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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Beginning

Chapter 4 - Demons Within

Part 4.7 - World of Pain

A flicker of flame in an infinite darkness of ash.

"So, you've failed me for a second time, Sade."

"Yes, Master. Doom's hold over him has grown much faster than I anticipated. He has proven himself a most malleable Vessel."

The flicker grew to a thin circle of flame surrounding Sade's prostrate form, bowed low in reverence to his new Master. The harsh feral voice rose up once more in a cruel growl. It was unlike the growl of any beast, but more like the sound of a monstrous bird whose cry has been amplified and distorted by its size. The empty voice resonated with itself, as if it were actually two voices speaking in unison, one a slightly higher pitch than the other.

"Indeed! He has proven himself a worthier Vessel than even you! To think the Flames of Dis could be so easily quenched...such weakness is inexcusable!"

Now the circle of fire rose up to a wall of flame surrounding Sade. Five long tendrils of fire shot out from the circle and wrapped themselves around Sade, like the spokes of wheel, with Sade its unfortunate hub. Sade was not a weak man, however, and he held his tongue as the flames licked against his now armorless body. His flesh burned and blackened with every curl of fire, but he remained stolid. This pain must be endured as penance for his failure. He shut his eyes tight and did his best to ignore a pain that would break a normal man in seconds.

"This is not real...this is not real...this is not real...," Sade silently repeated over and over in his head, fighting the urge to open his eyes and see the very real effects the flames were having on his body. Many more deep, charred remnants of scar tissue covered his body, testaments to previous trials by fire from his Master. He would survive this, as he had before, and as he would for however many more times his Master chose to enforce his will over his servant.

Gradually, the hold of the flames weakened and the wall of fire grew dimmer until Sade was once again alone in a ruinous world of blackness and death. Sade would not dare look up from his position, for he knew what he would see around him and wished never to see it again. Once was enough to make a lasting impression, even on a man such as Sade.

The world that surrounded Sade was one of pure destruction. Mountains of ash rose up all around him, some many miles high. The surface was also nothing but ashes and charred remains of various monstrous forms that might once have been alive, many eons ago. Nothing was alive here now though. The limitless surface of ash and dust stretched out in sharp jagged dunes in every direction, only broken by the mountains that twisted and cut their way up from the ground in gruesome spires. The landscape was one of a world that had seen its end in a fiery cataclysm many ages past, and now was nothing but a smoldering corpse.

There was no light in this place, only a dim gray haze that made Sade's eyes water and his throat burn. This dull, smoky haze made everything in this world seem even more lifeless and pale that it already was. No colors could survive here except graytones and pure blackness. Anything beautiful and vibrant was quickly drained of its life and turned to ash under the sapping powers of the lazily flowing smog that filled the darkness.

A sharp wind blew from a distant point in front of where Sade bowed. This wind was painfully hot, like steam escaping from a loose vent, only it was dry as well. As it blew it kicked up small particles of ash and threw them into Sade's face where they stung like thousands of tiny glass shards. Sade could feel the dry air burning against his face and forcing every drop of sweat from his exhausted pores.

This was no place for the living. Lucky for Sade he had already sold his soul to his Master, and was no more alive than Dune now. He knew this, but it did not bother him much. If the promises of his Master proved true, his eternal soul was a small price to pay for the power that would be his in time. He would be his own Master, doling out his own fiery brand of righteous justice to those who had scorned him and left him to die. He would have his revenge. In this, Sade and the Vengeful Master agreed. Vengeance was a dish best served hot.

Another flicker of light deep in the bowels of this hell and the strange dual voice resumed speaking to its lowly servant.

"We will continue the plan as before. Nothing has changed. The Vessel of Doom shall seek out the final gravity crystal and our triad will be fully realized, as the Prophecy has decreed. I believe I may have grown restless in my long wait for vengeance, and struck before the time was ripe. Only when all three crystals are gathered and the Pearl of Order has turned can we be freed. Until then, any attempt at regaining control is futile."

