The thief and his princess
Summary:
When Zidane, the youngest thief in the infamous Tantalus group, meets the mysterious Dagger on the Alexandrian streets, he thinks of her as nothing but one of his many flirts. But with time, he will realize that the girl does not only hold the power to bind his heart forever, but that she is an unwilling part of a conspiracy that can easily destroy the world. - A FFIX AU Fan Fic
Chapter fourteen ~ Heritage
The Mountain Path showed a wild beauty that was unknown to the Mist Continent. The rocky canyons in their reddish brown colors contrasted with the vibrant green roots coming out of various holes in between the rocks. The air was filled with dust and sand and was dry to the point that Zidane missed the foggy air back home. Foreign lizards crawled on elevated rocks to bathe in the beating sun and insects flew through the air, constantly trying to sting him or his friends.
And my wife, the thief thought to himself with a side look to Dagger, who was absorbed by the rough beauty. She wore her big smile again, pulling Amarant to every unknown plant or living being and her eyes sparkled like the night sky above Alexandria. Freya was setting up a little fire to heat up some of the soup they brought from Conde Petie while Zidane looked out for fiends. They had been on the Mountain Path for almost half a day already and so far, they hadn't encountered any aggressive animals, but Amarant, with his usual negative attitude, stated that the area provided enough food and (surprisingly) water for bigger hunters to live around. And that had led Zidane to keep an eye out on the area while the others could enjoy their short time out. Just as he kicked away a stone, Dagger came up to him, carrying two bowls of soup.
"Would you like some soup, Zidane?", she asked and held out her hand.
"Sure, thanks Dag'!" The heated bowl almost burnt his finger tips, but some food is always better than no food, so without a comment, Zidane gulped down the entire serving before handing the empty bowl back to Dagger. Drops of sweat formed on his forehead and he wiped them away with the back of his hand.
"Some water as well?", Dagger helpfully asked as she forwarded her bottle.
"Thanks again", Zidane replied after he took a deep chug, but Dagger shook her head. "It's the least, really. I keep exploring the area with Amarant while you do all the guarding. It's not fair", she added with a lowered voice. Grinning, Zidane leaned in on her: "Well, then how about giving your husband a kiss to make up for it?"
As to be expected, Dagger blushed in a deep red before she turned away. "S-stop your joking with me!", she stuttered as she walked away, followed by Zidane's smiling lips. But his eyes didn't smile as joyfully and just when Dagger was out of his sight, he whispered "But I'm not joking." With a sigh, the thief shrugged and continued to watch their surroundings.
There! Hadn't he just spotted a moving shadow down the riverbed? Zidane narrowed his eyes as his hand moved to the Rune Tooth. Again! A coyote perhaps? No, it was too big for that he decided as he drew his weapon and started to crawl towards the shadow. His eyes caught Amarant's and the redhead put on his claws as he quietly told Dagger and Freya to stay put.
Zidane crouched forward, rough twigs scratching his face, and his thighs already complained about the steep route but he wasn't too far away from where he had last seen the shadow. Suddenly, a giant cat jumped at him from the left and Zidane could do nothing but swirl his sword around. The beast reacted in the last moment and escaped the deadly blade by inches. By the time it landed on his feet, Zidane already rushed toward it, smashed down his weapon and struck down his enemy with a clean cut on the throat. The thief breathed heavily as he put away his weapon and examined his dying opponent.
The cat was bigger than the wolves living on the mist continent and its fur had the same reddish brown color as its surroundings with dark brown spots all over it. Its teeth were each as long as Zidane's hand span and for a few seconds, the thief could see the sharp glistening of the beast's killer instincts in its eyes before the glow turned into a fog.
"I've never seen a cat this big before", Freya commented. She had followed Zidane as quiet as a mouse and opened the cat's mouth. "Quite a killer, isn't it?"
Zidane got up and pat away the dust on his knees. "Yeah, I guess. Probably more around here", he added as he looked around, but Amarant calmly said "No. Animals like these don't live in packs. There's maximum two of these in one territory – they're too aggressive to form greater alliances." Dagger stared wide eyed at the dead body, then carefully, she reached out and touched the fur. "It's so soft", she whispered surprised.
