Llurd exited the building and slid into the shadows of an alleyway. He walked slowly, his senses for danger burned from within him. Turning around he saw Tayan in dark green cloak, unmoving.
"How did it go?" Tayan asked simply.
There was a moment of hesitation. "It went well. You were right about your predictions. She disapproved."
"Of course. Any officer with half a brain would've disapproved. But I'm curious to hear about your impressions of her."
Llurd inhaled slowly and began. "My expectations were all wrong. She spoke with authority as though she's had it for years. For a moment, she had me believing it."
"For your sake, you will respect her authority as such. She is not a fool."
"She's still only a woman… and a child, at that," Llurd commented, shrugging.
"No, she is not!" Tayan said harshly. "The moment you lose yourself to that illusion would be the end of your usefulness to us."
"Usefulness?! Don't talk to me like I'm a second-rate minion! I do this for myself. Remember that!"
"We've eliminated two colonels, but there are others, Llurd. You remember that!" Tayan returned.
Llurd muttered something under his breath.
"Never mind! Submit this to the New Council." Tayan pulled out a folder of documents from beneath his cloak. Llurd took it from the cultist, confused.
"What is it?"
"It's a report fabricated by the greatest minds of our Order," Tayan explained. "Think of it as a declaration of war against Maranda."
I have two important leads for you. The first is a secret meeting that is going to take place in the orphanage. The second is more important. If you want to retrieve the necklace that was in Branford's box, tonight is your chance. Unless you can be in two places at the same time, you must choose one. I strongly suggest that you choose the latter.
Why? What's so important about that necklace?
I stole that necklace from Kefka's acquired collection of secrets. He is not yet aware that it is missing. Tomorrow, that may change.
You didn't exactly answer my question.
Choose one, Celes. Lives depend on that necklace.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Lieutenant Keep," I said, smiling proudly at him in the dark.
"General? I don't understand," Jasom replied, trying to pinpoint my exact location in the shadows. I stepped out of the corner of the room of the abandoned recruitment center. The pale moonbeam that sifted through the barricaded window revealed my face to him. "Why have you led me here? What is this place?"
"This place? It used to be a recruitment center some fifteen years ago. Right across the street" I said, pointing through the gap in the barricaded north window, "is the orphanage called the 'Marigolds' -- the safest place in the world."
Keep peered out through a substantial gap in the barricade and saw what he perceived, at first, as a manor. The lack of sunlight hid the shortfall of the structure from his eyes. As he spied on the orphanage from where he stood, I pulled out a dusty, wooden chair from a corner and placed it at the center of the room where the moonbeam fell.
Having heard the creaks of the old furniture, Jasom turned to face me again. I motioned for him to take a seat. He did so, reluctantly. "Why was I summoned here, General?" he asked again, nervously.
"Why else would one be in a recruitment center, Lieutenant? I'm here to recruit you," I answered, still smiling, "as my only trusted Personal Aide."
His mouth opened to say something, but his voice never made it out. He was having a moment of realization. He shifted his position uneasily, making the chair creak loudly. He wanted to stand up, I observed, but my order held him down. His eyes rolled to the left, recalling a recent memory. Then, he started shaking his head slowly in disbelief. "It was... a test**," he whispered, almost inaudibly. "It was all a test," he repeated a bit louder. "But why?" he asked, returning his eyes to me.
I frowned and made sure that he saw it. "I had to make sure that I could trust you. That's why I had you go through with the scenario. It was the only way I could be certain."
"Certain of what, General?"
"Certain that you're not one of them."
"One of whom?"
I sighed loudly, unable to decide where to start my story. Then, I just thought I'd get right to it and hoped to finish it without much confusion on Jasom's part.
"My life is in danger, Jasom. More than I initially thought when I woke up from that institution."
"Are the rebels that close, General?" Jasom asked with furrowed brows and a face showing genuine concern.
"If these were only about the rebels," I said with the usual tone for wishful thinking. "I'd have no problem at all. But, no, Jasom. I have uncovered something worse." I looked into his eyes. He was eager to hear it. "There is a conspiracy."
"Y-you mean... the rebels have gotten on the inside? Are they--" He stopped when he saw me shaking my head gravely.
"The rebels have nothing to do with the conspiracy," I said plainly and then waited for the meaning of the sentence to sink into his absorbing logic.
"You're saying that there is another internal threat besides the rebels?" he asked slowly. He seemed intrigued but confused, as well.
I nodded vaguely. "There are greater forces at play, Jasom."
"Forces?" he asked, astounded. "You mean more than one?"
Again, I nodded. "Greater forces and greater struggles done in secret. The rebel threat pales in comparison with... this conspiracy."
Jasom's face showed uncertainty. He was probably wondering whether what I was telling him now was still a test. After some thought, he had found his next question. "Who are they?"
