The Return of Magic 2/?
See chapter 1 for disclaimers etc.
******** Buffy and Xander looked at each other. "Ya know, this really doesn't look like hell to me. No one is making with the eternal torture and I don't see any fires." Xander noted.
"Ya know, you're right. Where are we? Last thing that I remember was being sucked into the Acathla portal, and that was supposed to lead to hell, right?"
"Uh, hello. Who might you be? And how'd you manage to come through the door?" the man that had watched them almost literally drop from the sky asked.
"Uh, hi. I'm Xander and that's Buffy." Xander pointed to Buffy. "Who are you guys, and where are we, anyways? Not that I don't mind that we didn't end up in a hell dimension."
"I'm Locke, this is Celes. We're at the ruins of Kefka's Tower. How would you guys not know that? He WAS the ruling maniac about two months ago, and he ruled for about a year. You guys have amnesia or something? Or were you trapped behind the door this whole time? Wait a second, hell dimension? I know it's bad here, but life is returning, not like it is hell around here."
"I've got one thing to add too, either of you two know her?" Celes pointed at Willow. "She doesn't seem to be in the best of shape."
Willow had actually passed out, and was now just lying on the gurney, pale.
Xander and Buffy turned around, and both shouted at the same time, "Willow!" and ran to her. Noticing that she was ok for the moment, Buffy turned around. "Yeah, this is our friend Willow. I don't know how she got here, but we were pulled into a portal. Is there anywhere we can take her to make her a little more comfortable, it doesn't look it is any good around here."
Locke nodded. "Yeah, we can take her to Albrooke. It's to the south of here, and we've been rebuilding it."
******** In Albrooke:
Xander whistled. "Damn, what happened here? It looks like a war zone!"
Locke looked at Xander, "Kefka happened. I'll tell you about it later, but let's get you friend into a decent bed first."
"Right, where to then? Willow and her bed are getting kinda heavy."
"Xander, Willow's not heavy." Buffy looked at him.
"Speak for yourself, you've got Slayer strength."
"Anyways, we're here. Bring your friend inside. We'll make her comfortable. Then we can tell you what happened." Celes told them.
Xander and Buffy lifted the gurney back up again, and brought her into what looked to be like an Inn.
********
"So, anyways. Now that Willow is safe and sleeping the sleep of the really tired, can you tell us what's up with this place? Oh, hi I'm Xander. Nice to meet ya. And you guys are?" Xander looked over at the other people in the building.
"I'm Sabin, nice to meet you as well."
"My name's Setzer."
Locke looked over at a girl sitting at a table, playing with a green shard of glass. "She's Terra. She doesn't like to talk to us anymore. She's actually the reason we were at the tower today. Terra, do you mind if we tell them about you?"
Terra slowly turned her head and looked at Locke. She shrugged, and turned back to look at the piece of glass in her hand again.
"Alright, I'm gonna take that as a yes. Anyways, Terra is only half human. Her father wasn't human. That piece of Magicite there is all that she has left of him. Her father was an Esper."
"ESPER!" Xander shouted. "The symbol of one of those guys is what I had carved into that stake I threw you Buffy. So in this world, Espers exist?"
Locke shook his head sadly. "No, sorry. Espers no longer exist here. But that's part of the story I'm going to tell you."
So Locke told Buffy and Xander their story. What he knew of Terra's birth, her capture by the Empire. The slave crown used to control her, and its removal in Narshe. The Returners, seeing Tritoch, and what it had done to Terra. Their meeting with Ramuh in Zozo, and the raid on the Empire. The Floating Continent and Kefka's insanity ending with the rearrangement of the world's surface. The gathering of their friends and how they stopped Kefka from destroying more cities with his "Light of Judgement." How after the battle Terra had lead them to safety in her other form, and watching her father's Magicite crystal shatter. Terra sacrificing her Esper half to lead them out with what remained of her energy. The end of magic in their world.
It lasted well into the night.
"So that's the story. After Kefka's tower fell, we were all ecstatic. But a few days later, Terra started to withdraw into herself. Celes thinks that it's the fact that she has no magic anymore, and it's creating a hole in her heart because she's missing a part of her." Locke stated.
Celes nodded. "Yeah, I kinda feel like that too since I was infused with magic at a young age, but I wasn't born to it. I think it hit her really hard. Anyways, you guys get to bed; we can work things out in the morning. Maybe your friend will wake up too."
Xander and Buffy agreed, and went upstairs to another guest room near Willow's.
Terra looked up at the ceiling, then stood up and shuffled to her bed.
******** The next morning:
"Locke"
Locke spun around, stunned. "Terra? Did you say something?"
"W.w.who's here?" Terra seemed to struggle with the words.
"Two new people, Xander and Buffy. They've got a hurt friend here, I think her name is Willow."
Terra mumbled.
"What did you say?" Locke asked, not trying to show his excitement that Terra was talking more now than she had in the past couple of months.
"C.c.c.can I see h.h.h.her?" Terra stuttered out quickly, as if it hurt to talk.
"Sure, come on." Locke lead her to the room where Willow was still asleep.
"She's hurt? But how, she should be able to heal herself." Terra whispered. "And it's inside her too. Maybe she needs help to start?"
"Terra? What are you talking about?"
Terra starting mumbling the words for a Cure spell.
"Terra, you know magic..." Locke's words were cut off as a magic aura surrounded Terra and Willow shot up into a sitting position, gasping.
Terra fainted.
"HOLY SHIT, TERRA CAST A SPELL!" Locke bellowed.
********
Post fic comment: So, how was it? Feedback please, I've got an idea of where to go with this, but I'd like to know what you guys think.
