Chapter 10: Crescendo
"Way to go Quistis!" Glafky said with a grin. They hurried to pass through the door. They kept walking through the corridor, following the path. They ended up in another room. There was a sort of door ahead of them, which looked like a jigsaw puzzle. They couldn't tell what it showed. A few pieces had black markings on them, obviously pieces of the picture. They all stared at it for a few seconds.
"Oh…I get it." Irvine said walking towards it. "We have to solve the puzzle to open the door. I'm quite good at these."
"Me too!" Selphie said and went closer to have a better look. Irvine examined the pieces for a moment.
"I think it shows a cross." He said.
"No! It's not a cross. It looks more like a sword to me." Selphie said.
"Just try and see what happens!" Zell said. Irvine carefully took out a block from the puzzle and then another one from a different spot, and switched places.
"See! It is a cross!" he said doing so. A soft clank was heard and Seifer jumped ahead and grabbed Irvine away from the puzzle. As he pulled him away, four sets of daggers from all four sides of the puzzle rose out and in again repeatedly for a little. Irvine gasped.
"Good grief…Geez…thanks Seifer." He said.
"I told you it wasn't a cross. And it's no sword either." Selphie said.
"Then what is it?" Rinoa asked her.
"Umm…Let's try this…" Selphie said and took another block, and replaced it with another. Nothing happened.
"See! It IS a sword." She said. She took another block out, and then another one, and switched the places.
"It's not exactly a sword." Irvine said. Another clank, and the floor behind them collapsed. Glafky Rinoa and Quistis found themselves hanging from the edge, Glafky having grabbed Quistis' arm to prevent her from falling.
"AHHHHH! Try not to do any more mistakes now!" Rinoa shrieked, grabbing Zell's arm as he tended it to her.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Selphie said.
"Um…umm…Oh!" She said and took another piece and apiece she had taken before, and switched places.
"Now I see it! It's a spear!" she said and quickly begun switching the blocks.
"There!" she said. She was right. It was a spear. She finished the jigsaw puzzle, and then, after another look, she pressed the middle block two times. Nothing.
"Huh?!" she gasped. "Maybe you didn't do it hard enough." Irvine said, pressing the block again, harder, three times. A door behind the puzzle opened. They hurried to help the girls climb up from the edge of the floor.
"Yeah!" Rinoa said. They marched ahead, feeling more confident now. After a little, they reached a long hall, with a rug on the floor, wooden seats at the sides, and carvings on the walls.
"Let's move ahead!" Zell said. He took a step forwards, and the rest followed him. Suddenly, a metallic sound was heard, and Seifer shouted:
"Down! Down! Duck!" They ducked for the floor as dozens of blades flew above their heads out of the carvings and back in on the opposite wall.
"Shit! Now what!?" Zell cried out.
"Quiet, quiet! I have an idea!" Glafky said.
"Look at the end of the hall, above the arch! There's a bigger carving, like the ones on the walls!" she continued.
"So?" Irvine groaned.
"If I can hit it with one of my knives, I think we're saved!"
"Then DO IT!" Seifer roared.
"I'll try!" Glafky said, and still lying on her belly, she pulled a knife from her waist. She aimed and threw it. Everyone kept their breath. For a moment that was like eternity, it seemed as if she'd fail. A blade hit the knife driving it slightly out of course.
"Noo!" Glafky shouted. Miraculously, the knife plunged hard into the stone carving, right in the center. The blades above them entered the carvings, never to exit again.
"Alright! Bravo Glafky!" Zell cried out and kissed her on the cheek as he lifted her up.
"Awesome…" Selphie said.
"Man, I'm getting sick of all these traps and snaps and gadgets!" Seifer said.
"Can you do anything about it?" Rinoa asked him emphatically shaking her shoulders.
"I guess I can't." he said.
"None of us can. Let's just move it." Zell said. They kept walking. Suddenly Zell sniffed something weird.
"Ew…Gross! What is this stench!?" He said, clasping his nose with his fingers.
"Yuk, it sure is stinky…" Quistis said waving her hand in front of her nose with a disgusted expression.
"Look, I think this stinks." Selphie said. She pointed ahead of them, a lake with a very smelly, brownish liquid in it.
"Oh brother…A swamp…" Zell moaned.
"Can we pass it?" Glafky asked.
"We'll find out…" Seifer said. He picked up a pebble from the shore of the lake and threw it in the water. It fell on the stone floor with a loud 'TOK!' sound.
"It's not very deep…and I can see the shore across." Irvine said.
"Let's go then…" Selphie sighed and stepped in the stinky, dark waters. The rest followed her. The water reached till a little over their knees.
"Man, this is gross…" Zell said with disgust.
"It could have been worse Zell so shut up." Irvine said. They had almost reached the shore when Glafky cried out and began sinking in the water.
"Eeekkkk! It's alive! It's swallowing me!" She shrieked.
"M-me too!" Irvine cried out. Zell reacted immediately. He had the fastest reflexes from all of them and quick as a bullet pulled Glafky out of the water and threw her over his head and straight on the shore. She landed with a thump.
"Zell!!!" She cried out. The water was eating Zell alive.
"Don't care about me! Get Squall out of here!" He shouted back, throwing Irvine to the shore.
"Yaaa!" he cried out surprised.
"Seifer! You're next!" Zell said and tossed Seifer over to the shore.
"Zell! Zell!" Rinoa cried out. He grabbed Rinoa from the waist and threw her on the shore. One by one, he threw them all on the shore, letting the carnivore water to eat off pieces from his flesh.
"Guys! Please, help Squall! And, don't forget me guys!" He said as he threw Squall's unconscious body to the shore, before the water covered him.
"ZELL!!!!!!!" Rinoa cried out in horror as they saw his hand waving at them good luck and -perhaps- saying a last farewell to the world. The water had eaten him alive. He had sacrificed himself to save them. They stood idle, watching the water come to calm after devouring Zell. They couldn't believe he was no longer with them. Each of them recalled in their minds moments Zell had triumphed, he had said something funny, moments he had saved the day with a fact or a risky move in battle. Seifer recalled with sorrow all the times he had insulted him. Glafky was out of her mind. She couldn't speak, and every time she tried to speak a shock came out of her mouth.
"W-we must move ahead…" Quistis said. The rest nodded, and hesitantly picked them selves up to move ahead, carrying the sad burden of both Squall and Zell's death.
"I…I can see a light ahead…" Rinoa said after a while.
"Look! Look! We made it!" Selphie cried out. They passed the light door and entered Isis' sacred ground. A fully bloomed garden surrounded them that was levitating in complete chaos.
"My goodness…" Quistis had gasped.
"Come on…This way. I know how we must speak to Isis." Glafky said.
"Rinoa, you and I have to kneel in front of her statue and present her the scroll Sebeck gave us and ask her to help us. Say what your heart feels, and don't hesitate to argue with her."
"Ok…" Rinoa said. They walked ahead, and approached the statue of Isis, seated on a golden throne, under a small temple like structure. Rinoa and Glafky knelt in font of it. Rinoa lifted the scroll in front of her.
"Oh Great goddess Isis, Mother of all gods, Creator of life, Wife of the great Hyne; I, Glafky the daughter of Nereys, the lord of the seas, and Sorceress Rinoa whom Hyne has given the power of Sorcery, we come to ask your mercy upon our friend." Glafky began.
"Sebeck, the great god of scribes has given us this scroll for you." Rinoa said. The scroll shone and flew in front of Isis' statue, which shone too and spoke.
"Speak your wish Sorceress."
"The Erinyes, your daughters have placed a curse on Squall. I want to know why and cure him from this curse." Rinoa said.
