Chapter 32 – Hell's on Fire


"Who are you?" stuttered Rikku, shivering at the intimidating aura given off by the old man.

"I am Trema," he replied in the same distinguished, yet raspy tone. "You may be familiar with the group New Yevon. I am its founder."

Paine scoffed at him. "I figured you were that guy Shinra talked about. You were the one who gathered up those old spheres throughout Spira."

He nodded to her. "Indeed I did. I collected the tormenting memories of Spira. No longer will this land be plagued by the tragedies of the past."

"Tragedies? More like the secrets of the Yevonites you don't want Spira to know about!" shouted Rikku angrily.

Trema chuckled to himself softly, half-delighted by the Al Bhed's spark. "You misunderstand my intentions of what I have done these past few years. I created the New Yevon order so I could train warriors to battle once more."

"But there are no more battles to wage!" retorted Paine.

Bowing his head slightly, Trema nodded. "Therein lies the problem. The fierce tenacity of warriors past had become feeble. Without Sin, there was no enemy to focus on. They were merely chasing shadows across a wall."

Rikku gave him a confused look. "Then why do all of this? It doesn't make any sense."

"Oh, but it does. I gave these retired warriors a new enemy, and a new battle to fight. New life has been breathed into them."

"And what of the spheres you gathered? Where are they?" questioned Paine, her pose becoming sharp and inflamed.

"Destroyed. Ridden from this world are those memories which would weaken resolve."

Rikku stomped her foot. "How could you?"

"Sorrow makes the heart grow weak. Letting go of the memories of this world forges new strength within it. Much sacrifice is necessary for Spira to be reborn anew. Reborn by the will of Maester Kinoc!"

"There's no way we're gonna let that madman control Spira!" barked Paine defiantly.

Trema bowed slightly. "Very well. Then we'll see how much sacrifice your hearts have made."

Like a pulled trigger, these words ignited the fight. Rikku and Paine darted at Trema. For an elderly man, he nimbly performed a backflip to avoid their rapid attacks. Positioning himself between the two girls, he got into a fighting stance and skillfully blocked their punches and kicks. Fury fumed from the girls' eyes as they came at him with all their might. Sliding out of their path, Trema speedily conjured up some magic, blasting a small wall of fire at Rikku. She rolled to her side, her hair only singed by its heat. Paine ran at him, smacking him with her fist. Artfully he twirled around unphased and kicked Paine in the stomach, sending her stumbling backward.

Recovering from her dodge, Rikku dashed at him with her twin blades. Taking wild slices at Trema, Rikku missed every attempt she tried to cut him down with. His skills matched his lore. He acted as if their fearsome advances were nothing more than the buzzing of flies. The more he avoided them, the more anger bubbled inside Paine. It was Kinoc's blood she sought, but Trema would do for now. To her, the old man was merely an obstacle to the final boss.

In a sudden burst, Trema unleashed a fury of blows against Paine. Several times he connected fists to her face. With a yelp, she plummeted to the ground. Rikku shouted at Trema and again tried to use her blades to slice him. Ducking her attack, he connected with a vicious uppercut to her chin. A spit of blood came from her mouth, but she wasn't finished, and neither was Paine. Attacking from both sides, the girls came at him with everything they had. Multiple times they sliced and hit him. He countered with a pair of spinning kicks, knocking Rikku and Paine away.

A trickle of blood ran from his left leg from where Rikku had finally achieved a wound from her blade. Again he powered up a quick volley of magic. This time, he targeted Paine. A billowing blast of fire shot from the ground. Paine tumbled through it and rolled up to Trema. With the hilt of her sword, she thrust it into his chest. With a great gasp, Trema fell to one knee. It was for only a moment, as he rose again.

Trema switched to the offensive. Lunging toward Paine, he punched and kicked with a number of his martial arts moves. Paine felt strike after strike pummeling her body, causing her sight to blur. Rikku took this distraction to jump onto his back. She tried to cut at his throat, but Trema hurled her off him. Before she was able to get up, Trema did a spectacular sliding kick, belting her hard. Paine screamed for her comrade and tried to recapture his attention. She ran at him and swung her blade, nearly slicing his arm off. With a swift motion, he caught the blade in his hands, stopping it dead in its tracks. With a flick, he used her momentum to twirl her in the air, flipping her onto the ground.

