Chapter 36: The Summoner's Guardians
When Tidus woke from his nap, he found himself alone once more. Besaid was a small village, so Wakka couldn't have gone far. Following a hunch based on a conversation overheard before his nap, Tidus went to look for him in the temple.
There, he found the red-headed blitzball player speaking to a priest that had visited earlier, but they seemed to be worried. Wakka explained that a summoner had disappeared into a room of forbidden access. Tidus didn't understand anything about the traditions here. And any religion that claimed Zanarkand was a holy place and used a blitzball cheer as their prayer was just plain strange. But when Wakka admitted that the room could be dangerous, the fact that the Church of Yevon knowingly condoned such harm didn't sit well with Tidus. Concerned for this summoner, which no one seemed to be willing to help, and despite the warnings from both Wakka and the priest, Tidus ran up the stairs and pushed his way into the forbidden chamber.
Inside, he faced an empty corridor with glowing spheres and glyphs. After walking the length of the place from beginning to end, he realized it was a puzzle. Fascinated by the unusual challenge, he set about trying to solve it and unlocked and opened the next passage. When Wakka caught up to him, he reluctantly agreed to take Tidus with him down into the Cloister of Trials and explained more about summoners and their guardians as they went.
In one of the interior chambers, Wakka and Tidus met a woman with long, black braids. She wore a long, black-leather dress and spoke with a soft but sharp tone. Insulted and angry at Tidus's presence, Lulu's crimson eyes seemed to cut right through him as she fussed at Wakka for bringing the stranger into the forbidden chamber.
"Is the summoner all right?" Tidus asked. He looked to the only other person in the room - a large, blue, bi-pedal lion with a broken unicorn-like horn. This humanoid creature was twice the size of anyone else in the room and had a menacing look in his yellow eyes.
Lulu faced Tidus with ice-cold suspicion. "Who are you?"
The door suddenly opened, and a young woman dressed in a lightweight, shoulder-less furisode entered the room at the top of the stairs. She paused for a moment, dizzy, then started to fall. Like everyone else in the room, Tidus reflexively gasped and reacted to catch her, but the lion-man reached her first. Cradling her gently in his massive arms, he growled, warning Tidus to stay back.
The young woman regained enough strength to fix her hair and stand. "I've done it. I have become a summoner." Her face was beaded with sweat from whatever she had endured in the chamber of the Fayth, but she was happy.
Tidus didn't realize his mouth was hanging open in surprise. For some reason, he thought the summoner they talked about was an old man. This girl looked about his age and was actually rather pretty. The lion-man was still glaring at him, though, so Tidus shut his mouth and kept his distance.
When the new summoner and her guardians left the chamber, Tidus followed and watched as everyone inside the temple congratulated her. He guessed being a summoner was pretty important. But even with Wakka's explanations, he still didn't understand much about it.
As the crowd surrounding the summoner and her guardians moved outside the temple, Tidus got separated from Wakka.
"Hey! Over here!"
In the courtyard, Tidus looked in the wrong direction until he was grabbed in a headlock by the other blitzball player and dragged toward a large circle in the center of the village's only road. "What? Ah-ah-ow!" He stumbled after him and tried to pull free.
Wakka pushed people out of the way, receiving a few dirty looks for his brash behavior, but he made room for his new friend. "Wait till you see this!"
"I can't see anything!" Tidus complained since he was being held facing the opposite direction. Pushing Wakka away, he readied himself for another abrupt tackle, when he realized something was happening within the circle where the summoner stood.
"Ready!" Wakka cued the new summoner.
"Okay," she answered with a small, shy smile. Then, the young woman lifted her staff and wove a spell that drew colorful glyphs of magic on the ground and in the air.
A large bird-like creature burst from the clouds and came down to her.
Tidus's first thought was that it was another fiend, and his hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword. But no one ran, and the monstrous bird did not attack. When the young woman who had summoned it stepped forward to stroke the brilliant red feathers beneath its sharp beak, the creature purred. Everyone offered more congratulations. So, this was what a summoner could do? He was impressed.
