II: So, This Is How the World Ends, Part I

Three Years, For Months Ago

General Marcus Vrax was an imposing man of well over six feet tall wearing draconically themed armor. As a Magitech Knight of the Second Order, he was one of the most skilled in all of the Gestahlian Empire. Indeed, it was thought that his skills were second only to the great General Leo Christophe himself. His loyalty was unquestioned and he would take any mission, no matter what the chance of success was. He had already racked up several major victories in this war, and it didn't seem as if his luck would end any time soon.

He entered the main Magitek Research Facility at Vector with two of his finest warriors at his back. He had been summoned here by the Emperor himself; otherwise he would never enter such a place. Though this was effectively the place where he was given his powers, a rebirth if you will, this place held nothing but dread for him now.

Inside the facility, there was a small gathering in one of the smaller labs. Emperor Gestahl watched with a mixture of displeasure and sadness as one of the greatest assets of the Empire was being operated on. He didn't know who was responsible for this indignity upon the young woman, though he had his suspicions.

From his position, he could make out the scars on her body easily enough, scars that he knew could not have come from battles, but from torture and abuse. The Slave Crown upon the girls head was linked to several wires connected to a control computer that was regulating the endorphins in her brain so she would remain unconscious and feel no pain from the procedure.

The person operating was the head of the Magitek Research Department, Cid Del Norte Marquez. He was a brilliant man by anyone's estimation, though sometimes seen as a slight eccentric. It was he who developed the process to infuse the power of magic into a normal human, though this operation had nothing to do with his research. He was trying to save her life. The damage to her body was affecting her pregnancy and if he didn't get the child out of her, both would be lost.

A soldier approached the Emperor and saluted. Gestahl didn't even look at the man. Though not very tall, Emeperor Gestahl was imposing in his all black outfit and long white facial hair. He was old and yet was able to move as well as any young soldier.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"My Lord, General Vrax has arrived at the facility," he replied.

Gestahl said nothing at first, watching as Cid removed the premature child from the body of Terra. Carefully, he moved the baby girl into a cylinder. Magical forces held the child in place as a nutrient rich and oxygenated fluid filled the tube to act as an artificial womb. After checking the instruments, he then began to clean up and sew up Terra herself.

"Very good," the Emperor finally replied. "Bring him directly to me." The soldier saluted again and quickly left to fulfill his orders. Gestahl entered the lab approaching Cid as he slowly continued his work.

"Report," he said, but much more softly this time.

"The operation was a success," Cid replied as he continued to work. "The mother is alive, but I'm worried about the child. Her premature state could be fatal."

"And Terra?" the Emperor asked with concern.

"Chances are she'll never bare children again," he replied. "Some of the torture inflicted on her was quite severe, and internal. She's lucky to have carried the child for this long. I've attempted to use magic to repair the damage but for some reason it won't work. The wounds may be metaphysical as well as physical. It's a puzzle to be sure."

"Tell me about the child's condition."

Cid took a moment to look in the direction of the baby. "Uncertain. As I said, her state could be fatal, though if she does survive, she may very well be our last hope in creating a reproducible specimen."

The Emperor walked over the tube and looked over the child. The poor fragile thing floated in the tube silently despite just being torn from its mother.

"Do we have any idea who did this?"

"My lord, I could venture a guess, but I know you will not take action."

Such a dangerous comment to make to the Emperor, but Gestahl read the meaning in his words and knew with certainty now that his court mage was the one who did this. But that brought up an interesting proposition in its own right. The child was only one-quarter Esper but half of her genes came from the first Magitek Knight created by Cid. Preliminary experiments showed that it was possible that the power of magic wrote itself directly to the essence of a person which would include their genes. There was a good chance this girl could be even more powerful than her mother despite the thinned Esper blood.

"I see," the Emperor finally replied. "Then make sure this knowledge does not leave the room."

Cid's eyes narrowed slightly but he nodded in agreement anyway. Anything less would have been treason, but he didn't like the idea at all. Kefka should be punished for what he had done, but he was Gestahl's favorite despite being obviously flawed in so many ways.

"Have the child moved to Sector Beta," he commanded. Cid was about to object to this but the look on the Emperor's face warned him against such action.

