Disclaimer: Thou who claim ownership shall face thy darkest enemy.
Have you ever tried thinking of the world maps for this game in terms of a globe? It's bloody confusing. As always, reviews are much appreciated.
Chapter Twenty-three: Ragnarok
"What happened to you guys?"
"Dragon."
"Ah." Setzer needed not ask more.
"What about here?" Edgar wondered, taking in the battered appearance of the Falcon.
"Doom Gaze."
Cyan's eyebrows rose. "Thou faced that hell beast?"
Gau leapt around the deck with unintelligible vocalizations as if acting out the battle.
The gambler crossed his arms. "He tried to tear apart my baby."
Shadow grunted. "Big son of a—"
Edgar noisily cleared his throat. "Language," he chastised. "There are ladies and children present."
Terra, Celes, and Relm consequentially rolled their eyes.
"It took some effort and serious piloting," Setzer confirmed, "but we brought him down. Snagged this in the process." He held up a gem that glowed blood red, deeper than that of Ifrit. "Bahamut."
"King of dragons," several of the warriors recognized.
Celes watched as Terra took the magicite in hand. "It will take some measure of power to control so great an entity," she almost whispered.
"You don't think one of us could do it?" Sabin asked.
"I don't think Bahamut would answer the call from one of you."
After a moment of thought, the half-Esper held the magicite out to Celes.
The ex-general shook her head. "I've already told you. I do not use more than I already possess," she reminded, fingering the icy pendant around her neck. "After all I've done, it wouldn't feel right."
"But I already hold my fair share. Who else could—"
Terra stopped mid-sentence, and both women's heads swiveled towards the small blonde looking innocently on. The men also turned their gaze to the girl. When she noticed the eight pairs of eyes on her, Relm nearly flinched.
"What?"
"Do you think she can do it?" Terra asked Celes.
"She has the potential. In a few years' time, her magic will rival ours."
"But she's so young. Would Bahamut answer to her?"
"She's a Magi. A powerful one. I don't think age matters."
"What?" Relm repeated, growing anxious.
Celes nodded to Terra, who stooped down and placed the crimson stone in the palm of Relm's hand, closing the girl's fingers around it. Relm's expression conveyed skepticism at best.
"Really?"
"Trust in yourself, Relm," Celes advised.
"Um, sure."
Edgar addressed the group. "Does anyone know where the cultists' tower is?"
"If I'm right, it's on the Serpent Trench," Setzer recalled, "but why would you want to go to that freak show?"
"We think they have something of importance. A powerful Esper, to be precise."
The pilot took to the controls. "To Fanatics' Tower then?"
"Indeed."
The tower was located within the ring of mountains Celes had once passed on her way to Nikeah. There didn't appear to be any clear path through the peaks, so Setzer simply landed the airship a couple hundred yards from the structure.
A line of cultists in red and white robes trudged back and forth in front of the tower, droning some chant and completely oblivious to the arriving warriors. Among them was the familiar form of Strago.
"Gramps?" The elderly mage didn't respond, so Relm walked a little closer and let out a shout. "HEY! YOU OLD FOOL, YOU'RE STILL STANDING?"
Strago lifted his head, and his empty eyes lit up at seeing his granddaughter. "Relm? By the Goddesses, you're alive?"
The girl laughed. "You thought I was gonna check out before you? Idiot."
His brow creased. "And you're as foul-mouthed as ever!" He grinned. "Bless your heart!" He looked at the others. "You're all alive!"
Terra approached and took his hand. "We're glad to see you, Strago. What are you doing with fanatics?"
"There's a rumor a powerful relic resides atop this tower. I guess I got caught in their thrall."
"Powerful relic," Terra mused. "That's why we came."
Celes gestured to the slow-moving train of cultists. "Do they even know we're here?"
"They don't react to much," the old man answered.
Locke strolled forward. "Well, then they won't mind if we just mosey on up to the—Oomph!"
His steps were abruptly halted by an invisible force. Unnoticed by the warriors, the cultists stopped in their tracks. As one, their heads lifted and turned towards the thief.
Locke rubbed his nose. "Ow."
Edgar, not catching on, tried to pass the thief. "Nice one, Cole. You should probably—" Thump. He stumbled back, holding his forehead. "What in tarnation?"
