Chapter 35: Return to Bevelle
After everyone boarded the airship, they headed for the bridge, where Brother and Cid gave them expectant looks. "Frana du huf?" Brother demanded. (Where to now?)
No one answered him. Cid gave everyone looks of disgust, and said, "Well, aren't we the happy lookin' bunch."
"Frana, frana?" Brother repeated, annoyed by everyone ignoring him.
"'Where, where?' Is that all you can say?" Rikku peevishly replied. "Why don't you think of something?"
Charlene winced, feeling a little sorry for the tattooed Al Bhed, before turning her attention to Auron. "You have any ideas?" she asked.
"What do we know…" the swordsman answered. "Sin is Jecht. For some reason, Jecht responds to you, thus you have a link…a bond with Sin. That may be our key."
"And what do we do with that?" Charlie uneasily replied, not liking the idea of a bond with a monster.
"We think and we wait," Auron said, walking away.
Charlie watched him leave, but made no move to follow him. "Think and wait? Do I look like I know what to do with the so-called 'bond' I have with Sin? Of course not!"
Just then, Yuna, who had been hanging back during the discussion, walked to the front of the bridge, where Cid watched her, a dumbfounded look on his face. Without saying a word, she bowed deeply, but when she looked up, her uncle had turned his back toward her. With a sorrowful sigh, the summoner turned and left the bridge, Kimahri following behind her. "That was really uncalled for!" Charlie thought, her angry gaze burning against the Al Bhed leader's back. "He was all gung-ho about saving her earlier, but now he won't even look at her."
Suddenly, she heard a small sniffle, and after looking at everyone on the bridge, realized that the sound came from Cid. "Oh my…now I feel bad! He just didn't want her to see him cry, that's all."
…
Charlene wandered the various decks of the airship, really wanting to find somewhere to lie down, but searching for Yuna instead. Eventually, she found her with Kimahri on the elevator deck, staring out the window as the clouds whipped by. "I'm no good at all," Yuna sighed, not turning around.
"What do you mean by that?" Charlie asked, horrified that her friend would talk about herself that way. "That's usually my line, anyway!"
"All this time, I've been thinking about how to defeat Sin," she said, turning around. "But, I…beyond the teachings of Yevon, I know nothing." She sadly hung her head. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Charlie wondered.
Before she could voice her question, however, Kimahri shook his head and said, "Yuna, no apologies."
"Huh?" Yuna was confused.
"Apology is running," the Ronso explained. "Yuna never run away."
Yuna looked up at her companion and smiled. "Thank you, Kimahri."
Charlie grinned, happy for her friend, but quickly grew serious again as she turned toward the Ronso. "Hey, Kimahri…do you have any theories on what we should do now?"
"Yevon's teachings," Kimahri replied.
"Yeah, like that's really helpful," Charlie thought, biting her lip to keep the retort quiet.
"The teachings won't help us fight Sin," Yuna protested.
"No answer in the teachings," Kimahri said. "Answers lie outside. Must know both sides to find answer."
"Both sides…" the summoner trailed off, her expression thoughtful.
"Mika knows much," the Ronso added. "Find him, make him talk."
Charlie gaped like a landed fish. "Holy crap, that's an awesome idea!" she shouted, hugging Kimahri.
Kimahri grunted, but smiled, and Charlene bolted back to the bridge, eager to tell everyone about the Ronso's brilliant idea. As soon as the doors to the bridge opened, however, Wakka jumped out in front of her and yelled, "Hey, I just had this great idea!"
Startled, Charlie shrieked and stumbled backward, bumping into the door. The door opened again, and she continued falling, tumbling into the corridor and landing at Auron's feet. Auron said nothing, and Charlie couldn't see his face from her position on the floor, but she just knew he was silently laughing at her. He extended his hand, and she took it, quickly getting to her feet and turning to glare at Wakka as he poked his head through the door. "You okay?" the blitzer asked, concern warring with amusement.
"No!" Charlie snapped, continuing to glare. "You scared the hell out of me!"
