Lightning's Story
The campsite was in pure, frenzied chaos the moment Lightning, Kain, Cloud, Terra and Golbez returned. A mixture of shock and repulsion greeted Golbez and a wave of suspicion swept over the rest of them, especially Kain. And nearly everyone was talking or screaming at the same time. Some gossiped. Some raised questions. Others voiced their disagreement at having their allies return alongside one of Chaos's minions.
Fortunately, the Warrior of Light arrived just in time to break up the commotion. The de facto leader of Cosmos's Warriors quickly took matters into his own hands and with his business-like manner ordered them to keep their calm. Reluctantly, everyone obeyed.
Once the campsite had quieted down, the Warrior of Light began his speech, "My fellow warriors. I have important news to bear. We have devised a plan to end this cycle for good. As you know, the cycles continuously repeats itself, resurrecting every 'dead' warrior once one side has lost all its warriors. When that happens, there was simply no way for us to face Chaos himself." There was a murmur of astonishment at the idea of tackling the God of Discord directly, but the Warrior of Light paid no heed and continued, "This is the true face of the war. No different from a wheel spinning endlessly on the same spot. We have a couple of reliable informants to thank for telling us the truth. But now, things are different… With Golbez on our side, we are free to challenge the God of Discord. With Golbez still standing, Shinryu would not be able to restart the war, and yet no Warriors of Chaos will stand in our way."
As he paused, the murmurs grew increasingly louder. All the Warriors were having a difficult time believing that all these while, a number of them were plotting behind the scenes, for them to take down Chaos, the God of Discord.
The Warrior of Light then turned towards Kain. Without a word, Kain knew that he was to give the report on the felled Warriors of Chaos. Not exactly popular among many of the other Warriors, amongst accusations of betrayal as well as his taciturn nature, Kain was reluctant to be giving a speech. At that moment, Lightning stepped in.
"ExDeath is down," She said loudly, capturing the attention of the whispering warriors. "So are Kefka, the Cloud of Darkness, Kuja and Sephiroth."
The Warrior of Light nodded approvingly and said, "So is Ultimecia. That means we're left with Garland and the Emperor. Garland is Chaos's right-hand man, that means-"
"That means," Lightning cut in, "Anyone who's interested in joining the fight to bring down the Emperor, can come along as we set off first thing tomorrow morning. Otherwise, you can stay." With that, she strode off.
A long awkward silence followed. Finally, Jecht spoke up, "I don't know 'bout you guys… but big Jecht's definitely in."
…
It turns out; no one wanted to stay behind while the others attack the vain and corrupt Emperor. Lightning's interference made things simpler for Kain and the Warrior of Light with her careless attitude. No one raised anymore questions or objections after that. Everyone got ready for their upcoming battle in their own ways. Some like Laguna and Bartz slept to conserve energy. Others like the Warrior of Light and Cloud fine-tuned their swords. The campsite was brimming with activity. It had been a long while since all of them camped together.
Lightning was sitting on the roof of one of the highest points of the castle, flipping a survival knife open and close repeatedly. The view from her position overlooked the sea, the cliffs and the beach. With the moonlight and stars shimmering in the sky, as well as, through the reflection on the water, it was truly a breathtaking sight.
"What's the matter, Kain?" Lightning had sensed the dragoon who was lurking quietly in the darkness, observing her.
"I was just worried," Kain replied with a hint of sarcasm.
She smirked at the reply and said, "Once we defeat Chaos, we'll all be able to go home right? Get all our memories back."
"Having second thoughts?"
"There's no room for that. I'll fight until the end." Kain smiled at her reply. Lightning's determination and strength of will has always been one of her strengths. But Lightning was not exactly at ease, there was something else bothering her…
"Will we remember our times here?" Lightning suddenly asked, "These people we fought with. These allies we swore to protect. Will it all be for nothing?"
Her question caught Kain by surprise. He had never considered for once that Lightning had subconsciously grown attached to her companions here. He stood pondering over it for a moment before saying, "Even if we forget, our souls remember. Just like how we have no memories of our past now but still recall one thing or another from our homeworlds."
Lightning smiled serenely at his answer. Watching the moon cast playful shadows on the water, the two stayed there for a long time…