Note: It just occurred to me, I haven't been using
a disclaimer. So, merely for formalities... I don't
own them. Never have, never will.
As it turned out, Shumi help came through their
technology. They located a honeycomb of caves,
and gave Selphie the location. And they promised
materials and instructions would be waiting for
the students of Trabia.
The Shumi left lightweight material that was
much like the material they used to build huts. The
stuff turned out to be extremely durable, and nails
wouldn't work on it. When consulted, the Shumu told
Selphie that it melted togther. The saws they were
given could cut through it, given time.
The walls of the caves were smooted slowly and
paintstakingly. Then the stuff was fitted to the walls,
and to the hallways of the caverns. Artificial
lighting was installed in the ceilings of hallways,
and occasionally in the rooms.
Other exits to the cave were mostly sealed off, and
a few just shut for later use. Airshafts were
drilled in some places, and the Shumi helped them
install a heating and cooling system in the caves.
Slowly but surely, over the course of a year, Trabia
Garden was reborn.
During that time, Selphie spent half her time with
the Shumi, and the other half with the students. She
enjoyed her time with both, and slowly learned the
traditions and habits of humans who were centuries
gone...
***
Scholar had her studying an old Centran tome while he
was working over an artifact of unknown origin. So
Selphie had found a corner of the hut where a window
let in the artificial sunlight, and stayed there,
doing her best to read the book.
Throughout the last month, Scholar had taught her the
intricate language of the Centran people, complete with
the bizzarre looping and twists of their letters. Scholar
had even pushed her to learn how to write in Ancient
Centran, as well as Common Centran, and the more
known and slightly easier New Centran, which was the
language used around the time of the Lunar Cry.
The Lunar Cry was part of the reason why Centra had
been so utterly destroyed. The other reason had been
that the Lunar Cry had disrupted the beginning
phases of a duel between two of the five sorceresses
said to have existed in that time.
According to Scholar, the energy downpour and the
monsters from the moon had disrupted and amplified
the attack spells the two sorceresses had been
preparing.
One of the spells had been Meteor, and the other was
the sorceresss spell Tsunami. Meteor had created the
large crater in the middle of Centra, and Tsunami had
submerged large parts of what remained.
The remaining energies had left a ripple effect on the
rest of the world. Dollet, previously an inland city,
had fallen partways into the sea, and the island of
Balamb had been thrust up out of the sea.
Precious knowledge and incredible works of art had
perished with millions of people. The incredible
cities had become mass graves beneatht the sea.
However, the Centran tome Selphie was reading
contained nothing terribly vital about Centra
civilization. It was a journal of a fabric
manufacturer, and contained nothing she could
see as being terribly useful. If she was pressed,
she could sell the secret to Deling City fashion
designers, but Deling City was a long ways away.
"So boring..." she said to herself. Shutting the
book, she carried it back to the proper shelf,
and set it in the plastic-looking box with care.
She wandered among the shelves, looking at the
varioud wonders and oddities that Scholar had
collected over the years.
A peculiar pyramid that looked like it had been
carved out of turquoise sat on a high shelf. Selphie
wrestled the stepladder into place, climbed up it,
and carefully took the pyramid down.
Walking as quietly as she could in the slippers she'd
been given to wear in Shumi, Selphie walked out to
where the shelves became large wooden tables. Sometimes
Shumi studied tomes of information. Artisan especially
could be found looking at drawings of the old Centran
cities, admiring the sculptures.
But the tables were empty of books and Shumi today.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Selphie hurried over
to one of the tables, and set the pyramid down on
it.
On closer inspection, the pyramid was in three parts
cunningly fitted together. Heart in her throat, Selphie
gently twisted the top of the pyramid around a bit,
until it could only go back to the way it had been
before. She repeated the process with the bottom part.
The top became a translucent blue, and shot a beam of
blueish light towards the ceiling. It resolved into
the picture of a black-haired woman in a rainbow-hued
silken gown. She wore a torque around her neck, and
she stood facing Selphie. She began to speak in Common
Centran.
"I am Archimage Benna. This is a treatise on the entities
known only as 'Wisps'." she said.
"The creatures appear to have been created by a mad
Mage, and are used to slowly but surely kill their
host."
