Here we go! First try on the site, let's see what happens! This is a sequel to Final Fantasy VIII, so I'll try to stay true to the characters, and mix in violence, romance, drama, adventure, and everything else that normally goes into FF.

Brief Intro: In this story, Centra was a evil empire that ruled the world before the Lunar Cry destroyed its capital, triggering all the slave races (Esthar, Galbadia, Balamb, Dollet and everyone else who wasn't Centran) to band together and start a rebellion, resulting in the Centran race being exterminated and driven extinct. Or so everyone thinks…

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII or any characters from it, but I do own all original characters, including the base commander and the puppet master. So there. And Caryn is the girl introduced as 'Selphie's Friend' when you visit Trabia Garden.

The Centran Legacy

Chapter 1: She Isn't Dead

Underneath the Centra Plains

"She isn't dead." The man was alone, facing the steel door. The metallic walls and floor around him were polished and gleaming, with ports and devices lining the rear wall, their function unknown to any current inhabitant of the surface world.

The man had dark hair and darker eyes, with an almost colourless skin that knew nothing of sunlight.

"She isn't dead." He repeated, waiting for a response.

Life signs have ceased. A synthesised voice spoke from the walls around him. All brain activity has ceased. She is dead.

"NO!" The man screamed. "She isn't! She can't be!"

You are clearly mistaken. All organic life is capable of death.

"I don't believe it! I'll find her!"

Belief cannot create fact, despite numerous claims otherwise. Your course of action is both inadvisable, and impossible.

The man punched the door. "Let me out!" There was no reaction, and he punched the door again, denting the metal slightly. "NOW!"

The Artificial Intelligence searched its programming for a means to disobey the request, but found nothing. The base commander could only be physically restrained if he or she showed suicidal or self-harming tendencies, but this was not the case. The commander could be judged as insane, but his insanity would only lead to probable harm, not certain harm, and that was insufficient grounds to remove his authority.

Command acknowledged.

"My sword."

Nine such weapons are currently registered to you. Please supply further details.

"MY SWORD!"

The AI matched an 83 per cent probability for the request, and opened a hatch by the exit door. The man reached inside, and took out a long, curved blade in the katana style, made of a metal with a pale blue tinge. The sword was perfectly pristine in every way, as much a work of art as a killing tool, as if a bolt of lightning had been forged into a blade by the god Hyne himself.

The man glanced at it once, then sheathed it in a scabbard across his back in one quick, easy movement before stepping towards the door, which immediately opened to let him through before closing behind him.

The AI tracked the man as he exited the facility. Once he was a mile distant, it withdrew the exit hatch below ground, removing all evidence of the facility from the world above, and armed the security protocols. Killing monsters was a waste of energy and would alert others to its presence, but any human attempt to access the base would be met with lethal force.

– One week later –

Seifer Almasy swung his Hyperion model gunblade, a hybrid combination of handgun and sword, through a series of moves, feeling the crisp technique quickly returning. After months of fishing and menial work, it felt good to be back where he belonged. Only problem was…

"Seifer Almasy."

He was out of time. Seifer turned to face Puberty-boy, or Puberty-commander, or whatever Squall Leonhart, the Commander of Balamb Garden, was these days. They were both on the plains outside the mercenary enclave of Balamb Garden, and the audience was already there; Puberty's girlfriend Rinoa Heartilly – also Seifer's ex, Instructor Quistis Trepe, chickenwuss Zell Dincht, Messenger Girl Selphie Tilmitt, and lastly cowboy Irvine Kinneas, who'd turned against his home country of Galbadia for Selphie, a girl who barely came up to his shoulders.

Time was when Seifer had his posse, the disciplinary committee who were respected and feared – mostly feared – around Balamb Garden, and Puberty-boy was the loner who was avoided like an outbreak of Centran plague. Now Fujin and Raijin had deserted him for Hyne knew where, and Squall and his posse had taken down Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future powerful enough to take on the world.

Seifer shrugged. Like Fujin said in the unique way of hers. 'Times. Change.' "Let's go." He hefted his gunblade, ready to strike.

