Well, Destiny's Call has hit over 100 reviews now, so there's only one thing left to do. Party! (Nightfire and the FFX gang walk in, as music starts playing) Anyway, on to the replies!

Iron Reaver: Yes. All killed dead, indeed. Getting swatted isn't much fun, either. And no, they don't need to know about the chaos I wreak in my spare time. Mwahahaha!

anbu713: Thanks.

MysticSuperSaiyanGohan: Thanks for the compliment. And yes, it will, pretty soon too. It's his 6th finishing move, called Shadow Blitz. He knows 4 out of the 8 he will learn so far. And no, it's not like the winged forms. You'll see...

Jiranto Valsis: I'm glad you liked it. If you want to know more about Nightfire and his sister, Yuki, check out 'Fire and Ice: Nightfire's Story'. The first chapter is up, and I will add more soon, hopefully. And about the trick, I do things like that a lot. Tis fun.

Fic-luva: Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate it. I sent you e-mail with my responses, as you know.

(sounds of Yuna whacking Tidus over the head with her staff are heard, and Wakka singing horribly off-key as well)
Uh...(sweatdrops) We should get on with this now, before they kill each other. Nightfire, you're the bouncer! Take care of them! (Nightfire walks over) Anyway, on with the chapter...(looks over) Hey, don't throw that!


Chapter 22—Reprieves and Revelations

Walking into Macalania Woods, I'm quite surprised to see the true beauty of the area. It's not just 'woods', it's a veritable forest of enormous trees. I'm not sure what kind they are at first glance, but the only thing coming to my mind is oak, or maybe redwood.

"You're worried about Yuna." I hear Auron say, as the rest of us walk ahead.

"Course I'm worried about her. What is she thinking?" he replies, as I finally get out of earshot, and turn to Rikku.

"Hey, walk over here a sec." I tell her, moving out of hearing distance of all the others.

"What is it?" she asks.

"We never got a chance for you to start teaching me Al Bhed." I reply, and she looks at me a moment, before gasping.

"You're right! I'm sorry!" she replies, and I wave a hand.

"No worries. Besides, I don't think it would be a good idea yet anyway. Wakka doesn't know you're an Al Bhed, and from what I can tell, he does not like the Al Bhed too much. A small group of them captured Yuna once in Luca, and then your friends did it again at the Moonflow." I tell her, causing her eyes to widen.

"They captured Yunie?" she asks, and I nod.

"I got her back, while Tidus, Lulu, and Kimahri held off a machina, though. So no problems there. Just hope it doesn't happen again..." I trail off, noticing Tidus and Auron approaching again.

"Yuna, let's go." Tidus says, and she nods, Rikku cheering, as we all walk farther into the forest.


Farther down the path, I notice something approaching quickly. Preparing myself for a possible fight, I'm relieved to see it's just Barthello. Dona seems to be absent, however.

"Hey!" he yells, running up. "Have you seen Dona?"

"Dona?" Tidus replies, thinking a moment. "Can't say I have."

"What's up?" Wakka adds.

"We got separated on the way here." Barthello explains, smashing a fist into his other hand. "Damn it all! I've got to find her!"

"Calm down." Auron says, looking at the guardian.

"But, if anything happens to her..." Barthello protests, but Auron seems to not want to hear any of it.

"Running around in a panic is not going to help. Right now, you have to keep cool, and search." Auron says, calmly.

"But..."

"Guard your emotions, then guard your summoner." Auron says, and Barthello seems to finally calm down, nodding slowly.

"You're right."

"Shall we search?" Auron offers, but Barthello shakes his head.

"No, I've taken up enough of your time." he replies, doing the prayer gesture. "Thank you, Sir Auron." he says, running off to continue searching. Rikku then runs up in front of us, before stopping, causing Wakka to look at her strangely.

"What's up?" he says, Rikku shrugging slightly to dismiss the question.

"Oh, I just wanted to wish him good luck." she replies, walking back to stand beside me.

"Let's keep moving. No telling what might be here." I say, starting to walk off, up a winding path of branches. Hopefully, no one will lose their balance and fall off.


A few minutes later, we come across one of the strangest things I've ever seen. A tall man, dressed in a multicolored outfit, looking like a bipedal hawk, with a harp attached to the sleeve of his left arm.

"A butterfly with rainbow wings will lead the way to secret things." he tells us, and everyone stops, confused. After a moment, I realize what he's talking about.

"Ok. I'm ready." I say, causing everyone to give me strange looks, as the man nods. Grinning like a fool, I run back the way we came, touching butterflies along the way. I remember you have to avoid the red ones, and so I hit every one that I see that isn't red. Almost fall once, but manage to keep my balance.

As I reach the end, touching the last butterfly, a bright flash appears, and a chest appears in front of me. Opening it, I notice a small, circular crest, with the planet Saturn on it.

"The Saturn Sigil." I say, smiling, and walking back up the path.

