FFX3.2

Summary:

Records about Spira and it's magic pyreflies are discovered by a treasure hunter 3,000 years after the Galaxy League crumbled. The treasure hunter partners with an alien race of methane breathers to exploit Spira's magic pyreflies. Bevelle and Zanarkand are offered the job of "farm hand" by the aliens. Zanarkand refuses and is destroyed in the Zanarkand / Bevelle war. Sin appears. Tidus Zanarkand is created. Lady Yunalesca pierces the armor Sin but fails to kill Yu Yevon, who will rebuild Sin in 10 years. Spira's Spiral of death begins. Bevelle creates the Yevon church

--- 1,010 years ago – Spira's location gets revealed again

Digging through long lost Galaxy League ruins Tar-Sec discovers Spira's h-pyrefly records. Astonished he reads about a planet where it's people release small spheres of pure magic energy when they die, energy that can be harnessed and used to create powerful magic weapons or to concoct powerful magic potions. Unconvinced that such a thing would exist and remain hidden for 3,000 years he almost throws the records away but he stumbles on a locked box. When he opens it several tiny spheres of light float away leaving a strange gun and a vial of amber fluid on the bottom of the box.

He picks up the gun curiously and tests it. "Holy Shit! This thing looks like a supernova on a bullet!" he screams surprised at the large energy ball the gun produced. "Does this means this planet is for real ? This will be worth tons of gil!" he thinks amazed. He gathers all the records, the gun and the vial of liquid and reloads the gun. Aiming at the place the records were found he shoots another "supernova" bullet and obliterates all remaining clues to his treasure.

Six months later Tar-Sec is sitting on a large battle cruiser's bridge, being fussed on by two gorgeous females.

- "Where to ?" asks the ship's captain

- "I will enter the coordinates myself, if you don't mind" says Tar-Sec. This is his my discovery, I get to do the important decisions" he says smugly

After a week of hyper-jumps and refueling stops Tar-Sec's spaceship arrives at the outskirts of Spira's solar system. It was the first time in 3,000 years that any spaceship had crossed that remote region of space. It looked like it too, with no defense shields, no space stations to dock their ship to and no hyperlight transmissions in the vicinity…

The ship entered in a large orbit around Spira, while Tar-Sec and his team discussed their approach at the ship's briefing room. Despite the ship's captains wishes they couldn't just kill all in Spira.

- "The records are quite clear: only Spira's humanoid species can create the pyreflies we need. If we kill all now there will be no more pyreflies after the ones we harvest today" said the ship's science officer

- "He is right Galkat. You have to control yourself here. Kill them today and you will have no money left eventually. Is that what you want ? Is that what your emperor will want in 5 years ?" said Tar-Sec to the bloodthirsty captain

- "No, we want a steady supply of Spira pyreflies. But who is going to harvest them ? Do you want to live in this hell hole ? Our species can not" answered the ship's captain

- "Hell no! We need to find some local who is willing to work for us. Someone who can tend the pyrefly producing beings" said Tar-Sec

- "Well, the only intelligent species there are the humanoid themselves. Would a humanoid agree to betray his fellow humanoids ?" asks the ship's science officer. He was fascinated! He had heard humanoid ethics were quite different than his species "Survival of the fittest" ethics. Tar-Sec's ethics didn't seem much different from his own. . He wondered how different the humanoids really were.

- "Oh, we can find a way to persuade them" said the captain smiling cruelly

- "Precisely! I will tell the strongest clans we will kill them if they don't agree to supply us with their weakest and I'm sure we will get a great ally down there" said Tar-Sec smiling

Tar Sec asked the ship's transport officer to beam him close to a large city by the shore, on the largest continent. In there Tar-Sec found out that the people of Spira spoke an old form of Galaxy Standard. Tar-Sec quickly found out from the trusting people in the city that Spira's strongest clans were the mages of Zanarkand - who apparently could do some impressive feats for someone so backwards - and the technologically inclined people from Bevelle. He contacted the rulers of both clans and demanded that they supply him with pyrefly rich water.

Bevelle's rulers accepted the role Tar-Sec forced on them. The main council in Zanarkand refused. "I'll get them next time" thought Tar-Sec eager to get back to the luxury that waited him at his return. The methane breathers had managed to duplicate the supernova guns, but they could not duplicate the magic fluid that made it work. No one could. It was priceless. And he had a ship's hull full to the brim with it. That was going to be some commission credit sheet he would get from the methane breathers. And the best part was that they needed Tar -Sec for any other shipment. They could not breathe the air in Spira. The methane breathers could not even approach the planet past it's gravitational line, something on the planet irradiated a pulse field that made the methane breathers deadly ill. Perfect for his plans!

