Act Thirteen: The Key to Darkness

"To Kain!"

"Hurrah, Kain!"

Cecil laughed and clinked his glass with the man sitting next to him, a dragoon. They were at their usual spot for drinks in the Baron Inn, celebrating a victory for the newly minted captain of the dragoons, Kain Highwind.

"The rangers said they had never seen such a huge mountain troll before," Kain hiccupped into his drink, telling the same story for the fifth time now. "He was about to take a bite out of another chocobo when I jumped up and stabbed him right in the eye!"

"Why send a Red Wing to do a Dragoon's work, right?" The dragoon next to Cecil joked. Cecil smirked and shook his head.

"I thought bombing the troll was a fine idea…it's not my fault the Red Wings' beta airship caught on fire…"

Sitting next to Kain was a beautiful young woman, who was quickly becoming known in the village as an aspiring dancer who would be a shoo-in for Troia's exclusive VIP lounge (so exclusive that most people didn't even know where to find it once they reached Troia). She giggled after every word Kain uttered (drunkenly) and took care to have all of his favorite foods on hand between drinks. She was in every way beautiful and a delight with her airy laugh, and Kain seemed to be having the night of his life.

A few hours later, the revelry died down when most of the men realized they needed to be up in the morning for drills. Most of them had only ever served during peacetime, but that didn't mean they just sat around waiting for something to do. Cecil bade good night to Kain, who waved as he was skipping off outside with the dancer girl, going who-knew-where.

The next morning, Cecil ran into the dancer while he was in town on an errand. One of the Red Wings had gotten himself Silenced by an angry white mage, and he had to procure an Echo Screen. She recognized Cecil from the night before and sauntered over to him, a frown on her face.

"Good morning, Miss," Cecil said, not quite sure what to make of the look on her face.

"Sir Cecil, right?" She inquired.

"Yes, do you need help?"

She shook her head and sighed. "No…I mean, not the kind of help you can give me. I just wanted to know if Kain said anything about me last night? You're best friends, right?"

Cecil furrowed his brow. "Well...I didn't see Kain last night. I thought…" He blushed at the thought, the conversation already spiraling in a direction he wasn't comfortable with. "I thought he was with you. You two were leaving together when I left."

"Oh…" She pouted and twirled a lock of midnight, silky hair around her finger. "No…I mean, he started to walk me home, but as we passed by a house, he saw some girl he knew outside and became enraptured in a conversation…I excused myself and went home alone."

"Ah, um…" Cecil wasn't quite sure what she wanted to hear. "…Sorry? That wasn't very chivalrous…"

She ignored him and went on. "He doesn't have a…betrothed, or anything…right?"

"What!? No!" Cecil almost burst out laughing. "Sorry, but whoever he was talking to was definitely just a friend."

"If you say so…didn't look that way to me," she shrugged, and smiled. "But thanks anyway…Captain!" She winked and flounced away. Cecil stared after her, bewildered. What had just happened?

Tick-tock…tick-tock…tick-tock…

"Hmmmm…"

Cecil could feel warm sunlight tickling his face, and the familiar scent of his favorite pillow was drifting around him in a dream-like haze. He could swear that he heard his old bedroom clock, too...but hadn't that been broken before he had left for Mist?

"Cecil, are you awake?"

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up. He was in his bed, and the window next to his bed was slightly open, letting in an early morning summer breeze, the light blue transparent curtains fluttering gently.

Cecil rubbed his forehead, willing away the last pangs of a headache. "We're in…"

"Your bedchamber, in Baron."

And there was Rosa, sitting at the desk next to his bed, looking like a vision in white. She had changed out of the tattered clothing she had been kidnapped in, and was in a long, white jersey dress, with a diamond-encrusted belt that matched her tiara. The dress sleeves shrugged off her shoulders, where she had fastened a gossamer pink cape with feather patterns. Her hair was pulled back up in a half-bun, the rest flowing down her back. She looked one-hundred percent recovered from her ordeal – it amazed Cecil how quickly Rosa had bounced back from any trauma in her life.

As Cecil ruminated over the weird dream he had had – he hadn't thought much about that night in Baron with Kain since it had happened, it was so uneventful – Rosa set down the piece of fruit she had been eating and sat down on Cecil's bed, smiling shyly. "I checked on you every day – I didn't, er…sleep here, of course. Mother was so ecstatic to see me again, she barely let me out of the house. But I managed!"

