Final Fantasy: ANNIHILATION
"Into the abyss, perpetual and torturous. The gallery of suicide, internal torment. Archaic carcasses, displayed degeneracy. Once within these walls a life of death will be unleashed." -Cannibal Corpse "Gallery Of Suicide"
The Power Of Babil
"Time draws nearer, and the balance that holds the megaverse together is fast becoming weaker. I have granted four special mortals extraordinary powers and abilities that may aid them in the scheme of things to come. However, I must still remain an outside force, and I may not intervene in the affairs of the mortals I've chosen.
The first of the mortals I have bestowed the visions of the future to is the paladin kinght Cecil. He was once a servent to the darkness and has since repent for the sins of his past; or so he believes. The equal balance of light and dark that fills his soul makes him the perfect mortal to carry theburden." -Words Of The Allfather
The morning sun arose beautifully over the kingdom of Baron; a cool crisp breeze swept through the lands. Birds sang their endless hymns as the green grass fields swayed carelessly and the scent of fresh wheat permeated all it touched. Such magnificence was impossible to turn away from, to do so would seemingly be a crime. On this grand day; tales would be told of heroes, wizards, wine, women, and adventures. On this grand day, people would find the love that they had so longed yearned for. For these thoughts echoed through the peoples of Baron; all except for one...
The paladin knight Cecil sat alone in his tower room and peered out into the open emptiness. There wasn't any sight of beauty that could draw him away from the visions of grotesqueries that plagued his every waking thought, or his sleeping dreams. He couldn't remember when the visions started occuring; he couldn't remember how many days had passed since he had even moved. Even more disturbingly; he couldn't remember what sanity last felt like.
It had been literally months since he had eaten a meal or quinched his thirst, and yet his body refused to die. His physical appearance as well as mental health never seemed to be effected; in fact, they both grew stronger. Cecil pondered this fact often, but he never found an answer that would suit him. Something outside of his conprehension refused to allow him to peace of mind that death would bring.
To add upon his already troubled mind were what seemed to be memories, even though they did not belong to him. They were constant, and relentless. Never stopping, and always whispering names or faces of an unspeakable terror. Cecil's dreams spoke to him every night as he slept; summoning him to a higher purpose.
"...Thou hast been chosen paladin Cecil..."
"...Who are you?"
"It does not matter who I am, what matters is who thou art."
"...What do you want of me?"
"Thine tortures and thine misery will only continue to grow. Unless thou art strong enough to change them."
"Cecil..."
He sat there silently with his eyes closed, neither acknowledging or ignoring the sound of his name. It was if he hadn't even heard it at all.
"...Cecil..." the voice called out once again.
The second time his name was uttered; he was very much aware of it. But still he refused to answer. Instead; he merely opened his eyes and cast a curious glance at the one calling out to him. To his complete lack of surprise; Rosa had been the one calling. She often times came around and made attempts at somewhat one-sided conversations with him. The strong feelings Cecil held for Rosa were very much obvious, but since the nightmares began; he became a stone.
Rosa carried with her a small tray of food and drink, and hurriedly offered it to Cecil. He gave it a quick once over, but seemed uninterested in anything that would give him sustenance. He returned his vacant stare back outside of the tower wall; looking at both everything and nothing at the same time. Impatience and frustration sudden overcame the normally calm Rosa; as she slammed the food tray on the ground. She half-hoped to get some sort of stern reprimand but she recieved no such emotion. In fact; Cecil was completely oblivious to everything expcet what his eyes focused on.
"You know, this stone silence attitude is becoming a little old. And very much childish." she said with a hint of anger.
He gave no quick reply; only a slight glance.
"I'm your friend and I want to help you, but you have to tell me what's wrong." her tone changed to something more sympathetic.
"...You'll not guilt me into anything Rosa." he responded after another moment of silence. Cecil's voice was almost robotic; lacking any sign of emotion.
Rosa was taken aback, and very offended. Her claim had been sincere; she wished to help him, but she could only extend her hand so far. It was up to Cecil to accept it. Apparently; that was something might not ever happen.
"What is your problem! I'm trying to help you, but you keep pushing me away. Perhaps one day when I no longer come to visit you; you'll understand how I feel right now." Rosa's voice was trembling, partly from anger and partly from holding back stray tears.
