Authors Note: Jyscal has went missing! Seymour searches for his Father knowing that he might've went to Baaj, the place that houses his Mother's Fayth, his beloved wife Anima. The return to Guadosalam is a grim one.

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Chapter 12- Guadosalam's Loss and Gain

The boat raced over the waves as they churned towards their destination. Seymour had always disliked Baaj; it was cold and wet, and harbored ill memories of the past. The disappearance of Lord Jyscal was at first a shock to Seymour, but then as he thought it made more sense to him. Jyscal's fading spirit and his longing and mourning for Anima, they should have been warning signs for him. He knew more than likely where his Father had gone to. Years ago when he had returned to Guadosalam from his exile his father had eagerly asked him where her statue was, and even without Seymour telling him he had figured it out on his own.

That had been the last time that Seymour had been to Baaj, and after setting in his Mother's precious statue he reconstructed the cloister of trials in the abandoned temple, both for any Summoners that may want to acquire her Aeon and for protection against Anti-Yevonites, who had sacked the temple years ago stealing away the original fayth inside.

The boat slowed as it pulled to the shore of Baaj, a cold cloudy mist settling on them. Seymour stepped out onto the crumbling ruins of the dock, in his mind he could see a ghostly image of himself from the past, a terrified child clinging to his Mother. He saw Meena running down the path to them, when she had come to liberate them from the island. He thought to himself for a moment about how spending the years intended for him on the island might have affected him, and shuddered with the thought.

Seymour continued on down the path towards the temple. Two Guado followed him silently; they did not question him even though they were filled with curiosity about why they had come to Baaj to look for their Maester. In a normal temple just inside the entrance are several chambers built to serve as spots for the Summoners and their guardians to rest, as well as boarding for the temple's staff and high priest. The center of the room was usually decorated with statues honoring the high Summoners of the past, with a set of stairs leading upwards to the cloister of trials. The main chamber in this temple had all but been decimated with nothing even looking recognizable. Freezing water rushed in through cracks in the ruins. As they entered the temple the cloister of trials stood before them, but it was solved.

"Come." Seymour gestured to the two Guado behind him. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the halls as they passed through the open doors onward to the chamber of the fayth. The door to the fayths chamber had been opened, Seymour exhaled, his breath looking like smoke in the cold air. Inside the chamber was the soft glow of the dome containing his Mother's statue. A crumpled figure lay on the floor of the chamber, it was Jyscal. Face down his hands were outstretched touching the dome were the figure of his wife lay, his large robes lie in massive folds around him. Seymour approached slowly and as he took in the scene each passing breath became like a knife stabbing him in the chest. He reached down slowly, kneeling next to his Father's limp figure. He stared down at his face and his twisting long spire like green hair, his eyes were closed. Slowly he took his hand and outstretched it towards him, touching his head ever so slightly. He reeled his hand back quickly as he felt how cold he was, he gasped and shuddered moving his eyes from him. Seymour's face contorted in a fit of anguish and he reached out grabbing his Father's shoulders, turning him over and pulling his torso into his lap, his head hung limply. The two Guado watched him, their hearts pounding heavily in their chests.

"Lord Jyscal…" he heard one of them whisper under his breath.

"Wake." Seymour said sternly to his Father. But his body just hung limply within Seymour's strong grasp. Seymour raised his free hand and cast white magic on him to heal him. The sparkling white light dissipated over him and his body still did not move.

Seymour felt a presence and looked over to see the ghostly figure of Anima staring over him. He saw that her eye's were wracked in pain as he looked at her. She came over to him and knelt down, placing a ghostly hand on Jyscal.

"He came to me begging forgiveness for the past Seymour." She said looking over him sadly. Seymour looked up to her his eyes wrought with pain and confusion at the same time he was desperately holding back his emotions.

"Mother…" he said his voice breaking.

"My son," Anima said tilting his head up to meet her with her hand. "in his last words he prayed, that his only son would forgive him for what he had done."

"…why?" he questioned.

"The grief in his heart killed him, Seymour." She said touching his hand gently. Seymour's face contorted once again in anger and he leaned forward gritting his teeth. He bent downwards holding his head against his fathers. He rocked back and forth gently his breathing becoming sharp. This was the man he had so hated his whole life, his father, yet he felt the familiar grip of grief come over him as he held his own father's lifeless body within his arms. He did not understand it at all, but the thought of having both of his parents gone was one that he could not handle even if he did hate one.

"Seymour…" Anima said quietly. She reached out with her transparent arms and embraced Seymour. "I am sorry."

