Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8... sorry...
Note: Some of these religious things are gonna be used in my new fic... still untitled... ^__^ On another note, this is probably the most confusing chapter yet (Cid and Adel) You'll know what I mean when you get there....
~*Death, Rebirth and the End of the World*~
~*Chapter 8: Crown of Thorns*~
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The elevator ride was short, but a life time for Rinoa. Thoughts of the death she had seen, the kiss Zell had given her, Squall, and where Quistis and Seifer were. She placed her head down into her knees. The elevator made a tiny clunk sound as it pressed against the top. On the other side she could hear something, almost like mumbling voices. She sighed heavily and fought back her tears. She had to protect herself. She held her hand forward and the elevator doors opened revealing a whole hall of soldiers. Rinoa, slightly shocked at the number stumbled back but gained her composure as they were about to give no mercy to her. The three front men held up their guns and began to aim. Rinoa raised her hand higher. She squinted her eyes in preparation for the blast. A strong bright white beam shot down the hall. As it smacked into the soldiers, they fell to the ground and disappeared. The beam expanded outwards, causing the walls to shatter and push against the beam. The light faded and what was left was a hall, with no people, no blood, no death, no nothing. The walls were now shaped in an a circle around where the beam had shot. Rinoa looked on happily at her handy work. But she couldn't rejoice long as crippling pain ripped through her arm. She collapsed to the floor and held her arm tightly with the other.
"Used to much power, I guess." Rinoa weakly told herself. The alarm abruptly switched off. Rinoa looked to the intercom above her. "Odd." She said quietly.
"Hey!" Someone called down the hall and to the left of it. "Someone is there!" The voice yelled. Bullets flew across her view of the hall that crossed with hers.
"Were out of ammo!" A gruff voice screamed as shots came flying the other way at which the voices had shot at. Screams of pain echoed through the halls. Then it went silent. A slight smile appeared on Rinoa's lips as it must have been one of her colleagues.
"Help!" She screamed. Answering her cry for help came footsteps clicking lightly down the hall. A blonde women jumped into the hall and pointed her adequate sized machine gun down the hall to where Rinoa was. As the gun pointed to her face, Rinoa cowered back in fear. A sigh of relief was heard from the women as she let her gun fall to her side, as the black gun moved Rinoa could make out Quistis's face. Rinoa smiled brightly. "Quistis!" She cried excitedly.
"Finally I find you!" Quistis said with a sigh of relief. Quistis ran down the hall and grabbed Rinoa's arm and pulled Rinoa to her feet.
"What's going on? Why did the alarm stop?" Rinoa asked in a nervous wreck.
"The World Military has invaded Garden." Quistis told her about to answer her next question until Rinoa blurted out.
"Here they come!" With that Quistis world around and aimed her gun. Three soldiers stood at the end of the hall, their guns raised. Quistis pulled her trigger down and let loose a barrage of bullets towards them. Two of the three soldiers fell to the ground in a bloody mess while the other had no signs of hit marks on him. The soldier steadied his gun with both of his hands. He pulled the trigger down but just as soon as he did Quistis and Rinoa had already escaped into the elevator and were heading up.
As the two neared the top Rinoa looked to her feet. "Why did the alarm go off?" She asked.
"Most likely Cid stopped it in order to decrease panic in the students." Quistis told her as she looked to the ceiling.
"Then why is the World Military here?" Rinoa asked looking to her friend.
"Cid summoned them in order to rid the last of the students from Garden." Quistis told her.
"Well where is he now!?" Rinoa asked infuriated by the fact that their own Commander would do such a thing.
"Awaiting Matron at Heaven's Gate." Quistis told Rinoa as she looked to her out of the corner of her eye. Rinoa turned her head in full attention towards Quistis, her eyes filled with shock....
****
Cid stood in front of the looming body of Adel from the top Command deck. The moon light sparkled in the large and still growing pool of blood. Cid closed his eyes as a harmonious feelings descended upon him.
One with the universe...
One with the sun and stars...
To understand is to know...
Knowing is the knowledge your thoughts are...
Your body is a vessel for your thoughts...
In a sense your thoughts are you...
They are what change you and differ you from others...
Others?
Others are the ones that co-exist outside your world...
Harmonious are they not...
Because of their will and thoughts...
They will never be harmonious...
Harmonious?
Harmonious is what we were meant to be...
One with each other...
Most never experience the state of synchronization...
It is a gift to some, not all...
The universe is one...
The Heavens are one...
The land mass we know as the world is synchronized...
Cid's eyes flew open and looked to Adel's. The sorceress's eyes stared back hauntingly. Cid gave a deep glare to the eyes that stared back, taunting him. As Adel's eyes widened to a horrific state Cid gripped his head in pain. He fell to one knee as the pain increased.
