My note: I seem to be having a little difficulty with the formatting,
having recently upgraded my Netscape. If anyone notices any problems,
please let me know.
Where Dreams End...
13. The mystery that was and is Buffy
Once they'd cleared a sufficient amount of sand from the old hatch, Rikku gave it an experimental tug. The rusty old hatch didn't move an inch. "What now?" Rikku wondered out loud. "How are we supposed to move that thing?"
Buffy reached down, gripping the edge of the hatch firmly. The metal groaned, as she started to pull. With a scream of twisting metal, the hatch came free.
"Like that?" Buffy asked, shooting Rikku a grin.
"Hey… How'd you do that?" Rikku asked, sounding a little jealous.
"I got super powers," Buffy responded, with a shrug. She found herself leaning over, cautiously looking into the deep shaft. "Comes with being me."
"Really?" Rikku asked. "How come?"
"It's this whole pesky destiny thing," Buffy said, swinging her legs into the shaft. "Looks like there's a ladder going down. You coming with?"
With that, she disappeared into the shaft. Rikku hesitated a moment, then followed her friend down into the darkness. They climbed down in silence. The shaft itself seemed to go on endlessly, down into the bowels of the earth. It felt like they'd been climbing down forever, until they reached the bottom.
They entered into a large chamber. A very familiar-looking chamber.
As soon as they set foot in the chamber, thousands of little lights lit up the ceiling, each one a cold blue-white. There was a subtle difference between these stars and the stars she'd seen in the cavern hidden on the Mi'ihen low road; they were somehow a darker, more primal magic, giving Buffy the sense that they were a force of nature unto themselves.
"Wow," Rikku breathed, looking around the room.
"Be careful," Buffy murmured, herself taking in her surroundings. As she expected, the hatch through which they'd first arrived slid shut.
"Oh no!" Rikku gasped. "We're trapped!"
"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna," said the guado.
He was old, for a guado. He had green spiky hair, that, like the rest of his race, resembled the branches of a tree, and a green beard. His hands were long, his fingers ending in sharp points. He was dressed in a set of crimson robes, marked with guado markings.
"Welcome to Guadosalam," said the guado. "This way, my lady. This way."
Yuna moved to follow the guado, but Wakka and Tidus intercepted him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka protested.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," said the guado, obviously noticing something was wrong. "I am called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."
This was news to Yuna. The last time she'd seen Maester Seymour, he'd been after her friend and former guardian, Buffy. "Business with me?" Yuna asked, frowning slightly. "Whatever could it be, I wonder?"
"Please," said Tromell. "Come inside the manor. All will be explained. Of course, your friends are also welcome." Tromell proceeded into the manor, allowing Yuna and her guardians to follow him inside.
Like the rest of Guadosalam, Maester Seymour's manor was strangely alien. It appeared to have been constructed from the roots of a very large tree, and the tree root design was prevalent everywhere Yuna looked. Perhaps the guado had developed this architectural preference, because their home, Guadosalam was underground, in a network of caves.
"This way, please," Tromell said. The guado led them into a large hall, obviously designed to entertain the occasional guests. "I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here."
Yuna found herself looking around. There were portraits of all the great guado leaders hanging in the hall. The young Summoner only recognised one portrait, that of the late Maester Jyscal Guado, Maester Seymour's father. Maester Jyscal Guado was a great man, and he did much for Yevon, spreading its teachings to the guado.
Tromell reappeared. "Lord Seymour will be with you shortly."
"Okay," Tidus said, shrugging. Yuna smiled, and nodded.
"Truly, it is good to have guests again," Tromell said. "Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."
"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira," Yuna said, her voice quiet and polite.
"Was this Maester Jyscal really such a great guy?" Tidus whispered to Wakka.
"He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado," Wakka responded solemnly. "He was truly a great man."
"Truly, a loss for us all," Tromell said, though whether he was responding to Wakka or to Yuna, the young Summoner couldn't tell. "But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour… He will surely become a shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."
"That is enough, Tromell," said Seymour, entering the grand hall from a side door. "Must I always endure such praise?" He turned to Yuna and her guardians, spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "Welcome!"