"Look what I found." I say, holding the Sigil up for everyone to see. Yuna gasps upon seeing it. "I take it you recognize it?" I ask, and she nods, apparently fumbling for words.

"I once heard a story about the seven legendary weapons, said to be scattered around Spira since before the time of Sin. That sigil that you have, it goes with the Spirit Lance..." she says, and I smile.

"I know about the weapons as well. Caladbolg, Nirvana, Masamune, Spirit Lance, World Champion, Onion Knight, and Godhand." I say, and Yuna gasps again.

"But...how would you react if I told you I know the locations as well?" I say, smiling. Everyone cries out a little, surprised by what I just said.

"You're kidding, ya?" Wakka says, and I shake my head.

"Nope, not kidding one bit. I know where they are, and how to reclaim them. But, we aren't able to do it right now. Later, I will make an attempt." I say, walking down the path, everyone staring at me a moment, before following.

'Was it really a good idea to tell them about the weapons...' I think to myself, as we approach the next part of the forest. 'Yes, it was. It'll make a big difference in the battle with Sin.' Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I notice Auron stop, and look around, before drawing his sword.

"Wait. It is here...somewhere."

"What's here?" Tidus queries, and Auron looks at a large tree.

"Something you should see." he replies, as Yuna walks up beside him.

"But, Sir Auron..." she says, Auron looking down at her a moment.

"It won't take long." Auron says, walking over and slicing into a tree, the tree falling with a crash a moment after, to reveal a hidden path. Walking in, the rest of us follow Auron, who has gone ahead, Tidus at his side. After a minute of walking, we come across what appears to be a small lake, with a giant tree in the center, on a small island.

"This place...it's just water, isn't it?" Tidus asks, after a moment of examining.

"This is what spheres are made of. It absorbs and preserves people's memories." Auron explains, as suddenly a large blob of blue goo rises up out of the water, hovering near us. Everyone takes a step back.

"What's that?" Wakka asks.

"Fiends are also attracted to this place." Auron replies, looking up at the blob and drawing his sword.

"Oh boy...guys," I begin, "this is the Spherimorph. Physical attacks don't do much, use magic on it! It'll change colors based on what element it is!" I say, preparing a Thunder spell. Lulu beats me to it, though.

"Thundara!" she yells, a bolt of lightning lancing out into the creature. It shudders, before floating above her head, and dropping down suddenly, slamming her into the ground.

"Lulu!" I yell, casting a Cure spell, before launching a Thunder spell at it. It shudders again, and turns a bright red.

"Water attacks, everyone!" I say, casting a Water spell, as Yuna casts Protect on us, to avoid being hurt too severely from the creature's crushing attack.

"Watera!" Lulu cries again, a blob of liquid slamming into the creature, and hurting it more. After a moment, the creature glows, and blasts me with a Fira spell, knocking me backwards. Singed, I cast Cure on myself, before pelting it with a Water spell, Lulu chaining that with another Watera.

"Silence Attack!" Wakka yells, hurling a glowing white blitzball at the creature, which connects, inflicting Silence on it, but the blitzball sticks to the creature, instead of bouncing back. "That's not fair, ya!" Wakka cries, outraged by the result. The creature turns blue again now, and I smile, knowing how to hurt it quite badly.

"Get back!" I yell, taking the summoning stance. Grabbing my sword, I hold it up to the sky, as it begins to glow yellow, a lightning bolt striking it and sending a sphere of electricity around it. Turning around, I slash into the air, and a bolt lances from it into a portal, and I yank the sword back, Ixion bounding out to land beside me.

"Let's do it! Aerospark!" Ixion rears its head back, before slashing forward with the horn, a crescent-shaped energy disc cutting into the creature. It responds by moving over Ixion, and slamming into the aeon. Ixion gives a short whine, and I grin evilly.

"Thor's Hammer!"

Backing up slightly, Ixion charges up a bolt of lightning on its horn, before blasting it at the creature, the force holding it up in the air, as a charge of lightning snakes down the trail, slamming into the creature with a large explosion. The Spherimorph falls, hovering a little lower than before, as Lulu charges a finishing spell.

"Thundara!" she yells, another bolt of lightning slamming into the fiend, as it shakes, and then slowly melts back into the water, defeated. Wakka angrily walks over to the water, snatching his blitzball back from the remains of the creature.

"Teach you to steal my ball." he mutters, and I chuckle, noticing a sphere in the water.

"Hey, look at this." I say, handing the sphere to Auron.

"Whoa, this is old!" Wakka exclaims, examining the sphere. "Don't know if you can play it back.

"Jecht left it here ten years ago." Auron states, causing everyone to gasp. "Play it back." he says, handing it to Tidus, who turns the sphere on. An image of a then-younger Auron appears, with buildings in the background.


"What are you taking?" Auron says, looking at the camera.

"Well, you said it was gonna be a long trip." the voice of Jecht says, revealing him to be the one taping. Braska walks on screen now, and the three of them walk off, Jecht still videotaping with the sphere.

