My note: okay, it's a short update, only six and a half pages.
They're all going to be like that, until I can remember where I meant
this to go. I'm going to try and finish this story, but I make no
promises.
Where Dreams End...
11. Wanted All Across Spira
The Lost Ones and their legacy…
Yuna found her thoughts dwelling on the scraps of information that Ixion's fayth had given her, dwelling on the startling revelation that her friend, Buffy Summers, was some kind of messianic figure, that her presence in this world was enough to change everything.
According to Ixion's fayth, the Lost Ones believed that the fate of whole worlds balanced on the shoulders of certain key individuals, that the presence of these individuals was enough to move mountains if necessary.
The Lost Ones were rumoured to hail from another plane of existence, an entirely different world. Just like Buffy.
Yuna couldn't help but think about what the Lost Ones believed: the fate of whole worlds were balanced on the shoulders of certain individuals.
It went against everything she believed, everything she felt she stood for… But there was so much evidence to support that belief.
Even now, the four Maesters of Yevon guided Spira. Even now, Summoners from all over Spira journeyed on pilgrimages in the hopes of gaining the strength to change Spira's fate. Everything around her told her that Spira's fate was indeed determined by a chosen few, and, if the Lost Ones were correct, then the coming of their Messiah, their Chosen One, would forever change Spira.
For the better, or for the worse.
The young Summoner found herself once again watching the sunset from the bridge leading to the Djose temple. The majority of the Crusaders and the warrior monks of Yevon had moved on, retreated to various different parts of Spira. Djose felt strangely empty.
Maybe it was because Yuna now felt the absence of her friend and guardian more acutely than ever.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Tidus asked, unconsciously echoing his own words from a day before.
Yuna smiled. "Buffy."
"Oh," said Tidus.
"We have to find her," Yuna said, turning to face him. The decision, now out in the open, sounded much more certain, much more concrete, than it felt.
"Yeah," Tidus said, nodding his agreement. "She's kinda important, huh?"
"To all of Spira," said a new voice. They turned to see Maester Seymour, flanked by a dozen of warrior monks, along with his two customary guado bodyguards. There was something about the smile on his lips that Yuna found disconcerting. "Tell me, Lady Yuna, do you know where we might find the Lady Summoner?"
"Buffy's no Summoner," Tidus corrected, chuckling darkly.
"Indeed," Seymour responded calmly. "Perhaps not yet, but with powers as strong as hers, she must be carefully schooled in the Summoner's Arts, trained in Yevon's teachings."
"Forgive me for saying this, Maester Seymour, your worship, but I don't think Buffy's gonna want to learn the teachings, ya?" Wakka said, walking up to join Yuna and Tidus. "It's kinda why she left us in the first place."
Tidus and Yuna nodded their agreement. Seymour didn't seem deterred. "I'm sure I can bring her about to our way of thinking."
Yuna didn't like the way that sounded, but knew better than to voice her opinion. "Well anyway," Tidus said, quickly changing the subject. "We don't know where she went. She just up and left. Maybe she went back to Luca."
Yuna frowned slightly at Tidus' words. Buffy probably wouldn't have gone back to Luca. "Indeed?" Seymour asked, though he didn't sound any more convinced than Tidus. "We must be going. I bid you a good journey, Lady Yuna, and I hope we will meet in the future."
Yuna bowed deeply, performing Yevon's prayer and so did Wakka. Tidus just watched the procession go. "That's going to complicate things," Tidus said.
"We have to find Buffy," Yuna reaffirmed.
"What for?" Wakka asked incredulously. "She mocks everything that Yevon stands for!"
"It… She is important," Yuna responded. She didn't want to go into detail. She didn't know how it would sound, once she'd put what she knew into words.
There were powerful fayth out there, outside of the Temples and their teachings, and they had their own ideas about what would happen to Spira. And Buffy was their messenger. The thought was both comforting and terrifying at once.
The Moonflow… What can I say, guys? There really aren't any words to describe it. It's just… breathtaking. I wish I had the time to hang around, to see all that Spira had to offer.
The sun had long since set, and though it was an awe-inspiring sight, shades of red, and orange, and pink, and yellow lighting up the sky, it was nothing compared to this.
Buffy was glad she'd found a comfortable spot, in the shade of a large tree. She and Rikku lay there, watching the spectacle in silence.
It hadn't started until even the slightest trace of the sun's light had faded from the horizon. One by one, the stars had come out, a river of twinkling lights in the sky.
Even that was impressive. Buffy was a city girl. She never got to see more than the brightest of stars. Even that paled in comparison when the Moonflow earned its name.
At first, Buffy though that the twinkling lights in the wide river were just a reflection of the stars in the sky, but then she realised the truth. One by one, the moonlillies were opening up, releasing swarms of pyreflies into the air. They gathered in great clouds over the river, until the cosmos paled in comparison to the brilliant lights, the fire, of the pyreflies.
