Leviathan rubbed his chin and stared out from an opening in Terratopolis. He slowly inhaled and sighed. It was late now. The moon was out, and many of the other espers were turning in. His wife was among them. A goatsucker gave out its strange call, and a few lizards ran around on the rocks below. Crickets were chirping on the lawn, for most of the espers that normally populated it were gone. He was one of the few that was still awake. Though he knew it would still take a bit longer, and that waiting availed him little, he couldn't help but stand awake and wait for Shiva to return.

It had been hours since the meeting at this point. With little else to do but wait, the council had broken up and turned in for the night. Leviathan, however, could not rest nearly so easily. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. There were too many strange things taking place. The espers were not in their best standings, either. They weren't nearly as powerful or organized as they had been under Bahamut's rule. Their line seemed to be getting weak…and for once he wished they were much stronger.

There was no such thing as a "prophet" esper. The ability to see the future was never granted to the espers directly. However, due to their age, ones that had a strong connection with the planet, the spirits of others, and the ways of the world as it slowly changed…some espers like Leviathan were rather good at predictions. They were able to make generalized statements about how the world was changing, and to what purpose it was. They should be able to, after all. Leviathan had been staring into human hearts and monitoring the changing currents of life through the world since he was a youth. By now, he was quite able to draw correlations between what he saw and what happened.

And what he saw…did not bode well. There was something else that was taking place on the world that he hadn't mentioned. Inside, however, he felt that the people were feeling it. The Lifestream was altering. The blood of the Planet was somehow affected, and some change was going through it. It was minor for now…but something like this had never happened before. There hadn't been a feeling like this since the Calamity from the Skies crashed to the ground…which indicated that it was the blood of the Planet itself that was being affected by this phenomenon. And what did it mean?

Leviathan didn't know, but it made him uncomfortable. These new things, whatever they were…they were not good. He had a horrible feeling that this first was an omen of things to come.

"I see you were unable to sleep either."

Leviathan perked up his head and turned at that. He was far too cool now to be scared so easily, but still Odin had seemed to simply materialize out of the darkness nearby. Leviathan looked to him a moment, and then turned back out to his view of Terratopolis. Odin slowly walked out to him, until he was at the same rail that his brother was. He turned and looked out along with him, and both were silent for a few moments. The sounds of the night continued to chirp around them.

"…I've been thinking about what some old human told me."

Odin paused, and turned slightly to him. "What was that?"

"…How much time we have left." Leviathan slowly answered. "What is the next thing to go extinct."

Odin said nothing in response. He just stared on silently. Leviathan continued after a pause.

"We aren't what we used to be. There was a time when we were considered gods. It was something none of us wanted. But now…perhaps it would be better if we were that than myths. To the world, we're just powerful monsters now. But we are monsters. And monsters can be harnessed…"

Still, the warrior esper didn't answer.

"After we killed Griever…I thought it was over. This world was our Ultima Nexus now. We didn't need to fear anything ever again. And yet…there are only four out of the original seven of us left. Eight counting Crusader. I'm working on something that, in all likelihood, will make us only three. How many wars have we endured, Odin? How many mass extinctions have we gone through? How many human population bottlenecks have we witnessed? And how many of our own kind have we seen die?

"Before we were born, the Cetra ruled the world. Now they are gone. Then came Griever. He is gone. We came to power next. Now the world is the property of the humans. We linger on…but for how long? I wonder sometimes…is the destiny of all life on this world to simply be surpassed by the next greatest species? We thought it so ridiculous at the time…" A pause after this, as Leviathan grew more somber. "…But when we helped Palad and his tribe, perhaps we were raising up our successors."

Neither of them said anything in response to that. They stood in silence a while longer. In reality…Odin didn't like to hear Leviathan talking about this. He believed that the esper race would be fine himself…but he was worried about his own fate. He already had a master. And it was a person he had less and less faith in with time. She was his concern now. She was what kept him awake.

"…I have been thinking about the summoner." Odin flatly stated.

Leviathan sighed slowly in response to this. "…She's a weak person, I know. But she's getting stronger. Hopefully what's happened to her will make her stronger. At any rate, I have faith that she at least has enough conviction not to abuse her powers. And even so-"

"Well, I don't." Odin snapped back, cutting his brother off. "She's too sickeningly weak. I don't know what I can trust from her anymore. And she's making me nervous that she holds the ability to command me in her grasp. She's had sixteen years to grow a spine. I'm growing impatient."

Leviathan paused at that, and turned to his brother. With boldness on his expression, he shook his head. "She won't go back to Alexandria. I trust her to be wise enough to do that. Once she talks with Regent Cid, she'll know it is folly."

