Chapter Thirty-Four- Thief of Hearts: Edgar Roni Figaro
"Yes." Terra breathed softly, gazing up into Celes' eyes. The half- Esper wasn't crying, wasn't ecstatic, wasn't anything. The slight glimmer that used to appear in her eyes had finally been snuffed out. Celes knew this, because it was like looking into her own eyes through a mirror. The little girl outside the door stepped forward, staring up at Terra wondrously.
"Mama, are these your friends?"
"Mama!" Celes gasped, and Sabin let out a surprised choking sound. At this, Terra smiled and gently stroked the girl's hair, but not saying anything to her. Her eyes didn't leave Celes'.
"I'm so glad to see that you're safe! I've missed you two!"
"Well...missed isn't really a strong enough word." Sabin laughed nervously, and Celes took Terra's hand.
"Terra, we must hurry on." Celes found herself bursting out. "Unless we stop Kefka, all is lost! We've wasted far too much time idling!" Terra looked at Sabin and Celes sadly, pulling her hand away.
"I..."
"Terra." Sabin blinked. "What's the matter? Don't you want to finish this?" Terra sighed and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms underneath her breasts and biting down on her chapped lip.
"I...um...that is...well...I can't seem to fight anymore."
Celes and Sabin stared at Terra dumbly, but their reactions, like usual with anyone else's, did not phase her. She continued talking in that soft monotone, her eyes shifted towards the floor.
"The very day the world...fell..." Terra bit down harder, trying to fight back the anguish of the memories. "...I remember it so clearly. I awoke on the beach here, nearby Mobliz, rescued by a young lady who claimed I fell from the sky. The effects of The Statues' power fusion were still raging all around me. The girl pulled me to my feet and we ran to escape into town, but chaos had erupted before we even made it there. It seemed like only moments later that a bright, white, blinding light ripped through the sky, and after that...I swooned." She looked up at the two Returners. "I later learned that the light was called "The Light of Judgment", turned onto the town by Kefka himself. Nearly all of the adults perished trying to save their children. Two years later, the rest have died off, and some disappeared in the desert wasteland trying to find help. The moment I arrived, I felt...needed." She stopped and pushed her hair back. Suddenly, the door flew open again, and a tall, teenaged lad burst in, angry, and his brown, uncut hair flopped in his eyes.
"You can't take away Terra!" He barked. Celes raised her eyebrows. He looked strong, stronger than Terra even, but still not as strong as herself. She wasn't intimidated. Behind him, a young girl stepped in; her dull blonde hair pulled up in a messy curly ponytail. She looked tired, with circles under her eyes, and her hands were clasped over a bulging stomach underneath her pink nightgown. Celes bit down on her lip. She was extremely pregnant...but she barely looked sixteen. Sabin widened his eyes.
"Katarin?"
She looked up at him and smiled slightly.
"Oh, you're the one who came to our village two years ago, looking for the underwater helmet...I could never forget you! Oh, how ironic that we have met again! As you can see, I'm now expecting with my husband, Duane." She gave Duane a slightly dirty look and looked to Celes. "Please excuse him. It's just that if Terra goes, she takes with her the very spirit of our survival...She has been our mother since the horrible accident that sank this town. The children...and myself...we would wilt without her."
"I don't know why these kids need me... But they've made me feel things I've never felt before. The moment I sensed this, I lost my will to fight." Terra sighed. "I can honestly say I don't know what's going on inside of me... And the more I try to understand it, the less inclined I am to raise my sword..." Suddenly, the ground shook immensely, and a child gasped, clinging to Katarin's skirt.
"Phunbaba's coming!!!!!!!!"
"Phun-what?" Sabin blinked, and Terra looked up nervously towards the stairs that led to the surface. More pounding could be heard, causing the ground to shake even more violently.
"Phunbaba is an ancient ogre that was released when the world came undone...He attacks so often that we must all stay in hiding underground...it is why we no longer live on the surface..." Terra suddenly started to climb the stairs. "Everyone go to their stations and hide until I come back!"
