~x~

Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Begininng

Chapter 8 - Dream's End

Part 8.14 - The Fallen

As Draco flew through the burning skies of Narsille on the wings of Genju, he wondered just what had saved them from what would almost certainly have been a torturous demise at the hands, or jaws, of Leviathan. Genju had called the blazing blue light an Esper of Chemosh. There was only one Esper of Chemosh in Draco's newly gained knowledge of the forces whirling around him.

"Was that Dune?" Draco asked the somewhat sullen Genju. The loss of Kite and ensuing clash of Espers had severely dampened the brief window of hopefulness that Genju had shown before.

"No..." Genju said hesitantly. "At least, I do not think it was. I felt the power of Chemosh, surely, but the aura of that beast was one of boundless rage, different from what I felt from Dune."

Draco gazed out over the steadily growing sea of fire that was engulfing the city. A faint glowing trail of phantom dust still hung in the air where the mystery Esper had screamed past. The Esper had come from further out, close to where Dune, Captain Bismark, and Indie said they were headed back on the Maiden.

"If it wasn't Dune, who was it?" Draco wondered what had become of the others, assuming the worst as the city fell apart beneath him.

"It pains me to say it, but that feeling of aggression is similar to what I felt from Captain Bismark." Genju shook his head in dismay. "I fear another of our companions has fallen prey to the influence of the Fallen Masters."

"The Captain? That...thing?" Draco said, his heart sinking at the thought of another loss.

"Perhaps...but if that is Captain Bismark, what has happened to Dune? And Indra?" Genju said sadly, already knowing the truth in his heart.

"There's only one way to find out," Draco said as firmly as he could. "We follow that trail back to where it came from."

"Madness!" Genju said shortly. "We must flee this wretched place before it is consumed by the warring of the Fallen Masters and their Esper soldiers. There is no hope of saving this city now."

"No!" Draco shouted. "We will find the rest of our friends! If they are out there, stranded like we were, I won't leave them behind."

Genju sighed, knowing the mind and heart of his companion all too well. "If we stay here much longer, we will surely perish." Genju stopped and looked around him for moment, then continued. "But I fear we will perish no matter where we go, sooner or later. I can follow this trail of magical energy if that is what you truly desire, but I must warn you that it will most likely end in ruin."

"I don't care," Draco snapped back. He was growing tired of Genju's lack of resolve. "If there is a chance one of our friends is at the trail's end, then that's our next destination."

"Very well." Genju sighed again, and adjusted his course to follow the fading blue line.

It wasn't long before the two arrived at the source of the unknown Esper's trail. As Genju had predicted, it was a scene of ruin. Where there had once been a massive gleaming tower of mythril, there was now nothing but a pile of faintly glowing blue rubble, at least a hundred feet high. The site was eerily silent, like a giant's tomb. There were no survivors to be seen.

All manner of debris filled the area, from jutting lengths of blackened metal to the occasional piece of furniture or appliance, adding a tragically human touch to the loss here. In the distance, but crawling ever closer, were the uncontrolled fires from the heart of the city, spreading an oily red hue over the area as they fanned outwards in all directions. Every so often the ponderous grinding of another building falling to its death could be heard in the distance over the rain and thunder of the storm.

"This is horrible," Draco said quietly, wondering how many more people had died senselessly here. Each one of these incomprehensibly tall buildings could house an entire town of Jidorikians.

"I definitely sense Dune's presence here, as well as the other Esper. I'm almost positive it was Captain Bismark." Genju said, watching Draco pick through the rubble. "Both are gone now, and I sense no other magical energies here. We should continue this foolish search elsewhere."

Draco wasn't listening to Genju's tired words. He had tuned out the faithless Esper's voice as soon as he began digging through the mountainous heap. Genju was a staunch ally, but he was too quick to give up on what might seem to be a lost cause at first glance. Draco had learned on the bloody battlefields of West Jidorik that if there was one thing humans excelled at, it was surviving.

His thoughts wandered fondly back to the two soldiers who had bravely fought to their dying breath for their homeland, for his homeland. Despite all odds, Biggs and Wedge had survived long enough for Draco to find them, and rescue them. And they had returned the favor, fighting courageously to protect both himself and Maria during the West's counterattack. If Draco had given up on that last day of fighting as soon as he saw his forces cut down around him, thinking as Genju did that there was no hope, he would not be here now.

