A/N: Hey, guys. In the previous chapter, Terra, Locke and Mog, accompanied by Strago and Relm, found the Espers, including Yura, a friend of Terra's father, and successfully convinced them to come with them to negotiate a peace with Banon, Arvis and Leo. Unfortunately, it turned out that Emperor Gestahl had lied and freed Kefka to kill the Espers, and although the others found out about the deception, they still didn't make it in time. Kefka killed thirteen Espers, including Yura, some citizens of Thamasa and even Banon and Leo, who had tried to help the Returners fight. In particular, Leo, after discovering that the Emperor had lied to lure the Espers and kill them, abandoned the Empire he was a part of and decided to join the Returners to fight for the good cause, only to be brutally killed by Kefka just shortly after. At their funeral, Terra was particularly shocked, and no one of the Returners knows what to do. Let's see what's going on. I'm going to do about 25 chapters for the World of Balance, but for the World of Ruin, I don't know, not yet, I'll see later. Now let's get started!

Chapter 22: Overcoming Despair

(''Time of Sadness 2 (Game Over) - Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War OST'')

Arvis, accompanied by Setzer, returned to Narshe to escort the coffin containing Banon's lifeless body for his funeral, and did not say a word throughout the entire day's voyage in the airship. He really thought it would all be over, but he was wrong, and Kefka had killed the Espers and Banon. Even though he wasn't sure he would move forward, he had made him a promise, and he had to take his place as leader.

When they received the bad news, the members of the Returners who were in Narshe fell into despair, losing morale just as they had lost their leader. At the funeral, the occasion in which they had to pay their last farewell to Banon and Arvis saw Umaro roaring to the sky in grief, it was difficult for him not to cry for the second time over his old friend's coffin, and after returned home, he was too annoyed that he had lost the progress of the last few days. He kicked the nightstand in his frustration, sat down heavily on his bed, rested his bow and quiver to the side, and put his head in his hands. Everything they had done so far was for nothing, and while he believed in Terra and the others, he too was beginning to be less and less confident. ''Curse you, Kefka!'' he thought, his teeth clenched in anger.

Arvis's frustration was such that he didn't dare leave the house, still upset about Kefka and Gestahl's deception, as they were so close to ending the conflict and restoring peace, but those manipulative liars had to screw it up. He didn't blame Terra for feeling so distraught after the deaths of thirteen Espers, including Yura, Banon and Leo, but he believed she was not to blame and was worried about her. ''I hope you are alright, Terra...'' he murmured.

(''Time of Sadness 2 (Game Over) - Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War OST-s'')

Several days passed after the Thamasa Massacre. The Returners, having no idea what to do, stayed at the inn, where Strago took care of their needs, while Edgar, Cid and Setzer, who was back from Narshe, collaborated to try to repair the damage caused by Kefka. On that occasion, everyone had the opportunity to get to know Strago and Relm better, and everything happened with the Figaro brothers: Sabin was not very convinced of the idea of bringing a little girl and an elderly person with them, and Relm, offended, punched him in the stomach, but it didn't scratch him, called him some sort of arrogant thug, and threatened to paint his portrait, and everyone had to stop her. Sabin looked at her offended. ''Just because I'm all muscle doesn't mean I'm stupid.'' he told her.

''You better get used to it. You have no idea what Relm can do with that brush.'' Locke told him, and Sabin agreed to have Relm fight with the Returners, but he still thought it was a bad idea.

A funny thing that happened when they met Relm was when Edgar tried to flirt with her, which left her visibly confused, as if she couldn't understand, in fact, she backfired it on him, and the King of Figaro was surprised to find that she was only ten years old. Strago grimaced, Locke sighed in exasperation thinking ''not again...'' and Sabin elbowed his brother hard in the stomach.

''Ow! That hurt! Why did you do that for?!'' Edgar exclaimed.

''I can't believe you'd stoop this low, Edgar! First the servant, now a little girl! I swear you'd even hit on with a tree in a skirt!(1)'' yelled Sabin.

''Okay, but you destroying my bones with your elbow wasn't necessary!'' Edgar replied.

''Does he often do that?'' Strago asked.

''Yeah.'' Locke replied in an impassive tone, having seen his friend king behave like this a million times.

