Future Shock
A Final Fantasy Fanfic
By Brandon League
(brnleague@bellsouth.net)
Summary: At the start of an epic journey, a White Mage has a startling dream.
Legalities: Final Fantasy and all characters and locations therein are properties of Squaresoft/Square Enix U.S.A. and not me. I plan to gain no money from this fic, just experience points (kidding). Seriously, I wrote it for fun, not profit.
----
She stood alone on a hillside, staring down at the dark lake below. It was late and her fellow Light Warriors were asleep for the night. She sighed. Sleep, she mused silently, I remember the good old days when I could.
It had been three days since she had left Corneria, accompanying her comrades on their quest to rescue the princess from the rogue knight, Garland. Although she hid her emotions well behind a mask of calm serenity, the lady known only as White Mage knew the great risks involved in their journey. She had heard the whispers in the town and seen the fear in the eyes of the people. After all, Garland had once been the bravest and most powerful knight in the entire kingdom. He had won many battles against terrible monsters and men alike with a heart of stone and a mind as sharp as a battle axe.
And he had done it all valiantly, upholding the honor and virtue that the Code of Knighthood stood for.
But that man was dead.
The once valiant and honorable one has slipped into madness and shadow.
He no longer fights for truth and honor...but for the dark one. Chaos. The prince of lies and malice. I have no doubt that Garland plans to sacrifice the princess to the lords of Hell in order to free his dark Master upon the world. It terrifies me to think what that vile beast has in store for the human race.
I am shaken out of my reverie by a snore from one of the tents. Despite my inner turmoil, a small smile crosses my face. That would be Black Mage...a paradox of paradoxes. Despite the fact that Black Mage is undoubtedly the finest practitioner of Black Magic that I know of, it doesn't change the fact that he snores like a wild animal.
A small price to pay, actually. When we do face Chaos in the ultimate battle, Black Mage's ice spells will be a big asset to the side of Good.
However, my inability to sleep does not come from anxiety of our journey ahead. No, rather, I am kept awake by strange dreams. For the past month or so, my sleep has been haunted by dreams of odd people and places. People that I do not know. Places I have never seen. They plague me incessantly. When I sleep...I see a city made of iron and steel. I see a tall, young man with pointy yellow hair, a great sword borne upon his back. I see a disaster. Many innocent people killed by falling steel.
This begins his great journey. He calls his friends together and I see them clearly. There is a large-breasted woman with long brown hair. She exudes power and confidence. She is very beautiful, but I know that this is merely a facade. She will fight to the death to defend herself or her friends. This is clear.
She steps back and a large, dark-skinned man steps forth. I see a little girl in a pink dress sitting on his shoulders. I notice that the man doesn't have a right hand, but instead a metal block where his hand should be. Despite this handicap, the man shows no signs of weakness or self pity. Like the woman, his eyes are fierce and determined...his jaw set like stone. Through his tough exterior, I can feel his overwhelming love for the little girl. She is obviously his daughter.
Then a young woman in pink steps forward. In one hand she holds a picnic basket. In the other, a silver staff. The magic in her eyes and in her soul is staggering. Not since my childhood, growing up in the Church, have I felt such powerful magic in a human being. It makes me shake. Like myself, this one is a powerful Healer...a master of cure and life spells. This is a pure and goodly soul, a perfect example of humanity, yet there is something foreign about her, almost otherworldly.
At this point my dream turns into a dark, hellish nightmare.
The friends vanish, and a figure appears. Like the woman with the staff, this person is extremely magical...but it's different. Whereas the young woman had a sweet, innocent purity about her, the same cannot be said about this man. He's dressed all in black, a wicked Masumune sword borne on his back. His long silver hair flows almost to waist length and although he smiles, the smile is obviously false...the sort of smile a spider would give to a cockroach. The smile does not reach his cold, green eyes.
Oh gods, his eyes...
I see torture and torment in those cold, dark pits. I see a shadow zone where madness and desire are forever entangled, doing battle with a red swirling rage. Although this man is not in league with Chaos, I'm sure that Chaos smiles when this monster..this beast given flesh swings his blood sword through throngs of innocent people. He has to be stopped! Oh no!!!
"White Mage?"
I open my eyes. I'm shaking like a leaf. Without realizing it, I've fallen down to one knee. My cheeks are wet with tears that I didn't even realize I had shed. I open my mouth to respond and audibly choke back a sob. At that point, strong hands grab me and hoist me gently to my feet. Fighter's eyes meet my own, concern marked in them. I sniff back fresh tears and give him what I hope is a nonchalant smile.
He doesn't buy it, naturally.
"Are you all right?" he asks.
I nod.
"White Mage..."
I blink at him. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.
"I heard you crying," he continues. "What happened?"
