[Chapter 5: An Unexpected Reunion]
The moon shone dimly upon Artemis, its mystical beams reddish with the pulse of monsters that spawned on it. Fisherman's Horizon remained silent, giving the effect of a normal, perfect town to all who would have seen it. Even Balamb Garden remained silent, only the incessant buzzing of the electrical lights disturbing the peacefulness and serenity of the hallways.
Click! All of a sudden, the sound of a door being opened resonated from the dormitory corridors. Silence, then the unmistakable sound of a certain someone walking out, and then the door clicked shut again. After a few moments, a man emerged in the dormitory entrance, which was now located at the back of the library.
His face looked unusually pale under the dimly glowing lights of Balamb Garden as he walked out into the hallway of Balamb Garden. Dressed in a blue blazer, white shirt and brown pants, he seemed to be in his late twenties, but upon a closer inspection, the wrinkles on his brow and occasional streaks of gray showing up on his head confirmed his age; he was close to fifty.
The man, known to all as Laguna, headed out to the lift area quickly. Extending a hand, he depressed the up button. A soft 'ding' was emitted as the lift doors slid open. Stepping in, he pressed the 2F button just as the lift began its smooth ascend.
When the lift finally reached its destination, he ran out and headed down the hallway, streaking past a classroom full of memories, finally reaching a door at the end of the hallway. A glaring red sign marked the door 'inaccessible to non-staff and students without authorization.' Ignoring the sign, he deftly reached out a hand and brushed away a strange charm that was well concealed behind the sign.
A swishing sound was heard as he pocketed the charm and an enchanted slot revealed itself. Smart magic my child Elle knows! I can't help but feel pride! After a short moment, he drew a card key out from his blazer pocket and inserted it into the now-revealed slot. Digital numbers, glowing red, flickered across the authorization panel before the door swung open to admit him.
Knowing well enough he had only thirty seconds to run through before it clicked shut, Laguna proceeded through and left the Garden. Once outside, he waited the remainder of the time limit and watched carefully to make sure the door was fully closed before he left for whatever he wished to do.
After checking, he crossed all the walkways that had been crafted carefully to allow passage between FH and the Garden, descending the final lift that linked both places. Once in FH, he glanced around, checking if any suspicious character were around. None. Smiling, he brushed a sheaf of slipped hair back and behind his ear and headed towards the Mayor's House.
As he walked to the well-known stairway that led there, he remembered his deceased wife, the very reason he had sneaked out of Balamb Garden that night. It was the 1st night of the 3rd month, the very day of his marriage with Raine Leonhart, his beloved wife. He spotted the Ragnarok, their transport ship, from the top of the stairway that he was descending. And tonight...I remember her anniversary...
All of a sudden, he heard a sound, as if something, or someone, had fallen down…
"Foolish boy."
The strange, metallic voice caused him to stop in his tracks and listen carefully. He slowly re-ascended the stairs and approached the Regen Draw Point close by. Reaching out a hand, he slowly absorbed a few glittering pink lights that darted out, gaining the spell. Regen is a spell that enables the victim to regain a set amount of life at different intervals.
"You were a worthy knight-piece, but not wise enough. More emotion than sense, I'd say. You used up your turn in this game too fast, and now you've lost…ha, ha, ha!!"
By now, Laguna could tell that the speaker and the 'worthy knight-piece' were somewhere close by the FH Train Station. Grateful he had been wise enough to bring along his weapon, a heavy-duty machine gun, he pulled it out and cautiously approached the FH Train Station.
***
Meanwhile, the gargantuan Anacondaur had released Squall's limp body from its death grip, which had been the cause of the sound Laguna heard. Holes were dotted in various spots all over the exposed areas, as blood trickled out in thin, clear streams, spreading out on the ground in a huge puddle.
It checked the surroundings, making sure nobody had seen the dastardly deed, and then turned back to Squall. It lowered its head as if to acknowledge his death mockingly, then raised it again.
"This game is over, though the king has not yet been sighted, my deceased friend…"
The same metallic voice resonated, but in a more victorious tone now as the serpent slithered onto the tracks, as if heading somewhere else. By this time, Laguna was watching and had seen Squall. My son…Squall! What happened here? His senses were filled with horror and bitterness as he looked at his only son lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Anger filled him, along with the inescapable emotion of wanting revenge.
"You're not escaping after you killed my son!!!"
He instantly ran out from where he was hidden, and unloaded the bullets from his trusty machine gun in the direction of the escaping murderer. After a while of nonstop firing, he gasped, and dropped the gun in surprise when he saw the bullets bounce off the incredibly durable skin of the Anacondaur, just like water on waxy leaves. The Anacondaur paused in its tracks, contemplated the moment, and then turned around.
