Chapter 9: Schizophrenic
The town of Balamb is peaceful. People are doing their daily shopping at the market, the blacksmith of the junk shop is making swords, Big Bad Rascal is playing with his friend from next door, Daisy and Mrs. Dincht is cooking Balamb fish. A group of fishers talk about the morning catch cleaning their nets, down at the docks. Suddenly a loud flapping sound is heard and a huge shadow flies above them. They aren't scared, because they know that the hulking beast that flew above them is no one but Caesar. Having reached the size of 20 meters in length, Caesar has become more than a powerful Holy Dragon. He's an essential asset in Garden's force.
"Caesar's off on a another worldwide patrol…" one of the men said.
"Yep. He sure has grown huge. Yet he still stops by my house for a Balamb fish…" another replied.
Somewhere else, somebody isn't having such a good conversation…
"The Erinyes are agreeing with our plan." Seth said.
"You mean, you convinced them?" Ares gasped not believing him.
"Yes. They say that Squall has committed murder by killing Raspudin. I took advantage of that, and their madness will strike him soon enough."
"My men can take care of that, but…" Ares said with hesitation.
"But? But what Ares? Are you hesitating?!" Seth said sharply.
"I don't like this…I'm afraid of the Superior Power's wrath…"
"The Superior Power will be under our command when the plan is complete. We will perish the weak!!" Ares stirred in his seat.
"You mean the world? The people we created with so much pain?" he said lowly.
"You're getting softer Ares?! Yes! I intend to crush the worthless mortals that crawl on the planet. Especially the SeeDs…Squall Leonhart will be the first to suffer!!!"
"Seth…I'm starting to have doubts…You intend to kill the other gods don't you."
"Yes. With the help of the blood of Gorgy, I will kill them all. And first, my brothers, Horus and Ra. Then, I will be King of the World!!! Yet, if anyone intends to take my side, I'll gladly accept him in the Army of Evil."
"Seth…I don't like the idea of destroying the people…I may be god of war, and I may like violence and death, but this goes too far. We depend on the mortals, just as they depend on us. Their legends and their minor faith are keeping us strong. We cannot perish them." Ares said lowly again.
"I see Ares…you do not wish do join me any more…"
"NO! It's not that…Well, I'll order my men to handle Squall's capture so that the Erinyes can do their work…" Ares said stiffly.
Yet, in him, there was still a weird feeling…
"How is he Quistis?" Squall asked.
"He's…so-so. It's really painful to have a dozen of Cactuar thorns on your butt and stomach..." She replied.
"Ouch…He's gonna be ok though, right?"
"Yeah, but Dr.Kadowaki says he needs to stay in the Infirmary for a day or two."
"I see…" Squall replied. Squall and Quistis were outside the Infirmary talking about Seifer. Seifer had a painful accident with a Cactuar. He was chasing a few in the Training Center's sector A, when he tripped over a twig, and fell on one…The whole Garden heard his scream of ultimate pain. Squall and Zell were around, and helped him to the Infirmary.
Well, it has been a month since Squall, Seifer and Rinoa returned to Balamb Garden from their trip to the Prophet assembly where Squall had discovered something new about himself. He had the Lion Eye. When they returned to Garden, the first thing Squall did was to tell the others he was a Sorcerer. Judging from the shocked look on their faces that day, Squall knew it would be hard for them to get used to the idea. Thankfully they all kept the secret, and they never bothered Squall when he seemed to be in thoughts or meditating. In general, they were as sure as Rinoa was that that fact would never change Squall's attitude against them, or his character.
"Man, I can't believe he managed to land on a Cactuar… Remember when we fought the Jumbo Cactuar back at Cactuar Island?" Squall said.
"Yeah, it almost pulverized you with it's Ler Plank…" Quistis replied. Suddenly Cid's voice was heard through the intercom.
"SeeD team A is requested to come to the Headmaster's office please, I repeat, SeeD team A…" 'SeeD team A' was the code name for Squall's team. It was Matron's idea.
"Cid's calling for us…" Quistis said as the walked down the hall to reach the elevator. After a while they were all at Cid's office. When he entered, they all saluted.
"Where's Seifer?" He asked before saying anything else.
"He's in the Infirmary with minor casualties Sir." Quistis reported.
"I see…Well, there's a mission for you, and I have the feeling its more serious than the client reported. There have been reports of a pirate ship, highly armed in the Centra Crater. The local fishing ships are having terrible problems. Please go and sort this out." Cid said seriously.
"Squall, I want a full report afterwards, because this has put me in thoughts."
"Yes Sir…" Squall replied.
"Since the Ragnarok has been taken from a class for training, I have arranged for you to take one of the Garden vessels. It should be waiting for you at Balamb Town's Dock. Go along." The kids saluted and left his office.
On the way to the Front Gate, Squall remembered something.
"Where's Caesar?" he said.
"I think he's off on patrol again." Rinoa replied.
"Hmmm…ok. Let's go." They left Garden and walked to Balamb town. They went straight to the docks and boarded the vessel. Squall went to speak with the pilot.
"Hi! I'm your pilot, my name's Bill." The man said.
"I'm Squall, the leader of the team." Squall replied.
"I know all of you guys. Who doesn't!?…" Bill said.
"Ok, ok, ok…just get this thing to move and let's head to Centra…" Zell said as he came in the cabin after Squall. When the vessel started moving, the team made themselves comfortable in the seats, and were talking to each other. Squall was thinking, as usual. Bill proved to be a good captain. They reached Centra a lot sooner than they expected.
"Just patrol around the area and scout the inlets." Squall told him when he went up to the bridge to have a look of what was going on. After a while, they had encountered nothing, and Zell had leaned his head on his chest, taking a quick 'cat nap'. Suddenly, Bill called for Squall.
"Yo, Squall, I think you betta see this mate." Squall went to the bridge to check.
"Well?" he said.
"Take a look at that inlet and tell me if you see what I see." Bill replied. Squall looked carefully at the inlet. He didn't like what he saw. There was a big ship, black in color, with a strange flag. There was a black skeleton on the prow.
"I don't like that…" Squall said. "Bill, start making maneuvers and get us as close as possible. We'll jump on board."
"Gotcha! It's piece of cake. You guys just get ready." He replied. Squall went back to the others.
"Ok guys, let's get ready to go!" Squall said. They all geared up and got ready for Squall's order to move out. Soon, Bill had approached the ship and opened the door. The team jumped out and started examining the ship.
"There's no one here!!" Zell exclaimed after a while.
"This ship is abandoned!?" Squall wondered out loud.
"What's going on here?" Selphie asked.
"Something IS going on, and it's definitely not good…" Quistis said.
"You can say that again…" Rinoa replied. Squall was scanning the ship all around him. Yes, he couldn't have been wrong. His '6th sense' was right. There was something bad on this very ship, and they were the targets. Then he saw it.
"Guys!" he shouted and everyone turned to look at him.
"Back to the vessel! Now!" He shouted. They looked at his face; he was looking towards the rear part of the ship. There was a mysterious plant there, and its tentacles were spreading like vines dangerously towards them. But, it was too late. A tentacle wrapped around Squall's leg and he fell. The tentacle was as stiff as steel.
"Arg!" Zell cried out as a tentacle was wrapped around his chest. Quistis was struggling with another one. Squall twisted and turned to free from the tentacle. But, after a few seconds he felt a little pinch on his thigh, and he felt very, very sleepy.