"Terra, wait!" Katarin cried, and looked to Celes and Sabin with a desperate look in her eyes. "Every time Phunbaba comes, Terra tries to scare him away, and always comes back covered in wounds! Please, if you are warriors, then help her!"
"Don't need to tell us twice!" Sabin replied, and with that, Celes and himself pounded up the stairs after Terra, who had already reached the surface. Outside, a hot wind was blowing and Terra was running towards a huge, horned creature that stood at least 12 feet tall, green and scaly and hardened with muscle all over. It sneered with bright yellow teeth and swung at Terra, striking her down and causing her to cry out.
"Terra!" Celes cried, and cupped her hands together, reeling them back and swinging them towards Phunbaba. "Blizzaga!"
A whirlwind of ice and snow and crystal slammed into Phunbaba's face, causing it to roar and tumble backwards onto it's backside, rolling from it's extreme girth around the waistline. Sabin and Celes ran to Terra's side, where she was panting and clinging to herself, blood from a massive scratch pouring out of her side.
"I've really lost it...my fighting edge...ohhh..." Terra's eyes suddenly rolled back and she swooned, collapsing in Sabin's arms and releasing her grip on herself. Phunbaba howled again and finally rolled back up onto its stubby legs and feet, turning in a full 360 and taking off away from Mobliz. Celes sighed out in relief and turned to her friend, lowering her palms towards Terra's wound and casting a Curaga spell. Afterwards, Sabin lifted her in his arms and the party retreated back into the underground children's city. Celes kept her gaze to the ground the whole time. Terra...had been very right.
Later that evening, after a measly dinner provided by Duane's trapping skills; Katarin appeared and bowed quickly to Celes and Sabin, who both didn't have much to say to each other at dinner.
"Terra is awake, if you would like to see her. Your magic did wonders, Miss Celes."
"It always does." Celes said a little sadly, but got up, with Sabin following. Terra was in what was designated the "sick room" of the hiding place, complete with a real bed salvaged from the town's destruction, a fireplace that had been cleaned, but never used, and a few buckets of water and apples. Terra was lying back, a little girl kneeling at the side of the bed, but when Celes and Sabin came in, Terra gestured for the girl to leave them, and she got up, sniffling and muttering as she walked past.
"Mama...will you be ok...?"
The door slammed shut behind them, and Terra watched her friends somberly.
"I'm staying here...as you can see, the children need me."
"Terra..." Celes began, but Sabin cut her off.
"Heal your wounds, Terra...you're in no condition anyway." Terra widened her eyes some.
"Maybe...Maybe after a little more time passes...I need to understand what's happening to me." Terra sighed. "I'm sorry...I'm staying." She said those last two words bluntly and efficiently. Celes didn't open her mouth to fight back. However, Terra reached down, and pulled something from the sheath on her belt, which still hung loosely from her hips as it did when they had traveled together...
"Celes, I would like you to have this." She pulled out a slightly dulled, golden hilt of a sword...but that was all that was there. It was delicately encrusted with sapphires and rubies, and slightly glimmered in the dull candlelight of the room.
"What...is it?" Celes blinked and took the hilt, turning it in her hands.
"It was given to me by the very last adult in this city, a scholar." Terra explained. "He found it on an expedition outside of Mobliz...but when he left to go on another, he never returned..."
"The hilt of a sword?" Sabin gazed at it over Celes' shoulder.
"It is no ordinary sword." Terra continued on. "It is named Atma Weapon."
"Atma? Like the beast we fought on the floating continent?" Celes blinked and watched her friend's gaze to see if she was serious. Of course, she was.
"Yes, exactly like Atma the beast." Terra replied. "The scholar explained to me that there were in fact two Atma Weapons. There was the beast, which we defeated, and another form, which was just as powerful. That hilt you hold is actually a sword, but it's power reflects the power of the user, and if you haven't guessed, that makes it a very potentially dangerous weapon." As Terra spoke, a dull, but cutting blue light began to draw out of the end of the hilt, forming into a see-through crystal blue blade that emitted a soft aura of light. It was about two feet long.
"This is...my power?" Celes asked, turning the sword again.