The Emperor left the room as soon as he received confirmation of the order from Cid. He knew Cid didn't agree with him, but agreement was not a prerequisite of obedience. He stepped out in the hall and saw General Vrax approaching him. The guard he sent to retrieve him could barely keep up with the man's strides, or those of his escorts.

"Ah, perfect timing General," the Emperor noted.

"My Lord," he said as he bowed respectfully. As he did so, the Emperor noted the unusual weapon on his back. He had heard of the weapon, but understood little about it.

It was a two handed blade with a built in trigger mechanism on the hilt. Above the cross guard was a cylinder that would not be out of place on a typical six-shooter, but a bit larger. The blade was thick and long, bringing the weapon's length to around five feet from hilt to tip. The designs and adornments were draconic like the rest of his custom armor. Though armies were best in a uniform look, Gestahl allowed his Generals the freedom of wearing what they wished.

"I've been curious about that weapon of yours for quite some time now," Gestahl stated directly.

"My Lord, it would be my pleasure to explain its design and function to you."

"By all means."

Vrax removed the blade from its partial sheath on his back. A twist of the hilt brought the trigger into the ready position.

"The blade is built on the principal of ultrasonic vibrations." He pulled opened the chamber and removed a single shell. Gesthahl noted the front of each "bullet" was flat and the shell casting had what appeared to be weaker points at three locations around the shaft. "When the trigger is depressed, the charge detonates. The excess heat is ejected though these points that tear open on their sides, but much of the force is directed into the plate at the top of the charge. This transfers the explosive force into the blade. Thin channels within the blade take the force and cause a resonance vibration to occur in the blade. This tremendously increases the weapon's cutting power. Alone the weapon can sunder shields and deliver fatal wounds, but when the trigger is used, I can split a fully armored knight from crown to crotch in a single stroke."

"Impressive," the Emperor replied, obviously quite amused with the design. "Did you come up with this on your own?"

"No, my Lord. Gunpowder was rediscovered during the time of my Grandfather, and he was the one who figured out that such a thing was possible. I've learned how to make the special charges for the weapon, but I am not responsible for its design."

"Your grandfather?" The Emperor questioned. "How old is this weapon?"

"Close to 100 years I'd imagine, though I don't know its exact age," he replied. "With all due respect my Emperor, I'm sure you didn't call me down here to discuss my unusual equipment."

"Of course not," he replied. "I suppose I should get to the point. If you direct your attention into the lab you will see."

Vrax looked through the window and saw the girl he knew only as 'the witch'. In a tube he saw a baby, obviously a little premature floating silently.

"I didn't know she was pregnant," Vrax admitted.

"No one is to know," the Emperor replied. "Your mission is of the utmost importance, though I'm sure you will not like it."

"My personal opinions are meaningless in the face of a royal decree," Vrax noted.

"Good. I want you to take the child to Sector Beta. You will be reassigned there with her. You are to raise her as your own daughter."

Vrax couldn't believe the order. "What? My Lord, I know I just said my opinions are meaningless, but I must protest anyway. I'm an Imperial General, not a daycare specialist. I know nothing about raising a child!"

"You have no family in the capital correct?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"That makes you my best choice. I don't believe I can trust Leo with this… and I need him on the field anyway. And Kefka… Kefka can't be trusted with this since he's responsible for it."

Vrax opened his eyes in shock at that revelation. "Your court mage is the father?" he clarified, earning a nod from the Emperor.

"If he knew that Terra Branford had a daughter as a result of what he did to her, he would stop at nothing to either control it, or kill it."

"You should have executed that madman a long time ago!"

"I need him," the Emperor replied in a low voice. "But I understand how hard to control he can be sometimes."

Vrax said nothing. A royal decree was about to be made that would take him out of the rest of the war for certain.

"This is my command Vrax; Report to Cid in two weeks that the child did not survive. Do this even if she does, let him think the child is dead. But, I truly hope she does survive; she may be our last hope of continuing this project."

"I understand how important this is, my Lord." Vrax replied. "I will do as I have been ordered. It is well that I have no family to tie me to the capital… your decree is likely to place me at Sector Beta for a very long time." Part of the Emperor's order disturbed him though… why would he want to keep the knowledge of the child's survival away from Cid? Was he afraid Cid's sentimental nature would get the better of him and he may try something treasonous?

