Chapter 11: The Sorceress Revealed
Squall closed the door to Coran's room behind him once they were there. She walked straight to the window and stared outside, her hands on the windowsill. She looked away, daydreaming. Squall leant against the door, waiting for Coran to speak. He moved a little to see her face. There was remorse in her eyes and tears still running down her face. He was quite impatient for her to speak but decided he could wait a little longer. What have she done that was so terrible Seifer would protect him from her?
She managed to get her eyes away from the window and slowly turned to Squall.
"I…I'm a Sorceress…"
Squall startled, hoping it wasn't what he was thinking about.
"I'm THE Sorceress," she continued, keeping her head down not to meet Squall's gaze on her.
Squall remained silent, feeling some burden leave his heart like if he was the one who said that. They were truly twins if they could sense each other's pain and other feelings.
"Why did you do that?" he asked non-understanding.
"It wasn't me."
Squall raised an eyebrow, getting confuse.
"It was the Sorceress's doings, and you just said me you're the Sorceress then how come it wasn't you?"
"I didn't want to do it, I would never hurt any of you!"
She buried her face in her hands.
"Tell me all from the beginning, then. What about your childhood you didn't already tell me, how you became the Sorceress… I know a Sorceress receives the powers of another one who's dying. How did you receive yours?"
"From Adel."
Squall stared at Coran in surprise.
"But…it can't be! Rinoa received her powers when she died!"
"That's what people thinks…"
"Plus, a Sorceress gives her powers when she's dying and we killed Adel just about few months ago!"
She shook her head.
"It's a long story…"
[Coran is telling the story from her point of view, her eyes closed]
It happened during the Sorceress's war, when Adel was sending soldiers all around the world to get little girls that could be possible successors…
*You were not even born! * Squall objected.
*Would you let me tell before I change my mind? It's hard enough to tell you don't have to interrupt me! *
*I'm sorry…*
Adel sent soldiers for a few years before somebody stopped her. Now I know it was my father…
I was already in the orphanage, always told never get out of the house or else, they would get me too. I was about four then, but already smarter than a lot of kids. I could easily walk by myself, talk properly and I was never ashamed of saying what I was thinking about. I was able to understand things that an ordinary child wouldn't. I was told my mother was dead, that's why I was in that orphanage. I knew I had a father and a brother, but nobody had a clue where they were…what I was told. As a hopeful little girl, I was always thinking Matron was lying to me so that kind people would adopt me and I wouldn't say a thing, but it didn't work. One day, I disobeyed and got out right at the forbidden time, the time the soldiers were usually searching for stupid careless girls. They found me that day and took me to Adel. I think I was the youngest but from all the girls there, only two were not crying from fear Adel was inspiring us: me and a little brunette about nine or ten years old. Adel stared at each of us. The other girls were crying even more to see her evil gaze on them. She stared at me for a little longer than the others. I was frowning at her, not afraid at all. She granted me an evil grin and asked the soldiers to take everyone out of the throne room except for the brunette and me.
*Ellone… so that's where she was when I thought she abandoned me…*
She was looking at each of us, one after the other, hesitating. That Ellone had a mysterious power Adel thought could be useful, but I had something else… She finally made her choice and asked the soldiers to take her to Odine's lab, saying he would be pleased to examine her. She was taken away, and then she cried, calling for 'Uncle Laguna'. Then she turned back at me and kneeled before me. I sustained her gaze in an attempt to tell her she wasn't scaring me. She had an evil smile.
"Do you want to know why I chose you instead of her?"
I didn't answer, defying her.
"She has a power, but what I see in your mind would be much more useful!"
Then I raised an eyebrow.
"My mind?"
"Let me show you," she said evilly before glancing right into my eyes.
Then I felt light-headed. I didn't know then, but from the mind reading Rinoa did I know she did the same thing. She was messing with my thoughts, viewing all my memories. I don't know how, but I managed to kick her out and grant her the maddest face a four years could have. She laughed, staring at me in amazement.
"How right I was!! You got that little something just perfect!"
