Chapter Thirteen: Etro

The sound of ocean waves was what filled Lightning's ears as she fell asleep, and it was also what filled them as she began to awaken from her slumber. She groaned shortly into the sand, though it wasn't because of pain. In fact, she felt like all of her wounds from the battle against the dragons were completely gone.

Lightning curled her hands into fists, grasping the sand beneath her as she laid on her stomach. Unlike the sand that she landed on earlier, this sand was cold. Night must have fallen. That explained the coolness of the air as well. She slowly lifted herself up off the ground, daring to open her eyes after a few moments. She grunted.

This wasn't the shores of Tebros Mountain on Bhunivelze.

This was—

"Valhalla."

She quickly picked herself up, eyes darting around the shoreline. "Caius?" she called automatically, her eyes searching everywhere for him. There was absolutely no sign of him even if he passed out only a few feet away from her on the shores of Bhunivelze. No footprints in the sand to show that he left her there and wandered off. No Ragnarok laying in the sand like Lightning had left it before. No nothing.

Etro must have brought me here, Lightning thought as she furrowed her eyebrows. Etro brought her there but didn't kill her…Why? It didn't matter. Etro keeping her alive and within range of her was a big mistake. It was going to cost Etro her life today, because whether Lightning had Caius by her side or not, she was going to kill the goddess who dared to curse and kill her little sister. She gritted her teeth in fury and grief, sprinting towards the city. You'll pay Etro. I swear. I will avenge Serah and save the family that I've got left. Hope, Snow, Sazh…even Noel. They're my family now. And you won't be taking them away from me too.

Her feet pounded on the ground that turned to concrete as she left the beach. No other sounds echoed throughout the city to cover her, but she didn't care. If Etro hadn't brought her there, she had to at least know that Lightning washed upon her shores. Caius still lingered in the back of her mind because she was nervous about facing Etro alone, or so she told herself. It wasn't like she was worried about his own safety. No, of course not.

She reached the main temple and ran up countless sets of stairs just to reach the place where Etro resided. While still outside of the throne room, she dared to catch her breath and gaze over the city. The last time she was in this position, she was Etro's knight. Her protector. Her fool.

Her breath regained, Lightning entered the throne room. It was exactly as she remembered it to be. A divine light shone into the room lightly, covering nearly all of it in glory despite how there was no gold or jewels. Nobody could question that this place housed a goddess. Especially not with the crystal throne that sat in the center of the room, far out of Lightning's reach.

Empty.

Empty, she grunted, hands curling into fists. She thought that Etro would have been sitting on her throne. It was an empty throne last time that Lightning was there, but Etro regained all her power since that day. She should have been there. Lightning was certain of it.

Lightning's blue eyes darted around the area, looking for some sign of the goddess. For any sign of humanity or company. Yet the world felt as empty as ever. Until—

She suddenly felt her head burning. Not literally burning with fire, but the heat felt like it was going to make her head explode. She muted a cry, lifting a hand to her head as her vision turned completely white. She wished the pain would end and death would take her, but instead, divine light filled the room completely and overwhelmed Lightning with its presence.

The girl fell down to her knees, glaring back at the throne through squinted eyes. Barely able to see, she was still able to pick out a white glowing figure that now sat on the throne. "Et-ro…" she whispered hoarsely, falling down on her side as the searing pain continued.

A single laugh left the goddess's lips. That was the last thing Lightning heard before she collapsed and fell into darkness.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Caius too awoke to the sound of ocean waves and to the cool air that was Valhalla. Only he had washed up on the opposite shore and regained consciousness after Lightning had awoken on her side. Unaware of her, he decided to believe that she was fine and safe on Bhunivelze before he transformed into Chaos Bahamut and flew to Etro's sanctuary. It was time for the goddess to face his wrath.

