She felt his presence before she saw him and he was right where they had last met, she recalled.
Leisurely on the throne of Etro, as if he belonged there, sat Caius Ballad.
Shrouded in wisps of darkness, he looked different for reasons she couldn’t explain. Perhaps it was the heart of chaos missing, perhaps it was the fact his merging with chaos itself had changed him or perhaps it was an entirely different reason.
Despite 500 years of not seeing him, she gripped her blade tighter, eyes alert and body tense in preparation, after all, if she knew one thing in this strange new world she was destined to save, it was him. Countless of endless fights at the shores of Valhalla created a deeper understanding of one another than she would have gotten had she met him under normal circumstances, not that she wanted to dwell on that possibility too long.
His gaze seemed tranquil, dark eyes taking in her form, particularly her apparel and her new sword, no longer blessed with the divine powers as Etro’s champion.
His voice was the same as all those years ago, but Lightning swore there was something different about it, “I suppose I should call you Bhunivelze’s champion now or was it Liberator?” his smirk, that familiar smirk, offered a strange source of something akin to comfort in the strange world she had been thrust into after her 500 year sleep in crystal statis.
She huffed, falling back into their age-old familiar banter before battle, “Whatever you call me, it won’t change my focus.”
500 years ago, amusement would have lighted the warrior’s eyes, but now they were dark, guarded, “Ah, yes, your focus.” His gaze met hers again, “That’s why you are here.”
She was right to assume his senses hadn’t dulled the slightest during her crystal sleep, nor his combat abilities, for in one second he was still sitting sprawled on the throne and in the next, she felt his presence directly behind her.
This was usually how they started one of their stalemates and her body reacted out of pure instinct and the familiarity of it all, feet bracing firmly on the floor and arms and body pivoting to swing her blade back.
She was surprised when her blade met thin air, when the familiar metallic ring didn’t sound in her ears when her sword clashed with his in a stalemate.
She staggered slightly, quickly composing herself to turn around, watching the small smirk play on the man’s lips, now in front of her.
“That again? I suppose it’s been a long time.” she thought his sword would manifest at any given moment, but it did not and his intentions confused her more than anything. “These aren’t the timeless shores of Valhalla, Warrior Goddess, I will not fight you here.”
You know I never noticed how they paralleled one another. Like I knew that Caius’ devotion to Yeul was similar to the way Lightning felt about Serah, but I didn’t make the connection that they would both burn the world down for their sister/ward.
I imagine they saw a lot of themselves in one another as they were fighting.
It kind of makes you wonder what would have happened if Lightning and Caius had joined sides at any point in the second game or the final game. I kind of imagine something similar to Legolas and Gimli in Lord of the Rings. In that they would make it a competition and end up incredibly invested in one another.
FFXIII-2 is so beautiful on PC. The colors and details are so enhanced. I feel like PS3 really muted a lot of things. And the improvement is honestly making me a little emotional.
I always thought Noel’s hair was brown but it looks black in the game. And I am just blown away by all of the work the developers put in this game…
Caius’ behavior with the Last Yeul is really interesting to me.
With the other Yeuls that came before her, he hovers and is a constant presence; but with the last Yeul, he isn’t. He is putting plans in motion. The Last Yeul is certainly fond of him but she isn’t as attached to him as her predecessors seemed to be; she grows attached to Noel instead. So much so that she doesn’t mind that Caius doesn’t join them in the New World.
Since Lightning seemed very familiar with Caius in the opening but shocked by some of his attacks when they started fighting, I would wager that she only knew of him because he had to pass through Valhalla to lay Yeul’s soul to rest each time the girl died so that the cycle of reincarnation could continue. Lightning’s reactions and Caius’ words tell me that they hadn’t ever fought one another before the opening.
But Caius also knew of her. He called her out the second he was on shore. So, does that mean she tried to talk him out of his plan once it began to take shape? Did Lightning watch as Caius brought Yeul after Yeul to the waters of Valhalla for reincarnation?
She may not have; in fact, I am pretty sure that she didn’t. She likely just saw everything through the Eyes of Etro upon meeting the dying Goddess, but this idea is so interesting to me….and sets up some pretty nice fanfic ideas…
I have an answer! In the FF13-2 book called “Fragments After”, just as Lightning finished transforming into her Etro armour, Caius appeared before her and told her that she can come back to her family. However, Lightning refuses, which mind you, mind be one of the reasons why Caius is so fascinated by her, considering that her goal is just as big as his own, and he respects that. (Even before that, she fought him in his Bahamut form)
Ah. That’s interesting! I haven’t read them in their entirety yet. Thanks for answering!
Since Lightning seemed very familiar with Caius in the opening but shocked by some of his attacks when they started fighting, I would wager that she only knew of him because he had to pass through Valhalla to lay Yeul’s soul to rest each time the girl died so that the cycle of reincarnation could continue. Lightning’s reactions and Caius’ words tell me that they hadn’t ever fought one another before the opening.
But Caius also knew of her. He called her out the second he was on shore. So, does that mean she tried to talk him out of his plan once it began to take shape? Did Lightning watch as Caius brought Yeul after Yeul to the waters of Valhalla for reincarnation?
She may not have; in fact, I am pretty sure that she didn’t. She likely just saw everything through the Eyes of Etro upon meeting the dying Goddess, but this idea is so interesting to me….and sets up some pretty nice fanfic ideas…
Caius Vs Lightning is my last print for KupoCon : The Wee Pom !
(Also super glad I got to draw my fave version of Lightning and in my opinion, the best ‘villain’ in any FF game I ever played!…Plus he has purple hair. Instant win!)
