Chapter 1 : Revival

2 years after the Sorceress War, peace has finally been achieved between the nations, with General Caraway taking over the helm at Galbadia, its military has largely been disbanded, with resources being diverted to rebuilding the city and establishing friendly ties with its neighbours, Dollet and Timber have also reverted to quieter and peaceful cities, former resistance group coming out of hiding to lead with Galbadia loosening its iron grip over them. Esthar, under the leadership of Laguna Loire, has also cleared up much of the damage caused during the Lunar Cry incident, bringing it back to its former glory. As for Garden, it has changed its agenda from being a mercenary task force, to an elite fighting force championed with the job of maintaining world peace and settling disputes and problems happening around the globe, for a fee of course. But it seemed like for once, nothing major was going to happen…

It was early morning in Balamb Garden, the sky was dimly lit, and the compound was still barren of any students or staff, yet it was common sight to see 2 men already on the tracks doing their daily 10 km run.

'So wads in for us today? Something big? Any bosses worthy of a challenge?' the shorter of the 2 asked. With blond hair and a striking tattoo on the left side of his face, it was hard not to spot him in a crowd. Although he wasn't big and tall, he exuded and aura that made him stand out in a crowd. His upbeat personality coupled by his enthusiasm made him waiting for the next challenge. Zell hadn't changed much after the Sorceress War. To him the whole scenario had been like a big adventure loaded with non-stop action and fun. No doubt he had matured, but the boyishness was still there.

His jogging partner glanced at him for a second, his short brown hair gently swaying in the wind, his handsome features made even more striking in the soft morning light, yet there was no mistaking a scar running between his eyes across his face. Although he looked not any different from 2 years ago, Squall had changed drastically throughout the Sorceress War. Gone was the introverted loner warrior that garden once had, being the leader of a small band of fighters forced to take on the most dangerous sorceress of all time has the ability to do that. Of course there are other reasons to his change. 'Expect nothing more than a T-Rex.'

'WAD! But u promised something big?' There was great displeasure in Zell's voice, his sudden outburst disrupted his rhythmic breathing and he was reduced to coughs.

'So what were u expecting… Isn't a T-Rex big enough?' Squall tried hard not to sound irritated. Zell had always been demanding bigger and meaner monsters in the training area, but it was Squall's duty to ensure that accidents or casualties do not happen regularly. It was always hard trying to talk sense into Zell.

'Are you kidding me? We already have T-Rexes in the training area. I was expecting a Ruby or a Malboro. One of those legendary White dragons would be nice.' Zell grinned at the mention of the last monster.

Squall turned his head, his hazel brown eyes fixed on Zell. There was finality in those eyes as he said 'No, case closed.' He suddenly increased his speed and left Zell behind.

'Hey! You cheater!' It was down to the last 1 km. Rules were loser treats winner to drinks. Zell lost by seconds every time as he always mistimed when to start speeding up. Zell quickly chased after Squall, although it was as good as game over.

'I'm surprised no one ever found this place.' The little man spoke to himself. He wore a while lab coat and had small round spectacles. There was nothing spectacular about this man; in fact u would pass him of as any other scientist u have met. Yet he carried a certain aura around him that made u feel as though he knew everything, including the thoughts in your head. He walked slowly into the dark cave, all the while being flanked by his two bodyguards. They carried standard rifles fitted with high powered torch lights, wore full body armour and had infra-vision goggles for the cavern was dimly lit, with a few torches hanging by the sides of the walls. Although well armed, there was no denying the fear the soldiers felt as they approached deeper into the cave, for although they couldn't see it, they certainly could feel the darkness wrapping around their hearts, as though a powerful evil force was ripping their souls bit by bit. The little man could sense the fear from his soldiers but it didn't worry him one bit. To him, this was just like home.

As the torches along the walls came to an end, they entered a huge open space. The two soldiers turned on their torches and flashed around the cavern. The cavern was extremely huge, with large statues along its sides, which were embroiled with shiny stones; like an underground temple being built to honour the gods and warriors, it was a magnificent sight to behold. But the little man new better.

Without warning, a thunderous roar rocked the cavern. Alarm washed over the soldiers as they quickly raised their rifles frantically in search of the threat. In a flash, a large creature dropped down from high above, landing in front of the trio. The two soldiers fell to the floor as a mysterious force pushed them down, however the little man remained standing. He lifted his arms signalling his soldiers to put their guns down and walked toward the creature. The creature resembled a tiger, but it was much larger than its normal kin. Its skin was ashen white, and in place of black stripes were glowing reddish stripes that looked as though they were burning. The creature was burning as smoke rose from it, its eyes fiery red while fearsome looking fangs protruded from its mouth.

'HOW DARE YOU ENTER THIS TOMB!' The white creature bellowed. 'PREPARE FOR DEATH!'

As though not hearing the monster speak, the little man walked closer and chuckled 'Has guarding this place for so long rusted your brain till the point of not recognising me?'

As the creature slowly recognised who it was facing, it slowly backed down from its aggressive stance. 'So the time has finally come?' It asked questioningly.