"Oh, no…sleeping fluid…" he thought just before he passed out cold. When Rinoa came round from the sleep, she was in a cage, with a bracelet around her wrist. She recognized it, it was an Odine bracelet. So, for the time being, she couldn't use her Sorcery.
"Welcome back to reality Rinoa…" Quistis told her sadly. Selphie was sobbing. Glafky was silent, but her eyes showed she was scared. The boys were in a cage next to them. But, only Zell and Irvine were in there.
"Bill was killed. Squall is in a separate cage." Quistis explained to Rinoa when she saw her puzzled look. Rinoa worryingly looked all over the deck of the ship. All she could see were strange men, dressed in black kelebs.
"Ares' men." She thought. Suddenly there was ruckus from the other end. All the gang turned to see. Squall was being dragged out of a small cage. He was fighting back, and he was groaning. He seemed like he had been beaten badly.
"Let him go! What are you doing to him?!" Rinoa screamed.
"He's not gonna be a hero anymore when we're done with him!" a tall man replied sardonically.
"Bring him here! These twerps must see and learn not to oppose Lord Seth!"
"Tell Seth to FUCK OFF!" Squall roared and threw with one of the men that were trying to drag him off the ship's deck. The other 6 men that were trying to drag him halted him and brought him in front of the tall man. He looked at Squall who was helpless on his knees. He still had his eagle-sharp sight.
"This will be you're punishment for opposing the Lord of Darkness!" the tall man said. Then he took a small pistol like thing from his pocket. It was a pistol needle, used for injecting vaccines to animals and people. He loaded it, with a tiny bottle filled with a green liquid, and pushed Squall's head to the side, revealing his neck.
"Whataya doin' to Squall you bastards!?" Zell shouted banging his cage's bars. The men ignored him. The tall man pinched Squall's neck who groaned, and inserted the liquid in him.
"Let him go! Back off!" the tall man said after a few seconds. The guys that were holding Squall let him go, and Squall fell on four. He breather deeply, desperately gasping for air. His eyes were wide open, and his sight was full of agony. He lifted his face and Rinoa almost screamed with the look on his face. Squall's eyes were full of desire to kill. He was mad. He had gone crazy. He laid eyes on a rather short man, and with a yell jumped on him, banging the man's head on the deck. The other men back stepped in fear. Squall was delivering punch after punch to the man's face, pulverizing it. He was nuts, worse than being under Berserk. When he killed the man, he went for the tall man, but he was faster and delivered to him a blow on the back of the neck, leaving Squall unconscious. He fell with a thump on the deck, groaning. The tall man laughed sadistically, and turned to the rest.
"You see? He's under the curse of the Erinyes! He's worse than a serial killer! Hahahaha! Such is his doom! You men! Throw him over board! Let's get rid of the waste weight!"
"Nooooo!" Rinoa cried out as some other soldiers lifted Squall's unconscious body and threw him overboard. The body fell in the water with a loud splash. Squall remembered this secession. Water filled his lungs instead of air, which until then assisted him in the action of breathing. He was going to drown.
"I remember this feeling…I'd fell once again in the sea like this…back at the orphanage…long ago…but then, Ellone and Matron saved me…Now, there's nobody…I'm…all…alone…" he thought as he drifted endlessly towards the ocean bottom. Rinoa was crying in Quistis' arms. She was shedding tears for her knight.
"He's gone! He's gone! He's gone!" she sobbed repeatedly as the pirate ship sailed across the sea.
"Shh... shh...quiet Rinoa…don't cry…we'll do something…" Selphie tried to consult her. But Rinoa just couldn't stop. She lifted her face, and looked at the two rings hanging from her necklace. She began crying again. Quistis looked at the other two girls and shook her head.
"?" Squall was floating. It was a wonderful feeling. Being so light. He felt the substance around him cool and liquid. Water.
"?" he thought. "I'm…still…alive?" he thought.
"And…I'm not out of my mind. My mind is clear…why?" He opened his eyes. He felt strange, his vision was different. He surely was underwater, but his vision was perfect. He could see underwater.
"Huh?" he thought. He tried to move his hands. But the movement was weird.
"What the…?" he thought. "I'm not in my body? What's happening?"
"You have the shape of a white dolphin Squall." A soft, crystal voice said. Squall turned his dolphin head and faced a pretty woman, about the age of 30, sitting on a rock of the ocean bed. She wore long white clothes that waved along the water. She emitted a strange light.
"Who are you?" Squall asked her with a squeaky dolphin cry.
"I'm Thetis. I'm Glafky's older sister. I'm here to help you." She replied.
"What's happened to me?" Thetis smiled sadly.
"I'm afraid Seth is winning this war. He has started capturing gods. Many are imprisoned as we speak, and I am barely free. Seth cursed you with the madness of the Erinyes. They are goddesses of punishment. It appears that you have committed a murder, and they are punishing you. But, this was an order from Seth. Under the curse you are nothing but a bloodthirsty man that will shed blood until he dies. Under the shape of an animal though, you can maintain your consciousness. That's why I turned you into a dolphin."
"How can I cure this?"
"The only one that knows is Sebeck, the god of written wisdom and scribes. You must go to him. I advise you to travel to Balamb and get Seifer and Caesar. Only rejoined you three can achieve your goal. I can also tell you this. Remedies, combined with your Prophet power can help you control yourself in human form." The sea goddess said. Squall thought of all of that for a second. Then he nodded with a squeak, and turned away to leave. He could sense his way back to Balamb, thanks to the dolphin's keen sense of direction. He moved his powerful tail and swam as fast as he could. He swam and swam and swam, passing by FH, and heading for Balamb. He jumped out of the water to check the sun's direction, and correct his course. The dolphin in him was complaining, but Squall was pushing himself to the limits. He had reached the highest speed a dolphin could hit, and speeded through the waves like a silver white bolt. After half a day's travel, he reached the shores of Balamb. When he reached shallow waters, he concentrated and turned himself into a lion. He swam to the shore, and shook his body to dry him self.
"? White lion? I wonder why…maybe it's the curse…" he thought when he saw he was a white lion. He started running towards Balamb Garden. The powerful muscles of the lion allowed him to experience the speeds a lion could reach, crossing the field. His paws thudded on the ground softly, and powerful hind legs pushed him ahead with large pounces. It was midnight when he reached the Garden. He turned into a human, and before he could lose control, he quickly drank a Remedy, and focused to push the thoughts of killing away from him. He rushed in the Garden, and woke Seifer up first.
"Squall! What's up? What happened? Where's the others?!" Seifer gasped as he saw Squall leaned over him, and pushing him.
"Big trouble. It's Seth again. He's winning. There isn't much time. We must wake Caesar up and take the Ragnarok and find the others…" Squall said quickly and in short told Seifer what had happened.
"What?! Cursed! We have to get to that temple right away!" Seifer said.
"No! We have to save the others first. They are in greater danger that I am now. I can't leave them like that." Squall replied as they reached the Quad and woke Caesar up. The dragon got furious when he heard the whole story from Squall.
"Why those bastards! I'll chew every little piece of them, and spit it out!!" He roared furious.
"Save that for later Caesar, and get ready for a pretty long night flight." Squall said and the three SeeDs hurried to Balamb Airstation. Squall and Seifer boarded the Ragnarok, and took off. Caesar was flying right by them.
"Seifer, if anything happens and I go nuts, hit me please, KO me, just do something to calm me down. Kill me if you have to, but for Horus' sake, don't let me hurt anyone…" Squall said. It was obvious he was starting to get tired from his struggle to control his emotions.
