Chapter Thirty-One
It was absolutely still and silent in the Iifa Tree. The entire party looked onto the scene in the center of the platform in utter disbelief, shaking and trembling. Eiko's hands covered her mouth, hot tears streaking down her flushed cheeks. Steiner's mouth had fallen open. Beatrix was absolutely tense. Dante watched in bewilderment from where he bled on the ground. And Freya gripped her lancer at her side, a wave of failure overcoming her. Zidane fell to his knees, his eyes wide, his skin as white as a ghost. Bella twitched on the end of her sister's sword, feeling the rigid facets of the garnet in her chest. She squirmed, pressing her lips together. She had never felt such a horrid pain before. Her entire body was filled with a burning sensation. She let out short gasps as she grappled with the aches. Kuja crossed his arms over his chest, pressing a slender finger to his chin. He still couldn't help but grin.
"What a magnificent success," Kuja declared. "Sarah is performing much better than I expected. It's a shame she didn't inherit her mother's gift."
"How could this be a success?!" Steiner turned to Kuja, his armor clanking as he struggled to control himself. "If Arabella was your primary goal, how could this possibly be good!?"
Kuja shook his head at the captain. "The wound isn't mortal."
Zidane couldn't breath. He watched as Bella's blood pooled between the dried vines of the platform. The crimson red ran towards him, soaking into his knees. His own daughter's blood was like a river gushing towards him. He was absolutely petrified. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Kuja's words only echoed through his mind as he watched what he believed to be the end of his own life. It was as if that sword had pierced his own heart. Bella coughed, blood sputtering from her lips and covering her chin. Weakly, she raised her head to look at Sarah, who had paused, keeping the sword drawn through her.
"S... Sarah..." Bella's voice was so raspy. With shaky hands, she came to grip the steel. It cut through her palm like no more than parchment. She felt more warm blood ooze through her skin and with great effort, she brought her other hand up to inflict the same wound. The blood dribbled from her and Bella found herself becoming faint-headed. How much blood could she lose, how much pain could she actually endure? The electricity running through her body was unlike anything she had ever felt before. "Sarah... it's me..." Bella's voice was scratchy and she looked to her sister earnestly. Sarah's eyes waxed and waned between anger and relentless feelings, but still, she held the sword steady through Bella's chest. The younger princess' body was beginning to shake and she felt herself somewhat fading. But with her bloodied palm, she reached for the pendant secured around Sarah's neck. "Sarah... you don't mean to do this..." Bella paused to take a breath as the pain wracked her body. "I know you don't," Tears now filled her dark eyes, falling down her paled cheeks. "You can't control yourself... I know..." She lowered her arm back against the cool steel of the sword, trying to catch her breath. It was nerve wracking watching her blood rush down the polished metal, running over Sarah's wrist, who still did not flinch as she held the sword confidently. Tears formed in Bella's eyes as again, with a shaky hand, she began reaching towards Sarah. "I know you're in there, Sarah... I know you recognize me. I know you didn't want to do this to me." Her hand grew near to the pendant and Sarah jolted the sword inside her chest. Bella let out an agonizing yelp. A pulse of pain ran through the length of her body.
Zidane staggered to his feet, his pants and hands dried in the crusty blood of Bella. He came towards the girls but a force threw everyone away. Zidane slammed into the base of the staircase, his body paralyzed against it. Beatrix craned her neck in an attempt to move her body. Kuja grinned from where he was, his hands lifted upwards. Finally, he lowered himself to the platform, near the princesses, as everyone looked on in useless pain, unable to do a thing. "Don't be rude, Zidane," Kuja said, his boots clacking against the vines. He took a moment to admire the shiny blood of Bella's that was beginning to flood across all of the platform. "This is a beautiful thing, don't you think? The true essence of sister's bonding."
