The four of them walked through the debris. The fires still burned over the destroyed wooden houses. They looked around to see if there was anyone who was hurt or injured in need of aide.
"I…I don't know what to…" Jesse tried to speak. There really was nothing he could say.
Andre put his hand on his shoulder in comfort, "I know, man. I know."
As they continued to walk through, they made it towards a round lake at the end of the village. The moon and stars reflected itself within its waters. There at the shore of the lake, campfires could be seen along with some villagers. There weren't too many however.
"Look!" Julie pointed.
They rushed down to the shore, where the remaining villagers greeted them.
A bearded old man, bruised and cut all over his body approached Anthony.
"What has happened?" Anthony asked him.
"It…It came without warning," the old man spoke.
"What came?" Jesse wondered.
"Sin…" the old man replied with stricken fear in his voice.
"No…" Anthony gasped.
Jesse looked across the entire shore. There really weren't too many villagers present. Most of the people he saw were those on the trolley. And most of them were grieving and hoping that their loved ones were still alive.
Andre looked over towards the shore, and saw Sora standing with her feet in the water. He walked over to her to show his compassion and support. "S-Sora…" he began.
"Jonah…" she sobbed, "H-He's gone…Darwyn will never know his father…ever!!!"
"Sora, I…" Andre tried to say.
"How could this have happened…?" she cried, "What happened to the new life we were going to have…? How could that have been taken away from us?! From Darwyn!"
Andre knew she wanted to be left alone with her child, "I'm very sorry Sora."
"Not many have survived…" the old man spoke to Anthony and the others, "Not even…the children…"
Anthony tried his hardest to fight back the tears. He knew he had to be strong for the rest of the people.
Jesse could see it in Anthony's eyes. The pain that has always been, and the suffering that was still there.
A middle-aged brunette woman walked over to Anthony. "You are Lord Anthony, are you not?" she asked.
"I am," he replied.
"Oh, thank Yevon. We have assembled the coffins in the lake…" she explained, "Please, Summoner. Perform the Sending." The pain was so evident in her voice as she pleaded to Anthony.
Anthony did not hesitate to reply to her request, "Yes, of course."
All of the remaining survivors and the passengers from the trolley gathered at the lake's shore. Many embraced one another as they wept and sobbed over their loss and their grief. Each and every one of them, whether they were related or not, tried to support and comfort each other. It was the least anyone could do after such a tragedy.
Jesse walked just behind the crowd of onlookers as he approached Andre, who wasn't too far away either.
"Oh, Jesse." Andre said as he turned to speak with him.
"I'm guessing Sora's not doing too well, is she…?" Jesse asked sadly.
Andre looked away sorrowfully, "No…"
Jesse looked beyond the crowd to see Anthony standing just before the lake's waters, with Julie at his side. The middle-aged woman from before was speaking with him, along with her husband and surviving teenage boy.
"Andre?" Jesse began.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"What's…the Sending?" Jesse wondered.
"Oh, I guess no one's explained it to you," Andre said, "Hmm…how can I explain this to you so it's easy to understand…" Andre pondered to himself for a moment. "When we die…we are kind of in limbo at first. The dead envy those who live and wish to remain here on this plane, but know that they can't," he explained, "What happens is, that those souls that wish to remain give in to their envy, jealousy, and greed. They become fiends."
"Fiends?" Jesse asked.
"We haven't faced any as of yet. Fiends are monsters who used to be human. Basically, those who couldn't cross over," Andre answered, "And so, Summoners have the ability to perform a ceremony, or a dance. It's called the Sending. The Sending does just as it implies. It sends the souls of the dead to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace and at the same time, their grieving loved ones may be at ease."
"Is the Farplane…like heaven?" Jesse inquired.
Andre nodded, "Yes…more or less."
"So Anthony's gonna perform the Sending…" Jesse stated.
"It's his first…I'm sure it's very difficult for him…" Andre said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Why do you say that?" Jesse asked him.
"He has his reasons…" Andre replied, "Oh! He's going to begin."
Jesse turned to face forward and watch the event that was about to take place.
The middle-aged woman performed the Yevon prayer, as Anthony did the same in return.
"You can do it Anthony," Julie encouraged him.
Anthony did his best to smile, and nodded to her. He placed his hand forward as his moon-influenced staff appeared in his palm in the form of white light. He turned around and began to walk towards the lake's waters.
He stepped down on the water, and did not seep through. He began to walk on top of the lake as each footstep made ripples in the water.
Jesse could not believe what he was seeing. A person walking on water was a sight he never thought he'd see.
Anthony walked towards the center of the lake, where the moon's reflection lied. He looked beneath him to see coffins made from light-weight wood, enveloped in pine cones and pine leaves. It pained him to see them. As soon as he reached the center of the lake, he looked up towards the moon that reflected so brightly beneath him. His eyes were filled with tears. There was something about this that affected him so deeply.
Anthony took one deep breath, and began. The Claire de Lune staff began to emanate a golden glow. He held it in his right hand as he pulled it across his chest and behind him. He then spun around once, letting the edge of his staff touch the water. It created a golden circle that surrounded him. Immediately after, he lifted the staff while bring it out around him. He pulled his right arm back and began to twirl the staff within his fingers. He then turned around once again, facing the moon.
The fires that were burning all around the town began to change color at that very moment. From its bright orange, it transformed into a deep violet color.
Jesse was a bit startled from it.
Anthony held the staff horizontally, in both hands, above his head. He leaped a bit forward, and then backwards. He then kneeled downward, putting the staff before him.
The dance was very much like a Native American dance.
Julie looked onward. The light that came from the water glistened her eyes.
Anthony knelt down on one knee as he twirled the staff in front of him, slowly bringing it up towards the sky. He began to stand up as the staff lifted into the air.
Out of the coffins, the colored lights, that had been seen earlier when the Sinspawn were defeated, began to emerge slowly from each one.
The dance then quickly picked up pace. Anthony began to twirl around rapidly, bringing the staff up and down as he went. And as he spun around, leaping just slightly, the water that was encircled by the golden light began to lift up. It was like a geyser of water that lifted Anthony up a few feet into the air. The water was enveloped in the light.
The colored lights emerged from the depths of the water. There were hundreds of them that surrounded Anthony as he continued to dance.
Jesse looked around him to see the rest of the crowd. Woman fell to their knees as they wept in grief and despair. Their husbands did their best to remain strong and gallant, while their children sobbed with their mothers. He then looked across from the crowd to see Sora and her baby. She did not make a single sound. The tears would only fall from her eyes as she watched Anthony dance.
Anthony continued to spin around on top of the spring of luminescent water. His face seemed so sad and disheartened as he continued to perform the Sending.
Jesse could immediately notice it. He only wished he understood why.
Anthony held the staff tightly, as he leaped a bit to the side, kicking one leg in that direction. Then, he leaped to the opposite direction, kicking the other foot. He twirled the staff in his fingers and then held it upside down, and at his side.
The colored lights swiftly flew towards the moon and into the stars.
The ceremony was complete.
The upward spring of water that flowed beneath Anthony's feet, slowly began to descend and return to the way it once was. Anthony stood back at the base of the water. He turned around, his head facing downward, and began to walk back to shore.
As soon as he arrived, Julie rushed over to him. She held him tightly.
Jesse didn't understand what was going on. He would look at Andre's face and see a face that showed so much sorrow and compassion.
A tear drop fell from Anthony's eye and into the water.
"You did a great job Anthony…" Julie whispered to him, "…It isn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything…"
"Is…everything all right?" Jesse wondered, watching from afar. He was a bit worried.
"Pain from the past will always remain…" Andre replied bluntly.
Jesse didn't quite get it at first.
