Blood on the Esthar Plains

by ckgamer64

A story about a great war between Esthar, Balamb, and Galbadia. Many lives are changed...Be aware, story focuses on the characters not so much each battle in the war.

BLOOD ON THE ESTHAR PLAINS

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This first part of the story has probably the only romantic scenes. It is a necessary read as it tells of some things after the events in ff8. This whole story involves Esthar, Balamb, and Galbadia in a war for control. This is the story of the Tri-War, or so it was called by the Galbadians. This story has very little romance between Squall and Rinoa (only in part 1 is there much). Please enjoy and send feedback right away!

SUMMARY OF THE EVENTS AFTER FF8: After the defeat of the evil sorceress, Ultimecia, Balamb Garden flourished. Squall became one of the main representatives of SeeD and began traveling all over the world for engagements to help the world piece itself together. Galbadia was taken over by General Caraway and they were no longer the world's enemy. Peace reigned for years and soon all that peace was coming to a close.this is the story of the Great War, which tore apart the world, once again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Whenever sang my songs

On the stage, on my own

Whenever said my words

Wishing they would be heard

I saw you smiling at me

Was it real or just my fantasy

You'd always be there in the corner

Of this tiny little bar My last night here for you

Same old songs, just once more

My last night here with you?

Maybe yes, maybe no

I kind of liked it your your way

How you shyly placed your eyes on me

Oh, did you ever know?

That I had mine on you *Darling, so there you are

With that look on your face

As if you're never hurt

As if you're never down

Shall I be the one for you

Who pinches you softly but sure

If frown is shown then

I will know that you are no dreamer So let me come to you

Close as I wanted to be

Close enough for me

To feel your heart beating fast

And stay there as I whisper

How I loved your peaceful eyes on me

Did you ever know

That I had mine on you Darling, so share with me

Your love if you have enough

Your tears if you're holding back

Or pain if that's what it is

How can I let you know

I'm more than the dress and the voice

Just reach me out then

You will know that you're not dreaming

-Eyes on Me Faye Wong ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter One tells of how the war began. It is kind of long but mainly has assassinations. Part 1 is kind of boring but it picks up from there. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 1: RISE TO WAR
PART 1: Beginnings and Farewells People sometimes ask me, "Squall, what happened to those four I miss so dear?" My only response is that they are gone.they will not return ever again. -From "In His Own Words", by sorceress Rinoa

Balamb Garden now was located within its usual parameters. They were having a dance celebrating two years of peace. Squall and Rinoa were at the ballroom balcony where they shared many magic nights. The balcony seemed to be lit up under the moonlight; illuminated by the little light the moon gave off. . Squall stood there, his eyes gazing into another's own. He grasped a hand firmly and squeezed. She giggled and smiled at him. Rinoa wrapped her arms around Squall's head and held herself to him. Her head was on his chest; she smiled as his heart beat faster and faster. He couldn't take the pressure; Squall brought her up and bent his head down. He kissed her passionately. She returned the kiss and closed her eyes as the two swirled their tongues in each other's mouths. Squall pulled her tighter, knowing what it felt to be in love. The moon seemed to smile at the two below. They shared this moment together.alone.not a soul around them. This is what my life has come to, Squall thought, smiling in his mind. The balcony door burst open. Squall and Rinoa turned to see a very angry Zell Dincht. Rinoa scowled at him and Squall walked over. "Zell, what's wrong? You look angry." "YEA I'M ANGRY! What does it look like.She turned me down again man! Selphie.why can't you see? I love her so much but she.she just doesn't understand." Rinoa walked over to him and forced him to sit in a chair. She sat and motioned for Squall to do the same. Rinoa said, "Listen to me Zell, this is nothing to get angry over. Love isn't something you should force on someone. Selphie and Irvine are in love I think." "Well, why? Irvine is a no good for nothing waste of time and space! He sucks up the very oxygen she breathes! ANYONE BREATHES! I'm sick of that no good fucker always ruining a good time!" "Shut up Zell," Squall said, not liking when his friends make fun of each other. "He never did anything to you. You're just jealous.and I don't blame you. Love's like that sometimes. You'll do anything, think anything, and believe anything, just to have her." "Yea, you're right man. I really like Irvine too.guess I should let her be happy. I gotta go lie down. See ya guys." Zell opened the double doors again and attempted to make his exit but then he turned back around, said: "Oh and.thanks..." With that he went back to his dorm. Squall and Rinoa stood up, staring into each other's eyes. "I'll never leave you," Squall said. She placed a quivering hand on his hip and kissed him gently. Squall gripped her hand and they rubbed their fingers together, swirling their tongues around slowly. "Let's go back to your dorm. I've been waiting for this a while." Squall led her through the crowds of people in the ballroom and all the way to the single room dorm. They heard Zell in his dorm talking to himself, trying to calm down, while Squall fidgeted with the dorm room keys. He opened the door (Finally, in Rinoa's opinion) and he led her to the bed. She jumped on top of him and they began to kiss each other hungrily this time. He tore off his shirt and jacket and tore her top off. A knock sounded on the door. "Who is it?" Squall said trying to act casual. "Selphie's here! Why aren't you at the ball Squall? I've been looking ALL over for you! You're needed to make a speech." Squall sighed deeply and went to the door. He cracked it open only a tiny bit to see a very upset Selphie standing with her arms folded. She still had the usual air of giddiness around her. "Well hello Mr. Sleepy.OH MY GOD! I'm so sorry!" she said as she saw Rinoa, covering her breasts with the bed covers. "I did not know.alright I'll ask Xavior to fill in for you." "Fine." Squall said. Squall sighed with relief and waved Selphie away. She shut the door and soon enough, Selphie had to cover her ears and run for she heard Rinoa's moaning. Selphie reached the main circular hall and spun around; dancing like a fool (as usual). They are in love! She thought. Selphie sighed and Irvine's face appeared in front of her. It slowly became his entire body, him calling out to her. She blinked twice and realized Irvine was standing there, calling her name, "Selphie?" She smiled briefly and fell into his arms, staring up into his beautiful eyes. His strong arms embraced her and she rubbed into him, cuddling further into his hold. Irvine kissed her brow and raised her to a stand. He kissed her softly, removed his hat, and they kissed long until she finally pulled away. "Oh no! The speech! It's terrible, the announcement is needed to be made.Cid is no longer our headmaster and he left Squall in charge but he isn't here so now we need second in command Xavior to do it but I'm late now and what am I doing talking to you!" "Calm down Selphie. I told them to wait a while and Seifer is doing some stand-up with Fujin and Raijin. Not too funny, but it's keeping the students quiet." "Why don't we let them dance?" "No, we already announced that it's stage time. If we did that, there would be suspicion. Xavior is ready to make his speech so if for some reason Squall isn't." "He's fucking Rinoa!" "Way to go Squall!" "No.he is a prick. I was happy a minute ago, but now I see that it isn't fair! He is headmaster but he can't make one speech because he's having fun with 'her'." "Right then. Well.I'm going to wait here in case he returns.I'll catch him and explain things that are going on at the ballroom. He'll make a speech later tonight." "Alright," Selphie said flashing a quick smile and kissing Irvine. "Remember, don't tell anyone about our thing! I want to surprise them when we announce our little.plan." "It's safe with me baby. Don't be too long, I'll be waiting here for you too." Selphie nodded and took off running down the hall. She skidded to a halt and flung open the ballroom doors. She ran towards the side of the stage and people stared at her in question. Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin were up doing a dumb comedy routine which few found funny. Half of it was pulled straight out of their assholes and they looked really dumb creating bad comedy. Nobody cared, as they all understood it was a diversion. Selphie found Xavior and quickly explained the situation. He nodded and waited for Xu to kick Seifer offstage. Seifer flipped Xu and the crowd off as they booed him offstage. This was all a laughing matter and Xu giggled as he did this. Xu stood at the wooden podium. The ballroom lights illuminated the stage beautifully and made the crowd drop their jaws in awe. The curtain behind Xu was black but covered with many posters with certain school announcements. Xu nodded to Selphie and began: "Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Balamb Garden Peace Festival II!" Cheers erupted in the crowd of students, "Now I welcome our speaker for tonight.Xavior Thalamer!" The whole crowed went dead silent. Xavior walked up onto the stage from the right side and Xu left. Xavior stopped at the podium and grinned. The light exposed a man about Squall's height, deep black eyes, and long dark-brown hair reaching his butt, and a black trench coat and pants. He had a cold looking face with scars labeling each area. He looked as if he had fought in a thousand wars and come out nearly destroyed. He had a great muscular build that marked him as a savage. He looked as if he could destroy anyone he wanted, he could easily take on Squall or Seifer. Xavior was Cid's favorite SeeD in the past two years (including Squall) but he looked on Squall's leadership as a plus and had him be new headmaster. Xavior was kind of bummed at being vicemaster but it wasn't his choice. The longhaired man grabbed the podium on both sides and glared at the audience. He spoke into the mic, his voice penetrating the hearts of all present. He had a cold sounding voice, which nearly brought the crowd to their knees. He said, "I have come here tonight to explain a few things. As you see, Headmaster Cid is no longer with us. Do you wonder why? Cid has left the garden for good as he packed his bags without a goodbye. He left a note saying he is gone, but not where he went. We searched the note for clues on capture but it seems he wrote it in his own free will." The crowd gasped as they heard this. "He has left two in charge. Squall Leonhart is your new headmaster. I am the new vicemaster, Xavior Thalamer. Squall could not be with us tonight as he needed leave earlier for some.business he left unattended. He wishes he were here, as I have taken his place this evening. The two of us did not even know about our deeds as new masters until this very morning. It seems Cid did not leave us very well informed. As you know this peace is going quite well and has been for some time. Squall and I hope to continue this portrayal of good nature towards all men. As for SeeD, they will all be shipped overseas to Esthar in order to straighten a few trading deals we have with them. Any and all SeeD present will be sent by boat from the Balamb docks around 4:00 AM Tuesday. All questions you may have should be forwarded to my email address, XxStalkerxX@balambgrdn.com. Thank you ladies and gentleman. Oh, and for your pleasure this evening, a new food tray full of exotic treats can be found against the north wall and the dance competition will begin shortly. Thank you for your time." Xavior stepped off the stage and walked away from the ballroom and out to his dorm. Selphie sighed and ran back all the way to Irvine, who was waiting in the hall outside of the dorm entrances. "Made it!" she said and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Man his speech was boring as hell! Oh well.I guess this garden isn't well known for speeches. Now everyone knows the new headmasters. Hopefully Squall isn't caught with his pants down too much more." "I promise he won't. I'll see to it that he doesn't pull that kind of crap anymore. Since Rinoa entered his life he has been a lot worse off.I guess women do that to us men." Selphie giggled and hit him lightly. She sighed, thinking of what she had to announce to the others, and grabbed Irvine for support.

The next day Squall, Irvine, Zell, Selphie, Rinoa, Quistis, and Xavior all sat in the courtyard eating lunch. Zell had a giant plate of hotdogs fresh from the cafeteria and he shared it with the rest of the group. Irvine and Selphie stood up, looked at each other, and she said, "We have a little announcement to make.it may startle you." Irvine smiles warmly, said: "Selphie and I are leaving the garden. We are leaving SeeD and the whole town of Balamb. We are leaving this whole island. We are leaving the country." "Where are you going?" Squall asked quizzically. Selphie shut her eyes; "As you know, Irvine and I have been dating for some time now. We have saved up some money and now we're off to stay at a hotel in a place called, Otiwaka Isles. It is a nice place and we're probably staying forever.we don't leave for a month but we felt as if now were right." Rinoa jumped up and hugged Selphie, "I'm so happy for you guys!" Even Zell seemed happy for them, but he still secretly needed her. Quistis smiled and Squall shrugged. Irvine tipped his hat and embraced Rinoa as she hugged him too. Xavior and Squall made eye contact, a look of disgust in an "I care not" type of thing. Selphie and Irvine were really leaving now, gone forever.

A few months had passed. Irvine and Selphie were long since gone. Quistis had taken early leave and decided to live in Winhill. Zell became sad with the whole losing Selphie thing and he left to "who knows where". All that were left now were Squall, Rinoa, Xavior, and Seifer. Even Fujin and Raijin decided to leave.nobody knows where they are now. In the past few months Seifer had become a political leader over in Galbadia and soon he took over. General Caraway is now back to his previous power domain and Seifer rules the country. He has become a major ally to Balamb.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now you know of how they left and why they are not included in my story. I simply wished not to use these removed characters so they no longer apply to the story. There may be references made towards these characters but in most events they won't be seen at all.

