Act Nineteen: The Tightening Noose

On their way to the Sealed Cave, Cecil told Edge about the majority of their journey up until the point where they had met. He left out a few details, such as Kain's possession and the details about Rydia's bizarre aging (Cecil decided that should be her business to tell anyone about who had entered her life), but he did explain how their journey had begun when they were tricked into destroying Mist, how they met Yang and everyone else who had helped them on the way, and about how they thought Cid to have died from the explosion that sealed off access to the underworld. Edge listened silently, not asking any questions or inserting his usual comments or off-color jokes. When Cecil was finished, all Edge could do was shake his head.

"It sounds like it's been a tough run, Cecil."

"That is probably the understatement of the century, but yes."

"And you guys…you're all OK with still going through with this?" Edge raised his eyebrow. "After everything that has happened?"

"We've made it this far," Cecil said. "If anyone wanted to walk away, I wouldn't blame them. But I won't give up, ever. Kain and Rosa are my best friends, and I'll do anything to save this world for them. And Rydia…even if she has forgiven me, I took everything she ever knew away from her. So I have to fight to keep what she has left."

Edge didn't say anything more for the rest of the flight.

At the entrance of the cave, they were met with two lit torches that were made out of stacked skulls, their shadows dancing along the wall in the flickering firelight. A gray stone fresco was mounted over the marble doorway ahead of them, which was tightly shut with no depressions for handles. Sitting up against the wall next to the door was a human skeleton, grinning with a slack jaw. It looked ancient; with cobwebs occupying its eye sockets and rib cage, but no one in the group could really say for sure how fresh a corpse it might have been.

"Irk…" Rydia covered her mouth.

"Where does the necklace go?" Rosa blinked. Cecil reached up, pulling it off from around his neck.

"I think there is only one place it can go…" Kain nodded toward the skeleton.

Cecil winced as he draped the pearl necklace over the skeleton's neck. There was a loud clap, like thunder echoing from deep below, and the doors in front of them flew open, blowing out hot, putrid air into the entryway.

"Gross!" Edge gagged, pulling back tighter on his cowl. "The hell has been living in here?!"

"Pretty sure multiple things have been dying in here," Cecil said dryly. "Let's go."

They entered a huge open-air chamber, finding themselves on an elevated plateau. Although most of the cave walls were solid rock, there were cascades of magma pouring down in some ridges, a continuous torrent gushing down to depths unseen. To their left, a crumbling bridge was dangling over the ledge, the other end having collapsed long ago. To the south, a lone rope had been tied to a post and was dangling down. When Cecil went to investigate, he saw that the rope led down to another plateau about twenty feet below, the remainder of it pooled next to a pile of rocks.

"I think we have to go down," Cecil said, pointing to the rope. "There's no other direction for us to go."

"Climb…all the way?" Rydia gulped. "What if we fall?"

"Aim your body for the ground, I guess!" Edge laughed and took the rope in his hands, saluting the group as he started to slide down. Rydia turned greener as she watched him. A few minutes later, he landed with a loud thump that echoed throughout the chamber, and waved up at them.

"I'll go next," Cecil offered. He gripped the rope, clenching his jaw as he willed his legs to jump from the edge. He carefully inched down the rope, pushing his feet against the side of the plateau for leverage and trying to ignore the little pebbles that were kicked off by his boots and the swaying of the rope as he bounced down. After what felt like hours, he finally hit the ground, and Edge slapped him on the back. When Cecil looked at his surroundings, he saw that it wasn't rocks the rope was next to – it was a pile of bones, broken beyond any recognizance of what they might have once belonged to.

Kain insisted that Rosa and Rydia go next. He kneeled down over the ledge as they both slid down, assuring them for each of their runs that their grip was correct and that they were doing fine. Finally, he followed, climbing down as effortlessly as you would expect from a dragoon used to heights.

"Check this out!" Edge said, leading them over to a rock formation with a rotting, wooden door. "Think there's treasure in here?"

"Edge, wait…" Cecil began, but Edge pulled open the door anyway. There was a loud growl, and Edge suddenly leaped back, waving his hand in the air while blood ran down his fingers.

"YEOWCH!" He cried. "The door bit me!"

Sure enough, a pair of slits had appeared in the door, which opened to reveal blood red, triangle-shaped eyes. A long crack that was running across the bottom gnashed together, becoming a mouth full of rotten, blood-stained teeth. Drool and blackened blood began to run from its mouth and pool on the ground. The creature began to wriggle out of the doorframe, trying to finish what it had started with Edge.

Cecil quickly withdrew his sword and drove it into the door. It gnashed its teeth angrily and expelled more black blood, but didn't slow down. Cecil withdrew and tried again, to no avail. Edge threw one of his daggers, but it didn't do much except add a new decoration above the door's left eye.

"Let me try something!" Rosa said, and pulled out a holy arrow from her quiver. Aiming carefully, she let the arrow fly and it nestled in the door's right eye. Smoke started to pour out of its socket, and it gnashed its teeth even faster and more violently, but it had started to slow down.

