Day 4: Arrival of Lord Braska
Who: Braska Where: The park When: day 4, morning
Braska felt no fear as he stood at the far end of the Calm Lands, blue eyes focused on the distant horizon. Far behind him he knew Auron watched on, a witness to all that was about to unfold, forbidden to interfere. They had already said their goodbyes, Braska holding his friend a moment longer than necessary, thanking him one more time for everything. He felt sad at leaving Auron but it was a sacrifice he was happy to make for all of Spira, especially for his little Yuna.
Taking a deep breath as the ground began to shake, Braska raised his staff as Sin rose up from below the cliff edge, many eyes fixated on the tiny man that had come to defeat it. The large fish/frog like mouth opened, the summoner bracing for an attack, raising his staff high in preparation to cast.
Staff sliding through his fingers, Braska held the very end of it in his fingertips, swinging it in a wide arc around him as he turned, once, twice, tassels on the staff whistling through the air. Long grass brushed the bottom of his summoner garb as he twirled, steps timed by the beat of his heart, staff spinning within a loose grip. Power gathered and solidified, allowing Braska to climb a near invisible path off the cliff edge and out to his opponent, his steps setting off colorful sparkles of pale blue, green and white. Raising the staff above his head, Braska abruptly brought it down, plunging it through the very air that held him aloft, tassels floating as he gripped the sharp metal fan decorating the top of the staff. He sent out a silent prayer for his deceased wife’s soul, for his daughter, Auron…for all of Spira and summoned Jecht, his Final Aeon.
Drops of blood hitting the invisible ground created by the summoner opened a bright disk beneath his hidden feet, glowing hotly with the same design that Jecht bore upon his chest. The disk flared brighter with each splatter of red, Braska dropping his staff and falling to his knees as the power overwhelmed him, bloody hands sinking into the power he‘d created, body bathed in bright orange, red and yellow. All he felt was his life-force draining away, sucked out to give his aeon the power it needed to complete this final task of Braska’s pilgrimage. There was no pain, only a ghostly sense of triumph.
Braska never saw Sin defeated but he felt it as he dissolved into pyreflies and slipped away to the Farplane, pleased that he’d completed what the priests at Bevelle had said would never happen.
The fallen summoner had won.
*****
The first thing that Braska's mind became aware of was the fact he rested upon something hard and smooth, warmth seeping into his skin and keeping his mind adrift in a semi-conscious haze, falling water a relaxing white noise to his mind. It made him of the baths adjoined to the temple in Bevelle, a place where one could go to bathe or in pursuit of quiet companionship and release. The baths that were rarely spoken of outside the temple and never to those who did not belong.
Stretching sleepily, Braska took a moment to collect his thoughts, piecing together what he was doing previous to waking,. Absently he waved his hand at a minor irritation on his bare skin.
Bare skin? Normally I cover with a towel at least.
Sitting up a little too quickly, Braska winced and jumped up from the bench he had lain on, making a face at the squashed bug there. Half turning he frowned at the purple goo on his naked bottom, eyes widening and head snapping up as his surroundings became apparent to his mind.
This is not the temple.
Looking around Braska saw the bench he had been laying on sat next to a triangular shaped pool into which water fell, the sound so similar to that of the water in the temple that he was sure he was in Bevelle and not wherever this place was.
"What is this place? I...I was on my pilgrimage. I defeated Sin. I...died."
Braska felt a pang in his heart, knowing all that had been given and lost for the sake of peace to Spira.
Auron...Jecht...
"Is this the Farplane?" the summoner wondered aloud. If this is the Farplane, it is not what I expected. Where is everyone?