Since classes were in session, the halls were clear of roaming students.
Any time they chanced upon one, Squall would immediately scold him and tell
him to get back to class. And Cid would laugh. "Just like old times," he
would say, no doubt remembering his own experiences as Headmaster.
But that did not distract them from the conversation regarding Irvine.
"He's going after her," Cid stated softly. "He wants to change the past. Or the future, whichever it is."
Squall knew immediately whom he was talking about. Ultimecia, the sorceress of evil, the unspeakable, the time-twisting magic-user of the future. She had come from the future, twisting time in a sort of compressed state, and attempted to take control of the planet. After a long, grueling battle, Squall and his companions had managed to defeat her and end her menacing plans.
"A girl with great magical powers was born two weeks ago," said Edea. "The powers described match my own."
"Which means the baby girl is most likely Ultimecia," said Squall. "Or will become Ultimecia, sometime in the future. The same Ultimecia who will attempt to dominate the world, and the same Ultimecia who passes her powers on to Edea after her death."
Cid nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. "You know the danger already, don't you, Squall? If Irvine kills Ultimecia before she can begin her plot of world-domination, how would that affect our reality? Ultimecia greatly affected the past, present, and future. She killed many people, started a war, possessed Edea, and even passed her powers to Edea."
"How could her death affect our reality?" asked Rinoa.
"You know that sorceresses must pass on their powers before they die," explained Edea. "If Ultimecia is killed before she passes her powers on to me, her powers will go to somebody else. And she may be just as evil or greedy as Ultimecia."
"And you will lose your sorceress powers," said Squall. "That will mean the war never existed, but it could bring about another all-powerful witch."
"Exactly," said Edea. "I have tried to be fair with my powers, and have never willingly used them for evil. Somebody may receive these powers and use them for evil, for personal gain. I fear to think what could happen if those powers fall into the wrong hands."
Squall nodded, realizing the enormity of the situation. Irvine had to be stopped before he brought about a second war or, even worse, the destruction of the planet.
"I don't understand one thing about all this," said Rinoa. "Ultimecia came from the future. So how is it that she was born just two weeks ago?"
"You're thinking about right now, Rinoa," Edea said gently. "To us, Ultimecia was born in the past. But when we fought Ultimecia, she had come from the future. She was born in the future-at the time we fought her."
"Oh, I see," Rinoa said, a look of contemplation coming over her. "We fought her and destroyed her before she was even born."
"Yes, that's right. Basically."
There was a silence. Squall was thinking about Irvine, how he used to make rash decisions. They were older now, and surely Irvine was more mature-or was he? He was doing only what he thought best in searching out Ultimecia, but still, he must not have been thinking clearly.
"Where is he?"
Cid's eyes averted Squall's gaze. "We don't really know. He was last seen in Galbadia, where his chain of gun shops are located, but as of now. well, he's gone." "And where is Ultimecia?" asked Rinoa.
"We don't know that, either," said Edea. "As far as we've heard, she was born in Fisherman's Horizon, but we've lost contact with the city only two days ago."
"Then we'll start there."
"What do you mean, Squall?" Rinoa asked. "You're going after Ultimecia, too?"
Squall shifted uncomfortably. What he was about to say would be difficult- and difficult to understand.
"We have to save Ultimecia. If we reach her before Irvine."
"We can stop this whole mess. I understand," Rinoa said, nodding.
"Good thinking, Squall," said Cid. "If you have Ultimecia, Irvine will find you."
"Yes, I think so. I had better go alone, though."
"No, of course not!" Rinoa said. "I'm coming with you. Especially if Irvine and Ultimecia are involved."
"I'm afraid we'll have to stay out of this one," Cid said. He then turned to Edea and grinned. "We've had our fair share of adventures for one lifetime."
"All right then."
"When do we leave, Squall?"
He shrugged. He had already missed half the board meeting, and there was probably nothing else going on for the rest of the day.
"Whenever Cid and Edea agree to take charge of Garden for us," he said. Cid and Edea Kramer exchanged equally excited looks.
