Chapter 2: The Fallen Knights
The inky black curtain of night draped itself upon the land of Ivalice, holes in its otherwise magnificent framework showed the silver glitter of stars far overhead. Beneath the curtain, Igros castle glowed with dozens of sparks of flame from warm hearths struggling to fend off the chill of the night's sea breeze. Many miles beyond, enshrouded in thick forest, a telltale wisp of smoke floated skyward, marking the camp of the Igros Mighty Guard.
Between these two, the castle and the camp, lay the threat. It did not approach fast, like the death that awaited those who stumbled over the cliff and into the ocean behind Igros; nor did it come slow like the agonizing death of slow, deliberate poison. It was deliberate doom, moving at its own pace in a world of its own. Silent now, it was the unknown, the most dangerous threat of all.
At the camp of the Igros Mighty Guard, men celebrated around campfires, retelling to one another their brave exploits of the day, as if none remembered the battle. This façade, this joyous face, was their defense, the wall that separated them from their dead allies whom they had buried after the battle.
Kaz Tyrburn could not lose himself like that. Sitting away from the light and the warmth of the fires, he silently mourned the loss of the men he had known so well, the men he had practiced with and grew up with. War brought death and he knew this, but to lose some of his own always hurt. It was duty, his duty, to see to it the Black Sheep Knights were crushed and that no word was sent back to Bethla Garrison. He had succeeded, but he felt a favor was done to them. None would remain to mourn their lost comrades, none would remain in such sorrow as he was in now. Perhaps the defeated were the ones who truly won in the end.
In a matter of moments, the threat was upon Igros. To the knight, it felt as if it had taken hours, yet that was how the Zodiac Stones worked. Distorting time worked on the outside, not on the inside. The castle walls were cold and dead in the moonlight, the fires invisible. With Cancer and Taurus in his hands, He who was once Delita was determined to see the strength of just two of the stones. He would call them, call the powers, to bring about the destruction of this castle.
It started with a growl, then a roar. The stones were illuminated from the inside, their signs glowing with the power that should not be channeled. In the grasp of one who understood the stones, they could, in fact, be channeled, the power that would provide the gateway would provide until destructive potential. First one lance, then another. Then another, and another, and another. Lightning rained down upon Igros from a cloud of magic, ripping and tearing at the stone ramparts. The fires in the hearths leapt, springing out of control. Cries could be heard within the castle walls as humans were burned alive, others struck down by the lightning that rained in golden death.
The sea twisted, rising up like a snake ready to strike, the tidal wave suspended in midair. Then it struck, the unyielding force ripping at, crushing, destroying the west wall of Igros castle.
It was over. The lightning ceased, the fires rampaged on their own accord, and the sea receded. Aside from the crackling of the flames, it was silent. The former Delita stared at the Zodiac Stones in wonder, feeling the first spark of human emotion since that fateful night. This was the power, the true power that all would soon bow to. His test complete, Delita turned and walked away into the night.
*****
Pulse pounding, heart pumping, legs aching. Felicia continued to run this way and that, snaking through trees, leaping over boulders. Something about Delita had chilled her to the bone, she felt she would be having nightmares for the rest of her life. That was, of course, assuming this wasn't a nightmare. Branches slapped at her face and chest, mud fought to pull her to the ground, a root nearly sent her face-first into the ground.
Sweat beaded upon Felicia's forehead despite the cool night air, her limbs burned and ached yet she dared not stop. She didn't even know why she was running any more, Delita was not pursuing her. Perhaps it was that terrible sound, like a hellish storm, only a million times worse. There was no place to run, Gariland was out of the question, as she hadn't even reached the plains. And even then, the plains Mandalia were not a place to sleep.
Finally, tired and aching, Felicia let herself drop beneath a tree. She drew her legs up, hugging her knees, and shivered in silence. So far away from anyone who would help her, lost and alone, she felt horrible. Was that madman really Delita? She didn't want to die, not here, not like this. She had always imagined it would be by her brother's blade, the way they fought so frequently. In a way, she was thankful; she didn't want to fall to him either.
Things had never felt so hopeless before. She had lived as a mercenary in the past, yet never under conditions such as these. Her knights had been slain before her very eyes, the king himself had lost his mind, and she was lost in the woods. The undead probably roamed here at night. Strong and fearless as she was, the undead made Felicia quake in her boots.
A low growl drew Felicia from her thoughts. In front of her was a Cuar. Not just one Cuar, but five, maybe six; she couldn't quite see in the dark. Still shaken, she stood and drew her sword, prepared to go down fighting. The first one leapt, its claws extended. The bulk of the Cuar's body met her shield, knocking her back against the tree. Felicia countered, swinging her blade hard into its side. The beast yowled and leapt back, blood dripping from the gash.
