A.N: This day... is about to get messy. Either way, it's time to finish off Operation Mi'ihen, for better or for worse. Hopefully, Dracula doesn't sneeze and make it a complete failure... *hears Dracula sneezing already* Oh, bless you, Count- WAIT A MINUTE! Darn it, Dracula, why did you HAVE to sneeze at this moment?! You just made this day a LOT worse!
Sidenote: 500+ views? Considering this fic is approaching half a year in age, I have no idea whether to take this as a good sign or a bad sign...
Disclaimer: The elements used in this fanfiction-
Death: Well done! Now the interloper is no more!
DarkDiablo: What?
Death: The author painting was cutting off the throne needed to rewrite Lord Dracula! A clever plan. Alas, now my lord can be rewritten!
*evil laugh as Death flies off*
DarkDiablo: All this rewriting nonsense...
Jonathan Morris: Don't worry, kiddo! Charlotte and I can handle it! In the meantime, standard disclaimer rules apply. Read safely!
Final Fantasy: Aria of Ruin
Chapter Eleven: Trace of Rage
It wasn't nearly a minute before the fiends suddenly broke out of their cages, and combined their forces to make a massive centipede-like beast with long arms. What could be called hands on the upper arms looked made for defense first. The fiend fell onto the ground in front of the group. "Time to commence Operation V.K!", Jack Morris shouted. All agreed with those words, and ran to the front line, while the hunter stood his ground near Yuna. The assault on the fiend began easy enough, with Jack throwing knives to provide support for the group, mostly targeting the arms of the fiend. They would regenerate over time, but it never dissuaded the hunter from creating a wide opening for his allies.
After what felt like a minute of such abuse, the fiend called forth a bolt of lightning from above to strike Jack. He did not take to it very well at all, which was a stark contrast to most of the other times he had been harmed. The distance he was knocked back did little to ease his pain, either. "Jack!", the summoner cried out after the sight. Sparks of lightning were still seen circling him. "Curses! That's the one element I hate!", he cursed bitterly as the fiend took a katana to its left arm from Auron. Immediately afterwards, the hunter cast a healing spell on himself. Whatever scorch marks were present faded away relatively quickly. In retaliation, he threw a trio of knives at the monster's head.
"Jack! Look out!", Tidus shouted half a minute later, after finishing off the left arm of the monster for the fourth time. Sure enough, looking upwards, the hunter saw that the head of the beast was moving erratically. "Let's see how it likes this!", he replied before rushing to the fiend. Little hesitation followed before Jack jumped high into the air, all the while giving the beast a mean uppercut. On the way down, he brought out his two-handed sword to deliver a downward slash, adding onto what was an already impressive attack in strength. The strike had actually managed to turn the head of the fiend to stone, which prompted a smirk from the hunter as he jumped back onto his position near Yuna.
Thanks to this, the fiend could now do little to survive against the onslaught. Before long, it finally stopped moving. Several yells of terror were heard, prompting everyone to look in their direction. The sight they saw left them completely understanding why such yells were let loose. It was Sin, the being itself, rushing towards its spawn. Jack never wanted to see the gruesome sight of the being. Not now, not ever. Then again, if he had seen the interior, what was there to fear of the exterior?
Several shots were fired, the sounds of which snapped him back into reality. The Al Bhed machinery had commenced firing at Sin. Each shot landed on the being, causing some of its flesh to fall into the water. This flesh then turned into jellyfish-like fiends. The group heard chocobo riders charging forward, under Lucil's command. "Look out!", Auron yelled, jumping back. Everyone did as ordered. Sin began dropping fiends, and had an energy field around it. It protected Sin from the machina weaponry, and expanded with each hit it absorbed. Anything that was not a fiend within this energy field was mercilessly destroyed, with little remaining of what once was.
Suddenly, there was an explosion at the cliff that managed to send most of the people present flying, the majority of which were either killed outright, or sent onto the beach. Jack, Yuna, and Auron, thankfully, were fortunate enough to avoid both of these fates. Even so, they were sent near the cliff's edge, falling unconcious in the process.