"So the king wishes to take the place of the slain knight? If it is so…the game has not yet ended…"
"Aaaaah!!!"
As quick as a flash, the Anacondaur darted at Laguna, moving with amazing agility, considering its size. Caught off guard, he yelled in pain as the Anacondaur slashed its sharp and spiky tail against his leg. He grabbed up his gun and hit the Anacondaur away with all of his remaining strength. Fortunately, it was weakened from resisting the impact of Squall's attack earlier and backed away.
Laguna took the opportunity to check the severity his wound. He glanced at his leg, and grimaced as he saw the skin on his leg torn off, revealing a patch of bloody mess. He was about to wrap it with his handkerchief to stop the profuse bleeding when he was hit again. Pain seared through his nerves as the spiky tail wrapped itself around his body, squeezing tighter and tighter as it had done to Squall.
Having recovered from the small injury and regenerated its energy, the Anacondaur had discovered Laguna was just as strong as his son, and decided to dispose of him as quickly as possible.
"Checkmate…ha, ha, ha!"
Laguna had begun to experience breathing difficulties just as he noted a sudden movement from the corner of his eye. He heard a loud 'bang!' and saw a flash of green light before he found himself breathing freely again on the ground, a split second later. Groaning, he turned to see who had saved him, and saw…Squall. He was stunned as he looked at his son whose injuries and scars were completely healed. In his hand was his Gunblade, whole and complete as if it had never been broken.
Laguna heard a loud hissing and squealing coming from behind him. He turned to see, and saw the Anacondaur squirming within a cover of green smoke, as it slowly shrunk, the sleek body welding into a human-like figure. Eventually, the smoke cleared and the person fell to the ground, dead.
Squall brushed his messy fringe back as he sheathed his Gunblade. He may have seemed dead, but the transforming Anacondaur, or whatever it was, wasn't sharp enough to notice the wounds closing up and his breath returning as he lay on the ground. It also didn't have the ability to sense the racing pulse and strong heartbeat that still existed deep within his body even when he fainted, all thanks to a High Mage protection spell casted by Edea when he was a child.
He drew out an Elixir, newly prepared by Edea that day, and knelt beside his father. He opened it and let Laguna drink in the healing properties.
"Aaaaah…"
Laguna gratefully sighed as the wounds sealed up. The healing properties rippled through him, restoring all his energies and strength to full. Squall carefully helped his father up and handed him back his weapon. "I'm gonna check out the 'Anacondaur'…"
"Thanks, son."
"…Whatever."
Squall remained in his usual demeanor, not caring if he was talking to his loved one. He gazed up at the moon wistfully, but never letting his expression change from his well-known sulky look as he walked over to the fallen man. He knelt down beside the man and examined his garb.
"Ceremonial dark magic robe, used in transformation work…has only 12 Artemisia constellations patterns out of the usual 13, silver tassels, I think he's the High Disciple of some High Sorcerer or Sorceress."
Laguna listened to Squall's analytical observation and smiled. He liked the way Squall preceded when he was doing something.
"Well, son, must be Jyrie's work."
"…I guess."
"Let's get going back to Balamb Garden. We'll need to do a bit of explanation about what happened out here."
"What about Raine's grave? I know it's your anniversary…"
"Well then, I thought you'd want to return to Garden…!"
"I…I want to see her grave. I've never seen it before…"
"Then let's go."
Laguna placed his arms on Squall's shoulders as he got up. Both father and son headed towards the majestic Ragnarok, the finest transport ship in all Artemis, parked beside the Mayor Dobe's House.
***
" 'Then let's go.' Aww, how touching…and what a waste! Scar was our best disciple too! The plan would have been perfect, but he did not sense…Squall's life pulsation."
Jyrie's angry voice intonated Laguna's sentence with overdone feelings. She was seething with anger as she looked into her crystal viewer at their receding figures. Her elder brother, Xaron, stood behind her, calmly watching and playing with an amulet he kept on at all times; it was supposedly the source of his internal strength.
"Jyrie, be silent, patience is a virtue. Even if we cannot achieve revenge this night, there are many more nights to go, and furthermore, you have that Sorceress Rinoa as a hostage. So forget our failures...hmm?"
"Yes, Silne Xaron. I obey."
She absorbed his words like a dog lapping up water, as she believed fervently that whatever he uttered would help her as she grew as a High Sorceress. She glanced at him to observe his reaction. It was perfectly emotionless. Envy grew within her; she had always failed to achieve that serenity and peace of mind. Noticing her, he turned away and tucked the amulet back into his sorcerer's robe, as his long, waist length blond hair rustled majestically in the wind.