"My daughters set their curse on criminals who have committed sins of great importance." Isis replied. "Perhaps Squall has committed a punishable crime and had to be punished."
"I want to be sure for that." Rinoa replied.
"And, what do you suggest Sorceress?"
"A trial. Everyone must go through a trial to be punished."
"Very well. I will summon my daughters to come for a trial." Isis said. No sooner had she finished her speech, the three Erinyes appeared. They rose from the ground. They wore long, black clothes with hoods to cover their heads and faces. Rinoa could hear snakes hissing.
"Why do you ask the Leonhart to be judged? He has committed the crime!" One of them said.
"I don't know what crime he committed! I demand to know!" Rinoa said raising her voice.
"He killed the Sorcerer Raspudin and stole away his Force!" another Erinye said.
"Unless a god speaks for him, we will never allow his healing!" the third one added.
"I will speak for him." A voice said. Soon, the owner of the voice emerged from the shadows.
"Sehmet!" Rinoa gasped. Squall had old her about the lion headed goddess of justice and medicine.
"I will speak for the Leonhart. I know that normally you will not accept such requests, but it is an utmost emergency for the Leonhart to be cured. The murder of Raspudin came as an order from the unicorns. Raspudin used their blood for the sin he committed, to kill and drink unicorn blood. The order came from the unicorns and Apollo himself. Therefore, the murder is not Squall's fault. So, I beg you Erinyes, forgive Squall and allow him to be cured." Sehmet said with an emphatic tone on her voice, clearly showing to the Erinyes she wasn't going to accept any argues.
"Very well. We'll allow him to be cured. Isis knows the way." The Erinyes said all together and crouched down back into the soil from where they had came from.
"Thank you Sehmet…" Rinoa said. Sehmet smiled kindly.
"There is no need to thank me Rinoa. You brought yourselves until here, and Squall needs such support from you. Tragically, Zell was the first of you to be lost in this war. Let us pray he will be the last." She said, and kindly stroked Glafky's cheek.
"Times have become hard. Seth is winning upon us. Apollo, Ra, Aphrodite, Hifestus and many other gods are already captured. Seth is draining away my powers as we speak. And, there is nothing that can stop him." The kids gasped.
"How does he do that!?" Irvine said.
"The Superior Power." Sehmet said sternly.
"Superior Power?" Glafky gasped.
"None of us gods knows what exactly the Superior Power is. But, Seth is commanding it and uses it to capture us in the Caves of Silence. He is winning upon me right now." Sehmet said with a voice of agony.
"Sehmet!" Glafky sobbed. The goddess was turning transparent.
"These are times when gods are weak!" Sehmet cried out.
"And only the mortals can save them…" Sehmet had time to say before she vanished.
"Bring the Leonhart to my healing waters before it is too late!" Isis said. Seifer and Irvine carried Squall to the pond Isis showed them. The girls were trying to comfort Glafky.
"Sink him in the waters, and let him alone. He will not drown." Isis said. Seifer and Irvine did as Isis told them. Squall sank in the blue green shiny waters of the pond. They got out of the pond and waited.
"Let him rest for a little…AH!" Isis cried out as her statue stopped shining and crashed to sand.
"What the hell is happening!?" Seifer cried out.
"Something is coming!" Rinoa said. "I can sense it!" A bright light came from the corner of the garden and the SeeDs covered their faces from the brightness. A man came walking from it. He came from the past. From another planet. Another world. Wailing a large Buster Sword. He had blond, spiky untidy hair and ice-cold blue eyes.
"Who the hell…?" Irvine said, lowering his arms as the light faded away.
"Who are you?" Rinoa asked him.
"You'll never understand." The man replied coldly. "SQUALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he shouted. "Where are you, worthless brother!"
"Brother?" Rinoa gasped lowly.
"Why do you want Squall?!" Seifer asked him.
"Why do you bother?! It's between him and me. Unless you want to end up with him." The man replied.
"SQUALL!!!! Why do you hide you worthless coward?!" he continued. The guys were so stunned they couldn't move a muscle. As Squall did not give any signs of life, the man pulled out his huge Buster Sword.
"Come out Squall! Or your comrades will pay your debt!" he said grabbing Rinoa with such a quick movement; the rest didn't even see him. He placed the edge of the sword on Rinoa's neck.
"You either come now or this girl dies!!" he roared.
"Let me go!" she screamed.
"SHUT UP!" the man told her.
"It's me you want Cloud!" Squall shouted. His voice came from everywhere in the cave.
"Finally! Come out and fight me, or she dies!" Cloud cried out.
"Alright." Squall replied. The waters of the blue green bond waved and in a loud splash Squall jumped up and landed on the dry ground with his Gunblade out. Cloud threw Rinoa aside.
"So this is how it should be…we always battle at times of conflict between Good and Evil…" Cloud said.
"You wished so Cloud." Squall said.
"Squall…who is he?" Rinoa asked Squall.
"Cloud?…" Squall repeated staring at Cloud.
"Go on Squall. Tell the little witch who I am." Cloud laughed sinisterly.
"Cloud is…my brother." Squall replied still gazing at Cloud.
"What?…" she gasped, and so did the others. Cloud laughed. He sounded like a paranoid, a schizophrenic.
"Let's tell them our story Squall, it's a shame to let them go without our tale. I'll start off…" Cloud said a cleared his voice. He began saying something like a poem.
"Long, long ago, in the legendary land of Valhalla, Terra had two sons. One named Cloud as the clouds in the stormy sky. The other named Squall as the thundery squalls of the cold winter. She prided her sons for their minds, and their power. But one day the two sons decided to battle to see who was stronger. They battled for two days, three days… But none won. Then the older son, Cloud, used his cleverness to defeat Squall. But Squall would not give up. He fought back harder. Then on their fury, they charged on each other with their swords. And Squall's sword plunged in Clouds strong neck, And Cloud's ripped Squall's broad chest in half, and crimson blood flowed. So the two sons died from each other's hand. Terra lost her mind and heart when she saw the two sons dead on the earth. She set a curse on their souls, never to rest in peace. To always seek to fight each other through great warriors they incarnated. Every 10.000 years, the two brothers meet to battle to the end." Squall took it from there.
"And Cloud would win now, and Squall would win then. The brothers changed. Cloud became dark hearted, and evil as Demon Tojira's heart. Squall redeemed for his own sins and chose to join the side of Good. Cloud would keep killing and destroying lives in his era, While Squall would try and save as many souls as he could, never meeting Cloud. But, time came and the brothers were reborn, One faced the evil of Sephiroth and the other of a Sorceress. Now, the brothers will face each other, in a war. Through the warriors they have incarnated. Their skills will show who will remain, And who will leave this era, and wait for another 10.000 years. Who will rest and who will be restless. This battle will happen during times of war, And one will serve the Evil, and the other Good. Those who will witness the battle will witness the true power of Life and Death." Squall ended. His face was cold as ice. Cloud smiled with satisfaction.
"As you understand, Squall and I are brother souls. We incarnated warriors and every 10.000 years met to battle. Last time he won. Now, we are reborn. It's different. Now, he who wins gets to stop living on and on. This is going to be fascinating." He said.
"No Cloud. We aren't brothers. Not any more. You're just Cloud Strife, and I'm Squall Leonhart. We are total strangers. To me, you're just another enemy, another obstacle, and another challenge in my life. I'm no longer the Squall you knew. I'm a SeeD and I have a life of my own, I'm not depending on you or anyone else that my friends and my family." Squall replied.
"And I? Aren't I your family as well?" Cloud asked him.
"Not in a thousand lives Cloud." Squall said drawing his Gunblade. "If it's battle you want, a battle you'll get." He said.
"Alright…But remember, we're missing a witness…" Cloud replied drawing his Buster Sword.
