Penitentes

A Final Fantasy Tactics fanfic

By Tenshi no Ai

(C) Square Enix

(References to Within Holy Walls and The Smiling Man abound.)

Interlude: Devil

It was the glow that was getting to her, Reis decided.

She had always liked the color blue. It was such a peaceful, sedate color, stretching across the sea and sky into eternity. If only she could drift in such a state with Beowulf at her side, but saving her homeland came first. That was something she often had to remind him about; he would've preferred to keep her out of danger, as well as himself. But they knew that danger had a way of finding those who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, and it was with great reluctance that the former Temple Knight agreed to her request.

Now, he could be in danger. All of her friends could be in danger, and all she could do was wait by the corridor with a glow that pulsed like a steady heartbeat.

How long had it been since Mustadio had entered the hall? In this place time seemed to slip away until all that was left was a vague recollection as to when they had entered the Deep Dungeon. That bothered her just as much as the headache nagging at her. It reminded her of the hunters' footsteps crashing through the undergrowth, searching for her, for the legendary Holy Dragon whose hide was both wealth and reputation and they wanted to kill her and no no no stay away stay--

Her teeth ripped through her lower lip, drawing blood and mind-clearing pain. While she had been restored to a body like her own a few weeks ago, she still conjured up the images and feelings from her time as a dragon. No one else knew about the surges of panic that flooded through her body. They could never understand, not even Beowulf, although she knew that he would try. Of course he would try. However, she didn't want to tell him about the hunters who chased her, about the hunters she killed just to stay alive. She didn't want to tell him that she often relived the more brutal aspects of the life of a monster, a massive beast that cracked countless spines, tearing through the soft bellies of lesser creatures in order to satiate her hunger.

She didn't want to tell him that she enjoyed it.

A grimace made her lips taut, blood still seeping over her full lower lip. Her tongue swept over it as she glanced at the dragon that still stayed by her. As she understood it, the dragons of the mainland enjoyed her presence because of the way her aura felt to them, nectar and ambrosia both; apparently the sentiment was shared by the dragons of the Deep Dungeon. Another aspect that was shared was the propensity to mock her human nature. Of course, she thought as she watched the dragon 'graze' along the ground, they're not much different than humans in that regard.

Almost as if it had heard the comment and took offense to it, the dragon raised its head and 'stared' at the dragoner. Its eyes were covered by a thick layer of skin, the typical adaptation towards a life without light. "What is it? I sense no danger," it growled, its voice reminiscent of two cobblestones clashing together. Despite that, it was soothing in every way the haunting glow of the corridor wasn't.

Reis smiled, an automatic gesture. "My unease is not due to an enemy."

"Then, keep it to yourself. It's irritating my senses," it grunted, sounding irritated.

Reis arched an eyebrow at this. This was going into her file of 'things not to tell Beowulf'; he would find it way too funny for her liking. Power over dragons indeed.

A chill swept through her body suddenly, causing her to wince in discomfort. All her senses were reaching out, overworking to analyze and record everything that occurred in her radius of attention. Driven to her knees by the force of her senses, she could feel something prickly pinching her skin, a thousand cockroaches meandering over her body. Rounded nails raked over her clothed skin in an attempt to alleviate the itching, to no avail. She bit back a whimper as the drone in her mind exploded into a roar.

What...what is this? she gasped in the depths of her mind. Stop it! Please! Beowulf!

The roar was quelled, and there was silence. Shaking, she stood up and dusted off the front of her voluminous skirts. Everything felt right again, and yet...

She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was only the overpowering darkness of the rest of the Deep Dungeon. The glow of the corridor was nowhere to be found, and she was loathed to admit that now she missed it. Even the dragon had disappeared, its mental imprint blotted out. She was alone.

"Reis..."

Instinctively, her eyes narrowed. She recognized that voice, didn't she?

"Oh, you don't know how long I've waited for this..."

She spun left, but there was nothing but darkness.

"I'm going to make you mine..."

Right. Still nothing. Goosebumps pimpled along her arms. That voice was too close.

"I'm going to take you..."

Behind!

