Disclaimer- I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters in this story.
Author's notes: Nope, I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna apologize for last month's cliffhanger. Know why? Because I'm evil and it's fun to watch people scream at me! :3
Usual self-promotion for my book and all. Remember, if you give me money, I can go professional and keep you guys entertained for the next couple of years. XD Micro God has several more books to go.
Chapter 4: Death of a Hero.
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"TREVOR!" Zidane called again as his friend fell into the darkness below. "TREVOR!"
Flying above, Tiamat only had a laugh at the dismay brought forth by his power. He knew he had stuck a deep blow for all the survivors. They would all fall one by one. The only problem was deciding who would fall next.
"Is he still there?" Dagger asked, rushing to the edge of the platform. She didn't even think of the danger of falling herself. She was still shocked that one of their own could have died so close to the ending. Frantically, he peered over the edge, head panning left and right. "Where is he? I don't see him!"
"Dagger…" Zidane struggled to say. "Trevor is—"
"Maybe I can climb down and get him," she said, pivoting over the side of the platform and lowering herself. "I'll be back."
"DAGGER!" Zidane shouted. He grabbed her arms and violently yanked her back on to the platform. He held her close, afraid to lose her too.
"Zidane, let me go!" she shouted. "Trevor's down there alone! We have to save him!"
"Dagger, don't," Zidane said, hating the words as they passed his lips. "Trevor's… Trevor's dead…"
"No, he ISN'T!" Dagger defied. "No, no, no…no…"
Her shoulder heaved with wet sobs, soaking the corner of Zidane's shirt. How could they have come all this way, risked so much, discovered so many things, only to lose such a dear friend in the end. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. Why did Kuja have to destroy so much? Dagger hadn't felt this much despair since her mother died, another victim of Kuja's.
"Dagger, we have to go," Zidane said, standing and bringing the scared queen up with him. She looked up at him, angry that he could be so calm. However, between Zidane's taut face and strong grip, Dagger could tell that he was fighting back the same tears that she was already crying. She needed to stand beside him and be strong too.
They still had a world to save.
"Is Trevor…" Vivi asked slowly. "Is he actually…?"
Tiamat's laughter boomed through the air. His heavy cackles soaked in their sorrow, getting high from elation. Everyone turned their attention to him. In one instant, everything became drastically clear to the party. They no longer wanted to kill Tiamat just to continue their journey.
"Horrid monster…" Steiner found himself muttering. He kept his guard up, taking point against Tiamat. Freya and Amarant took point on his left and right. "If you weren't such a coward, you would come down and fight us on even ground!"
Tiamat narrowed his eyes. "If you weren't such a fool, you never would have come here in the first place."
"I'll make sure you die choking on those words!"
Vivi, however, was having a much harder time with Trevor's demise. He had known death when his grandpa died, but that was when he was young and confused. Their relationship had been brief. But Trevor was like an older brother, always watching out for Vivi and giving advice. Even moments ago, Trevor had been right by Vivi's side, giving advice and tactics. He had seen Vivi's potential in a way that no one else could. And now that confident, supportive voice was gone forever.
Gone forever… Vivi kept telling himself. He wanted to look over his shoulder and see Trevor standing behind him, but it was no use. Trevor was gone, and he was going to have to get used to it.
But I don't want to… Vivi told himself, choking back tears. His friend was gone. His friend was dead. He… was never coming back… Vivi had never felt like this before. With tear-soaked eyes, he glared up at Tiamat as the dragon hovered above the platform.
"You bastard!" Vivi cried out. "You killed my best friend!"
The first spark of silver rocketed out of Vivi's chest, and soon a blinding fountain of silver light followed, engulfing his entire body. He drank the power in, as the light came down and blended into him. His clothes, his hat, and even traces of his skin glowed as Trance overtook him. Raw energy crackled off of him. The others soon backed away, unwilling to stand in Vivi's way.
With a roar, Vivi shot forth. Despite being a magic user, he wanted to rip Tiamat apart with his bare hands. He wanted to feel the visceral fury and the blood running through his fingers. But he remembered Trevor's last words to him. Slow, strong attacks wouldn't work against this enemy. Vivi would have to try something else.
As he neared the dragon, Vivi found himself running up an inclined pillar. Tiamat's entire body came into view and Vivi reacted immediately. He charged up spells that he hadn't cast in a long time, channeling one through his staff. However, the magic was so raw and came so readily that a second spell found its way into his hand. Subconsciously wielding two spells at once, Vivi leapt off the pillar, flying through the air as his magic launched itself.
