(A/N): New prologue added to establish an important character earlier on for better build-up. The old prologue has now been retitled "Chapter 1: Officers of the Council."
Prologue
~A Fleeting Dream~
"Strike me down."
"Extinguish me." "End it here."
"Please... Defeat me." "Soon... Eternal rest." "Take my life."
"Thus I atone." "Stop the suffering."
"Gotta say goodbye."
"Don't cry."
A lone pyrefly descends upon a ruinous, desolate metropolis.
Guided by northern lights and emerald borealis, it clings to a singular, propulsive thought throughout its tumultuous journey across the snowy mountain and sea of stars while resisting the song of wailing pyreflies. Rippling and glowing bright, it hovers close above ground now, anchored by emotions not of its own, anguish and grief, hatred and resolve—
"I hate you, Dad."
"You'll cry. You're gonna cry. You always cry. See? You're cryin'."
"Everyone! This is the last time we fight together, okay? What I'm trying to say is... After we beat Yu Yevon, I'll... disappear! I know it's selfish... but this is my story!"
—and peace. Hope and happiness, love and acceptance.
Voices singing the Hymn, Aeons fading into stardust, a young woman dancing atop the zenith while a blonde youth watches from afar, marking the end of a long and beautiful dream wrought with death and destruction. She runs through open arms to embrace cold empty air, he runs on spectral feet to fall through golden clouds, and the pulsating pyrefly finally coalesces, reaching out for his father's outstretched hand.
A translucent gloved hand obscures the crescent moon overhead. Azure irises form behind the shadow of a tinted visor, peering up into a cloudless, starry sky.
"Who... am I?"