"Maybe we can make a run for it!" Kain said, pointing to their right. Another rope was waiting for them, this time requiring them to climb back up to a higher plateau. "We can fight as we start making our way up."

"Let's hurry!" Rydia cried, and they all bolted for the rope. Forgetting her fear of falling in favor of the fear of the rabid trap door hopping behind them, she leapt onto the rope and started climbing for her life. Rosa followed so that she could shoot at the door from above, but by the time she had made it up the rope, her arms were so exhausted that she couldn't bring herself to lift her bow. Edge scrambled up the rope next, and just as he made it to the top, Kain landed the killing blow by driving his lance deep into the trap door's mouth while it was growling. It flopped backwards onto the ground, its eyes and teeth melting into a black, sticky tar substance as the wood petrified.

"My god…" Kain gagged as he pulled his lance away, the top half now dripping in the black liquid. "The monsters have turned themselves into traps."

"No more opening ANY doors, unless we have to!" Cecil ordered. Edge laughed sheepishly.

It was nearly four hours later from their initial encounter with the trap door, and in that time they had been forced to fight three more traps as they struggled to find the path with the least amount of resistance possible. Two of the trap doors eventually fell using brute strength and magic, but the party's exhaustion had reached their peak by the time they had encountered the third door, and it eventually set itself on fire and transformed into a terrifying Chimera Brain – a beast with the head of a dragon, a lion and a goat that absorbed all of Rydia's elemental magic.

After that last battle which had been won when Cecil, Kain and Rosa managed to strike all three heads a deadly blow simultaneously – the party stumbled into a cavern that bore a familiar sight to both Cecil and Rydia.

It was a small cavern, but the walls were flanked with crystal torches that glowed with a soft blue light. Cecil had remembered Tellah telling him in the Underwater Passage that if one stayed within the confines of the crystals, monsters would not approach. After explaining this to Rosa, Kain and Edge, they unanimously decided to try to get some sleep and try again tomorrow – or whenever it was that they woke up. Being underground for so long and away from any towns, no one had any idea what time or day it was anymore.

Edge was sitting up against a wall, fast asleep and snoring, with Rydia curled up a few feet away. She had lit a fire for them in the makeshift fire pit someone long gone had left behind, and had promptly passed out.

Cecil, Kain and Rosa were still awake, sitting around the fire in silence. They were all so on edge that the occasional crackle or pop in the fire would make them all jump a foot off the ground.

Rosa pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, sighing. Cecil and Kain both turned to look at her, asking in unison: "What's wrong?"

"Ha…" Rosa smiled at the sound of their voices. Instead of answering them and telling him the truth – that she was terrified out of her mind and was worried that the skeleton that was lying just a few feet away from them outside of the crystal lamps was going to wake up and stab her with a spare bone – she changed the subject. "You two weren't always so in sync, you know?"

"What do you mean?" Kain asked. Rosa giggled.

"I remember when I first met Cecil – I think it was the first day you had officially met him too, right Kain?" Kain tilted his head.

"I guess…I don't remember as well as I should."

"Oh, I remember…" Cecil shook his head and laughed. It was the beginning of spring training, and my first year of being able to participate with the junior cadets. I was on my way to the courtyard…"

Six year-old Cecil was making his way to where the king had told him his training would begin. He had been so excited to finally spend time with other boys his age, and for having a legitimate excuse to hang out with the soldiers he so admired that otherwise yelled at him for following them around. His hair, which had been more platinum blonde at the time, reached just below his ears. His pale skin had a spray of freckles across his cheeks and nose from playing outside every day in Baron Village. He was proudly wearing his new navy blue tunic over brown leather slacks and carrying a wooden practice sword when someone called his name.

"So you're Cecil!"

Cecil whirled around and came face-to-face with a honey blonde-haired boy that was a few inches taller, but only one year older. He held a wooden staff in his left hand and his blue eyes were narrowed. "Who are you?" Cecil asked. He was secretly thrilled that someone knew his name – that would make it easier to make friends for sure.

"I'm Kain - Kain Highwind," the boy said. When Cecil didn't show any recognizance, Kain rolled his eyes and pressed on. "My father is Sir Richard Highwind, the commander of the Dragoons." That got Cecil's attention. His eyes widened and he held out his hand excitedly. He had heard a sad rumor that Sir Highwind had been grievously injured, but Kain wasn't talking about him the past tense…so it must not have been true.

"Pleased to meet you."

Kain huffed and smacked Cecil's hand away with the staff he was carrying. "Don't think you can be friends with me, just because the king treats you like you're special. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about with you. Unwarranted, I should say."

Cecil pulled back his hand, his disturbingly blue eyes wide. They were so bright; it irritated Kain to look into them. "What did you say?"

"Want a fight, do you? What's a soft, spoiled little boy like you going to do to me?" Kain smirked.

"I'm not spoiled!"