"Am I late?" Headmaster Cid jogged up to the group, puffing slightly. "No? That's good. Now then…"

Seifer and Squall both started to roll their eyes, then saw the other doing exactly the same thing. They both stopped, scowling and glaring at each other.

Selphie giggled.

"The rules are as follows." Continued Cid. "No Magic cast on your opponent or yourself, no magic junctioned to any attribute, and no junctioned Guardian Forces. Do you agree?"

Squall nodded once. Seifer thought about his Ifrit GF, contained within a stone hidden in his sleeve, then nodded. He'd kept his word. Ifrit wasn't junctioned.

Yet.

"This is not a fight to the death, and will end when one of you surrenders or is incapable of continuing to fight. Both of you will fight alone, without any assistance. As previously stated, this duel will decide if Seifer Almasy is to be readmitted into Balamb Garden, and permitted to retake his Seed exams. Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Seifer raised his blade to point horizontally at his opponent.

"Whatever." Squall brought his gunblade into a guard position. The audience of Seed, the elite mercenary force of Balamb Garden, cheered their support for Squall, Rinoa being the loudest. Of course, she'd never cheered for Siefer, even when they were going out. Usually, she'd kept lecturing him on why he shouldn't always resort to violence. And now, she was cheering on her boyfriend to cut up her ex.

As Fujin would have said 'Funny. World.'

Seifer watched Rinoa blow Squall a kiss, the Commander becoming distracted at the public display of affection. Time to up the distraction… "Hey Quistis!" Seifer called out, and winked. "Show your feelings for me, huh babe?"

Quistis visibly seethed. The Instructor was usually renowned for keeping her cool, but Seifer had studied her for every lesson she'd taught, and knew better than anyone how to push her over the edge.

"Okay." Quistis hissed, and made a grab for one of the two great loves of Irvine's life – his Exeter shotgun. Irvine pulled it back, his cowboy hat falling off. "Quisty! Let go! I've got to start the fight!"

"Yeah, Quisty!" Selphie picked up the hat and put it on. "I've got a secret weapon to use on Seifer! But he has to cheat first!"

"I don't cheat!" Seifer protested, but it was a lost cause. Even Cid looked incredulous, and if that old fart of a headmaster didn't believe him, who would?

"If you've finished…" Cid continued. "The first shot will start the fight, and the second will finish it. Irvine?"

"Yup." Irvine pointed his shotgun in the air, and fired.

Seifer lunged as he heard the shot, his blade met with a parry and riposte from Squall. Typical textbook opening, Seifer thought as he stepped back and knocked Squall's blade down to disengage, only for Squall to twist his gunblade and come back at Seifer's throat. Seifer blocked, and the clash of gunblades rang out across the clearing.

The fight was on.

"May Sorceress Adel guide us." The leader announced to his followers.

"Sorceress Adel guide us." His audience chanted. They were a mix of all types, men and women, young and old. But an impartial observer, if they could have survived long enough, would have easily noticed they had almost nothing in common.

Nothing, that was, except hate. Every one of them hated with a fury and a passion that rendered everything else in their lives insignificant in comparison. They hated the President for what he was doing to their country of Esthar, humbling it into being an equal partner in the world. They hated how far their country had fallen from being the supreme power in the world. And most of all, they hated how life hadn't given them what they felt they deserved. Wealth. Influence. Importance. And most of all, power. What they would have had, if others hadn't interfered to steal it from them. Others like President Laguna Loire, who imprisoned Adel when she had almost conquered the world. Like the hated Seed, who destroyed Adel's physical body when she had broken free. Like everyone else who had power, fame, importance, and everything else these men and women wanted. It couldn't be right that these others had them, because only these people here deserved them. These others must have stolen them, so it was only right that these men and women would take back what was rightfully theirs.

By whatever means necessary.

"The slayer of the blessed Adel must die." The leader announced. "Others sympathetic to our cause have given us weapons, both of magic and technology, to fulfil our holy task. The rule of the betrayer President shall end. The chosen of Adel shall reign!"

