A/N: OK, I'll be getting rid of a few errors in this chapter, but that's about it, no big changes.

Updated: 14/02/05

(If you're wondering why I have time to update on a school day, it's because I'm at home, with a fever and no voice. Bah.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!

A young lady of sixteen ran frantically up hidden staircases that she had just found. Every few steps she took, the armors behind her crossed their swords, giving her no way back, but they needn't have done so, there was a strong lure pulling her irresistibly towards an unknown source, she had no will to return. The sharp clash of metal rang out eerily, echoing through the mostly empty hallways, as though signifying that something was about to happen.

"Sarah of Madain Sari, last lady of the lost summoners, Princess of Alexandria, embrace your future."

The lady didn't know who was speaking, she just knew that she had to keep going... going... Despite the fact that every sensible nerve and fiber in her body was screaming at her to stop and turn back, she knew that she couldn't, she wouldn't.

"Child of light and darkness, open the doors that are locked, from spirit, mind and soul."

The misty voice caressed her, it displayed an affection and urgency that made her charge up the stairs in a frenzied pace. She knew naught what the voice meant, but it reminded her of her mother's warm embrace when she was but a mere babe, the image of her real mother's warm smile seemed to be hung in front of her tantalizingly as the invisible presence coaxed her towards the eye of the storm.

Every time she took a wrong turn, an undetectable force would push her back, back towards her original path. By the time a winding staircase materialized in front of her, she barely blinked. By then, she was in a trance-like state, simply following her instincts and heart.

When she reached the last floor that had intricate carvings on the marble ground, she felt a strange sense of bonding, of being whole. She turned, hands outstretched, knowing who was behind her without really looking. Both of them grasped the other's hands, and a glowing aura came off them, the last two summoners, woman and child, the last of their kind.

Garnet knew that there was the magic of an unknown eidolon stirring somewhere, waiting to be called. She knelt down slowly, still holding hands with Eiko as she followed Eiko's instructions. When she said the ancient chant, the stirring grew stronger and stronger, the fire of magic coursed through her body, exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Although Eiko was right next to her, only she could feel the pain and pleasure of the summons, for this was her eidolon, to control and do with as she wished.

She rose and stumbled as the already large building shook and rumbled as it expanded. It grew and unfolded a giant pair of wings. She gasped as she saw Bahamut, King of Dragons flying viciously towards them, summoning its awesome fire. But, even the lord of the reptiles couldn't compare to Alexander, Guardian of Alexandria. The huge eidolon shot out blinding streaks of blue lights. They danced about, multiplying and increasing in speed and length. Bahamut weaved in and out, escaping several webs of power only through its speed and nimbleness.

Garnet focused her attention along with her eidolon's, lending it strength and energy, causing it to throw out even more beams, finally ensnaring the great dragon. Bahamut writhed and twisted in the net of light to no avail, the net tightened further until it wrapped the eidolon up till it exploded into thousands of tiny shards of light, causing the dragon to fall under her control once more.

Though drained, Garnet was caught up with the feeling of sweetness that she felt, shared with Alexander in a bind of summoner and eidolon, queen and protector. So, she didn't notice the Invincible until it was right on top of them.

She yelled helplessly and her stance wavered and legs wobbled as a huge eye opened up, causing a wave of nostalgia to wash over her. She grasped her head tightly, trying to focus on the memories that were rushing through her head, memories long lost through the mists of time

'A glance of an old man yelling hoarsely at a mere six year old child that was herself... glimpses as he pushed her heroically out of the way when the remains of a tower crashed on him...

"Grandpa!" came the child's shrill cry.

... out of the corner of her eye, she saw her best friend, Elessa in her cozy house that was bursting with flames...

"Elly!" She yelled, as if trying to save young girl by her mere voice. But, it was no use, Elessa's long white blond hair caught fire and her huge gray eyes widened as the flames licked her body. Her small mouth opened in a silent scream of pain that could not reach her companion's ears.

The child watched in horror as the fire devoured her before finally turning away...

...A brunette who looked like an older version of the child swept her up, speaking to her in a voice of one who'd failed…

...Now she was in a stormy sea, with only her thin cloak for protection. She hugged herself and curled up in a ball, staring at the only home she ever knew being destroyed and disappearing before her very own eyes... Tears streaming down her face as her mother pulled her into a tight embrace, shielding her from the harsh winds...'

Garnet couldn't stand the gushing flow of images, a fragment here, a glimpse there, she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch the people she cared for die all over again. Alexander bucked in its trap, Garnet tried to concentrate on the present, but that was nearly impossible for the eidolon's pain was adding on to her own pain of heart. The once great god was defenseless because of the powers that ensnared it, she cringed, noting out of the sane bit of her mind what was going to happen. Alexander wouldn't be caught, it was too powerful, she wouldn't allow it, and neither would the eidolon itself.

She knelt on the ground; Eiko was beside her, yelling something. But, she ignored her companion, she was experiencing torture that Eiko did not feel. White-hot swords seemed to pierce her fragile body, stabbing her over and over again. It was the pain that the eidolon itself was feeling as it prepared to self-destruct.

Before it blew, before she was rescued by a certain blond haired boy, she heard the same voice whisper. "I'll serve you again one day... my Queen."'

……

Dagger woke up to the coppery taste of blood in her mouth and extreme soreness in her limbs. She tried to open her eyes groggily, but saw nothing except for a huge swirl of black objects and blacker shadows. She fell back on her bed, feeling as though her head was about to explode from dizziness and the humongous headache she was having.