("She means you no harm...why do you reject her so?")
"Because I can't allow her to see what I have seen." Cecil said a loud; talking to himself.
Rosa knew for certain that he wasn't speaking to her; so she decided to listen for the moment.
("No one can see what you have seen. No one could survive the horrors you have glimpsed at. So why do you continue to deny help for yourself?")
"I should have been dead a thousand times before this day, and yet I thrive. My body thirsts and wishes to be nurished, but it refuses to die. My mask of sanity is fractured and yet I can distinigush abnormality or normality. Why have I been cursed with these visions? Have I not suffered enough for my past sins?"
("Think of it not as a curse, but a gift. Perhaps you are being shown the events of the future. Maybe the inevitable future, or perhaps a changable future. The grotesque images that have burned themselves into your mind; the ground littered in the breathing and bleeding flesh of men. The trees taking on a living essence; vomiting blood, entrails, and furtilized by human bones. The very sky split open and devouring all the life left in the world; maybe you can erase those memories.")
"And how would you propose that I do that?" he asked himself in a sarcastic tone.
("Explore the world. Not every answer can be gained from mere thought. Perhaps in your travels you will find the answers that you seek. Or die in obscurity as you so whole-heartedly wish for.")
Another uneasy silence swept throughout Cecil's tower room, until he finally uttered the words...
"Perhaps you are right..."
Rosa was in shock from hearing Cecil actually carry on a conversation with himself. She made no effort to interrupt him, but she feared that Cecil had finally lost what little control of his sanity he had left. She quickly turned away and left Cecil to his thoughts again.
For the most part, Cecil hadn't noticed Rosa leave. The scattered remains of food and drink laid on the ground, but he mad eno attempt to clean. He simply returned to his chair and continued to stare at nothing; however a new thought echoed through his mind: explore the world. It was in actually a pleasant idea, and it would give him somewhat of an excuse to leave the solitude of his tower.
He closed his eyes once more, and for the first time for a long time; his mind was clear. Cecil welcomed the break from the encroaching darkness; even if it was only temporary...
A clasp of thunder and lightning forced Cecil to open his eyes as a storm appeared over the land. Strong winds and heavy rains beat down upon the land and didn't seem as though they were going to let up anytime soon. The sudden appearance of this thunderstorm convinced Cecil that this was the perfect time to slip into the countryside without anyone's notice.
Cecil clothed himself in almost all of his paladin garments; with the exception of the body armour. Everything he wore was bone white, and he cursed himself for this, but it could not be helped. He didn't particularly feel like dragging around the heavy armour as he traversed place to place; instead he wore a white overcoat. The only thing that seperated this from his other attire was that the inside of the coat was a dark red; it resembled the color of blood from a mortal wound. The second variation was that the back of the overcoat had tribal symbols of a massive dragon in ebony coloring.
After dressing himself; Cecil took one last look outside of the tower. It was very familiar to him, but also very distant; like a half forgotten dream. He folded his arms and closed his eyes; taking in small, unsteady breaths. He opened his eyes and said farewell to the place he called home.
"Forgive me my lord Cecil, but the king demands your presence." the first of two guards spoke. Apparently the guard was of young age, because he addressed Cecil with a great respect.
"Tell his majesty that I must decline." Cecil murmured.
"You will follow us to see the king; I will not ask again." the second guard said with a fierce animosity.
The man's tone of voice hadn't surprised Cecil in the least bit. Not long after the defeat of Zeromus; he retired his position of a knight of Baron. This didn't settle easily in the minds of most of the guardsmen, and even less with the newly appointed king. There were very few people in Baron that did not hold some sort of grugde against Cecil for some redundant point or another.
However, creating any type of disruption in the castle would more than likely lead to a death sentence. While this would not be a normal punishment; it would be handed down by the so-called king of Baron because of his resentment of Cecil. So he reluctantly agreed to follow them to the throne room.
The entrance hall to the throne room housed ten armed guards; far more than what was usually stationed. Already Cecil knew what was about to come, and had prepared for it long before it would happen. Upon entering the throne room; six of the ten guards from the entrance hall stood in front of the chamber doors. Including the two guards sent to fetch him; there were twelve knights armed and ready to kill with a single command.
