The rain started to fall heavily on the Cape of Good Hope as three SeeDs began fighting the remnants of the Caladbolg Militia. The ground at their feet was becoming a thick, brown mud as Cyrus made first contact, breaking the Saber of a Caladbolg soldier with a swipe of his scythe and driving Defiant Reaper's blade cleanly through the soldier's gut.

And thus, the trio of Cyrus, Kyra, and Taizen began their defense of Edea's House. Magic, steel, flesh, and blood flew as the mercenaries fought back against the revolutionaries. Despite being severely outnumbered, Cyrus and his friends continued the onslaught, striking down any who dared stand against them using their enhanced strength, magical capabilities, and tactics. The SeeD team formed a rough circle, keeping their backs facing one another to prevent any Caladbolg trooper from landing a blindside hit.

As the casualties started to mount, Cyrus and Kyra decided to use more extreme tactics. After finished off one of his latest opponents, Cyrus swung the blunt side of his scythe to Kyra, who grabbed it with both hands. Using every last ounce of strength, Cyrus swung Defiant Reaper to the right with Kyra holding on, right into a group of four Caladbolg soldiers. Kyra, using her reflexes, turned in mid-air and aimed herself like a torpedo. Once she collided with the enemy, she drove the blades of her Phoenix Tears into the throats of two enemies before rapidly gutting the other two with her Soul Crushers. As the Caladbolg soldiers tried to surround Kyra and exact revenge, Cyrus and Taizen rushed in, cutting and dismembering any unfortunate soul who tried to attack their teammate with Knight's Valor and Defiant Reaper.

Kyra joined in the fray, using both her martial arts and daggers to great effect as Caladbolg's body count continued to add up. The SeeDs suffered their fair share of lacerations, but thanks to their healing magic they were able to continue fighting at peak capacity. Finally, after thirty minutes of bloodshed, the first wave of Caladbolg's attack was slaughtered, obliterating a third of the militia's troops.

Cyrus, Kyra, and Taizen were all trying to catch their breath as the remaining members of Caladbolg surrounded the trio, cutting off any chance they would have had to escape. The three SeeDs huddled together, their backs facing their teammate's backs. Zekorev stepped out in front and faced Cyrus, shaking his head.

"SeeDs…you've killed so many of my men and stopped my army from taking back my country. I may never get the chance to step foot in Galbadia again, but at least I can exact some measure of revenge for my fallen soldiers."

"You make it sound like we're out of options," Cyrus said mockingly as his breath steadied and he dropped back into his battle stance.

Zekorev looked confused and angered. "What options do you think you have? We have you surrounded with two times as many men as you've slain. Despite your bravado, I know you're injured and tired. What can you possibly do to survive this battle?"

"You can't be that stupid," Cyrus shot back as the rain started to fall down even harder than before. Zekorev finally noticed the energy surrounding Cyrus as the scythe warrior continued, "Up until now, we've been going easy on you, hoping you'd get the idea and end this needless fight. But your pride is blinding you, preventing you from doing what's best for the men whom you command. Fortunately, I know just the thing to shatter one's pride…"

"Attack! Now!" Zekorev shouted to his soldiers as the energy surrounding Cyrus continued to pulse. "Kill them before…"

It was too late as the SeeDs were shot high into the sky, riding Leviathan's mountain. The Protector of the Seas appeared in a flash on top of the mountain as it looked into the eyes of its summoner.

"Are you sure?" the sea serpent asked.

Cyrus nodded. "End this."

Leviathan didn't say another word as his body transformed into a raging Tsunami. However, unlike a typical Tsunami, this one fell in a circular pattern around the recently risen mountain, crashing down and heading for the ring of Caladbolg troopers. Zekorev shouted for his men to fall back, but the falling waters were too fast. In seconds, the waves crashed into the Caladbolg lines, washing many of them out to sea and drowning many more. Leviathan vanished as his mountain slowly receded back into the ground, carrying Cyrus and his friends back down to the battlefield. Once they were back on ground level, the SeeDs surveyed the Cape of Good Hope, looking for any remaining Caladbolg survivors.

Initially, they found none. Leviathan's massive Tsunami had taken its toll, wiping the remnants of the Caladbolg Militia clear from the Centran peninsula. There were a few bodies remaining, but none stirred to life. Cyrus sighed at the waste of life as he heard a low groan from behind him.

