Dissidia Final Fantasy: Unus Mundus

Chapter Twelve ~ Sacrifice (Laguna)

"His condition seems to have gotten worse..."

Laguna, Arc, Ingus, and Vivi approached Refia with their Chocobos. She was knelt down in the grass beside Luneth, whose skin had become pale as snow and his lips a shade of light blue. The nighttime sky was dark, but his skin had a cold glow to it. Arc knelt down and placed a hand on Luneth's chest and looked at him sorrowfully. "Do we know what's wrong with him...?" he asked timidly.

"It almost looks like he's freezing from the inside out," Laguna said softly. He placed a hand on Luneth's cheek, and as soon as he did, he quickly retracted it. "Damn... he's colder than ice! Vivi, could you use Fire to warm him up?" Vivi looked up at Laguna nervously and backed away.

"I-I don't want to hurt him!" he said.

"Well, none of us can cast magic anymore," said Refia. "Vivi, could you at least try?"

Vivi looked at Luneth. He was hardly breathing, and his eyes had lost all color and turned a deep shade of grey. "I-I'll try..." he stammered. He approached Luneth and placed his hands on his cheeks. As Vivi closed his eyes, a warm glow emerged from his hands and gentle flames began surrounding Luneth's body. "Please work..." Vivi whispered. Everyone else watched in silence and anticipation, but Luneth's condition didn't change. Suddenly, Vivi felt his hands getting colder and colder until his flames disappeared. In a bright white flash, a force shoved Vivi down on the floor away from Luneth.

"Vivi!" Ingus exclaimed, kneeling down to help Vivi back up. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, b-but..." Vivi adjusted his cap and pointed at Luneth, his eyes filled with fear. "L-Look!"

Ingus turned around and was absolutely stunned by the sight. Luneth's entire body had become frozen in place, but he was turned into a blue crystal. All the children, and Laguna, didn't even know how to react. Ingus ran towards Luneth and felt him. His body was as cold and solid as crystal. "Dammit..." he whispered as he began trembling in an attempt not to cry. "What happened to you...?" Refia and Arc both had their arms wrapped around him, tears forming in their eyes, and Vivi backed away.

"I couldn't save him..." he whispered. As soon as Laguna heard that, he placed a hand on Vivi's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"You did what you could, okay?" he said. "This wasn't your fault. Something else caused it." He turned around and looked at the children surrounding Luneth. "Instead of being sad about it, let's figure out how to change him back! We can't be too far from a town or somethin', right?"

"Only gods know where we are," Ingus scoffed, but the sound of an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke to them.

"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not exactly a god. Not yet, anyway."

The five of them looked around in a panic at the sound of the voice. It was a rather gentle and melodious male voice, but they didn't have to look long. A tall man with long, silver hair scantily-clad in little clothing emerged from the woods around them. His skin was rather pale and his lips were blue, but it wasn't like Luneth. This man was able to move around freely, and his movements were incredibly fluid. It was almost beautiful to watch. "Who are you?" Laguna asked. "And... are you a man or a woman? You're a little, um... attractive."

"I appreciate the compliment," the man said with a bit of a chuckle. "My name is Kuja, and I witnessed what happened to this boy here." He walked past Laguna and Vivi, his walking so smooth, it looked as if he was floating. That man, Kuja, lowered to the ground and placed a hand on Luneth. "Poor child... No good deed goes unpunished, I suppose."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ingus asked with strong conviction in his tone.

"His sense of duty," Kuja spoke softly, trying not to get angry at Ingus. "His conviction, purity, and courage made him a sacrifice for the very Crystal he was blessed with. I have no doubt that all of you sense it as well? The Crystals have lost their power?"

"Wh-What do you know of the Crystals?" Arc asked, trying to sound as courageous as Ingus, but he simply couldn't. Kuja looked up at Arc with a stern expression.

"I could ask the same of you three," he said. "So-called Warriors of Light... at the end of the day, you're still children wandering aimlessly in a world you don't belong in." Arc went silent. Not even Ingus or Refia knew how to respond to that. Kuja sighed and lifted Luneth up off the ground effortlessly. "Luneth wasn't consciously aware of it, but his heart was so pure, he gave himself to the Crystal he carried, and took its place. The worlds are all becoming one, and as a result, the Crystals are not only losing power, but they are disappearing themselves. None of you could use magic because you depend on the Crystals for your power. But him..." Kuja pointed at Vivi, and Vivi backed away nervously, well acquainted with the power Kuja held. Kuja smiled and shook his head. "Settle down, Vivi. I will not harm you nor the others you have stumbled upon."

Laguna quickly looked back and forth between Kuja and Vivi with a bit of surprise. "Uhhh... do you two know each other or something?" he asked. Kuja turned his back to everyone and walked past Arc and Refia.

"He's a friend of a friend," Kuja said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take this boy so he can rest peacefully. I expect to see you children again."

"Hey!" Ingus unsheathed his sword and charged towards Kuja, but before he could do anything, Kuja jumped high into the air quicker than any of them could process. Even when they looked up, he was out of their sights. "Get back here!" Ingus cried out to the skies, but it was to no avail. After a fair amount of silence, Ingus turned around and saw Refia, Arc, and Laguna looking at Vivi. "Hey..." Ingus sheathed his sword and walked towards Vivi with a lighter tone of voice. he knelt down and put both his hands on Vivi's shoulders. "Hey, Vivi. Are you okay?"

Vivi shook his head and looked down, hiding his eyes behind the brim of his cap. "Something is very wrong..." he whispered, close to tears. "Something is very, very wrong..."

"Vivi?" Refia looked at him with concern, but he didn't reply. There was another moment of silence before Vivi shoved Ingus away and ran towards one of the Chocobos. Before anyone had time to react, he hopped onto the Chocobo and sped off on it.

"Vivi!" Laguna exclaimed. "Dammit... guys! Come on!" Laguna hopped onto another Chocobo and sped off after Vivi.

"He took my Chocobo..." Arc said softly, but Refia got onto hers and held her hand out for Arc's.

"Then looks like you're riding with me," she said. "We've gotta hurry!"

Arc hesitated, but he grabbed Refia's hand and hopped into the Chocobo, sitting behind her as he wrapped his arms around her waist for dear life as they sped after Laguna and Vivi. Ingus scoffed and got onto his, riding after them. It didn't take long for them to catch up to Laguna, but Vivi was still very far ahead.

What is going on with that kid...? Laguna thought to himself. Vivi, please don't do anything stupid...