"Stop!" a voice cried and suddenly . . . the Cuars stopped. It looked as if they were frozen in place. Her guard dropped, the tip of her sword touching the ground. Who could have done this? Felicia then noticed a man in a funny green robe with a ridiculous pointed hat standing behind the Cuars. Her first thought was that he might be a wandering jester, but then she realized him for what he truly was: a time mage.
"Th-thank you, friend," Felicia gasped, giving the stranger a relieved smile. He seemed to ripple as he took his first step towards her, appearing maybe three feet away in less than a second. This did not shake her; time mages did things such as that frequently, only never quite as fast. She noticed one thing different about him right away: in his right hand was a katana.
"Friend? You have just met me, how can I be your friend? For all you know, I could turn my magic on you and do as I please with your body. I might have saved you from the Cuars so I could kill you myself. Or perhaps I did save you out of the goodness of my heart. All things are possible, are they not?" The strange man said, his face blank.
"Well, yes, but . . ." Felicia began. She didn't know what to say, what could she say? Her heart started pounding anew, would this man really rape her? She noticed in his left hand was a strange stone, although it did not appear to be a Zodiac Stone.
"But nothing! The truth is, you are needed. Not here, not now, but for time to flow as it is fit, you must live. There is a time for you to die, of course, but that time is certainly not now. You must first obtain three Zodiac Stones and face Lord Hyral. But they will not be in Bethla Garrison, no, that would be too simple. By the time you return, the new ruler will be in power and will have given them to those he favors," the time mage informed Felicia, "But I must go now, my time here is up." And with that, he turned and vanished.
Felicia stood alone, shaken. Who was that? She couldn't determine if he really saw the future or if, more likely, he was merely insane. But he did save her and he did seem more powerful than the average time mage. She sheathed her sword, the Cuars were still frozen. A dim light told Felicia she had been running for most of the night. She would have reached Mandalia by now, she must have been going in the wrong direction. But that didn't matter, she was at the end of the woods and there would have to be someone nearby who would help her.
*****
There was something wrong. Kaz knew not what it was, but could sense something was terribly, terribly wrong. It gnawed at his insides, screamed at him to urge his Chocobo faster, yet at the same time told him it was no use. He tried to ignore the voice, but it would not leave.
It was then that he first noticed it. From here he should be able to see the highest tower of Igros, but he couldn't. It should be sticking up just above the hillside, but it wasn't. He tried to tell him it was nothing, his memory merely wasn't serving him correctly, but he knew deep down that that wasn't it. The hillside was not disturbed, there were no signs of an army moving in from this direction. Few enemies came from the north and any enemy coming from the south would have had to have struggled with the Black Sheep Knights.
Kaz's Chocobo scaled the hillside, stopping at its peak. Kaz almost screamed. Below him, where Igros had once been, there was nothing but rubble. A few fragments of support structure stood like broken ribs amongst the debris, smoke curling up in black wisps from the shattered stone. A few bodies could be seen, some hands protruding from the rubble. It looked as if the very land had grown furious, ripping and tearing at Igros with its brutal strength. Magic could not do this, not even a time mage's Meteor.
The knights behind Kaz had reached the hilltop too now, and were equally stunned by the grotesque sight below them. None spoke, all merely stared at their home, the home they were sworn to protect. They had failed. The Igros Mighty Guard had failed in their duties and it had cost the entirety of Igros castle.
"You missed it," A casual voice said from behind a tree, "One man, holding two stones, just wandered out of the forest and destroyed Igros. It was quite a spectacle." There was no caring in the voice, no compassion. It made Kaz's blood boil.
"Who are you! How dare you say such a thing," the Lune Knight bellowed. He leapt from his Chocobo, dashing around to the other side of the tree. Leaning casually against it, holding a katana in one hand and a stone of some sort in the other, was a time mage. "Tell me, who did this?" Kaz barely managed to growl.
"Why, none other than Delita Hyral," the time mage said, his cold, emotionless eyes staring almost blankly up into Kaz's own. "Lies!" Kaz screamed, grabbing him by the throat. "Delita Hyral is dead, all of Ivalice knows that!" "All of Ivalice thinks that. Even Delita, actually. But he lives and that is why you must slay him. Seek out Felicia; the two of you must gather three of the Zodiac Stones. Oh yes, and you must do this without your knights," the mage stated. "But I can't just leave them! We have no home now, what am I to do, leave them here! We failed Igros, I failed Igros . . ." Kaz's voice trailed off. "This is how time is to flow. And yes, your knights could be a problem. Allow me to take care of it."
