Believe
Chapter Two- A True Summoner
Author's Notes- Thanks everyone, for your encouraging reviews. I feel so happy that people like this that I think I'll write another chapter. Go me! ^_^ Hope you enjoy.
Where we left off- Hi, this is Rynna. Songwind asked me to do this summarizing thing for you. So here I am. (Shrug) Anyway, so I'm forced into this stupid ceremony where I play the role of my ultimate grandmother, Yuna, on her journey to create the Eternal Calm. Thing is, when I get to the Chamber of the Fayth, there's an actual fayth there! Weird, man! And to add to that, the fayth guy says a new Sin is about! Can this get any creepier?!
~*~
"Oh my God…" Rynna repeated.
"RYN!?" Darian shouted through the door. "Come on, Rynna! Answer me!" There was more pounding on the door.
Rynna decided not to hesitate any longer. Picking up the ivory staff, which she had dropped a moment ago, the young woman hurried towards the door and gave a quick bow to it, willing it to open for her.
The door remained closed.
"Huh?" She tried again.
Nothing.
The young woman turned back to the fayth, who still stood over the half-sphere where the giant bird lay, sleeping. "Let me out," she pleaded.
"Why? Thou art safe in the Chamber, young Rynna."
Rynna wasn't one to keep her temper in a fight. This was shown as she balled her hands into fists and shook them at the fayth. "I have to help my village, you moron! What do you think? Let me out!"
"…I see. Very well, then. It shall be so."
She blinked, letting her fists fall. "Um? What will be so?"
The fayth shook some of his long hair out of his face and nodded at her. "I shall become thy first aeon, to aid thee in thy fight against Sin's true spawn."
"Aeon? But I'm no summoner, I'm just-"
"Thou hast none of the proper training, I concur," the fayth interrupted. "But thy people cry in pain, for their weapons have no power o'er this beast. Pray allow me to help thee. Or thy village shall be gone ere the sun sets tonight."
Rynna looked helplessly at him. "But, but, I don't know a thing about summoning!" she cried.
"I shall aid thee. Wilt thou accept my offer?"
The young woman looked to the door, which Darian was still furiously pounding on. Then she made some quick guesses as to how people were dealing with a new Sin out there. Finally, she turned back to the aeon. "Okay, okay, but if I die doing this-"
"Thou shalt not. Have thy guardians aid thee in thy first steps."
"First-?!"
Rynna didn't have a chance to finish her question. Without another word, the fayth closed his eyes and lifted his hands over his head, creating a small ball of pure energy there. Then, he seemed to fade into the blue-green ball until the energy was all that was left. Rynna watched, fascinated, as it seemed to back away for a second. She didn't have enough time to scream before the energy hurled itself straight at and into her body, burrowing into her skin, blood, and bones.
She slumped to the ground, her body shrieking in protest from this sudden outside invader that was now taking residence within her mind. She twisted and twitched involuntarily, gasping for air and trying to scream.
"Ryn?! Are you in there? Hey! Are you okay?! Brand, Amie! Help me! She's not answering!"
She faintly heard Amie calling her name, and heard more pounding on the door.
Then, suddenly, she felt the pain begin to drain from her, feeling it make a puddle of sweat about her. Slowly, she sat up, trying to remember how to focus her eyes correctly. After a moment, she could, and thought about trying to stand and walk.
The village! Go!
The thought came so quickly that she didn't stop to question it. Staggering to her feet, she used the staff as a cane to help her get to the door. This time, it opened without her even glancing at it.
"Oh my God, Ryn!"
She looked up, realizing that she had suddenly fallen and that Darian had caught her. "Hey, Darian," she mumbled.
"What happened? God, you're sweating and you're shaking like you saw a ghost!"
"You could say that…" She took a deep breath, then pushed him away so she could stand on her own. Her legs were wobbly, but she could stand. "The village, Darian. Worry about your family first."