His followers cheered. "And after the president, next to fall will be the Seed, the very murderers of the blessed one. And with their deaths, shall Adel be reborn! Seed cannot stop us. They have grown weak in this time of peace, feeble on their stolen glory. They have cast away their knowledge of battle, left their teachings of combat behind. They cannot fight. They no longer know how."

Seifer knocked Squall's gunblade aside, then nutted him in the face. Squall lowered his head just as it connected, absorbing some of the force of the blow, but he still staggered backwards. Seifer roared in triumph as he rushed in, blade ready to slash, but stopped dead as he ran into what felt like a brick wall, but was actually Squall's boot kicking into his ribs. Squall's blade whirled as Seifer blinked to clear his vision, then came down in an overhead cut that would have given Seifer another scar –or worse– if it hadn't been blocked at the last second.

Both blades held for a moment, then the two disengaged, each taking a step back. Seifer came in high this time, with a vertical slash. Squall took a defensive position, then sidestepped, leaving the cut to slash through empty air. Unable to pull back in time, Seifer followed his gunblade to the ground as Squalls' blade sliced just above his opponent. Seifer rolled forward, turning as he came up into a crouch, his cut aimed at the knees as Squall's downward thrust met it halfway. The ring of metal draw an appreciate gasp from the crowd (especially Rinoa) as Squall pushed, and Seifer fell backwards.

Seifer thought fast, gasping for air, while Squall wasn't even breathing hard. Okay, so he couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was out of breath, out of shape… Seifer kept the grin from his face as a thought struck him. Squall knew how to handle a gunblade, but he still had a lot to learn about dirty tricks.

While Squall advanced, Seifer backed away, grabbing a handful of dirt from behind him. Seifer jumped up, twirling his gunblade to distract his opponent. As Squall glanced at the weapon, Seifer's other hand came up and threw the dirt in his eyes.

Squall's weapon darted up in a block across his face, the blade deflecting the soil from his eyes. Seifer was already charging in, and their blades clashed together at chest height. He tried to punch Squall, but Squall was faster with a leg sweep, and Seifer only just shoved him as he fell, knocking them both to the ground.

Okay, so Squall knows about dirty tricks. Must have taught him better than I thought.

Then they were up again, gunblades out for blood. Squall was taking the offensive this time, and Seifer reluctantly gave ground.

This wasn't working. Seifer hadn't used his gunblade seriously for some time, and now he was paying the price. He was losing, and he knew it. And worst of all –

Squall slashed, and Seifer ducked just in time for the gunblade to caress his hair.

– Squall knew it too. Seifer could feel his Ifrit stone, still hidden in his sleeve. The GF it contained would merge with him at a thought, enhancing his speed and power, making him better than Squall. Then he'd win. Show the Commander, the Seeds, and all of Garden that he was the best, a force to be reckoned with.

And that you can't beat Squall without cheating his inner voice whispered.

Shut up! Seifer thought back. This isn't some pansy duel! A real fight doesn't have any rules! It's win or die!

But Squall won, every time you fought. His inner voice reminded him. And even when you nearly killed Rinoa, he still let you live.

Then he was a fool! I'll win this time! I'll get my revenge, and everyone will fear me…

Fear. The word stopped his thoughts dead. He hadn't wanted fear to begin with. He'd wanted respect. To be the best fighter in Garden, the best in the world. He dreamed of being a hero, a legend. The knight of a sorceress.

Then he'd failed. Failed the Seed exam for the third time, when Squall had won. Then his dreams had turned to dust, and slipped from his grasp. And then the sorceress Ultimecia had offered him the power and glory he'd always wanted. Not the way he'd wanted it, he knew that, but if he couldn't have respect as a hero, then the world would fear him as a tyrant.

Only he'd screwed that up as well. But this was another chance, his last chance. He could use the GF stone, and beat Squall, the famous Commander of Balamb Garden. Then everyone would fear him.

But they'd never respect him, ever again. And fear wasn't his dream. It was only second best.

And Seifer had never settled for second best in anything.

He ignored the Ifrit stone. He'd beat Squall, someday. It didn't have to be today.