"In your life I'm sure you thought you'd never feel grief for this man, in truth, I never stopped loving him, even in death. Please do him one last act of kindness, forgive him, and send his tortured soul to the farplane so that it may finally rest. He has lived so many years in pain from his past mistakes, from losing me and from the hatred from his only son."

It was irony, it was pure irony that the forsaken island Jyscal had sent away his wife and son to so many years ago would be the exact place where he himself would die. Seymour looked back to the two Guado that had entered with him. They both had tears streaming down their faces as they looked on at their passed leader. One came forward to him, holding a shroud in his long fingered hands; he must've left to the boat and retrieved it when he had realized Jyscal was gone. Silently with an anguished face he looked at Seymour and bowed.

"May I, Maester?" he said with a breaking voice, offering to wrap his Father's body for him. With the death of Jyscal now Seymour had attained his Father's ranking of Maester, the Guado were quick to recognize him with the new title. Seymour looked at him, fighting back his tears and choking down every feeling of sorrow, he nodded quickly, handing over his Father's body.

The Guado eyes dripped with tears as he took Jyscal's body and straightened his limbs and robes laying him out neatly as if he was asleep. The second Guado approached mournfully, holding Jyscal's cane in his hands delicately and with reverence placed it into his hands as if he were holding it over his stomach. Seymour watched as they wrapped his Father's body in the cloth carefully, perfectly tying each knot in the shroud. When they finished they stepped away, looking to Seymour to perform the sending.

Seymour brought his staff up before him, the charms swinging and jingling. Slowly, he started the sending, twirling the staff as he urged his Father's soul upward and out of his body, upward and onwards to Guadosalam, to the Farplane. As a summoner Seymour had preformed more sendings than he had cared for in his life, but none had been as difficult and personal for him as this one. Pyreflies started to form and fly throughout the room dissipating as they flew upwards, going on to the farplane. Things seemed to flow in slow motion and as Seymour's hand passed before him he looked directly into one of the pyreflies, its colors swirling and glowing. As he saw it he whispered gently in his mind.

"I…forgive you."

Guadosalam green halls were in panic when Seymour returned. A woman scuttled by in the distance in a nervous clamor and Guado were trying to calm each other as the pilgrims looked on in enigma of the situation. The green lights once again draped over Seymour's face as he entered his home, followed by the two Guado whom bore his Father's body in a funeral casket they had constructed for him on the way back, it was decorated in colorful silk ribbons adorned in Yevonscript. Their procession floated by silently with only the tingling of Seymour's staff. As the Guado laid eyes upon them horror struck them and they fell to the ground on their faces in sorrow as they passed by. Only silence and the somber sound of wailing rose through the halls. They came to the red door of the manor and stopped. Seymour approached the door just as Trommel opened it.

"Master Seymour! Has Lord Jyscal been fou-" his words were cut like a knife as he saw the casket and Seymour's grim face.

"Oh dear Yevon…Lord Jyscal…no it cannot be!" he cried out falling to his knees. Seymour stood over him morosely as he held his staff looking at the floor.

From inside the Manor a figure came running up, it was Meena.

"Trommel, what is it!?" she said in a panic, she looked up from him to see Seymour and the casket beside him.

"No…" she said in disbelief. "Where is Jyscal? Seymour…where is your Father? Where is my brother in law?" she said repeating herself over and over.

Seymour said nothing but looked at her.

"No! Dear Jyscal no!" she said sobbing; falling down to her hands and knees. "Jyscal!" she said reaching out towards the casket, with tears streaming down her face. Seymour stood motionless in the middle of it all, everyone around him collapsed to the floor in grief. Meena weakly made her way over to him and clutched her hands onto Seymour's robes, pulling herself up.

"Seymour…Seymour." She said, her tears dropping onto his purple robes. Seymour reached out to her and pulled her close to him encircling her in his large robed arms. "What happened?" she asked him breathlessly.

"I found him outstretched over Mother's statue, he…died from the pain in his heart."

"Seymour…I should've done something, I…should've tried to do something to ease his pain for my sister." She said guiltily.

"There is nothing you could've done." He said looking down at her, his forelock casting a shadow on her face.

"Meena." Trommel said from behind placing his hand onto her shoulder. His face was tear stained and the intricate veins on his face glowed slightly from his pain. Meena moved from Seymour into the arms of her husband, hiding her face in his long robes. Trommel stroked her head lightly with his large hand and looked up at Seymour.

"I will make all the necessary arrangements for your Father, Maester Seymour. Please let me know if there is anything you require of me, I can manage all of the lower affairs until you are ready." He said trying his best for his voice not to break.

Seymour nodded to him and looked downward.

That night all of Guadosalam wept for their lost Maester.