Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and my own characters...

Okay, a short chapter born out of boredome here. I thank all of whom reviewed and I hope to hear from you again:)
I hope this chapter isn't too boring, but as stated, it was born out of boredome. But well, something new gets into it.. You'll notice it by the end. Well, the somewhere by the end.. I think thanks to this I might get my spirits of writing this a little higher, but well.. Nothing is certain. Do enjoy, and review :)

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Chapter 17 - A Place Like No Other

"What's going on in here?" Leblanc's frantic voice asked loudly.

"Leblance, you're alive!" stated Yuna, almost as loud as Leblanc when she turned around to witness the person behind her was Leblanc.

"Of course she is, but what happened here?" Ormi asked, his face slightly on the green side. He seemed to be sick of the scene he had witnessed above.

"We don't know, that's what we're wondering as well. But we went looking for you, hoping to find you alive."

"I'm alive alright, but this city isn't. I went away for a few days, and I return to this." Leblanc sighed. "As if it wasn't enough with the deaths earlier..."

"What deaths?" Tidus asked, making his presence known for everyone. He had felt rather on the outside since Leblanc showed up.

"Yuna, is that who i think it is?" Leblance wondered, taking catious steps back at the sight of the familliar face she had encountered only a week earlier.

"No, this is not Shuyin, if that's what you're wondering. This is Tidus, I've known him since I was on my pilgrimage. I assure you that he can be trusted."

"I'll be the judge of whom I can trust and not trust." Leblanc snapped, fustrated with everything going on. It was nothing short than confusing and wierd.

"Fine," Yuna sighed. "but I'll ask you what Tidus asked you. What deaths?"

"Logos, Ormi and myself were taking a coffe break in the Inn, in the middle of The Thunder Plains. When this strange, yet very handsome man entered. You know the saying, that looks can be decieving or whatever. I never thought of it to be this true until that man entered. I tried not to think much of it, we continued drinking our coffes. While he just stood there, looking around. Before we knew it he just approached us, asking us if our Logos was the one who had written the journal he held in his hand. He threw it on the table, and Logos immedietly recognized it as his own."

"Strange, how did he get a hold of it?" Yuna asked, intrigued.

"I don't know, he didn't really answer our questions. He was more like, mocking us and all. As we went to leave though, he didn't let us. Before we knew it the Inn keepers were brutally murdered. Blood was spilt, and all he did was turn his wrist in a swift motion. He didn't even near them. But that wasn't the most cruel part of it all. In the Inn, there was a woman and her child. They were clutched in each others embrace at the horror of it all. With a sudden speed he reached them, he smiled at the child before reaching his mothers' throat." Leblanc explained, the memories of that moment would forever haunt her. The images of the child's face still clear before her. "He said for her to rest in p.i.e.c.e.s before he ripped her head of her body, right in front of her son's eyes."

"Oh my..." Yuna gasped, he hadn't known the boy, she didn't even know what he looked like. But to have to witness such a thing ripped her heart for him. No better word than cruel and inhuman could fit into a person who made a child suffer something as horrible as that.

"I know, I thought the same. He eventually killed the child as well. But my thoughts back then was like...why couldn't he kill the child first and spare him the horrible images of his mother's head lying in a pool of her own blood on the floor? Why did he have to be so cruel to let the child last images be terror-filled ones?" Leblance asked, almost as if she was pleading.

"That's just...way too cruel..." Tidus muttered, shocked and disturbed. He couldn't find any deep words to fit in better at that very moment.

"Yeah, Boss and I were lucky enough to escape the same horrible fate thanks to Logos." Ormi said, his tone changing into a sad one as he mentioned Logos brave name.

"What do you mean?" asked Yuna.

"The strange man seemingly wanted Logos...he said something about Logos showing him some kind of door in the Bevelle Undergrounds." answered Leblanc, crossing her arms in a worried way across her chest.

Yuna's gaze fell down to the floor. The newly gathered information going back and forth in her mind, trying for find somekind of explanation to all of this. She could find none, as everything seemed so horribly wrong and confusing. Guadosalam and its people were dead, the Fayth's were not yet put to rest, Tidus was on a road that would either lead him to her or away from her again. Some crazed lunatic walked about in Spira killing innocent people, keeping Logos as somekind of hostage and guide to lead him to some door. Everything made sense, but at the same time it didn't.

"Hey guys, they're here," a chirpy voice called out for them all to hear. "and Leblanc's here too!"

"What? Leblanc?" a worried voice asked in haste, speeding up his pace together with the group over to where Yuna stood. "Leblanc!"

"Nooj!" Leblanc yelled out at the sight of him, his face was wrinkled in worry and despair. But as she flung herself at him, he did not care for the people around them watching.

He was only happy to have Leblanc safely back in his arms.

Yuna made no motion at the scene before her, as she perfectly understood everything even with her stare down at the unmoving floor.

"Everyone, we're heading to Bevelle."

"What? Why?" questioned Paine.

