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View Full Version : FanFic: Final Fantasy: Manifestation of Sin



Stormsworder
Feb 25, 2006, 08:42 AM
((This is something I started at school and just want to get some reviews from people. I AM doing another PSO story, but it's a rewrite of my old one with a lot of changes. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif I can work on two stories at the same time, so don't worry http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif Also, this is kinda following my first ED story, but it isn't the true sequel to it))

Your sins will haunt you, Danielle Roivas. Good deeds will not remove this burden. You are Xel’lotath’s Liche, and for eternity, that is how you shall be remembered in the book of history. You are a child of darkness, Roivas, and sin shall destroy you.

Chapter 1: Awakening

Danielle groaned, slowly forcing her eyes open but squinting them shut against the sun overhead. She turned over on her stomach, pushing herself to her feet and nearly losing her balance from the shifting sand underfoot. She steadied herself and looked around, dazed.

She was on a small beach with a pier and a few small huts. No one was in sight, but it looked like a group of people had just been here judging from the footprints. Danielle shook her head, trying to clear the fog that had settled itself in her mind so she could figure out where she was. This was a stark contrast from the underground city of Ehn’gha she had been fighting in moments before. But how had she got here? Where was here?

Off to the right was a pathway leading away from the beach. She took a step towards it when her foot nudged something hard. Danielle crouched down, picking up the pieces of her shattered sword. Flashes from the battle shot through her mind as she stood up once more, holding the remnants of the blade in her hand.

A dark power had been growing in the Guardian City, so she had gone to investigate. Her sister Alexandra had protested strongly, saying that Danielle had only been out of the hospital a few weeks and shouldn’t be straining herself so much. She had been seriously injured and just recovered from the wounds she had received in that battle that was eternally seared into her memory. Reassuring her sister that she would be careful and wouldn’t be gone long at all, she had entered the ancestral Roivas mansion and made her way down into the ancient city beneath it.

It had been a trap. A powerful man had ambushed her in the heart of the city, using dark arts to fight her. She had given it her all, but in the end, the man had shattered her weapon and opened a dark gateway. He had ranted on about sin and darkness, and there was something otherworldly about him. The power he used wasn’t that of the Ancients. It was something even stronger.

The darkness that had surrounded her when she was sent through the gateway had overwhelmed her senses, and she wasn’t able to hold onto consciousness for long. Now she was here on a beach in a place far different from her home or anything she had ever been to. Her best chances for finding out where she was at were to find anybody who lived here. Hopefully, a town or something was nearby, and she could get some information from there.

Sighing, Danielle undid her sword scabbard on her back and put the two halves of the blade inside, recalling how she had come across the sword. She had seen an apparition of sorts when she entered Ehn’gha, and it had lead her through the winding pathways to it. There was a power hidden deep inside of it, but she highly doubted she would ever be able to call on it. And now with it being broken, that power was gone. “A gift from a spirit of that dead city,” she whispered. “But why did it lead me to the sword? Why did it want me to have it so bad if I ended up breaking it in battle?” Danielle sighed heavily once more, carrying the scabbard in one hand as she looked towards the path. She had better get a move on, or her questions would never be answered.

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“Now this was unexpected,” Danielle muttered, looking around at the small village she had entered. It was so old fashioned that she felt like she had gone a few hundred years in the past. “Or a little over a thousand maybe. Where the heck am I?” She walked forward, noticing the curious glances from people all around. In her dark blue jeans, black T-shirt, and navy blue tennis shoes, she really stuck out.

Danielle made her way to the largest structure, a temple. There was a strange power coming from inside of it, but it wasn’t like the dark power she had felt in Ehn’gha or anything. It actually seemed comforting, and something inside of her wanted her to go to it. Curious, she stepped inside.

The first things to catch her eyes were the four large statues. No one was inside at the moment, but voices drifted out from the chambers on either side of a set of stairs. The power she felt came from somewhere beyond the door at the top of the steps.

I know I probably shouldn’t do this, but I have to see what that source of that power is. I can feel it calling out to me....

Danielle checked to make sure no one was watching her as she crept up the stairs and through the door, finding herself now in a labyrinth of sorts. Obviously, it had been rigged with numerous puzzles involving spheres, and someone had been through just before her. She walked through it, looking around in awe. What kind of place was this? Never before had she seen or heard of anything like this.

Voices drifted through the corridors, along with the sounds of footsteps on stone. Danielle hid in a dark alcove, hiding before someone saw her. She peered around the wall, watching as a group of people came out of the room.

