Author's note: I'm an awful person… yes I lost two weeks at the Olympic games, but still procrastinated. So, as an apology. This is not only HUGE, but EPIC. So get into it!


Radiant Fantasy

Act 1: What Lies on the Other Side

Chapter Eight

Assault on Nevassa! Finale: Thunder God


Sothe dodged another one of the wild swings from the woman's spear. He wasn't used to spears being used like that. Most on-foot spear users were so refined that their moves had become predictable when combined with the fact they almost always used heavy armor. But this woman was wearing no protection, not to mention she was almost, if not as fast, as him. To make it worse, Micaiah seemed to be having trouble with the other woman. What could he do? He dodged yet another one of her thrusts. She used the spear more like a bladed staff, she also… had no shield.

"That's it… Sentinels can use their shields to cover their gaps when they attack. She may be as fast as me, but her weapon is much less maneuverable!"He jumped back and landed with a smirk.

"Oh? The boy got his spine back?" Sothe loved how cocky the woman had gotten. Yeah, he had been thrown around up until now, but that was because he had fallen into a soldier's most dangerous trap. Thinking only inside the box. He had to adapt and improvise, only then did he realize that. The woman lunged, Sothe waited. He waited for the woman to sign her own demise. To make it even more convincing, he let his arms fall in false resignation. "Guess I was wrong!"

"Yeah… wrong in underestimating me!"She thrust and Sothe reacted accordingly, moving the absolute minimum to dodge it, the blade of the spear even scratching his cheek as he threw his body forward. He never killed in one strike. Either it was to retrieve information or to give the opponent the last chance at redemption He was no Assassin, he was a Whisper, Bane was not meant to kill. So, like he always did, he aimed for the carotid artery on her neck. Without magic, one would die minutes after the cut, which would even make her a useful bargaining asset to get her companion off her wife. But enough thinking, before the woman managed to react to how fast his burst of speed was, his dagger shone with a violet light as he vanished. Before she knew it, her neck was bleeding profusely. Taken by the pain, she fell to her knees, trying to stop the blood flow with her hands. She may have tried to scream, but the pain stopped her from moving anything related to her neck. Sothe didn't take any time in capitalizing in the situation. "Hey you!" He called, getting the brown haired woman's attention. "If you don't want your comrade to die here, I suggest you surrender! Micaiah can heal her." The woman's response was… unexpected. Like she had always been able too, she snapped her fingers, causing a small crack to appear on the ground that Micaiah was unable to react to, sinking half of her body into it. She then pulled out three metal cylinders and joined them, extending the connections to form a staff which she placed on top of Micaiah's head.

"How about an exchange?" She suggested. Micaiah had been right all along. Begrudgingly, Sothe accepted, walking away from the bleeding woman as her companion did the same for Micaiah. By the time he arrived at Micaiah's side, taking her off the fissure he looked back to see both the women bickering.

"Aerith! What the hell! You could have beaten her so easily?!"The black-haired one shouted in her face, to which the unreadable expression of the brown haired one didn't change.

"Fang, I need the element of surprise, it's not my fault you couldn't even hold him until I managed to defeat her." Well, that must have stung. "We're leaving. I can't guarantee your protection anymore." Aerith told her, ignoring all of her protests as they were both engulfed in a pale green light, vanishing soon after.

"She didn't want this…" Micaiah told Sothe.

"I know, I could see it…" Sothe replied.

"There they are!" An unknown voice shouted, leading the duo to prepare for another battle. Thankfully though, they hardly needed it.

"It's only us. Stop being so jumpy." Haar said, both annoyed and sleepy.

"We need your help…" Elincia knew this wasn't a time for a happy reunion.

"Figured as much."


"Get back to your positions! Push them back!" Soren was yelling at the top of his lungs as the invaders were wreaking havoc on the army. Yes, Soren. He never was one to command the army, but he had to until someone more fitting arrived.

"Status." Tibarn asked as he tore through a couple of the assailants and reverted to human form.

"They clearly outnumber us AND they have the element of surprise. We do seem to be more skilled in the short time I evaluated this, but skill won't make up for both numbers and strategy. " Soren wasn't one to lay it down in an optimistic way, he was brutal.

"So, what do you suggest we do? Roll over and play dead and hope they buy it?" Tibarn, as much as he talked with the Branded, never got over his speech. It was the complete opposite of Ike's, how the hell were they friends?

"There's a fourth element we can use to our advantage." Soren pointed out, opening his Tornado tome to blow the attackers away. "Morale. Find their commander and kill him in front of the others." He said that in a tone that would make a normal person shiver. So cold for what he had just said. He then added: "I'll convince the Empress to add a fee for it." Tibarn didn't even try to look. Volke had already been there and vanished without him noticing, like always. "Also, Tibarn, I need you to pass word to the mages. Dress in white cloth and lay down, the snow will make them hard to pinpoint." He was right in that regard, the forked road was home to a forest and it was indeed snowing.

"I'll ask Janaff and Ulki to scout for their ringleader. As of now, I don't think you have to worry much about defending." Soren asked himself why Tibarn had said it, as from what he could see, they were trapped in the road, fending off the horde of attackers that were coming from the woods. A familiar roar cleared his mind. "They just need time to get warmed up." Ena, Nasir, Garret and Kurthnaga suddenly towered, one in each direction. That was enough to not only tip the scales if ever so little back into a more balanced position, but it also dealt a crushing blow to the enemy morale. Apparently, they had no idea they were fighting this kind of enemy.

"I admit, this is better than expected, but still, Tibarn, I need you to pick Ramza..."


"Rolf?! Rolf!" Teresa called, desperate.

"This isn't funny pipsqueak!" They were outside the formation, combing through enemy lines inside the forest, the lack of visibility in the woods managed to keep them hidden in plain sight until it was too late. "Damn, he just HAD to run away, didn't he?!"

"I'm sorry…" Teresa apologized, feeling guilty for his escape. When Rolf went to find his brothers to prepare, she saw her with them and freaked out, running away in disgust of his brothers. If only he knew that she was only asking where the mages were supposed to form…

"Don't apologize, for once, this isn't your fault." Shinon made it VERY clear that he MEANT that "for once" but still, Teresa appreciated it for all it was worth.

"Rolf doesn't get it! An archer can't fight alone without the Double Bow!" Mist, who had decided to tag along when they saw Rolf run was together with Shinon brutally massacring the enemies before they were even close. Floret was a magic weapon so no matter how much armor you were, if you weren't resistant to magic, bye bye.

"I think I see him!" Oscar, having the best vision in the whole group, well at least when he actually OPENED his eyes, had spotted Rolf on a tree, successfully shooting down any would-be assailants before they even got close. It seemed almost too easy. They pressed on even after the army had been alerted of their presence already, ready to close them off from all directions.

