Chapter 3: Iifa Root
I gazed up at the Iifa Tree. Even now that I'm taller it still seems like a giant dominating the landscape. It's funny how perspective changes as you grow older. When I was younger, sure, the Iifa Tree was a sight, but I was used to it; a tree could only be so impressive. Now that I'm older, I appreciate just how beautiful it really is.
"Are you going to stay in Madain Sari, Eiko?" Morrison asked, standing on the path to the village I was born in. I grinned. "Of course! I'll make dinner and you'll try and stop me from making a mess of it just like things used to be."
Morrison laughed. "Alright Eiko, we'll see you after you get that root thing, kupo. You'd better hurry though. Everyone will be waiting to for you," she called and started heading towards Madain Sari. "All right Morrison," I replied and turned towards the Iifa Tree.
It had been a week since I'd taken charge of our 'Zidane Quest', as I called it. Morrison and I had traveled to Conde Petie in the airship I had originally used to get to Alexandria that very day. It'd taken awhile, but we'd finally arrived. No doubt the others had also set out by now.
All through the trip I'd been tormented by my thoughts. I just couldn't forget what Garnet had said. Zidane is her what? I really wanted to know the answer, yet at the same time I dreaded it. I know I can't compete with Garnet, yet in my mind I still do. It's a good thing she and Zidane are so slow when it comes to these kinds of things.
It took me the morning, but I reached the Iifa Tree in good time. I was a little apprehensive to say the least. After all, the Iifa Tree is pretty much Kuja's grave. Who knew what I'd find. Still, I had to make my way into the tree's roots if I was to find an Iifa Root small enough that I could actually use it without being squashed by it's formidable weight and size. Needless to say the task wasn't an easy one. I never was much of a climber. Wriggling my way down between mammoth roots, I was surprised to see a light shining below me; everything should have been dark.
Working my way down, I kept my eyes open for a root small enough to take. So far all the roots were at least twice my width and who knew how thick. I had started working my way inwards towards the trunk when I came upon the source of the light.
It was unexpected, but I can't say I was surprised. I'd thought I'd felt an eidolon's presence. Embedded in the roots before me was a seal. Apparently Phoenix hadn't been the only eidolon sealed after a failed summoning at the Iifa Tree.
The seal glowed brighter as I approached and a grumbling voice filled my hearing. Well not my hearing exactly. Due to our horns, summoners may understand and communicate with animals and eidolons. The thing is, unless an eidolon manifests it's self physically, we communicate to it with our horn. What we are told by the eidolons we don't hear exactly and neither is it telepathy. I guess the easiest way to explain it would be that we feel what they say, just as you would feel the vibrations of a cat purring if you put your hand on it or those of the engine of an airship. That's the best way I can describe it really. It's hard to understand unless you've experienced it.
Of course, our horns just mean we 'hear' eidolons speak, they don't mean we can always understand what they are saying. The eidolon that talked to me among the Iifa Tree's roots was particularly hard to understand due to its odd accent. It took me awhile before I understood that it was complaining about how long it had taken for a summoner to remember it.
Excuse me, but I don't know who you are at all. I've never heard about you, I interjected, confused, but trying to be polite. It's always best to be polite to eidolons you don't know. I'd never heard of another eidolon being sealed at the Iifa Tree aside from Phoenix though, so I was understandably a little confused. You're not a very polite summoner, dearie, the eidolon declared, miffed at me for some reason. But you'll have to do. Hurry up and unseal me already.
You're so rude! I don't even know who you are! I replied, disliking the eidolon more with every word she spoke.
I am the eidolon Iifa Root and I'm deathly tired of being sealed. Do you know how maddening it is to see other eidolons who have been sealed in the same place as you for not even half the time you have, have their seals broken while you're ignored? Not to mention having wars break out right above your head and not being able to do anything because you're stuck to a smelly tree? It's completely maddening and if I could stand being stuck here for a decade or two more I'd give you summoners more of my mind, the eidolon ranted in reply. I'd tuned her out after she said her name was Iifa Root.
I thought Iifa Root was just that, a root from the Iifa Tree. It is in all the fairytales, I said questioningly to my four eidolon companions.
Well, actually, she is THE Iifa Root. It's just that-, Phoenix began, a little uncomfortably. Fenrir interrupted him though. She's an embarrassment to the term eidolon! So the rest of us generally tend to try and hide her existence. By the way, she can go on ranting like that for months if you don't stop her in time, he informed me.
So glad you all thought to tell me, I snapped, a little annoyed. Are the other two items eidolons too?
Yes, Madeen replied.
And you were thinking of telling me this when? I could have known this earlier! How are we supposed to get the other eidolons, hunh? Garnet can handle the one in Ice Cavern, but Amarant, Vivi and Freya can't really unseal the one in Evil Forest…
No problems there Lady Eiko! Ice Heart and Blood Blossom aren't sealed the normal way, Carbuncle replied cheerfully.
What do you mean 'not sealed the normal way'?
