Chapter 13: I'm a Believer
Rinoa looked at the man. Who was he? Those eyes of his…so familiar… For an
eternal moment, they both gazed at each other. The man breathed deeply. A
movement in his face made the fabric to fall off his face a little. And she saw it.
A scar. A diagonal scar over the forehead. Her eyes grew large, as she studied the
characteristics of the face. Thin lips, big, blue eyes, wild eyes, and a familiar
expression, that could only belong to one…
"Squall…" her eyes screamed.
"Rinoa…" his eyes said.
"Squall…" her lips said without a sound.
"Rinoa…" his repeated.
Eternity passed before their eyes, and a loud silence surrounded them. Have you ever
heard the silence in the air when the snow covers everything? That was it. A loud
silence, and they both breathed it.
"Squall!" Rinoa shrieked and jumped up and fell in his arms.
"Rinoa…" Squall said and his arms reached out to hold her.
She fell into his arms, and he hugged her with tenderness from in his heart. She threw
her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest, just like back then…at the
Sorceress Memorial.
"Squall…" Rinoa sobbed.
"I'm here…don't worry…" Squall said.
Rinoa clinged on him, and she thought she'd never ever let go of him ever again.
But, she back steeped, and looked at him.
"Are you real?!…Or am I dead?!" she gasped.
"We're both alive." Squall said with a sad smile.
"I can't believe it!" she said with a sob. She lifted her hand and slapped him on the
right cheek with force. Squall's face turned to a side, but he looked back at her.
"I admit I deserved it." He just said.
Rinoa felt the small pain on her hand from the force.
"Squall!" she fell into his arms again. "I'm sorry…"she said in tears.
"It's alright. I totally deserved it." He replied, hugging her.
She reached up and kissed him. She kissed him with a calm passion that could melt
ice, that was drawn from the long sorrow of the long time loss.
Then she looked at him.
"Thank you…" she said weakly.
"Raul! Are you guys ok?!" a voice came from the elevator. Rami came up.
"Whoa…Oh, sorry." He said seeing them embracing. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah." They said together.
"You can uncover your face Ares, it's safe here." Squall
said.
Ares, who was Rami, smiled, and pulled the fabric from his face. He was a young
chap, not older than 20, with a short, brown beard, and short brown hair. He smiled
widely.
Rinoa gasped, and squeezed on Squall.
"That's Ares?! The god of war?!" she gasped with a whisper.
"You'd better tell her…" Ares said with wide, playful smile.
"It's ok Rinoa. Ares is a mortal now. Seth fooled him. As he did with so many others.
He's on our side now." Squall told Rinoa.
Rinoa looked at him.
"I'm mortal. You can kill me if you like. And I have this to prove it." Ares said and
lifted his robe to reveal a bandaged right leg with the bandages stained red.
"I…Uh…Sorry…" Rinoa said breathless.
"It's ok, no harm done."
Squall smiled wider. "We were roaming around for some time." He said.
"Yeah, and he was teaching me how to speak your language. I spoke only Centra…"
Ares giggled. "Say, the big one and your father are unconscious down here. You've
got some Phoenix Downs or something, don't ya?" he added.
"Sure." Squall said, and pulled a pack of Phoenix Downs from his pocket and threw
them at Ares, who caught them with a swift move.
"Shemica…I mean…Thanks." Ares said with a slight blush. He couldn't get easily
used to the language of the mortals.
Squall giggled. "Now, let's get these guys on their feet." Squall said meaning Seifer
and Quistis.
They both revived them. Quistis pulled a shriek when she saw Squall.
"GHOST!" she yelled.
Rinoa laughed out loud.
"No, no, no!" she giggled. "It IS Squall! And he's alive! It's him!" she said as she
helped Quistis up. She was brimming with happiness. She felt she was going to burst
from happiness now.
Seifer stared at Squall like petrified.
"…" His jaw fell. "Squall?!?" he gasped.
"I'm alive you jack ass, get up…" Squall giggled as he helped him up.
"You're actually alive?!" Seifer gasped.
"Hey, we can have a fight to see who's alive and who's dead Seifer." Squall giggled.
A wide grin was formed on Seifer's face. The two friends embraced each other.
"Man, I can't believe you guys bought it. You thought I was dead…Gee, I guess I'm
good as an actor too." Squall laughed.
"Guys!? You ok?!" Ant shouted as he with Laguna and Ares came on the bridge. The
moment they set eyes on Squall, they were both petrified from surprise.
"SQUALL?!?!" They gasped with surprise.
"I'm very much alive…" Squall said with a pleasant tone on his voise.
"Crap…"Ant gasped with his jaw dropped.
Laguna just smiled. "You young bastard…" he said. He moved towards Squall and
father and son embraced.
"Bastard you…" Laguna said, and couldn't resist a tear. Then he griped Squall and
put his arm around his neck.
"Ahhh! No, not that!" Squall shouted with a laugh.
Laguna was messing up his hair with his fist. "I'll show you, you stubborn, bastard
jackass!" Laguna laughed.
They all giggled.
"Ouch…" Squall said after escaping Laguna's grip.
"Who's the newbie?" Quistis asked, meaning Ares.
"You'll never believe it Quisty…" Rinoa said.
"It's Ares. The ex god of warfare." Squall said.
"WHAT?!" They all gasped.
"Hey, don't kill me…" Ares giggled with their expression.
"He's a mortal now, and he's on our side. Seth tricked him." Squall explained shortly.
They looked at Ares, then at Squall.
"We have to hurry. We have to reach the Caves of Silence." Laguna broke the silence.
"Right." Squall agreed.
"We're still quite far. We should take off." Seifer said.
"Can we?" Squall asked.
"Yeah." Ant said. "It's ok. I'll just go finish up some last things, and we're ready."
"Let's go then."
Seifer jumped at the pilot's seat, with Quistis as his co-pilot.
Laguna and Ant went to finish the repairs. Ares went over to see the view from up
front.
"Wow, this cool. Better than just appearing somewhere and disappearing. I've never
flown like this." He giggled.
"Where were you?" Rinoa asked Squall.
"I'll explain everything later…when we're all together…"
"Oh Squall…Our friends…Zell…Glafky…Irvine…Selphie…They're dead…"
"Shh…I know…I tried to help Irvine…but there was nothing to save him. I'm really
sad about all this. Seth is seriously gonna pay." Squall said.
"Do you seriously believe we can do it?" she asked him.
"I believe I can do anything."
Hello…Hello…
I'm a Believer, hello…
I believe in the sun shining
Behind the clouds
I believe in the stars living
Behind the dark
I'm a Believer…
I believe in friends never
Leaving you behind
I'm a Believer!
I'm a Believer!
I believe in love making the world spin
I believe in trust settling every argument
I'm a Believer!
I believe faith is all we need
I believe friendship is divine
I 'm a Believer!
I believe we can do it
I'm a Believer, hello…
I believe the howl of the wolf is,
A wild chant to God
I believe the wind is,
A heavenly breath
I believe noise is the music of the world
I'm a Believer…
I believe life is beyond time
I'm a Believer!
I'm a Believer!
I believe in love making the world spin
I believe in trust settling every argument
I'm a Believer!
I believe faith is all we need
I believer friendship is divine
I 'm a Believer!
I believe we can do it
I'm a Believer, hello…
I believe this our chance
I believe I can fight
For what I want
I believe I can wait
For what I will receive
I believe I can do anything now
I'm a Believer
I believe we are all it takes
I'm a Believer!
I'm a Believer!
I believe I can win now
And I will win now.
I believe in life guiding my hand
I believe in life guiding my sword
I believe in life guiding my heart
I believe in love guiding my heart…
I'm a Believer hello…
("I'm a Believer" By WTW®)
Rinoa smiled at him.
"You know, I wish we could have some privacy now…" she said with a smile.
"Me too. But, we'd draw everyone's attention if we sneaked out." Squall said with a
giggle.
"Too bad…" Rinoa giggled.
Squall gently put his hand under her chin and lifted her face.
"When all this is over, I promise we'll go anywhere you want…anything you want…"
he said.
"Alright…"
"We're almost there." Seifer said.
"Good." Squall said. "It's about time we finished this."
"Yeah." Ant grunted.
They were all gathered at the bridge of the Ragnarok, and their anxiety was growing,
as they got closer to Edea's House and the call of the Gods.
"And remember, while were exposed, call me Raul and Ares Rami. Seth doesn't
know were alive. If we can keep him thinking we're both dead, we'll have an
advantage." Squall said.
"We had a lot of trouble to get till here. Let's not blow it off now!" Ares commented
as he wore his face cover again.
Squall put on his too.
"Now were just two desert people that came to help you guys!" Squall said merely.
They landed outside Edea's house.
