Chapter XXVII......The Finding
"WHAT!?!?!" Adel roared at the soldiers; her wrath was upon them. Dean, who stood silently in the shadows against a crate, smirked at the soldiers' terrified reactions.
The air suddenly seemed to still as the soldiers, cowering in front of the sorceress, shivered; the air-cooled and she towered over them all. They had just told her of Aurora and Sirus' escape into the ocean.
"DO YOU IMBISILS HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?" she shrieked, her arms flailing angrily, her eyes flashing with lethal anger.
Nobody answered; they were too afraid of what she might do to them if they responded. Adel stared at them all, her breath was quick, and with deep intakes. "Why," she said in a deadly quiet voice, "Aren't any of you answering me?"
Still, not one person stepped forward to answer her - it was enough as it was to have had to tell her that the sorceress and her knight had escaped.
"Fine," she growled, she slowly forward. It was amazing how much a small movement petrified the soldiers. "I will answer that myself." Her icy glare touching each man, "IT MEANS THAT I WILL DIE WITHIN THE DAY!" she hollered.
The soldiers were stunned by this, yet at the same time, did not feel any sorrow for the woman. they loathed her. However, they still shared the bond that held them to her. they couldn't go against her, could they?
One of the commanding soldiers stepped forward, "W.What exactly do you mean?" he looked around at his comrades, "We don't u.understand."
Adel's icy glower turned to him; his eyes widened in fright and he stepped backwards, tripping over a small box. "It means, "she said with vehement coldness, "That I will die because I do not have her to feed from. She was my life force; she kept me alive with her power.
"Now, I have to find the Crystal within this day otherwise I will die. Do you know what will happen to you men if I die?" she narrowed her eyes, "Not only my wrath will be upon your souls, but because my Knight," she gestured back towards Dean, "will still be alive, you will be under his order. His wrath will make you think twice about ever disobeying an order again."
The commanding soldier stood up, "With all do respect, my sorceress, we didn't disobey orders." before he could finish Adel's eyes had flashed with rage and within seconds had him by his neck in a furious rage.
"I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR INSOLENCE!" she broke his neck viciously and threw him over the side of the ship. "Let this be an example to the rest of you." The soldiers nodded numbly, their eyes wide and frightened.
"Now," she continued, her voice in an eerie calm, "We must get this ship to the main land; I must get that Crystal!"
Squall and Rinoa had flown off separately; Squall in the small jet that Rinoa had, and Rinoa in the Roknarag. Squall said he'd head directly to Balamb Garden to see what was going on, while Rinoa wanted to take a quick flight over the continent of Trabia to see if Trabia Garden was all right. (She hadn't been there when the message was sent.)
Rinoa flew over the Grandidi Forest, looking down. She thought of Irvine and Selphie. how they disappeared back in the battle of Esthar. "Are you down there somewhere?" she whispered softly, tears welling in her deep eyes that easily led those so bold as to stare into them into a lost stupor.
Soon enough she was over the vast green forest and was flying over the turquoise ocean, headed towards the great mountain ridges. She took the wheel more steadily in her grasp; flying had always racked her nerves. She flew lower.
As she flew up and over a mountain she saw that there was a wide space, where only a thin layer of snow covered the vast grassland. She also noticed that two people walked side by side. To her, they were hardly but a dot; but to the two people walking towards her, the jet was a ray of hope.
As she got closer she noticed that the smaller person was jumping up and down, as if to signal her. Rinoa made a quick decision to land, even though she couldn't yet figure out the people coming towards her.
The Roknarag settled on the ground evenly and lightly; Rinoa opened the cargo hold and came out. The two people were running towards her, but the ray of sunlight shining in her eyes blocked her vision out. Rinoa found this odd since the sky was darkened by storm clouds. She supposed that they were in the eye of a large storm.
As Rinoa walked from the Roknarag onto the cold snow below her she could just make out a dark and small figure running directly at her, while the other walked quickly. Soon enough the small figure reached Rinoa and hugged her so hard it knocked her over.
"RINOA!!!" a familiar voice said excitedly. Rinoa let her vision adjust and she saw. "Selphie?" she asked incredulously.
"Rinoa," said another voice, "Is that you?"
"Of course it is, silly!" said Selphie.
Rinoa was too shocked to even get the words out. Her and Selphie stood up, looking at each other. Rinoa's eyes were wide and surprised, "Selphie? Irvine?" she asked, dubiously. This time Rinoa knocked over both of them, giving them a huge hug at the same time. They all fell to the ground laughing.