She twirled around and began to back away, fearfully looking around even though it was pitch black. That voice, that voice...she knew that voice, but she was so muddled that she couldn't place it. All she knew was that it brought up fear and hate within her, exacerbated by the fact that she couldn't see.

And then her back hit something solid.

Hands grabbed her, spun her around. An arm coiled around her waist, pulling her forward until she collided with a body cushioned with heavy clothing. A hand entangled itself in her hair and yanked her head up, and then there were wet lips colliding against hers, cutting off her air supply while a tongue was thrust past her lips. She bit down and blood squirted into her mouth. The grip her attacker had on her slackened and she threw a wild punch, connecting with a loud crack that left her ears ringing. Staggering away, she spat out the foreign blood and hastily wiped at her mouth with the back of a hand before she bothered to look at her attacker.

"You..." she breathed, her eyes wide with shock. "Buremonda..."

He was there in front of her, so clear even in this place of nothingness, wearing the vestments of the high-ranking priest she had known him as. He, the man who had done everything he could to ruin Beowulf out of his obsession with her, finally culminating in the plan that had been guaranteed to get rid of her fiancé.

He, the reason why she had wandered for years as a dragon.

Black blood poured out of his nose, blood he wiped away casually with one pristine white sleeve. Despite his broken nose he was as angelic looking as ever, and even now he was gazing at her in that kind manner that she now knew was a lie. "Yes, my dear Reis, it is me. I have missed you." He smiled beatifically, taking a step forward. "I have come to save you from that boorish knight. Now, surely, you must understand--"

"I hate you!" she exploded, primal rage blazing in her eyes. "You did everything you could to discredit Beowulf! You tried to kill him! It was because of your spell that I..." Trembling in the force of her anger, she brought a hand up to her mouth. "Oh God, I wish I had killed you."

Wait. Did I just say...?

For his part, the priest had a wounded look on his face. "My, Reis, look at how that knight has tainted you. Such horrible words. You're not being yourself, you must understand this." With this plea he outstretched a hand to her, which she flinched away from.

"No. Beowulf told me about this...you're dead. You're supposed to be dead." Her righteous anger drained away, leaving only her normal blank expression in its stead. "You're something else."

As if she had completed a magic chant, tiny candlelight flames flared to life around them, rippling out, swerving inward, enveloping them in a circle of light. Yet, the flames were the same color as the light shed from the corridor, and whatever light they did cast affected nothing outside of each bulb of energy. The only thing Reis could see was the image of the impure priest. It smiled condescendingly, frost reflecting in its light blue eyes. "Certainly, but I would not be the only one here who is pretending." It stared at her with hunger in its eyes, and her gaze hardened. "Tell me, dragoner, when you say that you hate me and wish you'd killed me, is that Reis Dular talking, or the dragon?"

Her expression did not change. "That would be me talking. What are you?"

It sighed, shaking its head once. The androgynous features of Verden Buremonda fit well with the cultured arrogance it affected as it clasped its hands in front of its robes and said, "Well now, can't you even pretend you're worthy of your powers and tune into that by yourself?"

Confusion flickered in her eyes at the unfamiliar terminology, but that changed as she peered into the image before her. What she saw caused her to grit her teeth in disgust. "You're the lowest of demons, a soul eater. You can't even reflect living humans, but somehow..." Shaking her head, she lowered her head in an attempt to disassociate herself from the evil seeping from the demon. "You've managed to exist for over a millennia."

"Very good, dragoner. Even though you can only read monsters' auras, we're melding together nicely, aren't we?" It cackled, a grating sound like dry leaves being crushed. "You don't seem to like that. Perhaps you dislike this body? Give me an hour and I'll be happy to shift into something more comforting to you...say, that pathetically loyal lover of yours?"

Shock rammed through her form, and all she could do was stare at the demon with wide eyes. "Excuse me?" she finally asked, fear quivering through her voice. It can't be true, she tried to console herself, it stinks of evil. That's not exactly grounds for complete trust.

"Oh, you know. That human you tie yourself to. The knight who's just so sorry he killed all those poor heretics to ensure himself a home as far away from the war as possible. Aww, it's so sad."

