Chapter Ten
"Your mother?" Selphie exclaimed.
"That's right." The boy hissed, "My mother was Ultimecia."
An uneasy feeling seetled in Squall's stomach. Ultimecia's son stood in front of him, and it was obvious he wasn't happy with the fate of his mother. The boy was standing on the rock now, looking out at the six fighters in front of him.
"Well, it wasn't going to happen like this but I'm tired of hiding." The boy remarked aloud, more to himself than to the others. Squall looked up at Cid, who continued to hover over Ultimecia's son with glowing red eyes.
"I assume that you are a sorcerer like your mother." Quistis chimed in.
"Yes, of course I am." The boy looked slightly annoyed, "Oh that's right, back in this time you didn't know that."
"Know what?" Quistis asked.
"Let my son go!" Rinoa yelled, forcing all eyes on her.
"Let him go?" the boy gave her a puzzled look.
"Stop possessing my son!" Rinoa demanded.
"How can I be possessing him when I out here stupid!" the boy snapped.
Rinoa looked taken aback, "Then you're not controlling him right now?"
"Of course I am," the boy rolled his eyes, "It's only a simple manipulation spell. Oh, that's right. That spell didn't exist in this time."
"Then you didn't possess him during his limit break?" Squall spoke up. The boy's glare answered his question. "Then how..."
"Did he display sorcerer powers?" the boy finished Squall's question. He leaned toward them and smiled, "I'll give you three guesses."
"What?" everyone screamed in unison.
"You mean Cid is a sorcerer?" Zell exclaimed.
"Of course he is, just as I am." The boy smiled, "Sorcery is a hereditary trait. This isn't known now, but will be discovered in the future."
"But that has never happened before." Quistis informed.
"How many sorcerers have had kids?" the boy asked, "None, that's how many. But Cid and I are different. We are the next generation of sorcerers, the heirs of sorcery. We are no longer inhibited by the vocal summoning of spells. Anything we want can be cast without a single word. For example..." The boy stared at Irvine. Irvine took a step backward in surprise. Suddenly the gun flew out of Irvine's hands and was pressed up against his forehead.
"See," the boy smiled slyly, "A seemingly harmles Float spell put to good use." Nobody dared to move, at the fear that the gun would go off. The gun suddenly fell to the floor. Squall realized that he still hadn't inhaled and did so.
The realization had hit Squall hard, but it all made sense to him. The T-Rexaur near the beach, Cid had cast Stop on it. He had also cast Break on all those Bite Bugs. And he was the one...
"You used him to kill Ma Dincht, Caraway, Martine and Edea!" Squall yelled at the young sorcerer.
The boy smiled, "That's right."
"You attacked Cid until he was forced to use his Limit Break, the Renzok Wing, and then you used your Manipulation spell to control him to kill those people!" Squall's voice rose.
"Well, it seems you're not as dumb as you seem."
"Why not just possess him?" Quistis asked.
"Possession is so old," the boy remarked, "Plus it didn't exactly work for my mother. My Invisible spell worked much better."
"You were only invisible?" Zell looked perplexed.
"Sure," he smiled, "If you listened closely, you probably could have heard me whispering in Cid's ear."
"But why kill Edea and Martine?" Squall asked.
"And my mother?" Zell chimed in.
"And my father, General Caraway?" Rinoa added.
"All part of my master plan." The boy informed, "I am Cassius," he raised his hand, "...and you will suffer like I have!" A ball of shining light appeared above his hand. He lowered it, but the glowing orb remained in the air. It suddenly exploded releasing rays of light in all directions. Moments later a group of people were suspended in the air, tied with the rays of light.
"Seifer! Braza!" Quistis cried.
"Trina!" Selphie yelled.
"Kyra!" Irvine called.
"Hey, what's going on!" Seifer demanded.
"The ones you love." Cassius remarked, "These people are the only ones that remain."
"What?" Selphie cried, "Let my children go! They have nothing to do with any of this?"
"No!" Cassius yelled, "My master plan must be completed!"
