I just realized how close we are to finishing this, Mu. Now I am sad. But I gotta stay positive, because this part is filled with Madness snuggles and Lightning rants. I do not envy the other party members at this point.
Never again...will I let myself go on a ranting rampage and write this much. I might come back and edit out some things...this feels too long for one part...
The bang continued to ring for moments after the shot, the gunblade still steaming at the barrel. Agrias woke with a start, sword at the ready as she literally jumped from her bed mat and crouched in a defensive position. Lightning kept her gunblade aimed at the mess of fur in the corner, her expression stoic.
"Why in the world did you fire your pistol-sword, Lady Claire?" Agrias demanded, sheathing her sword once it was clear there was no obvious danger. "You must have woken half the village by now!"
"Thought I saw a rat," Lightning said sharply. "Guess I was just seeing things. You go on back to sleep; it's my turn for watch, right?"
She didn't give Agrias the chance to answer and left the girl sitting there doing an impersonation of a fish out of water, grabbing the Madness by the scruff of the neck and tugging it outside. The creature gave a whine in retaliation, though Lightning pretended to have not heard it and set it down by the fire, no longer lit by Ramza's flame. The camp was quiet, save for Cidolfus' snores. It had been Balthier's watch, just before dawn, but if the Madness was out and about...Where did that leave him?
"All right, where's Balthier?" Lightning demanded, glaring down at the cat-like being as if it were a troublesome child.
The Madness slouched, pouting slightly with disappointment. "Must you care only for him?" it asked sadly. "He does not feel the same for you as I do, so he is not worthy of your love. But I am; surely I am!"
"Unless you tell me where he is, I'll be sure to give you some well-earned attention. What did you do to him?"
"I did nothing, it was that envious beast you call Ragnarok. He needs to be leashed, or at least kept tied to worldly bonds once more. I will find a naive mortal to be his cage, I will!"
She was getting nowhere. Lightning pressed her hands to her eyes, cursing quietly, before walking to the other end of the camp and kicking a nearby tree. When she did that, however, Balthier peeked around the trunk and stared at her with blank, passive eyes. He said nothing, which was unusual for him (since he always had to comment on her anger issues). The Madness curled around her legs, purring loudly as it observed Balthier's ghost like appearance.
"Ragnarok tore me from Ffamran, and look what's become of him," it crooned. "He is no more than a puppeteer's play thing now."
"What do you mean?" Lightning asked, stepped away from the creature's affection.
"Without me, half of his soul is gone. So now all he can do is wander like the pitiless ghost he should have been years, years and years ago."
Sighing gently, she bent down in front of Balthier and brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. His eyes didn't meet hers. She knew this feeling all too well, for many years before Ffamran had lost his soul - his anima - to Feolthanos, and didn't get it back until the god has lost his control over him. But the few days Ffamran lived without a soul were terrible; she didn't exist to him, because she was undead. Yet now, at least Balthier acknowledged her presence by reaching forward and holding her face in his hands, as if to memorize her appearance.
"Poor, stupid Ffamran," the Madness pined, its tail slithering along Lightning's leg. "You can't even recognize your dearest Phoenix."
Lightning held Balthier's wrists and moved his hands away, rubbing her thumbs against his warm skin. "Then why don't you go back to him and fix his soul? You're his other half. He needs you, doesn't he?"
"And what makes you think I want to go back?" The Madness rubbed up against her, blinking in a pleased manner. "I am quite charmed and entranced here in the realm of the living. And imagine: all the souls! It is refreshing."
She whirled and flicked the Madness on the nose, eyes flaring dangerously. "Don't get anywhere near my comrades. They're not food. Got it?"
The Madness hunkered down and whined again, its purr dampened by Lightning's frustration. Balthier glanced down at the creature and tilted his head slightly, as if expecting it to react differently. His brows furrowed as if he was annoyed, but again, he was silent. Lightning wondered if he could even speak (but since he wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, that seemed very, very unlikely).
"Lady Claire, just where have you run off to?" Agrias was roaming the camp, followed by a displeased Ramza. "Balthier is not around, either. Ramza, where do think they went?"
"I'd prefer not to know the various endeavors of those two," Ramza muttered. "If they've been cursed by the gods, then surely they seek to kill we humes as well."
"Stop being so judgmental, Ramza. I trust Lady Claire, and though Balthier may not seem reliable, his heart is in the right place, I'm sure."
The Madness had clambered up the tree and now hung there, watching Lightning with silver eyes that chilled her to the bone. When Ramza and Agrias' figures disappeared behind the camp, Lightning grabbed the Madness and forcefully handed it to Balthier, who, at this point in time, gave her an expression that she knew all too well: disapproval.
"Here's the story: you," she said, pointedly looking at Balthier, "haven't slept for hundreds of years and have only now decided to rest. And you," the Madness flinched at the harsh tone of her voice, "you will stay out of sight until further notice. I'm not through with you, all right?"
