Fall of the Tower

Note : Most persons places and things in this fanfic are probably owned by

Squaresoft inc. so please don't sue.

Fall of the Tower

            The black figure stepped forward into the dim, black, light.  The figure stood nearly seven feet tall and looked to be quite muscular.  Although you wouldn't hardly have known whether he was muscular or not because from head to toe he was covered in armor as black as midnight.  Kain recognized the figure immediately, his former master, Cecil's brother, puppet of Zeromus, and he was now supposed to be sleeping with the Lunarians.  "Good to see you again, Kain."  Golbez spoke in an awe-inspiring voice.

            Kain looked directly into Golbez's visor and said in a voice as solid as any rock.  "What are you doing here?"

            Golbez just looked at Kain for the longest time and then a voice came from him, saying.  "Haven't you figured it out yet, Kain?  I am the Guardian of this world."   Kain was filled with shock and disorientation, he dropped the crystal of shadows, but before it hit the ground it slowly rose up, floating just above the surface. 

            "Why?"  Was the only word that Kain could muster in his bewildered state.

            "Why, because after about four hundred years of sleep a man gets a little board here and there.  You have no idea how hard it is to sleep for that long Kain, or maybe you do.  Why are you here, how did you survive the past 750 years?"  Golbez asked Kain.

            "I... don't really know."  Kain said honestly.  "All that I know is that I found the first Dragoon, and when I prayed before him, he told me I was true Dragoon and then he put me to sleep.  When I woke up, I was inside of a coffin under the earth, near Mist.  That's all I can really tell you about what happened to me."  Kain breathed in reassurance after completing his short story.  Though then he looked at Golbez and said.  "The Lunarians, what happened after you woke them up?"

            "I only woke up only a few, but those that I did wake up told me to go back to sleep so that all of you humans could be given time to evolve and grow before the Lunarians joined you."  Golbez then gave a small sigh and continued.  "I couldn't sleep any longer though, I couldn't stand it.  So I convinced the ones that I had waken that if I was sent down to Earth that I could prepare the humans for the arrival of the Lunarians.  After much arguing the Lunarians agreed that my ideas and reasons were sound, and thus I should be sent down to this world in order to prepare it.  So, I got down here with the aid of a Lunarian vessel, not itself unlike the "Big Whale", and when I got here the people greeted me with open arms; they knew that I was their saviors brother.  Then I decided to approach the Patriarch, Matriarch and Guardian so that I could tell them why I was here.  After discussing everything that I could in order to help humanity with, these three decided that I could best help the world by becoming an advisor, and as such they decided that it would be best if I became an advisor to the Guardian, because at that time the Guardian had the least power."  Golbez then laughed slightly.  "I personally thought it would be better for myself to work under the Patriarch, but that is a long story that you probably do not want to hear. 

            "After the Guardian I was working under died, everyone decided that I should take over his roll.  And as such, I did.  After I while though I began to tire over the bureaucracy of having to always talk, and approve my ideas with these other two.  So I decided that the world would be run much more efficiently with only one person in charge, and I saw only one man fit for the job at that time, and guess who that was.  Now you know Kain, so the question becomes, what are going to do now that you know."

            "You haven't told me everything Golbez, and you know it."  Kain said trying to create an air of superiority in his voice. 

            "I told you everything you needed to know Kain; now..."

            "I don't care about now Golbez!"  Kain shouted with frustration.  "I just want to know..." Kain took a breath to calm himself, and then asked.  "How can you live with yourself knowing what the world is like?"

            "What do you mean?  The world is as close to perfection as it has ever been." Golbez said with grandeur on his voice.

            "Perfection, maybe.  But at the cost of nearly every persons personal freedoms."

            "Freedom is unnecessary in any time, place, or culture for that matter.  The only thing that is necessary is order, efficiency, and faith."

            "Faith in what?"

            "Faith in me, Kain."  Golbez paused for a small moment to let the truth of that statement sink into Kain's head.  "Faith that I will do exactly as is what is necessary.  Faith that I know all that needs to be known.  Faith that I will lead each and every single person on this planet to a brighter future."

            "And faith that that future will be as dark and hopeless as the present."  Kain added to Golbez's list.

            "Kain, why don't you understand that I'm doing the right thing here?  I'm protecting the weak, I'm feeding the starving, I'm preparing the world for the future."

            "If you think that a future without freedom, and without hope is a thing that people will look forward to, then you are sorrowfully mistaken."

            "Maybe so Kain, but.."

            "And let me ask you something else Golbez."  Kain interrupted loudly.  "What about those that roam this world defiling the memory of your brother."

