Chapter 7: The Soul of Sparda

Tilting her head to the side, Lumina was watching with mild amusement as a man knelt at the statue of Sparda and seemingly began to pray. This is without a doubt what some humans would deem to be the 'ultimate irony'- a human seeking salvation from one of those who was supposed to bring about the end of their kind. Though the creed of demons was no Ragnarok, the primordial beings did wish to see oblivion to befall those that they deemed to be 'lesser' creatures. If only they knew like the Gods of old had, that humans possessed a power that not even the divine could wield- free will and the lack of constraint to do as they wished. Humans could live every single day with constant change, but those born into a specific 'higher power' were confined to that fate until they met the end. But there was no longer a creator to remake worlds or deities of which to make life 'easier' for mankind, so this truly was the last chance for them.

"You know, those words of yours really fall on deaf ears- Sparda's long gone and no longer of this world." Stating what she believed to be the obvious, the man, seemingly startled, jumped at her words. Standing up immediately from his kneeling position, he spun on his heels to face the young pink haired girl. Disturbed by the fact that she'd just come from out of nowhere and her odd appearance, he wasn't sure what to do.

"W-where did you come from!?" Demanding an explanation, his hands balled into fists at his side. Sending her a dirty look, be made it very clear that this was meant to be a private time between him and his chosen higher power- not something to be meddled with by some little girl.

"That's not important." Lumina shrugged off his question. Leaping off the small ledge she'd been sitting on, she walked up to the statue of Sparda. Carefully reaching out a hand, she lightly stroked the plaque on the idol of the former champion of the human race. Lumina assumed many must have followed this foolish human in careful reverence to worship this statue and the belief that their 'God' Sparda would somehow come back from the dead in order to avenge their kind and do their bidding. They didn't want a 'champion' they wanted a sword in order to strike down those they deemed to be too much 'trouble'.

"Don't touch that!" Scolding her, the man went to retract her hand from the statue. Surprised when she disappeared into a wisp of black smoke, he wondered where exactly she'd gone off to. Was she a demon? What could she possibly want with him?

"Oh, do you think he'll mind?" Lumina asked, giggling as she stood upon the statue itself. Looking down on the man, she smiled and waved. Seeing his outrage at her actions, she sat on the head of Sparda's horse and kicked her feet over the edge. "Like I said- Sparda's gone. He doesn't mind anything anymore, because his soul moved on."

"You lie!" Shouting his indifference, he didn't care to hear her tales of how Sparda was dead. What could have possibly taken him down?

"Me? Tell lies?" Lumina scoffed at the man, shaking her pointer finger at him. "I think you'll find that I'm above such things." Just because she did tend to deceive people in order to make her goals run along smoothly, didn't mean she necessarily spouted off lies at every given opportunity. Besides, this man factually knew nothing about her, and she wouldn't have it.

"What could you possibly know of Sparda!?" He glared up at the pink haired little girl. Everything she did was annoying, and he didn't have much patience to deal with her.

"Sparda...was perhaps the greatest threat to Demon kind that ever existed. An individual who became a beacon of hope for mortals because he took up the torch that many had dropped; he was an idealist- a revolutionary who thought more of himself than being born into a singular purpose like his brethren. Sure, he may have been a knight born into a caste that demanded he eternally serve the aristocracy who demanded absolute obedience by what were interpreted to be his 'lesser' kind- but Sparda knew better. He saw the devastation that they brought down upon mortals, and he became a righteous blade of justice for the helpless. Your kind cried out for a hero, and he heeded your call without a second thought- even if it wasn't necessarily in his best interest to do so. Discarding his status and the many creeds that came with being a knight, he struck down any and all who opposed him on the battlefield. Even the individual he had faithfully served for centuries he ended up turning his back on. Sparda was quite the powerhouse..." Glancing down at him, the girl stopped kicking her legs and took on a much more serious demeanor when addressing the man.

"Then what happened to Sparda, where has he gone?" Demanding answers of the girl, he waited for an explanation.

"In order to get to that answer, I guess I'll have to explain a few things. Obviously you know how Sparda ended up on the New World, and how he'd defected against his kind in an everlasting war in order to save this planet. But you don't know the rest. You see, Sparda was a martyr for his own cause- he sealed himself away because he knew of just how much a beacon of power for his kind he truly was- not even the Demon King himself was on his level. Being a mere knight, Sparda wasn't meant to wield the power that he had, and found himself to be dangerous. Eventually his ward broke, he came to be on the New World, and he met a girl. Here, he and she sired two children and so on and so forth- but Sparda disappeared from this world. Now why would he leave behind his bride and twins, you may ask? Well, he died. But that's not where the story ends!" Lumina excitedly pointed out that there was yet another arc to her recounting of facts. The man seemed to be listening to her every word, and she felt like they wouldn't be wasted considering that fact, so Lumina continued on. Looking directly into the sky, more specifically at the sun/Unseen Realm, Lumina recited the words that she knew he wasn't likely to believe:

"Sparda woke up on the stagnant shores of Valhalla itself- the world of the late Goddess of Death, Etro."

Being made aware of a wetness on his lower torso, Sparda opened his eyes in drew in a breath. Staring at an unfamiliar sky, he sat still for a few moments, taking in his surroundings and assessing the condition of his body. The last part was exactly necessary, as his demonic healing far surpassed any beings ability to land physical - lasting - damage to himself. Placing his arms beneath himself, Sparda slowly made his way into a kneeling position and frowned at the fact that he was apparently on a beach. The waters made absolutely no sounds whatsoever, and the waves dared not move- where was he, again? Staring at the water, he furrowed his brows and concentrated hard in order to attempt to remember- but it was all in vain. Standing up, the man was surprised to see a city and a multitude of buildings/scriptures he'd never seen before in all his centuries of having lived. On focusing further, Sparda saw the outline of a man and a young girl in his arms. Walking toward the sea, the man didn't appear to notice Sparda, at all. Waving at him, Sparda attempted to draw his attention, but nothing seemed to work. About to call out to him, he was stopped by the voice of a woman.

"He is not to permitted to see you, by my divine will. You have come to my shores, and ripples have cascaded through the timeline, creating cataclysms and the deaths of many. Ordinarily, your kind are not permitted to this realm- for the unclean may not pass through my gates. But I trust in the fact that they have not opened without purpose. But my ward must not break- the Chaos must not seep out into the world and erode all that many have worked so had to preserve. Dark Knight, you must come to my throne room. We have much to discuss."