*** The Ragnarok was a dragon-shaped ship, made for flying and meant for battle. However, it had slowly become Squall and Rinoa's personal transport over the years, and it hardly saw any more action. The SeeD mercenaries had become so powerful under Squall's command that the ship was never really necessary during missions.
They flew low over the ground as forests, lakes, animals flashed by beneath them. Every ten minutes or so they would pass over a city, see cars and people walking along the streets for a moment, and then the scene would vanish, only to be replaced by the natural landscape.
Rinoa laughed, her hands clutching the controls. She loved flying the Ragnarok, although it somewhat unsettled Squall. He wasn't a big fan of flying, but never told anybody, especially since flying allowed them to reach their destination much more quickly.
Rinoa veered the Ragnarok downward, causing a herd of cattle to scatter.
"Don't do anything stupid, Rinoa," Squall said.
"Just relax, darling," she said. "I'm too good at flying this thing to do anything stupid."
Suddenly the ground disappeared from view and the earth was covered in water. They had reached the ocean-in another ten minutes, they would reach Fisherman's Horizon, a city that sat on a very long bridge connecting two continents.
"What do you think we'll find when we get there?" asked Rinoa, steadying out the Ragnarok. Winds were picking up, causing some turbulence.
"Not much of a difference. I doubt the news has leaked out. Fisherman's Horizon will probably be the same old boring place it used to be."
"I'll bet it's alive with rumors. I wonder what people are saying."
"Well, I doubt it's alive with anything. You remember how dull the place always was. In a way, I kind of liked it."
"Of course you would. But it has to be different now. It's been so long. I'm. a little worried."
"Why?"
"Well, just because of all that's going on. It's bad news."
Squall looked directly at her. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. And Irvine will be fine, once we find him."
She smiled and her eyes met his. "You're right."
The bridge came into view, and Rinoa steered the ship to fly alongside it. Something about it looked different, though. It seemed as though there were scorch marks all over it, turning the pavement black in some areas. Squall squinted-the sun was directly in front of him-and saw a toll station blackened and charred. Looked like a fire had swept across the bridge. But the more he looked at it, the more it looked like there had been an attack. Why had Cid and Edea lost contact with the city two days ago? Squall's stomach turned.
"What are you looking at?" asked Rinoa.
Squall shook his head. "Nothing. Just the ocean."
What had happened here? The answer sat in the back of Squall's mind, but he dared not think about it. If that had happened, then they were in trouble.
Rinoa gasped. Squall looked through the front window, and immediately stood up, his eyes wide.
"Oh, no," he said.
There was hardly anything left of Fisherman's Horizon. What was left had been burnt and horribly mangled. There were little piles of what seemed to be sticks lying around houses. He grimaced, realizing those weren't sticks- they were bones and skeletal remains.
"Sh-should we land?" Rinoa stammered, attempting to keep the fear from rising in her voice.
"Yes," he said, although he was extremely worried. He had an idea of what came through here, but wasn't about to say anything to Rinoa that would make her even more anxious.
She brought the Ragnarok down on the bridge itself, which was wide enough to carry three Ragnarok's side by side, if needed. They stepped down the unloading ramp as the Ragnarok powered down. A single car, its headlights still lit, sat only meters ahead of the Ragnarok.
There were hardly any buildings standing. Single walls crumbled where houses once stood. They could see the mayor's house, a small, two-story building, in the middle of the city, but it had since collapsed on itself. Rinoa moaned.
Squall felt anger welling up inside of him, but his trim features didn't show it. He was enraged, but managed to remain calm. "Let's search for survivors," he said. Rinoa nodded, and together they walked into Fisherman's Horizon.
He did his best not to look at the crumpled human remains strewn about every where, but his eyes seemed to be glued to the carnage. It made him sick, but still he pressed on. The worst thing about it was the smell-the stench of death and decay lingered in the torn city.
Rinoa crumpled her nose, fighting to keep her stomach from heaving. "Squall."
Squall reached out his hand and grasped Rinoa's. "Come on, you're doing fine."
She was coughing now. The smell was coating their throats, a kind of poison that slid down into their gut, causing them to gag. Rinoa's free hand covered her nose and mouth as they walked through the strewn city.
