Chapter 10: Mysidia

After about ten minutes of walking through a dense forest, a small town could be seen off in the distance. It looked dreadfully familiar, and once Cecil noticed the entrance sign, a small piece of wood nailed to a stake, he could not believe his eyes.

~Mysidia~

"Oh my god," Cecil whispered out loud as all the horrible memories that he tried to banish came rushing back to him. It was only last week when I stole their crystal! How could they forgive me? What do I say?! "Excuse me, I need to access the Devil's Road?" There's no way they would help me, not after what I've done. But I have to save Rosa! If I tell the Elder about my situation, maybe I could convince him to open up their end of the Devil's Road so that I can access Baron! Rosa's life depends on it!

Taking a deep breath, the Dark Knight steeled himself and walked through the entrance gates. He was greeted almost immediately by hateful stares from the villagers. Taking a look around, he saw that the town was not much different than before the siege, except for a thin coating of black soot on most of the little concrete shops and houses. The gravel road that was used to access those shops and houses led to the Tower of Prayers, a huge building with a spire that towered hundreds of feet into the air. The Elder lived there and so did the Water Crystal...before Cecil stole it with his own hands under King Baron's orders.

Cecil decided to head towards the Inn so that he could gather some information before talking to the Elder.

The Inn was nearly empty except for the Innkeeper and a lone citizen sweeping up the floor. Cecil noticed a large poster near the Innkeeper's desk.

Baron stole our Crystal.

Baron stole our friends.

Never forgive, and never forget.

Cecil immediately gagged and turned away, feeling as if he was about to throw up. He decided to walk up the staircase that led to the second floor, where he found several people sitting and drinking at a bar. They immediately turned and glared at him.

"You have no business here," the bartender growled and pointed to the stairs. "Get out!"

"I must ask a question!" Cecil pleaded. "I need to know how to gain access to the Devil's Road! A friend of mine is in serious danger!"

"Friend, schmiend," a customer said. "The Devil's road was closed to keep Baronian scum, like you, out of here! Only the Elder can open it again, but he'll never do so as long as you're all dead. Now, begone!"

Cecil ran down the stairs and out the door, hastily making his way toward the Tower of Prayers. To his surprise, the double doors immediately opened for him as soon as he reached the top of the stairs. They closed silently behind him.

A majestic staircase soared upwards before him, and Cecil knew that it led straight to the Crystal Room, the room where this madness all began. A figure was walking down the stairs to meet him. The Elder.

He looked very old, way older than when Cecil last saw him. He was completely bald except for the brown hair growing out of his cheeks, and his long brown beard hung over his red and gray robes.

"You're the dark knight who came before," the Elder said with a tone that carried hatred and anger. "Why have you returned to this hallowed hall?"

"My name is Cecil Harvey," Cecil calmly replied. "Until recently, I served as Lord Captain of Baron's airship fleet. When I came before, I did so at the orders of my King, which I lacked the courage to disobey."

"You came to apologize, then?" The Elder asked. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Words do not heal wounds, dark knight, nor do they restore life's flame for those whose candles you have doused."

Cecil hung his head in remorse.

"Look at me," the Elder whispered, his tone suddenly calm. He placed a hand under Cecil's chin so that Cecil could look directly into his eyes. "I do see a glimmer of light in you that did not show itself before. I will hear your words. Go on."

"A man named Golbez has taken control of Baron, and I want to stop him," Cecil explained. "I was on my way to rescue a friend he holds captive when Leviathan struck our ship. The fate of my companions is unknown."

"Cecil, that was no doubt a part of the test that has been ordained for you," the Elder said. "As long as you lean upon that dark sword for strength, you have absolutely no hope of defeating the evil foe you face. You hunt a monster, but in doing so you become one. Slowly but surely, the darkness will taint your soul as well, until one day nothing else remains. If you truly wish to cleanse yourself of darkness and face this man of whom you speak, you must go to Mt. Ordeals in the east. Destiny awaits you there."

"But my friend...she is in danger!" Cecil protested. "My time is limited!"

"This friend means much to you, doesn't she?" The Elder asked. "But you must not let fear drive you to haste. The fate that hangs about your shoulders is one far greater than you know. First, you must ascend the mountain, then you would trade your dark sword for one of light. Should the hallowed light deem you worthy, you will become a Paladin, a warrior of virtue. But, you must know that it will be no easy trial. Many are the men who scaled Mt. Ordeals, and no one came back alive. Will you try where all others have failed?"

"I will," Cecil said with determination.

"Good," the Elder nodded. "But you will have little chance with that dark sword alone. I shall provide two mages to accompany you. Palom! Porom!"

Tiny footsteps were heard, and a girl who was even younger than Rydia rushed towards the Elder. Her light-brown hair was pulled up into a relatively short ponytail. She wore a striped orange and white shirt, with an emerald-green vest slung over it. She quickly bowed down in front of the Elder.

"Did you need something?" Her voice was as squeaky as a baby mouse.

"Where is Palom?" The Elder asked.

"Oh, that brother of mine," she moaned. She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle.

Suddenly, another small figure appeared in a puff of smoke. He looked almost identical to the girl, except his hair was slightly darker and his ponytail shorter. He wore a striped green and white shirt, and a long red cape trailed behind him.