'Divine will'. Was Sparda in the realm of a Goddess? Her voice seemed to be a soothing balm on the very fabric of his soul, and he felt compelled to do just as she asked of him. Though he may not have known how he'd come to be in this realm, he knew better than to toy with the lives of humans. Looking around in all directions, he had no idea where to go. That is, until a radiant light broke from the heavens and shone along a path meant distinctly for him. Glancing back at the man from before, Sparda saw him dip the young woman into the shores along the beach, and her body fade into nothing. There was no questioning the fact that he was in a realm beyond that of the Demon World or the Human World- but of whom did this world belong? Running up the stairs at a breakneck pace, Sparda was intrigued to find out.

Reaching the end of the stairs, he stood before two large double doors. Reaching for the knob of one, he was surprised to find that both opened simultaneously on their own. Taking it as a sign to enter, Sparda walked along the grand halls of the palace-like interior of the building. Intricate scriptures decorated the halls, and only the finest of materials seemed to be used in order to assemble the building he now roamed around in. Everything about it seemed absolutely 'divine' and not of malicious intent, but something Sparda was entirely unused to. Walking along the marble floors, he eventually happened upon a throne room and the sight of a woman unlike any other he'd even stumbled upon. The sight of the deity was enough to take his breath away. A long, flowing white dress with gold trim along the bottom of her skirt, adorned an intricate breastplate going to her shoulders, a helmet with wings on either side of the head that seemed to cover her eyes, and a very large set of wings upon her shoulders that made her look nothing short of an angel. The barefooted woman seemingly smiled and looked upon him- Sparda could feel her gaze, but felt that it couldn't be a possibility due to the fact that her eyes were covered. Instinctively kneeling before her, he bowed his head and showed respect to the divine entity.

"Arise, Sparda- you need not show me such formalities. It is you who deserves my eternal gratitude and whom I should be showing respect." Etro wouldn't hear of him daring to bow to her. Standing from her throne, the large deity towered over the Dark Knight. Holding her smile, she made a step forward and knelt just as Sparda had done for the Goddess.

"You seem to know who I am- but I have no idea who you are." Sparda looked up at the gigantic woman, doing as she'd asked of him. He felt strange having such a large entity bowing down to him.

"Forgive my rudeness, champion of man. I am the Goddess, Etro. Mother of mortals and resident of the Unseen Realm of Valhalla where only the dead and select few may ever enter. For someone of your caliber to enter this realm, a great atrocity must have come to pass." Releasing herself from her kneeling stance, the Goddess carried her smile for Sparda while she sat back down on her throne.

"I'm...dead?" Sparda asked, not exactly alarmed of that statement- more surprised by the fact that he couldn't remember how such a thing had come to pass.

Nodding to him, the Goddess seemed saddened by having to pass on this revelation. A singular tear fell down her cheek. "You have done much in order to protect my children, and in the grand scheme of things- I could not return the favor. Though I have influence on the mortal realm, I am not allowed to interfere with the affairs of lower beings- but my hands are now forced."

"I didn't believe that there was another plane of existence for my kind- I thought that we, who were born in darkness were destined to fade away into the very depths of abyss that had spawned us at the end of our wicked lives. It's an honor to be allowed here, to be able to speak with you- but I ask that you not weep for me." Sparda had only done what he'd thought to be best in his life. Humans weren't meant to be looked down upon, they were far more intriguing creatures than his kind would ever come to know- they had so much more potential than demons were capable of: choice. Freewill in order to choose whichever creeds they belonged to, whether it was good, evil, light, darkness- and they got to grow old, and die. The power that human beings possessed far surpassed anything the divine could ever conjure up, and it almost left a tinge of sadness, knowing they wished to be more like the divine. "You spoke of atrocities- what is to happen?"

Answering his question without the utterance of a word, the Goddess leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

Sparda saw two young women: A red haired girl with a binding rod and another brunette/redhead with a taming pole. The pair led the charge in an interplanetary war between two creeds. From either side he saw two peculiar brands, the usage of magic and creatures he'd never seen before in grueling fights to the finish. Racing to the finish line, it seemed Fang and Vanille were determined to make it to Cocoon for some reason. Amongst the destruction/death brought about by both sides of Cocoon/Pulse, both of them joined together and destroyed the floating world, then the unforeseen consequences forced it to fall and destroy both planets, killing every living thing and driving out the Chaos to destroy everything left. Once snapped out of his trance-like state, Sparda stared up at her. "Where are these worlds? I've never seen them before."

"The worlds of 'Cocoon' and 'Gran Pulse' predate your world that is called 'Earth'. In order for your world to exist, these two must not be destroyed, the cracks within the fabric of time itself must be healed. If not stopped, the daughters of 'Dia' and 'Yun' will become the entity known as Ragnarok and disaster will befall all our worlds. A fate much worse than death."

"Is there anything I can do?" Sparda wasn't about to let all that he'd come to know fade away because he failed to act when he could have done something. Even if he had to leave Eva, Dante and Virgil behind- he'd have the satisfaction of knowing that even in death he had managed to save them.

"There is." Etro nodded to him. "The price that must be paid, is one that I cannot give. For it is your choice to accept or decline."

"What has to be given in exchange?" Sparda wasn't hesitant on giving up whatever Etro demanded of him.

"Your life and soul." Etro took on a very grim expression/tone of voice on asking for the price of salvation for the worlds of Cocoon/Gran Pulse. It was solely dependent on this individual on whether or not humanity would simply fade away, or move on to other spheres in order to have a new chance. The Goddess saw many possibilities just from having him within her presence, and even the 'good' side didn't seem quite as bad as the 'bad'.

"I'll do it." Sparda didn't even have to think about it. "If I can prevent the deaths of many in exchange for my life- then so be it."

"You understand that there will no be going back on this?" Etro was adamant he be very sure of his decision.

"I do." Sparda nodded. "Take it- whatever needs to be done, do it." Staring bravely at the Goddess, Sparda was unyielding in his decision.

