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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Beginning

Chapter 6 - Omens of the Past

Part 6.6 - Where Darkness Rules

Just as the three scientists were setting down their own elemental paths, so too was Jehad now embarking on his own path. This final stretch was the most dangerous, and he knew without the Holy Master's divine protection he would never survive the poison halls of the Nacropolis. He had rushed through the second archway and into the city quickly to avoid further pointless confrontation with his comrades, but now that he was hidden deep in its veil of shadow, he stopped and patiently held the Nacre in front of him once again.

Around Jehad there was total darkness in every direction, but with the Nacre he would be shown the path, and be protected from the mist swirling just beyond the great doors he knew were in front of him, but could not see. This hall of unnatural darkness was the final barrier between the outside world and the Nacropolis. No man could enter the city without first dispelling this darkness and unsealing the Phoenix Gate hidden in the blackness.

He began the next incantation, the light at the center of the fourth pearl slowing growing in intensity as he spoke. With the final word, "Al-Netheria!" the fourth pearl's light exploded outward and engulfed Jehad, causing a visible look of pain on his face. He struggled to remain standing as the aura of white light expanded, but his vision soon clouded and he collapsed. A great creaking sound reverberated through the halls as he fell, the rusty sound of a hundred years of disuse filling his ears as he lost consciousness.

The spiritual strength required to activate the pearls was enormous, and with each successive trial, the amount needed to perform the Nacre's wondrous miracles grew. This trial had proved to be Jehad's breaking point, and he lay in a heap just at the foot of the great Phoenix Gate, the doors now swung wide open. The aura of light still surrounded him, feeding off the very life his body needed to keep him alive. Had he failed? Was this to be the end of his quest? Jehad did not want to die in a place like this, but his final thoughts faded into silence as his body grew weaker with the strain of maintaining the aura.

Levi stormed away from the fools and walked fearlessly past the second gate and into the pitch black area beyond. He did not think about why it was dark here, but perfectly sunny a few steps away, nor did he stop to think about the poison mist Jehad had promised would be his end if he continued. There was only one thought on his mind, and that was the treasures he would surely find in this place. He would survive whatever this place threw at him, just like he always had. Levi was many things, most of them bad, but he was a survivor. And he would endure this place and claim it's secrets as his own, like all the other things he had coveted in his time.

As Levi was about the reach for the portable torch in his pack, a flash of light illuminated a spot just ahead of him. From where he stood, Levi could see it was a man who could only be that priest, covered in an aura of light, and going down fast. Another magic trick, he supposed. The naive babes on Bismark's ship may be impressed by these illusions, but he knew better. There was only one god in this world, and she was made of pure gold.

What really caught Levi's eye were the massive doors that he could see opening by the light of Jehad's aura. How considerate of the priest to open the door, then let Levi have its secrets all to himself! Levi rushed forward and passed Jehad's body without a second glance, his eyes flashing green in the light of the holy aura. The gates swung shut with a mighty crack just as Levi vanished behind them, and Jehad was once again left alone in the dark, his aura now slowly ebbing as the last dregs of his life force were drained to feed the pearl's insatiable hunger.

Now Silas made his way into the lightless hall, his hopeful air rapidly fading as he took stock of his surroundings. How could it be so dark in here? From the outside it was plain there was no roof beyond the second archway, just a third courtyard followed by the main structure of the city. The sun should be shining here just as strongly as it was a few moments ago. Silas looked up and strained his eyes to make out even a glimpse of a ceiling, but could see nothing above him but the same blackness that was all around him. How could he follow anyone in here?

There was something ahead of him, though. It was very faint, but it looked like a body lying on the ground, glowing with a thin film of light. Was that Jehad or Levi? Silas ran forward to help the man, whoever it may be. It was not in his nature to leave someone behind, even if they were as unpleasant as Captain Levi.

