The Via Infinito, cold and unforgiving, I watched as my sister tried to use the light within her to free Mishka and put everything right again. To make sure that Paine’s and the twins deaths weren’t for nothing.
“Emi, your light!” I shouted towards my little sister. I could see that in her tiny frame something was going wrong. The light from the Farplane was distorting, the light she had absorbed was turning purple and jagged.
“Nikki, get your sister out of there!” Stated Val the brown haired pistol wielder.
“What are you seeing, Val?”
“I don't know. The Farplane's light should have kept Via Infinito back, but it isn't!”
“No, this is what I expected. It is struggling with me, struggling with the Farplane. And it will lose!” Emika explained, I had to believe in my little sister. She would win and then she would find peace in the Farplane.
“What if we destroy that thing in the middle? Will that help?” Asked Rikku, but as soon as she asked the whole cloister became dark, and I had a terrible feeling. “Emika!”
“Something's wrong with the Farplane's light! It's being subdued by Via Infinito!” Val’s green eyes showed he was afraid, they all were.
“How is that even possible?” Gideon gasped. I couldn’t even see what he was thinking he was clad in so much armour
“We've played the fools.” Joseph suggested, the blue cloaked warrior.
“This... This isn't the Farplane's light.” Emika struggled to say, I felt awful I could see the 5 year old was in pain, “At least, not all of it. This is only me. This is only what belongs in the Farplane, but without any of its grace.”
“What?” questioned Rikku
“But you merged yourself together to draw out the pure Farplane!” I said in desperation how could this plan even fail?
“I'm sorry.” Was all she said before the light disappeared, I watched in terror, I tried running towards her but some sort of force was stopping me, stopping all of us. Then Emi came out a fully grown woman but coated in magical armour, she had become a puppet of the Via Infinito, her expression motionless.
The sounds around me dulled as I saw the guado, Mishka scream out in pain as she brought towards Emi in a trance. I watched as she transformed into a monster, covered in spines and jagged hooks. The Slayer.
The scene changed then to Cyan’s lifeless form her body hanging limp, having been pierced by one of the hooks.
“Please... you must end it. Kill me.” Looking up I saw that Mishka had spoken, the voice was unrecognizable, it hissed and was raspy. But it was her, it was Mishka, she had stopped fighting and had gained control back.
“If this doesn’t end, then those illusions might come true, if we die here, those kids…” I looked at Mishka, and looked at the monster she had become, there was no saving her now, there was no going back. My responsibility now was the rest of her team and the safety of Bevelle.
I raised my bow I was determined Mishka would not die a monster she would die as her, a sense of self, at least I could give her that.
“Nikki! What are you doing?!” exclaimed Joseph.
“Mercy.” Was all I said with tears in my eyes I fired a single arrow that went through Mishka’s chest and straight through her heart. Something I believed I was able to do easily because Mishka had lowered the monsters defenses.
The scene changed again, everyone was dead because of me, I had failed I had let everyone down.
“I just want to go home.” Cried my sister Emi. The pryeflies came together around her, bathing her in a light. I found myself in a void with her, where time had stood still, “But I know I can’t.” A single tear fell down Emi’s face as she gently smiled at me. “Please! Save my sister.”
I was struck in the stomach right through. I felt myself being thrown, With little strength I moved my head to find Joseph holding his wound coughing. I was back in the Via Infinito and I was dying.
“Keep… Fighting… And-“ but that was all I heard from him before he lay still. My own strength fading fast I accepted my fate. Tears rolling down I had failed to protect. Flashes of faces came at me of all the people I cared about.
“No Sissy!!!”
I woke up, sitting straight up in bed. I was sweating and panting. I had that nightmare again of my final moments in the Via Infinito I had failed, and then somehow I had got here, a wasteland. I was currently staying in an abandoned house, it was falling apart but at least it was safe for now at least, I couldn’t stay in one place for too long. In order to survive I needed to keep moving.
I got out of bed knowing that I wouldn’t get anymore sleep I headed outside. The chocobo greeted me, she nudged her head against my shoulder with a soft “Kweh”. I gave her a scratch under her head and then headed on and explored the town that we had found ourselves in.
This place suited me, and was a suitable punishment for my failures, this wasteland matched perfectly with my emotions, dead, numb, lifeless. I couldn’t ponder too long on this though since I could easily fall further, easily drown myself into my thoughts about killing myself. “That wouldn’t do I still had to get back.” It was the only thought that kept me sane these days.
I reached a big worn down building, the roof was only half there, the bricks dotted around it, the door surprisingly was locked though. Looked like though I could force my way in. So I kicked the door and managed to get in.
It looked like I had stumbled upon a library. “Finally some good news,” I immediately began looking round, seeing if I could find anything on Spira or Time Compression.
After a while I hadn’t gotten far, there was nothing on Spira but I found a book that described the process of Time Compression, knowing that it could possibly be useful I took it with me. I went over to the chocobo outside and put it in the bag that i was carrying.
I then scoped out the other buildings trying to find anything edible that was in a tin, I found a few tins and a few bottle of water, and then I went on my way.
It didn’t matter how far I would ride on the chocobo, The Slayer was always in the distance, always reminding me of my past never leaving me alone. She never approached me, she was just a huge monster always on the horizon. It didn't really make sense though because I pierced her with my own arrow, maybe it was another punishment.
Exhausted and tired I decided to make camp, summoning Shiva constantly throughout the day had been tiring, the price for survival. I allowed myself to rest my eyes as I laid my head on my bag, knowing that the chocobo would alert me if any fiends came near.
“Is she not with you?” a voice asked before I could fall asleep. I opened my eyes to see a man standing over me.
I sat up narrowing my eyes. “What do you want?”
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