"You guys're alive?" Rinoa said in shock, "I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! This must be a dream!" Her eyes were wide, and her gaping; a smile was arising.
Irvine pinched Rinoa on the leg. She flinched. "Nope! It's not a dream!" he said happily. Rinoa grinned fully now, "Hmm, maybe." she pinched both of them.
"OUCH!" they shouted at the same time.
Rinoa laughed, "Definitely NOT a dream!" she said ecstatically. Her smile faded a little. "What are you guys doing here? What happened to you?" she asked.
They looked at each other and grinned broadly. "Well you see," started Irvine, "It's a long story."
Selphie cut him off, "Too long to tell now," she smiled, "We'll tell later! First lets get back to the Garden!" suddenly she frowned, "We've been so anxious and worried. What happened in the battle? Where's Squall? Where are Aurora and Sirus? Is Adel dead?"
Rinoa's smile faded as well, "That," she said, playing with her shirt sleeve, "Is also a long story, one that we'll speak about when we get back to the Garden. Let's get going!" She stood up, and they followed suit.
"Wow," said Irvine, "I don't think that I've seen this before." He was staring at the Roknarag, "It looks so much like the Ragnarok!"
"Yeah, it's Dr. Odine's." Rinoa said lightly.
"Dr. Odine? Isn't that the sorceress doctor dude?"
"Yeah,"
"Then, why do you have his ship?"
Rinoa was about to launch into explanation about why they had the ship, but decided to leave it for now, saying, "That is part of the story, as well."
"I see."
They walked up into the Roknarag and closed the cargo hold. "Can I fly?" Selphie asked. Rinoa looked at Selphie skeptically, though, her face was set and determined, as though to prove to herself that she wasn't afraid of flying anymore.
"Alright," Rinoa said.
"Tee-hee," Selphie sat in the pilot's seat. "Where to?" she had taken the Roknarag into the air and they were now hovering over the snowy landscape.
"Balamb Garden," said Rinoa, "Squall said it was somewhere on the ocean, near the continent. Head North West."
Selphie looked confused but shrugged and turned the Roknarag. They look off at great speed toward the Garden.
"Ready?" Landers asked.
The Ragnarok hovered directly over Trabia Garden. They had expected a landing, however, the Garden was in panic and riot. it would be too dangerous to actually land inside the Garden perimeter itself. They decided the best way would be to hover and drop in by ropes. If they needed out then they would call on the Ragnarok.
"Ready," Laguna asked, though, it was more of a statement than a question. He glanced at a nervous Kiros beside him. He knew how nervous Kiros would be, since he was probably just as nervous, if not more so.
"Soldiers!" Landers called their attention, "Ready?" they all nodded. "Arm yourselves," the soldiers had a gun in one hand, a rope in another, ready to let it drop and slide, "Drop your ropes." The ropes dropped and the soldiers were ready for the order.
Landers paused, looking at them all. His eyes turned deep and sad, "May the great Hyne be with you." He nodded and the soldiers dropped into the Garden. Landers now looked at Laguna and Kiros, "Let's go." They dropped their ropes and left the Ragnarok.
Laguna felt his feet hit the ground and he had his machine gun up instantly. Landers and Kiros landed beside him. Almost immediately opposing soldiers, Estharian soldiers, swarmed them.
Laguna had to remember that they were no longer 'his' soldiers, but Adel's. He had to remember that hesitation is death.
"Come on," Landers shouted, "We have to fight our way through. We must reach the command center of this Garden where the headmaster is. The soldiers will clear the perimeter and exterminate the opposing soldiers and bar the gates to the Garden."
Landers ran ahead, Laguna and Kiros followed. As they fought their way through Laguna noticed that at times some of the soldiers almost recognized Laguna and were hesitant to fight. As the soldiers stared Laguna in the eye, they instantly dropped dead. Laguna figured this was likely due to a bond that Adel put on them; if they were hesitant of serving her demands, they would die.
Laguna shook his head; these soldiers were doing this unwillingly, they didn't want to fight but they had to protect their lives. These soldiers had families; they had wives, daughters, and friends.
"DON'T KILL THEM!" Laguna yelled at the Galbadian soldiers, "INJURE THEM, TAKE THEM DOWN - BUT DO NOT KILL THEM!"
Sadly, nobody heard him. He kept going regardless, remembering that hesitation would be the death of him.
It seemed to take hours, but realistically, only minutes to find their way to the center of the Garden where they would then call in the Balamb Garden force. As they reached the door a messenger ran to them panting.
"Soldiers." he said, "Everywhere. outside.. Garden.. Too many." he could hardly get the words out.
