Fire Chapter
Episode 3: Smile in the Face of Death
It was dusk and the sun was setting to the west leaving the sky an orange peachy color, I was just digging and burying the last priest. I had pushed the dirt over the priest and smiled clapping my hands together. "Add one more body to the body toll, may God please rest this poor man's soul." I said in a little ryhmne.
"Well done. Their souls have been sent to the farplane so there is no chance they will become fiends." Ifrit appearing as a small spirit flame beside me.
Around me were many villagers from Kilika whom had come up to pay their respects to their, fathers, friends and brothers. It was a sad thing to see, people crying and mourning it was like Sin had reawakened and went on a masscre spree. I couldn't help but to feel heavy for it all, the Daemon came looking for me after all so I guess it all kinda is my fault. They couldn't see Ifrit floating beside me, Ifrit was like a ghost only I could see somehow. "Stop thinking such things." Ifrit spoke looking at me.
"Huh?" I looked back at him feeling my eyes starting to water abit.
"There is nothing we could have done, those priests chose to stand in Ochu's way and they paid the price for it. Instead of blaming yourself you should thank them, they held him off just long enough for you to awaken." Ifrit explained and with that I nodded.
"Yeah, you're right." I sniffled abit.
"Um excuse me...." A voice said and with that I turned around to see a woman with tanned skin and short brunette hair with a white bandanna over her forehead matching her white one piece skirt. She looked like an older version of Yuffie from Final Fantasy 7. I stood up and looked at her. " I understand that this is my father's grave." She said walking past me and kneeling down to pray. "I always told him this Yevon crap would make him bite the dust...even after Sin's death he still wanted to be priest for this bogus religion." She explained.
I looked away from the grave and turned my back to it completely.
The woman stood up to her feet and turned to face me. "So you're that Brave that the elders are speaking of."
"Elders? So it's not just a group thing?" I asked looking at Ifrit whom was floating beside me.
"No it is inscribed in ancient text, the final battle between Aeons and Fiends. Armaggedon." Ifrit said looking back at me. "But such information is only kept within the temples, it's not surprising the daughter of a priest would know about it."
"Uhhh...who are you talking to?" I completely forgot she was standing the and since she couldn't see Ifrit it made me look like I was completely nuts.
I faced her and raised my hands as if to say 'back off'. "Uh nobody, nobody really..." I said waving my hands.
"Hmmm...whatever. So you're the one who saved my dad then?" She asked with abit of a cat like smile.
" Not exactly, when I came out he was already gone." I said with a nod.
"No you saved him. Ya know I heard that Daemons feast on the souls of the dead to get stronger. Well that's what my dad told me. You saved his soul from being eaten." The girl replied. "My name is Yukkie. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Kelvis, just call me Kel." I nodded my head to her.
She fixed her hands behind her and smiled. "Nice name, anyway it's getting pretty late. Do you have a place to stay?" She asked leaning forward abit. I nodded and she smiled even more. "Ok then you can come over and spend the night at my house." She said with that she grabbed my hand and pulled me along down the steps of the temple.
We both walked down the steps and through the Kilika Forest together, the sun was completely setting and the sky was turning a purplish color which was beautiful and the stars began to pop out one by one. I looked down at Yukkie, she had her hands and fingers entangled behind her while walking and holding her skirt down in the back as well. "Yukkie, for somebody whose dad just died you're...kinda relaxing aren't ya?" I asked.
"Yeah well, I practically grew up watching people die. My dad and me have been to so many funerals I actually lost count. That's why me and my dad rejoice for those who've passed away instead of mourn. They finally escaped this dreadful world of death." Yukkie said with a smile. "That's why when I finally bite the dust I want people to smile and be happy for me."
I looked at her then looked down that was all too sad to hear. But for her sake, I smiled alittle and her face sort of lit up. "Hehe now that's what I wanna see." She said punching me lightly in the stomach.
After about ten minutes of walking we passed the large wooden gates and made it to the bustling town of Kilika. Kilika had lots of tall hut like buildings and pier like walkways. The town was quite big about ten to eleven huts with smaller huts surrounding them and lights coming from the buildings. Fishermen were paddling in on boat pulling their catches from the day off of the boat in a pail. They walked past us with fishing rods tipping their straw hats at Yukkie. "Evening Yukkie, got yourself a boyfriend finally?"
"Well...ummm I dunno yet." Yukkie asked looking up at me as one fishermen stopped infront of us. Her comment made my heart drop slightly and I sort of looked away and she giggled.
" So then your available then? You should be about 18 now right?" He asked.
"I am but I'm not interested in pervy old men. Hehe." Yukkie said turning away from him.
"Can't say I didn't try. I'll head up to your father's grave to pay my respects." The fishermen said walking off.
