Right now, this is the last full chapter that I have before we get into "unwritten territory." I am trying so hard to finish this. I want to see it done. I hate to say it, but I'm getting sick and tired of it. It's my masterpiece but it'll be even better if it's done.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places, or ideas of Final Fantasy VIII.
Chapter Forty-Six
Hyne's Home
What had happened? What was this pain? Why did something feel terribly wrong?
Quistis bolted up. She sputtered sand from her mouth. Her throat was dry, and she tried to look around, but all she could see was sand. A sandstorm? What was this?
"Quisty! Zell!" A voice was heard flying through the wind. "Where are you?"
Quistis tried to call out to her, but sand caked her dry throat. She attempted to get up but stumbled.
"Quisty! There you are!" Selphie stumbled to her friend and fell down beside her. "Quisty, are you okay? I can't find Zell! Come on, Quisty! We gotta find Zell!"
"Selphie… where's… Rinoa?" Quistis choked out her words.
Selphie coughed after she had accidentally inhaled the sand-infested air. "Rinny was taken, Quisty. This great big flying thing appeared out of nowhere. It grabbed Rinny and created this storm. You had passed out, and we were trying to see what happened when that bird-thing attacked us and kidnapped Rinny! Now, come on! We've gotta find Zell!" She tugged at her friend's arm, trying desperately to pull her up.
But Quistis' strength had failed her. She slipped back into the sand, as her eyes grew heavy. The last thing she heard was a terrified scream from Selphie.
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BREATHE! Zell's eyes shot open, and he coughed. He was burning up. Every part of his body ached. Sweat rolled down his face, stinging his eyes and blurring his vision. He coughed again and it felt as if his ribs had cracked, such pain.
"It's good to know you are awake. I have been worried," A quiet voice announced from his side. A cold cloth was placed on his forehead.
"Where am I?" he rasped. He felt weak. It even hurt to talk, and he cringed.
"Don't stress yourself, my dear." It was a woman, an old woman. "You just rest, and I'll have someone tell Her Grace that you have woken." Wrinkles covered the old woman's face and her hair hung loosely, white and long. She had a kind face and soft eyes that smiled at him.
"Where…?" he tried again, but she hushed him.
"You're in her Majesty Hyne's infirmary. You were dehydrated after the storm on the wasteland. Our guardian was informed that her Ladyship was on the wasteland and went to find her. He caused the storm thinking that you and your two comrades were enemies. The Lady was rather upset. She ordered our guardian to find you and bring you back along with the other two. They have not awoken yet. It should not be long before they come around again." The old woman smiled and gently patted his hand. "There is no need to worry. They are fine. Please, do not stress yourself." She smiled very sweetly at him still and replaced the cold cloth on his forehead.
"…Hyne…?" Zell's voice cracked and he struggled.
"Yes, my dear, Hyne," she answered him half-heartedly as she attended to his wounds on his arms and chest. She put a thick, jelly-like liquid on the burns and scratch-marks on him. It stung but he showed no reaction.
Hyne? As in the Almighty Hyne? Zell thought. He felt a shiver run down his spine, but it wasn't from the old woman's touch. Am I… Dead? he wondered. ("Hey conscience, am I dead?")
"No, my dear. You are very much alive." The old woman had read his thoughts! "Everyone here is living, to say respectfully." Zell peered up at the old woman curiously.
"But that is enough talk. I must go inform Her Majesty that you are awake." She stood and gave him a low bow. "If you will excuse me." She gathered her bushy white skirts and gracefully moved away from him. He couldn't tell where she went. There was a bright light coming out of the window not far across the room. From what he could tell, he seemed to be in a normal infirmary although there was a distinct scent of lavender.
What was going on? Where were Squall and Seifer and Irvine? And Selphie and Quistis, where were they? What about Rinoa? Was she all right? Squall would cause some serious bodily harm if anything happened to Rinoa.
He tried to sit up but he had no strength for it. Whatever that guardian was that caused that storm must have been huge. He ached. The pain was becoming unbearable.
"That will pass," another voice spoke, only this one was different. It was deeper.
Who was that? Zell's mind was screaming. It hurt. It hurt so badly. His head was throbbing from the pressure.
