Author's Notes: Well, this is the True-Form Ultimecia battle, aka the Final Battle, with a bit of flashback'ing for longer chapters. This chapter will both a look into Ultimecia's feelings and a flashback to the battle that killed her Dark Knight Geoff. I'm not very proud of the ending, I might revamp it later. If I do, I'll add 'V.3' or something, somewhere. Tell me if it works or not.
Version 2: Fixed two spelling mistakes and added my thanks to various people…look down to see who…
Disclaimer: As I've probably mentioned a lot, 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, Katherine, Bekka, the four evil SeeD people (Kavec, Ilana, Imar and Suki), Gabe, Demona, Rakshasha, Vampyre, Tempest and Kali. So uh...please Square, don't sue me! Well, I hope you like it. . .
Chapter 7
The End of Forever
Ultimecia's Point of View
I lay splayed out across the cold, hard stone. In this place called the Void of Irreality. The wind blows at my hair, churning it around my face, taking it out of the carefully created style I had forced it to stay in. I look up wearily. To the dark horizon. As my gold, clouded eyes gazed upwards, a flash of light streaked across the black sky.
A shooting star.
Like I had with Seth twelve years before, I made my wish. In a whisper, I made my plea; to no one in particular.
"Let me finish what I started. Please. Let me go back. . . . "
*******************************************************************************
I can honestly say I didn't expect an answer. Lying nearly unconscious, with my silver-pink hair blowing around my face; my gold eyes clouded and teary; my sanity slipping away from me, like each drop of blood from my mortal wounds.
So when a voice, soft and indistinguishable, responded to my plea, I honestly thought it was the wind.
"Ultimecia."
"You asked for a second chance. To go back ."
"There is still hope."
I didn't answer. I seriously thought I was hallucinating. I lost enough blood for it. But then. . .
"Time Compression is still possible. Your dream is still within your reach. All you need to do is unlock yourself."
I finally answered. There was no one to laugh at me, so why not?
"I- I don't understand. I'm dead. The SeeD have killed me. . . . how can I. . ?"
The voice, which I could still not discern as male or female, answered me before I could finish.
"I can give you a second chance. All you need to do is unleash your true form." The voice paused. "And forsake all you've fallen for."
I coughed, the wind picking up. "So that I may. . . rise to meet the end?"
"Yes. Do you accept my conditions? Do you forsake the trivial reasons that have killed you? Will you rise once more to finish what you have started? Or will you stay here, all alone, your one desire unattainable? Will you let *them* escape you? Can you die in peace knowing their deaths were not at your hands? I can take you to them. Agree to my conditions. Please."
I hesitated. This person, whoever he or she was, was persistent. But the part about *them*. . . . There were so many reasons I fought. For vengeance. For time compression. I could not forsake my one special reason though. I would settle without my vengeance on SeeD, without the power of all the sorceresses's as my own. I would settle without all of space and time within my grasp. I wanted to see them again. *Him*. My moment of hesitation ended. I spoke, my voice clear, despite the fact I was dying.
"I accept."
I felt it then, a presence, all around me. Fallen angels at my feet. That was the sensation. I tried to open my eyes, to see who this mysterious entity could be, but I found myself unable to. Above me, I heard the voice again. Whispered in my ear.
"Good."
I felt a hand, cold and warm at the same moment, touch my cheek.
"I will unleash the True Form. . . ."
I felt it, a change.
". . . . . And bring you back to where you belong."
Suddenly, I was falling, falling, falling. I opened my eyes then.
And saw.
Wherever I was, it sure wasn't the Void anymore. It was still dark, but as I watched, sparks of light filled the void. The sky was transformed; a night sky filled with millions of far-off stars. I felt strange, disoriented. It was only then that I looked down at myself.
Holy shit! I'm upside-down!
My arms were crossed against my chest, grasping my shoulders. I tried to move them, but could not. The tatters of my dress covered my off-white skin. My dark angel wings closed around my back and sides. My hair hung loose; the two thin strips of bangs, and the silver-pink hair that was once in spirals extending from either side of my head. It was flowing loose now, hanging. Without moving, I could see that what was left of me ended at my torso. From there, I was attached to a huge. . . thing.
The true form
On either side of my body extended a huge red. . . dress. That's all I can explain it as. Where it met with my body, it turned off-navy blue, then pink. From there, it was its torso. Multicoloured. I could see red, purple, pink, blue, white, and yellow. More. Extended at its sides were two long arms, first dark blue, then white and red, and finally purple. The fingers were huge, purple claws, extended. From the True Form's back sprouted dead wings, skeletal. Purple. Sharp, jagged. I could barely make out the head, but I saw the purple spikes protruding from the back of her neck, and huge wings sprouting from the top of the head. Off-white. Decaying from the inside out.
I looked up once last time. Saw it. The hair. Mine. Spiralled from the head, yellow and red and silver and purple. I thought that was shocking enough. Then I got a glimpse of the face.
