Chapter 8: Order of the Jihad
A week after Andromache's death and the team returned to Garden, things were normal, and dull as hell. Dull, but everyone was busy around. Quistis was training students like hell for their SeeD tests, Selphie was busy with the Festival Committee, Zell was having his problems because he broke his arm, Irvine was in trouble with Galbadia Garden because he stayed at Balamb while he is officially Galbadian, Glafky has joined the Library Committee and is working hard, Seifer is re- organizing the Disciplinary Committee, Rinoa has gotten a little sick with the flu and Squall is being pressured by Cid to become SeeD leader, although he doesn't even want to hear about it. The only one who seems to be really free is Caesar.
But, in any way, everything is peaceful and Squall hasn't had any disturbance in some time. Perhaps Seth and Ares are having hard time from the other gods? Maybe.
Squall knows that today is Rinoa's birthday and she has completely forgotten. But, not her friends. They've planed a small party in the ceremony hall. They wanted to throw a big surprise party, but they're short on money… So, just them and the hall will be in that party. Squall looked at the present he got her on his desk. A small, blue velvet box, her favorite colour. The real gift is inside. A silver bracelet with her name 'Rinoa Heartilly' and hearts and ribbons carved on it.
"She's going to like it…" he thought.
"I wonder what the others got her…" he thought taking the box with the bracelet and putting it in his pocket. He grabbed his Gunblade and left his dorm to find the others. They may have been planning a party, but the big surprise was something else. Squall looked at his watch.
"Whoops! Time to lure Rinoa to the ceremony hall!" Squall thought. He went to the Library, sure he would find her there. Well, that's where she loved to hang out. She was there indeed, reading a book by Ernest Hemingway.
"Hello Miss Wings…" he said as he took a chair and sat next to her.
"Hi Squall…" Rinoa replied, leaving the book aside.
"How are you, my bookworm? You stick around here all day long…"
"I'm fine. Well, it's just that, there are all of these books I wanna read and, well…"
"Hmmmm…I see. Well, come with me for a while, I have something for you…"
"What? What is it?"
"Just come with me and you'll see…" Rinoa got up and followed Squall. Once they reached the Directory, Squall told her to close her eyes.
"Why?"
"Because it's a surprise. Close your eyes…I'll take your hand and lead you to the surprise now…" Rinoa closed her eyes, and let Squall guide her gently.
"Don't try to peak or I'll cast Blind on you!" he joked. They reached the ceremony hall. Squall opened the door and lead her in.
"Ok. You can open your eyes…" Rinoa opened her eyes and gasped in surprise. The guys had decorated the hall with some ribbons that said 'Happy Birthday Rinoa', and they had gathered up in a surprise party. They were all there, even Caesar. Rinoa was surprised even more to find that President Laguna had come over too! In the corner was her father, General Caraway, patiently waiting to greet her.
"Surprise!!! Happy Birthday Rinoa!" they all cheered and clapped. Rinoa had turned red.
"Oh! Today's my birthday! I had completely forgotten! Thank you so much guys!! Daddy! You came!" Rinoa exclaimed and ran up to her father to hug him.
"I'm so happy you came too see me!"
"Well, it's your birthday, and I brought you something little here…" General Caraway said and gave her a small package. Rinoa kissed her father's cheek and opened the package. It was a book with poems from Odysseus Elitis, a famous poet of the old days. He was still popular.
"Oh! Dad, this is the 'Axion Esti'! I always wanted this one!" she exclaimed and hugged her father again. Then, Selphie went up to her and hugged her too.
"Happy Birthday Rinny! This is for you!" Selphie said happily giving Rinoa a box.
"Whoa! Thanks Selphie! Goodness what's in here? Oh! A teddy bear!" Rinoa said with a laugh as she saw Selphie's present. It was a sweet teddy bear that was holding a balloon that said 'Friends For Ever'. Rinoa loved it.
"Thank you so much Selphie!" Quistis' turn was next. She had bought Rinoa a lava lamp, just the one they were checking on a few days ago in Dollet. It was pink with purple color lava in it. Glafky bought Rinoa a blue, craft starfish with a pink faux emerald in the middle. Rinoa thought it was really cute. Zell had bought her a blue, light silk, scarf to wrap around her shoulders.
"Gee Zell! It's beautiful! Where did you know I wanted one of these?" Rinoa gasped surprised by Zell's present.
"Ah, well…you told Glafky the other day, Glafky told me, and there it was!" Zell said with a laugh. Irvine went up to Rinoa and said seriously.
"I have two presents for Rinoa." He said.
"Present one." He said giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Whoa…" Rinoa said.
"Present two…" Irvine continued. It was a lovely desk decoration. A silver clown that was holding a colorful ball in his hands.
"Heeey! That's cute! Where did you get it Irvy?" Selphie asked him.
"Ah, I asked Zell to make it for me."
"I see…" Seifer had mixed feelings when he gave Rinoa his gift.
"T-this is for you Rinoa…Happy Birthday!" he said.
"Thank you Seifer!" It was a necklace with a silver heart.
"It's great…it really is Seifer…" Rinoa said slipping the necklace around her neck along with her ring bangle. Caesar was next.
"Well, I give you this little thingy here…Happy Birthday!" he said and presented a ring with a red stone on it. The stone shone strangely.
"Go on, take it. It's a pretty special ring. The stone comes from the Dragon Volcano deep in Grandidi forest. It's a piece from the always-molten Lava of Creation. It's supposed to be the substance of the world. But, if captured in dragon's breath, it turns solid, and becomes a very nice jewel. It's supposed to bring you good luck and happiness." Caesar said as Rinoa took the ring and slipped it on her finger.
"It's great…Caesar where'd you get it?"
"Ah, I just went to the volcano and took it, then straight to a jewelry shop in Deling. Special order." He said with a laugh. Laguna's turn was next. He brought her a hand mirror, with a strange yet beautiful decoration.
"Wow! This is cool!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, and wait till you see what it does. If you turn it to sunlight, depending on how strong it is, the glass will change colors. Odine made it." Laguna said pleasantly.
"And now, "Irvine said, "It's Squall's turn!" he said placing his hand on Squall's arm.
"Yeah! Give Rinoa her present Squall!" Selphie said.
"Ah, well…" He was planning to give it to her later, when they would be alone, but since they insisted…
"Ahem, this is my present…Happy Birthday Miss Wings…" Squall said with a smile. He gave her the velvet box. Rinoa looked at Squall and then opened the box. She opened her mouth is surprise.
"Oh Squall! It's beautiful!" She said and hugged Squall with her arm, still holding the present in the other.
"It's lovely!" She exclaimed as she gazed at it.
"Here, let me put it on your wrist." He said. He unbuckled the security, and put it around Rinoa's wrist, then he secured it.
"There. Looks perfect. It suits you nicely." He said and gave her a kiss. All the others clapped and cheered.
"Time for the cake!!!" Selphie said.
"Cake? Where did you guys find the cake?" Rinoa asked surprised seeing the chocolate cake on a table with candles on it.
"Ah, that's a present from Mrs. Dincht!" Glafky said. So, the party was pretty nice, and they all had fun. Irvine was taking many pictures. Angelo with his nose full of chocolate cake, Zell with a whole hot-dog in his mouth, Squall with Laguna laughing like hell with Zell, Glafky waving at him, Selphie sticking her tongue out at him, Rinoa happy with her father, Seifer a little grumpy as usual, and many more. The evening went by slowly and calmly. The party was over, Laguna had to return to Esthar, and Caraway back to Deling. Rinoa and Squall were still standing on the balcony of the ceremony hall, gazing at the setting sun.
"It's beautiful like this…" Rinoa said.
"Mmm…" Squall replied.
"I love you…"
"I love you two Miss Wings…" Squall said placing his arm around her waist. Rinoa turned her head and looked at Squall.
"You're very sweet."
"If you say so, then you might be right." Rinoa giggled.
"I can't believe I forgot my birthday. It sounds nuts."
"That's ok, as long as you have some friends to remind you."
"Hahaha, you're right in that." Suddenly Zell came in the ceremony hall.
"Squall!" he said. Squall and Rinoa turned around to see him.
"What's up Zell?" Squall asked him.
"Um, well there's these two guys in Garden and they want to see you. They're totally unarmed, but I have the weird feeling that they have something…They called me by name and told me to come here and find you. They even knew where exactly you were!" Zell said. Squall thought for a second.
"Ok, they want to see me, they'll get to see me. Come on Rinoa, Let's go." Squall said and walked out of the ceremony hall with Zell and Rinoa.
"The weirdoes are at the Headmaster' office…" Zell said. They headed to Cid's office, and found Cid speaking with the two strangers that were dressed like monks, and looking skeptical. Seifer was standing near them, listening idly. Squall's Prophet powers reacted and he sensed that those two men were Prophets.
"Ah, and there's Squall. Squall, these two men asked to see you." Cid said.
"So, you are Squall…" the older of the two men said.
"Yes. I'm Squall. I can tell you are Prophets, and you want to see me."
"Correct. Normally we wouldn't mind to explain to you why we are here, but since you left your Tutor before he taught you everything, we'll explain you why we are here."
"I'm listening."
"Every 10 years, the Prophets of this world gather at the dungeons of Centra Ruins, for an assembly. The assembly lasts a whole week. It's not compulsory for you to come. But it would be best for you if you did. I'm sure that Kalha would be happy to see his student again."
"…I'll join the assembly. Sir do I have your permission?" Squall asked Cid.
"Go ahead." Cid said. He understood this was important for Squall.
"Can a friend of his come?" Rinoa asked.
"Of course. No one will mind. But you must guaranty that he or she will not cause problems…"
"They won't, it's ok."
"Then, come tomorrow at Centra Ruins. We will wait for you. And now we must go. Farewell." The Prophets said and walked out of Cid's office silently.
"Are we sure we can trust those guys?" Seifer said breaking his silence.
"I know I am. They're from my kind and I can tell that they are ok. Rinoa, you're coming with me?" Squall said.
"Of course!" Rinoa replied.
"And the other one will be…" Squall thought. Everyone was busy, Zell was injured…
"Seifer, want to join in?" he said in the end. Seifer was surprised Squall would want him to go along with him in such an important trip. On the other hand, he was delighted to see that Squall trusted him.
"Heck…There's nothing better to do here…count me in." he said.
"Ok. Tomorrow morning at the Parking Lot, 8:00, ok?"
"Ok." Rinoa said.
"Ok." Seifer said shrugging his shoulders.
"It's arranged then." Squall said.
Yet, in the depth of his mind there still was a small doubt…
"It's pretty warm today isn't it?" Rinoa said as they flew across the ocean to Centra.
"Yeah, pretty much, but I bet at Centra Ruins' dungeons it's gonna be close to freezing cold." Squall replied.
"Well, Ragnarok needed this maintaining. It's flying better now." Seifer said.
"Yeah, that's true. The balance of inner and outer pressure has improved." Squall said.
"You said they advanced the attacking mechanisms of the ship too, didn't they?"
"Yeah, it's unstoppable now!"
"Great." The computer of the Ragnarok beeped.
"Arrival at preprogrammed station. Please prepare the landing process…" it said.
"And this auto pilot inserted is so efficient…" Squall added in. They had landed not far from Centra Ruins, and walked a little before they reached it. Rinoa gazed the weird tower and said:
"It's been a long time since we last came to this place…"
"Yeah." Squall replied
"I wonder if the Tonberries will come up and greet us with their natural, unfriendly ways…" Squall said. But the Tonberries did not appear. Instead they found the two Prophets that had came to Garden yesterday.
"Hello Squall." Said the younger one.
"Hello. I'm here now. Where's the other Prophets?" Squall said.
"Just go down these stairs…" said the other Prophet showing them a staircase next to them. They went down and went ahead to the path that they saw. Soon they could hear voices and sounds of a normally alive place, like a village. A great underground cave was what they saw next, and the place was full of small camps where the Prophets were staying.
"Wow, these people are really organized!" Rinoa said.
"Yeah, I think it's gonna be hard to find Kalha…" Squall said looking all around for his Tutor.
"Squall! Here!" A voice came to his ears. A man was coming their way. It was Kalha.
"Hello Squall!" Kalha said saluting him typically, bringing his punch to his forehead.
"Hello Kalha. It's good to see you again." Squall replied saluting him.
"I see you brought your friends along! Sorceress Rinoa, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Seifer aren't you? Yes I can remember you, it's good to see you again." Kalha said greeting the other two.
"So Squall, you decided to come to your first Prophet assembly? Good. This experience is going to be good for you. Come with me, I'm sure you're tired from he trip." Kalha said and led them into the camp, passing by the other tents. Outside the tents were other Prophets, and many as Squall passed by whispered about him. They reached Kalha's tent. It was a big, cozy tent, with a fire burning in front of it.
"Grandpa! Did he come? Did he come?" a young kid shouted from in the tent and moved out to see them.
"Yes Tiresias, Squall did come. And don't shout, you're annoying the others. Show some respect!" Kalha said, scolding the young boy.
"Sorry…" Tiresias replied. Then he looked at Squall and Seifer seriously.