(''Scent of Silence- Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories OST'')

''Anyway, Celes, were you aware that the Empire lied to us?'' Edgar asked.

''Yes, I knew that.'' Celes replied.

''Then why didn't you tell us earlier, Lady Celes?'' Cyan asked. Even though he wasn't angry like the other times, nor was he glaring at her, he wanted answers.

''It's a long story. After I teleported myself and Kefka to buy you time, he chased me by casting spells at me, but I managed to escape. Then the Magitek Research Institute exploded, and seeing the Blackjack in the sky, I knew you were alive, and when I saw the Espers, I knew that Terra had summoned them. After they destroyed Vector, I infiltrated the Empire to find out what Emperor Gestahl was up to, and a soldier explained everything to me. I then tried to blackmail the Emperor, telling him that he would either assign me as an escort to Terra and the others on the recon mission or I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. I managed to fool him, but I couldn't tell Leo everything or warn you because they would kill us immediately. Even though Kefka was still in prison, someone else from the Empire could find out and tell everything to the Emperor. I wanted to warn you, but it was too risky.'' Celes explained.

''I see... Our enemies are much smarter than us.'' Edgar said.

Cyan sighed and knelt. ''I owe thee an apology, Lady Celes. I was not fair to you because of your previous affiliation, and after what happened back in Vector, a certain martial artist was so mad at me that he told me I might as well leave if I didn't stop causing discord in the Returners just because I hate the Empire. Also realizing what Lady Terra went through when we returned to Zozo and what happened in Narshe when I first met you two, she was right. Because of Kefka and the Empire, I have lost my wife, my son, my soldiers, my king, everything, but that's no excuse for being so indecent, and being a samurai, I know it well. I hope you forgive me like Lady Terra did.'' He said wistfully. There was no response for about twenty seconds. ''I understand. I do not blame you, not even for the events at the Magitek Research Institute. I should have offered you support instead of always staring at you like that, or doubting your loyalty. Such lousy ally I've been...''

''He's not the only one, Celes. I didn't want to doubt you or believe Kefka's words, but when he popped up and said these things, he caught us all off guard. I was supposed to protect you, but instead I doubted you even for a moment, and that made things even worse. On the airship, Sabin was furious with me and Cyan for what we had done, and I wanted to talk to you, on the ferry, but I didn't know what to say.'' Locke added.

''Don't say that. I didn't know what to tell you on the ferry either, but after I found out that a house in Thamasa had caught fire and collapsed, I was worried about you, Locke. What you did after Leo died was really respectful considering how he was killed.'' Celes said.

Locke realized that she was referring to how he had covered the slash on Leo's throat with bandages and blushed a little. ''Hey, it's nothing. It was horrible to see his neck open like that. You could even see the flesh beneath, and Cid threw up when he saw that disgusting stuff.'' he replied.

''I wanted to talk to you in Vector, but with the current circumstances, I can't delay any longer. For me, you are already forgiven.'' the woman replied, and then turned to Cyan. ''As for you, Cyan, I don't blame you for your lack of trust in me, but deep down... it hurt me. As I said, I was proud to be a general, but what I wasn't proud of was the things Kefka forced me to do. I can understand why you hate the Empire, but not your dislike of me. And you must know that I deserted the Empire by my own choice, and the breaking point was that evening at dinner when Kefka planned the siege of the kingdom of Doma.'' There was more of a slight irritation than coldness in her tone

''I know, and I am sorry. For real.''

''I forgive you this time, but I'm warning you: I am your ally, and if you care so much about dying to see your loved ones again, I would be happy to pierce you with my sword. And I'm serious.''

This time Cyan did not react with anger or touchiness. He stood up and he and Celes shook hands, symbolizing their truce.

''So, all water under the bridge?'' Locke asked.

''I guess we're even now.'' Celes replied.

''Hey, Cyan, speaking of horrible things, seeing Leo like this reminds me of something back in the Imperial camp.'' Sabin said.

'Really? What?'' Cyan asked.

''The massacre you did there. I don't even know how I didn't throw up, yet there were bloodstains and corpses everywhere and severed limbs and heads here and there. I suppose circumstances kept me busy thinking only about getting out of there. But I've never seen such a horrible death, it's just bordering on repulsive.'' Sabin replied, and the samurai looked a little surprised.

