Chapter 29: Black Mage Village

I was the first one to enter the village. I saw three Black Mages in a clearing. They were talking to each other, but two of them stopped talking as soon as they saw me. They began to back up. "Ahh! H-H-Humans" said one of them as he was backing away. The mage that had his back turned to me didn't know what was going on; until he turned around. He took one look at me, and I saw fear flash in his eyes. The other two finally lost their nerve and ran away.

"Humans! Run!" the third mage finally turned away from me and ran away as well, but not before tripping and falling. He quickly got up, and continued to run. Vivi and Zidane ran up behind me.

"W-wait…" Vivi said to the retreating mages. He turned to look at us "did you see them?" Zidane and I both nodded our heads. Vivi continued, "They were talking! There ARE others like me!" with that said he ran off.

I turned to Zidane. "I'm gonna go into the village, see if I can dispel some of the fear." I ran off in the direction Vivi went.

I decided that I wouldn't follow Vivi. I decided to look around the village for a bit. I decided to enter the building that was nearest to me. In this case it was the item shop. I entered the shop and saw the mage shopkeeper. "Um, welcome. Can I help you?" he asked, nervously.

I decided to try and lighten the mood. "Hi, what's your name, I'm Michael."

He still looked nervous. "I-I'm Mr. 163."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you Mr. 163. Could you show me what you have to sell?" I asked.

He seemed relieved at this. "I-I'd be happy to show you. Come over here."

I spent ten minutes in the shop talking with Mr. 163. He showed me all the items he had for sale, and I even purchased a few of them. After that I exited the shop through the back door and entered the inn.

The innkeeper looked over at me and grew very nervous. "Th-this is an inn, but we're not ready to check you in."

I looked at him and smiled. "There's no need to be nervous Mr…" I tried to think of his number.

"234" he said.

I nodded my head. "Would you mind if I looked at the room."

He shook his head. "N-no, go right ahead." I looked into the room and noticed only one bunk bed.

I turned to the innkeeper. "You wouldn't happen to have another bunk bed would you? We sort of need another one."

The mage nodded. "S-sure, we'll get it set up."

I nodded. "Thanks, I'll check back later."

I left the inn and went towards the Chocobo hut. As I approached, I could hear an argument going on inside. I didn't have to think hard about what it was about, and who was arguing with whom. I entered the hut and saw two Black Mages who were protecting a Chocobo egg from Quina.

Quina turned to look at me. "Michael, you here. We eat egg together."

The Black Mage, who was holding the egg, turned away from Quina. "No you won't" he said.

The other mage turned to look at me. "Is she a friend of yours? Can you get her to leave?" he asked.

I had to diffuse this situation, and I knew just how to do it. "Quina, if you eat that egg you won't have room for the frogs down by the creek."

Her eyes widened in excitement. "Frogs!" she yelled, and ran out of the hut. She nearly ran me over if I hadn't stepped out of the way.

I turned to look at the two mages. "Thanks for getting rid of that thing." said the one holding the egg.

I nodded. "No problem, so who are you two?"

The mage holding the egg spoke. "I'm Mr. 33 and he's Mr. 111."

I nodded to each of them. "Nice to meet you guys. I better go see how my other friends are doing, goodbye."

I left the hut and walked by the inn. That's when I saw Vivi run right past me. His eyes told me that he was disturbed by something. He ran into the inn, and, feeling concerned, I followed him in.

I saw Vivi over by a corner. I ignored the other two mages in the room and walked over towards him. "Is something wrong, Vivi?" I asked.

He was shaken from his thoughts and turned to face me. "Michael…i-it's nothing. I…" he paused.

I knelt down to his level. "Something's bothering you, Vivi. I can see it. Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "No…I…just want to be alone right now, okay?"

I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to pester him. "Okay, when you're ready to talk, I'll listen, okay?"

He looked a little better. "Okay, thanks Michael."

I got up and walked to the door. Before I left I looked over my shoulder at Vivi one more time; he had his back turned to me and was lost in thought again. I sighed and exited the inn.

I walked across the bridge and almost ran into Dagger. "Whoa, Dagger I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

She seemed startled, but quickly regained her composure. "It's alright, Michael, but is something wrong? You look worried about something."

I decided to tell her. "Something's bothering Vivi."

Now Dagger looked worried. "What's wrong?"

"He won't say. I have a feeling he'll tell us when he wants to, but I don't want to bother him."

Dagger still looked concerned. "Maybe I can talk to him."

I shook my head. "No, I don't want you to bother him, either. He'll tell us when he's ready."

She nodded her head. "Alright, we'll wait."