When Jack came to, it was to the sight of Yuna and Auron already defeating the fiend that had apparently come back to life. Seymour was helping with the effort, though. "Aid...", the hunter managed to whimper weakly. "Jack!", Yuna cried out, having heard this. The next thing Jack knew, he felt all of his strength returning. It seemed that the summoner had already learned a more powerful healing spell, and she had just used it on him. "Thanks", the hunter replied gratefully as he stood up, having little trouble, if any. "The others!", Yuna cried out before rushing to the cliff's edge, with Jack following. The sight that awaited the two would prove to be a crushing blow in a matter of seconds.
Sin was having a fight with a large machina weapon, probably the weapon that was to deal the killing blow. The machina fired at the being, hitting its forcefield. A spectacular show of power was seen as both sides continued to fight against each other, before Sin finally lashed out with a wave of energy from the forcefield that destroyed the machina soundly. Whatever was inside that machina, human or not, met a bloodstained demise. Needless to say, even Jack wasn't far from horrified beyond all belief.
The next worry that hit him was the one Guardian that was missing entirely. "Where's...", the hunter began asking. When Jack looked to the beach, though, his thought was answered. Much to the two's surprise and relief, they saw Tidus there. Strangely, however, he was actually swimming towards Sin. 'What the curses is he doing?!', the hunter added in his thoughts. Giving chase to Sin was completely suicidal, even for Jack! Why would Tidus do such a thing?! Even though the hunter reached out as if to stop him, little could have been done. "Everyone, stand back! I'll summon!", Yuna cried out, taking out her staff. "Wh-what?!", Jack called out. "You won't hurt it!", Seymour added in a rather harsh tone. Yuna turned to look at the two. "Your powers are still... too weak", Seymour clarifed, much gentler.
"But I must do something!", she replied, tears in her eyes. The Maester only shook his head in response. Before long, she began twirling her staff. "You can't!", Seymour retorted, this time with much more venom in his tone. The hunter shot a glare at the Maester without anyone else noticing. It was true that to attempt to destroy Sin now would be suicide. But there was a lot more venom in that tone than was necessary. "Yuna, as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. We've got to look for survivors", Jack finally said sadly. He needed to get the summoner away from Seymour. There was no telling what he'd do next. Yuna sighed in defeat at those words, before lowering her head.
Some time later, the trio had gone a separate path from Seymour, managed to regroup with the rest of the Guardians, and found Tidus relatively unharmed. Everywhere they went, dead bodies littered the ground. More small lights were hovering over the beach. Or, to be more precise, pyreflies. The scene left Jack speechless, to say the honest truth. Even the chaos that happened on Kilika Island did not stand a chance at comparing to this. "Rest in peace, poor souls...", the hunter muttered under his breath as he watched Yuna perform what Lulu called the sending.
On their way here, the black mage had explained to Jack that the souls of those who died remained as the very pyreflies that were seen here. Filled with grief over their death, they refused to accept their fate, and eventually grew envious of those still alive. This envy turned to anger, and even hatred, which gave form to the various fiends that attacked the group thus far on the pilgrimage. The sending, this strange dance that Yuna was performing now, was meant to allow the dead the guidance they needed to reach what was called the Farplane, where their souls would rest in peace.
"I see you're still here", Jack heard Auron say to Tidus. "Huh?", he asked. "Many stories ended here today... But yours goes on, I see", the red-robed man replied. "What?", Tidus managed to say. That was when Maester Kinoc walked up. "A swift retreat. Satisfied?", Auron asked the Maester, giving him a dark look. "What do you mean?", he asked. Auron nodded towards the beach. "Those who turned from Yevon died while the faithful live on", he replied. Kinoc smirked. "The past ten years have changed you, I see", he said. The men went their separate ways. Jack and Yuna followed, both stopping to bow to Maester Kinoc as he passed. Seymour approached the two. As his eyes were fixated on the summoner, however, he did not notice the hunter glaring harshly at him. "You do not look so well. But now, more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence", the Maester said to the summoner.