"I don't share your optimism…and, frankly, I say that claiming she won't go back to Alexandria is optimism." Odin retorted. He paused for a moment after that. Leviathan looked him over…and saw that his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"I will not allow that mewling excuse of a summoner to turn me into the Queen's lap dog."

Leviathan heard this…and he began to tense up as well. He understood what this meant.

"Odin…you need to go to your room…and settle down…"

"I did not grant my power to Rydia so that one day her coward of an offspring could use it so wantonly."

"That's enough!"

Odin was cut off from his train of thought, and wheeled around to Leviathan. His brother had drawn himself up now. His face was cold and hard, and his own eyes blazed fiercely with his true power. His own anger was up now.

"I've heard enough!" He shouted at him. "I may be your brother, Odin, but I am still the king appointed by Bahamut. That means you will do what I say. And I say for you to stop this line of talking right this instant. I am not going to authorize you, or any other esper, to kill a summoner. She will accept her power. I promise you that. And she will not be allowed to use it in the Queen's service. But under no circumstances am I going to allow an esper to kill her. If you think rationally enough, you'll see that it is both the moral and prudent thing to do."

Odin glared back at a moment. He never liked being ordered around by Leviathan. He had little reason to be ordered usually, as he simply went along with what he said. Now, however, that his weaker brother was exerting his authority, he grew angry. Yet in the end…as he was forced to calm down and wait…he realized that Leviathan was right. He was angry at that summoner, but he didn't want to be her executioner. It would be a cowardly move for a warrior, and it would show his own fear if he did it. Frankly…he was scared. He was the one who was bound to the summoner, not Leviathan. Yet to show fear was death for a warrior, and he refused it. What more…there was still the other matter. Garnet had to be allowed to have a child. If she died, then Rydia's line would end, and Wyvern would be free. There was a power he truly feared…

The warrior esper inhaled sharply, but in the end turned from Leviathan and forced himself to calm down. The sea serpent sighed as well, and turned back to the view. He hated to have to do that…but his people were getting desperate. He had to assert who was still in control. He began to pray that this issue would be resolved soon, before they were all at each other's throats…

As if in response, a flutter of wings caught the corner of his eye. Both Leviathan and Odin looked up at this, and turned their heads to the side. The pink feathered form of Palidor was approaching, flying as fast as she could muster with her own power. Within a fraction of a second, she was on them, and hovering right in front of the two. She looked to both and gave a head bow.

"My lords…Shiva has returned."

"This…present…is somewhat more detailed than the first…"

"This body is nothing. Things are much, much worse than we thought."

Everyone got a look at this latest one. This one was more sinister looking than the first. But it seemed to actually be wearing clothes this time and not "clothing skin". It was still very oddly shaped, but it was more upright and humanoid than the last one. Its wings, blue this time, were actually a bit functional and not purely vestigal. Its face looked less rough as well, although it was still an odd shape. Like the previous one, this also had been tattooed on the side of its bald head. The designation was, typically, Black Waltz No. 2.

Wyvern snorted at the corpse. "At least the humans seem capable of destroying these things…"

"Only with great difficulty." Shiva responded to this, and then dropped her voice. "…And only encountering them one at a time. That is something that is about to change."

Leviathan looked up from the body and back to the ice esper. His own face was grim, and he didn't like what was probably coming. "What did you find in Dali?"

"Hundreds." The ice esper coldly replied. "Thousands. I'm thinking the first two were just prototypes of some sort. These latest ones are far dumber. They don't even have personalities, let alone souls. And they're much weaker, but they do have the ability to use black magic. Somehow, the humans are mass producing them. Specifically…Alexandria is mass producing them."

"How?" Ramuh asked, stroking his beard and growing as nervous-looking as Leviathan.

"I'm not exactly sure how. I managed to sneak in thanks to the commotion that their group caused. The best I could gather is that somehow they are processing mist using a machine I've never seen before. I don't think the farthest along of human technology is able to produce anything like this. They seemed to be adding critical elements to it that were integral in organic compounds. Once they did, they somehow fused this material into some sort of great objects. They looked almost like prefabricated eggs. They wheeled them into some sort of incubator, and what came out was puppet-like versions of this one. They stuffed them into a bunch of barrels like they were salted pork, and then shipped them out on airships."

"Where to?" Starlet immediately asked.

"Everywhere on the Mist Continent." Shiva answered. "Areas outside Lindbulm…Burmecia…Cleyra…and even Alexandria itself. They've been working night and day, and they've been doing this for a while. There's no telling how many of them they've already sent off or how many they're making a day."

"And what of the group?" Leviathan asked.

"They managed to commandeer a ship and go to Lindbulm. They ran into the third member of this group…" Here, she gestured to the dead wizard at their feet. "…But they critically damaged it. I don't know where it is right now, but I don't think it's dead. At any rate, the people in Lindbulm know that there is an attack coming. They are a little preoccupied with their Festival of the Hunt happening tomorrow, however…"

Wyvern snorted and hissed at this. "Imbeciles. This has gone on long enough. Let's wipe Dali off the face of the earth. Let's show them the power of the children of the Planet."

