Act Fourteen: Movement in Green

The journey to Eblan took no more than an hour from Baron. Even in the distance, Cecil could see that the castle, which had also contained Eblan's village, was a complete loss. Massive towers had collapsed and crashed into the surrounding plains, leaving only most of the lower levels of the castle searchable. Thatched roofs were charred to a crisp. The walls that managed to remain standing were completely encased in smoke damage, some of them so black that you couldn't tell the material they were once built from. Not far from the castle was the Eblanese coastline, which looked bright and unscathed, the waves from the ocean gently lapping back and forth. The fire had been very well contained to just the structure itself, which seemed highly unusual.

Cid eased the ship down on the relatively small field of green that surrounded the castle, also untouched by fire. Beyond, opposite of the coastline, a vast desert overcame the landscape. And further beyond that, a silver tower loomed - so tall that Cecil could barely make out where it ended beyond the clouds.

"The Tower of Babil at least remains the same as ever, despite the chaos abounding around it," Yang mused.

"What is that thing, anyway?" Cid asked, locking down the brakes on the Enterprise. "Anyone live there?"

"As far we know, no," Cecil said, recalling the first investigation he ever went on with the Red Wings at the Tower of Babil. "There's no way to get in on the ground, and even after we got airships, no entrance in the air, either. It gives off no energy, and there are records noting its existence that go back hundreds of years. Some people believe it was built by an ancient race and when they died out…the tower was abandoned."

"It reminds me a lot of the Tower of Zot," Rosa said. "I wonder if that's a coincidence."

"Well, thanks for the lecture, professor," Cid laughed, lowering the ramp. "How much of that did you just make up?"

Cecil stammered and turned red. "N-None of it! I do READ books, you know!"

The entryway to the castle was completely trashed, which made it easy to get in. The doors had burned away, leaving only piles of ash and scorched hardware that had kept them on. Cecil turned to the others before going inside.

"Watch your step. Let's split up so we can cover more ground. Yang and I will be in one group, and Cid, Rosa and Kain in the other. That way, each group has a white mage in case something happens."

"Sounds good!" Rosa chirped. "Come on boys…I'm taking point!" She pulled her bow off her back and marched inside. "We're taking the left side!" Kain and Cid quickly scrambled to catch up with her.

"I guess that leaves us with the right," Yang smiled.

Cecil spotted a tattered banner that had miraculously escaped most of the fire as they crossed into what might have once been a village square. He pointed it out to Yang, who squinted as he tried to read the text on it, but couldn't make anything out. The accompanying image appeared to be some sort of violet-red bird, its wings spread to the tips of the banner.

"I believe this is a Phoenix," Yang said. "A bird of legend said to burst into flames and revive itself every 500 years."

"That is a little too painfully ironic."

"I have not been to Eblan until this day, but our kingdoms had a lot in common," Yang said as he started to peer in and out of the blown-out shops around the square. Cecil was at the inn, or at least what remained of it, peering under what remained of the counter and checking for signs of life in the beds. They could easily talk, because most of the walls between them had been destroyed. "We were both kingdoms that were unique in the sense that most of our citizenry were warriors. I don't think Eblan really had any enemies that would want to do this to them, do you?"

"No, I was telling Kain earlier that Baron was certainly friendly with Eblan, but they purposely isolated themselves, so we never really had any interaction. Does Fabul do that as well?"

"Not really," Yang said. "His highness is very encouraging of his citizens to go out into the world and share the traditions of the Fabul monks with others. He strongly believes that world peace can only come from a melding of the world's people and traditions."

"Your king sounds like a very good man," Cecil said. "He was certainly kind to us when we were there. Baron was terrorizing the world, and he still took two Baronians at their word."

"He is," Yang beamed. "But, like your king, he has no heir…and he is getting up there in age. He is looking to abdicate the throne sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see how the transition of power goes in the next few years."

Cecil gave up on the inn, surprised but relieved that he didn't find any trace of life. Unfortunately, he hadn't found anything that looked like the stone should be offered on, either. Yang emerged as well, shaking his head. They proceeded north toward the throne room.

"Yang…would you ever want to be king?" Cecil asked. Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Does this have anything to do with the rumors flying all over Baron?"

"It might."

"Hmmm…I would do it without hesitation if it was what my country needed and desired. But I would never consider myself the only possibility. If I were to become king, I would have to continue to live as humbly as possible, as any proper monk would. And may I in turn ask you the same, Cecil?"

At that moment, they came into the throne room, which was as empty as any other room they had encountered so far. Miraculously, the two thrones in the room hadn't been touched by flame; above them hung the same phoenix banner Cecil had found before. The floors were littered with debris and some personal effects such as knives, jewelry and disturbingly, a doll with a half-melted face.

Cecil walked over to the thrones as he answered, heart heavy. He trailed a finger over the silver rail that made up the arm rest of the right throne. "How could anyone want someone like me to be a king? I'm of no importance, born from no royal family, or even nobles. I'm an orphan, you know. And I have no other living family."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea," Yang bowed his head in apology. "It was insensitive of me to inquire."

"No, no," Cecil shook his head. "I've been given that look far too much in my life to not be used to it by now. But it further drives home my point – the emotion most people feel for me when they find out what I am is pity. What a pathetic figure to lead the most powerful nation in the world."

"Cecil…you should know by now that not one small part of you defines who "Cecil" is. The universe is inside of us all. We are all molded by our experiences, the people we meet, the people we love, even the people we hate. And if it was not obvious, the people of Baron obviously care for you and hold you in high esteem. As do I, and Rosa, Kain, Cid and Edward. As did Rydia, Tellah, Palom and Porom. If you are afraid, you must merely say so, and your friends will prop you up."

"…Thanks, Yang," Cecil smiled. "You would be a great king. Even if you are too humble."

"I admit my flaws," Yang smiled back. "Shall we head back? It seems we've arrived at a dead end, and I've seen nothing that indicates a good offering place for the stone."

