Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, or ideas of Final Fantasy VIII.
Chapter Forty-Seven
History
"I sincerely doubt if the world is out to get you." Squall muttered, staring at the bright flames of the fire.
"Please, have a seat." Doron suggested, clapping his hands twice. Appearing behind them was five chairs in a circle. Griever remained standing outside the circle as the others took a seat.
"What can you tell us about Rianna and Nadia?" Rinoa asked. She was eager to know the truth about what they were facing.
"Rianna and Nadia are accomplices, both determined to destroy the prophecy. If Rianna succeeds, I will lose all my power." Hyne said sadly.
"Why does Rianna hate you so much?" Rinoa asked Hyne. Maybe, just maybe, the answer of how to defeat Rianna was in the past.
"That goes back a very long time, but you see, Rianna's clan hated me. She was born into that hatred. To you, it was a very, very long time ago, but for me, it seemed only yesterday. Rianna's great, great, great grandmother was the Advisor to my kingdom. She was the same age as Galliella but was very wise for such a young age. She had developed a friendship with Galliella since they were very young, but that friendship was abruptly ended with the arrival of a newcomer to my band of Knights. He was a handsome young man, very talented and both girls were attracted to him. But he chose only one of them. He chose Galliella, which infuriated my young advisor, Refies. When I left on my quest, I made the mistake of allowing Refies to take charge while I was gone, for at the time, I was afraid that Galliella was too young. Now, when I think about it that was foolish. Galliella was perfectly able at sixteen to take control of my kingdom. I should have had more faith in my daughter. But when I left on that quest, Refies did not hesitate to take complete control. She ordered the other knights to lock away Galliella and forbid her knight to see her. But it was too late. Nothing could have been done to keep the young couple apart. He freed Galliella and the two of them ran away to an area that was out of the boundaries of my kingdom. My kingdom was limited then, and they took full advantage of that. I still believe that maybe Galliella ran away from the kingdom to escape Refies and find me. My quest took several years, and when I returned, I found Leonhart imprisoned but no Galliella." Hyne looked away from them all. If she had the ability to cry, she most certainly would have shed tears of anguish and despair.
"But I thought they found Galliella, Leonhart, and a baby, and that Galliella was killed in the struggle?" Rinoa remembered what Edea had told her.
"No, no, no!" Doron laughed.
"That story has been so morphed to cover the truth. No, they never found Galliella, Refies' army nor the baby. They only found Leonhart. He was alone. They brought him back to the boundaries of the kingdom where Refies tortured him. She wanted to know what happened to Galliella, but he wasn't speaking." Hyne told them.
"I, myself, was ordered by Refies to use my magic so I may have gained some information out of him as to where Galliella may have been. I refused to allow anyone to be in the same room with me while I spoke to him. It was very odd when we spoke. Well, I was the one who did all the talking. He tried to speak to me but nothing would come." Doron told them his story.
"He was silenced!" Rinoa exclaimed with realization.
"Indeed. And the spell that he had been silenced with was so powerful that my magic would not touch it!" Doron clapped his hands together in excitement, and Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, and Seifer were taken back to see white sparks fly from his fingertips which he didn't even notice.
"You don't think that Galliella had silenced him herself, do you?" Rinoa questioned. She was the one who was getting into this the most. Seifer and Irvine were both listening, but they said nothing; Squall was staring at his feet.
"At first that's what I thought, but the magic was so dark, so evil, that it could not have been Galliella." Doron frowned. "Galliella's magic had just been so pure and fresh that I sincerely doubted that she had placed that spell on him, but there are even doubts in that theory as well. Galliella could wield some very powerful spells." He turned his head toward the fire, stroking his beard, lost in thought.
"Um, whatever happened to Galliella? And from where did the story of the baby come? If there was a baby, whatever happened to it?" Rinoa asked, wondering all these questions at once since Hyne told them the real story only a few minutes ago.
"There was a baby." Griever spoke quietly from behind his hidden veil of shadows.
