Moving farther into the Arc they were astounded to run into someone familiar.
"Raines?" Snow asked, surprised.
"What?"
Fang didn't look very pleased to see him. Rayne felt somewhat suspicious as well. Vanille and Sazh looked ready to fight, but Snow turned to them and assured them to calm down. Snow turned to move toward the man, but Fang threw out an arm to stop him.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her tone sharp.
Rayne was stunned as Lightning rushed past her, her blade out.
"Raines! You traitor!"
As she attacked him he dodged. Turning back she swung again but he just deflected her blows before grabbing her and tossing her back toward the others. Her blade landed in his hand. Rayne ran over to Lightning to see if she was alright.
"I put you on the path. That was my Focus," Raines announced.
Everyone was surprised.
"You're a l'Cie?" Fang angrily accused.
"Since long before we met," he responded," I did my best to assist you, as bid by the Sanctum fal'Cie. Now do you understand? The fal'Cie have watched over you, guiding your every step. The 'luck' that saved you time and again was a deliberate machination. Why, you may ask? The Primarch-or should I say, Barthandelus- is crafting you into the instruments of Cocoon's demise."
"We've been played for fools," Fang muttered.
Rayne stood up and looked at Fang. This woman had become her role model, but now she was doubting. The young girl did her best not to fall into despair again. She frowned at Raines. Sazh stepped forward.
"A Cocoon fal'Cie? Why?"
"Why? To restore the Maker."
"The Maker?" Hope asked.
Raines looked over at him.
"The entity responsible for creating both humans and fal'Cie. Long ago, the Maker departed this world leaving these two races behind. In a sense, human and fal'Cie are brothers, orphaned by the same parent. As for the humans, they forgot the order imposed by the Maker. They began to war amongst themselves for the first time in history. The fal'Cie focused on recalling their lost deity and returning the world to its former glory. This purpose lies at the heart of all their actions. Calling back the Maker requires a fitting sacrifice."
Raines paused and looked at us. Lightning stood up, glaring.
"Yeah. We've heard. The destruction of Cocoon."
"The lives of this world's entire populous in bloody tribute," he answered, tossing her sword back at her.
The group did not want to hear this kind of response. Sazh shook his head, looking away from the man.
"No, that's crazy talk," he mumbled.
Hope looked up.
"I don't get it. Why do they need us? Can't the fal'Cie end Cocoon with just a thought?"
Raines shook his head.
"Their existence is bound to the creation and maintenance of this floating shell. It is their very nature that holds them in check."
Rayne glanced over at Hope as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"You mean, Cocoon fal'Cie can't destroy Cocoon? They needed tools..."
Vanille stepped forward.
"If we can stop this by doing nothing, urgh, we'll do nothing!"
Raines seemed to scoff.
"Noble. I expected as much."
Suddenly, Snow's voice, deep and darkened with anger reached their ears.
"You lied to us. What happened to your dream of rebuilding Cocoon for the people?! Was it all a lie?"
Raines face didn't register any chance as he lifted his hands.
"I shadow of a dream from when I was human. It was change I craved. And once I built the influence to make things happen, there was change. I gained all the power I could hope for, but was a puppet with no will to wield it. It wasn't the fal'Cie who changed. It was me."
A brand on the back of his hand began to glow through the fabric of his gloves. Vanille's sad voice rang out.
"You...were made a l'Cie?"
"A l'Cie. Tied to an inescapable Focus. A slave of destiny. I'd lost hope. I'd all but given up on dreams of freedom."
"What are you saying?" Sazh asked.
"I'm here of my own accord," he responded," Not by fal'Cie order. Seeing you fight brought it all back. Brought back that future I once strove for. I, too, will challenge my fate."
L'Cie power surged through him, pushing the group back and surrounding them with a pressure from him. With a snap, he created a circular cage around them so they could not escape.
"If I can defeat you here, the fal'Cie plan will fail."
Rayne stumbled backwards in surprise.
"He's lost it!"
Fang yelled at him.
"Raines!"
"I will use all my remaining power. I will set you free."
The group pulled out their weapons. It was a hard battle, but their strength and numbers took him down. He stumbled before falling to the ground, panting. They put away their weapons, feeling somewhat guilty.
"Ironic, isn't it?" Raines said," The only thing I wanted was a moment of triumph. How it ends isn't important. Just do what you know is right. Trust yourselves."
