62: Challenger
The air grew heavy. In an instant, the darkened temple lit up as both summoners reacted. There was no formal start to their engagement; Belgemine and Braska simply began summoning as quickly and quietly as they were able, with barely any motion to give away their intentions.
Rikku was used to Belgemine's austere summoning style, but it always surprised her to see Braska - who was once so dependent on the ritual of dancing to aid his technique - kneel and remain just as still. She knew he'd gotten much faster at summoning, but usually when he did it, she was too busy fighting to really observe him.
It was a far cry from his style at the start of the Pilgrimage - she guessed Auron had encouraged him to take a lower profile during their training. But other than that, there was little fanfare that surrounded him as he focused on calling an aeon, other than the multiple swirls of light around his body.
Belgemine still beat him to it; 400 years of experience was probably hard to trump. Cold air filled the temple as Shiva silently floated down from the ceiling, throwing off her icy cloak with her usual air of indolence.
The chill was blasted away by blazing warmth as Ifrit rose from the ground with a roar.
"Hnn," Auron grunted in approval, folding his arms and settling against a decorative ledge on the far side of the temple. "A good choice."
Rikku blinked in surprise. Had Braska made a tactical decision to wait? Maybe Belgemine wasn't faster after all. "Did you teach him how to hold off while summoning so he could bring out a specific aeon like that?" She pulled herself up onto the ledge and swung her feet.
"Of course not. I'm no summoner, I have no idea how he does that. He taught himself. I merely pointed out that he could save some time and effort by assessing his opponent before choosing a specific weapon." He smiled as the aeons circled each other. "This should be interesting. Braska has been working on many new strategies to improve his aeons."
Noticing that Jecht was still standing, Rikku patted the stone next to her. "C'mon, sit down and enjoy the show with us!"
Jecht shook his head and sank to the floor instead. "Interestin'? I can't believe you guys wanna stay. This is gonna be the battle of the titans! You ever heard of collateral damage?"
"Oh, shush," Rikku scolded, watching as Shiva finally charged forward, swinging around for a kick. "Just because we can't help out doesn't mean we should abandon Braska completely. We're his moral support!"
They all ducked as a wall of ice erupted past them, followed by a blast of fire that melted it just as quickly.
"Moral support," Jecht added, brushing some ice chips from his shoulders. "Sure, whatever."
Rikku focused her attention on the battle; it looked like Shiva was using her greater speed to attack Ifrit mercilessly with swift flying kicks. Cornered, Ifrit hunkered down and lowered his head. As Shiva flew forward to deliver another punishing blow, the fiery aeon stood his ground and took the hit, only to reach forward and grab two fistfuls of the ice aeon's thick blue braids.
Shiva tried to rear back, her features distorting with displeasure at the unorthodox attack. Rather than breathing a flaming meteor at her, Ifrit pulled Shiva forward and delivered a powerful headbutt instead. The ice aeon staggered backwards, but Ifrit refused to let go. He turned, still clutching her braids, and dragged her forward, impaling her on the jutting blades of his shoulders. Then he leapt into the air and turned before crashing back-first into the ground in a spray of flames and rock. Shiva's body shattered into pyreflies on impact.
Rikku blinked and rubbed her eyes. Then she looked at Auron. "That's what you've been teaching him? No holds barred wrestling? This is what you did to our sweet, gentle Braska?"
"Brutal, man. Brutal." Jecht added from below.
Auron winced. "That was not - I merely taught him that he should always try to win. This was entirely his own interpretation!"
Ifrit leapt away, and a moment later Braska stood up. He dusted his robes off and smiled at a swaying Belgemine.
"Interesting," Belgemine said, rubbing her forehead with a wince. "You've grown. But let's see how you fare against a new opponent, shall we?" Her head bowed, and shortly after, lightning crackled through the temple. Ixion landed on the floor, hooves clattering. He stopped and pawed the ground with a snort.
Braska returned to one knee; ice crystals formed, and Shiva stepped out behind him. Unlike Belgemine's version of the summon, his Shiva chose to retain her icy cloak, drawn up high over her chin.
"C'mon man! Why ain't Braska given' us the full ice show? Shiva's the hottest aeon he's got!" Jecht complained loudly.
His question was answered as Ixion charged forward and Shiva gracefully sidestepped, throwing her cloak off towards Ixion like a bullfighter. It wrapped around the unicorn's head, and his horn pierced straight through the gauzy fabric without splitting it, trapping him. Shiva's cloak immediately solidified and formed into a block of solid ice.
Energy built up around Ixion's body, blowing off the ice in chunks, but Shiva was already in motion, her hands deftly whipping the long cord attached to her belt through the air. She lashed out, winding it around Ixion's neck like a noose, then tugged.
