Nightmares
by TacomaSquall
Part 5: Interlude
Ultimecia sat in her
chambers in the Tower of Heaven. Her
mind was focused on the opportunity she now had, the ability to strike into the
past and erase the SeeDs from existence. If the SeeDs did not exist, then they would not be able to end her
beloved's life on the eve of her ascension to power. Together, she and Nerid would then enjoy the fruits of their
labors.
Ultimecia was unheeding
of the cold wind that blew through the open windows of her suite. It was bitingly chill, and bore the promise
of a winter more cruel than any in recorded history. The Queen of Heaven's war of vengeance had even affected the
climatological patterns of the world, threatening to plunge the world into an
Ice Age.
Ultimecia smiled. She could taste the sweetness of her
eventual victory. Soon the SeeDs of
this time would be destroyed. In fact,
soon, they would not even be a memory. Once she had mastered the use of the Ellone Device, she would be able to
use its power to ensure that no SeeDs could ever harm her or her beloved again.
There was a soft knock
from the entrance to the suite. Ultimecia called out in her melodious voice, "Enter."
A Lwar stood in the
doorway, his dark hair hanging down to partially shield his eyes. In his hands, he held a large tome. "Majesty, this was found in the ruins of
Balab Gard-keep."
The Lwar's name was
Lagun, a name passed along the family line for centuries. He had served Arista before Thuka's
ascension, and he was one of few people that Ultimecia trusted. "Bring it to me, Lagun."
The aide strode quickly
to Ultimecia's side. As he drew closer,
Ultimecia examined the tome he carried in his arms. The book was bound in night-black leather, probably from a
Hexadragon, and had tracery in platinum filigree over the covering. The filigree seemed to form some pattern,
but Ultimecia could not, at first glance, make it out. The title of the tome was spelled in gold
and platinum letters that were raised from the cover of the massive book. The Prophecies of Hyne.
Ultimecia felt a shiver
run down her spine. If this was not a
forgery, this tome contained the last words of Hyne, as she divided her power
amongst the Sorceresses and left this world. She commanded, "Give the book to me."
Lagun complied, handing
the heavy volume to Ultimecia. The
Queen of Heaven gasped as she felt the book's weight. It must weigh almost as much as a child of seven or eight years'
age, she mused. She examined the cover
of the book, as she prepared to open the tome. Her blood ran chill as she made out the pattern upon the great tome's
covering.
The design on the cover
of the tome was of a group of six people fighting against a monstrous female
shape. The six people were an unarmed
young man with a tattooed face, a serious woman with a razor-barbed whip, a man
with a rifle leveled at the monstrous form, a laughing girl with a pair of
nunchaku, a woman with the glowing wings of a sorceress and a dog by her side,
and an intense man in their front, brandishing a gunblade. These six, Ultimecia recognized as the young
heroes of SeeD legend.
The monstrous form of
their enemy drew Ultimecia's gaze, and it was that form that caused her to
scream in rage. The form was a
monstrous caricature of herself.
Turning, she snarled to Lagun,
"Send to the Ilmit that is crafting those leads for the Ellone Device. Tell him that his life depends on having a
set of leads ready in one hour."
As Lagun hurried out of
her chambers, Ultimecia turned to a cabinet. Opening it, she rummaged through the items stored within. There lay a shattered lamp that once served
as the residence of the Guardian Diablos, slain by Hades in retribution for
wrongs committed eons ago. Beside the
broken lamp lay the corroded Solomon Ring, once key to the summoning of the
monstrous Doomtrain. Doomtrain's
rusting hulk lay on the sands of Balab, where it had been crushed by the
combined power of Griever and Omega.
Other Guardians had
fallen in battle against her forces, and mementoes of their existence were
closeted within. A pinion from the
life-bringing Phoenix, doomed to never rise from its ashes, scattered to the
farthest reaches of the galaxy by Atomos. The broken Excalipoor, shattered during an encounter with the mysterious
being that called itself Gilgamesh. Siren's harp, all that remained after Chupon disintegrated the
mer-Guardian. And the quills of the
Giant Cactaur, plucked by the rock-hard hands of the Gargantua from its crushed
corpse.
Ultimecia smiled
coldly. This time, she would be
junctioned to her Guardians. She would
see if they could function in the past. If they could, she would set them free to find and destroy the SeeDs
that deviled her…
Ultimecia's laughter
rang throughout the Tower of Heaven. Her servants nodded to themselves. The Queen of Heaven had found some way to further her war against the
SeeDs. Not for the last time, they
thanked Hyne that they were not of that company, for as terrible as it was to
serve the Queen, it was far more terrible to be the target of her rage.
To be continued…