The creature nodded, looking more insignificant than ever.
It was not long after she brought Balthier back to the camp that Lightning dug into her pack and pulled out the Serpentarius Stone, clenching it tightly to wake up the god resting within. She ended up flicking the damn Stone before Ragnarok's essence stirred within, and he responded with some sort of muffled yawn.
'Something the matter, princess?' he asked, unaware of the foul look on her face. 'It's not everyday that such a fine specimen such as yourself comes here and—'
"Save the sweet talk, Ragnarok," she spat quietly, looking over her shoulder to see that she was the only one in the tent. "What did you do to Balthier and the Madness?"
Ragnarok's ghost-like form materialized beside her, his arm carelessly slung over her shoulders. Lindzei trailed around his neck, gazing about the tent for a scrap of food. 'What, you ask? I only meant to teach that man a lesson about minding his own business. And that creature he calls the Madness is far too infatuated with you for my liking.'
"So you separated them? Look, I appreciate your concern, but now that...that thing is running wild, we've got more problems on our hands. It eats souls, in case you don't know."
'I am aware.'
"So why'd you do it? Balthier's just an emotionless rag doll right now, and the Madness thinks I want it to stay here."
'It was partially Lindzei's idea. He thought it was funny how Balthier wanted to apologize. I did not agree, and thus I chose the time to act. If you just give the Madness what it wants, then surely it'll go back to Balthier's body.'
She inched away from him, scowling at his pouting expression. "It won't go back until it gets what it wants, huh? That thing wants my soul, Ragnarok. I'm not prepared to become dinner for a mad fiend."
He shrugged, disturbing Lindzei's momentary nap and earning a distinct hiss in response. 'This is just as much of a test for you as it is for the Madness. You should listen to that old man more often; you are too tense these days, Claire.'
Ragnarok returned to his Stone, silencing the air and leaving Lightning to her thoughts. Instead of watching over a dazed Balthier, she chose to find the Madness and once again demand that it return to its rightful place. She wandered throughout the forest, moving each and every branch she came across in case the little creature wanted to play hide and seek. But she was in no mood for games; this was a matter of life or death, here. She would convince Ragnarok to fix what he had done and then continue on with her original plan.
"Madness?" she called, pushing past more trees. This was becoming a tiring matter... "Come out, wherever you are!"
"I am here, Lightning," a small voice came from the bushes. She looked up, thinking Balthier would be there, but she found nothing but an empty space. Lightning look down and spotted the Madness peering out from the thicket, licking red juice from its paws.
"You shouldn't run off like that," she growled, bending down and flicking its nose. The Madness spluttered and crouched down. "I was worried."
"Tell me the truth, dear rose. You weren't worried about me, were you? You were worried that if I left, your precious Ffamran would be left a pitiful wraith for the rest of eternity." When she turned away and chose not to answer, the Madness crawled over and started to rub her legs, purring in a musical fashion. "Don't you see how hard I have worked to distract you, dear rose? Yet why must you refuse to be happy?"
"I am happy."
"So you say, but I can see the serpent under the flowers. You're keeping secrets. Other Balthier said so, too, and he is unhappy that you would keep such secrets from us."
Lightning made a note to strangle Ragnarok the next time he chose to talk out of turn. There was no stopping anyone from discovering the truth, was there? "I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped. "And you wonder why I'm unhappy with you—you tried to eat my soul."
The Madness gave a taunt shrug then disappeared into the strawberry bush once more. "Said the fox to the serpent, 'Ye have doomed us both! Why didst thou bite me? Now we shall both drown.' And thus the snake replied, as they sank into the red water: 'Good sir, I am a serpent.'"
She realized just what it was doing and grabbed a strawberry right in front of it, then held it up and out of the creature's reach.
"You were eating these?" she asked, frowning. "I thought you would have been off foraging for scraps."
"I've told you before, dear rose, you flatter me."
"I didn't know you liked strawberries."
The Madness purred. "I adore them; they are much better than blood. Perhaps even souls."
Her eyebrow arched. "Then why don't you just eat strawberries?"
"I'm afraid they don't sate me."
Scoffing, Lightning pulled her dagger—the one Serah had given her for her birthday years ago—out from her pocket and began slicing up the strawberry, remembering a time when her old cat had a difficult time eating bits of bread and meat from the table. Once it was sliced into considerable pieces, she held out one to the Madness, holding in her breath, and watched as the cat-like creature took the strawberry piece and began to eat.
"I used to have a name, you know," it told her as it munched.
"You have one now."
"You call what I have a name? No, it was quite different. In those days, I was named Balthier. And even farther back, I was called Ffamran. No one calls me that anymore. They call me 'Godless Thief'. 'Monster'." The Madness paused, staring at its paws. "'That thing'."
