Draco: Alright, I know what I'm going to do for these last two chapters. This will be over quick.

Characters, weapons, origins, locations © Square Enix. Monsters © Akihisa Ikeda.


Humble Beginnings, Great Expectations

Terra opened her eyes, but she did not wake up.

She was standing there again - upon the surface of that plain of water, beneath a sky of lightless silver. The flames no longer adorned her body, nor did her robe and sheaths, but neither was she skyclad - her body was wrapped in snowflakes that would guard her as well as any armour. Her friends were nowhere to be seen, and that sight set a sadness into her; yet at the same time, she was relieved that if she was imprisoned here, then at least her friends were not.

A tear of fire rose in her eye, and it took everything in her power to not let it fall.

"I should have known it was gonna be you who was gonna beat me."

The voice caused Terra to whirl around. The throne of white gold was still sitting there, though the black iron figures of the Warring Triad were absent - and the madman sat there in his sparse kilt, his flesh pale, his face barren of paint and scar.

"Kefka..."

His hands were closed before him, and he was hunched forward; but slowly, he raised his gaze to Terra.

"I was Gestahl's 'sucessful failure'," he admitted. "I was strong, and I was useful, and I could do stuff, but... I wasn't better than you. And that's what he wanted. Someone better than you, that he could rely on more than a crown around your head."

He shook his head, and his gaze fell to his hands.

"No such luck..."

Against all reason, against anything she had cause to feel, Terra was sorry for this broken image of the madman who had made her life hell.

A long silence between them; then he spoke again.

"What was that nickname that all the commanders would call me when they thought I couldn't hear them?"

Terra shook her head. "Kefka-"

"Say it."

She couldn't say it. She wouldn't give him that pleasure; but it was not a thirst for pleasure that adorned his face as he closed his eyes.

"Please..."

And that was a word she had never heard him say before - a word she could have sworn he would never say sincerely - but here he was, giving an honest plea.

"...say it."

"Hell's jester," Terra forced out. "Kefka Palazzo, hell's jester."

Kefka nodded slowly upon hearing the words; then he bowed his head further, taking a deep breath, before raising his gaze to Terra and opening his eyes once more.

"There was an old story. And it said that the emperor of Pandaemonium would watch the mortal world. And he would look for a man who wanted power. And not because he wanted to protect someone, or because he wanted to stop someone, or because he wanted to do something. He looked for a man who wanted power because it was power."

His words were calm, quiet, but Terra had not the heart to stop him.

"But that power would bring the world to ruin. And the world must be in balance in order for souls to be damned to hell. So the emperor would send a man from his palace that he didn't trust to do anything else. That some people wouldn't trust to do that."

Quiet, for just long enough to make her wonder if she would continue.

"A clown."

Terra blinked, surprised. "A jester," she gasped.

"And he would find the man who wanted power. And the clown would make him suffer all the torment that the people of the world would suffer if he got the power he wanted, and brought the world to ruin."

She couldn't believe her ears. "That's why you turned on Gestahl," Terra realized. "Because he wanted power. For power's own sake."

Kefka breathed tightly between his teeth, his lips not forming a smile nor a frown as he lowered his gaze again.

"Not really," he admitted. "You see, Gestahl was... boring. He just wanted to find a vampire and suck his blood. Because a vampire was the first monster that talked to him like an equal. And if he got the power of a vampire, he would have kicked everything in the ass."

Terra did not understand.

Kefka seemed to realize it. "I know," he insisted, "I know. 'Why would he do that', right? 'What's the point of that', right?" He sighed heavily. "The thing is... that's the kind of guy Gestahl was. And that's the kind of guy the old Gestahl was. They are never satisfied with what they have. That's the whole reason it's an empire now. Because they were too greedy to be kings."

After a moment, Terra shook her head, confused. "Then... why did you turn on them?" she demanded.

The madman smirked as he met her gaze once more.

"Because it was boring," he insisted. "And I don't like boring."

Terra let the corner of her mouth twitch skyward.

"You still sound like hell's jester to me."

Kefka smiled - a geniune smile, the likes of which she could have sworn he would never wear - and bowed his head until his chin connected with his chest.

Then his arms moved.

