Dark Summoner

When they reached the forests of Macalania, the sights around them quickly enchanted Tidus. The great silver trees that had made the wood in O'aka’s staff towered above them and the air glowed with stray pyreflies that flitted through the branches. Off in the distance the travelers could hear music, played by some unseen musician deep within the woods. In a way it seemed kind of sad to Harry’s ears as they ventured toward the nearest rest area. The trip across the Thunder Plains had taken its toll on their group and all they wanted to do was fall over and not move again for a very long time. However… for once, fate offered them a welcomed distraction.

“Why hello there!” Rikku who had let her legs collapse under her, whipped her head around to see a familiar pudgy Crusader coming along the path with a large yellow bird in tow.

“Clasko!” She chirped, forgetting her tiredness and pushing herself back to her feet. Just after she said this Lucil and Elma strode up to them.

“We’re glad to see you well.” Captain Lucil offered. “But you do look worse for wear.”

“We had an encounter with the Lady Summoner Yuna.” Auron said from the back of the group. “I doubt she looks well either.” Lucil looked a little taken aback but shook it off easily.

“Well, we were stationed in these woods to guard the roads to Bevelle.” Elma explained from where she stood on the Captain’s left. “There’s been a lot of unease in the area lately, what with the Guado telling everyone about the impending wedding.” O'aka smiled, still kind of wired about that… Auron just snorted. Harry looked back at the older man as he explained.

“My guess is that Yuna is marrying him in hopes of negotiating with Seymour.” He said sitting down on a fallen tree limb that looked as though it had been placed there and setting his huge blade to one side.

“Negotiate what then?” Gatta asked what everyone was thinking. Auron just shrugged, leaving the question hanging for anyone to draw their own conclusions. Harry took a seat nearby and began to concentrate before a pile of brown squares appeared in a bowl on his lap. Tidus caught a whiff of them and his grin nearly split his face in half.

“Alright! Chocolate!” He cheered as Harry popped one in his mouth and held the conjured candy out to him. Everyone but Auron was looking at them like they where mad as Tidus sat down and started scarfing the food.

“What is that?” Rikku asked, staring at the confectionery with apprehension… well not at the food exactly, just at the way Tidus was stuffing it in his face. The blonde stopped riffling for another piece when he heard the question and looked up, cheeks puffed up like a gerbil at feeding time, causing Harry to burst out laughing.

“How could you not know what this is!?” He asked in childish outrage. Auron snickered.

“Before Sin it was produced in Zanarkand.” The monk explained to the blonde’s growing horror. “When Sin attacked the means to make it was lost and there hasn’t been mention of it for nearly a thousand years.” Tidus looked at Harry who was internally warring with himself over whether or not to frown at the idea of no real chocolate or burst out laughing at the look on his guardian’s face. The latter won out and the Summoner fell off the back of the log so that his kicking feet where the only thing visible as he nearly laughed himself sick. Tidus went to help him but everything deteriorated when Auron made a grab for the Chocolate and Tidus went on the defensive. Add the fact that the Chocobo liked what it smelled and they weren’t going anywhere for a while. The tension that had been building among their separate groups vanished and for a while they could forget everything that seemed wrong with the world. But eventually they realized they needed to get on with what they’d been doing before and now they where ready to part ways once more. Clasko moved off to one side, dragging the now sleepy Chocobo with him so it wouldn’t get in the way of any travelers.

“I hope we’ll see each other again.” The young man with a chocolate smear on his chin said sincerely. “And maybe you can teach me how to make that stuff!” Some of the guardians laughed at the eager look on his face.

“I’m sure we will.” Gatta said laughing as everyone got to their feet. The chocobo knights saluted them and Harry bowed in return before they walked deeper into the woods.