Yuna took a step towards the Maester. She still felt nervous talking to the Maesters, still felt out of place around them. She was a Summoner, true, but she was no different from Lady Dona or Lord Isaaru, except that her father was High Summoner.
"You… wanted to see me?" Yuna asked.
"Please," said Seymour. "Make yourselves at home. There's no rush."
Auron stepped forward. "Please, keep this short. Yuna must rush." Yuna envied him his confidence sometimes, as she envied it in Tidus and in Buffy.
In Auron's case, it came from his experience, as one of her father's guardians. In Tidus' case, it came from not knowing the truth behind the Summoner's pilgrimage. In Buffy's case, it came from a complete understanding of the Summoner's pilgrimage, and all of the consequences thereof. None of them would have had any problem speaking his or her mind to a Maester, as experience had already shown. Yuna secretly envied that.
"Pardon me," Seymour responded, sounding dutifully reprimanded. "It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna, this way."
Seymour led Yuna and her group into another room. Before they knew what happened they were surrounded by images, feelings, projected from some unknown source. "This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane."
"Zanarkand," Tidus breathed, looking around at their surroundings. He had a look of deep nostalgia on his face.
Yuna could finally see, first hand, the city that Tidus longed to return to. She could see the city that Sir Jecht had so vividly described. Tall, strangely familiar, spires stretched up, threatening to steal away the very stars. There were people all around, or, at least the echoes of people. There were bright colours and lights, and in the dark night, the city seemed to glow, vibrantly alive.
"Correct," Seymour said. "Zanarkand… as it looked one thousand years ago. The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand. She once lived in this metropolis."
"She who?" Yuna found herself asking, even as the image of a sliver-haired young woman appeared. "Lady Yunalesca!"
Her namesake, Yuna realised, as she watched the image. Lady Yunalesca was the first Summoner ever to have defeated Sin, using her husband, Lord Zaon, as her fayth.
As Yuna watched, the silver-haired young woman was joined by a man dressed entirely in crimson armour, and two others, a young woman with fiery red hair, and a dark-haired young man. The man in the crimson armour was unmistakably Lord Zaon, but Yuna didn't recognise the other two.
The fiery redhead was dressed almost entirely in black. Her skin was so pale, that the contrast cast to her skin made her stand out, larger than life. On closer inspection, there were streaks of black in her red hair. Her green eyes were friendly enough, if haunted.
There was the same light in her young man's eyes, friendly, but haunted, as though he'd seen more than he was comfortable with. His skin was not as ivory pale as hers, but it wasn't exactly tan either. His body was wiry, well-muscled, and this was evident even through the dark red tunic he wore over black trousers. He was a fighter, a warrior. He was armed with a wicked-looking long sword, a reflective crimson blade.
"She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages," Seymour intoned solemnly, referring to Lady Yunalesca. "And you have inherited her name."
"It was my father who named me," Yuna whispered, her eyes transfixed not by her namesake, but by her unknown companions. There was something about them, something familiar. Particularly about the dark-haired young man.
"Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task," Seymour said. "He wanted you to face Sin, as Lady Yunalesca did. However, Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone."
"Who are those other people," Tidus asked, before Seymour could go on.
I don't think Rikku really liked it down there. I'm not sure I did either. I was pretty much a crypt, and there was no telling what surprises the people that built it had in store for us.
"Don't worry," Buffy told the Al Bhed girl. "Just stay close to me, and we should be okay."
This cavernous chamber was surprisingly similar to the first room that she'd had to figure her way through to reach Xander. It was large and circular, and there was a pedestal standing in the centre of the chamber.
Just like last time, there was a statue, carved in her likeness, holding out her hands, holding out twin glowing spheres. Just like last time, there was one dark sphere and one light.
"This is just how a Cloister of Trials is supposed to look," Rikku said, looking around. Then she spotted the statue of Buffy. Her eyes went from Buffy to the statue and back again. "Hey! Not a bad likeness, huh?"
"I guess," Buffy responded, shrugging. "It's actually kinda creepy. I mean, I just got here, and there are statues of me."
"Wonder who built this place," Rikku wondered out loud.
"Probably the same people that built your Home," Buffy responded. "I'm pretty sure there's a fayth around here, and I'm pretty sure they didn't want Yevon to get its hands on her."
"Huh?" Rikku said, frowning, confused.