Right. "Look, I was scared, okay? I'm still scared—because I can't trust you, got it? I don't want to be damned to oblivion in your stomach!" She tossed the rest of the strawberry pieces in the grass then stormed a short distance away. Her fingers ached for her gunblade. "Tell me why I shouldn't just shoot you."
"Because I look too much like your precious Ffamran that keeps you asleep and dreaming even as you stand before me. You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me." The Madness' appearance flickered like a faded image into Balthier, silver eyes gleaming in the morning light. He touched her chin with a single finger, tilting it so she could look him in the eyes. But she would not fall for his spell; she would keep her soul. Lightning struck and punched him, and the Madness hunkered down into the grass and whined quietly.
"I always wonder how Ffamran manages to reattach his jaw the right way every time you break it," it moaned, trembling. "I would think him permanently maimed the way you punch him."
Lightning made to leave, fed up with the Madness' acts of trickery and lies, but it had other plans. It huddled about her feet, giving her a look that rivaled Serah's sad, lonely eyes in her dream.
"Don't leave me, Light!" it cried. "You don't understand how frightened I am of being alone! Why do you think I was born of Ffamran's soul? Because he was alone and frightened of that empty void, I was created to fill it. I don't like being left alone, unpleasant thoughts start to fill my mind; I would go mad!"
Biting her lip uncertainly, Lightning picked up the Madness and held it nervously, petting its head and stroking its surprisingly soft and warm fur. It purred in thanks and snuggled against her arms.
"Well," she started to say quietly, "if you stay here and be good, I'll come back when it's time for my watch and bring you back to camp, okay? Just don't get into trouble."
Though the Madness promised it would be waiting for her, Lightning couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
Of course, she was right.
She took the time to examine Balthier's emotionless appearance, slowing realizing that he was looking a bit more pale than usual. Like before, he touched her face and stared into her eyes, as if to remember who she was. It frightened her, to be brutally honest, for she had never seen him act this way. Something was wrong.
As soon as her watch started, she returned to the strawberry vines and found that the Madness had left, leaving behind a trail of red paw prints. She followed the trail to an old cottage in the woods, though the door had been left open and one of the windows was shattered in thousands of glass shards. Lightning crawled up the wall and crouched in the window, a strong whiff of blood overwhelming her senses. She shuddered, finally laying eyes on the mass of fur currently eating a recently deceased woman.
The Madness saw her shadow and spun, wings spread wide and snake tail writhing. Lightning had to gather her strength before speaking.
"Balthier," she said in Vieran, a language she still had trouble with. "It's me: Lightning, remember?"
The creature blinked as if to clear its vision and shook its head, padding over to her and proceeding to rub against her leg. "Lightning," it mewled. "Why did you call me Balthier?"
"I saw your face and it was all I could think of..." she admitted.
"Surely you noticed that Ffamran was looking ill again. The half-wit won't even go look for his own food. He'll be much better now." The Madness hopped onto the countertop beside the windowsill and approached her, giving her a sad look with its silvery eyes. "I am sorry you had to see that."
She looked at the woman's corpse, hoping that her death was peaceful. But knowing the Madness, it was anything but that. "It's not as bad as what you and Balthier did to those people on the road near Warjilis."
Silence covered them like a warm and itchy blanket. The Madness tried to climb into her lap, but its paws were still wet with blood. Lightning grabbed the creature and held it away from her armor, pulling a cloth from the counter and wiping its paws. Once they were clean, she allowed the Madness to curl up. "You're just a little handful, aren't you?" she asked. "I'm amazed that Balthier puts up with you."
"It's not like the caged bird has a choice..."
A gentle blue glow lit up the room, and the Madness was quick to pounce to the floor and slowly crawl toward what looked to be the woman's soul. Fear dancing in her heart, Lightning reached for the Madness' tail and dragged it from the soul, earning a loud whine and hiss from the hungry fiend.
"You are not eating that," Lightning berated. "And I just cleaned your paws!"
"But, Claire—"
"No, you already killed the poor woman—"
"She killed herself!"
"You made her kill herself!"
"How do you know?"
This is not what I planned, Lightning mused silently."That's beside the point. The point is that she's dead and you were drinking her blood and eating her flesh. Doesn't her soul deserve to rest in peace?"
"You sound like Ffamran..."
It took her a moment to remember the Madness was talking about Balthier and not her Ffamran. Where was he, anyway? "He's the one who thinks that, and I do, too. Now leave it." She picked up the Madness by the scuff of its neck and stepped out the window. Once they were safely outside and away from the murderous scene, she opened her pack and motioned for the Madness to get inside. "Get in. I can't get you past Agrias if you're out here. I was supposed to be on watch, not hunting you down."
"I would have come back," the Madness protested, though climbed into the pack nonetheless.
"I wonder about that."