"What happened?" Rinoa said through her fingers.
Squall felt sick, and not only because of the smell. Something was odd, out of place. They were in danger. His instincts screamed at him to run, to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
"Damn," he said aloud. "I feel like an idiot. I left my gunblade in the Ragnarok."
Rinoa gave him a concerned look-leaving his gunblade was extremely uncharacteristic. Squall practically felt naked without the sword. Neither he nor Rinoa carried any weapons, which made them feel even more unsafe.
Finally they reached the mayor's mansion. Squall was unsure how it had become their destination, but they had headed toward it ever since they stepped off the Ragnarok. Together they stepped inside the charred, crumbling remains. There was a hole in the ceiling and the roof was missing, so sunlight poured in like a waterfall.
And the smell was gone. Squall breathed in deeply, feeling the pure air fill his lungs. He sighed in relief and heard Rinoa do the same.
Although it was wonderful to have clean air, the sudden disappearance of the unpleasant odor made him uneasy. It was another item added to his list of growing anxiety.
The room was battered. A spiral staircase, once leading up into the second floor, was lying in pieces on the ground all around them. Desks, photos, lamps, and furniture were overturned, broken, or shattered into millions of fragments. Squall stepped deeper into the room, broken glass crunching beneath his boots.
"Careful," Rinoa said. "This house could fall in on itself any second."
Squall muttered words in a strange language, then felt the magic course around his body. He turned to Rinoa.
"I just cast a protection spell," he said. "You should do the same."
She nodded, then closed her eyes and began saying the exact same words Squall had only moments ago. The protection spells wouldn't do much good if the house caved in, but could deter any falling debris or strange attacks. Which Squall was somewhat anticipating.
A chill ran down his spine. "Maybe you should stay back, Rinoa."
Rinoa stepped forward. "Why?"
"It's not safe."
It was more than just unsafe-it was downright creepy. The whole town, burnt and mangled, was enough to give him nightmares, but inside the mayor's house he felt an endless sense of dread.
"What was that?" Rinoa asked suddenly.
"What? I didn't hear anything," Squall said.
"Somebody groaned."
They stood perfectly still for a moment, waiting, listening. Sure enough, somebody on the second floor was moaning in pain.
"Wait right there!" Rinoa called out. "We're coming to get you!"
Squall pulled Rinoa close to him. "Hold on, Rinoa! We don't know who is up there, or if they're really injured. It could be some sort of trap, or it could be-"
"Squall, are you kidding me?" Rinoa said. "We need to help them!"
"And how do you plan to get up there? The stairs are gone." He motioned to the pieces lying around them.
Rinoa walked over to a fallen desk, lifted it, and pushed it underneath the gaping hole where sunlight filtered in. She then climbed on top, reached up and grabbed the edge of the hole, and lifted herself onto the second floor.
"Whatever," Squall said, shaking his head and following her.
The upper room was not in good shape at all. The first floor seemed quite pleasant in comparison. Everything was overturned, lying on the floor, shattered. Unlike below, nothing in this room was still intact. Squall looked up and saw the sun shining brightly, his eyes squinting for protection from the intense light. Rinoa was pillaging the entire room, searching for the person who had groaned.
She found him beneath the cracked bed. Squall rushed over to help lift the mass of wood off the man, and realized that it was the mayor of Fisherman's Horizon. Rinoa gasped when she saw the large chunk of wood shoved brutally into the mayor's gut. And the blood. It was amazing the mayor was still alive. His eyes opened, looking up at them pleadingly.
"Squall."
"I'm here," said Squall, not sure what else to say. This man was about to die-he wasn't going to fill him with false hope.
"Everybody. died. my city." The mayor struggled with every word, and Squall feared that any of them may be his last.
"Who did it?" Squall asked quietly, soothingly. But he needed an answer, so there was a trace of edginess in his voice.
The mayor struggled for air. When he gasped, the breath came out raspy and gurgled from blood.
"Who?" asked Squall.
"Protect."
"Protect who?" Squall insisted.
Rinoa crouched down next to the dying man. "Squall. easy." She grasped the wood protruding from the mayor's stomach.