There were two girls: one with brown hair and white and blue robes, and the other had black hair with a black dress-like robe. A large creature with dark blue fur came next, along with two men. The first man had orange hair and wore a yellow outfit with a blue headband. The other had blondish hair and wore a brighter yellow outfit than the first that covered more of his body. They were talking about something called an “aeon”, and the girl with brown hair seemed slightly distracted. She fell behind a bit, then stopped for a second and looked around behind her. Danielle sidled back against the wall, shutting her eyes and hoping she hadn’t been spotted.

“What’s the matter, Yuna?” one of the men asked.

“It’s… Nothing. I just thought someone was watching us,” a soft female voice replied. Danielle peered around the corner once more, hidden in shadows as she looked at the group once more. The brown-haired girl was still turned in her direction, and her eyes looked around the room. What surprised Danielle was that one eye was blue and the other was green. Sighing softly, she followed her companions towards the exit of the maze.

Way too close, Danielle thought to herself, stepping out from her hiding place. She looked into the room the group had just left, the power she had felt at the entrance to the temple increasing as she stepped towards a single stone door. It rose upward as she approached, revealing a smaller room beyond. Danielle walked inside, her gaze attracted to a dome of glass on the floor. It covered the statue of a massive winged beast. She stared in awe, not noticing the ghostly figure that had appeared above it until it spoke her name. Danielle looked up, startled. “Who… Who are you?”

“I am the fayth of this temple. I reside in this statue, awaiting summoners so that I may lend them my aid and allow them to use the winged aeon, Valefor. You, Roivas, are one of those summoners.”

Danielle shook her head. “No way! I have no idea where I even am, and you want me to be a ‘summoner’? I don’t even know what that is!”

The fayth’s continued to speak, its expression never changing. “All will be revealed in time. Spira needs you, warrior of the light. It is in your blood to fight the darkness. Now, let your sleeping powers awaken. Valefor shall aid you.” The spirit flew into Danielle before she could reply, and she collapsed to her hands and knees. Gasping, her eyes widened at the strange power she now felt inside.

“A summoner…? What does it mean…?” She slowly controlled her breathing and staggered to her feet, staring down at her gloved hands. She was trapped in a strange world, along, and told that she was needed in the fight against darkness. What was next?

Shaking her head, Danielle started towards the exit, stumbling a bit from the exhaustion she now felt after the fayth had entered her. She knew nothing about this world, and if she was going to find out any info, she would have to come up with a plan. No one would believe her story, so she had to think of something else. “Man, this can’t be good at all,” she whispered, creeping out of the empty temple.

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A group of people were gathered outside around a circle of dirt. The same five people she had seen before were there, and the brown-haired girl one of the guys had called Yuna was in the middle. Danielle walked down the steps, entering the crowd to get a better look. “I wonder who that girl is?” she whispered to herself.

“She is Yuna, daughter of High Summoner Braska,” a lady beside her answered. Startles, Danielle looked at the lady, realizing it was one of Yuna’s companions. She hadn’t expected anyone to be able to hear her over the excited whispers of the people around them. “I’ve never seen you on Besaid Island before. What’s your name?”

“Danielle. And yeah, I’m not from here.” Danielle thought for a second before continuing on. “Not really sure how I got here, or where I’m from.”

Way to go, she thought to herself. Act like you have no memory. Real smooth, idiot.

“I see… I am Lulu, one of Lady Yuna’s guardians.” She fell silent as Yuna began to perform some sort of ritual. A green symbol appeared on the ground, and four spheres of light shot into the clouds overhead. A giant bird-like creature then shot down, landing on the ground in front of Yuna. She gently strokes its face, and Lulu smiled gently. The smile fell away as she looked back at Danielle. “So, you have no memory of the past, correct?” Danielle nodded. “What all of Spira do you remember? Anything?”

Danielle shook her head. “Only my name, and that’s all.”

Lulu frowned slightly. “We will be traveling to Luca after we visit the temple in Kilika. Perhaps someone there may recognize you. I know the chances are slim, but it is worth the try…” She nodded over to the blond-haired man. “Tidus is another person like you. He doesn’t remember where he’s from due to Sin’s toxin. Wakka told me he said he played for the Zanarkand Abes at first, but that’s impossible. The city is a ruin. No one plays blitzball there anymore.”

Danielle raised an eyebrow, confused. Zanarkand? What the heck was that? “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lulu sighed, shaking her head. “I’ll explain it to you. We’ll stay here in Besaid for the night before setting out for Kilika. You may want to get to know the others, even if we won’t be traveling together for long.”

