8: A Blade Through My Heart
Squall arrived at Garden and the first thing he saw was chaos. Injured students laid all over Garden, moaning in pain. Those who weren't so badly hurt helped the ones who were more severely injured. He stopped a pony-tailed girl with a bloody uniform on his way to the Infirmary.
"Where are the other SeeDs?" he asked.
"Most of them are in the Infirmary. They were the ones who got trashed the worst. Especially Cadet Almasy!"
Squall cursed under his breath. "What about Quis—the Sorceress? Where is she?"
The girl's eyes widened. "She—she was heading towards the city! So it was really Instructor Trepe? She's a Sorceress?"
Squall ignored her and dashed towards the parking lot. He hopped into a car and sped towards Balamb City. He prayed that he would arrive on time. He knew who her next target was.
President Soren Almasy.
~@~~@~~@~
Selphie opened one eye and saw white ceiling. She tried to lift her head but it was too heavy. She groaned and looked sideways. Irvine was lying on the bed next to her. Her lips trembled as she saw his bandaged torso. She remembered that he was hit by an ice spear right through there.
"Irvy?" she whispered weakly.
Irvine moaned. His eyes cracked open and rested on Selphie's face. "Sefie…what—"
"NO! let me out of this freaking place! I have to…stop her! Damnit, doc! Open this door!"
Their heads turned simultaneously towards the enraged Zell. He was pounding on the door, screaming insults at Dr. Kadowaki, who was standing on the other side of the door.
"Zell! You are not fully recovered yet! It's dangerous to go now!" Dr. Kadowaki said frantically. If he kept on pounding on the door like that, she was sure that it would break down.
"Dangerous? Dangerous? Who the freaking hell cares if it's dangerous? Quisty needs me! Let me go, now!" roared Zell.
"He's right." Selphie said suddenly. She was standing behind Zell, with Irvine supporting her. "We need to get to Quisty. She needs us. Doctor, I will blow this door up if you still refuse to unlock it." she said calmly, one hand outstretched. The palm of her hand was glowing with a mysterious red light.
Dr. Kadowaki sighed, defeated. She reached inside her white coat and produced a string of keys. Unlocking the door, she quietly said, "Come back unharmed, all of you."
As they ran out, they heard her voice again. "And please bring Quistis back."
~@~~@~~@~
The Sorceress had President Almasy tied on his chair with Quistis' whip. The sharp material was cutting into his flesh and he could feel a burning sensation where it had touched his skin.
Millennia smiled at him. "UnComFortAbLe, Mr. President? it'S a sPeciaL wHip, mY dEar. iT iS mAde oF MarLboRo tEntAcLe. VerY PoiSonOus, I AssUrE yOu."
"Trepe! I will have you hanged if you don't let me go this instant!" Soren Almasy threatened.
"TrePe? qUisTis tRePe? I'm aFraId yoU haVe miStaKen. qUisTis tRePe is gOne! I aM SorCeRess Millennia!" to accentuate her point, she held out a palm and a ball of fire that looked nothing like the ordinary fire spell they used appeared. She smiled, and the fire turned into a block of ice, crashing to the ground like crystal.
Soren Almasy's eyes widened in shock. "S—Sorceress?" he stammered.
Millennia snickered as Soren Almasy visibly shook with fear. She leaned closer, so close that her breath tickled his cheek. "aNd dOn't ExPecT tHe SeeD to cOme aNd ResCue YoU bEcaUse ThEy aRe aLl DeaD!" she whispered.
"No, they're not." A cool voice said. Millennia whipped her head around and saw a black-clad teenager. She grinned.
"AnOthEr SeeD? hOw FooLisH of You To cOme HeRe, oNly to fInD yOur DeAth!"
Squall regarded her torn clothes and blood-stained hair. He gripped Lion Heart tightly, anger filling him.
She's hurt.
"Let…him…go." he said. "Your fight is against SeeD."
"InTeResTing. yOu aRe SquAlL lEonHarT, tHe oNe wHo deFeatEd Ultimecia. buT eVen yOu aRe nO mAtcH foR Me!"
"Squall Leonhart? I thought…you were…dead." Soren Almasy wheezed out. He was losing consciousness.
Squall stared at him coldly. "You did, didn't you?"
"I will…take back…the punishment…if…you…defeat the…Sorceress."
Ignoring him, Squall turned back his attention towards Millennia, who was smirking in amusement. "DefEat Me? HaH! Meteor!"
Stones from the sky rained down on Squall and he gritted his teeth as countless meteor stones cut through him. He casted Curaga on himself. Before he could even heal completely, he was attacked once again by Demi. Then it was Ultima.