"FIRE!" Vivi called out. Instantly, the air around Tiamat's wings heated up and exploded. Tiamat roared in surprise rather than pain, but the damage was evident. Vivi's attacks weren't very strong, but neither were Tiamat's wings.
Tiamat snarled and turned his attention to the young mage. "You little—"
"FIRE! FIRE!" Vivi kept calling out, channeling two spells at once. He stepped forward determinately, melting Tiamat's wings and sending shivers down the dragon's spine. The beast danced in the air, flailing as he tried to avoid the spells, while failing to keep his altitude. He gave one mighty flap of his wings to get away, but one more hole in each wing made that impossible. The skin that had once been his wings had all been shredded or burned away. His thrashing only caused more damage. With one enormous crash, the great Chaos Guardian collapsed into the platform.
"You little brat!" Tiamat said, pulling himself out of his shallow crater. "You destroyed my wings! I'll kill you next!"
Reacting quickly, Tiamat puffed his chest out and prepared to finish Vivi the same way he had finished Trevor. Snapping all three heads forward at once, Tiamat launched his attack. Vivi didn't have any defense against the wind tunnel and could barely keep his hat on his head, much less stay on his feet. Within seconds, his raging advance was halted and he was blown backwards, much like Zidane had been. With the edge of the platform coming up, Vivi knew he had no way to save himself.
"NO MORE!"
With a shout, Freya used all the strength in her legs to leap forward. She snapped Vivi up in her grip and turned inside the wind tunnel. With no control herself, she would have been swept up as well, but with a swing of her polearm, she anchored herself in an embedded pillar. With her weapon in one arm and Vivi in the other, it was only a matter of endurance until the wind ended.
Vivi desperately clung to his hat and staff as the wind threatened to sweep him away. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open even a little, but when he did, he noticed something important. Despite all the other times he had attacked, Tiamat was stationary. Without his wings to escape with, he was a large, likely slow target. Vivi started to channel his magic again.
"Just give up!" Tiamat shouted at Freya's persistent grip. His other heads snapped and bit at Steiner and Amarant as they tried to fight through, but their efforts were in vain. Tiamat wasn't about to allow them to flank him. However, for all his efforts, he never would have imagined that the next attack would come from the front.
"BLIZZAGA!"
Suddenly, Tiamat felt a chill from underneath him, flowed immediately by a sharp tearing in his throat. He stopped his attack and twisted to get away, but he saw an enormous icicle ripping through the ground. It had torn through his central neck, destroying the air sac that allowed him to use his breath attack. The sudden assault left him breathless and spasming, searching for air as he started to breath through his second and third throat. He could easily survive the assault, but his central air sac was gone and his breath attack disabled.
As the wind died, Freya and Vivi dropped. The dragon knight landed gracefully, brushing her hair back. She set Vivi down at her side just as his Trance faded and his colors returned to normal. His rage was still fresh within him, but when he saw the gaping hole in Tiamat's neck, he felt himself start to calm down slightly.
"This stops nothing," Tiamat cried out. Blood pooled all around him from the hanging skin on his neck. Blood dripped and skin cracked from the crusty sores on his wings. He folded the wings back as best he could, but groaned in pain as chunks of dried blood flecked off. "I still have my magic and my claws. That is enough!"
To accentuate his point, he extended his claws and took a swipe at Amarant. But Tiamat was in pain and Amarant was flexible. As the claws came down, Amarant dodged to the side. Tiamat left a deep gouge in the rock where the bandit had been standing.
"Not even close," Amarant laughed. "You really suck at this!"
"Be quiet!" Tiamat shouted. He turned his entire body to face the dreadlocked man. However, he only made it two steps before he felt an intense heat burst inside his flank.
"Climhazard!"
With a powerful strike, Steiner cut deep into Tiamat's back leg. The sword magic exploded at the tip of the blade, burning the muscle and blowing the skin open. Tiamat's leg collapsed as Steiner retracted his sword, pulling several strands of muscles out as well. The dragon dragged his leg along, but because of his light frame, he was able to stand on his three remaining legs. One head stayed trained on Amarant while the other bent around to focus on Steiner.
"Knight…" Tiamat muttered. "You would stab your opponent in the back? Does your code of honor mean so little?"