"All this time…how could we have guessed it was here?…" Rinoa said sadly.
"We couldn't." Seifer said as they walked ahead.
"Over here. The entrance is here." Ares-Rami said.
"Right. Ooh, we need a rope." Quistis said as she saw the vertical hole.
Squall-Raul took a loop of rope out of his bag.
"This should be good enough. Seifer, give me a hand." He said and he and Seifer tied
the rope at a tree.
"Careful now. Take this torch." Ares-Rami said and handed Seifer an electric torch.
Seifer went first, and Squall followed. Then Rinoa, Laguna, Quistis, Ant, and lastly,
Ares-Rami.
"Raul, it's very dark down here." Rinoa said.
"Don't worry." He groaned as he got close to the floor.
After a while they were all standing on the damp floor of the cave.
"Gosh, it's quiet." Quistis said.
"No wonder it's called Cave of Silence…" Squall-Raul said.
"Don't shout or make very loud sounds. Any loud sound would trigger traps and alert
some guards." Ares-Rami said. "This place is very dangerous if you're noisy."
"Then, let's keep quiet." Ant said.
They began moving, and they tried to move as quietly as they could. They looked all
around them, careful to avoid any unpleasant encounters.
They reached a stone bridge. It was narrow, and it bridged two sides of a cliff.
Underneath it, chaos.
"Good grief…" Quistis said.
"Look up there." Ares-Rami said, pointing up.
"What are those? Stalactites? Or…no…they're swords!" Laguna gasped.
"If we make a sound as we cross, I bet you anything they'll fall on us." Ant said.
"Yeah. But we have to cross." Squall-Raul said. He stepped on the bridge.
"Don't you think someone lighter should try first Raul?" Rinoa asked him.
"Perhaps, but I'd rather…" he begun.
"Quiet…" Rinoa said and moved ahead of him.
With small, soft footsteps she passed as quickly as she could the bridge. She waved at
them. 'Come on.' She said just moving her lips without making a sound.
The others nodded.
"Quistis, you now." Ares-Rami said.
Quistis crossed the bridge with slower footsteps, carefully stepping. She crossed it.
"Raul, you go." Seifer said.
Squall-Raul crossed the bridge almost without the others hearing him.
"Next, you Seifer" Ares-Rami said.
Seifer gulped and crossed the bridge.
'Don't look down!' Squall-Raul said without a sound.
Seifer crossed the bridge with anxiety, and was relieved to pass it.
Ant was next. He had to move a bit slowly, because he was the heaviest. He took his
steps carefully, and reached the other side with a sigh or relief.
Laguna was trembling as he crossed it, but Squall-Raul encouraged him with nods.
Ares-Rami crossed the bridge last. Just like Squall, he was unnoticed.
"Let's move it." Squall-Raul whispered.
"Ooh…my fists are itching me…When are we going to get on with the fighting?!"
Ares-Rami complained after a while.
"Well, in a few moments I assume…Look ahead. We made it." Squall-Raul replied.
They saw a light ahead. They entered a chamber that contained many jars. Large jars
that shone with a colorful light. Each jar shone with a different color.
"The silver white one is Horus! Fa…" Ares-Rami began, but Squall-Raul shut his
mouth.
"No! Don't speak!" he told him. Ares-Rami nodded.
"Look…Aphrodite…Hifestus…Sebeck…" he continued showing a pink, fire red and
a green jar.
"They are all captured. We have to do something…" Seifer said. "Should we break
the jars?" he wondered.
"No! That would kill them. Only he who captured them can free them." Ares-Rami
said.
"WHICH WILL NEVER HAPPEN MORTALS!" Seth roared.
"SETH!!" they all gasped.
The hyena headed god was standing at a corner of the chamber and watched them
with cruelty. His head reached the tall ceiling of the cave. He held a large, shining
sword.
"Horus' sword! You do not deserve to hold that sword!" Ares-Rami shouted.
Seth laughed.
"Oh, yes I do! I defeated Horus, didn't I? The winner keeps everything! Hahah!
Nothing can stop me now!" he said. "The Superior Power is under my command!
What more do I need? To destroy all you mortals! Then, nothing will stop my eternal
reign…" Seth said and laughed with a cruel hyena laugh that made the humans' hair
to stand on end.
"We won't let you do that!" Seifer shouted.
"Oh, and can you stop me!?" Seth giggled. He lifted his hand and Seifer has thrown in
the air and on a wall.
"Seifer!" Quistis shouted.
"Hahahahaha! None can stop me!" He said and aimed at Ares-Rami. The blow threw
Ares back, next to Seifer.
"Well, well, well! Isn't it my dear nephew, Ares! What are you doing with this ragged
band of SeeDs? I thought you were dead!"
"I'm very…well here thank you uncle! I found some real allies here!" Ares groaned.
"The silly President of Esthar…Laguna! Hah! Where is your son now?! Rotting in the
bottom of a abyss with another idiot like him!"
"My son's spirit lives on whether you like it or not dog head!" Laguna shouted back.
Seth threw Laguna back as well.
"None can withstand my power now!!" Seth roared.
"All I need now is the soul of an innocent and pure Sorceress to be sacrificed to open
the gates of oblivion, chaos and destruction!" he said reaching for Rinoa, and grabbed
her in his palm.
"NOOOO!!" she shrieked.
"LET HER DOWN SETH!" Squall yelled throwing the robe off him. "IT'S ME YOU
WANT FIRST!" he shouted drawing out his Gunblade.
Seth's jaw dropped.
"YOU! HOW ARE YOU ALIVE!? I SAW YOU DYING MYSELF! YOU'RE
DEAD! CLOUD KILLED YOU!" Seth roared.
"Yeah, yeah…another motherfucker like you, Cloud was. A jerk with all the
meaning of the word!" Squall replied.
"Nevertheless Leonhart! I will kill you now! The Superior Power is mine!" Seth said.
"Come!" he ordered.
From the ground, as it shook, a white, smoky orb rose, and levitated above Seth.
Seth waived his arm, and Quistis, Ant, Laguna, Seifer and Ares found themselves
chained on the walls, ten meters above the ground.
"Let us see if you can save your world without your friends, Leonhart!" Seth laughed
with cruelty. Then he laughed. "And to add some interest in this game, let's call your
other friends from the dead to watch you die!" Seth said raising his hand. From the
ground, the ghostly souls of Zell, Glafky, Irvine and Selphie emerged.
"Enjoy the game Leonhart!" Seth laughed.
The souls stood where they emerged idle. It was obvious they had no life as souls, and
all they could do was watch.
"SQUALL!!" Rinoa shrieked.
"Let her go Seth! She's not of use to you!" Squall yelled with a strange smile on his
face.
"Wrong Leonhart! Once she dies, she'll be very useful! Her soul will destroy the
world!"
"Not quite! You need a pure and innocent Sorceress! Rinoa is not!" Squall said,
almost laughing.
Seth was petrified. "What?" he gasped. "What do you mean?…"
Squall laughed. "Sorry I'm going to spill our secrets Rinoa…Rinoa is not a virgin!"
Squall said with a tone on his voice that showed that he found all this very funny.
Rinoa blushed. Squall was telling out some things they had decided to keep to
themselves.
"WHAT?!" Seth roared. He grimaced. "Arg! You idiot! You ruined it all!" Seth
roared. "How could you!" Seth said, not knowing what else to say.
"What? Is it weird for a couple to do that? Is it weird? We just…did it, is that a
crime?! No, tell me!" Squall said with a smile.
Rinoa blushed even more, but she knew what Squall was trying to do.
"Yeah! Is that a crime!? And I tell you Squall is really good in bed!" she said with a
laugh.
Seth was completely lost. "Grrrr…Since I can't fulfill my plan, you are my first target
Leonhart!" Seth said as he sent Rinoa on the wall and chained her.
"Now, WE fight!" Seth said lifting his sword. "Just like long ago, with Andros!"
"Fine!" Squall shouted.
He lifted his Gunblade although he knew he had little chances.
Seth swung his sword in front of him and hit Squall. The force of the huge sword
slammed him on the ground, and he didn't move.
"HA-HAH! YOU SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO KILL A KNIGHT!? HA-HAH! IT'S
OVER MORTALS!" Seth roared, sure for his victory.
"No Seth." A voice said.
Seth looked around him surprised.
"What?" he gasped.
"No." the voice said again. "It's not over."
"Who's there!?"
"Nothing is over unless Life is over."
"Who are you!? Show yourself!"
"I am the Superior Power. The power of all the mortal, living creatures. You think I
obey you Seth, but I do not. Life obeys no one. Life always finds a way."
"NOOoooo! You obey me!"
"Life obeys no one. Life finds a way. Life has found a way!" the Superior Power said.
