Chapter XII; "Tempus Fugit"
"Time flies...." said the woman softly, looking out over the flower fields as she walked home. Edea ran her hands slowly over the flowers and brushed her hair to the side as the wind blew around her. Only a bare few strands had begun to turn grey, but it didnt matter to her.
"....but it never takes away the fact that i miss you." she said, and continued to walk down the narrow dirt road between the flower meadows. She found a cluster of bright purple roses. It was summer, and they were well in bloom. She cut the flowers from their stalks with a small shearing blade and held them up to the noon sun, smiling sadly to herself. Edea turned and walked on back to her house. She passed by the front door and walked around to the back garden. She knelt on the ground and placed the flowers at the tombstone.
"I miss you..." she repeated, knowing that somewhere, he could hear her. She stood up, leaned forward and kissed the tombstone. "Sleep well, beloved." she said, as she walked away.
Cid Kramer
Husband To Edea
Father To Many
4675ad - 4720ad
Rest In Peace
At least finally, after his long illness, he was at peace now. Unlike Rinoa, Edea didnt need to see ghosts to know that they were happy in the next world. It was even thought that Edea had some magical power before even becoming a Sorceress...
She looked up as she saw the hovership appear from beyond the horizon. It looked like Esthar design, like an old presidential escort vehicle. If it was Esthar looking for orphans, they were slightly late. The ship flew past the eastern side of the house and came to a landing out front. Edea walked around the house again, never one to rush.
The ship was parked, hovering a few inches off the ground. Sure enough, it was an Estharian hovercar, with a sleek blue and black design. The hatches on the side opened, and Edea smiled as she saw her children stepping out.
"Welcome to Centra." said Quistis, the first to step out. Seifer followed, saying nothing.
"Well, at least Selphie didnt crash us this time." deadpanned Zell, leaping out and streching.
"You should just be thankful that I didnt eject you over the sea with that attitude." Selphie countered, unclipping her seatbelt and stepping out of the drivers seat.
Irvine grinned as he helped Ellone out of the back seat. "Always hoped i'd see this place again." he said.
Some of us hoped for the opposite,
thought Seifer.The last time he had come here was for Fujin's funeral. This was where she had been buried. Where he knew she wanted to be.
"Hello Matron." said Quistis.
"Quistis." smiled Edea, hugging her in welcome. Selphie too.
Seifer, Irvine and Zell stood and saluted, as Ellone ran up and hugged Edea too.
"It seems i'm popular today." said Edea, continuing to smile.
"Hello Edea." said Laguna, someone she hadnt seen in a very long time.
"Laguna." Edea laughed. "It's been a long time."
"Too long." he replied, just as happy and shaking her hand. "It's nice to see you again."
"It's good to see you again too, old friend. We're not as young as we used to be, but it's nice to keep in touch with good friends."
"We're a bit greyer than we used to be, though." Laguna laughed, pointing out the few traces of it in his own hair.
"They know each other?" Seifer whispered quietly to Quistis.
She nodded back. "Yes. Laguna came here looking for Ellone, but that was before we were all born."
**~"She ain't here, either..." said Laguna, somewhat dejected.
"If I may ask," Edea began. "What happened to this Ellone?"
"She was kidnapped by Esthar soldiers." Laguna explained. "I've been travelling, tryin' all I can to get inside Esthar but..."
"They were looking for a successor to the Esthar sorceress, Adel?" Edea hazarded a guess.
"Yeah, yeah! Exactly it!"
"Is she your daughter?" Edea asked.
"No...but she's just so cute! Oh, I wish I could hear her voice!" said Laguna.
...I want to hear Rinoa's voice...
came an unfamiliar voice in Laguna's head. It definately wasnt Ellone."Is something the matter?" asked Edea, noticing his look of confusion.
"No...just the faeries..."~**
"Matron," Quistis began. "We're here because we need your help."
Edea nodded in understanding. "My help? Yes, i understand. The fantasy still remains unfinished. We're still in the shadow of Ultimecia's Legacy, are we not?"
Selphie and Irvine exchanged glances. Nobody knew how Matron always seemed three thoughts ahead of everyone else. It was probably just too impolite to ask.
"Wow, how did you know that?" asked Zell.
Then again, some people just arent polite.
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Zell, than are dreamt of in philosophy." said Edea, by way of reply. She then turned to Quistis. "You say you need my help."
