Life, Death, and the In-between

Covering FF10, FF7, and FF2 :) *Spoilers Ahead!!!

Summoning Souls (FF10)

 

                 More worlds were born from the Void. Hydealyn used the Magicite of the Rift to give birth to the  “5^th” Planet (FF2) in which only humans and fiend inhabit- no deities. One planet  born of pure chaos was Gaia  (FF7-8) in which Zodiark creates the powerful sorcerer-deity, Hyne to shape the world only inhabited by monsters. Hyne creates humans to do his bidding, but gives them little instruction. Hydealyn conjures up mist to create a life force for this planet and its  conscience- a deity she names, Minerva.  Minerva would provide the humans crystal spheres called, Materia.  Another world (FF10) was created using an enhanced form of magicite and orbs called, Spheres. All introduce magic into the human worlds.

                On the planet of Spira, 13 deities were created from the spheres to shape this planet: Kush, Velm, Slone, Arb, Luchel, Kanaela, Meiyou, Mikka, Gekko, Romando, Anri, Ifarnal, and Guarudo. The ancient people of this planet worshipped them and used their names to bestow great honor summoners and their guardians called, Junshin. In time, two settlements grew in opposing power; the magical city of Zanarkand and the machine city of Bevelle. Bevelle created powerful machines called, Machina that became too big a threat to the world. Zanarkand’s leader, Yu Yevon waged war on Bevelle using the summoners and assassins of his city. Bevelle created the most powerful weapon, Vegnagun. With overwhelming machine power, Zanarkand lost the war. Before their defeat, the people and summoners of Zanarkand wanted to preserve their home forever. So, they became spirits called, Fayth and started a 1,000 year dream Zanarkand. Yu Yevon’s daughter Yunalesca sacrifices her husband, Zaon. He becomes a special fayth called, The Final Aeon; an Aeon is a beasty representation/dream of the Fayth’s emotions- the Fayth whose soul is trapped in stone and merged with souls of the deities of World B.

                Yu Yevon sacrificed himself to become a being that can possess a fayth and creates armor around itself called, Sin. His only missions are to destroy any civilization that became too advanced- any place where there is too much machina and keep the fayth dreaming dream Zanarkand. 1,000 years later, Sin has  Spira caught in a spiral of death in which a summoner gives up their life to call the final Aeon and the final Aeon a person with a close bond to the summoner who also sacrifices him/herself. Yu Yevon posseses the final Aeon and Sin is reborn. Seeing no end to the cycle, a nihilistic man, Seymour Guado seeks to become Sin so he can send everyone to eternal salvation- death. To end this cycle, the Summoner Yuna and the dream from Zanarkand, Tidus defeat Seymour, Yunaleasca, the Aeons and Yu Yevon- Sin ceases to be reborn, the Aeons rest and The Dream ends.

                Two years later, the people seek to know more about the past and search for Spheres- derivatives of original sphere that hold memories in visual format. Some of these spheres tell the story of an unsent from the real Zanarkand, Shuyin. He threatens to destroy the world by re-awaken Veganagun to have his vengeance for the death of his love, Lenne during the Machina War. The battle takes place in the Fareplane; Yuna and friends are able to stop him and he finally accepts death. Noticing the immense energy from the Fareplane, a boy named Shinra seeks to harvest energy from it for machina and uses Vegnagun to do it. Over the centuries, the energy from the planet is drained and people fight over the technology. The balance of life and death is weighed in favor of death once again and old enemies awaken from the Fareplane; beckonings are performed in which the living wish for the dead roam among the living again.

                Yunalesca summons fiends to kill anyone connected to Vegnagun to end the power struggle and return the planet to the days of Zanarkand. Seymour summons even more fiends from The Rift and gains power from the dark crystal Shinryu gives him and he becomes the new Chaos. He seeks to complete his initial resolve to make an eternal kingdom of death. Yunalesca is expelled from the planet  and rests in the Rift. The remaining people reconstruct Vegnagun into OMEGA to harbor all the energy from the planet and fly away to a new one-once the end came. Not knowing this Seymour gathered up the pyreflies from the Fareplane to create his kingdom- much like dream Zanarkand. However, OMEGA carried all to another planet where their memories became part of another life force- the Lifestream of Gaia. Yunalesca- now a fiend possessed by the original OMEGA-uses the barren planet of Spira to sail the cosmos. Her only will is to kill every lifeform on the planet and use it as a new vessel to travel to another one until Shinryu is found.