''I'm worried about Terra, kupo... She hasn't been seen for days.'' Mog murmured.

''And you're not alone in noticing it, Mog. She barely even leaves her room. Sometimes I tried to bring her food, but she has refused to eat for a week, and she hadn't eaten much before that, forcing us to share the food she hadn't eaten so as not to waste it. Also, she complained of nightmares when she spoke to the owner of the inn, and I know they were serious, she is shaken, pale and not eating enough. After she took flowers to Leo's grave, she went straight back to her room. It's been at least ten days since the battle that took place here, I'd say two weeks, and she's still isolating herself from everyone.'' said Strago.

''Now that I remember, I had nightmares as well.'' Cyan said.

''About what?'' Strago asked.

''You see, Cyan is a samurai from the kingdom of Doma, and he has lost his family and the king he served. Kefka poisoned the river water during the siege, and I couldn't stop it. As far as we know, the population of Doma was halved. Since then he has fallen into depression, traumatized by that massacre, and began to have terrible nightmares in which he relived what had happened, without being able to stop Kefka. Sometimes the voices of those who had died from the poison, including his family, haunt him, and whenever he has these nightmares, I hear him scream in the middle of the night. As if that weren't enough, just seeing bottles of toxic substances, including insecticides, sends him into post-traumatic stress. Yesterday, he had a panic attack after seeing someone use rat poison, and he was so hysterical that it took us a long time to calm him down.'' Sabin explained.

''And I suffer from chronic insomnia. My girlfriend, Rachel, lost her memory four years ago because of an incident, and after that, I was exiled from my hometown. I only came back the following year.'' Locke said.

''What happened to her?'' Relm asked.

''She was killed by Imperial soldiers during a siege that took place while I was not there. I've been a member of the Returners ever since, and since Rachel died, it's hard for me to sleep well without having nightmares.'' Locke replied sadly.

Relm put her hands to her mouth in shock. ''Our condolences.'' said Strago.

''How did you get here, guys?'' Celes asked.

''We discovered the Empire's betrayal before you.'' Cyan replied. ''King Edgar found out while we were looking for information.''

''I spoke to a maid, who told me about the plot.'' Edgar explained. ''I couldn't even... uh... make her acquaintance that she told me everything.''

Sabin was not convinced. ''So much for making her acquaintance! You seduced her!'' he shouted.

''It's a question of etiquette, dear brother.'' Edgar replied. He then turned to Relm, and noticed that she was wearing a platinum ring in a chain. ''Relm, what is this ring you are wearing?'' he asked her.

''Oh, this? It's a memento of my mom. She died a few years ago. I was old enough to talk at the time, but after that, my dad left and I haven't seen him since.(2)'' Relm replied, with a slight sadness. It wasn't easy to notice, but it looked like something she didn't want to remember.

''So you're an orphan. I see. I'm sorry.'' Edgar said.

''This explains why Strago adopted you. They say you're not related to him.'' Locke said.

''And they are right. I was a friend of Relm's family, and her father came to me in a hurry one night, asking me to take care of her for him. I didn't understand what was happening, but it seemed important, so I accepted.'' Strago explained.

''Sorry for the inconvenience, but shouldn't we worry about Terra?'' Celes interrupted.

''Yeah, we have to go to her now!'' Sabin added.

''Speaking of Terra, these days I've seen her a couple of times taking flowers to Leo's grave like she does every morning, but she never spoke to me.'' Setzer said.

''I noticed that as well. We are all doing it every day, but she ignores us, it's like we weren't there.'' Cyan added.

''Yes, and she doesn't even confide in her father. Last week, Maduin told me that every time he tries to talk to Terra, she turns her back on him and doesn't even dare look him in the face. He thinks Terra feels she had let him down, after all, she's part-Esper.'' Edgar said.

''Terra not guilty! Terra not guilty!'' Gau yelled, particularly serious.

''You're right, Gau. We have to do something.'' Sabin said.

''All this has to stop. We can't sit idle and let her mull over it.'' Locke said.

''And that's what we're going to do. She must know that she is not alone.'' Sabin replied.

''Right. I've had enough of receiving the silent treatment!'' Relm added, slightly irritated.