Celes, Terra, and Relm looked curiously on as Sabin stepped up parallel to his brother and the treasure hunter. Putting his hands out, they connected with a seemingly solid surface, and a slight ripple could be seen in the air where his palms touched. Cautiously, Relm passed the apparent line holding the men back. Edgar extended his arm, but it met resistance. With a grin, the girl walked back to the side where the two women and one Magi stood, and the king threw up his hands. As an experiment, Celes stepped up to the unseen barrier, reached through to take Locke's hand, and tried to drag him through. The thief recoiled when his hand hit the imperceptible wall. Celes turned to Terra with a quizzical look, but the half-Esper shrugged.
The cultists continued to stare at the warriors.
Strago chose that moment to explain. "Only those with innate magic can enter the tower."
Celes glanced at those on her side and those on the other side as if doing a headcount. Terra did the same, and they both had the same reaction.
"Ooooooh." Celes crossed her arms. "So I guess it's just the four of us, then."
Strago nodded. "You might as well leave your weapons. Swords will be of no use here…and it's a long climb to the top."
They followed his gaze up to the top of the towering structure, each groaning at the prospect. Without warning, the cultists closed in, pulling large knives from within their robes.
"Infidels," they hissed.
The warriors, startled by the assault, nonetheless quickly readied themselves for the fight. Celes sidestepped a knife thrust at her abdomen, bashed her fist down on the cultist's wrist to loosen his grip on the weapon, and backhanded him with her other fist. Taking the knife from him, she turned it around and jabbed it into her attacker's chest. The fanatic staggered back, but he soon regained balance and yanked the weapon out of his chest.
"What the f—"
"Blades won't work here!" Strago repeated, drowning out her curse. "Only magic!"
The cultist lunged at Celes again, and she duplicated her earlier dodge. This time, though, instead of going for the knife, she took the man's head between her hands and twisted sharply. With a crack, he fell limp to the ground.
Strago blinked.
The blonde knight shrugged. "No one can withstand a good neck-snapping."
The other fanatics were swiftly brought down by the scorching flames and bolts of lightning conjured by the others. Edgar opened his mouth to say something to the four mages, but a thunderous rumbled drew everyone's attention. Turning towards the source of the disturbance, their jaws dropped.
"I think we made someone angry," Locke muttered.
Appearing from around the base of the structure was a mammoth dragon, much larger than the one they faced in the Ancient Castle. Easily forty feet in length, the head of this monstrous beast with pearly-white scales and intense orange eyes rose above the second story of the tower. Four lanky appendages grew from either side of the dragon's back, a leathery blue skin webbed between them to form wings too small to allow extensive flight. The horns, talons, and jagged plates were no less intimidating than those of the Water Dragon.
"They're sicking their pet dragon on us?" Relm yelped. "So unfair!"
From within the dragon's mouth, an orb of white light formed. Celes instinctively reached for her Rune Blade, but when her hand grasped the larger hilt of the Blizzard Edge, she cursed under her breath. The warriors jumped out of the way when the orb was launched towards them.
"It's the Dragon of Light!" Celes yelled. "Pearl-elemental!"
"What's it weak against?" Edgar shouted back.
"Uh…"
The king grit his teeth. "You guys get up that tower! We'll take care of this thing!"
"Be careful!" Terra warned.
After considerable hesitation, the four mages put aside their weapons and made their way into the tower. Looking up, they saw only a spiral staircase inhabiting the windowless structure. Bracing themselves, the two women, old man, and young child began the epic climb. Cultists filed out of nondescript rooms scattered throughout the floors. Along with them came magicians of all crafts: witches and warlocks, wizards and sorcerers, enchanters and conjurers, tricksters and necromancers. It was enough to make the already difficult ascension seem endless. Frequent rests had to be taken for the sake of Relm and Strago, though by the thirtieth floor, even Celes grew fatigued. When their magic reserves dwindled, Elixirs were downed to replenish their strength.
When at last the fiftieth and final floor was reached, they were greeted by the cool night air the rooftop afforded.
"Thank the gods," Terra breathed.
"Finally!" Relm agreed. "I do not want to do that again."
"I second that," Terra followed.
"Come on, it's good for us," Celes claimed, slightly out of breath herself.
"Yes, but some of us aren't as young as we used to be," Strago reminded.
