Chapter 7 : Complications

Winhill was a quiet and peaceful town; many of the houses were simple wooden buildings of old designs, mostly two stories tall with a small garden of its own. Winhill wasn't bustling with people and events like the major hub Deling City, nor was it high-tech and advanced like Esthar. In fact it looked over a century behind in terms of technology and lifestyle; the people opting simple lifestyles like farming and mining, while the women did the housework. All in all, Winhill was almost cut off from civilization, left far and out of the happenings and conflicts that were ongoing around the globe.

Shinji made his way around the peaceful town, greeting and smiling to the people he walked passed. Some gave him queer looks as he passed them; the townspeople weren't used to meeting outsiders. Shinji made his way through the small town, navigating through the many dirt roads and finally reaching a large green field. He walked towards a modest looking wooden hut situated at the corner of the field.

He tapped the wooden door lightly. A light noise was made within the hut and Shinji took it as an acknowledgement. He opened the door and stepped in. The hut would be considered barren for a house, lacking many essential items and necessities. In fact, all that was present in the house was a small table and three stools. Three old sages sat on the stools. Shinji smiled slightly when he saw them.

'It has been a while my friends, Melchoir, Balthasar, Caspar.' Shinji greeted the Magi with delight. He was happy to see his old friends after so long.

'I'm sorry we don't have an extra stool around.' Melchoir apologized.

'It's all right. I have to leave and amend things soon. The Balance has been disrupted.' Shinji replied hastily.

'It was our failure to notice this loophole. Forgive us my…' Shinji quickly cut off Balthasar.

'Just call me Shinji, you know I hate formalities. And it is not your fault; no one could possibly know that Time Compression will disrupt the Seal. The world owes the Magi 300 years of peace for the work you all have put in. What matters is we put a stop to things now.' Shinji said with determination.

He continued, 'You have felt it too haven't you. The opening of the Portal of Death, they haven't wasted anytime at all.'

Their faces suddenly darkened. It was true they had felt it just as Shinji did. 'They will not get away with this ruthless act. The Balance forbids it.' Melchior said angrily.

'But I didn't feel anything! No warning or premonition, only when the portal was opened.' Shinji said worryingly.

'You are not alone Shinji. You have allies this time. The six who defeated Ultimecia are on your side' Balthasar stated.

'They already have too much of a head start. It is only a matter of time before the Balance returns back to our side.' Caspar assured Shinji.

'I hope so.' Shinji said silently to himself. There was a part of him that could sense that things weren't going the way they were supposed to. He could feel that something was wrong with the Balance, but yet he did not know why. 'Anyway its ready isn't it?'

'After you went back, we have kept it safe. The three of us have constantly worked on it. Its powers far exceed what it previously was. Rest assured, we believe you will find it to your liking.' Balthasar declared proudly.

Caspar stood up and passed the weapon to Shinji. 'Blessed by the hands of Hyne, infused with the wisdom of the Magi and re-forged with the power of technology; I present to you Avenger, the Light bearer.'

Shinji took the weapon from Caspar and inspected it carefully. He grinned broadly like a child receiving a toy he had wanted for a long time. His trusted weapon was in his hands once again.

'I wonder how the Triumvirate are going to react when they see this again.' Shinji chuckled happily.


The Balamb Transport was flying at top speed. The sleek Panther-A Air Transport was Garden's new addition to its large arsenal; able to transport up to 8 troops, what the Panther lacked in capacity, it made up for in its sheer speed with twin hybrid jet thrusters powering the craft. The dark blue transport came with stealth enhancements, using some of the best radar absorption technology available, giving it an extra advantage during insertions and extractions for covert operations.

Besides the pilot and co-pilot, the transport only had 3 occupants. Zell shuffled in his seat impatiently, occasionally punching at an imaginary opponent. The other two passengers seated opposite him were far more silent and still. One was a large titan of a man, easily 6 foot 5 and with muscles that could rival an Iron Giant. He was thoroughly tanned and wore a tight fitting jacket that showed off his impressive chest muscles. He wore a large metal shoulder guard with the engravings of the Chinese word "Thunder". Even more fearsome was the large bo staff that lay beside him, his personal weapon. Beside the large man was a petite woman in a tight fitting blue suit. She would have been considered pretty if she didnt carry such a fierce look all the time. She had shoulder length greyish-silver hair that was parted to one side, half covering one side of her eye that had an eye patch over it. She wore a shoulder guard, this one with the engravings of the Chinese word "Wind". In her hand was a deadly chakram, sharpened and ready to kill.

Fujin and Raijin, the Wind and Thunder siblings. The two had been made SeeD members after passing the exams last year and have quickly risen in rank due to their combat capability, assisting in many SeeD missions and performing admirably well. They were still a posse with Seifer, but ever since Seifer's changing of ways, brother and sister have both been affected to a rather large extent. Both now placed their focus on their work, resulting in their impressive performance in SeeD.