"Leonhart! You are the chosen one! Rise!"
Squall opened his eyes. He wasn't dead. He was listening to the Superior Power.
"I'm listening." He said.
"NOOOOOoooo! You're dead!" Seth yelled.
"Bad dogs die hard mortals say Seth!" Squall said.
"Life has found a way. You are weak Seth. You can harm no one."
"I am the most powerful God alive!"
"You are weak, without any allies. The Leonhart is strong, and he has many allies on
his side. The people that know him, by name and by legend, they are on his side. They
are giving strength now. They are all thinking of him. The Holy Dragons, The
humans, the unicorns, the monsters, even the souls of the dead are with him. The
Leonhart is a flame in their minds to stand up to you Seth." The Superior Power said.
Seth ground his teeth.
"Then, fight me! Have him fight me!" Seth said. "I'll show you who is weak! I need
no allies!" Seth roared.
"I'll fight you, whether you like it or not Seth! I want revenge! For every soul taken,
for every life ended by you!" Squall said. "For Andros and Kallinike!"
"The Propators of the Leonharts seek the revenge." The Superior Power said.
Squall took off his necklace, and threw it in the air.
"Griever! I summon you!" Squall shouted.
The necklace was rinsed in a white light and it turned into Griever. The winged lion
roared with pride as it gazed the cave.
"Now let's see who's stronger!" Squall said. "Griever! Come on!"
"Oh man…so this is the…what happens with the DNA…I never imagined I'd live to
see this…I'll go down in history just by witnessing this…" Ant gasped.
Squall was rinsed in the same white light, and his figure and Griever's became one. In
the light, the body developed, tall and muscular, with a silver white short fur, growing
longer around the neck and head, the face long and wild. A mouth roaring revealing
great fangs. A silver ribbon around the left arm –symbol of the Prophets and the Order
of the Jihad. Two thick and strong arms that held the great Lionheart Gunblade.
The figure rose to it's full height, and Seth back stepped in awe.
"Narashihma…" he said. "No… It can't be…" Seth remembered that old prophecy
Pythia, the priestess of Apollo had given him before he killed her.
"You will be unstoppable until the wheel completes its circle, until the earth cries
from pain. Then you must fear the one. You must fear Narashihma, for he can defeat
you, and you will be lost forever…" she had said.
Narashihma…In ancient Centra language, it meant 'white lion that punishes'. And
there it was, a white lion in front of him.
"Time to get it on Seth!" Squall roared and attacked first.
Seth attempted to avoid the blow, and although the Gunblade sliced air, Squall jerked
his arm and the sharp claws of his lion-like hands wounded Seth's shoulder.
"Arg!" Seth groaned. But his wound was healing. "Hah! How can you beat me when
you cannot wound me Leonhart?!" Seth laughed.
"I have just the thing for that!" Squall replied. The small goblet out of gold came out
of his pocket and he spilled it's content over the Gunblade.
"How about this?!" he said.
"Echidna's blood! So you killed her!" Seth bawled.
"Big deal. A snake girl in cat suit with a face uglier than yours. Big deal!" Squall
giggled.
"RAAARGG!" Seth attacked Squall, but the Gunblade pushed away Seth's sword.
"You can't run from your sins Seth!" Squall shouted.
"I have no sins! I am the eternal ruler of time and space!" Seth yelled as the sword
flew above Squall's head, shaving his mane.
"Yeah, yeah…bullshit!" Squall giggled as he countered the blow, and Seth dodged it.
"This is nuts!" Quistis said.
"It's a battle of titans!" Laguna said.
Squall and Seth were face to face as the Gunblade and the sword crossed.
"You cannot stop me Leonhart! Andros couldn't! You will never reach him!" Seth
hissed.
Squall made a face of disgust. "Man, you gotta cut down on corpses Seth. Your breath
is horrible. But, you are a hyena after all." He said.
Seth roared with anger and pushed Squall. His feet slipped on the soil and he was
moving backwards. Squall growled back and pushed too.
"…You know…this…won't get…anywhere." Squall said from in his teeth as he
pushed back.
"Giving up?" Seth asked him.
"Not now. We're only starting!" Squall said.
Seth pushed Squall and kicked his stomach. Squall fell backwards and rolled to the
side as Seth's sword landed where he lay.
He sprung up, and steady on his feet waited for Seth's next move.
"You may be powerful, but you're a god Leonhart! Can you save many souls at
once?" Seth said as he summoned demons from the ground. The demons headed for
the chained ones, and lifted their arms to grasp them. Squall saw all that but he also
saw Seth attacking him with the corner of his eye. He had to act quickly.
"Avandiiiii!" he shouted as he rushed and with quick move of the Lionheart cut the
chains his companions were all free and ready to deal with the demons.
"Here goes nothing!" Laguna said as he pressed the trigger of his machine gun.
Squall now leapt to the right to get Rinoa. Seth had aimed his sword against her.
A flash of a blade, a low groan of pain and Squall was standing in front of her with
Seth's sword having cut his flesh on the left arm. Squall halted off Seth's attack and
pushed him away. If Seth killed Rinoa, he would get hand of her powers and they
would be in deep trouble.
Squall bounced off every attack of Seth, and he used his mental power to crack the
chains, not an easy thing, as Seth was using the opposite power to keep the together.
Seth growled and like an angry dog showed his teeth at Squall. Squall answered with
a roar. Rinoa's chains broke and she fell into Squall's hand, looking at the battle with
an ecstasy created from the battle of the god and the mortal. But, was he? She was
wondering. If he had so much power, was Squall mortal? Could it be possible he was
just another god, in disguise?
Squall had pushed Seth away, who was trying to recover.
"You ok Rinoa?" Squall asked her.
"Y-yeah…" Rinoa replied dizzy.
"Go help the rest." He said and put her down, then rose up again to deal with Seth.
Squall lifted his Gunblade and with a dash, he hit Seth with a down to up movement.
The blow found Seth low on the leg, there the knee joints with the upper leg. Seth
groaned. Echidna's blood on the Gunblade did not allow the wound to heal.
"Curse you Leonhart!" he hissed.
"Screw you Seth!" Squall replied.
Although he was limping, Seth attacked Squall, driving the Gunblade away with the
sword, and punching Squall on the face. Squall stumbled backwards, but then he
attacked again, delivering a straight blow from right to left, that hit Seth on the
stomach, cutting the flesh across the abdomen rather deeply.
"Never will you learn about Andros!!" Seth yelled and attacked again, wailing the
sword in front of him to pierce Squall. Squall turned to his side and the sword slightly
shaved his side. With a swift move he turned and plunged his claws on Seth's back,
throwing him on the ground. He stepped on his chest and held him down.
"Ares was right. You don't deserve to hold Horus' sword Seth." Squall said and took
the sword from Seth's hand.
"The cycle of the wheel has ended." The Superior Power said. "Time has come. Your
powers are gone Seth. Life demands your death. Life has forgotten you. If you are
forgotten by life, you are dead."
"Noooo! Mercy!" Seth said.
"No mercy for you Seth! You took so many souls and ended so many lives and you
demand mercy!? No Seth, you must die!" Squall replied.
In the cave, everything stood still. The demons, the humans, the idle souls, the lights,
the Superior Power. They watched.
"Your end will mean a new beginning. Everything will be rebuilt, and the wounds you
opened in hearts and the land will be healed." The Superior Power said.
Squall growled. " Now, it's payback time Seth!" he said. He plunged the Gunblade in
Seth's shoulder. Seth roared from pain. "For the souls of the innocent killed from your
army!" Then he slashed Seth's chest. "For my ancestors!" He hit Seth's stomach. "For
my friends killed by you!" He slashed Seth's neck. "For those you fooled, tricking
them into your service! Raspudin, Andromache, Cloud and Ares!" Then, he lifted the
Gunblade above his head. "And finally…" Squall said. "For me." The Gunblade hit
the flesh hard, and the crack of the bones echoed loudly in the silent cave, as Squall
cut Seth's head off.
"May this mean the end!" Squall only said.
From the cut neck of the dead god, a blast of light ignited. What the god was, his
power, his wisdom and his abilities, were now decomposing into small particles of
light, cosmic dust and ashes.
"Take cover!" Laguna yelled. The god was fading. One by one, the demons in the
cave crumbled to dust. All around the world, other demons turned to dust. The world
was being liberated. Many people cheered with joy. They felt a rebirth was beginning.
From Seth's body a ray of light blasted through Ares. He yelled in pain, as the power,
the immortality and the divine nature returned to him. When the light faded, Ares
stood tall and powerful, a god again.
