Chapter 5 - The Powerless Gathering
Eiko sat in the corner of the conference room alongside Freya who was trying to comfort her, but the words of the Dragon Knight weren't helping. The slience in the room echoed around the hallways of Lindblum Castle. The monarchy were dead, and Eiko had almost been taken out. Zidane wasn't able to see any other way to cure his friend quick enough, so he used his 'Sacrifice' to save her life. He was now resting in hospital, still unconsicous from the battle that he had just 'fought' with Troa. Kuja was staying by his bedside, recommended by himself to Freya. He didn't want to be around Eiko, for the guilt was too great to bear. He had just orphaned a child for the second time in her life. He was hardly at his greatest ebb.
Meanwhile Steiner, Beatrix and Vivi sat in the guest room. The quiet was unbearable, and someone had to break it soon. Vivi got to his feet and looked around... then slowly he got back to his seat again. His tears were apparent.
"D..did they call off the... festival...?" he asked in between small bursts of gulping as he tried to hold back the tears. Beatrix turned to him.
"Yes, Minister Artinia did. He's taken control of the country until a leader can be found."
Steiner looked up at this.
"Wouldn't Eiko be the new leader? She is the adoptive daughter after all."
"No, that's not the case." replied Beatrix "The Minister feels that Eiko wouldn't have the experience or the power of will at the moment to rule over Lindblum... especially with the current circumstances."
Steiner nodded to show that he understood, and Vivi suddenly walked out of the room without warning. The two looked at him, and in their minds they wondered how the young mage was coping. His personality could sometimes betray the greatest of thinkers.
Vivi walked down the corridor. The tears grew greater now, and when he spotted Armarant walking down the corridor he dodged straight into the nearest room on the side of the hallway that he was standing in.
He had seen that man before. He knew that man from before. The name that he had used was different to Troa, but he never would have forgotten such an uncomprising face. He had turned up at Vivi's home three months ago, looking for a huge shipment of Vivi's magical armlet, Magiviasi, which Cinna had used against Beatrix in the fight earlier that morning. The man they had called Troa had bought over 300 of the armlets on the spot, with another delivery of 200 which were to be sent to Lindblum every month. Lindblum... Vivi had a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach. What had he done? He didn't know yet, but he could guess that Troa wasn't going to use his equipment for defensive purposes.
Zidane got to his feet slowly. His head still hurt and his eyes were blurred, but he could make out the figure of Kuja sitting a couple of feet away. Zidane sat down upon the bed and placed his head in his hands.
"...Kuja... what's going on...?"
Kuja got to his feet and stood before Zidane.
"Do you remember what happened in Lindblum... Zidane?"
He nodded, and Kuja continued.
"Troa is the name of a Genome who was created with the soul purpose of taking over Gaia. That is all he was created to do. Since his birth he has trained relentlessly, developing his powers waiting for his task to begin. He was set with a specific time to start his assault on Gaia, and that time has arrived."
Zidane looked up at his brother, and Kuja carried on.
"He was invented as a 'back-up', in case you and I failed in our mission to take over Gaia ourselves and intergrate it with Terra. Since Terra would be no more if the takeover wasn't to happen, the consiousness of Terra wanted to populate on another planet. The planet would be Gaia, since it was the most known of and the one that was most easiest to access from our own planet."
Zidane got to his feet, although somewhat unsteadily, and walked towards a window. He could see the dimmed lights of Lindblum as the rain shattered off the rooftops of the town.
"...Regent Cid and Hilda are dead...?"
Kuja hung his head, tears almost forming in his eyes.
"...Yes."
"What about Eiko...? Was I able to save her?"
Kuja smiled somewhat weakly.
"Yes, you were. That was quite a selfless move if you don't mind my saying so."
Zidane turned to him and nodded.
"We have to go after this guy Kuja... He has to be stopped. From what you're saying he's going to completely destroy Gaia."
Kuja turned his head and sighed.
"He will, without a doubt... And your wife... could already be dead. I'm sorry Zidane, I really am."
Kuja turned to his brother, but there was no response. Zidane simply moved towards Kuja and walked past him towards the exit.