When Silas reached the body, he could see it was not Levi, but Jehad. He was not moving, and Silas was worried his suspicions of Levi were correct, and the wretch had attacked Jehad when the poor priest refused to help him. There was nothing he could do now but try and help the man to his feet, and bring him around. He glance around by the fading light for any signs of Levi, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Could he be hiding in the darkness, waiting to ambush him as well? No way to tell, and no time to care. Silas lifted Jehad and turned to carry him back outside to the others.

Before Silas could take a single step, though, the dim light around Jehad brightened, and then flowed towards him, now covering both their forms. Silas gasped as he felt a tug on his heart and mind. It felt like something was pulling his very soul from his body, and he struggling against it, but to no avail. The nacre had Silas in its power just as strongly as it had taken Jehad.

The light steadily increased and then burst outwards once again, this time not stopping until it reached every corner of the room. There was definitely no one else hiding in here. Where could Levi have gone? Behind those giant stone gates? Wherever he was, he wasn't here, and Silas couldn't help but be relieved.

Silas could feel the immense strain the light was putting on his body, and knew that Jehad must have collapsed under its pull. But Silas managed to hold his own and keep himself standing. He must get Jehad out of here, no matter how hard the light pulled at him. Summoning inner reserves of strength, Silas continued onward towards the entrance. He had always been a strong man of strong morals with a will of steel, and the Nacre was now using his indomitable spirit as its own. Poor Jehad was just too timid of a man to handle the Nacre's full power, but Silas carried the burden with grim determination that Jehad's cloistered life had never granted him.

As Silas continued towards the entrance, Jehad began to stir in his arms. As the weight of the light was transferred from his shoulders to Silas's his life force recovered, and soon he was awake and looking at Silas with wide eyes full of surprise, fear, and shame.

"Professor Karn! You mustn't be here! I..I failed, and could not go any further. I was not worthy of the Offering's power, and have let down my entire order, indeed the entire world!"

Silas looked at Jehad calmly and said, "Don't worry Jehad. I've got you, and I'm going to take you back to the others where you can regain your strength. Just relax."

"But... this light...," Jehad said slowly as he realized he could see the surrounding hallway. "Has the Nacre chosen you to bear its power instead of me?"

"It would appear so."

"Impossible! You're not even a member of the Order, it shouldn't be possible for you to wield the power of the Nacre. Oh, what a mess I've made of the ritual!"

Silas remained silent for a moment, then offered his scientific opinion on the matter.

"I think you're the one that did the wielding, and may still be doing it. I just came along at the right moment and grabbed you. I can feel this light tugging at my insides, so it must be feeding off my body's power, but using you as its conduit from that fancy necklace of yours. I don't think your god has abandoned you just yet."

Jehad's eyes brightened as he listened to Silas's explanation. The look of hope quickly turned to a look of horror as Jehad struggled in Silas's firm grip.

"No!" Jehad suddenly shouted. "This is all wrong! You must turn around return to where you found me. We must complete the ritual, together if need be!"

"What? You need to rest, and it's just a littler further to the entrance. We can come back later to finish this ritual if it is truly so important."

Jehad would not be swayed though, and explained the severity of the situation that he now found himself in as calmly as he could muster in his state.

"You do not understand, Professor Karn. This light will not last for long, and once it goes out, the light within its pearl will go out with it, forever. The light is needed to reopen the Phoenix Gate and traverse the deadly pathways of the Nacropolis. If you take me back now, we will never be able to stop the flow of death and stay the Dark Master's cursed hand!"

Jehad had grown almost hysterical as he finished, and Silas had to stop and put the priest down or they would both fall.

"What are you talking about?" Silas asked. "Just what is this ritual, and what's behind those gates?"

Jehad struggled to remain calm as the precious minutes ticked away. He must make this man understand the perilous situation they were now in.

"We must complete the ritual. It is no mere show of faith, but a necessary part of maintaining the Balance of the world." Jehad gathered his thoughts, and told the man of science the sad tale of his Order's past.