Kain suddenly lashed out and grabbed Cecil's collar, pulling him close and practically spitting his words. "Talk back to me, will you?" Cecil cringed and was about to land a fierce kick in Kain's leg, when…

"Stop it!"

A young girl had approached them in a soft pink dress and prairie boots, her short blonde hair in pigtails and her brown eyes angered. She was younger than both of them, but had a fierce glare in her eyes that made them both shrink back as if she were one of the school matrons.

"Rosa!" Kain exclaimed, his cheeks suddenly turning red. Cecil looked her up and down, and felt his cheeks flush as well. She was the cutest girl his age he had ever seen.

Rosa put her hands on her hips. ""Men of Baron fight not without just cause." That's what His Majesty

taught us, isn't it?"

Kain stammered and dropped Cecil without ceremony. Cecil stumbled backwards, nearly falling on his backside. "But, he's the one who-"

"And Dragoons don't make excuses!" Rosa added. Cecil almost giggled, but kept it to himself.

"Hmph! I know that!" Kain sighed, and turned his back to her, his cheeks aflame now.

"I started it," Cecil sighed. "I'm sorry." He wasn't quite sure how he had started it, but the fact of the matter was that something about him made Kain mad, so he owned up to it.

Rosa smiled at Cecil – and it was something he would never go on to forget for the rest of his life – and put a finger to her lips. "You're an honest one, aren't you?

Kain whirled back around. "See? It wasn't my fault!"

Rosa was smiling at Cecil, realizing for the first time what it felt like to have butterflies. "Hee hee... I guess it wasn't."

"Oh, yeah…" Kain shook his head. "I was so angry that morning… I had just gotten back from the infirmary…they told me father's wounds were worse than they thought…" He lowered his head. "I…I was just so mad at the world, I had to take it out on someone. But…if I hadn't have done that, I wouldn't have met you, Cecil. So even though it pains me to remember, it's also one of my happiest memories."

"Same here," Cecil smiled. "But are you finally admitting that you started it?"

"I am not," Kain smirked. "I finished it."

They both turned to Rosa to get her reaction, but she had fallen asleep between the two of them. Cecil watched as her steadied breath made her chest gently rise up and down in the light of the fire, some of her hair cascading over her face and sticking to her glossy lips. Kain was staring at the low curve of her back, his eyes tracing the outline of her spine underneath her tousled hair until it became obscured by the silk shawl wrapped around her waist. The silence between them was deafening.

"If it wasn't for Rosa, we wouldn't have become friends," Cecil finally said. "As much as we hated each other when we were younger, she made us realize we had more in common than not."

Kain nodded. "And for that, I will be forever grateful. Having you there when father passed…I didn't show it at the time, but I was grateful that you even entertained letting me take it out on you without punching me in the face." He had had enough of reminiscing for the night – he could feel his heart breaking all over again. He shifted around to lie down on his side, his back to Cecil and Rosa. "Good night, Cecil."

Cecil unfastened his cape and draped it around Rosa. Sliding down on his back and pushing his hands behind his head to try to get comfortable, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine the feeling of the final crystal in his hands as they escaped the cave and delivered it safely to Giott, where they could have a whole castle to defend it. There was still the issue of being able to make it back to the overworld, but he knew they would figure out how to get back up through the Tower of Babil somehow.

"Good night, Kain. You can still come to me with your vexations…you know that, right?"

Kain paused, wondering if he should pretend he had already fallen asleep. When Cecil didn't say any more, he sighed in relief under his breath.

…Not all of them, Cecil.

When everyone had awoken the next day, they ate the meager remains of their rations and tried to psych themselves up for what was ahead.

"I actually slept very well," Rydia said. "I dreamt as usual, but I didn't hear any voices from this cave…I don't think it's haunted so much as just infested with monsters."

"Other than the trap doors, the monsters haven't been that bad," Rosa said, her fingers gingerly brushing over the cape she had found over her when she awoke, and kept in her lap while she was eating. "I hope that means we've gotten stronger."

"After fighting two Eidolons, how could we not be?" Edge yawned. "I wish I knew what time it was…this little journey has ruined my sleep patterns."

Cecil and Kain had left the campsite to take a look at what remained of their route. The next cavern required them to walk in rows no more than one person deep in order to cross the only strips of land available to them, which hugged the walls of the cave. The path looped around from the cavern walls into a wider path that crossed the middle of the chamber and led to a descending staircase. After descending, they observed a long wooden rope bridge that crossed over a black ravine. On the other side of the bridge, there was yet another pair of tightly shut doors. They decided not to go any further in case it was a trap, and made their way back, strategizing what they would do if the door did attack.

"Maybe have Rydia cast Stop…"

"And then you could jump while Edge throws some explosive stars…"

When they reached the others, they explained the outline of the path ahead. Everyone packed up what they had laid out to camp, and moved on, a fresh bounce in their steps from having finally slept. Rosa reached up and fastened Cecil's cape around his shoulders, giving him a secret smile. She was still afraid, but less so after falling asleep to Cecil and Kain's conversation – it comforted her dearly to hear them speak on such familiar terms again.

