Rayne heard the others groaning as they got up. She had landed on top of Sazh, who had cushioned the blow, but her shoulder still hurt from partially hitting the ground. Sitting up, she apologized to the older man who just waved it off.
"We're alive, that's the good part," was his response.
As she stumbled to her feet, Sazh got up and pulled Hope off of his back. Lightning was already looking around. Rayne decided to do that herself. The section of the ship they were in consisted of multiple platforms, all disconnected. Mechanisms alerted her to fact that their usage would make bridges across the platforms. At the far end of the room was grand doorway, the regal red and gold wall was rather garish to the young girl.
"Dysley's through there," Lightning noted.
Rayne scoffed.
"That doorway is like an invitation. "Here's the Primarch, come and get him!" It's sickening."
Lightning clicked her tongue against her teeth in disgust, obvious agreement. Sazh moved over to the mechanical pad, causing a bridge to extend. Waiting on the next platform were more soldiers.
"Wait a second," Vanille said, running up to Rayne.
The dark haired girl looked at her in confusion. She was suddenly presented with two small knives. The hilts of each of them curved in the same direction as the blade. Rayne looked up at Vanille in surprise.
"Sai knives?"
"Mmhm! Found them in the weapon hold when Sazh and I broke out. Thought you might like them better than your whip. And here!"
She pulled a belt, specially made for holding the knives, off of her waist.
"This came with it!"
Her smile was so bright that Rayne couldn't help but give a small smile back.
"Thank you…"
Snow, being nosy, went over to look at the knives.
"Do you know how to use them?"
The young girl turned with a smirk after putting the belt on. She pulled the knives from the loops on the back of the belt and twirled them in her fingers. She turned swiftly before stopping the knives just inches away from Snow's heart.
"What do you think?"
Snow laughed and put his hands up in surrender. Hope looked at her with a sullen expression.
"Your mother worked in the weapons department of Palumpolum's local government. That's why you know how to use those?"
The smirk on Rayne's face dropped and she put away the knives. She stared down at the ground.
"Yeah…"
There was a small hesitation before Lightning moved forward across the bridge.
"Let's get going."
The group plowed their way through soldiers, opening bridges to each platform as they went. By the time they reached the door leading to the Primarch, Rayne was breathing hard.
"They just keep coming!" she noted, seeing more flooding onto the platforms.
Snow slammed his fist into his hand.
"Let's end this now, shall we?"
The others nodded at him and they moved through the door. Running in, they found themselves in a large chamber that was brighter than the rest of the ship. The Primarch sat in a chair up above them. Standing beside his chair was a woman with long brown hair. She smirked as they came in. Sazh evidently knew her as he shouted at her.
"Been looking for you, Nabaat!"
They ran down the ramp to the base of the area. The woman, Nabaat, easily jumped from the platform where the Primarch sat and faced the group. Sazh, having come to the front of the gang, pointed his gun at her. She reached around to grab a weapon as she addressed the Primarch, telling him to escape. There was a hesitation before the Primarch spoke.
"Why don't you leave, Jihl?" he stated, simply," Or rather, take your leave. Humans have no business here."
Nabaat looked up in surprise.
"What? Your Eminence-"
She was cut short as magic from the Primarch's staff cut her down. The group looked up in shock as the Primarch rose from his seat and floated into the air. Magic once again from his staff struck out and hit all the people at the ship's controls. He then made the glass cover above disappear. Snow shouted at him.
"Dysley! Monster! People are not yours to use!"
The Primarch floated down to their level, a sick smirk on his face.
"What else does one do with tools?"
Snow ran forward in an attempt to punch the man, only to be flung back by an invisible force field surrounding him. Hope knelt down to check the older male. Dysley continued on.
"Cocoon is a factory, built by fal'Cie. A factory for the mass production of human thralls."
Snow groaned as he got up.
"Not anymore, its not! "
"What can mere men do? Without our help, death is all of which you are capable. You saw the fools. A mindless mob drunk on fear of a few l'Cie."
Lightning strode forward, sword ready.
"If only they knew a l'Cie was the one filling their glasses!"
Dysley smirked.
"L'Cie?"
He began laughing.
"You mean me? Oh child, perish the thought. I am more than that!"
Rising off the ground again, a silver owl flew toward him before he was surrounded in a bright white light.
"I am fal'Cie," a stranger voice responded," My name is Barthandelus. Voice of the Sanctum, and Lord-Soverign of the Cocoon fal'Cie."
When the light faded, they were presented with a huge fal'Cie with claws and a large, creepy face. The group backed away in shock and fear. Fang held her arms out to keep both Vanille and Rayne back.