Ixion reared. Braska's Shiva wasn't nearly as strong as Belgemine's, and the aeon was jerked into the air. Rather than crashing to the ground, however, Shiva flipped and landed - directly on Ixion's back. Her two hands came together above her head, and with a cruel smile, she plunged the thick spike of ice that formed between them directly into Ixion's neck.
Screaming, Ixion bucked a few times before sinking to his forelegs, turning translucent as the pyreflies escaped. Shiva leapt off of the unicorn's back and landed neatly on both feet, and Rikku couldn't stop herself from clapping in appreciation.
"10 out of 10 for style! Girl power!"
Shiva tossed her braids over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, before fading away.
Braska rose to his feet with another triumphant smile, and Belgemine was doing her best to not look surprised. "That was… something," she said in confusion, the usual note of mocking confidence disappearing from her voice. "You've grown much more interesting. How refreshing!"
Braska inclined his head and held a hand out to her, inviting her to start the next round.
"Y'know, you're a pretty good teacher," Rikku admitted as she watched the air inside the temple churn. A gust of clouds spit out Valefor. "He's less about the show and more about the results now. That's pure Auron coming through right there."
"You finally noticed?" Auron retorted, though his hand snaked out to rest on her thigh.
She put her hands on top of his and squeezed. "Well, I always knew it. I mean, you even managed to turn someone like Jecht into a badass, so I guess it's only natural."
"Oy! I was always a badass!"
Rikku ignored Jecht. It was easy to do, considering that clouds continued to swirl along the temple's ceiling despite Valefor's appearance. Moments later, Bahamut descended with a crash. Most notably, he planted his clawed feet onto Valefor's back as he landed, squashing her to the ground with his mass. Rather than taking the time to stretch and flex, as Rikku liked to call Bahamut's signature move, he pumped his leathery wings and rose into the air, still clutching Valefor in his long, curved toes.
Valefor screeched as Bahamut tossed her upwards and reached back with his fist. Before she could gain her wings, the dragon's punch slammed her straight into the temple wall, which shook and cracked under the pressure.
"... I guess brute force works as a strategy too," Rikku observed, raising an eyebrow at Auron as Valefor dissolved into the air behind them. She paused as Bahamut delivered a triumphant roar and finally performed his signature flex. "Although, isn't pitting Bahamut against Valefor a little bit of an overkill? What kind of a strategy is that?"
"A sound one," Auron countered stubbornly. "As long as his goal is to defeat Belgemine, his strategy will always be the right one."
"Overkill," Rikku repeated. "He should've saved Bahamut for something stronger."
Belgemine came out of Rapture, shaking her head. "Well! This hasn't happened in quite a while," she said, smiling. "But you are running out of aeons, my friend."
"As are you," Braska replied gently, dusting off his robes. "Are you sure you wish to continue this challenge?"
Belgemine's smile widened. "The question is if you can continue to keep up this pace?" She waved her hand and stilled, and the ground rumbled. Ifrit rose, shaking his horns and punching the ground impatiently.
It was only the slightest of movements, but Rikku caught it. From the way Auron tensed, he must have seen it too. Braska's hand twitched, as if he'd wanted to clutch his staff; to dance again. After his previous resounding successes, it was, at least to her, a pretty clear tell… he didn't have a plan to deal with Belgemine's powerful fire aeon.
"This is bad," she whispered to Auron.
"Wait," Auron replied resolutely, staring as Braska finally raised his staff and fell into Rapture. As he did, Ixion pulled himself from the portal of lighting that formed behind the summoner, lowering his head into a charge as soon as he hit the floor.
Ifrit opened his mouth in a silent laugh, muscular arms spreading wide as if to welcome the charging steed with a hug. At the last minute, Ixion weaved, brushing past the fire aeon and jolting him with tiny bolts of lighting as he passed.
Fur singed, Ifrit let out a furious roar and tore at the ground. A chunk of stone came up in his palm, and Rikku winced as the beautiful floor mosaic crumbled. She felt a little bad watching it happen; the well-preserved temple was aging rapidly under the repeated aeon assaults.
Both summoners paid the destruction no mind, bent on defeating one another. Ixion finally stopped circling around the fire aeon, planting his feet solidly into the ground. He wheeled around, hind legs kicking out and sending flying bits of stone and debris towards Ifrit in a deadly flurry.
Belgemine's brow quivered at the unorthodox attack, but her face remained impassive. Ifrit, in return, lowered his massive head and punched his fists together, the familiar shield of fire forming around him. The wall of flames seared the flying projectiles into dust before they could strike true.
