Chapter 1
Three years later…
Ansem leant forward on his desk, chin cupped in his hand. A court record, bound in a blue file, lay open in front of him. He was listening to a voice speaking to him from the computer panel on the rim of his desk.
"We'll hold them in the court cells overnight" it said "We can transfer them to the dungeon tomorrow morning."
"Very good, Laguna" said Ansem "Let me know when the transfer is complete."
"Will do, m'lord"
"Ansem out"
Ansem reached down and deactivated the comm-programme. He sighed and lent back into his chair.
These past few months had been very trying for the old man. The ENCOM trial was the biggest in the Garden's history: it had revealed an unprecedented level of corruption in all levels of the company. Seventeen senior executives had been arrested for a number of serious offences. The trials had been long and tortuous: dozens of witnesses had been brought forward, reams and reams of evidence presented before the court. In the end, every single executive had been convicted. Ansem, as judge, had ordered their finances liquidated and sentenced each of them to twenty years imprisonment, to be followed by permanent exile from the Radiant Garden.
Still, Ansem mused, perhaps something good could come from this situation. Reaching forward, he took a computer disk from inside the court record. It was the only surviving copy of ENCOM's computer system: they had used it to hack into various personal computers, blackmailing and embezzling on a vast scale. Perhaps it could be turned to a better purpose, Ansem thought.
How could such greed have crept into the hearts of so many, he wondered? So much needless pain and suffering. Why? What compelled people to do such things? What lay in their inner-most hearts? For that matter, what was a heart?
Intrigued by this train of thought, Ansem stood up. Leaving his study, he climbed a spiral staircase to the rooms above. Passing through another door, he entered a small room lined with white tiles. Benches were built around three walls, with a free-standing bench running down the middle. Ienzo, Ansem's youngest apprentice, was standing at the far end of the room. He was adjusting a pane of glass held in a metal frame. Aeleus, a man both tall and broad, was standing by the door, tossing a baseball in his hand.
"Nearly ready" said Ienzo, pushing his long fringe aside to look closely at the metal frame. Aeleus shrugged.
"What's this?" asked Ansem, intrigued. His two apprentices turned and bowed to him.
"Research for the gardeners, master" explained Aeleus, straightening up "Children keep breaking the greenhouse windows. They asked us to find a way of strengthening the glass."
"It's ready" said Ienzo, standing back from the frame. Reaching into his white lab coat, he produced a pair of safety goggles and strapped them on.
"Please stand back, master" said Aeleus. Ansem moved aside, watching the experiment carefully. Aeleus, placing the baseball in his right hand, raised his arm and pitched it as hard as he could towards the glass. The ball struck the glass, passed halfway through it and remained stuck there. Ienzo sighed and picked up a pair of forceps from the bench beside him.
"It's not supposed to do that!" he whined, prising open the liquid-glass with the forceps "It's supposed to rebound!"
"Patience, young man. A scientist needs patience, above all else" Ansem chided.
"Yes, master" sighed Ienzo, holding up the baseball to examine it in the light. Some of the liquid-glass had become stuck to it.
"We need another ball, Aeleus" he said, bending down and depositing the used ball in a bin.
"Did you want something, master?" asked Aeleus as he turned to the open bag of baseballs at his feet.
"I am looking for Xehanort. Do you know where is he?" said Ansem.
"I think he's upstairs. In the library" said Ienzo from the far end of the room.
Ansem thanked the apprentices and left, leaving them to continue their experiment. Heading down the corridor, he came to a pair of ornate iron grills. Touching the crystal mounted on a pedestal beside him, Ansem opened the grills and stepped onto the lift behind them. Another crystal-topped pedestal was placed in the centre of the lift. Ansem touched the left side of the crystal. It crackled with electricity and the lift began to ascend on a line of pure energy. Ansem had deliberately designed the lifts to work without cables: designing the castle had been so much simpler when he didn't worry about crossing cables.
The lift moved left, then up again, into the wide, central lift shaft. Built of white marble and crisscrossed with dozens of twinkling blue energy cables, it was one of the most breathtaking sights in the castle. People waiting at lift stops waved to Ansem as he rose up past them.
Ansem's lift came to a halt outside the castle entrance hall. Skirting round the edge of the hall, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the guards and stepped quietly into the castle library. It was early afternoon and shafts of brilliant sunlight swept across the library from the large windows in the south wall. It was very quiet in here today: the weather was too good to spend the day closeted in study. Only a few dedicated scholars remained, shuffling tirelessly between the rows of bookcases. Ansem glanced round.
