Chapter 16 - Mount Gagazet

Tara and Gian made their way up the snow-covered path of Mount Gagazet, when they were stopped by several members of the Ronso tribe. The Ronso were a warrior species who resembled heavily muscled bipedal feline creatures. They were quick-tempered, and not to be trifled with.

"Halt!" the Ronso in front barked. "Mount Gagazet is sacred Ronso territory. Humans not allowed here. Not defile our mountain!"

"I am the summoner Tara from the Island of Kilika," she spoke, "My guardian Gian and I have come to fight Sin. Please let us pass."

A loud, booming belly laugh was heard from within the crowd of Ronso. A large and decorated Ronso emerged.

"Elder Kelk hear of Lady Tara. Flatten warrior Kinoc with one punch. Make Ronso proud! And Gian is formidable warrior. Both worthy of Sacred Mount Gagazet."

The Ronso elder made his way to Gian where he stood face to face with the guardian, looking down into his eyes.

"You will climb?" The Ronso elder questioned. The guardian nodded. "Then Sacred Mount Gagazet welcomes you. Ronso! Let them pass."

The Ronso elder observed as the summoner and guardian began to make their way up the mountain.

"Lady Tara. Small frame. Beautiful smile. Terrifying power. And a will that the mightiest Ronso could not hope to bend. Sir Gian. Warrior of honor and pride. Guiding force, and wisdom hidden by humility. Sacred Mount Gagazet! Welcome them."

Tara and Gian continued up the mountain path. They noticed Ronso on both sides of the path bank, singing the eerie Hymn of the Fayth. They continued past the Ronso, where they saw the skeletal remains of what appeared to be a human being.

Gian looked over at Tara. "Many summoners died here. There was nobody to send them."

A horrified Tara remarked, "Then that means..."

"They either roam this mountain as fiends," Gian looked into Tara's eyes, "or unsents."

Tara and Gian continued to make their way up into the mountain, forced to fight a wide variety of powerful fiends. They entered a cavern that appeared to lead towards an exit on the other side of the mountain. They were stopped by a dark figure who appeared to have been waiting for them.

"Welcome, Lady Tara and Sir Gian," the being spoke.

"Who are you?" Tara asked.

"I am Horus, Guardian of Gagazet," the being spoke. "You have done very well to make it this far. It has been almost a century since the last of your kind reached this point."

Gian looked over at Tara. "Lady Yocun?" Tara had no reply.

"You must pass my trial in order to proceed," Horus spoke, "but be warned - it will be a very dangerous trial. If you succeed, you may pass. If you fail, you may well die."

Tara was resolute. "We're not turning back."

"Very well."

A blinding white light flashed and Gian found himself back in the Calm Lands, with Tara by his side.

"Is this it?" he asked.

"It appears so," came the reply from Tara.

Sin appeared directly in front of the pair. Tara summoned Valefor who was immediately struck down by the monster who had caused Spira's suffering for almost a thousand years.

One by one, Tara's aeons were defeated. She looked into her guardian's eyes, realizing she only had one option left. Tara raised her staff once more, summoning her Final Aeon.

Tara's final summoning called forth an aeon of unbelievable proportions. A female warrior twenty stories tall, who appeared to be a much more terrifying version of Shiva.

"Go, Eden!" Tara exclaimed.

Tara was aghast when Sin struck Eden down as well. Sin gathered energy and cast a beam that enveloped the pair in darkness. After regaining consciousness, Gian quickly cast Curaja. He opened his eyes and saw Tara's lifeless body a short distance away. He ran to her as quickly as he could.

"Tara!" he screamed. "Tara! No... Oh God no.. Tara! Please! Talk to me! Don't leave me!' He sobbed, burying his face into her shoulder and chest, holding her tightly. "Don't leave me like this... don't leave me... Please!"

The light flashed again. Gian found himself alone in a greyish void. He turned around to face Horus, who had a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Sir Gian. Both of you are dead."

"No!" the guardian exclaimed. "That can't be! I'm here! Right now!"

"I realize how things appear," Horus continued, "but things are what they are. You have failed."

