Beneath the Temple there was no sound. Not really, not at first. Only the echoes of his own breath as he rode the elevator down, the distant<i>plink</i>of water falling, and perhaps more in his imagination than reality the distant rumbles of a battle he could not yet fight. The silence made for a haunting scene in the privacy of his own mind. Ethan closed his eyes and breathed. They would be fine. Amal was a talented mage, and Chiron could protect her. And the other woman--her magic had been just like Amal's. Surely she was the black mage of Besaid. There had to be others, too, other people willing to fight. All he needed was time. Just a little time.<br/><br/>Chiron groaned as the wound on his shoulder closed itself, the potion he'd downed working its magic. He felt groggy and a bit disoriented, though he seemed to find his memories intact. Based on what he knew of this creature that was a luck unto itself. He looked over at Harris with a grimace. "As pleased as I am feeling to see you with us, I fear it is only to see our defeat, my friend." He looked back at the fight and tried to stand, but his shoulder wasn't quite through healing yet.<br/><br/>"P-please, don't move!" a small voice said, and he looked to his other side to find a young woman with brown hair and a staff standing there, charging energy along the tool.<br/><br/>"Child, go inside, it is dangerous out here," he chided, but she ignored him and put the flower-shaped head of her staff over his arm. Light bloomed, gentle and warm, and he felt the pain recede from the limb entirely. His eyes widened. "<i>Gamo!</i>You are a mage too, then? My thanks, little sister!" He grinned back at Harris and flexed his shoulder. "I am well again, my friend! Now, help Chiron, eh? Use your eyes, good Harris, help me find my sword, that I may aid our comrades!"<br/><br/>"Hup!" The blitzball flew true, pinging between the Sinspawn's two bulbous eyes, and it staggered backward, roaring and pawing at the suddenly darkness-shrouded orbs. "Relax, Lu, I got this, ya?" He turned to help Amal to her feet and gave her arm a pat. "Might wanna consider fallin' back, we got this!" He wasn't so sure they did, though. He could see it in the others--Chappu was a brilliant warrior, but his strength was flagging, and even Lulu was diminished for all her skill. They had burned it in half a dozen places, patches of scorched flesh covering the beast like a quilt, but it had barely slowed down. They couldn't seem to do any real damage to it. Blind as it was, they had bought some time, but only a little.<br/><br/>The doors to the temple burst open and Ethan staggered out, falling to one knee, clutching his lance tightly in one hand. The young white mage gasped and rushed over to him, but he held up his hand. "No, little one. Save your energy. There are those in far greater need than I." He forced himself upright, through the haze of exhaustion that threatened the edges of his vision with darkness. He could see the Sinspawn, and that was all he needed to see. He took a deep breath and began to walk, the Hymn of the Fayth still echoing in his mind. He could see Harris and Chiron, heard the warrior ask him where he had fled, but he had no energy to answer them. Time seemed to slow as he walked out beneath the open sky, bereft of clouds but full of smoke. Ethan took his lance in both hands and spun it, the sphere on the end glowing brightly and etching a line in the air as it went.<br/><br/>He channeled that power down into the blade and let it touch the ground, rocks and pebbles floating in the air in the wake of it as he dragged it behind him. He spun once, creating a circle, and then kept moving, executing a complex series of steps and spins, each motion leaving a fresh line in the soil. He felt the power building in him, around him, above him, and the sky darkened as he embraced the power of the Summoner. "Heed my call, O Walker of the Winds. I summon thee, Valefor!"<br/><br/>Four bright lights shot skyward from his circle and met in the air a hundred feet above him, and a creature emerged from the point that they met, all angles and pointed tips and ferocity. It landed before Ethan with a rumble and a low growl, inspecting him with one burning eye. He met Valefor's gaze without flinching and stood to his full height. "Help us," he asked softly. "Please."<br/><br/>The Aeon eyed him a moment longer before it threw its head back and let loose a shrill cry. It took off with a mighty sweep of its wings, and Ethan turned, finding himself invigorated. "Get back, all of you! Give Valefor room!" he called to the fighters, and they were quick to oblige, the younger man with the sword scooping Amal up over one shoulder to run clear of the battle. The Sinspawn's eyes, finally clear of the darkness, were locked on Valefor, and as it flew in a broad circle several scales were launched toward the Aeon like missiles. She spun in midair and uttered her cry again, each one burning to ash as they sailed past her.<br/><br/>Valefor turned sharply once they were burnt away, claws extending, and she slammed full-force into the Sinspawn, knocking it down onto its back. The fiend roared in fury and struggled, thick limbs swiping at the Aeon, but it kept its head back and clear of the blows. Light billowed along its throat and through its feathers, glowing a bright white that filled its beak and eyes with radiant energy. The Sinspawn roared again and at the same time Valefor's own mouth opened, a tight-knit beam of pure power blasting down and into the creature's open maw. The roar pitched high, becoming more of a shrill, panicked shriek, and cracks began to form across the Sinspawn's surface.<br/><br/>Each scale burnt away as the attack seared it from the inside out, and the monster convulsed as it was destroyed. With a final wheezing cry it sagged down against the dirt, pyreflies radiating from it as it finally died, unleashing a massive cloud around the Aeon. In moments Valefor stood triumphant, wings spread wide, and she threw her head back to give a loud victory cry before launching skyward again, ascending rapidly, wings tucked against her body--and then she was gone.<br/><br/>Ethan stayed on his feet for a moment longer before he went to his knees, lance falling from nerveless fingers. "It's okay now," he whispered. "It's safe now." And then he collapsed flat on his face and blacked out entirely.