Chapter Forty-Seven- Haunted…
Locke stared out the window at the darkening sky as The Falcon rose from the courtyard and started to fly away. How he wished he had wings of his own, or an airship at least, to fly himself away from the chaos churning within the group. He instantly regretted yelling at Sabin the moment he stood up and left the dining hall, but he couldn't take it back now. He had to hope that Sabin would come back ready and willing to hear him out.
Besides the wailing coming from Umaro's room (It was always a show watching Mog trying to get the 300 pound beast to go to bed), the palace was deadly silent. Everyone was in a hurry to abandon the dining hall after what had happened. Locke pulled off his stifling hot dinner jacket and undid a few buttons on his shirt, turning just in time to see Terra descending down a flight of stairs across the room. He knew the stairs led to the basement, but he also knew that the basement had been off limits for a long time now, especially since he heard that Figaro had supposedly been attacked underground a month or so ago. Never one to mind his own business, Locke abandoned his jacket and followed her.
Terra sighed. She had no where to really go, except her bedroom. But because it was next to Celes', she didn't want to take any chances. She let her feet carry her wherever, and she found herself at the basement stairs. Celes had told her the horror story of fighting the underground worms in Figaro's engine, but even that didn't keep Terra away this time. She spotted the engineer at the bottom of the stairs, fiddling with some switches.
"What are you doing?" Terra questioned, and the engineer nearly jumped a foot into the air. He turned around and gave Terra a look.
"It is orders that once a month we test the engines to make sure everything under here runs ok," The engineer replied, turning back to his work. "Ever since the accident we had before, we decided it was better to be safe than sorry."
"Oh…right," Terra said, feeling like a bother. She turned to go back up the stairs.
"Better stay here until the castle is done moving," The engineer barked. "Can't be getting sued if you trip and break all those pretty teeth."
Terra raised her eyebrows but promptly sat down on the bottom step. The engineer pulled the biggest switch, and Terra could hear the castle start to rumble and shift. She thought she heard a curse come from above the stairway, but didn't say anything and chalked it up to creaky gears. Suddenly, there came a huge, echoing "thump", and the castle came to a violent halt. Terra gasped and the engineer started pressing buttons and pulling switches.
"What…what is this?!"
"AHHHH!"
Terra heard a scream and let out one herself as she felt something heavy hit her back and made her tumble to the floor. She moaned, opening her eyes and looking back to see Locke on top of her.
"Locke!" Terra turned red, and immediately shoved him off.
"Ow!" Locke cried, falling onto his backside and rubbing his back. "Sorry…"
"Me too…just a reflex from Edgar…" Terra stood up and reached out, grabbing Locke's hand and pulling him to his feet. "Where did you come from?"
"I was at the top of the stairs and I fell…" Locke sighed. "What's going on?"
"There's something odd about the stratum…" The engineer mused. "It's almost as if we've bumped into something…"
"But we can't leave the castle to find out!" Terra cried, a little panicked.
"There's one way you could go," The engineer offered. "In the jail area, thieves made a tunnel that goes underground. You might find what is causing the problem down there. As soon as we know, I can fix it and we can get out of here!"
"There's a secret tunnel here that even I did not know about?!" Locke laughed. "How ridiculous. Let's go see this phantom tunnel, Terra."
"Well, I think you should go," Terra replied. "I am going to hurry and try to find Edgar…I think he would know more about this than the lot of us…he is the machinery genius after all…"
"Good idea," Locke said, and took off towards the jail. Terra ran upstairs from the engine room and began calling Edgar's name so loud, the echoes bounced off the palace walls.
---
Celes did not dare to move until she was positive the castle had stopped moving. Curled up next to a now shattered pot in the castle jail, Celes thought she would find solitude, but ended up being very wrong, like always. It sounded as if something had crashed into the castle while it was moving, and a wave of freezing-cold, salty air had washed into the basement. When she stood up and brushed off the dusty pieces of broken pottery off her dress and cape she had retrieved earlier, she could see that the darkened hole in the back of one of the jail cells now had some rubble and broken rock in front of it. Walking over to the hole, Celes peered in and gasped. Ahead of her was a long, dark, and spiraling path, surrounded by jagged stone walls and dripping ceilings. She shivered, patting her hands down at her sides. All she felt underneath her fingertips was silk and lace. Of course she didn't have any weapons on her.
