THE FOURTH UNIVERSE
CHAPTER 12
The outer rim of the known universe is a spinning, swirling void forever bereft of life and color. Its merciless tug imprisons everything, its unrelenting downforce providing no channel of escape even for the minutest flicker of light. It bends everything, breaks everything. And in the end, those who fall in are forever chained in its bottomless chasms. Along its frightful borders, the vindictive overseer prepares to exact judgment on the unrepentant transgressors.
"Eternity is an immensely long time. But it's not nearly long enough to erase the horrible crimes you have committed against creation."
"You're grossly mistaken if you think you have finally won this war, Hyne. I will strike back. And will do so when you least expect it. Eternity will eventually prove to be your ultimate downfall, hated enemy!"
"I'm not like you, Vesta. I possess no such vain desire for the infinite holdings. Nevertheless, I am beyond the misgiving of letting down my guard. Where I am not, my legacy will linger together with the mighty faculties from which you shall never escape..."
The proud overseer then trained his flaming eyes on the quivering form of the night dweller, remembering the ferocious cast once painted on its façade, where nothing resides now but pure, unadulterated fear.
"... And as for you, repulsive nocturne..."
"Please... mercy..."
"You beg for mercy, mercy that you heartlessly denied the countless souls whose lives you unscrupulously expunged? No, Tengu. You have crossed the line where there can be no return. And you will pay for your willful participation in this unforgivable carnage. The wrathful force of the universe shall..."
"NOOOO!!! Not that! Anything but that!!!"
"... The wrathful force of the universe shall crush you under its heel. And the more you strive to break free of its shackles, the more it will turn against you."
The spiteful conspirators screamed in unimaginable agony. But where light waves are powerless to escape, more so are mere reverberations of tormented wails that were likewise consumed together with the condemned throats that spawned them. Time became non-essential. And the passing of seasons became obscured in the midst of the interminable well of atom-crushing enmity.
But the coveted sense of finality never befell the Protector of All Protectors. In his infinite knowledge, one thing escaped his all-encompassing awareness. And that is the confidence of ultimate victory that he knows should have been his had he chose to taint his hands with immortal blood rather than the humiliation of sentencing dark imprisonment. But he had no choice. However it pains him to accept, Vesta has indeed outmaneuvered him by voluntarily stripping herself of nearly all the powers she possessed. And by the decree that he himself promulgated, he cannot smite down the defenseless lest he opposes himself and ultimately lose hold of his charge. By rendering herself an impotent immortal, Vesta assured a survival she knew to be vital in assuring a chance at coming back to fight another day.
His only recourse: an imprisonment into the black beyond. One that he knew sooner or later his vile counterpart will someday overcome with the use of her unparalleled craftiness. Hyne has never faced one as infinitely cunning in battle. And though he stood in the end seemingly victorious, he knows that he has in fact, been defeated.
Someday, Vesta will return, in a time when he has grown weary of his eternal journey. Hyne has always known that he will someday relinquish his immortality. But what he never foresaw was how Vesta will use this to ensure her victory at a time when he no longer will be.
Silently, he allowed a moment of weakness by regretting his decision. He knows he should have killed her.
And thus, Hyne has been given no other choice but one.
He reiterated "Where I am not, my legacy will linger together with the mighty faculties from which you shall never escape..."
His legacies.
Bending his spirit inwardly, the Great Lord folded his energies in intense solidity, and waited until these energies went fighting back. And with one marvelous release, Hyne unleashed his immortal powers in a flash of impossibly bright light that showered the universe with its splendor. And in the midst of the glittering essence, he hollered forth his great commission.
"You are all my legacy. The first of all firstborn, the mightiest of the mighty. Yours is the decisive turn in my battles, the culmination of my wars, and the ultimate glory of my triumph. You will comprise my children, and will be my children."
The shower of might became the stuff of legends, hurtling with unbelievable speed and unimaginable invincibility as they lay claim on the worlds below his feet. Some opted to be the shadows of light, the supernatural spirits that sought hosts whose residence into the worthy forms of the fairer gender resilient enough to contain what will eventually be known as the embodiment of the sorceresses.
