Author's Note: I have to admit, figuring out what to do with this section of the story was a challenge. There isn't a whole lot to the fourth disk, besides Memoria and a few side missions. There's only a few things that I haven't wrapped up with the additions I've made tot he story, too.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy franchise

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Chapter 1: Mourning the Sky

After a few days of rest in the mountains and a stop by the black mage village to see that the Genomes were settling in just fine, it was largely agreed that they needed to head to Lindblum to gather supplies. Drake's father had taken the totem with the wolf's image on inside the lodge to carve it as they were leaving the mountaintop, which was in itself a way of preparing things there for the chief to retire. Of course, Zidane's little sister, Mikoto, had needed to express her pessimistic opinion on their chances of survival to everyone.

Drake didn't agree with Dagger much on not telling Regent Cid about what they were planning on doing, but he didn't speak up about it. He already knew that the man would find out one way or another, and come to their aid when they needed it most. He just kept busy, shuffling around some of the benches and the like that had been given to them so that they had some furniture in the Invincible. He still thought it looked a little odd, seeing handcarved wood against smooth, sterile lines.

No one seemed bothered that Drake was finding busywork for himself, though he couldn't hide it from himself that it was mostly to alleviate his anxiety about riding on what his brain equated to a nuclear bomb. At the very least, the ship looked better than it had before.

More than once, Drake thought back on the view of the Iifa Tree that he'd seen from the mountains. There was a growing ball of something above it, and Drake didn't doubt that it was Kuja's work. He'd have missed it if not for the fact that it was dusk, and it was emitting light. Whatever Kuja was planning, it would take time. Time that they could use to prepare.

Dagger insisted that they stop by Alexandria once they were at the Mist Continent, and Drake almost sighed at that. Still, he accompanied Dagger and Steiner to the ruined city. The others busied themselves with helping some of the construction, though Odette and Eiko helped with healing those that were sick from unhealthy living conditions.

"Your Grace, have you need for help with anything?" Drake sighed quietly through his nose as he heard one of the soldiers fluttering behind him. It was one of the female soldiers, so he had a feeling that she was generally uncertain of how to treat him, thanks to the fact that most male warriors she'd encountered were incompetent.

"No, I don't need any help, but thank you for asking." Drake kept his voice calm as he looked over the castle rubble, trying to figure out where everything had once been. There were a couple of towers still standing, so he had a point of reference, but it was still quite hard to picture a once magnificent palace where there was now rubble.

Drake waited until the soldier walked away before sighing and rubbing his eyes. This almost felt like an insurmountable task, and he didn't even have anything to do with it. There were people working nearby, and what looked like an architect from Lindblum. Dagger was looking over his shoulder and talking to him while Steiner stood on guard nearby. At least the problem he had with Treno was more of a social one, not a physical one.

"Your Grace, I was not expecting to see you here." Drake started at that voice, recognizing it. When he turned to look at Beatrix, she was smiling wryly. "It has certainly been quite a while since we saw each other last. I am glad to see you well." Drake scratched the back of his head, smiling slightly.

"I'm glad to be well. You're recovering from your injuries, I hope?" The general had been badly injured in the destruction of Alexandria. Drake had a feeling that it was the only reason she hadn't been allowed to accompany them on their travels afterwards. She nodded and stepped forwards to look over the rubble with Drake.

"I've been in charge of rebuilding while Her Highness is away, but the construction workers are blessedly efficient. All I've needed to do is ensure that they have the supplies they need. I do wish that I could aid in a more direct way, but I'm afraid that Her Highness and Adelbert have been adamant that I'm to stay out of the loop." She sounded so pained that Drake shifted a little. He couldn't imagine keeping something so important from Odette.

"...Don't tell anyone that I've told you." Beatrice turned to look at Drake properly when he spoke, he'd been standing on her blind side. "There is a spell that the former Lord Kings is building over the Iifa Tree on the Caledonia Continent. We suspect he may be trying to destroy Gaia itself somehow. We're building our power to hopefully match his after he gained more power in our recent trip to Terra." Beatrix was silent, frowning a little.