On hearing that, however…Leviathan, who might have otherwised agreed with Wyvern, paused and swallowed. He tightened his fist and held a moment. But then, he shook his head no, even while he looked forward. "No. We can't attack Dali."

In response to this, however, the other espers looked to him with some puzzlement.

"And why not?" Wyvern nearly snapped. "Would you rather wait for a few thousand humans to die?"

"I actually agree with Lord Bahamut." Odin added, making sure to use his fake title in the presence of others. "Waiting has served us little in the past. Action is what keeps a warrior alive. I know that we normally allow humans to decide their own affairs as a policy of non-involvement, but for once I think they need to be punished for doing this abomination."

"The facility is buried underground." Shiva reminded them. "You couldn't destroy it without destroying every man, woman, and child in Dali to get to it."

"Your point?" Wyvern sneered in response. "Those humans are the ones who are winking at this and helping it. They deserve to die with the rest of the freaks."

"The reason…" Leviathan sharply stated, ending debate and turning people's attention back to him. "…that I tell us not to attack Dali is because it won't help us in the long run. If Alexandria is behind this, then destroying Dali won't stop this from being rebuilt. But we have greater fears than that. If an esper was to turn Dali to ashes, then that would only illustrate to the Queen of Alexandria the power of an esper on her side, and she would definitely attempt to win Garnet into her favor. At the same time, seeing an esper engage in wanton destruction would only make Garnet fear espers more."

Wyvern sneered. "Oh, enough of this!" He harshly spat. "Why are we wasting our time trying to help that meaningless nothing? If that's the only good reason, I say we obliterate it none the less! You have a much better summoner already in your fold anyway. There's an easy way to solve your problem. Slaughter this precious little Garnet and save yourselves the trouble."

Leviathan hesitated at that. For a moment, he thought that Wyvern had managed to out maneuver him for a moment. And he nearly had. Many of those in the room didn't realize the link that Wyvern had to Garnet. Killing her would free him…and then he would truly show the meaning of "wanton destruction" to the world. Yet in the face of coming war, the espers of this realm were beginning to lean more and more to desperate measures. They might have agreed that Dali be destroyed if that was all that Wyvern had proposed. But when he mentioned killing Garnet…he successfully overplayed his hand. Espers did not enjoy killing humans for any reason, much less summoners. Many of them considered them to be "half-espers" themselves after what happened with Unicorn. It was practically a blasphemy to suggest that they kill Garnet. And as such, the room looked to their "king" in shock for a moment, before turning away and looking down.

"My lord…we would be in dire straights indeed if we had to kill a summoner to ensure the safety of the world." Ramuh slowly said to the king…not daring to look up to challenge him as he did so.

Wyvern sneered at this. He nearly opened his mouth and sharply retorted. However…when he saw how affectionate everyone was for the summoner, he knew already that he had gone too far. They wouldn't agree. Grumbling, he sat back down in his throne and crossed his arms. The room was silent, but didn't support him. He looked over them all a moment, and then snorted again.

"Sooner or later…all of you…" Here, he added emphasis to Leviathan. "You're going to have to make a choice. Humans or espers? The world…or a silly, useless girl?"

There was a period of silence after that. Wyvern leaned back and snorted once, then was quiet. No one said anything for a few moments, and kept their heads bowed. Leviathan was among them. He knew that the choice was partially offered to him and to the rest of them. Much as Wyvern disliked them…again, he disliked the fact that humans did things without his approving of it. He took that as another blow to his pride, and it angered him. He might have been a prideful, egotistical esper…but when it came to things engaging in Planet-threatening activities, he would destroy opposition much sooner than pursue his own jealousy. Leviathan wondered, if in what he just said…he might try making Leviathan an offer in the next few days.

In the end, however…he looked up and spoke quietly. "I think…" He began, which was, in fact, his decree. He only threw that supplement in for gloss, to show the non-members of his conspiracy that he was deferring to "Bahamut". "That we should wait just one more day, and see how things develop."

"I think…" Wyvern murmured in response. "We have waited long enough…"

Nevertheless, Leviathan continued. In the end, he knew that Wyvern would be forced to obey him. "They just left Dali. They've seen what the Queen of Alexandria is plotting. This, coupled with the presence of her much-more-independent uncle, might be enough to push Garnet over the edge. In the meantime, we should go and collect as much information on we can to see where these shipments are going. Once we know where they are, we can destroy them all, in addition to Dali, in one fell swoop…if we need to. In addition, I want to know who gave them this technology, whether it was a human or whatever. This person must be struck down more than anyone else. And maybe, in light of what happened at Dali, he or she will find their own hand forced, and they will make an appearance."

