Fujin sat in Squall's office – formerly Squall's office, at least – staring at the man opposite her. Mallis watched her, watched the hatred burning behind her eye, and took pride in the indomitable spirit of his child. Living in the detention center hadn't broken her, nor had any of the countless other indignities he'd forced upon her. They'd reduced her rations, taken away her rations, fed her on leftovers, deprived her of sleep, taken away her clothes, and still she fought. In the burning of her eye, he saw that she continued to analyze the situation, knew that should he afford her the slightest chance, she would escape.
Or, given half a chance, she would kill him.
"The time has come," Mallis said, "to teach you about your background. Your heritage."
"FAMILY?" she asked, contempt heavy in her voice.
"No mere biography this," he replied. "You need to know the history of your land. What it means to be my child. To fully appreciate the blood that flows through your veins, and the duty you have, it is necessary to understand something about the country of your birth."
"ESTHAR."
"Correct, in a sense," he nodded. "But there is much more than that. Esthar is an ancient country, with its roots firmly engrained in the history of the world.
"The story begins before countries, before nations, before armies, before flags. It begins when mankind was but a shadow of the species it is now. From the earliest days of humanity, it has been evident that certain individuals have had a degree of power of which other men can only dream."
"SORCERESS."
"That is the modern word for it, yes," he nodded again. "There have been many other words, but all refer to those persons so gifted with a fragment of the Godhead, those persons in whom the fires of creation burn more brightly. The modern belief is that they are descended from the god Hyne.
"In the early days, when the world was fire and blood, one such individual, a Sorceress named Khagrim, used her powers to rule over her tribe. Thus was the destiny of Esthar forged.
"It became a country ruled by its Sorceresses or, more rarely, Sorcerers. They guided the land like god-kings. And as history teaches us, every Sorceress has a Knight. The Knights became their protectors, their enforcers, their will-workers.
"Esthar thrived under its succession of Sorceresses. The country flourished and grew as Sorceresses flocked to its banner, and their Knights came with them. Whole dynasties formed, power passing from parent to child. Some families ritually sacrificed the parent when the child came of age, in order to prevent the power from growing stagnant. Into one such family was the Great Queen Adel born, and she was by far the proudest of her line.
"Power burned brilliantly in her, even before she became a Sorceress. As a child, she studied at the College of Magic, for a time, but before long, her radiance outshone that which even the most experienced professor possessed. Everywhere she went, she forged the world of dross into one of gold, merely by exercising the power of her will. Her parents, Sorcerers both, sacrificed themselves to her greatness when she turned thirteen.
"Word of her power spread, and soon, other Sorceresses came to her, sacrificing themselves so that their power might live on in her. Their power swirled around her, and in it, she saw her future. Soon, she sought out those Sorceresses who would not give their lives to her, and she consumed them, body and spirit.
"This is how I came to know her, in that time when she was... consolidating her power. Threatened by the inevitability of the Great Queen, and seeing her own demise in the young Adel, the then-Queen of Esthar, Ushat, sent a full battalion of soldiers to eliminate her. I was with them.
"I saw her across the battlefield, and it was if I were staring into the sun. The radiance that surrounded her dazzled me. Ushat's power was incredible, but it was a flickering candle compared to the Great Queen. I saw her, standing proud and defiant across the field from us, and I knew what I had to do.
"I woke up, as if from a dream, to find the entire battalion slaughtered. I, myself, stood atop a pile of corpses, elbow-deep in blood. She had never moved. Our eyes met across that crimson-stained plain, and she smiled.
"I felt her power flowing into me, her magnificence suffusing my very soul, and I knew: from that moment on, we were one. Sorceress and Knight. The web of fate had tied us together, inextricably, and I was forever her servant.
"We slew Ushat that very night. I restrained Ushat as Adel feasted upon the weak Queen's still-beating heart. She claimed the crown of Esthar before the blood had dried upon her face.
"What followed then was the most exquisite period in history. For the sake of my Queen, I hunted down every remaining Sorceress in Esthar. I do not speak lightly when I say Ushat received the full measure of the Great Queen's mercy. Countless others were not so fortunate. A lucky few managed to flee, Sorceress Edea Kramer among them.
"WAR?" Fujin asked, shifting slightly in her chair.
"Ah, the Sorceress War." Mallis nodded. "Yes, that came from this time as well. We fought the war strategically, striking at those areas where Sorceresses congregated. All our military action was a cover for our true goal. My true goal: to capture Sorceresses and bring them back to the throne of the Great Queen, that she might devour them. Your mother was one such Sorceress."
"WHAT?" Fujin asked, sitting upright.
"You heard correctly. Your mother was a Sorceress, brought back to the Empress. Adel's plans were nothing if not long-reaching, and so she demanded a child."
"WHY?"
"That she might pass her powers on to you. You were to have been her heir, child of a powerful Sorceress and the Great Queen's Knight, raised as daughter to Adel. Of the many children I fathered, of the many Sorceresses who bore me children, you showed the most promise, the most potential, and so you alone were spared."
"SPARED?"
"Adel's... tastes... were many and varied. Your half-brothers and –sisters satisfied her well. Adel never planned to die, of course, but in the event that she had, you always stood ready to succeed her."
"LAGUNA."
Mallis' face twisted into a grimace.
"Yes. Laguna Loire, who bumbled his way to empire. He tricked Adel into the Sorceress Memorial, sealing her powers, ending her reign."
"MEMORIAL. WHY?"
"Why was it built? The Empress recognized that her ascension, while remarkable, could be theoretically duplicated. For that reason, she ordered research into ways by which a Sorceress' power could be blocked. Thus, the contemptible Odine commenced his research into the sealing of Sorceress' powers."
"DISLIKE?"
"Odine is beneath contempt. He's nothing but a profiteer – all he cares for is his research. He is absent any notion of duty to Queen or country. He sniffed Laguna's stench on the wind and, as soon as the balance of power shifted, traded sides so he could continue his work uninterrupted. His time will come, though, soon enough."
"HOW?"
"Because, my dear," Mallis said, leaning forward across Squall's desk, "we are going to revive the Great Queen, you and I."
"WHAT?"
"Imagine it," Mallis leaned back. "You finally achieve your fate, and inherit the Sorceress Adel's incomparable power. At the same time, we strike directly at the heart of the two who brought her down – Laguna and Squall – by killing the Sorceress who has Adel's power."
Fujin felt a sickening tightness in her chest as Mallis spoke. Her mouth, when she opened it, had dried.
"RINOA."
"Indeed."
* *
He walks now, and it scares the blue coat men.
He hungers now, and it scares the blue coat men.
He smiles now, and it terrifies them.