PART XII

"Hey, Voldos, maybe you should have a more interesting topic of conversation when it comes to talking to girls."

"Like? I can hardly just spin bad chat up lines."

"Try it."

"Hey, are you tired, 'cause you've been walking through my mind all day."

"That looked like it hurt."

"It did."

"Was funny though."

"Think she stormed off."

"Just try it on somebody else."

"You just want to see me get slapped."

"It is pretty funny."

"Fine. I'll do it."

Voldos placed Vivli's body gently down on the bed. He turned to face the High Priestess. She was finishing talking to Zinkata.

"Your story meets pretty much what we know." She told him. "But, from what I've heard, events are already in motion."

"What events?" Voldos asked as he turned around, fed up with being kept in the dark.

"A pretty harsh attitude from the heroes that are going to help save the world." The Priestess said as the others jaws dropped.

"Care to explain that one?" Zinkata quickly shot the obvious question.

"Of course." The Priestess remarked. "As you have no doubt become aware, Uggalepih, the evil God, has been brought into the physical world."

"Thought as much." Remarked Bootus.

"You may have also noticed, by the way it sounds, his Shadow Magic used by his follower." She waited for a casual nod before continuing. "Shadow Magic is a lethal power. Only one other creature in the world ever had access to it. The Demon Lord Chaos."

Vivli was finding this out in a much more dramatic way. She had awoken on the edge of a cliff, in a black void. A gigantic bronze demon floated before her, purple eyes glowing angrily. She was wearing a long blue robe and a pointed hat. Like an older version of the typical Black Mage attire. There was a warrior in red to her side, a monk in blue, and what appeared to be a White Mage. The demon was speaking.

"After two thousand years I will be forgotten and the time loop will close!" He announced triumphantly. "I will live forever, and you will meet your doom!"

"This is it." Vivli found herself saying. "Let's give him hell!"

"FOR GAIA!" Screamed the warrior. He ran at Chaos.

"Okay, the usual drill. I'll pin him down with magic!" Vivli ordered. "Just keep him busy on the melee front!"

"I'm trying!" Remarked the monk as he dodged a claw shooting down at him. Vivli blasted a lightning bolt from her hand and it slammed into what could only be Chaos's top shoulder. The warrior drove his sword at him, and Chaos knocked it aside with ease. His spear like tail lashed into the monk, taking him out. He blasted the entire party with an incredible bolt of lightning, knocking them all back.

"Chaos? As in the bad guy from the legend?" Zinkata was trying to reassure himself.

"It is no legend. Over a million years ago, Vana'diel was not Vana'diel at all, but a land named Gaia. It was powered by the original four elemental crystals. Chaos sought to destroy these. You know the legend." She waited for them to nod again. "Yet, did you ever wonder why only the Light Warriors stood up to Chaos, and not the armies of the land?"

"I chalked it down to bad story telling." Bootus grumbled.

"It was because Chaos possessed the power of Shadow Magic, a power that could easily kill any number of people. Except for the four Light Warriors."

"I don't understand." Voldos muttered.

"They each possessed a shard from the four crystals. Sometimes these are called orbs in the legend. It doesn't matter. Since Chaos drew his power from the four crystals, these four shards could cancel it out." The Priestess paused again. "It soon become evident the spirit of the crystal shards was absorbed into the souls of the Light Warriors, giving them the power to resist such evil magic, no matter what."

"So why could we resist it? None of us are Light Warriors." Voldos pointed out what he thought was obvious.

"Actually, one of you is." The Priestess said as she pointed at Vivli.

"Dammit! Heal them!" Vivli ordered as she looked at the collapsed warrior and monk. The White Mage rushed to them.

"Just you and me, now." Chaos snarled. The Demon Lord soared towards Vivli. Inside she was screaming in fear, but outside she remained calm. This was a memory. She was not in control.

"Unlucky for you." She began to cast something. She felt her body shake. It was a spell that could not exist. Its power she had never felt. She was weakening just trying to cast it. "For every force of darkness there is light. For every power of evil there is good. For every moment of chaos, there is order." A gigantic white ball had formed in her hands. "For every one force, there is another to crush it. And so it is, the force of Ultima shall judge you!" Ultima? Bolts of white light streaked into the air, and a strange symbol formed on the ground.