            "What are you talking about Kain?"

            "I'm talking about those, paladins you have everywhere."  Kain shuddered thinking about them.  "Cannot you see that they are not of the light?  And if they are not of the light, then how can they be called paladins?"  Kain said with as much anger as he could muster.

            "They do serve the light Kain.  Only they serve a different light."

            "There are only three types of light in my book Golbez, the light of dawn, the light of day, and the light of dusk.  Are you saying that these men follow the light that shall bring darkness?"

            "One could look at it that way.  Though tiss not the light of dusk that they follow.  It is the light of the moon that they are following."

            "That is the same light that the Dark Knights followed Golbez!  What the hell are you doing?"

            "I'm creating a perfect paradise for all on this Earth Kain.  What are doing?"

            Kain reached from behind his back and pulled out his White Spear, and his Dragoon's mask.  He placed the mask over his face and said.  "Stopping you."

                                                            *            *            *

            Dawne traveled through the endless darkness and infinite light that teleporting brought.  She thought that the endless parade of colors was beautiful.  Then, when she could feel herself nearing her destination she opened the door back into the normalness, back to the world she knew. 

            Naxos and Phantine were standing there looking at her, Phantine with despair in her eyes and Naxos with anxiousness in his. 

            "Quickly Dawne," Naxos started.  "We have to go now, there is at least a legion of guards on the other side of that door!"  Naxos said pointing to a doorway quite a ways away. 

            "Did you succeed?"  Dawne asked because she wasn't about to go back to the Tower of Babil without these two's main objective in hand.

            "Yes it's right here."  Phantine said, sluggishly pulling a red crystal from her backpack.

            "Phantine, where's Dekan?"

            "I'm not sure, but..."

            "Well then we have to get him."  Dawne blurted out, she did not wish to abandon him, so that Phantine would live her life in an endless cycle of remorse, self-pity, and depression.

            "That doesn't matter," Naxos said.  "He can take care of himself.  He's a big boy."  Naxos said mockingly.  At that moment Dawne walked straight up to Naxos and slapped him across the face with enough force to leave an imprint there for at least three days.  "What the hell was..."

            "How dare you say something like that?"  Dawne shrieked.  "Don't you have a fiber of decency left in you?  Or are you so heartless that you could care less about him and Phantine?"

            "All that I meant was..."

            "It doesn't matter what you mean, all that matters is what you said.  Now we are going to go search for him.  Where is he anyway?"

            "We aren't really sure, that's why we haven't been looking.  All that we know is that he went up to the command center to deactivate the locks down here.  We should take the crystal back to Babil before we go back and search for... Dekan."  Phantine said holding back both tears and emotions very well.

            "All right, but only because YOU think that that's what we should do.  And Naxos the next time..." Suddenly, Dawne was interrupted by shots coming through the door that Naxos had pointed at before.  The only reaction that Dawne could think of was the teleporting.  Within seconds the three of them were inside of the beautiful place of infinticy, as Dawne had come to call it.

            Dawne began to bring the two, now unrecognizable forms, behind her to where she knew the Tower of Babil's Crystal Shrine Room was.  Something didn't feel right about one of the forms she was taking with her, but at this point she couldn't tell, and as such Dawne ignored whatever it was.

                                                            *            *            *

            Kain took his battle stance staring straight at Golbez knowing that this half-lunarian would be sending everything he could at him.  To his surprise though Golbez didn't even move, though within seconds Kain could see why.

            A Shadow Dragon had appeared right behind Golbez and was now coming straight at Kain.  Kain leaped through the room to meet this unholy creature and let the powers of the wind rip it to shreds.  Suddenly Kain felt the dragon's spell of Demolish overtake him, he could feel it the spell trying to rip his body; Kain realized at that moment that he would be dead unless some minor miracle occurred.  Though Kain kept flying through the dark air of the room, even as the spell was terrifying him apart.  Suddenly, Kain noticed that he had stopped flying through the air and now he was standing atop the Shadow dragon, his spear imbedded in the Dragon's head. 

            "Hmmm, your skills have improved if anything Kain, and I must say I am impressed."  Golbez said mockingly.  "No one before has been able to resist his demolishing effects.  Though that victory will be short lived I'm afraid."  Golbez then pointed directly at Kain, and then Kain started to look up to watch the meteo rain down on him, but it didn't. Instead, a wave of pure energy surged from Golbez's hand and at the speed of light, hit Kain on his breastplate, this sent Kain back to the back of the room.

