A/W: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, Celes and the Figaro brothers went to Kohlingen and found Setzer drunk and hopeless after losing his airship. However, when they manage to convince him to move on, he takes them to a cave where the grave of his friend Darill, owner of the airship known as the Falcon who died a few years earlier as a result of a crash, is located. After facing hordes of undead and saving the wyvern Hiryu, who had lost her partner, and her unhatched children, with the result that Edgar and Sabin have managed to tame her, they defeated the undead knight Dullahan and recovered the Falcon, still to search for their missing friends, starting by following a particular bird... What does that mean? Is anyone in the south? Let's find out!

WARING: there is a reference to sex in this chapter.

Chapter 30: Cyan Garamonde: Letters and silk flowers

(Objective: Follow the bird and find out where it's going.)

Characters:

Celes

Edgar

Sabin

Setzer

During the flight south, Edgar wrote a letter to the staff of Figaro Castle to explain to them the situation regarding Hiryu and her young and make demands to them after Kefka's defeat, leaving it to a passing carrier pigeon so that it would deliver it. Hiryu had gotten off the airship to go hunting and get food for the hungry wyvernlings.

''I wonder what that little bird means.'' said Setzer.

''Celes said it could mean something. Maybe it's a clue.'' Sabin noted.

''Did you find out anything before you found us, Celes?'' asked Edgar.

''Yes. A scholar in Albrook told me about the eight legendary dragons that appeared after the Catclysm and are scattered around the world. I would say to avoid them for now until we find everyone else. The four of us are too few to defeat them, they are very powerful.'' replied Celes.

(''Phantom And A Rose, Sad Town Theme- Secret of Mana OST'')

The bird flew over a town, and looking at the map, Edgar realized that it was the town of Maranda, and that that bird was a carrier pigeon. Given the speed of the Falcon, the journey was short. ''I think I recognize that house. It's Lola's house.'' said Sabin, when they found the carrier pigeon delivering a letter to a house.

''The girlfriend of that Imperial soldier in Mobliz?'' asked Celes.

''Exactly. I wonder what will have happened to her boyfriend, though,'' Sabin replied.

"If that's what you want to know, then here's some bad news. The Light of Judgment also attacked the village of Mobliz. There are no more adults there, so I guess they're all dead.'' said Edgar.

''This is crazy! There will only be orphans here then!'' exclaimed Celes, in shock.

''The world is cruel, they say.'' the king of Figaro reply. ''Come on, let's go in.''

They knocked and received permission to enter. A young blond-haired woman was waiting for them. ''I know... Lola, we meet again.'' said Sabin.

Lola was surprised to see Sabin. ''Have we seen each other before?'' she asked.

''Yeah, last year. But you didn't meet my friends and my brother, it was just me and Cyan.'' Sabin replied.

''Well, I can't say I'm surprised.'' said Lola. ''Are you guys passing through?'' he asked.

''Guess so. We were looking for our friends.'' replied Edgar.

Celes looked around and noticed something. There were flowers scattered around the room, in bouquets and in vases. They were authentic, but of quality. ''Those flowers are really well made.'' he noted.

''Ah, you noticed them. Ever since the Cataclysm, flowers no longer grow. My boyfriend sent me letters and these flowers that he made with silk.'' said Lola.

Sabin began to look at the different letters he found in the room. What appeared to be the girl's boyfriend said in the letters that he had survived his wounds, the Cataclysm and the Light of Judgment and that he was working on the reconstruction of Mobliz. He noticed a particular detail in each of these letters, a contradiction, and showed them to Edgar, Celes, and Setzer. In each of these letters, there were archaic words and no longer used in modern language, and he recognized them with ease because it reminded him of the way a certain samurai tended to talk. '' Wait a minute. Lola, are you sure that's your boyfriend?'' he asked, suspiciously.

''Yes, I'm sure.'' replied Lola.

''After this discovery, I find it hard to believe.'' said the monk, shaking his head.

''Where do all these letters come from? And those flowers?'' asked Celes.

''From Mt. Zozo. We know that the world was completely turned upside down last year, but a man from Zozo said he accidentally found a secret passage leading to the mountain. I don't think he was lying though, everyone else in Zozo often says nonsense.'' replied Lola. "Zozo is north of here, and according to what that man said, you have to go through a rusty door in the tavern to access the mountain. The problem is that the door is a bit rusty, so you would need an anti-rust solvent. I think a merchant could sell it.'' explained Lola.

