Author's Notes: Okay, this story is an old one of mine. Bahamut has always been one of my favourite GFs, and I wrote this to honour him. Based on a theory I had.
Nostalgia...The Story of Tiamat
By Lumiale no Miko
Chapter One: The Taking
I am Bahamut.
The Humans call me "The Great GF, the Dragon King", I
suppose this is true. I live in a place the humans
call "The Deep Sea Research Center". The DSRC consists
of several underwater levels all stemming at the base
of a glowing blue cylinder. Few humans have ever seen
me, most have been swallowed up by the blue light,
which means death and is a nesting ground for vicious
monsters. Those who have survived the ordeal are torn
apart by my ruby dragons. Few have ever challenged me,
none of them lived.
But my life is not all about battle, we get few
challengers. My life is full of memories, memories of
long lost times. Memories of one person in my life...
...Tiamat...
Tiamat is my blood brother, making him heir to the
throne when I am gone. You'd think he would have
plotted against me, but my brother wasn't like your
typical dragon prince. He loved to play tricks, he was
a favourite amoung the younger generation. Where I was
serious, he was playful, I could never get him to take
me seriously.
Then, one fateful day...
"Hey Baha'! Whatre're we doin' again?", Tiamat yelled
to me, I snorted. "Baha'" was the "affectionate
nickname" Tiamat had bestowed upon me years ago. I
hated it. "For the last time, don't call me Baha'!", I
yelled back. Tiamat laughed and I continued explaining
"We are checking to see if our prey is in sufficient
quantities for us to hunt, if not, then Centra will be
the source of our prey for the next year. This is how
"Reproduction Season" worked. It was a system that
humans rarely interfered in.
"We could just eat the humans then!", Tiamat
exclaimed.
"NO!", I snapped. "Our family has encouraged
friendship between the humans for years! We would
never do such a thing!"
"Then how come you always take the lives of humans who
venture near our home? You call that friendship!?", I
had never seen Tiamat react that way. "It is the
rules.", I calmly explained. "I told them that they
were bargining for their life and they took that
chance. Is it my fault if they choose that path?".
Tiamat said nothing, but flew higher into the sky. We
were flying over our source of food for this year, a
place the humans called "Galbadia". The monsters
seemed to be reproducing fine and would last for about
2 more years.
A sudden rumble caught my attention as ominous storm
clouds rolled in. Without warning, my wings were being
weighted down by the rain. I called Tiamat's name but
he couldn't hear me over the howl of the wind. Or
maybe he just chose not to listen. I sighed with
relief when I saw his sleek form jutt out from the
foggy clouds.
Suddenly, a saw him reel off balance with one of his
black and gold wings trailing black smoke. Had he been
hit by lightning? I concluded that he must have been.
Then the black smoke did a strange thing.
As I watched, the tendril of smoke seemed to twist
around his body like many ropes. He squirmed and
writhed against them, but it was no use. I tried to
fly towards him but was blocked off by an invisible
wall. I roared and called his name. I saw him turn to
me, eyes full of a sadness I had never seen in my
younger brother...a look of despair.
"...Bahamut", Tiamat whispered.
"...Goodbye..."
And then, he was gone...
Chapter 2: The Battle
I hovered in the sky, staring dumbstruck at the spot
where Tiamat once was. The mysterious storm had
vanished along with him. I was puzzled, amoung my
people Tiamat was known as the "storm chaser". I had
watched him go through hurricanes before, why was this
storm any different?
"So, you are looking for your brother?"
I looked up into the sky to see a woman's face looking
down at me, she was wearing a dress of blood-red
colouring. Her violet eyes were piercing, like a
cat's.
On her head were what seemed like white and grey
horns. She looked like some sort of queen...
...or sorceress...
I growled, I knew from experience that most
sorceresses ment trouble. "Where is Tiamat?", I asked
calmly.
She laughed, a light-hearted, childish sound. "Tiamat
is with me, my dear Bahamut, and the fall of the
dragon kindom with him! HAHAHA!"
I growled and flew near her again, but was again
blocked off.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Soon I shall have your whole empire on
it's knees! Tiamat and I will accomplish such
wonderful goals together! It's just the beginning of a
new reign of terror!"
"Who are you?!", I screamed just as she began to fade.
"I am Ultimecia." she disappeared.
