Chapter 9 - To Zanarkand/The Return
They could see it from the top of the mountain. The sun was setting, just as it had when they last visited the ancient city. Zanarkand, the crumbling ruins of a time long forgotten lay stretched out before them in all its former glory.
"It's awesome," Felix observed.
"I never get over this view," Lulu shook her head.
"I wonder if he's out there, somewhere," Wakka held his hand over his eyes to protect them from the sunlight.
"I hope so," Rikku added, her leg doing a lot better since Yuna healed it.
"Perhaps we can now find some clue to the ancient city that Milevan is after," Yuna clutched her staff in her hands.
"Let's get going," Felix motioned them forward.
The descent was fairly easy and they made their way into the ruined city shortly after nightfall. Everyone was on guard, as the fiends were twice as strong in Zanarkand as in other parts of Spira. Felix marched in the lead with Wakka, their weapons at ready while Kimarhi and Lulu held the rear.
"Behemoth!" Felix shouted, pointing towards a group of ruins. Sure enough, the roars of the monster could be heard.
They quickly scrambled for cover underneath a pile of rocks as the Behemoth, the lumbering pink ruler of the fiends, made its way down the destroyed road.
"My god it's large," Felix whispered.
"Behemoths are the culmination of a person's hatred after their death," Lulu explained, remembering the time she had explained it to him on the docks of Kilika, "It's sad to think someone could envy the living so much that it would turn to something this horrible."
"Amazing, isn't it?" Felix whispered back with a grin, "Humans spend their lives fearing death, then when it comes, they spend their deaths hating life."
The Behemoth passed slowly, disappearing back into the ruins. The former summoner and her guardians emerged from the ruins they were hiding under and surveyed the area. Wakka climbed to the top of the nearest destroyed building and look towards the dome situated in the middle of the stadium.
"Looks like there's a lot of fiends gathered near the dome," he shouted back to the group, "Almost like they're guarding it."
"This is bad," Felix shook his head, "It will take us at least a day to reach the dome unprotected."
"They are guarding the dome," Rikku admitted sheepishly, rubbing the dirt with her toes and staring at her feet, "It's a project father was working on, the Ultrasound he called it. It allows us to control fiends in the deserts, to keep them from attacking while we rebuilt Home."
"Oh great!" Wakka smacked his forehead, "This gets better every freaking second!"
"So that explains the fiends attacking us all this time," Lulu crossed her arms across her stomach, "They were being controlled by the Al Bhed."
"I'm sorry!" Rikku cried, dropping to her knees, "I don't want it to be like this!"
"Hey, hey," Wakka cooled his voice and helped her back to her feet, "It's not your fault. We're not mad at you. We're gonna get your brother for every evil thing he's done."
"Promise?"
"Promise," Wakka held up his index and middle finger on his right hand to signify the promise.
"Thank you, Wakka," Rikku smiled happily.
"We should camp here," Felix observed from the spot where Wakka had once stood, "We're going to have to fight our way in and it would be best if everyone was ready."
* * *
A light! He could see a light ahead. Tidus felt a surge of strength as he swam towards the slight. The darkness faded as he drew ever closer to the feeling of warmth. Even in the sea of darkness, the warmth radiating in front of him flowed over his body, reinvigorating his senses.
Faster....Faster, the voice called, You're almost there!
Tidus reached out as he approached the light, plunging his gloved hand into the brilliant radiance before him. His hand covered something smooth and he slowly gripped the mystery object, pulling it out with care. As the object appeared, the light faded, returning his world to darkness.
A sphere? Tidus thought, What is this thing?
The sphere looked as if it was made of silent glass, shining even against the dismal black behind him. It was outlined in a fiery gold, accentuating the sphere itself.
Tidus held it firm in his hands, the only semblance of the world he had left. Slowly, a picture appeared on the sphere, blurry at first he glared at it fade into focus.
"It's that girl!" Tidus recognized the girl from his hallucination in the alley.
Who is she? The voice asked.
"How should I know?" he remarked sarcastically, "Why does it matter?"
She hasn't forgotten you, you know.
"Tell me who is she?" Tidus demanded.
Look again....
Tidus turned back to the sphere as it started to play a video.
"It's...me," Tidus recognized himself standing next to the girl, the sunset at their backs and the wind in their hair, "What's going on?"
Tell yourself! The voice demanded, Make yourself remember!
