A Voice from the Past
by Jojo
Chapter 2
--------------------
The next morning...
"Is she going to be all right?"
"Yes, yes, of course she will, Master Zidane. But...she will be asleep for quite awhile. Whatever had afflicted her seemed to have taken a vast amount of energy from her. It is most unusu-"
"Have you figured out what the hell just happened?"
"No...it is something I must look into while we wait for the Queen's recovery. It is the best I can do, for now."
Doctor Tot bowed his head in respect and wandered off into the library, his feathered brow furrowed. Zidane paced along the floor of Queen Garnet's chambers, uncertain and worried about the unexpected turn of events. It seemed that Garnet was not the only one afflicted with whatever the attack was. From the news that Pluto Knights Blutzen and Kohel had reported, the hospitals and inns of Alexandria, Lindblum, and the recovering Burmecia were nearly full to bursting of young children, all under the ages of 10, who seemed to have suffered the same fate as Garnet. Not least troubling was the fact that a group of these children, no older than 6, no younger than 3, were uttering strange incantations before going into seizure and collapsing. From sailors traveling from the Outer Continent, a strange pillar of light was claimed to be seen from the direction of the Summoner Village, Madain Sari. And chilling, most chilling, was the fact that no one had been able to get word from the Genomes and Mages of the Black Mage Village or the dwarves of Conde Petie.
"M-master Zidane?" a voice came from the door.
Zidane went from Dagger's side to open the door. Steiner was there, pale-faced and visibly shaken. He was still in shock from Dagger's collapse, and had spent half the night crying his eyes out.
"Any news, Steiner?" Zidane asked. He was so set aback from the events that he even forgot to call the knight "Rusty," his favorite nickname for the rusty-armored soldier.
"N-none so far. We have t-tried to get in contact with everyone we know." Steiner said.
Who were you able to contact?" Zidane asked.
"E-er...Dragon Knights Sir Fratley and Freya of Burmecia, Mistress Eiko Caro-"
"Rusty, if you keep giving me their titles, we'll be here till tomorrow. You don't have to be so formal, y'know," Zidane said, some of his wit coming back to him.
"Y-yes sir...it's just so h-hard, you know-"
"Don't worry about it, Steiner, I know. Now, tell me again, who've you found so far?" asked Zidane, in a softer tone.
Breathing in a couple of times, Steiner reported, "We were able to get in touch with Sir Fratley and Freya in Burmecia. We've also contacted Regent Cid and Lady Hilda. We've sent an envoy to Daguerreo to request help from their scholars, and several of our scholars are in the library now with Master Tot."
"Okay...wait, you say you got in touch with Cid? How about Eiko?" Zidane asked.
"...she had fainted as well, but she woke up right after. She will be arriving soon with her parents," Steiner replied.
"...I wonder why...oh, wait, have you found Amarant and Lani yet?" Zidane asked, remembering they had said they were investigating the Outer Continent.
"..." Steiner remained silent.
"Steiner?"
"We...we sent our best search crews to comb the the Outer Continent...but none of them were able to even get past the shorelines. Every airship that approached too closely towards Madain Sari or the Iifa Tree were rebounded or crashed...," Steiner said, his eyes filled with cold fury.
"...you mean, there's no way in? You haven't found anyone from the Mist Continent?" Zidane asked, shocked. If they hadn't been able to get anyone, that meant...
"No sir. Not even Miss Mikoto." Steiner said, his tone hushed.
If Mikoto, Zidane's younger sister, hadn't escaped, he was sure no one else could have. Zidane shut his eyes to tune out the thought...his little sister, who had only started to experience life, dead...
"But...we were able to get a hold of two guests, whom I'm sure you'll be pleased to se-"
"UNCLE ZIDANE!"
Before he knew it, he was plowed down by what seemed to be two walking, frayed coats, only different by their colors. He couldn't help it - he smiled and hugged the two youngsters.
"AiAi and Bibi! How'd you get here?"
AiAi and Bibi were two of the children created before Vivi had died. The two eldest of the group, AiAi and Bibi were the most rambunctious and mischievous of the group. They remind me of Eiko, Zidane thought. As Vivi and Eiko had hung around each other the most during their adventures, it came to Zidane as no surprise.