"Don't pull that, Rinoa," he said softly, just above a whisper. "It's the only thing holding him together right now."
Rinoa grimaced and nodded, a tear running down her cheek. They had both known this man. Fifteen years ago, Fisherman's Horizon had been overrun by Galbadian Soldiers. Squall, Rinoa, and their companions were the only ones who helped liberate the city.
The mayor convulsed violently for a moment, his eyes wide in shock, blood trickling from his mouth. With a final sigh, his body went limp and he died.
Rinoa sniffed and stood up, looking at the body. Squall came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "There was nothing we could do," he said.
"I know. but." Rinoa choked out. "Squall, what happened here?"
Squall just shook his head. "Let's go back."
They made their way out of the house and walked steadily toward the Ragnarok. The putrid smell was still in the air, but the recent death of the mayor allowed them to block it from their minds. Together they shuffled over the rubble, kicking aside loose stones and heading for the Ragnarok. They could see it clearly now, sitting on the bridge, waiting for their return. Rinoa wasn't sure, but it seemed as though the boarding ramp was no longer down.
The engines roared to life. Squall and Rinoa stopped dead in their tracks. A figure was sitting in the cockpit, handling the controls with precision. The Ragnarok slowly lifted off the ground.
"Irvine." Rinoa could see his cowboy hat and long ponytail. He was still wearing that same old gray trench coat, his arms covered thanks to its long sleeves. It was a rugged old western outfit, and Irvine had all the makings of a cowboy. Especially with the double-barreled shotgun he usually carried with him.
Squall sprinted for the Ragnarok, and Rinoa followed close behind. He leaped for the closest available object on the ship, which happened to be one of the landing struts. It flew upward and Squall landed face down on the ground, his objective barely out of his reach.
Rinoa was at his side instantly. The Ragnarok lifted higher into the sky as Squall slowly stood up and brushed himself off. He watched as their ship flew east over the bridge.
Squall shook his head. "We can't stop him now."
Rinoa turned and saw the car. It was the same kind of old blue model her father had once owned-she could drive it. She tugged at Squall's shoulder and said, "Do you think it works?"
"Do I think what-" Squall started to say, then stopped when he saw the car, its headlights still shining. "Oh."
"Come on!" Rinoa said, making a dash for the car. She hopped in the driver's seat and Squall climbed in the passenger's side.
Luckily, it had fuel. And lots of it. The needle on the fuel meter was almost to the "F", indicating a near-full tank. Rinoa shifted into gear and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. Squall rolled down his window and poked his head outside, looking up and searching for the Ragnarok.
"There it is!" he said, pointing straight ahead. Irvine was following the bridge toward the continent of Esthar.
Suddenly there was a slight tremor within the vehicle. Squall, his head still out the window, stopped looking at the sky and looked at the ground instead. Numerous cracks were appearing on the pavement, reaching outward like a sort of spiderweb.
"What is that?" Rinoa shouted over the roar of the car as she jammed the gearshift up.
"I don't know!" Squall shouted back. In truth, he had a very good idea what it was, but decided not to say anything until he knew for sure. "Go faster!"
Rinoa downshifted, plunging more torque into the transmission and causing the car to lurch forward and accelerate rapidly. Squall would have been thrown from the vehicle had he not been clutching the sides of the window.
His insides were squirming. It was here-he knew it. And Rinoa might have known it, too, but the look on her eyes told Squall she knew nothing.
Quickly he looked behind them. Nothing, except for the bridge, which was shattering like a pane of glass. Ahead and above them, the Ragnarok flew steadily, with no change in its course. Squall muttered a curse as the car picked up to two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.
He lowered his head back into the car, wanting to tell Rinoa to keep it steady, but she knew what she was doing, and saying anything like that would only distract her.
Finally, the bridge ended and they were on solid ground. The crumpled remains of Fisherman's Horizon was only a speck in the distance, and at a fleeting glance it could be mistaken for the ruins of an ancient city.
Squall breathed a sigh of relief. He could still see the Ragnarok above them, heading straight toward Esthar. There was no possible way Irvine didn't see them, so that meant only one thing. He meant for them to follow him.