Nothing.
It was pure blackness. Non-existent. From deep within, a yellow glow lit up the dark cavern of the deathmask.
If I could have moved, I would have. But I could not. I was trapped beneath this awful apparition.
It's you.
The True you.
The True Form Unleashed.
I heard it then. Far off, eerie. Echoing. Frightful.
Fithos.
White waves of energy fly through and past us.
Lusec.
Yellow rays of light pierce the blackness.
Wecos.
Rainbow waves of magic roll off us, splashing the darkness with colour.
Vinosec.
Them.
From nowhere, they return. They are pulled towards us, like gravity. They stands there, frozen in fear. They do not recognise me. Frankly, if I hadn't checked, neither would I.
I try to speak, but I am unable to. A voice speaks, mine. But. . . different. Substituted. There is a tone to the words. Thicker than my speech. I know it is the True Form. It speaks for me.
"I am Ultimecia."
My name echos against the nightscape, endless. It's strange to hear someone else say your name like it is their own. I listen carefully, trying to choose the words the True Form verbalises.
"Time shall compress. . . "
The accent is abandoned. I'm through pretending. This is me. No holes barred.
". . . All existence denied."
The light in the face glows brightly, flashing a horizontal ray, illuminating the darkness. Laughter fills my ears as I feel the True Form's arms outstretch. The sky behind us burns, exploding into kilometre high flames. The Children of Fate gasp and stare in awe at my newfound power. As do I.
Ignis.
Pure fire magic.
And I used it as though it was a pathetic fire spell. Amazing.
So this is the True Form. . .
Even though my face remains expressionless, I smile inside. Behind me, rainbow light and debris fly off into the oblivion of space. The Children shudder in fear.
I will make them regret destroying my dream.
Time Compression is mine.
I look then for my jewels. I see them, hanging around the True Form's neck. Middle and left glow bright blue, and the right is faintly emitting a pale blue light as well.
Soon.
So long as I can hold them back until then, I will have my dream.
Soon.
As they stare, I make my move. If I can be rid of them, all the easier my plan will be. I draw upon these newfound powers. The True Form outstretches its right arm, and pink and yellow sparks of magic crackle on the fingertips. I watch the words form in the True Form's non-existent mouth.
"For those who cannot. Hell's Judgement!"
Below the Children, a glyph appears. Shifting colours and elemental properties. Flames appear from the edge of the glyph, work their way inward. Purple magic flows throughout. The flames consume the glyph, and I watch the results of my new spell.
9998 HP.
Each.
They are left with but ONE HP. I prepare myself for the oncoming onslaught. They may be weakened, but each may use their Limit. I won't make the mistakes I made before. I'll be ready for them. I hardened myself to their attacks. Then it happened.
"Holy War!"
Hyne! They still had one left! Now they were invincible once again, semi-transparent.
The effects can only last so long though. Think positive. And when Invincible wears off, it'll be my turn to win. There, much better. While I'm thinking, they attack. I hear barking below me. Look down to see a brown and white dog run towards me. Us. Whatever. The one that the sorceress used before for her Wishing Star Limit. The dog jumps, grabs the True Form at the torso.
"Angelo Strike!"
The dog jumps up then, spinning us in the air. I gasped in shock when I made the newest startling revelation.
That thing I thought was a dress isn't a dress.
It's the horizon.
The True Form isn't against a night sky. . . it IS the night sky.
I'm not the only one dealing with this fact. As the True Form, and I with her, smash to the. . . ground, I see the Children trying to accept what they just witnessed.
I feel the True Form using this chance to our advantage. She sweeps her arms upwards from her sides, the claws slashing the warrior. Of course, it does nothing. Not yet at least. Just a few more minutes. . . .
My vision starts to cloud. I almost collapse under the sudden pain in my head. . . if I had the ability to collapse, of course. I can't move though, cannot help myself. Just as I feel I'm about to explode, I drift out of consciousness, back into the memories. . .
Flashback: Die Another Day
I watched him, practising with his blade. Lion Heart, it was called. Seth had one too, before. But now Seth is dead, and he is my only surviving friend.
Geoff.
My Dark Knight.
In legend, they say there are two possible knights for every sorceress. One is the Holy Knight. He is the knight that will sacrifice his own life to save his sorceress. The other is the Dark Knight. He will sacrifice the lives of others to protect his sorceress. Seth was my warrior of light. And Geoff is my soldier of darkness.
It's been five years now, since the day the SeeDs killed Seth. We survivors have changed only slightly, nineteen to twenty-four. Consistently, since that day, they have sent SeeD out to destroy me. Each time, Geoff and my Guardians protect me.
To look at him, you wouldn't think his lithe form is capable of beating back those muscle-bound asshole SeeDs. But he does. I don't know where he gets his powers, his strength. But I can guess.
The Knight.