"We'll be seeing a lot of neat things, right? So I thought I'd record it all in this. To show to my wife and kid, you know." Auron stops and looks at Jecht.

"This is no pleasure cruise!" he says, somewhat angrily. Jecht just gives a small chuckle, looking at Braska.

"Hey, Braska. Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where're the cheering fans? The crying women?" he asks, Braska looking at him.

"This is it. Too many goodbyes—people think twice about leaving." he says, solemnly.

"Hmm...if you say so." Jecht says, pausing for a moment. "Well, it better be a lot more colorful when we come back. A parade for Braska, vanquisher of Sin!" he says, causing Braska to laugh.

"We should go. Day will break soon." Braska says, as the sphere gets lowered and turned off.


"Not over yet." I say, pointing at the sphere again.

The sphere fades back in on what I recognize as the outskirts of Lake Macalania, an icy place with a travel agency in the background. Jecht and Auron are standing far apart, but side by side, which means Braska is taping now.


"Auron, could you stand closer to him?" Braska asks, and Auron sighs, nodding. After a few moments, he moves closer to Jecht. "Good. That should do it." Braska says.

"What's the matter? Afraid I might bite?" Jecht teases, turning to Auron.

"Jecht..." Auron starts, but gets cut off by the blitzballer.

"Braska! You should take one, too. It'd make a great gift for little Yuna!" he says, looking at Braska again.

"I suppose." he replies, and Auron steps forward.

"Lord Braska...we shouldn't be wasting our time like this!" Auron says, and Jecht crosses his arms.

"What's the hurry, man?" he says, as Auron walks towards Braska.

"Let me tell you what the hurry is!" Auron says, and Braska drops the sphere down slightly.

"Auron!" he says, as the sphere fades out again.


"What's the point?" Tidus says, looking at Auron. "He wasn't on some pleasure cruise."

"I think there's more." Rikku says, pointing to the sphere, as it turns back on. This time, it shows the area we're currently in, Jecht sitting on the side of the bank. The sphere is on the ground, which means Auron and Braska aren't anywhere around.


"Hey. If you're sitting here, watching this...it means you're stuck in Spira, like me." Jecht begins. "You might not know when you'll get back home, but you better not be crying! Although, I guess I'd understand. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying, and move on. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son." he says, putting a hand behind his head. "And...well, uh...never mind. I'm not good at these things." he finishes, walking over and turning the sphere off. After a moment, it turns on again, Jecht holding it like a video camera again.

"Anyways...I believe in you. Be good. Goodbye." he says, as the sphere goes dark for the final time.


"He sounded almost serious, but it was too late." Tidus says, standing up and pocketing the sphere.

"He was serious." Auron explains. "Jecht had already accepted his fate."

"His...fate?" Tidus says, concerned and confused at the same time.

"Jecht...he...he was always talking about going home, to Zanarkand. That's why he took all these pictures—to show to you when he returned. But, as he journeyed with us and came to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve..." Auron says, trailing off. "It happened gradually, but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."

"So then, he gave up going home?" Tidus asks after a moment.

"That was his decision." Auron says, nodding slightly. Tidus nods, before suddenly turning to me.

"Ben, I wanted to ask you something that I've been thinking about. How do you know so much about Spira? You haven't been here before, have you?" he asks, and I suddenly freeze, wondering how to answer the question.

"No, Tidus, I haven't been here before." I say, and everyone looks at me. "Well, guess I better explain. I'm actually from an entirely different dimension...so to speak. The fayth came to me one day, and told me that I would be a boon to Yuna's pilgrimage, and gave me an offer. I accepted, and shortly after, I found myself here in Spira." I answer, deciding to leave out the part about Zanarkand for now.

"So...you're not really from Spira?" Yuna asks, and I shake my head.

"Right. I'm not even from this dimension. Mine is completely different from this one. But enough about that." I say, hoping to get out of the hot seat as quickly as possible. "Let's get going. We need to hit Macalania Temple, right?" I ask, and Yuna nods, as we all head back the way we came, back into Macalania Woods. As we're leaving, I can hear Auron talking to Tidus. I stop to listen, while the others walk ahead.

"Jecht loved you." Auron tells Tidus, who just shakes his head.

"Oh, come on, please!"

"He just didn't know how to express it, he said."

"Enough about my old man, okay?" Tidus says, starting to walk away.

"I just thought you should know." Auron says, following.

"Okay." Tidus says, turning back to face him. "Thanks."

"Alright, now that that's settled, let's get going to the temple." I say, and the three of us catch up with the rest of the group, heading to Macalania Temple.


Well, that's the first part of Macalania done with, next up is Lake Macalania! And boy, will things happen there! And yes, the legendary weapons will, hopefully, make an appearance.(a crash is heard) Nooo! Not the television! (walks over, smacking Tidus over the head with his sword) Anyway, while I clean this horrible mess up, please review!