Chapter Forty-Eight- To be a Knight

"Uhh…where are we?" Sabin opened his eyes, slowly sitting up some and looking around. His backside was cold, and he realized he was sitting on cold, light blue marble. At first, he felt as if his head were spinning round and round. Everything around him was swirling and spinning and melting together in a bright array of colors. Sabin moaned, closing his eyes and rubbing them before opening them again slowly. Everything was still spinning. Glancing down, he let out a squeal. He was at the edge of a platform of marble…and far below him was nothingness as far as the eye could see. Nothingness that solely contained twisted and melting rainbow colors…

Everything was silent. There was no wind, no other voices…no echoes. As Sabin stood up, his boots on the floor didn't even make a sound. Ahead of him was a path of marble that led to a short flight of stairs and another path, elevated above him. Looking behind him, Sabin saw more of the twisted rainbow abyss and realized that he was truly alone. He didn't really have much of a choice but to move forward, even though he was terribly confused. The last thing he could remember was going under Mog's spell. The only problem was, he wasn't sure if this was what was supposed to happen. And he definitely wasn't supposed to be alone.

Climbing the stairs, Sabin was careful not to trip and fall over the edge. When he got to his new path, he continued to follow it until he reached a platform with three metal barred doorways. It appeared as if there was nothing behind them, and that the doorways were just standing up on their own. Shrugging, Sabin reached over and opened the door furthest to the left. He gasped out as a blinding light shot forward and enveloped him, forcing him to close his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, he found himself on yet another platform. As he looked around, he could see that he was fairly high in the air. He could see some of the other platforms below him, including the one he had woken up on.

"This is…too weird…" Sabin trailed off as he turned a corner. He heard sniggering, and looked ahead only to see one of the Dream Stooges tittering around Shadow's body. Sabin gasped out, clenching his fingers together and activating the claws on his metal knuckle, which shot out and glistened. The Dream Stooge cried out and dove out of the way just as Sabin charged and took a wild swing.

"Back off!" The Stooge shouted. "I'm not gonna mess with ya unless my brothers are here! See ya!" In a small cloud of smoke, the Stooge disappeared, and Sabin let out a frustrated growl. Retracting his claw, he kneeled beside Shadow and gently shook him.

"Hey…Shadow…"

Shadow moaned, slowly opening his eyes and pushing himself up as he shook his head. He took one long look at their surroundings and turned to Sabin. If Sabin could see under Shadow's mask, he would bet there was surely a perplexed look on his face.

"…What the…?"

"It's like…some sort of catacomb of pathways and doors…" Sabin struggled to explain. "I'm not sure what happened…what if we accidentally got banished to some bizarre realm?"

"No…" Shadow shook his head. "I thought I heard one of those damn stooges…"

"You did…" Sabin trailed off.

"Well…then isn't it obvious?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow. "We must be in Cyan's soul…" Sabin gasped.

"We really did it? Wow…so this is what a soul looks like…" Sabin scratched his head. "Very…um….vibrant."

"Never mind that," Shadow grunted. "We have to find Mog…and then we have to kill those little wenches and get the hell out of here…before they do any damage to Cyan…"

"Right, of course," Sabin replied. "Just be on your guard. They could attack us any minute…"

The two Returners circled around the entire platform and could only find a door. Sabin wearily pulled it open, and the two found themselves instantly materialized onto a new platform. Near them was a doorway, and to their left was a tall flight of stairs.

"Let's go through here," Shadow said, yanking open the door. In a flash, they appeared on a platform with a single flight of stairs that led to yet another door. Running up the stairs, Sabin called out Mog's name, but there was no reply. His voice didn't even make an echo. Throwing open the door, Sabin and Shadow found themselves right back where they started, between the tall flight of stairs and the door.

"Damn!" Shadow groaned. "We went in a full circle."

"To the stairs, then!" Sabin sighed, and they made the long and exhausting climb. When they reached the top, all they could see was another door, so Shadow pulled it open, and they appeared somewhere new. Before them was another pair of doors on an otherwise small and unoccupied platform. Sabin and Shadow looked at each other.

"Well, I picked wrong last time…" Shadow said, and Sabin cringed.

"Let's go with…the right." The boys closed their eyes as Sabin nervously pulled the door open. They were greeted with a loud shriek, and Sabin opened his eyes just in time to see another stooge disappear into thin air. He was also relieved to see Mog on the floor, shivering and crying on his back.

"Mog!" Sabin exclaimed, and Mog looked up, whimpering.

"Is that you guys? I was so scaaaared!" He sniffled as Shadow walked over, grabbed him by scruff, and promptly hoisted him to his feet. Mog fluttered his wings some and looked around. "Isn't this place insane? I've never been in a soul before!"