''Strago, Relm, before you go in, I warn you that there are some things Terra hasn't told you.'' Edgar said.

''I guess you know Terra's father is an Esper, right?'' Setzer asked.

''Exactly. She proved it to us herself.'' Strago replied.

''Because of the Empire, Terra is an orphan from shortly after her birth. Emperor Gestahl kidnapped her after killing her mother and subjected her father and the other Espers to experiments with a technology known as Magitek, used to create weapons for world conquest, and this slowly and painfully killed them, not to mention that Maduin, for eighteen years, could never see his daughter again, or find out what happened to her.'' Locke explained. ''For many years, Terra has been used by Kefka because she was the only one apart from you Thamasans to use magic naturally, all because she was the daughter of an Esper, and natural magic had been extinct since the end of the War of the Magi, of which my grandmother told me several stories. Kefka constantly used the Slave Crown on her to keep her under his control, a puppet who would follow his orders, and this left her with no memories and no childhood, which Leo regretted, as even though he knew everything, he hadn't rebelled until the last moment, being killed just days ago.''

''Oh, next time I see Kefka and his followers, they won't have a clue what I'm going to do to them what they did and what they made me witness!'' Relm snapped.

''And we won't let him get away with it, Relm. We are from Thamasa, and this is the last straw.'' Strago told her, sensing her anger.

''I'm worried... Terra needs us... '' Gau murmured sadly.

''I know. Everything will be alright, Gau, don't worry.'' Cyan reassured him. It was the first time he didn't spoke to him formally.

''Better if we go. Terra needs us now more than ever. She's been ignoring us for too long, and it's about time she gets the message.'' Celes said, and everyone agreed.

''Locke, do you have Arvis's letter?'' Setzer asked.

''Yes, I have it in my pocket.'' Locke replied.

''Good. Because Terra absolutely has to read it.'' Setzer said.

(''Scent of Silence- Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories OST-s'')

The Returners climbed the stairs, where Terra's room was, and noticed some empty trays next to the door, no doubt from Strago's attempts to get her to eat, and knocked. ''Can we go in?'' Cyan asked.

''I don't want to see anyone. Please leave me alone.'' Terra replied in a disconsolate voice.

''Come on, let them in. They are your friends who want to talk to you.'' said Maduin, who was with her.

''Fine. Come in.'' Terra sighed. She was sitting on the bed, with her father beside her.

When everyone looked at their friend, they quickly noticed that something was wrong with her. Strago was right: she was paler than usual, her eyes were bloodshot and Sabin noticed that she looked thinner from malnutrition and that she wasn't getting enough sleep. ''So Strago was right, kupo...'' Mog murmured.

''Maduin, is Terra still hesitating?'' Edgar asked.

''I'm afraid everything is more serious than we thought. She still doesn't look me in the face, she barely speaks to me and she has isolated herself from everyone and everything.'' Maduin replied.

''Come on, Terra, you can't go on like this forever.'' Sabin said.

''There is nothing more we can do. Kefka won. We have lost the only way to restore peace because I summoned the Espers, leading them to their deaths.'' Terra murmured tearfully.

''There was no better solution than summoning the Espers, and Banon trusted you. That's why he wanted you to summon the Espers.'' Locke said.

''But now there is nothing more that we can do. And it's all my fault.''

''How would that be your fault? You haven't done anything wrong.'' Relm said.

''It's all because of what I was born with.'' Terra replied. ''I never want to use my magical powers again.''

Everyone in the room reacted with strong shock, and Strago facefaulted. ''You're not serious, are you?'' Setzer asked, taken aback, and Terra nodded.

(''Zelda's Lullaby- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword OST'')

''Are you kidding? Terra, these powers are part of who you are. There's nothing you can do about it.'' Celes said.

''My powers only attract unwanted attention from power-hungry people like Kefka and others of the Gestahlian Empire. That's why I'm thinking I shouldn't use them anymore.'' Terra said.

''Why?!'' Gau asked with wide eyes, as Relm held Mog in her arms.