Zidane squirmed beside Eiko, who was silently crying as she watched the scene unfold. Zidane felt so utterly powerless as he looked on. It was miraculous Bella was even still conscious as she dangled off of Sarah's sharp sword. Everyone in the room could only imagine the pain she was in. Kuja grinned as he saw Zidane's eyes growing wet. He pursed his lips tightly together as the tears finally started coming down his cheeks. His head was beginning to hurt like it never had. Everything was crashing in on him; his entire life, it felt like. Shifting before his eyes, he could see all of it replaying again and it was unbelievable in that moment he had lived the life he had. He could see Dagger again, her porcelain face in pure tranquility as she titled her head against her silky pillow, laughing about something he had said. He could see her large and protruding belly from her thin frame, her slender fingers caressing the bump, wandering who in the world her baby might be. He saw the birthday parties where, together, they had carried the cake in towards their awaiting little princesses. The nights of stomachaches, heartaches, flashed by, as he laid beside his small daughter's, holding them against him, trying to console what he couldn't fix. He saw their first steps, he heard their first words; it was all so magnificent and utterly heartbreaking. And now, he was watching what felt like the loss of his two daughter's.
"I know I'm leaving the girl's in good hands..." Dagger whispered, her pale face tilted towards Zidane. He was collapsed at the side of the bed, holding her hand. The short and raspy breaths she took pained him to his core. "I know you'll give them enough love, as if I was never gone..."
"Don't say that," Zidane pressed her hand to his wet cheek. "Please, don't say goodbye, Dagger. It can't be the end. It only feels like the beginning..."
"It's not goodbye," Dagger tightened her grip around his hand. It was so familiar. She reached for it in the happiest of times and the darkest. "It's not the end. I'll never be far away, Zidane. Just close your eyes and dream... and I'll be there."
Bella ground her teeth together. Her head was whirling and pounding. She thought at any moment, her body would give into the wrenching feeling that captured her. Sarah was unrelenting in her desire to watch her dangle from her steel. She tilted the sword inside of her and Bella cried out as she felt it grind against her. She was becoming dizzy, but through it all, the pendant still spoke to her. It still gave her a will and a desire to stop all this sickening madness and unnecessary suffering. She would have given anything in that moment to have her old life back. The one she thought was boring and suffocating. The one where she was needlessly jealous of Sarah's long legs and rolling blond curls. She missed her books, she missed her bed. She missed her annoying little sister always tugging her sleeves, asking her to play cards. She wanted it all back; the family dinners, the jokes she shared with Steiner on patrol, the rainy days spent in the library. Bella inhaled sharply and with all her might brought her hand forward. Her bloody palm gripped the beautiful jewel, drenching it in all her pain. She cried out as she snagged it from Sarah's neck, the chain breaking soundlessly.
A bright light suddenly emanated between the sister's and they were ripped apart. Sarah tumbled across the floor, rolling through Bella's blood. Her sword slid right towards Zidane's feet, who was still powerless to do anything. Bella crumpled to the ground, blood spurting from her wound. But a force tilted her upwards and the pendant hovered before her shaky body. The pain of the sword leaving her body was like no other, but Bella's wide, wet eyes only focused on the words spouting from the pendant.
Voice from the past...
Joining yours and mine...
"What is this!?" Kuja stepped forward, absolutely bewildered. Bella closed her eyes, tilting her head back and allowing the calming energy to overtake her.
"Eiko...!?" Zidane squirmed. "What's happening!?"
"A summon?" Eiko furrowed her brow. "But the Raven Claw isn't able to...?"
Angel wings began to glow from Bella's back and she rose to her feet despite her devastating wounds. In that moment, all the pain evaporated. She felt a surge of power through her. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was warm, filling her with a feeling that was so distinctive yet so unfamiliar. It almost reminded her of the times her father would wrap his arms around her, kiss her forehead, and hold her hand. But something felt different... it was unfamiliar to the way her father's hand curled around her shoulders. She felt her entire being caving in to this summon; something completely foreign to her. Never had she been so comforted or confident. Never had she heard the voice of the summon so clearly. It seemed like the gentle voice was... singing to her.
So far and beyond...
See the birds as they glide by...
"An unknown Eidolon?!" Kuja shook his head, nearly flabbergasted. "Impossible!"