They approached the small building in the middle of the roof, but before they got too close, a man in spiky gold armor stepped out of the door and blocked their path.
"Infidels! How dare you defile this house of worship to the Great One with your presence!"
The four exchanged questioning glances, eyebrows quirked in amusement. The man's eyes turned to Celes.
"General Chere. You will make an excellent sacrifice to the Great One."
"Yeah, and she's just gonna hop right up onto that altar for ya," Relm shot back.
The man's expression didn't even twitch. "That won't be necessary."
He drew two blades so thin and flimsy they looked as though they would break if they struck anything. In defiance, Terra muttered an incantation, and the man drew himself up to his full height, extending his blades in front of his body. A burst of flame erupted out of nothing, but the tongues of fire crawled harmlessly over the man's body before simply dissipating. To retaliate, the Magi Master cast his own ball of flame, barely dodged by the half-Esper.
Relm chanted and threw her hands out, sending a bolt of lightning towards their foe, but again, the electricity merely danced across his flesh, doing no damage. With a laugh, he threw a charge back at the girl, but she leapt to the side of it.
"He's elemental," Celes realized.
"But…changing…" Strago added.
Relm threw her hands up. "Fantastic."
"There has to be a sequence," Terra assumed.
The four mages cast element after element in a random fashion, but they caused damaged less than half the time. The Magi Master had various barriers up, shielding him from their full force, and he only threw magic back in retaliation, never making the first move. Celes felt a chill against her chest; her pendant took on a strong glow as if demanding her attention.
What, Shiva? she asked in her mind. She was almost surprised to get a response.
He will attack if he is afraid, but he does not fear you.
And what would you suggest? There was no answer. Shiva?
"Ow!"
Celes looked to Terra in alarm, and she saw the half-Esper fumbling Ifrit's magicite around in her hands. The stone was glowing red hot. Soon, Strago held the gem of Ramuh, which sparked in his palm. She took a guess as to why.
"They wish to be summoned." Celes received looks of confusion. "Your Espers…summon them!"
Without waiting to see if the others understood or not, Celes uttered an unfamiliar incantation, calling on Shiva to manifest in the human realm. White mist swirled around her body, and directly behind her, spikes of ice fell to the roof. A figure descended elegantly down into the ice as a mere shadow. Once amidst the glacial prison, the now visible woman drew herself to her full height, her reflection unmistakable in the many facets of the frozen crystal. Iridescent silk with elaborate sapphire embroidery covered her, but with a sweep of her arm, the ice surrounding her shattered, and the cloak flew from her body. Shiva struck a devil-may-care pose not unlike Celes would at certain times.
Nearby, Terra called on Ifrit. A flame formed in her hand and she dropped it to the ground. In the blink of an eye, it spread out into an archaic glyph. The ground beneath the symbol split, and a large canine-like beast shot up from the fiery pit. Ifrit landed heavily at Terra's side.
Strago next summoned Ramuh. Storm clouds gathered, and lightning struck the tower. The sage rose from an electrical whirlwind, his long beard flowing in the gale winds accompanying it. Ramuh brought his staff to bear.
With a gesture from Celes, Relm refrained from summoning Bahamut. Already, the Magi Master was visibly displeased with the turn of events, but still he did not attack.
As if skimming over a frozen lake, Shiva skated over to her summoner's foe and delivered a sharp kick. Ifrit leapt the distance and viciously raked his claws down the Magi Master's torso. Ramuh, even, glided over and gave him a good whack with his staff.
Though his barriers and shells protected him somewhat, the master mage found himself wounded. Finally, he grew frantic and threw a ball of fire at Shiva. Ifrit stepped in and took the blow, the flames only invigorating him. It was what the Espers, and indeed their summoners, had been waiting for.
Shiva twirled around, and with no more than a wave of her hand a sheet of ice swelled up and around the Magi Master. In a graceful motion, she lifted her hands into the air, touching the right to her left forearm above her head. Light flashed at the contact as a sphere of arctic energy formed, and Shiva held the position for several seconds. She then drew the energy back before thrusting it out in front of her in a powerful expulsion of energy. Layers upon layers and spikes over spikes of ice surged forth in a magnitude envied by Celes. Releasing the outpour and dropping her hands, Shiva rose to her full height and returned to her casual stance. Almost mockingly, she slowly extended one arm back out and snapped her fingers.
