Ahh yes, the chapter that caused me the most issues. This was the final chapter that I had to write for this fic…so it's quite an accomplishment…but I put it off until the last minute because I knew how big of a bitch it was going to be to write. I thought that if I could get it to 1500 words I would be satisfied…but it ended up being almost 3500. I actually kind of rushed the ending a little bit because it was starting to drag. This is probably the most anal chapter that I did write for this fic…because it's basically a walkthrough of the Phoenix Cave. Literally. It's kind of scary actually. Anyway…Oh yeah. Locke talks to himself a lot. I had to incorporate dialogue so it wouldn't seem too dry…but…it makes me giggle because of how much he DOES talk to himself. Oh well. I still like the way the chapter turned out.

41. The Phoenix Cave

Looking around his surroundings nervously, Locke put away the warp stone that he used to get into the cave. A mixture of emotions were swirling around inside of him, so he swallowed with a gulp. It was rather bright in the area where he was at, so he looked up to see the yellow hued sky through a huge hole. "What's the point of that when no one even knows that this mountain contains a hidden cave…" He thought aloud as some birds flew overhead.

As he started to walk forward, he realized that there wasn't a door. Instead, it was a rock wall. He furrowed his forehead as he walked to one side of the wall and pushed on it. It was solid. He had the same luck when he tried the other side. When he stood on his tiptoes, he could see an opening to what he assumed to be another level of the cave.

"I wonder if I could climb this wall…" He mumbled, inspecting it to make sure that it was going to hold him. Rubbing his hands together, he walked closer to the front of the wall, figuring that it didn't look very steep. As soon as he stepped right in front of it, he heard a loud thud coming from his left. The sound caused him to grab his dagger and jump backward in a fighting stance. No sooner than he moved, the ground started to shake from a louder noise. Holding his fighting position, he waited for something to pound its way through the wall, but nothing happened. The room remained quiet.

His heart was beating quickly as he walked around the center rock to see what the sound was. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, so he calmed himself down and walked back to his climbing position. The sound happened again.

"…The hell?" He cried out, jumping back. This time, the light from the sky reflected off of something by his feet, catching his attention. Crouching down, he looked at it; it was a square metal plate that was just big enough for him to step on. When he pressed it with his hands, he could feel a slight springing action, but it wasn't enough to do anything. "Hmm…"

Standing up, he placed one foot on it, then hesitantly the other to put his full weight on the plate. The thud occurred and without moving his feet, he looked around the rock to see an opening in the wall. A smile appeared on his face and he almost ran toward it. However, the second he took his foot off, the wall slammed down again.

He rushed over to the wall and due to lack of ideas, pushed on it with all his might, then yelled, "Come on, I know you can open!" No matter how hard he pushed, nothing happened, so he crossed his arms, and kicked it. "Dammit!" With a huff, he walked around the small area to see that there wasn't anything to put on the plate that would be heavy enough to keep the door open.

"Now what?" He muttered with a sigh. An idea struck into his head and he groaned that he didn't think of it before. Reaching inside for his warp stone, he held it up before the wall. Just as it was starting to illuminate, he retracted it away from the wall and looked at it. A sly smile appeared on his face and with a chuckle he put the stone in his pocket again. Not wiping the smile off of his face, he put his hand over the wall and with a few words, magic burst out of his hand and the wall disappeared, allowing him to walk through. Looking at his hand, he chuckled and said, "Just like Xane used to do…"

He climbed the stone steps and saw that the next room was much bigger than the first and broke into two paths. He randomly picked the one to his left and started to follow it, smiling when he saw that there was a treasure chest tucked in the wall. Humming, he started to walk closer to it, his tune slowing down when he got about three feet in front of it. Something's not right. The ground sounds strange…He thought to himself, tapping the ground before him with his toe. As he tapped his toe, he started to see the ground give way, revealing the floor underneath.

"Okay, fine. I won't get that treasure chest," he said with an exhale. "I'll have to come back to it when I feel like falling and dying."

With a groan, he made his way around the curve and saw that there were stone steps that lead down to another metal plate. "Well, that'll be pointless since I realized I can use magic as my key to open doors," he said, looking at his hand and letting out a proud chuckle.

Regaining the bounce to his step again, he retraced his steps and reached the other path, his eyes widening when he saw several rows of spikes guarding it. Just to test out how sharp they were, he gently touched the tip of one with his finger. Even though he hardly applied any pressure, the metal spike cut through his first few layers of skin and drew several drops of blood. He instantly put his finger in his mouth so blood wouldn't drip everywhere then asked himself if he would be able to weave his way through the spikes and be okay. After carefully planning out where he wanted to step, being careful to note that the path went uphill, he hopped his way around them, and sighed when he came out unharmed.

He had to take a second to catch his breath, but when he did he turned to his right and followed that path. Much like the one he saw earlier, all it did was contain steps that went down to another metal switch. However, hen he looked over the edge of the cliff, he realized that there was another level which contained a treasure chest. Knowing he couldn't get the previous chest, he wanted to get this one, or at least see if he would be able to without falling. As carefully as could, and avoiding the spikes that were on the lower level, he climbed down and cautiously walked to the chest. The ground sounded solid, so he knelt down and picked the lock of the chest.

