Whoo, two chapters in a day! Meeh, I'm not really a huge fan of this chapter. When I first wrote it, it was really short and I wanted to make it longer, and I don't really like what I added. However, I'm too lazy to change it all. The stuff that is actually from the game is okay...but the first part... :sigh: Oh well. I'll get over it. All right, I'm off to write more of some upcoming chapters...

10. The Fate of the World

"Where are we going again?" Terra asked as she looked between the three men she was with.

"We are taking you to see our mentor, Banon," Edgar replied stately as Terra nodded in understanding. Locke had to chuckle at her for he knew she didn't have a clue to what was going on. "He was the one who sent Locke to find you."

"Oh," she said simply as she looked down at her feet. There was silence between them until she perked her head back up, looked at Locke, and whispered, "Are we there yet?"

"No." He chuckled at her impatience and shook his head. "Almost though. We just have to go around these mountains and then it's to the north."

"Well, are you sure we're not taking the scenic route?" She asked with a giggle. "It's taking us a long time to get here!"

"No, we're taking the most direct route," Locke clarified as he pointed to Edgar. "It's just taking this long because Edgar didn't know his around and got us lost in that damn cave. It wouldn't have taken us two hours in there if we would've turned where I said to turn."

She covered her mouth to stifle her giggles from his statement and Edgar turned his head to see what was going on.

"What's so funny?" Edgar demanded with a raise of his eyebrows as he studied the two of them. Locke and Terra both innocently smiled, and Terra even batted her eyes at him. "All right, you two. Keep your secrets. See if I care."

"It bothers you, Edgar. Then again, it would bother me too if someone was talking about me behind my back," Locke teased as he poked Edgar gently in the arm. "Admit that it bothers you!"

He jokingly glared at Locke and dramatically brushed his hair out of his face. "Ha, right. There is nothing better I like than exchanging secrets and gossiping like a teenage girl."

Terra shrugged her shoulders and put her hands on her hips. "Well, that's not really a hit toward me knowing that I am a teenage girl. So I guess that's not too degrading in my case."

"No, it's not, but I meant it toward Locke as well," Edgar said as he patted Locke on the back. He touched the sleeve of Locke's tee shirt then looked past Locke to focus on Terra. "Next thing you know, we'll be buying him a pretty dress. What do you think, Terra? Do you think it should be pink or purple?"

"Blue's more my color if you couldn't tell." He pointed to his jeans and blue vest to emphasize his statement, resulting in Terra, Sabin, and Edgar nodding. Locke put his hand on his chest and decided to play along. "But, since we are on the topic, I prefer chenille because velvet does nothing for my complexion. Not to mention that it creeps me out," he said as he shuddered at the sound of the word. When Edgar released his shirt, he looked up at them to see the shocked looks on their faces. "What is it?"

"Let me make sure that I heard you correctly. Did you just say that velvet creeps you out?" Sabin asked as Edgar and Terra continued their looks toward Locke. Feeling another shiver run up his spine, Locke slowly nodded. "Velvet? The material? What the hell is wrong with velvet?"

"I have a velvet phobia, so what?" Locke shrugged as he made a disgusted face. "I know, it's strange, but I do. Get over it."

Terra narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hand on the back of his head. "Locke, do you have brain damage or something? I have never heard of anyone being afraid of velvet. That's just bizarre. What don't you like about it?"

"The feel of it, the…sound of it, 'cause, yes, it makes a sound, the look of it, and the list goes on and on. I mean, it's all…It's just velvet-y, I don't know. I really can't describe it," he said as he brushed her hand away playfully.

"So what if a girl was wearing velvet underwear or something?" Sabin asked in a completely serious tone of voice. Everyone's confused looks that were aimed at Locke turned toward Sabin, Locke giving him one as well.

"I…guess it would ruin the mood for me," Locke replied as everyone laughed. He looked at Edgar and clicked his tongue at him. "My my, what did you teach this poor boy when he was younger?"

"He's my brother, I guess it just runs in the family. I really didn't do anything to instigate it." With a sigh he gently pushed Locke, who ran into Terra, almost knocking her over in the process. Sabin luckily hopped out of the way so he wasn't involved in the train wreck as well. Although Edgar initiated it, he still said, "Hey, no flirting, you two."