))((
That night, Valefor left her tomb within the temple and walked among the people gathered around a celebratory bonfire in the middle of the village. Yuna was chatting with some of the other villagers, so Valefor sat with her new summoner and looked for Tidus. The memory of her first meeting with Shuyin made her smile. It was good to have him "back," even if she missed Lenne.
Valefor giggled at how Wakka talked Tidus into joining the Besaid Aurochs. The Fayth's illusion had been eagerly accepted by one person, at least. But Tidus needed Yuna's attention if this was going to work. For a moment, Valefor worried her summoner would be too shy to approach their illusion, but her worries were put to rest when Yuna smiled at Tidus, and he decided that was enough of an excuse to introduce himself.
The villagers in the circle didn't want him near. They had witnessed his heretical disregard for the Cloister of Trials, and they weren't likely to forget it any time soon. Unfriendly remarks were made to keep him away. And Valefor could tell Tidus was about to say something he probably shouldn't when Yuna surprised everyone by leaving the bonfire circle to speak with him directly.
Her soft brown hair curled gently beneath her chin as she smiled and introduced herself. "Thank you so much for your help earlier."
"I'm sorry about that. Wasn't that ... Wasn't I not supposed to ... Guess I kind of overreacted."
"Oh, no. I was ... overconfident."
He could easily relate to that. Amused, he tried to keep the conversation going. "Um, I saw that aeon thing. That's amazing!"
"Really?" She leaned forward slightly to hold his attention for a moment, as if completely unaware that she already had full command of it. "Do you think I can become high summoner?"
Valefor giggled again as Tidus lost himself in Yuna's unusual eyes, but he managed to nod in response.
"Lady Yuna," a child interrupted them. "Come play with me some more."
Yuna smiled at the child but turned back to face Tidus. "So, tomorrow, then."
He was disappointed the child had interrupted but refrained from showing it. "Tomorrow?"
"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?"
"Oh, really?" He guessed she meant the boat to Luca.
"We can talk more. You can tell me all about Zanarkand."
Valefor was as pleasantly surprised as Tidus was. Everyone else had laughed when he told them where he was from, but Yuna wanted to know more.
As the summoner returned to the circle where she was seated before, Wakka joined Tidus. "She's cute, ya?" He nudged an elbow against Tidus's arm in a mildly teasing manner.
"Yeah."
"Don't get no ideas," Wakka then promptly scolded.
Tidus smirked. "No promises there, big guy." He flashed Wakka a mischievous glance, but his gaze drifted back to Yuna as she talked to the other villagers. "Hey, but what if she, like, comes on to me?"
"That's not going to happen," Wakka warned. "If you get tired, let me know. I had a bed made for you."
"Thanks." Tidus walked to the fire to warm himself, but his gaze, again, turned toward Yuna.
Valefor noted the way Yuna's eyes occasionally lifted in Tidus's direction, too. Then, with a grin of satisfaction, the Fayth closed her eyes and entered the dream.
))((
"Well?" Bahamut asked as soon as Valefor appeared on the houseboat.
"Yuna has successfully summoned my aeon. And she's taking a ship to Kilika tomorrow morning to seek out Ifrit."
Kaila stopped chewing her bottom lip. "And Tidus?"
"He's … confused. And he almost got in trouble at the temple by entering the Cloister of Trials without permission."
Bahamut groaned and shook his head at the typical Shuyin-like tendency for trouble. "But he's still Tidus, right? I mean, he hasn't started acting strange or violent after his encounter with Sin or Jecht, has he?"
"Not at all. In fact, he's already made friends with one of Yuna's three guardians," Valefor informed them, much to their relief. "Wakka convinced Tidus to join his blitzball team, so they'll be on the same ship to Luca tomorrow with Yuna. Oh, and Tidus is very interested in her." Valefor giggled into her hand.
The corner of Kaila's mouth quirked as she rolled her eyes. "Of course, he is. It's Yuna's interest in him that concerns us."
"Well, Yuna is very focused on her pilgrimage right now, and she's not the type to be distracted easily," Valefor admitted. "But she's interested in talking to him about Zanarkand."
"Did Auron tell them their fathers followed the same path together?" Kaila asked.
Valefor shrugged in a puzzled manner. "Auron wasn't with him when he came to Besaid."
