Path of a Summoner

The Hyacinth hung low in the dimming sky off the shores of Bevelle’s beach. Any suggestion to move closer to the village was met with Chia’s insistence that it was too late to bring the noise of the engines so close to people’s homes. 

In truth, it was not terribly late, but even if Wren saw the young High Summoner that night, she would have to wait until morning before she could start learning. There was certainly wisdom to the young mechanic’s words.

Still, it was not too late to find a place to stay for the night. The walk from the beach to the village was not long, but in the dark it became a little more treacherous. With an uncomfortable awareness of what she was doing, Wren walked in front, cradling a brilliant flame between her hands to light their path.

It was near the halfway point to the town, however, near a small shrine that overlooked the village, that the four travelers stopped to take a short break. 

“It feels like a waste to stop now, since it’s so close,” said Tana, peering down at the softly glowing lights of Besaid Village.

“I’m sorry, I’m still feeling a little weird from Djose,” mumbled Wren, wincing as she knelt down to the ground. She brought one hand away from the light, causing it to diminish in size, but it still illuminated a few feet around her. “I didn’t mean to sleep so late either, but like I said: weird.”

Tana mumbled politely, nodding her head as she looked towards the shrine Wren sat nearby. She tilted her chin forward, raising an eyebrow, then moved closer, looking at something that was only just out of the flame’s light.

“Are these… someone’s clothes?” she asked, pointing. 

Wren turned around as the curiosities of Twill and Merris were both piqued. Tana reached out and grabbed a bundle of cloth from the foot of the statue. It was folded, only a little haphazardly, but she could make out that it was a light top with a very heavy skirt underneath it when she held them strangely, causing them to unfold almost completely as the skirt nearly slipped out of her grasp.

“Who’s leaving their clothes out here?” asked Merris, making a face. “Do people leave offerings at shrines like this, when there’s a temple down there?”

Twill was looking where Tana had dropped the clothing, and found what had actually fallen: a thick towel, dry and unused. 

“I don’t know if it’s an offering,” they said, watching as Tana refolded the garments. “But… There is a small lagoon nearby that leads to the ocean. I wonder if there’s someone down there now.”

“We’d better leave it alone anyway,” said Wren softly, as if afraid of being caught by the moonlight swimmer. “Put them back where you found them…”

The sound of grassy footsteps coming up the hill behind them surprised them, and Tana nearly dropped the clothes once again, opting to toss them lightly back to where she’d found them. 

Wren noticed there was actually another path coming from down the hill, but it was not as well traveled as the one they had come from. Coarse grass grew over it, except for in the middle, where it was bare. And standing in the middle of it was the soaking-wet figure of a young woman, dressed in her bathing suit.

“Oh!” she said, surprised to see them crowded around her discarded clothing. “I didn’t think anyone else was here, I’m sorry. I left those here to keep them dry, but…”

Wren paused, getting to her feet at last. “Lady Yuna?”

She brought her other hand to the fire, bringing more light to the surrounding area so that they could finally see that it was indeed Yuna who stood before them, soaked to the bone as she presumably came from the nearby pool of water.

Twill shyly passed her the towel, murmuring an apology.

“Wait a second, is that you, Wren?” asked Yuna, so surprised that she scarcely noticed Twill’s words as she took the towel. “It’s been so long since I heard from you, I was starting to get worried! Every time I tried to contact you, my CommSphere could only pick up static, so I was ready to assume the worst when you said you were going to jump into the Farplane.”

Wren looked a little embarrassed, glancing to Tana briefly, then at the ground. “Oh, um… It broke, actually. No one was hurt when we jumped, and obviously we made it back out alright, but I guess it fell out of my pocket…? I’m really sorry.”

Yuna breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad that’s all it was. Don’t worry about it. I know I said it was special to me, but truth be told, the reason there are so few of them left is because a lot of them ended up broken in some way or another. I’m really just glad you’re all okay.”

She looked up at Tana, then smiled. “But I see a new face too… Are you Merris’ sister, by any chance?”

