[Chapter 10: What Things Are Really Like]
"My necklace must have broken off when the soldier banged into me and knocked the radio down at the Presidential Palace Clock Tower in Deling…"
Selphie's voice trailed off sadly as she looked around the room at all the sleepy faces that were having some trouble administering the shocking news. She was sitting down, feeling absolutely miserable at her carelessness in losing the vital artifact that would have been able to save the lives of Squall's father, and Seifer, one of their orphanage gang back then.
Edea must have known what she was thinking, because a while later, went over and comforted her, whispering softly into her ear. "Don't put the blame on yourself… it was just fate, my child…" Selphie gave Matron's hand a squeeze to show she'd try to. However, she just couldn't stop feeling the guilt that was beginning to grow within her. She went over and squeezed in with Irvine in an old armchair in the Kramers' study. He smiled at her sleepily and lolled his head backward to try to rest.
Eien was reclining on the sofa as she listened to the Kramers discussing the matter with the others who were a little more alert; Angelo made a nice, warm and furry pillow for her head. She just couldn't believe that their only chance of reviving Seifer and Laguna was gone, just like that. Now they would have to find other means to help them… or just… let them go.
She sighed and toyed around with the little crescent pendant on her neck that hung beside her 'Squall's Ring', the secret portal that brought her to Artemis. She liked it a lot; only that night itself at the festivities one of the Garden students, Maya, had identified the jewel set in the pendant as moon opal for her.
The moon opal was supposed to induce good luck, unexpected circumstances, and empower the wearer's spiritual strength. The crescent shape supposedly symbolized the night hours, or rather, the dark side of all forces. Eerie as that may sound, she liked it; it was shrouded in an air of mystery even as to her finding it on Angelo's fine silver chain that day.
Maybe the 'good luck' part would strengthen and spread its influence; they all really needed it, not just her. Giving both her pendants an affectionate squeeze, she turned to her side and buried her face into Angelo's fur. She was also hoping that Cid and Edea would decide to end the meeting; she was drop-dead sleepy.
Squall was half-asleep in the corner of the room; he certainly didn't appreciate being woken up at an hour like this just after he had settled down. Really, he wished she could have just told them in the morning; the amulet was already gone, anyway.
Rinoa was leaning against him and he had his arms around her to make sure she didn't slip from her perch on his lap. She was looking around with a worried face. Actually, she was even more worried about the impact the shocking news would have for him than he was for himself.
He lazily lifted his eyes to look around. Most of the boys were in the same condition as him: bleary-eyed, yawning, and slouching around, trying to sleep. However, he was awed by the girls' ability to look so alert at such an ungodly hour. Cid was another one who looked very alert. Nida too. The only girl that was looking sleepy, however, was Eien, his little adopted sister. Squall stayed where he was for the rest of the gathering until he heard the few words that gave him a sense of utmost relief: "Let's all go back to bed for now."
***
Jyrie smirked evilly as she clutched the ruby amulet in her right hand. She had recovered from her power clash with Rinoa the other day and had nursed a grudge ever since. Now, after she heard that the fucking SeeDs had gone on two separate missions to rescue some worthless mortals, she rushed to Deling City to try to find them.
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: The city was her primary stronghold as the power-hungry people thought of her as their past ruler's child, the so-called Sorceress Edea. In a way, it was true, since her mother had possessed the wretched woman to establish herself in their timeline.
Her soon-to-be second stronghold was none other than the xenophobic city of Esthar. She had already sent a few of her men to stir up the people with slanders against the President Laguna Loire, who in her opinion was a useless man whom everybody would do better without. She of course had him ousted, though not successfully enough. But still, he was now defenselessly lying in the Infirmary, recuperating.*
By the time she had reached Deling City, they had broken through the useless defenses and brute strength of her Galbadian puppets, thanks to the powers of her escaped prisoner, Rinoa. But after ordering a full-scale search of the entire Galbadian capital, one of her soldiers had found the ruby amulet she now clutched in her palm. The man was killed to avoid any news leaked out.
By recalling some of the teachings her mother and aunt had passed on to her when she was a fledgling sorceress, she recognized the amulet as the legendary Hidden Phoenix's mark; it was a path to find Her hideout in the treacherous Trabian mountain range. She knew that whoever reached the Phoenix's hideout could ask Her to bestow her healing powers on a person, even if it means raising a dead person.