"I forgot to say 'thank you' the last time I saw you guys. For beating that big ugly monster that was making us all sick. If I wasn't sick, I would have whacked it by myself!" the kid said. Seifer burst into laughter, and Squall giggled.
"It's ok. Next time you'll get to…whack a monster before us." He told Tiresias.
"Now, you little squirt, go and play, I want to talk to the kids please." Kalha said to Tiresias.
"Aw! This always happens! When I want to hear you talk with an other person you tell me to go and play!"
"Just do what I told you to, or I'll hang you upside down from the ceiling of the cave!"
"ok, ok…" Tiresias said and ran off away from his grandfather.
"He's too little for this conversation… Now Squall, I know that you've been very busy lately and that you have had many encounters with gods, am I correct?"
"Heh, yeah you are. You were right. There are many gods in this world and we certainly have forgotten how to treat them." Squall replied.
"Ah, yes, that's a good answer."
"So, what actually do the Prophets do here?" Rinoa asked.
"Actually…nothing."
"Nothing?!" the three kids asked all together.
"Well, at least most do nothing. The Elders actually do work here. They converse and take decisions, important ones. Sometimes their decisions have changed the course of whole nations."
"Wow…" Rinoa gasped.
"And what about the rest?" Seifer asked this time.
"Well, the younger ones like to challenge each other in tests of wisdom, power and constitution. They use their powers to determine who is the best of them. I think you'd like to take a challenge like that, now don't you?"
"Actually yeah."
"I know that…but you can't do much with your powers yet right?"
"Yeah. I can't move a boulder, or conquer the mind of someone yet…"
"That's because you left before I could teach you, you stupid." Kalha said scolding Squall.
"Uh…yeah, that's right…sorry…"
"Never mind, we'll finish the lessons now. Uh, Seifer, Rinoa, could I ask you to please go gather more firewood? I would like some privacy with my student…" Kalha said.
"Alright." Rinoa said and followed by Seifer left them alone.
"Ok Squall, come in the tent with me, I'll teach you some advanced usage of your power." Kalha said as he entered the tent. Squall followed him. As he got in, the old man turned around and placed his hand on Squall's shoulder.
"Why Squall?" he asked him. "Why did you keep it a secret? Why didn't you tell them all you're a Sorcerer now? Why did you hide the truth?" he said.
"I just couldn't Kalha. It's a too heavy burden for me…Imagine how hard it would be for the others…"
"Squall, your friends aren't as weak as you think they are! Trust them! Trust them for gods' sake! They will understand better than you think!"
"But…"
"But, but, but! Never say that word when you don't mean it!" Kalha said as he hit Squall on the head with his stick.
"OUCH!"
"Just a reminder that I teach my students, not only the usage of their power, but also which decisions should be taken when!"
"Ow! Geez! Please don't do that again! I don't know how much my head can take!"
"Your head can do much you know. Let me show you haw to move objects with your mind."
"Yeah? So I can throw people anywhere just like in the 'Matrix'?" Squall joked as he ducked to avoid Kalha's stick.
"Say another lame one like that and I'll bust your head… Pay attention!"
Rinoa and Seifer came back later with firewood. They met up with Tiresias on their way back to the camp.
"Hi Tiresias!" Rinoa said seeing the little boy.
"Hello Sorceress Rinoa!" he replied.
"Has Squall finished his lesson with Kalha?"
"Not yet…and Grandpa is beating the hell outta poor Squall's head cause isn't doing things right…"
"Uh-oh…" Seifer said sarcastically. All three of them went to their camp, and Rinoa thought that she didn't like the way some young Prophets were looking at her. They were staring as if they hadn't seen a girl in their lives before! They stacked the firewood where it could be handy, and Rinoa helped Tiresias prepare tea. Seifer sat down and stared at the people around them. After a while, Kalha came out of the tent, looking a little tired.
"Hi Grandpa! How did Squall go?"
"Very good. He can lift anything with his mind, but he has a small problem…" His speech was interrupted from a loud thud from inside the tent.
"He just lost control and the stool has landed on him. I'm afraid I pressured him more than I should have…"
"Grandpa!"
"Yes, I did give him a few smacks because he wasn't paying much attention. He's having a headache now, and so do I and I'd appreciate it if you gave me a Remedy please…" Squall came out of the tent holding his head.
"Man, that hurt…" he said.
"Squall, show us what you learnt!" Rinoa said.
"Yes, go on, practice makes perfect. Lift something in the air." Kalha said from his seat around the fire. Squall just smiled and suddenly Kalha was floating!
"Not me!" he yelled when he realized what was going on.
"Very funny Squall…"
"Can you control someone's mind now Squall?" Tiresias asked eagerly.
"Yeah…" Squall said and looked at Seifer.
"What?" he said sharply, and then stooped talking. Squall kept looking at Seifer straight in the eyes, and Seifer started saying repeatedly:
"I'm a sucker, I'm a sucker, I'm a sucker…" Rinoa and Tiresias burst into laughter and Kalha giggled. Squall stooped controlling Seifer's mind and giggled.
"*#_$%^@ Squall!!!" Seifer said when he realized what Squall had made him say. After a while, Kalha was telling the kids things he had seen in the past, in the 3 generations he had lived, to make the time go by.
"Squall, I have the bad feeling you are going to be challenged right now…"Kalha said looking at someone behind them. A young, bossy fellow and some other young chaps were walking their way.
"Well, well, well…looks like this old geezer found a new sucker to be his student!" the first man said.
"Watch your mouth about my Tutor." Squall said calmly.
"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do to me?" the other guy replied.
"…" Squall kept staring at the fire across him. If he lost control, he could bring the whole place down.
"What? You a chicken too much?" the other guy sneered.
"…" The other guy found it funny to toy with Squall, and decided to provoke him. He looked at Seifer and a rope that was nearby. Suddenly the rope came to life and wrapped itself around Seifer's neck, choking him.
"Gharg!" Seifer cried out trying to pull the rope from his neck.
"Seifer!" Tiresias cried out.
"Stop! Stop that!" Rinoa screamed. That was too much for Squall. He jumped up and stared at the rope. It broke, freeing Seifer, who was almost being strangled.
"Our powers are only for good causes." Squall scolded the young man.
"I don't care about the fucking rules. I make rules." He replied.
"…" Squall didn't answer that one, so that he wouldn't provoke him. The other guy looked at all of them. His eyes stopped at Rinoa.
"By the way, this Sorceress here, she's a pretty broad…I bet she's a hell of a fuck…" He didn't finish his phrase. Squall had attacked him, throwing him on the ground, kneeled over him and raised his punch over his head to hit the other guy.
"You say one more word about Rinoa, and your dead." Squall growled.
"Squall!" Kalha said sharply. Squall looked at his Tutor and nodded affirmatively. He let the other guy, and turning his back to him, went back to the others. The other chaps left, and they one Squall had attacked was swearing out loud.
"…" he was furious.
"Man, Squall…" Seifer started, but Rinoa told him to be quiet.
"Squall, you must learn to control yourself. If you had used your power, you could have killed him."
"I wish I had…" Squall murmured.
"…You don't believe what you said."
"Maybe I don't, but I won't have that kind of behavior against Rinoa!"
"I understand your anger and…" Before Kalha could say any more he spotted a few other men coming their way, and his face took a very, very serious look.
"Oh dear…" he said.
"Prophet Kalha. We have a report that your student attacked another student. The Tutor of the student wants him to be punished." Kalha got angry.
"Tell Ventrou that my student was deeply offended by his little brat, and that I'll have a nice talk with him later, or even better, NOW if he wants!" he said sharply. The man stared at Kalha one last time and then nodded to the men following him. They turned their backs at them, and left.
"Control myself…Look who's talking…" Squall said.
"Ah, yes. Never mind about me. I'm sure that darned Ventrou will want you to have a challenge with his student, that darn Kail. Kail is very good, but you are better. You know why…"
"Yeah, I do. My Sorcery empowers the prophecy power."
"Your what!?!?!?" Seifer gasped.
"…I was going to tell you guys. I've became a Sorcerer myself."
"Wha…?" Seifer kept gasping.
"It was a couple of months ago. Cid had sent me on a mission and…" Squall told Seifer all about that mission, that mission that changed his life in a drastic way. About Raspudin, the unicorns, everything.
"I only told Rinoa about this. She helped me control this power. But there's something I fear about this power. The Force Raspudin gave me, it a Dark Force. The power I draw from it is…evil. But under the command of my own Force, the one I have from my ancestor, Kallinike is a good Force, and control the other one. It's pretty complicated and even I can't understand it well. The evil that comes from Raspudin's Force is used for good. That's something weird."
"Ah, Squall. They say that there is no light without dark, and no dark without light." Kalha interrupted.
"I still can't believe this…" Seifer gasped.
"I know it's hard. I guess you're angry with me now…" Squall said sadly.
"No, it's not that. I can't feel angry. I'm…surprised. I don't know how to react. Squall, a Sorcerer…I can't digest it…But I guess it doesn't matter now. We're still a team, we're still together and we're still friends! I don't care, and I'm sure that no one will care whether you're a Sorcerer. You're still Squall."
"Wise words out of such a young mind…Very good." Kalha said.
"And that means, since you're still Squall, I'll always kick your butt, no matter what happens!" Seifer said with a smile. Squall giggled. Then he turned to Kalha.
"Kalha, what were those men that came after that Kail idiot? What did they want?" Squall asked.
"They were from the Elders. They know what's going on around the camp and make sure nothing bad happens. Unfortunately, Ventrou, has them by his side…" Kalha replied.
"That is so unfair!" Rinoa exclaimed.
"Yes, it is. But I can't do anything about it."
"Uh-oh, they're coming again…" Seifer said looking at the prophets that were approaching them. A man of middle age and medium build was leading them.
"Kalha!" he shouted.
"Yes Ventrou…?" Kalha replied.
"I think we should settle our differences now, after the attack of your student against mine. Let's have them challenge one another. My best student against your…only student…" Ventrou said looking at Squall. Squall looked back at Ventrou.
"My student isn't ready for the challenges and…?" Kalha started, but stopped. Squall was gazing straight at his eyes, telling him his thoughts.
"I see…Very well Ventrou. My student accepted the challenge." Kalha said, but his voice wasn't steady at all. Squall got up. He went over to Kalha.
"Is there any advise you have to give me?" he asked.
"…No. Just don't let him conquer your mind, or read your thoughts. Block him like I taught you. Oh, and the advise… Don't let him beat you." He replied.
"Ok." Rinoa was worried.
"Squall…" she said.
"Trust him…" Kalha told her.
"Hey Squall…" Seifer said.
"Yeah?"
"In case you die, can I take your Gunblade?" he joked.
"In your dreams Seifer…The Lionheart is coming to the grave with me…" Squall replied with a smile. Kail was waiting for him. He looked furious, and Squall was sure that revenge was in his plans. Squall stood across him, staring at him. Ventrou went up to Kail and whispered something in his ear. Kail smiled. He stared at Squall through the eyes, and Squall could feel him trying to sneak in his mind. That got him angry. He fought back, throwing Kail out of his mind, and tried to enter his. Kail fought back. Squall had an idea. He stared at Kail eyes, and using his Prophet powers in combination with the power of his Force, 'played' Kail's biggest fears in his mind. Kail screamed and fell on the floor. He rolled where he fell, just like if something had wrapped itself around him. He was shouting
"Take them off me! Take them off me!!!" Rinoa and Seifer were amazed. What the hell was going on?
"That was very clever of Squall. He's using Kail's fears against him." Kalha said.
"What?" Rinoa said.
"Kail is afraid of snakes. Squall has made him think that a large snake is wrapped around him. Very clever." Kalha explained.
"? You mean Squall has hypnotized Kail?" Seifer asked.
"In a way, yes." Kail kept screaming, until Squall decided that was enough. He snapped Kail out the dream, and Kail stopped rolling on the ground. He looked all around him.
"Wha…?" he gasped. The he remembered Squall.
"You!" he said.
"…" Squall crossed his hands over his chest and just stared at Kail. Squall was angry.
"You know what? That was a good move. Maybe you're not such an idiot." Kail said.
"…"
"But that's it. I'm going to make you a lifeless, mindless plant. I'll take away all the intelligence that you have. And I'm going to get Rinoa. I'll have some fun with her and then kill her! I'll…!!!" Kail gasped. Squall was furious. His eyes were like flaming. He stared straight at Kail.
"Look into my eyes Kail…" Squall whispered. Kail was terrified. He wasn't gazing at a human. A demon was standing right in front of him. Squall was no human to his eyes.
"AAAHHH! He's got the Lion Eye! He's got the Lion Eye!" Kail shouted as he fell to his knees and crossed his arms over his chest in pain. The next second a dozen of Prophets had fallen onto Squall and captured him. They pushed him to his knees. Seifer, Rinoa and Kalha tried to go near him, but other Prophets kept them away.
"Squall!!" Rinoa shouted. Ventrou looked at Squall's eyes. He jumped back in fear.
"It's true! He has it! He has the Lion Eye!" He said terrified.
"Stay away from him!" Kalha shouted as he managed to break away from the guards, and go near him.