PART 2: A Dangerous Mind Death is a strange subject. The best way to kill is silently. I found this during the assassination of sorceress Edea. If that bullet had wounded her, Squall would never have been put in that miserable jail. Edea would not run free; Ultimecia would lose her grip on Galbadia. That prison was one of his worst experiences and I blame myself for that. -From "Tragedies of Life", by Irvine Kinneas.

Five years now have passed, leaving Squall at the age of twenty-four. The garden became even greater under his rule with Xavior at his side. Thousands of SeeD were now enlisted, creating the world's strongest army. Esthar, Balamb, and Galbadia all grew strong. Seifer, ruling Galbadia, had a great trade of weapons with Squall. Laguna traded food and resources with Balamb. This created great allies to improve the world. These three powerful countries ruled over all, mainly because the three leaders were all friends.

"Great things do not last forever," Squall said to Xavior. They were sitting down in Squall's office discussing business overseas. Squall swiveled his wooden chair back and forth, constantly biting his lower lip. "Yes sire, but Esthar is flourishing quite well under Sir Laguna's rule! We have not had violence with that country yet," Xavior said, sipping water when finished. Squall sighed deeply, as if something bad was about to come forth from his mouth; it did. "Xavior.what I mean is.Laguna, Kiros, and Ward are targets for assassination. I got a letter this morning and no traces came from it. Basically it just told me that Laguna, Kiros, and Ward would be dead by tomorrow. We need to send an operative down there to stop this at once." "Maybe, a prank sire?" "Prank.I think not. We checked it out, most pranks leave behind evidence and we can locate the person with ease. This letter was clean. Plus, we can't afford to take any chances. This ordeal has me all shaken up." Xavior sipped some water once again and hung his head. Finally he looked up, said: "I know just the man! His name is, Theogren Malocrescent. He's probably our best agent in the field. I will call him in." The headmaster stayed quiet, "Sire?" "Fine, call him in Xavior." Xavior got up and called to Theogren. In walked a very skinny but a bit muscular man. He was about five feet and six inches. He wore a black cloak with hood up. He flipped back the cloak revealing deep black eyes and an evil sort of smile. "What may I do for you sire?" Squall offered him a seat and Theogren sat; left eye following Squall, right eye locked on Xavior. It was a strange and nearly hilarious site. Squall spoke very professionally, "Welcome Theogren Malocrescent. I am sure you have worked in protection before?" "Yessir sire that I have. I have been for years now." "Good, then I suppose you will be helping us in a very important world affair. Threats of assassination towards Laguna of Esthar have been made. Kiros and Ward have a place in this too. I need you to be down there by tonight and give them this conformation letter accepting you in. Protect them at all costs, do some sneaking, check for assassin traps and trails. Do whatever it takes. If Sir Laguna is dead, or Kiros, or Ward, then I'll have your balls on my desk next Tuesday." "Yes my lord, I will protect them." "Take the Ragnarok. Nida will fly you." "Yes sire."

Nida was leaning against a pole outside of Balamb Garden. The Ragnarok laid ready, jets powering up. He saw a dark figure move silently towards him. Theogren gave Nida the creeps. "Good day there Theogren! You the only one coming?" "Yea I am, just one to Esthar. Won't take more than ten minutes tops?" "Sure will Theogren," Nida said smiling, sun bleating onto his face, "Even less now that the whole protection field has been lifted. Used to take twenty minutes to just get a pass for entrance! Now you just fly in." Theogren nodded and pulled out a quarterstaff. He used it to walk up the ramp and into the Ragnarok. Nida followed him, shaking his head. The great ship lifted from the ground and the thrusters shot it off into the blue sky. Theogren sat next to Nida as the ship flew across to Esthar. Only a few minutes then this creep will get off my back, thought Nida. I swear this dick will get what's coming to him. He seems to hate me already.Theogren thought as he glance to Nida and said, "How long you been with the king?" "King? Sure.you military types may call him king, sire, and lord. We non- violent folk just call him headmaster or Squall." "He does rule over Balamb now. He is sort of king." "Well yea, I agree. It's just that.most people don't like the feeling of living in a monarchy." "I guess so.it doesn't matter to me." "Oh good we're here, finally you'll get off.I mean, hey we're here that's good sorry you gotta go.he he." Nida flipped some controls and the ship halted above Esthar while Theogren was fiddling with some switches unseen to Nida. The radio crackled and a voice came in, a very manly voice, "You are in Esthar airspace, please identify the name of your craft." Nida answered, "This is the Ragnarok V-219, over." "Your ship is just too big, I'm sorry we cannot let you land. You may send a jumper if you wish." "Alright, he'll just jump." He flicked the radio off and turned to Theogren, "Pop on the gear buddy, time to go for a little ride." "I gotta jump off this thing?" "Sure do! Don't worry, nothing to do with a parachute. You're going down on a baby dragon! Hope you know how to handle one of these things." Theogren pulled out his Monaselic flute and nodded. Nida motioned him to follow. He left Theogren waiting at the hatch and in a second Nida returned with a baby dragon. It was as large as a horse with a wide wingspan. It was red and stuck out his long tongue constantly at Theogren. Theogren smiled and asked, "What's his name?" "I call him Logren. Isn't that right Logren?" Logren flashed his teeth and growled. "Well, I guess it's true; you can never tame a baby dragon! You must play the Monaselic flute, then once you're on its back.you're free to go!" "I know how to work this thing. I tamed many baby dragons before." He placed his lips to the flute and suddenly a beautiful sound protruded from the end. It captured even Nida's ear, as this was the most beautifully played Monaselic flute he had heard. Logren tilted his head back and forth in a rocking sort of motion. He did a kind of dragon smile and his head fell forward. Theogren mounted the little beast and Logren woke up to a tap at the head. He growled at Nida and licked Theogren's face. Nida opened the hatch and Logren jumped down, spread his wings, and began to glide across the sky. Theogren looked up to wave but the Ragnarok suddenly burst. The hull blew open in flame and smoke and it split in two. The country looked up at a smoldering wreck, two flame ridden chunks of metal falling faster towards Earth. They hit and blew into pieces. Ragnarok was destroyed and Nida was dead. Theogren soared lower to the top of the highest building and Logren sped around it, making for Laguna's office. Great, my job is almost finished. Placing that bomb in the Ragnarok was a smart decision on my part. Now to finish this ordeal and get my reward from my lord. Logren glided to a halt directly in front of the entrance. Two guards ran over and looked in amazement at the survivor. "Wow, that ship.you were in it! Are you all right? Was anyone inside? What happened?" Theogren scribbled out a quick letter to Squall and sent Logren back to Garden. The guards seen he was not ready to speak and waited for their answers. Finally, he spoke: "I do not know what happened to the ship. One second I flew out, the next the thing went down. There was one other and his name was Nida. I come from the country of Balamb to speak with your lord." "Do you have a pass?" "Wait I believe I do." He searched his pockets for the letter Squall gave him. It was nowhere to be found. "I'm sorry, must have lost the pass when I flew down here." "Well, I'm terribly sorry but we cannot let you in." The door opened and out walked a very big man. He had a large bandana on his head. He was a mute, so he only motioned Theogren inside. They went on the little lift over to the hallway. They entered Laguna's office and when he saw Theogren, he smiled. "Are you the one who came from the wreck?" Laguna asked, filled with a sort of happiness to see this man alive. "Yes I am." "Was there anyone else aboard? I heard the ship's name over the radio.Ragnarok.and the voice of the pilot sounded oddly familiar too." "Did you know Nida? He was the pilot. He was killed in the explosion." Laguna hung his head low and sighed deeply, "He was a good pilot for the garden. He flew that massive thing everywhere! Squall really liked him.say.was Squall on that thing?" "No, only Nida and I. I don't know what went wrong! It just blew up!" "My guess is sabotage." Laguna said relieved Squall wasn't hurt. Theogren took out his quarterstaff and spun it around three times. He then told Laguna about the letter saying he would be assassinated soon along with Kiros and Ward. Kiros entered the room to hear this and clenched his fists. Ward sighed and removed his bandana, then sat down in a nice comfy armchair. Theogren said, "Squall sent me here to protect you all. This thing is getting out of hand so we need a way to control it. If you die I don't know what Squall would do." "Let me call him to confirm, Theogren. I don't quite believe you at the moment." Laguna picked up his cordless phone and dialed Squall's direct number (few knew this). Squall answered, "Hello?" "Hi Squall, it's Laguna." "Hey there Laguna! Did Theogren arrive safely?" "Ah, I see. I believed him from the start of course but it's better to be safe. He lost the letter, anyway.listen, Squall, you may not like what you are about to hear." "What is that?" Squall wondered. "I'll say it straight. Ragnarok has been destroyed and Nida dead. I'm sorry." Squall hung up the phone and his face became quite pale. Laguna hung up and turned to Theogren: "Well, I guess you're cleared. You may do your job however you've been trained. I don't know what they teach you over there about anti-assassin jobs so I'll let you do your own work. Plus, I can't boss you around since I'm not paying for you." Theogren nodded and removed his black cloak. He stared at Ward with his deep black eyes. They seemed to put the giant man in a trance. He blinked heavily a few times and fell asleep in the chair. Theogren pushed the door open and left, leaving Kiros a bit suspicious.

The next day Laguna, Kiros, and Ward all sat in the office waiting for Theogren's report. He entered the room with a giant folder of papers. "I got junk!" He said as he threw the folder down. "There isn't a single trace of an assassin trail on you guys. This guy must be really good." Laguna sighed deeply and said, "Then I guess we move to phase two. We're packing up and leaving." Theogren stopped all three of them before they opened the door. He slipped out his quarterstaff and smiled. He slipped his cloak back on and held the staff in front of him, ready to strike. "Don't think you can leave. I still hold the power in this room." "So it's clear now! You are the assassin? I never would have guessed.SQUALL!" "No, not Squall. You'll know soon enough.if there is life after death." Theogren swung the staff around quickly and swept Laguna's feet out from under him. He fell face forward into a corner of the desk, splitting his face. Blood trickled to the floor, as his motionless body lay propped up by the head on a desk corner. Ward came at him in a sort of tackle position while Kiros threw his katals through the air. Theogren jumped over the big man and brought the bottom of his staff onto the back of his skull. The katals hit Theogren in the shoulder causing pain to spark throughout his left arm. Kiros jumped to kick Theogren but the cloaked assassin hit him square in the face with the staff, knocking him out cold. All three of the team was lying, unable to comprehend their surroundings. Theogren laughed and put the three onto three very normal armchairs. He put them in a triangle, back-to-back, and taped around their middles. They were now bound together. He then tied their hands up and legs, and put duct tape over their mouths. Soon they awoke. Theogren stood there smiling. "You filthy people.think you can outsmart the great Cypher? He has you number. Did you not guess it from the start of things? You three countries, think you're so smart! Centra had you this entire time! All three of you sat comfortably, not caring what happened to the south.the 'forgotten land'. Lord Cypher was creating an army more powerful than you can imagine. Two years ago he sent me to Balamb and I was happy to receive this assignment to protect you. Squall had no idea what he set himself up for! Now, Lord Cypher will leave the shitty country of Centra and he will dominate Esthar. Enough with this fair rule. What is fair if we cannot have a nice place to live? Do you think it is fair for us poor country folk to starve everyday? Do you think it is fair for us to raise our children in a place where they go to sleep hungry? You tell me right now asshole!" He ripped the tape from Ward's mouth and punched him in the jaw. Ward remained silent, as he is a mute. "Tell me damn it!" Theogren head butted the big man right in the stomach. Ward coughed and glared fearfully at the cloaked man. His black pools seemed to overtake him again. Ward began to feel weak and his head soon collapsed onto his chest, asleep. Where are the guards? Kiros wandered as Theogren slapped Ward awake. Theogren saw Kiros looking around for something maybe to escape with or call for help. He spat on Kiros' face and punched him in the nose. "What is it you are looking for? Bitches.think you can mess with me? I won't let you escape. Oh, and if you're wondering, there are no guards coming for you. I made sure to kill them all. Cypher has this entire place locked down. Do you hear that sound? No.perhaps not. None of you have the gifted ear. I can hear the ships from Centra entering.yes! We are attacking! While you were busy with peace affairs, you did not notice a single country down south preparing an army. We took years but finally we will have a richer home." Theogren put the end of his staff to Ward's throat. He jabbed it in deep.deeper.deep enough to make him choke and sputter. Ward desperately sucked in for air, but it was too late. Theogren laughed and jammed it in harder.Ward's head dropped.he remembered no more. "That leaves three of us." Theogren said laughing in his own world of insanity. This room was his. He played God. One was dead already, why stop now? In this little room he could decide the fate of three men, one already decided. Kiros and Laguna struggled and screamed but the tape shut them off. Theogren smiled as he heard death-defying screams coming from outside.Esthar was failing.Centra was winning. It would soon belong to his master, Cypher. Theogren laughed insanely and brought the quarterstaff to the back of Kiros' head. The victim bit his tongue hard and blood leaked out from the tape. The staff came back again, again, and again. Kiros was slipping away from our world. His consciousness had already left him. All he could do now was wait for death, or pray for a miracle. Theogren began to beat Kiros' head countless times with the quarterstaff. Soon his head just stopped jerking and he sat there, dead as Ward. Laguna let out the loudest scream he could, but it still sounded like only a whisper. It sounded like he said, "SQUALL! YOU SET FORTH A MONSTER!" Theogren enjoyed this one especially. He took the katals from Kiros and put them to Laguna's throat. He punched them deep into him; blood ran down to soak his shirt. Theogren became incredibly happy and slapped each one in the face just for fun. Finally, the door burst open and a guard screamed, "Sir! These unknown soldiers are beating us.what the hell?" "Don't just stand there, men!" screamed another. "Shoot him!" Five guards ran in and riddled bullets into the assassin's chest, sending him backwards into the bodies. A smile resumed itself on his face.even in death. The guards turned to see ten Centra soldiers with gunblades with full shooting abilities. They aimed and fired down upon the last of the true Esthar warriors.

