One Thousand Years Later
…The day was much like that one.
Bahamut still remembered it. Of course…he could hardly put it out of his mind. He had been right here, meditating. He had grown more withdrawn with time. After a thousand years, his people were blossoming. The espers only grew in power and numbers. Happiness filled this valley. It was a paradise. Even espers outside did well. There was nothing other than light mischief being reported by the Sylph now. Chocobo's race was doing well throughout the world, having become widespread and even becoming new races of white and black birds. No, there were no worries for him below. None of the espers would trouble him.
Perhaps…that was why he was so withdrawn.
Here in this world, it was easy to forget about the rest. This society was perfect. The worst problem was a fight with the children. But it was for that reason that Bahamut had become apart from them. His mind was always looking to problems of the other races in the world. The people below never thought of them. Only Leviathan seemed able to, and his interest was mostly in furthering his knowledge base, not in their wars or chaos. And that was exactly what concerned Bahamut.
The world had grown even more wicked.
Humanity did not cease their bantering, but continued to intensify it. The espers cared little for this or for affairs of humanity. And the feeling was mutual. More humans were beginning to forget about them. They held them as myths now, no longer as substance. Some still held on to them as gods, but most now trusted only in their own strength and power. And they flexed it frequently. They constantly were waging wars now. They were endlessly at odds with each other. Bahamut was glad, on one note, that they no longer saw them as gods. But on the other hand, he was furious because now they no longer feared retribution. They conducted one act of evil after another, never fearing anything befalling them. As humanity grew in strength, it grew in arrogance and hate. All of their new energies were bent toward squabbling and evil. None cared about promoting the common good.
The other races of the world either didn't care or didn't help. Elves disliked the aggressiveness of humans, and withdrew from them almost all together. Dwarves were little better, isolating themselves and only interested in their own greed and wealth. The dragons were at war as always among themselves…little better than humans in their persecution of their own race. The Lufenians busied themselves with their own grand society in the air. They cared little for the affairs of other men. And so, the humans were left to grow in power and evil.
And they were growing in power now. At this time, they had perfected swords and armor like Odin. They were beginning to domesticate some Chocobos, using them as mounts to ride into battle. New fighting techniques were being developed too, all over the world…giving rise to new kinds of warriors. But most importantly…was the new race.
Cetra were still in the world. Occassionally, they would mate with humans. Every time they did, they produced a powerful hybrid human that exhibited a new power. Over time, these people had become isolated and their genes concentrated. What they were called now were powerful people…on a level of strength similar to the espers. They were called wizards. Like the espers, they possessed powerful spirits…ones that could actually effect reality by bringing out special powers. They possessed special abilities and magic just like the espers. It was weaker, of course…but it was growing in strength. The people who had these powers were physically weak, but they more than made up for it with their new powers. Bahamut wished that they could have used their power simply for giving life and helping others. Unfortunately…such was not to be.
There were three groups. Red Wizards mastered powers for both life and death, and had some physical ability. White Wizards were devoted to helping cure and bring life to others. Bahamut admired them. But there were others…the Black Wizards. These ones used their powers simply for destruction and conquest. Despite their natures, either side quickly found themselves fighting for both righteous and selfish causes. Their new powers were adding a destructive new element to men, accentuating their battles and wars with curses and incredible power. In the past, Bahamut had expected only people like him to pose these threats to men. But now, they were generating these threats themselves. They were harnessing and using the same powers once used to enslave them. And they thought only of more anguish and destruction as they continued.
Dragoons, Paladins, Dark Knights…they were joining the wars as well, driving the planet into more destruction and madness. Nothing satiated the human desire for blood.Odin's own people now stood on the brink of a new war. Half of his Northern Kingdom had broken off. They were now beginning a fierce civil war, a new type of war in which even groups of humans warred on each other. Death…battle…evil…it was enough to drive Bahamut insane. The humans seemed to love war and death more than anything else now, and they would not stop no matter what. The few peaceful humans left were slaughted in these violent conflicts. The humans were becoming a race where only death and power ruled supreme. Even Palad's line was now turning to corruption and war.
Bahamut watched this all unfold every day, growing worse and worse. And in the midst of it all, he grit his teeth and fumed and shook his head at the world around him. It made him wonder what he had saved when he bested Griever. It brought the haunting final words of that fiend to him…claiming that humans would one day be as bad as he had been. And through that all, Bahamut wondered…what indeed had he saved?
Revelry and cries of victory echoed through the castle of Odin. This new structure stood straight and three stories tall. A massive stone wall surrounded it and guarded it, smooth and formidable. Only a great portcullis and drawbridge allowed any entry over a wide moat into the building, and both were shut now. The attention was on the hall in the castle. Warriors poured in smacking their swords and shields and calling for a celebration. At the onset of civil war, they had won their first victory, and it was time for joy.
The great hall was filled with meat and drink. People merrily struck each other in signs of brotherhood and began to feast. Musicians were brought in and began to play. Some of the more rough and savage men began to get sensual with the woman right in the halls of the castle. Odin himself sat on the throne at the head of the hall, accenting to this joy and revelry. After all, he had just led the first victory. His horned helmet was discarded for the moment, and he bared his great, hard, bearded face to the crowd. He smiled and beckoned them on as his leaders smacked their breastplates. The fires were stoked and roaring. Torches were brought in with more food, and more and more ale was cracked open to celebrate this occasion.
Every soldier, from the greatest to the smallest, rejoiced now. Even the guards outside were reveling somewhat. They drank and ate some food, sneaking away and bringing it to their positions. The common people were out and rejoicing over victory. The children were laughing and dancing around. Happiness and victory echoed through the halls of Odin. Everything seemed perfect in this great stone castle. They were safe within its huge stone walls and gates, and victory had ensured no attack. It was a time for joy and merrymaking without a care in the world.
People were so happy, they didn't realize the change in the wind.
It was indeed on a day like this, when Bahamut felt his loathing and anger for humans grow, that Bahamut had sensed that spike. Tonight, he thought of something similar.
The evil of the ruin had not died. No…it persisted and did not fade with time. In fact, after a hundred years…it seemed to start drawing darkness to it again. Bahamut couldn't confirm that last part, but it was similar to what he had felt when he had first been aware of it. Not taking the chance, Bahamut had gone to the ruined building. But he found nothing. The evil was still there and unchanged, but the building was still rubble. Plants would not grow on it and allow it to be eroded further, but it was still empty. No one went near it. It was gone and dead. And yet…the evil would not fade.
The world felt different too. It remained changed, as Bahamut had sensed that one day. In fact, as time went on…he could almost feel it growing more dark…more stagnant…more foul. This feeling didn't lessen, but only got worse with time like a chronic ache. Over time, Bahamut had felt a source of this as well. It took centuries to pinpoint, but now he felt he knew its location.
The Four Crystals.
The Lufenian researcher frowned at the sight of the Wind Crystal. This latest change did not bode well. For nearly a thousand years now, they had been recording differences in it. The wavelength of light that it emitted had altered then. And since then, the wavelength seemed to be altering further with time. It appeared to be growing dimmer. The change was extremely gradual. To a casual observer, they wouldn't know it. But their instruments didn't lie. The Crystal was slowly fading.
Their best minds couldn't explain this…but could only confirm similar things happening to all Crystals. Not only that, but the sunlight hitting the world seemed to be dying as well. Its wavelength too was leveling off. There were decreases in the amount of microscopic life in the waters too. The winds were declining on average. The ground was having a decrease in nutrients. This problem continued to accelerate, and finally it could not be ignored. The Lufenians put their resources to work and tried to find the cause. But they could find nothing. The only thing that they could find, after centuries and centuries of work, was that this relatively young and unchanged planet…seemed to be dying. The researcher didn't even know if it was possible for worlds to die in the clinical sense, but that nevertheless seemed the effect.
Yet in the past few days, a development had happened. The Wind Crystal had altered. It suddenly began to flicker, as if the internal light within it was "burning out". The Lufenians didn't even understand what made it glow, but now it was fading. In fact, the effects of the wind speed dying down seemed to resonate with it, fading when the Crystal flickered. Yet this was not for nothing. As it happened, their researchers were able to trace a source of something…something that seemed to be feeding off the Wind Crystal. Maps and historical records confirmed the sight…the so-called "Temple of Chaos". This ruin had been destroyed by a local species a thousand years ago, shortly after similar phenomenon to what was happening slowly to the world now occurred. Of course, it was more pronounced then. But nevertheless, it was happening. And it seemed to be purposeful. Before, the Lufenians had thought that the structure had been the cause. Now they weren't so sure.
Hence, this was the mission. The Lufenian researcher turned back to the control room, away from the Crystal. Here, there were many other researchers working at separate consoles. They were all controlling various aspects of this latest "experiment". Ahead of them, on a great globe screen, loomed an image being projected from the ground. Audio was also being projected. Each of the Lufenians here were focusing on it and intrigued on what was going on. They had just dispatched five of their best warrior/researchers to this "Temple of Chaos". Their objective was to find the source of this disturbance and neutralize it. After all…if the Lufenians were ever to use this planet, then it had to be stopped before the planet was no longer of any utility.
Right now, the great globe showed an image of the ground. Ahead of the ground was the structure in question. It was still a great ruin, as it had been for a thousand years. And now, it loomed there in the night, open and waiting for the crew to come forward. The image shook slightly, as it was being projected by one of the researchers themselves.
"Mission control." A metallic voice came over on loud speakers, resonating throughout the chamber. "We have arrived at the Temple of Chaos. We are proceeding with the mission."
"You have confirmation to proceed." The researcher simply replied, and then watched and waited as the camera image shifted, bounced, and began to move onward.
The Crystals had changed…somehow. Bahamut supposed he should have checked on them, but they were all but inaccessible now. The Lufenians had one, another was at the bottom of the sea, another was in the heart of a volcano, and the last was buried deep underground in caves Bahamut could not get too. But something was wrong about them.
If felt…almost as if all of this evil flying around in the air was eclipsing them… Bahamut wasn't sure if that was possible. But then again…as he thought on, he began to consider other factors. His memory wasn't too good of things from long ago, but there was another time that he had felt this much evil running around in the world. He shuddered to think of it, and he could almost hear Crusader's final words mocking him again as he thought of it…
The world…was feeling like it had under Griever.
A powerful blast erupted from the opposite side of the old, stone door. Smoke and light burst through the cracks. But then, the door creaked and groan, and flew open, pushed by the blast, and spilled the exterior glow into the chamber. Gray light from the outside pierced the inside of the chamber for the first time in a thousand years. And as it did, five bodies were framed inside the entrance of this new room. There was darkness for a moment, but then they adjusted equipment that they had, and lights came on and pierced the inner sanctum.
"Entering the sealed room." One commented. With that, he ducked into the entrance of the long sealed inner chamber of the Temple of Chaos. The others readily followed after him, and soon all wereentering into the chamber.
The air had grown still and colder the moment they went in. But the Lufenians didn't care. They swept their flashlights around the area and examined it none the less. They noticed that even the inner chamber was ruined and damaged from the blast from thousands of years ago. But the walls were still pretty much intact, and retained some of their dark glow. They walked in a short way, continuing to look up and down the columns and the formations in the chamber. They also pulled out small devices from their sides, which glowed with light and began to make beeping noises as they waved them around the chamber.
"Temperature has dropped ten degrees." One commented, shivering a bit as he did.
"Air microbe counts are down…to one tenth of their normal levels." Another spoke, a bit uneasily.
"Air circulation does not seem to apply in here. Even opening the door allowed no fresh air into the chamber." The third said.
"Interesting." The one in front, probably the leader, commented. "And what of the energy? Any of those signatures."
"…Fascinating." The fourth said after a moment, looking strangely at his instrument. "There is a pattern, moving through the walls and floor here…but it's unlike anything I've ever seen before."
"How so?" The leader immediately addressed.
"The energy current doesn't seem to be made up of energy per se…but rather a lack of energy. It's like there is a void moving throughout the walls in here."
"The source?"
The man paused, but then looked up and motioned. "Dead ahead."
The leader hesitated a moment, but then continued forward. Two of the Lufenians hesitated, but they soon followed the others. They tried to remember that this was all scientific. There were no such things as ghosts, after all. At least, only in a pure energy collective sense. But they were still uneasy as they ventured on. They didn't have to go far though, before they came to their destination.
There was a sort of stone throne on the ground. But it didn't look as if it was meant for any seating. Instead, it seemed to hold one particular object that could fit into it. It was a dark, gleaming orb. It shone out through the darkness as especially dark. As the Lufenians looked at it…they felt cold and uneasy. Even the bravest ones felt something drain them within. The surface was smooth and perfect, but the stone itself was empty and black. It looked like a void in space just to stare at it, though it couldn't be that big. Its darkness stood out even in the darkness of the chamber. However, the leader shone a light on it, and to his surprise…the light seemed to vanish into the stone, as if it really was a gateway into darkness.
"…What in the world is that thing?"
Bahamut had come to a realization over the years. He knew what the Four Fiends were after many years of thought and consideration. They, in fact, had been evoked from the Crystal itself. But why that was so was a bit more difficult. The reason was Griever himself. The being had grown so evil…dominated so much of the world with his wickedness…that the Crystal itself had become eclipsed. Its light nature had turned to dark in his grasp, and had become shadow. When that happened, the Four Fiends were evoked from its shadow.
But that brought a new fear to Bahamut's mind. If such was indeed the case…that evil resonating throughout the world was what caused these monsters to appear…then could the evil of men do the same? Could their own wickedness grow so large that it could evoke them? And if so…how much time before it happened?
Bahamut swallowed at this thought…as the sky overhead began to rumble and turn.
"I repeat, what is the object?"
"A…A stone, sir. It appears to have been a man-made device, but we have no records of any humans ever building such a thing. It…it appears to be the source of the disturbance."
After saying that, the screen suddenly snapped in static again. The leader frowned at this. It had been acting up since they entered that chamber. It was getting hard to see. He turned to one of the control people with a frown. "Can't you clear that up?"
"Sorry, sir. But it's an external phenomenon." The Lufenian simply replied, not looking up. "We're already almost boosted to maximum."
At that, one of the men said something. But his voice was swallowed in static, and the screen went fuzzy for a moment. In the flickering screen, it seemed as if the view was going closer to the stone. The Lufenian leader looked up and scowled, and then yelled out again. "Repeat, Mission Leader! I didn't copy!"
"…aid…recover a sample…stone…" The screen came on again for a moment, watching the view grow closer to the stone.
The leader sighed. "Mission Leader, the closer you get to that object, the less we can see and understand. Please pull back for instruction."
The view continued to flicker and static, getting worse as the image got closer to the stone. The leader frowned and scowled. "Mission Leader!"
One of the Lufenians shook his head, and looked behind him. "No use, sir. That thing is blocking out our communication transmissions. Its disrupting all communications."
"Our instrument ratings are breaking down too." Another one sighed.
"I'm losing a fix on their life readings." Another one added.
The leader rolled his eyes. This was a fine mess. Some damn article from this Planet was causing so much trouble. It might be useful to research, but not if it caused this much disturbance. Knowing full well it was useless, the leader nevertheless sighed and spoke again, louder. "Mission Leader! Fall back! That's an order!"
The entire image waved now, and went out as the man finally reached the stone. The audio garbled and sparked as he said something, but they couldn't make it out. The image was dead too, and soon all of Mission Control was lost. The leader Lufenian was about to curse at this…when something came through.
"…rd surf…impen…ait! …There's some sort of…action…"
One of the Lufenians frowned. "Sir, it's getting too bad down there. The disturbance seems to be affecting our machinery as well!"
The leader turned down and glared at the Lufenian. "What? That's impossible. We're nowhere near it."
"It's almost as if the disturbance is going through their machinery and into ours…" Another commented.
The leader frowned. "Deal with it!" He snapped, and then looked back up. "Mission Leader! Pull away now!"
The screen flickered on just long enough to show hands touching the crystal, before vanishing again. Somehow, however, the sound came on clear one more time.
"…peat, a reaction in the substance…seems like a light…hining in its darkness… Wait…there's something else…there's a new reaction…It…it…huh…ahh…AUGHHH!"
The Lufenians went totally silent, and stopped working with their own disrupting machinery…as a bloodcurdling scream suddenly erupted from the speakers. It lasted only a few moments…and sounded worse than death agony…before it vanished into static. The Lufenians went white. They didn't move a muscle. The leader's eyes went wide, his anger gone, as he stared ahead. He blinked for a few moments, but then tentatively leaned down and spoke again.
"M…Mission Leader?"
There was nothing but static for a moment.
But then, in a flash…the entire station went dark.
All equipment stopped. All lights went out. The room was plunged into blackness, save for the dim light from the Crystal. The leader's face immediately went into rage…although he now had a feeling of fear. The air…had grown colder, and stiller. It was almost as if…this place was turning into the one down there. But he refused to be scared, even as he heard the Lufenians around him go silent, no doubt feeling the same thing he did. Still, in the darkness, he gave an order.