"Remember what?" Tidus screamed, "Somebody tell me what's going on! Someone help! Anyone! Help me! Yuna!"
* * *
In the darkness of the Zanarkand Ruins, Yuna shot upright out of her bed. Felix was awake, the one on guard duty at the moment, and was prodding a stick in the dirt at his feet.
"Something wrong?" he asked, seeing Yuna look around frantically.
"Did you hear that?" Yuna climbed to her feet.
"Hear what?"
"I heard 'his' voice. He was crying out for help."
"It was just a dream," Felix assured her, "No one's out there."
"No, he has to be!" Yuna stared at the pyreflies, "What if there really is an 'Otherworld'? What if he's here right now, waiting for us?"
"You're being too optimistic," Felix lowered his head, sighing, "You heard Braska; there is no 'Otherworld'."
"How...?" A look of surprise crossed her face, "How do you know?"
"I was there," Felix sighed, rubbing his face. Yuna could see he hadn't meant for that to come out, "I was there in the temple when Braska appeared."
"Why? Why were you watching me?"
"I was worried," Felix stood up and walked out towards the ruins.
Yuna followed him, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt.
"Who are you?" she demanded forcefully, "Tell me!"
"You'll find out soon enough," Felix walked forward into the ruined building, "Tell the others I went ahead to clear the path."
* * *
"Yuna? Is that the girl's name?" Tidus wondered, clutching the sphere under his chest.
She's waiting...The voice told him, Won't you go to her?
"I want to," Tidus told the darkness, "She seems so lonely."
She wants you back.... remember yet?
"I remember, my father, he was evil," Tidus recalled the series of blurry images that floated through his head, "He was killing innocent people. I had to stop him."
Then why didn't you? It asked.
"I couldn't," Tidus continued, "I was told, that I was a dream, that I didn't exist. When we beat my dad, I disappeared. Everything else is a blur."
Your memories are locked away, the voice told him, It's time to reclaim them and send you back.
Tidus felt a slight buzzing sensation in his mind. He rubbed his head, but the buzzing intensified. It grew louder inside his mind, more powerful with every passing second. Tidus screamed, shaking his head and thrashing about in the darkness. Millions of images flooded across his sight, thousands of faces of people he had never knew, but their names came to him quickly.
"Wakka, Lulu, Shelinda, Kinoc, Kelk, Yankee, Rin, Botta, Keepa," he recited the names, his eyes turning red from the experience, "Who are these people!"
The images raced faster across his mind before stopping suddenly on the girl's face.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, reaching out to grasp the image that appeared in front of him, "Yuna! Yuna! Yuna! Yuna!"
He thrashed about hysterically at the illusion in the front of his face.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, "I remember now! I remember everything! Your pilgrimage, Seymour, Sin, everything! I want to be with you Yuna!"
* * *
"Holy freaking cow," Wakka observed as they approached the dome. Strung about along the ground were the carcasses of the Behemoths the Al Bhed summoned to guard the Zanarkand Dome.
"It took a while," Felix observed, sitting on one of the destroyed columns that bisected the road, "But they're taken care of."
"You're exhausted," Lulu stated, "Why did you do this?"
"Yuna needed to get to the dome," he muttered politely, "So I made her room."
"Thank you," Yuna bowed a little.
Behind them, they could hear the roar of more Behemoths coming to check on their downed companions.
"Let's get inside," Wakka advised, "Before more come."
"No," Kimarhi shook his head, "We stay and fight. Yuna and Felix go ahead."
"What!" Wakka protested, "You lost your marbles man?"
"Kimarhi's right," Rikku agreed with the Ronso guardian, "You two go on ahead."
Felix sheathed his blade and pushed the large doors into the dome open. Yuna took a glance at her guardians. Lulu stood defiant, clutching her moogle under her breasts. Wakka was rubbing the back of his head, the decision obviously upsetting him. Kimarhi was brandishing his spear and Rikku was equipping her gauntlet on her forearm.
"Yuna," Felix called, "Let's go."
The inside of the dome was as it was when they first visited the ancient city. Millions upon millions of pyreflies were floating about in the glow of the morning sun. Ahead of them, images from Yuna's thoughts began appearing.
The first illusion was them watching the Blitzball game in Luca. Yuna remembered the occasion fondly, watching 'him' and Wakka in the sphere. Although the Guado had attacked the stadium, watching her two guardians giving so much joy to the people of Spira was comforting.