"I took Squall under my Tuition knowing he has the Gift. I taught him how to use it right. Yes, he is a Sorcerer. He has Prophesy power higher that ours. But he is not to be feared. He knows nothing about the Lion Eye, but I believe that it is time he learnt." He said, placing his hand on Squall's shoulder.
"The Elders of the Jihad aren't so sure about your words, Kalha." An old man said.
"He must be an Elder…" Squall thought.
"Why? Have I ever said a lie and tried to hide the truth Arnaux? Have I? Squall ignores the greatest power he possesses, and even he did know, I doubt he would ever try to turn it against the world. Do you think I would allow that? Do you think Apollo would had given his gift to him if he did not read his soul correctly?" Kalha said to the Elder.
"You try to defend someone who only because of his power is our enemy, Kalha? I still see your compassion, but this a totally different matter."
"No, it is not different Arnaux. Squall has the Gift only because he is a Leonhart. We know very well the family of the Leonharts has a long story in these powers. Haven't you met Andros? Didn't you see his powers? Didn't you learn from him? He may not have been a Prophet, but surely we learnt a lot from him."
"Can I ask something now? What is going on? Why do you consider me an enemy?" Squall asked budding in. His patience had reached a limit.
"You mean…he knows nothing about the Gift?" Arnaux said.
"No, he has never heard of it before, what do you think I'm trying to explain to you!" Kalha replied.
"…" Arnaux kept gasping.
"I think it's time I told you about this. The Lion Eye is the power to make another Prophet lose his power temporarily, and cause an internal pain. If you wanted you could have caused to Kail any kind of wound, just by imagining it. In few words, you can cause anything to a Prophet. To common human, this power would be devastating." Kalha said.
"I see…but I think it isn't that important. I bet a lot of Prophets can do that." Squall replied shrugging his shoulders.
"Ah, that's what you think. It's a very rare power, and only the strongest of the Prophets will ever have the right to command it. And from those who had it, in history they are recorded as tyrants." Arnaux explained. Squall was skeptical. This power he owned without knowing it could turn his species against him.
"I don't care about the past situations. All that matters is now. I think that way because I was raised that way." He said after some thinking.
"And Squall is different from us all only because he was raised in different environment. He can use para-magic, and Sorcery, but he's mostly used to fight with his Gunblade." Kalha said.
"… I understand. But the Elders of the Jihad would want to interrogate him. Just to be sure." Arnaux said after slight hesitation.
"I'll gladly come to explain I have no interest in conquering the world…" Squall grumbled, rubbing his neck where the guards had pressed him down.
"Then, follow me." Arnaux said and walked away, and the crowd was sidestepping to let him pass by. Squall rushed to follow him, and Kalha, Rinoa and Seifer followed. Arnaux led them to the end of the cave, where only a great big tent was found.
"This is the tent of the Elders of the Jihad, enter it with respect." Arnaux said. They followed him as he went in. Squall waited a few seconds for his eyes to get used to the dim light, and saw that some figures were sitting solemnly around a dying fire.
"So, you're the one with the Lion Eye." One of them said. Squall stood before them proudly, and without fear.
"Yes." He replied.
"…And you believe you will be able to control that power?" another one asked.
"Squall, beware of those trap questions…" Kalha had told him through his mind.
"That will depend on the way I will be treated. If they treat me as an enemy, any action I do will be considered hostile, but if I'm treated as a normal Prophet, nothing will happen." Squall replied.
"…You want to be treated as a normal Prophet…how can we do that knowing you have the Gift?" another Elder asked.
"I only recently found out this power. It's not something I've lived with through the years. I know a gift can become a curse for others if not used properly. I'd say this power is pretty useless to me."
"Oh? And why is that?" an Elder asked.
"I don't really need the Lion Eye to cause pain. I can kill someone easily with my Gunblade."
"Ah, so you enjoy killing people?!" the first Elder asked him.
"That would depend on the kind of human. I know good people and people that only think of how to gain power. The truth is, I don't really like taking away lives. But if they try to take away my life, I have nothing left that to fight back. I'm a SeeD. I was raised in a military academy. Fighting is what I was taught, and fighting is the thing I know the best. But, I chose that path of my life because I thought it would allow me to move on with my life. And I think my choice was right. Or I would have never been here now." Squall said lowly.
"…I see…" the Elder said after hearing Squall's answer. The head Elder was looking at Squall all the time without speaking to him.
"You know Andros Leonhart?" he said suddenly.
"I've heard of him. They say I am his descendant."
"Who said that?"
"Griever. The guardian of my family and the gods. I know very little about his story. He beat Seth once."
"True. He did. We encountered him once. Long ago. He was a very plain man, and yes, you are his descendant. There is no other reason you look so alike with him. And it's strange. You talk and act like him. You have put me in thoughts…" the head Elder said silently.
"…" Squall did not reply.
"Go. Go and wait till we call for you again. We want to think, and discuss about you. The decision will be a final one about you." The Elder said after a little thought. Squall looked at the Elders for a few seconds, and then turned away to leave them.
"Squall…" Kalha said. Squall turned to look at his Tutor.
"Good on you Squall…You knew how to answer avoiding the traps they set you. Good on you…" Rinoa was worried sick and hugged him.
"Goodness, I was so worried…" she said breathlessly. Squall hugged her back and supported her until they reached their camp. Seifer was speechless. He didn't have anything to say. Back at the camp, Tiresias was crying. When he heard them coming he lifted his head and ran up to Kalha.
"Grandpa!" he said with a sob.
"What happened?"
"Nothing. You don't need to know. But we are in a little mess now." Kalha tried to explain to the little kid.
"Squall's in trouble isn't he?" Kalha looked far away and sadly replied,
"Yes. He is. Tiresias…I can't believe you've grown to understand these matters…"
"No, I'm still too little to understand well Grandpa…"
"…" Squall had sat on a stone, and put his head in his hands. He was skeptical.
"Squall?" Seifer asked him going over to him.
"Yes?"
"There's more trouble than the Elder, right?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Seth."
"Seth?! What this time?"
"He wants to kill me."
"That's nothing new. What's gonna happen?"
"That Ventrou. He's under Seth's command. And Kail too."
"Uh-oh. Why didn't you tell the Elders?"
"You really think they'd believe me? Or Kalha or even you and Rinoa? No way."
"…"
"We have to do this ourselves."
"Does Kalha know?"
"Yeah, I told him."
"Rinoa?"
"…No. Rinoa doesn't. I'm afraid she's gonna panic if I do."
"You're an idiot. Go tell her. You want anything to catch her on surprise?"
"God…I hate it when you're right. Really, where's Rinoa?"
"I think she went with Tiresias to get some water from the well."
"I'll go find her. You stay with Kalha."
"Ok" Squall got up and walked over to the well. As he passed by other tents, he heard people murmuring about him, and felt persistent eyes watching him.
"Rinoa…" he said as he reached the well. Rinoa was there, pumping water with Tiresias.
"Oh, Squall…What's up?"
"I need to talk to you."
"Sure…Tiresias, take this skin bag please. I'll come with Squall in a minute." Tiresias took the smaller skin bag, and went off, looking back to see what they were doing.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Ventrou is under Seth's command."
"What?!"
"He and Kail are puppets of Seth's"
"That means trouble."
"Yes. We have to watch out. Kalha and Seifer know, I told them. I had to tell you too. I found that out when they both looked at me in the eye. They want to get rid of me, as usual."
"Uh-oh…"
"Just act like you don't know, and be with me as much as possible."
"Ok…Help me with these please…" Squall took a skin bag and carried it back to the camp with Rinoa. Seifer was grumpy as usual, and looked worried. Tiresias was already asleep in a corner of the tent. Kalha was smoking his pipe.
"Kalha…they're coming…" Squall said.
"Are you ready?" he replied.
"I am…" Squall said. He turned to Seifer and Rinoa.
"Ventrou and Kail are coming, Better get ready for a big bang…" Squall whispered to them.
"They're gonna attack us? Now? In the middle of the night? With so many people around here?" Seifer gasped.
"They don't care. Their goal is our death." Squall replied.
"…" Rinoa was worried. Squall exited the tent, followed by Seifer and Rinoa. Kalha was to stay inside and back them up. Once they were out, Squall looked all around him and listened to the silence of the cave. Not a sound was heard. Ventrou and Kail were walking their way.
"I knew we'd find you awake. It was so nice of you to wait for us…" Ventrou said.
"Shut up Ventrou. I know that you and your pupil are Seth's puppies. There's no point in hiding any longer." Squall growled drawing his Gunblade.
"So you want to play? I'll gladly play with you!" Kail said sadistically.
"My student and I are one body…" Ventrou said raising his staff.
"Seth! Let your power destroy the weak!" he cried out. The staff turned hot red and started glowing. A pillar of red light rose from the ground covering Kail and Ventrou.
"Damn it…" Squall thought. When the pillar faded, a big demon had appeared where Kail and Ventrou were standing. It had the body of an Iron Giant, and a bull's head with a red jewel on its forehead and big tusks coming out of its mouth. It had four hands and wielded a staff.
"What the hell is that!?" Seifer asked.
"It's Kail and Ventrou as one body. Come on! Let's fight!" Squall said as he filled his Gunblade.
"Be careful, it has Prophet powers!" Rinoa shouted.
"I'll handle its powers, just attack it!" Squall shouted back. He used his powers to suppress the monster's power. Seifer ran up the monster and slashed it with his Hyperion. Rinoa used an Aura on her and called for her Limit break, Angel Wing. She bent over and two golden angel wings grew from her back. She started floating and a warm light rinsed her. Then, she stepped on the ground again, and started casting spells that would help the battle.
"Triple!" she cast on herself, then jumped back to avoid an energy ball that the monster threw at her.
"I'M GOING TO GET YOU SQUALL!!!!" the monster roared.
"Go jump off a bridge asshole!" Squall replied as he attacked with his Gunblade, cutting through the monster's thick hide. Seifer filled up his own Gunblade and followed Squall's example, slashing the monster. In it's fury, it threw energy balls at them. Seifer and Rinoa dodged them, but Squall was hit.
"Geez!" he exclaimed as he shook he head to come to his senses. Squall decided to put his 'heavy artillery' into action. He generated a ball of mental energy in his hand.
"Eat this!" he shouted as he threw it on the monster.
"EEAARRGH!" the monster roared as the energy ball threw it backwards. It dropped its staff.
"Rinoa! The staff! Get rid of it!" Seifer shouted. Rinoa leaped and grabbed the staff, before the monster could react, and burned it with her Sorcery. Seifer slashed the monster again. It countered with a 'Psychic Beam' that affected the whole team. Rinoa felt her head was going to break.
"Ahhhhh!" Squall shouted as he absorbed the biggest amount of the attack on purpose to protect the other two.
"Ow, ow, ow….Damn you!" Seifer said. He pulled a Mega elixir from his pocket and threw it in the air. The medicine cured the team. Rinoa started firing one spell after another.
"Protect!" she cast on the three of them, followed by a triple 'Aura'.
"Rinoa, step back!" Squall said as he grasped Seifer's hand to activate the unbeatable 'Tornado Blades'. The 'Tornado Blades' was a rather recent discovery of Squall and Seifer's. They actually combined their Limit Breaks in one blasting Limit Break. Squall and Seifer started running in an open circle. With the Gunblades spread out. The tornado formed around them, and they moved towards the monster.
"AAARG!" It shouted as the tornado swallowed it. After a few seconds, it threw the monster out from the top, all chopped up.
"GGGAAAARRRRR…. YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" the monster growled. Squall foresaw its move.
"SHIT!" he shouted and rushed to protect Rinoa. But it was too late.
"DAMAGE TRANSPOSITION!" the monster roared and it's wounds disappeared, and appeared on Rinoa.
"AHHHHH!!!!!" She screamed as she fell on her knees. Squall stood in front of her as a human shield.
"Seifer! Heal her! Hurry! I'll take care of this motherfucker!" Squall shouted as Seifer rushed over to help. Squall stood across the monster and looked at it with hate.
"After this one, you'll be praying you weren't even born!" he roared with anger.
"SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT SQUALL!" the monster replied. Squall looked at the monster. The monster did the fatal mistake. It stared through Squall's eyes. And saw hell.
"AHHHHHRG!!!" It yelled holding its head with its hands. It had no control over its body now. It tried to move away, but it was no use. In the monster's eyes, Squall was the incarnation of the most horrifying things in the universe. All the fear of the world was focused in those two eyes across it.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" It roared in fear. Squall lifted his hand. He brought it in front of his eyes.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!?!?!" the monster roared as a mysterious energy field covered it.
"Your worst nightmare…" Squall said. He closed his fingers in a tight grip.
"EEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!……….." The monster roared in pain as a loud, crushing sound came from its body, as the energy fields grew tight around it. Squall was crushing it with mental power. He opened his hand again.
"AaaaaRRggg…." The monster growled weak. Kalha had come out of the tent to see the battle. "By the gods…it's true…The power…the monster is crushed…" he said silently to himself. Squall went over to the demon.
"Say goodbye to life you thing…" Squall said as he lifted the Gunblade.
"Go to hell…" The demon replied.
