Part II: Coming of Age

Chapter One: Reunion





I hurried out of Leviathan's throne room, heading for the secret transport tile I knew would take me to the entrance of the cave on the surface of the Underworld. I tried not to let Leviathan's words echo in my head: This is your last test, then. Leave the land; have you the power to get back in, a summoner you will be. Have you not the strength to pass the test, forever on the outside will you remain. I couldn't take it, and I tried not to think about it. I didn't want to lose my family in search of my friends.

I finally reached the bottom tier of the City, where a secret tile - run much like the Serpent Road of the Overworld - would take me to the entrance of the cave. I stopped, staring at it, and took a second to take stock of the situation before I left my home for the first time in eleven years.

I was wearing the official working garb of a Caller: a green armored leotard, gems at the neck, with hose and thigh-high boots; an embroidered belt around my waist with pouches for potions and a hook for a whip. Falling from my shoulders and entwining my arms were long trails of sparkling cloth, as well, which I had been using earlier in the day in my defense training; although it looked flimsy and whimsical, it had been woven with magic and could easily block the strike of a sword or blaze of a fire. I did - thank goodness - have my plain Caller's whip hanging firmly in its place at my side; between that and the cloak, I could hold my own in a conflict. My hair had grown long; I had pulled the main strands of it away from my face with an intricate beaded hairpin Asura had given me; it also held strong defensive powers. I had a decent amount of useful items in my bag, I was feeling strong - albeit nervous - and fit to go.

I stared down at the tips of my green boots. Right in front of them was the enchanted tile - cloaked to the eyes of normal humans, but easily visible to someone as trained in magic as I. It was just one more step I had to take...

Have you not the strength to pass the test...

Dammit! I summoned together all my strength and courage, took a deep breath, gripped the gilded handle of my whip ...and placed my foot on the tile.

Surprising force whipped from the ground, wrapping itself around my body, grabbing me and hurtling me through space. I was surrounded by darkness, moving faster than a Chocobo. A strange light appeared - a glow, deep and earthy, reached for me ...

I stood on a small island, housing a couple stony hills with cave mouths beckoning - I knew that was the way home. Around me lay a sea of pulsing fire. I looked upon the Underworld for the first time in my life; and I had lived here for eleven years. It was ragged and bleak, made with molten seas and sharp, lifeless rock. Twisted beasts roamed the twisted landforms, and I knew not all of them would speak my tongue. I would have to fend for myself. I hadn't been this alone in eleven long years.

Focus, Rydia. I looked down at my feet again; they rested on jagged stones which led to a pathetic beach upon the fiery seas. Lava. Transportation? This I had been prepared for; Leviathan had warned me of the oceans of lava and helped me prepare a spell with which to transport myself where I needed to go.

Where's that, Ryd? I closed my eyes, thinking, feeling. The Underworld was thick with magic, more so than the world above. My mind drifted on gusts of air, the way I had learned way back in my studies with Asura. The messenger had spoken of a castle of dwarves, on a landform to the southeast... My senses pricked as I turned the thoughts in that direction. I could sense something - a large source of magic. A crystal. And around it, turmoil...

My eyes flashed open, but I could not see the glowing seas around me as I summoned the full force of the transport spell. It whipped around me like the wind, cold and dark, and suddenly I was thrown forward. My outstretched hands hit something decidedly solid and I stumbled, grasping at it for support.

It turned out to be a wall: very fine marble, carved and embossed delicately. I clutched at it and then dared to open my eyes. I stood in the midst of a long dark hallway, lit dimly with sconces engraved into the walls. I could not tell where I was, but I heard shouts and noises echoing down the hall. I could still sense the great magic of the crystal drawing me forward. There was a crash of metal on metal and I realized abruptly that the noises before me were those of battle.

I choked. Battle? My eyes fell to the thin whip chained to my belt, dismayed. Then I straightened myself. You've been in training for eleven years, Ryd. You have the world's darkest magic at your fingertips. And you have personally done battle with the fearsome beasts you summon - and won. You have nothing to fear from battle.

In the midst of the battle-noise, a familiar shout: "Rosa!" The voice sent chills down my spine. "Cecil?" I whispered, and then I was off, running at full speed, my boots making no noise on the smooth marble floor.

At the end of the hallway were a couple doors; the one to my left was fashioned from heavy wrought iron, silver filigree, and black onyx with a sign that read in the dwarf-tongue: Crystal Room. It was locked and appeared to be fairly solid for all its decoration. I stopped just short of the door, listening.

A voice, dark and low, tainted to my sensitive ears with the magics of evil. "You are nothing ...Cecil!"