"Take a deep breath," said Kiros, stepping up to the messenger, "What are you saying."
The messenger, appearing to only be about sixteen, caught his breath. "There are soldiers everywhere! We barred the gates of the Garden, but they're coming through. The postmen at the gates told me to give you the message. there must be about seven thousand."
Landers, Kiros and Laguna were all dumbstruck. They didn't expect so many soldiers. With the Garden and the Galbadian army there were only two thousand troops. They needed more help.
"What's your name?" Landers asked the boy.
"Riley," he said.
"Riley, head back to the gates, tell the soldiers to do anything. absolutely anything.. to keep out those soldiers! Here," he gave Riley a small pouch with a bottle, "It's water, drink it before you go." Riley drank the water and bolted towards the gates.
"We're in trouble." Landers said, turning back to Laguna and Kiros, "We definitely have to come up with a new plan. or else," he ran a finger across his neck, "we're dead."
Chapter XXVIII.......Qustoia
"Come on, closer now!" Dean demanded. The driver of the large vehicle turned towards the great fissure, which was now bezerk, and stopped.
Adel had ordered the entire soldier force to remain hidden by the mountains, in case anyone had found a way to into the great crack in the ground. They were her defense outside of the fissure, however, Adel only had power enough to bring one other through the great crack, and that was Dean.
Dean smacked the driver in the back of the head, 'I said closer!'. The driver edged closer to the cliff, close enough that if they looked directly out the side windows they were able to look directly down.
"Close enough," Adel hissed, we don't need to be this close to perform the spell. We could have walked!"
"But, my sorceress, you are weak! We will have enough walking in the caves, you have only strength enough to perform this spell and retrieve the crystal." Dean argued.
Adel glared icily at Dean, "Are telling me that I'm weak?" she said with vehement anger. Even though she sat, Dean still seemed to cower beneath her rage.
"N.No my sorceress," he simpered, "I.I simply meant that you must save your strength, for once you have the crystal none can stop you!"
Adel's glare did not waver, however, a frightening smirk crossed her face. "Precisely, and you are wrong. I have power enough to defend myself against any possible interferences," she drawled. Her smirk vanished and her already serious face veered at him, "However, there is still one type of magic that can stop me from using the awesome powers of the Crystal."
Dean's face converted to confusion, "But I thought that the crystal provided infinite magic to the one who wields it. it is the source of all magic in this world!"
"Yes," Adel said, her eyes narrowed, "But you must know that for every spell or action in this world, there is one that can prevent it as well. Of course the one who created this crystal did not intend for there to be a possibility of reversal, however, the possibility stands."
"Who made the crystal? Who has the ability to stop it?" Dean asked anxiously.
Adel stared at Dean for a moment, as if considering him. "By now you must have heard myth's of the great Hyne?" Dean nodded as Adel continued, "Well, the myth's are indeed true. to a certain extent, of course. You see, Hyne was always considered a good man. the father of magic. But no. he was pure evil. Much like myself, I'm sure." She added, almost proudly.
"Magic did not exist until Hyne came into existence. and it is still a mystery as to how he wielded magic, but, it is known that he was the first." Adel looked almost thoughtful as she continued, "When I was a child, learning of magic, I learned of Hyne's life in the ancient notes and records. It is said that Hyne, being rejected by society for his gift, or curse as they referred to it, became lonely. and turned to - more sensible practices."
Adel paused. "Hyne had solid belief's that his gift should live on forever. However, it almost seemed impossible for him to wed another to create offspring with the gift of magic because none would take him. Hyne turned to exploring his gift; devising ways to have to gift live on, and after years of doing so, came up with one possible plan. He had come up with a way to make his magic impossible to penetrate, to make it infinite. By using all aspects of his personality and abilities he created an ultimate power. a kind of webbed force that none could break. He figured he could rule the world, and by ruling the world, he'd have someone to pass his gift onto. Yet, there was one piece of the puzzle in which he did lack. Love."
Dean stared, "Love? What does that have to do with anything?" He said in pure disgust.
"Don't you see? By using all of his abilities he created a web of magic, more powerful then we could even fathom, yet, because he lacked the ability to love there is a gap in the web. That gap was his downfall."
Dean remained silent.
"Hyne, at full power with none knowing of his weakness, took kingdom after kingdom under his power. At his peak in power he realized that although he had all the power in the world, he had none to pass it on to, for his rush of having ultimate power blinded him to the fact that he would still die. He eventually decided that being at full power he could then have any women he desired. and provide her with limited magic for them to create offspring that would wield the mix of their magic. He chose Qustoia."
