Hindsight: Prologue
Hindsight(hind-sit)n. Comprehension or understanding of an event after it has happened.
Rated T, for blood and gore.
All characters and concepts copyright to Square Enix.
Titania, Melcanum, and Magnum copyright to me.
----------
Long ago, there lived an elite group of samurai warriors known only as the Immortals. To protect the world from danger, these four warriors set out into the unknown to battle the forces of darkness.
The Immortals also rode legendary, mystical beasts known as Wyverns. These Wyverns offered support in battle, and forged strong bonds with their riders. Unfortunately, a massive plague targeted these creatures, and their numbers decreased day by day. Only a handful of Wyverns remain, and the Immortals have sworn to defend these mystic beasts to the end, as well as the rest of the world.
People were amazed by the strength of these powerful warriors, and admired their courage. It seemed that, under their protection, no one would ever fall to the forces of darkness again.
Or, so it seemed...
-------
Rabanastre, Imperial Castle- 1807 A.D.
March 2nd, 12:01 A.M.
"Sir, he's heading into the castle!"
"Storm the castle! Don't let him get away!"
Thunder loomed deeply in the night sky, followed by heavy mist and streaks of rain that flooded the streets of Rabanastre. Countless numbers of samurais, swordsmen, and Wyvern Riders charged into battle, swords raised, ready to defend the city with their very lives.
One of the four Immortals, Ansem, had gone rampant after a mission to protect the ultimate weapon, and the world's most powerful Wyvern in existance, Melcanum. Hearing rumors about how Melcanum once caused destruction and devastation across the world, Ansem fled into the castle to find the powerful beast.
Thousands of strange, dark soldiers guarded the castle. With strangely patterned armour, beady yellow eyes, and twitchy, crazed movements, the soldiers were, in no way, human. As some were slaughtered, the dark creatures multiplied, and their forces only grew. It seemed hopeless.
A flash of silver spiraled in the dark sky as blasts of blue fire exploded into the bridge. A shrill cry echoed throughout the night and a blast of wind swept past the warriors off their feet. With another soft screech, the silver beast disembarked onto the bridge, and a young swordsman dismounted, his wooden sandals splashing against the rain-soaked monument.
Two guards at the castle's doorway gawked in awe at the massive beast. In a flash of white light, the dragon-like creature morphed into a harmless doll, that gave a rubbery squeak as it landed on the stone bridge. The warrior picked up the doll from the ground and latched it to his kimono.
"A silver Wyvern... ? Then... you must be--"
"Sora." The warrior replied coolly. "I need to get in that castle."
"We can't allow that." The second guard responded. "Those... those things are in there, multiplying by the minute. If any harm were to befall one of the Immortals--"
Unseathing his sword Tsukuyomi, Sora shoved past the guards and bolted right into the castle.
--------
The castle was eerily quiet.
Of all the Wyvern Riders, samurais, swordsmen, and any other soldiers that stormed the castle, not a single one could be heard. What the guards had said was true. Whatever these dark monsters were, they were multiplying, and fast. He needed to get to the bottom of this soon.
As more of the shadows threw themselves from the walls, Sora sliced through them with ease. Finding his two fellow Immortals, Sephiroth and Kuja, was the hazel-haired warrior's top priority at the moment. They'd said they would go to the castle to find Ansem themselves, and Sora followed soon after. But why couldn't he hear them? At the most, he would've heard fighting...
A broken squeak from his sandeled foot suddenly caught his attention. Looking down, Sora was overcome with confusion and horror. Sephiroth and Kuja's Wyvern dolls were sliced up almost completely beyond recognition. A trail of blood led to a gothic-looking chamber, and Sora brust inside. The stone door slammed against the chamber, the resulting thud echoing throughout the silent chamber. Sora skidded to a halt upon entering the room.
The young warrior resisted the urge to scream at the sight. There was blood everywhere, absolutely everywhere. All that remained of the soldiers were their weapons and armour, and among those soldiers were two Sora immedately recognized. Sephiroth and Kuja.
Their bodies were sliced up and battered, their eyes gazing vacantly into death. From the looks of the chamber, an intense battle had ensued. Picking up another dead soldier, Ansem bowed to a gigantic statue and offered the body. Looking closer at the statue, Sora realized it wasn't a statue at all.
It was Melcanum.
Melcanum the ultimate Wyvern. And Ansem was sacrificing people for it.
"I can't believe you..." Sora's broken voice echoed in the chamber. "Why? How could you do this?"
Ansem turned to face the boy and smirked devilishly. "Why, you ask? It's quite simple." Lifting himself off his sitting position, Ansem reached for his lance. "Even though I am an Immortal, this world has shunned me. They reject me for my beliefs, reject my ways. And for that, they must suffer."
Sora couldn't hold it in anymore. "They were our friends! Our allies! We never shunned you, never doubted you, we took you in... why did you do this to them?" Tears streamed down his face, and he sobbed uncontrollably.