"Squall! Kill you!? Forget that!" Seifer said surprised.
"I said, if I get nuts, don't hesitate to kill me if nothing else works. I'm capable of doing anything in this state…"
"Squall!"
"Seifer!" Squall said sharply. "That's an order! I said, kill me if you have to!" Seifer didn't reply to that one, so he wouldn't exaggerate him. After a while, Squall showed obvious signs of exhaustion.
"Look! There it is!" he said as the ships sensors detected the ship.
"It's the Island closest to Hell!" Seifer replied.
"There's no life form on it…heck! Where are they!"? Seifer wondered.
"Maybe on shore…" Squall replied.
"Hey! There! That cave is an entrance to an underground building!" Seifer said.
"Yeah…you're right. And look, that small water hole is nothing but a special glass. Maybe it's a window. Hang on…we're landing." Squall replied.
Rinoa was strapped on a bed, and her heart was pounding with fear. She was in a hospital-like room. What was going to happen to her now? Where was Squall? Where were the others? She was trying to find answers to those questions when the tall man and a few more came in the chamber.
"Well Dr.Galinus, how is the virus going?" The tall man asked. A mid-age man, wearing a white doctor's robe, looked at Rinoa pleased and replied.
"The process is finished, Xiam. The virus 'Z84Gln' is at it's most advanced evolution. It's deadly and the effects are very fast. I'm glad you could get me a living human specimen to test the final form."
"Heh, and there are 5 more for your future experiments. You Galinus will mostly please Lord Seth. He will reward you generously…"
"Oh…I am very pleased to know that I satisfy the Lord…It's is an honor to work for the future King Of the World."
"So, what's the show now?" Another one of the men asked.
"Nihihihi…something you will enjoy Lomer. I'll inject the virus into the girl. When she dies, I'll capture her Sorcery in a machine, and you can use it as you please." Galinus replied with a hyena like giggle. Lomer smiled. Rinoa heard all this, and her heart almost stopped. She would die now. It was over, and her end was tragic, and dishonoring.
"…Shanee…atemo…lifa secre…a remi reza…a secou, a secou…A telemore Rinoa, a telemore…terra acepto to tiha…asha…asha…" Rinoa started singing quietly, to make her fear go away. It was a sad song, which was the ancient language of the Sorceress, and it was a mourn for a dead Sorceress. Galinus, ignoring her song, picked up a needle pistol, and filled it up with a white liquid- the virus.
"…Shika to lifa Rinoa…" she said finally and awaited her doom. Galinus was just about to pierce her neck when a crashing sound was heard, and the ceiling window broke, and two men landed on the floor, back-to-back, ready to fight.
"It's the Leonhart! Guards! GUARDS!" Xiam yelled and drew his sword. From the door behind them, instead of a bunch of soldiers, Caesar crashed his head in, and Irvine, Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Glafky came in wielding their weapons, ready to fight.
"KILL THEM!" Xiam roared and lifted his sword to hit Squall. Squall jumped aside, and Xiam's sword hit the floor. Squall and Seifer attacked together and slashed Xiam almost in half. A spell from Quistis missed and hit the bed Rinoa was on. It tumbled, and Rinoa was free. She jumped aside, and tried to remove the Odine bracelet. Caesar protected her, grabbing in his jaws anyone that would attack her. Xiam, although injured kept attacking Squall and Seifer. All around them, the guys were fighting with passion, helping Squall and Seifer. Galinus had crouched in a corner, trying to protect himself.
"Yaaaaaaa!!!" Squall yelled as he sliced Xiam's head off his shoulders.
"Squall! Get the doctor! He has a dangerous virus!" Rinoa yelled from her corner. She was still trying to get rid of the bracelet. Squall looked all around him, and spotted Galinus trying to crawl away. In his fury to escape, he had dropped the needle pistol. Squall hurled towards it, grabbed it, and with two steps had grabbed Galinus from the shoulder. He held him tight.
"And what about your experiment, Doc? The one you wanted to use so much?2 he said.
"Nooo!" Galinus cried out.
"Aele terka douma Anubis! (May you face the wrath of Anubis!) " Squall shouted as he injected the virus in Galinus.
"EAAARRHFFGGG!" he shouted as his body started dissolving. The virus appeared to be a horrible plague. He swirled and twisted and, looking for help, approached the man named Lomer. He had a cut on his arm, and Galinus tried to grasp him.
"No, you idiot! You're gonna infect m..." Lomer said but his speech was cut short when Galinus touched his hound and infected him. Now Lomer began twisting in pain, his flesh dissolving from the drastic virus. Galinus fell to the ground with a soft thump, looking like a horrible piece of meat left long time to rotten. Lomer fell just seconds after Galinus. Squall made a face of disgust and turned his back around to help the others. Rinoa still couldn't get rid of the damn bracelet, and was beginning to lose her temper.
"Come ON!" she said from her teeth. Squall and Seifer fought back to back, and the other guys raged all around them. After a little, they managed to kill all their enemies.
"Whew! That was a hell of a battle!" Irvine said running his hand on his sweaty forehead.
"At least, now we can…Squall?!" Seifer said as he saw Squall supporting himself on a wall. He didn't seem well.
"Oh no! He's losing it again!" Seifer said out loud and quickly moved towards him. He grasped Squall by the collar, and prepared to hit him, as the mad look returned to his face.
"This is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you Squall!" he said and punched Squall. Squall fell in Zell's arms unconscious.
"Better to keep him unconscious. He said he's dangerous if he's awake." Seifer explained. Then he told them about Sebeck's temple.
"We gotta get there fast!" Rinoa said. "It's Squall's only chance of getting cured!" Seifer nodded affirmatively.
"Let's hurry up then." Zell and Seifer carried Squall to the Ragnarok. They strapped him in a seat, and sat on opposite sides of him, just in case. Quistis was helping Rinoa to get rid of the bracelet, while Selphie took off.
"I wonder, where is the temple?" she said.
"I know!" Caesar said through his communication device. "It's 40 miles north-west of Deling, right under a big rock. I know the way!" he said and took the lead with Ragnarok flying right behind him. Caesar was right. After a while, he led them to the big rock, where an opening was visible.
"See those carvings? They are the ancient language. Squall told me they were Sebeck's." he said, pointing a carved block on the stone. Rinoa, Quistis, Glafky and Seifer entered the cave, while Caesar, Zell, Selphie and Irvine stayed with Squall.
"Man, this is spooky…" Glafky said.
"Yeah…" Quistis replied.
"This way, I can see light!" Rinoa said. They moved deeper in the tunnel and reached the Temple of Sebeck. They were astonished. In the center of the room was a statue of Sebeck, the crocodile headed god, surrounded by shelves filled with ancient books.
"…Now, what do we do?" Seifer asked. Suddenly the statue began glowing, and a mysterious voice came from it.
"You have come to seek remedy for the cursed Leonhart, correct?" Sebeck said.
"Y-yes…" Rinoa said.
"Please great god, we seek your advice. The Erinyes have cursed Squall. We want to cure him. Tell us what must be done, and we will do it." she said.
"There is one thing that can be done." Sebeck said.
" You must go and find Isis, the great goddess, mother of all gods and living creatures, creator of life, wife of the great Hyne. She is the mother of the Erinyes. You must beg her to soften her daughters' wrath. She will ask the goddesses of punishment to forgive Squall, and cleanse him from his sin that has caused his curse. Only Isis can help you. Isis' sacred ground is under the Tomb of the Unknown King. You must ask his soul to open the gate to her kingdom. Call him by his name, and he will come."