Then, the jars begun to crash in pieces and the colorful lights, after levitating for a
while, took shape. Athena, Sebeck, Aphrodite, Ra, Hermes, Hifestus, Nereys, Sehmet,
Bastet, and other gods appeared, and let exclamations of surprise, happy to be free.
The mortals watched all these in awe.
Finally, Horus, the king of the gods appeared. He shook his eagle head and looked all
around him.
After a slight hesitation Ares rushed and fell to his knees in front of Horus.
"Father, I have mistaken trusting Seth, and joining his plans. I know I must be
punished." Ares said. He took his sword out of its case and offered it to Horus.
Horus looked at him. Before he could speak, Rinoa popped up, encouraged by
Athena's nod.
"Wait!…Please…If you please great god, I want to speak for him." She said.
"So do I." Squall said.
"Me too." Seifer said. The mortals all wished to speak for him.
"…" Horus looked at all of them. "There is no need to speak. Ares will not be heavily
punished." He said. "Sehmet, daughter of Sebeck the god of scribes and my brother,
you are the goddess of justice, and you always judged gods and mortals alike. What is
your decision?"
Sehmet sighed with relief. "Ares' punishment will be to serve the mortals for two
years. He will be with the SeeDs and serve them." Sehmet said.
Rinoa sighed. Squall smiled. That wasn't punishment!
"Life is tired." The Superior Power said. "Life must rest." It added. Squall nodded.
Before their eyes, the white lion just faded. Squall fell to his knees, and then face
down. He was exhausted. Griever pushed his head with his nose. He growled softly.
Rinoa went by him, and Seifer helped her lift him up. The Superior Power split to rays
of light, that flew all about before disappearing.
"I'm ok." he said.
"I'm proud of you Squall." Griever said. Then he disappeared, leaving the necklace
on the ground.
They all looked back at the gods.
"It is over now." Horus said. "This dark reign of Seth's. Thank you SeeDs, for
stopping this terror named Seth. We are obliged to you. As a reward, your friends will
return to life."
Anubis nodded, and hit his staff on the ground four times, once for each soul.
Particles of matter surrounded Zell's, Glafky's, Irvine's and Selphie's souls and
created the body. The four kids gasped for air as they opened their eyes, having
returned to life from the world of the dead. They had seen everything, and smiled
widely at Squall and the others.
"Now, it is all complete." Horus said.
Squall decided in a second.
"Horus, king of the gods, I have a request to ask. I freed you, and I wish a payback."
He said.
"Yes, you deserve a reward. You may ask for anything, except to be told the story of
Andros Leonhart." Horus replied.
Squall smiled. He had expected such an answer.
"Then, I ask to see his soul, and ask him to tell it to me himself!" he said.
Sebeck laughed.
"Hehehe, our little mortal tricked you Horus! I will grant your request Squall. Andros
was a great hero of his time, like you and your friends are now. He was so great we
decided to make him a god. We invited him to our palaces, and we offered
immortality to him. Seth opposed the decision of course, because Andros would be
able to stop his plans. So they fought. And Andros won. Seth was humiliated, and
swore revenge. The day we were to make him immortal, he went to fight Carnorium,
the dragon that was rampaging at Deling. But, Seth tricked Andros, and Carnorium
killed him. Since then, Seth thought the family of the Leonharts was gone. But, you
are here now, and you have reached Andros' glory. That is all about Andros. He
himself asked his story to become forgotten. We do not know why. He said that a
greater hero than him would come to write his own legend over his eventually."
The mortals stood speechless.
"We bid you farewell mortals! But, we are always alive." Horus said as the gods
vanished.
"How nice, they left and left us here!" Ares giggled. He was a mortal now, 'punished'
from the other gods.
"Oh, what a great punishment they put on you." Squall said merely.
They all laughed. They knew this was the first moments of the freedom and the
rebirth of the world. And they were sweet.
"Well, what are we waiting for, let's get outta here!" Zell said with a burst of
enthusiasm.
"Why you jerk! Why didn't you tell me you two 'bonked the rabbit'!?" Irvine said
with a big grin and hit Squall on the back.
"Yeah, like I was ever going to tell you!" Squall replied, slightly turning red.
"Hey! He's turning red!" Selphie said with a burst of intense laughter.
They finally reached the Ragnarok.
"I can't believe it! I thought I'd never see sunlight again!" Glafky said stretching her
arms out in the midday sun.
"Yeah." Zell said hugging her waist.
They boarded the Ragnarok and took off.
"Selphie just set the auto-pilot." Irvine said.
"I can't believe we did it." Quistis said.
"Yeah…" Seifer said. He was looking at Quistis and they all knew he was drooling
over her.
Selphie contacted with Balamb.
"Hello? Hello? Headmaster Cid!? Listen, listen! We did it! We did it!" she said with a
shriek of happiness.
"What?! Oh, Great, great!" he said and it was obvious he was going to cry.
"Squall! Tell us what really happened dude?! After Cloud!" Zell said.
"Yeah! Tell us!" Rinoa insisted.
"Well…heck, ok…" he said.
Squall had known from childhood about Cloud and himself, they two being brothers.
He was expecting him. Squall actually was two people. Squall Leonhart, son of
Laguna Loire and Raine Loire, and at the same time, Squall, son of Terra. But, Squall
Leonhart had won over Squall of Terra overtime. The 'other' side of him was
absorbed from what he was today. And he was himself today, and no one else. When
he became a Prophet, he learnt all about Cloud, and prepared himself. Pretending to
die was the ultimate bluff. Seth would never find him. It was a perfect plan…And
Cloud would be the perfect excuse, plus, if he won, Terra's curse would be over.
After he had pushed Cloud down into chaos, he had just let himself fall deep down.
Then, he just turned into wind and flew back up. He exited the cave and went to re-
organize himself. He disguised himself as a desert man, and with a Chocobo
wandered around, looking for Ares.
Ares had joined Squall's side for quite some time now. He was opposing Seth, until
Seth threw him flat on the earth as a mortal. Squall found him, helped him recover,
and Ares joined him as a dessert man to help him. His plan was to stick around them,
and help them if they could. He witnessed Glafky's death, but they couldn't help.
They two had crept in Apollo's temple and killed Echidna, taking some of her blood.
They had used a clever way to kill her. Echidna's sight petrified anything. They
placed a mirror somewhere, and with a noise attracted her attention. Having not seen a
mirror before, she fell for it and looked in. She was stunned for a little, and they were
quick enough to chop her head off, and take it. For safety, they buried the head
somewhere secret. Squall preferred not to say where. Because, even dead, she still had
the petrifying sight. Then, they followed them to Gallipolis, where Squall had tried to
help Irvine, but he was too late. Later, they crept on board Ragnarok, and when Seth
rammed them, they acted.
"I had known from a youngster almost I could do what I did in the cave. You know,
become Narashihma. I just didn't know how. And, I don't believe I'll be able to do
that again in my life. It's something strange. I suppose it has to do with the Superior
Power, but, I can't explain it very well either, I think I am something like a demon. I
just don't know." Squall ended.
"Yeah, you should see your DNA!" Ant said merely. "It looks like alien!" he said.
"Maybe it is." Rinoa giggled. "After all, we know Squall acts like an alien
sometimes!" she joked.
Selphie called B-Garden again.
"Hey, guys!" she whispered. "Prepare for plan 65, I repeat, plan 65!" she said.
"Selphie, what are you up to now?" Seifer asked her.
"Nothing, nothing…" she said hanging up.
"I can't believe it…" Laguna said. "My son saves the world for a second time! I'm so
proud!" he said. "Maybe I should quit from Esthar President and let you take up?!"
"Oh, no! No way!" Squall bawled with a laugh.
"No eh? Ah well, you're missing. But, no matter how powerful you are, you bastard,
I'm your dad and I'll always kick your butt!" Laguna joked.
Ragnarok flew in the horizon. Caesar, Titus and Sylvie flew up next to it. He waved
from out side and the others waved back.
"Meet you back at Garden turtle-shoes!" he said from outside as the three dragons
flew ahead.
"When did Caesar get a girlfriend?!" Zell laughed.
They flew above Deling. At the park, a concert held place. Seeing the spaceship, the
singer and the crowd followed it with their sight and waved at it happily.
"Let' keep singing now!" the singer said.
*…I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love till you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye!
I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold
I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones to disagree are millionaires!
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love till you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
"Rock it Daniel!" the singer said in the pause.
I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternityyyy!!!!!
(*Taken from 'Affirmation' by Savage Garden)
The sun shone upon the earth. Everything was peaceful, and people were rebuilding
their lives.
The kids and Laguna arrived at Garden, where a surprise waited. Selphie's doing…
Shall I continue with the last chapter, the epilogue or not? I can say one thing - it's funny, and if you're anything like me, you'll feel happy for several hours after. Please review!