It took the older male a moment to respond, and when he did, his evil smirk came back full-force. "I just realized that I love killing." Ansem drew closer to Sora, the boy's heart catching in his throat, his body resisting the urge to just get up and run. "Melcanum can make this happen. We can destroy this miserable world and remake it to my likeness. I can do as I please."
"...what about the innocent people you swore to protect? Swore to help in their time of need?"
"I don't care anymore. They never cared about me. They deserve to die."
"And people who've never met you? What about them? They didn't do anything."
"Yet. They haven't had the chance to mock me yet. I'll destroy them before that happens."
Sora was silent for a few minutes, unbelieveing of what he was hearing. Ansem... his mentor, his friend. They'd saved him from near-death. Took him in. And all this just... happened in an instant. His fist clenched tighter against Tsukuyomi, unable to control his emotions. Ansem betrayed everyone.
A low chuckle suddenly erupted from the silver-haired man's throat, jerking Sora out of his thoughts. "Maybe I should start with that little lover of yours. Oh, what's her name... ?" Ansem's tone took on a feigned innocence tone. "Ah, yes. Kairi."
A gasp involuntarily escaped Sora's lips. He wouldn't...
"...her blood everywhere, like a fountain. Ah, yes. What a beautiful sight."
"You... you monster!" Sora quickly unseathed Amaterasu as well and charged at the silver-haired man. Ansem drew his lance and, with alarming speed, stabbed his former ally in the chest. Sora hacked on a mound of blood and gazed up at Ansem, torquoise eyes filled with hatred and sorrow. "Y... you'll... you'll pay for... for this." He gasped, his breathing ragged.
"Nobody can stop me." Ansem violently yanked the lance out of Sora's bloody chest and watched as the boy hacked and choked. "Not even you." The silver haired man lifted his lance into the air and chuckled manically. "You never saw anything." And with that, in a blinding flash of speed, the lance gouged the young boy straight in the eyes as his vision went black.
--------
It was so dark, yet so wonderfully confortable. He felt no pain, no fear, just serentity. He felt a hand suddenly decend on his forehead as his senses slowly came back to him. Pain was blossoming in his chest, his head... his heart.
No... no, keep the pain out. He hazily thought. I like it here. It's... comfortable.
"...u... ugh..."
"...Sora... awake... ?" A hazy voice invaded his head. It sounded so distant, yet he felt their presence right there with him.
The boy's brow furrowed as a headache slowly blossomed in his skull. He groaned, but he felt too disoriented to even open his eyes. He wanted to wake up, to move around, but found himself incapable of doing so. His body ached intensely and he couldn't make heads or tails of anything.
"Sora, wake up."
Some of the dizziness lifted. Who was talking to him? The voice sounded female... It sounded familiar. Was it Kairi? It had to be. He knew that if he didn't wake up soon, she'd most certainly have his ass later.
Slowly blinking open his heavy, turquoise eyes, he noticed that the room was dark. Very dark. He couldn't even see Kairi in the darkness and worry quickly swept through him. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but his voice was dry and hoarse.
"It's alright, Sora." Sora felt a gentle hand decend on his chest, and he jerked suddenly, not realizing she was right there.
"W... here am I? I don't... I can't... I can't remember... what hap-- ugh!" The boy shot up suddenly, cringing in pain from the wound in his chest. Stroking a hand over the wound, he felt bandages leading from his collarbone to his torso. Kairi placed a reassuring hand on his back which caused Sora to flinch again at the unannounced physical contact.
"It's alright, you're home. You suffered some pretty serious injuries from that fight, but luckily I was around to help you." Sora could practically see the huge, self-confident grin on the young girl's face and smiled slightly himself.
"Heh... aren't I lucky?"
The two lovers sat in silence for a few moments before Kairi spoke up. "I heard about what happened. They didn't deserve to die."
Sora felt a pang of sorrow at the thought. Sephiroth. Kuja. He'd known them forever, and now they... they were just... gone. His mind was willing to accept the fact, but he knew it'd take longer for his heart to mend. And it was all Ansem's fault. Clenching his fists against the white blanket, the young warrior vowed to never allow that man to harm another living soul ever again. Not allowing himself to be overcome by such negative thoughts, Sora quickly decided to change the subject.
"So... what happened to me?"
Kairi's eyes darkened, though the hazel-haired warrior couldn't see it.
"Ansem stabbed you in the chest and eyes, Sora. You lost a huge amount of blood, and I almost didn't find you in time if Magnum hadn't come to warn me. When I did find you though, you were near-death. There was so much blood around you... I was so afraid I'd lose you." Kairi quickly swept an arm over her tear-stained eyes. "I was able to heal the wound in your chest and your eyes, but... "
Sora's heart plummeted. "But..."
A moment of silence incurred and he felt his lungs freeze in place from the anticipation.
"I'm sorry. I was only able to fix the wound. I wasn't able to restore your sight."