But most went the way of the free, allowing themselves to be absorbed into unsuspecting entities otherwise liberated from the notion of willful war. Ages from now, those who entrenched themselves in the frail forms of gentle canaries and unmindful fowls, protective beasts who guard the gates of men, wild beasts that choose not be bound by man, unborn infants and their scorned mothers, unassuming fauna, earth burrowers, enchanted stones, natural stones, sea serpents, indifferent demons, gallant knights of a dreamer's visions, inanimate machines, the spirit of an unsettled executioner, the restlessness of the wind, a collector's craftiness, a father bull, a sage, and even the very emotions fueling man's vengeance will rise unto their own to march along their heritage. One speck of power will entomb itself inside a mindless fire-breather to assume kingship over all of the firstborn as well as dominion over his kind. And yet one more will elevate into the greatest of all their greatness combined, choosing to hide beneath the raw strength inherent in man's heart.
All from one source, all born of one who is both father and mother. All with one ultimate purpose.
And amidst these, Hyne still felt inadequate. There's one more thing that needs to be done to assure the success of his scheme. Turning back to the nothingness, he raised his hand, from which one more fragment of his power flew off to meet a shapeless darkness that pulled itself from the void. Spectacular in its unlit resplendence, the power and the darkness fused and became one, whose eventual sentience will fashion for itself the image of a frightful creature whose purpose is to guard the gates and hold its keys. His will be the unlimited might, the power proportionate to that of his enemies. In his hands, the Great Lord entrusted the prisoners. In his mind, Hyne left his unwavering wrath.
The creator then smiled, one that may have been reflected by his creation had his mouth been visible. Staring unblinkingly into the eyes of his dark son, the Father of Light nonchalantly produced the key -- an instrument of enlightenment, with the vital purpose of serving as the medium of his ultimate design of deceit. Folding his fingers in a subtle yet absolute command symbol, Hyne directed the red and black blob to enter the tiny hole at the tip of its appendage.
"You are meant to keep their chains, dark one. However, a time will come when you will be freed of your duties. And when that time comes, your prisoners will walk free once more. Step back, and let your brothers perform the task by which their creation has been appointed to do."
EONS PAST
The Temple of the Distant Sisters. A small gathering hidden among the towering fauna bordering the infamous Tomb of the Unknown King. A site for fellowship among the discontented and the forgotten. And base of operations for a seemingly insignificant congregation whose overlooked and unassuming facade hides a far more vicious agenda.
"Behold, my sisters. A reason for jubilation."
A septuagenarian with silvery curls stood at the nexus of the wicked convention, beaming baneful glee as she stared with sheer anticipation at the hypnotic red sphere projecting hazy images of three youthful soldiers about to embark on their first mission. Three young warriors who, in their quest for a mighty ally, inadvertently unsealed the prison that holds an ancient curse.
"They have called upon the primordial force and broken through the portals of the dark Guardian. And having done so has left us a back door!"
"Priestess Lucresia, I don't see how this could benefit our redemption."
"Look closely, ye of little faith. The arrogant youths have violated the realm of the caliginous chasms. They have removed the Guardian from its post. We now have an opportunity to arrange for the second coming of our beloved Lady."
A faint resonance emanated from the crimson orb which consequently evoked strained cheers from the aged multitude.
[i]"Too much sleep... Too weak ..."[/i]
The gatekeeper has been freed of his duty.
"It is now completed, my sisters. Call the others. We're going to need everyone's help in preparing for the return of the goddess Vesta."
TWELVE MONTHS LATER
"You're one dork I never expected to see here."
"'Dork'? Why Squall, you're starting to sound like a man after my own heart."
"Don't flatter yourself, Seifer. I may have kept my mouth shut for all those times you picked on me. But you have to admit, I've proven myself to be the better man."
"You know, Squall, I kinda liked you better before even though I get so friggin' annoyed whenever you ignore me. Right now, your senseless yapping is just so unbearably irritating! But... there is one bright side to this hilarious irony." a grinning Seifer shot back as he pulled the length of the Hyperion out of its scabbard. "I'm gonna kick your butt again. But this time, I get to do it as the good guy."
"You wish!" Squall snapped as he unleashed a lightning-fast swing on Seifer. The deafening sound of clashing metals resonated throughout the chamber as the two bitter rivals slugged it out with their gunblades. Displaying unreserved ferocity, the SeeD commander lunged repeatedly at Seifer with powerful blows. There was no denying the fact that Squall intended to murder his childhood rival.