Wyvern crossed his arms and grumbled that this was a waste of time. Odin himself was hesitant. But the other espers considered this only a moment before they began to slowly nod. This seemed to be the most prudent course of action, at least in the sense of sparing lives. They could continue to plot a move, not to mention a more educated strike, and avoid risking unnecessary human lives. The delay did make them all a bit uncertain, but perhaps it would be for the best. If the maker of this machine did come forth, then it would be worth the extra day.

"We should take action after the day has passed." Leviathan reminded them all. "Waiting has indeed not served us well before. Come hell or high water, we will do something if the situation hasn't improved." Here, he turned his head to the nearby espers. "Palidor…I think it would be best if you took Shiva's place as scout for the time being. You are far faster and have greater eyesight."

The esper readily nodded in response.

"We should dispense other espers as well." Leviathan added. "To spread out and find what is going on. Once they have completed their survey…or turn anything of interest up…they will return and we shall plan what sort of attack or measure we will take against these new armies."

"You're uneasy, aren't you?"

Leviathan sighed as he pulled off his shirt. He paused for a moment afterward, and then bowed his head. Slowly, he turned and sat on the edge of his bed. Starlet, already in her nightgown, lay upright nearby and looked to him. They did, of course, share a room in Terratopolis. Leviathan rarely slept. His physiology led him to normally stay awake for five days before sleeping. However, his latest five days were up, and he was getting ready to lie down. Besides…it would feel good to be next to his wife. Unlike humans, though the experience was pleasurable to them as well…espers rarely engaged in intercourse, even with their wives. They saved those moments for when they were trying to reproduce. The ultimate sign of an esper's love was to have a child with his or her mate, and so reproduction was very valued. The rest of the time they were intimate in other ways. But for now…Leviathan didn't even feel like that.

"It showed, did it?"

"Clearly." Starlet simply responded. "I know you too well. There was a time when you wouldn't have allowed the consideration of attacking humans to even be uttered in your presence. And now…I'm not sure what you're planning. You intend to actually go through with this?"

Leviathan didn't answer that. He stayed seated with his head bowed.

"…You've always been favoring Bahamut's policy of non-involvement. I'm a bit surprised. In light of recently…it sounds like you want us to take an active part in shaping human development for the first time since Griever. You've never done this before."

Leviathan turned his head in response. "That's not true. Remember Rydia?"

"You took her in because you knew, like we all did, that if she went to Baron she would die." Starlet simply answered. "As a dark knight, Cecil would have been powerless to help her. You saved her life by bringing her here. Besides…she had no family. We took her in as her new family. You may have shaped her destiny, but Bahamut himself was guilty of doing that on an individual level. This is much greater. If we did this…we'd actually be going out and telling humans, through our actions, that they will not develop this sort of technology in the future. We'd be forcing them to end this war before it began."

Leviathan hesitated. "…You don't sound too upset about it."

Starlet slowly sighed in response. "…I was always for only a little non-involvement. It seemed a very flexible definition to me. You know me. I wanted to take every last human with us into Terratopolis and tend to them like a flock of sheep. And it hurt me when I saw them start killing each other. I wanted a stop put to that. So perhaps I am able to take this more in stride. But more than anything, Leviathan…" Her tone turned sharper at this. "…just like you, I didn't want to become another Griever. I still don't."

Leviathan sighed and bowed his head, and then raised his hands up to massage his temples.

"…You know…we talk about Griever nowadays as if he was an abstract concept. As if he meant the same thing as involvement with the humans. You and I both know that can't be true. If that was the case, then we wouldn't have any kings, fearing they would be a new Griever. Don't you think it would be possible to be a ruler of this world and not wicked? For a long time, I doubted that was true. But now I think I may have been wrong. The question to me is now…exactly how far can we go? Where is the cutoff between keeping the human race from doing something terrible and controlling their destinies?" A pause…and then a snort. "And is controlling their destinies that much of a bad thing? They sure don't seem to learn enough from their mistakes…" He turned his head and bowed it again at this. For a moment, he sat in silence.

Starlet looked to him anxiously at this. What Leviathan said was troubling her. It looked as if he too was beginning to sway with the others…and she didn't like that. But most of all, she hated seeing him troubled like this. Slowly, she extended a hand and put it on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I trust you." She simply stated. "I've trusted you since we were little. I will believe that whatever you decide will be for the best."

Leviathan couldn't answer that. He continued to hold on as Starlet touched him. Eventually, the esper turned and lied down to go to sleep, releasing Leviathan for the moment. But the sea serpent in human form continued to sit up, and folded his hands in front of him and propped his head up. He was thinking more and more than Odin might be right. For years they had stayed away from the humans, sitting by while they made one tragic mistake after another. They were about to again, and this sort of movement could rearrange the political boundaries of the world and send civilization into another nosedive. Perhaps…at long last…it was time to remind them that they were not alone on this world. If they didn't, then what were they? If they stood by and let this happen, what sort of guardians of the world were they? What sort of protectors?