They had been in the transport for a little over two hours, and Zell was getting restless. All they could hear was the Panther's powerful twin engines roaring in the background. Finally, he stood up and started pacing about in the tight confines of the transport, getting on Fujin's nerves in the process.

'SIT!' Fujin commanded. Zell spun around and growled at her, he had enough sitting for one day.

'No way man! I need to move, my butt is aching.' Zell voiced his displeasure.

'So do we, but its very distracting seeing you moving around ya know?' Raijin tried to reason with Zell, who apparently wasn't listening.

'I'm in charge and I get to move. You all stay put.' Zell sounded smugly. Rarely did the fighter get to lead a team; he was keen on making himself feel a bit superior for the day.

'USELESS.' Fujin turned away from Zell, ignoring the fighter who thrust out a fist threateningly at her.

'Who ya calling useless! I'll do what I want.' Zell fumed at the petite woman.

'Fuu, you can't say that to Zell. He's our leader ya know? What if he… OWWW!' Raijin was stopped mid-sentence by Fujin, who had stomped on his foot, leaving the big man clutching his foot in pain.

'RESPECT.' Fujin shot a glare at her brother.

'Sorry Fuu, won't do it again.' Raijin apologized immediately; his sister clearly didn't like Raijin siding with Zell.

Zell ignored the sibling squabble and headed to the cockpit of the transport. The pilot greeted him immediately. 'Lieutenant Zell, we are approaching Galbadia Garden soon. ETA 8 minutes.'

'That's good, couldn't wait any longer.' Zell said eagerly. He was ready to whip some monster butt.

'Maybe you would like to take a look at this sir.' There was a sense of uneasiness in the pilot's tone.

It was almost nightfall, yet the sky was eerily red, as though stained with blood. There was a large mass of swirling clouds that was dark purple, bolts of lightning streaked and flashed across the sky. Directly beneath this mass of clouds was Galbadia Garden. Heavy activity seemed to be taking place as the Garden was virtually littered with small objects. From afar, Zell couldn't tell what those objects were, but based on his gut feeling, they were nasty.

It took awhile before Zell finally spoke in a serious tone. 'Speed up. We've got some cleaning up to do.'


Headmaster Vinche made his way to the Command Centre. No one seem to notice his entrance, everyone was busy with their task at hand. Sirens blared noisily at the background, SeeD officers ran about issuing commands to the panic-stricken cohort. Everyone was at a loss on the proper course of action. Cries for help were constantly heard over the intercom as monsters continued to flood Galbadia Garden.

Vinche strode across the Command Centre, his mind was still in a whirl. The only thing that kept playing in his head was the downfall of Galbadia Garden. Yet, everything made no sense to him. How could monsters appear out of nowhere? The great and mighty Galbadia Garden brought to its knees by a bunch of mindless creatures? The idea was almost unthinkable. These were things that happened only in dreams. Yes, he was in a dream. This could not be reality.

A distressed SeeD barged right into Vinche, unaware of his presence. The two collided head on and crashed onto the floor, Vinche himself knocked his head hard onto a nearby console. The SeeD landed hard on his butt, but instead of helping the Headmaster up, he rushed off to attend to more important matters. He lightly touched his forehead and felt the stinging pain from his wound, staining his hand with a light tinge of blood. This was no dream.

A sudden spur of adrenaline started building up within Vinche. No way was he going to let Galbadia Garden fall. This was his pride and he will do whatever it takes to ensure its survival. He marched towards the communications officer and roughly shoved him out of his seat and took over his place. The officer just stared at the Headmaster who seemed completely out of his mind. Vinche tapped a few keys on the console and redirected the intercom to reach out to the entire Garden.

Grabbing hold of the mike, he spoke to the entire cohort. 'Galbadia Garden, this is Headmaster Vinche.'

Following Galbadia Garden protocol, students were to stop all current activity, salute and pay attention to the Headmaster's speech. Today was an exception as everyone continued what they were doing, many fighting for their lives at the same moment. But they heard the Headmaster's words loud and clear.

'I understand at this moment, many of you are fighting dearly for your lives. Some might even be on the verge of giving up, for it seems all hope is lost. The enemy come in unlimited quantities out of nowhere. We are facing terrible odds.' Vinche paused awhile and took in a deep breath.

'BUT WE WILL NOT FALL!' His deep voice bellowed into the mike and across the entire Garden. 'We will not let ourselves succumb to these mindless freaks. We will stand firm and defeat whatever that comes. Even as I speak, aid is on its way. The other Gardens, the armies of Galbadia and Dollet are en route to wipe out these monsters. These bastards don't stand a chance.'

'Even without the help of the others, we are still capable of winning this battle on our own. This is Garden, and we have the mighty SeeD, the elite of the elite! We are not going to sit back and let these fiends take over our Garden. This is our home and it shall always remain our home. If these fiends think they can beat us out of our home easily, they are Hyne fucking wrong for they are going to have to earn it the hard way. Show these monsters what we Galbadian's are truly made of! GIVE THE BASTARDS HELL!' Vinche was practically roaring into the mike.

