Disclaimer: Square-Enix Incorporated owns all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include. All other materials, such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera, all belong to Zeshin-kun.
Author's Note: As the holiday season ends, a new chapter shall be released! When we last left off, Dark Shuyin had conjured something truly wretched, turning the Aeon Valefor, the first Yuna ever received from the fayth, into Major Numerus by merging the super bosses of X-2 to its pyreflies. While the rest of them eventually dealt with the unsent, the new Major Numerus Aeon-fiend was left to be handled by the true Shuyin. Then came a bizarre and mysterious comment by Paine, noting their bout to be something similar to that of Susano-O and the Yamata-no-Orochi. Just what implications did she mean to draw? Is what she feels true and are future circumstances related to this about to unravel?
Speaking of which, this Major Numerus, while derived from the fiend found in the International version of Final Fantasy X-2, it is a further advanced version of it, developed to fit the context of the story. Much like Paragon and Penance before it, I always felt the super bosses of the game that barely had much detail in their in-story purpose should have had some development to them, as well, so this is Major Numerus'.
Lastly, not only do you lot get another chapter of Spira, I've also started on my Ga-Rei fiction so that has been uploaded, as well. For fans of that series, please read and review!
Spira: The Eternal Discord
Chapter 30: Tainted Blood
Shuyin
"You see that, Major Numerus? Your so-called master has already thrown in the towel. Left you for bigger and better things. What do you make of that? C'mon, any of you. You know, there are so many of you and you look so similar." I said to the Aeon-fiend between attacks and defenses, "I can't begin to see where the Chac starts and where the Paragon ends. Keeping that in mind, let's just give you all new names. How about you be Unum for one, you can be Duo since you seem like a two…"
Duo lunged forward and attempted to chomp down on me after my remark, but I caught its lower jaw with my sword and let it lift and struggle to get me off it. The other heads began to cast spells the likes of Dark Sky and Meteor, but they were so scattered, more of the attack hit Numerus than it did me.
"Alright, well the brilliant one with the meteor shower I dub Tria in honor of the late great moronic summoner Trista and let's just call you Carrot Top for the red speck you've got on your forehead."
Carrot Top didn't like that as it blasted me with an Ultima. By then, having been tossed around for so long, I was more than ready to use an Overdrive, namely my Force Rain, which let me suck the entire Black Magic spell into my sword. Concentrating the energy, I waited for Duo to lunge at me again before catching it by the fang and pulling myself onto its head. Using its slick hide, I slide down Duo's spine while baiting any of the other heads to me. When Tria did, I loosed control over a small bit of energy, striking it with Spin Cut to force it down, Tria's fangs connecting with Duo's neck instead of mine. Carrot Top and Unum were livid, but their haphazard response of firing elemental spells at me only recharged my Force Rain back to full. Stabbing Tria in the eye, I swung down on my sword and used it to flip myself back into the air.
"You know, this reminds me of a tale. Have you ever heard of the Yamata no Orochi? It was a legendary demon in the shape of an eight-headed snake. It was such a terrible creature that it destroyed everything in the land without need or want. The story goes on that a wayward traveler happened upon two survivors of the beast's terror." I recounted.
After Unum unleashed Venom and Carrot… okay, let's be serious and just call it like it is; the fourth wonder, Quartum, tried to halt my overdrive with a disorienting scrambler ability, both dodged without much hindrance, I continued my story, "They had already lost seven daughters to it and were about to lose their eighth. The traveler contemplated the dire situation for a moment, ultimately saying, 'If this be thy treasure, wilt thou offer her to me?' You see, deep within you lies a friend, one who I wronged in the past. I feel a need to make amends and for that, I must ask for her safe return."
With that, I pointed my saber at the central body linking each of the heads and tails. The blast sent Major Numerus plunging into the floor of Bevelle, right next to where its master had been discarded before. As the streams of Force Rain's power pinned the Aeon-fiend to the ground, I saw my better quickly leap from the balcony of one of the towers, focusing his own Brotherhood at my Overdrive. In the distance, I saw Paine cast a spell and Brotherhood exploded in its own array of light, the streams of my better's Energy Rain enveloping Force Rain and concentrating it. Major Numerus gave one last wail of agony before dissipating slowly back into the muck it rose from. From the smoldering mass, a warm light exited and reformed itself before Yuna. When the two of us made it back to the rest of the group, Valefor's fayth had already taken her leave, grateful for her rescue.