And had Griever once thought the same way?

Leviathan didn't know. This was too much trouble, and he had no answers. At last, he sighed and laid down against his bed himself, and tried to go to sleep.

Again, the sea serpent was unable to find rest. He attempted to lie in bed at least until the sky turned light again. He attempted to meditate. But in the end, it was useless. He was too worried and anxious. There was nothing for it. And so, he rose, got dressed, and walked about Terratopolis again.

Most of the night-dwelling espers were turning in by then. The sun was indeed rising, and it was rapidly turning brighter. Leviathan walked through all the hallways several times that morning, as everything else came to life. The other espers began to wake up as the sun continued to rise, and they too went about their business. Many of them were blissfully unaware of what was happening, which to Leviathan might not be a bad thing. He saw no one familiar, which was good. Because they would be wondering what time today Leviathan was going to issue an edict. That troubled him greatly as well. He didn't know what to say yet. He didn't know what to do. If the scouts reported nothing back, then he would be at a loss. He didn't want to attack a human city…but he didn't want to let this continue either.

Bahamut…how did you ever deal with days like this?

Hours went by as Leviathan continued to walk around the mountain. He stopped at a few openings to inhale the air deeply and bask in the glow of morning. But then, he would always turn and move on. Even pausing by parks to listen to nature no longer held an appeal for him. The sun cleared the horizon and continued to rise, until the day was as bright and clear as any other, but still he couldn't rest. Too much still concerned him. Too much was going wrong. And he still feared whatever decision he would have to make.

Finally, Leviathan retreated to the uppermost level of Terratopolis. There, the mountain peak was above the ground, and the espers could look out and see the world around them. Leviathan did so now. Where he stood was sort of a "crow's nest" with a ladder leading down back into the interior of the esper city. But he was free here to look out and scan the horizon. Looming far in the distance was Condo Petite, and farther back to his east was Madain Sarai. He sighed as he looked at them, as well as at the long, clear, mist-free plains and the ocean far beyond. And beyond that…he knew the Mist Continent was waiting for something new to unfold. At last, he turned his gaze back to the great Iifa Tree, visible even from this distance.

And you. He thought. Where do you fit in to all of this?

"Lord Leviathan!"

The sea esper heard fear on this voice the moment it spoke. That, more than anything, made him turn around in a flash. As he did so, he saw another esper quickly ascending the stairs to his crow's nest. It was Palidor, and she looked anxious and frightened as she finished climbing. She stood before Leviathan, and panted for a moment, struggling to catch her breath. Obviously, she had pushed herself hard to get here quickly. She was unable to speak for a moment, but then looked up dismally at him.

"Yes, Palidor?"

"Sir…it's terrible." She spoke in great anxiety. "This army of black mages…it attacked Burmecia. They slaughtered everything without mercy. They went through the streets destroying buildings and murdering women and children. All they kept chanting was, 'Kill'. They were wiped out within hours. Part of Garnet's group is going to it, but it will be too late when they get there."

Leviathan's blood turned to ice. He swallowed at this, and stared on. "…What of Garnet? Is she headed to Burmecia?"

"No, my lord. She refuses to listen to her uncle's claims that her mother has changed. She has abandoned those guarding her and is fleeing back to Alexandria to talk to her mother as we speak. She thinks she can make her abandon this mad campaign."

That was the worst news of all to the esper. He paled, and his face went livid with passion. "…Are you sure?"

"She has already made it as far as Treno."

The sea esper hesitated. As he did…his earlier doubt and fear began to dissolve. In its place…he began to grow very, very angry. His jaw tightened, his fists clenched, and he glared at the sky as he stood there.

That…stupid…STUPID girl!

How blind can she be! How much does the truth have to slap her over the head until she realizes that the queen is not her friend and doesn't love her! Is she so foolish…so lacking in faith…so inexperienced with human nature that she can't see that? See what is obvious to all others! Her wretched foster mother already has an army of abominations…and now, she'll walk right in there and give her the ability to summon espers as well! This has gone on long enough… I should have done this from the start. I shouldn't have been so cowardly…

Thinking these thoughts, blazing with new anger, Leviathan turned and glared at Palidor. As he did, he used the full extent of his telepathy to send out a message to all other espers in their coalition. That done, he sneered and seethed.

"…Then our worst fears have been realized. The time of waiting is over. It is now time to act."

With that, Leviathan nearly pushed by Palidor and began to descend the stairs. The bird esper, shocked at Leviathan's sudden change in behavior, hesitated a moment, but then swallowed and followed after him.