Ruby Dragon
Rinoa looked at the man. Who was he? Those eyes of his…so familiar… For an
eternal moment, they both gazed at each other. The man breathed deeply. A
movement in his face made the fabric to fall off his face a little. And she saw it.
A scar. A diagonal scar over the forehead. Her eyes grew large, as she studied the
characteristics of the face. Thin lips, big, blue eyes, wild eyes, and a familiar
expression, that could only belong to one…
"Squall…" her eyes screamed.
"Rinoa…" his eyes said.
"Squall…" her lips said without a sound.
"Rinoa…" his repeated.
Eternity passed before their eyes, and a loud silence surrounded them. Have you ever
heard the silence in the air when the snow covers everything? That was it. A loud
silence, and they both breathed it.
"Squall!" Rinoa shrieked and jumped up and fell in his arms.
"Rinoa…" Squall said and his arms reached out to hold her.
She fell into his arms, and he hugged her with tenderness from in his heart. She threw
her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest, just like back then…at the
Sorceress Memorial.
"Squall…" Rinoa sobbed.
"I'm here…don't worry…" Squall said.
Rinoa clinged on him, and she thought she'd never ever let go of him ever again.
But, she back steeped, and looked at him.
"Are you real?!…Or am I dead?!" she gasped.
"We're both alive." Squall said with a sad smile.
"I can't believe it!" she said with a sob. She lifted her hand and slapped him on the
right cheek with force. Squall's face turned to a side, but he looked back at her.
"I admit I deserved it." He just said.
Rinoa felt the small pain on her hand from the force.
"Squall!" she fell into his arms again. "I'm sorry…"she said in tears.
"It's alright. I totally deserved it." He replied, hugging her.
She reached up and kissed him. She kissed him with a calm passion that could melt
ice, that was drawn from the long sorrow of the long time loss.
Then she looked at him.
"Thank you…" she said weakly.
"Raul! Are you guys ok?!" a voice came from the elevator. Rami came up.
"Whoa…Oh, sorry." He said seeing them embracing. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah." They said together.
"You can uncover your face Ares, it's safe here." Squall
said.
Ares, who was Rami, smiled, and pulled the fabric from his face. He was a young
chap, not older than 20, with a short, brown beard, and short brown hair. He smiled
widely.
Rinoa gasped, and squeezed on Squall.
"That's Ares?! The god of war?!" she gasped with a whisper.
"You'd better tell her…" Ares said with wide, playful smile.
"It's ok Rinoa. Ares is a mortal now. Seth fooled him. As he did with so many others.
He's on our side now." Squall told Rinoa.
Rinoa looked at him.
"I'm mortal. You can kill me if you like. And I have this to prove it." Ares said and
lifted his robe to reveal a bandaged right leg with the bandages stained red.
"I…Uh…Sorry…" Rinoa said breathless.
"It's ok, no harm done."
Squall smiled wider. "We were roaming around for some time." He said.
"Yeah, and he was teaching me how to speak your language. I spoke only Centra…"
Ares giggled. "Say, the big one and your father are unconscious down here. You've
got some Phoenix Downs or something, don't ya?" he added.
"Sure." Squall said, and pulled a pack of Phoenix Downs from his pocket and threw
them at Ares, who caught them with a swift move.
"Shemica…I mean…Thanks." Ares said with a slight blush. He couldn't get easily
used to the language of the mortals.
Squall giggled. "Now, let's get these guys on their feet." Squall said meaning Seifer
and Quistis.
They both revived them. Quistis pulled a shriek when she saw Squall.
"GHOST!" she yelled.
Rinoa laughed out loud.
"No, no, no!" she giggled. "It IS Squall! And he's alive! It's him!" she said as she
helped Quistis up. She was brimming with happiness. She felt she was going to burst
from happiness now.
Seifer stared at Squall like petrified.
"…" His jaw fell. "Squall?!?" he gasped.
"I'm alive you jack ass, get up…" Squall giggled as he helped him up.
"You're actually alive?!" Seifer gasped.
"Hey, we can have a fight to see who's alive and who's dead Seifer." Squall giggled.
A wide grin was formed on Seifer's face. The two friends embraced each other.
"Man, I can't believe you guys bought it. You thought I was dead…Gee, I guess I'm
good as an actor too." Squall laughed.
"Guys!? You ok?!" Ant shouted as he with Laguna and Ares came on the bridge. The
moment they set eyes on Squall, they were both petrified from surprise.
"SQUALL?!?!" They gasped with surprise.
"I'm very much alive…" Squall said with a pleasant tone on his voise.
"Crap…"Ant gasped with his jaw dropped.
Laguna just smiled. "You young bastard…" he said. He moved towards Squall and
father and son embraced.
"Bastard you…" Laguna said, and couldn't resist a tear. Then he griped Squall and
put his arm around his neck.
"Ahhh! No, not that!" Squall shouted with a laugh.
Laguna was messing up his hair with his fist. "I'll show you, you stubborn, bastard
jackass!" Laguna laughed.
They all giggled.
"Ouch…" Squall said after escaping Laguna's grip.
"Who's the newbie?" Quistis asked, meaning Ares.
"You'll never believe it Quisty…" Rinoa said.
"It's Ares. The ex god of warfare." Squall said.
"WHAT?!" They all gasped.
"Hey, don't kill me…" Ares giggled with their expression.
"He's a mortal now, and he's on our side. Seth tricked him." Squall explained shortly.
They looked at Ares, then at Squall.
"We have to hurry. We have to reach the Caves of Silence." Laguna broke the silence.
"Right." Squall agreed.
"We're still quite far. We should take off." Seifer said.
"Can we?" Squall asked.
"Yeah." Ant said. "It's ok. I'll just go finish up some last things, and we're ready."
"Let's go then."
Seifer jumped at the pilot's seat, with Quistis as his co-pilot.
Laguna and Ant went to finish the repairs. Ares went over to see the view from up
front.
"Wow, this cool. Better than just appearing somewhere and disappearing. I've never
flown like this." He giggled.
"Where were you?" Rinoa asked Squall.
"I'll explain everything later…when we're all together…"
"Oh Squall…Our friends…Zell…Glafky…Irvine…Selphie…They're dead…"
"Shh…I know…I tried to help Irvine…but there was nothing to save him. I'm really
sad about all this. Seth is seriously gonna pay." Squall said.
"Do you seriously believe we can do it?" she asked him.
"I believe I can do anything."
Hello…Hello…
I'm a Believer, hello…
I believe in the sun shining
Behind the clouds
I believe in the stars living
Behind the dark
I'm a Believer…
I believe in friends never
Leaving you behind
I'm a Believer!
I'm a Believer!
I believe in love making the world spin
I believe in trust settling every argument
I'm a Believer!
I believe faith is all we need
I believe friendship is divine
I 'm a Believer!
I believe we can do it
I'm a Believer, hello…
I believe the howl of the wolf is,
A wild chant to God
I believe the wind is,
A heavenly breath
I believe noise is the music of the world
I'm a Believer…
I believe life is beyond time
I'm a Believer!
I'm a Believer!
I believe in love making the world spin
I believe in trust settling every argument
I'm a Believer!
I believe faith is all we need
I believer friendship is divine
I 'm a Believer!
I believe we can do it
I'm a Believer, hello…
I believe this our chance
I believe I can fight
For what I want
I believe I can wait
For what I will receive
I believe I can do anything now
I'm a Believer
I believe we are all it takes
I'm a Believer!
I'm a Believer!
I believe I can win now
And I will win now.
I believe in life guiding my hand
I believe in life guiding my sword
I believe in life guiding my heart
I believe in love guiding my heart…
I'm a Believer hello…
("I'm a Believer" By WTW®)
Rinoa smiled at him.
"You know, I wish we could have some privacy now…" she said with a smile.
"Me too. But, we'd draw everyone's attention if we sneaked out." Squall said with a
giggle.
"Too bad…" Rinoa giggled.
Squall gently put his hand under her chin and lifted her face.
"When all this is over, I promise we'll go anywhere you want…anything you want…"
he said.
"Alright…"
"We're almost there." Seifer said.
"Good." Squall said. "It's about time we finished this."
"Yeah." Ant grunted.
They were all gathered at the bridge of the Ragnarok, and their anxiety was growing,
as they got closer to Edea's House and the call of the Gods.
"And remember, while were exposed, call me Raul and Ares Rami. Seth doesn't
know were alive. If we can keep him thinking we're both dead, we'll have an
advantage." Squall said.
"We had a lot of trouble to get till here. Let's not blow it off now!" Ares commented
as he wore his face cover again.
Squall put on his too.
"Now were just two desert people that came to help you guys!" Squall said merely.
They landed outside Edea's house.