"Sorry," he muttered, stepping back so she could re-enter the bridge.
"I guess I forgive you," Charlie replied with a long-suffering sigh. "So what are you so excited about?"
Wakka opened his mouth, but Rikku interrupted him. "It was my idea!" she said, pushing him out of the way. "Let me tell her."
Charlene fought down the urge to laugh as Wakka and Rikku squabbled like children. Before either of them could announce their big revelation, however, Lulu said, "The Hymn is the key."
Wakka blinked in confusion for a moment, and then let out a disappointed groan, while Rikku stuck her tongue out at Lulu. "The Hymn of the Fayth?" Charlie asked, trying to ignore Wakka and Rikku's antics.
Lulu nodded. "Sir Jecht likes the Hymn, correct?"
"Auron said he does," Charlie replied with a shrug.
"Hey, that's why he was listening to it in Macalania!" Rikku said, rejoining the conversation.
"Sin…violence incarnate, listening peacefully," Lulu said, her crimson eyes thoughtful.
"So you think we should use the Hymn to calm Sin?" Charlie asked.
"Well, if we attack Sin head-on, we've little chance of winning. However, if he hears the Hymn of the Fayth, he will become docile."
"Yeah, and then we'll make our move," Wakka chimed in. "Might be against the rules and all, but who's keeping track, ya?"
"Yeah!" Rikku added exuberantly. "It could really work!"
"Well, let's try it," Charlie said, impressed with the plan. "I really hope it will work!"
::You know it won't…:: the demon within cackled. ::We're going to kill everyone, so no one will fight Sin…::
…
After Charlene related Kimahri's idea, everyone showed a good deal of enthusiasm for the plan, but even by airship, Bevelle was still a few days away. Thankfully, the Al Bhed had finished clearing out the numerous rooms on the ship, so there was plenty of space for everyone, which meant Charlie could finally take the bath she had been desperately craving. Unfortunately, it left with plenty of time to herself, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the voice of the shadow lurking within her. She tried sleeping, but after waking up several times every night due to nightmares, she gave up and started wandering the halls of the ship. Charlie walked for nearly an hour, lost in thought, when she rounded a corner and bumped into Rin, who was also roaming the halls. "Rao, fydlr frana oui yna kuehk!" he yelped indignantly. (Hey, watch where you are going!)
"I'm sorry," Charlene quickly replied. "I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, so I didn't see you."
"That's quite all right," Rin said, giving Charlie a curious look. "Why are you walking around at this hour?"
"I can't sleep," she admitted sheepishly. "What about you?"
"I have only just finished cataloging the last of my goods that survived the destruction of Home."
"All by yourself?" Charlie looked astonished.
"It was not as difficult as it sounds," he laughed. "I keep most of my inventory in the various shops across Spira, that way the loss of an item in one place does not mean the loss of the entire supply."
"I guess that makes sense," Charlie sighed. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have anything that would help me sleep, would you?"
Rin eyed her thoughtfully, and then pulled off the satchel he carried slung over his back, and pulled out a tiny pouch of shimmering lavender powder. "This is Dream Powder," he explained, noticing her puzzled expression. "When brewed into a tea, it helps the drinker sleep dreamlessly, and with no ill effects. It is very hard to come by, however, so I only have enough for one night."
"That's fine with me," Charlene said. "All I need is one night of decent sleep, and then I can figure something out later. How much is it?"
Rin quoted a price, and after a few minutes of haggling, Charlie handed over some Gil, and took the little bag of Dream Powder. "Thanks," she told him.
"Ev drana ec yhodrehk E lyh ramb oui fedr eh dra vidina, zicd ycg," the merchant replied with a smile. (If there is anything I can help you with in the future, just ask.)
Charlie smiled back. "E ys eh ouin tapd!" (I am in your debt!)
Rin laughed aloud, and then said, "Jano kuut, Charlie! Oui ryja famm maynhat uin duhkia." (Very good, Charlie! You have well learned our tongue.)