"What would you know of honor?" Steiner asked. "You only exist to destroy. You are a twisted monster created by a twisted man. You've murdered my comrade. The code only exists for fighting other warriors. It does NOT apply to BEASTS!"
Tiamat immediately reared his head back and aimed to bite Steiner in half. "I'll destroy you!"
"Shock!"
The lightning shot forth and hit Tiamat in his open maw. The attack blasted and blistered the inside of Tiamat's mouth, leaving a thin trail of smoke passing out of his lips. The dragon tried to talk, but only muttered garbled words. His tongue was burned and it hurt to move his lips. Two heads were torn and ruined. The only remaining head gave Steiner a hateful glare as the beast repurposed his attack pattern. He swiped again, this time catching Amarant off guard and sending him away.
"Twister," Tiamat said, wasting no words. A sudden wind burst opened over the further half of the platform. Dagger, Quina, Freya and Vivi were soon swept up by a wind gust as a tornado formed around them. Freya was able to sink her polearm into a nearby pillar, but missed grabbing Vivi as he flew away. The three remaining casters were spun higher and higher until the wind magic dissipated. All three were launched into the air and left to the mercy of gravity.
"Dagger!" Zidane shouted. He ran underneath her as the summoner fell in a streak of orange. With a soft crash, she fell into his arms, knocking the thief to the ground. Zidane coughed for breath, but Dagger recovered quickly and rolled off of him.
"Zidane, are you alright?" she asked. Her hand traced his cheek, trying to rouse him. He looked up at her from the ground. There was a moment of silence as he pressed his hand into hers. Dagger was glad to see him well, but blushed as he grabbed her hand. She pulled away, standing quickly and readying her staff. After a quick Cure spell cast on Zidane, the thief stood as well.
"Thanks Dagger," Zidane nodded before heading towards Tiamat.
"Uh… you're welcome," Dagger said after a moment. She watched him charge and readied her white magic. However, chanting from behind her distracted her for a moment. She turned and saw Eiko holding a feather up to her flute.
"Eiko?" Dagger asked. "What are you doing?"
"What's it look like?" Eiko asked. "I'm summoning the Phoenix! Now let me concentrate!"
After a few more seconds, a small fire sparked on the ground. As Eiko finished the ritual, an enormous bird, coated in flames and a plume of colorful feathers emerged. It called out once before setting its sights on the wounded Tiamat. Flapping its wings, it soared higher, aiming for its target.
"No wait!" Eiko called out. "I didn't summon you to attack him!"
The Phoenix halted its flight, hovering several feet above the platform. Each flap of its wings brought heated air down onto the two girls as they gazed up at the magnificent bird.
"A friend of ours fell over the edge of the platform," Eiko started explaining. "We can't see the bottom, so we don't know if he's okay. I need you to fly into the darkness and save him!"
"Eiko…" Dagger said hesitantly. She didn't want to say the words, but they were true. "You know he's—"
"You don't know that!" the obstinate girl cried out. "I already lost my parents and grandparents! I don't want anyone else to die!"
Dagger knew she should have stopped Eiko. They needed everyone in this fight and having her distracted with a fool's errand would only hinder the rest of them. However, deep within herself, Dagger wanted Eiko to be right. She couldn't stop the little girl even if she wanted to.
"Go, quickly!" Eiko told the Phoenix. The giant bird roared in agreement, bursting into a pillar of flames before flying over the edge and out of sight within seconds.
Meanwhile, Steiner was coming to grips with Tiamat. The massive dragon still had plenty of weapons at his disposal. Amarant kept an arm distracted, duking it out as best he could, but Steiner was caught up between the second clawed arm and a row of fangs that bit down over his shoulder. Tiamat appeared to be winning with the knight's arm within his mouth.
"This is the end," Tiamat said, jaws still shut tight over Steiner's arm and armor. He brought his arm up to shred the armor off the knight, but a swipe of a broadsword kept Tiamat at bay.
"For one of us!" Steiner agreed. "And I am not him!"
Steiner swung his crossguard hard into the dragon's teeth, striking at the gum line. Blood trickled down between fangs, but the dragon persisted. One more smash broke a fang out, but twenty more still kept his arm trapped. His position seemed fatal.
"Smash all my teeth out," Tiamat said. "It doesn't matter. You will still fall." He bit down harder, bending the armor on Steiner's shoulder. The metal warped and pressed in, cutting off circulation to his arm.