Buffy removed the two spheres from her stone counterpart's hands, and stepped up to the pedestal. She weighed the dark sphere experimentally in her hand.
"Hey! Wait!" Rikku said quickly, when it became apparent that Buffy planned to place the dark sphere into the pedestal.
"What?" Buffy asked innocently. "It worked last time."
"Is this anything like last time?" Rikku asked. "I don't want to get blown up or anything."
"That won't happen," Buffy said, sounding less than sure of herself. When she'd put the dark sphere in place last time, she'd found herself fighting some kind of hell-hound fiend. "Okay, you get to choose. Which sphere do I put in?"
"The light one," Rikku said quickly.
Buffy looked at her friend. Rikku sounded pretty sure of herself. Buffy shrugged her shoulders, placing the light sphere into the indentation in the pedestal. "Okay, suit yourself."
For a long moment, absolutely nothing happened, but then, that had seemed to be the case with Xander's Trials, too. Then, suddenly, a pillar of white light enveloped the pedestal. One by one, the stars in the ceiling started to burn brighter and brighter, until there was too much light, and Buffy had to shield her eyes.
They felt a quick sense of disorientation, like they'd suddenly been moved so quickly that it took their bodies a moment to catch up. Rikku was first to open her eyes, to look around.
Buffy opened her eyes when she heard Rikku gasp. Her eyes followed the Al Bhed girl's line of sight.
Whatever it was stood twelve feet tall, and was six feet wide. It looked a little like the Oblitzerator that Buffy had fought before. Maybe this was its bigger, meaner, spikier cousin. Something told her that that think launching blitz balls was the least of her worries.
She drew her sword, fixing Rikku with a look. "Oh good choice."
"They are legends in their own right, though none can remember their names, even on the Farplane. It is as though they are lost to Spira," said Seymour, himself observing the two individuals, as if for the first time.
"The woman is said to be the first black mage in all of Spira. Her powers are said to have rivalled even the greatest of Summoners. Her companion is thought to have been her guardian and protector, her white knight."
"They disappeared long ago," Lulu added. She'd obviously heard the tale. Maybe it had been what motivated her to be a black mage.
"Indeed," Seymour said. "But it was not they that defeated Sin. To defeat the undefeatable Sin… it took an unbreakable bond of love – of the kind that binds two hearts for eternity."
They watched, as Lord Zaon embraced Lady Yunalesca, and they kissed.
"Hey, those two look kinda embarrassed, huh?" Tidus asked Yuna, grinning and pointing to the two unknown figures. Yuna couldn't help but smile at that. Those two really did look embarrassed, the redhead blushing furiously.
The sphere's image vanished, leaving them alone once more.
"There is more that I must show you. Evidence of your coming greatness," Seymour announced. He took Yuna by the hand and led her further into the room.
There, on the wall, was a portrait. It was ancient, by the looks of it, probably older than five hundred years. It depicted one of the High Summoners, Lord Ohalland, and his two guardians.
The man was strict-looking, for a former blitzer, but then, discipline was a part of every Summoner's life. The portrait showed him as a young dark-haired man with a warm smile and warm dark eyes. To his left stood a serene-looking guardian, a warrior monk, if Yuna was any judge.
It was the person standing to Lord Ohalland's right that caught Yuna off-guard. The hair was different – longer, curlier perhaps – but the face remained the same. The green eyes smiling back at the young Summoner were the same. The confidence present, underlying the smile, was the same.
"Buffy," Yuna breathed.
"But that's impossible!" Wakka said. "Unless she's unsent."
"She is not," Seymour said simply. "This woman has played an integral part in every High Summoner's pilgrimage, save Lord Braska's. She is Yevon's messenger in Spira."
That was a lot to take in. That this young woman, Buffy, had been a part of every High Summoner's pilgrimage was stunning. That the Maesters of Yevon considered her a messenger of Yevon was stunning.
And then she remembered the Lost Ones, and their legacy. It was all tied together somehow, she just knew it. If only she could find Buffy, then maybe things would start to make sense again.
Maester Seymour leaned in towards Yuna, close enough so that he could whisper to the young Summoner. "That she has appeared once more, and as your guardian, is portentous, but the journey will still be difficult. Allow me to be your husband, to ease the difficulties you must face on your pilgrimage."
