[Author's note: ^O^ .. well, I stayed up really late to finish this chapter. ::blinks sleepily:: Can't really say too much about it, excpet it gives some insight on Kefka. (YaY Keffy ^.^) Well, enjoy. ^.^ v ... ^O^ ]
Celes turned around in time to see his snide smile spread across his painted face. He absolutely loved mischief and trouble, and in her opinion was as voracious for power as the emperor himself. Which explains his close ties to Ghestal; Kefka was always by his side, hinting him on what move to make next. Sometimes it seemed as thought Kefka was more the emperor, and Ghestal his servant. Celes shivered at the thought. Kefka was a mad man. The world would go to ruin if he became omnipotent.
-The world changed drastically when he took control-
-If only he hadn't moved the statues-
-It was my fault, too-
If I had only killed him when I was given the chance-
By now, Celes thought she was going mad. She couldn't explain this voice, or the words it was expressing. Who are you? And just what the hell are you telling me? She thought in an attempt to communicate with the cabalistic voice.
Kefka saw her expression of confusion and misinterpreted it. His devious smile grew. "Oh, don't worry. I won't tell. For a price, perhaps." The paint on his face twisted with the amusement of his own words.
Celes's eyes narrowed in anger, forcing her to forget about the foreshadowing the voice was implying to her.
Kefka.
Of the three who were experimented on, Kefka was the one who was effected the most. He literally went insane with the dosage of magicite that was in his blood. He then began to master the forgotten art of magic with simple easy. He was egotistical and powerful at the same time, which made him a very deadly adversary. He was not afraid to kill you if you simply looked at him wrong. And Ghestal loved him.
With all the badgering that Celes often got, Kefka received it even more. Everyone feared him, and wouldn't dare tell him anything he didn't want to hear. Behind his back they would talk of how crazy he was, and how he'd someday drive himself so far beyond sanity's brinks that he'd never return. Some say he already did.
/He's lost his mind.. What's to become of the empire with people like //him// prancing around?/
/Just look at him.. He's the emperors lap dog AND court jester!/
/It doesn't get much worse then what you see in that man, right there./
The cruel words of the spiders. She felt somewhat sorry for him, but she knew better than to do so. Kefka may have looked insane, but there was an intelligence about him that couldn't be explained. He seemed to have vast goals, those of which she wasn't aware of in the slightest, only that his intentions weren't of any good nature. She knew better then to meddle in his affairs, but she knew Kefka had some sinister plot twisting in his equally sinister mind, that of which Ghestal more then likely was not aware of.
Sensing the tension, General Leo cleared his throat, and spoke in his warm, calming, respectful tone, "The emperor will be starting his speech soon. I think it best that we all prepare for the event. Knowing how much the emperor loves a lavish display, he'll want everyone to look their best. We meet two hours before noon." He sent a smile in Celes's direction, sending with it a fleeting feeling of hope; for peace.
With that, Leo nodded his head, turned, and walked through the narrow doorway, past the colorful robes of Kefka.
Kefka never let his eyes off of Celes. His pale, icy stare was full of some kind of contorted amusement. He was processing something in his mind, with a shallow, tainted smile painted across his pale face.
"Peace?" Was the word that finally broke the silence. Kefka's voice was as deviant as his expression. His lips parted in a smile seething of sadistic delight.
He chuckled, never taking his eyes from hers. She hated when he did that, it always made her feel so cold, so empty. She often wondered if that was how he really felt inside. Much like herself.
"You always were such an interesting child, Celes. You, always sulking around in your own pitiful despair." As his crystal eyes pierced through her very being, he tilted his head slightly to the side in adept curiosity, giving him almost a child-like innocence for a brief moment, which was then thoroughly shattered by his continued speech, his voice full of supreme authority, and as always, a touch of the "I'm better then you are" tone.
"But I'll cast that aside. "Peace" is exactly what Ghestal.. Er.. The emperor does not want." His corrupt smile glowed. "The fact is, I.. I mean the emperor has discovered something simply fascinating. A frozen Esper, in the city of Narshe." He giggled, and took a slow step closer to her. "This is the very source of our power. Once we capture its essence, we could use it to become-"
"I don't care." She interjected, tired of his useless chatter of gaining more power. She felt despair take over her yet again, thinking ahead of the many battles she was to lead on behalf of the maniacal emperor and his pet clown.
"Why, you little brat." Kefka hissed furiously, his twisted smiled inverted. "This is the empire's greatest moment, and you display the slightest respect. I suggest you straighten yourself, or find yourself on the wrong side of the battle." He then lithely slithered out the doorway, leaving behind him a wake of anger.
Celes had a firm grip on her Rune blade while she watched the great, richly deep green cape of the infuriated Kefka quickly escape her view. Her heart was pounding with the rush of what seemed like a close call. /Anymore run-ins like that with him and I'm afraid it won't end so easily./
She relaxed herself and cast one last gaze at the withdrawing sunrise. The words of Kefka hung heavy in her mind, leaving her with an empty feeling of despair all over again.
