Path of a Summoner

In the depths of slumber, Wren could hear the Hymn all around her. The ancient song had fallen out of popularity after Sin was defeated, and yet she felt it in her heart anyway, resonating within her. It came from deep in the center of the city, and if it wasn’t calling out to her, it was certainly worth investigating anyway.

She left the safety of the boat where she often found herself in that dream world, searching for the source of the song. The tall spires of the docking area disappeared behind her slowly as she walked farther into the city than she had cared to venture before. Ahead of her were strange roads that twisted over each other, reminding her of the Highroad. Massive glass buildings towered around her, along with buildings shaped like decorative spires. There were tall fountains that flowed water from absurd heights, standing much higher than Wren even as she took the higher path to get a better view of her surroundings. In the center of the city was a building she recognized as a blitzball stadium, reminding her of the one in Luca.

It was a large city that would surely need many people to keep it running, but she had never seen anyone else besides herself walking the streets. With no one else around, the sound of anyone singing was rather odd, and she felt uneasy as she walked briskly through the streets of the radiant city. The singing was coming from below her...

The sound of shattering glass brought her back to reality.

When she woke up, the voices had stopped. She looked up at the ceiling from her guest bed, disoriented for a few moments, before she registered something pass the doorway of her room.

Blinking the last of her dream away, she rolled out of the bed, not bothering to take her sandals as she peered around the corner of the doorway to see who was moving around in the guest chambers.

Wren guessed she hadn’t been asleep for more than a few hours, based on how dark it still was. Despite how dim it was, she could make out a large figure moving around the small common area, centered somewhere around the floor.

“Merris?” she asked softly.

“Sorry,” he whispered back. “It’s dark--watch out for the glass.”

She focused her energy, using her magic to form a ball of flames in the palm of her hand, crouching down to try to offer some of its light to him.

It was dim, but it got the job done of illuminating the shards of… whatever he had broken. Now she could see where he was, next to the low table in the center of the room, surrounded by comfortable looking chairs in front of a currently empty fireplace. This area led from the main hall into four separate bedrooms, one of two guest bedroom areas.

“What broke?”

“Uh… vase, maybe?” he said. “I didn’t see it. That’s how it ended up like this. It was on the table I bumped into, so…”

“I’ll light the fireplace. Hold on.” She started to tiptoe around the edge of the room against the wall, holding her hand carefully, afraid to enter the middle of the room with her bare feet.

“You sure you’ve got it?” he asked, looking up. “Be careful with that fire.”

She murmured in agreement, but she wasn’t worried. Magic was coming easier to her. Even without her staff, casting didn’t take as much out of her as it used to. She took some kindling from the pot near the hearth, arranging the inside so she could start a real fire. After igniting the brittle wood and stoking it, the flame in her hand disappeared, the light now emanating from a small log fire.

Stepping out of the way of the fireplace so he could see better, she turned to look at him.

“What are you doing up?” she asked, tilting her head. She handed him the brush and dustpan from the fireplace, to try to dispose of the glass.

“Mobius invited us to explore, so that’s what I’m doing,” he said, snorting as he took them from her. “Well, I was going to, but…”

“You still think he knows something?” she asked.

“Yeah, I guess,” said Merris, shrugging as he scraped the last of the biggest pieces up. “I’m not sure what I even think I’ll find. Nothing, I hope. He’s probably right about Tana being in Guadosalam, but while I’m here…”

“Do you want me to come with you to look around?” asked Wren.

Apart from wanting to do something to be useful to Merris, she wasn’t sure why she had said that. Something made her want to explore as well. If she held her breath, she could feel something tingling at the floor beneath her feet, making her want to start moving.

“Sure,” he said. “It might make me feel a little better.”

“I’d be worried if I let you wander around by yourself while you go looking for trouble,” said Wren, smiling.

Merris chuckled quietly as he disposed of the glass, then put the tools away, and turned back to her. “I guess we’d better get started. This place has been here since the town was built, but I’ve never been this far in before.”

Wren made a small noise of agreement.

They ventured out into the hallway together. Wren gestured to indicate she would follow Merris, letting him move ahead of her.

“Do you know where you’re going?” she asked.

“Not really,” he said. “But I have an idea. There is somewhere in here I’ve always wanted to see. This place, uh… Mobius lives in the main part of it. Sometimes he has events here, but it’s not very often, and it’s limited to that big entry area we saw on our way in.”

“But below us, there’s another room. Underground,” he said. “That’s where Respira meets. There’s a special entrance outside, in the back for everyone to get in, but I bet Mobius has his own entrance in here somewhere.”

“That’s where they meet? Do you really think there’s another way in?”