She left me with a million questions, why Tiamat? Why
not just take me? What did she need him for? I flew
back to the Deep Sea Research Center, I couldn't
inform my people of what really happened. Tiamat's
funeral was conducted that day. I sat there wondering
about the answers to my questions while Tiamat's
friends told of his life. A story I knew quite well.
What I didn't know was that it would be years before I
found the answers to all of my questions.
In the meantime, I would continue to give out my
services as a GF, I fought for years in vain, hoping
one day a human would vanquish me so that I might find
my lost brother.
Then one day, many years after Tiamat's disappearance
my wish came true...
******************6 Years
Later************************
"What is this place?", a male voice shook me from
sleep, it was a calm, leader type voice. More humans
had stumbled upon my home, humans that had come to
take up my challenge.
"Yo! I think I know!", a whinier male voice said,
"Squall? Ever hear of "Battleship Island"?"
"Is it the place where they started doing research
into the GF?", the one called Squall asked.
"Yep! They were looking for some draw point thingie,
but construction stopped. The crew totally
disappeared! It was strange!", the other male replied.
A long pause. "What!? You think I'm BS-ing!?", the
young male asked again.
"Zell, be quiet.", the one called Squall had an
iritated tone in his voice.
"Tch, fine.", Zell muttered. "Hey Selphie! Hurry up!"
"I'm comiiiiinnnngg!", a whiny female voice retorted.
"Wow, this place looks kinda' creepy!"
I heard footsteps come up to the entrance of my
domain, and come inside. The leader, whom I guessed
was Squall, had short brown hair and a scar that
started between his eyes and went down over his left
cheek. Zell, who was next, had spiky blond hair and a
tatoo that resembled a Creeps or a black lightning
strike. Selphie had light brown hair and large eyes,
she wore a bright yellow dress. I cringed, yellow
wasn't my colour.
"Whooo, it's dark in here!", Selphie exclaimed.
I supposed that I should give them a fair chance,
something about these children...bothered me.
"The blue light leads all to death, turn back."
"Oh!", Selphie exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Wow,
creepy!"
"The hell! Where'd that voice come from?!", Zell
demanded.
"Let's check out the core.", Squall suggested. "We
might find some answers." He cautiously strode towards
the core. "Hey!", Selphie exclaimed. "Wait for me!"
she cried as she ran after them.
"Selphie! Wai-", Zell yelled, too late, they were
launched into a battle with an Anacondaur. Squall
whipped out a glowing blue sword with what seemed to
be a gun attached to it. With one swipe of this mighty
weapon, he cut the beast in half, the Anacondaur cried
out and died.
Squall stood over the body, collecting an item from
it's mouth. "Be careful", he warned Selphie. "Only
walk when the blue light's gone!"
"Whoo, sorry!", Selphie blushed. "Guess I got a little
carried away huh?".
"Like hell you did!", Zell yelled "You could have
gotten us killed!".
"Zell, calm down!", Squall stated, Zell quieted
immediately.
Squall walked to the core and looked around "Hello?",
he asked.
"So, you wish to challenge me?", I asked, I stared
deeply into Squall's eyes, they were as cold as ice.
Squall considered the question, "It is not our will to
fight.", he stated solemnly.
This mortal may have a chance. , I thought as my
first Ruby Dragon bodyguard advanced on the three
humans. All three drew their weapons, Selphie had two
rainbow coloured sticks bound by a chain. Zell
appeared to have no weapon, until I caught a glimpse
of a red fighting glove on each hand.
"Holy Judgement!", Squall yelled, I recognized the
robot summon immediately, Alexander, so he had joined
them...they were more special than I thought.
The Ruby Dragon retaliated with "Breath", Selphie bent
down and put her hands on her leg. Zell let a fist
hang in the air...Squall didn't appear hurt as much.
Suddenly, Zell lept forward in a barrage of punches
and kicks, finally ending with a fighting move known
as "My Final Heaven", I tried to hide my amazement.
They had defeated the Ruby Dragon so easily, so
quickly.
Squall collected the Dragon Fangs that had broken off
during the fight. Then I faced him with another
question.
"Begging me for mercy?", I asked.
Zell looked at me with angry eyes, "Never!", he
hissed. This was also a correct answer. They made even
quicker work of the second Ruby Dragon, finishing him
with a move from Squall named "Lion Heart". Now it was
time for the final question, I was beginning to get a
little annoyed, these humans wouldn't give me any
insight into why they were fighting.