"I see...And Her Highness wished to keep this a secret to prevent panic." Drake nodded and sighed, linking his fingers behind his back. Thankfully, neither Dagger nor Steiner had noticed the two of them standing near each other. "I shall respect her wishes, and keep it to myself. Kuja's actions are the reason why the Mist has returned, then?" Drake nodded again and sighed.

"Beatrix! There you are!" Drake almost cringed as Steiner noticed them. "The foreman says you've reports?" Beatrix sighed a little and trudged down the hill to join the others. Drake trailed along after her, carefully picking his way through the rubble so that he wouldn't risk breaking anything. "Ah, Drake, er, I mean Lord Drake, there you are."

"Just call me Drake, please, we've been traveling together long enough. The progress has been impressive, I hope? I wasn't in any fit shape to see for myself, last time I was here." Drake rubbed next to one of his eyes to emphasize what he was talking about.

"Yes, quite a bit. Most of the rubble has been cleared away, they're working around the last pieces for now. I believe they are planning on incorporating some of the larger pieces as cornerstones, correct?" That last bit was directed to the primary architect, who nodded.

"Some of the larger blocks will have to have the damaged parts chipped away before they're usable, but most of our quarries have been blocked in one way or another by giant tree roots that came out of nowhere." Drake frowned a little, and glanced to Dagger.

"That sounds like Iifa tree roots. I wasn't aware that there was a reaction like that underway. Wouldn't we have seen more hints of that in Caledonia?" Dagger and Steiner both blinked and frowned a little, thinking.

"I don't believe so. Not unless we were nearer to it, and the most any of us got to see it was its canopy, from the mountains." Drake scratched at his head a little, grimacing. She was right, even climbing to the highest point possible only allowed a view of the top of the Iifa tree.

"I suppose someone should chart which areas are affected by its root movement. I remember there being a segment of root structure revealed to the air near Gizamaluke's Grotto, and Alexandria isn't going to be the only nation struggling with this obstruction." The others nodded, and Dagger straightened a little.

"I think the Invincible is probably the best ship for the job. It's faster than even unc- I mean, Regent Cid's airships, and we have the time to take a cartographer about to mark the maps. I'm sure Beatrix and Steiner would rather that I remained in the safest situation possible." Drake lifted his eyebrows at that and glanced at the two soldiers. They nodded. Dagger would be safer in the Invincible.

The fact that this was a very convenient excuse for the lot of them to travel around to prepare for the final battle didn't escape him. Thanks to what he told Beatrix, though, chances were that Cid would find out. He had a feeling that the man would understand their need to prepare unimpeded. Another thought occurred to him, and he turned to Beatrix.

"What state is the harbor in? There's bound to have been heavy waves from the rubble crashing into the ocean, but there's going to be more, I'm sure." Beatrix blinked at him, and he gestured towards the sky. "I don't think there's a single person that hasn't been aware that something's happened to the moon. There's going to be chunks of it falling to the ground, and some of them will be large enough to flood the coastal regions. On top of that, the tides are going to be entirely unpredictable for...probably a few years. I won't pretend to know what's what when it comes to the sea, but I do find it necessary to warn about the dangers ahead."

"I'll be sure to check in on that as soon as possible. I wasn't aware of the probability of damage by waves caused by the debris falling." Beatrix turned and bowed to Dagger before trotting off in the direction of the harbor. Drake watched her go for a moment, just until he saw her hail a worker that was heading in the same direction.

"I'm going to go look around the town, see if there's anyone that needs help there." Dagger nodded to Drake, and he gave her a small bow before heading to the river to get the ferry to the city. The soldier on ferry duty saluted him sharply, but didn't say anything as she delivered him to the other side of the river.

"Drake, there you are!" Marcus waved to Drake as he walked along. "How goes things at the castle?" Drake fell in step with him as he walked along. Marcus was carrying a piece of lumber over his shoulder as easily as if it was a bag of grain.

