The Vihur turned around only to meet Laethos, the High Priest. But there was more to him than just being a High Priest, or a Wizard at all, the sparkling face, the blue eyes, the light smile, the tan skin and the security and wisdom in his voice. He had, definitely, seen him somewhere, someplace, hence ignored the exact situation. It was a blurry image, like most of the memories he maintained, hence it existed, and it existed in his human past.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" it was an absurd question, but he wanted answers.
"You know the answer to both questions, so I won't respond. However I will tell you something, I know you are Tidus, Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes, Guardian of the Summoner Yuna, and White Vihur at this exact moment." Laethos began with that serious knowledge that Tidus had a hazy hint of, "And I will tell you something, one thing that you will not tell Rikku until she has done the third trial, understand?"
Tidus could only nod an affirmation, being immersed in the words this familiar being was vocalizing.
"There is a way you can keep your humanity forever!" Laethos said in a firm, however gentle voice.
"What?" gasped Tidus with a ragged bark.
"You become your desired human self when you are feeling very strong emotions, when you are in a sort of ecstasy. When you found Rikku in the forest, your human self woke up, Tidus banished Ocean Ice and the soul of the human activated within your Vihur body. When you fought against the fangs, you felt the fun and rage of the battle, and that transformed you." Laethos explained, looking down at the Vihur with an almost proud gaze, as well as noble.
"What can I do to keep my human body?" Tidus, not wanting to ask the rhetoric question of Laethos' knowledge about his immediate past, inquired.
"You keep the ecstasy for a very short time. What you have to do is keep it for the longest time possible, and being the body of a dream, I believe it must be as long as from dawn till sunset." Laethos explained calmly.
"But wait a minute, how am I going to keep myself in euphoria for 12 hours? Dancing or something?" Tidus snarled sarcastically staring at the man with mistrust.
"You will have to fight the greatest opponent that you will ever encounter!" Laethos roared in a strong, secure voice.
"Aha, so now there is someone far stronger than Sinh!" snapped Tidus tired of the game this mysterious and frustratingly familiar being was playing.
"Indeed, his name is Soletha, and he is the great wyrm who inhabits the ancient ruins of Zanarkand." The man explained calmly, yet grinning slightly as if he felt specially proud of the dragon.
"Wait a minute, you are not serious about me fighting some dragon thing, right? I mean, couldn't that thing kill me?" Tidus gasped, now slightly nervous about the way things were turning out.
"Well, that's the risk you will have to take, Tidus, no price comes without a risk!" the man said with a bright smile, then turned around and began to climb back the staircase.
"But, isn't there another way?" Tidus called agitated and nervous.
"Yes, there is, not trying. After all, decide which are your priorities, what is of more importance for you, your life? Or Rikku? Choose your path, Tidus!" and with such words, Laethos walked away and vanished into the darkness of the spiral staircase.
Tidus sat there, impotent and frustrated. Which where his priorities? Heck, it was obvious he cared for Rikku, but what did she have to do in the whole matter? And anyways, he cared for her but was not willing to be turned into mince meat by a rabid dragon who collected treasures in the ruins of Zanarkand. He sighed deeply, profoundly, feeling highly frustrated. Sure he wanted to be human, but the price to pay was just too high, after all, he had never owned a life, so dying was not something that matched with him. However, there is always a first time for everything, so maybe he should just try. There was a whole new life for him if he succeeded.
With that final thought, Tidus retreated into the chambers to have a rest.
Eyes blue like the sky, shinny like sparkling stars, and transparent like crystal opened lightly. First one, emerging from a dark pit of swirling emotions and blurry colours, then the second eyes, floating into bright consciousness. Tidus was now fully awake, and his head was raised slowly, calmly. He yawned, letting the sharp tongue roll out, and his whole, reptilian body stretched out, making him have several spasms in his numb, ticklish muscles.
The Vihur looked around. The room, like every room in the tower, was circular. This one had a window, large enough to allow the entrance of a fluent of fresh, bright light into the room. It had a very simple wardrobe matching a desk, and a rather large bed of the same auster wood and lack of imagery. The bed however was cozy, warm and comfortable, and covered in cloth of a wide variety of tones of crimson and gold. But the bed was empty, except his presence it was empty.
"Rikku?" Tidus inquired to nobody, mostly to feel comfortable upon hearing his own voice.
He felt a shot of fear course through his veins, freezing his blood and tearing his stomach with sharp knives. Tidus was nervous, concerned at the fact that the bed had been empty the whole night, that Rikku hadn't come to sleep. Where could she be? This thought assaulted the Vihur's mind.
The creature stood up and exited the fresh and comfortable room, penetrating the dim and somewhat threatening lack of luminosity that reigned in the curved and thick corridors. He walked up the spiralled staircase, encountering hazes of mist on his path, all of which observed him with curious glances, all of them stopping a mysterious, ethereal chat they had been carrying.
