Note. This is a re-write of the Lightning Returns story I had up last year. I know what I'm doing this time around. I've planned out a lot for this story in mind and spirit. Expect it to be on the longer side unless I say otherwise down the line. If you've an open mind, or you want to have one, this is a good place to be.
Warnings. Everything! Well, mostly everything. No spoilers.
Disclaimer. I don't own any rights to the games in the Fabula Nova Chrystallis trilogy.

.

All these fragments of memories, keeping locked away who we are, how we think, and what we need. If you looked into them—into me—and saw all of my sick truths, would you still be there for me?

I. Libra – The Scales, of Juxtaposition

Sanct of Theogenesis

Bhunivelze's reign ended by my blade. He shouted in rage as his body disintegrated. Chaos lanced all around me, trapping me, confusing me. Through the gusts of wind, Bhunivelze's maniacal laughter echoed in my head. I shut my eyes, struggling to keep my footing on the ground. Etro's blessing had stayed with me through the long centuries. Her protection kept me from the chaos' influence. God knew he couldn't get through like this. Instead, he hissed at me as he perished, taunting me, like he wanted me to kill him.

"Why do you fight, knowing loss is inevitable? Why do you yearn to live, knowing all things must die?"

"Bhunivelze!" I shouted. "Stop this! You're supposed to be dead!"

"You must tell me, Savior. Why does your soul yearn for the impossible? Humans destroy one another in search of the unattainable. Hearts, hopes, dreams—all broken in the name of lofty aspirations. I watched you break your own spirit as a child in order to become untouchable. Why?"

During my mission, I had become so far-removed from things like that… As I thought his words over, I felt my divinity and my control over Eradia leave me. My humanity came back to me in their place. I was no longer God's Chosen One. My heart swelled, rose and fell, stricken over his questions. I still felt Etro's blessing within me. She'd given it to me before I was the Savior. No one could take that away from me.

"Because…we hope. We hope that we will find our dreams somewhere. With enough will, with enough perseverance…if we try, we can succeed. Some day. That's all the motivation we need."

The chaos disappeared just as quickly as it arrived, taking Bhunivelze with it, leaving a dead silence in its wake. Weight of worlds and souls on my shoulders acted as my gravity to stand again before God's glittering throne amid the cosmos. Winding path of golden murals behind me held those child-like faces, reminding me of Orphan. The new world that God had created shined far in the distance. I watched as all of the souls I had saved made their way to their new home. Before me, I saw the decorated light of God's throne, designed and detailed as art divine, remained empty. Hope's silhouette had vanished—along with Bhunivelze himself.

The battle was over. I had killed God Himself and lived. But I knew that there was much more to come. Especially after what just happened. He had been the God of Light. It should have been that pouring out of his body—light, not chaos.

Something wasn't right.

Up above, I saw another gathering of chaos. Some went in the direction of the new world. The rest poured down in front of me. Ink black bubbled as a vortex on the ground. A demonic figure came up from the chaos. I grabbed the hilt of my Masamune, prepared to strike. I stopped when the demon transformed into someone I recognized.

"Lumina?! What the hell? Are you a demon?"

Lumina twirled in place. "Silly," she teased. "Demons are for kids and scary campfire stories. I'm way more than that." She hummed a happy tune, her eyes glinting. Out of habit, I fought back a chill over Lumina's resemblance to my sister. Or, rather, to me. "Serah and all of your friends are making their way to the new world. Well—most of them are. There's one who can't find her way through all the chaos!"

I gripped my hilt tighter, anxious. "She's stuck in the chaos?" I asked. "Where exactly? Who is it?"

"Yeul is the new goddess of death," Lumina went on. "The place where she and Caius are—that's where your friend is." She held her hand out to me. "We don't have much time. If you want to help her, we have to go now. Oh! By the way… Caius made me promise: if you don't go about it the right way, I have to send you home. No exceptions!"

"Fine! Just take me to her now!"

