Prologue: Sunrise
She sat quietly in her chair, looking over the data. The rich scent of fresh coffee ran across her nose, and she quietly took a sip from the mug in her hands. Her office was still dark, but the first rays of sunlight were starting to poke over the mountains and hills to the east. Soon enough, it would be a new day, for everyone, including Quistis Trepe.
Another day in a world that was more and more needing her leadership, and the leadership of her protégées. A world that daily awoke to a new darkness, a new evil. The legacy of Crell Varines had not even begun to pass, even a year after his defeat and exile in these very waters.
Too much had been lost in that battle. Over ten thousand soldiers of Dollet, Galbadia, and Garden had been killed, along with upwards of a hundred thousand Estharians, all told. Balamb Garden had been sunk, and worse casualties had been suffered. And a year later, they were still fighting Crell's war, though he had changed the tables yet again.
She slowly set the mug down, and looked over the computer screen. The lights from the monitor played off her eyes as she examined the data, almost sadly and forlornly.
SeeD Personnel File T-T-8133
Name: Tilmitt, Selphie Mariana Avril
Rank: Staff Sergeant (17)
Age: 21
Height: 5' ½"
Weight: 102 lbs (presumed)
Date of Birth: July 16, 3983
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Brown
Nationality/Ethnicity: Trabia/Balambese
SeeD Occupational Specialty: Demolitions/Magical Support/Vehicular Support/Artillery Support
Current Status: Missing in Action
It had been seven months since she had vanished. A routine investigation by her unit regarding a terrorist cell hidden in Lollapalooza Canyon had ended up with the rest of the unit reporting back in, but with Selphie gone. A week-long search of the area by Galbadian and Timber authorities, with Seed support, had not turned up any clues. No signs of conflict, no indications of a struggle, nothing. Selphie had simply . . . Vanished.
For anyone else, the disappearance would have had sinister connotations, and the likelihood would have been that she'd be lost at the hands of the enemies they were hunting. But this was Selphie; one of the few remaining Elementals. She wouldn't have gone down without a fight, and when it got down to it, she wasn't a very subtle person, especially with her powers over cold magic. There was no possibility that she would have been taken by force without some sign of it laying around.
And thinking of Selphie brought up the next file.
SeeD Personnel File K-G-3341
Name: Kinneas, Irvine Victor
Rank: Staff Sergeant (18)
Age: 21
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 174 lbs
Date of Birth: November 24, 3983
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Nationality/Ethnicity: Galbadia/Galbadian
SeeD Occupational Specialty: Sharpshooter/Firearms Support/Undercover Operations
Current Status: Active, Deployed NOC attached to CITU Special Task Force
While everyone within their circle of friends had been hit hard and were intensely worried about Selphie's disappearance, no one had taken it worse than Irvine. For the first month since she had disappeared Irvine had been frantic, obsessive, and for good reason. No one had cared as much for Selphie as he had, and the bond they had forged in Iceblood's hellish corridors had brought the two together as tightly as-
Quistis stopped, closing her eyes, and willed that thought away. Losing Selphie was bad enough, but Squall . . . .
Quistis had been forced to relieve Irvine from duty within a month of Selphie's disappearance, citing his emotional state and inability to focus on critical work. She remembered how well he had responded to that, and three days in the brig had managed to sober him up after the damage he did to her office.
Depressed, damaged, mentally unstable . . . Irvine had been effectively out of action for another four months before he managed to come back to Garden. He had come to her office, demanding that she give him something to do, a mission, a job, an assignment, anything.
She had known what Irvine wanted. He was hunting for solace in his work, to focus on a mission that would tear his mind from Selphie, from that horrible feeling of grief and failure. The more dangerous and risky the mission, he had told her, the better. Thus she had given him one of the most dangerous assignments she could find: a NOC infiltration job against one of Crell Varines' suspected cells in Galbadia City. It was one of those jobs Irvine did best.
Quistis looked over the next file, a faint smile coming to her lips after the darker thoughts of Irvine and Selphie.
SeeD Personnel Report D-B-1298
Name: Dincht, Zell Adam
Rank: Sergeant (15)
Age: 21
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 221 lbs.
Date of Birth: March 17, 3983
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Nationality/Ethnicity: Balamb/Balambese
SeeD Occupational Specialty: CQC (Martial Arts)/Vehicular Support/Mechanized Repair
Current status: Active, assigned to CITU Special Task Force
While the war had sobered Zell up, and watching a lot of tragedy unfold around him had hit him bad, the brawler was still eager and exuberant. When Quistis had proposed and formed the Counter Insurgent-Terrorism Unit for Garden, Zell had been one of the first t very aggressively volunteer for the job. Not even working under Seifer's direct command rankled him much. Though if anything did temper the wild SeeD, it was other responsibilities, like the fact that he had a daughter on the way.