He landed just outside the temple in his human form, keeping his weapon Ragnarok on his back. The city was deathly silent. No monsters wandered around and from the air, there was no sign of Etro or Lightning. The former was probably inside. Caius took in a breath, preparing himself to face the goddess who stole Yeul away from him. He was not prepared for what was in his sight when he ran into the temple area.

There, lying on the ground before the throne of Etro, was an unconscious comrade.

"Lightning!" Caius grunted, rushing forward to the fallen warrior. He knelt down behind her, an arm draping around her upper back as he lifted her off her side and closer to him. "Lightning?" he studied her face, his eyes dancing over her expression. It was full of pain, yet he saw no physical wounds.

"I never believed I would see the great Caius Ballad care about anyone other than Yeul," an airy, divine voice said. Caius lifted his gaze without dropping Lightning, eyes narrowing when he saw a figure sitting on the throne. It was Etro, and she was glowing with a white light so that he couldn't see her face. Only her radiance and power. "You have not forsaken your quest to avenge Yeul, have you warrior?"

Of course not, he mentally growled, gritting his teeth. But he asked a question of his own instead of humoring the goddess. "What did you do?"

"I stopped her before she could attack me," Etro said absently.

"Why didn't you just kill her?"

"I have my reasons," she said, her tone showing that she was smiling faintly.

"And why won't you do the same to me?"

She laughed. "So many questions. Are you truly willing to listen to the answers?"

Caius remained silent, glaring at the bright figure. Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn't. It all depended on what Etro had to say. He planned on defeating her, but if she disabled Lightning so easily, he feared that he didn't stand a chance against her either.

"That is the best response I could hope for, I suppose. I wish to speak to you, Caius, my faithful warrior."

"I'm no longer faithful to you," he snarled, tightening his grasp on Lightning subconsciously. "You killed Yeul."

"You do not understand my divine purpose," she sighed.

"I only understand your cruelty. You've displayed that much already, whether it is with Yeul or Lightning." He nodded his head towards her without looking down to witness her pain filled expression again. It made him feel uneasy.

"I have something I want to show you, Caius."

"What?" he snapped.

The divine glow around Etro vanished, and for the first time ever, he was able to witness her human form. She was slender and beautiful, wearing a full length dress that was the purest white that he had ever witnessed. Her hair was a smooth blonde, running a few inches past her shoulders. But her eyes…Bright green…He recognized them.

"Impossible," he whispered. This woman, though her hair was longer than it was when Caius saw her last, was obviously the young woman that Caius knew in the past. Averia.

Averia smiled warmly down at the man. "Hello Caius. Miss me?"

"How…?" he grunted in confusion.

"How did I, Averia of New Paddra, become Etro?" she filled in. "It's a very interesting story. I'll be happy to fill you in. I have always been Etro, not that I knew it back then. I lived my normal life in New Paddra as the sister of Yeul and the wife of the chief, Corin. In my mortal state, I had no idea that I was really Etro. I viewed her—or myself, really—with contempt. Yeul had my eyes, and with my eyes, she saw visions that ended up killing her. I was angry and prayed to Etro to take away the curse, but ended up dying that same day.

"Once I was dead, my spirit passed to Valhalla. An enemy of the goddess Etro found me on its shores. That god, Bhunivelze, gave me Etro's power in hopes that I would be a more just goddess than she was. But I was Etro all along. I was Etro before I stood in time and afterward. The only reason that I was mortal Averia was in New Paddra 600 AF was because I had fought the god Bhunivelze and lost."

"Mortality was your punishment for losing against the god Bhunivelze," he grunted in understanding. "But he did not know that he gave the power right back to you, the same Etro that he defeated before?"

"Very intelligent, Caius," Etro nodded. "Yes, that is all correct. But my throne was never empty. I sat outside of time even while Averia lived her life. I was the one who sent Long Gui to bring her back to Valhalla so that I could regain my spot on the throne."

"And what of Yeul?" he challenged. "You still had her cursed! The Averia I knew would have never allowed Yeul to keep that curse."

