As the Warrior of Light dealt the final blow to Chaos, he assumed that the fantasy would finally come to an end. However, he did not understand the true significance of the events that were about to unfold. The fantasies would continue on.
This fantasy had been created by nothing more than a simple trick of faith. However, the significance of that trick was far more than anyone could have ever imagined. When Garland had absorbed the power born of that trick, he had become much more than an archfiend; he had become the very embodiment of chaos itself; a truly indestructible force that could never be destroyed. However, he was contained within the time loop, severely limiting his power.
Although Chaos' power dwindled upon his defeat, he could not be destroyed. His defeat, however, would set in motion the events of many more fantasies to come. The Shards of Chaos that comprised his being had been separated into several pieces, and released into other worlds. These Shards contained the pure and primal force of chaos, and wanted only one thing: to be released once more and be made whole again.
A chain of events had been set in motion that would affect the futures of all worlds.
In World 2, the Shard had fallen to the Earth, and become an indestructible stone, inside of the castle of a great and powerful nation. The chaos secreted from this rock had corrupted many rulers of the kingdom, creating discord and anarchy throughout the land. However, none were capable of wielding the full power of the Shard, save for one: An Emperor, whose pride and arrogance surpassed all.
With this, the Shard's power passed entirely onto him, using it to wreak havoc across the land. The Shard's power had stayed with him even after death and combined with his very soul. With no body limiting his power, his strength was amplified considerably. However, even this strength was not the infinite power of chaos that Garland had once wielded, and this Emperor, who had controlled the world with the power of chaos, was defeated by a band of adventures he had underestimated the whole time. The Emperor suffered a final death, and the Shard of Chaos was released.
In World 3, the Shard had fallen into an area of the void that lay on the boundary between two worlds; one of darkness and one of light. With the two opposing forces of light and dark so close to it, the Shard itself became sentient. It then subconsciously set into motion a chain of events, so that it could be destroyed and released.
It began by creating a surplus of light in the World of Darkness, which disrupted the delicate equilibrium between the two worlds. The four crystals that maintained the balance of the World of Darkness then chose four champions to restore the balance. The four champions successfully restored the balance to their world; however, with only the power of darkness, they failed to destroy the Shard, now calling itself the Cloud of Darkness.
It took a thousand years of this world's time, but the Cloud of Darkness was once again able to disrupt the equilibrium, this time by creating a surplus of darkness in the World of Light. Once again, the four crystals of that world chose four champions to restore the balance. This time, however, the Warriors of Light combined their power with the Warriors of Darkness, and together, they destroyed the Cloud of Darkness once and for all and ended the cycle. With the Cloud of Darkness destroyed, the Shard of Chaos was released.
In World 4, the most powerful Shard had passed onto a powerful Sorcerer, which granted him unimaginable power. Unfortunately, he did not learn of this until after he had been sealed away and forced to sleep. However, the power of the Shard had allowed his mind to stay awake.
He used his powers to control others for his own purposes, but when they were later released from his control, they went to confront him. So powerful was this Shard of Chaos that it fully combined with the Sorcerer's hatred, turning him into an immortal incarnation of hatred. However, even this was not the full power of Chaos, and he was defeated and sealed away.
While he had been sealed away, the Shard's power kept him alive; however, the Shard was slowly losing energy. After fifteen years of imprisonment, the Sorcerer was finally released. However, he had been sealed away for so long, that the Shard's finite amount of energy had dwindled to the point that he could not survive for long. Shortly after he had been released, the last of the Shard's energy gave out. The Sorcerer had finally died, and the Shard of Chaos was released.
In World 5, the Shard had combined together with a tree that was used for sealing away many ancient evils. The Shard eventually combined with all of the evil sealed in tree, and gained sentience. The new entity sought to harness and control the power of the Void in order to locate more of the shards, so that it could be whole again.
It eventually succeeded in destroying the crystals that maintain the balance in that world, and gained complete control over the Void. However, a band of adventures that had opposed his plans the entire time, filled with righteous determination to stop him, travelled into the depths of the Void in order to put a stop to his plans.
After a long battle, this monster was eventually destroyed and cast into the Void that it craved so much. However, the Shard of Chaos inside of him would not surrender so easily, and combined together with the Void, to try and destroy everything. Eventually, even this amalgamation was destroyed, and the Shard of Chaos was released.
