(Looks around warily) I can't stay long, because the Pun Police are after me because of this chapter's title. Anyway, let me thank Chaka and Insane Child for their reviews, and get the hell out of here. (Guys in dark blue uniforms appear) Oh great, they're already here! Well, enjoy this chapter. (Runs away with P.P. in hot pursuit)
Chapter 24: Power of a Pinion
Ria was getting desperate. Every spell she threw at Seymour had little or no effect on him, and she was running out of options. "Tornado!" she shouted as silver light flared around her.
A huge, swirling vortex of air snaked its way toward the would-be god, but he negligently flicked his hand, and the twister subsided. "Poor dear…" the Guado cackled with vicious glee. "Is that truly the best you can do?"
His eyes flashed maliciously as he cast a new spell. "Tetra Disaster…"
Fire erupted from the ground around the sorceress, and then fell upon her in the form of lightning. Then a deluge of water swamped her before converting into ice and finally exploded. "How do you like my new creation, Ria?" Seymour asked, as if he were showing her a painting or a sculpture.
Ria was unharmed by the spell, and she replied, "It was pretty, I suppose, but it seems like it could use a little work."
"Oh, but it worked precisely as I intended it to…" He pointed at her Tetra Bangle.
The sorceress looked down at the bracelet Lulu had given her with undisguised horror as the gemstones turned black and the band crumbled to dust. "What did you do?" she demanded.
"I overloaded your little trinket's capacity…" he snickered, pleased with himself. "Your precious little toy couldn't handle all four elements at once, so it disintegrated…Now we can have some REAL fun!"
Seymour waved his hands, and a salvo of various spells fired at Ria in rapid succession. She tried to counterattack, but it was in vain, and she was knocked to the ground. "I…can't let it end this way," she said, struggling to get to her feet. "This can't be the end."
"Oh, but it is…" the maester laughed, raising one hand to the sky. "You and your pathetic friends have failed, and I am victorious…Don't worry though; no one else can defeat me either, because I am God!"
As he laughed, a huge ball of darkness appeared in the sky overhead. "What is that?" she demanded, finally managing to get up. "What the hell do you think you're doing now?"
"This is the key to my ascension…" he told her, "When that sphere explodes, the power within it will completely shatter the boundaries between Earth and Spira, and the thousands of people the blast will slaughter will only increase my power…You should feel privileged, Ria, because you have a front-row seat to the rise of the new God!"
Ria tried to stay on her feet, but she was too exhausted to hold herself up any longer. She fought back the overwhelming despair with a bar minimum of success, and finally sighed, "Everyone, I'm so sorry! I wasn't strong enough to stop him."
Suddenly, a ghostly image of a man appeared and knelt down beside the sorceress. He was tall and a little lanky, with fiery red hair and merry blue eyes. The strange apparition cradled the fallen woman in his transparent arms and whispered, "Oh, my dear child, all is not yet lost. Both worlds can still be saved, if you only have the courage to do so."
Ria stared up at the man with wide-eyed wonder and recognition. "Dad? How is this possible?"
He gravely shook his head at her. "There's no time to explain that now. Ria, do you still have feather you won back on Bikanel Island?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Take it out and I will tell you what to do."
She reached into the little belt pouch the Al Bhed had given her and pulled out the mysterious feather. Even in the grim darkness, it shined as if it were in the noon sun. "Okay, what do you want me to do with this?" she asked, giving the ghost a sidelong glance.
"Raise it to the sky, and sing," he told her.
"What the hell am I supposed to sing, Dad? I don't think that prick up there is going to make any requests."
"Sing the song I taught you when you were small," he said as his form started to flicker. "I'm sorry, dear, but I can't stay here any longer. Just sing the Hymn and everything will be all right."
Her father vanished, and Ria slowly clambered to her feet. She raised the shining feather above her head and whispered, "Dad, I hope you're right."
Seymour watched the whole event with great amusement. "You poor little fool…Do you really think that a dusty old feather and a song are going to save you?"
The sorceress ignored him and began to sing the Hymn of the Fayth as loudly as she could. She didn't know the words, so she vocalized, and although her alto voice wasn't one to make angels cry, it was clear and strong, and it soared to the sky. Finally, the final note reverberated into the distance, and the peculiar feather exploded in a cloud of fire.
"What is this?" the Guado shrieked as the flames expanded and shifted.
Finally, the wave of fire settled and solidified into the form of a giant bird. Its body and wings were the same sunset orange as the feather, while its crest and tail shined in every color of the rainbow. The great bird lowered its golden head to Ria and opened its eyes. They were as blue and deep as the sea, and when the sorceress gazed into them, time slowed, then stopped.
