BLACK RAIN
As you know, I, like yourselves, don't own any of these characters…etc except the imagination we have to give them stories of their own.
'Belief Has A Second Edge' – The Great Hyne
Chapter 12 – The Judge Of Deaths Fate
Silence.
Just silence.
It was this silence that caused him to snap his eyes open. He lay there for a moment, staring upwards. Well, he thought he was staring upwards, he wasn't sure. Slowly, Squall sat up, blinked a few times, then looked around.
Nothing. Just an impenetrable cloak of ruby darkness surrounded him. And it did surround him, all around him. Even though he felt he was sitting down, the darkness was underneath him also. He couldn't see his hand if he held it out in front of him.
This feels like the place I landed in when time was compressed, after we beat Ultimecia he thought. Except not as… quiet… as silent as this.
He stands up, and takes a step forward. The sound of his boot hitting the floor echoes into the distance, before the silence fills the noise back in. As he stands there, the full account of what happened with Seifer and the Lunatic Pandora comes back to him.
But, I can't be alive? That explosion engulfed Seifer, Irvine and me along with everything else. What happened?
He is distracted from his thoughts by a small clicking noise coming from behind him. He turns round, and sees a door. A plain wooden door sitting there. A simple door, with a simple knob for turning. Squall walks over to the door and examines it. It looks fairly old. He walks around it, but the door looks the same on both sides. No notice or sign was on the door saying to open it, but Squall was hit with an incredible urge to do so. He places his hand on the knob, turns and opens it.
A huge white light floods over him, blinding him. There's a small bang. Squalls eyes regain their focus. He looks at the door, which has closed behind him.
"Welcome Squall Leonhart" says a voice.
Squall turns around, facing the origin of the voice.
An old man is standing there, looking at him. His hands are clasped behind his back. His eyes, which are a peculiar yellow-blue colour, stare off into the distance, as if he was looking through Squall. He smiles.
Squall looks at him, then behind him. There are 2 more doors; just as equally plain as the one he came through. The only difference is that one of the doors glows a gentle blue, while the other glows red. All around him, there is nothing else but white. Squall then settles his eyes on the old man, who is still smiling. He is about to say, "who are you" when he feels compelled to stop.
"I saw you, I'm sure of it" he says instead. He feels something in his stomach, and then his whole body. It's a mixed feeling of calm, as the man does seem friendly. But also fear, as he is also strong. Infinitely strong.
"Yes you did, glad you remembered, no GF to befuddle your brain" he laughs. "Yes, they are responsible for your forgetfulness. I knew I shouldn't have made…" he breaks off, looking back at Squall. "My apologies, I'm off talking away to myself again" he smiles.
Squall does nothing but watch. "Who are you?" he finally asks.
The old mans smile fades slightly. "Would you believe me if I told you? Or would you simply pretend, and really think 'yeah, right, sure'"
Squall frowns. "I would believe you."
"So do I, with you" he says. "OK Squall, my name is Hyne."
Squall is about to ask how he knows his name, when he catches what he said. He can't help but looked shocked. "Hyne, as in the Great Hyne?"
The old man nods his head. "Yes, I am Hyne, creator of mankind, sorceresses, GF's and the judge of deaths fate."
This catches Squalls attention. "Deaths fate?"
"Yes, I decide where to send the dead when they arrive here."
"And what is this place?" he asks.
"Non… just non – nonspace, nontime."
Squall looks at the ground solemnly. "I guess I'm dead then, since I'm here, and you're here to judge me right?"
"Yes, you are dead Squall, but I don't know what to do with you, in terms of judgement. See that door there?" he gestures to the door behind Squall. "If I choose, you can go back to the living world. These two doors behind me, represent Heaven and Hell."
"Heaven and Hell?"
"Heaven is where those who led worthy lives go. Hell is where those who were evil on the living world go." He simply says. "I must admit, every sorceress that has passed through here, has went to Hell, to live out their own nightmares, as punishment for their actions on the living world."
Squall simply nods his head. Every sorceress? Would that mean Rinoa too?
"Not necessarily" says Hyne. Squall looks at him "Right now there are four sorceresses in the living world who are 'noticeable' to me. Out of the four, three are eligible to go to Heaven, if they remain good that is."
Squall thinks for a moment. "Four? Wait, I only know three. Rinoa, Edea, and Ultimecia."
Hyne looks at him intently; suddenly he changes the subject. "Squall, right now you have to think about yourself, you can't do anything up here."
"I know, and I wont be able to, since I cant go back." He says flatly.
"I said I don't know what to do with you, I might send you back, as you can do good in the world, you already have. You might not have noticed Squall, but you have succeeded in keeping the 2 most powerful sorceress quiet, because they're your friends. Well, Rinoa is your girlfriend, but your friends all the same."