 

The Lifestream’s Defense (FF7)

 

                 Some of the people from Spira had arrived to Gaia before OMEGA’s arrival using great machina called, WEAPONS. Here, they discover Materia which is similar to the spheres of Spira but they originate from the Life force of this planet, The Lifestream. The Spirans brought with them the reincarnated Aeons of the old world and the fayth of the old and new world became God and Goddesses of Gaia. Seymour-Chaos finds himself in the Lifestream where he meets Minerva. Cunning, he was able to trick Minerva into making him an established power over the people of Gaia while he searches for a way to break his bond to OMEGA. In the meantime, he makes sure the Humans stay enslaved by the Cetra who embrace magic over machine; Al-Bheds descendants who repent for Shinra’s sin. Minerva and Seymour have twins- a girl with control over light and time named Yami and a boy with control over darkness and death named Yama.

 

                Their descendants are called; Ancients and they possess unique powers like their ancestors; control/summon fiends, see visions of past and future, wield magic without materia, and commune with the dead. Yama makes himself King over the Cetra while Yama seeks to set the Humans free. Alliances form among the Aeons; on Yami side is Titan, Ramuh, Ixion, Kujata, Typhoon, Phoenix, Alexander, and Minerva while Leviathan, Odin, Hades, The Knights of the Round, and Seymour side with Yama, Bahamut,  Ifrit and Shiva don't take sides. Some of the old fayth, Valefor, Yojimbo, Anima, and the Magus Sisters stay out of the conflict and remain in stone. Meteor and Holy are created by Seymour and he turns Yama into Zirconaide. Yami is able to defeat her brother who retreats to The Void and Minerva seals Seymour-Chaos away in the protomateria.

                However, another being threatens the planet-Yunalesca arrives and she is now called, Jenova. The Cetra and Yama seal her away while the Humans hide. To punish the humans, Yama taints the Lifestream more to make it poisonous to them; in retaliation the Humans seal him away in a special Materia and scatter the pieces while also imprisoning the other summons in materia. The WEAPONS were repurposed to protect the planet from threats. The humans continue Shinra’s work and established a power company in his name. 2,000 years later, Shinra is a worldly power and creates super soldiers using Mako energy and Jenova cells.  One of these soldiers, Sephiroth is driven mad after Jenova possesses him and summons Meteor to destroy the planet. The last Cetra, Aeris summons Holy to counter his attack while an ex-SOLDIER, Cloud and company defeat Sephiroth-Jenova. Sephiroth and Jenova’s cells, however lived on in the Lifestream.

                Three years later, Deepground SOLIDERS called Tsviets wreak havoc on the world- they kill those who were infected by Geostigma (a disease caused by tainted Lifestream) and capture those who were not infected to sacrifice them to the Lifestream to make it pure. Their leader, Weiss is possessed by the Shinra mad scientist, Hojo who wants to control OMEGA. He sends the other Tsviets to force Chaos to awaken from Vincent Valentine who harbors the protomateria. Vincent was able to control Chaos, uses its power to defeat Weiss-Hojo and stops Chaos-OMEGA from absorbing all life from the planet. OMEGA’s protective bond to the planet is severed. Minerva extracts Seymour-Chaos to allow Vincent full control; she leaves the planet’s conscience in the hands of Aeris- the last Cetra-Ancient. Minerva destroys the magic Materia, cuts off access to Mako springs, and remains on Gaia with the Knights of the Round for protection, while the other summons return to the Lifestream/TheRift. Yami is given the task of watching over a new world, Blue Planet. Jenova, Seymour, and Yama travel in search of a  new world where no humans live. However, they end up on Planet R and settle there. They are faced with turmoil  and Yama decides to flee. He comes across the 5th Planet were magic is wielded by humans, but there are no summons.

