Chapter 3

A child's imagination

Cecil was standing at the railing of the airship and surveyed the woods below. Yang stepped up to him. "It has been a long time since we all traveled together like this, hasn't it?" he asked friendly.

Cecil gave him a smile. "Yeah -- it's a pity that Kain is not with us..."

Yang looked at him, thoughtfully. "You are worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yes... I fear that he gets too isolated. I am always trying to tell him that his love for Rosa isn't "real" but at the moment I am not so sure about this, myself... I mean if someone would tell me to stop thinking of her..." He gazed lovingly at his beautiful wife, who stood laughing beside Cid and obviously was enjoying herself.

Yang had to smile due to Cecil's reaction- it was always amazing how emotional the normally calm Paladin got when talking about Rosa.

"You think too much, Cecil. I am sure that Kain will get over the past and will fight with us ,again. By the way, what exactly are you planning to do when we've reached Agart? It seems that you didn't tell us every one of your thoughts at the meeting this morning..."

"Well..." Cecil smiled due to Yang's good sense of observation. "First of all it's important to see how the rescue teams are doing. The people of Agart shouldn't be too long without a roof over their heads. I would also like to ask some of the survivors how the earthquake took place..." The deep blue eyes of the Paladin stared thoughtfully at the landscape below.

Yang sensed that something was wrong with his friend. "Cecil, you don't think that the earthquake was only the effect of the moon which is coming nearer, do you?"

The young king reflected for a moment before he continued, "I don't really know what to think, but all the things that have happened during the last days can't be coincidences. Sure the moon is coming nearer for unknown reasons, but that does not explain the increasing monsters or the magic fluctuations in the air. And then there was this mad sorcerer on Mt. Ordeals which tried not only to charm me, but Kain before... I cannot believe that this wasn't planned... He also said that this was just the beginning... Scary, huh?" He said, a shudder in his voice.

Yang watched him attentively. "You're sensing something, don't you..."

"Yeah. Since the... "happenings" on the mountain my powers seem to have increased. I can feel things very clearly now and right now I sense... disaster..."

"Whatever happens, my friend: I trust you fully and I am very glad that your powers have returned." Yang said.

Cecil smiled gratefully. "Yes -- it was all a matter of trust..." He watched his wife again. As Rosa noticed his longing gaze, she smiled and blew a kiss over to him. Cecil winked back and looked then to the far end of the deck, where Rydia and Edge were standing and talking. Well, in fact Edge was talking, while Rydia did her best to ignore him.

"Maybe we'll find find a way into the Underworld, if we search close enough..." the Paladin mumbled.

Yang nodded. "Even if we don't, Rydia may be able to contact Leviathan and Asura better near the entrance... She seems to have problems getting in contact with them, lately."

"Yes... Also, she seems to be homesick. And there's something else, I don't know how to describe it. It's just that I have never seen her so... unstable... not since back then when her mother died..." The paladin lowered his head: Thinking of the night in Mist hurt.

"You do worry too much, again. Maybe it's just the magic fluctuations in the air-- " Yang tried to calm him.

"Will you just leave me alone for a moment!! " Rydia's clear voice could be heard.

"--and Edge..." Yang added grinning. He and Cecil exchanged glances, nodded and then walked towards their friends to prevent a fight.

Rydia was furious once again and was glaring at Edge.

"Look, I didn't mean it that way, baby..." the ninja tried to soothe her.

"I am not your baby! And if you don't mean the things you say you don't have to say them at all!" Tears were standing in Rydia's eyes as she rushed away and nearly bumped into Cecil and Yang.

"Rydia..." Cecil was surprised. "What's the matter?"

Rydia looked at him defiantly. "I am sorry, Cecil... I just need some time alone..." She rushed down the stairs leading under deck. The paladin was about to follow her, but was held back by a soft hand clutching at his arm.

"Don't, darling. I guess she just needs some time alone. I'll talk with her later..." Rosa had appeared beside him.

"If you think so… Still I wonder if everything is alright with her..." The Paladin frowned.

"Edge! What did you do now, boy?" Cid shouted heartily from his place at the steering wheel.

The ninjas eyes widened: "Me? I did do nothing..." As he saw the skeptical looks of his friends he added: "Well, at least nothing unusual... for me... I just asked her, if her monster friends really never were eating chocobos. I only wanted to cheer her up..." He smiled as innocently as he could, but failed completely.

"Tsch, Edge..." Rosa sighed. "When will you ever learn not to call Rydia's friends monsters?"

Edge stared at her: "Well, but that's what they are...Literally spoken..."

~*~

The next day they reached the Island of Agart. Already from above one could make out the mess - chasms were running through the island and of the once beautiful town of Agart only some ruins remained. The sight shocked the group on the airship - no one had expected that things were that worse and Rydia gasped, as she saw that the entrance to the Underworld had been reduced to a mountain of earth and pebbles.

Rosa rushed to her side to comfort her, but the caller tried to pull herself together. "I am alright. It's no complete surprise to me... I knew what was awaiting us here...Still--" She looked sadly at the land below.

"Don't give up now, Rydia..." Cecil tried to console her. "Let's land and take a closer look from near... Hey, have you seen the twinkle, there?" He pointed towards the woods near Agart.