"Yeah, the stone hasn't reacted to anything," Cecil said, reaching for it in the pocket of his cape. "Not that I, er…exactly know what a reaction would be like." As he stepped away from the throne, he suddenly felt his foot sink into something. He looked down and saw that a floor tile he had stepped on had sunk in. Slowly and loudly, a door in the upper right corner of the room opened.

"A trap door!" Yang exclaimed. "Let's check it out."

Inside the doorway, all they found was a long set of descending stairs. They appeared to be crossing through a hidden pathway between the levels of the castle they had already visited. Some of the walls had been knocked out, and Cecil could see the desert outside as they walked. Finally, the stairs simply stopped, at an empty patch of floor. There were no windows, and no other doors.

"What's the point of this?" Cecil groaned, walking over to a wall to feel it. "Another ninja secret?"

"Cecil, look out!" Yang cried, but it was too late. The floor underneath Cecil had started to crumble, and he suddenly plunged through the floor.

"AHHHH!" Cecil screamed, landing on the hard, cold floor below with a violent crash. He felt as if the bones on the left side of his body were pulverized into fragments. It was so dark, he could hardly see – nothing but blackness in front of him and the gray of the filthy dirt floor below him. It smelled like he was in some sort of dank cellar. He tried to roll over, but the attempt shot horrible pain through his left side. "Yang…I can't move…"

"Cecil, I'm coming down!" Yang called from above, and jumped. He landed gracefully, barely disturbing the dust Cecil had stirred up when he planted himself in the ground, and dug around in the pouch he had hanging from his pants. Fishing out a vial of Hi-Potion and ripping away the cork, he kneeled down next to Cecil. "Here, take this…"

"Cecil pushed himself up slightly, trying to ignore the feeling of his nerve endings slicing each other with knives, and swallowed down the Hi-Potion in one gulp. A few moments later, he felt the warm spread of the potion in his limbs, and sighed in relief. The pain started to fade into a gentle throb.

"Thanks, Yang…I thought I was never going to move again…" Cecil trailed off and pointed behind Yang, his eyes widening. Three Mad Ogres had lumbered up behind Yang, amazingly silent for such loathsome, stupid beasts. They were about nine feet tall each, and tall enough that their heads hit the dirt ceiling of wherever they had fallen. They had light gray flesh bulging with muscles, and beady black eyes that were framed with overgrown eyebrows from the top and gnarled teeth from the bottom. Yang whirled around, but before he could make a move, one of the Mad Ogres swung at him, sending him flying into Cecil.

"Oooof!" Cecil and Yang groaned, Cecil's head snapping back against the floor. The empty Hi-Potion vial flew out of his hands and shattered against the wall. When he closed his eyes, he saw dancing stars.

The Mad Ogres started to shuffle closer, grunting unintelligibly at each other but probably saying in Ogrish "Go in for the kill!"

"WHOOSH!"

The Mad Ogres suddenly stopped, staring at each other with slack jaws as they fell over simultaneously, each one with an arrow stuck in the back of its head. Behind them, Rosa was reloading her bow and preparing for another strike.

"Rosa!" Cecil gasped as he pulled himself up. "Thank you."

"How did you get down here?" Yang asked. Behind Rosa, Kain and Cid appeared.

"We didn't find anything inside, so we took a walk around the perimeter of the castle," Kain replied. "There was a trap door that had been partially unearthed, probably by some fire. When we climbed down, we heard the noise and ran over."

"And thank goodness for that," Cid sighed. "So, did you guys find anything? People or places to put a rock?"

"Not at all," Cecil said. "It was like everyone just disappeared. No one would have been out here to attend to the dead…right? There were no graves when we flew over looking for a place to land."

Rosa re-attached her bow to her back, and shook her head. "We didn't find anything, either. And…I feel a really powerful evil emanating from this place. When I would put my hands on the walls…" She lifted up hand, which had become burned and blistered, "…I could feel the remains of the powerful magic that was used to burn this place. Whoever did it was filled with a tremendous amount of malice and darkness. This was definitely not some simple Red Wings bombing." Rosa waved her other hand, using an Esuna spell to heal the burn.

"So…that still leaves the possibility that it was Golbez…but it would be weird if he suddenly ditched the Red Wings," Cecil said. "It's still the only way he can get around by air."

"I just don't understand why someone would attack the Eblanese…" Yang trailed off. "And with this much effort…it's sadistic. They had no enemies. They had no crystal…"

"Let's go," Rosa said softly. "I can still feel the black magic even in this pit…it's making me sick. I don't think the place to make the offering is here."

Back on the Enterprise, Yang unrolled the world map over a crate, and marked through Eblan with an X. He trailed his finger over to the closest circled town, Agart.

"Agart is closest…and then it makes sense to fly northeast from there to Mythril."

"I'm OK with that," Cecil said. "What do we know about Agart?"

"It's a small village, but they are famous for their astronomy work," Kain said. "They have a giant telescope that an astronomer built when he moved there. The villagers also all claim that they are the descendents of dwarves and are very proud of it."

"Dwarves?" Rosa blinked. "If anyone had dwarf ancestors, I thought it would be Cid!"

"Aye, that is true!" Cid exclaimed. "Never met a dwarf for myself though…"

"Most likely an old wives tale," Kain shrugged. "You know how these small villages are."

"I'd be interested in seeing the telescope," Cecil said. "If we have time. The astronomer might know something about this stone."

"We'll be there in no time!" Cid exclaimed. "Everyone hold tight…"

As the Enterprise made the short journey east, Cecil, Kain, Rosa and Yang seated themselves below deck to get a quick snack. Unfortunately, all they had on board was some bread and behemoth jerky, but it would do for now.

"Do you guys know about that other town, Mythril?" Rosa asked between bites. "It's a bit unusual."

"What do you know, Lady Rosa?" Yang asked.

