Deep inside the Vile Peaks, where the landscape broke into great fissures that ran almost all the way through Cocoon's shell, an immense wreck of some ancient building lay wedged in the sides of a canyon. The land above it was impassible, and the canyon too narrow for the Narshe to enter, but Lightning could make out a path that led right to the columns of the half-ruined structure.

"Are you sure about this, captain?" asked Vicks, frowning at the route down the side of the cliff. "That's pretty rough terrain, and a really long drop. She might have tried to find a way around."

"She didn't." Lightning stood at the front of the bridge, staring down at the building. "According to the footage, she's been heading straight for Lake Bresha. If there's not a more obvious route, I don't think she'll waste time looking."

On the far side of the structure, the canyon walls closed back in above it, so scouting it from the air wasn't possible. However, geological scans showed that the path proceeded underground as a sort of cave, before meeting another fissure farther on. With no sign of the l'Cie anyplace else where the Narshe's cameras could observe, the only option left was to follow her down.

"Velocycle's ready to go," said Wedge, stepping onto the bridge.

"Good." Lightning started for the doors. "Vicks, hold position here. Don't take action unless you see the l'Cie leave the area."

"Yes, ma'am." He sounded hesitant.

Sazh Katzroy, still hovering by the exit, jumped up as she was about to leave. "Woah, hold on. Wait up a second."

"Not this time," said Lightning.

"But that's a Pulse l'Cie you're going after. You'll really be all right on your own down there?"

"We'll see." He had a point, obviously. But her too-small crew needed to stay with the ship, and involving a civilian more deeply in this wasn't a very good option. And besides, she had at least one advantage he didn't know about.

The Narshe's velocycles were docked in berths attached to the aft of the ship, near the cargo ramp. Lightning climbed aboard the unit on the ship's port side, checking the readouts on its dashboard as she powered up the engine.

"The cycle has an autopilot," said Wedge, "but it's only configured for return to the ship. So if the l'Cie kills you down there, we'll still have a chance to recover it."

"Good to know." Lightning closed the hatch that led back into the ship, and a hum ran through the velocycle as its engine spun up. The capture arm that connected the vehicle to the Narshe swung out to hold her clear of the hull, and released the cycle into the air. She dropped for a second, getting her bearings as the vehicle's grav-con unit brought it to a hover, and then began a more deliberate descent into the ravine.

The ruin looked as though it had been dropped over the chasm in a vain attempt to patch over the gap, and was being gradually swallowed up by it instead. The structure had an arched bottom, like a bridge, and what remained of its exterior façade was a collection of sharp right angles and high columns that looked almost like a defiant challenge to the nature around it. Even in ruins, it showed an aggressive style that wasn't like anything Lightning had seen, including the Pulse Vestige.

It was also huge. Each one of the square-edged columns that lined its entrance was bigger around than her velocycle, and they formed a kind of stone forest that left just enough room for her to put the vehicle down. The entryway itself towered overhead when she stepped out of the cycle, and shadows hid most of an immense hall that lay beyond.

The floor was at an angle, slanted sideways at about ten degrees and pitching slightly downward as she stepped through the doorway. Inside, the place was in the beginning stages of breaking apart, as huge cracks carved the giant tiles into irregular sections that made a sort of miniature model of the Vile Peaks outside.

Although much of the ceiling was intact, the sides of the room had collapsed in rubble. In the shadows, Lightning spotted a man-sized metal automaton, jerkily walking in an endless loop.

Five doorways stood in a row on the far side of the room. Lightning picked the second one from the right, which was the only one that seemed mostly free of rubble. A wide staircase led her downward, through the shadows toward a faint and distant glow.

At the bottom, the stairs merged with another set to form a sort of landing before a long rectangular doorway. A shorter, wider stairwell led down to a balcony that looked out over a vast indoor space, like a courtyard or an arena. Rows of stone drums stood along the edges, glowing with a warm yellow light, and lines of wrought metal ran through the floor to form a network of squares and diamond patterns. Overhead, a stepped ceiling framed a sort of giant chandelier, which featured a single glowing light in the center of an intricate pattern, which Lightning recognized as the same symbol from the Pulse Vestige in Bodhum.

On the far side of the room was another balcony that seemed to mirror the one where she stood, only the far wall had collapsed to leave it half buried. An immense sculpture stood on either side of it, depicting solemn stone faces that seemed to be staring directly at her. A diagonal crack ran across the face on the right, just under its left eye, making it look a bit like the figure was crying.