Squall hung up the phone with Laguna and looked rather pissed. Nida is dead, he thought. There was nothing I could do.poor Nida. I just wish I knew how this tragedy has befallen him. A knock sounded at the door. Xavior entered with a letter in his hand. Logren crept in behind him, tongue sticking out, and ready to strike. The only reason he had obeyed Theogren was because he played that flute so well. Now Xavior had some power over the creature but not as much as the flute. Logren curled up and lied down. Xavior handed the letter from Theogren to Squall. Squall read it aloud: Squall I have terrible news. Your ship, the Ragnarok, has been demolished. Nida is dead. I have escaped barely with Logren underneath me. He was a great flier. Nida was a great pilot and I am sorry he had to go.I just couldn't resist the bomb. Yes Squall, I wrote this letter before I left on the mission.and I am a traitor.so to speak. I work for lord Cypher, ruler of the forgotten land of Centra. For years we have built up and army and now Esthar is probably ours. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward should be dead by my own hand as well. Theogren Xavior pounded his fist into the desk, "It's all my fucking fault! I just had to use HIM! Now everything is ruined." "No, no it isn't! He said they might have Esthar.they might be dead! It isn't true until I hear of it in present news." "My lord.I just can't believe this happened. If all of this is true then we have a new enemy. This one might be tough.you know about Centra, right?" "Yea, they are said to have the best gunblade experts in the world. They shoot with them too.this means double the carnage. Also Centra has the world's largest army. I don't know what we're going to do but first I want to see some evidence." The door burst open and Rinoa ran in fast. She placed a printout on the desk and said, "I just read this, and basically what it says is that Centra has declared war with Esthar." She then took out a bunch of pictures and plopped those down, "These were recently taken by our reporters. These show the Centra ships lowering over Esthar." "Maybe it is all true then.maybe."

A day passed and a new report from Rinoa came in. She ran up to Xavior and Squall, said: "This you are not going to believe. Since yesterday.Esthar has been taken. Centra now has that country too! They are ruled by some man named Cypher. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward have all been killed. Theogren did it Squall." "Just as he said he would." Squall trailed off and soon he felt himself crying. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Rinoa hugged him. Xavior did not cry, however, but thought of a plan instead. "Listen Squall. I understand this.but we must act soon. It will be wise not to risk open war. We should seek the assistance of Seifer.Galbadia can help us now. Weep if you must my lord, but fortunately I was never attached to him emotionally. Laguna is gone now and that's that." "But not forgotten Xavior.but not forgotten."

About a year passed since this incident. Galbadia and Balamb have allied completely once again in an effort to destroy Esthar. Cypher did not threaten peace, however, so everything was a slow war. That is where it all stands now. Laguna will be missed dearly. Theogren has paid for his crime. Cypher will soon rot under his dark citadel forever.
PART 3: The Work of a Professional Squall always wondered why Cid held me in such high honor. I never told him until later that I was the best assassin in the business. I could get away with a clean kill and leave with nobody chasing me down. No traces were left.I was always the top choice for tough jobs. This war with Esthar began as an assassin's war. Not a lot of action happening, but it was better than open war. At least most of us were safe. -From "My Secret Life", by Xavior Himself

So now it has been a year, Cypher has taken complete control over Esthar. Nervous heads looked towards this country, preparing for war. Squall sat in a dark chamber; aside him sat Seifer and Xavior. They kept this area a secret as it was used for special meetings which none should know of. Seifer sat inhaling smoke, enjoying his cigar like always. Squall began the meeting, said: "Gentlemen, we are here today to discuss the problems with Esthar. It seems they are creating forces so powerful over there, it is unspeakable the damage that will come of this. We do not attack full-scale, and I ask you, why?" "Simple," Seifer said, exhaling smoke, "Look at the publicity it would create! They would say we started the war. Plus, risking soldier's lives when death can be avoided is necessary! For now we keep this at an assassin's war. I say we move to strike immediately." Squall furrowed his brow, said: "Fine then. You are right Seifer of Galbadia.our alliance holds true as always." Seifer nodded in agreement. Squall continued, "One of his best assassins, known as Damien de Crepes, has been behind the last few assassinations of our general, lieutenant, and one colonel. We must move now! We will go find one of our assassins to dispatch him." "Sir, with all due respect, I don't know of any assassins we have currently employed who can pull this off!" "Quiet yourself Xavior. If I have to go myself I will. Or maybe I will track down Irvine.no, he can't return now.his life with Selphie is going too well. I guess we will send a few operatives behind enemy lines." Xavior stood up and said, "Sir, perhaps you wonder why Cid held me in such high reserves?" "Yes, I did!" Seifer said very unprofessionally. His old characteristics sometimes came back at the worst moments. Xavior glared at him and continued, "Well, Cid used me in almost all the assassinations SeeD did over the years." "So you are a trained assassin.perfect! You will hunt down and kill Damien de Crepes. It may be harder than we all think, but if Cid used you then you must be OK." Seifer butted in, "What happened to Cid anyhow? I heard he just left a note and ran!" Squall sighed deeply, "That is only part truth. The real truth has been difficult to bear." "What do you mean?" Xavior asked. "Cid is dead. He was murdered and somebody left that note many years ago.we could not produce enough evidence to find the killer. My guess is assassination, but it could have been a student here that hated our headmaster." "I never knew." Seifer went silent. Xavior could bet he heard him crying in the dark, as their faces were unseen. Xavior ignored Seifer and turned to Squall, said: "Sire, I am better than OK. You must admit, you have not seen my work. You never knew much more than the fact I was in SeeD." "That I didn't Xavior. I will make some travel arrangements for you immediately. Logren here will fly you that way. A smaller mode of travel is always safest. If you take out Damien then will be the time for full-scale war." Seifer slammed his fist onto the table, said: "I will not risk open war! My country shall not, and will not be a part of such things! Do you even know how I became to run Galbadia? It is because of my work with sorceress Edea when she ran it. I was the more peaceful part of the show. General Caraway remembered this and wished me to control the place." "Xu, Quistis, and Headmaster Cid always used to say you'll never be a leader. Now look at you.you own possibly the greatest country in the world!" "Yes, that is correct Squall," Seifer said, grinning in the dark. "Then this council is over. Seifer chooses not to involve Galbadia, so we will have Xavior here take out Damien de Crepes, then we will move in with SeeD to destroy Esthar. Seifer would be a good help to us all.but I suppose you only wish for the best. Xavior, Logren will be leaving shortly." Seifer exited the room; Squall and Xavior remained. "I must go now?" Xavior asked. "Yes, now would be for the best." "Yes sire."

The morning sun glinted off the beast's collar. Logren yawned deeply and allowed a spurt of fire to roll off his tongue. They were soaring high through the sky now, no one else in sight. For Xavior, this was a very old experience he had been through many times before. But for many, this would be a one-time shot. Logren actually began to have a sort of relationship with Xavior. This was uncommon between a baby dragon and a human. Xavior knew the little guy would be full grown in ten years, but that left a lot of time to attach himself to the creature. The great beast rolled and dodged a cloud, causing Xavior to grip the reins tightly and smile. Logren knew he loved a thrill. I must not think too much about what must be done, he thought as he soared higher and higher. For now I will just enjoy what happens here, in the present. Logren halted in the air (Xavior whipped back quickly as the stop was quite abrupt). The dragon began probing the below areas. They both spotted Esthar below. This was like death to the both of them. His fate would be met here. Damien de Crepes. Logren sped off towards the northern part of town, flipped backwards, and headed for a downward dive to the capitol building. Xavior's cheeks rippled as the dive became faster. He soon felt the force of pressure pulling his face back. Everything was going black.then.Logren pulled out of the dive right before hitting the rooftop and slowed down over the back courtyard. Xavior jumped off and the beast sped off once more. Xavior landed in a small grassy area. It was surrounded by a group of bushes forming a square around the center. There were four openings, one on each side, and a brick walkway leading in and out of each. All the walkways met in the center where a big circular fountain was set. The statue in the middle of the fountain was a replica of Cypher, a beautifully done white replica. The water spewed out of his mouth while he stood pointing towards the heavens. Xavior rolled across the grass and hit the bushes. He got up, brushed himself off, and sighed. Hopefully they didn't see that drop-off. I hope they think it was only Logren coming in. He soon regretted his words as he saw the dragon come back again, being chased by Esthar attack ships. Logren flew towards the capitol building in great speed, and blew a tremendous fireball. It hit and went out immediately, meaning it was a flame-retardant building. Logren flipped and began flying back when a giant net was shot out of the ground and the beast flew right into it. His wings got tangled, and he fell out of the sky. Logren skidded across the grass outside the fountain area, unseen by Xavior. Xavior shut his eyes tight and listened as they shot the dragon with sedatives and dragged him off to some secret laboratory far away. "This is Centra team, reporting to base. We have an unidentified intruder. Base on high alert, repeat: base on high alert. He came in with a dragon. The dragon is down and will be brought to a lab for extermination." The voice came from a group of soldiers, walking towards the plaza. Xavior jumped into the bushes, peered out just barely and saw the seven men enter.