"As you know, this was once the homeland of the Order of the Pearl thousands of years ago. Our order was founded here under the direct guidance of the Holy Master in order to protect the world from the ever present threat of darkness and evil. He entrusted us with the task of keeping three holy relics hidden from the rest of the world. Legends say they were crafted by divine hands in times long before the rise of man to house the great evils of the world, and had been passed from one ancient sect to the next. You see, our Order of the Pearl is ancient, but not the oldest or the first group to find the blessing of the Holy Master. There were many Orders before us, their names and histories lost now in the river of time. We had been chosen to continue the tradition of looking after the three holy relics, but it was not our destiny to keep them. No one knows what happened, but we failed in our sacred duty and the holy relics fell into evil hands, and only divine intervention stayed their power from destroying the world. This intervention came at a price, and our homeland was rendered uninhabitable by a thick cloud of poison that flowed from the very heart of our city. The surviving members of our order fled the island and found our way to the land that is now known as Narsille. There we have remained ever since, waiting for the day we can return here once again."

Jehad stopped here for a moment and looked to Silas to see if he was making an impression. The next part of his story would be the most important part, and Silas must understand why he must turn back and fulfill his duty.

"I understand," said Silas, fascinated despite himself at hearing the full tale of the fall of the Phoenician Empire. The Order was notoriously tight-lipped about their homeland, and to be given a full accounting like this was a treasure in and of itself, even if it was tinged with the fancy of gods and magic. "What little records of that time we have show that the core of what you say is the truth. Please, go on. I'm listening."

Jehad continued.

"Shortly after we fled the island, it sunk beneath the sea. It is written that the poison cloud was punishment from the Dark Master, our Holy Master's elemental counter, for failing to protect the holy relics, now forever hidden from our unworthy eyes. We were banished from our paradise, but not without hope. A shining gem known as the Pearl of Order was given to us at this time, and we given a new task: To watch over the Pearl and maintain Balance in the world until the time came that we would be allowed to return home. Our job today is to fulfill the highest precept of that task, keeping the Dark Master's poison from spreading beyond those gates."

Jehad waved his hand feebly at the great Phoenix Gates, now steadfastly shut. A mighty bird was engraved on each of the stone doors, its wings tipped with flames. Silas wondered how much of the story so far was real and how much legend, but he definitely knew something vile was beyond those gates. Every fiber of his being told him this, at least, was the truth.

Silas remained silent, and Jehad resumed his story.

"The Dark Master is not evil, but his dominion is that of death and decay, a fundamental balance to the life-giving power of our Holy Master. Death is inevitable and unstoppable, and once the rot started, nothing could stay its course. We prayed to our master for forgiveness, and soon received our answer. The poison mist filled our city, but stopped at the Phoenix Gates. We were warned that there must be an Offering made here once every hundred years to prove our continued faith or the poison would spread to the rest of the island, and then to the world, not stopping until every living thing on the planet had been extinguished."

"Jehad," Silas interjected, his strong moral side getting the better of him. "This doesn't seem like the benevolent and righteous Holy Master you believe in. Why would he let something like this happen? How could the god of life allow it to be destroyed?"

"It is not our place to question the Holy Master's ways," Jehad said calmly, but quickly. Time was running short. "We were the ones who betrayed his trust and lost the holy relics. This is our penance for our lack of faith. Belief is trust. And the trust must go both ways. The Holy Master trusts us to believe in his power even in times of darkness, and we trust him to deliver us from our sins, and to forgive us, and the world, for its evils. As long as we believe, the world will be safe. Have faith, Professor Karn."

Silas was not a man of faith. But he was a good man, and understood Jehad's words, perhaps even better than the priest did himself. He would trust Jehad's wishes and follow through with the ritual, if Jehad would trust him in protecting both their lives. Silas believed.

"I believe in you Jehad. If you will let me escort you through the city, I'll see that you complete your ritual."

Jehad was filled once more with hope. Perhaps this was meant to be. Maybe the Order had been too protective of its secrets all these years. This was a problem for the entire world, was it not? When he returned to the Elder, he would have much to discuss of the future.