The Pulse l'Cie was sitting on top of it, looking directly at her from across the room.

"You again." Sound carried well across the room, and Lightning caught a strange sort of satisfaction in the Pulse l'Cie's voice. "Huh. I wasn't sure if the eidolon finished you off."

Two more statues framed the balcony on Lightning's side of the room, wearing masks, but arranged to mirror the others. Behind each of them, another staircase led down to the room's lower level. Lightning descended one of these, keeping her eyes on the Pulse l'Cie the whole time.

The Pulse l'Cie didn't move until Lightning reached the foot of the stairs, then jumped off the statue to the floor. "Nothing to say?"

Neither one of them had drawn their weapon yet. Lightning's hand hovered by the grip of her gunblade, but for now she just watched her target's moves. The Pulse l'Cie looked lighter on her feet this time, so she must have recovered quite a bit since their fight on the island.

"I saw you on the ridge outside Bodhum," Lightning said. "Near the Pulse fal'Cie. My sister was there, too. Serah. I want to know what happened to her."

The Pulse l'Cie stopped for a second, frowning. Lightning caught a hint of something new, something in the woman's posture or expression, but was too far away to see clearly and it was gone after an instant.

"Sorry," she said. "Couldn't tell you."

Lightning didn't know what answer she'd expected, and doubted she would have accepted any of them. "I don't believe you."

The Pulse l'Cie let out a laugh. "Fair enough. Not like there's reason for me to help you out."

Her moves seemed completely different this time, Lightning thought. When they had fought, she'd had a sort of mad desperation to her actions; it had made her easy to read, though she'd been so strong and so fast that it hardly mattered. Now, though, she was totally in control, with a deliberate pace like a monster stalking prey.

"So while we're here," she said, "maybe you can tell me something." The glow of the lights behind her seemed to catch the edges of her hair, making it look as though it was on fire. "This place we're in. I've seen a bit of Cocoon by now, and this doesn't quite look like it belongs in your world. Because you stole it all from mine." Her tone took on a menacing edge. "This used to be a temple where I was from. But you rip it off the earth, drag it all the way up here. And then you dump it in a pit like trash."

"I'm not interested in arguing about history," said Lightning.

"Well, it's not history to me!" The Pulse l'Cie stopped, facing her squarely with hands in fists. "You get your nice, easy lives, and never mind that you're just getting fat off the land your fal'Cie stole for you. Think you're the only one who's missing somebody?"

For a second, the anger and hurt in her voice caught Lightning off guard. She had the look of someone who'd been through some kind of hell, and hadn't quite shaken the desperation that had shown through the first time they met. It was hard not to relate to.

Then she remembered her last sight of Serah that night on the ridge, as this woman snatched her away. And she fixed her eyes on the ghostly pattern that was branded onto her shoulder.

"If you're looking for sympathy," she said, "keep looking."

The l'Cie made something between a laugh and a sneer. "Right, then," she said, putting a hand on her hip. "So tell me, warrior of Cocoon. What do we do now?"

Lightning drew her gunblade, extending the sword-edge as she brought it to hand. "You're a Pulse l'Cie. What do you think happens next?"

An almost natural smile crossed the l'Cie's face as she brought out her spear. "Now we're talking."

They both charged at almost the same second. Lightning recognized the Pulse l'Cie's moves from their first encounter and sidestepped the blow, surprising herself with the speed and ease with which she made the move. She took a swipe at the target's side, but couldn't connect, and a second later their blades were tangled together.

Lightning tried to disengage and get her weapon free, but the Pulse l'Cie was pressing the assault too hard. Their blades grappled, and she stumbled backwards in an effort to keep her feet under her as she looked for an opening to get the action back under control.

The Pulse l'Cie split her spear, driving in another flurry of blows, and Lightning saw her chance. She took one glancing strike on her arm and another in the armor at her side, but she got her gunblade free. Its new, lighter blade wasn't much fun on defense, but her riposte cut across the Pulse l'Cie's leg so easily that even Lightning was surprised. That finally broke the assault, and got them both time to breathe.

For a second, they just watched each other. Neither wound had cut deep, and Lightning still seemed to have good use of her arm. The Pulse l'Cie had a little grin on her face, like she was actually enjoying this. But the look passed quick, replaced by a hunter's deadly focus that told Lightning their break was over.

Aiming to get the initiative, Lightning charged first. She aimed a strike at the l'Cie's injured side, but found the spear aimed square at her chest before she could get in good range and shifted course to parry instead. After a couple futile blows, she jumped back and converted her weapon, but the target retreated into her defensive stance, and Lightning's shot glanced off her shoulder with barely a scratch.

