Chapter 25 – Plunge into the Depths


The trees wavered gently with the soft, nippy breeze. For a mystical forest, life and vibrance should have filled the atmosphere, not the dour desolation reality presented. Only a low, solemn chirping emanated from the dark shadows in the wilderness. Because the temple had sunken far beneath the water of the lake, Macalania Woods lost its life force. Slowly and painfully the foliage faded away. It used to be a majestic sight to walk from the deafening thunder into the pleasant tranquility of the woods. Since driven out of Guadosalam by the Ronso, the Guado sought asylum in Macalania Woods. These refugees prayed to claim some sort of peace in the forest but found only a companion to wither away with.

Yuna pulled down her goggles to cover her eyes. Standing near the snow-covered edge of Lake Macalandia, she peered at its rippling surface. No longer frozen, the lake allowed access to the temple fallen to its bottom. Rikku walked a few yards away, surveying the area with her binoculars. Paine finished preparing herself to venture forth, blowing out a long stream of frosted air.

The girls were about to take their dive into the lake, hoping to discover what sphere could still reside within the remnants of the temple. They were surprised that the temple itself was intact, as it fell to the bottom of the lake. Regardless of the potential danger, the sphere offered them the first real opportunity to excavate a sphere in weeks.

Yuna's stomach twisted in knots since arriving in Macalania. She couldn't rid herself of the uneasy feeling she felt about the whole operation. Then again, she had been in a state of unending mood swings for the past few weeks—a fact she was all too conscious of. Yuna had put everyone through the wringer since they left Mount Gagazet.

She glanced over at her cousin, her face marred with concern. Yuna turned to Paine, who replied with a perturbed look. A great deal of tension built up between Paine and herself. Even though she knew Paine had tried to her last ounce of patience to allow Yuna time to process the tragedy of Garik's death, her erratic moods and lashing out proved more than Paine could bear. Yuna felt intense guilt from the wedge she drove between Paine and herself.

Adjusting her breathing mask, Yuna initiated her oxygen. Only a few, smooth ripples tattered the lake's calm water. Underneath the surface, anything could be lurking in the dark depths. Yuna realized this, which led to her sinking into a dark place mentally. Thinking back, she had been so hard to be with . . .

"Come on Yunie, you gotta eat sometime," whimpered Rikku.

"I don't want to!" yelled back Yuna, throwing her bowl at the wall.

"Argh! Yuna, what the hell is wrong with you? As skinny as you are, you can't afford not to eat!" Paine roared, shoving Yuna back into her seat.

"What's wrong with me? Let me tell you—I'm going crazy!" she screamed.

"Yuna, control yourself! Just sit down and we'll talk," pleaded Buddy.

"Talking won't bring back Garik or the priest!"

"Yuna, those weren't your fault."

Yuna's eyes were puffy and swollen. Her cheeks scorched bright red, and snot ran out of her nose. Her anger erupted in random fits; any word could have agitated her at any moment. Paine all but had her in a headlock as she tried to keep her still. Rikku tried to force Yuna to swallow a spoonful of food. She clenched her jaw tightly while Yuna tossed and turned madly like a child. It was as if a wild beast inhabited her body. Rikku shoved the spoon into Yuna's mouth, almost gagging her with it. She heaved herself around, refusing to swallow.

"Swallow, Yunie, swallow!" Rikku ordered, herself becoming upset.

Bucking her head back, Yuna spat the hot food back into Rikku's face. She yelped, quickly grasping for a napkin to wipe her face clean with. Rikku began to cry. Not from the mess, but from her cousin's uncontrollable state. Brother walked over to her and rubbed her head. She planted her face in his chest, sobbing even greater from Yuna's distress. Yuna just stared at her, breathing heavily from her outburst. Her anger subsided, and she calmed down, now turning back to tears with which to outlet her emotions. She coughed and wiped the stringy band of snot from around her mouth.

"See, this is what I always do," Yuna sobbed.

The Gullwings all fell silent. Brother took Rikku out of the room. Yuna slumped in her chair, her face buried in her hands crying. Paine leaned down to comfort her. Refusing to be consoled, Yuna pushed her away. Paine didn't know how to react. Buddy and Shinra could see the total surprise of rejection on her face.