"What do you mean wimpy? My gun is stronger than yours," said one of them. "Mine can take out an entire field of these guys. Yours can't even hurt a chipmunk," said another. "Chipmunk? That isn't even-" "Enough!" another one interrupted. "Nobody wants to hear about your fucking guns. Either shut up, or come over here an I'll make you!" They became silent immediately. Xavior looked out to get a better view. The soldiers wore all black. They had black pants decorated with huge cargo pockets at every place. Their black coats hung down just below belt line. They had a strap on their back for a place to hang their huge machine guns and a belt to hold knives and a small pistol. Each wore a round black helmet with a nice dark-blue tinted visor hanging in front of their eyes. They each held machine guns (the make was not known) out in front of them. This was how every Esthar soldier looked. Guards were a bit different, so it was obvious to Xavior this wasn't some routine guard passing. A definite manhunt was on. Xavior stepped out of the bushes, hands up. His black cloak swept the ground as he walked towards the men. "Stand back!" The leader yelled, thrusting his gun forwards. "I do not wish violence. I give myself up." "It would be wise to die. You will wish for death before our king is done with you." The leader put his gun away behind his back and motioned for the others to do the same. "Now you talk to us in a fair, peaceful situation. Tell me why you're here." Xavior looked down, then up. He hesitates, the leader though. Perhaps I should loosen him up, make things more comfortable. "My name is Pierce Cannon, leader of the Centra team for Esthar." "I am Kraelyn Weldersbane," Xavior lied. "Quite unusual name Kraelyn. Now, tell me why you are here." Why is he playing this game? Xavior thought. He doesn't need to know anything of my exploits here. He does not need to receive the answers beforehand. Why is he doing this the peaceful way? Xavior answered, "I am not here. What you see is not I. You see an illusion, clouded by your own stupidity. Your men do not even see! Only you do." His voice seemed to change here. It picked up a small few echoes before and after he spoke. It sounded very strange, but it seemed to have an affect. Pierce looked around at his men. They began to laugh a bit. "What's so God damn funny?" "Sir, don't mean to judge, but you seem to be talking to yourself. Nobody is there sir." "Don't speak that way! I see him! Kraelyn is right before me!" They all shook their heads. Pierce looked to Xavior in pure confusion. "You see Pierce," Xavior said with that same echo voice, "You think you know what is going on. I have the ability to cloud a man's mind simply with thought, touch, speech, anything really. That is just a taste of what a man like me can do. Oops, your gun is gone." Pierce reached for his gun. He grabbed only air. He growled and tore out his pistol. "What do you want from me? You son-of-a-bitch! Try to run now, Kraelyn!" He extended his arm and put the gun barrel in between Xavior's eyes. Xavior only smiled. "Your barrel is melting." He said calmly. The gun barrel melted right off the gun. The other soldiers watched the barrel ooze off the gun. The leader dropped the pistol and reached for the knife. "Looking for this?" Xavior asked, holding the knife in his right hand. He threw the weapon into the farthest soldier to the right, the blade stabbing into his stomach. He doubled over and began to cough blood. Xavior allowed the soldiers to see him now, they all breathed heavily. "Shoot him!" screamed the dying soldier. They reached for their guns. Gone. The weapons all disappeared. Xavior smiled and closed his eyes tightly. In a flash, the leader was on his back, Xavior's foot on his chest. "Breathe Pierce, breathe. I know it's hard for you. Lungs collapsing.breathe.breathe." His mind trick worked as the leader struggled to breathe. He soon lost consciousness and slipped away from our world. "He now dies. I wish you all to join him. Drown you rats." Xavior's voice filled with echoes once more. The soldiers walked over to the fountain and stuck their heads under water, each drowning themselves. Xavior pointed to the leader and flung him into the fountain telepathically. He smiled and walked off. I hate doing it. But, my powers have to be used here. Damien will not walk free while I'm around. Xavior ran out of the plaza and met no resistance along the way. It seemed out front a little riot was happening near the capitol. This coincidence led the place to focus all security on the riot, leaving the newly dispatched Centra team for Xavior. He pulled out a small gun called an SAG-Stunner. The stunner was about the size of his palm. Almost too small, it seemed. It carried only three shots; each one kills the opponent instantly wherever hit. He crept up the capitol stairs and opened the doors. It seemed as if the work were done for me, he thought. Every damn guard is dead here. Bodies lay on the floor like raindrops gathered on a leaf. I wonder who.not the riot? No, a riot couldn't do this. Someone else is here. The front desk was completely torn up. The white marble floor was stained now with blood. The stench of death filled the room. Xavior took a deep breath of fresh, outside air and walked further in. He crept up the stairs to the second story where the office had to be. Maybe I can get a shot of Cypher too, he thought, no.only Damien is supposed to be here. Cypher should be away. He found no bodies on the second floor. It seemed all were on the first. Someone had cleaned the place and thrown the bodies into the first room. Had the same been done with Damien de Crepes? Xavior found a large wooden double-door laced with carvings of leaves. The handles were the long type, and a large metal knocker in the shape of a sword hung on each door. He kicked it open and aimed the SAG-Stunner into the center of the office. The desk lay on its side; the Esthar flag lay torn up. Papers were scattered all about, file cabinets destroyed, important information forgotten. Blood stained the room. "Damien," Xavior called out in a strange tone, "Where are you? I can smell your flesh Crepes. Show yourself!" A foot came in contact with the back of Xavior's head. He stumbled forward and whipped around, aiming the stunner at a man's face. The man wore the same uniform as the soldiers he saw earlier, only his coat reached his toes. He also had no helmet; instead long black hair flowed from his head. "You called?" The man asked, laughing. "Damien de Crepes?" "You just missed him, I'm afraid. He's off in Balamb doing other things. I hope you don't like Squall Leonhart any more than I do." He laughed evilly and pulled out a quarterstaff, leaned on it. "I know that look.you must be Theogren! Your deep black eyes do not deceive me. But.I figured you dead." "You came here to rid the world of Crepes? Well, you came to the right spot. If you wonder why Cypher is not here, simple answer: he does not work here. I have a habit of telling too much." "You died! How could you survive?" "I wish I knew. My new life I lead is a promising one. Do you know how good it feels to kill? The pleasures I live.ah! The pleasures of life can be simple my friend." "Why are these dead bodies strewn about so? What have you done Theogren?" "I have come to exact my revenge upon Esthar. They have taken my love from me.she is gone.she will be avenged." "You're crazy Theogren!" Xavior screamed. "Only as crazy as you think."

Squall sat in his office with Rinoa on his lap. They were kissing each other passionately now, his male organ growing as she reached down towards it. She began to unzip his pants when a large sound happened near the elevator. It sounded like someone dropped something. "Whose there?" Squall asked. "You alright? Hello?" "It's nothing baby." "Yea, suppose you're right honey. Now that we're married things are different, don't you think?" Rinoa Leonhart smiled and put her head near his crotch. "Not too different, if you know what I mean." Squall prepared himself for ultimate pleasure. I love her, he thought, every part of her. A new teacher, Mr. Zaoh, came running in. And I hate that guy, he added, pulling Rinoa Leonhart up. Mr. Zaoh gasped as he saw Rinoa almost pleasure Squall. She pulled away and scowled at him, sat next to her husband. "Yes Mr. Zaoh?" Squall asked, a bit angry. His voice seemed a bit scared, like he knew Squall overpowered him, "Sorry to ruin such a good time, sire," he said smiling. His flaming red (and I mean RED not like a redhead, I mean really red) spiky hair always caught Squall's eye. Mr. Zaoh wore beige cargo pants with a zip-up brown shirt. His black eyes wandered around to Rinoa, back at Squall. "It's quite alright Zaoh." "I made that loud noise sire.dropped the filing cabinet. I put it back up. I came to speak with you but I knocked it over and-" "Worry no more," Rinoa said, smiling. "Well I just wanted to tell you that some students were caught throwing rocks at a young girl today in the training center. They claimed they thought she was a monster." Squall nodded and rolled his eyes a bit. He knows not to come to me with this crap! I don't care about small issues. Mr. Zaoh reached into his cargo pocket and pulled out a SAG-Stunner and aimed it at the two. His voice seemed to change now, as if he was the one with authority, "Alright, game over Squall. You missed your chances at me. You sent out that no good assassin, Xavior after me while I have been working under your nose for a month now. Do you not see the happiness I feel? Finally, you're mine Squall Leonhart!" "Never, Damien de Crepes! You won't have me." "Theogren should serve as a tough opponent for Xavior! Back at the capitol, he is disguised as me. So, when your agent goes to kill me, he will not succeed. I have trapped you now Squall." "You would do this to Theogren? Your own friend?" "I always hated that scum. He needs not be in my presence. I trapped the both of you. Xavior will succeed and Theogren will die.finally." Damien tied the two up to their chairs and sat facing them. "Now, we wait," he said, grinning.

Xavior held the gun to Theogren's head now. "It don't matter now X! It's all over for Squall. If I die, Damien will assassinate him. Be careful the choices you make here X." "Don't call me that, bitch." Xavior shot Theogren in between the eyes. The man flew backwards, hit the rail, and fell to the first floor. He lay sprawled out on the marble. Dead this time, Xavior thought. Xavior ran up another set of stairs and found roof access. He looked off to the front side of town and saw a truck with Logren lying in the back. Loud moans could be heard from the beast. People now crowded around the front of the capitol. The truck could not move as the people had crowded it, and climbed under to clip the control wires. Logren was stuck in the mob of people and the guards holding them back. Wonder why they don't just shoot them, he thought, I figured this country for the type that would. I must save Logren and fly back to Garden! Squall's life is in my hands. Logren stood up on all fours and struggled to rid himself of the nasty net. He shook wildly and the net flew onto the crowd. He shook out the sedative needles and spread his mighty wings for flight. Xavior leapt off the capitol and landed on the beast's back. Logren let out a loud screech and flapped his wings. He raised about one hundred feet and let forth a huge fireball that engulfed the people in flame. Logren sped off into the sky towards home.

Damien looked down at his watch. "Hey look at this! Our friend Theogren has died. I suspect he blew the whole thing and told our friend the truth. Well, anyway, it's time for your execution! This is the fun part. I remember doing this with Laguna, Kiros, and Ward!" "Fuck you," Squall said, spat on Damien's shoes. Crepes swung the quarterstaff into Squall's face and jammed it down into his crotch. "Careful there." Damien smiled and looked out to the large window. "Look at that beautiful golden sun," he walked over and pressed his face to the window, "Do you not notice the beauty? I love that sight. The sun shines through the office well Squall. Quite a large place you have. A-h-h-h-h.what a lovely sight." He gazed out the window and it appeared to him the view was changing. Something about the sun.yes.a small dot in the center was growing bigger and bigger by the second. Damien turned to run as the giant body of Logren slammed into the window. Glass shattered all over the floor and the beast skidded on top of Damien. Xavior flew off and rolled next to Squall. Xavior stood up, and without a word, untied both Squall and Rinoa. The beast rolled off the assassin and looked down at him in disgust. His teeth were ready for anything. He grinned and chomped down a few times, nearly tasting Damien de Crepes as he should taste, delicious. Xavior kicked Damien awake and he stood up, dazed. "You must be Damien then?" Xavior asked. "I am Damien. You know who I am and I know you. Xavior, you killed Theogren. Well, you will not kill me. I know better than that." his voice now became an echo, "You will not defeat me. You shall apologize for your duties to this low class country and come with me to help Cypher." Xavior's voice became a greater echo now, "You will not try the mind tricks on a master such as me. I know much that you could not wish to accomplish, even in a lifetime. You will not tell me what I should do." Damien nodded and sighed. "Then, Xavior, I have to kill you." It was only a fraction of time, but it seemed like forever. The bullet came from Damien's stunner. It hit Xavior in the heart and he stumbled backwards, holding onto the wound. He dropped to his knees and fell face forward. Squall pulled out his gunblade and ripped it through the assassin's neck. His head rolled onto the floor and out the window. Squall jumped then to Xavior and picked him up in his arms. "You'll be alright.you'll be alright." Tears ran onto Xavior's wound as he slowly lost grip on the present, past, and future. Squall dropped the body and let out a large scream. "That's it. Cypher has had his last laugh. We're going to war. Sound the alarm, its time."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you liked the Xavior character and his powers, don't worry. More powers are coming up but Xavior is to remain dead. Chapter one is concluded and that tells of how the war starts. Chapter two is the actual war. It tells of how the middle of the war happens. Most of it won't be telling of the war as a whole, it will follow Squall now until the very end. Rinoa will most likely be left in Balamb because I don't care for her much. All of the major characters are dead except Cypher, Squall, Logren, and Seifer. One will return and many new ones will join. Now, enjoy Chapter two, the story of the assault on Esthar.
CHAPTER 2: Beginnings of War

PART 1: Battle of Fort Dolan The wind blew my hair all out of order that morning. I ran out to see Squall leave, to go fight a war for personal reasons. I knew there may have been more political issues involved, but the way I seen it Cypher had pissed Squall off to the point of no return. My husband left that day, and I had no idea if he would ever return. -From "My Diary", by Rinoa Leonhart