"Sorry, I came from there, can't go back. You know that the worst demons are kicked out of hell. If I go back, they'll kick me again…" Squall said. He brought the Gunblade down and chopped the demons head off.
"Take your servant back Seth!" Squall yelled. The monster, after dying for good, started evaporating in crimson and purple light.
"It's over…" Squall thought to himself and closed his eyes, looking up. He wanted to calm down. All the camp had awakened from the noise and had gathered around the battlefield to see what was going on. They were gazing at Squall with awe. And fear. Squall didn't care. All he wanted was to calm down. Kalha went up to him.
"Squall…" he said silently. Squall opened his eyes and looked at his Tutor.
"You were excellent…not even an Elder could have given out all that power…Squall…I'm so proud of you! Thank you!" Kalha said with a tone of emotion in his voice.
"Hey old man…Nothing of this could have happened without your tuition…I should thank you." Squall replied. Kalha smiled. Squall walked over to Rinoa. He hugged her.
"I'm sorry…" he said.
"For what? Why are you apologizing Squall?" she replied.
"I let you get hurt. I wasn't fast enough to protect you."
"That's silly. You couldn't have helped. You're not a god. You can't do everything."
" I guess you're right." Seifer went over to Kalha and looked at the crowd that was murmuring out loud.
"The Elders are coming, huh?" Seifer asked with slight worry.
"Yes." Kalha replied with an unsteady voice.
"What's the worst that could happen to Squall?"
"They'd turn him into a lifeless person, with no personality at all. He would be like a machine…In few words, they'd take his soul away from him…"
"Shit…" The Elders walked over to them. Squall and Rinoa moved close to Kalha and Seifer. Tiresias crept next to Kalha. They were ready for anything.
"Prophet Kalha!" the head Elder said. Kalha gulped in worry.
"Your words were right. There is no such thing as bad student. Only a bad Tutor. Forgive us for doubting about you. Your student is very strong, but knows what is right and what is wrong. He is welcomed in the community." Kalha sighed with relief.
"Thank you head Elder... Your words are an honor."
"Prophet Squall!" Squall looked up at the head Elder.
"Please accept my apology for doubting you as well. You fight Seth, and now I know that well. Apollo was right to give you the power to predict the future and see the past and the present. Allow me to honor you by asking you to become a member of the ancient Order of the Jihad." The crowd started murmuring louder, and that made Squall, Seifer and Rinoa understand that that was a major honor.
"Umm…Excuse my question, but, what is the Order of the Jihad?" Squall asked, after a little hesitation.
"This is a good opportunity for the old to remember and the young to learn." An Elder replied.
"The Order of the Jihad is a very old order of knights that had acquired Prophet powers. Much like you. Today the order counts very few members. So it would be great honor if you accepted the offer. The 'knights', I will call the members in accord to your culture, are different than us normal Prophets. They know how to fight with a sword and with their power. Today, they are the warriors of our kind. The men-at- arms we have here are members of the order. But Elites are very few…So, do you wish to become a member of the Order of the Jihad?" Squall thought for a little. He was curious to see what that order was. Right then Apollo got into his mind and persuaded him to agree.
"Ok. I'll be honored to become a member of the Order." He replied.
"Excellent. You must talk to the members of the Order. Rashid here will guide you." The head Elder said and one of the guards approached him.
"Come with me." He said.
"Do you have a friend to escort you? You need a friend to be with you in this." Squall smiled and turned to Seifer.
"Come on. You might get the chance to see me getting humiliated or something." Squall said. Seifer giggled softly and followed them. Seifer and Squall followed Rashid to the other end of the cave, where they entered a smaller sub-cave. Rinoa looked at Kalha.
"Everything's gonna be ok, right?" she asked him.
"I wouldn't be so sure…This is painful for me, but I must tell you. In older times, my son and Tiresias' father, Jason, went to qualify as a 'knight'. For one to be accepted as a knight, he must battle the Order's champion in a hand-to-hand battle, without weapons, and without powers. The battle is a life-and-death one. The champion, Goliath, was a fierce opponent. He killed Jason. I don't know the champion of today and I'm afraid about Squall's life…" Kalha said with sadness.
"…" Rinoa looked at Kalha with worry.
"How good are his chances to win?" she asked him with worry.
"Well…I'd say, 50-50…" Kalha said.
"…" Rinoa almost started crying.
"Have faith in him Rinoa! Faith is the only thing that we can do to help him! Have faith in him!" Kalha tried to comfort her.
Meanwhile, Rashid had led Squall and Seifer to a smaller cave which was lit with torches. There were other people in there, armed, but definitely Prophets as Squall could sense.
"Well, well, well…You were the one who caused all the rumble before? Whew, you sure can make quite a noise…" one of the men said.
"…" Squall didn't reply.
"So, the head Elder says you're good enough to become a member of the order? That's good. We need some new 'blood' in here…" another giggled.
"…" Squall kept his silence.
"You don't talk much, now do you? Well, I can guess what you want. You want to be tested for the Order." A third man said.
"What test must I go through?" Squall said. He wasn't really fond of the idea of being tested.
"It's simple. You have to fight with our champion, Dart, hand-to-hand. No weapons, no Prophet powers. Ok? It's a life or death battle, and the one who lives is the winner. You ok with that?" the first man said again. Squall turned to Seifer and talked it with him.
"Squall, this is risky…" Seifer said with worry. Squall had taken the challenge calmer.
" I know, but it's worth it. Apollo insisted I did. We have good chances. Remember, we still have the junctions. 100 Ultima at my Strength-Junction, and I can whack him. Besides, if I get killed, you might get to take my Gunblade."
"Squall…I dunno man…Ah, what the hell! Go ahead." Seifer said in the end. Squall nodded affirmatively. He turned back to the other knights.
"Ok. I take the challenge." He said.
"Good! Finally some action here! Prepare yourself! Dart will prepare himself too. We will cover you in an anti-power field, so that no Prophet power is used." A man said.
"Ok. Seifer, come on. Let's do our preparation…" Rashid went with them.
"Wait, I'll come with you!" he said. They pulled themselves aside, and Squall and Seifer began work. They transmitted and refined magic, making 100 Ultima spells. They junctioned it to Squall's Strength- Junction. Then, Squall junctioned 100 Haste spells to his Speed-Junction.
"Ok. I'm ready." He said. He took off his jacket and shirt, and trusted his Gunblade and necklace to Seifer.
"Don't lose the necklace or I'll toast you…" he said. Seifer smiled.
"Just go in there and kick some ass man…" he said. Squall stood in front of the men. Another man, about his built stood opposite him.
"I'm Dart. You're the guy I'm fighting?" the other guy said.
"Yeah."
"You look confident enough…"
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Man, way too serious. Chill out will you? You're gonna die and you're all grumpy!"
"Just shut up…" Squall was anxious. He hadn't fought like this before, only really long ago with Seifer, when they were kids. Dart attacked Squall like a bullet, and Squall was surprised. Dart ran behind Squall, and jumped on his back. He wrapped his legs around Squall, and squeezed him. Squall couldn't react.
"Argh!" he exclaimed.
"Hehehe! I told you to be happy! Your death is close!" Dart said sadistically as he squeezed Squall's ribs.
"Damn it…" Squall thought. There was nothing he could do. He was choking, and the pressure was unbearable. He tried to throw Dart of his back without success. The he heard the men around him speak.
"I told you he was dead meat…" one said.
"He's worth nothing…" another said. Seifer and Rashid were in the corner trying to encourage him. The others teased him. That really got him angry. Dart has crushing him. Squall fell to his knees. He could hardly breathe, and he felt dizzy. Suddenly he heard a cracking sound at his sides. A few of his ribs broke.
"Gahh….." he moaned.
"He's worthless!" a man shouted. That was it.
"NO I'M NOT!!!!" Squall shouted and in a last resort, threw his hands back and grabbed Dart's neck. Dart was surprised.
"Argh!" he groaned. Squall clutched Dart's neck, choking him.
"Go for it Squall!" Seifer shouted. The other men were murmuring. They seemed to have refined their opinion about Squall. Squall kept holding Dart's neck, choking him.
"How's that Dart? You don't like your own medicine?" Squall groaned as he felt Dart's grip weakening. Squall got up on his feet. Despite the tremendous pain, he was choking Dart.
"Eeeeeaaaargh!" Squall growled as Dart let him go, and he threw Dart off his back, over his head and straight slam on the opposite wall. Dart's body slammed the wall with a loud thud that was followed by a strange sound. Then Dart's body fell on the ground on the neck and a crack was heard. Seifer and Rashid ran up to Squall to support him. He was in a bad condition. Blood was flowing out of his nose, and he had bruises on his abdomen. Then, Kalha and Rinoa rushed in the cave.
"Squall!" Rinoa shouted. He ran up to him and hugged him.
"Oh, Squall, I thought you were done for! Thank gods you made it!" she said as she held him in her arms.
"Come on! We have to get him to our tent! He needs care." Kalha said eagerly.
"Well Squall. You won, killing Dart. That means you are accepted in the Order. Forgive us all for doubting you. The ceremony of you accept will take place tomorrow, when you will be well." A man said. Supported by Seifer and Rashid, Squall left the cave limping. They took him to Kalha's tent, and they started taking care of his wounds. Rinoa was furious.
"I can't believe it! He fought with four broken ribs! This is insane!" she said as she tied up the bandage around Squall's chest.
"It could have been worse." Kalha said.
"Yeah, he could have gotten killed!" Seifer said.
"I know, but this is mad. And they expect him to be well tomorrow! Please!" Rinoa said furious.
"He will be. His Sorcerer powers will make sure he will be." Kalha said calmly.
"What? I can't use healing magic on broken bones. No one can. The bones will stick in wrong spots!" Squall said.
"You have self healing power Squall. Tell me, does it hurt when you speak?" Kalha said.
"…No. It did before, but now I don't feel a thing."
"See? That's it. Your body is healing you. Or rather, your Force is. Take some rest Squall, and sleep a bit. You need sleep. Seifer, Tiresias, come out with me. Rinoa stay with him, will you?" Kalha said as he exited the tent after Seifer and Tiresias.
"You're stupid." Rinoa said.
"I know I am, ouch." Squall replied.
"At least you admit it."
"Hey, Apollo told me to accept. Or I would have turned it down, really."
"That's just an excuse."
"Ok, maybe it was."
"Let's just get some sleep." Rinoa said and lied down next to Squall.
"You're gonna sleep here, with me!?" he said slightly shocked.
"Yeah. You have a problem with that?"
"No. I'm just not used to it."
"Better get used to it then…" Rinoa said with a yawn. Apollo sent Morpheus, the god of sleep to rest them. Soon, they were both fast asleep.
The next morning, when Squall woke up, Rinoa was already gone.
"Where is she?" he thought. Then he realized he didn't hurt anymore. He untied the bandage, and examined himself. Nothing. There was no broken rib nowhere. He was all well.
"Well, Kalha was right. I can heal myself." He thought as he got up and put his shirt and jacket on. He found out that Seifer had placed his Gunblade and his necklace on a stool. He put on Griever and took his Gunblade. He got out of the tent. Kalha and Seifer were there.
"Ah! There he is!" Kalha said.
"Good morning." Seifer said.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok." Squall replied. Then, Rinoa and Tiresias turned up, and Rinoa was happy to see that Squall was ok.
"You look fine! Rashid is looking for us. The ceremony of the order is going to take place. They want us to go to that little cave again."
"Well, let's go. I don't want to keep them waiting…Squall said. They all got up and walked to the small cave. The men of the order were waiting for them.
"Welcome to the Order of the Jihad Squall. As a member of the order, Apollo will have a special favor for you, and you will earn the other privileges a 'knight' has as a member of the order. You will never drown in a sea storm, and in battle, your opponent will be an easier target to your power. As a proof that you are member of the Order of the Jihad, you will wear a silver ribbon around your left arm." A man said and as Squall took off his jacket, tied a thin, silver ribbon around his left arm, above the elbow.
"Welcome to the Order Squall." He said.
"Thank you."
Later that day, Squall, Seifer and Rinoa were going to leave. Seifer and Rinoa were already in the Ragnarok, and Squall wanted to day goodbye to Kalha.
"Well, your tuition is over, and you know a lot. You're a free Prophet now." Kalha said.
"I know. But still feel attached to you." Squall replied.
"I know that. And I'm glad. To me Squall, you are the son I lost. And I'm happy I had you as my student."
"I was happy to have you as my Tutor, except your stick."
"??? Oh! Right. I suppose I was a little too hard on you…"
"That's ok. That stick helped me learn. Thank you Kalha."
"You're welcome Squall. Go on. Your friends are waiting. Go on and give evil a lesson they're gonna remember."
"Goodbye." Squall said as he entered the Ragnarok. Soon they took off, and the ship flew away fast.
"They're gonna make it Kalha…" an old man said going near Kalha.
"I know they are Arnaux. Squall doesn't give up easily, and surely he's a tough-nut-to-crack."
"And don't forget he's the Knight of the Gods. He can't fail." Kalha just smiled.
Hi, people! I'll get the next chapter up soon! See ya later!
