I apologize in advance for the short chapter. I hope you enjoy it regardless.
The boat ride had probably only take about fifteen minutes, but to Edea, it had felt like an entire lifetime.
After hearing about the legend of the ruins of the continent, Edea's senses had taken over; standing alert in case anything out of the ordinary took place. Two out of three of her travelling companions agreed that the tale was just something used to scare small children, but Austin seemed adamant that it was true. Edea could not say first hand whether it was or not, but her instincts were telling her that there was at least some, if not complete, truth in the myth.
Although she hoped in her heart that he had not ventured towards the ruins, she knew that it was quite possibly the only place he could have gone, had he left the continent. The fact that there were ruins on the exact isle these men travelled to earlier was no mere coincidence. Squall was not on the island where the orphanage stood, but at the ruins that lay ahead. She was certain of it.
She was worried about the vision that had taken hold of her upon finding the burial site of the monster Mark, Curtis and Austin had taken care of earlier in the day. Her powers very rarely were capable of placing her in a specific location before and Edea believed that her powers were, in fact, growing despite the knowledge that they were quite powerful already. She didn't know if this sudden 'new sight' she had experienced would force her to lose control of herself, but for now she counted it as a blessing; it might be the only way she would be able to find the missing child.
Edea had had ample amount of opportunity to tell the three men assisting her in her endeavour about her powers, but had thought better of it. In the past, those who had learned of her sorcery had fled in terror of her presence, used her for their own personal gain or simply hunted her. As nice as these men appeared, Edea also knew of the many masks mankind was accustomed to wearing, and had many times seen those masks shatter upon discovering this knowledge, revealing their true selves to her, most of the time it was the prejudicial actions of a man or woman terrified of something they could not possibly understand.
The only exception had been Cid, who had been fascinated about the knowledge, but overall had not taken a great concern of the risk she could pose. Instead, he feared for her safety, given people's previous experiences with the Sorceress and had opted to create their orphanage where the children would not be in constant danger towards those with direct prejudice towards her powers. Edea had agreed, knowing full well that she would not have forgiven them nor herself if anything had happened to the children.
Even while the boat was in the process of docking along the shore of the isle, Edea had climbed out, her rain boots sloshing against the ocean and wet sand that lay beneath her feet, and even when she emerged from the waters, the quick 'pitter-patter' of rain hitting barren rock. Once the boat had come to a complete stop, all three men climbed out, but did not question her actions. They knew from the expression on her face that she was worried. She knew they believed the child she searched for to be dead, but she knew better.
After searching the area, she noticed that there was a structure further ahead, nearly lost to sight by the distance and the storm they were in. The three men noticed it as well, and Austin came to stand beside the raven-haired woman, never removing his eyes from the structure that lay before.
"I still stand by what I said." Austin stated. "That story is true, and if anything, that little kid could be…" he trailed off, appearing to not want to express anything as depressing as a child's death. "Are you sure you still want to go in."
"I am." Edea stated evenly, her gaze also fixed upon the structure up ahead. "You do not need to accompany me any further if you do not wish to."
"Well, I'm going." Mark declared. "No use going in alone. Even if the rumours aren't true, there are monsters crawling all over this place. There are strength in numbers."
"I'll go too." Curtis said and, after a moment's hesitation, Austin nodded as well.
…
When they had first arrived at the ruins, Edea was amazed that something so ancient could still be found to be pretty much intact. There was a set of stairs leading onto a circular platform complete with a statue of a man on a horse. There were little green frog-like monsters dressed in beige cloaks holding lanterns and knives, wandering about in every which direction, and Edea had to breathe a sigh of relief for her powers; they were the only thing making sure that they could not be seen or heard by the creatures.
Beside her, Austin shuttered suddenly, and when all three of his companions turned to stare at him, Austin sighed in a sort of frazzled manner. "I hate Tonberries."
"Thought you said you only came into the front." Mark said.