I didn't understand what she was talking about. Then she spread her arms away from her and she was engulfed with a red evil light. Then I turned scared when I saw the light gather into a ball of powerful energy. It floated above her head then hit me. I still can remember how painful it was. It was much too fast!! I could feel it gather in a deep part of my mind, a part I was keeping hidden from myself. When the pain stopped, I wasn't feeling any different. I looked up at her, raising an eyebrow in wonder. She kneeled down my height and whispered in my ear. That was a thing I didn't understand then, but now I know what she meant.
"You are a very sad girl, lonely, abandoned. All the power I gave you is just a part of my incredible strength. Your hate will feed it and when the time comes, you will return to receive the rest of it."
Then she stood up and called for soldiers to take me back to where I belonged.
[Coran opens her eyes and look at an amazed and sceptical Squall]
"I grew up slowly, hating my lost family a little more every day for not coming get me back with them. One day, I was ten, a monster entered the orphanage. He was about to attack the other kids, much younger than I was. I was never adopted because I was acting bad every time people were coming, looking for a little girl to give a home to."
'Sounds like me…' Squall thought.
"The kids were crying and yelling from fear. The Matron was out for food, so we were all by ourselves. I stood between the kids and the monster and threatened it with a wooden stick. I wasn't afraid, glad I had a chance to prove I was worthy of something. It jumped on me and I was thinking I was gonna die when I felt a strong warmth in all my body. I grinned at the monster and held out my hand on it from instinct. Then a ball of fire formed in my hand and pierced the monster. Just when it was pierced, Matron came back. The kids were all cheering me and I was laughing with them happily. Matron never spoke of this incident, in fact relieved I had those powers wherever they were coming from so that she wasn't afraid of leaving us alone anymore. I was there to protect them."
Coran looked down the floor, the smile she had from those happy times vanished.
"You didn't left for your own purpose, didn't you?" Squall asked.
She slowly shook her head.
"No, it was leave or being killed."
Squall was about to ask something but she continued, cutting him.
"I grew up, going out frequently to kill monsters using that power Adel 'gave' me. Matron was some times watching me, and she grew nervous by the days. One day, she found me draining the energy from one of the kids. She said I had red eyes…"
Coran shook her head.
"I don't know why I did that… But seeing I was becoming a threat, Matron soon had to protect me from the neighbours who wanted to see the Sorceress I was dying before I had the chance to kill someone. She didn't want to see me dead, I saved her and all the other kids few times so she said I should leave. Then I was twelve. She said I was powerful enough to survive out there by myself. So I left, knowing it was for my own good. Soon I was cursing those powers because it was their fault! I was happy at the orphanage even if I wasn't showing it. At first, I did used my powers to defend myself from the monsters around, turning more and more into the Sorceress Adel wanted me to become."
She paused.
"One night, her words came back in my mind and I understood their meaning: she junctionned her powers to the secret hate I had for my father and brother who I always thought abandoned me. That hate and the anger for what the neighbours said about me only fed those powers, making me a Sorceress. When I realised it, I knew I would be a bad one thirsty for power. Then I decided I would not allow the Sorceress in me to show up, I buried her deep inside and decided to look for my family by myself, hoping it would kill the Sorceress if I wasn't feeding her hatred and anger anymore…How wrong I was… She remained hidden of course and I learned to take care of myself only using my fists. I soon forgot about her and about Adel too… Until I found myself back in Esthar a few months ago. I don't know why but I followed a voice calling deep inside my soul and ended up in the Lunatic Pandora. I had the time to see a blond guy fighting three persons and he lost to them. That was Seifer, that's why I had the feeling I met him before when you introduced him to me…I kept following the voice and I saw Adel getting free from her prison and catch a black haired girl. Three persons attacked her but I was only looking at the one with the legendary gunblade. I was like a zombie, hiding, waiting for something I didn't know about. In my confused mind, I thought it was my brother there, just before he finished Adel and freed the girl. I saw Adel look my way with an evil grin and then I sensed even more power joining the ones I already had. I screamed with all my heart that I didn't want those powers but not a sound came out of my mouth. I fainted and when I woke up, there was nothing left. I don't know how long I was unconscious so I thought I dreamt all that, that Adel didn't give me the rest of her powers."