It still amazed Quistis that, of all people, Zell and Ellone had gotten together. They had been friends in Edea's orphanage, and Zell had been all for helping Ellone during the Sorceress War, but something had "clicked" between them over the last year. They had formed a bond after Zell had pulled Ellone from the hands of Crell's minions, and it had only grown stronger over the months following . . . .
And now Ellone was four months pregnant.
The next file rose up into view, and Quistis couldn't help but glance over it with a bit of guilty vanity.
SeeD Personnel File T-B-1011
Name: Trepe, Quistis Miranda
Rank: Galbadia Garden Commander (A)
Age: 22
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 131 lbs.
Date of Birth: October 4, 3982
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Nationality/Ethnicity: Balamb/Dollet
SeeD Occupational Specialty: Magical Combat/Magical Support/Blue Magic/SeeD Instruction
Current Status: Active
She shook her head as she looked over the file, still surprised at her new position. But with Balamb Garden destroyed, and former Galbadia Garden Commander Kisk killed in action during a strike in Timber early into Crell's terrorist campaign, someone needed to assume command. She was the natural choice, they al knew, and had been second in line to become Commander of Balamb Garden when Squall was still alive.
Thinking of Squall was badly timed, she knew, when the next file came up.
SeeD Personnel File: H-N-4310
Name: Heartilly, Rinoa
Rank: Sergeant Major (22)
Age: 21
Height: 5' 3 ½"
Weight: 99 lbs.
Date of Birth: March 3, 3983
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Nationality/Ethnicity: Galbadia/Galbadian
SeeD Occupational Specialty: CQC (Gunblade/Broadsword style)/Firearms Support/Magic/Squad Leadership
Current status: Active, assigned to CITU Special Task Force
Rinoa had logged more time in combat than most experienced SeeDs. Cid had always made it clear that if she wanted to join Garden full-time as a SeeD, then she was welcome to and would get a position equal to her experience and abilities.
But after the battle outside Balamb, Rinoa had spent nearly an entire month in isolation. She'd suffered an almost complete breakdown, Squall's death striking her more deeply than anyone expected, even those closest to her. There had been rumors that Rinoa might commit suicide, but they had been grossly exaggerated. All of her surviving friends had tried to pull her out of her depression, and ultimately, Rinoa had started to come back around, though still full of sadness and grief. But then, when Selphie disappeared, it seemed to have galvanized Rinoa into action. Much like Irvine would later, she had requested to be formally inducted into SeeD and receive an assignment.
It came as no surprise when she took Squall's remnant, the gunblade Revolver, as her primary weapon. He had shown her some combat techniques with the gunblade over the years, and her showing with the weapon qualified her for gunblade specialty. Her experience made her an excellent SeeD, and Quistis had, after some consideration, assigned Rinoa to Seifer's CITU. Even without her Sorceress powers, Rinoa was a dangerous opponent, and she had buried her grief under her desire to get back at those who had ultimately forced Squall to take Griever into his body and sacrifice himself.
The next file naturally followed Rinoa's.
SeeD Personnel File A-B-1045
Name: Almasy, Seifer
Rank: Task Force Commander, CITU Special Task Force (A)
Age: 22
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 178 lbs.
Date of Birth: December 22, 3982
Eye Color: Gray
Hair Color: Blonde
Nationality/Ethnicity: Dollet/Dollet
SeeD Occupational Specialty: CQC (Gunblade/Saber style)/Covert Operations/Infiltration
Current Status: Active, Commander of CITU Special Task Force
Xu had told Seifer he would never be a SeeD Captain, and she had been right. Technically, Seifer had never been a Captain, but had jumped from cadet to traitor to criminal to general and then to the head of the Counter Insurgent/Terrorism Unit. Citing his many . . . "unique" . . . experiences, Cid had asked Seifer to take command of a unit devoted specifically to tracking, preventing, and destroying Crell Varines' insurgent and terrorist forces.
Seifer had put in some odd requests since he'd become the Commander of the CITU, including approving some personnel transfers that certain people had requested. He currently had a small army of over a hundred SeeD technicians, analysts, and investigators under his command, as well as an equal number of field agents and assault troops. Not to mention over a thousand additional agents and soldiers in Galbadia, Dollet, and Esthar's intelligence agencies. His unit was capable, powerful, and smart, and had the authority it needed to commandeer and override local authorities and agencies.