Who needs weapons when you have magic? Celes smirked, and decided to go forward. It had been a while since she was in a nasty, dripping cave. Reaching along the sides of the cave to feel where she was going, Celes plunged inside and immediately became overwhelmed with the heavy scent of mixed humidity and mold. Her shoes were soaking in more moisture with every step she took, and soon her feet were clammy and cold. However, the narrow path just kept winding on, going deeper and deeper down. Finally, the area opened up a little more, where Celes was confronted with a bigger cavern that had more entrances etched out. As she headed towards the entrance in dead center, she heard a growl and glanced to her left just in time to see a winged, claw-bearing beast launch out at her from the shadows, red eyes glowing. Celes rolled out of the way, tearing her dress in various places in the process, but honestly not caring. As she pulled herself back to her feet and the beast stumbled and fell over, she shot her hands out in front of her and shouted:
"Thundaga!"
Huge, iridescent bolts of lightning shot out from the ceiling of the cave and struck the beast, sparks and smaller bolts flying out everywhere. But Celes' eyes widened in horror as the beast suddenly shone a bright blue, and the lightning dissipated. Another roar in the ceiling could be heard, and the spell struck again- this time at its caster. Celes screamed out, feeling as if her insides were frying and her blood was at boiling point, blinded by the white light sizzling around her. As she sank to her knees, the only thought she could fully put together ran through her mind over and over again.
A reflection spell…
She collapsed to the ground, knocked out before her head could even hit the rocks. The beast snarled with its dog-like snout and liked its fangs, beating its wings and making a howling noise to call its brethren.
---
What was that noise? Locke wondered, hearing a loud crash and then some sort of bizarre howling. As he pounded down the dark, dank pathway he had found in the jail, he reached in his belt and whipped out his favorite wing edge. As he burst into the open cavern, the first thing that registered on his radar was Celes' body on the ground. The second thing that registered was his target.
Taking a flying leap, Locke unleashed the wing edge and watched as it flew towards the monster and promptly sliced off its head, which thumped to the ground and rolled a little in a black, bloody mess before disappearing in a flash of purple light. The wing edge flew back to Locke, which he grasped in his fist just as he landed next to Celes. Reaching down, he felt that she still had a pulse.
Thank the Gods.
However, there were more where the first came from. A pack of the same beasts had slithered from the cave entrances ahead of them, and were now running towards Locke with open fangs and claws so sharp that chunks of rock flew out from underneath their feet as they ran. Aiming as carefully as two seconds would allow, Locke let the wing edge fly again and made three successive decapitations, only leaving the fourth, which took a flying leap towards the Returners. As Locke reached up with his left hand and caught the wing edge soaring past his ear, he unsheathed his knife with the other…
…plunging it right into the heart of the beast as it prepared to land on and maul them.
Black blood trickled out of the beast's heart as it trailed down Locke's knife, and the creature disappeared as its brothers did behind him. Locke sheathed the knife back into his belt and turned his attention to Celes. She was still out cold, her hair fried and stiff like hay. Right then, he heard pounding footsteps, and looked up to see Terra and Edgar flying towards them.
"What happened?!" Terra cried, and dove down to kneel beside Celes.
"I'm not sure, she was like this when I got here," Locke explained. I just fought off like five of these…things that wanted to have her for dinner.
"Give her some air," Terra instructed, and the others backed away as she closed her eyes and folded her hands together. "Life…!"
A golden glow surrounded Celes' body, and in moments her eyes were open, albeit glassy and confused. She lifted her head and looked around.
"What the…"
"I'm glad you're ok!" Terra cried, throwing her arms around Celes, but letting out a yelp as she jumped back.
"Celes, you shocked me!"
Celes shivered and pushed her nasty hair out of her eyes. "The monsters down here have protection Reflect spells…we can't use magic against them if we find anymore…I tried to use a Thundaga and got the wind blown out of me…"
"Mmm…so that was the static shock I felt…" Terra blinked. "Celes…to be able to survive a spell of that level…"
"I know, I know, I was lucky," Celes muttered. "If I had only had a weapon, I could have used my Runic powers and absorbed it completely…!"
"At least we're together now," Edgar said, and an uneasy silence filled between them as they all remembered there was a reason they weren't speaking before. Celes and Locke glanced at each other, and quickly and simultaneously looked away. Terra looked down.
