A/W: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, Celes woke up from a coma after a year during which she was under the care of Cid, her mentor and adoptive father, who fell ill due to his efforts, and despite his attempts to cure him by feeding him fish, Cid died of lung cancer. Trapped on an island in the middle of nowhere and believing that all her friends are dead, a belief symbolized by a dead dove, Celes unsuccessfully attempts suicide by jumping off a cliff and meets a wounded seagull, discovering Locke's bandana, which makes her hope return and pushes her to leave the island via the raft that Cid has prepared for her before dying. What will Celes face? And who will he meet first? Let's find out! Before we begin, I have some news: the Pixel Remaster version of Final Fantasy VI has been released. As with the Pixel Remaster versions of the other five classic games, it doesn't have the additional content of the Android Game Boy Advance ports, but Cyan's Bushido now work like in this latest version, which it now replaces, the opera scene is now dubbed in all the languages in which the game is localized (English, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French, German and Korean) and the part where Celes sings the Aria di Mezzo Carattere now has a new, more cinematic perspective. Because of this, I have made slight edits to Chapter 14. Now let's start!

Chapter 27: New hopes: Sabin Rene Figaro

After having a dream in which she heard Leo's voice, Celes woke up the next morning, under the soft orange light. She looked at the map Cid had given her, but it was not clear to her where she was. She took another map, that of the World of Order as it was pre-Apocalypse, and compared it with the other, with her gaze turned half towards the maps and half towards what was in front of her. The waves had taken her to the main continent, and there were a few islets in the area.

(''Dark World- Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST'')

(Objective: Start looking for your missing friends.)

Characters:

Celes

Getting off the raft, Celes felt the wind ruffling her hair, and as she continued to the fields near the coast to look for her allies, she noticed that something was wrong, something extremely sinister.

Unlike the island, where she had seen dying animals, there was nothing here but desertified fields and dead trees. Usually there were animals around, or at least, before the Cataclysm, but this time, there was no one and there was no sound, just a tomb silence interrupted only by the wind. It was a feeling of loneliness that she could not bear, it made her uncomfortable and almost frightened her. She looked at the map of the world pre-Cataclysm and saw something on the back. It was a smiley face, a sketch of Locke, and when he saw it, hersadness rose. He had given it to her when they were reaching the Floating Continent the year before. ''Oh, Locke... where are you?'' he thought, putting maps in his pockets and looking at Locke's bandana. Never before did loneliness eat her entrails. She continued to travel, and surprisingly found a Magicite. So the Magicites had really scattered everywhere with the destruction of the Magitek Research Institute the year before. The Esper depicted was Quetzalli, looking like a beautiful purple and green bird with colorful plumage. She still had the Magilites, that didn't help much with her loneliness. Putting Quetzalli's Magicite in her pocket, the girl sat down, lost in her thoughts.

(''Dark World- Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST-s'')

(''Celes' Theme- Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST'')

To Celes' surprise, three Magicites levitated from his pockets and shone, revealing Maduin, Ramuh, and Titan. ''What? Oh I had forgotten that you Espers were with me for a moment.'' she said, surprised.

''Celes, you seem terribly tormented.'' said Ramuh.

"Ramuh, Maduin, Titan, I never thought this would happen. I'm very worried about my friends, and even though I know they're alive, I don't know where they are, and I can't find them. And Terra... to be honest, she's like a sister to me, I wouldn't want anything to happen to her.'' explained Celes.

''I'm sure my daughter is fine.'' Maduin said.

''It looks like you've been through a lot.'' Titan noted.

''It's a bit of an understatement, but yes, I've been through a lot. Since Kefka destroyed the world, I've been in a coma on an island in the middle of nowhere, and it's been a whole year. Cid stood by my side while I was unconscious, but he fell ill and died yesterday.'' said Celes.

''Feel sorry for you.'' said Maduin, with his head down.

Titan clenched his fists, filled with anger toward Kefka, and seemed on the verge of hitting the ground. ''If I see Kefka, I will cause an earthquake so strong that he will fall into the core of the planet!'' he blurted out.

''Calm down, Titan. There's not much we can do.'' Ramuh stopped him.

''How do you know your friends are alive?'' asked Titan, calming down.

''I have Locke's bandana. It was wrapped around the wing of a wounded seagull. For me it is a symbol of hope, and it means that he is somewhere, but before that, everyone for me was like dead. Not even Cid had news of them. I was so close to giving up, but that bandana made me hope again. They're strong enough to fight without me, but I'm worried.'' replied Celes.

