Do you care for someone because of who they are? Or because of who you are? I wonder...

He turned around and noticed that both Umbra and Pryna were gone too.

"Guess it's just you and me now," he said, to sleeping Lunafreya.

He moved closer to her bedside and leaned on to get a closer look at the sleeping girl. "So, you are the legendary Oracle, huh? Did you hear what Gentiana said? Apparently, both Umbra and Pryna were in my world too."

After pondering, he continued, "Gentiana didn't say anything about you. I wonder if you were in my world as well. Did we know each other? You know, I am usually not good with people, but I am surprisingly comfortable with you. It's as if we have known each other for a very long time. It's either that or the medicine Dr. K gave me is making me high," he said, allowing himself a small chuckle.

Talking to a girl in coma felt like a déjà vu. After a few quiet moments by her bedside, he sat down on the visitor's chair. "I guess I'll be sleeping in the chair tonight."

He was not sleepy yet and there was nothing to do. To avoid boredom, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He started flipping through some channels absentmindedly. He finally settled on a news channel. There was a one-hour special on the fall of Insomnia. The show covered a variety of topics such as the history of the Kingdom of Lucis, the Empire of Niflheim, Tenebrae, Accordo, the royal family and refugees.

Insomnia hosts Lucis's seat of power, the Citadel, that contains a large Crystal within its walls. The Crown City is a bustling metropolis stacked with skyscrapers. It is separated from the mainland by a bridge and is surrounded by water and tall ramparts. Insomnia is protected by a magical Wall projected from the Citadel by the monarch, and this is where the royal family lives. Citizens go about their daily lives under the protection of this impenetrable magical shield.

'A magical barrier protecting its city from the rest of the world. Hmm, I am sure there was a city like that in my world.' he wondered, as he continued watching the show.

Niflheim is technologically superior and more advanced than most nations of the world due to their knowledge of magitek. It has developed an army that doesn't need human soldiers, the magitek infantry, and is developing weapons to neutralize the magic of Lucian royalty. Niflheim deploys two types of soldiers (commonly from magitek engines): ones with glowing eyes, and others with their faces entirely covered. The glowing eyes type is the magitek infantry, humanoid machines powered by magitek cores. The imperial infantry appears to be human cyborgs. The terms "magitek infantry" and "imperial soldiers" are often used interchangeably, but the magitek types greatly outnumber the soldier types, having largely replaced them. Another type of magitek weapon the empire deploys is the magitek armor, usually large bipedal robots, but recently the empire has developed new forms, such as the monstrous Diamond Weapon to the wormlike Immortalis. The Empire has gained many territories under the watchful eyes of the Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt. Emperor Aldercapt is an ambitious leader who has practically conquered the entire Eos with his military might. Insomnia is the last frontier for the Emperor.

"An ambitious ruler obsessed with power. A militaristic nation which conquers everything in its path. This too, sounds familiar. Perhaps another memory from my old world?" he wondered aloud. His eyes were glued to the TV as he learned more details about this fascinating world.

War is such a terrible thing. So many lives lost, so many families separated, so much destruction, for what? To gain a new piece of land? For the right to be called most powerful? As the Oracle once said, 'The only war worth fighting is the war within against your own greed, lust for power and ego. If only, we did that, this world would be a better place.' Thank you for tuning in for this special program, this is your reporter Avery Ware.

"There are no victors in war, only survivors. Everyone loses something in the war," he said before turning off the TV.

"As a soldier when you are deployed on a mission, you don't know if you or your fellow soldiers will ever come back. That's why I try not to get attached to people. It hurts so much when you lose them," he said to his sleeping friend at a distance.

He stood up and walked up to her bed to check she was comfortable. He slightly lifted her head and adjusted her pillow. He pulled over her blanket and tucked it around her gently.

He took his medicine before retreating to his chair. He reclined his seat back and drifted to sleep.

Next morning

He noticed light footsteps in the room and immediately bolted upright in his seat.

"It's only me, calm down," said Dr. K., "I came to check on Stella."

Still half asleep, he blurted out without thinking, "Who is Stella?"

"What?" said Dr. K in complete shock.

'You stupid.' If his mind had a face, it would have facepalmed itself.

"I said how is Stella?" He tried to cover up his slip.

'Smooth recovery.' His mind said.

"Oh, for a second I thought you said, who is Stella and I kind of freaked out," she said laughing.

"How is she doing?" He asked, getting up from the chair.

"Her vitals are stable. Her blood work returned this morning, nothing out of the ordinary there as well. We still know why she is not waking up, though."

"Dr. K, we have an emergency," said a nurse from the door, interrupting their conversation.

"Coming," she said before rushing off.

"So, nothing is wrong, but you still refuse to wake up. Did I ever tell you that you can be very stubborn sometimes?" he chided sleeping Lunafreya playfully.

After finishing his morning rituals, he got ready to take on another day.

'Day one, we almost got killed. Day two was spent in the hospital. Day three, let's see how this pans out.'