"Qustoia?"
"Qustoia was a princess of the Kingdom he had first taken over. she was very well known for her grace and beauty along with her strength and determination. Hyne took Qustoia under his power and provided her with magic. He did not expect that Qustoia would willingly fall over to him. so he thrust a spell over her, causing her lose all of her memories so he would have virtually full control over what she knew." Adel smirked again, "A smart idea, however, it caused the beginning of his downfall.
"Casting this spell, although erasing what she knew, did not erase her actual past; Qustoia had a husband. Sesoris the Great, he was known as. He was the leader of the Kingdom's army until Hyne took over. Sesoris, angered beyond imagining, went after Hyne, searching everywhere until at last he found him. Sesoris had battled past Hyne's minions until at last, in Hyne's great palace, confronted Hyne with nothing more than a sword. Hyne laughed at Sesoris' sword, knowing that a simple spell could kill him, but no, he wanted to kill Sesoris with his bare hands. Taking a sword in hand, they battled; they battled until Qustoia found them."
Dean could tell that Adel's voice was becoming hoarse as she paused.
"Qustoia had become an evil and ruthless woman, by Hyne's doing, and many feared her. As she saw them battle she smiled, hoping that she would see blood, the blood of Sesoris. Yet, the presence of Sesoris made her feel strange. it reminded her of something. but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The battle continued, and as Qustoia slipped into clear view of Sesoris, he stopped fighting for a moment, but long enough for him to be knocked off his feet and have a blade across his neck. It was then that it all came flooding back to Qustoia. all the memories. the love. It was at that moment that Hyne met his ultimate downfall."
"How could that have happened?" Dean asked, perplexed by the unfolding story.
"The Love. Dean. The Love." Adel's face was sour. "As I said before. it was his downfall. When he provided Qustoia with her magic it did not include the element of love, for he did not have it, but in her past she had loved with all her heart. That love was enveloped in the magic that Hyne provided her with, like a caterpillar in a cocoon, ready to sprout into a butterfly. When Hyne was near murdering Sesoris her love exploded though her mind and heart, bringing back all of her memories. her magic had become a butterfly while Hyne's was still a caterpillar. As this happened, Qustoia used all of her strength to pull Hyne from Sesoris, though, instead of pulling his body away, she pulled his magic away. Hyne collapsed, utterly lost without his magic. Sesoris finished him off."
It seemed impossible for Adel's face to be more disgusted. "Hyne's magic was turned into crystal, not being within his soul. Qustoia and Sesoris hid it away in the great caves and Qustoia used her magic to secure the entrance of the caves. All who were taken under the power of Hyne praised Qustoia and her spell of magic was named after her."
"In some ways I almost respect Qustoia, for she and Sesoris created offspring wielding magic and the chain continued. She is the mother of magic. In most ways, however, I loath that she destroyed the greatest ruler of all time."
"But what does this all have to do with preventing your supreme power, my sorceress?" Dean asked timidly, still mystified by the history of the great Hyne.
"When I retrieve the Crystal, which when added to my power will make me immortal, I will still lack the love required to make the spell complete. That leaves me vulnerable to the power of Qustoia. If the sorceress were to use the power, and have the strength of Qustoia flow through her, it could very well be the end of me. Fortunately, it is quite unlikely. we are so close.
"Once I retrieve the Crystal I plan to rid the world of all magic but my own, leaving me in full power!" Adel cried victoriously.
"How will we get into the caves, if you say she sealed them off?"
"All performed spells, ones not within the soul, eventually fade."
Dean smiled. "And what of the sorceress and knight?"
Adel cold eyes turned towards the great crack. "Do not worry. once I rid them of magic, I will let you do what you like with them. The mother and father as well."
Dean's grin grew wide. "Thank you, my sorceress."
"Now, let us get that Crystal!" Adel boomed.
She closed her eyes, lifted her arms and muttered words in which Dean could not understand. In a flash of red light they were standing in a large circular cave. Dean looked around the cave; it was bigger than anything he'd ever seen.
Icicles hung in random spots, and the air was freezing. The cave, sheathed in ice, must have been the size of Timber alone. They were standing on a ridge that circled that cave and quite a ways from them was a path that led straight into the middle of the cave.
Dean found this strange seeing as how there was nothing holding up the path, it was just the rock with an icy sheet over it. Below the path seemed to be oblivion. He followed the path with his eyes until he saw a circular landing with a trail on the other side. In the middle of the landing, about six feet in mid-air came a faint white light; it was the Crystal. The source of all the ice.
