Sins of the Father

*Hitomi uses Esuna on herself followed by her Overdrive, Dark Energy Burst.*

*Turns out Al Bhed Potions only cure a few status effects, so Hitomi actually does nothing. Bevelle casts Curaga on himself.*

~0~

Seeing no other option, Ingrid used Meteor to try and inflict the most damage possible before everything went to hell.

OOC: And that's how I edited my post in spite of your cat-on-head retarded retcon.

*Hitomi casts Holy.*

OOC: You can't edit after I've made a post, it's not my fault you didn't look up what an Al Bhed Potion actually DOES. It's not like, while playing the PS2 game, you can go, "Whoops, that didn't do what I thought it did, undo."

*Senthose adds a Magma Blast. The lights emerging from Bevelle get more intense as chunks begin flying off of him. The Pyreflies streaming out of him form Atomos in the air above, but Bevelle spontaneously combusts in blue flames soon afterwards; the fire, chunks of flesh, & other shit flying into Atomos before it closes up. All that's left behind is a few wandering Pyreflies & the feebly moving remains of Sin; one fin torn away, half of its head caved in, all of its eyes gouged out, & covered in deep gashes.*

OOC: Then why would you add this description to the Al Bhed Potion in the Sphere Shop:

Neo Bahamut wrote:

Name: Al Bhed Potion
Effect: Fully heals entire party, removes all status ailments except death.

You can't get mad at someone for not thinking "He might be wrong, so let me go check every time because he probably didn't." after you made a list of the items and their effects.

*Ark frowns at the gross sight of Sin's remains before groaning and falling to his knees, exhausted.*

OOC: You can however, load a save.

Ingrid lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "Is-- is it over?"

OOC: Not in the middle of a fight, though I guess if that's what the item list says, I must have had a reason for changing it.

*Luna sits down, kneeding Sin's flesh.*

<...It's calling you, isn't it? You can feel something inside you, struggling to get free & tend to the dying beast. Your skin probably feels no more a part of you than your clothes.>

"...What happened here?"

<Believe it or not, it did not used to be uncommon for people to fight amongst themselves for machina, magic, or even glory. They still fight over beliefs, as you may have noticed. Bevelle & Yevon were just like any other rulers. Bevelle wanted Yevon's power & Yevon wanted revenge on Bevelle. In the end, it looks as though they both got what they wanted. For a time, anyway.>

"And what is it you want?"

<I could ask you the same question.>

Ingrid was a bit confused, but decided to stay quiet, figuring someone would give a fair bit of exposition to explain everything.

*Ark lies down, staring at the sky. When the pilgrimage begun, he was keen on helping Luna defeat Sin, maybe even figure out a way to do it while saving her life, but he had grown out of that idea as time passed. Now, he wasn't even sure whether what they just did was right or not. He thought about his life back at Home when he was younger, and for a moment he fantasized about going back to live there now that this was apparently over, but he didn't even know if he'd survive after all they'd done against Yevon, even after defeating Sin. He sighed and glanced at the others. In the end, what made him the saddest was to know after all that had happened, he was still alone.*

*Hitomi just stands by silently, staring at the ground.*

OOC: The next time someone makes a post in here that says, effectively, "Does nothing," I'm making them redo it.

"So what now? How do I Send Sin without also Sending myself?"

<Who the Hell ever said anything about Sending Sin?>

"Well, when you want to get rid of a Fiend for good, that's typically what you do."

<I don't recall ever saying anything about getting rid of Sin. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the terminology I used was "end its threat.">

Ingrid furrowed her eyebrows, "So then what, we did all this to put Sin on a leash? 'End its threat', that... we need to end Sin, not just its threat! How would you even manage that, tell it we'll kick its ass again if it is mean?"

*Hitomi looks up in Senthose's direction.*

"But sending Sin will end its threat."

Ark: <Can Sin even be sent just like that? I mean, it obviously isn't just another fiend.>

"If its Sinspawn dissolve into pyreflies then why wouldn't Sin itself? And if it does it can be sent." Ingrid replied.

OOC: In short, "quit being stupid, Ark."

*Senthose folds his arms behind his back & looks up towards Mt. Gagazet.*

<That's right, you don't know the story of Sin's creation, do you? A thousand years ago, when Zanarkand was about to be destroyed in the Machina War, Yu Yevon summoned 2 new Aeons: An illusory version of Zanarkand, which you've already witnessed...and Sin.>

*Luna drops her spear & starts waving her arms around like it's her birthday.*

"That's...that's incredible! 2 Aeons at once? That enormous?! And he sustained them for a THOUSAND YEARS? How did he do it? How COULD he do it?"

<He couldn't, it reduced him to a Fiend. But here today, Saint Bevelle devised a way to manage the feat. Or so he thinks he did. If I hadn't picked up on his project, it probably wouldn't have been finished for at least ANOTHER thousand years. In reality, the only reason I didn't make my move before is because I knew that if I gave him time to finish, the fool would get himself & Yevon killed for me. He probably even dismissed Dream Zanarkand, out of spite. And that...just leaves us.>

*He puts an arm around Luna & turns her towards Sin, gesturing broadly to it.*

<Look at it. You've already mastered 7 Aeons. What's one more?>

"Are you mad!?" Ingrid exclaimed, "You said it yourself, trying to control Sin turned Yevon into... a monster, what makes you think Luna would do any better?"

Ark: <Well, Luna's... different... I don't know if...>

*Ark looks from Luna to Senthose kind of nervously.*

"I get that Luna is already part Sin, or a Sinspawn, I'm not entirely sure what, but that doesn't mean it'll be any less dangerous for her. Who is to say Sin won't try to rip away control from Luna, or try to absorb her into itself?" Ingrid protested.

Ark: <I'm not saying I don't think it is dangerous, just that that as--Senthose, seems to know something we do. Not that surprising, I mean, he IS a Final Aeon.>

<That might be a problem, were it not for the fact that the structures Bevelle used to control Sin are still in place.>

"Speaking of Bevelle, what about Yevon? I don't think they'll approve of your plan."

<We're talking about the full might of the Al Bhed army, Sin, and a Final Aeon. Frankly, it's a little beyond their ability to influence, at this point.>

"So all of this was simply a long overdrawn plan to get Luna to control Sin so you could... what, rule Spira?"

Ark: <Is this... still about the Al Bhed? Because they'll never help you use Sin to overpower the rest of Spira!>

<I don't need Luna to do either of those things, I have everything I need for that already. But, you know, the more I think about ruling all of Spira, the more I wonder what the point of it even is. With Yevon dismantled, there will be other, more pressing concerns to deal with. Such as nuns with life purpose crises. I guess reorganizing the aristocracy should also come in to play there somewhere.>

*He pokes Luna in the sternum, then sweeps a hand across the horizon, & finally shrugs while continuing to speak.*

<And you, the High Summoner who brought the Eternal Calm, what could they possibly deny you? "Grand Maester Luna" has kind of a nice ring to it, don't you think? Or maybe you're more of an Archivist. Or, I don't know, the Supreme Gardener. Whatever works.>