Cecil blushed slightly. Having Rosa sit next to him on his bed after what had happened in the Tower of Zot suddenly made it feel like a spotlight was shining directly above his head. A kiss like that shouldn't have changed much…there had been occasional kisses before, albeit more casual…but this one really had changed everything.

"How long have I been out?" Cecil asked, trying to change the subject so that he didn't keep replaying it over and over in his mind.

"A couple of days," Rosa said, pulling her knees up to her chest. "You must have been utterly exhausted."

"I honestly can't remember the last night I slept well since this all began," Cecil frowned. "It feels like it's been years since Kain and I left for Mist, but I know it's only been a couple weeks. I guess my body just finally shut down."

"So much has changed…" Rosa shook her head. "I was shocked when we teleported back here…You were passed out, so we let you rest…but then Cid and Kain filled me in on everything that had happened. His Highness…he's dead?" Her voice cracked a little as she said it. Cecil nodded, feeling his voice crack as well.

"He was killed. Replaced by one of Golbez's fiends. I…I wish I could pinpoint when he actually died…"

"No no, we can't think like that," Rosa said softly. "We can't doubt any of our good memories of His Highness. He loved you, Cecil. And Kain too. And he was very good to me. I am sure that the switch was…recent." She looked like she wanted to say more, but she pressed her lips together instead.

"What else did they tell you?" Cecil asked.

"Oh…mostly horrible things, unfortunately…They told me about that brave man, Tellah. I wish I could have met him. They showed me the stone twins in the antechamber…" Rosa sniffled. "Sweet little children, being destroyed like that…I can't imagine their fear…" She wiped a tear away. "And Yang told me about dear Rydia…being swallowed whole."

"He did his best to save her…" Cecil trailed off. "We were thankful Prince Edward managed to survive, at least…"

"Indeed…I want to visit him when we have a moment to breathe. Thank him for everything he did to try to protect us in Fabul…and for saving you." She looked up at him again, her lower lip quivering. "Cecil…I knew when you entered the Tower of Zot. I could feel your light all the way from my prison." Cecil raised his eyebrows.

"You could?"

"Oh, yes…" She placed a hand on his chest, right over his heartbeat. "You've always had light inside, even in your darkest moments. When Golbez despaired over you becoming a Paladin, my heart was thrilled…I prayed that you finally realized your worth and that you realized you were a being of light, even when you wielded the dark sword. And when you entered my room…you shined, brilliantly. If I had died then…I still would have been very happy."

"Rosa…" Cecil suddenly pulled her against him, burying his face in her hair. "I was a fool to try to push you away all of this time. I thought I was trying to protect you, but my trials to become a Paladin…and the panic I felt in your absence…because of those, I know now I can protect you best with you by my side."

"Cecil…thank you!" Rosa reached up and trailed her fingers down the back of his neck. "I won't be a burden…I promise. I don't know what's to come next, but…as long as I am with you, I know we'll overcome it all."

Cecil sighed happily and pulled back from their embrace. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you…ever since I became a Paladin." Rosa's eyes widened in curiosity, and she dropped her hands in her lap.

"What is it…?"

"I just can't figure out how to do a Cure spell," Cecil lamented. "It would have come in handy a couple times, but…"

"Oh…aha...ha…" Rosa laughed nervously and looked away. "I…"

"What?" Cecil blinked.

"Ah…nothing…" She smiled back up at him. "I just think it's so funny how you're so different now…yet…so totally the same. But yes, Cure spells are easy!"

In what was formerly the Dragoons' barracks, Kain was huddled over their makeshift bar, nursing a morning tonic that would hopefully take the edge off his previous evening's tonic. He had discovered upon his return that the Dragoons that hadn't fled for safety were either killed or holed up in the hospital wing of the castle. Everyone mostly left him alone while Cecil recovered, which he appreciated. He had been thrilled that Cecil and Rosa welcomed him back, but grateful that it was easy to avoid them at this time. Cecil…he had finally realized what he had in front of him, all long. It was a long, slow, painful burn for Kain.

And he had yet more information for the party that was going to turn their world upside down…but he didn't want to share until Cecil was awake. If he still knew Cecil as well as he thought he did, Cecil would want to take action, immediately upon hearing what he had to say. Their brief break from the fighting would be over soon.

"Kain, are you up here?"

It was Cid. Kain sighed and banged his glass on the table to acknowledge Cid's greeting. Cid appeared at the top of the stairwell, huffing a bit.