A blinding light erupted from him, making them all shield their eyes. When the light had dimmed and they looked back, he was made of crystal. They looked at him in shock. Sazh glanced around.
"What? Did he complete his Focus?"
Snow shook his head and moved toward the crystallized man.
"I don't think so. All Raines did was try to save Cocoon in his own way. His own way!"
Angrily, Snow stormed away from the group to protests and questions of where he was going. Rayne ran after him while the others stayed back. A relative distance from the group, Rayne reached out a hand to Snow's arm. He turned sharply to look at her.
"Don't let it get to you. I know it's hard...but we can save Cocoon! Raines...his way wasn't the right way to do it. We'll find a way."
The young girl and the man stared at each other until Snow's face softened. He reached out a hand and placed it on her head as the others reached them.
"Good to move on?" Lightning asked.
Rayne nodded, giving Snow a quick smile. Snow could only let the side of his mouth twitch before following them forward on their journey. It was quite awhile before they reached a seemingly dead end. The area looked like an old city had fallen over entirely.
"How about down there?" Sazh asked, looking for a way to go.
Rayne stopped walking next to Vanille who looked thoughtful.
"If the stories are right, it's a maze."
Fang folded her arms, irritated.
"This place is a boot camp for l'Cie. All kinds of challenges from Gran Pulse are waiting."
"Challenges, huh?" Sazh snorted," To get us all ready to go wipe out Cocoon?"
"We can wait here if turning Cie'th sounds better."
No one had a response to Fang's smart remark. Sazh was getting supremely frustrated.
"I have had enough of this! Where's the way out!?" he screamed.
Snow responded to everyone's surprise.
"Way out? Who said there was one? Bring it on. My mind is made up. Maybe I will end up a Cie'th. But until that happens, I'm gonna make Serah proud. I couldn't bring myself to admit that this tear meant good-bye. And that's why I kept searching for her."
He tossed her tear up into the air before catching it again.
"But I didn't need to. Serah was here the whole time. Right here, watching over me," he continued, putting his hand to his heart. Now I get it. What this tear's been telling me is not to let our Focus win. It's not the fal'Cie we should listen to. It's Serah, and Raines. Do you know why?"
Rayne smiled along with a few of the others, like Hope and Sazh.
"Because our Focus doesn't matter! What matters to me is that we protect Cocoon, whatever it takes."
"Same here," Vanille chirped, moving over to him," I'll help you do it."
He held out his fist with Serah's tear in it. Vanille placed her hand on it. Rayne was quick to follow.
"Of course I'm helping," she smiled.
Hope's hand was quickly placed on top of hers.
"All right. I'm in."
The four of them laughed as Sazh's baby chocobo landed on their hands, signaling Sazh was in. Lightning rolled her eyes.
"I mean, come on!" Snow laughed," When a chocobo agrees, you know you're on the right path!"
They were all stunned as Fang suddenly voiced her opinion.
"Well, count me out."
She walked to the edge of the railing leading down to the mess of buildings.
"If you all want to go it on your own...then so will I!"
It was a jolt to the group as she brandished her staff at them.
"Let Cocoon get what's coming. They hate us for being l'Cie. What's it to me if they die? Better that than watch a friend go Cie'th. If you don't have the nerve for it, I'll do it myself. Go on alone, get stronger, and smash Cocoon out of the sky!"
Vanille ran forward toward her companion, protesting. Fang fell to the ground in pain, reminiscent of when Rayne had fallen before getting Valefor.
"You turn Cie'th and there's no coming back! I'm not...letting it end that way."
Her brand began to glow. It was obviously burning her since she gripped her arm. She began to scream as an Eidolon came tearing down from the ceiling. Vanille ran to Fang as the creature flew down and appeared as a dragon-looking creature. They all came to surround Fang while facing the Eidolon.
"What's he doing here?" Fang asked," Come to take pity on me? Come to take care of a broken l'Cie?"
Snow stepped forward.
"That thing's here to help us?"
"Yeah. 'Help'. That's what Eidolons do, they help us. Eidolons are our salvation. If we can't decide what to do next, they come put us out of our misery."
"Wait, so you haven't made up your mind yet!" Snow asked.
Rayne sighed as she pulled out her knives like the rest had drawn their weapons.
"Not the moment to point that out," she told him," Fang, you need to fight it."