The mocking tone employed by the demon irritated her, but it was its recital of Beowulf's regret that really caught her attention. It was the truth, a truth that he had revealed only to her. "He's stronger than you are," she whispered.

Laughter, harsh and grating, was her only response for a long time. The demon was doubled over by the force of its glee, every cackle rending through her carefully constructed composure. "Is that a joke, little dragoner?" it finally imitated it had enough air to ask. "A human stronger than me? Everyone fell before my might!"

"No," she breathed. It couldn't be true. She had seen its bloodthirsty effect on her friends, but it couldn't have enough power to overtake all of them. That would require skill in manipulation on a scale she couldn't even begin to imagine.

As she stared down the image it wore, of the priest who had caused so much harm to her life, a pinprick of cold understanding jabbed through her walls of disbelief.

"Oh, I did. I broke your paramour, little dragoner, just like the rest of your friends. Their souls are mine." Sadistically, it grinned as despair washed away the rest of her vaunted composure. "So, what're you going to do about it?"

"I..." I don't know what to do. This...this isn't in my realm of experience, but can I...I can do something. I'll need some time, and it's already infecting me but...it's arrogant. It loves fear. Hesitant at first, she lowered her gaze to the floor, her arms wrapping around her slender figure as her breath began to hitch. She could feel its pleasure, thick and suffocating, as it took in the sight of a woman slowly breaking down. "No...I don't believe you...he can't..."

"He really means everything to you, doesn't he," the demon stated as it walked up to her. Lovingly, he caressed her face with the back of his hand, smiling as she cringed away from him. "How pathetic. A creature of your power submitting to a human. Really, it's sad."

She kept her eyes downcast as she concentrated. That's not the first time I've heard that, she mused as she tried to probe the surroundings. I can't read this. Maybe I can destroy its presence, but that won't free the others. But if I destroy its source...that's a bit more difficult.

Something in her smiled at the challenge.

"But you're used to submitting, aren't you?"

Her gaze flickered upward. "What do you mean?"

"Look at yourself, dragoner," it spat, suddenly vibrating with anger, "look at your power rotting away as you play the demure woman for your friends. So quiet, so agreeable. And yet, you want more, don't you? You want them to recognize your strength, but you'll never do a damn thing to that effect."

"It doesn't matter," she said, frowning.

"You know it does. You know that inside of that shell you call a body is enough power to wipe them out. You could be anything, do anything, and look at you." It waved a hand at her image, which resembled to the crease her outward appearance. "A soft woman wrapped up in a pretty package. Nothing more than a present for your lover to unwrap as he wishes, I see."

Her concentration faltered for a moment as the words struck a nerve. "It doesn't matter," she repeated, grinding out the words through bared teeth. "I'm happy this way."

The demon smiled, crudely licking its lips. "I love the taste of a lie. Humans must too, from the way they keep piling them on, trying to convince themselves that what they tell others must be the truth. Even you're more human than I expected, saying you're happy when deep down, you hate how he holds you back, how he expects you to turn your head from the battlefield when all you want to do is to tear through it. You've got dragon's blood in you, and nothing would make you happier than to satiate your bloodlust. You resent him--"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"You resent him--"

"You...don't know..."

"You resent him--"

"Shut up!" she screamed, her eyes flaring with the fire that danced in her blood. With her hands clutching her trembling form, she looked like a wild woman trying to hold herself back and barely succeeding. Breathing heavily, she tried to calm herself down, enough to whisper, "You don't understand..."

"Oh, but I do," the demon told her, arching one golden eyebrow. "I know that these days you've begun to realize that love won't help your other cravings. I know that you've been wondering if it wasn't better to stay as a dragon. At least then you were respected as the great dragon no one wants to see in you now." Reaching out with one hand, it grabbed her face, forcing her to stare into its eyes. "I sympathize with you, dragoner. They could never appreciate your true self like I am."

Reis was vaguely aware of a tug in this part of her mind as it expanded outward, but she could only stare into the hypnotic blue of the image's eyes, like the tide bearing down only to slink away for the next rush. "I love him," she heard herself say, "and maybe I'm uncomfortable in this form, sometimes..."