In World 6, the Shard had combined with the world itself, gifting the inhabitants with the gift of magic, in a world that relied heavily on technology. However, as it is in the nature of chaos, this gift would later be tarnished, twisted and used for evil purposes.
At some point later, a Madman had absorbed the power from the source of all magic in this world, becoming a living God amongst the people; and with this, he absorbed and gained the full power of the Shard.
The Madman used this power to subjugate the people of the world, finding delight in their destruction. However, there were those whose wills would not be broken so easily. With strength and bravery in their hearts, they confronted the Madman turned God, and did battle with him.
While he had the power of a God, his newfound strength was nothing compared to full power of Chaos, or the determination of this group. The Mad God was then destroyed, and the Shard of Chaos was released.
In World 7, the Shard of Chaos took the form of a Calamity that travelled the Cosmos of that world, searching for the lost pieces of itself, and subconsciously trying to be destroyed and released.
The Calamity eventually reached a new planet, and set off on a rampage, killing all that it found. It was eventually defeated, but not destroyed, and sealed away.
Thousands of years later, of that world's time, the Calamity was found again, and its cells were used and given to others, to bestow its powers on to them. The Calamity then took control of them, and through them it continued to act. One of those that the cells were given to; a Man, became more powerful than all of the others, and eventually took control of the Calamity instead, gaining all of its powers, including the Shard of Chaos, and used its power for his own goals. In time, the Shard's power passed on to him completely.
The Man's powers were so great that, combined with the Shard's power, he avoided death time and time again. As he died, and his mind and spirit were released, he grew even closer to the Shard of Chaos inside of him, merging itself with his very soul, using it to unlock more of its power, and the secrets it held about the worlds beyond.
The Man used this knowledge to expand his plans even further than even he had ever imagined. However, even his power was not the infinite, raw power of chaos, that Garland once wielded, and the Man was defeated.
The Shard's power was enough to keep the Man's mind and spirit alive within the Planet's collective consciousness; however, the Shard's power was not infinite, and the more time that passed, the more power that it lost. Eventually its strength gave out and the Shard was released.
In World 8, the Shard of Chaos merged with the ambient magicks of world itself, creating a temporal paradox, which resulted in the source of a Witch's power. The Witch attempted to use her power to compress time in that world, in order to rule over everything.
However, because of a combination of a young youth's strong bond with his friends, and the time paradox itself, the Witch's plans fail. She is defeated and the Shard of Chaos was released.
In World 9, the Shard of Chaos struck a planet, and the Shard's destructive force caused its destruction. The Planet started dying, and the planet's inhabitants could do nothing to halt or stop its destruction.
The inhabitants later attempted to assimilate another planet, in order to save their home; however, the Shard's power prevented the assimilation, and instead caused the first planet to be absorbed into the other one.
Many years later, an Angel of Death managed to take control of both planets, and with it, the Angel absorbed the Shard of Chaos as well, gaining access to its power.
However, even the full power of the Shard couldn't keep the Angel from dying. He was eventually destroyed and the Shard was released.
In World 10, the Shard of Chaos passed on to a Summoner. The Shard granted the Summoner much power and knowledge, but it also began to infect his mind, slowly destroying his sense of self, rendering him nothing more than a vessel for the Shard of Chaos.
The final bit of himself that the Summoner had left was all that drove him, mindlessly carrying out his last chosen task, without the sense to control himself, essentially becoming a slave to the Shard.
After many years of that world's time, the Summoner was finally destroyed for good and the Shard was released.
In World 12, the Shard of Chaos passed on to a powerful Empire, who used its power to create many technological marvels, the likes of which the world had never seen before.
In the end, however, the Shard was destroyed and released.
In World 13, the last Shard of Chaos became the Heart of a Goddess, as she departed the World of the Living. The power of the Shard kept her alive in a sense, allowing her to maintain her form within the Unseen Realm. From there, she acted as a Goddess of Death, taking the souls of the dead, and placing them in the hearts of the newly born, nurturing the flow of life and death.
The Goddess cared deeply for the humans that continued to live and die because of her own actions. One Warrior in particular; she saw how he selflessly gave his own life in order to protect the girl that he cared for more than even the Goddess did. The Goddess was so touched by this Warriors act, that she intervened and gave him her own heart, passing the Shard within it, and all of its power to him, granting him immortality, so long as the heart continued to beat in his chest.