I watch him now, lazily swinging the blade, dropping it, drawing his twin gunblades, the TwinHeart. He slices away with those now, drops them as well. Pulls out the double-edged sword now, Fallout. Swings. Perfectly. Slashes, and agin. Finishes, and drops it.
He grabs at the bow on his back, Bow of Fates. Puts a magically enhanced arrow into the string. Twang. Hits its mark perfectly. Pulls out another. And another. Same effect. It has been only six seconds since he pulled out the bow.
He drops the bow now, switches to his twin handguns, Platinum Pulse. Shoots lead into the targets. Drops them too, empty. Grabs the whip and nunchaku, Save the Queen and Strange Vision. Again, perfect accuracy. He throws them down too, joining the ever increasing pile of discarded weapons.
He goes now into a fury of punches and kicks. All perfectly placed. Head and stomach. Finally, he stops. Walks over to the silver blue bookbag. Reaches in. Grabs a bottle of water. Opens and drinks.
He has yet to break a sweat.
My knight.
I'm proud of him. He's come so far in the last five years. Except for Seth, there is no one else I would rather trust with my life than him. I am turning to leave when I hear him scream. . .
I turn back, spinning on my heels. He clutches his head in pain. I run to him, just as he is collapsing to the ground. Catch him.
"What is it, what's wrong?" Breathless from running.
He's silent for a moment. I think he may have lost consciousness. I was about to lay him down when his eyes opened, a sudden flash of green.
"They're coming." Prophetic.
I look at him then, confused.
"Who?"
"The SeeD. Full-force. The entire Garden. They want us dead this time. They're landing on Centra as we speak. I-"
"Geoff, how. . . ?"
"Just trust me. Assemble the Guardians. This time, we fight first."
End Flashback
I snap out of it, finally. I hate that memory almost more then the others harboured in the recesses of my mind. I mentally shake my head, to get rid of the recollection-residue. I have to focus. I see the True Form has continued the battle without me. How I realize that, I have no idea. But I know.
The warrior boy grins below me, still invincible. Obviously I wasn't out too long. He repeats his Limit's name, running towards us.
"Duel!"
Mach Kick, Dolphin Blow, Punch Rush, Heel Drop, Meteor Strike, Dolphin Blow, Mach Kick, Punch Rush. Still not finished. Uses Burning Rave, wings of fire sprouting from his back. Punches ground, hard. Heavy damage. He grins and runs back into ranks. Something in the back of my mind clicks.
Memories wash over me. Childhoods, not just my own. I see their faces, children. So happy. Uncorrupted by the evils of the world. I open my eyes. How can I make them remember?
"Reflect on your. . ."
"Childhood. . . "
So innocent then, so naïve. So. . . pure. They have to remember. This isn't the way the world should be.
The leader charges then, gunblade raised. He whispers the Limit's name, but I know it by heart.
"Renzokuken."
He slashes at the torso, again and again. Eight times, unending. Stops. Before he turns back, uses his finishing blow.
"Fated Circle."
The blade goes crimson and he spins it above his bead, in a full circle. A yellow, circular wave of energy extends all the way around him, thrashing me. It's happening too quickly. I feel it hit me again.
I see through their eyes. Memories of them, happy. Feel what they're feeling, sense what they're sensing. Hear what they're hearing, say what they're saying. Things could be better. Things could be as they were. If only I could make them see. Remember. This isn't the way things should happen.
"Your sensations. . . "
"Your words. . . "
"Your emotions. . . "
Still, nothing. I look on. I want to stop now. I surrender. Won't listen. The True Form has her own agenda.
"Draw Apocalypse!"
My voice, yet not me. I feel something being dragged out of me. My magic. Pink essence, three spherical bubbles. From me to her. She's not listening to me either. But then, I feel it.
I can move.
The Anti-Ultimecia. That's what I am.
Freedom. I can end this now. End all our suffering. I can't stand this. My gifts are curses. My memories are not my own, my powers handed down through the generations. My individuality fading. I won't let this continue. I'll end it here.
"Apocalypse!"
My mouth forms the words, but my voice is a whisper. Nothing happens.
I have no magic! I have nothing! I'm just a power source for the True Form. Nothing more.
I hear laughter. Inside my head. I recognize it as that of the entity which unlocked this. . . thing. At first, it is as indescribable as it was before. But then. . .
Hyne.
I recognize the voice. Male. From memories, the past. It's him. It's
Hyne.
He used me. Used me as a vessel. To free himself from the Void.
And I helped him. I helped him escape his prison.
I felt it then. A flash.
A young woman stood in a battlefield. Her companions lay around her, in agony. Close to death. Ahead of her, a silver-haired young man in a black robe stood. He felt he had won. The only thing standing between him and victory was this woman.
Katherine.
