To Zanarkand!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Characters: Jecht (dreamer), Chika (dragged-in)
Location: Slumberland, but not the Little Nemo one
Rating: PG
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed.
Summary: Jecht has a dream. It isn't a good one.



Zanarkand.

The ruined city of Zanarkand. An ancient city that never slept, its technology meaningless compared to its Summoners -- and its Summoners meaningless against the war machine of Bevelle.

A thousand years ago it had fallen. On a hill just outside the city, Jecht stood, arms crossed, facing the reality of a city that had been real to him. A dream, dreaming of a dream.

Comments

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

The two men and the woman ignored Chika -- or more accurately, failed to see her. She wasn't part of the memory that this dream was based off of.

The woman with alarmingly little clothing spoke to the man in robes.

""Welcome to Zanarkand. I congratulate you, summoner. You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow upon you that which you seek. The Final Summoning...will be yours. Now, choose. You must choose the one whom I will change...to become the fayth for the Final Summoning. There must be a bond, between chosen and summoner, for that is what the Final Aeon embodies: the bond between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends. If that bond is strong enough, its light will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago, I chose my husband Zaon as my fayth. Our bond was true, and I obtained the Final Aeon. There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of worry and pain. For once you call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final liberation."

[scatterflower]

Chika's eyes widened as she heard that, her hands balling up into fists. "Why do they even need to do that!? You're asking people to turn themselves into something else and then to die! What's wrong with you?"

There was another thing that came to her mind though. "And if you're one of those who did this, then how are you still here!?"

Of course, she had no idea what Sin was, or why it would need to be conquered several times; just that apparently once wasn't enough.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"S'the only way to stop Sin, even for a little while," Jecht grunted. "Two people's sacrifice to buy a whole world a few years' peace? You really think that's a bad deal?"

[scatterflower]

Chika sighed, turning back over to the guy who actually was, you know, paying attention to her. "Well, considering I still don't even know what Sin is, then yeah, it kinda is. Especially if it doesn't do anything but just get rid of it for a few years!"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Jecht didn't look at her, just folded his arms and stared fixedly at no one.

"Sin's a monster," he finally said. "A big one. Makes Garden look small next to it. It attacks everywhere... killing, unleashing its spawn. Ya can't stop it. Outside of the Final Aeon, ya can't kill it."

[scatterflower]

"... Didn't you JUST say that it only lasts for a few years?" Chika asked, sounding a bit annoyed. "Even if you guys do decide to do this, why isn't anyone else trying to think of a way to kill the thing for good!?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

The woman laughed, darkly. "Fool. There is no other way. Even if there was... Even if you did destroy Sin... Yu Yevon the immortal would only create Sin anew."

[scatterflower]

Chika blinked, looking over at that woman. "And how does he manage to do that? If you know how he does it, you should be able to figure out a way to stop it!"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Yu Yevon the immortal is the heart of Sin," the woman said. "Defeat Sin and he will only summon it anew."

[scatterflower]

"And this Final Aeon thing helps... how?" Chika asked, clenching her fist a bit. God, this woman was really starting to annoy her with her... constant non-answers.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

This time, Jecht answered. "It's the only thing strong enough to beat Sin. Even other Aeons can't do it."

[scatterflower]

Chika frowned. "And why isn't anyone working on making something else that could do the same thing without having to kill the two people who use it?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Hmph," the samurai said. "Like?"

Jecht added, "Ain't nothin' big enough."

[scatterflower]

Chika frowned, thinking about that for a moment. It was hard to really think of anything when she had no idea what this Sin thing even looked like, so she couldn't even say anything else as a suggestion. At least, until Jecht added what he said. "How... how big is it?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Bigger'n Garden by far," Jecht said. "Its spawn are the size of a person, and it just tosses 'em down like a shedding cat."

[scatterflower]

Chika blinked. That... sounded pretty disgusting. "Is this thing bigger than a large city?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

The samurai let out a 'hmph' with a vague tinge of humor. "Not quite that big."

[scatterflower]

She nodded. "And... has anyone tried to fire bombs at it or something?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Machina are forbidden devices," the man in robes said.

The scantily-clad woman smirked coldly. "Even if you smashed it, Yu Yevon would simply rebuild it. Sin is eternal."

[scatterflower]

Chika frowned. "Forbidden? Why?"

She turned to glare at the woman. "Yeah, but your option isn't taking care of the problem. It's just doing the exact same thing!"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"The teachings," the robed man said. "Overuse of machina is what cursed Spira with Sin's presence to begin with."

Jecht snorted, but said nothing.

"Sin is eternal," the woman said. "It cannot be defeated forever. Only a few years of peace bought! Is the price of one summoner's life not worth the dozens, the hundreds, that would die otherwise?"

[scatterflower]

"... That makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever," Chika said. "How exactly does using machine's make a giant city destroying monster?"

She turned back to the woman. "And nothing is immortal. There needs to be some way to kill it for good somehow. But no one's even looking!"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Even if it were destroyed some other way," she said coldly, "Yu Yevon the Immortal would simply recreate it."

[scatterflower]

"... Which isn't any different than what you're doing now," Chika said. "Only your not forcing someone to choose to kill someone else and then themselves."

She frowned. "And why does this Yu Yevon person do that anyway?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Yer not gettin' it," Jecht said. "There ain't another way. Summoning's the only thing strong enough to beat it."

As for the question of why... did anyone have an answer to that? Possibly the immodest woman, but if so, she didn't volunteer it.