"Long climb, those stairs are…suppose ya'all just jump up them…" He cracked a smile, but Kain remained expressionless.

"Can I help you with something, Cid?" Kain asked, turning back to his drink. Cid closed the door behind him and saddled up on the stool next to Kain.

"I'm just checking on you, m' boy. I know things have been hard for you since we got back. I still care about you, Kain, like one of my own. But if we're going to be fighting Golbez together, we've got to clear the air about something."

"I've said all I had to say," Kain moaned, resting his head in his hands. "I told Rosa the truth…she chose to look past it and forgive me. Isn't that enough?"

"Not exactly, no," Cid prodded. "What about Cecil? He looked dumbstruck when you said that you…er…wanted to keep Rosa close."

"Well isn't that his problem for not figuring it out sooner?" Kain sighed, exasperated. "I always tried to keep out of their way…I did everything I possibly could. But it was like the universe kept pushing me closer to her. Her mother always had to intervene… "Rosa needs an escort when it starts getting dark earlier, can I rely on you?" "Cecil made Rosa cry again, won't you comfort her?" "Someone like Rosa belongs with a man of her station, do you understand?" Kain threw up his hands. "And Rosa was always so kind to me, no matter how idiotic I acted…or how much I made Cecil look like an idiot…"

"Rosa is kind to everyone," Cid said gently.

"I know! That's one of the things I love about her!"

An uncomfortable silence followed. Kain slumped down in his chair and groaned. "I want you to know that I would never hurt Cecil – or Rosa – on purpose. Those feelings of hatred were manipulated by Golbez. But the feelings I have for her are real. The jealousy I have of Cecil is real. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I just don't know how to fix it. I…I just wish everything could go back to before Mysidia happened."

"Living in denial isn't going to help anything," Cid said. He patted Kain on the back, and stood up. "The best thing you can do right now is tell Cecil that you are happy for him, and that you support him."

"And if I don't mean it?"

"Then things truly will never go back to how they were," said Cid. "That's under your control."

There was a knock on the door. Cid looked to Kain, and Kain nodded.

"Come in!" Cid called, and Yang appeared in the doorway, smiling. It was the first time either man had seen Yang smile since they got back to Baron. He had spent the past few days mourning for the loss of Tellah, honoring his memory with some Fabulian funeral rites that they did for all soldiers who died in battle. Cid kept himself busy with his engineering, dragging his two apprentices out of prison and putting them right back to work.

"Aha, there you two are! Cecil is awake!"

"No kidding!?" Cid exclaimed, at the same time as Kain sighing "That's great…"

Yang didn't notice any discourse. "Kain, you said you had something to tell us about our next mission after Cecil was awake, right? Shall we meet in his chambers?"

"Yes, I'll be right behind you," Kain said. "I want to finish this first." He held up his glass. Cid and Yang exchanged a quick look, and Cid followed Yang out. Kain sighed and tossed back the last swig of his drink, staring up at the ceiling.

More than anything, even more than making Rosa realize he was a man, too…he really did just want things with Cecil to go back to normal. Cecil had been the one constant of his short time on this planet. He would do whatever he could to make that happen, even if that meant shoving the misplaced love and jealousy that ate at him deep, deep inside his heart, where it would never see the light of day again.

Kain was the last to arrive in Cecil's bedchamber. Cecil was dressed, and leaning against his desk when Kain came in.

"Kain," Cecil smiled in a way that could be politely described as reluctant. "How does it feel to be home?"

"Strange," Kain replied truthfully. "l keep expecting a monster to jump out at me."

"Should be safe enough here, now that the imposter's gone," said Cid.

"Yes, well…" Kain shook his head. "Cecil, and everyone…if you truly intend to hunt down Golbez and the crystals, there is something you must know."

"And what would that be?" Cid raised an eyebrow.

"It's about the remaining crystals…" Kain started.

"Kain…" Cecil sighed. "I guess I didn't realize you might not know this…we've lost the Earth Crystal. Golbez holds all of them now." The guilt of what he did to make that happen washed over him once more. How could he hold a grudge against Kain when he had been treasonous himself? He betrayed the entire planet, for god's sake.

"No, he holds four," Kain corrected him. Everyone stared at Kain.

"You mean…to say there are more?" Rosa asked.

"Wait…" Cid pounded his fist against his open palm. "Come to think of it…I've heard tales of others!"