She nodded. "Ayco, uhla oui ghuf dra dnelg!" She paused, and then added, "Uv luinca, ed tuac ramb frah oui ryja cusauha didunehk oui." (Easy, once you know the trick. Of course, it does help when you have someone tutoring you.)
"Rikku? E druikrd cra sekrd, cehla cra zuehat ouin knuib." (I thought she might, since she joined your group.)
"Cra fyc y kuut daylran," Charlie said. (She was a good teacher.)
Rin smiled again, and then dug around in the satchel, pulling out a small object. He handed it to Charlie and said, "Rana, y bnacahd du luhknydimyda ouin cillacc." (Here, a present to congratulate your success.)
She took the item and looked at it. It was a coin just like the one she found in Zanarkand. However, where the first one was made of gold, this one was made of a dark, silvery metal. Like the first coin, this new one had a symbol engraved in it, but of a circle with a cross on the bottom, and a small pair of horns on the top. "This symbol…it's the symbol for Mercury!" "Where did you get this?" Charlie asked, slipping back into the common speech in her surprise.
"I found it out in the desert when I was younger," Rin replied with a shrug. "I kept it as a good luck charm, but I think you may find a better use for it."
"Dryhg oui!" she said, giving the merchant a quick hug before darting back to her room. (Thank you!)
…
The next day, after combining the Mercury coin with its disc, and finally getting a good night's sleep, Charlie felt a lot better as she and the others prepared to reenter Bevelle. Once they arrived, however, she immediately grew irritated, as several warrior monks approached, rifles drawn and ready to fire. "Infidel!" one monk screamed, his voice shaking with rage.
"Man, don't these guys ever give up?" Wakka wondered, shaking his head in disgust.
"You'll regret showing your face here!" hissed another guard.
"We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!" yelled a third.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Charlie demanded, her tone dripping with disdain. "Don't you morons have anything better to do?"
"If they want a fight, let's give 'em one," Rikku suggested as she readied her claw.
The monks' hateful expressions darkened further, and the one who had spoken first yelled, "Prepare to charge!"
"Stop!" a new, familiar, voice shouted, halting the battle before it could begin. Everyone, except for the monks, wore various looks of astonishment as Shelinda, of all people, approached them.
"Captain?" the second monk said, confused by her order.
"Captain?" Charlie mentally yelped. "Is Yevon so hard-up for military leaders that they had to promote the walking doormat?"
"Lady Yuna is not to be harmed," Shelinda announced, to everyone's amazement. "She's no traitor! That is an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed."
"What?" Rikku shrieked, clearly appalled.
"That's the biggest bunch of crap I've ever heard!" Charlie snarled. "How does she spout all that BS without choking?"
"Maester Mika himself told me," Shelinda explained, ignoring the dirty looks Rikku and Charlie sent her.
"Then…what are we to do?" the third soldier asked rather plaintively.
"Stand down!" Rikku said, frantically waving her hands.
"As she says," Shelinda nodded.
After a long, tense moment, the warrior monks back down and walked away, clearly confused by what just happened. Once they were gone, Rikku turned to Shelinda and asked, "What was that about evil Al Bhed?"
"I…truly, I do not understand it myself," Shelinda answered, apparently in a state of confusion, herself. "All Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why, yesterday they called me out of the blue and made me captain of the guard!"
"Short on believers?" Auron smirked.
"Yes," the nun sadly replied, "the chaos in the temples is worse than I'd imagined. It's horrible, and all the priests do is blame each other! I worry what will become of Yevon." She started to cry, but steeled her resolve and shook her head. "No! I must be the rock that stands against the swirling tides, right?" Then, she looked at Yuna and said, "Lady Yuna, I must tell you, your courage has been a great inspiration to me."
"Um…that's nice and I'm happy for you," Charlie interrupted, "but we came to see Maester Mika. Do you know if he's here?" "Or if the ancient old fart finally collapsed into dust?"