"It's starting to get put back together. How goes the construction on this side of the river?" Marcus shrugged with one hand, and Drake sighed. "Well, I guess it's just a matter of time. Baku isn't too upset that I won't be coming back to the troupe?"

"Oh he's upset, just not as much as any of us expected. I think he knew you'd move on from us eventually." Drake grimaced at that, and waved at Ruby as she started to walk over. "Hey Ruby. The theatre's all done with its repairs?"

"Didn' need too many of 'em. Drake, hun, you been avoidin' me?" Drake lifted his eyebrows as Ruby pouted at him. He shifted a little, uncomfortable, and glared a bit as Ruby started to giggle. "I'm jus' teasin' ya, sweetheart. Everyone knows you got that pretty little noble lady Odette you're sweet on." Drake blushed and looked away.

"Hey Drake!" Blank arrived, slithering down off of a nearby roof to land with a soft thud. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" He tilted his head towards Ruby and Marcus. Drake lifted an eyebrow but shrugged. He followed Blank down an alleyway until they reached a garden that looked like it hadn't even felt the wind from the explosion that brought Alexandria to its knees. "When was the last time you dreamt of the battlefield?" Drake gave Blank an odd look.

"The other night. Why?" Blank swore and ran his fingers over his mouth, scowling. Drake kept his eyes on him, tilting his head to the side. "You're having a hard time getting there again?" A bob of the head, and Drake sighed. "Can't help you there. I've got enough on my plate as it is."

"And I'm afraid you may have a bit more." Both Blank and Drake jumped as Cleyra stepped out of the gardens, smiling softly. "Long time no see," she greeted Drake, before her smile faded. "The seal on us Constellato has weakened considerably. Unfortunately, we aren't the only things that it was sealing." Both men stared at her, though Drake was at least able to keep his eyes on her face. She was dressed in flower petals that the garden didn't seem to be missing.

"There's something else?" Cleyra nodded, her face solemn. Drake ran his fingers through his hair, groaning. "Of course there is." He didn't say it, but he was already swearing I his head. Of course he couldn't predict everything. What else was there for them to face? Kuja had their attention, of course, but...

"There was a...proto-eidolon that was sealed at the same time as us. They used to have a form, but with the disappearance of their legend, they have lost not only their form, but also their ability to control their own power." Drake blinked and paled. He had a feeling he knew what Cleyra was talking about. He could dimly remember the game, and the super-boss that he had never managed to defeat. "All we have left is their name: Ozma." Even Blank looked unnerved.

"Why does that make me want to crawl under a bed and hide for forever," Blank muttered. Drake shook his head. He couldn't even begin to explain things to his friend. Blank just sighed and tugged at his hair. "Okay, so this thing is being unsealed at the same rate as the Constellato. What happens if it's let loose completely?" Cleyra shook her head, frowning.

"It will be impossible to harness to the summoners again. Gaia is beginning a violent upheaval already. If Ozma is released, it will be as if all the fury of Terra was unleashed upon Gaia. They are weaker than they were when they were sealed. Before, it was impossible to kill them and dissolve their power into the world once more. Now, though..." Drake stared at Cleyra. The Ozma from the game was at its weakest?

"But now it is?" Blank sounded like he wasn't sure if he should be hopeful or not. Cleyra nodded. Drake ran his fingers through his hair, trying to scour his memory for any clue of how to defeat a weakened summon. He couldn't think of any.

"Just barely. They will start to regain their power once the seal is fully released." Cleyra paused, and continued on. "It is possible to add another, weaker, seal on top of it. It would take many summoners, and they would be unable to help in the fight." Drake winced. All of the summoners that they knew of amounted to two people, unless he and Odette counted somehow.

"So we're screwed." Blank looked like he had a headache. "Unless there's more summoners hiding in some cave somewhere, we'll have to deal with the nightmare of a regenerating uber-summon." Cleyra shook her head, and Drake watched her, tilting his head to the side.