Lumina teleported with me to a dark city in the cosmos. The tall buildings around us sagged with decay. Chaos hovered along the cobblestone ground like mist. Ghostly silhouettes walked right through me. They weren't the souls of the dead I'd saved from the Soulsong. These people had all been dead long before I had become a l'Cie. In the far distance, I heard someone's tortured cries. It sounded like…

"Fang!" I yelled, running in her direction. Lumina cut me off. "Get out of my way!" I side-stepped her. She appeared in front of me again, frowning in worry. "What are you doing?! Don't you hear her? She's in danger! You brought me here to save her, didn't you?"

"Oh, Lightning," she said, sighing. "If you'd listen first instead of running off, maybe you'd understand."

I kept trying to move past her. She wouldn't let me. "What is there to talk about?!" I bit back. "My friend is hurting and I want it to stop! If you don't get the hell out of my way, I'll—"

Lumina scoffed. "You'll what?" she mocked. "Kill me? If anything happens to me, you'll lose Etro's blessing. How do you think I exist? Sure, I may be a demon, but I'm a vessel for your powers, too. You need to listen to me before you take another step, otherwise you'll regret it."

Fang's screaming grew louder. I couldn't stand here and talk with her in that kind of pain. I didn't want to think about what exactly Lumina was, or why. None of that mattered.

"I don't have time to listen to a damn demon! I have to save her now!"

I ran ahead at full speed. Lumina didn't bother following me. Through alleyways and winding roads, I found Fang in the middle of an open courtyard. She had fallen to her knees, clutching at her head. Two wells poured out from her, arcing in the air in different directions: one of crystal, one of chaos. By the time I reached her, everything around me stopped. Fang froze in place, jaw clenched and fingers digging into her scalp. I knelt down to hold her in my arms. Something on her arm singed me, making me recoil.

Fang's tattoo over her shoulder burned black. The ink melted off from her skin, floating up and into the fountain of chaos. Lumina appeared next to me. She put her hands over her hips and shook her head.

"Lightning, what did I tell you?" she admonished. "You should have stopped to listen! Now look at what you did!"

I stared at the raw skin over Fang's arm. "What…?" I whispered. "She's not in pain anymore. She's safe. I can figure out some way to get time moving again. What are you talking about?"

Lumina sighed. "Remember how you called me a demon?" she asked, pointing to herself.

"As if I could forget."

"I'm the incarnation of every part of you that you hate. I was actually unique. Now you've created someone like me for your friend! That means I have to share spaces with some other thing! If you'd gone about this the right way, this wouldn't have happened."

"The right way?" I raged, glaring at her. "Fang was in trouble! She probably still is! How was there a right way to save her?"

Lumina rolled her eyes at me. "You're hopeless," she muttered. "You weren't listening to me at all! Once I said one of your friend was in danger, you rushed off without thinking! That isn't like you. Is there something special about her that made you drop your common sense back there?" I held back my retorts. She was right. I hadn't stopped to think or listen. If I had, then maybe… "Look, I get that she's your closest friend. But you didn't hold up your end of the deal! Caius' orders—I'm sending you home."

"Wait!" I tried, holding Fang again. "I'm not leaving without her. Vanille will be devastated if I do."

"That's too bad. You should have listened to me."

"Lumina, please… She's my best friend. Don't do this to her."

Lumina giggled. "Oh, don't be so dramatic!" she said. A dark vortex surrounded me, waiting for Lumina's permission to pull me in. "It's only temporary. Fang will be right here when you come back. For now, you're gonna think about all the ways you misbehaved. Then, once I think you've learned your lesson, I'll tell you how to get back here—the right way!"

.

Chrysalis – The New World

Bodhum, the same seaside town I grew up in—it embraced me as my new surroundings, filling me with nostalgia. I appeared in the town square during a summer afternoon. Hundreds of other people were outside, celebrating their successful arrival to the new world. I listened to their conversations. Some talked about the clean slates they would have with the economy and the government. Others were happy that their homes had been here waiting for them throughout the centuries. None of them seemed to recognize me. I guessed it had something to do with me not being the Savior anymore. A few mentioned how uncertain they were about the merging of worlds. After all this time, they hadn't gotten over their fears of the underworld that the Sanctum had drilled into their heads.