"Guess break time's over", Zidane sighed.
"The dwarfs said you don't need a full day to pass the Path towards the Sanctuary", Freya remarked as her eyes examined the area to their west.
"But we're not headed towards the Sanctuary", Amarant grumbled and he pointed to the east. "That's where we're heading to. The village is at the other side of the Mountain Path. And since we had our 'pilgrimage' as cover up" - at this point, his eyes caught Freya for a moment, with a look that could either be impressed or disapproving - "we couldn't ask how long it'd take to get there. We should find a place to rest at night, in case it's far away."
"You want to rest in a place like this?", Freya asked warily. "You just saw what kind of fiends are living here! We should try and reach the village before we take our next rest."
"And who says the village is free of fiends?", Amarant grunted. "As far as I recall, the researchers found ruins, not a lively town! Fiends might've took over the place ages ago."
Both of them simultaneously turned their heads to Zidane. The thief had crossed his arms and weighed his head from one shoulder to the other. "What do you want, Dagger?", he asked toward the princess.
"You ask me?", she asked surprised.
"Of course! This journey's all about you, Dagger", Zidane said smiling. "You know best what's good for you."
Dagger looked down to her clasped hands. "I... I want to see that Eidolon Wall as soon as possible", she said quietly.
"Then it's decided. We'll keep going. If night falls before we reach the village, we still have time to worry about setting up a camp", Zidane nodded approvingly and Amarant loosened his wrapped arms as he shouldered one of their backpacks. In a line, Zidane at the front, Dagger right behind him with Amarant as follow up and with Freya as rear cover, they made their way through the rocky path.
Shortly after their first encounter with the big cat, while the party was climbing a steep route, Zidane laid his eyes on something that made his breath stop.
"Guys, check this out!"
Several miles away, beyond the labyrinth-like mountain path and on a great, wide plain, they could see a giant tree – bigger than any other Zidane had ever seen. It rose to the air several thousand feet tall, its branches, twigs and leaves intertwined and forming a wild crown at the top. The tree's roots spread out into the distance, some of them as wide as roads, and with bewilderment, Zidane realized he was standing on one of those roots, miles away from the actual tree.
"This is huge!", he gasped and knelt down. Even Amarant, who rarely showed his interest, had wide eyes and raised eyebrows as he saw the giant tree.
"It looks like it's doing a lot of thinking", Zidane muttered to himself.
"Hm?" Without him realizing, Dagger had sat beside him and looked at him curiously. The thief waved his hands. "Ah, nothin'. It's just that the tree's crown looks quite like a brain, doesn't it?"
The princess raised her eyebrows and turned her gaze to the tree. "You're right, it does", she nodded.
"Well, I guess we now know what the dwarfs cherish as their 'Sanctuary'", Freya said. "But let's not linger here. I'd like to reach the village before night falls – if we can."
Suddenly, Amarant jerked his head and raised his claws. "We're surrounded."
The moment it took for Zidane, Dagger and Freya to grab their weapons, creatures crawled out of the cracks in the slabs and formed a half circle around them.
"Gnolls!", Dagger whispered surprised. "I read about those. Hyena-like humanoids. Despite their blue skin that is glowing in the dark, they are excellent sneakers and preferably attack travelers with their giant shuriken from the shadows."
Feral eyes watched their every move and Zidane was hesitant to make the first. The shuriken was almost as big as a wheel and it might cut his head off before he even reached the first Gnoll. Then, with a movement quicker than the eyes could follow, Amarant threw a pack of missiles at their enemies. A great number of them were struck down immediately and before they could swing their shuriken, Freya had rushed forward and used her spear to disarm them. Amarant quickly nodded towards Zidane and the thief ran to the side, swirling the Rune Tooth above his head. The first Gnoll received a deadly blow through the chest and the second wasn't quick enough to block the blade from its head, but the third Gnoll appearing in front of Zidane eluded the weapon with ease and pulled out a small knife. Zidane jumped back, and the blade of the Rune Tooth barely scratched his opponents skin, but the creature burst out in a painful scream. Its claws covered the scrape out of which blood, mixed with green mocupus flew out.