"Wisps pick a human host depending on the power and
strength of the host. It grows over the period of two
years, depending on the host. Then it begins to affect
its hosts behavior, driving the habits and hobbies
to become its primary reason for living. Inevitably,
however, the Wisp will reproduce, and this process
will slowly destroy the host from within."
"One can tell the host by the psychosis of the subject,
and the enhanced strength and power of the subject.
Also, the older the subject, the easier the Wisp will
find to possess."
"Certain rituals and spells have been developed to deal
with the creatures. The endlessly helpful Shumi have
been essential to the study and development..."
Selphie twisted the top of the pyramid, and the image
shut off. The description sounded familiar. Too bad there
hadn't been an image of the creatures, so she'd know to
avoid them.
Shrugging, she picked up the pyramid, and carefully
carried it back to where she had found it.
***
The new Trabia Garden was mostly complete. There was a notable
lack of the soft amyethest toned building material in some places,
and some of the rooms looked a bit empty. And water still came
from melting snow down or from what the Trabian students had begun
to call Crater Lake.
So Selphie and some twenty-five cadets now occupied Trabia Garden.
The ruins of the old Garden were being gone over for salvaging, but
what little was left there was left for the monsters.
It was high time for a celebration. And Selphie had just the thing.
For a week now, cadets hung decorations around the main hallways of
the Garden, and volunteered for the music. Food was made en masse.
And for one day, there was no work to be done, except by those
working to help out with the party. Ten Shumi, twenty-five SeeD
cadets, and one Headmistress. In all, thirty-six party-goers, with
five of those thirty-six taking hourly shifts to serve food and
keep things running.
By the time the sun set over Trabia Garden, the Garden Festival
was in full swing. An impromptu band played Waltz For the Moon,
and every cadet wore the uniform that they had eschewed to work
on the new Garden.
"Selphie!"
She turned around. Alaina was standing behind her, grinning.
"The cooks made this really great cheesecake." Alaina handed a
plate with the cheesecake on it to Selphie, who sampled it and
hummed with pleasure at the taste.
"This is great. Who made it?"
"Jax." Alaina replied. "Unfortunately, we're out of the
ingredients for a second batch, so until we can get some
more money and supplies..."
"Oh well." Selphie savored every bite of the cake. Once it was
gone, she set the plate down. "I think that I'll start up classes
again soon." she casually remarked. "What do you think?"
"Ugggh." Alaina waved her hand. "Even with the hands-on practice,
my weapons skills are the worst."
"Too bad your weapon isn't the nunchuks, or I'd be able to tutor
you in them."
"Instead, I use the saber. Just like a hero in a movie."
"Just like Sir Laguna." Selphie smiled mischeviously.
"Yeah." Alaina studied Selphie carefully as the girl looked out
over the dancers on the floor. "You know, you've changed."
"Huh?" Selphie swivelled to stared at Alaina. "I haven't changed!
That's silly!"
"Uh-uh." Alaina shook her head stubbornly. "You used to be the
biggest airhead in Trabia Garden."
"Hey!"
"Let me finish. You were always so happy, so cheerful, and now
you're..." Alaina waved her hand. "I dunno... Quieter. More
responsible."
"Well... I gotta be." Selphie shrugged. "I gotta be the best
Headmistress I can, after all."
"That isn't it." Her old friend studied her intently, face serious.
"What happened to you?"
Selphie's shoulders slumped. "Not here. Not now, Alaina. Please?"
Alaina looked at her, face unreadable. Finally, she said slowly
"Let's go outside, okay?"
"Huh?" Selphie looked up at her. "Sure." Getting up, she followed
Alaina out of the room.
The corridors of Trabia were deserted, and no one was there to
witness the two slipping into their fur-lined snow gear. The two
left the warm interior, emerging into the nighttime.
Stars sparkled above them. It was the new moon, and there was
nothing hiding the brilliance of each of the stars that seemed
like tiny silver beads sewn into the velvet blackness that was
the sky. Selphie exhaled, and her breath froze in the air. The
cold was like a knife. Pulling her scarf tight, she asked softly
"What now?"
Alaina hesitated, then pointed towards the top of the mountain.
It wasn't far from that particular exit, so Selphie nodded,
and the two headed upwards.