--- 1,000 ago - The never ending exploitation of Spira starts

Unfortunately the aliens and Tar-Sec eventually ran out of money, the fortune made with the cargo spent in lavish luxury for all involved, so ten years later he was back with a larger ship, demanding a much larger load of pyrefly loaded water from the Bevelle Maester.

- "But, but we can't ! We have nowhere to take it from! There haven't been enough natural deaths in Spira on the last 10 years to produce that much h-fluid!" said the Bevelle Maester distressed

- "Who said you have to wait for natural deaths ? Just kill all in one or two cities and you have enough. Why didn't you start by killing those bastards at Zanarkand ? The ones who refused to deal with us last time " said a ruthless Tar-Sec, by now too used to his money and power to even think twice about killing thousands of intelligent beings

- "But, but.. Sir! We couldn't possibly…" said the Maester

- "You want me to do the killing for you ? My ship will start it's killing in Bevelle if I have to do it. " said Tar-Sec coldly

- "No Sir, that won't be necessary. Give me some time and I will deliver the h-fluid to you as requested." said the Maester

- "Make sure you destroy those disrespectful Zanarkand Mages and their prideful city and you can have an year said Tar-Sec icily and beamed out of Bevelle's tower

Seeing no choice but to yield or fight Tar-Sec, a fight he was unwilling to risk, the Maester commissioned his techs to build the deadlier weapons they could muster and declared war against Zanarkand. Cowardly attacked without warning Zanarkand went to war against Bevelle. The war was the worst Spira had seen as Bevelle was clearly aiming to inflict the most casualties it could and had no concern for their own troops survival either.

That war was extremely bloody because the Bevelle Maester knew his soldiers had to kill people to get the cursed pyreflies for Tar-Sec so he had issued a standing order: "Take no Prisoners. Kill them all". The 3 council members had to weave many, many lies to justify that absurd order, but they got the murderous force they wanted. Wounded Zanarkand soldiers were killed on the spot by crazed Bevelle fighters, blind with bloodlust, completely oblivious for their own personal safety and killing all that stood in their way, bewitched into berserk fighters by their own mages.

The people from Zanarkand battled with all their might to stop that cruel war. Zanarkand sent emissaries non-stop to beg the Bevelle's Maester and it's command people to stop attacking and join them against their real enemy. But the Bevelle Maester and his 2 praetors had secluded themselves in Bevelle's Via Infinito underground bunker, protected by 100 floors of fearsome monsters. The cruel war was simply unstoppable without them.

---- Dreaming of Zanarkand

Zanarkand was losing the war. It was just a matter of time until the city was destroyed and all their citizens chased and murdered by the insane Bevelle hordes. That was when Yu Yevon, Zanarkand's Master Summoner had an idea to preserve his city and his people: To use them as fayth to summon a new Zanarkand, using an impenetrable shield to protect him - the city's summoner - from harm. He proposed it to the council of summoners and mages who ruled Zanarkand.

- "How many fayth would you need ?" asked Lady Rahla to Yu Yevon

- "All if possible. This city is doomed. Bevelle troops are under orders to take no prisoners. Why die at the hands of Bevelle's giant machina if you can become a fayth that aids us in protecting our way of life and our city ?" said Yu Yevon excited at his own brilliant plan

- "But how would we preserve our way of life and our city if all our people turn into fayth ?" asked Lord O'akka

- "I will use all the fayth to summon a city. Our City. The city of our dreams and hopes, untouched by war or enemies. It would be Zanarkand as much as this city is now, with people living their lives and going about their business, but a city indestructible and peerless, apart from the greed and violence from our world" said Yu Yevon passionately

- "I want to see this city. I want to live in this dream of peace and harmony instead of spending the rest of my short life running away from Bevelle's troops. Yevon you have done it! I myself volunteer to be a fayth in your summoning" said Lady Rahla captivated by the idea

- "I think we can all agree Yu Yevon's plan is the most hopeful and bright we can have on such short time. Bevelle's attack is imminent, we have nary a moment to loose. I propose we put it for a vote" said Lord Yokum

- "Councilman if I may propose something slightly different ? Instead of a council vote why not make it a citizen vote? Let each citizen from Zanarkand volunteer to be part in this dream." said Lady Rahla

- "How about it fellows ?" said Lord Yokum and got answered by a chorus of "Aye' and "Long Live Zanarkand"

Like Lady Rahla most in Zanarkand were enthusiastic volunteers to be fayth, as soon as the Council gathered them all in the Zanarkand Dome and presented the situation. Pretty much all of the surviving people from Zanarkand decided to turn themselves into fayth, for a final, gigantic Summoning. Their Aeon would be an image of all that Zanarkand was in the past and what it could have been without Bevelle's war. The few reluctant ones were quickly convinced when they heard Bevelle's war horns sounding at the distance. Bevelle's troops had arrived at the foot of Mt. Gagazet and were being held by the brave Ronso but that would not last for long. In the end only Lord Kyouyu and the Zanarkand warrior mages who were struggling to contain the Bevelle troops did not join Yu Yevon. Most Zanarkand citizens agreed to be part of the massive fayth stone to be built at the spring in Zanarkand side of Mt. Gagazet's base.