"I know Kuja... I know."
Eiko sat in the corner of the conference room alongside Freya who was trying to comfort her, but the words of the Dragon Knight weren't helping. The slience in the room echoed around the hallways of Lindblum Castle. The monarchy were dead, and Eiko had almost been taken out. Zidane wasn't able to see any other way to cure his friend quick enough, so he used his 'Sacrifice' to save her life. He was now resting in hospital, still unconsicous from the battle that he had just 'fought' with Troa. Kuja was staying by his bedside, recommended by himself to Freya. He didn't want to be around Eiko, for the guilt was too great to bear. He had just orphaned a child for the second time in her life. He was hardly at his greatest ebb.
Meanwhile Steiner, Beatrix and Vivi sat in the guest room. The quiet was unbearable, and someone had to break it soon. Vivi got to his feet and looked around... then slowly he got back to his seat again. His tears were apparent.
"D..did they call off the... festival...?" he asked in between small bursts of gulping as he tried to hold back the tears. Beatrix turned to him.
"Yes, Minister Artinia did. He's taken control of the country until a leader can be found."
Steiner looked up at this.
"Wouldn't Eiko be the new leader? She is the adoptive daughter after all."
"No, that's not the case." replied Beatrix "The Minister feels that Eiko wouldn't have the experience or the power of will at the moment to rule over Lindblum... especially with the current circumstances."
Steiner nodded to show that he understood, and Vivi suddenly walked out of the room without warning. The two looked at him, and in their minds they wondered how the young mage was coping. His personality could sometimes betray the greatest of thinkers.
Vivi walked down the corridor. The tears grew greater now, and when he spotted Armarant walking down the corridor he dodged straight into the nearest room on the side of the hallway that he was standing in.
He had seen that man before. He knew that man from before. The name that he had used was different to Troa, but he never would have forgotten such an uncomprising face. He had turned up at Vivi's home three months ago, looking for a huge shipment of Vivi's magical armlet, Magiviasi, which Cinna had used against Beatrix in the fight earlier that morning. The man they had called Troa had bought over 300 of the armlets on the spot, with another delivery of 200 which were to be sent to Lindblum every month. Lindblum... Vivi had a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach. What had he done? He didn't know yet, but he could guess that Troa wasn't going to use his equipment for defensive purposes.
Zidane got to his feet slowly. His head still hurt and his eyes were blurred, but he could make out the figure of Kuja sitting a couple of feet away. Zidane sat down upon the bed and placed his head in his hands.
"...Kuja... what's going on...?"
Kuja got to his feet and stood before Zidane.
"Do you remember what happened in Lindblum... Zidane?"
He nodded, and Kuja continued.
"Troa is the name of a Genome who was created with the soul purpose of taking over Gaia. That is all he was created to do. Since his birth he has trained relentlessly, developing his powers waiting for his task to begin. He was set with a specific time to start his assault on Gaia, and that time has arrived."
Zidane looked up at his brother, and Kuja carried on.
"He was invented as a 'back-up', in case you and I failed in our mission to take over Gaia ourselves and intergrate it with Terra. Since Terra would be no more if the takeover wasn't to happen, the consiousness of Terra wanted to populate on another planet. The planet would be Gaia, since it was the most known of and the one that was most easiest to access from our own planet."
Zidane got to his feet, although somewhat unsteadily, and walked towards a window. He could see the dimmed lights of Lindblum as the rain shattered off the rooftops of the town.
"...Regent Cid and Hilda are dead...?"
Kuja hung his head, tears almost forming in his eyes.
"...Yes."
"What about Eiko...? Was I able to save her?"
Kuja smiled somewhat weakly.
"Yes, you were. That was quite a selfless move if you don't mind my saying so."
Zidane turned to him and nodded.
"We have to go after this guy Kuja... He has to be stopped. From what you're saying he's going to completely destroy Gaia."
Kuja turned his head and sighed.
"He will, without a doubt... And your wife... could already be dead. I'm sorry Zidane, I really am."
Kuja turned to his brother, but there was no response. Zidane simply moved towards Kuja and walked past him towards the exit.
"I know Kuja... I know."