"Yunalesca was the one who invented the religion. She taught us how to do a pilgrimage and summon the Final Aeon... And I can't believe a thousand years of the church does not know this."

"Okay, revision to my previous statement: it's possible that not every single member of the church is a terrible, horrible human being." Pause. "But."

"I'm technically a member of the church, so that is indeed true."

"… By being a guardian, am I part of it too, or?"

"More-or-less. The status is fuzzier, there. You're technically, ah, 'mine,' in a certain sense. I'm responsible for you."

Theo raises an eyebrow. "Huh."

"Anyway, go on."

"So then I left Sin – did I mention that? Through the sphere of light, came out the side again as… sort of… expected… and then I managed to find other-Zanarkand."

"So it really is an actual, physical place somewhere."

"And not," Lulu observes, "the same Zanarkand at the end of the pilgrimage."

"Nope. That one had a bunch of replayed scenarios of summoners and guardians, instead, was lots of fun."

"—what?"

"Why don't you stick to linear storytelling."

"Kay, sure, next time I'll just say 'oh yeah I'll get to that in a bit'." Eyeroll. "So there was other-Zanarkand and there were lots of people and it was… very large and technologically advanced."

"A city that never sleeps..."

"It was… sorta like being in a big mortal city, yeah, from back home."

He nods.

"Did you find my team there?"

"… People were missing. Anyone I knew from there wasn't – like, nobody knew about you, at all?"

"...huh? What do you mean, didn't know me?"

"I mean there seemed to be a suspicious lack of knowledge of you or your father or the recent attack or anything."

"What! But—Sin destroyed almost all of Zanarkand! Auron, you saw it!"

"Hm."

"Hm?"

"I did see it, yes."