Straying From the Light
A/N: I apologize if my writing gets redundant in this chapter. That.. and I seem to have a problem with writing Tromell's name correctly. Trollmell is NOT how it's spelled. I'll blame it on the trolling memes, and such that I looked up before writing. And also a thought I have about him being Trollmell in FFX. I've corrected the spelling, and I really do like his character in FFX-2, as he seems to feel remorse for what he, Seymour and the Guado did to the Ronso in FFX. Whew! Anyway, for those of you who are still with me, here's the second chapter!
Chapter two: The Dangerous Woods of Macalania
About two days after the boy's reunion with his Guardians, Seymour successfully crossed the Thunder Plains. When he had been upset about his father's quick departure to Guadosalam, his mom and the grandfather Guado merely listened to his complaints. Neither of them scolded him for whining, as his dad had done when the blunette nearly burst into tears before he left. Although he was closer to his mother, it still pained him a great deal when he was separated from his father.
I've got to become stronger. Maybe once I defeat Sin, mother and father will be together. We'll be a family again! The Summoner's gray-blue hues lit up at the thought. His small hands held the lightning shaped pendant tightly for a moment, and his eyes slowly squeezed shut. Maybe, if he wished hard enough, Jyscal would be at his side soon.
The White Mage watched her son with worry in her eyes. She gently nudged the fellow guardian and mumbled, "Go check on him. I'll return with some medicine."
The old man raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "Are you sure, Milady? There are many fiends up ahead. It could be dangerous to wander off alone."
The raven haired beauty nodded and responded, "I don't exactly have a choice. We're low on potions and remedies anyway, and I haven't the strength to constantly heal everyone. Please look after Seymour. I won't be gone long." Before the old man could protest further, she hurried through a path in the woods in search of a merchant.
Sighing heavily, Tromell turned his attention back to Seymour. In an instant, he was at the child's side, carefully putting a hand to his forehead to check his temperature. "Lord Seymour, are you unwell? You don't seem to have a fever." Nothing appeared to be wrong, but looks could easily be deceiving.
When he heard the senior Guado speak, and a hand was pressed to his forehead, a heavy sigh escaped him. "I'm okay. Don't fret, Tromell. Or you may send yourself to the Farplane early." The boy hadn't intended on saying anything thoughtless, really. Yet, those harsh words fell past his lips before he could think to hold his tongue. The blunette's eyelids parted, and he stared at the other in shock. "I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to say something so awful." He stammered before biting down on his lower lip. If he could take back what he'd said, he would. Maybe he wasn't very close to the elder man, but it stung to see sadness on his Guardian's face all the same.
A long, awkward silence followed their short chatter. Tromell cleared his throat, and abruptly retracted his large hand. He then pointed to a path that led to an unknown location. "We'll discuss that later. For now, we should follow your mother. She went to find supplies."
Without another word, both Guardian and Summoner made their way through the forest with ease. Whenever any fiends intercepted their path, the old man protected the child to the best of his ability. This quickly tired him out to the point that he'd almost fainted. He really wasn't in any condition to press on, but somehow he'd managed to pull himself to his feet and keep going.
All was quiet for a short while, until a Xiphos crawled into the clearing. The hideous Creature charged at Seymour and Tromell, its unsightly blade legs raised as it tried to attack.
The gray haired male ran up and grabbed the fiend, the blunt edges of the blades narrowly missing him as he recklessly held the monster in place.
Hissing loudly, the Xiphos' venomous fangs bit into one of the Guardian's arms as it tried to break free.
Tromell winced in pain, but held his ground. He would keep the blue haired kid from harm even if it cost him his life. He wasn't particularly close to Seymour. The boy seemed coddled and spoiled at best, but he was Jyscal's son, and the fellow Guado held the Maester in high regard. He was given the task to keep the boy safe, and he took that very seriously.
Within the blink of an eye, the Xiphos escaped the elder's weak hold. Hissing again, it turned and lunged at Seymour.