Yu Yevon's only small regret was that his own daughter, Lady Yunalesca and her husband Lord Zaeon were not there to witness his magical prowess nor to join the massive fayth stone, as they had been aiding High Summoner Lenne at the front. No matter, he would be able to enjoy their company later and tell them all about it, as soon as he managed to complete the Summoning, Yu Yevon thought confidently…

---- He called it Sin

The people of Zanarkand started singing a hymn that described their defiance of Bevelle. Their Summoners would keep on dreaming in spite of Bevelle's attempts to destroy the city. The Zanarkand citizens kept on singing the hymn while Yu Yevon set up to work: He started by crafting the fayth stone, using the Mt. Gagazet spring waters to coalesce a giant gel like column with the pyreflies and souls of the volunteers from Zanarkand.

After his preparations large drops of sweat rolled from Yu Yevon's brow, but he was not done so he took a MegaElixir and toiled on. Now Yu Yevon had to weave an impenetrable shield and armor with millions of pyreflies. He knew just where to find those millions of pyreflies: In Bevelle's subterranean water channels, by now saturated with the energy of the war dead. Yu Yevon never wondered about the wisdom of using pyreflies from unsent war victims. He never considered how angry and lustful for revenge those distressed souls would be

Instead, Yu Yevon congratulated himself again for having thought of that spell and that large cache of pyreflies. In his view, that incantation by the ancient Black Mage Sin was the perfect starting point for his armor spell. He decided to call his armor "Sin", in honor of the mage, and proceeded his weaving. The strain of controlling that much magical power was almost unbearable but Yu Yevon held on… He was almost done… Now! he thought and his magic trap activated, making him summon the Dream Zanarkand city as expected.

1--- 1,000 years ago - A Dream or a Nightmare ?

But at this precise moment Yu Yevon lost all ability to think coherently…The Summoning and the armor powers combined overwhelmed his brain, his magical energy and even his body. He stood motionless in front of the massive pillar with the faith, congealed in place like he had been turned into stone himself. Yet Yu Yevon was still alive, but barely. All that remained from him now was the link between his congealed physical body and his soul... As long as he had this anchor to bind him to Spira Yu Yevon would summon Dream Zanarkand and cast Sin for the next 1,000 years, stopping only to gather more pyreflies when his Sin Armor was pierced.

As soon as Yu Yevon lost conscience his impenetrable armor turned around and started pelting Zanarkand with deadly magic blasts, turning the city into rubble in a matter of minutes. Yu Yevon remained locked in his magic trap, summoning and rebuilding Sin, completely blind to the enormous harm his magic had caused and utterly incapable of controlling the monster he had created.

--- Yunalesca meets Sin for the first time

Lady Yunalesca and her husband Lord Zaeon were one of the few from Zanarkand who did not join the massive fayth stone, as they had been aiding High Summoner Lenne at the front. After Zanarkand's blockade in the great plains fell and their fortifications in Remien City got raided by Bevelle troops, the couple made it's way to Zanarkand as fast as they could, to help defend their beloved city.

Lady Yunalesca and Lord Zaeon had to climb the snowy trails, as the Ronso had deactivated all magic transport gates to the mountain summit as part of their vigorous protection of Zanarkand's last line of defense. When they approach Gagazet's summit they hear Zanarkand's hymn of defiance being sung by the city's citizens at Mt Gagazet's base. They had made their way back to Zanarkand, battling Mt. Gagazet's monsters as fast as they could but they were not fast enough to meet Yunalesca's father before his accident.

Upon arriving at the mountain summit Yunalesca and Zaeon see an appalling scene take place right in front of their eyes: A monstrous being, colossal in size and shaped like a sphere of pure sea water starts taking shape and proceeds to vaporize their beloved city with unbelievably powerful flare blasts right after it finishes forming. The sphere then floats up the mountain killing everything in it's path. Now that the thing is coming closer Yunalesca and Zaeon can see something huge and dark moving inside it. They also see several monstrous fiends, never before seen in Spira jump from the floating spherical being. A desperate Yunalesca battles her way against those unknown fiends down the mountain, eager to see what has happened to her father and her friends. Her husband Zaeon follows her closely.