One person crossed the antique rope bridge at a time in order to not put too much weight on it, and even though the bridge swayed and threatened to twist over a few times, it remained steady enough to traverse. On the other side, they could now better see the detail of the double doors – they almost matched the doors in the entryway. The stone fresco had more intricate carvings this time – swirling waves that Cecil thought could have represented the magma, and a shining star aloft in the center that looked a lot like a crystal. The marble doors had an impression of a handsome warrior's profile carved within – he was carved with a slightly crooked nose that peeked out of an elegant helmet with the visor down half-way, so you couldn't see the rest of his face. Feather plumes bloomed from the top of the helmet, and a cape swirled around his arms and chest, obscuring them.

"I wonder if this is the man who sealed the cave?" Rydia asked. "Think he'll transform into a trap door?" She let out a snort and Edge crossed his arms, suddenly very impatient.

"Brace yourselves," Cecil warned, and pressed his palms on the doors. They gave way with little resistance, but groaned as they slid open, dust and gravel cascading over Cecil as he leaned harder.

They were welcomed with the familiar sight of a mirrored altar, and soaring high above them, the eighth and final crystal. In direct contrast with the rest of the cavern, the crystal room was blessed with cool air that didn't carry the stench of decay and sulfur, and was peacefully quiet without the roar of the magma outside and the screeches of bats and mariliths, whose nests they had disturbed all throughout the cavern.

With apprehension thanks to their last adventure in a crystal room, Cecil slowly took one step at a time to the top of the altar and held his breath as he reached out to touch the crystal. Its light dulled softly as his fingers brushed over it, but when he pulled it down, nothing terrible happened. A gentle warmth filled his chest as he tucked the crystal inside his cape.

"Phew!" Edge wiped his brow for dramatic effect. "Now, Rosa, teleport us out of here before some poison darts get shot at us or something."

Rosa bristled at taking orders from Edge, but a good idea was a good idea.

"Very well…come close, everyone!" She said, and began to chant the spell. She closed her eyes and braced herself, expecting the awkward, stomach-churning moment the light catapulted them that she absolutely hated but put up with for her friends – but nothing happened.

"…Are we there?" Edge opened one eye, but made a face when he saw they were still in the chamber. "Rosa, is your magic broken?"

"It's not broken," Rosa said, distressed. "How do you even break…oh, never mind. I don't know what happened. It's like something is interfering…blocking my prayers."

"Can you cast other magic?" Cecil asked worriedly. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Rosa cast one spell the entire time they were in the cave. Rosa thought a moment, and raised her hand.

"Cure!"

A gentle green light embraced them and flickered away.

"Maybe we're too deep underground?" Kain suggested.

Rosa furrowed her brow in frustration. She had never heard of such a thing, but she knew Kain was just trying to comfort her.

"I'll try," Cecil offered, and everyone took hold of his arms. He chanted the spell, just like Rosa had, but nothing happened. "It's no matter," Cecil said quickly when he opened his eyes to their dejected faces. "All of the trap doors we opened should remain so. We just need to double-back."

"It should go quicker than coming in," Rydia offered, even though her knees were already shaking at the thought of climbing those damn ropes again.

They filed out of the crystal room, the doors closing behind them on their own. As they approached the bridge, a low rumbling sounded out, and the ground beneath their feet began to shake. The bridge rattled so forcefully that one of the boards shook itself loose and plummeted into the magma below. Cecil instinctively grabbed Rosa's hand, and Rydia and Edge both clutched onto Kain, much to Kain's abhorrence.

"What…what's happening?!" Edge cried, having to shout over the noise. Cecil turned around and felt the blood drain from his face. The doors they had exited the crystal room from were shaking violently – and the impression within was transforming before his eyes. The nose had faded away, replaced with a gaping nasal passage. The cape fell back as if it the gentle breeze blowing it in the carving had died, revealing skeleton arms with long, slender bones sharpening to points for fingers. The hands lifted the helmet from his head, revealing a lizard-shaped maw with rows of knife-edged teeth and dead sockets for eyes, a thin layer of flesh stretched so tightly over the skull that you could see the ridges in the bone. The figure in the impression turned to face Cecil, letting out a blood-chilling hiss as it began to extend itself out of the impression, now three-dimensional, and swiped hungrily at the space between them.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Rosa shrieked, covering her mouth. "The walls!"

"They're moving!" Rydia gasped.

The door with the freshly birthed demon was inching toward them, pulling itself out of the doorframe it had been formerly residing in but dragging the rest of the wall with it. Within moments, they would either be crushed or pushed off the ledge into the magma. They turned to run, but when Kain, who was closest to the bridge, attempted to cross it, he ran smack into a barrier and nearly fell over. Edge ran up to him, pulling him up with one hand and feeling the air with the other. Sure enough, when he ran his hand over the air where it met the bridge, his hand smacked against something hard, yet invisible. Tiny veins of light briefly flickered below his fingers before fading away.