''We're going to check.'' said Sabin. ''We'll see you again later.''

''Okay. Until later then.'' said Lola.

(''Phantom And A Rose, Sad Town Theme- Secret of Mana OST-s'')

(Objective: Look for the secret passage to Zozo.)

''I recognize that writing. It's Cyan's handwriting. He writes the same way he speaks.'' said Sabin.

''It's true. I don't know anyone else who could have written that way.'' said Celes.

''But why is he pretending to be that girl's boyfriend?'' asked Setzer.

''I don't know. And by the way, this is identity theft. If anyone finds out, he could be arrested.'' replied Sabin.

''Anyway, better go to Zozo, and get ready for another downpour.'' said Edgar.

After a few minutes of flying on the Falcon, Celes felt the wind become very intense, almost like a hurricane, and it all came from Zozo. ''It looks like a storm here. Let's be careful.'' he said.

''So, Celes, you said about the eight legendary dragons. What if there was one here?'' asked Edgar.

"If it is the case, it could be the Storm Dragon. If we meet it, we run away. We are too weak to face the dragons, we will not face them until we have found everyone l, they may be out of control.'' replied Celes.

''So much an infamous city, this place looks like a dump! It has no stile, huh!'' said Setzer, commenting on the run-down conditions of the town. 'Did one of you had to deal with fraud?'' he asked.

''Yeah, I have seen a lot of people around selling things like supposed amulets that are supposed to exorcise monsters or strange liquids, selling them even at outrageous prices, and not only in Nikeah, but in Tzen and Albrook too, and even to South Figaro. I confiscated them. For example, an alleged strengthening potion was actually made with snake venom, and what appeared to be powdered dragon claws, which served to increase intelligence, were actually wasp dropping and cobra venom.'' replied Edgar.

''Me too. A merchant tried to give me a strange potion that he thought would be a monster repellent, but in reality it was a concoction made with lamia pheromones that attracted a killer mantis that almost cut my arm off. To fully heal those wounds, I had to use a lot of healing spells because some flesh had come off the bone.'' added Sabin. ''We can trust nothing and no one here but our friends.''

''Never buy any strange things.'' said Celes, and everyone nodded.

''As for the Light of Judgment, we all know what it is capable of doing. It mainly targets adults who do not accept Kefka as a god of magic, but also kills women and children or causes terrible side effects to those who are not dead. A man in Tzen lost his mouth three weeks ago.'' said Sabin, and Setzer looked at him with shock on his face.

''And as if that weren't enough, the staff back in Figaro Castle mentioned that over the course of the year, several black magic books have spread that the me castle staff and other people are trying to seize and destroy.'' added Edgar.

''What do these books do?'' asked Setzer.

''Nowadays we have to pay attention to strange books that we find. Among those I found, there was one that burned your eyes out. Not in the sense that it caused you burning, but it literally set fire to your eyes until they disintegrated and left you blind, and I destroyed it two months ago. Still other books evoked curses and misfortunes.'' replied Edgar, increasingly worried by the gruesome events in the World of Ruin.

''Among the cursed books, one made you speak in limericks for the rest of your life, while others had traps hidden between the pages. To try to destroy some of these with fire, I almost had my hand cut off by a bear trap, I was poisoned by a snake and I found myself in front of a screaming book. A face had appeared from the book and made me jump.'' added Sabin.(1)

''Everything wants us dead here.'' commented Setzer, and everyone agreed.

(''Rainfall- Rayman OST'')

The rain in Zozo was more intense than normal, so the four had to find hoods with which to cover themselves: Sabin warned them that there was a risk of getting pneumonia. If it was already run-down the year before, now the bad maintenance was evident, with broken or missing windows and flickering lights.

Zozo seemed completely empty, and our heroes felt nothing but the downpour, the stormy wind, and the occasional thunder. It took at least half an hour to find the merchant selling the solvent, as there seemed to be no one around the city. At least the solvent cost just 1000 guil, so the cost was not a problem, but now they had to find the tavern, and with the lack of light and malfunctioning signs, it was not easy to find the right building. Remembering Lola's directions, they entered the tavern, went to the back and used solvent on the door, removing all the rust that prevented the door from opening.

The door led into a dark cave where water dripped loudly. ''There's acid dead ahead. Better be careful.'' said Edgar.