--- The Eternal Dream Of The Fayth

Yunalesca finds a giant column of water congealed into a fayth stone, all her friends embedded inside of it. Her father stands right in front of it unharmed but he seems unconscious. He is cold to the touch and in spite of his wide open eyes he is barely breathing.

- Father, what is going on ? Who did this to our people ? asked Yunalesca in panic

- What happened here my love ? Can you mind-talk to your father ?" asks Zaeon stunned at the sight of his beloved adopted city utterly destroyed and all his friends congealed inside of a fayth stone.

- "My father is in no condition to tell me anything. His mind seems very far away" answered Yunalesca a bit dazed with worry

- "Well, can you at least contact one of those people in this huge frozen water column ?" asks Zaeon.

Zaeon's suggestion brings Yunalesca's thoughts back to Spira. She proceeded to contact the closest fayth.

- "What has happened here Lady Rahla ? Why are you guys all in a fayth stone ? Who did this to you ?" asks Yunalesca

- "Mmmph ? Who disturbs our dreaming ? Yunalesca ? Welcome child! Come see the glorious work of your father! Zanarkand will live forever thanks to him" says Rahla's fayth and proceeded to explain to Yunalesca how all of Zanarkand's surviving residents had opted to be turn into fayth instead of waiting for Bevelle's cruel troops to kill them.

- "Fayth ? But to what end ? What is being summoned ? What is this about Zanarkand living forever ?" asks a puzzled Yunalesca.- "Why, the summons of Zanarkand city! A city that is now eternally invulnerable and peaceful thanks to your father's brilliancy at the Summoner Arts. And our willingness to join his dreaming as fayth" answers Lord Yokum's modestly

- "A multiple fayth summoning ! Was father insane ? There is a reason it is forbidden: this summons will kill him and may kill all of us!" said Yunalesca aghast

- "Oh ye of little faith child! Your father thought of that already. He wove an invincible armor to protect him and the summoning from any harm. And he used Bevelle's stolen pyrefly energy to do it. Serves them right!" said Lord Oakka's fayth smugly

- "Where's Lord Kyouyu ? What did he have to say about all of this" asks Zaeon alarmed. Something just doesn't seem right in this grandiose plan, Zaeon thought to himself

- "He refused to join us. Said he feared Yu Yevon was being over confident and tempting fate. You know how he has always resisted your wife's and your father's ideas" " answers Lord Yokum

- "Come now children. Let us rest! Let us dream the glory of Zanarkand!" said Lady Rahla

- "I just want some time to see what has become of the war and the people in Spira" answered Yunalesca

- "Then by all means child, go see what pains await you in this cruel Spira we just left. We will be waiting here, dreaming our perfect dream." Said Lady Rahla impatiently and resumed her dreaming

Yunalesca sees more Sin's carnage firsthand

There wasn't anything that she and Zaeon could do for Zanarkand now, thought Yunalesca. She decided to go back to Remien to help healing the many wounded. She and Zaeon hurried through a fiend infested Mt. Gagazet, but at Remien City, there was no one left. Corpses were strewn everywhere, showing evidence of a very powerful killer on the loose. Bodies were torn in half, buildings were razed to the ground, and fiends sniffed around disappointed.

- "Judging by the number of fiends and their bad mood there was no one left alive after whatever monster who did this was done" said Zaeon to Yunalesca

- "It must have been that giant water sphere we saw while climbing up the mountain" said Yunalesca remembering the huge dark form moving inside it and the many new monsters that jumped out from it

- "Yes, what was that thing anyway ? " said Zaeon

- "Your father called it Sin. It is the invincible armor he was so proud of. I knew he wouldn't be able to control it Alas, the council's zeal to hold on to their memories of Zanarkand overrode their caution…" said Lord Kyouyu appearing behind them

- "Please tell us what happened" asked Yunalesca.

Yunalesca had butted heads many times with Lord Kyouyu, her old teacher but she knew that he wasn't a liar and had been a very skilled and knowledgeable Summoner. She also knew that somehow her father was involved in this mayhem. She couldn't deny it any longer Yunalesca had felt Yu Yevon's presence inside that sphere.. Lord Kyouyu proceeded to tell a stunned Zaeon and Yunalesca all that he had heard at the council meetings they missed. He also added his expert opinion on the spell cast and summons her father had tried.

