Final Fantasy X – Summoner's Heritage
Prologue – A matter of fayth
'Some people never get a break' I thought to myself as I walked home. The street ahead of me is long and narrow, lined on either side with silent homes, their occupants long since asleep, the darkness punctured by the orange glow of the street lamps set out at regular intervals on either side of the road. It's raining heavily, large puddles formed on the pavement ripple and spit as the torrential downfall continues. As I walk the sound of my boots on the tarmac rings out surprisingly loudly, 'Better get back quick before I wake up the whole damn street.'
I reach the end of the street and walk up the driveway to my house, well it isn't really my house, I just live here. It's just me, Karin and Mike, my foster parents and Loren, their daughter, she's a few years younger than be and although we're not related by blood she's still like a little sister to me.
I've lived with Karin and Mike for five years now, my last family were, not suitable guardians or at least that's what social services wrote in their report when they came to take me away. But these two, they're good people, Mike's a programmer for some big name software company, he's always bringing home their latest titles for me to test for him, it's cool, being the first guy in the state to play a new game makes up for the otherwise nerdy connotations of being glued to a TV screen most evenings. Karin's a home maker officially, but to me she's so much more, each and every day she's there to see me and Loren off to school and Mike off to work and she's there when we get home, always ready to listen to any problems we've had with the other kids or help us with a particularly nasty math problem. It's not that Karin's not employable, it's just that she chose to make her family her life, and I for one couldn't be more grateful.
I never knew my parents, not my real ones anyway, I was told they died in an air crash when I was two months old, since then I was bounced from one foster family to the other, noone seemed prepared to commit to a child like me. Until Karin and Mike that is, I was thirteen when the social service lady told me I was going to visit a new family who were looking to foster a boy of my age. I was sceptical, I'd been at the home for six months already, my record didn't make me the most appealing candidate to prospective parents. Expelled from two separate schools, arrested for shoplifting and numerous admissions to the county hospital for broken bones, severe bruising and lacerations. My last family told the doctors I got into fights at school a lot, that's what the record said. Not to mention my illness, severe headaches, dillsusions and other symptoms too long and doctorish for me to recall.
But Karin saw something in me that she thought was worth something, and she never gave up on me. Over five years she and Mike supported me and showed me love and kindness that I'd never really experienced until then.
Smiling at the memories and to be honest, kinda worried that they're gonna kill me for being in past curfew, I slide my key into the lock on the front door and twist, the door swinging open silently. Stepping into the porch I gently shut the door behind me, careful not to make too much noise for fear of waking the sleeping household. Tiptoeing down the hall I slide silently into my bedroom, when we moved in last year I grabbed the downstairs one straight off the bat, I mean who wouldn't, three steps to the kitchen for food and ten steps to the door to go out, and it even has its own bathroom!
Closing the door I let out a sigh of relief, 'So far so good' I think grinning, 'now I just go to bed and come tomorrow morning noone's the wiser as to when I got in.' Slipping out of my soaking wet cloths and dropping them into the wicker hamper next to the door leading to the bathroom I flick on the light blinking slightly as my eyes become accustomed to the glare.
Walking over to the sink I run some cold water into my hands before splashing it over my face enjoying the refreshing feeling it has as it comes into contact with my skin. Mopping up the drops of water on my face and dabbing at my sodden hair with the hand towel I stare at my reflection in the mirror, 'geez Rev you look wasted' I think as I run my eyes over my own appearance.
Were it not two in the morning I'd look a damn sight better, striking blue eyes stare back at me as I brush my flaxen yellow hair, long wavy strands falling to between my shoulder blades shine in the artificial light casting a golden hue across the rest of my face. Although somewhat narrow my face enjoys well defined features with a good strong jaw and cheek bones, the length of my hair a stark contrast to my cleanly shaven face. I turn to look sideways into the mirror, the single silver hoop in my left ear glinting as I do so. 'Hey Mike was right, all that working out really has paid off' on Mike's advice I'd made it a matter of course to drop by the gym once or twice a week for the past few months and looking at my body, clad only in my boxers, I'm pleasantly surprised with the results. Gone is the spare tyre Karin so affectionately thought of as puppy fat to be replaced with a knot of well defined abdominal muscle, the muscles under my skin ripple as I cross my arms in front of my chest.
'Enough self loving Rev' I think to myself as I pull on a pair of flannel PJ's and quickly brush my teeth before turning the light out and walking back into my room. Lying down in bed I flick the light on the table next to my bed on and allow my gaze to drift around the room lazily, my room's a decent size, I've certainly lived in smaller. In one corner's my computer and in the other my TV and PS2 sit on top of a chest of drawers, in the last corner not occupied by my bed sits my wardrobe, all my furnishings made from wood and painted blue. The burgundy walls are covered in posters and wall scrolls from various video games and anime series, ok I guess I'm kinda a nerd, but at least I don't queue up outside PC World waiting for the new version of Norton anti-virus to be released. My shelves are stacked with dozens of books, comics and games, the later occupying two whole shelves on it's own. Staring at the ceiling I reach across and turn the light off as I feel a wave of fatigue wash over me. Within minutes I had to be asleep.
The dream I had was unlike any other I'd had before. Standing on a vast bridge I stare in awe at the sprawling city before me, tall buildings rise up around me almost touching the sky itself, across the metropolis millions of light twinkle in the darkness like a sea of stars. Majestic waterfalls tumble over buildings, dropping into perfectly situated channels designed to allow the water to continue flowing around the city, creating the impression of a constantly moving almost living city.
Turning around something makes my jaw drop, fixed to the side of the building, easily twenty feet across probably more hangs a giant billboard. On it is pictures a guy who for all intents and purposes looks remarkably like a pirate, the red bandana not helping at all, long wild hair and a similar beard add a roguish charm to Jecht's face.