No, he knew all too well what Genju would think of this situation, so he ignored the Esper's speeches. Draco would make sure there was nothing left here to save before moving on. He would not let another life be lost while he stood by and watched, or passed on in silence.

"There is nothing here, Draco." Genju intoned impatiently, but not without respect for the man's efforts. "You are wasting time we do not have on a pointless exercise. I sense another trail of magical energy in this direction. It must be Dune's. We may be able to catch up with him if we leave this place now."

Deaf to the ancient Esper's words, Draco continued digging through the wreckage. He felt a growing certainty that there was something important still buried here. Something that he needed to find. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like someone was calling out to him from deep beneath the rubble. The call was reaching directly into his mind, silently urging him to keep digging, keep searching. There were no words, only feelings, but it was a powerful force that Draco could not ignore. Someone was definitely buried here, and Draco would not stop until he found the source of that call. He would not leave anyone behind. Just a little bit more...

"Draco! We must leave this place!" Genju said insistently, his voice growing more impatient as Draco continued to ignore his voice. Draco was throwing chunks of rock and metal aside like a man possessed, and Genju couldn't think what was driving the poor human to work so hard for such a futile gesture. Behind him, Genju could feel the relentless heat of the fire closing in on their location. If Draco didn't heed his words soon, he would have to use force, which he loathed absolutely.

Just when Genju was about to bodily snatch Draco away from his mad search, the man jumped up from the pile and began walking towards him. His golden armor was covered in glittering mythril dust and black soot, but he seemed oddly calm despite his ruffled appearance. Had he found someone? The grim look on his face said no, but the way he had suddenly stopped said something else.

"Let's go," Draco said heavily, brushing the grime of the building off his armor. "You win, old man. There's no one here, and we need to find where Dune went. Those flames will reach us any minute."

Genju looked at his companion closely, but said nothing. Draco had finally come to his senses, and that was good enough for him. Genju felt the familiar cold aura of Dune all around them, and it would be easy to follow the Esper's path. He still had misgivings about Dune's state of mind, and the appearance of another Esper of Chemosh only heightened his suspicions.

Without another word, Genju picked Draco up and followed the second almost invisible trail of blue dust away from the fallen tower. This trail lead even further away from the center of the city, and thankfully, further away from the encroaching wall of fire. Where had Dune gone? Had he decided to flee the city as well?

As the two retraced Dune's steps, they soon came across another grisly scene. This time, there was definitely a survivor, but neither Draco nor Genju were sure if there was anyone left to save here.

Alone amidst a sea of bodies was a blood-soaked man, cradling a woman's body. He rocked the body back and forth, as if it were a child he was putting to sleep. The man was obviously insane with grief, howling mindlessly at the carnage around him between sobs. Was this all that was left of Narsille's people?

As the man turned his head to the two intruders on his misery, the ever-present red glow of the fires reflected off his sunken eyes, making him look more like a demon than a human. If he felt any surprise or relief at the sight of the armor-clad Draco and the winged Genju, he did not show it. There was only the abyssal gaze of a man who was utterly lost.

Draco stepped forward to try and help the poor man, but stopped cold when he noticed the woman in his arms. His heart started racing as he stepped closer, trying to make out the features through the dirt and blood that covered her face. Seeing Draco's intense interest in the woman, the crazed man clutched her tight and turned away from the interloper, a look of deep hate and mistrust on his face.

But Draco had seen the impossible truth, here in this madman's arms, and in his eyes. The golden hair and soft face he had dreamed about, had once caressed, woken up next to, and fallen asleep beside, was now dank and lifeless, stained almost beyond recognition. It was impossible, utterly, absolutely impossible. She was not supposed to be here! Could this truly be the fate of the beloved Star of the West? Impossible...impossible!

But reality could not be ignored, and with a maddeningly beating heart and dumbstruck mind Draco rushed at the filthy foreigner, pushing him aside. The man let out a surprised grunt of protest, but was no match for the furious movements of Draco. Draco cupped the woman's face with his hand, gently turning her gaze to his. Again, the sharp pang of recognition sent a wave of sickness through Draco's body. Those startlingly blue eyes that stared back at him lifelessly could be no one else's. Why was she here, and why was she in the arms of this stranger?

Anger and sadness rising up inside him, Draco turned to look at the frantic man huddling just out of his reach, eyes darting in every direction, hands clutching the air in vain.

"Why!" Draco cried out in pain and confusion. "What did you do to her? Why is she here?"