I inhaled deeply and looked out through the window and to the moon. I noticed a thin cloud floating across the silver circle, reducing the brilliance of the moonbeam that filtered through the barricades. Turning back to Jasom, I said, "I've identified a few key players in this conflict. But I am still uncertain as to how they all fit in. Kefka," I said, to start off with my list. Jasom didn't seem to react with the mention of his name. It seemed that he was willing to believe any alleged wrongdoing to be perpetrated by the emperor's prime adviser. "General Cristophe," I continued. At this, Jasom frowned but said nothing. "The New Council, and the emperor himself."
Jasom blinked in confusion, most especially at the last person on my list. He shifted his position uneasily. The chair creaked loudly. He wanted to stand up. He wanted to walk away and place a distance between himself and me. I could only imagine what he was thinking at the time. He was probably judging my mental health. I died and was brought back to life. Everybody knew that. Everybody also knew that those who were brought back to life through the usual means of revivification suffered either permanent psychological disorders or none at all. I was almost certain that he was doubting my mental health at that moment. It seemed more logical than my conspiracy theory.
"Please speak your mind, Jasom. I speak to you as an equal like I always have," I said gently. "You're thinking that I'm suffering from paranoia, aren't you?"
"Well, I--it's not that, um...I just--" He fumbled with the words through the air of awkwardness. He was as I remembered him that one rainy day. I smiled warmly to show that I meant what I said.
"Let me put it this way, Jasom. I wanted you to be here to hear me out. And you wouldn't be here at all if you hadn't questioned... everything."
He was quiet for a brief moment, choosing his words carefully. "It's just that this is all too much to take in at once."
"Then continue to question," I suggested thoughtfully. "You're a very cautious person. You're not afraid to step back and think. So continue at it. Stay close to me and observe both me and what I have to show you. See everything first hand. It's the only way that'll convince you, isn't it?"
At this, I paused, stunned at what I said. Suddenly, Guardian's approach at persuasion seemed logical and forgivable. This new perspective made me shudder. Jasom was reluctant to believe the truth coming from me. And I was resisting Guardian's assistance. There has to be a quicker way to establish this trust.
"Considering how all these were totally unexpected, I'd opt for a slower pace for a change," he answered, his voice seemed tired.
"I will not be asking you to risk your life, Jasom. I just need someone I can trust during the investigation--someone whom I can be sure would never stab me in the back the first chance they get."
Jasom was thoughtful for a long moment. Something was making him reluctant, still. He's perfect, I thought.
"What exactly do you want me to do?" he asked. There were many other questions in his mind. I knew that. But this was the opener.
"You will assist me in the investigation. You will be my personal aide. You will do what are expected of personal aides. I know it seems simple enough, but I cannot trust other people to do this. I simply cannot allow strangers to get too close to me during my investigation," I answered readily.
"Is that all?"
"I may ask you favors that you may refuse should you deem it unacceptable, inappropriate, or risky."
"I'd like to have all of my options, please," Jasom said softly.
"Or you may go back to how it was before. I would be forced to strip you of your new rank. The New Council granted me your instant promotion under the condition that you would work for me as a personal aide. If I could have it my way, I'd let you keep those stripes. But as you know, the New Council is adamant about procedures now."
"I was not even thinking about the promotion, General," he said apologetically.
"Of course, not, Jasom," I said gently. "It's only a matter of formality between the people you trust."
Jasom didn't budge. He needed time and room to think about it. I had no problem with that idea. I had said all that I could. As if on cue, a light appeared from one of the rooms of the Marigolds. I saw it through the cracks of the barricaded window. Jasom noticed that my attention had shifted elsewhere. He stood up, slowly turning to face the orphanage.
"People still live there?" he asked, curiously.
"No," I began. "The orphanage has been closed for years now." I walked past Jasom, closer to the window. I peered through it longingly, wishing to be inside. "Guardian was right again. A meeting is taking place within."
"Who's Guardian? What meeting?"
My questions exactly.
"Vanish."
I left Jasom in the abandoned recruitment office with instructions. I told him that should he decide to accept the job on the spot he should sneak into the Marigolds undetected and spy upon the meeting taking place. If not, he could return to his fiancée in Maranda. The Invisibility spell I cast on him should help him carry out either.
I wanted to be in that secret meeting. Guardian had sent me a message about it earlier, pointing out that it might be worth investigating. She left out the details. It seemed that even she was in the dark about it. Unfortunately, Guardian urged me to choose between going to the Marigold meeting, and running an errand for her in exchange for critical information. Guardian spoke as if she were advertising a limited-time offer service.
I wanted to do both. I hoped that Jasom had accepted the job. I'd know in the morning.
"You chose correctly, Celes," Guardian assured through the earpiece.