"All this time…how could we have guessed it was here?…" Rinoa said sadly.
"We couldn't." Seifer said as they walked ahead.
"Over here. The entrance is here." Ares-Rami said.
"Right. Ooh, we need a rope." Quistis said as she saw the vertical hole.
Squall-Raul took a loop of rope out of his bag.
"This should be good enough. Seifer, give me a hand." He said and he and Seifer tied
the rope at a tree.
"Careful now. Take this torch." Ares-Rami said and handed Seifer an electric torch.
Seifer went first, and Squall followed. Then Rinoa, Laguna, Quistis, Ant, and lastly,
Ares-Rami.
"Raul, it's very dark down here." Rinoa said.
"Don't worry." He groaned as he got close to the floor.
After a while they were all standing on the damp floor of the cave.
"Gosh, it's quiet." Quistis said.
"No wonder it's called Cave of Silence…" Squall-Raul said.
"Don't shout or make very loud sounds. Any loud sound would trigger traps and alert
some guards." Ares-Rami said. "This place is very dangerous if you're noisy."
"Then, let's keep quiet." Ant said.
They began moving, and they tried to move as quietly as they could. They looked all
around them, careful to avoid any unpleasant encounters.
They reached a stone bridge. It was narrow, and it bridged two sides of a cliff.
Underneath it, chaos.
"Good grief…" Quistis said.
"Look up there." Ares-Rami said, pointing up.
"What are those? Stalactites? Or…no…they're swords!" Laguna gasped.
"If we make a sound as we cross, I bet you anything they'll fall on us." Ant said.
"Yeah. But we have to cross." Squall-Raul said. He stepped on the bridge.
"Don't you think someone lighter should try first Raul?" Rinoa asked him.
"Perhaps, but I'd rather…" he begun.
"Quiet…" Rinoa said and moved ahead of him.
With small, soft footsteps she passed as quickly as she could the bridge. She waved at
them. 'Come on.' She said just moving her lips without making a sound.
The others nodded.
"Quistis, you now." Ares-Rami said.
Quistis crossed the bridge with slower footsteps, carefully stepping. She crossed it.
"Raul, you go." Seifer said.
Squall-Raul crossed the bridge almost without the others hearing him.
"Next, you Seifer" Ares-Rami said.
Seifer gulped and crossed the bridge.
'Don't look down!' Squall-Raul said without a sound.
Seifer crossed the bridge with anxiety, and was relieved to pass it.
Ant was next. He had to move a bit slowly, because he was the heaviest. He took his
steps carefully, and reached the other side with a sigh or relief.
Laguna was trembling as he crossed it, but Squall-Raul encouraged him with nods.
Ares-Rami crossed the bridge last. Just like Squall, he was unnoticed.
"Let's move it." Squall-Raul whispered.
"Ooh…my fists are itching me…When are we going to get on with the fighting?!"
Ares-Rami complained after a while.
"Well, in a few moments I assume…Look ahead. We made it." Squall-Raul replied.
They saw a light ahead. They entered a chamber that contained many jars. Large jars
that shone with a colorful light. Each jar shone with a different color.
"The silver white one is Horus! Fa…" Ares-Rami began, but Squall-Raul shut his
mouth.
"No! Don't speak!" he told him. Ares-Rami nodded.
"Look…Aphrodite…Hifestus…Sebeck…" he continued showing a pink, fire red and
a green jar.
"They are all captured. We have to do something…" Seifer said. "Should we break
the jars?" he wondered.
"No! That would kill them. Only he who captured them can free them." Ares-Rami
said.
"WHICH WILL NEVER HAPPEN MORTALS!" Seth roared.
"SETH!!" they all gasped.
The hyena headed god was standing at a corner of the chamber and watched them
with cruelty. His head reached the tall ceiling of the cave. He held a large, shining
sword.
"Horus' sword! You do not deserve to hold that sword!" Ares-Rami shouted.
Seth laughed.
"Oh, yes I do! I defeated Horus, didn't I? The winner keeps everything! Hahah!
Nothing can stop me now!" he said. "The Superior Power is under my command!
What more do I need? To destroy all you mortals! Then, nothing will stop my eternal
reign…" Seth said and laughed with a cruel hyena laugh that made the humans' hair
to stand on end.
"We won't let you do that!" Seifer shouted.
"Oh, and can you stop me!?" Seth giggled. He lifted his hand and Seifer has thrown in
the air and on a wall.
"Seifer!" Quistis shouted.
"Hahahahaha! None can stop me!" He said and aimed at Ares-Rami. The blow threw
Ares back, next to Seifer.
"Well, well, well! Isn't it my dear nephew, Ares! What are you doing with this ragged
band of SeeDs? I thought you were dead!"
"I'm very…well here thank you uncle! I found some real allies here!" Ares groaned.
"The silly President of Esthar…Laguna! Hah! Where is your son now?! Rotting in the
bottom of a abyss with another idiot like him!"
"My son's spirit lives on whether you like it or not dog head!" Laguna shouted back.
Seth threw Laguna back as well.
"None can withstand my power now!!" Seth roared.
"All I need now is the soul of an innocent and pure Sorceress to be sacrificed to open
the gates of oblivion, chaos and destruction!" he said reaching for Rinoa, and grabbed
her in his palm.
"NOOOO!!" she shrieked.
"LET HER DOWN SETH!" Squall yelled throwing the robe off him. "IT'S ME YOU
WANT FIRST!" he shouted drawing out his Gunblade.
Seth's jaw dropped.
"YOU! HOW ARE YOU ALIVE!? I SAW YOU DYING MYSELF! YOU'RE
DEAD! CLOUD KILLED YOU!" Seth roared.
"Yeah, yeah…another motherfucker like you, Cloud was. A jerk with all the
meaning of the word!" Squall replied.
"Nevertheless Leonhart! I will kill you now! The Superior Power is mine!" Seth said.
"Come!" he ordered.
From the ground, as it shook, a white, smoky orb rose, and levitated above Seth.
Seth waived his arm, and Quistis, Ant, Laguna, Seifer and Ares found themselves
chained on the walls, ten meters above the ground.
"Let us see if you can save your world without your friends, Leonhart!" Seth laughed
with cruelty. Then he laughed. "And to add some interest in this game, let's call your
other friends from the dead to watch you die!" Seth said raising his hand. From the
ground, the ghostly souls of Zell, Glafky, Irvine and Selphie emerged.
"Enjoy the game Leonhart!" Seth laughed.
The souls stood where they emerged idle. It was obvious they had no life as souls, and
all they could do was watch.
"SQUALL!!" Rinoa shrieked.
"Let her go Seth! She's not of use to you!" Squall yelled with a strange smile on his
face.
"Wrong Leonhart! Once she dies, she'll be very useful! Her soul will destroy the
world!"
"Not quite! You need a pure and innocent Sorceress! Rinoa is not!" Squall said,
almost laughing.
Seth was petrified. "What?" he gasped. "What do you mean?…"
Squall laughed. "Sorry I'm going to spill our secrets Rinoa…Rinoa is not a virgin!"
Squall said with a tone on his voice that showed that he found all this very funny.
Rinoa blushed. Squall was telling out some things they had decided to keep to
themselves.
"WHAT?!" Seth roared. He grimaced. "Arg! You idiot! You ruined it all!" Seth
roared. "How could you!" Seth said, not knowing what else to say.
"What? Is it weird for a couple to do that? Is it weird? We just…did it, is that a
crime?! No, tell me!" Squall said with a smile.
Rinoa blushed even more, but she knew what Squall was trying to do.
"Yeah! Is that a crime!? And I tell you Squall is really good in bed!" she said with a
laugh.
Seth was completely lost. "Grrrr…Since I can't fulfill my plan, you are my first target
Leonhart!" Seth said as he sent Rinoa on the wall and chained her.
"Now, WE fight!" Seth said lifting his sword. "Just like long ago, with Andros!"
"Fine!" Squall shouted.
He lifted his Gunblade although he knew he had little chances.
Seth swung his sword in front of him and hit Squall. The force of the huge sword
slammed him on the ground, and he didn't move.
"HA-HAH! YOU SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO KILL A KNIGHT!? HA-HAH! IT'S
OVER MORTALS!" Seth roared, sure for his victory.
"No Seth." A voice said.
Seth looked around him surprised.
"What?" he gasped.
"No." the voice said again. "It's not over."
"Who's there!?"
"Nothing is over unless Life is over."
"Who are you!? Show yourself!"
"I am the Superior Power. The power of all the mortal, living creatures. You think I
obey you Seth, but I do not. Life obeys no one. Life always finds a way."
"NOOoooo! You obey me!"
"Life obeys no one. Life finds a way. Life has found a way!" the Superior Power said.