The ice shattered, and the Magi Master staggered from the freezing torrent. Frustrated, he sent a flood of water at the Espers, quickly frozen by the Ice Esper. Almost serenely, Ramuh pointed his staff at the fanatic, and a stream of electricity spewed out towards him, lifting the master into the air. A growing sphere of the crackling voltage amassed at the end of the rod and ultimately projected forth and discharged at contact with the zealous mage.
Dazed, it took the obsessed sorcerer a moment to recover before he attempted to conjure a blizzard to freeze the sage. Snow whirled around him, but the Magi Master never completed his incantation. Ifrit leapt into the air and threw twin balls of fire from his paws and breathed a third flaming ball from his jaw. As his foe was trapped in the blazing inferno, the Fire Esper dropped back to the roof, his claws raking across the stone. With immense strength, the Esper pulled a large section of the building up and hurled it at the cultist.
The master mage was weakening. He desperately threw out a hand, and a bolt of electricity raced towards Shiva before she could defend. As his sister stumbled back, Ifrit snarled in anger and lunged at their foe, slashing him with his claws. Celes nodded to Relm, and the child prayed to Bahamut for aid.
With a thunderous roar, the mythical beast dropped down out of the clouds. Opening his wings, he expertly landed directly next to his summoner, making the entire tower shake with his mass. The enormous dragon king standing beside the diminutive child was a comical sight.
Relm looked up at the towering dragon. "Kick his ass!"
The majestic Esper looked down at his summoner. When the Magi Master began another conjuring, Bahamut flapped his wings once to glide over. A powerful swipe of a paw knocked the man to the ground. Flying back to Relm's side, the dragon fell to all fours and slammed his massive paws down, digging his claws into the roof. A sphere of light formed in his fearsome beak, and a beam of explosive energy shot forth, piercing the master mage. From beneath the fanatic, the energy flared up in a colossal pillar, blinding to the warriors.
When the light subsided, the Magi Master was nowhere to be seen, having been completely vaporized by Bahamut's wrath. Terra, Strago, and Relm thanked their Espers for answering their call, and the three entities faded from the realm. Celes merely gave Shiva a slight bow of her head. Gently, the icy goddess touched her fingers to the woman's cheek, and Celes looked up at her. Shiva held her gaze for a moment before turning and following her kin, returning to the ethereal realm.
The four mages finally stepped into the building of the roof. A single altar occupied the room, an ornate jewel-encrusted chest resting on it. Strago stepped forward and lifted the lid of the box. Inside lay a diamond the size of Relm's fist with a lustrous garnet at its center. The old man gingerly, almost fearfully took the magicite in hand.
"This is Alexander…"
"Yes, it is," Celes confirmed.
For several minutes, the old man was silent as he stared into the dark red core, unease etched on his face. "…His power is not to be trifled with," he eventually declared. "Heed my warning and never summon Him."
((ooo))
When the four mages returned to the airship, they found the others lounging around, nursing fresh wounds from the latest battle with the dragon.
"Everyone all right?" Terra inquired in concern.
When it was clear they were too worn to answer, Relm waved them off. "Eh, they're alive."
"Relm," Terra admonished.
"What? They're breathing, aren't they? They're fine!"
Terra shook her head and made a point of checking each of her friends individually. The child plopped down next to Interceptor, and Celes pulled Strago aside to speak in private.
"Do you… Have you heard of the Ragnarok?"
"Sword of the Damned," he affirmed. "Hidden away from unworthy hands for a millennium."
"Do you know anything more?"
"What precisely are you after, dear?" he asked gently.
She dropped her gaze. "Where it is."
"Legend has it, only a descendant of Rune can find it, let alone wield…it…" He trailed off as a vague notion entered his mind. Shaking himself mentally, he pushed it aside. "It is a blade of terrible power. Corruptive power. Why do you seek it?"
"It might be what we need."
"Celes, dear, what I can assume is that the Three Statues have made Kefka the equivalent of a god. I don't think that hellish sword would be enough to defeat him."
"But it might weaken him," Celes countered, unusually quiet.
The old Magi sighed, and his brow creased in concentration. "There are myths…indefinite references to a place known as Island of the Damned. I believe modern-day scholars merely call it Triangle Island. A devilish place. No record of exploration has been made."
"Why not?"