The second was she and 'he' sitting on the hill overlooking the ocean that connected to the Mushroom Rock Road. She remembered that night, the night she had made her farewell sphere that 'he' destroyed in Gagazet.
"So that's him," Felix observed.
"Oh, yes," Yuna nodded hastily, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
"Let's move on," he started walking forward, passing through the images as they dissipated.
It took them close to ten minutes to reach the base of the dome. Inside, the cloister of trials was empty, Yunalesca gone to the Farplane. They stood on the elevator that took them to the chamber and it descended into the darkness. Yuna could recall the challenges they had to face to reach Yunalesca. The monster that guarded the fayth, Yunalesca's last test, would have ended her pilgrimage if not for Wakka and Sir Auron's dexterity on the battlefield that the monster crafted for them to fight on.
Then there was Yunalesca herself, the first to defeat Sin and start the cycle of the summoners. She had almost killed Auron and Kimarhi, but with Lulu's help, they were able to silence the original summoner once and for all, forgoing the original plan to defeat Sin and tossing the teachings of Yevon to the wind.
"Something wrong?" Felix asked, noticing that Yuna seemed down.
"It's just, memories," Yuna muttered, "I wish, there was a way to bring him back."
Felix put a hand on her shoulder as the elevator reached the ancient chamber underneath the city.
"That's odd," Yuna stated, "There are pyreflies down here."
Felix followed her as she hurried through the chamber and up the stairs to where they had fought Yunalesca.
"By Yevon!" Yuna gasped, collapsing to her knees.
"It was true...all this time," Felix muttered.
Hovering overhead was a giant sphere surrounded by pyreflies. The sphere was large, easily the size of the Al Bhed's airship. It towered overhead projecting the image of a city.
"Zanarkand!" Yuna cried, "It's 'his' Zanarkand!"
Felix stared in awe as the pyreflies flooded out of the sphere at a rapid pace.
"Something is happening to it," he stated, "They're leaving."
Yuna did not respond. When Felix looked at her, he could see her lips moving. She was praying. He could scantily hear her prayers as she called out in a whisper.
"Please," Yuna prayed in a feint whisper, "Deliver him from whatever peril he may be in. By the spirit of Yevon, release him so we may be together again. I offer my life force to bring him back!"
The pyreflies reacted to her prayers and started swarming around in a circle. Felix reached for his sword, but Yuna calmed him.
"No, wait," she placed her hand over his.
The pyreflies swarmed faster in a tornado of a current. They started forming a shape of a human.
* * *
Tidus felt the ringing in his head disappearing as his vision began to clear. There were two figures in front of him, one with long hair and the other shorter with hair to their shoulders. Also, he could feel a light source. It hurt his eyes and he brought his arm over his eyes to shield them. His legs felt wobbly and he dropped to his knees from exhaustion.
The next thing he knew, he was being held. Looking up, he could see one of the figures was holding him.
"Yu...Yu..." he sought the name as the girl's face came into focus, "Yuna!"
"Oh Yevon!" Yuna wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.
"Yuna, is it really you?" Tidus hugged her back.
"Yes," she cried, tears of joy streaking down her face, "You're back in Spira. Now, tell me, please."
"Tell you?"
"I want to know you're name," she pulled away, letting him look at her tear covered face, "Please."
"Gosh, I'm sorry," he rubbed the back of his head, "I guess I forgot to tell you what with everything that happened. My name's Tidus."
"Tidus," Yuna whispered, a broad smile across her face.
"Tidus, Yuna," a strange voice spoke, "Let's go."
Tidus looked up at the cloaked man.
"The name's Felix," he introduced himself, "Now let's go. We don't have time to waste."
"Why?" Tidus looked back at Yuna, "What's going on? Who's this guy?"
"It's a long story," Yuna patted him on the shoulder, "I'll tell you on the way to Bevelle."
"Bevelle?" Felix asked.
"Yes," Yuna stood, "We must speak with Consul Hyne over this problem."
* * *
When the emerged from the dome, a collective gasp ran through the group of guardians.
"Holy cow," Wakka ran up to Tidus and stared at him, "It really you, brudda?"
"Hey Wakka," Tidus slapped him five, "How's it going? Lulu, Kimarhi, Rikku, hi!"
"It's unbelievable," Lulu rubbed her forehead, "For a while there, we didn't know if you were coming back."