"What happened now!"
"…Power…the power system has gone down."
"How?"
"I don't know…all instruments are dead. It's like that disturbance went through the machinery to us!"
"I told you that's impossible! Now get this damn room back online!"
"…The…the Wind Crystal…"
The leader turned, as did the rest of the Lufenians, and looked to the Crystal at the sound of that. As they did, what they saw was similar to someone slowly turning the knob on a dimming light. The already somewhat dark green glow of the Wind Crystal grew darker. It faded rapidly now, and soon it vanished all together. As it did, the only source of light in the room vanished completely. The whole area was plunged into darkness.
Not a sound was uttered. All were silent. The Mission Leader stared through the total blackness to where the Crystal was. So…it had gone out all together. But for some reason…the fact that an artifact of this planet had suddenly stopped operating all together…terrified him. He blinked and stared into the empty darkness longer.
"…What…is happening?"
Then something happened that no one expected.
An answer came out of the blackness back.
"Gruuuugh..."
The Lufenians turned white in the darkness. Their eyes went wide. Fear grasped their hearts. They heard something...something big...and not Lufenian or human. It snarled through the chamber and then died down again, but they could hear from the echo that it was filling the entire area where the Crystal was. For a moment, no one dared say a word. They only stared forward into the darkness and froze in horror. At last, the silence was broken by some sensation of movement in front of the Crystal area. After that, however, there was a scrambling nearby as someone plunged into their console and looked for something.
"My...my flashlight... I need my flash-"
"BURREEEH!"
Mission Control leader froze in terror as he felt distinctly hot, moist breath wash over him. He sensed something coming closer to him, and the ground was shaking as it drew nearer and nearer. His mind forgot about the mission. His bravery left him. He began to stagger back. As he did, the Lufenian behind him finally got out his light. He fumbled with it and flickered with it, before it finally came on. For a moment, a stream of light shot up and illuminated the terrified face of the Lufenian, before he put it back down and aimed it at the noise.
There was a flash of light for the briefest moment on a large, blue reptilian head, teeth flashing and bared, and mouth dripping with drool as it loomed over the Mission Control leader. Then, in a flash, that disappeared as that jaw clamped down on the Lufenian's head, and an explosion of blood and bone went everywhere.
The monster became invisible as the Lufenian dropped his flashlight, and soon the entire chamber was filled with terrified screams as the monster bellowed and began its rampage.
At that moment, it happened.
The sky had been rumbling and churning until now, growing dark and ominous. Bahamut had noticed this, but had dismissed it as just another growing storm. However, that soon vanished. His head turned to the sky and his eyes widened in sudden surprise and shock. But it wasn't because the wind had suddenly gone into a storm. It wasn't due to an explosion of dark power. It wasn't even due to the sudden dark feeling he felt in the sky...or the dark feeling from deep within his soul that this feeling was familiar. It wasn't the presence of something that scared him...
It was the lack.
The wind suddenly died.
In the castle of Odin, the revelry and cheer continued to go on within the castle. People rejoiced and clashed mugs of ale while feasting on roast animals. However, the atmosphere had changed outside, on the highest watches. Lower guards were still making merry as well, but the higher guards, drunk as they were becoming, hesitated. They had sensed a storm coming until now. The air was turning dark and windy. However, that had stopped now. Instead, they now sensed that the wind had suddenly died. It had happened in an instant. It wasn't a gradual drop off. It was a sudden dying. The men looked up to their banners and saw it confirmed. The flags had suddenly dropped. The fires and torches suddenly calmed and died down, seeming to no longer be fed by the wind. The men saw this, and despite their joy...immediately grew apprehensive.
The apprehension was soon justified. Abruptly, one of the men called out and pointed to the black sky. The others looked, and soon saw a burst of flame erupt in the night, far away. Moments later, a massive ripple of fierce wind struck the entire castle. The banners were fanned violently again, but this time were either ripped off or their masts broken. The gale struck the men at the watch, and some were nearly thrown off of their places. The wind went in and penetrated the castle, traveling all the way to the interior. The great hall, rejoicing gloriously a moment earlier, was suddenly thrown into confusion. Drink was knocked over. Torches were thrown and some were cast down, forcing people to break off their rejoicing and quickly put them out. Others had their clothing and dress thrown up, and were nearly thrown aside. The animals suddenly began to quiver in terror. The dogs barked in fear at the night, while sticking their tails between their legs. The horses began to bray and buck wildly. The wind seemed to be stagnant and ill as it swept through the area, and soon fear was settling on everyone.