The Warrior, however, resented the Goddess for her intervention, and viewed his gift of eternity as a curse, as it brought unending suffering to not only him, but also to the girl that he cared for more than anything. He then schemed to destroy the Goddess and the heart in his chest, so that they could both be released from their fate.
All the while, the Warrior was completely oblivious to the real power that he held in his chest.
The Warrior's plan eventually succeeded across all timelines, and he finally died a final death. With his death, the final Shard of Chaos was released.
After each Shard had been released, the power of chaos couldn't be destroyed, and eventually fused back together again; and with that, Garland was able to return, more powerful than ever.
However, this time he was no longer contained within the time loop, and could use his power without restriction.
In the deepest depths of the Chaos Shrine, Garland's body began to reform, across time and space. He once again took the form of a big and powerful archfiend, now even bigger more powerful than ever.
As his body was reforming, he began laughing evilly. As he grew bigger, he then burst out of the Chaos Shrine, blowing off the roof as he exited, and then hovered over the castle, looking out over the past of World 1.
After giving an evil smirk, he then raised his giant arm into the air, and shot out a huge beam of orange energy.
The Warrior of Light walked out of the Chaos Shrine, to head back to Cornelia, with no memory of his adventure. However, as he took another step, he suddenly stopped where he was. Bringing his hand up to his head, he suddenly felt that something was wrong; he remembered everything; everything about his adventure.
Before he could contemplate the reason for this any further, the ground beneath suddenly started shaking. He then heard a loud noise from behind him. He turned around to see what it was, and he saw a large pillar of orange energy shoot out of the Chaos Shrine.
As the Warrior of Light looked at this site in front of him, with a quizzical expression on his face, he thought that he could make out a vaguely humanoid figure inside of the beam of orange energy.
After watching Leon leave the throne room of Fynn Castle, Firion turned to Maria and Guy. "Well, we should be going, too. This is only the beginning."
The other two both nodded their heads, and then they all walked out of the palace together.
As they stepped outside, they all took in a deep breath. Firion then stepped forward. "Well, let's get going. We have a lot of work to do."
Firion took one step forward, but then suddenly, the ground beneath them started shaking. They all struggled to stand up, and they all looked around for the source of the earthquake.
As they looked around, a large beam of orange energy suddenly shot out of the earth, into the sky. Maria and Guy both succumbed to the quake and fell over. Firion then turned to the side to look at the huge pillar of orange energy that was reaching into the sky. "What is that?"
Luneth walked happily around the village of Ur, still clad in his Onion Knight armor. As he looked around, he could see all of the villagers, happy and carefree, with smiles on their faces. They had been completely unaware of the danger surrounding their world and what was at stake. However, he was still happy that he saved them all from destruction.
However, a few moments later, the ground suddenly started shaking. As soon as the earthquake started, all of the villagers started panicking. Luneth had a bad feeling about this. For him, earthquakes were never a good sign.
He managed to stay standing on his feet as he looked around for anything else suspicious. Suddenly, a large pillar of orange energy shot out of the ground.
Luneth looked at it with a worried expression on his face. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Cecil and Ceodore's swords collided as the two of them continued with their sparring session. Rosa stood at the side, watching them.
After a few minutes, Cecil then jumped backwards and sheathed his sword. "Alright, that's enough," Cecil said as he looked back at his son, who was still clutching his sword tightly.
A moment later, Ceodore's expression lightened, and he sheathed his sword. Rosa then walked in between the two of them.
Kain then stepped into the courtyard and gave a respectable bow to Cecil and Rosa before continuing. "We're ready to begin the next stage of Baron's restoration plan." He then turned to face Ceodore. "Our next stop is Troia. Are you ready, Ceodore?"
Ceodore stood to attention. "Yes, Captain."
Kain simply nodded back to him, and then turned back around and walked away. Ceodore followed after him.
As the two of them left the courtyard, Rosa walked up to Cecil's side as they watched them leave. They didn't say anything; they just watched as the two of them left.
However, their silence would soon be broken, as the ground suddenly began to shake. Cecil managed to stay standing on his two feet, and put his arms around Rosa in order to keep her steady.
Rosa had a concerned look on her face, as the two of them huddled together. "What's going on?"
Cecil briefly looked down to look her in the eye, but then he looked back up again as he heard another loud noise. He looked over in the direction that he had heard the noise, and he suddenly saw a large pillar of orange energy shoot out of the ground.
Rosa soon turned around to look at it, and the two of them simply stood there, staring ahead at this strange sight.
