Ugh!

Reis landed face first into something soft but gritty, something wet that stuck to her hair as she tried to brush it out. Sitting up, she found herself in a totally foreign location.

There were miles and miles of beaches that stretched out along the coast of some unknown island, under the shadows of black granite cliffs. A dense jungle of gigantic trees and rambling vines perched on top of it; she could even see several birds staring at her in interest. Water lapped at her feet, soaking the hem of her long dress. The heat was almost comforting, and yet…something didn't feel right.

Where is this place…?

'Hello? Anybody there?' Reis shouted to the distance, only to hear her own echoes rebound off the cliffs. Only the steady rush and splash of waves could be heard. Nothing. Nobody was around.

Is this place…deserted? Better to start walking and find out later…

Reis walked along the beach, her feet making deep imprints in the soft, white sand. The azure ocean stretched out for as far as the eye could see into the horizon, reflecting the blazing sun's rays. Perspiration dripped from her face as the sun's heat began to intensify, and her silk dress, which was lined with wool, didn't exactly help to cool her down.

God…it's so hot here…

Standing in the shadow of an overhanging rock, Reis looked around the island. There was little to see, except for a small path leading deeper into the island, lined on either side by towering jungle trees and boulders. Curious, Reis walked closer to the little dirt track.

So this island isn't abandoned after all…

Striding easily up the path with her long legs, she gazed at her surroundings. There was only dense jungle around her. And yet, something doesn't feel secure…

Something's not right…I think someone's watching me…

She fell to the ground with a scream as a large, jelly-like monster landed on her back, knocking her down to the floor. Struggling to take her katanas as the monster attempted to bite into her flesh, Reis eventually kicked it, only to see her foot embedded inside the blue, sticky liquid; finding the light blade of Esthar, she stabbed the fiend through its ugly, squashed face. Panting, Reis staggered to her feet, watching the monster vaporize; specks of glimmering material appeared above the corpse as it disintegrated, finally vanishing into thin air. Clutching a bite wound on her shoulder with one hand, she walked on, her light blade out, severing leaves as she walked on through the jungle.

Damn that beast…whatever it was, I don't like it.

Arriving at a dead end on top of a cliff, she sat down on its edge. Her bleeding had somewhat slowed down; though her hand was coated in her own blood. At the base of the cliff was a narrow path cut into the rock; waterfalls severed the segments, which were linked by frail-looking wooden bridges wherever there was a gap in the rock. Sitting for half an hour while she attempted to heal the wound, Reis spotted two women walking along the narrow rock passage.

So, this island is populated.

As they approached closer, Reis observed a dark shadow moving along the surface of the ocean beneath the path. She caught a glimpse of a large bird in the sky, descending rapidly towards the two women—

'Watch out!' Reis yelled, leaping off the edge of the cliff towards the two women. The large bird had swooped down towards them, and Reis landed neatly on top of the bird—with her energy blade held with both hands, point downwards. Down went the blade's point, through the bird's drab brown plumage, its flesh, its bone, and out the other side of its thick neck. Squawking loudly, the bird tumbled over the edge of the path, falling to certain death at the bottom of the waterfall; it would be dashed to pieces by the rocks waiting below. Beating her wings calmly, Reis stayed aloft, the bird's blood sprayed all over her face and hands. Landing with a soft tap on the rock, she dusted stray feathers from her crimson dress, bowing to the two women.

One's clearly a black mage, and the other a priestess. Why would they be here, out of all places?

'Hello,' the priestess said, offering her hand to Reis, 'Thank you for disposing of the fiend,'

'You're welcome,' Reis answered, standing up straight and shaking her hand.

'So, what's your name?' the black mage asked her, her jet-black eyes matching her dress and staring straight into Reis' own, cold, unfeeling.

'Reis. Reis Dular,'

'Nice to meet you, Reis. I'm Yuna,' the priestess said, cleansing Reis' robes with a wave of her staff, 'And she's Lulu,'

'It's…good to meet you, Lulu,' Reis mumbled uncertainly to the seemingly detached black mage.

'We'll take you to our village,' Lulu said coldly, 'It's not safe to be alone out here. What's jumped on you before? A Flan? They normally fall on people and bite them to death when their victim is surprised. You're lucky to be alive,'

'Gee, thanks,' Reis replied sarcastically, 'What're you going to say next, a boulder's going to fall on my head and I will die?'

This black mage is strange…but I guess all black mages are strange…

'So, tell me, Reis,' Yuna asked her, 'Where did you come from? Your clothes look very different to what everybody else wears,'

Different…? Oh, that's true…Yuna's wearing what appears to be a number of robes, one over the top of another, and Lulu's got a fur trimmed black robe. I'm the only one wearing a simple, white linen and wool dress…

'I've come from Ivalice,'

'Ivalice? I've never heard of that place. Are you sure that Sin hasn't got you?'

'What's Sin?'