"Damned imbeciles, why do you wish to fight!", I
roared. Selphie looked up at me with the innocent eyes
of a young child. "It's our nature", she stated,
"Maybe we were born into it, you can't change fate.".
"Fate made us what we are.", Squall said.
"SeeDs...".
"I see..."
Slowly I moved out into the light so they could see
me, Squall's eyes grew wide as he recognized me.
"I am Bahamut."
"The Great GF, Bahamut..."
"GF, I? Using my powers...It is you humans I fear."
The human named Selphie had been growing weaker and
weaker, I paid no attention to this as I attacked
Squall with "Flare".
Perhaps I should have.
Selphie lept at me, eyes glowing with a new vitality.
"The End!", she yelled as she waved her sticks,
finally positioning them above her head.
Then, the world melted away...I was whisked to a
peaceful valley, full of white flowers, I noticed my
strength draining from me...I had been beaten, after
so many years...
I junctioned to the leader Squall, his other
companions were Shiva, the ice spirit, Alexander, and
Tonberry, the somewhat small resident of the Centra
ruins. I found a quiet space for myself and settled
down in Squall's mind. Finally, my search for Tiamat
could begin and my questions would be answered.
Soon...
Chapter 3: The Reunion
Beating me was only the first step in my quest, I
still had my questions from 6 years ago stored in my
mind. I found a complete surprise when I looked into
Squall's. One name stood out among the rest...
"Ultimecia..."
I learned from Squall's mind of his adventures, his
trials, the emotions he has had to face. He eventually
won through it all. I learned of Sorceresses Edea and
Adel, I learned of Seifer Almasy, of Zone and Watts,
the CC Group, I learned of my fellow GFs. But the one
thing I wanted to learn was missing, but some inner
feeling told me that Squall would lead me to my
brother...
Eventually, after obtaining GF Eden from the fierce
and powerful Ultima Weapon, we made our way to what I
thought of as the goal of my long "search":
Ultimecia's domain. However, upon entering I was
sealed off from Squall's mind, as were the other
Guardian Forces. It was then that I realized that
Ultimecia had put a magical seal on her castle. So
that's why she needed Tiamat. I thought. Dragons
have some of the most advanced magic casting
abilities, Tiamat was actually a little stronger than
I when it came to magic. That explained why she didn't
take me instead.
Suddenly, Squall's mind was cleared for me once more,
a large Sphinx-like creature was lying in the middle
of a staircase. Evidently one of Ultimecia's servants
that was controlling the seal. My breath froze in my
throat, what if Tiamat were also a servant now? Would
I have to kill him? I shook that thought out of my
head and concentrated on the task at hand. While
trying to cross a worn-out chandelier, it crashed to
the floor and Squall's party dispersed in the room.
Squall also noticed that a hatch was broken. Upon
opening this hatch and descending into the wine cellar
underneath, we faced off against Tri-Point. "The hell,
what kind of a monster was that!", Zell cried as he
dusted himself off. The fight had been easy for
everyone since they all absorbed lightning...Squall
could now use GF Abilities like "Defend" and
"Kamikaze", which made the fight against Krysta a
whole lot easier.
We came to an art gallery. Selphie immediately began
bouncing about looking at all the pictures. Squall
stood studying the painting with the missing
description. I was also studying it, when I suddenly
and unexpectedly came up with the answer...
"Vividarium et Intervigilium et Viator..."
"In the Garden Sleeps a Messenger...", Squall mumbled
quietly.
"WHAT'D YOU SAY!?", Selphie yelled. Squall quickly
shushed her. He focused on Zell, who was as white as a
ghost. Squall turned around quickly, only to see a
large yellow piece of machinery looming over him, he
hastily withdrew his gunblade.
The battle against this machinery called Trauma was
easy with the GFs released. Pandemona, the Guardian of
Wind easily defeated Trauma with his Tornado Zone
attack. I must admit I misjudged him, anyone with a
vacuum for a mouth does not look very intimidating to
me.
We continued along, dispatching 2 more servants,
Catoblepas and Gargantua. We had to stop and rest
after defeating Gargantua because of status
abnormalities and GF damage before continuing on. As
we were exploring the dungeon, Zell came upon a cell
which we investigated. Selphie was the first one to
look inside the cell, whereupon she exclaimed
"Ewwwwww, Squall, check that out!", she bounced up and
down and pointed.