"It is." Terra said. "But you see, when I take it..." She took the sword from Celes and clasped it in her own fingers. Moments later, the blade shrunk to that of a tiny dagger, something Locke would use to pick locks with. "...It is not much of anything. That is why I want you to have it. You will put it to good use, I imagine." She handed it back to Celes. Celes found instantly that by just thinking about it, the sword shrunk to just the hilt again, and she could fasten it on the belt of her leather pants. Not only could she wield her power...she could manipulate it at will.
"Thank you...Terra." Celes said, half-gratefully and half-sullenly. "I will put it to good use...by piercing Kefka's heart." Terra just stared at her sadly, and Sabin didn't say a word. Celes decided that this should be their good-bye time...at least for now.
"We'll be back." Celes added. Terra moaned and fell against her pillows, closing her eyes and trying to control her body from breaking out into sad sobs. Oh, how she longed to be with her friends once again...after all they had done for her...and this was all she could do to repay them...
"Take care of yourself." Sabin offered. However, his words went unheard, as Terra had fallen back asleep.
As Celes and Sabin exited the underground, the same child that had kicked Celes before came running up to them something glimmering in his hands.
"Thanks for scaring Phunbaba away!" He exclaimed. "In his haste, he dropped this!" Celes took it, and bit down on her lip.
Magicite.
The stuff that caused this whole stupid war on the world.
Celes clutched it so tightly, she thought it would crumble beneath her fingertips, but something inside of her told her to relax. She remembered the suffering that the Espers had to go through to become this substance. She remembered from when she was younger, when the Esper Shiva was partially infused in her.
And then she remembered that Terra was still half-Esper. None of that had changed. And so her suffering, the Espers' suffering, it was all Terra's suffering too, perhaps twice as badly for her.
Maybe...we shouldn't come back for Terra. Celes thought sadly. Maybe we should just leave her alone.
*********
Sabin and Celes, after a difficult and hot night's rest in the wasteland, awoke and finally managed to stumble upon the path to Nikeah port. It was another hot, achingly dry day. However, the change of scenery was a welcome one. This town was bustling, full of merchants and people, and the masts of the ships in port could be seen waving high in the dry wind. Celes almost felt happy enough to smile, but didn't allow herself that little comfort just yet. If finding and recruiting the others was going to be as difficult as Terra, she wasn't sure she even wanted to try.
"Hey Sabin?"
"Yeah?"
"You think we can take on Kefka by ourselves?"
"Erm...not likely, why?"
"Because we might have to."
"Ahh, please, don't say that!"
They shared a small laugh, when suddenly, Celes heard someone speaking loudly and incompetently- a combination that was very familiar to her ears. Looking around, she tried to see where the voice was coming from.
"What are you scurvy weasels waiting for? Let's go!"
"Yes, let's go!" A chorus of voices replied.
Marching past Celes and Sabin, a tall, elegant man appeared, although his attire spoke less of him. He was in dull rags that were literally draped around his body, with a long, sweeping dusty gray cloak. His skin was tan and his hair was long and blonde, tied behind his head in a low ponytail secured with fraying ribbons. His boots literally raised dust as he strolled by, but turning his head slightly, he gazed at Celes with an intensity way too much for any stranger to hold, and then suddenly looked away and continued forward. Celes gasped and narrowed her eyes. She followed his form as a troop of dirty, cursing, and laughing bandits followed behind him, heading towards the harbor.
"Did you see him?" Celes asked, turning towards Sabin.
"I sure did." Sabin cocked his head to the side. "What an arrogant jerk, huh?"
"Uh, I think that arrogant jerk is your brother!"
"What?" Sabin blinked and turned to look at the man again, but he had disappeared.
"Let's catch up with him!" Celes cried, and with that, the two bolted down towards the harbor. The bandits were loud and obnoxious, there was no way they could miss them, and of course, the stranger leading them wasn't much farther ahead.
"Edgar!" Celes cried. "Wait!" Suddenly, the group stopped by a pub, and the bandits started chattering among themselves and filing in.
"Hurry up, would you!?" The leader cried in a slightly....slightly whiny tone. He waited outside, tapping his foot and crossing his arms over his chest. Celes and Sabin caught up to him, panting from running so fast.