After arguing with the front desk staff for a good half an hour, he finally stepped out of the clinic, still furious.

'Just because I am injured does not mean I cannot get the job done. Yesterday Dr. K said that I could help with their chores to repay my hospital bills, but today she was like, 'oh no, you can't take on quests, what if you get hurt more?' Just shut up old lady and give me the damn quest and let me worry about myself. I know you are trying to protect me, but let me just help. Why is everyone in this world so damn stubborn? I can't believe I wasted half an hour on that. Next time—' He was walking around fuming when someone ran into him with full speed halting the progression of his thoughts.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry. Are you okay?" asked a feminine voice of the person who literally ran into him.

"Watch where you are going," he said, trying to get back up on his feet. She had run into his injured arm, sending a jolt of pain through his shoulder.

He got back up and looked at the culprit.

She was about 5'3" with short dark brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a black and red short-sleeved hoodie, and a black and red tartan-pattern miniskirt. She wore black heeled boots with red soles. She had a leather choker and a necklace with a round black pendant. She had two belts with a chain hanging from one attached to her skirt. She had a red cord wrapped around her left wrist and a leather bracer on her other wrist.

She said in a sweet voice full of concern, "Umm, are you okay?"

"Ya, I am fine," he replied curtly.

"I am sorry for running into you," she apologized sweetly.

"It's okay," he said with a nod.

"By the way, my name is Iris," she said, offering a handshake.

He usually does not like to shake hands, but thought he should play along this time.

"Squall," he said, as he shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Squall," she said, in a cheery tone.

'If sugar manifested into a human form, it would be her.' he thought.

"I have not seen you around before. Are you new here?" She asked.

'Just shut up and let me be on my way.'

"Ya," he replied, short and sweet.

"Oh, I know," she said, getting all excited and clapping her hands. "How about I give you a tour of Lestalleum? Since I ran into you that's the least I could do to make up for it."

"No, it's okay," he said, trying to step aside and be on his way.

She sidestepped blocking his way. "No, it's not okay. I have to make it up to you. Come on, it would be fun."

"No, I have to-" before he could finish his sentence, she interjected. "Pretty please?" She said joining her hands and giving him puppy eyes.

He sighed and agreed, "Fine."

"Whoo-hoo," she exclaimed in joy.

A sudden jolt of headache came as he clutched his head in pain. A distant memory resurfaced. He vaguely remembered a girl who ran into him on her first day of school. She had eyes like a puppy. She had a very cheerful attitude, which can make even the cemetery come alive. He recalled giving her a tour of their academy on her first day and being her friend since then.

He suddenly jolted out of his trance when she placed her hand on his right should, "Are you really okay? Should we go to the clinic?"

"I am fine. I just have some headache," he said, trying to brush it off.

"If you say so," she said in a concerned voice.

Within the next few moments, she was back to her cheery self, "Shall we begin our tour, Squall?"

'Even if I say no, it's not going to make a difference.' He thought with his hand instinctively reaching his forehead. 'Besides, it might not be a bad idea to do some reconnaissance.' He concluded.

"Come on, this way. For our first stop, we'll check out the marketplace," she said, walking ahead of him.

Along the way she asked, "Squall, where are you from?"

"Tenebrae," he said, recalling the name from watching that TV show last night.

"Wow, that's a long way from here. I've heard from Noct that it is a very beautiful place with lots of waterfalls surrounding the palace."

"It is," he played along.

"I am from the crown city, Insomnia," she said proudly.

"So, you are a refugee here?" He took an educated guess. He was glad he watched TV last night.

"Yes." She paused in her steps, losing all color from her face.

"I am sorry." He knew enough about the recent event to understand her circumstances.

"It's okay. We'll bounce back and kick Empire's ass. We'll make them pay for everything they have taken from us," she said with determination.

Squall nodded in approval.

They reached their set destination. "This is the Partellum Market. You can get almost anything here. Isn't it great?" She said cheerfully as ever.

"Ya, it is," he said unenthusiastically as ever.

"I'd buy out the whole place if I could," she said dreamily.

'Speaking of buying, I need to get new clothes.' He said looking at his tattered clothes.

He followed Iris through the crowded street. She stopped at practically every shop window shopping.

While following Iris around the marketplace she came to a sudden stop when she saw something, "Wow! Look at all this neat stuff! I'm gonna take a look, gimme just a sec."

Even before Squall could say anything she ran off.

Squall explored on his own for a while. He stopped by at the Tostwell Grill to check out hunt quests. He learned more about being a hunter from the shop owner. Eventually, Iris caught up with him.

"Having fun yet? Come on, next we're gonna see the power plant," she announced, marching ahead.

Once they climbed the stairs and came out of the alleyway, he saw a huge power plant.

"That's the power plant, the driving force behind Lestallum's prosperity. But get this: only women are allowed to work there. As a matter of fact, women do most of the work in this town."

"Interesting." He was surprised that he hadn't noticed it sooner.