Bahamut stirred somewhere in her mind, sounding for all the world
like he was muttering in his sleep.
*That's a thought. I wonder if dragons sleep?*
The image of a sleeping and cute Bahamut curled up like a cat brought
a wistful smiled to Selphie's face as she followed Alaina up the stone
path to the top of the mountain.
From the top, the land spread out before the two women, all silver
and blue. Selphie smiled. She never got tired of the view of the
land, unspoiled by anything, with nothing for miles around. True,
she liked company, but the sight before her was lovely.
"Let's sit down over here." Alaina said, wiping off a flat stone
left over from the work on the caverns. Once she was done, she
dusted the snow off of her hands, and gestured for Selphie to
sit down.
She complied, and wrapped the cloak of snow lion fur she wore
more tightly around herself.
"Tell me." Alaina implored her, seating herself beside Selphie.
"I don't..." Selphie hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"You're my friend, Selphie. I don't care if you're a hero, I
just want to help you out. Really." Alaina pressed her, eyes
intent. "You can trust me. Promise."
Selphie sighed, then took a breath of the knife sharp air,
and replied "It all started when I ran into this guy at
Balamb Garden..."
The telling went well on into the night, and by the time
it was over, both of them were thoroughly chilled.
***
Selphie was woken up sometime between midnight and dawn by one of the
junior classmen. "Headmistress, the scouts caught someone trying to
shelter over in the ruins of the old Garden. They thought you should
deal with it."
The brunette groaned and buried her head in her pillow. "Tell them I'll
be there soon." she replied.
"Yes, Headmistress."
Pulling herself up, Selphie sighed, loathe to leave the warm blankets.
True, the room was warm, but she was even warmer, curled under the
warm fur and wool. Grumbling, she cast the covers aside and reached
for her uniform.
Five minutes later, dressed in the new, more practical uniform she'd
made mandatory, Selphie arrived at the holding cells that had been
made for criminals, monsters that cadets would eventually be studying,
and any severe rule-breakers.
Three familiar figures sat in one of the cells. Selphie's eyes widened
when she recognized the young man sitting in the middle. "Seifer!"
a disclaimer. So, merely for formalities... I don't
own them. Never have, never will.
As it turned out, Shumi help came through their
technology. They located a honeycomb of caves,
and gave Selphie the location. And they promised
materials and instructions would be waiting for
the students of Trabia.
The Shumi left lightweight material that was
much like the material they used to build huts. The
stuff turned out to be extremely durable, and nails
wouldn't work on it. When consulted, the Shumu told
Selphie that it melted togther. The saws they were
given could cut through it, given time.
The walls of the caves were smooted slowly and
paintstakingly. Then the stuff was fitted to the walls,
and to the hallways of the caverns. Artificial
lighting was installed in the ceilings of hallways,
and occasionally in the rooms.
Other exits to the cave were mostly sealed off, and
a few just shut for later use. Airshafts were
drilled in some places, and the Shumi helped them
install a heating and cooling system in the caves.
Slowly but surely, over the course of a year, Trabia
Garden was reborn.
During that time, Selphie spent half her time with
the Shumi, and the other half with the students. She
enjoyed her time with both, and slowly learned the
traditions and habits of humans who were centuries
gone...
***
Scholar had her studying an old Centran tome while he
was working over an artifact of unknown origin. So
Selphie had found a corner of the hut where a window
let in the artificial sunlight, and stayed there,
doing her best to read the book.
Throughout the last month, Scholar had taught her the
intricate language of the Centran people, complete with
the bizzarre looping and twists of their letters. Scholar
had even pushed her to learn how to write in Ancient
Centran, as well as Common Centran, and the more
known and slightly easier New Centran, which was the
language used around the time of the Lunar Cry.
The Lunar Cry was part of the reason why Centra had
been so utterly destroyed. The other reason had been
that the Lunar Cry had disrupted the beginning
phases of a duel between two of the five sorceresses
said to have existed in that time.
According to Scholar, the energy downpour and the
monsters from the moon had disrupted and amplified
the attack spells the two sorceresses had been
preparing.
One of the spells had been Meteor, and the other was
the sorceresss spell Tsunami. Meteor had created the
large crater in the middle of Centra, and Tsunami had
submerged large parts of what remained.