Squall shakes his head. "Rinoa yes, but Edea is my matron, not a friend, she's like… a mother to me."
Hyne smiles "Yes, she was, but that's not who I'm talking about."
"Then who?"
Hyne sighs slightly. "I might as well tell you this. Quistis, Squall. Quistis is a sorceress. Why do you think Ultimecia knocked her out, with a look of horror on her face? Because she knew what Quistis was, and knew the threat to her."
Squall stares at him, dumbfounded. "How… when?"
"Please, let me explain" says Hyne, holding his hands up. "Quistis has been a sorceress since birth. In the last 100 years, there was only 1 recording of a sorceresses giving birth. Quistis was a sorceress from birth, and so was Ultimecia."
"That's two." Squall says.
"Ah yes, I might as well tell you this. Ultimecia and Quistis are sisters."
Squalls mouth falls open. "But… again, how? We fought Ultimecia in the future, Quistis is only 18, Ultimecia looked about 24-25 when we fought her."
Hyne nods his head slowly. "Quistis is older than you think. I saw to it, that when they were born, that Quistis forgot about what she was, as she had the potential to become the most powerful sorceress in the world, either good or bad. I also saw to it that she was placed into the orphanage, and then into Garden, with you."
Squall frowns. "With me?"
Hyne simply nods his head. "You once said that… you shouldn't talk about it like it was decided since your damn birth…" he chuckles. "But the truth is Squall, it was decided. Well, I decided."
"What? You…"
"No, no, I didn't orchestrate your death Squall. The truth is this. You were meant to be with Quistis. You were meant to be her knight, and the two of you alone would have destroyed Ultimecia."
Squall sits down, staring at the floor. "How much of this does Quistis know?"
Hyne sits down also; crossing his legs, and sitting only a few inches away form Squall.
"Only the fact that she is a sorceress. If you are willing to listen, I will tell you the whole story regarding Ultimecia and Quistis."
Squall looks at Hyne, into his eyes. His eyes alone tell him to sit and listen to his story. He nods his head. "Please explain."
Hyne smiles slightly, and tells him everything.
After what seemed like an eternity. Squall finally speaks.
"So… is that it? Is there more?"
Hyne sighs. "Yes, a lot more, especially concerning you and Rinoa."
Squall looks at him. "She's not dead too is she?"
Hyne shakes his head. "No, she's not, as she has not passed through the door. Out of the 8 of you who fought in the events of Lunatic Pandora, only 2 of you died."
"Who, may I ask?"
"Well, you, and Seifer Almasy."
Squall says nothing, turning away, he says "it's my fault."
"No its not, he was brainwashed by Ultimecia."
"Where did he go? Which door?" Squall asks, pretty certain Hyne sent him to Hell.
"I didn't send him, as he has not been here yet."
"What?"
"Never mind that, Squall. Its time to talk about you and Rinoa." He says.
"Me and Rinoa?"
"Yes. The truth is that you were meant to be with Quistis, but you chose Rinoa. I noticed you fell in love with her after she became a sorceress. Do you know why?"
"I… I just did, I fell in love with her that's all." Squall was thinking to himself. I can't talk about things like this to my friends, yet here I am talking to Hyne about them…
"Ah, but there was a reason you fell in love with her. You didn't feel it, but it was because you felt Quistis powers in her. Hey, I'm not saying you made the wrong choice, as love is something I cant control. I like to let you humans decide for yourselves. But that was the reason also why you became her knight, because of Quistis. Your love is not false, nor is it wrong Squall, but that's the reason why you fell in love with Rinoa." He stares away into the distance again.
Squall says nothing.
"I know what ill do, I'll go for a walk, and I will return soon. I'm going to let you make up your mind about what you want to do."
Squall opens his mouth to say something, but Hyne stops him. "I am going to send you back, Squall, but now I have decided that, you now have the choice. If you do not wish to go back, fine, I'll send you to Heaven. But you are allowed to go back." He places a hand on Squalls shoulder. "Think it over, I'll be back soon. There are more things I wish to talk to you about anyway."
He walks off, then vanishes. Leaving Squall alone. Squall sits back down, and thinks things through, occasionally talking to himself. He thought it was strange how this old man was the creator of the world, but it was true. Squall didn't once say that he wasn't. It was as if it was written all over him. He was the Great Hyne.
I was meant to be with Quistis, I was meant to be her knight. All this was decided. Why did he pick me? What's so special about me? And, Seifer was the only one except me who died? That's good and bad, because everyone else survived, but Ultimecia did too. And what about Rinoa? Should I tell her any of this?
Hyne arriving again interrupts his thoughts. He wasn't gone long.
"Made your choice?" he asks him simply.
"Can I ask a few questions?"
Hyne nods his head. "Sure, but be forewarned, that the truth is a dangerous tool."