"No, never said that. I just said I left after the damned voice sounded out of nowhere tellin' us to get the fuck –" he paused and turned to Edea before clearing his throat. "to get out. But that was after I saw one of those things. They give me the creeps, that's for damned sure."
Edea wouldn't say she blamed him for that. They appeared harmless enough unless of course you accounted for the rather large knife they held in their hands. Their yellow eyes also managed to cast a shiver down her spine; they reflected no soul and were entirely empty.
'If these really were children killed when entering, I feel for their loss…' Edea took a moment of silence in remembrance of these children; killed and then resurrected as the very creatures responsible for their loss of life. She prayed to Hyne that she wasn't too late; that Squall hadn't become one of them.
"Let's keep moving." Curtis said. "For once, I have to agree with Austin; they really are creepy."
The quartet continued their movements, watching out just in case the monsters turned on them and chose the moment to attack and, although Edea knew better, she couldn't help but keep vigil as well. Edea had to wonder about the voice who cautioned warning about trespassing upon this territory; having not heard it when she had first entered. Mark and Curtis had reprimanded Austin for telling tall tales, but once again her instincts were telling her that Austin had indeed been telling the truth. But if the voice did not caution them, then it must mean that the being whom the voice belonged to must be busy at the moment.
'Which could very possibly mean Squall is still alive.' Edea thought to herself. 'It means I still have a chance to save him.'
A long set of stairs were positioned directly ahead; starting upwards before stopping and moving towards the left and right. The left path appeared to come to a dead end; the remainder of the steps having been destroyed from the Lunar Cry or from age, but the right path continued upwards until it reached another platform. Without hesitation, Edea crept up the stairs and approached the junction, heading right, the others following her closely until she stopped when she found a skeletal hand on the steps. The Sorceress took a quick sense and realized that there were Forbiddens lying in wait beneath the steps for anyone who appeared.
Edea was very familiar with Forbiddens; they were long dead warriors; their skeletons having been reanimated by some unseen force. They would kill others out of instinct and Edea had surmised a long while ago that it was because they were jealous of the living, having been killed in their prime. She felt for these creatures; wanting them to have been able to live to a right-old age, but the world was cruel and did no favours to those who were doomed to a fate worse than death, and surely, in Edea's opinion at least, becoming Tonberries or Forbiddens was a fate far worse.
Before Edea could move another step up the stairs, she noticed a familiar piece of orange cloth lying on the ground near the hand, and, upon further inspection of the appendage, she also discovered a torn black material being clenched tightly within its grip. 'Squall must have come this way…' she concluded, worried etching itself into her features. 'Hyne if there is one thing you must do for me, it is to allow me to find the boy still alive and well.'
She immediately ran ahead of the men, their startled shouts and cries the only thing she registered in her mind as she made her way up the stairs, despite her clothes heavy with rain water. A flash of lightning and a crash of thunder sounded above, but the Sorceress didn't care; all she cared about was finding Squall and bringing him back him.
The race up the stairs was an unwise idea; the rain soaking the steps and making them slippery. More than once on her way to the top, she had nearly slipped and fallen down the steps or over the side, but she had quickly picked herself up effortlessly and forced herself onward. Finally, she reached the top step, but what she was forced her to stop in her tracks. She saw the child she had been searching for; proving her instincts right all along, but rather than feel joy for finding him alive and well, she felt great horror when she took sight of the two creatures standing with him.
The first was easily recognizable to the Sorceress as the Guardian Force of Death and War, Odin. He was a rogue guardian who refused to serve any mortal without fighting and defeating him in battle. No one had ever survived a battle against the man whom was known to ride a six-legged white horse called Sleipnir, and wielded the powerful sword known simply as Zantetsuken. Most of the stories she had heard about him was that, while waiting for a worthy challenge, he would sit upon his throne, Hlidskjalf, and watch the surrounding area for people trespassing on the land.
The second creature she did not recognize, but upon sensing it, she realized that it was also a Guardian Force, though nothing along the lines of what she had seen or heard before. The creature was lion-like; with brown and white wings protruding from its back, and seemed to float off the ground, its hind legs longer than its arm-like front legs, and a long tail seemed to nearly touch the ground. It possessed a mane of white fur underneath its chin, and possessed bronze-coloured eyes with a cat-like shaped pupil sitting in the very center.