"…In everything that you do, it will always be there…" Andre told him.
Jesse began to understand. In fact, he knew all too well what Andre was speaking of.
"It's true what Andre says…" Jesse thought to himself, looking on not only Anthony, but the crowd of people as well. He could see them suffering and in so much pain. This would soon be their past as well. "The pain will always remain. It doesn't matter what we do. It will somehow return…" he continued, "I've dealt with such pain. It takes a lot to overcome it. Not everyone can do the same on their own…"
He looked over to Anthony, who broke his hug with Julie and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I promise you Anthony…I'm going to do whatever I can so you won't have to perform anymore Sendings…" he vowed to himself, "So that you may overcome your pain…"
The morning sun dawned upon the destroyed town the next day. Already the men of the village began to rebuild whatever they could. They cut down more trees and created more logs to stack upon each other to form new houses. It would take a while to complete, but they were willing to do it.
The women of the town hurried over to the lake to gather some fish; Encia's main food supply. As the fishing women did their duty, the other women cooked what they were able to come up with. They had to feed the working men and give them strength.
That night, they had prepared tents for everyone to sleep in. Jesse crawled out of one of them to hear the sound of hammers knocking down on logs. He stretched out his arms and yawned, "Ah…!" He looked over to the lake to see Andre and Julie.
Andre had rolled up his pants and entered the lake all the way up to his knees, while Julie sat on a wooden canoe. Andre pulled out his sharp lance and struck down into the lake. He pulled it out to reveal four fish that he had on caught on the blade.
The women in the lake were extremely impressed.
Andre fed on the attention.
Julie was a bit tired of it and decided to take matters into her own hands. She raised one arm into the air as her fingers began to glow a bright blue.
From a few feet away from Andre, a small wave formed and crashed right into him, soaking him completely.
Julie and the rest of the women laughed and giggled.
Jesse couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"It's quite wonderful, isn't it?" Sora spoke as she approached Jesse, her baby in her arms.
"Sora…" Jesse said. He wasn't sure what to say to her.
"It's all right Sir Jesse," she said, "I won't break. I am not such a fragile creature. I…loved Jonah with all my heart, and it will always pain me. I know now that I will live on in his memory. And I will make sure Darwyn hears everything about his father."
"I'm glad to hear it," Jesse smiled.
Sora looked over to the lake to see Andre and Julie splashing water at one another. "It is nice to see smiles and laughter…It helps a lot," she said.
"Even after what happened…everyone…seems different somehow," Jesse said.
"Why, of course." Sora told him, "Having Lord Anthony here has been a blessing. He is a symbol of hope for the people here."
Later that morning, Jesse headed for the main part of the village. He looked around to see the men still hard at work trying to get everything back to normal. It was comforting to see.
"Now, stay still…" he heard a voice say.
He walked around the corner to see Anthony knelt down in front of a young boy who had broken his arm after the incident from the previous day.
"I promise you it won't hurt a bit…" Anthony smiled warmly.
It was soothing to the young boy, as he smiled in return.
Anthony closed his eyes as he placed his right hand over the injury. "Cure…" he said softly, his voice echoing. Sparkling white lights emerged from his fingertips and entered the boy's arm.
The young boy leaped to his feet in joy and happiness, "It's healed!"
Anthony couldn't help but giggle, "Seems you've even gotten your energy back!"
"Thank you so much Lord Anthony!" the young boy shouted happily as he ran off soon after.
"Magic?" Jesse asked him as he walked towards him.
"Oh, Jesse…Good morning," Anthony replied.
"Good morning," he said.
"Oh, umm…just a bit of White Magic I was able to learn," Anthony explained.
"It's really something," he said in an impressed tone.
"I'm glad I can be of some use," Anthony said.
The both of them were silent for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes. It was almost natural.
"Ahem…" Jesse cleared his throat.