The man raises his arm, extends it, throws a fire spell, pure, Ignis, at the red-head. It is about to engulf her body, when she raises her hand. From the hand pulses crystals of ice, covering her body like a shield. When the flames burn out, he gasps when he sees the woman, still alive, smiling.
"Your time is up. It's time to end your rampage. Prepare to meet the Void. . . Hyne."
The man, Hyne, jeered at the woman.
"And what do you expect to do? I'm a god. The ancestor to the sorceresses and Guardian Forces."
"And I'm Katherine. A goddess. A Guardian Force. The patron saint of non-conformity. A person. You've ended so many stories tonight. But now, it's your story that will be cut short. You might have created us, Hyne, but we're not your tools anymore."
She hardened herself. Magic pulsed through her entire body. He raised his hand to attack. . .
"No."
With that one word from Katherine's mouth, Hyne froze. She had stopped his movement. He glared at her.
"Your time is up. Prepare for the Void."
She extended her arms from her sides, drawing energy from all around her. Her body shook with intense concentration. She focused the energy, a small ball of shimmering light in front of her. She concentrated, and the energy changed. She had created . . .
A portal.
To the Void.
His punishment.
She kept her focus, although her hold was slipping. She brought her arms around so they were extended in front of her. She pushed out, mentally and physically, willing the portal to move as well. It shook for a moment, before flying forward with a sudden jolt and hitting Hyne hard in the chest. He disappeared through it, and the young woman, her power expended, fell to the ground, dying.
And Hyne. . . Hyne was in the Void. Free. Screaming at the young goddess who had been true to her word.
I had freed him. From this Void. He had used my desires to return to escape from his prison. And I had been too obsessed with getting my wish that I didn't realize it. And now, it was too late. . . .
His laughter continued to echo in my mind. I screamed, but no sound escaped my lips. I watched as the Sorceress used Angelo Cannon and fired her dog, on winged projectile, at us. HE and I. Not she. Damage. The Warrior used his Duel again. Ten attacks in succession, ended with Meteor Barrett. It was just a matter of time before the Leader too used his Limit. Six slashes with Renzokuken and ended with Blasting Zone. I reached my limit again. Realized something.
It's about time. Truly, that's all that matters. Time. Unwaiting. To it we lose everything. Infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood. Friends, family, lovers. Memories, events, days, moments. Nothing can escape the touch of time. I open my mouth. Speak.
"Time. . . "
"It will not wait. . . "
Words. I could speak. I shivered. I felt what Hyne was about to do. I tried to scream out, to warn them. Their Invincibility faltered. Hyne grinned internally. I screamed, voiceless. He extended his arms, calling upon his stolen powers. Using his usurped voice, a whisper at first, but progressively louder.
"Feel my wrath, Fated Children. Apocalypse!"
Before the spell could take effect, out of nowhere, the girl's dog appeared.
"Invincible Moon!"
The dog howled , and all of a sudden, a huge, blue moon filled the sky. Moonlight filtered down upon the Children of Fate, reinitiating the Invincible status they needed more now then ever before. . .
Waves of rainbow light engulf the Sorceress, Leader and Warrior, as green orbs of light float into the darkened sky. Multiple glyphs resembling clocks appear where the green orbs disappeared, and each glyph gives off its own yellow ray of light. The rays converge into one powerful ball of energy, which proceeds to disintegrate the glyphs with a flash of white light. The shards of the glyphs spin around the ball of energy, and the energy explodes itself into the centre of the Children of Fate in a wave of green light and glyph shards.
The True For-, Hyne, stared in shock. Like they had with my attacks before, the magic did nothing. Before, I had hated it. Now, I was happy. I had a chance.
If I could make these children see, remember, feel, as they did before, maybe I could stop Hyne again. Maybe they could defeat Hyne, for good. Unknowingly. I had to hope. Even if it meant never seeing them again. My reasons for Time Compression.
Seth and Geoff.
I needed to see them, to know that they're alright. But I'll sacrifice that too. If it means saving the world.
The Warrior uses Duel yet again. He failed to get a finishing blow in. I was close again. The Leader charged once more, gunblade raised. Hacked away at Hyne's body with Renzokuken. Like his Warrior, unable to use a finishing blow.
I was pushed over the edge. Flooded with memories. Of him.
Geoff.
Flashback Part 2: Die Another Day
The first wave comes. Just as predicted. Geoff's scary like that sometimes. We send out the lesser GMs first. Save Tiamat, Krysta, Catoblepas and the others for later. The GMs cut down most of the first wave, but they too are being slaughtered. By then end of wave one, of the twenty GMs, two survived.
Geoff had disappeared, but he reappeared now, beside me. I looked at him, and had to gasp.