Rosa nodded, her eyes widening. "You speak of the Dark Crystals!"

"I do," Kain nodded. "And they aren't tales…they are real."

"What are you guys talking about?" Cecil asked. "What tales are these?"

"Fairy tales, mostly!" Rosa said thoughtfully. "How did that go…"

"The four of this world are Crystals of Light..." Cid trailed off.

"…And for every light, there is a shadow cast." Yang finished.

"Then the Dark Crystals are real," Cecil concluded. "...Right?" He was still lost.

"Quite," said Kain, "Which means Golbez holds but half of the crystals."

Cid stroked his beard, hemming and hawing. "But even if the tales ARE true, how would we be able to find them?"

"No doubt we would not," Kain said sadly. "And Golbez already has."

"What!?" Cecil cried. "Then we must reach them before he does! Where are they hidden?"

Kain shrugged. "Where their name implies – the deep, dark bowels of the underworld."

No one quite knew what to say to that.

"The underworld!?" Yang gasped. "Such a place exists?"

"And how are we s'posed to get there, start digging?" Cid guffawed. "This is a joke, right?"

"Please," Kain shook his head. "There is yet more. Golbez said when all of the crystals were gathered, the way to the moon would be opened."

Cecil's ears perked up at that. "The way to the moon?" He thought back to the design he had seen etched in the door to Golbez's chamber in the Tower of Zot. There had been more than four crystals impressed upon it, and the people worshipping the moon…

"I understand it no more than you," Kain said, reaching in his pockets. "But he said that this was the key." Cecil outstretched his hand, and in it, Kain dropped…

A rock. It was black and porous, and had no particular shape. Cecil raised his eyebrows.

"A stone."

"There is a place where it must be offered, and doing so will open a path to the underworld," Kain explained.

"A place?" Yang folded his arms across his chest. "Most likely not Fabul…I would know of such an artifact…"

"But where?" Rosa asked, turning to Kain. He flushed slightly at the intensity in her eyes. Like Cecil, the wheels in her mind were starting to spin into overdrive. He thought about how they really were too alike for their own good.

"That much I do not know. Golbez didn't exactly confide in me. Just enough to make me a functional slave, I suppose." This reply caused Rosa to frown a little, much to Kain's dismay.

"Ah, well, what's there to worry about?" Cid said a little too loudly, trying to cut through the thickening tension. "We've got the Enterprise! We'll figure it out." That got their attention – everyone turned to stare at Cid. Cid laughed at their reaction. "We can fly circles around the world in the blink of an eye! Should be no issues finding some offering place!"

"Cid, the Enterprise is still at the Tower of Zot," Cecil said slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. "Which blew up. Remember?"

"Heh, thinking ol' Cid's gone senile on you, eh? I told you, didn't I? The Enterprise is strides beyond those other ships! I've already flown her back to Baron by remote control!"

"Wow Cid…you really are brilliant," Rosa smiled, and Cid blushed. "I don't know what we'd do without you!"

"Then I believe our course of action is decided," Yang nodded. "Do we have a map of the world handy? We can easily eliminate places that we have all been to that would not have contained an offering, and narrow our search."

"I should be able to find one in the castle somewhere," Cecil said. "We have several store rooms that we should be raiding for the journey, anyway. I'll go down in a little bit and see what we can find."

"Very good!" Yang exclaimed. "I'm going to go into town and send a pigeon to Sheila to let her know what's next for us. I'll be in my room here once you've found the map." He bowed to Cid. "Thank you again for your hospitality in lodging me here."

"Oh, well, when there's no one around to tell you no, I house all the Fabulians I want!" Cid laughed. "I suppose I should go see Amelia…get my lecture about overworking myself now so that I can actually sleep tonight…Shall we leave tomorrow morning, then? No better way to start searching for an entrance to the underworld than with a sound night's sleep!"

"Sounds like a plan," Kain nodded. "Cecil, is there anything you want me to do?"

Cecil hesitated. He could tell Kain was making an effort, but he really didn't want Kain to help him find the map. The morning with Rosa aside, he needed some time alone to think. "Kain…can you gather information in town? Get a sense for how things are going now that His Highness is…"

"Of course," Kain nodded. "It will be good of me to try to find some of the Dragoons and Red Wings, anyway. It will raise their spirits to know we're alive."