"What is your master plan?" Squall asked, hoping to stall in order to figure out what to do. He had to free Trina, Kyra, Braza, Seifer, and Cid. How could he do this?
"My plan is complete revenge." Cassius began, "First I would kill all those who brought you accursed SeeDs to my mother in the first place."
"The assassination!" Irvine realized, "Martine, Caraway, and Edea were all involved in the assassination that started our ordeal with Ultimecia!"
"Then what about my mother?" Zell asked.
"After my first step comes the second phase." Cassius continued, "I will kill all those that you love so that you will feel the pain I felt when I lost my mother!"
But why is Seifer and Braza here? Squall wondered. He glanced over at Quistis. The petrified look on her face. He recogized it. It was the same look Rinoa had when she saw Cid getting attacked. The answer finally came to him. Why Quistis had talked Squall into letting Seifer return to Balamb Garden. Why Quistis had taken a nine month vacation after the battle with Ultimecia.
"Braza is your son, isn't he?" Squall looked at Quistis. All eyes were turned to Quistis and her expression was the answer. She looked down at the ground and then back up at her son and her lover both bound by rays of light.
"And my final phase is all of your deaths." Cassius finished, "Only then will the pain in my heart be appeased."
Everyone stared at Cassius. The whimpers of Kyra and Trina were the only sound. Squall still hadn't thought of anything. He needed more time.
"If you're that powerful, why did you use Cid at all?" Squall asked, "Why not just finish us all? Why go through all this?"
"My mother made that mistake. By taking a backseat and letting your son take all the blame, I get my revenge, and no one ever knows that I was here."
Squall was hoping for a slightly longer answer.
"Enough stalling!" Cassius ordered, "Time for you to die!" Cassius turned to the hovering captives and the twins' whimpers got louder. "But before I kill them, I think we'll have a little entertainment."
Squall felt slightly scared by the word "entertainment" and the sick feeling in his stomach grew.
"Cid," Cassius looked up at the floating child, "Kill your father."
"Your mother?" Selphie exclaimed.
"That's right." The boy hissed, "My mother was Ultimecia."
An uneasy feeling seetled in Squall's stomach. Ultimecia's son stood in front of him, and it was obvious he wasn't happy with the fate of his mother. The boy was standing on the rock now, looking out at the six fighters in front of him.
"Well, it wasn't going to happen like this but I'm tired of hiding." The boy remarked aloud, more to himself than to the others. Squall looked up at Cid, who continued to hover over Ultimecia's son with glowing red eyes.
"I assume that you are a sorcerer like your mother." Quistis chimed in.
"Yes, of course I am." The boy looked slightly annoyed, "Oh that's right, back in this time you didn't know that."
"Know what?" Quistis asked.
"Let my son go!" Rinoa yelled, forcing all eyes on her.
"Let him go?" the boy gave her a puzzled look.
"Stop possessing my son!" Rinoa demanded.
"How can I be possessing him when I out here stupid!" the boy snapped.
Rinoa looked taken aback, "Then you're not controlling him right now?"
"Of course I am," the boy rolled his eyes, "It's only a simple manipulation spell. Oh, that's right. That spell didn't exist in this time."
"Then you didn't possess him during his limit break?" Squall spoke up. The boy's glare answered his question. "Then how..."
"Did he display sorcerer powers?" the boy finished Squall's question. He leaned toward them and smiled, "I'll give you three guesses."
"What?" everyone screamed in unison.
"You mean Cid is a sorcerer?" Zell exclaimed.
"Of course he is, just as I am." The boy smiled, "Sorcery is a hereditary trait. This isn't known now, but will be discovered in the future."
"But that has never happened before." Quistis informed.
"How many sorcerers have had kids?" the boy asked, "None, that's how many. But Cid and I are different. We are the next generation of sorcerers, the heirs of sorcery. We are no longer inhibited by the vocal summoning of spells. Anything we want can be cast without a single word. For example..." The boy stared at Irvine. Irvine took a step backward in surprise. Suddenly the gun flew out of Irvine's hands and was pressed up against his forehead.
