Chapter 15
It was a few weeks later when Shinra burst into Yuna's home in Calm, waving a sheaf of papers about his head. Vidina, who had been working at Shinra's lab for a while entered behind him, oddly quiet, staring down at the ground. Aura, Llaman, Lila, Yuna and Rikku all stared at them.
"Yuna! Yuna, I've done it!" He yelled, grabbing Yuna by the waist and swinging her around.
"Done what?" Asked Yuna.
Shinra explained. It seemed he'd been working again on his reactor that would enable him to use the life force of the world as a power source. The problem he'd been having was the sometimes it worked well and sometimes it didn't.
Finally, Shinra had discovered that there were two times of life force. One sort he referred to as 'clean' life, the other 'ghost' life force.
The life force and pyre flies in Spira could be in two forms, 'clean' or 'ghost'. Running the clean force through the reactor caused it to be transformed into usable energy. The ghost force caused various things to go wrong.
Llaman asked what the difference was. Shinra explained that an unsent was made of ghost life. Basically the ghost life force was tainted with people's memories, and those memories caused it to act in different ways. Clean life force was not tainted with memories.
He told them that they had seen examples of this themselves. Before defeating Vegnagun, Yuna and Rikku had seen Shuyin's unsent form, posses themselves, Nooj, Baralai, Gippal and Paine. Casting her mind back, Rikku remembered the weak, sick feeling she was left with afterwards. Shinra told them that had Shuyin's ghost been stronger or possessed them for longer, they would have been reduced to dribbling wrecks.
Shinra reminded them that they'd also seen the effects of clean life force. Before they'd defeated Vegnagun they had held a concert on the thunder plains. Afterwards, the pyre flies from Macalnia woods, attracted by the large sphere screen and the huge numbers of people had come swarming down. This had caused the monsters native to the thunder plains to grow, becoming stronger and larger. It was a little like water, all in all he said. Clean water would make you healthier and stronger, while dirty water would make you ill.
"So," Said Aura, "You mean that you could make people stronger using this clean life force?"
Shinra grinned and gestured to Vidina to step forward. Vidina did so, and when he looked up they saw his eyes for the first time. As Shinra explained how much stronger Vidina was now, Aura ran forward and hugged them both, Yuna following swiftly. Lila stared. Llaman clutched at his forehead. And Rikku watched them all, feeling sick to her stomach, though she didn't know why.
"He's much stronger than the average person now," said Shinra proudly. "Imagine what we could do with a whole army!"
Yuna and Aura chattered excitedly. Lila asked Shinra why they needed in an army, but he must not have heard her question, because he didn't answer. Llaman ran out, muttering something about a headache.
Vidina, Shinra, Aura and Yuna began planning their dream city. Finally Yuna could begin building the town she'd been planning for nigh on twenty years.
Rikku and Lila listened to their plans, of a city full of life reactors. Catching her daughter's eyes, Rikku gestured to her. They followed Llaman outside. No one noticed them leave.
They foundLlaman shaking, leaning against the wall of Yuna's home. Lila put an arm around him.
"What's wrong?" She asked tenderly.
"I – I think it was a vision," he replied. He'd never had one before. Slumping further down to the ground he asked weakly, "Can you get my mom?"
Rikku ran towards Ifalna's home, leaving Lila with Llaman. Ifalna had scarcely left her home these last few years. Rikku knew she was dying, but every time she had tried to bring the subject up, the older woman brushed her aside. Neither of them ever mentioned though the subject to Llaman, though Rikku suspected that both he and Lila knew.
Rikku used the wheelchair she and Lila had spent one long summer making to bring Ifalna to Llaman. Then the two left mother and son alone and walked back to their own home. Rikku asked Lila what Llaman's vision had been about.
Lila frowned. "I'm not sure I understand," she said. "He said…he saw the town Aunt Yuna was talking about. He saw unhappy people living there. He saw more men with eyes like Vidina's…" Lila shook her head.
Rikku didn't press her daughter anymore. This was the first time in a long while she had seen Yuna so animated and happy. But those eyes of Vidina's…She didn't know what to do.