My bottom lip quivers slightly. I bite down on it. When I am sure that it won't quiver again, I mumble something unintelligible.
"Huh?"
"A dream," I croak. "I had a bad dream."
Fighter visibly relaxes. "Is that all?" he asks with a barking laugh, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.
A quick laugh escapes me as well. "Well it WAS scary," I insist.
He walks over and puts his hands on my shoulders. "Look White Mage, I can appreciate a good nightmare as much as the next guy, but that's all it was, a nightmare. We have enough problems in real life without worrying about imaginary ones." He chuckles softly and returns to his tent. As he goes inside his last words travel through the cheap, green cloth.
"If you get attacked by a real monster, call me...otherwise let me sleep."
I sigh. Deep down, I know he's right, but I still bite back an urge to call him a jerk. I turn and give the lake a last good look. Tomorrow we head for the Temple of Fiends, to fight Garland and save the princess...and to confront our destiny. But I cannot help but spare a lingering thought for those heroic souls in my dream. I've never been that gifted in the art of prophecy. Sister Maricombe back at the Church often said that all White Magi possessed clairvoyant skills to some degree...but it's never been my cup of tea.
But still....I wonder.
As I head back to my tent, my mind is alive with thoughts. I look up at the night sky and cast a quick look at the bone white moon above.
Please, I ask the gods silently, if they are real...then let them succeed.
***
The White Mage bowed her head in reverence and entered her tent. She never saw the falling star that streaked across the sky seconds later.
The gods had heard her wish.
Fin
----
Well, I hope you like this. It's the first fic that I've written in a long time and I wrote it completely on the spur of the moment. I'd like to thank Brian Clevinger, author of the hilarious webcomic "8 Bit Theater" for inspiring the above fic. It can be read at www.nuklearpower.com. I'd also like to thank the fine people at www.planetnintendo.com for maintaining such a wonderful "Final Fantasy 1" website, although the game has been out of print for over a decade. It's great nostalgia reading for all you Gen-Xr's who grew up with Nintendo Power magazine, Nintendo Entertainment System and Alf...as I did. Anyway...heh, if you liked my little Final Fantasy/Final Fantasy VII crossover feel free to drop me a line. If you hated it, feel free to drop me a hate note. Either way...you read it!
Seriously, hope it wasn't a severe waste of time!
Brandon League
Somewhere In West Georgia
March 14, 2004
12:16 a.m.
A Final Fantasy Fanfic
By Brandon League
(brnleague@bellsouth.net)
Summary: At the start of an epic journey, a White Mage has a startling dream.
Legalities: Final Fantasy and all characters and locations therein are properties of Squaresoft/Square Enix U.S.A. and not me. I plan to gain no money from this fic, just experience points (kidding). Seriously, I wrote it for fun, not profit.
----
She stood alone on a hillside, staring down at the dark lake below. It was late and her fellow Light Warriors were asleep for the night. She sighed. Sleep, she mused silently, I remember the good old days when I could.
It had been three days since she had left Corneria, accompanying her comrades on their quest to rescue the princess from the rogue knight, Garland. Although she hid her emotions well behind a mask of calm serenity, the lady known only as White Mage knew the great risks involved in their journey. She had heard the whispers in the town and seen the fear in the eyes of the people. After all, Garland had once been the bravest and most powerful knight in the entire kingdom. He had won many battles against terrible monsters and men alike with a heart of stone and a mind as sharp as a battle axe.
And he had done it all valiantly, upholding the honor and virtue that the Code of Knighthood stood for.
But that man was dead.
The once valiant and honorable one has slipped into madness and shadow.
He no longer fights for truth and honor...but for the dark one. Chaos. The prince of lies and malice. I have no doubt that Garland plans to sacrifice the princess to the lords of Hell in order to free his dark Master upon the world. It terrifies me to think what that vile beast has in store for the human race.
I am shaken out of my reverie by a snore from one of the tents. Despite my inner turmoil, a small smile crosses my face. That would be Black Mage...a paradox of paradoxes. Despite the fact that Black Mage is undoubtedly the finest practitioner of Black Magic that I know of, it doesn't change the fact that he snores like a wild animal.
A small price to pay, actually. When we do face Chaos in the ultimate battle, Black Mage's ice spells will be a big asset to the side of Good.
However, my inability to sleep does not come from anxiety of our journey ahead. No, rather, I am kept awake by strange dreams. For the past month or so, my sleep has been haunted by dreams of odd people and places. People that I do not know. Places I have never seen. They plague me incessantly. When I sleep...I see a city made of iron and steel. I see a tall, young man with pointy yellow hair, a great sword borne upon his back. I see a disaster. Many innocent people killed by falling steel.