This isn't right.

"But it's not so bad, really..."

A thumb, soft and gentle, crested over her lips.

"I...don't mind be-being human...for him..."

She could've drowned in the affection in its eyes. "You shouldn't need to 'be' anything. You are only yourself." The thumb pressed against the center of her lips, and she parted them. She felt it rub over her bottom lip, then over the ridge of her bottom teeth. The act was almost like déjà vu, and she had to try to remember why.

Beowulf.

She bit down, causing blood to ooze into her mouth. However, the demon did not seem bothered by this; in fact, it smiled indulgently as she ground down. "You really have a taste for blood, dear dragoner. Accept me, and I will fulfill your need."

Jerking her head to the side, she tore through its thumb and freed herself. The momentum sent her crashing onto the floor, and she retched when the rancid blood pooled over her tongue and down her throat. Coughing, tears streamed down her face as she tried to banish the taste from her mind.

"Oh dragoner, how I pity you. Is clinging to your humanity so important to you?"

Wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, she stood and faced the demon. "I sacrificed my humanity to save Beowulf," she breathed, wincing at the aftertaste stuck in her mouth, "but he sacrificed years of his life just to find and restore me. Since then I've realized I've always had my humanity."

"Spare your pretty sentiments for someone who cares," it muttered, irritation sparking in its eyes. "You and that weakling human. Why do you struggle against your superior? Even if you've defeated Lucavi." The name of the infamous tribe of zodiac demons was spat from the demon's mouth like it had tasted something foul.

It hates Lucavi, Reis realized, though something else had caught most of her attention. There's another struggling against him? That's probably Mustadio, since he's the most resistant. Gathering her strength, she pushed outward, testing the strength of the demon's psychic barrier that kept her quintessence from the rest of her body. Hm, I'd better distract it. "This is a bit confusing," she murmured.

"What is?"

"According to you, you've overwhelmed most of my friends. But I sense you have different plans for me."

"Astute. About what I'd expect from an amateur. But you're correct; it isn't your soul I want."

Her brow creased. "What would a soul eater want with my body?"

"A bridge. I've always wondered what a dragon's essence would taste like. Surely it must be brimming with power, power that will boost me above the greatest of demons." Something like sheepishness touched upon its face. "But even with over a thousand year's worth of souls to enhance my power, you're rather difficult to penetrate."

She grimaced at its choice of words. "Perhaps that should tell you something," she muttered, looking at one of the countless candlelights flickering in this dark corner of her mind. Its glow was the exact same shade as the illumination pouring out of the demon's corridor, and now she understood that it meant that the hallway was lined with souls.

Souls...and my soul. I wonder if these lights aren't just for some sort of macabre decoration...

Laughter raked against her mind. "My, so prudish. Though your memories tell a different story."

Even though she was increasingly aware of the fact that this was literally all in her head, she couldn't help but blush. "I can't tell if you think me a human or a dragon when you comment on my...human aspects."

"Hmph. If you were truly human, you wouldn't be so devoid of mental scenery." Its smile was getting on her nerves. "Even children have more life in their minds than you do."

The insinuations regarding herself and what had satisfied its hunger irked her. "Everyone's different."

"But no one's like you. As a 'soul eater', as you like to put it, I find that all pure humans have some sort of scenery that reflects their true self. For instance, your paramour had a bustling city scene completely surrounded by jagged rocks." The demon affected a sympathetic tone as it cooed, "Poor baby's been hurt."

The surroundings flashed a deep, angry red, but Reis' expression was blank. "Keep your comments to yourself."

A minute amount of concern creeped into its eyes at the display of controlled fury. "How interesting. Though you're not able to use your power now that I'm blocking you from it, you can still affect your mental surroundings. That is...more than anyone has ever done on power alone."

It doesn't sense my trying to break out of its cage? That doesn't make sense, unless... "Maybe you're not as powerful as you think you are," she said.

