"Now, please don't make the same mistake she did," continued the intruder.
Locke gazed down at Celes's lifeless body, and he began to cry. "You killed her, you fuck!" he managed to choke.
"You were going to rape her, weren't you?"
"She's pretty," responded the intruder. "It's a shame she head to be difficult."
Locke was sick. The woman he loved was gunned down before his eyes. By a stranger, so unexpectedly. Just when
the two of them were imprisoned in complete bliss, one of them came to an unnatural end.
"Now," continued the intruder, "please strip her of all her jewelry." Locke did not move or speak. "I'm not going to
ask you again," said the intruder, in a more threatening tone of voice. "If you do not do as I say, you will be joining
her."
Finally, Locke spoke. "Listen to me, intruder. You killed the most important thing in my life. I would love to kill
you if I had the chance. And I would make sure you die slowly and painfully. But even in this time of extreme
sorrow, I still know you can never win. You have killed us in Figaro's territory. The king has no tolerance for
murder, especially for two of his close friends."
"I think I've had enough of you," said the intruder as he placed the gun to Locke's throat and cocked it.
All ears were filled with a strange sound. It sounded like a snowstorm, but it was inside. Finally, it ended in a sharp
cracking noise. Locke blinked and couldn't believe the sight he was seeing. The intruder was locked in ice. He was
still pointing the gun at him, and his glare was still just as sinister. But he was frozen.
"What the hell just happened?" asked Locke out loud.
"Simple," said Celes, "I cast an ice spell."
"Celes!" cried Locke.
She helped herself up and stood on her feet. Locke threw his arms around her, and she hugged back.
"Shhh, Locke, I'm sorry if I scared you."
Locke had no idea what to say. "But he shot you in the chest!" was the only thing he could think of.
"Locke...........there is something I need to explain," responded Celes.
Locke nodded. He was quite confused over what just happened. Celes closed her blue eyes and began her story.
"I don't know why, but my magic didn't disappear when the statures were destroyed. Terra's magic disappeared.
Even Strago's lore is gone. I can't explain it, but my power is still here."
"You don't suppose you might also be an esper, do you?" asked Locke.
"No, I don't think so," said Celes," because Terra lost all of her magic powers."
"Did you harness any power from the statues?"
"No, and I don't think it would matter if I did, because when they were destroyed, all powers generated by them
were destroyed."
Locke was puzzled.
"There is something else," began Celes, "that I never told you. Actually, I've never told anybody. I know this sounds
kind of weird, or hard to believe, but I do not age. I will never grow old. I will look the same forty years from now
as I do now."
At first, Locke remained silent out of surprise. Finally, he managed to ask her, "How can
that be?"
"When I was born, I was allowed to age until the age of seventeen. Then, a strange man injected me with something.
I don't recall his name, it was Hojin or something like that. Anyway, I was sick for two months. I almost died. The
serum he injected me with was used of seven other experiments, people grown in a test tube, like me. I was the only
one who survived." Celes stopped to catch her breath. "Eventually, I learned the scientific truth behind it. Mitosis
does not occur in me. My cells do not divide. If I cut myself, I must use healing magic, or I will bleed to death."
Celes paused. She put her face in her hands as if she was embarrassed. "Sorry, Locke, I know it sounds weird."
Locke placed his hand on her shoulder and offered his support. "Hey," he said, "Terra's story was weirder."
Celes giggled slightly, but she did not feel too much better.
"Celes," said Locke, "I'll help you find out who you are."
"You will?"
"Hey, I was successful with Terra, wasn't I?"
She hugged him again. "Thank you."
"Anything I can do for the one I love most." .
"We have to go now," said Celes. "I used most of my magic power to heal myself, so I could only cast Ice 1. This
intruder will recover shortly."
Locke nodded, and they left the abandoned house for good. With her last glimpse, Celes saw the intruder, not having
moved and inch. They reached the outside to notice that the storm was gone. It was daylight, and the sun cast a
beautiful reflection on the snowy ground.
"So how do we get back?" asked Locke.
"I have no idea. I came here through a blinding snowstorm. I don't even know where we are," responded Celes. She
looked around for her tracks, but they had been snowed over. The wind was gone, but the temperature was still far
from pleasant.
"We can't stay here," said Locke, remembering the intruder.