"Agreed!" Cecil nodded, cracking a smile. Kain really did want to help. Maybe they would talk tonight and hash everything out before the journey tomorrow.

Everyone filed out of Cecil's bedroom, save for Rosa. She had noticed the tension between Cecil and Kain, and felt horrible about it. Meanwhile, Cecil's mind had wandered elsewhere.

"I'm still wondering…what made Golbez falter?"

"What?" Rosa blinked. This was about Golbez? "Is something the matter?"

Cecil shook his head. He hadn't told Rosa about Golbez nearly killing him. He didn't want to upset her any further about the Tower of Zot. "No, it's nothing. You should get some rest – it sounds like we're going to be covering a lot of ground in the next few days. Are you going to say good-bye to your mother?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Rosa said, still suspicious. "I uh…I think I should go alone though, don't you? She told me about your little visit before…"

"Yes, I'm not ready to face her wrath quite yet," Cecil said, relieved that she hadn't even entertained the idea. "But I promise, I will talk to her again soon."

"I know you will," Rosa smiled, and gave Cecil a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun exploring the castle! I heard that since most of the soldiers are gone, a lot of locked rooms have been left opened and unguarded. Maybe you'll find some treasure." With that, she left. Cecil watched her descend the stairs, and then turned to his window to watch her cross the courtyard, toward the village.

A few moments later, he saw Kain going in the same direction, although Cecil couldn't be sure he was following her. He shook his head. If he spent the rest of his days worrying about Kain, they were never going to go back to what they were. He decided right then and there that they were definitely going to have a talk tonight.

Leaving his tower, Cecil was still amazed at how much the bustle of the castle had died down since he had left on the journey to Mist. There were still a good amount of people there, but they had lost their spirit and energy. Being taken prisoner by the false king had probably done a number on them. He supposed it must have been pure chaos when Golbez took over the castle and once news leaked that the king was dead.

As he was crossing into the east wing, a little girl rounded a corner and top speed and ran smack into Cecil's legs. She stumbled backward onto the ground and let out a screech. Cecil knelt down to help her up.

"Are you ok?" He asked. She nodded and blinked away some tears.

"Yes, thank you. Is that you, Sir Cecil?"

"Erm, yes," Cecil blinked, surprised that she recognized him, for he had no idea who she was.

"I'm the daughter of the head teaching black mage in the castle," she explained. "I'm an apprentice now. Father expects me to know who all of our most important people are so that I don't accidentally turn them into toads."

"Oh, very good!" Cecil smiled. "And you've been brave, coming back here after everything that has happened."

"Well, this is our home," she shrugged. "But I'm not very brave. I was actually running away from something just now."

"How can I help?"

"It's a ghost," she whispered, and Cecil tried not to laugh. But he could see she was deadly serious, so he tried a little harder. "I can hear it moaning all night from my room. I finally got sick of it, and went down to see where it was coming from. A bright light flashed before me, and when I opened my eyes, I was back in the entryway of the room I heard it coming from. I screamed and ran all the way back here."

Cecil furrowed his brow. Now, this was interesting. "A ghost, huh? Did it say anything to you?"

"No," the girl shook her head. "But the moaning has stopped…for now. It was in one of the store rooms that always had a guard. Now that the guards are gone…is the ghost going to get loose?"

"No, no, nothing like that will happen. I'll go down and investigate right now. I was heading that way anyway."

"Thank you, Sir Cecil," the girl sighed, relieved. "Now I know why everyone wants you to be king."

"Huh?" Cecil blinked.

"It's just what I hear my father say a lot," she shrugged. "Anyway, thank you again. Please let me know when the ghost is gone, OK?" With that, she skipped away, a lot calmer. Cecil stood back up and continued down to the storage room, shaking his head. Kids made up the weirdest stories. It made him miss Rydia and the nonsense she would spout in between instances of wisdom beyond her years.

Sure enough, there was no longer a guard stationed at what was considered the elite storage room for the castle. It was largely provisions for the royal family, which no longer existed, so Cecil didn't feel too terrible for stealing. He found several storage chests filled with Potions, Elixirs and Remedies that cured a multitude of issues. He even found a couple of weapons.

Hanging on the wall, he found a large, slightly faded world map. He pulled it down and rolled it up, about to depart when he heard something curious.

"Ohhhhh…"

Pausing, he looked back and realized he had completely missed a set of stairs in the far right corner. It looked like it led straight to a cellar, probably where food was kept. Was that where the moaning was coming from?

