I'd like to thank Chaka, Kiki, Xmaster, LadyMercy, and Insane Child for their reviews. Yes, I know Yunalesca was beaten rather easily, but the only reason I had any difficulties with her on FFX is that she like to cheat her ass off with that stupid Mega Death attack. Once I set someone up with some Deathproof armor, I pretty much beat her like a four year-old in Kmart. Anyway, here's the new chapter.

Chapter 21: Earth and Spira

Yunalesca was no longer bound by Seymour's vile magic, and her form became ghostly. She stared at the group with her sad golden eyes and said, "I suppose that you want to know everything, don't you?"

The group nodded mutely, and the summoner spoke again. "For you to understand how Seymour was able to do what he's done, I must explain something else to you, first. The universe is made up of a countless number of planes of existence, and they lay upon one another much like the pages of a book. Normally, the various realms do not interact with one another, although there are a few holes where more than one plane exists at the same time. Also, all the realms are connected by one greater plane; we know it as the Farplane."

"What does all of this have to do with Seymour?" Rikku demanded.

"When you defeated the maester and sent him to the Farplane from inside Sin, it had a profound effect on him. His proximity to Sin left his soul open to certain kinds of power, and when you ultimately defeated it; he was able to absorb much of the energy that was released during its destruction. In essence…"

"He got what he wanted, didn't he?" Auron growled. "Seymour has become Sin."

Yunalesca shook her head. "No, he hasn't become Sin, but something akin to it. Sin's power wasn't released on just the Farplane or Spira, but on many other planes as well. Seymour took advantage of that, and used that energy to crack the boundaries between this realm and another called Earth. However, he did not have enough power to complete the breaking, and since he cannot yet take a new physical form, so he was forced to look for new ways to build his power."

"Hence the corrupted pyreflies," Ria concluded.

"Correct. The pyreflies are capable of storing vast amounts of energy, and Seymour is now using them to rebuild his power through pain, suffering, and death."

"Why Earth?" the sorceress asked, her voice full of anguish.

Yunalesca smiled sadly. "Isn't it obvious? Unlike Spira, Earth is full of people, of life, and Seymour can generate far more power there than here, and he will use the power that he has gained to completely destroy the boundaries and take control of both worlds."

"Well, why hasn't he just slipped through the crack and taken over Earth already?" Wakka asked. "If he's dead, then he could just travel like the pyreflies, ya?"

"Yes, he could," the spectral summoner replied, "But then he couldn't revive my father."

"Revive Yu Yevon? Why?" Rikku squeaked.

"Although my father surrendered his human form and mind long ago, he still retained his vast powers, and Seymour wants to merge with him to take those powers for himself. If he cannot be stopped, and he successfully merges with Yu Yevon, the resulting creature will become a scourge that will make Sin seem tame in comparison."

"How in the world are we supposed to stop him?" Bob demanded. "What, are we going to just waltz up to Seymour and tell him no?"

"You already have the means to defeat him and restore the boundaries. All you have to do is look within." She gave the Tonberry a mysterious smile.

"Lady Yunalesca, I have a question," Ria said. "Why was I able to come here to Spira, when everyone else from Earth met with failure?"

"Spira is in your blood, child," she replied.

"What do you mean 'in my blood'?"

"Sometimes, people accidentally wander into the holes that connect the realms, and end up on a plane of existence that is not their own. Your father, your real one, was one such person. Originally, he came from Spira, but he fell through one of the holes and ended up on Earth. Through him, you and your brother were able to do things that no one else on your world is capable of doing. That is why you are a mage, and why your brother could become a fayth. Otherwise, you would have been lost at sea, and Auron and Bob would have been the only ones to make it to Bikanel Island. The breaking of the boundaries was only partial, so only those with some of Spira in their blood are capable of traveling back and forth between the two worlds at the moment."

Ria thought that the whole thing was baloney, but accepted the explanation as it was the only one she had. The summoner turned to Auron and gave him a curious look. "Did you know that you are alive again?" she asked the swordsman.

"So I've been told," he replied.

"How did that happen, anyway?" Wakka wanted to know. "I thought that there was no coming back once you were sent to the Farplane."

"It's because you showed up on Earth, isn't it?" Ria whispered, her eyes closed. "You'd never died on Earth, so when you left the Farplane, you came back as a living man, is that it?"

Auron nodded, and Yunalesca said, "Guardian…you've avenged your death twice now, and have been given back your life. Can you not find it in your heart to release your hatred for me?"

The swordsman turned to the summoner and gave her a piercing stare. "Why do you care if I forgive you or not?"

"You are the last of a long line of people that I wrongly destroyed for over a thousand years," she explained. "All the others forgave me long ago, but I cannot move on until you forgive me for my final transgression."

Auron closed his eye and said. "Yunalesca…I forgive you."

The summoner sighed and evaporated into a cloud of brilliant, normal colored pyreflies. "Zaon, my love, I'm finally coming home…" her voice echoed on the wind and drifted out over the mountains.

I know this chapter was the shortest one I've written in a while, and all they did was talk, but I figured it was time for them to find out just what the hell is going on. If it came out kind of weird, it's because I'm currently functioning on three hours of sleep, so please forgive me. Well, you all know the drill: review and tune in on the next chapter.