"Right…Caesar!" Squall shouted. Caesar replied with a thundering roar. He was there all along. He was waiting in the chaos where the garden levitated. He flew up on the garden roaring as he landed.
"Now it's all in order. The Divine Dragon of this era is here. We can battle." Cloud said.
"Squall…why didn't you tell me you were the one?" Caesar asked him.
"I couldn't tell anyone. No one would understand. No one can." Squall replied.
"NO MORE CRAP SQUALL!!!!" Cloud shouted as he dashed up to Squall swinging his sword above his head. Squall was ready for that and placed his Gunblade in front of his face. Cloud's sword slipped on the Lionheart's blade and hit weakly on the ground as Squall dodged the hit.
"Caesar! Get the others away from the battlefield! Now!" Squall ordered Caesar. Caesar nodded and the rest climbed on his back. Caesar flew up above the battle, still watching over it. Squall and Cloud were battling like demons. Cloud delivered hit after hit and Squall dodged every one. But Cloud would avoid every blow Squall delivered.
"Yaaaa!" Squall cried when he swirled his body with the Gunblade pointing outwards and scratched Clouds left arm rather deeply. The wound closed after a few splits of a second.
"Hahahaha! You're forgetting Jenova Squall!" Cloud laughed. Squall half closed his eyes with hate.
"And you forget what I know!" Squall said and used the Lion Eye. He stared at Cloud right through the eyes.
"What the…" Cloud gasped obviously he had never experienced such power.
"YYYYAAAAARGGGG!" he cried out and turned his face away. He had felt a large dosage of pain and his mind was brimming with it. Pain. The greatest fear of the universe and a fact no living creature can avoid in its life. Cloud didn't know the sort of powers a Prophet or a Sorcerer had. But Squall didn't know Jenova's power either.
" Jenova can't withstand this power!" Squall shouted as he spread out his arm and a ray of dark light ran through Cloud who knelled on the ground.
"Jenova can't heal you now Cloud!" Squall roared. He had de-activated the self- healing power of Jenova. But, he paid the price. His self-healing power was deactivated as well.
"Curse you Squall!" Cloud said still trying to recover.
"Fuck your curses Cloud! You must pay! You took away so many lives you monster! You killed Sephiroth!"
"Sephiroth tried to kill me! He deserved it! He thought he could doubt my power! That numskull! Just because he had the Jenova in him as well he thought he was stronger than me! What a loser! And you know what's the funniest? The other idiots thought I was going to save the world! Hahahahahhah!"
"Aeris!" Squall shouted. Cloud looked at him.
"Aeris! Was Aeris threatening you!? You killed the last Ancient alive on your planet you asshole! But of course… Only and Ancient could know your powers. Only an Ancient could stop you!"
"Haha! And Aeris was stupid enough to undergo to my charm! She possibly thought I loved her! What a joke!" Cloud said ironically.
"You fooled her Cloud! As you fooled all the others! Barret, Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, Reeve, Vincent, Red XIII, Kate Sith! You killed them all Cloud! You just couldn't stand having anyone that could possibly oppose you! You disgust me!" Squall roared furious.
"And you disgust me! You could have always been the ruler of the eras and worlds you went to! But you preferred to save people and be a good asshole! And now look at you! All over one fucking little Sorceress that…" Cloud didn't see the mass of mental energy coming at him. It blasted him a respectable distance from where he was standing, and threw him on the ground. But he just laughed!
"You'll have to do better than that Squall!" He laughed as he got up.
"You think that you can just stop me with that primitive power!? Yeah! Sure!" Cloud said.
"I'm far ahead!" he laughed and lifted his right arm. In a black light, the lower arm, below the elbow became a rocket missile! Squall was surprised.
"Isn't it cute?" Cloud asked teasing him. "Meet Jimmy!" He said and fired at Squall. The blow threw Squall meters behind and almost off the garden, but he turned into a Thrustaveis and flew right up. He turned into a human and stood on the ground. He coughed.
"That was a good one Cloud, but surely not good enough!" he said.
"Let me show you what Sorcery really is!" he said. Squall stretched out his arms and a white shiny fire covered him. The Flame Lion's Mist. He seemed to change shape, transforming into a great bird. Phoenix.
"Eat this CLOUD!" Squall-Phoenix roared. He flew right through Cloud, a silver, flaming bolt that passed through Cloud's body like a ghost.
"OUCH!" Cloud cried out and looked at the vertical wound on his stomach.
"Hahah! That's good Squall! You've improved bro!"
"Stop calling me your brother! I'm not!" Squall shouted as he crouched on the ground in pain. It was obvious that last attack was exhausting for him as well.
"Let's just get on with it!" Cloud yelled and grabbed his sword harder, and pulled a long spear from a pack on his back.
"Very well…" Squall replied and grasping his Gunblade, pulled a dagger from his hip belts. They attacked each other with anger. Above them, Caesar and the others were over watching the battle.
"…Now I understand." Caesar said.
"…So do I…" Rinoa replied.
"What!? What is it?!" Glafky asked panicked.
"Squall and Cloud are soul brothers, yes. But, in body and character, they are strangers, as Squall said. If one defeats the other, the defeated soul will be lost for good." Caesar explained.
"You knew all along?" Seifer asked him.
"I only knew this era would be the era of the great battle. But, that Squall was…THE Squall…no, I ignored that. How could I know anyway?" Caesar replied.
"But…there is one thing…" Rinoa said.
"What?" Irvine said.
"Those two brothers…I…I think Squall had told me about such a prophecy…some time ago…that…that no mortal or immortal can kill them…" Rinoa said lowly.
"Yes, that's true… no one has ever understood the meaning of the prophecy." Caesar said. Underneath, Squall and Cloud still fought. It was like a lion battling with a wild boar. They two beasts were battling from in Squall and Cloud. Squall might have been an experienced fighter, but Cloud was stronger, and had twice his age, and experience. Plus, he couldn't keep Cloud's Jenova under control for much.
"Now, I'll show you what finished Sephiroth off! OMNISHLASH!" Cloud roared and jumped up and delivered kick after kick in Squall's stomach. Squall was jolting violently from the blows. Then Cloud backed off only to attack again with his Sword, cutting Squall from up to down, down to up, horizontally, vertically, diagonally right, and left and finally spinning crash into Squall. Squall fell way backwards, heavily on his back. He groaned and sat up. Blood flowed from the edge of his mouth and where Cloud's Sword had hit him.
"Jerk…Good one…" he said. And got up.
"But, if you like bragging…I'll just have to brag right back!" He lifted his Gunblade and prepared to use his very own Limit Break…
"This," he said. "Finished off a Sorceress three times my size. And this Limit Break, is clearly my idea."
"RENZOKUKEN!!!!!!!" Squall roared as he attacked Cloud with his Gunblade. He hit Cloud's neck, then slashed from up to down his chest then stroke his shoulder, and turning his back to him delivered a blow on Cloud's stomach. Then he did a flip slashing Cloud's face.
"I'm not done yet!" Squall shouted merely as he prepared to deliver Lion Heart. He held his Lionheart sideways to generate all the energy the hit needed. Cloud stared at him with awe. It was obvious he never expected such power from a seventeen-year- old.
"EAT THIS!" Squall yelled as he threw Cloud in mid air with a well-delivered blow. Then he began delivering blow after blow with speed, and Cloud couldn't block any of them. Then Squall gathered a big amount of energy to the Lionheart, and slashed Cloud diagonally, with an explosion of power. Then Cloud landed with a crash on the ground.
"…I must admit you have stamina…" Cloud groaned. He got up and attacked Squall on surprise, before he could recover from the attack. Cloud slashed Squall's stomach, tossing him at the edge of the levitating garden. Squall was dizzy and didn't see Cloud leering down at him.
