Shattering the Water's Surface

I can't put my finger on it, but... Something about this city reminds me of home. I mean, my hometown is little more than a puny backwater town by comparison, but...still.

Does somewhere like this make you feel homesick, Yuna?

N-No, it wouldn't do for me to allow myself the distraction of nostalgia when I have yet to accomplish my mission.

Undoing the seal that the sun spirits placed on your powers, right? Good for you, being so focused.

Th-Thank you, but I... Still have no idea where I should start.

And how would I? I can't even do the simplest things right...

Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You made it rain when you thought you couldn't, didn't you?

I-I suppose so, but I, um, I don't really remember much of it.

(Considering how out of it she was I guess that's not surprising.)

Kyaaah!

Whoa! Made me jump there. What was that noise?

Oh...Oh, no! The Mizu Mirror Grandmother gave me!

I-I-It's broken! How will it bring me good luck now?! Without it I can't...I...I...!

More importantly, careful with those shards! Don't hurt yourse...

What the? How'd it get so cloudly all of a sudden?

Don't tell me it has something to do with Yuna's mood? That can't be right, can it?

Grandmother, I'm so very, very sorry... I must be the worst spirit medium there ever was!

Hey now, that's not true. It's like they say, "You're your own biggest critic"...

The sky's darkened again. It might be stranger than fiction but her emotions must be influencing the weather somehow. That means if I don't cheer her up the entire city of Acteul could be swallowed by a fierce rainstorm!

Why don't we see if we can fix your mirror? Would that make you feel better?

B-B-But I wouldn't want to...u-um, to inconvenience you more than I already...

It's no trouble at all, promise! Come on. Let's go ask the blacksmith if he can fix your mirror for you!

O-Oh, well, um, yes please! If you don't mind!

Um, excuse me, sir. Do you think you could fix this?

All right, lemme see...

Well, the damage ain't too heavy. If you ain't in a hurry I can fix it.

I can wait! Yes, please do!

Ouch! What the heck is this?! I can't touch the damn thing.

What? That's odd. I've never had any trouble holding it.

Looks like I can't touch it either.

I reckon that thing's packin' some sorta magic that so only you can touch it. That kinda stuff ain't in my vocation. Sorry but I can't help you.

...Oh.

Wouldja look at those rainclouds comin' in! I swear, the weather's havin' an identity crisis today, all bright one minute and gloomy the next. Hah!

H-Hah hah! Hah! Right! Good one! Gotta think fast... Someone who knows about magic...

I know! Let's try asking my friend in Palsifal Palace for help.

Pal...Palsifal Palace?

That's right. She really knows her stuff when it comes to these sorts of things. She even helped me with Ogre Rancorem so I'm sure she can help you with your mirror too.

W-Well, that does sound promising. All right, Aldo, let's pay her a visit!

Oh, Aldo. Trouble with your sword again?

Not this time, Ratchett. Could you take a look at Yuna's Mizu Mirror?

I-If it's not too much trouble.

Oh my, the glass is really in pieces.

Ah?!

The enchantment is powerful. Incredibly powerful. Where did you get this?

U-Um, my grandmother gave it to me. She said it was a protective charm of sorts.

A "protective" charm?

Right. Because of it no-one except for Yuna can touch it. And that's made trying to fix it difficult. Is there anything you can do to help?

I should think so. It's entirely possible to fix the mirror without removing its enchantment.

Really?!

A few materials are all you need to fix it. One of them is a magical stone that is usually hard to come by but I'm sure you could find one somewhere in the Man-eating Marsh.

No problem. We'll go get it right away.

Thank you, Aldo! I...I'm so relieved. Truthfully, I don't know what I'd do without my Mizu Mirror.

By the way, when your grandmother gave you that mirror did she happen to say anything else about it?

Anything else? No, I don't think so.

Really? Hmm. If you say so. I was just wondering, is all.

Any other questions before we head out, Ratchett?

No, that's it, thank you. All right, be careful out there.

Come, Aldo. Let's hurry to the Man-eating Marsh!

We're looking for a "magical stone," right? In hindsight that's a really broad descriptor, but I don't see anything even remotely like it here.

What about that one there? I'm somewhat confident that's it. I can feel a mysterious energy radiating from inside it.

I can't believe I walked right past it! That's amazing, Yuna!

I-It is?! But, I mean, I-I-I didn't really do anything all that impressive...

You did something that I couldn't and I was impressed. I think you should be acknowledged for that. Don't you?

Aldo! You flatter me, you really do.

O-Oh, I shouldn't allow the glow of praise to cloud my focus. Let's deliver this stone to Ratchett.

Aaaah! I'm sorry! I'll never think so highly of myself again!

Where did these guys come from? Were they drawn to the stone because of its magic energy? I guess it doesn't matter. Out of our way, you!

*sigh* I suppose this is it, then. My mirror has lost its protective properties. That's why we were attacked by monsters. It must be.

Don't worry about that. We have the stone now, don't we? If the protection's gone this'll bring it back. Come on, let's go back to Palsifal Palace.

Welcome back, you two. I discovered something rather interesting while you were away. The mirror appears to have been concealing a letter of some kind.

A...A letter?

You can read it while I'm repairing your Mizu Mirror. It'll take some time to fix so peruse it at your leisure.

Thanks, Ratchett. Here's the stone.

Perfect. Well then, excuse me.

I've no clue what to expect, but here goes...

That's it.

...Oh, Yuna.

I destroyed our home? Th-That can't be right!

I'm sorry, Yuna. There's no doubt that the enchantment on your mirror is binding, not protective. I think that really is the truth.

B-But...Miss Ratchett, does that mean I'm dangerous? It must do, must it not? That's why my village sent me away! They're...They're casting me out until I'm no longer a risk to their safety!

I know you must be very upset, naturally, but I'm positive that your people don't feel as badly about you as you think they do. If they did they'd never bother with telling you the truth. Maybe they just didn't know the best way to go about it.

The path forward from here is easy. Keep the mirror on your person at all times. Search for a way to further restrain your power. See? It's not so bad.

Ratchett's right. But don't worry. I won't let you do this alone.

I appreciate the offer, Aldo. I truly, sincerely do. But for now I think I need some space. I'm going outside for some fresh air.

W-Wait a second, !

Aldo. A moment, if you would.

Oh, what's wrong?

I'll speak frankly. That mirror? I don't think it'll hold out much longer.

What? What's that supposed to mean?!

I hope I'm wrong, I really do. But the magnitude of her powers is starting to overtake that of the seal. She'll be fine for the time being, but if she can't find a more permanent solution soon, well...

Okay, so we'll just make a new seal. That should do for now, right?

A binding effective enough to conceal her strength isn't easy to make. Not to mention it'd take far too long. By the time it was finished she could already be dead.

It's...It's that serious?

Yes. Her powers are simply too great. Next time she loses control it might just be more than her body can handle.

But as long as Yuna finds a way to control her powers she'll be okay, right? So that's what we'll do. We'll find a way. We have to!

I will do all that I can to help find one too. But time is almost certainly not on our side. You must make sure that she avoids using her power both purposefully and accidentally. That might buy us a little more time.

I will. I swear it.

Then there's the matter of whether she should be made aware of this or not.

It's better if she doesn't know. For now, anyway.

I still don't have the faintest idea how I'm supposed to control my power. Even more so now without my beloved Mizu Mirror.

And how ironic that all this time its aid has only weakened my ability to exercise control without it. Someone... Anyone... Help... What should I do?