THE FOURTH UNIVERSE
CHAPTER 10
"Irvine Kinneas... loser."
The phrase had been echoing over and over again in Zell's mind ever since they arrived in Balamb Garden, welcomed by the disheartening sight of injured students and smoldering ruins indicative of a grim struggle against whoever abducted Selphie. His guess of the perpetrator's identity is, of course, Tengu. But he's not about to pat himself on the back for a deduction as effortlessly easy as that.
And right now, it hardly matters at all. Nothing does, except for the disconsolate atmosphere surrounding him and his teammates. Zell can't understand what he felt when he saw Irvine, his left hand clutching the Exeter and his right arm restrained by corrective splints. Must be broken, he surmised. But his injured gun-arm didn't deliver as much impact to Zell as did his troubled, grief-stricken facial expression.
"Loser..?" the Balamb native had always taken the Galbadian standout as such. They may have gone along better during the last few months than they did after they first met, but first expressions do have a way of making themselves last. Especially when he sees Irvine consistently displaying his annoyingly flirtatious attitude towards Balamb Garden's 'cuties' like he thinks he's God's gift to women. As if its such a great thing, Zell would usually say.
But Irvine looking this concerned about Selphie? Admittedly, he was totally caught by surprise. Of course, as a teammate, it's natural for him to be worried. After all, they all are. But Irvine's face is so afflicted with grave anxiety; ashen and gruesomely pale. It's like he's ready to break down at any moment.
Maybe the gunman truly cares about Selphie, Zell concluded. Maybe he's wrong about this guy after all.
"Dammit! What are we waiting here for anyway?!?" the distressed Irvine suddenly exclaimed, almost to the ironic amusement of the martial artist when he thought the gunman was stealing his reputation as the impatient member of the team. But he relinquished his slight smirk when the Galbadian SeeD furthered his display of brashness. "Squall, why aren't we doing something?!?"
And Zell himself took the initiative to console his troubled teammate, walking behind him to gently lay a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Easy, bro. I'm freakin' dying to go after those idiots too. But we don't even know where to start."
Realizing that Zell's right, Irvine just bowed his head in hopeless surrender. Meanwhile, at the library, Quistis appeared unmindful of what's going on outside as she peeked with one bespectacled eye through the eyepiece of a spectrum microscope. Earlier, she noticed what seem to be claw prints of a huge beast littering the area around the quad, and decided to collect samples for close examination. Detecting minute yet telltale signs of irregularity in the patch of red earth she gathered, the astute instructor gently pushed her chair back and walked towards the row of books labeled 'Geography'. Quistis later came back with a thick volume, which she furiously combed through for information that she hopes would confirm her suspicion.
After browsing through a couple of pages, the blonde-haired SeeD went back to the microscope and noted the tiny specks of shimmering, bluish metallic particles mixed with the rich red soil. As she tweaked the controls of the instrument, the view inside assumed a kaleidoscopic outline before revealing unique wavelength readings indicative of magic traces in the blue particles. Quistis exhaled resoundingly, uncertain if she should be relieved or feel more dreadful with her discovery.
"Eastern red soil and mystically-forged blue steel. Centra and Chef's Knife..." she murmured before meditating briefly to junction the Valhalla GF she acquired from Hades Sentinel. The instructor then promptly activated her communicator to contact her teammates. "Everyone, let's power up the Rag. We're going to the Centra Ruins."
It took merely seconds for the Ragnarok to disappear from his sight as it sped southeastward for Centra. Training his nervous gaze downward, Marcus noticed a silver-gray car approaching Garden.
"Oh man, here we go..." he anxiously mumbled before running to the gate. When he got to the Garden entrance, he immediately caught notice of the wide-mouthed reaction of the students as they gawked unbelievingly at the unexpected visitors. The leader of the pack stopped right in front of him.
"What happened here?"
"It... It's a long story." The dark-skinned SeeD stammered. "If you want you can ask the Headmaster yourself."
"Does he..."
"I already told him. At first he didn't want to believe it but..."
The visitor didn't wait for Marcus to finish and continued on his way toward the elevator, unmindful of the dozens of astounded pairs of eyes currently fixated on him at the moment.
"I didn't think Marcus was serious." Cid voiced out upon setting eyes on the unexpected guest. "We're having some problems right now... but you can probably tell, anyway." He added, half-entertaining a suspicion that their guest might just be involved in this crisis.
However, his curt reply totally caught the Headmaster by surprise.
"I... I'm here to help."
His glazed, white eyes slowly shifted to a shade of burning red. Loud, cracking reverberations echoed through the black void as the imposing figure clenched his fists tight. His fury was unimaginable. If he could have his way, he wouldn't think twice in squeezing the life out of that single object of his pure and unmatched hatred.
"Such audacity. Such brazen display of unforgivable transgression. This fiend will soon feel the wrath of my august might."
"I CAN FEEL YOUR ANGER, LEGENDARY ONE." echoed a resonating snarl behind the incognito form. "AND I SHARE IT AS WELL. BUT YOU KNOW WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING UNLESS THE SEAL IS FINALLY BROKEN."
"And with all due respect, o Great Defender," voiced out yet another ghastly shape hovering alongside him. "this witch... wields considerable might. We need to think things through should we get the chance to exact retribution."
"Yes, you are correct, Dark one." the central figure concurred. "I am languishing in this prison mainly because of my own vainglory. Rest assured. I will not make the same mistake twice."