"It can inflict poison on an enemy.", Zidane recalled the shopkeeper in Dali say.
All of a sudden, he heard Dagger scream. The thief turned his head in fear but to his relief, no enemies were near Dagger. Too late did he realize the princess was calling out his name, her fingers pointing to something to his right side. Then, Zidane felt a sharp, wrenching pain at his back and shoulder. His body turned hot and cold and before darkness clouded his eyes, he could see a shuriken flying by, carrying lumps of his flesh and clothing with it.
"ZIDANE!", Dagger screamed as the thief fell. A Gnoll had ripped out a giant part of his flesh with its shuriken and some of the monsters were already walking towards the motionless body to finish what they had begun.
"Stay away from him!", the princess shouted with a determination she had never had before. She swung the racket and two of the Gnolls were thrown back. The others just turned their heads shortly, then increased their speed to reach Zidane. Quickly, Dagger's eyes searched for Freya and Amarant, but the Dragon Hunter was busy disarming the other Gnolls and Amarant fought off four of their enemies alone.
I must do something!
For a moment, Dagger closed her eyes and searched for the ball of power inside her, where Shiva lived. With a stronger mind than ever, she pulled at the strands that kept Shiva from this world and summoned the Eidolon.
"Go get them!"
Crystallized ice materialized in front of Dagger, gathering into an icy cloud. Then, with a snap, the cloud burst and Shiva emerged, the ice glowing on her body. The Ice Queen froze the Gnolls closest to Zidane and with a swing of her arm, she threw back those approaching her. With a flick of her finger, the Gnolls frozen in ice shattered to countless pieces and an elegant kick ended another fiend's life.
While Shiva handled the Gnolls as if they were mere insects, Dagger rushed towards to Zidane. Blood was flooding out of his body and his face had turned pale. With trembling hands, Dagger mumbled the words she was taught a long time ago, summoning her spiritual healing powers. She forced the strands of flesh and muscle to grow back together, increased Zidane's blood reproduction and cast away the fever that started to cloud his mind. The wound disappeared as quickly as it was inflicted and Zidane's breathing returned to normal.
Dagger felt how Shiva approached her from behind. Quietly and gentle, the Eidolon went back into her soul and the princess knew the fight was over. She did not move an inch when Amarant and Freya came up to her, her eyes glued to Zidane's face on which the sweat from the struggle with death still was to be seen. She rarely noticed how Amarant shouldered Zidane or how Freya led them out of the Mountain Path. She did not see the great plains with dying grass that waited beyond the mountain, nor the walls of the empty village they reached when night fell. When Amarant asked her to go to sleep, she simply wrapped her coat around herself and lay down right beside Zidane, still staring at his face. Her mind did not find any rest until morning came.
"What a lovely princess do we have here?"
Dagger bat her eyelashes as she awoke from her restless sleep. She caught Zidane's grinning face as he sat at a table, drinking some water. "Yo. Did ya sleep well?"
"Zidane!" Before she could think otherwise, Dagger had hugged Zidane tightly. "You're awake. Oh, I'm so glad!" Chuckling, Zidane pat her back. "What did ya think? You're the one who healed me, right? There was nothing to worry about."
Suddenly, as if realizing what she was doing, Dagger let lose of Zidane and made an embarrassed step back. Her head hung down and she fought with tears. "I did heal you. But... but if I hadn't called out for you, then you would have noticed the shuriken flying toward you and you could have eluded all this pain and trouble! I'm so sorry, Zidane", she whispered when suddenly, she felt a finger on her lips. As she looked up, Zidane's face was only inches away from hers, his eyes with an expression so gentle she had never seen it before.
"Dagger", he whispered, his eyes hanging to her lips. "I..."
"Good morning, darlings!", Freya walked into the room, her hands carrying two bowls. "I heard you chatting so I thought I'd bring you some breakfast. It's only fruits, but I have been searching around this house and some of the garden is still intact. We'll have a great dinner tonight, once you have seen this Eidolon Wall." Just then did Freya notice how close Zidane and Dagger were sitting next to each other. The Dragon Hunter slightly raised her left eyebrow as Zidane's eyes met hers, but instead of answering her unspoken question, he slanted his head and asked: "The Eidolon Wall? Guess you gotta catch me up with things – where are we?"