Reaching out, Etro stood up and made her way over to Sparda. "Your end brings about the beginning of another- through you, this champion will arise from the crystal shards of a faltering world, and bring about salvation for all who would fade. But make no mistake, Sparda- Ragnarok shall still occur. l'Cie who rest upon Cocoon will reawaken, however long they may wait. And Ragnarok will rise again, to tear the land from it's seat in the sky." Placing her hands firmly on his shoulders, the Goddess gifted the warrior one last mercy- kissing his forehead once more, she showed him visions through her eyes of what would come to pass.

"You exist, because we allow it- you will end because we demand it!" Oerba Yun Fang/Dia Vanille both diffusing from their state of Ragnarok and turning to crystal. The two women's incapacitated state being brought to the sky world of Cocoon. Six centuries later, both women awakening, and Etro distorting Fang's symbol in order to make her forget and not allow her to destroy the world in a quest to save her beloved childhood friend.

"The thirteen days after we awoke, were the beginning of the end-" With the eve of the Purge, many innocents would find themselves to an unjust fate- but the Goddess could not bring salvation to every soul who fell along the way.

"Because of you, Serah's..." Lightning punched Snow square in the jaw, angry and ready to do it again.

Hope stumbled and fell, angering the pink haired woman warrior.

Lightning: "This isn't working."

Hope: "Huh?"

Lightning: "I mean, you're a liability. You'll just slow me down."

Hope: "Wha- you gotta take me with you!"

Lightning: "Enough! The whole world is against us! I can barely keep myself alive...let alone some helpless kid! You wanna get tough!? Do it on your own!"

Odin summoned with the last of her words, and prepared to coupe de grace Hope Estheim. Only at the last possible moment was his attempt thwarted by the champion Etro spoke of.

Backhanding Fang, she seemed seething.

Fang: "Feel better?"

Lightning: "Not really. It didn't solve anything."

Fang: "Tell that to my jaw."

Fang: Well, count me out. If you all want to go it on your own...Then so will I!

[She assumes a fighting stance.]

Fang: Let Cocoon gets what's coming. They hate us for being l'Cie. What's it to me if they die? Better that than watch a friend go Cie'th! If you don't have the nerve for it, I'll do it myself. Go on alone, get stronger, and smash Cocoon out of the sky!

Vanille: Fang?

Fang: (as her mark reacts) You turn Cie'th, and there's no coming back! I'm not...letting it end that way.

[Bahamut emerges]

Fang: What's he doing here? Come to take pity on me? Come to take care of a broken l'Cie?

Snow: That thing's here to help us?

Fang: Yeah, 'help.' That's what Eidolons do, they help us. Eidolons are our salvation. If we can't decide what to do next, they come put us out of our misery!

Orphan: "A haven, yea. Yet it must fall ere we be saved. Too frail a shell, and humans should not thrive. Too stout a shell, and they would not die. Slaughter and salvation! Two irreconcilable Focuses we bore. Yet bound were we in a cocoon prison impervious to our power. And so we thank you for granting us our longed-for birth. Have you ever paused to consider our reason for making l'Cie of men? We fal'Cie are crafted for a single purpose, and granted finite power to that end. With men it is not so. Men, dream, aspire, and through indomitable force of will achieve the impossible. Your power is beyond measure. We take l'Cie that we might wield such strength. Through you, we obtain freedom from our bondage. And now, your Focus alone remains. Salvation is born of sacrifice-miracles, of misery From shattered shards, a new crystal legend will arise. Yes! Let anger be your strength! Despair. Depair and save us all Lo! The day of Wrath has come!"

Lightning: You don't believe in anything. You gave up on life before you were even born. Sat poisoning Cocoon from the inside, waiting for someone to come and destroy you. Sure, you think the end of the world is salvation. All you care about is death's release. So take it, and leave the rest of us alone. We don't think like that. When we think there's no hope left, we keep looking until we find some. Maybe Cocoon is past saving, but it's our home. And we'll protect it or die trying! We live to make the impossible possible! That is our Focus!

Striking down the battery deity of Cocoon, Fang and Vanille retook the form of Ragnarok- this time heralding salvation instead of destruction.

Fang: When prayers turn into promises, not even fate can stand in their way.

Vanille: We held the light of hope in our hearts, and achieved the impossible. Now we live on, to greet a new dawn.

The righteous end, set about a new chain of events that would land the woman known as 'Lightning' within the reaches of Valhalla itself. Journeying through the divine realm Valhalla just as Sparda had done before her.

Lightning: That time was lost; yet time continued onward. Divine Etro. Go peacefully to your rest. I will stand guard over your legacy.

The heroine was reborn in the image of divine at her own request, the last shards of the Goddess' power and hopes poured into the Grail of Valhalla. A last stand for an inevitable demise no matter what form of protection befell her. Etro's death was as imminent as that of Sparda- but their sacrifice would herald salvation. Showing him one last vision, Etro allowed him to gaze upon Lightning striking down Bhunivelze himself in order to free humanity of its shackles.

Turning her head, Lightning stared in the direction of Sparda, she stalked toward him while wearing her various outfits from Guardian Corps to Knight of Etro to the Savior. With each passing step, the sound of her boots filled the void of space between them, and she smiled at the man. Her mouth opened, and she uttered lines that surprised the Dark Knight.

Lightning: People always look to a brighter future, and hold on to dreams to the point that they can lose sight of what's directly in front of them. The hardships of the present may fade with the passage of time; but miracles are born of sacrifice. The needs of the many and the few must be answered... And so we hope, waiting for a future brighter than today. But, remember this... As you walk towards a brighter tomorrow, you have to look back to your past.

Her words echoed a hint of sadness tinged with wisdom. Though she had been smiling, a tear had fallen down her face as if this had meant 'farewell'. As if Sparda had been an old friend of hers that she owed a hefty debt that could not be repaid.

"This woman...'Lightning'...she seems like quite the person. A human I'd like to meet. I'm almost sorry that I have to give up my life for her." Sparda felt a sense of 'belonging' when he saw the visions of her- she seemed so...familiar to him. Though it wasn't at all a possibility, Sparda still felt it. Seeing all of her struggles, it verified what he'd thought of humans all along- and he was proud to have saved a world through her.

"You will meet her, one day. Though it may not be the same, Sparda, your soul will fashion the perfect champion."

"Am I..." Sparda stared up at the Goddess, wondering if his assumptions were founded or not. "...is she...going to be made of my soul?"