"C'mon, Puberty-boy!" Seifer made a mocking gesture to Squall, just like when they'd scarred each other across the face. Squall rushed in, gunblade raised.

Seifer met him head on, launching a series of fast, accurate strikes, high and low, right and left, a whirlwind of blows that forced Squall on the defensive. Seifer laughed, his attack relentless, not giving Squall any time to strike back. He'd missed feeling the rush of fighting for his life, and it felt better than ever. Squall's audience didn't look as confident as they had a moment ago, he was sure. That's right! Seifer's back, and I'm gonna…

The thought was never completed, as Squall ducked beneath a wild blow, and slashed at Seifer's right leg. The blow cut deep, and Seifer lost his balance slightly, giving Squall all the opportunity he needed to punch Seifer in the solar plexus, knocking the air out of his lungs. Seifer staggered, taking another gash to the body before Squall kicked him in the kneecap. As Seifer fell, Squall twisted his blade, and Seifer's gunblade flew out of his hands.

Seifer looked up, to see Squall standing over him with a gunblade pointing at his neck.

"Well?" The Commander stated, never being one for long sentences.

"This ain't over, Puberty boy." Seifer spat. "This won't last. I'll get you one day."

"Whatever." Squall seemed annoyed as he sheathed his gunblade, and Seifer didn't get it. The Commander had won, hadn't he? Squall had always been cold, but Seifer thought Rinoa would have helped with that by now. That girl could melt a brick… "You lose."

"I could have won, if I'd…" Seifer stopped.

"Used your GF hidden up your sleeve?" Squall straightened his arm, and a blue GF stone fell into his palm. "No, you couldn't."

"I'll train better next time. I won't need Garden, or that fancy Training Center, to beat you."

"Good." Squall threw something on the ground next to Seifer. "Because you're barred from there for the first month."

"What?" Seifer picked up the object. It was a Balamb Garden ID card, given to Trainee Seeds. It had his name on it, and his photo, which was hardly flattering.

"Your first class is tomorrow at seven AM sharp." Quistis stated. "You WILL be on time."

"What the hell?" Seifer jumped up, his pain forgotten. "I lost, hynedammit!"

"Of course!" Rinoa smiled sweetly. "You were fighting Squall! You'll always lose!" She took Squall's arm, kissing him on the cheek. This time, Squall only looked mildly uncomfortable, which was something of a first for him.

"Winning wasn't the test, Seifer. If every Seed had to beat Squall in a duel, there wouldn't be any Seeds, after all!" Cid laughed. "But you fought fairly, you didn't cheat, and you accepted your defeat. If you'd been able to do that on your Seed exam, you might have passed."

"I'm a Seed?" Seifer repeated, unable to believe it.

"You're a cadet." Squall told him. "Not a Seed."

"Your first mistake will warrant immediate expulsion." Quistis spoke even colder than usual. "No second chances, no right of appeal."

"Now why don't I feel welcome?" Seifer muttered.

"You're not." Said Squall. "If you don't like it, leave. I'd prefer that."

"I'll bet." Seifer put the card in his pocket, and shrugged. Things hadn't turned out the way he expected, but that was nothing new. But he was back in Garden, and his dream wasn't dead yet.

Squall, Rinoa and Cid started walking back to the Garden, but the others took their time.

"Awww…" Selphie whined. "I didn't get to use my secret weapon!"

"Yeah, right. Like I'll be scared of a half pint with weedy arms…"

"WHAT?" Selphie screeched. "You take that back!"

"Or what?" Seifer's good mood had vanished. He'd been made to look a fool, and now the puny little Messenger Girl was threatening him? He flung his arms wide, closing his eyes. "Come on! Take your best shot!

"You heard him, Sefie." He heard Irvine's drawl. "Go for it."

"Right!"

Seifer waited, and felt something soft hit his chest, then bounce off. "Was that it?" He laughed. It didn't even hurt. "You think that can hurt me? ME?"

Then he heard the buzzing noise.

