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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Begininng

Chapter 8 - Dream's End

Part 8.3 - The Esper

On the seventh day of the Maiden's return voyage, Dune awoke.

"Dune! At last!"

Bismark was the only person in Dune's quarters when he awoke. He was half-asleep himself, but he had never left Dune's side for the entire week they had been traveling. With the ship moving entirely on the electric power of Alex's engines, Bismark didn't have much captaining to do, and that was fine with him.

Bismark rubbed his eyes and smiled wide. He had begun to think Dune would never return to them, and that he would have to face Levi alone. He was prepared to do that, even if Levi had become a monster. Bismark had sworn long ago that he would make Levi pay for what he had done, even if it cost him his own life. That victory had been snatched away from him when Levi miraculously reappeared on Crescent Island. And now...now Levi was Leviathan, and Bismark was convinced only Dune's new power could stand up to him.

Dune! At last!" Bismark repeated, eagerly watching as Dune struggled to release himself from the bonds of unconsciousness.

"Bismark...where...?" was all Dune could say.

"We're still on the Maiden, Dune," Bismark said softly. "We're returning to Narsille like you said, and should be there in a couple days. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. Tired, but fine." Dune said with a little more energy than before. He raised his clawed hands and flexed his cruel fingers one by one, studying them with a look of curiosity, but still said nothing about his new form.

Bismark watched Dune closely as he recovered. He was looking for any signs that Dune was not himself, that he might be dangerous. Bismark didn't believe it for a second, but his friends insisted that Dune be monitored. For his own safety, they said.

One thing that Bismark noticed immediately upon Dune's revival were his friend's eyes. They were completely blue now, and that was something Bismark didn't like. He had seen those eyes before, when Dune was overwhelmed with the power of that accursed crystal. And now the shade was permanent, it seemed.

As for the crystal, it was now attached to a cord and hung around his neck. Whenever they had tried to move it away from him while he slept, a look of intense pain would steal over his face, and the growling under his breathing would increase to a ferocious snarl. They knew better than to tempt fate. Dune's uncontrolled rage when his possession of the crystal felt threatened was horrible enough while he was human. No one wanted to find out what it would be like if the crystal was taken from him now that he was an Esper.

Dune slowly looked down at his new body, taking in his transformation. He still said nothing, and Bismark could still see no signs of panic while he watched Dune. Bismark could see no signs of emotion at all in the twisted demon's face that only bore a distant resemblance to his old friend. At least he thought there was nothing there - the face was so foreign with its fangs and all-blue eyes that it was hard to read anything human in it at all. It was a horrible thing to happen to any one, and Bismark felt intensely sorry to see his friend in this state.

"I'm sorry, Dune...," Bismark said as gently as he could. "I know it must be a shock, but you're what that Genju feller calls an 'Esper' now."

"Yes, an Esper." Dune said thoughtfully.

"Dune...are you sure you're alright?" Bismark asked. He was beginning to worry that maybe Dune was in shock.

The blue eyes flicked towards Bismark, and to his intense relief, Dune smiled. "I'm fine, Bismark, really. I guess I scared you all for a while, didn't I?"

"You sure as hell did!" Bismark said with some of his old gruffness.

"Sorry. I guess this body will take some getting used to. How bad is it?"

Bismark smiled, despite the sadness he felt at his friend's condition. "You look like hell, Dune."

"Yes, I would have to agree." Dune said, still smiling as he studied his new body.

"Don't worry about Mae. We will find her, and when we do, we'll do our best to prepare her for this."

Dune looked at Bismark with a blankness that frightened the old man. "Mae...?"

"Dune! Snap out of it. Mae, your wife!"

"Ah, sorry." Dune said quickly. That sounded more like the old Dune to Bismark, always quick to apologize. "Of course, how could I forget Mae! Sorry if I worried you, my mind is still blurry after..."

"You don't need to say a thing, m'boy. For now, we need you to regain your strength. I'll fill you in on what's going on once you're ready. This thing's not over yet, and we'll need your help once we get back to Narsille."

Bismark started to reach for Dune to pat his shoulder, but hesitated. Then he shook his head and laughed, gripping his friend's shoulder firmly. The laughter died out abruptly when he felt the icy coldness of Dune's hard new skin. It was like trying to comfort a rock, and Bismark pulled his hand away awkwardly. He knew this was still his friend, but what a horrible thing to happen to someone as gentle as Dune!

"Sorry, Dune. This will take some getting used to, for all of us." Bismark said sadly. "I'll go let the rest of the crew know you're awake." He got up with some effort, and walked out of the room.

Over the next two days, the crew came to see Dune one by one, with mixed reactions of horror, pity, and sometimes suspicion. Dune didn't seem bothered by the crew's reactions, and seemed to accept his new identity with as much grace as could be expected under such trying circumstances.

Genju was the last to see Dune, and he left the fellow Esper's company with much the same impression as he had before. The man seemed to be adapting to his new form well, but Genju couldn't shake his earlier suspicions. It was those eyes. Genju did not like how empty those blue spheres looked.