"But, no one knows his name! How will we call him?!" Quistis asked.
"The Unknown King is the great king Ataman of Galbadia. Call him, and he shall open the gate." In a flash of light, a wrapped scroll appeared, hovering in front of them.
"Take this scroll. With this, Isis will welcome you. But beware; Seth has set you tests to pass to reach the Mother of the Gods. Succeed in them, and the Leonhart will be cured." Sebeck said as Rinoa took the scroll. The light of the statue faded away. Rinoa held the scroll for a few moments, and then turned around to her friends.
"Come on, let's go. Let's go find Isis…" She said, and her voice was not steady at all. They exited the cave, and headed back to the Ragnarok. Squall was still sleeping, strapped on his seat. Rinoa looked at him and gulped.
"Let's go!" Seifer said. Selphie sat at the pilot seat with Zell as the co-pilot and took off. Caesar followed. They sped through the horizon, rushing towards the Tomb of the Unknown King. They entered the Tomb. Caesar had to squeeze a little.
"Gosh…it's as spooky as always…" Selphie said rubbing her arms to warm them.
"…Yeah." Zell agreed. He and Seifer carried Squall.
"Ok, we're here." Rinoa said as they stooped in front of the stone coffin that enclosed the Unknown King.
"King Ataman of Galbadia! We call you!" Rinoa cried out. They waited in silence for a few seconds. Then, the coffin's lid opened, and the Unknown King's ghost came out.
"Hmmm!? Who has called me by name after 600 years of silence?" he asked with an out world voice.
"Can you please lead us to the Kingdom of Isis?" Rinoa asked as politely as she could. King Ataman said something they hadn't expected.
"…Isis? What do you want that bitch for?!" he asked surprised.
"…Erm…to heal our friend…" Quistis replied, still shocked by Ataman's remark on Isis.
"Oh, I see now. All right, I shall open the gate for you. All you have to do is wait a sec. I'll open the gate for you. It's going to be a little jolty." King Ataman said. The SeeDs looked at each other.
"Do you want to cure him or what?!" Ataman said.
"Yes!" Rinoa said. The ghost of Ataman fell back in the coffin and after a few only seconds, a whirlwind of colors emerged from it, sucking them all in it. It was too sudden for them to react. They were liked sucked down a drain. Rinoa closed her eyes tightly from worry, and she wanted to scream, but she couldn't open her mouth. The experience lasted very little. After only seconds, they found themselves standing in a great underground cave, whose walls shone dimly. They looked all around them amazed.
"This is where I leave you kids. You have to continue on your own. Things won't be easy, but if you let the friendship and the love you have for each other guide you, you will make it. This is a quest of the mind and the heart. I wish you good luck." Ataman said and disappeared. They looked at each other.
"Now what do we do?" Selphie asked.
"What Squall would do. Follow the path." Seifer replied and after they laid Squall on Caesar's back, they followed the only path they could see. After walking for a little, they heard something, like the sound of something big breathing hoarsely. Caesar breather the air to smell it. His face took a surprised expression and he opened his great mouth and roared so loudly the cave shook. After a few seconds, another roar came as an answer to Caesar's.
"It's him! Follow me! Follow me!" He told the others and trotted ahead with thundering footsteps. A few meters ahead the kids stooped astonished from what they met. A dragon that looked like Caesar, only much bigger lied on the floor. He was breathing weakly, and his eyes were dark. He looked ill.
"Grandfather?" Caesar said softly, going close to the great dragon. The dragon lifted his crested head a little, very weak.
" Caesar? Is this you my son?" it said. "Is this really you?"
"Yes Grandfather!" Caesar said and rubbed his snout on the dragon's one.
"Finally…you have came…I was hoping you would. I have not heard of you for a long time…but tell me, what are you doing with humans? I can smell their presence…"
"Ah… these are my dearest friends. They helped killing Carnorium! And, I carry the descendant of Andros Grandfather! He is with me!"
"Of Andros?! I can't believe it! Has the Leonhart taken revenge for Andros?"
"Yes Grandfather, he killed the traitor!"
"Ah…Then…I can rest now…I am so happy I have been able to see you again, Caesar. You are a worthy son of mine…I can see you have grown big and strong. I am proud of you. Now, it is my time to go…"
"No Grandfather! The Holy Dragons need you now more than ever!"
"They need a young, strong and courageous Divine Dragon. And that is you Caesar. You will be the Divine Dragon after me, and your son or grandson will be the Divine Dragon after you…" None of the kids spoke. They realized they were watching something rare and precious.
" I can't become a Divine Dragon. I haven't got the experience!" Caesar said.
"You have the heart for it. And you have the friends to support you…I want you to fight the Lord of Evil with the Leonhart. Because he will. Caesar! Lead the Holy Dragons against the Evil that is coming upon the world! You must!" The Divine Dragon replied.
"I will." Caesar replied.
"Please…stay with me these last moments I have in this world…" Divine Dragon said and laid his head on the ground again.
"I am so tired…" he said and closed his blind eyes. Caesar turned to his friends.
"Guys, take Squall and move ahead without me. I'll stay here…I'll try to catch up with you later." The kids nodded and after taking Squall from Caesar's back, they carried him, and moved ahead in the mysterious corridor. They were worried like hell. They knew thay had to hurry because Seth could be materializing his plans that very moment. After a little more walking, they came across a large chamber with 6 doors.
"Now where do we go?" Irvine wondered.
"Look! There's a script carved on the floor!" Selphie said. They all crouched over it to read it.
"You have well reached here.
You have a long way ahead,
But a short way to return now.
Death is ahead, salvation behind you.
Chose only one of us gates.
One of us will take you ahead,
One of us will take you back
To where you came from with safety,
Two of us will bring you back here,
And three of us will lead you to death."
"What in the world is this!?" Glafky said.
"A riddle!?" Selphie gasped.
"A riddle!" Rinoa gasped too.
"I can't help here, that's for sure." She said.
"I suck at riddles…" Irvine said.
"We'll be stuck here for ages!" Glafky said.
"No, we won't!" Quistis said.
"Look after what's written. There are clues."
"But, to help you, we'll give you some advise.
1st: The Gates on the left of the bloody one
Are different although they look the same at first look.
2nd: The first and the last Gate don't lead to death.
3rd: The Gates that lead to death are
On the right of the Gates that
Are covered in leaves and lead back here.
And the last one: The largest Gate leads
To the place you least want to be."
"All we have to do is follow the clues!" Quistis said. The others looked at her with surprise.
"Quistis, if you can do it, I'm never going to call Zell a Chicken-Wuss again." Seifer said breathlessly. Quistis crouched over the script, opposite the doors and read the script again and again quietly, every now and then lifting her head and looking at a door, murmuring something. After a while she got up and her eyes glimmered with triumph.
"The Gate on the right side of the one painted blood red is the one that leads ahead!" Quistis said out loud.
"A-are you sure?" Seifer asked her.
"I'm positive." Quistis replied.
"In that case…" Seifer said and thought for a moment.
"Hell Seifer! Why think now! Let's move it!" Zell bawled.
"…" Seifer was ready to call him a name, but hushed and just replied: " Heck, you're right! Let's get going!" Seifer and Zell pushed the door, which opened with a soft crack. It lead to another corridor… but what?
Hey! I might be updating sooner than I have! See you later! Please review! So far, lonewolfsquall has been the only one to review every chapter!