Seeing them so close to one of her charges made the fear for his safety return fresh and as she took a step away from the stair case she had arrived from, she immediately shouted towards him, calling him by name, if anything to get him away from them.
The child turned around at the sound of his name, and Edea could see even from her vantage point the cuts in the material he wore. Strangely enough though, he didn't appear to be hurt at all and immediately ran over towards her, Edea herself crouching down in order to catch the running child and wrap her arms around him. After a moment, she pulled him away slightly, checking him for the scratches and bruises he should have possessed, only to find that there was nothing. In fact, if it wasn't for the boy's ripped clothing; she wouldn't have even realized he had been hurt to begin with.
But it amazed her that, when other children had died such horrible deaths, this young boy came out of this entire ordeal without a single scratch on him. A bit dirty and his clothes ripped of course, but otherwise unharmed.
"How did you…?" Edea trailed off in her shock, even as she was examining the boy. "Why did…"
Even as the woman stuttered in her shock, Squall gave her a confused look, no doubt wondering why it was she pausing in mid sentence. Finally, she managed to force out a full question. "What happened?"
"I came here to look for Sis." He answered simply. "The green man started chasing me when I interrupted him -" Edea couldn't help but smile at the naivety of this child as he continued. "- and when he was gonna hurt me, Griever came to save me."
"Griever?" Edea asked. "Is that the brown one's name?"
At this, Squall nodded. "He scared away the green man and he left his clothes behind. But then the other one showed up," he trailed off as he went to point out the two creatures and, when Edea looked with him, she realized that they had suddenly disappeared. "Where'd they go?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.
As Edea rose to her feet, the child secured in her grasp, she left his question unanswered. She knew perfectly well that bound Guardians returned to their casters mind, but Unbound Guardians went about and did as they pleased. It wouldn't have surprised her if they had managed to make it a thousand miles away from the ruins.
Even as Curtis, Mark and Austin were making their way towards the top of the stairs, Edea looked down upon the child she was now holding in her arms, wondering exactly what had transpired within the amount of time he had been there. Why had he emerged alive and perfectly healthy while every other child died? Not that she was complaining of course, but what made him so special?
It was then that she remembered the boy from the future; telling her that she was the one who would come up with a legendary force who's sole purpose was the protect the world from corrupted Sorceresses and it suddenly occurred to her that perhaps he would play a vital role in the distant future. Still staring at the child, she recalled that the teenager who had appeared in front of her, wielding a legendary weapon and protecting her against the already dead Sorceress would come from the small child she had searched all over to find and bring home. It didn't make it any easier to believe however.
Still, there was the problem at the present moment to sort through. Despite his shy and quiet tendencies, Squall was a very stubborn little boy who would stop at nothing until he was satisfied with an outcome; the entire day's search of him had been proof enough of just how far he would go. He felt that an injustice had been done when Ellone had disappeared and he had searched farther than any four year old she had ever come across would just to bring his older sister back home. She even believed he would consider not even returning to the orphanage until he had found her. It was going to be difficult to convince him to give up the search for the time being; Ellone was nowhere in Centra, and he would only set himself up for more heartache if he continued searching for her.
"Matron…"
Edea looked back down upon the child she was holding, smiling at him. She had drifted off into thought again, and she wondered just how long he had been trying to claim her attention. After a moment of searching his features, she realized that they were not set in determination; like they were the day he searched the orphanage all over for the elder girl, but rather there was a tired resolution in his gaze, almost as if he had come to terms with himself.
The next words he spoke were still tinged with despair as they had been when he had first discovered he could not locate the girl, but there was something else hidden within their depths; something Edea did not believe she would be able to discover for a while yet. "Can we go home now? I'm tired."
Edea forced a laugh that sounded surreal even to her own ears and ruffled the child's hair. "Yes, yes, let us return home."