"It's going to get worse if we don't hurry and find all those Dream Brats!" Sabin cried. "We're going to have to keep going until we find them…"

There was a door at the top of the platform, so the three reunited Returners entered through and warped to a large, stretched out platform with a door on the far right and a door on the very far left, which could barely be seen since it was lifted so high in the air an obstructed by more tall stairs. Deciding that the lesson learned from Cyan's soul was that the harder trip meant the correct door, the team decided to climb the stairs and take the door to the left. Stepping through, they found themselves at the top of another flight of stairs, and climbed to the bottom until they reached a sole doorway…and three noisy little boys.

"Gah!" A stooge cried as Sabin released his claws and Shadow withdrew his dagger. Mog gave the most evil face a Moogle could possibly give and put his hands on his hips. The three stooges looked at each other with worried expressions, until the center one suddenly realized they were hardly coming off as intimidating, and smacked the other two in the head.

"Yo!" The center one cried. His hair was the worst and knottiest of them all, so he had to be Curley. "You don't be messin' with us! We're The Three Dream Stooges, and now that everyone is here…we're gonna rumble!"

"Oh please," Shadow said dryly.

"Take this!" Mog cried, doing a magical dance sequence and finishing off with a back flip. "Elf Fire!" The three boys screamed as little fireballs suddenly appeared underneath their feet and around their heads, dancing about in the air and lighting Larry's pants on fire.

"AHHH!" Larry screamed, running around like an idiot on the platform. "Help me ya'll!"

"Sure…" Shadow grunted, withdrawing a magic scroll from his belt and chanting a few words before launching it at the flaming stooge. The scroll burst into flying scythes of water, which ripped through Larry's helpless body in seconds, causing the demon to shiver and scream before bursting into a billowing cloud of dust.

"Brother!" Moe cried, thrusting his hands in front of him and summoning a lightning attack. "Take this, you bastards!"

"Aura Bolt!" Sabin countered, the blinding white flash of light shooting through his hands and streaming right through Moe's weak lightning bolt before it could even reach the party. The lightning attack faded with some crackling and sparks, while the aura bolt continued to surge on and struck Moe dead-on. Moe squealed and burst into dust as well, following the same fate as his brother. Curley looked frightened now, backing up against the door and reaching up to pull it open…

"Don't let him escape!" Sabin cried, charging after him. Curley merely laughed, and shook his head.

"It's too late…we've already released Wrexsoul…" He continued to laugh, even as Sabin spliced him right through the stomach and pulled back, panting out and letting the demon hit the floor before bursting into dust. He retracted his claws, and Mog and Shadow ran over to him.

"Wrexsoul…what is that…?" Mog asked.

"It must be the demon that will actually eat the soul…" Shadow sighed. "So we were too late…"

"We are not too late!" Sabin cried. "We'll keep going until we find the demon and destroy it! If we don't…we will probably perish along with Cyan…"

"Perhaps Wrexsoul has not gotten far!" Mog tried hopefully. "Maybe these guys were guarding the door to give him some sort of head start…"

"I'm not going to wait around and think it out!" Sabin cried. "Our friend needs us!" Before anyone could possibly stop him, Sabin pulled open the door, and the group was surrounded by a pale yellow light. The melting background and doorways and marble paths faded away…and Sabin suddenly felt as if the ground beneath his feet was shaking and moving.

In a flash, the light had disappeared, and Sabin and the others found themselves in the car of a moving train. However, the colors in this area were also off quite a bit- they were all pale browns and yellows, as if they were trapped in an ancient photograph. Looking around, Sabin could see that any chance they might have had of navigating the train was obstructed by the obnoxiously long and tall seats blocking the center of the car, as well as many crates. He also noticed there was no door behind them to let them out.

"This reminds me of the Phantom Train…" Shadow mused, and Sabin leaned back against a wall, nodding.

"Yeah…only somehow I remember getting around that train to be much easier…"

"It has to be a puzzle, kupo," Mog said, looking around and touching anything and everything. "The labyrinth before was one too…the soul is a complicated thing! It cannot be easily navigated, even by the one who owns it."

"But why a train!?" Sabin sighed. "Cyan hates machines…"

"Perhaps this is a means of torturing himself…" Shadow trailed off, no one really hearing his mumbles. He then cleared his throat and spoke up. "At any rate…I have a sneaking suspicion that we do not want to stick around for this whole train ride…so let's hurry up, get through it, and shut it off…"

"A switch!" Mog interrupted, and jumped up, giving it a smack. There was a loud "boom!", and a chunk of the obstructing seat fell away, revealing a pathway. Mog gestured for the others to follow him, and he became the unofficial leader of the Train Ride from Hell. Since Mog seemed to absolutely adore puzzles and riddles, Sabin and Shadow let him have a go at activating the switches they found so that they could continue on in the train.

As they stepped out of the first car, a blurry figure leaped over them onto the roof of the next car. Everyone looked up and gasped: It was a ghostly yellow Cyan, looking as if he were running for his life. His boots made tapping noises against the tin roof off the cars as she sprinted down the next car.

"CYAN!" Sabin cried. "WAIT!"