Tana offered her hand to Yuna, who moved the towel over her shoulder to politely shake with both of her hands. “I’m Tana.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” said Yuna, nodding. “I’m so glad they were able to catch up with you. When they said you might be stranded in the Farplane…”

“You have very soft hands,” she added, glancing down. “And I think you must be very lucky, to be left alone down there and still be here with us today.”

Tana managed a weak smile, thanking her as she pulled her hand away. Wren wondered if she had really fully recovered from her time trapped there. Tana had a lot on her plate, in her position, and she would be surprised if she wasn’t feeling the gravity of their situation.

“Um, Yuna,” Wren started, hesitantly. “I know it’s getting late, but I actually came here because I need your help.” 

“Oh? With what?” asked Yuna, running her hands through the ends of her still quite damp hair.

“...I need to learn how to summon an Aeon,” said Wren, frowning. “I didn’t plan on asking you until tomorrow, and we were going to stay the night in town, but as long as you’re here, this is actually a pretty serious issue...”

Yuna’s face fell immediately as a number of emotions flickered in her eyes. Mostly, she seemed sad. “...For your sphere, right?”

Wren rubbed the back of her neck, then shook her head. “No, actually. I wish it was.”

The four of them started to explain what they had learned to her. Starting with all that they knew about Mobius’ intentions, and ending in Djose again, where Wren had been granted the power to summon the first Aeon created by him. The significance of the creation of several Aeons was not lost on Yuna, and her sadness only deepened, the more she heard.

“The four of you never should have gotten caught up in this. I should be the one to take care of him,” she said. “It’s too dangerous, and knowing that he was once a prospective summoner himself… I can’t believe that someone raised to defeat Sin would ever try to bring that kind of misery back to Spira.”

“That’s a bit of a simplification of the whole thing,” said Merris. “It’s not like the temple has a glowing record of bringing up kids without inflicting some kind of trauma on them.”

“No, you’re right,” sighed Yuna. “For a while, I was raised by the monks in Bevelle too, and I can say it was not a pleasant experience, even as a little girl. The people at the temple here in Besaid are much kinder. But the pilgrimage never should have started as it did in the first place, I’ll agree with you. And no child should be raised just to die for a world they’ve never even experienced.”

Wren could hear she was holding something back, disgust dripping like venom from her words. She must have felt betrayed by Yevon as well, as so many other people did. However, Yuna had turned those feelings into something constructive instead. It must be hard on her, Wren thought, not everyone could live the way she does after what Yevon put its summoners through.

“You don’t need to go after Mobius,” insisted Wren, shaking her head. “I mean… I know it’s dangerous, but it’s not any safer for you to go instead of all of us. Unless you want to come with us… I think I need to be the one to do it. I told you about the Pyreflies he’s gathering, that came from Sin? I have the rest. Whenever I get near them, they come to me instead. So I’m going to cut him off, hopefully before I ever have to confront him. But if I do… he’s got a lot of powerful Aeons, and I only have one. I won’t let anyone stand up to that unless I can learn. We can’t fight him without that power.”

Yuna’s expression looked weary, and she pulled her towel tightly around her sides, frustrated. “I don’t like the idea of sitting on the sidelines while this is happening, but I can’t just disappear from Besaid either. There’s too much to take care of here. Someone has to make sure people are prepared, in case something terrible does happen. And now that most people have a sour taste left in their mouths from Yevon, it’s going to be hard to convince people that they’re in danger…”

This transition was going to be very hard on Spira, if it did come true. There was no way around that.

“Then teach me how to summon,” said Wren. “We only need to defend ourselves, I won’t let him summon Sin. I have a promise to the Fayth he created to stop him, if I can just learn how to use her power, I can stand a chance against him.”

“I really don’t like this,” said Yuna, shaking her head. “But I’ll teach you. You are right about one thing: if you do run into him while you’re collecting the rest of these pieces of Sin, you’ll stand a much better chance against him if you have the same kind of power as he does. I can show you some techniques on how to manifest the Aeon.”