"So…I win Squall. Prepare to go to the life after, and never to rest! Hahah! SETH WILL RULE! AND I WILL BE JUST LIKE HIS SON!" Cloud grinned as he lifted his Buster sword to finish Squall off.
"You forget the prophecy Cloud! No mortal or immortal can kill us! And you know what that means!?" Squall replied with a roar as he lifted his Gunblade with his last powers.
" We gotta KILL EACH OTHER!!!!!" he yelled and drove his Gunblade through Cloud's heart, and Cloud drove his sword through Squall's stomach.
"Arg!…" Cloud gasped surprised.
"…So…I'm… taking you… with me…to…my…grave…"Squall whispered and fell back into the chaos, taking Cloud with him.
" SQUALL!!!!!!!!!!!" Rinoa and the others screamed as they saw them fall.
"I…love…you…Rinoa…" Rinoa heard Squall speak in her mind. For the last time. Then, a green light blasted from the chaos, and the garden began shaking. It was the Jenova. The powers of Sorcery and Prophecy were destroying Jenova.
"Quick! We have to get out of here!" Caesar said and flew to the across the darkness and calling some words in the dragon language, he flew through a door that opened ahead of them, as the garden behind them collapsed into the chaos, following Squall and Cloud. And this time, there was no god, no mysterious power to save him. Squall was dead. Forever. Caesar flew fast, like the wind across the horizon. Rinoa had fainted, and the others were trying to revive her.
"Seifer, shall I return to Garden?" Caesar asked Seifer, knowing he was the leader now that Squall was dead.
"…Yeah." Seifer replied. So Caesar flew to Balamb Garden, carrying the horrid burden of the death of Squall Leonhart. Upon arrival, they went straight to Cid to speak to him. Cid fell apart when he heard about it.
"I was afraid this would happen…" Cid said supporting his head on his hands.
" Seth sent this Cloud to dispose Squall. Now Squall is gone and as I see there is nothing that we can do…" Cid paused for a moment.
"Seifer. I want you to take care of the team until I take a decision. I'll call once I have a plan. Go rest, but stay alert." Cid said, unusually laconic. The kids obeyed, although they had so many things to tell him. Caesar gathered them at the Quad.
"I was afraid this would happen myself. Squall had predicted his death. So he wrote this and gave it to me to give to you guys in case that happened." He said presenting them with a letter. Seifer opened it, and read out loud what Squall had written.
"Seifer, Caesar, Rinoa and anyone who is around. I suppose I'm dead since you're reading this letter. Seth has accomplished his goal to kill me. Which means trouble as you can guess. Seifer, I want you to take over in my place, as the leader of the team. If you can't do it, no one can. Please protect Rinoa, and guard her as her knight. Guys, please don't go crying or mourning with my death. I don't want to become a memory. Not yet. I'm not gone, no. I'm still there, all around you guys. Just finish what we were meant to finish. Defeat Seth. It was us who had to defeat him, but I won't be there to help. So I want you guys to do it for me. Please, tell Laguna what has happened, but let him read this letter. Dad, please stay out of this, I can' t afford you dying as well. And I don't want any heroism. Guys, there are some things that must be done. Caesar is the Divine Dragon. Perhaps he's told you by now, and I hope he has. Caesar, you have to win the respect of the rest Holy Dragons. They are part of the army that can fight Seth's Dark Armada. That is the army of demonic and dark creatures Seth will have under his command if the conquers the Superior Power. I don't know what that is, but I guess you'll find out soon enough. Next, you must contact with the unicorns. Go to Gallipolis, and go see the Head Shamman. He can tell you where to find the unicorns. You have to find Morgan, the Unicorn King. He knows what he must do. Next, go fetch Ant. We'll need some strong allies now, and Ant is the best we can think of. And…Rinoa, the scroll Athena gave us some time ago. At Centra. Open it. Now is that time Bastet told us about. The Caves of Silence is your destination. Only there Seth can imprison the gods. Go there and set them free. Don't ask how, you'll know how. Your instinct will guide you. That is all I have to tell you. Rinoa, I love you. Please, don't turn into the Sorceress the worlds will fear. Help fight Seth. Don't undergo to his services. I love you, I love you all. Squall." That was it. Seifer looked at all of them, silently. Rinoa was still in tears. Selphie had lost her usual happy look. Irvine was skeptical as he never was. Glafky was a living dead. Quistis' face was diged with sorrow. Caesar was sad. And he showed it. His eyes weren't shining now, and his tail was lying dead on the floor.
"…So…what do we do now Seifer?" Rinoa asked him.
"What Squall asks us to do head to Esthar." Seifer said sternly.
"I'll go get the Ragnarok with Caesar." Quistis said. The spaceship was still left in Galbadia.
"I'll come too." Glafky said.
"I'll go tell Cid we're leaving'" Irvine said. Selphie followed him. They left the Quad. Rinoa held Seifer.
"Seifer…" she said.
"Yes?"
"You're afraid, aren't you?"
"Yes. I am afraid. I don't think I can handle this."
"You can. I'm sure you can. If Squall thinks you can. You can."
"Squall is dead for goddamned it!" Seifer yelled.
"He is. But he's still around us. You can sense it too, can't you?"
"…Yes…he is. He's scared our lives forever. We can never forget him."
"He can't be forgotten now. We have to prove him we're worthy of his trust. We can do it Seifer. We can do it." Seifer looked at Rinoa. She was the first to swallow her sorrow, and the first to have the courage to move on. She had the courage to listen to Squall's heart and be able to understand these were no times to be sad. He smiled sadly.
"Yes. We can." Then, he realized he really could do it. He would take Squall's place. He could do it. They all could. Then he felt it. He felt Squall all around him. So did Rinoa, so did Selphie, so did Irvine, so did Glafky and Quistis and Caesar. They weren't alone. So, when Quistis, Glafky and Caesar arrived with the Ragnarok and the rest boarded. Squall's memory gave them courage to go for it. The Holy Dragons' Den was their first station. And Caesar's greatest test. To dominate over the Holy Dragons and lead them against Seth. And Caesar was prepared for this. He would gain respect among the Holy Dragons, as his grandfather and father had. It was time to show his true power. After all, he was the Divine Dragon. The King of the Dragons. The Den was on the Island closest to Hell. Caesar took the lead, and led the others to find the Holy Dragons.
Seth was pleased. The Superior Power was under his command now. All the gods were captured. All of them. Horus couldn't resist for an hour. He had easily defeated Horus. And Ares…Ares. Ares, Ares, Ares…how had that impudent kid thought he would involve him in this mastermind plan? Hah! What a fool! He had slammed him out of the Land of the Gods. Ares would die as a common mortal. Soon, once his powers would be complete, he could wipe out every useless mortal on Earth. And his servants would rule! It was such a good plan. Now, all he had left was to kill the Echidna, the semi serpent half goddess, whose blood was the only thing that could kill a god. Killing her meant he had nothing to fear. He would be the only God left. The only ruler.
"Andros' sacrifice was useless. He never stopped me. And neither will Squall. For he is rotting in the chaos, along with Cloud Strife…the last of the Leonharts…the last one is dead…but…is he? The Sorceress is still alive. She could be carrying his infant!…But no…I would knew. Griever would have appeared. But he didn't. But, I must kill the rest. When you kill the leader wolf, you must kill the whole pack…" Seth thought, and began thinking how to kill the rest. Before they could threaten him. Before they could free the gods.
Hi, C-chan, just so you know, it isn't what it seems to be! He'll come back…eventually. Everyone will! It's a big shock the first time though. See ya later, people! Bye!