A long red colored carpet lined the floor of the throne room leading up to the king's chair. The carpet was decorated in royal markings from ages before and magnificently well detailed. This however did not seem to concern Cecil as he finally gave a glance to the king seated on the throne. Beside him stood Kain, who had been given lordhsip over the knights of Baron after Cecil retired his sword. On the opposite side stood Rosa, the court magician, and advisor to the king.
The king gave a look of deep disdain for the person standing before him. His hatred and resentment towards Cecil had been voiced many times, and each time Cecil grew less and less concerned with hearing about it.
"Bow before your king!" one of the guards commanded.
"Your king, not mine." Cecil said giving the king a slight nod of acknowledgement.
"Insolent dog!" the same guard beamed and raised his sword overhead.
Without skipping a beat; Cecil threw a quick backhand jab and caught the guard on the bridge of the nose. His head nsapped back and the guard swayed uneasily before hitting the ground hard. A small stream of blood oozed from his nose and ran down his face. Cecil returned his gaze to the king who was apparently not outraged or phased by the actions he had takne on the guard. The other guards around Cecil made no attempt to react; apparently they expected something like that to happen.
"I have been told that you wish to leave my castle." the king started.
"...Whatever business of mine you have heard is not of Baron's concern. It is mine and mine alone."
The continued as though Cecil hadn't spoke at all, "As a knight of Baron..."
"I am no longer a knight of this kingdom. I have long since given up my sword, and I will not pick it up again for any king or country."
However, this comment did insult the king who's tone changed from half-way amiable to aggressive, "I'd be careful of your words lowly knight."
"If you're done wasting my time...king. Then I'll be on my way." he said with equal force.
"YOU ARROGANT SON-OF-A-WHORE! KILL HIM!"
About the time the king arose from his throne to command Cecil's execution; a plan had already been formulated in his mind. Since it was apparent that getting out of the castle the easy way was cut off; he would have to take desperate measures to escape. A sword from the guard Cecil had dispatched earlier laid at his feet. He rolled the sword on top of his foot and kicked it upward; Cecil caught it and swung it backwards to block an oncoming attack. Without suffering the force of the deflect; he threw the sword as straight as an arrow towards the throne. It narrowly missed decapitating the king, but struck something else that was the goal: a switch which would open a secret door inside of the throne room.
As soon as he released the sword from his hand; Cecil made a rapid dash towards the now opening secret door. Not very far behind him followed six more guards with swords drawn. Since he did not have a weapon with him; his options were very limited on what could be done. Cecil decided to try something he wasn't completely sure would work, but it might give him a few more seconds head start over his enemies.
The moment came when he was within distance of the wall beside the secret door; Cecil leapt forward ar an incredible speed and kicked off the wall. He spun around in mid-air and performed a nearly perfect roundhouse kick. It his astonishment; the impact had managed to take out all six of the guards following him. The moment Cecil regained footing; he disappeared into the secret door as it closed behind him.
("Feels different doesn't it? The feel of battle has made you feel alive again.")
"I had no choice but to defend myself..." he said in pauses while running down the corridor.
(Of course you did. You could have stayed and chosen to die. Isn't that what you've longed for?")
This thought made Cecil stop dead in his tracks; it was of course a very accurate assumption. But strangely; he felt compelled to live.
(Pay it no mind Cecil. You're doing the right thing. But now that you've eliminated nearly ever usable exit; how will you escape?")
He gave a small smile; for the answer to that question was the reason why he allowed himself to be brought before the king.
"Kain. Rosa. I am personally charging you with the capture or execution of the traitor Cecil. He has brought shame to the kingdom of Baron and he will pay for his crimes. Am I in any way unclear?" the king said.
Rosa was the first to protest, "My lord, is execution really a neccesary option?"
The plea was unheard; as she had expected. However, it was the silence of Kain that bothered her the most.
"Bring me his head."
The dragoon knight Kain before turning and walking away; he knew exact where Cecil was headed, and if they were lucky; they could catch him beforehand. Rosa followed closely behind Kain; silently whispering a prayer for Cecil.
The two ran swiftly down each corridor; only stopping when they thought they caught a glimpse of Cecil rushing by. It turned out that Kain had been exactly right when he guessed where Cecil would go. Baron's armoury housed the paladin kinght's sword, and he wouldn't leave the castle grounds without it. However, by the time they got there; the once sealed door lay in splinters scattered about the ground. The two guards which had been stationed at the armoury were just now beginning to stir from unconscienceness; someone had worked quite a number on them.