The camp was quiet, save for Agrias sharpening the blade of her sword with a rusted dagger. She asked Lightning why she had disappeared during her watch, to which the squire had no direct answer. No doubt Ramza wouldn't be too happy with her come morning. When she tried going to sleep, the Madness proposed it sing her a song. Strange, yes, and though she wasn't quite sure, she listened anyway. It reminded her of the old songs from her childhood, like the music played at her parents' funeral; at Serah's funeral; and Snow's burial. The memories stung her eyes, though she went to sleep peacefully.
Sunlight danced upon the tent, and Lightning tiredly went about preparing for the day. She was cleaning her gunblade when the tent flap opened briefly, letting in a flash of sunlight before dimming the small space once more.
"You need to smile more," the Madness piped up, suddenly standing with its paws atop her knees. "You resemble an old woman when you frown; and though you are certainly old, I prefer your ageless appearance much more than the elderly."
She shoved it off and turned away. "What do you want?" she grumbled.
"I happened to overhear a conversation just now that I believe you'll want to know of," it purred. "That prude Ramza is convinced you're after the auracite to return to the past. Telling your allies of your hopes and fears was not smart, dear rose."
"I don't need you to tell me what I can and can't do."
It curled in the corner of her bed mat, its wings aflutter as it went to sleep. When Lightning retreated from her safe haven and joined the rest of the party (Balthier glanced in her direction for a mere moment before staring at the sky in a dreamy manner once more), she found herself the center of silent attention. As Agrias planned the next day's trip, Ramza wouldn't stop glaring at the squire. Even when Cidolfus suggested another game of cards to "loosen the tension", his gaze did not falter.
Lightning had managed to escape Ramza's unrelenting gaze for a moment and sped off into the forest, taking only her gunblade and Ragnarok's Serpentarius Stone with her. They were meant to visit the Beoulve manse tomorrow morning, but there was something more important that needed attending, something Lightning swore she would never forget. She clung to her gunblade as if it were her last lifeline as she ran, shoving the branches and bushes alike from her path. Her heart, though it had long since forgotten how to pulse, was stinging as if stabbed. Her eyes, cold and shivering, burned with tears that would not come.
She had walked this path many times in the other Ivalice—her Ivalice. Hidden in the Forest of the Phoenix was a grave, but not just any grave. The grave of a well-known sky pirate called Ffamran mied Bunansa, but he was not so well-known in the Other Ivalice. To unknown spectators, he was just a pile of bones beneath the soiled dirt. But to Lightning, he was so much more.
However, the grave bore another body in this realm.
Tossing her gunblade aside like a petty toy, Lightning got down on her knees and touched the headstone, running her hands down the fine marble and across the name it wore. Mustadio, it read: simple, but meaningful to only her. She forced a pained smile and rested her forehead to the cold stone, sighing deeply.
"I'm home, Mustadio," she whispered, choking at his name. "I'm home."
This was her forest; the Phoenix's domain. Here she had no fears and troubles, nor hatred filling her veins like the blood that no longer flowed throughout her body. Here she could rest in peace, like the dead she so dearly loved.
Lightning opened her eyes, staring upon the name carved in stone. She longed to feel the warmth of his skin (for he never cared about how she nearly froze him to death at times), to feel the joy his smiles brought her and witness the bright shining light in his eyes whenever he spotted her in a crowd. This was Mustadio's grave. This was where she belonged.
"Found you!"
A mess of fur plopped itself atop the headstone, the Madness' tail swishing across the marble and name. Lightning, for once, did not shove the creature away in surprise and frustration, and instead brushed her fingers across its mane. It purred in response, rubbing against her hand like it was the finest smelling vine of strawberries in all of Ivalice.
"Why did you run?" it asked, silver eyes searching her expression for the slightest hint of charity. "Was that insolent wretch being a boor to you again? Shall I eat his soul, or perhaps we can share?"
"I just...needed to get away. I know it was wrong to leave Balthier behind, especially when he's not in his right mind at the moment, but I couldn't stay," she answered tentatively. "I'm sorry. I'll be back there in a minute."
The Madness tilted its head in an innocent manner and crouched down in a lounging position. It pawed at the headstone, touching the name briefly before intently peering up at Lightning's face once more. "Your little machinist is no more. Such a shame, dearest rose. Is this the source of your sadness? Is he the reason why you cannot smile even at my trickery? I only wish to cheer you up, you see."
"It's not just that—Mustadio meant a lot to me. I've lost so many of my friends to either the gods or death itself." She patted the Madness' head, staring off into the distance. "Now that I think on it, the gods have stolen a lot from me. I sometimes wonder that, because Mustadio meant so much to me, Etro stole his life away as well. Perhaps being alone is my curse."
"How did he flee mortality?" the Madness asked, pawing at the carved name. "Like a song bird, going down with a musical cry, or perchance an obnoxious sparrow, fighting till its last breath. Or, forsake the rest: he flew away like a raven, as soundless as the night?"
"A bit of all three." She closed her eyes and remembered.