Ruby Dragon
"Way to go Quistis!" Glafky said with a grin. They hurried to pass through the door. They kept walking through the corridor, following the path. They ended up in another room. There was a sort of door ahead of them, which looked like a jigsaw puzzle. They couldn't tell what it showed. A few pieces had black markings on them, obviously pieces of the picture. They all stared at it for a few seconds.
"Oh…I get it." Irvine said walking towards it. "We have to solve the puzzle to open the door. I'm quite good at these."
"Me too!" Selphie said and went closer to have a better look. Irvine examined the pieces for a moment.
"I think it shows a cross." He said.
"No! It's not a cross. It looks more like a sword to me." Selphie said.
"Just try and see what happens!" Zell said. Irvine carefully took out a block from the puzzle and then another one from a different spot, and switched places.
"See! It is a cross!" he said doing so. A soft clank was heard and Seifer jumped ahead and grabbed Irvine away from the puzzle. As he pulled him away, four sets of daggers from all four sides of the puzzle rose out and in again repeatedly for a little. Irvine gasped.
"Good grief…Geez…thanks Seifer." He said.
"I told you it wasn't a cross. And it's no sword either." Selphie said.
"Then what is it?" Rinoa asked her.
"Umm…Let's try this…" Selphie said and took another block, and replaced it with another. Nothing happened.
"See! It IS a sword." She said. She took another block out, and then another one, and switched the places.
"It's not exactly a sword." Irvine said. Another clank, and the floor behind them collapsed. Glafky Rinoa and Quistis found themselves hanging from the edge, Glafky having grabbed Quistis' arm to prevent her from falling.
"AHHHHH! Try not to do any more mistakes now!" Rinoa shrieked, grabbing Zell's arm as he tended it to her.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Selphie said.
"Um…umm…Oh!" She said and took another piece and apiece she had taken before, and switched places.
"Now I see it! It's a spear!" she said and quickly begun switching the blocks.
"There!" she said. She was right. It was a spear. She finished the jigsaw puzzle, and then, after another look, she pressed the middle block two times. Nothing.
"Huh?!" she gasped. "Maybe you didn't do it hard enough." Irvine said, pressing the block again, harder, three times. A door behind the puzzle opened. They hurried to help the girls climb up from the edge of the floor.
"Yeah!" Rinoa said. They marched ahead, feeling more confident now. After a little, they reached a long hall, with a rug on the floor, wooden seats at the sides, and carvings on the walls.
"Let's move ahead!" Zell said. He took a step forwards, and the rest followed him. Suddenly, a metallic sound was heard, and Seifer shouted:
"Down! Down! Duck!" They ducked for the floor as dozens of blades flew above their heads out of the carvings and back in on the opposite wall.
"Shit! Now what!?" Zell cried out.
"Quiet, quiet! I have an idea!" Glafky said.
"Look at the end of the hall, above the arch! There's a bigger carving, like the ones on the walls!" she continued.
"So?" Irvine groaned.
"If I can hit it with one of my knives, I think we're saved!"
"Then DO IT!" Seifer roared.
"I'll try!" Glafky said, and still lying on her belly, she pulled a knife from her waist. She aimed and threw it. Everyone kept their breath. For a moment that was like eternity, it seemed as if she'd fail. A blade hit the knife driving it slightly out of course.
"Noo!" Glafky shouted. Miraculously, the knife plunged hard into the stone carving, right in the center. The blades above them entered the carvings, never to exit again.
"Alright! Bravo Glafky!" Zell cried out and kissed her on the cheek as he lifted her up.
"Awesome…" Selphie said.
"Man, I'm getting sick of all these traps and snaps and gadgets!" Seifer said.
"Can you do anything about it?" Rinoa asked him emphatically shaking her shoulders.
"I guess I can't." he said.
"None of us can. Let's just move it." Zell said. They kept walking. Suddenly Zell sniffed something weird.
"Ew…Gross! What is this stench!?" He said, clasping his nose with his fingers.
"Yuk, it sure is stinky…" Quistis said waving her hand in front of her nose with a disgusted expression.
"Look, I think this stinks." Selphie said. She pointed ahead of them, a lake with a very smelly, brownish liquid in it.
"Oh brother…A swamp…" Zell moaned.
"Can we pass it?" Glafky asked.
"We'll find out…" Seifer said. He picked up a pebble from the shore of the lake and threw it in the water. It fell on the stone floor with a loud 'TOK!' sound.
"It's not very deep…and I can see the shore across." Irvine said.
"Let's go then…" Selphie sighed and stepped in the stinky, dark waters. The rest followed her. The water reached till a little over their knees.
"Man, this is gross…" Zell said with disgust.
"It could have been worse Zell so shut up." Irvine said. They had almost reached the shore when Glafky cried out and began sinking in the water.
"Eeekkkk! It's alive! It's swallowing me!" She shrieked.
"M-me too!" Irvine cried out. Zell reacted immediately. He had the fastest reflexes from all of them and quick as a bullet pulled Glafky out of the water and threw her over his head and straight on the shore. She landed with a thump.
"Zell!!!" She cried out. The water was eating Zell alive.
"Don't care about me! Get Squall out of here!" He shouted back, throwing Irvine to the shore.
"Yaaa!" he cried out surprised.
"Seifer! You're next!" Zell said and tossed Seifer over to the shore.
"Zell! Zell!" Rinoa cried out. He grabbed Rinoa from the waist and threw her on the shore. One by one, he threw them all on the shore, letting the carnivore water to eat off pieces from his flesh.
"Guys! Please, help Squall! And, don't forget me guys!" He said as he threw Squall's unconscious body to the shore, before the water covered him.
"ZELL!!!!!!!" Rinoa cried out in horror as they saw his hand waving at them good luck and -perhaps- saying a last farewell to the world. The water had eaten him alive. He had sacrificed himself to save them. They stood idle, watching the water come to calm after devouring Zell. They couldn't believe he was no longer with them. Each of them recalled in their minds moments Zell had triumphed, he had said something funny, moments he had saved the day with a fact or a risky move in battle. Seifer recalled with sorrow all the times he had insulted him. Glafky was out of her mind. She couldn't speak, and every time she tried to speak a shock came out of her mouth.
"W-we must move ahead…" Quistis said. The rest nodded, and hesitantly picked them selves up to move ahead, carrying the sad burden of both Squall and Zell's death.
"I…I can see a light ahead…" Rinoa said after a while.
"Look! Look! We made it!" Selphie cried out. They passed the light door and entered Isis' sacred ground. A fully bloomed garden surrounded them that was levitating in complete chaos.
"My goodness…" Quistis had gasped.
"Come on…This way. I know how we must speak to Isis." Glafky said.
"Rinoa, you and I have to kneel in front of her statue and present her the scroll Sebeck gave us and ask her to help us. Say what your heart feels, and don't hesitate to argue with her."
"Ok…" Rinoa said. They walked ahead, and approached the statue of Isis, seated on a golden throne, under a small temple like structure. Rinoa and Glafky knelt in font of it. Rinoa lifted the scroll in front of her.
"Oh Great goddess Isis, Mother of all gods, Creator of life, Wife of the great Hyne; I, Glafky the daughter of Nereys, the lord of the seas, and Sorceress Rinoa whom Hyne has given the power of Sorcery, we come to ask your mercy upon our friend." Glafky began.
"Sebeck, the great god of scribes has given us this scroll for you." Rinoa said. The scroll shone and flew in front of Isis' statue, which shone too and spoke.
"Speak your wish Sorceress."
"The Erinyes, your daughters have placed a curse on Squall. I want to know why and cure him from this curse." Rinoa said.