The time mage shimmered out of Kaz's grasp, vanishing completely. He appeared only a moment later next to one of the knights, running his katana through the knight's heart. As they took up arms, he vanished again, appearing in front of another knight and slitting his throat, only to vanish again. Kaz watched in horror as they were all felled in this fashion before the time mage appeared once again in front of him, his sword dripping blood.
"Hate me if you like, but this is how time must flow. Remember my words, and goodbye . . . " the time mage said, vanishing into nothingness. Kaz stood in cold shock, gazing brokenly at his fallen comrades. He couldn't yet admit to himself they were dead, didn't want to believe something so horrible. But he saw them fall. He knew that checking their pulses would do no good, but allowed himself still to believe in the fantasy of their life.
As the Chocobos wandered from the gory killing field, it truly dawned on Kaz: they were dead. He sunk to his knees at last, beating the ground, screaming in mournful rage. He vowed to the wind that the mage would fall to his sword, time be damned. None responded to his cry, he was completely and utterly alone.
Gathering himself, Kaz stood. Felicia could wait, this beast was to be tracked down. He turned, putting one boot in front of the other, away from his empty past at Igros. Something new in him brewed, something dark and dangerous. He could not yet grasp it firmly, but he felt death within his veins, mixing with the blood that gave him life.
*****
"Are you absolutely positive?" a nervous Ramza asked his sister. She nodded gravely before responding, "Yes. The time mage, Adam, was one of ours. He possesses the Zodiac Stone Serpentarius. That isn't the worst of it, though. He fully understands the flow of time and can see the fork just ahead, much as I can. He's guiding everyone down one of the paths." "And which path is that?" Ramza already knew the answer. "If he succeeds, the world will end within a year. Oh, brother, we must stop him!" Alma was deathly pale. It pained her just as much to know this as it did to tell Ramza. She knew more than she would tell, she didn't want to scare him so. Adam could find her by following the ghostly, almost demonic residue Saint Ajora had left within her body when she had been his gateway into this world. She had felt Adam probing her mind and had taken far too long to find a way to shut him out.
"We will, Alma, we will. We need to figure out who the most important people he's manipulating are. If we can turn them away from his plot, won't it collapse?" Ramza asked. Alma nodded, "But it won't be that easy. He's set up an elaborate web, even more elaborate than the Shrine Knights. They relied mostly on brute force, he cannot. This is a very clever man we're dealing with. He also knows and understands you, brother."
Ramza nodded. "We'll have to be careful. Is there any way we can make his time magic not affect us?" "Not as long as he has Serpentarius. We should reach out to Kaz, though. If we don't guide him, he's going to become a Dark Knight. You know how that typically corrupts male knights." "Gafgarion . . ." Ramza mumbled, almost a whisper. Gafgarion had been a friend, had taught him much of what he knew. And then he betrayed them, all of them. Ramza remembered vividly the final battle with the mercenary.
He stood atop the gate at Lionel castle. It was dark, yet not cold quiet yet. There was not a cloud in the sky, the stars sparkling with their holy radiance as they did every night. But Ramza hadn't focused on this beauty, hadn't really seen it.
"Wait here. I'll open the gate," he told his allies below him. Adam was in charge below, at the gate. Ramza trusted him the most, he was their tactician and also a good friend. His plans and skills had saved them all more than once.
"Not so fast!" a familiar voice shouted up to Ramza from the shadows. His head jerked, his sword coming free from its hilt. Stepping boldly out of the shadows was Gafgarion. His armor wasn't brown, yet it wasn't quite black either. It was rusted now, traces of a dried blood color speckling it. The Dark Knight continued to talk, "You got in all right, but you didn't notice an ambush." Gafgarion whistled and the rustling of armor could be heard. Within a few short seconds, Ramza's allies on the other side of the gate were surrounded.
"Damn!!" he cursed in frustration. He watched from atop the gate as Gafgarion drew his sword, its rust-colored blade blood red in the moonlight. "Ramza!" he called, "It's me you must fight with! En garde!"
Ramza had leapt down the side of the mountain the castle was built into, knowing for sure that failure to fight would mean death. His friend had betrayed him long ago, there was nothing human left in him. Gafgarion could have just stolen his soul with Knight Sword, yet he did not. This was to be a battle of skill.
Sword clashed on shield, recoiling for the second strike. Ramza blocked, swinging his blade, the tip making a whistling sound in the crisp night air. He was committed to fight this time, to make this man pay for betraying Princess Ovelia, Agrias, and even his own friend Ramza. The Dark Knight's skills were slipping as he aged and Ramza had no trouble blocking his sword.