- "I don't really know for sure because your stubborn father wouldn't tell me anything after I refused to help him. All I know is that he was using teachings from the Forbidden Tomes and from Dark Magician Sin's Black Magic book" said Lord Kyouyu

- "The Forbidden Teachings ? Was he insane ?" asked Zaeon aghast

- "You will have to be the judge of that… What is undeniable is that he is not insane now, nor anything else for that matter. He isn't even conscious, as you may have noticed Milady" said Lord Kyouyu looking at Yunalesca

- "Yes. I could not make contact with him or his conscious mind, not even while touching him. He remains a frozen shell, his body barely breathing amid the ruins of Zanarkand" said Yunalesca pained.

- "I tried to contact him from here too, to no avail. Did you not feel faint echoes from his mind coming from inside Sin's water sphere ?" asked Lord Kyouyu keenly

- "Yes, I did. That is why I couldn't deny the truth of your accusations. Besides, you never were a liar. I knew you wouldn't accuse my father of being responsible for that murderous beast if you didn't believe it" said Yunalesca conceding his point

- "I thank you for your trust Milady. You, your father and I had some disagreements in the past over the prudence of trying some advanced spells but I take no joy in being correct this time. This awful state your father has been trapped… I wouldn't wish on my deadliest enemy" said Lord Kyouyu gravely

- "Is there.. Is it possible to release my father from it ?" asked Yunalesca with infinite pain in her eyes

- "I don't really know for sure but I believe there is reason to be hopeful Milady." Said Lord Kyouyu

Yunalesca just wept softly, apparently oblivious to Lord Kyouyu's words or his hope that her father could be saved. A worried Zaeon started massaging his wife tense shoulders

- "Please explain.." said Zaeon

- "It seems Yu Yevon somehow mixed up a shield spell with an Aeon spell. That thing kills and moves like an Aeon but functions like an impenetrable shield to protect Yu Yevon while he Summons the Dream Zanarkand." the old teacher answered

- "Interesting, but how does that give you hope?" asked Zaeon, his wife still too disturbed to follow Lord Kyouyu's explanation

- "Well, at my Summoner's class, when an over confident apprentice gets overwhelmed by his Aeon all I have to do is defeat the Aeon in battle to release the hapless Summoner apprentice from his trance." said Lord Kyouyu

- "Sin is not an Aeon but the same principle may apply: Defeat it and you may restore Yu Yevon to his old boastful, arrogant self" said Lord Kyouyu trying to goad Yunalesca into reacting from her desolation

- "You are enjoying this, aren't you " she said angrily, finally showing some signs of the hot tempered Yunalesca Lord Kyouyu had known

- "Not at all Milady but it seemed an insult was a good way to get you back. I feared you would drown in your sorrow" said Lord Kyouyu softly

- "I thank you Lord Kyouyu. My wife was needing this injection of hope, even if delivered by a sharp poke on her pride. It seems you know her almost as well as I do." said Zaeon

- "Aye, and I have had many singed shield spells that prove it !" said Lord Kyouyu smiling

Both men started laughing softly, remembering the fierce Summoner's penchant for lobbing Flare spells at those who angered her. They kept on smiling at a furious Yunalesca, until she relented.

- "Oh all right.. But how are we going to win against that thing ? We can't just throw ourselves at the foot of the Sin Beast like a berserk fiend. We need a plan to defeat it. Any suggestions Lord Kyouyu ?" asked Yunalesca

- "You got me there Milady. The only thing I can think that has a remote chance of piercing that powerful armor is the Final Aeon, but you know as well as I do the implications of it. It could result on your own death, on your father's death or both your deaths. Your father spells were already virtually unbreakable, now augmented by millions of pyreflies… " said Lord Kyouyu sighing unhappily

- "Hmm.. I see. We need an alternate plan" said Yunalesca thoughtfully

- "What if we ask Bevelle to provide us with millions of pyreflies too ? Couldn't you weave a powerful armor to protect you from the final Aeon just like your father did ?" asked Zaeon

- "No Milady, I beg you! Please refrain from attempting to thread on the same dangerous paths that have enslaved your father in this trance! " cried Lord Kyouyu hastily

- "I'm sorry old friend, but I need to keep all my options open. It's not like I have many to choose from. said Yunalesca sadly.

After her refusal to listen to his misgivings Lord Kyouyu was left feeling sick, tired and old. He felt his heart heavy at seeing his old student lost in a trance, and another student of his, the fierce indomitable Yunalesca, first paralyzed with grief and now ready to face a fate worse than death. The fate that had fallen on her father, the best Summoner he had the honor to teach.