Terra's legs moved faster - she skidded her feet across the water's surface, sending a blaze forward, and no sooner had his hands connected with the edge of the seat, to propel him forward than it burst, consuming him and his throne in fire. The flames were as solid as the earth she had fought upon, hiding away Kefka and his throne as they reached higher, winding about.

Lightning fell from the lightless silver sky above.

The moment it connected with the flames, all was consumed in a blinding white, and Terra raised her hand to guard her face.

When she lowered it, she was shocked at what she saw.

The flames had frozen over. They were trapped in form, and after a moment she realized that form was a throne - amythest bolts were petrified atop the back of the seat, and the arms were frozen amidst the fires' waver. Just above where her head would rest, were she sitting upon the throne, was script in shining sapphire.

マディンの娘
Madin no Musume
Daughter of Maduin

After a moment did she become aware that her solitude after Kefka's burn had ended.

Her gaze drifted left to see someone there. A man covered in armour, with feathered wings emerging from gaps in the backplate, and he gripped a great axe - and at his side was the steel-clad Crusader, who had carried the lance.

"...Demon..."

Her gaze drifted to the right, now, and she saw another figure there. His flesh was a deep purple, with four muscled arms. From his back emerged leathered wings, and his features were sunken into his face - and at his side was the leather-clad Crusader, who had carried the katana.

"...Fiend..."

Her gaze continued to drift to the right, and she saw someone standing behind her. A woman adorned in cloth of cobalt, ribbons that only just maintained her modesty - and at her side was the gold-clad Crusader, whose minute blades hadn't touched her.

"...Goddess..."

No sooner had she seen all three of them than the third eye on each of their faces opened - and at once, the Warring Triad spoke.

"""This throne will be yours - and one day, you will take it.""""

Terra could scarcely breathe as the Crusader stepped forward around her.

"We have lived for a hundred years - and we will live a thousand more. Those who commanded us took our own power, and made us immortal in our own flames - and so we shall keep an eye on this world, to watch for men like him - and aid monsters like you."

Terra shook her head, caring not what these Yasha and Kishin told her. "Please," she begged. "Tell me. My friends - are they alright?"

"""They are alive and well."""

The words of the Warring Triad brought a smile to her face.

"""As are you."""

She could not make sense of the words before the world faded around her.

+x+x+x+

It felt strange - to open her eyes, when they had not been closed.

She was lying upon the deck of an airship. Her robe adorned her body, but the band in her hair was absent. After a moment, she found the strength to rise - this was the Falcon, flying beneath a clouded night sky. "What...?"

"Terra!"

She couldn't react before she felt arms around her - Celes was there, hugging her tight. A brief gasp; then Terra returned the hug. "Celes..." She glanced around - Setzer was at the helm, and Locke leaning against the railing with something hidden behind his back. "Where is... everyone else?"

"On the Blackjack," Setzer replied. "We rode the wave of that explosion and came out near the cave to Roku Okoku. You were lying here when we found you. I told the others to meet me..." He hesitated before deciding on, "where I'll be mooring the Falcon. If the Blackjack is still alive, I have wings of my own."

"I see..." Terra slowly got to her feet, turning to Locke. "What are you hiding?"

Locke smirked and tossed something onto the deck.

It was a pair of zebra tights.

"That's all that's left of that crazy clown," the treasure hunter mused.

Terra didn't even hesitate; her feet skidded across the deck, and a flame surged forward, consuming the garment. Setzer yelped, spinning round and backing up against the helm - but the flames didn't even scratch the vessel as the zebra tights were burned to ashes.

Locke only chuckled. "I thought you'd want the honours," he admitted.

Setzer sighed, turning back to the helm. "A little warning, next time," he reprimanded.

"Sorry," Terra murmured. "I just-"

"We know," Celes promised.

A long silence.

The pilot broke it. "Terra... Can I ask you a favour? If... If your magic is capable."

Terra turned to him. "What did you want?"

Setzer beckoned her closer, and when she was near enough he whispered his request into her ear.

A small smile rose on Terra's face as she nodded. "I think I can handle that," she told him.

Magic lit up around her body - and that magic slowly wrapped the ship. Celes steadied herself warily, and Locke stepped away from the railing as the ship began to rise higher, higher, until the blanket of clouds passed around them.

And they saw the night sky, unimpeded by anything around them.

Falcon Flyer sighed, glancing around at the starry sky.

"What do you think of the view, Darill?"