"Rrggh!" Seifer reeled back after absorbing a vicious elbow from his opponent. Blood began to gush from his torn lower lips. "You... finally learned to fight like a man..."
"Oh, you mean play dirty? I've always known how to fight that way, dork! I was just waiting for the chance to use it on you!" Squall returned, together with a twisting swing that Seifer barely managed to block.
"Man, are you sure that's Squall?" a hurting Raijin exclaimed while clutching his right elbow. "Look at what he did to my arm!"
"Told you, man. Squall's being possessed by Vesta!" Zell frantically retorted. "And we're wasting our time watching those two! Let's go for that bitch while Squall's occupied with Seifer!" After which he dashed towards the villainous witch, with Quistis, Irvine, Fujin and Marcus following suit.
However, their sneak attack didn't escape Squall's attention. Unloading a Flare assault that knocked the wind out of Seifer, the enthralled SeeD leader subsequently went after the group with a powerful Quake spell. Though severely stunned, Irvine managed to quickly recover from the conjured tremor, only to be met by the sight of a charging Squall who seemed hell-bent on permanently incapacitating them.
"Damn!" the Galbadian native muttered while aiming the Exeter toward Squall. He only had a split-second to come up with an unnerving decision. "It's him or us..."
"NOOO!!!" Rinoa cried out in horror just as the muzzle of the silverized rifle blazed with an armor-piercing shell that shattered the ground below the possessed SeeD. As the floor underneath him collapsed, Squall quickly threw himself on to the elevated platform where Vesta stood. Another surprisingly agile maneuver followed with the bedeviled Squall casting a Tornado blast that trounced his comrades away from the devious Vesta.
"HOPELESS..." a flustered Fujin blurted out, recognizing the tactical disadvantage plaguing their mission. While they can't attack in full force out of the concern of grievously injuring the SeeD commander, Squall, on the other hand, is pouring his all in repulsing their efforts, as his faculties have been completely taken over by the enemy. Grimly sharing the gray-haired combatant's sentiment, the others stood helplessly as they watched their leader walk alongside Vesta.
"I told you, guys..." Squall mockingly started. "... ours is a losing cause. And you know why?"
Rinoa's grief-stricken face is ashen and soaking with rivers of tears. She wanted desperately to run beside the man she deeply cares for, but the crimson glow in his glazed eyes was evoking undreamed of terrors continuously pounding on her already battered psyche. She tried to take one step forward, but was prevented from doing so by the heaviness in her heart aggravated by the spiteful words being spewed out by her bewitched lover.
"Because it's rooted on selfishness. Why do we want to spoil Vesta's plans anyway? Is it because her schemes are harmful? No, I don't think that's the real reason. Tell 'em, dork."
Seifer didn't answer. Despite his own familiarity with the devious mindset, this one under whose powers Squall was being manipulated in is in a class of its own. He's never felt anything as unnerving as this. Not even from the kind of evil he once basked in when he was deceived by the bitter hatred of Ultimecia. No, Seifer's mind echoed. He's had his share of wayward deeds. But he'd never consciously immerse himself this deep in the mud.
Not that Squall did, anyway. The hapless squad leader was merely outmaneuvered. But that's just it. Vesta had to be cunning beyond words for her to accomplish such underhanded designs.
"What's the matter, ol' chum? Cat got your tongue? Or maybe Rinoa did." the SeeD leader tauntingly remarked. "Anyway, that's fine. I'll tell you. We want to have the power to ourselves. We hate the thought of being relegated to the 'mere mortal' level. Above anything else, you, me, and everyone practicing the 'fine art' of para-magic want to retain our elite and untouchable status. And for whom? For what?
"There could be a lot of reasons. For one, Zell here... oh, by the way, nice term you coined there, dork. 'Chicken-wuss'. Heh, you two should get together more often. 'The Dork and the Chicken-wuss'. I'll even have Selphie produce a movie about you once Vesta's done with her."
Quistis bowed her head down.
"Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Zell here wants to retain the power because he wants to protect his family in Balamb. Then we have Irvine who claimed that he wanted to be true to the path he chose. Quistis, what's your reason? ... Anyway, whatever it is, it all boils down to the fact that these are all merely selfish motives."
"Selfish by whose standards?" the instructor suddenly retorted, eliciting a startled look from everybody. "By yours? How can that be when you yourself said that you'd gladly pay whatever price it takes to keep the power. Remember, in Trabia?"
Squall once again drew out the Lionheart. Quistis ignored it and continued on. "Remember how thrilled we all were after rediscovering our origins, after learning that all of us: you, me, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Ellone, and" she paused while quickly tossing a glance at the man beside her "Seifer once sat together around one table and played with each other in one backyard? Can you still remember how it felt?"
A spark of warmth flickered inside Squall's mind.
"I could be mistaken, you know. But I've always taken that to be the turning point for all of us. Whether you admit it or not, that was when the five of us really started to bond. And in spite of the hard shell you placed around yourself, there was no mistaking the signs that you stopped looking at Zell, Irvine and Selphie as mere comrade-in-arms, and started accepting them in a more profound way."
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." the enthralled SeeD countered, but his statement was already bereft of contemptible conviction.
"So you say." The instructor continued. "But I know you. Perhaps better than anyone else does. And I saw it in your eyes, your desire to recall the long-forgotten warmth of friendship when you agreed to visit Matron's stone house after we left Trabia Garden. To tell you the truth, I was pretty surprised at the eagerness I saw in those eyes. I've never seen you so excited."
"Unnhhh... no..." Squall held his forehead as it began to throb with a pulsating headache. "Stop this..."
"You started believing then. And that same belief carried us through and enabled us to prevail over insurmountable odds when we faced Ultimecia. Remember our 'corny' battle cry? What was that...? 'Love, friendship, and courage'?"
"AAAHHHHHHH..!"
"Corny or not, it sure did it for us... And it sure did it for you."
"Stop messing with my head!!!" Squall leapt from the platform and hurriedly strutted towards Quistis, gunblade held tight in his hands.
"And right now, it also did it for me." she echoed while waving her hands at him to cast a Dispel spell which canceled out his adulterated Aura. A loud pop echoed as Squall's red glow dissipated, consequently bringing the confused SeeD commander down on his knees when the sudden disappearance of the controlling force made his knees feel like jelly.
"Well I'll be... why didn't we think of that before?" Irvine astoundingly remarked before turning his attention to the enemy. "Okay, clown-faced bitch. It's time for you to get what's coming!"
"You can have your precious leader back for all I care." Vesta smugly retorted. "He's already served his purpose."
A loud hiss suddenly rang out when Vesta raised her left hand which held a radiant tetrahedron. The arcane artifact began to glow even brighter, after which it fired silvery-gray beams of sharp light that struck Selphie and Mina Ranziel, bringing them to convulse in excruciating agony as the devilish energy began to draw upon their powers.
"SELPHIE!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Irvine cried out. His attempt to rescue his beloved proved an exercise in futility when the rotting vines clinging along the moss-ridden walls of the chamber slithered to life and quickly coiled around the eleven warriors. Helplessly immobile, the heroes could do nothing but watch in utter horror as the chained pair's tormented writhing slowly began to subside, leading into a final seizure before their heads limply fell down.
They felt like their minds were about to explode. Quistis, Rinoa, Zell, Irvine and Squall: their eyes wide open with tears of unimaginable terror gushing down their sweat-covered faces. Teeth gnashing violently against each other and bodies quivering with unheard of hatred, as they gazed on the lifeless body of their comrade and friend.
They desperately hoped the opposite was true, that what they were seeing before them was an illusion. The throes of their minds which seem all ready to explode overcame them with the sight too incredible to perceive and impossible to believe. Not today, not after everything they went through together.
It can't possibly end like this! Selphie she can't possibly be dead!
Five raging pairs of eyes then turn to the source of the evil reverberation of victory.
"AT LAST! GODHOOD! MY GLORIOUS REIGN HAS FINALLY DAWNED!!!" Vesta screamed with evil joy. Above her, a purplish vortex began to swirl from the nothingness: a maelstrom that slowly grew in size to reveal a parallel universe beyond where the emptiness is mind-boggling in its lighter hue compared to the darker specks which appear to be reverse-colored stars and suns.