Ruby Dragon
A week after Andromache's death and the team returned to Garden, things were normal, and dull as hell. Dull, but everyone was busy around. Quistis was training students like hell for their SeeD tests, Selphie was busy with the Festival Committee, Zell was having his problems because he broke his arm, Irvine was in trouble with Galbadia Garden because he stayed at Balamb while he is officially Galbadian, Glafky has joined the Library Committee and is working hard, Seifer is re- organizing the Disciplinary Committee, Rinoa has gotten a little sick with the flu and Squall is being pressured by Cid to become SeeD leader, although he doesn't even want to hear about it. The only one who seems to be really free is Caesar.
But, in any way, everything is peaceful and Squall hasn't had any disturbance in some time. Perhaps Seth and Ares are having hard time from the other gods? Maybe.
Squall knows that today is Rinoa's birthday and she has completely forgotten. But, not her friends. They've planed a small party in the ceremony hall. They wanted to throw a big surprise party, but they're short on money… So, just them and the hall will be in that party. Squall looked at the present he got her on his desk. A small, blue velvet box, her favorite colour. The real gift is inside. A silver bracelet with her name 'Rinoa Heartilly' and hearts and ribbons carved on it.
"She's going to like it…" he thought.
"I wonder what the others got her…" he thought taking the box with the bracelet and putting it in his pocket. He grabbed his Gunblade and left his dorm to find the others. They may have been planning a party, but the big surprise was something else. Squall looked at his watch.
"Whoops! Time to lure Rinoa to the ceremony hall!" Squall thought. He went to the Library, sure he would find her there. Well, that's where she loved to hang out. She was there indeed, reading a book by Ernest Hemingway.
"Hello Miss Wings…" he said as he took a chair and sat next to her.
"Hi Squall…" Rinoa replied, leaving the book aside.
"How are you, my bookworm? You stick around here all day long…"
"I'm fine. Well, it's just that, there are all of these books I wanna read and, well…"
"Hmmmm…I see. Well, come with me for a while, I have something for you…"
"What? What is it?"
"Just come with me and you'll see…" Rinoa got up and followed Squall. Once they reached the Directory, Squall told her to close her eyes.
"Why?"
"Because it's a surprise. Close your eyes…I'll take your hand and lead you to the surprise now…" Rinoa closed her eyes, and let Squall guide her gently.
"Don't try to peak or I'll cast Blind on you!" he joked. They reached the ceremony hall. Squall opened the door and lead her in.
"Ok. You can open your eyes…" Rinoa opened her eyes and gasped in surprise. The guys had decorated the hall with some ribbons that said 'Happy Birthday Rinoa', and they had gathered up in a surprise party. They were all there, even Caesar. Rinoa was surprised even more to find that President Laguna had come over too! In the corner was her father, General Caraway, patiently waiting to greet her.
"Surprise!!! Happy Birthday Rinoa!" they all cheered and clapped. Rinoa had turned red.
"Oh! Today's my birthday! I had completely forgotten! Thank you so much guys!! Daddy! You came!" Rinoa exclaimed and ran up to her father to hug him.
"I'm so happy you came too see me!"
"Well, it's your birthday, and I brought you something little here…" General Caraway said and gave her a small package. Rinoa kissed her father's cheek and opened the package. It was a book with poems from Odysseus Elitis, a famous poet of the old days. He was still popular.
"Oh! Dad, this is the 'Axion Esti'! I always wanted this one!" she exclaimed and hugged her father again. Then, Selphie went up to her and hugged her too.
"Happy Birthday Rinny! This is for you!" Selphie said happily giving Rinoa a box.
"Whoa! Thanks Selphie! Goodness what's in here? Oh! A teddy bear!" Rinoa said with a laugh as she saw Selphie's present. It was a sweet teddy bear that was holding a balloon that said 'Friends For Ever'. Rinoa loved it.
"Thank you so much Selphie!" Quistis' turn was next. She had bought Rinoa a lava lamp, just the one they were checking on a few days ago in Dollet. It was pink with purple color lava in it. Glafky bought Rinoa a blue, craft starfish with a pink faux emerald in the middle. Rinoa thought it was really cute. Zell had bought her a blue, light silk, scarf to wrap around her shoulders.
"Gee Zell! It's beautiful! Where did you know I wanted one of these?" Rinoa gasped surprised by Zell's present.
"Ah, well…you told Glafky the other day, Glafky told me, and there it was!" Zell said with a laugh. Irvine went up to Rinoa and said seriously.
"I have two presents for Rinoa." He said.
"Present one." He said giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Whoa…" Rinoa said.
"Present two…" Irvine continued. It was a lovely desk decoration. A silver clown that was holding a colorful ball in his hands.
"Heeey! That's cute! Where did you get it Irvy?" Selphie asked him.
"Ah, I asked Zell to make it for me."
"I see…" Seifer had mixed feelings when he gave Rinoa his gift.
"T-this is for you Rinoa…Happy Birthday!" he said.
"Thank you Seifer!" It was a necklace with a silver heart.
"It's great…it really is Seifer…" Rinoa said slipping the necklace around her neck along with her ring bangle. Caesar was next.
"Well, I give you this little thingy here…Happy Birthday!" he said and presented a ring with a red stone on it. The stone shone strangely.
"Go on, take it. It's a pretty special ring. The stone comes from the Dragon Volcano deep in Grandidi forest. It's a piece from the always-molten Lava of Creation. It's supposed to be the substance of the world. But, if captured in dragon's breath, it turns solid, and becomes a very nice jewel. It's supposed to bring you good luck and happiness." Caesar said as Rinoa took the ring and slipped it on her finger.
"It's great…Caesar where'd you get it?"
"Ah, I just went to the volcano and took it, then straight to a jewelry shop in Deling. Special order." He said with a laugh. Laguna's turn was next. He brought her a hand mirror, with a strange yet beautiful decoration.
"Wow! This is cool!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, and wait till you see what it does. If you turn it to sunlight, depending on how strong it is, the glass will change colors. Odine made it." Laguna said pleasantly.
"And now, "Irvine said, "It's Squall's turn!" he said placing his hand on Squall's arm.
"Yeah! Give Rinoa her present Squall!" Selphie said.
"Ah, well…" He was planning to give it to her later, when they would be alone, but since they insisted…
"Ahem, this is my present…Happy Birthday Miss Wings…" Squall said with a smile. He gave her the velvet box. Rinoa looked at Squall and then opened the box. She opened her mouth is surprise.
"Oh Squall! It's beautiful!" She said and hugged Squall with her arm, still holding the present in the other.
"It's lovely!" She exclaimed as she gazed at it.
"Here, let me put it on your wrist." He said. He unbuckled the security, and put it around Rinoa's wrist, then he secured it.
"There. Looks perfect. It suits you nicely." He said and gave her a kiss. All the others clapped and cheered.
"Time for the cake!!!" Selphie said.
"Cake? Where did you guys find the cake?" Rinoa asked surprised seeing the chocolate cake on a table with candles on it.
"Ah, that's a present from Mrs. Dincht!" Glafky said. So, the party was pretty nice, and they all had fun. Irvine was taking many pictures. Angelo with his nose full of chocolate cake, Zell with a whole hot-dog in his mouth, Squall with Laguna laughing like hell with Zell, Glafky waving at him, Selphie sticking her tongue out at him, Rinoa happy with her father, Seifer a little grumpy as usual, and many more. The evening went by slowly and calmly. The party was over, Laguna had to return to Esthar, and Caraway back to Deling. Rinoa and Squall were still standing on the balcony of the ceremony hall, gazing at the setting sun.
"It's beautiful like this…" Rinoa said.
"Mmm…" Squall replied.
"I love you…"
"I love you two Miss Wings…" Squall said placing his arm around her waist. Rinoa turned her head and looked at Squall.
"You're very sweet."
"If you say so, then you might be right." Rinoa giggled.
"I can't believe I forgot my birthday. It sounds nuts."
"That's ok, as long as you have some friends to remind you."
"Hahaha, you're right in that." Suddenly Zell came in the ceremony hall.
"Squall!" he said. Squall and Rinoa turned around to see him.
"What's up Zell?" Squall asked him.
"Um, well there's these two guys in Garden and they want to see you. They're totally unarmed, but I have the weird feeling that they have something…They called me by name and told me to come here and find you. They even knew where exactly you were!" Zell said. Squall thought for a second.
"Ok, they want to see me, they'll get to see me. Come on Rinoa, Let's go." Squall said and walked out of the ceremony hall with Zell and Rinoa.
"The weirdoes are at the Headmaster' office…" Zell said. They headed to Cid's office, and found Cid speaking with the two strangers that were dressed like monks, and looking skeptical. Seifer was standing near them, listening idly. Squall's Prophet powers reacted and he sensed that those two men were Prophets.
"Ah, and there's Squall. Squall, these two men asked to see you." Cid said.
"So, you are Squall…" the older of the two men said.
"Yes. I'm Squall. I can tell you are Prophets, and you want to see me."
"Correct. Normally we wouldn't mind to explain to you why we are here, but since you left your Tutor before he taught you everything, we'll explain you why we are here."
"I'm listening."
"Every 10 years, the Prophets of this world gather at the dungeons of Centra Ruins, for an assembly. The assembly lasts a whole week. It's not compulsory for you to come. But it would be best for you if you did. I'm sure that Kalha would be happy to see his student again."
"…I'll join the assembly. Sir do I have your permission?" Squall asked Cid.
"Go ahead." Cid said. He understood this was important for Squall.
"Can a friend of his come?" Rinoa asked.
"Of course. No one will mind. But you must guaranty that he or she will not cause problems…"
"They won't, it's ok."
"Then, come tomorrow at Centra Ruins. We will wait for you. And now we must go. Farewell." The Prophets said and walked out of Cid's office silently.
"Are we sure we can trust those guys?" Seifer said breaking his silence.
"I know I am. They're from my kind and I can tell that they are ok. Rinoa, you're coming with me?" Squall said.
"Of course!" Rinoa replied.
"And the other one will be…" Squall thought. Everyone was busy, Zell was injured…
"Seifer, want to join in?" he said in the end. Seifer was surprised Squall would want him to go along with him in such an important trip. On the other hand, he was delighted to see that Squall trusted him.
"Heck…There's nothing better to do here…count me in." he said.
"Ok. Tomorrow morning at the Parking Lot, 8:00, ok?"
"Ok." Rinoa said.
"Ok." Seifer said shrugging his shoulders.
"It's arranged then." Squall said.
Yet, in the depth of his mind there still was a small doubt…
"It's pretty warm today isn't it?" Rinoa said as they flew across the ocean to Centra.
"Yeah, pretty much, but I bet at Centra Ruins' dungeons it's gonna be close to freezing cold." Squall replied.
"Well, Ragnarok needed this maintaining. It's flying better now." Seifer said.
"Yeah, that's true. The balance of inner and outer pressure has improved." Squall said.
"You said they advanced the attacking mechanisms of the ship too, didn't they?"
"Yeah, it's unstoppable now!"
"Great." The computer of the Ragnarok beeped.
"Arrival at preprogrammed station. Please prepare the landing process…" it said.
"And this auto pilot inserted is so efficient…" Squall added in. They had landed not far from Centra Ruins, and walked a little before they reached it. Rinoa gazed the weird tower and said:
"It's been a long time since we last came to this place…"
"Yeah." Squall replied
"I wonder if the Tonberries will come up and greet us with their natural, unfriendly ways…" Squall said. But the Tonberries did not appear. Instead they found the two Prophets that had came to Garden yesterday.
"Hello Squall." Said the younger one.
"Hello. I'm here now. Where's the other Prophets?" Squall said.
"Just go down these stairs…" said the other Prophet showing them a staircase next to them. They went down and went ahead to the path that they saw. Soon they could hear voices and sounds of a normally alive place, like a village. A great underground cave was what they saw next, and the place was full of small camps where the Prophets were staying.
"Wow, these people are really organized!" Rinoa said.
"Yeah, I think it's gonna be hard to find Kalha…" Squall said looking all around for his Tutor.
"Squall! Here!" A voice came to his ears. A man was coming their way. It was Kalha.
"Hello Squall!" Kalha said saluting him typically, bringing his punch to his forehead.
"Hello Kalha. It's good to see you again." Squall replied saluting him.
"I see you brought your friends along! Sorceress Rinoa, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Seifer aren't you? Yes I can remember you, it's good to see you again." Kalha said greeting the other two.
"So Squall, you decided to come to your first Prophet assembly? Good. This experience is going to be good for you. Come with me, I'm sure you're tired from he trip." Kalha said and led them into the camp, passing by the other tents. Outside the tents were other Prophets, and many as Squall passed by whispered about him. They reached Kalha's tent. It was a big, cozy tent, with a fire burning in front of it.
"Grandpa! Did he come? Did he come?" a young kid shouted from in the tent and moved out to see them.
"Yes Tiresias, Squall did come. And don't shout, you're annoying the others. Show some respect!" Kalha said, scolding the young boy.
"Sorry…" Tiresias replied. Then he looked at Squall and Seifer seriously.