''Because wherever I go, I cause devastation because I was born with these cursed powers. Father, you were kidnapped and made a victim of these experiments that killed you, all without ever seeing me again, and the Emperor killed Mother. I was so naive... I couldn't understand the consequences of my magical powers, or of fighting in this war. Most importantly, I shouldn't have summoned Yura and the other Espers, I should have told Banon that this plan would be too risky, and look what happened. I brought Kefka here, allowing him to carry out a massacre, and we made it happen in front of citizens, including children, who witnessed everything. And I've also dragged all of you into this, a treasure hunter who still can't get over his grief over the loss of his girlfriend, a former Imperial general who has yet to find her place, a depressed samurai who has lost everything, a gambler, a little girl and an old man. Strago, Relm, I'm sure you hate me, I have brought devastation and death to your village, not to mention that you are now members of the Returners, and I have even involved you two in a war.'' the half-Esper replied, sobbing with her face in her hands.

Hearing all this, Locke wasn't convinced. ''By the way, Strago, how did you and Relm took all of this? Are you okay?'' he asked.

''We were a little shaken, but we recovered. It's all right.'' Relm replied.

Strago put a hand on Terra's shoulder. ''Nobody blames you for what happened, Terra. I talked to the mayor and the other townspeople, and they said you and your friends are not to blame. For days I was really worried when you didn't talk to us, and refused to eat when I brought you food. We were all worried about you, so you shouldn't blame yourself for everything, it's not the end of the world.'' he told her.

''Yes it is. There is nothing we can do to stop Kefka. We don't even know where he is, and the world could be destroyed.'' Terra said.

''The only reason the world will fall is because you are beating yourself up. You can't go on like this.'' Sabin said sternly.

Despite attempts to comfort their friend, no one succeeded. ''This is not going anywhere.'' Setzer commented, absent-mindedly throwing darts at the wall.

Maduin sighed and looked uncomfortably. It had been nearly two weeks with no results. Suddenly, Mog, Gau and Relm, pushed to the breaking point, jumped from the floor onto the bed where Terra was sitting, and did so several times. ''Kefka's at fault, bad lying man! His fault, not yours!'' Gau shouted, heated, but the girl, although surprised, did not reply.

''Are you listening to us or not?! I've had enough of the silent treatment!'' Relm yelled at her.

''Don't you realize we're all worried about you, kupo?! For two weeks you're starving yourself, TWO WEEKS where you don't eat, you blame yourself for everything when it's not and you don't talk to us! Do you think we would like to see you like this? Do you honestly think Arvis would be happy to find out you're throwing in the towel? And you even made a promise to Banon when he was about to die! Do you think your father would be happy to see you like this?!'' Mog snapped, fed up with the situation.

A particularly unnerving silence fell, and Terra began to think that maybe Mog was right. Banon would not have liked to know that she had not kept the promise she had made to him just because she was traumatized by the events, Arvis would not be happy if he found out that she had given up, and, above all, his father would certainly not want her to push away everyone and everything like this. Maduin looked particularly uncomfortable, especially since the Moogle had brought up his name. He sighed and placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. ''Terra, listen to me. Your friends are right. You are acting as if the world has already been destroyed, but it's not, and sometimes I heard you whisper that you had failed me. You never let me down, you did everything you could, but sometimes, it's just not enough. Seeing you like this, without eating, without saying anything for fear of our reactions, I was worried sick about you.''

''But... how am I going to know my powers won't cause you any trouble?'' Terra asked, still unsure.

''Because we know you. Even when Kefka tried to magically bring you under his control during the invasion at Narshe, you recovered quickly, and you always offered us support.'' Celes replied.

Cyan approached too. ''I am very sorry for what happened to General Leo, Lady Terra. I respected him personally. Sir Strago explained to us how you were going through it all, and I found that you were suffering from nightmares during these two weeks. You should know that I too have nightmares.'' he said.

''You do?'' Terra asked.

''Yes. No matter how hard I try, I still can't get over that massacre at Doma, and often, in my dreams, it doesn't just happen that I can't stop Kefka, but I also hear the voices of my wife, my son, my king, all those who had died, asking me coldly why I had not saved them. As if that weren't enough, the fact that it all happened because Kefka poisoned the river left me with toxiphobia, a fear of poisons and harmful substances. But the point is, you don't mustn't give up, not now. Even when I have made stupid and unacceptable mistakes, like our first meeting, you have always offered me support in battle, to all of us. As our leader said, you have given us hope, so it is up to us now to return the favor. It's a matter of honor, I know from experience.'' Cyan replied.