"Let's just forget about what happened…" Edgar trailed off. "We have more pressing issues, obviously…and we aren't going to run back upstairs and drag the others into this danger just because we can't work together…" A longer silence followed, and at once, a chorus of voices rang out.
"I'm sorry…!"
Everyone looked at each other, and slowly frowns morphed into smiles.
"So…sorry that I had that little outburst before," Edgar said sheepishly. "I was just really freaked out."
"There is a reason why everything happens, I guess…" Terra trailed off, looking around their little battleground. "I no longer have doubt…that we are together by fate. Everything we do is apart of that fate…we do not know why…there may be no reasonable explanations…but the one thing we cannot let fate, or Kefka have…is our friendship. If the Returners fall from within, they will fall in battle."
"Well said, Terra…" Celes offered, and looked at Locke. "I'm sorry. But I was going to tell you the truth…in my own time."
"It's ok…" Locke smiled some. "We'll have plenty of time after Kefka…But I will need to still talk to Sabin after this, and make my apologies…"
"Sabin will understand," Edgar smiled. "I know he will. He is my blood, after all, and I would understand!"
"So…I am thinking that the next thing we should try to understand is what this place is and where it leads to," Terra said, gently bringing them back to their cold, damp reality. "Shall we continue?"
"Let's go," Celes ordered. "I feel the need for revenge."
Cautiously, the Returners explored each of the new entrances they had before them, but found that only one went on for a considerably longer time than the others, which led to dead ends after about ten minutes of walking each. The longer tunnel was on the right, and it was the way the Returners decided to take. As they stumbled down the narrow pathway in single-file, slipping became inevitable because of how sharp of a slope the path was leading into. After careful and deliberate footing, the Returners finally reached the end of the path and crossed what looked like an ancient footbridge, completely made of stone that was crumbling in all sorts of areas but still holding strong. The river underneath was weak and the team could have easily just bothered getting their feet wet and walking across, but by that point all of them were shivering from the cold conditions and did not want to worsen their suffering.
"How can there be a river underground…?" Edgar trailed off.
The group crossed the rest of the way and exited through the widest opening they had found yet in the cave. And what was before them nearly took their breath away.
Patches of deep green grass grew between what looked like broken cobblestone pathways and piles of rubble scattered everywhere from something massive that had crumbled. Looking further ahead and around her, Terra could see that the rubble piles were actual remains of what had been tall towers…ahead of the Returners, stone steps led up to higher ground…where a castle half-collapsed in on itself rested. A very gentle lapping sound came from the outer boundaries of the rubble and grass…a shallow lake completely surrounded the castle and its land. The water could not have been more than a foot deep, but it was blue and pure, just like Terra remembered the ocean once was back before the world's undoing. Everything down here looked as if it had only been touched by hands of time, and not by the hands of destruction Kefka possessed.
Even with all of Kefka's power…he couldn't touch this place… Terra realized, feeling her heart beat faster. What is this? An illusion? She could hear the others murmuring behind her…and a soft voice suddenly whisper in her ear.
It is hardly an illusion…daughter of Maduin.
"What?" Terra gasped, clasping her hands over her ears. The others stopped and stared at her, but she couldn't open her mouth to explain. Something was slowly slipping over her, making her feel tired and heavy all over. Terra's lips pressed together on their own, and her eyes began to close.
What is happening to me!?
"TERRA!" Celes shrieked. Her voice sounded far away and mumbled, as if she had been speaking underwater. Terra felt as if she was struggling with her life to move, but nothing happened. Her world began to grow black, and she felt warmer and warmer, as if she were falling asleep in front of a blazing fire. Everything became silenced, and even though she was blind and numb, Terra knew the others were screaming for her and shaking her.
But I'm so tired…I don't have the energy to fight…
Do not fight, Terra. Just listen. Please, allow me to borrow your voice.
…What?
Suddenly, Terra's eyes snapped back open. Edgar let out a cry of surprise and let go of Terra's shoulders, which he had been shaking vigorously. Terra had a dead, lightless stare in her eyes. Her pupils had disappeared, and all you could see was shadowed emerald green. Without blinking once, she looked at the others and slowly flexed her fingers, spreading them and bringing them to a close in a small fist.