''They'll be somewhere, you'll be able to find them. You can't face Kefka alone, but if you can find everyone, you might have a chance. There is a city nearby, you could start from there.'' said the wise Ramuh.

With the wise words of the Esper, Celes felt calmer. ''Yes, it may be. Thank you, now I feel calmer.'' he said.

''We will fight with you and your friends and you need us.'' said Titan, before the three Esper became Magilite.

(''Celes' Theme- Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST-s'')

Celes continued his research with greater serenity than before. Taking a look at the map, he could understand that it was close to a city. As she ran on with the hope of finding someone, facing, to her surprise, large, aggressive wolves trying to tear her apart, killer mantises with sickle legs large enough to cut an entire limb and giant vultures, she saw a very tall building. He came closer, and the buildings, the characteristic architecture and the style of the streets began to become more visible, and he recognized the city. ''I am... I'm in Albrook!'' he exclaimed.

(''From That Day On... - Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST'')

Although Celes recognized Albrook, she could see that there was something about the city that she did not recognize at all. The streets were crowded, but there was no lightheartedness or hope. No one seemed in a good mood. Men complained about how their business was going bankrupt, the stray dogs and cats that roamed around Albrook were skeletal and on the verge of starvation, children, especially infants, cried from hunger or the impossibility of affording a good life, and in addition, it seemed that some houses were destroyed or abandoned, as well as some areas of the harbor, and the displaced and homeless people were sitting in a narrow corner to warm up with fire. He even swore to hear people who remembered with nostalgia the times when there was only the Empire, and he got confirmation when a woman said that at most men were only forced into military service, but as now many of them had died and were killed for nothing.

''How can you do even earn a miserable guil like this...?'' whined a man.

''It seems that everything has gotten out of hand.'' said Celes.

''You got that right! Since that day when the Cataclysm destroyed the world, nothing is the same. Everyone in the world is suffering, the water in the wells is dirty, the ocean water looks like a sea of blood and monsters are everywhere. My brother was attacked by a killer mantis who first amputated all his limbs and killed him by tearing him to pieces. It was horrible, I saw everything, it happened last month.'' The one who had spoken was a teenager, and the former soldier, seeing his expression, noticed that he was clearly in shock.

''And I lost my girlfriend to a dinosaur, it had devoured her!'' exclaimed a man.

''I'm sorry for you. I had been in a coma for a whole year since Kefka caused the Cataclysm, so I saw nothing but the conditions of the world after I woke up.'' said Celes.

''Better for you.'' said the young man.

(''From That Day On... - Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST-s'')

A house collapsed, causing the death of the family that was inside it. A dazzling beam releasing flames on the ground had hit her in the center. ''OH, NO! THE LIGHT OF JUDGMENT! RUN AWAY!'' shouted a lady.

Screams of terror echoed throughout Albrook as the beam approached at high speed toward the inhabitants, who were trying to escape. Celes could barely dodge that ray, and when it disappeared, two more houses were destroyed. Result: ten dead.

(''Sad Olivia- Paper Mario: The Origami King OST'')

The atmosphere was even more gruesome than it was before, with people, especially women, despairing and crying for loved ones. Some survivors who were close to the Light of Judgment when it struck had experienced even severe symptoms, since a girl had collapsed to the ground as a result of a migraine, a child had a strange sound in her ears, a girl of her age had lost her hearing. Celes stood still for about a minute due to the shock before saying something. ''What the fuck was that thing?'' he asked.

''That is the Light of Judgment. Kefka has become a real god now. From the top of his tower, he launches a beam that destroys any life he strikes. He does this when he gets bored or feels that cities resist him, killing adults who do not worship him. Those who were not killed but saw this destructive ray up close develop side effects and disorders of various kinds: migraine, epilepsy, tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea, hearing or vision loss, eye damage, post-traumatic stress and suicidal tendencies were the most side effects according to a doctor at the city hospital. The dead do not find peace, and even those who were killed by Kefka before the Apocalypse cannot rest in peace.'' said one man.

Feeling the bile return to her throat, Celes ran away and vomited in a trash can. She had never been so frightened in her whole life, not even when Kefka had raped her, a moment that over time did not scare her so much, but which still left her with the unpleasant memory. Hearing those words from the man froze her blood. It felt like a horror story, but it was the terrible reality. She didn't even know what it was that triggered these very strong feelings of fear, disgust and horror. Perhaps the fact that Kefka, the worst person ever to have existed on the face of the planet, had become a god, and when she thought of the dead, she was reminded of Banon, who had failed in his purpose, Leo, who had not been able to join the good, and also those poor men of the kingdom of Doma, especially Elayne and Owain. Now she knew how Cyan felt about it. After a little coughing, she went to talk to a young scholar. ''Where is Kefka now?'' he asked.