Odin, however, did not stay down long. On sensing this, his full commanding presence stood to its full height. Without fear or quivering, he called out the orders. The front gate was to be locked and barred. Men were to go to arms and the watch was to be doubled. He himself took up his great horned helmet and prepared to go out and see firsthand what had transpired. Rumors quickly began to circulate as the men went about his orders. They were made brave by Odin's commanding presence, but fear still lingered within them. Some began to say that a new type of black wizard had appeared to bring fear and a curse upon the castle. Others said it was some demonic force coming at them. Still others thought it was a bad omen, saying that their enemy was retaliating. Yet they all had less fear than before. They withstood the danger, and did as commanded.
The main gate was closed. The portcullis was lowered and the drawbridge lifted. Timbers were brought to reinforce it as well, and iron bars were put across the gate. Extra quivers were given to the guards on the wall, and the army assembled itself before the fortified castle gate. Armor was replaced and weapons drawn, and soon the whole host was ready to confront whatever new terror there was in the night. However, the wind had died again. And now, everyone saw that the wind had totally died. There wasn't so much as a breeze on the air. Sound seemed weak...and even the booming call of Odin seemed drowned out somewhat. That their king could be so affected put more fear into the hearts of the people, but they stood their ground and waited.
As the silence continued, only the sound of the powerful Odin's footsteps rang out as he, now fully armed, walked up the wall face and to the topmost tower himself. When he reached there, he turned and faced the exterior of the night and glared out at it. One soldier began to talk to him, informing him of all that had transpired until now.
But the people below soon lost interest in that. They focused instead on something over the wall. There was a red light growing there, and it was glowing like a fire. The soldiers turned to this, and soon Odin did as well. He glared a moment at the unseen fire, and then drew his sword. The rest of the men, far below in the castle walls, drew their own weapons and hefted their shields in front of themselves. As they did, they watched the light grow stronger. It burned morebrightly with time, turning to orange and yellow. It definitely looked like a fire now, as if a great fire had broken out on the other side of the wall. The men didn't falter, although sweat was appearing on their brows. Some began to shake. They didn't like this. First the loss of wind, and now an unearthly fire coming toward them. Their weapons and armor clittered together and their palms grew sweaty.
Suddenly, they saw a new change. Odin stood his ground, but the other tower guards began to lower their weapons. Their faces melted into fear, and they began to step back. Some dropped their weapons all together. Another, in backing up, backed right over the edge of the tower. He was so stunned, he didn't even scream as he fell to his death. The rest of the people began to look panicked at this. Their eyes filled with mounting terror. Their stomachs began to turn. Their hearts shuddered as they looked toward the reinforced gate and waited...
The fear suddenly erupted into terror, however, when it struck.
A massive explosion suddenly oblitered the entire gate and front wall, sending flaming stone, iron, and wood flying everywhere for miles.
Impossible...
Bahamut shot to his feet as if he had been struck. It felt like another cold knife had been driven into his chest. He had felt...that feeling. That same icy blackness as he had sensed a thousand years earlier. It was weaker than before...and even felt as if it was more...specific, if that was possible. But it was back. It had become concentrated again, and it emerged back into the world with a signature any esper could feel. Only this time, it was no longer passive. It wasn't simply a trace of energy existing and growing more black and evil.
It was lashing out. And it was attacking Odin's castle.
"Bahamut..."
The great dragon thought he had heard Leviathan's voice. But whether he had or not he didn't care. He didn't have time for it. No doubt, his brother had felt the darkness returning, but Bahamut couldn't waste anymore time. He had to deal with it now, before it lashed out and destroyed something else. He had to stop this darkness again...and find out how it had managed to survive and be restored after all these years. In a flash, he had unfurled his wings and had taken off for the Northern Continent. This time, he put everything he had into the flight...and hoped he could stop whatever this was.
It felt familiar...too familar...