While they sized each other up, Lightning found herself getting annoyed. Where was this power to face any enemy that Raines had promised? She felt lighter on her feet, and the spear wound didn't look or feel quite as bad as it should, but the Pulse l'Cie clearly still had an edge. How was this supposed to help her beat an enemy who could become invulnerable whenever she wanted?

A spark ran down her weapon as she extended the blade again, and its manadrive unit took on a blue-white glow. The Pulse l'Cie charged again, swinging her spear in a vicious arc aimed at Lightning's waist, but Lightning had time to bring her gunblade around and meet it. When the blades collided, an electric shock exploded outward and caught the Pulse l'Cie, who recoiled with a jolt and an exclamation of surprise.

It was the first time Lightning remembered seeing her actually caught off guard, so it wasn't an opportunity to let go. She struck again, and another shock drove the Pulse l'Cie back on her heels. But her next strike missed, as the Pulse l'Cie sidestepped and lashed out in a blow that nearly caught Lightning's neck.

Parrying the attack left Lightning's gunblade too high and wide for another strike, and the Pulse l'Cie had her spear well in control. Lightning jumped back to avoid the next blow, but she couldn't afford to lose the initiative again.

She felt a crackle of energy building in her chest as she put out her hand. The air seemed to break apart, resolved into a white-hot arc that shot straight out from her palm and caught the Pulse l'Cie right in the chest.

For a second, they both stood frozen, and there was a look of total shock on the other woman's face.

"You're a l'Cie," she said.

Lightning was so surprised herself that she completely failed to take advantage of the moment. And when the Pulse l'Cie attacked again, it was like she'd been possessed. Her blows came with a sort of manic rage that went beyond anything Lightning had faced before. A hard, lateral strike from the spear deflected her gunblade, and another caught her in the ribs with a blow that jabbed through her armor and stung.

Trying to get distance, Lightning struck the Pulse l'Cie's shoulder with the palm of her free hand, pushing away as a burst of flame erupted from her to envelop her opponent in half a second of inferno.

As they caught their breath, the Pulse l'Cie gave her a kind of searching look. "You weren't one before. You're tougher this time, I can tell. But you think all that power's going to give you the edge?"

While she knew better than to let the enemy's words get to her, Lightning also suspected that they both knew the answer. Combat seemed to come naturally to the Pulse l'Cie in a way that Lightning's training didn't quite make up for, and she was just now trying out her powers for the first time.

On the other hand, that meant she still didn't know just how strong she was now.

"One way to find out," she said.

They clashed again, another bolt sparking from Lightning's blade. The Pulse l'Cie feinted a step back and made a vicious swing at Lightning's neck, but Lightning anticipated the move just in time to duck under the blades. With the Pulse l'Cie thrown off balance, Lightning took a hard swing at her legs, but she jumped over the gunblade and made a spin that brought her spear back to bear just in time for Lightning's next strike.

Both of them were learning to read the other's moves, Lightning realized. The Pulse l'Cie's spear gave her an edge on reach, but Lightning's magic seemed to be keeping her off balance. Lightning just had to close the distance.

After the next strike sent a fresh electric spark between them, the spear dropped just a little too far, and Lightning took the opening despite the sense that she was getting baited. Just as she swung at the Pulse l'Cie's side, she saw the spear split and the far end drive up at the inside of her arm. She had maybe an instant to evade and try to minimize the damage, but instead she put her shoulder into the blow while she still had a good one.

They both hit their marks. The Pulse l'Cie's spear caught Lightning just above the elbow, and Lightning's blade bit into skin just below the Pulse l'Cie's ribs.

Every nerve in the upper half of Lightning's arm was screaming at her as she pulled away. She couldn't feel the lower half at all. Her hand just flopped against her gear pack as she fumbled for a potion, and even though the Pulse l'Cie was clutching at her side as she fell back on the defensive, it was pretty clear who had gotten the worst of the exchange.

"What's your Focus?" Lightning asked, as she finally got a potion on the wound. "What are you here for?"

The Pulse l'Cie made kind of a sad laugh. "Sorry," she said. "Believe it or not, I couldn't tell you that either."

Lightning shook her head. It wasn't like the answer mattered, and she'd only asked to buy time. But there had been something in the other woman's voice.