"There was? But, Your Majesty, you said that it was never found!" Rinoa looked from Griever to Hyne, thoroughly confused by what was being said.
"True, when those soldiers found Leonhart, I'm sure you know him better as Tempest, he was alone. Galliella was not there and neither was the baby. Yes, there was a baby that was later found, but not until after Refies' escape." Hyne answered with such sadness.
"Refies escaped? I thought that she was hung?" Rinoa countered. She was beginning to think that Edea's information was either wrong or out of place.
"She was sentenced to it, but I did not know what Refies really was. I missed all the signs that told me that there was something dark about my advisor. Until early that morning, when her sentence was to be carried out, I had not known and I curse myself for my poor observation skills." Hyne sighed. She still blamed herself for what could have been prevented, cursed herself for the dynasty of enemies she created.
"What happened?" Seifer spoke up this time, letting Rinoa take a break from all the questions.
"Upon the morning of her sentence, a Black Bird was seen flying around the castle. This bird had not been seen before in the kingdom, but it was known as a bad omen. The bird continued to fly around until Refies was brought out to the area where she was to be punished." Doron explained to them. Hyne remained silent and nodded occasionally. "Refies allowed them to guide her to the area, but when the rope was about to be set around her neck, something very strange happened. The skies opened up and lightening struck the ground twice where Refies stood. She was unaffected, but the guards who had stood on either side of her, watching her, were turned to stone that shattered before our eyes. Refies stood there laughing this horrible, shrill laugh. Her gray robe was shredded at the bottom and her hair flying wildly in the wind. She was the essence of evil at that moment. The lightening struck twice again, but when the flashes were gone, so was she." Doron shuddered as he retold the story that he would never forget. It would forever be imprinted in his mind.
"The signs were missed completely. Until that morning, we had no idea what she was." Hyne spoke again, repeating it. She didn't want to be the one to say it. She wanted them to make the connection.
"How did that happen?" Irvine gaped, lifting his hat off his head, realizing that he had been sweating.
"She was a sorceress." Squall said quietly, almost mumbling. He continued to stare at the ground, listening to the conversation but not participating.
"What?" Seifer and Rinoa both exclaimed.
"Yes, that is true. I did not see it. I did not see the signs that, when I look back now, was completely laid out for me. She hid her powers well from me, but often there were times when strange things would happen when she was around. Galliella had the same problem, but I never thought twice about it with Refies. I should have seen it. To this day, I continue to blame myself." Hyne stood and stepped out of the circle. She walked well away from everyone before she turned back around to face them. "I am sorry, but I must leave you all now. My kingdom must prepare for this evil. This will come to us, and I feel it approaching. The final battle will take place where the first battle began. Master Doron, please give them all the knowledge you possess. That is all we have to offer." She then turned to Griever who still stood outside the light out the fire. "My son, you know what to do." Griever nodded, turned, and walked straight toward the bookcases. He seemed to disappear completely from sight and all that was seen was the very tip of his cloak swishing through the bookcases. Hyne watched him disappear before she, too, left them with a short nod.
It was very silent for several minutes as all eyes continued to watch the spots where Hyne left as well as Griever. The words that she had said to them were still ringing in their ears. Doron closed his eyes and bowed his head. It wasn't until Doron lifted his head again that anyone spoke.
"Does her Majesty want us to search the past to defeat Rianna?" Rinoa asked. She glanced over the books that laid on the long table across the room from them.
"Yes, that is the current plan. As her Majesty said, that is all we can offer you in the fight against this demon Rianna. There is more to her past than is known." Doron clapped his hands twice and two thick, leather-bond books from the table flew over and into his waiting hands. "Everything about her that we know is recorded in these two books, but as you can see," he opened one of the books to reveal many blank pages and a few written pages in a gothic hand style. "There is part of her past that is unknown. We have tried to recover that information about what happened to her, but, alas, we have found very little. All that is known is the one fact that during that time from which we have no history, she was lost to time. But let us start with the beginning." Doron set one of the books in his lap and held the other one, the thinner one, in his hands and turned to the first page.