"Kefka is certainly on his tower, in the center of the main continent where we are. Vector no longer exists, as does the Gestahlian Empire, and its streets, its rubble, its ashes, all its remains make up a tower high to the sky. According to our analysis, the interior consists of several rooms of what were previously the Imperial Palace and the Magitek Research Institute. I also found out something about monsters. With the Cataclysm, Kefka unleashed powerful monsters such as Humbaba and Deathgaze, the monster that haunts the skies, and there are also the eight legendary dragons, each using attacks of a certain element: the Red Dragon, specializing in the fire element, the Blue Dragon, specializing in the water element, the Golden Dragon, which masters the thunder element, the Ice Dragon, specialized in the element ice, the Storm Dragon, specialized in the element wind, the Earth Dragon, specialized in the earth element, the Bone Dragon, specialized in the poison and darkness elements. and the Holy Dragon, specialized in holy light. They are said to guard a particular power, the Crusader, and that when the eight dragons fall, its power shall rise. I don't know much about it, but it seems associated with the Warring Triad.(1)'' replied the scholar.

Celes was amazed to discover that every remnant of Vector had practically become a pile of scrap forming a tower. She continued to talk to the citizens to ask them if they had seen any of her friends, not receiving information, but at one point, a young woman told her that she had a light in her eyes similar to someone who had passed through here. ''Who was he?'' he asked.

''He was a man. He seemed to be in a hurry, so I didn't pay much attention to him, but I know he was tall and muscular and had blue eyes, blond hair and a beard. He headed north, towards Tzen.'' replied the woman.

There was only one person who for Celes matched that description. ''Sabin... Sabin has passed through here, then! He's one of my friends, I've been looking for him since I woke up. Thank you, now I have to go.'' he said, leaving the city.

(''Sad Olivia- Paper Mario: The Origami King OST-s'')

(Objective: Go to Tzen to look for Sabin.)

Coming out of Albrook, Celes felt her hope even stronger. If Sabin had really passed through here, then he was close. Armed with a sword, shield, and axe, she fought enemies roaming the fields, such as bull-like creatures, strange tombs with human faces that seemed to have a life of their own, and, in the vicinity of the coast, fish-like humanoid creatures, the Sahagins. The already existing life forms had undergone great mutations due to the magic and imbalance of the Triad of Discord or were dying. As she walked through the plain, a hare attacked her, forcing her to kill her, and soon after, a stray cat a short distance away began to feast on the carcass. She thought about the fact that there were creatures that exploited others to catch their prey, and having the impression that this cat had done this with her, she began to feel disgust, since the feline was eating ferally like no other stray cat she had seen, making blood splash in the surrounding area and growling at them as soon as she approached. Her growl, however, seemed much sharper, looking like a screech that made her hesitate, and the cat wounded her arm before she could force him to retreat.

(''Catastrophe- Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST'')

One thing was clear to Celes: this world wanted her dead. The World of Ruin meant death. It was a world reduced to an empty shell like a living buried, populated by monstrous creatures, characterized by the looming presence of death, earthly unhappiness for the loss of loved ones, fear, despair and concern for the future, with the survivors condemned to a fate worse than death, and as Locke would think, it seemed like a game with an uncertain outcome in which the opponent was in common with all, that is, death, or better, the macabre incarnation of death. The monsters were products of a greater evil, Kefka, whose actions are so ruthless and unscrupulous as to take the lives of others, dissect the world, symbol of the end of all hope of life or earthly happiness and of an afterlife in which the dead cannot give themselves peace, and pulp it to the point of exhaustion, making him the embodiment of the evil that represented the lowest point of such a cruel world. It was all just horrible. This was what the citizens of Albrook and beyond were trying to say. As he went on, he noticed deserts that were not there at all, and looking at the maps, it was clear that the Apocalypse had also favored desertification and the formation of deserts that did not exist before. After at least fifteen minutes in the desert, she felt very hot, envying the fact that Sabin could walk barefoot on the sand in such a warm place without sweating as if suffering from hyperthermia, and from how he had said when they had to look for Terra, he was still a child when he began to do it, and when he came to the other side, she began to want to find something to speed up the process, like a mount. Imagine her surprise when he saw a chocobo. Not much had changed, except that he looked thinner, but him was the same bird she knew.