"Madain Sari", Dagger answered in Freya's stead. Both the thief and the Dragon Hunter turned their heads questioning towards the princess, but Dagger looked to the wall of the tiny bedroom they were in. A huge world map was attached to it, showing the Mist Continent as well as all other continents of Gaia, and right where the village on the Outer Continent was situated, something had been written on it, in a language and writing system they had never seen before.
"It reads 'Madain Sari, home to the summoner tribe of Gaia'", Dagger explained.
"You can read it?", Freya asked surprised, but Zidane simply laughed. "See? I told ya Dagger will be able to read whatever is written in this village." Only then did he realize what Dagger had just read and his eyes opened wide. "Summoner tribe?", he echoed and Dagger nodded. "That's what is written here, at least", she added mumbling.
Suddenly, Amarant walked into the room. Freya opened her mouth to ask him something, but before she could, the warrior grunted "No fiends around", before he turned to Dagger. Without a word, he took her hand, helped her to get up and brought her out of the house.
"Amarant, where are we going?", Dagger asked surprised, but her redheaded guardian didn't answer and continued to guide her to some ruins a few minutes away from the village. Even though most of the structures had already collapsed and the fence was crooked, the stones standing around showed it was a graveyard. The tombstones showed signs of their age, letters in the same unknown script as in the house before were peeled off. Wild flowers had blossomed all over as if they were laid down to give solace to the dead.
In front of one of the stones, Amarant stopped. After a deep, concerned look into Dagger's eyes, he stepped aside. When Dagger read what was written on the stone, she gasped and sank onto her knees.
"... Father?"
Freya and Zidane caught up to the two and saw Dagger sitting in front of the grave, her hand held out to the cold stone.
"Father?", Zidane asked surprised. "But I thought your father was the Alexandrian king? King Richard the Fourth, right? Didn't he die just a few years ago? What would his grave be doing here?" Freya nudged him and gestured him to hush, but Dagger's lips escaped a gentle laugh.
"I... never got to meet my father. Richard, the man everyone knew as the Alexandrian king was a man who married my mother shortly after my real father died – and just a few months before I was born. I only learned when Richard died. He always was a father to me, but it was his dying wish before the illness carried him away to let me know of everything. He was never good at lying to me", she added with a slight chuckle. "Mother told me she met my real father on one of her few outside journeys when she was still a princess. His name was John and she always told me that he was a powerful king from a kingdom far, far away. I thought she was lying, to make me feel better about my true father. To make the revelation she had hidden for so many years less shocking." The princess took a deep breath before she continued.
"They spent a lot of time with each other – and fell in love. When my mother learned she got pregnant, she wanted to take him back to Alexandria, making him the king, but then... Something terrible happened. She said the place he was living at got destroyed by a giant earthquake. The few survivals all got sick by a rough illness shortly afterward and, without the means to tend to the sick, they died.
Richard was a man who always admired my mother and even though she rejected him so many times before, when he learned of her desperate situation, he was willed to marry her and raise me as his own child. His kindness protected me and I will remain grateful for that."
For a while, Dagger was silent. She looked at the headstone and breathed deeply.
"I can feel it... I can sense John here. I never would have thought her stories about him coming from a country this far away were true but now, seeing this stone, reading what's written on here – I know this is John's... my father's grave."
"What does it say?", Zidane gently asked as he sat beside her.
"'To my dearest Beatrix. Although we weren't given much time with each other and I never got to see your Alexandrian castle, I want you to know I love you very much. To my beloved unborn child. My life changed when your Mother announced your arrival. You made me happy. These are the things I want you to know.'", Dagger read with sincere voice. "He must have been lucky – having someone who could hear his dying words."
Silently, Zidane placed his hand on Dagger's shoulder.
"So that is why you can summon Eidolons and read this forgotten language", Freya concluded. "You are of their tribe."