Ruby Dragon
The town of Balamb is peaceful. People are doing their daily shopping at the market, the blacksmith of the junk shop is making swords, Big Bad Rascal is playing with his friend from next door, Daisy and Mrs. Dincht is cooking Balamb fish. A group of fishers talk about the morning catch cleaning their nets, down at the docks. Suddenly a loud flapping sound is heard and a huge shadow flies above them. They aren't scared, because they know that the hulking beast that flew above them is no one but Caesar. Having reached the size of 20 meters in length, Caesar has become more than a powerful Holy Dragon. He's an essential asset in Garden's force.
"Caesar's off on a another worldwide patrol…" one of the men said.
"Yep. He sure has grown huge. Yet he still stops by my house for a Balamb fish…" another replied.
Somewhere else, somebody isn't having such a good conversation…
"The Erinyes are agreeing with our plan." Seth said.
"You mean, you convinced them?" Ares gasped not believing him.
"Yes. They say that Squall has committed murder by killing Raspudin. I took advantage of that, and their madness will strike him soon enough."
"My men can take care of that, but…" Ares said with hesitation.
"But? But what Ares? Are you hesitating?!" Seth said sharply.
"I don't like this…I'm afraid of the Superior Power's wrath…"
"The Superior Power will be under our command when the plan is complete. We will perish the weak!!" Ares stirred in his seat.
"You mean the world? The people we created with so much pain?" he said lowly.
"You're getting softer Ares?! Yes! I intend to crush the worthless mortals that crawl on the planet. Especially the SeeDs…Squall Leonhart will be the first to suffer!!!"
"Seth…I'm starting to have doubts…You intend to kill the other gods don't you."
"Yes. With the help of the blood of Gorgy, I will kill them all. And first, my brothers, Horus and Ra. Then, I will be King of the World!!! Yet, if anyone intends to take my side, I'll gladly accept him in the Army of Evil."
"Seth…I don't like the idea of destroying the people…I may be god of war, and I may like violence and death, but this goes too far. We depend on the mortals, just as they depend on us. Their legends and their minor faith are keeping us strong. We cannot perish them." Ares said lowly again.
"I see Ares…you do not wish do join me any more…"
"NO! It's not that…Well, I'll order my men to handle Squall's capture so that the Erinyes can do their work…" Ares said stiffly.
Yet, in him, there was still a weird feeling…
"How is he Quistis?" Squall asked.
"He's…so-so. It's really painful to have a dozen of Cactuar thorns on your butt and stomach..." She replied.
"Ouch…He's gonna be ok though, right?"
"Yeah, but Dr.Kadowaki says he needs to stay in the Infirmary for a day or two."
"I see…" Squall replied. Squall and Quistis were outside the Infirmary talking about Seifer. Seifer had a painful accident with a Cactuar. He was chasing a few in the Training Center's sector A, when he tripped over a twig, and fell on one…The whole Garden heard his scream of ultimate pain. Squall and Zell were around, and helped him to the Infirmary.
Well, it has been a month since Squall, Seifer and Rinoa returned to Balamb Garden from their trip to the Prophet assembly where Squall had discovered something new about himself. He had the Lion Eye. When they returned to Garden, the first thing Squall did was to tell the others he was a Sorcerer. Judging from the shocked look on their faces that day, Squall knew it would be hard for them to get used to the idea. Thankfully they all kept the secret, and they never bothered Squall when he seemed to be in thoughts or meditating. In general, they were as sure as Rinoa was that that fact would never change Squall's attitude against them, or his character.
"Man, I can't believe he managed to land on a Cactuar… Remember when we fought the Jumbo Cactuar back at Cactuar Island?" Squall said.
"Yeah, it almost pulverized you with it's Ler Plank…" Quistis replied. Suddenly Cid's voice was heard through the intercom.
"SeeD team A is requested to come to the Headmaster's office please, I repeat, SeeD team A…" 'SeeD team A' was the code name for Squall's team. It was Matron's idea.
"Cid's calling for us…" Quistis said as the walked down the hall to reach the elevator. After a while they were all at Cid's office. When he entered, they all saluted.
"Where's Seifer?" He asked before saying anything else.
"He's in the Infirmary with minor casualties Sir." Quistis reported.
"I see…Well, there's a mission for you, and I have the feeling its more serious than the client reported. There have been reports of a pirate ship, highly armed in the Centra Crater. The local fishing ships are having terrible problems. Please go and sort this out." Cid said seriously.
"Squall, I want a full report afterwards, because this has put me in thoughts."
"Yes Sir…" Squall replied.
"Since the Ragnarok has been taken from a class for training, I have arranged for you to take one of the Garden vessels. It should be waiting for you at Balamb Town's Dock. Go along." The kids saluted and left his office.
On the way to the Front Gate, Squall remembered something.
"Where's Caesar?" he said.
"I think he's off on patrol again." Rinoa replied.
"Hmmm…ok. Let's go." They left Garden and walked to Balamb town. They went straight to the docks and boarded the vessel. Squall went to speak with the pilot.
"Hi! I'm your pilot, my name's Bill." The man said.
"I'm Squall, the leader of the team." Squall replied.
"I know all of you guys. Who doesn't!?…" Bill said.
"Ok, ok, ok…just get this thing to move and let's head to Centra…" Zell said as he came in the cabin after Squall. When the vessel started moving, the team made themselves comfortable in the seats, and were talking to each other. Squall was thinking, as usual. Bill proved to be a good captain. They reached Centra a lot sooner than they expected.
"Just patrol around the area and scout the inlets." Squall told him when he went up to the bridge to have a look of what was going on. After a while, they had encountered nothing, and Zell had leaned his head on his chest, taking a quick 'cat nap'. Suddenly, Bill called for Squall.
"Yo, Squall, I think you betta see this mate." Squall went to the bridge to check.
"Well?" he said.
"Take a look at that inlet and tell me if you see what I see." Bill replied. Squall looked carefully at the inlet. He didn't like what he saw. There was a big ship, black in color, with a strange flag. There was a black skeleton on the prow.
"I don't like that…" Squall said. "Bill, start making maneuvers and get us as close as possible. We'll jump on board."
"Gotcha! It's piece of cake. You guys just get ready." He replied. Squall went back to the others.
"Ok guys, let's get ready to go!" Squall said. They all geared up and got ready for Squall's order to move out. Soon, Bill had approached the ship and opened the door. The team jumped out and started examining the ship.
"There's no one here!!" Zell exclaimed after a while.
"This ship is abandoned!?" Squall wondered out loud.
"What's going on here?" Selphie asked.
"Something IS going on, and it's definitely not good…" Quistis said.
"You can say that again…" Rinoa replied. Squall was scanning the ship all around him. Yes, he couldn't have been wrong. His '6th sense' was right. There was something bad on this very ship, and they were the targets. Then he saw it.
"Guys!" he shouted and everyone turned to look at him.
"Back to the vessel! Now!" He shouted. They looked at his face; he was looking towards the rear part of the ship. There was a mysterious plant there, and its tentacles were spreading like vines dangerously towards them. But, it was too late. A tentacle wrapped around Squall's leg and he fell. The tentacle was as stiff as steel.
"Arg!" Zell cried out as a tentacle was wrapped around his chest. Quistis was struggling with another one. Squall twisted and turned to free from the tentacle. But, after a few seconds he felt a little pinch on his thigh, and he felt very, very sleepy.