Yukkie stared at me narrowing her eyes with a grin then with that we both walked off onto the pier like walkway past a mother and children and into a hut. The hut's interior looked like a surfer's den, there was a shark's jaw bone hung on the wall as well as surf boards hung up all over the place. There was a weird looking ball with small little nodes on it. A couch in the center of the room with an aqua blue glowing sphere that lit the room up making it an oceany color. "You'll sleep here." She said pointing to the couch.
"Thanks." I nodded.
"You hungry?" She asked as I was sitting down.
"Alittle." I replied.
She walked off into an additional room. "I'll whip up something for you."
I sat back looking up at the ceiling and just as soon as I closed my eyes I felt a rumbling along the floor. I stood up quickly and appearing beside me at that instant was Ifrit. I could feel a pressure in the air, a dark pressure. "A Daemon." Me and Ifrit said at the same time as I leaped over the couch. Yukkie ran out of the kitchen and spotted me. "Ke-Kel what's..."
"Yukkie stay here." I said rushing through the beaded cloths in the doorway and out into the village piers. Flying at me like darts were paranua fiend fishes, I kicked and slapped them away with fists as they flew near. Leaping up onto the pier from the water were four fishman fiends holding tridents. They dashed at me instantly holding their tridants up in a jousting stance, I ran towards them leaping into the air over their tridants and kicking the first two square in the face causing them to fly back and hitting the remaining two.
There was several people screaming and children crying and running away onto a ship. I ran back into the hut to see Yukkie staring in horror out the window. "Yukkie c'mon you have to get to the Ferry." I said holding my hand out. She reached out her hand and ran towards me but before she could reach me a fishman fiend dove through the window and mounted Yukkie. I quickly kicked him off and with that I pulled her up and she took off outside.
I ran outside with her and we pulled her through the burning huts of Kilika and up to the S.S Liki where fishermen and blitzball players were fending off fiends. I pushed Yukkie onto the ship and with that the ship began to pull off. "Wha?! Kel what are you doing! Hurry up and get on board!" Yukkie cried reaching out for me.
"No...there is a Daemon here. You'll be safer on that ship." I said waving to her. "Thanks Yukkie...you taught me to smile in the face of death." With that I smiled.
With that the S.S Liki began to drift away and I watched as group of paranua and fishman fiends leaped on me and dogpiled me. "Invocare!" I screamed as fiends blasted off of my body like something from the Matrix. With that I appeared with my feet spread and my right fist touching the ground. I looked up as my eyes glen with flame in Brave form. "I can sense the Daemon, he's coming down from the temple now." Ifrit said appearing out of flame at the end of my scarf.
I got down on my hands and knees like football player and dashed off at high speed with flames surrounding me. I ran like a fireball through the village, fiends that attempted to jump on me were burned to specks. I ran through the gate setting it on fire as well and into the forest. It was then that I spotted the Daemon, he only seemed a dark figure of a man but I could feel the dark energy emitting from him. I flew over his head and flipped down making a sliding land just before him. I stood up with my long flame scarf swaying in the night. The figure stood completely still... "Hmm? A Brave?" The figure said stepping into the light to reveal...that fisherman that was talking to Yukkie and me.
"So you were a Brave after all? I had my suspiscions...maybe I should have killed you just then." The fisherman said cracking his neck left and right as he dropped his fishing line and tacklebox.
I glared at him."What the hell were you on your way to do?" I asked. "And you seemed familiar with Yukkie and the other villagers why now do you make your attack?"
"Because back then I wasn't a Daemon. I just an ordinary man with no wife or kids...no power....I was a nobody a ghost fisher. That was until I was offered great power by...them..." He said licking the top of his lips.
" Them?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
" The Greater Daemons, they came to me in my time of peril and offered me power...I'd taken the deal as you can see. Now nobody can touch me. I can have any woman I want now. I...I can just take what I want now! And that little bitch Yukkie, she won't deny me anymore." He said with a grin. "Oh I was just on my way to rip her fathers to shreds but seeing you has somehow changed my mind." I dashed off towards him and slammed my fist into his jaw causing him to go flying off and crashing into afew bushes.
"My new name is...Jawlong." He said stepping out of the bushes with a crooked jaw. "Testaarii" He said and with that he was surrounded in dark haze. When the smog cleared appearing before was an oversized floating paranua fiend with long wing like fins that allowed him to float. The large paranua opened it's mouth and slithering out like a tongue was Jawlong, he was naked and attached to the fish's tongue. " This is the almighty power I gained from the Greater Daemons!"
"Power? You'd sacrifice your humanity just for power? You Daemons make me sick...I'm gonna fry you." My helm's mouth piece rose up over my mouth and nose and with that I held my fists up.