Impulsivity did not become the Emperor. He knew that of himself.
There was a certain feeling of domination that he relished in that accompanied a carefully thought-out plan. In the grand game of chess that was the war, he loved being able to influence and manipulate behaviors and events. He loved knowing his own moves, he loved anticipating the moves of others, and he loved the calm, cold, and deliberate confidence that came with it. And that sort of planning meant that he rarely ever lost control. Losing control meant acting rashly, and acting rashly disrupted all of his careful calculations. He could no longer anticipate the consequences, and he could no longer react accordingly.
It did not stop him in this instance.
Upon retrospection, the Emperor would scold himself, and say that attacking Kain was one of the most reckless and impulsive things he could have ever done. But he wanted Rosa gone, then and there. He was ready to end her in the middle of sixteen of Cosmos' warriors and even in front of the goddess herself. He allowed his lust for vengeance to corrupt his calculation.
Golbez's ability to control minds. Kain's betrayal, under Golbez's influence, spurred forth by Kain's childish jealousy of Cecil and his heartbreak over Rosa's choice. Cecil's past sins, which included a fall from grace and murder. The blood of others that stained his Dark Knight armor and stripped him of the perfection he maintained. All the information the Emperor learned was swimming in his head, over and over, with the energizing anticipation of the moments when he would get to use it. The looks of shock and outrage on their faces when he pulled it from his back pocket and displayed it to all the world.
Perhaps it was that desire that the Emperor acted upon - the one he had to use that information and use it now to his advantage just to see Rosa suffer. But no matter what it was, it was impulsive.
He took all of two seconds to decide that if Golbez possessed those powers of mind manipulation, then he could, too. He was already a better mage than Golbez, with more forceful and concentrated power. He should've been able to do it.
He should've known it wouldn't work. He should've told himself to wait, to think, to plan it out.
When he saw that Kain hadn't left Sanctuary completely, he followed after him. Slowly, relishing in the thought of stalking his prey. He left Rosa where she was, speaking to Cosmos, and he followed after Kain, keeping enough distance that he wouldn't alert him. Some, like the Warrior, were hypersensitive to the scent of Chaos' warriors. He wasn't sure about Kain.
He stared and stared, wondering how Golbez could have done it. It was mind magic. All he had to do was send a powerful Curse spell into Kain's mind. After his already-weak mental defenses crumbled, the Emperor figured he could implant a thought or an order and watch it play out.
All pure speculation. No plan, no escape route, no anything. The thoughts just didn't cross his mind against the potential payoff of this success. He wanted her to suffer, and Kain would be his agent.
Kain paced angrily, still fuming from this argument with Rosa. Occasionally his head would snap up, like he thought of some witty and crushing retort, and he would glare at her with his face twisted into a frown. And then his shoulders would slump and he would sigh or growl or make some noise of his disgust.
While he watched, the Emperor called upon the Curse, tied to the deepest parts of his mind and soul. The old reserves he kept locked tight for when he truly needed them. He used the same powers against Firion and his friends when he conquered the earth and heaven and hell. He drew it from hiding in his heart, and already his chest started to tingle with the sensation of raw power. He planted it in his chest and let it grow, buzzing stronger and stronger as he poured more and more of his thoughts and energy into it.
He allowed it to manifest outside of himself, and when he held out his hand, it congealed there in his palm. His hand, then his entire arm trembled from its energy and the Emperor eyed Kain from where he was. What would be the best way to do this? If he misfired the spell wouldn't catch. Then Kain and all of Cosmos' warriors would be alerted to his presence.
Doubt threatened to overtake him. "It won't work. This is rash, and foolish." The Emperor dismissed it just as quickly. If Golbez could do it, surely he could, too. He was Mateus. His power was absolute.
He decided to walk right up to Kain and physically touch him with it. Just to ensure that it took. He doubled his efforts to mask his presence and aura and teleported there, mere steps from Kain. But in his efforts to keep the masking spell, he lost some of the power in his Curse he held cupped in his palm. He had to pause and let it build up again.
Kain knew something was there, right in front of him. He froze exactly where he was and looked around, staring straight through the Emperor. He reached out into the open air, and the Emperor leaned backwards and away from him, clutching the spell close in case Kain touched it prematurely.
He must have written it off, because he dropped his hand and his head moved like he rolled his eyes behind his helmet. He rolled his weight back onto his heels and crossed his arms protectively over his chest.
Perfect moment.
