The Heart of Mist

Rydia sailed down the river in silence through the darkness. As she stood, waiting for the next Eidolon to appear, a thick white mist began to form all around her. She looked around, frightened, wondering what was coming that chose to impede her vision.

"Show yourself!" Rydia spoke out, having collected herself mentally. "I am not afraid."

"My sweet daughter." Rydia heard a familiar voice speak warmly to her.

Suddenly she saw the figure of her mother appear in front of her. She wasn't an actual body, and definitely not an undead ghost, but what appeared to be the essence of Rydia's mother. The young summoner had read once before that most Callers only bond with one summoned creature for their entire life, and after years of bonding, their lives become linked. If the creature dies, the human dies. But summoned monsters never actually die, but return to the land of the summoned. Rydia realized in that moment, that this Eidolon that wished to see her back to Feymarch was the Mist Dragon that her mom used to have control over.

"Mom?" Rydia asked, not sure who she was actually looking at.

"Yes and no..." the Spirit replied. "My essence resides in the Misty now. We are one. We have been watching over you for quite some time now, and were so proud when you decided to enter the Cavern of Trials. You are the best of us, Rydia. You are the best of Mist."

"Mom, I am so sorry I couldn't save you." Rydia said, tears filling her eyes. "You died protecting our town...but if only I was stronger, then I could have protected you! If only I had mastery of my powers as I do now..."

"It is the job of the mother to protect her daughter." The mist spoke, "Not the other way around."

"Thank you..." Rydia said, her heart full of gratitude. "Thank you for saving me then...and thank you for coming to me now. I am glad we are able to share this moment. I have missed you so much."

"We want to come with you too." The mist swirled around Rydia, showing the figure of her mother and that of a great white dragon swimming along side the boat. "You have grown so powerful, daughter. You have Shiva's boldness, Ifrit's passion, Ramah's wisdom, and Titan's strength...but we don't want you to lose yourself in all that power. Let us give you one final gift, the Heart of Mist."

"You are my heart, mom." Rydia spoke softly, a tear running down her cheek. "You always have been. I will never forget where I come from, or why I fight to become strong. I would gladly accept your power as my own."

"You are loved." The mist spoke as it began to fade. "You have family in Feymarch, you have family in Mist, Cecil and the others are your family, and now...you will always have me in your heart."

Rydia felt the presence of the Mist Dragon enter her as the the boat found its way back to small body of water in the Land of the Summons near Feymarch. She felt different. This feeling that came with her upon ownership of her newest summon, it was the feeling of Home. In a strange, inexpiable way, Rydia was able to experience the sensation of her mother's love for her, in her heart.

As the ship docked, Rydia was met by King Leviathan and Queen Ashura. One glance at her and the two knew that she had returned a changed woman. Her power had grown, as had all other aspects of her character. They knew one day soon, Rydia would be returning to challenge them for their power. And even in that moment, they knew that they would end up giving their power to Rydia.

"You have returned!" King Leviathan exclaimed with a relieved smile on his face. "And not a moment to soon, my child! We can tell you are much more powerful, and ready to fight the battle that you have been training all these years for. I must tell you, that as we speak, Cecil and his friends have made it to the underworld and they are fighting a battle at the dwarf castle right now."

"Cecil is here?" Rydia asked, worry for her friend returned as well as relief that she would soon be reunited with him.

"Yes." Queen Ashura spoke, "And if you do not go to his aid now, he will lose this battle. Now is the time for you to return to your friends. Are you ready?"

"I am." Rydia spoke, feeling the power of her new found Eidolons flowing through her body. Having braved the four trials, and being reunited with her mother, Rydia was now ready to be great Summoner that the world needed. "Please my Queen, send me to Cecil's aid right away!"

With her magic, Queen Ashura cast a teleporting spell on Rydia that sent her far from Feymarch to the Dwarf Castle, where she made it just in the knick of time to save her friends from certain death. This was the moment that Rydia was able to return to her "regular life" with Cecil and the others. By joining their party as a powerful black wizard and summoner, she helped change the tide of battle for Cecil the Paladin and helped him achieve ultimate victory. However, none of this would have been possible had she not been shipwrecked and saved by King Leviathan and brought to Feymarch to grow in power. None of this would have been possible without the Time In Between.

Author Note (6/14/2020)

Thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it. I know, it was a little cheesy but that's okay. Please drop me a review letting me know what you thought if you made it this far! Want me to write a short piece about anything FF4,5, or 6 related? Share that too if you want, and who knows, I may write about it! Thanks again for your support! -KyleQuicksilver