She looked down the floor once again. Squall didn't interrupt, willing to know the rest.
"Then it's like if the Sorceress in me started to act without my approbation. I was using my powers without even knowing it! It's like too persons trapped in the same body!"
"Some kind of possession?"
Coran quickly shook her head.
"No, I wasn't possessed! It's just that all the bad in me gathered together with my hidden powers and I became evil. Like two personalities. When I was too calm, it was taking me over, draining energy from people to be even more powerful! I was forced to move constantly because I didn't want people to get hurt because of me. I ended up in Deling where I was asking for jobs. I managed to keep the Sorceress away for that time, feeding myself to become more powerful than her. The rest, you know it: I lost my job and stole food not to get weaker and let the Sorceress in me take me over. I was arrested and you found me. Then I forgot about her once again, totally."
"How in the world could you forget about it?"
"I guess I subconsciously used my powers to do so. It all started again when I was to meet Seifer at the Secret Area. I met a T-Rexaur on the way."
"So it was your doings…"
She slowly nodded.
"But the next morning, I totally forgot as I woke up in Seifer's arms. Then I started to hear about students being kidnapped, all the time by Seifer's side so I didn't remember about who I really was. But through the more disappearances, it slowly started to come back, but I didn't want to accept it, accept that it was my fault. So it started acting by itself once again, gathering energy to overtake me. That's why I fainted in the infirmary that day. I was using my powers to teleport people to the Training Center and when I had the chance, I was teleporting myself under the form of the Sorceress to take their energy. I know I few times while I was in my room, I could feel it. I managed to overtake her when I was draining from Irvine and Selphie. The Sorceress wanted Seifer's energy and yours, but that thought awaken me. I didn't want to do that, not a chance!"
"And what happened to Seifer…"
"That…" she felt like crying again.
[Flashback]
Coran was walking to Squall's room, feeling a little weird. She saw Seifer coming out of her brother's room and her face lightened.
"Have you seen Squall?" she asked with a strange voice.
Seifer stared at her, trying to convince himself he was wrong, he never saw her toast that T-Rexaur before their meeting at the Secret Area and that the attack she used when he was training with her was really a limit break, but he couldn't. He was now seeing on her face the same look there was when she toasted the T-Rexaur and when she attacked wildly the other one.
"No," he managed to lie convincingly. "He's not there."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Coran, you gotta overcome yourself! Such power… I know who you are and I don't like it. I would be your Knight if you ask me to, but not of an evil Sorceress, not anymore."
"So you saw me?" she asked with an evil grin.
"Yes. Please, you gotta control it! I know you can!"
"I won't do anything! I was ready to give you a chance, Seifer, but if you're not with me, you're against me…"
She held out a hand. Seifer moved a step backward, sad but somehow understanding. Powerful electric shocks came out of her hand and flew to Seifer. In the same time, Coran's eyes changed and she looked at Seifer with horror.
'NOOOO!!' she yelled in her own mind.
Seifer screamed in great agony and fell on the floor. The Sorceress overtook her again and she ran back to her room, leaving just flashes of what happened in the girl's mind.
[End of Flashback]
"I didn't know I did it, I thought I just dreamt, thinking I would never hurt Seifer until you took me to the infirmary. Then I knew I did it and that the Sorceress in me was too strong for me to stop her."
Squall reached her and took her by her shoulders.
"No! It was because of you if Seifer wasn't killed! You managed to make the blow less powerful! He was right: you have to overcome yourself. That Sorceress is you and you are the Sorceress. You just have to let her out and control her, let her be all yourself, not just your hatred and anger."
"I don't know how!"
"You'll find a way, I'm sure of it. Seifer knew you could and so do I."
She smiled and looked down a second. Then Squall felt her trembling.
"R…run," she said.
Squall frowned and tried to see her face.
"What?"
She quickly looked up. Her eyes were turning red.
"I said RUN!! Kyaaaahh!!"
She threw her head backward and spread her arms each side of her. Squall moved backward a little.