"Logos has been taken away by some crazed killing man. We have to save him and put a stop to this man before he kills anymore innocent people."

was all that Yuna let them on before she silently walked away, her mind full of thoughts and questions. Only hearing a few murmurs behind her she soon relaxed upon hearing their footsteps

following her out of the hidden passageway and back into the death roaming through Guadosalam. Slowing her pace down she let the other ones walk ahead of her through the dead bodies on the floor in their way to the exit. Ahead of her she saw everyone, except for Tidus as they almost reached the exit. Turning around she niether saw him behind her, and turning her gaze forward again she saw the group walk out of her sight as they walked out of Guadosalam. Where was he?

"Tidus?" she asked quietly at first, not recieving any answers. "Tidus!" she tried again, her voice louder and more forceful.

"Up here." she heard his faint voice. She had a good guess on where he meant. So she walked back into Guadosalam's depths until she reached the point of where she could walk up a ledge, almost as walked up some kind of hill. She continued the path until she saw his golden hair and straight back gazing back at her. He eyed the entrance to the Farplane intensely. She could've guessed why.

"To think that I was asleep in there for two whole years." he began, feeling her presence as she neared him. "It's crazy if you want to know what I think... to sleep in such a place for two years..."

"But that's all in the past now." Yuna softly said to him, walking up to where he stood. "Come on, we have to hurry before Bevelle ends up like this place."

Tidus turned to face her. "Why should we even care of Bevelle, Yuna? Don't you remember the many lies and secrets that place had? Have you forgotten how they betrayed their own teachings?"

"No, Tidus. I haven't forgotten. But Bevelle is and will always remain a part of me. If you haven't forgotten, I was born there."

"I know, Yuna. I know." Tidus sighed deeply. "I'm just not very fond of the city, but forget I questioned why you would care. I know that it's just who you are."

Yuna smiled a bit sadly at his words. "Yeah, it's just who I am."

"Is it really that hard to change whom you are, summoner?" a voice echoed around them, startling them both.

"Who's there?" Tidus called out towards everything, and at the same time, nothing. "Show yourself!"

"Pitiful human, are you seriously trying to order someone like me around?" the voice barked this time, distaste in his voice at the mere thought.

"It's not that I'm ordering, I just like to face whomever I speak to." Tidus explained loudly, looking around himself, all the time keeping Yuna close by his side. "Or are you too afraid?"

The voice laughed at this, it was a rather cold and forced laugh. "Me? Afraid of showing myself in your presence? I have no reason of being afraid, as I have no reason of showing myself."

"I take that as a yes then." Tidus mocked, still keeping a watchful eye at every aspect of the empty place.

"I rather think you're the one being afraid, seeing as you keep looking around every few seconds. You're too tense, Tidus. You're afraid..."

"As if!" Tidus yelled, he did not know what to think.

"Tidus, please.." Yuna whispered quietly, not knowing much herself. "Calm yourself."

"You should listen to her... For she knows far more about you, than you do yourself." the voice said, more clearer than before. It felt closer and warmer this time.

Soon both Yuna and Tidus heard footsteps, coming closer and closer. Their eyes narrowed towards the tunnel ahead of them, leading to the room where the entrance to the Farplane laid.

They both watched in anticipation while feeling nervous, as the steps only grew closer. Then it came, the source of the steps. With a human appearance of a 25 year old male he stood before them with an unreadable expression on his face, gazing at them before speaking.

"Can you still call me afraid?" he asked, before a small smirk formed across his face.

"Who are you?" Tidus only asked, ignoring the man's question completely.

"A name has no meaning if the person carrying it does not want to be reminded of it. Beyond that I can only give you the pleasure of calling me Áthels." he introduced himself, bowing gracefully in a ridiculous manner, letting his braided black hair fall from behind is back. His eyes never leaving theirs as he straightened himself up again, carrying a silly smile on his face.

His voice told a different story, while his actions showed another. If he was a friend of foe was impossible to predict for Yuna and Tidus.

"Now if you excuse me, I must be on my way for I have important things to attend to." he hastily said, excusing himself as he walked passed them.

Yuna felt a part of herself force her to turn around toward the mysterious man. "Wait!" she called.

Áthels stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the confused woman. "Yes?" he questioned impatiently.

"Where are you from?"

Áthels pondered the question he had been given for a second before answering. "I come from a place niether one of you can imagine. A place niether one of you could ever dream of existing."

Yuna looked Áthels deep in the eyes, trying to figure him out in hopes that the eyes truly were the door to ones soul. But in his eyes she could find nothing, it was as if he had shut himself from any outsiders completely. "What is this place you speak of?"

The aching pain inside of Áthels reached none of them, he held his feelings on the inside and the cold expression on his face at bay. "Hell."

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Okay, this was what I meant. A new character of my own had been introduced, whom will have a story part somewhat.
In my opinion he will feel rather enjoyable to write about, I feel closer to him than I do to most of my created characters in this fic. I hope you enjoyed it, even though it was rather short. It's almost 3AM here in the morning, feeling really tired..
Do review with your thoughts of Áthels or whatever you may want to review on.. Thank you, good night:)

Alexiel91