Danielle nodded. “It sounds good to me.” She watched as the crowds dispersed, wondering, not for the first time, what the heck she had gotten herself into.

Stormsworder
Feb 26, 2006, 10:30 AM
Chapter 2: Departure

Danielle stared into the campfire, going over all of what Lulu had explained to her in her mind. This world was known as Spira, and for a thousand years, it had suffered from the wrath of a great monster known as Sin. Summoners would travel to various temples in Spira to receive the aeons so that they could prove themselves worthy of the great Final Aeon to defeat Sin. But what good would it do if Sin kept being reborn? Why hadn’t anyone thought of trying to find a way of stopping it permanently instead of just for a few years? She didn’t voice her thoughts to Lulu, sure that she wouldn’t really appreciate it.

It seemed as if Lulu read Danielle’s thoughts, because she quietly added, “As long as people can live in peace, even for a little while, a summoner will fulfill his or her duties. That’s how it’s always been. That is the summoner’s creed.”

Danielle lowered her head slightly, then looked back up at the fire. “It sounds like a pretty big job for one person, even if they do have guardians with them,” she whispered. “How could a person handle such a great burden like that?”

Lulu looked past her to their right where Yuna sat with the village elder and a few others. “She knows what she has to do, so she just does her best to handle it. Her father, High Summoner Braska, was the one who banished Sin last time. She’s following in his footsteps.”

Danielle sighed, still staring at the fire and thinking of her own life, of her own parents. She never knew her real mother and father, and her adoptive parents were gone too. All she had left was her sister, who she wasn’t even sure she would be able to see again. Her life was far from being normal, just as Yuna’s was. But Yuna had so much more resting on her shoulders than Danielle.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t see Yuna as she came to sit down beside her. Lulu rose and walked away, letting them converse without anyone listening in. Danielle blinked a few times, watching Lulu leave before looking at the summoner. “Um, hi,” she said a bit nervously.

Yuna giggled slightly. “So, you’re Danielle? I heard a bit about you from Lulu, but not much. She told me how you couldn’t really remember anything about your past and how you were coming with us to Luca.”

Danielle rubbed the back of her neck slightly. “Ah, yeah, I am.” She noticed Yuna staring at the sword on her back, and Danielle pulled off the scabbard. “Want to look at it?” she asked, wondering why it had caught Yuna’s eye.

When the summoner nodded, she handed it over to her. Yuna examined the hilt, particularly the emerald that was in the middle of it. That was when Danielle frowned. An emerald? She could have sworn that when she had first found it, it was just a plain clear crystal. “That’s weird… There’s something familiar about this sword, but I know I’ve never seen it before.”

Danielle rubbed her chin, confused. She herself had sensed a power in it when she first located it in the Guardian City. How could Yuna also sense that power? It didn’t make any sense! “I found it not too long ago. It’s pretty strange. I’ve never seen the design on the blade before. It looks like a rune or something.” Yuna pulled it out, gasping as she stared down at the engraving in the metal. “This… is the emblem of Yevon!” Yuna looked up at her. “But how could you find this?”

Danielle shrugged. “Beats me. I have no idea where it came from. It was broken on the sand when I woke up on the beach earlier.”

Yuna put the sword back in its sheath and handed it to Danielle. “Strange… Perhaps someone in Luca can repair it for you. I suggest bringing it with you until you find someone with Yevon who knows what it is.” Danielle strapped the scabbard onto her back, and Yuna sighed softly. “It’s so strange… Tidus shows up, and then you, both having similar stories of not knowing how you got here… But regardless, I’m happy to have both of you traveling with me, even for a little while.”

Danielle smiled gently. “Yeah. I’m actually looking forward to this.” She stared up at the stars, surprised at how different the constellations were from what she would always see in the Rhode Island night sky. “An adventure. Heh…”

Yuna also gazed up at the sky, smiling. “You’re right.” She looked back at Danielle. “It was you who was in the temple, wasn’t it?” she whispered, making Danielle’s eyes widen in surprise. “I saw someone in there, watching us. I thought I was seeing things at first, but now I know I wasn’t. You were in there, too.”

Danielle glanced around quickly, hoping that no one overheard, and leaned in to whisper to Yuna. “But… how did you know? How could you tell it was me?”

Yuna shrugged her shoulders. “I’m… not sure. I could tell someone was there watching us, because there was a strange power I felt from that alcove. And then when I saw you outside with the crowd, I felt it again. I wasn’t too sure then, but now… Now I’m positive.”

