Chapter 8
Zidane stood atop the lookout tower at Lindblum castle, and sighed as he faced the wind. He wasn't as worked up about Garnet as he was earlier, but he was confused and perplexed at the news that the Mist man had told him. "I can't believe that they're making Genomes… but why? I mean, they'll use them to conquer the planet, but what's the real point? Why not just make more mages? And if Kuja is really back, and it's not a fake, then… why is he evil again?"
He watched a series of airships fly south past the islands off the shore. He could see the South Gate in the distance, shrouded in the return of the Mist. It was raining again, but rather lightly, and it was warm out. The sun shone brightly behind the clouds.
"I wonder if I can find anything about the Mist in Daguerreo…"
Steiner climbed the tower steps and approached Zidane, sighing. "I hoped the Mist would never come back, Zidane…"
He stared out over the lowlands of the Mist Continent and sighed again. "This place was so much more beautiful without it."
"I always liked it, until I found out what it really was…" Zidane muttered. "It always looked like an ocean in the sky, something we could just float on…"
The Genome turned. "We need to go to Daguerreo. There might be a book on the Mist in one of its libraries…"
The Hilda Garde III shot across the sky on its jets, leaving a blazing trail over the calm ocean. Daguerreo was in sight, and Zidane was excited. "If we find something on the Mist, maybe we can figure out how to stop Kuja from using it."
Beatrix cocked her head inquisitively. "But, Zidane, we already know that the Mist is the 'dregs of souls', and that the souls of Terrans and Gaians are intertwined within it… What else might there be?"
"Maybe we can find out when it first appeared… How Kuja uses it…" Zidane replied. The ship touched down on the island plateau, and Zidane marched into the city with the General and Steiner.
The lowest levels of the city were completely flooded with water, and the hundred of caverns heading off to shops, hotels, and restaurants, and most importantly, libraries, were navigated on boats. The city was much more populous now that the steam engine dominated the market. Zidane walked on board a boat.
"Can I help you get somewhere?" The captain asked.
"We're looking for a library with books on the arcane, like Mist."
The captain nodded, and shoved off. The long channel deposited the crew at a dark, large library with books from ear to ear. There were several on Mist, so Zidane picked one.
"HEY! Check this out."
The passage read:
"The Mist astounds me. I've looked into the subject very extensively, and I've found that this substance first appeared at the Shimmering Isle. It seems that it appeared around nine hundred years ago. It also seems to come from the Iifa Tree, like it is being transferred all over the planet. It flows through the roots of the tree, and it appears that until recently, it stayed in these routes, never touching the surface. But something happened to make it spill out of the roots, like a great amount of Mist was added to the collective, and it couldn't contain it any longer. The Mist then appeared on the continent of the same name, because a large percentage of the total roots grew there. This created the inland seas of Mist we see today. What I'm not clear on is what the Mist is, and what it does. It can fuel our engines and suspend our ships in the air, but I can't figure out what its true purpose is. Maybe the Shimmering Isle will provide more clues."
Zidane handed the tome to Beatrix, who surveyed it and nodded. "I guess we'll be going to the Lost Continent, then…"
Steiner cleared his throat. "But that was the passage to Terra! Don't you think it'll be dangerous?"
"Hey, calm down, Rusty. You can stay home and-"
"No! I am a knight, and I am sworn to protect you and the queen. We'll go there."
Zidane put the book in his pack and nodded. He paced around the room a bit, and then smiled. "Well, I wanted adventure!"
Beatrix frowned. She clearly showed that she disagreed. Zidane ignored this and marched for the docks. Beatrix and Steiner stood motionless in the library. Zidane turned around and faced them indignantly.
"If you're coming, now would be good. I'm not interested in waiting any longer. If we're going to stop Kuja and save Garnet, then we can't waste any time."
The two knights eyed each other, and followed Zidane out.
The air was very cold as the Hilda Garde flew over the icy northern wastes of Gaia. Cid had instructed them to bring his prized boat back to him before long, and with the jets, that would be accomplished.
The Shimmering Isle shone like a beacon on the Misty horizon, and behind it sat the growing city of Esto Gaza which had really took off during this expansionist era.