Immediately, loud shouts and war cries could be heard all over Galbadia Garden. Vinche's speech had pumped up the men and women's courage, giving them renewed vigour and hope. Even the frantic atmosphere in the Command Centre was replaced with one of newfound confidence. Vinche gave a sigh of relief; there might still be hope after all.

Suddenly there was a loud crackle of electricity. It drew everyone's attention as a blue portal started to materialize in the middle of the room. Many instinctively drew their side arms and weapons, fearing the appearance of a monster. Up till now, no monster has warped into within the building compound, only the outdoors. This was the first one, and no one was taking any chances.

A bright flash erupted, blinding many in the room. Instead of the monster they were expecting, a man emerged from the portal. Clad in full samurai armour that was blood red in colour and decorated with beautiful gold patterns, his long black hair stretched all the way to his back. A black eye patch covered his left eye, revealing a sinister looking face.

'Nice speech, too bad it's not going to make much of a difference.' With that the man started to laugh.

'Who the hell are you?' demanded a SeeD fiercely. The remaining SeeD and cadets in the Command Centre were all in place, surrounding the intruder. All had their weapons drawn and ready to face the intruder at any moment.

'13 armed, 1 unarmed; against me alone. Bad odds for you kids.' He sneered at them and flashed Vinche a stare, which sent shivers running down his spine.

'That eye…' thought Vinche. Even though he was wearing an eye patch, Vinche could sense the piercing stare that came from beneath the eye patch, a stare so strong it seemed to see through him and unveil all his secrets.

'We will take you out if you do not leave! Who are you?' The SeeD demanded again, clearly running out of patience. They couldn't allow an unknown intruder to stay within the Command Centre.

The man reached for the two katanas by his side and drew them out in an instant. 'You're worse nightmare.' He hissed devilishly.


Quistis was right; the SE hovercraft had travelled through an underwater cavern right below the Horizon Bridge. Quisits had remembered studying in Geography classes back in Balamb Garden about the many underwater tunnels that riddled the Western Continent. Many of them were inhabited by sea monsters hence few people tend to explore these tunnels. It appears the SE must have cleared the monster-infested tunnels for their own use.

The 100 strong SeeD team was now housed in 4 Dollet submersibles, with 2 more transport packed with Dollet Troops. The Dollet Dukedom had gladly offered assistance to the Garden team. They too wanted to bring down the terrorist group.

After an hour of searching, they managed to locate the SE hideout. Quistis had opted to go with 3 other SeeDs to scout ahead and infiltrate the hideout first, instead of charging in head-on which might alert the SE. The transports were to stay back and wait for her signal before charging into the hideout.

Donning a dark blue dive gear, the small scout team approached the base stealthily, disarming sensors along the way that might give them away. They had decided to take the silent approach, hence they started out 500 metres away from the base. Finally, they reached the docking platform of the base. The platform was empty except for one hovercraft, which was the one they escaped with. Quistis quickly scanned the hideout for potential targets, but one thing immediately caught her attention. Parked in the middle of the hideout was a jet, and it didn't require a genius to figure out whom they were transporting with the jet.

The scout team quickly got up the platform and hid behind crates that were lying everywhere, ditching their oxygen tanks back in the water. For a small hideout like this, there was a great amount of equipment and machinery. Quistis suspected that this was one of the SE's warehouses and gather points, where troops would assemble and stock up on supplies before getting on their next mission. The SE hid their bases very well; this was the first time they had actually managed to find one.

A SE soldier walked towards the crate they were hiding, making his usual rounds. It was then when he noticed the wet marks on the floor. Suspecting intruders, he quickly switched to thermal vision on his visor.

Even before the soldier's hand reached his visor, a whip had already wrapped around his neck. Quistis had noticed the prints they had left and had already moved into action immediately. With a strong tug, his neck cracked and he was dead.

The team drew breaths of relief and quickly hid the body, only to be interrupted by loud blaring sirens. Unknown to Quistis and the team, every SE soldier that were stationed in the base had a chip planted in them which sent signals to the main computer indicating their vitals. If anyone were to die or go unconscious at any moment, the base will be informed immediately.

Realizing their cover was blown, the team sprang into action immediately. The three other SeeDs took of grenades and launched them into the fray. Causing mayhem and destruction was a powerful source of distraction. The SeeDs took full advantage of this; one SE soldier who was dumbfounded by the sudden sirens and explosions had his head slashed off by a sword. Quistis easily dispatched a trio of SE soldiers that were caught unprepared by the attack with her whip, killing them even before they had a chance to raise their rifles.

More grenades were launched at the SE troops, blasting many apart and stunning even more.

Suddenly, the SE troops started to fight back in an orderly manner. They distanced themselves from the advancing SeeD team and pumped bullets against them. 'Barrier up!' shouted Quistis as she noticed the sudden turn of events. From afar, she noticed a figure relaying commands to the soldier. That was sure to be Biggs.