"Yeul needed to have my eyes in order for the world to end," she explained. "If Yeul did not suffer, you would not try to destroy the world as I wanted. Once you failed me, I knew that removing Yeul from existence was the best form of punishment for you."

"You didn't care for her at all?" he roared in fury.

"No," Etro said evenly. "I did not."

"And what of the Heart of Chaos that you gave me?" he asked through his teeth. Why did Etro "gift" him with immortality?

"For one thing, I knew you would come after me some day. With my heart, you gained strength that you could actually destroy the world and release my Chaos. Another was that I gave you the heart right after Bhunivelze defeated me. My heart was safe within you because he could not enter your realm. So thank you, for keeping it safe for me until the time when you had Noel release it and return it to me."

Caius steamed. Averia was Etro. Etro caused all of this to happen. She cursed Yeul to use Caius. Then she gave him the heart for the same reason. As long as he brought about the end of the world, she didn't care about anyone. "Setting me against you was a large mistake," he growled lowly, regaining himself. "Lightning as well. We are going to cause your demise."

"Says the human man who is holding a fallen warrior in his arms," Etro mocked with a small laugh. "You two cannot defeat me. I only need you to run around your world a bit longer so that I can raise more enemies such as Corin against you. They shall kill you and I shall have the end of the world through my servants. It would be wise, Caius, if you joined me."

Join you? he repeated to himself, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Do you not want the world to be a place with no death?" she asked sweetly. Etro vanished from her spot on the throne, reappearing on the same level as Caius and Lightning. She walked over towards the two of them, kneeling down next to Caius as she lightly put her fingertips against his jaw. "Do you not wish that no other human had to go through the pain and suffering that you experienced? There is no death here, Caius. No suffering. Join me and we can take away all the suffering of the world…"

Caius stared at her as Lightning remained in his arms. A world without suffering. No death. No life either. "Averia…" he said quietly, lifting a hand towards her cheek as he continued speaking to her. Her green eyes shone back at him, showing hope that he would join her cause and be her soldier. "You are an entity who only knows destruction and selfishness. And I pity you."

Now that his hand was closer to his weapon, he had no trouble grabbing his sword off of his back before Etro could react. He pulled it off, swinging at her without losing his hold on Lightning. Ragnarok struck her, sending her flying back into a pillar. Though it would have been wise for Caius to strike her while she was done, he didn't.

Swiftly, Caius put his sword onto his back once more. He put his other arm underneath Lightning's legs and picked her up, eyes darting around the area as he held her close protectively. "An exit," he growled into the air. They needed an exit!

Fulfilling his greatest desire, a rift appeared to his left. He ran through it, leaving Valhalla. He didn't care where they ended up, just as long as it was out of Valhalla and away from Etro. Actually, that wasn't true. What he wanted most was a safe place.

A safe place was what they got. Caius exited the Historia Crux the first chance that he could get and walked out onto solid ground. It was an area that he was familiar with, but he was not expecting to turn up here.

He and Lightning arrived in the Bresha Woods, one of the first places that they visited. The year was 110 AF and everything was as it should have been. The woods were green and healthy, no monsters were hiding in the woods, and the nearby river was flowing softly as the moon shone down on them.

Caius glanced around with caution, though he knew that this was a safe place. They wouldn't have wound up here otherwise. He looked down at the young warrior in his arms, seeing how…fragile, she looked. For the first time since he had met her, Lightning actually looked vulnerable and small. Her expression was still twisted in pain. Without thinking, he swore at Etro. What did that goddess do to Lightning to make her like this?

Uncomfortable and disturbed at the sight of his ally being in pain, Caius knew that it was time that she awoke. "Lightning," he called softly, shaking her ever so slightly. Come out of this state. But she didn't respond to him in the slightest. His worry spiked. Yet he kept his composure. He walked closer to the water, kneeling down right along the edge of the river. He kept one arm around Lightning's shoulders as he set her down on the ground. The only reason that she was kept sitting upright was because she was against his arm and the knee that he had propped up.

