Hi. Been ages, I know, but life happens. I finally got back into this series, though, and besides revising this part, have completed the second chapter and am working on the third. I've beaten FF4 by now and I have come to the conclusion that there wasn't an Atma equivalent in that game. Need to replay FF5 to check that one but otherwise…*shrugs*

                I will be doing one for FFX, though. Just as soon as I actually manage to get the damn thing. That chocobo mini-game is hell, let me tell ya. Anyway. So here's the revised chap 1. No beta but hopefully I've read over this thoroughly enough that it doesn't need one. Again, I ask that you forgive any OOCness as I'm not too good at writing canon Cs.

                Again, here's a key for various thingies in here.

                "Spoken word"

                {Mind-speak}

                ~Thoughts~

                Emphasis

                Spells and special moves

                * * * Scene/time change

                ~*~*~*~ POV change

                Now that that's done with…enjoy!

                                                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~

                In the beginning, there were three goddesses: Goddess, Doom and Poltergeist. Together, They shaped the world we now know today. They created the earth, the plants, and the animals. They created the Espers--though they would be known by many other names. Summons, Guardian Forces, and Eidolons, just to name a few--and They created Doomgaze, Phunbaba and the Eight Dragons.

                This is all common knowledge. What isn't common knowledge is that there was a god who watched over these Three. His name was Atma, though people would know Him better later on by Ultima Weapon.

                Atma was the one responsible for the creation of the Weapons Emerald, Ruby, Diamond and Sapphire, which He charged with the protection of the Planet. He is the one who gifted Hyne, His beloved daughter, with the essence that a chosen few would later call Sorceress' Magic. He also created Omega Weapon, a parody of His True form.

                He guided souls to what would later become known as the Lifestream to then be reborn elsewhere on the Planet. In later years, He would create the Iifa Tree to take over this daunting task. It was He who split the planet and it was His idea to separate a small part of Himself and the Goddesses to form the Crystals that would aid in protecting the planet.

                Now that took a bit of work, since those down on the Planet seemed dead set on either destroying them or hording them away for their own personal gain. Luckily, the Heroes would arrive and set things right.

                And speaking of the Heroes...

                In addition to the Weapons, and Doomgaze, and Phunbaba and the Eight Dragons, Atma and the Goddesses also created a group of mortal souls, about a dozen or so in number, to act as protectors of the Planet. This group of mortals would appear every couple of generations, in a time when the Balance of the Planet was out of alignment and the forces of Evil become abundant once more.

                They never knew their special destiny until the time had come for them to gather and Battle the Evil. Some of the Heroes knew each other before the Battle while others were those they had just met not a day before. All of them, though, would feel a connection with each other--a kinship--when there shouldn't have been one.

                It was the goddesses' idea to give each Hero a specialized weapon. And so for each imaginable profession, a weapon was created. The most notable of them being Excalibur, a Knight's sword; the Masamune, for the Samurai; Save the Queen, a weapon that has morphed over the years from a sword to a whip then back again for the rare woman warrior; Ragnarok, another powerful Knight's sword; and the Tiger Fangs, a formidable clawed glove.

                It is from this idea that the Heroes should each have a specific weapon that Atma gained the notion to make His own blade, Atma's Weapon, or simply Atma Weapon, as it would later be known, available for the Leader to use.

                And so it was that Atma descended to the Planet to test the sixth set of Heroes to be born there, in order to see if they were indeed worthy of His blade...

                                                                                *              *              *             

                "Edgar, duck!"

                Edgar cursed under his breath as he dodged under a swipe that would have taken his head if he hadn't been for his brother's warning. He spared his twin a grateful nod before returning his attentions to the battle that he and his friends were involved in.

                He, Sabin, Terra and Shadow had found this massive beast blocking the path to where Kefka and Emperor Gestahl were with the Statues. They'd found themselves forced to fight it when it wouldn't let them pass, much to their frustration.

                The beast in question looked to be kin to the behemoths he had read about in his history books. It was at least half the size of Setzer's prized airship, the Blackjack, and a sickly blue-gray in color. The beast, which had called itself Atma Weapon, was breathing an eerie blue fire and he could feel the hairs on his arms stand on end from the sheer power the beast was exuding.

                "FLOAT!"

                Suddenly, Edgar found himself hovering several feet above the ground, thanks to Terra's thoughtful spell casting. He should have thought of it sooner, really. Atma had been casting nothing but Flares and Quakes up to that point, after all. Now if only they could find a way to keep him from casting Flare...

                "FIRE DANCE!" With this call, Sabin let loose his ki in a dizzying array of 'fire shadows', which pummeled Atma from all sides before dissipating.

