Note that if you didn't check my profile for the chapter ratings,
realize that this chapter was rated M for future sexual themes and frightening scripts.
Consider yourselves warned and enjoy the rest of the story. :]
Vera had to return to the hospital due to the fact that she looked ill all over again on the streets and was forced to show her records to the police. Ever since then she's done what Jeckt suggested her to do, yet she had no luck. After she returned to her assigned room, she was left alone, and thought it was a perfect opportunity to try and get a hold of Seymour, yet she had no luck. Either she wasn't doing it right or Seymour wasn't getting her message, and she did it exactly the way Jeckt explained for her to do. To make matters worse, she tried to call him back too, but she lost total contact of him since their conversation back at the library. The whole thing left her beleaguered, and she wished that there were an easier way to perform her task. Day by day she was becoming more frail, and all hope would be lost to if she didn't bring Remora home back in time before...don't think about it. The last thing she needed to think was that she was going to die at this rate, and turned down the idea. Her whole thinking process had resulted in her zoning off, but a few loud knocks on her door immediately woke her up. She didn't know what she heard at first -or if someone actually did want to see her, but then there were more knocks, and she immediately turned on her light.
"Come in." She hollered out at the door. It creaked slightly as Rouge stepped inside, and she smiled once she saw Vera back in bed.
"I didn't wake you did I?" She asked.
"Sort of, but I unintentionally zoned off, so it's alright." Rouge walked over to give Vera a comforting hug. Vera did admit to herself she felt a little better, but she still had a few cramps and she was still bandaged up. Before she left the hospital momentarily, she learned that she was suffering from aneurysm, so some parts of her were still feeble. "Did you want to talk about something with me?"
"Well, I wanted to know if you found out anything more from going to the library yesterday."
"I did, yes, I think more that I wanted to know but I had to learn it anyway. I mainly looked at the government of where Remora and Fang resides right now."
"Fang?"
"Her best friend. You saw her too and spoke with her the day of the storm when Remora disappeared."
Rouge was quiet for a moment, but then she gaped. "The partial red-headed girl? She's gone too!?"
"Yep. But they're both in the same place."
"Oh my lord, how did this come about?! Where are they anyway?"
Vera stayed quiet for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure if you'd believe me or not if I told you; you'd probably think I've gone insane. I've only kept it between myself and a close friend of mine, but I've lost him now, and it's a little personal."
"I understand." Rouge replied, nodding her head looking like she was in pity. Poor Rouge wouldn't understand what Vera was going through; she was just a beldame, but one with a big heart. "Did you ever find out who attacked you the night you came here?" Vera only nodded at Rouge's question. "Who was it!? We have to file a police report too, you know. None of the police or doctors found fingerprints, hair strands, or any source of code on you."
"Problem is, he's not in Siren City...or anywhere on Earth."
"No where on Earth? What do you mean? At least tell me his name..." Rouge said.
"His name is...-" Vera started off. It was just a name, so even if she did tell Rouge, she still wouldn't know whom she was talking about. But there was a slitting sound around her side, and she immediately cried out as she bent a little bit forward. Rouge gasped and went forward to Vera's bed.
"Vera!" She cried out, frightened by Vera's sudden outcry of pain. Vera was laying down flat on her bed now, her wrist to her mouth for a small moment. She didn't point out where the pain came from, but Rouge noticed there was a bit of a wet spot on the sheets that laid on her side. Rouge rubbed her finger against the spot lightly and realized it was fresh and new.
"My side just suddenly felt like it got stabbed." Vera said, panting a little. "What happened?"
Rouge had took a hand to lower Vera's sheets a little, because Vera had nothing on at that moment, but it was lowered enough to see that there was a big incise around the skin that covered her top ribs. A dark ichor had smudged around it, showing that Vera had just started bleeding.
"Vera, you're bleeding!" Rouge cried out, grabbing a towel from the side of the bed and started to wipe the burgundy liquid off of her lightly. Vera cringed a little from the touch of the towel on her new gash.
"Did that happen just now? How did it happen?" Vera questioned, slightly frightened.
"I don't know, but we got to get a medic in here now, I'll be right back." Rouge said, about to walk away.
"No, wait...it doesn't hurt anymore..." Vera said, suddenly calm, but her face was confused. "I think it was just a....-" Her words drifted before her head slightly tilted towards the side and her eyes closed. Her breathing became irregular and slightly decreased.