"See," the boy smiled slyly, "A seemingly harmles Float spell put to good use." Nobody dared to move, at the fear that the gun would go off. The gun suddenly fell to the floor. Squall realized that he still hadn't inhaled and did so.
The realization had hit Squall hard, but it all made sense to him. The T-Rexaur near the beach, Cid had cast Stop on it. He had also cast Break on all those Bite Bugs. And he was the one...
"You used him to kill Ma Dincht, Caraway, Martine and Edea!" Squall yelled at the young sorcerer.
The boy smiled, "That's right."
"You attacked Cid until he was forced to use his Limit Break, the Renzok Wing, and then you used your Manipulation spell to control him to kill those people!" Squall's voice rose.
"Well, it seems you're not as dumb as you seem."
"Why not just possess him?" Quistis asked.
"Possession is so old," the boy remarked, "Plus it didn't exactly work for my mother. My Invisible spell worked much better."
"You were only invisible?" Zell looked perplexed.
"Sure," he smiled, "If you listened closely, you probably could have heard me whispering in Cid's ear."
"But why kill Edea and Martine?" Squall asked.
"And my mother?" Zell chimed in.
"And my father, General Caraway?" Rinoa added.
"All part of my master plan." The boy informed, "I am Cassius," he raised his hand, "...and you will suffer like I have!" A ball of shining light appeared above his hand. He lowered it, but the glowing orb remained in the air. It suddenly exploded releasing rays of light in all directions. Moments later a group of people were suspended in the air, tied with the rays of light.
"Seifer! Braza!" Quistis cried.
"Trina!" Selphie yelled.
"Kyra!" Irvine called.
"Hey, what's going on!" Seifer demanded.
"The ones you love." Cassius remarked, "These people are the only ones that remain."
"What?" Selphie cried, "Let my children go! They have nothing to do with any of this?"
"No!" Cassius yelled, "My master plan must be completed!"
"What is your master plan?" Squall asked, hoping to stall in order to figure out what to do. He had to free Trina, Kyra, Braza, Seifer, and Cid. How could he do this?
"My plan is complete revenge." Cassius began, "First I would kill all those who brought you accursed SeeDs to my mother in the first place."
"The assassination!" Irvine realized, "Martine, Caraway, and Edea were all involved in the assassination that started our ordeal with Ultimecia!"
"Then what about my mother?" Zell asked.
"After my first step comes the second phase." Cassius continued, "I will kill all those that you love so that you will feel the pain I felt when I lost my mother!"
But why is Seifer and Braza here? Squall wondered. He glanced over at Quistis. The petrified look on her face. He recogized it. It was the same look Rinoa had when she saw Cid getting attacked. The answer finally came to him. Why Quistis had talked Squall into letting Seifer return to Balamb Garden. Why Quistis had taken a nine month vacation after the battle with Ultimecia.
"Braza is your son, isn't he?" Squall looked at Quistis. All eyes were turned to Quistis and her expression was the answer. She looked down at the ground and then back up at her son and her lover both bound by rays of light.
"And my final phase is all of your deaths." Cassius finished, "Only then will the pain in my heart be appeased."
Everyone stared at Cassius. The whimpers of Kyra and Trina were the only sound. Squall still hadn't thought of anything. He needed more time.
"If you're that powerful, why did you use Cid at all?" Squall asked, "Why not just finish us all? Why go through all this?"
"My mother made that mistake. By taking a backseat and letting your son take all the blame, I get my revenge, and no one ever knows that I was here."
Squall was hoping for a slightly longer answer.
"Enough stalling!" Cassius ordered, "Time for you to die!" Cassius turned to the hovering captives and the twins' whimpers got louder. "But before I kill them, I think we'll have a little entertainment."
Squall felt slightly scared by the word "entertainment" and the sick feeling in his stomach grew.
"Cid," Cassius looked up at the floating child, "Kill your father."