"But what-"
"We have to go!" she snapped. Gathering up her skirts and ignoring how much the boots were pinching her toes, she started hurrying towards the exit.
Darian watched her go with a bemused expression on his face. Then he blinked, and ran after her. Brand and Amie weren't far behind, though Amie didn't dare go faster than a jog for fear of the dress…
~*~
"By the powers-!" Amie gasped, hugging herself.
"What is that?!" Darian demanded.
"Sin's true spawn," Rynna muttered.
"What?" Darian asked.
She shook her head, and started towards it.
"Hey, where're you going?! You need your energy channeler!" Darian shouted.
She ignored him, marching towards where the village's outskirts met the sea.
"What's with her?" he complained. Glancing around, he unsheathed the ceremonial ball that was said to have been the weapon of choice for his ultimate grandfather. "All right, let's see if this thing has any power!" He raced after her.
Brand looked to Amie, who shook her head helplessly. "I know white magic," she murmured.
"That is enough," Brand assured her. "Brand knows some black. We must help, Brand thinks."
"I agree. All right then, I'll heal people!" Amie set her jaw in determination.
"One thing, though."
"What?" she asked impatiently.
Brand looked at her, as though trying to pick out the best words. "Brand thinks, that Amie should change quickly first."
The young woman blinked, then looked down at her clothing. She blushed deeply. "You might be right about that."
"Brand always right," the Ronso announced solemnly. With that, he grabbed the spear he'd been given and hurried after the others in their group. Amie recovered from her blushing and raced off to a nearby house to borrow some clothes.
~*~
Alex was late, as usual.
But this time, he had an actual excuse; the young man, who was to play Tidus, wasn't supposed to appear until that evening, when the legend was said to have entered the Cloister of Trials unauthorized to help Yuna for the first time.
Alex looked over his clothing critically. The clothing details of the man had been sketchy at best, so he knew his clothing was off. He just didn't know what to do about it. He wore a pair of dark blue shorts with numerous hidden pockets in them, and a yellow, short-sleeved shirt with a white hood on it. The damn thing was almost too short; the hem of the shirt didn't go down to his thighs, as he usually wore shirts, but barely reached his waistline. Thus, he was tugging at it almost constantly.
Deciding that the clothing was close enough, he ran a hand through his short, straw-colored hair before picking up a blue sword and its sheath, buckling it on.
That was when he first heard the screaming.
Curious, then worried, the young man went to the door of his home to see what on earth the fuss was all about.
He gaped.
Something big- no, gigantic! - was attacking from the ocean.
A ship? He squinted. No, the whole thing was alive, twisting and turning.
By the powers, that can't possibly be a fiend, can it? He wondered about this worriedly as he unsheathed the sword and hurried out into the street to get a better look at things.
He swallowed hard as he gripped the sword in his hands. He was a skilled swordsman, though he wasn't sure if this sword that had been intended for the ceremony would work. He started to edge forward when he heard the screams again.
The older folk in the town were racing about in a complete and utter panic as the thing began to gather energy slowly, preparing for some attack.
"SIN! SIN!"
"SIN?!" Alex demanded.
Then he saw Rynna, who was playing Yuna, approach the giant fiend.
~*~
The thing was monstrous.
That was the only way to describe it, really. Legends had said that Sin resembled a giant, deformed whale, with skin so tough that only the Final Aeon was able to break it. This… thing looked no different.
Rynna swallowed as she tried not to look around herself. She knew that people lay, already dead, at her feet. She knew perfectly well that some of them had been ripped limb from limb, while others had simply blasted apart from some powerful magic.
Therefore, she knew that if she looked she would go insane.
So ignoring the soft things she walked through, she locked her eyes on the powerful Sin spawn.
The thing was currently readying another blast of energy, aimed at an elderly couple and their grandchildren. The grandchildren couldn't have been older than ten, and so couldn't help their grandparents as quickly as they could have otherwise.