"Don't fight her! Let her fill you totally so that the goodness in you can balance the evil!"
"AAAAHHH!"
Squall put an arm in front of his face when he sensed great power coming from his sister. He couldn't believe it.
'Is she that powerful?'
Then he wasn't surprise if she couldn't control herself. The training she had with Seifer made her a little more powerful but it was really no match.
Coran stopped yelling and slowly put her arms and head down, eyes closed. When she opened them, they were an evil red. Her face was twisted in an evil grin and she was baring her teeth. Squall shivered. It wasn't his sister anymore: it was an evil Sorceress. She couldn't control herself in front of Squall, then she was lost forever.
"You're the last one, SeeD!"
Squall startled. What a deep and evil voice! Even Ultimecia's wasn't sounding so evil. She grimaced when she pronounced the word.
"I should better call you Squall, don't you think? Brother…"
She had an evil smile.
"Why don't you try and run away? Or fight me, maybe! Sorceresses killer!"
She lost her smile and Squall was afraid. He knew he couldn't fight her, but she wouldn't hesitate to do so. She wanted his energy, but as long as he would resist, Coran could still have a chance not to lose herself to evil. He hated that but he didn't have the choice. He reached for the door but it locked when he tried to open it. He quickly turned around and leant against the door as he looked at Coran, terrified. She had a hand held out his way. She was the one who locked the door. She slowly, in an almost hypnotizing way, shook a finger in front of her face.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, not fast enough, brother. You got to do better than that."
"Coran," Squall tried to reach her. "You got to stop that! You don't have to be bad, you can be good!"
She frowned in anger.
"Good? GOOD?? Nobody was good for me before! I tried to use my powers to help others but how did they thank me? They wanted to kill me!!"
"Because you did bad things, you drained that kid's energy."
"Yes, I did. I needed to be more powerful, more than Adel! She expected me to do what she couldn't afford when she gave me the last of what was remained in her. I intend to fulfil her dream!"
Squall shook his head in disbelief.
"You can't be serious?! Adel failed, Ultimecia failed, twice! You think you can do it? You would feel much better living as a good Sorceress than a bad, believe me! Rinoa and Edea are feeling well that way!"
"They are weak! I don't want to lose any of my strength by becoming all goody-goody!"
"You won't! You will feel complete, on the contrary! Now, you only use hatred and anger, but by using friendship, goodness…and love…you would be your real self!"
Coran's eyes changed for a second and Squall hoped his speech made a difference when she quickly shook her head and frowned at him.
"I can't!!!"
She held out a hand to him and he ended up his wrists tied up together and his feet were tied from the ankles. He lost his balance and fell, but Coran made him land on the bed. He managed to turn to her.
"Coran! Don't! You'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
She was looking sad, almost sorry as she was walking towards him.
"It's too late for me. I must finish what I begun."
"Seifer knew what you were and you almost killed him for that!" Squall screamed in last resource. "You almost killed your love!"
He was breathing fast, feeling his wrists painful from the ropes digging under his skin. He stared at Coran as she stopped her move.
"Seifer…"
Squall recognized her real voice but she shook her head and frowned again.
"He wanted to use me! Once I would have rule the world, he would have overthrow me!"
"You don't know what you say! He wanted to help you because he loves you!! And so do I! Don't do that to us, Coran! You can still do something! You were able to cure Rinoa even if you were the one to make her like that! Don't let Seifer die because you once hated me and our father, it's not fair!"
"Seifer is gonna die?" she asked with a little concern.
Squall nodded sadly.
"You managed to make the blow weaker, but it just didn't kill him right away. He will still die…"
She shook her head, refusing to accept it.
"You'll see if he's gonna die! I'll show you!"
She held her arm above her head and Squall could sense she was using her magic. Then he saw a figure appearing in the middle of the room. It was Seifer. He was floating in mid-air, still unconscious.
"Look carefully!"
She stretched out her hand and cast lots of Curagas on him. It took four before he wakes up.
'Just great! Now she'll take us both!'
Seifer looked around, confused.
"What happened?" he saw Squall all tied up on the bed. "Squall! What's happening!"