"Xehanort?" he called out "Xehanort? Where are you?"
"Behind you"
Ansem turned. There was no-one there.
"Or perhaps over here"
The voice was behind him again. Ansem turned. Still no-one. Ansem smiled.
"Xehanort, I have already told you: it is very rude to read someone's mind without their permission."
Ansem felt Xehanort trying to use his telepathy again, but blocked it.
"Alirght, have it your way. I'm coming down" came a voice from the upper level of the library.
Ansem heard footsteps and then Xehanort floated down over the edge, as if buoyed up by a strong wind.
"Xehanort" said Ansem, his stern tone only half serious "I have told you many times: power is not a toy to be used on a whim. You have been given great talent. Do not abuse it."
"Yes, master" said Xehanort, not a trace of shame on his handsome brown face.
"What are you doing in here?" asked Ansem "This is your day off."
"I know. I've been going through Mava's treatise on memory."
"Mava? I though you had already read that one?"
"I have" sighed Xehanort. A look of great weariness came over him
"I have read everything in here concerning memory. I thought, perhaps, I had missed something, but it appears I was wrong. I am still no closer…"
Ansem placed a fatherly hand on his apprentice's shoulder. For three years Xehanort had searched for a cure for his amnesia, but to no avail. No amount of meditation, introspection or hypnosis had yielded the slightest trace of his past.
"I think I may have a new line of inquiry you might wish to consider" Ansem said.
The two boys meandered along the path, kicking up little clouds of chalk dust as they walked. It was early evening and the sun was just disappearing over the treetops, streaking the sky with fire and gold. Birds were coming home to roost, filling the air with song. High above the park, the many-towered castle glowed dull red in the dusk.
"Where'd you want to go?" asked Cloud Strife.
"Don't care" shrugged Squall Leonheart, head down, shoulders hunched.
It was quite busy in the park that evening. People stopped by on their way home to meet, chat, or just admire the flowers. Cloud and Squall followed the path as it curved round an ornamental lake and up to a crossroads. A statute of a soldier was built in the centre. The face had been left completely featureless; a piece of smooth, uncut stone. The soldier's sword and rifle lay at his feet as he stood, staring out over the red slate roofs of the town and the countryside beyond.
"I always wondered why they put that up" said Cloud, thinking out loud "Why not have a real veteran, like Ansem or Sephiroth?"
"You've got Sephiroth on the brain" said Squall grumpily.
"Why not? He's cool" said Cloud with a shrug "But why not do one of him? He is a hero."
"My dad told me that's exactly what Ansem didn't want" Squall said, looking up at the statue "It's for everybody who fought, not just one guy."
"Whatever" said Cloud, flicking his golden fringe with the back of his hand "It just creeps me out, that's all."
The two boys passed the statue and began to wander aimlessly across the grass.
"You get your helmet fixed?" Cloud asked Squall.
"Yeah. Didn't take long" Squall replied.
"Sorry about that" Cloud said with a laugh.
It had happened last week. Now in their fourth and final term of the year, the freshman cadets at the Radiant Garden Training Corps had at long last been allowed to practice using real, albeit blunted, weapons. Cloud had got overexcited and, while sparring, had struck Squall as hard as he could with his sword, bending his helmet onto his head. It had taken him five minutes to prise it off.
"Don't sweat it" Squall said.
The boys continue to wander, now entering an area of widely spaced tress. The grass here was thick and spongy.
"You decided what weapon you're going to major in next year?" Cloud asked.
"I was thinking maybe gunblade" said Squall.
"Gunblade?" said Cloud "Isn't that one of those new, experiment-type weapons? Don't you have to do extra courses and stuff to do one of those?"
"Maybe" said Squall with another shrug "I suppose you'll do katana?"
Cloud reached up and scratched the back of his head.
"I dunno. I was thinking I might try out for buster sword. You know, like Colonel Zack uses?"
"Buster sword!" said Squall, surprised "That's like the hardest sword to use!"
"What, you don't think I'm up to it?!" demanded Cloud.
"I'm just saying" said Squall, not looking at Cloud
The two boys continued in silence.
"Why not katana?" said Squall at length "Sephiroth uses one"
"Yeah, but I like something with a bit more power behind it. Besides, my magic ain't that hot" Cloud explained.
"That's 'cause you don't practice"
"I got better things to do with my time than read spell books!" Cloud scoffed.
"Sephiroth can do it" Squall pointed out.
"Yeah but he's a legend" said Cloud
"Whatever. All I know is Strago's going to give you hell when he finds out you haven't done your magic prep"
"I'll bluff"
Squall gave Cloud a sceptical look but said nothing.