For all intents and purposes, Seifer and his CITU were the unquestioned head of the hunt for Crell and his insurgents.
The responsibility of commanding such a daunting mission didn't stop Seifer from other tasks. He had made it his personal mission to protect Squall and Rinoa's own daughter from harm, and he did that zealously, and had basically forced Quistis to agree to have a squad of no fewer than a dozen SeeDs protecting her at all times when he was away.
Finally, Quistis came to the end of the list, and sighed deeply. Just seeing this name was enough to bring back recordings of the conversation between him and Rinoa, before he had sunk beneath the waves.
Name: Leonhart, Squall
Rank: Balamb Garden Commander (A)
Age: 20
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 169 lbs.
Date of Birth: August 23, 3983
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Nationality/Ethnicity: Balamb/Galbadian
SeeD Occupational Specialty: CQC (Gunblade/Broadsword style)/Covert Operations/Garden Leadership
Current Status: Killed in Action
Those last three words chilled Quistis every time she read them. Killed in action. Squall Leonhart.
Quistis had never thought she'd read those words in his profile.
After a few moments, she closed the files, and sat back, closing her eyes.
Something fell onto her desk with the light click of plastic on wood. She looked down, and saw what looked like an identification card sliding across her desk toward her. She looked up in the direction it had clearly come from, and saw a man standing in the middle of her room, wearing a black dress suit, a brimmed hat, and with smoke emanating from a pipe-
Quistis had her whip drawn from her side in a flash and was standing up, chain in hand and ready to strike at the man - no, definitely not human - who stood across from her.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed, to which the figure replied with a quiet, amused chuckle.
"Dear Quistis replied Alucard, guardian of Existence. "Its been over a year, and you greet me so rudely . . . ."
"When we have intelligence indicating you're siding with murderers and terrorists, we tend to react very hostile," she snarled, edging around the desk. "What are you doing here?"
Alucard sighed quietly, and then nodded toward the desk.
"Meddling, dear Quistis," he replied tiredly. "All I ever do." He managed a slight smile.
"Are you here for Serra?" Quistis demanded. As she came around the desk, her finger twitched slightly, and she squeezed on a slender ring on her finger.
"You do not need to call for security," Alucard commented, catching that tiniest of motions. "I am not here for the girl."
"Why don't I believe you?" Quistis asked, advancing another step, putting him firmly within striking range for her rante.
"I am many things, Quistis, but a liar, I am not," he replied. "Serra's continued life does threaten the existence of this material world, but precisely why I do not understand yet. I have been trying to find an alternate method of stopping Hyne, but until then, she remains the only means by which I can directly counter her." He sighed. "I am very sorry I have to resort to killing her, but it's the only option I have available."
"You aren't going anywhere near her," Quistis said firmly, and Alucard shrugged.
"I'm not going to kill her, not yet," he explained. "I am not hyne or Hades. I do not kill when unnecessary."
"You seemed awfully intent of murdering her when we last met."
"I deemed her death necessary then."
They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, both reading the others' expression. Neither could delve too deeply into each other's thoughts however, and finally, Quistis broke eye contact, glancing down at the card on her desk, her posture relaxing in resigned defeat. He was right; Alucard was no liar, and if he said he wasn't going to harm Serra now, then he wasn't.
"Why aren't you going after her, then?" Quistis asked, picking up the card.
"I feel her death is unnecessary at this juncture," he replied evenly. "But it may yet be required in the near future. Hyne is moving."
"She's been moving," Quistis replied.
"Positioning herself, yes," Alucard replied. "But I can sense she's preparing for the final strike. She is preparing for checkmate."
"What makes you say that?" Quistis asked.
"Magic has been failing," he remarked. "Beyond junctioned magic and the strength of an Elemental's energy, normal magic is slowly being sapped away. Even SeeD has been effected by that, hasn't it?"
Quistis quietly nodded, looking over the card. It was a fairly standard Galbadian ID Card for some man named "Allen Steele" in Deling City. It looked fake at first glance, and after a moment's analysis, Quistis confirmed it was indeed a fake ID.
"We've been compensating," she replied. "But in those first weeks we were fighting Adel insurgents we had a hard time when our magic wasn't working. We had no normal ranged options for many of our troops . . . Is it connected with Hyne?"
"I do not know, but I have my suspicions."
"Why are you helping Crell?"
"Who said I was helping him?"
Quistis paused at that, and considered his words.
"Remember, Quistis," Alucard stated. "I am always on the side of existence. I may be angry and may make rash decisions, but I am acting for the greater good." he nodded at the card. "That man is a member of Crell's insurgency, operating a nightclub with . . . disreputable practices going on underneath the table, so to speak. Funding his insurgent cells. He is moderately important within the rank structure, and he may have information you would need." With that, Alucard tipped his hat, and stepped backward, disappearing into a fold in the fabric of reality.