"A girl I went to school with took a field trip there when we were in Mysidia," Rosa tried not to laugh as she told the story. "I wasn't able to go, but I found out from her that townspeople have an unusual…affliction. Apparently, they've all been transformed into toads, pigs or mini people due to magic…but they refuse to be turned back!"

"What?" Cecil and Kain exclaimed at once.

"I'm serious," Rosa said. "She told me the legend of the town…some poor man was attacked by a witch while he was wandering the forest and turned into a pig. Over the years, he was never found and no one thought to look for him – he had no family and no friends. The darker version of the legend is he went to the forest to kill himself. But anyway, an explorer discovered that the tiny island next to the bigger island the pig man was marooned on contained a mine full of mythril ore, which brought more people to the island. When those people encountered the pig man, he told them about the great life he was living and about how he didn't want to be turned back to a human ever again. The people took a liking to his philosophy and transformed themselves as well…and built a village as a sanctuary! So supposedly, only animals and mini people live there now, although un-cursed humans are welcome to visit. They were very kind to my friend."

"What did your friend study while she was there?" Yang asked.

"The lesson was to understand how even healing magic can't remedy someone if they don't want to be helped," Rosa said. "She was invited to use her best healing spells on them, and there were no results, even though she was doing them perfectly. It was a demonstration of how a human's will is still more powerful than any magic spell known to man." She paused for a moment, and sighed. "You know…like with those twins you told me about in Baron."

"It…makes sense," Yang trailed off. "..What a valuable lesson to instill at a young age, though. There are too many people in the world who think magic can fix anything. It's still the human will that is the most powerful weapon or panacea of all."

They felt the ship bump around a little, and realized they were landing. A few moments later, Cid called down to them that they were ready to go.

"This is such a cute town!" Rosa exclaimed as they walked up to the village gates. It was bursting with greenery and flowers, and the buildings looked ancient and were covered in ivy, but were well taken care of. A small wading pond could be seen in the northwest, where children were splashing each other and laughing. The observatory was the newest building and the most obvious for its purpose, as a giant telescope was sticking out of it. A few yards from the entry gates, a small stone wall housed something hidden from view.

"Hello!" A man called, waving to them. He had been tending to the flowers in front of the stone wall enclosure. "Are you tourists?"

"Yes!" Rosa exclaimed, really getting into this. "What should we check out?"

"We're tourists?" Kain raised his eyebrows.

"You must go to the observatory, and visit our ancient well!" The man smiled. "That's what's in the fenced-off area behind me. Oh, it's not a wishing well though…so please don't throw any GP in. And then, when you're all tuckered out from your day, you can stay at our luxurious three-star Inn! One of the biggest in the world – built large by our dwarven ancestors! They needed more space than the average human, you know."

"Oh my…" Rosa's eyes were sparkling. "You guys are the cutest…are those all dwarven flowers too?"

"Well, no, they're just regular flowers…"

"We've lost her," Cecil shrugged. "Should we check out the observatory?"

"You go ahead," Yang said. "I'll ask around about the region. It's not very large, so if there are any unusual features, people will surely talk about them."

"I'll come with you," Kain said. "Cid?"

But Cid was nowhere to be found. Cecil shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun, and spotted Cid in a flower field, surrounded by kids who were jumping up and down and shouting.

"One of our dwarven ancestors is here!"

"How strong are you, mister?"

"Why is your beard so short?"

"How old are you? Around 100 I bet, right?"

Cid looked so confused, but was laughing. "Ya'all remind me of my Amelia…"

"Let's go," Cecil smiled, and he and Kain entered the observatory.

It was a quiet, cool building, with several instruments strewn out on the counters and tables that Cecil had never seen before. A young woman with brown hair wrapped in a high, messy bun was seated at a desk, writing something in a book when they came in.

"Oh!" She blinked, setting down her pen. "Tourists?"

"Yes, we heard you could check out the telescope here," Cecil said, surprised at how giddy he sounded. "Is it available?"

"Yes, of course," she stood up, pointing to the loft above them. "It's just up there. Please watch your step."

Cecil and Kain climbed up the stairs, and encountered another researcher. He had long dark blue hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail, and was wearing oversized, casual red robes. He looked like he put in the most basic effort to get dressed, and that was it.

"My name is Kory," he said. "I'm the lead researcher here, and I'm the one who built the telescope. We don't get tourists very often these days, so this is a happy surprise. What are you interested in seeing today?"

"The moons," Cecil said. "They were full last night, so they should be pretty visible even in the daytime, right?"

"Oh yes," Kory nodded, rushing over to his desk and picking up a pile of papers, shuffling them excitedly as he gestured with his head for Cecil to come over to the telescope. "In fact, I've been recording a lot of unusual activity on one of the moons, as of late. Maybe you'll see for yourself." He kicked out a stool from under the telescope. "Just sit down here and get real close…that's right. Look inside and tell me what you see."

Cecil leaned in and looked through the lens. At first, he wasn't sure what he was looking at, but he heard Kory making some adjustments to the equipment from above, and that's when two spheres came into focus. One of them was smooth and off-white, like a marble with swirls and some craters. The other was smaller, and red, and almost looked like it was glittering in some places. Cecil sat back and looked up at Kory.

"I saw two moons…but one of them looked really red. It doesn't look red when we see it at night. What's going on with that?"

"That's what I'm researching," Kory said. "That was very observant of you. One of the moons is just a simple moon, but I've come up with a theory that there is some sort of life on the other moon – that's the sparkling light you could see in the scope. It's been turning red only recently, and at night the red takes on the color of blood when I look through the telescope. I can't be sure, but…I hope it doesn't mean anything bad."

Cecil got up so that Kain could see. Kain looked for a few moments, and sat back. He was clearly not as amused by this as Cecil was. "That red moon did me a very ominous feeling. And you say it's changing rapidly?"