"I will not listen to such a blasphemous heretic!" The man was completely perplexed by her stories of what had happened to Sparda. He disappeared from this world, to meet a Goddess?

"Heretic?" Lumina tested out the term. Shaking her head, she found it to leave a bitter taste in her mouth to merely utter the word aloud. "No no no! I'm stating facts, not herecy! I mean, you call yourself devout when you don't even know that much?" Scoffing at him, Lumina laughed at his ignorance. "Pop quiz: What do the Children of Etro, The Order of the Sword and The Order of Salvation all have in common?" Waiting patiently for his answer, she knew he wouldn't like what she had to say, but that wouldn't stop her in the least.

"I know not of those organizations." Who were they belonging to? 'Etro', 'Salvation'? Staring up at Lumina, he wondered if she'd give him the answer to the question he couldn't bring himself to answer. His curiosity was piqued by her, and superseded his former anger by her critique of Sparda and his faith.

"Bzzt. Wrong!" Lumina gave him a thumbs down and made the noise of a buzzer. "The answer to the question is that they're all faulty creeds based upon groundless faith to higher beings who just couldn't be bothered. Well, that and the fact that they long ago fell to the sands of time and dissolved into the Chaos where not even they can come back from." Sparda. Etro. Bhunivelze. All three had died, but that was the only correlation between the three- Sparda and Etro had far more similarities than God did with those two. Sacrificing themselves for the preservation of mortals, whom were looked down upon by their superiors, but the two factually adored so much to the point that they allowed themselves to be destroyed in their quest to give them another chance.

"You'd dare to mock the faith of others?" Outraged, his narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Who are you to look down on deities?"

"Me?" Lumina pointed to herself. Pondering it for a moment, she teleported off the statue and walked around him. "Well, I guess you could say that I'm a 'higher power'- one who can't be destroyed. I'm a primordial force that predates everything you know surrounding yourself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I'm 'better' just that I can't be destroyed." Lumina wanted to make that point abundantly clear to the man.

"And what might that be?" His curiosity piqued once more and he felt the need to ask in order to find out more.

"Death." Lumina stated the obvious to him. "I come from the very essence of death and rebirth itself- the ravages of time won't take me." The only one who truly could 'destroy' her would be Lightning Farron- and that would only be technical, due to the fact that they'd become one at that point. But Lightning wasn't ready, and Lumina wouldn't leave a moment beforehand. The two of them would have a very lengthy game before the pair could come to terms with becoming whole, and Lumina was going to make her point abundantly clear to Lightning: Pass up those who love you, care for you, worry for you, and act like you don't need anyone- then just as the False Serah had said before: You deserve to be alone.

"If you're death and life, then what are you doing here? Are you a Goddess? For what purpose do you stand amongst mortals?"

"Make no mistake, I'm not the one you should be looking up to-" Pausing for a few moments, Lumina frowned. The man seemed to be looking up to her, as if pondering whether or not to grovel at her feet. She wasn't looking to make followers for herself, he needed to know exactly who to place his faith in. "-I don't believe we've introduced ourselves- I'm Lumina."

"Silas." The man hesitantly gave her his name, wondering if it was alright to do so. His green eyes wavered and the brunette wasn't quite sure on whether or not he'd spoken out of turn. If she truly was a higher power, then he'd do his best to not offend her.

"Silas." Testing out his name, Lumina found it to be alright. Those of the New World sure did enjoy their strange names. "Well Silas, I'm not the power player who needs your following. It just so happens that I know what happened to Sparda's soul, and who received it." Lightning was going to be infuriated when she found out what Lumina was doing, but it didn't stop the young divine girl from doing as she pleased. There was going to be an entirely new religion in this New World, and it would be based upon those who rightly needed their time in the spotlight, and Lumina was just the person to ensure the efficacy of details.

"Who received it?" Puzzled, Silas stared at her in disbelief. "You don't mean- he's returned!?" Did he hear her wrong, or did Lumina just state that their salvation had returned?

Lumina nodded. "She has come- the Savior of mankind, whose divine wisdom and love will rain down upon Sparda's beloved lower beings. Reborn in the image of those whom he envied ever so much, Sparda's returned on the eve of damnation once more." A mischievous smile spread across her face as she recounted her facts to the man.

"She? Sparda's been reborn in the form of a woman?" Silas was surprised by her statement. Why he'd chosen to be reborn as a mortal, and a woman he had absolutely no idea- but he didn't care. So long as their champion had come back in order to prevent whatever 'damnation' Lumina was referencing to him.

Nodding her head, Lumina clasped her hands together. "Yes. And I think it's time we did a little updating, don't you?" Her little pet project was going to take off, and the Savior would find herself in quite the situation. The prayers of many would still flow toward her, demanding that she use her divine grace to offer them salvation in a world on the eve of destruction not unlike Cocoon/Gran Pulse/Nova Chrysalia. But with the stakes this high, would Lightning crack and falter beneath the weight of a world? There was no time for error this time around- Bhunivelze wasn't going to just gift them a radiant new world to live upon. It truly had become humanity's last stand.

"Updating?" Silas asked, confused on what she had to say.

"This place- it's not befitting of a Goddess. Least of all for the return of Sparda!" Lifting her gloved hand, it became imbued with the aura of Chaos itself and spread throughout the debris filled remnants of the former grand building on which the pair conversed. Within moments everything was rebuilt in a modernized setting. Several erected pillars of white, marble floors and long, grand hallways with an altar. The center piece was the very statue Lumina sat upon. Hopping off of it, the statue itself began to shift with the images of Sparda/Lightning and their chosen divine weaponry drawn. The Dark Knight and the Grail of Valhalla both stood back to back, preparing for imminent battles mortals couldn't even begin to dream of. The emancipation of humans at the behest of both champions came at such a price that many would be unwilling to pay- Sparda, on realizing that he'd become too powerful for his own good, had sealed himself away in order to protect the world from himself. Lightning Farron sacrificed her last ties to humanity and became nothing more than a pet project for the Gods. Etro and Bhunivelze made so many 'enhancements' on the woman that even in the wake of their deaths, it could not be undone.

