"Name?"

I lugged my bags up to the makeshift booth where a few PSICOM soldiers and a Sanctum official waited to accept my things. "Aurora Farron."

Both the soldier and official paused what they were doing when they heard my name. "Ma'am, you're aware that-"

"She's aware." Lightning spoke up next to me, her hand on my back. "Found it?"

The official glanced to Lightning, then me, then back down to the papers on the table in front of her. "Oh, yes, I did. Farron, Aurora. 16." The lady wrote something down, then pulled a sticker off of the page, plastering it onto my bags. "Put those in Car 5," she spoke to the soldier with my items.

"Affirmative."

The official faced me again. "Okay, you're going to stop by the booth to my left to drop off any unnecessary gear or weapons you may have on your person." She gestured over, then pointed behind me. "Then, you'll head to Stall 5, where you'll be given your traveler's coat. Just take this pass," she handed me a card, "and keep it with you at all times. Understood?"

I looked down at the card. Aurora Farron. Car 5. Stall 5. Bodhum Resident. Exemption denied. A red X was stamped next to the last two words. "Yes. I understand."

"Alright. Next!"


After dropping my blades off, Lightning escorted me to my stall. It felt official now, my stuff getting loaded onto the luggage car, the boarding pass in my clammy hand, all that waited was for me to enter the line to get on.

"Hey," Lightning tapped my shoulder for me to face her. "It wont be long and you'll see me again." She tried to give me a smile... but I saw through it.

"Yeah. Not long." I gripped the card in my hand as I tried to hold back my fear, and my anger. "If you need to go, don't let me keep you."

She gave me a nod. "Alright." And patted my shoulder once more before walking off. I watched her walk back into the main hall of the station, the shape of her getting smaller and fading into the crowd. I stopped myself from reaching or calling out to her.

It's not too late to run off, is it?

"Get in line, kid." A PSICOM soldier ushered me to get in my stall's line. He used the gun in his hands to direct me. "Now." I quickly did as told and stared ahead at the back of whoever's head was in front of me.

Just breathe, Aurora. It's a train ride, nothing more. You've done this plenty of times.

Well. Plenty of times without a gun being pointed at me.

"Get back here!"

I looked back. Someone was running, out of the line, away from the stall to escape the soldiers. "You can't make me go!" They yelled as they tried to scurry away.

And then shots rang out.

The person quit running.

Oh god, are they…

… they were. Red started pooling around their limp form that was flat on the ground feet from us in the line.

The station filled with panicked screams. Riders gasped, and terror filled all of us as we saw what would happen to anyone else who attempted to get out of there. I couldn't take my eyes off of the poor guy who tried to run. Even when a soldier was grabbing me and pushing me forward in line, I struggling to break my gaze.

They just killed him… they didn't even try to do anything else but-

"I won't tell you again, move forward!" The cold barrel of a gun was in my vision now, and I snapped out of it.

My eyes were blown wide, I tried to gulp down a solid breath. I tried to be calm. "S-Sorry… sorry." I turned back around, staying in line.

Light… This is just so wrong.


Maker, I must be crazy.

That train, I have been on that train before of course. But not be sent to Gran Fucking Pulse. I have had trips to many places, in many trains that look exactly like it. Stepping on there was…

It was surreal. Any correlation of happiness I had to those trains was gone, wiped away the moment I put on the traveling cloak a soldier gave me. I wonder what he thought when he saw me, if he was curious as to why a Farron was getting on the train. Maybe he was amused, or not, because soldiers are trained to block out emotion. At least, that's how Lightning seems to be. The soldier wore a mask, his full armor like the other soldiers. For all I know, it could have been my own sister handing me my ticket to board the doom-train.

What sucked worse were those stupid travel cloaks- designed to keep you handcuffed using some kind of technology in the sleeves. I didn't even think we needed to be restrained, each aisle of the train was lined with soldiers, armed from head to toe with gear and guns.

They wanted to Purge us out, get us away from the possible l'Cie threat, I understood that. But, if the enemies were as scary as they sound, why would the government risk boarding l'Cie with the rest of the civilians? Risk the lives of their soldiers? We weren't checked for brands or magic or anything. I don't know. Maybe they were crazy, as well.

I wouldn't doubt it.

My hands started shaking after a few minutes, the train was freezing and my anxiety started to set in- the whole concept of what was happening was setting in. I went from thinking this whole thing was absurd, to freaky. I've only heard what Pulse was like in class, what the tales spoke of, all the information that Lightning was apparently told… yet she's never gone there either. Just heard about it the same way I did, and she still thought it was all dandy that I got on the train. I wished I could just tell the driver, "Hey, make a u-turn to the Farron residence!" Sadly, I don't think that's how train tracks, or deportation, work.

A soldier marched by. He stopped, and faced me with the barrel in my face and his head cocked to the side. "You know, I walked by you about, say, three times-"

"I saw."

"-and yet I just could not figure out who you were. Pink hair, crisp blue eyes, and I realized, you're a Farron. Bodhum Regiment's Lightning Farron, well, not her, but her little sister. Which one are you, Serah or Aurora?"

