-Dissimulation
Chapter 4: Amaranth
There is the one
The never-fading rain in your heart
That chooses snow-white sorrow
There is the one, the hiding Amaranth
In a land of the daybreak
-Amaranth by Nightwish
Like the petals of an amaranth, the man who had once faded and withered away, had regained his radiance once more. His tan skin seemed to glow with life as he examined his work. A crooked smile formed on his tender red lips and the sweet taste of revenge filled his taste buds. The transformation was almost complete and the demon that slept deep in the safety of the farplane would awaken once moreā¦
Butterflies fluttered in Yuna's stomach as the outskirts of Bevelle began to fly underneath them. A city that was once so radiant and glow with wonder, now had lost its color as it laid in ruins below them. The fact that the Hymn of the Fayth no longer reverberated off the walls, probably had something to do with it as well.
Yuna could only feel sorry the city. After all, she was responsible for the damage. She was the one that caused Sin to topple to the buildings below. "We'll be there in just a few, so brace yourselves." Cid's gruff voice broke Yuna out of her thoughts.
She nodded smoothly and her eyes fell back to the city below once more. The city was clouded with mystery, but would the answers that Yuna was seeking hidden underneath the clouded remains. Yuna wasn't so sure.
She touched her stomach. A small bump was starting to form as the only piece of him grew inside her. She couldn't believe that she was with child. She always dreamed of having children of her own, but her goal had always been to become a summoner and die protecting the world she loved so much. However, here she was, pregnant and alone. The child's father had perished instead of her. It was just too ironic.
Yuna's stomach suddenly dropped as she felt the airship start it's rapid descent towards the tattered city. Yuna watched as the onlookers watched in horror as the forbidden machina landed smoothly onto a small patch of grass.
The platform suddenly rumbled to life and began to lower towards the ground. At it's wake stood Yuna, with Rikku and Kimahri standing close behind her. The grounds suddenly erupted in cheers at the sight of her. Yuna forced a smile and began to descend down the platform.
A priest suddenly appeared, pushing through the vast crowd. "What in Yevon's name! Oh, Lady Yuna, what a surprise!" The priest gasped. He made a small bow towards Yuna. Yuna nodded back, unmoved by the sudden kindness of the priest. Afterall, just months before she was scorned by all of the followers in the temple of Bevelle. "What can we do for you?" the priest asked breathlessly.
"I would like to visit the chamber of the fayth," Yuna announced. She ignored the heavy gasps of the crowd surrounding them.
"But milady, the fayth are all gone," the priest informed her.
"I know they are gone, but I need to visit it. It's personal," Yuna said bitterly. The last thing she wanted to do was dive deeper into the subject. The reactions of Lulu and Wakka were bad enough, she wasn't ready to face the rest of Spira just yet.
"I see, well, I'll see what I can do. Follow me," the priest ordered. Yuna nodded and followed closely behind him.
The journey to the temple was seemed long. The anticipation of the events that would soon take place was more than Yuna could handle. She wasn't even sure if she would receive the answers she was seeking. After all, the fayth were gone due to her. The once protectors of Spira were now resting peacefully in the farplane.
However, it seemed unlikely that the fayth would completely destroy their connection to Spira. They had given their lives to fight for peace throughout the land. Was the danger in Spira truly gone or would there be a time again where Spira would lay in trouble?
They finally reached the temple and entered it. The once beautiful temple now stood gray and lifeless. The beautiful hymn of the fayth no longer vibrated amongst the expanding walls. Ahead of her stood the elevator that stood still.
"Kimahri, Rikku, wait for me here. This is something that I have to do alone," Yuna sighed. Her two remaining guardians nodded in agreement and took steps back. Yuna's foot gingerly stepped onto the platform and it thankfully whirred with life. It began it's long ascent towards the cloister of the trials.
The vibrant blue hues of the trials no longer existed. Memories hit her immediately as she walked down the quiet room. She remembered struggling to solve the complicated puzzles of the trials herself, without the help of her guardians. She was able to fight through it, however, and reach the fayth.
Now, however, she walked through it without difficulty. After the time of the summoners had set, the elevators had stopped to allow passage without difficulty. Before now time, Yuna had reached the chamber of the fayth. Yuna reached down to open the heavy door to enter the room where the fayth once lived.