"We went to go on a trip here!" AiAi squeaked, her round, yellow eyes glowing as bright as her apple-red coat.
"But on our way on the ship to here, we saw the big explosion!" Bibi piped in, his blueberry colored coat shaking as he spoke.
"And we couldn't turn back, so here we are!" AiAi and Bibi said, jumping up and down.
Zidane chuckled. For two kids escaping from a crisis situation, AiAi and Bibi looked as if they were having the time of their lives. Glancing at the sleeping Garnet, however, he knew that she wouldn't get any rest if the twins became rowdy.
"Steiner, take AiAi and Bibi to the kitchens. I betcha more than anything they'll love to see Quina again."
No sooner had he said those words, AiAi and Bibi dashed off, yelling Quina's name while running towards the kitchens. Steiner bowed hastily and ran off, hoping that he wouldn't lose the twin Mages. A few moments later, a few loud thumps and clanks of metal seemed to emanate from the direction of the stairs, along with loud "YAA!!!" and a couple of innocent laughs.
'Steiner must've fallen down the stairs again,' Zidane thought to himself, shaking his head.
He sat on a chair and faced Garnet again, her face still sweaty and pale from the night before. Dabbing her head with a towel on the bedside table, Zidane wondered what could have done this to her and the rest of the children of the world...but...
Zidane started, rising up from his chair. Not all the children had been unconscious. Eiko had come out relatively unscathed...and so had the Mage Twins.
"But what does it mean, dammit? The last time Dagger fainted was when that memory got implanted on her...," Zidane said to himself, scratching at his head furiously.
"Precisely. You've got more edge than I give you credit."
"Huh?" Zidane turned around.
"I've done a study, and I have news which will interest you...," Doctor Tot said, his expression bright as though he had solved all the world's problems.
"You have? Tell me everything!"
--------------------------------------
Here we go. Chapter 3's on its way! Looks like I've done another cliffhanger ~_~;
by Jojo
Chapter 2
--------------------
The next morning...
"Is she going to be all right?"
"Yes, yes, of course she will, Master Zidane. But...she will be asleep for quite awhile. Whatever had afflicted her seemed to have taken a vast amount of energy from her. It is most unusu-"
"Have you figured out what the hell just happened?"
"No...it is something I must look into while we wait for the Queen's recovery. It is the best I can do, for now."
Doctor Tot bowed his head in respect and wandered off into the library, his feathered brow furrowed. Zidane paced along the floor of Queen Garnet's chambers, uncertain and worried about the unexpected turn of events. It seemed that Garnet was not the only one afflicted with whatever the attack was. From the news that Pluto Knights Blutzen and Kohel had reported, the hospitals and inns of Alexandria, Lindblum, and the recovering Burmecia were nearly full to bursting of young children, all under the ages of 10, who seemed to have suffered the same fate as Garnet. Not least troubling was the fact that a group of these children, no older than 6, no younger than 3, were uttering strange incantations before going into seizure and collapsing. From sailors traveling from the Outer Continent, a strange pillar of light was claimed to be seen from the direction of the Summoner Village, Madain Sari. And chilling, most chilling, was the fact that no one had been able to get word from the Genomes and Mages of the Black Mage Village or the dwarves of Conde Petie.
"M-master Zidane?" a voice came from the door.
Zidane went from Dagger's side to open the door. Steiner was there, pale-faced and visibly shaken. He was still in shock from Dagger's collapse, and had spent half the night crying his eyes out.
"Any news, Steiner?" Zidane asked. He was so set aback from the events that he even forgot to call the knight "Rusty," his favorite nickname for the rusty-armored soldier.
"N-none so far. We have t-tried to get in contact with everyone we know." Steiner said.
Who were you able to contact?" Zidane asked.
"E-er...Dragon Knights Sir Fratley and Freya of Burmecia, Mistress Eiko Caro-"
"Rusty, if you keep giving me their titles, we'll be here till tomorrow. You don't have to be so formal, y'know," Zidane said, some of his wit coming back to him.