'Never mind…at least you're not insane or dead,'

Sin…? Dead…? Insane…? What's that got to do with me? Or what does it even mean?

'We're nearly there,' Yuna said, pointing at something over a barren hill.

There was a small village built on the rocky shore, with a stone temple built on the far end. Jungle creepers infested the houses ringing the stone paved circle in the centre, the tendrils of green climbing the brown thatched roofs of the wooden huts. A large pile of fire remains sat in the centre of the stone circle, a vast mound of ash and burnt timber. Brushing aside the undergrowth cluttering the broad dirt path that led down to the village, the three women walked onward towards the village.

A large, blue-furred creature stood waiting at the village gates, bearing an enormous halberd. Bowing to Yuna as she entered the town, Reis wondered what this…cat-like creature was doing, standing beside the town gate as though it was a sentinel. However, as Reis followed behind her, a large pole-arm descended towards her head, to be dodged in good time by the dragoner's quick reflexes.

'Hey!' Reis shouted, drawing out her light blade, 'Watch where you point that thing!'

'Me no trust your identity. Methinks you are untrustworthy,' the cat-like guard growled, in a deeper tone than Reis had ever made as a dragon, 'Go back from where you came, half-human,'

How does he know that…?

'No, no, Kimahri, let her pass,' Yuna quickly said, pushing the halberd away. To Reis' amazement, the creature followed her orders; he dropped the weapon and stood there, looking into Yuna's green and blue eyes. Picking up the halberd, Yuna staggered into the town, balancing the pole-arm on her lean shoulders.

'Kimahri is Yuna's guardian,' Lulu explained, seeing Reis' shocked expression, 'He's been guarding her since she was little, after her parents passed away. Yuna is nearly like his little sister,'

Noticing the stump of a horn on Kimahri's head, Reis nudged Lulu in the shoulder and pointed at it, looking meaningfully at her pitch-black eyes.

'He's…an exile from the north, that's all I can tell you. Pray, don't ask me any more of that matter, for his good. Oh, and you may stay in this village for as long as you need to, in that house over there,' Lulu said, pointing towards the second-largest building in the small village, 'It's the Crusaders' Headquarters in Besaid,'

Crusaders…? Like those people who fought in the Fifty Year War?

'Have some rest, you look fairly tired,' Yuna said, 'Eat something while you're at it,'

'Thank you,'

Parting the curtains that draped over the entrance of the building, Reis found a sort of dormitory within the large hut. There were a row of beds in it, separated from the far wall by a narrow aisle; weapons were balanced precariously against the wall; spears, sabers, maces and all, leaning against the rough brown timber. A man sat near the front, grinding serrations into a sword edge, dabbing some silvery powder into the sharp blade as he finished with each.

I don't see any crusaders here, or the ones like those from the Fifty Year War anyway…

'Hello, young miss, I haven't seen you around before, what brings you to distant Besaid?' the weapon grinder called out over the screeching of the stone wheel and steel, 'It's been a long time since I saw a person from another island or place,'

'Uh…um…' Reis stammered, unable to think of why she came to the island in the first place, 'Well…I came here through a teleportation device…and I didn't exactly know where I was going,'

I'm certain he doesn't believe me; he's raising an eyebrow…

'Oh, right. Well, I'll have to get back to my work, there's many more swords to be enhanced,'

Thank goodness that I don't have to explain my presence any further…I would have been at a loss as to what to say.

'I'll help you get through these quickly,' Reis offered, grasping the handle of the nearest unfinished saber, 'At least you can do what you want quicker,'

'You? To work metal? No, you'd better cook some food,'

'Ah, you'll see,' Reis laughed, as she ground down a sword's edge until its blade was sharper than a shaving razor, leaving the man speechless when she left the tent.

Wandering aimlessly through the tropical town, Reis noticed a strange thing among the population. Nearly no people appeared to be older than thirty or so; many were little children, playing and laughing, however their parents were somber and cold.

Nearly like war-torn Ivalice in some parts…the little children were left unharmed as their parents perished to protect them, to grow up without somebody loving you, to grow up fending for yourself, without anyone caring…I was fortunate enough to have a foster parent…

'Lady Reis, Lady Yuna has invited you to the Temple of Besaid, kindly come quickly,' the town guard said, yawning wide.

Stepping into the dark interior of the stone temple, Reis discovered an entirely new scene to behold. She was used to the stern, austere interiors of churches, with their orderly rows of pews and a single altar on the front, and a priest leading all processions. This temple—to some unknown deity—was an entirely different affair to her; there were multiple altars, each dedicated to an effigy of some long-dead demigod-like man. The way people prayed at this temple also caused some confusion for her; instead of kneeling and clasping their hands together, like in Ivalice, the people here made circular motions with their hands, bowing as they completed each prayer.

Torches hung from the walls, a brazier burning in front of each statue. Three tunnels led away from the main prayer hall, one leading up; Yuna, Lulu and Kimahri stood there, waiting for Reis, Lulu motioning her to come forward.