As Steiner started to give way to the pain, Freya and Zidane jumped into the fray. The dragon knight went high, jumped onto Tiamat's back while Zidane stayed low, parrying the dragon's arm and keeping Steiner safe. A quick slash to the back of the neck from Freya made Tiamat roar in pain. He dropped Steiner, who landed in a metallic heap.
"Guys, get out of there!" Eiko screamed from across the platform. "Dagger's summoning again!"
"Come on!" Amarant shouted, grabbing Steiner by the arm and hoisting him to his feet. The knight was winded, but not enough to stop him from escaping. Freya and Zidane were right on their heels as Tiamat's neck drooped low at the cut. The dragon crawled along the ground, shuffling by on his weakened arms, but with his damaged neck, he could barely tell where he was going.
It was too late for Tiamat. By the time the four heroes who had been assaulting him were clear, Dagger summoned the Dragon King once more. "Bahamut, come forth!" she called.
Once again, a well of flames opened up upon the platform. The fires spun and mixed, forming the body of Bahamut. Tiamat groped the floor blindly, eventually coming to the edge of the well, just as it evaporated. The wounded demon looked up to see his former opponent towering over him, mouth glowing as an attack charged.
"So…" Tiamat muttered. "Is this it?"
The answer came as Bahamut's Mega Flare exploded into the floor, blasting through Tiamat and even the platform. The bright blue light blinded the party for a moment as the ground shook. Everyone covered their eyes, but in seconds, the attack had finished. Bahamut allowed himself to dissolve back into the ether, leaving a massive hole through the platform where Tiamat had once laid.
"Is it… dead?" Vivi asked.
Quina, in all his curiosity, rushed to the side of the freshly burned hole. He craned his head around quickly, then turned with a wide grin. "I not see him!"
There was a collective sigh of relief and even a few cheers from the heroes. It was a hard fight, but they had overcome. Vivi, Steiner and Amarant were all spent and had to sit down to rest. Quina began healing everyone with his White Wind. Everyone's mood was lightening, except one. Dagger walked to the edge of the platform as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Dagger?" Zidane asked, walking up behind her. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" she blurted out, her voice cracking. "How can you ask that? Did you forget already!" She turned to the others and chastised them as well. "How can you all just relax like that? Trevor's dead and none of you care!"
Dagger started to break down, falling to her knees just as Zidane wrapped his arms around to comfort her. The others stopped their celebrating and one by one dropped their head in shame or embarrassment. They started to gather at the edge of the platform. Eiko, Vivi and Freya sat to join Dagger and Zidane. They rest stood and looked deep into the abyss.
"You know," Zidane began. "I remember how we first met Trevor."
Everyone listened to Zidane and the crowd rested, focusing on Zidane's story. Some of them still had hope for Trevor. After all, they only saw him fall. That alone didn't mean he was dead. After so many close encounters, survival was entirely possible.
"My brothers in Tantalus and I were trying to kidnap Dagger and take her to Lindblum," Zidane said. "The Regent had asked us to since he suspected Brahne was up to something. Well, I don't know how he did it, but during the play we put on as a front, Trevor found a way to sneak onto the boat. He ended up pole-vaulting into Steiner's chest."
There was a round of chuckles as Steiner turned beet red. The knight just folded his arms and grunted. "I was distracted fighting you, and he just came out of nowhere!" Steiner defended.
"And then there was how he helped us in Evil Forest," Vivi said. "I remember, he didn't have a sword that time, right?"
"No, I had to carve him a new weapon out of a dead pine tree," Steiner recounted. "It was a lousy weapon, and I believe he lodged it inside one of the plant monsters. It was still clever improvisation though."
"And I don't think we could have gotten out of the Ice Cavern without him," Zidane said. "It was just the two of us against the first Black Waltz back then."
"And everything he did in Dali," Dagger reminded. "And Lindblum. And in the Festival of the Hunt. Trevor always seemed to know more than he let on." He even knew not to eat the food Dagger had seasoned with sleeping weed. At least, not at first.
"Yes, I've noticed the same," Steiner said. "He was very wily. It was almost like he could read minds or predict the future."
"Predict the future?" Zidane asked. "Come on guys. Trevor's smart, but I think you might be giving him a little too much credit."
"What about his plan for Cleyra?" Freya pointed out. "He was able to predict Alexandria's attack pattern and counter them at every step. We barely lost anyone because of his battle plan."