She forced herself up and her mind to think. When she finally focused her eyes, she realized that she was in her own bedroom. She winced as she glanced down at herself, her body was torn and bloodied, and her clothes shredded pieces of cloth. At least Garland hadn't tried anything so foolish as to bathe her, she thought with a shudder.

"You awaken at last, my pupil," said a voice from nowhere.

"Garland," she croaked, coughing out blood. "How did I get here? Where are all the monsters?"

He walked over to her wordlessly, handing her a bucket to cough in and a glass of water. He turned on several dim lights as he sat on a chair next to her.

"I believe that I will start tutoring you in the use of magic soon," he announced, oblivious to her questioning eyes.

"Garland," she growled, feeling a searing pain pierce her stomach while she spat out more blood. "I don't exactly feel like discussing future lessons when I'm half dead."

"More than half, actually," he replied sharply, an unusual look in his eye. "In fact, you're lucky to even be alive."

Dagger opened her mouth, obviously to ask a question, but no words came out, instead she doubled over jerkily, filling her bucket.

"However, I suppose that answers can wait," he said, eyeing her warily. "In your present condition, you need to be cleaned up. The bathroom is down the hallway, clothes are already laid out for you."

She nodded, taking a gulp of water and he exited her room like a giant bat, dark and silent. She got up carefully, testing her legs, almost falling over. She cursed him silently, realizing that there were still huge weights attached to her limbs. She stumbled out, holding on to her Rod like a walking stick. She shuffled to the bathroom, dragging her legs slowly. After many minutes of pained and forced steps, she finally made it and leaned against the wall in relief when she arrived.

Dagger eyed her surroundings, noting that it was about as colorfully decorated as her room, in other words, black and white. She was right next to a white linen cupboard, a black and white basin near her and at one corner was a huge marble black tub, able to seat at least seven people comfortably.

She walked over to it, wondering where the water came from. She fingered the carvings on the sides, her hands coming to rest on what looked like a giant protruding eyeball. She pushed it gently, it glowed red and orange. Then the pupil slid open and water gushed out, scented with assorted herbs and perfumes.

She gazed at it uncertainly. Suddenly, she remembered, the Dream. That eye full of haunting images and tears, full of wounded spirits and souls of those who were torn away from their loved ones by that that was in the sky were screaming out in anguish.

She shook her head, trying to grasp the memories of her already fading dream that was slipping through her mental fingers. She saw tears... fire... She sighed and gave up. After all, there were more dire things at hand, for example, her physical health.

She stripped of her tattered rags gingerly, wanting to scream in pain as they brushed her open wounds. She glanced at the large mirror over the basin, the corner of her mouth twitched. Beatrix would be hysterical if she could see her right now, Steiner would be even more so.

Her normally glossy hair seemed to have gone mad and resembled a rat's nest, most of her body was black and blue, the parts that weren't were covered with blood and grime from the huge gashes all over herself. She gripped her Rod tightly, hastily muttering a cure to seal her injuries. To her surprise, the magic sparked and fizzled, very little difference was made. She frowned, holding her Rod even tighter and tried again, without success. At last, she gave up and lowered herself gently into the soothing water.

Dagger gritted her teeth as the water attacked her wounds, ignoring the sting, she bathed hastily. By the time she was done, there was a notable change in the water's color, a heavy tone of red and black now stained the once crystal clear liquid.

She opened a medicine drawer and took several large doses of Potion. She was relieved to find that this method had not failed her. She wrapped a bandage on the once large now smaller wounds on her arms, back and legs while applying ointment to her steadily fading bruises.

Dagger opened the linen cupboard and took out a fluffy towel and the garments that were left for her. After toweling herself dry, she took a closer look at the. There was even a skimpy pair on undergarments, Garland sure planned ahead for everything, she thought with a blush.

She held up the skirt and blouse and examined it with a queer look on her face. It was completely black except for the silvery white decorations around the edges. The top had flared sleeves and a very low neckline, baring her stomach. The skirts waistline also plunged downwards, separating around her mid-thigh, revealing most of her legs and covering only the back. (Amazing her underwear didn't show.) To finish off the ensemble, she pulled on a pair of leather knee high boots, onyx, with the same silvery edgings.

She stared at her reflection, blushing at how revealing her outfit was. She grabbed a hairbrush near the sink while mental hands rummaged through her memory, searching for an image long lost. She carefully picked out several strands of golden hair that was caught in the brush by someone else before combing through her own almost raven mass, leaving it untied.

She set the brush down abruptly. Kuja. That was who she reminded herself of. Her clothes were almost the same design as his. Minus the armor that he always wore on the shoulders, change the color and ignore several minor differences, they would look exactly alike. She frowned at the resemblance, change light to dark; male to female (though their figure was roughly the same), and this was the result.

She shook her head again in defiance and glared back at her reflection angrily. "I will never become anything like him, nor do I resemble him in the least," she muttered, clutching her Rod. "I am not Garland's puppet, not his Angel of Death, and never will do him any good. I do any good. I do this all for my own purposes. All for my friends."

She plodded out of the bathroom slowly, wishing that her words wouldn't sound so hollow to her own ears.

Author's note: I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time! My mother is being so mean and she decided to ban me from the computer again when she saw me writing this yesterday. (sniffle) I wanted to ask you guys, do you want me to writ shorter but faster chapters, or longer but slower. Would you also like me to check for grammar mistakes? It takes longer and I don't usually do it because I'm too lazy.