Bahamut had plenty to think about along the way. He sensed more life as he drew closer...human lives. One by one...or occasionally in huge groups...they were winking out. Something was oblitering them left and right. Bahamut knew it had to be the dark energy. Yet for all the death it caused, it didn't weaken at all. It seemed totally tireless. Its power kept exploding too, no doubt destroying something else. But the energy never diminished. As he continued to sense it, he eventually traced people fleeing from the dark source. Many of them were chased down...and obliterated. But others did escape. In the heart of it all, he saw that Odin's power continued to resonate and not fade, even as his subjects were winked out one by one. Bahamut knew that his kingdom wasn't isolated to here. This was his main castle, but it wasn't his only castle. The entire continent was owned by him. Nevertheless, this was going to be a horrible loss for him...assuming he or his people survived.
At last, he sensed Odin's power unleashed. The esper exploded to full strength. Bahamut pushed himself harder at this, wanting to join up sooner to help. He sensed the fight unfold, and sensed Odin unleash his entire repitoire of powerful attacks against this monstrous thing. And yet, to Bahamut's shock, the dark force did not fade. It didn't even weaken. But Odin did. Eventually, he ran out of power. And when he did, this dark force jumped on him and began to beat him down further. Bahamut pushed himself harder and harder, hoping to get there in time. He feared the dark power would destroy him. However, there had to be some sense in Odin at this point, because somehow he managed to get away, likely due to Slepnir. For one reason or another, this dark power decided to let him flee. But Bahamut kept pushing himself, fear growing now. Odin had escaped, but what monster could take him on and not grow weak? He had been almost certain that Odin's own power had actually excelled that of the dark power, yet he still lost... Bahamut was growing afraid at this. The power did seem familiar...too familiar...and it was starting to scare him that he couldn't think of it. One thing was certain. It was evil and craved death. If it was left unchecked, it would destroy the entire human race...
But... A dark thought rippled through his head. Would that be a bad thing?
Bahamut was shocked and puzzled that he had thought that, however. Quickly, he shook it out of his head, and pressed on.
At long last, Bahamut reached the site. Even from a distance, he saw that the castle was now in flames, but somehow it was still standing. Odin had built it well. Bahamut quickly surveyed the area. Few humans were left alive there. 99 percent were dead or dying who were still there. As for the remainder, he could sense them deep within the burning castle, somehow still trying to stave off the assault of the dark force. Odin's assault had given them their only chance to escape, but they had either been unable or unwilling to do so. Now, the dark entity was leaping on them, and their lives were rapidly being smashed.
Bahamut quickly swept down and alit in the burning courtyard. Fire and smoke was nothing to him. The moment he touched down, however, he regarded the area around him with a sense of fear. The place had been annihilated. The wall had been smashed into bits. Bodies were laying everywhere, bloody and broken into pieces, many of them ripped...or chewed. The people hadn't had a chance against this force. Signs of large slashes and explosions indicated Odin's fight, but there wasn't so much as a drop of blood from the creature. The entire grounds were on fire, and many of the humans were burning. He turned his attention to the castle next. What he soon saw was that the front gate was open to the main hall. He sensed movement within it, but could see nothing. Moments later, half of a still-living human torso was flung outside of the opening and out into the night air. Thankfully, it died soon after. But the esper felt his anger aroused. Quickly, he shot forward into the chamber, disregarding the fire and smoke that surrounded it as he charged inside.
Heat and foul air surrounded him. It seemed as if the air had grown even more poisonous as he had entered. However, he ignored this and focused on the sight before him. For the first time, he could make out its features.
The thing was a sickly green color. Its body was draconian in shape, with two arms, two legs, and a long tail. However, it was more stocky in the torso, showcasing that it had more to support. Instead of wings, the monstrous beast had six ferocious heads. Apparently, they all had their own consciousness as well. Two of them were feasting on the flesh of two soldiers. Two more of them were ripping apart a third as they fought over the carcass. Another breathed flames to further decimate the castle. The final snarled and looked in front of it. However, when Bahamut appeared, the head suddenly froze. It was aware of his presence.
Bahamut glared at the creature darkly, and braced himself for a fight. No doubt, this monstrous thing was the source of the destruction and evil.
"Turn around and show your face to me, unclean beast." Bahamut challenged.
In response to that, the creature seemed to smile and kept its head turned away. The other heads, seeming to realize his presence, spat out the "food" in their mouths and reacted as well. Slowly, the first head turned and looked around to Bahamut. Looking at it, Bahamut felt a cold ripple. A long buried memory was brought out from within...and he felt nervous. That face...was so familiar...but he couldn't remember it...