The Crown of Thorns
The Crown of Thorns
The words repeated in his mind as Adel kept her eyes fixed onto his. Images of bloody hands, crosses, roses and thorns ripped through his mind. He placed both of his hands to his faces and began to shake lightly as the pain and the images increased.
Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Zell Dintch, Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas
Friends?
Colleagues?
Dead?
SeeD?
Alive?
Resurrected?
None
****
As the elevator abruptly stopped the doors opened revealing the final top floor of Garden. Quistis grabbed Rinoa's hand and began to run down the hall. Their foot steps clicked loudly and echoed with just as much force. It was obvious that the floor had not been used in quite awhile. Dust had been thrown up with each foot they placed to the floor.
"Where are we going?" Rinoa asked.
"To the roof." Quistis told her not looking back. Rinoa jerked from her grip.
"Why?" Rinoa asked in a frustrated manner.
"I have to check something. Stay here if you would like to die so soon." Quistis told her as she began to run ahead. Rinoa grunted in disapproval but followed anyways.
As they reached the roof the sun beamed down on them from above. Quistis stopped her run and slowly walked to the center of the roof. She looked up to the sky to find a large glowing white ring above Garden. Rinoa came slowly walking up behind her, looking in aw at the ring of light.
"What's that?" Rinoa asked still in shock.
"I don't think it's what I thought." Quistis told her, still looking on at the large ring.
"What did you think it was?" Rinoa asked.
"The crown of thorns." Quistis told her. "Now it looks more like a halo." Quistis said as she eyed the ring curiously. "We seem to be spared for a little while, but not long." Quistis said as she looked to Rinoa.
"Spared of what?" Rinoa asked looking to Quistis for her answer.
"Death." Quistis said solemnly as she looked to the light blue roof of Garden. Rinoa opened her mouth to speak but a loud buzzing sound rang through Garden.
'Unidentified object heading for Garden's location from the north west sky.' The intercom screamed. The two girls looked to the sky in hopes of finding the object. A small twinkle showed in the sky. Rinoa squinted in order to see it.
"It's coming at an astonishing rate." Quistis acknowledged. Her eyes flashed open. "The LionHeart." Quistis said as she bit her lip hard. In no time the sparkling sword was visible to the naked eye. Quistis raised her gun to the exact the LionHeart was taking and began to fire in a vain attempt to stop it. The bullets shot from the gun and passed right through the LionHeart. Quistis dived to the side in order to avoid the LionHeart's path into Garden. The LionHeart shot passed and through the roof, leaving no mark. Rinoa walked over to the spot at which it had entered.
"No mark." She said quietly as she gingerly placed her hands to the spot....
****
Irvine stood proudly over his kill, Zell Dintch. Irvine smirked lightly as he placed his gun to his side as he ignored the pain ripping through his body. He turned towards the elevator in hopes of finding Quistis and Rinoa but just as he took his first step to the elevator a loud dull scream echoed through his ears. He looked up to where the sound was coming from and found the LionHeart coming from the ceiling. As the LionHeart made contact with the skin of his head, Irvine was silhouetted as a blinding flash of light placed itself in the hall. Irvine screamed loudly as the LionHeart, gave no mercy and charged through his head. As the LionHeart exited the back of his head it left through the floor, leaving no mark once more. Irvine collapsed to the floor, no trace of blood left on his head or wound from the LionHeart. He just lay on the floor, eyes wide open in fear, not breathing, not moving, not doing anything....
As the LionHeart ripped through the roof of the Command Post where Adel and Cid were, Cid looked up to it and smiled. Adel looked to the LionHeart. As the sword neared Adel's chest, it stopped. Cid glared at the sword and Adel.
I'm Home
Welcome Home
Adel's chest rippled like water and the sword entered it's chest. Adel's body slowly began to gain light. Soon it was glowing a bright white. Adel's hands began to shake along with it's body. Adel stretched it's fingers out and ripped it's hands from the cross, as did the feet. Adel landed with a loud boom as blood sprayed everywhere. Adel hunched over and let it's hand's drop to it's knees. Adel looked to the ceiling and roared....
****
"Quistis!" Screamed Rinoa as she pointed to the white halo in the sky over Garden. Quistis threw her head up and found the white color turning into a greenish-brownish color and spikes began to shoot out from all sides. Quistis stepped back in shock as the process quickened. Soon the entire halo was now the crown of thorns.
"The LionHeart has already found it's way to Adel." Quistis said as she collapsed to her knees. Rinoa looked curiously to Quistis but looked away as a red mark caught her attention. She looked to it and found a red splotch on the light blue roof. She bent down and placed one finger to it. It was sticky, like blood, but it wasn't there before. She looked up to find the tips of the thorns dripping with blood.
"Quistis, look!" Wailed Rinoa. Quistis looked up from the roof and looked to Rinoa. "Blood." Rinoa told her. Quistis looked up and found the same thing Rinoa did, bleeding thorns.
"What the hell?" Quistis asked quietly....
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A/N: Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun....... Please say you like it...
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