            Kain could hardly breath after feeling that much force, but he knew he had to survive; he knew he had to kill Golbez, once and for all.  Kain once again flew across the room directing his spear straight for Golbez's head.  Kain was surprised when Golbez did not even try to dodge, or try to deflect or send a counter attack at him, before he could arrive.  Though this was explained when he hit Golbez's helmet and bounced off, and then hit the ground. 

            "Ha! You don't actually think such puny things as that can harm me.  Don't you get it Kain; nothing can stop me, nothing.  As such I believe that you should stop wasting your time with this, and join me.  You would make a lovely lieutenant; because you were so good at that before."  Golbez said, twisting a dagger in Kain's heart.

            "Never again will I make that sin!"  Suddenly a key inside of key turned, a box opened and with its opening, many things flew out from it and Kain knew that at the end, hope would be the only thing left.

            The fire of rage overwhelmed Kain; he could feel it coursing through him, feeding every inch of him with its power, with its deadliness.  Fire and air mixed together and became an inferno within him, a searing storm of death.  Death that would soon be turned loose on who ever was in the room.  Golbez had no idea.  Feeling all of these things, Kain roared and then said.  "I will atone for my sins!"  Then Kain looked at Golbez knowing that he was the cause of misery, pain, suffering, poverty, famine, and slavery  "I will atone for my sins.  WITH YOUR DEATH!"  Golbez had no idea; all he did was laugh at the berserker standing in front of him.

           

                                                            *            *            *

            Dawne could now sense that she was at the Tower of Babil, and as such, brought herself and her two travelers back into reality. 

            She opened her eyes and before her was the glass case holding within it, six crystals.  Each crystal looked as pure as innocence itself; it didn't matter the color or shape of the crystal for they were all equal.

            "Dawne stop staring at those and get over here!"

            "What is it Naxos."  Dawne said quite fatigued.  Though as soon as she turned around she didn't need to hear what Naxos had to say.

            Phantine was lying on the floor, blood was everywhere and there were three holes newly formed on her.

            "Dawne, do you think you can..."

            "Of course, this isn't too difficult for me."  Dawne said, and then whispered.  "I hope."

            Dawne knelt down next to Phantine and then she began her arcanic words for a basic healing (which notably was the only kind of healing Dawne knew).  "Avom cuileir et onmisaneir eg kweena soo."  And with those arcane words chanted, Dawne's hands began to glow white.  It was not the purest white anyone had ever seen, and the color did matter, but it was the best that Dawne could do. 

            Dawne then set her hands on the first of Phantine's wounds, on below her left shoulder, looking close to the lung.   As such it was the first to go.  The whiteness then poured into the wound and slowly, but surely she could see the walls around the wound regenerating, and regenerating until the bullet inside popped out.  Though even after that Dawne continued until the wound was completely closed. 

            As soon as that was done though Dawne could feel her fatigue.  She needed to rest, but if she did Phantine would most surely pass away, and Dawne was not going to let that happen.  Not at any cost.

            Dawne moved to Phantine's next wound, it was right above the right side of her hip.  Dawne did the same thing having the healing whiteness flood into the wound, pop the bullet out, and then close the wound completely.  And finally Dawne moved on to the last wound, and healed it the whiteness. 

            Dawne looked down at Phantine and thought to herself.  "You will live, and I will make sure that you see your Dekan again."  Then Dawne went out like the flick of a light switch.

                                                            *            *            *

            Naxos looked down at the two girls, helpless before him.  He wanted so badly to... NO, no he wouldn't do that.  He had to suppress what he felt, he had to calm himself.  He had to wait till they were awake, and then he would kill them.  KILL THEM!  No, no he couldn't do that.  He wouldn't do that he had to remain calm, remain under control and think about the crystals and the hope of every single person on Earth, all of them, without knowing, they were hoping that he would save the day.  That he would rise above, and bring forth death and chaos... 

            "Damned voices!" Naxos called out.  "Leave me in peace.  Please.  I beg of you.  Stop tormenting me!"  The voices had begun calling out to him now that he was in this chamber, before when he was with the group the first time they all had come inside of this room.  Naxos could feel the evil in the voice telling him to do things that he... he... he could do.  He could do anything he wished to if he obeyed the voices, he could rule the world like the guardian, power supreme; and all he had to do was follow what the hatred told him to do. 

            Naxos knew that he couldn't let himself do any of the things the voices were telling him to do.  Because of this, Naxos knew that he had to stop himself.  So he used his power to put himself to sleep the fastest way he knew how.

                                                            *            *            *

            Kain shot forward at the Golbez, not knowing and not caring about how the man could toss him around like a doll.  He was not just Dragoon he was True Dragoon the epitome of honor, order, and loyalty; all of these conjoined now with the powers and blessings that the wind had granted him and the rage of the fiery inferno that dwelled in him.  With that combination complete inside of him, all of the physical and mental barriers that all people have inside of them fell and a new power surged through Kain.  Indescribable power.