Buffy didn't know how long she'd been watching that, before she noticed the presence of someone else. Looking up, she found herself looking at two familiar faces, Crusaders.
"Lady Summoner," said the older of the two. Buffy thought his name was Luzzu. Both bowed deeply.
"Cut that out," Buffy said immediately, glancing around to see if anyone had spotted them. She didn't want the kind of attention that being a Summoner usually brought with it. "I'm not a Summoner, and I don't want to be."
"But, you saved us all!" Gatta argued.
"That's right," Buffy said, nodding to herself. "But that's because I couldn't just let you all die, not because I'm a Summoner. And right now you're blocking my view of the Moonflow. Wouldja mind moving just a little?"
Luzzu and Gatta stepped aside. "My lady, we owe you our gratitude," said Luzzu.
Buffy breathed a deep sigh, closing her eyes slightly. "What are you going to do with your lives, now that they're actually gonna continue?"
"We shall return home to the Island of Besaid," Luzzu said. Gatta nodded his agreement. "We shall defend it from Sin."
"Because that's what Crusaders do?" Buffy asked, opening her eyes, fixing first Luzzu with a look, then Gatta.
"Because it's our home," Gatta said.
"Cool," Buffy said, with a warm grin. She returned her attention fully to the Moonflow.
"My lady, there is another matter," Gatta said.
"Yeah?" Buffy asked. "What's that?"
"The Maesters have given orders that you are to be delivered to Bevelle," Gatta said.
"What?" Rikku piped up.
"So I'm like a wanted criminal now?" Buffy asked, annoyed.
"You must be careful," Luzzu counselled. "We Crusaders are outcasts of Yevon – we have abandoned the teachings – and thanks to your actions during Operation Mi'ihen, most of our number are likely to let you pass, however the warrior monks are a different matter, as are the temple priests."
"I'll watch my back," Buffy agreed, nodding her head. "Thanks guys."
Both Crusaders bowed deeply. "It was our honour to aid you, my lady," Gatta said.
Buffy kick-flipped to her feet, watching as the two Crusaders moved up the road and away from the Moonflow. She turned her attention towards the younger Al Bhed girl, lying comfortably in the grass next to her.
"Come on," she said, offering Rikku a hand up. A note of anxiety crept unwittingly into her voice. "We should get going. We don't want to keep your old man waiting."
"No, I guess not," Rikku said, clearly nervous.
Rikku took her hand and allowed Buffy to pull her up to her feet. "What are the chances we can ride one of those elephant things across the river?"
And just like that, I became a wanted man, er, person, and something told me that I wouldn't like it if the Maesters ever did catch up to me…
11. Wanted All Across Spira
The Lost Ones and their legacy…
Yuna found her thoughts dwelling on the scraps of information that Ixion's fayth had given her, dwelling on the startling revelation that her friend, Buffy Summers, was some kind of messianic figure, that her presence in this world was enough to change everything.
According to Ixion's fayth, the Lost Ones believed that the fate of whole worlds balanced on the shoulders of certain key individuals, that the presence of these individuals was enough to move mountains if necessary.
The Lost Ones were rumoured to hail from another plane of existence, an entirely different world. Just like Buffy.
Yuna couldn't help but think about what the Lost Ones believed: the fate of whole worlds were balanced on the shoulders of certain individuals.
It went against everything she believed, everything she felt she stood for… But there was so much evidence to support that belief.
Even now, the four Maesters of Yevon guided Spira. Even now, Summoners from all over Spira journeyed on pilgrimages in the hopes of gaining the strength to change Spira's fate. Everything around her told her that Spira's fate was indeed determined by a chosen few, and, if the Lost Ones were correct, then the coming of their Messiah, their Chosen One, would forever change Spira.
For the better, or for the worse.
The young Summoner found herself once again watching the sunset from the bridge leading to the Djose temple. The majority of the Crusaders and the warrior monks of Yevon had moved on, retreated to various different parts of Spira. Djose felt strangely empty.
Maybe it was because Yuna now felt the absence of her friend and guardian more acutely than ever.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Tidus asked, unconsciously echoing his own words from a day before.
Yuna smiled. "Buffy."
"Oh," said Tidus.
"We have to find her," Yuna said, turning to face him. The decision, now out in the open, sounded much more certain, much more concrete, than it felt.
"Yeah," Tidus said, nodding his agreement. "She's kinda important, huh?"
"To all of Spira," said a new voice. They turned to see Maester Seymour, flanked by a dozen of warrior monks, along with his two customary guado bodyguards. There was something about the smile on his lips that Yuna found disconcerting. "Tell me, Lady Yuna, do you know where we might find the Lady Summoner?"
"Buffy's no Summoner," Tidus corrected, chuckling darkly.
"Indeed," Seymour responded calmly. "Perhaps not yet, but with powers as strong as hers, she must be carefully schooled in the Summoner's Arts, trained in Yevon's teachings."
