Chapter 28 – Meeting with the Great Lord
"………. And that, was essentially the whole story, at least as far as I understand it."
"That Redrumiel was so despicable! I firmly believe that a world under his rule would be one filled with suffering!"
"You're right, Selphie! Which is why those that remain standing against his goal must unite and join forces… otherwise, he cannot be defeated."
"A question that strikes me, though… was how he had decided upon those he had manipulated… mainly you, Waterlily, this Tanya that you mentioned… and for a short period Quistis as well?"
Celestine lowered her head in silence… for she did not know if she had the courage to admit that they were all dragged into the chaos because of her.
Damien could sense it, for he shared a deep bond with Celestine, and naturally had the ability to guess with somewhat accuracy.
"I have heard from the Lord that Redrumiel might be coveting after Celestine's hidden potential, and that he would become near invincible if he had possession of it. This was just another warped plan by him to lure her into his trap…."
"How can anyone be so ruthless?"
"He can… for he is a bitter one. He hates us humans, he hates the Angels, and most importantly… he hates life. He wants to crush all of it under his foot… for he feels as if this would somehow revenge all that he had gone through…"
They turned their heads on hearing the new voice, but there was no one else in the room.
"That… that sounds like Waterlily!"
"But isn't she dead?"
"But she was here all along! She came in together with me… didn't you guys see her?" Celestine frowned in puzzlement, gesturing to what looked like an empty place beside her.
"No!" Was the unanimous response from them.
"Celestine, only you and Damien can see me… as I do not have the ability to make myself visible to them."
"That's such a pity! Isn't there a way to make you visible?"
Waterlily shook her head.
"It doesn't matter… I just came to see how you guys were doing… I shall leave now…"
"Wait! Why are going? Aren't you going to fight the bad guy with us?" Selphie spoke towards the source of the voice, hoping that it was the position Waterlily was in.
"But… I wouldn't be any help to you… simply a burden that you can't even see… and besides… I nearly killed half of the Estharian citizens… I can't face any of you…"
"That's bulls**t, and you know it! Stay, or I will force you to, even though I cannot see you." Seifer growled, running towards the door to bar the exit… which of course was not effective at all if she had her mind bent on leaving.
"I agree… and if anyone wanted to blame you for what you did under that bastard's control... then I would be even guiltier than you are! Are you trying to insinuate that I shouldn't be here as well?" Celestine grabbed her arm to stop her, while boring her pupils into the other girl's eyes to try and threaten her against leaving.
"You know that's not what I meant!" She protested vehemently against the statement.
"Then what are you so worried about? You have gone through this with me so far; surely you're not thinking of abandoning us now? Won't you stay? Zell, tell her to stay!" Celestine shot a look towards Zell, who had not uttered a single sound ever since she entered the room… which was not normal by any count… but no one knew what had caused his hushing up.
"She's right. Did you not sacrifice your own body so that you could make amends for what he coerced you to do? … although I seriously object to throwing away your life like that… If so, all the more you should go hand in hand with us to go up against him… otherwise it would all have been a meaningless waste of 'effort'…"
That was the final blow to her insistence on leaving… Celestine could be pretty manipulative at times, and she knew which buttons to push… which in Waterlily's case happened to be Zell.
"Alright…" She agreed with a sigh, and was rewarded with cheers and smiles all around.
"Now that we've got the necessary out of the way… let me fill you in about Caraway. I overheard you guys mentioning that he was acting strangely… well, you couldn't be more right. He was intimidated, though not manipulated, by Redrumiel to serve him and lead the various armies of AKU creatures in an all-out attack against other cities not under the wing of Deling administration. As of now, the cities Timber, Dollet, Deling and of course, the Galbadia Garden are being swamped by these creatures. It would be hard for him not to succumb to Redrumiel's threats… for otherwise, not only him, but the citizens of those cities would be attacked as well."
"How did you know so much about their troops and where they were stationed, Celestine?" Irvine asked with immense curiosity… for she sounded as if she knew it like the back of her hand.
"I hate to admit it…. But I was the initial commander of those armies… it was I who directed them towards the cities… it was also I who threatened Caraway by throwing a spear through his housekeeper."
"You mean, Hannah? She's dead?" Rinoa asked in shock… for she had known Hannah ever since she was little, having pestered her for company whenever she was alone in the house as a kid.
"I'm s…sorry… Rinoa…"
"It isn't your fault… Celestine… I'm just a little… shocked, that's all…"
Devastated was more like it….. Celestine thought to herself, seeing the look on Rinoa's face.
"You should not blame your father too much… Rinoa… he did not have a lot of choice when he chose to serve Redrumiel… with the lives of thousands of people at stake with just one word from him…"
"Yeah… I know… but what should we do now?"
Celestine shot a look at Damien, indicating that he should continue it from there.
"We shall have to seek the opinion of a very wise one… the Lord of Angels. If anyone knew of a way to deal with Redrumiel… it would be him. He seems to know Redrumiel well enough, and would probably know any weak points he might possess. So… shall we?"