Cyrus followed the groan until he found its source. It was Umar Zekorev, surprisingly still breathing. However, the scythe warrior knew that that wouldn't last long; in the wake of Leviathan's attack, Zekorev had been fatally impaled by a wayward Saber.

The proud colonel looked the mercenary in the eyes as he spit on Cyrus's combat boots. "You bastard…you took everything from me. And now you have the gall to lord over me?"

"Shut up," Cyrus shot back, his head hung low. "You think I enjoyed what I just did? I don't mind fighting…in fact, sometimes I enjoy it. But I don't like fighting a useless battle, and this was just that."

"Useless?" Zekorev retorted as he coughed up blood.

"Yeah, useless. My contract with Galbadia ended weeks ago. Caladbolg was no longer my enemy. But you continued to side with the Seraphim Society…you let them make you my enemy. I offered you the chance to walk away…instead, you raised arms against me and my team. This fight was pointless, just as pointless as all the lost lives here today."

Cyrus turned his back to the mortally-wounded colonel and started to walk away. As he started walking, he continued speaking. "I will do whatever I have to in order to protect that which I hold dear. Even if it means fighting a useless fight. I wish you would've taken me up on my offer…but I don't have any regrets. Say hello to Hyne for me, Zekorev."

The colonel was beside himself with rage as he struggled to pull the Saber out of his chest. However, the more he struggled, the more he bled out until he could bleed no longer. Seconds later, the leader of the Caladbolg Militia breathed his last as he became just another corpse on the Cape of Good Hope.

Cyrus walked back to his teammates as he simply said, "Let's head back to Edea's House…and hear what Edea has to say."

Kyra and Taizen nodded as they walked back to the tip of the peninsula and the house located there. The rain continued to fall, washing some of the mud and blood off the SeeDs as they left the battlefield and trudged through the mire.

Night had fallen as the orphans in Edea's care had been put to bed, sleeping soundly. In Edea's kitchen, the three SeeDs sat around the former sorceress's table drinking tea and warming themselves. Edea had put her kettle back on her stove as she too sat down at the table.

"Thank you," Edea said, finally breaking the silence. "I don't know what those men were planning on doing, but from your expressions I can imagine it wasn't anything charitable."

"It's nothing," Taizen replied. "It was unfortunate that we were unable to convince them to leave peacefully…"

Edea shook her head. "War follows SeeDs. It's something Cid and I have come to terms with."

Cyrus nodded. "We're heading for Battleship Island in the morning. If you don't mind…"

"You want to know about Hyne, correct?" Edea interrupted. "First, tell me: what do you know about Hyne?"

Kyra was the first to speak up. "Well, there are two stories, but they're not much different. Hyne was the creator of humanity. Her vast magical power was feared by humans, and her rule was cruel. In response, humanity rose up and fought her."

"Hyne was then cornered by humans and, as a peace offering, gave half her body to the humans, giving them the power of magic," Taizen added. "The many nations fought for control over Hyne's body until one nation gained control over it."

"That nation was the ancient Zebalga tribe," Cyrus chimed in. "They lusted for the magical power from Hyne's half, but they could not extract the energy. A wise man named Vascaroon came to the Zebalga king and told him that the half he had was worthless…just a cast-off husk of Hyne. Humanity began searching for the elusive god once again, calling her a 'magician.' That's about it."

Edea nodded. "Yes, it is the same story we tell the children. Although in most translations, Hyne is referred to as a male. But the truth is somewhat different."

The kettle on the stove started to whistle. Edea left her seat, grabbed the kettle, and poured herself and the SeeDs a fresh cup of tea. She sat back down and placed the kettle on the table as she started telling her story.

"In the beginning, the world was empty, devoid of life. The goddess Hyne who presided over this world was a vain and callous deity. In her vanity, she created humanity in her image so that she can look upon them and have them reflect her beauty. However, the humans were not Hyne herself, as they lacked any semblance of magical capabilities. But something happened that Hyne did not anticipate: the humans started to love and multiply.

"Fearing the ever-growing population of humans, Hyne descended from the heavens and began to rule the planet with an iron will. Humanity was subjugated and forced to do Hyne's bidding. They cultivated the land, built monuments to glorify Hyne, and toiled for no other reason than to continue being servants to the goddess.