Just then, Celes noticed a hill a few hundred feet from the house. "Locke, if we walk up that hill, maybe we can
see something," she suggested.
They walked to the top of the hill, and saw nothing. Locke let out a sigh of disappointment. Then he turned to face
the house again, and was surprised at the sight that greeted him. "Jidoor!" he cried out.
Celes turned around quickly. "Jidoor?!"
"Yeah, that was Owzer's old house we were in!"
"That's right," said Celes, "he abandoned it when Relm won him a bigger mansion in Kernick!"
"Who would abandon a house like that?" wondered Locke.
"A cheap bastard!" blurted Celes.
Locke's jaw dropped.
"What?" she asked, with a grin. "I'm learning!" Both of the lovers broke into laughter. "You thought
I was a sweet little girl, didn't you?"
Their laughter was interrupted when Locke noticed something that wasn't funny at all. The intruder was standing in
the doorway, glaring at them. The ice spell had worn off. Before they knew it, he was racing toward them. "Let's get
outta here!" exclaimed Locke. Celes nodded.
They began to run in the opposite direction down the hill. This side was higher and steeper. Neither Locke nor Celes
had any idea where they were heading, but both of them knew that the blood-thirsty intruder was gaining on them
fast.
And then, it happened. Celes didn't notice it at first, because she was too focused on escaping with her life. But it
soon came to her mind when a cold sensation hit her face. Celes shrieked as she continued to tumble over. She had
tripped. Flashes of sky blue and white circled through her eyes as she rolled over and over again. She heard Locke
call her name, but she had no idea where he was.
Finally, she stopped. She had a clear view of the sky. That was soon interrupted, though, with the discomforting
view of the intruder's malevolent face. He pulled out his gun again, and placed it on the fallen woman's forehead.
"I'm not making the same mistake twice!" declared the intruder. "Time to die, little girl!"
Celes closed her eyes tightly.
All six ears were filled with the sound of a shot once again. But this was a different kind of shot. It sounded like
something hissing through the air. Celes opened her eyes, just in time to se the intruder slump to the ground, dead,
with an arrow in his back. Behind him, there was Edgar, grinning, with his crossbow in his hand.
Locke gazed down at Celes's lifeless body, and he began to cry. "You killed her, you fuck!" he managed to choke.
"You were going to rape her, weren't you?"
"She's pretty," responded the intruder. "It's a shame she head to be difficult."
Locke was sick. The woman he loved was gunned down before his eyes. By a stranger, so unexpectedly. Just when
the two of them were imprisoned in complete bliss, one of them came to an unnatural end.
"Now," continued the intruder, "please strip her of all her jewelry." Locke did not move or speak. "I'm not going to
ask you again," said the intruder, in a more threatening tone of voice. "If you do not do as I say, you will be joining
her."
Finally, Locke spoke. "Listen to me, intruder. You killed the most important thing in my life. I would love to kill
you if I had the chance. And I would make sure you die slowly and painfully. But even in this time of extreme
sorrow, I still know you can never win. You have killed us in Figaro's territory. The king has no tolerance for
murder, especially for two of his close friends."
"I think I've had enough of you," said the intruder as he placed the gun to Locke's throat and cocked it.
All ears were filled with a strange sound. It sounded like a snowstorm, but it was inside. Finally, it ended in a sharp
cracking noise. Locke blinked and couldn't believe the sight he was seeing. The intruder was locked in ice. He was
still pointing the gun at him, and his glare was still just as sinister. But he was frozen.
"What the hell just happened?" asked Locke out loud.
"Simple," said Celes, "I cast an ice spell."
"Celes!" cried Locke.
She helped herself up and stood on her feet. Locke threw his arms around her, and she hugged back.
"Shhh, Locke, I'm sorry if I scared you."
Locke had no idea what to say. "But he shot you in the chest!" was the only thing he could think of.
"Locke...........there is something I need to explain," responded Celes.
Locke nodded. He was quite confused over what just happened. Celes closed her blue eyes and began her story.
"I don't know why, but my magic didn't disappear when the statures were destroyed. Terra's magic disappeared.
Even Strago's lore is gone. I can't explain it, but my power is still here."
"You don't suppose you might also be an esper, do you?" asked Locke.
"No, I don't think so," said Celes," because Terra lost all of her magic powers."