Even though there was no monster nearby, there remained that feeling that something could suddenly pop up and attack. The survivors advanced cautiously, fearing an attack, but there was no living soul. "Traveling like this without ever meeting anyone will make me monophobic. At least you are with me.'' commented Celes.

''To see everything that has happened in the world, I am surprised that the planet has not been destroyed.'' said Setzer.

''Anyway, this cave should lead to Mt. Zozo, it's not long away.'' said Sabin.

It was really nerve-wracking to have to travel the world like this, especially if the animals and other life forms were dying or bloodthirsty monsters and if now the planet had become a post-apocalyptic world, but they shrugged off that feeling of discomfort and went on their way, avoiding setting foot in the acid of the cave. No one wanted to feel alone in the world, and in a post-apocalyptic world like this, it was an even worse feeling. They went ahead, hoping to find Cyan.

(''Rainfall- Rayman OST-s'')

The exit of the cave led to a rocky passage, and our heroes found themselves outside.

''Are we there?'' asked Setzer.

''This must be Mt. Zozo.'' replied Edgar.

''If Lola said right, then Cyan should be here.'' Sabin said.

Celes saw a traveling pigeon and had the feeling that he had already seen it in Maranda. ''Here is that carrier pigeon again! Let's follow it and go to the top of the mountain!'' he exclaimed.

''I will make my way for you. Follow me.'' said Sabin.

(Objective: Follow the carrier pigeon and look for Cyan on Mt. Zozo.)

(''Mt. Ordeals- Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster OST'')

Similar to Mt. Koltz, Mt. Zozo also had a cave system. Sabin lead the way the other three, climbing the rocky ledges, but there were also human enemies, including corrupt monks who attacked by throwing knives, territorial bears and aggressive mercenaries carrying severed heads and armed with sickles, possibly mercenaries from Zozo.

''You know, when a bear broke my shoulder, it was like this ones.'' said Sabin.

''I don't know, there are different varieties of bears, as well as other animals.'' said Celes.

''Hey, I'm not that stupid. I'm not all muscles and no brains, you know.'' Sabin replied. ''However, the humans who live here are riffraff. They look like those liars from Zozo.''

The caves were dark, but Sabin created a fireball from his hand, lighting up the way as they made their way over fragile bridges with caution, knowing that they could collapse. Every three minutes they found an exit from a cave only to find themselves outside and move on to the next one. It looked like a labyrinth between caves and cliffs.

''I hope for you that you're not afraid of heights, Celes.'' said Edgar.

''I'm not acrophobic, thank you.'' Celes reminded him.

''The Falcon could have been useful here.'' commented Setzer, noting the height of the mountain.

''Can you sense Cyan's position somewhere, Sabin?'' asked Edgar.

Sabin concentrated. He felt Cyan's aura higher up, but he wasn't sure where. ''I can't figure out exactly where he is, but I think we're getting closer.'' Sabin replied. ''Look out, here is another suspended bridge.'' He crossed the bridge first, but when the others did, the bridge gave way and the wood broke, forcing them to cling to the ropes, which the warrior monk grabbed from the other side.

''that was close shave.'' said Setzer.

Sabin pulled the rope towards himself, which allowed him to bring his allies to safety. ''Are you all alright?'' he asked.

''Everything's end. Thank you, brother.'' replied Edgar.

''I think the top is close, not much is missing.'' said Celes.

(''Mt. Ordeals- Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster OST-s'')

Suddenly, a roar echoed in the air.

(''Mid-Boss- Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War OST'')

There was an intense wind storm, and a grayish-black dragon flew in front of them, flapping its wings . Thanks to his armor, Edgar was heavy enough to avoid being blown away, and Sabin kept his stance firmly, but Setzer and Celes had to stay behind them to avoid being blown away by what appeared to be a cyclone, and she cast Scan.

''What is that dragon?'' asked Setzer, striving to stay in place.

''It is the Storm Dragon, ruler of the wind. It uses wind magic, and its wings can create powerful storms. At the moment we cannot deal with it, we are too weak in four. It has a weakness to the thunder element, but facing this dragon is not easy. Its storms could make us end up from one part of the world to the other.'' replied Celes, analyzing the dragon.

''Setzer, Celes, don't stray too far. The Storm Dragon will blow you away.'' said Sabin.

''There must be a way to weigh gravity down on us.'' added Edgar.