"Yes," Shelinda nodded. "I shall arrange an audience." She started to leave, but then turned around and added, "Please go wait in the courtroom."
As she left, Rikku shouted, "Hey, hey, wait! What was all that about the Al Bhed lying and stuff?"
"Simple," Auron said, walking past her. "Yuna has become Mika's only hope."
"Oh…okay," the little thief sadly replied.
"Just what does he think he can get away with?" Lulu wondered, her crimson eyes flashing angrily.
"I don't know, but I think we need to teach him a lesson," Charlie grimly replied.
"Yes, let's," Yuna added, gripping her staff tightly.
…
The seven of them arrived in the courtroom, and a few moments later, Maester Mika appeared, looking rather frazzled and worried. "Why are you here?" he demanded roughly. "You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! You have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?"
"I hate to rain on your parade, but Yunalesca's gone," Charlie told him.
"We fought and defeated her," Yuna said.
"What?" the undead maester cried, aghast.
"Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more!" Auron replied, with an expression full of savage triumph.
"You have profaned and subverted a thousand year-old tradition?" Mika all but shrieked. "Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"
"Not necessarily," Charlie told him. "We think we've got another way…one that doesn't require the Final Aeon."
"Preposterous! There is no other way!" Mika spat.
"The Grand Maester, running away?" Auron asked sarcastically, glowering fiercely.
"Of course he's running away, like a rat on a sinking ship." Charlie thought, looking first at Mika, and then at Auron's startling expression. "And Auron looks like he'd dearly love to kill Mika, if he wasn't already dead. Of course, I can't really blame him, since the old bastard's been in charge for fifty years, and most likely knew about it the whole time."
"Spira has lost its only hope," the maester sadly replied, his form beginning to fade. "Destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."
"It won't die!" Yuna said determinedly.
"Who is this Yu Yevon guy, anyway?" Charlie wanted to know.
"Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him," Lulu said, her expression thoughtful.
"Wait gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?" Rikku demanded.
"He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor…an armor called Sin." Mika faded a little more, and his pyreflies began to drift out of him. "Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible, and the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now!"
Before anyone else could ask another question, the Grand Maester faded completely, and his pyreflies drifted away. "Disappear on us, will ya?" Wakka growled, shaking his fist. "Rotten son of a shoopuf!"
"So…did he send himself to the Farplane, or what?" Charlie wondered. "And they based their religion around the guy that's destroying everything? Who the hell came up with that brilliant idea?"
Before she could ask her questions aloud, however, Shelinda entered the courtroom, looked around, and then asked, "Where…where is the Grand Maester?"
Yuna started to stammer out a response, but Auron interrupted her. "He's not here yet," the swordsman snapped, a hint of a growl in his voice. "How long must we wait?"
Shelinda tilted her head to the side in confusion, and said, "That's odd…I'll go look for His Grace."
With that, she hurried out of the room, but before Charlene could say anything about Auron's acting skills, Bahamut appeared before her. "What are you doing here?" she whispered, bewildered by the little fayth's sudden appearance.
"Come to my room," he replied.
"Okay," Yuna replied, stepping beside Charlie and nodding.
"You see him, too?" Charlie asked.
Before the summoner could answer, however, Bahamut vanished, and Wakka asked, "Who are you talking to?"
"Umm…the invisible man?" Charlie suggested.
Wakka blinked; confused by her random answer, but before he could ask if she was crazy, Yuna said, "I must go see the fayth."
Auron stared at Charlie, then at Yuna, and, with an unreadable expression, replied, "I see."
…
The party's second trip to Bevelle Temple's Chamber of the Fayth was a lot easier than the first, since everyone already knew how to solve the puzzles, so it wasn't long before Yuna and Charlie stood inside the chamber, waiting for Bahamut to appear. The little fayth appeared, hovering above his statue, smiled, and said, "Hello."
"I must thank you for the aeon," Yuna replied, bowing respectfully.
Charlene wanted to thank him for letting her touch his aeon-form, but she didn't know how to voice it without sounding like a pervert, so instead, she said, "You called us all the way down here, so it must be something important, right?"
