hey guys, new update. enjoy

Chapter Thirty-One

Return to Cocoon

Vaan felt like he was about to vomit. With what he had just heard, it was hard not to feel that way. Cocoon was going to be destroyed, one way or another. But it's just can't be possible. They must be something that could be done about it. There is no way that's the only solution.

"Is…Is this what's really going to happen Éclair?" he asked.

The Pulsian woman got off the bed and was now standing up. She was putting her sword back in its place and when she was done, she turned toward him, her blue eyes darker than normal.

"It is," she said.

Vaan tightened his fist.

"Then what was the point of that journey we just did?" he asked, not able to keep the anger out of his voice, "For what reason did my brother lose his life for? When I decided to help you…I didn't…I don't want this to happen to the world I grew up in."

"I didn't choose this Focus Vaan," Éclair told him, "I didn't choose to become an l'Cie to destroy Cocoon, but Cocoon is going to be destroyed and Dysley isn't doing anything to stop it. He is a Fal'Cie and yet, he stood and watches as Eden grow weaker. I'm making a promise to you Vaan, Cocoon will not fall."

Vaan stared at the girl.

"Without Orphan, Cocoon is going to fall," he said, "How can it be saved?"

Éclair sighed.

"I don't know Vaan; I just don't know what will happen next? The visions always stop with Cocoon's destruction and Orphan's demise…what happen next, is anyone guesses."

"You don't have to be a genius to know what's going to happen next," Zack said.

Éclair glanced at him but didn't answer.

"Let's go find Lightning," she said, "Before she does something reckless."

She walked out of the room, letting Vaan watch her going back.

Vaan didn't want to believe what Éclair was saying. How could for all their efforts lead up to this? Is this the only faith that awaits Cocoon? He didn't want to believe it….He just couldn't…

Is this the reason why Basch had died…so we can face the end of the world? He thought to himself.

The silver haired boy clenched his fists in anger and walked out after Éclair. The rest of the group followed after.

A little way away from them, Lightning Farron was walking away lost in her anger. How could she not be? Éclair was the one that brought them together because she believed there is a way to stop Cocoon's destruction from happening. She was doing all of this because her sister was still alive up there in the floating world above them…

She was doing all of this so she can see her again when all of this is over.

She gave me hope and at the end, she crushed it again, the soldier thought, I should have never trusted her in the first place.

Lightning couldn't understand how she was so angry. Not even Serah can make her this mad before and she had fought with her sister sometimes so what was it? In the past few days they had been on Pulse, she had become friends with the Pulsian. The girl might have been her first friend in years unless she count school…but as a Colonel in the Sanctum Army, she hardly see nor talk to them anymore…

The soldier tightened her fist.

I will save Cocoon in my own way, she thought, There must be a way what Éclair said could be prevented…there have to be a way…

Then as Lightning approached the broken bridge, her attention was drawn toward the end of it. Someone was already there, looking out to the world, someone dressed in robes. As she drew closer, something about the figure was oddly familiar as if she had seen the figure somewhere before.

"Infinite and mysteries,

Is the gift of the Goddess,

We seek it thus and take to the sky,

Ripples form on the Water's surface,

The wandering soul knows no rest,"

As he spoke, the figure turned around, and Lightning suddenly realized where she had met him before. It was back at the Bresha Ruins. It was the same mysterious hooded man that had caused her and Éclair to become l'Cie.

"We meet again, Lightning Farron," he said, his hood still shadowing his face, just like last time.

"You…," Lightning yelled drawing out her gunblade and charging straight at him.

She transformed it into a blade and then slashed at the man who blocked it with his staff. Each of her attacks was getting blocked as they become more and more wild. Then, as she launched the sword forward, the hooded figure disarmed her by sending her gunblade into the air and with a nameless spell threw Lightning back, and the woman landed on the ground.

"Your anger still blinds you Lightning Farron," he said.

The gunblade landed on the ground beside him in a clatter.

"It would seem that the truth behind your Focus had been revealed," he continued as he walked forward, "The truth about Cocoon's fate."

"I will change its fate," Lightning said standing back up, "I will find a way, just you watch."

"You look into the ghosts of the past," the figure said, "You look for an answer that isn't there. You learn the truth and yet, you run away…just as you have done all your life."

Lightning looked at him.

"What?"

"You hide behind your mask of a soldier to hide the worries of your sister's health," the man said, "You use anger when you should use compassion and understanding. You can be a great leader in the future Lightning Farron, but you have to make the choices first. Maybe this Focus will teach you something of those values."

The soldier looked at him, feeling caught in her stupor.

"Just…who are you?"

Before the man could answer, a voice yelled her name. The soldier looked around and found Éclair running toward her with her sword drawn and the rest was following after her.

"Are you alright?" the Pulsian asked as she stood by her.

The group came to stand around the soldier and the hooded man said.

"You see Lightning Farron," he said, "Why do you run, when you have companions that want to help you every step of the way?"

The soldier looked down a little at that. She let Éclair helped her up, and the entire group was now facing the strange hooded man.

"Now you have all had gathered," he said, looking at them all, "The darkest hour is at hand…Cocoon's fate hang in the balance. From Lightning's earlier reactions, it would seem you all know the truth."

"Yeah, Cocoon is going to be destroyed?" Vaan said.

"Cocoon's destruction is something that is inevitable," the hooded figure told them, "It cannot be changed…nor be avoided. The Fal'Cie's time is at an end, Barthandelus, Orphan and Eden are the only Fal'Cie that still inhabits this world with Humanity. If the Fal'Cie continued to exist on Gaia, they will never be true peace."

"What kind of peace asks for the death of the entire Cocoon's population?" Éclair asked, raising her sword at him.

The hooded man glanced at her direction.