"Edgar!" Celes said again, and he glared at her.
"What's your problem?"
"Er...Y...You're Edgar, aren't you?" Celes tried again, and he shook his head coolly.
"My name is Gerad." He snapped, and Sabin put his hands on his hips.
"Edgar...."
"Enough of this nonsense! I have things to do!" Gerad cackled and banged his fist against the door of the pub. "We're getting ready for our departure to Figaro." Celes gasped a little as he stared straight at her again, and then Sabin, with his piercing blue eyes. The way he said "Figaro" had definitely been weird. For that second, his tone took on a more hurried, stressed effect. She was sure of it.
"Yar!" The bandits suddenly burst out of the pub, all banging their glass bottles together and cheering for no apparent reason. They started marching towards the harbor again, but now Gerad took up the rear, not even glancing back at Celes and Sabin as they left. Celes was getting desperate now. Her mind flashed back to her thoughts of beating Kefka alone with Sabin, and while she certainly respected and thought highly of her partner, she knew their asses would be in the ground from the Light of Judgment alone if they didn't have more help.
"Edgar!!!!!!" She suddenly cried out, her voice echoing in the city air. Some people stopped to turn and stare, and Sabin even looked a little embarrassed. Gerad stopped, and looked over his shoulder, staring at Celes again intensely, but this time, he was not smiling. Celes knew she looked like one of those pathetic maidens who ran after all the men that left them in dramatic books and plays, but pride wasn't something she was thinking about just now. Yes, that was how truly desperate she had become.
"Don't play possum with me!" Celes cried. "Edgar??? Or..." She trailed off and blinked. "Have you...somehow lost your memory...?" A drowning despair began to overtake her. Of course, that was the only answer...Edgar had been hurt and lost...his memories. Amnesia...just like Terra!
Gerad stared at her for a moment and let out a sigh, shaking his head and wagging his finger. "...Listen, my lady, I have been Gerad all my life!" He turned to leave again, but suddenly, a small smile curled on Celes' lips.
"Only Edgar would say..."My Lady"..."
Gerad stopped for a moment, but didn't turn around. In fact, he continued walking, muttering some, but loud enough for Celes and Sabin to hear.
"What's all the bloomin' fuss about...? The words "My Lady" are used the world over!" Finally, Gerad disappeared from few, going down the dock and turning onto an idle ship, following his men. Celes turned to Sabin, and he nodded.
"I don't know why I didn't see it before!"
"I knew it was him, I just knew it...lets hurry up!"
The two crept over to the docks, hiding behind two crates when they came into view of Gerad and the bandits, who were busy loading supplies. Gerad was standing near the gangplank, keeping an eye on every bandit that got on and off the ship to load more items.
"Oh, yeah, you guys DO know how to get into Figaro castle, don't you?" Gerad asked a little edgily.
"G'ho-ho-ho, do we ever!" The bandits exclaimed, and Gerad rolled his eyes, leaning back some.
"Yeah, well, then you'll be the ones leading the way, since it's buried underground and all."
"Figaro Castle is underground?" Celes hissed, and Sabin shrugged.
"This is all news to me, as you can see, I rarely get out much." Celes sighed and rubbed her thigh- her legs were beginning to hurt from squatting so awkwardly behind the crates.
"You do realize what we have to do?"
"Sneak onto the ship?" Sabin grinned, and Celes nodded.
"But we can't let Gerad...I mean Edgar, catch us, or else..."
"There won't be an "or else" if he's Edgar for real, right?" Sabin smiled reassuringly. "There has to be an explanation."
"I know, it just seems crazy that we are following this guy on a whim..."
"Well, we wanted to get off the continent somehow, right?" Sabin questioned. "So let's consider this killing two chocobos with one stone."
"...That's an interesting expression." Celes rolled her eyes and peeked over the top of the crate, biting down on her lip. Although this was definitely more light-hearted than the adventure with Terra, Celes still couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of dread. It seemed like it really was going to be difficult to find the others...only Sabin had been willing to join her right off the bat, Terra had lost the will to fight, and Edgar...well, was this even really Edgar?