"It's lookin' a little too hot for B," Jecht observed, wincing as the wave of heat blasted his hair away from his face.
The sound of hooves clattering against stone pulled Rikku's attention back to the fight. Ixion was charging, head lowered, directly towards Ifrit. It looked like he was going to try to impale the massive aeon on his horn.
"That's never gonna work," Rikku cried out. "Ifrit's so much stronger than Ixion, he'll just stop him in his tracks!"
Even as she spoke, Ifrit reached out and grabbed Ixion's lowered horn, holding it between both palms and sliding backwards as he stopped the unicorn's charge.
"It worked," Auron contradicted her, his severe expression easing even as Ixion began to crackle.
Static energy filled the air; Ixion's horn was glowing pure white. Sparks of energy jumped from his body, and forks of lightning shot out in every direction, causing both her and Jecht to scramble for cover. The air was charged and heavy, and she saw a moment too late what Auron had already guessed: Ixion had lured Ifrit in a trap - a suicide attack.
"Sometimes, you need to sacrifice something to win," Auron said grimly.
The room filled with blinding white light as the crackling from Ixion's horn turned into a low white. There was a moment of silence, and then an explosion which consumed both Ifrit's roar and Ixion's scream as both aeons disintegrated in the light.
Spots danced before Rikku's eyes as she tried to adjust to the sudden change in light; somewhere, a stone dropped and clinked across the ruined floor.
"... You might just have the resolve," Belgemine said to Braska as she straightened, recovering from the attack. "But we both know that wasn't a victory."
Braska stood as well, his expression grim. "It's still my win. And I will do whatever it takes to reach my goal."
Belgemine tipped her head forward in acknowledgement. "Then continue to show me that you can be the one to change history." She lifted her arm as she spoke, and cherry blossom petals swirled into existence around her.
Braska blinked as Yojimbo stepped out of the shadows and took a stance behind Belgemine, waiting. "You… don't pay him?" he asked, incredulous.
"We have an understanding," Belgemine said smoothly.
It was only a slight movement, but a twitch in Yojimbo's cloak made Rikku suspect that maybe Belgemine didn't have quite as much of an understanding as she thought she did with the ornery aeon. She glanced at Braska, but he was entirely focused on his opponent.
"Summon your aeon, Lord Braska," Belgemine said, bowing her head as Yojimbo stepped forward.
Braska took a deep breath, then kneeled. Clouds roiled overhead; Vaelfor dove out of the sky, landing in front of him and spreading her wings.
Auron sucked in a deep breath. Even Jecht peeked out from behind his cover, scratching his head.
"I don't get it," Jecht said. "Auron?"
"... Hnn," Auron grumbled, which, in her opinion, was a pretty damning answer.
"Interesting," Belgemine said, flicking her wrist at Yojimbo.
There! Rikku tensed, seeing the slight shake to Yojimbo's head. "He's gonna use his dog!" she stage-whispered to the others.
Sure enough, the lion-dog bounded towards Valefor, tongue lolling out. Valefor took to the air with a screech, but the dog had already launched itself for the full body hit. Claws extended, Valefor trilled in pain when the two aeons connected, sending her flying backwards.
"Ooooh, that's gotta hurt," Jecht said with a wince as the temple walls shook from the force of the impact.
Then Yojimbo straightened, eyes flashing. His dog wasn't returning. Instead, it thrashed against Valefor's unrelenting two-clawed grip. Valefor took to the air, wings beating powerfully. She struggled against the additional weight, but both aeons rose higher and higher into the air as everyone else watched incredulously.
"Did he just... steal Yojimbo's dog?" Rikku asked, tugging on Auron's sleeve. There was no answer; she looked down just in time to see Auron tucking his pouch of gil even deeper into his coat with an exasperated expression.
Yojimbo seemed similarly unimpressed. The huge aeon whistled again, and was met with an answering whine. The dog stopped struggling against Valefor's grip, as if finally realizing being dropped from the temple's height was not an optimal outcome for it. Valefor let out another shrill screech, clutching onto her hostage defiantly.
"... Yojimbo! Finish this!" Belgemine commanded. There was a hint of censure in her voice, and Rikku grinned.
Yojimbo isn't anyone's servant. … And he really, really likes his dog.
Yojimbo looked over his shoulder at Belgemine, eyes narrowed. Then he whistled again, and the lion dog began to fade from existence. Flipping his long cloak over one shoulder, Yojimbo turned around and stoically marched past Belgemine, not even stopping to look down as he also disappeared, pyreflies training in his wake.
Valefor trilled. It sounded almost smug, and matched the look on Braska's face when she disappeared and he rose to his feet. "This round is also mine."