"I bet that girl heard some rats fighting over food and panicked," Cecil said out loud. He set down the provisions and map and trotted down the stairs, shivering as a cool blast of air hit him. The shelves to his left were nearly empty, with nary a creature to be found. Down the long hallway ahead of him, he thought he could see a dim light from around a corner. It was steady, so whoever was carrying it was not moving around.

Cecil proceeded with a little less enthusiasm, pausing every few steps to see if he could hear any more noises. What if it was a prisoner that had never been let out?

Leaning flush up against the wall, he slowly peered around the corner. The hall had come to a dead end, and all he could see were two torches hanging on the wall, burning with an orange-blue light. Below them, a red velvet and gold throne was sitting, completely undisturbed. Cecil could see the thick layer of dust on it from where he was standing.

"Cecil…" a mysterious voice whispered. Cecil leapt away from the wall and whirled around, facing the direction he had come from, but no one was behind him. The torches suddenly flickered out, and a figure materialized on the throne. Cecil's jaw clenched, but he didn't make a sound. He really wished, however, that he had brought his sword that he could picture leaning against his bed. Peering through the lack of light, he could swear that the figure that had appeared looked exactly like the former King of Baron – the real one.

"Your…majesty?" Cecil asked hesitantly. The figure nodded, and extended his pale hand, covered in rings that bore the royal crest of Baron.

"Return to this place when you have visited the land where the Eidolons dwell. Then I, too, will be able to lend you my strength."

"It is you!" Cecil cried. He definitely recognized the voice now. "My liege…what are you…"

But it was too late. The torches flicked back on, and the figure disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. When Cecil approached the throne, he was shoved back by a barrier of piercing white light.

"Argh!" He threw his arms up to protect his face, and took a few steps back. "What the hell just happened?"

Cecil dropped the map off with Yang, and they agreed to regroup for dinner to go over the regions they planned to hit first for information. He then took the provisions to the Enterprise, which was parked in front of the village, just as Cid had promised. He was surprised to see Kain standing at the helm, staring out at the northern mountain ranges…toward Mist. He turned when Cecil boarded, and nodded. Cecil dropped the provisions in a chest, and stood next to Kain, looking out with him.

Kain lifted the cover off his helmet so he could be better heard. "If I had any idea what that ring contained…"

"I know," Cecil sighed. "The guilt weighed on me immensely. If I hadn't disobeyed the king…er, Cagnazzo…would he have sent us to Mist that day? It's a question that will never be answered…so I try to redeem myself by walking in the light every day after, rather than linger in the darkness. I learned…darkness will devour your soul if you let it reside too long, be it by foul action or festering regrets."

"You have changed," said Kain. "I don't think the old Cecil would have come to that conclusion. I have much to learn from you yet, friend."

"I had to change to survive," Cecil said softly. "I would be dead by now if I had not – maybe Rosa too." Kain nodded and said nothing for a few moments.

"You were on her mind the entire time she was with Golbez," Kain finally offered. "Cecil…she has always loved you, and I know you cared for her, even when you tried to push her away. It was frustrating to witness, I admit. But…" He sighed and tried to summon the words, even as they choked him. "You two belong together. And I just hope you two will continue to let me be part of your lives." Cecil looked over at Kain and smiled.

"Is that truly from your heart, Kain?"

Kain faltered for a moment. Time for the first lie of their renewed friendship.

"Truly."

"Then that is all I need to hear," Cecil said, and they gave each other a one-armed embrace. Slapping Cecil's back, Kain pulled away and grinned.

"Should we go to the inn before meeting up with the others? A drink for old time's sake?"

"Yeah, definitely need a drink," Cecil agreed. "I actually just had a dream about that place…maybe I'm becoming psychic. I want to hear the news you gathered in the village. And I've got a ghost story for you."

At the inn, Cecil went first, explaining what he had found in the basement of the castle.

"...And then His Highness mentioned to come back after we found 'the land where the Eidolons dwell'."

"Eidolons...?" Kain blinked. "The monsters the summoners of Mist have control over?"

"I am wholly positive that is what he said. How is one to find the land in which they dwell?" Cecil leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "I thought they were from a phantom plane…" He could feel his drink churning anxiously in his stomach as he recounted the fate of the one person in the world that could have helped him understand the king's words. He wondered if Yang had seen it fit to tell Kain what had happened to the poor girl...but for some reason, he had the suspicion the two men had probably avoided each other as much as possible while Cecil was dead to the world - their first meeting in the Fabulian crystal chamber hadn't exactly gone off without a hitch, after all.