"I'm very powerful," it snarled back, the lovely image flickering like the candlelights. "I took care of all your friends, even that foolish boy with the incessantly happy thoughts. And to make up for all the time I wasted on him, I'm going to use his body to kill the rest of his friends, just like the first thing I'm going to do with your body is to drench it with your lover's blood!"

She looked at the demon with doubt in her eyes. I think I overestimated it, she thought, I thought we were in its barrier, but it's just the rest of my mind. No wonder I couldn't read it. My mind's human enough for it to slip into, but monster enough that it can't do anything unless I open myself to it. I've wasted enough time as is. With a push, she breached the section of her mind that currently held the demon and herself, calling out to the dragon that had stayed with her. I would request your help.

What for? she heard the dragon grumble. Connecting herself with the rest of her powers, she read its aura and saw that it was curious.

Smiling to herself, she outlined the plan she had, knowing that a dragon could never refuse her request.

-0-

In the depths of the Deep Dungeon, it was hard for any one monster to hunt for its meal. There were many humans roaming about, but they wandered as nothing more than soulless beings, devoid of anything that would hinder their skill. So, many of the monsters banded together in order to take down one or two humans, but after the kill another battle would erupt, with the victor receiving the winner's share. Considering that the dank den was a repository for everything from tiamats to red dragons, behemoths to vampires, the weaker creatures resorted to feeding from rotting corpses and the more edible equipment.

Today, however, there were enough bodies to feed their scraggly band.

A red panther cautiously pawed at the leg of one of its stationary prey. There was no response, although its sensitive hearing could tell that the prey still had a steady heartbeat. It sniffed at the leg, crinkling its nose at the human stench. It preferred chocobos, but this would have to do. Lowering its head, it bared needle-sharp fangs intended for ripping the flesh right off the bone.

/Warning: Remove yourself at least five meters away from Designate: Master Ramza Beoulve or this unit will be forced to act. Final warning/

The red panther looked up, its ears twitching in response. All it could determine was a low humming noise, but no danger that overtook its hunger. Once again, it lowered its head and prepared to feast.

/Final warning unheeded. Prepare appropriate protocol...activating defense systems/

A harsh whine split the thick air as Worker 8's attack mechanisms began to charge, siphoning the available energy from the zodiac stone inserted into it. Terrified, all the monster could do was to stare at the spot where the sound was coming from, unsure of what exactly was interrupting its meal. The sound reached its crescendo as the steel giant's chest panels flung open and three cannons in an inverted triangular design zoomed out, each with a bulbous energy signature pulsing at the tip of each cannon. Worker 8's main system was dangerously close to overheating before the secondary circuits cut in, ending the energy siphoning drive and converting the absorbed energy into a form that could flow through its weaponry. As it did so, the system that governed the body's main appendages went off-line in order to ensure that the main system would not malfunction from the strain of regulating its energy supply. The converted energy leaked through Worker 8's visor but could not penetrate the darkness, and the glow emitted from the cannons went from pink to white.

As soon as the weapons system recorded that a sufficient amount of energy had been stored, Worker 8's computerized mind deduced that it was now time to fire.

Beams of pure energy lanced through the red panther, obliterating much of its body and leaving the rest of it to fall some distance away in a smoking heap of fur and meat. Due to the extended amount of time that the stone's energy was diverted from the main system to the weapons hardware, many of the circuits momentarily cut out, causing a backlash that rocked the relic's main body. As soon as that occurred the main system took over, restoring all energy levels to their previous amounts. The cannons reentered the torso to begin the cooling process, the panels closing behind them.

The aural sensors detected a footfall approaching its left side, automatically deploying the appropriate analytical instruments to identify the intruder. After cycling through the database of the people who traveled with its master for anyone matching the weight requirement in line with the footstep, an error report was filed and the main system issued a precautionary statement.

/Warning: Remove yourself at least five meters away from this unit. Last warning/

-0-

Once her human form had been returned to her, Reis found that readjusting to human society was a lot of effort. Utensils had to be used when eating a meal, and all meat was cooked. Because her mind had been cloaked in darkness for the duration of her time as a dragon, having it clear and stuffed with memories was overwhelming. But through all that change, she noticed a number of similarities between the ways of humans and monsters. The most pertinent one had to do with power. While humans were versatile enough to be able to use power in order to get more power, monsters were more or less stuck with the way they came out of the egg and continued on the path of their ancestors. Either way was fine with her, though she now had a slight advantage; no one ever suspected her of wielding the powers she had.

