To my body... [ Even though they've already played with the idea, that still brings up some weird implications, to say the least. Lightning's concentration is evident as she leans against the end of the couch, nearly admitting that as Serah she should still have a Brand... but distracted by various explanations she can come up by herself for its absence. ]

If the Brands aren't actually connected to the soul somehow, then that... that still means the final stages act to trap it when it gets that far.

But nobody knows what happens to a l'Cie who dies before that happens. It could still be connected. [ Sullen and just thinking aloud there. Also, a thought: if Lightning had let Sazh kill Serah, would she have just turned Cie'th anyway before getting the chance to crystallize? Would she and the others have turned if the plans to execute them had worked? ]