"What are you doing here?!" Rolf exclaimed, shooting an archer that was about to fire an arrow at Mist.

"Getting your sorry ass back to safety!" Mist roared in a way even the enemy soldiers were baffled.

"D-did Mist just say ASS?!" Boyd stuttered, taken aback by the rarity of the situation.

"Focus!" Shinon interrupted, returning the serious mood, as it should be. He ran up to a nearby three, effortlessly shooting the armored knights that rushed him without sparing even a look, his arrows found their necks anyway. With the grace of a feline, the Marksman hopped onto a branch by using the trunk as a foothold. He and Rolf were side by side, just on different trees. They took it upon themselves to shoot any mage they could see. They determined that the ones in blue robes and pointy hats were mages while the ones in white hooded robes were the priests. Boyd was NOT having a good time. Do remember what Ike said, spears were nigh unused, and axes were fairly uncommon. Result? A permanent disadvantage against melee fighters wasn't the best way to start. Well, to be fair that meant Oscar was at permanent advantage so it balanced out. Anyway, Oscar was the least frail of the four on the ground, so he did his best to keep most of the attention to himself while Mist and Teresa snipped the armored soldiers and Boyd took care of the martial artists and the men in musketeer hats. This seemed to work nicely as Boyd was able to easily cut down the men with no protective gear, but there was just so much a group of seven people could do. After a grueling ten minutes fighting, the enemies did something that was completely impossible to have them prepare against. A booming sound resounded through the forest and something had hit Oscar's right shoulder, incapacitating it. Oscar still held his Silver Lance with his other hand, but the damage was done, he wasn't as skilled with it and he had no idea what had just hit him. A circular hole was now stamped on his joint, one that had not only pierced his armor, but left something inside his couldn't see it, but from afar, a certain blonde stored his metal invention on his pocket and turned to the armored female on his side.


"There, I contributed to this battle. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go look for Ramza." He rambled. The blonde woman beside him, wearing a gold chestplate and shoulderguards for protection along with plated kneecaps, besides the platemail, she still wore hard leather boots and trousers, the lower end of the torso and her arms being the only part of her body not protected, as they were only covered by a blue vest that ended in a coattail.

"You'll be branded a…" She tried to reason.

"I'll be branded whatever Ramza is!" He shouted back, startling the woman. "To think… only now I realized… my brother was right all along."

"Mustadio… your brother left both you and your father." The woman replied, a more serious and nigh freezing tone returning to her voice.

"Oh Agrias. I don't expect you to understand, you haven't see what I've seen." He told her as he thought back to that one time he stumbled into his father's laboratory. "Madness, the very abyss of madness." He replied as he turned his back at her. This man was wearing unusual clothing for battle, even for his origins. Light blue jeans and a yellow leather shit combined with brown gloves and three pouches, one on his side, one on his waist and one tied to the lower end of his left leg. "Are you coming?" He asked her, almost showing no interest.

"Of course. I… cannot turn my eyes away any longer." She replied, marching to his side. "But let us go quick, we must not waste the illusion of us being battling you created." And with that, they continued their almost hopeless search on the battlefield.


Back with our favorite trio of brothers and company, Boyd was trying to block the incoming soldiers off his more fragile companions all by himself. This was surprisingly working rather nicely, using a tree to stop any attacks from the back as two archers and even Oscar's and Mist's horses protected the group. Shinon's aim stayed true in the middle of pure blackness, save for the fires on the horizon was beyond them. But as most situations that seem in-control end up being, this had to spiral downwards really quickly. Both Rolf and Shinon had turned their full attention to protecting the group while Mist tried to heal Oscar and as such, had lost their most of their field of vision. So focused were they on their task that they had forgotten the possibility of a ranged assault. In fact, partially due to her inexperience Teresa was just looking around, not knowing what to do when she spotted a mage preparing a spell, his yellow eyes fixated on her child as the fireball in its hand grew larger. She wanted to stop him, but he was too far away. And there were at least ten men between her and him. They weren't being swarmed by hundreds, but a good thirty men would make it suicide for a mage, especially one that had barely ANY battle experience such as her to try and stop him. But crying out to Shinon or Rolf wouldn't be enough, the channeling was almost completed.

"Maybe Rolf will forgive me if I do this…" She mumbled, sprinting forward before any of the crew could identify the reason of said mumbling. The enemy seemed as taken aback as our heroes, not moving an inch during the seconds she ran. "Worm!" She shouted as a black fog covered the mage. However, she didn't have time to aim it right and black magic has horrible accuracy and as such, she didn't manage to interrupt her target, only hitting his chest and not his arm. Still, the man cried :

"Fira!" as he shot a bolt of fire, but Teresa saw her effort somewhat rewarded as the bolt missed his target by a longshot due to her wounding the mage's leg, altering his position enough for him to hit the trunk of the tree and not Rolf. The tree however, was not able to take it and started falling down. "You wench!" The mage cried in frustration. She knew she was done for when the clank of two metal boots stopped right behind her. Still, she felt… satisfied. She was going to die, but before she did, she at least tried to redeem herself. Saving Rolf's life now would never compensate for the pain she had wrought out of pure selfishness, moreover when she thought that maybe, just maybe, she was doing all this so that she could feel good about herself.

"Why…" As this was occurring, still clinging to the same tree branch of the falling tree was Rolf. In his mind, he couldn't comprehend it. He had scorned her, he had tried to kill her, he did everything to make her life miserable, but still, after all of that, she was ready to give her life for a very slim chance of him surviving. But then, he remembered.


"Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong. Those who cannot forgive are the ones that keep our world stained with the blood of both innocents and guilty alike." It was after a grueling training session not long after Ike had left that Rolf had asked Shinon how he was able to let go of his hatred for the Laguz. That was his answer. It was so very un-Shinon-like that Rolf just stared at him wide eyed. Shinon chuckled and added: "Commander Greil once told me that. It's true though. It took me years to forgive Ike for taking over the company. Maybe I'm stronger now, who knows? How about you Rolf?" At the time he had no idea what that was about but this time…


"After what you've done to my arm… you will bur-"The mage was cut short mid-spell when an arrow was found planted right into the middle of his eyes. The knights looked back confused. No one could shoot someone at such precision in a forest, at night and at a considerable distance. Shinon could've, even if they didn't know about it, but he had been busy in the continued defense. He reckoned three lives were more important than one as he was the only one able to keep a cool head over all of this. Then, the tree where Rolf was in crashed. However, instead of seeing light from the flames on the trunk, they saw a golden light escaping its leaves. For the last time in their lives. Two arrows shot from the foliage and lodged themselves directly onto their necks, entering the narrow junctions of their chestplate to their helmets. Soon after Rolf walked out of the leaves, a bigger shoulder pad, a more detailed vest with coattails and an overall more mature expression being highlighted by the fire.