Without giving any concern about the fallen guards; Rosa and Kain continued their pursuit. Cecil's ultimate goal was to get to the secret airship port located in the underbelly of Baron castle; if they got there in time; they could stop him.
"What's gotten...into...Cecil..." Rosa asked through many gasps.
Kain didn't have an answer to offer her, but he wished to find out for himself.
Cecil managed to reach the airship port without arousing anymore alerts from the various guards. He was no fool however, Cecil knew well and good that Kain and Rosa were following him. Kain knew every secret corridor and entrance leading to and out of the castle as Cecil did; so he didn't figure it would take long before Kain realized where he was headed. Cecil hoped for the most part that he would be airbound before that happened.
As Rosa and Kain made their way into the airship port; they witnessed Cecil destroying not only the drawbridge controls, but the drawbridge itself. This seemed like a feat that was humanly impossible, but it had been done. The whole of Baron castle shook as the massive drawbridge thundered onto the landing platform far below; various debris of metals and dust arose from the impact. The airship port was nearly three hundred yards in length and one hundred feet or better high, and a single drawbridge which now lay in ruins was the only thing connecting the two together. Rosa began to lose hope in catching Cecil now, because he had destroyed the only way to get onto the airship; Kain however, had no intentions of letting one obstacle get in his way.
Cecil fired up the airship rotator blades; it would still take a couple of moments before the engines would be primed and ready for lift-off. By cutting off access to the drawbridge; Cecil figured he'd bought himself some time to allow the airship to leave.
Cecil heard a feint disruption in the air, and moved just in time as a stary arrow flew past his head. He looked up and realized that the arrow wasn't meant for him, but the wheel that controlled the airship's manuverability. It missed the control wheel only by inches, but the intent was very apparent.
Out of the corner of his eye; Cecil saw a glimpse of another arrow flying towards the control wheel. Timing his jump perfectly; Cecil leapt upward and he threw out his hand; catching the arrow with his hand.
"They are persistent. I'll give them that..." he whispered spinning the arrow around and sending it back towards Rosa.
She by this time was in utter shock; not being able to comprehend how Cecil had caught the projectile, and seeing her weapon coming at her. The arrow flew right past her; just barely scratching the surface of her skin, but at the same time severing the string of her bow.
"You alright?" Kain yelled over the sound of the airship's engines.
"..." She gave a slight nod and turned her focus back to Cecil.
The airship port's hangar doors began to open, and the vassel began to ift off the ground. It would still take a few moments before the airship would be clear of Baron castle and Cecil would be free to leave. Kain, now having no other options left, decided that he would have to take Cecil down once and for all.
The dragoon knight took several steps backwards and began to calculate perhaps the longest jump he'd ever performed. Kain had no doubts that he would make the jump, but he became concerned about having to fight Cecil again when he landed. He took in several deep breaths before taking a running start towards the now airborn ship. The second he touched the last bit of running space available; Kain leapt as hard as he possibly could to reach the airship.
Cecil kept a close eye on what Kain was doing up until the point where the dragoon knight began to take steps backwards. When that happened; Cecil grabbed a long length of rope and tied it to the hilt of his sword. He looked around for something which would brace his sword; the only thing that looked worthy was the iron machinery near the hangar rooftop. This presented a small problem because the machinery controlled the opening and closing of the hangar doors, and any mistake would cut off Cecil's escape.
The paladin knight then threw his sword far into the air; and by sheer stroke of luck; it struck straight into the iron machinery. The only thing that surprised him was the fact that his sword pierced through the machinery, and that it hadn't fallen back down. Cecil gave it a hard pull to make certain it would remain in place, as a very foolish thought entered his mind.
(You're sure you know what you're about to do?")
"...No, not really." and in truth; he really didn't.
He turned his attention back to Kain; who had just now leapt in the air. Cecil took one deep breath, and broke into a run. Using the airship as a height leverage; Cecil tightened his grip on the rope tied around his sword, and dove off the airship.