Caught in the open, Quistis immediately raised Protect spells just in time as bullets bounced off her blue shield. The other SeeDs did likewise, however one of them was a fraction too slow. Bullets instantly tore through him; even with GF junctions, it was unlikely that he could survive such a fierce barrage of bullets. His body slowly crumpled into a pool of his own blood, bullet holes present all over him.

Quistis cursed at seeing the death of one of her comrades. They had been lured out into the open, leaving them vulnerable to SE gunfire. Even if they had crates to duck behind, she wondered how long those crates could hold under the combined firing of an entire squad of soldiers. They concentrated on casting quick offensive spells against their attackers, falling some men and forcing the squad of troops to duck for cover.

Several SE soldiers on the second floor brought out rocket launchers and aimed it at the trio. Seconds later, 5 rockets were on their way to blasting Quistis and her men to pieces. Quistis noticed just in time and leapt to a side with all her strength. However the remaining two SeeDs weren't so lucky. Concentrating solely on casting magic spells, they noticed the missiles much too late, the rockets crashed straight at them. The resulting explosion tore through their barriers and little of them were left after the blast.

Anger and fury hit a limit within Quistis upon seeing the death of the SeeDs. They had fought bravely and took down almost five times their number even against an army of SE troops, yet Quistis felt they didn't deserve to die. Those SE bastards where the ones who had captured their friend, and she was going to give them hell.

A blue glow surrounded Quistis; she raised her palm and aimed at the group of soldiers who had fired the rockets. A thick red beam of laser suddenly shot out from her palm towards the soldiers, resulting in an explosion that wiped them all out. More SE troops soon found themselves experiencing Quistis wrath as she fired upon them, magical bullets shooting out from her palm, cutting the soldiers ranks down like a minigun.

Quistis was a Blue Magic Specialist, one who specializes in harnessing the powers of certain monsters and enemies and learning their special skills. She can convert her rage and fury into the form of Blue Magic; unleashing devastating magic attacks as though it was an innate ability against her foes.

Her sudden outburst had killed twenty SE troops, yet more appeared to fill their ranks, pouring even more gunfire upon Quistis. However, what would have overwhelmed a normal Protect spell didn't seem to affect Quistis magic shield at all as the bullets bounced off harmlessly. Mighty Guard was a powerful protection spell known only to high level Iron Giants and Behemoths. Casting the spell on a person had a similar effect, creating a powerful barrier over Quistis and protecting her against gunfire.

'Just charge her! Protect spells will falter against melee weapons!' Biggs shouted at his dumb troops. He cursed silently as his troops didn't have temporal enhancements with them. He was appalled to see them trading gunfire with Quistis even though she was protected by powerful barrier spells, while they were shot down easily by her magic Gatling gun. He had a deadline to meet and he wasn't going to let some dumb-ass SeeD slow him down.

Upon hearing their leader's orders, the troops traded their guns for melee weapons, consisting of swords and batons. A large group of soldiers charged at Quistis, eager to swarm her and bring her down by their sheer numbers. Instead of retaliating, Quistis closed her eyes and concentrated. As the troops neared her and raised their weapons to strike, a blinding flash engulfed Quistis, streaks of light shot out from her and spreaded quickly into an intense blast, enveloping the troops in a radiance of light. The troops screamed in pain as pure energy seared through them. A large crater was formed below Quistis and within that split second, she had annihilated close to fifty SE soldiers, charring the floor and leaving behind many smoking bodies. Those closer to her was turned to ash by the powerful attack. Seeing the insane magic Quistis had just unleashed, the remaining SE troops did the smart thing by retreating.

Her last attack, Ray-Bomb had drained her immensely. She paused for a breather just as a shadow crept behind her silently. She felt a stinging pain as a sword slashed viciously across her back. She spun around to face her assailant, only to receive a strong punch into her face. She staggered backwards but was forced to duck almost immediately as a sword missed her neck. Using one hand to support her weight, she launched both feet into her opponent's gut, sending him tumbling backwards.

But her opponent was up almost immediately, forcing Quistis to focus on him and not giving her time to tend to her injury. He charged at her with frightening pace just as Quistis lashed out with her whip against her opponent's chest. Save The Queen, Quistis whip, was made using Malboro Tentacles, further enhanced with powerful Energy Crystals, giving it amazing strength and flexibility. The whip also had a menacing Sharp Spike at its end, acting as a hook that can slash enemies.

Her opponent seemed to have anticipated the strike, immediately bringing down his sword and deflecting the whip across his left, leaving Quistis open for attack. Despite her injury, Quistis was just as quick, redirecting her whip immediately as it returned back to her arms to deflect the blow by the sword, slashing across her opponent's leg along the way and leaving a deep cut.