The duel could not wear on too long, Ramza's troops needed him. He leapt back a pace, focusing his energy into the sword. It radiated a pale light, the aura twisting and bonding with the moonlight. It was not as defined as an Arc or Lune Knight's radiance, nor as bright as a Holy Knight's, nor was it as sickening as a Dark Knight's. But that did not matter, it would accomplish its job.
Ramza leapt forward, sword held high. Gafgarion threw up his shield in defense, which was exactly what Ramza had predicted. On contact, the radiance shot through the shield, sucking itself from the sword in a rapid and violent manner. The shield cracked, light shining from within before it exploded into nothingness. A knight's Break skills were not to be underestimated.
Gafgarion cursed, trying to take another swing at Ramza, yet he was cut short. Ramza's sword found its mark, tearing through Gafgarion's armor and into his chest. The sword came to an abrupt halt as it hit the back of Gafgarion's armor, yet the damage was already done. Ramza pulled the sword free as his mentor turned rival fell to the ground.
"Ugnn . . . is this . . . end?" the fallen Dark Knight gasped in his final few breaths. "Goodbye, Gafgarion . . . ." Ramza whispered, feeling the slightest hint of pain over the death of the man who had once been his close friend. But there were more important things to attend to. Ramza pulled the lever by the gate, which slid open only a few seconds later.
The scene on the other side of the gate was ghastly, the enemy had been completely slaughtered. It appeared the battle had been brutal and Hugo's black magic had made a great difference in the outcome. The only one of Ramza's troops who appeared to be hurt was the knight Alice, who was being tended to by Rad, her lover.
"We must save the princess before reinforcements arrive!" Ramza shouted, motioning for his loyal troops to follow through the gates. And still the stars shone on, the sky in no way reflecting the horrific battles that took place below it.
"You're right, we must help him," Ramza said with a nod. Alma could sense the turmoil in her brother, yet said nothing. It would be better if they dealt with this first, keeping Kaz from corruption could possibly be the most important thing they could do to thwart Adam's plans. And so, much like so many times in the past, the duo vanished in a flash of light.
*****
Felicia's journey was off to a good start. After resting for the night at a Chocobo farm, she was off with a bought Chocobo on the long journey to Bethla Garrison. She didn't exactly want to return to the impregnable fortress, yet it was the only place that would have a listing of where the Zodiac Stones were sent.
Already she was approaching Gariland, in only half a day thanks to the speedy Chocobo. There she would find a place to sleep using whatever money she had left before setting out once more for Dorter. She would have to find a job in Dorter as a mercenary, otherwise she would never have enough money to make it to Bethla Garrison.
The sound of battle alerted Felicia, drawing her from her thoughts. Not far ahead she could see a man and Chocobo surrounded by goblins. The man looked odd, even from this far away, and if her eyesight proved true, he was holding two swords. Felicia urged her Chocobo on faster, drawing her own sword from the sheath at her hip. Whoever this man was, she was going to help him.
The Chocobo charged forward. There was still a good distance before she could join the battle, yet she could see the man completely now. He wore loose pants of a grayish color which ended abruptly just below the knee, where light armor of a darker gray color was tied over brown boots. He wore a tight black shirt which accented his lean physique, the long sleeves trailing off into gray gloves the same color as his pants. He also wore a gray vest with dozens of small knives held by bands along the front. He wore no helm, having short brownish hair. He was young, yet appeared to be a trained warrior: in each of his hands was an expertly crafted katana.
What shocked Felicia more than the man's appearance was his skill. A goblin leapt at him and for a second he moved as if in slow motion before striking with lightning speed, his sword severing the goblin's head in a spray of blood as his other sword was forced through a second goblin's gut. With the sword withdrawn, the beast slumped to the ground.
Riding by, sword held out, Felicia raced past three of the goblins. They turned, startled, but too late as the sword cleaved through all three, leaving two dead and one mortally wounded. As she turned to make a second run at the monsters, she found the stranger had finished them off. He was cleaning his blades on one of the corpses as she approached.
"Hello, stranger. I came to help you, but it looks like you didn't need it," Felicia said with a chuckle. The man looked up at her and smiled. The face seemed slightly familiar, yet she couldn't place it. "It is the thought behind the action that counts the most. My name is Azule, what is yours?" the stranger asked. "I am Felicia, commander of the- well, I'm merely a mercenary now, I have no place to go. Where are you headed?" Felicia asked, hoping he wouldn't question her past. "Gariland. You're going that way, so why don't we complete the voyage together?" Azule asked.
Felicia nodded, stepping down off her Chocobo. The two talked together as they continued down the beaten path, onward into the town so boldly proclaimed Magic City. No more monsters would bother them on these plains, as their trek would soon draw to a close. The sun beat at their backs as the duo continued onwards to Gariland.
