80 years later, in the year 2107…

The shining and glistening blue star, known as Earth, orbited about in the Solar System.  The stars around it glowed like fire, but the planet itself emitted the most gentle and warm blue glow.  No other star in the galaxy had the radiance of the Earth.

Through the atmosphere, through the layers of puffy white clouds, and on the green North American continent the story was about to begin…

The mountains that stood in the horizon were luscious and green.  The sky above it was as blue as it could possibly, with the sun shining its rays of sunshine onto the world.  There were forests on the sides so thick of green vegetation and other trees and shrubs along a dirt path.

Two small bluebirds were together feeding for worms on the dirt road.  Then suddenly, the ground began to shake a little and the sounds of hooves could be heard coming closer.  The birds flapped their little wings and flew up towards the nearby tree, still with worms in their golden beaks.

Two brown stallions pulled what seemed to be a very large carriage.  It was as long as a bus, filled with people.  In fact, it was an old bus that had been altered.  It was very grimy and dingy, and still had its tires in tact it seemed. 

An elderly man sat at the top, guiding the horses. 

After a few more moments, the driver halted the horses using his reins as they reached a fork in the road.  The dirt path they were on continued straight forward and now had a smaller path going off towards the right. 

"All going to Orlami Village!!" the driver yelled in a raspy voice.

No one stepped off of the carriage, at first.  That is, until the legs of a young man stepped down from the bus' old raggedy steps and onto the path.

"Hagh!" the driver shouted to the horses as the carriage continued on down its course.

As the carriage drove off, it left behind a smog of smoke and dust that hit the young man.  He coughed and waved his arms, "Hey!!!"

When the dust lifted, the young man's appearance was revealed.  He was a tall, tanned, and well-built young man.  His hair was as black as it could possibly be, and his eyes were the color of mahogany.  He wore a black T-shirt that was covered by a brown leather jacket with an interesting design.  The collar of the jacket had a buckle.  The young man also wore black pants with a pair of matching boots.  He carried a large brown bag filled with clothes and other things.

"Some people can be so rude, even in this day and age," he mumbled to himself.  His voice was deep, but gave a sense of kindness and warmth.  "I guess the village is this way…" he said to himself.  He took a few steps forward and dropped his bag when he reached a wooden sign.  The wooden sign had something written in white paint and an arrow pointing in the direction of the side path:

"This Way to Orlami Village"

"I guess I'm going the right way," he said.  He kneeled down and picked up his things.  He took in a deep breath and headed down the path.

As he walked down the path, he looked all around.  He looked a bit confused and out of place, in a way.  He looked up towards the sky and into the sun, covering his eyes with his hand.  He saw the silhouette of a hawk inside the sun's light, as it cawed. 

"Things…have really changed…" the young man narrated, as he himself continued along the path, "I've been gone for five years, and in that little time the entire city…is no more…"

He looked over towards the plains of green grass along the sides of the path and saw the remains of old, rusty building that were now covered in mold and vegetation.  The same could be said for the automobiles that were also scattered around.

"I never thought I would live to see the day when the world would be on the tip of a scale, never knowing when the day will come for the end…" he continued, "Now, I'm back here…my home…I wonder if 'he's' forgotten me…"

The young man stopped when he heard the sounds of horses' hooves galloping into the ground.  He turned around to look behind him where a group of horseback riders approached him.

"Good day young man," one of the middle-aged men greeted him.  He wore a bandana over his chestnut hair and had grown a long brown beard.  There were five horsemen, that carried bags of cow skin filled with the day's hunt.

"Hello sir," the young man replied.

"Young man, are you headed for the village?" another man asked.  He seemed fairly younger, and wielded a bow and arrow.

The young man nodded, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

"Very well then," the middle-aged man smiled, "Hop on and we'll take you there with us."

The young man was very appreciative, "Thank you very much!"

The middle-aged man reached out his hand to him, and helped him up.  The horsemen rode off down the path soon after.

As he rode behind the middle-aged hunter, he looked over once again towards the meadows filled with mold-covered debris to see more and more vibrant wildflowers as they continued on.

"What's your name young man?" the man asked him.

"Oh…Jesse, Jesse Villegas, sir." he replied.

"It's nice to meet you Jesse.  I'm Smithe, a hunter for Orlami Village." he introduced himself.

"Hey, Smithe…" Jesse began.

"What is it?" Smithe asked him.

"The flowers…Why do more flowers appear as we get closer to the village?" he wondered.

"Ahh…well, no one is quite sure, to tell you the truth," Smithe began to explain.  He seemed to have his own opinion on the matter though, "But, many people say that the flowers are now beginning to bloom because something marvelous is happening today in our village.  That is why we were out hunting in the fields today."

"What's going to happen?" Jesse asked.

"Oh no, my young lad.  It is what has already begun," Smithe grinned, "You will see for yourself when you arrive in the village."

Jesse was even more intrigued.

They continued to ride down the path, now passing by farms that were surrounded in wooden fences made of branches and where their cattle were out in the pasture.