It was a corpse, a single rotting corpse. It was gray
with age. It was holding a shiny something in it's
hand, Squall bent so near the corpse that I could see
maggots crawling in those lifeless eye sockets. I
cringed, death could sometimes be very disgusting.
Squall fingered the shiny something in his palm, I
could now see what it was...a silver key.
Click!
Zell jumped at the sound of the door locking. Selphie
ran to it and pulled on it with all her might, but it
was no use...the door wouldn't budge. Zell began
pounding on the door, yelling various obscene
comments. Finally, Zell collapsed on the stone floor.
"A-Are we locked in Squall?", Selphie asked, a hint of
worry in her voice.
Squall said nothing, eyes fixed on a hulking shape as
big as the far wall of the cell, the shape stepped
into view, it was a red giant. And was easily
vanquished by Eden, a GF I respected because of his
power, but unfortunately he was also cursed with the
mentality of a 14 year old that has been given high
doses of sugar.
After much whooping and celebrating, most of which was
done by Eden, Squall unlocked the door using the key.
Selphie, thrilled to be out of the cell, ran ahead to
Ultimecia's chapel and started to play the organ. Zell
gave her a fierce look and began to climb the stairs
to the bridge where we had found the Armory Key, this
item had given us access to Gargantua. Since Gargantua
had already been defeated, Squall suggested that we
climb the Clock Tower. After 20 minutes of climbing
with a monster battle here and there, we reached a
golden bell.
"Whoo hoo!", Selphie exclaimed as she grabbed Zell and
jumped recklessly onto the swinging contraption.
Zell's arms flailed as he tried to keep his balance.
"Dammit Selphie, what was that for!?", he yelled.
Selphie blushed, "I got a little carried away!", she
cried as Zell jumped to the other side.
"Yeah? Well-", Zell stopped mid-sentence, "Hey guys!
Check this out!", he yelled, waving his hands, Squall
sighed and jumped over via the bell. Zell was smiling,
standing next to what appeared to be a door carved
into the Clock Tower. "We're almost home free, BABY!",
he exclaimed. Squall moved him aside and went through
the door first, it led to a balcony...and hovering
above the balcony, approximately ten inches away
was...
"Tiamat!"
Tiamat hadn't changed since I last saw him, he was
still the same blue dragon, with gold and black wings,
but you could just FEEL that something was wrong with
him. He wasn't the same. He was...
...evil.
"Face my Wrath for Seeking Thy Sealed Power..."
"Tiamat, it is I Bahamut, do you not remember me?", I
asked.
Tiamat snorted, his red eyes glowed with intensity, I
wept in my mind when I realized that he had no memory
of me, his memories of me had to be somewhere inside
him...HAD to be.
I sighed. "Squall, do what you have to do."
???, but he's your brother.
"I know Squall..."
The battle seemed to last for hours, in reality it
lasted only half an hour, it was a long half hour.
Soon, Tiamat lay weakened, his expression pleading.
"Squall, please allow me..."
Yes
"MEGA FLARE!", I burst out of Squall's mind, I felt on
top of the world, younger then I had ever felt before.
I soared over my brother and let loose the awesome
orange and white pillar of light known as "Mega
Flare". I noticed a strange thing right before impact,
Tiamat's eyes were no longer fearful of me, nor dark
and evil, his face was no longer twisted into a scowl,
but had softened into a goofy grin. At that moment I
saw the real Tiamat, the dragon with a passion for
life. At that moment I knew that his spirit was put to
rest. Then, as quickly as it had come, the fight was
over, my brother had disappeared...
I flew back down to the ground, where Squall put a
hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry", he said.
I nodded, "You did what you had to do. It was your
duty."
Squall surprised me by smiling. "Will you still be
coming along with us?"
I nodded again, "I could never abandon a friend"
It was Squall's turn to nod his approval and I
junctioned with him once more.
"C'mon you guys! Let's kick some ASS!", Zell yelled.
"Yeah, let's show her what we're made of!", Selphie
exclaimed "Booyaka!".
"Whatever...", Squall mumbled.
So, we went away from the scene of chaos where I had
last seen my brother. Now as I continue to look back
on that day, I smile as I remember the serene look on
Tiamat's face and recall happier times, for I know
that he is in a better place and his spirit is at
peace, his destiny fulfilled. My destiny is far from
fufilled, but my spirit is at peace, knowing that I
will see Tiamat again, and that through my long career
as king. The spirit of Tiamat will continue to live on
in my heart-and the hearts of others
Forevermore...