“Thank you,” said Wren, sighing. “I’m sorry to bother you with this whole thing, but yeah. It was about time we started taking this seriously. To think all I wanted to do was make a movie to try and preserve a little of Spira’s history, but all of this…” 

She shook her head in defeat. 

“If you aren’t too worn out, would you like to start tonight?” asked Yuna, tilting her head. “We could wait until morning, but… you said you only woke up some hours ago, and I really don’t think I’ll be getting any sleep, with everything that’s going on.”

“Are you sure? I would really hope that a few hours wouldn’t make that much of a difference. Even Mobius has to sleep sometime,” said Wren, though she was eager to get started and do something with her stress as quickly as possible. 

Yuna nodded. “There are a lot of Pyreflies at the cove nearby, like always. It’s a good place to practice, and it’s quiet. Just let me get dressed again and you can come with me.”

Twill touched her arm gently, stroking their hand over her elbow to get her attention. “I think I’ll head back to the ship to let Chia know what’s happening. She said she was content to stay in the cabins and watch over the ship, but I’d feel better if I kept her updated.”

Wren murmured parting words to Twill, and while Merris insisted that he go back with Twill to ensure their safety on the way back, Tana stayed behind to offer moral support through the whole thing. 

The two of them followed Yuna back down the hill from which she had appeared, to the lagoon of which Twill spoke. 

The water was clear, and indeed smelled of salt, but more notable were the pyreflies that danced on its surface. There were not as many as the dense mist on the Moonflow, but their presence here made Wren feel somewhat melancholy. The pyreflies were naturally attracted to water as part of their fluid nature, but the implications of their appearance in the first place… Wren had had enough of the depressing thoughts popping into her head lately. 

“We can practice a little here,” said Yuna, nodding to them. “It’s not completely necessary for a summoner to learn to manipulate pyreflies, since I doubt you’ll need to perform any of the other duties of a summoner, but… Your situation is a little unique. Since you carry some within you already, it may help you to learn a little more about them.”

Wren stood with her staff at the water’s edge, looking back and forth at the area before them. She glanced back at Tana, who had found a seat on a bolder sticking out of the sand. Then she turned back to Yuna. “...What should I do, then?”

Yuna paused to think, folding her arms carefully. “Let me think… I’m sorry, I’m not much of a teacher. This is kind of a first for me too.”

“Let’s start by thinking about it this way. Pyreflies represent the souls of the dead. They’re what every living thing becomes, when we depart. When a sending is performed, you’re guiding them back to the Farplane,  where they can find peace.”

“It’s not for everyone,” snorted Tana, shrugging. At least she could joke about it, guessed Wren.

“So… you just want me to move them?” asked Wren, blinking.

“Right. It will be easier if you use your staff to channel them, but basically you need to connect with them. Empathize with them, and guide them. You don’t have to perform a sending, just try to move them,” said Yuna. 

Wren looked back out at the water, then stepped forward, feeling the edge of the waves tickle her feet. She took a deep breath, then tried to call the pyreflies towards her, making a motion with her staff as if stirring a pot, with her at the center. 

As if invisible ripples formed around her, they came, swirling around the spiritual whirlpool she had created. She opened her eyes, surprised, and they dispersed. 

Yuna looked surprised herself, and even Tana had gotten to her feet on top of the rock, but Wren wasn’t paying attention to them now. She looked down at her hands gripping her staff, thinking, then started again. She took her shoes off, then stepped a little deeper into the water, to her mid calves. 

The motion started again, with her throwing more of her body into it as she pulled them, the lights swirling around her. The water’s surface became a little more rough and uneven as she moved through it, splashing droplets back up at her that she ignored, simply trying to find her footing in the mud.

It came to her so easily. While she wouldn’t call this a dance, there was a clear rhythm to it that just felt natural to her. Shouldn’t she have more resistance? She saw Mobius struggle to do this very thing, and he had been trying to perform a sending as well. She was doing no such thing--it almost felt cruel to let the pyreflies linger in the world without sending them off.