Bella brought her crusty and cut hands forward as the pendant came to meet her tender skin again. Across the platform, Sarah found herself sitting up, staring with wide eyes. She emerged from her foggy mind as if she had resurfaced through chilling and sharp water. Bella was covered in so much blood and even more still ran down the length of her dingy and worn travel clothes. Sarah's breathing shallowed as she registered everything around her. A panic nearly washed over her as she tugged at her shirt, realizing blood was all over her. She gawked at her younger sister, only watching what was unfolding. The beauty of the glowing wings emanating from her back took away from the sore and sorry state she was in. A voice was whispering through her ears as the light in the palms of her hand began to grow brighter. Kuja looked on with a bewildered face, not understanding what he was watching. Everyone in the room was unmoving, pinned to walls, collapsed across the floor, or watching in a stunned silence from above. The young girl only grew brighter with each passing beat.
Kuja turned towards Eiko. "What is she summoning!? You have a horn, what do you hear!?"
Eiko's face had grown solemn, her eyes sopping wet, as she watched a gold hoop began to form around Bella's waist, a nearly white illumination that was soft and only growing more powerful as Bella engulfed herself in the uplifting prayers. She glared at Kuja with her stinging red eyes. "You're a fool, Kuja," Eiko said, spitting at him. Kuja waved his arms furiously and surged forward, gripping Eiko by her throat and banging her against the wall. Zidane squirmed to no use, grounding his teeth together.
"I cannot stop her now, but there's nothing stopping me from killing you right this moment," Kuja explained to her, relatively calm.
"You could kill me... but it'd make you an even bigger fool the third time around."
Kuja banged her head into the wall again and Eiko let out a sharp gasp. "I'll ask you again: what is she summoning?"
"You've changed, Kuja," Eiko said with hard eyes. "You used to be a powerful mage yourself and you relished in the thoughts of relying on those powers to get what you pleased. But now... you're just like Garland. A mad scientist holed up in his little lab, playing with biological matter, sourcing it with magic, to create yourself the ultimate subject, the most excellent pupil. The one to do all of your dirty work for you. That's why you created that plague, isn't it? Don't you remember? You killed a third of the working class in Lindblum. You killed nearly a quarter of the Alexandrian elementary population. You killed Queen Garnet." Zidane watched the princess intently. "You're just like Garland and you don't want to admit it! He'd do the same thing to his little population of dolls on Terra if he realized they were all defunct. I don't fear you. I only fear what you seek."
"Why...?" Zidane couldn't help but croak. "Why did you send that plague? Was is systematic?"
"Of course it was!" Eiko shouted. "He killed the people who made technological advances in Lindblum, to slow us down! He killed the children in your kingdom for population control, he only wants adults! And-"
"And I killed Queen Garnet because I knew it would break you," Kuja turned his eyes calmly on Zidane, his heart thudding in his chest. "The weaker you are, Zidane, the stronger I am."
"That's why your orphaned Fauna as a young girl," Zidane shook his head. "No wonder I never got sick being in the same room as her... You planned all of it."
"But the question is... why a ten year gap?" Dante said from beside Eiko. "Why did you wait so long? You're back at square one."
The sound of shifting metal got everyone's attention. Just behind Kuja, Sarah stood. The entire frame of her body was shaking as she held the tip of her sword to Kuja's back. "Because when Kuja did that... he wasn't ready to face the world yet." Her hand reached forward, snagging Kuja's cloak backwards. It was quite an awful sight. He had bits of scrap metal welded into his chest and sides of his ribs. Plastered in nasty bulging and flesh scars that ran lengths across him. His legs were painted in bruises, only held straight by the tall boots he wore. "You aren't strong, Kuja... you're weaker than my father. You have had far less to gain out of any of this. I hate you. And this isn't your little biological hack playing a trick on me. I really hate you, Kuja. And I do want you to die." In the next moment, she surged the sword forward, using all her might with both hands gripping the hilt. She drove the sword directly through his chest. Kuja's eyes grew wide and he fell against the steel, gripping the protruding end with his shaking hand.
"Directly through... my mortal part..." Kuja whispered as blood began to drip from his lips. "My heart... how symbolic, Princess Sarah..."