Draco laid his wife down lovingly, straightening her tattered robe and wiping away as much grime and blood as he could. With blinding speed he stood up and wheeled around to within an inch of the crazed man, a look of cold hate in his eyes. His hand was already on his sword.

"Explain yourself, man!" Draco screamed, his sword arm shaking dangerously as it gripped the Scion in its scabbard.

"Dead, dead, dead! All dead!" The man cackled. "Maria's dead! Children dead! I'm dead, too! Hahahaha..." The man's wailing voice trailed off into a sob as he lurched away drunkenly from Draco's menacing presence.

Draco winced at the sound of his wife's name on the lips of this lunatic, his sword arm pulling the sword further out of its scabbard.

"Draco, wait!" Genju bellowed, trying to avoid more bloodshed. He did not know who the woman was, but it was obvious that Draco did. This was not good. "Calm yourself! We mustn't engage in petty brawls now!"

Draco turned on Genju savagely, whipping his sword out as he did. The tip of the blade was pointed directly between the Esper's deep-set eyes. There was a look of madness in the man's eyes that Genju knew all too well.

"Stay back, Esper! I will have justice!" Draco raged, his body shaking, but his sword arm completely still.

Genju did not flinch from the threat. "There is no justice in senseless murder. This woman's death must not lead to more death. As a king of men, surely you can see the broader path! Do not succumb to the violence in your heart, Draco!"

But Draco would not be swayed from his bloody thoughts. "That is my wife! My child!" Draco lowered his deadly blade for a second, then turned it back on the madman. "You! What have you done to Maria!"

The man reached out his bloody hands towards the prostrate body of Maria, as if trying to will her back to life. The agony on his face was matched only by the agony on Draco's.

"Gone! She's gone!" The man shook his head wildly, his disheveled grey hair half-covering his eyes. Tears streaked down his begrimed face, leaving trails in the dirt and blood. "I tried to save her! I tried! Gone! Everything gone!"

Draco's voice was implacable, immovable. "You tried to save her from what? Speak!" The tip of his sword wavered lethally just a hair's breadth from the other man's face. "Who did this?"

"Not me! Not me!" The man moaned, his eyes following the trembling tip of the blade. There was no fear of death in the man's eyes, only an empty sort of curiosity. He held out his hands in supplication, as if to say "Look! My hands are clean!"

Draco saw a gruesome gash on one of the man's hands as he waved them in front of him, still wet with fresh blood. The cut curved over the back of his right hand in a nearly complete circular arc. It looked like the claw mark of some beast.

Draco lowered his sword and seized the wounded hand, looking fiercely at its owner. "Who did this? Who did this?" Draco's voice was like ice.

The man pulled his hand free of Draco's iron grip and held it close to his chest. "Not me! Not me! All his fault! All Dune's fault! Dune, Dune, Dune!" The man continued gibbering incoherently, holding his hand and slowly backing away from Draco.

Draco stepped back in stunned silence at the mention of Dune. A thousand thoughts jostled for dominance in Draco's blood-tinted head as he tried to make sense of this unthinkable situation he now found himself in. Dune? Dune?

"Where is he?" Draco spat venomously at the cowering man. He took a step forward, his sword raised again. There was no control in his sword arm now, and his arm shook as violently as the rest of his body. He knew he couldn't trust that monster. He knew Dune was dangerous, but he was fooled by the blind faith his friends had in him. From the beginning Draco had come to this place to hunt down Dune Karn, and now that was his mission once again. The man had murdered Cassandra, and now...!

The thought was too much for Draco, and he let the Scion fall, tears of rage and sorrow falling along with it. He dropped to his knees beside his wife and buried his face in her chest, overcome with emotion. Dune would pay for this. Draco would not leave this city without the head of that beast.

Seeing the confusing display of unbridled anger and grief that mirrored his own, the stranger stepped forward cautiously, not sure of how to react. But as soon as he got within range of the couple, the Scion flashed between them, almost slicing his nose off.

"Be gone!" Draco growled between wracking sobs, not even lifting his head to see where he was aiming his weapon.

The man jumped back and squealed like a frightened animal. He took one last blood-shot look at the dead body of his sweet, innocent Maria, then scampered off erratically into the flaming hell that was surrounding the area. This world was his home now. It was a senseless world of powerlessness, pain, and hate. But so much hate! How he hated this world!

"Hate, hate, hate, hate!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he danced madly among the flames, vanishing into the crimson-hued darkness.