The dragoon knight could not believe what he had just saw as Cecil made the daring leap off of the now moving airship. His mouth nearly dropped as he witnessed the paladin coming fast towards him. Kain outstretched his arms to slow himself down so perhaps he'd have a chance to get a first attack on Cecil, but that was not to happen...
Cecil, with one hand grasping the rope, swung downward and scooped Kain out of the air by his throat. He could feel the air escape Kain's body as they drew closer to other side of the port where Rosa had been standing. When within a safe distance; Cecil released the hold on Kain's throat and watched as he flew through the air and crashing rather violently on the ground below. Rosa immediately ran to Kain and held him in her arms. Kain was still breathing, and conscience, and laughing all at the same time.
The velocity of which Cecil had picked up when he released Kain was now very apparent; as he swung upward to the very top of the hangar. Cecil brought his knees to his chest in wait as he approached the iron machiney. When the time came; he slammed his feet into the nearest object and started his descent back down. He built up even greater speeds when he came back towards the airship, which at this time was nearly half-way out of the port doors. Cecil gave one final pull on the rope; which jerked his sword out of the iron works. He watched as his weapon fell helplessly onto the airship. After removing the sword from it's resting place; the sheer force and speed of his fall carried his body upward; as Cecil seemingly began to glide across the air.
Cecil landed in a kneeling position after reaching the airship; his sword only a foot in front of him. The impact of the landing would have killed or broken the legs of any other person, but strangely; Cecil appeared completely unaffected. He rose to his feet at a slow pace, and turned to face his two friends; they all shared a downtrodden look upon troubled faces.
In unison; they all waved a hand at one another.
The last time Cecil saw Rosa and Kain had been nearly four years. His escape from Baron castle made him a wanted criminal with quite a large bounty on his head. The only thing that saved him a good bit of the time was the fact that he had an airship to travel with. Cecil searched everywhere in the world he could possibly think of. The underworld, the land of the summons, Cecil even roamed the surface of the moon with the help with the lunar whale.
After his long and tiring four year journey; just at the moment when Cecil had decided that there were no answers to be sought out, and he tought long and hard about killing himself; an epiphany struck him...
At each place he visited; Cecil got the distinct sense of deja vu; as if he'd serached there a thousand times before. Another force both elusive and sinister always drew is attention towards somewhere else, some otherworldly place. He searached all of the wonders and horrors that the world offered with the exception of one: The Tower Of Babil. The thought of going there was actually the first run to go through his mind after escaping Baron castle, but he had hoped that he'd find the answers he sought out before venturing there. With nowhere else to go, and no hope of returning; Cecil set-off towards the last place on, below, or off of the Earth he wished to go.
From the view of the airship; Cecil discovered another entrace point to the Tower of Babil. It was very strange that no one had ever noticed it before, but then again; the last time Cecil or any of his companions saw it; they had been on the inside. This ventage hidden entry point into the tower was positioned in such a way that the airship would not be accessible once he landed, and there were no other visible means of reaching the entrance. Rather than taking the time to carefully plan out his arrival and escape; Cecil thought it would be better just to crash the entire airship into the tower.
A thunderous explosion erupted as the once mighty airship became a fiery blaze; it rained down upon the foundation of the Tower of Babil; ending in the bitter depths of the underworld. His ridiculous plan or rather lack of planning had actually worked to his advantage; as Cecil was hurled from the burning wreckage of the airship. The impact of his body left a indention in the stone platform leading to the entrance chambers; however, the pain was deaded by his now overwhelming sense of curiosity.
Cecil took a quick survery of the outlining envirnoment; the shadow cast down on the entrance by the mountainside kept it hidden from prying eyes. When he first approached in the airship; he completely passed it, but that strange, yet familiar force called out to him and led him there. At this point Cecil had given up any hope as to figure out what was propelling him; it just seemed natural, and had so far not led him to any serious danger. He walked at a very slow, uneasy pace towards the entrance chamber; sword drawn and battle ready. The anxiety that had been building up in his mind had sudden disappeared; it was very strange, but a welcome change nevertheless.
The entrance chamber doors swung open as Cecil drew closer; apparently he was expected. He thought of all the wasted time he'd spent peering out into the open emptiness; hoping that answers would find him. However, those things seemed far off and unimportant...
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, and after what seemed like an eternity; he made way into the Tower of Babil.
Next: Return To Midgar