Danielle hung her head a bit, rubbing the back of it. “Well, you’re right. It was me in there…”

“What were you doing, though?” Yuna asked curiously.

Danielle stared into her different colored eyes, torn between telling her the truth or just lying. She chose the second option. “Well, I was just curious as to what was inside. I snuck in to take a look around. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let my curiosity get the best of me.”

Yuna was silent for a second or to before answering. “It’s okay. The same happened to Tidus. Except that he was worried about me and went in to see if I was okay.” She smiled a bit. “Well, we should get some rest now. We have to leave first thing in the morning. I’m sure there’s an empty bed in the inn for you.”

Danielle got to her feet, stretching out a bit and nodding as Yuna rose also. “Okay. Well, nice getting to know you. See you in the morning.”

Yuna bowed slightly. “Good night, Danielle.”

Danielle watched Yuna walk away before turning towards the inn, once more sinking into her own thoughts and memories.

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Blades flashed in the darkness. Sparks flew as metal clashed with metal. Two warriors fought, their skills equal to each others’. A young girl and a man dressed in strange clothes fought in the heart of a dark city that no one had lived in for millennia. The man suddenly made a vicious assault, but the girl blocked each one until her blade shattered from the power of the man’s attacks. She fell to the ground as the man stood over her and raised his sword. “Now, you ‘Guardian of Light’, return from the darkness from whence you came!”

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Danielle bolted upright in bed, glancing around quickly. The inn was empty. Danielle sighed and tried to shake off the lingering memories of the dream, wiping the trickles of cold sweat that were on her forehead. She rolled out of bed, wondering what time it was. If nobody was inside, it must mean they were ready to leave. Sighing, she grabbed her scabbard and heading out of the inn. The others were gathered at the entrance of the village. As she ran up, Tidus grinned at her. “And they said I slept in late.”

“Whatever…” she muttered, putting her hands behind her head. “So, we’re leaving now?”

Yuna nodded. “Yes. We have to head to the pier. It’s dangerous with all the fiends though.”

“We can take them! Just lemme at them!” Tidus shouted, raising his fist in the air.

Wakka shook his head. “You sure are confident, ya?”

Danielle chuckled under her breath and followed after them, staying back and watching as they fought against the monsters on the island. She learned a lot about the creatures, actually. Ones called Flans were resistant to physical attacks, while some could only be hit with projectiles or magic. They were passing through some old ruins when the blue-furred creature Danielle had seen yesterday jumped down and attacked Tidus. It wasn’t until Yuna stopped them did Danielle learn he was a Ronso named Kimahri. He had been with Yuna since she was a child, Lulu had explained. The Ronso were a powerful race that lived on Mt. Gagazet and served as its guardians. Danielle listened intently, surprised. This world was so amazing compared to what she always knew…

“We’re here,” Lulu said softly, snapping Danielle out of her thoughts. Villagers were gathered at the pier to see them off. As Yuna spoke with them one last time, Danielle boarded the ship with the others, crossing over to the starboard railing and leaning against it. She was excited, no doubt about it, but something didn’t seem right and she couldn’t get it out of her mind. What was it about the sea that made fear stir within her? What was lying in wait out there? As Yuna boarded and the ship set out, Danielle did her best to ignore the feeling deep inside. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? With a sigh, she closed her eyes. After a while, she noticed that the waves were growing intense. She opened her eyes once more and leaned over the railing, looking down.

The waves grew in intensity, and Danielle had to grip the rail tight so she wouldn’t fall. She couldn’t really see anything, her eyes blurry from the stinging water that was in them, but she heard the shout that soon followed. It was filled with fear, chilling her to the bone. “Sin!!” She was driven to her knees, suddenly feeling weak. Looking up, she stared at the massive fin that rose from the sea. There was something about it, something dark, that drained every last bit of strength and will from her body. Small objects were launched from it, and one headed straight for her. Strong arms grabbed her, pulling her backwards. She realized numbly that it was Kimahri.

Danielle couldn’t really tell what was going on. She just knew that she was pulled over near the bridge. Yuna looked back at her as she stepped towards the fin and the creatures that had come aboard the ship. “Danielle, we must fight Sin. Please, take cover!”