He would have reiterated the throes of his indignation if not for the uncanny perception of a dark presence in the midst of the shapeless field. Training the pair of fiery dots toward the source of the silent turmoil, the the armored protector saw what appeared to be a silhouette of the infamous one who had been corrupted by false greatness. Though the shame in his form was evident, the shimmering bolts sporadically escaping from his body still symbolized the overflowing, raw power in it.
His death-inundated lips smiled, as if expecting an irony. This dishonored entity, whom everyone almost condemned to an eternity of endless shame, may yet get his chance at atonement after all.
"It's too quiet. Way too quiet." Rinoa nervously commented. Right in front of the gallant quintet, the mysterious and eerie structure of the infamous Centra Ruins stood in fear-inspiring grandeur, as if it's actually enticing them to enter its forbidden gates.
"The calm before the storm." Squall followed. "Stand fast, team. Be ready for anything."
They had barely made their way through the entrance when a ravenous roar tore through the chilly night air. Not too far away, a pair of massive, dark-gray sentinels stood in their path.
"Damn, two Hexadragons! Vesta is playing for keeps!" Zell blurted out. Beside him, Irvine didn't utter a word as he conjured an Aura spell unto himself. Before the monsters could even react, a barrage of Pulse ammo fire pummeled them relentlessly. Only one was left standing when the bombardment ceased. But the remaining Hexadragon was nevertheless easily cut down with three quick Blizzaga attacks.
"That was a feint," Quistis remarked. "meant to assess our strengths. Be careful, team. The real battle hasn't started yet."
True to the wise instructor's insight, a rampaging Ruby Dragon suddenly appeared behind the quintet and immediately unleashed a Fire Breath attack that totally caught them by surprise. Not prepared for the Back Attack, the SeeDs absorbed a huge amount of damage that sent them staggering back, desperately seeking for cover as the monster sustained his fiery assault.
When the dragon paused for breath, Squall immediately reached for a Megalixir to replenish their nearly depleted stamina. Zell then tossed a Triple spell on Quistis who subsequently counter-attacked with three consecutive Meteors. It was followed by Irvine's armor piercing salvo and Rinoa's unusually powerful, Angel Wing-triggered Apocalypse attack that sent the Ruby Dragon reeling back.
"Hhh, good thing Rinoa hasn't seen Doctor Odine yet." Squall muttered before summoning Lockheed, who delivered the finishing blow on the crimson beast with a devastating Sonic Boom assault.
The five warriors had just barely caught their breaths when they were surprised anew by a foul-smelling stench that assaulted their senses. As his four teammates fell unconscious, a disoriented Zell turned to the source of the revolting vapor.
"Friggin' Malboros!" he exclaimed while tossing another Megalixir to quickly remove his crew's status disabilities. "Irvine!"
"Roasted broccoli, anyone?" the gunslinger quipped, his fingers relentlessly pulling the trigger to unload a succession of burning Fire ammo on the two plant-monsters. Displaying impeccable teamwork honed by months of fighting alongside each other, the stalwart SeeDs made quick work of the disgusting creatures with triple Flares, Firagas and the combined might of the Phoenix and the non-elemental fury of Lobo.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!!" Squall hollered when the sharp tail of an attacking creature suddenly struck him. The others quickly turned to the sight of four Grendels lunging on to them. Zell, Rinoa and Irvine were able to dodge the beasts' deadly onslaught, but Quistis wasn't as fortunate. Recoiling from the blow, the bloodied SeeD became enraged and consequently summoned her Guardian.
"VALHALLA!"
As the five disappeared from the scene, a dreadful darkness fell over the area. The lush terrain transformed around the Grendels into a desolate wasteland, as they turned their astonished eyes upward to the menacing sight of a disfigured mountain descending from the black sky. Emitting a silver glow, the hovering monolith caused the ground below the monsters to crack open, from where a dozen or so Grim Reapers emerged to smite them with their frightful, soul-tearing sickles. After which the whole scene imploded unto the hapless Grendels to deliver a staggering cosmic blow that pummeled them with impunity.
"Geez! They're still standing!" Rinoa exclaimed when she saw the four Grendels coming back from the GF attack. However, the raven-locked SeeD's dismay was premature. Within seconds, the hideous monsters abruptly went limp and fell lifeless on the ground.
"Quick acting Doom." Quistis remarked. "Better be careful to whom I use that GF against."
"Let's go." Squall directed. "We have to find Selphie before it's too late."
"Why do you find these proceedings necessary, mistress? If I were you, I'd simply kill these meddlers and be done with it."
"Tengu, such a magnificent design would lose half its meaning when not performed in the midst of an appreciative audience." Vesta replied, vainly expressing her pathological fondness for the grand theatrics. "I yearn to savor the soul-wrenching fear in their faces once I open the portals to my imminent godhood."
"Unh... I can't... believe this..." a tortured voice emanated from behind them, where Selphie's exhausted form was chained against a scum-ridden pillar not unlike the one Mina Ranziel is also bonded to. "After all these... posturing, you're nothing but a... an attention-depraved hot dog..."
Vesta's spiteful glare trained irately towards the helpless SeeD. "I really should kill you for the remark, pitiful hussy. But no, I shall not." She relented after snapping a mild force wave to hit Selphie's head against the hard stone. "Instead, I shall call unto your comrades to watch while I unravel the very fabric of your useless soul. You will die a very slow and painful death, my dear. Thus is my word."
"Mistress, they come." Tengu cautioned Vesta as he watched through the monitor orb the five fearless warriors traversing the dilapidated stairway leading to the upper platform.
"Let them come, Tengu. Their eagerness will soon prove to be their own undoing."