"Stay away from my mother."


"I still say this is going to kill the three of us." Vaan complained. The first thing they had done when all hell broke loose was rush to the castle and enter through a window. Now they were stuck on a castle oozing with enemy soldiers and absolutely no allies, as any possible guard or servant had either been expelled beforehand or were now sitting in the dungeons. Bartz had taken one corridor while they took another, leaving no explanation as to why.

"Hey, you got a better idea?!" Zidane blared back, only to cover his hands instantly. Sneaking around while shouting wasn't the brightest idea ever.

"Who goes there?!" A guard shouted from around the corner. Zidane and Vaan froze, but as the guard looked around the corner, something fell on top of him.

"Sleep." Bartz hushed as the man was forced into slumber.

"Okay then, where the heck were you?" Zidane grumbled, crossing his arms to make sure Bartz knew how bummed he was.

"Oh nothing, just released everyone in the dungeons, effectively giving us our very own squadron." There was sarcasm seeping through the words while a group of no more than twenty guards turned the corner.

"We are still extremely outnumbered." One nameless guard pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe we should wait until they arrive…" Bartz pondered.

"I might have a better idea."


"Whoa! You're a piece of work!" Al joked, landing on one hand before setting himself up straight with the impulse from it.

"Just… what in the name of Baldo are you?" Sigrud had been distressed at seeing how Al had changed by the usage of the stone, now however, he was even more when he fought him. The boy, or man as he looked now, just hit bounced off any walls in the vicinity like a pinball and used the strangest and less practical techniques in battle. But, for Sigrud who had been raised and fought in an all-military fashion, he knew of no way to counter the man's primate-like skills. No matter if he was faster than him, stronger than him and more skilled than him, fact was, Al knew how he was going to react and he didn't. What he couldn't see however, was how Al was getting tired very quickly.

"Can't let him know…" Al told himself, shaking his head without dropping his grin. "The same as you are!"

"I doubt that…" Sigrud said gloomily, hiding away his secret. "But enough talk!" He kicked his horse and rushed at his opponent, trying to either trample him or cut him when he tried to dodge. Well, he unconsciously made the same error as he did during the entirety of the fight. He applied the same concepts of a normal fighter to all. Oh, Al did dodge like expected him to, but he didn't step to the side, no, he leaped to a nearby building's wall, kicked it to jump higher, making Sigrud's attack miss completely and also leaving him wide open for a counter attack. Without letting Sigrud digest the information Al descended on top of him with an overhead slash, one who Sigrud, his speed augmented by the Tyrfing, barely managed to block. Even though his body was starting to weigh heavily on his capability to move, Al didn't permit that to be an issue, pushing Sigrud's sword away and landing on his horse's head. "What in the name off…" Sigrud was completely flabbergasted. How could a person balance himself on top of a running horse was beyond him. Not only that, but he was exchanging fierce blows with him. As much as his horse tried to shake his head, it didn't do much. Al even went as far as to slam his sword on Sigrud's catapulting himself to the BACK of his horse, stabbing at him from behind. Sigrud dodged to the left, having his cape pierced, but this worked to the half-dragon's advantage, who kicked him off his horse as he saw his body moving to a less than favorable position. His body hit the ground hard, he hit his head on a rock and lost his senses for a moment. When he regained it, was only by instinct that he dodged Al falling on top of him, rolling to a safe position and standing up. Gasping for air. To his surprise though so was Al.

"C'mon guys… I can't hold this guy here much longer…" He pleaded mentally, grimacing when he understood that Sigrud had seen through his façade of not being tired.


"I'll admit, that was impressive." Ike told Lyn as they hid behind a house. "But can you do more of that stuff? I don't think it's all that hurt." He took a peak around the corner and gasped." RUN!" And they did, the three ran as fast as they could to avoid the massive fireball meant for them, one that annihilated the house. Lyn had been able to hurt Bahamut. But that's just it. She hurt him, nothing more. The dragon was still very much alive and every other attempt that Ike or the girls had on hurting Bahamut only resulted on him flying out of range.

"Blizzaga!" Celes chanted, firing a massive chunk of ice against the dragon. It didn't even phase, only using his wing to wave it off like nothing. "We can't rely on magic it seems..."

"Lyn… I need a favor." Ike asked, Lyn immediately nodding, curious what would Ike ask in such a situation. "Distract that guy. I'll be back with our only chance at winning this." And he sped off into the distance.

"Wait! You'll need me!" Celes knew what Ike was planning, and he sure as hell wouldn't be able to accomplish it without someone who knew how to deal with the situation.


"You're all talk, aren't you?!" Kefka mocked, jumping up and down to avoid the waves of holy orbs Terra threw at him. "Run run or you'll be well done!" He joked, sending three erratic fireballs into Terra. She clawed two of them away but one other hit her straight in the chest area, burning deep into it as she let go a primal cry.

"Pay… You'll… PAY!" She had long since let go of her sanity, mindlessly calling down thunder upon the jester, who just pranced around it. She flew in to claw at him, but he dodged by purposely letting his body fall to the ground, jumping up right after, his face getting so close to Terra's their noses were touching, her burning violet eyes clashing with his glimmering green ones.

"Look at you, you're just mindlessly destroying anything to get to your goal… I'm so proud of you…" He faked tears saying: "Having an actual goal is something you can improve on though…" Dodging Terra's swipe right after. "Now, now, let your papi talk!"

"You are NOT… my father!" She roared, throwing a massive chunk of ice against the clown, following with another just as it hit. The voice didn't stop.

"That hurts right here! Yes, I'm not your biological father, but I'm so much more! I taught you so much!" Once again, he dodged, this time the exploding water from bellow, the pressure of which would make a person's bones mush.

"Shut… up! You… are a MONSTER!" She erupted from the geysers she had called and grabbed a hold of the clown's neck, lifting him and choking him at the same time. Maybe she had grabbed him only since he let her, she had that feeling, but her instinct told her to MURDER him.

"Well, good point, I'll give you that." He laughed as he said it, coughing right after when Terra squeezed his neck like a lemon. "But... still. Look at you now! Look at what you did in the past! You're just like me! Repeat after me! M-O-N-S-T-E-R!"

"Y-you made me!" Her grip became looser.

"Yeah I did… but now it's engraved on you! You can't live without this! Why do you think you lose control?! You NEED to destroy! YOU ARE ME!" He screamed, something stirring on Terra's mind as she dropped Kefka.

"No… that's not true…" She began to back away from him.