"Sorry, I just can't keep my hands off her." The sarcasm dripped heavily off of Locke's voice as he playfully made a face at Terra. "You're not wearing velvet underwear are you?" She stuck her tongue out at him, then put her hands on her hips. He chuckled as he turned back to Edgar and continued with, "Besides, O Royal One, aren't you the 'knight in shining armor' who is supposed to be flirting with the damsel in distress?"

"I'm not a damsel in distress, thank you very much," Terra shot back as Edgar only laughed. Locke knew that he made a valid point and Edgar wasn't about to argue with it. "And I don't even own a pair of velvet underwear, just so we're all clear here."

"I'm sure Locke appreciates that," Sabin piped up as Locke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, I'm done making fun of you for that for now, but that's just fucked up, man."

"Well, back onto what you said, Terra; damsel or not, we still want to look out for you," Edgar stated as he walked to the other side of Terra, moving Sabin out of the way. He nonchalantly put his arm around her as he resumed his train of thought. "We know the Empire is out after you and we want to keep you to ourselves. Call us selfish, but it's always nice to have a brilliant and beautiful girl on our side."

"Gee, thanks, Edgar," she said in confusion. She wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment, so she raised an eyebrow as he flashed her a smile. Giggles overcame her, so she shoved him with some force.

"What's so funny?" Locke demanded when he noticed that Terra was eyeing him. "All right! Enough with the velvet fear!"

Tears were starting to form in her eyes from laughter and the others started to catch on as well. "I'm sorry! It's just so hilarious!"

"Okay, children," Sabin scolded as he saw the entrance to the Returner Hideout, which was buried in a cave by the Lete River. "As funny as this is, how happy do you think Banon will be to see you all like this?"

"We'll be good, we promise," Edgar replied as he made a cross over his heart with his finger. After a second, he looked at his younger brother in surprise. "Well, look at you, Sabin; trying to keep us all in line. That's kind of unexpected."

Although he tried to keep his stature, he smiled and shrugged. "I'm just full of surprises I guess."

"You, like, don't have six illegitimate children all over the world, do you?" Edgar asked as Sabin started to laugh. "Not like I would complain because I do want nieces and nephews and everything, but I'm just checking!"

"No, don't worry about that, Edgar," Sabin reassured as he gave Edgar a pat on the back. "I just did some training and stuff. I didn't do anything too extreme."

"Is it bad that I'm a little nervous over here?" Terra asked, slightly interrupting, as she stopped in her tracks. Edgar, Sabin, and Locke turned toward her as she played with her fingers and slightly bit her lip. They were at the entrance of the hideout and she was starting to lose her nerve. "I can't remember anything that's ever happened to me, so how am I supposed to be aware of what's going on with the Empire? I mean, what if he asks me a bunch of questions that I don't know the answer to? Will he…look down on me or something?"

"I don't think that's something that should even cross your mind. The Returners aren't really expecting answers," Locke said as she looked up from her hands and focused on his eyes. "Banon's aware that you were under control of the Empire and that you weren't conscious of what was going on. I think he's more or less just trying to have you understand the situation that we are in. I don't think he's going to want to ask you a million questions."

"He won't try to intimidate you, if that's what you're concerned about." Terra took in a deep breath as Edgar put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "We're all here for you, Terra. No one is against you."

Locke rapped the secret knock on the door and the tiny peep slot opened. A man looked out and Edgar waved to make his appearance known and the guard opened up the door, letting them through.

"King Edgar!" He exclaimed as he pointed to their left. "Banon has been expecting you! He told me to direct you and your guests to his room whenever you arrived. This way, please!"

Locke, Edgar, Sabin, and Terra followed the guard to a closed door, where he stopped once arriving. He nodded his head and the four of them went through the door.

"Banon!" Edgar cried out in greeting when he saw the elderly man standing at the opposite end of his room, inspecting the library of books in his bookcase. He was clearly waiting for them to return with Terra. "We brought the girl with us."

Banon slowly turned around as his four visitors spread out so he could get a better look at Terra. Banon walked closer to the young woman and investigated her as if he were inspecting a criminal who had just committed murder. Locke saw her face flush as she became more nervous and self conscious, and Banon mumbled, "Is she the girl who can talk to Espers?"