Quistis nodded. "We've just discovered that Ultimecia had a second child, and that–"
"Galen is not Ultimecia's child!" Edea interrupted her, strangely sounding personally offended that others would believe the contrary. Everyone exchanged looks. They were just as surprised Edea had heard of Galen, let alone know something about him that they didnt.
"Um, but didnt Squall say he saw Galen being born in a dream?" Zell asked anyone who heard him.
"You've been chasing around Sorceresses and Dictators for nearly six years now." Edea continued. "And you've all been too busy staring at the mission to actually try to see where it came from."
"What are you trying to tell us, Matron?" Irvine asked, earnestly.
"It's far too far complex to ever explain with words, Irvine." Edea replied. "You can only get the answers if you ask yourself the questions."
"How about, 'Like What?'." Zell asked. "There's a question."
"Did you ever stop to wonder how Ultimecia knew all about you all, before you even met her?" Edea asked them, and not receiving any reply, as she expected. "Or how about, how did Alexandra know Squall was born in Winhill? How did Ultimecia know Squall, Laguna, Elle and Raine Leonhart were all related? And how did Alexandra know to come to this point in history?"
Everyone was silent. They'd been chasing around Ultimecia's legacy for over five years, and now was the first time they were only starting to think about the hows and the whys of their mission.
"Is that how you know?" Quistis asked in reply. "Because Ultimecia was in your head, you were in hers. You saw all her knowledge, as she saw yours."
Edea nodded slowly. "That's what possesion is like. An exchange."
"So you know all Ultimecia knew?" Laguna asked, looking for confirmation.
"Good." said Seifer, speaking for the first time. "Because right now, we need some of that knowledge."
"To what end?" Edea asked the confused little boy whom Ultimecia had chosen as her Knight.
Seifer ran a hand through his hair. "We need to know how to acheive Time Compression so we can travel to the future."
Edea looked at him, then to Quistis. She looked at Irvine and Selphie, then Zell, Laguna, and finally Ellone.
"No." Edea refused, then turned and walked back to house, leaving them standing there.
***
"I cannot give out the secrets of Time Compression." Edea explained rigidly as she boiled water for the tea. "I must take it to my grave."
They all sat or stood in some place or another around the kitchen as they tried to convince her.
"But you gotta understand, Matron." pleaded Zell. "If we don't nip this Galen dude in the butt, our world has had it."
"Surely you've noticed the changes the world has been going through these last few years." Laguna explained, somewhat calmer. "The First and Second Sorceress Wars, Galbadia's economic ruin, the Esthar civil war, and the destruction of Galbadia and Trabia Gardens, have all been part of this grand scheme."
"Setting up our world to be at it's weakest point, so that an invasion by the world of the future can commence." Edea commented. "Yes, i know. But you must all also understand this. Time Compression is the most destructive magic in existance. The only ones who know how it is done is myself and Ultimecia. I am the only one in all of time and space who knows how to do it, and i must ensure that my secret is never told to anyone."
Seifer was about to protest, when Quistis placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke instead of him. "I understand that you can never tell a soul. It's your secret because nobody can read your mind. But, if you were to tell one of us, Galen or someone could read our minds and find out easily."
"Exactly." said Edea, stirring the tea.
"But we don't want to compress time." Seifer explained dryly. "We just need to travel to the future."
"What if we took her with us?" Selphie asked. Seven heads turned to face her. "I'm just saying, is all. But it's a thought. I mean, if she can't tell us how it's done, then we can take her along, and she can do it herself, and that way, we can keep our mission, and she can keep her secret and stop anybody else from knowing how to do it."
"You can stop trying to sell it, Selphie." Seifer interrupted her. "I'm sold."
"But Matron is a civilian." Quistis pointed out. "We can't take her with us to the future. We may be SeeDs, but she's not even a Sorceress anymore. What if she gets attacked?"
"Then she'll have our protection." Irvine stated.
"Yo!" said Zell, standing up and starting to shadowbox. "I'll protect Matron. I've been her escort before, I can do it!"
"I hate to kinda blow the wind out of your sails." Laguna interrupted. "But you havent even asked Edea if she'll do it."