Chrysalis was essentially Cocoon, Nova Chrysalia and Gran Pulse merged together. Familiar locations; familiar places for everyone to come home to. I wondered how long I was really gone for if they knew all of that already. If everyone had returned to their original homes before the Purge, then that meant Serah and Snow had to be here. Vanille, Sazh and Hope might have been in town too, since this was where we had all been during the Purge.

Even knowing we had our peace here, I couldn't be happy. Fang was still out there somewhere. The sounds of her screams echoed madly in my head. I wandered away from the crowd, toward the docks along the sea. I breathed in the salty, humid air—it was the same as I remembered it. It didn't fill me with nostalgia like it should have. All I could think about was Fang, and if she was still in pain or not.

That wasn't good enough. I had to go back and bring her home. I thought about Lumina, hoping she'd show mercy and find me earlier. I waited around through to sunset, still hoping, praying. I thought back to all the times when I wished I could show this place to Fang someday. Back when we were l'Cie, we'd talk about what-ifs like this. It had given me hope that we could have a normal life with our friends once everything was over.

I didn't want Vanille to be upset when I told her what happened. I couldn't be happy to see the others in one piece without everyone there. Then again, they at least deserved to know I'd made it back. If they weren't at my house, then they were at Snow's apartment. I figured I'd try his place first. As I tried to remember the way there, I heard someone in high heels coming up behind me.

"Sergeant Farron," said a female voice. "I thought I might find you here. Hiding from the festivities, are we? Lieutenant Amodar's reports on you were accurate, I see."

I turned around. Her too-long, dirty blonde hair, glasses and military uniform looked familiar. "Jihl Nabaat…? Weren't you Lieutenant-Colonel in PSICOM? Serving directly under Barthandelus himself."

Jihl let out a brisk sigh. "Primarch Dysley had us all fooled," she replied. "I take full responsibility for my poor judgment. A man of such power and influence—it should have been obvious that he was a fal'Cie disguised as a human. Had I known his true plans of sacrificing Cocoon's entire population all for some fairy tale Maker, I would have stepped aside and let you kill him on my watch."

"Is he here, too?" I asked, standing up. "Barthandelus, I mean. If you're alive again, he might be."

"Fortunately, no," answered Jihl, adjusting her glasses. "Only humans and l'Cie who perished during and after the Purge have found their way to Chrysalis. Many of them are lost after spending so long in Valhalla and the realms beyond. The people need guidance and order. That is why I found you."

"What do you want me for? I'm not the Savior anymore. I don't have the powers that Bhunivelze gave me. He's dead."

Jihl waved her hand. "Details," she said. "You are still the Savior in name. That is arguably more important than any divine powers you had before. The people respect you for what you've done in Nova Chrysalia. We already have problems with the faithful from Luxerion's Cathedral not knowing where to turn without their God. They are under PSICOM's care for the time being. Cocoon's people will feel safer knowing you're in a position of authority."

"I'm not a leader and I don't want to be one. The answer's no."

"All the more reason why you should be," argued Jihl with a smile.

I bowed, hoping if I appeased her a little, she'd get the picture. "Lieutenant-Colonel, with all due respect—"

"Please drop the formalities, Farron. We both know 'with all due respect' is meant to deflect some underlying dissent. I understand your hesitations. With that said, I'm not here to offer you the position of Chrysalis' sole dictator. Both PSICOM and the Guardian Corps have agreed to rule together as a stratocracy, at least in Cocoon's regions. We need direction in order to move forward. Who better than to offer her counsel than the one who saved us all?"

"You're saying you want my advice on how to govern hundreds of millions of people?"

"That is precisely what I want," replied Jihl. I gaped at her. She couldn't have been serious. "You may think yourself underqualified, but think of your history. For centuries, you fought against all odds in hopes of seeing a better world. You must have spent some time thinking about how that world might be. I'm merely here to help make those dreams a reality."

She wasn't going to let this go. If it wasn't her, then it would be some other military officer or religious figure. "What exactly are you proposing?" I asked.

