Starting from here, let's make a promise
You and me, let's just be honest
We're gonna run, nothing can stop us
Even the night that falls all around us
We'll run away, keep everything simple
Night will come down, our guardian angel
We rush ahead, the crossroads are empty
Our spirits rise, they're not gonna get us
Song by Tatu, They're not gonna get us
Quistis P.O.V
We received information from Dean, finally.
It seems the Council has put blindfolds on us all. The amount f Council guards in the station is low enough to allow anyone to walk in and out easily. No wonder I managed to get in so well.
My orders were to help capture ruby dragons. Donas is using them for experiments. I'm still not sure what kind of experiments, but it doesn't seem too good. The information we all received about the Council discovering a piece of the sorceress's hair and investigating was false. So is the information of the knight being captured. He isn't here. They're lying through their teeth. I'll get more information on these experiments and get back to you soon.
We had all been worried on account of this new information. Selphie had suggested that we get someone else in there and almost as quickly as she had said it, she volunteered. Irvine had said he would go with her and I myself wished to accompany them. If Zell and Xu stayed here, we could gather more info and make sure to look out for eachother. It had to work.
Dean agreed with us and sent us info on the Council guard uniforms. Xu and I began to make them. I just hoped that what ever the Council was up to, we could stop them and if our info leaked out, we'd be dead for sure. Zell had wanted to tell his girlfriend, Zina, about it. She worked in the library. She gave us our full support and said to help us out with the uniforms and stay here with Zell and Xu. Zina had become a good friend of ours. Zell and her spent a lot of time together. I considered her as one of the gang.
We couldn't say anything until we got more info from Dean and until the uniforms were ready. Luckily we received a second message from him.
You won't believe the stuff I've found out! The reason why Council guards are being ordered to capture ruby dragons is because they're mutating them with some kind of virus. I don't know what its called yet but I do know that this mutation makes the dragons extremely powerful…and ugly. So far 9 dragons have been captured.
They're building a device called the Collector. It's being built at the sorceress memorial. The collector will bring all the monsters in the area to that one point. Once the monsters have been called there, the Collector sends off a wave full of the toxin that mutates them on the spot. The Collector's almost finished and I doubt that these mutated creatures are gonna be used to help people. I heard they sent some mutated grats off to hunt down the sorceress and knight. I'll get back to you soon.
This news shocked us all. The Council was definitely not what we thought it was. All this time they had been deceiving us. Selphie began to mentally make plans on how to blow The Sorceress Memorial and the Station to smithereens. We worked harder on the uniforms, but we couldn't do a shabby job. Only time would tell.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Squall's P.O.V
We spent all of the next day getting prepared for our journey across the Bryne wasteland and into The Springs. Meryl showed me her weapon. Two medium length blades. They were blue and had spikes on the tips. We both spent time in her place with Lance sharpening. Lance had a long sword. Cleanly cut. I wasn't sure where Seifer was but I knew he'd be somewhere getting his gear ready too.
Rinoa seemed to like spending time with Rayne. They both spent their time getting food ready. Things like little cakes that last for months and water crystals that when melted make 3 liters of water. They packed it all into two small bags that Meryl and I would have to carry at first then swap around. Hopefully the provisions would last us long enough until we got to The Springs.
Preparing took us half the day. For the rest of the day we looked around the village more and watched a Hoop Ball contest that the kids really wanted us to see.
Rinoa and I had both agreed to stay in Crescent Winds for four more days that night. On the fourth day we would leave.
Rinoa's P.O.V
The previous night I didn't dream about Raylin and Logan. In fact I didn't dream at all. It was strange, to fall asleep and expect to see Raylin but not dream at all. I didn't want to tell Squall or anyone about the dreams. I didn't know what would happen. I would probably upset someone, for them to know that Raylin is a Faded Memory. I didn't want anything like that to happen.
It's strange really. When we were all getting prepared for our journey. I felt…scared. I had no idea what would happen if we got to The Springs. We didn't even know if Rayne's mother made it to The Springs. Even if we got there and even if it was protected by her magic, what would we do? Just stay there for as long as we wanted without a care in the world? Just wait there until everyone 'forgets' about us? It just seemed so wrong, so unclear. But then again, everything was unclear.
So many times I seemed to have been the weaker one in the group. Always worrying about what would happen next and who would come out alive. Not once did I ever seem to notice that the unexpected always happened and we always made it out ok. I was so weak back then. I still am.
" Hey are you alive? Or are…back in the 'Rinoa world' again"
I looked up to see Meryl. She was giving me that amused look.