"There are summoners that are not humanoid, but they are few and far between. It is not a trait that is handed down amongst kin in any other species, but they can learn." Drake blinked, thinking. "They are called monsters because of their own kin, but they are peaceful. I cannot tell you where they are, though." Drake groaned and rubbed at his face.

"Well then it's a good thing that Dagger seems to think that now would be an excellent time to bring a cartographer around to map the world again." Blank gave Drake an odd look, and he shrugged. "I know, doesn't make a whole lot of sense with all the stuff going on, but it'll make life easier for now." Blank gave Drake a look that told him he knew he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"If you think that only some of the Chosen can be involved in something, think again," he said, thankfully without venom. Drake ran his hands over his face, groaning. "I know something is going on, all the world does. If the moon falling from the sky isn't enough for some people, well then they've got their heads under stones." Blank jabbed his hand at the sky. Most of the fragments had fallen to the earth already, but everyone still noticed the change. Drake groaned and let his hands flop to his sides.

"Okay. But you can't tell anyone." Blank crossed his arms and waited. Drake paced, Cleyra had disappeared into the flowers again. Finally, Drake got his thoughts in order. "Kuja's still alive, and is back on Gaia. He's doing something over the Iifa tree, some sort of spell, I think. When we all were on Terra, he...snapped. He wants to destroy everything, because he's going to die." Blank gave Drake a boggled look, and Drake shrugged. "I know, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us, but I don't think he's really quite sane anymore."

"Well you can say that again." Blank ran his fingers through his hair, looking much more stressed than he used to. "Can't say he was ever fully sane, but this is another thing entirely. Does anyone know what to do about this?" Drake shook his head.

"I think the majority of the plan is just 'find him and make him stop' but the details are still up in the air." Blank groaned. Drake stopped pacing, a thought coming to him. "But this is exactly the sort of thing that the Einherjar were gathered for." Silence met his statement, and he turned to look at Blank. He was getting stared at.

"It is. All these centuries, and we're the generation that fulfills the requirements." Drake shrugged. They heard a shout, and both of them turned to look through the garden. A man with spiky black hair was frowning at them.

"Hey, you two! Don't go bruising the flowers!" Drake blinked at the guy. He looked like he would have been right at home swinging a sword that weighed as much as he did. It wasn't until a pretty brunette leaned out of the second floor window to call down to him that he managed to place the face.

"Zack, leave them be! They haven't even touched the flowers." Zack looked abashed as soon as he realized who was scolding him, and looked away. Drake shook his head a little and led Blank away, waving at the two as Zack tried to defend himself to Aeris.

They walked along the streets until they reached the outer wall, and Drake pointed out the ship to Blank. It was a bit hard for him to see, and he'd walked from the thing. Eventually, though, the light shifted enough for a flare of light to come off of the top of the ship.

"Wow, that is hidden really well. I'm guessing you don't want Baku and the others to know about this?" Drake nodded. He felt a little bad about going behind the backs of the others, but he honestly had no idea if they'd have been able to figure out and put things together if it wasn't for him dropping them hints. "I'll keep an eye out for it. Not many ships like that in the skies." Drake shrugged, and turned as he heard Zidane yell his name.

"And I guess that's my cue to stop skulking around. See you on the battlefield." Drake clapped a hand to Blank's shoulder, and loped over to greet Zidane like a big wolfhound, all smiles and eagerness. "Zidane! So, are we off to do stuff?" Zidane gave him an odd look, and Drake shrugged. "The entire time we've been here, I've felt like people are staring. I don't particularly like that feeling." Zidane rolled his eyes but accepted the excuse.

"The cartographer is getting his things put together. Dagger is getting the supplies put together, but where we're supposed to put them all is beyond me." Drake shrugged and started out the gate.

"I guess we'll be the ones to guard the ship until the supplies get there, yeah?" Zidane shook his head with a groan, and Drake just grinned, pulling his bow out of his pouch and pausing just a moment to string it before he slung it over his shoulder.

Sabin and Edgar had been left at the ship while the rest went into town, and they looked grumpy as Drake grinned at them. It only took a few moments for Sabin to get Drake under his arm and give him a noogie. Drake yelped and squirmed free, and patted gingerly at his head, wincing.

