Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy IX characters but my
characters are my own creations and I do own the rights to them.
Chapter Fifteen: Pasts Collide
Phina groggily opened her eyes. She had the hangover from hell. Squinting at the bright light, Phina looked around the room. She was on the floor of what looked like a cave. It seemed that the light that lit the room came from the walls.
~But that's impossible~ she thought. ~A cave could never be this homey.~ An overstuffed armchair sat by a fireplace that had been carved out of the limestone. There was even a mantel with knick-knacks on it. A picture hung over the mantle. The portrait was of a man with cold eyes and a cruel grin that made Phina shiver. A couch sat across from the armchair with an exquisite glass coffee table between the two pieces of furniture. The rug underneath her was patterned with an intricate design. Off to her right there was an opening that obviously led into another room.
Phina tried to stand up but her legs wouldn't respond. Glancing down she found her legs tied tighter. She groaned and heard the sound echo around her head making her headache worse. She brought her hands to her head but found them to be tied, too. Where was she? And why was she tied up? She couldn't remember much except that the word that man had spoken triggered something in her mind. That was all she remembered. Something had clicked and then the dream.
The dream! She had finally figured it out. Her name was Emily and she was a summoner. But how could she be a summoner? Eiko had a horn and Garnet had hers removed when she was little but Phina didn't have one. Then she remembered her dream and the exploding pain in her forehead. She also remembered having a hard spot where her horn should have been when she was little. That was it! Her horn had broken off. Being a summoner would also explain why she was able to learn and use white magic.
Phina closed her eyes and Garnet's face popped up. That's when it dawned on her. Garnet looked so much like her because she was her sister. The black hair was from her mother and the eyes from her father. It all fit. Phina had finally figured out her mysterious pas that had haunted her for years.
Hearing footsteps, Phina lay down and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. The footsteps entered the room and moved towards her. They stopped next to her still body for a minute before moving towards the hearth. Phina heard the person start a fire that crackled while the flames leapt higher.
"You may as well open you eyes. I know you're awake," a deep voice said. Phina obeyed and sat up. She found herself facing the man from the marketplace.
"Why are you keeping me here and what were you doing?" Phina demanded. Xavier could feel her energy crackling with anger. He tried not to wince when she stared him down. Her green eyes and red hair seemed so familiar but he still couldn't place her.
"None of that concerns you," Xavier replied coldly. "All you need to know is that I'm going to kill you."
"Well if you're going to kill me then why did you tie me up? You could have done it while I was unconscious. Or are you so old and gray that you've forgotten how to use your brain?" Phina spat. Xavier's eyes flashed with anger at the teenager's remark.
"Do not patronize me you fool! You will be killed but I have decided to use you as the sacrifice needed to merge the worlds," Xavier retaliated.
"Sacrifice? Merging worlds? What are you talking about?"
"When I merge Heaven, Hell, Gaia, and Terra I will offer your body as a sacrifice to the powers that will meld the worlds together." Xavier's eyes seemed distant. "At first I was going to sacrifice myself but things have changed."
"Hold on, if you were going to sacrifice yourself then you would die and not be able to see your work. So what was the point? And why not just pick someone when you came up with this crazy idea?" Phina's questions spun in her mind. This guy was making no sense at all. She looked up when she heard the man's hysterical laugh cut through the air. His laughter soon subsided and he became thoughtful.
"When the worlds were merged and I had died I should have gone to Heaven or Hell. But since they had been merged I would have come back and ruled the world. And about the sacrifice, only someone with enough power could do it. I wanted you dead earlier because your own power was the only thing that could have stopped me. I sent out an assassin to do the job but it seems that he did not succeed. When you found me I got the idea to use you as my sacrifice so that I wouldn't have to wait to rule or suffer through the excruciating pain caused by the drainage of power."
"Oh," came the meek reply. "Wait, so I have a lot of 'power'?"