"Dispel!" Rosa cried, trying to disable the barrier. When Edge pounded his fist against the air, he hit the barrier again and cursed.

"This cave was designed to protect the crystal," Kain shook his head. "This must be the last line of defense, in case someone attempts to escape with it! It's probably why no teleport spells will work..."

"Then I guess we'll just have to smash it!" Edge shook his head. "What do we have that can destroy marble?"

Cecil and Kain were franticly trying to disable the demon with their weapons. The demon was now dangling out of the wall by its waist and trying to grab at the two of them with its claws. When a blow would land with Cecil's sword, a disturbing cracking noise would ring out and echo throughout the chamber, but even as limbs were broken and snapped off, the wall continued inching ever closer.

"What about water?" Rosa suggested. "Edge and Rydia, you both have control over water…give it a try! I'll try to slow the wall down!" She stepped back as far as she could until she struck the barrier, and closed her eyes, casting a Slow spell.

A gray light washed over the wall, and it did begin to twist and writhe about in a delayed fashion – its progress across their tiny strip of land hindered temporarily.

Rydia and Edge nodded, and Edge went first, casting his Flood ninjitsu magic. Rolling waves of water materialized from the ground in front of him and smashed into the wall, but it didn't land the much-needed punishing blow. Rydia took a step closer, closing her eyes and reaching deep within herself to call upon the power that had been granted to her.

"Leviathan…please, come to our aid!"

The magma below them started to boil, and Leviathan burst forth, flying up toward the battle and coiling himself above Rydia, his jaw unhinging and letting out an ear-piercing screech. The magma, which had been transformed into sea water, began to rise from the pool beneath them and form itself into a tidal wave that grew until it reached the top of the cavern. Feeling the cold shadow of the wave wash over them, Cecil, Kain dodge rolled as the demon lunged forward with grating teeth, and ran for safety behind Rydia, where Edge and Rosa were already waiting.

Leviathan charged forward, slamming into the wall and disappearing in a deluge of green bubbles as the giant tidal wave crashed down behind him, washing the demon away and causing the marble wall to fracture with long, deep cracks. Rydia followed up with a Blizzaga spell, the ice freezing the water inside the newly-formed cracks and causing the water to expand and shatter when the spell exploded. The wall ruptured and burst into chunks of marble that rained down into the magma. Rosa nearly stumbled backward as the barrier behind her disappeared, but Kain caught her arm in time and pulled her close against him. Rosa's heart had leapt in her throat from the brief feeling of falling, and she felt her cheeks flush as she tried to regain her composure.

"We did it!" Rydia exclaimed.

"Ha!" Edge made a rude gesture with his finger toward the now empty threshold of the crystal room. "And don't try possessing any other walls, either!"

"Is everyone OK?" Cecil asked, sheathing his sword.

"After that, I feel like I can climb every rope in here!" Rydia grinned. "Let's get out of here and hurry up and get the crystal to Giott!"

"A little sore from what was effectively sculpting with my lance, but it will pass," Kain laughed. "How about you, Cecil?"

"I'm ready to leave," Cecil smiled. "Nice work, everyone." Stepping over the broken board in the bridge, he could feel the crystal pulse in step with his elevated heartbeat. It was a different feeling from when he had held the Earth Crystal on his person…at the time he had been filled with fear and trepidation, and he had wondered if the crystal could sense that and reacted accordingly. Now he was brimming with confidence, happiness and could feel the glow of the crystal filling him. How could any shadow possibly exist in the presence of such a light?

"Come on Rydia!" Rosa cheered, getting down to her knees and reaching out. A few moments later, Rydia's hand appeared, and Rosa grasped it, pulling her up. With a loud sigh of relief, Rydia dragged herself up over the ledge and collapsed on the ground.

"That was…the last one…right…?" Rydia huffed.

"Yes!" Rosa exclaimed, and they hugged, laughing in relief. Cecil, Kain and Edge stopped walking and stared.

"Can you imagine if we hugged each other after every successful mission?" Kain asked.

"Maybe it would have raised morale in the Red Wings," Cecil shrugged. "I've had many moments where I've doubted myself as captain…this may be another."

"Rydia is so innocent, don't you think?" Edge mused. "She has god-like powers at her fingertips, and could have summoned any one of those beasts to just ride around on this entire time, but she still wanted to do everything we did. I'm going to recruit her for Eblan's shadow ops when we get back on our feet again."

"Yeah, that's likely," said Cecil. "I'd like to be there when you make that proposal."

Cecil never thought he would be so glad to see the Falcon in his life. He could just make out the bow of the ship when they crossed the threshold of the cavern's hidden entrance. He glanced back at the skeleton that had originally greeted them, wondering if he should bring the necklace back for Luca. Rydia caught his glance and smiled weakly, screwing up all of her fresh courage to reach over the skeleton's shoulders to retrieve it.

