Episode Zero: Chapter Six

In the darkness she heard a voice. It said “l’Cie”. It was a voice that sounded as if it would disappear in an instant.
“Why....”
This was a different voice, a clearer voice.
“Why did you choose someone from Cocoon?”
Who was talking? What were they talking about? She wanted to ask “Who are you?”, but she found she couldn’t speak. Nor could she open her eyes or move her fingertips. She couldn’t move at all. She felt like she was floating. What is happening? she wondered. Just as she thought that, the darkness became deeper. Without even thinking to fight it, she sank back down into unconsciousness.


She felt warmth on her eyelids. Opening her eyes, she saw blue sky above her. Not only the sky, but the outside of the ruins. How she came to be outside, laying on the ground, was a mystery. Timidly, she tried raising her right hand. She could move it. So she tried her left hand. Oh good, she thought, I can move both hands.
She slowly lifted herself up, but got a bit dizzy. With both hands against the ground propping herself up, she sat for a moment.
What just happened? she thought. I was walking around the ruins. And then? Then I saw that an entrance was open, so I went inside. And then? Then there were many stairs that I climbed, up and up, deep into the ruins.... I saw a large crystal. And then a pure white light. After that I can’t remember anything. As if that light burned it all away. What happened? What was that light?
“Why did you choose someone from Cocoon?”
She remembered that voice. Was that a dream? Probably. She had been flickering in and out of consciousness, and there hadn’t been any sign of humans in the ruins. But before she lost consciousness, that strange thing she saw. No, not strange. Horrible, repulsive. It’s name... no. No, it was a dream. It was a horrible nightmare.
But, Serah thought. If I am here, then that means that someone has to have been inside the ruins. I was unconscious, someone had to be there to carry me out. She searched her memory.
There was one other thing she had heard. Yes, “l’Cie”. L’Cie? That l’Cie? No, Serah shook her head. The l’Cies are nothing but an old story. More like a fairytale or a legend.
There was a dull throb from deep inside her head. When she fell she probably had hit something. She wondered whether she had gotten hurt anywhere else. She moved her legs, but they didn’t hurt. She raised her head, but did not get dizzy again. Holding on to the outside of the ruins she pulled herself up. Her legs shook a bit, but she could stand.
She wasn’t injured. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then her eyes fell on the black dirt covering her left arm.
Ugh, she thought, turning to look.
“What, what is this?”
She had a black pattern covering her upper arm. It was too elaborate to have been drawn on as a prank, but it was different from the tattoo that Lebreau had on her shoulder.
“I hope I’ll be able to wash it off. If I can’t... what’ll I do if I can’t?”
She touched it with her fingertips, and started. She had seen this pattern before. It was a complex pattern made up of many arrows. The pattern on her arm wasn’t exactly the same, but it was similar. Yes, yes she had seen it several times before in the ruins, the same one she had seen in that red light....
“Oh!”
Serah said softly. She had just remembered. When she had first seen the pattern in the ruins, she thought she had seen it somewhere before. Yes, she had definitely seen it before. A long time ago, from something she had borrowed from the library.
A long time ago, when enemies were sent from Pulse to attack Cocoon, the fal’Cie of Cocoon changed humans into l’Cie, making them it’s servants and giving them special powers. The l’Cie fought to protect Cocoon. It was written in the records of the War of Revelations.
The fal’Cie of Pulse also created l’Cie from the barbarians, and sent them to Cocoon. It was on that page she saw the pattern, the same pattern that was now on her arm. Below it, it had said “The Mark of l’Cie - Pulse - Reproduction”.
“I’m a l’Cie?”
A l’Cie of Pulse.
“No. No that can’t be.”
This was just some cruel joke. Some joke from that voice she had heard in the ruins.
“Why did you choose someone from Cocoon?”
Her heart skipped a beat. Those words. It was like they were saying, “You wouldn’t normally choose someone from Cocoon.” And that means, there must be people outside of Cocoon.
“In Pulse....?”
Of course. The ruins came from Pulse. That voice had been saying, “Why did you choose someone from Cocoon when you would normally choose someone from Pulse?” The voice saw nothing strange about the “choosing”. Which meant, they knew that place is where l’Cie are chosen. And the one who chooses the l’Cie is the fal’Cie.
Which means...
“Pulse’s fal’Cie is inside the ruins?”
Now everything make sense. The crystal particles in the air, the huge crystal she saw before losing consciousness... If the fal’Cie was there it all makes sense. Serah saw the fal’Cie, which made her into a l’Cie. From the fal’Cie of Pulse, the one who brings disaster on the people of Cocoon.
The l’Cie chosen by Cocoon’s fal’Cie were “Holy Servants”, but the ones from Pulse’s fal’Cie were “Pawns of the Devil”, and enemies of Cocoon.
“Am I? No. No it has to be a lie. It can’t be...”
Serah rubbed at the black mark on her arm til it hurt. It didn’t come off.
“This is just some horrible joke!”
She rubbed at her arm harder. She started. The black mark was changing. It wasn’t coming off, but the shape and color changed.
“No way...”
It wasn’t just something scribbled on her arm. It was engraved.
“No, no, no, I don’t want this.”
She held her knees up to her chin. No, this can’t be. It’s just some stupid mistake. She tried to convince herself, but every time she would see the mark on her arm she’d lose hope. She couldn’t deny what she knew. It would have been easier if she had known nothing.
“Snow... Lightning... I’m scared.”
It wasn’t cold, but her shoulders shook. The tears rolled down her face.
“Help me. Snow...”
She only cried for a moment. Snow will come back soon, she thought. I don’t want him to see me like this. This horrible mark. Now that I’m a danger to Cocoon.
She calmed her shaking legs, and stood. I have to leave here, she thought, now. Before Snow comes back. It was only that thought that kept her moving.