"So, like, were you in the Farplane?" Rikku asked, hopping next to Wakka.
"I don't think so," Tidus shook his head, "It was more like I was home, in my Zanarkand. My father was there, and so Auron."
"Sir Auron?" Wakka gasped, "But I thought Yuna sent him to Farplane?"
"He did," the voice of Yuna's father answered. They all turned to see the High Summoner's image on top of the stairway leading to the dome, "Though the stubborn old fool had a hard time staying with all us dead people."
"Father!" Yuna bowed, and so did her guardians with the exception of Tidus who was still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Auron has always been stubborn," Braska restated the fact, "Wasn't too long after he joined us that he left. Said he was going to Zanarkand, but none of us believed him."
"Father, why did you tell me there was no 'Otherworld', when in fact there was?" Yuna asked.
"I didn't believe it so," Braska's image shook its head, "Auron told me there was. Said that the old Maester Seymour knew about it too."
"Wait!" Rikku piped up, "The illusions in Seymour's house. They weren't just pictures, but the 'Otherworld'."
"Father, is this true?" Yuna asked.
"As far as I can tell," Braska shrugged, "Anyway, it's good to see you've brought your guardian back to Spira. You'll need him for the battle you're about to face."
"Milevan!" Felix shouted.
Everyone turned as Braska's image disappeared. Three Al Bhed were standing on top of the ruins with their machina weapons pointed at the group. The guardians drew their assorted weapons as Tidus placed his hand on Yuna's wrist.
Suddenly, two Al Bhed leapt from the darkness of the ruins. One grabbed Yuna with extreme force, yanking her from Tidus's grip and the other snatched up Rikku.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled as the Al Bhed holding her shoved a machina weapon under her chin, "Let her go!"
"I think not," a raspy voice objected from the shadows.
Emerging from the shadows was a man nearly the size of Wakka. He dressed in Al Bhed clothing, but the obvious differences were the man's long hair that flowed out in a single ponytail down his back. His hand rested on a sword hilt of a blade that stretched a good length, almost the length of Kimarhi's spear. He was muscular; his body in top physical condition and his skin was tanned brown from the desert sun.
His eyes were blue, swirled as all Al Bhed were and he gleamed evilly as he drew his sword and pointed it at Yuna's heart.
"Make one move, and I'll kill the summoner," he ordered.
"You won't do that, Milevan," Felix swung his arm at the Al Bhed, "You need her!"
"Not necessarily," Milevan laughed, "I can always find another. However, the high summoner is the most experienced in Spira and will make my task a whole lot easier."
"Where are you taking her?" Wakka demanded.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out," Milevan laughed, sheathing his sword and motioning for the Al Bhed holding Yuna to follow him. He and the one carrying Rikku walked towards a pair of smaller airships that were parked in a large clearing in the ruins.
"Gemm dras!" Milevan shouted before boarding the airship.
The three Al Bhed with their weapons drawn fired. Lulu reacted the quickest, casting a protective shield over the group making the bullets bounce off harmlessly. Felix and Wakka attacked next, Felix firing a series of rounds at the one on the left, the bullets littering his chest and sending him tumbling into a ruined building. Wakka launched his Blitzball with all his might, smashing into the chest of the Al Bhed on the right, knocking him off his perch and sending him careening into the darkness of the building. His screams filled the air as he hit the bottom, his body shattering with the force of the impact.
Kimarhi roared, leaping high into the air, bringing his spear down through the right leg of the remaining shooter. The Al Bhed cried out in his language as Kimarhi snarled fiercely in his face. The Al Bhed begged for mercy but to no avail. The Ronso's claw cleared his head with one swipe leaving a bloody stump for a neck. The body toppled over, crumpling onto the ground in front of him.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, sprinting to Milevan's airship as it ascended into the sky, "Yuna!"
"They're going to the moonflow," Felix revealed as the other guardians caught up to where Tidus was, "That's where the lost city has to be."
"Of course," Lulu agreed, "The city underneath the river, that has to be it."
"We need to hurry," Wakka opened the hatch into the second airship, "Think we can all fit in here?"
"Bigger question," Kimarhi offered, "Who fly airship?"
"I've seen them flying Cid's, ya," Wakka grinned, "Looked easy enough."
"Well let's go!" Tidus pumped his fist in the air, "Before that creep hurts Yuna or Rikku!"