Lightning was such an amazing soldier, but god I couldn't see why (or how) she worked around dull-brains like that one. "Aurora. I'm Aurora."

He nodded. "Figured, I'm pretty sure the guys say Serah's the pretty one anyways." And with a shrug, he kept walking to monitor the other riders. "Serah's the pretty one anyways". Asshole, we had the same parents. If I could, I'd—

A force threw me, and a few others, out of our seats and into the walkway. The railcar must have been hit, and it felt like the train had come off of its tracks.

"Get back in your seats, now!"

Get back in my seat? Nah, man. It seemed the pressure of catching my fall with my arms made my cuffs break loose. This is what's gonna go down. And I wasn't alone. A civilian tackled the soldier, with help from some others. This was my chance. I could get the hell out of there, and I was not going to waste another second. Even if it meant disobeying Light.

"The car's been derailed! I repeat: the car has been derailed! Everyone remain in your seats and listen to instruction-"

I blocked out the driver's announcement at that point, the only thing I was going to listen to was my gut. It told me to run. I didn't trust the whole thing from the start, not one bit, and I decided to trust myself.

The layout of the trains was familiar to me, and there was a storage room in the back car, as long as I made it there, I had a perfect plan.

So, that is where I went. No soldiers on my way to it. "Where are they, where are they…?"

I then spotted a reflection, a glimmer of silver, and bolted for it. "Found you!" There they were, my gauntlets, with three steel blades on each hand. I slipped them over my hands, with a perfect fit. Lightning taught Serah and me how to defend ourselves after she joined the army. Then, when I turned sixteen, Lightning wanted me to carry something for protection. I wasn't going to just carry a little switchblade- I wanted something capable of proper defense. So, I earned gil, with my sisters' help, and had the talons crafted custom. Bet they made people think twice before messing with me.

And most importantly, I could fight back when I needed to, like now!

I bolted back to the passenger car- and what I saw made me feel sick. The soldiers were attacking the riders, shooting them, even ones who weren't fighting or weren't even armed!

"Stop it!" I tackled one, knocking his gun out of arm's reach, and pinned him to the ground. I struggled to keep him down as he wriggled around furiously.

"Bitch- get off of me!" It was the asshole from earlier, which fueled my fire more, and I slashed his helmet off to get a look.

His stupid, sweaty face was twisted with anger. "And you said I wasn't pretty?" With no intention to replay what he and his comrades had already done, I just jammed my elbow down into the side of his neck, hoping to either knock him out or wind him long enough to get away. I then looked up, seeing other soldiers who were distracted by passengers, and a couple of soldiers laying on the ground after getting ganged up on by civilians.

Maybe we have the upperhand here! I shoved Mr. Cocky away and started to run towards another soldier, when, suddenly, my stomach lurched as gravity went full-tilt. Other passengers yelled out of shock while having their feet taken out from under them. My own body flung up into the air, bashing into the ceiling of the car. I then hit a window, then a seat, and rolled back onto the floor. "Uh- what-"

"The train is falling!"


A bright light and the smell of smoke roused me from darkness, followed by the sound of explosions and gunfire.

"Oww…" Half-in, half-out, I lay on the ground with my legs in the doorway of the railcar. It definitely wasn't on the tracks anymore, instead it crashed into the ground in the middle of what I witnessed to be an all-out war between the people and the army.

Despite feeling like bruised produce, I pulled myself up onto my knees, taking long breaths and getting myself to relax. I was tense all over. I didn't even know where exactly we ended up, I just saw highroads on fire above me. Must be near the outer rim, I thought. We were almost there- "Wait-" My heart dropped. Did they already get the Vestige out? No, no-

I popped my head up and used my hands to block the spotlights coming from passing air tanks, trying to get a clear view of my surroundings. The Vestige needed to still be in Cocoon. We had no real idea of what was waiting for us on Pulse, and Serah was stuck in that Pulsian Vestige. If they ended up abandoning it down on Pulse and left it behind, Serah could end up in danger.

I knew I had no real chance of getting close to, let alone into, the Vestige, if it hadn't already been thrown into Pulse; but, I had to try. Let Lady Luck be real, I'll be a believer, just don't let Serah get hurt.

"-rooooraaaaa!"

Someone was yelling for me. My gaze veered off to the left,, and although my vision was still clearing up from getting thrown around, I could make out bright blue hair getting closer, closer. Yuj… he could know where Snow is.

Running alongside him was Lebreau, and when she reached me, she placed her hands under my arms to help lift me to my feet.

Yuj was carrying a rifle, likely stolen from the army. "Damn, Aurora, that was a long fall!" He eyed the train I came from and the rail that it had been on before it fell.

"Are you doing okay, did you get hurt?" Lebreau brushed rubble off of me as she asked.

"I'm still kicking, if that counts… thank you." I accomplished staying on my feet and Yuj fetched my gauntlets not far from where I had been laying. "Have you seen Lightning, or Snow?"

Yuj nodded. "Snow made off in a PSICOM-cycle not that long ago, told us to round up civilians and keep 'em safe. Nothing on Lightning."