Yuna had her eyes covered in tears, and was trying very hard not to cry. Jack looked around, and saw Wakka performing the prayer bow to give his respects to those dead. "Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow. But you... are a summoner. You are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Do you understand?", he continued. "Yes. I understand", Yuna replied, nodding sadly. "You are afraid?", Seymour asked, still smiling. The summoner smiled sadly in response. "Yuna, take me as your pillar of strength. As Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon", the Maester finished, offering her his hand. Yuna seemed torn at whether to take his hand at that moment. It seemed that the Maester noticed this, as he drew his hand back to his side. "Lady Yuna. Until next we meet, farewell", he finished, before going his own way. Yuna bowed before turning to walk over to Lulu.
It wasn't too long before the group continued onwards on the pilgrimage, though Tidus, Jack, and Kimahri took up the rear, quite a distance away from everyone else. "Hey, you three! Hurry up!", Yuna called out, sounding more cheerful than she should have. "She's acting awfully cheerful", the star player noted. "Yeah...", the hunter added in agreement. "In dark times, she must. She must shine bright", a deep voice replied. Both blondes jumped as they looked to the direction they heard the voice. It seemed to have belonged to Kimahri. "Son of a Belmont...", Jack muttered under his breath. That was the first time he heard the Ronso speak.
"Now are dark times. Yuna tries hard", he added. "We should help", Tidus suggested. That was greeted with Kimahri shaking his head. "If we worry, she tries harder. Do not frown", he replied. "Don't worry... be happy?", the hunter questioned. The star player nodded, seemingly in agreement. "Kimahri try too", the Ronso said. "Smile! Let me see!", Tidus added. Kimahri seemed reluctant to comply, but he did eventually try to smile. It looked more like a cat attempting to growl, though. "Sad...", the star player commented silently. "Wasn't that bad for an attempt, though...", Jack added. Afterwards, the three made haste to catch up with everyone else.
Eventually, after some skirmishes with fiends, the group reached a fork in the Djose Highroad. "Hey! How much longer until Zanarkand?", Tidus asked, impatient. "Still a ways", Wakka answered, shaking his head. "First, down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam. Then, we cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania", Lulu added, nodding. "Oh, boy", Tidus replied, slouching. Yuna giggled at the sight. "But before that, we get to pray at the temple in Djose!", Yuna said proudly. Jack smiled at those words. "Sounds like we can't skip that, then", the hunter replied. Yuna smiled, nodding. "I have to pray to the Fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon", the summoner said. Wakka nodded. "That's a summoner's training. She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning", he added.
Jack blinked at those words. This Final Summoning, whatever it was, did not sound right. The hunter didn't like the notion of it. "Must be tough, Yuna", Tidus said to Yuna. "I'll be fine with you here", she replied. "Huh?", the star player questioned. Jack shook his head, smiling as he did so. Tidus was clearly clueless as to just how close he was becoming to Yuna. Auron beckoned him over for a private conversation, but otherwise, the journey to the temple was undisturbed until the group found the trio of Djose Chocobo Knights, along with a surviving chocobo. "Yuna, it is good to see you and your companions are well", Lucil said. "Yourselves as well, Captain. We were worried. Praise be to Yevon", Yuna replied. "We survived with our lives, but our troops were decimated", the captain continued.
"Of all our chocobos, only this one made it", Elma added, gesturing to the surviving chocobo, which warked sadly as if to agree. "We make pretty poor Chocobo Mounted Forces without chocobos", Clasko finished. "No doubt about it", Jack replied. "We turned our backs on the teachings and cast aside our faith. This... this is our just reward", Lucil said sadly. Silence fell afterwards, before the group left the trio to themselves, continuing on the way to Djose Temple. 'Lack of faith was not why all those Crusaders died today. If it were true, I'd be dead, too', the hunter thought, but did not dare say it out loud.