''Maybe I know a magic that will do for us, but I don't know if it will work.'' said Celes. ''Gravity!'' Two purple spheres surrounded Celes and Setzer and wrapped them in a force field. The wind stopped making move back, so they managed to overcome the Storm Dragon and escape after Sabin hit it with a Thundara, stunning it.

(''Mid-Boss- Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War OST-s'')

''I think we lost that dragon.'' said Setzer.

''Good. We find Cyan quickly, he has to give us explanations about a woman who is lying to herself.'' Sabin declared. He saw a pained turtle that had fallen on its back and put it back in its normal position.

''I don't understand. Why should he lie to that girl if her boyfriend is dead?'' asked Celes.

''Maybe there's a reason. If we can find Cyan, maybe we'll have the answers.'' replied Edgar.

When they finally reached the last cave, the members of the Returners found something surprising. There was a small desk, and there were several bouquets of handmade flowers.

"These must be the flowers that Cyan made for Lola. They are of high quality.'' said Celes.

''How do you know?'' asked Edgar.

"When Terra and I were Imperial soldiers, we received an education. For example, she learned to cook. Cid taught me a few things, and often his rose topiary.(2)'' replied Celes.

Setzer noticed a casket and tried to open it, but there was a padlock. ''It's locked.'' he said.

''What could he ever keep hidden in there? Something he doesn't want us to know?'' asked Sabin.

''Maybe,'' replied Edgar.

Setzer found the key in a small opening in the cave and opened the lock. Inside there were several books about machinery, such as ''Machines for Duncers'', ''A Pictorial Guide to Machines'', ''Everything about Machines'' and ''Machines for the Mechanically Disinclined''.

''Isn't Cyan technophobic?'' asked Celes.

''Maybe he's trying to deal with this phobia.'' Setzer said.

The last book was different, and Celes took the book and read the title. ''Bushido in the Bedroom... WTF...''(3)

Sabin leaned out to see better and immediately regretted it. The cover image seemed to show a man in bed with a woman in a... naughty position. Although he was wrapped in a blanket that covered his private parts, he stood on top of a naked woman, who was lying on her belly, and both looked at each other with a seductive expression on their faces. ''Bleagh!'' he exclaimed, and barely avoided vomiting on the soil. Sex was something that sucked, and when he raised his head, he looked at the book as if it were the antithesis of Master Duncan's teachings. ''But why did he have to keep a guide on sexual intercourse?''

''Is it really horrible up to that point?'' asked Setzer, looking at him in disarray.

''Anything that has to do with sex disgusts me. It seems to me like ingesting spitted phlegm.'' said Sabin.

''It's natural, dear little bro.'' said Edgar. ''Do you really have to take it to the extreme?''

''Edgar, I told you not to make fun of me about this.'' warned Sabin. ''I told you, these things do not correspond to my image, and I do not want to violate Master Duncan's teachings.''

''Well, you don't have to be touchy.'' commented Setzer.

''Quiet down, Setzer. The last time Edgar teased him about it, Sabin threatened to punch him, not make the same mistake or really will do it to you.'' said Celes.

They came out of the cave and found themselves outside, at the top of the mountain. From the top, Sabin could see the city of Zozo below, and there was a man turned from behind near the ledge, with a carrier pigeon on his arm. ''Wait, I recognize that man!'' he exclaimed, and the traveling pigeon flew away.

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

The man was wearing armor of a dark blue color. His long black hair was tied to a ponytail, but he looked aged despite the fact that only a year had passed. Some tufts of his hair were graying and he seemed to have a few extra wrinkles on his face and neck, and there was a certain melancholy in his eyes. He turned around, and as soon as he did, he was shocked to see who was in front of him. ''Whoa! Hey, what a surprise!'' he exclaimed.

''Yo, Cyan! Glad to see you're okay!'' Sabin said happily, and Cyan found himself in a tighter hug than he would have liked, but responded with a pat on his back.

''Cyan... It's really you...'' murmured Celes.

The samurai approached Celes and gave her a small smile. Ever since she had demonstrated her loyalty on the Floating Continent the year before, he no longer see her the same way. ''Lady Celes, I'm glad to see that you're all alright. Well, at least the four of you.'' he said.

''No hard feelings, right?'' asked Celes.

''No hard feelings. Now that I know you better, I now know that I can trust you.'' replied Cyan. ''Come all to my hiding place, I'll give you a cup of tea.''

Everyone returned to the cave, discussing what had happened while drinking tea.

