Risen

Chapter Thirteen: l'Cie

This will be an early publish chapter in the event I can't get on tomorrow to publish a chapter. Have fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!! (Oh, and make sure you don't keep Sun's dad waiting, Wanderer!)

56th day of Aries, 8 AJ

Time: 1200

Serah kneeled next to Hearth. She looked at Noel.

"What happened?"

Noel kneeled on the other side of Hearth. "I have no clue."

Lightning put her shield and gunblade down and thought for a brief moment. "That was magic. While he was fighting, it seemed that something was hurting him. I think I know what happened." She grabbed his bracelet and moved it up his arm.

Serah gasped. He had the branding of a l'Cie! "Wh-why is he a l'Cie?"

Lightning sighed. "I don't know. But, let's hope that the fal'Cie that branded him is benevolent."

Noel stood up. "Either way, we should help him discover his focus."

Serah looked up. "Noel? Where are you going?"

"Caius is here. Yeul is too."

"What are you going to do?"

He sighed. "Become Yeul's new guardian. Caius has been Yeul's guardian for too long. I wish to ease his soul."

"But, won't you have to face the same pain Caius does?"

"I don't care. I'm going to face Caius. Don't interfere."

"Do you think you are strong enough?" Caius stood a ways behind Noel.

Noel drew his swords and said, "Save me the talk, I am not deterred."

Noel and Caius swiftly clashed blades. They fought for hours before Noel was finally able to kill Caius. Caius fell and Noel caught him.

Caius looked into Noel's eyes. "You... you are worthy. Take good care of Yeul for me, will you?"

Noel gave Caius a small smile. "Will do."

Caius grew limp and Noel laid him down. He glanced at Lightning and she placed her hand on Caius's forehead. His body shimmered and was transported to Valhalla and to the unseen realm by Etro. Yeul walked up to Noel and quietly looked at him.

"Yeul, is everything okay?" Noel's voice was tender.

Yeul nodded and looked at Hearth. She pointed and Lightning and Noel turned. Hearth sat up and groaned.

"Ugh. What the hell happened?" Hearth looked at his wrist. "Wait, what the hell is this?"

Serah answered Hearth. "That is a brand. A fal'Cie has turned you into a l'Cie. We don't know why. Have you had any strange dreams?"

"Uh. While I was fighting, I saw like a vision of me stabbing that man in his heart. Then, later during that battle, that word I spoke started to bounce around my vision. And while I was unconscious, extremely weird dreams came at me, all relating to that man getting stabbed in the heart. At the very end, a timer floated in the center of my vision. It was twelve years and counting."

Lightning walked over and said, "Your focus is to either kill or help someone kill that man by a thrust to the heart. Once that is completed, you probably are going to turn into crystal. But if you fail, then you will turn into a terrible beast called a Cie'th. Trust me, turning into crystal is better than becoming Cie'th. It looks terrible and probably is."

Hearth shook his head. "But with that word I said, what happened?"

"That is a form of magic. I don't know why you were taught the word for the strongest spell available, but I guess the fal'Cie that branded you found it funny."