Where Dreams End...
13. The mystery that was and is Buffy
Once they'd cleared a sufficient amount of sand from the old hatch, Rikku gave it an experimental tug. The rusty old hatch didn't move an inch. "What now?" Rikku wondered out loud. "How are we supposed to move that thing?"
Buffy reached down, gripping the edge of the hatch firmly. The metal groaned, as she started to pull. With a scream of twisting metal, the hatch came free.
"Like that?" Buffy asked, shooting Rikku a grin.
"Hey… How'd you do that?" Rikku asked, sounding a little jealous.
"I got super powers," Buffy responded, with a shrug. She found herself leaning over, cautiously looking into the deep shaft. "Comes with being me."
"Really?" Rikku asked. "How come?"
"It's this whole pesky destiny thing," Buffy said, swinging her legs into the shaft. "Looks like there's a ladder going down. You coming with?"
With that, she disappeared into the shaft. Rikku hesitated a moment, then followed her friend down into the darkness. They climbed down in silence. The shaft itself seemed to go on endlessly, down into the bowels of the earth. It felt like they'd been climbing down forever, until they reached the bottom.
They entered into a large chamber. A very familiar-looking chamber.
As soon as they set foot in the chamber, thousands of little lights lit up the ceiling, each one a cold blue-white. There was a subtle difference between these stars and the stars she'd seen in the cavern hidden on the Mi'ihen low road; they were somehow a darker, more primal magic, giving Buffy the sense that they were a force of nature unto themselves.
"Wow," Rikku breathed, looking around the room.
"Be careful," Buffy murmured, herself taking in her surroundings. As she expected, the hatch through which they'd first arrived slid shut.
"Oh no!" Rikku gasped. "We're trapped!"
"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna," said the guado.
He was old, for a guado. He had green spiky hair, that, like the rest of his race, resembled the branches of a tree, and a green beard. His hands were long, his fingers ending in sharp points. He was dressed in a set of crimson robes, marked with guado markings.
"Welcome to Guadosalam," said the guado. "This way, my lady. This way."
Yuna moved to follow the guado, but Wakka and Tidus intercepted him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka protested.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," said the guado, obviously noticing something was wrong. "I am called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."
This was news to Yuna. The last time she'd seen Maester Seymour, he'd been after her friend and former guardian, Buffy. "Business with me?" Yuna asked, frowning slightly. "Whatever could it be, I wonder?"
"Please," said Tromell. "Come inside the manor. All will be explained. Of course, your friends are also welcome." Tromell proceeded into the manor, allowing Yuna and her guardians to follow him inside.
Like the rest of Guadosalam, Maester Seymour's manor was strangely alien. It appeared to have been constructed from the roots of a very large tree, and the tree root design was prevalent everywhere Yuna looked. Perhaps the guado had developed this architectural preference, because their home, Guadosalam was underground, in a network of caves.
"This way, please," Tromell said. The guado led them into a large hall, obviously designed to entertain the occasional guests. "I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here."
Yuna found herself looking around. There were portraits of all the great guado leaders hanging in the hall. The young Summoner only recognised one portrait, that of the late Maester Jyscal Guado, Maester Seymour's father. Maester Jyscal Guado was a great man, and he did much for Yevon, spreading its teachings to the guado.
Tromell reappeared. "Lord Seymour will be with you shortly."
"Okay," Tidus said, shrugging. Yuna smiled, and nodded.
"Truly, it is good to have guests again," Tromell said. "Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."
"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira," Yuna said, her voice quiet and polite.
"Was this Maester Jyscal really such a great guy?" Tidus whispered to Wakka.
"He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado," Wakka responded solemnly. "He was truly a great man."
"Truly, a loss for us all," Tromell said, though whether he was responding to Wakka or to Yuna, the young Summoner couldn't tell. "But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour… He will surely become a shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."
"That is enough, Tromell," said Seymour, entering the grand hall from a side door. "Must I always endure such praise?" He turned to Yuna and her guardians, spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "Welcome!"
Yuna took a step towards the Maester. She still felt nervous talking to the Maesters, still felt out of place around them. She was a Summoner, true, but she was no different from Lady Dona or Lord Isaaru, except that her father was High Summoner.