They were outside the ancient structure of the Hanging Gardens, watching their foes under the dark night sky. He gazed upwards, looking at the pale blue moon of Earth, set against a background of infinite darkness and glowing stars. He inhaled, almost as if taking in all the beauty.
"A pity our moon isn't as beautiful as Earth's moon, but at least ours contains elements that instill fear in any Artemisian."
"True. When can we try again, Silne Xaron?"
"Sigh…please be patient. I will check the charts and divine the plan. Alright?"
"Very well, inform me if I can be of any use…"
Xaron smiled, and stroked his sister's hair. He then withdrew his hand and walked back into his chambers.
"Don't stay outside too long, little one. We have a plan to devise…ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Jyrie smirked, an evil glint forming in her eye, and walked back in.
***
"We're here, Squall, wake up."
During the flight to Winhill, Laguna and Squall's hometown, a tired out Squall had fallen asleep in the comfortable passengers' seats. Laguna smiled, looking at his son's sleeping face. He's got his mother's eyes, just as Kiros said…how I miss Raine, thought Laguna as he watched his son wake up.
After he saw that Squall was waking up, he went back to the piloting area and turned off the autopilot. He then landed the aircraft outside Winhill. Meanwhile, Squall had woken up and lagged off to the toilet to freshen up. Laguna opened the airlock and got out, inhaling the fresh air of the Winhill Bluffs as he waited for Squall to exit the Ragnarok. The green countryside looked the same as before, though it was night, and the grassy hillock where Raine lay still was there.
Moments later, Squall descended the ladder and walked over to his father. Laguna turned to him and gestured for him to follow as he walked to the hillock. He paused once they crossed the hillock and pointed to a solitary marble headstone.
"Your mother's grave…"
Squall looked at it, then slowly walked over and knelt down beside the headstone. He ran his finger over the well-carved words, illuminated by the gentle moonlight.
* RAINE LOIRE *
~ IN BELOVED MEMORY OF LAGUNA LOIRE'S BELOVED WIFE ~
~ WITH LOVE FROM LAGUNA, ELLONE, AND SQUALL ~
His finger stopped at the last word just as Laguna knelt beside him. Squall lingered for a moment as he gazed at the gravestone and the words. My mother, dead…because of me…I really wish I could have seen how she looked…the few times I saw her spirit, she seemed so loving and gentle, and what all the Winhill people say about her, she sounds so kind…but, well, I'll never see her. With that last thought, he got up abruptly and turned to face Laguna, who was kneeling down next to Raine's grave.
"Dad…I'm going back into the Ragnarok."
"Alright Squall. See you."
He waved as he watched Squall's receding figure into the dark night. After Squall was out of sight, he lay down on the grass and sighed, remembering how he had proposed to Raine, twenty years ago at that very spot. How she had cried tears of joy when he gave her the engagement ring…how simple minded, yet beautiful she was.
Laguna laid on his back, letting the reckless night wind caress his body, relaxing him. He gazed up into the sky, imagining he was looking at Raine herself, youthful as ever, up in the heavens, glittering silver, and angels all around…
"Who is it??"
He sat up, startled, as he noticed an apparition flouncing from the corner of his eye. And it looked like Raine. As he focused his field of vision, he saw nobody. He sighed, and was about to dismiss it as an illusion of the night, when he saw her. She looked as real as his own hand, and was walking straight towards him. His jaw dropped as he saw her, like a beautiful dream, approaching.
He stood up and looked at her as she came closer. She still possessed the youth she had the night he proposed whereas he was closing in on fifty, presently 47.
"Raine?"
She paused in her tracks and slowly turned to face him. She broke into a gentle smile, and dashed towards him, full of joy. Exhilarated, he got up and caught her as she laughed in his strong embrace. He heard the same tinkling laughter of hers as it used to be…when she was still alive. He pulled her close as a sense of déjà vu washed over him. She laid her head on his chest, she feeling his heartbeat, strong and deep, and he, feeling her cold spirit, wishing he could return some warmth to it.
"You're…alive…"
"Mmhmm…I missed you…"
"How did you manage to…?"
"Don't ask. I don't know either. I was in my nether dwellings when an Angel-Faerie Guardian just…sort of flung me out, uttering a few strange phrases. I kept falling…and I found myself here…the Winhill Bluffs."
"I'm glad you're with me tonight…it's our anniversary, do you remember?"
"Of course I do…oh, Laguna…"
"I love you, Raine, and I'll always remember you…"
"I—Aaah!!"
"What?!"