He smirked at Cecil. "So you're that filthy dark knight from Baron! I'm only helping you because he told me to. You'd better be thankful!" He blew a raspberry at Cecil and laughed.

Cecil did not know how to respond, especially since the boy was acting so immaturely towards him.

"So...these are the two mages...?" Cecil asked hesitantly.

"Yes," the Elder nodded. "They're twins. Palom," he gestured to the rather obnoxious boy, "and Porom." The girl turned to Cecil and bowed her head. "They are young and still in their apprenticeship, but I can definitely vouch for their abilit-"

"What he means is that I am the most esteemed magical prodigy in all of Mysidia!" Palom interrupted. "And you're incredibly lucky to have me along!"

"PALOM!" The Elder roared. "This is for your training as much as it is for him!"

Porom looked at Cecil. "Your name is Cecil, right?" She asked sweetly. "Pleased to meet you." She glared at her brother. "PALOM!"

"Right..." Palom yawned. "Nice to meet you. Can we go now?"

"Yes," the Elder nodded. "The trials of the mountain await. Palom, Porom...I trust that you will not fail in this task." He watched Palom and Porom as they led Cecil back outside and down the stairs.

Once the town of Mysidia was behind them, Palom and Porom guided Cecil through the forest towards Mt. Ordeals. Palom took immense pride in showing off his black magic skills against the various monsters they encountered, and Porom demonstrated her white magic spells, such as Cura, on the smaller enemies to keep them alive so that they could build up strength and stamina.

After an hour of hiking through the forest, they reached a dreary, gray peak that stuck out like a sore thumb among the lush grass they were standing on.

"That's Mt. Ordeals," Porom said as she pointed to their destination. "Let's go!"

"Yeah," Palom nodded. "It's full of undead spirits, probably from those who failed to climb before. Something about seeking spiritual redemption or whatever."

Once the trio reached the base of the mountain, they were shocked to encounter a raging fire that was blocking their path.

"Now what do we do?" Cecil asked.

"Well, that's a stupid question!" Palom snapped. "Leave it to me!" Porom rolled her eyes in response. "BLIZZARA!"

Palom had cast the spell far faster than anyone else Cecil had ever seen. In less than a second, a sheet of ice and snow instantly doused the fire before disappearing into a hissing vortex of white steam.

"And that, my friends, is how it's done!" Palom boasted while jumping up and down. Porom sighed and gave her brother a hard slap on the head.

"Palom!" She barked. "How many times has our Elder said you mustn't be so arrogant? Let's continue onward!" Cecil led the way, and Porom grabbed Palom by the arm and dragged him along.

...

Meanwhile, in an unknown location, Rosa was being held captive in a large room on the top floor of a tower. The cold steel wall that she was chained to glowed with a pulsating blue light, as did the other walls. An ominous guillotine-like blade hung right above her, swinging ever so slightly. Golbez and Kain were keeping a close eye on Rosa as she tried to struggle against the heavy chains, all to no avail.

"Rosa," Golbez told her, "I have good news for you. Cecil is alive and well, and he is climbing Mt. Ordeals to become a Paladin. Well, we're not going to let that happen."

"So I guess his buddies never made it that far," Kain smirked. "Seems like he's got some pathetic little kids to keep him company."

"Kain," Golbez said, "I know you want to be the one to fight Cecil, but your place is here, guarding Rosa."

"Yes, Master," Kain obliged.

"Therefore, instead of you, I will be sending one of my four elemental archfiends to take care of him," Golbez continued. "This should provide some ample entertainment for us. Scarmiglione!"

At once, a hooded figure appeared and hobbled towards Golbez. All that could be seen beneath his filthy yellow robes were two glowing red eyes and long, mummified black claws that clicked on the floor with each step he took. Rosa screamed and struggled, but Kain and Golbez ignored her, their attention on the archfiend.

"Yesss Massster?" Scarmiglione hissed.

"This Cecil," Golbez said, "I fear that we can ignore him no longer. Let us clip his wings, before he flies beyond our reach. He is a dark knight. His blade will be all but useless against your legion of the undead, at least for now. He is ascending Mt. Ordeals even as we speak."

"He meansss to become a Paladin?" Scarmiglione asked.

"Yes," Golbez nodded. "And I mean to see that he does not. The manner of his passing I shall leave to you."

"Worry not," he reassured his master. "It shall be as you wish."

"Now, go have fun," Golbez said just before Scarmiglione disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. He then turned to Kain and Rosa. "Things have grown quite interesting, haven't they?"

"Yes, my lord," Kain replied. "But you had best not underestimate Cecil's strength."

"I understand your respect for him," Golbez calmly said. "He was once your best friend. And that is precisely why I sent Scarmliglione instead of you."

"But I should be the one to slay him!" Kain protested.

"As you so skillfully did before? No, as I said before, you're guarding Rosa." Golbez replied.

"Yes, my lord," Kain answered. He turned to Rosa, and held the tip of his lance less than an inch from her neck.

"Enjoy this moment, dear, because your friend will be dead soon," Kain whispered.

Rosa looked away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Cecil," she sniffled. "Please hurry."

Author's note: Before I post any new chapters, I will take the time to flesh out the first three battles (Mist Dragon, Octomammoth, and Antlion), since they were way too short to be effective. I knew even when I posted my story that they needed to be revamped, and I'll admit I've been procrastinating a bit, but it needs to be done. Hang in there, everyone! :)