"Forgive me," the voice answered. Suddenly, someone moved into view. It was an old man, not as old as the woman but certainly older than he was. He had light brown hair with a little gray that made him look distinguished. He wore what looked like a silk dress shirt and brown pants.
"… Who…?" It hurt too much to talk.
"Who am I?" The man laughed. "Good question. You could say that I am Her Majesty's Warlock. That's being respectful to my position. You, however, may call me Doron. I am here to take care of your injuries. I suppose that since I cannot heal you, we will have to send for Her Ladyship." The man removed the cloth from Zell's head.
Who was this Lady everyone kept talking about? He felt very confused.
"Ah, the Lady Rinoa? I thought you would know her." The man began to heal Zell's burns with magic. The burns of his closed and healed right over. He watched as the skin went perfectly back into place with no indication that there had ever been something wrong to begin with.
It only took a few minutes to heal his wounds, but the process left him exhausted. The Warlock's magic had worked with his body's healing process and everything was fast-forwarded to achieve immediate results. It didn't hurt, but he was tired now.
"Yes, I imagine you are." He replaced the cold cloth to Zell's forehead. "You should rest now. I can give you a potion for a dreamless sleep, but I must attend to your companions now." He handed Zell a smoking goblet that smelled absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, it didn't taste as good as it smelled. He coughed and sputtered as it slid down her throat in a hot, slimy substance.
"That should work immediately. Please, rest. Someone will be here when you awake again. Do not stress yourself to fight the potion. Sleep will be good for you." He bowed as the old woman did and left.
Zell's eyes had become extremely heavy and his entire body had gone numb. The longer he tried to stay awake, the more tired he became. Slowly his eyes shut and the last thing he saw the brilliant, blinding colors that flooded from the window. ("If you see a long tunnel, stay AWAY from the light!")
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Squall stared at Hyne. She was his ancestor. His great-great (multiple great) grandmother.
"What about my mother?" He had followed her farther down through the flower field. "And what do you mean she paid a great price?"
Seifer and Irvine followed close behind. As they walked over a small hill, they saw a huge castle along the upper horizon.
"What is that?" Seifer exclaimed. He had to refrain from blurting out "Holy Hyne!" as that wouldn't be very appropriate.
"That is my home," Hyne stated calmly. There was now a path that they had come upon. It led to the castle.
Hyne's castle was a huge, ancient building. It looked almost like Ultimecia's castle, but that this one was much more inviting. There wasn't a dark cloud hovering over the area. This type of castle was fit for royalty.
As they approached closer to the castle, they could see the finer details of it. It was mainly made with dark stone bricks, huge bricks that would have taken at least eight burly men to lift, let alone move. It had all the fancy details of a regular castle, except these were super sized. It had a moat and a drawbridge and four towers. Each tower stood in the directions of north, south, east, and west with pointed roofs. The castle was tall itself, extremely tall. It was highly defensive as well from the outside. The mouths of the cannons were seen at the area above the drawbridge. The most interesting appearance of the structure was the two stone statues on either side of the top area of the castle near the two end cannons. From a distance they would have appeared as gargoyles, but as the group approached closer to the building, it was noticed that the statues were, in fact, winged lions. One could only imagine how truly big those things were up close.
"The symbol of my kingdom has always been a lion. Only when the prophecy was born did the wings appear." Hyne stated softly. She watched as the three guys gapped at the gigantic building.
"Welcome to my home." She smiled and beckoned for them to follow her across the bridge and into the castle. They followed and as they crossed the thick wooden bridge, they looked down. In a normal castle, the moat contains very dark, murky water, but this was castle was most definitely not a normal castle. The moat surrounding the castle contained lava, but as they crossed over it, they immediately noticed that it wasn't hot. There was no heat coming from the lava moat at all.
"Say, Hyne, how come you're here?" Seifer asked as she led them into a huge hall.
"Here? What am I doing here?" She chuckled softly. Her voice was so sweet and soft. It was almost hard to believe that this was the creator, the ruler. "Why, Seifer, this is my home."
