A selection of scenes coming up in Book 3 of Shattered Mind. All I'll say about it is that your impatient screams feed me. :D
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters in this story.
Author's notes: Another rant of mine. I have tried very hard to keep politics and religion out of my story as much as I could, but I can't stay stoic about this.
As many of you know, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the creators of South Park) have been given death threats for simply showing an image of the prophet Muhammad. Now I know that Muslims consider this to be offensive. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be offended, that's fine. However, no one has the right not to be offended. That can only lead to everyone demanding more and more special privileges until we're all so quarantined that we have to live in our own separate bubbles. And to threaten someone with violence just because you don't like something non-threatening is disgusting and violates our very basic freedom of expression.
So guess what?
(==)
(\_/)
(o.o)
(")(")
This is the prophet Muhammad reincarnated as a bunny. You will find an image just like this permanently displayed in my profile.
I have just made an image of the prophet Muhammad, and I'm not taking it down!
This image is not here to offend Muslims. It is here to prove a point against the asshat extremists whose faith is so sensitive that the slightest hint of dissent damages them beyond repair.
*Takes a breath*
Anyway… I just had to get that out of my system. I fully encourage everyone to join me and post these Muhammad-bunnies in your profiles.
But let's move onto what you've actually come here for.
A little something to tide you guys over until Book 3 is out. ;)
Okay, screw that. This is me being evil and making you guys want more. XD This will be a collection of scenes given a la movie trailer style. I'm just trying something different to see how well it works. The scenes may be confusing at first, but I tried to put all the relevant info in that I could. I probably won't answer many questions about this since I hate spoilers, but I will work to clear everything up when the actual chapters come around. Obviously, a technique like this works better with visuals, but nothing is advanced by doing the same old thing over and over, right?
Enjoy. XD
Shattered Mind: Destruction Teaser.
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People can run from their past. Run from who they were and what made them that way. They hide away and pretend it never happened.
(In the halls of Alexandria Castle)
"Pesky muskrat…" I repeated, trying to remember where I heard that phrase before. Suddenly, I felt a lightning bolt surge through my entire being. Anger flooded into my hands, ready to feed into my short swords.
"You!" I called out to the Alexandrian solder. She stopped talking with her friends and looked up at me.
"Can I help you?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Did you fight in Lindblum when Brahne attacked it?"
"I don't think that's any of your—"
"Just answer the fucking question!!"
The soldier and her two friends looked at me like I was some diseased madman. They each exchanged a glance before the tallest one answered.
"Yeah, I did. What's it to you?"
"And did you kill a man with a gun?"
"What the hell is a gun?"
I grit my teeth to keep myself in check. I didn't have the patience for this right now. "It's like a cannon, but handheld."
"Oh, that thing? Yeah, someone was attacking us with something like that. I just sent some black mages after him until one nailed him with a fireball."
A second soldier turned to the first. "But you stabbed the guy too, didn't you?"
"Oh yeah," the first one said. "I guess I did." She turned back to me. "Why do you care? Did you know him or something?"
I nearly lost it. Memories of the disaster of Lindblum swam through my mind. Every fire, every death, every goddamned soldier getting in my way. I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I tried so desperately to contain my rage.
"Trevor?!" Kaiten called out urgently. "What's going on? Your entire subconscious is shaking. It's like a damn earthquake in here!"
I fell to one knee, short of breath. I gripped my face tightly. My fingernails dug deep, cutting into the skin. I desperately tried to control myself and keep my anger in check, but I felt a twinge of fear while I did.
I hadn't felt like this since high school.
"If you're asking if I felt pity," the Alexandrian soldier asked. "Then no. Anyone I crush isn't worth my time. Your friend was just a waste of flesh."
My fingernails immediately clenched into a fist, scratching my face like a wild animal. I could feel the slick of blood crawling down my face and inside my nails. "You bitch," I snarled.
I snapped. Suddenly, faster than I could register, I grabbed the wretched soldier by the throat and pinned her against the wall. I held her in place with more strength than I thought I had while she clawed at my arm, desperate for me to let go. But I had already made my decision.