Without much thought, the woman took from her pocket a vegetable, Gysahl Greens(2), and the chocobo approached, eating it. Chocobo loved eating vegetables, but Gysahl Greens was their favorite food. Content with his meal, the bird uttered his cry and allowed Celes to ride him.

Getting to Tzen was not easy: there were several splits and mountains that forced Celes and the chocobo to change direction. About halfway, she saw Kefka's Tower. It was very tall and reached up to the sky, but it seemed terribly twisted: the towers were crooked, there was no entrance at ground level and the structure was a pile of scrap from what remained of the capital of the Gestahlian Empire, Vector, thus looking like a random cluster of earth, steel and stone. It looked like a kind of monument that perfectly represented the new state of the world. When Tzen was near, not far from the coast, Celes came down from the chocobo, who ran off. Upon entering the town, she noticed that she appeared to be in worse condition than Albrook. Some areas, including walls, seemed to have collapsed, roads were broken and cracked, and several houses had holes in the roof and looked unsafe. ''What's going on here?'' he murmured.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, as if someone had cast the Quake spell. Before long, screams of terror were heard in unison, all saying things like ''THE LIGHT OF JUDGMENT!'', ''OH, NO, NOT AGAIN!'' or ''KEFKA HAS DONE IT AGAIN!'' and in the blink of an eye, a mass of people ran through the streets. The crowd fled from all sides, and in the general hustle and bustle, they ended up bumping into Celes.

When Celes got up, he saw that the Light of Judgment was still striking. Dodging the beam by jumping away, she saw that it had hit houses, causing them to collapse or destroy them, and she could barely avoid rubble, bricks, walls, pieces of glass, fragments of furniture and so on.

"My house is collapsing, and my son is trapped in there! Can anyone save him?'' asked a desperate-looking woman.

''I'll try! I know it might sound crazy, but I can do it!'' replied Celes.

A large palace began to collapse, but soon after, it stopped, and a grunt was heard.

(''Catastrophe- Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster OST-s'')

Celes looked to her left and saw a man trying to hold the house, lifting it with both hands. She recognized it immediately. ''Sabin!'' she shouted, happy to see him again.

''Celes! Glad to see you again!'' exclaimed Sabin, equally happy.

''We have to get out of here, Sabin!'' said Celes.

''Wait! If I move from here it will collapse! You have to get in there and bring the child to safety!''

''Can you hold back that weight?''

''I can hold the house, but I have my limits too. There are several scorpions and tarantulas inside. Watch out for tarantulas, you will be temporarily paralyzed if they bite you, and they are also able to petrify you. In my pockets there is a ring that will make you immune to petrification.''

Celes took the ring Sabin was talking about and put it in his pocket. It was a seemingly valuable ring. ''Thanks, Sabin. I'll be back soon!'' he said.

''Hurry up though, otherwise I'll lose my grip and be crushed! I won't be able to hold the weight of the house for much longer, just a few minutes.'' replied Sabin, and the woman entered.

(''Looking for Shaun- Heavy Rain OST'')

(Objective: A child is trapped in the house! Find him and save him within 6 minutes!)

Upon entering the house, Celes remembered the burning house in Thamasa, when Terra, Locke, Mog and Strago entered there to save Relm, but this time it was not on fire. There were flames here and there, but the fire was not yet very developed, and instead there were destroyed walls, broken furniture and monsters everywhere. If the destruction of Vector and the decadent conditions of Albrook and Tzen weren't enough, this was another proof of how much the world was going to collapse. Everywhere there were scorpions, large and small, and some spiders, the tarantulas sabin spoke of. The tarantulas attacked in groups, so it was not easy for Celes to hit them before they bite her, and when she was bitten, she got stuck as if time had stopped, making her waste time. It didn't help that they could petrify her.

''Help! Someone help me!'' shouted the trapped child.

''Hold on, I'm coming!'' said Celes. The monsters were not so difficult to defeat, but they were annoying, and to these were also added ghosts that made her waste time. She went down the stairs and reached a door, but it was closed. She searched through the rooms, trying to figure out where the child had been hiding. After about two minutes, she had not found him, but she could hear the cries more clearly, and listening attentively, she went down the stairs again.

In the basement there was a fireplace. The room was on fire, and Celes looked around, finding who she was looking for. A blond child was above the fireplace. He was scared, and he hid there to try to get to safety. ''I'm scared! I don't want to die!'' cried the child.