"It's simple," she said. "I keep you abreast of the state's developments with formal reports. You tell me if there is anything you think needs to be added or changed. If you ever wish to have more of a direct role in the decision-making process, that position will be open for discussion. There may be a few other obligations such as placating politicians and attending sanctioned events. I'm sure your natural charm will win over any legislators who may be giving us a difficult time."

"Right," I deadpanned. "I'll think about it. I have some other things I need to take care of first."

Jihl smiled. "Of course," she answered. "Try not to take too long. I'll be at PSICOM's headquarters downtown when you're ready." Just as she was about to leave, she stopped to add: "Oh, and I do hope that you and I can set our past differences aside. You understand that I had a job to carry out. Looking back on things now, my efforts were certainly less than…human."

"I understand," I said, surprised by her almost-apology. "I can't say what I would have done in your position. It isn't my place to judge you. That's all in the past now."

"I'm glad that we can see eye-to-eye," she replied, bowing a little. "I await your favorable reply."

I watched her leave. Jihl seemed like she really wanted what was best for the people. Sazh might have been less understanding about it after what happened with Dajh all those years ago.

.

Snow's bachelor pad wasn't too far from Seventh Heaven, NORA's bar along the beach. It was night already by the time I got to the area on foot. I heard Gadot's roaring laughter from pretty far down the pier. They must have all been at the bar together. I wavered as I stared at the small building in the distance. Warm lights coming from inside lit up the bar with a dusk-like glow. Most people were outside drinking, laughing and having a good time. I looked down at my Equilibrium outfit. I still looked like the Savior, even if I didn't feel like one anymore. I wondered how I'd be able to fit in as a normal person after everything—if that was even possible.

Then I saw Serah walking out the bar. She moved slowly with her head down as Snow talked to her. I smiled as I made my way over to her. All the care and protectiveness I had for her came flooding back. Bhunivelze had taken them away to make me his puppet before. I wasn't going to let anyone or anything do that to me again.

Lebreau was the first to notice me. She was about to shout an announcement until I gestured for her to be quiet. I wanted to surprise my sister. Thankfully, Lebreau got the hint and had everyone else stay calm. I got close enough to listen to Snow and Serah's conversation.

"C'mon, babe, don't be like that," said Snow, frowning. "You know Lightning will be back when she can. I'm sure she's out there looking for Fang. They'll come back together—you'll see."

Serah sniffled. "You don't know that," she countered. "Something could have happened to her. Bhunivelze made her the new goddess of death, or forced her to stay in the chaos all by herself, or, or something! I can't stop thinking about it. I just want to go to her. I don't want to party and drink when my sister could be trapped all alone!"

Snow saw me. He grinned from ear to ear. "I don't know…your sister is pretty resourceful," he tried again. "She works miracles. I bet you anything she'll be here before you know it."

"Anything?" asked Serah, wistful.

"I bet all the hair on my head that she's right behind you."

Serah stifled a laugh. "Fine, but you're gonna have to live with being bald if you're wrong…" When she turned around, she stared at me in disbelief. Snow's laughter helped her realize this was real. "Claire…? Is that really you?"

I held her tightly. "Hey," I said. "It's me. You don't have to worry anymore. It's all over now…" Mostly.

Lumina appeared behind her. "Mostly!" she echoed. Serah jumped in fright. "Yeah, right. Go on, Lightning—tell her how you rushed off and made all the wrong decisions. Now Fang's wilting away from the chaos overflowing her mind and spirit, all alone and in pain…"

Snow stepped in front of her. "Who the hell are you?!" he demanded. "And where did you come from? I didn't see anyone standing there just a second ago!" He stopped to stare at her. "Wait a minute…you look a lot like Serah did when she was younger. Maybe even Lightning. What's up with that?"

"She's my demon," I explained.

All the color drained from Snow's face. "Your demon…?" he asked. "So is she like, evil?"

"Depends on how you look at her…"

Vanille rushed outside. "Lumina?" she said. "Oh! Lightning, you're here! Thank goodness—it's been ages! We were so worried about you. Where's Fang? Is she with you?"