The airship approached it and landed with a thud, as Zidane slid down a rope on the edge of the deck. The portal to Terra was no longer open, but there was evidence of the cataclysmic explosion that Kuja had caused on the planet just before the portal did close. The ground was singed from fire, and some of the ice had melted. But when they had been here before, they had never really saw the island, but had simply dove into Terra. Now that Zidane stood firm on the snow and looked around, he could see the ruins of a city. Many smashed buildings and houses were strewn about. A demolished temple sat near the center of the island. The remains of the town square and market could be seen right around him. He even observed docks jutting out onto the sea, filled with holes and cracks. But the most astonishing feature was the quantity of skeletal remains littering the entire island.
"Whoa… What is this?" He asked no one in particular. Zidane stepped forward slowly, observing the ruins, and felt a wide smile stretch across his face. The smile of discovery.
Steiner and Beatrix slid down behind him, in equal awe. The Genome kept moving forward, almost in a trance, staring at the shimmering snow.
"This is fascinating. I didn't know that there had been a city here…" Steiner muttered. Beatrix nodded. Zidane kept moving towards the temple. He started speaking in a bizarre language that neither knight could fathom. The Genome started dashing towards the temple and ran straight up to the barricaded door. Several skeletons, wielding swords, were strewn across the wide steps.
Beatrix moved forward towards Zidane, who was just staring at the door. A large, strange symbol sat emblazoned on its wooden surface, and Zidane reached out and touched it.
Suddenly, a hologram surrounded him, and several figures appeared. They looked like Genomes, but taller, more muscular, armor clad, with long beards and longer tails, some with spikes on the end of said tails. They spoke in the strange language as well, but Zidane could understand. "We, the Grand Terran Expansionist Army, have conquered this, the first city of the new Terra, here on the planet Gaia. All who oppose will be slain. This temple is forbidden to all but Terrans. Turn back if ye be not a Terran."
Zidane touched the symbol again, and the door slid open, mechanically. He walked into the dark, dank hall, still in a trance. Beatrix attempted to follow him in, but the door shut as soon as he entered.
A series of torches erupted into flame as soon as it did so. Zidane snapped out of his trance and stared around. The chamber was huge, lined with hundreds of bookcases and thousands of books. Several tables and chairs were strewn here and there. The strange symbol on the door was also on the floor of the hall, and Zidane stepped onto it.
Another hologram appeared, but, instead of playing a recording, it asked a question, almost indignantly. "Who… are you?" The hologram was of a shorter, skinnier being, with an even longer beard, and big, thick spectacles covering his eyes.
"I'm… Zidane." The Genome said, in a bit of shock.
"You don't look like a Terran… ah, you're an Inferior. Aw well… I suppose this means that the Terrans are dead, doesn't it?" He asked.
"Uhm… yes." Zidane said, simply.
"But, you seem to have a soul… Have the Terrans remanifested themselves already?" He asked, lowering his glasses inquisitively.
"Uhm… no." Zidane replied.
"Getting answers out of you is harder than squeezing jelly out of a Corvarian Squirtworm. Well then, are you one of the Angels?"
"The Angels of Death? Yes." Zidane replied.
"Excellent. So, is your mission going well?"
"Well, I… uh… Who are you, anyway?" Zidane asked, confused.
"I am the Librarian, a collection of all of Terra's knowledge. Every book here contains the histories and technologies of our home." Replied the Librarian.
"I don't get it, how did you know that Terra's souls were being transferred into Genomes?" Zidane said.
"We knew our planet and our people were dying a long, long time ago, boy. We devised a plan to trap all of the souls of Terra into a substance we invented called 'Mist.' When the time was right, the Mist would inhabit the Inferiors, who are apparently called Genomes now… they don't tell me anything… aw well. The point being that Terra has gone through this cycle many times in its past."
"I'd like to hear the history of Terra, and the Mist." Zidane stated. The Librarian smiled, and coughed. "Good to see a young whippersnapper who's actually interested in some history. Very well..."
The hologram of the Librarian faded and died, and a new one appeared, one of a planet, orbited by several moons. Spots appeared on the maps, getting brighter. Suddenly, the Librarian's voice returned.
"Holy Terra was our home, long ago. But as our numbers grew, war erupted, and the planet and its moons began destroying each other."
The hologram showed explosions on each of the celestial bodies, and the dots of light flickered and died.
