Final Fantasy: Scarlet Eyes
Author's Rants: Hi everyone. Thanks for all your reviews. I tried very hard to get this chapter up as soon as possible. Sorry to Kool Kraizer, whom I said that this chapter would be loaded on Friday, computer busted.
If it is possible could any reviewers try and include: descriptions of weapons and/or limit breaks the characters could use. Full credit will be given in the opening rants of the chapter they are included in. Anyway enjoy chapter ten.
Chapter 10: Clouds Gathering.
Rinoa put down the phone and walked over to the living room were Squall was sitting. On the wooden coffee table in front of him, lay an old book. The cover was made of ancient leather, which now was beginning to become rotten around the edges. The title 'Oculus Infernos' was indented in the cover in joined up writing. Squall traced round the indentation slowly with his forefinger. The book had come from the Garden's library, the title translated into English as 'The Eye of Hell'.
The Oculus was the most comprehensive guide to demonology and magic that the Garden had. It contained all the major demons, their subordinates and myths. It was written by the Esterians in the time before the first Lunar Cry event, and was the most accurate reference either Squall or Rinoa had encountered. The name, Eye of Hell, came from the tale of the death of the first child of the Hyne, and how on his way to the nether-realm, his left eye was torn from his head a fell back to Earth into the hands of a shaman. The Eye possessed t76his shamen's mind and revealed to him the knowledge of the Hyne, which he wrote into the blank pages of a book which later became the Oculus. It was acquired by the Garden from the Trabians at the century before the lunar cry in exchange for warriors to protect the Trabia Garden during the first sorceress war.
Squall had rented it out the day before, after Rinoa had calmed down. Stepping into the library brought back memories to him. The cram sessions, the hidden draw point, the place of refuge during the faculty's revolt. Now it was quieter than he remembered as he walked through the main doors. Only high level staff, of which Squall was, could enter the Occult section of the library. It was an entire room unto itself, dark and lamp-lit, dimly so. As he walked through the creakey corridor he saw the array of leather books, all old, all tattering. The Oculus was contained in a glass box on ageing oak podium. Squall approached the book with an undetermined caution, which he did not know why he bore. As he lifted the glass box and placed it to the side, he felt some strange force being exorcised from it. Squall knew of the spirits and other evils that haunted the world, but such an exaunt of power, he had never felt before. He kept a close watch over her eyes, looking closely for any signs of purple pigmentations. She came and sat down beside him, gently touching his shoulder.
"Find anything on Crimson?" She said staring at the closed book.
Squall opened the Oculus and flipped through a few of the tattered pictures until reaching his desired page. The page seemed to stand out from all the others, it was slightly older, slightly darker than the others but still keeping in with the age of the cover. Tracing over the page in his mind he read to his wife what he'd found out.
"Crimson," He started. "He's an upper level demon for sure. In Centraian mythology there are four class demons. Looks like Crimson is the second most powerful class of demon, a Dijinn, this Oculus defines him as a fire beast with vast intelligence."
Rinoa leant over Squall and stared over the page. It had a picture of a cloaked figure with bright eyes that shown out in the night. Tracing over the picture with her finger she imagined his severed head falling to the ground and her holding the blood soaked blade.
"Hold up honey. He's the second most powerful class." She said grabbing the book from her husband. "Who's the first?"
Taking the book back from his wife he glanced over the next few pages. "Well, anything? She said impatiently.
"It doesn't say anything about the first level of Dijinn. I've got more on Crimson though." He said hopefully. Rinoa nodded for him to continue. "The Afeeta, the second class of Dijinn," He quoted robotically. "Are Demon-like beings whose veins flow with fire instead of blood. When they are mortally wounded, out from them will burst flames until they are consumed with fire. They can live for thousands of years, sometimes even forever, but they are not immortal, they especially fear the falling stars that the Hyne would throw at them to punish their sins." He stared up at his wife, her face deep in thought.
"So that's how we kill the bastard?" She grinned.
"Yeah hun, that would work except we can't just ask the Hyne to hurl a few stars at a monster that's at quarrel with us." He exclaimed without sounding too sarcastic. Squall new of the Hyne and how she could never get involved with the affairs of mortals, no matter the services the mortals had provided in her name. "But listen to this, 'Often, men would capture the Afeeta with the aid of talismans and spells, given to them by the ancients of Trabia.
"The Shamans of Winter Island!" She shouted happily.
Nodding, Squall left his seat and picked up the phone. The Shamans of the Winter Isle, he had met then before during his time as a fledgling SeeD. They were by no means an evil race but often demanded a lot in exchange for a favour. He wondered what task he would have them perform for use of their magics.
"What did Selphie and Irvine say when you called them?"
"They're coming to see Sonya tomorrow; Selphie said they'd stop in before nightfall." She said softly.
"Good, what about Cid, how is he doing?"