Her foe did not seem affected by the attack and to her surprise that same leg shot up to land a kick against Quistis head. She stumbled back and quickly coiled her whip around her opponent's sword before it jabbed into her stomach. Tugging at it with both hands, she lifted the sword up as her knee connected with her opponent's gut followed by an elbow into her opponent's visor.

The visor cracked and fell to the ground upon Quistis strong attack to reveal a bloodied face due to the shattered glass. Quistis recognized her foe; it was none other than Wedge, Biggs sidekick. Her thoughts were shattered when a punch landed in her stomach. A strong arm grabbed her neck and slammed her hardly onto the floor, choking her tightly.

'Hello Quistis, Major Biggs isn't going to be too happy seeing you out here.' Wedge said mockingly as Quistis struggled under Biggs strong arm. She could detect no form of magic or junctions in him, yet he fought just as good if not better than a SeeD with GF junctions. The sneak attack by Wedge injured her rather badly as blood continued to pour out of the deep wound. Unable to muster the strength to wrestle free of her foe's grip, she tried something else.

Concentrating her powers, she planted a fire spell directly at Wedge's chest. Although not injuring him severely, the spell caught him by surprise and the blast was strong enough to push him backward and cause him to slacken his grip. Immediately, she slashed her whip across his chest at close range, drawing blood. Her two feet were up and planted squarely against his chest, hurling him a few feet away from Quistis.

Seizing the advantage, she coiled her whip across Wedge's neck. Pulling hard, she yanked Wedge off his feet and smashed him into a metal pillar with enough force to leave it bent. She pulled again and sent him smashing head first into the wall, leaving cracks along the wall.

She pulled a third time but was stopped by Wedge who grabbed hold of the whip with one hand, matching her strength while his feet stood firm. He suddenly hurled his sword at Quistis, catching her by surprise. Unable to dodge in time, the sword lodged itself firmly in her left bicep. The projectile pierced right through her arm, its bloody tip protruded from the other side of her arm.

Quistis screamed in pain, letting go of her whip and dislodged the sword from her arm, blood flowed continuously from the wound. She grimaced in pain as the sword came free, only to catch a powerful punch across the jaw. She raised her arm weakly to block another cross to her right; her wounded left arm barely came in time to block another wicked punch aimed at her. However the intense pain in her back and arm was reaching its limit, it was a matter of time before Wedge got the better of her.

Wedge was determined to end all resistance from Quistis. He roughly caught hold of her wounded left arm and squeezed the gaping wound firmly. Quistis howled in pain as Wedge wickedly applied more pressure to her wound, digging his fingers into the hole in her arm. Even her rigorous SeeD training wasn't able to prepare her for this kind of agony and torture. Her howl soon dissipated into a soft whimper as pain got the better of her. She felt her knees go weak as her body started to go numb. She didn't even feel the alternate hooks that struck her face or the multiple punches that rammed her belly. Blood trickled down her nose as the blows kept coming, smashing into her face ruthlessly. She vomited the bright red fluid violently as knuckles thumped directly into her solar plexus repeatedly. She stumbled back and forth meekly as she was hit left and right by powerful punches, doubling over when a knee rose directly into her gut. The brutal pummelling continued with numerous strong jabs across her face and stomach, finally ending with a crushing uppercut into her stomach that lifted her off the ground and sent her tumbling across the floor. Quistis spitted blood out and groaned weakly as she attempted to get up, only to be kicked with superhuman strength in the gut that lifted her a few feet in the air before finally crashing into a pile of crates.

Wedge walked up to the injured Quistis and planted his heel on top of her stomach, smashing down with incredible force as she gasped with agony. Quistis coughed out more blood as Wedge stomped on her repeatedly. Satisfied, he lifted her by the neck and brought her badly bruised face up to his own and eyed her maliciously. She was almost unrecognizable after the beating; her cheeks bloodied and swollen, nose crushed and bloated while an endless stream of blood flowed down her badly cut lips. He whispered venomously into her ear, like a snake hissing at its prey.

'You fit the criteria too. Too bad we only need one specimen, your just gonna have to die. I'm sure I'll enjoy torturing you every second…'

He was cut short when a powerful blast hit his side, flinging him across as he let go of Quistis who collapsed onto the floor. The shotgun round ripped apart his armour and tore right through his flesh, leaving a gaping wound which no human could have survived. Wedge turned to face his attacker and was shocked to see an entire band of SeeDs along with Dollet soldiers storming out from transports at the docking platform, and leading them was a fiery Irvine Kinneas. It was the sharpshooter's precise round that had hit him by his side.

Seeing that he was outnumbered, Wedge quickly turned and fled. Some SE troops gave him cover by firing at the intruders, but all met with a swift death either by Irvine's shotgun or a well placed magic strike by the SeeD strike team. Even with the multiple injuries he sustained, Wedge still moved quick and swift and was soon at the jet.

'Major Biggs.' Wedge reported to his superior.

Biggs eyed the multiple wounds on Wedge. 'Lucky to be alive Lieutenant? Get in the damn jet before I demote you. We're leaving.'

