Reflection in a Pool of Tears

by Rugstar

Follow the tale of a dying SEED as he recounts his rise to power. His life is tainted as everything he holds dear is taken from him. A story of joy, love, pain, revenge, cruelty, honor and determination. PG for language. The Betrayal is up! R&R PLZ!

5. Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not (unfortunately) own Final Fantasy 8 or any references I have made towards it in this story. The parts of it that aren't owned by square enix however, are all mine. If you're going to use it or anything (which I doubt anyone will) at least get my permission first.

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A/N: Hi all. I bet you all thought I was finished? I would like to apologise now for the absolutely shocking update rate. It's been a couple of rough months and my school work has finally caught up to me. Anyways, here is my next chapter and if I'm not mistaken this marks the half way point of my fic. I should answer all questions in this chap and I hope you enjoy. Again I apologise.

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My life was empty. For four years my mind had been hell-bent on revenge and now that I had it, there was nothing for me. The only thing I had left was a spur of the moment oath to change Balamb Garden. I had thought about this briefly but I had no idea how to start. And so I didn't. For a couple of days I did whatever I could to pass the time, but with no drive behind me, I was bored. For the first time I could remember, I had no longings or needs to fulfill. No Josie to beat. No Leon to chase. Only emptiness. I began to realize just how isolated I was to the rest of the garden. I was different to others of my age; I had given up my youth for power. It was pointless to go back now, I had to find my own path to travel. So I went to see Illion, or rather, Illion came to see me. He found me during an attempted training session. Seeing me half-heartedly swinging my gunblade he called me over.

"Your blade. It has changed." he said, obviously wanting an explanation.

"Yes. It happened when I was fighting Leon." I said not having any to give.

"Care to be a bit more specific?" he replied.

"Not really." I said curtly.

"What did you notice when it happened?" he pushed.

"Not much, I had more important things to worry about. Like staying alive for one." I answered, sarcastically.

"This is serious. Tell me everything you remember. Analyze the situation." I sighed as I tried to recall anything of importance.

"It was before we had started to fight. Leon was saying something about the SEEDs that he killed." I paused for a moment. "The more he mocked them, the angrier I got. Eventually I couldn't hold it down any more. That's when it happened."

"And what did it feel like?"

"Well it felt sort of warm in my hands..." I began, confused with the question.

"No, what did you feel?

"I don't know. It might have been a coincidence but it sort of felt like I was given an extra boost. Like an adrenaline rush or something."

"Go on."

"It... it was like I had the strength and speed to match the intensity of my anger. Only..." I trailed off.

"Only what?"

"Only, it was weird. I started getting these surges of ... something. I don't really know how to explain it but ... I kind of wanted to make Leon suffer. I wanted to see him in pain." I said, confused.

"We will talk about this further, another day." Illion replied looking somewhat worried. "So what do you plan to do now?" he asked gesturing for us to sit.

"I have no idea." I answered.

"Well then what don't you want to do?" he said. I sighed at the abstract question.

"Everything that I have been doing for the past four years. What do you think I should do?" I asked.

"You have gone on a quest for power and you have achieved that. You should now go on a quest for knowledge. Become more...more educated, for lack of better words." He said rather quickly. "It is said that knowledge is the greatest power a person can possess. If you seek to better yourself, that is the way to do it." The way he said this made me think that no matter what answers I gave to his questions, he would have ended up saying this anyway. I nodded slightly, suddenly thinking of something.

"OK, but I have another idea too. Do you remember telling me that you might be able to teach me how you always seem to know where I am? Well I'd like to learn." I said. Illion seemed to think about this.

"I will teach you, but I am not promising that you can learn. It is not as simple as you might think and, before you can learn it, you will need to revisit the meditation techniques that I tried to teach you years ago. Your inability to focus on anything bar confrontation with Leon kept you back before, but now you may have the clarity of mind to do what you once could not." He said slowly. For a while neither of us talked and I tried to find words to say what I knew we were both avoiding.

"Leon went to Dollet to attack that SEED dispatch." I said finally.

"Yes. You were right." he answered.

"Do you know who it was that was feeding him information?" I asked eagerly. For a brief moment I thought that I saw a look of pain cross Illion's face. I was confused before I realized that he had worked with the six others in the council for a long time and they were all probably good friends. To think that one of them was a traitor was not something that he would want to think about.

"We will begin our training tomorrow. I will meet you here in the morning." He said, as close to a farewell as I had ever gotten. I sighed before deciding that I would go to the second floor classroom and get some books so I could start my 'quest for knowledge'.

"Focus down into the depths of your mind. Don't try to clear your mind, but rather, let it happen for itself." Illion said softly. It had been a month since I had started to learn. Not just the techniques that Illion had been teaching me but the true learning that I had undertook in my own dorm. I had taken Illion's advice and began to read as much I could about everything I could. My findings were astonishing. I realized that I knew close to nothing about the world and it's ways. And so I had begun to remedy that. I had read science books, society books, geography books, history books, anything that would tell me something that I didn't already know. It had become my new obsession.

"Take yourself down to the very border between conciseness and unconsciousness and simply exist in that place. Allow your thoughts to pass over your mind until it becomes completely clear." My progress with Illion was slow but steady. Each day we would do the same thing, progressing a little further each time I had mastered one aspect. The intensity of the training was nothing like what it once was and we would only stay for an hour at a time.

"Do not listen to my voice, do not hear it. Instead know that it exists. Feel it. Feel the effect it has on the world around it and on your mind." This was as far as I had ever been, and for the first time, I understood what it was that Illion was trying to teach me. I had taught myself the same thing. I had read a (rather large) book that said sound was little more than a wave, interpreted by the brain to have meaning. I was meant to try and interpret it a different way.

"Now use your mental energy to extend this feeling, extend your net of awareness. Don't just feel my voice, but the distortions of other things as well. Feel the effect a footstep makes, feel the effect of a sword swing, a spell cast or a dagger passing silently through the air." There was nothing. I tried to focus on Illion's voice, trying to 'feel' it instead of hearing it. Still nothing. I was becoming frustrated so I relaxed myself again. Suddenly it happened. The world changed. The training room was suddenly a buzz of movement. I understood that I was 'feeling' the movement of the particles in the room. It was amazing. Everywhere there was movement. I reeled at the sheer chaos of it. But soon I began to see that it was not chaos at all. There was equilibrium. The movement was slow and steady, except for the areas around Illion and myself. I could 'feel' that we disturbed this equilibrium. Our breathing and ever so slight movements affected the flow of air around us. By using the energy of my mental reserves I extended myself beyond the boundaries of the training room. I was almost overwhelmed at what I felt. I could 'feel' particles being displaced in a thousand different ways and in a thousand different capacities. Immediately I recognized the potential. I could 'feel' things that I normally would never be able to hear or see. Only there was a problem. I didn't know what was what. The multitude of 'feelings' meant that I couldn't distinguish one from the other. As suddenly as it began, it was gone. I found that I was lying on the ground.

"You've done well." Illion said as he saw me get up.

"You were always going teach me this stuff weren't you." I said with a smile. "That's why you've wanted me to start learning." I thought I caught a faint smile pass across his face.

"Then you understand what it was that you were experiencing?"

"Yeah, I read about stuff like that two nights ago."

"Yes, it is heavily linked to the knowledge that is called science and is one of the only things that suggests that magic and science are somehow alike." I nodded in understanding.

"You will notice that you feel much like you have just woken up from a deep sleep. I do not personally sleep normally anymore, I find that this technique is much more beneficial. I would advise you to do the same." I nodded again as Illion continued.

"The more you practice, the more able you will be to recognize the difference between one disturbance to another. Even without this knowledge this skill is still useful, but with it, it becomes priceless. Practice will also allow you to use it quickly, while standing and even while you are doing other things. What I am trying to say is, practice diligently and you will be better off for it." He said, cutting short his lecture. "And now we must move on to another issue. Tomorrow you will be given your next mission."

"Oh, really." I said with interest.

"Yes. You will be expected to be at the briefing room at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. You will not be dispatched for a few days yet but you have a lot to study. The others will meet you there. Until then..." he said tilting his head slightly before turning to walk away.

"Remember, practice hard." Was the last thing he said before leaving the room. Glad to be finally doing something, I closed my eyes and tried to reach the place that sat on the boundary of unconsciousness.