The inky black curtain of night draped itself upon the land of Ivalice, holes in its otherwise magnificent framework showed the silver glitter of stars far overhead. Beneath the curtain, Igros castle glowed with dozens of sparks of flame from warm hearths struggling to fend off the chill of the night's sea breeze. Many miles beyond, enshrouded in thick forest, a telltale wisp of smoke floated skyward, marking the camp of the Igros Mighty Guard.
Between these two, the castle and the camp, lay the threat. It did not approach fast, like the death that awaited those who stumbled over the cliff and into the ocean behind Igros; nor did it come slow like the agonizing death of slow, deliberate poison. It was deliberate doom, moving at its own pace in a world of its own. Silent now, it was the unknown, the most dangerous threat of all.
At the camp of the Igros Mighty Guard, men celebrated around campfires, retelling to one another their brave exploits of the day, as if none remembered the battle. This façade, this joyous face, was their defense, the wall that separated them from their dead allies whom they had buried after the battle.
Kaz Tyrburn could not lose himself like that. Sitting away from the light and the warmth of the fires, he silently mourned the loss of the men he had known so well, the men he had practiced with and grew up with. War brought death and he knew this, but to lose some of his own always hurt. It was duty, his duty, to see to it the Black Sheep Knights were crushed and that no word was sent back to Bethla Garrison. He had succeeded, but he felt a favor was done to them. None would remain to mourn their lost comrades, none would remain in such sorrow as he was in now. Perhaps the defeated were the ones who truly won in the end.
In a matter of moments, the threat was upon Igros. To the knight, it felt as if it had taken hours, yet that was how the Zodiac Stones worked. Distorting time worked on the outside, not on the inside. The castle walls were cold and dead in the moonlight, the fires invisible. With Cancer and Taurus in his hands, He who was once Delita was determined to see the strength of just two of the stones. He would call them, call the powers, to bring about the destruction of this castle.
It started with a growl, then a roar. The stones were illuminated from the inside, their signs glowing with the power that should not be channeled. In the grasp of one who understood the stones, they could, in fact, be channeled, the power that would provide the gateway would provide until destructive potential. First one lance, then another. Then another, and another, and another. Lightning rained down upon Igros from a cloud of magic, ripping and tearing at the stone ramparts. The fires in the hearths leapt, springing out of control. Cries could be heard within the castle walls as humans were burned alive, others struck down by the lightning that rained in golden death.
The sea twisted, rising up like a snake ready to strike, the tidal wave suspended in midair. Then it struck, the unyielding force ripping at, crushing, destroying the west wall of Igros castle.
It was over. The lightning ceased, the fires rampaged on their own accord, and the sea receded. Aside from the crackling of the flames, it was silent. The former Delita stared at the Zodiac Stones in wonder, feeling the first spark of human emotion since that fateful night. This was the power, the true power that all would soon bow to. His test complete, Delita turned and walked away into the night.
*****
Pulse pounding, heart pumping, legs aching. Felicia continued to run this way and that, snaking through trees, leaping over boulders. Something about Delita had chilled her to the bone, she felt she would be having nightmares for the rest of her life. That was, of course, assuming this wasn't a nightmare. Branches slapped at her face and chest, mud fought to pull her to the ground, a root nearly sent her face-first into the ground.
Sweat beaded upon Felicia's forehead despite the cool night air, her limbs burned and ached yet she dared not stop. She didn't even know why she was running any more, Delita was not pursuing her. Perhaps it was that terrible sound, like a hellish storm, only a million times worse. There was no place to run, Gariland was out of the question, as she hadn't even reached the plains. And even then, the plains Mandalia were not a place to sleep.
Finally, tired and aching, Felicia let herself drop beneath a tree. She drew her legs up, hugging her knees, and shivered in silence. So far away from anyone who would help her, lost and alone, she felt horrible. Was that madman really Delita? She didn't want to die, not here, not like this. She had always imagined it would be by her brother's blade, the way they fought so frequently. In a way, she was thankful; she didn't want to fall to him either.
Things had never felt so hopeless before. She had lived as a mercenary in the past, yet never under conditions such as these. Her knights had been slain before her very eyes, the king himself had lost his mind, and she was lost in the woods. The undead probably roamed here at night. Strong and fearless as she was, the undead made Felicia quake in her boots.
A low growl drew Felicia from her thoughts. In front of her was a Cuar. Not just one Cuar, but five, maybe six; she couldn't quite see in the dark. Still shaken, she stood and drew her sword, prepared to go down fighting. The first one leapt, its claws extended. The bulk of the Cuar's body met her shield, knocking her back against the tree. Felicia countered, swinging her blade hard into its side. The beast yowled and leapt back, blood dripping from the gash.
