The Song of Eternity
Canto 2 : Gaia
Verse 11
Love and War
They grow closer,
And reaffirm their feelings,
Making up for lost time,
And past mistakes,
With the backdrop of Armageddon raging around them.
Nathan spat up salt water as he came to the surface. He turned his head as the Invincible crashed into water and sent metal and fire flying over his head. He started swimming toward the beach with the rest of the crew hoping he didn't miss anyone before he bailed from the airship. He looked back as he swam hard towards the shore. Garland was floating a foot off the water, steadily heading towards him and the retreating crew. Nathan looked back to the shore and saw that it was too far away. He stopped swimming and turned to tread water, drawing his sword to face Garland. "Bring it on, you monster," he shouted at Garland.
Nathan felt himself lifted from the water by a hand behind him. "What the hell?" he shouted in alarm as he turned his face to see who had pulled him from the ocean. "Travis?"
"What do you think you're doing, throwing your life away?" Travis asked Nathan. "Get out of here, go to your family."
"Travis… good to see you again," Nathan said to his brother.
"You too. It probably won't happen again," he finished. Travis hurled Nathan towards the shore, sending him flying a couple hundred feet through the air and crashing to the water. "Garland, time to pay the piper," he whispered as he readied his sword.
Steiner washed up on the beach alongside Beatrix. He had never changed back into his armor after returning to Alexandria, preferring to stay in his lightweight clothes from the forest. "Are you okay Beatrix?" he asked as she struggled to sit up.
"Great," she muttered before spitting out a mouthful of water. "Where are the others?" she asked as she got to her feet.
"Somewhere around here, but we need to get out of here soon," he pointed out over the ocean at the battle between Travis and Garland raging over the ocean. "Let's go find a mage and get out of here," he ordered as he helped Beatrix to her feet.
"Thank you, Steiner," Beatrix said to him as she got to her feet. They walked along the beach for a while, finally spotting a mage in the distance. They stood still as the mage hurried over to them. "Steiner, I missed you," Beatrix admitted as the mage grew closer.
Steiner looked her in the eyes. "I know. I won't let anything like that happen again," he stopped as he pulled her close. "I promise."
"You sure this place is abandoned?" Lani asked as they walked around in the area of the city that was damaged when Travis escaped. They finally stopped at the place where the remains of Garland and his WEAPONs lay.
"Quite sure," Amarant said for the fifth time. "Even if it isn't, we can handle ourselves and the kids will be fine," Amarant said as he thought of how they left Deklin and Eiko in the computer room while they went to look around. He crouched near the remains of the closest WEAPON. "He really did a number on them," Amarant observed as he looked at what was left of the WEAPON.
"So what's the big deal, dragging me out here anyway?" Lani questioned Amarant as she sat down on a security device that was stuck out of the ground. "You could have done this and I could have checked out the probe rooms. Or we could have just stayed with them, Eiko will figure out what went on soon enough," Lani pried.
"For the joy of your company," Amarant replied sarcastically. "They need to work some things out between them, so I gave them the chance," he explained.
"Whatever," Lani shrugged. "So he did all this?" Lani asked Amarant, meaning Travis. "Almost seems impossible," she said as she gazed at the destruction.
"This was more powerful that the attack I remember him using, more powerful than Kuja's attack as well," Amarant observed by looking over the situation. "We should go talk to your father after this all ends," Amarant said out of the blue.
"What brought this about?" Lani asked as she kicked at a rock on the ground.
"He's already lost a daughter, grandson, and son-in-law. You left town a long time ago and he doesn't know about us," Amarant explained as he ran a hand through his hair.
"What about us?" Lani asked, forcing Amarant to respond. "The hasn't really been an us for a decade and a half," Lani said angrily.
"We did what we thought was right at the time," Amarant said. "My order does not believe in divorce," Amarant reminded her.
"We were kids then," Lani shouted at him.
"There was a spark there," Amarant said calmly.
"You are so annoying! Stupid monk, I wish I never washed up on that stupid island and got saved by you stupid monks…" she stopped talking as Amarant placed his hand over her mouth.
"You don't mean that."
"I… yes I do," she said, shaking her head.
"Then why are you blushing?" he asked as he walked away from her, back to where Eiko and Deklin were waiting.
Zidane and Garnet walked together along the beach looking for the rest of the crew from the airship. Zidane acted very agitated, like something was bothering him. "You've been okay these last few years?" he asked Garnet awkwardly.
"I haven't been okay Zidane," Garnet replied, stopping in her tracks. "I've just been. I've been mourning you for so long, wishing I could see you again," she said as she broke into tears.
"Shhh, take it easy," he soothed her as he held her in his arms. "I'm sorry. It was only a second for me, but years for you," he said quietly. "I won't leave you again," he promised as they stood there on the beach in each other's arms.