"Who…who are you?" she asked, held in awe by that gaze.
"I AM PHOENIX," it replied in a sexless voice that filled her mind and soul. "YOU CALLED ME AND I ANSWERED, AS WAS PROMISED ALL THOSE CENTURIES AGO."
"Promise?" Ria was confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about a promise."
"LONG AGO, MY KINDRED AND I ROAMED SPIRA AS GUARDIANS OF THE PEOPLE. FOR MANY REASONS, WE HAD TO LEAVE SPIRA BEHIND, ONLY RETURNING WHEN THE SONG OF CALLING WAS SUNG. I LEFT MY FEATHER BEHIND WITH THE PROMISE TO AID THE ONE WHO HELD IT AND SANG THE SONG. YOU ARE THAT ONE."
"Can you stop Seymour and make everything right again?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes.
Phoenix nodded and said, "I CAN, BUT THE PRICE I REQUIRE IS GREAT."
"Please tell me!" she begged. "Seymour's hurt thousands of people, and if he isn't stopped, then he will hurt everyone. Name your price, please!"
The great bird stared at the sorceress' tears with fascination. "YOU HAVE SUCH A PASSIONATE SOUL. VERY WELL, THE PRICE REQUIRED FOR MY AID IS YOUR LIFE."
Ria gasped at that startling pronouncement. "Are you…what they call the Final Aeon?"
"THAT IS YEVON'S PERVERSION OF THE TRUE SUMMONING, BUT YES, THAT IS AS GOOD A DESCRIPTION OF ME AS ANY. FOR ME TO GIVE LIFE, I MUST TAKE LIFE AWAY, AND FOR THE LOST TO BE RESTORED, SOMETHING ELSE MUST BE LOST IN ITS PLACE. HOWEVER, I WILL NOT TAKE THAT WHICH IS NOT FREELY GIVEN, SO WHAT SAY YOU CHILD. WILL YOU SACRIFICE YOURSELF, EVEN IF IT MEANS LEAVING THE ONES YOU LOVE BEHIND?"
"I will."
"AND WOULD YOU STILL DO THIS, EVEN IF NO ONE WOULD EVER KNOW YOUR NAME, OR CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THEM?"
"Yes."
"THEN OPEN YOUR SOUL TO ME, AND SHARE IN THE POWER THAT IS THE REBIRTH FLAME…"
Time restarted, and Ria's head and shoulders fell back as opal flames erupted from the ground around her. Phoenix spread its wings and lifted its unearthly voice in a song of heartbreaking beauty that made the mountains ring like a bell and filled up the sky. Auron, Rikku, Wakka, and Bob bemusedly climbed to their feet, completely healed, and unmarked by the prismatic flames that flowed around them. They stared up at Phoenix with reverent awe, as the giant bird continued to sing, and Seymour let out a cry of rage as his ball of darkness dwindled away to nothing.
"NO! This cannot be…I am God…" he shrieked as the bright flames reached him.
The aeon looked at him, its blue eyes filled with pity. "NO, YOU ARE NOT."
The Guado let out a long, despairing cry as his body exploded into a countless number of pyreflies. The lights swirled into the sky like a reversed rainfall, and their colors changed to match the opalescent fire that filled the ruins as they rocketed away to all the corners of Spira. The brilliant flames pulsed, and the group stood in the heart of the rainbow. "Look at that!" Rikku shouted, staring past Wakka's shoulder.
They turned around and saw Ria, a shining white beacon amidst the vibrant conflagration. Before any of them could try to aid her, the light flared and all went dark.
They awoke to find themselves at the foot of Mount Gagazet, and Phoenix hovered above them. The great bird fanned its shimmering wings, and said, "IT IS DONE. THE BOUNDARY IS RESTORED, AND THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SPARED. NOW I AM FREE."
"Wait, where is Ria?" Bob asked when the aeon started to fly away.
Phoenix ignored him, and launched itself into the glowing sky, where it vanished into the sun. The Tonberry King, Rikku, and Wakka stared after it for a moment, until Auron's anguished cry rang out from behind them. "Auron, what's wrong?" Wakka asked, turning around, but seeing no enemy.
The three of them ran over to where the swordsman was kneeling, and found Ria lying motionless in the snow. She was uninjured, but her face was pallid and her eyes were closed. "Is she breathing?" Rikku asked, her voice fearful.
"Barely," Auron snapped, not looking at the thief. "Ria, why won't you wake up?"
Okay, that's it for this chapter. Yes, I finally managed to escape the Pun Police, and I know that I'm leaving you hanging by stopping where I did, but you'll be all right. Well, I'm looking forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all next time.