Terra blinked several times in confusion as the man continued to look at her. She made a quick sideways glance toward Locke and Edgar for support as she repeated the word, "Espers…!" The word had a familiar sound to it in her mind, but she wasn't sure if she remembered it only from being controlled by the Empire or if there were other reasons.

Locke exchanged glances with Edgar and Sabin to see that they, too, noticed how uncomfortable Banon was making Terra. Edgar, feeling that Banon wasn't aware of it, took it upon himself to speak up. "Seemed the Empire had complete control over her."

"I-I'm sorry, sir," Terra stammered as she backed away from Banon and bowed her head. "I'm trying to understand and remember everything, but the only thing I can remember is my name. I wish I knew…more…"

She trailed off when Banon turned away from her and started to walk toward his bookshelves again. Locke looked at Terra and could see the color drain out of her face, and he felt his heart sink. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he was afraid to interrupt the silence to ask her. "Carrier pigeons brought word that she wiped out 50 of the Empire's best soldiers in a few minutes."

Shocked from the accusation, Terra moved further away and bowed her head as she fought back the tears that burned her eyes. "That's a lie! I would never hurt anyone!"

"Terra!" Locke cried out as he ran to her side. He put his hand on her shoulder as he looked to Edgar for some reinforcement.

"Banon!" Edgar cried with a few steps toward their mentor. "Please! She doesn't remember anything!"

"Stay where you are!" The old mentor stated firmly as he made his way closer to Terra. Locke took his hand off of her shoulder, giving her a look that it was okay to turn around. With a slight sniff, she faced Banon and he gently smiled at her. "I'm not a wonderful story teller, but perhaps you've heard this story? Once when people were pure and innocent, there was a box they were told never to open. But one man went and opened it anyway. He unleashed all the evils of the world: envy…greed…pride…violence…control…All that was left in the box was a single ray of light: Hope."

The young girl was silent as she absorbed the meaning of his words, still slightly confused of where he was going with them. She looked at Locke for some kind of verbal response, but he only smiled at her.

"We now confront those evils," Banon continued with a nod of his head. He leaned down a little bit so he could look into her eyes and he gave her a gentle smile. "And you are that one last ray of light, our only hope."

Edgar saw the flash of fear enter Terra's eyes and walked up to Banon. "Banon!" He leaned over and whispered harshly, "You are going to scare the poor girl away if you tell her that the fate of the world rests in her hands! That's a hell of a lot of responsibility for her to deal with! You can't throw this at her, especially when she can't remember anything that has happened in her entire existence!"

Instead of agreeing or disagreeing with the young king, Banon let out a sigh and faced away from the group. "I'm so tired. Let me rest awhile."

With an uneasy look exchanged between Locke, Edgar, and Sabin, they all walked closer to Terra as Banon left the room to his bedchambers. Locke could see that she was shaking like a leaf, and he assumed it was because she was very scared as she analyzed Banon's words.

"Did he really mean that?" She asked in a small voice as she looked at her feet. She nervously dug her toe into the dirt floor as she continued to speak. "Am I the only hope?"

"I wouldn't say 'only' hope," Locke started as he tried to comfort her. He looked at Edgar and he only shrugged and shook his head. Locke knew that Edgar was right; she was the only hope for the world for she was the only one within grasp with any knowledge of magic and Espers. He sighed and continued with, "Let's think about this later. For now, why don't you get some rest? I'll let you stay in my room. It's been a big day for you."

"Good call. Why don't you guide her there?" Edgar suggested and Locke agreed with a nod. "I'm going to discuss some other things with the rest of the Returners. You can join us when you know she's safe. "

"I'm going to go take a look around," Sabin said as he quickly ran off. Locke, Terra and Edgar all blinked in surprise as he whipped around.

"He certainly hasn't changed much," Edgar muttered as he watched his zealous younger brother exit the room. "Still loves his independence. Anyway, have a good night, Terra. Think things over."

"Thank you, Edgar," she replied as he walked out of the room, then she turned to Locke.

"Shall we?" He asked her as he motioned toward the door with his arms. She nodded and he started to guide her to where she would be staying. He figured that she would feel more comfortable in his room and he could find somewhere else in the hideout to sleep for the night. That is, if I even sleep tonight. I have a very strong feeling that sleeping isn't an option…He thought to himself as he opened the door for her.