"Whoah." Irvine watched Seifer screaming and cursing in pain, surrounded by a large cloud of hornets. "That's gotta hurt."

"I don't care!" Selphie's hands were clenched into fists. "He deserved it!"

"Course he did, Sef." Irvine put a hand round her shoulder. "So why's he running in that direction, anyway?"

"He's going to dive in the lake, I expect." Said Quistis. "Normally, that would get rid of the hornets."

"Awww…" Selphie pouted.

"Dammit!" Zell started to shadow box in frustration, then stopped. "Hey… I heard the lake dried up a few days ago."

"That's right." Quistis nodded. "It did."

They watched Seifer sprinting across the field, and nobody spoke.

"Do you think we should tell him?" Quistis pondered.

Irvine pretended to consider that. "Nah." He pulled Selphie closer to him. "He'll soon figure it out."

Squall signed the last of the paperwork, and turned his attention to the datacard that had arrived from Esthar early this morning. Things had been quiet for the past few weeks, and looked to be continuing that way for a while. The governments of Esthar and Galbadia, the world superpowers of technology and industry respectively, were still mortal enemies, but nobody was interested in yet another war after Ultimecia had nearly destroyed the world. This had resulted in both nations launching endless propaganda, continual political rowing, and constant media bickering. There was still work for Seed mercenaries; still enough getting rid of monster populations and running security investigations to keep busy, but nothing serious or world shattering.

And since that meant a lot less paperwork on his desk, Commander Squall of Garden was content for things to stay that way for a little while longer. He'd even managed to fit half an hour of RT on his schedule several times a week, which was essential for his timekeeping. Headmaster Cid and Administrator Xu kept asking him what RT actually was, but he'd kept it to himself. It was less embarrassing that way.

Squall inserted the datacard into his terminal, looking through the data again. Then he heard rapid footsteps on the steps leading to his office, a sure sign that RT was here. It could happen at any time, without warning, and there was nothing he or anyone else could do to stop it.

The footsteps were very close now. Here it comes…

"Squall!" Rinoa rushed in and pulled him out of his chair. "What's happening?"

It's Rinoa Time.

"The usual." After checking nobody was looking, Squall responded with a hug and a kiss. His exuberant girlfriend might have destroyed his lone wolf status, but he still had his dignity.

For as long as Rinoa let him keep it, anyway.

Rinoa didn't seem to believe him. "You're not still thinking about Seifer?"

Squall shrugged. Actually, the ex-sorceress knight hadn't bothered anyone that much since yesterday, probably because the swelling hadn't gone down yet, and it was hard to be intimidating with a face covered in lumps. "Whatever."

"You don't want him to be a Seed?"

How did you guess? "I agreed he could come back if he fought fair. He did. End of story."

"But you don't want him here?" Rinoa looked down. "People change, Squall! You can't blame him forever!"

Watch me. "Have you forgotten what he did?" Squall hissed. "How he tried to sacrifice you to Adel?"

"I know, but…" Rinoa swallowed nervously. "Ultimecia was controlling him. It wasn't his fault."

"Whatever." Squall didn't believe that for a second. He couldn't see Seifer taking orders against his will, even from a sorceress.

"Squall?" Rinoa asked.

Squall shrugged, changing the subject. "We've got a new mission. Esthar wants Seed security for a presidential speech."

Rinoa sighed, but let the matter drop for now. "Why does your father…"

"Laguna."

"Why does Laguna need extra security?" Rinoa corrected herself. "He's the president of Esthar. What about his soldiers?"

Squall tapped a key on his computer terminal. "There's evidence that a major terrorist group, the Adelists, will be planning an assassination. Laguna's agreed for the speech to be the bait to draw them out. If it works, it could finish the Adelists for good."

"But what if it doesn't work?"

"It'll work."

"So who's in the team?"

"Quistis and Zell. Selphie's too excitable, and Irvine's only option in a fight is to shoot people. Zell doesn't need a weapon, so he can mix with the crowd without attracting attention, and Quistis can take charge of the situation if things turn ugly."

"What about Seifer as well? You wanted to get him out of the Garden, right?"