But the girl didn't reply. It was clear that everything that had happened to Thamasa, her eighteen-year submission to the Empire, and everything that she had been through was too much for her to bear. Locke sighed, feeling this had gone on too long, and pulled a letter out of his jacket pocket. ''Terra, do you see this letter? It's from Arvis. We wrote to him a few days ago, and he sent it to us this morning. Setzer was with him at Banon's funeral, but when he finished, he went directly back to his airship to come back here, and he insisted that you read this letter.'' he said.

Terra opened the letter and began to read it.

''Terra, is everything alright? Your friends sent me letters when they noticed you were isolating yourself from them over the days. Nobody knows what to do now that we've lost the Espers, but I don't think it gives you any reason to isolate yourself from everything and everyone. Your friends are all worried about you, especially your father. He says he heard you whisper that you would no longer use your magical powers. Why? Are you really afraid that we would abandon you just because of your magical powers? Absolutely not.

All of this is not like you. You don't eat, you don't speak to anyone, you blame yourself for the tragedies that have fallen all over the World of Balance and you worry everyone. Banon wouldn't want you to give up like this, just because you're traumatized. I had to go to Narshe for his public funeral, escorting his coffin, and I didn't feel like crying over him for the second time. He wanted me to take his place as leader, regardless of my insecurities, it's up to to me to lead a group that like you, has lost all hope.

We'll tell you that for the last time. Everything that happened is not your fault, no one would have expected the Empire to betray us, even though we suspected it. And we were the ones who pulled you into all of this, not the other way around, and maybe it's our fault. Your father wouldn't be happy to see you like this, and Banon would like you to keep fighting without losing hope. Strago says that the fate of the world depends on the three statues of the Warring Triad, so if you can stop Kefka from taking control and moving them, there is still some hope. Please keep fighting for us keep the last glimmer of hope alive in us. - Arvis''

(''Zelda's Lullaby- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword OST-s'')

(''Alphys' Theme- Undertale OST'')

Even though she felt better, Terra still wasn't completely convinced. ''Whenever I think of my magical powers, I think of the Empire. It seems so many people just want power. They are not like me. Do you guys mean that?'' she asked.

''Of course we mean it, Terra. Have we ever doubted you? Never.'' Locke replied.

''We need you. Your magical powers can be used for good, and we are proof of that.'' Celes added.

''I am your father, I always know everything about you, my child. I will always be with you, and I'm always available if you need help.'' Maduin said, returning to his Magicite form.

''Okay, I give up. Thanks, guys.'' Terra said with a sigh.

''Finally! I couldn't take this drama anymore!'' Relm commented.

"Hey, shall we go to take flowers to General Leo's grave?'' Cyan asked.

''Alright. But let's have breakfast first.'' Terra answered.

''You should, I think you've lost weight.'' Sabin said.

Strago prepared breakfast, and gave Terra a large portion of food to make up for the fact that she had been starving herself for days. ''You have to get your strength back. Come on, eat up.'' he told her.

Now that the girl had recovered from the shock, the atmosphere was more relaxed. She was eating oatmeal and an omelette, looking much more relaxed after the events of two weeks ago, and Mog, on her shoulder, was serving himself with eggs and bacon. While Sabin was serving a full breakfast and his brother was sipping coffee with his own, Cyan sat cross-legged as he put the food to his mouth with chopsticks, serving up miso soup with pickles, steamed rice in white, pickled vegetables, fermented soy beans, nori seaweeds and some grilled fish.

''Aren't all these breakfast dishes a bit over the top, Cyan? I understand the Figaro twins' breakfast, but yours?'' Locke asked, noticing the several bowls on Cyan's side.

''It's part of the tradition. And anyway, these dishes are lighter than they seem.'' the samurai replied.

''We can't feel Kefka's presence anywhere, it's hard to track him down, even with magic. Even though Terra is feeling better, she is still worried. Things have gotten bad since we joined the Returners, but I didn't thought it would be so bad up to that point.'' Celes said.

''Oh, that Kefka! I really want to knock him in to the middle of next week and tell him him to go fu** himself!(3)'' snapped Relm.

''Relm! Don't say these things, it's not polite!'' Strago scolded her. Terra laughed.