Bahamut frowned. "That's strange. Auron said he would stay with him."
"I'll follow them to Kilika and keep you informed," the young girl volunteered. "I just hope Auron's okay."
))((
Auron woke to the sound of engines running in the distance and opened slitted eyes to see that he was still in the tall grass beyond the dunes on the island where he took refuge from Sin. Sighing, he stood and grabbed his coat and sword. Hefting his sword onto his shoulder, he edged toward the dunes, seeking the source of the sound. Al Bhed ... Luck might be with him today. Where Al Bhed were digging up ancient machina, there would be a salvage ship. The warrior monk decided to take a chance and introduce himself.
The workers stopped their digging machina and pointed the noisy, rumbling contraptions toward him as soon as they saw him on the dunes.
Auron sheathed his sword in hopes of warding off an attack. "Rammu! So hysa ec Auron. Fuimt dryd creb rybbah du pa kuehk yhofrana hayn Baaj?"
"Baaj?" They consulted each other for a minute, then one of them called back. "Fro tu oui haat du ku drana?"
"E mucd cusauha drana - dra cuh uv y vneaht uv seha," he answered when they questioned why he needed a ride there.
One of the Al Bhed, a teen dressed from head to toe in goggles and zippered gear to protect her from the sun and dangerous work, spoke to the others briefly and then jogged forward to meet him. "This friend's son that you lost … Does he happen to have short blond hair and think he's from Zanarkand?"
Auron adjusted his sunglasses. "That would be him."
"We found someone like that at Baaj two days ago, but we were attacked by Sin, and he washed overboard."
Auron's good eye closed with a grimace as he cursed under his breath. Now he had no idea where to find him. Tidus might be dead for all he knew.
"We can take you there anyway if you still want to look for him."
"If it's not too much trouble. Dryhgc," he thanked her.
"Rikku! Rinno ib!" A worker with a tattooed chest and blond mohawk called.
"Just a minute," she spoke politely to Auron, then faced the other Al Bhed. "Keep your pants on! Fa'na dygehk res pylg du Baaj!"
Auron pushed his sunglasses back up on his nose and smirked at the petite girl's commanding shout. Following her back to their ship, he waited by the sidelines while they finished the salvage hunt. Then, he boarded the vessel with the Al Bhed to head back to Baaj.
Navigating the water around the ruined tower, Auron scanned all of the rocks and chunks of stone protruding above the surface. But the subject of his search was nowhere to be found. "Tidus!" he bellowed as loudly as he could from the ship. They dare not get too close to the tower, due to submerged hazards on the ship's radar. "Tidus!" Only his own voice echoed back to him. "Can you spare a few minutes to let me search inside?" he finally asked of the girl named Rikku.
"Sure! We'll even help, so it doesn't take as long." Rikku gestured for the rest of the Al Bhed crew to follow Auron off of the ship into the ruins once more.
After a failed search of the tower, Auron tried to think of where else Tidus might be, supposing he had survived. The girl had said they were attacked by Sin after taking him on board. Jecht might have come back for him, but whether that was good or bad, he couldn't say. "Could you take me to Besaid?"
Rikku winced beneath her goggles and headgear. "Cunno. Besaid's a little out of the way for Bikanel. And no one could swim that far from here … unless he's a blitzball player. Oh, wait! He was a blitzball player, wasn't he? That's why I offered to take him to Luca before he washed away from us."
"If he finds out about Luca's blitzball stadium, he's bound to show up there eventually," Auron agreed. "Luca's probably out of your way, too, but if you can get me to the islands east of here, I can manage the rest of the distance on my own."
"You got it!" The girl gave him a friendly smile and headed back to her crew to discuss his request before heading home.
Auron turned his attention to the dolphins following the ship beneath the waves. He hoped Tidus was in Luca, for everyone's sake.
))((
Voices ...
In the depths of the canyon off of Mushroom Rock Road, after going through unknown years of isolation, Shuyin had learned to shroud himself in a deep sleep as much as possible to escape his memories. Now, his awareness slowly awakened to the sound of voices.
