He's updating already? Yes I know I'm awesome…

No Way Out

It's been three years since we fought that psychopath, yet it seems like he might just get the last laugh after all… Terra thought staring at her reflection in the water, an angry, scared young woman stared back. Curse you Kefka, and curse your depraved offspring while I'm at it. Terra continued venting her frustrations silently at the ocean; it neither did nor said a thing back to her.

Leaning back on her palms she wondered why she'd come here in the first place. To get some peace and quiet… it's not helping! Ever since she said that she could still hear the esper her friends had kept her under almost constant surveillance. It wasn't until Edgar had 'accidentally' turned his back to her that she'd been able to get away. She didn't have to worry about sneaking around town; all the Domans thought that a monster had snuck into town and caused the destruction, a rumor that Locke had probably started to protect her. It was a rumor that she was grateful for, as it allowed her to rent a chocobo and ride away before anyone realized she was gone. Of course on an island where was there to go but the ocean?

Unfortunately all that the ocean did was increase her frustration by looking so peaceful. How could she be such a wreck while everything around her was just fine? Surging to her feet Terra screamed out at the sea.

"I'm tired of it! I'm tired of Kefka, I'm tired of all the pain, and I'm tired of that stupid esper!" Terra quickly cut herself off when her voice changed, it meant that she was awake and trying to get back out. But as luck would have it one thing Terra had learned was that whoever was on top could ignore the other.

"You can't ignore me forever, I'm going to come back out and when I do I'll rip you to pieces!"

Terra was grateful that no one else could hear the esper, her friends were on edge enough as it was. "Be quiet." She told it. The esper obediently subsided but Terra got the feeling that she was smiling. She's right I can't just pretend she's not there… I have to find a way to stop her, but how?

And it was that question that tripped everyone up: How do you defeat an enemy that attacks from within? No one had the answer, and it was driving her insane. "You stupid freak!"

"Feel better?"

Terra turned to see Edgar dismounting another chocobo behind her. "Not really." She muttered.

Edgar eyes twinkled at her words. "Well then you're going to love my reason for coming after you."

"Let me guess, they've noticed I'm missing and want me back?"

"Yes but that's not why I came."

Terra raised one eyebrow in question, "Then why…?"

"First, so that I could do this." He said closing the distance between them. Terra barely had time to register surprise before his lips were warmly pressing against hers. For a long blissful moment Terra let the world and all its worries dissolve away, until there was just Edgar and herself. Then surprisingly enough Edgar pulled away. "Sorry, but I came to tell you something and I need to before I forget what it is." Edgar took a moment to compose himself then: Celes says that they may found a solution to our little problem.

Terra blinked several times before kissing him with renewed vigor. "Are you sure?" She asked when she finally managed to pull herself off of him.

"Not entirely, Celes didn't give me many details, but she sounded confident. So… do you want to head back?"

Celes was not happy to see them; in fact Terra thought she looked rather cross, "Just because it's been a week doesn't mean you should just run off to who-knows-where!"

"I know, I know…" Terra said, trying to calm her. "I just needed some time alone, okay?"

Celes softened slightly, "I understand, but please try to remember how worried about you we are."

Terra nodded once before clearing her throat, "So, Edgar says you've found a solution?"

"Not me actually." Celes said with a smile. "Cyan has." At their puzzled expressions she let a loud laugh. "Well don't just stand there staring, go ask him. He's in the old throne room."

Terra made a beeline for the castle, a small part of her wondered why she felt so desprate to hear of a way out, but only a small part.

Cyan wasn't alone when Terra and Edgar entered the castle throne room. He was sitting at a small table with Cid staring intently at a series of charts and books. "You see," Cid murmured, "I'm convinced of it!" Cyan nodded; appearing pleased he motioned them over.

"We've found something quite interesting lady Terra." He said pointing at an unrolled scroll. "Does thou recognize him?"

Terra recognized immediately who was depicted on the scroll, "That's the demon Wrexsoul, the one we fought in your mind."

"Indeed it is." He said his moustache curling up in a smile. "Cid."

The former Magitek scientist cleared his throat. "There exists a group of monsters that the old empire classified as 'Nightmare demons'. These invisible beings were, are, what caused nightmares."

"Okay…" Terra said nodding.

"They would cause nightmares and feed off the person's fear, or despair." Cid continued, "Fortunately most are too weak to remain in a person's mind for long, however there exists a class of 'elite' among these creatures. Whereas most posses no more intelligence than an animal, the elite are cunning, strong, and extremely vicious; Wrexsoul and the dream stooges were elites, while the monsters you encountered in Cyan's mind were common demons."

Terra's eyes lit up, "So you're saying…"

"That," Cid said banging his fist on the table for emphasis, "is your remnant. The black esper is an elite nightmare demon. Based on everything we know, I'm sure of it. Kefka must have created her from one of your nightmares or memories and ordered her to remain dormant in your mind until the time was right, since then she's been growing abnormally fast; feeding off your emotions."

Terra nodded enthusiastically, that was it that had to be it. The remnant was just another nightmare demon. It all fit! Edgar though, didn't look so happy.

"Just one problem: The dream stooges created a magical portal into Cyan's mind." He said tapping her on the temple. "We could confront her in Terra's mind but without magic how do we get in?"

Terra felt her enthusiasm instantly deflate.

"We don't," Cyan said pointing at her. "You do. Whilst you were searching for me within the realm of nightmares, so too was I searching, searching for the dream's source. I found Wrexsoul long before you and dueled him. I was already in the nightmare with no portal."

Terra nodded seeing where this was going. "So you mean to say that you can't fight the esper, but I can?"

Cyan and Cid nodded, while beside her Edgar shook his head. "It won't work, Cyan you lost the fight with Wrexsoul, and from what we've seen this remnant is even worse. She'd tear you apart Terra!"

Terra hated to admit it but he was right, without magic all she had was regular swordsmanship, while she knew Sword tech's, Blitz, and probably the other's moves too. Cid held up an open book.

"But you have no choice." He said, reading a passage from the book. "'The longer a nightmare remains in a single host the stronger it grows.' Soon it'll be powerful enough to posses you again Terra and you only just escaped this time…"

Silence inserted itself into the room as everyone considered the professor's words. Then Edgar placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "In any event you don't have to decide what to do right now. Think it over; we'll keep looking in the meantime." Terra kissed him on the cheek mouthing a quick 'thank you' as she left the room. Behind her Cyan remarked softly, "'tis truly heartwarming to see you two together like that."

"Aw, don't be a coward Terra. I wanna play! Pretty please?"

"You're not getting out." Terra venomously muttered, gazing holes in the ceiling.

"Well then how about you come in? I promise to be gentle with you."

"Don't you ever take a break?"

"Why sure, first I'll break you, then I'll break Edgar, then I'll take a break."

"That's not funny, you lunatic."

The remnant was silent for a long minute then, "You're caught between a rock and a hard place, Terra. Fight me and die now, or wait until I take over… Either way you have no way out. What'll you do?" Terra didn't answer, she couldn't.

"You don't really think you'll win, do you?"

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