I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL FINAL FANTASY 8 CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(
Chapter Twenty
Time Compression
"Does this mean that the fight with the Sorceress is over?" Rayna asked, staring at the young woman on the medical bed.
"I doubt it," Lurena replied, switching the heating cloth on her sister's forehead.
It was three days later and Lucia still hadn't moved. The Sorceress seemed to have controlled Matron as had Lucas to that man. Seifer just disappeared after the fight and Lucia had yet to regain consciousness again. "She'll be back. She's after something and so we need to be ready when she comes back."
"Lurena's right," They turned to see Squall had joined them, his face blank as he stared at the woman on the bed. "The Sorceress and her pet will be back and we need to be ready to take them down this time; for good."
"Yeah, but how are we going to do that? That Lucas guy kicks our ass!" Rayna reminded them.
"We wounded him, didn't we?" Squall asked. "If we can wound him, then we can kill him. Him and the Sorceress."
"Squall, can you hear me?" Quistis' voice sounded over the intercom. "Head to Edea's house at once."
"The Orphanage?" Rayna asked. "But why?"
"Perhaps she wants to finally give us some answers." Lurena went to stand up but Rayna placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You stay here with your sister. I'll go with Squall and get the answers, okay?"
Lurena nodded her head before settling back into her chair.
Squall glanced at Lucia one more time before leading the way out. The others were waiting on them just outside the Garden to join them at the Orphanage.
"Headmaster Cid?!" Selphie sounded shocked at the sight of the elder man waiting on them in the Orphanage.
He gave a soft, worried smile. "…Many thanks for your hard work." He gave a heartless laugh. "Are you angry with me? Haha…I don't blame you. All I do is talk big but in times of trouble, I run away. I was in a no-win situation…your defeat would be the end of you. Your victory would mean losing my wife. I just couldn't bear to face either outcome. I don't care about myself…but…please forgive Edea…Forgive both of them." He turned from them and let them pass further into the ruined chambers of the Orphanage to see Edea and Lucas standing there together. The conversation they were having fell to silence as they turned to face them.
Edea took a step forward. "My children…please forgive me…I raised you as my own, yet still, I…" She looked so heartbroken; Squall took a step forward.
"We feel the same way."
Quistis followed. "We fought, knowing very well you were our Matron. That was the only choice we had left."
"Matron…" Selphie stared at her.
"You are SeeDs," Edea shook her head. "You cannot back out of a battle, I know. You were magnificent. However, it is not over yet. As anytime, I may…we may…" Lucas hung his head. "We have been possessed all this time. We were at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia and her head Knight. Ultimecia is a sorceress from the future. A sorceress many generations ahead of our time. Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone."
"Ellone?" Alena asked. "But why?"
"She's after her power," Lucas was the one to answer this time.
"Ultimecia is a very fearful Sorceress. Her heart is filled with anger and hate. There was no way I Was going to let Ultimecia get a hold of Ellone. The only thing I could do was…surrender my soul to Ultimecia and lose control of my mind. That was the only way I could save Ellone. And the end result…Well, you all know."
"What about you?" Lucas looked at Irvine. "How did you get dragged into all of this?"
"I'm…not too sure…" The man answered. "My memory is still fuzzy. The last thing I remember is halfway through a Journey to Galbadia a little while ago. How I became part of all of this I really don't know."
"The two that you have been fighting was in fact Ultimecia and her knight…inside our shells," Edea continued to explain. "They have yet to achieve their goal. I believe they may use our bodies again to carry out their plans."
"Which also means that Lucia could still be in danger since Lucas was fighting so hard to get her." Rayna commented.
Edea nodded. "I plan to make a stand this time, but…if that does not work…we both may have to face you in battle once again. I ask for your support, young SeeDs." She went silent for a moment before an idea seemed to pop in her mind. "Have you all heard of Sorceress Adel before?"
"Adel was the ruler of Esthar during the Sorceress Wars. There's been no news of her since." Quistis answered.
Edea nodded. "The Galbadians must have thought I was the Sorceress who received Sorceress Adel's powers. However, that is not the case. I received the powers of the previous sorceress at the age of 5."
"So…what does that mean?" Selphie asked.
"I believe Sorceress Adel is still alive. And that Ultimecia released my body in order to use the body of sorceress Adel. Sorceress Adel is the type who will not hesitate to use her powers for her own selfish desires. Should Sorceress Ultimecia from the future bequeath her anger and hatred unto Adel, their power would be unimaginable."
~I've heard enough,~ Squall frowned. ~I understand that listening to what Matron has to say is important, but Lucia…~
"Here, let me properly introduce myself," The man began, his voice tone much more light than it had been in the events before. "Lucas McCoy and I apologize for anything that I may have done while…in that state."
Squall stared at him for a moment before taking his hand. "You had no choice."
"Yes, well…tell me," He shoved his hands in his pockets. "That woman from before, the young one, how is she? Is she any better?"
"Still asleep," Keiran grunted. "No thanks to you."
"Keiran," Rinoa hissed at her brother.
Rayna turned back to the other man. "Forgive my brother. He's a prick to everyone."
"Matron," Squall turned back to the Sorceress. "Do you know what's wrong with Lucia?"
"Lucia…" Edea closed her eyes. "What happened to her?"
"Lucas and Ultimecia were after her since this whole thing began. She was taken by Lucas right before our final battle and then collapsed after it. Her body is cold and she's not moving."
"Did Lucia die?" Cid cried out.
"No, not yet," Alena answered him. Zell gave her a sharp look.
"Lurena is taking care of her right now." Rayna sighed, rubbing the side of her head.