By now, the boys had reached the edge of the trees and were back on the path. They stopped, chatting awhile before going their separate ways.
"You going to the Crescent's tonight? It's an open house, apparently" asked Cloud.
"What about your job?"
"Ah, it doesn't matter. I'll phone in sick."
"You know, you'll never be able to afford that bike if you duck out all the time."
"Yes mother" said Cloud sardonically "It's only one night. So, I'll meet you at six?"
"Nah" Squall said, shaking his head "Don't feel like it."
"Sure, whatever" said Cloud, who was used to Squall anti-social moods. He turned to walk up the path but stopped when he realised Squall wasn't following him. Turning, he saw his friend walking in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" Cloud called "It's this way!"
"I'm taking the scene route" Squall called back over his shoulder.
"Would this scenic route happen to include General Caraway's house?" Cloud yelled back. Squall did not respond.
"Would this route happen to include a certain general's attractive daughter?" Cloud yelled again.
"Get bent" shouted Squall, not looking back. Cloud just laughed and turned to walk home.
Ansem stepped into the common room and looked around. The room was small and comfortable, filled with old leather armchairs. His apprentices were all there, as he had requested.
Braig, the eldest, was sitting with his feet up on a coffee table. Dilan, dark and tall, was leaning against the bookcase, staring at the floor. Even was sitting at a table by himself, his gaunt frame bent over a book open before him. Aeleus and Ienzo were shooting pool and chatting amiably.
However, Ansem's attention was immediately drawn to Xehanort, who was sitting perched on the edge of the chair opposite Braig. He was clicking his fingers, conjuring up little light spells and illusions with each click. Now beams of multicoloured light played between his finger tips, now a bird fluttered out, now a wave of green light, now a horse. It was a nervous habit of Xehanort's but that only made it more impressive. Ansem knew many mystics, all talented in their own way, who struggled to produce credible illusions. Yet here Xehanort was, doing it almost without thinking. In an experienced mystic it would be impressive; for an apprentice of three years it was literally incredible.
The apprentices had now noticed his arrival, risen and bowed.
"Do sit down" said Ansem. Ienzo and Aeleus left off their game and stood behind Braig's chair. Even closed his book with a barely concealed sigh of frustration and looked round. Once he was sure he had their attention, Ansem began:
"I have been greatly troubled over the recent events in Radiant Garden. No matter how hard we strive to create a better world, it seems darkness always lingers in people's hearts, waiting to bring disruption and chaos.
"To safeguard our people from this disruption, I propose to write a definitive report on the nature of the heart itself. If we can locate the source of this darkness, understand its nature, then we will be better equipped to combat it."
Braig let out a long whistle.
"That's a real tall order, master" he said.
"Indeed. But it must be accomplished: for the good of the Radiant Garden."
"How do propose we proceed, master?" asked Even, his eyes alight with almost maniacal curiosity.
"Considering the scale and depth of research that this project will require, all non-relevant work is to be put on hold. Our entire effort shall be concentrated on this, and this alone.
"This will certainly involve much experimentation. A study of this type is unprecedented: books will not get us far."
"Experimentation?" said Dilan in his soft, even voice "What form will this take?"
"The only accurate way to examine a heart is to examine it in its natural form: living and working."
There was a definite change in atmosphere in the room. His apprentices were giving Ansem some very serious looks.
"Living hearts, master?" said Aeleus, tentatively "Is that… wise?"
"I am fully aware of the ethical concerns surrounding experimentation of this nature" said Ansem "And I will of course not force you to participate in any aspect of the research you feel uncomfortable with."
"But still," said Ienzo "where will we find volunteers? We don't know the risks that they could be running."
"I have already found a volunteer" said Ansem "Xehanort?"
Xehanort looked round and gave the other apprentices a tense smile.
"Why?" asked Braig.
"I have spent three years searching for my lost memories. All my previous efforts have proven futile" Xehanort explained "Master Ansem believes, and I agree with him, that they may be locked away in my heart."
"And if we can unlock the secrets of the heart, we can recover them!" said Even, excitedly. His familiar look of scientific zeal was now becoming worryingly manic.
"That is my hope" said Xehanort.
"Ah, excellent" said Even, getting up "I believe there may be some medical equipment I could modify. I shall start research immediately…"
Ansem raised a hand to quieten him.
"Your enthusiasm is appreciated, Even" he said, smiling "but I think it best to begin with some simple psychological tests to get some preliminary data. If all goes well, who knows what may follow?"