"SEIFER?" Squall looked like he thought she'd gone insane. "In a covert mission?"

"Yes, if…" She whispered in his ear.

And Squall almost smiled.

"Has the information been sent?" The man asked.

"Yes Sir." The officer bowed. "The Adelists have been told that Seed will be present as security, and Esthar and Balamb Garden have been informed of the Adelist's plan to assassinate the president, but that the Adelist forces are less than half their actual size."

"Good. The terrorists are too unreliable. They must be disposed of."

"Sir?" The officer wondered. "What if the Adelists win?"

"Win?" The man laughed. "They can't. As the President of Esthar, Laguna Loire is a fool, but as a martyr, he will inspire the Estharian to slaughter the Adelists. And countless innocents by mistake, of course. And if Seed prove good enough to serve me, the Adelists are dead anyway."

The man tapped on a computer console. "But Seed won't win either. They are puppets, all of them, and I am the puppet master. They'll do my bidding in the new world. My new world. Ultimecia was a fool. A final battle, with an ultimate evil? Ridiculous. This time, Seed will see my enemies as evil, and destroy them for me whenever I wish. The weak shall die, and the strongest shall be mine to command, body and soul."

"So that's the situation. Any questions?" Squall asked. Quistis, Zell, and Seifer were sat in the office. Seifer felt uncomfortable, as Rinoa had been viciously smiling at him during the briefing.

"Good." Squall continued. "Collect your train tickets and equipment at reception."

"Train tickets?" Zell exclaimed. "What about the Ragnarok?"

"Covert mission, Zell." Said Rinoa. "Officially, Seed aren't involved."

"And one of our large military aircraft seen in Esthar might alert people that we're there." Squall muttered. "Zell, you'll be in the audience. Remember to cover up your facial tattoo. Quistis, you're in charge. Keep in contact with the surveillance team. They'll be watching the CCTV every second, and they'll alert you to anything suspicious."

"Surveillance team?" Said Seifer. "What surveillance team?"

Squall was smiling. "That's you."

Seifer's yell of outrage echoed deafeningly throughout Balamb garden, shocking a baby T-Rexaur in the Training Centre into becoming a vegetarian, until it was eaten by its parents for being weird.

Caryn left the Estharian pub where she worked, waiting outside for the tears to start. Another lifeless day was over, and nothing had changed.

She'd been a Seed cadet once, back in Trabia Garden. Then the missiles fell from the skies without warning, and her home was destroyed, killing almost everyone she knew, everything she cared for.

Her best friend Selphie had arrived later, trying to cheer her up. She'd transferred to Balamb Garden some weeks before, told everyone that Balamb was going to fight back. Many Trabia Cadets joined with Balamb Garden, which was now an airborne fortress thanks to the Centran technology that had originally built it. But Caryn hadn't, even when Selphie had pleaded with her to help, watched silently by that cold-hearted Commander named Squall. She was tired of fighting, tired of war. If so many trained Seeds could be killed so easily, what use was she?

Caryn left Trabia, hoping to forget. Selphie and her friends had won the war, and had started to rebuild Trabia, but Caryn hadn't gone back. How could she…

A hand clamped itself over her mouth as an arm encircled her waist, dragging her away. Unable to scream, she tried to bite her attackers fingers, earning her a punch to the head that blurred her vision. She was gagged and tied up before she knew what was happening, thrown next to a pile of rubbish in a deserted alleyway.

Three men were facing her. She'd heard rumours about women disappearing, police finding their bodies with stab wounds. She hadn't believed them then.

She believed them now. Oh Hyne. This can't be happening. Please don't…

"Reckon she's worth anything?" One of the men leered at her.

"Not much." The second spat, fingering a knife. "Bit of fun, that's all."

Caryn strained against her bonds, but it was useless. She wished she'd listened to Selphie. Wished she'd become a Seed, and kept herself strong. Then she could have fought. But she hadn't. She was helpless, useless. She always was.

The men reached for her, the knife caressing her skin. Caryn prayed for a miracle, knowing it wouldn't be granted.