“Yes, I’ve never seen him use that entrance before,” he said. “But I’ve been away, and I’m not, and never have been part of the group, so maybe I’ve just missed him.”

Wren rubbed at her neck. “I don’t want to upset him, if we don’t find anything, but I want to see… I’ve been curious about his group since I heard about them.”

“If he’s insulted, then we’ll leave and never see him again,” said Merris.

“I kind of wanted his help with my research, but… I guess there’s plenty I can find on my own,” she said, frowning. “It’s strange that there’s a real summoner still living here now that the Eternal Calm has ended… But he’s not the same as the others… The Fayth only offered themselves to summoners who aligned themselves with their views. Sin is already gone, and he’s still got his aeon… I want to know what’s going on here.”

She seemed to have unintentionally talked herself into following Merris’ plan, whatever her original thinking was.

“Right?” asked Merris. “Let’s get moving. The lift is probably closer to the main part of the building than we are now.”

As they neared the center of the castle, they took extra care to be quiet, as not to wake anyone else. Mobius’ quarters were on the other side of the building from their guest area, so though they had little to fear, they were still cautious.

Standing at the top of the tall staircase that led to the upper floor and to the other wings of the huge manor, they started their search, moving downstairs to be thorough.

"I found the lift,” said Wren, whispering. She was standing behind the stairs, where the main hallway wrapped around the grand staircase. It wasn’t really hidden after all, but it was certainly what they had been looking for, and Merris’ pleased grin showed that he thought so too.

The elevator was clearly not meant for a large number of people, and it was almost uncomfortable, as close as they had to stand together. Twill definitely wouldn’t like to endure this ride with them.

“How far down does this go?” asked Wren, looking up at Merris.

“It’s underground, I don’t know? Far enough,” he answered. “I’ve only really run errands here before, while it was being built, I couldn’t tell you the numbers.”

“It’s still impressive,” she said. “I’ve heard there’s something like this under Bevelle too, but I’ve never seen it myself.”

The room they stood in when the gate opened to let them off the lift was easily the same size as the main hall of the mansion above ground. It was filled with crystalline benches in neat rows, all facing the front of the room. There were rows of great arches on either side of the room, molded into the ceiling and framing the room nicely, making it feel less empty. There was little else in the room besides a decorated altar, in the front center of the hall.

“Is this where they meet?” asked Wren, peering out at the altar.

“Yep. It can get pretty crowded in here, apparently. This town isn’t that busy, but Mobius has enough influence to bring in an audience, at least,” he said. “But there’s something else below us, another room that other people aren’t allowed into very often. That’s what we’re looking for.”

There was a large carving indented into the wall behind the altar, its border shaped like an arch, and depicting the form of Lady Yunalesca, her arms outstretched as she offered herself to the people of Spira in sacrifice, and a halo, or perhaps the moon, above her head.

“What… kind of group is Respira?” asked Wren.

“I don’t know very much about it,” admitted Merris. “Yevonism is all the same to me, no offense. It just doesn’t appeal to me.”

“No, I understand.” nodded Wren, looking at the carving. “This decoration feels kind of ominous to me.”

“Temple imagery tends to have that feel to it… Complete with the promise of a divine curse,” he said.”Tana made that. Mobius commissioned her to do a lot of decoration in his home and down here, so.”

Wren traced the carving with her hand. “She did this? Is she part of Respira?”

“Not unless she joined after I left,” he said, studying it with her for a moment. “Tana is headstrong. I don’t think she likes being told what to do by anyone, let alone some priest or god, even if she was religious. It was just a job to her.”

After a while of searching, the gathering hall seemed to be nothing more than it appeared. Wren was starting to doubt there really was such a place below this underground cathedral.

“Are you sure there’s really another level?” she asked, leaning against the wall.

"Positive. I was here when it was being built from the ground up,” Merris said. "Mobius had a large hand in the creation of this building in particular, but he did have help cleaning each level for construction."

"So that's why all this crystal it looks like it's made out of something magical," said Wren, nodding. “I wonder how he did it…”

As she trailed off, she realized that she could feel a draft. It tickled at her skin, and she had to pause for a second to decide where it was coming from. She called Merris over, and as they looked for its source, they found it. The carving itself had more than an indentation around it; there was a discernible gap between the edge of the carving and the wall around it.

Merris traced the arch with his hands, frowning. “This has to be it, but I don’t really know what I’m looking at.”

“Secret door?”

“Maybe, but how does it open?” he asked. “It doesn’t seem like it’s activated with any sphere… But there has to be something, somewhere.”