"Stop!" a voice cried and suddenly . . . the Cuars stopped. It looked as if they were frozen in place. Her guard dropped, the tip of her sword touching the ground. Who could have done this? Felicia then noticed a man in a funny green robe with a ridiculous pointed hat standing behind the Cuars. Her first thought was that he might be a wandering jester, but then she realized him for what he truly was: a time mage.
"Th-thank you, friend," Felicia gasped, giving the stranger a relieved smile. He seemed to ripple as he took his first step towards her, appearing maybe three feet away in less than a second. This did not shake her; time mages did things such as that frequently, only never quite as fast. She noticed one thing different about him right away: in his right hand was a katana.
"Friend? You have just met me, how can I be your friend? For all you know, I could turn my magic on you and do as I please with your body. I might have saved you from the Cuars so I could kill you myself. Or perhaps I did save you out of the goodness of my heart. All things are possible, are they not?" The strange man said, his face blank.
"Well, yes, but . . ." Felicia began. She didn't know what to say, what could she say? Her heart started pounding anew, would this man really rape her? She noticed in his left hand was a strange stone, although it did not appear to be a Zodiac Stone.
"But nothing! The truth is, you are needed. Not here, not now, but for time to flow as it is fit, you must live. There is a time for you to die, of course, but that time is certainly not now. You must first obtain three Zodiac Stones and face Lord Hyral. But they will not be in Bethla Garrison, no, that would be too simple. By the time you return, the new ruler will be in power and will have given them to those he favors," the time mage informed Felicia, "But I must go now, my time here is up." And with that, he turned and vanished.
Felicia stood alone, shaken. Who was that? She couldn't determine if he really saw the future or if, more likely, he was merely insane. But he did save her and he did seem more powerful than the average time mage. She sheathed her sword, the Cuars were still frozen. A dim light told Felicia she had been running for most of the night. She would have reached Mandalia by now, she must have been going in the wrong direction. But that didn't matter, she was at the end of the woods and there would have to be someone nearby who would help her.
*****
There was something wrong. Kaz knew not what it was, but could sense something was terribly, terribly wrong. It gnawed at his insides, screamed at him to urge his Chocobo faster, yet at the same time told him it was no use. He tried to ignore the voice, but it would not leave.
It was then that he first noticed it. From here he should be able to see the highest tower of Igros, but he couldn't. It should be sticking up just above the hillside, but it wasn't. He tried to tell him it was nothing, his memory merely wasn't serving him correctly, but he knew deep down that that wasn't it. The hillside was not disturbed, there were no signs of an army moving in from this direction. Few enemies came from the north and any enemy coming from the south would have had to have struggled with the Black Sheep Knights.
Kaz's Chocobo scaled the hillside, stopping at its peak. Kaz almost screamed. Below him, where Igros had once been, there was nothing but rubble. A few fragments of support structure stood like broken ribs amongst the debris, smoke curling up in black wisps from the shattered stone. A few bodies could be seen, some hands protruding from the rubble. It looked as if the very land had grown furious, ripping and tearing at Igros with its brutal strength. Magic could not do this, not even a time mage's Meteor.
The knights behind Kaz had reached the hilltop too now, and were equally stunned by the grotesque sight below them. None spoke, all merely stared at their home, the home they were sworn to protect. They had failed. The Igros Mighty Guard had failed in their duties and it had cost the entirety of Igros castle.
"You missed it," A casual voice said from behind a tree, "One man, holding two stones, just wandered out of the forest and destroyed Igros. It was quite a spectacle." There was no caring in the voice, no compassion. It made Kaz's blood boil.
"Who are you! How dare you say such a thing," the Lune Knight bellowed. He leapt from his Chocobo, dashing around to the other side of the tree. Leaning casually against it, holding a katana in one hand and a stone of some sort in the other, was a time mage. "Tell me, who did this?" Kaz barely managed to growl.
"Why, none other than Delita Hyral," the time mage said, his cold, emotionless eyes staring almost blankly up into Kaz's own. "Lies!" Kaz screamed, grabbing him by the throat. "Delita Hyral is dead, all of Ivalice knows that!" "All of Ivalice thinks that. Even Delita, actually. But he lives and that is why you must slay him. Seek out Felicia; the two of you must gather three of the Zodiac Stones. Oh yes, and you must do this without your knights," the mage stated. "But I can't just leave them! We have no home now, what am I to do, leave them here! We failed Igros, I failed Igros . . ." Kaz's voice trailed off. "This is how time is to flow. And yes, your knights could be a problem. Allow me to take care of it."