"Or find yourself on the wrong side of battle." Was this what she wanted? She sure as hell didn't want to be on the side of the corrupted empire anymore. But what if..
/No, stop it Celes./ She interrupted herself. She didn't want to fall into another depressing session of self doubt. She was tired of it.
She dismissed the whole ordeal with a sigh, and waited for a moment to see if that cryptic voice would invade her thoughts again, maybe giving her a hint of who she was, or who she was to become. When nothing came, she left through the doorway to prepare for what she assumed to be Ghestal's proposal of war.
***
Kefka was outraged. As he stormed through the dim, grey stone hallways of the Imperial castle of Vector, he proceeded to writhe in his own hatred.
/The vicious little brat! How dare she defy the empire.. No, me?!/
Anyone who saw him coming quickly scurried out of the way, noticing the wrath that was written all over his vex expression. His great cape swayed around him maddeningly, and his large, vibrantly colored feathers, placed neatly in his hair, bounced and swayed with his rhythmical footsteps.
He stared each person down, thinking of different ways to dominate them.
/Look at them;/ he told himself confidently. /Look at how they scurry about, like the minuscule little mice that they are. They have no idea of the power that I wield, or the power that will become of me very soon!/
He grimaced, and growled under his breath.
/They call me crazy.. All of them. Those impudent little rats. I'll show them all. I'll give them all the lifetime of pain I've been forced to live. I'll show them just how crazy I can be./
He made many turns through the great palace, knowing the way of the castle since he was a little child. He continued on with his thoughts, seething.
/The empire.. How feeble it is. Once I take control, there will be no empire, past or present, who will ever be great enough to be even considered as a rival. I will become a god./
He giggled evilly, closing in on the emperors chambers.
/Tick-tock, Tick-tock, when will the emperor's time stop?/
He made his way into the throne room of the emperor, seeing the plump little greedy filled man sitting restlessly on his grey stone throne. "Ah, General Kefka." He said. "My most trusted advisor."
Kefka was still lost in his own little devious thoughts, not hearing the words of his sovereign. He walked in briskly with his twisted, evil smile painted on his lips once again. He came to a stop before the emperor and knelt down habitually, not because he wanted to, but because he had to. But this time, he took a little piece of delight with it. He looked up cruelly, in secret, at the emperor.
/You're time has nearly ticked its last, you old coot./
[Authors note: Next chapter coming up... well, we'll see. ^.^ ]
Celes turned around in time to see his snide smile spread across his painted face. He absolutely loved mischief and trouble, and in her opinion was as voracious for power as the emperor himself. Which explains his close ties to Ghestal; Kefka was always by his side, hinting him on what move to make next. Sometimes it seemed as thought Kefka was more the emperor, and Ghestal his servant. Celes shivered at the thought. Kefka was a mad man. The world would go to ruin if he became omnipotent.
-The world changed drastically when he took control-
-If only he hadn't moved the statues-
-It was my fault, too-
If I had only killed him when I was given the chance-
By now, Celes thought she was going mad. She couldn't explain this voice, or the words it was expressing. Who are you? And just what the hell are you telling me? She thought in an attempt to communicate with the cabalistic voice.
Kefka saw her expression of confusion and misinterpreted it. His devious smile grew. "Oh, don't worry. I won't tell. For a price, perhaps." The paint on his face twisted with the amusement of his own words.
Celes's eyes narrowed in anger, forcing her to forget about the foreshadowing the voice was implying to her.
Kefka.
Of the three who were experimented on, Kefka was the one who was effected the most. He literally went insane with the dosage of magicite that was in his blood. He then began to master the forgotten art of magic with simple easy. He was egotistical and powerful at the same time, which made him a very deadly adversary. He was not afraid to kill you if you simply looked at him wrong. And Ghestal loved him.
With all the badgering that Celes often got, Kefka received it even more. Everyone feared him, and wouldn't dare tell him anything he didn't want to hear. Behind his back they would talk of how crazy he was, and how he'd someday drive himself so far beyond sanity's brinks that he'd never return. Some say he already did.
/He's lost his mind.. What's to become of the empire with people like //him// prancing around?/
/Just look at him.. He's the emperors lap dog AND court jester!/
/It doesn't get much worse then what you see in that man, right there./
The cruel words of the spiders. She felt somewhat sorry for him, but she knew better than to do so. Kefka may have looked insane, but there was an intelligence about him that couldn't be explained. He seemed to have vast goals, those of which she wasn't aware of in the slightest, only that his intentions weren't of any good nature. She knew better then to meddle in his affairs, but she knew Kefka had some sinister plot twisting in his equally sinister mind, that of which Ghestal more then likely was not aware of.
