The Training Center inside of Balamb Garden was bursting with explosive magic and the scrape of metal weapons on monster flesh. Sounds of battle had been echoing throughout the simulated jungle since the early parts of the morning. The SeeD Commander and his Sorceress had risen early after their long night of lovemaking. Squall needed to invigorate his mind and Rinoa wanted to work on polishing control over her newfound powers. The monsters inside the center were quickly dying off, and now the largest of the beasts were being confronted by the two fighters.
Squall, with his Lionheart gunblade still covered in dripping Grat blood was fighting a massive Rexaur in an opening of the Training Center. The grass around the combatants' feet was smashed from the numerous fights that had already taken place there. Squall lowered his weapon to his side and charged the enormous Rexaur. Dressed in his traditional black jacket with white animal fur he rushed forward and became a blur as he charged the Rexaur. The beast roared and lunged its massive head towards him, jaws open and clamping shut as it tried to bite into its' assailant. Squall wasn't there and with a quick series of strikes he devastated the beast before it could react to his attacks. The Rexaur could only utter a quick complaint of pain before life was suddenly cut short. The Rexaur fell onto its side and remained still, all life drained from the massive monster.
Too easy. Squall thought as he reviewed all the monsters he and Rinoa had fought this morning. Corpses of them littered the entire Training Center and only the rustling of plants could be heard on what would normally be a cacophony of monster growls and screams. The Training Center would need to be refilled once they reached Balamb.
The source of the rustling leaves came flying out from the side of the small clearing as a surviving group of Grats made a last ditch effort to kill the humans who were systematically eliminating them. Squall lowered his weapon again, but this time stood still as a different blur swept past him without barely making a sound. The blue blur had white wings, and before the Grats could reconsider their suicidal charge Rinoa was upon them. Held aloft by her sorceress wings which were white and dazzling and seemed to keep her afloat by magic alone as she rushed them. Rinoa slowed in front of the charging Grats and made quick gestures with her right hand. Firaga burst out of each Grat, immediately incinerating them from the inside out with a resounding boom for each spell cast.
Rinoa then peacefully landed on the scorched ground beneath her, flames surrounded her from the dying Grats. The fires smoldered down as her wings retracted into her back and left no trace they were ever there. She stood there for a second and overlooked the damage she had done before turning around to face Squall.
Squall looked at his love for a moment and had a brief mental vision of a darker future while looking at her golden eyes. Then in a flash her eyes went back to her normal brown and she smiled at him with that familiar look. Squall pushed down his uneasy feeling and half-heartedly returned the grin. Something he would only do for her.
"I see you got out unscathed." He commented on her completely clean clothes and body, while he was covered in blood and anatomical parts of deceased monsters.
"You're just a brute, my lion." Rinoa replied with a small giggle. Looking at the mess of a man in front of her. "Lets get you cleaned up for your first secret meeting, Commander."
Squall frowned at her teasing, he had not been looking forward to the morning brief. It wasn't the meeting itself he despised, it was the danger of him becoming bogged down by them. Squall did not desire to become like Cid with his large gut and glasses. Squall would let Cid suffer most of those meetings if he could control that. He knew that wasn't how high ranking military officials operated, but he would resist that fate all the same.
Besides, Rinoa needed his support more than ever. He wasn't sure how the returning SeeD members would react with their upstart Commander being in a relationship with the new sorceress. Nevermind the rest of the Gaia. Life was never dull.
"Try not to remind me every minute." He said with his hand on his hip and a frown still hiding his thoughts.
Rinoa just shook her head at him. "No promises on that one. Commander."
X X X
Deep beneath the waters of the Atlantean Ocean was a hidden city that had been in existence since before the first Sorceress War. The city's existence was largely unknown, made by a seafaring people who wished to escape the continuous conflicts between the separate continents and the ambitious sorceresses who plagued them. This city was rediscovered by Cid and NORG when they first began their work to create the Gardens that would one day counter all sorceress threats. The city had been designed as several pyramids that connected close together and resembled a spike strip. The city was immoveable, so a submersible Garden had been built.
