Final Fantasy VIII [3rd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Chapter Twenty-One

The Sorceress Memorial. It was a large structure that was built in the ending days of the Sorceress War. By most, it was considered to be a memorial to commemorate the end of the bitter war. However it housed a much darker secret, one that was known only to those who needed to know it.

In truth, the Sorceress Memorial was a 'sealing facility'. Designed by Dr Odine himself, its sole purpose was to seal away magic and those who used it. It was in this very building that Sorceress Adel eventually met her fate, though Squall and the others did not know that right then. Now, seventeen years on, the facility was going to be put to use again to seal away another sorceress: Rinoa.

Selphie guided the Ragnarok over the facility, giving them all a birds-eye view. Squall, in the passenger deck with Quistis and Zell, examined the building close. It was a large facility, and built like a fortress. There was one main building, with several 'branches' that extended into the plains. Towards the rear there was open space, but it was the centre that caught Squall's attention. Three long launch-ramps formed a triangle that ran to the centre of the building, turning swiftly upwards so that they went straight into the sky. Squall gazed down at the ramps, and he remembered how Sorceress Adel's Tomb had hovered in orbit around the planet. So had the tomb been launched from this facility as well?

He also saw that they had been spotted. A number of guards had gathered outside of the facility and were staring up at them. He was not surprised. The Ragnarok was an unusual ship and impossible to miss. In fact Squall was surprised that Esthar had not reclaimed the ship after they had seized Rinoa. When he asked Quistis about, she just shrugged and said they did not mention it at all. Zell took this to mean they were free to keep it for themselves. Squall thought this unlikely, but it was pointless to argue after the fact.

After completing a few circles of the base, Selphie manoeuvred the ship into an easy landing outside the entrance. She stayed behind to guard the ship while the others approached the memorial. They walked up the three flights of steps until they reached the door. Only two sentries remained outside now, and they raised their weapons as Squall's party approached. Squall gestured for the others to remain still while he approached the guards, his palms spread.

"What are you doing here?" one of the sentries demanded. He looked Squall up and down, suspicious.

Squall lowered his hands, but kept them clear from his gunblade. "The sorceress…" he said, as the others walked up behind him. "She is our friend. We did not want to let her go without saying a proper farewell."

The two sentries looked at one another. For a moment, Squall wondered if they had seen through his ruse. He had no specific plan for rescuing Rinoa. All he wanted was to avoid fighting for as long as possible. If they caused a ruckus too soon, they risked putting Rinoa in further danger. But if the two sentries did not believe him, they would have no choice but to use force. The others sensed this, too, for they casually moved their hands towards their weapons.

However it seemed their ruse had worked, for the two sentries turned back.

"You want to see your comrade off…" said the first sentry.

"I'll make an exception," said the other. "Go ahead."

The men stepped aside. Squall bowed his head in thanks. He motioned to the others, and they hurried through the door, entering the facility.

Inside the control room, three engineers were working tirelessly on the sealing mechanism. The lead engineer checked his monitor, and jotted down the data on his clipboard. As he calculated the figures, he smiled. Everything was coming along nicely. Even more so because their subject was participating willingly, meaning they had enough time to make sure everything was in order.

He looked through the window and down into the heart of the facility. There was the cryo-capsule—a large, circular machine with several pipes feeding into it. A double layer of plastic-like film was placed on either side of the centre, and in between these two halves was the sorceress. Once activated, those plastic films would fill with freezing liquid and compress tight, trapping the sorceress inside. She would be frozen, almost in time, and her magic would be a threat no longer.

It was a shame, he thought. She was so young, and beautiful, too. It was not her fault she had become a sorceress. She might never have known she was a descendent of Hyne at all, if the power had not passed to her. She could have lived a life most peaceful. But that was the curse of the sorceress' power.

He looked back down at the monitor. Everything was nearly complete. The cryo-capsule was the most secure method of sealing. Once frozen, nothing could pass through it to reach the sorceress. He compared the figures on his screen once more. In just a few moments they would be ready to get things underway, and then Esthar would be safe again. He looked over at his two comrades, and gave them a nod. They nodded back. They were ready anytime.