The princess nodded. "Yes. Mother did not tell me John came from a summoner tribe but it makes sense. It's in my blood." She got up and bowed in front of her father's grave. "Thanks to his heritage, I may gather the power to defeat Kuja and save Mother. I am grateful." Then, the princess turned around and smiled at the three. "I think it is time for me to see the Eidolon Wall."
Zidane could see how the impressions of Madain Sari almost overwhelmed Dagger. Even though the village laid in ruins and dust had gathered on each piece of stone they passed, it was as if the princess was reminiscing – even though she had never seen it before. "It's as if I can feel their souls", she had said when Zidane had asked her why she felt so familiar with this place. "It's like their memories flow through me."
They saw the Eidolon Wall long before they reached it. The earthquake couldn't have destroyed the colossal arena-like building made of massive stone. It was circular without a roof and it did not seem to be made by humans. As they reached the formation, Zidane could view eight pillars standing parallel to the rounded walls and then, finally, when they entered trough a massive hole, they could see the Eidolon Wall.
All around the surface, drawings of Eidolons were to be seen. Zidane could recognize Shiva quite close to their right, but he knew none of the other Eidolons portrait around the wall. But Dagger did and she spoke their names as her hand brushed over the wall.
"Leviathan... Bahamut... Odin... Ifrit and Ramuh..!" As she reached the Eidolons of fire and thunder, a glowing light appeared around Dagger and lifted her up.
"Dagger!", Zidane called out and dashed towards her, but the radiation pushed him back. The glow encircled Dagger's chest and rays from stones embedded into Ifrit's and Ramuh's draft connected to her. Then, the light vanished and Dagger was slowly put down to the ground. Before her feet could touch the soil, Zidane was there to catch her in his arms. The princess had lost consciousness and her breathing was flat.
"What did just happen?", Zidane asked distressed but neither Amarant nor Freya could answer his question. Instead, they brought Dagger back to the house they had stayed the night, laid her to rest and waited for her to wake up.
It took Dagger a full day before she reopened her eyes. Amarant and Zidane were out exploring the area so it was Freya who first noticed the princess moving.
"Ah, you're awake, my dear", the Dragon Hunter smiled. "How are you feeling? Sick, nauseous, thirsty maybe?"
Dagger nodded: "Yes, I am a bit thirsty." Thankfully, she received the water bottle from Freya and quenched her thirst.
"Would you care for some food, my dear?", Freya asked as she forwarded a small platter of grilled fish and potatoes. "This area is quite rich in fish and vegetables, so we're trying to save our fruits from Conde Petie in the time being."
Freya let Dagger take her time in eating her breakfast while carefully examining her. Only when Dagger finished up, she dared to ask the question she and the men were wondering about all day long.
"What happened at the Eidolon Wall?"
Dagger stared at her hands. "It... is hard to explain. I believe I... I received Ifrit and Ramuh."
"The two Eidolons from the wall?"
"Yes. When I touched the stones ingrained in their impressions, I could feel their power. It was as if they asked me to take them in. They felt so... lonely", Dagger added shivering. "No one had been summoning them for years and when they were reunited with a summoner, they could not hold in their joy."
Freya slanted her head and crossed her arms. "So they are inside you now? Just like Shiva?"
Dagger took a moment to feel into her soul. Indeed, where once only one ball of icy energy was laying at rest, she could detect two additional ones – one orb of fiery vitality and another of a flashing spirit.
"Yes, I can sense them."
"Dagger! You awake?", Zidane barged in with his natural grin. "Good to see you're well!" Amarant followed and as he saw Dagger sitting up, the hint of a smile appeared on his face.
"We're talking about the incident of yesterday", Freya explained as the two men took a seat. "Apparently, Dagger can control two other Eidolons now – Ifrit and Ramuh."
"Really?", Zidane exclaimed excitedly. "Wow, that is so cool. You gotta show me your new summons, Dag'!"'
The princess smiled, but Amarant groaned: "She needs rest."
"Ah yeah, guess you're right Amarant", Zidane agreed. "But once you're all better, you definitely gotta show me!"