"The summon...!" Eiko gasped, watching as now, the light completely engulfed Bella. Her wings drew out, showing the true magnificence of their statement. A beam of light pooled behind Bella now before it shot upwards, illuminating the entirety of the Iifa Tree trunk. The room became nearly sterile white and suddenly, everyone collapsed from the walls. Sarah drew her sword from Kuja's chest and he collapsed to the ground, barely able to support his head as he watched the scene unfurling before him. Sarah reached for her father's hand as something began to fabricate in the light, just beyond Bella's shoulders. The bloody princess stood firm, her eyes closed as she focused on the warm serenity coming around her. Sarah gasped sharply, dropping her sword and covering her hand over her mouth. Zidane's grip only tightened on Sarah's hand as he watched with wide blue eyes, not believing what he was seeing. Eiko was crying, Beatrix and Steiner were stunned. Freya bowed her head and Dante was absolutely mesmerized.
It was Queen Garnet. Wrapped in flowing write satin silks with refreshing green ivy's stitched along the hems, she was a force to behold. The very same tiara Sarah had worn on her sixteenth birthday was perched in her long black hair was smooth, full, and a bold statement. Her face was so gentle, her skin so smooth. In her hand, a gold and garnet encrusted rod was sported and she brought it to her chest. Her chocolate eyes closed and the light in the room intensified.
It was my devotion to keep Gaia safe. I swore it upon the throne I took before my people, only sixteen years old, naive, and frightened of the world's way. But one thing became clear to me amongst all the doom, the dread, and the destruction. I needed true friends during that time. And I had found them. They were people who would walk to the edges of the world for me... and leap from balconies for me... The force that threatens our sanctity of safety cannot win when birds of a feather flock together. The Iifa Tree must be no more. It is but a link to the torment that has always threatened our peace on Gaia. It must be brought down. Just as Kuja has been...
A blinding light engulfed the platform and everyone cringed away. A heat came over Zidane's body and the next thing he knew, he found himself on his knees, splaying across rigid rocks. Sarah tumbled into him and he wrapped his arms around her. Zidane glanced around, breathing heavily. In the distance, beyond the dizzying maze of vines, the Iifa Tree was beginning to tilt. The beam of light still emanated straight on beyond it, towards the heavens. The sounds of monstrous creaking and snapping of wood echoed out across the spacious rolling hills. Zidane sat up, looking all around.
"Where's Bella?!" Zidane felt a panic come over him and he stood up. "Where is she?!"
"She's safe," Eiko tore her eyes away as the dust began to rise with the collapsing structure of the massive tree. "We must wait for Bella to complete the summon."
The group stood silently, shoulder to shoulder, watching as the Iifa tree began to cave in on itself. The sounds of breaking branches as it faltered to the ground was loud and riveting. "How could that be?" Sarah asked, watching as the birds began to scatter, circling around the angelic light pooling over the mass destruction. "Mother was inside the pendant... this whole time?"
Eiko sighed, lowering her eyes for a moment. She glanced to Zidane, pursing her lips. "I cannot explain everything... We will never know everything about the summoning world. Eiodolon's are mystical, powerful, and beautiful spirits. They are capable of working in many mysterious ways. It seems your mother thought her job wasn't over upon taking her final breath... it seems her love and desire to watch over all of you was so great, she transcended upon to a higher heaven... a tangible way to make you understand your mother still loves you and that she's still here for you."
Behind them, they heard sharp coughing and quickly, Zidane scampered down the uneven incline to kneel beside Fauna. She held her woozy head she sat up. Zidane put an arm around her to steady her. She blinked eyes rapidly as she adjusted to the harsh overhead daylight. When she looked Zidane, seemed downright confused, leaning away from him. "King... King Zidane? What are you doing here?" She paused for a moment, looking around. "And where's here?! What's going on?!"
Zidane was stunned for a moment. "Fauna, do you not remember anything?"
"Fauna?" She furrowed her brow. "My name's Alura, Your Majesty. Please, what is going on?"
