THE MARK OF AN ESPER

Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure
Setting: FF9 landscaping
Main Characters: Zidane

Note from the Authoress: This is loosely based on FF6, but set all over all the games. It's my new FF fic

Part 5

A sharp pain went through Zidane. He winced, his eyes flickering. He was cold, and his clothes clung to him. He could feel a light drizzle settling on his forehead. He could barely feel the rest of his body. Then the sharp pain came again. It felt like someone was poking him. His eyes flickered open. Someone drew back quickly. Zidane groaned as he turned his head to see who it was, his neck aching from lying in the alleyway so long. The figure wore a hood over their face and hair. Its arms were covered with sleeves, and it appeared to be a male. His hand had flown to a sword that was strapped to his waist. Zidane couldn't see his eyes very well, but he guessed that the figure was watching him closely. Zidane moaned slightly.

"Help" he murmured. The figure walked slowly forward, then turned and shouted. Three more figures appeared out of the shadows. They drifted towards him. He closed his eyes and felt the weight of the crate still on top oh him lift. The figures picked him up. A wave of pain swept through him again as he lost consciousness.

The room swam into focus slowly. There was a ceiling above him. At least he thought it was a ceiling. The surface was sort of jagged, and rough. He wondered vaguely where he was. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his body throbbed. A voice rang out.

"Don't move. The ointment will work soon." He blinked and muttered

"Where am I?" he heard footsteps across the floor. It sounded like someone walking on some sort of grit. He screwed his eyes up, waiting for the voice to say something.

"You are in our headquarters. We know you helped Terra. Therefore, we grudgingly accept that we may be able to trust you." Zidane attempted to sit again.

"You know Terra? Where is she? Ouch." A hand pushed him down.

"Lay still. We will tell you our story while the ointment takes effect." Zidane forced himself to relax.

"Tell me then." He heard a rustle, and took it to mean that one of the figures had nodded.

"Very well. Firstly, you must know a bit of history. Long ago, magical entities known as Espers roamed the land. They had a lot of power, and used it to keep mortals safe. But a king of the time became greedy, wanting the Espers great power for himself. He hunted them, killing them and confining their souls to stones, thus absorbing the power for himself. Then the force that he carried so foolishly, although not before wreaking havoc upon Gaia, destroyed the king. The Esper crystals were destroyed, allowing the Espers to be free at last. However, while the king had been capturing the creatures, he appeared to miss one. It changed itself to a human, and ran to a concealed mountain town. As time passed things became safe and the Esper had a child. Human, but with the incredible power of an Esper. This power was passed down along the line of its ancestors, remaining dormant for many years. But recently this power has awakened in one. And people with the same desire of power as the king have found out. They pursued the child, hoping to get hold of the power. The one holding the power is Terra." Zidane blinked. Ok, so he had gathered that the story was heading that way, but he still had questions.

"Ok then." he said "and what do you have to do with this. And what is so different about this time?" The figure continued speaking.

"Good questions. We are descendants of the ancients, the ones who turned the power on the king. We have to make sure Terra survives. The ones after her are creatures of the dark. They are more powerful than the king of old. Should they harness Terra's power, they will become unstoppable." Zidane nodded, surprised that his body was aching less all of a sudden. He dreaded asking the next question, but knew he had to.

"So where do I come into all this?" he turned his head to look at the figure. He was certain he saw a smile in the depths of the cloak.

"We need you to find Terra and take her to Madain Sari. Her power will be unleashed there, taking a form of its own. One that cannot be harnessed. But it will be dangerous. The enemy will follow you, and they may still managed to harness the power before it takes a spiritual form." Zidane groaned inwardly. So another quest had come his way. He wondered if Terra knew any of this. He sat, the pain gone. Whatever the ointment was, it was brilliant. He stood.

"Very well." the figure nodded.

"Excellent."

END OF PART 5