Everyone turned to look at Edea. She sat, drinking her tea, and looking out the window at the ocean. Some day, between now and 700 years into the future, all this would cease to be. It would be replaced by an apocalyptic world, and the view would change from a beautiful ocean, to a floating island, and the towering Ultimecia Castle. She finished her tea and turned to look at them. Her husband was gone to a better world, and her children had now all grown into such strong determined soldiers. Warriors of destiny. Even Laguna was here. Stripped of his old posse, much like Seifer, but Edea could see why he was really here. His son was missing. He was probably even in Galen's clutches by now. Edea just hoped Rinoa would be strong enough to protect him, and that Squall was strong enough to still be alive for her to protect. Laguna had spent 17 years not being there for his son. It was something he was in these last few years that he was trying to change.
Edea looked at them all, seeing their very souls with her eyes.
Seifer, Seifer. Poor confused Seifer. What has driven you this far this fast? You've become the leader of men you always wanted to be. You got exactly what you wanted, only to find you didnt really want it. You're not going because you want to save Squall. You wouldnt save Rinoa if she was drowning. Is it that hate is your motivation for this mission? Ultimecia and her family ruined your life, shattered your dream, and took your posse from you. Are you going to avenge your old life, or find a new one?
Quistis. The same as Seifer, but different. Hate drove him this far, but Love had drove you with him down the exact same path. You have come this far, wanting to know why he goes with you, or why you go with him. To find out, you're prepared to go even further. Your love for him helps you keep him on his feet as he tries to walk down the path of hate. The bitter irony. Seifer is walking down the path in search of a new life. Why is so hard for him to see that the life he wants, was right by his side the whole time? Is that why you are here. To show him you love him. Or to show yourself?
Irvine Kinneas. You used to be so much like Squall, you could have been brothers. You're torn between the two halves of yourself. There's a past you can't leave behind, and a future you want. But what scares you is that you're only here because of your love for Selphie. You don't like what that says about you. You were often proud of your reputation as a ladies man. Now you're worried that reputation will cast a shadow over your true feelings and actions, and ultimately cheat you out of the one person you can ever,
will ever,..love.Selphie, Selphie....Selphie. Always the brightest ember in the burning heart of this extended family. In our darkest hour, we know that you will be the last of us to burn brightest and longest. You've got too much love for just one heart to hold. But now you've begun to look at all the love you've given to the world, and now you're scared that the world is never going to give you anything in return but war and the death of your friends. I can tell, from the way you look at Irvine, the way you're looking at him right now, in fact, that he could be the one to make you feel all that love in return. But you know that your darkest hours lie ahead. You're scared to risk losing him. What are you going to fight for in the coming battle, that is what you want to know. For the love you've given the world? Or the love of one?
Zell. You've never needed to look for a reason to fight. Your commander points you at a target and you destroy it. The fact that it could be a danger to you, or something you hold dear always comes second. You've always looked for something to fight. Have you ever wondered if you'll find something to fight
for? Perhaps, this is the mission where you will...Elle. Ellone. You're not here because of Laguna. You may love Laguna as the father you never had, and Squall as the brother you always had, and would follow either of them to the ends of the earth and beyond. But like me, you hold a secret. And now, the time is rapidly approaching for your secret to come to light, and you need Squall and Laguna to be there when it happens. Two men, who have fought so hard for you in life. Now you're going to repay them by fighting for them.
And i will follow you.
I will follow you
all."I'll go." she said, speaking finally.
"Alright!!" shouted Zell, punching the air in victory. "We're totally on our way, baby!!!"
"It's not going to be easy." Edea advised them. "In fact, this mission will be quite difficult."
Everyone looked at each other, in surprisingly good spirits. "Well, we got no problem with difficult." Irvine grinned. "Heck, we've done the impossible so many times, difficult should be a walk in the park for us."
"Yep." Quistis laughed, sharing in the good humour. "Million to one chances seem to happen nine times out of ten for us."
"Alright." said Edea, standing up. "We're not going to compress time like Ultimecia tried. For the compression to be stopped, I would have to be killed. And, not wanting to sound selfish, I'd rather our plan did not involve that."
Everyone nodded, appreciating the humour.
"Time Compression is different to Time Travel. Time Travel is where you jump from one point into another. To understand Time Compression, you have to try to think of time as a straight line. All the points in history are on that line, like markings on a ruler. You then compress the line, crushing it somewhat, so that instead of all the points existing in linear time, they all co-exist in just one of three points; Past, Present or Future. A person in Time Compression chooses in which of the three points they want to be in. In your case, you chose to be in the future, so you could fight Ultimecia."