Zidane was somewhat relieved she had no idea what has happening. She didn't seem to remember anything. Zidane smiled weakly for a moment, gazing out over the other rocks. That's when the party began to notice dozens of other recruits spread out amongst the jagged landscape. They were all coming to, rubbing their heads and gawking at their bodysuits. Zidane looked back to Alura, patting her arm gently. "I promise I'll explain everything as soon as I can." He stood, turning to his group. Behind them, there was a large plume of dust rising from the mar on Gaia's surface. "Come on, let's find everyone." Zidane watched the remnants of the Iifa Tree for a moment more, pursing his lips.
They all spread out amongst the rocks. Many of the dazed people still made it a point to bow to Zidane, which he quickly asked them to stop doing. Beatrix began taking records of everyone's names as they all asked the same questions: Where are we? What's going on? Why am I dressed like this? Most people's last memories were of their old lives. Some were shoemakers, bartenders, florists, seamstresses, tailors, theater technicians... and they all simply thought they had fainted on the job. When asked what year it was, many people were one or two off. The most extreme cases were Fauna's. She had no idea a decade had passed. The people looked out towards the huddled mass of the Iifa Tree. They had no idea what they were seeing. Water was passed out as they had the people sit and recollect themselves. Steiner and Dante scanned the area for any people they may have missed. Zidane walked along the perimeter of the cliff, gazing down at the dead and shriveling vines. He leapt onto a rock, feeling so small compared to environment around him. He realized in that moment, he felt so numb to everything. Zidane was still in utter shock. Everything that had just happened still hadn't registered inside him. Did he really see her? And hear her voice? Not a thing had changed about her. He only wished he could have touched her again.
Zidane paused when he found his eyes fixating on the entrance where the historic barrier would be cast and broken, time and time again. There was a dark figure laying amongst the dirt and rocks. Zidane climbed down, rushing, pumping his arms, as he leapt over protruding stones and took sharp turns, kicking dust up. He broke into a full on sprint as he ran straight for the reaching cliff, leading to nowhere now. The figure was small and crumpled up, their head tilted away. Zidane's heart was hammering in his chest as he practically tripped to fall beside the body. He felt his knees get skinned raw but he didn't care. He reached down and lifted Bella's head.
"Bella...!" Zidane said, leaning in close to her pale face. "Bella, please wake up!" Gently, he ran his hand over her chilled cheeks. He pulled her coat back, cringing at the sight of her ravaged right shoulders. Blood still leaked from the wound. She was losing blood quickly. Zidane ripped the sleeve of his shirt, pressing it against her. "Bella, come on!" Zidane pat her cheek again, holding her tightly against him. He was doing everything in his power to stay calm, but he was failing miserably. "HELP!" Zidane screamed upwards, hoping his voice carried. "BEATRIX! STEINER! SOMEBODY HELP!" He was beginning to shake as he pressed Bella against him. Tenderly, he pushed her dark bangs from her still face, his tears falling all over her. "Arabella, please, please...!" He brought her against his chest, feeling her blood seep into his vest. He heard something clatter to the rocks and he lowered the princess. Sniffling, he reached over her and felt the cool facets of the Raven Claw pendant. He gripped it tightly in his palm as the tears kept falling. "Dagger... please... This can't be happening. This isn't right! It's supposed to be me. Not you, not Bella... just me!" Again, he clung to his daughter, tilting his head down.
A moment later, the sound of clanging gear could be heard. Beatrix and Eiko emerged between the narrow corridor of rocks and raced to Zidane's side. The king was withdrawing into a catatonic state as Beatrix and Eiko were stunned by Bella's condition. Beatrix pressed her ear to Bella's chin. "She's still breathing."
Eiko felt herself growing into a panic. "There's only one place near here I could think to take her. We have to make haste to Conde Petie. They have clean beds and supplies so we can operate on her." Zidane was quiet, his head still titled down. "Zidane!" Eiko gripped his shoulder, making him look to her. "We have to hurry. There's still a chance." Zidane exhaled unevenly as he looked over Bella and then towards the destruction of the Iifa Tree. Finally, he nodded, pulling Bella into his arms and standing up. Eiko grabbed Zidane's arm again. "We can do this, Zidane. I know I can save her."
Again, he only nodded at her in a somewhat unhinged fashion and the group took off to round up the others.