The remaining energies had left a ripple effect on the
rest of the world. Dollet, previously an inland city,
had fallen partways into the sea, and the island of
Balamb had been thrust up out of the sea.
Precious knowledge and incredible works of art had
perished with millions of people. The incredible
cities had become mass graves beneatht the sea.
However, the Centran tome Selphie was reading
contained nothing terribly vital about Centra
civilization. It was a journal of a fabric
manufacturer, and contained nothing she could
see as being terribly useful. If she was pressed,
she could sell the secret to Deling City fashion
designers, but Deling City was a long ways away.
"So boring..." she said to herself. Shutting the
book, she carried it back to the proper shelf,
and set it in the plastic-looking box with care.
She wandered among the shelves, looking at the
varioud wonders and oddities that Scholar had
collected over the years.
A peculiar pyramid that looked like it had been
carved out of turquoise sat on a high shelf. Selphie
wrestled the stepladder into place, climbed up it,
and carefully took the pyramid down.
Walking as quietly as she could in the slippers she'd
been given to wear in Shumi, Selphie walked out to
where the shelves became large wooden tables. Sometimes
Shumi studied tomes of information. Artisan especially
could be found looking at drawings of the old Centran
cities, admiring the sculptures.
But the tables were empty of books and Shumi today.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Selphie hurried over
to one of the tables, and set the pyramid down on
it.
On closer inspection, the pyramid was in three parts
cunningly fitted together. Heart in her throat, Selphie
gently twisted the top of the pyramid around a bit,
until it could only go back to the way it had been
before. She repeated the process with the bottom part.
The top became a translucent blue, and shot a beam of
blueish light towards the ceiling. It resolved into
the picture of a black-haired woman in a rainbow-hued
silken gown. She wore a torque around her neck, and
she stood facing Selphie. She began to speak in Common
Centran.
"I am Archimage Benna. This is a treatise on the entities
known only as 'Wisps'." she said.
"The creatures appear to have been created by a mad
Mage, and are used to slowly but surely kill their
host."
"Wisps pick a human host depending on the power and
strength of the host. It grows over the period of two
years, depending on the host. Then it begins to affect
its hosts behavior, driving the habits and hobbies
to become its primary reason for living. Inevitably,
however, the Wisp will reproduce, and this process
will slowly destroy the host from within."
"One can tell the host by the psychosis of the subject,
and the enhanced strength and power of the subject.
Also, the older the subject, the easier the Wisp will
find to possess."
"Certain rituals and spells have been developed to deal
with the creatures. The endlessly helpful Shumi have
been essential to the study and development..."
Selphie twisted the top of the pyramid, and the image
shut off. The description sounded familiar. Too bad there
hadn't been an image of the creatures, so she'd know to
avoid them.
Shrugging, she picked up the pyramid, and carefully
carried it back to where she had found it.
***
The new Trabia Garden was mostly complete. There was a notable
lack of the soft amyethest toned building material in some places,
and some of the rooms looked a bit empty. And water still came
from melting snow down or from what the Trabian students had begun
to call Crater Lake.
So Selphie and some twenty-five cadets now occupied Trabia Garden.
The ruins of the old Garden were being gone over for salvaging, but
what little was left there was left for the monsters.
It was high time for a celebration. And Selphie had just the thing.
For a week now, cadets hung decorations around the main hallways of
the Garden, and volunteered for the music. Food was made en masse.
And for one day, there was no work to be done, except by those
working to help out with the party. Ten Shumi, twenty-five SeeD
cadets, and one Headmistress. In all, thirty-six party-goers, with
five of those thirty-six taking hourly shifts to serve food and
keep things running.
By the time the sun set over Trabia Garden, the Garden Festival
was in full swing. An impromptu band played Waltz For the Moon,
and every cadet wore the uniform that they had eschewed to work
on the new Garden.
"Selphie!"
She turned around. Alaina was standing behind her, grinning.
"The cooks made this really great cheesecake." Alaina handed a
plate with the cheesecake on it to Selphie, who sampled it and
hummed with pleasure at the taste.
"This is great. Who made it?"