"Vera? Vera!" Rouge called out to her frantically. Vera just went unconscious, but her injuries might have done her more harm than recovery overtime. "...What monster would have done this to you...?"
The group now rested into a temporary campsite back in the Macalania Forest. Back at Bevelle, Remora actually fought against the group during the fight with Seymour and the reunion with Kimahri, but actually passed out when Seymour was defeated; Fang refused any physical harm done to her from her guardians, even if it woke her up. Auron had to carry her over with the rest of the group, and she eventually woke up with no memory of what happened last at Bevelle. But he had to go back around the entrance of Bevelle to make sure no one was after them, and Remora sat next to Fang feeling very drained.
"How are you feeling, Remora?" Lulu asked her quietly. It took Remora a slight pause before she answered, but she talked just fine.
"Different."
"And no offense Remora, but you stink a little." Rikku pointed out. Remora's clothes were still tattered and had gotten a little dirty from the escape from Bevelle.
"Is there a lake that I can wash myself in around here?" She asked subtly, so not everyone could hear her.
"Yeah, but Yuna's in that one, and she said she wanted to be alone." Rikku replied.
"Actually..." Tidus started. "I think there's another one around here. Auron showed it to me while we were heading to the temple. There should be one there. It's the path right next to this one."
"Where is Auron?"
"He's checking Bevelle out, making sure no one is stalking us."
"...I owe so much to you all, especially him."
"Well, clear your mind off a little bit and soak up. There shouldn't be any fiends around here, so it's safe to go by yourself." Rikku said.
"That's what I'd rather do anyway." Remora got up from her knees and brushed them off. She had to hold her dress up a little, because the part that clung around her was ripped as well. Fang watched painstakingly as she walked off to another direction. A few moments later Auron came back.
"Well?" Wakka asked him as he slowed his pace approaching the campsite.
"We're all clear. We have to avoid Bevelle in the future though." Everyone nodded and then all was quiet again, but Auron wasn't finished. "Yuna?"
"Said she wanted to be alone." Rikku said.
"Of course." Auron replied palpably. Then he turned to Fang. "And what about Remora? Did she wake up?"
"Yeah. She's at the smaller lake. Said she wanted to be alone too." Fang replied. Auron sighed a little.
"I am...tired. But maybe I should check on her." He suggested.
Rikku looked up at him. "But she should be fine. There aren't any fiends around."
Auron hoisted his sword above his shoulder. "You never know...do you have any idea how many times she's been attacked when she or you all let her guard down?" He did have a point. Remora was only partially, no- a lot different that Yuna, and was attacked more often because of that. "I'm going to check on her." And he began to stride off.
"I don't think she'll appreciate it!" Fang shouted after him.
If Auron replied, she probably wouldn't hear him from their distance apart, but something did talk to her in her thoughts.
It's for her safety; whether she likes it or not.
Remora did feel refreshed for once. Tidus was right about the lake, but it was small, yet it was beautiful. The area surrounding it seemed to look like crystal and other kinds of gems. The water was cold, but she didn't care. She had no memory of what happened before she was in control from Seymour, so she especially wondered more about her current look. Her clothes were ripped, her hair was messed up, and she was still slightly paler than before. She felt as though she put herself, and her guardians -especially Fang- in a lot of danger. She leaned her head against the ground as she suddenly felt fatigued, but after hearing light footsteps, she opened her eyes wide. She turned around to find someone coming towards the area, and to make her matters worse, it was Auron who appeared out of the shadows of the forest, and gasped when she realized she had nothing on.
"Auron!?" She shouted, hiding her exposure inside the water so only her head was visible. Auron chuckled a bit.
"I guess this is what Fang meant when she told me you wouldn't appreciate me coming here."
"Didn't she tell you that I was bathing?!"
"Nope. That was the only clue she gave me. Wasn't enough, apparently."
"What...do you want?"
"Unfortunately, it's not safe to be alone in the forest, especially to bathe."
"Don't tell me you came here to-"
"No. Don't go in over your head."
Remora had rethought that. Auron was a very serious man. But she did think that the group should have told him that she temporarily needed to be alone. "Then what?"
He stepped a little closer to the lake. "For a visitor of Spira, you seemed to be getting more than you bargained for."
Remora sighed. "I am..."
"Its your choice if you want to stop the pilgrimage or not." He said. Remora gaped.