"As long as it takes, General. I am grateful to you for this sacrifice. I'm counting on you."

That settled it… there was now no turning back. Vrax effectively had sworn an oath, but even if that were not the case, he knew he would never disobey his emperor.

Nine Days Later

Vrax stepped off the ship onto the docks of the island laboratory known simply as Sector Beta. Only a handful of people back on the mainland knew this place even existed. It was an isolated island hundreds of miles south of the Imperial City of Albrook. Covered in forests, rolling hills, and many rivers, it was almost a paradise for those trying hard to escape the rigors of city life.

Vrax hated it. He had grown up in the shadow of Vector and saw the wilderness around the city as just useless empty space between it and the next major city. Despite learning everything he needed to know about survival in the wilderness, he never took a liking to it. Neither the fresh air nor abundant beauty could ever change his mind about that.

Nearby the docks was the main facility. The laboratory complex consisted of a 14 story tall building shaped like the letter "T". A modern looking building made of steel, concrete, and glass, its primary purpose was to experiment with alternative forms of Magitek. Such experiments included drawing energy from the world itself, the creation of "Mana Batteries" (structures or objects that passively absorb and store magical energy), and even the creation of magical energy via chemical or even alchemical means.

Vrax considered such experiments a waste of resources but he understood that eventually, Vector's supply of research material (i.e. Espers) would run out. When that happened, in order to continue to produce more power for the creation of Magitek Knights and machines, an alternative method of extracting magical power had to be found.

Behind him, several soldiers carefully moved the boxes of supplies from the ship, one specifically contained the incubation tube for the girl he brought with him. The soldiers were very careful with that one, bringing it into the lower level of the lab, into a private room set aside for this purpose. As the box was removed and the machines that would keep the girl alive were revealed, he heard someone enter. They were immediately stopped by the soldiers.

"General Vrax," the woman called out. "I'm Doctor Trask."

"Let her in," he commanded. "Then close the door and do not allow any further personnel to enter."

"Sir!" one of the soldiers replied.

"Doctor Trask is it? I wasn't expecting you to be a woman."

Trask wore a white skirt that clung to her legs, stopping above the knee. Her lab coat hung down almost to the floor and her blouse was powder blue. Her face was quite young, betraying her immature age, though her actions and mannerisms painted her as far more mature than one would expect. She had modest assets but Vrax immediately decided she was pretty. Her blonde hair was tied in an up-do to keep it from her face, and her glasses completed the look of a beautiful, perhaps even sexy yet very intelligent young woman.

"Most don't," she agreed. "But even women can serve the empire." The last of the box's panels were removed revealing the tube and the floating child. She seemed to be doing better today from the General's perspective; she had more color to her and seemed to be breathing the oxygenated fluid more easily.

"So this is the girl," Trask stated as she looked her over. "She's beautiful."

"How much were you told?"

"Not much," she admitted. "She's the product of a half-Esper and a Magitek Knight. Specifics weren't revealed as not many people know the identity of the, so-called 'Witch'."

"You know enough then," Vrax stated. "For reasons I can't disclose, I can't tell you any more than that."

"No surprise," she replied. "So what's her name?"

"Um," the general paused. "She… she doesn't have one."

"Well you should give her one."

The General looked a little annoyed. "Why me?"

"Isn't she to be your adopted daughter? As her foster father, it is your right to do so."

"Erm… Ah… Well," he stuttered. "I guess I'll name her after my sister."

"I was told you had no family," Trask pointed out.

"No living family," he corrected. "My sister died of sickness six years ago… she was my last living relative."

"Oh… I'm so sorry."

"Its fine," Vrax replied. "I don't talk about myself much so few outside of the people who maintain my records really know about that sort of thing. My sister's name was Alya. She was studying to be a veterinarian. She loved Chocobos especially. Personally, I can't stand the smelly birds myself."

Doctor Trask giggled.

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, no," Trask replied, stifling further giggles. "Just thinking that I thought I was the only person who thought they smelled weird."

Vrax cracked a smile at that.

6 Months Later

Vrax was on the roof of the facility reading the latest reports. Nearby, enjoying the cooler air, Doctor Trask was holding the now six month old Alya.