''Strago, does Relm often say such things?'' Locke asked.

''Yup. Even though she is only ten years old, she is very sassy, and does not hesitate to use strong language even towards those who are older than her.'' Strago replied.

''Quite bold, I must say.'' Setzer commented.

''What do you want us to do with Kefka, Grandpa?'' Relm asked. ''He almost traumatized me!''

''I don't know. But we only know that we have to fight.'' the old wizard replied.

(''Alphys' Theme- Undertale OST-s'')

When they had finished breakfast, they all went to Leo's grave, and surrounded it with flowers in honor of that patriotic man who, despite being surrounded by the evils of the Empire, had remained good. After a minute of silence, Locke remembered something. ''Darn it, Shadow! I completely forgot!'' he exclaimed.

''Why? Have you seen him?'' Setzer asked.

''He was with us, kupo, but we lost contact with him after he saved us from the burning house. He had parted ways with us to find the Espers on his own, but we haven't seen him for two weeks now.'' Mog replied.

Suddenly, there was a sound coming from the trees. A dobermann came out of the trees whimpering. ''It's Interceptor!'' Relm exclaimed.

''And Shadow is not with him! Maybe Shadow is dead! Drat, the Empire has betrayed him too!'' Sabin snapped, noting that Shadow was not with him.

They moved closer and noticed that the dog was having difficulty staying upright. Locke saw that his body had several scrapes and cuts, as well as some burns. ''He's wounded! We have to help him!'' he declared, looking in his backpack for something that could cure him, and took some burn ointment, some bandages and some disinfectant. But when he got closer to treat him, Interceptor growled at him.

''He wants his master. He refuses to be touched by anyone other than Relm.'' said Strago.

''Please, Interceptor. You are badly injured, and your master is not with you. Let us help you.'' Terra pleaded. Interceptor was not convinced.

''They are my friends. You can trust them.'' Relm said, and the dog lay down on the ground.

''Interceptor has burns and cuts all over his body. We have to treat him.'' Locke said, putting disinfectant on one of the open wounds. The dog yelped in pain.

''Don't move. It will burn a little, but it is for your wounds. If we don't treat them, they will get infected. Be good, you'll feel better.'' Terra told him, and the dog calmed down.

''I know these wounds very well. As a samurai, I have been involved in several battles.'' Cyan said.

Locke, Terra, Celes, and Relm began to disinfect the wounds and spread the ointment on the burns, followed by the others.

''Everything will be OK, Interceptor. You'll be better in the blink of an eye.'' Relm said. It took a few minutes to treat Interceptor's wounds, and when it was all over, the dog was quiet. ''There. That's better now.''

''Interceptor, has something happened to your master?'' Locke asked.

Interceptor began whimpering and running back and forth, even making what appeared to be desperate gestures. ''You mean Shadow was attacked by the Empire? And he ordered you to escape?'' Terra asked, and the dog nodded. ''Oh, you poor thing! Don't worry, we'll find your master.'' the girl petted him, and this time Interceptor let her do it.

''Hey! It seems that he trusts us!'' Locke exclaimed.

''So Shadow was also betrayed and attacked. We have to find him.'' said Strago.

''But there's a problem. We don't know where he is.'' Setzer said.

''What now, kupo?'' asked Mog.

(''Meet Ganondorf- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess OST'')

Suddenly, what appeared to be an earthquake was heard. Everyone, especially Strago, Relm, and Mog, had difficulty standing up.

''What's going on here?!'' Cyan exclaimed.

In shock, Terra collapsed too... With her eyes closed, she sensed something. ''Terra! What's wrong?'' Celes asked, alarmed.

''I don't know! But I feel cries of agony from the earth!'' Terra replied in agitation.

A piece of the planet broke away from the rest and began to fly up towards the sky. Edgar gasped in shock. ''That is the eastern part of the southern continent, where is the portal that separates the human world and the Esper World!'' he exclaimed.

''Relm, maybe with our magic and Terra's we can locate Kefka and Gestahl! Help me out!'' Celes said, concentrating.

Relm did so, and the three girls closed their eyes, concentrating their magic with their eyes closed. They saw what looked like a cave. The view changed at the exit, showing... the portal! ''Here they are! They're in front of the portal! And they're doing something!'' Terra exclaimed.