"Before this, Holy Terra had been a beacon of civilization, a paradise. But, in our desperation during this time of war, the Terrans developed large 'worldships', which would carry our numbers to a other planet in another solar system. We left our planet behind as the remaining populations used it up and destroyed it."
The planet faded into nothingness, and a large fleet of starships was seen flying off into the black.
"Eventually, the generations found a new system, with another planet much like Holy Terra. We called it, 'Praetor Terra.' Soon, our populations grew large once more, and we needed more room, so we began branching off to other planets, and they became known as the 'Grand Terran Union.'"
The hologram showed a network of several planets, each with cities and lights. Then, the planets erupted in explosions, just like the first.
"But the interplanetary parliament failed, and each planet wanted its independence. Praetor Terra quelled the fighting, but we found that we were the last of the Terrans, and Praetor Terra was quickly being used up. Once more, we took to the stars, and we came to the system that you and I stand in."
The hologram faded out and transformed into a system of planets orbiting a large red star. Their star. Gaia could be seen as the third planet from the sun, and Terra, the forth.
"We found that Gaia was already inhabited by several species, including humans, Burmecians, moles, dwarves, and a strange human subspecies, called 'Summoners.' We took the outer planet, not looking for a war with the primitive natives, as we wanted peace. But soon, the new Terra's population grew to large once more. In desperation, we manufactured a substance called Mist, which trapped the souls of living beings when they died."
The hologram changed to pictures of the Mist covering Terra, the capitol city, and the population of Terrans.
"Only a select few, namely our king, Garland, myself, and an army to conquer Gaia with, remained after the massive outbreak of disease. But the Mist had served its purpose. All of the souls were trapped. Then, Garland made a plan to create 'Inferiors', Terrans to a lesser extent, which would welcome the souls when we had captured Gaia."
The hologram changed to an image of the Iifa Tree. Silver dragons could be seen encircling it, and the Mist was pouring out of its roots.
"We grew a huge tree, called the Iifa Tree, on the desert continent to the north of this planet, and with it, we began siphoning our souls onto this planet. But unfortunately, the Gaian souls began mixing with the Terran souls, which was a setback. We found a way to sort through the souls, and began the invasion of this planet."
The hologram changed to an image of this island in a battle against Terrans. It also showed the Mist covering the Mist Continent.
"This island was the first to fall to Terra, and after it, we began conquering much of the northern wasteland's civilizations, including the moles of Mt. Gulug. We also monitored the Mist extensively at the Iifa Tree, but, the unexpected occurred."
The hologram now changed to an image of the strange Mist man Zidane had seen recently, surrounded by several other Misty figures.
"The souls of the Summoners were manifesting themselves in the Mist with their great power. They were called the 'Oversouls', and destroyed all Terrans on this planet. They then continued the cycle of the Mist, and, I gave up my life to preserve all of this information in this databank. I was told that Garland made the Inferiors, and that his Angels of Death would soon rule the world."
The hologram faded away, and the Librarian returned. "But it seems that I have been mislead, young one. You seem to be one of good heart, not like Garland or his minions. It makes me glad to see. Why are you here?"
Zidane grinned. "This'll sound weird to you, but… I'm protecting Gaia FROM the Terrans."
The Librarian chuckled. "So it seems that Garland is gone and that the Angels are continuing his work. I had a feeling this might happen."
"They're using the Mist to create more Genomes." Zidane stated.
"That is a horrible idea. The Mist is corrupted now that the Oversouls are in power over it. Such an endeavor will only lead them to their downfall." The Librarian stated. He brought up a hologram of the world map, and highlighted Oeilvert. "Mm-hm… Fascinating…" He then selected the Iifa Tree. "Interesting…" After a moment, he cleared his throat and turned about. "It seems that the one in command of this new threat once lived in the ruins of Mt. Gulug, and studied the Terran scriptures there."
"What, Kuja?" Zidane asked.
"Go to Mt. Gulug and find out anything at all you can about this man. Then go to Oeilvert, and get counsel from the Faces. They know how to stop the Mist entirely."
Zidane nodded. "Thank you, sir."
"Good luck, boy! I lived my life fighting for my Homeworld, and now I leave its destruction to you. Do me proud."
Zidane nodded again and turned to leave. The Librarian spoke up once more. "And remember, things are not always as they appear." With that said, he faded into the shadows, and the door opened up, flooding light into the chamber. Zidane, smiling, exited the building.
END