He was literally COVERED with weapons. His bow, quiver and double-edged sword hung on his back, hooked onto Seth's leather jacket, which covered his black and silver T-Shirt. On the jacket were a case for his nunchaku, and his whip. On the back of his blue jeans hung his gunblade sheath. The twin gunblade sheaths were attached to either hip. The holsters for his twin handguns were next to the sheaths. On the right arm of the jacket hung the Setting Sun projectile weapon, taken from Seth. On his fists were Ehrgeiz, red and black. His shoes, the Ultima Boots, pulse with power. Blue and silver. He was a human weapon. And I was the reason he had to be.
He flexes, stretching his muscles. Hyne, was he amazing. He looked like a boy-god. I smile weakly at him.
The second wave hit then. It was a MUCH smaller wave than the first, and I almost let loose the remaining GMs to finish them off. Then I saw. . . .
Her.
Bekka Kinneas.
I suppose I forgot to mention her. Call it selective memory. It's cuz I HATE her. She was friends with Geoff when we were younger. Then she developed an attitude and abandoned him. We were twelve. Half a lifetime ago. It used to be the four of us. Then it became three. Now, it's two. I feared soon it would be one.
The look on Geoff's face when he recognised Bekka was the worst. His face went white; drained of all colour. All courage. Bekka noticed the effect of her presence on him, grinned evilly.
"I always knew you were a sorceress lover, Brody. Too bad that silver-haired bitch won't be able to save you now. You're such a wimp, Geoff. Hide behind your crappy-ass friends. You might have lived through the other battles, but tonight, you and your sorceress bitch DIE! Enjoy the show."
She laughed, chilling. It was then that she turned to another SeeD behind her and took something from him. A weapon.
Rocket launcher.
That'd be the Tilmitt in her.
She knelt down, took up aim. I saw what she was aiming at. Us. On the chain that connected our floating castle to the ground. I grabbed Geoff's shoulder and teleported us back just she let loose the first pulse from the rocket launcher.
The rocket hit the chain, shaking it crazily and blowing off a good check of metal, but nothing more. She screamed and reaimed it at us, in our new position. The base of our castle. Fired. Missed. Reloaded and shot, twice more. Both with the same accuracy. I always knew she wasn't good with that thing.
She laughed again, but her face showed her true emotion. She snarled at us, and motioned for the rest of the second wave to attack. Then charged up the chain, weapons raised.
I put my hand on Geoff's shoulder, magic coursing through the fingers. He touched the hand, gently. I whispered softly in his ear.
"She's not the Bekka we used to know. She's changed, and you have to too. She'd easily take your life, without a second thought. Don't give her the chance, ok Geoff? End her life tonight. I hate to say it, but its true. I can't lose you too. Not know. Not ever."
He merely nodded. I would have begged him, pleaded with him. For Seth. But they attacked. . .
One after another, the fell like dominoes. The GMs that were left from the first wave died, and Geoff took out most of the rest. All that stood between us and round three was a handful of SeeD. . . and Bekka.
She flung a Stop spell at me. Paralysed. So I couldn't interfere. Before the effects took hold though, I summoned Cyrène, giving Geoff some help. Cyrène appeared, submerging the ancient Orphanage in 12 metres of water.
Mermaid's Kiss
Cyrène raised her right hand to her lips. Kissed the fingertips. Extended them. A spiral tornado of water engulfed the remaining SeeD, drowning them in ocean tears. Cyrène was about to disappear, when the sole surviving SeeD, save for Bekka, pulled out a rifle. Took a shot at the angelic mermaid, shot echoing endless.
Right between the eyes.
If I could have screamed, I would have.
He had killed Cyrène.
End Flashback
Time. It all came back to that. I watched as everyone around me fell. Unable to do anything. Escape me.
"No matter. . . "
". . . how hard you hold on."
"It escapes you. . . "
It can't end yet. They need to know. Hyne's laughter still echos in my ears. I wait. Hyne attacks, through me.
"Holy!"
The spell centres on their Leader. Green light focussed, then exploded. If he still wouldn't have been under Invincible, it would have done minimal damage. Instead, it did nothing.
Soon. . .
The Sorceress used her turn to Scan.
Ultimecia
Ultimecia, transformed to absorb all time and space. Absorbing all existence as we speak.
Level 65 ?????/????? Fly Monster
All time and space. . . . no. He can't. He'll end everyone's existence. This isn't how it was supposed to be. It's all wrong. This isn't what I wanted. It's. . .
The Warrior uses Duel once again. Dolphin Blow, Punch Rush, Heel Drop, Mach Kick, Dolphin Blow, Punch Rush, Mach Kick, Dolphin Blow. Uses My Final Heaven. Flies past us, then flies through us. So close. . . too close.
Not yet. It's too soon. I haven't made them see. I haven't made them understand. I can't die yet. I have to tell them. The truth.
"And. . . "
Just a little longer. That's all I need. A few more seconds. Collect my thoughts. Tell them. Make them understand.
This isn't me.
This isn't what I wanted.
I'm sorry.
The Leader lifts his blade, running forward. As he is running, the Invincible status wears off. He jumps in the air.