They could see it from the top of the mountain. The sun was setting, just as it had when they last visited the ancient city. Zanarkand, the crumbling ruins of a time long forgotten lay stretched out before them in all its former glory.
"It's awesome," Felix observed.
"I never get over this view," Lulu shook her head.
"I wonder if he's out there, somewhere," Wakka held his hand over his eyes to protect them from the sunlight.
"I hope so," Rikku added, her leg doing a lot better since Yuna healed it.
"Perhaps we can now find some clue to the ancient city that Milevan is after," Yuna clutched her staff in her hands.
"Let's get going," Felix motioned them forward.
The descent was fairly easy and they made their way into the ruined city shortly after nightfall. Everyone was on guard, as the fiends were twice as strong in Zanarkand as in other parts of Spira. Felix marched in the lead with Wakka, their weapons at ready while Kimarhi and Lulu held the rear.
"Behemoth!" Felix shouted, pointing towards a group of ruins. Sure enough, the roars of the monster could be heard.
They quickly scrambled for cover underneath a pile of rocks as the Behemoth, the lumbering pink ruler of the fiends, made its way down the destroyed road.
"My god it's large," Felix whispered.
"Behemoths are the culmination of a person's hatred after their death," Lulu explained, remembering the time she had explained it to him on the docks of Kilika, "It's sad to think someone could envy the living so much that it would turn to something this horrible."
"Amazing, isn't it?" Felix whispered back with a grin, "Humans spend their lives fearing death, then when it comes, they spend their deaths hating life."
The Behemoth passed slowly, disappearing back into the ruins. The former summoner and her guardians emerged from the ruins they were hiding under and surveyed the area. Wakka climbed to the top of the nearest destroyed building and look towards the dome situated in the middle of the stadium.
"Looks like there's a lot of fiends gathered near the dome," he shouted back to the group, "Almost like they're guarding it."
"This is bad," Felix shook his head, "It will take us at least a day to reach the dome unprotected."
"They are guarding the dome," Rikku admitted sheepishly, rubbing the dirt with her toes and staring at her feet, "It's a project father was working on, the Ultrasound he called it. It allows us to control fiends in the deserts, to keep them from attacking while we rebuilt Home."
"Oh great!" Wakka smacked his forehead, "This gets better every freaking second!"
"So that explains the fiends attacking us all this time," Lulu crossed her arms across her stomach, "They were being controlled by the Al Bhed."
"I'm sorry!" Rikku cried, dropping to her knees, "I don't want it to be like this!"
"Hey, hey," Wakka cooled his voice and helped her back to her feet, "It's not your fault. We're not mad at you. We're gonna get your brother for every evil thing he's done."
"Promise?"
"Promise," Wakka held up his index and middle finger on his right hand to signify the promise.
"Thank you, Wakka," Rikku smiled happily.
"We should camp here," Felix observed from the spot where Wakka had once stood, "We're going to have to fight our way in and it would be best if everyone was ready."
* * *
A light! He could see a light ahead. Tidus felt a surge of strength as he swam towards the slight. The darkness faded as he drew ever closer to the feeling of warmth. Even in the sea of darkness, the warmth radiating in front of him flowed over his body, reinvigorating his senses.
Faster....Faster, the voice called, You're almost there!
Tidus reached out as he approached the light, plunging his gloved hand into the brilliant radiance before him. His hand covered something smooth and he slowly gripped the mystery object, pulling it out with care. As the object appeared, the light faded, returning his world to darkness.
A sphere? Tidus thought, What is this thing?
The sphere looked as if it was made of silent glass, shining even against the dismal black behind him. It was outlined in a fiery gold, accentuating the sphere itself.
Tidus held it firm in his hands, the only semblance of the world he had left. Slowly, a picture appeared on the sphere, blurry at first he glared at it fade into focus.
"It's that girl!" Tidus recognized the girl from his hallucination in the alley.
Who is she? The voice asked.
"How should I know?" he remarked sarcastically, "Why does it matter?"
She hasn't forgotten you, you know.
"Tell me who is she?" Tidus demanded.
Look again....
Tidus turned back to the sphere as it started to play a video.
"It's...me," Tidus recognized himself standing next to the girl, the sunset at their backs and the wind in their hair, "What's going on?"
Tell yourself! The voice demanded, Make yourself remember!