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After an hour of walking the forest paths the party was quickly becoming fed up with their surroundings. Chimera and elemental fiends infested the woods and not far back Harry had summoned Godric. The great Aeon now walked the path behind them bearing Harry, Rikku and Gatta in between fights. He couldn’t fly in the close quarters provided by the towering trees around them but he made quick work of any fiend that stumbled into their path. The griffin had a rather nasty habit of spitting fireballs that made quick work of white elementals and where he couldn’t kill anything, Tidus and O'aka took up the slack.

Their resident black mage was improving greatly. Second level elemental spells had been added to his arsenal during the leg of the journey spent on Leviathan. O'aka had no trouble with the first level spells and fortunately, for Gatta’s sake, he’d mastered the forms of levitation that where part of the base for learning gravity magic.

The edge of the woods was in sight half an hour later when Auron called their party to a stop.

“Wait.” He said as he surveyed the area around them. “It is here… somewhere.”

“What’s here?” Tidus asked, pretty much speaking for everyone else as Harry dismissed Godric in the background and joined them.

“Something you should see.” The stoic man intoned as he hefted his blade and brought it down on the trunk of a large tree that had fallen on what had once been a fork in the path. Harry, Tidus, O'aka, Rikku and Gatta all instinctively raised an arm to protect their faces as a large chunk of the tree was blasted away in a shower of wood and crystal. It took only one more blow for a considerable gap to be opened, large enough for them to walk through in single file. Auron walked through and everyone followed without a second thought. Soon the narrow path opened out into a clearing and the forest dropped away in favor of the glittering pools that lay beyond. Picking their way gingerly across the natural stepping stones made by the large floating tree roots Harry was struck with a thought.

‘This must be the Forest’s source of magic.’ He speculated as he felt around the tangible aura of peace radiated by the water below. ‘The trees have all grown under the influence of the magic in the water and now they are magical too…’ Somewhere along their connection Tidus acknowledged Harry’s thoughts as they approached a huge, glowing tree that grew in the very center of the largest pool. It had fewer leaves but the crystal growths where the biggest so far, all glittering in time to the distant music.

“This place…” Tidus breathed out, hyper aware of just how much magic lay around them. “It’s not just water is it.” It was more a statement than a question but Auron explained regardless.

“This is what spheres are made of.” Auron started in his normal monotone but for whatever reason that was fading in favor of some unknown emotion. “It absorbs and preserves people’s memories. Fiends are also attracted to these places…” He trailed off and drew back, muscles tense as he waited for the presence he felt to show itself. The others followed his cue, going on high alert and not a moment to soon. As if summoned by his earlier words a large amorphous fiend began to emerge from the enchanted water. It hovered in the air between the tree and their group where they got a good look at it. It appeared to have no real bodily structure holding it together as it floated in mid air, the watery goo that made up the majority of it’s mass flashed with barely visible colour as the air made it ripple. At it’s core was the only solid component of its physiology.

‘A nucleus.’ Harry thought a moment before O'aka noticed something and announced his suspicions loudly.

“Uh oh! I think that there thing is gonna do something!” He said, taking a step back on to a different perch. The action had probably saved his life as it suddenly hardened into a block and with surprising speed crashed down on the place where the ex-merchant had once stood. Surprised but not stunned the black mage lashed out without a thought, sending a second level lightning spell at it with seemingly no effect until a brighter flash of color swept over it. To anyone sensitive enough to feel the magic it was obvious that its entire structure had changed.

“Oh boy.” Rikku mumbled as she and Gatta dived out of the way of another lightning strike, this time from the floating blob. Auron took a stab at it once but his attack inflicted next to no damage as the sword passed right through the outer layers without even getting near the core. He fell back beyond O'aka quickly after that.

“All yours.” He nodded to the man and O'aka gave him a look that clearly screamed. ‘Why me and what the hell can I do about it?’ Harry and Tidus took pity on him and the Summoner started shouting directions as he powered up a small spell out his own.

“Hey! O'aka! It used a lightning spell so use a water spell against it!” The black mage snapped to attention and brought up his staff, casting the second level water spell. Much to the surprise of some the tactic actually worked. Harry flung his own spell before it flashed again and the base components changed. Taking his turn at the thing Tidus dashed up beside it and took a swipe as he ran along the easiest path atop the roots. Circling around he narrowly avoided a flame spell cast in his direction.