A burst of hideous laughter roared from the dark walls around them. The unmistakable voice of Maester Kinoc caught the attention of all three fighters. His wrenching laugh cut deep into Paine's skin, causing all the hairs on her body to stand up. Trema halted his attack and now stood with a stern posture, watching Kinoc step into sight. Paine and Rikku both sneered at his presence, their blood boiling with hatred.

"Well, well, well. Have I not shared enough pain with you already?" he snickered to his own delight.

"Maester Kinoc," greeted Trema, bowing to him. "How may I serve you?"

Kinoc waved his hand. "You are serving me well. Killing these nuisances would be quite pleasurable."

"Like we'll die to you. Not after what you've done to Yunie!" yelled Rikku, beginning to charge Kinoc.

Paine stopped her. "No, Rikku! Not yet."

"Aw, it seems Spira's savior has gone to the Farplane. Such a shame. I would have loved to turn her into a mindless slave," he mocked.

"Damn you!" thundered Paine, using all her resolve not to charge him herself. "Have you no humanity?"

"Humanity? Ha! Such worthless morality did nothing for me when I was alive. What makes you think I would care about it when I'm dead? I have true power, the power to enslave and command."

Paine gripped the hilt of her sword. "Why Yuna? She never did anything to you?"

"Nothing? She was the reason I was killed in the first place. It was Seymour's lust for that wretched girl that got me murdered. I rather enjoyed seeing her die at my dupe."

Rikku's hands flew to her chest. "Dupe? What are you saying?"

A tiny cluster of pyreflies swarmed beside Kinoc. It formed a figure of the small fayth who promised Yuna her eternal wish. Rikku and Paine looked in complete disarray. Paine had no idea of what was going on.

"You see, I set up the meeting with this fayth and your precious friend. He promised her heart's desire. I laughed to see how utterly flustered she was. Then my agent told her that her love could never come back, and she was completely devastated. Oh, the joy I felt when I saw her heart drop right out of her soul!"

He screeched out a loud, morbid laugh. Rikku covered her ears, tears swelling up in her eyes. Paine, too, began to cry. They couldn't believe that Yuna killed herself, all at the whim of Kinoc. Paine embraced her friend, as she crumbled into a ball of tears. Paine looked with watery eyes as the little fayth sadly gazed at the ground. Kinoc continued his long, taunting jest. A rumbling roar shot from the darkness around Kinoc. Crashing footsteps shook the ground. Holding onto Rikku, Paine darted her head around trying to find the cause of the immense trembling.

"We will see how you do against one of your friends, or should I say newly-deceased friend's aeons. Approach!"

Following Kinoc's command, an enormous creature moved from the shadows. Indeed it was Yuna's former protector, and one of her most powerful aeons. Bahamut walked in with his arms folded, his posture grand and ferocious. He let out a terrifying roar and prepared to enter battle. The girls couldn't believe their eyes. If losing Yuna and fighting Kinoc and Trema wasn't enough, now they had to battle one of Yuna's aeons once more. As they both gazed up at the towering colossus, they readied themselves. Win or lose, all they needed now was one last burst of resolve, for Yuna's sake, and Spira's future.

Not waiting for Bahamut to make the first attack, the girls charged at him, shouting at their loudest. Rikku blasted him with a grenade, angering the aeon. Paine swatted at him with her sword, barely missing him as he evaded backward. Counterattacking with his mighty claw, Bahamut took a swipe at Paine, who slid under him in avoidance. Rikku again hit him with another grenade, although this did little more than infuriate him.

Lunging forward, he quickly snatched Rikku up in his hand. Tighter and tighter he began to squeeze, trying to crush her with his strength. She let out a painful cry, as her body began to burn from the intense pressure. Paine screamed and called up a circle of dark orbs around her. She shot them at Bahamut, blasting him forcefully enough to release Rikku and knock him on his back. Falling to the ground, Rikku bounced hard and groaned while she tried to get up. She hobbled over to Paine, gripping tightly to her other arm.