Surprised by the display of her power, Silas decided not to ask how she had accomplished such a feat, as the divine young girl would more than likely give him some form of a cryptic answer. "Is she to be coming here?" Seemingly flustered at the prospect of meeting what Lumina described to be the newly reborn incarnation of Sparda, Silas felt like he wasn't ready for such an honor. Despite all of the prayers he and many of the former Order of the Sword had sent to the heavens and beyond their world in the hopes that they'd reach Sparda- none of them exactly expected him to come back. Least of all to be reborn in the form of a woman.

"Oh you can count on that one." Lumina nodded. "So how about you go and rustle up a few of those old members of the Order of the Sword, and let them know that the Savior has come? After all, I think she'd just love a warmed welcome! Don't you?" Loving theatrics, Lumina threw her hands up in the air and excitedly exclaimed the last part. Lightning was definitely going to be furious, maybe even to the point that she'd dare raise her sword to Lumina like all that time ago- but she should know better than to do so.

"Right away!" Silas nodded to her, eager to let everyone else in on the situation as he'd heard from Lumina. With the eve of Sparda's return- none of them would dare to refuse his proposition.

"Good. Now I have other business to work on. You go and get those followers of yours." Disappearing into the void of Chaos, Lumina reappeared in her next location: The Seeress and the Hunter. Regardless of if Noel had any complaints on Yeul and her involvement with Lightning and the impending threat all of them would be now facing, the pink haired girl wouldn't hear of it. In order for everything to run along smoothly, she needed to fetch the latest incarnation of Paddra Nsu Yeul- for she alone could wield the Eyes of Etro. Well, there was more than one option. But Lumina wasn't going to be taking Serah away from the others so soon.

Leaping off the roof of the building she'd been sitting on, Lumina grew tired of watching the festival Yeul and Noel were participating in. Making her way through the crowds of people, she watched with vague amusement as Yeul danced innocently with Noel, without so much as a care in the world. As it turned out, the removal of the fate of the Seeress/Eyes of Etro had complimented the young girl. Who knew that without the weight of the world on ones shoulders you could feel such a sense of peace? Asking a favor of the boy, Noel conveniently walked away in time for Lumina to approach Yeul. Even if the male hadn't walked away, she still would have came to Yeul and forced him to back off if the need arose.

"It's been a while- did you miss me?" Jumping out, Lumina surprised the young Seeress and giggled at her reaction.

Yeul looked at the young girl, confusion spreading across her features. "You've returned." Stating the obvious, her brows furrowed a bit as she stared at Lumina and tried to recall if this had been a dream or not.

"Oh, I'm no delusion! I can promise you that much!" Lumina wiggled her index finger at the Seeress. "I'm back, and I need a favor. Mind you- I won't be taking 'no' for an answer. We both know the debt that you owe Lightning anyway, and I think it's time that we cashed in." It was very evident that the girl had gotten naive due to losing her affinity for the futures and multitude of paths for mankind to take, and Lumina wasn't interested in the boring, human version of the Prophetess from long ago- she wanted the Yeul who was always 50 steps ahead of everyone she ever encountered, always the 'smartest' person in the room due to the fact that she could never be surprised by any outcome.

"Lightning requires my assistance?" Yeul seemed surprised by that statement, and nodded to Lumina without second thought. "Anything to repay the kindness she has given to not only myself and Noel, but to all the destined who may know peace on a New World despoiled by deific kind and their whims." Offering out her hand to Lumina, Yeul was almost certain that the pink haired girl was going to teleport them to some other location, and she wouldn't so much mind that fact.

"One needs to be careful when saying anything when making a deal, as it quite literally means anything, Yeul." Lumina smirked at the former Seeress, giving her a moment to adjust her answer- for she knew exactly what she wanted from Yeul and her statement had made it just that much easier to get it.

"I will not welsh on my end of the bargain, Lumina. If Lightning has need of me, then she may have all that I can give." Even if she had been referencing the fact that her former guardian Caius Ballad had said 'anything' at the behest of the Goddess Etro in order to become immortal and protect Yeul in a never ending cycle of death and rebirth- it did not deter her in the least. For centuries she was forced to watch many rise and fall from power, the divine will of Gods bring damnation down on her kind and those she had come to care about in her time, but the absolute law of the Farseers forbade her intervention. Although tired of her constraints, Yeul's hands had been tied- and Lightning was the champion she had been made out to be. When the Goddess created her, the perfect line of defense against Caius; the immortal could barely keep up with her on the battlefield, even when Chaos itself would obey his every whim.

"There's no going back from this, Yeul." Lumina made sure to let her know she was making a binding deal.

Yeul simply nodded at the girl, still offering her hand.

"Yeul!"

Glancing through the corner of her eye, Lumina saw Noel drop the refreshments he was fetching for both individuals and start sprinting in their direction. Making quite the spectacle of himself, all of the festival seemed to stop at once and watch.

"Oh, dear. Now you've gone and made things difficult!" Lumina frowned, snapping her gloved fingers. All of time ceased to flow within their fixed area and the only ones who were able to move seemed to be Lumina/Yeul/Noel. Glaring at him, she saw some hesitance on Yeul's face, but took her hand regardless of the newly found inconvenient situation.

"What are you doing to Yeul!?" Yelling at Lumina, he knew her to be nothing but trouble and wasn't willing to let her take Yeul anywhere. Pushing himself to his absolute limit, he was closing distance between the three of them quickly.

"Don't worry, Noel! I have plans for you, too!" Lumina smiled at him, giggling at his struggles. "Goodbye." The tendrils of Chaos enveloped Lumina/Yeul and the pair disappeared, dispelling her influence over time.

"Damn it!" Noel cursed, falling to the ground and hitting the pavement with his fist. Clenching his jaw, he wondered just what the hell was going on, and how in the hell he could track down Yeul/Lumina. The first logical choice would have been Lightning, but Noel had no idea how to get in contact with her- she'd literally fallen off the face of the Earth when they all went their separate ways.

"Don't be too sad. He'll be right with you- once we're done here." Lumina clarified the situation to Yeul, letting go of her hand once they reached their destination: The Unseen Realm.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Caius materialized and stared down Lumina, seething at not only her intrusion to the Unseen Realm, but the very fact that she'd brought along Yeul of all people.

"You're not the one we have an audience with- go away." Lumina wasn't in the mood to trade words with Caius. Knowing him to be nothing but hotheaded, she knew he'd more than likely try to attack her or some nonsense.