"Forgive me for saying this, Maester Seymour, your worship, but I don't think Buffy's gonna want to learn the teachings, ya?" Wakka said, walking up to join Yuna and Tidus. "It's kinda why she left us in the first place."
Tidus and Yuna nodded their agreement. Seymour didn't seem deterred. "I'm sure I can bring her about to our way of thinking."
Yuna didn't like the way that sounded, but knew better than to voice her opinion. "Well anyway," Tidus said, quickly changing the subject. "We don't know where she went. She just up and left. Maybe she went back to Luca."
Yuna frowned slightly at Tidus' words. Buffy probably wouldn't have gone back to Luca. "Indeed?" Seymour asked, though he didn't sound any more convinced than Tidus. "We must be going. I bid you a good journey, Lady Yuna, and I hope we will meet in the future."
Yuna bowed deeply, performing Yevon's prayer and so did Wakka. Tidus just watched the procession go. "That's going to complicate things," Tidus said.
"We have to find Buffy," Yuna reaffirmed.
"What for?" Wakka asked incredulously. "She mocks everything that Yevon stands for!"
"It… She is important," Yuna responded. She didn't want to go into detail. She didn't know how it would sound, once she'd put what she knew into words.
There were powerful fayth out there, outside of the Temples and their teachings, and they had their own ideas about what would happen to Spira. And Buffy was their messenger. The thought was both comforting and terrifying at once.
The Moonflow… What can I say, guys? There really aren't any words to describe it. It's just… breathtaking. I wish I had the time to hang around, to see all that Spira had to offer.
The sun had long since set, and though it was an awe-inspiring sight, shades of red, and orange, and pink, and yellow lighting up the sky, it was nothing compared to this.
Buffy was glad she'd found a comfortable spot, in the shade of a large tree. She and Rikku lay there, watching the spectacle in silence.
It hadn't started until even the slightest trace of the sun's light had faded from the horizon. One by one, the stars had come out, a river of twinkling lights in the sky.
Even that was impressive. Buffy was a city girl. She never got to see more than the brightest of stars. Even that paled in comparison when the Moonflow earned its name.
At first, Buffy though that the twinkling lights in the wide river were just a reflection of the stars in the sky, but then she realised the truth. One by one, the moonlillies were opening up, releasing swarms of pyreflies into the air. They gathered in great clouds over the river, until the cosmos paled in comparison to the brilliant lights, the fire, of the pyreflies.
Buffy didn't know how long she'd been watching that, before she noticed the presence of someone else. Looking up, she found herself looking at two familiar faces, Crusaders.
"Lady Summoner," said the older of the two. Buffy thought his name was Luzzu. Both bowed deeply.
"Cut that out," Buffy said immediately, glancing around to see if anyone had spotted them. She didn't want the kind of attention that being a Summoner usually brought with it. "I'm not a Summoner, and I don't want to be."
"But, you saved us all!" Gatta argued.
"That's right," Buffy said, nodding to herself. "But that's because I couldn't just let you all die, not because I'm a Summoner. And right now you're blocking my view of the Moonflow. Wouldja mind moving just a little?"
Luzzu and Gatta stepped aside. "My lady, we owe you our gratitude," said Luzzu.
Buffy breathed a deep sigh, closing her eyes slightly. "What are you going to do with your lives, now that they're actually gonna continue?"
"We shall return home to the Island of Besaid," Luzzu said. Gatta nodded his agreement. "We shall defend it from Sin."
"Because that's what Crusaders do?" Buffy asked, opening her eyes, fixing first Luzzu with a look, then Gatta.
"Because it's our home," Gatta said.
"Cool," Buffy said, with a warm grin. She returned her attention fully to the Moonflow.
"My lady, there is another matter," Gatta said.
"Yeah?" Buffy asked. "What's that?"
"The Maesters have given orders that you are to be delivered to Bevelle," Gatta said.
"What?" Rikku piped up.
"So I'm like a wanted criminal now?" Buffy asked, annoyed.
"You must be careful," Luzzu counselled. "We Crusaders are outcasts of Yevon – we have abandoned the teachings – and thanks to your actions during Operation Mi'ihen, most of our number are likely to let you pass, however the warrior monks are a different matter, as are the temple priests."
"I'll watch my back," Buffy agreed, nodding her head. "Thanks guys."
Both Crusaders bowed deeply. "It was our honour to aid you, my lady," Gatta said.
Buffy kick-flipped to her feet, watching as the two Crusaders moved up the road and away from the Moonflow. She turned her attention towards the younger Al Bhed girl, lying comfortably in the grass next to her.
"Come on," she said, offering Rikku a hand up. A note of anxiety crept unwittingly into her voice. "We should get going. We don't want to keep your old man waiting."
"No, I guess not," Rikku said, clearly nervous.
Rikku took her hand and allowed Buffy to pull her up to her feet. "What are the chances we can ride one of those elephant things across the river?"
And just like that, I became a wanted man, er, person, and something told me that I wouldn't like it if the Maesters ever did catch up to me…