The End!
Nostalgia...The Story of Tiamat
By Lumiale no Miko
Chapter One: The Taking
I am Bahamut.
The Humans call me "The Great GF, the Dragon King", I
suppose this is true. I live in a place the humans
call "The Deep Sea Research Center". The DSRC consists
of several underwater levels all stemming at the base
of a glowing blue cylinder. Few humans have ever seen
me, most have been swallowed up by the blue light,
which means death and is a nesting ground for vicious
monsters. Those who have survived the ordeal are torn
apart by my ruby dragons. Few have ever challenged me,
none of them lived.
But my life is not all about battle, we get few
challengers. My life is full of memories, memories of
long lost times. Memories of one person in my life...
...Tiamat...
Tiamat is my blood brother, making him heir to the
throne when I am gone. You'd think he would have
plotted against me, but my brother wasn't like your
typical dragon prince. He loved to play tricks, he was
a favourite amoung the younger generation. Where I was
serious, he was playful, I could never get him to take
me seriously.
Then, one fateful day...
"Hey Baha'! Whatre're we doin' again?", Tiamat yelled
to me, I snorted. "Baha'" was the "affectionate
nickname" Tiamat had bestowed upon me years ago. I
hated it. "For the last time, don't call me Baha'!", I
yelled back. Tiamat laughed and I continued explaining
"We are checking to see if our prey is in sufficient
quantities for us to hunt, if not, then Centra will be
the source of our prey for the next year. This is how
"Reproduction Season" worked. It was a system that
humans rarely interfered in.
"We could just eat the humans then!", Tiamat
exclaimed.
"NO!", I snapped. "Our family has encouraged
friendship between the humans for years! We would
never do such a thing!"
"Then how come you always take the lives of humans who
venture near our home? You call that friendship!?", I
had never seen Tiamat react that way. "It is the
rules.", I calmly explained. "I told them that they
were bargining for their life and they took that
chance. Is it my fault if they choose that path?".
Tiamat said nothing, but flew higher into the sky. We
were flying over our source of food for this year, a
place the humans called "Galbadia". The monsters
seemed to be reproducing fine and would last for about
2 more years.
A sudden rumble caught my attention as ominous storm
clouds rolled in. Without warning, my wings were being
weighted down by the rain. I called Tiamat's name but
he couldn't hear me over the howl of the wind. Or
maybe he just chose not to listen. I sighed with
relief when I saw his sleek form jutt out from the
foggy clouds.
Suddenly, a saw him reel off balance with one of his
black and gold wings trailing black smoke. Had he been
hit by lightning? I concluded that he must have been.
Then the black smoke did a strange thing.
As I watched, the tendril of smoke seemed to twist
around his body like many ropes. He squirmed and
writhed against them, but it was no use. I tried to
fly towards him but was blocked off by an invisible
wall. I roared and called his name. I saw him turn to
me, eyes full of a sadness I had never seen in my
younger brother...a look of despair.
"...Bahamut", Tiamat whispered.
"...Goodbye..."
And then, he was gone...
Chapter 2: The Battle
I hovered in the sky, staring dumbstruck at the spot
where Tiamat once was. The mysterious storm had
vanished along with him. I was puzzled, amoung my
people Tiamat was known as the "storm chaser". I had
watched him go through hurricanes before, why was this
storm any different?
"So, you are looking for your brother?"
I looked up into the sky to see a woman's face looking
down at me, she was wearing a dress of blood-red
colouring. Her violet eyes were piercing, like a
cat's.
On her head were what seemed like white and grey
horns. She looked like some sort of queen...
...or sorceress...
I growled, I knew from experience that most
sorceresses ment trouble. "Where is Tiamat?", I asked
calmly.
She laughed, a light-hearted, childish sound. "Tiamat
is with me, my dear Bahamut, and the fall of the
dragon kindom with him! HAHAHA!"
I growled and flew near her again, but was again
blocked off.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Soon I shall have your whole empire on
it's knees! Tiamat and I will accomplish such
wonderful goals together! It's just the beginning of a
new reign of terror!"
"Who are you?!", I screamed just as she began to fade.
"I am Ultimecia." she disappeared.
She left me with a million questions, why Tiamat? Why
not just take me? What did she need him for? I flew
back to the Deep Sea Research Center, I couldn't
inform my people of what really happened. Tiamat's
funeral was conducted that day. I sat there wondering
about the answers to my questions while Tiamat's
friends told of his life. A story I knew quite well.