There was only one way to find out.
"Yes." Terra breathed softly, gazing up into Celes' eyes. The half- Esper wasn't crying, wasn't ecstatic, wasn't anything. The slight glimmer that used to appear in her eyes had finally been snuffed out. Celes knew this, because it was like looking into her own eyes through a mirror. The little girl outside the door stepped forward, staring up at Terra wondrously.
"Mama, are these your friends?"
"Mama!" Celes gasped, and Sabin let out a surprised choking sound. At this, Terra smiled and gently stroked the girl's hair, but not saying anything to her. Her eyes didn't leave Celes'.
"I'm so glad to see that you're safe! I've missed you two!"
"Well...missed isn't really a strong enough word." Sabin laughed nervously, and Celes took Terra's hand.
"Terra, we must hurry on." Celes found herself bursting out. "Unless we stop Kefka, all is lost! We've wasted far too much time idling!" Terra looked at Sabin and Celes sadly, pulling her hand away.
"I..."
"Terra." Sabin blinked. "What's the matter? Don't you want to finish this?" Terra sighed and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms underneath her breasts and biting down on her chapped lip.
"I...um...that is...well...I can't seem to fight anymore."
Celes and Sabin stared at Terra dumbly, but their reactions, like usual with anyone else's, did not phase her. She continued talking in that soft monotone, her eyes shifted towards the floor.
"The very day the world...fell..." Terra bit down harder, trying to fight back the anguish of the memories. "...I remember it so clearly. I awoke on the beach here, nearby Mobliz, rescued by a young lady who claimed I fell from the sky. The effects of The Statues' power fusion were still raging all around me. The girl pulled me to my feet and we ran to escape into town, but chaos had erupted before we even made it there. It seemed like only moments later that a bright, white, blinding light ripped through the sky, and after that...I swooned." She looked up at the two Returners. "I later learned that the light was called "The Light of Judgment", turned onto the town by Kefka himself. Nearly all of the adults perished trying to save their children. Two years later, the rest have died off, and some disappeared in the desert wasteland trying to find help. The moment I arrived, I felt...needed." She stopped and pushed her hair back. Suddenly, the door flew open again, and a tall, teenaged lad burst in, angry, and his brown, uncut hair flopped in his eyes.
"You can't take away Terra!" He barked. Celes raised her eyebrows. He looked strong, stronger than Terra even, but still not as strong as herself. She wasn't intimidated. Behind him, a young girl stepped in; her dull blonde hair pulled up in a messy curly ponytail. She looked tired, with circles under her eyes, and her hands were clasped over a bulging stomach underneath her pink nightgown. Celes bit down on her lip. She was extremely pregnant...but she barely looked sixteen. Sabin widened his eyes.
"Katarin?"
She looked up at him and smiled slightly.
"Oh, you're the one who came to our village two years ago, looking for the underwater helmet...I could never forget you! Oh, how ironic that we have met again! As you can see, I'm now expecting with my husband, Duane." She gave Duane a slightly dirty look and looked to Celes. "Please excuse him. It's just that if Terra goes, she takes with her the very spirit of our survival...She has been our mother since the horrible accident that sank this town. The children...and myself...we would wilt without her."
"I don't know why these kids need me... But they've made me feel things I've never felt before. The moment I sensed this, I lost my will to fight." Terra sighed. "I can honestly say I don't know what's going on inside of me... And the more I try to understand it, the less inclined I am to raise my sword..." Suddenly, the ground shook immensely, and a child gasped, clinging to Katarin's skirt.
"Phunbaba's coming!!!!!!!!"
"Phun-what?" Sabin blinked, and Terra looked up nervously towards the stairs that led to the surface. More pounding could be heard, causing the ground to shake even more violently.
"Phunbaba is an ancient ogre that was released when the world came undone...He attacks so often that we must all stay in hiding underground...it is why we no longer live on the surface..." Terra suddenly started to climb the stairs. "Everyone go to their stations and hide until I come back!"
"Terra, wait!" Katarin cried, and looked to Celes and Sabin with a desperate look in her eyes. "Every time Phunbaba comes, Terra tries to scare him away, and always comes back covered in wounds! Please, if you are warriors, then help her!"