Ultimecia awaited in Esthar.
But that did not distract them from the conversation regarding Irvine.
"He's going after her," Cid stated softly. "He wants to change the past. Or the future, whichever it is."
Squall knew immediately whom he was talking about. Ultimecia, the sorceress of evil, the unspeakable, the time-twisting magic-user of the future. She had come from the future, twisting time in a sort of compressed state, and attempted to take control of the planet. After a long, grueling battle, Squall and his companions had managed to defeat her and end her menacing plans.
"A girl with great magical powers was born two weeks ago," said Edea. "The powers described match my own."
"Which means the baby girl is most likely Ultimecia," said Squall. "Or will become Ultimecia, sometime in the future. The same Ultimecia who will attempt to dominate the world, and the same Ultimecia who passes her powers on to Edea after her death."
Cid nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. "You know the danger already, don't you, Squall? If Irvine kills Ultimecia before she can begin her plot of world-domination, how would that affect our reality? Ultimecia greatly affected the past, present, and future. She killed many people, started a war, possessed Edea, and even passed her powers to Edea."
"How could her death affect our reality?" asked Rinoa.
"You know that sorceresses must pass on their powers before they die," explained Edea. "If Ultimecia is killed before she passes her powers on to me, her powers will go to somebody else. And she may be just as evil or greedy as Ultimecia."
"And you will lose your sorceress powers," said Squall. "That will mean the war never existed, but it could bring about another all-powerful witch."
"Exactly," said Edea. "I have tried to be fair with my powers, and have never willingly used them for evil. Somebody may receive these powers and use them for evil, for personal gain. I fear to think what could happen if those powers fall into the wrong hands."
Squall nodded, realizing the enormity of the situation. Irvine had to be stopped before he brought about a second war or, even worse, the destruction of the planet.
"I don't understand one thing about all this," said Rinoa. "Ultimecia came from the future. So how is it that she was born just two weeks ago?"
"You're thinking about right now, Rinoa," Edea said gently. "To us, Ultimecia was born in the past. But when we fought Ultimecia, she had come from the future. She was born in the future-at the time we fought her."
"Oh, I see," Rinoa said, a look of contemplation coming over her. "We fought her and destroyed her before she was even born."
"Yes, that's right. Basically."
There was a silence. Squall was thinking about Irvine, how he used to make rash decisions. They were older now, and surely Irvine was more mature-or was he? He was doing only what he thought best in searching out Ultimecia, but still, he must not have been thinking clearly.
"Where is he?"
Cid's eyes averted Squall's gaze. "We don't really know. He was last seen in Galbadia, where his chain of gun shops are located, but as of now. well, he's gone." "And where is Ultimecia?" asked Rinoa.
"We don't know that, either," said Edea. "As far as we've heard, she was born in Fisherman's Horizon, but we've lost contact with the city only two days ago."
"Then we'll start there."
"What do you mean, Squall?" Rinoa asked. "You're going after Ultimecia, too?"
Squall shifted uncomfortably. What he was about to say would be difficult- and difficult to understand.
"We have to save Ultimecia. If we reach her before Irvine."
"We can stop this whole mess. I understand," Rinoa said, nodding.
"Good thinking, Squall," said Cid. "If you have Ultimecia, Irvine will find you."
"Yes, I think so. I had better go alone, though."
"No, of course not!" Rinoa said. "I'm coming with you. Especially if Irvine and Ultimecia are involved."
"I'm afraid we'll have to stay out of this one," Cid said. He then turned to Edea and grinned. "We've had our fair share of adventures for one lifetime."
"All right then."
"When do we leave, Squall?"
He shrugged. He had already missed half the board meeting, and there was probably nothing else going on for the rest of the day.
"Whenever Cid and Edea agree to take charge of Garden for us," he said. Cid and Edea Kramer exchanged equally excited looks.
*** The Ragnarok was a dragon-shaped ship, made for flying and meant for battle. However, it had slowly become Squall and Rinoa's personal transport over the years, and it hardly saw any more action. The SeeD mercenaries had become so powerful under Squall's command that the ship was never really necessary during missions.