The others rushed to the railing but could see nothing.

"Maybe it was the sun..." Rosa suggested.

"Yeah... Maybe... Cid! Prepare the landing!"

Still the paladin had the feeling that there had been something... Something which did not belong here...

~*~

The recovery work at Agart was going fine. Helpers from all part of the Blue Planet were building temporary accommodations for the homeless victims of the earthquake, tending the wounded or clearing away rubble. Yang hurried towards the beach to meet with Fabul's fleet, Rydia searched for a quiet spot to contact Asura, while Rosa was inspecting the sick quarters.

Meanwhile, Cecil and Edge inquired the survivors of the earthquake about information. Mostly, the people told them that the earthquake had been a sudden one, with no following quakes -- it was a miracle that only that few people died, as it broke out so suddenly...

Nearly the whole evening passed by with such actions.

"We're not getting any farther... Although the earthquakes were too sudden and strong for normal ones, no one has noticed anything unusual at all..." Cecil ran a hand through his long white hair, looking worried.

"Maybe it was just an accident at all..." Edge mumbled, looking tired and slightly frustrated from running around all day in the rubble, too. Suddenly he felt someone pulling on his blue cloak.

As he looked down he saw a little girl. "Hey, Mister..."

"Bugger off..." The ninja said dryly. The child looked at him with big eyes.

"Have you no parents?" Edge was getting impatient.

"Edge!" Cecil hissed beside him. "Maybe she really has no parents..." He gave him a meaningful look.

Edge got red in the face at once. "OOPS! Right... Sorry..."

Cecil glanced at him angrily, then bent down to the girl.

"Hi! What's your name?"

"Lucy."

"Fine, Lucy. I am Cecil and this is Edge... Edge, say hello to the little lady..." He gave his friend a painful push.

"Ouch... Why is everyone pushing me these days?" The ninja sighed, then bent down, too.

"Yes, I am Edge -- famous King of Eblan, well-known ninja and..."

"Edge, stop it..." Cecil sighed.

The little girl laughed. "You have funny blue hair..."

"What?" Edge looked offended, causing Cecil to grin.

"You have funny hair, too..." The girl pointed at the astonished looking Paladin.

"He he..." giggled Edge. "You know Lucy, he is a Luna--"

Before he could end the sentence the Paladin had pushed him again.

"No time for jokes, Edge... We both had our fun..." Still he was looking quite embarrassed.

"It seems everyone notices that I am a half-lunarian..."

"So," Cecil asked carefully. "Where are your parents, Lucy?"

"There..." the girl pointed at some people near them.

"What luck..." Cecil felt relieved. "They're still alive." "Would you tell me about the earthquake, Lucy?"

Edge rolled his eyes. "Oh Cecil, come on - do you really think that this girl knows anything at all? I'd rather search for Rydia...."

"Well, then go.We can't be sure if this girl really knows nothing... Children can be very sensible..." the paladin replied, feeling slightly annoyed. Even though he liked the ninja, getting along with him was never easy.

"Alright, alright... Take your time... I am waiting..." Edge muttered.

"So Lucy- what about the earthquake?" the paladin repeated his question.

The girl reflected for a moment until she replied, her voice full of excitement:

"I was scared - all people were screaming and running around, and everything was shacking. But Mommy and Daddy are alright and I have found my Twinky!" The child happily held up a stuffed bunny, which surely had seen better days. "And now I am glad that there has been this earthquake, as all these people have come here, and the boats and the funny wizards and..." Lucy chattered on and on.

Edge grinned. "Oh what about "Children are so sensitive!", now, Mr. Paladin? All we got to know till now is that her bunny is named Twinky..." he whispered.

Cecil turned red. "Yeah... You're right...For once..."

Edge uttered a noise of triumph. "You should have listened to me from the beginning, Cecil... Come on, let's search for Rydia... Maybe she went into the woods..."

The girl suddenly stopped her listing. "Woods? Do not go in woods! I come from there... Me and Twinky have seen dark, scary man..." Lucy looked deadly serious at the two men in a way only a child could look.

"Well, that's all we needed, alright... The big, dark man... Hey Cecil! Can you believe that? The big, dark man!" Edge started giggling.

"Shh...Let her speak...Where have you seen this man, Lucy?" The Paladin got attentive.

She pointed west: "Not far from here... I was playing when I saw him... He didn't saw me, but he made me afraid, so I ran..."

"Thanks Lucy, you've been a great help... "

Cecil wondered if this "man" had anything to do with the things he had seen.

"I guess I have to find out..."

"Edge, I am going into the woods..." he stood up.

"Cecil! You must be kidding! Kids see things all the time!" Edge protested.

"Well, you can search for Rydia..."

"And let you go all alone?"

"What's the matter here?" Yang, having finished his inspections, approached the two.

Cecil filled him in shortly, disrupted by Edge's satirical remarks.

"So... you think that there really is someone in the woods? Why should a villager go there?" Yang concluded the report.

"That's the point... And you know what I've told you before... Something feels... strange..." Cecil sounded worried.

The king of Fabul nodded. "Alright... I'll accompany you. See you later, Edge!"

Cecil looked at his friend gratefully. "Yang never lets me down."

Thus, the Paladin and the karate master ventured into the thick, dark woods.