Bartz and Boko both walked along the peaceful, grassy plains, without a care in the world. Bartz, riding on his Chocobo's back, suddenly asked his friend to stop, and gently patted him on his head as he looked around.
It was a bright, sunny day, without a cloud in the sky. The breeze blew gently into face, and through his hair. He closed his eyes briefly and took an inhale. He then breathed out calmly, as he took in the beautiful and peaceful scenery around him.
The peacefulness was suddenly interrupted, however, as the ground beneath them started shaking. Boko was easily able to stay standing, but that didn't keep him from freaking out.
After taking a moment to try and figure out what was happening, Bartz then turned his attention to Boko, and started patting him gently and giving him words of encouragement, in order to calm him down.
He was interrupted again, as a huge pillar of orange energy shot out of the earth near him. Boko reared up because the pillar of energy came so close to them, but Bartz managed to calm him again.
Bartz then looked back at pillar of orange energy, shooting out of the ground. "What the heck is that?"
Terra stood at the helm of the airship, with all of her friends behind her. Taking in the beautiful sight in front of her, and relishing in her newfound freedom, she then took her knife in her hand and cut off her ponytail.
She then held out her hand and let her cut-off hair get blown away by the wind; a symbol of her new freedom. She then breathed in deeply, and exhaled calmly. "I'm really free. I can't believe it." She then smiled.
Her smile was short lived, however, because a moment later, everyone on the airship heard a loud noise from down below. Terra suddenly looked worried again, not liking this feeling, and looked down towards the surface.
She then saw a large pillar of orange energy shoot out of the ground, into the sky. The pillar came very close to the airship, forcing the pilot to turn suddenly in order to avoid colliding with it.
Terra held on to the side of the airship tightly to avoid falling down. She then opened her eyes slowly, to see what was going on.
Tifa stood by the sink in the Seventh Heaven, cleaning the dishes, while Denzel and Marlene were playing together in the other room. She turned her head back around to look at them, and smiled when she saw how happy they were.
Suddenly, there was a sudden earthquake, and the shock caused Tifa to fall backwards, into the counter behind her. Denzel and Marlene both looked up from what they were doing when the earthquake hit.
The door to the side suddenly opened up from inside, and Cloud stepped out, looking worried. "What's going on?" He said.
Tifa regained her footing, and placed her hand against the counter to steady herself. She then looked back at Cloud, who had addressed her. "I'm not sure. This earthquake just came out of nowhere."
Cloud steeled himself into a serious expression. "Stay here." He said, making his way over to the front door. The other three did as they were told and stayed put.
Cloud opened the door and peeked outside. Out on the streets of Edge, people were running around frantically. Cloud tried to think of something to do, but then suddenly, a huge pillar of orange energy shot out of the ground, in the middle of the city.
Cloud turned in the direction of the pillar of energy, and stared ahead at it intently, his face betraying all emotion.
Squall and Rinoa both stood out on the Balamb Garden balcony, locked in a passionate kiss. When they both came out of it, they both simply stared back at each other. Rinoa then smiled happily and buried herself in Squall's embrace.
Squall just stood there, holding her; enjoying the experience. However, their moment was suddenly interrupted by a huge earthquake. The quake caught them both off guard, and they both fell over.
The other party guests inside were all scrambling about, trying to discover what was going on. Squall quickly stood back up, and helped Rinoa back on to her feet as well. They then both placed their hands against the balcony railing as they tried to figure out what was happening.
Suddenly, a huge pillar of orange energy shot out of the ground, in the garden in front of them. Rinoa looked worried, while Squall could somehow tell that that pillar of energy was bad news.
After a year since their adventure together had come to an end, Zidane had finally reunited with his friends. After finally struggling out of the Queen's embrace, he returned to Garnet's side. He then took her in his arms, bowed her down, and after a sly smirk, he and kissed her.
The two of them stayed locked in that embrace for a full minute, while the rest of the kingdom watched them. However, neither of them minded. They were both just so glad to finally be reunited.
The two of them eventually parted lips, and just stared at each other lovingly. Garnet and Zidane both smiled at each other, warmly, but then, there was a sudden earthquake.
Due to the position that they were in, and the earthquake catching them both off guard, Zidane tumbled forward on to her, as they both fell over. When Zidane got back up again, he gave Garnet his hand, and he looked around to see everyone freaking out.
There was then suddenly another loud noise, right before a huge pillar of orange energy shot out of the ground, near them.