''So... Cyan, what happened to you during the year?'' asked Edgar. ''A girl in Kohlingen told us that you had passed by there for Maranda.''

''I woke up near Kohlingen and wanted to look for yo guysu, but I didn't find you anywhere in the area where I was and headed to Maranda by swimming.'' said Cyan.

''Have you met someone else, like Gau?'' asked Celes.

The middle-aged man was surprised to hear Gau's name, and this reminded him of something. ''Ah, yes. I found him shortly after regaining consciousness. He said he wanted to undergo intensive training with monsters in the Veldt, and that he would return the following year. He wanted to be ready in case we meet him again, and he should come back soon, but the Veldt is very far away, I don't even have a map.'' he said.

''Yeah, that's Gau alright.'' chuckled Sabin, thinking of Gau. He was certain that he would not give up so easily.

''Well, at least we know that someone else is fighting.'' said Celes. ''Some of us, like Setzer and Strago, gave up, and a few hours ago, Setzer was in the tavern getting drunk.''

''Now what are you going to do?'' asked Cyan.

''We will return to Maranda and go to Mobliz. I bet some of us will be there.'' replied Setzer.

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

(''Namine- Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories OST'')

''Speaking of Maranda, do you remember Lola? That girl from Maranda?'' asked Sabin.

''Uh... yes?'' stuttered Cyan.

''She talked about her boyfriend, but we recognized your writing in the letters you sent her.'' said Edgar.

''And these flowers... did you make them? They are really beautiful.'' added Celes, and Cyan blushed, not expecting this comment.

Sabin certainly did not expect a fifty-one-year-old samurai to know how to knit, let alone sew silk flowers. ''Since when do you know how to knit?'' he asked, amazed.

Cyan sighed, and seemed a little embarrassed by the comments. ''Elayne taught me this two years ago. I don't like to look weak, but she wanted me to be more open to showing my emotions and insecurities at least at home. She had insisted that I deal with the stress of fighting in war in a healthy way, and two years ago, she taught me to sew and knit.'' he replied sadly.

Noticing his face, Sabin wondered if he had touched on a sore point. ''Sorry, I didn't want you to feel like that.'' he said.

''No, it's nothing. At least I learned something from her.'' replied Cyan.

''About that girl, Lola, why did you write her all these letters pretending to be her boyfriend, that soldier Sabin told me about?'' asked Edgar.

Cyan again turned red with embarrassment as he picked up the flowers. He put them in his pockets, took a piece of paper that seemed to come from a blank page, put it on the table and sat down. ''A friend of hers explained everything to me when I saw her dejected because she didn't receive letters from her boyfriend. She hadn't told her anything because she didn't want to upset her, but she knew it was all true. Kefka attacked the village of Mobliz with the Light of Judgment, and there are no more reports of adults from the village since then. Lady Lola didn't know that her boyfriend was dead, sending him a letter a day, and she couldn't face reality. I was moved by her devotion and her story, so I moved here and started sending her letters and flowers to give her hope.'' he explained.

"This explains why Lola was so hopeful and in a good mood.'' Celes said.

But Sabin was serious. ''No offense, but apart from the fact that impersonating a dead soldier is equal to identity theft and could get you arrested if someone finds out, the fact that you, a middle-aged samurai, pretended to be the boyfriend of a woman thirty years your junior leaves me perplexed and a little bewildered.'' he said abruptly.

''So, do you come with us?'' asked Edgar.

''Of course I will accompany you! I won't leave the world like that, and I have to face Kefka for the last time, even at the cost of my life!'' replied Cyan excitedly, but then he got saddened again. ''But I have to figure out how to explain everything to the girl.''

Sabin looked at him with his hands on his hips. ''Cyan, you lied to Lola for a year! Why did you never tell her the truth about her boyfriend and explain everything?'' she asked.

''Because I didn't want to let her down. She never wanted to believe that he was dead for a whole year, and everyone who knew her knew that telling her everything would destroy her. I wanted her to live without that traumatic news for the rest of her days, and the more I wrote to her, the more I felt her hope in her letters. If I told her everything, she wouldn't take it well. The reality is that she is just like me: she can't face the past, and she's living in a lie and using false hopes to keep herself sane.'' replied Cyan.

''Then tell him! Better to discover a terrible truth than to live with a beautiful lie!'' Sabin snapped.