"You killed Dante!!" I shouted. I pulled out a short sword and positioned it to impale her.
But that past has a nasty way of recurring, spreading behind us like a gaping pit. The faster we run, the bigger the pit grows. Until it grows so large that it threatens to swallow us whole.
"Trevor, you can't come with us," Zidane said stubbornly. "Something's wrong with you."
"I told you I'm fine," I said. I was getting pretty agitated from him questioning me every time I got pissed off.
"You think you can attack Regent Cid like that and keep coming with us?"
"Look, I'm sorry, but he was getting on my nerves."
"EVERYTHING gets on your nerves these days. What happened to you? You used to be all about optimism and trying your hardest for everyone's sake! Now we're lucky if you smile at all."
"I started fighting and woke up. Move."
Zidane drew a dagger and held it defensively. "You're not safe to be around. You have to stay behind."
"You think you can tell me what to do?" I drew my short swords and stood in an offensive stance. "I'm older than you and I'm a better fighter. I should be leading anyway."
"Trevor, please," Zidane pleaded. "Don't make me fight you."
My grip tightened around my weapons. "I've been wondering which of us is stronger for a while."
Some men give in to the past and die. Some submit and go insane. Very few are foolish enough to face it head-on and jump in, unsure if they'll ever emerge again.
"This is impossible!" Innural yelled, running from console to console. "No, no, no! I CAN'T be wrong!!!"
Hart Innural tried desperately to analyze the charts flying by on the screens, but his laboratory was hardly the place for a peaceful examination. The blaring alarm and strobing white emergency light at the door made it impossible to concentrate.
"Hart!" Saiko called out, entering the room in a rush. "Unit 00 is out of control! His soul line has snapped! What is this?"
"I DON'T KNOW!!!" Innural cried out. Data and information flew at him. He tried to calculate it all as fast as he could, but the conclusion was already obvious.
"Was Unit 01 not a compatible match?" Saiko asked.
"It's Boleman's theory!" Innural realized. "We overloaded the Earthling! His body has been bearing the weight of two souls! It can't take much more."
A red light flashed over a control panel, accompanied by an alarm. The screen flashed violently, as if it were unwilling to maintain a steady picture.
"No, no!" Innural continued to yell. "There should have been a balance! I did everything right!"
"We need to repair the situation Hart!" Saiko yelled. "We will die if we don't! All of Terra will die if we don't!"
"I know, but there's nothing we can do! The damage is done!"
Suddenly, one of the consoles blew up. Shrapnel and shards of glass shot out and embedded themselves deep into the walls.
Saiko felt a shard fly by his head and felt a pang of concern for his coworker. "Hart! This place is becoming unstable! We need to retreat to Bran Bal!"
"No!" Innural shouted back. "I will never abandon my research! I would rather—"
Just then, a tremor rocked through the entire building. Saiko braced himself in the doorway while Innural hugged a computer for support.
"What was that?" Saiko asked.
"The machines that power the computers that monitor Unit 00 and 01 are in the basement. Their instability and power level must have triggered a malfunction!"
"That's it! We have to leave NOW! Gather the data you can and run!"
"If only I had more time," Innural wept. "More materials and more subjects… It could have gone so perfectly!"
"Hart?!"
Saiko didn't have a chance to save the madman. Another tremor hit deep within the building and triggered an explosion. Saiko heard it coming but wasn't able to pull Innural out of the room. He could only jump away from the doorway just in time to see the entire laboratory destroyed. A pillar of fire burst through the floor, taking everything inside with it. The doors slowly shut and cut off Saiko's view into the room.
The shaking stopped and the building settled.
Everything was quiet.
Luguolo vestro everto.
Or risk your past's wrath.
Snarls and hungry slurps filled the air. Monsters and demons surrounded us as far as the eye could see. And every one of them was looking straight at me. I had never wanted anyone's help more than at that moment. I silently wished that I hadn't wandered away from the others.
"Kaiten?"
"Yeah?"
"I think we're in trouble."
Book 3 of the Shattered Mind Saga: Destruction…
Coming June 9th, 2010…