Cecil's voice, familiar, but changed. He grunted; I could picture him swinging his mighty sword. "Give up, Golbez. This ends here."

"Yes," the dark man hissed. "Here."

There was a screech I knew all too well. A greater beast had appeared on the scene! I recognized the angry language of a Shadow Dragon gone Mad. And Golbez's laughter rose through the wailing, horrible and dark. I heard the breaking sound of a mighty item, and then Rosa's wail: "Hold Gas..."

Golbez's horrid laugh was the only response. "Meal time, Shadow," he said grimly, and the beast hissed in response.

Have I come too late? The thought of losing my friends took over my mind. I was barely concentrating as I summoned up the magic, whirled it around my head, and made the mandatory connection with the Land of my home.

The force of my spell blew the iron doors off their hinges.

The Mist Dragon appeared in the middle of the room, the gale going full-force even before it had materialized. I threw myself into the room through the shattered doors, grasping at the pouch at my side for an item I had received from Asura. The Dragon's chilling Mist wrapped around the Shadow Dragon; I knew its weakness well, and even as it screamed in defiance it fell to its death, crumbling in ash on the ground. I was still shielded from view, but I could hear the dark voice wrap itself around me:

"That mist ...blew my Shadow Dragon away?"

Powerful things come out of the mist.

I finally found the item I was searching for; I sent the Mist Dragon back to its home, releasing my bond to it. Raising the small vial over my head as the mist began to clear, I threw it to the ground. The power inside washed over the room, undoing the Hold spell.

My voice choked as I called: "You can move now!"

Cecil's voice, through the end of the mist: "...who is it?"

I stepped forward then, looking for the companion who had saved me so long ago. A silhouette appeared in the darkness, vaguely looking my way. Then a sharp cry from Rosa distracted us: "To arms!"

The mist fled the room as the mighty Golbez summoned a dark spell and hit us all. Pain wracked my unprepared body; I had caught it full-force. Unprepared. Anger built up in me; a hiss escaped my lips as I drew my arms over my head, summoning the magic to my fingertips. "I summon Djinn!" I screamed, the challenge raw in my throat. I felt my body fade as I connected with the fearsome power of the fire beast. Flames wracked the room; Djinn's fierce horns tore at Golbez's tall form. Before the dark man could strike back, I released the beast from my call and retreated, feeling my way. I fell into place with my familiar friends, only glancing from the corners of my eyes while the battle raged.

Yang stood at the far end, claws gleaming and muscles bared, striking with raw power. To my right stood the man I recognized as Kain; he would leap high into the air and then whistle down with amazing speed and force. Rosa stood to my left, in the back, still as regal and lovely as ever; she summoned pure white magic to refresh and heal us, sending a piercing arrow into the dark form before us whenever she got a chance. And before me...

Cecil had changed. I wouldn't have recognized him had I not heard his voice first. All of the darkness around him was gone. He now wore a chestplate made of gleaming silver and bore a sword that shone with its own holiness. What has happened? He has finally turned to the Light...

The battle-rotation fell to me, and not feeling up to another quick summon, I let a blast of flame loose from my fingertips. It bored into Golbez's form and he writhed in pain, falling to the floor. I stood, staring. The others did likewise.

"We did it," Cecil said softly. "We defeated Golbez..."

And Rosa turned to me with that stunning motherly smile of hers and said, "All because of your help, Rydia!"

They recognized me! They remember! I was so afraid...

Cecil came and stood before me, his eyes meeting mine for the first time. I started when I realized that he didn't look a bit of the eleven years older I had expected. I read in his eyes the sorrows and trials he had faced, and the decisions that had caused him to cast aside the darkness. That armor was tarnished by Mist. He gave me a crooked smile and asked, "What happened to you, Rydia?"

I turned my eyes downward and smiled. "Leviathan... When he attacked the ship, he ...swallowed me and took me deep into the Underground, to the Land of the Summon Monsters. He is King there."

Cecil's eyes widened. "Took you where?"

I smiled. "There is a world where the summon monsters live. They took me in and taught me. I had to abandon my White Magic training, but I have greatly increased my powers at Black Magic and at Calling."

"Why do you..." Rosa looked at me again. "Why do you look all grown up?"

I actually blushed. "Time flows differently in the Land," I said softly. "They told me that, but I hadn't really believed -"

"Who is she?" The tall, dark man in the dark armor peered down at me. I looked up at the man I knew was Kain, Cecil's old friend. The only other time I had seen him was long ago, more than eleven years back, but images like that never left the mind. I felt an aura of dark magic around him - which made no sense, since I knew the man had no magical power. It made me shiver.

