Chapter 1

Fears in Solitude



In the darkness stood twelve robed bodies wrapped in velvet red.

Sigils were scrawled across the floor of the cold oppressive room. They flowed like blood, red liquid glimmering in the candlelight. The small flames sent shadows sliding over the wall like childhood memories of fairy tale monsters.

"We call into Oblivion!" one of them shouted raising a gold chalice into the air. In his other hand was a gold hilted dagger. A cold obsidian was perched at the top, seeming to pulse with an eerie inner light. The man dipped the blade into the chalice coating it with slick red liquid.

Then he raised the cup into the air his voice booming through the stone room. The arcane words of an ancient spell flowed from his lips, matching the others of those in the room. It was an eerie song of torment and pain and on its notes rode tides of darkness.

The one holding the chalice tipped it back, swallowing the crimson. He screamed loudly, raising the dagger high into the air. Then he plunged the ornate blade downwards.

The voices in the room rose to a crescendo, echoing off the walls. The chalice clattered to the floor as a transformation began.

* * * *


It had been raining for two straight days; the clouds seemed to hang suspended over the town of Timber. They were dark grey with tinges of white tucked in at the corner. Their mournful tears had filled the cobble stone streets with reflective puddles. Their surfaces tiny mirrors, reflecting the old fashioned buildings with glittering cogs whirling and churning.

The inner cities trains were not running the rails cold. Two dark shadows loomed over the city, crisscrossing over the rooftops. The spinning trails led skyward to two huge floating buildings, their colored metal holding no sheen in the sunless sky. Red contrasting Blue, the buildings only feet apart, their combined force an image of strength to be reckoned with.

"Squall!" Rinoa called her voice echoing through the still streets. She was chasing after him, the last troop of Galbadian soldiers in front of him. Irvine was following close behind her, reloading shells into his Exeter. Squall's steel toed black boots splashed down into one of the still puddles sending the water splattering across the street.

"They're heading into the woods, we'll lose them amongst all those trees," Squall shouted not looking over his shoulder. Rinoa followed him out of town, the grass sodden and almost muddy under her feet. She hit the tree line leaves rustling around her, slapping her in the face with their wetness. She pushed through them stumbling into a clearing. She had lost Squall and was frantically searching for him.

"There," Irvine said pointing to a dim blue glow hurtling through the trees. Rinoa smiled at the sharp shooter before diving into the trees letting the glow of the Lionheart be her guide. She heard Irvine running behind her, as she danced around roots and hopped over puddles.

"Why is Galbadia attacking?" Irvine shouted slapping a leaf out of his face. "I thought they were all, like, pally with Timber these days?"

"No one knows, they just showed up!" Rinoa shouted ducking under a branch. The Lionheart had stopped bouncing, Squall was no longer moving. She pushed herself harder, making her feet move faster.

Rinoa's mind was in a daze. Only hours ago she and Squall had been enjoying a relaxed afternoon together on the Rinauld coast, without a care in the world. Now she suddenly found herself plunged into a battlefield once again, the emergency call from Timber and an agonizingly long trip in the Garden still fresh in her memory.

Despite the treaties, despite the threat of action from Garden, and despite still open political wounds from the war, Galbadia had attacked Timber once again. Any attempt to communicate with the newly formed Galbadian senate had failed. Galbadia was closed off. It was like the war all over again... and it made no sense. Nevermind that now, Rin, she thought. Since she had become a SeeD, the training she'd received was taking hold on her, forcing her to be more objective when required.

She burst out of the trees into the clearing with Irvine close behind. Stumbling over her own feet, she cursed the uncomfortable boots that came with her SeeD uniform, and came up as gracefully as she could next to Squall. He glanced at her, his body poised in his usual battle stance. Then he turned his attention back to the three Galbadian soldiers arrayed in front of him.

They held their swords in battle position, but did not look ready for a fight. "That's Squall Leonhart," one of them hissed.

"No way!" said the second. "He's much taller then that!"

"Shut up!" retorted the first, "They're SeeD whoever they are!"

The third and foremost solider looked back at his two arguing comrades and then held his sword up in surrender. "We... we were just following orders," he stammered softly. The sword slid from his shaking hand, it turned end over end to hit the ground.

"So am I," said Squall, his voice unyielding and cold. "What's the meaning of this invasion?" he barked, his gray eyes matching the clouds overhead

"This isn't an invasion!" Another one of the solders spoke up.

"Then what do you call tearing through peoples homes?" asked Irvine, putting a hand on his hip. "Spring cleaning?"

"You will remove your troops from the vicinity of Timber immediately," Squall said in a stony tone. "As directed in article 4a of the Timber Independence Treaty to which your commanders should be adhering!"

"S...sorry, Sir.. we knew that Garden would try to stop us if we did this but we had no other choice!"

"What do you mean?" said Squall, his eyes narrowing but his body remaining tense.

"There's no time!" screamed the solider.

Squall had seen this before. This guy was young, a rookie, and was loosing his cool. He shook his head and spoke, calmly yet firmly. "Take it easy. Tell me why you're here," he said, his eyes flicking back and forth to make sure the other soldiers were not preparing an attack.

"W...we were told we had to go find something in Timber, quickly!" said the boy. "We had to mobilize now, there was no time to negotiate with Garden!"

"What are you looking for?" said Rinoa, concern edging into her voice, even though she had her pinwheel steadily trained on one of the soldiers.

"We were told to look for a coven of spell casters... someone in Timber is about to use some sort of magic they won't be able to control."

"A coven...?" said Rinoa, cocking her head to one side.

"What do mean?" asked Squall. "What magic? What's going to happen?"

"That's what I'm trying to say... we don't know! We just..."

He was cut off by the roar of an explosion coming from the direction of Timber. The sky opened up, as if in reply, and rain hurled itself down upon them.

"Oh Hyne, we're too late!" the young Galbadian solider said, terror invading his eyes. He spun on his heel and took off through the thickening mud. The other two didn't hesitate in dropping their weapons and following him.

Rinoa watched as they left, Squall glancing after them and then looking back at Timber. Suddenly he turned and ran towards Timber making that split second decision.

The rain tore into them as they ran through the trees. The ground was quickly turning to slippery mud and Rinoa had to focus all her concentration on her footing. The rain was clouding her vision, making it close to impossible to see the glow of the gunblade.

What had Galbadia meant by they were stopping spell casters? She thought. And where are they getting their information? Was it possible that Galbadia had been trying to do the right thing just this once? But Galbadia's reputation had always rung true; they were the bad guys. People had believed that forever.


And for that reason, they were all blind to the darkness lurking on the horizon.