"Ha. Is that it?" Asked Chaos with a laugh. "Killing you shall be more fun than I thought." There was a pause before he screamed out in pain. Hundreds upon hundreds of blue bolts rocketed from the sky, piercing into the back of the Demon Lord. Vivli's face lit up with blue light as they ripped through the bronze body of the evil being. He dropped to the floor, his armour ripped to shreds. Vivli collapsed also, exhausted.

"Vivli?" Exclaimed Bootus, laughing. "A Light Warrior? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! And I regularly listen to Voldos speak!" The elvaan went to defend himself, but the Priestess continued talking.

"That is why Uggalepih has been so relentlessly hunting her." The High Priestess explained. "She is his greatest threat because he cannot harm her."

"Can't harm her? What about us? Signot couldn't harm us either!" Bootus pointed out. "This is a load of rubbish."

"It was her own aura that protected you." The Priestess was pondering the story they had told. "How else do you explain what happened on the ship? That spell she cast, nobody has seen anything like it for almost a million years. It's called Nuke. One of the most powerful Black Magic spells ever to exist, but it was lost to the ages."

"Vivli can't cast Black Magic!" Bootus snapped.

"True. But the spirit of the Light Warrior within her can. It was awoken." The Priestess paused again. She liked doing that. It made things more dramatic. "Surely that is all the proof you need?"

"I'm not saying I'm buying this," Bootus began, "But if Vivli is the only one who can stand up to Uggalepih, what's she going to do? Viciously heal him?"

"That's why she needs you." She paused. "Or you need her. Either way, all four of you together seem to be able to resist Shadow Magic, and this means you can defeat Uggalepih."

"Defeat a God? Even if we can resist his magic, he's still insanely powerful!" Voldos pointed out.

"I never said it would be easy." The Priestess replied.

Chaos rose before her, but she was without energy to move. Inside she screamed as loud as she could. Tears wanted to escape but wouldn't. Not in this memory.

"Hey! Chaos!" The Demon Lord turned, despite his injuries, to see the warrior running at him. The warrior leapt onto his arm, ran up it, and jumped onto his head, driving his sword down into him. Chaos stood still for a moment, sword lodged in his head.

"Heh. I didn't think it was possible." He managed to mutter, before exploding in a gigantic display of white light. Vivli was flung back helplessly.

And startled awake in her bed, surprised to find the High Priestess and the others discussing her.

"I understand!" She announced. "You're not going to believe this, but I'm a Light Warrior!"

"We know, Vivli." Sighed Bootus.

"Look, as it is, you can't possibly face Uggalepih." The High Priestess explained.

"So how can we stand up to him?" Bootus asked.

"If you could locate the four crystal shards of the original Light Warriors, it might give you enough power to destroy the evil God." The High Priestess suggested.

"We find four million year old crystals? Any idea how?" Zinkata asked, his voice drenched in sarcasm.

"We have one at the monastery. Vivli was clutching it when we found her as a baby. How we figured out her destiny." The Priestess explained. "As for the others, I do not know. The Grand Duke at Jeuno may, however."

"We get to meet the Grand Duke?" Voldos exclaimed.

"You're escorting a Light Warrior now. You'll meet lots of people." The Priestess told the elf.

"Fine. We'll head to Jeuno." Bootus sighed. "Been meaning to pick up a chocobo licence anyway."

"I hate chocobos." Vivli grumbled. "They smell horrible."

"Then you can walk while we ride." Bootus said smugly.

"It's great to be back at the monastery!" Vivli cried happily as they walked down a small stone corridor. "I was getting so homesick."

"Don't get too comfortable." Voldos advised. "We're heading to Jeuno as soon as possible."

"Can we stop by my room?" She asked. "I want to at least get another staff!"

"You go through those things hell of a quickly." Zinkata pointed out.

"Not my fault some people do a lousy job of protecting their White Mage." She grumbled. They came to a small door with pink flowers painted on it.

"That is your room?" Bootus said in disbelief.

"Yes." She answered.

"Please can I mock her? Please?" He pleaded with the others. She sighed and swung open her door.

The interior didn't do much for her credibility. Pink bed sheets for starters made Bootus laugh.

"And she's the reincarnated Light Warrior. It's not fair." The galka grumbled.