"Why me? Why did you pick me?"
Hyne frowns. "I picked you because you are both a gifted warrior and a smart person. I thought that if a sorceress had to have a knight, it would be you. Even when you were little, you and Quistis were always together, and I didn't play any part in it, even thought I set up things before it. The way you spoke, the way you acted around each other, gave me the proof I needed to make you her knight. But how that has changed. I believed that you and Quistis would become Sorceress and Knight, but you didn't. There were a huge number of factors that stopped it."
"Such as?" Squall asks.
"Well, not being rude, but Rinoa was the first. I don't know how to explain this to you Squall, but you changed destiny that night you danced with her."
"Changed… destiny?"
Hyne nodded. "Yes, the whole story of you and Quistis played out differently, just because of that."
"I… I don't understand."
"Hmm, OK lets see. Tell me Squall, are you absolutely certain you will fight Ultimecia in the future?"
Squall nods his head. "Of course. We fought her."
"Are you sure? Did you believe that what you saw in the future, was definitely going to happen?"
Squall head was sore. "Yes, I do."
Hyne smiles, much to Squalls surprise. "As a matter of fact, you might not. As destiny was changed again in the Lunatic Pandora."
"How?"
"I was the one who told Quistis she was a sorceress. When Ultimecia found out, the entire story of the fights in the Lunatic Pandora changed. What you and your friends saw in their visions played out differently. Well, Quistis and Zells did."
"How did you tell her?"
"Sometimes I can reach into the living world and alter something, like your future and Quistis' hence the reason I was made you her knight. But not often. I can only communicate with sorceresses and their knights. That's why you saw me in your dream Squall. Because you are a knight. You have been since day one, when I decided it after you were born."
"So, I was destined to die?"
Hyne shakes his head. "No, because after I told Quistis, I didn't know which way it was going to end. All I could do was watch. Actually, and not meaning to be rude, but I am glad you did die, because I would not have been able to tell you all of this."
Squalls head felt like it was spinning. "You want me to tell Quistis everything? The truth?"
"No, only tell her what you wish. She is still unconscious, but when she wakes up, she will know what she is and what she must do."
"And what of Rinoa?" Squall asks, fearing what will happen if he tells Quistis the truth.
"Nothing, look after her, be her knight. Protect her."
"But I'm supposed to be Quistis knight! How can I do both?"
"You won't have to, since I want you to choose someone who can do the job. I'm not telling you to leave Rinoa. You have chosen your sorceress," he says.
Squall puts a hand on his head. "I… know who would be as good as me for the job, but he's gone now, thanks to me."
"You mean Seifer?" Hyne asks. Squall nods hid head.
"I must admit, he would be perfect, as I know he wasn't himself when I fought him, I could tell, when he lay there, that he was sorry and he didn't mean any of this."
Hyne says nothing, watching Squall instead. Squall shakes his head.
"I want to go back, it's the least I can do."
Hyne nods his head. "As you wish, Squall Leonhart. Go back, and tell Quistis whatever you wish. As for Rinoa, when you find her, tell her also. Tell her the truth."
"Why Rinoa?"
"Rinoa is the biggest help next to Quistis you have. Rinoa is the only person in the living world who could not be defeated if she unleashed her power. Only Quistis could have any hope of stopping her. Telling Rinoa about Quistis, will help Rinoa when it comes to carrying the burden when the next time you fight Ultimecia."
"Where is Ultimecia? Do you know?" asks Squall.
"Sadly no, I cannot see her, she is hurting very badly though, though I know not where. She escaped with the machine, and is in hiding, but I can't see where."
Squall looks at the floor again. "When can I go?"
Hyne looks at him. "Any time, but before you go, I have something to give you." He holds up his hand, and a small white ball appears. It flies at Squall, the suddenly disappears. Squall looks at him confused.
"What was that?" he asks.
"Before you go, I'm going to tell you two things. One, find the Jewelry of the Lion. It will help you."
"The what?" Squall asks, but is cut off.
"And secondly, No matter what happens, you must not believe that Ultimecia rises in the future. There is one more choice that can alter it. Two have already happened, one more is to be decided."
"What is the last choice?" he asks
"The first was when you let Rinoa dance with you. The second was when I told Quistis she was a sorceress. The last is yours alone."
Squall stands there quietly, he turns around, and faces the door he entered, it shines a soft brown colour, and then it opens. He sees the blackness again.
"Belief has a second edge Squall. Make use of it." Is Hynes final words.
Squall turns back, and nods his head, He raises a hand in farewell, then steps through the door.
"I cant help you anymore, and I'm sorry for not letting you live your life."
Hope you liked the chapter. I'm going to write a separate fic explaining the history of Ultimecia and Quistis, and what happened to them. Next chapter will be posted soon. All reviews welcome.