"Zanarkand" I breath, spinning around I take in the magnitude of everything around me. I got the distinct feeling that I wasn't alone, like a crawling sensation down the back of my neck, turning around slowly I see a small child staring at me. At least I assume it's a child as it's face is shrouded in the hood of it's dark green robes. "Don't be afraid" the child tells me, it's voice calm and strangely comforting.
"I'm not afraid of a dream" I reply grinning slightly at the absurdity of the situation, 'I'm telling a dream that I'm not afraid of, a dream?"
"You're a fayth aren't you" it wasn't a question, I'd spent enough hours sat in front of final fantasy X to recognise a fayth when I saw one.
"You already know Revan" he says, slowly walking towards me the fayth tilts his head back, staring at my face as though examining me. Turning around the fayth addresses an unseen audience, "he is ready."
"Who are you talking to?" I ask stepping up to stand next to the fayth, "who are you talking to?"
"The fayth" he replies. As if on cue two more figures fade into view, the first an elderly man with snow white hair clad in a long blue cloak, the second a teenage girl with straight black hair and piercing green eyes. Wrapping her crimson robe around herself she looks at me before turning back to the first fayth. "Are you sure? He is still very young."
"So is the other" the first replies nonchalantly, "he is ready. Besides, there is no more time."
"What do you mean? Time has no meaning to us."
"He is right" the old man interjects his voice raspy with age, "he has no time. If we do not act now it will kill him."
"What will?" I ask, "what are you talking about?" trying to calm myself I remember that it's only a dream, weird as shit maybe, but still just a dream. Their deliberations apparently concluded the three fayth turn to me again, the girl walks up to me and touches me on the shoulder. My vision goes white and a high pitched whine fills my ears.
Sitting bolt upright in bed my eyes dart around for any sign of the fayth. 'Get a grip Revan' I tell myself 'just a dream, and from now on no more final fantasy X and beer at one in the morning.' Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I wipe the sweat out of my eyes with a free hand. Getting out of bed I check the clock: four am it reads, 'two hours? Felt like five minutes'.
Opening the door I walk down the hall into the kitchen, grabbing an empty glass from the cupboard above the stove I fill myself a glass of water and gulp it down, quickly refilling the glass and sipping this time. Staring out the lattice glass panels leading to the patio I watch the rain for a moment before a flash of lightning throws the room into a mix of shadow and light before plunging it back into darkness.
Walking over I place my hand on the glass watching it steam up from the heat of my breath, another flash of lightning causes me to blink, listening patiently for the accompanying clap of thunder 'eight…nine…ten…ele-' a distant rumble interrupts my train of thought, 'that's barely two miles away' I muse silently. I'm a little strange in that problem solving always helps my to calm down, just something about focusing my mind on a specific task has always helped my to relieve anxiety.
Stepping back from the glass I turn around, almost dropping the glass in shock as the child-fayth just stares at me. Another flash illuminates the face under the robe, brown eyes shine with amusement as the fayth continues to stare without saying anything.
"Your not real" I say, more for my own benefit than anyone else's. "You can't be real, you just can't be" my words tumbling over each other in a near incoherent pattern. Ignoring the fayth completely I walk back to by bathroom, snatching a small orange bottle off the shelf I unscrew the lid tipping several small red pills into my hand before throwing them down my neck along with the remaining contents of the water glass. Walking back into the kitchen I expect to find an empty room, but the fayth's still there. Clutching at my head I screw my eyes shut, counting to three I open them again, still the fayth remains.
"What are you doing" he asks innocently.
"I'm trying to make you disappear" I answer as I slump onto the floor, "you're a hallucination, I shouldn't be having hallucinations any more, the doctors said so, they said the new pills would work, they do work, I know they work." I just ramble on in very much this vain for several seconds before the fayth calmly raises a hand for me to stop.
"Don't be afraid" he says.
"I'm not afraid" my voice is no more than a whisper. "But your not real" I say looking up my eyes wild with confusion and, yes, fear.
"Why not?" the fayth asks quizzically.
"You're a character in a game" I reply frowning. 'They're never like this, they usually don't make much sense, this one just wants to…talk?'
"A game?" the fayth walks over and kneels down next to me, "Is that what he did with our story?"
"What?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
"It does not matter" the fayth answers with an air of finality, "are you ready?"
"For what?"
"Your destiny"
"Destiny?" I just stare at the fayth now, utterly lost, "what are you talking about?"
"All will become clear in time" the fayth's words do little to comfort me.
"Do I have a choice" I hang my head, prepared for the response.
"Soon you will understand why we are as powerless in this as you are" something akin to sadness in the voice "but for now Revan, know this. This is as real as anything you have ever known and perhaps, for you, even more so. Be careful."
The fayth slowly faded away and again I was alone, curled up on my kitchen floor I wonder what's going to happen to me. In retrospect I should have been prepared for what happened next, but then again the benefit of hindsight would have prepared me for so much.
Something latched onto me, it felt like a giant hook attached to my navel suddenly jerking me forwards, my vision swam for a moment before my eyes were able to comprehend what they were seeing. Wind roared past my ears as I rocketed through what appeared to be a tunnel of sorts, except most tunnels are straight and aren't made of shifting, blue light.
Up ahead a bright light shone, the closer I get the brighter it shines until I have to use an arm to shield my eyes from it's glare, until without warning it's over. The light surrounds me completely now and the sound of the wind is gone to be replaced with a dry feeling beyond silence, not just silence which would be an absence of noise, but beyond that, where silence not only occurs but also screams 'shut up!'
Slowly that too starts to fade and I get my first glimpse of where I am, the towers, the buildings, the all too familiar sea of lights. Zanarkand.