"Remember what?" Tidus screamed, "Somebody tell me what's going on! Someone help! Anyone! Help me! Yuna!"
* * *
In the darkness of the Zanarkand Ruins, Yuna shot upright out of her bed. Felix was awake, the one on guard duty at the moment, and was prodding a stick in the dirt at his feet.
"Something wrong?" he asked, seeing Yuna look around frantically.
"Did you hear that?" Yuna climbed to her feet.
"Hear what?"
"I heard 'his' voice. He was crying out for help."
"It was just a dream," Felix assured her, "No one's out there."
"No, he has to be!" Yuna stared at the pyreflies, "What if there really is an 'Otherworld'? What if he's here right now, waiting for us?"
"You're being too optimistic," Felix lowered his head, sighing, "You heard Braska; there is no 'Otherworld'."
"How...?" A look of surprise crossed her face, "How do you know?"
"I was there," Felix sighed, rubbing his face. Yuna could see he hadn't meant for that to come out, "I was there in the temple when Braska appeared."
"Why? Why were you watching me?"
"I was worried," Felix stood up and walked out towards the ruins.
Yuna followed him, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt.
"Who are you?" she demanded forcefully, "Tell me!"
"You'll find out soon enough," Felix walked forward into the ruined building, "Tell the others I went ahead to clear the path."
* * *
"Yuna? Is that the girl's name?" Tidus wondered, clutching the sphere under his chest.
She's waiting...The voice told him, Won't you go to her?
"I want to," Tidus told the darkness, "She seems so lonely."
She wants you back.... remember yet?
"I remember, my father, he was evil," Tidus recalled the series of blurry images that floated through his head, "He was killing innocent people. I had to stop him."
Then why didn't you? It asked.
"I couldn't," Tidus continued, "I was told, that I was a dream, that I didn't exist. When we beat my dad, I disappeared. Everything else is a blur."
Your memories are locked away, the voice told him, It's time to reclaim them and send you back.
Tidus felt a slight buzzing sensation in his mind. He rubbed his head, but the buzzing intensified. It grew louder inside his mind, more powerful with every passing second. Tidus screamed, shaking his head and thrashing about in the darkness. Millions of images flooded across his sight, thousands of faces of people he had never knew, but their names came to him quickly.
"Wakka, Lulu, Shelinda, Kinoc, Kelk, Yankee, Rin, Botta, Keepa," he recited the names, his eyes turning red from the experience, "Who are these people!"
The images raced faster across his mind before stopping suddenly on the girl's face.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, reaching out to grasp the image that appeared in front of him, "Yuna! Yuna! Yuna! Yuna!"
He thrashed about hysterically at the illusion in the front of his face.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, "I remember now! I remember everything! Your pilgrimage, Seymour, Sin, everything! I want to be with you Yuna!"
* * *
"Holy freaking cow," Wakka observed as they approached the dome. Strung about along the ground were the carcasses of the Behemoths the Al Bhed summoned to guard the Zanarkand Dome.
"It took a while," Felix observed, sitting on one of the destroyed columns that bisected the road, "But they're taken care of."
"You're exhausted," Lulu stated, "Why did you do this?"
"Yuna needed to get to the dome," he muttered politely, "So I made her room."
"Thank you," Yuna bowed a little.
Behind them, they could hear the roar of more Behemoths coming to check on their downed companions.
"Let's get inside," Wakka advised, "Before more come."
"No," Kimarhi shook his head, "We stay and fight. Yuna and Felix go ahead."
"What!" Wakka protested, "You lost your marbles man?"
"Kimarhi's right," Rikku agreed with the Ronso guardian, "You two go on ahead."
Felix sheathed his blade and pushed the large doors into the dome open. Yuna took a glance at her guardians. Lulu stood defiant, clutching her moogle under her breasts. Wakka was rubbing the back of his head, the decision obviously upsetting him. Kimarhi was brandishing his spear and Rikku was equipping her gauntlet on her forearm.
"Yuna," Felix called, "Let's go."
The inside of the dome was as it was when they first visited the ancient city. Millions upon millions of pyreflies were floating about in the glow of the morning sun. Ahead of them, images from Yuna's thoughts began appearing.
The first illusion was them watching the Blitzball game in Luca. Yuna remembered the occasion fondly, watching 'him' and Wakka in the sphere. Although the Guado had attacked the stadium, watching her two guardians giving so much joy to the people of Spira was comforting.