They flew low over the ground as forests, lakes, animals flashed by beneath them. Every ten minutes or so they would pass over a city, see cars and people walking along the streets for a moment, and then the scene would vanish, only to be replaced by the natural landscape.
Rinoa laughed, her hands clutching the controls. She loved flying the Ragnarok, although it somewhat unsettled Squall. He wasn't a big fan of flying, but never told anybody, especially since flying allowed them to reach their destination much more quickly.
Rinoa veered the Ragnarok downward, causing a herd of cattle to scatter.
"Don't do anything stupid, Rinoa," Squall said.
"Just relax, darling," she said. "I'm too good at flying this thing to do anything stupid."
Suddenly the ground disappeared from view and the earth was covered in water. They had reached the ocean-in another ten minutes, they would reach Fisherman's Horizon, a city that sat on a very long bridge connecting two continents.
"What do you think we'll find when we get there?" asked Rinoa, steadying out the Ragnarok. Winds were picking up, causing some turbulence.
"Not much of a difference. I doubt the news has leaked out. Fisherman's Horizon will probably be the same old boring place it used to be."
"I'll bet it's alive with rumors. I wonder what people are saying."
"Well, I doubt it's alive with anything. You remember how dull the place always was. In a way, I kind of liked it."
"Of course you would. But it has to be different now. It's been so long. I'm. a little worried."
"Why?"
"Well, just because of all that's going on. It's bad news."
Squall looked directly at her. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. And Irvine will be fine, once we find him."
She smiled and her eyes met his. "You're right."
The bridge came into view, and Rinoa steered the ship to fly alongside it. Something about it looked different, though. It seemed as though there were scorch marks all over it, turning the pavement black in some areas. Squall squinted-the sun was directly in front of him-and saw a toll station blackened and charred. Looked like a fire had swept across the bridge. But the more he looked at it, the more it looked like there had been an attack. Why had Cid and Edea lost contact with the city two days ago? Squall's stomach turned.
"What are you looking at?" asked Rinoa.
Squall shook his head. "Nothing. Just the ocean."
What had happened here? The answer sat in the back of Squall's mind, but he dared not think about it. If that had happened, then they were in trouble.
Rinoa gasped. Squall looked through the front window, and immediately stood up, his eyes wide.
"Oh, no," he said.
There was hardly anything left of Fisherman's Horizon. What was left had been burnt and horribly mangled. There were little piles of what seemed to be sticks lying around houses. He grimaced, realizing those weren't sticks- they were bones and skeletal remains.
"Sh-should we land?" Rinoa stammered, attempting to keep the fear from rising in her voice.
"Yes," he said, although he was extremely worried. He had an idea of what came through here, but wasn't about to say anything to Rinoa that would make her even more anxious.
She brought the Ragnarok down on the bridge itself, which was wide enough to carry three Ragnarok's side by side, if needed. They stepped down the unloading ramp as the Ragnarok powered down. A single car, its headlights still lit, sat only meters ahead of the Ragnarok.
There were hardly any buildings standing. Single walls crumbled where houses once stood. They could see the mayor's house, a small, two-story building, in the middle of the city, but it had since collapsed on itself. Rinoa moaned.
Squall felt anger welling up inside of him, but his trim features didn't show it. He was enraged, but managed to remain calm. "Let's search for survivors," he said. Rinoa nodded, and together they walked into Fisherman's Horizon.
He did his best not to look at the crumpled human remains strewn about every where, but his eyes seemed to be glued to the carnage. It made him sick, but still he pressed on. The worst thing about it was the smell-the stench of death and decay lingered in the torn city.
Rinoa crumpled her nose, fighting to keep her stomach from heaving. "Squall."
Squall reached out his hand and grasped Rinoa's. "Come on, you're doing fine."
She was coughing now. The smell was coating their throats, a kind of poison that slid down into their gut, causing them to gag. Rinoa's free hand covered her nose and mouth as they walked through the strewn city.
"What happened?" Rinoa said through her fingers.