"Most ships that have gone out that way have inevitably and inexplicably sunk. Any crew that somehow managed to land onshore were never heard from again. But…if you're looking for the resting place of the Ragnarok, Triangle Island would be my best guess."
When the others were recovered, Celes ran the idea past them, conveniently glossing over the concerns Strago (and she) had about the sword. Of course, they already had a general idea of the Ragnarok's nature from the journal entries they had read through, so it wasn't as though they were flying blind. She also made sure they were aware of the apparent dangers of the island itself.
There was debate, hours of arguing the pros and cons of the Ragnarok. Terra was firmly against it, reminding everyone that the queen's diary had stated very clearly the evil of the blade. Edgar, the dutiful king and willing to do whatever it took to fell Kefka, was confidently for it. Sabin, calling to mind when Vargas was corrupted by the power of Blitz, was against it. Setzer, going with his philosophy of 'life's a gamble,' supported the idea, though not as strongly as Edgar. Locke agreed with Terra on the danger of using the sword, but the possibility of hunting for an ancient relic made him contradict himself. Cyan's only qualm was about Celes being the one to wield the blade, quickly thwarted by the Rune prophesies and the blonde's Runic infusion. Relm, ever wise for her age, acknowledged the risk as well as the need.
Not surprisingly, Gau had nothing to contribute, and Shadow remained silent. Strago also stayed out of the dispute, having already voiced his apprehension to Celes. The blonde knight herself was hesitant to simply step in with what would be a tiebreaker of sorts.
Finally, a consensus was reached to at least search for the Ragnarok. Before they did, however, Celes requested one brief detour.
"There's a…a small island southwest of Albrook, a rundown cabin on the southern shore. There's…something I'd like to do there if no one minds."
There were no objections of course, and Setzer set the path the blonde specified. When they landed, Terra, Locke, Edgar, and Sabin quietly observed as Celes stood before a crude headstone. After a moment, the ex-general moved several feet to the right, knelt down, and started digging down into the dirt with her gloved hands.
When she swept aside the final grains, she wrapped her fingers around an abject and pulled it free from the earth. The others looked on in confusion as she stood and drew the Rune Blade from its sheath.
Sabin raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you lost it."
Celes twirled the blade in her hand, then inspected the steel shaft. "I lied."
"But…but why would you…?"
She slid the sword back into its sheath. "I had my reasons." She turned to the North and started walking. "I just need a little time alone here. I'll be back in an hour."
Sabin was dumbfounded. Locke watched her go, and the others traded glances.
((ooo))
Celes stood on the cliff she once took her 'leap of faith' from. The day of what they all hoped would be the final battle was rapidly approaching, and the tension she felt grew heavier as time went on.
She sensed someone come up behind her. "What part of 'alone' didn't you understand?" she snapped icily.
"I was worried."
"You're always worried," she muttered. The thief stayed quiet, and his silence seemed to grate Celes even more. "What do you want, Locke?"
"This island obviously has some significance to you. Most likely, it's none of our business, but we all kind of feel like you're leaving us in the dark here."
"I'm not sure you'd understand."
He took her hand before she could walk to the opposite side of the cliff. "Try me."
"I'm fighting for you guys," she reminded with a shadow of desperation in her tone. "What more can you ask of me?"
"For you to fight with us. Stop limiting yourself to just being an ally and start being our friend, because we're trying to be yours."
She looked down at their hands, and for some reason, her eyes locked onto the silver band around her thumb. The sight of the Imperial ring made her grow troubled, and she looked away, pulling her hand out of Locke's.
The thief sighed quietly. "You know, Relm was right. You are holding something back. I just wish you'd trust me enough to tell me what."
Celes abruptly turned on her heel and headed down the slope. "Let's just go."
Slightly hurt, Locke wordlessly followed the blonde back to the airship. Hours later found the Falcon hovering above Triangle Island.
"The fog is too thick!" Setzer yelled over the engines. "I can't see the ground, let alone land on it!"
"Just try!" Edgar shouted back.
Due to the dense haze, it had been decided that Setzer would take off after the team debarked and wait for their flare signal to pick them up. Relm, Strago, and Gau also opted to stay onboard. When the aircraft finally touched down, albeit roughly, Strago pulled Celes aside.
"Celes, you mustn't let your fear of yourself take over. Especially in this place." Then, to everyone, he added, "Don't lose your way. Triangle Island has a way of…swallowing people whole."