+x+x+x+

The Falcon was set back into Darill's tomb, and Starlet's Seven gathered on the Blackjack. After some discussion, they agreed to go their separate ways - for now - and so Setzer flew back to Thamasa, to drop off Strago and Relm.

"I think I'll get off here, too," Shadow insisted as they touched down. "I left something at the Triple Caves."

The four of them - Blue Wizard, Angel Brush, Interceptor, and the blade for hire - made their way down the boarding plank. Relm took off ahead of them, telling Strago she'd "meetcha back at the house!" and leaving Yasha and assassin standing there as the airship took off.

"I have no idea where she gets all that energy," Strago insisted.

Shadow shrugged. "She's young," he insisted, turning to take off.

He found himself interrupted by the contact of coins against his hand; and he turned to see Strago with his coin sword in hand.

"You're him, aren't you?" the old man demanded.

"I have never met you without this cowl," Shadow insisted. "I don't know who you're talking about."

"Your dog is gone again," Strago observed.

Shadow glanced down to find there was no dog there. "Shit."

Strago pulled his weapon away, letting the coins fall apart and land in his staff. "Don't worry," he insisted. "I have no intention of making you stay. And I have not the strength to make you explain yourself. I just..." He sighed. "I want to know. For her sake."

A long quiet.

Then Shadow reached one hand up, gripping his cowl - and as Strago watched, he pulled it from his head, his eyes closed.

When he opened them, there were three.

Strago closed his own eyes. "I thought as much," he admitted. "I'll tell Interceptor to meet you at the Triple Caves."

He took off; and Shadow gave his cowl a long look before setting it back over his head.

+x+x+x+

Gau leapt from the Blackjack's deck as they passed over the Veldt en route to Doma - the rest of the group panicked before seeing Badland Roar with siren's wings. They landed outside the castle for Cyan to dismount, but Setzer was hesitant.

"You're sure you want to hang around the empty castle where everyone you know died?" he asked.

"My, thou art quite adept at lifting one's mood, aren't thee?" Eclipse Fang observed, his voice thick with sarcasm. "I have unfinished business in Doma, and I assure thee I can handle mine own memories. Once I am finished, I have transportation for my next destination. Worry not for me."

"If you're certain," Setzer insisted warily.

+x+x+x+

They landed outside Castle Figaro, whereupon Edgar and Sabin made their way off.

"Can I ask you something?" Phantom Fist called to Setzer when they were halfway down the boarding plank. On the gambler's turning; "What was your reaction to this?"

He tossed a small gold coin at the pilot, who could already answer before he caught it with a swipe of his hand; he glanced down to see the Figaro brothers' faces on either side. "What do you mean?"

"Celes flipped it to rig a bet, didn't she?" Desert Gear inquired. "You must have been pissed to see a double-headed coin."

Setzer shook his head. "There is not the same face on both sides of the coin," he insisted. "The fancier side is always heads when a coin is not standard."

Sabin shot his brother a dirty look.

"However," Setzer insisted, "had you two flipped it to settle a dispute, the victor would be whoever saw their own face."

Edgar was surprised by the statement.

The gambler only stepped back into the ship as they continued down the boarding plank, and the Blackjack took off the moment the brothers had touched the sands.

+x+x+x+

Locke and Celes insisted they would see Terra to Mobliz - although Setzer was careful to land the airship a good distance away from the village. "You're sure you're going to be alright?" Lady Frost asked.

"I'll be fine," Terra assured them. "I'll get in touch with you guys after everything's settled down."

Stock Barrel sighed. "We'll hold you to that," he insisted.

Terra smirked. "I'd be more surprised if you didn't," she admitted.

They closed the bay doors as the airship took off.

"You sure she's gonna be alright?" Locke inquired.

"Of course she'll be alright," Celes argued. "Nothing will lay a hand on her when she's got those kids to take care of."

Locke gave her a look.

"I'll explain on the way," she dismissed. "Where are you off to?"

"I think I'll stop by Narshe first," he mused. "Then maybe Kohlingen. You?"

Celes smirked. "You know what? I think I'll just join you."

Locke merely smiled back.

+x+x+x+

As soon as Terra stepped into Mobliz, she called upon her magic. The ruined homes began to piece themselves together as she walked towards the building where everyone had taken cover. Katarin and Duane saw her coming before she had even began, and the moment she opened the door she found herself surrounded by the children's smiling faces.