It had been just the start of dawn when the bounty hunters came upon our camp. Mustadio was busy repairing my gunblade for the hundredth time, it seemed, but he was more than happy to help me. He always was. I had been dismantling the tent and putting out the fire when I heard their cries; their laughter and boastful praise of themselves. "We've got 'em now," they had shouted. "We've got 'em both, haven't we? The conniving Godless Thief and his whore Phoenix!" I thought they were just more of those simple minded and lower class headhunters, but they were much more.
I told Mustadio to get out of there, as usual. But he said no and threatened to cast cure on me just so I would cooperate, as usual. My gunblade wasn't close to being restored, and his two pistols wouldn't have done a thing against their swords and bows.
You see, all the bounty hunters had been convinced for a long time that Mustadio, because he was nearing sixty at the time, was Balthier and had lost his 'blessing of eternal youth'. I knew it was a bad idea to go along with it, but Mustadio felt that since Balthier and Fran had been so good to us and lived as distractions for us, we needed to return the favor. I regret allowing that even now.
The headhunters had stormed into our camp like a pack of wild bulls, smashing everything in sight and plundering through all our belongings and food. We barely had enough time to ready for a battle when they found us. I still thought it was best for Mustadio to just run away, but he was no coward. He had made some sort of promise to Ragnarok, long ago, that he would play the leading man until it was his time to pass on the title. But there was no one to name as his heir; unlike Ffamran, he was faithful.
"Can't run now, can ye?"The lead headhunter looked more like an Oretoise than a man. "Been chasin' ye through thick waters and stormy mountains, we have."
A fight broke out, as expected. I went for the smaller headhunters, thinking that if I took them down, the leader would feel powerless and flee. But Mustadio—I swear, he may have been related to Snow at times—he went for the leader and demanded he leave our camp. He should have known better, but he wanted to protect what little dignity I had left.
But then it happened. I was too careless and didn't realize it sooner, but...all they wanted was to kill Mustadio and claim the bounty. When he didn't 'rise from the dead' like they expected they knew he was a fake. And so they thought that I, too, was an impostor.
They left, taking away any expensive and worthy items we had. I went to Mustadio's side immediately, praying that he was not dead as they claimed.
"Well, I suppose Balthier and Fran are going to have a bit more trouble, huh? You'll tell them I'm sorry, won't you, Light?"
And that was it. Mustadio died in my arms, the ghost of a smile still etched on my face. And I was alone: completely and undeniably alone.
Lightning opened her eyes only to be startled when the Madness crawled into her lap, padding around in a circle before settling down and purring loudly. For a moment she just watched it sleep, expecting it to launch itself at her and steal away her soul, but soon she realized that was no longer its intentions. In fact, the Madness seemed to have wanted the opposite. It did not want her soul (not for dinner, at the least), but her heart.
A smile crept across her lips, and she ran her hand across the Madness' fur, feeling more at peace than she had in years.
The others were still deep in discussion when she returned to camp, the Madness curled comfortably in her arms, though it was not until she sat join beside one of the tents that they acknowledged her presence. At least Ramza did not glare at her, though the questioning look from her mentor was just as bad.
"I did not know you had a cat," he said, looking right at the Madness, sound asleep.
Lightning's breath hitched. "Cat?" She fumbled and shoved the Madness behind her back, ignoring the protesting mewl. "I used to have a cat back on Cocoon—her name was...well, it's been so long that I can't even remember."
"And what do you call that feline you've been hiding from us these past few days?"
The Madness crawled onto her shoulder, nuzzling against her hair and neck. "You are very observant, for an old man," it purred. "I am glad Lightning chose you as her mentor; any other man, and I would not approve."
Agrias stared at the Madness with wide eyes, while Ramza looked ready to draw his sword (but the Madness had hid it earlier in the day, of course). Cidolfus took the Madness in his hands and held it out, studying its face with curiosity.
"Strange, very strange," he murmured, rubbing his beard. "So this is the source of the Godless Thief's madness...Strange, indeed."
"I am not the source; no, it was his greedy heart that created me." The Madness pouted. "I do not like being called a mere 'source'..."
Lightning took the Madness back and stroked its fur. "Just a minor mishap with a very jealous Ragnarok," she assured the party. "The Madness won't hurt anyone, I made sure of that, so there shouldn't be any fighting. And besides..." She patted the Madness on the head. "Snow always said I needed another cat."
The next day came with its usual problems. Ramza tried to leash the Madness and force it to walk to the Beoulve manse on its own, which earned him a firm bite on the hand and a Sleep-like charm as an added bonus. Ragnarok was none too pleased that Lightning had called him jealous Ragnarok, and promptly ignored her until further notice. Despite that, things were going well. Until they reached the manse, that is.
The Madness had been wary since entered the large mansion, jumping at every little noise in the long hall. Balthier was nearly the same, though he could only show a more passive semblance of fear (Agrias voiced her worry over this, thinking something bad was going to happen).