Right as her fingers brushed the pearls, a sudden rush of hot hair from the cavern blew out the torches that marked the entrance, entrenching them in darkness. Rydia let out a little scream, accidentally smacking into the skeleton's head and knocking it to the ground.

"What…?" Cecil blinked, trying to adjust to the dark.

"Kain…" a deep voice breathed into the cavern, bringing along with it a glacial chill. "Return to me, my pawn…Deliver unto me the Crystal…"

Cecil froze in place. The voice was unmistakable. "Golbez!"

"Argh…!" Kain suddenly collapsed to his knees, his lance clattering on the ground as he clutched the sides of his head and wailed into his chest. Cecil and Rosa immediately ran to him, flanking him on both sides and kneeling on the ground. Cecil clutched Kain's shoulder and Rosa reached up, gently taking his chin in her hand and trying to force him to look at her. His eyes were wide and completely devoid of any color – his pupils so dilated that all she could see were pools of black.

"Kain…!" Cecil begged. He could feel Kain's muscles contracting underneath his hand, the tension so intense that he could feel it even through Kain's armor.

"Don't listen!" Rosa whispered in his ear. "Resist him!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Edge demanded. He looked to Rydia, who was cowering in the corner, her mouth agape. She felt just like her child self in the crystal chamber in Fabul, paralyzed with fear all over again.

Kain could feel his heartbeat slowing back down to normal levels. The sound of Rosa's voice and the sensation of her breath against his ear had the same effect as a panacea. He shook his head slowly, willing away the darkness he could feel choking the very breath out of him. He felt like two heavy hands were clasped around his neck and that he had been on the brink of passing out, but his friends had brought him back.

"It's…all right," Kain groaned, and gently pushed Rosa and Cecil away, standing up on his own. "I'm back in control of myself."

Cecil let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Rosa held her hands to her chest, biting her lip. Edge, not liking the feeling of the cold air that still lingered, inched against the wall toward Rydia.

Cecil bent down to retrieve the lance, which had slid behind him in the confusion. Kain felt the breath get knocked out of him again and he suddenly became enraged by the sight of his best friend stealing his weapon, trying to destroy him while he was unarmed – and with his own lance!

What a craven bastard…Cecil has ALWAYS thought he was better than me! Even when we were kids…

Kain launched himself onto Cecil, knocking him down to the ground and bringing down his fists with as much fury as he could summon. He could hear Rosa and Rydia screaming from somewhere far away.

"Kain!" Cecil gasped, just barely managing to block his face with his arms as Kain pinned himself over his torso and dug the toes of his greaves into Cecil's legs so he couldn't get away. Rydia started to run toward them, but Edge grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back despite her protests and screams. Rosa tried to throw herself onto Kain, clinging to his back and trying to grab his fists, but he easily overpowered her and tossed her away like a rag doll into one of the burnt-out torches. Rosa's head hit the cluster of skulls with a sickening crack, and she slumped to the ground, her eyes sliding shut.

Kain glanced back at Rosa's crumpled form, feeling nauseous and like everything he had ever eaten was about to expel itself. Cecil took advantage of the momentary distraction to try to roll out from under Kain, but Kain's attention quickly snapped back, and he grabbed Cecil's throat with one hand and shoved the other inside his cape, grasping the crystal and tearing it away.

"Ugh…!" Cecil gasped for breath, his lips starting to tinge blue. Everything around him was starting to get darker and darker, and he felt as if a Flamebeast was writhing in his chest and clawing to get out. Just when the darkness had nearly swallowed all of his sight, Cecil heard a loud smack, and the air rushed back into his lungs.

Edge had whacked Kain in the back of the head with the handle of his dagger, knocking him off of Cecil. Kain scrambled to his feet, still clutching the crystal, and began to back away from them. Rydia slid along the side of the wall, trying to make her way to Rosa without being noticed.

"You filthy double-crosser!" Edge hissed, raising his dagger in his hand and trailing Kain. Just as Kain had backed his way into the cavern opening, Rosa let out a moan and whimpered into the ground, having not even enough strength to open her eyes.

"Kain…! What are you doing…?"

Kain wavered for a moment, his mind desperately fighting his heart's urge to rush in and save her – something incredibly powerful was planting his feet in the ground, but he couldn't see or feel what was holding him back.

Golbez's voice rang out again, this time sounding much closer and dripping with rancor. "You underestimate the strength of my abilities. I had but slackened your friend's leash, waiting for the proper moment to pull it taut. With this final Crystal, the Tower of Babil will be made complete. Come, Kain!"

Cecil pulled himself up from the ground, coughing as he extended a shaking hand. "Kain! Don't listen to him!"

Kain just kept staring, his gaze flickering between Rosa and Cecil.

"Kain!" His name left Rosa's lips one last time before she finally gave in passed out. The distraction silenced, Kain let out a menacing laugh.

"The Crystals are all assembled. We can open the way to the moon at last!" With that, he slung his lance over his shoulder, and launched himself away in a graceful, effortless leap.