The Emperor inched the Curse closer and closer to his face, hoping to get as close to his temples as he possibly could with the helmet in the way. He wasn't inches from Kain when the Emperor heard a voice right behind him.
"Hey." He flinched, whirling around and blocking his body with his staff, just in case he was attacked. Rosa's green eyes missed him once again, staring through him to Kain.
He could not win with her. All the more reason to destroy her now.
"Hey," she repeated, "I'm sorry I said that earlier. Sorry for cornering you like that."
Kain didn't answer. He stared down at her and didn't move.
"If you're willing, I'd like to talk about what happened. I genuinely believe it to be a large piece of my memory, and-"
"No."
She paused, processing his response. "No?" Her eyebrows lifted and she lowered her chin.
"No," he said, standing taller to brace himself. "I will not be used. By you, or by anyone. Not ever again."
"I don't want to use you, Kain."
"You do. For information, you do."
"How else would I learn anything about my memory, then? I admit that what I did earlier was cold. It was deliberate and I apologize. I didn't understand the full weight of what I was asking of you. But why, when I ask you to explain, would you then hide it from me?"
"You don't deserve it after what you did. At least, not yet-"
She scoffed, mouth dropping open in shock. "I do not deserve information about my memory?-"
"Not from me, you don't."
Rosa was not used to being told no. That's what it looked like to the Emperor. Her eyes hardened for a moment, like she was about to press the matter, but then she decided against it. She stepped away, and the Emperor slid into the space where she was.
Before he could second guess again, and before anybody else could interrupt him, he clasped the Curse in his hand and touched it to Kain's cheek.
It seeped into his skin, straight under his helmet, and the Emperor knew it held. Kain's reaction could have told him anyway. He recoiled so forcefully he staggered back to keep his balance, as though the Emperor had hurled the spell at him rather than touched it to him. He shook his head hard as the Emperor's spell took effect, forcing and burrowing its way into his mind, shutting down his thoughts and faculties.
The Emperor couldn't guess what Golbez would have said to Kain back then to force him to submit, but he was running out of time. He whispered to Kain, hoping the commands were strong enough.
"Kill her!" he hissed to him urgently. "Attack Rosa! Kill her!"
Kain screamed out as the commands dug into his consciousness. His hands flew to his head and he doubled over.
"Kain Highwind, kill Rosa!" he whispered again. The Emperor couldn't tell if they were working. By Kain's reaction they were, but he had no way of knowing unless Kain acted upon them. He repeated the words like a mantra, hoping the repetition would help it take root faster. "Kill her! Kill Rosa! Kill Rosa! Kill Rosa!"
Kain winced again and grabbed at his helmet, tearing it from his head and throwing it violently to the ground. He stood there, frozen, panting, and in his anticipation the Emperor's whispers faded from his lips as he stared.
"Rosa!" Cecil yelled from the other side of Sanctuary. "Rosa, get away from him!"
This was the moment of truth.
Kain called his lance and the Emperor nearly shouted. Unbelievable! His poorly-planned, impulsively executed plan had actually worked. Even if Rosa didn't die, the emotional cost of this would be heavy for all of Cosmos' warriors, but especially her. And that was enough for him. Just to hurt her.
"Kill her!" he screamed one last time at Kain, but rather than force the point home it startled Kain. He dropped his lance.
No. no, no, no!
"No!" he yelled aloud. Fine, he could end this himself. Right there, right then. Never mind the other warriors. He could have her on the ground before they even reacted. He appeared right where he was, jabbing Kain with his staff and shoving him back.
"Protect Cosmos!" someone yelled - probably the Warrior. "Terra, Yuna, Vaan, Zidane, with me!" The Emperor could have laughed at him. Cosmos wasn't who he was after. He turned on Rosa, and she already had her bow in her hands. They weren't feet from each other but she still drew and shot an arrow at him. He ducked, and the arrow tip pinged off the decorative cobra in his hair, spiraling away. The Emperor circled his staff in the air and began a Thunder Crest, and with his other hand he called a blue Flare, throwing them both at her at once.
Rosa blocked and braced her bow across her body to guard against the Flare, but the Thunder Crest sailed across the ground and sparked under her boot. She screamed, her entire body stiffened, and she fell to her knees. Her bow fell from her hands and clattered away from her. She writhed and twitched, gritting her teeth, and her eyes tracked the Blue Flare that crept closer and closer to her.