Squall kissed Rinoa goodbye, for the fifth time, and jumped into the SeeD ship. He sat alone in the back seats and sighed as he awaited more soldiers to join. He had his black SeeD uniform on, his gunblade holstered, glistening in the cabin's dim light. He tilted his head back in the rest and closed his eyes deeply. The door banged open and three SeeD uniformed soldiers entered in, waving their guns about. They gasped as they saw their lord seated as if ready to go to war. "Sire.forgive us!" they said and bowed low. Squall looked up and nodded for them to take a seat. He propped his feet up on the glass table and allowed the three to do so. They smiled and relaxed. "My lord, I know I have not the privilege or authority to speak with you-" "Say no more!" Squall said, "You may speak with me now as you do one of your own. Rank will not come between two men while we sit in this room." The guy sitting across from Squall introduced himself, glad to see his lord was a bit relaxed, "I am Private Barnes." "Say not your rank. I told you, I would not let it come between us." "Then just call me Barnes. The one next to you is Cor.err I mean his name is Mel. He can use his fists quite well in battle, not too bad of a shot either. The one diagonal from you is Syprent. He is like me, just your basic shooter." "Mel, what color is your hair? You could at least remove the hood." The three soldiers all wore the pullover hoods, which covered your face; everything but the eyes was unseen. Even the eyes sometimes were covered with sunglasses or something of the sort. Mel removed the cover and Squall saw the familiar black tattoos on his face, the same blonde hair unfolded out of the cover. Those big blue eyes stared up to him; a tear was forming. Zell Dincht had returned. "Zell!" Squall yelled. They embraced one another like they were brothers. "Were have you been Zell? I worried about you these past so many years!" "After Selphie and Irvine got married and left.I went away to Trabia Garden for a few years to learn all I could about Selphie. I paid my respects to the fallen school and helped fund the program to rebuild it. A year ago it was complete and I came back to Balamb under the name, Mel Dinsh. I saw you as our lord.decided it best if I never saw you again. I'm sorry.I suppose I thought it best to forget friends once had but now I have learned you must not do so! I'm so glad I found you." "Glad I found you Zell.I don't know what I'd do without you! Everyone is gone.either dead or they left. Rinoa is back at Balamb and Seifer is hiding in Galbadia with this stupid thought of not going to war. I thought I was all alone in this." "Ya wouldn't be alone anyhow, Squall!" Syprent and Barnes removed their covers. Barnes turned out to be the long missed Irvine. Syprent was a new face.he had short black hair put up in spikes. He smiled at the reunion witnessed. Squall embraced Irvine; one question was on his mind, he asked: "Irvine, where's Selphie? Figured she'd come along." "Squall.Selphie is long since.well, gone. A year ago she was murdered in sleep, along with our unborn child. Cypher did it.that's why I went to Trabia and picked up Zell. We came back to Balamb in secret and did not wish to confront you." "Guys.why the hell didn't you two tell me earlier? I would have loved the company.but you assholes didn't do this! I was so alone.I need more than love.friends can give me more than love can." "It's good to see you so open to your feelings man," Zell said, smiling. "Used to be all cold. I guess we three changed a lot. Seems as if the old group is diminished except for us!" "Sure is," Irvine said, "Sure is."

The boat came close now to the west Esthar beach line. They were so close they could just barely make out their fellow soldiers running across the beach, shooting and dodging the giant machine gun nest atop a tower. Squall stood up in the room, said: "Alright men! You three are coming with me," he pointed to Zell, Irvine, and Syprent, "We must capture that base. It's called Fort Dolan. I want a group of four to run north alongside the waterline and head for a group of our snipers. They are gathering behind a hill back there and may need help to find a good vantage point of the battleground. The five of you head up the middle and take out that nest. Is that clear?" "Yes sir!" they yelled and ran out of the room to emerge on top of the boat. Squall felt the wind blowing through his hair. It reminded him of the SeeD exam in Dollet, those many years ago. He looked left and right. Ships of all shape and size were now speeding to the beach, each loaded with heavy amounts of SeeD soldiers. A loud buzzing sound came from above. "Bombers!" Zell yelled and covered his head with his arms. Ships were flying overhead, dropping packages down to the boats below. Squall gasped as he saw a ship next to them explode, the men jumped out and were swimming in the water, trying to reach shore. "Faster!" Squall yelled to the driver. The boat finally hit the beach and the ramp lowered. They took off running through the raining gunfire and dove into the water. Zell swam lower, trying to get out of the way from the giant machine gun nest above. The Esthar snipers and soldiers didn't help much either. Zell looked to a soldier swimming towards him. His eyes suddenly bulged and blood shot out of his stomach. His mouth opened soundlessly and he floated up to surface. Squall grabbed Zell out of the water and hauled ass down the southern strip of the beach with Irvine and Syprent way ahead. They reached a clump of trees and threw themselves down, out of the gunfire. Irvine grabbed some binoculars and looked out to the base. "Well guys, it looks like this: the beach leads up to the base, goes for about two hundred yards. It stops at a rocky cliff, probably only twenty yards high. In the middle there is a sandy path leading up the hill. That too about twenty yards, and it stops in front of a large black tower. The tower looks higher than the cliff, at least four times. Atop the tower sits the well-feared machine gun nest. Three mounted guns sit up there.each manned by two. Little buildings and other nests sit off to the side, even sniper towers and rockets. Those guns can reach all the way to the water." "We are taking that machine gun tower out!" Squall said. A few leaves crunched behind them. Irvine whipped around with his machine gun out in front. Esthar soldiers wore the black uniform and each held a gunblade. Irvine put a few bullets in the first one. Squall leapt to his aid and swung his blade around to slice one across the chest. Four remaining soldiers swung the weapons at Syprent. Syprent took out two knives and jumped over them. He stabbed two in the neck, killing them instantly. Zell punched one hard in the face and came around to the other with a kick to the jaw. Irvine finished them off with a shot to the head, each. "Poorly trained." Squall laughed and they headed east, up towards the southern entrance of Fort Dolan. No guards were patrolling anywhere near the south side. It was completely clear of any guards. Only the machine gun nests and sniper towers were occupied, but their men were too busy firing at the beach. "Wow, security is crap here! Something must be wrong.they might not be counting on a side approach. Maybe they have patrols on the sides.the ones we killed!" Zell said happily. Syprent unsheathed his daggers and held them facing down. He sniffed the air once or twice and then motioned for the others to follow. A machine gun nest, inhabited by four or so soldiers, sat to their right. The entrance was so simple.they each took turns drinking a beer and then shooting at some Balamb soldiers. Syprent crept inside and hushed the others. He silently crept up behind one of the soldiers and inserted the blade into his neck. Irvine came in with an SAG-Stunner, and silently eliminated the rest. Blood oozed out of the bodies and the beer cans rolled to the floor, empty now. "No! The beer!" Zell yelled and dropped on his knees, licking up what remained of the alcohol. "Forgot to mention.he's a recovering alcoholic." Irvine said, rolling his eyes. "Yea, he does a great job," Squall joked. "Quiet! I have a plan from here," Syprent said, gripping both hands on the mounted machine gun. He aimed it up into the nearby sniper tower and let loose a hail of gunfire. The tower tilted, crushed the snipers. "Now, cover my rear!" He shouted as the other three ran to the door, weapons drawn. The gun wheeled and whistled, it let out terrible sounds and fearful feelings into the entire Esthar army stationed here. Syprent sat, and he fired away every last round he had at any non-Balamb soldier he saw. He took out four sniper towers, two machine gun nests, twelve Esthar ships, and countless lives. The machine gun wheeled around and shot a bomber out of the sky. The gun began to dry fire.out of ammo. "Squall, find more ammo!" Syprent ordered. "You don't order me around!" Squall said, "I am your lord and you will call me sir!" "Sir.may you find me some more ammo-" "Please." "Please." "Sure Syprent, I'll look." Squall ran to the far corner and dug through countless boxes. Each was labeled, "Ammo", but all were empty. "We've run dry men! Inside the tower!" They got up and ran to the side tower entrance. They found the soldiers all missing, it seemed they were down protecting the beach. They did not, however, find the tower uninhabited. Strong guards patrolled nearly every step of the way. The guards were clad in shiny silver from head to toe. Not an inch was left open. They had sharp metal claws protruding from each knuckle. Their helmets had red eyes to them; they relied on heat vision from this when it got dark. Normally they saw as you and I. Inside the tower there were not many places one could go but up or down. The place was three stories high, not including the three basements below ground. The first story was quite simple; it had a big ladder going from the B3 to F3. (Basement 3 to floor 3). No guards patrolled this area. The stone walls were about the only other thing. It was quite dull. Lights illuminated the area quite nicely. "The guards above this floor are obviously going to be tough. The ones in B1-B3 shouldn't be a problem to fight. We have to avoid the above guards, so I suggest we hit the lights. We need to find the generator providing the power and destroy it. I got a little something to ruin their heat vision too." Squall paced back and forth as he spoke, grinning here and there. They took to the ladder and slid down to B1. B1 had two guards at its center, chatting about something. Tables littered the room and lab equipment scattered itself around. The guards's glittering mail shone brilliantly in the well-lit room. They turned abruptly to face an angry Zell, standing firmly on both legs. His muscles bulged as he stood, waiting for a fight. The guards muttered something to each other and ran towards the intruder. He dodged as one claw came down and missed him barely, cutting the table in two. Zell regrouped himself and brought his hands into his chest, palms together. He let out a loud roar and formed a diamond with his hands. A large blue beam conjured within the shape and it went through the guard's mail. It melted the shiny metal and Zell could see the wall through his stomach now. The second guard slashed Zell in the right arm, causing enormous pain to surge throughout his body. Zell did a back flip over a table, the guard leaping after him; slashing his mighty claws. Zell picked up a microscope off the table and hurled it into the guard's claw. He was distracted, giving Zell this chance: Zell dropkicked the guard into the table, destroying it. He stood up and began to hop on his feet like a boxer. The guard ran over to slash him again, but Zell held up a hand and a great rumbling came over the tower. Lightning appeared at the ceiling and bolted to the ground revealing a bird-like figure. Quezacotl appeared, his wings flapped with a deafening sound of thunder. He flapped together an electrical storm of lightning. When it hit the guard's metal, you can bet it did some enormous damage. Inside the suit the guard became completely fried. He was burnt black and his ashes fell apart inside the metal suit. Zell called back the great beast and ran to the ladder. "They're dead Squall. Just summon a GF to rid of the others." Squall nodded and slid down to B2. He let loose the ice maiden, Shiva. She set the ground to a frozen degree. Ice covered the room in a second and the three guards froze in their steps. She kicked the ice, causing the brittle bodies to shatter into thousands of pieces. Squall motioned for the other three to head back upstairs as he went to tackle the B3. Nine guards stood ready, claws out in strike position. They were looking at Squall when he slid down to the third floor. This room was littered with empty ammo boxes and a generator in the far side. Squall threw his blade. It spun forward and pierced the generator. It blew; the lights dimmed, sizzled, and then popped. Darkness covered the tower. F3 saw the lights go out and they continued firing, knowing the opening in the tower provided enough light to fire the machine guns. Squall Leonhart pulled up his visual aid; night vision goggles. The green surprised him at first, but it became easy to see really soon. The guards looked around, now very unable to see. Squall ran past them, picked up his sword, and climbed back up the ladder. On his way up he heard a soldier say, "Heat vision activated." On F1 the three waited for Squall, goggles pulled up to their eyes. "Why can't we simply use their gear and sneak up?" Syprent asked. Squall replied, "That would be impossible! They have scanners to check our identity underneath the uniform and we would be spotted immediately." "If they see only in heat vision.then why can't we go up? They may mistake us for-" "THEY HAVE SCANNERS!" Squall said, angry. "I have a plan to create ourselves to be extremely cold, thus, off the heat vision! Just cast blizzard on yourself. It will weaken you at the top.so we will need to cure ourselves when we reach F3." "It may work." "It's the only way." "Let's do it!" The three climbed up the ladder and reached F2. Squall ran up first and tested his plan. The guard saw his heat and walked over. The red lights scanned him up and down. "Stop there intruder. You are not wanted. My claws shall tear into your flesh." Squall cast blizzard onto his body and crept away. The guard, totally confused, walked away and continued patrol. Squall his himself underneath a table. Irvine, Syprent, and Zell followed him and met with him. The ladder heading up was on the opposite side of the normal ladder. A guard stood on each side. Three guards patrolled the walkway of ammo boxes (not empty) and tables. Squall cast blizzard and ran silently to the ladder and sped his way up. Irvine and Zell followed. Syprent held back for a bit. The guards on F3 were sitting at the machine gun. Nobody even would know Squall, Irvine, and Zell were here. The three sat behind some boxes of ammo and awaited Syprent. Syprent came out of the table, stupidly forgetting to cast blizzard, he ran in front of the ladder. The guards side by side by side by side stopped him and he nearly laughed at his forgetfulness. "Where do you think you are going?" asked a guard. His voice seemed demanding and controlling. "I go where I go. You say not where I go. My fate is mine, my life is mine, and what I choose to do with them is my choice. You question me? I advise you not to. Leave me be now, or you shall have your fate chosen for you." The guard's voice seemed to change, seemed a bit less controlling, "You may pass sire. Do as you wish!" "WAIT! This one has powers we do not know very well. The one known as Xavior had them.he is controlling you. Do not listen to him." A dark figure stepped out of a hidden area and held a quarterstaff out before him. His long black hair was now short and in a pony tail. Theogren had that gunshot in between his eyes. He had escaped death again. Syprent kicked and screamed as Theogren personally dragged him off to the citadel of tears, the Vidcuarsan, home of Cypher. Squall heard the commotion and he decided to take the fort then attack the citadel. Now it was time to end this battle for good. Irvine pulled out his shotgun and shot a guard in the back of his skull. Blood and brains splattered into the gun. Squall cut through two gunners and their heads rolled off the tower and broke upon impact. Zell slit two of their throats, blood spilling over the controls. Irvine hit the last with the butt of his shotgun. The battle was now in their hands. The guards below crawled up the ladder but they were met with Irvine's powerful shotgun and Squall's blade. Zell sat at the middle gun. This is it, the turning point of this battle. If I can just do this correctly, we may have a chance. Zell rained down gunfire upon the beach. He saw advancing Esthar soldiers nearly wipe out the Balamb force. It appeared Balamb was losing this battle. Reinforcements had also arrived from the northern and southern strip of the beach; the soldiers from the east advanced in, and the great Esthar ships closed it all together in the west. The hundred or so remaining Balamb soldier's lives were in jeopardy.