"Oh..."
"Are you mad?"
Sora blindly looked up. He hated it when Kairi was sad, and gave the cheesiest smile he could muster. "No, not at all. There're other ways to get around. I just have to find them, right?"
Kairi giggled a bit. "Right."
Feeling for the edge of the bed, Sora slid his feet onto the cold, wooden floor. Pushing himself off the bed with a slight, "Hup!", he grinned at Kairi once more, before reeling slightly. Panicked, Kairi was quick to grab him by the arm.
"Hold on, we should wait for your injuries to completely heal."
"Aw, come on, Kairi. I can't let a little thing like that slow me down."
Kairi laughed and shook her head. "That's right, I forgot. You're stubborn."
"Guess we should get started then."
"I guess we should." Kairi began to walk out before Sora grabbed her arm and pulled her into a gentle hug.
"Thank you."
-----
Calm Lands- Six months later
September 10th, 5:15 P.M.
Kairi...
He had trained with her for six months, to help him get by. She had taught him to rely on his other senses to see, as well as the ability to sense another living creature by its heartbeat. It was almost like he'd never lost his vision at all. He cared for Kairi so deeply and it seemed that nothing would ever tear them apart.
But one tragic day, when she'd had gone into their small, wooden home to get some supplies, he found her and her Wyvern plushie sliced and beaten to death in the kitchen. There was so much blood everywhere. He'd never been more scared or confused in his life. But then it hit him. He knew for a fact who it was who murdered her.
"Maybe I should start with that little lover of yours. Oh, what's her name... ?" Ansem's tone took on a feigned innocence tone. "Ah, yes. Kairi."
A gasp involuntarily escaped Sora's lips. He wouldn't...
"...her blood everywhere, like a fountain. Ah, yes. What a beautiful sight."
Ansem. That dirty, lowlife bastard.
It was then that he and his faithful Wyvern, Titania, had set out to put an end to Ansem once and for all. Sora knew that he'd go directly for Melcanum again, and had Titania follow his scent. Strangely enough, Titania began to disembark over, what felt like to him, the Calm Lands.
Ansem's... here? Why?
Dismounting Titania, Sora turned to blindly face Ansem, his two swords ready.
"I can't believe you'd go as far as to kill her, you dirty, sick bastard. If you wanted someone to fight, fight me!"
No response. He'd sure hoped Titania wasn't just making a pit stop, since he'd look pretty damn foolish yelling that to himself.
"Love, sorrow, joy, friendship..." Sora jerked at Ansem voice. "We were taught to abandon these things. Sorrow is a sign of weakness. A sign that the body has been defeated by emotion." Sora heard Ansem take a few steps forward and tensed. If he wasn't careful, he'd lose a lot more than his sight this time. "Wouldn't you agree, my friend?" Sora jumped up suddenly, the silver-haired man's voice coming from about a foot behind him.
"Melcanum will betray you." Sora growled in a low whisper. "Just as you betrayed us."
"Oh, I think not."
Just then, the ground began to rumble. Titania snarled and readied itself into an attacking position, which caught Sora off guard. He couldn't let his Wyvern get caught up in all this.
"Titania, capture!"
Titania's body glowed a soft white light, and, just as before, morphed into the doll. Before Sora could reach the doll, his path was blocked by an immense Wyvern rising up from the ground. Its roar shook the very foundation of the Calm Lands itself and Ansem leapt onto the massive creature.
"Ansem! Get down here and fight!" Sora called out, chucking one of his swords at the beast's eye. Melcanum shreaked in agony and thrashed its head wildly about, Ansem barely holding on.
"Why you little-- Melcanum! End this!" With an almighty roar, Melcanum's massive claw collided directly with the boy, knocking him deep underground. Sora staggered to his feet and realized he'd been knocked into an underground cave of some sort. But before he had time to react, the Wyvern's mouth glowed blue and a stream of scorching fire erupted from its mouth. The fire was so intense, Sora felt as if his body was melting to the bone. If he didn't do something, anything soon, he'd die.
Wait. There was one thing, but it was risky.
No, it can't end like this! I have no choice...
Sora did the only thing he could think to do to save himself. His body glowed light, and he stood up straight. Placing Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu in the ground to either side of the cave, he levitated off the ground slightly, and whisps of energy wrapped around him like a flower.
I'm sorry... Kairi...
In a flash of light, the energy hardened into a pure crystal, and Sora was trapped inside. The crystal reflected the massive blast of fire back at both Melcanum and Ansem, and the two hurried to escape the blast.
"Damn him! Damn that brat! I'm gonna kill hi-- AGGH!"
The fire caught up with them and both Ansem and Melcanum screeched as it incinerated them both.
------
A light tear slid from his eye. He knew she'd be avenged... but at a terrible price.
'All your work. All your labour... for me. I'm sorry... Kairi.'
It was then that he fell into a deep sleep, the humming of the crystal his harmonic lullaby.