"I've been observing these changes just within the past few days," Kory said. "And the last change, which you wouldn't have noticed, is that the red moon seems to be moving closer to our planet's orbit, as well. Had you looked into the telescope maybe a week ago, you would have only seen a speck of what is now the red moon. It's grown tremendously in such a short time, which I believe means it is moving closer."

"Kory! Can you come here a moment? I need you to check a calculation for me!" The female researcher's voice called out from below.

"Well, excuse me," Kory said. "Thank you for coming in…you're welcome back any time."

"One more moment, please," Cecil followed Kory down the stairs. "Are there any legends about this town related to the underworld?"

Kory pulled a pair of glasses out of his coat as he leaned over the book the woman had been writing in. Cecil thought at first he had not heard, but after he made a quick swipe in the book with the pen, he looked up at Cecil and Kain again.

"Oh, there are several. For starters, almost everyone in Agart claims to have ancestry related to dwarves, which supposedly live in the underworld. I, of course, am an outsider, but I've researched the claims thoroughly out of a scientific curiosity and have never found any leads. They believe that their ancestors settled in Agart through a pathway that is now closed to the world. Some of the children were even telling me the other day that they saw something red being swallowed in the horizon of the Agart Mountains. And finally, they have a fable…Uh…what was it, Katy?"

"All has its reverse. This world is no exception," the woman recited, as if she had been asked a million times before. She was back to scribbling in her notebook again, not even looking up at them as she said it.

Cecil and Kain left the observatory. Cecil looked up at the sky, trying to see if he could find the outline of the twin moons, and mulling over the information Kory had given them – both about the red moon and the local legends.

"Knowing what we know about Golbez and the crystals…I feel this doesn't bode well," Kain muttered, so that no one else but Cecil would hear him.

"Agreed. What are your thoughts about the underworld? Seems to be a big thing here."

"Cecil!" Rosa interrupted, running toward them. "Come see the well! This young man over here was just telling me that it's bottomless!" Cecil glanced over at the man, who was stealthily trying to sneak away. Rosa must had been talking his hear off the entire time they were in the observatory.

Rosa led them through the gateway of the enclosure, where Cid was already standing, peering over the ledge of the well so far that it looked like a stiff breeze could knock him inside.

"Be careful, Cid!" Rosa said, tugging on his suspenders. "If you fall in, there's no going back!"

"Oh, like I would fit," Cid laughed. "But…it is really black down there…what good is a well with no water?"

"It's ancient," Kain said, kicking at a small stone that had broken off at some point. "Water probably dried up a looooong time ago."

Cecil could feel something warm from within his cape - he reached inside and pulled out the stone. He was surprised to see that it had gone from dull black to a warm red, like charcoal thrown over the fire.

"What's this?!" Cecil asked, quickly dropping the stone into his other hand before it could burn the hand he had taken it out with. It was quickly growing warmer.

"It's glowing!" Kain gasped.

"Let me see it…" Cid said, swiping the stone from Cecil, and turning it over in his hands. "That's strange…it's getting warmer…Ouch…Ouch…YEOUCH!" Cid tossed the stone away in a panic, waving his burned hand frantically. Cecil, Kain and Rosa watched in dismay as it sailed in the air and fell right into the well, hitting the inside of the stone wall a few times before it feel too far for them to hear anymore.

"Oh…oh my god," Rosa gasped. "What…what did we just do?"

"EARTHQUAKE!" A cry came from the village. A low rumbling could be heard in the distance, and Cecil felt the ground start to shake underneath his feet.

"Hold on to something!" Kain cried, and Cecil immediately grabbed Rosa's hand and pulled her with him to hang onto the wall around the well. Cid blubbered as he clutched the well itself, not believing he had just lost their key to the underworld.

"The gods are punishing me for being a fool!"

But only a few moments later, the shaking stopped. Cecil hesitantly let go of both the wall and Rosa.

"Is…everyone OK?"

"I think so," Kain said, who had been hanging on to the opposite wall. "But we should find Yang and make sure he's all right."

"He went into the inn to talk to the locals," said Rosa.

But Yang, conveniently, had decided to find them instead. He appeared at the gateway to the well, panting for breath and pointing out toward the village entrance.

"I…I saw something…incredible…we must hurry!" He ran out, and the others ran after him with no arguments. He didn't stop until he got outside the village, and pointed northeast, toward a small mountain range with a few snow-capped peaks. Only now, it was no longer a mountain range – a pillar of lava was shooting out of the middle, and splashing down the mountain range into the ocean, which was boiling from the sudden onslaught of hot liquid. After a few tense moments, the gushing stopped – and there now appeared to be a giant hole where most of the mountains had been.

"Um…did we cause the earthquake…or did that explosion?" Cid asked sheepishly.

Cecil scratched his head. "I think we caused both."

"What happened?" Yang asked. "I was talking to an elderly woman at the inn when the earthquake came. I looked out the window, and saw the mountains exploding. No one at the inn was worried about the earthquake…apparently they happen here all the time. But they informed me that the explosions were not a normal activity. They…were remarkably calm about it, though."

"Cid accidentally dropped the stone down the ancient well," Cecil explained. "It was burning in my cape, and was too hot to hold…he slipped."

"Did we just make an offering…?" Rosa asked softly.

A huge crowd of villagers had followed the four of them outside, but instead of being fearful, or screaming at them for bringing bad fortune – they were…cheering.

"The path to our ancestors' home land has been opened once more!" A young woman cried.

"The Sun Stone has been returned to its rightful home!"

"Sun Stone…?" Cecil whispered. "Do they mean that black piece of junk rock?"

"I can't wait to meet my ancestors!"

Even Kory had emerged from the observatory, his mouth agape. Katy was out too, but her nose was still buried in her notebook, and she was writing feverishly.

"Let's get on the Enterprise and see what the view looks like from above…" Cid said, and gestured for them to follow him. They slipped away in the excitement, and boarded the Enterprise. It was a testament to how thrilling the explosion in the mountains was to the villagers that most of them did not register the Enterprise's presence as it sailed up and over the village. Cid took the approach to the mountain slowly, just in case more lava decided to shoot out.

Cecil leaned over the railing, and gasped. As suspected, there was nothing more than a giant hole left where the mountains had been, and it looked an awful lot like a place dark crystals would live.

"Do we go in?" Cecil called to Cid.

"What do we have to lose?" Cid laughed, and revved up the engine. "Hold on to your pants, everyone!" Cid was now in a much better mood and anxious to prove that his clumsiness had been a good thing and not a world-ending disaster.

The Enterprise sank down into the opening, and the sun disappeared, covering the airship in darkness. Cecil could hear Rosa breathing nervously beside him, and saw Kain clenching the railing of the ship. Yang was a few steps behind them, appearing calm, but the whites of his eyes gave away his fear. Suddenly, the prospect of exploring a world without a sun was terrifying to the five of them.

A soft glow began to come up from where they were descending, covered by dense steam. When they broke through the steam, they found they were floating over a pool of golden, liquid magma, far as the eye could see. It would bubble up to the surface and pop, and when Cid attempted to sail over it, the airship would shudder.

"This magma is too hot for us to fly over!" He called out. "I'm going to have to stick to land!"

And there were some traces of land – it was just unlike anything Cecil had ever seen, even in the most war-torn of lands. There was absolutely zero green like what could be seen in the world above. It was all hard, orange rock, some of it jutting out into crude cliffs. The flat parts had with giant cracks the way a dried-up prairie would look if it were suffering from a drought. And the sounds were different, too – or rather, the lack thereof. There was no wind, no birds chirping, no signs of life…

…Until Cecil heard the familiar sound of airship engines purring - multiple airships. He ran up to the rear of the ship and was dismayed to find that they were being followed, aggressively, by the red wings.

"Those are…" Kain gasped.

"The Red Wings!" Cecil called out to Cid. "We have to escape!"

"On it!" Cid cried, and swerved a hard left. The force made everyone lose their footing and fall to the deck. Cecil and Kain pulled themselves up to look over the railing again, and were shocked once more to see that they weren't alone. On the ground, a battalion of golden tanks were shooting cannons at the Red Wings, and Cid had managed to stumble right between them.

"Who are the Red Wings fighting?" Cecil asked, and Kain shook his head.

"It seems we were not fast enough to the crystals…" Yang despaired, holding onto a crate with one hand and reaching out to Rosa with the other. She grasped his palm and he pulled her up to the crate as easily as he would a sack of chocobo feathers.

"Hold on, you guys…we've just got to break through this line!" Cid swore, and wiped his brow with his filthy gloved hand. "Come on, Enterprise! I know you're hurting…just hold on a bit longer for me, girl!" Suddenly, a violent tremor rocked the airship, knocking everyone down again, this time Cid included. He was flailing from the steering wheel when the Enterprise began to spiral downward at rapid speed.

"We're falling!" Cecil screamed.

It felt like minutes, but it was only within a few seconds that the Enterprise crash landed into one of the stretches of land, skidding along for several yards and spitting sparks and splinters of wood in its wake before finally coming to a stop.

"Cecil?"

Cecil opened his eyes. He was still clutching the side of the ship, miraculously. Rosa was standing over him, being held up for support by Kain.

"Rosa…" Cecil stood up and looked around. "Is everybody all right?"

"Everyone but my poor ship!" Cid wailed. "We won't be able to fly her anymore…Not like this…" His goggles started to fog up as he burst into tears.

"We shall have to go by foot," Yang said, dusting himself off. He was shaking, but looked ok.

"But where…?" Cecil couldn't see the tanks anymore, so they must have been blown far away by whatever hit them. Since the hit seemed to come from behind, he suspected the Red Wings had nailed them. He thought he could make out some sort of structure to the south of their crash site, but it was so hard to see anything – it was too dark without a sun above and the flashes of hot magma disoriented him.

They quickly discovered that if they tried to go north, they came to a dead end – reaching a thick rock wall that there was no way they would be able to scale by hand. Turning back past the crash site, they traversed the only path they could take to avoid the magma. Cecil worried that if they didn't come to some sort of oasis soon, that they would all pass out from the unbearable heat. He was dripping in sweat, and Rosa's hair looked like a wilted flower. But those tanks had to have come from somewhere…they surely couldn't have been more of Golbez's troops.

"Look!" Rosa pointed ahead. In the wavy heat, Cecil could at last make out what she was pointing to – the building he thought he had seen earlier. It was a huge castle, and it appeared to be built entirely out of iron. Several watch towers rose from within, and Cecil could make out figures on the observation decks. He was sure they had already been spotted. He figured at this point, they may as well just waltz up to the front door, although he was nervous about what would be waiting for them. An enemy stronghold…or potential new allies?

Two figures were guarding the castle gates, but Cecil couldn't quite comprehend what exactly he was looking at. They were wrapped head-to-toe in blue armor, the majority of their faces hidden by bushy orange beards that went down to their stomachs, and Viking helmets trimmed in gold with long, ivory horns protruding from each side. Their faces, what very little Cecil could see of them, were coal-black, and their eyes were bright yellow and practically glowed against their dark skin. They had a humanoid look, but…something just wasn't quite right.

They were also roughly a foot shorter than Rosa, the shortest person in their party.

"Lali-ho!" They called simultaneously. They sounded friendly enough, but Cecil wasn't sure if they had just been issued a friendly greeting, or a friendly warning to stay away.

"Um, hello," Cecil said, pausing in front of them. "My friends and I…"

"You're the airship that got hit, right?" The right one asked. "Say no more – you must speak to the King immediately!"

"Oh, ok…thank you," Cecil nodded, noticing battle axes that were roughly a head taller than their owners strapped to both of the guards' backs, deciding not to argue with the demand. The guards stepped aside to let them in. Everyone kept much closer than usual as they crossed the threshold, and dozens of pairs of yellow eyes all stopped their work to stare at the party as they marched forward through the castle courtyard.

