Final Fantasy: Scarlet Eyes.
Author's rants: Still in mourning for,… the dear departed Edea. However, the fic must go on. So basically now that a main character is dead, all the peace and harmony crap starts to fall apart and you the reader get lots of drama and action.
Chapter 7. Lion In A Demon's Den.
Squall kissed his wife goodbye. She was still wearing her pink, silk night robe as it was still very early in the morning. Squall was glad that she managed to go through the rest of the night without another nightmare, but still felt anxious about the first, this is why he was going to go see Edea.
He wound take the car to the port in Balamb, a friend there would keep it safe whilst he was gone. Then the vessel would take him to the port in Centra, then he would have to walk the rest of the journey. Even after his SeeD days, he still planned out everything he did very meticulously, a trait none of the former SeeDs had forgotten.
"Watch out for Scarlet please Rinoa." He said uneasily. "She's grown more distant in these few weeks than ever."
Rinoa nodded gently at her husband as he departed on his journey. As the car left the driveway and sped down the road, Rinoa noticed the silver handle of her husband's 'Lionheart' sticking out from underneath a bag. She prayed to the Hyne that he wouldn't need to use it.
As Rinoa turned round to go back into her house she noticed, staring out her bedroom window, was Scarlet, looking very sadden. When the dark haired girl saw that Rinoa was looking at her, she quickly drew the curtains shut.
Rinoa smiled as she sat down at the kitchen table. Angelo, who was under the table began licking Rinoa's hand, seeing that she was in need of comforting.
"Thank you." She smiled.
The dog, titled his head a little and then resumed his sleep underneath the table. Rinoa poured herself a cup of coffee. She watched the brown liquid fall into the mug below and pondered over the events of the previous night.
She remembered the horrible visions she had before. She used to see her friends dying in horrific manners, and watch her family be swallowed by the earth itself. She eventually grew maddened by these images that where being brought on by her sorceress' powers, so she went to seek help.
Edea showed her methods in which to control her magical energy. As well as preventing images entering her mind, Edea told her that it made her magic untraceable by those who may wish to take it from her. Edea, her Matron, God let her be alright.
Scarlet had entered the kitchen just then and took a seat beside Rinoa. Her scarlet eyes looking more comforting than terrifying. Her expression however, was one confusion, as if she didn't know what to say at times like these. But finally she spoke.
"Are you alright, Rinoa." She said sombrely.
"Yes I will be." She smiled, noticing that Scarlet had used her first name, a rare occasion in the house. "Squall's gone away for a few days so it's just you me and Tyranis."
A small bark came form under the table. "And you too Angelo." She giggled.
"Where has-" Scarlet wondered if she was overstepping her boundaries.
"He's away to see a friend of ours." Rinoa said in a assuring voice.
The two women sat at the table in silence for about an hour until Scarlet broke the quiet.
"I'm going to the Garden now." She said as she got up from the table and pick up her bag and lade which where waiting for her in their usual place. Rinoa gave her a nod as she left the door and walked off down the street. Rinoa left the table and went up to her room, feeling that she deserved a long lay in today. But she needed to do something first.
She picked up the phone at the side of her wooden bed side table. She dialled in a number and waited for an answer.
"Hello Cid, it's Rinoa. It's about Edea."
***
Araina walked through the rot-iron gates of the Garden and proceeded down the long cement path to the entrance. She carried her 'Black Stinger' which was strapped to the outer side of her thy in a little pouch she'd specially made herself.
The mid-term exams begun today, in an hour. Although Araina had tremendous intelligence she still had very bad nerves. She didn't know why she got really nervous, she always aced her tests. She hoped today would be no different.
She was now at the doors to the study hall, which now had a sign marked 'Exams Today.' Across the huge pine doors. There's was a big white board place at the corner of the hallway, here she would find her exam seat. Scrolling down to board she came across the names of her friends. Tyranis was near the front of the third row and Sonya was two rows away from him, but where was her name. 'Araina Trepe. Seat 92, row 6'. Pleased with her find she was about to turn round to enter the hall when she noticed who was sitting directly behind her. 'Scarlet Leonhart, Seat 91, row 6'. Great.
Araina shrugged and decided she would just have to deal with it, hopefully Scarlet would be feeling as nervous about the exams as she did, although it was unlikely. She saw a girl in a pair of blue jeans and a black frilly shirt bound down the corridor. Her brown hair bounced around as she skipped through the corridor. Sonya then came up to Araina.
"How you holding up." She asked.
"Oh, not too bad, you." Araina replied, trying to mask her fear.
"Well, I'm no genius like you, but I think I'll manage a pass mark, I should after all that studying I did." She scowled. "It was putting a real crimp on my social life."
In her short time at the Garden Sonya had dated: two senior class men, three SeeDs that where on leave, and had even once thought about how relationship with Trowa Maxwell would be like, although she never actually dated him.
Some of the other girls saw her as threat and started calling her a slag and other brutal names. However, Araina knew that Sonya was just the kind of girl who always had a date with her, it was just the way she was, no sense in making fun of her about it.
"I bet it was." Araina laughed. "So how's it going with you and Derrick?"
"It isn't." She sighed. "We split up last night."
"Why? I thought it was going well."
"Yeah well, he was always away on missions with his SeeD friends and I was always left waiting for him." She said. "So we both kinda decided that we would be better off apart."
"You O.K with that?"
"Yeah. There is an up side to being single." She smiled.
"And what's that." Araina said looking expectantly at her friend.
"I can flirt again."
Both girls let out a laugh. They both enjoyed their sessions of 'girl talk' when Tyranis wasn't around. Although notably, they did miss him when he wasn't with him. A Garden Faculty member opened the huge doors and beckoned the now great number of students waiting outside into the hall. Araina entered the hall a lot less nervous than she imagined she would be.