''Your mother is waiting for you outside. Come with me, I will take you to safety.'' said Celes. Hesitantly, the child came down the chimney and clung to her shoulder.

Because of the smoke becoming thicker and thicker as the flames intensified, the former soldier began to cough and have difficulty seeing what was in front of her. While fighting, she thought that using magic would be a very bad idea, since causing even one explosion with the house in these conditions would blow everything up, and he didn't want to mess with gas leaks. After being bitten by a scorpion, she suddenly felt weak, leaving her exposed to the attack of a tarantula, which shot a viscous bile-like substance at her and bit her. At that moment, she began to feel hrt body become rigid and saw why. His legs were turning gray. She was beginning to turn into stone, and this made her lose her grip on the child, who fell to the ground frightened, as the monsters approached him.

''I can't die here. Not now.'' murmured Celes. She knew what to do. She put her hand in her pocket, took the ring Sabin had given her and put it on her wrist. Before long, the petrification was canceled, and the heroine took out the scorpions with her axe.

Getting rid of the monsters, Celes looked around for an exit and saw a window, while the front door seemed to have tightened. He opened the window and saw Sabin, still holding the house, but seemed on the verge of falling. ''Sabin, I found the child! We're about to go out!'' she called him.

''OK, Celes!'' said Sabin. Climbing out the window, Celes and the child came out, safely, and Sabin put the house on the ground. It collapsed, and the martial artist rolled away from danger, covering his head to protect himself from the rubble while the child could embrace his mother again.

(''Looking for Shaun- Heavy Rain OST-s'')

(''Staff and Credits- Resident Evil 3 Remake OST'')

Although there was no more panic, there was tension in the air. Several citizens were still shaken, and some were cursing Kefka and the Light of Judgment. Breathing heavily, Celes looked at Sabin. He hadn't changed much despite the fact that a whole year had passed. However, she could see that his beard was a bit longer, his arms were larger, his six-pack abs were more noticeable, and the muscles of his legs were more visible. He was stronger than ever, in short. ''Sabin... you're alive!'' dhe said happily, throwing her arms around Sabin's neck.

As he hugged her, Sabin laughed. ''Of course I'm alive! Did you really believe that the end of the world could get rid of me?'' he asked, laughing.

''For a while, yes.'' replied Celes. ''What happened here? It feels like you're in Zozo, seeing how everything is falling apart.''

"If you have heard of the Light of Judgment then you are already aware of its destructive power. It has hit cities several times, and the last time it caused destruction in Tzen apart from now was last week.'' said Sabin.

''I know. A man in Albrook told me that those who are not killed by the Light of Judgment but are too close to it suffer serious side effects, from simple migraines to the development of severe forms of epilepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, damage to hearing and vision, behaviors similar to post-traumatic stress and, in some cases, self-harming and suicidal instincts.'' explained Celes.

"That's for sure, they suffered a fate worse than death, if you ask me. There's even worse, you know. Three weeks ago, the Light of Judgment attacked Tzen, and a man is no longer able to speak. You'd think he'd become mute, but you're wrong. He has literally lost his mouth, and to make himself understood he uses gestures or signs.'' added Sabin.

Celes stopped suddenly. The man Sabin was talking about approached, and the girl realized that he was not lying. There was an empty space on his face where his mouth should have been, and his eyes were wide open, with the a shell-shocked look. In his right hand, he held a sign that read ''I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream(3)'', which made her shudder. ''Let's just get out of here and talk in private.'' she said, visibly shaken.

Celes and Sabin left Tzen and stopped on a cliff near the coast. ''So, Celes, where have you been all this time?'' asked Sabin.

''Let's say it's hard to explain everything.'' replied Celes. ''How about you?''

"Over the course of the year, I have never lost hope. I traveled the world to look for my brother and friends, fighting monsters in the process.'' said Sabin.

''Well, you certainly lived this year better than I did. I thought you were all dead.'' said Celes.

Sabin looked at her friend with a worried look. ''Why? What happened?''

"I've been in a coma all year since the Cataclysm, and when I woke up, Cid and I were on an island in the middle of nowhere. I have a map of the Order World, as it was before the Cataclysm, and Cid gave me the map of what is now the World of Ruin, it belonged to a merchant who was with us. The island is here.'' replied the girl, taking the map and pointing to the island.

''Did something happen?'' asked Sabin.

''Since I was in a coma, Cid spent the whole year looking after me, but when I regained my senses, he had no news of any of you.'' replied Celes. As he spoke, his voice took on a sad tone. ''I don't know if I should tell you what happened next.''