He leaned closer to the water, reaching in with his free hand and cupping some of the water within it. Caius brought that hand to her face, wetting her cheek in order to awaken her. Finally, he got a wince of a response. "Lightning," he called again, his eyes stuck on her.

"Caius," Lightning muttered, eyebrows furrowed as she remained in his support. "Where are we?"

"The Bresha Woods. One hundred ten After Fall. We're safe here." So take your time recovering.

Lightning nodded faintly against his arm, eyes remaining shut. "What happened?"

"I found you before Etro's throne. You were unconscious when I arrived. I got you out of there."

"How?"

"I created a rift."

Lightning opened her eyes. The look within their blue depths showed that she still felt a little dazed, but she was completely aware of what he just said. Caius made his first rift. His strongest desire had not been bringing back Yeul (which was impossible) but to get Lightning to safety. The significance was not lost upon her. "Thank you," she muttered as her eyes fell shut again.

Even if she couldn't see him, Caius nodded to her. "Rest," he said quietly. "We are safe here."

Instead of putting Lightning down so that she could lay on the ground, Caius continued to support her with his arm, and she allowed herself to stay in that position. She leaned her head forward so her chin was barely above her chest, the wind faintly blowing her pink hair. Caius felt unnerved. Very unnerved. Etro had said that she never believed she would see Caius care for anyone but Yeul. And she was right in assuming that, because he never pictured himself being concerned for anyone else either. Yet he was concerned for Lightning. His friend.

Friend. He and Lightning had an argument at the very start of this, and she said that as long as he was cold and antagonizing, he would never have a real friend. And he laughed at her when she implied that she could be his friend. He had thought it was absurd. Yet here he was now, keeping watch over her as she faded into unconsciousness. A faithful ally would do that, but would a faithful ally continue holding her in their arms instead of lying her down in the grass? No, he knew that this was beyond what he was expected to do as her ally. He was something more now. And Lightning must have viewed him the same if she was willing to lose consciousness in his arms. She trusted him. After all the things they went through in the past, she actually trusted him.

"I will not let you down," he swore quietly, certain that she was unconscious as he gazed at her. "Not as I failed Yeul." He cared about what happened to her now. He cared if she was in pain or not. Because she did not deserve pain. She was played for a fool all her life by those who thought they could take advantage of her. The same way that he was played by Etro. He knew how that felt and sympathized with her. Not pitied her—there was a difference. Lightning may have accepted sympathy and not pity. He knew he wouldn't accept the latter.

"…You didn't fail Yeul," Lightning said after a few moments without moving. Caius grunted. She was awake. "Etro killed her. There was no way you could have stopped that."

"I allowed the goddess to regain power by having Noel stab me and release the heart. I am partially to blame."

"You didn't take a sword and kill Yeul yourself," she said. "As long as you didn't do that, you're not responsible. Don't ever forget that."

"Why are you so resolute on the topic, Lightning?" he dared to ask in curiosity.

"Because," Lightning responded quietly. "I know guilt."

Caius didn't bother asking Lightning to elaborate. He knew much of her past, up from when she became a l'cie to the current day. He understood that she felt a lot of guilt for not believing that Serah was cursed. She chased her sister away that day and she wound up being captured. That was probably something Lightning could never fully forgive herself for, even today.

"You should rest," he urged after a few seconds.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Staying awake when you should sleep."

"Yeah, well, I know that you must have left some details out of your account," Lightning stated as she opened her eyes. She looked up at Caius, setting a hand on the ground as she slowly sat herself up without having to be supported by Caius's knee and arm. "So tell me everything."

He studied her, deciding whether or not to give into her order. It wasn't a provoking order; she just wanted some information. Not that he could blame her. They had been preparing to face Etro for so long, yet their first encounter with her was a crash and burn. She had a right to know exactly what happened. "Like I said," he started lowly, leaning back and sitting down more comfortably with one knee up and an arm sitting on that knee, "I arrived in Etro's temple and found you lying on the ground. Etro was on her throne and she spoke to me."