"Renzokuken."
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
The last slash cuts the chain around Hyne's neck. Slowly, my necklace, holding the three crystals, falls.
I almost think he stopped. If he did, I could have told them.
But he didn't.
"Lionheart!"
He slashes upwards, sending us high in the air. I faded back into the memory just as he took a second slash with his gunblade.
Flashback Part 3: Die Another Day
The mermaid summon's hand extended to her face, touched the now-bleeding wound. Brought the scarlet fingertips into view. She let out a single whimper and fell back against the stone she sat on.
Dead.
Still unable to move, I saw Geoff take out his whip and embed the sharp point in the boy's spinal column. Right below the neck.
The SeeD dropped dead, in two parts, as Geoff thrust up with the chain and split the boy's back and head in half.
Geoff turned back to me, bit his lip in sorrow at losing Cyrène, and turned back to Bekka.
"Go the hell away. You're not wanted here, Kinne-ass."
"Oh, bite me Spikes. I'm on a mission. If you were still a SeeD, maybe you'd know what that means. My mission is to kill the sorceress-bitch, and anyone she manipulated into her cause. That means your little girlfriend Silver, that dumbass Lion, and you, Spikey."
I watched as he exploded, literally. With his magic, he threw a Pulse-Flare at her, and screamed.
"One, Ultimecia is NOT my girlfriend, two, the only dumbass here is you, Bekka. Three, it's Seth, not Lion, and your bastard friends killed him, so leave him out of this. Four, you won't be killing anyone tonight. And five, MY NAME IS GEOFF!"
I saw the sparkling remnants of the magic essence I had left on his shoulder on his right hand. I gasped when I saw him run his fingers through his black hair. Wherever he touched, the hair went first multicoloured, then pure silver. At first, the colour stayed only in what he touched, but then it spread. Within three seconds, all the hair on his head was as silver as mine. I saw Bekka step back in shock. I grinned.
He's unlocked his true power.
Isolate.
His Dark Knight skills.
I saw him shudder at the power, but he took it in step. He charged then, drawing Lion Heart from its sheath. Bekka drew her sword just in time. It was exactly as he practised before. He slashed, she blocked. The timing and frequency of the hits and parries were exact. It was as if he knew beforehand exactly how the battle would play out.
Bekka drew a dagger from its sheath on her hip then. Geoff dropped the gunblade to the ground, kicked it out of the way, and exchanged it for his twin gunblades. Slash, block, swipe, block. Over and over. Exactly the same. Like horrible dèja-vu. I felt the effects of the spell wearing off. I could flex my fingers now. I prepared an Ice spell to freeze Bekka in her place.
Before either Geoff or I could realize what she was planning next, Bekka spoke, backing away from Geoff and dodging his blades.
"Light, give me strength! Fusion!"
With those words, she slammed the hilts of her dagger and sword together, melding them together. A double-edged sword. Geoff flung the twin gunblades away, embedding each of them in the stone a few metres away. He then reached over his shoulder and pulled out his own.
I was just about to freeze the auburn-haired bitch in her place, when a small group of SeeD, the pathetic third wave, came up the chain and recast the spell on me. I cursed, and lost movement again.
Geoff and Bekka were locked in battle. He had better accuracy with his weapon, of course. He slashed and she blocked for a few moments, but he got the better of her and slashed at her leg, freeing blood. She stepped back, trying to ignore the pain. The newly-created double-edged sword fell to the ground. Let the third wave do their job.
Geoff dropped the dual-edged sword, grabbed at the bow. Strung the arrows almost faster than he could shoot them. Each arrow, magically enhanced, struck straight in the heart. Killing blows. Twelve arrows expended. He was out. Grabbed at the pistols, throwing the bow away. Riddled the SeeDs with pellets of death. Still some left. Tossed aside the empty guns, took the whip in one hand, nunchaku in the other. He massacred the remaining SeeD at far-range, and dropped the whip and nunchaku.
Two left.
Ran up, punched in the head, kicked in the spleen. Exploded the small sac of bile, sending the contents into the abdominal cavity, melting him from the inside out. Repeated the process with the other one, girl. KO'd if not dead. He was so preoccupied he didn't even notice. . . .
The Stop spell wore off, I screamed.
"Geoff!"
Too late. Bekka grabbed Geoff's fallen Lion Heart and thrust forward, stabbed him in the back. The magic surged into my fingers. About to unleash a spell, when . . .
Geoff stumbled, the hilt of the blade embedded in his back, the blade protruding from his chest. Blood stained the T-Shirt, deepening the black. His blue jeans collecting crimson regret, scarlet life-essence dripping off the blade, pooling in front of him.
He fell to his knees. Bekka grinned in satisfaction, knelt and picked up her fallen double-edged sword. Began walking towards me, weapon in hand. But then. . .