Anger boiled within her. Killing people who deserve respect, killing kids who haven't even learned what exactly a weapon is yet! What a… a… monster!
As if that thought had been spoken aloud, the creature turned from its intended targets to look at her. At least, she thought it was looking at her; she couldn't be certain, what with its millions of small, beady eyes looking in every direction at once.
Oh, dear sweet powers that be… it's going to kill me.
: It shall do no such thing, summoner,: a voice rang through her consciousness.
She blinked, startled. Wh- wha….
: Call me, Rynna. Call me, summoner!:
Swallowing, she lifted the staff to face level, looking at the ivory design on it with only a feigned sort of interest as she debated whether or not to listen to the voice. Then she decided that logic- i.e. that the fayth had been gone from this planet for two hundred years- could wait until the village was safe.
Okay, she responded. How?
: Call my name to the winds. Call for Valefor!:
And she did, twirling the staff and stepping back as though in a martial arts stance. "Valefor, come!" she shouted.
Darian, who'd just caught up to her, stopped, dropping the blitzball in surprise. "What?!" he gasped.
Glowing symbols swirled around Rynna as she took another step back, lowering her staff with one hand to tap the ground where she had stood an instant ago while simultaneously reaching her free hand up to the sky imploringly.
At first, nothing happened. The great monster before her seemed to snort in amusement, now channeling its energy to attack her.
Then…
A cry, sounding like that of a hawk on the hunt, sounded through the sky. The survivors of the Sin spawn looked up in awe as they saw what their ancestors must have seen two hundred years ago.
A red-golden bird with a large beak, horns, and a wingspan the size of a house appeared, swooping lower and lower until it landed before Rynna, watching her. Rynna gaped at the thing, not sure what to do next. She searched her mind for an answer, but she heard nothing other than her own frantic thoughts.
"Um, hi?" she offered. "Bad guy's that way." She pointed a shaky finger at Sin.
That seemed to do the trick, however lame Rynna thought she sounded. Valefor bobbed its head once before turning and shrieking a challenge at the monster.
The giant fiend responded with a roar that was loud enough to knock many people off their feet, including Darian; however, Rynna stood her ground, gripping the staff as tightly as possible.
"Attack!" Rynna shouted.
Valefor, seeing its enemy, needed no further encouragement. It took to the air, flying towards the monster in giant, lazy-seeming circles as it gained altitude. Sin's spawn watched it with a mild interest, its many eyes circling around after the bird-aeon.
Then, when it was a mere speck in the sky, Rynna heard a shriek from on high that sent her to her knees, hugging herself and shuddering. Valefor pulled itself to a stop, hovered for a moment, then shot down towards Sin's spawn.
The effect was astonishing, to say the least; while the monster's skin wasn't broken, it still roared with rage as Valefor's beak made a rather huge dent in its left flank. Turning, the thing shot a beam of light at the aeon.
Valefor twisted, barely making it out of the way; however, it lost a few tail feathers, and its flying became steadily worse as it attempted to regain altitude and attack again. Yet attack it did.
And this time, it broke the skin.
The howl that came from Sin's spawn wasn't terrifying; it was more. It was enough to make those standing too weak to stay up, and make those collapsed on the ground curl into a ball, seeking protection. Many closed their eyes, praying fervently to whomever and whatever they could that this was just a nightmare. Rynna could faintly hear people crying out, "Yevon!", a name that hadn't been used seriously by many in years.
Sin's spawn roared again at the aeon, then blasted another beam of light. But this time, it wasn't at the bird; it was at the village. People screamed and scrambled to their feet, attempting to run.
Not many made it more than a foot.
The survivors screamed for their loved ones as Sin's spawn gave the village and the aeon a final glare before turning towards the sea, disappearing as though it had never been there.
Rynna watched it go, feeling sort of detached from the current situation. Then again, who wouldn't feel so at this point?
But suddenly, it all caught up to her, and she screamed almost as loudly as Valefor had, and curled into a ball on the ground, weeping.