"She didn't attack?" Lightning asked in surprise.

Caius shook his head. "No," he said, shifting his gaze to the ground. "She desired to speak with me instead. About multiple things. For one, she showed her face to me." He looked up at Lightning. "She was once a mortal, Lightning. Somebody that I knew."

"Who?"

"Averia."

Lightning's expression first showed shock, then utter confusion. "What?"

"She said that long ago, she lost a fight against the god Bhunivelze. She turned into a mortal—Averia. When Averia died and her spirit returned to Valhalla, Bhunivelze didn't recognize her. He thought she was against Etro, and in this world, she was because she didn't know she was Etro. She had lost her memory. So, she was genuinely upset with Etro for cursing Yeul until she returned to Valhalla and Bhunivelze offered her the old power she once possessed, believing that she would be a better Etro."

"But she was Etro all along."

"Yes," he said with a nod. "And she cursed Yeul and gave me her heart so that I would want to destroy everything. I was her puppet just as much as you were. She had no intention of allowing Yeul to live if I was defeated by Noel and Serah."

"…I'm sorry," Lightning said.

"Not feeling pity, are you?" he dared to ask, though a small smile tugged at his lips.

Lightning scoffed, though it was in good nature. "As if. It's more…sympathy."

"We have yet another thing in common," Caius stated bitterly.

"Yeah," she agreed with the same bitter smile. "Yet another reason for us to hunt down Etro and burn her temple to the ground."

"Works for me," he stated with a small smirk. But then in faded. "We need to rest and recover from this encounter first though. Really, get some rest."

Lightning avoided his eyes.

Now it was his turn to feel confused. "What?" Caius asked, voice soft in the nature that surrounded them. "Did something happen with Etro that I don't know about?"

"No," Lightning said quickly, meeting his eyes. "I went in, the throne was empty. I felt like my head was burning and then I just…passed out."

"Hm," he hummed. Curious. "Alright, if that's all," he said dismissively. He didn't bother saying what he already tried to enforce. She needed to rest, but she would only do it if she wanted to. Lightning was a stubborn, insubordinate person, but she had her reasons for being that way.

Caius rose to his feet to give Lightning some room, but she rose to her feet as well. She glanced at him, and her eyes were unreadable to him. Masked but somehow not. She only gazed at him for a split second before she walked to a nearby tree and sat herself back down again, leaning her back against it so that she could relax more comfortably. She shut her eyes as she folded her arms over her chest and lowered her head.

Yet she continued to sense Caius's gaze on her. "Could you…not stare?" Lightning requested, her voice a mumble.

Quickly he looked away. "My apologies." He kept his eyes on the moonlight that was reflected in the river instead of gazing at Lightning any longer. For a long time, he just gazed at that and listened to the soft sounds of the forest surrounding them. Eventually Lightning's soft, slow breathing accompanied the sounds of crickets chirping. Yet he still did not look, giving her the privacy that she requested.

After a long while of standing by the water, Caius sat himself down and lowered his head. It was time that he rested as well. Neither of them knew what the next day was going to hold.

*…*…*…*…*…*

That's all for this week! Thanks to Riku91, Hana-chan98, The ShadowRaiders, Ballad Jr, Darkis0777, Hannah Abby, i, jchongmeeluk, MaroonAngel of Darkness, yunadance6, neon-neko-chan and Artemiangel for reviewing! Glad you all enjoyed the action of chapter 12; hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much!

i- if you wanna draw them back to back, go for it! I'd be interested in seeing any fanart my story inspires. xD

Hannah Abby- Nope, Corin is not the buy who gives Noel and Serah quests; he is a completely original character (even though I stole his name from a C.S. Lewis book :o).

That's it for today! Peanut out.