"Oh, no…sleeping fluid…" he thought just before he passed out cold. When Rinoa came round from the sleep, she was in a cage, with a bracelet around her wrist. She recognized it, it was an Odine bracelet. So, for the time being, she couldn't use her Sorcery.
"Welcome back to reality Rinoa…" Quistis told her sadly. Selphie was sobbing. Glafky was silent, but her eyes showed she was scared. The boys were in a cage next to them. But, only Zell and Irvine were in there.
"Bill was killed. Squall is in a separate cage." Quistis explained to Rinoa when she saw her puzzled look. Rinoa worryingly looked all over the deck of the ship. All she could see were strange men, dressed in black kelebs.
"Ares' men." She thought. Suddenly there was ruckus from the other end. All the gang turned to see. Squall was being dragged out of a small cage. He was fighting back, and he was groaning. He seemed like he had been beaten badly.
"Let him go! What are you doing to him?!" Rinoa screamed.
"He's not gonna be a hero anymore when we're done with him!" a tall man replied sardonically.
"Bring him here! These twerps must see and learn not to oppose Lord Seth!"
"Tell Seth to FUCK OFF!" Squall roared and threw with one of the men that were trying to drag him off the ship's deck. The other 6 men that were trying to drag him halted him and brought him in front of the tall man. He looked at Squall who was helpless on his knees. He still had his eagle-sharp sight.
"This will be you're punishment for opposing the Lord of Darkness!" the tall man said. Then he took a small pistol like thing from his pocket. It was a pistol needle, used for injecting vaccines to animals and people. He loaded it, with a tiny bottle filled with a green liquid, and pushed Squall's head to the side, revealing his neck.
"Whataya doin' to Squall you bastards!?" Zell shouted banging his cage's bars. The men ignored him. The tall man pinched Squall's neck who groaned, and inserted the liquid in him.
"Let him go! Back off!" the tall man said after a few seconds. The guys that were holding Squall let him go, and Squall fell on four. He breather deeply, desperately gasping for air. His eyes were wide open, and his sight was full of agony. He lifted his face and Rinoa almost screamed with the look on his face. Squall's eyes were full of desire to kill. He was mad. He had gone crazy. He laid eyes on a rather short man, and with a yell jumped on him, banging the man's head on the deck. The other men back stepped in fear. Squall was delivering punch after punch to the man's face, pulverizing it. He was nuts, worse than being under Berserk. When he killed the man, he went for the tall man, but he was faster and delivered to him a blow on the back of the neck, leaving Squall unconscious. He fell with a thump on the deck, groaning. The tall man laughed sadistically, and turned to the rest.
"You see? He's under the curse of the Erinyes! He's worse than a serial killer! Hahahaha! Such is his doom! You men! Throw him over board! Let's get rid of the waste weight!"
"Nooooo!" Rinoa cried out as some other soldiers lifted Squall's unconscious body and threw him overboard. The body fell in the water with a loud splash. Squall remembered this secession. Water filled his lungs instead of air, which until then assisted him in the action of breathing. He was going to drown.
"I remember this feeling…I'd fell once again in the sea like this…back at the orphanage…long ago…but then, Ellone and Matron saved me…Now, there's nobody…I'm…all…alone…" he thought as he drifted endlessly towards the ocean bottom. Rinoa was crying in Quistis' arms. She was shedding tears for her knight.
"He's gone! He's gone! He's gone!" she sobbed repeatedly as the pirate ship sailed across the sea.
"Shh... shh...quiet Rinoa…don't cry…we'll do something…" Selphie tried to consult her. But Rinoa just couldn't stop. She lifted her face, and looked at the two rings hanging from her necklace. She began crying again. Quistis looked at the other two girls and shook her head.
"?" Squall was floating. It was a wonderful feeling. Being so light. He felt the substance around him cool and liquid. Water.
"?" he thought. "I'm…still…alive?" he thought.
"And…I'm not out of my mind. My mind is clear…why?" He opened his eyes. He felt strange, his vision was different. He surely was underwater, but his vision was perfect. He could see underwater.
"Huh?" he thought. He tried to move his hands. But the movement was weird.
"What the…?" he thought. "I'm not in my body? What's happening?"
"You have the shape of a white dolphin Squall." A soft, crystal voice said. Squall turned his dolphin head and faced a pretty woman, about the age of 30, sitting on a rock of the ocean bed. She wore long white clothes that waved along the water. She emitted a strange light.
"Who are you?" Squall asked her with a squeaky dolphin cry.
"I'm Thetis. I'm Glafky's older sister. I'm here to help you." She replied.
"What's happened to me?" Thetis smiled sadly.
"I'm afraid Seth is winning this war. He has started capturing gods. Many are imprisoned as we speak, and I am barely free. Seth cursed you with the madness of the Erinyes. They are goddesses of punishment. It appears that you have committed a murder, and they are punishing you. But, this was an order from Seth. Under the curse you are nothing but a bloodthirsty man that will shed blood until he dies. Under the shape of an animal though, you can maintain your consciousness. That's why I turned you into a dolphin."
"How can I cure this?"
"The only one that knows is Sebeck, the god of written wisdom and scribes. You must go to him. I advise you to travel to Balamb and get Seifer and Caesar. Only rejoined you three can achieve your goal. I can also tell you this. Remedies, combined with your Prophet power can help you control yourself in human form." The sea goddess said. Squall thought of all of that for a second. Then he nodded with a squeak, and turned away to leave. He could sense his way back to Balamb, thanks to the dolphin's keen sense of direction. He moved his powerful tail and swam as fast as he could. He swam and swam and swam, passing by FH, and heading for Balamb. He jumped out of the water to check the sun's direction, and correct his course. The dolphin in him was complaining, but Squall was pushing himself to the limits. He had reached the highest speed a dolphin could hit, and speeded through the waves like a silver white bolt. After half a day's travel, he reached the shores of Balamb. When he reached shallow waters, he concentrated and turned himself into a lion. He swam to the shore, and shook his body to dry him self.
"? White lion? I wonder why…maybe it's the curse…" he thought when he saw he was a white lion. He started running towards Balamb Garden. The powerful muscles of the lion allowed him to experience the speeds a lion could reach, crossing the field. His paws thudded on the ground softly, and powerful hind legs pushed him ahead with large pounces. It was midnight when he reached the Garden. He turned into a human, and before he could lose control, he quickly drank a Remedy, and focused to push the thoughts of killing away from him. He rushed in the Garden, and woke Seifer up first.
"Squall! What's up? What happened? Where's the others?!" Seifer gasped as he saw Squall leaned over him, and pushing him.
"Big trouble. It's Seth again. He's winning. There isn't much time. We must wake Caesar up and take the Ragnarok and find the others…" Squall said quickly and in short told Seifer what had happened.
"What?! Cursed! We have to get to that temple right away!" Seifer said.
"No! We have to save the others first. They are in greater danger that I am now. I can't leave them like that." Squall replied as they reached the Quad and woke Caesar up. The dragon got furious when he heard the whole story from Squall.
"Why those bastards! I'll chew every little piece of them, and spit it out!!" He roared furious.
"Save that for later Caesar, and get ready for a pretty long night flight." Squall said and the three SeeDs hurried to Balamb Airstation. Squall and Seifer boarded the Ragnarok, and took off. Caesar was flying right by them.
"Seifer, if anything happens and I go nuts, hit me please, KO me, just do something to calm me down. Kill me if you have to, but for Horus' sake, don't let me hurt anyone…" Squall said. It was obvious he was starting to get tired from his struggle to control his emotions.