"Of course I don't! Why would I want to stop?!"
Auron blinked. "I guess no one told you what happens after the pilgrimage and after defeating Sin."
"...What happens?"
There was a moment of silence before Auron spoke again. "Once the Final Aeon is claimed from Zanarkand, and once you use it to defeat Sin...you'll die."
Remora thought she misheard him for a moment. "What?" Auron stayed in place but he face another direction.
"It will kill you. The Final Aeon. The pilgrimage is basically a summoner willing to give his or her life to defeat Sin...and The Calm will began once again. But its just now you're figuring this out."
"Auron." Remora started. She was choking on something liquid in her throat. "I...don't want to die."
He turned around, his face blank. "It's your decision if you want to quit or not. No one's forcing you."
"But I don't want to quit. I want to help the people of Spira! But I had no idea about the outcome."
Auron closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry you feel that way."
She was too. If she died, here, she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to her mother or apologize to her for leaving home on such short notice. She wouldn't be able to experience her first year of college, see her other friends again, or see Fang again afterwards...Fang. Remora wondered if she knew as well, and if she did, how did she take it?
"Isn't there another way?" She asked, choking back tears.
Auron shook his head. Remora splashed her face with lake water so he wouldn't tell if she was crying or not. It seemed like she always had to hide her shame, and she hated it. Why did she always have to look okay with everything?
"I owe you all so much..." She said, her hands still covering her face.
"No. We're guardians. Its our job to go through all of this just to protect you."
"But I'm tired of seeing you all get hurt. From what Fang told me, I almost hurt you all back at Bevelle, but she refused to hurt me in anyway. All of this seems like it's because of me."
Auron than began to walk until he was at the edge of the lake. Remora still had herself hidden in the water, but when she looked up to see that he was looking down at her, it felt as though he saw all of her. He kneeled down so he could see her face more clearly. "Its not your fault."
"Then who's is it?" Remora replied, slightly aggravated.
"It doesn't matter, as long as you and Yuna are safe."
Remora didn't consider that to be answered. She was looking another direction until she heard the swaying and rippling of the water, and she wasn't moving at all, and when she looked up Auron was no longer standing at his previous spot. She immediately turned to see him in the lake with her; his shades were slightly lowered, and she could see that he was staring right at her with determination. She backed up at the lake walls.
"Auron, please don't-" She started off, but when he reached his hand out towards her, it was actually reaching for her charm necklace. He took it out of the water and examined it, and just by looking at it herself, she realized that the look of the charm hasn't changed since she worn it. It still looked innovated. Better yet, she realized that she was wearing it once again. She did think that Auron was confusing her with some of his talks, but the charm didn't glow; just gleamed as the light from the other crystal-like surroundings hit it.
"When you feel uneasy, especially when you're by yourself, just look at this, and it will give you enough clues if there is danger around."
Remora didn't reply, but she noticed after a while that he was staring right into her eyes. She felt a little warmth in her, and some of her skin's color came back.
"I can't seem to ever thank you enough for guiding me this far..." She said. She let her head sink down without paying attention to what she was looking at. After a moment, there was a small black blur on the top corner of her eye, and once she looked up Auron was only an inch away from her face. His shades were hanging off of his face a bit so that she could see that he was staring right into her eyes, and then their lips touched. Remora was shocked to know that it would come to this, but her conscience didn't seem to reject; in fact, she felt that it was comforting for the red-caped man to be this close to her. He had stepped over a little bit towards her and she felt his rough jacket touch her flesh from under the lake water, and she didn't care, as her arms had wrapped around his waist while she found his own hands traced along her back. She would have expected men like Auron to be rough at times like this, if such day were to come, but he was completely gentle with her. It seemed that all the times when they seemed to have high-tension conversations or whenever he gives a sharp warning wasn't because he was rude; He just really cared about her, and apparently had feelings for her as well. He seemed to know her more personally than the other guardians from Spira (putting Fang aside). She opened her eyes for a moment to look at his face; it seemed more clear up close despite that he had some facial hair. She didn't exactly know how old he was, but she was hoping that she wasn't bonding too far with a geezer, and she was two years away from becoming a real adult. She felt her hips get hitched up and she was sitting on a lap after a moment, her legs wrapping around his waist. The lake wasn't deep enough to drown unintentionally in. She just relaxed in the moment, letting all of her troubles get pushed aside, as her mind was set on her current advantages.
