The world came swimming back as the glimmering orb faded away. All around him was darkness, the skies roiling with black clouds and thunder, the ground barren and cracked.
'Just what did I do?' Jayson wondered in anguish at the desolation around him.
Lightning flashed and lit the building before him, the tall, looming tortured castle of stone making him realise just what had happened.
He had travelled to Ultimecia's time, the world had moved on during what seemed to him as the moment he excised himself from it.
The guilt burned coldly like ice as he thought of the lives he had taken before he had regained control over his anger crushed soul. He wondered how his murder of Squall had affected Garden, whether the lack of his leadership made any difference to how Ultimecia arose or how the SeeDs fought her.
'Forget all that, think of what's truly on your mind…' a soft voice whispered to him.
Jayson shivered. He didn't want to think about that, but it was still there, those thoughts of Meia, those moments he had had with her cut short by Kazen. He had to stop there before the anger rose within once more.
'My dear Jayson… you shouldn't worry about that anymore.' The voice answered him.
'Who are you?' Jayson asked, his feet settling on the dusty ground and he looked around cautiously.
A figure appeared, a woman in a tight fitting black dress, ruffles of feathers around the neckline, the shape of black wings behind her shoulders, whilst she wore a strange horned headdress, her pale face highlighted by dark make up.
Jayson went to reach for Fixxer as his body jolted in recognition. 'Ultimecia…' he hissed.
'Who else would I be?' she replied with a smile and then waved her hand, tearing Fixxer from his thigh. 'You won't be needing that.' She told him.
'What do you want with me?' Jayson snapped, the anger rising again, his body crackling with dark energy.
'What I made you for' she replied soothingly.
'What?' Jayson said, his anger quickly cut off by shock, the energy numbed.
'Deluded Kazen thought Adel created you as a replacement Sorceress and then turned you into a Knight when you were born male. Adel may have wanted a girl but she wasn't in control, I was and I wanted a boy.' Ultimecia explained.
'And you wanted me for what purpose to be your Knight instead? That can't be right… the others would've remembered me…' Jayson murmured, his brow creasing.
Ultimecia gave him a beneficent smile, a strange thing coming from one with such a dark reputation, and stepped closer.
'I have no need for a Knight, I have creatures to guard me and Griever as a Guardian Force, what I need is something more personal…' she said softly, reaching out to caress his cheek.
Jayson flinched, stepping back as his eyes widened in horror. 'You want me to be your partner?' he asked abruptly.
'In a way, I need you to father my child.' She told him her hand still hanging in the air.
'And what makes you think I'd be so crazy as to agree to that? Why would I leave behind a heir for you with such power?' Jayson retorted.
Ultimecia smirked. 'You have no understanding. I have achieved circular immortality for myself but after I am killed there will be nothing left of me in this time and I can't bear the idea of that. As for the child being evil that's for you to decide for you shall raise them. Good and evil is all subjective, as you of all people should know, I did what I had to, to achieve what I have but I'm still mortal, still a woman and have needs too.' She told him.
'Why me?' Jayson asked coldly.
'No normal man could sleep with me, father my child, nor could they raise a child with such power. I need someone equal to me for it to happen.' She explained.
'Well equal or not, it still won't happen. You may have made me, caused my life to be the way it was just so I'd come here to you but it doesn't mean I'll carry on playing your game now I'm here.' Jayson growled.
'Even if you could raise our child to do much good? To balance all I have done?' Ultimecia asked, arching a delicate eyebrow.
'I could do that myself' Jayson snapped and turned to walk away.
Ultimecia flicked the wrist of her outstretched hand, her fingers curling in on themselves.
'Huh?' Jayson grunted as his body froze unable to move.
'You may be as powerful as me but we each have our unique gifts.' She told him walking round to his face her had stroking his unresisting cheek tenderly.
'You can't hold me forever.' Jayson hissed, his cheek tingling from her touch.
'That's quite true, you have such a strong will.' Ultimecia said smiling. 'But I hope that I can persuade you in time.' She told him and held up her other hand, a bright copper orb within it shining.
'Do you know what this is?' she asked softly.
'No and I don't have time for games!' he replied sarcastically as he felt the fingers of his hands flexing as Ultimecia's hold slowly started to fade.
'It's a soul, can you guess whose?' she answered grinning.
'Now I know you're lying.' Jayson snapped as a name fluttered through his mind, a name that was always there.
'Why would I need to lie to when I could take you here and now if I so wished it?' Ultimecia replied her hand closing.
'I don't know maybe you don't like the idea of not having the full experience the first time you do it!' Jayson said dryly.
Ultimecia bit his lip. 'We shall see won't we' She told him. 'But seriously, it is her soul, you carry it within you' she told him softly as blood slowly trickled from his puffy lower lip.
'Bullshit!' he spat angrily as he felt more movement coming back to him.
'Believe what you want but when she died her soul went into you, a gift of yours is to take up souls even if you don't realise it. However with hers it caused yours to condense allowing the anger to turn you as it did. The reason that you stopped was because her soul diffused through you, brought you back, no doubt you heard her whisper to you?' Ultimecia said her hand closing on the orb.
Jayson shook his head in disbelief, but it was true, he had heard Meia before he came to his senses, but he thought it was just guilt. Could he trust Ultimecia?
The world shimmered around them and they appeared in a room with a huge four-poster bed, the posts draped with thin, white curtains.
'Don't you want her to live again? She will be our child, you could love her all over again, protect her like you couldn't before.' Ultimecia whispered to him, her body pressed against him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Jayson closed his eyes trying to think, to ignore her body, the smell of her as she teased.
'What reassurances do I get?' he said finally as he opened his eyes.
'You will feel it and you will take some of my own power, some of my soul. A lesser man would be consumed by it and die but it will be nothing to you.' Ultimecia said softly with a shy smile.
'I can't believe I'm here, that this is happening' Jayson thought to himself.
'But you are and it is, and there is more to come.' Ultimecia replied softly.
'Then let's get it started.' Jayson told her and pushed her onto the bed as he broke free from the grip of her spell.
Ultimecia squealed in surprise, the curtains falling down around the bed, hiding them from view.
She hadn't been how he would've expected, so shy and tender, yet passionate. He had been unable to hold himself back from her for long, had tried being as cold to her as he could, see it as purely mechanical but she was so like Meia it was uncanny. She lay asleep as he was left lying there with his guilty thoughts. In a way he had betrayed Meia, his love for her but he had felt it, the warmth of her soul leaving him as it entered Ultimecia's womb, to be reborn. He had also felt the chill as her powers entered him and their lovemaking had taken on a more passionate and urgent feel at that point as she bit and clawed at him, his body covered in red marks.
Now all he had to do was wait around nine months and see if Ultimecia would keep to her word or if he would have to kill her, regardless of what the future should be and how he'd mess up the past.
Author's note: Well that's the end of it, what do you think? Hopefully I was able to give you a few surprises huh Dacera? :)
Well I'm sorry for takingso long to finish this and hope those of you who were reading it aren't put off by the large update now. Personally I prefer to have the whole series of anything I read together at the same time since I have to know what happens next, the suspense usually kills me!