Their happy moments only lasted a short moment, just as their marriage had been. All of a sudden, a strange creature had appeared, a glowing aura of crystalline light shining around it, shielding it from view. It held a strange object in its right hand, which resembled a trident, pointing it towards Raine. He felt Raine growing limp in his arms. Alarmed, he turned back to her and was shocked to see her turning half-transparent. She seemed to be fading away…
Anger filled him, as she grew lighter and lighter, now almost weightless. But still, she lay nestled in his arms, refusing to leave. He turned back to the angelic being with burning eyes, burning with the anger of nearing separation.
"What are you?? Why do you wish to take away my only reason of living???"
The being did not answer his question, but merely advanced closer to the couple. Laguna pulled Raine closer to him defensively, but was shocked to find himself grasping air. He looked up and saw Raine's weightless spirit being levitated towards the angelic being. He ran forward and tried to touch her, but his hand only passed through air, a cold section of air. He pulled his hand back, looking at Raine's seemingly unconscious spirit being helplessly taken away.
"No…Raine…!"
The angelic being then expended its blinding aura, engulfing Raine. After a few moments, everything disappeared, leaving the calm Winhill Bluffs as it had been. He stared at the spot where her spirit disappeared, or rather, had been taken away by the angelic being, transfixed. It was all so quiet that now; the presence of doubt became more noticeable in his mind, full of possibilities and explanations. It all had seemed so real, or was it all just a dream?
He smiled as a tiny tear slipped down his cheek. At least I got to see her once again… whether illusion or reality. He allowed his gaze to roam the landscape, taking in the peaceful night scenery. The fields near Winhill still remained undamaged, smooth, and serene, no matter where he looked, hoping for a trace of the strange occurrence. He could have there all night, but, remembering Squall, alone in the Ragnarok, he left her burial spot reluctantly, more out of obligation, and headed back.
Once inside, he sealed the airlock, and piloted the Ragnarok back to FH. The journey back was silent, and the time was fast approaching 3 o' clock. Laguna's mind was occupied with Raine's soul's appearance, as well as how to see her once again. Squall, however, was too busy pondering about his mother's history to notice his father's abnormal countenance.
***
Back at the Garden, all was still silent. Not a single soul roamed the hallways as the night slowly changed to early morning. The digital numbers on the hallway clock clicked to display 4:00 a.m. as the Ragnarok majestically descended upon Fisherman's Horizon, touching down beside the Mayor's House noiselessly.
The airlock slid open, and Laguna walked down, followed by Squall. Laguna paused for a moment as a few strands of his hair fell across his face, shielding half of it. He raised a hand to neatly put them behind his ear, and then turned to face Squall, who had just begun to yawn.
"Let's go back to Garden. The others might miss us."
"Alright."
It was with those few parting words that they walked back to the Garden, crossing the same array of pathways and walkways painstakingly crafted to link Balamb Garden to the retired politicians' haven, Fisherman's Horizon.
Once they reached the door that led to the inside of the converted Centra Shelter, otherwise known as Balamb Garden, Laguna reached into his pocket for the ID card key and slipped it into the slot, still revealed as he did not replace the charm yet. The same numbers flashed across the confirmation panel as it read and confirmed his login data. A click was heard, as it swung open.
Laguna slipped through quickly after Squall entered; he was just in time as the door swung back, sealing itself just as quickly as it had opened. He turned to Squall and smiled, happy that he had been willing to follow him to Winhill. Squall, in return, gave a slight nod, then turned and walked back to the dormitories.
Laguna watched the darkness of the 2F Hallway engulf Squall's figure as he walked to the lift. He listened to the arrival chime of the lift, and its speedy, smooth descent to the 1st Floor, and then turned back to the door. The same red sign was now fallen on the floor. Laguna smiled again as he picked it up; he could feel its broken pride as the warning it proudly displayed had been disobeyed.
After threading it on his arm, he reached into his pocket and drew out the same charm he had pocketed earlier. He raised the gentle thread of silver it was hanging on and He admired it for the umpteenth time, noticing its ornately carved patterns, intricate phrases and unique colour. 'Barasu Shivaranu Elan', he read the words, carved into the turquoise charm stone and coloured with silver. From all his hours in the library he could only identify the stone as a rare Sea Thyline, and nothing more, not even the meaning behind the words.
After a moment's longer contemplation, he replaced the charm back on the locking mechanism. A mystical sound was heard as it resealed itself. He looked at it. The slot was now gone. Removing the sign from his arm, he hung it back in its place, obscuring the charm for safety's sake.
He then headed down the hallway, to the lift, and back to the dormitories to rest up for the next day, filled with happenings one can never predict. Before entering the lift, he looked back, and saw Raine, waving sadly. He paused, wanting to run to her, but she faded in the next instant.
A bitter tear trickled down his cheek as the lift descended. Even as he walked back to his dormitory, all he could think of was Raine…