"Don't be ashamed of what you are my dear. At least you have someone who can… understand you like I do!" Kefka was almost sounding… fatherly as he approached her.

"She's nothing like you!" Celes blared from afar, an icicle grazing Kefka's face.

"You just had to come and ruin everything, didn't you?!" Kefka roared, his voice blackening as the day became the night.

"C-Celes… CELES!" Confused and scared, even if she was still morphed, she ran up to her best friend.

"Don't you DA- ugh…" He felt something on his torso. Okay, maybe that was an understatement. There was a large silver sword protruding from it.

"I've got one more where that came from!" Ike warned, preparing the Ragnell for a final swing. No, he wasn't about to give this monster a chance to weasel himself out of this, he was going to end this right now! With a mighty blow he cleaved Kefka's head right of his shoulders, seemingly ending the reign of terror he had over the girl and avenging the people that had fallen prey to his schemes. "Just stay dead…" He spat, now watching over the reunited duo.

"T-tell me it isn't true Celes… I am not like…" She cried again. She hated herself for being so weak. She loved how Celes was hugging her, holding her tightly, like she always did when she came back from being experimented on, tortured would be a better definition.

"Sush… don't listen to him. You are the sweetest person I know off…" There were not many people Celes showed this side to. She could feel Terra shivering. It was just a matter of time before she finally realized the true consequences of her actions, and what worse way was there than to have Kefka telling you while he made you believe in his twisted logic as to why. "You never hurt anyone because you wanted. You always did it to protect others. Kefka has nothing to protect, he wants nothing to protect…"

"But all those people at Baron…" She whimpered. Celes separated herself from Terra, putting her index finger over her pale violet lips.

"Don't go there…" She whispered. "You didn't do it. Kefka did it. And now he's dead. You can be free now, you have people waiting for you…"

"How?"

"Now that you're free, what reason do we have to stay in the Empire? He told me this before he left. Vaan is also here from what I saw. You have Ramza. The Returners have Locke and Reks. Let's go to them. We can do whatever we want there." She assured her. Celes wanted to drive off any idea of Terra fighting right now, even if the Returners WOULD ask her, she needed only comfort now.

"Vaan and Shin… where are they?" Terra asked, now standing on her own two legs without having Celes to lean on.

"Somewhere near, trying to end this." She didn't know either. She hoped to be right.

"There's no ending this! Don't you get it?!"Ike and the duo turned to their side, praying to not be him. Again, the disembodied head talked. "You won't win this! You can't! We are more, we are stronger! And even if you weren't, humanity will burn itself one day! Why not give them some he-" No head could talk with the Ragnell splitting it in half.

"That's enough from you." Ike scowled, cleaning the blood and gore from his sword, disgusted by the man. It was weird, he knew him for moments and yet, Ashnard felt SANE compared to this person, if you could even call it that.

"It's finally over…" Terra sighed in relief as he saw the man she hated so much draw his last breath. She looked her claws, finally noticing she was still transformed, closing them in determination. "No it's not. This is only the beginning! Commander Ike! Where do you need me?!" This surprised Ike and Celes. She wasn't as fragile as they had thought.

"You think you can help us with that?" He pointed at Bahamut.

"Bahamut… I'll help you save him." She replied, confusing Ike.

"Save?" He interrogated.

"He's like me… A slave." She answered, taking to the air. "We must hurry!" And hurry they did.


"There are… more than I had expected." The swordsman that advised Bartz on taking off the locks on the gates from the inside was the best course of action said. The courtyard was filled with numerous, and by numerous I mean it, soldiers in waiting for the gate to fall. Zidane and Vaan were taking out the ballistae , leaving only about ten men to accomplish the herculean task.

"I don't think we can make it." Bartz said, resigned.

"I wouldn't be so fast in saying that." A woman in a revealing blue dress and a brown ponytail said, somehow having weaved into the crowd of ten. They were too surprised to actually respond.

"What's some girl from Eblan doing here?" Bartz asked, if only for the attire.

"I'm not "some girl", I am Izayoi of the Water. One of Eblan's Four Winds. And before you ask, if I wanted to assassinate any of you, I'd have done it by now." She made a fair point, Bartz wasn't paying attention at his surroundings all that much.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Well, against our warnings and beliefs, our Prince has ordered a full rebellion against this operation. This means that every ninja you can spot and most importantly, the ones you cannot are now on your side. We'll create a diversion, you just worry about getting the gate opened. Are you prepared? As soon as our prince arrives, we'll be going." And then a voice was heard.


Happening at the same time as our last segment:

"That's the Daein liberation force!" Micaiah pointed, the group now reduced to less than one hundred.

"If THAT'S your force, then you're going to have to go one to seven at the very least…" Edge commentated before smirking. "Well, you would, wouldn't you?" Micaiah didn't get what he was going for, but Elincia sure did.

"You're still going through this? Aren't they your…" She was quickly interrupted.

"Nothing in the Empire is my "comrade". I've been craving for this for ten years now. Land us there Rydia… Rydia?" He noticed right away there was something off with the woman that was flying with the help of her fairies. The wyverns and Pegasus were already taking two person's each so it made sense. Rydia seemed to be just staring into the distance. Only then did Edge know she was watching Bahamut claw the burning buildings, trying to hit a nimble and minuscule target.

"Bahamut wouldn't do this…" She said. "I have to go!" She tried to, but the ninja had already grabbed her wrist, immobilizing due to Schwartz being too strong for the fairies to overpower.

"Don't go now." He almost ordered. "Think for a second. Do you think you can take him alone?"

"I just have to get him to come back to his senses!" She exclaimed, trying to pull away, but Haar pulled the reigns and Schwartz stayed his ground, pulling the summoner back. "Let go!" She cried.

"You're not a kid anymore! I can't believe I am the one saying this to you but be reasonable! He's THE strongest there is! How can you fight the strongest of espers with weaker ones You. Can't. Fight. That!" Rydia was flabbergasted. She was being told to be careful… by EDGE. "Tell you what, let's take back the castle quickly. If the people there can hold him off for long enough for us to take it, which I am sure they are trying to, we can do this safely." She hated to admit just how freaking right he was but…

"You're… right Edge. I don't know what came over me. Micaiah, we'll help you before I go deal with my own selfish problems. Dying for being reckless won't solve anything." She said, coming to terms with how stupid she was being when she was hunting Kefka without any regards for anyone, even herself.


"Look, if you are lying, I just have to warn you, I'm not in a very forgiving mood right now." Shin warned the man in front of him.

"As much as I dislike doing this, my Prince ordered me to. When he arrives we will give you your opening. Can you not see how the ballistae are no more?" Gekkou of Fire, one of the Four Winds pointed out. "Speaking of which." Just then, the wyverns, plus Fiona appeared on the distance.