As Garnet sat back up again, she and Zidane both looked over at the pillar of energy, while everyone else continued running around frantically.
After swimming for he didn't know how long, Tidus finally crawled his way out of the ocean, and landed on a beach somewhere. As soon as he was on dry land again, he immediately rolled over on to his back and started coughing and gasping for air.
Everyone else on the beach didn't seem to take much notice of him. Tidus stopped a moment to catch his breath, and to try a figure out where he was and how to get back to his friends. However, his short reprieve was cut short as he suddenly felt the ground shake beneath him.
He used what little energy he still had left to sit upright. He looked around and he saw everyone at the beach freaking out, wondering what was going on.
There was suddenly another loud noise, right before a huge pillar of orange energy shot out of the sea. Tidus raised his hand up to shield his face the light was so bright. The frightened scrambling of people continued behind him.
Vaan was happily flying his airship, with Penelo on deck to help him. He moved the ship in many quick manoeuvers, with a big smile on his face. Penelo smiled back at him when she saw how happy he was.
Their happiness was suddenly interrupted when they heard a loud noise that sounded like it was coming from the surface. Vaan peered over the side of the airship, to try and see what it was.
As he looked down, he was able to see a bright, orange light. He then did a double take when he noticed that the orange light seemed to be getting closer. He then quickly returned his attention to the steering wheel, and moved the airship just in time to avoid hitting the light.
The sudden movement caused Penelo to fall down on her backside. She hit against the floor of the airship with a thud. "Hey, watch it, Vaan," she scolded him, while rubbing her back.
Vaan quickly turned the steering wheel again, in order to move to move further away from the light. When he was far enough away, he glanced back at it, and he saw that it was a huge pillar of orange energy.
He looked ahead at it, quizzically, with his hands still on the steering wheel, ignoring Penelo's comment. "What is that?"
Noel stayed kneeling down on the roof of the airship, with Hope standing over him, and with Serah still held in his arms. He looked out over the edge of the airship, as the chaos flooded the world. He still couldn't say anything because he was in so much shock.
The chaos flooded out of Etro's Gate, enveloping everything around it. The chaos took the form of black mist, but there were also orange beams of it shooting around as well.
Although they couldn't feel it from the airship, the ground below started shaking. A few moments later, a large pillar of orange energy shot out of the ground.
This column of orange light attracted Hope's attention, and he took a few steps forward, towards it. Noel also looked up at it. Hope then said, "What is that?"
The two of them then continued just staring ahead.
The Warrior of Light could only stare ahead at the bright, orange light erupting out of the Chaos Shrine in front of him. He squinted his eyes, and the figure within the beam started to come into focus. He was able to make out eight arms, and two horns on either side of its head. His eyes darted open immediately in realisation.
The orange began to thin and the Warrior of Light recognised the figure inside immediately, even with a few changes; it was Garland, in his chaos form.
Garland spread two of his arms out to his sides, and the orange light dispersed around him. He then crossed his two front arms and stared back at the Warrior of Light, laughing slightly.
The Warrior of Light was in complete shock of what was happening. He eventually found his resolve, and steeled himself with a look of determination. "Garland! What is going on? I shouldn't be able to remember, but I do. Why? What is happening?"
Garland simply stared back at him, with a snide grin creeping on to his face. He then started laughing at him. "Did you really think that it would be that easy to defeat me? I told you that I would exist forever." The Warrior of Light's face went blank. "I possess the basic and primal power of chaos; a force as powerful and eternal as the light and darkness. You could never hope to destroy me."
Garland then hardened the expression on his face. "But I should thank you. After all, it was because of you that I was able to obtain this power. If you hadn't defeated me in our first battle, then I never would have been able to obtain this power. And even after I did, I was contained within the time loop, and while it kept me from ever being destroyed, it limited my power and what I could do with it." He then smirked. "But even after you overcame even fate itself and struck me down, I still could not be destroyed. You simply released the chaos that I absorbed into other worlds. There was a lot of chaos and discord, pain and sadness and loss caused in all those fantasies, and it was all happened because of you." He then added for emphasise. "Everything that happened was your fault!"
The Warrior of Light deadpanned as soon as the words left Garland's mouth. Everything that had happened, in who knows how many other worlds, countless lives lost or destroyed; and it was all because of him. He fell down on to his knees in shock. He was speechless.
Garland continued staring down at him, enjoying every second of his anguish. "That's right. Surrender to the chaos."