Squall felt sick, and not only because of the smell. Something was odd, out of place. They were in danger. His instincts screamed at him to run, to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
"Damn," he said aloud. "I feel like an idiot. I left my gunblade in the Ragnarok."
Rinoa gave him a concerned look-leaving his gunblade was extremely uncharacteristic. Squall practically felt naked without the sword. Neither he nor Rinoa carried any weapons, which made them feel even more unsafe.
Finally they reached the mayor's mansion. Squall was unsure how it had become their destination, but they had headed toward it ever since they stepped off the Ragnarok. Together they stepped inside the charred, crumbling remains. There was a hole in the ceiling and the roof was missing, so sunlight poured in like a waterfall.
And the smell was gone. Squall breathed in deeply, feeling the pure air fill his lungs. He sighed in relief and heard Rinoa do the same.
Although it was wonderful to have clean air, the sudden disappearance of the unpleasant odor made him uneasy. It was another item added to his list of growing anxiety.
The room was battered. A spiral staircase, once leading up into the second floor, was lying in pieces on the ground all around them. Desks, photos, lamps, and furniture were overturned, broken, or shattered into millions of fragments. Squall stepped deeper into the room, broken glass crunching beneath his boots.
"Careful," Rinoa said. "This house could fall in on itself any second."
Squall muttered words in a strange language, then felt the magic course around his body. He turned to Rinoa.
"I just cast a protection spell," he said. "You should do the same."
She nodded, then closed her eyes and began saying the exact same words Squall had only moments ago. The protection spells wouldn't do much good if the house caved in, but could deter any falling debris or strange attacks. Which Squall was somewhat anticipating.
A chill ran down his spine. "Maybe you should stay back, Rinoa."
Rinoa stepped forward. "Why?"
"It's not safe."
It was more than just unsafe-it was downright creepy. The whole town, burnt and mangled, was enough to give him nightmares, but inside the mayor's house he felt an endless sense of dread.
"What was that?" Rinoa asked suddenly.
"What? I didn't hear anything," Squall said.
"Somebody groaned."
They stood perfectly still for a moment, waiting, listening. Sure enough, somebody on the second floor was moaning in pain.
"Wait right there!" Rinoa called out. "We're coming to get you!"
Squall pulled Rinoa close to him. "Hold on, Rinoa! We don't know who is up there, or if they're really injured. It could be some sort of trap, or it could be-"
"Squall, are you kidding me?" Rinoa said. "We need to help them!"
"And how do you plan to get up there? The stairs are gone." He motioned to the pieces lying around them.
Rinoa walked over to a fallen desk, lifted it, and pushed it underneath the gaping hole where sunlight filtered in. She then climbed on top, reached up and grabbed the edge of the hole, and lifted herself onto the second floor.
"Whatever," Squall said, shaking his head and following her.
The upper room was not in good shape at all. The first floor seemed quite pleasant in comparison. Everything was overturned, lying on the floor, shattered. Unlike below, nothing in this room was still intact. Squall looked up and saw the sun shining brightly, his eyes squinting for protection from the intense light. Rinoa was pillaging the entire room, searching for the person who had groaned.
She found him beneath the cracked bed. Squall rushed over to help lift the mass of wood off the man, and realized that it was the mayor of Fisherman's Horizon. Rinoa gasped when she saw the large chunk of wood shoved brutally into the mayor's gut. And the blood. It was amazing the mayor was still alive. His eyes opened, looking up at them pleadingly.
"Squall."
"I'm here," said Squall, not sure what else to say. This man was about to die-he wasn't going to fill him with false hope.
"Everybody. died. my city." The mayor struggled with every word, and Squall feared that any of them may be his last.
"Who did it?" Squall asked quietly, soothingly. But he needed an answer, so there was a trace of edginess in his voice.
The mayor struggled for air. When he gasped, the breath came out raspy and gurgled from blood.
"Who?" asked Squall.
"Protect."
"Protect who?" Squall insisted.
Rinoa crouched down next to the dying man. "Squall. easy." She grasped the wood protruding from the mayor's stomach.
"Don't pull that, Rinoa," he said softly, just above a whisper. "It's the only thing holding him together right now."