"The Goddess works in mysterious ways," he said, his voice even, "Even at the darkest hour, there is always a beacon of light that will bring the hope back to the world. You have not yet seeing the end Éclair Farron."

He looked around at them all.

"And the question that I will ask is will you complete the Focus laid out for you by the Goddess?"

"You want us to kill Orphan and destroy the World?" Zack asked.

"Would you let Orphan destroy everything you hold dear to your hearts?" the hooded man asked, "Your friends…your families and your homes…you will have to make a choice…"

A silence fell over the group. The choice was inevitable now…and yet, they stayed silent…the glimmer of hope that there was another way still lingers in their minds.

"I'll do it."

"Lightning?" Zack, Paine and Vaan said in surprise.

Even Éclair was shocked.

"Lightning?" she whispered.

The soldier approached.

"I will fight against Orphan," she said, approaching the hooded man, "If that's what your Goddess asks of me…then I will do it."

"You will not do it alone," Éclair said suddenly.

Lightning glanced at the Pulsian.

"We were both given this Focus," she told the soldier, looking at her dead in the eyes, "But even so, I want to fight this fight with you."

"Count us in," Zack said moving forward, "AVALANCHE was always against the Sanctum. If we're going to tangle with a powerful force…then AVALANCHE will see it through."

"Me too," Vaan said.

Éclair glanced at him.

"You sure?" she asked.

"I'm doing this for Basch," he said, "I don't want his death to have been for nothing."

"You have made your decision," the hooded figure said, pulling something out of his pockets "Then you will need these."

He holds up his hands and seating there, were four glowing balls.

"W...What are those?" Tifa asked.

"They are called Materia. For those who can't use magic," the hooded figure said, "For the fight ahead…and I believe you will need also a transport."

He raised his staff in the air and a burst of light a large shape appeared and Lightning quickly recognized it as the same ship which had brought them here a few weeks ago. It was completely repaired.

"Your decision will have an impact upon the world you live," the hood figure spoke as Lightning took the Materia from him, "Go and may the Goddess watch over you."

Lightning got her sword and the group quickly makes their way inside the ship. Soon enough, the ship was rising into the air, before taking off aiming straight for Cocoon.

The hooded figure stood there, watching them go.

"I have set them on the right path my Goddess," he said putting a hand upon his chest which glowed, "All that is left now, is for them to make the right choices...choices that will decide Cocoon's fate and their owns."

Paine was, once again, piloting the ship as it flew toward the floating world of Cocoon.

"So, anyone knows if Cocoon got a back door?" she asked at the entire group, "Because I don't see how we are going to be able to get back in."

"Just keep flying straight," Lightning said, "There must a Gateway…"

As they got closer, a greenish light was starting to appear in front of Cocoon's shell and a large symbol appeared in the sky.

"There," Lightning said, pointing, "Fly straight through it."

"I see it," Paine said, "Just hang on people."

She aimed the ship straight for the Gateway of light and just as when they were getting out of Cocoon, it started to shake violently as if flying through a violent storm and Paine tightened her jaws as she hold the ship's control which were vibrating in her hands.

Then light started to blind them all forcing the group to look away for a second and then when the light disappeared, Paine glanced forward again looking at the sky in front of her.

"We made it, we're back on Cocoon once more," she said.

Lightning was looking at the city they had appeared near too.

"That's Palumpolum," she said, "We need to get to Eden. I have a feeling that's where both Orphan and The Fal'Cie Eden are."

"Roger that Colonel," Paine joked, "Setting a course for Eden now."

Lightning nodded and glanced back toward the group. Éclair was seating in her chair, looking out of the window not speaking, Vaan was holding a Materia in his hand, seemingly lost in thoughts and Tifa was seating with her sister and both of them were talking to each other in low voice.

"Whoa," Zack said, drawing attention to himself.

Around his hand was filled with light which were traveling all through his body before simply dissipating.

"What did you just do?" Tifa asked him.

"I squeezed the Materia in my fist and then next thing I knew this strange feeling was running all through me," Zack said.

Vaan who had been glancing at him did the same with his and the same thing happened with him.

"This…this must be what magic feels like," he said.

Then the ship gives a nasty lurch.

"W…What the hell was that?" Éclair said.

"Someone's shooting at us," Paine said.

Lightning quickly glanced out of the window and she can see the large ship that was hovering a little farther away from them. She knew that ship.

"That's my ship," she whispered.

"What?"

"When I was Colonel, the Primarch had given me my own ship," Lightning said, giving them a quick explanation, "Since I'm not Colonel anymore…it must be Rydgea that's in charge now."

"Sanctum," Zack said.

"We must be nearing Eden," Vaan told her.

"They're firing again," Paine yelled.

"Paine, raises the shields to maximum," Lightning yelled, "then, full speed ahead, we must get out of it's range."

"Right," Paine said.

The ship then zoomed forward, cursing through the air like a bullet.

Aboard the Sanctum ship

"They have gone out of range Colonel Rydgea," one of the pilots said.

Rydgea was seating in the Captain's seat that was previously occupied by Lightning. His dark brown hair was falling in front of his face as he narrowed his eyes. They had gotten the radio call about the ship that had appeared above Palumpolum in that flash of light.

"Can you track its course?" he asked the man.

The pilots quickly pulled out a map of Cocoon and started to press a few buttons.

"The city that is closest to here is Eden sir," the pilot said.

Rydgea stood up on his feet.

"Then alert the Eden's sky fleet," he said, "Tell them to be on the look-out for this rogue ship and to put it down on sight. We don't want anything to happen during the Festival tonight."

"Yes sir," the pilot said.

Then he was quickly working upon the message.

they`re back on Cocoon.

Next time: Eden

Jacques0 out.

R&R