"Lali-ho!"

Lali-ho!"

"Say it with me…Lal-i-hoooo!"

"This must be a customary greeting here," Kain whispered. "Cecil, say something back!"

"What?!" Cecil hissed. "Why me? I had to do the talking at the gate!"

"Lali-ho!" Cid waved, and the castle inhabitants all cheered. He shrugged. "See? They don't seem like they want to murder us."

In the very busy antechamber, more of the strange creatures were bustling back and forth. A little girl, with bright orange pigtails wearing a maroon ball gown ran straight up to Rosa and tugged on her cape. Rosa stopped and kneeled down, smiling. "Hello dear, nice to meet you."

The little girl played with an oversized pearl necklace she wore as she quickly curtseyed to Rosa. "Hello, my name is Luca. I've lost my dolls. Have you seen them?"

Rosa shook her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't."

"Oh…well thank you…" Luca sighed, and ran off as quickly as she had approached them. Rosa stood back up, and shrugged.

"His Highness is this way," two more guards stationed at the front of the antechamber said in unison. "You may enter." It was like everyone knew who they were – Cecil was probably right that as soon as they had been spotted, someone had shouted the news all over the castle. Cecil pushed open the thick, iron double doors that stood between them and what would either be their savior, or the reaper.

The king was sitting on a single, low throne at the end of a surprisingly plush red carpet. He looked shorter than his guards, but his beard was twice as long, and Cecil wondered if he tripped over it when he walked. He was wrapped in violet, velvet robes, and his Viking hat was extra ornamental, with horns the size of Cecil's forearms and a golden and amethyst crown fused directly into it. The portion of his face that wasn't covered by his helmet was covered by his bushy walrus mustache. His amber colored eyes burned into Cecil as they approached. When he had reached a respectable distance, Cecil got down to one knee and bowed. The others followed suit, with the exception of Rosa, who curtseyed.

"Rise, rise!" The King bellowed, though not in an unfriendly way. "I am so glad you survived that crash!"

Cecil obeyed, and cleared his throat. Ok, if the king was glad they survived, then they probably were in the clear. "My pardons, Your Majesty, but might we ask your name?"

"I am Giott, king of the dwarves and ruler of the underworld," he responded.

Dwarves! Cecil thought. So that's what these folks were! Dwarves were actually real…

"And the Dark Crystals," Kain interrupted Cecil's thoughts, cutting straight to the chase. "Your Majesty – they are truly down here?"

Giott hopped off his throne and walked down to them.

"So, that is indeed the reason for your coming. But you do not seem to be friends of the others, at least not judging from their welcome for you. I must apologize – we came near to shooting you out of the sky ourselves."

"Are the Crystals safe?" Cecil asked, hoping they weren't coming off as too aggressive. He didn't like the idea of barging into this man's castle and demanding the state of the union, but time was of the essence.

Giott sighed and stroked his beard. "Would that I could say yes, but two of the four have been captured."

"What?" Rosa gasped. "Oh no…"

"We are too late, then," Yang mused.

"But!" Giott raised his finger. "THIS castle's Crystal, however, remains secure. Our tank battalion was able to repeal the enemy forces."

"Those tanks we saw battling the airships were yours, then," Rosa confirmed. Giott nodded.

"Airships, you call them? The surface world must be home to many wonders. Our tanks have long been unmatched on the battlefield, but even they are hard pressed to defend against assault from the air. I do not suppose you would be willing to lend that airship of yours to our defense?"

"She was damaged when we were forced down," Cid sighed. "She'll need repairs before she'll be able to fly again." Giott nodded and to Cid's surprise, slapped his hand down on Cid's shoulders.

"I would be happy to provide you with any materials you might need. Even if you decide not to help us…you were dragged into the middle of this."

Cid grinned broadly.

"No way, we're going to help! I'm sure you have the right materials to patch her up and get her engines humming again. But she wasn't built to take the heat of all that magma. I'll need to fly her back up to the surface and see if I can't rig together some mythril plating. I guess I'd best get to work now!" He turned to Cecil. "You'll take care of things while I'm gone, right?"

"Cid!" Cecil protested. "Right now?"

"No need for teary good-byes – I'm only going to make a few upgrades. You kids just wait here. I'll be back before you even start to miss me."

"Cid…be careful," Rosa reached out and took his hand in her own. "I know you push yourself."

"Oh, don't you go falling in love with me too now, Rosa!" Cid winked, and she blushed. "This isn't good-bye…so…see you later!" With that, he turned and left the throne room. A dwarf outside caught up to him and Cecil could hear them talking shop as the doors were shut behind him. He sighed and turned back to Giott.

"Your Majesty, where is this castle's Crystal kept?" Cecil asked. This would be the test if Giott really trusted them or not.

"Where it is most secure – in a hidden chamber behind my throne. As long as there is light left in my eyes, our Crystal is safe. Brilliant, huh?" Cecil smiled and was about to agree, when Yang held out his hand and narrowed his eyes.

"Silence, my friends…"

Everyone went mute, as if it were Yang that were the king. He looked around the room slowly, and then seemed to concentrate his gaze on the wall behind Giott's throne.

"Yang, what is it?" Cecil whispered.

"Someone…is eavesdropping." Yang said firmly. Giott looked like he was about to fall over.

"What!?"

"There is no one here but us," Cecil protested, looking around. It was the four of them, Giott, and two of his guards.

"There is a presence…behind that wall." Yang said, pointing. "I am positive."

"Open the door!" Giott bellowed, and this time, he sounded angry.

"Yes, lali!" The dwarven guards chirped, and both hit hidden switches on the wall simultaneously. A hidden door swung open, right behind the throne, as Giott had described.

"Wait here, Your Majesty," Cecil said, and Giott nodded. The party filed into the room, and no sooner had the last person crossed the threshold that the door slammed shut behind them. An echoing "click" assured them they had been locked in.

