Chapter 4

The next day, Lukas and Vidina stood on the docks at Besaid Beach, waiting for their ride to Kilika. Their parents stood behind them to see them off.

"Here," Tidus said, giving Lukas a crimson sword to take with him. "There are more dangerous fiends out there than the ones you see on this island. This sword was given to me by my father, and I think it'll help you too. At least," he added with a smirk, "until you reach Luca."

Yuna stepped forward. "I wish I could come with you, but I'm going to stay to guard the temple until you return. When you get to Kilika, find Dona. She should be able to help you if another aeon appears."

Lulu stepped forward to speak to Vidina. "Hey, kiddo. A lot of the fiends are elemental; just remember which elements are opposite of each other, and you should be fine. I hope you can keep in touch through the CommSphere network."

Wakka patted his son on the back. "I'm still wary about you going on this trip. However, if Sin is back, we don't have a choice. As for your Thunder Shot, keep workin' on it, ya? You still have time before the Luca championship, so don't rush, OK?"

"Got it, Dad," Vidina replied. "I'll keep in touch, and I promise, we won't cause too much trouble." He glanced at Lukas and grinned, who gave a sly "yeah right" grin back. At that moment, a whirring sound was heard as a crimson airship with a seagull decoration on the deck flew into view and touched down near the docks.

"The Celsius!" Yuna exclaimed. "You called Rikku and asked her to bring the Celsius?"

"Yeah!" Lukas replied. "That way, we'll be in Kilika before sundown!"

Yuna rolled her eyes. "I'd better call Dona and let her know. Anyway, say 'hi' to Rikku for us!" She waved as the boys made their way into the open hatch, waved, and disappeared from view. The hatch closed, and the Celsius took off, heading for the island of Kilika.

Yuna finally stopped waving and turned to head back to the village. Tidus came up and put his arm around her. "Well," he began, "they're off."

Yuna fought back tears. "I almost wish they weren't going. I know how dangerous Sin can be. They'd better not get themselves killed."

"I understand," Tidus consoled. "But Lukas is growing up, even if it is too fast. He's getting a little cocky, it seems."

"You mean, he's turning into you."

"Hey! I wasn't that cocky at his age!"

Yuna smiled. "As I recall, you were the one who barged into Besaid Temple to make sure a certain summoner was okay?"

Tidus scratched the back of his head. "Hey, you never know! She could have been eaten by a Dark Aeon!" They both laughed as they headed back to the village.

Meanwhile, aboard the Celsius, Lukas and Vidina had made their way to the cabin, where the Celsius' faithful barkeep, an older Hypello, smiled warmly as the boys made their way in. "Hello, boysh, how are yoo?"

"Whoa! A Hypello!" Vidina exclaimed. "I've never seen one before!"

The Hypello laughed. "Yesh, we are a rare breed… Anywaysh, Lady Rikkoo hash prepared the cabin for you boys. Enjoy the ride!" With that, he went into his quarters adjacent to the bar.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker crackled. "Privates Vidina and Lukas! Please report to the bridge!"

"That would be Rikku," Lukas grinned. "Let's go!" With that, the boys headed to the elevator leading to the bridge.

"Vidina and Lukas, reporting for duty!" the boys announced as they emerged from the elevator onto the bridge. At the front of the bridge, the pilot set the control to auto-pilot and headed towards the boys. "At ease," she said, a grin crossing her face.

"I'm glad you were able to take us to Kilika, Rikku!" Lukas beamed. "I knew you'd be able to get us there fast."

"Anything for my little cousin," Rikku smiled. "So why did you need to get to Kilika so fast? Yuna told me about it, but she was a little hazy on the details." Lukas told her about how Sin was sighted and the events of what happened within the temple.

"Sin appeared?" Rikku exclaimed. "How is that possible? We defeated Yu Yevon and freed the Fayth twenty years ago!"

"That's what our parents said," Vidina replied. "But really, for right now, we can only do what we can until we learn more, ya?"

Rikku frowned. "Still, Sin's pretty dangerous. I'd help you out, but for now I'm afraid that there are other matters at Home to worry about." She thought for a moment. "I've got it! Wait here just a second!" She headed over to the communicator and pushed the button to speak. "Would the First Mate please report to the bridge? I repeat, would the First Mate please report to the bridge?" Putting away the communicator, Rikku returned to the boys with a smile on her face. "She'll be here in a moment."

While they were waiting, Vidina looked around the bridge, staring at wonder at some of the technology at work there. Suddenly, he noticed something familiar. "Is this a CommSphere blueprint?" he asked Rikku.

Rikku nodded. "You got it. The Al Bhed are responsible for using a lot of machina, and for spreading our technology throughout Spira. CommSpheres were created by a mutual friend of mine and Yuna's. He's one of the main inventors of Al Bhed technology. He was just a kid when he created that."

The door to the bridge opened, and Rikku looked at the newcomer who entered. "There you are, Miraya. I've got a mission that I think you'll like!" Vidina turned to see a spunky-looking blonde walk up to Rikku, her blonde ponytails bouncing as she walked. She was clad in an orange top, and wearing green pants. Upon her head sat a pair of goggles, held in place by a strap, which encircled her head. The young woman nodded after talking with Rikku, and turned towards the two boys. "So, my mother says Sin appeared, and that you're going to the temples to weaken its power?"

