Chapter II – Encounter
Two days on the boat gave Cid a more comfortable feeling at sea. All they served on the boat was fish and water. The boat was not small, but there weren't that many people. Crowds gathered around the front of the boat around Sara, bombarding her with questions like "What's it like being a summoner?", "Will you bring us the Calm?" and unmistakably "How many guardians are you planning to have?" Sara did acquire three more guardians. One was a broad shouldered, tall man with a constant look of emotionless firmness. He wielded a devastating lance with deadly force and went by the name of Edgar. The other two were almost like brother and sister. They seemed to know each other very well and had more experience than Cid as a guardian. There was Alexander, the athletic shieldbearer, and Lulu, the mysterious and silent black mage.
On the third day, things were different. Cid ate his fish far away from Sara yet also keeping an eye on her. She talked to Alexander and Edgar while Lulu was below deck, probably meditating or doing something else that never concerned them. An abrupt shaking of the vessel shattered the noiseless peace. A giant fin erupted from the waters. "Sin!" screamed somebody. Water splashed on board. Sara clung desperately to the railing of the boat as Sin rocked the boat, throwing it around in the sea like a toy. Cid hurried to her side, assisting her in stabling herself.
"Can we ride Valefor?" asked Cid, his voice above the splashing water. The fin was vibrating ferociously, and a little beyond Sin's fin was Kilika, with many innocent people sitting on the wooden planks of the town.
Sara nodded slowly and beckoned Valefor. "Here's what we do," explained Cid. "Alexander, Edgar, and Lulu will have to protect the boat from Sinspawn. We need to find the fin's tender spot." The boat quavered powerfully. Sara closed her eyes as she communicated with her other guardians. Cid pulled down his goggles as they climbed on the back of Valefor's giant wings. Three fins were blasted from Sin's fin and landed on to the deck of the boat. Alexander, Edgar, and Lulu went to work. The Sinspawn, this kind called Sinscales, were "offspring" of Sin itself. They took on many forms, and the Sinscales looked like black and purple butterflies with four green eyes and sharp wings with needles protruding from them.
More cocoons were aimed at Cid, Sara, and Valefor, but the expertise in flying of the aeon avoided them all. As they approached the fin, Cid scanned the area for its weakness, a patch or hole of some kind. The surface was crawling with Sinscale cocoons. Frantically Cid stabbed his sword at every spot he could stop to hit. Nothing affected it. A shimmer of purple light caught his attention. He jammed the sword into the spot with a quick, powerful thrust. The fin wavered slightly and dived below the surface of the water. Cid looked down into the waters to spot it. A whirlpool replaced it, Sin in its vortex. Kilika was a town built over the waters on wooden planks. But after Sin was finished, it was no more than a pile of rubble. Boys, men, wood, trees, and straw could be seen flying into the depths of the ocean. A young mother held her baby close as she was consumed by the powers of Sin, ripped apart by the shear force of an oncoming plank of wood. Two children were playing a game until the wrath of JENOVA hit the little town. They spun into the air, thrown like rag dolls into the midst of danger and death as the wheel of death spun to take two more lives. Sin left Kilika with nothing but wood on water, although some of it braved the attack.
Disappointment shot through Sara, resonating into Cid through the bond. Cid, however, could not be disappointed. He wasn't fazed by the loss to Sin. There would always be another fight, other battles that he could win. Ultimately, Sara would defeat Sin.
Valefor gently landed on to the remains of the port. The assault sent the boat straight into the port, smashing through wood and metal. It skidded to a halt, forming a trail of wrecked wood behind it.
An elderly couple ran to Sara, both covered with injuries. "Please perform the Sending," they pleaded. Sara nodded and followed them as they left to a section of the village. Cid followed closely behind. After about five minutes of walking, Cid noticed a girl standing on a house's remains. She was a never-ending fountain of tears. The remains of the house shook. Cid leaped in and took the girl in his arms, placing her safely on the deck. She ran away, still weeping at the loss of those most dear to her. Cid could not help but to follow Sara.