Demons were more like humans, she decided.

Dispassionate sepia eyes watched as the demon transformed into the image of an archaic demon

-stonestonethiscanhelpme...thispresencedisgustingnotsomethinglikeme-

and she briefly wondered if it chose that guise to mimic the demon who had tried to take the zodiac stone away from her. She couldn't imagine why if it had wanted to affect her, but maybe it was trying to impress her with an image of strength. From what she had read from the demon earlier, its true form was nothing like this. It must be insecure, she realized, and the thought made her want to laugh.

"Little dragoner, I suggest you give me the respect I deserve!" it boomed, causing the area they were in to ripple about in thick waves. "I could tear your soul apart in an instant if I wanted!"

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the massive image and said in a calm voice, "Then do so."

The demon faltered for a moment before a grin stretched across the expanse of its face. "Gladly," it growled, perverse pleasure tainting that single word. It raised its muscled, sinewy arms and the multitude of candlelights flared up in response. They began to move, to spin around the two images, faster and faster until they were a blur that looked like a stationary halo. In a dramatic gesture, the demon raised one arm higher before snapping its claws.

The world exploded.

When Reis reoriented herself, she found herself standing in a giant meadow. It was an overcast day, and although there were trees strewn about here and there, there was nothing but silence. The only point of interest was a river, flowing with clear water. If it weren't for the lack of prey it would've been a dragon's paradise, and she smiled at the sight before taking notice of the other visitor to this part of her mind.

Grunting in revulsion, the demon kicked at the ground, tearing through the grass and soft earth with its talons. Reis flinched. It took no notice as it lumbered to the river, intent on doing as much damage to the landscape as possible on the way. Once it reached the river, it thrust giant claws into the water, sending droplets flying everywhere. She winced, her astral form momentarily loosening before she could right herself. Yet, an ache throbbed within her image, one she could not easily dispel without her plan coming to light.

With a hiss, the soul eater dipped its hands into the water and came up with a sizable amount of water. There was an image in the water, above the water, of the water, one she knew intrinsically because it was a memory. It was from Bariaus Valley a couple days before the party headed to the Deep Dungeon, and in it she and Beowulf were sitting against a tree, cuddling and talking of something other than the events in Murond. She saw herself leaning against him, and she couldn't help but smile just like the memory's Reis as he said one of his ridiculous endearments that was just one of the quirks about him she absolutely loved. He kissed her on the temple, and the image of her felt a ghost of a touch against the side of her head. There were a thousand moments like that particular memory, and each and every one of them were irreplaceable.

"Disgusting," the demon said, and the memory evaporated in its hands.

A storm rolled above them as Reis stared at the demon with wide eyes, horrified. She couldn't feel the memory anymore; it was as if it had never existed. That memory...it's gone! she shrieked, but the words did not come from her image's mouth; they were splattered across the darkening sky in stark white.

It read the words and smiled. "Why yes, it is. After all, I can't have all these bothersome memories cluttering up my new body."

Thunder boomed, lightning struck as fury carved deep lines of hate into a face that no one could call anything less than beautiful. You... The word, including ellipses, appeared tiny in the thundering sky and was colored an ugly black that throbbed with loathing.

"What are you going to do about it, you abhorrence to nature? Yes, you. You will never know what it means to be complete and whole, so you might as well give up." It pointed at her and she was struck by a crawling sensation, like the one that had afflicted her body. She looked down, almost violently sick from the sight of faces bursting out of her astral form, the suffering souls the demon had ripped out of a millennia's worth of victims. They screamed piteously, wailing in misery from the purgatory they had never deserved, and she was becoming one of them--

No.

