Wings of Narshe IV: Confusion

Tritoch pulled back it's foot and began to charge another elemental beam from it's jaw, this time fire. "Oh no you don't!" Bartz cried, taking notice and leaping behind it.
It wasn't long before Tritoch took note at Bartz jumping up behind him, and instead aimed for the air. The fireball hit the thin roofing, flooding in more light and causing debris of rocks to come crashing down. Bartz's action was dampened by Tritoch's strange tactic, which caused him to flaw his jump, and rather than severing it's entire wing off; he only grazed a wound to it's wing causing spewing magical energy.

Tritoch gave another cry in pain and gave another gush of it's wings, pushing Bartz backwards. Before he could pull himself to his feet, the bird had already lifted itself in the air, before crashing through the roof.
A further shower of rocks and debris forced Bartz and Sabin to dodge, becoming slightly disorientated over the ordeal.

After a while, waiting for the rocks to stop falling, Sabin got up and walked over to Bartz, and offered his hand. Bartz gave his and eventually he found himself on his feet again.
"Damn it!" Bartz continued to curse.
"Don't blame yourself for this. If anything, it's my fault," Sabin frowned.
Bartz still felt partially to blame. He stepped over to the remnants of Celes' pendant. The metallic silver seemed to have corroded to a rusty brown, almost copper. He flipped it over from it's plain face...

...only to see another plain face. Bartz wondered for a moment. He assured himself that previously, there was an image on it. But it was likely it could have been burned off. He picked it up and pocketed it for safekeeping. With the monster out of the way, he then proceeded to inspect the chasm pitfalls again. He still couldn't see a thing, despite the new light that had flooded in the room. While Bartz did so, Sabin proceeded to scoop the small Chocobo in his hands.

"Celes! Are you down there!" Bartz cried.
He stood peering down the chasm for a moment, but no-one answered. "If anything, she would have fallen down here," Bartz wondered.
Sabin ran over to Bartz and handed him the Chocobo before attempting to pull himself down the cliff. "Wait, what are you doing! You don't know how deep that is!" Bartz warned.
"Celes could still be alive down there!" Sabin shouted.
"Even if that were true. How do you expect to bring her and yourself back up safely?" An odd feeling began to stick behind Bartz mind as he began lecturing Sabin, but he couldn't make out what it was. "I think we should take the chocobo home and get help," Bartz suggested.

Sabin suddenly turned pale. "The town... the town is in danger!"
"What the!"
"I'll explain on the way, we can come back for help here afterwards!"
Sabin ran quickly out of the cavern and Bartz stumbled behind, carrying the little chocobo under his arm.

Sabin had realized that the Narshe caverns was extremely close to the town, and which Tritoch out in the environment, the violent Esper could easily take out the town.

"There it is! The exit!" The light began to flood Sabin and Bartz eyes before their ears were filled with what they had hoped hadn't; screams.
"No..." Sabin became speechless.

They hurried down towards smoke rising from the town, only to find a building decimated, in ruins. Tritoch was there, looking down on the single burning building. Of all places...

"KATERAN!" Sabin began running faster than ever. Still holding the chocobo, Bartz glanced around at the people running from their homes, in fear of being next. The bird under his arm was also becoming more and more restless before quickly following Sabin.

Sabin saw Kateran outside the building unharmed. She seemed to stare straight into the eyes of Tritoch, unaware of Sabin's presence.

"So it is true then? They do work. Deegor did his job well,"

Sabin heard the odd words from her mouth. Tritoch screamed aggressively back at Kateran. She took note then of Sabin and Bartz to the side of her before looking towards the Esper. "Go on then, flee. Before they kill you."

Oddly the bird complied, and despite being still wounded and battered took wing and left the area despite Kateran's excessively hostile attitude towards it. "Kateran are you alright!"
Before Sabin could say any more, Kateran moved close towards Sabin, placing her finger on his nose. "I'm fine,"
"What are you...?" Sabin began to wonder what was going on.
"I'm totally fine honey..." Kateran then followed up by hugging him.

As Bartz watched, the feeling at the back of his mind became more and more vivid. Something about the ordeal didn't feel right in the slightest. Something didn't feel right about Kateran either.
"Kateran, who is this 'Deegor'? And how do you know that Esper?" Sabin asked.
"Hush darling," Kateran replied, now completely behind him, holding his arms.

Bartz began to think to himself. All these events were confusing. From being seemingly warped to another world, the word of danger from the light in his dream, followed by the events with Sabin, Celes, Kateran, the pendant and the Chocobo.

Then, as he put it together in his mind, it fit. Bartz looked at the Chocobo in his arm. It felt irrational and creul from logic, but his heart told him otherwise. It was also the only chance he had of understanding the situation.

Using his free hand, he drew his sword and first pointed it towards Kateran, before aiming it at the Chocobo. Somehow, despite Kateran's engrossed rendezvous with Sabin, she suddenly gave a cry of dispear.