"Forgive me, Squall," Edea bowed her head. "I don't think I can be of any help."
The young man sighed silently. "…It's all right."
"Squall," Cid began. "I understand how you feel. But you are in a position of leadership. The other students at Garden have a right to know about the outcome of the battle and what's to come. Take whatever information you can get here, back to Garden. Remember, it wasn't just Lucia. Everyone fought."
"Hey, shut up, old man." Keiran growled. "I don't think that you have the right to tell Squall what to do anymore. If the man wants to feel for Lucia then let him do it. I'll pick up any and all slack of his job while he does so." Keiran turned to Squall. "If you want to go ahead and head back you can. Rayna and I shall take care of the rest of the things here before coming after you."
Squall stared at him for a moment before nodding his head and hurrying off back to Garden.
~Now that I think about it…I've known Lucia since we were children. She would never really talk to me; I thought she had hated me. That mission to become SeeD was truly what changed it all…no, it was that dance when we went to the Training Hall…and then when she followed me to Timber; because of Keiran and Rayna or not, she was there. It was strange, seeing this small woman change into something I had never seen her as before. How much heart she had for those she cared about. How much strength she held when it came to battle. How much she tried to hide everything about Lucas from the rest of us to keep us from worrying. How hard she tried to save me from Prison…the feel of her arms around me…it made me smile. Lucia…give me another chance.~
~For whose sake is it
That the helping hand extends
The mana of a thousand lives released
Their motions and their gazes~
"So, Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone," Zell sighed, crossing his arms behind his head.
"Yes, for her power; sending one's consciousness back into the past."
"I get it," Rayna began. "Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past."
"What's she going to do there, though?" Irvine asked.
"Time Compression."
"Yeah, but what the fuck does that mean?" Keiran asked,
"It's time magic. Past, present, and future get compressed." Edea answered.
"What's going to happen to the world? Why do something like that?" Selphie asked. "I can't even imagine a world where time is compressed."
"Duh, we'd all be dead." Alena replied.
"So, we just have to save this Ellone chick, right?" Lucas asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Easy."
"Says you," Zell grunted. "Besides, who says you're helping?"
"I do," Lucas replied. "That bitch and her little lover-boy possessed me and used me. I want to pay them back and there's nothing that any of you can do to stop me from doing so."
"Wanna bet?" Keiran asked.
"Now is not the time for this," Quistis sighed at the two of them. "Come on; we need to get back to the ship and tell the others."
"That about covers the update," Squall sighed into the intercom. "Our task at hand is to find Ellone. Then we'll deal with Ultimecia. I believe that Ellone is on the White SeeD ship. We're setting out to look for it. I wonder where it could be…We'll gather information for a while. Be prepared for battle at any time. And…Sorceress Edea is back at her home. She's probably not our enemy anymore. Let's just leave her alone."
With that being over with, Squall didn't even glance at Quistis and Selphie before heading down the elevator and back towards the infirmary. Lurena was gone, probably taken by a few of the others to get something to eat. Squall took her seat and stared at Lucia's limp body for a moment before reaching forward to touch her skin. ~Still so cold…~ He grabbed the covers and tucked her in more snuggly. ~You're not going to stay this way for long, are you?~
Cradling his head in his hands, Squall gave a growled. "Isn't there anything I can do!? Just seeing you like this…it's killing me! I…want to hear your voice. I want to see your smile." ~It's like talking to a wall.~ "Can…can you call my name? Lucia, say my name!" He begged, staring at the woman on the bed. His answer was silence and he hung his head, trying to fight back the anger and the pain he felt coursing through him before he slowly slipped into the abyss.
Nothing moved again as the room fell dark as night took over. Squall sat there, head resting on the bed, sleeping. The door opened softly and the room echoed with a snort.
"I swear, these fools only get dumber and dumber as time continues," Lucas shook his head, staring at the teenager sleeping beside the bed. "I can't believe they actually fell for it and let me get on the ship with them. Then again, with Edea acting nearly the same it did make it easier for me." The large man moved up beside the bed and stared at the teens. In all truth, this was, indeed, Lucas' true body, just his first of two forms. It was easy to play his way inside. Hell, it didn't take that much to do just that. These SeeDs were fools.
"And to think; I could just kill Leonhart here and take care of all our problems…but then where would all the fun be in the future?" Moving up to the other side of the bed, Lucas placed a hand on top of Lucia's head. "Come on, Little Flower, it's time to wake up." Things didn't move for a moment before her eyes began to flicker. "Be silent now; you don't want to wake up your friend while we leave, do you?"
Lucia turned her head to the right to see Squall sleeping there beside her. "What is he doing here?"
"Worried about you, of course." Lucas told her, helping her slip up to her feet. "You should have seen him earlier; about to explode from worry over you. You should feel special."
"I feel sick," Lucia told him, stumbling to the bathroom. "Were is it that we're going? To Ultimecia?"
"To an extent," Lucas grinned as he heard her puking in the toilet. He kept an eye on Squall though, just in case. She wasn't too loud, though. "Tell me, have you ever heard of Esthar?"
Lucia fell silent for a moment. Esthar was a city that disappeared from the land after the Sorceress War 17 years ago; Lucia had to have been just born.
"I'll take it that you have. Come, Little Flower, we have to get going." He gave a smile as Lucia came back out, shoving her hands in her pockets. He gave a chuckle before picking the young woman up in his arms. "Close your eyes and hang on tight. First timers have been known to get sick on travels like this." He continued to grin at her. "And don't worry about the note you left on the mirror. Your sister will find it." Lucia glared at him and he continued to smile. "I've been watching you for a while, Little Flower. I know everything about you. Everything."
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