"Good…" Al muttered, slapping his face with both hands and smiling. "Final round Sigrud!"

"I accept…" He nodded, reading his blade.


"He's there." An old man whispered on Izayoi's ear.

"Okay boys. You'll get your distraction soon enough." She vanished and Bartz was left with only anticipation. Suddenly, every ninja inside the army backstabbed the nearest former companion while throwing a smoke bomb into the ground. Needless to say, all hell broke loose. Allies were killing each other, cures were heard along with the troops crying "TRAITORS!" and most importantly, there was absolutely no visibility on the front yard. This gave Bartz and the less bulky of his crew a free ticket to the door. The door was held shut by three wooden logs reinforced with steel.

"Okay, now… how do we open this?" Bartz wondered, he didn't expect THIS kind of security. In his castle, there were normally leavers to open the gate.

"Let me…" The same long haired soldier told him, pulling out not one but TWO swords, swiftly slashing with them as he jumped. When he landed, the logs simply slide before splitting in two perfectly matched halves.

"You still got it, huh Kilmar?" The only bulky one in the group asked.

"I just can't separate myself from it." The man commentated as the gate slowly opened, the giant creak it liberated stopping any inside fighting on the now order less and weakened army and replacing it with… fear.

"Surprise…" Sothe said with a snark as the oppressed nation's army marched in.

"Time to pay your dues." Micaiah said in a tone as dark as the night.


"Rest…" Ramza whispered on a soldier that had just refused to change sides, forcing him to impale him through the gut and lay him to rest on a tree. Ramza had decided to be part of the team that searched for the commander, and by decided I mean Tibarn had just picked him up. They weren't going to stay together, they had to find him and kill him quickly. Or, on Ramza's plan… he had to find him and if his guess was right, make him defect. "I still do not want to believe you are behind this kind of strategy…" Immersed in his thoughts where he wondered who it could be if it was not his friend and brother, it was only when he found himself alone in a dark clearing that he decided that his route was the wrong one. He decided to turn back, but he hear a leaf branch crack. "Who's there?!" He asked, drawing upon his sword. Another branch cracked. "Is it an animal? " Ramza wondered, discarding it for it would be too much for an animal to still be so near a fighting area. "This continent has no monsters… then what could it be? A Laguz?" It cracked again. He heard footsteps. Those weren't those of a Laguz. Those were beorc. And they were right behind him! He turned with his sword held high and saw what was but a squire, trying to assault him from behind. It pained him to do it, but he cut him down like an animal. The law of the jungle. "Why… you couldn't have… NO!" He exclaimed too late. Looking down, he saw a sword protruding from his chest. "A… live bait… who…"Falling to his knees and gasping for air he saw two feet incased in yellow armor making their way to his front. Looking up he felt much worse than he did by getting stabbed. "Delita…?" He asked as he beheld a man with brown hair similar to his and an equal armor, just colored yellow and red.

"Hello, Ramza." He said in a monotone voice.

"How could you… you set that man, that BOY, to his..." Delita… his BROTHER, one that had lived with him for all his life on the mansion and the army, had just kicked him on the wound.

"He died so you, a traitor, could die. More than enough." Ramza was beyond shocked. What had been the catalyst for such a change?! "Goodbye Beoulve." He unceremoniously said, no talk, nothing. He raised his sword to kill him. Ramza saw the blade descend and his mind was too filled with questions to react. Delita was then greeted to a bone-chilling pain as he felt his entire wrist be decimated by what he thought to be hundreds of small, sharpened daggers. Far from it. Daggers wouldn't pull his hand downwards, making miss his target. Daggers wouldn't be growling right now. Daggers weren't a giant violet wolf that had just pulled his fangs out the hard way, decimating his flesh before jumping in between him and Ramza when he backed off.

"I don't owe you one anymore boy." Nailah said, returning to her human form if only to spite Delita.

"So you're one of those monsters…"

"Keep talking boy, it's nothing I haven't heard before." She spat back, not the slightest bit affected. "Still, from what I can gather, you actually used one of your men, a child no less, as canon fodder to kill your brother-figure. Am I right?" She asked.

"Why do you desire such information? In any case, that would be correct." Delita answered, still with no remorse."

"That enough for ya?!" She hollered, from the trees appearing two beorc.

"Commander Delita… how could you?" Agrias was stunned, shocked, she couldn't believe it.

"Don't give me that look, we've done far worse. You'd be naïve to think otherwise." He answered, cringing as his wound tortured him.

"Then you must realize… I cannot comply with that. You'd be naïve to think otherwise." She instantly replied, drawing her blade.

"Ramza, you alright?" His machinist friend asked.

"I'll live…" Ramza coughed.

"I'll put a hole in his chest for you." He promised, rising up and raking his invention.

Realizing he was outnumbered three to one, Delita just grimaced and spat:

"This operation was doomed right from when it was first conceived. You will never arrive in time now." He took a crystalline object crushed it, the dust of the crystal surrounding his body, it beginning to glow and slowly vanish. "When we next meet Ramza, death will be the only thing you desire." And he vanished.

"Well, we already knew that, but still… to send his men to die like this." Nailah spat to the ground. "It makes my mouth taste bad just from his blood."

"The army will fall apart without a commander now. This I am certain." The newcomer woman said.

"You're the one that was meant to command if Delita lost his life. Can you not stop this?" Mustadio asked Agrias.

"I can try to rally some. The rest though…" Agrias said, crossing her arms. "That and, how would your army trust me? Nailah only did when he laid down our weapons in front of her."

"Anything to alleviate some weight would be appreciated. Don't worry about the rest, I have some influence, you know?" Nailah reassured her. "C'mon boy, I'll give you a ride." She transformed into a wolf and signaled Mustadio to put Ramza on her back. They all rushed back to the battle as fast as possible.


It was a massacre on the castle courtyard. Numbers couldn't accomplish what strategy and skill could. Disorganized and untrusting as they were after every ninja betrayed them they had no chance as the army and even the group of guards tore them apart from both directions. Micaiah and Sothe hated to admit it, but they felt a sick pleasure in doing this for a time. It didn't take long until they had cornered the remainders of their enemies against one of the castle walls. Now, they weren't going to stoop so low as to killing them without letting them chose, as such, Micaiah ordered her troops to stop, with Edge doing the same to Eblan's and she and Sothe stepped forward.

"You have ravaged my country, imprisoned me and my husband, stole our riches and most importantly, you tortured our people. I should have you beheaded right this moment." She told them, noticing some wincing from a number of the tens of soldiers trapped there. They didn't even had a commander, that was how abandoned to their fate they were. "However… I'm going to give you a chance at redemption. Anyone who is able to cut ties with your current allegiance and some to us, I'll promise that I will not only spare your lives, as I will give you shelter until you can find a home." Her offer was true but flawed as she would soon understand. One of the soldiers laughed and laughed, not in a joyful way, but with a sorrowful timbre on his voice.