Rinoa grimaced and nodded, a tear running down her cheek. They had both known this man. Fifteen years ago, Fisherman's Horizon had been overrun by Galbadian Soldiers. Squall, Rinoa, and their companions were the only ones who helped liberate the city.
The mayor convulsed violently for a moment, his eyes wide in shock, blood trickling from his mouth. With a final sigh, his body went limp and he died.
Rinoa sniffed and stood up, looking at the body. Squall came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "There was nothing we could do," he said.
"I know. but." Rinoa choked out. "Squall, what happened here?"
Squall just shook his head. "Let's go back."
They made their way out of the house and walked steadily toward the Ragnarok. The putrid smell was still in the air, but the recent death of the mayor allowed them to block it from their minds. Together they shuffled over the rubble, kicking aside loose stones and heading for the Ragnarok. They could see it clearly now, sitting on the bridge, waiting for their return. Rinoa wasn't sure, but it seemed as though the boarding ramp was no longer down.
The engines roared to life. Squall and Rinoa stopped dead in their tracks. A figure was sitting in the cockpit, handling the controls with precision. The Ragnarok slowly lifted off the ground.
"Irvine." Rinoa could see his cowboy hat and long ponytail. He was still wearing that same old gray trench coat, his arms covered thanks to its long sleeves. It was a rugged old western outfit, and Irvine had all the makings of a cowboy. Especially with the double-barreled shotgun he usually carried with him.
Squall sprinted for the Ragnarok, and Rinoa followed close behind. He leaped for the closest available object on the ship, which happened to be one of the landing struts. It flew upward and Squall landed face down on the ground, his objective barely out of his reach.
Rinoa was at his side instantly. The Ragnarok lifted higher into the sky as Squall slowly stood up and brushed himself off. He watched as their ship flew east over the bridge.
Squall shook his head. "We can't stop him now."
Rinoa turned and saw the car. It was the same kind of old blue model her father had once owned-she could drive it. She tugged at Squall's shoulder and said, "Do you think it works?"
"Do I think what-" Squall started to say, then stopped when he saw the car, its headlights still shining. "Oh."
"Come on!" Rinoa said, making a dash for the car. She hopped in the driver's seat and Squall climbed in the passenger's side.
Luckily, it had fuel. And lots of it. The needle on the fuel meter was almost to the "F", indicating a near-full tank. Rinoa shifted into gear and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. Squall rolled down his window and poked his head outside, looking up and searching for the Ragnarok.
"There it is!" he said, pointing straight ahead. Irvine was following the bridge toward the continent of Esthar.
Suddenly there was a slight tremor within the vehicle. Squall, his head still out the window, stopped looking at the sky and looked at the ground instead. Numerous cracks were appearing on the pavement, reaching outward like a sort of spiderweb.
"What is that?" Rinoa shouted over the roar of the car as she jammed the gearshift up.
"I don't know!" Squall shouted back. In truth, he had a very good idea what it was, but decided not to say anything until he knew for sure. "Go faster!"
Rinoa downshifted, plunging more torque into the transmission and causing the car to lurch forward and accelerate rapidly. Squall would have been thrown from the vehicle had he not been clutching the sides of the window.
His insides were squirming. It was here-he knew it. And Rinoa might have known it, too, but the look on her eyes told Squall she knew nothing.
Quickly he looked behind them. Nothing, except for the bridge, which was shattering like a pane of glass. Ahead and above them, the Ragnarok flew steadily, with no change in its course. Squall muttered a curse as the car picked up to two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.
He lowered his head back into the car, wanting to tell Rinoa to keep it steady, but she knew what she was doing, and saying anything like that would only distract her.
Finally, the bridge ended and they were on solid ground. The crumpled remains of Fisherman's Horizon was only a speck in the distance, and at a fleeting glance it could be mistaken for the ruins of an ancient city.
Squall breathed a sigh of relief. He could still see the Ragnarok above them, heading straight toward Esthar. There was no possible way Irvine didn't see them, so that meant only one thing. He meant for them to follow him.
Ultimecia awaited in Esthar.