(''Namine- Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories OST-s'')

The samurai remained silent for a while. He wanted to tell Lola the truth, but he was worried about her reaction. If Sabin was telling the truth, then he should know, but he didn't know what to do. In the end, it was decided. ''Alright I'll tell her the truth.'' he said. He then noticed that his chest was open and he became nervous. ''How did you open my chest?'' he asked.

''You left the key here in the cave.'' replied Celes, and Cyan began swearing and calling himself an idiot for misplacing the key.

''We found a few books about machines, and I was wondering why you kept them.'' said Setzer.

The middle-aged man was clearly embarrassed that his friends had found out what he kept in the chest. ''You shouldn't have seen these things.'' he said.

''Hey, there's nothing wrong with opening up to others a bit, Cyan, you can tell your secrets to your friends, you know.'' Sabin said.

Cyan sighed. ''I wanted to overcome my aversion to machines. I can't understand them, and I took these books to learn more about them.'' he replied.

''And that porn book? Since when do you have this guide on sexual intercourse?'' asked Edgar. Cyan did not answer.

''Never let me see such a gross thing again.'' commented Sabin, looking at "Bushido in the Bedroom" and slamming it on the table. ''I hate sex and anything to do with intimate parts.''

''What had happened?'' asked Setzer.

"Something that happened years ago. Didn't Sabin tell you?'' said Edgar. Setzer shook his head, and Cyan seemed to have no idea what it was. ''Maybe he'll tell you about it later.''

Meanwhile, Cyan stopped writing and declared that he wanted to deliver his letter to Lola and explain everything to her.

''Well, we're going to Maranda by airship.'' said Celes.

''Wasn't the airship destroyed last year?'' asked Cyan.

''Yes, but I have a new one now. Maybe you could take the opportunity to see it more closely and study it.'' said Setzer.

''OK, I'm coming with you.'' said Cyan.

(The samurai Cyan joined the party!)

(Objective: Go back to Maranda and talk to Lola.)

Characters:

Celes

Edgar

Sabin

Cyan

Setzer

When the group of five left Zozo and boarded the Falcon to return to Maranda, Cyan spent time looking at the airship, and was particularly interested in the engine. ''Pretty interesting apparatus.'' he said.

''This is the engine. The Falcon is an airship of the highest quality.'' explained Edgar.

''And it also belonged to Darill. Celes and the twins convinced me to keep fighting when they found me in that tavern.'' added Setzer.

The flight to Maranda was not very long, but for half an hour, Cyan was not with the others, who were talking and discussing where to go first, but remained on the sidelines, lost in his thoughts. Sabin noticed, and had to nudge him on the shoulder to get him to join the conversation.

''So, where will we go after solving the matter with Lola?'' asked Edgar.

''I was thinking of going to Mobliz, east of here. We will surely find someone.'' said Celes.

''Good idea. We don't know the rest of the world yet, and the other towns are all farther away.'' added Setzer.

''OK, Cyan. Let's go to Lola's house and tell her the truth.'' said Sabin, and Cyan nodded.

Hearing a sound of wings, they turned around and saw Hiryu return with some meat, which attracted her young closer to her. Cyan panicked and took his katana as if he wanted to kill her.

''Take it easy, she's harmless. We saved her just before retrieving the Falcon.'' said Edgar.

''I don't trust that.'' replied the samurai.

''Edgar and I have discovered that they are descendants of the Dragoon Richard Highwind.'' added Sabin. ''Hiryu is not so aggressive now, but she does not feel comfortable with those she doesn't recognize as allies. The babies are all hers, the father was killed by monsters to protect them when they were eggs, but they are all safe. Whatever you do, don't make her alarmed or she might sense you as hostile.''

Cyan sheated his katana and approached the wyvern. Hiryu brought her muzzle closer to his face, but remained calm.

''What is it that made you so hostile to matters of the opposite sex and private parts, Sabin?'' asked Setzer.

''Fourteen years ago, a girl who had been hosted at the Castle of Figaro had a crush on Edgar and said dirty things in my presence. End result: I spent an hour vomiting in the bathroom and had nightmares about prostitutes for a week.'' said Sabin.

''It doesn't seem like a good experience for a royal at all.'' said Setzer, a little uncomfortable.