Voices outside the cavern were nothing new. Over the years, many people had come and gone, unable to open the impossible lock. They wondered what glorious treasure lay beyond such an ornate door, or they were curious about rumors that an evil spirit was buried there. It came to be known as the Den of Woe, and none dared disturb it. But this time, the voices were followed by a grinding sound, the door's movement, and a crack of light. Like a vampire avoiding the sun, Shuyin's spirit withdrew to a remote corner and blinked back imagined pain at the brightness piercing his dark tomb.
A small group of Crusaders entered with torches, guns, and a high dose of caution. "Looks okay to me," one of them stated.
"Uh, what about that?" Another Crusader pointed to the skeletons that littered the floor. "That doesn't look okay."
"Vikut, they said this was supposed to be an old tomb. What'd ya expect to find in here, a carnival? Stop being such a wuss. All we have to do is clean this up and bury the bones somewhere else. It's the perfect place to store the captured fiends for Operation Mi'ihen." A third member of the Crusaders moved forward to inspect the scattered bone fragments.
The Crusader named Vikut still didn't seem convinced the place was safe. His gaze shifted to the pyreflies that filled the area with a spectral glow. "Well, at least we'll be putting fiends in here rather than people or supplies, right? They'll feel right at home in this creepy place. What if they absorb more pyreflies and get stronger, though? Do you think this is a good idea?"
Shuyin wasn't interested in them and their operation. Only one thing interested him. Rising from the darkness, his spirit shot through the Crusaders toward the door. But opening the door did not remove the magical wards that sealed the cavern spirit within. Shuyin still could not pass between the glyphs on the walls. After all this time, the door finally opened, yet he remained trapped. No! There's got to be a way out!
"Hey! Look!" Vikut pointed at the small cluster of pyreflies hovering near the door. "It's a fiend! I knew we never should have come in here! The dead deserve to rest! We need to get out of here and lock the door again!"
The swarm of pyreflies suddenly came straight for Vikut. He cried out and turned to run, but there was no escape from Shuyin's spirit.
"You want to lock me back in? Then how about we trade places, and you can stay trapped in this darkness for all eternity!" The failed guardian unleashed his memories of losing his summoner, facing a monstrous machina, and being shot by a relentless firing squad. "I should make you relive this moment, again and again, every day, as I have! But today's your lucky day. You're going to get me out of here."
"No! Please! Don't kill me!" Vikut became uncontrollably frightened, but he couldn't tell if it was because he was afraid of what he was seeing, or because of the voice in his head. Either way, he raised his gun in defense against what he thought he saw.
"Vikut! What's wrong with you, man?" The other Crusaders weren't sure whether to draw their weapons or back away. Vikut certainly wasn't acting normal.
Then, Vikut fired multiple times into his stunned companions.
Outside of the cave, another group of Crusaders idly waiting for the return of the first group heard the shots. "What the ..." One of them ran into the cavern to see what happened. "Vikut? What the hell are you doing?"
No longer in control of himself, Vikut aimed the gun without hesitation and fired again. A second Crusader came in behind the first. He shot him, as well. Then, Vikut made a break for the door. Before he could reach it, a third Crusader stepped into the light of the opening and sent a bullet dead-center through Vikut's chest to stop his killing spree. Shuyin's victim barely had time to recognize he was dying between the time the invading spirit left his body and the time he fell to the floor.
"What's going on in there?" The leader of the small unit assigned to open the tomb came to the entrance and readied his flame gun with caution.
Enraged, Shuyin's spirit flew toward the marksman that killed his host.
The marksman turned to run.
"Retreat! Close the door again! Seal it and guard it!" The leader grabbed his fleeing warrior to jerk him clear as they slammed the door shut and quickly relocked it with an intricate key that not only rolled machina tumblers but infused an outer ward against magic over the device.
"No!" Shuyin cried out and rushed toward the door again, gathering pyreflies to materialize in his own form. "Let me out! Damn it! Let me out of here!" He slammed his fists against the painful wards. "You can't leave me here again! It's been so long! Please, let me out!" Dropping to his knees, he dug his fingers into the crack at the door's edge. "No ... This can't be happening!" he whispered in a panic, then banged his forehead against the barricade. "Next time, I swear I will get out of here no matter what it takes!" Again, he slammed a fist into the rock wall and closed his eyes to burning tears of despair. "I will get out of here," he made himself a soft, sinister promise. "I will escape. They will open it again because they found the key. And I will be ready next time. I will get out of here, Lenne. Just you wait and see!"