***
Squall left the vessel and stood on the white sandy shore of Centra. He looked around, no sign of Edea's house, looks like it would be a fair walk. He gathered his few possessions and started walking on. The night sky came sooner than he'd hoped, as did the monsters. Although a level eighty-six fighter, battling monsters continually is strenuous enough, but when their as relentless as the monsters of Centra, it becomes down right irritating.
He had just finished of a pair of Wendigoes when he noticed smoke coming from far away. He picked up pace and as he got closer he saw were it was coming from. The house.
He looked on in despair at the burnt rubble that was once the orphanage where he had lived in his youth. He now had to go and look for the body of his friend Matron. In between the fallen stone and wood lay a charred body, Squall recoiled in disgust, covering his mouth. But he knew it could not lay there.
As the moon reached its apex, Squall shovelled the last piece of dirt into what was now Edea Krammer final resting place. Using his Lionheart he had at least manegded to make a fitting grave stone for her.
'Edea 'Matron' Krammer. Loved many, loved by all.'
Squall kelt infront of the grave and paid his final respect as a warrior should. Finally, he saluted the fonder of SeeD and turned away from her grave. Now he would find the bastard who had killed her.
He knew of only one place where a monster strong enough to kill a sorceress would live, the ruins. He ran through the desert like plains, ploughing through the monsters, killing them brutally and without mercy until finally reached the entrance to the domain of Odin.
He walked up the stone steps, with great caution, a cold wind travelled up his spine. The silence of this place was unnatural, even the dripping water seemed to carry no sound at all. He felt something creeping in the shadows, he sensed the evil in this place, but it seemed an ancient one. He came to the Throne room, still not one monster in sight. Walking over to the huge golden throne he remembered his first encounter with the Guardian Odin, who latter became one of his closest allies. He stroked the arm of throne with his ungloved hand, it was still smooth and clean. Something stirred in the shadows.
Then, a flash of fire, something bashing Squall on the head and finally, darkness. He awoke chained to a wall, his hands and feet were both shackled to the damp stone wall. He tried to struggle free, but to no avail. His Lionheart lay in the corner of the dungeon, it blue light barely managed to illuminate anything in this place.
He hung in the dank place for an unknown number of hours, his ribs ached and blood dripped from an open gash in his leg, was he going to die in this place. Finally, he heard metal, the gates were opening. A slender figure adorned in a purple robe, made of silk ran through to Squall cel and knelt beside him.
"Oh no, you poor dear." She said sympathetically. "I'll help you."She said as she began picking the lock on the shackles with her long nails.
"Who are you?" Squall groaned, her was still in great pain.
"I am Morgana." She smiled. "I was Crimson's prisonor too, but I escaped, then I noticed you and just had to come help."
"Crimson?"
"An evil demon, he is a sorceress killer, just yesterday I heard the guards talking about how he had slain a former sorceress, Edea I think she was called."
"Edea." She clamped his teeth together in a bitter rage.
The lock finally broke, Squall and Morgana snuck out the unguarded dungeon and found there way to the palace entrance.
"O.K warrior, you must go quickly before the guards return." She hastened.
"But what about you."
"There's another exit that leads to my home land, do not worry, now go."
Squall ran out the palace and down the stone steps. Morgana watched him with her purple eyes until he had reached the shore of Centra. She strode back to the dungeon and got ready for her final piece of acting.
"Guard!" She screamed. "The prisoner has escaped!"
A few armoured skeletons ran down the corridor to the dungeon. As they entered the cell, Morgana walked off to the quarters, her grin freshly bestode on her face.
Now my dear Crimson. He'll come for you. Him and his Sorceress wife. And when he strikes you down I'll be right there, waiting in the shadows. Then I'll take her magic and both of their lives. But I think I'll let your little plan play out for now. Your 'Lunar Cannon' still interreges me, we shall see what it can do before the warrior and his wife coming looking for you.
***
Araina chewed on the end of her pen. She had came to the the final question on the written exam. O.K, does the level of the G.F effect it's power to learn new abilities, if so why? Araina thought over this hard. The tick of the clock sat above her head seemed to be especially loud today. Got it, Yes because the higher the G.F's level the more abilities it can learn, therefore it does effect it. Finished. She lay her half eaten pen on her desk, a garden faculty swiftly glided past her, taking her completed paper. She looked around at the other students, she was one of the first people to finish. Apart from Scarlet.
A half hour later, the students filed out the exam hall, some with better expressions on their faces than others. Araina caught sight of Scarlet leaving the hall with a large grin across her face, confident as always. Sonya walked out the hall, less bouncy than before.
"So what was it like?" Araina asked.
"Well, O.K I guess." Sonya replied unsurely. "I just wanna get my results soon."
The two girls noticed Tyranis splitting out the hall, neither of them had spoken to him all day, and so now took their opportunity.
"So T, how'd it go?" Sonya said.
"O.K, think I just got a pass."
The students continued their discussions about the exam whilst they walked down to the cafeteria for a well deserved lunch, or dinner considering what time it was. Leaning against a wall, Scarlet watched them happily talk to each other, asking what they put for each question. She really wanted to fit in with them. Maybe Tyranis wasn't such a jerk after all, was she always destined to be alone?
She thought about her guardian, Leviathan. It too hadn't spoke to her in months. Have you left me as well Leviathan?
There was a silence in Scarlet's mind.
:I'm always here.: It voice sounding less harsh than before.
Thank you.
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Well that about wraps it up for chapter seven. So, Morgana's convinced Squall that it was Crimson who killed Edea, sneaky witch. And what exactly is the 'Lunar Cannon'? *Thunder and lightning effects, followed by horror music.*
Dark Eva.