The three of them sat down by the stream, and Auron took a few sips of sake before starting.
"Seymour . . . planned early on what he was going to do. Jecht and I knew he was up to something, but we weren't entirely sure what until . . . until it happened.
"We arrived at the temple early in the morning, a few hours before sunrise. Its location was supposedly secret to anyone outside of the Bevelle Brotherhood, but Seymour had known the way. We thought that maybe we should rest before confronting Sin, but Seymour encouraged us to keep going. I should have known to stop him, but Braska agreed. So, we entered the temple, not knowing what to expect. Then, all of a sudden, Seymour grabbed Braska from behind and shoved him forward, and Jecht and I were attacked by some temple guards that had been hiding nearby. Seymour broke Braska's summoning staff and bound his hands behind him, and then forced him underground. Jecht and I were dragged along behind. Seymour, he . . . he wanted us to watch everything."
Auron paused for a moment, temporarily lost in memory. The fabled warrior swallowed thickly before continuing.
"The chamber was enormous . . . the size of a whole blitzball stadium, circular and made of pale stone. It slanted downward slightly to the middle, and we were forced down a long flight of stairs. I remember seeing hieroglyphics and inscriptions on the walls. There was a candelabra above the table at the top of the dome ceiling, but that was the only thing that offered much light aside from torches on the wall. There was a large hole in the middle of the floor, and two narrow bridges crossed each other over its middle. At the cross section there was a round stone table. Seymour pushed Braska over the bridge and threw him onto the table. Braska was begging Seymour to stop, and let his guardians go, but Seymour silenced him. Jecht was going crazy. He was struggling so hard to escape, it took seven guards to hold him still. I just . . . stood there and watched as Seymour called on Sin to come and receive its first offering.
"The room got dark, and very cold. It was as if Sin's presence was sucking out all the light and warmth. I could see something coming out of the chasm, something big. It didn't really have a shape to it. It was like a dark shadow, crawling upward into the temple. Then I saw its very core, rising up from the hole like a monster's head out of water. It was a giant orb of darkness, swirling in midair, but I could . . . I could hear screams coming from it. I could even see the glimmer of souls trapped inside its centre. All the cries of people Sin destroyed trapped inside its centre. It surrounded the table while Braska lay on it, helpless, unable to move. It was Sin. Somehow we knew. Only it was Sin's true form, Sin without a physical body. It was simply the essence of evils. Without a body, it has no mind of its own, and can be commanded quite easily by whoever offers it sacrifices. It closed in on Braska, and he . . . he just lay there, staring at it. It was as if he was paralysed. Seymour stood nearby and said 'Sin! Take this offering and give me your victim's powers in return! You have the strength to do it, I command you to give me his powers!'
"The darkness curled around Braska, and I could see the life being sucked out of him. I saw the light leaving him and disappearing into Sin's core. I could hear his voice, swirling around among thousands of others . . . It was at that moment when I finally tried to make my way down to his side to help him, but a guard slashed at my face with his dagger. Thus, this scar," he said, gesturing to his closed eye.
"And then I saw the body begin to rot. The skin decayed so quickly that by the time I realized what was happening, Braska was almost completely a skeleton. But his remains-"
"Sir Auron," Tidus cut in quickly. He pulled Yuna protectively against him, seeing how pale her skin was. She leaned her head against Tidus' shoulder for a moment.
Auron bowed his head in acknowledgement of the signal. He astutely decided to avoid that part.
"When he was . . . when he was gone, Sin moved to Seymour. He opened his arms as Sin came to him, wrapping itself around him. Its shadows were still threaded with pale light from Braska's soul, and I watched as it entered Seymour's body. Then it pulled away, and began disappearing down the hole again. I could see Braska in that Guado's eyes . . . I could hear a trace of his voice in Seymour's.
"Seymour told the guards to take Jecht and myself far away, but not to kill us. He was arrogant enough to believe we wouldn't have the courage to find him and avenge our friend's murder. They knocked us unconscious, and when we woke up, we were in Luca. Jecht and I wanted to kill Seymour . . . we wanted to track him down and rip him to shreds for what he did. But Seymour came to us before we left Luca, and offered us a deal.
"He said that if we stayed away from him and the temple, he would spare Braska's daughter and Jecht's son, as well as Jecht's wife Kalia. He had the power to kill them and nobody would ever know of it.
"Jecht was torn. If we killed Seymour right there, his allies would hunt down his family and little Yuna and murder them, but on the other hand, Seymour was alone and unarmed. It would have been easy to slit his throat right there, but I remembered my promise to Braska that we would never hurt Seymour, for all his treachery. So, we had no choice. We had to consider Jecht's wife and son as well as Braska's daughter, who he loved so very much."
At this, Yuna's tears spilled over, and Tidus pulled her closer to himHe held her tightly as she let out a trembling sob.
Auron stared at the two of them quietly, watched as Tidus rested his face in Yuna's hair, whispering kind words to her that the warrior could not hear. A slow grin.