"Very well… we shall meet outside the entrance of the Ragnarok in 1600 hours, which is in twenty minutes time. Go get ready, freshen up or whatever, just make sure you're there by the stipulated time. Dismissed." With that, Squall strode out of the room with a comforting arm around a very subdued Rinoa.
"I think I'll pack some Pocky tm Strawberry coated sticks along… we might get bored or hungry along the way, you know?" Selphie quipped, and skipped out of the room to get the snack.
"Sefie! We aren't going to a picnic!" Irvine followed after her to try to dissuade her from the none-too-bright idea.
Exchanging glances with each other, the four remaining gooseberries crept quietly away from the room, closing the door without a single sound behind them.
Celestine stared at Zell from across the room. Zell returned the stare, for a moment motionless as he could not do anything else but that.
She suddenly broke into a smile.
"I'm back, Zell." She said with her arms wide open to welcome him into them.
"Welcome back, Baby!" Zell grinned at her, and ran towards her with his arms wide open as well.
They wrapped their arms around each other tightly, savoring the warmth with a teary gratefulness, not wanting to ever let go.
"Do you have any idea I much I missed you? I couldn't sleep, eat, or even breathe properly! All I could ever think of was when you were coming back to me! My heart almost stopped beating when you took that attack from the monster! Never, ever do that to me again!" Zell blabbered on, the constraint on his voice broken from the very minute they embraced.
Celestine simply nodded. She could not speak, a direct contrast from the constant stream of words coming from Zell.
Lord knows how much I have to say to him… but right now I just want to listen… to get the warmth of his touch, the feeling of hearing his voice after so long etched into my skin, my soul, the very core of my body… Oh dearest Hyne… if I were to die now, I will go without regrets…
Time seemed to stand still for them in that little conference room at the basement. The air, the surrounding furniture… all of it did not matter… the only thing that mattered to them was that they had indeed been reunited and the determination that they would not let anything else breaks them apart.
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"We have a problem." Damien told his fellow mates, looking as if he had just announced that the world had come to an end.
"What?"
"There is no way we can land the Ragnarok on the Floating Archipelago… for it is simply too small an island to accommodate an entire space ship!"
"So… we will not land, but simply walk to the Floating Archipelago!"
"Zell Dintch… do you not understand what the word Floating means? How can you walk on thin air, several kilometers above the ground? You will be smashed like a rotten tomato before you can say 'Hyne save my ass!'"
"Hahahaha… yeah Chicken-wuss… is your brain for decorative purposes or what?"
"So sue me… But surely there is another way to get there?"
"Why not we cast 'Float' on them, and wait until the island hovers near enough to the ship, then set foot on it? That's the only way I can think of." Celestine suggested.
"It just might work… no guarantees though… Would you people risk such a method?"
"Well, we can't just stay here without trying. We haven't got time as it is… the deadline Caraway had given us is getting nearer by the minute!"
Ten minutes later------
The group was rewarded for their risk taking, for none of them had been splattered onto the ground.
And standing right before them was the Lord of Angels, whose face was authoritative due to his stature, but still with a twinkle in his eye to welcome his very young visitors.
The SeeDs stared at him in awe, for they had not even heard of the existence of the Almighty Lord before. Even Zell, who had seen him once through a remote connection, could not help comparing how different he had seemed from then.
"Now… if you have satisfied your curiosity by examining the way I look, can we begin our discussion?" The Lord took his place opposite the group, and sat on the grass in a half-lotus position.
Realizing that they were being impolite, they too settled down upon the ground in a similar way, facing the Lord, waiting for him to begin.
He did not speak at first, choosing instead to look at each of them in turn. Under his penetrating gaze, few were able stay calm for long, the majority of them breaking into a sweat and a shiver. Seifer was especially affected, fidgeting uneasily under his intense scrutiny.
"Although all of you are very young… merely kids in my eye, you have experienced much throughout your lives. Most of you know pain like an old friend, but you are able to come in terms with it, which is commendable. Why am I saying this? It is important that you must know how to handle the shadows that lurk inside you, or else when you come face to face with Furhler, I mean, Redrumiel in battle, he will make sure that it is turned to your disadvantage." He paused a little here, to nod approvingly at Quistis, as if to show that he knew about her recent successful fight with her own shadow.
"There will be no place for self-doubt. Your determination to unite and defeat him must be unwavering – that is the only way you can have a chance at getting rid of him. He is a strong nemesis…stronger than Sorceress Ultimecia, stronger than you might be able to imagine. Are you prepared for this?"
"We all are, my Lord. Prior to meeting you, we have decided to give ourselves completely to this mission… a mission that involves the fate of the three dimensions, a mission where failure can never be an option." Damien had been unofficially voted the spokesperson for them when speaking with the Lord… for he was the oldest, and thus most qualified among them to speak on their behalf.