"But what of our efforts to retrieve the crystals for ourselves? Are we to let Fate dictate the coming course of events and let the third crystal fall into the hands of Dune willingly? Or are we still to attempt to find and take the crystal ourselves?"

Sade spoke to his Master in subdued tones, his eyes never leaving the harsh ground below him. Even asking questions of this infernal God was a task often rewarded with painful burns. Sometimes even Sade was humbled by the level of inhumanity his Master was capable of, and the fact that he seemed to enjoy it so. Sade had no love of humanity, but the fragments of conscience that still lingered from his earlier days as a devout follower of the Order kept him from stooping to the levels of cruelty that his Master routinely showed, not only against him, but against others through him. At the times when his Master's power flowed through his body, he could even sense the powerful negative emotions behind the incredible force. These glimpses into the mind of his hate-filled Master were the final proof for Sade that he was truly dealing with the devil himself. So much negative energy couldn't possibly come from anything else Sade dared think about. None of this mattered to Sade anymore. Even if he had sold his soul to the devil, in Sade's mind the reward justified the impossibly high price. He would have his revenge. Nothing else mattered.

"Of course we will still attempt to gain the third crystal for ourselves. The one who makes contact with the crystal must be worthy of its powers and compatible with our essence. You know who must seek out the crystal and find it. We must let them carry out the will of the Prophecy until then. Your spy must not fail to steal the crystal this time. The link must be broken soon after it is forged, or the power between the Vessel and the crystal will be too great to be undone by force alone. Such was my folly this time. I will not fail next time. You will not fail next time. Do you understand?"

Sade understood.

"Yes, Master. Thy will be done."

Sade stood up, his eyes still lowered, and bowed once more before the invisible force before him. He knew what was out there, that image had been burned into his mind as clearly as the scars on his body, and he wished not to see it again. He stood motionless and waited to be cast away from his Master's presence.

"The Voice of Dis has spoken. Remember my words, Sade, or you will experience pain like nothing I have shown you yet. You shall burn for all eternity, here with me, if you fail this time. Now begone!"

A great gust of volcanic fury blew Sade backwards and sent him flying away from the flickering presence and up into the space of the surrounding void. For a brief moment Sade glimpsed a great winged demon ushering a growing wall of flames towards him. The flames were soon far too bright and forced Sade to close his eyes before he saw the true form of his Master once more. The flames blotted out the landscape and soon engulfed Sade completely. He felt horrible searing pain rip through his body as he was torn between the dimensions of this illusory world and reality. A brief flaring peak and the pain dropped off, then vanished.

Sade opened his eyes and found himself sitting in his room, just as he had been before he left for the hellish prison-world known as Dis, the home of his Master. He was sitting cross-legged in a meditative stance, meant to force himself into the dream-like state required to commune with his Master. Sweat stood out on his face and body, and fresh glowing wounds tattooed his body where the flames had touched him. Beneath these fresh wounds many older scars covered his body. The world of his Master may only be an illusion, but his Master's powers were very real, and could influence Sade and the people around him even in the real world. There was no pain from the wounds, but they burned brightly, as if there were still the smoldering embers of Dis deep inside them.

Sade slowly got up and reached for a glass of water on a nearby desk. He was worn out from his meeting with his Master, as was always the case, and the battle with Dune added to his exhaustion. He was still so weak! If only he had the power he so desired, such weaknesses would be nothing more than painful memories; fuel for the fires he would unleash on his enemies. And Sade had many enemies, although most of them were only enemies in his mind, and had no idea of the hatred he bore them. Dune was a very real enemy, and one who had hurt him in a very real way. He would be the first to feel the purifying wrath of his judgement. And then, the others...so many others, so much vengeance to unleash upon the world, so many wrongs that needed to be righted. They will all pay for what they did to him. His pain will become their pain, in time. He shivered with giddy anticipation, smashing the glass in his bare hands, drawing blood. He welcomed the fresh flow of warmth trickling down his arm. They will feel his pain, oh yes. Every last drop.