Belgemine's hands clenched into fists, but her smile remained in place. "You do realize it's very difficult for the Unsent to make money in Spira?" she said conversationally.
"I wouldn't know," Braska replied, just as pleasantly.
Belgemine's red lips twitched. "Let us continue." She raised her hand, and then brought it down swiftly. The temple darkened ominously, and with a roiling crack, Bahamut exploded out of the ceiling, landing heavily on the temple floor. His tail lashed back and forth eagerly.
Braska smiled; the pyreflies rose around him, but he wasn't frozen; instead, he reached for his belt as cherry blossoms rained around him.
The look on Belgemine's face was stiff as Yojimbo strode out and stopped next to Braska.
"That was inexcusably rude of me," Braska said as he lifted a heavy coin pouch off of his belt and held it out towards the aeon. "I hope your faithful companion wasn't too badly frightened by the experience. Here. This token of my appreciation is the least I can do to apologize." He bowed as Yojimbo reached down and pocketed the money, nodding slightly at Braska.
There was an audible sigh of despair from Auron, and Rikku tore her attention away from the aeon battle to give him a little nudge. "C'mon, Braska's actually doing pretty well! You should be proud of your student! Besides, it's just money. Some things are more important than gil, right?"
"Tell that to Yojimbo."
"Whoa!" Jecht interjected, wincing as the sound of exploding rubble echoed through the building. "Damn, that looked like it hurt! I didn't know you could do that with a sword!"
Rikku looked up to see Yojimbo tossing his katana into the air. "Oh, hey, isn't that -"
"How much money was in that pouch?"
She winced and turned on her best 'distract Auron' smile. "...Sometimes it's better if you don't ask!"
The sound of a singing blade filled the air, and they both turned in time to see Yojimbo slide to a stop, his katana extended. Behind him, Bahamut slowly toppled over, hitting the ground heavily and spraying pyreflies.
Yojimbo shook out his sword, sheathed it, and marched away.
"That guy's even cooler than you," Rikku breathed, earning a snort from Auron.
"I've passed all of your challenges." Braska's voice rang out, echoing through the empty temple. "Will you reveal to me the secret of Remiem at last, Lady Belgemine?"
Belgemine's smile was relaxed. She folded her arms and regarded Braska, her eyes narrowed. "You haven't passed all of my challenges, Summoner. But I will show you the secret of Remiem. How will you defeat me, I wonder, without any aeons left?"
Jecht growled. "Oy, lady! That ain't fair!"
"Do you always expect your battles to be fair?" Belgemine responded sharply. "How did you come this far suffering under such childish illusions?" Her expression softened marginally. "None have ever made it this far. I will not hold it against you if you fail here, summoner."
As she spoke, three sigils bloomed around her, growing into enormous, luminescent flowers. They carried a faint scent in the air; of mist, and water, and something intangible.
Rikku caught herself leaning forward and inhaling deeply. This… is the scent of the Farplane.
The flowers unfolded, revealing their contents - the Magus Sisters, the three insect-like aeons who worked together as one, and were just as willful and uncontrollable as Yojimbo. Sandy was as haughty as ever - tall, swift, and dangerous with her red arm-scythes. Cindy, her sister, petulant in her wide stance and heavy, ladybug-like armor. And Mindy, sleepy and sullen, buzzing unsteadily against the weight of her wasp-like stinger.
Braska stared at each of them, obviously captivated by the three aeons. "Incredible," he breathed. "How is it even possible - three aeons, called by one summoning?"
The sisters stood, waiting, and Rikku shivered. Then straightened her spine. "Braska!" she yelled, cupping her hands over her mouth. "This is still a battle! Take notes later!"
Her moment of bravado over, she reached out blindly for Auron's hand and found it. "Here we go…"
Braska blinked, and glanced over at her, a look of concern briefly passing over his face. But he didn't stop, instead, reaching for the ground and closing his eyes.
The sisters staggered Braska fell into the rapture, the ground boiling and seething beneath his hands as he pulled Anima out. The newest aeon trembled, swaying as it rose, higher and higher, nearly filling the temple with her enormous size.
The three aeons trembled as they were faced with Anima's raw power. The floor was already blackening below them, dark mists swirling higher and faster as it wrapped around all three of the Sisters' ankles, trapping them in a dark morass.
"You're not the only one with secrets," Rikku said aloud, holding Auron's hand in a white-knuckled grip.
The screams of the Sisters were lost as they disappeared below the ground; an ominous silence reigned, before the mists finally cleared, spitting up the mangled remains of the three, pyreflies swirling around their collapsed forms as they faded away. The addictive scent of the Farplane faded with them, leaving only Anima's noxious gases in its wake, and Rikku had to stifle a gag.