Danielle looked at her friend, feeling helpless. She couldn’t help them fight Sin in her state. “I… Okay. Be careful, Yuna…” As the summoner turned away, Danielle knew that they were in for a rough time. She had to do something…

Stormsworder
Mar 6, 2006, 09:30 PM
Chapter 3: Kiryu, Master of the Skies

Danielle watched the others fight against Sin’s monsters, but they were getting beaten by the monsters. When the group on the deck as defeated, more would take their place. “Yuna, summon Valefor!” Wakka shouted, throwing his ball at another of the monsters and killing it.

“I can’t! He’s too weak from fighting the garuda we encountered earlier!” she replied, casting a spell to heal Tidus. Wakka muttered darkly under his breath, taking out another creature just to have more come in.

Danielle grew worried. Yuna couldn’t keep casting those healing spells, and the creatures on the deck just kept on coming. They would shoot down from Sin’s fin, so if they hit that… But that would leave them wide open to the monsters. There had to be something she could do to help. But what? She didn’t have a weapon, and she wasn’t exactly a magic user like Lulu and Yuna. So what could she do? The anger and helplessness built up inside, and it was all she could do to stop herself from just shouting and hitting something. That was when she heard a voice from all around her, whispering softly.

Summon him. Call the aeon of the skies.

Her eyes went wide as an ancient power flowed through her body. It was the same power she had felt within the temple, but much stronger. Warmth spread all through her, and Danielle closed her eyes, knowing what she had to do. As the green symbol that represented Besaid appeared, spheres of light shot out from the ground into the sky. Danielle tilted her head to look up, watching in awe as a winged beast, the aeon Valefor, flew down towards the ship. He hovered beside her, and while she was looking up at his face, she could feel the stares of the people around her. A name came to mind, and she whispered it softly.

“Kiryu.” The aeon nodded its head slightly and flew up in front of Yuna’s group. It sent a sonic blast at the massive fin that rose out of the water and flew over one of the monsters on the deck’s attacks.

“Pull back!” Danielle heard Yuna say. “Valefor can dodge the Sinscales’ attacks. You don’t need to fight anymore.”

Danielle thought hard. Could Kiryu really do this fight on his own? She had to have faith that the aeon could win. The Valefor flew over the creatures called Sinscales and ripped at the fin’s flesh with his talons. This pattern of attacking and avoiding the Sinscales continued, but nothing seemed to be happening. Danielle started to get worried. A harpoon was stuck to Sin’s fin, so it was dragging them with it. They had to stop it soon before something happened. “Finish the fight! Use his Overdrive!” Yuna shouted.

Danielle looked over at her, confused. Overdrive? What the heck was that? But her aeon understood, and he nodded his head. Energy built up in his mouth, and a thing ray shout out across Sin’s fin. All along the line it cut, bursts of fire shot up, engulfing Sin’s flesh. Sin jerked away, tearing off the harpoon launcher that had been attached to it. Everything fell silent, and it seemed that everyone was safe. Everyone except Tidus. He was nowhere in sight. Wakka dove off the side of the ship into the water, apparently going after his friend.

Now everyone looked back at Danielle and Kiryu, who was now hovering beside her. Danielle’s mouth went dry, and she struggled to try and think of what to stay. Kiryu looked Danielle in the eye and let out a low crooning sound before he flew off. As he left, she suddenly felt fatigued and fell to her hands and knees. Summoning the aeon had sapped her strength, and her body wasn’t prepared to handle something like this.

Gentle hands helped her to stand, leading her over to lean against the bulkhead of the bridge. There was a strange warmth throughout her body, and her tiredness went away slightly. Shaking her head, she looked up to see Yuna with her rod in hand. On either side of her were Lulu and Kimahri. While the Ronso’s face betrayed none of his emotions, both Lulu and Yuna both looked uncertain and confused.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were a summoner…?” Yuna asked softly.

“I… I didn’t know… I didn’t know I could actually do it…” As Danielle stared down at the deck, feeling numb. “I thought the fayth was just saying stuff… Saying I was a summoner and I had to help Spira… I really didn’t think it was true…”

“The fayth? You saw the fayth of Besaid Temple?” Lulu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “We only knew of one summoner who was entering the temple, and that’s Yuna.”

Yuna looked thoughtful for a moment. “So when you were entering the temple, you saw the fayth, too…?

With a soft sight, Danielle stared up into the blue sky. “Yeah, I did…”

“But why didn’t you tell us?”

Danielle hesitated. “Because…” She struggled to think of the right words. “I wasn’t sure at all… I thought you would be mad because I hid it from you guys…”

Yuna stared intently at her, looking hurt. “Maybe we would have, but not as much as us finding it out this way. You can trust us, Danielle.”