"All is not lost, my lord… She is going back, but she hasn't consented to use the espers in the Queen's service. From what it looks like, she hates this war. She's going back to try and talk her out of-"

"I will not sit back and trust that coward of a summoner any longer." Leviathan cut off, his tone growing sharp as he finished descending. He turned and began to walk down the hall next, and Palidor quickly fell in behind him and walked after him. "I can't trust her any longer. She's made far too many mistakes. This one might cost her more than mere prudence if we don't act quickly. I no longer trust her with the Queen. It is clear to me now that, in the end, she'll do whatever the fat, miserable excuse of a woman tells her to do."

"But…"

Palidor's protests were soon lost. As Leviathan stormed down the hallway, the nearest two espers he had called were already coming forth. Odin and Shiva were walking up ahead, and were making right for him. Once they met, Leviathan stopped, and they too halted right before him. Their looks were grim as they stared at him. Seeing Leviathan's own hard face, they realized that this had to be bad news without even asking for it.

"Odin…go to Dali and turn it into a crater. Give them a ten minute ultimatum to evacuate, but not a second more."

The warrior esper, never one for much mercy, merely gave a nod in response. In reality…he would have destroyed the town as soon as they got there if Leviathan hadn't given him directions to offer them a chance to leave. He was more than ready to wipe these abominations from the face of the Mist Continent. He turned without a word and marched away again. Palidor swallowed and opened her mouth to protest…but was too timid to do so. Meanwhile, Leviathan turned to the ice esper.

"Shiva…go to Alexandria and get Garnet. I don't care if you have to turn half of their kingdom into an iceberg, get her. Bring her back here immediately. She's had her chance to build some self-confidence. Now, I will be taking over. So help me…she will accept her responsibilities even if I have to beatthem into her."

Shiva merely looked darkly back. "She commands me. Once I reach her, all she has to do is scream in fear for me not to touch her to keep me from laying one finger on her, much less bring her back here."

Leviathan hesitated at that. Good point. However, he only thought for a brief moment about it, and then made a single cold statement.

"…Freeze her."

Palidor nearly gasped at this. Shiva herself raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Freeze her. Once she gets here, she'll be revived."

"It will be a very painful experience for her…especially when she is thawed."

"I don't care!" Leviathan found himself nearly yelling back, tired for this delay. Shiva was taken aback slightly. "She had her chance to do this painlessly. Now, she's too much of a liability to herself and to the rest of the world. Sneak up on her, freeze her in a shard of ice, and then bring the shard back here. Understand?"

Shiva still hesitated. Cold as she was, she didn't like the sound of that. She never thought Leviathan would do such extreme measures. Yet after holding a moment longer, she closed her mouth again. She gave a slight nod, and then turned without a word to go and do as she was told.

Leviathan panted a moment, still a bit overwhelmed at how he had lost his temper. Slowly trying to calm himself down, he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Yes…Garnet would no doubt be in a lot of pain once Shiva was done with her. But he didn't care. He had lost all patience with the girl. She was the best chance of stopping this nightmare army, and she was waltzing right back into the hands of the Queen. She obviously couldn't make decisions for herself. It seemed he would have to make decisions for her. After all…isn't that what she liked to do? Let other people decide her life for her?

"…Are you sure the king will approve of these drastic measures, Lord Leviathan?"

The sea esper sighed and closed his eyes. "Believe me, Palidor…if not for me he would have done far worse long before now."

"Well…I hate to say I told you so, but…I've been warning you about this for years."

Leviathan didn't answer that. He sat down on the steps of Wyvern's throne and nervously drummed his fingers instead. By now, everyone else had gathered, and now they waited endlessly in the throne room for signs of the slightest change. They had heard little, but it was still somewhat early. It would take Shiva all day to reach Alexandria, unfortunately. And even with Slepnir, it would take some time for Odin to get back. He wondered exactly how much time had passed. While they struggled to beat them, he wondered what was going on in that world. He tried not to think of the death sentence he no doubt proclaimed on them when he did this.

Starlet, downcast and fearful, leaned against a wall and gazed at Leviathan. She had claimed she trusted him…but after what he had ordered she was growing skeptical. Palidor was gone, having been sent out to report the situation as soon as possible. Ramuh was there, nervously pacing. Wyvern was up in his throne as well. Ifrit, canine and bestial as he was, also tensely drummed his long talons on the ground. He was eager for his own wife to return, and was fearful about what might have happened. Strong as she was, there was no telling what kind of power the black mages held…or what she would run into.