Locke gulped. "They just...vanish?"
The old man quirked an eyebrow, but it was lost on the others. "Without a trace."
A knight, a mage, a thief, a king, a blitz master, a warrior, and a ninja all stepped warily off the gangplank, and the Falcon rose back into the air as soon as they were clear. Even with the haze, the warriors assumed they would stumble across whatever they were looking for. After three hours of walking blindly around the island and finding nothing, though, they began to wonder if Strago was wrong about the location.
Unexpectedly, a large patch of ground to the left began to shift. Another area behind them also shifted, and another to their right.
"What new manner of evil is this?" Cyan asked.
"Burrowers," Shadow answered almost too calmly. Edgar took out his auto-crossbow, but the assassin shook his head. "That won't help."
The ground rumbled and shook, scattering pebbles and up-heaving dirt. A monstrous creature suddenly crested and swallowed Locke, diving back into the earth as smoothly as though it were water.
"LOCKE!" Terra screamed.
Edgar cursed loudly. "I didn't think the old man meant literally!"
The ground behind the king shifted again, and though he tried valiantly to outrun the creature, he too was swallowed. Cyan was pulled under almost immediately following the king, and Terra was nearly hysteric.
"What are we going to do?"
"Signal Setzer?" Sabin suggested, verging on panic himself.
"You would leave your companions?" Shadow wondered, still sounding indifferent.
Meanwhile, Celes stared at the ground. "Could it really be that easy?"
Sabin shouted a warning, but the blonde knight made no move to dodge the gaping mouth of the surfacing burrower. The martial artist and Terra were both taken at the same time, and Shadow stood alone. The dirt shifted again, but the agile ninja crouched and then leapt out of the creature's range. Grunting in satisfaction when the ground became calm, he rose from his crouch. Fate, however, wasn't on Shadow's side, and without warning, a burrower surfaced and consumed the unsuspecting assassin.
((ooo))
"Is everyone here?" Sabin asked.
The warriors picked themselves up, vaguely hearing an odd rattle as they did. They brushed the dirt from their cloaks, each answering with various affirmatives. Wherever they were, it was completely dark save for the dim glow of the magicite hanging around their necks.
"Someone light a torch," Edgar called, prompting Sabin and Terra to go to work.
Locke took a step and heard a crunch. "Why is the ground covered with sticks?"
Nearby, Celes bent down and picked something up. Her pendant barely illuminated what she held, but it was enough. "Um, these aren't sticks."
The magic of the half-Esper and martial artist flared, and several torches were lit. Celes was holding what appeared to be a rib bone. As one, the seven warriors look down.
"This truly be a damned island…" Cyan murmured.
The floor was not of dirt or stone, but of bones.
"Speaking for Relm, who is lucky she isn't here," Terra began, "I'm going to say 'ew.'"
Sabin pointed towards the entrance to a tunnel. "Is this what we were looking for?"
"I would assume," Celes replied. "It's faint, but I can feel some kind of power here."
More than a little disturbed and slightly anxious, the warriors carefully made their way through the long and dangerous caves. They eventually came to what appeared to be a dead end. The wall they faced was engraved with glowing archaic runes and emblems from floor to ceiling.
Locke strolled up to it and gave it an appraising eye. "What is it?"
"It looks ancient," Terra observed.
Celes stepped forward and ran her hand over the sculpted rock and felt a familiar but elusive sensation.
"Hey, look at this," Sabin called.
He drew their attention to a two-inch wide slot running deep into the wall. Just above it was a symbol that made Celes' breath catch in her throat.
Locke touched her shoulder. "Cel?"
She fingered the carving almost reverently and whispered, "Mark of Rune…"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"So, what do we think?" Terra asked the group.
"It's a monolith," Celes answered.
Edgar looked up at it. "For Genji?"
Celes knew the answer. She didn't want the others to raise questions, but she had little choice other than to proceed. They watched curiously as she drew her Rune Blade, chanting quietly under her breath. The etchings on the steel lit, and she buried the blade into the slot, keeping hold of the hilt with her right hand.
"A key?" Edgar mused softly.
The light of the glyphs on the wall danced across the stone surface in a steady stream, flowing directly into the Rune Blade. With the glow of the monolith extinguished, Celes withdrew the sword, and there was a loud grating of stone on stone as the rock wall parted to reveal an inner chamber.