Well, see, when an eidolon is summoned, the summoner teleports it from one place to another. To do this, the summoner must send such a strong feeling of the place where they want to summon the eidolon that the eidolon can believe it's there. That's why it's so much easier to summon an eidolon in a place you're familiar with than a place you've never been to before, Fenrir began, picking up the task of explaining things to me.
Yeah, I know. That's why we have failed summonings in the first place. With a failed summoning, it's not that you couldn't summon an eidolon that makes it a failed summoning, but the fact you couldn't fully summon it. You could only partially give the eidolon the feeling of the place you want to summon it to, therefore making it become divided; it's half in the place you summoned it to and half in it's previous location, I replied, wondering exactly what this had to do with how the other eidolons were sealed.
Yes, well, Phoenix said, when you then seal an eidolon, you're binding it to the place you tried to summon it to. A place isn't the only thing you can seal an eidolon to though.
Yea! Ice Heart is sealed to an ice crystal in Ice Cavern and Blood Blossom is sealed to one of the flowers that bear his name in Evil Forest. Wherever those items go, those two eidolons go with them, Carbuncle piped up.
Oh, I understand now. But how will Vivi and everyone know what flower to pick?
Don't worry Eiko. They'll pick the right one. They'll subconsciously be drawn to it. People become more aware of eidolons without realizing it when they spend as much time around summoners as your friends have, Madeen assured me.
By this time Iifa Root had finished her tirade and was telling me to make my unsealing spell short and to the point.
Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on my surroundings. The green roots that formed a tangled web of forest around me; the still air that smelled of leaves, soil and the crisp tang of the sea that was so far away; the silence all around me broken only by my steady breaths like wind; the hard, pitted wood covered in soft moss that I sat on; all of these things and more I sent to Iifa Root coupled with emotions and the one word of 'come'.
The light from the seal faltered and faded and presently I felt a stronger presence with me, timidly asking to join with me as summoner and eidolon. I nodded my consent and that presence filled me, adding to the warmth inside of me that was my eidolons.
That was quite an unsealing, dearie. Much better than they guy who failed to summon me before I must say, nothing sloppy about it at all. I think I'm going to enjoy this. Now someone fill me in on the situation. How about you Phoenix dearie? Iifa Root said warmly and I smiled. This eidolon definitely had her quirks. Leaving the eidolons to making nice –something I felt would take a while to be accomplished- I made my way up out of the roots; a task definitely harder than getting into them now that gravity was against me.
I knelt before the Eidolon Wall, my eyes closed in prayer. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the Wall. I've always been very aware of the Eidolon Wall; it's very important to me.
I had arrived in Madain Sari the afternoon before, coming straight from the Iifa Tree. After many greetings and shouts of 'kupo!', I retired to my house. In truth, I guess you wouldn't call it my house anymore, seeing as I no longer live there. That house in Madain Sari holds so much for me though. I guess you could say I spent my childhood in that house, for by the time Zidane came along, I wasn't really a child anymore. I know I must have seemed like one, I was so unruly, but the truth is I had long since grown up. I understood the world and knew how to take care of myself; I knew when and what to be serious about and no longer believed everything to be a game. I knew I had to be an adult to survive. I grew up in Madain Sari; it's as simple as that.
Much of the night had been spent in celebration; it was the moogles way of trying to cheer me up –Morrison had told them about Zidane's condition. Even still, they were early to rise and went about their respective tasks as cheerfully as ever. I, too, had risen early. Traveling the well-worn path to the Eidolon Wall that my feet knew so well, I felt more at home than I had in a while. I guess no matter where you go there's always that one place that speaks to your heart.
The sight of the Eidolon Wall glowing in the early morning sun filled me with awe and love for it. As I said before, the Eidolon Wall is very important to me. Looking at the paintings on the wall, it seemed as if the numerous eidolons were alive. All around me I felt past summoners who had also prayed there in their time, including Grandpa and the blood parents I had hardly known.
Kneeling before the Wall in my customary place, a tranquil calm settled on me and for the moment my worries left me. My prayers were simple: to successfully cast the spell I had in mind and save Zidane. I spent half the morning like that, relishing the quite and for once not worrying about what would happen if I failed.
"Morrison, Momatose, Chimomo, everyone, take care of yourselves. I'll come visit again soon and I promise I'll bring Kupo Nuts next time!" I said at the entrance to Madain Sari, saying goodbye to all the moogles. "Goodbye Lady Eiko! Come back soon!" Chimomo said, smiling kindly at me. "Lady Eiko, please be careful and remember, the Eidolon Wall is always here, as are we," Morrison added, the only one who knew the danger of what I planned to do upon my return to Alexandria.
I smiled reassuringly. It seemed like everyone was trying to reassure everyone else these days. Garnet tried to reassure me, I tried to reassure Morrison; the only thing was that these were empty reassurances. No one knew what could come, for that's how life is. "Don't you worry about a thing!" I replied and walked down the path towards Conde Petie and the airship Father had lent me. My 'heroic' task awaited me in Alexandria and Zidane couldn't hold on forever.