The room was silent. No one said anything other than an occasional comment at this point. They had been here most of the day, eagerly awaiting word of some change. Starlet had busied herself for a few hours preparing a human-sized room for their new "guest", but other than that no real activity had taken place in the hall. Ramuh slowly exhaled, and raised a crystal ball from his side and looked to it. Some sage-like espers used these as timepieces, keeping track of how many hours and minutes had passed in a day. He stared a moment, and then sighed and looked back to the others.

"Well…by now they would have had enough time to get there and be well on their way back." He told them. "We could expect either one of them at any moment."

Everyone was silent to this. They looked up and listened to Ramuh, but then turned back and resumed their waiting. Leviathan himself continued to nervously tap his fingers, and hope that he had made the right decision.

Time continued to go by. The sun set again, and lamps were lit in the meeting hall. The espers grew hungry, although none left to eat. They paced and sat and watched as the hours continued to pass. And hours did indeed pass. Contrary to Ramuh's prediction, much later in the night they still hadn't returned. Leviathan dismissed this easily enough early on. But as time continued to go by…as the hours continued to go by…his finger drumming increased in intensity and frequency. He began to swallow and grow anxious. More time passed, and yet still they had not come back. Leviathan, growing impatient, stretched out his mental ability to try and find them. But he couldn't even see them coming. They weren't anywhere close to Terratopolis.

The others began to realize this as well with time…and they too grew nervous. It was silly, really. An esper was more than a match for anything else on the Planet. And yet…things were not conventional anymore. There were these bizarre soldiers…the Iifa Tree…war looming… He didn't know what else was going to come of all this. He was certain when they left that the two espers could easily destroy any city or army that opposed them. But now…he began to grow uneasy. What if there was some sort of new secret weapon that the humans had? After all, they had surprised them with that black mage machine. What if they had other tools? And if so…were they actually great enough to damage an esper? Ridiculous as it seemed…it was a possibility. And as time went by, and no return or even word of a delay came…it was becoming a more real possibility.

It was past midnight when finally one of their group had enough. Snarling like a dog, Ifrit stretched up his neck and pounded a clawed fist into the ground. Ifrit showed almost continuously the single emotion of anger. But many times…like now…that was used to cover up any other emotion he was feeling, such as fear. "This is crap!" He sneered. "Shiva would have been back by now! What's keeping her!"

"Patience, Ifrit." Ramuh cautioned.

"Patience nothing!" The fire esper spat back. "She's been gone too long! I'm going to see what happened!" With that, Ifrit rose from where he was on the ground and immediately began to storm for the door.

Yet the others reacted to this. If the humans had done something to the other espers…unbelievable as it was…what if they did the same to him? Leviathan himself whirled around and called out to him. "Shiva can handle anything thrown at her, Ifrit. But if she can't…then it's too dangerous. You can't go out alone."

"You cowards can stay here and rot if you like." Ifrit blasted back as he stormed to the door. He smashed it open with one large fist, and quickly exited. "But I'm going to go find my wife! And I'll drag that dumb summoner along too if I have to!" Then, not staying for anymore protests…Ifrit slammed the door behind him. It shuddered the entire room, and the stone actually cracked a little.

The other espers stared hopelessly after him, and then gave up. Starlet sighed. "What a hot head…"

"I seriously doubt they're in trouble." Wyvern murmured. "No weakling human could stop an esper."

Leviathan stared silently at the door. Actually…he felt like he could agree with Wyvern on that fact. An esper's power was greater than any other on the face of the Planet. However…he was still nervous for one very good reason, and it was the same reason he was a little grateful that Ifrit, an unbonded esper, was going out to check out the situation.

There was one who could command both Shiva and Odin easily…

Neither Ifrit nor Shiva were the best at flying. Like most espers, they had to rely on levitation if they wanted to propel themselves somewhere. However, there were ways they could get around this. If a good cold wind came by, Shiva would dematerialize into ice fragments and let the weather take her where she wanted to go. Ifrit himself could ride the flow of magma that circulated through the Planet. He had decided to do this. There was an access point within Terratopolis, and once plunging in he rode it all the way to Alexandria. Unlike any other flesh and blood creature, the fire esper had no trouble at all bathing himself in flames. The hotter the better, in fact. He could stay in the fire as long as he needed.

Nevertheless, despite this advantage, it was mid-afternoon of the next day when Ifrit punched through the cool crust of the ground and burst out onto the surface of the Planet. He shuddered with discomfort as his great horned, canine body was exposed. After bathing so long in searing hot liquid, it was frigid for him to emerge into the normal world. It didn't help that there were clouds in the sky, and the day was very overcast. It could mean…he thought with a grimace…rain. Horrible, wet, cold rain. Nevertheless, he was soon exposed. Once he was, he looked around a bit to get a good look at his surroundings. It appeared he was in the forest surrounding Alexandria. Sure enough, a bit ahead the work-in-progress loomed as the city bustled over it. Seeing this, Ifrit gave a nod, and then finally used his Auto-aero ability. Soon, his body was wreathed in heat, and he rose up into the sky. Once there, he began to hover forward, and scanned his surroundings as he did so.