Anima turned her baleful glare onto Belgemine, staring for a long and breathless moment in which Rikku wondered if Braska was actually going to try to weaken and Send her after all. Then, with a shudder, the enormous aeon faded away, chased by a few lurking tendrils of shadows in her wake.
Braska stood up, opening his eyes.
"That… that is enough," Belgemine said, staggering. She leaned forward, face pale, and took a few slow breaths, before glancing up sharply at Braska. "You! So you know…" She trailed off, her brows rising, then looked over at Auron, Jecht, and Rikku. "Yes. You are worthy of Remiem's secret."
"So there was another aeon here after all," Auron said finally, shaking out his hand. "The more we discover, the less we know."
Jecht was scratching his head. "Forget that, man. Ain't it gettin' crowded in Braska's head already? How's he supposed to fit another three in there, anyways?"
"I don't think that's how it works," Rikku mumbled.
"Hold," Braska said, raising his hand. "I've earned your two keys," he continued, reaching for the scepter and the crown. "But I would know your story first."
The ghost of a smile graced Belgemine's expression; but it seemed more like a grimace. "First? Before what, summoner? You Send me?"
Braska's expression hardened. "That's a definite possibility. I want to know why you're hiding these aeons here from the rest of the world. Why do you set up these impossible challenges? It would take a miracle to overcome them. Fortunately my friends and I have made a habit of making the impossible possible. But why do you think the rest of Spira can't handle the existence of these three aeons? Are they truly so terrible?"
Belgemine's laugh was hollow. "It is not the aeons that are terrible, summoner. It is the faltering will of a failed High Summoner… and a mother."
"High Summoner…" Braska's eyes widened. "You… you created the Final Aeon. These three-"
Belgemine waved her hand, cutting him off. "The price was too high. My children…" She stopped, and something in her cool, stoic facade cracked, as did her voice. Pyreflies slowly swirled around her, circling her body as she struggled to speak. "Sandy, Mindy, and Cindy. Even after their sacrifice, I couldn't bear to use them against Sin once I knew the truth. No mother can condemn her child to that." She wavered, inhaling deeply. "Now, it is my eternal duty to protect them, as they tried to protect Spira."
It was as if her own words brought her back from the brink. The pyreflies disappeared, and Belgemine's cold composition returned. "Only someone worthy of bearing them may appeal to them. You are the first, Lord Braska. The first in 400 years to have passed every test."
Rikku was left speechless by Belgemine's revelation. Seymour had sacrificed his mother, while Belgemine had sacrificed her children. She wondered if Belgemine's sense of duty to protect her children was the only thing that prevented her from wandering down the same path of madness Seymour had, after his death.
"Once… you knew the truth?" Braska asked, not as easily distracted as she was. "What truth?"
Belgemine's cheshire smile revealed nothing. "When you meet her, she'll tell you."
There was a silence, and then Rikku felt her stomach drop when Braska turned to stare at her. Belgemine's eyes followed his gaze, and her red smile widened.
"Not that one." Belgemine turned her head slightly and looked at Jecht. "Nor that one, either." She smirked. "Such strange bedfellows you keep, Summoner Braska."
Jecht frowned, crossing his arms and rising to his full height. "Y'aint scarin' me, dead lady," he snorted. "Why're ya starin' at me an' Rikku, huh?"
Belgemine shook her head. "It's time for you to accept your reward, Summoner Braska. The world is in your hands now." As she spoke, the stone door behind her leading to the Chamber of the Fayth shifted and opened, finally recognizing the presence of another summoner.
Braska stepped towards the door, his frustration at Belgemine's refusal to answer his questions clear. He stopped next to her.
"Oh? Are you going to send me?"
"It goes against everything I believe to allow you to continue to live in this half state," Braska replied. His mouth shut with an audible click as he clenched his teeth.
Belgemine only laughed. "You are gravely mistaken. I don't live; I wait. As do my children." Brazen to the end, she turned her back on Braska and walked away, unafraid to leave them alone in the temple. She stopped at the doors and looked over her shoulder. "Are you the one who will finally end my waiting? I wonder."
A soft wind blew through the open door of the Chamber; it carried the faint smell of musty flowers. Braska watched Belgemine exit the temple, shoulders drooping.
"You did the right thing," Rikku said, coming closer and patting him on the back. "She's trying to help you, in her own way."
Braska nodded wearily. "I can't afford to wonder like she does. I need to be sure." He faced the Chamber. "Wait for me," he instructed them, stepping through the door. "I won't be long."