"Don't need to tell us twice!" Sabin replied, and with that, Celes and himself pounded up the stairs after Terra, who had already reached the surface. Outside, a hot wind was blowing and Terra was running towards a huge, horned creature that stood at least 12 feet tall, green and scaly and hardened with muscle all over. It sneered with bright yellow teeth and swung at Terra, striking her down and causing her to cry out.
"Terra!" Celes cried, and cupped her hands together, reeling them back and swinging them towards Phunbaba. "Blizzaga!"
A whirlwind of ice and snow and crystal slammed into Phunbaba's face, causing it to roar and tumble backwards onto it's backside, rolling from it's extreme girth around the waistline. Sabin and Celes ran to Terra's side, where she was panting and clinging to herself, blood from a massive scratch pouring out of her side.
"I've really lost it...my fighting edge...ohhh..." Terra's eyes suddenly rolled back and she swooned, collapsing in Sabin's arms and releasing her grip on herself. Phunbaba howled again and finally rolled back up onto its stubby legs and feet, turning in a full 360 and taking off away from Mobliz. Celes sighed out in relief and turned to her friend, lowering her palms towards Terra's wound and casting a Curaga spell. Afterwards, Sabin lifted her in his arms and the party retreated back into the underground children's city. Celes kept her gaze to the ground the whole time. Terra...had been very right.
Later that evening, after a measly dinner provided by Duane's trapping skills; Katarin appeared and bowed quickly to Celes and Sabin, who both didn't have much to say to each other at dinner.
"Terra is awake, if you would like to see her. Your magic did wonders, Miss Celes."
"It always does." Celes said a little sadly, but got up, with Sabin following. Terra was in what was designated the "sick room" of the hiding place, complete with a real bed salvaged from the town's destruction, a fireplace that had been cleaned, but never used, and a few buckets of water and apples. Terra was lying back, a little girl kneeling at the side of the bed, but when Celes and Sabin came in, Terra gestured for the girl to leave them, and she got up, sniffling and muttering as she walked past.
"Mama...will you be ok...?"
The door slammed shut behind them, and Terra watched her friends somberly.
"I'm staying here...as you can see, the children need me."
"Terra..." Celes began, but Sabin cut her off.
"Heal your wounds, Terra...you're in no condition anyway." Terra widened her eyes some.
"Maybe...Maybe after a little more time passes...I need to understand what's happening to me." Terra sighed. "I'm sorry...I'm staying." She said those last two words bluntly and efficiently. Celes didn't open her mouth to fight back. However, Terra reached down, and pulled something from the sheath on her belt, which still hung loosely from her hips as it did when they had traveled together...
"Celes, I would like you to have this." She pulled out a slightly dulled, golden hilt of a sword...but that was all that was there. It was delicately encrusted with sapphires and rubies, and slightly glimmered in the dull candlelight of the room.
"What...is it?" Celes blinked and took the hilt, turning it in her hands.
"It was given to me by the very last adult in this city, a scholar." Terra explained. "He found it on an expedition outside of Mobliz...but when he left to go on another, he never returned..."
"The hilt of a sword?" Sabin gazed at it over Celes' shoulder.
"It is no ordinary sword." Terra continued on. "It is named Atma Weapon."
"Atma? Like the beast we fought on the floating continent?" Celes blinked and watched her friend's gaze to see if she was serious. Of course, she was.
"Yes, exactly like Atma the beast." Terra replied. "The scholar explained to me that there were in fact two Atma Weapons. There was the beast, which we defeated, and another form, which was just as powerful. That hilt you hold is actually a sword, but it's power reflects the power of the user, and if you haven't guessed, that makes it a very potentially dangerous weapon." As Terra spoke, a dull, but cutting blue light began to draw out of the end of the hilt, forming into a see-through crystal blue blade that emitted a soft aura of light. It was about two feet long.
"This is...my power?" Celes asked, turning the sword again.