What I didn't know was that it would be years before I
found the answers to all of my questions.
In the meantime, I would continue to give out my
services as a GF, I fought for years in vain, hoping
one day a human would vanquish me so that I might find
my lost brother.
Then one day, many years after Tiamat's disappearance
my wish came true...
******************6 Years
Later************************
"What is this place?", a male voice shook me from
sleep, it was a calm, leader type voice. More humans
had stumbled upon my home, humans that had come to
take up my challenge.
"Yo! I think I know!", a whinier male voice said,
"Squall? Ever hear of "Battleship Island"?"
"Is it the place where they started doing research
into the GF?", the one called Squall asked.
"Yep! They were looking for some draw point thingie,
but construction stopped. The crew totally
disappeared! It was strange!", the other male replied.
A long pause. "What!? You think I'm BS-ing!?", the
young male asked again.
"Zell, be quiet.", the one called Squall had an
iritated tone in his voice.
"Tch, fine.", Zell muttered. "Hey Selphie! Hurry up!"
"I'm comiiiiinnnngg!", a whiny female voice retorted.
"Wow, this place looks kinda' creepy!"
I heard footsteps come up to the entrance of my
domain, and come inside. The leader, whom I guessed
was Squall, had short brown hair and a scar that
started between his eyes and went down over his left
cheek. Zell, who was next, had spiky blond hair and a
tatoo that resembled a Creeps or a black lightning
strike. Selphie had light brown hair and large eyes,
she wore a bright yellow dress. I cringed, yellow
wasn't my colour.
"Whooo, it's dark in here!", Selphie exclaimed.
I supposed that I should give them a fair chance,
something about these children...bothered me.
"The blue light leads all to death, turn back."
"Oh!", Selphie exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Wow,
creepy!"
"The hell! Where'd that voice come from?!", Zell
demanded.
"Let's check out the core.", Squall suggested. "We
might find some answers." He cautiously strode towards
the core. "Hey!", Selphie exclaimed. "Wait for me!"
she cried as she ran after them.
"Selphie! Wai-", Zell yelled, too late, they were
launched into a battle with an Anacondaur. Squall
whipped out a glowing blue sword with what seemed to
be a gun attached to it. With one swipe of this mighty
weapon, he cut the beast in half, the Anacondaur cried
out and died.
Squall stood over the body, collecting an item from
it's mouth. "Be careful", he warned Selphie. "Only
walk when the blue light's gone!"
"Whoo, sorry!", Selphie blushed. "Guess I got a little
carried away huh?".
"Like hell you did!", Zell yelled "You could have
gotten us killed!".
"Zell, calm down!", Squall stated, Zell quieted
immediately.
Squall walked to the core and looked around "Hello?",
he asked.
"So, you wish to challenge me?", I asked, I stared
deeply into Squall's eyes, they were as cold as ice.
Squall considered the question, "It is not our will to
fight.", he stated solemnly.
This mortal may have a chance. , I thought as my
first Ruby Dragon bodyguard advanced on the three
humans. All three drew their weapons, Selphie had two
rainbow coloured sticks bound by a chain. Zell
appeared to have no weapon, until I caught a glimpse
of a red fighting glove on each hand.
"Holy Judgement!", Squall yelled, I recognized the
robot summon immediately, Alexander, so he had joined
them...they were more special than I thought.
The Ruby Dragon retaliated with "Breath", Selphie bent
down and put her hands on her leg. Zell let a fist
hang in the air...Squall didn't appear hurt as much.
Suddenly, Zell lept forward in a barrage of punches
and kicks, finally ending with a fighting move known
as "My Final Heaven", I tried to hide my amazement.
They had defeated the Ruby Dragon so easily, so
quickly.
Squall collected the Dragon Fangs that had broken off
during the fight. Then I faced him with another
question.
"Begging me for mercy?", I asked.
Zell looked at me with angry eyes, "Never!", he
hissed. This was also a correct answer. They made even
quicker work of the second Ruby Dragon, finishing him
with a move from Squall named "Lion Heart". Now it was
time for the final question, I was beginning to get a
little annoyed, these humans wouldn't give me any
insight into why they were fighting.
"Damned imbeciles, why do you wish to fight!", I
roared. Selphie looked up at me with the innocent eyes
of a young child. "It's our nature", she stated,
"Maybe we were born into it, you can't change fate.".