The only problem she faced was the reluctance of the Phoenix, which would indeed be a major problem, since she was not the one the amulet had been rightfully bestowed upon. But she knew, through her own experiences and experiments, anyone, anyone, would submit to authority if exposed to: torture (both physical and mental), manipulation, and last of all, betrayal by a close friend. She instantly let out a contemptuous laugh as the malicious thought struck her.
Already she had a plan in mind, and what she needed to know now was the identity of the true receiver of the amulet. To get the rest of the gears in motion, she would need to make a brief pilgrimage to the Phoenix's lair…
***
The next morning, Eien had risen early and couldn't get back to sleep, for whatever reason she didn't know. When she had risen, the numbers on the digital clock flashed a neon-green seven a.m. at her. After a while of tossing and turning, she clambered out, washed out, got dressed, and exited the dormitory she shared with Squall and Rinoa.
Once out of the narrow corridor that connected the dormitories and Library, she expended her wings and flew right up to the glowing blue halo above Balamb Garden. She found a suitable spot to rest and admire the scenery and sat down. From there, she could see all around the Alcauld Plains, from the Fire Cavern right until Balamb.
The Port City that was the Garden's namesake was quiet and drained of activity, as usual. She smiled, squinting her eyes as she sat looking into the shimmering glitter of the rising sun's beams reflected on the smooth surface of the sea.
Suddenly, a strange thought occurred to her. "What's today's date?" She mused it out aloud as she gazed into the light blue morning sky. The winds were fantastically cooling and refreshing. Taking a deep breath, she filled her lungs with the fresh, unpolluted air, unlike the air of Earth, where she used to stay.
"Oh, which reminds me… I wonder how my family and friends are… do they miss me?" Swinging her legs around, she pondered the thought for a minute before… "Wait a second…" She immediately realized that she had never kept track of how long she was in Artemis. Jolted with discomfort, she flew back down into the Garden decided to head back to the dormitory she shared with Squall and Rinoa; she had to confirm some dates with either of them.
At that moment, it was already eight in the morning and some of the usual hustle and bustle of the Garden had begun. The cafeteria ladies had hauled themselves up from their nice, warm beds to prepare the breakfast buffet for the students to wolf down before adjourning to classes. Eien could smell the lovely aromas that wafted from the cafeteria kitchens as she flew past it, back to the library. They were making her ravenously hungry, since she hadn't taken breakfast yet.
As soon as she reached the library-dormitory corridor, she landed and folded back her wings. Looking around to check for any students and seeing not a silhouette, she absorbed them into her body in a splash of glittering mist. She then lightly ran through the long, carpeted hallway to the dormitory, which was at its end.
She turned the doorknob and stepped in. Squall's bed was empty; she could hear the sounds of water splashing in the bathroom. Rinoa had already finished cleaning up and was making the beds, dressed in a powder blue creased linen blouse matched with a pair of white cotton shorts. Angelo was curled up among Eien's bed sheets, watching Rinoa.
"Oh, hi Eien! Rose pretty early today, didn't you?"
"Uh-huh. Um, Rinoa?"
"Yes?"
"Could I ask you something?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"What's today's date?"
"Well… let's see… I think it should be the 28th of January… Why?"
Eien gaped at the date. "It's been a year ever since I was here!"
"Really? That's amazing! Time passes so fast, ne?"
By that time, Squall had stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a white shirt and his usual long, black pants. "A year, huh?"
Eien grinned. "This also means I'm officially fourteen!"
"Huh?"
"I came here on the night of my birthday…" Eien shyly pawed the ground with her foot, her hands behind her back.
"Hey, great! Happy fourteenth, Eien."
Rinoa gave Eien a warm, birthday hug, Angelo seemed to understand, and jumped up to lick her face. Squall shrugged, then went over and gave her a short squeeze. A while after the trio had finished cleaning and tidying up their dormitory, Squall moaned.
"Ah, let's go… I'm starved. And we can tell everyone about the young sorceress's birthday as we go along."
The girls nodded assent and they made their way to the cafeteria, Angelo trotting behind them, her tail wagging happily.
***
It was evening once again in Artemis. The setting sun's rays glowed gently as it seemed to dip beneath the ocean; to sleep until the next day's rising. Most classes were over by then; only some instructors (for extra income's sake) were giving personal tutoring or group tutoring to some 'special case' students. A few hardworking students sat in the library, studying for the upcoming SeeD Written Exam.
The rest of them were loitering out in the outer compound, hanging around the cafeteria, training in the Training Center (now relocated to the Basement), or even out at Balamb, restocking on medicines and remodeling weapons. There was also a good deal of courting going around (raised eyebrows, hint, hint).