“O'aka! Blizzard!” Harry called out and the said Guardian did as he was told finally catching on to what was happening. The blob changed again and Gatta attacked it this time, yelping as he was hit on his right side with an ice spell. O'aka didn’t need a prompt as he powered up his fire spell as far as it would go, playing on the elemental weakness he finally cast and the blob exploded into flames. The outer layers evaporated and the core shriveled, bursting into pyre flies. The silence from before fell over the pools as Auron knelt down where the Fiend had emerged from and reached into the water. There was a faint sloshing noise as he pulled back and got to his feet before turning and handing Tidus the object he’d retrieved from within the pool.

It was an old sphere.

The sphere glowed a faint silver in the dim light of the forest and the metal apparatus it had been mounted in had been worn away slightly by time. Harry recognized the thought strand; having compared it to those he’d seen in Dumbledore’s pensieve back at Hogwarts. Judging by the size, there was more than one memory in there.

“Woah! This is kinda old.” Rikku said as she examined it. “The switch is rusted so it might not be able to play.” She grabbed it quickly and before anyone could protest pulled a small tin with a funnel out of the bag attached to her thigh. Two seconds later she’d oiled the hinges and handed it back to him. “There! It should work better now.” Tidus took it and held it there for a moment, hesitating. Auron noticed this right away.

“Jecth left it here ten years ago.” He said softly and everyone looked at him. “Play it back.” Some how Tidus didn’t really want to but the looks Rikku, Gatta and O'aka were giving him said to get on with it. With a sigh he set it on the sturdiest root and sat down nearby, dangling his legs in the surprisingly warm water while everyone else stood to watch.

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< Sphere Recording On >

“What are you taking?” A voice asked from the white void before the memory cleared into a scene. Two people stood on a grand walkway at nighttime, the walk way lit up all around them, casting artificial light over those who where walking away from a great city. The speaker had been a young man wearing red with black Armour and a large sword over one shoulder as he walked. It was a younger version of Auron. Beside him stood a man in purple and blue robes with a large red lined girdle around his midriff that had his staff tied to a ring hanging from it. Tidus recognized him from the temple in Besaid, Lord High Summoner Braska, Yuna’s father. Then the person filming the sphere spoke.

“Well, you said it was gonna be a long trip. We’ll be seeing a lot of neat things, right? So I though I’d record it all in this. To show my wife and kid, you know.”

Tidus couldn’t imagine it being anyone but Jecht.

“This is no pleasure cruise!” Auron snapped irritably and they came to a halt on the walkway. Jecht was obviously ignoring the indignant man as he switched his focus to Braska.

“Hey, Braska. Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where’re the cheering fans? The crying women?” Braska looked back at where Jecht was filming from.

“This is is. Too many goodbyes – people think twice about leaving.” Auron passed both of them and walked on ahead in a huff.

“Hmm…” Jecht mused. “If you say so. Well, it better be a lot more colorful when we come back. A parade for Braska! Vanquisher of Sin!” He was being a fool, causing Braska a soft laugh and smile sadly at the jest.

“We should go. Day will break soon.”

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A new recording started and this time they appeared to be in a land of ice and snow standing by one of Rin’s travel agencies. Braska wasn’t in this shot and they guessed he was filming as the sphere was pointed at a smirking Jecht and a disgruntled Auron. Jecht had spiky brown hair and brown eyes that looked out from a dark skinned and weathered face. He didn’t wear a shirt but he did have an armguard similar to the one Tidus wore. He had a pair of denim shorts belted on his hips and down one side was a flap of material that went nearly all the way to his sandaled feet. He didn’t even seem to feel the cold at all.

“Auron, could you stand closer to him?” Braska asked from out of the shot and Auron sighed before taking a step closer to Jecht and then turning his back on Braska and the sphere. It lifted slightly to take in the sign that stood above them.