                                                                                ~*~*~*~

                Atma grunted from the force of the Blitz then retaliated with yet another Flare. He had to admit, this generation of Heroes were good. From what He could see, they worked well with each other. Even the dark one--who was a loner by nature--adjusted his moves to flow with that of the others. He hated to admit it, but there was no doubt in His mind that they would defeat Him, thus earning the right to wield His blade, whether they knew it or not.

                He sensed it already in their possession and had even sensed the halfling trying to wield it once or twice when it was evident that her companions--the blonde king, the thief and the ex-General--could not handle the repressed power within it. {You have produced a strong daughter, Maduin.} He thought at the essence of the Esper He felt with the halfling.

                Despite that the Esper in question had already passed on and became magicite, it still heard and responded. {I thank you, Lord Atma. Despite the trials the Goddesses had laid out before her, my Terra has come through them stronger and I would have it no other way.} There was a pause, as if Maduin was thinking on whether or not to ask his next question. {Is she to be the one to wield Your blade, M'Lord?}

                Atma hissed in actual pain as the Bolt Edge the dark one had thrown at Him sank into His right forearm. {That she is, Maduin. She is more than worthy of wielding my blade. But she has many trials ahead of her, as do all of the Heroes.}

                {And they will be made even stronger because of them, M'Lord.}

                Atma gave a half-hearted swipe at the young king when he came in close with his chainsaw. He figured another hit or two and He would let the Heroes believe they had defeated Him. They were starting to wear out and if they were to survive what was to come shortly after this battle, He would have to end it soon.

                                                                                ~*~*~*~

                Terra frowned in concentration. She was getting ready to summon her father, the Esper Maduin, to hopefully finish the battle. She hated fighting and for some reason a part of her especially hated fighting this creature, the one who called himself Atma Weapon. It was almost as if there was some part of her deep inside that knew, just knew that this Atma Weapon was someone of great importance.

                ~But that's silly. He's just a monster like everything else on this Floating Island.~ Dodging to the side to avoid one of Atma's massive claws, she finally established the connection with her father needed to summon him.

                {Maduin, Father, please help us. Help me.} It was the same small prayer that Terra said each time she summoned her father but this time something was different. This time she got a response.

                {My darling Terra, I will always come to your aid. Mine shall be the finishing blow of this battle and afterwards, you'll be able to wield the mighty Atma Weapon.}

                Terra almost blinked in surprise; only the fact that it would have broken her concentration stopped her. {F-Father?}

                {Greetings, Terra.}

                {But...but I don't understand. You're dead. How is it that you're talking to me?}

                In her mind, Maduin gave a short laugh. {My body might have perished, dear Terra, but my essence, my soul, is still here. Now, we will have enough time to chit chat later. You have a battle to finish, I believe. Say the Words, Terra. Say them and set me free.}

                Terra nodded, just the barest movement of her head, in acknowledgement of her father's command/request. "CHAOS WING!"

                Normally, when summoning an Esper, there was a brief moment when you became one with it. It was necessary in order to make sure the Esper didn't attack/defend the wrong parties. This time, however, she became more than one with her father, as she said the Words.

                She suddenly knew, knew, without a shadow of a doubt that this creature they'd been fighting was a supreme being far more powerful than the Goddesses they were fighting so hard to protect and save. She also knew that this was just a test, a test they would pass and then she would inherit her birthright, the Atma Weapon sword.

                Not a nanosecond after she had spoken the Words, she felt herself and her friends fade from this realm and her father take their place. She watched through his eyes as he let loose his awesome power on Atma Weapon.

                                                                                ~*~*~*~

                Atma smiled in greeting to Maduin as the other appeared. {Do what you must, Maduin. The Goddesses have foreseen it. Your daughter is to wield my blade and she can only do that once I am gone from this realm.}

                Maduin bowed his head ever so slightly in deference to his liege. {As you wish, M'Lord. Give the Goddesses my thanks for reuniting Terra and I.}

                {It is done.}

                And with that, Maduin unleashed his power on his Lord. It was over before Atma's brain could even process the pain the unleashing wrought on the mortal shell He had taken during this Trial.

                With the shell's demise, however, He transferred a small portion of His power to the sword in Terra's possession. As Maduin fled back to his realm and Terra and her friends returned to this one, Terra could feel the sudden vibration of the sword at her side. It was as if what it had shown before had been but a small drop in a massive ocean of power.

                She couldn't be certain about her friends, but she had seen and heard all that had transpired between her father and his god. ~So that's why the Atma Weapon wasn't that powerful. Atma had yet to gift it with His power.~

                {Yes, you are correct.}

                Terra jumped at the sudden voice of Atma in her head, earning her a concerned look from Edgar.