Edea, Cid, Nida, Xu, Squall, Rinoa, Ellone, Zell, Korin, Irvine, Selphie, Caraway, Kiros, Ward, Fujin, Raijin, Dr Rira Kadowaki and Dr Loki Odine (phew) were all gathered in a meeting room on the third floor. They were going to hold a meeting to decide on how to find the Ruby Amulet that Selphie lost, and if that not being possible, then how to save Laguna and Seifer.
They had locked it, and any student that wished to see them had to key in their student identification number before being admitted to the third floor itself; and only matters of the gravest urgency would be admitted. Cid gestured for them all to sit, as did he and his wife.
[Cid] "Now as you all know, President Laguna Loire of Esthar and Instructor Seifer Almasy are currently recuperating in the Infirmary of this Garden, under the joint intensive care of Dr Kadowaki, and Dr Odine.
"Selphie has brought to our attention that she has had a visitation from the legendary Hidden Phoenix of Trabia and received a guiding amulet from Her. The amulet has been lost in a recent expedition to rescue President-General Caraway of Deling City. Any suggestions as to how to successfully locate or recover it?"
[Selphie] "Since I dropped it from the Clock Tower into the streets when the soldier kicked down the radio, why not we send a group to go check it out discreetly and hunt for it there? The Galbadians may not have found it since they're busy rioting and under no authority in the streets."
[Fujin] "MIGHT NOT BE GOOD. IF NO AUTHORITY, THEN HOW THEY DECIDE TO ATTACK CARAWAY WHEN HE RETURNED?"
[Raijin] "Y'know, she's right… y'know, nobody can decide to attack Caraway all at once, y'kno— OW!! Alright, alright…" Fujin directed a sharp kick to Raijin's leg, shutting him up nicely.
[Rinoa] "… Fujin has a point. Through my experiences as a Rebellion Faction Leader, I've learnt that the people who wished to rise against Vinzer Deling couldn't, no matter how numerous they were. They just can't rally themselves to do so if they have no leader to unite under.
Maybe we should just send a group to investigate whoever may be behind all this chaotic reign against… my… *ahem*… Caraway?" It was obvious to all that Rinoa hadn't forgotten her old grudge against her father, much less forgiven him. But she was on the verge of calling him 'father', something she hadn't done in years.
[Kiros] "Miss Heartilly's got some good logic there, you have to agree."
[Ward] "…" (He lost his voice, remember?)
[Squall] (Mutters) "Sounds like Jyrie's work…"
[Cid] "I beg your pardon, Squall? Could we have that a little louder…?"
[Squall] "…I think… it might be the work of Ultimecia's daughter, Jyrie Weiur. She's the only kind of person who'd want to take over one of the super powers of Artemis. And from what I've seen, she's the one person who loves killing and chaos.
Besides, her mother, Ultimecia, ruled over Deling City in Matron Edea's shell once, sorry matron, and the people's response was overwhelming; they just loved being ruled by a powerful sorceress. And I have the feeling she's after Esthar, too. Some of the people might be wishing for a taste of the reign of a sorceress again, power-hungry and status loving as mankind all are."
There was a lengthy pause that overtook the room and silence reigned momentarily. Finally, Edea voiced her thoughts.
[Edea] "Well, my child, your opinion is strong and well thought out. You have grown much from the indecisive youngster you once were. It is true, what he says. Now, while Ultimecia was within my shell and as one with me, not only could she read my thoughts, but I could also read hers.
She had a most interesting ability to predict a person's responses, and so, she took over Deling City easily enough after she wormed her way through Vinzer Deling up to the podium where she conveniently disposed of him. I was disgusted, but there was nothing I could do. When Rinoa approached her, she knew Rinoa's intentions through the slurs and tone of her speech.
But she also sensed a potential to house the powers of a Sorceress, so she did not dispose of her, which was originally her first thought. Instead, she used her to bait Squall and Irvine, whom she knew were friends of Rinoa. I had also made the mistake of scanning the crowd and acknowledging Squall and Irvine as my children.
As she could read my thoughts like an open book, she therefore took more notice of them, and when they showed concern for Rinoa, she brought to life the Iguions to lure them both up; she already knew a plan was in motion behind the scenes.
And when the gunshot was released, she blocked it, knowing what would happen if she did. She is a terrible woman, not even worthy of being a Sorceress. Many Sorceresses misuse their powers, as she did."