Turning around to face the men who had helped her on her journey, she couldn't help but acknowledge the shocked expressions on each of their faces. It was remarkable that a small child was the first to ever make it out of these ruins alive and for that Edea was grateful. She didn't believe it was due to luck however; luck was a fleeting response to those who believed in it. No, his survival was partially earned, a reward for the loyalty a small child could display for the one he believed to be of his family.
Besides, fate had plans for this child, and they had yet to play out.
…
The boat ride back to their home isle had taken far quicker than it had originally, and Edea believed that it was due to her worry and anxiety. Worry always made time more slower than it did, and once an endeavour was done, time sped up to the point where the ones responsible could look back and laugh.
Somehow, Edea doubted she would be laughing at the remembrance of this day and night, but she would be relieved that Squall had managed to get out of there alive, well and seemingly in better spirits. There was still a small sense of hopelessness and despair that she felt radiate from him, but she knew that he would be able to move on, albeit slowly at first, with his life. It finally appeared as though her words had sunk in, though she had no doubt in her mind that she had not been the one to truly have them take an effect.
Once they had reached the shore, Mark, Austin and Curtis had offered to drive them home, but Edea had refused, telling them that she would be fine on her own. She had left them behind as she drove the green jeep she and her husband owned together back towards the stone orphanage she resided within. Squall had fallen asleep in her arms on the boat ride, and Edea had felt it to be intrusive if she were to wake him up.
Once the vehicle had been parked in front of her home and the engine shut off, she had carried the small boy into the orphanage with her, only to find that Cid had spent the entire time sitting up for her. Upon looking at the clock, she had discovered it to be nearly three in the morning; it was a small wonder the child hadn't collapsed when she had first found him.
'His experiences this night should have also affected him,' she had thought to herself before relating her events of the night to her husband. Cid had also been surprised to learn everything she had, especially when he didn't appear to have come to any harm whatsoever.
It was when she was preparing to put him to bed that she had discovered how wrong she had been. It had seemed too perfect for the young boy to have come back without anything wrong, but upon brushing his bangs out of his face she had felt that his skin was far too cool for it to have been normal. Wondering why she hadn't noticed before, she came to the conclusion that it was because the pair had been outdoors in the rain at that time. He was also shivering and his skin had taken a paler tone.
She called the tele-health system that she and her husband had applied for, since there wasn't a doctor immediately within the vicinity. That was one of the many sacrifices they'd had to make when they began the Orphanage away from civilization. After explaining the symptoms and recalling when they had begun, the nurse had placed them on hold to contact the on-call doctor. Edea had recalled how Squall had asked if they could go home simply because he was tired, and mentally berated herself for not realizing it sooner. During this time she held the shivering boy on her lap, wrapped snugly in the comforter she had found, frowning thoughtfully as she mentally went through the previous days events. He had gone missing, wandering off in the baking heat that Centra was renown for, and was then caught up in one of the worst thunder storms the continent had ever seen. Of course he was bound to catch something, even if a cold could only be caught through bacteria and germs.
After a long wait, Edea finally heard the sounds of someone picking up the phone, and upon speaking with the doctor, she had discovered that he had a moderate case of hypothermia, the signs consistent with the prognosis. She was then told to, aside from keep him away from wind and cold areas and to cover him up in a warm blanket of which she had already done, keep him lying down and to keep his neck and shoulders warm, but to initially heat his chest and torso to prevent any afterdrop of body temperature. Further instructions were given to administer warm fluids only when he stopped shivering and to avoid suddenly jarring him in order to prevent an abnormal heart rhythm. The doctor had asked if he had lost consciousness, but Edea, after giving a sense to the boy through her powers, had told them that he was merely asleep.
After getting the child out of the damp clothes and placing him into his pyjamas, Edea and Cid both stayed up for the remainder of the night, keeping a close eye on the formerly missing child, who was obliviously sleeping through the entire ordeal. Once he had stopped shaking, Edea managed to get a warm drink down his throat before he drifted off again.