"Come back here!" Edge screamed, and ran out of the cave after him. However, Kain had totally disappeared, despite the Falcon still being parked outside the cave and despite them being surrounded by endless magma.

Golbez let out a bark of laughter, and the cavern lanterns flickered back on.

"Kain..." Cecil focused his gaze on the ground, still too dizzy to stand. He could feel the imprint of Kain's hands around his neck, and the bruising was already beginning to form, making the lump that was forming in his throat even more painful. Rydia sat down next to Rosa, her hands shaking as she gently touched underneath Rosa's nose to check for breath, and then slid her hand underneath the back of her hair to feel for any lumps from the collision. She let out a strangled gasp as she felt something wet and pulled back her hand, her fingertips covered in blood.

Edge marched back into the cavern, a murderous glare in his eyes. "Unbelievable!" He looked to Rydia, who was staring shell-shocked at her bloody hand, to Rosa, who was passed out cold, clumps of her hair starting to absorb the blood that was pooling underneath, and to Cecil, who was stunned into silence, his hair hanging over his face. He swallowed every temptation he had to start barraging questions at them and closed his eyes, summoning all the serenity the gods felt fit to grant him.

He remembered from Giott's geography lesson that the nearest town was Tomra. All he had to do was manage to get everyone on the ship, and they could figure out what to do after that.

They were holed up in Tomra's inn, the proprietor taking one look at their pathetic state and practically throwing the keys to their largest room at them.

After forcing a Phoenix Down into Rosa's mouth to keep her conscious, Rydia had summoned Asura in the entrance of the Sealed Cavern, who had blessed them with a Curaga spell. It was enough to get everyone on their feet, except for Rosa, who was still too disoriented to move on her own. Cecil had carried her to the Falcon, and Edge had driven them to Tomra in total silence.

Edge wasn't sure of how much time had passed since they had arrived, but he was now sitting at the pub that was mercifully located inside the inn, drowning all of the serenity he had borrowed with his third glass of mead. Rydia had disappeared to buy provisions, leaving Cecil and Rosa alone in the room. Just as Edge was about to order mead number four, Rydia appeared beside him, silently sitting down and raising her hand for a glass of her own.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Edge asked, thinking it was the perfect way to learn more about her. Rydia simply rolled her eyes and took the proffered mug, taking a long, hard gulp before wiping her mouth and letting out a little hiccup.

"Ok, that's fine," Edge sighed. "I'm twenty-six, in case you cared."

"I don't," Rydia replied curtly, taking another sip.

Edge nodded. This was going better than he thought.

"Why are you out here?" Rydia finally turned in her chair to actually look at him. "Don't you want to talk to Cecil and Rosa? I'm sure you have a lot of questions." Edge laughed bitterly and decided this was a good time to start on his fourth glass. He took a long sip before responding.

"As much of a scumbag you think I am, even I know better not to ask them anything about what just happened," Edge said. "There's obviously some sort of history that I've not been trusted with. Besides, with Rosa's wailing, I can't even formulate a thought, let alone ask a question."

"She was just stabbed in the back by her best friend," Rydia said, with a little edge to her tone. "Have a little empathy. Besides, I thought you were a sucker for pretty girls crying?"

"Pretty sure Cecil would put me on his list after Kain if I even looked at her sideways right now," Edge grunted. "I'm not a total animal, you know."

"Hmmm…" Rydia took another sip. "…I guess you deserve to know what's going on, if you're planning on sticking around. When Cecil and Kain came to Mist, they ended up getting separated."

"I know. Cecil told me on the way to the Sealed Cave."

"Well, Kain ended up getting found by Golbez, and Golbez managed to put some kind of hex on him to turn him against Cecil. Kain was the one who ended up proposing that Rosa be used as a hostage in exchange for the Earth Crystal. He fought Cecil in Fabul's crystal room, and I honestly thought they were going to kill each other," she paused for a moment, the very memory itself of that day filling her with dread.

"What the hell!?" Edge exploded, making the poor dwarven bartender jump a mile in the air. "Kain has done this before?!" All Rydia could do was nod. "And Cecil and Rosa took him back!?"

"I wasn't there when he came back…this is a third-hand account," Rydia said slowly. "But Cecil and Rosa forgave him, so who was I to question them? He was their friend. I never knew Kain prior to his tryst with Golbez, but the way Cecil talked about him when we were traveling together…there was real, true brotherhood there. Cecil was devastated when Kain went missing, and blamed himself for everything that happened. When Kain tried to kill him…I think it one of the lowest points of Cecil's life. And now he's reliving that all over again."

Edge sighed. Rydia had told him to have a little empathy, but she had too much. Hex or not, if Kain had pulled any of that with him, he would have been six feet under. In Eblan, loyalty was absolute. If you couldn't trust your fellow ninjas, every mission was bound to end in failure.

"So…what now?" Edge asked. Rydia shook her head.