Wedge hurriedly boarded the plane as Biggs continued operating on a console.

'Dumb SeeDs. Trying to stop me? Not this time.' He grinned to himself and continued to key in commands into the console.


Irvine had been worrying ever since Quistis and the team stopped relaying commands back to them. His worry finally got the better of him as he ordered a full-scale attack. He cursed at his own stupidity for not ordering the attack earlier.

He quickly rushed to Quistis side and was about to tend to her injuries when she said feebly. 'Forget about me Irvine, I'll be fine. They have Selphie on that jet. Stop them before it's too late.'

He understood what Quistis was trying to say. Already, the jet had started powering up, and would begin flying in minutes. However, Irvine couldn't see how the jet was going to get out of this underground cave.

His legs were already moving towards the jet, followed by other members of the SeeD strike team. Although the SE forces were many, they cowered under the impending onslaught, many choosing to retreat instead of fighting the SeeDs head on, making them easy picking for the SeeDs.

Charging ahead of the strike team with his enhanced speed, Irvine rushed forward to the jet. The troops tried to stop him as they all knew where he was heading; they were under strict orders from Biggs to prevent the SeeDs from even nearing the jets. Some charged at him with melee weapons while others fired from range.

On his right was his trusty multi-purpose shotgun, Exeter while on his left was a heavy-duty Barracuda sub-machinegun. Barracudas were SeeDs standard issue sub-machinegun, which used 9mm, 45 round magazines. Most came with a laser scope, but Irvine had no need for such fancy gadgets. Instead his Barracuda had been modified for high performance, coming with an extended barrel, increased rate of fire and increased ammunition capacity, each magazine carrying 10 extra bullets. Irvine rarely opted to go for dual guns unless he was out to kill; this was one particular occasion.

The first soldier who charged at Irvine never got closer than 3 metres before a powerful shotgun round blasted his head off. Even before the first soldier went down, Irvine's Barracuda had already pumped 4 rounds into a rifle-wielding soldier from afar.

Another soldier leapt up and came down at Irvine with an overhead slash. Instead of dodging, Irvine raised his Exetor and parried the slash. The soldier was surprised to see his sword firmly blocked by Irvine's shotgun. Unknown to him, the Exetor was made using durable Dino Bone, the Moon Stone essence embedded within the weapon made it capable of withstanding the high powered ammo that was constantly being used, while the Star Fragments engineered within the weapon transfers energies to the gun every shot, making the shot more powerful and accurate. While the soldier was still confused over what happened, Irvine had stuck his Barracuda into his gut and let loose a few quick rounds, leaving him dead even before he dropped onto the ground.

Grabbing the dead man by the collar, he holstered him like a meat shield and charged at the soldiers, their bullets striking their dead comrade instead of Irvine. Jabbing his shotgun under the man's armpits, he fired one round, catching a soldier in the chest and leaving him lying on the floor clutching his bleeding wound. Another soldier soon joined his comrade as Irvine let loose another round.

Seeing Irvine's tactic, the soldier's tried to outflank him. Two soldiers came in by his side with swords raised. Irvine immediately kicked his bloody shield into a firing soldier that sent him tumbling. Both guns were raised and fired shots at the two soldiers, striking them squarely in their chests.

Irvine did a quick roll to the right as shots were fired at him. His left hand was already reaching to reload his sub-machinegun while his right hand returned fire as he got up from the roll, killing the soldier with another shotgun round. The new magazine was slid into his sub-machinegun and was brought into action immediately as Irvine fired short bursts at the incoming soldiers, bringing down a soldier with each burst.

Seeing their comrades being brought down one by one, the SE troops started retreating, many being cut down by the SeeDs who pressed on with their advancement. Just when the SeeDs were about to surround the jet, a large robot crashed out from a wall, bulldozing straight into the SeeD ranks and cutting them off effectively from reaching the jet.

It had a humanoid upper body while its lower half was a tank. In place of arms, it had menacing laser turrets that fired rays of laser. Those who were caught unprepared were either crushed by the robot or mowed by its laser fire. The large robot was "Bulldog", each of SE's hideout had one of them present to ward off intruders and buy time for escape. What made the robot really nasty was the powerful shield it had, which made it very difficult for intruders to take it down.

Irvine ducked low as a laser beam whizzed past him. He fired his shotgun in reply, only to see it bouncing off the robot's invisible shield. Multiple Thunder spells were cast by the SeeD unit against the robot. Dollet soldiers also fired rockets at the machine, but the shield absorbed everything they threw at it. Irvine cursed as the jet started moving; the robot was here to slow their advance and buy time for Biggs escape, which was clearly working.

Ignoring the robot, he crouched low and tried to run past the robot while it was being distracted by the other SeeD members. The robot however seemed to read through Irvine's mind, its lasers immediately gunned down at Irvine's direction, stopping him dead in his tracks. Irvine was forced to duck behind a pillar as the laser fire slammed hard into it. It seemed the robot was under strict orders to protect the jet from enemies.