"So you're here to keep us company until everyone else comes by?" Edgar pretended to not notice when Drake shoved Sabin, tucking his thumbs under his belt. Zidane nodded, and sidestepped Sabin as he ran from Drake, laughing. The grin on Drake's face suggested he wasn't as insulted as he had acted. "At least we have some entertainment."

As Zidane turned to look, Drake caught up to Sabin and jumped on his back, sending the two of them sprawling in the mast on the forest floor. Edgar frowned for a moment at the pause before Drake and Sabin started to laugh. Zidane sighed and shook his head at the two goofballs. Drake and Sabin roughhoused for a few more minutes before hauling themselves up and brushing each other off and making it back to the ship.

"So I met Cleyra in this pretty little garden in the slums earlier today," Drake said as he sat down just inside the ship, his legs hanging off of the gangplank. That got everyone's attention. Edgar and Sabin because they knew Cleyra only as a faceless Constellato, Zidane because he could remember the pretty dryad from their visit to the settlement of the same name. "Seems like going after Kuja isn't the oly thing on our plate. There's an ancient Eidolon that has its eye on causing havoc as well. Was sealed with the Constellato."

"Of course. Because dealing with one potentially world-ending threat isn't enough, we have to face three." Edgar jerked his hand up in the air, gesturing towards where the moon used to be. "Ill luck arrives in threes." Drake tilted his head to the side.

"So does good. After all, Odette, Zidane, and I all have come from other worlds, at least partially, and we're fighting for Gaia." Edgar sighed and glared at Drake, who shrugged. "You can't be negative all the time." Sabin shook his head and laid down on the gangplank.

"How can we fight an Eidolon, though? The last people to even try were martyrs of old, and we all know how that ended up." Drake nodded, resting his chin on his hand.

"Fortunately for us, being sealed seems to have weakened it drastically. We're supposed to be able to defeat it, according to Cleyra. She did say that we'd do better if we find some summoners to place another weaker seal on it so that once we release it to fight it, it doesn't start getting powerful again. Not sure where we're supposed to find them, but apparently the summoners she was talking about are...monsters?" His blood brothers stared at him, and he shrugged. "I know, it seems bizarre to me."

"That's because my sister has once again neglected to explain everything." Drake lurched to his feet as he recognized the voice of Lady Maria, but she pressed him back into his seat, standing behind him. "Though it does make sense. As the Huntress, I am better able to tell you where to find them."

"And where would they be, Lady Constellato?" Edgar seemed on edge. Drake lifted an eyebrow at him, but Edgar refused to look away from Lady Maria. "And how do we convince them to aid us?" Lady Maria smiled slyly.

"They are fond of stones, especially those that may hide something of value. As for their location," Lady Maria patted Drake's shoulder, where her hand remained. "He will be able to lead you to them. On this I will lend direct aid." Drake blinked at that, confused.

"That counts as direct aid?" He got a swat to the head and a laugh out of Lady Maria. "Oh, that reminds me. Blank and I had a idea that the Einherjar may be of help with dealing with Kuja." Edgar and Sabin's eyes lit up.

"You may speak to them on the matter. No Constellato can tell the Einherjar what to do, merely offer suggestions. And even then, the Chosen have more sway over them. You may have trouble speaking to all of the Einherjar, though, if only your own class is able to see you." Drake frowned. He hadn't thought of that.

"So what do we have to do to be seen by all of them at once?" Sabin looked confused. Drake didn't blame him, not once had he ever had someone who wasn't an archer comment on his presence. He looked over his shoulder to see if Lady Maria had any suggestions, only to see that she had disappeared.

"Figures," Edgar sighed, and arched his back until it cracked. "Hey Sabin, why don't you try your usual go-to method of dealing with problems?" Drake blinked, confused for a moment, and then realized what Edgar was talking about. Sabin just frowned.