"My daughters set their curse on criminals who have committed sins of great importance." Isis replied. "Perhaps Squall has committed a punishable crime and had to be punished."
"I want to be sure for that." Rinoa replied.
"And, what do you suggest Sorceress?"
"A trial. Everyone must go through a trial to be punished."
"Very well. I will summon my daughters to come for a trial." Isis said. No sooner had she finished her speech, the three Erinyes appeared. They rose from the ground. They wore long, black clothes with hoods to cover their heads and faces. Rinoa could hear snakes hissing.
"Why do you ask the Leonhart to be judged? He has committed the crime!" One of them said.
"I don't know what crime he committed! I demand to know!" Rinoa said raising her voice.
"He killed the Sorcerer Raspudin and stole away his Force!" another Erinye said.
"Unless a god speaks for him, we will never allow his healing!" the third one added.
"I will speak for him." A voice said. Soon, the owner of the voice emerged from the shadows.
"Sehmet!" Rinoa gasped. Squall had old her about the lion headed goddess of justice and medicine.
"I will speak for the Leonhart. I know that normally you will not accept such requests, but it is an utmost emergency for the Leonhart to be cured. The murder of Raspudin came as an order from the unicorns. Raspudin used their blood for the sin he committed, to kill and drink unicorn blood. The order came from the unicorns and Apollo himself. Therefore, the murder is not Squall's fault. So, I beg you Erinyes, forgive Squall and allow him to be cured." Sehmet said with an emphatic tone on her voice, clearly showing to the Erinyes she wasn't going to accept any argues.
"Very well. We'll allow him to be cured. Isis knows the way." The Erinyes said all together and crouched down back into the soil from where they had came from.
"Thank you Sehmet…" Rinoa said. Sehmet smiled kindly.
"There is no need to thank me Rinoa. You brought yourselves until here, and Squall needs such support from you. Tragically, Zell was the first of you to be lost in this war. Let us pray he will be the last." She said, and kindly stroked Glafky's cheek.
"Times have become hard. Seth is winning upon us. Apollo, Ra, Aphrodite, Hifestus and many other gods are already captured. Seth is draining away my powers as we speak. And, there is nothing that can stop him." The kids gasped.
"How does he do that!?" Irvine said.
"The Superior Power." Sehmet said sternly.
"Superior Power?" Glafky gasped.
"None of us gods knows what exactly the Superior Power is. But, Seth is commanding it and uses it to capture us in the Caves of Silence. He is winning upon me right now." Sehmet said with a voice of agony.
"Sehmet!" Glafky sobbed. The goddess was turning transparent.
"These are times when gods are weak!" Sehmet cried out.
"And only the mortals can save them…" Sehmet had time to say before she vanished.
"Bring the Leonhart to my healing waters before it is too late!" Isis said. Seifer and Irvine carried Squall to the pond Isis showed them. The girls were trying to comfort Glafky.
"Sink him in the waters, and let him alone. He will not drown." Isis said. Seifer and Irvine did as Isis told them. Squall sank in the blue green shiny waters of the pond. They got out of the pond and waited.
"Let him rest for a little…AH!" Isis cried out as her statue stopped shining and crashed to sand.
"What the hell is happening!?" Seifer cried out.
"Something is coming!" Rinoa said. "I can sense it!" A bright light came from the corner of the garden and the SeeDs covered their faces from the brightness. A man came walking from it. He came from the past. From another planet. Another world. Wailing a large Buster Sword. He had blond, spiky untidy hair and ice-cold blue eyes.
"Who the hell…?" Irvine said, lowering his arms as the light faded away.
"Who are you?" Rinoa asked him.
"You'll never understand." The man replied coldly. "SQUALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he shouted. "Where are you, worthless brother!"
"Brother?" Rinoa gasped lowly.
"Why do you want Squall?!" Seifer asked him.
"Why do you bother?! It's between him and me. Unless you want to end up with him." The man replied.
"SQUALL!!!! Why do you hide you worthless coward?!" he continued. The guys were so stunned they couldn't move a muscle. As Squall did not give any signs of life, the man pulled out his huge Buster Sword.
"Come out Squall! Or your comrades will pay your debt!" he said grabbing Rinoa with such a quick movement; the rest didn't even see him. He placed the edge of the sword on Rinoa's neck.
"You either come now or this girl dies!!" he roared.
"Let me go!" she screamed.
"SHUT UP!" the man told her.
"It's me you want Cloud!" Squall shouted. His voice came from everywhere in the cave.
"Finally! Come out and fight me, or she dies!" Cloud cried out.
"Alright." Squall replied. The waters of the blue green bond waved and in a loud splash Squall jumped up and landed on the dry ground with his Gunblade out. Cloud threw Rinoa aside.
"So this is how it should be…we always battle at times of conflict between Good and Evil…" Cloud said.
"You wished so Cloud." Squall said.
"Squall…who is he?" Rinoa asked Squall.
"Cloud?…" Squall repeated staring at Cloud.
"Go on Squall. Tell the little witch who I am." Cloud laughed sinisterly.
"Cloud is…my brother." Squall replied still gazing at Cloud.
"What?…" she gasped, and so did the others. Cloud laughed. He sounded like a paranoid, a schizophrenic.
"Let's tell them our story Squall, it's a shame to let them go without our tale. I'll start off…" Cloud said a cleared his voice. He began saying something like a poem.
"Long, long ago, in the legendary land of Valhalla, Terra had two sons. One named Cloud as the clouds in the stormy sky. The other named Squall as the thundery squalls of the cold winter. She prided her sons for their minds, and their power. But one day the two sons decided to battle to see who was stronger. They battled for two days, three days… But none won. Then the older son, Cloud, used his cleverness to defeat Squall. But Squall would not give up. He fought back harder. Then on their fury, they charged on each other with their swords. And Squall's sword plunged in Clouds strong neck, And Cloud's ripped Squall's broad chest in half, and crimson blood flowed. So the two sons died from each other's hand. Terra lost her mind and heart when she saw the two sons dead on the earth. She set a curse on their souls, never to rest in peace. To always seek to fight each other through great warriors they incarnated. Every 10.000 years, the two brothers meet to battle to the end." Squall took it from there.
"And Cloud would win now, and Squall would win then. The brothers changed. Cloud became dark hearted, and evil as Demon Tojira's heart. Squall redeemed for his own sins and chose to join the side of Good. Cloud would keep killing and destroying lives in his era, While Squall would try and save as many souls as he could, never meeting Cloud. But, time came and the brothers were reborn, One faced the evil of Sephiroth and the other of a Sorceress. Now, the brothers will face each other, in a war. Through the warriors they have incarnated. Their skills will show who will remain, And who will leave this era, and wait for another 10.000 years. Who will rest and who will be restless. This battle will happen during times of war, And one will serve the Evil, and the other Good. Those who will witness the battle will witness the true power of Life and Death." Squall ended. His face was cold as ice. Cloud smiled with satisfaction.
"As you understand, Squall and I are brother souls. We incarnated warriors and every 10.000 years met to battle. Last time he won. Now, we are reborn. It's different. Now, he who wins gets to stop living on and on. This is going to be fascinating." He said.
"No Cloud. We aren't brothers. Not any more. You're just Cloud Strife, and I'm Squall Leonhart. We are total strangers. To me, you're just another enemy, another obstacle, and another challenge in my life. I'm no longer the Squall you knew. I'm a SeeD and I have a life of my own, I'm not depending on you or anyone else that my friends and my family." Squall replied.
"And I? Aren't I your family as well?" Cloud asked him.
"Not in a thousand lives Cloud." Squall said drawing his Gunblade. "If it's battle you want, a battle you'll get." He said.
"Alright…But remember, we're missing a witness…" Cloud replied drawing his Buster Sword.