"I heard some…rumors while I was getting supplies. Apparently, the Tower of Babil is alit in blazing lights. Kain must have already returned with the crystal. The dwarves are all in fits…they've never seen anything like it."

"I suppose we have to tell Giott what happened."

"Yes…" She trailed off. She was terrified about what they would say.

"Should we get another round of drinks first?"

"Yes…"

Cecil had been staring at the same wall for what felt like hours now. His arm was around Rosa's waist, and she was leaning into him, alternating between sobbing into his shoulder and rubbing his completely done-for handkerchief under her nose.

Had all of that really just happened? It was so hazy already, the same feeling of numbness that had always washed over him after waking from a particularly horrible nightmare. The painful cracking of his voice when he tried to speak, the tear in his clothes where Kain had snatched the crystal, and the dried blood in Rosa's hair were all obvious tokens that what had transpired was very real.

"Cecil…" Rosa spoke for the first time since the attack. She sat up straighter on the bed they were sitting on and looked up at him. He snapped out of it and watched her, his heart breaking all over again. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, her lips chapped, and her nose bright red from constantly blowing it.

"It's…" Cecil trailed off. He was going to say "It's going to be OK", but honestly, it wasn't. He wasn't sure what was going to happen now, but none of it would be very OK. Losing the crystal, he almost felt like he could have dealt with – it wasn't like they hadn't been through that exercise of faith a few times by now. But to lose the crystal and Kain to Golbez? Doubt had drowned Cecil's senses – he was totally preoccupied with obsessing over every action Kain had taken and every word they had ever exchanged since he had joined them. Was everything Kain had done under Golbez's influence the whole time? He had seemed so normal…for the most part. Had he lied when he said he was grateful that he and Cecil had met?

"Cecil!" Rosa said, a little firmer this time. She removed his hand from her hip and stood up, staring down at him with her arms crossed. "Look at me!"

Cecil groaned and rubbed his forehead, trying to banish Kain from his mind. "Sorry. I just…I can't concentrate." He left it unsaid, but seeing Rosa in her haggard condition had also shaken him to his core. After Kain injured her, she had looked worse than even at the Tower of Zot. If Rydia hadn't acted as quickly as she had while he was stupefied in the cavern…

"I…I know…" Rosa looked away, ashamed that she briefly lost her temper. Cecil had to have been in much, if not more pain than she. "But…we can't wallow. I…I'm done feeling sorry for myself. I have to…WE have to…plan our next move. I learned that we have to keep moving when I thought Cid had…you know."

"You're right," Cecil nodded, and stood up with her. "Are you feeling strong enough to make it to Giott's castle?"

"I'll be OK," Rosa nodded back. "Please…don't worry about me anymore. But thank you."

Edge and Rydia looked up from their drinks when they saw Cecil and Rosa approach. They both immediately pushed out their chairs and stood up to meet them.

"We are to make way for Giott's castle as soon as everyone is ready," Cecil commanded. His voice was a little softer from his injury, but nevertheless full of conviction. Edge could see why he would have been made Captain of the Red Wings at such a young age.

"We're ready to go whenever you are," Rydia said, trying to put on a brave face. Cecil turned to Edge.

"Edge…I'm sorry you got mixed up in all of this. I owe you an explanation – I wasn't completely honest with you about Kain. If you want us to take you back to Eblan after we figure out how to make it back to the surface…I understand."

Edge put up his hands and quickly shook his head. "You don't owe me anything. I won't pretend to accept what that bastard did…and he is a bastard, mind you – but I'm not going anywhere. I'm the Prince…er, future King of Eblan, and I don't abandon my comrades. Besides…when I do see Kain again, I'm going to finish what I started."

"Edge!" Rydia hissed. He had been doing so well up until the death threat.

But to Rydia's surprise, Cecil extended his hand. Edge grasped it, and Cecil clasped his other hand over Edge's.

"Edge…you are…a most loyal friend. Thank you." Rosa nodded, although her eyes had glazed over with tears again. She realized that this was it – they were really giving up on Kain and moving on without him. At some point in the near future, they would probably end up on the opposite sides of a battle – again.

"Thanks, Cecil…I'm proud to call someone like you and Rosa my friends as well," Edge said with the most sincerity he thought he had possibly said anything in his whole life. "It's true that the strengths of Baron lie not with her airships or her military, but the hearts of her people. Let's strategize with Giott so we can take both of our homes back."

As they approached Giott's castle aboard the Falcon, Cecil could see that the Tower of Babil was absolutely brimming with power. A white, iridescent light was shining around it, lighting up the entirety of the underworld and banishing every shadow. Edge took a quick detour to get a closer look, but just when they got close enough that they could feel the warmth of the light, the Falcon faltered as if it had smacked into a wall. Edge quickly reversed course, wincing as he saw a chunk of the ship's figurehead fracture off and crash into the rocks below.

The light had to have been acting as some sort of barrier – there was no way they would be able to enter the tower at this rate. They would need to find another way to make it back to the overworld if they ever wanted to make it home again.