The group arrived at a large pillar of stone. The first thing to greet them was shaking, almost as if by an earthquake. "Is that the Djose temple?", Tidus asked. Suddenly, electricity burst from the top of the stone, breaking it into smaller pieces which then floated around, revealing a majestic temple. "Awesome...", the star player commented, clearly amazed by the sight. The hunter, on the other hand, did not look anywhere near as impressed. If anything, he actually looked slightly worried. "I don't like this temple already...", he said, arousing everyone else's attention. "Why not?", Lulu asked. Jack sighed at this.
"Remember when I said that I was innately resistant to the element of water back on Kilika?", the hunter asked. All save for Auron nodded. "Nothing in life comes without a consequence. I... do not take well to lightning", Jack added. "Huh?", Tidus asked, once again looking completely clueless. "He's trying to tell us he's weak against lightning, ya?", Wakka replied. "More or less", the hunter added. Afterwards, he turned his attention to the rocks above. "So, what's with the lightning show?", Jack asked.
"The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a summoner is addressing the Fayth", Lulu said. "That means another summoner's already in there", Wakka added. "Another summoner?", Yuna asked. "What if it's Dona?", Tidus added. The question prompted a look of irritation from Jack. It was no secret that he was still angry at the cruel summoner. "We have to hurry", the summoner replied. "Right! In we go!", the star player finished as everyone rushed towards the temple.
The group had entered what appeared to be the entry hall of the temple, just as the door to the Cloister of Trials opened. Stepping out of the cloister came three figures, all with black hair. Two were dressed in blue robes that were almost alike to a priest of Yevon, even though one was a kid's size. The other man had a small yellow jacket on, with some padded armor for his left arm, and cotton pants laced with more padded armor for the legs. They noticed the group, and calmly walked to them. "I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?", the man who seemed to be the leader of the trio asked to Yuna. "I am Summoner Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid", she replied.
This gave the man a smile. "As I thought. The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father", he said. Everyone looked at him. "My father? You knew him?", Yuna asked, confused. "No, I have never met the man. Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru. I am a summoner, like you", he replied. The small boy jumped up. "I'm Pacce. Nice to meet you!", he introduced himself. "And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here", the other man introduced himself as well. "Ever since I was a child, I looked up to Lord Braska. I wished I would someday become a High Summoner, like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you. I believe you might someday defeat Sin", Isaaru said. "I... I'm not really... I've only just become a Summoner...", Yuna said.
Isaaru nodded at this. "Of course, I have no intention of losing, either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?", he said, smiling. "Very well, then. I accept your challenge", Yuna replied, smiling as well. "A little friendly competition? This day just got interesting", Jack mused silently. "Isaaru!", Maroda called out. The summoner nodded. "Yuna, I beg your leave. Good luck, to both of us", he said. "Yes", was Yuna's reply as she stepped aside, allowing Isaaru to walk past. The group continued onwards, Jack and Tidus taking up the rear. "Hey, you two", Isaaru called out, arousing the blondes' attention. Sure enough, when the two turned back, the three were walking back to them. "Us?", the star player asked. "Something going on?", the hunter added. "You are Yuna's guardians, no?", the summoner questioned. Jack nodded in response. "Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you should know", Isaaru said.
"I heard it from those Crusaders. Seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just... disappearing", Maroda added, getting to the point. "It could just be the fiends got them... but not so many, so quickly", the summoner said. "Sorry I don't know more, but... watch your backs. Ain't much future for guardians without a summoner, eh?", the young man finished. The hunter was about to say something when Pacce jumped up and down. "What? What? What'cha all talkin' 'bout?", he asked. "We're talking about doing your job as a guardian", Maroda answered. "Hey! I'm doing good! Right, big brother?", the young boy added, earning a nod from Isaaru. "Please, be careful", the summoner said. "No problem", Jack replied. "Will do!", Tidus added.
