Yuna quietly walked along the grey stone path in front of her, shivering from the cold. Her hair stuck out in weird places and curled from the dense humidity, and she could barely see four feet in front of her. Whoever built this place obviously hadn't heard of fire. Wait, she could use fire! Yuna quickly took out her garment grid and sphere changed into her Black Mage dressphere. The purple robes already worked to warm her up, and she focused her mind on casting the spell. Yuna felt the familiar warm flow of energy course through her veins and directed it into her staff so she could use it as a makeshift torch. In a few seconds, the ornate top of her staff lit up, throwing light in all directions through the blackened cave. Feeling a bit better about her odds of surviving this mission, Yuna continued on. There were no fiends around, thankfully, but there was a heavy atmosphere about the area, as if some oppressive force was watching her every move. It was eerie, and Yuna couldn't help but worry about the others that were on their own. Well, except for Rikku and Tidus, who were probably off canoodling in some hole somewhere. Yuna shook her head, chastising herself for letting such thoughts intrude her mind when she was on an important mission. She was a trained summoner, able to withstand great amounts of mental stress, and yet she still couldn't focus on finding the Fayth that may lie in wait for her.
Yuna thought more about this Fayth who dreamt below her. Who was it? Why had the world forgotten about it for so many years? What had happened to this temple? The questions flowed through Yuna's mind like a river, and only stopped when she noticed a sphere on the ground in front of her. When she picked it up, the swirling blue energy inside seemed to gather toward the left of it, pointing to another path in the cave. Was this sphere some sort of compass-like device? Yuna decided to follow it, and turned left along the followed it for some time, and the sphere's energy shifted right. There, another path laid before her, adorned with old drawings and words. She viewed them as she walked past, noticing the great wyvern-like beast that was so prominent among them. Was it an Aeon? It looked so powerful. Yuna wondered if her journey three years ago would have been easier if she had such a great beast at her side, then felt a twinge of guilt in her chest as she remembered striking down her Aeon allies inside Sin. Perhaps it was better that she didn't have to fight this one back then. Among the old murals were bits of ancient text. Yuna could barely make out words such as 'sacrifice' and 'become the Fayth'.
The sphere in her hand told her to turn right once more, this time into an even stranger room. It was filled with beautiful pyreflies, all of which sheemed to gravitate toward the large slab in the room's center. Yuna could feel the oppressive atmosphere thicken as she approached, and she steeled herself for what may come. Suddenly, the pyreflies began to converge into a single being before her, one that she immediately recognized.
"… Father?" Yuna let out the word carefully, unable to mask the fear and confusion that mingled within her mind. Braska stared at the stone slab for a moment, as if he couldn't even hear his daughter right next to him. He turned around and smiled at Yuna, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, dear. You don't have to be afraid. This is your duty." Braska spoke in a calm and gentle voice, reminiscent of the one he used when Yuna was young. Her duty? Did he know why Yuna had come here?
"Yes. I'm not afraid, father. It's so good to see you." Yuna analyzed her father's face, worried that his spirit was an omen of something terrible.
Braska embraced his daughter, stroking her hair as if comforting her. His touch was warm and alive. It was hard to believe he was only a spirit. Yuna leaned in to her Father's chest, feeling as if time had reversed and she was six years old again.
"I know, I know." His voice was calm and kind. "I know it's scary, but the village must have a sacrifice. Don't you want to become one with the great Aeon? You can help defeat Sin. You can save us all."
"What?!" Yuna pushed her father away, shocked at his change of tone. "You… You are not my father!"
The Braska shaped man stood motionlessly, his head hung so that Yuna couldn't see his face. Suddenly, pyreflies flowed from his body, changing his form into another man. Another group of pyreflies converged into a young woman with lengthy red hair who stood before him. Yuna felt a touch of loneliness as she understood what had happened. The pyreflies react to peoples' memories. They must have mixed the thoughts of that girl with her own, projecting Braska. He had appeared because Yuna wanted him to. The young girl then spoke, her voice soft and shaky.
"But daddy, people shouldn't have to die so that the rest of the world can be happy, right? It isn't fair." She wiped a tear from her eye with the sleeve of her multi-colored robe.
"You won't die, dear. You'll be reborn as the new Fayth for Yurlungur. You will live on as a God." The father tried to comfort his daughter as a group of people flowed in from the room's entrance. Two priests brought in some torches and placed them on either side of the stone slab. "It is time. I love you, darling."
"Is she ready?" A priest asked, standing between the two.
"Yes." The father stepped back and joined the onlookers. The young woman hung her head as the priest laid her down on the slab. Two more priests joined him and held the girl's arms down. Yuna watched as they pulled out an ornate knife and began sketching symbols onto her skin. The girl moaned in pain, tears rushing down her face as the knife sliced her skin, blood running down the stone beneath her and dripping into some sort of hollow at the slab's base. Suddenly, the markings on the girl's body let out a glow of light, and she stopped moving. The priests and onlookers cheered as if someone had just made a goal in blitzball, clearly enjoying the bloodletting taking place before them. It was sick, Yuna thought. She looked on as the priests loaded the girl's body into a wooden coffin and carried it through an enourmous stone doorway, donning a colorful painting of that Aeon from before. It must have been the Chamber of the Fayth. As the stone doors closed, the memory ended. Yuna wiped the tears from her eyes and made her way toward the demon's mouth.
Yes, this chapter is all Yuna, but I figured I couldn't just write up some crappy trial for her solve and get her out of the way. I don't think you guys would like that. I know this is supposed to be a Tidus/Rikku fic, but Yuna and Paine are just as important as those two are. For now, anyway. As always, please review/fav/follow and enjoy! Stay tuned for next chapter! (I promise I wont wait three years this time)