Everything will be alright.
---
"Auron."
"Yes?"
"I'm getting tired..."
Remora and Auron were still in the lake. Remora was leaning contentedly on his shoulder as he stared up into the sky, and she was starting to get too cold from staying in the lake for the long while. It was probably around midnight, a few hours past the time when they made their escape from Bevelle, and they could use the sleep by now.
"We should go back to the camp site right about now." Auron said.
"Uh..." Remora started off. Auron looked at her probingly. "I can't go back like this."
"It'll be fine."
"I mean...my clothes are ripped...and dirty." She pointed out her clothes on the dry ground behind them. Even without them on, they looked like a pile of trash. Auron made a hum/laugh to himself as he immediately got out of the lake water. Remora watched him to see that he was taking off his long red jacket. He had to undo a few other accessories like his belt and part of his leather neck brace to get the jacket completely off of him. and underneath it he was wearing a black leather under armor. He was muscular underneath that red jacket that he seemed to wear all of the time.
"Here." He said, offering his jacket to her. "It's still wet, but enough to cover yourself." At this point he wore nothing but leather.
"Thanks." She replied. She took the jacket and wrapped it around herself, even though it was twice her size, and then stepped out of the lake. It would be uncomfortable to walk barefoot even for a little while.
"We may have to take you to the travel agency tomorrow to see if they can repair your clothes or give you some news ones."
"That sounds like a good idea."
"Can you walk?"
"I think I can, though I still feel like I can only walk slowly."
Auron had reached out his hands towards his and clutched it willingly. "Just incase." Remora guessed that he thought she might tumble on an occasion, but she could only smile at him for his guidance. Carefully watching her step, she and Auron walked away from the crystal lake, leaving them their own memory to think of later on. It was still a small walk back to the campsite, despite Remora's slow pace. Everything and everyone looked the same, but Remora noticed that Yuna was still away and Tidus was gone too. Everyone turned and immediately stared once they saw her in Auron's jacket, and Fang apparently seemed the most awestruck.
"Your...clothes?" Fang asked curiously.
"Would you expect me to come back in ripped, smelly clothes after taking a very cool and relaxing bath in a clean lake?" Remora asked, laughing at Fang's expression. Fang then turned to Auron.
"Nice of you to give her your cloak, though." She said, seeming to be fighting a smile, mainly because the jacket was bigger that Remora herself.
"Well...it'd be disgusting for her to be walking around...with nothing." He replied. Rikku actually choked on a laugh.
"Wait a minute...if Remora was bathing when you arrived, what were you doing the entire time?" Wakka asked, suddenly realizing his question.
"Oh, he didn't look at me, he just stood at the corner of one of the trees incase something happened." Remora lied, not able to focus on Fang's gaze.
"Alright then."
"She'll have to go to the agency tomorrow though, so the people there might fix her clothes. They are in bad shape." Auron said, dropping the garments onto the ground. Remora could have sworn it was trash for a moment, so she knew how in bad shape they were. At that point, Yuna and Tidus were walking back to the campsite also.
"Hey, Remora looks better!" Tidus said first thing he reached the circle. Yuna had stepped farther past him with a look of determination.
"Um...Sir Auron? Remora? Wakka? Lulu? Kimahri? Rikku?" Everyone turned their attention to Yuna. "Everyone, we leave at dawn. And...I'm sorry for putting all of you through this." She did the prayer routine directed to everyone. "And...um..."
"Enough. You need rest." Auron said then.
"We all do. I know I do." Remora replied. Yuna smiled and bowed again.
"Yes. Goodnight."
"You called?"
Vera woke up in the same black area she was in the night before she went to the hospital. She remembered blacking out a moment ago, but she didn't know if she was awake currently or not. She found herself lying down again, yet she managed to stand up easily and brush herself off. Luckily this time, she looked like herself and not Remora. There were a few hollow footsteps that echoed throughout the darkness, so the stranger could be walking towards her from any direction. Though there was only one stranger she knew that was capable of doing this.
"Seymour."
She immediately turned to her left, something telling her the noise was coming from that direction, and then a silhouette had begun to appear out of the shadows. Seconds later, the same based colored robes and cloaks, same azul hair, same gray stare, he appeared. He smiled grimly as he stopped a few feet away from her, yet his features were clear.