"WHAT!?!?!" Adel roared at the soldiers; her wrath was upon them. Dean, who stood silently in the shadows against a crate, smirked at the soldiers' terrified reactions.
The air suddenly seemed to still as the soldiers, cowering in front of the sorceress, shivered; the air-cooled and she towered over them all. They had just told her of Aurora and Sirus' escape into the ocean.
"DO YOU IMBISILS HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?" she shrieked, her arms flailing angrily, her eyes flashing with lethal anger.
Nobody answered; they were too afraid of what she might do to them if they responded. Adel stared at them all, her breath was quick, and with deep intakes. "Why," she said in a deadly quiet voice, "Aren't any of you answering me?"
Still, not one person stepped forward to answer her - it was enough as it was to have had to tell her that the sorceress and her knight had escaped.
"Fine," she growled, she slowly forward. It was amazing how much a small movement petrified the soldiers. "I will answer that myself." Her icy glare touching each man, "IT MEANS THAT I WILL DIE WITHIN THE DAY!" she hollered.
The soldiers were stunned by this, yet at the same time, did not feel any sorrow for the woman. they loathed her. However, they still shared the bond that held them to her. they couldn't go against her, could they?
One of the commanding soldiers stepped forward, "W.What exactly do you mean?" he looked around at his comrades, "We don't u.understand."
Adel's icy glower turned to him; his eyes widened in fright and he stepped backwards, tripping over a small box. "It means, "she said with vehement coldness, "That I will die because I do not have her to feed from. She was my life force; she kept me alive with her power.
"Now, I have to find the Crystal within this day otherwise I will die. Do you know what will happen to you men if I die?" she narrowed her eyes, "Not only my wrath will be upon your souls, but because my Knight," she gestured back towards Dean, "will still be alive, you will be under his order. His wrath will make you think twice about ever disobeying an order again."
The commanding soldier stood up, "With all do respect, my sorceress, we didn't disobey orders." before he could finish Adel's eyes had flashed with rage and within seconds had him by his neck in a furious rage.
"I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR INSOLENCE!" she broke his neck viciously and threw him over the side of the ship. "Let this be an example to the rest of you." The soldiers nodded numbly, their eyes wide and frightened.
"Now," she continued, her voice in an eerie calm, "We must get this ship to the main land; I must get that Crystal!"
Squall and Rinoa had flown off separately; Squall in the small jet that Rinoa had, and Rinoa in the Roknarag. Squall said he'd head directly to Balamb Garden to see what was going on, while Rinoa wanted to take a quick flight over the continent of Trabia to see if Trabia Garden was all right. (She hadn't been there when the message was sent.)
Rinoa flew over the Grandidi Forest, looking down. She thought of Irvine and Selphie. how they disappeared back in the battle of Esthar. "Are you down there somewhere?" she whispered softly, tears welling in her deep eyes that easily led those so bold as to stare into them into a lost stupor.
Soon enough she was over the vast green forest and was flying over the turquoise ocean, headed towards the great mountain ridges. She took the wheel more steadily in her grasp; flying had always racked her nerves. She flew lower.
As she flew up and over a mountain she saw that there was a wide space, where only a thin layer of snow covered the vast grassland. She also noticed that two people walked side by side. To her, they were hardly but a dot; but to the two people walking towards her, the jet was a ray of hope.
As she got closer she noticed that the smaller person was jumping up and down, as if to signal her. Rinoa made a quick decision to land, even though she couldn't yet figure out the people coming towards her.
The Roknarag settled on the ground evenly and lightly; Rinoa opened the cargo hold and came out. The two people were running towards her, but the ray of sunlight shining in her eyes blocked her vision out. Rinoa found this odd since the sky was darkened by storm clouds. She supposed that they were in the eye of a large storm.
As Rinoa walked from the Roknarag onto the cold snow below her she could just make out a dark and small figure running directly at her, while the other walked quickly. Soon enough the small figure reached Rinoa and hugged her so hard it knocked her over.
"RINOA!!!" a familiar voice said excitedly. Rinoa let her vision adjust and she saw. "Selphie?" she asked incredulously.
"Rinoa," said another voice, "Is that you?"
"Of course it is, silly!" said Selphie.
Rinoa was too shocked to even get the words out. Her and Selphie stood up, looking at each other. Rinoa's eyes were wide and surprised, "Selphie? Irvine?" she asked, dubiously. This time Rinoa knocked over both of them, giving them a huge hug at the same time. They all fell to the ground laughing.
