Chapter VI

Operation Mi'ihen

Halfway on our way across Mi'ihen Highroad, we encountered some Chocobo Knights. I overheard something about an operation involving machina, but most important, Sin. Then they ran off. "You heard what they were talking about?" I asked Audax who looked as the three knights disappeared out off sight. "They said something about luring Sin, then beating it with machina." I looked at him full of disbelieve. "But machina can't beat Sin, only the Final Summon can!" I said confidently. He nodded, placed his fist at his mouth and thought deeply. "I think we oughta go check it out." He strode after the Chocobo Knights and I followed with quick small steps. I had a bad feeling about this...

We didn't get that far. At the end of the Highroad we were stopped by a Crusader. "I am awfully sorry, Lady Summoner, I cannot let you pass." Two Chocobo Knights arrived. "Lucil and Elma reporting for duty." "Sir!" the Crusader said and opened again. Between the time they opened and closed I could see many machina standing at each side off the road. And somewhere in a far distance saw a couple of chocobos pulling along a larg cage. Audax saw it too.

"Listen, I demand to know what takes place behind this gates." "Ha-Has no one informed you either, Lady Summoner?" He sighed deeply. "Behind this gates the Crusaders and the Al Bhed are preparing for Operation Mi'ihen, my lady. The Crusaders lure Sin in, the Al Bhed beat it." "But how will you lure him? You can't order an enormous creature like Sin?" "We are bringing Sinspawn from all over Spira. Sin will be attracted to them without any further trouble." I was disgusted. Mighty disgusted. "What are you thinking? Luring Sin in, the idea only!" I cried throwing my looks at the sky. "It's sick, that's what it is! A suicide mission!" "With all do respect, Lady Summoner," the Crusader said, a blush of anger on his cheeks. "The Al Bhed managed to come up with ancient machina, just as powerful as the mighty aeons."

"Nothing is as powerful as the Final Aeon! Nothing!" I cried slightly insulted. "I must ask you to leave, Lady Summoner!" the Crusader spoke through clenched teeth. "I cannot let you pass!" Audax pulled at my shoulder. "Jentl, come on. We're not going through." After throwing a final dirty look at the Crusader, I let Audax take me back.

When we arrived back at the travel agency, I was still ranting and raving. "It's the sickest idea I ever heard off! As powerful as the Final Aeon, puh-lease!" I sulked. "Did that guy even realise what he was talking about? I mean – did he even have the slightest idea?" "This is gonna give entire Spira major problems," Audax sighed. We checked in and then sat outside a while, talking. "I thought machina were forbidden by the teachings," I said. "They are blinded by their foolish believe they can handle Sin," Audax mumbled.

I looked at my side. Because of the cliff I couldn't see what was exactly going on back at the camp where Operation Mi'ihen was almost starting. "Their campain is futile," Audax sighed again. I pulled out some straws of fresh green grass and smelled it. It smelled great. Audax rose from the ground and slapped the dust from his pants. Then he paced up and down as he did so many times. I petted Pyrefly's head, who was lying on the ground next to me. He moaned quietly. "God, Audax, I can't take this any more! I have to know what's going on out there!"

He grabbed me at my shoulders his face reeking with fear. "What? Are you crazy? It's mighty dangerous out there! You'll get killed if you set one foot near those machina!" "I can't just stay here wondering of, 'what's going on?', 'has Sin arrived yet?', 'how many people are dead?'." A single tear ran down my cheek. "They're all gonna get killed! Every single one of them!" "I – I..." There was nothing he could say. He shook his head firmly. "I know! I know! But there's nothing we can do! We can't save them." I pulled my staf out of the dry ground and threw it over my shoulder once more. "I'm going, you can't stop me. But as a guardian, it's your duty to protect me." I turned my back on him. I had nearly reached the bridge when I finally heard his footsteps approaching me, gaining on me. In the far distance, I could hear fainted screaming.

Till that moment, I had never had to run with staf and shoulderbag. It was hard, when I reached the gate I was exhausted, my feet were aching but still I forced myself to keep running. The screaming grew louder, closer, more horrifying... Then I saw it. For the first time in my life I saw it. Then I stopped. It was so far away from me, yet so dangerously close by. My staf clattered onto the ground. "Sin..." He was monstrous, enormous. Awful. He had an uncountable number of eyes on his forehead, below it the most enormous jaw any creature alive could ever imagine, and that's all it was. That was Spira's fear. That was what everyone dreaded so badly.

Lowering my eyes, I saw hundreds of Crusaders fighting on the beach, struggling for Spira's existence, Sin's death. Huge canons fired at Sin, not able to hurt him at all. All they could was giving the Crusaders down there an even harder time than they were already living. Everytime they hit Sin, more fiends came of. On the solid ground on which we stood I saw several Sinspawn crawling around. It was a faillure already, and the battle hadn't even ended yet. Once more, Spira would lose.

It was a dilema. I knew there was no chance of winning, yet I couldn't quite simply stand there watching. "What should I do?" I cried softly. Audax supportingly laid his hands on my shoulders. "There's nothing you can do, right now. It's best for all of us, if you stay alive and complete your pilgrimage." I nodded slightly and stared at the ground. "There must be something I can do..." He shook his head. "No." I cried bitterly. So many people were dying. And all I could do was wait until it had ended. I closed my eyes, hoping it would be over soon. Hoping Sin would leave, giving the survivors one more chance. Audax squeezed my left shoulder. "Something's happening."

I forced myself to open my eyes. My jaw hung loose. Sin created some sort of barrier around his huge body. Some sort of energetic field. "I don't lik the look of that," Audax mumbled, not letting go of my shoulders. Pyrefly started barking loudly. Then he yelped and ran of. "I don't like it at all." At that moment the field extended. I screamed in terror. It crushed everyone who was still standing on the beach, fighting for their lives. One moment, then they were gone. I saw it extending more, approaching us at terrifying speed. "We're to close!" I stumbled backwards and bumped into Audax. He quickly pussed me onto the ground as I heard a loud noise as if some sort of wind blew straight into my ears. "MIGHTY GUARD!"

That was all I heard before the shield hit us. And all I could do was scream.