'Yes yes it has, and stop being so dumb Tumbaras, you used to have a quick mind. Now bring me to my brother.' The little man said in a very matter-of-factly tone.

'Yes, my lord.' Upon hearing its name being called after what felt like an eternity, it quickly rose and led the group to the middle of the cavern.

As they reached what seemed to be the middle of the cavern, Tumbaras let out a long growl. As if setting in motion the reawakening process, the eyes of the statues by the side seemed to light up, lighting up the entire cavern. The two soldiers whom by now had regained their composure stared in awe at their current surroundings. The floor was an elaborately carved surface full of markings and symbols, and in the middle was a giant circle with the Roman numeral III written on it. Suddenly it began to turn and circular III began to rise up above the ground. Other such tombs also began to rise from the ground. Loud clanking of gears could be heard while the entire cavern shuddered, small stones falling out of place and sand falling down the seeps.

All this while, the little man laughed softly to himself. Today was a very important day, as it marked a new beginning. He looked at the being that was located inside the tomb with the numerals III on it and smiled. He hadn't seen this face for one too many years. When the tombs all rose above the ground, the little man spoke loudly so that the whole cavern was filled with his voice.

'Arise Centra warriors! Our all-important war has finally resumed!'

'I never really thought I would get out of this tomb Rosencrantz. Let alone continue the war.' The figure stepped out of the centre tomb and faced the little man. He had a round cap with 3 black feathers on it. His attire consisted of dark purple and grey cloth and was dressed in a very royally manner, but yet it was the sinister black metal fan that he carried in his hand that drew all the attention. It bore weird marks and insignia over it and would have been an excellent piece of craftsmanship had it not been a terrible killing device.

'Haha Claudius, when have I ever let you down?'

'How long has it been. 200 years?'

'Much longer. I don't remember myself, but yes it has been a very long time.'

'I didn't really enjoy my sleep in that filthy place.' A female voice caught the attention of both Claudius and Rosencrantz. It was a mesmerizing voice, fitting of the ravishing beauty that stepped forward. She had the figure to charm any man and her long silver hair made her look magical.

'Ah Ophelia, don't complain. Be happy that we have reunited.' Rosencrantz chuckled.

'I guess now that the Triumvirate is reunited, we best make our next move.' Ophelia swept off more dust on her hair.

'But our numbers are few.' Claudius looked at the warriors who were gathering around him. 'Charon, good. Ben and Bill, Munenori, Sakon. That's all I have.'

'Many were lost while protecting this tomb. It wasn't easy my brother.' Rosencrantz looked down. 'I have everything planned. But we have to move fast before the Balance comes into play. If that happens, our task will be much more difficult.'

'What about these followers of yours, they don't look very promising.' Ophelia eyed the 2 soldiers that had followed the scientist into the cave with a look of great disgust.

'Don't bother them; they do have their uses. Come, we have more important things to do.' Rosencrantz gathered the remaining warriors and told them everything.

Laguna Loire stood facing the glass plane. He was at his presidential office, the large building situated right in the middle of the powerful nation Esthar. He looked down at the government robes that he was wearing and sighed. His adventure outfit was locked in some closet back in his apartment, how he longed for some adventure like the good old days. Being a president of Esthar was never an easy task.

'Good morning Mr President. Here are some of the documents that need signing. General Cromwell reports that the hit and runs carried out by SE against our eastern naval base has increased in frequency. Senator Cespenar also reports that the new Lunar Base is now fully operational and requests more manpower being sent over. Senator Freeman also reports that the economic…'

'Its all right Jaime. I'll run through the files myself later on my com. Thx.' Laguna cut his secretary off. Listening to all these reports gave him headaches, making him wonder at times why he was here. It wasn't because he didn't give a damn about Esthar, in fact he was more patriotic to Esthar than anyone else, it's just that he didn't feel up to the job. Ruling a country just wasn't his cup of tea.

'Oh, one more thing Mr President, Headmaster Cid sent a reminder this morning about the annual Esthar-Garden summit tomorrow. He also… '

Laguna's mind lit up immediately upon hearing Garden. It meant he would be able to reunite with the gang and most importantly, he would be able to see his son, Squall. The Esthar-Garden summit was a meeting where officials from both parties would come together and discuss some of the more pressing security issues. Formed after the Sorceress War, the summit has solved some problems faced by Esthar; most worthy of mention would be solving the monster infestation problem with the Esthar Military brought about by the Lunar Cry. It was beneficial for both parties where Garden earns money through the contract while Esthar gets to solve a national crisis.

'Yes, I will be there. I'll be taking Kiros and Ward along. Maybe a few other senators too.' Laguna interrupted his secretary again. He pitied the poor girl but he just couldn't stand all the extensive details. At least she didn't have a monotonous voice.

'I'll be taking Raine there, help me inform the tech crew to have it prepped for tomorrow. Thx again Jaime.' His secretary nodded and went out his room. Laguna went back to staring out of his office. The view from his office was fabulous; one could see all of Esthar's splendour through here. The futuristic skyscrapers, the high tech vehicles, the people living in harmony, it was the epitome of humanity. Little did Laguna know that a lot of this would change in the near future.