Suddenly, there came a crash a little ways ahead of them…and the metal footsteps ceased. Sabin, Shadow, and Mog all turned to each other.

"Was it really Cyan, or a ghost?" Mog questioned.

"Only one way to find out, I guess…" Shadow sighed. "We continue."

In the next car, the group discovered an enchanted chest that would hop from spot to spot, "conveniently" blocking the pathway of the Returners whenever they stepped in the direction they wanted to go. The problem with this was that the car was already loaded down with more of the seats and crates, and the chest would block the only path open. After numerous failed "Stop" and "Slow" spells, Mog ordered for them to find something heavy. Shadow cracked open one crate and shuffled through it, coming up with a lump of worthless, melted and fused back together metal. Mog took it, and fluttering over the top, dropped the metal into the box when it did its usual teasing hop into an area that did not block them. The metal crashed down, and suddenly, the chest stopped moving.

The rest of the train contained even more switch and chest tricks, and despite looking everywhere, the Returners could not find Cyan again. Mog easily calculated each measure to get past the traps however, which sort of surprised Sabin and Shadow. Every member of the Returners was a valuable one, but Mog was truly revealing a side of himself no one thought he ever had: the cunning and brilliant side as opposed to the cute, deadly-dancing side. While Mog would go ahead of Sabin and Shadow to do the puzzles, the two men fell into an uncomfortable silence. Any second, there was potential that Wrexsoul would consume Cyan's soul, and the little dream world they were in would collapse in on itself and destroy them. It was the equivalent of holding a ticking time bomb with no countdown display…and it was frightening.

You have to fight, Cyan… Sabin prayed. You have to fight…I don't know why this had to happen to you…but I swear we'll save you! Don't keep running away!

For a man's soul to be in jeopardy…Cyan must have some dark thoughts… Shadow thought to himself. But Cyan is a righteous knight…and can't have a single stain of evil on his hands…so why is he vulnerable? Surely a demon would want to feed on a dirtied soul…one tainted and maimed…like mine.

"Look!" Mog exclaimed, swinging open a door. "We've made it to the engine!"

Sure enough, outside the door was the engine car and the smoke stack…which strangely wasn't emitting any smoke. The world outside was pitch black…all Sabin, Shadow, and Mog could see was the paleness of the train beneath their feet and small part of it that remained ahead of them. Entering the engine room, Sabin remembered how to shut off the engine from the Phantom Train, and flipped all the switches accordingly. Shadow approved the sequence, remembering also, and they stepped outside the engine to flip the switch on the smokestack. However, when Sabin stepped outside, he realized…

…There was nothing beneath his feet.

---

"Ahhh!"

Celes screamed out as she was smashed back against a palace wall, soaking wet with water from the hydro blast the dragon had generously decided to give her. She sputtered and gasped as she spit and coughed water up, and Terra ran to her side.

"Celes, are you ok?"

"I'm…fine…!" Celes spat water again. "But I thought dragons were supposed to breathe fire?"

"Apparently, we have made an acquaintance with the Water Dragon!" Terra protested. "And he doesn't even give us a second to cast spells…"

"HA!" Edgar cried, swinging his heavy lance and thrusting it with all his strength towards the dragon's side. However, with a "clang!", the tip of the lance smashed in against the dragon's rock-hard scales, and Edgar jumped back with a scream of pain, clutching his arm. "He's invulnerable to weapons!"

"Look out!" Locke cried, but it was too late. Another heavy shot of water sprayed directly into Terra and Celes' faces, causing them to sputter and choke. The hall they were in was rapidly beginning to fill with water, and in just five minutes of battle, it was already past their ankles. The dragon swung its tail like a mace and struck Edgar and Locke down into the water, roaring angrily.

"I…I can barely move..!" Celes cried, struggling to get up with her wet dress clinging tightly to her legs. "WHOA!" She screamed as she slipped backwards, as moving too fast on a slick surface with fancy shoes will do to you. Terra managed to pull herself up only after abandoning her shoes, clutching the Raiden Magicite and managing to summon the Esper before the dragon did a turnabout and smashed her and Celes with its tail, now giving Locke and Edgar a blast of water. The room faded into a white light as Raiden rode in on a six-legged horse from down the end of the hall, hoisting his glowing ruby lance and pointing it right at the dragon's heart. As the lance connected with the dragon, Raiden and his horse rode through it and faded away…but the lance suddenly burst into bright ruby sparkles and disappeared. Everyone gasped out, and Terra clutched the Magicite harder. The dragon let out a mighty roar and pushed itself up onto its hind legs…

"What?!" Terra cried. "It didn't work…?!"

"Oh Gods, this is it…" Celes cringed, closing her eyes.

Terra!

Terra blinked, staring at the Magicite which was glowing gently.

Terra…an Esper's weapon can no better penetrate than a human's…it is a lesson Odin learned when fighting the sorcerer…but an Esper's magic is unmatched…

"Esper magic…" Terra closed her eyes, feeling the warm glow of the Magicite beneath her fingertips. Every shard of Magicite had a shred of the original Esper's powers…and now Terra needed that power desperately.

