"What is this?" The Emperor uncrossed his leg and squinted down at Cecil like he was too far away and out of focus.
"I . . . my apologies, Emperor. I could not retrieve Kain as you so kindly requested-"
"OBVIOUSLY!" he cried. "And instead you bring me this ridiculous, sub-par, patched-together replacement?! How DARE you come before me with this LUDICROUS FAILURE?!" He ran a panicked hand through the top of his head, knocking the decorative cobra askew on his head. That was it. Golbez ruined the plan. "The IMBECILE!" the Emperor fumed to himself. "I'll KILL him for this! I'll have his HELMET ON A STICK! I'll-"
"It is done, is it not?" Goblez asked. "You have your toy. I've done what you asked. My part is done-"
"No it isn't, you pitiful creature! Tell me how you accomplished this since CECIL was not the ORIGINAL TARGET!"
Golbez hesitated, and the Emperor narrowed his eyes up at him. He raised his eyebrows in inquiry. "Gol-BEZ!" he said through his teeth.
"It . . . ah . . . proved more difficult than I had anticipated."
"DID it?!"
"At first, his light was too strong, even with my strongest persuasion."
"AND?"
"And so I required some help. Chaos used his powers of Discord to-"
"Chaos?!" That name jolted the Emperor to his feet with a poker of white-hot rage and fear. "You took him to CHAOS?! You FOOL!" he yelled, striding up to Golbez. "You TOLD him of my plans?! How DARE you!" He whacked Golbez's chest with his staff. "How DARE you, when I TOLD. you. to. tell. NO. ONE!" Each word was accompanied by a jab into his chest, so powerful that they made Golbez stagger. "You've jeopardized my en-TIRE plan, you imbecile!"
He went for another jab, but his staff was blocked by Cecil's spear. He parried the Emperor's blow and broke the block, placing himself between the two of them. The Emperor glared at Cecil in surprise. What was this? Had Golbez actually succeeded that well, even with Cecil and not Kain? No, it was Choas, he realized. Chaos' power gave Golbez such control.
"You did not let me finish," Golbez stated calmly. "I was saying that Chaos used his powers to give me control over Cecil's darkness, and when he asked, I stated that it was my doing, that I was going to be using Cecil. I did not mention you."
Something in Golbez's last sentence gave the Emperor the inkling that he was lying. He still took Golbez's words into account, though. It had still worked, hadn't it? He supposed as long as Golbez was in control and not Chaos, he could still accomplish his plan, so long as Cecil was kept on their leash. Revenge would still be immediate. But how much did Chaos suspect? Was it safe to continue with his plan?
"It is too far in motion to cease it now," he reassured himself. "The cogs have begun moving, the gears spinning. Why should I halt now?" He forced himself to stay calm and walk back to his throne to think it over. "Hmmmm, I suppose no harm has been done." He glanced sidelong at Cecil, who was still frozen in a defensive position. "As long as you are certain you can control him?"
"Yes."
"Show me."
Golbez held up his hand, palm out to Cecil. "When I desire control over him, my influence will call forth his tampered darkness, where it waits in his sub-consciousness. I can then command him to do whatever I may need. Observe."
Cecil reset his position, spear held behind him at the ready. Then he straightened up, casting away the weapon, and knelt before the Emperor.
"Do you see?" Golbez continued. "If that is all you require, I'll be off-" Golbez was obviously uncomfortable with this.
"Stop!" called the Emperor. "Not enough. What else?"
Golbez paused.
"Do not forget my little threat, Golbez," the Emperor said, raising his staff to draw a Thundercrest under Cecil. "You will indulge everything."
"I have control of his actions and body, and even his thoughts. When he is a Paladin, I can plant thoughts and impulses to bend him further to my will. Due to the nature of your schemes, I will be using the latter more, I presume."
"You seem almost relieved by that, Golbez. The thought of pushing him over the edge yourself is too much to bear," he taunted. "You'd rather just put the pretty thought in his head and watch him do it himself than feel responsible, yes? And when you do not want control of him?"
The dark armor began to crack and peel away, at some points seeming to melt off until finally, it was a bright, Paladin Cecil that knelt in front of the Emperor, the dark pallors garish against the general dark purple of the top of Pandaemonium. He gasped, like he was scared awake, looking around frantically, eyes wide and confused. Then his eyes locked on the Emperor. He jack-knifed to his feet and called his spear, pointing it straight at the Emperor.
"Wh-where am I? What is going on?" He slowly backed away step by shaky step from the Emperor. "What have you done? What have you done to me?!"
Cecil stopped when he backed straight into Golbez. He whirled around, a small cry of fear escaping his lips. He stabbed his spear at Golbez, who stepped aside and grabbed Cecil's wrist, halting him. With his other hand Golbez ripped the spear from Cecil's white-knuckle grip and tossed it away.
"Cecil, you mustn't attack us."
Cecil struggled harder. That was exactly what he wanted to do.
Golbez tried again, "We are not your enemies. Cease your resistance!"
"N-not my . . . "
"No." He continued to stare down at Cecil until he completely relaxed. Golbez turned to the Emperor. "Now, observe. Cecil," he said to the knight, "call forth your spear."
"Why? I have no need of it," Cecil said in a perfectly normal but confused tone, his eyebrows knitting together in apparently genuine confusion. "There are no enemies here."
Golbez gestured to Cecil, and the Emperor smiled sadistically. "Very good, Golbez. She should actually do perfectly."
A patch of air rippled and darkened behind all of them, and from the darkness, Cosmos materialized before them.
"Cosmos?" asked Cecil.
"Hmph! Not even close!" she purred.
Even the Emperor looked surprised and confused. Then he composed himself. "Hm. Impressive. Though you will have to work on that entrance, Ultimecia."
"Everything is going exactly as you said," she said in an eerily similar voice to Cosmos. "They left to find the knight, and Cosmos has left as well. We had best move quickly."
"Go, then. I will send Kefka and Exdeath after Cecil's rescue party to return him."
And so Cosmos' destruction begins.
From the inside out.