The path was lit by bright lamps atop posts. More had been added to cover the Bronze Compound since the attacks. The Spitfire patrol circled slowly above with their searchlights focused on the remainder of what was left unlit. I feared none of their watchfulness as I walked. The magical barrier I had cast on my self granted me the freedom.
My destination was a well-known crime scene. It was where Terra's MegaArmor exited the building shortly before igniting Warehouse 5, conveniently killing everybody that ever knew Tina Branford in a flash. Guardian's mission was an odd one. She had asked me to find a necklace hidden within the powering station. According to Guardian, the necklace had a special ruby-like gem that was worth all the gems in the world. I found her exaggeration amusing. Terrestre Esperizium, she called it. I did a bit of research on such a gem. The library had nothing in its massive volumes about the special mineral.
What a supposedly special gem was doing inside a powering station was beyond me. But Guardian seemed very sure that it was hidden inside. She wanted me to retrieve it for her as soon as possible. Every fiber of my instinct initially disagreed with the mission. Why waste my time looking for a trinket in the middle of the night? Then, I remembered Tina's empty jewelry box. I assumed that the necklace might have been hers.
"This rock better be worth it," I said, trying hard to sound convincingly upset as though I had been asked to do something completely unimportant. I did not want Guardian to know that I had suspicions about the gem.
"It is. And the information that I will give to you will speed things up in your investigation, as well."
"Tina must've treasured it so much that you're making me risk my life for it. Why?" I asked. My voice was just loud enough to be heard by Guardian. The building looked like a regular warehouse except that it was used for docking Armors. It had a massive spherical conduit up in the ceiling where tendrils of cables snaked down like dead vines. The conduit was a node to one of the underground Magitek reactors. It had to be. The only Magitek reactor built above ground was the one that blew up about two days prior to Terra's incursion of the place.
"The gem is a source of great power," Guardian answered. Though vague, it was the type of information I didn't want just anybody to hear. I was surprised at her reckless trust in me.
"Great power, huh? Why, then, should I retrieve this gem for you? How can I be sure that your hands aren't two of the wrong sort?" I asked as though attempting a small talk with her.
"I have no need for such power. And the gem by itself is useless to anybody but its owner."
"Terra?"
"Branford," she corrected.
I was intrigued. "I suppose I could keep it safe for her," I said, simply to hear Guardian's reaction. I was expecting her to object to the idea--hoping, even. I found myself disappointed.
"My thoughts exactly."
I scoffed. "Aren't you worried that I would just keep it for my self?"
"Not really. The gem and the owner are meant to be together. They will be reunited sooner or later… one way or the other," she said with such confidence, that I was able to detect it through her electronic voice.
"Oh, really?" I said cynically. "How is that possible with her being a mindless shell?"
"A prophecy."
I rolled up my eyes and nearly cried out in exasperation. Conspiracies and prophecies. I'm not living in a mystery novel--I'm in a fairy tale!
"And she is not exactly mindless," Guardian added.
"I beg your pardon?"
"The slave crown has two functions. Originally, it was supposed to suppress the consciousness of the slave. You kill the consciousness, you kill the person mentally. The body would still be able to survive for a short time but not for long. The second function prevents the body from failing by replacing the consciousness that it suppressed with its own programming."
"Like replacing her mind with that of a robot?" I asked, trying to follow.
"Correct."
"You said 'originally.' What changed?"
"The first function--I preserved her consciousness, but I also let the programming to take over her motor functions. It wasn't difficult to do."
My first reaction was to ask how she did it. But a horrible thought emerged from the unasked question. I froze in place and gasped. "Y-you mean… she's aware?" I asked. My voice was almost inaudible.
"Affirmative."
My mouth fell open. My eyes stared blankly into the dark, drawing in my vivid memory the image of Tina Branford within the 'snow globe' of a capsule. She's conscious and without control of her body! What a horrific way to keep her prisoner!
"Celes, are you well?" Guardian asked, after I gasped for breath a few times. The thought was overwhelming. My pity for Tina Branford increased. Even though she was still a suspect, nobody deserved to be imprisoned like that.
"Celes," Guardian called again.
"I-I'm here…" I answered with a wavering voice.
"I take it that you are greatly concerned for her mental status. Yes, I know that it can be quite maddening to be a prisoner of your own body. Never to move, speak, nor sleep on your own. Even the toughest soldier can crack after a certain amount of time in the 'hole.' I may have saved her consciousness, but insanity is something I have no control over."
"What can we do to stop it?" I asked, trying not to sound too concerned. "She deserves a trial, at least," I added as a weak afterthought.
Guardian ignored the last comment. "The terrestre esperizium will help her focus. It has special properties that only Branford can unlock."
"Unlock? You mean it's magical?" I asked.
"Of course. What did you think I meant by 'source of great power?'"
What indeed?