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Quistis opened her eyes and slowly sat upright. She felt only slightly drowsy, but other than that, she was fine. Her eyes slowly moved around the bright room. The walls were plainly white and a tall thick-glass window was directly across from her with curtains of a sheer material. The bed that she found herself lying in was made of very soft material on a metal bed frame. The sheets were white along with the blanket that covered her and the fluffy pillow under her head. Next to her plain bed was a metal cart with three small, colorless bottles with labels that she could not read. Once she had examined her room as much as she could, she then began to wonder just where she was. All she could remember was that strange storm, and the huge figure that appeared in front of the sun. Rinoa had turned around to face it as it came nearer. She had not a look of fear on her, but the rest of them had been terrified. The last thing that she saw before everything went black was Rinoa walking toward the great figure with a confident step and a fearless position.
Her mind quickly went back to Rinoa, then. Where was she? Was she harmed? Did she defeat the monster that had been coming at them? Was she even still alive? And more importantly, did Squall know what had happened? She was also concerned about the others. Were Selphie and Zell all right? Did Squall, Seifer, and Irvine find anything? Were they still out there in the barren wasteland? It seemed that they were all separated and far away from each other. She had to know if everyone was all right. She had to know that Rianna didn't have any of them.
Deciding that she couldn't just lie there and wait for something to happen, she set her feet on the stone floor. She winced as her bare feet made contact with the icy cold stone. Then, for the first time, she looked down at herself to see that she was not wearing her normal attire, but a light gray robe. She frantically turned her head to search with her eyes for her clothes or even her whip. She didn't want to have to rely on hand-to-hand combat. Her training in that had been so long ago, and Martial Arts were Zell's area of expertise not hers. Unfortunately, she found nothing but the plainness that occupied the barren room. She knew she had to make a choice. She either had to stay here and wait or leave the room to find out just where she was. That is, if she could even get out. The door was parallel to the bed, but it didn't seem to be hard to get out of. She slowly moved to that door, unsure of why her legs were so stiff or why she felt so weak. Nevertheless, she was determined to discover where she was and whether or not everyone else was all right. She was worried sick about them. They were her family, and it was only natural that she was worried.
She finally reached her destination. She stood at that spot in front of the door, staring at the brass handle for some time. There was a tiny crack in her determination, and that tiny, little crack was threatening her entire mental mission. But why? She wasn't sure. She just stood there, fighting a mental battle with herself over whether or not she should reach out and turn the handle. The crack was growing, and if she did not decide soon, it would split the wall in two.
Finally, she made up her mind and very tentatively reached out to touch the handle. She felt like an adolescent who was disobeying the rules and out of almost pure curiosity, opening a door that was forbidden to open. It was a very odd feeling, one that she had not experienced in a long time. She was surprised to find that the handle turned with ease and the door itself silently opened. Stepping out of the doorway, she found herself standing in a long hallway with a crimson carpet of fancy design and torches lining the walls. There were no windows but several doors on either side, identical. She glanced up and down the hall to find doors that were similar to the ones on the sides. The only difference being that they were double doors. She knew not where to go and was extremely confused and alone. She hated that feeling, the one that haunted her for such a long time.
"Now which way do I go?" she wondered aloud. Her first intention was to maybe try going right, but for some reason, she found a frown cover her face in realization that maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Now all that remained was the direction of left. She was still hesitant, however, and wasn't sure if that impulse was correct. She did not know where she was and was alone at that. She was afraid of landing herself, or others, in a trap. She stood there, thinking it over but still not finding an answer. She figured, in the end after many moments, that she should take her chances. If she was a prisoner, the only thing she could do was attempt an escape. She just hoped that someone would come and help her like last time.
She looked over her shoulder at the room she was leaving. Her hand had never left the handle and slowly she brought the door closed.