Signing heavily, Danielle turned away, walking slowly towards the cabin. Yeah, maybe Yuna was right… But she had probably lost her friends’ trust now. It wouldn’t surprise her. How could you trust a person who didn’t even trust herself?

“Danielle…” As Yuna said her name, she hung her head low, descending down the steps into the cabin. She couldn’t face them now…Not after what happened. They would be in Kilika soon. When they arrived, Danielle would quietly leave them, never troubling them again.

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Kilika was a sad sight to behold. Sin had wreaked havoc on the small port. Homes were destroyed, bridges and walkways damaged… Danielle stared at it all with a heavy heart. Regardless of their attempts to stop Sin, he still came to Kilika and destroyed nearly everything. Both Wakka and Tidus had been forced to fight off a creature known as a Sinspawn underwater, so they had been delayed from arriving for a good while. But even if that didn’t happen, would they still have been able to make a difference?

An elder came over to their group, speaking to Yuna about some sort of “sending”. She agreed to perform it, and he lead her away. Danielle stayed back as they walked away before turning down another path. No one noticed, at least that’s what she hoped.

Silently, she walked over to some woods, looking around. There was a cliff edge nearby, and from there, she could see Yuna and the others in the distance. She lay down on the grass, arms folded under her chin, and watched with curiosity. Yuna walked out into the water, and as Danielle squinted to see better, she realized that Yuna was walking on the water.

“The heck…?” she muttered in surprise. “How’s she doing that…?” Danielle watched with amazement as Yuna began to perform some sort of dance. Little spheres of light that looked like fireflies began to fly up from the caskets that the people of Kilika released, drifting around the area as Yuna continued to dance. Danielle felt a sorrow deep within. All of these people, dead… And Sin would continue killing, never stopping until a summoner defeated him… She felt more determined than ever to help stop him. Even if no one trusted her, she would still fight. She couldn’t just let this continue happening.

Danielle continued to watch silently, frowning a bit. She heard something, voices, all around her. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore them. It was like that day a few weeks back, when she had discovered the truth about her past and her role in the battle with the Ancients. But that was just a side-effect of seeing the monsters. Defeating them had made it go away. Now though… It was something different.

Instead of fighting the voices and just making them work, she allowed them to speak, listening intently for some sort of information, something she could use to find out why she was hearing them. Yeah, it was a long shot, but it was worth a try. What she heard surprised her. It was people, bringing their angry requests to her. They were mad at Sin for taking their lives. They wanted revenge. They wanted her to kill the beast. Their combined anger was so overwhelming that Danielle felt dizzy and sick. It took all her will not to lose her lunch as she tried to shut out the voices once more. Then they stopped, just like that.

Taking deep breaths, Danielle slowly stood up, shaking. Now she was really scared. Never had anything like that happened. And to make matters worse, she heard the familiar moan of a zombie. Blood running cold, she turned around, facing the mummified beast that had appeared before her. The smell of rotting flesh washed over her, making her gag, but she slowly backed away, tried to calm down enough to size up the situation.

She knew what one of Xel’lotath’s servants could do. It was dangerous to fight hand to hand, but she couldn’t just leave it here to go into Kilika and terrorize the people. With her back to the cliff edge, she dashed forward to get past the creature. Its rotting nails found her arm, cutting a large gash up her forearm. Feeling lightheaded, she brought up her leg and kicked the creature in the back, sending it forward towards the cliff. It was almost off the edge. Seeing her chance, Danielle drove her elbow deep into its back, sending it plummeting into the water.

Danielle fell backwards to a sitting position on the ground, catching her breath. “Why was a Xel’lotath zombie here? There’s no possible way she could have called that thing. None of the Ancients could!” She rubbed her eyes, shaking once more. She could feel the blood trickling down her arm, could feel the stinging pain of her injury, but she didn’t pay attention to it. Everything was happening too fast again. She had to slow down, try and put together the pieces.

The Ancients had influence in this world, too. One was dead, another was bound beyond the Veil of Reality, and the last was bound within the soul of a living human. There was no possible way that they should be able to summon their minions to this world, yet she had just encountered one. Was something happening that the remaining two were gaining power once more? “No way to know,” she whispered. “No way can I risk using magick, and there’s no way to contact Alex or even the spirits of the Chosen. I’m all alone on this one.”