“Good, that should do it.” Braska said and Jecht turned to Auron, leering.

“What’s the matter? Afraid I might bite?” He asked cockily.

“Jecht…” Auron nearly growled in exasperation. Reluctantly he turned and faced in the direction of the sphere.

“Braska!” Jecht called out turning back as well when he lost interest in teasing Auron. “You should take one, too. It’d make a great gift for little Yuna!” There was hesitation in Braska’s voice when he replied.

“I suppose.”

“Lord Braska.” Auron cut in abruptly. “We shouldn’t be wasting out time like this.”

“What’s the hurry man?” Jecht asked in his normal laid back way that was grating on the younger Auron’s nerves. He grunted in frustration and began to walk away.

“Let me tell you what the hurry is!” He said coldly. The sphere was knocked askew as Braska shouted out to Auron and turned off the sphere.

< Sphere Recording Off >

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Everyone looked at the scowling Tidus as he snapped off the Sphere.

“Why are we even watching this?” Tidus asked himself more than anyone else. “Dad was a Jerk, end of story.” No one could bring themselves to say anything. Finally Harry put a hand on his shoulder and spoke.

“There’s one more part left.” He said in a quiet voice and Tidus looked up to meet green eyes before he gave his own semi growl of frustration, not unlike the ones Auron had made in the Sphere recording and leaned over to turn it back on. Revealing the final part.

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< Sphere Recording On >

The view flickered and Jecht reappeared sitting cross legged and alone in the same place they stood now.

“Hey.” Jecht said almost gently as he smiled. “If you’re watching this… it means you’re stuck in Spira, like me. You might not know when you’ll get back home, but you better not be crying! Although, I guess I’d understand. But you know what? There’s a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You’ll be fine. Remember, you’re my son. And… well, uh… Never mind, I’m no good at these things.” He chickened out and got to his feet, walking out of view of the sphere as he went to pick it up. It faded to back and Tidus reached out to turn it off but it flickered back into life to show an empty picture of the glowing tree. A whisper came from close to the sphere but it was loud enough for those watching to hear. “Anyways… I believe in you. Be good… Goodbye.”

< Sphere Recording Ended >

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The sphere switched off on its own while everyone looked at Tidus again. The blonde wore a stony expression that gave away next to nothing about what he was really thinking.

‘He sounded almost serious… pity he had to say it to late.’ Harry gave Tidus a sad look before he turned to everyone else.

“We should get moving.” He said, breaking the glum mood. “The Guado said Seymour had already left for Macalania Temple and there’s a chance we might not be able to get to the Fayth there. Plus we need supplies if I remember correctly, we're running low.” Everyone scattered and moved back the way they’d come Rikku and Gatta chattering along as they walked. Tidus lingered behind them and looked back at the tree once more.

‘I guess I understand. My old man… He knew there was no way back home, back to Zanakand. He wanted to go home, but he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t go on until he accepted it. Besides, even if he had found a way back, I don’t think he would have left his friend behind before their journey was completed…’ He picked up the sphere and shoved it into his bag before he walked up behind Auron. ‘Me? I’ve never even really thought about it till now, there was just Harry.’ The other’s had moved back toward the path but Auron slowed and stopped looking back at the blonde.

“Jecht loved you.” He said simply in a tone that said he was going to drill that fact into his head no matter what. Tidus stared back before he rolled his eyes to the heavens and pushed past him.

“Oh, Come on, please!” He said in exasperation.

“He just didn’t know how to express it.” Tidus didn’t stop walking, everything he’d said and done today was sinking in with those words. Harry getting upset and summoning that Aeon, Seeing his father in a sphere after ten years of happily not knowing him and now Auron telling him that the annoying jerk really did love him was just one of those below the belt hits you really couldn’t ignore.

“Shut up about my Old Man already.” He said darkly as Auron finally followed. He wasn’t going to cry and if he ever did he wasn’t going to do it where someone could see him… No… the dragon would make sure he couldn’t even if he tried…

So why’d he want to cry so badly?