Again, the walls had lost their vibrant colors and the fayth's body lay in stone below her. However, Yuna knelt down and began to search for the connection that she once held with the fayth. She pushed and pushed with her magic, but all it did was drain her. The radiant threads that once existed in her conscious mind were no longer there. Yuna pulled out and fell to the ground with a sob.
She began to beat the ground once more with frustration. Tears began to spill down her face. All evidence of resolve within her were lost. Like the last time, no matter how hard she beat upon the petrified body of the fayth, nothing happened. She felt stupid for actually believing that she would be able to get the answers. She felt angry at Kimahri for even suggesting such a thing. He had filled her head with to much hope.
"Yuna," a faint whisper suddenly said. Yuna lifted her heavy head and noticed a floating figure standing in front of her. It was the small child that had appeared before her many times before. "Yuna," the child whispered again, this time a little louder.
"You're here!" Yuna gasped.
"You are in a lot of distress. I can feel it in the connection between us," the fayth said softly. "You seek answers and answers you will receive," the fayth continued.
"The connection still exists?" Yuna asked, somewhat bewildered.
"Yes, Spira may be in peace now, but there may come a time again where we will be needed again. We can't completely obliterate our connection to the world, so a piece of us lives in each and every past summoner. That piece will then be passed down through your and everybody else's generation," the fayth explained.
Yuna's stomach churned at the thought. The child that was currently resting inside of her, would be one of the few keys in the world to contact the forces that once protected Spira. Yuna had already made a significant mark in the world, she didn't want to make it even deeper. "So, the child that I'm currently bearing will hold that sacred connection?" Yuna asked.
"You are with child?" the fayth asked. Yuna's face paled as she slowly nodded her head. Instead of an angry outburst, however, a smile started to play on the floating child's tender lips. "May I ask who the father is?"
"Well, that is what leads me to the most important question of all," Yuna explained. She stopped for a minute and took deep breaths to keep her composure. She didn't want to break down into a feeble state in front of the fayth once more. "Is it possible for a person from the dream world to create a child in the real world?"
The fayth's once calm expressions immediately twisted into a state of shock. "Are you sure he is the father?" the fayth's unsteady voice asked.
Yuna nodded, "Yes, he is the one and only man I have ever slept with and the one and only man I will ever truly love."
"How can that be possible? There is no way a dream can possibly reproduce with somebody from Spira," the dream whispered thoughtfully. "That kind of connection would be very dangerous."
"Why so?" Yuna asked.
"Because we knew the time would eventually come when we can finally rest. Once we rested the dream world would rest too. If somebody was from both worlds half of them would die and the other half would still live. They would get trapped between life and death," the fayth explained.
"Do you think?" Yuna asked quickly. Fear gripped through her at the thought. Could Tidus be trapped? Yuna did not want to think about the thought.
"He may be. How it happened without us knowing, I don't know. One thing I do know is that he is the dangerous of them all to be trapped there," the said thoughfully.
"Is there anyway he can get out?" Yuna asked fearfully. The fayth didn't answer. Instead he turned and stared at the vacant walls of the once magnificent chamber. Yuna played with her hands, trying to stop her from lashing out and strangling the floating figure.
The man that she loved was most likely trapped and alone. She couldn't bear to think about the loneliness he was most likely experiencing. Tears began to stream down her face at the thought. Oh how she wanted to dive into his world and place her arms around his shoulders and feel his kiss upon her lips.
"Please, fayth, please tell if there is any way we can save him?" Yuna begged. She got to her knees and pressed her hands against her chest.
The fayth suddenly turned, anger flaring in its eyes, "Go to Besaid, immediately!" The fayth then turned and disappeared. Yuna gasped with horror. She had never seen the fayth so angry before. She didn't even think they had emotions. She stood up, wiped her eyes, and turned towards the exit. Figuring right now it would be best to follow the fayth's orders.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, it's just that I've been very busy. I'm now a freshman at college and it's just been pretty hectic. I have found time to write though, as you can tell. I'm sorry for the chapter being so short, it's just I to end it here.