"Jax." Alaina replied. "Unfortunately, we're out of the
ingredients for a second batch, so until we can get some
more money and supplies..."
"Oh well." Selphie savored every bite of the cake. Once it was
gone, she set the plate down. "I think that I'll start up classes
again soon." she casually remarked. "What do you think?"
"Ugggh." Alaina waved her hand. "Even with the hands-on practice,
my weapons skills are the worst."
"Too bad your weapon isn't the nunchuks, or I'd be able to tutor
you in them."
"Instead, I use the saber. Just like a hero in a movie."
"Just like Sir Laguna." Selphie smiled mischeviously.
"Yeah." Alaina studied Selphie carefully as the girl looked out
over the dancers on the floor. "You know, you've changed."
"Huh?" Selphie swivelled to stared at Alaina. "I haven't changed!
That's silly!"
"Uh-uh." Alaina shook her head stubbornly. "You used to be the
biggest airhead in Trabia Garden."
"Hey!"
"Let me finish. You were always so happy, so cheerful, and now
you're..." Alaina waved her hand. "I dunno... Quieter. More
responsible."
"Well... I gotta be." Selphie shrugged. "I gotta be the best
Headmistress I can, after all."
"That isn't it." Her old friend studied her intently, face serious.
"What happened to you?"
Selphie's shoulders slumped. "Not here. Not now, Alaina. Please?"
Alaina looked at her, face unreadable. Finally, she said slowly
"Let's go outside, okay?"
"Huh?" Selphie looked up at her. "Sure." Getting up, she followed
Alaina out of the room.
The corridors of Trabia were deserted, and no one was there to
witness the two slipping into their fur-lined snow gear. The two
left the warm interior, emerging into the nighttime.
Stars sparkled above them. It was the new moon, and there was
nothing hiding the brilliance of each of the stars that seemed
like tiny silver beads sewn into the velvet blackness that was
the sky. Selphie exhaled, and her breath froze in the air. The
cold was like a knife. Pulling her scarf tight, she asked softly
"What now?"
Alaina hesitated, then pointed towards the top of the mountain.
It wasn't far from that particular exit, so Selphie nodded,
and the two headed upwards.
Bahamut stirred somewhere in her mind, sounding for all the world
like he was muttering in his sleep.
*That's a thought. I wonder if dragons sleep?*
The image of a sleeping and cute Bahamut curled up like a cat brought
a wistful smiled to Selphie's face as she followed Alaina up the stone
path to the top of the mountain.
From the top, the land spread out before the two women, all silver
and blue. Selphie smiled. She never got tired of the view of the
land, unspoiled by anything, with nothing for miles around. True,
she liked company, but the sight before her was lovely.
"Let's sit down over here." Alaina said, wiping off a flat stone
left over from the work on the caverns. Once she was done, she
dusted the snow off of her hands, and gestured for Selphie to
sit down.
She complied, and wrapped the cloak of snow lion fur she wore
more tightly around herself.
"Tell me." Alaina implored her, seating herself beside Selphie.
"I don't..." Selphie hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"You're my friend, Selphie. I don't care if you're a hero, I
just want to help you out. Really." Alaina pressed her, eyes
intent. "You can trust me. Promise."
Selphie sighed, then took a breath of the knife sharp air,
and replied "It all started when I ran into this guy at
Balamb Garden..."
The telling went well on into the night, and by the time
it was over, both of them were thoroughly chilled.
***
Selphie was woken up sometime between midnight and dawn by one of the
junior classmen. "Headmistress, the scouts caught someone trying to
shelter over in the ruins of the old Garden. They thought you should
deal with it."
The brunette groaned and buried her head in her pillow. "Tell them I'll
be there soon." she replied.
"Yes, Headmistress."
Pulling herself up, Selphie sighed, loathe to leave the warm blankets.
True, the room was warm, but she was even warmer, curled under the
warm fur and wool. Grumbling, she cast the covers aside and reached
for her uniform.
Five minutes later, dressed in the new, more practical uniform she'd
made mandatory, Selphie arrived at the holding cells that had been
made for criminals, monsters that cadets would eventually be studying,
and any severe rule-breakers.
Three familiar figures sat in one of the cells. Selphie's eyes widened
when she recognized the young man sitting in the middle. "Seifer!"