"Whatever you have to say to Yeul, you may recount to me." Caius narrowed his eyes at the girl. "For what reason do you bring her here?" His gaze softened when Caius looked upon the last incarnation of Yeul.

"Well, after a little bit of thinking on my end of things- I decided that this world just couldn't do without a Seeress. And the newfound organization I have wouldn't be too complete without her." Lumina saw the instantaneous anger in his expression, and his sword even materialized from the Chaos for added effect.

"The Eyes of the Goddess shall not fall into mortal hands any longer- Yeul is freed from her fate and I will not allow you to jeopardize her happiness!" Charging forward, Caius had heard enough from the girl.

Tilting her head to the side, Lumina watched with vague amusement. Once he got to be a little too close, she stuck out her arm and the aura of Chaos itself came to her and his image began to fade. "This is so much bigger than the both of us, Caius. And I really don't have time for you. You understand, right?" Asking the rhetorical question, she forced Caius to disappear from her sight.

"What you ask cannot be undone-" Paddra Nsu Yeul appeared seemingly out of nowhere, answering the query brought on by Lumina and her latest self. As the wisps of Chaos that had been Caius subsided, both women were allowed to see the Goddess and have a proper conversation. Paddra Nsu Yeul's gaze shifted from Lumina to her last incarnation, as she wished to make the terms of this very serious. "-are you willing to sacrifice the life you have come to know and cherish with your beloved person, knowing this?" Allowing her words to hang in the air, the slightest breeze from within the Unseen Realm caused her veil to shift ever so slightly.

"If it is the will of fate that I once more return to the shackles of certainties and law of the Farseers, then so be it." Yeul nodded to the original of herself, not daring to break her resolve. She knew fully well that the oldest variant of herself didn't take this lightly, and neither did she. But Lightning needed her, and for Lumina to have returned would not be something taken lightly- what could have caused her soul to split into its two forms? Glancing at Lumina, she had to wonder.

"The Farseers no longer exist, and their laws are nothing more than machinations of an old world long forgotten." Paddra Nsu Yeul stated what she knew all of them should rightfully know at this point. Blinking at herself, she nodded to Yeul. "I will restore the Eyes of the Goddess to you, and what happens from that point on, shall be solely of your choosing. For I can only watch." Outstretching her hand, the Chaos itself enveloped her doppelganger and whispers of Yeul's past could be heard speaking to their latest self. All of them offered her parting words of encouragement and dissipated once their gift became her curse.

Solemnly looking at her doppelganger, Paddra Nsu Yeul saw the symbol of the Goddess Etro within her eyes and knew that this would seal her fate to return to the Unseen Realm.

Clasping her hands together, Lumina smiled at the duo. "There, now we can get this show on the road and let our Savior do what she does best- kill the bad guy and put her life in jeopardy to save everyone else." At least, that was more than likely Lightning's plan, but Lumina was going to edit a few of those details. Just because Lightning believed she was primed and ready to kill whatever was out there, didn't mean she could survive the looming threat hanging over humanities head.

"The Savior cannot win alone. If Lightning takes up arms against him she'll die and all will be lost." Paddra Nsu Yeul spoke up, looking Lumina directly in the eyes.

"Two champions shall arise, one will perish so the other may thrive." Yeul spoke up, coming out of the vision she'd just had. Turning her gaze to Lumina, she now had a keener grasp of what they were dealing with, and the Seeress was glad to have been brought back into things. Lightning was inheriting many troubles, and the path that she was currently on would only end in her demise and the world being lost in the crossfires. The Savior had many people who were more than willing to rejoin the path of righteousness and dispel evil wherever it may hide within the New World, but she was far too proud to accept their help. "The mantle of salvation concerns so much more than the Savior...in order for her to reach her fullest potential, the rest of the chosen six are needed, and the son of Sparda."

"My my. Aren't we back to being so wise beyond our years?" Lumina smirked at the Seeress. "Save the prophecies for later- we have things to do!" Waving to Paddra Nsu Yeul, the two disappeared from the Unseen Realm, leaving the Goddess behind.

Shutting her eyes, Yeul wished she could do more for them, but fate wouldn't allow it.

Reappearing in the newly found temple, Yeul was surprised to see so many mixed followers congregating. The Children of Etro. Order of Salvation. Order of the Sword. Three separate groups of followers had all combined in order to pour their hearts and souls out to the Savior and Son of Sparda, seeking guidance in a world so close to destruction.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Lumina called out to everyone within the building and waited until she had their undivided attention. "May I introduce to you all, the Seeress, Yeul!" Leading Yeul out to the podium, she wanted to make sure everyone knew Yeul was absolutely an important individual for all of them to revere carefully.

Standing confidently before them, Yeul knew exactly how this sort of event came to pass- people would 'clap' or show her some form of dignified respect and then demand she tell them the future. But Yeul's gift wasn't meant to be squandered for faulty purposes, she would only divine the future for those who truly needed it: Lightning and Dante.

Seeing Yeul pretty much had their undivided attention, Lumina teleported out of the building and went to find Noel. He wasn't too hard to track down, as he was simply at their shared home and grabbing various weapons/instruments he assumed he'd be needing along the way. "You think those would be enough for you to save Yeul? Not that she really needs saving, of course! She came along with me willingly, you know?"

Instantly turning on his heels, Noel glared at Lumina and ran toward her. "Where. Is. She?" Grabbing her by the shoulders, he demanded that she tell him right then and there. Noel hoped he was making his point abundantly clear to Lumina, that he wouldn't be screwed around and lied to by her all over again.

"Not so fast." Lumina shook her head, not at all worried by Noel's tight grip on her shoulders. "I came here for you. Now we could both just do a back-and-forth about how you 'want to find her' or some grand speeches about how no matter what offer I bring to the table, you'll do it 'so long as she's safe' or what have you- but I have plans in store, Noel. And I need you to be a good boy and just follow my lead, okay?" Seeing his frustration/annoyance with her turn to understanding, the brunette pursed his lips and thought over her words for a moment, then nodded and let her go. Taking a step back, he didn't offer her any words in return for what she had said, but he was still willing to listen. "Good! See- that's the Noel I remember! Always a real go-getter who was ready to do just about anything in exchange for the girl he loves! But the stakes are different this time around, Noel- I don't want you to fight Lightning in some 50-50 chance that either one of you will kill the other. No. This time, I want you to do a very important job that I know you, and only you alone can do- protect Yeul."