She stopped, and let them go back to bobbing aimlessly above the water.

“I… I guess I have that part down,” she said, wringing her hands. A nervous laugh escaped her lips, delight at having gained a small understanding of her abilities.

“It seems so,” said Yuna, who was helping Tana keep her balance as she lowered herself back down into a sitting position. “I wonder… if it’s because of your gift that it’s so easy. Maybe I won’t have as much to teach you as you think.”

Wren slowly sludged back out of the water, looking a little sheepish as she stood beside the other girls. “I don’t know about that. I think summoning and sending are a little different, right? Twill can perform a sending, but was never trained as a summoner, because they used to be a guard in Guadosalam.”

“Really?” she asked, humming. “Well, there you go. Yes, it is different, but you seem to have a lot of natural ability. You just need to learn how to tap into that. Do you want to try to summon now? It could take a lot out of you…”

Wren would admit, she did feel a little weary still from communing with Amalthea in Djose, but she knew this was something she had to try. At least once. If it proved too difficult, she would try again once she was better rested. 

“I’ll try,” she said, nodding. “Just tell me what to do.”

“I wish I could just show you,” sighed Yuna. “But you know that I’m no longer a summoner. And even if I did possess an Aeon, I don’t think I would like to call them so lightly. I’ll try to guide you as best as I can, though.”

Wren nodded, then stood back from the other two to prepare. 

“That’s good, get a good stance. Balance yourself first,” praised Yuna, nodding. “Then when you’re ready, reach out to the soul of your Aeon, accept them. Ask them to come forth.”

Wren held the length of her staff tenderly, closing her eyes and pressing it to her forehead while she focused. She tried doing that, focusing only on Amalthea. Whether or not she was reaching her was another thing. She didn’t feel any response, but perhaps that was how it was supposed to be? 

She took another deep breath, then tried to call Amalthea, feeling something rise in her chest.

But nothing happened. 

She stood there for a moment, frowning. “Let me try again--I know I can do this, she definitely gave me permission to summon her, but…”

This time, she focused on their meeting, and the conversations they had in her dreams. Focusing on this, on their connection, she tried again to call her forth. 

This time, a vague image did appear. 

A flickering blue silhouette appeared, never quite taking a solid form, as if blue flames flickered around an empty space where she should have been. They were so sparce, however, that it was hard to even grasp what shape the Aeon was taking. It appeared human, from what Wren could see. 

However, the image was difficult to keep up, and as quickly as it appeared it was gone again in a flash. 

She felt tired, her feet moving unsteadily for a moment as her vision spun. She was definitely going to have to call it a night. 

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” said Tana, suddenly at her side to help her. “You look awful.”

“She’s right,” said Yuna, frowning. “...About not pushing yourself, not the second thing. You need to be careful not to exhaust yourself, or you could get hurt. We can try again… Or, you can keep practicing on your own.”

Wren nodded, lowering her staff as she leaned slightly on Tana, whose expression looked decidedly worried. She decided not to mention that the bruises from the tumble she took on the way to Bevelle had begun to ache again, even though they were faint now.

“Wren will be alright as long as she rests,” said Yuna, reassuring her. “If she only just received her blessing, it will take a little time to recover fully, but she’ll recover.”

“I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but I feel drained,” admitted Wren, laughing softly. “We should probably rest for the night.”

“Let’s get to the village,” said Tana, making a motion to walk. “We’ll stay there until tomorrow.”

Wren and Yuna agreed to try again the following day, if Wren felt well enough. 

As Wren slept in a bed in Besaid’s inn, she had strange dreams of a figure that never fully took shape, whose face she never saw. Amalthea didn’t speak to her, but she felt her presence anyway. She knew Amalthea would be as impatient as she was for her to learn how to summon her Aeon. 

---

 

The next day, Wren felt energetic and ready to try again. After breakfast, Twill and Merris returned to watch her practice as well.