'Reis, will you be my Guardian?' Yuna asked, 'It would really please me if you did,'

'Yuna! We don't even know if she believes in the true creator, Yevon!' Lulu hissed, indignant at the thought of a heretic guarding a holy priestess.

'Yes…that's true,' Reis whispered softly, staring at the ground, 'I don't even know who Yevon is,'

'That won't matter, we'll just pretend,' Yuna said cheerfully, ignoring Lulu's angry stare.

That…coming from a holy person…I would be worried that she could one day reach a high position…

An orange-clad priest opened the central door, leading to an even darker hallway within. There were no torches, no form of lighting whatsoever; Reis wondered why Yuna would even want to go in there. Having no choice but to follow her, Reis ran in after the rest, the door closing with a slight slam behind her.

Words and symbols floated around the walls, glowing and fading, ethereal; the walls seemed to give off a dim green light in some way or another, adding to the shine of the ghostly images on the wall. Touching an area with a number of cross-shaped symbols, Reis jumped back with a cry of surprise as the symbol burned itself into the wall behind, leaving a black cross with a circle surrounding it. Yuna stepped forward and touched this; the wall behind them shattered, leaving only broken pieces of stone and a path leading downwards.

A bluish-green sphere was embedded in a pedestal set into the wall; pulling it out of its socket, Lulu held it in her hands for a moment, feeling the pulses of energy flow through her hands from the crystal. Walking further down, they were met by a solid steel door, with a recess cut where the lock should be; into this Lulu inserted the glowing sphere, where it released a stronger wave of energy, unlocking the door.

Reis extracted the ball from the socket after she pushed the door open; what this was used for later, she wouldn't really know.

How long is this labyrinth of puzzles?

Finding yet another socket set into the wall, Reis placed the ball inside it. Stepping back as the wall crumbled to dust, along with the sphere, the four saw a grid of pulsating silver lines, with a blue stone pedestal on the very edge.

'Kimahri, go find a Besaid Sphere,' Lulu said, pointing towards the far end of the tunnel, 'We'll need it,'

The blue creature nodded and leaped off, running with a loping gait into the distant darkness. Minutes later, he returned, with a blue sphere and a purple sphere. Lulu took the blue sphere, which she inserted into the pedestal.

'Kimahri find destruction sphere,' the cat-creature said, 'Kimahri not know where to place,'

'Just drop it; we've got to get Yuna into the Chamber of the Fayth quickly,'

Pushing the pedestal across the silvery lines onto a glowing tile, Reis suddenly found the floor beneath her sinking; the rest of the group hopped onto the elevator, with Reis in the middle, confused.

'The Chamber of the Fayth, Yuna…I hope you're ready,' Lulu mumbled, sweeping towards the dimly-lit hall in front of her, 'Concentrate hard and win the Fayth,'

Fayth…?

'I will, Lulu,'

Yuna brushed aside a curtain, revealing a tunnel; Reis made steps forward, but was barred by Kimahri's halberd.

'No,' Kimahri growled, 'No distract Yuna. She need alone,'

'Why?'

'The Fayth…it's a statue of previous High Summoners. She must pray to each until she receives the power of the Final Aeon, which will allow her to defeat Sin. It is imperative that she receives all the quiet that she can get,'

Abolish sin…? How is that possible?

Hours ticked by as they waited in silence; Reis paced back and forth, waiting every moment for that curtain to open again. They turned their heads towards the elevator as it whirred slightly; descending, the stone platform bore two men on it.

'Get out of my way!' a blonde teenager shouted, running past the shocked guardians, 'She might be in danger now!'

'You the one not knowing anything,' Kimahri puffed, knocking him backward with an easy sweep of his arm, 'Go back to Besaid,'

'No!' the teenager yelled, running towards the curtain and trying to push it aside. It was nearly as solid as concrete this time; nothing like the cloth that Yuna pushed aside. Heaving it up slightly, the blonde did not need to continue; Yuna stepped out, staggering. She walked forward slightly, for a few moments, before collapsing. Reis, seeing this about to happen, had dashed forwards; catching Yuna before she fell to the floor. The group walked back in silence to Besaid, Lulu glaring at the other man, 'Wakka', for a reason that Reis can only guess; he might be a guardian of Yuna, but failed to do his duty by allowing this strange boy to get in.

Later that day…

Argh, those people are so noisy celebrating outside…Yuna might have become a summoner now, but that's no reason to celebrate that much, is it? I mean, it's nearly midnight now, and they're still cooking and eating and carrying on. I can't sleep…In Ivalice summoners are so common that nobody cares if they die. Is it different here?

A/N

I hate society…

Do we work to live or do we live to work?

What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

It's the same thing with hatred; what comes first, hating or being hated?

Anyway, congrats to readers, 900 hits have been reached.