A single soldier stood in the middle of the commotion. Esthar surrounded him and his men from all sides. There was no escape; no chance for life.all he could do was fight until death took him. Lucran was this soldier, alone in his own mind, struggling both in the physical world and in his own mind. It was either die or die fighting. I'm not going down a coward, he thought. The black uniforms stood with arms ready. The Balamb soldiers crowded together; ready to kill off as many Esthar as they could. Lucran gripped his rapier, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply. This is it! He told himself, now is the time to die. Sure hope a miracle from above comes our way. The Esthar soldiers charged in and completely enveloped Balamb. Lucran swung his weapon into Esthar flesh; he had killed for the first time. He loved killing and swung it again into another. Blood spewed forth from the soldier's neck as Lucran's rapier sliced through. He stabbed another in the stomach; blood flew from his mouth onto Lucran's uniform. It seemed as if now Balamb had been defeated. The hundred Balamb soldiers now stood at around twenty. Esthar cut their way through, Lucran proved a strong adversary. Just then a familiar noise sounded in the air; a chain of one sound following another of the same type. The machine gun from the tower began to slice through the Esthar platoon. Lucran looked up at the tower to see all three guns being manned by Balamb soldiers. We have won, he thought, It's all over for them now! The guns continued to break up the group and returned great morale to the Balamb troops. They fought back and eventually broke the Esthar army, sending most of them fleeing away from Fort Dolan. The battle was won for Balamb.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry if that whole part got boring part way through. Well just to recap, Squall had just won the battle and gained Fort Dolan. Syprent had been taken straight to enemy quarters and Seifer remains out of the war. The story will keep Syprent and Lucran as main characters throughout the rest of the story. Theogren has returned. Just know this is the real Theogren, not some cheap clone. He doesn't die! Enjoy part 2.

PART 2: A Terrible Loss Sometimes I stare at myself in the mirror. The mirror is dirty, cheap, broken, and there really is no point to see my reflection anymore. Vidcuarsan has changed me.this dungeon I live in torches my heart. I fear each day I may be going crazy.I don't know how long I can hold on! I always hope for Squall.and fear the whip, which hits me six times a day, in three whip shifts. Oh no! It comes now! -From "Hidden Thoughts", by Syprent

Syprent sat alone in the dark dungeons of the Vidcuarsan. He was bound together at every limb, mouth taped shut. I fear the lashings. The whip cracks in the dark.my mind is plagued now by that sound! CRACK GOES THE WHIP! My mind is twirling.I can barely hold down a meal.CRACK GOES THE WHIP! It comes now.the whip now draws near! Not again.no! I cannot scream for my mouth is taped shut. I cannot wish to run or hide for my legs and arms are tied up. CRACK GOES THE WHIP! The whip wielder steps close now, he grins in evil at me. He sings a tune or two.the whip is drawn high! CRACK GOES THE WHIP! My skin feels like it is burning.my newly open wounds suffer daily. Two more lashings and I am done for the day.get it over with. CRACK! CRACK! My skin feels like it is peeling! The last one hurt most for it hit an already open whip wound. I can only dream now of the times in the past. That battle for Fort Dolan was better than this place! If I could kill myself I would not hesitate.but I am unable to break these bonds. I pray for you Squall! Already it's been ten days since the battle.I have been here nine and a half. Let me count.yes, as I thought, sixty lashings so far! I fear I cannot go on much longer!

Squall sat in the back seat of a van. It was the type with the back section separated from the front by metal, with a small window to communicate through. The seats in the back faced each other. Zell sat next to Irvine and Squall sat with Lucran. Some soldiers drove the car. They were headed for a Balamb SeeD base on Esthar. "We know he is in the Vidcuarsan.there is no known way to extract him!" Squall argued. "But we must try. He is sure to die there.Syprent.no, nobody can hold out for thirty days there! He has lasted ten, I fear time is short," Irvine said. "We need twenty more days to prepare.just twenty more! I'll go alone to save him if I must.but I don't know." "Guys, I don't know if it's smart to fight against Cypher's army like this. We have so little forces!" Lucran said. He became friends with them after the battle. They took a liking to him because of his great battle technique. "We need Seifer," Squall said. Zell looked up to speak but then returned to not speaking. He felt very tense at the moment, sensing something was on its way. "Seifer can kiss my ass! His shitty little country couldn't help anyone! Fuck him for not joining the war in the first place." "Quiet Irvine! Seifer is a great ally and his country has the best military in the world! They could defeat Esthar in no time. I bet he'll join us soon." Lucran yawned deeply and slept, Zell followed him. "If Seifer came I'd be surprised as hell," Irvine said, "He is possibly the worst ally one could have! If he wished to fight.then maybe my opinion on him would be a bit different. But, as you see, he is a simple minded, no good, freaking coward!" "Galbadia will come asshole! I know Seifer.I know him too well. He won't miss a war, not ever." The van hit a large bump. It sent Squall and Zell to the floor. They got back in their seats and opened the little door to speak with the driver. "Hey man, what was that bump? We hit anything?" "Just some sand I guess," he said, "But it felt kind of odd. I think we should-" He was cut off when the van hit another bump. This one sent the vehicle over on its side. Squall reached for the back door handle, locked. How we getting out now? Driver.unlock it! The driver and the other soldier in the passenger seat climbed out of the driver door (on top). The van had rolled over on its right side. The driver and navigator went around to the back door. "Open it!" Zell yelled. The door handle jiggled and a loud piercing scream filled the desert. Another scream, a different scream, filled the air immediately after. A sharp claw sliced into the top of the van. A beast tore it open and clawed at Zell. The creature looked like an oversized hedgehog with huge claws. He slashed Zell in the chest and bit his face. Irvine put the shotgun to its face and blew it clean off. Zell slumped out of his seat and fell into eternal sleep. Squall, Irvine, and Lucran climbed out of the newly made hole and gasped for air. "Zell!" Squall yelled out, "ZELL! ZELL! NOOO!!! ZELL!" "Calm down!" Lucran commanded. "This is no time to-" Another one of the hedgehog creatures jumped out of the sand and grabbed Irvine then took him down into the desert. The beast jumped back up, Irvine was not with him. Three more jumped out, one over the car. They stood before Squall and Lucran, grinning broadly. "You two are only left. Our tribe not let you in boundaries. Stay out or die. We are mighty Tuk-Tuk warriors! You not pass me. Me chief." "Tuk-Tuk? You just murdered our friends.we meant no harm to you!" Lucran said for Squall was too shaken over losing Zell and Irvine in one blow. "You harm Tuk-Tuk by cross sacred boundaries. You no cross here more times, K? Know this now.Tuk-Tuk hate Esthar. Hate they cars and buildings. We now kill Esthar we see! You Esthar?" "No, we are Balamb." "We Tuk-Tuk see. Tuk-Tuk hate Balamb. You run now or face death." "We're only headed to our base!" "You may leave as long as not hurt Tuk-Tuk more. We turn back car normal way. You cross boundaries this once." "Thank you." The Tuk-Tuk tribe turned the car back over and Squall entered the passenger seat, dazed as hell. Lucran jumped in the driver seat and hauled ass out of there. They stopped at the military base they had planned on seeing. Nothing was left now but a large mess of dead bodies and destroyed equipment. The tents lay shredded, trucks slashed, tanks flipped, and guns bent at their barrel.

"Tuk-Tuk," Lucran whispered as he and Squall got out of the car. A big whirlpool opened up below the base and began to pull in the van. Lucran jumped in and tried to drive out of it. It was no use; this van would be pulled under the sand like everything else. These Tuk-Tuk warriors were horrible. At least ten of them swam below the surface in a big circle to cause this great catastrophe. A Tuk-Tuk rose up and slashed Squall across the chest, causing him to fall backwards into the sand. The poison began its work on Squall. Lucran put Squall on his back and ran out into open desert, escaping the Tuk-Tuk slaughter. The wound on his chest weakened him. Squall fainted and Lucran laid him to the desert floor. Lucran knelt to him and pulled a cloth from his pocket. He pulled out a jug of water and soaked the cloth. Lucran placed it atop Squall's head and cooled him, woke him, then made him sip water. Squall felt weak and was barely holding onto consciousness. A loud rumbling came from the south. Lucran could hear trucks speeding up to them. A large group of trucks halted before them and one white pickup held a white clothed knight. He walked from the truck and his fiery hair blew in the desert wind. His gunblade remained holstered. Squall let out a moan, "Sei." The white knight knelt beside Squall and nodded off Lucran. Lucran trusted the man and also had little choice here. The white knight pulled out a bottle of yellowish liquid and a syringe. He filled the syringe with the liquid and injected it into Squall's arm. "Seifer.you came." Squall said, slowly returning. "Yes I did Squall. I wouldn't let Balamb be destroyed by this. I want you and Lucran to head home. Keep some forces here as they help often." "Just do us a favor. Cypher is holding a dear friend hostage within the Vidcuarsan. His name is Syprent. Save him for us." "Sure Squall. I just want you to head home. This has been enough for you. Lucran, head with him and care for him." A car came over to Lucran and Squall and picked them up. It drove them back to the southern Galbadia base and a ship flew them both back to garden. Seifer whistled loudly and a great dragon flew from the sky. Logren swept down and allowed Seifer to mount him. The beast was now twice the size of a horse and was nearly full grown. A quick grower for a dragon.or maybe he is just a huge dragon. The trucks started up again and Seifer's army moved northward to take the main domain, the city of Esthar.

PART 3: Back at Home Sure, it felt sad to leave Esthar. I do admit I was happy to return to garden. I watch Squall now every day.a poison has been set upon him by the Tuk-Tuk tribe. It seems they are a poisonous folk. Anyway, Dr. Kadowaki cared for Squall during the poison. I had control over Balamb until he was better because Rinoa had to care for Squall and he trusted nobody as much as me except Seifer. I would do anything for Squall. -From "Home Sweet Home", by Lucran

Squall was dying. His eyes remained shut and he was seemingly asleep. He lay on his deathbed, Dr. Kadowaki smiling over him, Rinoa crying in the dark. All was over for the lord of Balamb. Death could come at any time. Dr. Kadowaki stood over Squall, checking his vital signs. "Oh.no, no, no!" "What is it Dr.?" Rinoa asked, crying. "His heartbeat is slowing by a nearly unnoticeable rate each day. It has been four days since this poison got into his system. I see the effects now. His face grows greener every day! He also has a raise in temperature again.poor dear. I must find the antidote! If I only knew what poison the Tuk-Tuk tribe used!" "You can't run a scan?" "In his condition, it is a bit risky. With your permission I will do it." "Then do it doctor! Whatever it takes." Dr. Kadowaki rolled in a bunch of machines and hooked them up to Squall's body. Lucran entered and gasped at the devices. "I'm running a scan to detect the poison type running in his blood. This may be the only way to save him," the doctor said. Lucran sat down next to Rinoa and held her hand. She appreciated the warmth he showed to her. Rinoa was going through the hardest of times now as she saw her love suffer more and more as the days passed. Squall lay on the bed, breathing quite heavily now. Rinoa looked at his face; a great hole filled her heart. He is dying.my first and only true love.on his deathbed. "Squall, if you can hear me now.I know you lay asleep now.and may never wake from that cold death that nears every second." She knelt at the bed. A single tear rolled down her cheek and hung onto her chin. Squall's hand came up, wiped the tear away. She grasped his cold hand and put it to her face. "I will always be here." Squall's hand dropped to the bed. Rinoa held her face as she cried and cried. Nothing will bring him back.this won't work. My hopes have left me! Lucran stood up, wiped back a single tear, and left the room in haste. Dr. Kadowaki left the little room to go to her office. "Don't worry my dear," Rinoa said, placing his hand on her face once again, "This will work.you aren't leaving us! Not now.not ever. When I first saw you.I saw you smiling at me. Was it real or just my fantasy? This is my last night here for you.I really like it.when you place your eyes on me. I had mine on you." Teardrops began to stain the bed as Rinoa dropped her head to them, sobbing uncontrollably. Squall still lay, skin becoming greener each second. Dr. Kadowaki reentered the room with a folder in her hands. She unplugged the machines and rolled them out of the room. She came back with the folder and handed it to Rinoa. "This is the information on the poison." She left, leaving poor Rinoa all alone, well, at least I have Squall by my side, she thought. She opened the folder and began scamming through the pages. Well it appears the poison is a very strange one. Wow, the Tuk-Tuk tribe.their whole species has this poison in them at birth! No wonder Dr. Kadowaki didn't know right off! There appears to be no name for the poison and of course this means an unknown antidote. Dr. Kadowaki must have been the first to discover it! Poor Squall. She flipped through and found the page with the doctor's handwritten information. Rinoa read: Here's her information.let's see.she named the poison Tuklocreanite, or Tuk for short. Name may need improvement, but it's all right. Ah! The antidote is.what? There is no antidote at all? According to this.my love has only a few weeks left to live.but he will not be living mostly at all. I guess it has come to this. "Goodbye.my love."