Danielle let out a frustrated sigh. First it was this whole deal with being a summoner, then she had to deal with her only friends here not trusting her anymore, and now the Ancients were back! She was really getting sick and tired of this. She sat there, hands clasped together, her head hanging down and resting on them. Confused thoughts swirled around in her head, but she made no effort to sort through them. She just wanted to slow down, to rest, to not have to put up with this burden…

She had no idea how long she had been there, eyes closed. But when she finally opened them, the first things she saw were the two thin lines that marked the scars on both of her wrists. Everything else slipped out of her mind as she looked at them, recalling that dark day when she had just wanted it all to end. And she had tried to make it stop herself…

“Danielle?” She didn’t look up, but she recognized the voice of Yuna. A tear slid down her face as the memories came back. Alex, screaming her name, the pain that was followed by numbness throughout her whole body…

Yuna laid her hand on Danielle’s shoulder, and as she knelt beside her, the grief and sorrow Danielle had held inside came rushing out, and she began to cry.

Stormsworder
Mar 24, 2006, 09:01 PM
((I get spontanious story ideas, but I just don't have the time to work on them a lot http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime2.gif ))

Chapter 4: Dark Secrets

Yuna looked over at Danielle, speaking softly. “What’s wrong? And what happened to your arm…?”

Danielle looked up, noticing Kimahri standing nearby with his arms folded. While the Ronso was silent, he also seemed worried. She was overcome by a fresh wave of sadness. Even though she had lied to them, they still cared for her. She didn’t deserve it. “I was… attacked,” she whispered. “I just came up here to spend some time alone, and some monster came at me.”

“But why are you crying?”

Danielle looked down at her wrists, the scar tissue a painful reminder of what she had done. Yuna’s fingers gently traced the line on her left wrist, a concerned expression on her face. “What happened, Danielle?” she asked quietly.

Danielle’s voice was heavy with sadness. “I… tried to make everything stop… the pain, the sorrow… the Darkness… I was stupid…” She looked up at her friend. “If I told you that I’m not from here, from Spira… What would you think?”

Yuna looked confused by Danielle’s sudden change in topic. “I don’t understand… Are you saying you’re from Zanarkand like Tidus?”

Danielle shook her head, frustrated. “No. I mean a whole different world completely, one nothing like Spira. That’s why I don’t know anything about this place, why I had no idea what Sin or Yevon or pretty much everything was at first.”

Yuna seemed to think about this. “It does make sense, but… How did you get here?”

Danielle closed her eyes, her voice taking on a quiet tone. “Beneath my grandfather’s mansion are the ruins of an ancient city… I felt a dark power from within it the other day, so I checked it out. I was attacked by a powerful man who used some sort of dark magic more powerful than anything I had ever seen. He defeated me and said something about my sins devouring me. That was when I blacked out and woke up later on Besaid.” She let out a heavy sigh as she opened her eyes and stared out towards the setting sun. “I just want to go home, but I don’t know if I can or how to get back.”

Shaking her head, Yuna spoke with a heavy tone. “I wish you hadn’t hidden this from me in the first place… But I promise I’ll help you find a way home, okay?”

Danielle looked up at her, surprised. “Really…?” Yuna nodded. “I… Thank you, Yuna. I’m in your debt.”

With a gently smile, she stood up and held a hand out to Danielle to help her to her feet. The smile on Yuna’s face fell away as she saw Danielle’s arm. With a wave of her staff, she used her Cure magic, but nothing happened. The summoner frowned, obviously concerned now as she examined the claw marks. “It’s not healing, but why?”

“Fiend may stop healing,” a deep but gently voice suggested. Danielle realized with a start that it was Kimahri who spoke. “Danielle rest, not fight. Wound heal in time.”

Yuna nodded. “Kimahri’s right. Don’t worry about fighting fiends. We’ll help you to Kilika Temple. After that, we’ll go to Luca. Maybe there you’ll find guardians to help.” She hesitated for a second. “Danielle, are you going to travel to Zanarkand to receive the Final Aeon?”

Danielle looked out at the ruined port of Kilika, thinking of all those who had been killed by Sin and who would die if it wasn’t stopped. “Yeah, I am.”

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Lulu carefully wound the bandage around Danielle’s arm, and Danielle did her best not to cringe. It wasn’t the pain that made her want to flinch, but Wakka. “That was a stupid thing to do, ya? That fiend coulda killed you!”

“Wakka, enough,” Lulu said sharply. “I’m sure she’s beat herself up enough. You don’t need to do the same.”

Wakka looked like he wanted to say something else, but he just dropped it. “Okay. Sorry, Danielle. I just don’t want you getting hurt, that’s all.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” Danielle replied with a grin that soon changed into a grimace as Lulu tightly bandaged a particularly deep area of her injury. Her friend was soon finished, and the spellcaster nodded to Yuna.