"I've tried meditating before, it doesn't do much. Then again...I hadn't really earned my place among the Einherjar then, either." Sabin's eyes drifted to Drake, who frowned.

"I don't think I have, either. I may have been called Destined, but..." Zidane groaned and flopped back melodramatically. The three other men stared at him, though Drake looked the most confused.

"If the stories I heard while in the mountains were any indication, all it really takes to be counted among them is a lasting legend. Yours is probably going to outstrip all of the ones I heard over the winter, and it's still being written." Zidane pointed at Drake, who frowned, thinking.

"About the moon? That's nonsense, that was Kuja's doing. The only reason my name is being tied to it is because of an old story and the clans looking for reason where there really isn't much." Now Edgar and Sabin were glaring at him. Drake shrugged. "I wasn't even part of the group that took down Garland. I was working on killing the dragon." Sabin rubbed at his nose.

"You do have a point there..." Now Edgar groaned. He covered his face with his hands and rubbed at it, leaving smears of dirt and grease - from what, Drake had no idea.

"The point is, Drake has the best bet of getting their attention. They're used to archers being leaders amongst the Chosen. Drake is not only an archer, but is pretty damn smart, and while he sometimes has trouble with people taking him seriously, when he puts his mind to it, he can be really goddamn convincing." Drake blushed a bit and tugged on his nose thoughtfully.

"I could give it a try. With Dagger wanting to squire a cartographer around, we'll have a lot of time to prepare, anyhow. With any luck, we'll at least be able to keep an eye on Kuja and try to find these summoning creatures." That got nods all around.

Their group was pretty far from being able to take Kuja on again. With time, hopefully his Trance would wear off, leaving him easier to kill. At the very worst, he'd be busy with whatever spell he was building slowly, and give them time to not only heal up, but get stronger as well. If they were going to take on an ancient Eidolon, they would have to get stronger.

Drake rubbed at his face, thinking. He'd only tried to fight Ozma once while he was still on Earth, and Ozma had laughed off all of his attempts. They couldn't restart here, if they all got wiped out, there were no do-overs, no saved data to try and try and try again. They had to get it right the first time, or the whole world was doomed. He had no idea of what to do. Either the friendly monsters could get them some information, or they'd have to scour Dageurro to find even the tiniest speck of a hint.

"So, is anyone else feeling kind of overwhelmed? Or is it just the weight of the moon?" Sabin seemed to be trying to make light of their situation, but the joke fell flat. Drake was feeling stressed almost to the point of feeling sick to his stomach, and it had been quite a while since he'd felt that level of unease.

Edgar, Sabin, and Drake batted around ideas for how to talk to more than one group of Einherjar until the rest of the group arrived, a cartographer in tow. Drake thought about telling everyone about the Eidolon that they were going to have to fight, but elected to not do so. After all, they had no idea if they'd even be able to find the friendly monsters just yet.

It only took them a day to find the first one, a surprisingly friendly Mu that hopped right up to the cartographer to sniff him, much to the man's terror. While everyone was trying not to laugh too hard at a grown man being terrified of a fluffy squirrel-like creature that didn't seem to have a mean bone in its body, Drake tried to find a rock that filled the parameters that Lady Maria had mentioned.

Dagger eventually handed the Mu a rock from her pouch after it snuffled her hand, and it bounced happily, playing with the rock and tossing it up into the air before catching it. Then it tucked it into its tail, somehow, and sat up, looking at Dagger as it offered her a bottle of what looked like a regular potion.

"Say hello to Ghost for me!" They all jerked as it spoke clearly. Their surprise apparently startled it as well, and it ran off into the bushes. Drake had to blink several times more before he scratched the back of his head.

"Well. I heard they were friendly, but I didn't hear that they could talk..." Everyone turned to stare at him. Edgar and Sabin were refusing to meet his eyes, he couldn't get them to bail him out of this one. "Okay, this is going to be a long story. We might as well eat while we're at it..."

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End notes: With how slowly I was able to get the next chapter written, I don't know if I'm going to be updating this story with any amount of regularity. I'll try to bounce back to it again soon, though.