                "Are you all right, Terra," asked the young king as he made his way over to her. She'd been looking spacey ever since the end of the battle and he was starting to worry.

                Terra blinked and lightly shook her head to clear it before turning her attention to Edgar. "Yes, Edgar, I'm fine." She lightly rubbed her head then smiled as she looked up at him. "Really. Just exhausted is all."

                "Then we better rest. I think all of us are tired and I got a feeling that it'll only get worse from here on out," Sabin said as he took out an Elixir and passed it to Terra. "Here, drink this."

                Terra gratefully took the energy replenishing concoction and bit back a grimace as she drank the entire thing. ~Never will I grow used to the horrible taste this stuff has.~

                {All things that are good for you taste bad, Terra.}

                This time Terra didn't jump. Instead, she allowed the hand not holding the empty Elixir bottle to stray down to where the Atma Weapon was strapped to her hip. Her hand tingled a bit where it touched the hilt of the blade. ~Atma?~

                {Yes?}

                Terra stood to the side as she watched Edgar and Sabin try and reason with Shadow, who was leaving. Her grip on the hilt of the blade tightened ever so slightly. ~Will we win?~

                {You now carry the physical representation of my total power. Short of actually being there and doing the fighting for you, there is little more that can be done to give you a better advantage.} He paused for a moment before continuing. {Yes, Terra, you will win. But it will be quite some time before that day arrives and when it does, you will have a choice to make.}

                As she pondered this tidbit of information, Atma briefly checked in on the ex-General, Celes Chere, to find her crouched around the corner from where the small group of Heroes had come from. ~Good, everything is as I have foreseen.~

                And it was with that thought that Atma 'settled back' so to speak for the upcoming show, which would decide the fate of the mortals for generations to come.

                                                                                *              *              *

                One year later...

                Terra stood, with her hair unbound for once, on the deck of the Falcon. They had just defeated Kefka and had barely managed to escape from his accursed Tower in one piece. Well, relatively one piece; it would seem that they had lost Shadow along the way. Even now, Relm was locked in her room crying her eyes out for the father she barely knew.

                While normally Terra would have been the first to go and comfort the young girl, now she had too much on her mind. When they had destroyed Kefka, all traces of magic had disappeared from the Planet. This included Espers.

                Her father--and Atma, so long ago--had said she would have a choice. He, her father that is, said that if she loved something strong enough here, then she wouldn't die when her Esper half was taken from her. Well, she did love something strong enough. She loved her children in Mobliz and she at least had a strong affection for Edgar, not to mention her feelings for her friends.

                {Terra, it's time.}

                The voice in her head no longer startled her; she'd grown used to it in the last year. Sometimes it was the only thing that kept her going. She very much doubted that her friends would understand her reasons for holding onto the Atma Weapon sword all this time. No one but her could wield it's full potential, despite Edgar, Celes and even Locke's best efforts.

                No. This sword, this Atma Weapon, was for her and her alone. Even though it's very power was magical in nature, she felt no diminishing of power from the mighty blade. If anything, the power actually increased. When she had asked about it, the only thing Atma would say was that it was the way of things.

                So here she stood, on the deck of the Falcon, thinking about how her life had changed since she had met Locke in that cave a little over a year ago. Though she didn't answer Atma directly, she did place a hand on the hilt, as she had done so many times before.

                She knew what He spoke of. It was time to lay the Atma Weapon to rest so that the next set of Heroes may have access to its power. Oh yes, she was quite aware of the Weapon's place in history and had been for quite some time. During the last year, Atma had been kind enough to answer any and all questions that she had concerning the blade and it's original master.

                All she needed to do was get Edgar to let her use his castle to let her down into the Ancient Castle that lay beneath the ocean between East Figaro and West Figaro. Even though the blade itself had been found in the cave just before the Sealed Gate, Atma had told her that it's home had originally been the Ancient Castle. He'd had to move it both to ensure that she'd find it and to keep it safe from getting damaged by the decay of the Castle.

                Terra turned around to see who was still on deck. ~Well, what a coincidence. I'm surprised that Setzer would let him pilot again after the last time he'd been at the helm.~ Terra smiled faintly as she remembered the time, a little before they went to the Island, that Edgar had crashed the Blackjack. It'd been right after the Espers had been freed from their own realm and had gone to wreck havoc on Vector.

                Edgar, sensing her scrutiny, looked over at her. Smiling, he waved her over. "Hello, Terra. Why such the long face? It doesn't suit one such as yourself."