"Squall! Kill you!? Forget that!" Seifer said surprised.
"I said, if I get nuts, don't hesitate to kill me if nothing else works. I'm capable of doing anything in this state…"
"Squall!"
"Seifer!" Squall said sharply. "That's an order! I said, kill me if you have to!" Seifer didn't reply to that one, so he wouldn't exaggerate him. After a while, Squall showed obvious signs of exhaustion.
"Look! There it is!" he said as the ships sensors detected the ship.
"It's the Island closest to Hell!" Seifer replied.
"There's no life form on it…heck! Where are they!"? Seifer wondered.
"Maybe on shore…" Squall replied.
"Hey! There! That cave is an entrance to an underground building!" Seifer said.
"Yeah…you're right. And look, that small water hole is nothing but a special glass. Maybe it's a window. Hang on…we're landing." Squall replied.
Rinoa was strapped on a bed, and her heart was pounding with fear. She was in a hospital-like room. What was going to happen to her now? Where was Squall? Where were the others? She was trying to find answers to those questions when the tall man and a few more came in the chamber.
"Well Dr.Galinus, how is the virus going?" The tall man asked. A mid-age man, wearing a white doctor's robe, looked at Rinoa pleased and replied.
"The process is finished, Xiam. The virus 'Z84Gln' is at it's most advanced evolution. It's deadly and the effects are very fast. I'm glad you could get me a living human specimen to test the final form."
"Heh, and there are 5 more for your future experiments. You Galinus will mostly please Lord Seth. He will reward you generously…"
"Oh…I am very pleased to know that I satisfy the Lord…It's is an honor to work for the future King Of the World."
"So, what's the show now?" Another one of the men asked.
"Nihihihi…something you will enjoy Lomer. I'll inject the virus into the girl. When she dies, I'll capture her Sorcery in a machine, and you can use it as you please." Galinus replied with a hyena like giggle. Lomer smiled. Rinoa heard all this, and her heart almost stopped. She would die now. It was over, and her end was tragic, and dishonoring.
"…Shanee…atemo…lifa secre…a remi reza…a secou, a secou…A telemore Rinoa, a telemore…terra acepto to tiha…asha…asha…" Rinoa started singing quietly, to make her fear go away. It was a sad song, which was the ancient language of the Sorceress, and it was a mourn for a dead Sorceress. Galinus, ignoring her song, picked up a needle pistol, and filled it up with a white liquid- the virus.
"…Shika to lifa Rinoa…" she said finally and awaited her doom. Galinus was just about to pierce her neck when a crashing sound was heard, and the ceiling window broke, and two men landed on the floor, back-to-back, ready to fight.
"It's the Leonhart! Guards! GUARDS!" Xiam yelled and drew his sword. From the door behind them, instead of a bunch of soldiers, Caesar crashed his head in, and Irvine, Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Glafky came in wielding their weapons, ready to fight.
"KILL THEM!" Xiam roared and lifted his sword to hit Squall. Squall jumped aside, and Xiam's sword hit the floor. Squall and Seifer attacked together and slashed Xiam almost in half. A spell from Quistis missed and hit the bed Rinoa was on. It tumbled, and Rinoa was free. She jumped aside, and tried to remove the Odine bracelet. Caesar protected her, grabbing in his jaws anyone that would attack her. Xiam, although injured kept attacking Squall and Seifer. All around them, the guys were fighting with passion, helping Squall and Seifer. Galinus had crouched in a corner, trying to protect himself.
"Yaaaaaaa!!!" Squall yelled as he sliced Xiam's head off his shoulders.
"Squall! Get the doctor! He has a dangerous virus!" Rinoa yelled from her corner. She was still trying to get rid of the bracelet. Squall looked all around him, and spotted Galinus trying to crawl away. In his fury to escape, he had dropped the needle pistol. Squall hurled towards it, grabbed it, and with two steps had grabbed Galinus from the shoulder. He held him tight.
"And what about your experiment, Doc? The one you wanted to use so much?2 he said.
"Nooo!" Galinus cried out.
"Aele terka douma Anubis! (May you face the wrath of Anubis!) " Squall shouted as he injected the virus in Galinus.
"EAAARRHFFGGG!" he shouted as his body started dissolving. The virus appeared to be a horrible plague. He swirled and twisted and, looking for help, approached the man named Lomer. He had a cut on his arm, and Galinus tried to grasp him.
"No, you idiot! You're gonna infect m..." Lomer said but his speech was cut short when Galinus touched his hound and infected him. Now Lomer began twisting in pain, his flesh dissolving from the drastic virus. Galinus fell to the ground with a soft thump, looking like a horrible piece of meat left long time to rotten. Lomer fell just seconds after Galinus. Squall made a face of disgust and turned his back around to help the others. Rinoa still couldn't get rid of the damn bracelet, and was beginning to lose her temper.
"Come ON!" she said from her teeth. Squall and Seifer fought back to back, and the other guys raged all around them. After a little, they managed to kill all their enemies.
"Whew! That was a hell of a battle!" Irvine said running his hand on his sweaty forehead.
"At least, now we can…Squall?!" Seifer said as he saw Squall supporting himself on a wall. He didn't seem well.
"Oh no! He's losing it again!" Seifer said out loud and quickly moved towards him. He grasped Squall by the collar, and prepared to hit him, as the mad look returned to his face.
"This is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you Squall!" he said and punched Squall. Squall fell in Zell's arms unconscious.
"Better to keep him unconscious. He said he's dangerous if he's awake." Seifer explained. Then he told them about Sebeck's temple.
"We gotta get there fast!" Rinoa said. "It's Squall's only chance of getting cured!" Seifer nodded affirmatively.
"Let's hurry up then." Zell and Seifer carried Squall to the Ragnarok. They strapped him in a seat, and sat on opposite sides of him, just in case. Quistis was helping Rinoa to get rid of the bracelet, while Selphie took off.
"I wonder, where is the temple?" she said.
"I know!" Caesar said through his communication device. "It's 40 miles north-west of Deling, right under a big rock. I know the way!" he said and took the lead with Ragnarok flying right behind him. Caesar was right. After a while, he led them to the big rock, where an opening was visible.
"See those carvings? They are the ancient language. Squall told me they were Sebeck's." he said, pointing a carved block on the stone. Rinoa, Quistis, Glafky and Seifer entered the cave, while Caesar, Zell, Selphie and Irvine stayed with Squall.
"Man, this is spooky…" Glafky said.
"Yeah…" Quistis replied.
"This way, I can see light!" Rinoa said. They moved deeper in the tunnel and reached the Temple of Sebeck. They were astonished. In the center of the room was a statue of Sebeck, the crocodile headed god, surrounded by shelves filled with ancient books.
"…Now, what do we do?" Seifer asked. Suddenly the statue began glowing, and a mysterious voice came from it.
"You have come to seek remedy for the cursed Leonhart, correct?" Sebeck said.
"Y-yes…" Rinoa said.
"Please great god, we seek your advice. The Erinyes have cursed Squall. We want to cure him. Tell us what must be done, and we will do it." she said.
"There is one thing that can be done." Sebeck said.
" You must go and find Isis, the great goddess, mother of all gods and living creatures, creator of life, wife of the great Hyne. She is the mother of the Erinyes. You must beg her to soften her daughters' wrath. She will ask the goddesses of punishment to forgive Squall, and cleanse him from his sin that has caused his curse. Only Isis can help you. Isis' sacred ground is under the Tomb of the Unknown King. You must ask his soul to open the gate to her kingdom. Call him by his name, and he will come."