"Just get your staff." Zinkata mumbled, trying to ignore the galka. Vivli opened her wardrobe and removed an old smooth wooden staff from within. It was fairly short, and engraved with a message the others couldn't make out. She clipped it on her belt. Inside the wardrobe Bootus caught a glimpse of plenty of dresses, which made him laugh even more. As someone always in a robe, he suddenly found it hilarious picturing Vivli in a dress.

"Okay, everyone out!" She snapped, sick of being laughed at. They ambled out. She caught a glimpse of herself in her mirror. She decided she looked fairly rough, after what she had been through. She fiddled with her hair for a moment before Bootus reached in and pulled her along.

"This is no time for your extreme vanity!" He snapped.

"I stopped for a second! And between being possessed, washed up, beaten up and drowned I only think it's fair!" Bootus paused in contemplation, and then proceeded to drag her away.

The four had decided to head for Jeuno the following morning. Vivli seemed happy with this as it meant she got to spend the night at her monastery, instead of rushing directly off into dangerous lands again. Bootus was less happy, surrounded by mages. Zinkata and Voldos were happy enough, because they managed to get some free food and a free bed for the night, which sure beat camping outside in the wilderness. Voldos was even happier because of the amount of attractive female mages in the monastery, Of course, when Zinkata reminded him this was a monastery, and so the mages were probably not open to his ideas of 'partenership'. Voldos sadly took this up as a challenge.

Zinkata wondered down one of the small stone corridors, feeling full, but not tired enough to sleep. He came to a small balcony that overlooked the planes of Windurst, complete with the tiny rivers sparkling in the rising moonlight. The sound of quiet sobbing was coming from this direction.

Vivli had her face down on the small wall, crying to herself. Zinkata sighed and walked up to her.

"You alright?" It wasn't the cleverest question he had ever asked.

"No." She sobbed.

"Okay, why?" He said after some time.

"Look at it all. It's so beautiful." She looked out across the planes. "And Uggalepih is going to destroy it all."

"No he's not. We'll stop him." Zinkata said comfortingly.

"No we won't. The entire fate of the world rests on me." She cried some more. "How can I save the world? The weight of the world is heavy, and I'm not very strong." She somehow still thought up a clever metaphor despite being so upset. "I can't handle this responsibility!" She broke down, crying some more.

"We're there for you. We're going to help you." Zinkata was trying his best to keep her comforted.

"So what if we fail? Why me? I can't take care of myself, let alone the entire world!" She slumped down against the wall. "I can't do this! I can't face it! Why me? Why? When there are so many more courageous people in the world?" She just kept screaming questions. Zinkata opted to take the easy way out, and backed away, leaving her to her sorrows. It wasn't that he didn't care, it was that he just didn't know what to say.

He bumped into Bootus on the way out.

"Look, don't go out there. She's pretty upset. I don't think talking to you is going to help." The ex-thief advised.

"Don't see what she's so upset about." Bootus grumbled.

"No. You wouldn't." Zinkata replied.

"You don't understand what I mean." Bootus began.

Vivli heard their voices, and could only assume they were talking about her. She walked over to the entrance, and listened carefully.

"The way I see it," The galka began, "She's one of the bravest people I know. I mean, truly brave. In these times, so many people are born with courage in their hearts, they act so heroically, but it's in their nature. It's not in hers. Yet, she fights anyway. She doesn't have the heroics that makes so many people, she doesn't have the courage, yet she still fights. If that's not brave, I don't know what is." Vivli blinked. It didn't sound like Bootus. Bootus usually made crude jokes and laughed at inappropriate times. She had stopped crying. She ran out around the corner and threw her arms around the galka, showing just how comforted she was.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed. "You made me feel so much better." She paused. "See? I knew you liked me really."

"No, ur, I was just, we were-" The little mithra ran off happily. "We were rehearsing lines for a play!" Bootus cried after her. He sighed. He had a feeling she wasn't convinced.

"Why do you want her to think you hate her so much?" Zinkata asked curiously.

"It's simple. She's far too dependant on us. So I make sure she can't be." Bootus explained.

"I think you just enjoy being mean." Zinkata taunted. Voldos wondered into the room rubbing he cheek for mysterious reasons. No comment was needed.

Signot's dead body crumpled to the floor.

"You have failed me for the last time." Uggalepih told the now deceased villain. "I shall have to deal with them myself."