He frowned when there was only some gold in there, but he decided he might as well take it anyway. Moving on then…he thought as he followed that path around. Jumping around the spikes that were on that level, he realized that he was on the lower part of the level that he climbed down from. He knew that the spot that he climbed down from would be too steep to climb back up, so he walked around to find a spot that would be easier. Once he did, he made his way back up and smiled when he realized that he was already past the first set of spikes that he encountered.

Knowing he went right from the spikes the first time, he now went left, discovering a staircase. He walked down the stairs, feeling the temperature in the air rise about fifty degrees. The lava pool was the source of the heat, and Locke knew that he had to get out of this room as quickly as possible or else he was going to dehydrate. Besides the lava, the other thing Locke didn't like about this area was all the bridges.

"Okay, let's think about this," he said before stepping on the wood. "Wood over lava. The wood breaks, I die. This is going to be fun." He quickly walked on the bridge, praying that it wouldn't break, then the bridge stopped. Locke's jaw dropped at what he saw; several stepping stones that were several feet apart in the lava. "You have got to be shitting me here!" Even though the stones were a few feet in diameter, he didn't feel comfortable jumping on them. Wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand, he looked around and noticed that there wasn't another way to get to the other side.

Slowly inhaling, he realized he didn't have a choice and began hopping from stone to stone. When he reached the other side, he felt his face and neck, let out a nervous laugh, and in disbelief said, "I'm alive!" He walked along the small stretch of land that he arrived on and almost screamed when he saw that he had to do the same thing to get to the other bridge on the opposite side.

Sweat was dripping down his face in buckets and was starting to get into his eyes. He moved his wet bangs out of his face and stretched the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the sweat off. His lips were starting to feel chapped from the excruciating heat, so he knew he had to get out of there. Unfortunately the rocks were the only way to solid land. He took a second to prepare himself then hopped from rock to rock again.

When he reached the opposite side of the cave, he kept walking in hopes that he would reach another area of the cave that wasn't surrounded by lava. He was really starting to regret the fact that he didn't bring any water with him when he felt how parched he was. More of a reason to get this done as quickly as possible…He thought, exiting the area he was in.

The air was much cooler in the next cavern, so when he reached a staircase leading to another metal switch, he sat down to catch his breath. Leaning back and resting on his elbows, he looked up at the ceiling and muttered, "How big is this damn cave? It was created when the continents shifted so it can't go on forever! Or…can it?" His own thought process made him groan and rest his head against his knees. "I'm getting too old for this."

Just as he was about to get up, he heard the sound of water, like it was rushing somewhere. Lifting up his head, he narrowed his eyes and looked around, trying to find where it was coming from. He didn't see any sight of water, but he did see that there was another staircase beyond a wall that was composed of large boulders. Maybe the sound was just my imagination, but if I can get over those boulders somehow, I can make it up those stairs…He thought as he brushed his damp hair out of his face. With a shrug, he walked down the stairs and decided it was best to keep moving.

Walking through the path, he heard something from behind him; a low growl. His whole body stiffened and he turned on his heel, afraid of what he was going to see. He jumped back and pulled out his dagger when he discovered that he was face to face with a huge red dragon.

"Oh shit!" He shouted, moving out of the way of the dragon's teeth just in time. He knew he had to get to higher ground and quickly. That would be the only way he would have the opportunity to find a way over the boulder wall, run away, and not die. There's no way I'd take on a dragon by myself! I would need at least one other person here with me!

He ran around the dragon and up a different set of stairs, confusing the creature and making it turn around. Before it had a chance to snap at Locke again, he jumped off the stairs and struck the dragon in its back with his dagger. It howled in pain and stumbled back slightly, but it wasn't enough to make the dragon lose sight of its prey. Feeling his pulse race, he tightened his grip on his dagger and went to charge again, but this time the dragon whipped around too quickly and nailed Locke in the chest with its tail.

Locke went flying with a yell and landed hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him. He groaned as he stood up, but almost laughed in relief when he realized that the dragon knocked him over the boulder wall. Finding his strength, he climbed up the stairs and saw that the dragon was looking for him, and did not look happy. Steam was coming out of its nose and it was still growling as it panned the area. Trying to sneak away, Locke walked further away from the dragon and saw that there was a big rock wall in his way.

Holding up his hand, he was just about to perform a spell on it when the dragon let out a loud roar. Locke gasped and looked over his shoulder to see the dragon leap over the brick wall after him again. Trying not to panic, he held his hand up and tried to concentrate on getting to the other side, but he was running out of time. As a last resort, he dug in his pocket and grabbed out his warp stone and pressed it to the wall.

The glow engulfed him and let him warp through the thick wall without getting singed by the fiery breath of the dragon. He was now panting, but he knew that he was safe and could continue without becoming a meal. Exhaling in small puffs, he rested his head against the wall that he just warped through so he would be able to walk without his legs giving way under him.