But selfishly...I'm not ready to tell Kain, either...

Part of me kept harboring hope that she had survived after learning of Edward's fate, even though Yang said for himself he watched her get swallowed whole... A fool's errand that has kept me from mourning her the way she deserved...

But if Kain had been wondering what had become of Rydia, he didn't speak of it aloud. Instead, he tossed back the remainder of his drink, raising his free hand to order another before he had even set the glass down. "To be frank, it sounds like a distraction. I almost wouldn't put it past Cagnazzo's ghost to mess with us."

"That's true…" Cecil took a sip of his drink. "He's rousing the interest of the other castle residents though."

"I heard several interesting things in town today," Kain said. "The people are trying to do their best to go about their lives, but they question what's to become of the royal dynasty and who their next ruler will be." He tilted his glass toward Cecil. "And a lot of them think that ruler should be you."

"Uhh…gak!" Cecil choked on some ale and shook his head. "What?"

"It makes sense, does it not?" Kain smirked. "Practically the king's son in all but blood, leader of the Red Wings…"

"Ex-leader," Cecil interrupted.

"…And now Captain Cecil has come back from the dead as a powerful holy warrior. It's a delicious comeback tale."

"It's ridiculous," Cecil shook his head. "Enough about that. What else did you hear?"

"Another thing that has the townspeople on edge is the rumored attack on Eblan."

"Eblan…" Cecil took another sip. "Now that's a place I haven't thought about in years. I know Baron was on friendly terms with them, but neither of our kingdoms have sent ambassadors in nearly ten years. They just…really like keeping to themselves. Kind of mysterious, right?"

"I suppose you could expect that from a kingdom of ninja warriors," Kain said. "But their isolation may have been their undoing this time. Allegedly, the entire kingdom was doused in fire, and no survivors have been found."

"Fire?" Cecil gasped. "Like... a bombing?"

"That's not what the eye witness said that supposedly saw all of this," Kain said. The witness said the castle literally just burst into flames, and that there were no airships or monsters in sight. He wrote his cousin, who lives here in Baron, describing it all. He said when the fire finally burned out, he went to explore the castle, but didn't find a trace of life."

"That might be worth investigating," Cecil mused. "Perhaps Golbez was trying to destroy the place where we're supposed to make the offering with the stone."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Kain nodded.

"Anything else?"

"Nothing of interest. Seems to be pretty quiet, otherwise."

As Rosa was passing the inn to make her way back to the castle, she paused when she thought she saw two familiar faces. The doorway was wide open to take advantage of the cooler than usual summer breeze. Sitting at the counter of the bar were Kain and Cecil, talking with heads bowed like old times. She couldn't help but break out into a smile when she saw it.

She was reminded of the night Kain had come back from his first successful mission as the captain of the Dragoons. The Dragoons and their Red Wing pals had been so boisterous when they burst into town to take over the inn that she could hear them all the way from her house. She was outside, doing archery drills, but could just barely make out Cecil and Kain laughing and walking together into the inn through the main road in town.

She had returned back to Baron only a few weeks before from intensive training in Mysidia. She and Cecil hadn't been on speaking terms the two years she was gone, but when she had returned home, he was waiting for her at the Devil's Road gate, with a bundle of letters clutched in his outstretched hands.

"I wrote one to you everyday...that I did not hear your voice."

At first, she only read one a night to savor them for as long as possible, but soon enough her discipline had failed her, and she had nearly torn through them all. She and Kain had conversed occasionally while she was gone, either because she would briefly return to town for emergencies or he would be in Mysidia for missions, but the conversations always ended up with Kain comforting her as she moped about Cecil.

Yet later that night, she was still forcing herself to complete more drills, even with the failing light making it impossible to see what she might actually be accomplishing, all in an effort to keep from tearing open the last of her precious letters. She hadn't realized how much time had passed until Kain stumbled by her courtyard, delightfully drunk and hanging onto an adorable girl in the village who was known to be quite a dancer. He waved to Rosa and sauntered over, leaning on the three foot tall brick wall that fenced in Rosa's yard. The girl he was with remained a few steps behind, teetering in shoes that made Rosa's feet ache just looking at them.