The Warrior of Light continued kneeling down on the ground, with his hands holding him up. After Garland spoke again, he then regained a bit of his resolve. He took his sword and his shield in his hands again, and stood back up, with an unwavering look of determination on his face. "No, I will never surrender to the chaos." Garland was looking back at him strangely. "Yes, you are right. Everything that has happened is my fault; but I cannot change what has already happened, and I cannot dwell on the past forever." He then looked back up, to look Garland in the eyes. "The only thing I can do now is to keep moving forward, and do what I know is right." He then steeled his resolve, and said to Garland, with all the strength he had in his body, "No matter what, the light will always be with me."
Garland's eyes immediately widened when he heard the Warrior of Light say this. He then snarled angrily at him. "You are a fool. You simply still haven't learned what true despair is."
The Warrior of Light simply stared back at him, unblinking. Garland then smirked devilishly and floated backwards a bit. "Then I suppose I have no choice then," Garland started. "But to show you show just what true despair truly is." He then stretched all eight of his arms out at his sides.
The Warrior of Light's expression of resolve started to falter as he felt the ground beneath him begin to shake again. He then looked around and he saw over a dozen more pillars of orange energy shoot out of the sky. The Warrior of Light could only watch in awe of what was happening.
Firion fell to the ground as the shaking suddenly intensified. He pulled himself back up on his two hands. He looked back over his shoulder, and Maria and Guy were both still fine. He gave a light smile at that fact.
There was suddenly another large shake, and then several more large beams of orange energy shot out of the earth, all over the place.
Firion stood back up and reached over to try and grab his friend's hands. Maria and Guy both reached out their hands towards his, but before they could grab on, there was another big shake, and the three of them were pulled away from each other in opposite directions.
Firion desperately held out his hand towards them as he fell back. "Noooooooooooo!"
Then everything around him faded to white.
Luneth frantically looked from side to side as everyone around him continued panicking. He was about to run to get help, but then suddenly over a dozen more beams of orange energy shot out of the earth.
The light was now so bright that Luneth couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his hand up to his face to shield himself from the bright light.
Soon everything faded to white.
As the quakes started getting stronger, Cecil took Rosa's and they both ran ahead, in the direction that Kain and Ceodore had just gone off.
"Ceodore! Kain!" They both called out.
When they reached the palace entrance, they saw the two of them run back towards them. "Mother! Father!" They heard Ceodore call back to them.
Ceodore and Kain both came into view, running back towards them. They quickly all met up and huddled close to each other as the world seemed to be crumbling around them.
Ceodore stayed close to his mother and father, with Rosa holding him close. Cecil and Kain both looked around as more and more beams of orange energy shot out of the ground.
"Stay together." Cecil said, as he pulled everyone closer. The beams of energy then all started coalescing together, and soon everything faded to white.
As more and more beams of orange energy shot out of the ground, Boko started thrashing about wildly. Bartz tried his best to calm him down, but with everything that was going on, he was too frightened.
As another beam of energy erupted out of the ground, near him, he reared up high and knocked Bartz off his back. He then ran ahead wildly, trying to get away from everything.
Bartz landed flat on his butt, after Boko had bucked him off. He rubbed at his back sorely, and then looked back up to see Boko run off without him. "Boko, wait!" He called out after him, but the Chocobo wouldn't listen.
Bartz stood back up and looked around again. There were now dozens of columns of orange energy everywhere. Bartz clutched at his injured shoulder from the fall, with a look of confusion on his face. He quickly glanced from one direction to another, but he couldn't see anyone or anything else around. He then finally threw his head skyward and shouted out, "What the heck is going on?"
Then everything faded to white.
Terra held on to the airship tight, as it moved about erratically. More and more beams of orange energy shot into the sky. The airship had to move quickly and carefully to avoid being hit.
As another beam of energy shot into the sky, Locke had to bank swiftly to avoid colliding with it. However, the sudden sharp turn caused Terra to lose her grip on the side of the airship, and she was thrown off.
She whizzed past Locke head as she was sent flying. He immediately turned around and reached out with his hand to try and grab her. She tried to grab his hand, but she couldn't reach him in time, and she started falling down to the ground.
"Terra!" Locke shouted out as he saw Terra fall away. He tried to turn the airship around, but another pillar of orange energy shot into the sky and blocked his path to her.