The time mage shimmered out of Kaz's grasp, vanishing completely. He appeared only a moment later next to one of the knights, running his katana through the knight's heart. As they took up arms, he vanished again, appearing in front of another knight and slitting his throat, only to vanish again. Kaz watched in horror as they were all felled in this fashion before the time mage appeared once again in front of him, his sword dripping blood.
"Hate me if you like, but this is how time must flow. Remember my words, and goodbye . . . " the time mage said, vanishing into nothingness. Kaz stood in cold shock, gazing brokenly at his fallen comrades. He couldn't yet admit to himself they were dead, didn't want to believe something so horrible. But he saw them fall. He knew that checking their pulses would do no good, but allowed himself still to believe in the fantasy of their life.
As the Chocobos wandered from the gory killing field, it truly dawned on Kaz: they were dead. He sunk to his knees at last, beating the ground, screaming in mournful rage. He vowed to the wind that the mage would fall to his sword, time be damned. None responded to his cry, he was completely and utterly alone.
Gathering himself, Kaz stood. Felicia could wait, this beast was to be tracked down. He turned, putting one boot in front of the other, away from his empty past at Igros. Something new in him brewed, something dark and dangerous. He could not yet grasp it firmly, but he felt death within his veins, mixing with the blood that gave him life.
*****
"Are you absolutely positive?" a nervous Ramza asked his sister. She nodded gravely before responding, "Yes. The time mage, Adam, was one of ours. He possesses the Zodiac Stone Serpentarius. That isn't the worst of it, though. He fully understands the flow of time and can see the fork just ahead, much as I can. He's guiding everyone down one of the paths." "And which path is that?" Ramza already knew the answer. "If he succeeds, the world will end within a year. Oh, brother, we must stop him!" Alma was deathly pale. It pained her just as much to know this as it did to tell Ramza. She knew more than she would tell, she didn't want to scare him so. Adam could find her by following the ghostly, almost demonic residue Saint Ajora had left within her body when she had been his gateway into this world. She had felt Adam probing her mind and had taken far too long to find a way to shut him out.
"We will, Alma, we will. We need to figure out who the most important people he's manipulating are. If we can turn them away from his plot, won't it collapse?" Ramza asked. Alma nodded, "But it won't be that easy. He's set up an elaborate web, even more elaborate than the Shrine Knights. They relied mostly on brute force, he cannot. This is a very clever man we're dealing with. He also knows and understands you, brother."
Ramza nodded. "We'll have to be careful. Is there any way we can make his time magic not affect us?" "Not as long as he has Serpentarius. We should reach out to Kaz, though. If we don't guide him, he's going to become a Dark Knight. You know how that typically corrupts male knights." "Gafgarion . . ." Ramza mumbled, almost a whisper. Gafgarion had been a friend, had taught him much of what he knew. And then he betrayed them, all of them. Ramza remembered vividly the final battle with the mercenary.
He stood atop the gate at Lionel castle. It was dark, yet not cold quiet yet. There was not a cloud in the sky, the stars sparkling with their holy radiance as they did every night. But Ramza hadn't focused on this beauty, hadn't really seen it.
"Wait here. I'll open the gate," he told his allies below him. Adam was in charge below, at the gate. Ramza trusted him the most, he was their tactician and also a good friend. His plans and skills had saved them all more than once.
"Not so fast!" a familiar voice shouted up to Ramza from the shadows. His head jerked, his sword coming free from its hilt. Stepping boldly out of the shadows was Gafgarion. His armor wasn't brown, yet it wasn't quite black either. It was rusted now, traces of a dried blood color speckling it. The Dark Knight continued to talk, "You got in all right, but you didn't notice an ambush." Gafgarion whistled and the rustling of armor could be heard. Within a few short seconds, Ramza's allies on the other side of the gate were surrounded.
"Damn!!" he cursed in frustration. He watched from atop the gate as Gafgarion drew his sword, its rust-colored blade blood red in the moonlight. "Ramza!" he called, "It's me you must fight with! En garde!"
Ramza had leapt down the side of the mountain the castle was built into, knowing for sure that failure to fight would mean death. His friend had betrayed him long ago, there was nothing human left in him. Gafgarion could have just stolen his soul with Knight Sword, yet he did not. This was to be a battle of skill.
Sword clashed on shield, recoiling for the second strike. Ramza blocked, swinging his blade, the tip making a whistling sound in the crisp night air. He was committed to fight this time, to make this man pay for betraying Princess Ovelia, Agrias, and even his own friend Ramza. The Dark Knight's skills were slipping as he aged and Ramza had no trouble blocking his sword.