They were still walking when the Madness collapsed, whining ever so quietly and laying on the floor like a helpless animal. Lightning bent down and picked it up, muttering under her breath.
"You're so needy," she said. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"
Cidolfus and Agrias looked down upon the Madness, awaiting an answer. Ramza stood off to the side, stubborn as always. "You will hate us for not telling you before," the Madness went on. "A Lucavi is here; I can feel it. Adrammelech is his name, and once upon a time, Balthier commanded him as an Esper, along with Famfrit the Darkening Cloud and Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts. When the Zodiac Braves came to seal away the Lucavi gods, centuries ago, Balthier managed to separate himself from Adrammelech, inadvertently releasing his other Espers, but he—no—we still share a link with the Wroth today."
Lightning took time to process this information. She never had the chance to command an Esper; only her old Eidolon, Odin. Ffamran had control over Famfrit, though, as well as Ultima until he and Ragnarok parted ways. She remembered hearing that Snow commanded the Esper Mateus, but that was a story he did not enjoy sharing.
Previous masters of Espers were attuned to their Lucavi brethren, which meant...
"Why didn't you tell me this?" Lightning exclaimed. "That means you and Balthier are attuned to the Capricorn St—!"
The office door shot open, shards of wood flying across the room as Zalbaag tumbled out, dropping his sword to the floor. Ramza rushed to his brother's aid, just as Dycedarg waltzed out of the room, a proud but demonic look flaring in his eyes. Lightning took the Madness and hid behind a wall, holding her breath as a battle between brothers commenced. She refused to fight this battle; the first time, whether it was out of protection or stupidity, Ffamran cast Disable on her, which then brought her to Ajora, the previous host of Ultima.
It seemed something similar would happen this time. Only, Ffamran wasn't here to protect her.
When Dycedarg fell, it all seemed too simple. Lightning peered around the corner as the Madness whimpered and trembled in her arms. "It's not over, Light. It's not over yet, it's far from over, and they've only made him angry..."
Dycedarg stood, swaying, and in a quicksilver motion he was upon Balthier, pining the inept sky pirate to the floor. Lightning let go of the Madness and ran, but she was too late. Dycedarg shoved the Capricorn Stone into Balthier's throat.
"Try to stop...my coming now...Phoenix..." The words were like venom, and Lightning cast aside the horrid man when she reached Balthier. The Madness pawed at her legs, trying to move her away from the sky pirate. She snapped.
"Stop it! What do you think you're doing? We have to help him!"
"No, Lightning, don't you understand? He's—"
Hands wrapped around her throat, freezing her bones, and soon Balthier tossed Lightning through the nearest wall as if she was already dead. Her bones cracked, snapping and falling apart altogether, and though she lay limp in the rubble, she could vaguely hear the voices in the other room.
"Ah...the flesh of an undead, a better gate for the gods could never be created. You say I murdered your father? Nay, I gave him his due, no more, no less." It was Balthier—but wait. No, it couldn't be. Adrammelech? "And you. You will now receive your dues, too, for too long have you stood in the way of the Lucavi. Two centuries ago, when the time came for Ffamran to join the host of the Lucavi gods under my command—it was you who forced me to leave his body. You, who are naught but the lowest kind of fiend, think that you are a better of the gods?"
Lightning pushed herself up, head spinning, and silently cast various dark magick spells to heal her wounds. The Madness, cowering in front of Adrammelech, looked to her with a pleading and hopeful look. She did not meet its eyes.
"I know that you spread your madness through music; I know that your power lies in your voice, spell-singing fiend. I will not allow you to interfere with our Mistress' coming. Not this time!"
She watched as Adrammelech cast some strange, unrecognizable spell against the Madness, hitting it with what should have been a death blow. The Madness made to strike back, but it was powerless. Adrammelech advanced on the poor creature, slowly, slowly, slowly—
Lightning crashed into Adrammelech and knocked him to the wall, hands clenched about his wrists and restraining him from doing further harm. "Balthier, listen to me! You have to fight Adrammelech," she pleaded. "You can't let him control you; you're too strong for that!"
Adrammelech spat in her face, and Lightning jeered away. "You are as much of a fool as that King you once admired. Look at her, Ffamran, and find the will to care!"
Soon fiery orange flickered to silvery brown, and though Balthier could not see her, something was there. Lightning's breath hitched, and Adrammelech took her momentary trance to his advantage; he flung her to the floor, snapping her neck in the process.
"You'll get what you deserve too, dear Phoenix...Be patient."
Adrammelech disappeared from her line of sight, and not too long later Cidolfus rushed to her side and began to heal her wounds. Something pawed desperately at her numb face, meowing and crying in an attempt to wake her up. Its cries were like nails against metal, screeching and shattering sound itself. She felt her fingers twitch, and as she sat up she touched the Madness' head, stroking its matted fur.