The second was she and 'he' sitting on the hill overlooking the ocean that connected to the Mushroom Rock Road. She remembered that night, the night she had made her farewell sphere that 'he' destroyed in Gagazet.
"So that's him," Felix observed.
"Oh, yes," Yuna nodded hastily, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
"Let's move on," he started walking forward, passing through the images as they dissipated.
It took them close to ten minutes to reach the base of the dome. Inside, the cloister of trials was empty, Yunalesca gone to the Farplane. They stood on the elevator that took them to the chamber and it descended into the darkness. Yuna could recall the challenges they had to face to reach Yunalesca. The monster that guarded the fayth, Yunalesca's last test, would have ended her pilgrimage if not for Wakka and Sir Auron's dexterity on the battlefield that the monster crafted for them to fight on.
Then there was Yunalesca herself, the first to defeat Sin and start the cycle of the summoners. She had almost killed Auron and Kimarhi, but with Lulu's help, they were able to silence the original summoner once and for all, forgoing the original plan to defeat Sin and tossing the teachings of Yevon to the wind.
"Something wrong?" Felix asked, noticing that Yuna seemed down.
"It's just, memories," Yuna muttered, "I wish, there was a way to bring him back."
Felix put a hand on her shoulder as the elevator reached the ancient chamber underneath the city.
"That's odd," Yuna stated, "There are pyreflies down here."
Felix followed her as she hurried through the chamber and up the stairs to where they had fought Yunalesca.
"By Yevon!" Yuna gasped, collapsing to her knees.
"It was true...all this time," Felix muttered.
Hovering overhead was a giant sphere surrounded by pyreflies. The sphere was large, easily the size of the Al Bhed's airship. It towered overhead projecting the image of a city.
"Zanarkand!" Yuna cried, "It's 'his' Zanarkand!"
Felix stared in awe as the pyreflies flooded out of the sphere at a rapid pace.
"Something is happening to it," he stated, "They're leaving."
Yuna did not respond. When Felix looked at her, he could see her lips moving. She was praying. He could scantily hear her prayers as she called out in a whisper.
"Please," Yuna prayed in a feint whisper, "Deliver him from whatever peril he may be in. By the spirit of Yevon, release him so we may be together again. I offer my life force to bring him back!"
The pyreflies reacted to her prayers and started swarming around in a circle. Felix reached for his sword, but Yuna calmed him.
"No, wait," she placed her hand over his.
The pyreflies swarmed faster in a tornado of a current. They started forming a shape of a human.
* * *
Tidus felt the ringing in his head disappearing as his vision began to clear. There were two figures in front of him, one with long hair and the other shorter with hair to their shoulders. Also, he could feel a light source. It hurt his eyes and he brought his arm over his eyes to shield them. His legs felt wobbly and he dropped to his knees from exhaustion.
The next thing he knew, he was being held. Looking up, he could see one of the figures was holding him.
"Yu...Yu..." he sought the name as the girl's face came into focus, "Yuna!"
"Oh Yevon!" Yuna wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.
"Yuna, is it really you?" Tidus hugged her back.
"Yes," she cried, tears of joy streaking down her face, "You're back in Spira. Now, tell me, please."
"Tell you?"
"I want to know you're name," she pulled away, letting him look at her tear covered face, "Please."
"Gosh, I'm sorry," he rubbed the back of his head, "I guess I forgot to tell you what with everything that happened. My name's Tidus."
"Tidus," Yuna whispered, a broad smile across her face.
"Tidus, Yuna," a strange voice spoke, "Let's go."
Tidus looked up at the cloaked man.
"The name's Felix," he introduced himself, "Now let's go. We don't have time to waste."
"Why?" Tidus looked back at Yuna, "What's going on? Who's this guy?"
"It's a long story," Yuna patted him on the shoulder, "I'll tell you on the way to Bevelle."
"Bevelle?" Felix asked.
"Yes," Yuna stood, "We must speak with Consul Hyne over this problem."
* * *
When the emerged from the dome, a collective gasp ran through the group of guardians.
"Holy cow," Wakka ran up to Tidus and stared at him, "It really you, brudda?"
"Hey Wakka," Tidus slapped him five, "How's it going? Lulu, Kimarhi, Rikku, hi!"
"It's unbelievable," Lulu rubbed her forehead, "For a while there, we didn't know if you were coming back."