"It is." Terra said. "But you see, when I take it..." She took the sword from Celes and clasped it in her own fingers. Moments later, the blade shrunk to that of a tiny dagger, something Locke would use to pick locks with. "...It is not much of anything. That is why I want you to have it. You will put it to good use, I imagine." She handed it back to Celes. Celes found instantly that by just thinking about it, the sword shrunk to just the hilt again, and she could fasten it on the belt of her leather pants. Not only could she wield her power...she could manipulate it at will.
"Thank you...Terra." Celes said, half-gratefully and half-sullenly. "I will put it to good use...by piercing Kefka's heart." Terra just stared at her sadly, and Sabin didn't say a word. Celes decided that this should be their good-bye time...at least for now.
"We'll be back." Celes added. Terra moaned and fell against her pillows, closing her eyes and trying to control her body from breaking out into sad sobs. Oh, how she longed to be with her friends once again...after all they had done for her...and this was all she could do to repay them...
"Take care of yourself." Sabin offered. However, his words went unheard, as Terra had fallen back asleep.
As Celes and Sabin exited the underground, the same child that had kicked Celes before came running up to them something glimmering in his hands.
"Thanks for scaring Phunbaba away!" He exclaimed. "In his haste, he dropped this!" Celes took it, and bit down on her lip.
Magicite.
The stuff that caused this whole stupid war on the world.
Celes clutched it so tightly, she thought it would crumble beneath her fingertips, but something inside of her told her to relax. She remembered the suffering that the Espers had to go through to become this substance. She remembered from when she was younger, when the Esper Shiva was partially infused in her.
And then she remembered that Terra was still half-Esper. None of that had changed. And so her suffering, the Espers' suffering, it was all Terra's suffering too, perhaps twice as badly for her.
Maybe...we shouldn't come back for Terra. Celes thought sadly. Maybe we should just leave her alone.
*********
Sabin and Celes, after a difficult and hot night's rest in the wasteland, awoke and finally managed to stumble upon the path to Nikeah port. It was another hot, achingly dry day. However, the change of scenery was a welcome one. This town was bustling, full of merchants and people, and the masts of the ships in port could be seen waving high in the dry wind. Celes almost felt happy enough to smile, but didn't allow herself that little comfort just yet. If finding and recruiting the others was going to be as difficult as Terra, she wasn't sure she even wanted to try.
"Hey Sabin?"
"Yeah?"
"You think we can take on Kefka by ourselves?"
"Erm...not likely, why?"
"Because we might have to."
"Ahh, please, don't say that!"
They shared a small laugh, when suddenly, Celes heard someone speaking loudly and incompetently- a combination that was very familiar to her ears. Looking around, she tried to see where the voice was coming from.
"What are you scurvy weasels waiting for? Let's go!"
"Yes, let's go!" A chorus of voices replied.
Marching past Celes and Sabin, a tall, elegant man appeared, although his attire spoke less of him. He was in dull rags that were literally draped around his body, with a long, sweeping dusty gray cloak. His skin was tan and his hair was long and blonde, tied behind his head in a low ponytail secured with fraying ribbons. His boots literally raised dust as he strolled by, but turning his head slightly, he gazed at Celes with an intensity way too much for any stranger to hold, and then suddenly looked away and continued forward. Celes gasped and narrowed her eyes. She followed his form as a troop of dirty, cursing, and laughing bandits followed behind him, heading towards the harbor.
"Did you see him?" Celes asked, turning towards Sabin.
"I sure did." Sabin cocked his head to the side. "What an arrogant jerk, huh?"
"Uh, I think that arrogant jerk is your brother!"
"What?" Sabin blinked and turned to look at the man again, but he had disappeared.
"Let's catch up with him!" Celes cried, and with that, the two bolted down towards the harbor. The bandits were loud and obnoxious, there was no way they could miss them, and of course, the stranger leading them wasn't much farther ahead.
"Edgar!" Celes cried. "Wait!" Suddenly, the group stopped by a pub, and the bandits started chattering among themselves and filing in.
"Hurry up, would you!?" The leader cried in a slightly....slightly whiny tone. He waited outside, tapping his foot and crossing his arms over his chest. Celes and Sabin caught up to him, panting from running so fast.