            The streak that Kain had formed simply with the wind now conjured fire around it and Kain himself was a ball of fiery death.  If Kain could have looked with a conscience mind he would have seen what fright a metal face could show.

            Kain hit Golbez dead on and a glorious inferno erupted from the impact.  Fire surged throughout the room where they were fighting and it toppled and burned everything that it could.

            Kain wasted no time after the explosion had ceased.  He looked at the charred figure in front of him and said.  "Golbez, you are possessed by Zeromus again.  Though even if you weren't possessed, you are still going to die."  Golbez though had other ideas, he raised up his hand towards the heavens and suddenly the entire top of the tower flew off, and Kain could see both the giant statue of Cecil standing in the center and also the stars and the one dead moon in the sky.  Kain simply laughed at Golbez's stupidity, seeing these things brought Kain both a renewed hope, and a renewed sense of duty.  Though suddenly some of the stars appeared to be getting closer, and closer.

            "Fool, do you not think that I would use every weapon in my arsenal to defeat you Kain.  I am the most powerful man, no sorcerer, no immortal; the heavens obey my commands, Kain.  The white meteo shall bring your death, as sure as the crystal brought Zeromus his."  Golbez insanely yammered out at Kain who was simply looking at the dark sorcerer straight in the eyes.  "I will rule this world till the end of time Kain.  And nothing that you or those pathetic callers or your other friends can do anything about it."

            Kain didn't even try to persuade Golbez to stop the white meteo by telling him that it would destroy half the city.  He didn't try to heave his lance of the white straight throw Golbez's heart, or head.  He did not even try to summon the human fireball he had just created.  Instead he knelt down and picked up the shadow crystal that was still floating just above the ground.  Kain concentrated on the crystal, focusing every ounce of power he still had in him into it, then while Golbez was still laughing with the knowledge that no one could ever stop him; Kain pointed the crystal at Golbez and said.  "Acknowledge your sins, and see them again.  Now that all evil is your fault, now that all death is your fault, now that all of the pain you have brought to others will return to you, ten fold.  Know that you have dishonored the memory of your only brother.  Know these things and let the illusions and shadows show you them."  Kain said with the calmness and coldness of death itself.

            Suddenly Golbez griped his helmet and screamed in both physical and mental pain.  Kain knew that what he had wanted him to see, he was now seeing, he was now feeling the sin and the pain, and he now knew the sin and the pain as well.  Kain looked up again and saw that the white meteo was still coming, and would arrive within seconds. 

            With the crystal of shadows in hand Kain leaped into the air, letting the cold breeze carry him away from what would soon be the sight of death, chaos, and destruction.

                                                            *            *            *

            Phantine awoke; she could still feel the bullets inside of her.  Though they weren't there, it was as if only the shadows of the bullets remained.  Phantine looked at where the bullets should have been, but they were not there.  Something new was there though, Dawne.  She was lying on Phantine's stomach, exhausted probably.  Phantine gently took Dawne's head and placed it onto the ground as she tried to stand up. 

            Phantine looked to see if she really was in the Tower of Babil's crystal room.  She could see the six crystals all atop altars dedicated to their specific element.  Though the crystals weren't on the altars, they were inside of a case, and the crystal of fire was inside of her bag.  As such, Phantine took the crystal of fire out of her bag and stared walking with it over towards the glass case.  Once she reached it she opened the lid and put the crystal inside.

            Phantine began to look around the room more, wondering where Naxos was.  Suddenly he caught her eye.  He was over by the altar of darkness slumped on the altar's stairway and he looked unconscious.  Phantine walked over to him and looked down to see if there was anything wrong with him.  After turning him over, she noticed a large bump on the back of his head, it looked like a cudgel or club had just come down on the back of his head.  This was very odd, very.

                                                            *            *            *

            Dekan could feel the wind and air all around him as it sent him flying towards, towards, towards, somewhere.  He did not know where the wind was taking him, and to be quite honest, he did not care. 

            He could still feel every single bullet wound that had cut through him.  Though if he had not known any better he would have said that it felt like the wind was trying to heal those wounds.  But that was impossible, the wind could not... Well it was lifting him up and protecting him, and he thought he had heard it talk to him before, so it very well could be trying and indeed succeeding in healing him. 