As Merris traced the mosaic of Yunalesca, he touched the moon, which was a decorative silver, inlaid into the stone rather than carved, as much of the goddess seemed to be. At his touch, a mechanical click was heard, as something locked into place, and the mosaic lowered into the ground, revealing another lift behind it.

This one’s decorative gate was quite pretty, but the lift was much larger than the other, the personal one Mobius used himself. Merris had said that not many people got to see it, but it was big enough to carry more than one person at a time. What was it for?

As they got on the lift together and descended once more, Wren heard it again. The Hymn. Only this time, she wasn't dreaming.

"What is that?" she asked, like she didn't believe it.

“The Hymn?” asked Merris, also unsure. “I hear a lot of voices… When this gate opens, we might not be alone.”

The fact that the lift had been at the top when they opened the door made Wren think otherwise, but she guessed Merris must have been thinking the same thing. She wondered if she would prefer to be alone, or to find other people behind the door when it opened. The singing was only getting louder as they reached the bottom.

The door at the bottom of the lift opened the same as the one at the top. As it lowered, it startled Wren, who was already feeling disoriented, thrown for a loop by the voices they heard.

The room inside seemed to be made of glass and crystal, just like much of Mobius’ decorating. It was similar in structure to the gathering hall they had just come from, with its arches, but the similarities stopped there. There were few decorations in this room, no seating for any guests, nothing besides a rich, colorful tapestry on the far wall, and obelisks, like grave markers, on either side of… something flat Wren couldn’t quite make out that was nested in the floor itself. As she looked around, she saw several more spots where the obelisks were marking something she couldn’t make out from where she stood, but she already knew.

Wren and Merris stand in front of a Fayth stone in the Hall of the Hymn, beneath a statue of Yunalesca.

They were alone in the hall.

“Fayth stones,” murmured Wren. She wasn’t sure if Merris had heard her, over the Hymn.

“Yeah,” he said.

They stepped forward, the lift’s gate closing behind them as they exited.

“Your sister,” said Wren, urgent as she tugged his arm. “She wouldn’t--”

“No! No, she wouldn’t,” said Merris, shaking his head abruptly. “She had no reason; she and Mobius weren’t even close. She can’t be here.”

Still, they had to look.

There were a total of seven stones, each one featuring the depiction of the human soul it contained, combined with the aeon their soul had taken the shape of. Wren recognized Kianpraty, a sturdily built man covered in stone and moss, but it was impossible to determine any of their identities.

“None of them look like her,” said Merris, after a minute.

“Then she’s still somewhere else,” said Wren. “She’s alive…!”

Merris winced. “Well… we know she hasn’t been turned into a Fayth. I hope that’s enough…”

“I do too… I’m sorry,” she said. “We’ll find her…”

“I know, I know,” he said. “I’m just tired. And really worried about her. She knows how to defend herself, but sometimes that isn’t enough. Bad things happen to good people every day. I can’t stop thinking about it, even though I believe she’s still alive too.”

Wren rubbed his arm soothingly, looking up at him with sympathy. The Hymn was almost overwhelming, seven voices singing in harmony. It shook Wren to her core, and that combined with the scare they had both just had made her want to crawl into bed and sleep for another week or so.

“We should go back,” she said. “We won’t find anything else here.”

Merris nodded, turning away from the stones. He’d had enough too.

The lift seemed to have automatically returned to the top when they turned back to the gate, making the lingering feeling of being trapped in that room take even longer to fade, before it finally arrived. They took Mobius’ personal lift up to the main hall once again, standing in silence.

As they rose back to ground level, Wren became increasingly uncomfortable, feeling almost like something was coming towards them as the lift stopped. When the gate opened, she was surprised to see Mobius standing directly in front of them.

“I was wondering who was wandering around so late at night,” said Mobius. The room’s lighting was already low, but standing behind the stairs with them, he looked almost ominous, his arms folded.

“I woke up, and decided to get some fresh air. When I heard the lift running, I knew it must have been one of you,” he said.

She didn’t think they were in trouble, but something felt off. She didn’t think he was very happy about what they had done. “I’m sorry. You said we were free to go wherever we wanted, but I guess that doesn’t extent to outside your home… I saw that room. Below the chapel.”

“You heard the Hymn,” said Mobius, bringing his arms back to his sides. “I understand. It calls me as well, but I suppose I’m used to it now, since this is my home, after all. I am the keeper of the Fayth stones in our Hall of the Hymn. It is an honor to be allowed to enter that Hall, you must realize.”

“...What are they for, Mobius?” asked Wren, quietly. “I don’t remember if I asked you before or not, but why are you keeping them? They’re willing to fight for you, but I don’t even understand what it is you’re trying to do.”