"Rikku, are you alright? What's the matter?" Paine asked with alarm.

Rikku shook her head, blowing out a gust of air. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. Let's just win this."

Paine nodded and watched as the mighty aeon rose to his feet. His darkened eyes peered scornfully at the girls, with a thirst for their blood. They returned his gaze with one equal in contempt to his own.

Kinoc took this critical time to laugh heartily. "It seems you girls have bitten off a little more than you can chew. Without your precious summoner here, you are nothing more than pitiful, little insects."

Trema winced slightly at his master's comment. The girls ignored him, their sights locked on Bahamut. Again they let loose a vicious barrage on the beast. Together Rikku and Paine assaulted him head-on. Stabbing mercilessly, Paine cut deep into Bahamut's right leg. Rikku sliced with unfettered ferocity on the left leg. Bahamut let out an ugly cry. He lunged down with his arms and swatted the girls away, launching them into the wall behind. Rikku shrieked at the impact but quickly rose back to her feet. Picking up her sword on the ground beside her, Paine used it as a crutch to help her stand up. A sharp pain stabbed at her ribcage.

Kinoc's eyes sharpened, and a hint of anger crept into his voice. "Come now, mighty aeon. I know you had served your former master better than this."

Bahamut snarled at the girls, his eyes piercing through their hearts like a steel lance. Thrusting forward at them with blinding speed, he took a wild stab at Rikku, sending her hurtling away. Paine stabbed the aeon in the same arm that flung her friend, causing him to lash out at her. She quickly rolled under his repeated swipes. Roaring loud enough to shake the city above, the Bahamut stomped down with his foot, nearly smashing Paine all over the ground. In a terrible fit, he managed to form a cavernous crater beneath him, making him lose his balance and falter.

Paine jabbed with haste at him, slicing repeatedly into the aeon as fast as she could plunge into him with her sword. A blast of arcane force concussed the aeon, sending him crashing to the floor. Swirling around crazily, Bahamut began to turn into a flurry of pyreflies. Kinoc leaned forward a step, not believing Bahamut's defeat. The cloud of pyreflies shot into the air and disappeared.

Kinoc growled, "Bah, this matters not. You will still perish like the Al Bhed girl just did!"

"Hey! I ain't dead yet," announced Rikku, limping over toward Paine.

Paine ran over to her injured companion. She enraptured Rikku in her arms; her eyes teared up at the sight of her swollen face. Paine brushed back Rikku's hair to look at her bruised smile, and even let out a tiny laugh. Kinoc threw his fist into the air. He roared at the girls, cursing them to death.

"I will see your lives destroyed by the time I am through! You will endure eternal suffering along with the rest of Spira!"

Rikku spat out some blood from her mouth. "Whatever! It'll be you who goes away suffering!"

He peered evilly at them. "Trema, I'll leave them to you. Do not fail me!"

The ancient warrior nodded in compliance, recapturing the sharp and mystifying stance that he utilized before. Paine and Rikku stood next to each other, not allowing him any opportunity to outflank either of them. For a moment, the combatants only stared into each other's eyes. With no prior flinch, the three locked into deadly combat. Paine struck first, crushing him in the jaw with the handle of her sword. Trema struck back immediately, punching her twice in the stomach. Rikku rammed him, flinging him a step backward. He gave Rikku an acute chop in the forehead, causing her to yelp. She stumbled backward holding her face.

Realizing this to be a hopeless deadlock, Trema slid to the side, disengaging from the battle. Folding his hands and raising them to his nose, he began to whisper a chant. Paine and Rikku stood glaring at him with confusion. Unsure as to why he merely stood there unprotected, they leaped for him. They stopped immediately when they noticed a rumbling coming from the ceiling far above. A glimmer of red soon became the sight of many giant fireballs flying down from above. Paine's face melted into a panic. She had no idea how they were going to survive such an otherworldly attack.