"You guys're alive?" Rinoa said in shock, "I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! This must be a dream!" Her eyes were wide, and her gaping; a smile was arising.
Irvine pinched Rinoa on the leg. She flinched. "Nope! It's not a dream!" he said happily. Rinoa grinned fully now, "Hmm, maybe." she pinched both of them.
"OUCH!" they shouted at the same time.
Rinoa laughed, "Definitely NOT a dream!" she said ecstatically. Her smile faded a little. "What are you guys doing here? What happened to you?" she asked.
They looked at each other and grinned broadly. "Well you see," started Irvine, "It's a long story."
Selphie cut him off, "Too long to tell now," she smiled, "We'll tell later! First lets get back to the Garden!" suddenly she frowned, "We've been so anxious and worried. What happened in the battle? Where's Squall? Where are Aurora and Sirus? Is Adel dead?"
Rinoa's smile faded as well, "That," she said, playing with her shirt sleeve, "Is also a long story, one that we'll speak about when we get back to the Garden. Let's get going!" She stood up, and they followed suit.
"Wow," said Irvine, "I don't think that I've seen this before." He was staring at the Roknarag, "It looks so much like the Ragnarok!"
"Yeah, it's Dr. Odine's." Rinoa said lightly.
"Dr. Odine? Isn't that the sorceress doctor dude?"
"Yeah,"
"Then, why do you have his ship?"
Rinoa was about to launch into explanation about why they had the ship, but decided to leave it for now, saying, "That is part of the story, as well."
"I see."
They walked up into the Roknarag and closed the cargo hold. "Can I fly?" Selphie asked. Rinoa looked at Selphie skeptically, though, her face was set and determined, as though to prove to herself that she wasn't afraid of flying anymore.
"Alright," Rinoa said.
"Tee-hee," Selphie sat in the pilot's seat. "Where to?" she had taken the Roknarag into the air and they were now hovering over the snowy landscape.
"Balamb Garden," said Rinoa, "Squall said it was somewhere on the ocean, near the continent. Head North West."
Selphie looked confused but shrugged and turned the Roknarag. They look off at great speed toward the Garden.
"Ready?" Landers asked.
The Ragnarok hovered directly over Trabia Garden. They had expected a landing, however, the Garden was in panic and riot. it would be too dangerous to actually land inside the Garden perimeter itself. They decided the best way would be to hover and drop in by ropes. If they needed out then they would call on the Ragnarok.
"Ready," Laguna asked, though, it was more of a statement than a question. He glanced at a nervous Kiros beside him. He knew how nervous Kiros would be, since he was probably just as nervous, if not more so.
"Soldiers!" Landers called their attention, "Ready?" they all nodded. "Arm yourselves," the soldiers had a gun in one hand, a rope in another, ready to let it drop and slide, "Drop your ropes." The ropes dropped and the soldiers were ready for the order.
Landers paused, looking at them all. His eyes turned deep and sad, "May the great Hyne be with you." He nodded and the soldiers dropped into the Garden. Landers now looked at Laguna and Kiros, "Let's go." They dropped their ropes and left the Ragnarok.
Laguna felt his feet hit the ground and he had his machine gun up instantly. Landers and Kiros landed beside him. Almost immediately opposing soldiers, Estharian soldiers, swarmed them.
Laguna had to remember that they were no longer 'his' soldiers, but Adel's. He had to remember that hesitation is death.
"Come on," Landers shouted, "We have to fight our way through. We must reach the command center of this Garden where the headmaster is. The soldiers will clear the perimeter and exterminate the opposing soldiers and bar the gates to the Garden."
Landers ran ahead, Laguna and Kiros followed. As they fought their way through Laguna noticed that at times some of the soldiers almost recognized Laguna and were hesitant to fight. As the soldiers stared Laguna in the eye, they instantly dropped dead. Laguna figured this was likely due to a bond that Adel put on them; if they were hesitant of serving her demands, they would die.
Laguna shook his head; these soldiers were doing this unwillingly, they didn't want to fight but they had to protect their lives. These soldiers had families; they had wives, daughters, and friends.
"DON'T KILL THEM!" Laguna yelled at the Galbadian soldiers, "INJURE THEM, TAKE THEM DOWN - BUT DO NOT KILL THEM!"
Sadly, nobody heard him. He kept going regardless, remembering that hesitation would be the death of him.
It seemed to take hours, but realistically, only minutes to find their way to the center of the Garden where they would then call in the Balamb Garden force. As they reached the door a messenger ran to them panting.
"Soldiers." he said, "Everywhere. outside.. Garden.. Too many." he could hardly get the words out.