 

Rebirth of a Planet (FF2)

 

                In this world there are no spheres or materia but Magicite to be used to fight off fiends. Yama is mistaken for a fiend, however, there is one human who sees the human in his soul and she falls in love with Yama. Yama receives 8 crystals from a “mysterious being” from Planet R, 4 of light and 4 of dark, who searches for a world to inhabit after the destruction of his own. Having no sympathy for the cruel humans, Yama takes his love with him to the underworld in which he makes himself king- Satan. Here, he uses the crystals to create Pandemonium (Hell) and the demons that inhabit it. They have a son who would foster a line of Emperors of the kingdom that would become Palamencia. Yama gives some of his power to the woman who can use magic without the stones as he prepares to rule over the mortal world. Longing to be in the mortal world again, the woman plans to escape the underworld with her son. She created the Jade Passage to the underworld and trap Yama-Satan in the indestructible "Stone of Iludia"; his lover, Iludia returned to the mortal world with the 8 crystals. However, demons arose from Hell  though the passage. To seal off the passage, she made some humans into mages and they created the Ultima magic. This magic became sealed away in the Ultima tome and hidden in Mysidia Tower- only to be opened with the crystal rod (holds the power of Ultima), a white (Holy) and a black mask (Meteor).

                Leviathan’s spirit is summoned and she agrees to guard the tower with the Gigas (guardians of fire, wind, water and earth) that were created by the light crystals. Eventually, Iludia finds a way to the Heavens and takes the 8 crystals with her. There, she watched over her son and his descendants. Sometime later, one of his descendants, Mateus wants more power and makes a pact to summon demonic forces into the mortal world; unbeknownst to him, Satan (Yama) would corrupt his mind so he could be used to enact his revenge on the humans who trapped him and he can rule over their world. After ascending to the throne, Mateus exiled his mother, Airu to the deserts of Palamecia, and spends her life trying to find a way to save him. Mateus builds an army of beasts from Hell. He begins attacking other kingdoms for complete power. Four teens, Firion, Maria, Guy and Leon are attacked by Palamecian Black Knight soldiers and left for dead. Firion, Maria, and Guy are rescued by Princess Hilda (impostor), who has established a rebel base. They venture on to find their friend Leon, but they set out on various missions of their own.

                They obtain a powerful metal called, mythril to forge weapons. They destroy a large enemy airship called the Deadnought and encounter a dark knight who they believe to be Leon. They seek the power of Ultima and the help from the dragoons of Deist and learn from his wife there is only one is left; Richard Highwind. His son, Kain hopes to carry on his legacy. They rescue Hilda and obtain masks and rod only to be swallowed by Leviathan. Here they find Richard. Venturing with him, they fight the Gigas guardians of Mysidia Tower. They encounter the destruction of the Kingdom of Fynn by a cyclone Mateus summons; they summon the last dragon and dragoon as defense. Inside this cyclone is a castle where they battle The Emperor Mateus and is seemingly defeated by Ultima. In reality, his soul is split into two; one went to Hell and the other Heaven. With the Emperor gone, one of his knights rises to power, Leon. He plans to destroy the rebel army for good. Returning to the castle, they confront Leon only to find that The Emperor Mateus obtained a new demonic form from Hell (Yama) and his intention is to destroy the entire world.

                Escaping the castle due to Richard’s sacrifice, it is replaced by the palace of Hell, Pandaemonium. Leon agrees to help the group seal the Emperor away. The party travels to the Jade Passage that leads to the underworld, and finds the portal to Pandaemonium, where they fight Tiamat, Astroth and Beezelbub, and defeat the Emperor who fades away. The heaven half is defeated by the dead Richard and allies. Mateaus warns them that war will not cease to exist as long as humans exist. In the end, Airu finds  the 8 "mothercrystals" which purified the land and heled to bring peace to the world. The crystals were infused with the powers of water, earth, fire, wind,  Ultima, Holy, Flare, and Meteor by mages of Mysidia; it essentially destroyed the world, however the people preserved and are drawn into the crystal and the crystal into The Rift. They are transported to another planet, the Blue Planet.  Iludia frees Satan-Yama in exchange for him restoring the souls the Emperor had taken and granting them all the ability to use magic without the stones. This world mysteriously had 8 crystals too, 4 of light and 4 of dark. Unfortunately for them, these crystals too were not created by Hydealyn or Zodiark, but by the same “mysterious being” who granted Yama his- a human of Planet R.