"I can't believe this is happening!" he said, sounding rather upset. "The Returners successfully raided the Magitek Research Facility in Vector. A bunch of rebels managed to break into the most secure facility in the entire empire!"

"What were they after?" Doctor Trask asked.

"The Espers," he replied. "According to the report, the Espers that were still being studied in the lab committed mass suicide, but by doing so reduced their bodies to crystals called Magicite."

Doctor Trask's eyes widened. "I… I postulated that something like that was possible! An Esper's Magicite would therefore be capable of teaching magic to those who have the potential but not the knowledge of how to use it themselves."

"Meaning now the Returners have the power of Magic in their corner," Vrax added sourly. "The war is turning against the Empire. With Magicite, our enemies will be able to better arm themselves against us…"

"Perhaps it may be time to pursue peace talks?" Doctor Trask asked.

"I don't make policy," he replied. "And despite being a general, I hate politics. I'm actually glad I'm out here, away from the capital now… I'm not sure I could stand seeing the Empire bring brought low by a bunch of ambitious rebels."

Doctor Trask watched as he faced the setting sun. The orientation of the building allowed its three sides to point North, South, and West, giving its entire eastern flat side access to the rising sun. She rose to her feet and stood next to him.

"The Empire will not fall," she said at length. "Not while there are still people who believe in the cause."

"But what if that's it though?" he asked. "What if people are starting to not believe? Remember that rebellion that erupted around a year or so ago?"

"I remember," she replied. "You think something like that can happen again?"

"I hope not…"

10 Months Later

Vrax was starting to lose his faith faster now. He learned of the recent attack on Vector by the Espers , and the peace conference with the Returners, and he knew the war was over. It upset him that the dream had so easily been quashed, and he found himself questioning the wisdom of his own Emperor.

Doctor Trask was transferred back to the mainland a month ago. It was something of a sad parting for the two of them only because Vrax had become rather fond of the young doctor, though he felt she was too young for him. He would miss their conversations, and if it wasn't for her, he'd never know how to take care of a child.

It was mid-morning when Vrax left the building with Alya. Ever since her hair really started growing in, he's noticed the scientists were wary around her. That was likely because she had her father's hair… and that was one shade of blonde you never forgot. The mere presence reminded them all of the Mad Clown, though none of them could remember the last time he visited this facility. They counted themselves lucky for that reason alone.

Alya, at the young age of almost two years, was still intelligent enough to know she was different from the others. The reasons were beyond her, but no one around her was even remotely like her, and this she knew on an instinctive level. Her foster father seemed to be the only one who didn't treat her differently, which made the child all the closer to him.

Vrax loved her green eyes, a gift from her mother. He had only met the "witch" once but her eyes were the thing that stood out the most, not her oddly colored hair. Her vacant stare he knew was a result of the Slave Crown she was forced to wear. Vrax found himself feeling sorry for her, a woman reduced to a mere tool because she couldn't be controlled otherwise. Realization hit him at some point that the same would probably happen to Alya eventually.

"Never," he whispered, banishing the thought.

It was a relatively clear day as Vrax carried Alya around the outside of the facility. Though he'd rather be inside, Alya seemed to like the outdoors so he relented for her sake. In time, he came upon a gentle brook that passed close to the facility and sat on one of the larger rocks nearby, allowing Alya to wander around a bit within sight. For a child just shy of two, she was very active and very intelligent.

She knew when she was too far from him, and knew to stay away from certain things without ever having to be told. Vrax never understood how she could be so smart for being so young, but counted his blessings. Such intelligence made Alya much easier to raise than your standard human child.

The day seemed as if it was going to be just like any other, but that quickly changed for the worst. Only a few minutes had passed since he arrived at the brook when he felt a great rumbling in the ground, as if he were standing close to where a great freight train was rolling by. But Vrax knew that there were no railroads on the island, which meant only one thing.

"Earthquake," he whispered. "Alya! "

The girl immediately and obediently waddled her way back to Vrax who scooped her up immediately. If there was an earthquake, he had to check the facility to make sure no one was hurt. Unbeknownst to him, this was no simple earthquake, as thousands of miles away to the northeast a great mass of land was now floating up into the sky. The massive displacement of rock left its wake caused the ocean to rush in from all directions at once.

As he ran back to the facility, one of the other scientists was rushing towards him as well.