"You can't really be THIS stupid and run a freaking country!" The soldier exclaimed. "Do you really think all of us are here on their own free will? If I forfeit, what do you think they'll do to my family? My wife, my children?!" Micaiah had no answer to that. No one there had. "I'd rather die here and save them than runaway so I can save my own hide!" Only then did Elincia fully understand why so little of Ramza's platoon had joined. Only those with no wives and kids had joined. Those with nothing to lose.

"Maybe they know… they know that what the Empire is trying to accomplish is wrong. But, what they are fighting for is… right." She couldn't bring herself to hate them. Worse even, she felt horrible for killing all those people. Branding them as heartless monsters… was so much easier. "No Elincia, keep yourself together. You knew this. You already knew all of this… You're stronger than this now!" And she managed to keep her face expressionless save for a small grimace.

"Well then, would you rather die or be imprisoned?" Micaiah asked.

"With Kefka? Kill us before he sees us conversing." That was good enough answer.

"Rest…" Micaiah reached out for her Rexaura tome, intending to end the men before they had any chance of suffering.

"Wait a minute!" This time, Bartz was the one to interfere. "So you're saying that if you knew your families were safe… you'd turn the coat?" The soldiers hesitated but nodded. "I can make that happen. I'll need the identity and where they leave. If you can tell me that, I'll have some people I know go get them in hours." He offered. This was something they had to think over carefully, but they unfortunately had a small distraction. A giant crash. Before they could look, a pink object fell right in their middle, breaking some ribs of the ones in her way. Everyone steered clear of the crashed object, fearing it. Elincia was the first to walk in.

"Terra?" She gasped, being momentarily scared at how she was in "that" form. But there was something about it that told her it was alright. She didn't know what, but maybe it the way she radiated her usual blue aura that told her this was indeed the person she had befriended.

"Elincia, you need to get out of…" Another giant crash. From the same direction Terra had come, its talons sinking into the stone like it was dirt. Apparently, Terra had been flung against the wall with such force that there was a prominent lack of stones on the upper part of it. Standing right there was a Dragon. The King of Dragons. He opened his mighty jaws, energy starting to concentrate in them.

"RUN!" Elincia cried, even if it was far too late. Bahamut was going to be able to shoot.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" But as he was about to, someone climbed on top of his head and carved a silver blade on its skull, deviating the beam into an empty tower of the castle, completely disintegrating it in a display of unmatched power. The dragon roared in pain, his massive wings flapping with such power everyone on the ground was knocked away and he himself took to the air.

"Damn it!" Ike cursed, clinging to the sword as best as he could. Elincia glimpsed Lyn grabbing on to the tail, but she also saw a person fall off in the wall. Fortunately, she didn't fall from very high so she should be alright. Said person got on her feet and looked at them.

"What are you waiting for?! Anyone that can fly DO SO! We need help!" Celes roared. Well, since any wyverns except Haar and Jill's were not in Daein for the time, combine with Daein's complete lack of Pegasus Knights, that really narrowed the choices.

"Terra, wait!" Shin called, only then managing to get through the crowd of onlookers. But Terra had already taken off, trying to cover Ike and Lyn.

"Gwydion!" Elincia called, the Pegasus nodding, as if it knew what to do, taking flight.

"That's a big one… well, guess I'll have to go. Schwartz!" Haar whimpered, taking this wyvern upwards.

"Wait!" Micaiah called, quickly jumping on the back of the wyvern.

"We'll go." Tiena took Jill's Wyvern. "We can cast magic."

"I'll go look for Zihark and Ilyana!" Sothe stated.

"Rydia." Edge began, grabbing her wrist. "Don't be a blockhead like me."

"Rub it in why don't you?" She smiled, lifting herself with the help of Sylph. "He's right though…"


"Ike, can you carve it off?" Terra asked as she rose to Ike's altitude.

"Nope, it's stuck." He replied, still trying to pull Alondite out. He felt Bahamut stir. "Watch out!" He warned. Terra quickly flew to the left to avoid the flare it sent from the mouth, countering with a giant ice-block to the face. This annoyed the Dragon King, but not as much as when Ike impaled his snout with the Ragnell. It didn't go as deep just so Ike could retrieve it, but it still hurt. He quickly spun in midair, catapulting the Vanguard off his back and sending the Blade Lord on its tail upwards. Lyn managed to grab a hold on one of his wings, but Ike wasn't so lucky. He found himself free falling for a few seconds, but, before the fear even kicked in, he was on a saddle. "Our roles have been reversed lately, haven't they?" He quipped.

"This is hardly the place and time for a joke Sir Ike… but I must say saving you is a guilty pleasure if only for the irony." She giggled as Haar and Jill caught up.

"Any idea?" Jill asked, Bahamut being too busy chasing after the shinning figure of Terra.

"We can't reason with him like this. We have to weaken him back to his human form." Rydia said with sadness.

"Take us in…" Tiena asked Jill and Haar.

"We'll try not to kill him Rydia." Micaiah promised, opening her tone.

"Elincia, let's go first, we need to distract him!" Ike told the Queen, who nodded and spurred Gwydion forward.

Terra had landed on top of Bahamut's head and was shocking it in hopes of messing with his brain. Didn't work. He shook her off, not without her grabbing the Alondite, and she was caught by the back of his wing, hurling downwards. It was then that Bahamut almost lost an eye to Rangel's shockwave.

"We're over here!" Ike called, waving his blade in defiance. Bahamut roared again, shaking the very souls of the present and began chasing Gwydion through the night's sky. Ike kept harassing him with his shockwaves and keeping its attention off the wyverns. When Terra recovered she did the same while Rydia was less enthusiastic but still fired off some Firas at the dragon. After three minutes of this, and when Ike was finally going to get caught, the skies opened.

"Rexaura!"

"Aureola!"

As the two light mages commanded, a massive sphere of light and a thin sliver descended upon the dragon, who had stopped and was watching, his weakened mind confused by the light in the night's sky. The tiny sliver made contact with the beast, erupting into a sea of light just before the sphere did the same, the explosion's brightness rivaling the sun. It seemed like daybreak had come early. Bahamut blared in agony, but their efforts only made him angrier. With a deafening roar, he shot a concentrated ray of energy that left explosions on its wake and began flaying it around without any control. The wyverns were caught in the explosions, so was Gwydion, and barely managed to recover in time to make the landing non-mortal. Terra managed to teleport out of the way of the explosions and was left face to face with the colossus. Bahamut growled and flapped his wings, rising above her. He stretched them open, light coursing through them as he prepared his ultimate blast. Terra tried to get close, but the winds were too much. Rydia suddenly appeared beside her, apparently having dodged all of that.

