Chapter I – Guardianship

Cid bent his knees into a sitting position like the hundred of men and women around him. His green eyes were emeralds until they snapped shut from anxiety. Sweat beaded down his face as Cid's mind began to gather thoughts of failure. The heat of the flames on the torches in the temple formed only more perspiration. A faint roaring of the fire and pounding of his heart were the only sounds in Cid's ears. His mouth felt dry without something being there to chew. All he could do was wait.

It was according to the Teachings that guardians were chosen by their summoner. Of course, guardians cannot become guardians without a test of some sort, as do the summoners. So, Cid, son of the first one to bring the Calm, passed the trial, giving him the opportunity to become a guardian. Right now, all of his patience and calmness was being tested.

The door to the Cloister of Trials at the top of a tall staircase opened with a loud grind. Many summoners, dressed in simple white robes of silk, filed out and stepped down the stairs in smooth strides with great elegance. All the guardian candidates stood up with a straight back and firm face. An air of determination reeked from them. As each summoner walked past Cid, he wondered which one would choose him. Minutes flew by like the wind, and still no one had stopped before him. As all hopes began to die, a young woman halted in front of him and stared him in the eye with pools of sapphires and gave him a slight nod. Cid got down on one knee, one hand on the stone floor in a fist and the other on his heart. While his face was down, a brief smile crossed his face. Cid also managed to slip in a small glance at the man to his right, his best friend Be'lal who too had been named guardian. Cid turned his head back to the summoner. An icy cold feeling whipped through his body as she created the special bond between guardian and summoner. The link provided each other the knowledge of his or her location, well-being, and condition.

In the back of Cid's mind, he could sense her there. Mentally they were communicating already. Her name was Sara, daughter of Jasin. He was Cid, son of Cid. She was eighteen. He was twenty-one. Their conversation ended when a loud clap from the high priest ordered everybody to exit the temple. Tomorrow would be the first step of the pilgrimage to defeat Sin. Little did Cid know how the journey would end.

According to custom, Sara was to perform a summoning for Cid to accept her, but for now, each was tired from the day's events and agreed to do what they had to do first thing in the morning. After all, after the events today, a good night's sleep was well deserved.

Light crept into Cid's hotel room on cat's feet. His eyes opened from a dreamless rest. Rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes, Cid threw open his closet to pick out his clothes. He had to choose only one set of clothing. It had to last for many months of hard travel and withstand wear and tear. Yet nothing in his wardrobe could do all of those. He sighed as Cid retrieved a plain blue short-sleeved shirt, dark green pants, and a red plaid jacket. The heat of the sun could be felt in his room. As he finished by tying the jacket around his waist, he realized that Sara was standing at his door.

She laughed with a tone like angels singing. "You can't decide what clothes to bring?" she asked. Cid began to shake his head before Sara said something. "Don't worry. We can always come back here. Then you can choose all the clothes you want."

Cid reached under his bed to retrieve the traditional gift for the summoner. He gave Sara a staff. It had a blue shaft and a circle with three golden leaves at the top. As she was wordless, he scratched the back of his head. "If you don't like it –" began Cid, but Sara stepped forward and gave him a sudden hug. In return, she gave him a great sword. The hilt and blade were grey and white. The blade looked like white feathers placed over each other in an overlapping web of metal. Its sheathe had complicatedly weaved vines of gold.

Cid pulled on leather gloves that stretched just below his elbows. Sara waited patiently with a smile. She was clad in a long dress, white at the top and purple at the bottom. A bright yellow sash tied the dress together at her waist. Her forearms were covered by sleeves of lilac. He stamped on his boots and left with the summoner to do what they needed to do. The day was perfect.

Cid bought two loaves of bread for a cheap price of 10 Gil at the local bakery. He gave Sara one and ate the other. His dirty, short-cropped blonde hair was held back by a pair of goggles. They ate in cherry conversation, asking each other questions.

The chosen spot to perform the summoning was the beach of Besaid. Therefore, they could board the boat to Kilika for the next aeon.

Sara looked very concentrated and confident. She put her right foot behind her and raised her staff in her right hand. A combination of circles surrounded her. Winds swept across the beach, blowing sand and dust everywhere. The grains seemed to go around Sara, as though there was an invisible shield around her as she performed the summoning. Three beams of light shot out of the rings and pierced the sky's mask of clouds. A huge bird descended from the heavens above. Its wing span was roughly fifty feet. Those talons were razor sharp. A chain of large rings was fastened on its right wing. The fiery mane on the back of its head looked like fire. Sara patted the aeon, which let out a sudden screech. "His name is Valefor." Cid took a step closer to Valefor, One by one, his foot proceeded to move towards Valefor. He placed a nervous hand on the beast, feeling the smooth surface of his wing.

The boat at the dock let out a sharp blast of sound. Valefor flew at Sara's side, who occasionally seemed to communicate with the aeon. They boarded the boat minutes before it left. A group of people gathered at the port to bid farewell to Sara. Cid and Sara performed the prayer to Yevon, starting with the hands out to either side before bringing them into the chest, as though holding a sphere, and bowing. Some returned their gesture, but most cried and waved goodbye. A tear slowly trickled down Sara's face. Cid only caught a glimpse of it right before her mouth turned into a smile.