He tried to look the column, but all he saw was Terra falling beneath the cloud layer, and then she disappeared. Locke just stood there, with a blank expression on his face, and his arm still stretched out in front of him. He then whispered quietly, "Terra."
Then everything faded to white.
Tifa joined Cloud over by the door, slowly coming up behind him. Hesitating slightly, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Cloud," she started. Cloud turned his head around to look at her. "What is it?"
Cloud silently looked back at her, unblinking. "I'm not sure. You stay here with them." Cloud then looked down to see Denzel and Marlene behind Tifa.
Denzel then stepped forward. "Everything will be alright, won't it, Cloud?" He asked him.
After a moment, Cloud simply nodded back in affirmation. He then turned his attention back to what was happening and his eyes widened when he saw that things had quickly taken a turn for the worst, as there were now dozens of beams of orange energy, and the ground was shaking even harder now.
He turned back to face the others. "Get inside, now!" He spoke in a rare tone of worry. Not waiting for their response, he turned back around again and rushed away from the house, to try and get some answers to what was going on.
After he had taken a few steps forward, Cloud suddenly felt the biggest shake yet. The sudden shake caused him to stop in his tracks and look back.
As soon as Cloud had stopped and looked back at them, Denzel suddenly broke away from the other two and rushed towards Cloud.
Tifa immediately saw Denzel leave her side and called out to stop him, and cloud was about to tell him to go back, however; a small crack began opening up just beneath Denzel's feet, and before anyone could notice, a huge beam of orange energy shot out of the ground, completely enveloping Denzel, Marlene and Tifa.
Cloud's stoic expression immediately dropped as soon as he saw what happened. His hand was still held out in front of him, frozen in place in shock of what he had just seen. A small piece of him was still hoping that they were actually alright and that the pillar of energy would dissipate any minute, showing the three of them standing there, completely fine. However, the logical part of his brain had quickly shoved that hope aside.
His hand slowly lowered back down to his side, as the screams around him started to fade away. Soon everything around him had faded away.
Squall continued just staring at the pillar of orange energy directly in front of him, stretching from the earth up into the sky. Rinoa eventually succeeded in nudging him back to her. Squall turned his head to face her.
"Squall, we should get out of here, now." Rinoa said to him, her tone sounding worried.
Squall simply nodded back to her and then took her by her hand and led her back into the crowded ballroom, where everyone was running around frantically, trying to figure out what to do.
Squall continued pushing through the crowds, trying to find the rest of their friends. He kept a tight grip on Rinoa's hand as they made their way through the crowds.
The fumbling crowds then started to get more agitated and began pushing each other harder. Through all of the pushing in the crowd, Squall lost grip of Rinoa's hand, and the crowd started pushing her away from him.
"Squall!" Rinoa called out, waving her now free hand in the air, trying to get Squall's attention. Squall had noticed that they had been separated, and he tried pushing through the crowds to get over to her, but there were too many people in the way, and the two kept being pushed further apart.
"Rinoa!" Squall called back to her, trying to reach her; however, it was no use. There were simply too many people trying to get out.
The earth shaking started to get louder and heavier, and Squall noticed the sounds of the crowd was starting to fade away, despite there being no real reason for this; however, he still kept trying to get closer to Rinoa.
As the screams of the crowd around him continued to fade away even more, Squall just continued fighting his way forward, through the crowd of people. He started to get closer, and he could see her come into view again, even while his vision started to fade into white. Just before he completely whited out, he reached out his hand to her, and she reached out her hand to him.
Eventually everything faded to white. As it did, Squall felt nothing touch his hand; and then he felt nothing at all.
As Zidane and Garnet just stared at the huge pillar of orange energy, while everyone else ran around frantically, Garnet was the first one to pull away, and face towards Zidane again. "Zidane, what do you think is going on?" She asked him.
After only a second's hesitation, Zidane turned to look at her. "I don't know," he responded. "But whatever it is, it doesn't look good." Zidane then turned back to look at the pillar of energy and noticed that even more were starting to sprout up now. Zidane steeled himself, with a look of determination on his face, and then grabbed Garnet's hand. "Come on, let's go check it out."
Zidane then started dragging her off towards the first pillar of energy. After eliciting a quick, "What?!" Garnet quickly dug in her hooves and stopped him from pulling her. Zidane stopped in his tracks and turned back to face her, with a look of confusion on his face. "Zidane, we can't just go running off without thinking things through. That thing could be dangerous."
"Come on, Dagger," Zidane responded, a smile starting to return to his face. "Everything will be fine."