From his right, he heard a yell, and Cecil sprinted forward. The Emperor expected him to attack, but instead he dove into the Flare's path, taking it for Rosa. He was thrown onto his back, and he slid backwards in the water, armor smoking from the heat. The Emperor turned back to Rosa but by then his Thunder Crest had dissipated. He growled his frustration through his clenched teeth.
There were too many distractions. Too many warriors here to interrupt.
He should have thought this through. He should have planned. He shouldn't have let his rage control him.
It was too late now. Now he'd have to do the best with what he had.
Rosa scrambled to her feet, staggering forward on trembling legs to keep her balance. He needed her to stay there until he could concentrate. The Emperor lifted his staff in the air and summoned a cluster of mines to surround her on every side.
"Emperor!" Firion yelled, and the Emperor glanced around to see him and nearly every single warrior in Sanctuary running towards him from all different parts of Sanctuary with weapons drawn. They were still relatively far away, but Cecil had also recovered. He was close. The Emperor looked over his shoulder to check on Kain, but he was still on the ground where the Emperor had pushed him over. Either unconscious or exhausted from his harrowing experience. Either way, he wasn't a threat.
The faster warriors would reach him first, he knew, before he ever got the chance to attack Rosa. He glanced at her and happened to meet her gaze. He saw her wide-eyed, pained and exhausted glance, and the thought of the pain he would inflict as soon as he was able brought a smile to his face. He smirked, placing another set of mines all around her to be certain she wouldn't escape, enjoying the way her eyes widened further and flicked from mine to mine, no doubt searching for a way out.
He couldn't enjoy it for long. The small Onion Knight broke away from the crowd and was quickly approaching. He slashed his sword through the air twice before aiming for the Emperor's knees. The Emperor floated backwards, and the Onion Knight followed-through and swung again. The Emperor blocked with the lower part of his staff, then used his magic to twirl it in the air. It ripped the Onion Knight's sword from his hands, tossing it across Sanctuary, and he called a normal Blind spell, casting it on the Knight.
"No, no, no!" he cried, wiping desperately at his eyes, but the spell held. The Emperor grabbed his staff from the air and swung it into the Knight's chest, knocking him away. The tugging sensation on his ribs had him squirming in pain and he winced, clamping his arm against his side before he could help it. With his other hand, he called two mines behind the Knight and they exploded, tossing him into the air. The Emperor knew the landing would not be pretty.
One of the mines exploded behind him as Rosa tried squirming her way around them. The Emperor drew another Thunder Crest underneath her and watched as she grit her teeth, refusing to cry out this time as the shocks tore through her, keeping her in place.
Knowing she was blocked, he turned right as Tidus and Cecil both approached. The two of them stopped and circled the Emperor together, weapons raised and at the ready. Looking for an opening or perhaps planning Rosa's rescue. The others around Sanctuary had either slowed down or stopped a safe distance away, ready to jump in if necessary. How valiant of them - unwilling to gang up on an opponent. The Warrior and those he called for had only strayed a few feet from Cosmos, guarding her like a dog in case he decided to make an attempt on her life.
Just these two for now, then.
Just until he could snap Rosa's neck.
"Ah! Jecht's boy," the Emperor sneered, putting as much malice into his tone as he could.
"What, you hate my old man? Well get in line!"
"Hmph!" he snorted. "And Cecil. How very fortunate for you to have Rosa returned to you. I hope the process of regaining her memory hasn't been too difficult for you, considering she remembers your fall from grace."
Cecil paused, even taking a step back. "How do you know about that?" he asked, eyes wide.
"How many people have you murdered?"
"Don't listen to him, Cecil! He's full of it!" Tidus warned, turning his sword in his hand threateningly.
Cecil seemed to shake off the Emperor's comments. He switched to Dark Knight and set his spear behind him. "Let her go!" he yelled.
The Emperor looked into where Cecil's eyes would be under the helmet and smiled spitefully, letting the sentiment in his eyes drive his point home. He never shifted his gaze away from Cecil, even as he lifted his staff and slammed the end into the ground. A storm of purple lightning appeared over her head, and Cecil made a small noise of alarm. Rosa backpedaled away from the bolts, right into one of the mines. It exploded and threw her forward onto her hands and knees. The lightning bore down on her.