"Go away!" Yuna shrieked. "Just leave me alone!"

Paine stood up, her hands trembling. A seething fire burned in her tearful red eyes, glaring straight at Yuna. Without a word, Paine rushed out of the room. None of them had seen Paine cry before. Realizing what she had done, Yuna curled up into a ball, murmuring to herself. Buddy and Shinra looked at each other, neither knowing what to do or say. They stood for a while, silent and saddened until they realized they were powerless.

Yuna's maddened emotional state had slowly been tearing the Gullwings apart. Fun and games no longer filled the Celsius, nor was there the excitement of sphere hunting. It was replaced with anger, sadness, and a brooding dark cloud hanging over everyone.

The frigid water splashed as Yuna dove into the lake. It was cold and opaque—an environment reminiscent of Yuna's current state of mind. Though she could feel the chill of the water against her skin, even while wearing a wetsuit, Yuna found a strange comfort in the lake.


Rikku turned on the light attached to her goggles. She followed a trio of fish swimming past her for a moment. Peering down toward the bottom of the lake, darkness cloaked whatever resided below. Two years ago, Yuna and Rikku ventured to the Macalania Temple together on Yuna's pilgrimage. At the time, Rikku was vexed as to how she could save Yuna from dying by summoning the final aeon and defeating Sin. In the present, she couldn't care less about her cousin. It was a guilty feeling that kept her up at night for the past week . . .

Rikku lay in her bed, looking woefully up at the ceiling. Brother had just tucked her in. He had consoled her during the past hour. For the first time in ages, he comforted her as a brother should like when they were young children. While this pleased her, it paled in comparison to the heartache she felt from Yuna's predicament. She didn't know if she should feel sad or angry. Yuna had always been there to aid and comfort her. The picture of Yuna spitting food back into her face tormented her. She followed the shapes of the shadows projected onto the ceiling to push aside her anxious emotions. They moved with such unfettered fluidity; Rikku wished her cousin could be free like that.

Never had she remembered Yuna being such a torrent. Times before were unconscionably formidable. Seymour had kidnapped Yuna to force her hand in marriage, she was to lose her life defeating Sin, not to mention that she lost the love of her life when it was all said and done. While she had conquered some of these hardships, the loss of Tidus had to hurt more than anything could upheave. She thought back to the days after Tidus and Auron disappeared, how Yuna wavered between mourning and solace. Even then, drowning in turmoil, she was stronger than now. Her chaotic actions, Rikku believed, must have stemmed from something else—something deeper. Yuna refused to talk about anything roiling inside of her. All Rikku could do was comfort her as best as possible.

She growled and punched her pillow a couple of times. Thinking of Yuna's despair incensed Rikku because Yuna refused to allow her to help. Her cousin knew that she wasn't alone, but to act so outrageously, and to pull the Gullwings into it, aggravated Rikku to no end.

"Why are you being so stupid, Yuna!"

Bubbles flew past Paine's vision. The view became darker as she plunged deeper into the lake. Frigid enough at the surface, the temperature dropped quickly the closer to the bottom Paine swam. She would give anything to dive into the warm, tropical seas of Besaid over this. Only a few, peculiar species of fish lived this far beneath the surface. She would rather encounter fish than fiends this far underwater. It seemed fiends didn't take to the freezing stark waters of the lake at this depth. Much like the water enveloping her, too much in Paine's life mimicked the coldness of her current surroundings . . .

On top of the Celsius Paine sat. Her arms were folded tightly, and her cheeks flush. As tough as she thought she was, Yuna's rejection hurt more than any battle wound she had suffered. The sharp suddenness prevented her from processing the refutation at the moment. Paine wasn't ever one for comforting and giggling, but being around Yuna and Rikku slowly changed that. She could only have imagined what it would have been like if she had known them before. Sighing heavily, she sat down, gazing into the sunset.

The pictures of Yuna's tormented expressions haunted her. They had been now every time she closed her eyes. Never had she felt so powerless as to do something. She had no plan to combat an invisible enemy. In front of her eyes, her friend wasted away. She wondered if Yuna should stop sphere hunting, and settle down somewhere. Then again, it wasn't the job hurting Yuna—it was Yuna herself.