"That's how i got to see Raine in the past...." understood Laguna. "I chose the past."
"I knew how to do it." Seifer stated. "I chose the present. That's how i got out of Lunatic Pandora after Ultimecia's brainwashing wore off."
"I take it this new method won't involve my power in exactly the same way either?" Ellone asked.
"Yes, like i said, we won't be trying it that way." continued Edea. "I told you all to think of time like a line. Now think of it like a river, flowing ever onward. We're all just fish swimming through this river, constantly at the same pace. Now, if we were able to set up the chronological equivalent of an obstruction in the river, time would flow around it, and we would be able to go straight through to any point we set."
"That must be how the TimeGate works." Quistis mused to herself.
"Okay, has anyone else gone cross-eyed?!?" Zell asked, not getting a reply.
"What we need to do, is to acheive a sort of 'mini-time compression'." Edea explained. "Instead of compressing all of time, we just need to compress the part between where we are, and where we want to go."
"Alright, I'm with you so far." comprehended Laguna. "So, how do we do it?"
"We must travel into the past. When we arrive at the appropriate point in the past, half of us will stay at that point, and the other half will be sent even further. Then, when we are ready, we will compress the time between the present, the place in time where the first party is, and the place where the second party is. i will then immediatley cease the compression, and it will pop like a bubble. Time will snap back into place. This will then open up a rift between the present, and where we want to go."
"You get any of that?" Selphie asked.
"I understood everything up to where she said; 'Alright'." panned Zell.
"Well, she seems to understand how to do it." Ellone stated.
"I do." smiled Edea.
"Question from the crowd?" Irvine asked, putting up his hand. "Um, i think i understand what you're talking about. But you said, we need to travel to the past. Do you know the spell for travelling into the past?"
"No. I don't." Edea replied. "But I know who does, and I'll ask her."
"Who?" Seifer asked.
"Alexandra."
***
Seifer knelt in front of Fujin's tombstone.
"Well..." he began. He wasnt a superstitious guy, but that old wives tale that the dead could hear our thoughts was an oddly comforting idea. It was probably made up by people who felt sad that there were things they never told someone who was gone, but wanted to. If it was true, it would be of some comfort. Seifer didnt know too many people who had been dead and come back. He'd probably have to ask Squall next time he saw him.
Hey, Squall, is it true that the dead can read our thoughts?
Yes, we can. And masterbating is a disgusting habit, Seifer.
Seifer laughed internally. He knew Fujin would have appreciated the joke if she were here. Maybe just somewhere, over out beyond those flower fields in some place he couldnt see, she was laughing. How she would feel if she could hear his thoughts on Quistis Trepe, though, was a different story.
"I took you outside." Seifer said to the silent tombstone. "You said you wanted to see the light. So i had you placed here. It's always sunny here....Danielle."
**~Seifer felt a sickening feeling growing in his chest as he turned into the mouth of left cave. He had left Fujin here, with the Ruby Dragon. He knew that she would be alright. She was a fighter. Or did he know? Maybe he just left her here to die because he did not care. He was willing to sacrifice everything for his dream, even her.
He saw her, under the light of the dying fire. She laid on her side, her face against the wall. Bleeding. She was lying in a puddle of blood.
"Fujin." Seifer gasped under his breath as he rushed to her side. She was still warm. Alive. He rolled her over. She bled onto his coat. He sucked in a breath as he looked at her face. The left side of her face was a mass of gore. Her eyepiece had fallen from its place. He could see the wrinkled skin where she had lost an eye so many years ago. That was the side of her face still left undamaged.
"Seifer," she whispered. She smiled or tried to smile. "You came back."
He picked her up easily. She was light, so light. The blood dripped in rivers onto his arms and coat. Her side was ripped open by the dragon, the flesh of her body had been shredded by the razor sharp claws.
"I want to see the light." Fujin muttered. "I can't see anything, Seifer. It's so dark."
Seifer glanced at the light that was shining full on her face.
"It's okay. I'll take you outside." He promised, on the verge of tears. "Hang on."
She nodded and pressed her undamaged cheek against his breast.
"I want to see the sun, Seifer. It .. it reminds me of you."
Seifer began to walk. He carried her out of the cave, into the research center. He realized that her body was growing cold and her labored breathing had stopped. He kept walking; walking and walking until he stepped into the sun. He realized then that she had died more than an hour ago.~**
"I.....i....should have told you..." he whispered. "...you were always beautiful, to me."