He was just about to signal that they get things started when the door opened and Squall's group ran into the room. The engineer turned in surprise, and he glowered when he saw them.

"What are you doing here!" he demanded. "This is a restricted area!"

Squall walked up to him. "…To do something I should have done earlier," he said. "I'll never know unless I do it."

"What are you talking about?" snapped the engineer.

He started to move in front of Squall, but the swordsman just pushed him out of the way. He walked to the front of the control room. He saw Rinoa inside the cryo-capsule. He could not see her face clearly, but he knew she was terrified. She turned her head around until at last she raised it. Her eyes fell on him, and he saw her mouth open in surprise. He pictured her floating in space, a silent entity forgotten by the rest of the world. Squall clenched his fists. He would be damned if he let that happen to her!

"…I know what I want and what I have to do…" he said, turning back to the engineer. "There's still a chance. I'm not gonna look back." He narrowed his eyes. "I'm taking Rinoa with me."

"What!" the engineer scoffed. "You must be joking. It's too late."

He laughed. The other engineers laughed as well. But Squall's team were not in the mood for jokes. At Squall's signal, his friends drew their weapons and stood ready for battle. At the sight of the weapons the engineers stopped laughing and stepped back in alarm. The other two backed into a corner, arms raised. The first engineer, however, backed away to the door, where he then turned and fled.

"Squall, come on!" Irvine shouted, clicking his gun barrel shut. "Go!"

Squall did not need to be told twice. Leaving the engineers in the capable hands of his friends, he hurried over to the other door and ran out of the room. The other engineer was nowhere to be seen in the corridor—he had fled for his life. However, before doing so, he had triggered the security alarm, which began to ring loud and clear as Squall ran down the corridor. Squall ignored the alarm and hurried to the lift at the end, which took him down to the sealing room.

On seeing Squall enter, Rinoa raised her hands and beat them upon the seal. The plastic film bent but did not break. Instead she shouted out to Squall, but he could not hear her. Squall saw fear in her eyes, but there was also hope.

Squall ran to the foot of the seal. "Rinoa, hold on!" he called, even though she could not hear him. "I'll get you out in a sec!"

He looked around at the cryo-capsule. There were so many controls here—which one would unlock the seal? His eyes drifted over the pipes that crossed over the front of the seal. There was something drifting through them, some gas or liquid. There was nothing he could see that he could use to break the capsule open and release Rinoa. Finally, losing patience, he hit the machine.

"What am I supposed to do!" he cried out in frustration. What did they want him to do, cut his way through?

On second thought, he thought, that might not be a bad idea. Squall stepped back away from the machine and gave it a quick second look. The pipes that cross the machine—they seemed to be channelling the fuel that powered the seal. If he wanted to stop that machine from sealing her, then all he needed to do was break them.

He drew the Lion Heart from its sheath. He focused his attention on what he thought would be the weakest point. He then raised his gunblade high and brought it down on the pipes with all of his strength.

The Lion Heart's well-designed blade did not disappoint him. It sliced right through the pipes, cleaving them in two. At once the contents were released, spewing clouds of freezing gas into the room. The cloud numbed Squall's skin as it passed over him, but he had other things on his mind.

He looked up at the seal. At the moment when the pipes burst the tomb had been engulfed in the smoke, and Rinoa vanished from his view. His heart went as cold as the smoke that flowed around him. What if he had done the exact opposite, and caused the sealing process to begin?

Then something moved from within the smoke. It cleared a little, and he saw Rinoa. She had broken free and was now heading towards him. Squall dropped his gunblade and turned, his arms outstretched as he reached for her. He caught her and then pulled her towards him. He put his arms around her, holding her close. Laying one hand upon her hair, he stroked it lovingly.

Rinoa, in turn, closed her arms around him. She buried her face in his jacket; the fur on his collar tickled her face. She could feel his heartbeat. She could feel his warmth. She felt the softness of his touch as he caressed her hair and then laid his cheek against her head. In that moment, standing there in his arms, Rinoa felt more alive than she ever had done. She felt alive… and loved. And she loved him. More than anything else, she loved him. She never wanted that moment to end. She wanted to stand in his embrace forever. But tears welled up in her eyes, for she knew it could not be. After all, she was a sorceress.