This begins his great journey. He calls his friends together and I see them clearly. There is a large-breasted woman with long brown hair. She exudes power and confidence. She is very beautiful, but I know that this is merely a facade. She will fight to the death to defend herself or her friends. This is clear.
She steps back and a large, dark-skinned man steps forth. I see a little girl in a pink dress sitting on his shoulders. I notice that the man doesn't have a right hand, but instead a metal block where his hand should be. Despite this handicap, the man shows no signs of weakness or self pity. Like the woman, his eyes are fierce and determined...his jaw set like stone. Through his tough exterior, I can feel his overwhelming love for the little girl. She is obviously his daughter.
Then a young woman in pink steps forward. In one hand she holds a picnic basket. In the other, a silver staff. The magic in her eyes and in her soul is staggering. Not since my childhood, growing up in the Church, have I felt such powerful magic in a human being. It makes me shake. Like myself, this one is a powerful Healer...a master of cure and life spells. This is a pure and goodly soul, a perfect example of humanity, yet there is something foreign about her, almost otherworldly.
At this point my dream turns into a dark, hellish nightmare.
The friends vanish, and a figure appears. Like the woman with the staff, this person is extremely magical...but it's different. Whereas the young woman had a sweet, innocent purity about her, the same cannot be said about this man. He's dressed all in black, a wicked Masumune sword borne on his back. His long silver hair flows almost to waist length and although he smiles, the smile is obviously false...the sort of smile a spider would give to a cockroach. The smile does not reach his cold, green eyes.
Oh gods, his eyes...
I see torture and torment in those cold, dark pits. I see a shadow zone where madness and desire are forever entangled, doing battle with a red swirling rage. Although this man is not in league with Chaos, I'm sure that Chaos smiles when this monster..this beast given flesh swings his blood sword through throngs of innocent people. He has to be stopped! Oh no!!!
"White Mage?"
I open my eyes. I'm shaking like a leaf. Without realizing it, I've fallen down to one knee. My cheeks are wet with tears that I didn't even realize I had shed. I open my mouth to respond and audibly choke back a sob. At that point, strong hands grab me and hoist me gently to my feet. Fighter's eyes meet my own, concern marked in them. I sniff back fresh tears and give him what I hope is a nonchalant smile.
He doesn't buy it, naturally.
"Are you all right?" he asks.
I nod.
"White Mage..."
I blink at him. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.
"I heard you crying," he continues. "What happened?"
My bottom lip quivers slightly. I bite down on it. When I am sure that it won't quiver again, I mumble something unintelligible.
"Huh?"
"A dream," I croak. "I had a bad dream."
Fighter visibly relaxes. "Is that all?" he asks with a barking laugh, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.
A quick laugh escapes me as well. "Well it WAS scary," I insist.
He walks over and puts his hands on my shoulders. "Look White Mage, I can appreciate a good nightmare as much as the next guy, but that's all it was, a nightmare. We have enough problems in real life without worrying about imaginary ones." He chuckles softly and returns to his tent. As he goes inside his last words travel through the cheap, green cloth.
"If you get attacked by a real monster, call me...otherwise let me sleep."
I sigh. Deep down, I know he's right, but I still bite back an urge to call him a jerk. I turn and give the lake a last good look. Tomorrow we head for the Temple of Fiends, to fight Garland and save the princess...and to confront our destiny. But I cannot help but spare a lingering thought for those heroic souls in my dream. I've never been that gifted in the art of prophecy. Sister Maricombe back at the Church often said that all White Magi possessed clairvoyant skills to some degree...but it's never been my cup of tea.
But still....I wonder.
As I head back to my tent, my mind is alive with thoughts. I look up at the night sky and cast a quick look at the bone white moon above.
Please, I ask the gods silently, if they are real...then let them succeed.
***
The White Mage bowed her head in reverence and entered her tent. She never saw the falling star that streaked across the sky seconds later.
The gods had heard her wish.
Fin
----
Well, I hope you like this. It's the first fic that I've written in a long time and I wrote it completely on the spur of the moment. I'd like to thank Brian Clevinger, author of the hilarious webcomic "8 Bit Theater" for inspiring the above fic. It can be read at www.nuklearpower.com. I'd also like to thank the fine people at www.planetnintendo.com for maintaining such a wonderful "Final Fantasy 1" website, although the game has been out of print for over a decade. It's great nostalgia reading for all you Gen-Xr's who grew up with Nintendo Power magazine, Nintendo Entertainment System and Alf...as I did. Anyway...heh, if you liked my little Final Fantasy/Final Fantasy VII crossover feel free to drop me a line. If you hated it, feel free to drop me a hate note. Either way...you read it!
Seriously, hope it wasn't a severe waste of time!
Brandon League
Somewhere In West Georgia
March 14, 2004
12:16 a.m.