"No, no, no. That's not what I meant. Umm…" Seifer scratched at the back of his neck. He wasn't exactly sure how to say what he wanted. He didn't want to be disrespectful. This woman, this mysterious and goddess beautiful woman created their world and could easily destroy it if that were the case.
"Well, what are you doing in this place? This time?" Seifer struggled.
"Time? There is no time in this place anymore. No hour passes, no seconds wasted. This place has withstood time since the beginning of the prophecy and will forever." If all goes right. There was almost a hint of sadness in her voice.
"You mean, we're not on our own, um, planet? We're not in our own time?" Irvine asked. He was having a hard time understanding this.
"Well, yes."
"How did we get to the wasteland? I thought you could only get there through Time Compression? That's how I got there." Squall felt so confused. The conversation and questions kept jumping from one subject to another. They were getting nowhere, and he wanted a few answers. Unfortunately, Rinoa and her safety was one of the last things on his mind.
"Ah, the wasteland. That place is the connection between my kingdom and your world," Hyne told them as they followed her down the long hall.
The inside of Hyne's castle was very inviting. The entrance hall was decorated with flowers. White lilies to be technical. A long, deep purple and gold rug stretched to the end and covered the stone floor. There were a few scattered doors on either side, but they continued forward.
"How is it a connection?" Irvine asked.
"You must go through the wasteland to reach this place. There are several options, but mind you, all are very challenging. It even surprises me that you ended up in the wasteland to begin with. Master Doron has used many spells to block entrances into the wasteland. He is also responsible for the defense system of the Temple of the Lions. There are precious records there. I would be terrible upset if that security was breached." They thought they almost heard a little sarcasm along with bitterness in her tone.
"What kind of records?" Squall was following her exact words with immense intensity.
"I'm afraid I cannot discuss that at this time," she answered him quickly.
"What are the other ways to get to the wasteland?" Seifer, too, was closely following Hyne's words.
"Talk to Master Doron on that subject if you wish to know more. It takes a great deal of black magic to do so," she replied offhandedly. She led them down several corridors and a few turns before taking them into a very cozy room. A large fire lit up the whole room. Two velvet lounge chairs rested before the warm fire. The room looked like a typical scholar's study. Bookshelves lined the walls and reached the ceilings. Thick books rested on these shelves. Two long great oak tables were also covered in books, open books.
It seemed that two figures were relaxed in the chairs. Their bodies were silhouetted by the glow of the fire. One of them rose upon noticing that they had entered. It was an older man.
"Ah! Madame Hyne! How we have awaited your return. Did you enjoy your walk in the fields?" His voice was tender, as was his features. Soft, small wrinkles were lined along his face. His eyes were pure and calm and brightened his face as he smiled to reveal pearly whites. He had light brown hair that was spotted with gray. He wore a long silk, white shirt and brown pants. He most definitely had the look of a scholar with the small spectacles that rested on the end of his nose and the gray and white speckled beard that was once probably brown.
"Master Doron, I am sorry I took so long. My thoughts were a heavy burden this time." She smiled and the fire's radiant glow dimmed.
"No apologies necessary, Your Majesty. This is your rule. You do as you please." He had such a soft, older voice. "I was only excited to inform you that our irrational guardian has found Her Ladyship. Although he did cause some anguish to her companions," he trailed off.
As he spoke, the other figure by the fire slowly rose and came towards them. As the other approached, it was apparent that it was a woman, not just any woman. It was Rinoa.
"Rinoa!" Squall exclaimed. She looked up at him with highly displeased eyes. She didn't seem to be very happy at all. He took notice that she wasn't wearing the same thing that she had on when they departed on the wasteland. She was now dressed in a light blue robe. (There was something about robes here.) He moved around the others to her and pulled her into his arms. She was tense, and he could feel her rage.
"What is it?"
She looked up at him again and responded coldly, "Your guardian, that's what." She spoke to him low and angrily.
"Lady Rinoa, it is a pleasure to meet you." Hyne stepped forward and gave Rinoa a very low bow. Her hair glowed in the light of the fire and nearly touched the carpeted floor.
Rinoa broke away from her knight's arms and returned the gesture to the mighty one. "And it is a pleasure to meet you, as well, Your Majesty."