"So, like, were you in the Farplane?" Rikku asked, hopping next to Wakka.
"I don't think so," Tidus shook his head, "It was more like I was home, in my Zanarkand. My father was there, and so Auron."
"Sir Auron?" Wakka gasped, "But I thought Yuna sent him to Farplane?"
"He did," the voice of Yuna's father answered. They all turned to see the High Summoner's image on top of the stairway leading to the dome, "Though the stubborn old fool had a hard time staying with all us dead people."
"Father!" Yuna bowed, and so did her guardians with the exception of Tidus who was still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Auron has always been stubborn," Braska restated the fact, "Wasn't too long after he joined us that he left. Said he was going to Zanarkand, but none of us believed him."
"Father, why did you tell me there was no 'Otherworld', when in fact there was?" Yuna asked.
"I didn't believe it so," Braska's image shook its head, "Auron told me there was. Said that the old Maester Seymour knew about it too."
"Wait!" Rikku piped up, "The illusions in Seymour's house. They weren't just pictures, but the 'Otherworld'."
"Father, is this true?" Yuna asked.
"As far as I can tell," Braska shrugged, "Anyway, it's good to see you've brought your guardian back to Spira. You'll need him for the battle you're about to face."
"Milevan!" Felix shouted.
Everyone turned as Braska's image disappeared. Three Al Bhed were standing on top of the ruins with their machina weapons pointed at the group. The guardians drew their assorted weapons as Tidus placed his hand on Yuna's wrist.
Suddenly, two Al Bhed leapt from the darkness of the ruins. One grabbed Yuna with extreme force, yanking her from Tidus's grip and the other snatched up Rikku.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled as the Al Bhed holding her shoved a machina weapon under her chin, "Let her go!"
"I think not," a raspy voice objected from the shadows.
Emerging from the shadows was a man nearly the size of Wakka. He dressed in Al Bhed clothing, but the obvious differences were the man's long hair that flowed out in a single ponytail down his back. His hand rested on a sword hilt of a blade that stretched a good length, almost the length of Kimarhi's spear. He was muscular; his body in top physical condition and his skin was tanned brown from the desert sun.
His eyes were blue, swirled as all Al Bhed were and he gleamed evilly as he drew his sword and pointed it at Yuna's heart.
"Make one move, and I'll kill the summoner," he ordered.
"You won't do that, Milevan," Felix swung his arm at the Al Bhed, "You need her!"
"Not necessarily," Milevan laughed, "I can always find another. However, the high summoner is the most experienced in Spira and will make my task a whole lot easier."
"Where are you taking her?" Wakka demanded.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out," Milevan laughed, sheathing his sword and motioning for the Al Bhed holding Yuna to follow him. He and the one carrying Rikku walked towards a pair of smaller airships that were parked in a large clearing in the ruins.
"Gemm dras!" Milevan shouted before boarding the airship.
The three Al Bhed with their weapons drawn fired. Lulu reacted the quickest, casting a protective shield over the group making the bullets bounce off harmlessly. Felix and Wakka attacked next, Felix firing a series of rounds at the one on the left, the bullets littering his chest and sending him tumbling into a ruined building. Wakka launched his Blitzball with all his might, smashing into the chest of the Al Bhed on the right, knocking him off his perch and sending him careening into the darkness of the building. His screams filled the air as he hit the bottom, his body shattering with the force of the impact.
Kimarhi roared, leaping high into the air, bringing his spear down through the right leg of the remaining shooter. The Al Bhed cried out in his language as Kimarhi snarled fiercely in his face. The Al Bhed begged for mercy but to no avail. The Ronso's claw cleared his head with one swipe leaving a bloody stump for a neck. The body toppled over, crumpling onto the ground in front of him.
"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, sprinting to Milevan's airship as it ascended into the sky, "Yuna!"
"They're going to the moonflow," Felix revealed as the other guardians caught up to where Tidus was, "That's where the lost city has to be."
"Of course," Lulu agreed, "The city underneath the river, that has to be it."
"We need to hurry," Wakka opened the hatch into the second airship, "Think we can all fit in here?"
"Bigger question," Kimarhi offered, "Who fly airship?"
"I've seen them flying Cid's, ya," Wakka grinned, "Looked easy enough."
"Well let's go!" Tidus pumped his fist in the air, "Before that creep hurts Yuna or Rikku!"