"I forgot to say 'thank you' the last time I saw you guys. For beating that big ugly monster that was making us all sick. If I wasn't sick, I would have whacked it by myself!" the kid said. Seifer burst into laughter, and Squall giggled.
"It's ok. Next time you'll get to…whack a monster before us." He told Tiresias.
"Now, you little squirt, go and play, I want to talk to the kids please." Kalha said to Tiresias.
"Aw! This always happens! When I want to hear you talk with an other person you tell me to go and play!"
"Just do what I told you to, or I'll hang you upside down from the ceiling of the cave!"
"ok, ok…" Tiresias said and ran off away from his grandfather.
"He's too little for this conversation… Now Squall, I know that you've been very busy lately and that you have had many encounters with gods, am I correct?"
"Heh, yeah you are. You were right. There are many gods in this world and we certainly have forgotten how to treat them." Squall replied.
"Ah, yes, that's a good answer."
"So, what actually do the Prophets do here?" Rinoa asked.
"Actually…nothing."
"Nothing?!" the three kids asked all together.
"Well, at least most do nothing. The Elders actually do work here. They converse and take decisions, important ones. Sometimes their decisions have changed the course of whole nations."
"Wow…" Rinoa gasped.
"And what about the rest?" Seifer asked this time.
"Well, the younger ones like to challenge each other in tests of wisdom, power and constitution. They use their powers to determine who is the best of them. I think you'd like to take a challenge like that, now don't you?"
"Actually yeah."
"I know that…but you can't do much with your powers yet right?"
"Yeah. I can't move a boulder, or conquer the mind of someone yet…"
"That's because you left before I could teach you, you stupid." Kalha said scolding Squall.
"Uh…yeah, that's right…sorry…"
"Never mind, we'll finish the lessons now. Uh, Seifer, Rinoa, could I ask you to please go gather more firewood? I would like some privacy with my student…" Kalha said.
"Alright." Rinoa said and followed by Seifer left them alone.
"Ok Squall, come in the tent with me, I'll teach you some advanced usage of your power." Kalha said as he entered the tent. Squall followed him. As he got in, the old man turned around and placed his hand on Squall's shoulder.
"Why Squall?" he asked him. "Why did you keep it a secret? Why didn't you tell them all you're a Sorcerer now? Why did you hide the truth?" he said.
"I just couldn't Kalha. It's a too heavy burden for me…Imagine how hard it would be for the others…"
"Squall, your friends aren't as weak as you think they are! Trust them! Trust them for gods' sake! They will understand better than you think!"
"But…"
"But, but, but! Never say that word when you don't mean it!" Kalha said as he hit Squall on the head with his stick.
"OUCH!"
"Just a reminder that I teach my students, not only the usage of their power, but also which decisions should be taken when!"
"Ow! Geez! Please don't do that again! I don't know how much my head can take!"
"Your head can do much you know. Let me show you haw to move objects with your mind."
"Yeah? So I can throw people anywhere just like in the 'Matrix'?" Squall joked as he ducked to avoid Kalha's stick.
"Say another lame one like that and I'll bust your head… Pay attention!"
Rinoa and Seifer came back later with firewood. They met up with Tiresias on their way back to the camp.
"Hi Tiresias!" Rinoa said seeing the little boy.
"Hello Sorceress Rinoa!" he replied.
"Has Squall finished his lesson with Kalha?"
"Not yet…and Grandpa is beating the hell outta poor Squall's head cause isn't doing things right…"
"Uh-oh…" Seifer said sarcastically. All three of them went to their camp, and Rinoa thought that she didn't like the way some young Prophets were looking at her. They were staring as if they hadn't seen a girl in their lives before! They stacked the firewood where it could be handy, and Rinoa helped Tiresias prepare tea. Seifer sat down and stared at the people around them. After a while, Kalha came out of the tent, looking a little tired.
"Hi Grandpa! How did Squall go?"
"Very good. He can lift anything with his mind, but he has a small problem…" His speech was interrupted from a loud thud from inside the tent.
"He just lost control and the stool has landed on him. I'm afraid I pressured him more than I should have…"
"Grandpa!"
"Yes, I did give him a few smacks because he wasn't paying much attention. He's having a headache now, and so do I and I'd appreciate it if you gave me a Remedy please…" Squall came out of the tent holding his head.
"Man, that hurt…" he said.
"Squall, show us what you learnt!" Rinoa said.
"Yes, go on, practice makes perfect. Lift something in the air." Kalha said from his seat around the fire. Squall just smiled and suddenly Kalha was floating!
"Not me!" he yelled when he realized what was going on.
"Very funny Squall…"
"Can you control someone's mind now Squall?" Tiresias asked eagerly.
"Yeah…" Squall said and looked at Seifer.
"What?" he said sharply, and then stooped talking. Squall kept looking at Seifer straight in the eyes, and Seifer started saying repeatedly:
"I'm a sucker, I'm a sucker, I'm a sucker…" Rinoa and Tiresias burst into laughter and Kalha giggled. Squall stooped controlling Seifer's mind and giggled.
"*#_$%^@ Squall!!!" Seifer said when he realized what Squall had made him say. After a while, Kalha was telling the kids things he had seen in the past, in the 3 generations he had lived, to make the time go by.
"Squall, I have the bad feeling you are going to be challenged right now…"Kalha said looking at someone behind them. A young, bossy fellow and some other young chaps were walking their way.
"Well, well, well…looks like this old geezer found a new sucker to be his student!" the first man said.
"Watch your mouth about my Tutor." Squall said calmly.
"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do to me?" the other guy replied.
"…" Squall kept staring at the fire across him. If he lost control, he could bring the whole place down.
"What? You a chicken too much?" the other guy sneered.
"…" The other guy found it funny to toy with Squall, and decided to provoke him. He looked at Seifer and a rope that was nearby. Suddenly the rope came to life and wrapped itself around Seifer's neck, choking him.
"Gharg!" Seifer cried out trying to pull the rope from his neck.
"Seifer!" Tiresias cried out.
"Stop! Stop that!" Rinoa screamed. That was too much for Squall. He jumped up and stared at the rope. It broke, freeing Seifer, who was almost being strangled.
"Our powers are only for good causes." Squall scolded the young man.
"I don't care about the fucking rules. I make rules." He replied.
"…" Squall didn't answer that one, so that he wouldn't provoke him. The other guy looked at all of them. His eyes stopped at Rinoa.
"By the way, this Sorceress here, she's a pretty broad…I bet she's a hell of a fuck…" He didn't finish his phrase. Squall had attacked him, throwing him on the ground, kneeled over him and raised his punch over his head to hit the other guy.
"You say one more word about Rinoa, and your dead." Squall growled.
"Squall!" Kalha said sharply. Squall looked at his Tutor and nodded affirmatively. He let the other guy, and turning his back to him, went back to the others. The other chaps left, and they one Squall had attacked was swearing out loud.
"…" he was furious.
"Man, Squall…" Seifer started, but Rinoa told him to be quiet.
"Squall, you must learn to control yourself. If you had used your power, you could have killed him."
"I wish I had…" Squall murmured.
"…You don't believe what you said."
"Maybe I don't, but I won't have that kind of behavior against Rinoa!"
"I understand your anger and…" Before Kalha could say any more he spotted a few other men coming their way, and his face took a very, very serious look.
"Oh dear…" he said.
"Prophet Kalha. We have a report that your student attacked another student. The Tutor of the student wants him to be punished." Kalha got angry.
"Tell Ventrou that my student was deeply offended by his little brat, and that I'll have a nice talk with him later, or even better, NOW if he wants!" he said sharply. The man stared at Kalha one last time and then nodded to the men following him. They turned their backs at them, and left.
"Control myself…Look who's talking…" Squall said.
"Ah, yes. Never mind about me. I'm sure that darned Ventrou will want you to have a challenge with his student, that darn Kail. Kail is very good, but you are better. You know why…"
"Yeah, I do. My Sorcery empowers the prophecy power."
"Your what!?!?!?" Seifer gasped.
"…I was going to tell you guys. I've became a Sorcerer myself."
"Wha…?" Seifer kept gasping.
"It was a couple of months ago. Cid had sent me on a mission and…" Squall told Seifer all about that mission, that mission that changed his life in a drastic way. About Raspudin, the unicorns, everything.
"I only told Rinoa about this. She helped me control this power. But there's something I fear about this power. The Force Raspudin gave me, it a Dark Force. The power I draw from it is…evil. But under the command of my own Force, the one I have from my ancestor, Kallinike is a good Force, and control the other one. It's pretty complicated and even I can't understand it well. The evil that comes from Raspudin's Force is used for good. That's something weird."
"Ah, Squall. They say that there is no light without dark, and no dark without light." Kalha interrupted.
"I still can't believe this…" Seifer gasped.
"I know it's hard. I guess you're angry with me now…" Squall said sadly.
"No, it's not that. I can't feel angry. I'm…surprised. I don't know how to react. Squall, a Sorcerer…I can't digest it…But I guess it doesn't matter now. We're still a team, we're still together and we're still friends! I don't care, and I'm sure that no one will care whether you're a Sorcerer. You're still Squall."
"Wise words out of such a young mind…Very good." Kalha said.
"And that means, since you're still Squall, I'll always kick your butt, no matter what happens!" Seifer said with a smile. Squall giggled. Then he turned to Kalha.
"Kalha, what were those men that came after that Kail idiot? What did they want?" Squall asked.
"They were from the Elders. They know what's going on around the camp and make sure nothing bad happens. Unfortunately, Ventrou, has them by his side…" Kalha replied.
"That is so unfair!" Rinoa exclaimed.
"Yes, it is. But I can't do anything about it."
"Uh-oh, they're coming again…" Seifer said looking at the prophets that were approaching them. A man of middle age and medium build was leading them.
"Kalha!" he shouted.
"Yes Ventrou…?" Kalha replied.
"I think we should settle our differences now, after the attack of your student against mine. Let's have them challenge one another. My best student against your…only student…" Ventrou said looking at Squall. Squall looked back at Ventrou.
"My student isn't ready for the challenges and…?" Kalha started, but stopped. Squall was gazing straight at his eyes, telling him his thoughts.
"I see…Very well Ventrou. My student accepted the challenge." Kalha said, but his voice wasn't steady at all. Squall got up. He went over to Kalha.
"Is there any advise you have to give me?" he asked.
"…No. Just don't let him conquer your mind, or read your thoughts. Block him like I taught you. Oh, and the advise… Don't let him beat you." He replied.
"Ok." Rinoa was worried.
"Squall…" she said.
"Trust him…" Kalha told her.
"Hey Squall…" Seifer said.
"Yeah?"
"In case you die, can I take your Gunblade?" he joked.
"In your dreams Seifer…The Lionheart is coming to the grave with me…" Squall replied with a smile. Kail was waiting for him. He looked furious, and Squall was sure that revenge was in his plans. Squall stood across him, staring at him. Ventrou went up to Kail and whispered something in his ear. Kail smiled. He stared at Squall through the eyes, and Squall could feel him trying to sneak in his mind. That got him angry. He fought back, throwing Kail out of his mind, and tried to enter his. Kail fought back. Squall had an idea. He stared at Kail eyes, and using his Prophet powers in combination with the power of his Force, 'played' Kail's biggest fears in his mind. Kail screamed and fell on the floor. He rolled where he fell, just like if something had wrapped itself around him. He was shouting
"Take them off me! Take them off me!!!" Rinoa and Seifer were amazed. What the hell was going on?
"That was very clever of Squall. He's using Kail's fears against him." Kalha said.
"What?" Rinoa said.
"Kail is afraid of snakes. Squall has made him think that a large snake is wrapped around him. Very clever." Kalha explained.
"? You mean Squall has hypnotized Kail?" Seifer asked.
"In a way, yes." Kail kept screaming, until Squall decided that was enough. He snapped Kail out the dream, and Kail stopped rolling on the ground. He looked all around him.
"Wha…?" he gasped. The he remembered Squall.
"You!" he said.
"…" Squall crossed his hands over his chest and just stared at Kail. Squall was angry.
"You know what? That was a good move. Maybe you're not such an idiot." Kail said.
"…"
"But that's it. I'm going to make you a lifeless, mindless plant. I'll take away all the intelligence that you have. And I'm going to get Rinoa. I'll have some fun with her and then kill her! I'll…!!!" Kail gasped. Squall was furious. His eyes were like flaming. He stared straight at Kail.
"Look into my eyes Kail…" Squall whispered. Kail was terrified. He wasn't gazing at a human. A demon was standing right in front of him. Squall was no human to his eyes.
"AAAHHH! He's got the Lion Eye! He's got the Lion Eye!" Kail shouted as he fell to his knees and crossed his arms over his chest in pain. The next second a dozen of Prophets had fallen onto Squall and captured him. They pushed him to his knees. Seifer, Rinoa and Kalha tried to go near him, but other Prophets kept them away.
"Squall!!" Rinoa shouted. Ventrou looked at Squall's eyes. He jumped back in fear.
"It's true! He has it! He has the Lion Eye!" He said terrified.
"Stay away from him!" Kalha shouted as he managed to break away from the guards, and go near him.
