Paine walked through the short passageway into a spacious room. It looked like something that would be used for ceremonies or prayer, and in its center sat a body-sized stone slab. As she examined the intricate designs at its base, Paine noticed Yuna standing a short ways behind it, her hand on the beautifully painted double doors. As she began to push one door open, Paine called out to her.
"Yuna!" The sound of her voice caused Yuna to twirl around in surprise. When she saw Paine's face, her body seemed to relax a bit, as if she were holding her breath.
"Paine, you're all right. I was worried. Have you found Tidus and Rikku yet?" Yuna's voice seemed weak, slightly trembling like one did when they just finished crying. Was she hurt? Paine rushed to Yuna's side and placed both hands on her shoulders in a way to try to comfort her.
"I haven't seen them yet. Is everything alright?"
"I just saw a memory from the past. It was awful. That poor girl…" Yuna wiped her eye as another tear threatened to spill over.
"Girl? Was it the Fayth?" Paine remembered the red haired girl from the sphere.
"I think so. She was sacrificed in some sort of ritual. I knew the Fayth were people once, but they chose to give up their lives for their summoners. We have to put that poor girl's spirit to rest." Yuna looked back at the door behind her, placing a hand on the mural that covered the entirety of the stone. Yurlungur was painted there, its wings relaxed and folded in. He looked almost regal, as if he were a powerful king overlooking his subjects. "The Chamber of Fayth is through here. She's waiting."
"Wait," Paine said as Yuna began to put pressure on the door. "We should wait for the others. Better safe than sorry."
"You're right." Yuna took her hand off the door, then turned around and leaned against it. "I just hope they're okay."
~The Day We Disappeared From the World~
I couldn't process the image that stood before Rikku and me. I just stared, mouth open like an idiot at the impossible. Rikku stood there like a mirror to my expressions, fighting over what to say in her head. What stood before us, or rather, who stood before us, was Auron, brow furrowed and mouth tight, the same look he had after waking from a bad night's rest. Clad in the same red cloak, he looked back at us, as calm and collected as ever. The man who was supposed to be dead twice over was the first to speak, breaking the deafening silence with his deep, gruff voice.
"Good to see you." He said.
"Auron! What are you doing here?!" I spoke the same words I had three years ago in Zanarkand, as confused and frantic as I had been in those frightful moments watching Sin destroy my home. Auron looked up at one of the murals on the wall, the only source of color in this freezing stone prison.
"The dream continues." His voice was tired and dry, as if he was annoyed that he was here. He looked back at Rikku and me and gave us one of his famous smirks. "It is good to see you."
Rikku, finally regaining her composure, walked up to Auron and began poking his arm. After noticing that the man before her was indeed really there, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
"You're really back! I really missed you, you know!" She buried her head in Auron's chest, feeling the warmth of their reunion through his clothes, once again confirming his status as a living being.
"Had enough?" Auron said, obviously annoyed with the blond girl's overzealous welcome. Rikku stepped back, nodding. After a second, she restated the question I had asked a minute before.
"What are you doing here? You were sent, right? So why did you come back?"
"I am not sure." Auron once again scanned the murals, silently gathering information he found too tedious to ask. "I could ask you the same thing."
"Yuna says there's another Fayth here. One that's still dreaming. She wants to put it to rest." I explained, deciding that Rikku had given more than enough welcoming for the both of us. Auron furrowed his brow again, then looked to the door on the right. He seemed to sense something we couldn't, a perk from the years of training as a monk in Bevelle. "What is it?"
"Voices. Yuna is beyond that door. We should go to her." It was less a suggestion than a command, and Auron turned around and started walking to the door. His red coat ruffled as one foot moved in front of the other, and I took it as a sign to follow after him. Rikku followed, and the three of us opened the door.
I ran to Yuna, making sure she was okay. Rikku did the same, and we all expressed our relief at each other's safety.
"Thank goodness you're alright!" Yuna said, pulling me into a tight hug. It reminded me of the time at Lake Macalania when we kissed, the moon and the stars watching over us as we danced through the water. I returned her embrace and stayed like that for a moment. Hugs like these were few and far between nowadays, what with the Gullwings and all.
"Glad to see you haven't changed." Auron said sarcastically, taking in Yuna's new attire.
"Auron? But... how?" Yuna's eyes grew wide, mimicking the face Rikku had made when we first saw the man in red. "You're not another illusion are you?"
"No. I am unsure of the reasons, but I awoke here recently."
"I see. How have you been?" Auron smirked at Yuna's question, letting out a rare chuckle.
"I haven't," he said. "The last thing I remember is being on the Airship when you performed the final sending."
"Sorry to interrupt, but isn't there something we need to do?" Paine's cold voice brought us back to the situation at hand, reminding us of the gravity this mission held. Yuna nodded, then turned around to face the ornate door behind her.
"Before we continue, we should exchange information." Auron nodded to me as a sign to relay what I knew, which wasn't all that much.
"Uh.. Well, We saw a bunch of pictures on the walls. Most of them had that big bird guy in them. Some of them were weird, though, like he was worshipped as a god or something. It looked like a really powerful Aeon."
"That's all we found, really." Rikku shrugged and looked at Paine, passing the proverbial baton.
"I found this sphere," she said, pulling out a red orb from her pocket. The group gathered round and watched its contents, attuning their minds to the energy inside.
"Nobody came for me." A voice rang out in the dark, empty anteroom of the temple. "Sin is gone, but no one came. Have I been forgotten?"
Yuna cast her eyes downward, looking guilty for not being able to come for the red headed girl on the sphere.
"Nobody has come to this temple in ages. Sin has come and gone three times, yet no one has asked for my assistance since Lord Gandof came so many years ago. They told me that I would forever be visited by summoners who wished to defeat sin, yet no one comes… Why? Was I sacrificed for nothing?"
"Sacrificed?" Rikku said the word in awe, not believing what she heard. "That's terrible…"
"The others have woken from their dream, but I'm still here. Why? Was I truly forgotten? Will no one ever come for me? I'm tired too…"
After a moment, the image faded and everyone discussed what they saw. Yuna looked at the stone slab in the center of the room, her gaze lingering for a moment as she thought over what she learned.
"I saw it. The sacrifice. That girl was the Fayth. Her own father had her killed for the sake of some ritual. He said she would become one with the Great Aeon Yurlungur. The people cheered when they carved those symbols into her, when her blood spilled over that stone bed." Yuna closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. "It was awful."
"Yunie…" Rikku placed a comforting hand on Yuna's shoulder, then looked to the door that loomed over them. I walked up to it and placed a hand on it, followed by the others. With our combined strength, opening the heavy stone door was easy. What we were about to face on the inside… was far from it.
Auron appears! I hope you are all finding this plot to be interesting. Tikku incoming next chapter! Stay tuned! I'm thinking about scheduling my updates instead of just posting them randomly so that I can stay focused and have a deadline of sorts. Maybe then there won't be a three year gap between chapters. As always, please review/follow/fav and thank you for reading!