Lumina stomped her foot. "How many times do I have to tell you?!" she argued. "I'm not a demon! Maybe to you I am. We all know that I'm way more complicated than that. You should learn to open your eyes a little. You know—expand your horizons?"

I ignored Lumina's tantrum. "Vanille," I started. She looked up at me, full of hope. "Fang… She's someplace I can't reach. Stuck in the chaos. I don't know where exactly because Lumina won't tell me." Lumina glared hotly at me. Vanille's eyes welled up with tears. "Hey, don't cry. I'm going to find her. Just as soon as someone tells me how to do it, I'll go right away."

"If you're good tonight, I'll tell you in your dreams."

"Are you serious?" I asked.

Lumina smiled sweetly. "Would I lie to you?" she asked back.

Vanille jumped between us. "Hey, I'm going too!" she insisted. "If Fang needs help, I want to be there!"

Lumina clapped her hands. "Oh, perfect!" she said. "You can go with her instead of me! There was this thing…ohh, something about needing two people to help your friend the right way. Caius gave me alllll the details. Too bad you don't know more."

"Will you stop being such a brat?" I said. "I made a bad decision. I should have listened to you—fine! You know Fang is in danger, and you're going to keep dangling it in front of my face?!"

"Geez, she really is a demon," muttered Snow under his breath.

Lumina pointed to my sister. "Ask her where your other friend is," she said. "The fuzzy one."

Serah stared at her. "You mean Mog?" she asked. "He's at his village just outside town with his clan. They said something about growing kupo nuts and selling them to the other moogles here in Bodhum."

"Good," said Lumina. "I'll put things into place with his village. In the meantime, Lightning, sweetie, you have to go to sleep! The explanation is something I can show you better in a dream. Besides, you've had a long thirteen days. Or was it fifteen? Who cares—you need your rest first!"

"How am I supposed to sleep? I can't stop worrying about Fang."

Lumina smirked, disappearing into the pool of chaos at her feet. "You'll think of something."

Snow shivered. "I'd better check the bar," he said as he walked off. "Gotta make sure there aren't any secret chaos portals lying around. That girl really is something else…"

Serah kept her eyes to where the chaos had been. "You should go home," she suggested to me. Then she smiled at Vanille. "If Lumina tells my sister something tonight, you should go with her. I'm guessing you'll want to leave in the middle of the night after her dream. You can sleep in my room. I'll stay here with the others for another night."

"That's so kind of you," replied Vanille. "You're sure? I've never been to your home before."

"Don't worry about it," said Serah. "You're our friend, Vanille. You can stay at our place any time. I'll get you both some seafood from the kitchen to have for dinner." She sighed sadly as she looked at me. "I wish we could have had a longer reunion... But I know how important this is. We have a lot to talk about when you get back. It's only been three weeks. So much has happened already. Promise we'll talk as soon as you bring Fang home?"

"It'll be the first thing I do," I said. "That's a promise."

As I made my way to my house with Vanille, she got me caught up on a few things. Sazh and Hope were both downtown, getting settled into their new jobs. Noel and Yeul had gone to Luxerion to see what they could do about the religious fanatics. They didn't have their God anymore, thanks to me. Some of them were bound to resent me for it. When Jihl had told me that the faithful were under PSICOM's care, she'd meant to say that they had to suppress all the rebellions going on. I wished she had actually said the words instead of leaving me to find out from someone else. At least I knew she wasn't kidding when she'd said the people needed order.

"So it isn't a good idea for me to go to Luxerion," I guessed.

Vanille shook her head. "It would be a very bad idea," she answered. "The people in Bodhum don't recognize you because most of them weren't in Nova Chrysalia. It's been so long since any of them have seen you. Most people here died during the Purge. You could say that event was Bhunivelze's cut-off point in deciding who would be brought back to life for this new world. Not only in Bodhum, but everywhere else, too. Their souls gathered with the ones of those under my care when I was at the Cathedral. I'm sure if you go to Yusnaan, or the growing civilizations in the Dead Dunes, nearly everyone will remember you from before. Cocoon's lands and Nova Chrysalia's are on the same continent."