Rinoa's face fell slightly. She didn't want to tell Squall that the man that had guided him through his carrer was now a void of sadness because he couldn't reach his wife in time before she was murdered and her body left to rot.
"As well as can be expected, all things considered. You better hurry and phone Quistis." She left it at that, as did he.
***
Scarlet watched the grey clouds swirl about in the usually clear skies. The giant dome that was the Training Centre was made of strong glass. The clouds stood ominously over her; she almost forgot she was in Combat class, in combat. A swipe from Araina's newly modified 'Onyx Sting' reminded her. She shifted to the side, the whip missing her body but catching her Dra'Kan around the blade. The two were at a stand off, Araina pulling hard on her weapon trying to wrench from Scarlet's hands. She held tight though, watching Instructor Dincht walk round the various pairs of students, she released that if she spun round using the chain of her opponents weapon for leverage, she could blast her with a fire ball and Araina would be floored. She also released that the Instructor would have her head, not to mention Tyranis and Sonya.
Deciding against her primary plan Scarlet cast a nice float spell on Araina, lifting her from the ground and leaving her scrambling around in the air. Instructor Dincht paced round Araina's floating body, smiling he came up close to her face.
"You should have watched for that one." He cast a dispel on her, after the golden haze of the dispel had broken the floats hold on Araina, she fell to the ground with a hard clump.
Feeling the same sense of envy and agony as before their friendship had came to be, Araina let loose a scowl over to Scarlet before taking a seat at a nearby boulder. Scarlet too feeling a almost forgotten rivalry that she thought might have been exaunted from their lives. Just then, a slender figure passed through the training centre entrance gates.
Quistis drifted through the greenery of the centre as if a spirit, her face vacant as she glided through the mesh of sparing students. The paleness and defeated expressions on her face where seen by Araina from across the field. She could only remember one other time when her mother had looked this way, when her daddy had died. Araina wanted run and hold her mother, and know why she had come here with a desperate face.
Eventually reaching Zell, she put her head next to his shoulder and whispered something that Araina's ears couldn't deceiver. Like a disease, the expression had spread unto Zell and now he too become filled with sadness. The two, as if no longer living, limped out of the training centre and into the shadows of the Garden. The pair traversed the corridors of the vast Garden until reaching the first floor staff room. They entered to see Squall and Rinoa sitting together sharing a cup of coffee.
"How is Cid?" Zell said anxiously.
Rinoa and Squall both sat silent with lowered heads. Zell did not speak again.
***
Sitting her room, pencil and paper in hand, Araina sketched down a body. It had a rounded face with a defined chin and hints of a shaven moustache. She had always been a good artist, ever since her mom and dad enrolled her in art classes when she was four. There she learned about tone and shade, colour and life drawing. People where always her favourite subjects she would make her dad sit for hours while she sketched him on her notepad. After a few months in the class she was offered a place in the advanced life drawing class. Her mom came into the class the next day and told her teacher that things at hoe would prevented her from attended any of her classes at the art school again.
The gliding pencil next formed and shaded a thin but muscular body dressed in a white lab coat. Moving up the page it drew in a pair of spectacles, she shaded over the lenses, leaving the eyes hidden. Finally the artist signed it 'daddy' before slipping it into a drawer. Doorbell.
The door creaked open and in stampeded Araina friends, luckily Quistis was at the Lionhart's. Sonya jumped onto the couch in living room and Tyrains and Scarlet sat down on the cream leather chairs next to her. Araina walked in the room and sat on the floor, leaning on the couch. Sonya called for the attention of the room. Only Sonya and Scarlet knew what was to be discussed.
"Hey guys we've got something to talk about."
***
Rinoa and Quistis sat silently in the living room while Zell and Squall talked in the kitchen. He had hold his friend what they had found in the Oculus about Crimson. Zell more then any other of the six children of the orphanage, had a special affinity with Matron. When vile Sefier would tease him and call him chicken-wuss, it was Matron who came to his comfort and whispered in his ear that Sefier was just jealous because he was so brave. Zell still remembered all the things his Matron had told the children all those years ago.He hoped that she was in peace wherever she was. Sefier walked into the kitchen.
He had cut his hair so it was the same as when he was the sorceresses knight. Squall watched Zell closely as Sefier navigated towards him, observing a lack of burning anger that he usually held to Sefier, maybe he had believed everything Sefier had held to Squall. He stepped out in front of Sefeir, cutting him off and facing up to him Zell scowled. Maybe not then. Doorbell.
Selphie and Irvine walked into the living room greeted by hugs and kisses by Rinoa and Quistis. The men came in from the kitchen and sat. Rinoa called the room to silence.
"We've got to talk."
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Hooray anther chapter finished. Like the thing I did comparing the old generation with the new? Did you didn't you, tell me in your review. Next chapter on it's way.
Dark Eva.