"Hmph." The thing's head spoke. "Why Bahamut, don't you remember us?"
The esper reacted to this, and his bold face turned to some puzzlement. "You...recognize me?"
Another head turned and addressed him with that same wicked smile and look. "Of course we recognize you."
"We've thought of nothing else but you for millenia..." A third answered as it turned.
"We've wanted revenge so badly..." Another spoke coolly and slowly, its voice laced with maliciousness.
"We've wanted to see your blood flow and your world die..." The fifth sneered.
"And now, we can see it happen." The last spoke as it turned, along with the body this time. The monstrous thing now faced Bahamut. The esper felt a cold feeling as it turned and towered over him. It was easily twice his size. And each head danced slowly in front of him like a cobra waiting to strike. They all sneered and looked wicked and bloodthirsty. And he couldn't do the same. If he looked one in the eye, five others could stare at him from different angles. He felt very nervous, but dared not show it. He was too preoccupied with wondering why this thing knew him. No doubt, he realized, they had met before...but he couldn't remember from where.
"...Who are you?" He finally asked.
The heads sneered and giggled at this.
"Don't know?"
"Such a bad memory..."
"Or perhaps you just dismissed us so easily..."
"Arrogant little wretch."
"Thought we were so easily to kill before..."
"Now look at us!"
Bahamut didn't like this. The heads were stretched out so that if he wanted to follow them, he had to constantly shift his head to look at each of them speaking. If he looked forward, it was like a mocking crowd was surrounding him and speaking to him. It unsettled him. He noticed that if he looked at one head, the others spoke while that one remained silent. It gave the illusion of a crowd of opposition...or phantom voices assaulting him, giving the thing an illusion of more power than it already had. Nevertheless, the thing continued.
"Odin recognized us quickly..."
"You should have seen the look on his face!"
"Wasn't expecting us, he wasn't..."
"He had improved..."
"Yes, much."
"But not good enough."
"Oh no, not at all."
"But nothing is good enough anymore."
"We enjoyed beating him down."
"We let him go, you know."
"We want to torture him again."
"And again..."
"And again..."
"As we turn his kingdom to dust!"
"And he watches!"
"You have to watch too, Bahamut!"
"Yes, yes!"
"As we destroy all you love!"
"Yes, yes!"
Bahamut grit his teeth and lost his temper. He had taken enough. "Shut up!" He bellowed at all of them at once. Their chorus of taunting died, and their heads receeded a little, but they continued to grin wickedly at the esper. He snarled and looked at all of their heads, his teeth clenched and his face angry. "Who are you already? What are you? I know you from somewhere...but..."
"Still don't know?" They began to taunt again, grinning wickedly all the while.
"Why don't you look closer?"
"Don't focus on the body."
"Look hard at our faces."
"Feel our anger."
"Remember its source."
"We want you to know, after all..."
Bahamut scowled, but the heads went silent. He looked at the first laughing head, staring right at him. He glared at it hatefully and cold. At first, he was just angry at the look on its wicked, evil face. He said nothing for a few moments, and looked harder at it. Finally, he did as he was told. He reached out his senses. He focused on the creature's mind and stared hard into its blackness. It was evil...wicked...almost drowning out everything else. To even sense it made the esper unsettled. But he looked harder, focusing into it and looking for some sanity or memory within it. He saw nothing for a long time. He couldn't grasp any of its nature in all of this chaos.
But then...something came out...resonating within his own memory.
He saw...himself...much, much younger...and saw a blast of light from himself as he felt the creature's anger and rage at its own destruction...
It's last defiant cry that Bahamut would never beat Griever...
Bahamut's boldness evaporated. His eyes widened in shock and fear. His wings went down and his hands began to falter. He took a step back from the huge monster, as it continued to laugh and grin at him. It looked down on him now, raising its six heads to glare down on its ancient foe.
"No..." Bahamut slowly exhaled. "It...it can't be possible... It can't be you..."
"Oh, but it is."
"We told you."
"You'll never defeat us."
"We weren't lying."
"You can never kill us."
"We are beyond death or life."
Bahamut could only blink in astonishment, as he let the fateful, ancient name tumble out of his mouth.
"...T...Tiamat?"
To be continued...