"No! Send me back!" Gian pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. "Send me back to where I was!"

"You've already failed once. You would go back and fight Sin again, alone?"

"If that's what it takes," the guardian pleaded. "I will never give up! I will continue to fight! If I have to fight alone, so be it. Sin may have taken from me the only thing that ever mattered, but I still have more to give. I still have fight left in me!

Horus walked up to the guardian and smiled. "Congratulations, Sir Gian. You have passed the trial."

The light flashed again, and Tara found herself back in the courtyard in Bevelle. She heard a voice laughing behind her.

"I always knew you'd turn out to be a failure, just like that boyfriend of yours." Tara recognized the voice. She turned around to see Kinoc laughing at her.

"What am I doing here?" she asked.

"Simple. You're dead, and we're here together, for all eternity in the afterlife."

"Stop it, Kinoc," Tara responded. "What kind of cruel joke is this?"

"Oh, it's no joke," Kinoc continued. "You fought Sin, and you failed miserably. You and your boyfriend Gian are both dead."

Tara collapsed to her knees, as she listened to Kinoc's words. "No... it can't be..."

"But it is."

Tara turned away from the voice. "No!" Tears began to form in her eyes. "This can't be how everything ends!" she sobbed. She picked herself up and started walking back toward the Bevelle Highbridge.

"Where are you going?" Kinoc asked.

"Back to the Calm Lands. This isn't over. Sin has taken from me the only man I've ever loved in my life." The tears and sobs continued. "But I won't quit. I won't give up. Sin is still out there and I will destroy it!" She collapsed onto her knees once more. "I don't know how, but I will do it..."

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Tara."

Surprised, she turned around to see something she never expected to see - the kind and gentle face of the man that Wen Kinoc once was. She watched as Kinoc slowly began to change shape, revealing that it was not really Kinoc. It was Horus all along."

"Congratulations, Lady Tara," Horus smiled. "You have passed the trial."

The white light flashed once more and everybody had returned to their previous location at the Fayth Scar, deep inside Mount Gagazet.

Tara and Gian ran straight into each others arms, each holding the other as tightly as possible. After a short while, they turned toward Horus.

"I am so proud of both of you," Horus spoke. "I put you both into situations where you were forced to face your deepest fears. And I am very pleased to say that you both have conquered those fears admirably. If you are angry with me, I would certainly understand why, but please know that it was necessary. I had to determine just how far both of you would go. I had to know that both of you were really willing to continue to fight Sin, even though I made it appear as if you had lost everything. You have made me realize that you are indeed the ones who will rid Spira of this monster once and for all. Please continue, with my deepest blessing and gratitude."

Still holding each other, Gian turned back to Tara.

"It wasn't real..." the guardian softly spoke. "I'm here. You can feel me. You can hear me. Tara, I will never leave you. And that's a promise."

Tara began to cry, tears of happiness streaming down her face. "And you're still stuck with me!" Both began to laugh, and then they kissed. They turned again to Horus, who was smiling as he faded away.

The pair sat down at the base of Fayth Scar to rest. After a short while, they stood and resumed the path through the mountain. They made their way outside to the ledge. Gian took a look down the side of the mountain. He saw a long deserted path. He instinctively knew where it would lead.

"Zanarkand," the guardian spoke. "We're almost there. Our journey that started in Kilika, it's almost complete. It all comes down to this. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Tara replied. "And as long as you're with me, I'm not afraid of anything anymore."

"Me either," Gian replied, as he took Tara's hand.

The pair started to make their way around the mountain when they saw something so incredible that neither had the words to explain it. They saw the entire mountain face covered with Fayth.

"Fayth?" Tara couldn't believe her eyes. "And someone's using them! Who has that kind of power? Who could possibly summon this many fayth all at once?"

"I don't know," Gian replied. "And I'm not sure I really want to either. I have a feeling though, that we're going to find out."

Tara and Gian looked into each others eyes. Both knew of their own determination, and they could see the same in each others' eyes. Together, they pressed forward.

To Zanarkand.