"Lady Dances! You're back!"

Terra only returned their smiles. "I promised, didn't I?"

Katarin stepped forward. "Do we... Need we still hide?" she inquired. "We've been-"

"No," Terra assured them. "Hiding won't be necessary. But... I think it's best if we all stay in one place, don't you agree?"

"So, we'll stay in here?" Duane mused. "I mean, it's the only place big enough that's still standing."

Terra raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Everyone traded glances with someone else; Terra only giggled lightly before beckoning for them to follow her.

All the children cheered when they saw the village had been repaired. Every home had been restored, as though it had never been ruined - and after giving them a moment to be happy, Terra led them all to the biggest home in the village - the one that had previously fallen to the madman's flames. Duane and Katarin were wary of entering the home that they had nearly died in, but nonetheless accompanied the children as they stepped inside.

The next few days were spent getting everyone moved into the largest home. The first night it was vacated, Terra repaired the home where everyone had been taking refuge, eliminating that last physical memory of that dark time. Before long, they were all settled into that large home - and Terra was relieved when none of the children came to her, saying they had had a nightmare of that horrible night.

A few nights after everyone had settled into the new methods, Terra found herself writing a letter.

Dear Celes,
I promised I'd contact you, and I'm sorry if this is a bit... unorthodox. I'm really lacking in other forms of communication from here. Mobliz is back to normal - all the homes restored, all the children smiling. We've all taken up residence in the largest home, but these children would fare better with parents to care for them. If you or any of the others know of any who would be willing to aid these children, please direct them to come to Mobliz.
I'm sure you anticipated otherwise, but I will be staying here. I can't leave these children. It's not just a matter of protection anymore. When you care for someone, you want to make sure they're alright. And seeing these children alright helps keep a smile on my face. If you would come visit me, I invite it, but I will be staying here until further notice - and I'm sorry, but nothing you or anyone can say will change that.
Please give the others my regards.
~Terra

She lowered her gaze to the sheathed Ragnarok, which she had set against the table she was using; she had already collected the tri-elemental blades she and Celes had left here before, but something about the sword from Zantetsu made the children wary when she carried it with her. And if she was honest, she felt wary around it, too - she could still remember Kefka's screaming laughter, and that nightmarish vision with Crusader and the Warring Triad after he had fallen, every time she saw the golden blade.

Post scriptum: I have our weapons we had prior forgotten, but the children are uneasy around Ragnarok. Please find it enclosed, knowing that I am no longer afraid to be around these children and still dance with my swords.

She folded the letter once, and bound it to the weapon's sheath with a small piece of thread; then she stepped outside, where she let her magic take the weapon and vanish it. Knowing it would arrive with Celes, she then made her way to the back of the village, where there was a large stone wall - Katarin had told her that it had once been a cave, or so the elder members of the village had said, but it had been filled long ago.

She wondered if she would be able to make it a cave again.

Her magic came to her, and she was cautious as she loosed it. The cave began to hollow - stone became sand, flowing out like water and being cast towards the sea. As she advanced further, the cave went deeper, and deeper, until her carefully measured arcana stopped - this was as far as the cave would go and not be a tunnel.

Terra's gaze shifted around the area. There was a lot to it, and already she was considering how she might make it a little less... cave. Fabrics across the walls, perhaps; something to lessen the feeling of being deep underground, which made her uncomfortable, though only slightly. Ornamentation, perhaps; she remembered some ridiculously long pearl strings in the Blackjack that Setzer insisted were necklaces. Torches, definitely; it was quite dark as it was, without anything to light it, and that would be of ill comfort. And something to adorn the place - yet here her feet shifted, idle as she was. A few girls among the children had taken to nail-panting, and had done her toenails with pink flames just that night - and so her feet were bare, and she could feel something beneath her feet that didn't seem like it belonged.

Her gaze went earthward.

At the far end of the cave was a small patch of grass.

She dropped to her knees, plucking a blade from the grass and looking over it curiously. Something about it was horribly familiar - it just felt different from normal grass. On the end of one finger she formed a minute flame, bringing it close - the grass was not emerald, as grass ought be, but bright gold. As the flame drew closer, its colour seemed to shift, fading to a deep crimson, until the fire brushed against it and it ignited, smoking far more than grass ought be. She extinguished the flame quickly, but not before getting a face full of smoke and receiving a long coughing fit.