"I took Squall under my Tuition knowing he has the Gift. I taught him how to use it right. Yes, he is a Sorcerer. He has Prophesy power higher that ours. But he is not to be feared. He knows nothing about the Lion Eye, but I believe that it is time he learnt." He said, placing his hand on Squall's shoulder.
"The Elders of the Jihad aren't so sure about your words, Kalha." An old man said.
"He must be an Elder…" Squall thought.
"Why? Have I ever said a lie and tried to hide the truth Arnaux? Have I? Squall ignores the greatest power he possesses, and even he did know, I doubt he would ever try to turn it against the world. Do you think I would allow that? Do you think Apollo would had given his gift to him if he did not read his soul correctly?" Kalha said to the Elder.
"You try to defend someone who only because of his power is our enemy, Kalha? I still see your compassion, but this a totally different matter."
"No, it is not different Arnaux. Squall has the Gift only because he is a Leonhart. We know very well the family of the Leonharts has a long story in these powers. Haven't you met Andros? Didn't you see his powers? Didn't you learn from him? He may not have been a Prophet, but surely we learnt a lot from him."
"Can I ask something now? What is going on? Why do you consider me an enemy?" Squall asked budding in. His patience had reached a limit.
"You mean…he knows nothing about the Gift?" Arnaux said.
"No, he has never heard of it before, what do you think I'm trying to explain to you!" Kalha replied.
"…" Arnaux kept gasping.
"I think it's time I told you about this. The Lion Eye is the power to make another Prophet lose his power temporarily, and cause an internal pain. If you wanted you could have caused to Kail any kind of wound, just by imagining it. In few words, you can cause anything to a Prophet. To common human, this power would be devastating." Kalha said.
"I see…but I think it isn't that important. I bet a lot of Prophets can do that." Squall replied shrugging his shoulders.
"Ah, that's what you think. It's a very rare power, and only the strongest of the Prophets will ever have the right to command it. And from those who had it, in history they are recorded as tyrants." Arnaux explained. Squall was skeptical. This power he owned without knowing it could turn his species against him.
"I don't care about the past situations. All that matters is now. I think that way because I was raised that way." He said after some thinking.
"And Squall is different from us all only because he was raised in different environment. He can use para-magic, and Sorcery, but he's mostly used to fight with his Gunblade." Kalha said.
"… I understand. But the Elders of the Jihad would want to interrogate him. Just to be sure." Arnaux said after slight hesitation.
"I'll gladly come to explain I have no interest in conquering the world…" Squall grumbled, rubbing his neck where the guards had pressed him down.
"Then, follow me." Arnaux said and walked away, and the crowd was sidestepping to let him pass by. Squall rushed to follow him, and Kalha, Rinoa and Seifer followed. Arnaux led them to the end of the cave, where only a great big tent was found.
"This is the tent of the Elders of the Jihad, enter it with respect." Arnaux said. They followed him as he went in. Squall waited a few seconds for his eyes to get used to the dim light, and saw that some figures were sitting solemnly around a dying fire.
"So, you're the one with the Lion Eye." One of them said. Squall stood before them proudly, and without fear.
"Yes." He replied.
"…And you believe you will be able to control that power?" another one asked.
"Squall, beware of those trap questions…" Kalha had told him through his mind.
"That will depend on the way I will be treated. If they treat me as an enemy, any action I do will be considered hostile, but if I'm treated as a normal Prophet, nothing will happen." Squall replied.
"…You want to be treated as a normal Prophet…how can we do that knowing you have the Gift?" another Elder asked.
"I only recently found out this power. It's not something I've lived with through the years. I know a gift can become a curse for others if not used properly. I'd say this power is pretty useless to me."
"Oh? And why is that?" an Elder asked.
"I don't really need the Lion Eye to cause pain. I can kill someone easily with my Gunblade."
"Ah, so you enjoy killing people?!" the first Elder asked him.
"That would depend on the kind of human. I know good people and people that only think of how to gain power. The truth is, I don't really like taking away lives. But if they try to take away my life, I have nothing left that to fight back. I'm a SeeD. I was raised in a military academy. Fighting is what I was taught, and fighting is the thing I know the best. But, I chose that path of my life because I thought it would allow me to move on with my life. And I think my choice was right. Or I would have never been here now." Squall said lowly.
"…I see…" the Elder said after hearing Squall's answer. The head Elder was looking at Squall all the time without speaking to him.
"You know Andros Leonhart?" he said suddenly.
"I've heard of him. They say I am his descendant."
"Who said that?"
"Griever. The guardian of my family and the gods. I know very little about his story. He beat Seth once."
"True. He did. We encountered him once. Long ago. He was a very plain man, and yes, you are his descendant. There is no other reason you look so alike with him. And it's strange. You talk and act like him. You have put me in thoughts…" the head Elder said silently.
"…" Squall did not reply.
"Go. Go and wait till we call for you again. We want to think, and discuss about you. The decision will be a final one about you." The Elder said after a little thought. Squall looked at the Elders for a few seconds, and then turned away to leave them.
"Squall…" Kalha said. Squall turned to look at his Tutor.
"Good on you Squall…You knew how to answer avoiding the traps they set you. Good on you…" Rinoa was worried sick and hugged him.
"Goodness, I was so worried…" she said breathlessly. Squall hugged her back and supported her until they reached their camp. Seifer was speechless. He didn't have anything to say. Back at the camp, Tiresias was crying. When he heard them coming he lifted his head and ran up to Kalha.
"Grandpa!" he said with a sob.
"What happened?"
"Nothing. You don't need to know. But we are in a little mess now." Kalha tried to explain to the little kid.
"Squall's in trouble isn't he?" Kalha looked far away and sadly replied,
"Yes. He is. Tiresias…I can't believe you've grown to understand these matters…"
"No, I'm still too little to understand well Grandpa…"
"…" Squall had sat on a stone, and put his head in his hands. He was skeptical.
"Squall?" Seifer asked him going over to him.
"Yes?"
"There's more trouble than the Elder, right?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Seth."
"Seth?! What this time?"
"He wants to kill me."
"That's nothing new. What's gonna happen?"
"That Ventrou. He's under Seth's command. And Kail too."
"Uh-oh. Why didn't you tell the Elders?"
"You really think they'd believe me? Or Kalha or even you and Rinoa? No way."
"…"
"We have to do this ourselves."
"Does Kalha know?"
"Yeah, I told him."
"Rinoa?"
"…No. Rinoa doesn't. I'm afraid she's gonna panic if I do."
"You're an idiot. Go tell her. You want anything to catch her on surprise?"
"God…I hate it when you're right. Really, where's Rinoa?"
"I think she went with Tiresias to get some water from the well."
"I'll go find her. You stay with Kalha."
"Ok" Squall got up and walked over to the well. As he passed by other tents, he heard people murmuring about him, and felt persistent eyes watching him.
"Rinoa…" he said as he reached the well. Rinoa was there, pumping water with Tiresias.
"Oh, Squall…What's up?"
"I need to talk to you."
"Sure…Tiresias, take this skin bag please. I'll come with Squall in a minute." Tiresias took the smaller skin bag, and went off, looking back to see what they were doing.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Ventrou is under Seth's command."
"What?!"
"He and Kail are puppets of Seth's"
"That means trouble."
"Yes. We have to watch out. Kalha and Seifer know, I told them. I had to tell you too. I found that out when they both looked at me in the eye. They want to get rid of me, as usual."
"Uh-oh…"
"Just act like you don't know, and be with me as much as possible."
"Ok…Help me with these please…" Squall took a skin bag and carried it back to the camp with Rinoa. Seifer was grumpy as usual, and looked worried. Tiresias was already asleep in a corner of the tent. Kalha was smoking his pipe.
"Kalha…they're coming…" Squall said.
"Are you ready?" he replied.
"I am…" Squall said. He turned to Seifer and Rinoa.
"Ventrou and Kail are coming, Better get ready for a big bang…" Squall whispered to them.
"They're gonna attack us? Now? In the middle of the night? With so many people around here?" Seifer gasped.
"They don't care. Their goal is our death." Squall replied.
"…" Rinoa was worried. Squall exited the tent, followed by Seifer and Rinoa. Kalha was to stay inside and back them up. Once they were out, Squall looked all around him and listened to the silence of the cave. Not a sound was heard. Ventrou and Kail were walking their way.
"I knew we'd find you awake. It was so nice of you to wait for us…" Ventrou said.
"Shut up Ventrou. I know that you and your pupil are Seth's puppies. There's no point in hiding any longer." Squall growled drawing his Gunblade.
"So you want to play? I'll gladly play with you!" Kail said sadistically.
"My student and I are one body…" Ventrou said raising his staff.
"Seth! Let your power destroy the weak!" he cried out. The staff turned hot red and started glowing. A pillar of red light rose from the ground covering Kail and Ventrou.
"Damn it…" Squall thought. When the pillar faded, a big demon had appeared where Kail and Ventrou were standing. It had the body of an Iron Giant, and a bull's head with a red jewel on its forehead and big tusks coming out of its mouth. It had four hands and wielded a staff.
"What the hell is that!?" Seifer asked.
"It's Kail and Ventrou as one body. Come on! Let's fight!" Squall said as he filled his Gunblade.
"Be careful, it has Prophet powers!" Rinoa shouted.
"I'll handle its powers, just attack it!" Squall shouted back. He used his powers to suppress the monster's power. Seifer ran up the monster and slashed it with his Hyperion. Rinoa used an Aura on her and called for her Limit break, Angel Wing. She bent over and two golden angel wings grew from her back. She started floating and a warm light rinsed her. Then, she stepped on the ground again, and started casting spells that would help the battle.
"Triple!" she cast on herself, then jumped back to avoid an energy ball that the monster threw at her.
"I'M GOING TO GET YOU SQUALL!!!!" the monster roared.
"Go jump off a bridge asshole!" Squall replied as he attacked with his Gunblade, cutting through the monster's thick hide. Seifer filled up his own Gunblade and followed Squall's example, slashing the monster. In it's fury, it threw energy balls at them. Seifer and Rinoa dodged them, but Squall was hit.
"Geez!" he exclaimed as he shook he head to come to his senses. Squall decided to put his 'heavy artillery' into action. He generated a ball of mental energy in his hand.
"Eat this!" he shouted as he threw it on the monster.
"EEAARRGH!" the monster roared as the energy ball threw it backwards. It dropped its staff.
"Rinoa! The staff! Get rid of it!" Seifer shouted. Rinoa leaped and grabbed the staff, before the monster could react, and burned it with her Sorcery. Seifer slashed the monster again. It countered with a 'Psychic Beam' that affected the whole team. Rinoa felt her head was going to break.
"Ahhhhh!" Squall shouted as he absorbed the biggest amount of the attack on purpose to protect the other two.
"Ow, ow, ow….Damn you!" Seifer said. He pulled a Mega elixir from his pocket and threw it in the air. The medicine cured the team. Rinoa started firing one spell after another.
"Protect!" she cast on the three of them, followed by a triple 'Aura'.
"Rinoa, step back!" Squall said as he grasped Seifer's hand to activate the unbeatable 'Tornado Blades'. The 'Tornado Blades' was a rather recent discovery of Squall and Seifer's. They actually combined their Limit Breaks in one blasting Limit Break. Squall and Seifer started running in an open circle. With the Gunblades spread out. The tornado formed around them, and they moved towards the monster.
"AAARG!" It shouted as the tornado swallowed it. After a few seconds, it threw the monster out from the top, all chopped up.
"GGGAAAARRRRR…. YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" the monster growled. Squall foresaw its move.
"SHIT!" he shouted and rushed to protect Rinoa. But it was too late.
"DAMAGE TRANSPOSITION!" the monster roared and it's wounds disappeared, and appeared on Rinoa.
"AHHHHH!!!!!" She screamed as she fell on her knees. Squall stood in front of her as a human shield.
"Seifer! Heal her! Hurry! I'll take care of this motherfucker!" Squall shouted as Seifer rushed over to help. Squall stood across the monster and looked at it with hate.
"After this one, you'll be praying you weren't even born!" he roared with anger.
"SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT SQUALL!" the monster replied. Squall looked at the monster. The monster did the fatal mistake. It stared through Squall's eyes. And saw hell.
"AHHHHHRG!!!" It yelled holding its head with its hands. It had no control over its body now. It tried to move away, but it was no use. In the monster's eyes, Squall was the incarnation of the most horrifying things in the universe. All the fear of the world was focused in those two eyes across it.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" It roared in fear. Squall lifted his hand. He brought it in front of his eyes.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!?!?!" the monster roared as a mysterious energy field covered it.
"Your worst nightmare…" Squall said. He closed his fingers in a tight grip.
"EEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!……….." The monster roared in pain as a loud, crushing sound came from its body, as the energy fields grew tight around it. Squall was crushing it with mental power. He opened his hand again.
"AaaaaRRggg…." The monster growled weak. Kalha had come out of the tent to see the battle. "By the gods…it's true…The power…the monster is crushed…" he said silently to himself. Squall went over to the demon.
"Say goodbye to life you thing…" Squall said as he lifted the Gunblade.
"Go to hell…" The demon replied.