"Fate made us what we are.", Squall said.
"SeeDs...".
"I see..."
Slowly I moved out into the light so they could see
me, Squall's eyes grew wide as he recognized me.
"I am Bahamut."
"The Great GF, Bahamut..."
"GF, I? Using my powers...It is you humans I fear."
The human named Selphie had been growing weaker and
weaker, I paid no attention to this as I attacked
Squall with "Flare".
Perhaps I should have.
Selphie lept at me, eyes glowing with a new vitality.
"The End!", she yelled as she waved her sticks,
finally positioning them above her head.
Then, the world melted away...I was whisked to a
peaceful valley, full of white flowers, I noticed my
strength draining from me...I had been beaten, after
so many years...
I junctioned to the leader Squall, his other
companions were Shiva, the ice spirit, Alexander, and
Tonberry, the somewhat small resident of the Centra
ruins. I found a quiet space for myself and settled
down in Squall's mind. Finally, my search for Tiamat
could begin and my questions would be answered.
Soon...
Chapter 3: The Reunion
Beating me was only the first step in my quest, I
still had my questions from 6 years ago stored in my
mind. I found a complete surprise when I looked into
Squall's. One name stood out among the rest...
"Ultimecia..."
I learned from Squall's mind of his adventures, his
trials, the emotions he has had to face. He eventually
won through it all. I learned of Sorceresses Edea and
Adel, I learned of Seifer Almasy, of Zone and Watts,
the CC Group, I learned of my fellow GFs. But the one
thing I wanted to learn was missing, but some inner
feeling told me that Squall would lead me to my
brother...
Eventually, after obtaining GF Eden from the fierce
and powerful Ultima Weapon, we made our way to what I
thought of as the goal of my long "search":
Ultimecia's domain. However, upon entering I was
sealed off from Squall's mind, as were the other
Guardian Forces. It was then that I realized that
Ultimecia had put a magical seal on her castle. So
that's why she needed Tiamat. I thought. Dragons
have some of the most advanced magic casting
abilities, Tiamat was actually a little stronger than
I when it came to magic. That explained why she didn't
take me instead.
Suddenly, Squall's mind was cleared for me once more,
a large Sphinx-like creature was lying in the middle
of a staircase. Evidently one of Ultimecia's servants
that was controlling the seal. My breath froze in my
throat, what if Tiamat were also a servant now? Would
I have to kill him? I shook that thought out of my
head and concentrated on the task at hand. While
trying to cross a worn-out chandelier, it crashed to
the floor and Squall's party dispersed in the room.
Squall also noticed that a hatch was broken. Upon
opening this hatch and descending into the wine cellar
underneath, we faced off against Tri-Point. "The hell,
what kind of a monster was that!", Zell cried as he
dusted himself off. The fight had been easy for
everyone since they all absorbed lightning...Squall
could now use GF Abilities like "Defend" and
"Kamikaze", which made the fight against Krysta a
whole lot easier.
We came to an art gallery. Selphie immediately began
bouncing about looking at all the pictures. Squall
stood studying the painting with the missing
description. I was also studying it, when I suddenly
and unexpectedly came up with the answer...
"Vividarium et Intervigilium et Viator..."
"In the Garden Sleeps a Messenger...", Squall mumbled
quietly.
"WHAT'D YOU SAY!?", Selphie yelled. Squall quickly
shushed her. He focused on Zell, who was as white as a
ghost. Squall turned around quickly, only to see a
large yellow piece of machinery looming over him, he
hastily withdrew his gunblade.
The battle against this machinery called Trauma was
easy with the GFs released. Pandemona, the Guardian of
Wind easily defeated Trauma with his Tornado Zone
attack. I must admit I misjudged him, anyone with a
vacuum for a mouth does not look very intimidating to
me.
We continued along, dispatching 2 more servants,
Catoblepas and Gargantua. We had to stop and rest
after defeating Gargantua because of status
abnormalities and GF damage before continuing on. As
we were exploring the dungeon, Zell came upon a cell
which we investigated. Selphie was the first one to
look inside the cell, whereupon she exclaimed
"Ewwwwww, Squall, check that out!", she bounced up and
down and pointed.
It was a corpse, a single rotting corpse. It was gray
with age. It was holding a shiny something in it's
hand, Squall bent so near the corpse that I could see
maggots crawling in those lifeless eye sockets. I
cringed, death could sometimes be very disgusting.