"Terra…" Locke whispered. "What's wrong…?" She didn't say anything. She looked up, seeing the faraway rocky dome above the ruins of the palace. She looked behind her. She turned, starting to walk up the steps, and the others, not knowing what else to do, followed her. Suddenly, Terra stopped, and began to speak. Although it was clearly her voice…there was something strange about it. Something…aged. Aged and deeply saddened.
"A thousand years in the past…a battle was waged here."
Terra spread her arms, and a blinding light suddenly washed in, causing all the Returners to cry out and close their eyes. However, when first Locke, then Edgar, and then Celes dared to open their gaze…they were met with a scenario unraveling before their very eyes, right below them….as if they were ghosts floating in mid-air. They were in the hall of a grand palace, with a rich, crimson carpet stretching up the center to two golden thrones. However, it was also overrun with armor-clad humans and Espers alike, and one of the human soldiers was trying to drag away a young woman from one of the thrones, with long, thick sapphire hair that reached past her waist and complimented her ivory and silver gown. He dragged her out, kicking and screaming, as another human soldier ran up to an officer.
"A city…ruined during the War of the Magi…"
"Sir! It's an Esper attack!"
"Fine," The captain replied, a mighty Esper with talons as long as any the Returners had ever seen. "Let's show them some of OUR Esper magic!"
At once, the throne room doors burst open and the room was stormed with so many Espers, they became blurs of each other within the flashing of magic spells and weapons. There were screams and shrieks of pain, and the scene faded away into white, becoming replaced with one that was familiar. Now the floors were littered with the dead and blood was everywhere. A few soldiers were kneeling, grasping wounds and trying to rouse far-gone friends. Only one soldier stood out, clad in shining silver armor with horns emerging from the helmet and wings spread from his back. He was towering in height and build, and could only be an Esper. He was grasping a glowing red lance that looked as if it were pulsating with power.
"Only Odin is here!" One of the soldiers cried, standing up shakily and glancing back at the standing Esper.
"Can we heal our wounds?" Another asked.
"We haven't any Espers who can cast the spells…!"
"Leave this battle in my hands!" The standing soldier named Odin cried, spinning his lance in his hands and slamming it so hard into the floor that the marble cracked beneath it. "We're out of options…you must run to safety and protect our Queen…"
As soon as the words left his mouth, streams of bright blue energy shot into the room and struck all the living soldiers at once, causing them to scream and surrender to death in unison. Odin gasped and charged forth, eliminating the enemies as they began to appear in wave after wave.
"Atom Edge!"
"Atom Edge!"
"Atom Edge!!!"
Soon, the enemy Espers had been dispatched, and Odin remained alone. As he turned to slip through a curtain in the back of the throne room, a voice cackled and Odin turned around. Standing in the middle of the room was a tall, aging sorcerer. He had on ragged navy robes and a gnarled hand clutched at what looked like a plain wooden staff.
"Atom Edge!" Odin took one hard charge at the sorcerer and sliced his lance right through his abdomen. However, the sorcerer merely began to cackle and laugh, reaching for the lance and giving a hard tug, pulling it out from inside of him and sending Odin reeling backwards. He crashed into the thrones, and the sorcerer stepped closer.
"Do not think you can stop me…foolish Esper…" He raised his staff, the room starting to glow glittering colors as the dead Esper soldiers in the room began to float and transform into glittering shards of Magicite. Odin cried out, dropping his lance and collapsing to his knees, clutching himself.
"No…Don't…You cannot…turn me into…Magicite…" The sorcerer merely laughed, swinging his staff and causing all the Magicite to fly into his arms. Odin struggled and stood again, about to step forward but stopping. He cried out as his feet became stuck to the floor, and a cold paralysis began to shoot up through his nerves.
He had turned to stone.
"ODIN!!!" A voice suddenly screamed, and the young woman from before dashed out, clutching the stone body and sobbing loudly. The scene faded again, and Terra dropped her arms. The Returners found themselves in front of the crumbled palace once more, confused and saddened by what had been displayed. Terra turned to the group, her eyes still dead and empty as she spoke in a grave tone.
"There's an ancient legend…It tells of a battle between Odin and a powerful sorcerer that took place in the great hall of this palace…" For the first time, Terra blinked, and her eyes were back to normal. She gasped, reaching up and touching her face as she looked at the others.
"You guys…!" She cried.