"You now know my identity?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Yes." Vera said, showing no emotion in her voice. "I do. But that's not the reason I tried to get to you."
Seymour was silent for a moment, and Vera saw something in his eyes that looked at her like she just spoke a different language a moment ago. "Well, why do you come to me then?"
Vera hesitated for a moment. "I need you to take me to Spira."
The grin on Seymour's face spread a little more. "And why would I do that? I'd figure you don't trust me after our last encounter."
"I don't." Vera replied. "I want Remora back. I figure you've done her enough trouble. Her and Fang."
"Fang is only a guardian to Remora, therefore I have no particular interest in her. However like the other guardians, if they attempt to halt my scheme, they will pay the price; as well as Remora."
"You will not touch her again!" Vera snapped. Seymour tilted his head up a little at her sudden burst of mood. "She will return home. Bring me to her!"
"I'm afraid I cannot do that." Seymour said with the same low tone in his voice.
"Why not?"
"The reason is not needed." He replied. Vera scowled. "However, I do have something in mind that might benefit us all."
"What're you thinking?"
Seymour closed his eyes for a moment before stepping more closer to Vera, who could only take one step back. They were a foot away from each other once he stopped walking and opened his eyes.
"Your life."
Vera blinked. "What?"
"As you may have been told, I need the pure energy of a summoner to help me. If you refuse to let me have Remora, I will have to use you instead."
"What!?" Vera asked, shocked. Seymour's hand lowered to tilt her head up.
"Be my sacrifice, Vera. If you love your daughter that much, give me your life, for then I will no longer need hers, for you are a stronger source."
"Why do you need it so bad?"
"Spira is a miserable place, Vera. As fascinating as it sounds to you and Remora, it's been in deep sorrow for over a thousand years. For, with the help of a summoner, I will use their power -their life, to become Sin, and drown Spira in a sea of rest. Then there would be no more hate, anger, war, depression...name it Vera."
"Are you insane!?" Vera asked, ducking her head away so Seymour's fingers would no longer hold it. He chuckled at her question.
"No, dear. This is for Spira. Who needs to live in so much sorrow, when you can just sleep through it. That is why I need you or Remora. You're choice."
"Either way, she will probably destroy you before you accomplish your goal." She said. "There's no point in trying if you're the one that's going to sleep in the end."
"No one can stop me. Not even Remora." His hand reached out to trace a nail down Vera's neck. She immediately slapped it away with a grimace. He let it fall back down to his waist as he closed his eyes. "What a pity." He said low yet determined. "But I will buy you time. However..." Vera was unaware that he was behind her in a blink. She gasped as his hand wrapped around her throat while his nails digged into her neck. She tried to use both of her hands to take his hand off, but it only tightened his grasp. "You won't have all of the time in the world to think about it. Wait for too long, and I will make my own decisions, whether you like it or not." He chuckled deeply as he let go of her neck. She dropped down to her knees, rubbing her throat, trying to get some air.
"You're a monster." Vera said, gritting her teeth. Seymour chuckled even more.
"You could say that." He replied. He then vanished. The area was quiet again and Vera was alone again. The aftermath was different than what she expected though. The darkness suddenly lifted, and a room suddenly came to focus. It was her hospital room, and she felt as though she just opened her eyes. She found herself in her bed again, but her hand was still to her throat like before. Rouge was sitting next to her, head looking down, and Vera blinked.
"How long was I out?" Vera asked. Her voice had started Rouge and she immediately beamed at her.
"Vera! You worried me sick!"
"Sorry about that."
"But anyway, it's been 2 hours since you passed out. The doctor thought that it was because you lost a lot of blood from that recent gash you received."
Vera gasped a little and checked under her sheets. Her ribs were patched up with clean bandages. She sighed with relief. "Was I asleep, or just unconscious?" She asked, half to herself.
"You were unconscious. You didn't flinch while the doctors were cleaning and patching you up. Why do you ask? Did you dream?"
"Yes...but, I'm not sure if it was a dream or not, again. It felt so real."
"Oh, Vera." Rouge replied with a pitiful tone in her voice. Vera turned her head so she'd look at the ceiling.
"Rouge, can I be alone?"
"Of course. Anything to make you comfortable." Rouge replied, getting up from the seat. She walked towards the door, but turned her head around. "Any particular reason."
"I just need to clear my mind."
Rouge blinked, but Vera probably didn't see, because she immediately closed her eyes, ready to doze off again.