Draco remained rooted to Maria's side, unable to will himself to move. He could hear the sound of Genju's damnable voice buzzing in the background, but nothing could reach him. As he drowned in his own grief, he felt someone reach out and touch him. It was not Genju, but some other presence. It was a cold touch, and oddly familiar. Something was calling out to him, promising him peace of mind, and justice for his slain family. Without thinking, Draco reached for the strange object he had found in the rubble earlier...

Genju watched stoically as Draco grieved over his wife, unaware of the hidden presence beside the warrior, whispering irresistible promises to the shattered man. This scene was one that was painfully familiar to the ancient Esper. He was lost in his own memories of the sacrifice of his own beloved wife millennia ago. How many centuries had it been since he had last seen the woman he had pledged his almost eternal life to? But he still felt her in his heart, dying repeated deaths over the eons, being brought back to life only to die again.

Unlike Draco's Maria, Genju's wife was in fact still alive, but forever out of his reach. His wife had willingly allowed herself to become the very first sacrifice to the Balance. Now he silently bore witness over the eons to the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth of his love, of the eternal Phoenix. How many times had he felt her death across the seas, deep in his place of exile? What had she done to deserve such a fate? What had this poor woman done to die in a place like this? What had any of them done to deserve the wretched fate of the gods?

Deep in his own thoughts, Genju did not notice Draco's change in behavior as the cold presence stole over him. Draco stood up quietly and looked out over the horizon, his gaze as cold as the body of his wife.

"We have to find Dune." Draco said with surprising calmness.

Genju shook himself from his reverie and looked at Draco. Had the man finally come to terms with the situation? He knew it was impossibly hard to move past what had happened, but he also knew that there was little time left to grieve, if they wanted to find Dune and escape.

"I agree. I do not know what has happened to Dune, but his trail continues towards the exit. We must go." Genju straightened out his wings as he prepared to leave.

"No." Draco said confidently. "Dune has not left the city." Draco lifted his sword and pointed it back towards the inner city, now nothing but a towering blaze. "He is there."

"How do you know that?" Genju said, alarms going off in his head. Something was wrong with his companion. Had his grief taken his mind, like it had that other man?

But Genju never had a chance to confront Draco. A searing blast of white light exploded from deep inside the flaming heart of Narsille, its brilliance outshining all the fire and lightning in the city. The burning light rose high into the sky, sending disintegrating pieces of earth and metal floating into the air before melting them away. The blinding radiance covered a wide portion of the inner city, as if an entire block had just been vaporized in a single terrific blast.

Genju felt an undeniable presence from the explosion, and for a moment completely forgot about Draco's strange actions.

"The Pearl..." Genju trailed off, baffled by what he was feeling.

"Dune is there." Draco repeated, still pointing his sword towards the glowing cauldron of white light.

Genju blinked, then rushed towards Draco, speaking rapidly. "That was the Pearl of Order's energy! If it is still whole, we must retrieve it! But what has happened to it? The Pearl is not a weapon!"

Genju went to grab Draco while he spoke, but the man waved the Esper off.

"No. You go. I need to stay here by my wife's side. I will be here when you return."

Genju did not like the way Draco was talking, but there was no ignoring the cry of pain coming from the semi-aware Pearl. It was as if his own child were being tortured.

"As you wish," Genju said reluctantly, but hurriedly. "I must save the Pearl, and perhaps Dune as well. Be safe, and do not hesitate to leave if it becomes too dangerous." Genju spared one last look at the woman at Draco's feet. "I am truly sorry for your loss, Draco. But do not let grief and anger consume you! That was the path I chose once, and now the world must pay for my weakness. Stay strong, Draco!"

Genju lifted his powerful wings, then pushed himself skyward to follow the ache in his own heart as his precious Pearl was twisted against its will. He did not hear Draco's final words, or perhaps he would have stayed his flight.

"No, Dune is mine," Draco said with quiet firmness just out of Genju's range of hearing. "He will pay for his crimes." Draco gripped his sword tightly in one hand, and the jet black crystal in his other. The Dragon of the West would not fail in exacting his justice on the murdering demon who had destroyed all his hopes and dreams in one cruel swipe. The Scion would taste the blood of an Esper one more time before this nightmarish day was over.

As Draco lost himself to his blood-soaked dreams of retribution, a cold voice echoed from within his weary mind.

We shall have our revenge, my Herald. Now, sleep, and when you awaken, you shall unleash the true fury of the Dragon of the West on my former servant. The world shall forever tremble at the might of the Dragon King, Bahamut!