"The concept of measuring energy is too complicated for someone of your brain capacity. But my biggest question is how did you get so strong? Who are your parents?" Phina looked down trying not to cry in front of this man. She didn't want to seem weak. Her memories still haunted her, though.
"I-I don't know their names and I've only got memories of what they look like," Phina said. Xavier was at first surprised by her answer but soon came up with a solution to his dilemma. He walked over to the red headed teenager slumped on the floor and took her head in his hands.
The cold fingers pressed to her temples startled Phina. She soon forgot them though as her eyes glassed over and she was thrown into the dreams she had been having for the past month. Every moment and feeling seemed more real than the first time that she had relived them. The pain and the sorrow in her heart was reawakened as she lived the brief moments again.
Xavier watched with Phina but he felt no pain or sorrow, only fear. Once the flashbacks were complete, he sat down hard, his mouth opened wide in shock. Phina was slowly released from the spell and found herself staring at the shaken Xavier. Finally realizing Phina was looking at him, Xavier closed his mouth and gave her a look of pure hatred. Phina backed up in surprise.
"So you're the devil's spawn of Lily and Ramus. I knew you looked familiar," Xavier declared, his voice dripping with the same hatred that shone in his eyes.
"What? You knew my parents?" Phina couldn't believe it. There was just no way.
"Of course I knew them you brat! Your father was the one who exiled me from Madain Sari. I have hated him from that day on. Especially since he stole my eidolons from me."
"But if you're from Madain Sari then you're summoner but that's impossible. You don't even have a horn like Eiko. And she said every summoner had a horn," Phina sputtered.
Xavier simply waved a hand in front of his head, removing the spell that hid his ancestry. His horn was longer than Eiko's but still held the same blue sheen of glazed bone. Ridges in the side swirled up to the tip that was like sharpened pencil. Phina openly gaped in shock. This wasn't possible.
"Your father never liked me, not that I liked him either. Our hatred for each other grew when we both fell in love with the same woman. But instead of choosing a powerful summoner, she chose that bastard Ramus! I wanted revenge so I sent my eidolons after him. But something unexpected happened. He summoned the golden phoenix when no one else could. I was defeated and for my treachery to him he banished me when he became the chieften of the village." Xavier spat the words out of his mouth as if they contained poisin. Phina backed up a little more trying to avoid the man's wrath.
Xavier glanced up at the almost cowering woman. Her eyes were the same as her mother's. Those eyes were what Xavier had fallen in love with first. When he had discovered her kind and gentle spirit his lover for her had only increased ten fold.
"So you're scared of me, eh? Not surprising. You being Ramus' daughter and all. It's a good thing Garland destroyed him. He was a piece of dog shit and always would have been, too. HE scorned the Earth with his presence and now all that remains of him is you ," Xavier sneered. Phina bristled at the remark. She scooted closer to the horned man and brought her face up his.
"I may be tied up but no one-I mean no one-talks about my family like that!" Phina stated with an icy hiss. Xavier simply turned his back to her and stood up. He walked out of the room that had suddenly grown cold, with Phina's glare at his back.
He strolled down the halls while wiping the sweat that had formed from his forehead. The last words that Phina had spoken scared him to the bone. Everything from her snapping emerald eyes to her low hiss to her rigid posture spoke of hatred. Normally he wouldn't be scared but with the kind of power Phina held he didn't want to cross her.
Back in the room, Phina relaxed when she was sure that Xavier had gone. The man's hatred for her father scared her to no end but she wasn't about to let it show. She hadn't grown up on the streets and become tough for nothing.
Lying down, Phina closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She wasn't sure how soon Xavier would start his plans to merge the worlds but if she wanted to escape she was going to need her strength. Wondering how her friends were doing she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.
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Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter. I lost interest for a while there and it took some time to get back into the story. Please forgive me! * groveling can be seen * Anyways, I also changed the summary. I didn't' think that it was attracting enough attention. Don't forget to review if you want to!