Hyne rose and studied the young sorceress for some time. Rinoa felt very uneasy under the creator's hot gaze.
"You do not seem amused at the present time, do you?"
"I am afraid not, Your Grace," Rinoa answered, bowing her head.
"Why?"
"Your Majesty, if I may interrupt." Doron stepped between the two women. "Her Ladyship is upset with our Guardian Griever. He has injured her three companions. I have visited with the one whom you call 'Zell'." He turned to Seifer, Irvine, and Squall. The surprise was evident and concern began to cover their young features.
"Is Zell all right?" Squall asked of Doron. "Are they all okay?" He felt a sting of betrayal from Griever. Why had his guardian attacked his friends?
"Do not blame Griever," Hyne spoke as Doron flinched, "He was only doing what he was ordered to do."
"Who ordered him to attack our friends?" Squall spat out bitterly. He was no longer confused or surprised but very, very angry.
"You did," A low growl came from behind them in the shadows. A figure clad in a dark cloak appeared. Red eyes glowed from under the hood. The figure was huge, too big to be a regular human.
"I did not order you to do anything!" Squall snapped. Rinoa looked at him in surprise as he was starting to scare her. She wanted to reach out and take his hand as a way to calm him down but did not.
"Maybe not verbally, but did you not wish for her safety in my house? I can hear your thoughts. Even now, and you seem to be rather infuriated with me. I was only following your wishes."
"Griever, you always pick the perfect time to show yourself." Hyne addressed the one whom Squall was angry with.
"And you," The figure bowed respectfully, "as well, Mater."
"You are Griever?" Seifer stammered. He backed away slightly.
"I am."
"Do not worry, Seifer. Griever will not harm unless ordered to do so," Hyne reassured him.
No, he won't or I'll knock the living stuffing out of him, Squall thought bitterly.
Griever slowly turned to face Squall once again. "You would harm your own guardian?" It was almost a sarcastic, taunting tone that came from this mysterious being.
"If you hurt my friends again," Squall growled.
"And the sorceress?"
Squall was outraged. "If you so much as lay a finger on Rinoa, you will be at my mercy!"
The anger that resided in the young Leonhart was so powerful and clear that it would almost seem foolish to push him any farther, but Griever strayed not from his task. He wanted to see just how truly strong and dependable his descendent was.
"And if you order me to harm her? Or the others, like you did?" He began to come closer. "What then? What would you do then? Would you punish me?"
"If you think that I am stupid enough to order you to harm Rinoa after I have sworn to protect her, you are making a deadly mistake!" he snarled through clenched teeth.
"Am I? And what if I made it very clear that you could not harm me?" One could only hear a smile lingering on his words.
Squall made a step forward, but Rinoa beat him to it. She stood between the two. The look she was giving Squall's guardian was almost menacing.
"Stop! You will taunt him no more!" Black fire began to rise in her fingertips. "Stop or I will banish you!"
The guardian took a solid step back in surprise, and then narrowed his red eyes at her. "You foolish child. No mortal can banish me. Only Mater or a descendent can banish me."
"Mon fils, elle est ma fille." Hyne spoke to the guardian. "Cause her no harm. Stop your game. He is strong, stronger than you. My son, you made him that way."
A low growl, almost identical to the one Squall produced when angry or agitated was heard. The guardian spun around to face Rinoa again.
"Be calm, I will stop. I was only testing his patience. He is the one who can match my power, my strength. I give you my service, my children." He bowed to Squall and Rinoa.
"Will you help us defeat Rianna?" Rinoa asked of him.
"If that is your wish, then I will. Ultimecia caused me a great deal of pain, and that child is trying to harm me in the same manner," the guardian answered.
"Pain? How so?" Squall questioned.
"She wishes to destroy me in order to destroy you." A soft chuckle escaped like steam being released. "But she shall get more than she bargained for, I assure you. You and I cannot be defeated easily when we have our memories to protect."
"Memories?" Irvine asked, gaining courage to speak with the guardian.
"Yes, memories. Would you want to lose those memories that make your heart and soul eternal?"
"Even the itsy-bitsy, tiny memories that don't mean very much?" Seifer added.