"Have you found a way to truly defeat Sin?" Bahamut asked, cutting to the chase.
"Umm…we thought about using the Hymn of the Fayth, but Yunalesca and Mika have both mentioned someone called Yu Yevon, so I guess we need to deal with him?" Charlie phrased it as a question.
Bahamut nodded. "Yes, if you defeat Yu Yevon, it will end." He paused, looked at the two girls thoughtfully, and then said, "Tell me, what do you know about Yu Yevon?"
"Apparently, he keeps bringing Sin back," Charlie replied with a shrug.
"Sin is his armor," Yuna added. "It protects him."
"Yu Yevon was once a summoner, long ago," the fayth said. "He was peerless. Yet now he lives for one purpose: only to summon. He is neither good, nor evil. He is awake, yet he dreams, but…maybe not forever."
"Because we're going to put a stop to it," Charlie said determinedly. "At least, I hope we are."
"Yes, even if you defeat Sin with the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon will live. Yu Yevon will join with the Final Aeon, transforming it into a new Sin."
"Yu Yevon merges with the aeon…" Yuna said, her expression thoughtful.
"Then, protected by this new Sin he has created, Yu Yevon continues the summoning," Bahamut said, following Yuna's train of thought.
"And it goes on forever, right?" Charlie concluded.
Bahamut nodded, and then said, "But you know, there is no such thing as forever if you end it, is there?" Charlie nodded, and the fayth then turned his attention to Yuna. "Yu Yevon lives inside Sin. Yuna, when you fight Yu Yevon, we will help you." He gave her a pleading look. "Promise me you'll summon us. I'm afraid your swords and magic won't be enough. Please, call us…promise?"
"What do you know?" Charlie thought, slightly amused and touched by Bahamut's plea. "After all this time, he's still a little kid at heart."
"Yes," Yuna said, much to the fayth's relief.
Bahamut smiled, and then turned back to Charlie. "You know, when it's all over, that we will wake, and our dream will end. Our dream will vanish."
"I bet you'll be glad to get some rest, huh?" she replied.
He nodded. "Charlie, we're sorry we dragged you into this, but we're proud of you, too."
"Huh? Really?" Charlie was confused.
"Yes," the little fayth's eyes twinkled mischievously. "You've done very well for a substitute. In the beginning, we were afraid you'd never make it this far."
"Ha ha, very funny," she muttered, as Bahamut disappeared.
Once he vanished, the two girls started to leave, but Charlie froze when she heard the fayth's voice in her mind. ::Charlie…when do you plan on dealing with your uninvited guest?::
"I'm dealing as best I can right now!" she snapped, a headache starting as said 'guest' began protesting Bahamut's presence in her mind. "In case you haven't noticed, we've been rather busy."
::Oh? You weren't very busy when you were sitting in that airship for almost a week on your way here,:: Bahamut retorted. ::The barriers Yojimbo and I gave you will only last for so long, you know.::
"Yes, we've established that. I'm working on it. It's easy for you to say, you creepy little dragon-specter. You're not the one that has to actually explain it to everyone while they look at you like you're some kind of freak or moron!"
The fayth let out a deep sigh of disgust. ::Well, if you don't tell them, you're not going to be able to go home with it still there, even if it doesn't take over before you defeat Sin.::
Charlie hissed aloud in annoyance, not noticing Yuna watching her strangely. "Okay, suppose I do tell everyone right now? Is someone going to automatically have an answer for this?" When Bahamut didn't answer, she continued, "No? Then what do you suggest we do? Lock me in the brig, or whatever passes for one? Have someone execute me? Who would do that? Auron? Kimahri? I could always kill myself, but the damn monster would probably be able to stop me by now."
Bahamut felt Charlie's despair, and relented. ::I'm sorry. I don't have an answer for you…but you have to do something, soon, or you'll be lost.::
"All right already, you broken record!" Charlie cried aloud, rolling her eyes. Then she noticed Yuna watching her. "Um…is something the matter?"