“It is in the interest of protecting the people of Spira,” repeated Mobius. “If a great threat such as Sin were ever to arise against the people again, there will always be someone to protect the world’s citizens. If not myself, then someone else. I would give my life to defeat such an evil.”

He was expecting something, then. Wren was at a loss for words, and as she looked up at Merris, she could see that he was deep in his own thoughts.

“I should apologize,” said Mobius. “I only wanted to find out just who was using my elevator in the middle of the night. I didn’t come here to scold you for exploring my home, exactly as I encouraged you to do. If you don’t need anything else, then I’ll be on my way.”

Merris rubbed at the back of his neck. “Actually, I wanted to see something. Not now, of course, but do you think we could check out the inside of the temple before we head out of town tomorrow?”

“The temple is currently off limits to the general public,” started Mobius. “As you know, the temple is generating most of the town’s energy, so only authorized personnel--”

“I’d say it’s pretty important to Wren’s filming, don’t you think?” asked Merris, clearly trying to signal to her to speak up as well.

“Oh! I’d love to see inside,” said Wren, catching on. “I’m not sure my equipment will work inside, but I can at least take notes, like last time. I’d hate to miss out.”

Mobius seemed to consider something for a few moments. “I suppose it’s fine… but you must be careful. The way things are set up, it isn’t meant for just anyone to wander in aimlessly. If you’re cautious, then I will give you permission to enter.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate it,” said Wren.

“If you need written word, I’ll give it to you tomorrow, before you depart,” said Mobius, stifling a yawn. “I’ll return to bed once I’ve had my fill of the night air. Goodnight, to both of you.”

He turned away from them, then disappeared to the front of the staircase. Wren and Merris could hear him ascending the stairs, looking between each other nervously.

“...We should go back to our rooms,” said Merris.

Wren nodded, and they left as well.

The fire that Wren had started in the fireplace was dying as they reached their common area.

“We probably should have put that out,” said Wren, frowning just a little as she closed the door behind them.

“Probably. It turned out alright though,” said Merris, taking a seat on the sofa.

Wren sat down across from him, feeling like they should discuss something before they went to bed again. The events that had taken place between when they left the room and when they returned to it all made her feel ill at ease.

“Hey, why did you want to go to the temple so bad?” asked Wren.

“Don’t you want to see inside?” asked Merris.

“Well, yes, but it sounds like there isn’t much to see, if they’re running their equipment through there. And the lightning will probably interfere with my sphere recorder, so I can’t film… But it sounded like you wanted to look there yourself.”

“It’s the only place we wouldn’t normally be allowed to go,” he said, shrugging slightly. “I thought I might as well ask, since it’s all that’s left…”

“Yeah,” said Wren, resting her head in one hand while she thought. “I don’t know what Mobius is up to, but I like it less the longer we stay here… I don’t think I trust him after all. Didn’t that conversation feel weird to you too?”

“Absolutely,” snorted Merris. “He talks to you differently from other people. That whole time, he was speaking to you as if I wasn’t even there.”

“You’re right,” she said, frowning. “...Why do you think that is?”

“I don’t think it’s me he has a problem with. He has a bad habit of not taking other people seriously. I thought I could use your opinion to sway him into giving us permission, and it looks like I was right. I think he sees something special in you. I don’t know what that means, but it can’t be anything we want any part of.”

“I’ll watch out for him,” she said, nodding. “For now, let’s just go back to sleep… We’ll leave tomorrow and tell Twill everything we saw after that. We should get out of here, before he tries to sell us something.”

Merris laughed at that, a surprisingly light, bubbly sound. “I’ve been in such a bad mood all day, that surprised me,” he elaborated. “He does seem like a sleazy salesman, doesn’t he?”

“I guess that’s how priests of Yevon are, even if they aren’t part of Yevon,” admitted Wren, giggling softly herself.

They seemed a little more at ease after that, the mood somewhat lightened. It felt better to Wren, at least, who was sensitive to such things as infectious bad moods. With Merris relaxing finally, she was starting to feel better too.

“We should get back to sleep,” she said a moment later. “It’s going to be miserable tomorrow if we don’t get enough sleep.”

“Yeah,” said Merris, getting to his feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Wren stood up as well, ready to return to her room.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for coming with me,” he said. “I have no idea how smoothly that would have gone if you hadn’t been there.”

“I’m glad I was there too,” she said. “I don’t trust him. I’m glad you accidentally woke me up for this. If it came to the worst, I’m not sure any of us could stand up against him. ...But I don’t think he’d get that mad just over you snooping.”

“Who knows,” he said, snorting. “Anyway… yeah. See you in the morning. Can’t wait to get out of here.”

“Me too,” nodded Wren. “See you then.”