them.

The two Fayth jumped, startled, and turned around. Kaila gasped, then grinned. "Jecht! Is it really you? But I thought ... I thought—"

"Who are you and what are you doing on my boat?"

"I'm Kaila. Koji's sister? Shuyin's friend's sister?" She gently prodded his memory.

Jecht's surly mannerism turned into a grin. "Little Kaila? Was I gone that long?"

Kaila winced. "Well, you died when I was seven. But then I died ten years later when Lord Yevon turned us into Fayth after the Machina War."

"Machina War … Yeah, I heard about that. That means my runt's probably as big as you are." He paused for an uneasy moment and looked around. "Is he … here? Anywhere?"

Kaila and Bahamut exchanged uncertain glances, wondering if they should tell him the fate of his son. Kaila gave her head a shake.

"Oh." Jecht lowered his gaze in disappointment. "My wife's in the Farplane, but I never found my boy. I was hoping he'd be here, but I guess that means he's still out there … somewhere."

"The last time we saw him, his spirit was looking for my sister," Bahamut answered. "His girlfriend."

"Girlfriend, huh?" Jecht chuckled with surprise. "Miss a thousand years of your kid's life, and he gets all grown-up on you." Then, he squinted at the boy, remembering. "You're the kid that spoke to me underwater in Bevelle. How did you …"

"I'm a Fayth, too. We're …. the ones who sent you to Lord Braska to help defeat Sin," he added with hesitation. "We never meant to disturb your rest. We just didn't want another summoner to die." Bahamut moved to the rail beside him. "I thought an illusion might break the cycle since it's made of Yevon's own magic and wasn't supposed to have a soul."

"Hm, good theory, kid. Shame it didn't work. Although, it kinda did, or I wouldn't be here."

"How are you here?" Kaila drew near to his other side. "Illusions don't have souls. And you're Sin now. Plus, Yevon doesn't usually allow the Final Fayth to come into the dream or go anywhere else. He keeps it close, under his control."

"Ah, but I'm a tainted Fayth now. I drowned with my own selfish desires long before I volunteered to serve a summoner. Yevon hates that because it means he can't control me so easily. He's stronger than me, though. Eventually, he'll probably win. But I'm stubborn as hell, so I intend to give him a wild ride for his money."

Kaila smiled at his rebellion. "But … how did you get your soul back to become Braska's Final Aeon?"

The blitzball player leaned against the rail. "While I was in the Farplane, I started having these weird dreams about things that I don't remember ever really happening. But with all that talk about summoning, I wondered if someone had summoned me back to life. I was getting a new window on reality, so I figured I'd better pay attention to what was going on and why. When Yunalesca opened the portal between the Farplane and reality, I crossed over to help. I never met Braska and Auron during my real life, but it felt like we were old friends by the time I arrived, so I couldn't let them down. Then Braska was strong enough to actually pull me through. I kicked Sin's ass until Yevon kicked mine. So … here I am."

"We're really sorry for getting you into this mess," Kaila apologized. "I wish there was some way we could free you, but ... we can't even free ourselves."

Jecht's relaxed demeanor became serious as he folded his arms across his Abes-tattooed chest. "Then try again."

Bahamut shook his head. "It won't change anything. I thought not having a soul would reflect Yevon's magic or make it immune. Instead, the illusion fell apart when Yunalesca tried to turn it into a Fayth. If you hadn't come through when you did, Braska wouldn't have even had a Final Aeon. But as long as a soul is present, Yevon can possess it."

"But the fact that he's a tainted Fayth makes it harder for Yevon to control him," Kaila inserted. "There's got to be some advantage in that."

"Try again," Jecht repeated. "I made a promise to Braska, guys. You gotta help me find a way to keep it. I have to break the cycle. No one else should have to die so that Yevon can live ... forever."

Kaila faced Bahamut and dared to reconsider the possibilities. "If we can find another dead soul to wrap in illusion, Jecht can take it out of the dream into reality, just like we did before. Only this time, we'll have two tainted Fayth! If the Final Aeon doesn't waste its strength fighting Sin in the first battle, it will be stronger to fight Yevon in the second. But who's soul should we pick this time? We already used our best choice."

"Why, thank you, my dear. I am the best." Jecht winked with a mischievous grin.

That grin brought back a memory, and Kaila placed a hand on Bahamut's shoulder. "Shuyin," she decided.

Bahamut shook his head but didn't want to discuss why he disagreed.

Jecht didn't know what to think of that suggestion at first. The thought of having to fight his own son upset him. But then he nodded in agreement. "Alright. He always wanted a chance to even the score. I just hope the runt's up to it, or I could be stuck like this forever." The blitzball player grimaced, as if something unseen caused him pain. "Yevon's getting restless. He doesn't want me here, and he's probably going to keep me on a short leash as he gets more irritable. I don't know when I can come back, so listen up." His spirit began to flicker and fade. "We have a limited time to do this. Since Yevon woke up, he has started remembering what happened to Zanarkand. That means the Calm is almost over. Ask among the souls on the Farplane; someone somewhere has to know where my son was last seen. If you can find him and ask him to do this, I'll find a way to make it happen. In fact, I know someone else who can help. If we do this as a team, there's still a chance that we can take down Yevon!" he insisted before grimacing again and fading away.

Incredulous, Bahamut faced Kaila. "Shuyin? You saw what he was like the last time he came to Zanarkand. If he's unsent after all this time, there's no way that can be a good thing."

"The Shuyin we used to know would be perfect for this."

"But he's not the Shuyin we used to know!"

"He's not a fiend either!" Kaila chewed a thumbnail as she began to pace. "I know him, Bahamut. Shuyin is out there somewhere, hating himself because he's unable to forgive himself for whatever happened to your sister. We need to find him." Leaving the deck, she headed for the Farplane.

Bahamut reluctantly followed, but he still didn't see how anything good could come of it.