"General!" he yelled between breaths. "The ocean… its receding rapidly!"

Knowing instantly what that meant, he ran with Alya up the hill back to the fortified facility. "Get everyone to higher ground, now!" he ordered. He soon crested the hill and looked west, towards the coast. He saw that indeed the water was pulling away from shore rapidly, leaving multitudes of fish to flopping about on the suddenly exposed seabed.

"Tsunami," he whispered with only the slightest touch of fear in his voice. "Get everyone inside!" he ordered. "Lock down the facility! Now!"

The building was the most fortified location on the island, but he wasn't certain if it would hold up to the rigors of a massive wall of water. He watched as the men scurried about, shoring up doors and getting everything of value into protected areas.

Less than one hour later, as Vrax watched from the fifth floor of the building, he saw the blue line of the wave rapidly approaching the island. For the first time in his life, fear truly began to creep its way into his spine. The water rushed forward at an incredible rate of speed, obliterating the docks and the hill behind it on impact. The shock of the wall of water slamming into the building was felt by everyone. The windows on the fourth floor shattered on impact, a few scientists were still on that left and were instantly pulverized by the force of the wave. The windows on the back side of the facility then shattered allowing the wave to pass though the building with less resistance.

"By all that is holy," he whispered as he watched the destruction. The water suddenly began to rise and he watched the windows on his level crack as the water began to cover him. Clutching Alya, he ran as fast as he could for the stairwell, knowing full well that the elevator would be suicide. Just as he reached the stairs, he heard the windows shatter and began to run up the stairs faster. Briefly looking down he saw that the water had already completely filled the fourth floor and was still rising. Alya remained quiet, only making little frightened mewling noises as he continued to run.

When Vrax reached level nine, he stopped, realizing the water stopped rising when it hit level seven. He knew the water must be rushing down the other side of the hill by now, into the valleys beyond. He knew the worst had to be over. But then something happened he wasn't expecting.

The rumbling began again, but distant this time. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. His Magitek senses alerted him to a dramatic shift in the Æther, as if a fundamental shift in the very balance of magic had just occurred. Before he could ponder on just how impossible something like that was Alya began crying loudly. She had remained very calm and mostly quiet for this entire ordeal, but now something was upsetting her greatly.

'Must be the Esper part of her,' he thought to himself. 'But what could have happened that would upset her this much?'

Suddenly, the rumbling went from distant to everywhere at once. Without warning, the skies blackened and the oceans swelled once more. The building shook as its remaining windows shattered and the tower swayed. Vrax knew he had to get out of there otherwise he was done for. He ran back down the stairs, careful not to slip on the water, and tried to keep Alya's eyes hidden from the bodies that were strewn about and the destruction around them.

'What the devil is happening?!'

Vrax managed to get out of the tower, but it was collapsing behind him. He ran south sliding part way down the hill and bracing himself. Alya's cries became even louder as Vrax watched the ground undulate violently. Around he could see the forest was shifting, some parts rising up and others suddenly falling. Water rushed into low lying areas and washed support buildings away. The sound was incredible, but Alya could still be heard even over all the chaos. He held her close, trying desperately to keep her calm as the world ended around them...

It took several hours before the land calmed. Vrax finally breathed a sigh of relief, but it was obvious that Alya was still scared. Though she stopped crying, she was still mewling softly and clinging desperately to his armor. Vrax stood up to take stock in their situation.

Survivors spread out to try to salvage what they could. Vrax stood upon a hill looking over the changed landscape, trying to ignore the surreal feeling of it all. Nothing looked right anymore… trees were uprooted, the land mass itself had changed, part of it didn't even look like it was an island anymore, perhaps now connected to an ever bigger landmass. It was almost too much to take.

How long would it before an Imperial cargo ship came with relief supplies? Would one even come? These where the questions that were on everyone's mind, but Vrax had the dreadful feeling that he already knew the answers…

That's me in the corner

That's me in the spotlight, losing my religion

Trying to keep up with you

And I don't know if I can do it…

Oh no, I've said too much

I haven't said enough…

A/N: So… some new stuff here. I'm a lot happier with the way this turned out compared to the first half of "All That Remains". The next chapter as you can guess will likely cover the second half of that one shot. I really want to get into the new meat of the story, but before I can run, I need to walk.