"The door has been barred shut!" Kain protested, yanking on it with all his strength to no avail.

The crystal room was surprisingly similar to the other crystal rooms Cecil had encountered in the surface world, as Giott had called it. However, it was considerably darker, since the Crystal of Darkness ahead of them shed far less light than those of the surface crystals. However, it still glittered as it floated above its throne, a brilliant amber color that matched Giott's eyes.

"Yip-ho-ho!" A chorus of voices giggled. Out of the darkest corners in the back of the room, four pairs of little eyes lit up red, and slowly started to come closer.

"What…are…those?" Cecil shuddered. As they got closer, he could see they had ratty red yarn hair twisted into all sorts of childish hairstyles, sloppy and falling apart. The eyes appeared to be made of glass, and all that remained on their faces were black stitched x's for mouths. Some of them had ragged clothes on, stained from adventures or abuse, and others were naked, their bodies flat and plastic with smooth joints at the elbows, armpits, and thighs.

"They're…dolls…" Rosa trailed off.

The four dolls joined what little light the crystal shed, and began to do a jig, jumping up and down in unison and twirling in dizzying circles, climbing the steps that lead to the crystal as they danced. They began to sing once more.

"We are Calcabrina! Adorable Dolls! Terrible dolls! You are mindless cretins! Charging into unknown halls…We'll cut your strings! Lord Golbez will be pleased! YIP-HO-HOOOO!"

One of the calcabrina suddenly leapt off the stairs, planting onto Rosa and sinking its teeth into her shoulder.

"Nooooo!" Rosa screamed, struggling to reach for an arrow in her quiver. She managed to snag one and used it to stab the doll in the head, tossing the doll aside while it was wailing in pain. She staggered backwards in shock, holding her shoulder as blood trickled out. Another doll leapt forward to join the fray, but this time Cecil managed to block in time with his shield, and it bounced off and skidded across the floor.

"Thank you!" Rosa cried, and pulled out her bow, her hand smearing blood over the pearl-encased riser.

"Hi-ya!" Yang grunted, delivering ten blinding kicks in a row to one of the other dolls. The doll made sickening cracking noises each time Yang struck, and when the fervor died down, Cecil saw its plaster face and body was covered in cracks, with many chunks missing, including a glass eye. The glass eye rolled around on the floor erratically, looking for its owner. Kain promptly crushed it into dust with his greaves, and leapt up in the air to stab another doll that was reaching for the crystal. He aligned his dive perfectly, driving the lance through the middle of the doll's head and splitting it into two squirming piles of plastic joints. The joints twitched and twisted for several moments before finally dying and crumbling into dust.

Rosa finished off the doll Yang had pummeled, releasing a fire arrow and watching with satisfaction as the arrow wedged into the doll's cracked eyehole and burst into flames. The calcabrina tried climbing up the stairs toward the crystal as first its head melted and dripped onto the stairs, the body struggling for a few moments before giving up and collapsing into dust.

The calcabrina that had first attacked Rosa came back for revenge, trying to jump her from behind. Cecil grabbed Rosa with one arm and spun her around, facing the doll in her place and slicing his sword through its neck to sever the head from the body. Rosa shot another fire arrow through the body as the red light in the severed head's eyes died and turned back to black glass.

"Huhhhh!" Yang grunted, the last doll squirming in his hands. Yang closed his eyes in concentration and snapped the doll in half, crushing its head in his palm as he did so. The doll let out a pathetic whine as he tossed it to the floor and kicked it away.

"Is it over?" Kain asked, leaping down from the stairs where he had been guarding the crystal.

"I think so!" Rosa sighed, and cringed when she looked at her shoulder, which was covered in even more blood. "Guess I better patch this up…"

As she started to cast a healing spell, the head of the doll Cecil had slaughtered let out a sudden giggle, causing all of them to jump. Even though its eyes were dead, the head started to roll around their feet, slowly and deliberately, letting out a mournful solo.

"You beat us! We're through. But now he knows where the Crystal is. He'll be here soon to take revenge! Lord Golbez…!" The calcabrina let out one last giggle and crumbled into dust at Cecil's feet.

"What…?" Cecil shook his head, feeling a cold dread curl into his stomach. "No…"

"Our paths cross once again…"

There was a flash of light, and Golbez appeared on the stairway leading up to the crystal's throne. Cecil didn't know how it was possible after the beating he had taken from Meteor, but Golbez looked stronger than ever. His armor had been completely restored, and even had a sheen that twinkled as the crystal slowly rotated above him, oblivious to the disaster that was about to befall it. His voice was bold and held none of the hesitation Cecil had heard when Golbez almost finished him off in the Tower of Zot. His long, blue-violet cape fluttered gently as he took just one step toward the party.

"I believe…we have a score to settle," Golbez growled from within his helmet. Cecil nervously cut his glance to Kain, but Kain was glaring defiantly at Golbez, lance cocked. He could tell by Kain's stance that he was waiting for just the right opportunity to jump. Golbez was either oblivious to Kain's pending attack or simply didn't care.

"It is terribly unfortunate that you lack the boon of Meteor this time around. But first, allow me to tell you my purpose in gathering the Crystals. Consider it a prize for your small victory before."

Kain made a "tsk" noise, but didn't stand down. Rosa's spell had been interrupted, and she just stared in horror, the color drained from her face and blood continuing to drip down her arm. Yang stood off to the side, keeping his watchful eye on the crystal.

"There are eight Crystals in total - those of light and darkness combined. Together, they form the key to reactivating the Tower of Babil, and thereby the gate to the moon. The moon is said to conceal power that transcends the limits of human comprehension. This Crystal is the seventh. Only a single one remains to be taken, and the way will be open." Golbez couldn't help but smirk, amused by the lack of reaction he was getting to his brilliant scheme. He decided this was enough information to go to the grave with.