The next morning at ten past eight, I stepped off the elevator and into the waiting room of the council. For once the usual wait before every meeting was a blessing. I had spent the morning practicing Illion's techniques and had made some headway. While I still couldn't tell what was what, certain patterns were becoming known to me. What those patterns meant, however, completely eluded me. Never the less, the constant flow of everything had mesmerized me and I lost track of time. Consequently I was late and 'the others' that would be going on dispatch with me were already waiting when I got there. As I looked around the room, the only person I recognized was Joe. I hadn't seen him in years but he hadn't changed much. He did have a new rapier, but he was the same Joe.

"Well well, long time no see." He said as he saw me.

"Hey." I replied, trying to cut off any chance of a conversation. I glanced around the room at my comrades. There was nothing noticeable about the bunch, most were normal looking people with typical broad swords, short swords and staves, but there was one person who seemed to stand out. He had isolated himself from the group and was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. I could not see an ounce of skin, as he was dressed from head to toe in black. His face was uncovered but at the moment it was hidden by a large (black) cowboy hat. To all appearances he seemed to be sleeping. Based on the fact that he had a large rifle strapped to his back, I found that hard to believe. A couple of barely noticeable bulges under his coat told me that he had a couple of pistols to go with the rifle.

"That guy is a bit of an outcast." Joe said unnecessarily. I ignored an obvious attempt to draw my attention to his new rapier.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Don't know much about him, but he calls himself Thrill. If he has a real name, I don't know it. If there is a better marksman at Balamb Garden, I don't know that either." Joe replied.

"A sniper?" I said frowning.

"No. He doesn't need to be. Rumor has it, that if he was shot at, he could draw his rifle and fire a shot of his own before he even needed to think about dodging." I didn't buy into this particular rumor but the guy definitely had a presence about him, even if I hadn't figured out what it was yet. Our being summoned into the briefing room interrupted my thoughts. I didn't fail to notice that once again, all seven members were in attendance. In unison all eleven of us SEEDs saluted to the council. They ranged from Joe's perfect model to Thrill's wave of the hand. As always, Illion did the talking.

"In five days time, you will all make up a team that will be dispatched to Shenan Hill. You will be escorting a supply vehicle to an unknown destination. There you will be dismissed from the mission and you will return to garden. This has been a regular mission for the past fifty years and is very well paid for the simplicity of the task. We were lucky that it was offered to us before Trabia or Centra Gardens. Each time it has been a different destination and course to follow. There has been a few, poorly designed and executed ambushes in the past, but these only occurred in the first few years of operation. You are all being given this briefing early so that you may study the course thoroughly." Illion stood and began walking down the line of SEEDs at attention. He stopped in front of me and handed me a folder.

"You will be squad leader. The rest of you are to support your leader in any way he deems fit." Illion began. I cut him off.

"I decline." I said resolutely. Illion's eyes narrowed along with the rest of the council's.

"You don't have a say in the matter." Said the first member to regain their composure. "The council's will is final."

"I have been offered the chance to leave garden, and I will do so." I threatened.

"You would dare to..." The man started to shout.

"Callember please." Illion said, turning to face the man. "I trust you will explain yourself." He said to me.

"I tried leading once. Once is enough." I said briefly. He seemed to think about this and with a worried look, passed the folder to Joe.

"Very well. I wish you all the best of luck. You are dismissed." He said as he handed slightly thinner folders the rest of the group and I.

That night I laid in my dorm after just reading the mission specifics. I wondered if even the council knew the exact details of a mission. Everything except for the course that we would be following and our team member's details was extremely abstract. The person hiring us was unknown, as was the cargo that we would be escorting. The only name we were given was Victan Louch, whose orders we were to follow for the mission. He represented the anonymous party that we were to work for and it was very clear that he would be the main authority on this mission, not Joe, our squad leader. The mission would go for an unknown length of time, through mostly forest. I couldn't believe that the route was completely random so I studied the routes of the previous missions. Several hours later I made an interesting discovery with the help of a few recent history articles that I had read earlier. It seemed that the town nearest to the beginning of each route to date was attacked prior to ever mission. This seemed to make everything clearer. These people that we were working for, looted villages then hired us to escort what they took back out of reach of the villagers. With a sigh I decided that I should get some sleep, knowing all the while that in a matter of days, the town of Winhill would be turned upside-down.

Five days later ten other SEEDs and I waited in the forest above Shenan Hill for Victan and his crew. They were an hour late. Joe had insisted that we should be standing at attention when they came so when their huge cargo truck drove into view, we were all tired and rather annoyed. This did not improve in the slightest when the truck pulled up long enough for Victan to yell at us for not being ready to go and took off again. Eager to make up for his lack in foresight, Joe quickly split the disgruntled group and ordered us to escort the truck from the front and back. We leapt to our posts and a couple of seconds later the transport I was in was speeding after the truck, trying to overtake it. Whoever was driving the truck didn't make it easy for us and it took us the better part of half an hour to take our assigned post, driving in front of the truck. After that the day passed uneventfully. Several attempts at small talk were attempted but nothing carried through. No one in my group seemed to know anyone else so they eventually gave up trying. I did learn though that Thrill would do anything short of directly ignoring someone to avoid talking. Not having anything better to do, I practiced Illion's techniques. It was difficult to concentrate but I figured that if I could do it driving at high speeds through a forest track, I could do it whenever I needed. The hours disappeared in the haze of 'feelings'. I gave up trying to interpret any of them as the vibrations made from the two transports and the truck distorted everything. Instead I used the time practicing going in and out of the state without completely immersing myself, as Illion had said I should. Just as the last light of the day was fading in the horizon we drove into a huge clearing. Without any warning what-so-ever the truck pulled up, making Joe's transport swerve to avoid it. Immediately Victan was out of the truck and shouting orders. Joe was out of his transport almost as fast and stood at attention, waiting to be told what to do. If Victan noticed him, he didn't show it. In fact for the rest of the night he didn't acknowledge SEED's presence at all. This would have been fine except we soon realized that we were not going to be fed or given anywhere to sleep. We went to see a confused Joe.

"What is he doing?" said a young woman to Joe.

"How am I supposed to know?" he said sarcastically.

"I don't know. Ask him maybe?" she replied likewise.

"Excuse me, you don't talk to your squad leader like that," at this I saw a few people stifle laughs. "and I'm sure he'll come to see us when he's got the time."

"Oh, really? Do you think that will be before or after he's finished that bottle of rum, squad leader?" she said acidly.

"If you don't go and see him, I will." I cut in. Joe looked shocked at the very thought.

"I am quite capable, thank you." he said shortly before walking off towards the truckers camp.

"What a joke." The woman said bitterly. We watched as Joe conversed shortly with Victan. It wasn't long before he walked back.

"He says it wasn't on our agreement that he should provide food and beds." A couple of people laughed while another few got rather angry rather quickly. I was one of the latter.

"Did you ask him if our taking food and bed by force was against the contract?" I asked sharply. Joe opened his mouth as if to answer before turning on his heel and walking back to Victan. I almost felt sorry for Joe as Victan blew up in a drunken rage. A few abusive shouts later, Joe walked back.

"He seemed to think that was a given." He said slightly. A few people rolled their eyes.

"Fine, we have rations in the transports and I'm sure we'll all fit in them to sleep." I murmured to a couple of uncommitted nods. Not having anything better to do, I turned back to my transport to get eleven ration packs. By the time I had returned, Joe was trying to restore lost respect by setting up a makeshift dueling arena. I drifted around and handed out the rations, leaving one on the floor for Joe. It was then that I realized that Thrill wasn't there. I looked around for a while before leaving his with Joe's. Joe had his dueling ring in operation as the woman who had challenged him before stepped in to be his first opponent. I left the group of watchers and sat down with my back against one of the transports. I took the opportunity to use Illion's technique to watch them. For a long while I still couldn't make sense of anything, but eventually I began to see repeated patterns that I then interpreted into slashes and thrusts.

"When you said 'once is enough', what did you mean?" said a deep voice beside me. I jumped slightly and drew back my awareness. It was Thrill.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" I asked, regaining my composure.

"At our briefing you said that 'once was enough'. What did you mean?" he said briefly.

"Well lets just say that my first try at squad leader didn't go so well." I answered, obviously avoiding the topic.

"I guessed as much. What actually happened." He persisted.

"I made a bad choice. People that shouldn't have died, died." I said, again not saying everything.

"People that shouldn't die are usually the first ones to. Think about this. If you weren't there, would they still have died? Ahhh your adoring public has arrived." He said in a strange tone. I turned to find Joe standing in front of me.

"I seem to be lacking in good competition. Care to cross blades with me?" he said in his cocky voice.

"Actually I was talking to..." I began as I turned back to Thrill. He was gone. "OK then, lets go." I assented with one last look for Thrill. I didn't see him.

We had been traveling through uninhabited forest for almost five days now and I, for one, was extremely bored. At first the lush greenery had been a nice change from the garden but this had soon worn off. The well-made track that we had started on had continued, and if Victan was to be believed, we were making good time. Victan had turned out to be exactly what my first impression of him had been, an arrogant middle-aged man who had obviously been on many of these endeavors that had not needed the use of SEED. He treated us with the amount of respect he would give to a bunch of under-worked, overpaid and over-rated individuals, as this was exactly what he thought of us. However, this indignity was almost worth it to see Joe put up with the constant disrespect. Joe's own nature clashing with Victan's was the best entertainment we had. Every night that we stopped to make camp, Joe continued with his dueling competition though he never challenged me again. I beat him soundly enough the first time. After that, Joe's attitude towards me had changed. Now he just ignored me until he could use his 'squad leader' authority over me. This suited me just fine. Thrill disappeared every night only to be ready to go again in the morning. Over the past few days I had watched my comrade's duel, and it seemed we had a rookie in our midst. He was young and inexperienced, but was a decent fighter by any rights. I had been continuing Illion's techniques and I could now do it while standing and even moving. I also learned to interpret the duels that happened every night. I could now see what was happening as if I watching it with my very own eyes. It was little after ten in the morning of fifth day of our journey and I was staring out the window thinking about what Thrill had said to me on the first night. I had been avoiding it but I decided to get it out of the way. Would those young SEEDs have died if I hadn't been chasing Leon? If I hadn't persisted, would they have still been killed? Suddenly there was a loud noise and the transport begun to swerve before stopping. Annoyed and slightly confused, I followed the rest of the SEED out of the vehicle. I looked around and suddenly was on alert. The other two vehicles had stopped also. Each one had a blow out on their back right hand tire.

"Hurry up and change them!" shouted Victan.

"Sir there is something strange going on here." I heard Joe say to him.

"What's strange? The god damn things ran over something sharp and the tires blew out." Victan answered stupidly.

"But the front tires are fine. If we ran over something, they would have..."

"Will you just shut up!" Victan shouted again. "If you're looking for something to do, help us change the tires. Or is that not good enough for the esteemed SEED?" he spat. Joe looked hopelessly around. Immediately I focused and sent my net of awareness over the forest. I ignored the disturbances nearest to me and instead turned my attention to the trees. I felt the disturbance of the wind through the leaves. I spread it wider. Still nothing out of the ordinary. I was just about to give up when I felt a huge jolt, somewhat the same as a quick back step in a duel. Someone in the forest had tripped. I drew back to full consciousness and immediately drew a protect around myself.

"Joe, there's something in the trees!" I shouted. A split second later ten other people shouted "Protect" and turned to the trees. Victan was furious.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Did I or did I not tell you to get working on the tires?!" he said rushing over to meet me.

"Sir there is someone out there." I said quickly. "Get behind one of us or one of the vehicles..."

"You slackers! There is noth..." he started before a large red hole appeared in his forehead. He fell in cloud of blood. A few more bullets hit the ground while another few hit the protects we had set up. There was a blur of movement, as Thrill drew his rifle and Victan's men rushed to get behind their truck. There was another harmless volley of shots from the trees. Thrill adjusted his aim just slightly and fired seemly blindly into the trees. There was a shout as, amazingly, he hit his mark. There was another volley and again Thrill adjusted and fired. A scream indicated another would be sniper had fallen. There was suddenly silence as we waited for another volley. There was none. Several minutes passed before suddenly a small army of shouting men burst from the tree and began running towards us, weapons drawn. Immediately we sprang to action and bunched together. Thrill's hands were a blur as he fired and reloaded over and over again all the while running to get behind the group. Each time he hit his mark. None of these ever moved again. With hands outstretched the rest of us waited for the men to close. They seemed a very rag-tag bunch and they wielded only swords and knives. I knew that what I was looking at was a makeshift Winhill militia. They had come to take back what our employers had stolen. The men closed the distance slowly. They were tired. I reminded myself that they had probably not slept so as to make up for lost time while we were sleeping. As soon as they were in range Joe gave the order and all except Thrill cast their spells. The first line of attackers fell, tripping several more as they did.

"Joe these aren't soldiers, they have no organization at all." Shouted one from our group.

"I don't really think that matters." He called back, grunting in exertion as he cast his next spell. I cast two more spells of my own before I drew my blade. The ragged soldiers had paid dearly in numbers already, but they still had a two-to-one advantage. However, we were SEED's. I locked eyes with the man directly in front of me. Poor guy, he had no idea what he was up against. A second later he was within reach. He was only trying to take back what was stolen from him and now he would die. I reluctantly dashed forward at the last moment, running the man through before he had a chance to swing his blade. Immediately another two took his place. They watched me warily for a moment before they attacked. Their co-ordination was poor and they had obviously never fought together before. I ducked under a sword slash and spun away from a dagger thrust, using momentum to turn and take the first man in the throat. He fell hard, clutching his bleeding neck. In a wild panic, the second threw his dagger towards me before running towards Victan's truck. He took one step before Thrill, who had drawn two elegant pistols, shot him down. I glanced around to find my next opponent and instead found one of our assailants overpowering our rookie. I watched as his attacker pull back his sword and for a second I thought I would once again have to call garden for a dispatch to pick up the body of a SEED under my care. Joe's care this time, I reminded myself. The attacker never did follow through with his swing. Instead he turned and raced almost fanatically towards Victan's vehicle. Thrill, who was now standing beside me, raised a pistol.

For a second an internal conflict raced across his face before he said quietly "Well, they did attack us, after all." He fired and the running man fell as if he was tripped, only he would never get back on his feet again. I glanced around at my comrades and found that all were alive with nothing but slight wounds.

"Now we need to think 'why would they attack a transport convoy in the middle of nowhere'." Said Thrill surveying the grisly scene before walking off. As the others checked for any survivors that thought raced around in my head. I knew why. But was what we had really that important that they would persist even though their sniper attempt failed? I turned this thought over in my head a few times and could come up with only one answer. The cargo that we were carrying was worth dying for.

Joe was in his element. With Victan being dead, he was the highest authority and loved every minute of it. I was in loath to admit that he had done a pretty good job of getting things back on track and we were making up for lost time. I had decided that whatever it was that we were escorting, we weren't meant to know about it and so I wouldn't act. This didn't sit well and as the days passed, I found I was becoming increasingly curious. Four days later, the forest suddenly ended. Replacing it was a huge plain of sand that seemed to go on for miles. How such a lush forest could ever grow so close to this endless nothingness I could only guess at. The only thing that broke the uniformity of the sand was a small vehicle and several figures standing around. It was here that we would leave our seemingly priceless cargo. Our transports pulled up to the side of the truck as it stopped. I was about to leave my transport when Thrill grabbed my shoulder.

"Find out what is in that truck. I'll keep the transport running." He said briefly before pushing me out the door. I paused slightly as I realized what it was that he had told me to do. As I walked over to the group that was just forming, I considered this.

"What happened to Victan?" said a figure. As I got closer I could tell that this man was a leader. He had the air of authority that not even those in the council could rival. I also did not fail to notice the well-made broad sword strapped to his side.

"Well he, errrrr, died." Joe was saying tentatively.

"Died? Tell me. What exactly we are paying you people for?" said the man, his eyes narrowing angrily.

"To protect the cargo convoy." Answered Joe. "But..."

"Then why is one of my men dead!" he shouted. I found that I didn't like this person.

"Victan's death was not our fault." I said, taking over from Joe.

"Oh really? Then who's fault was it, may I ask?" he replied acidly.

"Victan's death was of his own doing. He knowingly ignored our efforts to take him out of harms way and instead put his life in danger." I said formally, but cold.

"Yeah that sounds like Victan alright." Said the man, his manner changing like lightning. He then took out a clipboard and began marking things off as if nothing had ever happened. He wordlessly called a private meeting with the truck drivers. I interrupted.

"May I inquire about the contents of the truck?" I said, taking great pains to keep my voice as formal as I could.

"No you may not." Came the brief reply.

"But sir..."

"No you may not." He repeated. Annoyed at being pointedly rejected, I began to consider my options. Thrill had been quite clear on what he wanted and I myself was very interested in anything that would cause a score of men to thoughtlessly attack us. I made up my mind in an instant. At the very least, Thrill's advice had proven to be too good to be ignored in the past.

"Are we dismissed?" I said loudly.

"What? Oh yes, yes, whatever." Answered the man, now clearly showing his annoyance at being constantly interrupted. My blade was out of its sheath in an instant. Before anyone could react, I pushed my way into the press of bodies that was his comrades and put the tip of my blade at his throat.

"Now may I inquire to the contents of the truck?" I said. He calmly looked down at my scarlet blade.

"I understand that you have been put under stressful conditions for the past few days, so I will overlook this incident. Put your admirable blade away and leave." He said slowly.

"I will not. Either you will show me the contents of the truck, or I will kill you, your men, then I will look myself."

"What are you saying?!" shouted Joe. "Perhaps you weren't listening when the council said that they were lucky to have this mission?"

"Stay out of this Joe." I said quickly. For a moment nobody said anything. The man glared into my eyes, testing my mettle. I stared resolutely back.

"You do mean what you say. Let me warn you that you have made a powerful enemy on this day, for you and for your garden. You have no idea what you are meddling in, boy." he said before motioning for his men to take position at the truck. They opened the back and stepped in. A minute later they came out, dragging behind them children, bound and gagged. Whatever I was expecting, this was not it. I could not control myself as my jaw dropped. The children ranged in age from barely walking to what looked to be about twelve. All had red around their eyes from what could not be mistaken for anything but crying. They looked like they hadn't been fed since the beginning of the journey.

"What is this?" whispered in rage.

"This is the cargo that you so badly wanted to see." He said so calmly, it was inhuman.

"You will let these children go immediately." I said, struggling to control my anger. The man laughed.

"You are a fool. So I am to let them go in the middle of nowhere? They are starving. They would die of hunger."

"We will look after them." I said quickly. He laughed again.

"So you have enough rations to feed a hundred starving children for the number of days it will take for you to walk to the nearest town. You will have to walk seeing as though you only have two transport vehicles." My mind wheeled.

"There are a hundred of them?" I said in disbelief.

"Yes, those you see are just my leverage. You see you have no choice but to release me now and leave this place." He said, once again with infuriating calmness.

"Are you joking? Do you really think I would leave these children in your care? They would be killed."

"Ahh, but quite to the contrary. If we wanted them dead, they would be already. And now it is time for our meeting to end." He said as he signaled to his men. In unison they drew daggers and put them to the children's throats.

"Leave here now, or the children die." He said.

"You won't do it. You said it yourself, you don't want the children dead." I reasoned.

"Wrong. I don't want all the children dead. One or two for the sake of the mission is no major loss. Now stop stalling, leave here now."

"I will not let these children die!" I shouted.

"You just did" he murmured and signaled again. The first of his men slit the throat of the first child.

"NO." I shouted, pressing my blade harder against his throat. "Kill another and you will die!" Again the man laughed.

"Kill me and you will have lost your hostage. Kill me and my men will slit the throats of all of those children. Then they will jump into that truck with the rest of them, and kill as many of them as they can as well. How many do you think will die before your SEEDs can stop them? Thirty? Forty? More perhaps? Two at least." He said cruelly as he signaled once more. The next child had time to shout out before her throat was cut. Again my anger flared, but I knew that I had been beaten.

"OK." I said softly "You win." I drew away, back to my openmouthed companions. The man smiled.

"Now get back into your transports and drive back to your pitiful garden, boy. Make no mistake, we will meet again." He said calmly once more.

"Oh, I hope so." I said, obediently turning back to my transport. This time at least, I was sure that had I not been there, two more people that should not have died wouldn't have.

Like I had once before, I was tempted to fall into a pool of self-doubt and pity, but I had learnt from my mistake. Instead I analyzed the big picture. It didn't take me long to realise that for the last fifty years, Balamb Garden had been helping these people to kidnap children. It made me sick. I swore at myself softly as I saw how badly I had neglected my vow to change Balamb Garden, and resolved myself never to become so lax again. The trip back to garden was a solemn one, each one of us knowing exactly what we had done. I also suddenly realized that Thrill knew there was something going on. I was going to ask him about that before I remembered that he disappeared every night. He had probably used this time snooping around, gathering more information about what it was we were transporting. Again I cursed myself. I should have done the same thing, especially after the soldiers from Winhill attacked. If I had seen this earlier, who knows what might have happened? Those children might have been saved. These thoughts occupied my mind for the entire trip back to garden. The moment we reached the parking lot, we were greeted by one of the council's waiting room people.

"The council wishes to hear your report immediately." He said in a tone that meant that the council already knew what it was that we would be reporting. Our dismal group followed this man to the council's waiting room where we were immediately called in. All council members were in attendance and all were unmistakably angry. Instead of Illion, it was the man he had once called Callember that spoke to us. He addressed Joe, and for the first time, I felt pity for him.

"Give your report." Said Callember curtly.

"The mission was successfully completed with the loss of one member of the hirers crew. We strived to prevent this loss but could not." He said in a vain attempt to avoid the rest of the details.

"Perhaps you could skip to the part that you ATTACKED YOUR CLIENT!" He shouted at the last. I waited for Joe to single me out.

"With all due respect they were no longer our clients. We were released from duty when we acted." He said, with a barely noticeable sideways glance at me. Callember noticed.

"Ahhhh of course, it would have been you that went against the orders of the council." He said, rounding on me.

"I did no such thing. As Joe has already said we were released from duty when I made my stand." I said, resolutely. "I would also like to say that it was my actions and my actions along that determined this. The rest of the dispatch had nothing to do with it."

"Nothing? Did they try to stop you?" he said.

"You know they could not, sir." I said coldly.

"Very well, everyone else is dismissed." He said, never taking his eyes off me. The others left with the exception of Thrill.

"I too have played my part in this." He said to the questioning stare of the rest of the council.

"Oh, and what part is that?"

"I encouraged him to find out the contents of the truck." Callember thought for a moment.

"Very well, you will both be punished."

"What for?" I asked loudly.

"For losing us a very well paid mission that we have held for the last fifty years!" Callember shouted once more. I snapped.

"Do you have any idea of what it is they were transporting?! Children! Kids barely old enough to walk. They took them away from their parents and love ones to use for their own sick purposes!" I looked at Illion, begging him to support me. There was barely any emotion in his eyes as he stared blankly back at me. This more than anything else shocked me.

"Do you think that we did not know that?!" Callember shouted back. For a second I didn't understand what his words meant.

"Do you mean to tell me, that the council has been accepting this mission, knowing exactly what it was we were guarding?" I said in disbelief.

"We never accept a mission without the full details." He said back coldly. I was stunned. For a moment my mind reeled. I would have never considered this. That the council had knowingly supported this mission ... it made me sick.

"I refuse to be a part of this anymore!" I shouted, turning and storming out of the room, followed closely by Thrill. We both ignored the shouts of our superiors behind us.

The next morning I waited in the training room at the time that Illion would arrive for our training. I could not concentrate, I could only see the blank stares of the council members as they admitted knowingly sending SEEDs to help kidnap children. I stared at the doorway, as if daring Illion to walk through. To my great surprise, he did. He faltered only slightly at the look on my face as he crossed the room to stand next to me.

"So, you will leave garden?" he said, customarily cutting straight to the major issue.

"No." I said quickly.

"What do you hope to achieve by staying?" he asked slightly confused.

"The betterment of Balamb Garden." I said narrowing my eyes.

"How do you plan to do that?" he asked, without a change in tone.

"I don't know."

"Why do you think it needs changing." He said calmly.

"Why...why do I think it needs changing?! Why do you think?!" I said, enraged at the very thought of the question.

"What you don't seem to understand, is that this is what being a mercenary is all about. If all jobs were simple and pretty, no one would need us."

"No. People will always need other people to do their fighting for them." I said bitterly.

"Very well. What do you suppose garden should be like?"

"We should be held to a higher standard. We should be the ones deciding who it is we should fight for, not the people who send in requests."

"Who is to decide the standard that missions should be held to? That is what the council..."

"Oh, the council. Perhaps you have forgotten that at least one of the council was telling Leon when and where to butcher our dispatches!" I said, becoming annoyed at Illion's complete disregard of the obvious. Illion was silent and so I pressed my point.

"The council is corrupt, you have to have realized this by now, you have to have seen that they will stop at nothing for money. SEEDs are sent away on missions that they want no part in, or they are given so little details, they don't know if they want a part in." Still he was silent.

"It has to change Illion." I said in a last attempt to make him see it my way.

"Yes it does." He said softly. "You are right of course. I have noticed this quite some time ago and I have begun on a method to fix this problem."

"Really? What is it?" I said, quite surprised. For a long while Illion didn't answer and instead stared into space, as if trying to remember something he had forgotten.

"You may just find out soon enough." He said softly before turning and walking away.

I tried to find refuge from my thoughts in the depths of Illion's techniques. I cast my net of awareness over the garden and simply 'felt' the bustle of everyday life. All the while I could not escape the fact that I was powerless to seriously act against the council. Conflicting with my vow to change Garden was the oath I had taken when I had first become a SEED, that so long as I was a member of garden, I would accept the council as the ultimate authority. I knew that the council would never accept change and so must be stripped of their positions. How to do this, however, completely eluded me. For a long while I let myself go, simply 'feeling' the footsteps of the people who were my comrades. I could recognize the pattern of voices, though not yet what these voices were saying. The endless hum of movement helped to drown out my thoughts and worries. Even so, I knew that they would not go away. I knew that it was because of these people that I must do something quickly. I had been on only one sickening mission and I already felt as though I could not go on another. I could not imagine being like Taen and others like her, constantly sent out on mission that required them to shelve the morals and instead hold their mission in the highest priority. I simply could not. I drew back my net of awareness and found that it was already quite late. I resolved myself that the next morning, I would wait in this training room until Illion arrived, and I would make him tell me his plan. I would no longer stand by idle and wait for things to fix themselves. Satisfied that I had finally taken a step in the right direction I left the training room and made my way to my dorm for what should have been a peaceful rest.

I could not rest. As Illion had once suggested, I now did not sleep as such, but instead used his techniques. Although I didn't sleep, there was a point in this method that I could get to where the constant flow of the night would lull me into rest and by the next day, I was as rested as I had ever been. This night, that point would not come. The flow of the night that had so often allowed me to drift off, instead reminded me of the unrest that I was feeling inside my own mind. I allowed myself to be consumed in the steady flow of air around my room but always my mind was fully alert. Perhaps this saved my life, for at that moment I felt a slow displacement of air at the doorway. It was so slight that I could have been only a breeze but my alert mind picked it up immediately. This displacement moved closer, closer again and I fleetingly wondered if perhaps I had left a window open. Suddenly there was a large crash, or so it seemed to me in my state. Something had hit the ground quite hard. Immediately I was concentrating. Now that I knew something was there, I could feel it. A person moved so silently towards my bed that I would have never noticed on any other night. I remained perfectly still as I 'felt' them come closer. They moved methodically, even fluidly, as they moved to the side of my bed. I felt the slight displacement of air as they raised their hand. There was a sudden rush as they brought it crashing down. Before the dagger could pierce my heart, I rolled off my bed and jumped to my feet. Another displacement through the air told me that a dagger was thrown. I quickly raised a protect and it bounced off. I heard a feminine voice whisper "dispel", and my protect shattered. I felt more daggers, thrown so quickly and accurately, that I would have still been alive as one pierced my forehead, another my throat, and the last my heart. Again Illion's technique save me and I dropped quickly. My assailant moved slowly towards me, sticking to the shadows, not quite sure if she had killed me yet. I waited, again perfectly still for her to close, before I leapt at her. Using a move that I had learnt from Taen, I pinned both her arms with one of mine, and both her legs to the wall. As I not too shyly searched my assailants body for more daggers I made a mental note to thank Taen. I was immediately given that chance. With my attacker disarmed, I let her loose and darted quickly for my gunblade, and then for the lights. Taen stood out like a sore thumb, her black clothing contrasting against my white walls.

"Taen?" I whispered in disbelief. With hands that were visibly trembling she removed her mask. It surprised me even more to see her crying. I realized it must have been a tear that had hit the ground earlier.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to but they made me." She said shaking with sadness.

"By they you mean the council?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes! Of course! Who else would I possibly kill you for? They briefed me an hour ago." She said somewhat angry.

"This is important. How many council members were there." I said hurriedly.

"I don't know, they had the lights out. I didn't recognize the voice of the person who talked. I'm sorry, that's all I remember." She said and I was convinced that she was truly upset.

"Do you have to report back?" I asked, suddenly thinking of something.

"Yes. What do you have in mind?" she asked curiously.

"I would like to tell you, but what you don't know, can't be forced from you." I said apologetically.

"Yes, of course."

"How many people do you think you can get to support me in removing the council by tomorrow." I said, making a quick decision. A light seemed to brighten in her eyes.

"As many as you could ever hope for." She said resolutely.

"Ok, do that when you are finished reporting."

"What should I report?"

"That your mission was successful." I answered with a grin.

"You know before tonight I would have sworn that I could assassinate anyone, anywhere, at any time. I've never been so happy to admit I was wrong, but you're going to have to tell me how you knew I was there." She said with a slight smile.

"If I live through the next few days, I will." I said quickly before gesturing for her to lead the way.

I had doubted, at first, that I would ever need the training that Taen had given me years before, but I could have never done what I did that night, without it. I knew that there was only one person I could turn to and that person was Illion. In the back of my mind, I knew that there was the possibility that he could have been involved in the assassination attempt, but I had no other choice. However there was also the unlikeness of my getting into the council's chambers to deal with. A walked through the darkened hallways, following Taen but sticking to the shadows against the small possibility of someone was still awake. I paused as Taen waited for the elevator. The moment the doors opened I darted though. Knowing that we had barely seconds Taen quickly took a dagger and, with the hilt smashed the lights. I, meanwhile, leapt to the roof and pinned myself into the darkness. Before I was completely in position, the doors opened. The two attendants were waiting and escorted Taen from the lift.

"What happened to the lights?" one asked. Taen ignored him and kept walking. The man was forced to follow. I slipped down quietly and trailed them, hiding behind assorted chairs along the way. They led Taen to the giant wooden doors. One turned off the lights lest she see who was in the next room. They opened the giant wooden doors to the council room. Soundlessly I ran after Taen as she entered. She made sure that she left ample room for both of us as she stepped through. The moment I slipped into the room, I skirted the walls and crept slowly around the council's desk. I stopped briefly to engage Illion's technique. I found that besides Taen and myself, there were three others in the room. Not enough for a binding decision.

"Was your mission successful?" said a voice so deep that I was sure it was not natural.

"Yes." Answered Taen, letting her voice falter convincingly.

"Then you are dismissed. Rest assured that you have just ensured the stability of this garden as you know it." Taen saluted one last time before exiting. Now afraid that they would turn the lights on, I crept around a corner that I had just found. It unfortunately led to a large, well-lit, corridor that had several doors leading off it. I ran to the first and read the plaque. "Callember Tulin." I suddenly realized that these must be the council's quarters. Horrified at what might happen should the three members that were in the briefing room decide to retire, I ran to the next. "Carline Frachese." I moved on again and found what I had been looking for. "Illion Caraway." Silently I slipped through the door.

I had not had a chance to close it before a pair of strong hands grabbed me.

"Empty your reserves." Said Illion frantically.

"Illion? But why?" I said slightly confused.

"Do it!" he replied in a forceful whisper. I did so, knowing better then to disregard what Illion obviously thought was a threat. The moment I did, Illion let me go and closed the door.

"Your mental reserve limit is unique. Using my own technique, it is possible to find someone by looking for their metal reserves. That is how I always know where you are. Just like I did now. Now what are you doing here?" he said angrily. "I could have come to see you tomorrow morning."

"Yes you could have, but I would have been in a coffin." I said annoyed that he obviously thought I had risked being found in the council's rooms for a petty reason.

"What are you talking about, boy?" he said roughly.

"Fifteen minutes ago, Taen tried to kill me." I said as calmly as I could. This obviously was not what Illion was expecting.

"But why?" Illion said with a frown.

"Because three members of the council ordered her to." I replied.

"But three members cannot assign a mission." He said, frowning deeper.

"She did not know that there was only three members. They had the lights off so that they couldn't be identified."

"Then how do you know that there were three members?"

"I used Taen to get in. When she went to report back, I slipped past. I used your techniques and found that there was three of them." I said quickly.

"Well what have you come here to see me for?" said Illion, for some reason trying to palm me off.

"Don't play innocent with me. The only reason that I am here now is because I followed your advice and used your technique instead of sleeping. That means that you had some sort of inkling that I would need it." Illion sighed heavily.

"I was afraid that this would happen." He said quietly. He motioned for me to follow him and we made our way to a table and chairs.

"Sit, please. There is a lot we must go through tonight." He said, almost dismally. I did so and waited for Illion to start.

"Do you know why it is that some in the council wish for you to be dead?" he asked finally.

"Because I will no longer follow them?" I asked back.

"No. It is more than that. They fear you, or more so, they fear what you may become." He said quickly. Again he took a long pause.

"I knew this day would come, but I wish it would not have been this early. I wanted you to become more capable before I thrust this on you."

"What are you talking about?" I said, frustrated at the pace of the conversation. Illion sighed once more.

"We council members have taken oaths, an oath that above all, requires that we do whatever it takes to ensure the continuation of this garden. Second, is to ensure the safety and well being of the garden's occupants. It is this that I attribute to the council's decline. We began with many honorable ambitions and for a long while, Balamb garden thrived both financially and morally. However, over time I began to notice a difference in our thinking. So gradually that it passed unnoticed, our morals began to fade away under the need of more money, which we would account to continuing the future of garden. And now we are as we are today. We will accept any mission with any consequences if it means that the garden will be better off for it." He said this slowly and I could tell that he was truly sorry that this was so.

"However we are getting old and we know that our reign will not be eternal. And so we began looking for one, or many that could succeed us and lead garden. It is you that we have found for that purpose."

"Me? But..." I began, quite shocked.

"Please let me finish." Illion continued. "We chose you for our new leader and we would have made you both wise and strong. However recently there has been a rift in the council. Some are beginning to wonder if we have made the correct choice. Your talk of cutting back on the dishonorable missions, which are often the best paid ones, have got some thinking that perhaps making you leader of this garden might not be ensuring its future. Even more recently, some have started thinking that even keeping you alive might endanger the safety of this garden."

"But how could I?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"You are powerful, even more so than any of those in the council. More importantly, you are respected. Where you lead, others will follow." I began to say that I doubted this, but I remembered the flash of light in Taen's eyes. She seemed delighted at the mention of my removing the council.

"This is what many in the council fears. They fear that you will lead a rebellion against them."

"Illion, that is exactly what I mean to do." I said honestly.

"Yes I know. This is what I have been urging you towards for many years now." He said reluctantly.

"What does that mean?" I said apprehensively.

"I have come to the part of the story that I wish I had forgotten, though it is the part that I am least likely to ever forget." He said this slowly and took a long pause while he gathered his thoughts. "As I have already mentioned, the council was becoming corrupt, and although I could see it happening, I could not stop it for I was changing also. I realized, much as you have, that things must change. That is why I have played such a big role in your life. I was the one who would shape your morals. It started when I searched you at the sign up to your first tournament."

"Searched?" I said curiously.

"Yes. That is when I placed my hands beside your head. This can give me an impression of the person. I do not actually get any information, but I get feelings. In you and your young friend Josie, I sensed unbridled potential. However I also sensed that this potential would never be more then that in your current state. What you needed was a push in the right direction." Said Illion carefully. He paused while he waited for me to catch up.

"Push? Illion what p...?" I began. Suddenly I realized. A chill ran through my body and tears began to prickle the corners of my eyes. I couldn't believe it.

"Josie. Josie was my push." I whispered in shock.

"Yes. That day I knew that it was either you or Josie that would lead our garden. In that moment I created a plan that would shape one of you into the perfect leader. You see in the council there is no consideration of human feelings. That is how we have become corrupt. We simply do not know the sting of betrayal. We do not know what it is like to be made to do something that makes us sick, we do not know the effect that our meddling has on a person. And so I decided that garden's next leader would know that feeling all to well."

"No. No. Please tell me this is a joke Illion." I said, feeling rage beginning to rise.

"This is no joke. I think that you may have understood a little of what we in the council did, but I fear that there is much more that you don't. We made sure that the two of you could beat all the others that entered the tournament so many years ago. That is why there were so little participants."

"No." I said in disbelief.

"You don't believe it? Tell me, had the mage you fought in the second round used a different spell, a fira, or a blizzara, how would you have stopped it? I admit it was presumptuous of us to think that you would do what you did, but we were right in the end. We let Leon in with the purpose of him killing whichever of you got into the finals. You see without this, you would have never had the drive to progress so far in your training. We paid him to continue to harass you. The council knowingly sacrificed many young SEEDs to make sure that you never lost your passion, that you would never stop to think about the big picture.

"NO! You couldn't do that, you swore an oath against it!" I argued.

"But see, we were acting for what we thought was the continuation of garden. We were creating the next leader of SEED. Think about this. So what if Leon attacked one of the elite guarded missions? You were already the strongest SEED we had, and he was as strong as you, he would have certainly been powerful enough to take out the elite. But you see we couldn't sacrifice so many of our experienced SEEDs."

"No. But Leon died. Why would he accept a mission if he was going to die." I said, my last desperate attempt to prove him wrong.

"That is where we made a mistake. We had him constantly harassing you, so you would never look at the big picture and realize all the things that I have told you today. If you did you would have seen that there was no real reason for Leon to be butchering our dispatches. However you did pick up that the council was giving him orders and you set a trap. This was an unexpected bonus. We allowed you to kill Leon, as it would mean that we would no longer have to pay him." My mind raced and I knew that all he had told me was true. in hindsight I could not believe that I had been so naive. I should have seen it. The signs were there. Once again my judgment had been clouded by my rage. Leon, he had known. What had he said?

"I bet the council is very pleased with your progress." He had told me the first time we fought.

"The mage wouldn't have told you this. You must have done it all by yourself." The second time. How could I have failed to see the truth? Why hadn't I seen that Leon had no reason to attack our dispatches? Our first fight. I had leapt out of the window. He could have followed me. He could have killed me. But he was never meant to. I could not stop the tears that ran continuously down my face. I could not stop that rage that once again began to consume me. Slowly I stood and drew my blade.

"So Leon was only a pawn in Josie's death." I said, with ragged breath.

"Yes. Yet I feel that there is more responsibility that I must accept. The rest of the council only knew half of my motives. They would not have approved of making you morally correct. Therefore, I must accept alone the consequences of your pain. It was I alone that pushed you hard after Josie had died, to make sure that you would not stop and waste your grief. To make sure that it progressed to rage. It is I alone that let you fail in your undertaking to chase Leon, so that you would know the consequences of bad judgment. It is I who must accept responsibility for sending you on your last mission, so that you would never send another on a mission so terrible. And finally, it is I myself who must take responsibility for telling you all this, so you would know the sting of betrayal, and decide never to make another person feel the way you are feeling now." Said Illion calmly. It all sounded so simple, so thought out. I could not doubt that his methods had worked to their effect. I had become everything that he had wanted me to. My life was not my own but a result of the manipulation of the council and especially Illion. Rage raced through my being and my blade once again began to glow. I drew it back and slashed at his throat. I stopped a hairbreadth away, self control winning at the last.

"You deserve to die." I said, my voice shaking horribly.

"Yes I do." He replied, again calm. A war once again raged inside. I had more reason to kill this man then I ever did for Leon. Why was I hesitating? My logic came up with an answer. Illion was calm, ready to accept whatever I did to him. He knew that he deserved whatever he got. He knew that all he had done was wrong. This was worth keeping, I convinced my anger.

"I will never forget this." I said, my voice trembling.

"Nor will I." Answered Illion remorsefully.

"Will you help me?" I asked him at last, my blade losing its glow.

"With my last dying breath." He replied. I reluctantly sheathed my blade and sat down once again. There I stayed with Illion for most of the night, planning what we would do on the next day.

With the help of Illion I made it back out of the council room and found Taen, who was surprisingly alone. I woke her quietly and told her our not so subtle plan. She agreed to her part and dressed quickly. Knowing that I would have not much to do until the majority of the garden awoke, I left to take my assigned position in the assembly hall, that I had once been briefed by Illion and Joe for the tournament many years before. On the stage I sat and waited. Using Illion's technique, I felt the gradual awakening and movement of people in the garden. I was bitter and hurt. Why was I doing this? Why did I care what happened to the garden that had betrayed me? Because it wasn't the garden, only the council. The council betrayed you and now at last you will have your true vengeance. This thought comforted me. It was eight o'clock before I felt the first group of many enter the hall. I smiled. Taen was already making good progress. It was her job to spread the word among the members of the garden. The word was rebellion. The plan that Illion and I had formed was brilliant in its simplicity. We would use the council's own exclusion from the rest of the garden to our advantage. By the time that they would realize something was happening, we would have numbers. The brilliance was they would soon be able to do nothing to stop us. Each person that entered the hall makes it less and less likely that they would kill me in plain sight. Each person that entered the hall was one more soldier that would fight for us should the need arise. Each person that entered the hall was loyal to my cause. Slowly the time passed by. First there were only five people, then nine, then twelve. More and more entered. Twenty, fifty then a hundred. Along with this last lot was Thrill. He joined me on the stage.

"Taen said to start. She will send more people as you go." He said in his curt manner. I nodded and began my part. Nervously, I stood slowly and raised my hand to bring silence. It was only when people turned and looked to me did I truly believe that Illion was right, that people would listen to me.

"Welcome members of Balamb Garden." I began, talking as loudly as I could. "As most of you will already know I am here to start a new chapter in this garden's book. It is time that we cast away the tyranny of the council and start living the way we want to." I was talking nonsense, I thought with a smile. There was silence. Inwardly I frowned. Was this a good thing?

"You may ask why it is that I am up here today, and why not yesterday, or tomorrow. The reason is that last night, another member of this garden was ordered by the council to kill me." At this there were shocked looks and even a few gasps. This was more like it.

"You see I no longer have a choice. I can either roll over and die, or I can come out and speak against the council, as running and hiding has never been my style." I said, as Illion suggested I should.

"Those of you that are here today must agree with me, you must know that Balamb Garden must be changed. The council has become corrupt. They have become uncaring for anything except for money and power. This must be stopped." I continued.

"Who here has ever been on a mission that they wish they hadn't?" I asked loudly, knowing that this was the moment of truth. If I was ignored here, I would lose them. For a long while there was nothing. No shouts, no hands in the air. Nothing. For a moment my heart was held in limbo. As a looked around the room, there was nothing but silence. No whispers, no shouts. Nothing.

"I have!" Came a shout from the back of the room. I could not see who it was. I saw the crowd part as they let that person through. I was shocked at who it was. I thought it would be Taen, maybe even Thrill. Instead it was Joe. For the first time in my life, Joe's need to be the centre of attention caused me to sigh in relief. Joe gleefully took to the stage and began.

"Just a couple of days ago, I came back from escorting a supply vehicle. Of course what was in that vehicle was unknown. But we found out, my comrades and I. It was children. A hundred children bound and gagged. We resisted giving them up, and so they killed two of them. Do you know what happened when we got back to garden? We were punished!" he ended up shouting. I was so happy at the angry reaction that I forgave him for saying 'we'.

"That's nothing!" came another voice. The crowd parted again for a man that I didn't know. He to came up to the stage and told his story to the crowd. Those in the hall began to whisper furiously. After that came a woman, followed by another man. More and more people came to the stage, each with a tale more sickening than the rest. Each time the reaction of the crowd was stronger, each story made them angrier. I slinked to the back of the stage and watched the arrival of more people. Within ten minutes I had lost track of the people who had entered and could not even find Thrill in the press of bodies. I didn't even know if Taen had arrived yet. With every new arrival my heart leapt with joy. We were going to do it! Within five more minutes the hall was a buzz of excited talk. It seemed that almost everyone had a story to tell. I could practically feel the anger in the room. Suddenly there was quiet in the back of the hall. It progressed its way up as those in front stopped to find the interruption. The crowd parted and made way for seven solitary figures. The council had arrived.

Joe and the others on the stage leapt down so fast, it was mind numbing, and I made my way to the middle. Three members of the council, including Callember, seemed surprised to see me. I didn't need to wonder why. In a line they walked until they reached the stage. They halted in front of me.

"We are here to relieve you of your position of SEED in Balamb Garden." Said Callember formally.

"I think you are mistaken. It is I who am here to relieve you of your position." I answered, not giving up the centre of the stage.

"You and what army?" He replied with a cruel smile. I moved, pushing my way through their line.

"With this army!" I shouted, looking not at them but at the others in the hall. Only silence met my call. Callember laughed.

"All of these are under oath, to respect us as their authority. They are not so dishonorable as to break that oath." He said with a smile. I smiled back.

"No. The oath has already been broken. Those in the council swore an oath once, to protect those at Balamb Garden." I said. Illion and I had prepared against this.

"Who here was given a mission in the time that the one called Leon was ravaging our dispatches?" I shouted to the hall. Every last person raised their hands.

"You have broken your oath to these people. Their oath to you is now void." I shouted again, never facing the council. Illion had told me how important it was to be seen as the central figure.

"Even so, who would want to fight against the very organization that stops this garden from plunging into ruins." I breathed heavily for a moment. This is what it all came down to.

"Who will fight?" I shouted one last time. The silence was deathly. Every person looked to the one next to them, to see if they had raised their hand. The crowd that was so riled up just moments before was now quiet.

"You seem to be lacking an army." Said Callember with a laugh. A moment later there came a shout from the back of the hall.

"I will fight!" shouted Taen. Again the crowd made way as she lead a small group of people towards the stage. Seeing them, many more jumped in and it wasn't long before this group could no longer be distinguishable from the rest of the crowd.

"No. They're just a little late." I said, turning to the council at last. I saw that all except Illion had blanched. Loud enough for all to hear, I shouted, "Callember Tulin, I challenge you for your position..." Illion cut me off.

"No. It is I who must do this." He said, stepping forward to stand next to me. There was an audible gasp from the crowd. Inwardly I smiled. Illion had just sealed the fate of the council. He had just admitted that they were worth fighting against.

"But Illion..."

"No. I will not stand by idle while the fate of this garden is decided. I intend to fulfill the only oath I still have left at this point." He said grimly. Callember smiled.

"Very well Illion Caraway. I accept." He said quietly. Without a word, those in the hall were emptied until only those who dared remained. The next time I looked, Taen and Thrill had come to stand beside me. The only other watchers were those of the council. Illion and Callember made their way to the centre of the hall. They faced each other and took ten steps backwards. Not once did one's eyes move from the other's.

For a moment they just stood and watched each other. Suddenly the fight began. In unison they drew staves. I could feel the inward pull of energies as they began their assaults. Together they shaped their spells.

"Fira!" shouted Callember, casting a ball of intense heat.

"Bizzara!" shouted Illion, casting a ball of intense cold. The spells clashed in and disappeared in an explosion of steam and heated water. Already the mages had begun their next spells. Lightening lanced from the tip of Illions staff to his hands as he began he prepared to cast his next spell.

"Thundara!" he shouted as he completed it. Callember stood motionless until the last moment.

"Refect!" he called back as a green barrier absorbed Illion's spell before firing it back. Illion rolled away to avoid it.

"You are a traitor Illion." Called Callember, foolishly trying to distract his opponent.

"Yes, but not to the council." Answered Illion as he cast another blizzara spell. This time Callember leapt to avoid. Suddenly there was a flash of movement to my side. I turned quickly to find Taen struggling with a woman from the council that had just tried to slash her throat. In an instant Thrill and I drew our weapons as the council drew theirs. Thrill fired his pistol at the woman who was forced to disengage with Taen to cast a protect. Another man stepped to the woman's side with a very well made broad sword. Behind them stood two more mages.

"Taen, Thrill, we can't fight them here." I shouted and leapt from the stage. A fire spell flew over my head as I did. Taen leapt a second later followed by Thrill who was firing backwards to cover our backs. Callember turned to find himself between Illion and us. He cast one more quick spell at Illion before running frantically to the side, making sure that he would not be flanked. Taen, Thrill and I dropped back to join with a tired Illion.

"What happened." He said quickly.

"They attacked me while I was watching." Taen replied.

"They out-number us." Said Thrill unnecessarily. "And Taen and I skill's are not particularly useful in this circumstance."

"Should we get re-enforcement's?" asked Taen turning towards the exit.

"No." Said Illion and I together

"This is now a battle of honour. Others have no place here. If we fail, then others can take up our cause if they wish." Illion explained.

"I can take the two warriors if you can all take a mage or so each." I said quickly, seeing that the council had begun to organize themselves.

"I'm not sure if you can." Replied Illion.

"Don't worry, I can. These are the people who killed Josie." I murmmered, allowing the rage of last night wash over me. My blade once again began to glow as I felt the peculiar feeling of power that I had felt when I fought Leon. With a shout of rage I ran at the council. I felt a bullet whiz past my ear and a spell pass my side as I rushed to engage the two warriors in the council. This was nothing compared to the ringing of anger in my ears. The woman had sheathed the dagger that she had attacked Taen with and had now drew a wicked looking curved sword. I saw the flash of bullet meeting a protect and a spell hitting a shell as I engaged the two fighters. The mages had obviously seen what I was doing and had fallen back. With a cry of rage I slashed my blood red blade at the woman's throat. She parried and I almost received a broad sword in my ribs for my efforts. I backed off and watched them. They were obviously experienced in fighting together. Slowly they began to edge their way around, so that I would always be left with one behind me. I attacked the man, slashing at his stomach before changing the direction of my blade. Instead I brought it backwards, where I guessed the woman would be by now. It turned out to be a good guess, but she was quick and parried. Again a broadsword in the side almost killed me. I backed up again, looking for a wall to fight from. I noticed that they had cut off my way to the nearest ones so expertly that I hadn't seen it happening. Again they began to flank me, and I was forced to turn side on to watch them both. The first struck out at me and I parried. I had barely done so when the other attacked from behind. Reflexes allowed me to dodge this one but as the woman struck out again, the curved blade grazed my side. Knowing that another attack would finish me I drew on my mental reserve and fired spell at each of them, forcing them to halt their alternate attacks. I was trapped like an injured animal, and I could not think of anything that could help me. Again the two warriors of the council began to close for their attacks. I spun, trying to find something to unleash my rage onto.

"Catch!" I heard Taen shout. Again I spun and found that a long dagger had been thrown at me. Quickly I drew energy and cast a slow spell. The dagger obediently slowed down and I grabbed the hilt quickly. The two warriors used this distraction to their benefit and they attacked me again. Now I could do something about it. The blood that slowly seeped from my injury did nothing but fuel my rage as I fanatically parried blow after blow. Finding that their alternate attacks were no longer working the two warriors used their superior numbers to push me back. Slowly they began to edge me backwards as they both attacked head on. Knowing that I could not keep up the pace forever I leapt backward and sheathed my blades. Using all my focus and most of my metal energies I drew energy.

"Firaga!" I shouted as a wave of intense heat exploded from my palms. I raced after it. The two warriors leapt to their sides. The woman was the first to recover. She had enough time to see a flash of red as I slashed her throat. The man had not been as lucky dodging my spell and his shoulder was bright red from a burn. I ran at him. With a combination stab and swing at his heart and throat another of the council died. With no time to rest, I turned to see how my comrades were faring. Taen and Thrill were still engaged with another two mages while another laid in a bloodied mess on the floor. Illion and Callember had separated themselves and were blasting each other with spells, with seemingly endless endurance. I rushed to the aid of Thrill and Taen. Taen was engaged with one mage while the other stood back competing with Thrill. Thrill was casting dispel's every moment, trying to break through the mages protect spell. It was Taen that I reached first. The mage saw his new threat and knocked away Taen before turning to meet me. I slashed downwards as the mage brought his staff up to stop the blow. With the dagger that I still had, I stabbed the man in the stomach. He fell quickly and I saw that Taen had thrown a dagger and hit in the back of the head. I spun to Thrill, only to find that with one well placed shot, he finished his exhausted mage. I turned again, this time to Illion. I was about to join the fight when Taen grabbed my shoulder.

"No, this is his fight. Would you have wanted Illion to join your fight with Leon?" She said breathlessly. A limping Thrill came to stand beside me and together we watched to two greatest mages at garden compete. Both were covered in burns but the look on their faces showed quite well that they were not ready to stop yet. They both drew energy once more.

"Tornado!" shouted Callember as the hall suddenly became windswept with the power of his spell. Illion waited until the last moment before, in once fluid motion, he spun away from Callember's spell, turned and cast his own.

"Quake!" he shouted and the ground began to split in a straight line towards Callember.

"Float!" he countered and he began to hover slightly. Illion's spell passed harmlessly underneath. Never once did their concentration falter, as this was a battle of willpower as much as anything else.

"You underestimate me Illion!" shouted Callember who once more began to focus his energy. "I have powers that you can only dream of!" Illion didn't answer. Instead he used the time to draw energy once more.

"It is time we finished this old friend!" called Callember at last finishing his spell "Flare!" My eyes widened. I had never seen this spell before. Illion was suddenly bathed with a horrible red glow. The heat was so intense, I could feel it from where I stood. The light began to focus, drawing itself into one spot.

"YOU FOOL!" shouted Illion "REFLECT!" The light suddenly disappeared and reappeared at Callember. It seemed it had finished focusing. There was no warning of the tremendous explosion that followed. The light and heat was so powerful I was forced to look away. I looked back to find the smoke clearing. There was Callember, still very much in one piece, standing with a bright pink shell held in front of him.

"Well that could have been worse." He said smugly.

"You never were one for foresight Callember. That is why you are not standing with me today." Illion answered.

"No. The reason I am not standing with you today is because I still intend to make this garden great. Not hand it over to those who would destroy it" Callember replied with a glance in my direction.

"You don't see it yet? We would have destroyed it. We would have left the building intact and the finance brilliant, but the garden's students would have been dead. We must restore our SEEDs once more to the glory that they deserve."

"Clearly we have different idea's of glory." Callember said with a grimace. Both began to draw energy. Their eyes were locked as they concentrated fiercely. For several minutes time stood still as the two powers prepared themselves for one last encounter. In unison they cast their last spell

"Thundaga!" was the simultaneous cry as the hall was bathed in the light of electrical energy. The two spells clashed and locked. With pure determination and power the two fought to gather more energy to power their spell while still keeping it intact. Electrical energy pulsed around the two. Offshoots began to spring from their spells, lancing of to the walls and leaving only charred marks. The tide suddenly tilted as Illion wavered. Callembers spell made its way slowly towards Illion whose face was contorted with the effort of sustaining his spell. Callember's spell progressed further, Illion's stopping it only metres from him. Suddenly Illion's faced turned to a smile. With expert ease he broke off his spell and spun to the side. With the energy he had gathered and not used in the previous spell, he fashioned another.

"Fire!" he shouted and a small ball of flame flew across the room with mind-numbing speed. Callember never had a chance to react. He was hit head on and collapsed to the ground. Slowly Illion walked to him stopping to stand over him. He drew back his staff.

"As a member of the Council Of Seven, I hereby relieve you of your position." He said quietly as he brought it crashing down, crushing Callember's throat. He stood for another moment and wavered on his feet before collapsing in exhaustion. I ran over and knelt besides him. Slowly his eyes opened.

"Tomorrow morning your training will begin. I will see you in the council ... well what was the council room at ten o'clock sharp. We must decide how we will change this garden." he said before drifting off into sleep. I hadn't considered this. Now that we had control of Balamb garden, what were we to do with it?

For only the second time in my life I went to the site of Josie's grave. There I stayed for the rest of the day, gathering my thoughts about what Illion and I would discuss on the next day. As the last light of the day was fading into a brilliant sunset I knew that I had given up the rest of my life for Balamb garden. I knew that I would be up to me, a sixteen-year-old boy, to lead it to honorable glory. Or at least to honorable ruins for I would never become like the last council, I could never do to someone what they did to me. I smiled at the irony. I could not be standing here today as I was had Josie not died. If Illion had not conspired for the direction of my life, the council would still be in power. Still, I could never forgive him for what he did to me. I knelt in front of Josie's grave and drew my gunblade.

"I swear on the life that was taken away from you that I will never sink that low. Ever." I said as I cut my palm and allowed the blood to seep onto the small piece of cement that was the only material thing that indicated that a girl named Josie ever existed. With that I turned back to garden to sleep away the rest of my last day as a free man.