Sensing the tension, General Leo cleared his throat, and spoke in his warm, calming, respectful tone, "The emperor will be starting his speech soon. I think it best that we all prepare for the event. Knowing how much the emperor loves a lavish display, he'll want everyone to look their best. We meet two hours before noon." He sent a smile in Celes's direction, sending with it a fleeting feeling of hope; for peace.
With that, Leo nodded his head, turned, and walked through the narrow doorway, past the colorful robes of Kefka.
Kefka never let his eyes off of Celes. His pale, icy stare was full of some kind of contorted amusement. He was processing something in his mind, with a shallow, tainted smile painted across his pale face.
"Peace?" Was the word that finally broke the silence. Kefka's voice was as deviant as his expression. His lips parted in a smile seething of sadistic delight.
He chuckled, never taking his eyes from hers. She hated when he did that, it always made her feel so cold, so empty. She often wondered if that was how he really felt inside. Much like herself.
"You always were such an interesting child, Celes. You, always sulking around in your own pitiful despair." As his crystal eyes pierced through her very being, he tilted his head slightly to the side in adept curiosity, giving him almost a child-like innocence for a brief moment, which was then thoroughly shattered by his continued speech, his voice full of supreme authority, and as always, a touch of the "I'm better then you are" tone.
"But I'll cast that aside. "Peace" is exactly what Ghestal.. Er.. The emperor does not want." His corrupt smile glowed. "The fact is, I.. I mean the emperor has discovered something simply fascinating. A frozen Esper, in the city of Narshe." He giggled, and took a slow step closer to her. "This is the very source of our power. Once we capture its essence, we could use it to become-"
"I don't care." She interjected, tired of his useless chatter of gaining more power. She felt despair take over her yet again, thinking ahead of the many battles she was to lead on behalf of the maniacal emperor and his pet clown.
"Why, you little brat." Kefka hissed furiously, his twisted smiled inverted. "This is the empire's greatest moment, and you display the slightest respect. I suggest you straighten yourself, or find yourself on the wrong side of the battle." He then lithely slithered out the doorway, leaving behind him a wake of anger.
Celes had a firm grip on her Rune blade while she watched the great, richly deep green cape of the infuriated Kefka quickly escape her view. Her heart was pounding with the rush of what seemed like a close call. /Anymore run-ins like that with him and I'm afraid it won't end so easily./
She relaxed herself and cast one last gaze at the withdrawing sunrise. The words of Kefka hung heavy in her mind, leaving her with an empty feeling of despair all over again.
"Or find yourself on the wrong side of battle." Was this what she wanted? She sure as hell didn't want to be on the side of the corrupted empire anymore. But what if..
/No, stop it Celes./ She interrupted herself. She didn't want to fall into another depressing session of self doubt. She was tired of it.
She dismissed the whole ordeal with a sigh, and waited for a moment to see if that cryptic voice would invade her thoughts again, maybe giving her a hint of who she was, or who she was to become. When nothing came, she left through the doorway to prepare for what she assumed to be Ghestal's proposal of war.
***
Kefka was outraged. As he stormed through the dim, grey stone hallways of the Imperial castle of Vector, he proceeded to writhe in his own hatred.
/The vicious little brat! How dare she defy the empire.. No, me?!/
Anyone who saw him coming quickly scurried out of the way, noticing the wrath that was written all over his vex expression. His great cape swayed around him maddeningly, and his large, vibrantly colored feathers, placed neatly in his hair, bounced and swayed with his rhythmical footsteps.
He stared each person down, thinking of different ways to dominate them.
/Look at them;/ he told himself confidently. /Look at how they scurry about, like the minuscule little mice that they are. They have no idea of the power that I wield, or the power that will become of me very soon!/
He grimaced, and growled under his breath.
/They call me crazy.. All of them. Those impudent little rats. I'll show them all. I'll give them all the lifetime of pain I've been forced to live. I'll show them just how crazy I can be./
He made many turns through the great palace, knowing the way of the castle since he was a little child. He continued on with his thoughts, seething.
/The empire.. How feeble it is. Once I take control, there will be no empire, past or present, who will ever be great enough to be even considered as a rival. I will become a god./
He giggled evilly, closing in on the emperors chambers.
/Tick-tock, Tick-tock, when will the emperor's time stop?/
He made his way into the throne room of the emperor, seeing the plump little greedy filled man sitting restlessly on his grey stone throne. "Ah, General Kefka." He said. "My most trusted advisor."
Kefka was still lost in his own little devious thoughts, not hearing the words of his sovereign. He walked in briskly with his twisted, evil smile painted on his lips once again. He came to a stop before the emperor and knelt down habitually, not because he wanted to, but because he had to. But this time, he took a little piece of delight with it. He looked up cruelly, in secret, at the emperor.
/You're time has nearly ticked its last, you old coot./
[Authors note: Next chapter coming up... well, we'll see. ^.^ ]