And so easily, it came to her. A special spell that only Raiden could use…the power he had locked in his Magicite when he passed away.

"Quick," Terra whispered.

It happened suddenly: Ribbons of red light wove up and around Terra's arms, diving into her chest and causing her hair to fly back and her eyes to glow a sinister red, much like her eyes as an Esper. Putting her hands out, Terra barely uttered a syllable before a Flare spell erupted and struck the standing dragon, knocking it down in the deafening hiss of the steam bursting from its body. Terra pointed her finger, again barely finishing the spell before another explosion erupted and easily finished off the Water Dragon. As it faded away in a mix of steam and light, the waters flooding the hall faded away as well- even the drenched Returners were dry again.

"Whoa, you must have did all that in what…5 seconds?!" Edgar gasped, still on his behind and a little stunned.

"It was the "Quick" spell!" Terra exclaimed. She looked completely normal again, although a little beat. "I learned it from Raiden!" She held up the Magicite. "You don't even have to think about the mechanics of the spell you want to cast…all I had to do was focus my thoughts…"

"It was amazing!" Locke exclaimed. "But I expect nothing less from you, Terra."

"Nor do I," Celes smiled. "Thanks for saving us." She paused as she got up and pushed her hair back. "But now we know…that there are only two more dragons before Crusader is released…"

"I wonder if we even want that…" Edgar frowned. "We don't know much, besides the fact that Crusader is one bad-ass Esper."

"We shouldn't worry about it until when and if we defeat the rest of the dragons," Locke shrugged. "It's been a helluva night…I want to go back."

"Agreed," Celes yawned. "I can barely stand to be away from my sword much longer…and better yet, my real clothes."

"Is the sword an euphemism for something else…?" Edgar raised his eyebrows, and Celes gave him the death glare, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Edgar…why don't you take your euphemisms and stick them up your-"

---

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"CLANG!"

Sabin groaned as he opened his eyes, feeling that he was sitting up in something. It was cold and very uncomfortable, yet familiar. Looking down in the very dim light that was surrounding him, he found himself sitting high and pretty in a massive suit of Magitek Armor. He heard the clanging of its metal feet hitting the ground, and looked up to see Shadow marching towards him, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Magitek Armor!?" Sabin exclaimed. "What are we doing with this…?"

"Kuuuupo!" Mog cried, and Sabin and Shadow turned to see his machine going around in crazy circles. Mog was screaming and waving his short arms in the air.

"Hold onto the levers, Mog!" Sabin instructed over his squealing, and turned back to Shadow. "Do you think this has to do with…"

"When we broke into the Imperial Camp together? Yeah…Must be one of Cyan's worst memories…considering this is as nasty as a machine can get…" Shadow looked about his surroundings and simply shook his head.

Mog managed to calm his Magitek Armor down and gain control. The scenery was still tinted a hazy yellow, only this time the group was in a darkened coal mine, with pick axes, crates, and spilled coal everywhere. Swinging in the chilling breeze that was blowing through the exit were a few oil lamps that were strung along the cave walls. They could not see much beyond the cavern opening minus the drab yellow sky. Sabin couldn't tell if it were day or night.

"Let's explore outside…" Shadow suggested coolly. "We have these suits for protection, if we should need it."

"Please don't say that, kupo…" Mog whimpered.

Leading the group, Sabin pulled out ahead and drove through the exit of the cave, only to find himself at a sharp turn that led over a very worn-looking drawbridge. However, clambering over that drawbridge was Cyan again, riding in armor of his own as fast as he could to the other side. Chasing him were three soldiers in Magitek Armor, and all four of them disappeared once they rounded a corner and entered another cave.

"Let's go help him!" Sabin cried, and pulled down a lever. His armor shot across the bridge, and Sabin made a turn so that he could continue following the only path they had, which lead into another cavern. He saw the shining helmet of the last Imperial Soldier bob ahead of him into the darkness and disappear from sight. However, upon arriving inside, Sabin could hear or see nothing out of the ordinary. The fine dust on the cavern floor created by crushed rocks over time hadn't even been disturbed. Shadow and Mog pulled up behind him, nearly crashing into his armor.

"Why did you stop!?" Shadow demanded.

"They didn't come through here…" Sabin trailed off.

"They had to have," Mog protested. "We all saw them go in!"

Sabin couldn't argue with logic, although he still knew that something suspicious was going on. Marching ahead in the dark cavern, Sabin could just barely see by the light of the oil lamps when to turn and when to keep going straight. He was concentrating so hard on getting through without any mishaps that when the Returners finally emerged outside, it was only then that they realized that had come through in a full circle. Ahead of them once more was the bridge, and the Magitek Armor's heavy footprints could be seen in the ground.

"A circle…" Shadow said.