"Right…Caesar!" Squall shouted. Caesar replied with a thundering roar. He was there all along. He was waiting in the chaos where the garden levitated. He flew up on the garden roaring as he landed.
"Now it's all in order. The Divine Dragon of this era is here. We can battle." Cloud said.
"Squall…why didn't you tell me you were the one?" Caesar asked him.
"I couldn't tell anyone. No one would understand. No one can." Squall replied.
"NO MORE CRAP SQUALL!!!!" Cloud shouted as he dashed up to Squall swinging his sword above his head. Squall was ready for that and placed his Gunblade in front of his face. Cloud's sword slipped on the Lionheart's blade and hit weakly on the ground as Squall dodged the hit.
"Caesar! Get the others away from the battlefield! Now!" Squall ordered Caesar. Caesar nodded and the rest climbed on his back. Caesar flew up above the battle, still watching over it. Squall and Cloud were battling like demons. Cloud delivered hit after hit and Squall dodged every one. But Cloud would avoid every blow Squall delivered.
"Yaaaa!" Squall cried when he swirled his body with the Gunblade pointing outwards and scratched Clouds left arm rather deeply. The wound closed after a few splits of a second.
"Hahahaha! You're forgetting Jenova Squall!" Cloud laughed. Squall half closed his eyes with hate.
"And you forget what I know!" Squall said and used the Lion Eye. He stared at Cloud right through the eyes.
"What the…" Cloud gasped obviously he had never experienced such power.
"YYYYAAAAARGGGG!" he cried out and turned his face away. He had felt a large dosage of pain and his mind was brimming with it. Pain. The greatest fear of the universe and a fact no living creature can avoid in its life. Cloud didn't know the sort of powers a Prophet or a Sorcerer had. But Squall didn't know Jenova's power either.
" Jenova can't withstand this power!" Squall shouted as he spread out his arm and a ray of dark light ran through Cloud who knelled on the ground.
"Jenova can't heal you now Cloud!" Squall roared. He had de-activated the self- healing power of Jenova. But, he paid the price. His self-healing power was deactivated as well.
"Curse you Squall!" Cloud said still trying to recover.
"Fuck your curses Cloud! You must pay! You took away so many lives you monster! You killed Sephiroth!"
"Sephiroth tried to kill me! He deserved it! He thought he could doubt my power! That numskull! Just because he had the Jenova in him as well he thought he was stronger than me! What a loser! And you know what's the funniest? The other idiots thought I was going to save the world! Hahahahahhah!"
"Aeris!" Squall shouted. Cloud looked at him.
"Aeris! Was Aeris threatening you!? You killed the last Ancient alive on your planet you asshole! But of course… Only and Ancient could know your powers. Only an Ancient could stop you!"
"Haha! And Aeris was stupid enough to undergo to my charm! She possibly thought I loved her! What a joke!" Cloud said ironically.
"You fooled her Cloud! As you fooled all the others! Barret, Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, Reeve, Vincent, Red XIII, Kate Sith! You killed them all Cloud! You just couldn't stand having anyone that could possibly oppose you! You disgust me!" Squall roared furious.
"And you disgust me! You could have always been the ruler of the eras and worlds you went to! But you preferred to save people and be a good asshole! And now look at you! All over one fucking little Sorceress that…" Cloud didn't see the mass of mental energy coming at him. It blasted him a respectable distance from where he was standing, and threw him on the ground. But he just laughed!
"You'll have to do better than that Squall!" He laughed as he got up.
"You think that you can just stop me with that primitive power!? Yeah! Sure!" Cloud said.
"I'm far ahead!" he laughed and lifted his right arm. In a black light, the lower arm, below the elbow became a rocket missile! Squall was surprised.
"Isn't it cute?" Cloud asked teasing him. "Meet Jimmy!" He said and fired at Squall. The blow threw Squall meters behind and almost off the garden, but he turned into a Thrustaveis and flew right up. He turned into a human and stood on the ground. He coughed.
"That was a good one Cloud, but surely not good enough!" he said.
"Let me show you what Sorcery really is!" he said. Squall stretched out his arms and a white shiny fire covered him. The Flame Lion's Mist. He seemed to change shape, transforming into a great bird. Phoenix.
"Eat this CLOUD!" Squall-Phoenix roared. He flew right through Cloud, a silver, flaming bolt that passed through Cloud's body like a ghost.
"OUCH!" Cloud cried out and looked at the vertical wound on his stomach.
"Hahah! That's good Squall! You've improved bro!"
"Stop calling me your brother! I'm not!" Squall shouted as he crouched on the ground in pain. It was obvious that last attack was exhausting for him as well.
"Let's just get on with it!" Cloud yelled and grabbed his sword harder, and pulled a long spear from a pack on his back.
"Very well…" Squall replied and grasping his Gunblade, pulled a dagger from his hip belts. They attacked each other with anger. Above them, Caesar and the others were over watching the battle.
"…Now I understand." Caesar said.
"…So do I…" Rinoa replied.
"What!? What is it?!" Glafky asked panicked.
"Squall and Cloud are soul brothers, yes. But, in body and character, they are strangers, as Squall said. If one defeats the other, the defeated soul will be lost for good." Caesar explained.
"You knew all along?" Seifer asked him.
"I only knew this era would be the era of the great battle. But, that Squall was…THE Squall…no, I ignored that. How could I know anyway?" Caesar replied.
"But…there is one thing…" Rinoa said.
"What?" Irvine said.
"Those two brothers…I…I think Squall had told me about such a prophecy…some time ago…that…that no mortal or immortal can kill them…" Rinoa said lowly.
"Yes, that's true… no one has ever understood the meaning of the prophecy." Caesar said. Underneath, Squall and Cloud still fought. It was like a lion battling with a wild boar. They two beasts were battling from in Squall and Cloud. Squall might have been an experienced fighter, but Cloud was stronger, and had twice his age, and experience. Plus, he couldn't keep Cloud's Jenova under control for much.
"Now, I'll show you what finished Sephiroth off! OMNISHLASH!" Cloud roared and jumped up and delivered kick after kick in Squall's stomach. Squall was jolting violently from the blows. Then Cloud backed off only to attack again with his Sword, cutting Squall from up to down, down to up, horizontally, vertically, diagonally right, and left and finally spinning crash into Squall. Squall fell way backwards, heavily on his back. He groaned and sat up. Blood flowed from the edge of his mouth and where Cloud's Sword had hit him.
"Jerk…Good one…" he said. And got up.
"But, if you like bragging…I'll just have to brag right back!" He lifted his Gunblade and prepared to use his very own Limit Break…
"This," he said. "Finished off a Sorceress three times my size. And this Limit Break, is clearly my idea."
"RENZOKUKEN!!!!!!!" Squall roared as he attacked Cloud with his Gunblade. He hit Cloud's neck, then slashed from up to down his chest then stroke his shoulder, and turning his back to him delivered a blow on Cloud's stomach. Then he did a flip slashing Cloud's face.
"I'm not done yet!" Squall shouted merely as he prepared to deliver Lion Heart. He held his Lionheart sideways to generate all the energy the hit needed. Cloud stared at him with awe. It was obvious he never expected such power from a seventeen-year- old.
"EAT THIS!" Squall yelled as he threw Cloud in mid air with a well-delivered blow. Then he began delivering blow after blow with speed, and Cloud couldn't block any of them. Then Squall gathered a big amount of energy to the Lionheart, and slashed Cloud diagonally, with an explosion of power. Then Cloud landed with a crash on the ground.
"…I must admit you have stamina…" Cloud groaned. He got up and attacked Squall on surprise, before he could recover from the attack. Cloud slashed Squall's stomach, tossing him at the edge of the levitating garden. Squall was dizzy and didn't see Cloud leering down at him.