'You always said they could make a cute couple, Jecht,' he thought silently, agreeing with his old friend for once. If only these kids had met before this whole mess had started.
When at last Yuna regained her composure, sitting up away from Tidus to look Auron in the eye as she wiped away her tears.
"I have questions," she said calmly. Auron nodded expectantly.
"I know. I'll answer as best as I can."
"How does all this benefit Seymour?"
Auron sighed and took another swig of sake. "This is hard to explain," he warned. "Sin has no body and mind, yet it has one ability that makes it invincible. It converts magic from black to white, and white to black. That is why summoners throughout history have never been able to defeat it. The aeons are little more than ghosts infused with their summoner's white magic, so in the end it does not matter how powerful they are. Sin sucks the magic out of them, rendering them useless. It then takes the magic and morphs it into its opposing form, in turn using it against the summoners and their guardians.
"There is a catch, however. Sin, with no body and mind, can be controlled by the provider – one who provides it with sacrifices, which in turn give it longevity. Seymour took on this role when he offered Braska, the most powerful summoner since Yunaleska. He commands Sin to give him the reversed power of his victims, and with each sacrifice, he grows stronger. With the power given to him, Seymour has complete control over the temple. As far as the Yevonite officials are concerned, he is lord and master. If he were to be betrayed by someone in the temple, he could expose them all and have them suffer while he remains untouchable."
Yuna paled slightly, looking sick. "Demon," she whispered. "So many useless deaths . . ."
After a brief moment to absorb this information, Tidus made his own venture.
"You said you saw inscriptions and hieroglyphics on the wall . . ."
"I did not get a close look at them," the man replied, sounding disappointed with himself. "I wish I did. No doubt there is important information there."
"I heard you mention being underground," Yuna cut in. "I did not know there was more than one level to the Bevelle temple that was accessible."
"Seymour had the priests tell him how to find it," Auron told her grimly. "Jecht and I were blindfolded until we reached it. We were not allowed to see the way. I remember the feeling of being shoved down through a narrow opening and landing onto a mat after falling for a few seconds. I think there may be a trap door somewhere on the main level."
"What happens to the people who are chosen to be sacrificed?" Yuna asked, dreading the response.
"It is not a pretty sight," Auron said with a grimace. "Braska was lucky to have been taken so swiftly. He died without any pain. The others since then have . . . not been so fortunate. First they are taken to the chamber and stripped of their clothes. Instead they are given 'traditional' sacrificial clothes to wear for Sin's taking. Then they are tortured for one hour to weaken the body, spirit, and mind so that there is no resistance when the time comes. I was . . . told all this the night Seymour killed Kalia. He drove Jecht wild by telling him what they did to her."
Tidus closed his eyes and lowered his head. It was wise of Auron not to tell him any of the other details of his mother's death.
"Why did Seymour choose my mother?"
Auron stared at the boy sadly, unsure of how to tell him.
"Seymour was in love Kalia," he said gently. "He always had been. He was mad with jealousy that she was so loyal to Jecht. I think he tried to resist the urge to take her, partly out of love and partly out of fear for Jecht's wrath. In the end, he was too weak to live with the knowledge that she loved another man instead of him. At the time, Kalia did not know the secret of the Children of Light ceremony, and she was very grateful to have been chosen. I think his obsession for her was one reason why he tortured her rather than spare her of all people.
"Jecht was . . . delirious with grief. I'd never seen him that way before, when he found out about Kalia. He went after Seymour himself, alone and armed only with his bare hands and rage. He nearly annihilated Seymour, but . . . Seymour had become very powerful by this time. He killed Jecht with as many Firaga spells as he could create. It took twenty-seven of them to finally bring him down, Tidus. I never knew a man with more stubborn determination. You should be proud."
Tidus clenched his hands into fists, so that his fingernails drove themselves into his palms. So Seymour had been responsible for the deaths of both parents. He appeared only dimly conscious of Yuna slipping her delicate hand into his. She could sense his conflicting emotions of rage and distress, not knowing how to express either of them. At last she felt him relax somewhat, and gently withdrew her hand.
"What of the Farplane? Is that not a real place?" she asked, when the tenseness had passed.
"It is real, but quite different from what we were all raised to believe," the man said with a heavy sigh. "Rather than Yevon's realm, as the temples have made us believe, it is a dimension for souls at rest. Mortals cannot go farther than marked places of safety; otherwise they will be trapped in it forever between life and death. It is . . . a disturbing place to be. I hope never to set foot in it again."
"You were there?"
"Once. I thought maybe I would find Braska there, but . . . he is still in Sin's core, I'm afraid."
Silence.
"Auron," she said slowly. "What is Sin?"
"No one knows, Yuna. We may never know. Whatever it is . . . it is incredibly old and powerful. Personally, I'd rather face it with a body than that swirling black shadow . . . it was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen."
Yuna felt the burning hatred course through her. Hatred for Seymour, for the temple . . . Sin for its existence.