"Well, we didn't get any of our mission objectives accomplished, but we did get a good workout." The Blitz Ace suggested.
"There'll be other chances. In the end, those two are the ones running while we are just waiting for our moment. However, it is troubling that my dark self is strong enough to remold fiends and Aeons, combining them into creatures like this Major Numerus." I stated.
"And we picked up on another juicy bit, didn't we?" Rikku abruptly chimed in.
"What do you mean?" I asked, turning to her along with my twin, both of us showing equally puzzled expressions.
"Paine mumbled it before, but nobody knew what she meant so…" Yuna began.
"I think you know exactly what I'm going to say, Shuyin. You did give yourself a good trek inside my head last time." Paine interrupted, stamping up to me with her arms crossed.
"Yamata no Orochi?" I awkwardly answered, taking a guess at what she meant.
It was true that I read through her entire mind when I possessed her in the Den of Woe. Mostly, I cared about her known physical attributes as I was in battle at the time, but it would have been against my nature not to snoop for more data. I amused myself with her infatuation of Nooj and how hurt she had been when he shot her. There were other parts, though, that I denied reading into as they hinted at similarities to me. At the time, I couldn't afford familiarizing with locals. Still, the memory had been glaring at me. Following the incident and her inevitable change into La Femme Nikita, Paine secretly had been looking into redemption. She hadn't really wanted to lose herself and she never really wanted to shut everyone out. Having Nooj shoot her was just a painful event and she couldn't handle it emotionally, be it being young and heartbroken or feeling betrayed that the life she saved almost took hers. Anyway, one of the things she looked into was the legend of the Yamata no Orochi and SusanoO.
"Got it in one. Impressive."
"I'm not sure I understand the connection, though. I mean, sure, we just killed big, multi-headed creepy snake thing, but I figure that's it."
"Well, for the fighting, you pretty much hit the dot, but I think there might be more. It would figure that Dark Shuyin could come up with something like making a Valefor into that, but why? You heard him yourself. All of us did. Every step of the way, it wasn't just gloating or seeking revenge on you. It wasn't about proving who was better. Dark Shuyin… I think he needs you to understand him just as much as you need to have him dealt out. Think about the tale of Lord SusanoO. He was banished from the heavens for failing his sister Amaterasu. It was only after he defeated the Yamato and discovered the Tsumugari that he redeemed himself and regained his position." Paine explained.
"Are you saying we're dependent on each other?" I remarked cynically, "I'm sorry, I don't see that being true."
"Well, it's too bad your head's that dense then." Paine shot back, "Each time he's used an Aeon against us, he had some comment for you. It was 'white knight' with Ixion and being a better summoner for Yojimbo."
"You mean it wants me to revert?"
Rikku immediately interjected, "We think Dark Shuyin's goal really is to be whole again. Its pyreflies are a part of yours after all. They are linked to you, but you freed yourself from them."
"We think they are trying to get you back, but on more stable terms, while you were brought back to maintain your freedom from them." Yuna concluded.
"Well, the shadow's part seems about right, but if you were helping me understand my role, I think you simplified it. It still doesn't explain Seymour and Areth."
"Doesn't it? Part of why you're tied to the shadow is that you felt the pain of Spira's people, isn't it? Seymour was one of them and you told me you understood him. Maybe Areth is worried about you succeeding and his own restless spirit finally manifested to keep you from moving on with your life." Rikku suggested.
I did have to admit, it made sense. The many attacks of my dark self were all directed at forcing me to remember and relive bad memories. Areth's motives had been to show the others my wretched past. If both were successful, the hope was that I'd regress once I had no one left to confide in while my old regrets rose back to the surface.
"Alright. I guess that's it. Thank you, Paine. I didn't think we'd get to the answer like this, but I have to say it is one heavy burden I no longer have to think over."
