50 minutes
What was projected was nothing other than that festival which had been an induction ceremony for the Sanctum's Primarch. It wasn't the first time he had seen footage of the ceremony. Nor was it the first time he had seen Cid Raines as the new Primarch.
After he pulled the wool over PSICOM's eyes and escaped from his home, he had always been sheltered by the Cavalry, so he also knew how shocked the soldiers were upon seeing that footage.
“When you have a complete overview like this, it's clear that there had been some behind-the-scenes string pulling. Why had Raines vanished from before our eyes? Why had he re-appeared at a time like that? Why of all things had he been given the title of Primarch?”
He had heard that Raines resurfaced right after the downfall of Barthandelus. Of course they couldn't let a civilian on the frontline command ship, Lindblum, so Bartholomew had been assigned to a detachment. But, nevertheless, news of the main unit had travelled there. In regards to the disappearance of Raines, at first it was thought to be a kidnapping by PSICOM.
The time Hope and the others spent wandering Gran Pulse in search for answers, was also the time Rygdea and company searched desperately for Raines's whereabouts. And both search efforts ended fruitlessly...
P154-155
Following the footage of the l'Cies storming the ceremony grounds, there was video of herds of Pulsian monsters. Eden was being destroyed. It was almost like a scene from the end of the world.
“The monsters appearing in Eden was a deed done by Barthandelus. So was the resurrection of Cid Raines.”
Only a fal'Cie could turn Raines back from a crystal.
“At the time, we didn't know Raines had been a l'Cie, or what had transpired at the Ark.”
The Raines who had always insisted on overthrowing the Sanctum had appeared as none other than the Primarch. Between Galenth Dysley's disappearance and the accompanying cover-up, there had been a void which was by no means short. What had happened during that void?
“No matter how you looked at it, it looked like betrayal. It made my blood boil.”
It wasn't just Rygdea. All of the soldiers felt despair and rage. They had idolized Raines just that much.
“In that aspect we were used by the fal'Cie.”
The deeper the trust, the more violent the anger towards being betrayed. Presuming that Raines had been the mastermind, they issued a coup d'etat.
“‘No, I'm not up for blaming the fal'Cie for something you've done.' I shot Raines with my own two hands.”
His eyes looked dark. So long as you were a soldier, there is always the possibility that you have to take someone's life as part of a mission. Rygdea wasn't the type of man who would join the military without being prepared for that. It was probably only that it was something he couldn't forgive himself. It was the fact that it wasn't a mission, or a decision based on careful consideration, but that he fired out of rage. It was that very fact.
That's probably why he seemed strange when everything had ended and they reunited. Something that should have been there until then had disappeared from Rygdea's eyes.
“‘Shoot me', he said. Without much consideration for what those words meant, I shot him.”
“Raines had probably known that. As long as there were fal'Cie, l'Cie would only be used to their advantage. Whether they became crystals or Cie'th. That's why...”
“You're right. I guess I'll just leave it at that.”
Suddenly, the footage of Eden had ended, and only the voice continued.
“PSICOM is heading for destruction. It looks like I have quite a few subordinates who could still fight, but because communications are down, the chain of command has broken down and we're no longer operational. It seems my day of reckoning has arrived... With this, I end my record of the upheaval surrounding the Pulse l'Cies.
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