Squall fingered the shiny something in his palm, I
could now see what it was...a silver key.
Click!
Zell jumped at the sound of the door locking. Selphie
ran to it and pulled on it with all her might, but it
was no use...the door wouldn't budge. Zell began
pounding on the door, yelling various obscene
comments. Finally, Zell collapsed on the stone floor.
"A-Are we locked in Squall?", Selphie asked, a hint of
worry in her voice.
Squall said nothing, eyes fixed on a hulking shape as
big as the far wall of the cell, the shape stepped
into view, it was a red giant. And was easily
vanquished by Eden, a GF I respected because of his
power, but unfortunately he was also cursed with the
mentality of a 14 year old that has been given high
doses of sugar.
After much whooping and celebrating, most of which was
done by Eden, Squall unlocked the door using the key.
Selphie, thrilled to be out of the cell, ran ahead to
Ultimecia's chapel and started to play the organ. Zell
gave her a fierce look and began to climb the stairs
to the bridge where we had found the Armory Key, this
item had given us access to Gargantua. Since Gargantua
had already been defeated, Squall suggested that we
climb the Clock Tower. After 20 minutes of climbing
with a monster battle here and there, we reached a
golden bell.
"Whoo hoo!", Selphie exclaimed as she grabbed Zell and
jumped recklessly onto the swinging contraption.
Zell's arms flailed as he tried to keep his balance.
"Dammit Selphie, what was that for!?", he yelled.
Selphie blushed, "I got a little carried away!", she
cried as Zell jumped to the other side.
"Yeah? Well-", Zell stopped mid-sentence, "Hey guys!
Check this out!", he yelled, waving his hands, Squall
sighed and jumped over via the bell. Zell was smiling,
standing next to what appeared to be a door carved
into the Clock Tower. "We're almost home free, BABY!",
he exclaimed. Squall moved him aside and went through
the door first, it led to a balcony...and hovering
above the balcony, approximately ten inches away
was...
"Tiamat!"
Tiamat hadn't changed since I last saw him, he was
still the same blue dragon, with gold and black wings,
but you could just FEEL that something was wrong with
him. He wasn't the same. He was...
...evil.
"Face my Wrath for Seeking Thy Sealed Power..."
"Tiamat, it is I Bahamut, do you not remember me?", I
asked.
Tiamat snorted, his red eyes glowed with intensity, I
wept in my mind when I realized that he had no memory
of me, his memories of me had to be somewhere inside
him...HAD to be.
I sighed. "Squall, do what you have to do."
???, but he's your brother.
"I know Squall..."
The battle seemed to last for hours, in reality it
lasted only half an hour, it was a long half hour.
Soon, Tiamat lay weakened, his expression pleading.
"Squall, please allow me..."
Yes
"MEGA FLARE!", I burst out of Squall's mind, I felt on
top of the world, younger then I had ever felt before.
I soared over my brother and let loose the awesome
orange and white pillar of light known as "Mega
Flare". I noticed a strange thing right before impact,
Tiamat's eyes were no longer fearful of me, nor dark
and evil, his face was no longer twisted into a scowl,
but had softened into a goofy grin. At that moment I
saw the real Tiamat, the dragon with a passion for
life. At that moment I knew that his spirit was put to
rest. Then, as quickly as it had come, the fight was
over, my brother had disappeared...
I flew back down to the ground, where Squall put a
hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry", he said.
I nodded, "You did what you had to do. It was your
duty."
Squall surprised me by smiling. "Will you still be
coming along with us?"
I nodded again, "I could never abandon a friend"
It was Squall's turn to nod his approval and I
junctioned with him once more.
"C'mon you guys! Let's kick some ASS!", Zell yelled.
"Yeah, let's show her what we're made of!", Selphie
exclaimed "Booyaka!".
"Whatever...", Squall mumbled.
So, we went away from the scene of chaos where I had
last seen my brother. Now as I continue to look back
on that day, I smile as I remember the serene look on
Tiamat's face and recall happier times, for I know
that he is in a better place and his spirit is at
peace, his destiny fulfilled. My destiny is far from
fufilled, but my spirit is at peace, knowing that I
will see Tiamat again, and that through my long career
as king. The spirit of Tiamat will continue to live on
in my heart-and the hearts of others
Forevermore...
The End!