                Terra shrugged as she walked over to stand by Edgar. "I was just thinking." She stood on her tiptoes to see over the railing of the ship--which was several feet way--to see where they were heading. It seemed they were heading for Figaro Castle. ~Good.~

                Turning back to Edgar, Terra smiled teasingly. "So Setzer actually let you back behind the controls? I'm surprised, considering how you handled them last time."

                Edgar placed a hand over his heart and gave Terra a hurt look. "My Lady wounds me to the quick! Oh, woe is me for I have lost her favor! Oh, the tragedy! Oh, the humanity! How shall I ever continue with my now empty existence?"

                Terra laughed and smiled at the young king. "I'm sure you'll manage. You managed to survive a year without me, after all."

                "Ah, but it was a very depressing and dark year indeed." Edgar nodded solemnly as he said this then gave Terra his most charming smile. "So, where to M'Lady?"

                Barely managing to suppress a sigh, Terra's hand once again strayed to the hilt of the Atma Weapon. "There's something I need to take care of so I'll be going with you and the others to Figaro." She hesitated, taking the moment to look down at the Atma Weapon sadly. "I hate to ask this but would it be possible for us to go to the Ancient Castle?" She looked up at Edgar to find him watching her. She blushed under the scrutiny and lightly patted the hilt. "I need to return Atma to His resting place."

                Edgar studied her for a moment longer before nodding. "Of course." He smiled then reached for her hand to kiss it. Bowed over her hand, his smile turned to a grin. "And perhaps I could convince you to extend your stay at my castle? I would very much enjoy your company, fair maiden."

                Terra blushed clear to the roots of her green-blonde hair, both at the kiss on her hand and his words. "I..." She trailed off as her mind was suddenly filled with images. Images of her and Edgar and...their children?! Her friends were also there and it looked like Celes was pregnant. Locke wasn't too far away with a blond boy set on his shoulders. An older Relm and Gau also looked to be close. Instantly, she knew. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this to be her future, if only she were to say yes.

                Another set of images came to her then, only in these she was alone. Not even her children, or rather the orphans from Mobliz, were anywhere to be found. She got the impression from the size of the cottage and the sparseness of it that she lived alone and rarely, if ever, received visitors, which surprised her. This, too, she knew to be her future; her future if she were to say no.

                {Again, Terra, a choice is presented to you. Will you give love and Edgar a chance or will you shy away? I offer you this for taking my blade and wielding it justly.}

                "Terra?" Edgar watched the play of emotions in Terra's eyes and reached out to her worriedly.

                Terra shook her head, but whether it was to clear it or to dispel Edgar's worry was unclear. She offered the king a small smile as she took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm fine, Edgar, and I would be delighted to join you in Figaro."

                                                                                *              *              *

                Terra stepped back from the statue and wiped her eyes. She was alone in the basement of the Ancient Castle and had just laid the Atma Weapon in the arms of the Weeping Queen. She spared a glance at the stairs near the back of the room and smiled.

                Edgar had flat out refused to let her come down here alone so he had accompanied her as far as the throne room. There, she put her foot down and insisted that she do this last part alone. Seeing that this was something she needed to do alone, he had relented, albeit reluctantly.

                She returned her attention to the Queen and the sword she now held. After a moment of silence, she spoke. Though it was so softly that if anyone had been down there, they would have been hard pressed to hear her. "Thank you."

                The blade pulsated as Atma spoke. {No, I thank you, Terra. As you know, you are not the first to wield my blade and undoubtedly you will not be the last. But in your actions with my blade, you have ensured that future generations will have a chance to wield it.}

                "I did only what was asked of me, M'Lord." Again, spoken in that almost-not-heard soft tone.

                {But I never asked.} He was silent for a long moment then said in an amused tone, {I believe that your suitor is becoming impatient. Perhaps you had better go back to him before he wears a trench in the floor of my castle.}

                Terra blinked in surprise at the amused tone. Never had she heard such a tone from Him before and it took her a moment to actually place what it was. When she did, she blushed faintly and smiled. "He knows I can take care of myself; why does he worry so much?"

                {Such is the nature of love, Terra; it has never been known to be a logical emotion.}

                "Terra? Are you all right down here?" Edgar's voice was thick with worry, as if he thought Kefka had come back from the grave and lay waiting down there for just the right moment to attack Terra.

                Terra rolled her eyes and sighed before calling back, "Yes, Edgar. I'll be right up." She turned back to the sword and bowed deeply. "Goodbye, Lord Atma."

                She was surprised to find that she could almost hear the smile in His voice when it replied. {Farewell, Terra.}

                Terra smiled then turned and walked back to where her destiny awaited her impatiently halfway down the stairs.

TBC

Hope you enjoyed that. Following the FF theme, next up is FF7 with Cloud and co. Ta.