Chapter Fifteen: Pasts Collide
Phina groggily opened her eyes. She had the hangover from hell. Squinting at the bright light, Phina looked around the room. She was on the floor of what looked like a cave. It seemed that the light that lit the room came from the walls.
~But that's impossible~ she thought. ~A cave could never be this homey.~ An overstuffed armchair sat by a fireplace that had been carved out of the limestone. There was even a mantel with knick-knacks on it. A picture hung over the mantle. The portrait was of a man with cold eyes and a cruel grin that made Phina shiver. A couch sat across from the armchair with an exquisite glass coffee table between the two pieces of furniture. The rug underneath her was patterned with an intricate design. Off to her right there was an opening that obviously led into another room.
Phina tried to stand up but her legs wouldn't respond. Glancing down she found her legs tied tighter. She groaned and heard the sound echo around her head making her headache worse. She brought her hands to her head but found them to be tied, too. Where was she? And why was she tied up? She couldn't remember much except that the word that man had spoken triggered something in her mind. That was all she remembered. Something had clicked and then the dream.
The dream! She had finally figured it out. Her name was Emily and she was a summoner. But how could she be a summoner? Eiko had a horn and Garnet had hers removed when she was little but Phina didn't have one. Then she remembered her dream and the exploding pain in her forehead. She also remembered having a hard spot where her horn should have been when she was little. That was it! Her horn had broken off. Being a summoner would also explain why she was able to learn and use white magic.
Phina closed her eyes and Garnet's face popped up. That's when it dawned on her. Garnet looked so much like her because she was her sister. The black hair was from her mother and the eyes from her father. It all fit. Phina had finally figured out her mysterious pas that had haunted her for years.
Hearing footsteps, Phina lay down and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. The footsteps entered the room and moved towards her. They stopped next to her still body for a minute before moving towards the hearth. Phina heard the person start a fire that crackled while the flames leapt higher.
"You may as well open you eyes. I know you're awake," a deep voice said. Phina obeyed and sat up. She found herself facing the man from the marketplace.
"Why are you keeping me here and what were you doing?" Phina demanded. Xavier could feel her energy crackling with anger. He tried not to wince when she stared him down. Her green eyes and red hair seemed so familiar but he still couldn't place her.
"None of that concerns you," Xavier replied coldly. "All you need to know is that I'm going to kill you."
"Well if you're going to kill me then why did you tie me up? You could have done it while I was unconscious. Or are you so old and gray that you've forgotten how to use your brain?" Phina spat. Xavier's eyes flashed with anger at the teenager's remark.
"Do not patronize me you fool! You will be killed but I have decided to use you as the sacrifice needed to merge the worlds," Xavier retaliated.
"Sacrifice? Merging worlds? What are you talking about?"
"When I merge Heaven, Hell, Gaia, and Terra I will offer your body as a sacrifice to the powers that will meld the worlds together." Xavier's eyes seemed distant. "At first I was going to sacrifice myself but things have changed."
"Hold on, if you were going to sacrifice yourself then you would die and not be able to see your work. So what was the point? And why not just pick someone when you came up with this crazy idea?" Phina's questions spun in her mind. This guy was making no sense at all. She looked up when she heard the man's hysterical laugh cut through the air. His laughter soon subsided and he became thoughtful.
"When the worlds were merged and I had died I should have gone to Heaven or Hell. But since they had been merged I would have come back and ruled the world. And about the sacrifice, only someone with enough power could do it. I wanted you dead earlier because your own power was the only thing that could have stopped me. I sent out an assassin to do the job but it seems that he did not succeed. When you found me I got the idea to use you as my sacrifice so that I wouldn't have to wait to rule or suffer through the excruciating pain caused by the drainage of power."
"Oh," came the meek reply. "Wait, so I have a lot of 'power'?"