"Eh…Oh! The trolley driver has decided to stay here for a while and assist in rebuilding Encia. We will have to make it to Arjuna on foot. We'll be leaving shortly," Anthony did his best to spark up conversation, "I should go and get everything ready…" Anthony began to walk away when Jesse spoke up.
"What you did last night…" he began, "…I've never seen anything like it…"
Anthony stopped, looking down sadly, "It is the cross that a Summoner must bare…I only wish I didn't have to…"
"I could see the look on your face as you danced…" Jesse told him as he walked over to him.
Anthony turned to face him.
"…You seemed saddened somehow," he said.
"It was my first Sending. It was something I hoped I would never have to do," Anthony said, "But, I do it for the people."
"Yet…there's more to it than that, isn't there?" Jesse asked him.
Anthony nodded, "Yes…"
Jesse didn't want to impose, "Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have to…"
"No, it's all right," Anthony stopped him, "It's about time I get this out…" Anthony sighed to himself and began to tell Jesse his story. "As you already know…my family was killed by Sin a long time ago. But…there was more to that story. It's something that will always pain me, and it worsens now that I have become Summoner. It is something that I am sure I will have to face on more than one occasion…" Anthony told him, "That day…when I went to the beach to see my family, and found them…dead, something else happened."
Jesse listened attentively.
"There was no Summoner in our area, so…there was no one to perform the Sending on those that had died…" Anthony said.
"Oh no…they…?" Jesse began to say.
"My family changed into fiends right before my eyes…" Anthony continued, "They attacked me…But, then…I saw them die once more…The men from the village arrived and destroyed all of the fiends, including the ones that were my family…"
"Oh, Anthony…" Jesse said compassionately.
"My dad…my mom…and my little sister…" he whispered, "That is why it is hard for me to perform the Sending. I feel guilty…because if only I had become a Summoner sooner…I could've performed the Sending and sent them to rest peacefully in the Farplane…"
"Don't blame yourself Anthony," Jesse told him, as he placed his hand on his shoulder, "I know…the pain you feel is unbearable…and you think that it will never end. You might be right, but…you can overcome it. I have."
Anthony smiled a bit, "It seems you understand me more than I thought…"
"I'll always be here when you need me. We all will," Jesse smiled in return.
Once again, they had another moment. Their hearts felt so warm when they were near each other. They didn't know what the feeling was, but they knew it felt stronger than anything else.
"Hey, there you are!" Andre shouted. He and Julie came around to corner and approached them.
Julie quickly noticed they had been talking about something important, "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, uhh…Yeah!" Jesse stuttered a bit. He scratched his head embarrassedly, "We were just getting to know one another a bit more…"
"Uh…Anyway!" Anthony spoke up, "Are we ready to depart?"
Andre nodded, "Yeah, we're all set."
"We must continue heading northwest until we reach Arjuna, where the next Aeon awaits you," Julie explained.
"We'd better get a move-on then," Jesse suggested.
"Wait!" Sora shouted.
"Sora?" Andre wondered.
"I just…I just…wanted to say thank you," she said sincerely, "Not just to Lord Anthony, but to all of you. I appreciate all of your support. I will never forget you."
"Neither will we," Julie smiled.
"I will make sure that my son hears about Summoner Anthony and his loyal Guardians…the defeaters of Sin," she said optimistically.
"Eh…?" Anthony gasped.
"I know that you will be the one to save us Lord Anthony!" Sora encouraged him.
Anthony appreciated her words, "Thank you Sora. I won't let you or Darwyn down. I promise!"
"Farewell Lord Anthony…Sir Andre…Madam Julie…and Sir Jesse. I wish you good luck. May Yevon shine down upon you all," Sora said.
The four of them waved goodbye and then headed out into the grassy plains towards their next destination.
As Sora waved goodbye to them and watched them walk off, she looked up towards the sky to see something interesting. A white feather slowly floated downward and landed in front of her feet. She smiled to herself and thought, "Lord Anthony…you will be the one that fulfills the prophecy."