"Take a deep breath," said Kiros, stepping up to the messenger, "What are you saying."
The messenger, appearing to only be about sixteen, caught his breath. "There are soldiers everywhere! We barred the gates of the Garden, but they're coming through. The postmen at the gates told me to give you the message. there must be about seven thousand."
Landers, Kiros and Laguna were all dumbstruck. They didn't expect so many soldiers. With the Garden and the Galbadian army there were only two thousand troops. They needed more help.
"What's your name?" Landers asked the boy.
"Riley," he said.
"Riley, head back to the gates, tell the soldiers to do anything. absolutely anything.. to keep out those soldiers! Here," he gave Riley a small pouch with a bottle, "It's water, drink it before you go." Riley drank the water and bolted towards the gates.
"We're in trouble." Landers said, turning back to Laguna and Kiros, "We definitely have to come up with a new plan. or else," he ran a finger across his neck, "we're dead."
Chapter XXVIII.......Qustoia
"Come on, closer now!" Dean demanded. The driver of the large vehicle turned towards the great fissure, which was now bezerk, and stopped.
Adel had ordered the entire soldier force to remain hidden by the mountains, in case anyone had found a way to into the great crack in the ground. They were her defense outside of the fissure, however, Adel only had power enough to bring one other through the great crack, and that was Dean.
Dean smacked the driver in the back of the head, 'I said closer!'. The driver edged closer to the cliff, close enough that if they looked directly out the side windows they were able to look directly down.
"Close enough," Adel hissed, we don't need to be this close to perform the spell. We could have walked!"
"But, my sorceress, you are weak! We will have enough walking in the caves, you have only strength enough to perform this spell and retrieve the crystal." Dean argued.
Adel glared icily at Dean, "Are telling me that I'm weak?" she said with vehement anger. Even though she sat, Dean still seemed to cower beneath her rage.
"N.No my sorceress," he simpered, "I.I simply meant that you must save your strength, for once you have the crystal none can stop you!"
Adel's glare did not waver, however, a frightening smirk crossed her face. "Precisely, and you are wrong. I have power enough to defend myself against any possible interferences," she drawled. Her smirk vanished and her already serious face veered at him, "However, there is still one type of magic that can stop me from using the awesome powers of the Crystal."
Dean's face converted to confusion, "But I thought that the crystal provided infinite magic to the one who wields it. it is the source of all magic in this world!"
"Yes," Adel said, her eyes narrowed, "But you must know that for every spell or action in this world, there is one that can prevent it as well. Of course the one who created this crystal did not intend for there to be a possibility of reversal, however, the possibility stands."
"Who made the crystal? Who has the ability to stop it?" Dean asked anxiously.
Adel stared at Dean for a moment, as if considering him. "By now you must have heard myth's of the great Hyne?" Dean nodded as Adel continued, "Well, the myth's are indeed true. to a certain extent, of course. You see, Hyne was always considered a good man. the father of magic. But no. he was pure evil. Much like myself, I'm sure." She added, almost proudly.
"Magic did not exist until Hyne came into existence. and it is still a mystery as to how he wielded magic, but, it is known that he was the first." Adel looked almost thoughtful as she continued, "When I was a child, learning of magic, I learned of Hyne's life in the ancient notes and records. It is said that Hyne, being rejected by society for his gift, or curse as they referred to it, became lonely. and turned to - more sensible practices."
Adel paused. "Hyne had solid belief's that his gift should live on forever. However, it almost seemed impossible for him to wed another to create offspring with the gift of magic because none would take him. Hyne turned to exploring his gift; devising ways to have to gift live on, and after years of doing so, came up with one possible plan. He had come up with a way to make his magic impossible to penetrate, to make it infinite. By using all aspects of his personality and abilities he created an ultimate power. a kind of webbed force that none could break. He figured he could rule the world, and by ruling the world, he'd have someone to pass his gift onto. Yet, there was one piece of the puzzle in which he did lack. Love."
Dean stared, "Love? What does that have to do with anything?" He said in pure disgust.
"Don't you see? By using all of his abilities he created a web of magic, more powerful then we could even fathom, yet, because he lacked the ability to love there is a gap in the web. That gap was his downfall."
Dean remained silent.
"Hyne, at full power with none knowing of his weakness, took kingdom after kingdom under his power. At his peak in power he realized that although he had all the power in the world, he had none to pass it on to, for his rush of having ultimate power blinded him to the fact that he would still die. He eventually decided that being at full power he could then have any women he desired. and provide her with limited magic for them to create offspring that would wield the mix of their magic. He chose Qustoia."