Quistis took in a deep breath and made her way down the hall in the direction that she had chosen, letting her feet guide her.
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"What do you mean she's gone?" A very angry voice demanded, threateningly. A little figure stood in the darkness, facing the angry one, cowering. "That cannot be right! I performed everything perfectly! I made sure nothing was out of place! There isn't a single spell in existence that could defeat her! I made sure of that!"
"I assure you that is what happened! I saw it with my very eyes! I saw the power that vanquished Rianna! She is gone! They did it! They defeated her! I saw it happen!" The smaller figure exclaimed in defense, pleading for the other to believe.
The two were standing in a damp room at the foot of a long, winding staircase, shrouded in dark shadows lined with an evil green light. A pair of red-yellow, sickening eyes were perched high above the two figures, watching, not missing a single movement.
"You were there, too, weren't you? Did you not see what that filthy thing did to her? You saw the cloud, didn't you? You saw the symbols, heard the chanting and the explosion, did you not?" The smaller figure grabbed hold of the other one by the arms and was shaking them furiously.
"I saw nothing of the sort. When they had taken their eyes off me, I left. I was setting the traps and returned when everything had ended. I neither saw nor heard anything of which you speak. All I saw was the spell that had been cast upon Leonhart. I am assuming that was Rianna's work?" The second figure nodded at this. "But what you say cannot be true. If Rianna really were vanquished then that spell would have been released. It was not released until after everything at the Prophet's home. This is not correct. Something is wrong. She cannot destroy Rianna. I made sure that nothing could destroy her but his blood. She must still be alive. She must be out there somewhere. But where?" Stepping into what little light there was exposed a young, but cleverly aged face. It was the face of a young woman with small, black-beady eyes, pointed ears partially covered by short golden locks, and a very angered expression. A thick, dark cloak covered her long, thin body.
"I do not know." The second, shorter figure followed her out into the light to reveal Dr. Odine. He looked like a frantic, lost, ugly, little puppy.
"We've got to find her before they do. She holds the key to the Black Bird. Rianna must be kept alive until the alignment. Only then will past and future meet." The woman narrowed her eyes and began to walk in the direction of the faint green light. "Come Dr. Odine, we have work to do." The doctor nodded and followed her timidly. He stopped suddenly, however, and glanced up. When he saw nothing, he followed after her again.
The eyes reappeared and watched the two figures closely as they walked out of sight. When the two of them had disappeared, the eyes vanished and the sound of thunder was heard in the distance.
They were coming.
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"It has been said over and over that there is a force that will one day destroy this world, and that the destiny is inevitable. That force approaches with each passing moment as Time Goes On. Nothing can stop the coming of this destruction. Time will repeat itself and the demon will rise from the depths of the fires of Hell once again. It will start with the storm awakening from within one so pure, so hidden. The lightening will strike again in that same spot twice, and the Black Bird will again circle the darkening skies. This force will come, but it can be stopped before everything fades away. The illusions will be destroyed and the truth revealed for all to see. The sacrifice will take place and the position renewed. Now it is the moment of truth, and that truth will be finally written in the books of history for the final time. Beware of what the truth will reveal. Hearts will be broken and spirits will be split. A death will occur, and the soul will descend to the very pits of darkness from which it originally was born. It will be through struggle and misfortune that this new spirit will dominate and right the wrong. The death will come first, but it will not be mourned. It is time to walk the path that Destiny has laid out."
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"Master Doron? What are all these books?" Rinoa asked. She had gotten up during the history lesson and was looking over some of those old books on the shelves but dared not to touch any of them.
"Why, Lady Rinoa, they are records of history of your world and this one. Everything that happened in the past of both worlds is contained within those books. Much of those books are empty because there is little information that we know. Some things are very hard to come by and those who obtain the records are limited by how they can acquire the past." Doron answered her. He stood and joined her by the shelves.
