(A/N): The first arc, which encompasses the entirety of the -Will- audio drama, will probably span 8-10 chapters. After that, I will approach the multiple, emerging conflicts such as the Yevoner hunters, the mastermind behind beckoning Sin, and Tidus/Yuna's sordid love story with finesse. Hopefully. I've got a lot in store for this fic, and I want to finish it before the actual game ever comes out in five or so years.

UPDATE: Edited as of April 2nd, 2024.

Chapter 1

~Officers of the Council~

Kurgum and Chuami stand at attention in Baralai's office, looking at the man they call their Chancellor as he circles his desk, carrying an orange sphere he retrieved from his locked drawer. Long gone are the days where a young and mischievous priest would host chocolate sphere hunts on Holy Week or recite the daily prayer text every morning at their Yevon primary school. Now, they are Sender and officer respectively, addressing their superior.

"I want you two to take a look at this sphere and tell me what you see."

He holds the sphere out before them, activating the visiosphere. They lean in close, spying the familiar stretch of dusk-lit soil that comprises the Moonflow bank and the myriad of moon lilies native to its shallow, teal waters. Now the flickering screen pans to an adult shoopuf wading within a shoal entrenched in pyreflies, tangling noses with that of another shoopuf. Chuami grins, recognizing the courier shoopuf by the slash of its scar on its left hind leg, and pulls back once Baralai withdraws his hands.

"How cute. The shoopuf got himself a girlfriend."

Kurgum straightens, humming in thought. "...There was something about that shoopuf, though. Is it a Beckoning?"

Baralai smiles, pleased by his astute observation. "Right you are, Kurgum."

"Really? How could you tell?" Chuami frowns, surprise bleeding through her mirth.

"The sphere was kind of staticky, but… If you compare it to the live shoopuf next to it, it's translucent, almost like an Unsent."

Kurgum being the golden boy, as usual. She crosses her arms and huffs, shifting her weight to lean on one foot. "Okay. So maybe somebody Beckoned it. We don't know that for sure."

"That shoopuf is supposed to be the last of its kind." Baralai lowers his arms, cradling the now dormant sphere. "One day, another one appeared, and it raised quite a commotion among the locals, prompting an immediate investigation."

"Last one?" Kurgum pipes up, once again reluctant to challenge his word. "...um, but weren't there reported sightings of wild shoopuf in other places? Like Bikanel Desert and Mt. Gagazet? I don't remember classifying the shoopuf as an endangered species..."

"Correct. This shoopuf happens to be the last one indigenous to the Moonflow."

Chuami rolls her eyes, annoyed by the sight of his typical knowing smile. He could have easily told them all this in a single breath instead of goading them to challenge his brilliant pool of information. Know-it-all jerk. "Enlighten us, Chancellor, because honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. Either the shoopuf beckoned it or the shoopuf found himself a lady friend. You know how the Hypello love to cart them around in full display. They've been a common sight in the Djose Continent for the past several years."

"You are right, and normally that would be the case, if not for the fact shoopufs are a monogamous species. When they mate, they mate for life." Baralai pauses to sigh, sobered by the potential gravity of it all that he dispenses with his usual gaiety in their presence. "I sent a couple officers to investigate these rumors by questioning the elderly who have lived there for years, and they have confirmed that Beckoned shoopuf as the very same one attacked and killed by Sin thirty years prior. Such needless gossip would not normally attract my attention... were it not for the fact it occurred in the Moonflow, where beckoned sightings are reported high to the point of infestation."

Sounds serious. Chuami sighs, resigning herself to the argument. "Okay. So? What would you like us to do about it?"

"Conditions have worsened in the Moonflow. On top of that beckoned shoopuf, the area is overflowing with pyreflies again. This goes to show our previous efforts in stabilizing it were insufficient. I had hoped for it to remain calm a while longer, at least until we found a more suitable solution long-term, but with the current state of Spira thrown into disarray..."

Baralai pauses to sigh, frustrated at the slow progression of things and the lack of major, visible improvement, before recollecting himself, reinforcing his stance. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like for you both to head to Besaid Island and notify Lady Yuna of these events. Unfortunate implications are being cast in the Yevoners' direction, and I wish to discuss this with her at full length in order to dispel such allegations. But first, I need her to come meet with the Spiran Council."

He hands the sphere to Kurgum now. "Can you do that for me?"

"Of course." Kurgum places a hand over his chest after stowing it away in his knapsack, foregoing the typical Yevon prayer.

It took him forever to drop the habit. Chuami thought this suited him better.

Baralai smiles, reassured by his earnest answer. "If you have the time, then please, ensure that she views the contents of this sphere." He pauses to regard Chuami with a stern cross of his arms, reproach sharpening his otherwise pleasant tone. "Be sure to look after him. He's your charge, and you are his assistant. You must always follow his lead and not the other way around."

She glares at him just to mock him, which he reciprocates in earnest.

"You cannot fool me. I know how you are."

"Okay, okay, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She rolls her eyes, mimicking his posture if not to spite him.

"Okay, then." He lightens up now, dropping his arms to his sides. "Have safe travels. You will be traveling by airship, so if you are susceptible to motion sickness, I suggest stocking up on medicine before heading to the docking station. Here's a slip to give to the pharmacy within the temple compound. They will provide for all your needs."

This one he hands to Chuami, and she accepts it with a sly smile. "Huh. Reimbursed by the Council. I can get used to this."

"I would advise that you don't. That is only for emergency use."

She laughs, slipping it into the pocket of her red frock coat. "I was just kidding. Sort of."

Kurgum makes a face, embarrassed by her wisecrack remarks, which she prefers to ignore. Chuami knows what he must be thinking. Regardless of their personal history with the Chancellor, how dare she ignore protocol right in front of their boss, the leading authority in all of Spira, without fear or shame of the consequence? She never makes his job easy, but Kurgum never complains. Much.

Besides, Baralai doesn't seem to mind, accustomed to worse offenders such as the Machine Faction leader, Gippal, an Al Bhed youth infamous for his love of skirt-chasing and rule-breaking, and Nooj, the ex-Mevyn of the disbanded Youth League, now Minister of Military Affairs and General of the Bevellian army― a half-man and half-machine rumored to be suicidal, seeking a glorious warrior's death. And of course, there's Paine, a vagabond warrioress and famous sphere hunter of "Your Friendly Neighborhood Gullwings," led by the High Summoner's company of Al Bhed family and friends― until she got hired on as Baralai's personal bodyguard and chief recorder.

Apparently, the Chancellor likes to surround himself with colorful people.

"Do you have any questions before you depart?"

Baralai's voice anchors her back to the situation at hand, and Chuami straightens on her heels, all mirth gone from her stance. "Nope. I think we're good to go. If you have no further instructions for us, then we can leave right away."

"Good." Baralai smiles, clasping his wrist behind his back. "Farewell, then. I hope to see you again soon."

They each give him a heartfelt salute, before departing into the new day.