"Terra…" Edgar gasped. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine…" Terra rubbed her head. "I couldn't see anything though…and I couldn't speak…I could only hear…the voice booming inside of me…"
"I…I think something possessed you…" Celes bit down on her lip. "There is no other reasonable explanation for what just happened…"
"I think I was also possessed…" Terra trailed off. "She wanted to tell us this story…I wonder why…"
"Who is "she"?" Locke asked.
"I…I'm not sure…" Terra blinked. "Although I think I have an idea…" She turned and started to go up the rest of the steps. "Follow me…" Reluctantly, the rest of the Returners followed her and they entered the palace through its destroyed doors. Everywhere they looked, there were holes, crumbling rock, and even some skeletons. Many of the doors that the group tried were stuck shut or blocked by rubble. Most of the stairways leading up and down had collapsed and led to dead ends. However, faded red carpet could still be seen underneath the dust and rock…and when Locke and Edgar pulled apart the rusty grand doors…they found themselves in the throne room.
"Everything looks so faded…" Celes trailed off, being careful not to cut herself on shattered crystal and glass from the chandeliers that had once hung from the ceiling that had crashed to the floor. Human skulls and bones dusted the carpet, blood still stained some of the stone floor. However, standing on the steps ahead of the abandoned, cobweb-threaded thrones was the stone statue of Odin. He was paused in the same exact position that the Returners had last seen him in, but his lance that had fallen beside him was long gone. Terra blinked and stepped up to the statue, staring up at it and reaching up to gently trail her finger down an armored shoulder.
Odin…you were a pure Esper, while I am half…but…you had to fight and slaughter your own kind in a "righteous" fight…while I slaughtered countless humans in my own battles…my mother's humanity flowing through my veins…Perhaps we are not so different at all… Terra sighed and put both her tiny hands on his breastplate. The traitorous blood on our hands…it makes me wonder…if Espers are truly permitted to love and be loved…am I telling myself a blinding lie by believing I have a place in this world, a place in others' hearts?
Suddenly, the statue gave a shudder, and burst into glittering light and dust. As Terra coughed and tried to wave away, the others ran up to her and promptly pulled her backwards. When the chaos settled, all that was left in Odin's place was a shard of dull Magicite. Terra found her eyes watering as she picked it up, but didn't say anything. If Odin's answer to her question was death, she wasn't sure what to think.
"Look…" Locke pointed to their right, where a doorway was only semi-hidden due to rubble and stone. Terra clutched the Magicite as they walked over and all began digging at and pulling away the debris so that the door could be opened. Finally, Edgar found a door handle, and pushed the door open.
Inside was a destroyed bedroom. A once beautiful white canopy bed was stained with age, water, and god knew what else, with the rods holding up the canopy partially collapsed. The ceiling for the bedroom was non-existent, and the Returners could see the outside "world". Puddles of water were everywhere, a bureau of rotting wood was collapsed in one corner, and books and clothes were soaked and dirtied all over the floor. The one thing that stood out in the entire room was a little bit of glittering light coming from one pile of books. Walking over and picking it up, Terra realized it was a jewel-encrusted diary. The lock snapped off as soon as she made the tiniest attempt to pick it, but most of the pages were blurred and destroyed by water and time.
"Anything good?" Celes asked, and Terra shook her head.
"No…" She sighed. "Not a th-" She suddenly stopped and flipped back a few pages, where the ink was still clear and only parts of the paper had been damaged, and read aloud:
I realize now, that I am in love with Odin…This…breaks every rule of our society. But my heart longs for this noble, elegant man…How could anyone blame me? After the fighting is over, I'm going to bare my soul to him…even if it means giving up my right to the throne…
The rest of the entry was blurry and a chunk was torn off. Terra paused, staring at the diary entry, mouthing her thoughts.
"Love between a human and an Esper…"
"This must have been the Queen's room…" Locke trailed off. "And that must be her diary."
"How sad…" Celes shook her head. "I bet she never got to tell him how she felt…" Terra turned to look at her.
"You're probably right…she watched him die…there was nothing she could do." Terra suddenly felt tremendously depressed, closing her eyes and slamming the diary shut. Pages and dust gently fluttered to her feet. Her heart was aching so badly, although she didn't know if it was her doing or the loveless Queen's. Suddenly, the voice from before whispered in her ear again, blocking out any other sounds in the room.
"Where the Queen stands…take five steps."
"Terra!" Celes barked, snapping her fingers in front of Terra's face. Terra blinked and looked at the others.