Blood sprayed from Bekka's chest. She stumbled, gasped, and collapsed to the ground. The blood pooled around her. The Setting Sun jutted out of her chest and back, the centre of the projectile firmly lodged in the girl's heart and lungs. When she landed, she further impaled herself on the sword in her hand. A small smile spread over my face and I glanced over to Geoff.
His hand, like his predecessor's before him, was clasping the trigger to the projectile weapon. He grinned, and motioned for me to come closer. I moved towards him, preparing a Curaga and Esuna spell.
I knelt before him.
"Hey." Weakly.
"Hey."
"So it comes to this, eh? I knew it was coming, you know. But at least I protected you. Seth would be proud of me, don't ya think?"
I smiled at him. "Of course. Now, let me heal you, ok?"
He shook his head. "Save it. I'm too far gone already. You'll need it later anyway. Although I doubt you'll use it. You never told me what Seth said when he died. About me."
I choked. I never told Geoff what Seth said of him, because Seth said nothing. The only person Seth talked about before he died was me. I pitied Geoff immensely for it. I bit my lip, but one look told me he knew what I was thinking.
"I figured. Well, maybe this is the reason, eh? Maybe I can have a nice long conversation with him, hm? No worries, Ultimecia. I know he didn't feel the same way about me that I felt for him. I was always the third wheel, until he died. And even then, I always had to work to gain respect, to be as great a fighter as he was. I. . ." He paused. Blood began to drip from his lip. I wiped it away.
"I know I'm different. And I know no one likes me because of it. But really, its not what I am, but who. That should be what matters. But people don't see that. Except you. We're similar in a lot of ways, Mecia. They hate us cuz we don't live in their lie. They hate us cuz we're different. But being different doesn't make us any worse then them. It makes us individual. They didn't work for the power, for a society where everyone who's different isn't a person. That's just how it was. Because we're different doesn't make them any better then them. It makes them luckier. . . lucky that society views them as the perfect ones and not us. I didn't deserve this, neither did Seth, and neither do you. I'll admit I didn't like you so much when we were younger. But now. . . I'd die for you. And I suppose that's what I'm doing. You do the right thing, ok Ultimecia? You keep yourself safe, and protect the people who are different. I. . " He coughed again, spitting blood. His time was almost up. "I'm glad I met you, Ultimecia. You showed me that I'm not a freak. Thank you. And here."
He touched my hand. I felt a shiver, and then memories overwhelmed me. Millions of them. He smiled.
"Now you have the gift. The gift that helped me before. Hopefully, it'll help you too. Memories are amazing things. I hope you remember me. . . not for the weak little boy I was. . . . But for the boy that stood up for what he believed in."
High above us, the clock tower chimed the hour. I didn't know it then, but this would be the last time in five years that clock would toll . I counted each chime, knowing unconsciously when it would stop.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
I looked down at Geoff, smiling weakly. He pointed vaguely in the direction of the clock tower.
"Your Final Fantasy Ends at Eight, Breathe Your Last Breaths, Children of Fate."
He choked a bit.
"Five years."
He remembered. It was October 31st; 5 years since the day Seth died. He gasped, and I almost spoke, but then he continued, as if in a trance.
"When the halted clocktower once more chimes, The End of Forever will rend these times."
He blinked. I didn't realize it while he had said that, but when he had spoken, his eyes had been silver-blue. When he reopened them, the flash of green hit me. He looked at me, knowing his time was short.
"Well, see ya later. . . !"
His breathing was erratic. If this would have been before, I would be emotional, screaming, begging him not to go. But I'm not like that anymore.
I nod. "I love you, Geoff Brody. You're the best friend anyone could ask for, and you deserved better then her." I motioned to Bekka's corpse. I pause, tears flowing down my cheeks, silent. "I'm proud of you." A cross between a gasp and a whimper escapes from Geoff's lips, and his breathing shallows. All he can do is grin as he slips away, joins my Holy Knight in places unknown.
I lower Geoff's body to the castle's stone steps, and stand, watching the fourth and final wave prepare themselves for attack. I take off the ring from my finger, feeling the burning sensation once more. I throw it to the ground, glaring at the SeeDs. Knowing their demise is moments away. I think of how I can stop this. One thought alone comes to my mind.
End the existence of Garden.
I remembered then. A device that was said to be able to send the consciousness of a person into the past.
Junction Machine Ellone.
I would find that device. I would make Garden cease to exist. From the past.
No more final fantasies. I'll make it a reality.
Mine.
I smile, throw the ring before me. Whisper the name of my sole surviving guardian.
"Griever."
End Flashback
I open my eyes. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. The slashes are unending. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Still they come. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. The blade glows now, drawing in energy from around it.
He swings it in a slashing motion, at Hyne's throat. The gunblade severs Hyne's flesh. Kills him. They won. For a moment, the boy and I are looking face to face. My voice, a whisper, implores him.
I know.
"You speak for all of us when you can't be heard. I bet you haven't listened to not one word."