Cecil lifted his spear up near his ear and it glowed purple. The Emperor readied himself to block, expecting him to throw it. Instead, a black and purple orb of power shot from the tip. Before he could even react, it collided into his chest and he was tossed backwards. His breath hitched, the almost-healed puncture wounds of the arrows in his chest burned evilly. The Emperor pushed the pain away from his mind and scrambled to a sitting position, just in time to see Cecil take off towards Rosa.
No. He couldn't let Cecil get to Rosa. He would free her. He needed to end her himself. He was running out of time.
From his sitting position, the Emperor grabbed his staff with both hands and pointed it in Cecil's direction, a little behind him. He tried to charge up a Dynamite spell to draw Cecil away from Rosa's prison. The tip of his staff flickered to life - a dreary, yellow light - but before he could finish it Tidus' boot slammed down on his staff, pushing it down into the water. It dissipated quickly.
"Yeah, I wouldn't do that," Tidus muttered, watching him closely.
For the first time, the consequences of his little excursion here weighed on him. He had Rosa trapped well enough, but now he himself was stuck. A formidable warrior stared down at him in a vulnerable position. Even if he somehow escaped, there were eight others ready to jump in. One of those eight was less inclined towards mercy than the others in the Emperor's case.
He needed to think of something, and now. Engage in that perfect planning he normally used, not the recklessness that seemed to overtake him every time Rosa was involved. Cecil had reached her. He inched his spear forward and touched one of the mines around Rosa experimentally. It exploded, not close enough to do any harm, so the Emperor shifted a few mines closer to her and detonated them as well to injure her more. One of them, placed in the small of her back, collapsed her forward, flat on her stomach with her face turned away from Cecil.
She didn't immediately get up. She probably assumed it was better to simply stay still than it was to try and escape. Just what the Emperor wanted.
Cecil knelt on the ground and said something to her, so low he couldn't hear it. For a moment, the Emperor thought her dead already, and his pride nearly collapsed. But then he saw her chest rise and fall. He could attack her yet.
That was if Cecil didn't find a way to break her out. He needed to get him away from her. He needed to get rid of all of them.
The Emperor's staff was still stuck under Tidus' boot, and his sword was still at his throat, but Tidus was almost completely turned away from him, watching Cecil and Rosa. The Emperor wiggled his staff experimentally and Tidus' head snapped back towards him.
"Hey," he warned. "Watch it." The Emperor thought he would continue to watch, but instead he turned back again to suggest to them, "Maybe she should try a Protect spell and force her way-"
The Emperor tugged on his staff as hard as he could, and Tidus' foot slid out from under him. He slipped and the Emperor teleported behind him in a flash, already calling a Tornado. His aura surged, flaring out around him, leaking into the air in all directions, and the Emperor spread his arms to push it further, resisting the pain in his ribs. The wind in Sanctuary was calm, the air unmoving, but when the Emperor called his power back, he felt the pressure shift, pulling the very wind towards him. He poured the power into his staff and it trembled violently, even shooting small sparks of lightning from the strength. It circled the air, spiraling faster and faster as it charged, and the air around the Emperor spiraled as well.
The Emperor raised his arms, and he couldn't keep his cry of pain contained. He clutched his side, but managed to keep his concentration. His staff soared upwards, drawing the winds with them, and the spell finally manifested. A greyish-brown maelstrom of power rose from the ground, so powerful it whipped his hair around him and his staff continued to spin. The Emperor let the attack loose, and it fractured into three smaller Tornadoes. He grabbed his staff from the air, panting, and floated backwards, away from the carnage they would cause.
Tidus hesitated, clearly unsure of how to handle the crackling, whirling spell hurdling towards him. He blocked, holding his sword straight out in front of him, but the Tornado still circled around him. He cried out, and the Emperor lost sight of him in the dust and magic. The other two storms trailed slowly towards Cecil, so strong the Emperor could feel the ground shake, and to the Emperor's relief the winds pulled Cecil away from Rosa. His feet dragged, he lost his balance, and Cecil put his hand flat on the ground to try and gain extra purchase. But the closer they drew, the stronger he was pulled away. Cecil lifted his spear over his head and slammed it into the ground of Sanctuary, digging it deep into the crystal under the water to keep him still.
Perfect. Now he was anchored to the spot.
The Emperor drew a Dreary Cell with his staff and planted it directly under Cecil. It exploded and the Tornadoes dissipated, tossing both him and Tidus away from them.