As we were talking, Zidane walked over to us. "Hey guys, what's wrong?" he asked noticing our worried faces. Dagger and I told him about Vivi.

After hearing what we had to say he spoke. "I agree with Michael, Dagger. Vivi wouldn't want us to worry about his problem to much, and he'll tell us eventually."

I spoke next. "I think we've talked long enough about this, and we do Vivi a great injustice by talking about him when he's not present. So we all agree; no one talks about Vivi's problem unless he tells us about it." They all nodded their heads.

"I'm gonna head to the inn. You guys coming?" Zidane asked.

"I will, eventually, but I need to visit someplace first" I said.

Zidane nodded. "Okay then. Dagger, let's go." She nodded and the two of them ran off. When they were gone, I walked over to the cemetery.

I approached the cemetery and saw Mr. 288 and Mr. 56. I approached them and Mr. 288 turned around to look at me. "You are…Michael, correct?"

I was surprised that he knew my name. "Yeah, I'm Michael, but how did you know my name."

I could see the smile in his eyes. "Your friend, Vivi, told me. He said you were his…teacher?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm Vivi's teacher."

"Vivi speaks rather highly of you and your friends. He said out of all of them, though, you watch out for him the most. Why?"

This question seemed odd. "I care about him, that's why, and I look out for him just as much as I look out for my other friends."

He nodded his head. "So it would seem. You and your friends are different from the ones who used us."

I nodded. "Of course we are. I can't stand using other people to get what I want, and I can't stand people who use other people to get what they want."

He nodded. "That's good to know. I feel as though we can trust you and your friends."

I smiled. "That's great. After all, there's really no reason to be afraid of us. We mean your people no harm."

I walked up to him and stood beside him. I looked out upon the Black Mage graveyard. I bowed my head in respect and whispered a silent prayer for the dead.

I turned my attention back to Mr. 288. Before I could say a word, he spoke to me. "I would like to know about your travels with Vivi and your friends." I smiled and retold everything that happened; from when I first met Vivi and my friends to where we currently are now. Mr. 288 listened to every word.

After I finished he spoke. "You and your friends have been through a lot together."

I nodded "yes, we have, and I have a feeling that the hardest part is still to come."

Mr. 288 reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "This is something I had with me when I escaped to this village. It saved my life on a few occasions. I'm sure it will help you protect your friends." He grabbed my hand and placed something in my palm. I finally saw what it was; a ring with a blue gem.

"What is this?" I asked looking the ring over.

"It's a 'Reflect Ring.' I'm sure it will serve you well on your journey with your friends."

I placed the ring on the ring finger of my right hand. As soon as I put it on, I saw a red aura surround me, and then it disappeared. "Thank you Mr. 288. I'll make good use of this ring, I promise."

Mr. 288 looked happy. "Good, now you better get going. Night is falling and your friends are probably at the inn." I nodded, waved goodbye, and walked towards the inn.

As I approached the inn, I decided that I wasn't going to turn in just yet. I wanted to get a little training in for myself. I entered the inn, and entered the room.

I immediately saw that the innkeeper had set up a second bunk bed. Zidane and Dagger had the bunk bed to my left and Vivi had the bunk bed to my right. Zidane had the upper bunk and Dagger had the lower bunk. Vivi was lying down on the lower bunk, so that left me with the top bunk.

Zidane turned to me. "Michael, about time you showed up. We were wondering what was taking you so long."

I smiled. "Sorry guys, I got a little caught up in what I was doing."

Dagger looked over at me. "Quina's spending the night in the woods. We're getting ready for bed. You have the upper bunk over there." she said, indicating the bunk bed to my right.

"Yeah, I figured as much, but I'm not gonna turn in just yet" I turned to leave.

Dagger stopped me. "What are you going to do?"

I turned and smiled at her. "I'm going to train" I said, leaving the room and walking out into the night.

I found a clearing near the village that was an adequate spot for my training. I unsheathed my reverse blade sword and closed my eyes. I imagined a vast battlefield and enemies were coming at me from all directions. I struck the first imaginary enemy with my sword and he fell to the ground. I turned to face my second enemy and kicked him in the gut. I continued to beat my enemies in a dance-like fashion. The longer I fought, the easier it became to wield my sword.

After a few hours I stopped my training and returned to reality. I sheathed my sword and walked back to the inn. When I approached the inn, however, I noticed someone was walking across the bridge. Both moons were out and I could see who it was; it was Vivi. Judging by the direction he was walking, he was heading for the cemetery.

I decided not to follow him. Instead, I decided to wait at the bridge for him. I placed my arms on the railing and starred out into the forest.

After fifteen minutes I felt someone approach me. I turned my head to the right and saw Vivi walking over to me. He was looking at the ground and hadn't noticed me.