The fire esper saw little signs of anything right off the bat. He wasn't really expecting to emerge from the ground and find Shiva, but it was still worth a shot. Now, he slowly hovered forward and looked over the area. He had enough ability to scan for the presence of another esper, and he did so. He gradually began to increase his range asgrew closer to Alexandria. He thought of calling out to her after a few moments…but realized that was stupid even for him. She might not even be in the area. If she wasn't, it was a waste of time.

Ifrit only scanned a few minutes, however…when he picked up something. He saw a flicker of energy nearby. Immediately, the fire esper turned his head to it, and proceeded to rush forward a bit faster. He continued to scan it all the while, trying to get more information on it. After a moment…to his delight…he recognized the signature. It was Shiva. Quickly, he doubled his speed again and went forward in that direction, overjoyed and grinning from ear to ear.

For a moment, forest rushed beneath the flaming esper as he made his way further east, toward the mountains. He looked earnestly out for signs of Shiva, all the while focusing on her power. Yet after a few more seconds, he saw her. A tinge of white, sticking out quite clearly from the greenery despite the dark day, became visible. As he rushed closer toward it, he saw that it was female shaped. It was her. He had found her! What more, her power seemed to be intact, and he couldn't detect any distress or pain. She was fine. That relieved the fire esper greatly, and he continued to approach her as fast as he could.

Something did puzzle him, however…after a few more moments. Surely Shiva had to pick up on his signature by now. So why wasn't she coming to greet him? He knew that she was cold…and rarely showed her emotion…but that seemed unusual of her regardless. Yet he shrugged it off. He merely grinned wider as he started making out the details of her clothing. He soon saw that she had her back to him, but he didn't care. He only continued to come, until he was at last only a short distance away.

There, he stopped. Both espers hovered in mid-air. Ifrit panted a bit from his own exertion. As for Shiva…she showed nothing. She kept her back to him and didn't even give him a nod. Ifrit didn't care much. Shiva was always like that. Always giving everyone the cold shoulder, to pardon the pun.

"Hey you." Ifrit called playfully to the female esper. "What's cookin'? Or in your case, chillin'?"

The esper didn't move.

Ifrit frowned a bit at that. That joke always made her laugh, despite how cold and controlled she always was. She was being rather harsh today…

"Um…whatever. So, did you get the summoner?"

No response, and no movement.

Ifrit's face twisted at that. He felt himself grow a bit uneasy. He reached up a long claw and scratched his red mane. "Er…hello, Shiva?" He finally called out, his voice uneasy. "You there?"

Nothing.

At this, the fire esper, who replaced all of his emotions with anger…including the growing feeling of nervousness and anxiety that he was getting from this…frowned and sneered at her. "Hey!" He barked. "What's the big idea? Why aren't you saying anything? I'm right here! Turn around and look at me already!"

At last, at that, Shiva did respond. Slowly, she rotated in mid-air and turned to face Ifrit fully. The fire esper looked up to her with a grouchy look as she did. However…his own look only lasted until he fully saw Shiva's expression, and saw her own eyes pierce his more coldly than they had ever done before.

Her icy blue gaze now burned bright red.

"What the-!"

"Diamond Dust!"

That was all Ifrit could remember before he was slammed with monstrous ice shards.

Leviathan suddenly gasped. Abruptly, he fell forward and grabbed for his chest. But he wasn't alone. Every esper…regardless of how in tune they were with the Planet or how weak…did much the same thing. The weak ones caught the breath in their throats for a moment, while the stronger ones actually felt pain from what had happened. At once, the entire dwelling of Terratopolis went totally silent, as every esper hesitated and felt this. The sea esper himself stared forward, clutching himself as he felt his pain slowly subside. Yet even as it did, he felt the change that had happened.

He had felt something very strong…a ripple in the Lifestream. It was almost the equivalent of a flash flood in real life. Tied to the Planet, he felt it strongly as it occurred. Him, and any other creature that could feel the Lifestream. If there were any Cetra left, they no doubt felt the same. Yet what truly began to worry him as time went on was what was the source.

The only thing that could cause that ripple would be the sudden, instant death of thousands.

The other espers slowly recovered. They groaned or shook their heads, but all began to look up in the chamber once again. When they did, they all turned and looked to one another in surprise. None of them knew what to say initially, or what to make of that. They, after all, hadn't theorized as Leviathan had as to what would be the cause of the ripple in the Lifestream. They knew only that it had occurred, not what had caused it. But Leviathan did, and there was no mistaking it. After a moment to recover, he wheeled around and stared at them with a new look of ferocity.

"We're leaving. All of us. To Alexandria. Now."

To be continued...