The next few days passed, Squall remained on the bed, Rinoa always sitting with him. Lucran came in occasionally, but mostly he sat in the office communicating with Seifer about Squall. "Is he getting any better?" Seifer asked. His voice crackled over the radio. "Not much I'm afraid," Lucran said, "I think you should find a way to return. You might want to take Logren back." "Sure thing." "How's the fight going?" "Your SeeD is killing everything out here. They are doing an excellent job, even under my rule." "I'm talking about your army." "I was getting to that. Well, we are pushing Esthar back into a tight corner. Everything is ours except for the citadel of terror.the Vidcuarsan. Syprent awaits us in the dungeon. He will survive a lot longer than we all believed.we must get him out for his time is running out." "You must hurry then! Come to garden immediately.he needs you."

Squall lay in the bed, eyes barely slit open. The light poured gently into his eyes, causing him to squint tightly. Rinoa came to his side almost immediately, "Squall.you awake now in this time of great peril. I see you getting weaker by the day, by what are you given this new found strength to wake as you do?" Rinoa knew she shouldn't question him, but she felt so horrible after having no time to speak with him, she couldn't help herself. "I.I do not know, my love. I saw something in my.my long dreaming. An angel came to.to me. It sang an ancient song I had never heard.so.so.sweet and filled with love.it was.I wish you'd heard it, my love." His voice had a certain weakness to it, one only to be described as near-death. He would be slipping away from our world at any time. "Squall, I never knew how to say this.from the moment I saw you.I knew we would be together forever. I remember when we first kissed.I remember it so well. I remember that time so many years ago.we were on the balcony.the moon lit up the sky with a brilliant light! It made me feel like I could do anything. What I am trying to say.I love you Squall. You are my love." She kissed his brow and tears rolled from her eyes onto the bed. Squall let out three words: "I love you." His eyes shut tight, his consciousness slipping away. I am not dying, he tried to tell her. I am only leaving this world.for now. She laid her head on Squall's chest. She listened to his heart beating. It cannot be, she told herself. Rinoa raised her head and looked down at her lover's face. His beautiful features filled her mind as she studied them carefully. I will never forget his face. The pillow became visible now. Rinoa saw his body fading away like a ghost. Slowly it left out world. This must be a dream.this cannot happen! What is happening to my love? Where is he going? Squall let out a loud scream, echoing throughout garden. Seconds later the door bust open, in ran Seifer. "The Mahikra!" he yelled and tore Rinoa from Squall. Squall muttered a final few words: "I love you Rinoa. Seifer, my last wish of you is.go to the Vidcuarsan and defeat the Esthar army! Defeat the Tuk- Tuk warriors and save Syprent from the citadel of tear's dungeon." The body finally disappeared, the outlines in the bed rising up to the normal position. Rinoa looked up at Seifer, and then ran into his arms and they embraced. "Where has he gone?" she asked, tears dripping from her. "That was the Mahikra, a strange event that happens when one is called home. Squall has not died.he was taken by the guardian, Agran Du'chance. He remains in the spirit world.only to be returned as a new soul. You will see soon.he shall return at the most critical of times."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: That's it for Chapter 2. Chapter 3 covers the finale. The next chapter is told in first person in the eyes of Seifer Almasy. I decided to change for my own reasons, plus it's kind of neat to write this way. Squall will return soon enough and I will not write about his experience with Agran Du'chance. He will mention it later but I will not go into detail about it. Now, Seifer Almasy has been back on the battlefield for a week. The Vidcuarsan is the last structure standing. Cypher is inside, and so is Syprent. It's all over after this. Enjoy Chapter 3!
CHAPTER 3: End to War
PART 1: The Terror of the Vidcuarsan

As I saw Squall fade slowly into the strange world beyond, I began to notice a change in Rinoa. Her life seemed a hollow without Squall Leonhart there to fill it. I felt for her, more than I had for anyone. Now, I stand with my final gathered forces.at the gates of the Vidcuarsan. -From "A Look Into the Past", by Seifer Almasy

I held my gunblade pointed to the sky. My forces gathered together, bloodthirsty. They seemed to have developed a thirst for Estharian blood. I too, had that thirst. The gate stood before us. The Vidcuarsan seemed to laugh, as we stood ready for battle. The stonewalls appeared to be of the strongest make, perhaps not stone at all. The whole thing looked like a giant cathedral. The fortress had been called impregnable in the past.perhaps such tales were unwise to speak of. Two towers stood at each side, one larger than the other. We faced the Vidcuarsan from the south. The two eastern towers waved their banners high in the wind. The western towers held mounted machine guns, ready to fire upon us. Our front rider held a white flag high in the air; it was I. I rode upon a very tired, walking dragon. Logren sighed as he stumbled forwards. Walking was not his business. The two gates tore open and a very scared looking messenger wobbled out. His grotesque fat hung outside his clothing. I stepped a few yards in front of my army, leaving them about twenty yards back. The fat man approached me, wobbling like an oversized penguin. "Our lord Theogren wishes to know why you are here." The messenger had a very strange and whiny voice. He was more annoying now than ever. "Tell him the lord Seifer Almasy wishes to meet with him. Tell Cypher to come forth!" "Cypher? I said Theogren.didn't you hear me? Did you even listen? I bet you are just a lowly messenger aren't you?" I lied, "Yea, I am. The lord Seifer does not pay me but a penny." "Well, I'd like you to know I am not a messenger like you. I work hard for Theogren every day and I earn a revenue up to-" "Quiet, you little pig! I could crush you in a second." "Then a battle would break out! Lord Theogren would not be very happy! I am his advisor." "If Theogren is here, where is Cypher?" The fat slob answered, "There is no Cypher. Theogren bested him in combat and took over the country weeks ago. You didn't hear?" I didn't understand how Theogren could still be alive. He has died twice now I believe. Shot full of bullets by the old Esthar troops, and then Xavier shot him in the face. Yes, it all fits! He lived. "Theogren.alive? This cannot be." "Well it is! Now, what does your army want with the lord Theogren? Do you wish a battle?" His whiny voice began to grind my nerves. His speech was fine.his attitude was another. Then there was that goddamn voice. "Speech with your lord would be better than a fight. I shall tell Seifer I am to go in and speak with Theogren." The fat slob nodded and left. His fat jiggled as he attempted to run back to Theogren. Before the gates closed I could see him falling over, panting heavily. The fat messenger/advisor returned soon and bowed to me. "My lord awaits you." I turned to see my troops sigh deeply, hungering for war. It was a shame to see such fine men turned into savage beasts.but, the more killers like this the better. I dismounted Logren and followed the messenger up a winding staircase and through a few corridors. The whole place was dimly lit so vision was near impossible. I saw very few guards in the Vidcuarsan, well the only ones I could really make out. Finally, we reached a staircase that wound up the small eastern tower. The tower ended in a small poor-lit room. A dark desk sat there; behind it was Theogren. Theogren's long black hair was now spiked up and he wore a long black cloak, his quarterstaff against the wall. His eyes were now a deep blood red. "What do you desire?" came Theogren's voice. It was very chilling to hear. "I wish to speak with you, lord Theogren." I tried to gain his trust a bit by calling him lord. "The Galbadian Army stands ready for battle outside this cathedral. We wish you to give up or prepare death. I seen few forces as I walked through, such a small army couldn't even fit in here anyways! Ours is at least ten times yours. Give up or we shall have you." The fat advisor whispered a few things into his master's ear. Theogren nodded, said: "Grodwell has told me that you are Seifer Almasy's messenger. Am I correct in saying this?" "Yes you are." "Then you lie, Seifer Almasy." "You.know.but how?" "I have the power of vision. I see many things others don't. I hear the lies your mouth does not speak. You do not wish battle my forces. You will see very soon how.unpleasant things can get." With that he had Grodwell lead me down to the gates. He threw me out and laughed, ran back inside. Presently I faced my soldiers, head hung low, said: "The old king has fallen. Theogren is now the head of Esthar. He is an enemy one must learn not to fear. He sits inside the lower east tower. Don't think about using explosives.he won't stay there for long. These walls are sturdy and can only be blown from the inner side." I saw my explosives experts remove a few timed bombs from their sacks to show me. I signaled approval and mounted Logren. He growled happily in approval of the rider. I held up my blade to rally my troops. They all ran around me, forming a tight circle looking outwards with an exposed section to the Vidcuarsan's door. "Alright men!" I screamed aloud, "We're breaking through this door!" I dismounted Logren, held my hands up, palms facing the sky. I brought them down in a circular motion, bringing my fists to my chest. I turned my hands around and thrust the palms directly in front of me, screamed: "Ifrit! I summon you! Come forth to bring this door to its knees!" I stopped abruptly as the sand began to rise all around my troops. Tuk-Tuk warriors sprung forth from the desert, leaping at my men with claws in attack position. There was no escape.we were surrounded. I drew my blade and ran into battle, cutting the arm off of a Tuk-Tuk legionare. "The claws drip with poison!" I yelled aloud, "Do not let them cut you!" A claw slashed at my left. I parried right and rolled underneath the great arm. It missed my face by mere inches. I brought the blade down on the creature's back, causing him to let out a large scream of terror. I tore my knife out of its front sheathing and stabbed the thing in the back of the neck. He dropped quickly to his death. I looked around. At least thirty of our forces were left slain. Thirty Tuk- Tuk warriors threw themselves upon us. The battle was ours. We had won. "It seems Theogren had a small surprise in for us. Ha! Not much of a surprise!" But, I took those words back right when they finished coming from my mouth. At least seven hundred Esthar soldiers leapt at us, spears held before them. They kicked up sand as they sped toward us in full force. We were outnumbered two to one. Spears flashed at us with great effort. Many men fell to the endless Esthar legions. The soldiers quickly surrounded us; they circled us with spears held outward. We had nowhere to run. We were completely outnumbered and surrounded. Only around a hundred of us lived, five hundred of them still remained on foot. There was no escape.the only way I could think was to run inside the Vidcuarsan and make use of their operable machines. The base could be taken easily, and knowing Theogren, he would only cause a blockade to torture us.

Theogren presently walked out of the Esthar legion. Grodwell wobbled in behind him; afraid of me. I snarled as I saw the fat creature smile evilly as if he had all the power in his hands. "Seifer Almasy!" Theogren said in a fearful voice, "You and your men have no rights here. You will all fall here or be taken prisoner. If any of you wishes to live.I would not suggest it. Life is horrible in the dungeons of the citadel of death." "Theogren," I said, "We have indeed underestimated your forces. I did not guess of a hidden place to keep this many soldiers. It is obvious to me now that you have made a single mistake in all this. You fool.you have left us the Vidcuarsan!" I raised my hands in the same fashion as before; palms up, fists to chest, palms out again, said: "Ifrit! Your help is needed once again! Now, Esthar.prepare to taste the wrath of the Guardian Force!" Fire shot forth from my hands. It formed the shape of the terrible GF, Ifrit. He rose up to the sky and came down upon the gates of the citadel. He rammed it in with his horns. The door burst open, we all ran inside and shut it once again. I left Ifrit out; I could see him, as we shut the door, standing in front of the gates fighting off the legion. My men ran through the place, killing off any living creatures. One of my captains met me in the hallway. He had a pleased, yet scared look about his face. "We have taken the citadel my lord. Ifrit has been slain and we see the Estharians forming a blockade against us. They are terrible, we shall surely die!" I spoke with a reassuring tone, "We will overcome this very soon. Just get the men to machine gun towers, position snipers, and set up guard. I will call for reinforcements from Balamb. Lucran has a few hundred battle-hungry SeeD warriors fresh from training. This is Esthar's final force. Any other living Esthar such as women and children, are hiding in the Esthar city ruins. They shall be left alone as they mean little to our war. Is Logren inside?" "Yes sir. He is waiting within the dungeons. He will be in the entrance room." "Carry out my orders then. The reinforcements should be here a day after I make the call. We shall finally defeat Theogren."