They were startled by a shockwave originating in the direction they just came from. They turned to see Travis and Garland battling each other at an incredible speed on the beach. "Run, god damn it! I can't hold him back forever!" they heard Travis shout over the sound of explosions.
They turned and ran, not stopping until they found a mage and the sounds of battle stopped. "Let's get out of here, we can't do anything for him," Zidane stated as he held Garnet and they disappeared with the mage.
Nathan crawled onto the beach a bit after Travis threw him. He gasped for air and gazed back at the sea at the battle going on. Garland and Travis were hitting each other with such force he could hear it on the beach. He could see dozens of energy blast being unleashed as well. "Damn Travis, good luck," he said goodbye to his brother before looking at the beach around him.
He spotted a still form twenty feet away where the ocean met the sand. He ran over and shouted when he recognized the clothes. "Mikoto!" He dropped to his knees by his wife and rolled her over. He checked for a pulse and breathing, but found neither. "Shit!" he shouted. He quickly bent her head back and began to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation. "Come on!" he shouted as he pushed down on her chest. "Don't you die on me!" He got desperate and cast a small bolt spell, jumpstarting her heart. She began to spit up seawater as Nathan tilted her head to the side. "Mikoto, are you okay," he whispered as she drew in several deep breaths.
"Yes," she whispered as she continued to draw deep breaths.
"I thought I lost you for a second there," Nathan said as he picked her up. "We need to get out of here, Travis is buying us some time," he nodded at the battle as it neared the beach.
"Nathan, I trust you can handle this," Mikoto whispered as she passed out in his arms.
Nathan jogged carefully along the beach with his wife. "Let's hope so love, let's hope so," he whispered as he spotted a mage.
"Find anything yet?" Deklin asked as he lay on his back in the computer room.
Eiko looked away from the screen at him for a second. "I'm working on it," she replied in annoyance. She turned back to the screen, looking for more information on the probes that were sent out.
"Take it easy girl," Deklin replied. "No need to get all uppity about it," he said before dodging the staff Eiko threw at him.
"I'll give you take it easy! I've been exhausted for the last week, not knowing what was going to happen next and you say take it easy!" she shouted at him.
"Nothing bad has happened yet," Deklin replied, getting to his feet.
"I don't remember how I got to bed the last couple nights, the world is going to hell in a hand basket, and you say take it easy?!"
"Yes," he replied as he handed her the staff back. "You were talking to me those nights, I carried you," he explained about the previous nights.
"I thought that was a dream," she said. "You never were very polite in our conversations until then, I thought it was a dream…"
"I'm touched," replied sarcastically. "The world will be fine, it always is, you just gotta have faith," he stated as he looked her in the eyes from an inch away. "Understa…," he tried to say understand, but was silenced as Eiko's lips met his. He looked at her closed eyes in surprise and found himself returning the kiss. He rested his hand on the keyboard, mashing some buttons, causing the computer to make a noise.
Eiko broke off the kiss and turned to the screen. "Hey, you did something!" she exclaimed as the screen filled with schematics and details. "This is about the probes, it says a dozen were sent to other worlds in the event of Garland's demise. It says they are programmed to assimilate the strongest lifeforce on the planet and remake the host in Garland's image."
"Worse than that, over here it says that the new being will have the mind of Garland as well," Deklin said as he examined another screen that turned on. "And that it works like a virus, unstoppable, and unseen. It has the imprints of the entire Terran society built into it's memory as well," he said in horror. "They plan to take over every world," he said as the true purpose of the probes dawned on him.
Freya was in Kuja's room with a half dozen genomes, holding down their old enemy. Kuja had been thrashing around for the last half hour, since they lost contact with the airship. They had been giving him potions by the dozen, but were quickly running out. Finally, Kuja closed his eyes and passed out. No new wounds appeared as he slept peacefully.
Travis went reeling backwards into the jungle following the last blow from Garland. He struggled to get to his feet, only to be knocked back by Garland. "Foolish human. It is over. You cannot defeat what I have become," Garland taunted. Travis reached out with his remaining strength and cast Ultima on Garland's advancing form. The energy bounced off him harmlessly. "Surrender Starmore. You have met your better," Garland said calmly as he shocked Travis with a Thundaga spell.
Travis howled in pain. "I will not surrender. I will not lose," he said to himself as he got to his feet.
"Why do you fight? To save them?" Garland asked, meaning the other on the Invincible.
"To make sure no one goes through what I went through… to take their sadness upon my own soul…" Travis muttered as something strange happened to him.
"Look at you, you are pathetic," Garland taunted. "You used so much power that you can't even keep your body in one piece."
Travis looked down at his own body, seeing it become transparent. "I will survive," he said with strength as he solidified and looked up at Garland.
"No you won't," Garland countered as he unleashed an enormous dark energy blast at Travis, sending him flying backwards once again. Garland walked ever to where Travis landed in time to watch him fade away into nothingness. "Time to finish off the rest of them."