"Where did Cyan and the others go…?" Mog sniffled. "This is really getting weird…"

Sabin sighed and looked around. Even though he could feel the wind against his cheek, he couldn't hear it. The only objects that made noise were the armor units and whatever they crashed against, and the tinted surroundings made pretty good proof that they were still far from the real world. He turned his unit around and marched back into the cavern that they had come from, with the others following. They carefully examined the walls, the ground, the crates, anything for some sort of trap or switch, but came up with nothing. Coming back outside, Sabin gasped as he saw Cyan again, this time crossing the bridge on his own.

"Cyan!!!" Mog cried, jumping up in his armor. "WAIT!"

The group hurried once more, racing over the bridge. But just as Cyan stopped and turned around on the other side, facing them, the bridge suddenly shuddered and snapped, causing everyone to scream and plummet downwards into the depths below…Sabin closed his eyes tightly and held his breath, figuring this time, they were done for. Wrexsoul had claimed Cyan's soul…and now its reality was collapsing! As he felt the wind whip against his skin and hair, the falling sensation enough to nearly make him sick in mid-air, he just hoped that the end would be mildly painless and quick.

"Help…please…somebody save him…"

A soft voice suddenly whispered in Sabin's ears, causing him to snap his eyes open just in time to see his armor crash into ground beneath him and hear the metal crunching beneath his body in a deafening roar.

But moments later, fate surprised the Returners once again. When Sabin opened his eyes once more, he found himself standing in what looked like the exact replication of Doma's grand hall. On his left was Mog, who still had his paws covering his eyes, and on his right was Shadow, slowly opening his eyes and feeling his body in wonder.

"We…didn't fall."

"Ohhh…ahhh…what?" Mog moved his paws and looked around. "We're alive!? And in Doma, no less…!" He paused. "But did anyone hear that voice right before we came here…?"

"Yeah, I heard it all right…" Shadow grunted. "Did we leave Cyan's soul?" Sabin slowly shook his head, noticing the throne room doors were slightly ajar ahead of them. Before, in the real Doma Castle, they had been locked tightly shut, just like all the other doors.

"No…look at everything. It's still tinted a funny color…" He wiped the sweat off his forehead and started to walk towards the throne room, the others immediately falling in step behind him. As Sabin pulled open the doors, he felt hot air rush against him, causing him to gasp and choke a little. Standing in the center of the throne room, right in front of a lone throne, was a tall, beautiful woman. Her golden hair was pulled up in an elegant ponytail set at the top of her head, decorated with shining rubies, pearls, and ribbons. Her white peasant-style blouse was pure and crisp, and a ruby skirt flowed down to her bare feet. Her eyes were big and sky blue, filled with tears, and her lips were a shining pink. As soon as the Returners stepped inside, she ran to them clasping her hands together and stifling a sob.

"Please…save my husband…save Cyan!" She cried, the bangles on her delicate wrists clanging together almost violently. It was clear to everyone that it was her voice they had heard during their fall from the bridge.

"You are…Cyan's wife…?" Sabin trailed off. He knew that she looked familiar, and he realized with grief that he had seen her ghost previously on the Phantom Train. Elayne nodded, crying gently and bringing a hand to her chest.

"We are inside Cyan's soul…And my husband continues to torture himself every day and night…He feels that he failed to defend Doma…The world is slowly dying…and then there is us, his only family…"

Suddenly, a small boy appeared from behind the throne. He was short, with blonde hair just like Elayne's that was curled and reached the nape of his neck. He too wore a crisp white shirt, and his jade pants were held up by elegant black suspenders. He walked over to Elayne, clutching her skirt and gazing up at the Returners wide-eyed. His eyes were a familiar, warm brown.

Owain… Sabin realized. Cyan's son…

"A beast known as Wrexsoul is taking advantage of my father," he said softly and suddenly.

"Wrexsoul is a composite monster…" Elayne sniffled. "…Made up of wretched spirits who were dispatched in meaningless wars and acts of violence…"

"They're wrecking havoc in Papa!" Owain cried out. "Please, help him! He doesn't deserve this to be happening!"

"Please…save Cyan…!" Elayne choked and closed her eyes. "I do not know what I can possibly do for him…he can no longer hear my voice!"

"Oh…but I can…"

Everyone turned, only to see Cyan sitting idly in the throne in front of them. He stood up slowly, his boots clacking on the marble floors as he stepped down and started to walk towards the group. Elayne gasped out, but Owain immediately hid behind her skirt once more.

"Cyan!" Shadow cried, a tone of relief in his voice. "We have been chasing you."

"Yes…the keyword behind "chase"," Cyan sneered, and stopped. "I was trying to get away from you, obviously. Why did you have to come after me?!"

"…What…?" Sabin trailed off, and Mog went up to Cyan, gently hugging his legs.

"Why Cyan, we were worried about you!" Mog exclaimed, nuzzling him. Cyan got a twisted look of disgust on his face unlike one the Returners had ever seen, and picked up Mog by the scruff. Mog squealed and kicked as he was lifted in the air, suddenly letting out a scream as Cyan roughly threw him backwards. Mog sailed right through Elayne and Owain's ghostly forms and into Sabin's stomach, causing him to moan out and collapse to the floor, Mog clutched in his arms.

