*blinks rapidly*19 reviews on only 4 chapters! Holy cow. Well, I know which project I need to focus my efforts on, don't I? *lol*

A/N: I thought about calling this chapter "Spiral of Death," but last night I fought Yunalesca (defeated her with overkill, in fact), and I couldn't help but notice the in-game description at the top of the screen: "Reaper of souls. Vulnerable to holy magic." Way too cool to pass up.

Reflections, Chapter 5

Yunalesca: Reaper of Souls

"I will conquer it…without false hope." –Yuna to Yunalesca

They call me Lady Yunalesca, the first High Summoner. They come to me in reverence and awe, the journeyers of the long road, those summoners who have become strong enough to defeat Sin. They beseech me to grant them the power of the Final Aeon, and I willingly do so. How could I not? I look into their eyes, and I see the hardships and the trials they have endured. I ask them to choose, and their faces reveal shock, fear, anger, sorrow…and, eventually, acceptance. The summoners understand the choice they must make. They accept the necessity of the sacrifice, as do their guardians. They willingly give their lives, and those of their closest companions, to bring Spira hope.

But this girl, Lord Braska's daughter…she is different from the others. I look into her eyes, and what do they reveal to me? Weariness, yes. The pain of betrayal. The shock of disillusionment. She has taken a most unusual path on her pilgrimage; she and her companions have performed unthinkable acts on their journey, and they have suffered terrible consequences. She has even learned of Sin's true nature, a revelation that has driven summoners older and wiser than this child to turn away from their path. Yet underneath the suffering lies a hope so strong that it inspires both awe and terror. I see the fire in her eyes, her guardians' determination as they rally around her, and I know that I have no choice.

"Let me be your liberator…"

* * * *

Many years ago, no, centuries ago, I was young and idealistic and a bit foolish, not unlike the young summoner who stands before me now. I stood in a position very similar to hers, watching the world fall apart around me. It was at the height of the great war between Zanarkand and Bevelle, and as powerful as our summoners were, we were no match for Bevelle's unholy machina. We knew we were doomed, we knew our city would perish and fade from memory, but we could not accept our fate.

Years earlier, my father had devised a way to seal living souls inside stone statues. These souls are the fayth; their dreams bring the aeons into existence and make memories into solid objects. Now, he said, he had discovered another secret: he could join not a hundred souls, not a thousand souls, but every soul in Zanarkand into one incredibly powerful fayth. This would be our last and greatest summoning: a dream strong enough to bring our Zanarkand back from its death. Our world would exist forever, Yu Yevon promised. Not even the mighty machina of Bevelle would be able to destroy us!

But I learned the truth behind my father's ambitious plan. Yes, he wanted to save Zanarkand, and this great summoning would allow him to do so. However, the joining of so many minds for one single purpose also had the potential to create an aeon of unimaginable power. This was what my father truly wanted: to summon the ultimate aeon and exact revenge on Bevelle.

Instead of becoming a fayth, I escaped Zanarkand, hoping to find a way to defeat the instrument of death my father had become. With my husband Zaon at my side, I travelled across the whole of Spira, warning the population about the monster that would later be named "Sin." At the same time, I was becoming stronger as a summoner, building the bonds that allowed my aeons to grow with me…and finally, after two years, I understood what was necessary to defeat my father. I understood why no ordinary aeon could stop him.

The strength of an aeon is dependent on its bond with its summoner. The stronger that bond is, the more powerful the aeon becomes. To defeat Sin, I would need an aeon with whom I was intimately acquainted. I needed a bond of love, one so strong and so true that the hate-filled Sin would crumble before it. I needed this aeon to be devoted enough to sacrifice itself for me, for Spira. Naturally, there was only one person who could fill that role.

And so Zaon and I returned to Zanarkand, the place where it all started. Zaon became the first Final Aeon, and I the first High Summoner. Zaon's soul remained trapped inside Sin, and I…I stayed behind of my own free will, able to grant the Final Aeons to others, doomed to continue the spiral of death for all eternity.

* * * *

I have become a fiend. I was Lady Yunalesca, the first High Summoner. To the world, I am the eternal bringer of hope, the one who bestows the Final Aeon upon the worthy. Perhaps, at some time in the forgotten past, that is what I was. But my past is gone. Whatever I was, whatever I might have been, is forever lost to me. Now I am the reaper of souls, the destroyer of summoners and their guardians. I take the lives of these innocent, willing pilgrims and present them to my father--Yu Yevon--Sin--in exchange for a few years of peace.

Will it ever end? Will Spira ever break free from this spiral of death? I am weary, a dead soul trapped in a dead world. Perhaps it is for the best, then, that Lord Braska's daughter and her guardians--one of whom is dead by my own hand--should strike me down. Perhaps it is time to let go…allow myself to rest…allow my father to release Spira from its sorrow. I only regret that these sacrifices have been in vain, thousands of deaths rendered meaningless by the loss of the only weapon proven to defeat Sin.

"Zaon…forgive me…"

As I played through that whole gut-wrenching scene with Yunalesca, I found myself fascinated by her character. She's caught in the spiral just as surely as anyone else in Spira, forced to remain behind after her death as the only person who could create an aeon powerful enough to defeat Sin. Perhaps she was like the fayth, unable to keep going any longer…or maybe somewhere deep inside, she wanted to believe there could be an Eternal Calm. I have lots of theories, which may be explored at a later date in another story. *evil snicker*

For now, though, it's 12.30 a.m. and I'm falling asleep. Don't forget to R&R--I'll return the courtesy, I promise. 'Night y'all! ^_^