"Did you harness any power from the statues?"
"No, and I don't think it would matter if I did, because when they were destroyed, all powers generated by them
were destroyed."
Locke was puzzled.
"There is something else," began Celes, "that I never told you. Actually, I've never told anybody. I know this sounds
kind of weird, or hard to believe, but I do not age. I will never grow old. I will look the same forty years from now
as I do now."
At first, Locke remained silent out of surprise. Finally, he managed to ask her, "How can
that be?"
"When I was born, I was allowed to age until the age of seventeen. Then, a strange man injected me with something.
I don't recall his name, it was Hojin or something like that. Anyway, I was sick for two months. I almost died. The
serum he injected me with was used of seven other experiments, people grown in a test tube, like me. I was the only
one who survived." Celes stopped to catch her breath. "Eventually, I learned the scientific truth behind it. Mitosis
does not occur in me. My cells do not divide. If I cut myself, I must use healing magic, or I will bleed to death."
Celes paused. She put her face in her hands as if she was embarrassed. "Sorry, Locke, I know it sounds weird."
Locke placed his hand on her shoulder and offered his support. "Hey," he said, "Terra's story was weirder."
Celes giggled slightly, but she did not feel too much better.
"Celes," said Locke, "I'll help you find out who you are."
"You will?"
"Hey, I was successful with Terra, wasn't I?"
She hugged him again. "Thank you."
"Anything I can do for the one I love most." .
"We have to go now," said Celes. "I used most of my magic power to heal myself, so I could only cast Ice 1. This
intruder will recover shortly."
Locke nodded, and they left the abandoned house for good. With her last glimpse, Celes saw the intruder, not having
moved and inch. They reached the outside to notice that the storm was gone. It was daylight, and the sun cast a
beautiful reflection on the snowy ground.
"So how do we get back?" asked Locke.
"I have no idea. I came here through a blinding snowstorm. I don't even know where we are," responded Celes. She
looked around for her tracks, but they had been snowed over. The wind was gone, but the temperature was still far
from pleasant.
"We can't stay here," said Locke, remembering the intruder.
Just then, Celes noticed a hill a few hundred feet from the house. "Locke, if we walk up that hill, maybe we can
see something," she suggested.
They walked to the top of the hill, and saw nothing. Locke let out a sigh of disappointment. Then he turned to face
the house again, and was surprised at the sight that greeted him. "Jidoor!" he cried out.
Celes turned around quickly. "Jidoor?!"
"Yeah, that was Owzer's old house we were in!"
"That's right," said Celes, "he abandoned it when Relm won him a bigger mansion in Kernick!"
"Who would abandon a house like that?" wondered Locke.
"A cheap bastard!" blurted Celes.
Locke's jaw dropped.
"What?" she asked, with a grin. "I'm learning!" Both of the lovers broke into laughter. "You thought
I was a sweet little girl, didn't you?"
Their laughter was interrupted when Locke noticed something that wasn't funny at all. The intruder was standing in
the doorway, glaring at them. The ice spell had worn off. Before they knew it, he was racing toward them. "Let's get
outta here!" exclaimed Locke. Celes nodded.
They began to run in the opposite direction down the hill. This side was higher and steeper. Neither Locke nor Celes
had any idea where they were heading, but both of them knew that the blood-thirsty intruder was gaining on them
fast.
And then, it happened. Celes didn't notice it at first, because she was too focused on escaping with her life. But it
soon came to her mind when a cold sensation hit her face. Celes shrieked as she continued to tumble over. She had
tripped. Flashes of sky blue and white circled through her eyes as she rolled over and over again. She heard Locke
call her name, but she had no idea where he was.
Finally, she stopped. She had a clear view of the sky. That was soon interrupted, though, with the discomforting
view of the intruder's malevolent face. He pulled out his gun again, and placed it on the fallen woman's forehead.
"I'm not making the same mistake twice!" declared the intruder. "Time to die, little girl!"
Celes closed her eyes tightly.
All six ears were filled with the sound of a shot once again. But this was a different kind of shot. It sounded like
something hissing through the air. Celes opened her eyes, just in time to se the intruder slump to the ground, dead,
with an arrow in his back. Behind him, there was Edgar, grinning, with his crossbow in his hand.