The summoner smiled at them. “Well, it’s time that we all got some rest. Good-night, everyone.” Yuna turned and walked to her room, closing the door behind her. Lulu rested a hand on Danielle’s shoulder. There was a solemn look on her face.

“Come. We shall share a room. There’s something I wish to discuss with you.” Danielle nodded and stood up from the chair she was sitting in, following after Lulu. She said good-night to Wakka and Tidus as they passed by and entered the room that she was going to share with Lulu. “Danielle, are you sure about this?” she asked, sitting down on her bed.

Danielle was slightly confused as she sat on her own bed. Yuna had told them about Danielle not being from Spira, and they had taken it rather well, actually. “Sure about what?”

“You know what happens when a summoner receives the Final Aeon in Zanarkand. If you do this, you will never be able to return to your world. Are you willing to give up your life to stop Sin?”

Danielle hesitated, really not sure of what to say. She hadn’t really given it any thought. Lulu had a point, though. “I… I want to help Spira. I can’t let Sin continue killing countless innocents. I know my sister’s waiting for me back home, but I have to do something here. I can’t just stand by and watch people die.”

Lulu nodded slowly. “I understand. Just give it some thought. If you change your mind, I won’t be disappointed with you. I just believe that you should consider this in advance.”

Danielle rubbed her eyes and laid down in her bed, aware that Lulu was still staring at her. She went over her friend’s words in her mind. Would she give up her life to save Spira, or would she just let some other summoner, possibly Yuna, die instead?

No… I’ve gotta help. But… can I really do this to Alex? We’ve both just lost our grandfather, and she very nearly lost me. With all that’s happened, it could push her over the edge…

Danielle gently held the necklace under her shirt, caressing the ring that had belonged to her grandfather, Edward. “What should I do…?” she whispered, closing her eyes.

“Follow your heart, Danielle,” Lulu said quietly.

“For it shall lead you through the darkness.”

As Danielle heard the soothing voice of her grandfather, the one who had called her from the darkness of her own heart that fateful night not long ago, she felt a calm inside of her. Slowly, she sank into sleep.

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Danielle’s arms shook as she pushed hard against her opponent’s blade with her own. He was incredibly strong, and she wasn’t able to hold off his blows. He kicked her hard in the chest, slamming her into a wall. In an instant, his hand was around her throat, crushing it tightly. As she struggled, she finally saw the face of the man who attacked her from under his hood. It was a familiar face, one that she never expected to see again.

“D-Dev…”

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Danielle jumped awake, suddenly drenched in water. She looked around quickly, spotting Lulu and a giggling Yuna. She rolled out of her now-soaking wet bed, wringing out her shirt. “What was that for!? Couldn’t you wake me up the normal way?”

There were faint traces of a smirk on Lulu’s face. “No.”

Yuna smiled at her. “You wouldn’t wake up, so Lulu decided to try using magic.”

Danielle shook her head, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “I still say you two didn’t have to drench me like that.”

“Sorry,” Yuna apologized, “but we’re about to leave for the temple. Also, Kimahri brought your sword to a blacksmith in town so that it could be repaired. They were more than happy to do a favor for a summoner.” She turned around, heading out the door. “Well, let’s head for Kilika Temple. We have to pass through the forest to reach it, and it’s full of fiends. We’ll deal with them for you, though.” Yuna left the room, and Danielle was about to follow when Lulu put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Tell me… That fiend that attacked you yesterday… What was it?” Danielle hesitated, glancing down at her bandaged arm. “A fiend that prevents healing is a dangerous foe, Danielle. I’ve never heard of such a thing in Spira. Did it come from your world?”

Danielle shook her head. “No… And I can’t risk telling you what it was, Lulu. But darkness is closing in on Spira, and that thing I fought is possibly just the new beginning of a long fight I thought was over…” Danielle looked back at Lulu as she walked out of the door, noticing her friend’s confused look. “We’re dealing with something older than Sin itself, and it’s something I have to handle on my own.”

Danielle walked out of the room, recalling the fight with the Xel’lotath zombie yesterday. What if more really did come? What if Horrors, Guardians, and Gatekeepers came? Spira wouldn’t stand a chance.

Her right hand throbbed painfully, and she clenched it into a fist, the fingerless gloves she wore hiding a painful scar on her hand. The Ancients… Her fight was not yet over. The war had continued.