"You're rather useless, aren't you?" she asked jokingly.
Cidolfus yelled out just as a sword nearly bludgeoned Lightning's head, and they scattered. Adrammelech held the Excalibur blade; it was a holy blade, and thus it burned the tainted undead man's hands. She barely dodged his attacks, but her head was like a weight on her shoulders and all she wanted was to sleep and be done with this. Yet the Madness saw something she couldn't and struck, making Adrammelech stumble and tangled itself around his feet. Lightning took the chance and readied her gunblade, blinking the blood from her eyelashes.
"Again, you have meddled in things of the gods, foolish Madness. And now, your punishment!"
The Excalibur blade pierced through the Madness' body, pining it to the wood flooring and spilling black blood all over. It tried to escape, hissing and howling, but it was of no use. Adrammelech, pleased with the deed, ventured away to fight with the others, and Lightning—she could not believe this wasn't a dream—bent down beside the Madness. Always happy to see her, it tried to crawl but couldn't. She stroked its fur, her hands sparkling with darkness.
"Hang in there," she said faintly. "You'll be okay...You're immortal, aren't you?"
Her magick was absorbed by the wound, yet it did nothing to help the Madness. Soon, in pain and suffering, the Madness looked at her with no recognition; just like when Balthier looked her in the eyes moments before. It was suddenly so inhuman, but so very afraid of every little thing.
"You'd best put him out of his misery, Phoenix," Cidolfus told her. "Look what the Holy magick is doing to him."
She wouldn't listen; this wasn't happening, not again. "He can't die, not like this...What will happen to Balthier?"
Ramza knelt down beside her, his hands glowing with white Holy. Cidolfus touched her shoulder tenderly. "Balthier will be fine, I think. Chances are that the Madness and Balthier will join back together once he dies."
Lightning kept running her fingers through the Madness' tousled fur until the Holy spell did its job. The Madness lay there, no longer struggling. Just the sight of it made her heart weep; why had so many died?
Why couldn't she join them?
"Adrammelech is still out there," Ramza spoke as he led the party through the forest and back to their camp. "We cannot linger for too long if we want to catch up with him."
"We are not killing Balthier, too," Agrias retorted, furious. "I won't watch another friend die, Ramza. That creature was harmless, it helped Lady Claire! And you, you—"
Lightning shook her head. "Just wait. No matter what, Balthier has always found his way back to me."
And her words proved true: Balthier stumbled out from the trees like a drunken fool, holding his head and panting. The others unsheathed their swords, ready to fight the Lucavi, but Lightning would not. She walked forward and whispered his name.
"Balthier."
He looked at her, squinting and trying to put a name to her face. She was reminded of the time they first met, that day where so much changed for her. It was in a forest, much like this one—though she knew nothing back then.
"Help me," Balthier croaked. "Please..." He suddenly spotted Ramza standing between Agrias and Cidolfus, and fury burned in his gaze. He went silent, then spoke to an empty space. "You're not the Madness. What...who are you?" In an instant his anger flew to fear, and he met Lightning's eyes once more. "Please...Help me...I don't want...to become a monster; not like this. Please...I'm...human..."
Lightning bit back her fear, walked forward and touched his face. The Void welcomed her home.
She found Balthier laying on his side in darkness, curled up and sleeping soundly. Lightning paused before speaking, "Balthier?" He yawned, stretched his arms and curled back up, pretending as if she wasn't even there. She growled, then kicked him gently in the back. "Balthier, I'm talking to you."
"What?" he said tiredly, rolling over and facing her. "Who are you? Who's Balthier? Hm?"
She only answered him with a glare. She'd had enough of his damn memory loss relapses.
"There you are, Sloth!" called a bright voice. "Gluttony and I have been looking all over for you!" Two more Balthiers joined the fray, though one looked more hungry than charming. Lightning scratched her head, telling herself to wake up from this dream. "Who's that, Sloth? Your new girl? She looks nice."
The Balthier called Sloth yawned again. "We just met. I don't even know her name, and no, she's not my girl."
"Excellent! T'would be a shame if she belonged to you."
Lightning crossed her arms. "Balthier, what is going on? And why are there three of you?"
The one she presumed was called Envy grinned. "Well, normally there are seven of us, see? But Wrath is angry at us, so he wouldn't come when Pride called and Lust went off to find him. Greed is on his way, and Pride likes to make us wait, because he thinks he's the best."
Lightning stared. "And I thought one Balthier was bad enough..."
Three more arrived: Wrath, Greed and Lust. As expected, Lightning didn't like the look Lust was giving her (though she remembered times when Ffamran, after drinking too much, looked at her the same way).
"You see," Envy continued, "we are just thoughts—fragments. Incomplete pieces of a whole."
"Then Balthier is your whole," Lightning said. "He looks exactly like all of you."
Lust strode toward her. "If Balthier is the whole, who are you? Not one of us."