By the final day of the voyage home, Dune was ready to leave his cabin. Bismark was hesitant to let him walk among the rest of the crew, knowing full well the fear that surrounded his friend's new appearance. But Dune insisted, and Bismark reluctantly let him go. Bismark stayed by Dune's side, feeling strange as he walked beside the hulking form of Esper Dune. Bismark had been roughly the same height as Dune before, but now Dune towered over Bismark, and only Genju could look into his face without craning his neck.

Bismark and Dune made their way to the ship's deck, hoping to see Narsille's ports and familiar blue towers as they made their way down the Lethe River. The crew had been increasingly on edge the closer they got to Narsille, fearing Leviathan would come crashing out of the waters at any moment, crushing their ship just like the Committee vessel. But neither Sade nor Leviathan had been spotted on their return trip, and Bismark was concerned that they might be too late, or that Dune had been wrong, and the two fiends had fled somewhere else.

Upon reaching Narsillian territory those fears were quickly dispelled, and replaced by whole new fears. No one had expected the storm clouds above Narsille to have vanished in their absence, although they had hoped for the best. They were not prepared for the storm's vicious new energy, though. Before they even reached the port, the wind and rain had began assaulting the Maiden and the clouds were far darker and violent than when they left. There was no mistaking the spiraling storm now - this was the monster from the Thanas and the Mordic in all its black glory.

Genju breathed in sharply when he saw the twisting mass above Narsille. Apparently he knew this foe as well.

"Merkabah!" He hissed.

"What?" Bismark said tensely. "You know something about that damnable storm? It's plagued us before, and I think it's following us."

"I know it." Genju said. "It's called Merkabah, the Chariot of Uranos. It is an ill omen indeed."

"You lost me there, old man." Bismark said bewilderedly.

"Uranos, the Master of Storms," Genju said impatiently. He did not feel like being the teacher at the moment. "That storm, Merkabah, is his wrath embodied. Wherever it appears, death and destruction follow. For it to be here now - ahh!"

Genju faltered, and fell to his knees as if struck.

"What's the matter? What happened?" Bismark said, startled.

Genju gasped for breath, holding his chest tight. "It cannot be...!" he rasped.

"What? Spit it out, old man!"

"The Balance...it has fallen. I felt the Pearl turn, just now. My Lord Altimus forgive me, the Pearl of Order has been lost to chaos!"

Bismark tried to bring the Esper to his senses, but he pushed the man away with one of his surprisingly strong hands.

"No! There is nothing that can be done for it now." Genju said, returning to his feet. "Merkabah appearing, the Pearl turning, the Fallen Masters returning...these are all the signs I have been dreading. We must hurry and do what we can to stay the flood of disorder that is coming! Our only hope now is the Nacre."

Genju raised his four hands out towards the turbulent waters around them and raised his voice. "Elia, hear my voice! Now is the time to aid your poor children!"

Bismark looked out over the waters, half-expecting the real Maiden of the Sea to rise from the waves. But nothing appeared, and after several minutes of silence Bismark heard a strangled sob from Genju. The Esper slumped down once more, utterly defeated.

"Nothing...has even the Mother of Forgiveness deserted us in this dire hour? Have we lost our last ray of hope?"

"Pull yourself together, dammit!" Bismark shouted. He grabbed the old man by his broad shoulders and tried to shake him, but it was like trying to shake a block of steel.

Genju heard Bismark, however, and gathered himself from the ship's deck. Now was not the time to panic, but what could they do without the blessing of Elia?

"I am sorry, Captain," was all Genju could utter.

"Sorry, nothing!" Bismark said savagely. "With or without that necklace, we're returning to Narsille. There are people in that city who need help, and nothing is going to stop us. We've dealt with that storm before, and we've dealt with Sade and Levi before, and we'll do it again. Now, stop blubbering and have some faith in us for change!"

Genju only looked at Bismark with pity. Around them, the rest of the crew had gathered to see what was happening. Dune was on the deck too, and the crew gave him a noticeably wide berth. He didn't seem to mind, and only stared at the storm quietly.

"Bismark is right," Indie said as he approached the two. "We can't give up now. You shouldn't rely on the gods for everything, Genju. Sometimes you just have to trust in yourself and your friends. We'll figure something out."

"Believe in us 'weak' humans, Genju." Alex said, joining the group. "We made this mess, and perhaps the gods think it is our responsibility to fix it."

"Believe in us," Draco said firmly, completing the ring of humans around the ancient Esper. "We'll get the job done, you'll see."

Genju sighed heavily, the weight of a thousand years in exile on his shoulders. Had he left his prison only to meet an even darker world than the one he had left? But...this strange new breed of men would not be deterred, no matter what he said or what horrors confronted them. He felt a faint glimmer of hope flow through him, despite his firm conviction that dark times were ahead. The unwavering faith these humans had was infectious, even if it was foolish. He couldn't help himself, and let out a booming laugh at the world he had been thrust back into.

"We're all fools," he said, turning to face each man. There was no sign of weakness in any of them.

Genju looked from one man to the next as he recovered himself, letting his gaze fall on the silent Dune last. Those eyes...what secrets did they hold?

"Dark times..." he said quietly as the battered ship pulled into what was left of Narsille's now abandoned port.