            Dekan looked around at the sky and saw that it was no longer day, and he could make out thousands beyond thousands of stars in the sky. It was more then he had every seen in his life, and it was so beautiful, breathtaking really.  Next Dekan looked down and noticed that below him a giant city was glowing and sparkling.  There was light everywhere down there; Dekan thought he must have been over Mercudia (which lay all across the two-pronged fork of what was mysidia).  Though the ocean was nowhere to be seen, very odd. 

            Suddenly Dekan noticed a figure jutting straight up into the air below him.  The figure came closer and closer, and suddenly Dekan could see that that was Kain that had just leaped up into the air.  Dekan shouted "Kain, KAIN!  OVER HERE KAIN."  When Kain reached Dekan's level in the atmosphere he slowed his accent and began to fly towards the North.  "KAIN, KAIN!  PLEASE I NEED YOU HELP KAIN."  With that Kain finally noticed Dekan, Kain turned around to see Dekan, though seeing him wanted to make him look away.  This was because Kain's face was covered with dried blood; he looked like a green reaper flying through the sky looking for his next victim. 

            "DEKAN!  HOW DID YOU GET HERE SO FAST, I HEARD THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD BE AT THE TOWER BY NOW OR AT LEAST ON MT. ORDEALS?"  Kain shouted though he soon noticed that he didn't need to.  "Dekan, can you control your flight yet?"

            "I don't know.  I think so, maybe."  Dekan said nervously.

            "That will have to do."  Kain seemed to say to himself.  "We need to go over to those mountains before the wind dies down.  That and those stars up there start to drop on Baron."  Dekan looked up to see what Kain was talking about and saw that the stars looked huge, they must be dropping.

            "All right, lead the way Kain.  But just so you know I'm pretty shot up, literally, so..."

            "Don't worry about that just follow me, if you want to see Phantine again."  Now that caught Dekan's attention, and he began to follow Kain.  And the wind carried them both towards the Mountains to the north.

                                                            *            *            *

            Kain watched from the sky as the white meteo began to fall all over the city of Baron.  Kain knew that it took two people to use the white meteo, once to cast, and one to control.  Without another person there to control the power, the balls of pure energy fell everywhere.  Explosions blossomed like flowers all over the gigantic city and soon Kain could see the Black Tower being hit again and again.  Then one final ball seemed to go straight through the top of the Tower and exploded as it hit the Earth at the bottom that was all the tower could stand.  Kain and Dekan watched it collapse and hit the ground, watching that gave him a sense of closure, though he would have to search the rubble of the Black Tower for Golbez's corpse he felt like even if Golbez hadn't died, the reign of the Guardian was over.  Kain wasn't sure why, and he wasn't sure how; he was just sure, and that was all he needed.

            Kain looked over to Dekan to see how he was doing only to see that he had passed out on the rocky ground.  "Herbs," Kain said to himself.  "I need to find herbs, or some kind of aid."

                                                            *            *            *

            When Dawne awoke inside of the Tower the first thing that she saw was Phantine looking directly at her.  "How long have I been out?"  She said as she groggily got to her feet.

            "I'm not sure, though I'd wager somewhere around two and a half hours."  Then Phantine thought for a second longer and added.  "Though that isn't counting how long I was unconscious for.  You know if your going to have the decency to patch me up, could you at least not be asleep on top of me when..." 

            Dawne wasn't paying attention to Phantine's bitching, though it was more of mocking, she still didn't pay any attention.  Instead she looked over at Naxos,  "What happened to him."

            "I don't know.  But I do know that we should go and get Kain, now."  Then Phantine whispered to herself.  "He's the only man that could ever help me find Dekan." 

            "That's right, I am so absent minded.  Let's see he's probably left the tower by now, so how are we ever going to find him, even when we back to Baron he'll probably..."

            "Maybe he left a note by the room you two were staying at, or he could be there right now."  Phantine said emotionlessly, then she looked over at Naxos and said.  "What should we do with sleeping beauty over there?"

            "We should wake him so that..."

            And on that cue, Naxos' eyes opened and he lifted up his head to look at the two girls standing a small ways away from him.  Then he stood up, looked at them and said.  "I hope you don't mind, but I was doing a bit of eaves dropping, and I agree that we should go back to Baron and find Kain."  He then looked at Dawne and said.  "Do you think you're strong enough to take the three of us there, now?"

            "Of course, maybe not back the same instant, but I can take us all there." Dawne said almost triumphantly.

            "Let's go then, shall we."  And the three of them came together in the center of the room, and Phantine, Naxos and Dawne, began to wink back and forth, in and out of reality.  Though none of them noticed when they were leaving, Naxos' eyes had now changed their color to a deep black.

"Those who send reviews shall be karmicly rewarded."

        -Kain DeLuman