"So…I win Squall. Prepare to go to the life after, and never to rest! Hahah! SETH WILL RULE! AND I WILL BE JUST LIKE HIS SON!" Cloud grinned as he lifted his Buster sword to finish Squall off.
"You forget the prophecy Cloud! No mortal or immortal can kill us! And you know what that means!?" Squall replied with a roar as he lifted his Gunblade with his last powers.
" We gotta KILL EACH OTHER!!!!!" he yelled and drove his Gunblade through Cloud's heart, and Cloud drove his sword through Squall's stomach.
"Arg!…" Cloud gasped surprised.
"…So…I'm… taking you… with me…to…my…grave…"Squall whispered and fell back into the chaos, taking Cloud with him.
" SQUALL!!!!!!!!!!!" Rinoa and the others screamed as they saw them fall.
"I…love…you…Rinoa…" Rinoa heard Squall speak in her mind. For the last time. Then, a green light blasted from the chaos, and the garden began shaking. It was the Jenova. The powers of Sorcery and Prophecy were destroying Jenova.
"Quick! We have to get out of here!" Caesar said and flew to the across the darkness and calling some words in the dragon language, he flew through a door that opened ahead of them, as the garden behind them collapsed into the chaos, following Squall and Cloud. And this time, there was no god, no mysterious power to save him. Squall was dead. Forever. Caesar flew fast, like the wind across the horizon. Rinoa had fainted, and the others were trying to revive her.
"Seifer, shall I return to Garden?" Caesar asked Seifer, knowing he was the leader now that Squall was dead.
"…Yeah." Seifer replied. So Caesar flew to Balamb Garden, carrying the horrid burden of the death of Squall Leonhart. Upon arrival, they went straight to Cid to speak to him. Cid fell apart when he heard about it.
"I was afraid this would happen…" Cid said supporting his head on his hands.
" Seth sent this Cloud to dispose Squall. Now Squall is gone and as I see there is nothing that we can do…" Cid paused for a moment.
"Seifer. I want you to take care of the team until I take a decision. I'll call once I have a plan. Go rest, but stay alert." Cid said, unusually laconic. The kids obeyed, although they had so many things to tell him. Caesar gathered them at the Quad.
"I was afraid this would happen myself. Squall had predicted his death. So he wrote this and gave it to me to give to you guys in case that happened." He said presenting them with a letter. Seifer opened it, and read out loud what Squall had written.
"Seifer, Caesar, Rinoa and anyone who is around. I suppose I'm dead since you're reading this letter. Seth has accomplished his goal to kill me. Which means trouble as you can guess. Seifer, I want you to take over in my place, as the leader of the team. If you can't do it, no one can. Please protect Rinoa, and guard her as her knight. Guys, please don't go crying or mourning with my death. I don't want to become a memory. Not yet. I'm not gone, no. I'm still there, all around you guys. Just finish what we were meant to finish. Defeat Seth. It was us who had to defeat him, but I won't be there to help. So I want you guys to do it for me. Please, tell Laguna what has happened, but let him read this letter. Dad, please stay out of this, I can' t afford you dying as well. And I don't want any heroism. Guys, there are some things that must be done. Caesar is the Divine Dragon. Perhaps he's told you by now, and I hope he has. Caesar, you have to win the respect of the rest Holy Dragons. They are part of the army that can fight Seth's Dark Armada. That is the army of demonic and dark creatures Seth will have under his command if the conquers the Superior Power. I don't know what that is, but I guess you'll find out soon enough. Next, you must contact with the unicorns. Go to Gallipolis, and go see the Head Shamman. He can tell you where to find the unicorns. You have to find Morgan, the Unicorn King. He knows what he must do. Next, go fetch Ant. We'll need some strong allies now, and Ant is the best we can think of. And…Rinoa, the scroll Athena gave us some time ago. At Centra. Open it. Now is that time Bastet told us about. The Caves of Silence is your destination. Only there Seth can imprison the gods. Go there and set them free. Don't ask how, you'll know how. Your instinct will guide you. That is all I have to tell you. Rinoa, I love you. Please, don't turn into the Sorceress the worlds will fear. Help fight Seth. Don't undergo to his services. I love you, I love you all. Squall." That was it. Seifer looked at all of them, silently. Rinoa was still in tears. Selphie had lost her usual happy look. Irvine was skeptical as he never was. Glafky was a living dead. Quistis' face was diged with sorrow. Caesar was sad. And he showed it. His eyes weren't shining now, and his tail was lying dead on the floor.
"…So…what do we do now Seifer?" Rinoa asked him.
"What Squall asks us to do head to Esthar." Seifer said sternly.
"I'll go get the Ragnarok with Caesar." Quistis said. The spaceship was still left in Galbadia.
"I'll come too." Glafky said.
"I'll go tell Cid we're leaving'" Irvine said. Selphie followed him. They left the Quad. Rinoa held Seifer.
"Seifer…" she said.
"Yes?"
"You're afraid, aren't you?"
"Yes. I am afraid. I don't think I can handle this."
"You can. I'm sure you can. If Squall thinks you can. You can."
"Squall is dead for goddamned it!" Seifer yelled.
"He is. But he's still around us. You can sense it too, can't you?"
"…Yes…he is. He's scared our lives forever. We can never forget him."
"He can't be forgotten now. We have to prove him we're worthy of his trust. We can do it Seifer. We can do it." Seifer looked at Rinoa. She was the first to swallow her sorrow, and the first to have the courage to move on. She had the courage to listen to Squall's heart and be able to understand these were no times to be sad. He smiled sadly.
"Yes. We can." Then, he realized he really could do it. He would take Squall's place. He could do it. They all could. Then he felt it. He felt Squall all around him. So did Rinoa, so did Selphie, so did Irvine, so did Glafky and Quistis and Caesar. They weren't alone. So, when Quistis, Glafky and Caesar arrived with the Ragnarok and the rest boarded. Squall's memory gave them courage to go for it. The Holy Dragons' Den was their first station. And Caesar's greatest test. To dominate over the Holy Dragons and lead them against Seth. And Caesar was prepared for this. He would gain respect among the Holy Dragons, as his grandfather and father had. It was time to show his true power. After all, he was the Divine Dragon. The King of the Dragons. The Den was on the Island closest to Hell. Caesar took the lead, and led the others to find the Holy Dragons.
Seth was pleased. The Superior Power was under his command now. All the gods were captured. All of them. Horus couldn't resist for an hour. He had easily defeated Horus. And Ares…Ares. Ares, Ares, Ares…how had that impudent kid thought he would involve him in this mastermind plan? Hah! What a fool! He had slammed him out of the Land of the Gods. Ares would die as a common mortal. Soon, once his powers would be complete, he could wipe out every useless mortal on Earth. And his servants would rule! It was such a good plan. Now, all he had left was to kill the Echidna, the semi serpent half goddess, whose blood was the only thing that could kill a god. Killing her meant he had nothing to fear. He would be the only God left. The only ruler.
"Andros' sacrifice was useless. He never stopped me. And neither will Squall. For he is rotting in the chaos, along with Cloud Strife…the last of the Leonharts…the last one is dead…but…is he? The Sorceress is still alive. She could be carrying his infant!…But no…I would knew. Griever would have appeared. But he didn't. But, I must kill the rest. When you kill the leader wolf, you must kill the whole pack…" Seth thought, and began thinking how to kill the rest. Before they could threaten him. Before they could free the gods.
Hi, C-chan, just so you know, it isn't what it seems to be! He'll come back…eventually. Everyone will! It's a big shock the first time though. See ya later, people! Bye!
Ruby Dragon