"Searching for Rikku?" the familiar voice said behind him.
Tidus emitted a profound, annoyed sigh, releasing a large gallon of air through his flaring nostrils. He turned around expecting to see the tall, handsome figure of Laethos, the powerful, high priest. Indeed, he gasped encountering a small, white Vihur with silver runes crawling the scaly skin, and a proud phoenix gliding before the strong chest. Penetrating, blue eyes sparkled knowingly at Tidus as the poor being recoiled startled.
"I thought you would feel more comfortable with me." Commented Laethos as if the whole situation lacked importance.
"How did you do that?" inquired Tidus with a squeaky, surprised voice.
"Well, aren't I the High Priest of the Tower of Mirage?" Inquired Laethos, glancing at Tidus through eyes that shone with ancestral knowledge.
"Yeah, guess that would explain it." Tidus glanced at the blue eyes with a suspicious look, his feelings on the man not at all correct.
"Rikku is in the library, far along that corridor." The man commented calmly, shrugging the reptilian shoulders as elegant and swift as if he had done such many times.
Tidus, not wanting to continue the uncomfortable chat with the mysterious and curious character, began his walk towards the library, not worrying about the reptile. He couldn't say that he despised the Priest, but he didn't feel comfortable around anyone who, by some divine aid, knew everything about his past and about himself.
"However, if you care for her as much as I think you do, you won't disturb her, this task she is about to go through is as tiring as dangerous, she need full concentration!" Laethos barked at him with a strong, clear and loud voice.
Fury flared within the snowy chest, and blue eyes ignited with the boiling heat of anger. The beast turned around to face the other reptile, baring teeth and snarling dangerously, letting his animal instincts mix with his human mind.
"Don't you dare hurt her in any way or…" Tidus voice barked until it faded, replaced with a deep, dragonish growl.
"Relax Dream, relax, this is what she chose, all trials at Sorcery Towers include a life threatening risk, even healing abilities. I should point out that those are the most dangerous ones however." The other vihur smiled knowingly, calmly, not at all intimidated by the creature before him.
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The girl's eyes were puffy, swollen and dark rings had grown around the green, spiralled orbs. Letters raced before her eyes, forming complicated words that spoke incoherence to the untrained mind. But she knew well the meaning of each symbol, each sentence. Rikku knew her task already, her first task was basically spiritual, and had little complicacy in it. No part of her body would shapeshift, but she was to use the techniques of her animal spirit in a battle. The battle was not a real one, it was simply an exhibition of her skills and her empathy with the beast latent inside her body.
"How am I going to fight if I don't know the spirit within me?" inquired Rikku to herself in one desperate mumble.
Indeed, her mind raced crazily seeking for the animal that matched her personality closer, the one with which she shared a highest affinity. Wolves seemed to pop up in her mind, howling beasts lurking in the shadows of midnight, yellow orbs shinning mysteriously in the depths of darkness. But it didn't seem right, a wolf lived in packs, and she was a loner. She loved water, how about a sea serpent? Powerful, solitary, strong and rapid, like herself, but way too uncontrollable, following the furious instincts rather than a strategic, coherent mind.
"Oh, this won't work!" snapped the girl with a frustrated moan.
She noticed something out through the corner of her eye, something resting placidly on the shelves. A ray of clear sun light illuminated the dusty cover, making the gold graved letters to sparkled and shine luminously, making the title stand out clearly. A hopeful smile and a relieved sigh escaped her throat and features, her eyelids lowering lazily, almost dreamily as her eyes observed the book through a thanking gaze.
"The Spirit Within!" she read aloud, convincing herself that this was the true nature of the book.
Without wasting a single minute, the girl picks the book from the shelf and throws it unceremoniously over the table, proceeding to open it harshly and read through the pages with as much attention as she could. She was drinking each word, absorbing the knowledge with all her focus, her attention placed of each scheme and explanation. The wisdom and nature of this difficult training was coming clear to her, and first was figuring out her animal affinity, then put to practice the different techniques it uses to defend itself and fight.
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Eyelids had beginning to close over the clear eyes, warm rays caressing the white, scaly skin, and mind drifted off to a land of dream. An amdusias galloped across the field where Tidus rested, the dark, glossy blue coat glistening under the golden rays, stealing silver threads of light from each hair. A cascade of black hair danced on the trim of the neck, the thick mane shaking powerfully as brown eyes flared with concentration. Tidus paid little attention to the visitor, for seeing transformed wizards was becoming alarmingly common in this place.
"I wonder what Rikku would turn into." The vihur through lazily, stealing a glance at the window belonging to the chambers they had been assigned.