"Can't sleep, Vivi?"

He was startled and looked up at me. "M-Michael…wh-what are you doing out here?"

I smiled at him. "I was training, remember?"

Vivi calmed down slightly. "Oh, yeah."

I looked away from him and starred down at the creek. "So, what are you doing up, Vivi?"

He looked over at me. "I couldn't sleep…I had too many things to think about."

I looked over at him again. "Would you sleep if I sang you a song?"

His eyes grew brighter at that sentence. "Sure." I smiled and began to sing.

"Niiiiight tiiiiime shhaaaarpeeeens. Heighteeeens each sensaaaaaaaaatioooon. Daaaaarknessss stiiiiirs and waaakes iiimaginaaaaation. Siiiiilentlyyy the seeeeenses aaabandoooooon their defeeeeenseeeeees."

My voice was soft and lulling. From the look in Vivi's eyes, I could tell that my song was starting to work. I continued to sing.

"Sloooooowlyyyyyy, geeeeentlyyyyy night unfuuurls its spleeeeendor. Graaaaasp it, seeeeeeense it, treeeemulooooous and teeeeender. Turn your face awaaaaaaay from the gaaaaarish light of daaaaaaaay. Turn your thoughts awaaaaaay from coooold, unfeeeeeeling liiiiiiight, and liiiiiisten to the Muuuuuusic oooof the Niiiiiiight."

I moved away from the railing and walked across the bridge towards the inn. Once I got to the end of the bridge I turned around and faced Vivi. I continue to sing.

"Clooose your eeeeeeyes and suuurrender to yoooour daaaaaarkest dreams. Purge your thooooooughts of the life you knew befoooooooooooore. Close your eyes (Vivi closes his eyes) leeeet your spiiiirit staaaaaaart toooooo soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooar.( Vivi opens his eyes) And you'll live as you've never liiiiiived befooooooore."

I beckoned Vivi to come closer to me. He walked across the bridge and joined me at the end of it. He started to look a little drowsy. I smiled, and continued to sing.

"Sooooooftly, deeeeeeeeftly, muuuuusic shall careeeeeess you. Heeeeeear it, feeeeeeel it, secreeeetly pooooooooseeeeees yoooooou. Open up your miiiiiiind. Let your faaantasiiiies unwind. In this darkneeeess that you knoooow you cannot fiiiiight; the darkness of the Muuuuuusic of the Niiiiiiight.

"Let your miiiiiind start a journey through a straaaaange, neeeew world. Leave all thooooooughts ooooof the life you knew befoooooooore. Let your sooooooul take you were you loooooong tooooo beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Only then can you belooooong toooooo meeeeeeeee."

Floooooooating, faaaaaaalling, sweet intoxicaaaaaation. Tooooouch me, truuuust me, savor each sensaaaaation. Let the dream begiiiiiiin. Let your darker side give iiiiiin to the pooooower oooooof the muuuusic that I wriiiiite; the pooooower oooof the Muuuuuuusic oooooof thhhhhe Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight."

Vivi couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. I noticed him slump forward and I quickly caught him before he hit the ground. He was sound asleep. I smiled at the fact that my plan had worked. I picked Vivi up and brought him back into the inn. I entered the room, and put Vivi on the bottom bunk. I took of his shoes and placed him under the covers. I tucked him into bed and smiled down at his sleeping form. I decided to finish the song.

"Yooooou aloooooone can maaaake my song take fliiiiiiight. Heeeeelp meeee maaaake thhhhhhhhhhhhhhe Muuuuuuusiiiiiiic oooooooooof thhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhe Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggght." After finishing the song I climbed up the ladder into my own bed and quickly fell asleep.

I slept soundly that night and didn't have any dreams about my past. I woke up and saw that everyone else had already gotten up. I quickly got up and ran out of the inn.

I ran to the entrance to the village and saw that the Zidane, Dagger, Vivi, and Quina were waiting for me. Zidane smiled as I approached.

"We were just about to leave without you, Michael" he said, jokingly.

I laughed, slightly. "You wouldn't leave me be hind. I wouldn't allow it. So what did I miss?"

"We know where Kuja is. We're going back to Conde Petie to the sanctuary beyond that." said Dagger.

"Well, I'm ready to go when you guys are." They all nodded.

"Let's go, everyone! To Conde Petie, and the sanctuary that lies beyond" said Dagger. And so we began our long journey back to Conde Petie.

The song I sang in this chapter is called 'The Music of the Night' from The Phantom of the Opera. I used the movie version of it. Why I sang this song, I just felt like it, besides if I'm going to use songs from The Phantom of the Opera I better include that song.