The Fourth Universe. An existence of reciprocal equivalence. A universe where everything is the same yet completely opposite. A realm whose infectious and toxic essences had already begun to slowly seep into the positive universe with its debilitating malevolence and all-consuming negativity.
He's already beginning to feel the ominous loss of strength in the very fibers of his being, but Squall stubbornly refused to give up the fight. He hollered desperately to rally his charges to one penultimate assault.
"TAKE HER DOWN NOW!!! LOCKHEED!!!" to which his comrades quickly followed suit with deafening Guardian Force summons in a frantic effort to salvage the otherwise lost cause.
"LOBO!!!"
"POLARIS!!!"
"RAMUH!!!"
"TITAN!!!"
"JEREMIAH!!!"
"MEKTAUR!!!"
Vesta, flashing a most wicked smile, nonchalantly raised her crackling hands to unleash multiple Light Pillar attacks that unrelentingly pummeled the GFs and sent them retreating back to their summoners. The eleven heroes winced in frustration after seeing how the vile nihilist effortlessly conquered their mighty allies.
But just as the defeated Guardians vanished, the skies abruptly emitted a blinding brilliance, from whence four glittering projectiles hurled forth and struck the ground in a perfect diamond pattern. After which a crimson figure swirled up from the center of the four shining blades and eventually took the form of the eight-armed angel of vengeance.
"Someone violated the sanctity of my temple." The enigmatic Gilgamesh echoed as he faced the rancorous Vesta. "Huh? Was it you? Then dodge my sword!" he furthered while pulling out the Excalibur and the Masamune blades, simultaneously hurling them towards the unfazed witch. A simple gesture brought the deadly blades to a screeching halt in mid-air before shattering them into a million harmless shards.
"Blast it! My swords!!!" Gilgamesh exclaimed disdainfully. He was about to reach for Zantetsuken when a vast shadow drew his attention upward. Above them all, the frightful form of the apocalyptic Valhalla slowly descended, transforming the enormous chamber into a wasteland with its devouring death forces. As the ground began to crack open, Vesta guffawed resoundingly in deriding the hellish occurrence.
"That's right! Give it all you've got, pathetic worms!!! The more opportunity for me to show you all that my power is absolute and unstoppable!"
Violent bolts of winding purple energy blasted out of her eyes and struck the hovering mountain of cosmic matter. Though powerful in itself, Valhalla's might still couldn't begin to compare to Vesta's, as the monolith vibrated with incapacitating fury. There followed a series of crackling energy eruptions and blinding flashes of white fire emanating from the dying servitor spirit, after which the upheaval gripping its helpless manifestation culminated in a loud explosion that completely destroyed the last Guardian Force, the last hope these embattled warriors had.
"No..." Quistis silently muttered as she wept in final surrender. Is this the end? Have they finally met their match, and in the process doomed the world that depended on them for protection?
Near-total silence permeated the battlefield. Nothing can be heard, save the uncharacteristic heaves of breath of the two crimson-garbed figures facing each other.
"Mighty Gilgamesh. Pledge to me your allegiance. That... or face total annihilation."
"In your dreams, vile destroyer." The hooded Guardian loftily shot back. "In retrospect, I shouldn't be talking to you at all. I don't talk to dead witches."
"Ha ha ha ha!!! You have finally succumbed to your own pitiful delusions, hideous Guardian."
"Really? I say it is you who will finally succumb to an eternity of deathless death." Gilgamesh returned while turning his concealed face upward. "You have no idea what you just managed to accomplish."
A sudden hush followed the Guardian's ominous declaration, which was then quickly interrupted by a melange of faint sounds.
"Foolish one." Gilgamesh grinned viciously at Vesta. "You have just broken the seal."
Gradually, the sounds became more and more discernable. The flapping of mighty wings, the pounding of heavy paws, the subtle whistling of turbulence-inducing acrobatics mixed with the telltale echoes of taut strings. And the most imposing of them all, the furious galloping sound of magnificent hooves.
Three pairs of hooves.
Gilgamesh then turned around to the majestic voice that reverberated from behind him.
"I believe you have something that belongs to me. And I want it back, right now."