"Cyan!" Elayne cried, clasping a hand over her mouth. Shadow growled.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I should ask you the same thing!" Cyan screamed, stomping his foot down on the floor. "Can't you see? I don't want to be a Returner anymore…I came back to Doma so that I could fall asleep and NEVER wake up! I WANTED Wrexsoul to take me!"

"Cyan…" Sabin moaned, trying to pull himself back up from the floor. "Why…?"

"Why…Why he asks!" Cyan burst out laughing and shook his head. "Of course you wouldn't know why…You're all so self-involved, how could you? Even when the answer is right before your eyes?" Shadow opened his mouth to retort, but Sabin stopped him just in time, standing and grabbing his arm. Cyan continued on, pacing in front of the throne now.

"Let me tell you something…Sabin…I mean, Prince Sabin…you go around…acting like you are all emphatic with everyone and playing the role as the rogue son of Great King Roni Figaro. When you forced your way into my life…you thought you were doing me a favor…but instead, you just brought me into more misery and chaos than I could ever imagine. You and your little group of girl scouts told me that we were all fighting for same cause, that we could all relate…but you were a liar."

"Cyan…no!" Sabin cried, his voice strained. "It's not like that!"

"It is very like that," Cyan snapped. "Your family was not entirely destroyed by the Empire…you still had your womanizing brother Edgar after Queen Rene and King Roni died. But what did you do? You ran away from home. You ran away from what you were blessed with! The Gods had mercy on you and saved a shred of your family, but it wasn't good enough! The Gods allowed Figaro to prosper and become a haven for its people! And you think you are better than me and can feel sorry for me because of that! That makes you one son of a bitch. No offense to Queen Rene, of course."

"Cyan!!!" Sabin gasped, his eyes tearing up. "That's not true…that…I…"

"Cyan!" Elayne cried. "Stop this immediately!"

"Silence!" Cyan snapped. A wisp of gray smoke suddenly swirled around Elayne's head and wrapped around her mouth, causing her to gag and mumble against it. It was a typical muting spell.

"Let me ask you something!" Cyan snarled, walking closer to them now. "How many members of the Returners have seen their Kingdoms fall before their very eyes? Better yet…!" Cyan was right up in Sabin's face now, barking out his words with fire in his eyes. Sabin looked as if he were about to break down. He was shaking and sweating, and Mog was clinging to his legs.

"…How many of the Returners have lost their wives or husbands? How many have lost their children, their own flesh and blood?"

Something snapped in Shadow right at that moment. He strode up to Cyan, pulled back, and before anyone could see it coming, punched him right in the face. Cyan stumbled back, holding his bleeding nose and staring at Shadow.

"You don't know anything. You don't know just how much a person has truly lost in their lifetime unless you are that person. No one can exactly relate to another. But friends try to, they try and the other accepts their friendship and love. That's how things work. Everyone in the Returners has lost something dear to them. Terra lost her memories. Locke lost his fiancée. Celes lost her humanity. Edgar and Sabin lost their parents. Strago and Relm had their innocent existence shattered. I can go on with this list. Who are you to say that your loss is greater than theirs? Out of all the differences between all fourteen of us, I would say that our pain and loss is what equalizes us and binds us together. Who are you to denounce that?"

Mog and Sabin stared at Shadow, shock written all over their faces. Not only was it the most they had ever heard Shadow speak at one time, it was also the most emotional he had been. Cyan merely shook his head, wiping his nose and reaching at his sheath to draw his sword. "You are a fool, Shadow. You too, play just another role in this grand puppet show that Kefka runs. The mysterious ninja with no past! It has a place in drama, but not in real life. So tell me, Shadow. Tell me what it is you have lost?"

Shadow paused, staring Cyan straight in the eyes.

"I would say that you and I have more in common than you would think."

As Cyan snickered, Owain suddenly stepped out from behind Elayne, pointing to him.

"You are not Papa."

"Excuse me, son?" Cyan stopped laughing and turned to Owain, who was also staring him straight in the eyes.

"You are not Papa. You don't talk like him. You do a poor acting job." Cyan blinked and suddenly twitched, clutching his fists shut. Sabin rubbed his eyes and looked up at Cyan, as did Shadow, Mog, and Elayne.

"You little brat…I…Grrrrr…." Suddenly, Cyan's form began to smoke, and spontaneously combusted into fiery red and orange flames. Everyone gasped and Elayne pulled Owain back against the wall. When the smoke and fire cleared, in Cyan's place was a charred, skeleton-faced demon cloaked in deep violet, flames still licking at his lower form and hiding it from view. Attached to his back was a tarnished wheel of gold, shrunken heads, hands, and other various body parts dangling from it. His jaw dropped and he let out a deep, maniacal laugh. In two clouds of smoke, smaller, gray-cloaked versions of himself appeared, cackling and smelling of burning flesh and bone. Sabin straightened himself up and stepped forward, extending his claws.