As the Eidolan prepared to strike, Lightning and Snow stepped forward, blocking Fang. A blast ricocheted off of Snow's crossed arms from the creature.
"Why are you protecting me?" Fang demanded," What are you doing?"
"Protecting one of our own," Lightning answered," We can do without their brand of mercy. And we don't need a fal'Cie's orders, either. I'm fighting this Focus to the end. We all are. So please...fight with us."
Fang took the hand that Lightning extended to her. Vanille and Lightning followed her to the front while the others stood waiting as back-up. Soon enough, they had subdued the Eidolon named Bahamut. As Fang looked at her brand once the Eidolon disappeared, Vanille cried out.
"Look! A new path!"
A path of see-through crystal had popped up.
"Maybe that thing did save us!" Vanille announced.
Snow grinned.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to call it a sign of me being right? No? Okay..."
Everyone just looked at him as he continued.
"Listen. Keep our eyes on the goal and we'll figure something out! All right!"
They all followed Snow down the path. Shortly that were confronted with a ship that according to Vanille was from Gran Pulse. Rayne didn't pay much attention until Fang gasped.
"-a gate to Gran Pulse!"
They could just see up toward the ceiling a green gate.
"So...we're supposed to go to Gran Pulse?" Rayne asked.
"Could be one of Dysley's traps," Lightning commented.
Vanille turned to her.
"Well that's not good. Do you think it might take us to Eden?"
Sazh grunted his disagreement.
"I'm doing the flying. No more of these ships taking charge of our travel plans stuff. Only place this thing is taking us is where these boys tell it to," he said, flexing.
Fang gave a fake laugh.
"Ha! Really? That is a Gran Pulse ship."
"Really?" Sazh retorted," Leave it to me."
He thumped his chest before coughing heavily. Rayne couldn't help but laugh along with the others. Snow shrugged and moved forward.
"Either way, we're on borrowed time. Might as well go. We get lucky, maybe we'll even turn up some way to get rid of these goofy tatoos."
Vanille looked down sadly.
"But there's no way to do that."
Fang pet the girl's head.
"You never know. Maybe we just didn't think to look for one."
"If nothing else," Hope added," we know Cocoon is safe for the time being. I'd say it's worth going to take a look."
Lightning looked at him for a moment.
"Maybe. But what about your dad?"
Hope hesitated, but Rayne put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her as she grinned slightly. He breathed in and looked at Lightning.
"I made him a promise. I promised him to keep going, and do what I had to. He said only I would know what that was. The world's full of lies. There's no way of knowing what's right. All we can do is believe in ourselves. It's easy to sit back and let people trick you. Like how the Sanctum had us all thinking that a l'Cie was some sort of monster."
Hope looked over at Rayne, whose hand had dropped from his shoulder. He watched her bottom lip tremble slightly at his words.
"I'm done with their lies. Fal'Cie, this whole Focus thing. From here on out, I use my eyes. Think. And act. I may not make all the right choices. But as long as I'm the one who decided what to do, there's nothing to regret."
He looked around at everyone. Vanille laughed softly while Lightning agreed. Rayne gave him a gentle smile. Sazh moved forward and shook Hope's shoulders.
"All right. Let's do it! I'm with you, bad choices and all!"
"Of course I'm not sure how it's gonna turn out. Pulse is hell, you know."
Fang went up and gave him a teasing look.
"Oh, is it, now? How many times have you been up there?"
Hope laughed.
"None. But I want to go, and see what it's like for myself."
"Okay, people!" Snow announced," So, everybody in?"
They all voiced their agreement.
"Off to hell we go," Lightning joked.
As they all moved onto the ship, Hope turned back to see Rayne bringing up the rear. He grabbed her hand suddenly and pulled her up with him. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"I meant what I said. I made a mistake because of the lies the Sanctum told us. Because of that I made mistakes when it came to you. I should have been a better friend."
Rayne bit her lip, but smiled quickly.
"I understand. If my parents had turned me away, I would have believed I was a monster as well. I just...thought of you as one of the most important people to me. That like them, you would understand. I should have been more understanding myself. Knowing what the Sanctum wants people to believe. I was being selfish."
Hope squeezed her hand, which was still in his.
"It's in the past. Let's make a future that is better. I won't push you away again. I promise."
They smiled at each other before releasing hands as they stepped onto the ship.