Squall and Seifer were both lost in thought and silent. Each was thinking of what was going to happen. They had equal feelings that told them that problems were coming. Squall was beginning to understand what was needed to be done. It was inevitable. He had tried so hard to protect Rinoa, but now, after learning all this, he could no longer shield her. He couldn't save her from his own guardian, his own blood. He was beginning to wonder if Griever was a monster that he was a part of.
Seifer, on the other hand, was thinking about what Edea, Hyne, and Doron had all said about Nadia. She wasn't really his daughter, wasn't really a child but a trickster, an evil demon who helped Rianna in her dirty deeds. He couldn't help but feel a great amount of pain. He had loved Nadia like she was his own child, but she was a villain. But why had she chosen him? Was it because at one point in time he hated and despised Leonhart will all his being? He wasn't like that anymore. He saw Squall as an equal, possibly even as a friend, not as an adversary. He now knew what he had to do. He had to destroy Nadia. As much as it would pain him, it needed to be done. He couldn't let her do anymore damage.
Irvine sat listening to the conversation spoken by Doron and Rinoa and kept a close eye on Seifer and Squall. He wasn't sure just what to think. Everything was too weird, too foreign. He wondered when all the pieces of this gigantic puzzle would come together to show the big picture. He wondered what the ending would be like. Would they be able to defeat Rianna? Would they vanquish her for good with the help of a very powerful guardian and the most powerful being of their world? Or would she slip away from them and force them to track her down? There were endless possibilities, but only one would prevail.
"Everything is in these books?" Rinoa asked, tracing her finger down a book's binding in awe.
"Everything that is known. Of course, there is much that is not known to us, but hopefully the rest will be revealed soon. Most that is not known is Galliella's history and the history of the Leonharts." Doron explained to her. He took the book that Rinoa had touched and pulled it open. On the page that it had fallen open to was a name that sparked a memory in Rinoa's head: Dravon. She had seen that name before but where?
"Ah," Doron smiled as he saw the look on Rinoa's face. "I see that you recognize that name. It is a very famous name in your history."
"But I can't remember anything about him." Rinoa shook her head, disappointed in herself almost.
"Well, allow me to refresh your memory. Dravon was a great prophet known throughout the land of his time for his teachings and his wisdom. He foretold the dynasty of a great kingdom that you call Esthar. He envisioned the place and told those who would listen about what he saw in store. That was his first real prediction. He foretold much of the future, including the Sorceress Wars, but his greatest achievement was the writing he did. Most of his records we have here, but only one record, and probably the most important, was a serious of records of history that have been lost and no one knows where they may be. These records were the last he wrote before his death and have been sought out by many but never have they been found." Doron smiled continuously as he told her what he knew. "He left a series of puzzles before he died in hopes that those who were clever enough and cunning enough would be worthy to find them, but sadly, no one ever got a chance. The puzzles disappeared shortly after his death and have not been found. Some say that those records are never meant to be found and that no human alive could ever possibly understand what is said in those records. Dravon was a man of great mystery and used a type of writing that no one could understand but him and one other that was close to him. Unless those records are found by someone who Dravon believes to be worthy, we may never know what they say."
"What could possibly be on those records that Dravon wanted to hide them so?" Rinoa asked, finding this all quite interesting.
"Ah, now that has been discussed many times by our historians and yours, but no one knows. Some believe that they hold one last prediction of the future by Dravon. A prediction that tells when and how the world will end. Others believe that the records tell of a great paradise that Dravon once described to a student of his, but that, I believe, is all folly. The historians here believe that maybe those secret records tell the truth of the mystery of young Galliella. We still have yet to know her fate. Also, they believe that maybe Dravon knew something about the Leonhart family particularly Tempest. It is said that Dravon was a close friend to Gale Leonhart, a lively young woman who was his most valued student. She is the only woman, in our history, who didn't have any special power. She was considered a dud of the Leonhart clan, but she was actually quite a brilliant young mind. Her only misfortune was that she was a victim of incest. She was sent away as a young child to be taught, in secret away from the rest of the world, by Dravon. We only know about her time before and after her teaching with Dravon. What happened during the many years that she spent with Dravon is complete mystery. Dravon taught most of his students in secret. Everything he taught to a student was different. He had much knowledge to teach, but only once did he tell everything to a single soul. This was everything about the world, the past, and the future. He taught Gale everything that he knew, but she never spoke a word of it to anyone. In fact, she never spoke of anything that happened with Dravon. She didn't even recognize his name when she returned home."