"Alright! Next, we're going to the outlook! Follow me, right this way," she said with a little extra joy in her voice.

"I'm a city girl, but I love the charm of this town," she said even without asking.

As they pass a restaurant near the main thoroughfare she said, "You should try the food here. It is really good."

Squall made a mental note of her recommendations along the way.

As they crossed the road, they could see palm trees lining the main street. Tropical weather of this town made it an ideal tourist destination. All they were missing was a beach, else it would be a complete package.

"You know, I love giving this tour," she said with a grin looking back at him.

Upon seeing one of the antique-style cars parked in the area, she chirped, "Imagine riding that."

"Would be nice I bet," he agreed.

Soon they arrived at the outlook. The scene in front of his eyes was breathtaking, to say the least.

"This is Pegglar Outlook. Amazing view, right? Look! There's the Meteor!" She said, pointing it out.

"It looks beautiful," he confessed.

"It's even more beautiful out here at night. The perfect place to bring your date," Iris said with a mischief in her voice. "I plan to bring my dream date here someday too," she said with a smile.

The two stands silently for a moment, looking at the Meteor.

"It sucks to be a refugee, doesn't it? You live in a place where you don't even belong," she said, after a long silence, with a sudden shift in her tone.

"Ya, it does," he agreed, still looking at the glow of fallen meteor.

"I lost everything in that attack at Insomnia. My home, my friends, and my father. My old life, all gone," she said with sadness evident in her voice.

Comforting a girl who had lost her home felt like a déjà vu. He ignored those thoughts and paid attention to the girl in front of him.

"The damn empire took it all away from me," she continued in a somber tone still looking towards the meteor.

"Then get strong enough to protect what you love," he said.

"Huh?" she said, taken a bit by surprise, not really expecting Squall to chime in.

"Reality isn't so kind. Everything doesn't work out the way you want it to. But at every juncture, you get a choice, either to be a victim and surrender to the circumstances or be a warrior and fight for what's rightfully yours. If you were one of those lucky ones to survive the destruction at Insomnia, the least you can do now is to fight. Fight for your right to dream and live."

"You are right. I am not going to give up and surrender. Even if there is nothing but darkness all around me, I will still keep fighting till I find the light," she said with a firm determination in her eyes.
He nodded in affirmation. "You are very brave."

"No, I am not," she said with a laugh. "Thanks for motivating me and cheering me up."

"I did nothing," he said being modest.

"Have we met before, Squall? You kinda seem familiar," she said with a confused look on her face.

"I don't think so," he denied.

"Ya, you are probably right," she agreed.

As if an imaginary light bulb had lit over her head, suddenly her expression changed. "Oh, do you remember how I ran off in the marketplace?"

"Yes."

"I went to get this. Here, take it. It's a gift," she said, pulling something out from her pocket.

"No, I can't take it," he said politely pushing her hand away.

"Pretty please? I ran into you like a maniac, so I have to make up for it. This gift is a form of my apology," she said, joining her hands and giving him puppy eyes. His will melts in front of her puppy eyes.

"Fine. What is it?" he said, succumbing to her ultra-powerful puppy eyes.

"It's a good luck charm; it's called phoenix pinion. It might come in handy in battle when the odds are against you," she said cheerfully.

"Thank you," he said, taking the item as he slightly bowed his head in appreciation.

"You are most welcome," she said with a wink and her usual mischievous grin.

Suddenly a Chocobo theme song started playing. He wondered where the sound was coming from.

She pulled out her phone as she said, "Sorry, gotta take this."

She looked at the caller ID and picked up the phone. "Hey Dustin, what's up? Uh ha. Okay, I'll be there ASAP." She hung up the phone and looked at Squall. "I would love to hang out more with you, but Dustin needs some help. One room just opened up at hotel Leville so we will be moving there now," she said sounding happy.

She reached in the depths of her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and quickly wrote something on it. "Here is my number. Feel free to reach out to me if you need anything. Or if you need another tour," she said with a smile.

"Let's hang out again. It was fun. Gotta go for now, bye," she waved enthusiastically before dashing off.

'What a strange girl.'

He stood there silently admiring the scenic view in front of him. As he was about to leave, someone approached from behind.

"At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but here you are in the flesh, Squall Leonhart," said a stranger addressing him.

Squall noticed a middle-aged man with red-violet hair, amber eyes, and strong facial features, walking towards him. He was dressed in a black trench coat and pinstripe trousers. He wore a red scarf and a hooded, gray and white flower-print mantle. He had a black fedora and a black winglike accessory on his left arm.

"I am delighted to see you again, my dear friend." He said removing his hat and bowing down slightly.

Author's Notes:

Two new FFVIII characters were revealed in this chapter; Hope you caught them both.

Ardyn and Squall meet for the first time in next chapter! Plot thickens now...

The answer from the last chapter: Wimbly Donner was the Garden festival committee chair before Selphie (before game starts).

This chapter's question: What is phoenix pinion?

Please leave a comment if you've enjoyed the story so far. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks :)