Chapter Twelve
Unknown Dimension; Mid-Afternoon
Freya squirmed madly as the location changed. The human held her by her neck, tightening his grip so she wouldn't be able to move well. Freya flailed madly, kicking, punching, stabbing, and doing whatever she could to try and release herself from the human's grip. The human's grip became tighter, cutting off her air supply. Freya smashed her spear against the human's head, and the human's grip released slightly, yet Freya was still having trouble breathing. Queasiness suddenly came upon Freya as her stomach churned unexpectantly. Her head pounded, and as the human's grip tightened, she once again couldn't breathe. Panicking, Freya did the one thing she never thought she would do.
Freya sank her teeth into the human's hand as it passed in front of her jaw. The human yelped and began to shake his left hand around madly to try and release it. Freya sank her teeth in deeper, and the taste of blood came slowly into her mouth. She bit as hard as she could while her mind screamed from lack of oxygen.
The human's grip on Freya's neck loosened as he flailed his left hand around. Freya's neck cracked, but she ignored the pain as she held on. The human's grip lessened, and then was released. Freya immediately released the human's hand and rose to her feet. She swayed on her feet as nausea washed through her. She was clocked in the back of the head, but this helped her gained her feet, and Freya began to run blindly forward.
She quickly noticed the scene. She looked to be in the middle of space. Stars twinkled in the sky, and Freya noted that each of these stars had a location in them. Looking around, Freya saw the Dining Room of Alexandria Castle in a star, and everyone was still in there, apparently. She ran blindly toward the star, and watched as it grew closer.
Suddenly Freya was tackled to what would've been the ground, yet she kept falling. She looked up to see the human, and gasped. The glove on the human's left hand had ripped, revealing two of his fingers. They were not normal fingers. They were humanoid except that they had no nails. They instead had slits that clearly held claws the way a cat's paw did. The claws were safe inside of his "paw", but not for long. Suddenly the claws came out, and they were rather large yet short. They were curved with sharp points. He lashed these claws toward Freya's neck, but Freya lifted her arm and it was slashed. Pain sheared through Freya, and she suddenly felt something suck her and the human in. She struggled madly, trying to get free, but she kept getting sucked into oblivion...
Freya crashed into the room of the Royal Chamber, the human flattening her as he landed on her. He soon rose, claws ready to slash Freya's throat open. Freya automatically whacked him in the head with her lance. The human, looking a little dizzy from the attack, rose to his feet and backed up. Freya crawled into the wall and used it to rise to her feet. She then began to charge her spear with energy. She felt sick and dizzy, yet she would still fight.
Freya began to run forward to attack the human, but something she saw caught her by surprise. Losing her guard, the human used this opportunity to slash Freya in the thigh, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees. She was shocked by what she had seen.
The human's wounds were healing themselves. The human had Regen on! The White Magic spell was healing his wounds automatically! Freya cursed mentally, tired of all the surprises, and beginning to get worried on what others she may not know.
The human raced forward, ready to slash Freya in the throat. He was cut short both by the pounding of many footsteps up a stairway and by Freya's still-charged Lance. He backed away, then rushed toward Freya as if to grab her. Freya rolled out of the way and watched at the human vanished without a trace.
That was when Zidane charged into the room, closely followed by Fratley, Vivi, Garnet, Steiner, Beatrix, and Amarant. Fratley immediately raced over, followed by the rest of the crew, except Amarant, who just stood at the doorway.
"Are you all right?" Fratley asked.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Zidane added.
"Who was the person who attacked you?" Beatrix asked.
"Where did he go?" Steiner demanded, his Excalibar sword drawn.
"You look hurt," Garnet commented, kneeling down beside Freya.
"What happened?" Vivi asked.
"Please, be quiet!" Freya cried, her head burning.
"Give her a rest," Amarant grunted. "You're all acting like a bunch of animals."
"You're an animal, Amarant," Zidane commented.
"At least he keeps his mouth shut," Freya mumbled.
"What happened?" Beatrix asked. "Zidane is right. You look spooked."
Freya was silent. She didn't really know how to explain what happened. It was just too weird, too spooky, and too confusing.
"You all right?" Fratley asked with deep concern.
Garnet began to prepare a Curaga spell while Freya stared at the ground. Freya felt ill, and it had risen so quickly. It was yet another thing she couldn't explain or understand.
"She looks sick," Amarant commented.
"Yes, though what brought it on so suddenly, I don't know," Fratley commented, lightly feeling Freya's forehead. "She's cold... This is weird..."
"It didn't come along... until it happened," Freya said quietly.
Everyone looked confused.
"What are you talking about?" Zidane asked.
"'It?' What's 'it?'" Fratley asked gently.
Freya shook her head, lost for words. She was too confused, nauseous, and worried. Garnet cast Curaga on her, healing all of Freya's wounds. She still felt ill, but she decided to relay a bit of what she saw.
"The human can Space Teleport," she said. "And he has Regen cast. I don't understand any of this. How can he have so much?"
"Some people just have that luck," Amarant commented. "But there may be another reason..."
"Like what?" Freya asked. "I know you know something."
Amarant sighed. "Ever hear of demons?"
"Of course," Freya said. "But this human is not a demon."
"Says who?" Amarant asked.
"We all saw the guy, Amarant!" Zidane cried. "He was no demon!"
"Well, he could be a hybrid..." Fratley said thoughtfully.
Everyone except Amarant stared at him as if he were nuts. Amarant only nodded at Fratley's words.
"That is exactly what I'm suggesting. Certain demons have a high defense against physical attacks, and a person can teleport. As for the Regen... Someone could've cast it," Amarant grunted.
"Come to think of it, the human did have demon claws," Freya said thoughtfully. "But we can't be sure. We need to know more. And Amarant, you're the one I requested to do that! Why are you still here?"
"I'm saving your ass," Amarant replied.
"I don't need to be saved anymore, though your help was appreciated," Freya said.
"Whatever," Amarant said. He walked over to the window and jumped through it.
"He's so weird," Zidane commented.
"So the human teleported and took you with him?" Beatrix asked Freya.
Freya nodded, her head still swimming.
"Then why do you look so sick?" Zidane asked.
"Teleportation Plague," Garnet replied. "A mysterious disease that strikes quickly and leaves just as swiftly."
"Hopefully," Freya muttered.
"Rest is said to help especially," Garnet said, recalling what she learned. "Perhaps you should rest."
Freya nodded. "That I would like very much."
He didn't like the situation at all.
Fratley stared out the window, leaning against it. The sun was setting, and everyone was beginning to return home. Freya had been sleeping for the rest of the afternoon. Fratley had never seen her this sick before, and he couldn't remember a time when she was.
Then again, you're memory sucks, so how would you know, Fratley thought miserably.
Fratley shook his head and sighed. He turned away from the window and looked around the quiet room. Shrugging helplessly, he left the room, his mind full of turbulent thoughts. He felt useless, empty. He had yet to do something that would help the situation. Yet there was nothing he could think of, nothing he could do. The human kept coming too quickly and with too much power. Not even a whole group could beat him off... Well, they could, but then he just teleported again.
Fratley was half-way down the stairs when he heard someone in the hallway. He looked in the direction of the sound, and soon saw Beatrix appear. Eyes narrowing slightly, Fratley backed away. Though she had helped, and seemed kind, Fratley did not trust her regardless. He simply couldn't.
Beatrix quickly located Fratley and looked at him with light confusion.
"Something... Wrong?" she asked.
"No," Fratley lied.
Beatrix had a feeling this was not the case, yet she couldn't question it further. Fratley had already turned around and retreated back into his room. He paced a bit, seeming impatient and nervous, but then finally he took a deep breath, and mentally told himself to calm down. He had to do something, not complain or sulk.
Fratley looked around, wondering what he could possibly do. He then looked out the window with some disappointment. What could he do? He could do many things... Offer encouragement, protect her, love her. But she was sleeping, so some of those things simply did not work out well. Sighing and shaking his head, Fratley turned back toward his spear.
Protect... That's the best I could do. Yet am I prepared? I could use a few things... Correction, I could use a lot of things, Fratley thought.
Fratley blinked slowly and walked over to his pack. He opened it and took out a small pouch. It was made of leather, yet decorated with red geometric shapes and lines. Leather bound it together at the top. Fratley pulled at the leather string, opening the pouch with ease. Within it lay many Gil coins. Fratley nodded lightly to himself. He then closed the pouch by quickly tying the string around the pouch. He picked up the pouch and placed it in his pocket. He turned to the door, then stopped. Something within him did not like the idea of going out of the door when Beatrix could still be out there. He could probably just say hello and be nice, but he had a strange feeling she would somehow know how he felt.
So Fratley made it simple for him. He walked over to the window, opened it, and jumped right out. He plummeted from about 50 feet and finally landed on the ground, hitting so hard he fell to his hands and knees. Though having survived without problems, Fratley's feet smarted from the hard landing, and his knees and hands were scraped. Muttering about his foolishness, Fratley rose shakily to his feet and looked around. He looked up to the castle briefly, frowning slightly. Freya would probably worry about where he was... Yet she was most likely sleeping. Waking her up would most likely annoy her. It would be better to let her sleep.
Nodding to himself, Fratley turned toward the city and began to slowly walk toward the stream separating the main city from the castle. He had a lot of things to buy and learn. He wondered how long it would take before he'd be back.
A soft knock on the door brought Freya out of her half-asleep state. She looked toward the door, wondering who it was.
"Enter," she said.
The door opened, and Beatrix stepped through. The two knights stared at each other with surprise. They both thought that each other wasn't fond of the other. Freya thought Beatrix despised her because of who she was, while Beatrix thought Freya was still angry about the attack on Burmecia. Actually, Beatrix admired Freya's skills and Freya had just about forgiven Beatrix, but they didn't know that at all.
An uncomfortable silence came after Beatrix closed the door. She sat down on a chair near the bed and stared at the ground. Freya stared at Beatrix with confusion.
"Hello," Freya said.
The word seemed so short and stupid that Freya felt ashamed and fell silent once again. The silence was even more uncomfortable, and Beatrix looked up from the ground and stared at Freya.
"Hello," Beatrix said in return.
Now both knights felt extremely stupid, not to mention they were both absolutely sure that the other didn't like them now.
"What brings you here?" Freya asked, breaking the silence with a reasonable question.
"Well," Beatrix said, going back to staring at the ground. "I saw Fratley leaving the castle."
"You did?" Freya asked with shock.
Beatrix nodded. "Yes. I was on break when I saw him heading for the main city."
Freya stared at her hands for a few moments, trying to figure out what Fratley could've left for. She looked back up at Beatrix for a moment.
"Where do you think he's going?" she asked.
Beatrix took a deep breath as she stared at the ceiling. "I think he headed off to try and find more about whoever kidnapped you."
Freya's blood turned cold as she shook her head. Somehow, no matter how much she wanted to not believe it, it seemed likely.
"Perhaps I should've stopped him," Beatrix commented.
"No, he's not your responsibility," Freya said, shaking her head.
"Perhaps not," Beatrix said in agreement. "But why is he doing this? Surely he knows the dangers?"
"I'm sure he does," Freya said softly, deep in thought. "We don't even know if he's really leaving, though..."
The uncomfortable silence returned. Quietly Beatrix rose.
"I will leave you now," she said. "Get well."
Beatrix walked over to the door and was about to open it when Freya spoke.
"Beatrix, wait a moment," Freya said.
Beatrix took her hand from the doorknob and turned to face Freya. Freya took a deep breath.
"Do you know anything about Julius or Meander?" she asked. "Anything at all?"
Beatrix stared at the ground as she thought. Soon, she spoke.
"I know one thing about Julius," she said. "But I do not know if it would be helpful."
"Any information would be most appreciated," Freya told her.
"Well," Beatrix said, pausing. "Julius was first spotted on the Mist Continent in 1778. He was in Burmecia, and only two days later, Eroy was killed by Meander... Or so they say."
"Are you inferring... That Julius killed Eroy?" Freya asked, her blood turning to ice.
"I am," Beatrix answered. "It just makes more sense. If Meander had killed Eroy, wouldn't he have been spotted and not Julius?"
"He could've been hiding," Freya pointed out in a shaky voice.
"Perhaps... Is something wrong?" Beatrix asked.
Freya took a deep breath. "Eroy... Is my father. He died before I was born."
Beatrix was stunned. "I-I'm sorry."
Beatrix left the room quickly, quietly closing the door. Freya stared at the closed door, then down at the bed. Julius, kill Eroy? Yet Alexandria's record of Meander said Meander killed Eroy. Yet now it appears that Julius had been in Burmecia two days before he was killed. Was it possibly that Julius and Meander were the same person?
And Fratley. Where did he go? Did he leave? Was he upset with Freya? Did he want to try and help? Freya shook her head. Her head ached enough from the Teleportation Plague. Worrying and thinking only made it worse.
Freya laid her head down on the pillow. She sighed, frustrated and worried. Why did it suddenly feel like the entire world was on her shoulders, and she wasn't strong enough to hold it?
------- Rewrote the ending of this chapter (weeeeee)
Warp: Black Mage Teleportation spell from the original Final Fantasy IX where the person is dematerialized, travels at the speed of light, and returns to normal at a different location.
Space Teleportation: The Teleporter teleports to a different dimension where stars hold all locations on Gaia. From there they can use the stars to get to their location. Changes in pressure, gravity, etc. often cause people who do not travel this way often to become sick, and rest is the only cure because it calms the body and allows it to adjust.
Alacrity Teleportation: Instant teleporting. No dematerializing or dimensions. Very rare ability.
Oh, and I'm terribly sorry about the delay! I was having a bit of a Writer's Block, though I think it's gone now. Also, the ZIP disk that holds my stories is doing funky things, and files are being corrupted (I already lost Chapter Fourteen of this story! =( ) So if things are slow, I am so sorry! Don't give up on me!
This story is copyright to me. Most locations, characters, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Unknown Dimension; Mid-Afternoon
Freya squirmed madly as the location changed. The human held her by her neck, tightening his grip so she wouldn't be able to move well. Freya flailed madly, kicking, punching, stabbing, and doing whatever she could to try and release herself from the human's grip. The human's grip became tighter, cutting off her air supply. Freya smashed her spear against the human's head, and the human's grip released slightly, yet Freya was still having trouble breathing. Queasiness suddenly came upon Freya as her stomach churned unexpectantly. Her head pounded, and as the human's grip tightened, she once again couldn't breathe. Panicking, Freya did the one thing she never thought she would do.
Freya sank her teeth into the human's hand as it passed in front of her jaw. The human yelped and began to shake his left hand around madly to try and release it. Freya sank her teeth in deeper, and the taste of blood came slowly into her mouth. She bit as hard as she could while her mind screamed from lack of oxygen.
The human's grip on Freya's neck loosened as he flailed his left hand around. Freya's neck cracked, but she ignored the pain as she held on. The human's grip lessened, and then was released. Freya immediately released the human's hand and rose to her feet. She swayed on her feet as nausea washed through her. She was clocked in the back of the head, but this helped her gained her feet, and Freya began to run blindly forward.
She quickly noticed the scene. She looked to be in the middle of space. Stars twinkled in the sky, and Freya noted that each of these stars had a location in them. Looking around, Freya saw the Dining Room of Alexandria Castle in a star, and everyone was still in there, apparently. She ran blindly toward the star, and watched as it grew closer.
Suddenly Freya was tackled to what would've been the ground, yet she kept falling. She looked up to see the human, and gasped. The glove on the human's left hand had ripped, revealing two of his fingers. They were not normal fingers. They were humanoid except that they had no nails. They instead had slits that clearly held claws the way a cat's paw did. The claws were safe inside of his "paw", but not for long. Suddenly the claws came out, and they were rather large yet short. They were curved with sharp points. He lashed these claws toward Freya's neck, but Freya lifted her arm and it was slashed. Pain sheared through Freya, and she suddenly felt something suck her and the human in. She struggled madly, trying to get free, but she kept getting sucked into oblivion...
Freya crashed into the room of the Royal Chamber, the human flattening her as he landed on her. He soon rose, claws ready to slash Freya's throat open. Freya automatically whacked him in the head with her lance. The human, looking a little dizzy from the attack, rose to his feet and backed up. Freya crawled into the wall and used it to rise to her feet. She then began to charge her spear with energy. She felt sick and dizzy, yet she would still fight.
Freya began to run forward to attack the human, but something she saw caught her by surprise. Losing her guard, the human used this opportunity to slash Freya in the thigh, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees. She was shocked by what she had seen.
The human's wounds were healing themselves. The human had Regen on! The White Magic spell was healing his wounds automatically! Freya cursed mentally, tired of all the surprises, and beginning to get worried on what others she may not know.
The human raced forward, ready to slash Freya in the throat. He was cut short both by the pounding of many footsteps up a stairway and by Freya's still-charged Lance. He backed away, then rushed toward Freya as if to grab her. Freya rolled out of the way and watched at the human vanished without a trace.
That was when Zidane charged into the room, closely followed by Fratley, Vivi, Garnet, Steiner, Beatrix, and Amarant. Fratley immediately raced over, followed by the rest of the crew, except Amarant, who just stood at the doorway.
"Are you all right?" Fratley asked.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Zidane added.
"Who was the person who attacked you?" Beatrix asked.
"Where did he go?" Steiner demanded, his Excalibar sword drawn.
"You look hurt," Garnet commented, kneeling down beside Freya.
"What happened?" Vivi asked.
"Please, be quiet!" Freya cried, her head burning.
"Give her a rest," Amarant grunted. "You're all acting like a bunch of animals."
"You're an animal, Amarant," Zidane commented.
"At least he keeps his mouth shut," Freya mumbled.
"What happened?" Beatrix asked. "Zidane is right. You look spooked."
Freya was silent. She didn't really know how to explain what happened. It was just too weird, too spooky, and too confusing.
"You all right?" Fratley asked with deep concern.
Garnet began to prepare a Curaga spell while Freya stared at the ground. Freya felt ill, and it had risen so quickly. It was yet another thing she couldn't explain or understand.
"She looks sick," Amarant commented.
"Yes, though what brought it on so suddenly, I don't know," Fratley commented, lightly feeling Freya's forehead. "She's cold... This is weird..."
"It didn't come along... until it happened," Freya said quietly.
Everyone looked confused.
"What are you talking about?" Zidane asked.
"'It?' What's 'it?'" Fratley asked gently.
Freya shook her head, lost for words. She was too confused, nauseous, and worried. Garnet cast Curaga on her, healing all of Freya's wounds. She still felt ill, but she decided to relay a bit of what she saw.
"The human can Space Teleport," she said. "And he has Regen cast. I don't understand any of this. How can he have so much?"
"Some people just have that luck," Amarant commented. "But there may be another reason..."
"Like what?" Freya asked. "I know you know something."
Amarant sighed. "Ever hear of demons?"
"Of course," Freya said. "But this human is not a demon."
"Says who?" Amarant asked.
"We all saw the guy, Amarant!" Zidane cried. "He was no demon!"
"Well, he could be a hybrid..." Fratley said thoughtfully.
Everyone except Amarant stared at him as if he were nuts. Amarant only nodded at Fratley's words.
"That is exactly what I'm suggesting. Certain demons have a high defense against physical attacks, and a person can teleport. As for the Regen... Someone could've cast it," Amarant grunted.
"Come to think of it, the human did have demon claws," Freya said thoughtfully. "But we can't be sure. We need to know more. And Amarant, you're the one I requested to do that! Why are you still here?"
"I'm saving your ass," Amarant replied.
"I don't need to be saved anymore, though your help was appreciated," Freya said.
"Whatever," Amarant said. He walked over to the window and jumped through it.
"He's so weird," Zidane commented.
"So the human teleported and took you with him?" Beatrix asked Freya.
Freya nodded, her head still swimming.
"Then why do you look so sick?" Zidane asked.
"Teleportation Plague," Garnet replied. "A mysterious disease that strikes quickly and leaves just as swiftly."
"Hopefully," Freya muttered.
"Rest is said to help especially," Garnet said, recalling what she learned. "Perhaps you should rest."
Freya nodded. "That I would like very much."
He didn't like the situation at all.
Fratley stared out the window, leaning against it. The sun was setting, and everyone was beginning to return home. Freya had been sleeping for the rest of the afternoon. Fratley had never seen her this sick before, and he couldn't remember a time when she was.
Then again, you're memory sucks, so how would you know, Fratley thought miserably.
Fratley shook his head and sighed. He turned away from the window and looked around the quiet room. Shrugging helplessly, he left the room, his mind full of turbulent thoughts. He felt useless, empty. He had yet to do something that would help the situation. Yet there was nothing he could think of, nothing he could do. The human kept coming too quickly and with too much power. Not even a whole group could beat him off... Well, they could, but then he just teleported again.
Fratley was half-way down the stairs when he heard someone in the hallway. He looked in the direction of the sound, and soon saw Beatrix appear. Eyes narrowing slightly, Fratley backed away. Though she had helped, and seemed kind, Fratley did not trust her regardless. He simply couldn't.
Beatrix quickly located Fratley and looked at him with light confusion.
"Something... Wrong?" she asked.
"No," Fratley lied.
Beatrix had a feeling this was not the case, yet she couldn't question it further. Fratley had already turned around and retreated back into his room. He paced a bit, seeming impatient and nervous, but then finally he took a deep breath, and mentally told himself to calm down. He had to do something, not complain or sulk.
Fratley looked around, wondering what he could possibly do. He then looked out the window with some disappointment. What could he do? He could do many things... Offer encouragement, protect her, love her. But she was sleeping, so some of those things simply did not work out well. Sighing and shaking his head, Fratley turned back toward his spear.
Protect... That's the best I could do. Yet am I prepared? I could use a few things... Correction, I could use a lot of things, Fratley thought.
Fratley blinked slowly and walked over to his pack. He opened it and took out a small pouch. It was made of leather, yet decorated with red geometric shapes and lines. Leather bound it together at the top. Fratley pulled at the leather string, opening the pouch with ease. Within it lay many Gil coins. Fratley nodded lightly to himself. He then closed the pouch by quickly tying the string around the pouch. He picked up the pouch and placed it in his pocket. He turned to the door, then stopped. Something within him did not like the idea of going out of the door when Beatrix could still be out there. He could probably just say hello and be nice, but he had a strange feeling she would somehow know how he felt.
So Fratley made it simple for him. He walked over to the window, opened it, and jumped right out. He plummeted from about 50 feet and finally landed on the ground, hitting so hard he fell to his hands and knees. Though having survived without problems, Fratley's feet smarted from the hard landing, and his knees and hands were scraped. Muttering about his foolishness, Fratley rose shakily to his feet and looked around. He looked up to the castle briefly, frowning slightly. Freya would probably worry about where he was... Yet she was most likely sleeping. Waking her up would most likely annoy her. It would be better to let her sleep.
Nodding to himself, Fratley turned toward the city and began to slowly walk toward the stream separating the main city from the castle. He had a lot of things to buy and learn. He wondered how long it would take before he'd be back.
A soft knock on the door brought Freya out of her half-asleep state. She looked toward the door, wondering who it was.
"Enter," she said.
The door opened, and Beatrix stepped through. The two knights stared at each other with surprise. They both thought that each other wasn't fond of the other. Freya thought Beatrix despised her because of who she was, while Beatrix thought Freya was still angry about the attack on Burmecia. Actually, Beatrix admired Freya's skills and Freya had just about forgiven Beatrix, but they didn't know that at all.
An uncomfortable silence came after Beatrix closed the door. She sat down on a chair near the bed and stared at the ground. Freya stared at Beatrix with confusion.
"Hello," Freya said.
The word seemed so short and stupid that Freya felt ashamed and fell silent once again. The silence was even more uncomfortable, and Beatrix looked up from the ground and stared at Freya.
"Hello," Beatrix said in return.
Now both knights felt extremely stupid, not to mention they were both absolutely sure that the other didn't like them now.
"What brings you here?" Freya asked, breaking the silence with a reasonable question.
"Well," Beatrix said, going back to staring at the ground. "I saw Fratley leaving the castle."
"You did?" Freya asked with shock.
Beatrix nodded. "Yes. I was on break when I saw him heading for the main city."
Freya stared at her hands for a few moments, trying to figure out what Fratley could've left for. She looked back up at Beatrix for a moment.
"Where do you think he's going?" she asked.
Beatrix took a deep breath as she stared at the ceiling. "I think he headed off to try and find more about whoever kidnapped you."
Freya's blood turned cold as she shook her head. Somehow, no matter how much she wanted to not believe it, it seemed likely.
"Perhaps I should've stopped him," Beatrix commented.
"No, he's not your responsibility," Freya said, shaking her head.
"Perhaps not," Beatrix said in agreement. "But why is he doing this? Surely he knows the dangers?"
"I'm sure he does," Freya said softly, deep in thought. "We don't even know if he's really leaving, though..."
The uncomfortable silence returned. Quietly Beatrix rose.
"I will leave you now," she said. "Get well."
Beatrix walked over to the door and was about to open it when Freya spoke.
"Beatrix, wait a moment," Freya said.
Beatrix took her hand from the doorknob and turned to face Freya. Freya took a deep breath.
"Do you know anything about Julius or Meander?" she asked. "Anything at all?"
Beatrix stared at the ground as she thought. Soon, she spoke.
"I know one thing about Julius," she said. "But I do not know if it would be helpful."
"Any information would be most appreciated," Freya told her.
"Well," Beatrix said, pausing. "Julius was first spotted on the Mist Continent in 1778. He was in Burmecia, and only two days later, Eroy was killed by Meander... Or so they say."
"Are you inferring... That Julius killed Eroy?" Freya asked, her blood turning to ice.
"I am," Beatrix answered. "It just makes more sense. If Meander had killed Eroy, wouldn't he have been spotted and not Julius?"
"He could've been hiding," Freya pointed out in a shaky voice.
"Perhaps... Is something wrong?" Beatrix asked.
Freya took a deep breath. "Eroy... Is my father. He died before I was born."
Beatrix was stunned. "I-I'm sorry."
Beatrix left the room quickly, quietly closing the door. Freya stared at the closed door, then down at the bed. Julius, kill Eroy? Yet Alexandria's record of Meander said Meander killed Eroy. Yet now it appears that Julius had been in Burmecia two days before he was killed. Was it possibly that Julius and Meander were the same person?
And Fratley. Where did he go? Did he leave? Was he upset with Freya? Did he want to try and help? Freya shook her head. Her head ached enough from the Teleportation Plague. Worrying and thinking only made it worse.
Freya laid her head down on the pillow. She sighed, frustrated and worried. Why did it suddenly feel like the entire world was on her shoulders, and she wasn't strong enough to hold it?
------- Rewrote the ending of this chapter (weeeeee)
Warp: Black Mage Teleportation spell from the original Final Fantasy IX where the person is dematerialized, travels at the speed of light, and returns to normal at a different location.
Space Teleportation: The Teleporter teleports to a different dimension where stars hold all locations on Gaia. From there they can use the stars to get to their location. Changes in pressure, gravity, etc. often cause people who do not travel this way often to become sick, and rest is the only cure because it calms the body and allows it to adjust.
Alacrity Teleportation: Instant teleporting. No dematerializing or dimensions. Very rare ability.
Oh, and I'm terribly sorry about the delay! I was having a bit of a Writer's Block, though I think it's gone now. Also, the ZIP disk that holds my stories is doing funky things, and files are being corrupted (I already lost Chapter Fourteen of this story! =( ) So if things are slow, I am so sorry! Don't give up on me!
This story is copyright to me. Most locations, characters, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.