Her form rippled, keeping the overall shape while she shone a pure, impenetrable white. The demon had to turn away, blinded by her radiance. Chunks of flesh were torn from its image, though it quickly reformed itself. When the light faded, Reis was herself once again, shimmering with the light of her innate purity. Did you honestly think that I could be assimilated just because you destroyed one memory? she asked, the words appearing in the same golden hue as her hair.

Surrender was never in a demon's vocabulary. "I did because you are weakness personified," it growled, appearing wary but not overtly dangerous. "You have the power to destroy all, and instead you cry out for your lover. I heard you and I knew that you were weak."

Maybe, she shrugged, the words still golden. He's the only person I trust, so why wouldn't I call for him? If I'm weak because I depend on another, what does that say about you?

Celestial blue burst out of the demon, a cold flame its aura. "I am stronger than a dragon who masquerades as a human could ever hope to be."

She smiled, and it was as light and lovely as the blossoming dawn. Did you have any idea as to the body you tried to possess, soul eater? Within this body flows the blood of the Holy Dragon. Do you understand what this means?

The area they were in brightened until it was completely white, the demon howling in agony as he was assaulted with a holiness that seared through its meager defenses. The form of the dragoner disappeared, and all she left behind were her parting words.

I burn through evil.

The holy breath was, by design, a weapon that could not be controlled at the whim of its owner. It was her essence, her true form turned into the material all natural life subsisted on, and to use it offhandedly would be a flagrant offense upon life itself. Therefore, to control it, there had to be an anchor, a similar being that approved of its use in a situation and would grant its own life force as collateral. She had found it in the dragon that had led her and Mustadio to the corridor; though it did not care to involve itself into the affairs of demons and humans, it was intrigued and willing.

Purity rolled through her body, just like the elements did in their respective breaths, cleanly eliminating the presence of the demon. One memory had paid the price to lock the demon so deep into her mind that it wouldn't be able to escape, and she felt the loss even as she faced the entrance of the corridor. But righteous fury was greater than grief, and saving her friends was greater than sadness. Her mouth went dry, a draconic device that had carried over to this body, and she breathed. White mist shot past her lips, raging into the narrow hallway. She was the breath, racing through the corridor, melting anything that had the demon's taint worming inside of it. The essences that lit up the corridor burst before disintegrating, leaving suffocating darkness behind the holy breath's wake as it rippled, swooped down, flew forward, gouging deep wounds into the demon's psyche all the while.

While she was the breath she was also the dragon, the dragon that nourished her revenge as well as the dragon she had once and always been. They didn't care about the destruction they were causing, only that it was needed and therefore it had to be done. She was the dragon, and inside she danced as she expended geysers of power that she had bound within her because she didn't want to alarm anyone. For once she did not have to think about holding back, about their reactions. She simply was.

She was happy.

The dragon's life force suddenly cut out, leaving her disoriented; the remainder of the breath going wild and smashing harmlessly against one of the walls beside the corridor. For a moment she was afraid she had killed the monster, but when she reached out with her senses she found that it was severely weakened and irritated. She touched its bone-thick hide and concentrated, crying out through gritted teeth as she tore out some of her life force and restored the dragon with it.

"That was unnecessary," it growled, pride behind every word. Her only reaction was to sigh. Glancing at the place she was certain was the opening to the corridor, she shook her head in the thick blackness. I don't think I killed the demon, just most of its energy. The souls that sustained it... When she realized what she had just thought, she crumpled to the ground as shock swept over her. Oh God, all those souls...even if they were being used to give the soul eater energy, I still...destroyed...

Pressing her face into her knees, she wrapped her arms around her legs and shuddered as she tried to come to terms with what she had just done, that she had enjoyed it. She shivered and an old draconic instinct snapped to life, the muscles around her shoulder blades twitching to cover her body with her wings.

It took her a while to realize that she no longer had wings.

-End to the interlude-

Because I know that not everyone has read WHW or TSM, I tried my best to cool it with digging too much into those stories' canon. However, since I did spend over a year working on those stories, I feel like I have the right to use some of their canon. Moderation is tricky to achieve, but I hope that everyone is comfortable with this part.

A note to all those interested in the contest: The info's up in my bio now.

An addendum to 'Pariah': Forgot to mention the archaic/ultima demons in Meliadoul's classification. Sorry!