"What about Gran Pulse?" I asked. "Have you been back there?"

"No," she said, somber. "It's an entire ocean away. Only the military's able to go there for now. They're searching the area to decide if it's suitable for habitat. I could have told them myself that it isn't…"

"That reminds me," I said. "Jihl Nabaat found me earlier. She asked me if I wanted to be some kind of leader for the world. I told her I'd think about it. I'm not really cut out for that kind of thing. I work better when I have orders to follow."

"It sounds important! You should definitely give it some thought. Who knows? You might enjoy it."

"Maybe…"

Once we got to my house, I pulled out my key from along my necklace. I'd managed to keep it in-tact after all this time. I let Vanille in first and turned the lights on. She looked around in awe, mentioning how clean and bright everything was. I sighed in relief as I locked the door behind me. There'd been a time when I'd nearly given up hope on finding my way back here. Breathing in the fresh smell of the cobalt surfaces and the traces of my gunblade polish—it made me all the more determined to save Fang, the right way.

"Lightning," said Vanille, standing in front of a wall. "You don't have any decorations! The lights and wide windows seem to take up all the space in your home. When we come back, we should at least find some nice incense for you to light in the rooms."

"We can if you want," I allowed. "Let's go to the living room and eat. I want to sleep soon."

.

I tossed and turned in the dark as I lay in bed. I kept replaying my mistake over and over again in my head. Lumina was right—it wasn't like me to rush off without thinking. Her suggestion bothered me even more. She thought there was something special about Fang that had made me forget myself. She must have been right about that too, at least a little. I couldn't stop thinking about Fang, about the time we'd spent on our journey as l'Cie, and everything we'd talked about back then. When I was Etro's Warrior Goddess, I knew that I wasn't only fighting for Etro's sake, or even Serah's. There had been times when I clashed blades with Caius, thinking of Fang and if she'd been watching over me.

Every time I turned around, I felt the ache in my chest dig deeper and deeper. I reached over to the pictures on my nightstand. Vanille had given these to me earlier. I barely remember Sazh had a camera that he used on occasion, mostly on Gran Pulse. He'd taken a few of Fang and me sitting together, talking. I could tell what the conversations had been about from the looks on our faces. In this one, when we sat along a few rocks in the Mah'habara caves, Fang had asked me what I thought about astrology. I'd told her that it was a bunch of nonsense. Then she'd explained how simple astrology was in Oerba compared to all the conspiracy theories on Cocoon.

"You know all that shit you lot came up with about peoples' personalities? None of that where I come from. See, it's based on the order of your sign, and where you fit in the sphere of life. Then there's your spirit animal that's supposed to watch over you during your hunts. Funny that you're a Libra—they don't have an actual animal. Back in my village, the Libras died the most in the wild without a hunting partner. They're the only ones that go at it alone. You're lucky I've got your back."

"Except I didn't have yours when it mattered most. Now I'm stuck waiting for a dream to tell me how to save you. Some best friend I am…"

Guilt washed over me, enough to weaken me to exhaustion. I fell asleep with Fang on my mind. I couldn't fail her again. If I did, I wouldn't know what I'd do with myself.

Lumina came to me in my dream, as promised. She had me sit in a chair in the middle of a white room. The padded walls made me think of solitary confinement in an asylum. She folded her arms and watched me for a few moments. Even through my dreams, I was emotionally drained. I could barely breathe. My chest ached again. She knew it, too. I didn't have to say the words.

"I think it's better that you'll have Vanille with you," she started. "The original plan was for me to help you. I don't know Fang well enough. I could have messed something up. Vanille won't. That only leaves your end. It's going to be tricky to pull it off."

"Pull what off?" I asked. "You're not making any sense."

Lumina made two fountains pour from each of her hands. "You remember these pouring out of her?"

"The crystal and the chaos," I said.

"They were physical manifestations of her two halves—Fang's mind and spirit. Try to guess which one was which. If you get it right, maybe I'll let you wake up sooner."