"So…you must be Wrexsoul. I'll admit…you did have me a little fooled. But now, we want Cyan back."

"You're too late!" Wrexsoul smirked. "I may not have been the real Cyan, but my lines were pulled from his most deep inner thoughts and feelings…his pain has reached critical mass, and nothing can stop his feelings of rage and despair…"

"You are a liar!" Mog cried, hopping up front and shaking his fist. "Cyan does not feel those things!"

"Why would I lie?" Wrexsoul cackled. "I grow stronger with his anger, hatred, and guilt…I can feel it…and now…I hunger for you!" The flames rose around his body again, and the room flashed and began to glow with a ruby light. Wrexsoul disappeared, leaving his two mini-clones behind, and the room flashed brightly, causing everyone to cry out. A searing heat filled each of the Returners' bodies, and Wrexsoul's voice cackled out:

"I have possessed one of your bodies! As long as I am inside of you, I cannot be harmed…if you want to fight my true form, you must kill the person I am in! While I take a rest, my Soul Savers will begin the feeding on Cyan's sweet soul…Happy hunting! HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Grrr!" The Soul Savers cried, and bowed their heads, beginning to chant. Sabin, Shadow, and Mog turned to each other worriedly.

"Wrexsoul is inside one of us…" Mog whimpered.

"Damnit!" Shadow cried, smashing his fist against the wall. "This is unbelievable!" Sabin lowered his head, and closed his eyes. What was going to happen to them?

If we wait too long to act, the Soul Savers will devour Cyan's soul, and we will all die…if we try to find Wrexsoul…we may kill one of ourselves!

"Take this!" Mog suddenly cried, withdrawing a small knife and running forward, stabbing it into one of the Soul Savers. It lifted its head with a sad wail, tilting its head back and parting its arms as it burst into dust much like the Dream Stooges. Mog looked satisfied and was about to go after the other, when the pile of dust on the floor slowly rose, lighting on fire and bursting high into the air. Mog cried out and rolled backwards, and the same Soul Saver emerged from the flame, glaring at Mog and bowing its head down to continue chanting.

"GAH!" Mog ran back to Shadow and Sabin. "We can't kill it!"

"I expected as much…" Sabin sighed. "Wrexsoul is just reviving them from somewhere inside of us…they must be connected, if they are the things that feed. Or else, he wouldn't have the energy to have a form or revive them."

"I wonder how much time we have left before they finish…" Mog gulped. "Because when they do…"

"…Shut up," Shadow suddenly said, and Mog looked up at him, hurt.

"What?!"

"I think I have something," Shadow said slowly. "Something that kind of makes sense."

"What!?" Sabin cried. "For Gods' sake!"

"Well…if Sabin is right, then the Soul Savers are connected to Wrexsoul, right? One can't live without the other?"

"Yes!" Sabin said. "But we can't destroy them…"

"Not by normal means…" Shadow trailed off. "But earlier Sabin…you said demons needed to be exorcised."

"I did," Sabin said, sounding slightly irritated. "Thanks for paying attention."

"Well there is a spell…" Shadow said, trying not to smack Sabin. "…Which does not kill, but rather exports whatever is its target to another dimension…I learned about it in Jidoor on my way to the Coliseum…"

"What do you mean?" Mog asked. "How did you do that?"

"The auction house there was auctioning off things found in the wreckage of some of the destroyed towns," Shadow explained. "And the auctioneer said there were two "shiny stones" on sale…I bought them, and they happened to be Magicite."

"Magicite!" Sabin gasped.

"I learned the spells in them to help me fight," Shadow went on. "And one of them is called X-Zone…It has never killed any monsters I used it on…it has only made them disappear. I think it's worth a try."

"Cast it!" Mog cried. "Hurry!"

"But what if it takes one of us with it?" Sabin asked worriedly. "Is everyone here willing to take that risk?" Mog nodded, and Shadow did as well.

"Better to lose the real host of the enemy and make it only one casualty as opposed to several mistakes…right?"

"…I agree," Sabin concurred, and sighed. "It's the only way. Go ahead Shadow…cast X-Zone."

Shadow closed his eyes and began to mumble something that neither of the Returners could pick up. However, as he started the spell, the room began to tremble and quake, and the Soul Savers were starting to glow brighter colors.

"Faster!" Mog cried, jumping up and down. "Cyan…his soul is…"

"X-Zone!" Shadow suddenly cried, bright white light balls jumping from his fingertips and flying towards the Soul Savers. The light began to split and multiply into many tiny glittering orbs, spinning around the Soul Savers faster and faster and suddenly erupting into a black hole that ripped through the air and appeared behind them. The hole looked just like the dark night sky, with twinkling stars inside it. The Soul Savers stopped chanting and looked at each other right as the black hole enveloped them and shrunk silently, becoming smaller and smaller until it had disappeared. The room stopped shaking, and Shadow gasped out, stumbling back a little. Slowly, the red tint within the room began to fade: first to the ugly yellow, and then slowly, the yellow began to melt away too and reveal the true colors of the Doma throne room. Elayne's Silence spell was broken, and her first sound was a loud gasp as she clutched Owain against her.