"I thought you simply meant to say that the mineral was a special component in some kind of a weapon."
"Remove the blindfold from your eyes, Celes. The Empire can conquer the world with its current technology without the need for magic. And yet, they haven't done so. Why do you think that is?"
The question was elementary. I spoke without thinking. "The Empire has no such vision of world conquest. We seek global accord."
"We?" Guardian echoed. "Oh, Celes. Your eyes aren't blindfolded. They are closed."
The remark enraged me, because I knew that I deserved it. I could've said the exact same words to my self, if she hadn't beaten me to them. But I was not about to let her win this one. I had to say something back. Anything.
"Did Branford suffer your sermons, too?"
A normal person would've just let the line slide. It was a rhetorical question. Guardian never failed to disappoint my expectations.
"No, she did not. She took them all to heart.
After convincing myself to voluntarily concede to the petty contest of who should have the last word, I walked the rest of the way in silence. It turned out that I didn't have a long way left. 'No Trespassing' the tape said in bold, block letters. It bordered the entire structure, thanks to my team of investigators. This was it--the compromised power station.
Two guards were posted to keep watch of it overnight. It was a dull assignment for them--one that I deemed necessary to designate. It felt wise to have the crime scene guarded during the course of the investigation just in case. Had I known that I would be the one to encroach, I wouldn't have bothered to give them the assignments.
Still, the guards weren't much of a problem. Moving silently was all it took. Both guards weren't on high alert. They were talking among themselves about the usual rumors of the impending retaliation against the rebels. Debris still littered the scene, most of it originating from the ruined wall--the make-shift exit for the hijacked MegaArmor.
According to my Intel team, an explosion from the inside made the hole, but it was not due to any known weapon or explosive device. They simply could not find residual energy readings that could tie it with the MegaArmor's weapon. The Intel team and I came up with the same theory independently. The explosion was due to magic.
The theory was later confirmed by Guardian. 'Terra Episode Mystery No. 36' solved.
The prime question of the Terra investigation concerning the powering station in particular was this: If the hole was a forced exit, then where was the forced entry?
Security log had nothing of the sort. It was as though Terra had been waiting inside for the signal to begin her rampage. The Empire didn't believe that, of course. An intruder could not be perceived as somebody who was too undetectable, else the integrity of the security team and the morale of the citizens would be decreased. And so, they left it as a mystery.
I entered the building through the hole only because it was convenient. There was no activity inside. Power usually routed to the building was severed. The dark that enveloped me made my magical barrier unnecessary, but I did not dispel it.
"I'm inside," I whispered. I worried only about the guards outside. The building's security system was completely off, according to Guardian. It was easy enough to believe.
"Proceed carefully to the northwest corner."
It took a few seconds to reorient myself with the directions. The shadows began to retreat slightly as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, though I still found it necessary to navigate my way around with my hands.
"You should've told me to bring a lamp," I grumbled quietly.
"That won't be necessary."
As I walked, I felt that the solid pavement for a floor beneath me ended. Metal grates replaced it as I neared the corner. The grates served as see-through panels for the machinations underneath it. At the time, of course, it was too dark to see anything.
I remembered the empty jewel case that came with Branford's journal. Judging from the empty slot, the gem would be an inch in diameter. I wondered how I would even spot the necklace in the first place.
It was then that I saw a faint glow beneath the grilled panels. Red and soft. I felt something else, too. The Invisibility barrier was weakening around me. It was definitely a reaction to the gem. As I drew even closer to the spot, the glow intensified more. I guessed that the gem was reacting to my magical barrier, as well.
"I see it," I whispered. Guardian did not respond. It was clear what I had to do.
I reached for a good grip of the grilled panel and pulled. The panel came loose like a manhole cover, only lighter. I moved it aside and reached for the necklace wedged between two pipes. As I touched the gem, the soft, red light blinked out, dispersing my magical barrier entirely. I was visible again. Almost.
The gem felt cold to the touch. It was a normal kind of coldness. It no longer emitted any special aura. The chain was still intact, and that prompted me to wear it around my neck.
"Now what?" I asked, Guardian.
"Now you translate the rest of Branford's diary. Keep that necklace safe until the time is right."
The trek back to my office proved to be uneventful despite the fact that I was no longer invisible. Only soldiers on guard duty were there to greet me. My investigation team was fast asleep in their quarters. On my desk were more books from the library. I had asked them to be delivered there in my continuing search for the meaning of Branford's symbols.
My eyes caught one particular object neatly wrapped in brown paper. Unwrapping it revealed a red, leather-bound book with a curious title: Dr. Unne and the Rediscovery of Lefein.
**If you're confused about what Jasom is referring to by "test," it's because this story will be told in another separate optional chapter. I'll keep you posted on my website about this optional chapter @ www.lastmagicite.net.