The Emperor whirled around, expecting another attack. But to his surprise, no others were immediately ready to engage him. They were coming, crashing towards him, but they wouldn't reach him in time. He would make sure of that. To keep them distracted, the Emperor cast a red Cursed Flare, using both hands to concentrate its power. He let it build and build, growing larger and larger, until it was almost as large as his wingspan. He let it loose, and sent it forward towards the largest concentration of warriors. It spun, hurling fireballs from within itself into all of the warriors. They all dodged or blocked, but either way they were distracted.
He had no obstruction to Rosa.
Finally.
He floated towards her. Circled around her so that he could see her face. She stared tiredly up at him. Her green eyes looked dead and defeated, and the sight was exactly what he wanted. "How unfortunate. We were interrupted. But I'm really going to enjoy this," he told her. She simply closed her eyes in response. His heart leapt in his chest, pure delight at the thought of finally ending her, once and for all. "Dear Rosa," he added, a final term of endearment.
He let go of his staff and it crawled upwards, laying flat over his head. It spun slowly, teasingly, as though it had a mind of its own and was just as spiteful as he was. It drew the sigil for his Starfall - a series of interwoven triangles, circles, stars and pentagrams, sealed together and circled by ancient, eldritch runes meant to be sealed away. The largest triangle provided three root points, and as his staff powered the spell, three bolts of lightning shot from it and connected to the points.
It shone brighter and brighter, and the Emperor watched Rosa while it charged. She didn't even move, didn't even flinch, not even when the glyphs began to hum with energy. A matching sigil appeared underneath Rosa and her traps, and above her, Sanctuary's clouds swirled together and congealed before spreading apart to reveal the meteor storm.
He was seconds away from releasing the attack before something metal pinged off his back. It wasn't even strong enough to stagger him, but the loss of concentration was enough to cast away his whole attack. The Emperor's rage boiled over, and he screamed out his rage, snarling it through his clenched teeth. He turned, and the weapon that struck him lay harmlessly on the ground. Kain's lance. The Emperor kicked it away and followed the direction it came from. Kain was on his feet but nearly doubled over, chest heaving from the effort of getting up. The lance disappeared and reappeared in Kain's hand and he staggered forward, clearly ready to engage.
All the other warriors were ready as well.
Exhausted, exasperated, surrounded. This plan, if he could call it that, had completely backfired. He would never attack her at this rate - at least, not in a way that he would enjoy it.
He just wanted her dead. He wanted her dead, now.
Damn the theatrics and the gloating.
The Death spell was already tumbling from his lips, the power coming from his heart. He was close enough that Rosa could hear him, and her eyes opened wide when she realized what he was doing. She stared up at him but didn't move from her spot. The Emperor hoped it was because she was accepting what was coming.
"Rosa!" Cecil yelled.
"N-no!" Kain tried, but his strength left him. He collapsed to a knee, using his lance to keep himself upright.
This ended now.
He cast the spell in her direction, and the Emperor thought her finished. But at the last second, Rosa held her hand up. Palm out, towards him. He didn't see any sort of barrier appear around her. She was too weak.
He thought.
Rather than attack her and bleed into her skin, killing her instantly, the spell ricocheted away from her, bouncing off a Reflect barrier she had put up. It spun wildly towards the crowd of Cosmos' warriors, straight towards Firion. Either he didn't see it, or did not react in time. The moment it touched him, he dropped.
Of course.
Of course Rosa cheated death. Cheated him. Either Fate despised him, or it favored Rosa. Perhaps both. Either way, it was time to abandon this ridiculous effort. The Emperor did not stay to see the aftermath of his spell. He disappeared to nurse the wounds to his pride.
The Emperor strikes again!
When writing this, it occurred to me that the Emperor knows Blind, Meteor, Ultima, and other spells in FFII. If the Emperor knows Meteor, then he must know other Black Magics. That was my rationale, anyway. It led me down a quest of determining what Black Magic/White Magic spells he would know, and at what level he would know that. That's where Curse, Blind, Death, and other spells came in during this scene. If you're curious, leave a review and I'll drop my list of Black Magics I determined he would know based on FFII canon, Dissidia canon, 012 canon, and NT canon.
Again, with updated attacks, attack mechanics, body movements, and details in Dissidia NT, I went for a fusion of the old and the new. The Emperor's Tornado is an HP attack in NT, not just an EX Mode attack like in 012 and the original Dissidia. His Starfall is the same. Let me know how I did!
Leave a review if you have the time, and thank you to my beta-reader!
Ask me anything about Petal on my Curious Cat! Search for Keyblader41996.
~Keyblader