As We Move Forward [Invite]

Yuna would feel her eyes open, damp from the drying tears that had streaked down her cheeks, dirtied from the smoke that still permeated the air. Even here, within the Chamber of Fayth, the smell and heat existed, having doubtlessly crept through the ancient stones of the weathered temple. Her throat parched, and body aching much similar to that day so long ago, the last hour in which Valefor had joined with her heart. Yuna believed she would never again have felt this way, nor find herself praying for a means to save Spira in this room again. She sobbed as her eyes fell once more, to the deep fractures within the cracked crystallized statue. The corporeal young woman would not heed her pleas, having been taken like all the others.

With a defeated sob, Yuna would finally relent, and rise to her feet.

As she left to exit the Chamber, the golden shield-like door would become stuck, forcing the brunette to climb once more upon her knees to escape. Yuna would regard her once clean white robes as she rose again, now dirtied and tattered, before squinting through the thickening smoke to the lift. The young woman would fight her pain to cross the room, stumbling against the banister as the lift would begin to rise. Her balance was a struggle to regain as it came to an abrupt stop, before a thunder would echo throughout the stone shaft. Yuna felt her arms wrap around the banister, just as the lift would dislodge, forcing it at an angle. A surprised yelp would follow. She would manage a glance upward, yet wince as a light cloud of dust came falling from above. She would catch another protesting groan from the lift’s supports, before forcing herself to stand on the uneven platform. There had to be something to hold onto above, something she could use to continue her ascent. A quick climb was made onto the banister, before she made a forced jump, and a desperate cling to the edge of the floor of the Cloister above.

A rumble of stone and thunder followed, yet Yuna wouldn’t risk a glance as she fought to pull herself up, and onto another dirtied floor. She would continue to lie there, taking in strained breaths of air and smoke alike, before she would roll over onto her knees as she coughed. She had to get out of here. She couldn’t be buried with the rest of the temple. Her eyes desired the sky too badly. A muster of dwindling strength, and Yuna would begin a hard journey out of the Cloister of Trials, eventually coming to the temple’s antechamber. She paused there upon the topmost step, taking a moment to acknowledge the sight of the partially collapsed roof. Her eyes rested disdainfully upon the rubble that was her father’s statue, which rested among the debris that blocked off access to the northwestern chamber. Yuna descended the flight of stairs, before resting a hand upon the carved features of Braska’s face.

I…I’m sorry… thought the High Summoner to herself upon walking passed it. She could only imagine how he would feel, were he to look upon what remained of this place- were he to look upon what remained of his daughter. The soles of her boots would cross over the fallen doors of the temple, before they trekked the remains of the stone canopy that had given way. Yuna stood there at the edge of a path that had once given her hope, where she had once believed Spira had a future.

A future that she knew now, would never come.

Blue-Green eyes moved slowly across the horrors before her, taking in the charred, smoldering remains of the village, still smoking from embers that had yet to die out. Beyond it stood blackened trunks and stones, where lush green jungles had once been. No longer did she hear the laughter of children, the people, nor the calls of the birds from the trees in the wilds. Just the faint cracks and pops of what fires still burned throughout a dying paradise. She felt her eyes fall before they closed, before more tears would well up inside them. As they streamed down her cheeks, she raised a hand upon looking to the distance.

Yuna would whistle.

Only nobody would come. She knew there was no one left, no one to answer her call. And yet still- she whistled.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Silence was her only answer, the only one to greet her despair. That was until a familiar sound called out from above, in the form of a deep, growling roar. Yuna felt her eyes widen, as fear leapt inside her chest. Everything within the fibers of her being told her not to turn toward the sound, toward what she knew within her heart to be the sum of all fears. Slowly Yuna would come to do what she wished against, and felt her eyes drawn to the source in the sky. There lingering within the smoke filled sunset, was the colossal form of the evil once vanquished, the source of Spira’s suffering, the source of her failure- Sin.

Yuna looked upon the demonic whale with tears, the living armor bearing ethereal wings as it had on that day nearly three years ago. The High Summoner weeped, feeling herself frozen in place, stilled by dread of what was soon to come. Her breath silenced as the mouth above began to open, as the Giga-Gravitron would begin to charge. She thought about all her friends, all her loved ones that had become victims of this failure, all ripped from her…one by one. She couldn’t face the sight of it any longer- Yuna couldn’t look upon a life brought to failure, as it would soon come to a close. Her eyes would slowly shut, and one final tear was shed as it all came to an end.