"Run, Seifer! Get out of here! She can't control herself, it's hopeless!"
Seifer turned to Coran. She was smiling in a seducing way.
"My Knight…" she said in a charming, almost hypnotizing voice.
Squall looked at Seifer and saw Coran was brainwashing him.
"Seifer! Snap out of it!"
When she stopped, Squall was afraid he had one more enemy, but Seifer frowned at Coran.
"You can't fool me! You can't force me to love you the way you are because I already love you, but not like that! That you are a Sorceress? I don't mind, but not if you are evil!"
Coran appeared in shock. Seifer softened his voice and walked to her.
"Give me back the real you, the one I love… I know she's not gone. You can be a Sorceress, I don't care at all, but only if you totally are…"
He reached her and gently took her by the shoulders. Her eyes changed once again as she gazed into his blue eyes.
"Those eyes, I was afraid I would never see them again…"
"It's not the evil in you who got me back, it's the good you. You already are a little more good, so why not let yourself feel all your feelings."
"I…I…"
She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head, breaking away from Seifer's embrace.
"How can you love me after what I've done?" she turned to Squall. "How can you try to make me good while I was ready to drain all of your energy up?"
"Because we care and love you…"
She took her head in her hands and moaned.
"Get out, get out!!"
"It's starting. You're becoming a single person again: a good Sorceress, my Sorceress."
She yelled from pain.
"It doesn't work!"
She fell on her knees, panting.
"There's only a way…" she whispered.
She got up, Seifer and Squall staring at her. She stretched both her arms above her head and started glowing. Like they knew what she was up to, Squall and Seifer widened their eyes in horror.
"Don't!" Seifer yelled. "There is another way! Don't use your powers to destroy yourself!"
"Rinoa and Edea can teach you how to use them for good!" Squall told.
She looked at them with sadness.
"There is no one. I can't totally become a Sorceress so she will always switch places with me and do evil things…"
She withdrew her head backward.
"I love you, Seifer…" she whispered.
Then her powers seemed to explode but without hurting the guys. It made such a brilliant light Squall turned his head away and Seifer protected himself with an arm as it was blowing to him.
"No!!!" he yelled.
They heard a fade thud and the light faded with the wind. Seifer glanced back to where Coran was standing before and saw her lying on the ground. Her face was back to normal except it was paler. He felt his heart break apart.
"NOO!!" he fell by her side and gently put an arm under her head.
Squall was by his side.
"How'd you get free?"
"The ropes disappeared."
Seifer stroked Coran's face from the brown hair covering it. He stared at her closed eyelids, hoping they would open.
"Coran…" he whispered softly.
After a few seconds of no response, he buried his face in her neck with a cry. Then he cried in her neck like he never did before. Squall never saw him cry even still he grew up with him. Squall put a comforting hand on his friend's back –yes; Seifer was his friend, no use to deny it. They always were even through hard times. He needed comfort himself. He barely knows her but it was like they grew up together. As twins, they were sharing a special bond. He had a special bond throughout Rinoa too, but this was different. He felt like a part of his soul was gone just like when Rinoa was going to die in space. He was feeling pretty bad.
Then Seifer slowly moved away, sensing something on his ear.
"She…she's breathing…"
Squall and him stared at the girl in disbelief as she slowly managed to open her eyes. Squall could see great power and strength in those eyes, but no more evil or madness.
"I…did it…" she said in hoarsely weak voice with a smile.
Seifer hugged her tight, calling her name while Squall was retaining himself not to jump up from relief.
"You did it! I'm so glad you're ok!" he said.
"You scared me!" Seifer exclaimed looking back at her. "Don't ever do that!"
She smiled guiltily.
"How did you do that?" Squall asked.
"I focused all the power I could control, thanks to you, on the one I couldn't and called it to join the rest. I was afraid it would be too powerful and kill me, but I was ready to take the risk."
"I'm so glad!" Seifer said before hugging her again.
"Will you be my Knight?" she whispered in his ear hugging him back.
"A SeeD Knight…" he answered in the same tone.
Then they kissed and the door unlocked.