This underwater Garden was to be different than all the others. Since the people who had fled the topside world did not want to be overtaken by sorceresses, they had found a way to break apart the powers and share it amongst four girls. This practice had been done for decades, and incidentally still led to the takeover of the city by these demi-sorceresses. Cid and NORG had agreed that this Garden could be led by the four sorceresses who had inhabited their powers from sorceresses the sea-faring folk. This Garden would be their secret weapon in case all others failed. But contact with this Garden had fallen apart and the SeeDs sent by NORG had only barely escaped after a disastrous fight.
Atlantean Garden had been built for extended tours underwater and away from the pyramid cities. The smooth submersible fortress closely mimicked a shark. The design was sleek, with a dark blue grey top to help it blend in with the deep and a white underbelly. From far away it looked like a large predator, up close any adversary could see the multiple torpedo launching tubes and the air-to-surface missile bays. For now, Atlantean Garden lay with its engines quiet. Only the sounds of the classes in attendance and the SeeD training pervaded the halls. Tense and built up energy affected all those inside. They knew their sorceresses were ready to rise to the surface world of Gaia. It was just a matter of time now.
The leader of the Garden was cross legged and lost in conscious meditating upon the floor of her chambers, she absorbed the hatred and power of those inside her Garden and outside. She was a young woman of eighteen with long golden hair and permanent golden eyes from her constant stasis in her sorceress powers. Her three companions encircled her as they all let their minds be freed and focused on combining their thoughts with hers. It was dark inside the chamber, just the way she preferred it. She was the enemy of dark, at least that is what she told herself. Slackening on the meditation, the woman named Genetive finally broke her connection with everything outside of her mind. Her golden eyes opened up and pierced the darkness.
Aequitas woke with her and was the first to speak, as she often was. "Balamb Garden is nearing Balamb's shores. Your ex-lover will be meeting those aggressors who attacked us there."
Genetive could sense Aequitas' eagerness to strike at Squall, she had developed a crush on him and wasn't acknowledged while he spent that summer with them. Two years had passed now since he had been lost to them all. Chance had taken him away from Genetive, her knight that she bonded with. But it was not to be and she was curious if he remembered her. Not likely, as the Guardian Forces most SeeD junctioned took over large parts of their memories. But he would not forget again after she and her companions struck down the new Sorceress Rinoa and absorbed her powers. Genetive could sense her strength and they would need it for the worldwide struggle that would soon erupt. They needed her powers if they were to survive, the entire planet needed them and they didn't know it.
Genetive looked over to Aegias and Dolavin, the remaining two of her companions and the most quiet. While Aequitas was dark-skinned with red fiery hair, these two were from Galbadian ancestry and had kept the black hair and brown eyes that made up the population. Aegis was homely looking and fair skinned, while Dolavin was blessed with a beautiful face and had taken time above the water to get a tan. No doubt to attract the men in the Garden and compete with Aequitas to gain their attention. All of them were fit and toned, Genetive would not allow Gaia to be destroyed because they were weak.
"You two will strike at the Sorceress Rinoa while Aequitas and I assault the SeeD, do not become entangled in combat. Strike fast and if she's ready or too well guarded, pull back and we will attack again when they are not expecting it." Genetive finished, glossing over the plan that they had formulated in their minds. She liked to ensure they understood completely. Their confident looks confirmed it.
"Going to rough up your teenage sweetheart?" Dolavin teased. Genetive ignored her, but sent a mental pull on Squall to see if they were still spiritually connected. The string was getting fainter, almost gone, as he had become more strongly connected with Rinoa. She could never manipulate him physically, but she had known that he had become even more introverted as an after effect once they were separated. A sorceress' connection to her knight was never fully recoverable.
"Something close to roughening up. Either way, he won't be resting easy from now on." Genetive answered. "He had his break."
With another mental stimulus she nudged the operators inside the command deck to begin prepping the engines. They would soon strike.
Hello again! Still working on getting new chapters out every 7 days. So they will always be short but to the point! I wanted this chapter to explain a bit more about these new characters I am putting in for the story. I gave away a bit more than I wanted too, but I also wanted you all to understand what was going on. Don't worry, plenty of surprises to come! Please review, ask questions or just have fun reading!