[Ellone] "Yes, matron, true… But we must get back to the topic… How do we recover the Ruby Amulet of the Hidden Phoenix of Trabia?"
There was a group sigh as they all realized that they were still at square one no matter how much they had discussed.
[Cid] "Come, let's not give up hope so fast, hm? Let the meeting continue!"
***
Eien had just finished bathing and felt nice and clean. The air-conditioner was switched on and it was cooling the room as she relaxed. She lay on her bed in the dormitory and sighed, satisfied. The day had passed most enjoyably for her; everyone she passed wished her birthday blessings, happy fourteenth, and such. A few of them had given her some gifts. Most others, like the students, only wished her.
Among the gifts she received were a bouquet of flowers from Irvine and Selphie, her own set of Triple Triad cards and a personalized Player card (the EienCard) from Dr Kadowaki (she used to be the CC Club King), a tiny Griever key chain from Squall, the 'Eyes On Me' single CD from Rinoa and the strongest scythe from Raijin and Fujin, which was called the 'Eternal Blade'.
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Maybe I might have forgotten to mention it, but Eien had been training to use the scythe ever since Chapter 2. A weapon that was as tall as her, it looked like a blade that was horizontally attached at its broadest end to the top of a metal staff that was as her height, as I mentioned.
She has now achieved the most advanced level, but still uses the weakest scythe, the 'Dream Breaker', because she doesn't have the appropriate items or enough Gil to remodel her scythe to any other stronger model.*
Korin had given her a bonsai tree, one that she had cultivated herself, whilst Zell had given her a replica of Squall's Griever ring, which was actually the one he was supposed to have made for Rinoa last year (he had made it so late that Rinoa didn't want it by the time he had finished it).
But there was one gift that she was intently poring over now; a book about the magical properties and history of gemstones, jewels, semi-precious stones, metals and minerals, from Cid and Edea.
The topic had interested her ever since her tenth birthday, and she had laid her hands on every book about them that she could get. The others were off at a meeting to decide how to go about helping Laguna and Seifer but decided to let her skip it since it was her birthday. So, it was the best opportunity for her to go through the book in solitude and peace in the dormitory.
"Amethyst, Ruby, Sardonyx, Peridot, Tiger's Eye, Opal, Amber… hey, wait a second! Opal…?"
Quickly she checked the page and flipped to it. She began reading about it intently, since she was wearing one of those stones.
"The Opal. Induces good luck, brings about shocking occurrences and empowers the wearer's spiritual and mental abilities and strength. It is a whitish stone that gives off a luminescent multicolor glow and has a pearly surface. It can be cut in many shapes…"
Eien trailed her finger down the list of cut shapes and what they meant. She found the corresponding shape and read from it.
"The Crescent Moon. When cut into this shape, the opal retains most of its good properties, but it now symbolizes the Dark side of all that live, solitude, silence, and a great deal of harmony with nature. Is most commonly worn as a ritual accessory by the Dark Sorceresses of the Old Times whenever they renewed their vows to pledge allegiance to Darkness and its forces."
She shuddered as she read it. But it aroused her curiosity all the more. She flipped to history, skipping all the other shapes. Her finger marked the beginning of the paragraph. She slowly read.
"The Opal was used as a replacement for pearl in some jewelries. Legend has it that it was used by the ancient wolves that ruled and lived in the Garland Forest (which is known as the Grandidi Forest now ever since Audolos Grandidi, the first Estharian President, renamed it) as their sacred mark. These wolves always had it cut into the shape of the Crescent Moon…" She paused and glanced down at her pendant, then resumed reading the paragraph.
"… to mark their eternal allegiance with the Dark forces of nature that resided in the Garland Forest. It is now widely recognized as the mark of the Lunar Wolf of Esthar that resides and rules in the Grandidi Forest, whose element corresponded to the Crescent Moon Opal element. The Lunar Wolf is among one of the eight sacred beasts of Artemis, who are blessed with the powers of healing and resurrection…"
Eien stopped reading at that point and just stared at those words. "Powers of healing and resurrection… Power of healing and resurrection… YESSS!!!!!" She practically screamed with ecstasy when she realized what she wore on her neck was another path to a sacred beast, just like the Ruby Amulet Selphie lost. Angelo was next to her, at first shocked at her outburst and yelped, scuttling to the far end, but now just approaching her, a bewildered look on her face.
Jumping up, she tugged on her slippers, not even bothering to comb her untidy hair that was damp. She ran all the way to the meeting room with Angelo trying to keep up behind her to tell them the good news.