After a little while longer, the hunters arrived at the entrance to the village.  Each of them stepped off of their horses and grabbed the reins as they guided their horses inside.

"Lad, welcome to Orlami Village," Smithe said to Jesse, with his hand on his shoulder.

Jesse looked across the landscape to see the village.  The homes and stores were built into the sloping hills of the land, some manmade.  The citizens of the village walked around, going with their daily lives.  However, there seemed to me many more people out today.  Decorations were being put up all around such as lanterns and wildflowers.  Wagons pulled by horses passed by while the children of the village ran around. 

Jesse looked beyond the community area and across to see a large staircase that led up to a large structure that had a steeple almost like a church.

"I trust you'll enjoy your stay here," Smithe smiled, "By the way, do you have a place to stay?"

"Uhh…" Jesse stuttered, "Well, I'm here visiting a friend actually.  I was wondering if he was still living here or not."

"A friend, you say?  Perhaps I may know him," Smithe suggested.

"His name is Andre McKinnon.  Do you know him?" Jesse replied.

"Ohh!  Andre McKinnon, you say!?  You know him?!" Smithe asked him emphatically.

"Yeah…we go way back," Jesse answered.  He was a bit unsure as to why Smithe was getting all worked up.  "Is he still here?" Jesse wondered.

"Why, yes!" Smithe told him, "He lives down near the temple!"

"Thank you," Jesse nodded, "Thanks a lot Smithe.  You've been a great help."

"Oh, it's no problem at all!  Any friend of Andre's is a friend of mine!" Smithe smiled, "I hope to see you at the celebration tonight!"

Jesse started to walk off while waving goodbye, "Yeah, me too!"

"Say hello to your 'Guardian' friend for me!" Smithe waved back.

"I…will!" he replied, unsure of what he meant.  He looked forward, took in a deep breath, and headed into the depth of the village.

Jesse walked alongside many of the houses.  Everyone was outside socializing with one another.  Jesse overheard some of their conversations.

"I hope everything works out today!" a pregnant woman, wearing a long bandana tied in her black hair and a light blue dress, spoke.

"This is the best thing that has ever happened to our village!  Can you believe it?!  A 'chosen'!  Here in Orlami Village!" her female Asian friend added.

Jesse didn't understand at all what they were talking about.  He looked forward to see that he was approaching what seemed to be that temple that Smithe spoke of.  "Okay…Andre's place shouldn't be too far then," Jesse said to himself as he looked around at the surrounding houses, "…now…where could it be…?"  He then saw one of the huts with two brawny men, carrying spears, standing in front of the door.  He figured he'd ask them.

He walked up to them, first noticing how tall they were, and then asked, "Excuse me…Do you know where Andre McKinnon lives?"  He was a bit intimidated by their stature.

The two men looked down to him. 

"This is Guardian Andre's home," one spoke.

"Who are you?" the other asked.

"I'm Jesse Villegas, a friend of his'." he replied.

"A friend?" the man asked.

"Oh dear Yevon!" a male voice complained from behind Jesse, "Who are you two interrogating now?"  His voice seemed a bit sarcastic.

"Sir, this man says he is a friend of yours'," one of the men answered.

"A friend?" the one called 'sir' wondered.

Jesse slowly turned around to then see a tall, young African-American man with his arms crossed over his chest. 

The young man was just a bit taller than Jesse was.  His head was completely shaved, but had a long black tattoo of a slim design on the side of his head.  His eyes were the shade of a jade stone.  He wore very pale gray long-sleeve sweater that reached his wrists.  The ends of the sleeves were a bit wide in circumference.  On top of the sweater, he wore a darker gray, V-neck vest that showed a bit of his pectorals.  He had two black belts on his waist that crossed over each other in the shape of an X; the bottom of the sweater peered through beneath them.  He wore matching gray pants and black boots.  He also had a large lance strapped to his back.  The lance had two curving blades at the top; one large, one small.

The minute the young man saw Jesse's face, his own face lit up in disbelief, "J-Jesse…?"

"Andre?!" Jesse shouted happily.

"No way!!" Andre yelled.

The both ran over to one another and gave each other a friendly hug.  They hadn't seen each other in years.

"Oh, thank Yevon you're all right, man!" Andre sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're all right too," Jesse smiled.

Andre couldn't stop smiling.  His good, old friend was back in his life and he wouldn't have it any other way.  "Man…Oh!  Come on inside Jesse.  We've gotta talk!" Andre told him. 

The two of them went past the guards and into Andre's hut.

Jesse and Andre sat down in the living room.  The chairs and sofas were made out of tree branches and cushioned with feathered pillows.  There were some old photos framed upon the walls.  Most of the photographs were singed from fire or dirty from debris.

"This is…a nice place you got here," Jesse said.

"Yeah, it's all right," Andre replied, walking through a doorway and into the kitchen.  There was a rectangular space where the kitchen could be seen; almost like a bar area.  Andre walked back out with two wooden cups of water and handed one to Jesse.  "Can you believe that even after all of this we still can make a plumbing system?" Andre joked.