"Very well. We shall begin.
As I understand it, Redrumiel has separated his forces into two: that is, half of them consisted of the Fallen Angels, approximately two hundred of them, currently occupying Angel Land.
The other half consisted of the Underground Army, whom he had released from the AKU, or what was commonly known as the Hell. This group will primarily be the one that attacks your cities, aided by the Galbadian Armies under the command of President Caraway.
Any questions so far?"
"Sir… I know this may sound rather weak of me, especially after you have kindly reminded us to be strong in our fight against them… but is there a way to avoid fighting with the Galbadian Armies?" Rinoa hesitated for a while before asking her question, not knowing how the Lord would react to it.
"You see, my Lord… President Caraway does not willingly serve Redrumiel, but was forced to do so. I should know… for under Redrumiel's manipulation, I was the one who threatened him…"
"There is one way… but it would be hard to enforce it, if not impossible."
"It does not matter, Sir. We will try whatever it takes to prevent the President from doing something he would most certainly regret later…"
"I can only tell you the solution, but not the way to make it happen, for you have to think about a plausible way yourself.
You need to convince this Caraway that serving Redrumiel not only does not guarantee the safety of his citizens from his vicious hands, it will also cause a rift among you. You must relay to him how important it is to combine forces against him.
If he is a man of integrity, it will not take him long to realize which really is the right path… he shall hardly need more convincing.
Someone must show him the way… and there is none other more suitable for this job than his daughter… you… Ms Heartilly-Leonhart."
"Th…thank you, Sir."
"You need not thank me at all. It is the duty of Angels to guide, and being the Lord of Angels, all the more I must point you to the right direction.
Allow me to continue.
Fortunately for us, Redrumiel's initial plans have gone slightly off-track. All three of his initially-appointed Generals have left him, in one way or another. His attention will be shared between both halves of his forces. If we manage to convince President Caraway to our side, he will have more on his plate… his concentration will be spread thin, which in turn will tip the scales more to our favour."
"And how do we spread his concentration even thinner?"
"We need to attack both halves at the same time.
However, I regret to say that our current strength of Angels is too meager to be a verifiable threat against him… I shall need a few of you to assist us in the battle against him. We only need to force our way through to Redrumiel, defeat him, and that will be the end of his attempt at World Domination. Simple, short, concise, but difficult as hell to achieve. Now who is willing to fight alongside the Angels? Of course, you will be supported by Celestine and Damien."
The SeeDs looked at one another, and quickly reached a conclusion.
"Quistis, Zell and myself will be assisting the Angels… cos we are probably more familiar with them than the rest."
"Besides… I need to convince my father to fight alongside us… and I would think that the Balamb Garden needs its Commander to function properly."
"And we feel more comfortable defending our home, where we can see the faces of the people we fight for." Selphie added in a rare mood of soberness.
The Lord nodded approvingly at their choices.
"So… that leaves us with one more… how about you, young Lady?" He gazed keenly at Waterlily.
"But…"
"WL… I thought we have gone through this already! Don't tell me you're going to back out on your word!" Celestine shook a finger at her to display her disapproval at her 'but."
"Alright… I guess I'll go with you then… are you happy now?"
"Ecstatic." Celestine declared with a smirk, earning for herself a round of chortles and giggles from her friends.
"I think that is all I have to say for now. Keep in mind the reason and the person (s) you are fighting for, and half the war is already won. I wish you good luck, young SeeDs.
As for the four of you… Celestine and Damien will bring you to our base as soon as you have made the necessary preparations. But hurry… we do not have much time left……"
The SeeDs nodded at the Lord, bidding him a fond farewell, for this may be the last time they would ever see him again.
Just before leaving, Celestine and Damien each gave the Lord an embrace, and a bow, before joining the SeeDs reluctantly.
They boarded the Ragnarok, embarking on their journey back to Balamb Garden.
From his place on the floating island, Lord Shin watched as the airship became tinier and tinier, as the distance between him and them expanded.
These children… so young, and yet having to take on such a burden…
But we have on choice but to rely on them… for they are the only hope now……
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Two hours and thirty-minutes left. Are you keeping track?
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WL: Thank thee for all those reviews! Yours truly bows before you in utmost appreciation. *bows at 180 degrees*
Quistis88 – Hehehe… couldn't bear to keep her away for too long… thanks for the review.
Punkygal – Quistis was angry at Seifer not because he tried to …umm…. misbehave with her, but because they were seen doing it by Zell. Now, if no one had interrupted them, it would have been an entirely different matter hehehehe.
WL: You see! It's all your fault, Zell! *bonks him on the head*
Z: Owww…. Did you have to do that?
WL: Say you're sorry!
Z: But I did… alright! Stop hitting me! I'm sorry already!
WL: Would you like it if somebody spoilt your intimate moments by barging in suddenly? Take this as an opportunity to change your bad habits!
Z: *Grumble Grumble* Naggy woman….