"I'm Lightning."
One more (Lightning was about to shoot something at this point) approached the group, though this time he was dragging a child Balthier with him. "I apologize for keeping you waiting," Pride said. "I found another one."
"Dammit, I'm Balthier!" the child exclaimed. Lightning pitied him; why did everything happen to Balthier?
"I came to warn you that there is an intruder in our realm. A god calling himself Adrammelech."
"I...I...want to eat," Gluttony pined. "C-can I...eat him?"
Pride smirked, reminding Lightning so much of Ragnarok: monstrous, but still partially human. "When we find him, don't even leave a finger."
The sins proceeded to argue over just who would act first (Sloth noticeably went back to sleep), and Balthier slowly went toward Lightning and held her hands. She looked to the sins, then back to the boy. "Balthier, please, tell me you know who I am and what's going on!"
"I...I have memories. Bits and pieces. I know you are not my enemy, and I know your name, but...there are other things, looser things. But that's not important. It is that a god has gained entry to my soul and now attempts to bend me to his beck and call."
"Adrammelech...He killed the Madness."
"The monster know as 'Madness'...is not as dead as you would think. You were looking at him earlier. He gains his strength back, feeding on the conflict in my soul...But at its base, Madness is created from those seven fragments."
They both looked toward the sins: some screamed, cried, wept, but soon a bright light enveloped them, covering them like a thick blanket. They merged with the light, but the screams did not deafen. In fact, they grew louder as the light faded.
"…Mama!"
"Kill…me…"
"Ha ha! Ha ha ha!"
"It hurts…!"
"Claire...DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
A monstrosity, hidden by light, began to take form. The Madness screamed and writhed, though it was not like Lightning remembered. Muscle that was not yet full grown and mangled flesh hung from battered bone; a skull that cried black blood swung around, sobbing from all their attention; but it's body—oh god, it's body! Human torsos, arms, legs, and hands wriggled among the flesh, reaching and yearning. The humans screamed, but among the screams were voices—voices belonging to the dead Lightning so dearly loved.
"Well, I suppose Balthier and Fran are going to have a bit more trouble, huh? You'll tell them I'm sorry, won't you, Light?"
"A dream, huh? This is...a pretty good one, then..."
"Don't..."
"I don't understand! Why are you after Balthier? He's not a monster, he's—"
"You don't know...how long I've waited to hear that from you..."
"Don't look at me!"
The Madness' cry overcame the dead, but Lightning shivered and trembled from the voices that lingered in her mind. She coughed, covering her mouth as Balthier stood there as calm as ever.
"Hm..." He took her hand and led her away from the beast, continuing their journey into the sideways city. "Under all that fur, that is what he looks like, you know."
"Yeah...One second," Lightning stammered, then drifted to the side and vomited. How did the Madness know? True, she told it about Mustadio, but what of the others? How did it know Snow died during the war, or that Serah had been killed while protecting Ffamran? And how did the Madness know that Ffamran had died in her arms, just as she had years before?
Of course—the Madness was Balthier. She had told him everything...but not everything.
"That is the result of eating hume souls," Balthier continued. Lightning stood up, rubbing her sore head and glaring at him.
"Shut up. I want to find Adrammelech, kill him and get out of here."
Adrammelech was sitting in the palace throne like a King, grinning in the shadows. Lightning thought to just stab the creature and end it, but Balthier had to end this himself. This was not her battle.
"That place does not belong to you," he snarled.
"Your soul is mine, Ffamran. It all belongs to me."
"The Madness will not be pleased. He is not as reasonable as he usually is."
"You know how the original form of Madness was born. He was created by a man who feared everything...and the Madness now is simply controlled by fear. He is afraid to frighten away the woman whose trust he has just earned..."
Just earned; Lightning suddenly felt guilty. A translucent triangle formed beneath Adrammelech, with two Balthier doppelgangers standing at the corners. "Demon, you don't know anything," Balthier spat. A massive meteor dropped from the starry sky, fires burning intensely, though moments before it crashed, it warped into the Madness' monstrous form. The thin, skeletal arms pulled and ripped at the Lucavi god, and it bit down and tore at Adrammelech's skin.
"Don't look...!"
"Mama!"
"Go!"
"Leave me alone!"
"Don't look at me!"
"Finish this, Claire!"
Her gunblade materialized in her hands as she ran forward, flying into the air and smashing the blade into the Lucavi's head. Everything fizzled to dust, dissipating and returning to the world of the living. She thought to have seen a hand reaching for her, but Lightning gathered that she was, indeed, dreaming once again.
She woke to a strangled cough and a light tinkle. Lightning quickly sat up and held Balthier in her arms, pretending that everything else, just for a short while, didn't matter. He seemed surprised at her show of affection, though he did not move away from her, either.
"The Madness," she murmured in his ear. "Is he okay?"
He did not answer, but instead leaned his head against hers and purred softly.