Nearing the bottom of the lake first, Yuna squinted her eyes, searching for a glimpse of the ancient temple. No light from the surface penetrated the lake this far down. Her flashlight shone on the rocky floor of the bottom of the lake. Even the beam from Yuna's flashlight seemed to be engulfed by the veil of darkness she swam in. The water at this depth chilled her skin even more through the insulation of her wetsuit than at the surface. Swimming forward, Yuna ran her hand through the dirt, kicking up a sandy swirl of sediment. Raising her flashlight farther forward, she spotted a massive structure lodged into the bottom of the lake ahead in the distance.

She pointed, murmuring through the mask. "There it is! Over there!"

"I didn't think something that big could float this far," replied Paine in a muffled voice.

The Gullwings proceeded over to where the temple came to a rest on the lake floor. Much to their collective surprise, most of the original structure remained intact and upright. The sight of it impressed them, at least what they could see. Moving around to the opposite side, they found the entrance, or at least a large hole letting them inside. Yuna crept up to the void in the wall, peering around with her flashlight. The light uncovered nothing of importance. In her heart, she wished something would shine some light on her . . .

Yuna's stomach gurgled as she sat, curled up on her bed. She hadn't eaten for three days. Another rumble sounded as she scrunched herself tighter, hoping to make the wretched agitation go away. Available mere feet from her, she could have food if she requested it. Barkeep would have been more than happy to prepare her a feast, but she didn't deserve to eat. Her punishment would be to incapacitate herself and waste away. Perhaps she'd be better in another place.

Maybe she would even be with him if she fell into another world. Somewhere they could be together happy and alone. No more problems, no more degradation, only peace, and harmony. Those comforting thoughts quickly evaporated and were replaced with her miserable self-image of herself. How could she be with Tidus now? He wouldn't recognize her. He would be so ashamed to know what she had done. She tucked her head between her knees, begging for some kind of peace to fill her soul.

"What do you see, Yuna?" asked Paine, swimming up behind Yuna.

"Nothing," she replied concisely, then swam forward into the temple.

They swam down a long, stretching corridor, so familiar to Yuna. Fallen debris lay everywhere, forming an obstacle course for Yuna to navigate. Paine lifted a broken pillar and shoved it out of their way. Rikku and Paine continued, but Yuna paused. Her chest tightened as memories of past trepidation from these halls poured into her consciousness.

"Come on, we're just getting started," commanded Paine, motioning for Yuna to follow.

"I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Now's not the time for this!" growled Paine, yanking Yuna by the arm.

It wasn't the temple that Yuna feared, it was what might be inside it that terrified her. The thought of another former aeon popped into her mind. The last thing she wanted was to fight another aeon. She tried to vocalize this, but Paine was too busy dragging her to pay attention.

Rikku didn't seem to listen either. Yuna quieted herself, realizing neither of them cared what objections she conveyed. The wedge she thrust between her friends and herself grew the divide each day. While she understood she deserved their scorn, their condemnation of her still stung. Their cold shoulders pierced far into her heart. She remained silent, as it was the only thing she could do without causing further distress.

The water dissipated the farther they swam down the corridor. By the time they reached the corridor's conclusion, they were able to walk. Sludging through the soupy mud stuck to the floor, they came to a fully intact door. Using all her strength, Paine forced it open. On the other side, it was clear of any flooding. The girls removed their masks. The air hung heavy and musty but still breathable. This area appeared quite differently than Yuna remembered it. It seemed all the ice had melted away. Now it stood devoid of the gigantic crystal structures that Yuna had to pass to reach the Chamber of the Fayth during her pilgrimage.

She looked dauntingly around the chamber, a restless chill ran up her spine. Ignoring her shiver, she carefully stepped over to where the entrance was supposed to be. She only found a doorway far above her. Thinking to herself for a moment, she scratched her head. Nothing seemed right about the temple. She last trekked through the temple only two years prior, surely she hadn't forgotten the way.

"What is it, Yunie?" Rikku asked, noticing her perplexed look.

"When was there a doorway up there?" she replied, pointing upward.

"I dunno? Maybe there was some ice bridge connecting to it?"

Yuna shrugged and suggested they'd get something to climb with. A buzzing sound burst from Yuna's CommSphere.