"I will destroy it," she whispered in a barely audible voice. "I will find its lair, draw it out, and fight it myself. Somehow, I will find a way to destroy Sin once and for all."
Auron gazed at her. So very like her father . . . startling, the similarities. Why, Braska had spoken those same words the day the pilgrimage began.
"I wouldn't doubt you for a second, Yuna."
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It was not just a matter of defeating Sin anymore, however. Now Yuna knew why it was so urgent to destroy it. She could see in her mind a vision of her father's soul, trapped in the dark depths of Sin's core with countless other lost spirits. Tidus' mother would be in there, and possibly Jecht if his body was given to Sin. Yuna nearly writhed with agonized anger at the thought of her father's magic being drawn into Seymour's body.
She had to release them from Sin. She had to put them to rest.
It was midnight when at last Auron rose from the ground. Tidus and Yuna stood as well, each stifling a yawn. It had been a long day for both of them. They had not been expecting Auron to stay with them anyway.
"I must be leaving you now. I wish I could go with you, but there are things I must take care of elsewhere," he said, sounding more than a little disappointed.
"We understand," Yuna said generously, speaking for Tidus. She took a step closer and then threw her arms around Auron's neck. "Thank you so much, Sir Auron, for everything you've done for us, and for our fathers as well."
Auron looked somewhat baffled as to what to do, but he gradually lifted a tentative arm to return her embrace. He then cleared his throat and pulled away from her, his cheeks faintly red.
"Yes, well . . . ahem. It was my honour to have met you both again, after all this time. I can give you supplies if you wish. I have a map of Bevelle if you want to find the temple-"
"I know the way," Yuna cut in, smiling. "I memorized the maps back in Besaid before the ceremony."
"Good, good," Auron said, nodding at her cleverness. He then looked at Tidus.
"Look out for her, boy. You have Jecht's protective nature, I can see it already. But you will both need each other before this journey is over," he said, somewhat ominously. Yuna and Tidus looked to each other at the same moment, each of them prepared. Auron could see the boy's resolve harden right there, looking at Yuna's trusting face. He smiled secretly to himself.
"I will see you again someday," he told them, shouldering his famous katana. "I have faith in both of you. Farewell."
They watched the legendary guardian stride away into the trees, his blade glinting in the starlight. Yuna took a deep breath and hugged herself for warmth, going over in her mind all the information given to her. It was mind boggling, how wrong she'd been about the whole thing. She had never known about the murder of her father as well as Tidus', nor had she known about the victims' torture or the underground section of the Bevelle temple. So many lies, so many secrets. The agonizing part was knowing that there was still much to learn before the end of the journey.
"We should keep going. We'll rest later," Tidus said, breaking the thoughtful silence. Yuna nodded and wrapped her cloak around her shoulders tightly as Tidus untied the horse from the tree branch. He mounted, and then gave Yuna a hand up behind him. Neither of them discussed the idea of dinner. Neither of them had an appetite.
Yuna was surprised to realize how exhausting this information was to take in. It felt like it was almost too much for her mind to handle. Before long, she was dozing against Tidus' strong back, grateful that he had been there with her while Auron spoke to them. Soothed by the rocking of the mare's stride and by the gentle nighttime sounds, she was soon half asleep, remaining awake only enough to keep her arms around Tidus' middle.
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Yuna awoke with a start. She was still behind Tidus on the horse, but now they were galloping. It was the sudden jolt of speed that had awakened her. There was a thin golden line of sunrise to the east at their left, and they were dashing through an enormous open field. A forest appeared as a small smudge in the distance. Yuna's skin went cold with apprehension.
"What's going on? Why are we galloping?" she asked, knowing instinctively that something was wrong. The wind tore through her hair like ravenous fingers.
"We're being followed," Tidus replied through gritted teeth. Yuna's heart leapt into her heart at his words, and she threw an alarmed glance over her shoulder. Sure enough, she could make out faint figures some distance behind them. They were gaining fast, but they still appeared to be no more than a cluster of black dots on the horizon. Though she could not count them all, she guessed there were at least twenty of them.
"Can we outrun them?" she asked, speaking above the roar of wind in their faces.
"Not for long," Tidus called back. "We've been walking for a few hours now. The horse is getting tired already."
"What if they're not temple warriors?" she asked, allowing herself to nurse one shred of hope. Tidus jerked his chin upward, gesturing for her to look to the sky. She did so, and saw with dismay the dark shape of a falcon overhead. The Yevonite Warriors were famous for using birds of prey to spot targets.
Yuna swallowed heavily. She tightened her grip around Tidus' waist and prayed to any nameless god in existence to give flight to the mare's hooves and carry them to out of reach of their pursuers. Yevon would certainly not answer such a prayer.
"Are you scared?" she asked suddenly. It was very important to her for some reason to know that her guardian was not afraid. To her surprise, he threw her a daring grin over his shoulder, and she could see the warrior spark in his cerulean eyes.
"Not yet."