Unknowingly, I felt something transfer. Me to him. And not just the message. Something more.
My sorceress powers.
No. A sorceress? Impossible. He was a boy. It can't happen like that. . . can it? Shock. I spoke, unrealized. Whisper, once more.
"My gift was my curse. All it brought me was hardship and pain. Maybe my curse can be your gift. Maybe now, you shall understand."
At the same moment, hundreds of memories transferred to him, flooding his senses. This boy. Their Leader. Memories of past sorceresses. Of their knights. Of everything.
Maybe he'll understand.
Maybe he'll understand that
he's not alone.
He falls back to the ground. Above me, the arms raise to Hyne's unface. Screaming. Waves of red light and blood pour off us. A pillar of light, vertical, shoots through us. Rays of white light, exploding. Black light and rainbow rays continue to illuminate the darkness. Above me, the True Form; Hyne, shatters, the progression moving slowly downwards.
Towards me.
I look at the Children of Fate. The Warrior and the Sorceress are holding the Leader steady. He looks at me. They follow his stare. I smile faintly. They nod. They know. Or he does. Maybe. I feel my torso shattering above me. My time is almost up. I look down, and see.
Glowing bright blue on the black surface, a make-shift ground, lay three crystals on a gold chain. Mine. The left glows. Future. The middle glows, present. The right sparks forth the last flash of blue. Glowing. The past.
Complete.
But too late.
I remember what Geoff told me, before he died. Prophecy. This was The End.
The End of Forever.
Below, a glyph shone bright blue. In the centre of the glyph, a symbol glistened silver.
VIII
The Prophecy fulfilled. My face shatters, spiralling into oblivion. My last breath expelled.
I'm dead.
Author's Notes2: Well, that's Chapter 7. I hope it's long enough (considering its almost as long as the rest of the story combine..). I'll explain a bit now.
First of all, Geoff has a special power, if you happened to notice. I haven't really come up with a name for it, except, basically, a Memory Reciever. Basically, it is an ability called 'Redaction', the ability to probe and modify the memories and thoughts of others. Except in these cases, just probe...or look. Geoff can see memories of people from the past, present, and future. When Geoff dies, he passes this unique ability on to Ultimecia. It is this ability that is allowing her to see these random memories throughout the last seven chapters.
Also, I made Ultimecia give her sorceress powers to Squall. Confusing? Probably. I didn't change anything though, so check out Chapter 8 for my explanation. If you don't like the idea of Squall being the first sorcerer...too bad. I'll explain though, I promise!
Also, I made Hyne the 'True Form'. That's the part I'm not overly proud of, and might modify later. Depends on reader-reaction. I explained that as much as possible, and if you are interested, I have two stories that will go more in depth with this void and Hyne's appearance here. The first is Perfection's Echo, Katherine's story. The other is Creator, Hyne's story.
Also, you might have noticed Geoff's prophecy. First, 'Your Final Fantasy Ends at Eight, Breathe your last breaths, Children of Fate.'; this represented the many times throughout the fic where people died at eight. The second, 'Five years', shows true. Ultimecia thinks Seth means that it was five years since Seth died the day Geoff died. But really, he meant in five years, she too would die. Lastly, 'When the halted clocktower chimes, The End of Forever shall rend these times.'; basically, this is what happened. The clocktower, for the first time since Geoff's death, strikes the hour. When it does, it initiates 'The End of Forever'. . . basically, Ultimecia's death(s).
In Chapter 8 you can expect a continuation of where the Survivors Flashback ended, and how Ultimecia became a sorceress will be answered. This Chapter ends at Ultimecia's death. But somehow, she returns time-trekked, and happens across a certain Orphanage... Well, till then!
Now, for my kudos. :D Well, I feel the need to thank a whole bunch of people, so I shall.
First off, I'd like to thank Katie for her constant reading and rereading of this and all chapters every time I updated them. Without your help, this 20 page chapter would have driven me insane! Thank you so much!
Next off, I'd like to thank Candace for reading the chaps and giving me opinions as well. Thanks!
I'd also like to thank my other friends who read, commented and enjoyed; Rin, Danny, Matt and any others. Your help and opinions helped me with keeping this fic somewhat normal….
And lastly, I'd like to thank my four current reviewers: Pretty Green Eyes, Layna, Mari the Homicidal Maniac, and SiN sPaWn for their great reviews. . . kept me going when I thought I couldn't write anymore. Thank you guys so much; your reviews are GREATLY appreciated.
Also, for any of those interested, I have a new story idea, posted finally, which will revolve around Geoff, Ultimecia's Dark Knight. It will be more in-depth than this fic, and explain some of their history more, and give a new point of view on some of the events that happen as flashbacks in this fic. The fic is called 'Different Beat'. I'm thinking up Chapter 2 as I'm writing these author's notes. Well, till the next update!
~Shive