))((
The Crusaders on the other side heard his shouts and pleas but stood by in confusion.
"Someone's in there."
"No one was in there. It's empty."
"You didn't hear that?"
"No one was in there, I'm telling ya! That wasn't a real person! It's haunted!"
"That's just a rumor."
"Well, something's not right in there, or five of my men wouldn't be dead!" The team leader snapped. "Whatever's in there stays in there until we can figure out what the hell's going on. Stand guard," he ordered. Then, taking one last look at the door, he took the lift up to the precipice overlooking the sea. There, he entered their commander's tent. There, the maester of the D'jose temple sat behind a makeshift table, consulting with other church officials. "Maester Kinoc, sir! There's been an incident at the cavern where we meant to keep the Sin spawn. There's something terrible inside. It's making them kill each other!"
Kinoc looked up, annoyed at the interruption. "Who's killing each other, Qwenten?"
The unit leader drew a breath in an attempt to calm himself. "We used the temple's key to unlock the door, like you said. The place looked empty, but when my men entered, they started behaving irrationally. They started shooting each other. I lost five of them in a matter of minutes."
The maester seemed genuinely surprised. "The temple of Djose designed that lock and key ages ago when one of our summoners was called to dispose of an unsent spirit on a killing spree. The summoner never returned, but an urgent message requested a warded lock be placed on the tomb to keep anyone from entering. Protecting the key became the duty of the Djose maesters. But no one has had any reason to disturb the tomb since. You're telling me that spirit is still there? After all this time?"
"Apparently so. It sounded like someone begging to be released." Qwenten offered to return the key.
The maester shrugged. "Then kill it."
"We can't kill what we can't see. And that is no ordinary fiend. It possesses people!"
Kinoc sighed as if this was one more problem he didn't need. Then, after a thoughtful moment, he looked to two of his temple guards standing inside the open door-flaps of his tent. "Has the Crimson Squad arrived yet?"
"Not yet, Boss! Er, ah ... Maester Lord," the short turtle-like one of the pair answered.
"Check our supplies and make sure we have enough firepower so that they're well equipped when they arrive," Kinoc told them.
"Right away, sir," the tall, thin one agreed and then led the way out of the tent with the other.
Kinoc looked back to Qwenten. "Take no further action with the tomb just yet. Tell no one what you've discovered. Let me know when the Crimson Squad recruits arrive."
"Yes, sir. But … what about the caged fiends? If we can't put them in the cavern, where else can we keep them?"
"Seal off Mushroom Rock Road and have the Chocobo knights stand watch. You'll have to keep the cages along the road for now. Just make sure travelers are not allowed through. It's for their own safety."
"Yes, sir." Qwenten bowed and left the tent.
))((
Kinoc looked to his advisers that remained. "The Crimson Squad are mostly Al Bhed youngsters wanting to join the Crusaders. I was going to use them as a cautionary underpinning—a little something in case Seymour decided to grab too much power too quickly, now that he holds his father's position. But whether they meet their ends keeping him in check, trying to defeat Sin, or investigating a fiend-infested cavern, it's still a few less Al Bhed heretics when this joint operation fails." The maester chuckled with the approval of his advisors.
))((
Auron reunited with Tidus in Luca after fiends attacked the blitzball stadium following the tournament. Tidus and Yuna had already pieced together the clues about their fathers knowing the same warrior monk. So, after listening to Tidus's short tantrum about him being the reason everything went wrong, Auron pulled Tidus aside for a private conversation on the docks and told him the truth about his father.
"It can't be," Tidus responded with mild disbelief.
"It is. Sin is Jecht."
"No! That's ridiculous! No way! I don't believe you!" Tidus turned away, refusing to accept the distressing news.
"But it is the truth. You'll see for yourself. Come with me."
Tidus paced, still just as angry. "If I say no?"
"Every story must have an ending."
"I don't care about your stories!"
"I see. Sorry you feel that way," Auron frowned. "Fine, then. Come or don't come. It's your decision."