Reviewers!

Trueborn Chaos, it's not brown-nosing because I have no power over you. But I do appreciate the compliment. :)
Yeah, Melly's wearing full armor. But 'dangerously unfeminine' in whatever period FFT's based in would be like, "I can see your ankles! You must be a whore!" even though cleavage was fine. Yeah, I don't get it.
Jupiter, huh? Then you should've been a Sagittarius.
Being pretty has nothing to do with being agreeable. But chivalry's nice.
No, Cloud's not quite that bad. It's just that his first experiences with the group were of him running full-tilt out of Mustadio's house, muttering incoherently, and having to save his weak ass in the most pathetic battle in the game. Oh, and having to go into a volcano to find his oversized sword so that he could use his limits. I don't think that would make a good first impression.
Hm, Any Ground refers to not being penalized on rough terrain, while Any Weather only refers to not being penalized for using the wrong magic during a weather condition. Many monsters, including Worker 8, can't stop in water at all, though I'm not sure about crossing over it to dry land.
And you're right, I did have an evil smirk. But I wrote the Worker 8 part just for you!

Good job, Viktor Mayrin! The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, after all. :) But in all seriousness, that's not really a review, and I could suggest a couple FFT fics with catfights. Serious ones, at that.

Yo, Evil Mina. I was pretty worried that everyone was going to find that whole anticlimax as campy instead as an actual surprise, not to talk of the ending. Nevermind on the 'angst is my default' thing; as long as I can think of it, I can write it. Humor's just more difficult because there's such a thin line between campy and just not funny, so I don't bother. As for your comment regarding Agrias' possession, take another look at 'Angel' and Meliadoul's temporary possession. I thought so many people were going to figure it out as soon as I wrote the last line for 'Martyr', but maybe I just suck.
I fully believe that reviewing should be a conversation, because it sucks to leave a heartfelt critique and then never knowing if the writer ever cared about your advice.
I wonder why it's a bad thing to show a character's bad qualities. When 'Martyr' got posted up, I had to brace myself for bad reviews...but then again, this is a small section with no real community for any one character (much). You should see it in Japanese fansites; I came across a fanfic/fanart site all about 'Sister Agu', (because Agrias in kana is Aguriasu). Then again, it could've been worse, like that Wiegraf/Gustav/Golagros yaoi site. Ack, bad thoughts.
When I read about how you felt about Rosa's Mary-Sue qualities, I was a little worried about writing this chapter because I get the feeling that Reis is seen as a copy in the 'I love Beowulf' aspect of it. It seems like if a female character comes prepackaged with a lover, most people will assume that she's the lesser denominator in the relationship, unless she's carrying a sword, which makes me wonder about the Freudian aspects here. But anyway, I see what you mean though I don't necessarily agree. Then again, I read Catherine Rain's FFIV fanfics before finally finishing the game, so I don't know. And not to be pedantic, but western RPGs frequently don't have FWM archetypes and I can think of many J-RPGs that don't either.
Right, I'll shut up now.

TobyKikami, thanks for picking out that error. I kept thinking that something wasn't right, but my brain's dead. Glad you're liking it, mistakes aside!

Nice to meet you, Rad the Mediator...I never thought that Rad was a mediator actually. An oracle, but not a mediator. And I like my cliffhanger too!
Hm, I never once thought of this story as horror, even though everyone else keeps saying it is. Well, this story probably fills more genres than it should.

Hello, gleenthefrog! Glad you're liking it. As you can see, Reis has appeared once again to fulfill her plot obligations, but she will be back!

Hi, Cake Dance! Nope, I can't stand cake, but ice cream cake, on the other hand...
Fanwanking...eh, it's the only way some people are gonna get any.
I'm glad that the possession surprises affected you so much! Yep, I'm evil, and I'm having fun!
Reis and the FS Bag...oh my, there's a good way to completely derail the 'seriousness' of the story. If only I could get away with something like that...

Chapter 4: Savior: "No, I didn't...it wasn't my fault! I'm not lying about Mom...I didn't...don't make me remember!"