--- The Aeon Yojimbo is born

He did not want to see Spira die but he saw little he could do to stop it. He was old and feeble, incapable of helping Spirans battle the beast. But wait a minute… He could! There was still a way for him to use his immense knowledge of the Summoner Arts to help the people in Spira AND to be effective at doing so. The price for him to release all this power to others was indeed steep: Lord Kyouyu would have to give up his life, allowing himself to be turned into a fayth by another Master Summoner. But by doing that, by turning into a fayth, a fayth imbued with all the skills he possessed Lord Kyouyu could give a Summoner a very powerful Aeon, the strongest Aeon of all, short of the Final Aeon. Well perhaps not as strong as Remien Temple's Aeon, the 3 Magus Sisters but he did have his Zanmato spell which could kill anything in one hit, including someone mounted on a dragon or fire drake…

- "I understand Milady… If you would grant me a last favor ?" said Lord Kyouyu to Yunalesca after what seemed to her like a very long pause that left him looking a lot older

- "Yes Master, what is it ?" asked Yunalesca curious, calling him Master as she had done while being taught by him, to make him a bit less sad

- "I can not bear to see this violence ridden, war torn Spira any longer. I feel that my skills would better serve Spira being applied to fight the many monsters Sin brought upon us, if Spira survives this ordeal.." he started

- "Fight ?" said Yunalesca worried. Her old teacher was very skilled but he was definitely NOT in fighting shape

- "Yes fight. But not in this tired old body. I am requesting that you transform me and my faithful companion Daigoro into fayth for a summoning" Lord Kyouyu said

- "A fayth ? And a fayth using a fayth stone composed of more than one living being, one of the forbidden spells you ranted so much against ? You must be deadly serious then" said Yunalesca

- "Yes Milady, I am deadly serious" answered Lord Kyouyu

- "Very well then… Where is Daigoro ? I have not seen him yet." said Yunalesca and Lord Kyouyu left to get his dog, his best friend that had always stood by his side in all those years, even during his classes..

Yunalesca looked at her old teacher walking away and sighed heavily

- "Milady, please don't see this as a goodbye but as just a temporary farewell. Even if not alive, I will be here, at least in spirit, protecting our planet and its people for as long as there are Summoners in Spira." said Lord Kyouyu

- "You want your faith stone to be left in the middle of the ruins of Remien City ?" asked Yunalesca

- "No Milady, if you could… Would you please take my fayth stone the Baaj Temple ?

- "We will do so my old friend. Are you and Daigoro ready to be cast into eternity ?" asked Yunalesca, wanting this to be over quickly before she started crying again

- "Yes we are" he answered and saw a tear in her eyes

- "Milady, please don't abandon hope on my account ! I'm just a foolish scared old man. I am positive you can survive your attempts to free your father! And after you survive, you may yet summon me to be at your service. But I have to warn you that it will cost you. I am through working my spells for free!" said Lord Kyouyu smiling

- "Huh ?" said Yunalesca puzzled

- "Renting your services just like a common mercenary ?" asked Zaeon surprised

- "More like Yojimbo, the famous body guard! It is a little novelty I thought about: I will only serve Summoners who have a just cause, and I will make them pay a lot of gil for the privilege of having me at their services. This way I won't get the klutzy and befuddled first year apprentices that I had to endure for so long at my school" said Lord Kyouyu with a twinkle in his eye

- "I see my father's thirst for change and novelty has infected you too Master. Farewell, I will miss you dearly" said Yunalesca

- "Farewell Milady, Lord Zaeon. Take care of Spira, will you ?" said the old Summoner and waved at them

Zaeon and Yunalesca bid him goodbye and Yunalesca started encasing Lord Kyouyu and his beloved Chow Chow dog Daigoro in a fayth stone. Yunalesca and Zaeon trekked back to Zanarkand to deposit Lord Kyouyu fayth stone at the Baaj Temple, which was located in an island near Zanarkand. Lord Kyouyu fayth stone would be safe inside!

--- Meeting the Bevelle Council

After dropping Lord Kyouyu's and Yojimbo's fayth stone on a deep underground cave Yunalesca and Zaeon proceeded to Bevelle in a hurry. The city's walls were broken in several sections, Bevelle's high bridge had been separated from Bevelle's dome by a powerful blast from Sin which was gone for now but could be coming back for another attack at any minute, judging by the amount of monsters that littered the area, viciously attacking the hapless Bevelle citizens and troops. Where could the beast be ? Wherever it was it was surely creating havoc and killing more people they thought worriedly. They searched for a commanding officer or battle mage to talk to unsuccessfully. Bevelle was in complete disarray.

- "Where's your Maester" Zaeon asked the first uniformed guard he could get a hold of

- "Via Infinito, bottom floor, the coward " said the guard angrily as Zaeon released him to run to the aid of a mother and child besieged by a large Wraith fiend.

