The atmosphere inside the Chamber of Fayth was almost palpable, squeezing our heads and our lungs as if we were diving deep under water. I saw the faint orange glow of the Fayth in ront of us, confirming that it was indeed active. Yuna stepped forward and called out.
"Hello? Are you there?" She shouted, her voice bouncing off of the walls and echoing throughout the small chamber. For a moment nothing happened and the sticky air stood still, keeping its grip around our lungs tight. Yuna called out once more, this time saying the Aeon's name. "Yurlungur! Are you here?"
At the sound of that name, the Fayth appeared, staring us down as if we were scum. She walked forward from her place above the statue below her, her translucent body gliding through the air in an eerie gait.
"That is not my name." The girl scowled at Yuna as she bowed her head. What was this girl's issue? "Yurlungur is that monster who stole my soul and trapped me in this hellhole. Why have you come here? Sin is gone."
"We have come to release you from your dream. I apologize for not doing so three years ago when I defeated Sin."
The girl's eyes softened for a moment, becoming the eyes of a frightened little girl who had found her way out of a nightmare. It only lasted for a few seconds however, and she returned to that sour look of disdain. "You cannot," She said. Yuna looked up at her, confused.
"All I have to do is send you. You can rest now." Yuna took out her staff and began walking towards the young girl, ready to begin the beautiful dance that followed Death and sent the souls of his victims to the Farplane. I felt my chest tighten, worried that I may disappear again, once more leaving Yuna and everyone else behind. I didn't want to die again. The Fayth held out a hand in a gesture for Yuna to stop.
"It is not that simple. You cannot send someone who is alive."
"Alive?" Yuna loosened the grip on her staff.
"Yes. That monster is keeping our souls, feeding off of our energy. This is the reason a new Fayth must be sacrificed every hundred years. The people of my village were misguided. Yurlungur is not a true Aeon. It is a fiend. To release me, you must destroy it."
"We will do what it takes to help you. I saw what they did to you; I felt what you felt." Yuna stepped forward, desperate to save this young woman's soul. It was this determination that led us to defeat Sin and for her to defeat Vegnagun. When Yuna said she'd do something, she meant it.
"It is not so easy. Yurlungur is very powerful, more so than even Sin was. He has been gathering power in all these years. The people of my village used us as a way to chain Yurlungur to a person's whims. Now that nobody is controlling it, it could return here and wreak havoc on Spira. It did so once, shortly after my death. The ritual failed because I had not been a willing sacrifice. My spirit was not strong enough to hold it to the otherworld. Yurlungur destroyed my people's village and massacred them … I massacred them…" A dark expression flashed on the Fayth's face for a moment. "We are one. Killing him means to kill me."
"Would it ease your suffering?" Auron's voice echoed from the back of the room.
"Yes." The girl looked at him and gave a clear answer. She obviously must have thought about this during her time trapped in this temple.
"Then we do it." Auron readied his sword, prepared for Yurlungur to appear at any moment.
"You cannot. It does not exist in this world. I am but a vessel he passes through."
"Is it possible to use you to get there?" Paine voiced a theory, walking forward to face the Fayth herself.
"Perhaps. I could only send a few of you through." The Fayth looked at Auron and I, then put her hand to her chin as if noticing something. "You two are the product of a dream. Is it truly wise to continue?"
Yuna snapped her head up and looked back at me, her face filled with confusion and fear. "What will happen to them?" Her voice was quiet and tense.
"The dream could end. They might disappear. Do you still want to go through with this?"
"I… I don't want him to go away. Not again.." Yuna began to cry, tears filling her eyes at the thought of my death. I had to say I felt the same. I didn't want to die. But if my death meant that Spira could be saved, I was willing to go through with it. I felt the irony as our roles from three years ago had reversed. This must have been what Yuna had felt through our journey, knowing that she would die when she faced Sin. I felt a sort of calm, though, like I would be okay. After all, Yuna was standing right here. She hadn't died.
"It's okay. It won't come to that. We'll find another way, just like we did for you!" I stepped forward, stopping just before the Fayth, looking her straight in the eye.
"But-" Yuna moved to grab my arm, but I caught her instead.
"I want you to stay here. You've had enough of saving the world, haven't you?" I placed a hand on her shoulder and gazed into her bi-colored eyes. "I'm your guardian. I have to keep you safe, right?"
Yuna just stood there, tears falling from her eyes, not wanting to accept the fact that I could disappear. She sniffled, then placed a hand on my chest. She stayed like that for a moment, gathering her thoughts on what to say.
"It's not fair," She whispered. "You always leave me alone."
I felt a little guilty, I admit, but if it kept her safe, I was willing to die. I planted a kiss on her forehead, then stepped away from her. I turned to the Fayth and steeled my will. "Alright. Take me."
"You will go alone?" The Fayth scanned the party behind me, a look of wonder on her face.
"No, he wont." Rikku said, running up beside me. I smiled as she grabbed onto my arm and cheerfully exclaimed her status as another of Yuna's guardians. I could always count on Rikku to cheer up the atmosphere, and I gave her a nod of gratitude. Auron silently walked to my side and nodded to the Fayth, telling her it was okay to send us through. She waved her arm and pointed to the right, sending a blast of energy that ripped through space, opening a portal that would take us to the other side.
"Get her out of here. Braska would have my head if he knew I let his daughter get hurt." Auron said, turning to Paine. She nodded and took Yuna's arm ignoring her protests and walking out of the Chamber of Fayth with her. She called out to me as the doors closed, her cheeks stained with tears.
"Tidus!" She yelled. "Don't go!"
"I have to," I said. I gave her a cheery grin and a thumbs up. I was scared as hell inside, but I couldn't let Yuna know that. I had to believe everything would be okay so that she would believe it. "Wait for me! I'll be back before you know it!"
With that, the doors slammed shut. I couldn't hear Yuna anymore, and I took a deep breath to ready myself. Rikku tightened her grip on my arm, a scared look on her face, and Auron just gave a steely gaze at the portal.
"When you're ready." Said the Fayth, holding her trembling arm out toward the portal. She must have been using all of her energy to keep it open. "And, Tidus, everyone… Thank you."
"No problem! Ready, everyone?"
"You betcha!" Rikku's cheery façade was obvious, but I had to give her credit for being able to smile through this. We had no idea where we would end up, or what kind of place the other side was, but that didn't stop each of us from jumping through the rip in spacetime and finding out. Once we jumped through, the portal closed. There was no going back now. This was where we would disappear from the world and leap into uncertainty.
Well, now that we've finally got Yuna out of the way, I can finally start to develop some Tidus/Rikku love. Stay tuned! As always, review/fav/follow and thank you for reading!