Her eyes widened. The scent of the smoke was familiar, and now she knew where from. She had seen this grass outside the castle of the Sixth Kingdom, and smelled this smoke when the Crusader had duelled with one another, and set the grass alight. She looked at the blade again - it was no longer gold, but bright silver, and more intact than anything that had just been set alight had reason to be.

She set the blade down upon the cave floor, glancing around the cave again.

The next few hours of the night, Terra spent adorning the cave. She found a chandelier in a closet of one home, and hung it in the cavern - making a mental note to contact Setzer, and request he bring her candles. In another she found a small, comfortable chair in cobalt, and in another an equally comfy loveseat of crimson velvet; both of them were moved to the cavern, along with a low-resting table of deep ebony and a small, decorative woven basket. In one home was a tank of water, though any fish that would have resided in it had have been washed to the floor when the tank had shattered, during the quake, and been removed from the home when she had repaired it. Nonetheless, she moved it in as well, to provide some scenery until she could adorn the walls - an addition was made to that mental note for Setzer to contact Edgar and ask if Figaro Castle had any expanses of fabric that he never used, or to contact Cyan in case Doma's torches were still intact.

She sat herself on the loveseat when all was done, a bright smile on her face; her body was slightly tired, and after a moment she angled herself in the loveseat so that her feet would sit up on one arm, and her own arms could dangle over the other.

And when her arms dangled, she felt them collide - just lightly - with something solid.

Her gaze shifted over the arm - there was something off against the side of the loveseat. For a moment she was worried that the seat was damaged, but after circling the chair she realized there was a pocket on the side, and she reached inside.

It was an opium pipe that had been snapped in two.

A shame, too, for the pipe looked beautiful.

A long, moment, deep in thought; then Terra reached into her pocket, where she still had Ultima. She drew it out, comparing it to the pipe - the tube of the broken item was as thin as the weapon, perhaps just a mote thinner. Carefully, Terra pulled the mouth and the tip of the pipe off its shaft; and, experimentally, she slipped them onto the ends of Ultima.

They fit perfectly.

She turned to the patch of grass on the far end of the cavern. Her magic came to her, and she sliced the blades to a third of their length, letting them drift towards her. She let them gather in the basket - all but a few, which she lay criss-cross into the mouth of the pipe she had made from her weapon.

The blades turned red as she set a fire into them; and slowly, Terra raised the pipe to her mouth. She made the mistake of inhaling through the pipe, which had a combination effect of extinguishing the flame, disturbing the grass, and sucking smoke straight into her mouth; she pulled the pipe away and coughed as violently as she had when lighting a lone blade of the grass. She tried again, setting her mouth on the end of the pipe and holding it there, not inhaling nor exhaling; then she pulled away and breathed out, watching her breath smoking in the air before her.

She felt no different - but she was quite amused by the sight, and the smell of the burning grass reminded her of the Sixth Kingdom's castle, which in turn reminded her of Roku Okoku, which in turn reminded her of her father.

And her father was not someone she wanted to forget.

She poised herself across the loveseat again; this time she crossed her legs at the ankles, right over left, took the pipe in her left hand, set her elbow against the arm on that side, and curled her index finger over her right ear - the traditional 'hitsuzen' posture.

She would not speak with Celes, in person, for several years.


Draco: I am really mad at myself because I spammed Ultima against the Statue of the Gods so I could steal Ragnarok and get out alive and now I'm going to have to do something tricky and self-limiting to have fun on that fight on this save file.

Interface spoiler, for future reference. I never have a bottomside author's comment on the last chapter of a multi-part fanfic, unless you count the double-oneshot that is Light Warriors' New Clothes as a multi-part fanfic.

Is there anything I actually dislike about Final Fantasy VI? Yes. The first is that Odin and Raiden have different slots on the Esper menu, because that empty space drives me crazy. But more importantly, I hate the fact that Kefka - the awesome, epic madman that he is - doesn't get a final one-on-one scene with any sense of finality the way that Sephiroth and Caius and the like do. I mean, I know that VI does its best to have no real main character, and with Terra being optional in the World of Ruin you couldn't get a one-on-one between them, but this guy deserves something final. Something more than an oversized boss fight.