"Thanks," she whispered as she walked into the room. He watched her as she sat on his bed and stared at the wall. He couldn't find the right words to say, but he stayed in the doorway anyway. "Wow. Lots of decorations here."

Locke looked at his bare walls, smiled, and rolled his eyes at her. "I haven't had a lot of time to make the place more homey, I'm sorry. I didn't move in that long ago. I'm actually surprised that I remembered the way."

"You know I'm just teasing you, it's lovely. Simple, but lovely," she stated, her face forcing a smile as she rubbed her arms with her hands. "Besides, I really do appreciate you letting me stay in your room and all."

"Oh, it's nothing," he replied with a wave of his hand as he leaned against the doorframe. "I want you to be comfortable."

"What about you?" He was touched by her concern and he smiled at her. "I do feel kinda bad about kicking you out of your room."

"You're not kicking me out of my room. I voluntarily gave it up." He raised his eyebrows as he looked up at the ceiling. "I probably won't sleep that much tonight anyway. I might just go on a walk or something. I'm really antsy tonight; too much energy."

"Why?"

"Dunno," he said with a shrug of his shoulders as he started to leave the room. "I just feel really restless at times like these. I have a tendency to think too much and then I stay up all night. I think it's in my nature. In any case, try your hardest to get some rest tonight."

He saw her nod her head and he was about to shut the door when he heard her voice. "Hey, Locke?"

He froze in his tracks for a second, then cracked the door enough to poke his head in. "Yeah?"

"Um, I don't want to try to sound like the 'damsel in distress' that I vehemently said that I wasn't earlier today, but your promise still holds right?" He opened the door and leaned against the door frame again to see her turn away and kick off her shoes. She looked back over at him as she ran her bare toes against the wooden floor. "You know, where you'll stay with me until I get my memory back? I'm kinda scared right now."

Pain struck in his heart as he heard her words, so he walked into the room and shut the door. She slowly looked back down at her hands that were in her lap as he made his way over to her bed and knelt down in front of it. As carefully as he could, he put his finger under her chin and lifted her head up so she would look at him.

"I won't leave you," he stated, his voice firm and very confident. "I can't begin to imagine what you're going through right now, yet alone imagine you going through it without someone there for you. I'll always be here for you. I won't let anything happen to you. That I can promise."

She exhaled in relief and let out a tiny smile. "You have no idea how happy that makes me. I feel safe around you. I don't know why, but I do. It's like…Even though I don't know you all that well, I don't feel alone when I'm with you." Locke's smile slid off his face as she spoke, and after a second of silence, he rose to his feet and looked off to the side. "I'm sorry, did that come off too strong or something? I…didn't mean to scare you off."

"No, no, that's…um, that's not it," he replied softly as he felt his past overtake his mind like a sharp knife through his heart. "I feel safe around you. Like you'd never do anything to hurt me…" With a sharp inhale, he turned away from her and started to walk back to the door. "I'll protect you."

He could hear her drum her fingernails against the headboard of the bed in thought as he reached for the door knob. "Locke, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, sorry, I'm just a little jumpy tonight, that's all." He looked over his shoulder to see the confused look linger on her face. "Okay, I'm going to go take that walk. I really need it now."

"Well, are you going to be okay?" She asked him as he forced a smile. "That's a fake smile, Locke. It's going to bother me if you don't tell me what I said wrong."

"Terra, seriously, out of all the events that are occurring right now, this is the least of our worries," he began to explain as he retied his bandana around his head. "This is more of a personal thing that I have to overcome myself than drag everyone else into it. Believe me, I've done that way too many times."

"Well, I have no choice but to respect your privacy. It might not mean much because I don't know what you're talking about, but if you ever want to explain it to me, I'm here to listen." He brought his hands back down by his side and looked over at her. She was smiling at him, he assumed to bring up his spirits, and she looked so innocent. She's so young…she doesn't have a clue to what is going on around her…

"Thanks, it means a lot," he responded as he put his hand on the door knob, twisted, and opened the door. Before leaving, he looked over his shoulder to her again. "However, this is one of those things that I don't like to talk about. No offense, but…"

"Oh, I understand," she interrupted cheerfully as she nodded her head. "But, just so you know, the offer is always open."

"Again, thanks, but don't expect me to vent about it," he replied with a sincere smile. "Sweet dreams." With that, he flicked off the light and shut the door.