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Walking out of the shelter of Macalania Woods the cold hit some of them like a slap in the face. Frosty winds swept across the frozen lake and chilled them to their bones as they hurried for the now familiar sight of the Al Bhed travel agency, the same one that had been in the Sphere made by Jecht. They toppled unceremoniously through the door and shut it against the wind behind them, quite relieved when they felt the warmth again. Rikku and Gatta made a beeline for the large wood fired stove in the corner of the room and huddled down before it. Out of the group they had been worst off by the sudden shock. Both where more suited to warm climates and had never really had reason to venture into the icy snowfields that made up the lower foothills of the mountains.

Harry, Auron and O'aka had all been fine with the change in weather. The Summoner’s thick black robes protected him from the brunt of it while the monk and the ex-merchant had already been prepared, knowing what to expect. Tidus had been fine with the whether as well but that didn’t mean he liked it, still, they where all glad to be inside. Smoothing his robes absentmindedly Harry took a quick look around the common area and went to speak to the Al Bhed behind the desk about rooms for the night. Tidus had just found a seat on a fur rug off to one side when another familiar figure entered the agency. Rin took no more than a few seconds to zero in on him and quite casually made his way over, sitting down cross-legged nearby.

“Ah! It is good to see that you have made it this far vneaht.” (Friend) Tidus easily picked up the use of Al Bhed and felt some pride over the fact he could understand the language with very little thought required.

“Hud dryd udran'c teth'd dno du cdub ic.” (Not that other’s didn’t try to stop us.) The Zanarkand native replied using the language, just for the hell of it. Rin had a small frown on his face for a split second before he burst out laughing.

“Yc tv cusauha luimt rumt pylg dra Sycden Summoner yht rec Guardians!” (As is someone could hold back the Master Summoner and his Guardians!) The blonde’s head snapped around faster than if someone had slapped him.

“What did you just say?” He asked in a more normal language, just barely keeping his voice at a growled whisper. Rin gave him a partially bewildered look.

“You did not know?” He asked, his voice equally as low. “We Al Bhed knew something was different about Summoner Harry.” He explained. “We have hidden records from before the time of Zanarkand where my people branched off from normal human evolution. They tell of the Summoner who defeated a great evil not unlike that of Sin and vanished shortly after. Summoner Harry has the same name, Aeons and even the same scar as the original Master Summoner. He can be nothing less than that man and we have the Sphere to prove it.” Tidus stared at him thunderstruck barely registering the world around him as his mind worked on overdrive.

“Who else knows?” He asked quickly.

“All of the Al Bhed people.” Rin answered honestly and Tidus nearly had a heart attack.

“Except Rikku.” The blonde pointed out absently as he went into a variation of mother hen mode. “People weren’t supposed to find out.” He muttered in annoyance and cursed. Rin seemed to sense that it wasn’t a good time to be talking to the other blonde and silently got to his feet, edging away carefully just in case he felt like shooting the messenger. It was that panicked broadcast of worried rambling that got Harry’s attention. Green eyes caught sight of the deep frown on his face and the Summoner didn’t hesitate in walking over. He crouched down in front of the Animagus in training and reached out to grab his hands.

“Tell me.” He ordered and Tidus looked up.

“Not here.” He nearly pleaded and Harry nodded. Their sleeping arrangements had all been worked out. Gatta was sharing with O'aka and Auron, Rikku had a room of her own, for obvious reasons, and there had never been any debate over how Harry and Tidus where staying together. Once they where sealed away in their room behind a couple of wards the blonde told him everything that Rin had mentioned. When he was done Harry had to resist the urge to bang his head against the walls. Instead he sprawled out on the bed with a groan and flung an arm over his eyes in order to block out the light in the room. He was tired, they both where. It had been a long day, filled with more than enough emotional and physical shocks that might have destroyed lesser men. As Tidus sat down beside him Harry curled into a ball and mumbled to himself.

“Sometimes it just sucks being me.”