''And that's not all. When I was fifteen, an accident occurred. Edgar and I were going up the stairs when a waitress behind us stumbled and almost fell, and to avoid breaking her neck, she ended up clinging to the closest thing in front of her, which was me. She accidentally pantsed me, I tripped, fell on my back and I ended up with her on top of me. I ran into my room hiding behind jars and armor to cover my private parts, all while the guards that were present laughed at me as ridiculous and unseemly I looked for a prince. Edgar was enraged, I could hear him screaming at the guards as I ran into my room, and the waitress was shocked by what had happened.'' added Sabin.

''I won't lie if I say it, it's really embarrassing.'' commented Cyan, not very focused on the story of the Prince of Figaro, since he was writing on the sheet of paper with a pen.

''What else happened?'' asked Celes, a little uncomfortable.

''A reporter. Damn them, they always create gossip and stories about nothing, and they are a real nuisance. One of them came across the event and informed the press. When news of the incident appeared in the newspapers, it caused a major scandal, and the maid involved in all this was accused of indecency, obscene acts, and possible sacrilege to the prince and was fired as a result of this that afternoon. It was a really bad experience, as I was teased by some commoners and a couple of staff members for the foolishness I did and for my lack of dignity as a prince, but the worst was when my father learned about it. He was furious with me that I was involved in the scandal and punished me for two weeks, during which I had to hand-remove the horses' dung and shovel the chocobo droppings every night after dinner, and when Edgar got mad and questioned his decision, he was sent directly to our room. Since it took me four hours to finish these chores, take off my dirty clothes for washing, take a shower and get clean clothes, I ended up going to bed at 2 AM.'' explained Sabin. ''I've never felt so humiliated in my life, not even when I got sick when I had to take an Antlion to the castle or when a Nuteater almost bit my finger off when I was three years old.''

Cyan and Setzer seemed incredulous, but Celes was quite shocked. ''Your father must have been a bad person.'' he said.

''Hey, don't say like that. My father was not a bad king, it's just that he did not like to associate too much with the commoners and was a bit short-tempered. He had punished me as harshly as he did when my tendency to get sick all the time and more weakened the Figaro dynasty or questioned its role and greatness, but he was right about the incident. The fact that I was involved in all this caused a scandal in the royal family, and many had begun to lose faith in it, especially in me.'' Sabin said defensively.

''OK, but that doesn't change the fact that you were treated like a commoner, you were as dirty as a pig those nights!'' complained Edgar.

''I knew King Stewart well, but I didn't think he was so... harsh.'' commented Cyan.

''Scandals are hard to silence, pal. Dad had barely managed to silence everything, and scandals, other than ruining someone's reputation and honor, can have very lasting consequences.'' replied Sabin.

''I agree with that.'' said the samurai.

''We have arrived. Let's go to Lola's place.'' informed Setzer.

Disembarking from the Falcon, the five arrived at Lola's house. Cyan was a little nervous, but Sabin opened the door and encouraged him to come in.

Lola was waiting for them. ''Oh, you're back. Have you found out information about the letters?'' she asked.

''It's a long story. Cyan will explain everything to you.'' replied Sabin.

Cyan came in, and Lola had the feeling that she had already heard his name. ''We meet again, Lady Lola. I have a letter to give you, and it's important.'' he said, handing her the letter.

Although she didn't know what was urgent, Lola opened the letter. To say that she did not expect what she had seen was a bit reductive, but she read it.

(''La Pace- Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories OST'')

''Dearest Lady Lola,

I am writing to beg for your forgiveness. I lied to you. For a year I lied to you. I am guilty of perpetuating a terrible lie. I have only now realized the error in my waves, and taken up this quill in the hope of correcting a big wrong. Your boyfriend, whom you thought to be in Mobliz, passed away some ago. I have been writing to you in his stead. We humans have the tendency to become trapped in the past and refuse to move on. I implore you not to let this happens, I know because I myself experienced. Now is a time for you to look forward, and rediscover love and all of the other joys of life.

-Cyan Garamonde''

The young woman put the letter on the bedside table, but said nothing. No words came out of her mouth for a while.

''Um, Lola? Everything OK?'' asked Sabin.

''I didn't expect any of this. I was really foolish to ignore reality.'' said Lola.

''Did you know it all along?'' asked Cyan.

''Yes. I knew that my boyfriend was dead and that the letters were not his since the Cataclysm destroyed the world, but I didn't want to admit it. The truth is that I was afraid of myself, of moving on in this world without him. I didn't know what to do, and I couldn't stand that. I isolated myself from everyone and ignored reality for a year because I didn't want to believe it.'' replied Lola.