"Leonhart! You are the chosen one! Rise!"
Squall opened his eyes. He wasn't dead. He was listening to the Superior Power.
"I'm listening." He said.
"NOOOOOoooo! You're dead!" Seth yelled.
"Bad dogs die hard mortals say Seth!" Squall said.
"Life has found a way. You are weak Seth. You can harm no one."
"I am the most powerful God alive!"
"You are weak, without any allies. The Leonhart is strong, and he has many allies on
his side. The people that know him, by name and by legend, they are on his side. They
are giving strength now. They are all thinking of him. The Holy Dragons, The
humans, the unicorns, the monsters, even the souls of the dead are with him. The
Leonhart is a flame in their minds to stand up to you Seth." The Superior Power said.
Seth ground his teeth.
"Then, fight me! Have him fight me!" Seth said. "I'll show you who is weak! I need
no allies!" Seth roared.
"I'll fight you, whether you like it or not Seth! I want revenge! For every soul taken,
for every life ended by you!" Squall said. "For Andros and Kallinike!"
"The Propators of the Leonharts seek the revenge." The Superior Power said.
Squall took off his necklace, and threw it in the air.
"Griever! I summon you!" Squall shouted.
The necklace was rinsed in a white light and it turned into Griever. The winged lion
roared with pride as it gazed the cave.
"Now let's see who's stronger!" Squall said. "Griever! Come on!"
"Oh man…so this is the…what happens with the DNA…I never imagined I'd live to
see this…I'll go down in history just by witnessing this…" Ant gasped.
Squall was rinsed in the same white light, and his figure and Griever's became one. In
the light, the body developed, tall and muscular, with a silver white short fur, growing
longer around the neck and head, the face long and wild. A mouth roaring revealing
great fangs. A silver ribbon around the left arm –symbol of the Prophets and the Order
of the Jihad. Two thick and strong arms that held the great Lionheart Gunblade.
The figure rose to it's full height, and Seth back stepped in awe.
"Narashihma…" he said. "No… It can't be…" Seth remembered that old prophecy
Pythia, the priestess of Apollo had given him before he killed her.
"You will be unstoppable until the wheel completes its circle, until the earth cries
from pain. Then you must fear the one. You must fear Narashihma, for he can defeat
you, and you will be lost forever…" she had said.
Narashihma…In ancient Centra language, it meant 'white lion that punishes'. And
there it was, a white lion in front of him.
"Time to get it on Seth!" Squall roared and attacked first.
Seth attempted to avoid the blow, and although the Gunblade sliced air, Squall jerked
his arm and the sharp claws of his lion-like hands wounded Seth's shoulder.
"Arg!" Seth groaned. But his wound was healing. "Hah! How can you beat me when
you cannot wound me Leonhart?!" Seth laughed.
"I have just the thing for that!" Squall replied. The small goblet out of gold came out
of his pocket and he spilled it's content over the Gunblade.
"How about this?!" he said.
"Echidna's blood! So you killed her!" Seth bawled.
"Big deal. A snake girl in cat suit with a face uglier than yours. Big deal!" Squall
giggled.
"RAAARGG!" Seth attacked Squall, but the Gunblade pushed away Seth's sword.
"You can't run from your sins Seth!" Squall shouted.
"I have no sins! I am the eternal ruler of time and space!" Seth yelled as the sword
flew above Squall's head, shaving his mane.
"Yeah, yeah…bullshit!" Squall giggled as he countered the blow, and Seth dodged it.
"This is nuts!" Quistis said.
"It's a battle of titans!" Laguna said.
Squall and Seth were face to face as the Gunblade and the sword crossed.
"You cannot stop me Leonhart! Andros couldn't! You will never reach him!" Seth
hissed.
Squall made a face of disgust. "Man, you gotta cut down on corpses Seth. Your breath
is horrible. But, you are a hyena after all." He said.
Seth roared with anger and pushed Squall. His feet slipped on the soil and he was
moving backwards. Squall growled back and pushed too.
"…You know…this…won't get…anywhere." Squall said from in his teeth as he
pushed back.
"Giving up?" Seth asked him.
"Not now. We're only starting!" Squall said.
Seth pushed Squall and kicked his stomach. Squall fell backwards and rolled to the
side as Seth's sword landed where he lay.
He sprung up, and steady on his feet waited for Seth's next move.
"You may be powerful, but you're a god Leonhart! Can you save many souls at
once?" Seth said as he summoned demons from the ground. The demons headed for
the chained ones, and lifted their arms to grasp them. Squall saw all that but he also
saw Seth attacking him with the corner of his eye. He had to act quickly.
"Avandiiiii!" he shouted as he rushed and with quick move of the Lionheart cut the
chains his companions were all free and ready to deal with the demons.
"Here goes nothing!" Laguna said as he pressed the trigger of his machine gun.
Squall now leapt to the right to get Rinoa. Seth had aimed his sword against her.
A flash of a blade, a low groan of pain and Squall was standing in front of her with
Seth's sword having cut his flesh on the left arm. Squall halted off Seth's attack and
pushed him away. If Seth killed Rinoa, he would get hand of her powers and they
would be in deep trouble.
Squall bounced off every attack of Seth, and he used his mental power to crack the
chains, not an easy thing, as Seth was using the opposite power to keep the together.
Seth growled and like an angry dog showed his teeth at Squall. Squall answered with
a roar. Rinoa's chains broke and she fell into Squall's hand, looking at the battle with
an ecstasy created from the battle of the god and the mortal. But, was he? She was
wondering. If he had so much power, was Squall mortal? Could it be possible he was
just another god, in disguise?
Squall had pushed Seth away, who was trying to recover.
"You ok Rinoa?" Squall asked her.
"Y-yeah…" Rinoa replied dizzy.
"Go help the rest." He said and put her down, then rose up again to deal with Seth.
Squall lifted his Gunblade and with a dash, he hit Seth with a down to up movement.
The blow found Seth low on the leg, there the knee joints with the upper leg. Seth
groaned. Echidna's blood on the Gunblade did not allow the wound to heal.
"Curse you Leonhart!" he hissed.
"Screw you Seth!" Squall replied.
Although he was limping, Seth attacked Squall, driving the Gunblade away with the
sword, and punching Squall on the face. Squall stumbled backwards, but then he
attacked again, delivering a straight blow from right to left, that hit Seth on the
stomach, cutting the flesh across the abdomen rather deeply.
"Never will you learn about Andros!!" Seth yelled and attacked again, wailing the
sword in front of him to pierce Squall. Squall turned to his side and the sword slightly
shaved his side. With a swift move he turned and plunged his claws on Seth's back,
throwing him on the ground. He stepped on his chest and held him down.
"Ares was right. You don't deserve to hold Horus' sword Seth." Squall said and took
the sword from Seth's hand.
"The cycle of the wheel has ended." The Superior Power said. "Time has come. Your
powers are gone Seth. Life demands your death. Life has forgotten you. If you are
forgotten by life, you are dead."
"Noooo! Mercy!" Seth said.
"No mercy for you Seth! You took so many souls and ended so many lives and you
demand mercy!? No Seth, you must die!" Squall replied.
In the cave, everything stood still. The demons, the humans, the idle souls, the lights,
the Superior Power. They watched.
"Your end will mean a new beginning. Everything will be rebuilt, and the wounds you
opened in hearts and the land will be healed." The Superior Power said.
Squall growled. " Now, it's payback time Seth!" he said. He plunged the Gunblade in
Seth's shoulder. Seth roared from pain. "For the souls of the innocent killed from your
army!" Then he slashed Seth's chest. "For my ancestors!" He hit Seth's stomach. "For
my friends killed by you!" He slashed Seth's neck. "For those you fooled, tricking
them into your service! Raspudin, Andromache, Cloud and Ares!" Then, he lifted the
Gunblade above his head. "And finally…" Squall said. "For me." The Gunblade hit
the flesh hard, and the crack of the bones echoed loudly in the silent cave, as Squall
cut Seth's head off.
"May this mean the end!" Squall only said.
From the cut neck of the dead god, a blast of light ignited. What the god was, his
power, his wisdom and his abilities, were now decomposing into small particles of
light, cosmic dust and ashes.
"Take cover!" Laguna yelled. The god was fading. One by one, the demons in the
cave crumbled to dust. All around the world, other demons turned to dust. The world
was being liberated. Many people cheered with joy. They felt a rebirth was beginning.
From Seth's body a ray of light blasted through Ares. He yelled in pain, as the power,
the immortality and the divine nature returned to him. When the light faded, Ares
stood tall and powerful, a god again.
Then, the jars begun to crash in pieces and the colorful lights, after levitating for a
while, took shape. Athena, Sebeck, Aphrodite, Ra, Hermes, Hifestus, Nereys, Sehmet,
Bastet, and other gods appeared, and let exclamations of surprise, happy to be free.