"Edgar!" Celes said again, and he glared at her.
"What's your problem?"
"Er...Y...You're Edgar, aren't you?" Celes tried again, and he shook his head coolly.
"My name is Gerad." He snapped, and Sabin put his hands on his hips.
"Edgar...."
"Enough of this nonsense! I have things to do!" Gerad cackled and banged his fist against the door of the pub. "We're getting ready for our departure to Figaro." Celes gasped a little as he stared straight at her again, and then Sabin, with his piercing blue eyes. The way he said "Figaro" had definitely been weird. For that second, his tone took on a more hurried, stressed effect. She was sure of it.
"Yar!" The bandits suddenly burst out of the pub, all banging their glass bottles together and cheering for no apparent reason. They started marching towards the harbor again, but now Gerad took up the rear, not even glancing back at Celes and Sabin as they left. Celes was getting desperate now. Her mind flashed back to her thoughts of beating Kefka alone with Sabin, and while she certainly respected and thought highly of her partner, she knew their asses would be in the ground from the Light of Judgment alone if they didn't have more help.
"Edgar!!!!!!" She suddenly cried out, her voice echoing in the city air. Some people stopped to turn and stare, and Sabin even looked a little embarrassed. Gerad stopped, and looked over his shoulder, staring at Celes again intensely, but this time, he was not smiling. Celes knew she looked like one of those pathetic maidens who ran after all the men that left them in dramatic books and plays, but pride wasn't something she was thinking about just now. Yes, that was how truly desperate she had become.
"Don't play possum with me!" Celes cried. "Edgar??? Or..." She trailed off and blinked. "Have you...somehow lost your memory...?" A drowning despair began to overtake her. Of course, that was the only answer...Edgar had been hurt and lost...his memories. Amnesia...just like Terra!
Gerad stared at her for a moment and let out a sigh, shaking his head and wagging his finger. "...Listen, my lady, I have been Gerad all my life!" He turned to leave again, but suddenly, a small smile curled on Celes' lips.
"Only Edgar would say..."My Lady"..."
Gerad stopped for a moment, but didn't turn around. In fact, he continued walking, muttering some, but loud enough for Celes and Sabin to hear.
"What's all the bloomin' fuss about...? The words "My Lady" are used the world over!" Finally, Gerad disappeared from few, going down the dock and turning onto an idle ship, following his men. Celes turned to Sabin, and he nodded.
"I don't know why I didn't see it before!"
"I knew it was him, I just knew it...lets hurry up!"
The two crept over to the docks, hiding behind two crates when they came into view of Gerad and the bandits, who were busy loading supplies. Gerad was standing near the gangplank, keeping an eye on every bandit that got on and off the ship to load more items.
"Oh, yeah, you guys DO know how to get into Figaro castle, don't you?" Gerad asked a little edgily.
"G'ho-ho-ho, do we ever!" The bandits exclaimed, and Gerad rolled his eyes, leaning back some.
"Yeah, well, then you'll be the ones leading the way, since it's buried underground and all."
"Figaro Castle is underground?" Celes hissed, and Sabin shrugged.
"This is all news to me, as you can see, I rarely get out much." Celes sighed and rubbed her thigh- her legs were beginning to hurt from squatting so awkwardly behind the crates.
"You do realize what we have to do?"
"Sneak onto the ship?" Sabin grinned, and Celes nodded.
"But we can't let Gerad...I mean Edgar, catch us, or else..."
"There won't be an "or else" if he's Edgar for real, right?" Sabin smiled reassuringly. "There has to be an explanation."
"I know, it just seems crazy that we are following this guy on a whim..."
"Well, we wanted to get off the continent somehow, right?" Sabin questioned. "So let's consider this killing two chocobos with one stone."
"...That's an interesting expression." Celes rolled her eyes and peeked over the top of the crate, biting down on her lip. Although this was definitely more light-hearted than the adventure with Terra, Celes still couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of dread. It seemed like it really was going to be difficult to find the others...only Sabin had been willing to join her right off the bat, Terra had lost the will to fight, and Edgar...well, was this even really Edgar?
There was only one way to find out.