I frowned at her. "This isn't the time for games," I insisted. "Are you saying Vanille and I have to find our way through to Fang's mind and spirit to stop them from spilling out? That must be what's causing her so much pain. How did it start in the first place?"

"That's more or less what you have to do," said Lumina. "Your friend has a lot of chaos in her heart. So much—it stopped her from reaching Chrysalis, taking her to the underworld instead. That city is for all the people who died before Bodhum's Purge. She's still alive. She's not supposed to be there. Anyone else would have broken in the first second."

"How are we supposed to get back there? Can you teleport us?"

Lumina hummed in thought. "Your moogle friend will take care of that," she answered. "Kind of. You'll see. Go to his village and you'll understand what I mean."

"And what about that—thing? You know, from her tattoo. You were mad at me about it."

"Oh, that," said Lumina, sour. "Fang couldn't exactly say much in the moment. She made that so-called demon because it was the only way she could tell you to stay away." She stretched out the fountain of chaos, shaping it into human form, almost like clay. "It's just a bunch of darkness for now, but some day, it will turn into every part of her that she hates." She disintegrated the chaos. "Sound familiar?"

"Yeah, I get it… What I don't get is why she wanted me to stay away from her."

"Isn't it obvious? She doesn't want your help."

"What?" I asked. "Why wouldn't she? Next to Vanille, I'm the one who knows her better than anyone."

Lumina giggled. "You can keep telling yourself that," she riddled. "Anyway, your next stop is the Moogle Village outside town. Chief Mog needs your help." She snapped her fingers. "It's time to wake up now."

.

I hurried to Mog's village with Vanille in the middle of the night. Once we got there, I smelled smoke and soot as we made our way through the trees. Panicked moogles floated through the forest, trying to find their friends. Vanille squealed in delight as soon as she saw the first group. That made all of the moogles stop and come over to us instead.

"Lightning!" one of them said. "We're so glad you're here, kupo! A giant rock fell in our village! Our chief needs you! Can we take you to him?"

"Yeah, we were just on our way to see him," I replied. Vanille looked like she was about to burst from all the moogles hovering around us. "Vanille…?"

Vanille hugged one of the moogles crying for his friend. "Yes, I'm here!" she answered. "Lead the way!"

"You know you're gonna have to leave them behind eventually…"

"Not for too long!" said Vanille. "They need cheering up… And they're so adorable! Oh, if Fang were here, I'd want to stay and help them all. I'll just have to come back, won't I?"

We continued ahead, finding more moogles along the way. They all came with us to the village in the center of the forest. When we got there, we found Mog and his advisors staring at the smoking meteorite. Mog flew over to us first.

"Vanille, Lightning!" he cried, hiding behind me. "It came out of nowhere, kupo! There's a bunch of chaos underneath. I wanted to figure things out before I found you, kupo."

"You didn't touch it, did you?" I asked.

"No, kupo. It's too scary! Everyone ran away and now some of our friends are missing."

Vanille skipped over to the meteorite. "If there's chaos underneath…" She used a spell to push it over. "Lightning! There's a vortex of chaos here! It's just like the one Lumina used earlier. This should take us to wherever Fang is."

"Yeah, but will there be a way back from the other side? That's what I'm more worried about."

"If there isn't, we can find Caius and Yeul," said Vanille. "Don't forget that Yeul is the goddess of death now. If anyone knows how to navigate the chaos, it will be her. They should know a way to help us. I don't think they're the enemy anymore."

"You're right," I agreed. "Mog, you and your friends need to leave the village. I don't want anyone accidentally using the vortex. Find your friends and go to Bodhum. Serah can take care of you for a while until we come back. We can find some way to get rid of this."

"Okay, kupo! Good luck!"

Mog and his friends all left together. I moved closer to the vortex where Vanille was. Haunted groans of the dead echoed through the chaos. Through the black, I saw a swirling reflection of that city where Fang was. This had to be it. Vanille linked her arm with mine, and together we jumped through. We had to believe that this was the way.