"5"

"BAHAMUT! You have to stop this!" She yelled out to him, stretching out her arms in a display of peace. "We don't want to hurt you!" The dragon stayed the same. Terra thought about leaving her esper form, but she didn't know if she could get back to it after leaving so she only stretched her arms wide.

"4"

"Bahamut… I only talked to you once by my own free will. You were like me, a prisoner whose only purpose for them was to be a weapon and a guinea pig. I know what you've been through. But please, fight it! I know you can! I did!" One of his eyes twitched, but nothing more, the earth was shaking at the power of the charging blast.

"3"

"Where is the person who took in a girl from another species and gave her a home ignoring all the precepts?! You are! But this isn't you! BAHAMUT! PLEASE! WAKE UP!" Something stirred inside the dragon as the countdown drew ever closer to its end.

"2"

"My child… are you alright?" Bahamut in his human form, tall, black haired, detailed draconic armor, black with silver linings and violet crystals, was standing in the wreckage of what was a burned down village in the mountains. "You are the last one… are you not?" He kneeled beside her and stroked her short green hair. "You can tell me, I won't hurt you." Suddenly, the teen latched on to him, bawling her heart out.

"My mother… everyone… dead! They're all dead! I should've listened! I shouldn't have trusted that outsider… he was my best friend…" She cried and cried, Bahamut continued to kneel, hushing her until she passed out.

"You my girl, come here…" Bahamut was trapped in a cage, one that everyone knew not to touch if they wanted to enjoy their freedom. He wasn't about to ask the girl to help him, he knew it would only hurt her. The scared girl tiptoed her way to his side, accompanied by a brown haired youth. "You are certainly human… but you also feel like an Esper… Maduin, was he?" She just nodded. Bahamut laughed. "So he did it… Do not fret little girl, one day we shall escape this hell, and when we do, I shall watch out for you."

"1"

"Bahamut! PLEASE!" They both begged, suddenly, his eyes jolted open, no longer empty.

"R-Rydia… and you my girl…" He mumbled as he regained his consciousness. "I am sorry for causing you distress… all I did, I remember oh so clearly…"

"Bahamut…" Rydia whispered, crying of joy. She wouldn't have been capable of accepting his death. "Now we can…"

"GAH!" Bahamut gasped as an unfathomable pain took over his back. With no strength on his body, he plummeted downwards onto the courtyard bellow, crashing with a sickening sound, only by pure luck not crushing anyone.


"What happened?!" Ike asked, running up to the wreckage.

"Bahamut! Bahamut answer me!" Rydia called, landing nearby. When the dust cleared, standing on top of Bahamut, claymore piercing his back and surrounded by blue flames, was Lyn.

"No dragon must be allowed to live…" Lyn's voice was not her own, it was as if it had been merged with someone's. Her look wasn't evil, but obsessed. When she pulled out the Durandal from his back, Bahamut began shining, blinding everyone. When the pure white light vanished, all it was left was the human form of the Esper, Lyn towering over it. Elincia recalled her words.

"Sir Ike, we have to stop her! That sword is making her do it!" She exclaimed, prompting Ike to dash to the woman in blue. But even then, it was too late. Not him, nor Terra, who was approaching from above, could reach her now that she had raised the Durandal with both hands, preparing to cleave Bahamut's neck.

"DOOOON'T!" Rydia cried, but Lyn, if it was her, wouldn't listen. As she swung, lightning struck. And everyone was just that, lightning struck. There was no blood, no gore, anything. The blade had been stopped. How the men with the brown cowl had arrived so fast, grabbing Lyn's hand was beyond anyone there. Well, anyone from Tellius. Terra was awestruck, she never imagined to meet HIM here. The soldiers? They were terrified.

"Never let your weapon control you. You are the master, she is the servant. For now, I'll alleviate you from the burden." With a flick of his wrist, Lyn's bones snapped, the Durandal carving into the ground centimeters away from the fallen dragon king. Lyn immediately passed out when that happened.

"T-t-thunder God Orlandeu!" One of the soldiers exclaimed.

"Ramza's teacher?" Ike recalled. The man was an old man, silver hair and beard, covered in a brown cowl and very mundane clothing. The only thing that stuck out was the sword and the scabbard. The handle was blue with rubies and gold lining while the handle was pure gold with a ruby in the center. "One of the Seven?! The Sword Saint!" He had heard of him, a legend between legends. No one even came close to challenging him. A monster in the body of a human. Perfection itself in battle.

"That is correct." He answered, turning to the soldiers.

"Please sir! We'll give you our lives willingly! Just spare our families!" One of them cried. Orlandeu's expression didn't move as he answered:

"Your families were already dead from the moment you failed, Kefka ordered it." The despair the innocent soldiers were feeling only brought rage to Ike, but Orlandeu quickly subdued it. "However, that is not honorable in the slightest. I will purposely diminish the security in the cities as long as I can. You may do what you want with that." He was… giving Bartz a chance to save them? "For your safety, never return to Palamecia."

"He is dismissing them!"Ike and Elincia were shocked. Was he…

"Fight for what you believe in. But know this. If we ever meet again, you will be my enemy." And with that, he turned to Ike.

"SIR YES SIR! THANK YOU SIR!" They all saluted. No matter how you locked at it, Orlandeu was a great man, Ike was beginning to realize that.

"My orders were two. One, to put an end to this battle. I will. By giving you the victory you so deserved. Sigrud will be retreating with me and the boy he was fighting will be left to live and fight another day." Tiena's heart almost burst of joy when she heard that. When Sigrud appeared during his speech, she expected the worst. "However, the second order is far more specific… Terra Branford, I am not to leave without you!" He drew his blade, silver it was and pointed it at the landing girl.

"Not in your dreams!" Ike shouted, drawing the Ragnell and charging. With an overhead slash, he tried to cleave him, but like a ghost, he vanished. Anyone else couldn't move. Their bodies had frozen at the mere sight of Orlandeu. Their bodies were ordering them to stay out of his way or they would die.

"Son of Gawain, lay down your sword." He warned, shocking the world.

"Don't mess with me! You couldn't have known my father!" He tried a sideways slash, which appeared to be predicted by the man. Again and again he slashed, none of them even coming close to connecting. "Predict this!" He threw his sword upward, spinning like a golden whirlwind. He jumped up and shouted: "Aether!" As he spun towards the man. The man simply swung his sword from left to right, catching the Ragnell and sending it flying away, with Ike doing the same, crashing a good ten meters away, incredulous.