''Then focus on the present. Don't make the same mistake as I did, I myself have experience in all of this.'' said Cyan.

''What do you mean?'' asked Lola.

''It has to do with what happened to him last year, with a siege of his kingdom and a massacre via poison that killed his wife and son.'' Sabin replied.

''If you look me in the face, you will understand what I went through, Lady Lola. I have never been able to overcome what happened to me last year, and anyway, I am just an old samurai with no future, but you are a young woman, you have a whole life ahead of you. The more I lied to you over the course of the year, the more I wanted to tell you what really happened, but then I thought of you and knew I would disappoint you. I also handmade and sewn the silk flowers I sent you because now the flowers no longer grow or wither immediately because the soil is desertifying.'' concluded Cyan.

Although she couldn't understand why, Lola began to feel a little nervous. She placed a hand on Cyan's shoulder. ''Cyan... your kindness made me realize that I have to leave the past behind, and these letters helped me deal with my pain. Thank you for letting me understand what is really important. If I am again as I have been so far... I'll go to you if I can.'' she said.

Cyan blushed, not knowing what to do with it. ''Huh? Oh, that's alright. I wouldn't mind.'' he said, despite feeling uncomfortable.

''Well, we gotta go now, Lola. We have very important things to do, but when all this is over, we will meet again.'' said Sabin.

''Okay. See you later.'' said Lola.

(''La Pace- Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories OST-s'')

The Returners left the house and returned to the Falcon. ''So, Mobliz is located east of here, on what appears to be the serpent's tail. Let's stop here, it's the closest town we haven't visited yet.'' said Sabin.

''Next stop: Mobliz!'' declared Setzer, directing the airship to the east.

''It seems like you've made yourself an admirer, Cyan.'' said Edgar in a joking tone.

''What?! Uh... Lady Lola doesn't have a crush on me!'' exclaimed Cyan.

''Edgar... you know that Cyan is a widower, so keep these comments to yourself.'' said Sabin in exasperation, bringing his hands to his face.

''What, can't I joke around anymore?'' commented Edgar.

''You can joke, but please be respectful.'' replied Celes.

Suddenly, Sabin had a feeling of heaviness in his guts. ''Oh, no! Here it comes!'' he shouted, running to look for the bathroom.

Just a minute later, a smell of feces spread throughout the airship. Edgar went into the hallway and Sabin came out of the bathroom door breathing heavily. ''Are you okay?'' he asked.

''My intestinal problem came back again.'' Sabin replied breathlessly.

Edgar entered the bathroom, where he saw Sabin's excrements occupying the entire toilet and took a plunger. ''I'll unclog the toilet, you go to the others and let them know you're alright.'' he said.

Sabin returned to the main hall, where the others were waiting for him.

''What happened? Why did you run to the bathroom like that?'' asked Setzer.

''I had a bout of diarrhea. It's not the first time this has happened to me, but I won't tell you anything else. '' replied Sabin. ''Anyway, maybe we'll find someone in Mobliz, we'll go there.''

''After reuniting with Setzer and finding the Falcon, Celes and her friends went to Maranda, where they met Lola, a girl Sabin and Cyan had previously met as the girlfriend of a former Imperial soldier who had been seriously injuredd in an attempt to defect during the siege of Doma and had fled to the village of Mobliz, but he died when there was the Cataclysm. Cyan had moved to Mt. Zozo and pretended to be her boyfriend after he found out her story, but after a year, he realized that Lola was living in a lie, so he wrote her one last letter, encouraging her to leave the past behind. Now there were five of them, and they headed for Mobliz...'' recounted Mog.

A/N: Another ally has been found, and Lola has also received closure about her boyfriend's fate. Will there be any sign of life in Mobliz? And will there be any of Celes' missing friends? Find out in the next chapter! Until next time!

(1): In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when a mysterious diary becomes important in the plot, Harry is warned by Ron to be careful because it could be a black magic book, citing as examples of the seized books that burned the reader's eyes, made him speak in verses for life or that they could not stop reading. In the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone movie, while exploring the restricted section of the library, Harry accidentally finds a book that jumpscares him by screaming at him.

(2): According to official data from Celes, this was her hobby.

(3): Before the official translation came with the port for the GBA, this book is known as the "Book of Secrets", and since it is officially known as a book of pornographic material (in the Japanese version it's called a naughty book), this implies that the secrets are about advice on sexual intercourse. Some games in the series feature adult magazines.