Final Fantasy: The Chronicles Of Paine: Chapter 3
Wow! It's here! Chapter 3! I'm glad that people are starting to notice my story, which is why I've decided to continue it until the end. I think you'll find that the story will get a bit darker before it gets brighter. So, why did YRP disband? And who is this mysterious ex-fiancee? You'll have to find out for yourself!
"I never want to see you again!" the woman screamed.
"Well that's fine with me because I hate you!" the man shot back.
"Get the hell out of my house!" the woman yelled, throwing a vase at the man. The man walked out of the apartment, and slammed the door behind him so hard it broke off the hinges. The woman ran into her bedroom, collapsed on the bed and cried, her heart broken, anger and despair welling up inside her. She got off of the bed, and stared outside, watching him limp across the street, cane in hand. She hated him, and he had been cheating on her with an old girlfriend. She buried her face in her hands, crying. She was conflicted, feeling anger, guilt, sadness. She was a mess, and didn't know what to do.....
Paine woke up in the inn that night in a cold sweat. Evidently, she just had a nightmare. Gasping for air, she sat up and looked at her watch. 4:30 am. She glanced outside and saw that the rest of the town was sleeping, like a ghost town. She could hear the ocean outside her hotel room, as the waves bashed into the docks.
Feeling as though she would not be able to get back to sleep, she got out of bed and walked outside to pay the bill for the room. When she was finished paying, she walked out to the dock where she had left her motorcycle. She figured that it was still a bit too early to be riding that, so she decided to walk instead. Paine walked towards the northern end of town towards Kilika Forest, and onward through to Kilika Temple.
About ten minutes later, she found herself at the gates to the forest. The town of Kilika evidently built this gate to keep fiends out of the town, so that they could not harm innocent townsfolk, though five years ago, New Yevon was trying to prevent the Youth League from gaining access to the temple. New Yevon had in their possession a movie sphere of none other than Vegnagun, a deadly machina.
Paine heedlessly walked through the gate towards the forest, watching cautiously for fiends. She decided to keep her pistols ready, so she pulled them out of her holsters. Continuing forward, she heard what sounded like children playing deep in the woods. She felt curious, though she had a knack for sensing trouble, and remained cautious. Walking deeper into the dark, misty woods, the voices grew louder. Then, from the right, Paine saw a small figure scamper across the pathway in front of her. And then, another passed, going the other way. Confused, Paine glanced around to see what was going on. And then, out of the nowhere, she felt something collide into the back of her head. And then, she fell, feeling herself being pulled into a peaceful slumber, felt the darkness closing in all around.
When Paine regained consciousness, she saw three sets of eyes, staring at her. Panicking, she reached for her guns, but realized they had been taken. She jumped to her feet, feeling nervous.
"Who are you?" she asked. The three children remained quiet, though one of them took a book of matches from his pocket. He lit it, and then lit a torch, which was held by one of the others. Their faces now visible in the glow from the fire, Paine recognised the three, and felt stupid for being afraid. It was the Kinderguardians. A trio of sphere hunters, led by Isaaru's younger brother, Pacce.
"Why did you knock me out?" Paine demanded, rubbing a lump on the back of her head.
"We thought you were a fiend," Pacce explained.
"What ever happened to Isaaru?" Paine asked.
"He quit his job working at the Zanarkand Ruins, and now, he breeds lupines and races them at the Calm Lands." Pacce said.
"Of all people..." Paine scoffed. "What are you three doing out here this early?"
"Somebody said there were bad people in the temple doing bad things. Something about ressurecting Sin..." Pacce explained.
"Do you know anything about it?" Paine asked.
"I heard that the person is immortal, and that they have the power to summon Aeons, OR Sin. I also heard that in order to bring Sin back, they must retrace High Summoner Yuna's steps from her pilgrimage from Besaid Island to the Ruins Of Zanarkand."
"How does a little boy and his friends come about information like that?" Paine asked.
"I overheard it last night at a restaurant. A strange man was talking to somebody on a cell phone about bringing Sin back from the dead. He also said that he was trailing a spy, working for an Al Bhed man..." Pacce told her.
"Do you remember what this man with the cell phone looked like?" Paine asked.
"He wore a pointed leather hat on his head, and a blue robe. I couldn't make out his face except for two bright yellow eyes. He looked like a black mage."
"I'm gonna need those guns back now," she ordered, standing up. Pacce handed them to her and she put them away.
"So do you know if this black mage is still around?" Paine asked.
"He said he needed to keep following some spy, so he is probably wherever the spy is".
Paine glanced around, feeling uneasy. "What's wrong?" Pacce asked.
"Nothing, I need to go. Goodbye kids," Paine walked back towards town, breaking into a sprint. She was becoming paranoid, and could feel herself being watched, though she acted as if no one was there. She needed to get out of town, fast, and lose the tail.
She ran through the gates, and back towards the inn. She ran into the lobby to a payphone, and called Cid. It was about 5:30, so he would be wide awake. The phone rang a couple of times, and just when she was about to hang up, Cid answered the phone.
"Yeah, this is Cid here," he spoke in his loud voice. Paine had to move the phone away from her ear slightly.
"Cid," Paine responded. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded.
"What are you talking about?" Cid answered.
"Don't give me that bullshit, Cid. You know something, and you're keeping it from me!" she angrily yelled.
"I really don't know what you're talking about!" Cid shot back, wondering what was going on.
"Well, it turns out that our suspect is immortal, they can summon aeons, and they're headed for Zanarkand! And just moments ago, I learned that somebody is following me!" she felt the anger rising in her voice, and she clenched her teeth.
"Who's following you?" Cid asked.
"I don't know. All I know is that he wears a leather hat, a blue robe and has bright yellow eyes. He's supposed to be a black mage. He was talking to his boss on a cell phone, he talked about following a spy. Know anything about this?"
"You mean Tobli? He told me you told him to stop following you."
"So you really didn't know?" Paine asked.
"No, I only sent Tobli and a couple hypellos, but they came back, told me that you were fine on your own." Cid explained.
"I need you to look this guy up in the computer, see if he fits any descriptions", asked Paine.
"I'll see what I can find, but until I do, you need to go to track down Rikku and Yuna, get this mission back on track and get to Zanarkand before this maniac does. And Paine? Watch your back," Cid said quietly, hanging up the phone.
TBC!