"I heard it again…the voice…"
"What happened?!" Edgar and Locke demanded in unison.
"Where the Queen stands…take five steps…" Terra paused. "I have no idea what that means." Locke looked down for a moment, scratching his chin and then grinning.
"Oh…I think I got it! No puzzle is too tricky for me."
"I knew we brought you along for a good reason!" Edgar exclaimed, and Locke glared at him.
"Hey man, I brought myself."
Locke led the group out of the bedroom and back to the throne room. Thinking back to their little ghost show, Locke walked to the throne where the Queen had been dragged out by a guard, and took one, two, three, four, five paces forward. As soon as his second foot dropped on the fifth step, a loud, hallow sound could be heard from beneath them. The Returners looked at each other, and Locke grinned.
"So…am I good, or what?"
"Don't get cocky now," Celes warned. "Because if you've unhinged a trap for us, you're dead."
"Way to give a blow to the ego…" Locke pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. For some reason, Terra could feel her heartbeat increasing faster and faster with each passing minute. She was sure this wasn't her doing…whatever had been inside of her had not left yet…and it was anxious to get to their next destination.
"T…This way…" Terra said shakily, and ran back into the Queen's bedroom. Sure enough, on the other side of the bed, a stairway had been revealed. She clamored down the stairs, quite clumsily, nearly tripping one or two times. At the end of the stairs, the Returners faced a long hallway…and at the end of it…another statue.
Terra and the others slowly proceeded down the hallway, keeping an eye out for any traps. However, everything went smoothly, until when the group actually reached the statue in question. Terra felt the color drain from her face. She could tell by the gasps of her comrades behind her that her involuntary action was justified.
The statue was of a lovely, tall young woman. Because of her long, abundant hair and her tiara and elegant gown, Terra could immediately see that it was the Queen from their history lesson. However, what everyone had failed to see that time around was the Queen's actual face and posture.
She looked identical to Terra. And not only that…they had the same ruby pendant, too. It was like staring in a mirror.
"Oh my Gods…" Celes trailed off. "They look exactly alike…"
"Whoa…" Edgar blinked, for once not having a perverted comment to make.
"How can this be…?" Locke bit down on his lip. "Even the Queen was turned to stone…and she just so happens to look just like Terra…"
"Her pendant…" Terra reached out and touched it. "It's just like mine…just like my father gave my mother…" She pulled her hand back, which was still clutching Odin. All of a sudden, she was crying, heaving with sobs that were out of her control and that she didn't understand. "How can this be…?" Suddenly, Odin began to glow in Terra's hand…as did the pendant on the Queen's statue. When Terra looked up, she could see…
…a tear coming from the Queen's eye…
The tear splashed onto the Magicite, which caused it to glow brighter and brighter, and suddenly fade back to normal. However, it was now glimmering and looked shining and new, and even a little bigger than before. Terra could instantly feel that this Magicite had gained tremendous power and strength…but from what? She closed her eyes, and could feel the warm numbness washing over her body again. She felt her inside self curling into a warm, comfy ball, as if to go to sleep. The Returners watched in shock as Terra got possessed again, opening her eyes with the same lifeless light as before. She turned to the statue of the Queen, reaching up and touching the dull tiara and once again-dull pendant.
"Thank you…thank you for coming here," the sad voice came again. "It was because of you and your special friend Terra that I was able…to finally be with the one that I love."
"I…I don't quite get it," Edgar said point-blankly, and possessed-Terra cracked a small smile.
"You allowed poor Odin to finally go in peace…as you know, an Esper is only truly dead when he or she has become Magicite. For the longest time, Odin was holding on…he did not know what had become of me…and most certainly did not want his power to fall into the wrong hands…"
"Do you mean…" Celes blinked. "You got to tell him how you felt?"
"I did…" Terra trailed off. "I realize you read my diary and may have thought otherwise. But I did not listen to the logic I had worked out on paper…as soon as I wrote that, I ran to him and confessed my true feelings. I was thrilled to learn that he loved me too…he gave me this as a sign of his affection…" She pointed to the pendant on the Queen's neck. "This is a powerful relic among Espers…but it is a symbol of love if you should give it to the one to whom you are devoted…" She slowly circled around the Queen's body, letting out a small sigh.