"That takes care of one part of this mess." My better noted, "Now all we have left is the clean up."
"Allow me!"
Before any of us could react, a strong gust struck us and we found ourselves scattered on the floor. Paine was the furthest and therefore first to recover, but a familiar blade came to the offensive instantly. Rikku went to help her, but it had been a trap and the gunblade burst as soon as Rikku touched it with her daggers. Miasma poured from it, rendering both of them unconscious as Yuna switched over to White Mage to dispel it. However, just as she did, a swarm of pyreflies encircled her and began to flood into her.
"NO!" Her love screamed, rushing to her aid.
I had seen this action before, or rather, I'd performed such an action myself. The gunblade made it clear it was Areth, though he'd never tried this tactic before.
"I don't think this will be of any use." I told my other half, coming to his side.
"We have to save her!" He shouted, pointing at the cocoon of pyreflies.
"It's not that easy. We're not… I'm not my old unsent self. I can't prevent this anymore than Yuna could prevent me from possessing Rikku and Paine before. We'll just have to wait and play his game. Hopefully, his goal doesn't involve harming Yuna."
Once Areth had overcome Yuna's will, the pyreflies disappeared inside her. Her eyes were vacant and her form awkward. Unlike my skill when possessing, Areth had never tried to overtake someone with emotion before and Yuna's struggle had him too occupied to make a decent external appearance. Even so, the effect was felt and only worked in Areth's favor.
Weakly looking up, her eyes felt blank despite being directed straight at my better. "Follow, if you want me back alive."
Without much option, we played Areth's game, Rikku clinging to the possessed Yuna as if it would eventually bring her cousin back to her. Meanwhile, my twin stalked Yuna, his eyes making it quite evident he only saw Areth in her place and his rage was building. Paine and I stayed further back, both of us knowing that confidence in me would only wane the further we got. Surprisingly, I found promise in her more than anyone at the moment. Since the duel with Yojimbo, Paine had shown a side to her that she wanted me not to be the one she hated, the one who had robbed her of her normal life. In her, I knew I had the stoic soldier I needed to better Areth's current scheme. As much as I knew Rikku would have liked, Paine was already calculating and predicting where Areth planned to take this ploy of his and how we might do about remedying the consequences. It was her ill-fate born objectiveness that I had used myself when confronting Areth in the past. His methods always involved playing with one's emotions and other forms of subterfuge. At the beginning, I accepted the murky veil, allowed myself to drown in all his flattering and amiable words. However, once his true face surfaced, it was such a simple matter. Just separate fact from fiction and his walls collapse to reveal nothing more than a frail figure, easily snapped and broken.
"You have any suggestions about where he's taking us? Not like I'm tired, but I just polished these boots." Paine grunted.
"Well, judging by how we're hiking around Macalania, my guess would have been the lake, but we passed that a while ago. I have no prospects now."
"Some help you are."
"What's after Macalania anyway?"
"Shouldn't you know this?" Paine asked, taking a few steps in front of me before taking up walking backwards so she could face me.
"Well, it has been over a millennium since I physically came to these parts, let alone hiked about."
"The Thunder Plains, if my geography is right."
"Ah, there might be something to that then. Areth and I have had significant history there, too." I replied and we kept moving.
As it turned out, Areth had been leading us to the Plains. With Yuna still under, he turned her about and had her blank eyes glare straight into my form. For a while, she wouldn't say anything, but the aura surrounding her was filled with vile glee. There were so many reasons to take me here. This was the destination selected by Areth to be an ambush once his cover was blown. It marked a turning point for both of us in the Machina War. It was when he revealed the traitor, Trista, to have been his ally, transferring all of the secrets she could gather on Zanarkand's military defense to our enemy. It was when Jurama perished as a cost of war. It was when innocence died and when the worst of my actions would be decided. This was when I was lost.
"Shuyin, you remember this place, don't you? This place will forever engrave itself as the moment you finally realized I betrayed you, you utter fool." Yuna's voice jeered, "You were so seething and wrathful… chased me all the way out here."