"Much of this, of course, was only possible because of you. It would not do to let such aid go unrewarded. So please take this - my final gift to you!"

"Arrrrgh!" Kain cried, taking the chance to leap into the air. Golbez merely raised his arm, and a tremendous wave of dark energy burst forth, slamming everyone into the wall in the back of the crystal room and effortlessly knocking Kain out of the air. Kain slammed down to the mirrored floor in a pathetic, moaning heap of limbs, his lance sliding across the floor.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Golbez burst out laughing. "That is all the power you possess? A pity…" He waved his hand again, and Cecil suddenly felt as if a ton of bricks had buried him. Forced to his knees, a winding golden light spiraled up and down around his body continuously. He realized with horror that Golbez had used a paralyzing spell. He couldn't turn his head to see, but he knew Rosa and the others had been struck down as well based on their cries.

"Your eyes should still be free," Golbez sneered. "Open them, and gaze upon true terror! Come forth, my creature of shadow!"

A thick black and navy fog began to rise out of mirrored floors beneath them. At first, it just seemed like its intention was to fill the room, but Cecil could see it slowly spiraling its way up in the air to form the shape of a wiry creature. Long, tapered claws emerged from the fog, followed by a snout filled with glistening yellow teeth dripping with a neon green poison. At last, the rest of the head and scaly body formed, and Cecil realized it was a Shadow Dragon. One of the most dangerous dragons to ever be encountered by man – they were thought to be extinct, but it had seemed Golbez managed to drag one out from the depths of hell just for them. The dragon let out a roar, and even just its breath hitting Cecil's face made him nauseous with poison. If he hadn't been paralyzed, his body would have reacted with a swift vomiting session.

The dragon fixed its ruby eyes on Kain, and with a snap of its jaws, spat poison in Kain's face. Kain immediately passed out, the paralyzing spell broken and letting his body fall to the ground.

Cecil wanted to cry out Kain's name but his jaw was of course, clamped shut.

The shadow dragon made its way down its line of prey, knocking out Yang, and then Rosa. After what felt like an eternity, it focused its gaze on Cecil, and Cecil closed his eyes, the fear clutching him so tightly now that he thought he might pass out on his own before the poison even hit.

Golbez cocked his head to the side, a smile on his lips.

"Farewell, Cecil…"

Cecil heard the snap of the dragon's maw, and thought it was all over. He must have really passed out, because he didn't feel the hot sting of the poison burning his skin, nor the agony as it tore through his senses. The air around him felt freezing cold, whereas moments ago he was overheated from fighting off the calcabrina.

Was this…what death felt like? Just darkness and coldness?

A loud, agonized cry reverberated through the crystal chamber, and Cecil felt a stirring of familiarity spark in his brain. Where had he heard a cry like that before? The cold air intensified, and Cecil could feel the rush of air blow by his body, gathering somewhere in front of him. He slowly opened one eye, and was shocked at what was before him.

A translucent white, spiked tail swatted back and forth angrily. It was attached to a dragon with pearl scales, a long, slender neck, and eyes the color of the blue crystals of the overworld. And swirling around it, trailing in and out of its nostrils as it breathed…was mist.

It let out another cry and thrashed its head, mist pouring out of its mouth and embracing the shadow dragon. The shadow dragon let out a shriek that was so loud, the mirrored walls around them began to shatter, shooting shards of glass everywhere. The mist, upon coming to contact to the shadow dragon's scales, began to smoke and burn. The fire completely enveloped the shadow dragon and it fell, screaming, dissolving back into fog. Golbez was dumbstruck.

"An Eidolon…my shadow dragon, slain by mere mist…!"

There was the sound of a cracking whip, and Cecil suddenly fell forward, released from his paralysis. A gentle voice called out from behind him:

"It's all right. You can move now!"

Cecil was scrambling to stand when a flash of green leapt from behind him and landed on the back of the white dragon. It was a young woman, clad in green dragon-scale boots and a silk tunic that bared snow-white shoulders that had seemingly never been kissed by the sun. Her arms were protected in long, silky sleeves that dangled just above her feet, and a gold and green cape gently enveloped her form. Shining tourmaline-colored hair tumbled just past her shoulders, and a delicate gold tiara with a jeweled pink hyacinth glimmered behind her ear.

Cecil felt strangely nostalgic. Her voice was comforting, yet he was sure he had never heard it before. What was going on?

Before he could think any more about it, the woman cracked her whip again, and the dragon charged Golbez. Before Golbez could flee or cast a spell, the dragon released another round of mist, forcing Golbez to fall off the stairs that led to the crystal and flail in the gathering mist that was pooled below. He let out a frustrated scream and tried to claw his way out, to no avail.

"This cannot…this cannot be!"

Cecil saw this distraction as his only chance to rescue his friends. Turning his back on the woman and the dragon, he took a deep breath, willing his magic to work and holding out his hand.

"R…Raise!"

A burst of golden and white feathers fluttered over the party, blanketing them in sparkling light. Kain, Rosa and Yang all groaned and started to open their eyes, trying to lift themselves off the floor while avoiding the broken glass.

"ARRRGH!" Golbez screamed, the mist rising over him. The screaming stopped, and a few moments later, the mist dissipated, leaving Golbez's still body on the floor. A final crack of the woman's whip made the dragon disappear in an explosion of green bubbles that playfully rose in the air and dissolved. The woman gracefully landed from her ride on the dragon, her boots clicking on the floor gingerly.

"What…what just happened?" Rosa whimpered, rubbing her head. Kain adjusted his helmet and Yang rolled his shoulders, letting out audible cracks.

"We…we did it!" Cecil cried. "We defeated Golbez!"

The young woman turned around to face them, tilting her head a bit and smiling shyly, her whip rolled up in her right hand. Cecil turned to face her, eager to give his thanks, and felt as if the floor had fallen out from under him. The emerald eyes that were gazing upon him were unmistakable.

"Rydia?"