~Or so she thought.~

A sharp gasp was made as the High Summoner’s eyes snapped open, her head pulling away from the pillow on her cot. She took a deep set of breaths, before making a disgruntled look about the room. It was no longer charred, but rather as she always remembered it, how it had been the night prior. Yuna briefly recalled when Wakka and the elders rearranged the southwestern chamber to serve as her personal quarters. While she perfectly understood he and Lulu needed the extra space for the baby, at the time Yuna insisted staying on the Celsius wouldn’t have been an issue. Though Tasgio and Wakka had pointed out staying in the temple would save her trips across the island, and time for her duties as the Priestess of the new order. She digressed to accept the hospitality, believing it would have better served the Yevoners with a frequented presence. Yuna cleared her throat, before raising a hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. She eyed the back of it with disapproval, before getting out of bed to wash up.

After finishing Yuna felt her blue-green eyes fall upon the chest next to her bed, and her thoughts upon the dismantled dresspheres, and other contents within. She regarded the last time it was opened, a little over a few months ago, after Shinra had finished taking the last of his creations apart. It had been a personal choice of her own, to attempt to box away that chapter of her life, in hopes to finally help her settle back into a quieter routine of peace and simplicity. Focus then fell upon her staff propped against the wall behind the chest. With its acknowledgement came a sigh, putting aside thoughts of the nightmare, and preparing herself before she eased open the doors to her chamber. The antechamber was as it had been, since her first arrival on the island with a much younger Kimahri as he held her hand tightly. Several elderly, and youthful members of the Yevoners approached to greet her with the prayer. ”Good afternoon, Lady High Summoner.” The phrase was repeated multiple times, as Yuna brought her hands together, and gave the traditional bow of the head in reply. A warming smile of content washed over her, before she would also offer a courteous, yet soft spoken ”Good morning,” in reply.

The temple was still intact, the people were all still here. It was all here- even the one thing that still didn’t belong. Yuna felt her eyes draw with concern, to the doors leading to the Cloister of Trials. She felt her thoughts linger upon what had returned to the Chamber of the Fayth, and the pressing matter she had been pondering for the last few weeks. The return of Valefor’s fayth. It disturbed Yuna to no end, as it would never let her doubts in Spira’s continued peace know any rest. At first she believed it wasn’t real, a possible illusion, or perhaps a means of pyreflies sealing the entrances to the Farplane that had opened. That was only until a week and a half ago, when a hopeful apprentice on a self-charged pilgrimage had been named a fully-fledged summoner, and had called the aeon from the skies. Yuna did not rejoice like the villagers in the crowd that day, nor participate in the festivities. Instead she had retreated to the Chamber of the Fayth to demand answers behind the return, only to have her prayers received with silence. She had returned every day for hours on end, with every outcome bearing the same result. She knew not of the others, yet could only await the inevitable news from the other temples.

In her eyes, Valefor had become a premonition, and continued to ignore the High Summoner.

As each of her greeters returned to their prayers and studies, a lone elder remained to speak up after the others. ”P-pardon me, m’lady, but Sir Wakka wished to see you once you had emerged,” croaked the old man, his voice dry like the sand out on the beach. Her focus brought back to the present, Yuna smiled at the news, deducing that the former guardian probably had another story to tell about the baby. ”I will go see how is he doing, thank you,” she informed him with a polite bow to dismiss herself. Stepping outside under the stone canopy, her heart felt a sigh of relief at the sight of the busy village, and the evergreen jungles that lined its exteriors. The warm, salt-scented air blowing off the nearby ocean was relieving to her senses, having grown tired of the incense that dominated inside the temple.

That was when a familiar voice caught her attention, as the burly form of Wakka came running toward her with a friendly wave. ”Hey, sleepyhead!” He came to a stop just before her, folding his arms with the same goofy smile he had been wearing for weeks. ”You stay up all night again? Ya?” Yuna offer a simple nod, knowing Wakka or Lulu would find out even if she chose to deny it. The evening prior had been exhausting, but the efforts to help ease the pain of Jassu’s fractured ankle had ultimately been rewarding. Yuna would turn her attention on the Auroch with a smile, whom she found standing by the old Crusader’s tent conversing with Botta and Keepa.

”He should be practicing again soon. Though you should tell him to stay off of it for another day at most- just to be safe.”

”That good. Maybe they’ll be in good enough shape for the opening tournament, ya? Already got the tickets. I want the baby's first blitz game to be an Auroch’s match!”

Yuna couldn’t help but giggle at Wakka’s enthusiastic fist pump. ”Does Lulu know?” she teased with a playful smirk to the retired blitzer. The redhead seemed speechless at first, rubbing the back of the head with uncertainty. Yuna meanwhile couldn’t contain her amusement, as she simply beamed while awaiting the answer. Wakka would finally shrug as he shook his head.

”I-uh…haven’t exactly told her yet- no,” he finally said, growing more quiet with sheepish embarrassment. Yuna could only laugh, finding it funny how little he had changed over the years, among all the other things that had.