"Why?" Rinoa asked. She had taken the book from Doron and was leafing through its old pages.
"That, we don't know. After her accounts with Dravon, she took a vow of silence and disappeared to live in solitude for quite a long time." Doron pulled another book off the shelf to show to her.
"There is a lot of history on the Leonharts, isn't there?" Rinoa gently closed the book and replaced it on the shelf before taking the other from Doron.
"Yes, but most of it we have no idea what happened. There is a lot of secrecy to that family and even some hidden truths. Lies have covered much and prevented us from knowing the truth." he frowned and moved to another bookshelf.
"Couldn't you find those truths in the Temple of the Lions?" Irvine asked, jumping into the conversation.
"We could if we had access. None of us here could step within those walls and live to see its secrets." Doron answered with his back to them, looking over the books for a particular one.
"What about her Majesty?" Rinoa inquired.
"Sadly, she cannot get in either. The blood must be pure to enter and receive." Doron sounded so sad.
"What about what you said a few minutes ago? What lies?" Rinoa held nervously onto the book in her hand, glancing down at it occasionally.
"Yes. There are many lies. Most of those lies began within these walls."
"Tempest?"
"Yes, it began with him. Not many of the people of this kingdom trusted Tempest. Some still believe that he is responsible for Galliella's disappearance. We did not know where he came from or what his intentions were. Some believed him to be a deadly enemy." Doron returned to his chair with Rinoa close behind him. He evidently forgot about his book he was looking for.
"If he was believed to be an enemy, then why was he trusted to be a knight?" Squall asked, lifting his head. He had been listening but also residing in his own little world.
"That was her Majesty's decision. She thought he could be trusted. Some still believe that her Majesty was at fault with that decision." Doron answered. He had his own beliefs but would not share them. Now was neither the place nor the time.
"Bt didn't Galliella honestly love Tempest? Didn't they share a strong bond?" Rinoa asked. She was convinced that Tempest was a good guy or that Galliella changed whatever faulted him.
"Yes, she did but it was possible that he did not. It was also possible that he did not tell the complete truth of where he was from or his true intentions, and the only way we have to find out is through you." Doron pointed to Squall. He showed a look of confusion. What did he have to do with this?
"Me? What do I have to do with this?" He asked of Master Doron.
"We hope that you will be the one who uncovers the truth about your past. There is much to be discovered that may save both your world and ours from this demon." Doron told him with a kind expression. He sat in his seat with his hands folded in his lap.
"But how can I find the truth?" Squall asked him.
"That, we believe, is where Griever comes in." Doron stood and moved to the door, motioning for Squall to follow him.
"What does Griever have to do with this?" Squall asked.
Doron opened the door to reveal the cloaked form of the guardian. "Who do you think he is?"
A/N: I'm sorry if that was a little boring, but it's really important later on and I had to introduce some characters that you will meet later in Book 2 or Book 3. Yes, I have decided that I'll go with the trilogy idea. This is book 1 and pretty much the basis of everything. Book 2 will come at the end of October and hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) done by the beginning of December, and the end of the trilogy will be either started or the beginning chapter posted on my birthday in December as sort of a Christmas present for you guys. I would like to have the entire Time Trilogy done by January where I can leave it alone and never touch it again until the day I die. But you won't here the last of me. I'm like a villain that never goes away and keeps bugging the heck out of you until you get completely frustrated and throw the controller across the room. I've done that many times! J Later Days guys. I've 3 chapters and an epilogue left to do. Have a little patience.