"Thanks," Jesse replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"Man, you have no idea how glad I am to see that you're okay," Andre told him, "I heard about the Plate Rip over there, when Sin attacked and I…I feared the worst."

"Yeah, the crevice is huge.  A lot of lives were lost too…" Jesse said sadly.

"You and family left town while Sin was just starting to cause more havoc in this part of the world.  Looks like you guys got caught in the crossfire," Andre stated, "Speaking of which…how is your family?"

Jesse's face saddened, "They…They didn't make it…"

"Oh…" Andre said apologetically, "I didn't know…I'm sorry man.  Your parents were like second parents to me."

"It's all right…It was a long time ago," Jesse replied.  He wanted to change the subject as soon as he could, "What about your parents, and your brother?  Are they still here?"

With that question, Andre's disposition changed, "They left the village a couple of years ago."

"Why?" Jesse asked.

"They wanted to return to what was left of our hometown when Rico became a Guardian to a 'chosen' there," Andre explained, "They thought it was best for them to stay there."

"Which comes to my next question…What is all of this that I'm hearing about?  Guardians, and chosen…" Jesse asked him.

"You mean you don't know?" Andre asked him in disbelief.

"About what?" Jesse replied.

"About the Yevon Religion and the Prophecy?" Andre added.

Jesse shook his head, "You know how extremely Catholic my mother was…"

"Yeah, that is true, but…Man, you really have been gone for a long time…" Andre stated, "All right.  I'll explain everything."

Inside the depths of the temple, lied an immense chamber.  There was little light causing it to be dim.  There were only flaming torches hung on the walls to give light.  Large stone statues and painted murals lied all across the walls and ceilings. 

A staircase stood in the center, leading up to a door with two stone statues of bird-like creatures on the sides.  Two humans stood at the bottom.

A young woman stood a few feet away from the other person.  She was slightly shorter and had skin the color of caramel.  Her hair was brown and tied into the back, but in a very unique fashion.  Her hair had been styled into the shape almost like an atom, except only with two intertwining rings.  With the remaining hair, a ball was created in the center of the rings.  Hawk feathers were tied into it, hanging off of it to give it a Native American feel.  She had a black jeweled choker wrapped around her neck and had earrings that were smaller versions of Native American dream catchers.  She wore a gown made of navy blue velvet that reached her calves.  It looked similar to that of a Moroccan gown.  The collar was in the shape of a V, and had a beige colored border; as did the sleeves and the sides of the dress.  In the border were detailed, hand woven green vines with roses.  Underneath the gown, she wore very wide, loose dark blue pants.  She wore matching blue slippers for shoes.

"You will be careful, won't you?" she asked the person standing before her.  Her voice was sweet, but at the moment, very worrisome. 

"I'll be fine Julie," the other responded.  It was a male voice; a gentle, kind, and soothing voice.

"Okay…I'll be waiting for you to return," Julie nodded.

The young man made his way up the steps, his footsteps echoing, and entered the doorway.

Andre sat on one of his seats, while Jesse sat on another on the other side of the bamboo coffee table across from him.

"I know that you know about Sin, right?" Andre began.

Jesse nodded, "Who doesn't…"

"Well, that same year when Sin first appeared and started reeking havoc across the globe, a book surfaced.  It was the 'Book of Yevon'.  Just like the Bible, it spoke of a god called Yevon who foresaw many things.  One of those things, was the destruction of Earth by a being called Sin." Andre tried his best to explain.

"That's how everyone found out what it was," Jesse stated.

Andre nodded, "Exactly.  Then, it spoke of temples that would rise that were there for worship and some other uses that I'll explain later.  And guess what?  The foretelling came true soon after.  Temples, just like the one at the end of the village, rose up from the ground.  Since then, a lot of people converted to the Yevon Religion and some became priests that would teach the religion to others who sought its guidance."

"Hmm…It all makes sense.  Why so many converted to this religion…" Jesse pondered to himself, "I understand, but…you said something about…a prophecy?"

"You mean, 'The Prophecy'," Andre corrected him, "When all seemed lost for the human race, many look for The Book of Yevon for salvation.  There was something written.  The book told of a prophecy: The Prophecy of the Summoner."

"Wow…sounds important…" Jesse sighed in amazement.

"It is man.  The prophecy says that around the world some humans will receive a prophetic dream of Sin and then wake up with the mark of Yevon somewhere on their body.  These people are the Chosen," Andre continued, "They must embark on the Pilgrimage, go to each temple across the globe, and acquire each Aeon in order to find their way to the place of the Final Aeon; the one thing that can destroy Sin.  That is the duty of the Summoner."

"So that's what you meant about the temples having other uses…" Jesse said.

"That's right," Andre replied.

"So, what are these Aeons…?" Jesse began to ask when Andre lifted up from his seat.

"Oh no!" he cried, "Speaking of temples…!"

"Huh?" Jesse wondered as he stood up.

Andre ran over to the side and grabbed his lance, strapping it back onto his back.  "I forgot I was supposed to be there already!!!" he yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Jesse asked him.

"I'll explain on the way there!" Andre told him, grabbing his arm and dragging Jesse with him, "Come on!"