The jet started to ascend vertically. It was one of those Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) jets. A large hangar door started to open on the ceiling, which was going to be the exit of the jet. A few Dollet soldiers spotted the Jet trying to make a quick escape and immediately fired rockets to intercept the jet. However the robot assumed its guard duty and shot down the rockets with its laser fire. The robot was making it impossible to touch the jet as long as it was around.

Irvine emptied his shotgun of its current load of normal buckshot shells. He needed heavier firepower to take on the robot. The robot was holding up the SeeD force as they did not have the necessary firepower to bring down its powerful shield. They were armed to deal with SE soldiers for this mission, not mech units. It was up to Irvine to dish out that kind of firepower.

While the robot continued to shoot lasers at the scattered SeeD force, it didn't notice Irvine come out from behind the pillar. He slid the first round of special ammo into the barrel of Exetor and fired.

A loud sonic boom echoed throughout the entire hideout as the Armour Piercing round left the barrel of Exetor at supersonic speed, creating ripples through the air. Irvine's junctions prevented the powerful recoil from breaking his bones as the supersonic slug slammed straight into the robot's shield. The shield wobbled violently upon impact as the robot immediately turned its attention to the potent threat. Irvine had already loaded the second shell even as the huge casing fell to the floor. The second AP shot had an even greater effect as the shield distorted and fizzled, disappearing momentarily as the shield generators were being overloaded.

Laser beams flashed out from its cannons forcing Irvine to dodge immediately. The beams missed his vitals but managed to sear his legs, however he ignored the pain. His hands were already expertly sliding in the third round as the second casing was released. He fired the third shot while coming up from his roll. This time the shield shattered upon impact, the remaining part of the slug pierced through the thick armour of the robot, carving a deep hole in the process.

However the robot was far from destroyed. Even as magic and gunfire rained down on it, its armour proved tough enough to prevent it from being destroyed. It returned fire violently at the attacking SeeD force; the robot wasn't prepared to go down without a fight.

Time was something Irvine didn't have. Taking out another ammo round from under his jacket with the labels "DE" written on its red casing, he slid it into his shotgun and fired the round skilfully into the hole made by the AP round beforehand. The Demolition round lodged itself deep within the robot before exploding, the blast from within ripped apart the fragile electronics within the robot, melting the chips and transistors instantly. The force of the blast from within the robot immediately blew it apart, metal pieces flying everywhere. The once powerful robot was instantly reduced to slag.

But even with the destruction of the powerful robot couldn't give the SeeDs any satisfaction for at that very moment the VTOL jet had just exited the hideout, the hangar doors closing behind it. The mission was a failure for Selphie was still in the hands of the SE.


Estharian soldiers ploughed through the huge mess in the hangar, searching for wounded soldiers and stuff, basically "cleaning" up after the destruction caused by the Hydra. Other than the large carcass situated in the middle of the room, piles of machinery and rubble was littered throughout the large hangar, courtesy of the great beast.

Meanwhile in a room located far away from the destruction and mayhem, Squall sat motionless on a chair, all the while listening to the ongoing conversation.

'How the hell did they manage to get into my country? What is the army doing?' Laguna demanded furiously. His anger wasn't because of the danger he had just faced just an hour ago, but mainly because he was so close to losing Ellone. Had it not been for Squall's timely arrival, Ellone would have ended up in SE's hands.

'The recent events are indeed difficult to explain. Even the beast that they summoned has left our scientists baffled. As for the infiltration, I will carefully inspect our troops again for any moles, although I doubt the likelihood. Esthar soldiers are highly loyal.' General Cromwell grimly stated. The SE attack had startled him greatly; this was their first daring assault within Esthar and he was without an explanation as to how it had happened.

The mood in the briefing room was tense. Besides Laguna and General Cromwell, Kiros and Ward also present. Kiros had his arm slung over a support, wrapped tightly in layers of bandages; Ward's fist was covered in a plaster cast while Laguna spotted various bandages across his body. Ellone came out unscathed and was just given a minor tranquiliser to calm her down after the rather traumatising experience. Squall himself also went through treatment by the Esthar medical staff. Although the X-potion healed many of his injuries, many of them still required medical attention as magically healed wounds didn't heal completely, only healing them to the point where he was combat ready. The Esthar medical staff was top-class, yet he still felt a slight pain in his chest; the powerful jaws of the Hydra had bitten that exact spot. His close shave with the Hydra continued to play through his mind. The Ragnarok pilot Eric, who was injury-free sat next to him, feeling rather out-of-place in this high profile meeting.

'Calm down Laguna, I doubt it's the army's fault. SE must have found a new way of infiltrating that's all. It is their speciality.' Kiros tried to talk sense into Laguna.

'Sorry for my outburst Cromwell. I'm just worried that's all; they were so close to taking Ellone away…' Laguna paused momentarily when a nagging thought struck him. He thought hard about what was disturbing him.