He sensed his Limit Break approaching but he refused to use it. He knew that he would hurt Quistis' body if he used Lion Heart.
I have to find a way to defeat her without killing her.
Right.
"PaTheTic. iS tHat aLl yOu cAn dO? cLeaRly, I aM wAsTinG mY tImE oN yOu. diE, SeeD!" she raised a hand but Squall was quicker. He had summoned Shiva.
In a flash, Millennia was assaulted by ice as Shiva blasted her. She clutched her chest and almost lost her balance. Her eyes met Squall's and she began to whimper.
"Squall…" she whispered in Quistis' voice. "How could…you…"
It took every ounce of his self-control not to throw aside his gunblade and rush to her. He shook his head and met her eyes furiously. "No! Don't you even dare!"
"Help me, Squall!" she gasped out. "I…"
"Damnit, you evil witch! Stop using her voice!" Snarled him. He charged towards her and used Renzokuken. He didn't care. He just wanted her to stop…playing with him.
With the speed of lightning, she evaded. "mY deAr…hOw wOuLd yOu LikE tO dIe? FirE? iCe? buRiEd aLivE? I wOuLd gLadLy obLigE."
Squall lifted his gunblade, tip facing the Sorceress. His eyes were clear grey, with contempt burning behind them like sapphire fire. "You can't kill me. You couldn't even finish a low rank cadet like Seifer much less a SeeD like me." He challenged boldly.
Millennia hissed. She flew upwards and stared at him hatefully. "ImPudEnt BeInG! sEe hOw I DesTroY yOu! CoMe tO mE, Eden!"
Eden…? What the—Hyne, Quistis must've had it junctioned to her. He watched helplessly as the mighty GF bore down upon him, ready to attack.
"Shell!" someone yelled just as Eden started attacking. It was useless. No spell worked against a GF.
"Squall!" the same person screamed as he sank to the ground, almost blacking out. It sounded like Selphie. "Full-Cure!"
Warm light filled him and he felt fully revitalized. He turned to see Selphie, Irvine and Zell—all heavily bandaged—running towards him.
"sO, aLl oF yOu fiLtHy SeeD aRe hErE!"
"Let our Quisty go!" Selphie yelled angrily. She whipped out her nunchaku and crouched in a fighting stance. Irvine loaded his gun and Zell was holding himself in a readying position.
"yOuR sTuPidIty AmuSes mE! buT aLas! iT maKes mY jOb eAsIer! Apocalypse!"
Their damage was minimized, thanks to Shell. But it was still severe, considering the fact that Apocalypse was the ultimate spell. By the time it was done, everybody was ready to use their Limit Breaks.
"Don't kill her! Just enough to weaken her!" Squall shouted as everyone used their Limit Breaks.
Angered, Millennia summoned Eden again. She could feel her strength faltering but smiled in satisfaction as she watched two of the SeeDs fell unconscious. They had no time to heal after her last attack and were now weak.
"StaY wItH mE, Eden." She commanded softly and Eden hovered behind her like a shadow of Death itself. Millennia threw her hands heavenwards and the roof of the President's office collapsed, sending showers of concrete raining on the SeeDs.
"ComE tO mE, mY fAitHfuL pEt…anSweR mY cALL, Tiamat!"
The sky seemed to open. Black clouds swirled on top of them and bolts of blue-white lightning flashed threateningly. A distant roar was heard and a moment later, the powerful and legendary dragon emerged from it. It roared again, causing the grounds to shake.
"No." Squall whispered. "That's not possible. Tiamat—is not a GF!"
"fOoLisH SeeD. Tiamat wAs oNcE a poWerFuL GF…bUt hE hAs dEciDeD tO brEaK oUt oF mAn'S cOnTroL. nOw hE OnLy seRvEs mE, tHe oNe wHo hAd sWoRn tO RiD oF aLL tHe fiLthY SeeDs!"
Things weren't looking too good for the SeeDs. What chance have you got against both Eden and Tiamat? Still, they had to try.
Squall stared helplessly at Selphie and Irvine, who had fallen. He glanced at Zell. "Zell, what GF have you got junctioned?"
"Cactuar, Tonberry, Alexander and…Leviathan!"
"Summon Leviathan!" Squall shouted as he summoned Quetzalcoatl. He still had Bahamut but refused to call upon it, afraid that the damage done would be lethal.
The lightning GF and water serpent combined powers and flew up to attack Eden and Tiamat. The world seemed to tremble as the four GFs fought, wrestling with each other, trying to inflict the most damage.