Pacce stopped for a moment to look at Jack's necklace. "That's a pretty necklace! Where'd you get it?", the young boy asked kindly. "It was a birthday present from a friend", was the hunter's response. Pacce smiled at the answer. "Pacce!", Isaaru called out. The young man jumped, turning around. "Oh... what?", he replied. "We're leaving!", the summoner replied. "Be right there!", Pacce called back. "Good luck, and good guarding, kiddo", Jack called out to the young boy. "Same to you! See ya!", was the young boy's reply as he ran to join up with his group. The hunter smiled at this. "A friend?", Tidus asked. "Actually, the friend in question would happen to be Alucard. He gave it to me when I turned 15. I've worn it ever since", Jack clarified. The star player nodded, understanding now, before making haste to catch up with the rest of their own group.
It wasn't long before everyone made it into the Cloister of Trials. "All right. Guardians at attention", Wakka said. "We are ready", Yuna said, nodding. "All right... let's do it!", the blitzer replied. Everyone split up to do the trials. Even with Jack's weakness to lightning, nothing major happened during the group's time in the Cloister of Trials. They eventually solved the trial, and opened the way to the Chamber of the Fayth. Yuna looked at everyone, and nodded before she went in. The rest of the group either sat down or stood. Jack was one of those who sat down. All took solace in the Hymn of the Fayth that was chanted in the antechamber.
"Well, well. You again", a familiar voice said, surprising everyone in the room. Looking back to the room's entrance, they saw two familiar guests. The hunter growled angrily at the sight. Just how many times would Dona and Barthello show up? He preferred it to be never again. "Still traveling with quite the crowd, I see", Dona added. Barthello, however, walked up to Auron and placed his fists on his hips. "What is it, Barthello? You know this riff-raff?", the cruel woman questioned.
Barthello ignored that, though. "You are... Auron, no?", he asked, tilting his head. The red-robed man just looked at him lazily. "What of it?", he asked calmly. Barthello flexed his muscles. "Can... I shake your hand? Auron... no, Sir Auron. You're the reason I became a Guardian", he replied. Auron laughed softly before holding out his hand. "Thank you, sir! This means so much to me", Barthello said. Wakka smirked at the sight. So Barthello wasn't as cruel-hearted after all. He was just serving his summoner. "Calling the personal guardian to Lord Braska riff-raff", the blitzer said. Lulu smirked as well. "And you call yourself a summoner", she said to Dona. The thunder outside kicked up a notch before the cruel summoner growled in response to what was said. "Barthello, enough! Get back here!", she ordered at the large man. "Hang in there, buddy, eh?", Tidus called out to him.
The group waited patiently and silently for their summoner. Or, well, the group and Barthello, for that matter. Dona, on the other hand, was not so patient. "She sure is taking her sweet time, isn't she?", she asked, in an obviously impatient tone. The hunter just glared at the cruel summoner at this, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was still angry at her for what happened in Kilika Temple. "Yuna made it here before you. If you're going to stay around, I suggest you be silent. Otherwise, leave now and come back when we're out of the temple", he replied bitterly.
Just at that very moment, Yuna came out of the Chamber of the Fayth, though she fell to her knees. Kimahri ran up to her and held the summoner up. Dona shook her head, tsking as she did so. "You owe much to your father. All these Guardians and Sir Auron too? And I heard Maester Seymour's quite taken up with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska", she taunted. Everyone frowned at this, and Jack was beginning to struggle against his temper. Now wasn't the time or the place for such actions. "This has nothing to do with my father! I am traveling on my own to become a full-fledged summoner", Yuna replied to the cruel summoner. "Oh, is that so? Then try standing on your own two legs for once", Dona said. She headed to the door to the Chamber of the Fayth. "Your Guardians won't be able to help you when the time comes", she coldly added.
Before anyone could protest, Dona entered the Chamber. Everyone looked to Jack, who at this point was clearly enraged by what the cruel summoner had said. Even so, he tried his best to keep his rage in check. "We should get going. I'd much rather be out of here when she's done. The last thing we need is more death", he said. Everyone else nodded in agreement before they walked out of the antechamber, leaving Barthello to wait for Dona. All of the group save for Yuna decided to go ahead and call it a night once they exited the temple a couple of minutes later.