"However, one human grew tired of his status as slave to the goddess. He was called Vascaroon, and he began to speak to his fellow humans and begin an uprising. His small group of followers soon became an army large enough to assassinate the goddess. The battle between Hyne and Vascaroon's army was very long, very bloody. But in the end, Vascaroon was victorious, cleaving Hyne's body in half with his weapon…the farming scythe he used during his servitude."

"Being a goddess, Hyne's other half ran away, never to be seen again. But the half that Vascaroon had severed turned to dust and fused with a handful of mortal women, giving rise to the first sorceresses. Since then, the sorceresses have been revered and feared for millennia, and have been called 'Daughters of Hyne.' The nations that arose after the battle fought over the sorceresses for their power and in response to their fear of them. To some extent, the nations of the world still fight over the power of Hyne. And the rest, as you can imagine, is history."

The three SeeDs, who had been listening intently up until this point, took a minute to digest what Edea had told them. Cyrus in particular was really thinking about Edea's story, especially considering what the former sorceress said about Vascaroon and what Ezerath had called the scythe-wielding SeeD in the past.

"Vascaroon's heir," Cyrus thought as he stood up out of his chair. "Thank you, Mrs. Kramer. This certainly puts things into a new perspective. We appreciate it."

"It is nothing," Edea replied. "Well, it is getting late, and even SeeDs need rest. I've prepared some beds for you in the lighthouse. I hope that will be adequate."

"That'll be fine. Thank you," Cyrus said as he turned to his teammates. "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, we set sail."

Kyra and Taizen nodded as they gave Edea a polite bow before leaving the kitchen. Cyrus was about to follow them when Edea stopped him by placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Just a minute," Edea pleaded. "Something seems to be distracting you. It almost seems like you are…uncomfortable around me."

Cyrus sighed as he faced the former sorceress. "You've noticed, huh? It's nothing you need to worry about. Just an old memory."

"I see," Edea replied. "It seems that I hurt you somewhat during Ultimecia's possession of me. Am I correct?"

Cyrus nodded as Edea continued, "As a SeeD, you know the truth. But the human side of you must not be able to shake the images of me and the atrocities I committed. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize."

The scythe warrior, who had a stone-like expression on his face this whole time, softened his tone as he said, "No…don't. It wasn't your fault. It's just an old childhood fear I still cling on. A friend once told me that my fear can stop me from doing what I need to do to protect those people and things I care about. I think, having met you in person, I might be able to let go of that fear. Thank you…"

Edea smiled softly as she walked past the SeeD to her own bedroom, stopping only to say, "Spoken like a true SeeD…"

Cyrus nodded as the former sorceress faded into the shadows of the orphanage. He then walked outside and headed for his own quarters in the lighthouse. The rain had stopped and the clouds had disappeared, allowing the moon and stars above to shine brightly and illuminate the night.

The weight in Cyrus's heart was alleviated a little as he opened the door to the lighthouse. However, as he closed the door and headed for his bed, he knew that it would not go away until he completed his mission.

And Cyrus swore to himself before turning in and falling asleep that, no matter what stood in his way, he would complete that mission. That one vow continued to reverberate in his mind as he drifted into slumber.

Author's Notes:

New laptop FTW! After five years of using my old one, it was time for an upgrade...and boy did I upgrade. It's eight ways to awesome!

To my reviewers who love my battle scenes, I apologize that this one was a bit short. I couldn't really flesh it out too much considering that Caladbolg at this point in the story isn't nearly as big a threat as they were in the beginning, especially without Seraphim reinforcements. Trust me, though...the battles to come are going to be cock-full of awesome. And it all starts in Chapter 38!

Thanks as always to the loyal reviewers: BestinInfluence, Hiiro Mizutani, the Duelist of Dawn, ExtremeuGamer, and trevorami. You guys are good soldiers in the fight against apathetic readers! I salute you!

And if any of you are Yu-Gi-Oh fans, feel free to check out the Duelist of Dawn's story Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Duel Academy Stories. I'm not that big a fan of the show, but Duelist is an awesome writer and knows how to tell a story, so go look him up!

And keep an eye out for my next holiday special sometime before Christmas!

Please review! If you don't, I'll send Rambo after you...yes, THAT Rambo. RAMBO!!!

See you all on the Long and Winding Road,

"The Exile" Cyrus Truth

P.S. RAMBO!!!