"Terra is protected by a divine and unconditional love…the love of her parents symbolized in her pendant…" This time Terra touched her own chest, "As well as the love of you, her friends…However, a small part of Terra still believes that as an Esper, she does not have the ability to love or be loved. She thinks she has created an illusion for herself…that love between an Esper and a human is doomed, no matter what…but now I can show her that it is not. Odin waited for me all these years…and now…we can finally be together…it is true both in reality and the ethereal…" Terra took a step back, leaning against the statue.
"As a thank you…Odin has granted you his greatest powers…and transformed his Magicite into that of the phantom warrior Raiden…please use it in your quest to bring right to the world above…and please…above all else…love and protect each other…it is the key to eternal happiness…and life…" Terra shivered and suddenly a bright white light emerged from her body, leaping from her head and flying backwards into the stone statue of the Queen. Terra's body slumped down as the statue burst into shining ruby light, and disappeared into thin air. Terra coughed and pushed herself up, rubbing her eyes and brushing away the ruby dust that had fluttered onto her body. When she opened her eyes, they were bright and normal again, although…
"Terra, why are you crying?" Celes asked gently, giving Terra a hug. Locke and Edgar stepped in closer, both touching her shoulders tenderly.
"Because…I heard everything…" Terra sniffled softly. "And I realized it was all true…we all can love and be loved…even if we are an Esper…or a spirit…The spirit that possessed me…the Queen…she was so happy…I could feel it. She was so happy because she could finally be with her love…and I realized that I feel that happiness whenever I am with you guys…and the children from Mobliz…and now…I know absolutely for sure…that feeling is truly love!"
"Terra…" Celes trailed off, hugging her tighter. "I'm glad you're ok. And I'm glad for the Queen and Odin as well…they are going to be very happy now because of you." Terra sniffled happily and nodded, opening her arms.
"Come here…Locke…Edgar…!"
"Oh Gods, I never thought she would ask for this!" Edgar squealed, giving Terra a tight, rib-crushing hug. Terra had to laugh at Edgar's perverted stupidity, and Locke gave both Terra and Celes an arm around the shoulder.
"Let's get back up to the real world, huh?" He smiled and gave a trademark Locke wink. "I have a feeling now that the Queen is happy, we should be able to mosey on along in the castle…"
"I never thought about it like that…I bet she did stop us…" Celes narrowed her eyes. "Because she specifically wanted to talk to Terra…Which means I was fried nearly to death earlier just for a love story?!"
"I told you…everything happens for a reason!" Terra smiled happily, but Celes' face suddenly turned into an even deeper scowl. Terra blinked. "Uhh…Celes…?" Celes pointed behind Terra, Locke, and Edgar, with a shaky finger.
"What is the reasoning behind that?"
The group turned, only to come face-to-face with an enormous, blue, perspiring dragon. As if to reply, it opened its long snout, glistening full of pearly white teeth, and gave out a tremendous roar.
---
Meanwhile…
"Doma is really creepy…kupo…" Mog moaned. He, Sabin, Shadow, and Cyan had been wandering around the damaged castle for nearly two hours now. Upon arriving, Cyan had become deeply depressed and felt the need to survey all the damage done to his beloved home. Doma had become a sort of party headquarters for the Empire after they took it over, and they trashed it well. While most of the furnishings had been burned or damaged or destroyed, it was the memories that brought Cyan the most devastation. He didn't imagine that returning nearly a year after his wife and son's death would be so difficult…everywhere he went, he felt as if they were still there, watching him from the shadows…wondering why he didn't come back sooner…
…Wondering why he let them die…
Cyan had broken away from the group early to be by himself, so Sabin, Shadow, and Mog had stuck together for the majority of the trip. However, a considerable amount of time had passed by now, and Doma wasn't exactly a huge palace. They all found it a little curious that they had not run into Cyan again.
"He's probably meditating now," Shadow grunted. "In which if that is the case, we need to leave him alone."
"But still, we should at least see where he is so we can make sure he's safe." Sabin offered. "Let's go around and check some of the bedrooms inside."
With that said, the group decided to return inside to the main hall of the castle, where most of the bedrooms were. Sabin tried a few doors, bur realized they were locked. He thought that was a little strange, since he surely believed they hadn't been locked before…but then again, he wasn't paying a lot of attention, either. He sighed, not paying attention right then and nearly stepping on Mog.
"Hey!" Mog screeched.
"Sorry!!!" Sabin cried. "I was just a little perplexed."