But it was. Footsteps suddenly echoed in the stillness, and everything stopped.

The third man cursed. "Get rid of him."

A stranger appeared at the end of the alleyway, his skin deathly pale in the moonlight. He was wearing a plain black jumpsuit, with a sword slung over his back. He looked at the three men, but showed no sign of interest or concern.

Then he saw her, her face hidden in the shadows, and his face lit up. He rushed forward.

"Back off!" The man with the knife growled. The stranger ignored him, and looked at Caryn.

Caryn looked back, and gasped as she saw the stranger's eyes. The irises were not brown, or blue, or green, but jet black, windows to a dark, soulless void, dancing in madness. Eyes that nothing human could ever have.

Then the stranger looked away, clearly disappointed, and walked forward again, ignoring her completely.

What the…

The first two men stood in his way, knives in their hands. "Shouldn't have come here, freak!" The first growled, and lunged.

The stranger casually batted his arm aside, and punched him in the stomach. As the man dropped to his knees, the stranger kicked him in the neck, knocking him flat. The second yelled in anger, and rushed him, but the stranger sidestepped smoothly, twisting his attackers arm and gripping his head from the back. Caryn watched as the stranger smashed the man's head against the wall with bone shattering force, gouts of blood splashing the bricks.

Caryn looked at the first man to attack, unable to breathe, his throat crushed. He writhed one last time as he suffocated, then he stopped moving, and his body lay still.

The third man drew his sword, screaming in rage as he rushed forward. The stranger dropped the body he held, and reached behind his back for his sword as he turned to face his attacker.

Caryn blinked.

The attacker was suddenly shorter, and a bloodstained sword was in the stranger's hand, pointing away from him and slightly downwards.

Then a head landed next to Caryn, a look of surprise on its face, and she screamed. Her gag kept her silent as the stranger sheathed his sword, moving closer as she desperately inched backwards.

Then he walked past, not even looking in her direction.

When her heartbeat recovered, Caryn frantically rubbed her bonds against a broken bottle she'd found in the trash. The rope slowly tore, and she wriggled free, loosening her gag and gasping for air. She looked down the alleyway, and saw the stranger looking at the wall, his hand touching a poster with a gentle caress.

Who is he? Caryn hid back behind the rubbish in the alleyway. What's he doing?

She watched the stranger for several minutes, until he finally rushed away, his movement as quick and focused as when he'd first seen her. He's found something… She ran to the poster. It was advertising the speech of the Estharian President tomorrow, with photos of everyone at the speech, including Laguna Loire, his advisors and his stepdaughter, Ellone. Oh no…

Caryn wondered what could happen to President Laguna. He had the Estharian army to protect him, and probably Seed as well. Nothing would happen to him, right?

Then she remembered the stranger. His eyes, the way he killed. Insane, inhuman. Someone like that could kill the President. Someone like that could kill anyone.

But what could she do?

She remembered thinking she was going to die, and wishing she had another chance. To be a Seed. To be strong. To make a difference.

You were a Seed, once. Start acting like one.

She ran back to the bodies, searching them as skills long forgotten slowly came back to her. Some money, a sword, two knives, and a gun. She took everything but the sword. She'd never fired a gun before, but she figured you didn't need practice to point it and pull the trigger. Her best weapon was magic, so she'd find a few spells from somewhere.

She wondered what she was going to do. Nobody would believe her if she told them what happened, and the stranger would kill her if she interfered. But… If he was an assassin, why leave a witness? Killing her would have been easy. And the way he touched that poster had seemed strangely gentle…

Caryn shook her head. Nothing made sense, and she hadn't the time to figure it out. She left the alleyway, heading for where the Presidential speech would be held. She left her old life behind her, as dead as her attackers.

You were right, Selphie. I'll be a Seed again, or I'll die trying…

That speech is starting to look a little crowded, don't you think? Will the stranger with dark eyes join the Seeds or the terrorists, or will it be last one standing? Find out in Chapter Two, Life is a Blade, coming soon! Reviews would be great, and if anyone wants to guess who the stranger might be, go ahead!