"Are you ok, Shadow?" Sabin cried, rushing to his friend's side to hold him up.

"I'm fine," Shadow snapped, shrugging Sabin off. "It was nothing…just a little aftermath from the spell…I guess." Sabin cocked an eyebrow, and leaned in, whispering.

"So, did you know that you were the one possessed when you decided to cast the spell…?"

"Shut the hell up," Shadow snapped again, pushing Sabin away. Sabin couldn't help but smile to himself.

Shadow would never admit to being a selfless hero. It's not his style.

"Are you boys ok?" Elayne asked, walking over to them. "You were so brave, and I…"

"Thanks be to you…"

This time, when the group turned around, they saw the real Cyan, who was standing there with his arms wide open. Elayne cried out happily and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck while Owain grabbed his waist and held on tight. Cyan embraced his family and began to softly cry, stroking Elayne's hair and clutching Owain's shoulder.

"I heard you guys…and I heard my wife and child calling out to me…Your voices finally gave me the strength and courage I needed to come to grips with my suffering…"

"Thank you, my love…" Elayne smiled some, pulling back.

"Papa is strong!" Owain declared.

"He sure is," Sabin offered, coming over to Cyan. Cyan sighed, looking down.

"Well…no. It doesn't change that I couldn't do anything for anyone in the past…and it seems I still can't now…I am a man with no honor!"

"Goodness no…" Elayne shook her head. "Darling, you have entirely too much!" Cyan looked up at her, surprised. She and Owain were now standing side by side, and were slightly glowing.

"Papa, we love you!" Owain exclaimed.

"Yes…my beloved…we will always be together," Elayne smiled. "Please remember that. And also…I have one last favor to ask of you."

"I…what is it dear…?" Cyan asked, starting to choke up.

Elayne…Owain…every time…you are just taken away from me again…

"Please take good care of your friends…" Elayne lifted a hand to indicate Sabin, Shadow, and Mog. "Continue to fight by their side and save the world from Kefka's hateful intentions…And please be the Phoenix that raises beautiful Doma from her ashes! By the time you come home from war, she will be ready to wake from her slumber." She smiled, her form starting to fade now. Owain gave a small wave, once again gently clinging to his mother's skirt.

"Good-bye, Papa…" His voice began to fade.

"Please, wait!" Cyan cried, running to them as their bodies disappeared. "P…Please…" He stopped and sighed, looking up as some glittering light escaped up into the air and faded away.

"We will always be together…"

"Look!" Mog exclaimed, and Cyan looked towards where he was pointing. Sitting on the throne, resting next to each other, was a piece of Magicite and a shining blade with a diamond-encrusted hilt. Cyan gasped and walked over, first lifting the sword and investigating it closely.

"This is…the royal blade of Doma…Aura. Aura is the sword of our brave Kings and Princes…I thought it was destroyed…" He took out his older sword, kissing its blade and setting it down in front of the throne before sheathing Aura. He then lifted up the Magicite, investigating it closely and gasping. "And this…it is the holy knight Alexander…" He looked up at the others. "The legend of Alexander was a treasured one in the house of Doma…and it turns out it was based on a real being…" He held the Magicite close to his heart and closed his eyes. "It is the story of Alexander that inspired me to become a knight…!"

"Do you…feel ok now?" Sabin asked, stepping forward. Cyan nodded slowly, opening his eyes and looking over at his friends.

"Elayne and Owain live on in my heart. I must leave the past behind…I have so much to live for….like my dear friends and the brand new future we are going to give all of the world!"

"That's the Cyan we know!" Mog exclaimed, and Cyan chuckled.

"I think we should go back to Figaro, doesn't thou think?"

"No...wait…that's the Cyan we know," Sabin winked. "Otherwise known as Mr. Thou."

As Sabin, Shadow, and Mog started up The Falcon, Cyan closed the doors of Doma Castle for the final time, and kneeled down, placing his right hand over his heart just as he did when he first pledged his allegiance to Doma and became a knight.

"Doma…my one and only home…I will fight for all your citizens when I defeat Kefka…I will bring you honor and once again, your colors will wave in the sky…"

"Cyan!" Mog cried from the deck of The Falcon. "Come on! The others are going to worry about us!"

"Coming!" Cyan called, and stood up, running towards the ship. A cool breeze rolled through the empty, dry grass fields that surrounded the castle. The summer was already starting to wane…soon Autumn would return. The night was at its peak, and it was nearly impossible for one to see at any distance. The was moon hidden among heavy gray clouds and the stars were hidden from sight in the black sky. Normally, such a sight would have depressed Cyan and indicated an omen, but he decided that things were going to change.

After all, it is always darkest before dawn.