''I want to know, Celes. You can tell me everything.'' Sabin urged her.

Celes sighed. "Cid fell ill because of his efforts in taking care of me. He had lung cancer. He was thin, limping and seemed to stand up when I woke up. For a few days, I took some fish for him as it was our only source of food, but it wasn't enough. He died, right in front of me. As if what we witnessed last year were not enough, I had to watch as the one who was a father to me died.'' she said, with heavy breath. She didn't seem to want to say what came next, but Sabin encouraged her with a nod. ''From what I knew, you, Terra and everyone else were dead, and when I climbed a cliff and came across a dead dove, this was proof that in this world nothing is the same. Cid had told me that this cliff was the one where everyone who was with me and he had killed themselves. I lost hope altogether, I believed that my life no longer had a meaning without you, that you were who knows where, dead, and... I... I threw myself off the cliff.''

Sabin looked at Celes in shock, realizing where she was getting at. He had tried to take his own life. ''What did you say?! You tried to commit suicide?!'' he exclaimed.

''Yes... I didn't know anything about you guys, I had no news, as far as I knew, you were dead.'' replied Celes, in tears.

''If you really have lost all hope, then why do you say you were wrong?'' asked the man.

"When I woke up at the beach after my failed suicide attempt, I saw an injured seagull. It had an injured wing, and I found this bandana around the bandage. It was Locke's bandana, I'm sure.'' explained Celes, taking the bandana from another pocket of her gold-colored vest.

''There is no doubt about it. That's Locke's bandana.'' said Sabin.

"And it is precisely this bandana that represents my new hope. If I had found Locke's bandana, it means that he is still alive, somewhere, and the others have survived as well.'' concluded Celes.

After some silence, Sabin leaned Celes towards him with one arm. ''Listen to me, Celes. You are not alone. You don't have to endure this alone anymore.'' he told her.

Celes smiled. ''Thank you, Sabin. Now I know we are all alive. To begin, we have to find everyone else.'' she said.

"And then we will smash Kefka and bring back peace. Of course I will help you!'' said the martial artist.

''So, where do we start?'' asked Celes, handing him the map.

''Let's see... to start, we go south until we reach Kefka's Tower, then we go east. Once we get there, we will come to a snake-shaped peninsula. This is the Serpent Trench, which is now on the surface because of the Apocalypse, and from there we will come to a crossroads. To the east is Mobliz, and to the west, continuing north, is Nikeah, located on what appears to be the head of the snake. It's a bit far away, but we can take the ferry to get to South Figaro, to the west. I'm sure we'll find Edgar there.'' said Sabin, pointing to the cities with a finger. ''However, I only know this continent and the island where South Figaro is located, we cannot access Kefka's Tower and the rest of the world without an airship, and Blackjack has been destroyed, so we don't have any airships.''

''I understand. Well, at least I have a friend to count on.'' said Celes, and the two took a break before continuing their journey. ''You know, I promised myself something.''

''What?'' asked Sabin, intrigued.

"I promised myself that Vector and the whole world's ashes would be Kefka's ashes. That I would destroy him... forever.'' replied Celes.

(The warrior monk Sabin joined the party!)

''At Albrook, Celes learned of the Light of Judgment, and when it attacked the town of Tzen, she had to rescue a child trapped in a house that was collapsing. Just on that occasion, she was reunited with Sabin, who was trying to keep the house, and after saving the child, she confided in him. So they made their way to Nikeah to reach South Figaro...'' Mog recounted.

(''Staff and Credits- Resident Evil 3 Remake OST-s'')

A/N: Celes' hope has paid off, and she has even found the first of his friends, Sabin! Will Edgar be in Nikeah or South Figaro? And what happened to Figaro Castle? Let's find out in the next chapter! Until next time!

(1): The Crusader is an Esper that is obtained in the end of the game, after killing all eight legendary dragons and contains a part of the power of the Warring Triad. However, since they attack each other, they also cause serious damage to the party, with possibly fatal results.

(2): Gysahl Greens are named after a village in Final Fantasy III.

(3): This sentence comes from the title of Harlan Ellison's post-apocalyptic science fiction book, released in 1967, and from the last thoughts of Ted, one of the five remaining humans, after the psychotic supercomputer AM turned him into a mass of shapeless flesh because he realized that he and the other four humans, to free themselves from the torture of AM, have to kill each other and the last one left has to commit suicide, but AM, to prevent him to do so, has turned d him into this. This sentence is also at the origin of a trope that indicates the characters who suffer a fate worse than death.