The blunette evaded the attack, and shut his eyes to concentrate. Ifrit, please help me! He thought desperately, completely focused on calling the Fire-Breathing Beast. Not even a few moments later, said Aeon appeared before him. "Help me..." He uttered listlessly, directing the Beast to attack.
Ifrit roared out before grabbing a chunk of earth. The Aeon then surrounded the boulder in a veil of fire, and punched it much like how a Blitzball goalie would spike the ball back to their teammate when the opposing team tried to score. The blazing chunk of earth hit the fiend head-on, putting an end to its terror. The Xipho's body erupted into Pyreflies as the spirit of the unsent had finally been put to rest.
Seymour quickly dismissed Ifrit, and hurried to his Guardian's side. Unless his mother returned now, he had a feeling Tromell wouldn't make it. "Hang in there!" He urged the gray haired man as he gripped his staff again. What he was about to do would render him drained and unable to summon. Hastily, he glanced around the woods to check if any stray fiends were in the area. When he found none, the boy let out a sigh of relief. "I can help you. Just stay still."
"Lord Seymour!" The elder protested before he hacked up blood. He willed himself to stop coughing, and forced a smile.
The child could tell his Guardian was fighting to stay conscious, so he took it upon himself to learn White Magic right this moment. If he could just cast a Cure spell correctly once, the grandfather Guado would be so much better off. "Stay still." He said again, firmly this time. He raised his wooden staff and pointed it at the sickly, weakened male. He concentrated his energy while clearing his mind of horrid thoughts. He wouldn't lose Tromell. Not like this. While he didn't have the Cure Tome with him, the child remembered most of the book from many failed attempts at casting it. His mother had told him to let the Holy Magic guide him, but he never grasped what that meant until now. At this point in time, he finally understood. A bright light flashed before the Summoner's gray-blue hues, temporarily blinding him. He had no clue if the spell worked, but he was left with a good feeling after casting the White Magic.
The light faded, and Tromell was revealed. He was no longer lying on the ground, holding his side and groaning as he'd done earlier. The man took the last antidote he'd had stashed away, and quickly downed the foul-tasting blue liquid. He then pocketed the empty vial before he turned to the blunette, and offered a grateful smile. "Thank you, Seymour."
The boy beamed back at the other, and nodded. "It was nothing." He tried not to show how tired he had become from Summoning, and learning a new spell. He didn't want to make the grandfather Guado feel bad. He turned from him, just in time to see his mom coming down the path to meet him. "Mother!" He called cheerily. With renewed strength, he sprinted towards her. Once he was at her side, he threw his arms around her and clung. "I.. finally learned how to Cure."
Smiling, the raven haired woman briefly returned her son's embrace. "I'm proud of you." She murmured. She'd only wished she could have witnessed her son's first Holy Magic spell, but medicine was indeed important. It would be dangerous and foolhardy to cross these woods without the essentials, after all.
"Welcome back, Milady." The old man greeted, grinning broadly. His impressions of Seymour were way off. He was finding out now that said child was as gentle and kind as his parents.
"Tromell." The fellow Guardian replied back, bowing before the elder. "Well, shall we head out? I've stocked up on some potions and remedies, and the merchant I met told me there's a Travel Agency not too far away."
"We'd best be off now, then. You two need rest, as do I." The elder responded softly. He wouldn't mind sleeping at the Agency's small Inn, even though it was run by Al Bhed. While some of his people despised the Al Bhed, Tromell didn't share their hatred for the other race. Why should he, when the Guado were also a minority?
Seymour nodded quickly, and gently pat Tromell's arm. "Okay, grandfather!" Retracting his hand from the male, he then faced his parent. "Lead the way, mother!" He was feeling oddly lucky. It was as if something good could happen at any given moment. Perhaps it was due to joining up with his mother again, or learning Cure? In any case, he was happy they were all together again. The thought of being without his father didn't even cross his mind.