'Don't worry Uncle Laguna, everyone is safe, all thanks to Squall.' Ellone calm and serene voice eased the tension in the room. After hearing what she just said, Laguna immediately realised what had been disturbing him.

'Wait a minute. Why are you here?' Laguna blurted out, catching everyone by surprise, many not able to comprehend him.

'What are you talking about Laguna? You're not making sense.' Kiros asked, clearly worried for his friend who seemed mentally unstable.

'I'm talking about Squall! Why are you here? The summit only starts tomorrow and I'm supposed to go to Garden, not the other way round. If not for your timely arrival, things would be very much worse, but the thing is why did you come?' Laguna's words suddenly made sense to everyone around the table. Everyone was too caught up with the SE attack that they had overlooked this issue. Even Eric turned to look at Squall for answers for he had just followed the Commander's orders to head straight to Esthar.

Squall took in a deep breath. He had been wondering all along how to answer this question for he knew it was going to be very hard for them to believe him. 'Because I knew Laguna would be in danger.'

Everyone just stared at Squall, some with their mouths wide open. Squall's matter-of-fact tone showed that he was not joking. Furthermore, Squall wasn't a man of jokes, yet what he said made no sense.

'How did you know?' General Cromwell asked the obvious. But Squall didn't answer. He had no idea where to start. Besides, he doubted they would believe that a boy had warned him of Laguna facing danger. He just shrugged his shoulders and preferred to remain silent. The rest knew that no amount of questioning was going to get an answer out of Squall.

Laguna sighed. 'Great. First, a mysterious attack by the SE; next I realize my son's a prophet. What next.'

'I assure you, this is only the beginning.'

Everyone was shocked to hear an unfamiliar voice speak. They were further surprised to see a young boy facing them all, materializing out of nowhere.

'What the…' Laguna, Kiros and Cromwell gasped in shock. Ward grunted in astonishment while Ellone looked at the young boy curiously. Eric managed to remain calm; having undergone the shock where a White Dragon suddenly appears in front of you with your Commander on it tends to have a lasting effect.

However Squall was unfazed by Shinji's sudden appearance; he was getting immune to his unexpected visits. 'About time you showed up Shinji. He's the reason why I knew Laguna would be in danger.' Squall explained.

'What? This little kid? How did he get in here in the first place?' Laguna said in absolute disbelief.

Shinji frowned upon hearing himself being called a "kid", but ignored and explained. 'I can create a tear in the space-time plane, enabling me to travel from one place to another. One among the Triumvirate has this special ability too, which was how they managed to launch that attack.'

'You mean teleport? That's not scientifically possible! Esthar's scientists have been trying for years to do this.' Cromwell said in astonishment.

Shinji chuckled upon hearing this. 'A lot of things cannot be proven scientifically. You have a living example here.' He walked to Ellone and slowly placed his hand onto hers. 'You have a rare gift, but you have yet to fully utilize it. I understand why the Triumvirate want you, but alas they have played their cards wrong. Without you, the Balance is in our favour.'

'So what next?' Squall asked, getting impatient. He knew Shinji was here for a reason and he didn't like him going around in circles.

'Regroup. Losses have been great and so is the need to strategize for the next Triumvirate onslaught. This is only the beginning; they will come again, only this time the attacks will be more ruthless. However it will be quite sometime before their next attack. Everyone will gather in Deling City and that will be your next destination.' Shinji stated.

Squall nodded, however Laguna wasn't ready to listen to orders given by a young kid. 'Who's going to gather at Deling City? What losses are you talking about? And why should we listen to you…'

Laguna's outburst was cut-short by Squall. 'Anything else?' he enquired. Shinji smiled, it seemed Squall was catching on to his style of working.

'Only your trust. She will be fine, I promise.' With that he faded. Squall silently thanked Shinji for those words. It meant a lot to him that Rinoa was safe. Although the two had barely met for more than a day, he felt that Shinji was someone whom he could trust.

Ignoring the other's stunned expressions, Squall turned to face them all. 'We need to head to Deling City immediately. How long more before the Ragnarok is fully repaired?'

Eric quickly came back to his senses to answer the Commander. 'About an hour or so. Esthar technicians work pretty fast.'

'Squall, you can't seriously trust that boy's words? We both know the SE was the ones who attacked us, not what Triumvirate thing he is talking about. Besides how does he know what's going to happen?' Laguna asked, clearly not satisfied with the way things were going.

'That "boy" is the reason why you're alive.' He had no answer to his son's words. But if what the boy said was true, they were fighting against an evil that they had no idea of.

'But I don't understand. The boy said we suffered heavy losses, but the Esthar military is still standing strong. One Hydra attack like this isn't going to cripple us.' Cromwell stated. He clearly didn't trust Shinji's words.

A young officer stepped into the room, a thick file in his hands. He saluted the important people in the room, but there was no doubting the anxiety that was painted all over his face.

'We have just received reports regarding several severe attacks from the Western Continent…'