"Sorry, I came from there, can't go back. You know that the worst demons are kicked out of hell. If I go back, they'll kick me again…" Squall said. He brought the Gunblade down and chopped the demons head off.
"Take your servant back Seth!" Squall yelled. The monster, after dying for good, started evaporating in crimson and purple light.
"It's over…" Squall thought to himself and closed his eyes, looking up. He wanted to calm down. All the camp had awakened from the noise and had gathered around the battlefield to see what was going on. They were gazing at Squall with awe. And fear. Squall didn't care. All he wanted was to calm down. Kalha went up to him.
"Squall…" he said silently. Squall opened his eyes and looked at his Tutor.
"You were excellent…not even an Elder could have given out all that power…Squall…I'm so proud of you! Thank you!" Kalha said with a tone of emotion in his voice.
"Hey old man…Nothing of this could have happened without your tuition…I should thank you." Squall replied. Kalha smiled. Squall walked over to Rinoa. He hugged her.
"I'm sorry…" he said.
"For what? Why are you apologizing Squall?" she replied.
"I let you get hurt. I wasn't fast enough to protect you."
"That's silly. You couldn't have helped. You're not a god. You can't do everything."
" I guess you're right." Seifer went over to Kalha and looked at the crowd that was murmuring out loud.
"The Elders are coming, huh?" Seifer asked with slight worry.
"Yes." Kalha replied with an unsteady voice.
"What's the worst that could happen to Squall?"
"They'd turn him into a lifeless person, with no personality at all. He would be like a machine…In few words, they'd take his soul away from him…"
"Shit…" The Elders walked over to them. Squall and Rinoa moved close to Kalha and Seifer. Tiresias crept next to Kalha. They were ready for anything.
"Prophet Kalha!" the head Elder said. Kalha gulped in worry.
"Your words were right. There is no such thing as bad student. Only a bad Tutor. Forgive us for doubting about you. Your student is very strong, but knows what is right and what is wrong. He is welcomed in the community." Kalha sighed with relief.
"Thank you head Elder... Your words are an honor."
"Prophet Squall!" Squall looked up at the head Elder.
"Please accept my apology for doubting you as well. You fight Seth, and now I know that well. Apollo was right to give you the power to predict the future and see the past and the present. Allow me to honor you by asking you to become a member of the ancient Order of the Jihad." The crowd started murmuring louder, and that made Squall, Seifer and Rinoa understand that that was a major honor.
"Umm…Excuse my question, but, what is the Order of the Jihad?" Squall asked, after a little hesitation.
"This is a good opportunity for the old to remember and the young to learn." An Elder replied.
"The Order of the Jihad is a very old order of knights that had acquired Prophet powers. Much like you. Today the order counts very few members. So it would be great honor if you accepted the offer. The 'knights', I will call the members in accord to your culture, are different than us normal Prophets. They know how to fight with a sword and with their power. Today, they are the warriors of our kind. The men-at- arms we have here are members of the order. But Elites are very few…So, do you wish to become a member of the Order of the Jihad?" Squall thought for a little. He was curious to see what that order was. Right then Apollo got into his mind and persuaded him to agree.
"Ok. I'll be honored to become a member of the Order." He replied.
"Excellent. You must talk to the members of the Order. Rashid here will guide you." The head Elder said and one of the guards approached him.
"Come with me." He said.
"Do you have a friend to escort you? You need a friend to be with you in this." Squall smiled and turned to Seifer.
"Come on. You might get the chance to see me getting humiliated or something." Squall said. Seifer giggled softly and followed them. Seifer and Squall followed Rashid to the other end of the cave, where they entered a smaller sub-cave. Rinoa looked at Kalha.
"Everything's gonna be ok, right?" she asked him.
"I wouldn't be so sure…This is painful for me, but I must tell you. In older times, my son and Tiresias' father, Jason, went to qualify as a 'knight'. For one to be accepted as a knight, he must battle the Order's champion in a hand-to-hand battle, without weapons, and without powers. The battle is a life-and-death one. The champion, Goliath, was a fierce opponent. He killed Jason. I don't know the champion of today and I'm afraid about Squall's life…" Kalha said with sadness.
"…" Rinoa looked at Kalha with worry.
"How good are his chances to win?" she asked him with worry.
"Well…I'd say, 50-50…" Kalha said.
"…" Rinoa almost started crying.
"Have faith in him Rinoa! Faith is the only thing that we can do to help him! Have faith in him!" Kalha tried to comfort her.
Meanwhile, Rashid had led Squall and Seifer to a smaller cave which was lit with torches. There were other people in there, armed, but definitely Prophets as Squall could sense.
"Well, well, well…You were the one who caused all the rumble before? Whew, you sure can make quite a noise…" one of the men said.
"…" Squall didn't reply.
"So, the head Elder says you're good enough to become a member of the order? That's good. We need some new 'blood' in here…" another giggled.
"…" Squall kept his silence.
"You don't talk much, now do you? Well, I can guess what you want. You want to be tested for the Order." A third man said.
"What test must I go through?" Squall said. He wasn't really fond of the idea of being tested.
"It's simple. You have to fight with our champion, Dart, hand-to-hand. No weapons, no Prophet powers. Ok? It's a life or death battle, and the one who lives is the winner. You ok with that?" the first man said again. Squall turned to Seifer and talked it with him.
"Squall, this is risky…" Seifer said with worry. Squall had taken the challenge calmer.
" I know, but it's worth it. Apollo insisted I did. We have good chances. Remember, we still have the junctions. 100 Ultima at my Strength-Junction, and I can whack him. Besides, if I get killed, you might get to take my Gunblade."
"Squall…I dunno man…Ah, what the hell! Go ahead." Seifer said in the end. Squall nodded affirmatively. He turned back to the other knights.
"Ok. I take the challenge." He said.
"Good! Finally some action here! Prepare yourself! Dart will prepare himself too. We will cover you in an anti-power field, so that no Prophet power is used." A man said.
"Ok. Seifer, come on. Let's do our preparation…" Rashid went with them.
"Wait, I'll come with you!" he said. They pulled themselves aside, and Squall and Seifer began work. They transmitted and refined magic, making 100 Ultima spells. They junctioned it to Squall's Strength- Junction. Then, Squall junctioned 100 Haste spells to his Speed-Junction.
"Ok. I'm ready." He said. He took off his jacket and shirt, and trusted his Gunblade and necklace to Seifer.
"Don't lose the necklace or I'll toast you…" he said. Seifer smiled.
"Just go in there and kick some ass man…" he said. Squall stood in front of the men. Another man, about his built stood opposite him.
"I'm Dart. You're the guy I'm fighting?" the other guy said.
"Yeah."
"You look confident enough…"
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Man, way too serious. Chill out will you? You're gonna die and you're all grumpy!"
"Just shut up…" Squall was anxious. He hadn't fought like this before, only really long ago with Seifer, when they were kids. Dart attacked Squall like a bullet, and Squall was surprised. Dart ran behind Squall, and jumped on his back. He wrapped his legs around Squall, and squeezed him. Squall couldn't react.
"Argh!" he exclaimed.
"Hehehe! I told you to be happy! Your death is close!" Dart said sadistically as he squeezed Squall's ribs.
"Damn it…" Squall thought. There was nothing he could do. He was choking, and the pressure was unbearable. He tried to throw Dart of his back without success. The he heard the men around him speak.
"I told you he was dead meat…" one said.
"He's worth nothing…" another said. Seifer and Rashid were in the corner trying to encourage him. The others teased him. That really got him angry. Dart has crushing him. Squall fell to his knees. He could hardly breathe, and he felt dizzy. Suddenly he heard a cracking sound at his sides. A few of his ribs broke.
"Gahh….." he moaned.
"He's worthless!" a man shouted. That was it.
"NO I'M NOT!!!!" Squall shouted and in a last resort, threw his hands back and grabbed Dart's neck. Dart was surprised.
"Argh!" he groaned. Squall clutched Dart's neck, choking him.
"Go for it Squall!" Seifer shouted. The other men were murmuring. They seemed to have refined their opinion about Squall. Squall kept holding Dart's neck, choking him.
"How's that Dart? You don't like your own medicine?" Squall groaned as he felt Dart's grip weakening. Squall got up on his feet. Despite the tremendous pain, he was choking Dart.
"Eeeeeaaaargh!" Squall growled as Dart let him go, and he threw Dart off his back, over his head and straight slam on the opposite wall. Dart's body slammed the wall with a loud thud that was followed by a strange sound. Then Dart's body fell on the ground on the neck and a crack was heard. Seifer and Rashid ran up to Squall to support him. He was in a bad condition. Blood was flowing out of his nose, and he had bruises on his abdomen. Then, Kalha and Rinoa rushed in the cave.
"Squall!" Rinoa shouted. He ran up to him and hugged him.
"Oh, Squall, I thought you were done for! Thank gods you made it!" she said as she held him in her arms.
"Come on! We have to get him to our tent! He needs care." Kalha said eagerly.
"Well Squall. You won, killing Dart. That means you are accepted in the Order. Forgive us all for doubting you. The ceremony of you accept will take place tomorrow, when you will be well." A man said. Supported by Seifer and Rashid, Squall left the cave limping. They took him to Kalha's tent, and they started taking care of his wounds. Rinoa was furious.
"I can't believe it! He fought with four broken ribs! This is insane!" she said as she tied up the bandage around Squall's chest.
"It could have been worse." Kalha said.
"Yeah, he could have gotten killed!" Seifer said.
"I know, but this is mad. And they expect him to be well tomorrow! Please!" Rinoa said furious.
"He will be. His Sorcerer powers will make sure he will be." Kalha said calmly.
"What? I can't use healing magic on broken bones. No one can. The bones will stick in wrong spots!" Squall said.
"You have self healing power Squall. Tell me, does it hurt when you speak?" Kalha said.
"…No. It did before, but now I don't feel a thing."
"See? That's it. Your body is healing you. Or rather, your Force is. Take some rest Squall, and sleep a bit. You need sleep. Seifer, Tiresias, come out with me. Rinoa stay with him, will you?" Kalha said as he exited the tent after Seifer and Tiresias.
"You're stupid." Rinoa said.
"I know I am, ouch." Squall replied.
"At least you admit it."
"Hey, Apollo told me to accept. Or I would have turned it down, really."
"That's just an excuse."
"Ok, maybe it was."
"Let's just get some sleep." Rinoa said and lied down next to Squall.
"You're gonna sleep here, with me!?" he said slightly shocked.
"Yeah. You have a problem with that?"
"No. I'm just not used to it."
"Better get used to it then…" Rinoa said with a yawn. Apollo sent Morpheus, the god of sleep to rest them. Soon, they were both fast asleep.
The next morning, when Squall woke up, Rinoa was already gone.
"Where is she?" he thought. Then he realized he didn't hurt anymore. He untied the bandage, and examined himself. Nothing. There was no broken rib nowhere. He was all well.
"Well, Kalha was right. I can heal myself." He thought as he got up and put his shirt and jacket on. He found out that Seifer had placed his Gunblade and his necklace on a stool. He put on Griever and took his Gunblade. He got out of the tent. Kalha and Seifer were there.
"Ah! There he is!" Kalha said.
"Good morning." Seifer said.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok." Squall replied. Then, Rinoa and Tiresias turned up, and Rinoa was happy to see that Squall was ok.
"You look fine! Rashid is looking for us. The ceremony of the order is going to take place. They want us to go to that little cave again."
"Well, let's go. I don't want to keep them waiting…Squall said. They all got up and walked to the small cave. The men of the order were waiting for them.
"Welcome to the Order of the Jihad Squall. As a member of the order, Apollo will have a special favor for you, and you will earn the other privileges a 'knight' has as a member of the order. You will never drown in a sea storm, and in battle, your opponent will be an easier target to your power. As a proof that you are member of the Order of the Jihad, you will wear a silver ribbon around your left arm." A man said and as Squall took off his jacket, tied a thin, silver ribbon around his left arm, above the elbow.
"Welcome to the Order Squall." He said.
"Thank you."
Later that day, Squall, Seifer and Rinoa were going to leave. Seifer and Rinoa were already in the Ragnarok, and Squall wanted to day goodbye to Kalha.
"Well, your tuition is over, and you know a lot. You're a free Prophet now." Kalha said.
"I know. But still feel attached to you." Squall replied.
"I know that. And I'm glad. To me Squall, you are the son I lost. And I'm happy I had you as my student."
"I was happy to have you as my Tutor, except your stick."
"??? Oh! Right. I suppose I was a little too hard on you…"
"That's ok. That stick helped me learn. Thank you Kalha."
"You're welcome Squall. Go on. Your friends are waiting. Go on and give evil a lesson they're gonna remember."
"Goodbye." Squall said as he entered the Ragnarok. Soon they took off, and the ship flew away fast.
"They're gonna make it Kalha…" an old man said going near Kalha.
"I know they are Arnaux. Squall doesn't give up easily, and surely he's a tough-nut-to-crack."
"And don't forget he's the Knight of the Gods. He can't fail." Kalha just smiled.
Hi, people! I'll get the next chapter up soon! See ya later!
Ruby Dragon