"Why would you even think for a moment that you'd need to ask that of me?" Noel stared at her, frowning. She was always such a self-serving individual who brought nothing but trouble wherever she may go, and Noel wasn't entirely thrilled to be the one currently dealing with her. And if this brat was back, then where did that leave Lightning and the others? Had the Chaos broken free from the Yeul's/Caius? "What are you doing this time around, Lumina? I don't think Lightning's going to go easy on you if you're stirring up any more trouble." Flipping the situation on her, he wondered if she'd still be acting as cool, calm and collected as she was.

"I'll start in reverse: Lightning's not going to be any trouble, at all! She already knows I'm back, Noel." Giggling at his attempt to try and make her feel afraid of her other half, she had to admit that was quite the good try on his part. Shaking her finger at him, she continued on. "Well, what I'm doing is going to save the human race. You know, like we did a little while back there? I'm just aligning the pieces so that our Savior can make or break her destiny. But I'm not spilling all of my plans!" Throwing up her arms in the air and shrugging, she looked him directly in the eyes for a change of pace. "Because the Seeress isn't going to be taken too kindly on the New World. I mean, could you just picture the lines of people from both worlds all drowning her in their prayers, hopes, dreams and basically anything she could do for them? The Eyes of Etro were never meant to be squandered, least of all to find your keys or what meticulous drivel they have to send her way-" A mischievous glint shone in her eye as she recounted the fact that Yeul was no longer a mere mortal, but back to her Human+ heritage.

Hearing her words, Noel's jaw dropped and his lips trembled. "You- you did what!?" Clenching his right hand into a fist, he sent a punch her way and was only further angered when his hand collided with a wall instead of Lumina.

"So close." Lumina laughed at his petty attempt to hit her. "Refresh my memory, Noel-" Standing up, she began to walk around the circumference of the room they were currently in, her arms neatly folded behind her back as she did so. "-did you or did you not swear an unbreakable vow in order to protect Yeul?"

"I did." Noel gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes at her. "When the world was different, and that was the only life I knew how to live- I took up the responsibility of becoming her guardian...but the Goddess is gone, and I don't have the powers required to protect her."

"So you give up, just like that? I guess Caius was wrong to let you take her to the new world, to promise her a life she was never meant to live, with a boy who falls to the ground and pouts every time life just doesn't go his way." This time Lumina didn't bother to evade his attack, the Chaos itself rebounded his force and knocked him to the ground. Walking calmly over to him, Lumina stooped down to his level and sighed. Placing her hands on her knees, her hands held either side of her face and she wore a bored expression. "Are you finished?"

"I will never forgive you for what you've done to Yeul!" Noel had to admit he was hurting, but the creed of hunters wasn't to merely get knocked down and not try time and again. Guardians were always meant to fight to the finish, and if Lumina didn't get to be more forthcoming about the things that she'd done, then that was just what he planned to do.

"Still holding on to old grudges, I see. That's such a...Lightning pass-time." Lumina stated the obvious, shrugging at Noel's outbursts. "You don't have to forgive it- you have to live with it. Now if you're done being a petty, love struck boy, then we can get going." Offering her hand to him, Lumina waited patiently for him to get over his anger/past issues and get on with things. Just because he disagreed with her making Yeul into a Seeress, didn't mean he had to do foolish things like attack her.

"Thanks to you...Yeul's..." Noel was sorting through all of the many feelings going through his head. Feeling the bitter sting of tears at the prospect of her dying in his arms like Serah had, he turned his head away from Lumina- just because she was a 'higher power' didn't mean his pride would allow him to cry in front of her.

"Oh, dear." Lumina conjured up a handkerchief and stepped around Noel so that they made eye contact. "There's a bigger picture here, Noel- and it goes beyond your love and self-involved little world. In fact, the fate of this world makes Ragnarok, the Crystal Pillar, Death of Etro and Rise/Fall of Bhunivelze seem like nothing- don't get me wrong, I'm not doing any of this solely to 'hurt you'. I've come as an old friend." Offering the handkerchief out to Noel, she shook her head. Humans could honestly get so emotional for such stupid reasons.

The proud hunter went to turn his head away, and decline her gracious offer, but Lumina's gloved arm stopped him.

"'Old friend', right." Noel snorted/scoffed at the same time, trying to dissuade her from whatever her sick little mind thought this moment to be.

"Despite your opinions of me, Noel, I want what's best for all of you." Lumina admitted the absolute truth to him, regardless of whether or not he believed her. Sazh, Vanille, Fang, Serah, Snow, Lightning, Hope, Noel, Yeul. All of them were 'precious' to her- more than likely an inherited from Lightning herself, but Lumina didn't question it. Wiping away Noel's tears, she dissolved the handkerchief right back into the Chaos from which it was spawned.

"How could you dare say that, when you did what you did to Yeul!?" Anger superseded any of his remaining emotions.

"Because I needed her. Because Lightning needed her. There's so many reasons that I could give you, but every second we stay here...Yeul's being badgered by a bunch of acolytes belonging to a Savior." Using Yeul to her advantage, she knew he'd probably stop all of this tedious nonsense now.

"Take me to her." Noel didn't even hesitate this time around. Taking the hand that she offered, Lumina and he were instantly brought back to the grand halls on which Yeul had remained. Sure enough, just as Lumina had said, they were all bothering Yeul over tedious questions. The former Order of the Sword members asked of Sparda, Children of Etro asked of the Grail of Valhalla/New Goddess, and the Order of Salvation demanded they meet their Savior in order to assist her in whatever plans God may have in store for her. To the trio present, they could make out that many of the followers were still largely delusional on Sparda, Etro and Bhunivelze and whatever their 'divine will' may have been. These long dead individuals had no say or influence on the world of the living, anymore.

"Humans- they need order, don't they?" Lumina asked Yeul, shaking her head at their multitude of outbursts. "The Seeress will not be taking any further questions! She's not here for you, silly! She serves the guardians who walk amongst us- the chosen who would go to literal hell and back in order to save a world on the brink of destruction; now could any of you have the audacity to say you're one of the 'divine' or more 'worthy' of her time and efforts than they?" Putting her hand to her ear for added effect, Lumina smiled when no response came her way. "Didn't think so! Now go, do whatever it is that you'd like to do in order to honor the Savior and Son of Sparda." Waving them off, she turned her attentions back to Noel and Yeul.