- "Let's go there Zaeon. We need to ask them for more pyreflies for me to cast the armor incantation" said Yunalesca worriedly

- "I'm not so sure about that one. Lord Kyouyu's uneasiness wasn't that far fetched.." sighed Zaeon

- "What other alternatives we have, though ?" said Yunalesca

- "Not one, unless you include both me and you joining in the casting of a Final Aeon" said Zaeon slowly, with a calm that chilled Yunalesca to the bone

- "Are you actually considering such a deadly course of action ?" asked Yunalesca

- "Why should you have all the fun ? If you are willing to risk a fate worst than dead to save your father and stop the Sin beast you should understand my resolve to risk just as much to help you. We are a team love!" said Zaeon firmly

- "Well let's move then " said Yunalesca

- "Sin is not here anymore love. Can't we help all those people ? Look at how many young children and families are being cornered by this Sin spawn monsters! " pleaded Zaeon

- "Oh all right valiant hero, lead the way and I'll follow" said Yunalesca resigned.

Zaeon was right, they could and did save many lives by killing fiends for hours without end. The couple was finally able to leave when reinforcements came from Guadosalam. Alas, there was no time to rest. Before getting to the Bevelle Maester, Yunalesca and Zaeon had to cross Via Infinito. The couple went through the maze's 100 floors of in a daze, mechanically hacking away at fiends, to exhausted both spiritually and physically to put much thought or finesse in their battles.. The last 20 floors went down fast for Zaeon but he could see his wife was shaking and almost out of magic points and potions when they reached the lowest floor. He himself wasn't much better after 80 floors of guarding them both against brutal physical attacks. The couple stopped a bit to catch their breath and were approached by a very fancily dressed Bevelle flunky who asked.

- "May I ask your reason to be here ? The Maesters orders are clear. He shall not be disturbed until he finishes his afternoon nap" said the attendant

- "Nap ? This imbecile is napping while Sin burns his city ? " bellowed Zaeon flush with anger

- "Now, now Mr. Zanarkand mage, there is no need to call our people names" said one of the Bevelle's praetors arriving at the scene and then yelped in pain.

- "Next time I will not aim for the ceiling. Now where is this imbecile's bedchamber ?" growled Yunalesca

- "Ahhhgh.. follow me please" said the praetor whimpering in pain from his singed scalp, which the Summoner's Flare spell barely had missed.

Shaking with fear, the praetor took them quickly to the Maester, who was already awake after all the noisy commotion outside his chambers

- "Lady Yunalesca I recognize your father's look on your beautiful face " said the Bevelle Maester cynically

- "I take it you have not heard of the mass killings that both our cities, Prairie City and the Guado have been targeted by" answered Zaeon coldly

- "The Guado too ? Such a shame I had hoped the beast had eXhausted itself in the battle with our city's cannons" lamented the Maester

- "No it hasn't. Sin has made mincemeat of your precious machina and proceeded to kill your own population while you guys have been here napping" said an outraged Zaeon

- "What else could I do? Unlike the mages from Zanarkand our people have very little magic skills. When our machina and our walls fail we are helpless" said the Maester with a pained face

- "Well, it seems most of your soldiers didn't think that way. Many of them died by our side this morning protecting your citizens. And the Guado have just arrived with reinforcements to aid their quest. And none of them had machina or walls.." said Yunalesca showing her contempt for the cowardly Bevelle Maester

- "Ha! You Bevelle maggots best stop your lying and cowering and give Leska the pyreflies. She is the only one that can stop Sin from killing all living beings in Spira and she needs your pyreflies to do that " said Zaeon coldly

The mages request baffled the Bevelle Maester. They were obviously very powerful and skilled mages, since they were able to cross Via Infinito. Why the heroics and the burning of one of his praetors?

- "But.. You can do it yourself Pardon my ignorance but as someone who defeated all the monsters in our maze, you two should have had no problem gathering the pyreflies from our subterranean water channels! " said the Maester

- "Send one of your clowns to those waterways and you will see why. They are gone. Yu Yevon used them all to weave an invincible armor. The sphere you guys saw is that armor. Yu Yevon called it Sin." Said Zaeon

- "Give me the pyreflies. Now! We have no time to loose. Sin didn't leave one single soul alive, one building standing in Zanarkand and Prairie City. I'm sure the beast wants to finish what it started here" said Yunalesca

- "But we have no pyreflies left Aside from the ones in our waterways the only pyreflies left are in Guadosalam, and that only has the bare minimum to avoid the Farplane from collapsing. Those or the pyreflies naturally spread all around Spira" said the singed praetor in a dazed panic

- "Then we are all dead" said Yunalesca desolated. They had no time to gather all the pyreflies spread around Spira, and removing the last pyreflies from the Farplane could destroy Spira even faster than Sin with the resulting explosion..