"You… wanted to see me?" Yuna asked.
"Please," said Seymour. "Make yourselves at home. There's no rush."
Auron stepped forward. "Please, keep this short. Yuna must rush." Yuna envied him his confidence sometimes, as she envied it in Tidus and in Buffy.
In Auron's case, it came from his experience, as one of her father's guardians. In Tidus' case, it came from not knowing the truth behind the Summoner's pilgrimage. In Buffy's case, it came from a complete understanding of the Summoner's pilgrimage, and all of the consequences thereof. None of them would have had any problem speaking his or her mind to a Maester, as experience had already shown. Yuna secretly envied that.
"Pardon me," Seymour responded, sounding dutifully reprimanded. "It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna, this way."
Seymour led Yuna and her group into another room. Before they knew what happened they were surrounded by images, feelings, projected from some unknown source. "This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane."
"Zanarkand," Tidus breathed, looking around at their surroundings. He had a look of deep nostalgia on his face.
Yuna could finally see, first hand, the city that Tidus longed to return to. She could see the city that Sir Jecht had so vividly described. Tall, strangely familiar, spires stretched up, threatening to steal away the very stars. There were people all around, or, at least the echoes of people. There were bright colours and lights, and in the dark night, the city seemed to glow, vibrantly alive.
"Correct," Seymour said. "Zanarkand… as it looked one thousand years ago. The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand. She once lived in this metropolis."
"She who?" Yuna found herself asking, even as the image of a sliver-haired young woman appeared. "Lady Yunalesca!"
Her namesake, Yuna realised, as she watched the image. Lady Yunalesca was the first Summoner ever to have defeated Sin, using her husband, Lord Zaon, as her fayth.
As Yuna watched, the silver-haired young woman was joined by a man dressed entirely in crimson armour, and two others, a young woman with fiery red hair, and a dark-haired young man. The man in the crimson armour was unmistakably Lord Zaon, but Yuna didn't recognise the other two.
The fiery redhead was dressed almost entirely in black. Her skin was so pale, that the contrast cast to her skin made her stand out, larger than life. On closer inspection, there were streaks of black in her red hair. Her green eyes were friendly enough, if haunted.
There was the same light in her young man's eyes, friendly, but haunted, as though he'd seen more than he was comfortable with. His skin was not as ivory pale as hers, but it wasn't exactly tan either. His body was wiry, well-muscled, and this was evident even through the dark red tunic he wore over black trousers. He was a fighter, a warrior. He was armed with a wicked-looking long sword, a reflective crimson blade.
"She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages," Seymour intoned solemnly, referring to Lady Yunalesca. "And you have inherited her name."
"It was my father who named me," Yuna whispered, her eyes transfixed not by her namesake, but by her unknown companions. There was something about them, something familiar. Particularly about the dark-haired young man.
"Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task," Seymour said. "He wanted you to face Sin, as Lady Yunalesca did. However, Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone."
"Who are those other people," Tidus asked, before Seymour could go on.
I don't think Rikku really liked it down there. I'm not sure I did either. I was pretty much a crypt, and there was no telling what surprises the people that built it had in store for us.
"Don't worry," Buffy told the Al Bhed girl. "Just stay close to me, and we should be okay."
This cavernous chamber was surprisingly similar to the first room that she'd had to figure her way through to reach Xander. It was large and circular, and there was a pedestal standing in the centre of the chamber.
Just like last time, there was a statue, carved in her likeness, holding out her hands, holding out twin glowing spheres. Just like last time, there was one dark sphere and one light.
"This is just how a Cloister of Trials is supposed to look," Rikku said, looking around. Then she spotted the statue of Buffy. Her eyes went from Buffy to the statue and back again. "Hey! Not a bad likeness, huh?"
"I guess," Buffy responded, shrugging. "It's actually kinda creepy. I mean, I just got here, and there are statues of me."
"Wonder who built this place," Rikku wondered out loud.
"Probably the same people that built your Home," Buffy responded. "I'm pretty sure there's a fayth around here, and I'm pretty sure they didn't want Yevon to get its hands on her."
"Huh?" Rikku said, frowning, confused.