"Yeul-" Noel tried to argue with her, but the woman shook her head.

"It was the will of fate that I once more bare this burden. Noel, it's no ones fault." Yeul smiled up at him, hoping that it would offer some solace on the situation. Compared to the coming events, her shackles to what some would consider an 'unjust fate' just didn't seem to matter.

"But how could you-" Noel knew there was absolutely no point in him arguing with her, as Yeul probably had already seen this minor (to her) conversation and knew every response to his every query, but he still wanted to have their talk.

"She's made her choice, Noel." Lumina shrugged her shoulders. "Stop dwelling on the past."

Both turned their attentions to Lumina, and Yeul was the first to readily agree.

"I was a necessity for the Savior and Son of Sparda; a pawn who needed to find and know her place at the hands of Lumina." Yeul simplified it in the best way that she could. It seemed the first of the Yeul's had memories that weren't readily available to her next incarnations, as she, the last of the Farseers hadn't seen these events, and they appeared to be of the past. Had the Goddess Etro declined them their knowledge on Sparda for some reason?

"Alright. If you're really prepared to do this- I'm in." Noel conceded to both girls, throwing his hands up in the air. He didn't know how popular they'd particularly be with Lightning, as they were technically working with Lumina- albeit unwillingly from his standpoint and Yeul seemed to be perfectly content with being where they were.

"The Savior will come, and she will grant you the powers that the Goddess herself would only be able to give." Yeul had foreseen Lightning taking on a different path than Paddra Nsu Yeul had been able to see. The Goddess who walked amongst mortals had been influenced by her other half- Lumina had guided her to seek out those of her former life. With their added strength added onto that of the Savior and Son of Sparda, the looming threat above them had diminished. Lightning's strength had come from protecting others, and the rest of the chosen were more than likely going to dissuade herself from sacrificing her divine powers/image. The very first individual she was going to meet held more of an opinion that she was likely to follow, and that young man wasn't aware of how much influence he truly had over Lightning- Hope Estheim. Of all the individuals Etro had guided to Lightning during their fateful time as l'Cie, Hope was the very first person Lightning had been able to open her heart to/felt like she could avoid scrutiny when speaking with.

"Lightning's going to give me magic?" Noel blinked in surprise at that statement. To his knowledge, she hadn't been able to simply brand people with the mark of the l'Cie- that was kinda exclusive to the old gods. Pulse. Lindzei. Etro. Bhunivelze. Of course, if you really thought about it, Lightning had basically become the ultimate form of l'Cie - a human turned Goddess who never had to succumb to the crystal curse. Even though she did sleep for over five centuries, when the world went mad.

"Something like that." Lumina nodded in agreement, sharing a knowing look with Yeul. "Now you two kids play nice- I have to go and do a few more housewarming items on my list." Walking away from the pair, she held violet soul seeds in her hand, and gradually began to drop them along her way. After several moments, creatures rose up and seemed to shock a few people, but they dared not attack anyone within the building. Instead, they all followed Lumina towards the front of the cathedral.

Watching his lecture and how enthusiastically he could go on and on about varying subjects, Lightning resisted the small laugh that came her way. Smiling at the tall, silver haired male, she was honestly soothed just by being in his presence. Though she swore that their eyes met several times throughout his speech, she was gladly mistaken when he never once stopped and ran over to her like she thought he would. Wishing their reunion could be a tad bit more special, and that their promise of meeting on the New World wouldn't be wasted- she was still decidedly content with sitting in the back row and observing him. Of all the people she could go out of her way to find, she'd decided on Hope. Somehow, it just felt inevitable. Despite Lumina suggesting that Serah be her go to person- she wasn't. Her sister had struggled enough in the passing centuries, and Lightning knew of only one person who could set her straight and tell her exactly what she needed to hear- Hope.

Freezing time, she stood up and walked down the row of stairs separating teacher and student. Holding on to the letter she'd written, Lightning bypassed several of his frozen students and over to Hope, himself. Opening the front pocket of his shirt, she placed the letter inside and walked to the door. Taking one final glance at Hope, she removed the time distortion her Chronostasis had created and walked out the door. Allowing it to make a loud shut from behind her, she wanted to make absolutely sure that he knew someone had been there. Walking along the campus, Lightning felt a tad bit 'naked' without her weapons, and hated having to discard her Guardian Corps outfit in order to appear more like a 'student' as opposed to a 1031 year old ex(?)-immortal who still had the appearance of a 21 year old due to being a Goddess.

"You look lost- do you need help?"

Looking over, Lightning met the eyes of a young, blonde male who seemed eager to help her. "Yeah, actually. I was hoping to find professor Estheim's office. It's kind of embarrassing, but I'm new here and just transferred into his class." Giving a short, believable excuse to the boy, she hoped it would pay off and he wouldn't ask any further questions.

"Oh, sure! You just want to go down that hall, make a right and straight ahead- you can't miss it!" Seeing that she was a tad bit nervous, he decided to give her a bit of encouragement. "You needn't be worried- professor Estheim is a very well-liked teacher! And I know he won't mind helping out someone in need!"

"Believe me, I know that much." Lightning mumbled her answer, seeing the questioning look on her face, she just smiled and shook her head. "Thanks." Walking away from the man, she followed his instructions to the letter and waited in Hope's office. She honestly couldn't wait to see Hope again, and to get out of these tedious academy clothes- why did every female variant of a male's clothing always include some form of miniskirt? Sure, it didn't matter at all when it came to her Guardian Corps outfit- but that was actually combat practical. This thing would probably have her trading blows with a demon like that first one she'd encountered- Brynhildr or Odin would probably have to bail her ass out again by handing over their divine weapons.

Shaking away the unpleasant thoughts, Lightning tried sitting in the chair opposite Hope's- but it didn't feel 'right'. Moving to lean on his desk, it now felt like some perverted, erotic scenario that some of the men in Guardian Corps liked to read about and she didn't want any part of. Opting to stand, Lightning eagerly awaited Hope's return to his office.