Only, it wasn't really a chamber.
Before them was an infinite expanse of tranquil water, the hazy sky reflecting perfectly on its glassy surface. Stone pillars rose from the water, encircling a single pedestal and casting ominous shadows over the dark sword's resting place.
"O…kay. I'm getting a feeling of déjà vu," Locke commented dryly. "Is this another one of those inter-dimensional realms?"
Instead of replying, Celes took a confident step forward, finding the water's mirrored surface to be solid, rippling lightly under her foot. She took another step, and slowly she made her way towards the pedestal. From out of the darkness, a deeper shadow materialized, nearly indistinguishable as it slithered alongside the former general.
Of its own will, her hand reached out to the Ragnarok. Her companions expressed concern, but they were drowned out by the whisper in her mind; the sword was calling to her. When her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the cursed blade, a strange sensation coursed through her. For a single instant, a glint of black flitted across her eyes.
FLASH
The champion of the Goddesses faced his father's murderer. The sorcerer was powerful and crafty, but the knight embedded his sword in his foe. A spell was cast, and the sorcerer was pulled into the Einlanzer. The legendary blade lost its pure white shine, instead becoming tainted with the black of the sorcerer's soul and transforming into the Ragnarok.
FLASH
The knight slowly succumbed to the blade's corruption. His skin paled, his eyes darkened, and his behavior grew possessive and cruel.
FLASH
When finally the day came the knight turned against his kingdom, a new hero rose: the knight's own son. Wielding the sacred Illumina, the son pierced his father's nearly impenetrable armor and felled the once mighty warrior.
FLASH
A mausoleum was built in the hidden depths of the earth, and the knight, his armor, and the accursed blade were laid to rest. A guardian was chosen to protect the knight's legacy and await the coming of the heir of Rune.
FLASH
"Cel?" Terra put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Startled, Celes let go of the Ragnarok's hilt. Her hand trembled. The shadow watched silently.
"Yeah… Fine…"
Terra studied the odd expression on the taller woman's face. "I really don't think you should do this…"
"It'll be okay, Ter," Celes insisted.
"No, I don't think it will be. It's corrupting you already!"
The blonde met her friend's gaze. "All right. We'll walk away."
Though suspicious, the half-Esper turned to leave, making sure Celes was following. The former general indeed trailed along, though at a slower pace. As Terra reached the others, the knight slowed even more, and finally turned on her heel and strode back to the pedestal. Locke and Sabin yelled at her to stop, but with frightening determination, Celes again grasped the hilt of the damned sword.
Just as the Ragnarok was pulled free from its pedestal, a wall of blue flame erupted from the water's surface, cutting Celes off from the others. The thrall was broken, and the blonde tore her eyes from the obsidian blade to look to her companions. Concerned, she took several steps towards them, but when she sensed a dark presence behind her, she stopped and tilted her head. Instinctively, she dodged to the side just as the shadow lunged, slashing a thin blade at her neck.
Both regained their balance, and Celes held the Ragnarok menacingly. "What do you want?"
"Perhaps the better question is, what do you want?"
The voice sounded familiar, but Celes couldn't place it. "I grow tired of riddles and cryptic sayings. Who are you?"
The figure, still concealed by the shadows, began circling her. "As the prophesy goes, 'Thou who covet the power within the Sword of the Damned shall face thy darkest enemy.' So let us think… Who could that possibly be?"
The voice registered in Celes' mind, and true fear, an emotion she rarely ever felt, bubbled to the surface of her consciousness.
The dark being gave a low chuckle. "Oh, I wish you could see the look on your face as it dawns on you: the realization that your own worst enemy…" One more step, and light streaked across the figure's face. "…is you."
Author's note: Mwahahahaha…ha. Yes, originally, the Gem Box is at the top of Fanatics' Tower, and Alexander is found in Doma after fighting Wrexsoul. Also, Fanatics' Tower technically has 38 floors, or so I counted.
Attributions (must give credit where's it's due): I tried to make Triangle Island a cross between the Bermuda Triangle and the Island of the Damned from Chrono Cross. Inspiration for the illusionary chamber came from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (the Water Temple). Next chapter's teaser:
A figure on its knees before Celes. "Become who you were born to be."