"Qustoia?"
"Qustoia was a princess of the Kingdom he had first taken over. she was very well known for her grace and beauty along with her strength and determination. Hyne took Qustoia under his power and provided her with magic. He did not expect that Qustoia would willingly fall over to him. so he thrust a spell over her, causing her lose all of her memories so he would have virtually full control over what she knew." Adel smirked again, "A smart idea, however, it caused the beginning of his downfall.
"Casting this spell, although erasing what she knew, did not erase her actual past; Qustoia had a husband. Sesoris the Great, he was known as. He was the leader of the Kingdom's army until Hyne took over. Sesoris, angered beyond imagining, went after Hyne, searching everywhere until at last he found him. Sesoris had battled past Hyne's minions until at last, in Hyne's great palace, confronted Hyne with nothing more than a sword. Hyne laughed at Sesoris' sword, knowing that a simple spell could kill him, but no, he wanted to kill Sesoris with his bare hands. Taking a sword in hand, they battled; they battled until Qustoia found them."
Dean could tell that Adel's voice was becoming hoarse as she paused.
"Qustoia had become an evil and ruthless woman, by Hyne's doing, and many feared her. As she saw them battle she smiled, hoping that she would see blood, the blood of Sesoris. Yet, the presence of Sesoris made her feel strange. it reminded her of something. but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The battle continued, and as Qustoia slipped into clear view of Sesoris, he stopped fighting for a moment, but long enough for him to be knocked off his feet and have a blade across his neck. It was then that it all came flooding back to Qustoia. all the memories. the love. It was at that moment that Hyne met his ultimate downfall."
"How could that have happened?" Dean asked, perplexed by the unfolding story.
"The Love. Dean. The Love." Adel's face was sour. "As I said before. it was his downfall. When he provided Qustoia with her magic it did not include the element of love, for he did not have it, but in her past she had loved with all her heart. That love was enveloped in the magic that Hyne provided her with, like a caterpillar in a cocoon, ready to sprout into a butterfly. When Hyne was near murdering Sesoris her love exploded though her mind and heart, bringing back all of her memories. her magic had become a butterfly while Hyne's was still a caterpillar. As this happened, Qustoia used all of her strength to pull Hyne from Sesoris, though, instead of pulling his body away, she pulled his magic away. Hyne collapsed, utterly lost without his magic. Sesoris finished him off."
It seemed impossible for Adel's face to be more disgusted. "Hyne's magic was turned into crystal, not being within his soul. Qustoia and Sesoris hid it away in the great caves and Qustoia used her magic to secure the entrance of the caves. All who were taken under the power of Hyne praised Qustoia and her spell of magic was named after her."
"In some ways I almost respect Qustoia, for she and Sesoris created offspring wielding magic and the chain continued. She is the mother of magic. In most ways, however, I loath that she destroyed the greatest ruler of all time."
"But what does this all have to do with preventing your supreme power, my sorceress?" Dean asked timidly, still mystified by the history of the great Hyne.
"When I retrieve the Crystal, which when added to my power will make me immortal, I will still lack the love required to make the spell complete. That leaves me vulnerable to the power of Qustoia. If the sorceress were to use the power, and have the strength of Qustoia flow through her, it could very well be the end of me. Fortunately, it is quite unlikely. we are so close.
"Once I retrieve the Crystal I plan to rid the world of all magic but my own, leaving me in full power!" Adel cried victoriously.
"How will we get into the caves, if you say she sealed them off?"
"All performed spells, ones not within the soul, eventually fade."
Dean smiled. "And what of the sorceress and knight?"
Adel cold eyes turned towards the great crack. "Do not worry. once I rid them of magic, I will let you do what you like with them. The mother and father as well."
Dean's grin grew wide. "Thank you, my sorceress."
"Now, let us get that Crystal!" Adel boomed.
She closed her eyes, lifted her arms and muttered words in which Dean could not understand. In a flash of red light they were standing in a large circular cave. Dean looked around the cave; it was bigger than anything he'd ever seen.
Icicles hung in random spots, and the air was freezing. The cave, sheathed in ice, must have been the size of Timber alone. They were standing on a ridge that circled that cave and quite a ways from them was a path that led straight into the middle of the cave.
Dean found this strange seeing as how there was nothing holding up the path, it was just the rock with an icy sheet over it. Below the path seemed to be oblivion. He followed the path with his eyes until he saw a circular landing with a trail on the other side. In the middle of the landing, about six feet in mid-air came a faint white light; it was the Crystal. The source of all the ice.