"And he know where to go on new continent!" Quina added. "We find city after one day!"
"Well, he's smart, that much we know is true," Zidane admitted. "We'll just have to find out when he gets back up here."
"Zidane," Dagger asked solemnly. "You told me he was dead. What makes you think he's still alive?"
"I…uh, I was hasty before," Zidane said, as if he were distracted. "We still had that dragon to deal with and I wasn't thinking clearly."
"You really think he's alive?" Amarant asked.
"I think there's a chance."
"Guys!" Eiko shouted from her seat at the edge of the platform. "It's the Phoenix! She says she found Trevor!"
"Really?" Vivi asked. "How do you know?"
Eiko pointed to her small horn. "Duh."
"How far down is he?" Dagger asked. "Is he alright?"
"He need white magic?" Quina asked.
"Can he still fight?" Steiner asked.
"Not all at once!" Eiko said. "I can't concentrate. Um… hold on…"
Everyone held their silence as Eiko shut her eyes and stood petrified. A few of the party even held their breath, trying to distract her a little as possible as they waited impatiently for any kind of news, good or bad. After a moment, Eiko gasped and her eyes shot open. Her knees shook as a fire seemed to rise from the abyss. Light grew from under the platform like a sunrise.
"Well, what is it?" Zidane asked. "How is he?"
"The…Phoenix," Eiko began nervously. "She says… it's… bad…"
"How bad?" Zidane pressed. "Eiko, how bad is it?"
Eiko gulped. "She says we might not want to see him…"
The flapping of wings came over the platform as the fiery bird finally came back into view. Her blinding light overtook them for a moment, but even as the heat bore down on all of them, they still fought to see through to what she was carrying in her talons. Zidane fought through the heat and light and stood under the flapping wings until he could place a hand on the crumpled body of his friend.
"Trevor?" he asked.
The body in the Phoenix's talons shifted, and Trevor's cold dead expression gazed up with only one remaining eye. The left side of Trevor's head had been bashed in. An entire section of skull was just gone, leaving most of Trevor's brain exposed, even after some had been mashed out by his impact. Several of his bones were broken and his limbs were twisted, but Zidane just couldn't take his eyes off the horror before him.
"Zidane?" Dagger said, concerned. "Is he…?"
"…He's dead," Zidane said after a very uncomfortable moment. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and spread it over Trevor's head so the others wouldn't have to see the graphic mess that Trevor had become. He held his arms underneath the larger man, but found the strength to hold his friend as the Phoenix released its grip. Zidane carefully carried Trevor over to the others and set him down beside a fallen pillar.
"No, he's…" Dagger protested. "This isn't right! He—"
"Your highness," Steiner said sympathetically, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Show strength."
"But Steiner," she said. "Trevor's—"
"I know," he said, taking a sharp breath in to hold back a tear. "It hurts me too."
Vivi knelt down by Trevor's body, grabbing his friend's arm and wondering why it felt so cold. "Trevor's… he's actually…" Picking up the arm and watching it drop lifelessly was perhaps the scariest thing Vivi had ever seen in his life. He gripped the sides of his head, burying his face in his hat and began crying like a child.
Quina stood by Trevor's feet, looking up as the blood started to soak into the handkerchief. He thought of meals past shared and the food they would never have together. Trevor was the first out of this group of heroes that he had met. Quina was odd, but he knew that the others looked at him funny. Trevor was the only one that seemed to understand though, and bridged that distance. He really was a good person.
"Thank you for the food," Quina said silently, nodding respectfully to Trevor's fallen body.
Freya and Amarant were less affected by the loss, but they were still melancholy. Freya shook her head and couldn't help but think of the days before her suspicion and of the recent fight with Maliris. She wasn't sure if she was right about Trevor or not, but she regretted her mistreatment of him all the same.
"He did a lot of good," Freya admitted. "He saved a lot of Burmecians, as well as the king. I never thanked him for that."
Amarant nodded. "I shared a beer with him once."
"You shared a beer with someone?"
"It was after Alexandria was destroyed," Amarant began. "I was in a bad mood. So was he. He bumped into me out in the streets and we started to fight. It was intense! The guards kept yelling for us to stop, but by the end of it, I was having too much fun." Amarant showed a rare grin at the memory. "I was impressed with him and he worked his problems out through his swords, so we got a beer together. Didn't talk much, but we didn't have to."