"Why were you so weak in the first place, my dear?", Freya asked concerned, causing Dagger to frown. "It is... overwhelming. When Ifrit and Ramuh came to me it was as if my soul was about to... burst. Their presences filled up my everything; there was no room for my own thoughts or feelings.
Maybe that is just how I gain new Eidolons. But I'm fine now! I apologize for making you worry about me", she lowered her head and Zidane pat her on the shoulder and smiled cheerfully.
"Do you think you can receive the other Eidolons we saw there as well?", Freya asked as she took a sip of water. "There were quite some powerful Eidolons pictured there – Bahamut I believe?"
Dagger lowered her head apologetic. "I don't think so. Ifrit and Ramuh are fixed to the Eidolon wall by their binding stones, the topaz and peridot, but the others were not – at least I couldn't sense them. Their impressions are merely pictures."
Freya let out a sigh and fixed her hat. "A shame. Could you see any clues of where to find the other Eidolons? We just met Kuja – and I'm afraid Shiva, Ifrit and Ramuh alone may not be enough to bring him down."
The princess shook her head. "You're probably right, Freya. But I don't remember reading anything like that on the wall – then again, I didn't manage to see everything, so maybe if I go back, I might discover something helpful."
Zidane gave her a worried look, but Dagger reassuringly smiled towards him: "Don't worry. There are no Eidolons waiting for me there. I will be fine."
With that being decided, they made their way to the Eidolon Wall once more. Zidane kept a close eye on Dagger, but as the princess predicted, there were no other Eidolons waiting for her to take them in. Dagger read the inscriptions on the walls, but beside their names and blessing words, no clues were to be found as for where the other Eidolons could hide.
"Damn", Zidane muttered and kicked away a lose stone right in the center of the circle. To his surprise, the stone didn't fly away, but only flipped open as it was attached to the ground. "What's that?" He bend down, brushed away some of the dirt underneath the stone and discovered a flat box in the color of sand with small drawings on it and inscribed with the summoner-tongue. "Yo, guys, check this out!", the thief called as he got back up on his feet. "Found something." He handed the box over to Dagger, who carefully examined it. As her fingertips went over the wood, they discovered two hidden flaps. By pushing those up, a mechanism caused the top of the box to slide to the left, revealing what it had been hiding for years.
"A map?", Zidane asked surprised as Dagger unfolded the yellow parchment. It looked just like the world map they had seen in the bedroom, but instead of villages and towns being marked, only few places were noted on this map.
"'May their seals never be broken'", Dagger read the headline of the map. "This looks like a map for the seals of the Eidolons!"
"Seals?"
"Yes!", Dagger replied to Zidane. "You know, Eidolons who proved too dangerous to harness were sealed away a long time ago to prevent catastrophes. Back in time, Gaia was populated by all different kind of people and tribes, but historians assume that the careless use of Eidolons destroyed most of the civilization outside the Mist Continent. It was only an assumption though – none of my teachers thought these ideas to be actually true."
"You're quite knowledgeable about Eidolons and their history, are you not my dear?", Freya remarked confounded and Dagger nodded.
"Why yes, there is so much to know about them! Did you know that Eidolons are supposed to be the result of collective memories? It all holds together with the myth of the planet being sustained by a crystal. When people die, their souls go to the crystal inside the planet's core. The energy and memories of the deceased fuel both nature and living beings on the planet. It is believed that Eidolons are the manifestation of our ancestors beliefs in mythology. The accumulated memory of such a belief turns into a magical creature, inspired to protect the planet and its crystal. I..." Suddenly, Dagger stopped and stared at her friends. "But... how do I know all these things? I definitely did not learn about this back home! I..."
"It's not suspicious, Dag'", Zidane calmly said. "It's this place. You're back home. If what you said is true, and memories of the dead can shape our planet this much, it's no surprise that your ancestors' memories can reach you."
"I... I guess you're right."
Freya took the map and examined it carefully. "Well, I am not capable of understanding this language, but it looks like the Eidolons are scattered all over the planet. The nearest seems to be at the Sanctuary."
"The Iifa tree", Dagger corrected her. "That's how the summoner tribe called in on the world map."
"Iifa tree, then. Which Eidolon lays there?"