"Why…because the doors are all locked, kupo?" Mog said, and Sabin widened his eyes.
"All the doors you tried were locked too…?"
"As were mine…" Shadow hissed, slipping in out of nowhere, which was something he was very good at. "I find it suspicious…"
"Oh dear…" Sabin sighed, scratching his head. "Locking doors is not a meditation practice I am familiar with."
"Well, you didn't try this one yet…" Mog offered, jumping up and barely being able to reach the knob of a door across from Sabin. Surprisingly, the door swung open, although the room was completely dark inside. Sabin peered in, biting down on his lip and whispering.
"Cyan…? Uh…sorry to bother you if you're in here, but…there's a problem…"
It took a few moments for Sabin's eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when he did, all he could make out were a few beds and some nightstands. A standard soldier's quarters, but…something was definitely wrong…
Suddenly, there was the sound of matches striking, and three little balls of light appeared, and they were approaching one of the beds. Sabin gestured for the others to come in, which they did, quietly. As they approached the bed themselves, Sabin saw the outline of what was definitely Cyan's form lying down.
Oh…I guess he just fell asleep…
But that still didn't explain the three balls of light, which had now jumped to the head of the bed and had revealed themselves to be three extremely tiny, ugly, nappy-haired little boys with different colored overalls for clothing. They were so small, they were each barely two feet tall. They grinned at Sabin and the others, giving little identical waves with burning matches in their other hands.
"I'm Curley!
"I'm Larry!"
"I'm Moe!"
"What?!" Sabin cried, and Shadow and Mog gave each other a peculiar look. Was this some sort of a sick joke?
"We're the three Dream Stooges!" The boys cried in unison, and Sabin opened his mouth to say something, but got interrupted.
"This man's soul is ours!" Curley exclaimed.
"This man's soul is ours!" Followed Larry.
"This man's soul is ours!" Moe grinned.
"Hey…" Sabin trailed off.
"Today we dine well!!!" Curley squealed, and suddenly rolled up into a ball, leaping into the air and getting smaller and smaller…until he disappeared inside Cyan's head. Sabin could not believe what he was seeing.
"Today we dine well!!!" Larry giggled, following suit. And of course…
"Today we dine well!!!" Moe followed with a flourish, blowing out his match and taking the same leap as his brothers. Throughout the entire ordeal, Cyan did not move an inch, although he was still breathing…
"Is this…like some sort of weird dream?" Mog demanded.
"I would never dream about any one of you," Shadow replied. "Please remember that."
"They must be demons of some sort…" Sabin muttered. "Demons that must be exorcised properly…or else…"
"They said they were going to take his soul!" Mog cried.
"Well, none of us can exorcise, now can we?" Shadow smirked.
"Well, no…" Sabin trailed off. "But Mog…you're a magical creature…what can you tell us about these "Dream Stooges?"
"Not much…" Mog sighed. "Although they did use magic to enter Cyan's soul…I can see the remnants of it floating around him…" Sabin and Shadow looked, but they could not see what Mog was talking about. It was an extra sensatory ability that anything remotely human did not have.
"Do you think we could borrow their magic…?" Sabin continued, and Shadow stared at him
"No way am I even going to attempt what you are thinking."
"Let's just try it…" Sabin shook his head. "It's not like I know how to deal with situations like this…it's not like I could even think up a situation like this loaded on ale and loco weed!!!" At this point, Mog had jumped onto bed, and was waving his pom-pom around in the air as he did a Moogle dance. Ever so slowly, the pom-pom was beginning to sparkle with the magic Mog was stealing from the air. However, he was beginning to panic…and Mog had good reason, because he was starting to shrink!
"Hurry!" Mog cried. "Touch my pom-pom!" Sabin and Shadow both kind of just stared at him, and he began to sweat and dance around on Cyan's body faster. "I don't care how ludicrous it sounds! Just hurry up and TOUCH IT!" As Mog began to get smaller and smaller, Sabin and Shadow realized they had no choice. Quickly reaching out and grabbing the pom-pom just in time, Sabin and Shadow became affected by the magic just as Mog had disappeared into thin air. As they felt themselves shrinking, Shadow let out a string of curses. Sabin merely just closed his eyes, and prayed that they would be somewhere resembling reality, all together, once he opened them again.
Oh Sabin. One can dream, can't they?