After a few seconds, he looked in the room that the he was now in and saw steam rising from the ground. Probably more lava…He thought as he walked through the walkway and into the open room. When he reached the side of the cliff, he found out that it was just the ground, but it had small puddles in it. Like the lava was cooled down somehow…

Shrugging, he continued walking toward a bridge that connected the bit of land that he was on with a little island. He squinted and saw that there was a small treasure chest on the far end of the island and his heart skipped a beat. It has to be…

He broke out into a sprint, forgetting the fact that he was still panting from the run in with the dragon. He didn't have proof of what was in the chest, but instinct told him it was what Xane told him about. When he reached the chest, he fell to his knees, found his collection of picks, and began working the lock. He felt the tears form in his eyes when the faint 'click' of the lock reached his ears. Without wasting any time, he pulled the lock off and opened the chest. There was only one thing in the chest; a small green stone. Tears formed in his eyes at his discovery and he slowly reached his hand in the box to touch it.

Taking it in his hand, he sat down and couldn't take his eyes off of it. It's true…I've found it…He thought to himself, letting a tear slip down his cheek. More tears of happiness followed the first one as he trailed his fingers over the stone, in complete disbelief in what this meant.

He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there, but the minutes only felt like seconds as he thought of bringing Rachel back to life. "Okay," he whispered and stood up. "Thinking about it isn't going to help. Time to go back to Kohlingen…"

"Locke!" He whipped around at the sound of the voice and saw Terra, Sabin, Edgar, and Celes rushing up to him.

"Terra?" He asked, rubbing his eyes free of tears before looking at them in surprise. "Goddesses, is that you?"

"And us too!" Edgar said cheerfully, giving Locke a rather large hug.

"I missed you too, Edgar, but get off," Locke said with a chuckle and pushed him off. Clenching his fist around the gem in his hand, he smiled at them all. "It's so good to know that you're all safe!"

"I believe we have to say the same about you! We were worried sick," Celes said quietly as they all walked closer to him. "We heard that you were spotted somewhere in this area, so we tried to find you."

With a snap of his fingers, Locke exclaimed, "I should've known you were in here when I heard all the water go down! How the hell did you do that?"

Sabin laughed and said, "You know us! We managed to do that after we fought a dragon."

"Good, I'm glad you got rid of that bastard," Locke said with a nervous chuckle. "That damn thing almost bit my head off. I'm thankful that I can think under pressure, that's for sure."

Terra narrowed her eyes and slowly inhaled. "What's that in your hand?"

As Locke uncurled his fingers, he held up his hand and replied, "Behold! A legendary relic that can restore life!"

The other four walked closer to him to look at it. Sabin rubbed his forehead with his fingers and said, "That looks like…magicite…"

"Correct!" Locke proudly beamed, trying to make the tears in his eyes go away. "Legend has it that ages ago, the Phoenix was turned into stone. My grandma told me about it when I was younger, but I forgot about it to be honest with you. That is, until earlier when I received a lead and a reminder that many legends are based on facts."

Edgar put his hand on Locke's shoulder, understanding the situation. He smiled and said, "All those years. You finally found something."

"Yeah," he replied quietly with a small chuckle. He ran his fingers over it and sighed. "This has some major cracks in it though. I…fear it may have lost its power over time."

"I can feel it," Terra said eerily, closing her eyes. "Its power is waning."

"Damn," Locke whispered, shaking his head. "I wasn't able to save Rachel. I hate this feeling like I've lost all sense of purpose, but I just can't help it. My life will have no meaning until I can right this terrible wrong."

Celes and Sabin exchanged looks then looked back at Locke. "Rachel…" Celes began, brushing her bangs out of her face. "The girl from Kohlingen? The one who's house we were at last year?"

With a nod, Locke said, "Yeah."

"We were actually on our way there," Sabin mentioned with a shrug. "Well, we were going to go there if we didn't find you here. I don't know if we're going to go there still since we did find you—"

Edgar elbowed his brother in the stomach and said, "Of course we're going to go there. That is, if you want to go there, Locke."

"We're going there, end of discussion," Celes said forcefully, subtly dropping a hint on them.

"Oh, you guys don't have to make a special stop for me," Locke interrupted, not sure if he wanted to go to Kohlingen with anyone else. "It's not like it's an extremely long walk or anything. I can go by myself, it's not a problem."

"Not an extremely long walk?" Celes asked, putting a hand on his arm. "Locke, are you okay? Kolingen is basically on the other side of the world. It would take you several days by ship."

Edgar chuckled and pointed out, "And we all know how much you love to sail."

"It'll only take us a few hours by airship," Celes continued with a nod. "Wouldn't you rather do that?"

"Well…" Locke muttered, looking back down at the stone in his hand. "I…"

"Will you come with us?" Terra asked, hope in her voice. "Only as far as Kohlingen if you want to."

"I guess that'll be the best option," he replied with a nod, not taking his eyes off the magicite. "Let's go."