So it was with great effort that Rinoa pulled herself away from him. "Squall, don't!" she warned him. "I'm a sorceress."

But Squall just shook his head. "I don't care," he told her.

Before she could say anything more, he grabbed her and pulled her close again. This time Rinoa did not pull away. Instead she clutched him tighter, surrendering her heart to that simple feeling of being alive.

It was Zell's urgent voice that eventually broke their embrace. "Squall! Rinoa!"

Squall looked up. Zell was standing in the doorway, signalling for them to hurry. Up in the control room, Quistis and Irvine were also waving. The swordsman looked down at Rinoa.

"Let's go," he said.

She looked back at him. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and then nodded. Squall started to turn, but before he did Rinoa threw her arms around him once more, holding him one last time. Squall returned it, and then they parted. Squall picked up his gunblade and sheathed it, before following Zell out of the corridor. They re-joined Quistis and Irvine, and with Zell they formed a barrier around Rinoa as they led her out of the control room. Seeing how all her friends had come to get her, Rinoa felt her eyes fill up once more. She raked her sleeve across her eyes, stopping them before they could fall.

They made their way back to the entrance. The two sentries had gone, but in their place was a patrol of Esthar soldiers blocking their path. Squall looked down at the Ragnarok. There were a dozen more soldiers gathered around the ship. He also saw Selphie lying facedown on the ground, with a gun pointed at her head. Squall cursed. So they were going to have to fight. He reached for his sword, and the soldiers quickly raised their guns.

Then something strange happened. A figure, who had until then been standing silent halfway down the stairs, came up to them. He was a large man, dressed in the traditional robes of Esthar. On seeing him, the soldiers changed their attitude at once. They lowered their weapons and turned, raising arms in salute. The man gave them a grim, silent look. The soldiers hesitated and then stepped aside.

The man walked past the soldiers and up to the companions. He gazed around at them all. He looked at Rinoa, who paled and averted her gaze. Irvine stepped in front of her, his hand on his gun. But the man then seemed to lose interest in her and looked at Squall instead. His eyes gazed at the swordsman intently, as though taking him in. Squall stared back at him, a rather peculiar feeling brewing in his chest.

The man broke his gaze. He then stepped aside and gestured for them to pass. Squall blinked in amazement. Was he letting them go? He looked back at the man, whose grim-faced expression had not changed.

That man… he thought.

He slipped his gunblade back into its sheath. The others also withdrew their weapons. Irvine took Rinoa's hand and quickly led her down the steps. Quistis and Zell took up flanks alongside them, keeping their eyes on the soldiers.

Squall started to follow them. He only made it a few steps when he stopped and looked back at the man. The large man was still watching him, his blue eyes fixed upon him. Squall stared back. That feeling in his chest was growing stronger.

I've seen him before, he realised. He was also sure he knew just where it was he had seen this man before, but at that moment in time his mind was unwilling to make the connection. Instead he gave the man a nod of thanks, which the man returned with an incline of his head.

Squall turned and ran to catch up with the others. The soldiers guarding the Ragnarok had moved away, and Selphie was on the ramp calling for him to hurry up. Once the swordsman was on board, Selphie punched the button and the ramp began to close. Before it did, she took one last look at the soldiers. She stuck out her tongue, and then the ramp closed.

"What's wrong, Rinoa?" Quistis asked. She replaced Selphie in the driver's seat.

Rinoa put her hands over her face. "I'm just a little… embarrassed," she said.

"Why?" asked Zell, with a grin.

The Ragnarok's engines hummed as they powered the ship through the sky. The Sorceress Memorial was now only a tiny speck in the distance. For a while they wondered if Esthar would come after them in pursuit, but it seemed their fears were unnecessary. Even so, they wanted to put as much distance between them and Esthar as they could, and so they kept on moving.