She felt a little embarrassed, with even more eyes on her this time, but after several attempts she was no closer to creating a solid image. Something just wasn’t clicking with her. 

Yuna placed a hand on her chin. “The only advice I can give is that an Aeon is created based on connections. It’s… the basis of the Final Summoning, after all. I learned by forming strong bonds with the Fayth that granted me their power, but I don’t know how to teach that to you. I can tell you’re following my advice already.”

Wren seated herself in the sand, sighing as she picked up fistfuls of sand and let it slip wistfully between her fingers. “I am… I can almost feel it. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

“I’m sure you just need practice. You said you didn’t expect to learn in one night, right?” offered Yuna. “But I know you’re in a hurry, too… Maybe try to discuss it with the Fayth? What did you say her name was? Amalthea?”

She nodded her head. “Yeah… And you’re right, I am in a hurry. I need to catch up to Mobius, with or without an Aeon. I just wish I had more time.”

“You’re leaving soon?”

“We have to start moving soon,” said Twill, nodding solemnly. “We at least have to make it to Zanarkand before him. The last temple, and the farthest from civilization. I don’t doubt that will be his last stop.”

A frown crossed Yuna’s face at the thought of him setting foot there, even if it was where everything began, for Sin. It was… wrong. “There’s also Remiem, near the Calm Lands. There used to be Fayth there as well, but the temple still stands, even though it was abandoned long ago.”

“Remiem?” asked Wren, looking up. 

“I think it must have been forgotten in some chaos, since the Calm Lands are where summoners battled against Sin, traditionally,” she said. “It’s a little bit out of the way, but with both a ship and the chocobos, you should be able to find it if the path is still there. Mobius may not know about it.”

Wren nodded. “Yeah. Maybe. But… he did used to be a record keeper in Bevelle. Who knows what was on all the spheres brought in by the hunters? If we stop in Zanarkand first, we have a higher chance of getting there before him. After that… then we’ll try to find the last temple.”

“Oh, good point,” said Merris. “We should let Chia know anyway. I don’t know what all she needs to do to upkeep the ship, but I bet we’ll need some supplies if we’re making an extra trip.”

Yuna’s eyes briefly lit up as she thought of something, looking up. “I can’t believe I almost forgot-- If you have to visit the inner parts of each temple, you’ll have to enter the dome. It was actually sealed off a few years ago, so you’ll need to find some way to get inside, but the deepest part of the temple is where it connects to the Farplane, not the Fayth stone.”

“And don’t take anything you don’t want to lose with you,” she said, frowning. “The last time I was there, a big family of monkeys had taken over the temple. It’s been some time since then, so it can only have gotten worse.”

Wren looked surprised at that, letting out a small, nervous laugh. “Monkeys?”

Yuna nodded, completely serious. “I mean it, you’d better watch your pockets. Though, with the dome closed, I doubt there will be any left beyond the dome. The man who sealed it off wouldn’t be so cruel as to trap them inside. Be careful, though.”

Feeling somewhat unsatisfied, Wren found herself saying goodbye again. She wished she wasn’t in such a hurry, but now there was even more on her plate than she expected. It was probably for the best that she started knocking some items off her list. Even if she was unsure how she would have time to practice summoning, in the meantime. 

“I’ll keep in touch this time, I promise,” said Wren, getting to her feet. 

“Come visit as soon as you can,” said Yuna. “I want to make sure you’re alright. Once things are organized enough here for me to leave, if I don’t hear from you… I’ll come after Mobius myself.”

“Hey, have a little more faith in us than that,” teased Merris. “We’re all going to do what we can.”

“Oh, I know,” said Yuna, smiling in spite of herself. “But even so… I’ll keep worrying about all of you until I know everything is alright. Believe me, I want all of you to succeed.”

It was better than what could happen, if things went badly. At least Yuna was giving them their chance, without rushing off without thinking, at least she had more restraint than Wren would, in her position. 

If it was Wren, she would have been halfway to Zanarkand before anyone even finished explaining the situation to her. 

At least, that’s how she felt about it now.