" Oh, sorry I was just thinking about the journey and well…I'm just not sure about some things"
" Like if my mother made it to The Springs and put the spell on? Like what your gonna do once you get there…yeah I've been thinking about too you know. But I'm not worrying, cos' worrying never got anyone anywhere right?"
She let a sad sigh escape her and looked down. She knew exactly what I had been thinking and suddenly I felt guilty…no selfish.
" Don't worry Rin, you know, my mother told me this before she left…never frown cos' you never know who might be falling in love with your smile…I took her advice and I think, that you should too"
I smiled at her, reassuring her. " Thanks Meryl, I think I understand now"
So we stayed there, in Crescent Winds, just four more days. Some of the happiest days of my life.
I knew that I would try to come back here. I owed so much to the people of Crescent Winds.
My journey was going to begin and so were the changes in my life, the ones that would last forever, not just in me, but to the people around me too.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -" We'll miss you all lots and lots and lots and lots, we promise!"
" Make sure you can come back and watch the next big Hoop Ball contest ok?"
" Buh-bye! I'll miss yoo!"
The children said their good-byes to us and left, back to play Hoop Ball or to just go home. Most of them left with tears in their eyes.
" Meryl, Lance don't be too long! Who knows how long it would take for you to both become Faded Memories! Oh please don't go long enough for that to happen!"
" I'll miss you all, be careful"
" Come home soon"
The village people also said goodbye, but Rayne was the last.
" Um…I'm not sure what to say really, just be careful and look out for one another, you'll be fine. Everything will be ok and we can have a big welcome back party and…just don't become Faded Memories Meryl, Lance, I couldn't bear that!"
Meryl and Lance said their goodbye to their sister and we left. They both left knowing that this was their first time leaving Crescent Winds and going into the outside world. I would try to make sure that they got home again… yeah, try.
In the ice cavern we stopped at the arc. The arc that I knew Raylin couldn't pass. Raylin are you there? Are you there watching us…I hope you are. We walked under the arc, but Meryl seemed to hesitate first. It took a while, but once we were out of the ice cavern and standing next to the wall of ice that led back in, Meryl took a deep breath and looked around.
" So…the outside world huh? I'm sure it can't be too exiting right…hmmm"
We gave her time to take in the fact that this was her fist time outside. Lance on the other hand seemed fine. Seifer didn't seem to take notice of anything…or anyone.
" Lance…have you been out here before?"
" Yes, I've been to the valley down below"
"Oh…"
So we walked down the snow path that I had walked up with Seifer and Squall. I hated it still but kept going. Something kept me going. Hope? No…the fact that I was so uncertain of my ventures ahead that I wanted to keep going, to find out. Maybe that was it. I just kept to my own mind and decided to leave everyone else alone. They probably had their own thoughts to trouble them.
I thought it would be a boring trip through the Herms Ranges, but I was wrong.
Walking along behind Squall, I heard a soft, low hissing sound. It was quiet at first but then gradually got louder. The rest of the group must have heard it too because they stopped. I hoped it was just the wind.
I was wrong.
It jumped out hiding. From behind a hill of snow. It leapt on to me. I wasn't sure at the time, but it looked like a grat. Just bigger. Squall was yelling and Lance was trying to pull it off me. The grat flung itself off and ran at Squall. He blocked its tentacles that swiped at him and fell down. I was scared. Running toward the 'grat' which by now I had no idea if it was a grat, I cast a fira spell on it. It screeched and ran at me. I wasn't quick enough. It grabbed me around the waist and through me down at the edge of the path. I was looking down over the cliff. Warm sticky blood was oozing out of me. Meryl jumped on it and thrust her blades into it. It seemed to get angry and threw her off. I guessed that Seifer and Lance both got knocked down.
I didn't know what happened next but I found my self being flung over the edge of the path by some powerful force, the wind completely knocked out of me. I fell down the cliff and hit the edge hard. Like I fell in my first dream with Raylin. I hit rocks that peaked out from the snow and was thrown around like a ragdoll until finally I hit the bottom.
Nothing moved. I lifted my head up from the snow and tried to move. I winced as pain shot up my side, stopping any movement. Coughing, I stained the snow red and dropped my head back down. I turned my head and looked beside me. The dark that was innocuousness consumed my mind until I could feel no more.
Authors Note: Ouch! Anyways…I haven't been getting very many reviews lately (waaaa) and I'm not sure if I should continue this or not. I'll suppose I'll let you decide. Pleeaase review! ANY suggestions are welcome.