See chapter 1 for disclaimers etc.
******** Buffy and Xander looked at each other. "Ya know, this really doesn't look like hell to me. No one is making with the eternal torture and I don't see any fires." Xander noted.
"Ya know, you're right. Where are we? Last thing that I remember was being sucked into the Acathla portal, and that was supposed to lead to hell, right?"
"Uh, hello. Who might you be? And how'd you manage to come through the door?" the man that had watched them almost literally drop from the sky asked.
"Uh, hi. I'm Xander and that's Buffy." Xander pointed to Buffy. "Who are you guys, and where are we, anyways? Not that I don't mind that we didn't end up in a hell dimension."
"I'm Locke, this is Celes. We're at the ruins of Kefka's Tower. How would you guys not know that? He WAS the ruling maniac about two months ago, and he ruled for about a year. You guys have amnesia or something? Or were you trapped behind the door this whole time? Wait a second, hell dimension? I know it's bad here, but life is returning, not like it is hell around here."
"I've got one thing to add too, either of you two know her?" Celes pointed at Willow. "She doesn't seem to be in the best of shape."
Willow had actually passed out, and was now just lying on the gurney, pale.
Xander and Buffy turned around, and both shouted at the same time, "Willow!" and ran to her. Noticing that she was ok for the moment, Buffy turned around. "Yeah, this is our friend Willow. I don't know how she got here, but we were pulled into a portal. Is there anywhere we can take her to make her a little more comfortable, it doesn't look it is any good around here."
Locke nodded. "Yeah, we can take her to Albrooke. It's to the south of here, and we've been rebuilding it."
******** In Albrooke:
Xander whistled. "Damn, what happened here? It looks like a war zone!"
Locke looked at Xander, "Kefka happened. I'll tell you about it later, but let's get you friend into a decent bed first."
"Right, where to then? Willow and her bed are getting kinda heavy."
"Xander, Willow's not heavy." Buffy looked at him.
"Speak for yourself, you've got Slayer strength."
"Anyways, we're here. Bring your friend inside. We'll make her comfortable. Then we can tell you what happened." Celes told them.
Xander and Buffy lifted the gurney back up again, and brought her into what looked to be like an Inn.
********
"So, anyways. Now that Willow is safe and sleeping the sleep of the really tired, can you tell us what's up with this place? Oh, hi I'm Xander. Nice to meet ya. And you guys are?" Xander looked over at the other people in the building.
"I'm Sabin, nice to meet you as well."
"My name's Setzer."
Locke looked over at a girl sitting at a table, playing with a green shard of glass. "She's Terra. She doesn't like to talk to us anymore. She's actually the reason we were at the tower today. Terra, do you mind if we tell them about you?"
Terra slowly turned her head and looked at Locke. She shrugged, and turned back to look at the piece of glass in her hand again.
"Alright, I'm gonna take that as a yes. Anyways, Terra is only half human. Her father wasn't human. That piece of Magicite there is all that she has left of him. Her father was an Esper."
"ESPER!" Xander shouted. "The symbol of one of those guys is what I had carved into that stake I threw you Buffy. So in this world, Espers exist?"
Locke shook his head sadly. "No, sorry. Espers no longer exist here. But that's part of the story I'm going to tell you."
So Locke told Buffy and Xander their story. What he knew of Terra's birth, her capture by the Empire. The slave crown used to control her, and its removal in Narshe. The Returners, seeing Tritoch, and what it had done to Terra. Their meeting with Ramuh in Zozo, and the raid on the Empire. The Floating Continent and Kefka's insanity ending with the rearrangement of the world's surface. The gathering of their friends and how they stopped Kefka from destroying more cities with his "Light of Judgement." How after the battle Terra had lead them to safety in her other form, and watching her father's Magicite crystal shatter. Terra sacrificing her Esper half to lead them out with what remained of her energy. The end of magic in their world.
It lasted well into the night.
"So that's the story. After Kefka's tower fell, we were all ecstatic. But a few days later, Terra started to withdraw into herself. Celes thinks that it's the fact that she has no magic anymore, and it's creating a hole in her heart because she's missing a part of her." Locke stated.
Celes nodded. "Yeah, I kinda feel like that too since I was infused with magic at a young age, but I wasn't born to it. I think it hit her really hard. Anyways, you guys get to bed; we can work things out in the morning. Maybe your friend will wake up too."
Xander and Buffy agreed, and went upstairs to another guest room near Willow's.
Terra looked up at the ceiling, then stood up and shuffled to her bed.
******** The next morning:
"Locke"
Locke spun around, stunned. "Terra? Did you say something?"
"W.w.who's here?" Terra seemed to struggle with the words.
"Two new people, Xander and Buffy. They've got a hurt friend here, I think her name is Willow."
Terra mumbled.
"What did you say?" Locke asked, not trying to show his excitement that Terra was talking more now than she had in the past couple of months.
"C.c.c.can I see h.h.h.her?" Terra stuttered out quickly, as if it hurt to talk.
"Sure, come on." Locke lead her to the room where Willow was still asleep.
"She's hurt? But how, she should be able to heal herself." Terra whispered. "And it's inside her too. Maybe she needs help to start?"
"Terra? What are you talking about?"
Terra starting mumbling the words for a Cure spell.
"Terra, you know magic..." Locke's words were cut off as a magic aura surrounded Terra and Willow shot up into a sitting position, gasping.
Terra fainted.
"HOLY SHIT, TERRA CAST A SPELL!" Locke bellowed.
********
Post fic comment: So, how was it? Feedback please, I've got an idea of where to go with this, but I'd like to know what you guys think.
