The Truth Beyond the Dream (A Final Fantasy X/X-2 Fan Fiction)

Chapter 17: Tides of Time

A loud clap of thunder roused Trista from her slumber. The second a flash of lightning lit up the darkened room, she bolted up so fast, she slipped off the sofa where she had been snuggled against Vidina, and fell onto the floor with a thud. Groaning from the impact, she scrambled to her feet, and noticed it was much darker than normal. The storm must've knocked out the power in the area. "Vidina," she whispered, "you awake?"

His soft snores indicated otherwise. She wasn't surprised by his lack of response, her boyfriend had always been a sound sleeper—a bomb could go off and he'd sleep through it.

The rain pelted against the windows followed by another flash of lightning and boom of thunder. She hated storms ever since she was a little kid, but she had never been afraid of the dark until now. The ominous encounter she had earlier in her bedroom had produced a new phobia for her to recoil at.

Before she could rejoin her boyfriend under the blanket, a soft child-like voice came from behind, "Hello."

Trista froze. Every muscle in her body tensed, sensing whatever stood behind her wasn't as innocent as it sounded. She slowly turned to face the child-like apparition standing by the fireplace dressed in a purple cloak.

"Remember me? We met in Besaid the other day."

Her eyes widened when she finally realized who the intruder was—Bahamut. "Vidina, wake up! Mom! Dad!"

"They can't hear you."

The keeper's words had a chilling effect. She shivered and hugged her arms, terrified of facing the being on her own. "Please...don't hurt Vidina."

"I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm here to present an offer you can't refuse."

Whatever this keeper had to offer, she doubted it would be anything short of an ultimatum. "Like what?"

"This is a war, Trista. One you cannot comprehend. We know you're suffering. Your brother was taken by one of Zanarkand's keepers tonight. We can bring him back and make all of this go away."

All lies, no doubt. And she wasn't going to fall for any of it. There had to be some sort of catch. "Why would you do that? You threatened to kill everyone I love. You'll do anything to win this war."

"Precisely. And we need you to make it happen."

Now more confused than afraid, she folded her arms, and frowned. "I don't follow."

"This entire realm's existence hinges upon your willingness to aid us. And the battle is growing near. Your family and Vidina can return to the blissful lives they led without any memory of this. It'll be like it never happened. We can do that. And we'll bring your brother home tonight, if you surrender your powers to us."

Nothing the keeper proposed made any sense. It all seemed too good to be true. "This is a war, like you said. How are we gonna just forget everything and go about our lives?"

"We need you to win the war. Everyone else is unimportant. They won't remember anything about this. Even your father will forget of the meeting we had many years ago and return to believing he's a dream of the fayth. All you have to do is join us and surrender your physical form."

Her blood chilled at the keeper's suggestion. "That sounds an awful lot like dying."

Lightning flashed followed by a distant roll of thunder. The hooded apparition inched toward her, stopping only a couple feet away. "You'll no longer be in pain. Your family won't morn your loss. You'll be erased from their memory. Trista, they'll be happy and safe. Your father chose a similar path when he was your age. He was willing to do anything to protect those he loved. Will you not do the same?"