Shit. I needed a ride as well. "Annnnd you wouldn't happen to have another velocycle, would you?" Although I figured they would say no, I had to ask. I was right. "I just- I really have somewhere I need to be, is there anyway we could get another?"

Lebreau and Yuj looked at each other. "Some kids took Gadot's cycle… but it's nothing a little scavenging could help!"

"Yeah, I'll look."

The three of us grouped up and started walking away from the train. I had high hopes, there were army units everywhere, and surely something would pop up that I could use. Anything the soldiers left behind, we could use to help everyone stay safe, to get them away from the chaos. But, unfortunately, everything that was abandoned was left wrecked- which I should've seen coming. It was an all-out war, I was surprised the team found one vehicle, let alone two, in the first place. I just groaned, "I know I'm lucky to be alive, but…"

"Hey, don't do that, Aurora." Lebreau patted the back of my head. "If we get back to the group, maybe Lightning will find us. She's a soldier- not that it's a good thing right now-" She paused, glancing at Yuj awkwardly. "What I'm trying to say- she's probably wanting to find you just as much as you want to find her. Her 'big sis instincts' are bound to lead her to you. But, for the meantime, be like the rest of NORA, and help out who you can, alright?"

Lebreau was right. Lightning was technically part of the Purge. I knew she would use her rank to get her where she needed to go. It was her plan, as she told me, to use her connections and identity in the Corps to round Serah and me up and keep us safe. If she were okay, then she would make sure we were, too.

Patience. I just needed patience.

ugh. No, patience was the last thing I could possibly need. "Hey, uh, I think I'll go this way! I might find more people, you know? I'll just yell, okay?"

Both of my friends probably saw right through me, but shrugged and went with it. Couldn't stop me if they tried, anyway. I felt guilty as they turned away, and just mumbled, "sorry," under my breath. Stay safe, guys. You better be there when this is over, all wars have a happy day once they're over.

That happy day seemed to start coming closer than I thought, once I spotted a lone velocycle in the distance. No soldiers nearby, it stood all by itself.

I jogged over to it and started giving it a look over. "Please don't be busted…" I need my sisters. "Please, please, please…" And maybe I'd be a believer afterall- with a few buttons pressed, the velocycle whirred to life. "Yes!"

"Hey, you, get away from that!" Oops.

A soldier decked out in PSICOM gear started heading my way as fast as his legs could take him. Must've been his cycle. Too bad I was already in it!

I heard the ping! ping! of bullets ricochetting off of the back of the velocycle as it took me up in the air. He was trying to stop me, but, "you snooze, you lose!"


I circled parts of the Vestige once I was near, looking for a possible entrance. Though I doubted the fal'Cie wanted easy passage into its shell. For me, anything could work for an entrance. But I had to be hasty, if the army saw me, I was done for.

I was lucky enough to find a ragged hole in the side of the Vestige, where something must have crashed through it.

Heart racing, I led the velocycle in. I bumped against the sides of the uneven tunnel. To be honest, I was terrified. Inside of the structure was a fal'Cie, from Pulse no less, and I was just driving straight to it. Serah had been turned into a l'Cie after getting stuck inside once before, and I knew I could end up with the same fate if I weren't careful.

Hell, even if I were careful, what was stopping a powerful creation like a fal'Cie from doing it anyway?

I just kept hope, all the hope that I could muster, that I would find my sisters. Knowing Light, she was already inside, and Serah had already been trapped for days by that point.

I remembered when Snow told us, panicked after Serah was taken right from his arms.

"They found out about Serah, the army- I didn't want her to get in trouble! We- I took a bike and just went up to it, to get us away. One of the motors had been shot. We wanted to get onto the ledge of the Vestige, in case the cycle blew out or something. I thought maybe the fal'Cie would help her. I was going to call you, Light, I swear, I was going to get you to get her back, get her home-"

I brought my focus back to parking the cycle inside of the Vestige. Once inside the Vestige, I parked the aircycle and immediately started examining my surroundings. Serah told me how it was all fairly preserved, despite being hundreds of years old and getting brought from Pulse to Cocoon. It was, essentially, a huge maze, with buttons to trigger new pathways to navigate through it.

I may not have known where I was going, but luckily, I had a bit of an idea of how to get through the structure. I took a mental note of what was around me- stairwells, walkways, pathing that could've been difficult to work out… had someone not already activated the switches. Where I was meant to step had already begun glowing a neon-orange color, and I could see a clear path to the other side of the level I was on.

Who's in here with me? Soldiers? Lightning? Maybe Serah had done all of it herself, trying to get out. Should I just… call out? Even if there were soldiers, I might've been able to fend them off myself, or just use the velocycle to flee somewhere else.

"Oh, shoot, I'll just-" deep breath, and-

"Don't worry, baby, your hero is on his way!" Another voice bellowed out, echoing against the Vestige walls.

I knew that voice. "Snow!" Wherever he was, was where I needed to get to. "Don't worry Serah, we will find you."


[Author: the beginning portion of this chapter has been changed from its original version]