"Oh, God… Oh, God…" She started to tremble.
"Rynna?!" Darian ran up to her, grasping her shoulders. "Are you… all right?"
"No, I'm not okay! This is not okay!" she shrieked, burying her head in his shoulder for a moment.
"Ryn…" He hugged her for a moment. "Ryn…"
"Is she all right?" Amie asked, hurrying up. Brand was not too far behind, having been assisting some of the older folk away from the fight.
"She's not injured, if that's what you mean," Darian said, absently rubbing his friend's back. "Ryn, buddy, come on. Everything's all right now. It's gone."
"Is everything okay?" Alex asked, racing up and dropping his sword. He pulled out a potion. "Does she need healing?"
Darian looked over the girl in his arms, shaking his head. "No, I don't think so." Suddenly, his face became stricken. "Oh, God… my family!" He looked at the destroyed town and people around him, then at his friend indecisively.
"Go," Amie said, pulling Rynna away from him. The quiet girl suddenly gained a commanding tone. "Find your family. I will tend to Rynna here."
"So will Brand," the Ronso declared. "Ronso has no family in need here. Go." He motioned towards Alex. "You too, Besaid islander."
The redhead swallowed, nodding. Then he hurried off. Alex watched him go, gave Rynna one more concerned yet wondrous stare, then followed in hot pursuit.
The survivors of the island slowly began to creep out of their hiding places; behind trees, under destroyed roofs, up from their food cellars, to see what had become of the place. While they did, the now-weakened aeon circled the air before settling before its summoner.
Rynna looked up, her face streaked with tears. "Vale…for?" she asked, wiping her eyes.
Amie held the other girl close, looking at the aeon warily. "Will it attack us?" she asked.
"No."
"What is it?" Amie questioned.
"This…" Rynna reached out to the aeon. Valefor reached out with its beak, enough so that Rynna could awkwardly pat it once or twice. "This is Valefor. My… my aeon."
"Your what?" Amie and Brand asked in unison.
"An aeon!" another voice sounded.
The trio looked behind them to see the elderly priest who had led them through the beginning of the ceremony. The man was staring, eyes wide with wonder and fear, at the aeon. Valefor, in turn, gave the priest a penetrating glare before bobbing its head in acknowledgement. With one more nuzzle at Rynna's hand, the aeon took flight once more, disappearing into the sky.
"Amazing!" the priest exclaimed. "An aeon came to aid us in our time of need. Indeed this is a thing to celebrate!" Then he frowned. "No, please forgive me. 'Tis a day for mourning, not only for us, but for the world."
"Hey!" Darian came back, looking relieved. "My parents… they're okay! They're both okay!"
"My sister is all right, too," Alex added, jogging up behind the redhead. "She was out in the woods nearby, so she didn't even really know what was going on. My mother got a head injury and my dad's leg is broken, but…" He grinned.
"Good," the Ronso said.
Darian then looked at the priest. "Father… if I may ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Was that really Sin?"
"Sin's spawn," Rynna said softly.
The group glanced at her. "What?" Darian asked. "So it's a normal fiend?"
"No… Sin, apparently, learned to reproduce itself. Clone itself, just before the end. Or the creator of Sin hid away an extra or something," Rynna explained. "The fayth… he explained it to me. That's Sin's 'true' spawn."
The group became quiet. In the background, the group could hear people wailing over lost loved ones, or happy cries of relief when people found friends or family alive.
"So Sin's back," Darian said quietly.
"Yes." The priest nodded at Rynna. "But thanks be to our God; for the summoners have returned as well!" With that, he bowed. "Lady Summoner, it is with great honor the people of Spira shall serve you!"
Rynna's eyes widened as her friends and acquaintances looked at each other oddly, then bowed as well. People came up, curious to see the woman who had called an aeon. All too soon, all able-bodied folk were bowing and murmuring, "Lady Summoner…"
Oh no.. this isn't supposed to happen…
~*~