"I have something...I really need to think about."
The Calm Lands were probably the most beautiful landmark Remora's ever seen. It seemed like a place you could have a giant campfire or festival in. The entire Lands were made of green grassy plains, the sky was entirely blue and cloudless, and the air was completely fresh. There was an agency right in the middle of it all, yet the group was far away from it, and it looked as though a few people were already there. Also, Remora caught her first glimpse of a chocobo on its own; unlike the ones that she saw at Mi'ihen, these were wild and possibly tamed. They belonged here, and it made Remora smile to see them roaming freely. Fang was staring off at the distance and her vision followed a flock of birds after a moment of silence, which made her smile a bit. Everyone looked at ease just by looking around.
"Have you read about this place before?" Rikku asked Remora curiously. Remora blinked realizing that someone was speaking to her, but she smiled at her question.
"Yes...I have. But I never thought that seeing the Calm Lands in person would be so breath-taking. I never felt so much at ease before."
"I have. Try sleeping." Fang teased.
"Well...at ease when I'm aware of it." Remora added to her previous statement. Fang smirked at her correction and turned towards Yuna, who seemed to be in the most awe.
"It's indescribable." She said, possibly regarding Remora's opinion. The group was standing on a giant grassy ledge that let them view most of the Calm Lands from a high point of view. They had to move though, since their next destination seemed at a far distance since the Lands were so huge. Every step towards the agency had earned Remora some cold atmosphere to walk through, and she wondered how the Calm Lands looked at night time, though it probably wouldn't be as pretty as it is during the day. Despite the long distance away, the group managed to walk to the agency swiftly, and Fang heard Lulu give a little gasp and her eyes stayed on one of the men that too looked her way.
"Father Zuke!" Lulu said in surprise. The man, Zuke, smiled as he walked up towards the upcoming group.
"Long time no see." He said. He then looked over at Yuna, examining her slowly. "You are Yuna?" He asked in curiosity. Yuna only nodded and smiled a bit. Then he turned towards Remora, and he blinked while his eyes widened a bit. "You...you're that alien girl, aren't you? You're name's...Remora?" He asked. She chuckled a bit as she nodded a 'yes' to him. "Hmm...neither of you certainly look like Maester Kinoc's murderer."
Wakka took that as an offense. "What'd you say?" Everyone else ignored him.
"Please, tell us what happened!" Yuna requested. Zuke had no emotion in his eyes at that point, but looked at Lulu to explain things mostly to her.
"Maester Mika just issued a personal order, you know." He said. He then turned towards Remora and Yuna again. "It said that you both and your guardians killed Maester Kinoc and fled. We are to kill you on sight, or so it says."
"He said that right in front of me back at Bevelle. I was with all three maesters the whole time, but they haven't done anything." Remora recalled.
Auron took a step forward. "Speaking of which, what of Bevelle?"
"Things are calm on the surface, but the depths are turbulent. After the death of Maester Kinoc, Kelk Ronso left Yevon."
"Convenient." Auron replied. He nodded towards Remora. "Getting around will be easier with Yevon in disarray."
"But be careful my friends. You have been branded enemies of Yevon. You should avoid temples for the time being."
Yuna nodded and did the prayer bow towards Zuke. "Thank you, Father Zuke, for your warning."
"Father," Lulu started. "You came all the way here just to tell us this?"
"To be honest, I was a little curious to see..." Zuke pointed out Yuna and Remora. "These summoners you are guarding. I hope their pilgrimage goes well. For your sake, too."
Lulu nodded and grinned. "Thank you, Father."
"I must be off." Lulu and Zuke exchanged Yevon bows to each other. "I shall pray for you all." He then left the others at the agency. Remora remembered his other statement, I hope their pilgrimage goes well. People always had talked like in the end, everything would be fine, even though they were right, but the outcome for the summoner his or herself would be dastardly, and it still tensed Remora a little bit. She felt a rough pat on her shoulder, which had suddenly made the tension jump right off of her. She turned to see Auron staring down at her, but he gave her a nod and a smile as if she knew what she was thinking. She eased a little from his confidence in her, but it wasn't just him; She knew all of her guardians had their trust and kindness in her, especially Fang. She knew what she had to do in order to stop Spira's bedlams, and she told herself there would be no turning back, even if it meant ending her life at the end of her journey; and she would say goodbye to the places she would never see again, including home.