- "No Lesca, don't succumb to sorrow again We can still try the Final Summoning gambit" said Zaeon caressing her shoulders

- "But that won't kill Sin love, it will only buy us time" said Yunalesca sadly

- "And isn't time a worthy thing to buy ?" asked Zaeon softly

Exhausted and drained of all their emotional energy Yunalesca and Zaeon sat down at the Maester's chairs to ponder on their next course of action.

- "I'm glad you two have finally calmed down. Tears and heated words seldom resolve anything. We may have something that might help defeat your monster Sin" said the Bevelle Maester. Always conniving, he was hoping the two mages would help him find the lost weapon, stolen by a mortally wounded Zanarkand mage named Shuyin.

- "What kind of thing ?" asked Zaeon interested

The Bevelle Maester told Zaeon and Yunalesca about how Bevelle had attempted to build the largest weapon in Spira's history, a colossus called Vegnagun. The Bevelle council had once thought of using Vegnagun to quickly win the war but the machine had proved too difficult to control.

- "Being the cold blooded cowards that we are we refrained ourselves from releasing such an uncontrollable, murderous monster in Spira. It seems that the brave Zanarkand mages and their leader Yu Yevon had no such constraint" said the Maester icily

He knew that it was unwise to offend the 2 mages in front of him but he couldn't contain himself this time. Those people from Zanarkand had some nerve to call them traitors to Spira after irresponsibly unleashing that plague called Sin into their world Who were thy to lecture him ?

- "You will take those insulting words back or I shall call Sin to Bevelle myself " said Yunalesca furiously.

Those Bevelle maggots had some nerve to lecture her and her father in ethics, after spending more than a decade stealing Spira's magical energy Her father had unleashed Sin by accident, in a desperate attempt to keep their city alive. He was driven into this desperate act by Bevelle's treacherous war. Shaking with anger she started to summon an Aeon to teach those maggots some respect, but Zaeon stopped her, holding her staff firmly and shaking his head.

- "High Summoner please forgive us. What can we do to aid your quest ?" asked the unharmed praetor solicit and in panic

- "We need some moments alone to discuss matters and perhaps a place to rest and tend to our many scratches" said Zaeon looking at his filthy uniform and the cuts in his sword hand.

- "You may use this chamber and shower then." said the Maester and left with the 2 praetors in tow

Zaeon looked around disgusted at the opulent luxury. All this for one man, while the regular citizens of Bevelle were being left homeless, cold and hungry after Sin's attack . Ugh! The Bevelle leaders gave him the creeps !

--- The First Calm

After a hot shower, healing potions and some food Yunalesca and Zaeon felt a lot better. They started weighing their options.

- "Zaeon I don't want to loose you Are you sure we should do this ?" asked Yunalesca

- "I can't let you die trying to save your father all by yourself, when we both know you have a much better chance with me being your Final Aeon. And I can't let you live your whole life regretting what you didn't do just to spare me. I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did…" he said

- "But.." she tried to interrupt him

- "No love… I have thought about this during the whole 100 floors of Via Infinito. I want to do this. I want to give my life to save you, to save Spira and to save your father from the trap he got himself into. Just promise me you will keep hope alive: Your hope, your father's hope and Spira's hope. Don't let our word drown in sorrow "

- "Zaeon…" she said

- "Just promise me you will try, ok ?" he said and started kissing her tenderly.

And this is how Lady Yunalesca went to battle with Sin in the outskirts of Bevelle, armed only with her spells and the love of her life – Lord Zaeon - made into a Final Aeon. During the battle she did manage to pierce Sin's armor but instead of releasing her father she lost Zaeon. Unfortunately Yu Yevon's unconscious self, locked into the Summoning and casting action just jumped from his body to Zaeon's and proceeded killing both his daughter and her husband, incapable of noticing the horrors he was committing.

But their loss was not in vain, Yunalesca's attack had destroyed Sin's armor so whatever was left of Yu Yevon's spirit, the "thing" he had become had to wait until he gathered all the millions of pyreflies needed to weave the invincible armor. Which took almost 10 years, providing Spira with it's first calm period after Sin's mayhem. This first respite from Sin's killing was called "The First Calm".

But Yunalesca's pyreflies just could not rest on the Farplane! She had made a promise to Zaeon. To keep it. she has spent the past 1,000 years trying to keep Spira's hope alive. She was the first of the High Summoners to give 10 years of calm to Spira but every decade she guides another High Summoner through the process, to keep Spira alive for just another turn of Spira's never ending Spiral of Death. And a religion created by the 3 Bevelle leaders to better control their people makes sure that there are always eager candidates for Yunalesca to train...