With a look at the map, Dagger said "Leviathan. It's the Eidolon of the water, basically the counterpart to Ramuh."
"Then I believe our next destination will be the Iifa tree", Freya concluded, but Dagger made a step back.
"But... I don't know how to break the seals! Ifrit and Ramuh were free, only bound to the stones representing their element and thus, they were able to reach out for me. I have a feeling that sealed Eidolons can not do that. And I don't know how to break their seal or how to actively pull them into my soul. Besides, if they were sealed away, maybe it would be a better idea not to release them – if the summoners of the old, trained in guiding Eidolons all their life, could not harness them, how should I?"
"It's okay, Dagger", Zidane tried to calm her down. "I know the thought might be a bit terrifying but... Think about Kuja. Think about your mother. And all those people who need your help."
Tears build up in Dagger's eyes as fear overwhelmed her. "But I don't know if I can do this! There's no one to guide me through! I'm scared of Eidolons, I'm scared of their power and their ability to destroy everything at will!"
"Dagger, please..."
"No! I can't!", the princess snapped. Anger built up inside of her, mixing with her fear as she cried: "How could you possibly understand?! You know nothing of it! I can feel those things right now! They are inside me, always! They infected my soul, took place there as if it was their home and won't ever leave me! I won't continue to receive something if I don't know how to cast it away! What if we meet an Eidolon too powerful or too evil? How do you think should I get rid of it? It's easy for you to say, without being in touch with them. They are terrifying, Zidane! And I don't -!"
Suddenly, light exploded from Dagger's chest and Shiva, Ifrit and Ramuh broke out of her. The sky turned cloudy as the combined presence of the three bent the elements. Shiva was sparkling in ice, flames encased Ifrit, the minotaur-like creature with horns of fire, and Ramuh, with the appearance of an old man, shot out tiny bolts of lightning wherever he stood. All those three stared at Dagger, with a glance so intense that the summoner fell unto her knees. She was about to open her mouth, but then, Amarant, Zidane and Freya stood in front of her, each drawn their weapon to fight off the mighty beings if necessary.
But it wasn't. The three Eidolons sat unto the ground, but the flowers next to Shiva didn't freeze, the grass beneath Ifrit didn't burn, and the stone on which Ramuh sat didn't burst by lightning. They all looked at the princess with old, sapient eyes and the storm of emotions inside Dagger stopped swirling. As she saw the Eidolons, being in perfect control of themselves and their surroundings, she understood. She understood how this wasn't about the Eidolons being too unpredictable, but herself. They did not leave her body because they wanted to show her their power. They were cast out by her repulsion against them. But instead of attacking her, instead of punishing her for toying with god-like creatures, they sat down in front of her, waiting for her decision. Dagger's fear for Eidolons had created a shell around her soul and without her permission, none of them could enter.
This realization filled Dagger with magnificent ease. Her fear of them turned into trust, her anger into courage. With a knowledge that came from her ancestors and couldn't be learned, Dagger released the wall around her soul and let the Eidolons go back into her.
Her friends stared at her with fear and worry, but during their way back to the house, she explained to them what she had realized. She announced that she felt ready to face the other Eidolons and that she was confident to find a way to break their seals once she was there.
Author's note
Alrighty, first of all: I'm so sorry I'm a week late! February was a bit tight in time for me, but I tried making a new habit of writing so maybe, just maybe, you'll get updates more frequently!
So, as for this chapter – I have been dying to write this ever since I came up with the storyline! Such an important chapter to understand where the plot is going and how everything works together. Those of you who played FFIX will see that I applied the in-game laws and ideas to my story as well – the concept of Eidolons was one of the things that made me love FFIX that much.
Are you excited for the next chapter? I am! I reached the point in my story where my characters are totally acting on their own. Half of what I wrote here wasn't planned, but that way, it feels much more realistic.
The only thing I'm unhappy with is that Ifrit, my most favorite Eidolon in every Final Fantasy part, gets such an unspectacular entry. But oh well, things can't always go my way.
Thanks to everyone who is reading and even reviewing this fan fiction – please continue to support me! And as a thank you, I will continue writing fan fictions for you!
Ruska