"The concept of measuring energy is too complicated for someone of your brain capacity. But my biggest question is how did you get so strong? Who are your parents?" Phina looked down trying not to cry in front of this man. She didn't want to seem weak. Her memories still haunted her, though.
"I-I don't know their names and I've only got memories of what they look like," Phina said. Xavier was at first surprised by her answer but soon came up with a solution to his dilemma. He walked over to the red headed teenager slumped on the floor and took her head in his hands.
The cold fingers pressed to her temples startled Phina. She soon forgot them though as her eyes glassed over and she was thrown into the dreams she had been having for the past month. Every moment and feeling seemed more real than the first time that she had relived them. The pain and the sorrow in her heart was reawakened as she lived the brief moments again.
Xavier watched with Phina but he felt no pain or sorrow, only fear. Once the flashbacks were complete, he sat down hard, his mouth opened wide in shock. Phina was slowly released from the spell and found herself staring at the shaken Xavier. Finally realizing Phina was looking at him, Xavier closed his mouth and gave her a look of pure hatred. Phina backed up in surprise.
"So you're the devil's spawn of Lily and Ramus. I knew you looked familiar," Xavier declared, his voice dripping with the same hatred that shone in his eyes.
"What? You knew my parents?" Phina couldn't believe it. There was just no way.
"Of course I knew them you brat! Your father was the one who exiled me from Madain Sari. I have hated him from that day on. Especially since he stole my eidolons from me."
"But if you're from Madain Sari then you're summoner but that's impossible. You don't even have a horn like Eiko. And she said every summoner had a horn," Phina sputtered.
Xavier simply waved a hand in front of his head, removing the spell that hid his ancestry. His horn was longer than Eiko's but still held the same blue sheen of glazed bone. Ridges in the side swirled up to the tip that was like sharpened pencil. Phina openly gaped in shock. This wasn't possible.
"Your father never liked me, not that I liked him either. Our hatred for each other grew when we both fell in love with the same woman. But instead of choosing a powerful summoner, she chose that bastard Ramus! I wanted revenge so I sent my eidolons after him. But something unexpected happened. He summoned the golden phoenix when no one else could. I was defeated and for my treachery to him he banished me when he became the chieften of the village." Xavier spat the words out of his mouth as if they contained poisin. Phina backed up a little more trying to avoid the man's wrath.
Xavier glanced up at the almost cowering woman. Her eyes were the same as her mother's. Those eyes were what Xavier had fallen in love with first. When he had discovered her kind and gentle spirit his lover for her had only increased ten fold.
"So you're scared of me, eh? Not surprising. You being Ramus' daughter and all. It's a good thing Garland destroyed him. He was a piece of dog shit and always would have been, too. HE scorned the Earth with his presence and now all that remains of him is you ," Xavier sneered. Phina bristled at the remark. She scooted closer to the horned man and brought her face up his.
"I may be tied up but no one-I mean no one-talks about my family like that!" Phina stated with an icy hiss. Xavier simply turned his back to her and stood up. He walked out of the room that had suddenly grown cold, with Phina's glare at his back.
He strolled down the halls while wiping the sweat that had formed from his forehead. The last words that Phina had spoken scared him to the bone. Everything from her snapping emerald eyes to her low hiss to her rigid posture spoke of hatred. Normally he wouldn't be scared but with the kind of power Phina held he didn't want to cross her.
Back in the room, Phina relaxed when she was sure that Xavier had gone. The man's hatred for her father scared her to no end but she wasn't about to let it show. She hadn't grown up on the streets and become tough for nothing.
Lying down, Phina closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She wasn't sure how soon Xavier would start his plans to merge the worlds but if she wanted to escape she was going to need her strength. Wondering how her friends were doing she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter. I lost interest for a while there and it took some time to get back into the story. Please forgive me! * groveling can be seen * Anyways, I also changed the summary. I didn't' think that it was attracting enough attention. Don't forget to review if you want to!