**~Quistis could not remember the last time she saw Seifer cry. It must have been back when he was very young, back when he was just another stranger and not the familiar granite statue bearing the plaque reading Seifer Almasy, the archangel of terror.
But he was crying now - weeping. Crying was for the plain shedding of tears, overused and overdone. There was something else in this, something poetic in the way he was sitting on the beach, blotting his eyes with his sleeve.
She was afraid, no she was terrified. There was something dreadfully wrong. He was always the one who was able to take care of himself. He used his tough belittling exterior to shield himself from pain. He was the exception from the rule that no man was an island. However, that was faulty. An island was touched by water but not Seifer. Around him there was complete emptiness. He was a planet revolving about himself.
"Seifer," Quistis muttered as she knelt down beside him.
"Leave me alone." He ordered with a tone that lacked force.
"I don't want to."
"No, you want to." He replied with a sudden malicious edge to his voice. "Don't pity me, Quistis. I'll kill you before I let you pity me."
"Stop it," Quistis ordered with a harder edge in her speech. "You need to accept it that you need people too, now and then. I grew up with you, I know you even better than I know my parents. I'm not going to leave you here alone."
"I left her." Seifer responded suddenly. "I left her and she died." He smeared his sleeve over his eyes once more as the tears renewed themselves at his words.
"Fujin?" Quistis asked with shock. "That blood .. ." Quistis stared at him speechlessly.
"It's her blood." He responded more calmly. "I buried her at sea. She just kinda drifted away. I think - it's better this way, better than burying her in the ground. She was . . . afraid of the dark."
"Fujin . ." Quistis whispered. She too began to sob. "My god."
Quistis pulled him into her arms. And she understood his sorrow. That posse, it was the only family he ever had. He was an orphan for life. And she cried not for Fujin, but for him. For the loneliness that he could not show and the cynicism he tried so hard to maintain. She cried for him because he could not do so himself. She began to shed tears violently.
"Instructor," he muttered finally, some time later, as he broke from her embrace. "You're a wreck."
"I know."
He nodded, and for a moment he looked agreeable. He glanced at himself. "So am I."
"We won't tell anyone." She promised.~**
"Don't hate her for how she feels, Danielle." Seifer begged. "Don't hate me too....please?"
A mild summer wind blew across the flower fields and through his hair, signalling he was never going to get an answer. It was up to his own heart to decide what to do with his feelings, not Fujin's.
"I've got to go do a mission, Danielle." Seifer continued, standing up. With that, a memory just popped into his head from out of nowhere.
**~Raijin! We're going to save the world." Seifer yelled as he entered into the dorm. Raijin glanced up from his occult magazine in surprise. His plain broad face eyed Seifer with the same submissive acceptance as did Fujin's. However, he was not so willing to follow their misbegotten leader off another bridge of hapless delusion.
"No! Not again! You've got to be kidding," Raijin responded in a whiny tone. "Fujin, talk some sense into him." She kicked Raijin instead but the gesture lacked force. It was based on habit instead of being an honest response.~**
"Yeah, just like that." Seifer smiled to whatever had put that thought in his mind. He then laughed at the other funny thought that just entered his mind. He could picture Ultimecia, Astrophel, Alexandra and Galen all sitting around the drawing room of Ultimecia Castle, idly passing the time.
"Gee, mom." Alexandra would say in a strange voice as she plays with her toys. "What do ya wanna do tonight?"
"The same thing we do every night, Lexie." Ulti would reply back in a strangely dull voice. "Try to take over the world!"
Seifer laughed, knowing Fujin would positively be in fits of laughter. It was odd, but in that moment, it felt as if two people were enjoying a joke on opposite sides of life. Seifer stopped laughing immediately when he heard the door to the house open nearby. It was Zell. Seifer couldnt see him, but he knew he was there.
"Yo, Seifer!" Zell called. "We're ready!"
"Hang on!" Seifer shouted back. "I'm watering the flowers!"
"Huh?!"
"Taking a piss!" he lied.
"Oh. Well, hurry up. Edea's ready to go through with it."
"...Whatever." Seifer borrowed a phrase, and turned back to face Fujin's tombstone. "I gotta go save the world, Danielle." he grinned. "I'll be back by 5.30."
He turned and walked away, a strange contented feeling in his heart.