Buffy removed the two spheres from her stone counterpart's hands, and stepped up to the pedestal. She weighed the dark sphere experimentally in her hand.
"Hey! Wait!" Rikku said quickly, when it became apparent that Buffy planned to place the dark sphere into the pedestal.
"What?" Buffy asked innocently. "It worked last time."
"Is this anything like last time?" Rikku asked. "I don't want to get blown up or anything."
"That won't happen," Buffy said, sounding less than sure of herself. When she'd put the dark sphere in place last time, she'd found herself fighting some kind of hell-hound fiend. "Okay, you get to choose. Which sphere do I put in?"
"The light one," Rikku said quickly.
Buffy looked at her friend. Rikku sounded pretty sure of herself. Buffy shrugged her shoulders, placing the light sphere into the indentation in the pedestal. "Okay, suit yourself."
For a long moment, absolutely nothing happened, but then, that had seemed to be the case with Xander's Trials, too. Then, suddenly, a pillar of white light enveloped the pedestal. One by one, the stars in the ceiling started to burn brighter and brighter, until there was too much light, and Buffy had to shield her eyes.
They felt a quick sense of disorientation, like they'd suddenly been moved so quickly that it took their bodies a moment to catch up. Rikku was first to open her eyes, to look around.
Buffy opened her eyes when she heard Rikku gasp. Her eyes followed the Al Bhed girl's line of sight.
Whatever it was stood twelve feet tall, and was six feet wide. It looked a little like the Oblitzerator that Buffy had fought before. Maybe this was its bigger, meaner, spikier cousin. Something told her that that think launching blitz balls was the least of her worries.
She drew her sword, fixing Rikku with a look. "Oh good choice."
"They are legends in their own right, though none can remember their names, even on the Farplane. It is as though they are lost to Spira," said Seymour, himself observing the two individuals, as if for the first time.
"The woman is said to be the first black mage in all of Spira. Her powers are said to have rivalled even the greatest of Summoners. Her companion is thought to have been her guardian and protector, her white knight."
"They disappeared long ago," Lulu added. She'd obviously heard the tale. Maybe it had been what motivated her to be a black mage.
"Indeed," Seymour said. "But it was not they that defeated Sin. To defeat the undefeatable Sin… it took an unbreakable bond of love – of the kind that binds two hearts for eternity."
They watched, as Lord Zaon embraced Lady Yunalesca, and they kissed.
"Hey, those two look kinda embarrassed, huh?" Tidus asked Yuna, grinning and pointing to the two unknown figures. Yuna couldn't help but smile at that. Those two really did look embarrassed, the redhead blushing furiously.
The sphere's image vanished, leaving them alone once more.
"There is more that I must show you. Evidence of your coming greatness," Seymour announced. He took Yuna by the hand and led her further into the room.
There, on the wall, was a portrait. It was ancient, by the looks of it, probably older than five hundred years. It depicted one of the High Summoners, Lord Ohalland, and his two guardians.
The man was strict-looking, for a former blitzer, but then, discipline was a part of every Summoner's life. The portrait showed him as a young dark-haired man with a warm smile and warm dark eyes. To his left stood a serene-looking guardian, a warrior monk, if Yuna was any judge.
It was the person standing to Lord Ohalland's right that caught Yuna off-guard. The hair was different – longer, curlier perhaps – but the face remained the same. The green eyes smiling back at the young Summoner were the same. The confidence present, underlying the smile, was the same.
"Buffy," Yuna breathed.
"But that's impossible!" Wakka said. "Unless she's unsent."
"She is not," Seymour said simply. "This woman has played an integral part in every High Summoner's pilgrimage, save Lord Braska's. She is Yevon's messenger in Spira."
That was a lot to take in. That this young woman, Buffy, had been a part of every High Summoner's pilgrimage was stunning. That the Maesters of Yevon considered her a messenger of Yevon was stunning.
And then she remembered the Lost Ones, and their legacy. It was all tied together somehow, she just knew it. If only she could find Buffy, then maybe things would start to make sense again.
Maester Seymour leaned in towards Yuna, close enough so that he could whisper to the young Summoner. "That she has appeared once more, and as your guardian, is portentous, but the journey will still be difficult. Allow me to be your husband, to ease the difficulties you must face on your pilgrimage."