Garnet's serious expression hadn't lightened at all under Zidane's cheerful smile. "How do you know that?"
Zidane let his goofy smile lower again, and looked back at her, in a worried tone. "Dagger…" was all he able to say. Just then, the ground between them opened up and a pillar of orange energy shot out of the ground.
The energy erupting out of the ground had forced their hands apart, and the force of the blast had knocked them both back. As they both fell backwards, they both kept their hands stretched out, reaching, in futility, for the other.
"Zidane!" Garnet called out as she was knocked back.
"Garnet!" Zidane called back to her. Soon she drifted from his sight, and was consumed in the surrounding whiteness. Then everything faded to white.
As everyone around him continued running around, screaming, Tidus first plopped himself up to try and regain his footing; however that was an easy thing to do with the earth shaking and the condition that he was in.
He eventually fell back down on his back, his energy completely spent. The others running around were all too busy worrying about themselves to notice him.
Tidus simply lay there on his back, as the world collapsed around him. The earth shaking was getting stronger, and more pillars of orange energy were shooting up into the sky. Eventually, each of the pillars of energy began to meet and converge on a single point. From there, the loud noises around him started to slowly drown out. His vision began to darken as well, as if he were falling into a deep sleep. Suddenly he remembered something familiar about this feeling, and he snapped his eyes open again. He tried with all of his might to get up again, but he just didn't the energy. His body was screaming at him to get up, but he couldn't obey that order. His eyes began to darken again and there was nothing that he could do about it.
Soon after, everything faded to white.
Vaan manoeuvred skilfully around the dozens of pillars of orange energy that kept shooting out of the ground, into the path of the airship. Penelo held on to the airship's railing tightly. "Keep it up, Vaan," she said as the wind whipped through her face.
"Yeah," was all Vaan responded, focusing all of his attention on avoiding the energy streams. More and more pillars erupted out of the ground and he managed to steer the airship clear of all obstacles. He was happy that he was able to avoid the large pillars of energy in his way, but he was so focused on avoiding them, that he wasn't aware that they were all combining together up above him.
Penelo looked up into the air and saw that all of the pillars of energy were coalescing at a single point. "Hey, Vaan!" She called out to him, pointing upwards.
When Vaan saw where she was pointing, he shifted his gaze to look up, and then, another beam of energy struck the airship on the port side. When the ship was struck, it started listing to the left. Vaan tried to pull the airship back up, but there was nothing that he could do.
As the airship started falling out of the sky, Penelo ran up to the helm of the airship, beside Vaan. By the time she reached him, they could hear the loud noises of the earthquakes from the surface.
As the airship came closer and closer to crashing on the ground, both of their visions started to darken. Everything faded to white before they crashed.
Noel and Hope kept staring at the pillar of orange energy in front of them. Then suddenly, several more pillars of energy erupted out of the ground, all around them. The two of them both looked around at all of the new pillars of energy appearing out of nowhere.
Suddenly, another pillar of energy shot out of the ground, and went right through the airship that they were standing on. The pillar went right through the area between Noel and Hope. The force of the blast both knocked Serah's body out of Noel's embrace, and knocked Noel off of the airship.
Hope struggled over to where Noel was and grabbed Serah' body, stopping her from falling overboard, but he wasn't able to reach Noel in time.
Noel started falling down; the airship getting smaller and smaller to him as he fell further down. As he fell, his vision started to darken, and he also saw all of the pillars of orange energy meet together in the sky.
His vision continued to darken as he fell. Everything had completely faded to white before he hit the ground.
The Warrior of Light steadied himself on his feet, as Garland continued to give off a strong energy signature. The force of his power was blowing away.
As Garland was finished doing what he had set into motion, he then turned his attention back to the Warrior of Light, standing below him. As the Warrior of Light strengthened the look of resolve on his face, Garland just created a ball of energy in his hands. He then raised his hand in the Warrior's direction. "Now you shall know true despair!" Garland said as he released a wave of chaotic energy towards him.
The energy blast the Warrior of Light off his feet, and sent him flying backwards. As he tumbled backwards in the air, the last thing that he was able to make out was Garland's new, huge, chaotic body hovering over him. The Warrior was then cast into a pillar of chaos behind him and disappeared into the chaos.
After the Warrior of Light had been cast out, Garland lowered is hand again and faced forward, speaking into the chaos itself.
"This will be – The Final Fantasy."