''The Floating Continent...'' Strago murmured.

''What?'' Gau asked, confused.

''I don't know if you know about the Triad of Discord. We saw copies of their statues just before we met the Esper. They are Sephirot the Fiend, Zurvan the Demon and Sophia the Goddess. They petrified themselves after realizing the catastrophe that their struggle for power caused, and when they did, they positioned themselves in a specific way to keep the world stable. Before petrifying themselves, they looked at each other, and this caused the power of one god to cancel that of the other two. In this alignment, by virtue of their powers canceling each other out, they have kept the world as we know it. But if someone breaks the alignment, the magical balances will break, and a disastrous event, the Cataclysm, will hit the world and ravage it. '' Strago explained.

''That's awful!'' Edgar exclaimed.

''Yeah! I don't want to live in a post-apocalyptic world!'' Setzer added.

The earth continued to shake, before it stopped completely, and two objects fell. They were two Magicites. One portrayed a white unicorn-like horse except that it was winged, while the other portrayed a six-headed teal dragon capable of taming the wind. ''Magicites!'' Terra exclaimed.

''This is the Pegasus Magicite. They are winged horses similar to unicorns, and are considered sacred. The second is instead used to summon Tiamat, the wind dragoness.(4) It appears that those Magicites fell from Kefka, or perhaps they were blown away by the explosion of the Magitek Research Institute.'' Celes said.

Interceptor began to bark repeatedly, as if he was attracted by something. ''What is it, boy? Did you see anything?'' Relm asked. The dog continued to bark. ''You want to protect me?'' Interceptor nodded, but still looked out at the horizon.

''Interceptor, do you think Shadow is in the Floating Continent?'' Terra asked, and Interceptor nodded again.

''Cid, how are things in Thamasa?'' Edgar asked.

''I finished the repairs. The inhabitants are still shaken, but they are fine.'' Cid replied.

''Listen, Cid, we have to go to the Floating Continent and stop Kefka.'' Celes said.

And I know you will, Celes. Show him who you are!'' Cid said.

''You sure we can do it?'' Terra asked.

''It's our only chance.'' Sabin replied.

''Terra, we will wait for you and the others here. You've come this far, and I know you can do it. Good luck.'' Arvis said.

''Thanks, Arvis.'' Terra said.

''There's no time to waste! To the airship!'' Setzer declared.

(''Meet Ganondorf- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess OST-s'')

(''Opening- Super Mario 64 OST'')

The group of eleven, along with Interceptor, who was next to Relm, boarded the Blackjack. Setzer started the engine and took off to search for the Floating Continent in order to reach Shadow and stop Kefka and Gestahl before they could destroy the world by moving the statues of the Warring Triad. The fate of the world depended on the placement of those three statues.

''Terra overcame despair only two weeks after the Thamasa Massacre, and we discovered that same day that Kefka and Gestahl were at the portal, and had raised the Floating Continent. With Shadow still missing and his dog injured, we had to reach him, knowing he could be there. The fate of the world depended on us. But if only we knew what would happen next...'' Mog said.

(''Opening- Super Mario 64 OST-s'')

A/N: After this setback, now the Returners know where Kefka and Gestahl are! But where is Shadow? Was he killed by the Empire? Is he in the Floating Continent? Will they be able to find him and stop the Empire before it's too late? Find out in the next chapters! The next chapter will be about the air battle, while the Floating Continent will be divided into two chapters. Until next time!

(1): This line originates from Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn.

(2): This is the Memento Ring, a relic from Final Fantasy VI, and there are three of them throughout the game: Relm has one equipped, but you can find another one hidden upstairs in Strago's house to Thamasa and another one can be stolen from a boss towards the end of the game. Each character can equip up to two relics each. The description of the Memento Ring states that it is blessed with the love of a deceased mother, and it renders one immune to petrifaction, instant death and zombification. Only Shadow and Relm can equip it, which is a clue indicating a connection between them.

(3): I decided to censor Relm's bad language because since she is a child, it would be detrimental. Her impertinence is part of her personality, however, so I won't change it.

(4): Tiamat is considered female multiple times in the series games, and apart from the sequel of Final Fantasy XII for the DS, Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings, where she deals thunder damage, she is associated with the wind element.