Edea lay on the bed, lost in sleep.
"Right, she's asleep." Quistis whispered. "Now what?"
They were in her bedroom. The curtains had been drawn across the four-poster bed to keep the sunlight out of Edea's eyes. A simple Sleep spell wouldnt have worked against her, so Edea had to allow herself to drift away the old fashioned way. Only Quistis, Laguna and Ellone were in the room as the others waited outside.
"Now, Elle's gotta work her magic." Laguna whispered back.
"Go to work, Elle." Quistis whispered to Ellone, who nodded and placed her hands on the sleeping Edea's forehead. "Wish me luck." said Ellone, and closed her eyes.
"Good luck!" Zell shouted from where he and the others were crowded against the bedroom door, making Ellone and everybody else cringe. Selphie took off Irvine's hat and began to slap Zell with it.
"Wish it!" Ellone hissed back. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Edea stirred slightly but didnt wake up. Ellone placed her hands back on her forehead, and began to work her magic.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~Dreamworld~
* * * * *
Dreamworld, Part 1. This section written by Kate Lorraine as part of Chapter 20 of "The Orphan".
"Shari!" Deling said, gently scolding his daughter as he walked into his daughter's magnificent bedroom.
"No no no! How many times do I have to tell you sweetheart? No raccoons in bed!"
Deling walked over to his tiny blond chubby faced daughter. He sat down on the soft silk blankets of her bed and reached over to take her raccoon from underneath her covers.
"But daddy!" She said as she reluctantly handed the animal over. "He doesn't like his cage, it's cold in there. He's good. He won't poo-poo in my bed."
Deling shook his head as he placed his hands over the soft belly of the struggling raccoon. He bent over and placed the raccoon in his cage and walked back over to his tiny daughter who was pouting miserably.
He laughed, leaned over and kissed her.
"Go to bed Shari, Daddy loves you."
* *
As Deling walked back to his office he felt strange, threatened, almost as though he was being watched. It was stupid. There were guards galore outside of the presidential mansion. Who can get in? Not even the tiniest mouse can sneak past those men.
"No one is watching me," he reassured himself as he closed the door to his office. He stood at the large window which covered two walls of his office. Standing there he could see Deling City in its entirety. His Deling City. What a magnificent sight. This was the rainbow city, where magnificent lights and architecture graced the streets. A meeting of the modern and the ancient. Esthar might be the more advanced but Deling would forever be the most beautiful.
It was for this city that he schemed and plotted against Garden. For the safety of the inhabitants of this city. For the safety of his daughter. He smiled then, faintly. Tomorrow afternoon, for the price of a thousand lives, he would have all of that. He would go down in history as the most magnificent ruler of all time. The most sympathetic, the most loved, the most lionhearted. The one that destroyed the band of terrorists which cruelly snatched orphans from cradles to be made into heartless soldiers.
For the good of the future, I apologize to all those that will die on that grassy field tomorrow afternoon. I am sincerely sorry but there is no other way.
It was then when he heard clapping. A single person clapping, from behind him. Deling turned around and gasped. It was the sorceress, the Sorceress Rinoa. She stood there, dressed entirely in black, a skin tight velvet dress that flared out at her ankles. Her black hair was above her head in an intricate design of pearl and jewel. Her sleeves were large and they went down to her waist as she lifter her hands to clap.
A wicked smile was on her face, a yellow tint in here eye. She looked like a giant spider that had crept into his bed.
Deling stared at her in utter shook.
"An impressive speech, Deling" she said, "I've almost begun to feel sorry for you. Almost."
"Who are you?" he asked, choking on his words.
"The one you've been waiting for, William," she said softly, gently, like a mother cooing a child. "Well, I've come, finally. I've come to kill you."
"Ultimecia?" he asked, perplexed.
"No, Alexandra.
She smiled showing him her glittering teeth. It reminded him of the fangs of a vampire.
" It's time for you to die, Deling, just like your brother."
Deling suddenly began to hyperventilate."No, it can't be true. No, you are dead. You can't be here." Deling was studdering at complete loss for words. He felt like his knees were about to buckle underneath him. No it wasn't supposed to happen this way. It wasn't part of the plan. Why didn't Leonhart take her to Esthar?
Outside the room, a tiny hand knocked on the great oak door of Deling's office.
"Daddy? Daddy, I'm scared, there's something under my bed. Can I sleep with you?"Shari's voice came high and shrill as she begged her father to open the door.