"Y-yes sir...it's just so h-hard, you know-"
"Don't worry about it, Steiner, I know. Now, tell me again, who've you found so far?" asked Zidane, in a softer tone.
Breathing in a couple of times, Steiner reported, "We were able to get in touch with Sir Fratley and Freya in Burmecia. We've also contacted Regent Cid and Lady Hilda. We've sent an envoy to Daguerreo to request help from their scholars, and several of our scholars are in the library now with Master Tot."
"Okay...wait, you say you got in touch with Cid? How about Eiko?" Zidane asked.
"...she had fainted as well, but she woke up right after. She will be arriving soon with her parents," Steiner replied.
"...I wonder why...oh, wait, have you found Amarant and Lani yet?" Zidane asked, remembering they had said they were investigating the Outer Continent.
"..." Steiner remained silent.
"Steiner?"
"We...we sent our best search crews to comb the the Outer Continent...but none of them were able to even get past the shorelines. Every airship that approached too closely towards Madain Sari or the Iifa Tree were rebounded or crashed...," Steiner said, his eyes filled with cold fury.
"...you mean, there's no way in? You haven't found anyone from the Mist Continent?" Zidane asked, shocked. If they hadn't been able to get anyone, that meant...
"No sir. Not even Miss Mikoto." Steiner said, his tone hushed.
If Mikoto, Zidane's younger sister, hadn't escaped, he was sure no one else could have. Zidane shut his eyes to tune out the thought...his little sister, who had only started to experience life, dead...
"But...we were able to get a hold of two guests, whom I'm sure you'll be pleased to se-"
"UNCLE ZIDANE!"
Before he knew it, he was plowed down by what seemed to be two walking, frayed coats, only different by their colors. He couldn't help it - he smiled and hugged the two youngsters.
"AiAi and Bibi! How'd you get here?"
AiAi and Bibi were two of the children created before Vivi had died. The two eldest of the group, AiAi and Bibi were the most rambunctious and mischievous of the group. They remind me of Eiko, Zidane thought. As Vivi and Eiko had hung around each other the most during their adventures, it came to Zidane as no surprise.
"We went to go on a trip here!" AiAi squeaked, her round, yellow eyes glowing as bright as her apple-red coat.
"But on our way on the ship to here, we saw the big explosion!" Bibi piped in, his blueberry colored coat shaking as he spoke.
"And we couldn't turn back, so here we are!" AiAi and Bibi said, jumping up and down.
Zidane chuckled. For two kids escaping from a crisis situation, AiAi and Bibi looked as if they were having the time of their lives. Glancing at the sleeping Garnet, however, he knew that she wouldn't get any rest if the twins became rowdy.
"Steiner, take AiAi and Bibi to the kitchens. I betcha more than anything they'll love to see Quina again."
No sooner had he said those words, AiAi and Bibi dashed off, yelling Quina's name while running towards the kitchens. Steiner bowed hastily and ran off, hoping that he wouldn't lose the twin Mages. A few moments later, a few loud thumps and clanks of metal seemed to emanate from the direction of the stairs, along with loud "YAA!!!" and a couple of innocent laughs.
'Steiner must've fallen down the stairs again,' Zidane thought to himself, shaking his head.
He sat on a chair and faced Garnet again, her face still sweaty and pale from the night before. Dabbing her head with a towel on the bedside table, Zidane wondered what could have done this to her and the rest of the children of the world...but...
Zidane started, rising up from his chair. Not all the children had been unconscious. Eiko had come out relatively unscathed...and so had the Mage Twins.
"But what does it mean, dammit? The last time Dagger fainted was when that memory got implanted on her...," Zidane said to himself, scratching at his head furiously.
"Precisely. You've got more edge than I give you credit."
"Huh?" Zidane turned around.
"I've done a study, and I have news which will interest you...," Doctor Tot said, his expression bright as though he had solved all the world's problems.
"You have? Tell me everything!"
--------------------------------------
Here we go. Chapter 3's on its way! Looks like I've done another cliffhanger ~_~;