"Your kind feared the darkness, so we gave you light. You begged us for the Purge, and did it not come to pass? Now you spurn our counsel? You must learn your place!"
They all took out their weapons and attacked. Barthandelus was difficult, but eventually he shook violently, unable to attack anymore. He then faded into transparency. Snow growled, lowering his fists.
"A fal'Cie running the Sanctum..."
Hope looked around at everyone.
"Then...I guess it wasn't Eden controlling things after all."
Rayne was about to say something, but the ground beneath them shook.
"As I said," Dysley's voice pervaded the air," I am Lord-Sovereign."
They all braced themselves.
"Guess fal'Cie don't go down as easy as the rest of us," Sazh scowled.
Dysley appeared before them and lowered himself to the floor.
"Ease is not the issue. You have not fought to win. You should know quite well already the sure way of dispatching our kind. Ragnarok."
All those from Cocoon were astounded, while Fang just narrowed her eyes.
"What's Ragnarok?"
She suddenly shouted as her brand appeared to burn against her shoulder. Dysley continued, pointing at all of them.
"Pitiful l'Cie, you've forgotten your Focus. Ragnarok is the beast once of you must become in order to lay waste to Cocoon. You have had the dream. One among you will become that monstrosity, defeat Orphan, and destroy Cocoon."
Dysley teleported among them as he spoke. Rayne stepped back, cringing at the thought. The Focus came back to her mind. Just the idea of one of them becoming that creature...
"Orphan?" Lightning questioned.
"The font of Eden's power," was the Primarch's answer. Orphan fuels Eden with strength, and Eden in turn sustains you and the rest of our kind. Destroy Orphan, and you'll release a force such as this world has never seen. Cocoon will be torn asunder."
Fang stood straight, pain still going through her brand.
"So if I did that...Destroyed Orphan..."
The Primarch teleported in front of her.
"Your Focus would be fulfilled."
Lightning slashed at him, only to miss.
"So what? Who says it has to be?"
Snow held up a blue tear shaped crystal. Rayne didn't know what it was for, but she gathered it had something to do with Serah based off of what he said.
"Serah asked us to save Cocoon before she turned to crystal. Save it. And that's what we're gonna do! Serah was trying to tell us how to complete our Focus, and we have-"
He was cut short as the fal'Cie laughed.
"Allow me to help you see the truth of things. The moment you arrived, your friend wept crystal tears. This was because her Focus required that you be brought together. That girl did nothing but assemble the tools for Cocoon's destruction."
These words seemed to wound Snow deeply.
"Did it never occur to you? Or did you simply refuse to countenance the thought?"
They were suddenly shook as the ship rumbled. The bird appeared again and transformed into an airship
"If you will not face the truth, then face the peril of your plight. Run, l'Cie! See how stark reality is!"
The Primarch disappeared as he spoke. The ship rocked even more violently, knocking a few of them over. The airship was evidently going to go down. Lightning was the first to recover.
"Come on!" she shouted.
They all followed her onto the new ship. Once they were all on board, the Palamecia exploded, sending them flying. Sazh was at the controls, trying his best to steer.
"This is bad!" he told them," The yoke is jammed!"
Snow slammed a fist into the pilot seat.
"I knew it was a trap!"
Snow, Lightning, and Rayne were the only ones standing, though that was incredibly hard to do.
"Something's coming!" Hope alerted them from his seat behind Vanille.
Looking up, they saw a battle ship zooming toward them. Missiles sailed toward them.
"Hang on!" Snow warned as missiles began exploding around them.
The ship appeared to move on its own. Dodging and shooting back at those trying to take it down. Sazh stared at the controls in wonder.
"What kind of ship is this? Fighting on its own?"
Rayne didn't hear anything that was said as she lost her grip on the pilot seat. She would have tumbled to the back of the ship, injuring herself if Snow hadn't thrown out his left hand and grabbed her arm.
"Hope!" Snow yelled," Hang onto her!"
"What?!" was all Rayne could say before Snow forcefully pushed her toward Hope.
The two teenagers yelped as the female landed on the boy, but Hope's right arm instantly encircled her waist. Rayne was about to protest as they had reached a potential safe place, leaving the attacker behind, but she saw them heading straight for a building.
"Sazh, look out!" Vanille screamed.
Rayne turned her face into Hope's shoulder as they all tensed for impact. Instead, the appeared to teleport. Next they knew, they were docked in a strange underground bunker of some sort. They were all quiet as they looked around. Lightning stood up straight and walked to the exit. Rayne hurriedly hopped off of Hope and followed. The others came quickly after them.