Deling looked over at Alexandra. "Don't hurt her," he begged. Alexandra smirked, her purple lips curling up into an expression more frightening than anger.
"Shari, pretty Shari." She whispered whimsically.
"Don't!" Deling ordered her.
Alexandra stepped forward and grabbed Deling by his neck. She held him close forcing him to stare into her yellow eyes. She kissed him gently on his oily wrinkled forehead.
"You care so much Deling, it makes you all the more beautiful in my eyes." He was crying, tears flowing from his eyes, down the rough terrain of his cheek. He felt the sorceress against him her smooth skin felt like the scaly hid of a snake. She stroked his balding head with one clawed hand. Her nails were black, like the talons of a vulture. She was giant lizard that had crawled up his leg. The scorpion that was standing upon his neck.
Her fingers tightened around his neck.
"So good and yet so evil. So deliciously evil." She massages his neck with her left hand. Her yellow eyes holding his in one spellbinding trance. He couldn't look away. In her eyes he saw his life before him. He saw his brother, Julia, Shari all in one tiny black hole. She drew back suddenly. Her eyes widened. She looked very young then, very innocent. Her mouth was absolutely serious now as she said her final words to him.
"It's not too late for one last sight."
Deling understood. He turned his head toward the window where he allow the bright lights of Deling enter his eye, one final time. And watching, he died with his eyes open as Alexandra broke his neck. It happened so suddenly he did not feel the pain. All he could do was stare at his empire and know.
It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
{Dreamworld, Part 2. Written by Darren Shier.}
Alexandra turned her blazing eyes to Shari as she flung the office doors off their hinges with a mere flicker of thought. Shari stood there, cowering and holding the raccoon in her arms like a child to cradle.
"Run, child!" Alexandra was surprised to hear herself say. "Run for your life!" Shari did not need telling twice, dropping the raccoon and running out of the mansion, past the dead guards.
"Shut up, Rinoa." ordered Alexandra.
I'm not Rinoa.
said the voice, buzzing in her head."Ah, so the penny drops." Alexandra said, grinning with Rinoa's lips. "Edea. My mother's favourite. She preferred you over Adel, you know. Adel was little more than a savage. A brute. But, you, Edea. You're like a beautiful oil painting of womanhood. A Madonna nurturing her children. Artistics aside, what are you doing in my head? You're not a Sorceress."
Surely you're aware of Ellone's power?
Alexandra sighed in comprehension. "So, there's something we have in common. We are both two people out of time, come back to here. I can feel it in the air. The world will revolve around the events that will happen here."
In more ways than you can imagine.
"Quite." agreed Alexandra, somewhat perplexed but not showing it. To an onlooker, it would look like the Sorceress was having a conversation with thin air. "What do you want, Edea?" she asked.
The spell to enable travel backwards through time.
"And of course, I'm going to just give it to you." Alexandra laughed. "Quid pro quo, Edea. I bear you no enemity, but I'm not going to give you something for nothing."
What could i possibly have that you want?
"Knowledge." Alexandra giggled. "You are from a world that is the future of the events of that which happen here. There are things you can tell me, that i wish to know."
You know i can't tell you anything that will change history.
"You can tell me what i need to know." Alexandra pointed out.
And what is that?
Alexandra stood up and walked over to the window. "They're coming for me." she announced. "I can feel them, just over the horizon. They believe they're safe now. Laughing and joking. Then they're going to come and try to defeat me And Squall will be with them. But is Squall going to fight for Rinoa, or for me? I need to know, Edea. I need to know the outcome of the decision before it is made. Who does Squall love? Rinoa? Or me?"
The voice in her head went silent for a few moments. It was an insult to refer to a Sorceress as a witch, but right now, Edea was potentially one of the three evil hags who swayed Macbeth with knowledge of the future. And, like the witches, Edea was going to use the truth as a lie.
Squall....makes the right choice. The only choice.
"I knew it!" Alexandra laughed. All her beliefs and hopes had been confirmed. Fate was truly on her side. She knew then, with not a doubt in the world, Squall Leonhart would come to her, stand by her side, be her knight, and love only her. It was fate, and fate was on her side.
"Quid pro quo, Edea." she repeated, all the while smiling. "I thank you. You have proven to me that fate is my ally. Despite what Squall may say, Destiny will allow him to love me. You said so yourself, he makes the only possible choice. And i know, you would never lie, Edea. Destiny can be rewritten!"