The mortals watched all these in awe.
Finally, Horus, the king of the gods appeared. He shook his eagle head and looked all
around him.
After a slight hesitation Ares rushed and fell to his knees in front of Horus.
"Father, I have mistaken trusting Seth, and joining his plans. I know I must be
punished." Ares said. He took his sword out of its case and offered it to Horus.
Horus looked at him. Before he could speak, Rinoa popped up, encouraged by
Athena's nod.
"Wait!…Please…If you please great god, I want to speak for him." She said.
"So do I." Squall said.
"Me too." Seifer said. The mortals all wished to speak for him.
"…" Horus looked at all of them. "There is no need to speak. Ares will not be heavily
punished." He said. "Sehmet, daughter of Sebeck the god of scribes and my brother,
you are the goddess of justice, and you always judged gods and mortals alike. What is
your decision?"
Sehmet sighed with relief. "Ares' punishment will be to serve the mortals for two
years. He will be with the SeeDs and serve them." Sehmet said.
Rinoa sighed. Squall smiled. That wasn't punishment!
"Life is tired." The Superior Power said. "Life must rest." It added. Squall nodded.
Before their eyes, the white lion just faded. Squall fell to his knees, and then face
down. He was exhausted. Griever pushed his head with his nose. He growled softly.
Rinoa went by him, and Seifer helped her lift him up. The Superior Power split to rays
of light, that flew all about before disappearing.
"I'm ok." he said.
"I'm proud of you Squall." Griever said. Then he disappeared, leaving the necklace
on the ground.
They all looked back at the gods.
"It is over now." Horus said. "This dark reign of Seth's. Thank you SeeDs, for
stopping this terror named Seth. We are obliged to you. As a reward, your friends will
return to life."
Anubis nodded, and hit his staff on the ground four times, once for each soul.
Particles of matter surrounded Zell's, Glafky's, Irvine's and Selphie's souls and
created the body. The four kids gasped for air as they opened their eyes, having
returned to life from the world of the dead. They had seen everything, and smiled
widely at Squall and the others.
"Now, it is all complete." Horus said.
Squall decided in a second.
"Horus, king of the gods, I have a request to ask. I freed you, and I wish a payback."
He said.
"Yes, you deserve a reward. You may ask for anything, except to be told the story of
Andros Leonhart." Horus replied.
Squall smiled. He had expected such an answer.
"Then, I ask to see his soul, and ask him to tell it to me himself!" he said.
Sebeck laughed.
"Hehehe, our little mortal tricked you Horus! I will grant your request Squall. Andros
was a great hero of his time, like you and your friends are now. He was so great we
decided to make him a god. We invited him to our palaces, and we offered
immortality to him. Seth opposed the decision of course, because Andros would be
able to stop his plans. So they fought. And Andros won. Seth was humiliated, and
swore revenge. The day we were to make him immortal, he went to fight Carnorium,
the dragon that was rampaging at Deling. But, Seth tricked Andros, and Carnorium
killed him. Since then, Seth thought the family of the Leonharts was gone. But, you
are here now, and you have reached Andros' glory. That is all about Andros. He
himself asked his story to become forgotten. We do not know why. He said that a
greater hero than him would come to write his own legend over his eventually."
The mortals stood speechless.
"We bid you farewell mortals! But, we are always alive." Horus said as the gods
vanished.
"How nice, they left and left us here!" Ares giggled. He was a mortal now, 'punished'
from the other gods.
"Oh, what a great punishment they put on you." Squall said merely.
They all laughed. They knew this was the first moments of the freedom and the
rebirth of the world. And they were sweet.
"Well, what are we waiting for, let's get outta here!" Zell said with a burst of
enthusiasm.
"Why you jerk! Why didn't you tell me you two 'bonked the rabbit'!?" Irvine said
with a big grin and hit Squall on the back.
"Yeah, like I was ever going to tell you!" Squall replied, slightly turning red.
"Hey! He's turning red!" Selphie said with a burst of intense laughter.
They finally reached the Ragnarok.
"I can't believe it! I thought I'd never see sunlight again!" Glafky said stretching her
arms out in the midday sun.
"Yeah." Zell said hugging her waist.
They boarded the Ragnarok and took off.
"Selphie just set the auto-pilot." Irvine said.
"I can't believe we did it." Quistis said.
"Yeah…" Seifer said. He was looking at Quistis and they all knew he was drooling
over her.
Selphie contacted with Balamb.
"Hello? Hello? Headmaster Cid!? Listen, listen! We did it! We did it!" she said with a
shriek of happiness.
"What?! Oh, Great, great!" he said and it was obvious he was going to cry.
"Squall! Tell us what really happened dude?! After Cloud!" Zell said.
"Yeah! Tell us!" Rinoa insisted.
"Well…heck, ok…" he said.
Squall had known from childhood about Cloud and himself, they two being brothers.
He was expecting him. Squall actually was two people. Squall Leonhart, son of
Laguna Loire and Raine Loire, and at the same time, Squall, son of Terra. But, Squall
Leonhart had won over Squall of Terra overtime. The 'other' side of him was
absorbed from what he was today. And he was himself today, and no one else. When
he became a Prophet, he learnt all about Cloud, and prepared himself. Pretending to
die was the ultimate bluff. Seth would never find him. It was a perfect plan…And
Cloud would be the perfect excuse, plus, if he won, Terra's curse would be over.
After he had pushed Cloud down into chaos, he had just let himself fall deep down.
Then, he just turned into wind and flew back up. He exited the cave and went to re-
organize himself. He disguised himself as a desert man, and with a Chocobo
wandered around, looking for Ares.
Ares had joined Squall's side for quite some time now. He was opposing Seth, until
Seth threw him flat on the earth as a mortal. Squall found him, helped him recover,
and Ares joined him as a dessert man to help him. His plan was to stick around them,
and help them if they could. He witnessed Glafky's death, but they couldn't help.
They two had crept in Apollo's temple and killed Echidna, taking some of her blood.
They had used a clever way to kill her. Echidna's sight petrified anything. They
placed a mirror somewhere, and with a noise attracted her attention. Having not seen a
mirror before, she fell for it and looked in. She was stunned for a little, and they were
quick enough to chop her head off, and take it. For safety, they buried the head
somewhere secret. Squall preferred not to say where. Because, even dead, she still had
the petrifying sight. Then, they followed them to Gallipolis, where Squall had tried to
help Irvine, but he was too late. Later, they crept on board Ragnarok, and when Seth
rammed them, they acted.
"I had known from a youngster almost I could do what I did in the cave. You know,
become Narashihma. I just didn't know how. And, I don't believe I'll be able to do
that again in my life. It's something strange. I suppose it has to do with the Superior
Power, but, I can't explain it very well either, I think I am something like a demon. I
just don't know." Squall ended.
"Yeah, you should see your DNA!" Ant said merely. "It looks like alien!" he said.
"Maybe it is." Rinoa giggled. "After all, we know Squall acts like an alien
sometimes!" she joked.
Selphie called B-Garden again.
"Hey, guys!" she whispered. "Prepare for plan 65, I repeat, plan 65!" she said.
"Selphie, what are you up to now?" Seifer asked her.
"Nothing, nothing…" she said hanging up.
"I can't believe it…" Laguna said. "My son saves the world for a second time! I'm so
proud!" he said. "Maybe I should quit from Esthar President and let you take up?!"
"Oh, no! No way!" Squall bawled with a laugh.
"No eh? Ah well, you're missing. But, no matter how powerful you are, you bastard,
I'm your dad and I'll always kick your butt!" Laguna joked.
Ragnarok flew in the horizon. Caesar, Titus and Sylvie flew up next to it. He waved
from out side and the others waved back.
"Meet you back at Garden turtle-shoes!" he said from outside as the three dragons
flew ahead.
"When did Caesar get a girlfriend?!" Zell laughed.
They flew above Deling. At the park, a concert held place. Seeing the spaceship, the
singer and the crowd followed it with their sight and waved at it happily.
"Let' keep singing now!" the singer said.
*…I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love till you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye!
I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold
I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones to disagree are millionaires!
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love till you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
"Rock it Daniel!" the singer said in the pause.
I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternityyyy!!!!!
(*Taken from 'Affirmation' by Savage Garden)
The sun shone upon the earth. Everything was peaceful, and people were rebuilding
their lives.
The kids and Laguna arrived at Garden, where a surprise waited. Selphie's doing…
Shall I continue with the last chapter, the epilogue or not? I can say one thing - it's funny, and if you're anything like me, you'll feel happy for several hours after. Please review!
Ruby Dragon