Quistis sighed and moved back around her desk, before sitting down and laying her head back. She closed her eyes again.
She was annoyed, but not surprised, when her intercom beeped. She sat forward and slapped the button on her desk in annoyance.
"What?" she asked.
"Ma'am, that man we recovered from the insurgent base near Timber is ready to talk." Quistis perked up at that bit of news. They had almost never caught one of Crell's men alive in the last year; a live, talkative captive to interrogate would help immeasurably in the battle against the terrorists.
"I'll be down in a moment," she said, standing up.
Crell Varines sat down in a chair, across from the only one of his men to have survived the debacle at their Timber cell. One of his largest cells had been wiped out, over eighty men killed, with only two survivors, one in Garden custody, and the other managing to limp away to a safehouse before being transported back for debriefing.
The former-dictator, now the head of over two thousand and more insurgents scattered across the globe, watched his man as the soldier trembled, seated behind the desk, cold sweat cutting across his brow. He was clutching a glass in his hand, having already downed the whiskey, yet still not calming down despite the alcohol.
"Victor," Crell whispered quietly, knowing he had to be patient. The soldier was shaken, badly so, as if he had seen a ghost . . . Or watched that ghost rip apart every other soldier in his unit. "Victor, what happened?"
"He came for us," muttered the man. He looked up at his commander, eyes full of fear as he spoke. "He came into the base and killed everyone!"
"Who?" Crell asked insistently.
"He . . . He . . . . He . . . ." the soldier managed a swallow, and shook his head, trembling more and more. He lowered his head, and started sobbing in terror and pain at the memory.
"Victor," Crell asked quietly. "Tell me . . . ."
" . . . what happened?" Quistis asked as she stared at the prisoner across from her. The terrified soldier, traumatized by what had happened to him - not to mention the fact that his left arm was missing from the bicep down - shook his head.
"Louis, you need to tell us what happened," she asked quietly, insistently. "Everyone else at your base died. What killed them?"
"It . . . The man . . . He came in like a shadow. The guys out front, watching the woods, they went down first. I heard one of them scream and die. Everyone went for their weapons,a nd they fanned out, clearing the caverns we were using. But . . . ."
"But what?" Quistis asked.
"The man . . He . . . ."
" . . . massacred them," Victor responded. "He moved through the caves, killing everyone. People just . . . . They vanished. One second, they were reporting in, then they just stopped speaking. There weren't any screams. He just . . . He burst from the shadows and tore them apart in an eyeblink!" Victor looked up at Crell, lips trembling, and he shook his head. "He killed half the cell before we even fired a shot."
"Did you regroup?" Crell asked, and Victor nodded.
"We retreated back to the barracks, and started barricading the entrances. But that didn't slow him down. He was a step ahead of us . . . Rhames . . . ."
"Rhames was the last guy left aside from me and Victor," Louis told her quietly, having calmed down slightly after a SeeD medic had injected him with a relaxant. "He smashed through the door right in front of us, and sliced him in half. I didn't see any motion. He just came in, and Rhames fell apart."
"You saw him?" Quistis asked, and Louis nodded.
"Yes. I saw . . . Black, shadow," he whsipered. "he came across the room. I raised my rifle, but he cut it in hald. Victor ran and knocked out the lights, trying to cover us to escape, but that didn't do anything. He . . . ."
"I heard him slice Louis' arm off, and Louis screamed and screamed," Victor said, the calming alcohol finally taking effect. He didn't seem any less terrified, however, as he spoke.
"I heard him grab Louis by his collar, and . . . ."
"And what?" Crell asked.
"I saw them."
"Saw what?" Quistis inquired, leaning in closer. "What did you see?"
"His eyes."
"Blood red," Victor whispered, fear apparent in his voice. "Glowing red. Like . . . Like gates into hell. He was staring at Louis, those eyes boring into him. And then . . . He spoke."
"What did he say?" Louis seemed to almost start crying again, and Quistis reached forward, touching the battered man's shoulder. He froze up, but then calmed down, and managed to look into her face with those horrified eyes.
"He said we were going to live, so everyone would know what was happening. So everyone would know what he was."
"Did he tell you his name?" Crell asked, and Victor nodded.
"Yes. He . . . He did."
"What was it?"
Victor stared at Crell with his terrified eyes, and spoke two words.
Louis stared at Quistis with his terrified eyes, and spoke two words.
"The Chimera."