The Pulse l'Cie's wound had closed as well. She favored her other side when she made her next charge, but not as strongly as Lightning had to avoid her weak arm. One blow caught Lightning's shoulder guard, and another sliced at the uniform above her stomach. When the spear split again, Lightning disengaged, jumping back as she retracted the blade, but her off hand was too weak to steady the weapon and her shot barely grazed the Pulse l'Cie's leg.

It was an obvious opening, and the Pulse l'Cie charged right in, stabbing with as much force as ever. Lightning deflected the blows, barely, but she couldn't disengage, or get time to think, and her enemy showed all the confidence of someone who knew she had the upper hand.

Without a chance to get distance, Lightning decided to close in. She caught one set of the spear's blades with her gunblade, and when the Pulse l'Cie split the weapon to stab her with the other, she grappled with her instead. Still weak from her wounded arm, she couldn't hold on long, but she got the second she needed to send an electric bolt straight into the Pulse l'Cie's wrist.

The enemy grunted, and her grip on her spear loosened for a second, but Lightning couldn't get position to press the edge. Instead, the Pulse l'Cie lashed out, knocking her forehead against Lightning's, hard enough that Lightning saw spots as they stumbled apart.

The Pulse l'Cie combined her spear again, drove it at Lightning's side, and Lightning's senses were just a little too dulled to block it. The weapon caught her between the ribs, in almost the exact same spot the Pulse l'Cie had stabbed her in their first encounter, and the pain flared across her whole side.

Lightning could barely lift her gunblade, but the ache in her chest was flaring like mad. She sent another electric bolt into the Pulse l'Cie, and another, and finally they both stepped back.

They both needed a second to get their bearings. The Pulse l'Cie swung her spear back to the ready and started circling around to Lightning's injured side. Lightning managed to get a potion on her wound, and tightened her grip on the gunblade.

Brilliant white light speared down on them through the holes in the ceiling.

"Hostile located!" said a distant voice, echoing from someplace far above. "Targeting Pulse l'Cie. Engage at will!"

Both of them froze.

"What?" asked the Pulse l'Cie, looking up with an understandably wary expression.

Lightning wasn't less surprised, but she could guess an answer. Even from the distance, the words had carried the signature tone that came from a Sanctum loudspeaker.

"Firing main cannon!" said the voice.

Lightning jumped back. The Pulse l'Cie retreated into her defensive stance. And a huge blast of energy from above ripped through the space between them.

The shot felt like an earthquake shaking the floor. Lightning scrambled back up to the balcony where she'd entered the room as she saw cracks appear in the tiles around her. The giant metal chandelier, dislodged from what was left of the ceiling, came smashing down through the center of the room. The side walls were crumbling as well, and a second later Lightning felt the floor shifting under her as the whole place started to collapse.

Before she could retreat up the stairs, they were breaking apart behind her. The statues on either side of the balcony lolled forward as if nodding off, before collapsing into the ravine that was opening up below her where the floor had been a moment earlier. The balcony itself seemed to be following them down, skidding against the valley walls and threatening to tip over and drop her into the chasm as well, and the best she could do was brace a foot against the railing and count on her balance.

After a few rough seconds, the balcony ground to a halt, wedged between two rocky outcrops as a threatening crack ran almost straight down its middle. Most of the rest of the room was gone.

When Lightning was sure enough of her own footing, she looked around. She could still see much of the structure hanging on above her, although dust and chunks of the ruin were still raining down into the ravine.

In the air above, just visible through the newly made hole, a floodlight shone down from the Sanctum skytank that had just caused all this mess.

Half of the balcony on the far side of the room was gone now, but the other half had stayed intact and now stood a good twenty meters above her. She saw the Pulse l'Cie still up there, resting her spear on the broken ledge.

There was no way across the chasm, and it was both too wide and too high to jump, so for a moment they just stared at each other. Lightning retracted the sword on her gunblade and took aim with the weapon, but she knew there was no point in pulling the trigger beyond making her feel a bit better.

After a second or two, the Pulse l'Cie straightened, raising the spear to rest on her shoulders. It didn't exactly look like a taunt, but clearly signaled that she knew the action was over. "So what are you after, Cocoon l'Cie?" she asked, voice echoing down across the ravine. "What's your Focus?"

Lightning held her in the gunblade's sights for another moment, daring her to come down for another round but guessing it wouldn't happen.

"You are," she said.

The Pulse l'Cie looked taken aback for a second, though it was difficult to tell from a distance. Then she took a step backward from the ledge, and the blades of her spear folded away as she slung it behind her back and disappeared from Lightning's view.