Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 8 or any characters in it, blah blah blah.
"Why don't you join me? What else do you have? What could you possibly be needed for?"
Chapter 1
She was lost. There was a huge maze, mile high walls all around her. Enemies, wild beasts leaping at her. They weren't stopped easily. They couldn't be stopped with just a weapon, a tool. Or just her magic. One of the best magic casters in Balamb, and she couldn't stop any beast from hurting her. She needed help. Help from the one from the Beyond. The one brooding within her. It consumed her soul. Her life. All for the power from the one within here. She knew she needed to reach the center of the maze. That was what could save her. But it was impossible to reach. Constant obstacles stood in her way. What were they? She couldn't get past them, but few times she had nearly gotten to the center of the maze, the core. And each time, she reached the glowing door, reached out, and felt as though she would get through. But at the last moment… She woke up.
It was still dark. She glanced at the alarm clock at her left, though she rarely needed it to wake her up anymore. 5:02. Damn. How long ago was it that she got a full night's sleep? And it was always that same recurring dream. It changed every night, but she never reached her destination. She could hardly remember it when she woke up, usually before 6 in the morning. She stood out of bed and made a cup of coffee and gulped it down, making a face. She personally found coffee disgusting, but it woke her up and helped her get through the morning and the rest of her day, which she desperately needed. She changed out of her t-shirt and sweats that she slept in and into her typical outfit. She tied up her hair and pulled her arms into her long burgundy sleeves and black boots. She felt a bit angry, she didn't know why. And energetic. She wasn't needed until 8:00, so she decided to blow off some steam and get some exercise at the training center. She stepped out of the dormitory and into the long hall leading out into the main area. She loved having her own dorm, and she remembered being a student and the stress of having a roommate. What a pill. She had already forgotten the girl's name, something with a R. Oh well. Her memory hadn't been what it used to lately. Too much GF summoning. Which was odd, she only had two junctioned to her. She walked through the main courtyard area and nodded with a smile to the lone jogger doing laps around the massive fountain in the center. She gazed up at the fountain spewing water into the rest of the fountain below it. She raised her hand at the water and tweaked a finger, and with little concentration, a large mass of water rose from the fountain and floated about as she manipulated it with her mind. She dropped her hand, the water splashing back into the pool. At least her magic was the same, if not stronger. She walked into the hall leading to the training center as she heard the roars and trees rustling of the creatures dwelling inside. She heard another roar not unlike a human's. It sounded alarmed, so she ran to the training center to see if they were in need of helped. She was surprised to find one of the Junior Classmen scrambling away on his hands and knees from a massive T-Rexaur, poised to finish the job. The boy looked up at her with a desperate look on his face, as though he expected her to help him. She couldn't let him be hurt or killed by the raging beast, besides, hadn't she came for the practice? She looked up and the beast with grim determination in her eyes and threw out both hands, concentrating on the dark hidden forces of magic within her. She had been favoring the forbidden magic lately, but she was getting better at it, and it was much more effective. A swirling shell of the black of night and ultra-bright green and yellow penetrated the heart and soul of the monster, destroying it completely. With one last roar, it stumbled to the ground, lifeless. She dropped her hands to her waist, her energy unaffected by such a powerful spell. Strange, she usually always felt a bit worn after a spell such as Ultima. She took a breath and knelt down to the boy. "Are you alright, little one? What are you doing here so early?" She asked sympathetically.
But apparently, the little boy didn't feel like answering questions, more like asking them. "WHOA! THAT WAS SO COOL! Where did you learn that?" He asked.
She frowned and took a sterner tone. "I'm asking the questions here, young man. What's your name and why are you here?" She asked.
"Zachary. And I was just practicing! Gosh, you sure ask a lot of questions." He said.
"It's my job, they make me. Come on, back to your room." She said, helping him up. But as they walked up, he wasn't done asking questions. "Well, then what's your job? How come I've never seen you before? And HOW did you learn that magic?" He asked in an aggravated tone.
She sighed. "I teach that magic. I'm an instructor to Upper Classman. And since you are a Junior Classman, you have a different class in a different part of Garden." She said.
"Instructor WHAT? I told you my name, so what's yours?" He demanded.
She smiled. She was starting to take a liking to him. "Quistis. But you are to call me Instructor Trepe, being a student." She said. "And now, we have arrived to the junior dormitories. Be careful next time, young man, bring a buddy to the training center, it's a rule for underclassmen. Understand?" She asked as they paused in front of his door.
"Yes, Instructor Trepe." He sneered with a grin.
She smiled and shut the door behind him.
After some decent training and exercise, Quistis headed back to her room for a quick shower and headed up to Headmaster Cid's office. She was greeted by Selphie as they stepped onto the elevator together.
The bouncy brunette was as giddy as usual, and even happier to see Quistis. "Hi Quistis! Did you hear the news? They found a T-Rexaur in the Training Center, a new Garden record! The biggest ever found in the training center. They say it was killed by a spell. Who do you think did it? Some punk kid is claiming he did it, I forget his name. Zack or something." She said.
Quistis raised her eyebrows. She thought it looked large, but not big enough for a record. Oh well, she'd let the kid have his fun and not say anything. They got off the elevator and walked into Cid's room to be greeted by Edea and the others. Cid sat behind here looking quite sleepy. Edea looked over to them with a smile, though it looked forced. "Hello. Please have a seat with the others." She said.
Quistis sat between Selphie and Squall, feeling concerned.
"We'll get right to business. There have been multiple sightings of possessions, much like what occurred in myself and Rinoa. All women, showing it must be a sorceress. They are all showing signs of powerful magic, greed, and unseen power. We need you to get to the latest of these sightings to see if we can find out who's causing this. It's in Timber, a woman by the name of Elise. Feel free to use the Ragnarok, and be armed and Junctioned. Elise has been snapping in and out of possessions, and she's known to be dangerous while possessed. Good luck, we'll see you when you get back." She said.
Quistis stood with the others as they left. Sorceress possessions? Who could be doing it if Ultimecia had been defeated by them nearly a year ago? Either way, things were bound to get interesting.