Quetzalcoatl wrapped itself around Eden and attempted to electrocute it. Eden retaliated by unleashing its dark powers. Its grip loosened, Quetzalcoatl crashed down and disappeared. Leviathan coiled itself up and sent a spray of water towards Tiamat.
The impact of the high pressure water sent Tiamat flying backwards. It landed against Eden. Both GFs struggled to untangle themselves.
Seeing the opportunity, Squall summoned Diablos. Letting out a satisfied howl after finally being released, Diablos lifted one hand. He let out another howl and gigantic black bats gathered on the palm of its upraised palm.
A black ball of gravity energy formed and when it got big enough, Diablos hurled it towards both Eden and Tiamat. Eden disappeared. It was now only Tiamat left to battle the two GFs.
It threw back its head and Squall heard it made a sound that was suspiciously like a laugh. Its throat bulged. Leviathan and Diablos readied to attack.
Then Tiamat let loose a massive white ball and with a flash, both Leviathan and Diablos disappeared.
"exCeLLeNt, Tiamat. nOw, deStrOy tHe SeeDs tHaT wE hAtE sO mUcH!"
Tiamat lifted its wings. It wrapped them around itself and charged down with frightening speed. Squall, sensing no other alternatives, summoned Bahamut.
A blinding light, then Bahamut and Tiamat were locked together by their horns. Bahamut let out a steam of breath and opened his mouth. A bright red laser appeared. Tiamat also countered with its own ball of light.
Both energy collided and exploded. The momentum of the explosion sent everything around them flying into nothingness.
The two dragons roared. Bahamut flew higher into the sky and rocketed down with the speed of a falling meteor. Its horn connected with Tiamat's and a loud, sickening crunch was heard. Tiamat howled in pain. It began to retreat but Bahamut spread out its wings into a shape that Squall recognized.
Mega Flare.
Soon enough, Tiamat had faded with the indistinct stench of scorched flesh.
Millennia's self-satisfied smirk was wiped from her face. She stared at the great Bahamut fearfully and her eyes trailed down towards Squall. It filled with abhorrence.
"fiLtHy SeeD!" she spat out and casted Apocalypse on him.
Bahamut suddenly flew in front of its master and the spell hit it instead.
"Bahamut!" Squall exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
In reply, it shook its head and leapt towards Millennia. It was at that exact time that the sky opened up again. But instead of Tiamat, a dozen swords rained down to form a circle around the Sorceress.
Gilgamesh appeared, wrapped in red cloth. It picked up a sword—Excalibur—and swung it towards Millennia.
Millennia screamed as she was attacked by both GFs. She then fell to the ground like a fallen bird. She had barely lifted her head when she felt the cold tip of Squall's gunblade against her neck.
"Get out of her."
She tried one last time to wheedle her way out. "Squall, you wouldn't!" she said in Quistis' voice.
"GET OUT OF HER!"
She knew when to accept defeat. But still, she wanted to fight. Fight until her last breath. "nO. nO! jUsT bEcaUse Ultimecia sTraYed fRoM tHe rIghTfuL SorCerY pAth, yOu wAnT tO wiPe mY kInD oUt of tHe fAcE oF tHe eArTh! SorCeRessEs aRe nOt eViL! SeeDs aRe! wHy cAn yOu nOt LiVe PeaCefUlLy witH uS?"
"What are you talking about?" Zell demanded uneasily. Squall shifted his eyes towards him. He himself was wondering what the Sorceress meant.
Millennia smiled mockingly. "tHe fUtUrE SeeD wIlL eVoLvE! thEir oNlY mIsSiOn…iS tO dEsTrOy aLl SorCerEsseS. mY kInD wAs kIlLed…in cOLd-bLooD…wE nEveR dId anYthIng…wRonG…sTilL hAvE tO pAy…fOr oUr aNceStoR's…sIns…"
"You lie!" Squall hissed. "You'll say anything to save yourself!"
"LiE? nO, wHy wOuLd I LiE nOw? iT iS aLrEaDy uSeLesS…tHiS boDy…iS dYiNg…"
"Shut up. Shut the hell up!" yelled Zell angrily. "We'll get you out! We'll save Quisty!"
Millennia tried to laugh but coughed out blood instead. She lifted her eyes sultrily at the two young men in front of her. "I'm aFraId…tHat's nOt pOsSib—"
She never get to finish her sentence because, at that time, a gunblade had been shoved right through her chest. She paused, staring blankly at Squall and with a last mocking smile, sank lifelessly to the ground.
AN: I've tried SO hard to write the battle scenes and, as usual, had to rewrite it for like a dozen times. Anyway, hope you like this chapter. *MUST remind self not to write battle scenes anymore* ^_^