"The style is the exact same. But your skills need practice. Your father, what has become of him?" He asked. As implausible as it was for Ike, he accepted it and revealed to him.

"Murdered." He replied, slowly standing up with the help of Elincia.

"What of the murderer, if there was one?" Orlandeu asked, his face having formed a grimace for a split second.

"Dead, by me." Ike answered. This time, Orlandeu didn't hide his disappointment.

"Old age made Gawain weak I see…"

"Actually, he sliced his good sword hand so he could atone for killing my mother in a fit of madness caused by chaos." Orlandeu sighed at hearing that.

"Ah… that explains it all." He turned his back at Ike, who scowled:

"Why do you sound so damn disappointed?!" Orlandeu gave him one last look.

"You are merely your father's shadow… a shadow of the one person who challenged me… Ike."

"What?! How?! And how do you know my name?!" He didn't get an answer.

"Now, little girl, how do you want to solve this predicament." He asked Terra, Sigrud riding to his side.

"You stay the hell away from her!" Sigrud shook his head when he saw Shin utter those words, Vaan and Celes blocking the way to Terra with him.

"You are honorable indeed, but Terra, will you send them to their deaths?" Sigrud asked of her.

"I'll come…" Terra answered, taking a step forward.

"Terra!" They all gasped, but were flung away by her powers. "I'm sorry…" Orlandeu felt horrible doing it, but orders were orders.

"Don't do it! Terra!" Shin shouted, she looked at them with tears in her eyes.

"Fly away now…" She whispered, taking one step forward, one step closer to renouncing herself. A bird chirped.

"It cannot be…" Micaiah gasped, hopping to be wrong. And wrong she was. A small bird had touched the rounds between Terra and Orlandeu .The cry of a hawk. The cry of a raven. The roar of a dragon. The roar of a lion. The howl of a wolf. Blue flames erupted from the bird. When they died down, one goddess and five rulers stood.

"This air breather is under MY protection! Want to try your luck with your tittle, "God"?" Yune scowled childishly like the girl she was on the inside. Orlandeu smiled.

"Maybe another day." He turned his back. "Sigrud, do you not thinking engaging them is folly? Whatever she is, she commands immense power…"

"I think so too…" Sigrud replied, turning his horse. They walked to the west, meeting with a group of three people. Ike recognized Cloud. Micaiah recognized her attackers. The brown haired one gave her and Terra an honest smile.

"People of Tellius… stay strong. Do not abdicate your beliefs. We'll do the same. If you do want your freedom… Rise. Rise to take it. I'll see you in battle." Orlandeu was unreadable by anyone there. What was he going on about was a mystery to even the one to his side, the black haired woman. "Aerith, take us back." The brown haired woman nodded, waving her hand and making them vanish in a flash of green.


"What the hell just happened?" Ike muttered.

"I… wish I knew…" Elincia replied, still stumped.

"It doesn't make any sense! Why would he leave us like that?! He had us on the palm of his hand. I know he had. He could take us all on!" Sothe exclaimed in the midst of his confusion.

"Orlandeu is a man of honor." Bartz said. "If there is ANYONE in the empire that's worth anything, it's him. If he doesn't agree with something and he can bend the rules enough, he will do anything to stop it. He gave us a chance. A chance we can't waste."

"Well, it's over for now, we cleaned up the rest of the army on out way here, so let's enjoy this!" Tibarn, in his blunt self said. "This isn't the time for grieving, take it from them!" Tibarn pointed at Terra's little group, which was now immersed in a group hug.

"Well, maybe he's right…" Micaiah agreed.

"We won." Elincia continued, turning to face Ike, whose smile just made her explode in red and look the other side.

"We won the battle, and are going to win this war!" He promised himself and everyone.


When the group hug subsided, Terra was back to human form. But this time, something was different. She was now supporting a blue vest, with lighter blue sleeves over a white leotard, a blue cape hanging from her shoulders, which were adorned by small silver wings, a blue skirt covered by multi colored straps covered her waist and a golden sash extend from it. She had white boots on and her hearings were blue with the shape of a water drop, her ribbon had the same form as before but it was colored in a different shade of blue.

"Lookie here, she actually promoted during this fight." Yune chirped, even more interested in Terra now.

It was then that Shin remembered something. He reached for his pocket and from it took the golden whistle. The box could wait for now.

"Happy birthday… as delayed as it is." He timidly said, handing the girl her present. She was flabbergasted by it, entranced by the golden color. She knew what it meant.

"How did you get one?!" She asked, taking the whistle to her heart.

"I asked Orlandeu actually… he breeds chocobos as a hobby. I didn't expect him to give me… that." He pointed at the whistle.

"I… I don't know how I can thank you enough for it…" She replied, looking away to find Celes' glare. Her glare was basically saying: Yes, yes you do.

"You don't have to tha-"If he knew what he was getting when he turned his head in the same direction as hers. In a very uncharacteristic act of initiative, Terra grabbed the sides of the tactician's head and pulled him in, planting her lips on his. He didn't expect that, but he would be damned if he pulled away. And so, in between some laughter, a dose of cheers, some snickering and a very resounding: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Not her too!" from Zidane, the daybreak brought our heroes a much needed rest.


"She's developing in a… interesting manner. Perhaps retrieving her is not such a high priority anymore… And you cannot fool me, that girl of the blue flames… it has to be more than a human, more than an esper. I just saw a goddess!" From afar, watching an orb, the shadowy figure grinned, adjusting his glasses before laughing like a maniac.


Take away one of the hydra's heads, and it will just grow another two.

Even then, all heroes must rest. Castle Crimea is one place fitting for such. One may even find its life's dreams come true.

Departure. To the wild blue yonder.

Next Time: Part One's ending! Goodbye Tellius!

"Scratch the whole "family killing part"! I've got something a lot worse planned…"

"I won't take no for an answer Uncle!"

"What can I say? Yes, of course!"

"Do you want your wings?"


Cidolfus Orlandeu

Sword Saint, Level ?

Bartz Klauser

Mime, Level 17

Kilmar

Dual Swordmaster, Level 20

Kefka Palazzo

?

Terra Branford

Magitek Elite, Level 20 to Esperkin, Level 1

Delita Heiral

Holy Knight, Level 17

Agrias Oaks

Holy Knight, Level 9

Mustadio Bunansa

Machinist, Level 7

Izayoi

Kunoichi, Level 10

Gekkou

Ninja, Level 11

Tsukinowa

Ninja, Level 12

Zangetsu

Ninja, Level 13


Post-Chapter Note:Sooo… how did you like it? I worked my ass off for this chapter and I'm not afraid to admit it. So, any opinion, either bad or good, question, or just about any- Just review okay? I appreciate it and it speeds stuff up, believe me!