Tidus growled in frustration and turned back around to face him. "What am I supposed to say? You tell me it's my decision, but I don't have a choice, do I? I have to go with you! I have to! You're the only one who can tell me what's going on anyway!" Tidus turned his back to him and bent his hands to his knees to steam quietly for a moment.
Auron sympathized and wondered if the Fayth were watching now that their illusion stood on the threshold of discovering his own truth. "Irritating, I know. Or are you afraid?" He could tell the boy was afraid, though he would never admit it. The warrior monk approached Tidus from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder, supportive but firm to let him knew he understood. "It's all right."
"Auron? Will I ever go home? Back to Zanarkand?"
"That's up to Jecht." Auron turned to leave, but then stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'm going to offer my services to Yuna. Come."
Tidus asked a few more questions about his dad, but he didn't get many answers. Finally, he sighed in resignation and reluctantly followed his former guardian.
"Woah," Wakka commented when he saw Auron approaching.
"Sir Auron!" Yuna grinned, happy to see him again.
"Yuna," he greeted her with a nod and a smile.
"Sir?"
"I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?"
"You're serious?" Lulu asked.
"You refuse?"
"No, no! We accept! Right, everyone?" Yuna looked at her growing number of companions.
"O-of course! No problem at all!" Wakka heartily agreed.
"But ... why?" Lulu asked, suspiciously.
"I promised Braska."
"You promised my father?" Yuna seemed touched. "Thank you, Sir Auron. You're welcome to join us!"
"And ..." He grabbed Tidus, who had been sullenly kicking a pebble on the pavement, and jerked him around in front of him. "He comes, too."
Tidus regained his balance and tried to regain his composure. He was still angry at Auron's little information bomb concerning his dad's disappearance, but at least now he understood why he never wanted to talk about him before. "Hi ... guys. Eh ... howdy."
"This one I promised Jecht."
"Is Sir Jecht alive?" Yuna was hopeful.
Auron could hardly call those brief phantom projections "alive." He could communicate with his friend, but it wasn't the same. Tidus knew the truth now, but no one else needed to just yet. "Can't say. Haven't seen him in ten years."
Yuna was disappointed. "I ... see."
"You'll meet eventually."
"Yes! I'm looking forward to it."
With an apologetic expression, Tidus averted his gaze.
Auron stepped forward to Lulu. "What's our itinerary? Where are we headed?"
"We cross the highroad and Mushroom Rock Road toward Djose so that Yuna can pray to the Fayth and receive its aeon," she answered.
As the group headed up the steps out of the city of Luca toward the Mi'ihen Highroad, Auron watched Tidus reluctantly linger. His first test would challenge his will to continue this journey now that he knew their target's true identity.
))((
Yuna had noticed something was bothering Tidus and returned to talk. Unseen to any of them, Ifrit had followed and leaned against the wall to watch the pair with thoughtful concern. Then, the Fayth closed his eyes and entered the dream.
This time, Bahamut and Kaila sat on the water arch overlooking the city.
"Auron has reunited with Tidus and told him the truth about Jecht's identity," Ifrit reported. "He hasn't explained more than that because hearing that Jecht is Sin was upsetting. But … Tidus is also upset that he has no choice but to be involved."
"But he does have a choice, " Bahamut stated. "Auron can't make him fight."
"Uh, actually Auron insisted he come along as one of Yuna's guardians. So it's official now. But Yuna wanted him to join, too. They get along pretty well." Ifrit paused and smirked. "Really well," he repeated with a slight wink.
Kaila's expression flattened. "He's showing off to impress her, isn't he?"
Ifrit chuckled. "Just a little."
"That idiot," Bahamut frowned. "He's supposed to be protecting her, not flirting with her."
"Well, nothing's come of it yet," Ifrit countered. "He just doesn't realize she's not going to be around for very long. And neither will he. So …"
Kaila saddened, then lifted her chin with a bittersweet smile. "If anything happens between them, let it happen."
"But … he's not real."
"His feelings are. And so are hers. Let them have their time together. If they find comfort and strength in each other, it will give both of them something worth living for—something they will need to see this difficult task through to the end."