The duel could not wear on too long, Ramza's troops needed him. He leapt back a pace, focusing his energy into the sword. It radiated a pale light, the aura twisting and bonding with the moonlight. It was not as defined as an Arc or Lune Knight's radiance, nor as bright as a Holy Knight's, nor was it as sickening as a Dark Knight's. But that did not matter, it would accomplish its job.
Ramza leapt forward, sword held high. Gafgarion threw up his shield in defense, which was exactly what Ramza had predicted. On contact, the radiance shot through the shield, sucking itself from the sword in a rapid and violent manner. The shield cracked, light shining from within before it exploded into nothingness. A knight's Break skills were not to be underestimated.
Gafgarion cursed, trying to take another swing at Ramza, yet he was cut short. Ramza's sword found its mark, tearing through Gafgarion's armor and into his chest. The sword came to an abrupt halt as it hit the back of Gafgarion's armor, yet the damage was already done. Ramza pulled the sword free as his mentor turned rival fell to the ground.
"Ugnn . . . is this . . . end?" the fallen Dark Knight gasped in his final few breaths. "Goodbye, Gafgarion . . . ." Ramza whispered, feeling the slightest hint of pain over the death of the man who had once been his close friend. But there were more important things to attend to. Ramza pulled the lever by the gate, which slid open only a few seconds later.
The scene on the other side of the gate was ghastly, the enemy had been completely slaughtered. It appeared the battle had been brutal and Hugo's black magic had made a great difference in the outcome. The only one of Ramza's troops who appeared to be hurt was the knight Alice, who was being tended to by Rad, her lover.
"We must save the princess before reinforcements arrive!" Ramza shouted, motioning for his loyal troops to follow through the gates. And still the stars shone on, the sky in no way reflecting the horrific battles that took place below it.
"You're right, we must help him," Ramza said with a nod. Alma could sense the turmoil in her brother, yet said nothing. It would be better if they dealt with this first, keeping Kaz from corruption could possibly be the most important thing they could do to thwart Adam's plans. And so, much like so many times in the past, the duo vanished in a flash of light.
*****
Felicia's journey was off to a good start. After resting for the night at a Chocobo farm, she was off with a bought Chocobo on the long journey to Bethla Garrison. She didn't exactly want to return to the impregnable fortress, yet it was the only place that would have a listing of where the Zodiac Stones were sent.
Already she was approaching Gariland, in only half a day thanks to the speedy Chocobo. There she would find a place to sleep using whatever money she had left before setting out once more for Dorter. She would have to find a job in Dorter as a mercenary, otherwise she would never have enough money to make it to Bethla Garrison.
The sound of battle alerted Felicia, drawing her from her thoughts. Not far ahead she could see a man and Chocobo surrounded by goblins. The man looked odd, even from this far away, and if her eyesight proved true, he was holding two swords. Felicia urged her Chocobo on faster, drawing her own sword from the sheath at her hip. Whoever this man was, she was going to help him.
The Chocobo charged forward. There was still a good distance before she could join the battle, yet she could see the man completely now. He wore loose pants of a grayish color which ended abruptly just below the knee, where light armor of a darker gray color was tied over brown boots. He wore a tight black shirt which accented his lean physique, the long sleeves trailing off into gray gloves the same color as his pants. He also wore a gray vest with dozens of small knives held by bands along the front. He wore no helm, having short brownish hair. He was young, yet appeared to be a trained warrior: in each of his hands was an expertly crafted katana.
What shocked Felicia more than the man's appearance was his skill. A goblin leapt at him and for a second he moved as if in slow motion before striking with lightning speed, his sword severing the goblin's head in a spray of blood as his other sword was forced through a second goblin's gut. With the sword withdrawn, the beast slumped to the ground.
Riding by, sword held out, Felicia raced past three of the goblins. They turned, startled, but too late as the sword cleaved through all three, leaving two dead and one mortally wounded. As she turned to make a second run at the monsters, she found the stranger had finished them off. He was cleaning his blades on one of the corpses as she approached.
"Hello, stranger. I came to help you, but it looks like you didn't need it," Felicia said with a chuckle. The man looked up at her and smiled. The face seemed slightly familiar, yet she couldn't place it. "It is the thought behind the action that counts the most. My name is Azule, what is yours?" the stranger asked. "I am Felicia, commander of the- well, I'm merely a mercenary now, I have no place to go. Where are you headed?" Felicia asked, hoping he wouldn't question her past. "Gariland. You're going that way, so why don't we complete the voyage together?" Azule asked.
Felicia nodded, stepping down off her Chocobo. The two talked together as they continued down the beaten path, onward into the town so boldly proclaimed Magic City. No more monsters would bother them on these plains, as their trek would soon draw to a close. The sun beat at their backs as the duo continued onwards to Gariland.