"But, no one knows his name! How will we call him?!" Quistis asked.
"The Unknown King is the great king Ataman of Galbadia. Call him, and he shall open the gate." In a flash of light, a wrapped scroll appeared, hovering in front of them.
"Take this scroll. With this, Isis will welcome you. But beware; Seth has set you tests to pass to reach the Mother of the Gods. Succeed in them, and the Leonhart will be cured." Sebeck said as Rinoa took the scroll. The light of the statue faded away. Rinoa held the scroll for a few moments, and then turned around to her friends.
"Come on, let's go. Let's go find Isis…" She said, and her voice was not steady at all. They exited the cave, and headed back to the Ragnarok. Squall was still sleeping, strapped on his seat. Rinoa looked at him and gulped.
"Let's go!" Seifer said. Selphie sat at the pilot seat with Zell as the co-pilot and took off. Caesar followed. They sped through the horizon, rushing towards the Tomb of the Unknown King. They entered the Tomb. Caesar had to squeeze a little.
"Gosh…it's as spooky as always…" Selphie said rubbing her arms to warm them.
"…Yeah." Zell agreed. He and Seifer carried Squall.
"Ok, we're here." Rinoa said as they stooped in front of the stone coffin that enclosed the Unknown King.
"King Ataman of Galbadia! We call you!" Rinoa cried out. They waited in silence for a few seconds. Then, the coffin's lid opened, and the Unknown King's ghost came out.
"Hmmm!? Who has called me by name after 600 years of silence?" he asked with an out world voice.
"Can you please lead us to the Kingdom of Isis?" Rinoa asked as politely as she could. King Ataman said something they hadn't expected.
"…Isis? What do you want that bitch for?!" he asked surprised.
"…Erm…to heal our friend…" Quistis replied, still shocked by Ataman's remark on Isis.
"Oh, I see now. All right, I shall open the gate for you. All you have to do is wait a sec. I'll open the gate for you. It's going to be a little jolty." King Ataman said. The SeeDs looked at each other.
"Do you want to cure him or what?!" Ataman said.
"Yes!" Rinoa said. The ghost of Ataman fell back in the coffin and after a few only seconds, a whirlwind of colors emerged from it, sucking them all in it. It was too sudden for them to react. They were liked sucked down a drain. Rinoa closed her eyes tightly from worry, and she wanted to scream, but she couldn't open her mouth. The experience lasted very little. After only seconds, they found themselves standing in a great underground cave, whose walls shone dimly. They looked all around them amazed.
"This is where I leave you kids. You have to continue on your own. Things won't be easy, but if you let the friendship and the love you have for each other guide you, you will make it. This is a quest of the mind and the heart. I wish you good luck." Ataman said and disappeared. They looked at each other.
"Now what do we do?" Selphie asked.
"What Squall would do. Follow the path." Seifer replied and after they laid Squall on Caesar's back, they followed the only path they could see. After walking for a little, they heard something, like the sound of something big breathing hoarsely. Caesar breather the air to smell it. His face took a surprised expression and he opened his great mouth and roared so loudly the cave shook. After a few seconds, another roar came as an answer to Caesar's.
"It's him! Follow me! Follow me!" He told the others and trotted ahead with thundering footsteps. A few meters ahead the kids stooped astonished from what they met. A dragon that looked like Caesar, only much bigger lied on the floor. He was breathing weakly, and his eyes were dark. He looked ill.
"Grandfather?" Caesar said softly, going close to the great dragon. The dragon lifted his crested head a little, very weak.
" Caesar? Is this you my son?" it said. "Is this really you?"
"Yes Grandfather!" Caesar said and rubbed his snout on the dragon's one.
"Finally…you have came…I was hoping you would. I have not heard of you for a long time…but tell me, what are you doing with humans? I can smell their presence…"
"Ah… these are my dearest friends. They helped killing Carnorium! And, I carry the descendant of Andros Grandfather! He is with me!"
"Of Andros?! I can't believe it! Has the Leonhart taken revenge for Andros?"
"Yes Grandfather, he killed the traitor!"
"Ah…Then…I can rest now…I am so happy I have been able to see you again, Caesar. You are a worthy son of mine…I can see you have grown big and strong. I am proud of you. Now, it is my time to go…"
"No Grandfather! The Holy Dragons need you now more than ever!"
"They need a young, strong and courageous Divine Dragon. And that is you Caesar. You will be the Divine Dragon after me, and your son or grandson will be the Divine Dragon after you…" None of the kids spoke. They realized they were watching something rare and precious.
" I can't become a Divine Dragon. I haven't got the experience!" Caesar said.
"You have the heart for it. And you have the friends to support you…I want you to fight the Lord of Evil with the Leonhart. Because he will. Caesar! Lead the Holy Dragons against the Evil that is coming upon the world! You must!" The Divine Dragon replied.
"I will." Caesar replied.
"Please…stay with me these last moments I have in this world…" Divine Dragon said and laid his head on the ground again.
"I am so tired…" he said and closed his blind eyes. Caesar turned to his friends.
"Guys, take Squall and move ahead without me. I'll stay here…I'll try to catch up with you later." The kids nodded and after taking Squall from Caesar's back, they carried him, and moved ahead in the mysterious corridor. They were worried like hell. They knew thay had to hurry because Seth could be materializing his plans that very moment. After a little more walking, they came across a large chamber with 6 doors.
"Now where do we go?" Irvine wondered.
"Look! There's a script carved on the floor!" Selphie said. They all crouched over it to read it.
"You have well reached here.
You have a long way ahead,
But a short way to return now.
Death is ahead, salvation behind you.
Chose only one of us gates.
One of us will take you ahead,
One of us will take you back
To where you came from with safety,
Two of us will bring you back here,
And three of us will lead you to death."
"What in the world is this!?" Glafky said.
"A riddle!?" Selphie gasped.
"A riddle!" Rinoa gasped too.
"I can't help here, that's for sure." She said.
"I suck at riddles…" Irvine said.
"We'll be stuck here for ages!" Glafky said.
"No, we won't!" Quistis said.
"Look after what's written. There are clues."
"But, to help you, we'll give you some advise.
1st: The Gates on the left of the bloody one
Are different although they look the same at first look.
2nd: The first and the last Gate don't lead to death.
3rd: The Gates that lead to death are
On the right of the Gates that
Are covered in leaves and lead back here.
And the last one: The largest Gate leads
To the place you least want to be."
"All we have to do is follow the clues!" Quistis said. The others looked at her with surprise.
"Quistis, if you can do it, I'm never going to call Zell a Chicken-Wuss again." Seifer said breathlessly. Quistis crouched over the script, opposite the doors and read the script again and again quietly, every now and then lifting her head and looking at a door, murmuring something. After a while she got up and her eyes glimmered with triumph.
"The Gate on the right side of the one painted blood red is the one that leads ahead!" Quistis said out loud.
"A-are you sure?" Seifer asked her.
"I'm positive." Quistis replied.
"In that case…" Seifer said and thought for a moment.
"Hell Seifer! Why think now! Let's move it!" Zell bawled.
"…" Seifer was ready to call him a name, but hushed and just replied: " Heck, you're right! Let's get going!" Seifer and Zell pushed the door, which opened with a soft crack. It lead to another corridor… but what?
Hey! I might be updating sooner than I have! See you later! Please review! So far, lonewolfsquall has been the only one to review every chapter!
Ruby Dragon