The powerful head perked up, and the eyes opened completely. The reptile saw the curtains being drawn and the gentle flicker of a flame dancing in the room with a warm glaze. Standing up and stretching without worry, the creature walked towards the tower, the amdusias galloping along again, and casting a warning glance at the predator. Tidus worried little for the amdusias, or the hazes of mist, or anything that roamed the walls of this place. He was eager to get out, and was worried for his friend's integrity, nothing in this place, except that room, gave him the slightest feeling of security.
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Rikku was concentrated on the exercise. Relaxation was a must in this kind of work, and clearing the mind out of all trouble, out of all thought was also a very important step, otherwise it would never work. When her breathing was paused, clear and slow, Rikku began. She penetrated her mind, reached her spirit, and made her soul fall through a dense darkness, an endless fall into a hole with no landing. She searched calmly into the depths of the shadows, scrutinizing every single corner, seeking for a glimpse of her animal self. Instead, darkness vanished into clear valleys, a beautiful image viewed from the sky. The sun was setting, and the woodlands were crowned with flaming fire, vibrant colours that varied from intense red to a brilliant orange.
"Oh, this is ridiculous!" thought Rikku frowning, scolding herself for her lack of concentration, for her drifting mind.
She tried again, starting the process all over, relaxing her muscles and her spirit, and taking in deep gulps of oxygen. Once the mind was clear, she dived in through the darkness again, obtaining similar results, only this time water, her beloved element, was present in her fluctuating desires.
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Tidus observed the girl from the door, not daring to enter, not wanting to disturb her concentration, and smiling with sympathy as the frustrated attempts. She was sitting calmly on the bed, legs crossed, arms resting over them, and a candle situated on a small, end table. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, with clear features, fine and well sculpted. Her eyes, although more serious than the youth innocence and energy, shone with an optimistic sparkle. Her lips were rosy, thick and fleshy, and pursed with anger, which gave her a special, childish characteristic. Her pale skin was tinted gold under the warming flicker of the flame, making her finest traits stand out wonderfully.
"She is indeed a very fine girl!" a voice commented behind him, and Tidus, pulled out of his thoughts, let his white head fall annoyed.
"Are you going to follow me throughout this whole tower?" inquired the vihur without raising the fine head.
"Not really, but I find it amusing, you know?" Laethos commented with indifference.
"What?" Tidus was curious in his question, and rose his head to stare at the Priest, again a man and now dressed in his old, Blitzball clothing. "And why do you keep doing that?" Tidus frowned upon seeing the outfit.
"I'm seeking for a way of maintaining a conversation without causing you an impact!" Laethos explained his reasons as calmly as if it was very clear.
"Well, you are going just about the right way!" Tidus snapped sarcastically, "Now what do you find so amusing?" he focused on his questions, trying to get as much information as he could from this man.
"How subtle, how wild and free willed a heart is to choose." The man's eyes glanced at Rikku's concentrated form with a dreamy expression in his eyes, an eager fire igniting in the depths of the blue orbs.
"What are you speaking about?" snarled the boy frustrated with this game of guessing.
"You know very well what I am speaking about, after all, you and I are about the same age, you know? Different worlds, but equal wisdom, only mine has been trained." The man grinned with a mysterious smile.
As his imitator vanished, Tidus was left in confusion. He was his age? His two Vihur years? Or perhaps the 17 years that had been the limit of his human life? This was a riddle, and the solution escaped his intelligence. The boy had a feeling that not understanding the meaning of the sentences made him miss something that had an enormous weight in his actual situation, and the way to resolve it.
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"Are you ready Rikku?" inquired the High Priest with the kind strength and severity that had earned him the well deserved title.
"Yes!" the girl lied with a powerful, secure voice.
No, she wanted to yell out to her lungs that she had not been able to solve out the riddle of her animal spirit. She ignored whichever abilities she would be able of releasing, attacks, defences, any kind of offensive weapons was a mystery. She had not been concentrated, and although her studying had been intense, the lack of focus had only released wonderful images of landscapes of an ultimate beauty, viewed from height. That had been of scarce help to discover the latent beast in her, if there was any.
Eyes widened, a hidden gasp pushed against her will to escape her throat, and her face lit with the sparkles of realization. She understood, the riddle, finally she caught the meaning. She smiled proudly and amazed at the mysteries of magick, the subtle and so delicate way of hiding her animal spirit from view. But she had understood, she knew her animal spirit.
To Be Continued…
AN: Ok, so which is Rikku's animal Spirit? What is Laethos speaking about? Who is this Laethos? Will Rikku pass the first trial? And what will happen to Tidus? Will they find Soletha and will he survive the fight against him in order of recovering his human body?
I want to thank my reviewers and readers, and forgive me for my delay, I wanted to finish my other FFX story, Where You Belong, and start Beyond, an idea that has been nagging me lately.