The next day happened a bit quicker than I had thought. Lucran assured me he would ready the forces for the next day. Well, it was the next day. The reinforcements still hadn't come.and night was drawing near. I sat in the dungeon room with Logren; possibly one of the few places a man could be alone. The dungeon had not a living thing within it. It was a perfect place for me to run over my thoughts. "Logren, we shall soon have victory! I surely hope those reinforcements get here." Logren lifted his head and nuzzled into my chest. I stroked the dragon's neck and hugged him tightly. "It's great to have you here.this place is so empty.this dungeon smells strange. Dungeon.Syprent! Logren, I have forgotten to carry out Squall's wishes!" I ran deeper into the dungeon. There was a large door outlined in carvings of skulls and roses. The door handle was crescent shaped and you pulled to open it. The door itself was made of a rusted metal. I pulled hard on the handle. The door did not budge. I pulled harder now, as hard as I could. My muscles bulged as I pulled harder and harder but yet it would not move. Finally, I cast blizzaga on the door, freezing it completely. With a single punch the door shattered into a thousand little pieces only countable with a magnifying glass. I walked through to feel a cold draft suddenly hit me. The room was really small, only a few cages lined the sides left and right of me. Three per side to be precise.one of them had two figures waiting inside. One had a whip drawn up to his head. The other lay tied to a water pipe, red slashes covered him head to toe. The one with the whip turned to look at me. One of his eyes was black, the other white. I mean his eyes were all one color, no three colors.one was all black within black within black. The other, the left eye, was white within white within white. The whip wielder spoke now, his voice seemed to fill fear into even my heart: "Hello there my friend. What business brings you to the dungeons? Have you come to see me whip this little cretin into shape? Do you wish to know of my technique?" "What have you done to him?" I asked, fear now filling my mind. His long, shaggy white hair was stuck with bugs and dust. His long, pointy, old nose looked out at me. Terror filled my heart when he spoke, "What is there to fear? This little bastard has been misbehaving. Daddy will teach him to behave, oh yes he will, won't he.my precious baby?" The victim looked out at me, eyes full of tears. His lashes seemed quite painful.it also seemed that terror has filled through him completely. It seemed he was utterly and terribly destroyed in the mental spirit. "Release.release him.at.once!" I could barely get the words out. My mind was numbing, my senses growing weak. The whip master only cackled. I felt his whip hit my feet and sweep them out from under me. My head hit the ground hard. I looked up, dazed, to see a blurred face stare back at me. Blackness took my mind.

CRACK GOES THE WHIP! THE WHIP HITS THE NIGHT SCARED BEASTS RUN NOBODY ESCAPES THE WHIP HE HOLDS IT WITH MALACE I CANNOT BREATHE TERROR TAKES ME CRACK GOES THE WHIP!

The whip cracked across my hand. I awoke to find the whip master; holding a tray of food. It appeared he had not known or cared whether this place was under command of Theogren or me. It seemed he lived his own life, a tortured existence, living off of what he had down here. He probably had a secret area somewhere with stashes goods. His mind was obviously destroyed in some way. It also appeared to be that he was left alone with this poor tortured soul for a long time now. I already felt the cold hate for him.I already felt the terror.must have been hell for this poor soul.Syprent? I looked and saw myself to be chained to the same pipe as the other prisoner. He sat to my left, fidgeting at the sight of the whip master. I shared the pain.just not as much. I whispered, "Syprent? Is that you? Squall sent me to find you. It was his last wish before he.died." I knew Squall was returning but I did not feel like explaining the situation. The Mahikra was a very sacred thing, which I never understood myself. "Do not upset the whip." he whispered in a scared voice, "He will release terror few have known." "Be quiet children. It is time for daddy to play with you. Now, who first?" The whip master held the whip high above his head. For the first time I took a good, long smell of Syprent. He smelled horrible. The whip master gave no mercy at all. "Let daddy care for you. You sit in that cage smiling happily while daddy does everything. Now, daddy wishes to play children!" He looked at me and walked forward. "You first." I winced, fearing the whip. What happened next I least expected. The whip master unzipped his pants and took out his enlarged organ. "You know what to do. Open up.feeding time." I looked to Syprent, "What the hell is this?" "It's daddy's way of showing love." Syprent said. I could tell he was completely changed.nothing could save him. "No daddy," I said, playing the role, "I don't want this! I want the whip daddy.I want the whip!" It was clear now.the whip master had some ancient past with his father. Cypher had driven him insane within this.dungeon. He created an unstoppable monster. If I had only killed him. He put it away and pulled out the whip, "This again? Fine. I thought you were like your brother. Perhaps you choose pain over pleasure." I felt the whip slash hard across my face. I could feel the hate rising inside of me, powers being released.but no energy to back them. The whip came across my left brow and slid off to hit Syprent in the chin. I would spend eternity here.this was forever my home. Unless my forces could see me.but there was no point.I could not scream. The dungeon was designed to keep noises inside. Pain stretched across my entire body as "daddy" rushed forward and began to beat me with his fists. He hit me in the jaw, in the stomach; anywhere he could find a soft spot. I swore his death then.but I had no way to destroy him. My troops would never find me here! Then, it was as if my dreams and prayers were heard. It was like a heavy storm in my life.then suddenly the clouds were blown away and sunshine bled through. An angel appeared behind the whip master.it was Squall! Squall had white, milky wings protruding from his back and a golden halo revolved over his head. An incredible amount of light illuminated the room from his wings. Suddenly, the wings folded up and disappeared forever. The halo faded, leaving Squall as almost the same soul he was long ago. He kicked the feet out from under the whip master. He tore down the cage and picked up the master. He tossed him against the wall and came to us and untied out bonds. "Daddy!" Syprent screamed in a blind rage. He rushed toward Squall with a fist and punched as hard as he could. His fist was weak against Squall's hard exterior. Squall put out a single hand and telepathically sent Syprent into the wall. Presently, he turned to me with a smile. "Seifer Almasy. It is good to see you once again. Now you stand before the new Squall, changed by the Mahikra and Agran Du'chance's wonderful training. The spirit world is quite nice.I am now a changed person." "You couldn't of come at a better time," I said smiling, "You must excuse Syprent. The whip master and this dungeon drove him to insanity. We should care for him carefully. But, for now I'd like to settle something with the master if I may. Tell me of Agran later." Squall nodded and the master stood up before me. I took out my gunblade and saw the terror in those eyes.white and black.he said: "Go ahead my child. Kill your father! See what it does to you later in life!" "You're not my father!" I told him as I drove the blade deep into his gut. The master doubled over and pulled out the blade, only cutting his hands ever the more. I drove the gunblade up through his chin and felt it slice through brain. He fell dead to the ground.his terror felt no more. Syprent stood up and spoke, it was as if his insanity lifted as soon as the master died, "I'm glad you came to us, Squall. I am happy you came for me too Seifer. I only just met you." Squall smiled and said, "Every man deserves what you had. Now come my friends, let us speak with the Galbadians. Hopefully the SeeD reinforcements will arrive. I doubt not soon.you have been here for only five hours, Seifer." "That's all? Well, no wonder nobody came! I usually stay down here that long. Come on, let us get out of this dreary place!" "Well agreed," Syprent said.

PART 2: The Mahikra

People wander what the Mahikra truly is. I tell them, I really don't know. Agran Du'chance, guardian of souls, brought me to him and trained me in the ways of a Mahikra warrior. I have some knowledge of what it is, I guess, but not really why it happens or how they choose who becomes a Mahikra warrior. Either way, it contributed to the success of Balamb. -From "Mahikra Secrets", by Squall Leonhart

It was now about midnight. Squall, Syprent, and I were all seated in the conference chamber, a long room with a long table occupying the whole place decorated with wooden chairs. The room was a simple place to hold a discussion. "What of the Mahikra?" I asked Squall. "Here is what happened and what I know," he sipped a mug of coffee and continued: "The poison destroyed my system and killed me. Agran Du'chance decided to save my soul and suddenly I was standing before him, wings let out my back and a halo wreathed my skull. He was a wise old man with flowing milky white robes and long gray hair. He told me that the Mahikra was an event in which a dying soul was saved and brought to him for training to become a Mahikra warrior. He said when we were done.I would have certain powers unseen in our world for a long time. He told me I would be sent back at a critical moment in a loved one's life to save them. This is all I have to say about the Mahikra." Syprent shifted uneasily and sighed, "Then what of the blockade? The reinforcements have not yet-" "A storm has occurred," Squall said, eyes closed, "The ship is trapped in a huge storm.they will be here within the hour. The delay is only due to the storm." "How'd you do that?" I asked. "It's a power of the Mahikra," he said smiling. "I propose we attack the blockade before our help arrives. This way, to catch them off guard." "Alright," I said, "I'll grab a rifle and snipe a few.I have an alright shot. Syprent, take control of a small legion to lead out the secret tunnel we made. Dispose of as many you can in secret. Squall; use your new powers I suppose. Ready?" They nodded and left to carry my orders. It's good to be in charge. I ran out and up into the western tower. I picked up a sniper rifle and aimed out at the crowd of people gathered outside. Once I gave the first shot, combat would begin. I got the advisor, the fat Grodwell, in my scope. I had the crosshairs aimed right to his head. I pulled the trigger. Blood splattered from the fat man's forehead as he dropped suddenly to the ground. I saw guards prepare for another shot. The front gates tore open and I saw a single man step out. It was Squall. He held a large blade in front of him. It seemed to be made out of a blue energy state. He began to combat against the hundreds rushing to him. Not a person stood a chance. He was undefeatable. I smiled and began picking off small targets in my scope. Three men lay dead now because of me.not much of a change but it helped. Then, I heard our mounted machine guns begin to fire off in each tower but mine. We had every advantage now. A small hole opened behind the blockade. Seventy of our armed soldiers ran out towards the army and began slicing through blade and armor. They began to fiercely fight back, our numbers rapidly decreased. Still, Squall stood fighting. A beam of hope appeared in the above sky. A ship hovered just over the battlefield and dropped hundreds of SeeD soldiers right in the middle of the mess. We began to fight back viciously and soon we had only three remaining Estharians: two guards and Theogren. Squall ordered some men to watch his back as he stepped forward to speak with them. I saw the two guards in my scope; one had a blade in front and the other a long axe. They both guarded Theogren. Squall moved his lips, speaking with Theogren. I saw him speak back and forth in my view. Then, the guard with the axe jumped forward at Squall.he did not notice. I fired a shot into the guard's skull and shot another into the other one's heart. They both fell dead, Squall looked up to me in thanks. Theogren stepped forward revealing his quarterstaff. Squall pulled out his blade and the two fought. It was a fairly quick fight, as Squall was the Mahikra. Theogren thrust the weapon left and Squall dodged right, stabbing him in the side. He came across with the blade into his neck, severing his head from his shoulders. Theogren fell and his head rolled in the sand. Our soldiers began cheering happily and screaming the name, "Squall! Squall the Savior!" I had never been happier.it was all over. Now it was time for a good rest.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well that about sums up Seifer's story. Now comes the finale, the epilogue. It is written in third person as it briefly touches on the ending.
Epilogue

Squall, Syprent, and Seifer returned home to Balamb. Seifer gave the Galbadian government to Lucran and decided to help out with Balamb. Squall and Rinoa remain together, sharing stories and remembering those who they lost. Logren remains Seifer's pet. Syprent stayed with Squall to become his new advisor. Now that Esthar was destroyed, a new world order came upon the earth. Squall and Lucran joined hands to ensure this would never happen as long as they both lived. Peace thrived throughout the land.until next time.

END AUTHOR NOTE: Well I guess it's all over.boy did that take a while to write! Hope you enjoyed it! Please send feedback of all types to email: ckgamer64@aol.com. Please send feedback.thank you!