Author's Notes: Well, this is the shortest chapter. As always, I do not own Ultimecia, Squall, Zell, Rinoa, Griever, or any of the other Final Fantasy VIII characters, GFs, or terms. They are respectively Square/Square-Enix's creations and I'm just using them. I do, however, own the storyline, along with Seth, Geoff, the four evil SeeD people, Tempest and Kali. So uh...please Square, don't sue me! Well, I hope you like it. . .







Chapter 2

Point of No Return





Back To The Master's Room
Ultimecia's PoV




Voices outside the doorway brought the silver-haired sorceress, me, out of her memory-induced coma. I paled. Somehow, the children who had managed to cross time had also managed to get through my castle and right outside the doors of my Master's Room. I shuddered. Why had my faithful Servants and Guardians not dispatched my enemies? I heard the footsteps and voices grow louder. I called out. Willing my Guardians to return to their mistress.

"Tiamat, Krysta, Catoblepas, Tri-Point. Return."

My voice was soft. I waited for a moment for their answer, and continued.

"Trauma, Gargantua, Sphinxara, Red Giant."

Again, there was no answer. I was desperate now. I wondered if, by some miracle, those children outside my doors had managed to defeat them. ALL of them. I shuddered at the thought, and called upon my most powerful warrior.

"Omega Weapon, hear my plea. Come to my aid. The life of your mistress is threatened."

My voice cracked at the end. Like before, I received no answer. I waited, and heard voices directly on the other side of the door. The heavy doors creaked slightly as the combined force of six teenagers heaved themselves against my door. It was opening. And I was defenceless. My Guardians were not answering me. I knew I would be in trouble.

I stood from my throne, high above the ground. Stone gargoyles looked back at me with cold, unseeing eyes. I raised my arm, about to cast a powerful Earth magic spell to reseal the slowly opening door, when a wave of memory hit me. I fell back into the seat of my throne, and the memories of my lost love and our final battle together rolled once more over me.

I felt myself losing my grip on reality. On the present, the now. And falling back into the past, the before.

Back into the realm of memories and dreams. . .