"That's the case," Lukas replied. "It probably would be a good idea to have you with us. Your dad runs the Machine Faction over in Djose, right?"

"Yeah," she replied. "He can probably help us get to the Chamber in the temple."

"Well, then, thanks for coming with us!"

"So it's settled?" Rikku asked.

"Yeah," Miraya replied. "I'll go with them."

"Then I'll radio Kilika and let them know we're arriving soon." Rikku replied, making her way back to the pilot's seat. "You guys head to the cabin and get acquainted until we get there, okay?"

In the cabin, Miraya turned to Lukas. "Wow. I haven't seen you for a while. You're getting big. Do you still draw?"

Lukas nodded. "I figure that since I can't summon, and I'm no good at blitzball, that I'd become an artist instead. What about you?"

"Well," Miraya began, "I like the Machine Faction and all, but I prefer my mom's work, if you can call it that. She's the head of the Al Bhed since my Grandpa died. Mom's a bit of a treasure hunter. She finds old artifacts and, after cleaning them up, she'll sell them. That's how we rebuilt Home."

"Do you like it?" Vidina asked.

"It's awesome! We actually found old spheres down near Baaj Temple. It turns out another treasure hunter was in that area about 1000 years ago when he was looking for the lost city of Baaj. However, that treasure hunter never returned. Baaj was never found. Mom thinks the city is near the temple, but we haven't really found anything yet."

Vidina was about to remark about how interesting that sounded, but Rikku's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Kids, report to the bridge! We've got a problem!"

"Sounds serious," Miraya remarked as she approached the ledge at the far side of the lounge, which led to the bar below. Jumping down, she motioned for the boys to follow her. Doing so, they approached the elevator and marked the button that led the elevator to the bridge.

Reaching the bridge, Miraya looked at her mother. "What's wrong?"

"It seems we're in trouble. The Kilikan Air Patrol won't let us land."

"What!"

"Well," Rikku adjusted a braid in her hair. "I was going to land outside the northern gate of the village, but the Kilikan Air Patrol said that there was a dangerous situation in that area, so they refused my request to land."

"So how are we going to get to Kilika Temple now?" Vidina asked.

"Well, we can't land north of the village, that's for sure." Miraya replied. "However, if we land south of the village, we should be okay."

"You mean, landing in the water?" Lukas asked.

"Of course! I'm sure they'd let us land there, Mom!"

"You know, I never thought of that. Alright, we'll land near the docks at the south end of the village." With that, Rikku directed the Celsius to the south end, landing the giant airship in the water with a splash. "Okay, everybody off!"

Exiting the airship, Vidina noticed that Kilika was made up of a bunch of huts sitting on poles above the water. He also noted the planks of the walkways, which seemed to wobble slightly as he walked over them. A middle-aged woman walked up to them, her black hair tied into a bun.

"So you're the kids? You don't look like much."

Lukas smiled. "You must be Lady Dona."

"The one and only," she shot back. "Come on, it's dangerous to be out right now. We'll head to my hut and talk more." Following Dona to her hut, Lukas looked around. Indeed, one could say it was dangerous to be out. The walkways of Kilika were all bare, with only one or two flags fluttering in the wind. The noise of gunshots was heard in the distance. What's going on, wondered Lukas. It's like there's some sort of battle going on. Is this going to hinder our progress?

"Get in," Dona's voice cut through his thoughts as she lifted a flap covering the doorway of her hut.

"So what's going on out there?" Vidina asked when they were inside. "It sounds like something bad."

"Recently, a monster started attacking the village. Nobody knows what it looks like. Some say it's a shadow of some sort. Barthello went over to fight it, too. It almost burned down the village at one point."

A young woman entered the room, her dark hair tied back. She sat down with the group and looked over at Dona. "Mom, are these the ones Yuna told us about?"

"Yeah," Dona replied. "It would seem that they need to get to the temple. When the monster is defeated, will you serve as their guide?"

"Indeed. Until then, I'll get a room ready for you guys."

That night, Lukas crept out of the hut, heading towards the northern gate of the village. A guard stopped him, eyeing him suspiciously.

"What are you doing out so late, especially at a time when the monster can blend so well with the other shadows?"

"I would like to join the effort to fight the monster," Lukas explained. "Please open the gate so I can make my way through."

"Go ahead," the guard continued, "Just don't blame me if you're injured by the monster."

On the other side of the gate was the forest leading to Kilika Temple. Lukas ran through, as if looking for something. He dodged soldiers and came to a clearing that seemed to have no other way out. He turned to leave the clearing, but the sound of a low growl stopped him in his tracks. Blocking the entrance to the clearing was the monster, clothed in shadow. Lifting a paw to swipe at Lukas, the monster roared. Lukas quickly dodged the monster's attack and swung with his sword. The monster released a howl of pain, and Lukas noticed that he had drawn first blood, and quite severely. A huge gash sliced the monster's chest, and with another loud roar, it retreated into the forest. However, it passed under a beam of moonlight just long enough for Lukas to realize what the monster was.

"Dark Ifrit!"