Rinoa folded her hands behind her. "I was so set on staying in Esthar," she explained. "But then, when you guys rescued me… It made me so happy, and…"

"No need to be embarrassed!" Irvine assured her, clapping her on the shoulder.

"Yeah, happy is good," remarked Selphie.

Rinoa looked around at her friends. Feelings of gratitude and belonging filled her heart. Not all that long ago, she had been worried that she did not fit in with their group. After all she was not a SeeD, and had not received any military training.

Even from the beginning, Rinoa knew that she was outclassed. Their skills and knowledge were far greater. So she worked twice has hard and acted like she understood everything, so that she might fit in with them and be accepted. At first she thought it impossible, especially after her grievous mistakes in Timber and Deling City. But even so, they never turned her away. They always included her, and treated her as one of their own. She was welcomed into Balamb Garden, and even Headmaster Cid seemed to consider her as one of them.

Now, though, things were different. Rinoa felt as though she truly belonged now. It was as though she had caught up at last, even if she was a sorceress.

"Thanks… everybody."

Everyone smiled. The feelings were mutual. Zell turned in his chair and looked at Squall, who had said nothing since their return from the Sorceress Memorial.

"Squall, you're awfully quiet," he observed. "What's up?"

Squall shrugged. I have a lot on my mind… he thought.

"As an expert Squall observer…" began Quistis, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "He's thinking: what do we do now? Blah blah blah…" She glanced back at him. "If you think and worry too much, everything tends to turn bad. Squall. Why don't we just picture a brighter future?"

Squall tensed, as once again Quistis had managed to see right through his thoughts. "…Whatever," he replied, and he turned away from her.

"But seriously," Zell continued. "What do we do from here? I'm not really sure, but… Don't we have to do something about that 'Lunatic Pandora' in Esthar? After all, the Galbadians are controlling it. Which means Seifer is behind all this too, right?"

Squall turned back. "Seifer is… Ultimecia's puppet."

"Yeah, and that Ultimecia!" cried the fighter, smacking his fist into his palm. "We can't let that sorceress from the future mess up our world! Let's go kick her ass! We're SeeDs! We're here to destroy sorceresses, right!"

"ZELL!" Squall shouted, with a quick glance at Rinoa.

Zell clamped his hand over his mouth. "…S-Sorry…" he mumbled, giving Rinoa an apologetic glance. Rinoa lowered her eyes to the ground.

A long silence fell on the group. It was only broken when Angelo, who had grown tired of everyone being so quiet, gave a low bark.

Irvine used the moment to turn back to their original conversation. "So Squall… where we goin'?" he asked.

Before the swordsman could answer, Rinoa stepped forward. "Umm… Can we go to the orphanage you guys were talking about in Trabia?"

Everyone was surprised at this request. "That place is in shambles," said Quistis.

"There's nothing to see there," Selphie added.

Rinoa crossed the room. She sat down in one of the empty seats. Folding her hands in her lap, she looked down at the ground.

"I want to stay away from places where there are lots of people…" she explained, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm a sorceress. If Ultimecia possesses me again…"

She did not need to finish. Everyone knew what would happen. They had seen the results of Ultimecia's possession already. If the future sorceress possessed her again, she could be made to do much worse than freeing Adel. Worst case scenario: they would have to end up fighting Rinoa as they had done with Edea. They had managed to free Edea only through luck, and Squall was not even sure it was that. He suspected that Ultimecia released Edea because she had served her purpose, or because she had found another potential candidate for her possession: Sorceress Adel. With Adel now free, Ultimecia had two sorceresses to choose from. Whether she chose Sorceress Adel or Rinoa, the consequences would be disastrous.

Squall walked over to Rinoa. He placed his hand on her shoulder. She raised her head and met his gaze.

"Let's go," he told her, and then looked at Quistis. "Head to Edea's House."

He looked down at Rinoa again. She smiled back at him, and she placed her hand over his. Her lips mouthed the words 'thank you'.

The Ragnarok turned south, and they headed towards Centra.

[End of Part Nine]

[Coming Next: Part Ten: Time Compression]