Freya smiled faintly. "That sounds lovely."
As the dour mood resounded amongst the remaining heroes, they each took their turns saying goodbye to Trevor. Some cried, others stood by in silence. Dagger was between the two as tears streamed down her cheek. Her thoughts raced, wondering how this could be possible. After all the trouble they had been through, she had never seriously considered death among her friends. It seemed so obvious now that of course they could die. She couldn't stand being so naïve sometimes. She just shook her head and messily brushed the tears from her cheek.
Suddenly, her head perked up. "Wait a minute…" she realized. A small smile started to spread on her face. "Wait a minute!"
"Your highness?" Steiner asked in confusion for the group.
"We can save him!" Dagger shouted excitedly. "Trevor doesn't have to stay dead!"
The mood lifted for a moment as everyone else questioned Dagger's crazed idea. "You serious?" Zidane asked. "What are you talking about?"
"The Phoenix!" Dagger said. "I've read that the Phoenix is capable of bringing people back to life! It's the power of rebirth! All we need to do is get her to use it on Trevor!"
The idea was perfect. Surely an Eidolon had magic that powerful, and Trevor hadn't been dead that long. Legends told of Phoenix Downs, which could bring fallen warriors back to life on the battlefield. One by one, the party smiled, realizing their sudden good fortune.
"Eiko!" Dagger called out happily. "Can you get the Phoenix to—"
"Don't you think I already tried that?" the little girl interrupted. Just as suddenly as the good mood arrived, it left, leaving everyone confused and hurt. "As soon as I saw Trevor's body, I asked the Phoenix to bring him back. She says it's impossible! His body's been too damaged. Even if she could bring him back, his body would be too crippled to really use!"
Eiko pointed at the bent arms, the backwards-pivoting leg, and the missing part of his head through the blood-soaked handkerchief. White magic could only do so much, but repairing this much damage and bringing someone back from the dead would require more magic than they had.
"So it's… impossible?" Dagger asked quietly.
"I'm sorry," Eiko said, starting to cry. "I wish I could do more…"
"No, you did great," Zidane said, placing a hand on both girls' shoulders. "But guys, I think we should give Trevor a proper funeral."
"How?" Freya asked. "There's no dirt here. We can't bury him in rock."
"There's always cremation," Steiner pointed out. "Some of the mightiest warrior's ashes are often spread into the winds. I think Trevor has more than earned that title."
One by one, everyone agreed. It was the best course of action. They all took turns giving their final goodbyes and saying a few words on Trevor's behalf, recalling stories and adventures. Some stories made others laugh while it only made some of them cry harder, but Zidane came in with the final words, trying to calm the dire air.
"…But perhaps what I'll remember most of all," Zidane said at the end of his eulogy, "is that Trevor died saving my life. If he hadn't jumped in when he did, that would be me on the ground and not him. He gave his life to protect someone else, and I can't think of anything better to describe him. He was selfless to a fault, sacrificial, and always willing to go out of his way to help a friend however he could. Even when he was suffering from that experiment, he kept his pain hidden just to push our collective goal forward. To him, that's all that ever mattered…"
Everyone bowed their heads in silence, except Steiner, who unsheathed his blade and held it high to mark his respect. Zidane stepped away from the front to rejoin the group.
"Eiko," he said. "When you're ready."
"…Okay," she said hesitantly. Even though they all agreed this was the best course of action, Eiko still wasn't sure if she wanted to go through with it. She gulped, trying to hide her nerves for the moment and telepathically talked to the Phoenix, who was still among them. After a moment, they fiery bird seemed to nod and flapped its wings, spreading the heat. A small cone of fire erupted in and around Trevor's body, catching him on fire and hiding him behind a wall of swirling reds and oranges. The flames cooked the body for only a few short seconds, but the process seemed to go on for minutes. Then, as it ended, the flames lifted and only a scorch mark remained under a pile of rising ashes. Zidane knelt down, still caught up in the moment and unsure if these ashes had truly once been his friend. However, a wind caught them and Trevor's remains began to flake away, fading into the dark reaches of Memoria.
No one moved or said anything as the ash pile washed away. It took several minutes until they couldn't see anything left as the pile flew off in short bursts. After Trevor was gone, Zidane took a few steps towards the stairs at the end of the platform, aimed into the swirling clouds in the sky.
"C'mon guys," he said somberly. "Kuja's not gonna wait forever."