Shinra's voice echoed throughout the chamber. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're alright," she answered, still gazing up at the doorway. "We're in the temple and getting ready to climb. I think the Chamber of the Fayth is after the doorway way up above us."

"Huh? Doorway up where?"

Yuna sighed. "Don't ask me. I don't remember it being up there two years ago."

"Funny, neither does my map."

Rikku and Paine shrugged their shoulder at Yuna when she looked back at them. It wasn't pertinent where the doorway was located; they only needed to get to it. Paine had brought some rope and a grappling hook for just such an occasion. She twirled the rope around like a lasso and swung it up the sliver of a platform preceding the doorway. The hook on its end clanked when it snagged onto something solid. With a tug, she concluded it was firmly attached. Paine climbed up first and carefully glanced over the ledge at the top to peer through the doorway. When she saw nothing there, she finished her climb and told Rikku and Yuna it was safe to climb up. Rikku went next, although it took her a long time to stop sliding back down on the rope.

Yuna gave her a boost, and Rikku grunted as she slowly but surely made it to the top. Paine shook her head, causing Rikku to exert a tired little pout. Yuna climbed up last, impressing the girls with how easy she made it look.

"Are you guys up there yet?" buzzed Shinra.

"Yeah, we're up. What's next?" asked Yuna, looking through the doorway.

"The sphere signal is coming from the Chamber of the Fayth as you guessed. Don't ask me how it got there."

"I just don't get it," she whispered to herself, her anxiety striking again.

Regardless of Yuna's apprehension, she led her friends further on, eventually reaching their goal. Yuna still couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. Even Rikku thought things were different than she remembered.

"I really don't remember this section at all," she commented, glaring peculiarly around at the walls.

Yuna nodded. "Me too, none of this seems right."

"Are you sure you just don't remember right?" Paine questioned, folding her arms and tapping her foot. "This thing did fall to the bottom of a lake since the last time you were here."

After walking for a few minutes, they came to a dead end, with only a single, undecorative stone door blocking their way. Yuna and Paine gripped hold of it. Grunting and groaning, they managed to pull it open wise enough to slip through. Rikku stuck her head in. Searching around, only darkness met her gaze.

"What do you see in there?" whispered Paine to her.

She retracted her head. "Nothing. It's pitch black in there."

Yuna glanced in, seeing a gigantic expanse of black entirely devoid of light. Paine got her mask back out and turned on its built-in flashlight. She shined it around the room but found nothing significant. The only thing still there was some rubble and a few fallen pedestals. Taking a few brave steps in, Yuna guided herself by Paine's light. On a rock, she stumbled but gracefully kept control of her balance.

She grumbled to herself, "I don't get why it's so dark in—"

A thunderous roar echoed from all around the chamber, causing Yuna to fall in shock. An array of blazing lights suddenly burst from the ceiling. A hideously familiar cackle belted from the other side. Revealed from the darkness, Kinoc stood, his heckling laughter infuriating Paine instantly.

"I see you've finally decided to come and investigate the sphere here. You kept me waiting," he mocked.

"No way, it's Kinoc!" bellowed Rikku.

He chuckled, his face displaying his trademark smug attitude. "Very perceptive. I've been waiting for you three."

"No way! How did you get down here?" stammered Paine.

"I have my ways. But don't think this was some sort of side trip. No, I've been planning carefully for when you'd step into this decrepit old temple beneath the lake."

"Shut up!" shouted Paine irately.

Kinoc opened his arms wide in front of him. "That's no way to treat a man who has prepared for you such a grand party."

"Why don't you vanish away to the Farplane where you belong!" Yuna shouted, painful memories of Besaid and Kilika seeping back into her thoughts.

"The only ones going to the Farplane will be you three," he declared, belting out another insane laugh.

"You're such a creep! It's time to rid Spira of you once and for all!" countered Rikku, her eyes ablaze with anger.

"We'll see, but first, we must introduce the guest of honor."

A beam of silvery white light illuminated next to him, revealing what once was one of Yuna's former allies: Shiva. Descending from the ceiling, the dark aeon blew her former summoner an icy kiss. Yuna's muscles burned as her entire body tightened all at once. Her heart sank into her bowels, and her skin prickled from the cold sweat she perspired. Once again she faced another former aeon. Once again, she faced more pain.