Kain regaled her with his mission and told some of the less vulgar jokes that had been shared over drinks. Before Rosa knew it, nearly an hour had passed and Kain's companion had disappeared. When Rosa pointed out that she was gone, Kain merely shrugged.

"She was just being kind and taking me home."

"Your home is that way," Rosa deadpanned, pointing the opposite direction toward the castle, which just made Kain laugh.

"Rosa…you are the best. This was the highlight of my night."

"Oh Kain," Rosa blushed a little. "Your sweet talking is going to make some lady very happy, someday. You're going to sweep some noble woman right off her snooty feet."

"No, no…my first love is Cecil…he's my brother…how could I ever leave him?" Kain hiccuped, and laughed. "The only woman I can compare to him is you."

Rosa giggled and shook her head. "It fills my heart to see your love for each other. I missed being with you two. It's so good for all three of us to be together again, like old times."

She thought something she said might have upset Kain for a moment, as he looked away with a sober gleam in his eye. But the moment passed quickly, and he was smiling again.

"I agree."

Sneaking away before they heard her outside, Rosa decided not to go in and interrupt them – they needed time to bond again after everything that had happened. For the past few days, she had fretted that what Kain said in the Tower of Zot would drive a wedge between them, but Cecil had seemed to forgive him. Rosa was sure that despite Kain's protests, he didn't really mean what he had said. The malice in his voice when he told Rosa how much better he was than Cecil…there was no way that had come from the real Kain's heart.

She would have staked her life on it.

"So…the final list if we narrow down to places none of us has ever visited…is Eblan, Mythril and Agart." Yang sat back in his chair, tilting it until he struck just the right balance before tumbling over. "And if the info Kain was told in town was true, it sounds like we may want to go to Eblan first and investigate."

"I agree," Rosa nodded. "If we do find any survivors…maybe I can heal them."

"Then we leave for Eblan at dawn," Cecil decided. "Everyone, meet in front of the Enterprise at sunrise."

Cid and Yang retired to bed after dinner. Rosa, Kain and Cecil remained in the common area on the first floor of the castle where guards would meet for drinks between shifts and mages would lament about the dunces of their classes after a long day. Dinner had been simple – whatever they could get ready-made at the market in Baron – but it still tasted better than anything Cecil had had in a long time.

It was only just starting to get dark out. Rosa had been gazing out the window when she suddenly got an idea.

"Ah! Cecil, Kain, let's watch the double moonrise from the top of the castle! We haven't done that in ages!"

"Sure!" Cecil said as Kain said "I think I'll pass".

"Why!?" Rosa protested. "It's supposed to be beautiful tonight! And who knows, it might be the last time in a long while we're back here! There probably isn't a moon in the underworld…"

"I'm exhausted," Kain said, and to prove his point, let out a loud yawn. "I want to be at peak strength tomorrow."

"Ok, ok," Rosa gave in. "Well, I'm going up. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Kain!" She and Cecil rose, and waved to Kain. He waved back and took his last few bites of dinner.

Cecil and Rosa climbed the tower stairs that took them to top overlook of the castle. The moons were just starting to rise in the horizon, and Rosa excitedly leaned over the railing, like a little kid.

"A full double-moon…pretty rare!"

Cecil stared up at the moons, feeling as if he were in a trance. He could barely hear anything Rosa was saying. He thought, if he concentrated hard enough, he could even hear someone else's voice in the distance – but it was too far away to make anything audible out.

"…And she said that she had given up on stopping me but that she would never forgive you if something happened…the usual threats…"

Rosa stopped relaying her mother's hissy fit from when she told her she was leaving Baron again, and touched Cecil's arm. "Are you listening?"

Cecil snapped out of it and shook his head. "Sorry…got lost for a moment."

"I could tell," said Rosa. "All of a sudden you just…looked like you were on another planet." Cecil turned to her and couldn't resist reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. In the moonlight, she looked ethereal.

"Rosa…" Cecil leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sorry, I'm back with you now."

A few yards away, Kain had emerged from the shadows. He had realized he was being stubborn and that he should see the night off with his friends after all. He stopped cold when he saw Cecil bend in to kiss Rosa, and quickly leapt behind a pillar. Peeking out slowly, he checked to see if they had noticed him. They clearly had not, as they had moved closer together and had their arms wrapped around each other, the pale moonlight shining down on their hair as it fell over their faces. Kain felt his cheeks flush and turned away, covering his mouth.

Obviously, my company wasn't really needed.