The spell?
"Of course, my oracle." Alexandra said, walking across the office. "My biggest regret, is that for what you have given me, my father's spell is by no means an equal reward. Take it from my mind, and use this information in your destiny, as i will yours."
The buzzing in Alexandra's head ceased as Edea returned to her own time. As for Alexandra, she stood safe in the knowledge that time, and fate, were on her side.
Let them come.
*~*~*~*~*~*
~Dreamworld End~
* * * * *
Edea sat forward slowly as she awoke.
"Did it work?" asked Laguna as he and Quistis helped her rise.
"Yes." Edea replied slowly.
"Which Alexandra did you visit?" Quistis asked. "The good one we knew, or the bad one we fought?"
"Surpisingly enough, the bad one." informed Ellone.
"But she was most forthcoming...." Edea trailed off and looked at Quistis.
"What?" Quistis asked, somewhat uncomfortable, but Edea had to be sure her prophecy had not changed time.
"Quistis." Edea began. "What happened on the night Squall died?"
"I though you knew?" Laguna asked, before Edea shushed him.
"We arrived in Deling." explained Quistis, slightly confused as to why Edea was asking this. "We met Laguna in the sewers, and then we went to fight Alexandra. Squall was already there. He wasnt fighting for Alexandra, though. He was fighting to make sure Rinoa wasnt harmed."
"How did Alexandra feel during the fight?"
"Amazingly confidant." Quistis described. "I got a look at her eyes while we were fighting. It was almost like she knew she was going to beat us, like when a person watches a movie they've already seen before."
"And when Squall killed himself?"
"More surprised than i've ever seen anyone in my whole life. Why are you asking me this?"
"It doesnt matter." said Edea, walking across the room. "Just making sure i didnt change the past, that's all."
"You can't change the past." said Ellone, speaking from experience.
"Yes." said Edea. "But now, it is time to change the future."
Edea opened her bedroom door and walked out into the hallway. "I have Astrophel's spell." she announced. "With it, we will be able to travel backwards in time. We can then create a rift to the future. I can't say for sure what the rift is going to be like. It's probably best to do it somewhere away from civilisation. Any suggestions?"
"Trabia is pretty barren." Seifer offered.
"It's also too far away." Selphie pointed out.
"You can forget about trying it anywhere in Esthar." said Zell. "We lost a ship just getting out of the place, let alone getting back in."
"What's wrong with Centra?" Laguna asked.
"No way!" Selphie dismissed. "Ulti's castle is right out the back window. Galen would see the rift forming while he's sprinkling sugar on his cornflakes, inform his soldiers and blow us all to smithereens before breakfast."
"Great Plains Of Galbadia?" offered Irvine.
"Again, too far away." said Selphie.
"What about Mandy Beach in Timber?" Ellone asked, then smiled as everyone began to consider it. "Well, it's close enough for Selphie to get us there. It's also far enough away from Galen's castle. It's not close to Timber, so the town will be safe, in fact, it's just where the Horizon Bridge starts. And, since we've got the co-operation of the Galbadian government, it shouldnt be a problem."
"Can this girl sell a holiday destination or what?" Laguna laughed, throwing an arm around his foster daughter.
"So, what are we waiting for?!?" Zell shouted, running out the door towards the hovercar. "LET'S-GET-IT-ON!!!!!"
"Have you ever considered that it's doing stuff like that that makes you not have a girlfriend?" Irvine asked, uncrossing his arms and following.
"Neither do you." pointed out Seifer as he left.
"Have any of you considered that the three of you are all jackasses and that's why none of you have a girlfriend?!?" Selphie called to them, walking out the door.
"I'm not one to complain." sighed Quistis as she walked behind her. "It's just that Zell sounds like NORG when he talks like that."
Ellone just laughed and followed.
"Not going to bring your old friends Kiros and Ward on one more last great adventure?" Edea asked, filling the silence as they were the only two left in the house.
"Are you kidding?" Laguna laughed. "Ward is running a bar on some tropical beach in Balamb, and Kiros is living in Trabia trying to raise his three girls."
"Where did Kiros get time to start a family?" Edea laughed as they walked towards the door.
"Hey, family is important. You make the time." Laguna replied. "I learned that the hard way."
"Family..." Edea stated. "Next to love, is the most important thing in the world."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*