"She's the girl from Mist," Cecil said quietly.

I could feel Kain gaping, even under his ornamented helm. "The child?" he asked with wonder in his voice. I had no idea how to react. "Amazing," he said, and then turned away.

Cecil looked back at me. "Rydia..." My eyes met his. "Why? Your mother..."

I took a deep breath and released it. "Stop."

He paused, his lightened eyes searching mine. I tried to smile. "There is a greater evil at work here. The beasts of the Land know this. We all must work together."

A sudden sound behind us made us all jump - a screeching noise of nails on metal, or iron on marble. We turned to look at the shadowy pool where Goblez's body lay. It was covered by a dark haze.

"I ...do not ...perish..." The voice was transparent, dark, like tainted glass. We all watched, horrified, as the haze shifted around. I noticed Cecil still clasped his sword close to him; then I realized my own death-grip on the handle of my whip.

The dark energy flared suddenly, making us all take a step back. When our eyes cleared, it had become a hand. It soared to the last crystal and vanished - taking the crystal with it.

I stumbled at the sudden change of the magical atmosphere. Cecil swore; Rosa fell to her knees. Yang cursed as well. Only Kain stood motionless.

"The crystal..." Cecil's voice was forlorn. "We must go to tell Giott."

I followed them out of a different door, slightly confused. We entered a throne room full of short, stocky folk I took to be the dwarves. Upon the throne was a dark-skinned king with a fierce beard. He looked at Cecil; the knight made no bow, simply hung his head.

"We were not fast enough," he said. "I'm sorry. Golbez took the crystal."

The dwarf thought on this, and then responded: "We must protect the last crystal, then."

Rosa shook her crystalline hair away from her face. "Where is it?"

"In a cave to the northwest. But no one can enter the cave without the key. It is safe for now."

"But Golbez will be back!" Cecil's voice carried urgency. "We can't let him have it!"

"Exactly." The Dwarf King nodded. "Now is our chance to regain all the other crystals now held in the Tower of Bab-Il!"

My jaw dropped. Who has activated the Tower of Bab-Il? I knew of its existence from stories in the land, studies of strong magical structures. It was infamous. It was perilous. And if the darkness had taken it over, then they would activate something even worse very soon...

"What?" Kain expressed my disbelief.

Beside me, Yang was deep in thought. "No, it makes sense," he said slowly. "While Golbez is trying to get the last crystal ...we can sneak in and get the others..."

The Dwarf King sat up straight in his chair. "We will distract them with our tanks while you sneak in. It's our only chance!"

Cecil and Rosa and Kain exchanged glances and then turned, huddling around Yang and I for a conference. Kain's voice, whispered and unsure: "What do we do?"

"Is it their fortress now?" I asked, to which Cecil nodded. Damn. They cannot gain the power of the Tower!

Rosa: "It is very dangerous..."

Yang set his jaw. "But we have to do something. Now."

"Now is our only chance," Kain echoed him.

Cecil stood and faced the Dwarf King. "We'll do it."

The dark-skinned dwarf smiled at Cecil and nodded. "There is a pass in the basement of the castle you can take. Please rest up before you leave."

"We can't," Cecil said. "We have not the time. We leave tonight."

We sat briefly to take of the King's meal before our journey. I didn't speak much, mostly asking Yang questions under my breath. I learned of the hunt for the crystals, the treachery of Kain, and the Light of Mount Ordeals. I learned of Golbez, of Edward, of the Mysidian twins. I listened to everything with rapt attention and ate little. Finally, as Rosa sat beside me, I found the courage to ask in a whisper:

"How long has it been?"

Yang thought for a second. "A few months since the boat ride. Since we last saw you."

My vision suddenly dropped its focus. A few months? Here I have matured, learnt a grand mastery of magic, and they have only struggled through a few months... "What?"

Rosa repeated her question. "How long, Rydia?"

"Eleven years..." I had nothing else to say.

Rosa's eyes filled with tears, and she reached over and embraced me. "You poor ...oh, Rydia..."

I felt my eyes filling with tears as well. Here I was, back with the only human family I had left. Rosa's arms around me felt like home. Finally, I was where I belonged.

We broke apart, smiling shyly. She then bent her eyes on me again and said: "So that would make you ...how old?"

"Seventeen," I said. "Seventeen human years."

She smiled. "I'm only eighteen," she said. My jaw dropped. "So now we're the same age," she continued cheerfully. Yang shook his head, rolled his eyes, and went to get himself some more food.