Jack managed to fall asleep, only to find himself in the midst of a nightmare. He was in what seemed to be the inner halls of Castlevania, only he was fully alone. He saw no sign of Alucard, nor a sign of his family. He didn't see even a sign of the new friends he made in Spira. All of a sudden, he found himself surrounded by countless of the minions that were denizens of Castlevania. Desperate, the hunter fought off every one of his attackers, exploiting each and every one of their weaknesses with his weaponry. Suddenly, however, Jack was grabbed from behind. A glance in that direction left him horrified. The grabber was none other than Count Dracula himself. "No!", the hunter cried out. "You danced well, hunter. But it will be your last...", the Count threatened as he bared his fangs, his intentions crystal clear.
It wasn't long after that moment before the hunter forced himself awake. The first thing he saw clearly was a seemingly frightened Tidus. "Could you point that somewhere else?!", he called out, more annoyed than anything else. Jack blinked before he realized just what had happened. He had, unknowingly, grabbed his crossbow and was now aiming it at the star player. He was thankful that he didn't pull the trigger on the crossbow. A sigh of relief was let loose from the hunter as he set it aside, shaking his head all the while to get rid of the nightmare's lasting images. "Sorry about that, Tidus. Just... a horrible nightmare", he said as his apology. "It's okay", Tidus replied, relieved now that he wasn't about to be hit with an exploding bolt.
"Is it morning already?", Jack asked. "Yeah. We're just waiting on Yuna now. It seems she was up all night", the star player answered. "Hmm. Go ahead and wait with the others. I need a minute to get ready", the hunter requested. Tidus nodded before rushing out of the room, allowing Jack to gather up his equipment. "Mother, guide me...", he said silently in a prayer before he left the room, eager to get the day over with.
Arriving outside in front of the temple, Jack found the rest of the Guardians waiting patiently, with Tidus kicking rocks. The temple door opened and out came none other than Yuna, who had some of her hair in a mess. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me!", the summoner said, bowing deeply. "Really, there's no rush", Lulu replied, trying to calm Yuna down. "Here, your hair", she finished, fixing some strands of her hair. Wakka sighed dramatically. "A summoner with bed-hair! What's the world comin' to?", he teased, smiling. "You could have woken me up!", Yuna teased back, also smiling. "We called to you, but with all that snoring", Lulu teased. The summoner glared playfully at the black mage. "What is it today? Everyone's picking on me!", she complained.
Jack could do little to prevent the laughter he was having, along with everyone else. Heck, even Auron let loose a chuckle. Yuna heard this and walked over. "You too, Sir Auron?", she said. The red-robed man tried to hide his smile, but he failed. "Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave", was his reply. That caused Tidus and Jack to double over in laughter with Wakka not too far off as the summoner tried to fix her hair, blushing all the while. Auron walked off, with Yuna walking after him. Kimahri followed her, with everyone else following him.
"I hadn't really laughed like that in a long time.
It wasn't until later in life that I realized something.
Only Tidus and I were the ones really laughing that day.
Now, for the two of us, it was a much needed reprieve from all the death we had seen.
Those poor souls? The laughter was all they had.
Without it, despair would have claimed them all"
A.N: CURSE YOU AND YOUR SNEEZES, DRACULA! *notices the wave of surprised readers* Oh. Whoops. In Dracula's defense, though, it would be a shorter fic than I would have liked. Anyways, yeah, the O.C does not take kindly to lightning. I'd be surprised if none of you readers saw that one coming. It's already been stated in chapter four that the guy's innately resistant to the water element. Getting it from an item is one thing. Being innately resistant is a completely different topic altogether.
Anyway, don't be afraid to leave a review telling me how I'm going thus far if you've the time. Motivation does wonders. As much as I hate to start something then not finish it, I can't just go on like this for all of my life. *stands up menacingly* But enough talk... See you in the next chapter! *teleports into the background, cackling evilly*
Last Note: I... may be absent for a while. I just lost my emotional support dog to old age just a bit ago. I need some time to mourn. Not sure when the next chapter will be coming.