"Even those."
"Memories are nice, but that's all they really are. Why would you risk you life to save one thing when you could risk losing everything?" Squall asked.
Griever's red eyes pierced through Squall as he studied him. "You are wise. Wiser than you know."
"I am not concerned about wisdom. Wisdom is eternal. It does not die with age, but a memory can easily perish. Physical memories, that is. A memory that stays with you forever is better than any physical memory that you risk everything to save." Squall answered. "I don't want to die trying to save one memory and become a memory myself."
"Well spoken." Hyne smiled at him. He nodded.
"Griever?" Rinoa questioned. "What exactly is Rianna?"
"You sensed something unnatural about her, I take it?"
"Yes. She did not seem real." Rinoa was beginning to feel uncomfortable under the guardian's blood-red eyes. She wanted to see his face, if he had one.
"Rianna is a shadow. Ultimecia had no child. She could not. Rianna was the last living soul of a family that despised the Leonharts. She is, indeed, a GF," Doron answered.
"A GF?" Rinoa exclaimed. "How can that be?"
"She was born into the family that wished to destroy me. As a last ditch effort, Rianna was made into a GF in hopes to match my power," Griever stated. He seemed almost sad.
"I have studied this subject intently. Rianna was a born a sorceress. That is the key as to how she became a GF. She was never, however, summoned to fight our guardian, Griever. Those who survived from her clan feared her power. They feared the evil in which they had placed upon one so young. For years and years, Rianna the GF was lost to time, but years ago, before the Children of Fate came into the picture, Rianna was called by a young witch. I believe you know her as Nadia?" Doron was excited as he told them of the knowledge he knew. He was excited that he could finally pass this on to someone who wanted to hear it. As he spoke quickly, he had to keep pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Nadia!" Seifer exclaimed. "What's she got to do with this?"
"You cannot trust her. She is older than she looks. She is not who you would expect her to be at first glance. She is a witch, not a sorceress, mind you. She is, in fact, a nymph; an old nymph that used to aid Rianna's clan. She found a way to summon Rianna. She released a threat worse that Ultimecia. Since she has been locked away from human existence for a long time, she has had time to fully exploit her power. And with the help of this Dr. Odine, she may find a way to do away with Griever."
"So Rianna's a GF, and my daughter is a nymph," Seifer sighed.
"Your daughter?" Griever asked, alarmed.
"Yes, I adopted her about three years ago. Why?" Seifer seemed puzzled by the current events, not to mention the history lesson.
"Does she resemble you in some way or another?" Griever questioned Seifer intently.
"Yes, why?"
"The nymph, Nadia, takes the resemblance of the person who cares for her. She never grows any older. She can change her physical appearance as she pleases to gain ones trust. She, like Rianna, is a shape shifter."
"A shape shifter? What do you mean by shape shifter?" Rinoa asked. She had a lot of questions for this guardian.
"A shape shifter can change their physical appearance in any way. They can make themselves taller, shorter, thinner, change their hair color and even the quality of their voice," Squall replied with absolutely no tone whatsoever.
"You know, I'm beginning to think that this world is out to get me!" Seifer exclaimed.
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Selphie coughed and choked as a cold, icy liquid slipped down her throat. It felt good, but she wasn't expecting to just jump down her throat like that. She sat up, unable to stop her coughing.
"There, there, there, my dear." A sweet voice filled Selphie's ears as a hand patted her back so she could breathe again.
"Where… am…. I?" she choked out. The hand continued to pat her back.
"Oh, my dear, you're in her Majesty Hyne's royal castle. Do not worry, you will be up and about in no time." Selphie opened her eyes and was staring into the face of an old lady with soft eyes and a kind face.
"AHHHHHHH!" Selphie screamed.
A/N: Hey gang, sorry I took so long. School has been a butt lately, and I've been practicing my driving! I'll be able to get my license in March! Heh! Sorry I had to bust an Al Bhed saying on you guys, but that's really important for later. Well, I going now. I've got a lot of work to do and this stupid cold isn't helping much. Later Days!
I finished it guys! The rest of the story will come to you guys over the next couple of days! I promise guys!