I wouldn't reply. I didn't have to.
"Like somebody else wouldn't have done the very same thing!" The Blitz Ace exclaimed, readying Brotherhood though he still had no target to strike.
"Give back, Yunie! She isn't part of this!" Rikku screamed.
"Oh, but I am. The moment I became a willing martyr who mindlessly believed I was fighting for the greater good, I became part of this. Insects. Tiny little things thinking they mattered more than others for spouting selfless words." Yuna spat.
"Is it that we felt we mattered ourselves or that we were so without self that you couldn't help but to care about us in our stead?" I callously retorted, turning my back to him.
"Selfless you say? So when you attacked us, that was solely for the sake of the greater good? When you slew my brother in cold blood, you had noble intentions at heart?"
"I'm not the one who called me the martyr, Areth. I know my flaws. It was only you who felt I wanted to be the adored hero. Your eyes were always clouded by it, Areth. The shroud of envy, that is."
Areth chuckled lightly at my words causing me to turn to Yuna, "Well then, death be my salvation. See, it had taken me forever to figure this out, but who doesn't aspire to be a hero in the eyes of others? Even I had desired it at one point. However, eventually you grow up and stop thinking about it. You realize how mundane you actually are… unless you're truly self-righteous. Then…"
His pyreflies surged from Yuna's body and enveloped us, changing the Thunder Plains into a darkened room. It had low ceilings and was adorned with extravagant sculptures and paintings warped into eerie phantasms by the surrounding darkness. A small area of light appeared in the distance, seeping out from behind an ajar door. I knew where it would lead, but before I had a chance to deny my former rival, my twin took the liberty to shoot straight through the door and trigger its effect.
"Oh, but Tidus, or should I say… Shuyin… I'm the one that ordered Kai's execution." Areth's voice rang out as I felt myself drawn to my place in history.
Looking through the Blitz Ace's back into a smug Areth's eyes, I took a ragged breath, recalling the confusion I felt then, "You had your own friend… executed? How could you… How could you do that to Kai?"
The scene played forth and I was helpless to those emotions that had claimed me in the past. Meanwhile, the others would watch me turn from a hurt individual, broken at having lost so much only to be betrayed by a friend, to a psychotic zombie ensnared by bloody murder. As I stalked towards Areth's fallen and shriveled wretch of a man, I could literally sense the worried stares from my companions. It was true they had all known me to be a villain, a lunatic who wanted utter oblivion. It was another concept to endure a black-hearted murderer.
At the last moment, I stopped my sword and took the blunt strike to my torso just as I had so long ago. Grabbing my waist in pain, I recalled my grievous wound from the rifleblade only weeks before this event.
"After all those lifetimes, you still can't let go." Areth's voice echoed as Trista's house faded back into the Thunder Plains.
As the waters hit my back, I realized I couldn't move beyond the pain I felt back then. Areth's powers were developing. His unsent skills were reminiscent of his actions in life, that of a conniving snake, a path of deceit and deception. Unfortunately, now the illusions become realistic enough to have literal effect. As I looked around, I saw that the pyreflies were keeping the other back as spectators like Areth wanted them to be. They were helpless at the moment, but I knew Areth was done for now. Looking up at Yuna, I waited for him to vacate her form. Taking her eyes to mine, Areth walked her to me and bent down to pick my chin up in her hand.
With a smirk, she stood back up and turned, "You want this girl back? You know where to find me."
And then they were gone…
Author's Note: From the shadow's schemes and general destruction to Areth's next big scheme. Just what is going on and what will be the fate of the former High Summoner? Speaking of which, Areth has finally revealed his own ability to possess others and has even exploited it on Yuna of all people. Could there be some dealings behind the scenes that the group is unaware of? Perhaps they need to take a further look into the course of events thus far to discover a solution to the disturbance of the Eternal Calm. Find out next time as our heroes are forced to embark on another mission to save Yuna. And yes, please feel especially free to voice your feelings about how all this is turning out. Did you see Yuna's possession coming? If not, do you know what I'm planning next? I look forward to hearing from you.