Tidus sat up and rubbed his forehead. There was screaming and people were running past him out the stadium doors. All the sound was muffled, but slowly was returning to a normal level. Standing up, he looked around. The bars and rafters had come down around him, but not a single one had hit him. He breathed in complete relief that he'd had a lucky fall and nothing more. It seemed everyone had jut left the stadium. Tidus didn't want to look at the destruction around him anymore. Without looking at the smashed stadium seating and completely annhilated sphere, he jogged out the doors after everyone.

As if waiting for him, a man in a long red trench coat with a large white cermanic jug on his hip leaned against a fallen pole. His collar was up over his face, but gray sunglasses and silvering hair poked out the top. His left arm was tucked into his coat as if the coat were a sling for a broken arm. He looked over at the doors and raised the sword, which had been at his side out of view, up on to his shoulder.

Tidus ran up to him. "Auron?! What are you doing here?"

Suspicions were correct. "I was waiting for you." Auron began to walk away as if assuming that Tidus would just follow.

Tidus began to talk as he followed. "What are you talking about?"

As they reached the highway void of life, Tidus kept silent. Auron made it apparent he wasn't in a talking mood.

"Don't cry," said a familiar voice off to the side. "It begins." Tidus looked around confused. The confusion only deepened when he saw everything had stopped. Not just people, but a burning fire wasn't moving and a building halfway through crumbling was now levitating chunks of plaster, glass, and metal. Looking toward the voice, he saw the strange tan child in the purple hooded shirt. The boy was floaty and wispy, like a mirage. Just as Tidus prepared to say something a rush of noise hit him as time began again and people's screams could be heard.

"What the…. Hey! Wait!" The boy was gone. Auron was, too. Tidus looked around and saw Auron in the distance further down the highway. Racing to catch up, he shouted to him, "Hey! That's not the way!"

"Look," Auron replied with an air of impeccable calmness. It was unnatural in the chaos surrounding them.

Tidus looked in the direction Auron was. Out of the water rose a huge sphere of water. In the sphere was the monster. This time, Tidus got a better look. It had dozens of black eyes on its face. The body looked hard like stone. It had something resembling fins coming from down low on its sides, almost at its stomach. A tail stuck out on the end with a series of barbs coming off of them. The monster was sandy brown color. More importantly, it was humongous. Not just skyscraper-sized, but several city blocks might not compare to the gigantic atrocity.

Auron spoke calmly still, even as the monster hovered over part of the city readying for another attack. With his voice low and deep he said, "We call it 'Sin.'"

"Sin?"

Before more could be said, the face of a building exploded. A large black and grey tentacle whipped out. Off the tentacle shot several man-sized pods. The pods burst open. Green creatures with red and yellow wings popped out. Tidus moved quickly as he began to pound the nearest one with his fists. The monster stumbled a bit and stepped back, but appeared unscathed.

"Here," Auron said with authority. "A gift from Jecht." He tossed Tidus a black and red sword with a curved blade.

Catching it by the handle, he waved it once. "My old man?" he said with skeptical uncertainty.

"I hope you know how to use it."

The monsters had gained confidence and were now closing in.

"We need to get through," Auron told him, readying his blade and pulling his arm that was tucked in the coat out into the open. His arm was unharmed. Tidus knew this meant Auron was some sort of warrior without a master, a ronin perhaps. "Cut only the ones that matter!"

Tidus jumped with his sword onto the foremost creature blocking his path. A swift slice and it disappeared in a flurry of lights. The lights appeared when a monster, a fiend, was killed. No one was really sure what the cause of the phenomenon was, but it was good to see those little rainbow colored glowing balls because it meant the monster was dead. Auron, likewise, was progressing through the group faster. It was a sign of experience in battle. "Don't bother to go after them all! Cut the ones that matter and run," Auron shouted from a bit further ahead as Tidus struck one to the side of him. One after another the two struck down the creatures blocking their way. What they were headed towards remained a mystery to Tidus, but Auron was one to be trusted and if he knew something, then Tidus was happy to obey. Quickly the central line of fiends were eliminated. A path was made. The pair began to run over the hill in the road. On the other side, a tentacle had burst up through and was writhing in their path.

"Get out of my town," Tidus shouted racing to the tentacle.

Auron pushed his glasses up. "Some can't wait to die!" Outrunning Tidus he swung his sword strong and forcefully into the base of the tentacle. It thrashed about wildly as Auron stepped away and slung his blade back up onto his shoulder. Seconds later, the tentacle burst into lights and disappeared. The two began to run once again.

Flickering to the right, the screen with the man in the red bandana caught Tidus's attention. Sneering, he shouted, "What are you laughing at old man?" It was picture of his father, Jecht. Not something he wanted to see at the moment.

"We're expected. Come on." Auron was up ahead again.

"Hey! Gimme a break, man!" Tidus was exhausted. Sports were his forte, but this was just ridiculous. Putting his hands on his knees, he took a deep breath to collect himself as best as he could. Standing up again, he followed Auron.

Soon they reached the end of the highway. The rest had broken off and fallen to the city below. Auron stood looking up at Sin who was very close at hand. It was so close that pieces of street and debris were being sucked up into the water sphere surrounding it. Tidus was finally beginning to catch up to him. Auron looked back as a loud crack sounded through the air. The street Tidus was running on was breaking apart and falling. In a panic, Tidus jumped and latched on to the edge of the road where Auron stood. He called Auron's name as he flailed his feet trying to get up. Auron ignored his cries and looked up to Sin. "You are sure?"

Tidus was beginning to lose his grip as Auron turned back to face him. "This is it. This is your story," Auron told him. "It all begins here." Tidus let out a shout of fear as light and sound closed in on him. He felt like he was being stretched in every direction, but being crushed at the same time. His heart was pounding so hard it could have burst from his chest. Just as his grip failed, he passed out.