"You were talking to yourself," her friend said, her expression one of worry. "And you've been so tired lately. Charlie, what's wrong?"
Charlene winced, and determinedly ignored Bahamut's smug presence in the back of her mind. "Well…ever since the 'trial' the maesters put us on…"
::She'll kill you if you tell her, you know…:: the demon hissed. ::She'll summon one of those worthless aeons and crush you like a bug…::
::No, she won't!:: Bahamut snapped, ::Charlie, tell her, please!::
The fayth and the demon clashing within her mind instantly intensified the newborn headache, and Charlie dropped to her knees, holding her head and moaning in agony as her vision began to fill up with grayish-white static. Apparently, neither side noticed the pain they were causing, which only continued to increase as they snarled at each other. Finally, she screamed, "Both of you just shut the fuck up!"
Her yell filled the tiny space of the Chamber, and the force behind it startled both Bahamut and the demon into silence, as well as frightening Yuna. Charlie knew none of this, because as soon as both of the presences in her mind retreated, she collapsed into blissful unconsciousness.
…
When Charlene awoke, she was back in the room just outside the Chamber of the Fayth, and her head still hurt abominably. "What in Spira happened in there?" Lulu demanded, her expression cool despite the anger flashing in her eyes.
"Migraines," Charlie groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Monster headaches. I got 'em when I was in Yojimbo's Chamber, and when we were in Remiem, too." "Not exactly a lie…I did have a headache after both of those places…"
"You didn't scream and scare everyone those times," Wakka stated, frowning.
"We weren't there as long, either," Charlie replied, wincing as the room's light stabbed into her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." "Unless my head explodes, or the stupid shadow-thing takes over."
"Who were you screaming at in there?" Rikku wanted to know. "You sounded pretty mad."
"People say or do weird things when they're in a lot of pain," Charlie said, getting to her feet and turning to look at Auron. "Like I said, I'll be fine. Can we just drop this for now?"
Auron gave her a look that promised a very long and lengthy discussion later, and then nodded. "Fine. Let's go."
…
The group left the temple, and were about to leave, when Shelinda approached them, a look of distress on her face. "I'm sorry, but the Grand Maester is nowhere to be found," she told them, glancing at Auron as if he might bite her.
"Don't worry about it," Charlie told her, rubbing the side of her head, which still hurt quite a bit despite the fact Yuna had healed the worst of the pain. "We're about to leave anyway."
Suddenly, Rikku brightened, apparently stricken by a brilliant idea. "Hey, maybe you can help us with the Hymn!"
"What?" Charlie thought, her eyes wide with surprise. "Rikku, what is the doormat going to do?"
"We need you to tell as many people as you can," the Al Bhed continued, unaware of her friend's astonishment.
"What should I tell them?" Shelinda asked curiously.
Rikku thought about it for a moment, and then replied, "A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth. When they hear it, we need everyone to sing along."
"Everyone in Spira!" Wakka chimed in, looking excited.
"I'm not sure I understand," Shelinda said, confused by the request.
"Well, there's a shocker!" Charlie thought, rolling her eyes.
"You don't have to!" Rikku said, waving her hands emphatically. "Just tell everyone."
"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth?" the nun asked, apparently wanting to make sure she got the message right. "So when they hear it, everyone should sing along, correct?"
"Yep!" the Al Bhed replied. "If they do, we might be able to defeat Sin!"
"Truly?"
"Yes," Yuna assured her.
'That's wonderful!" Shelinda joyfully cried. "You can count on me! I shall tell all of Spira!"
Before anyone could say another word, the ecstatic nun bolted off to begin her quest. "You know…" Charlie said, scratching her head. "She can't do it all by herself. We should probably help her out by spreading the news to the villages."
"I agree," Yuna said with a nod. "I would also like to revisit the fayth, and search for the rest of the aeons."
The two girls looked at Auron, who remained silent for a long moment, and then chuckled and said, "As you wish."