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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time
Book 1: The Begininng
Chapter 8 - Dream's End
Part 8.15 - Esper Battle
Am I dead?
Dune opened his eyes groggily, not sure what was happening. The last image he had before the incredible light overwhelmed him was the Pearl of Order, glowing from within the mechanical monstrosity that Alex had become. He had focused his energy into a frozen aura of protection as soon as he saw the flash, but it had been too late. Or so he thought.
Dune blinked hard, trying to see through the fog of near-blindness from Alexander's attack. At first, all Dune could see was red. As his eyesight returned to normal, Dune realized he was no longer below ground, but floating high above the city. Below him, Narsille was awash with the flames of Moloch. Several new fire pits had opened up throughout the city, spewing all-consuming lava down the deserted streets. The intense heat and flickering red light emanating from the burning city almost made Dune forget he was above ground at all. Only the ever-present storm above reminded Dune that he was not still trapped in the infernal Narsillian underworld.
"Where am I?" Dune said dully, not sure if he was safe or in even greater danger than before. He could see the gaping chasm where he had miraculously escaped, now exposed to the surface by the blast of Alexander's attack. The ominous form of Alexander still towered like a silent guardian at the center of the hole, motionless.
"Are you really Dune?"
Dune turned his head sharply upwards, and stared right into the wizened face of Genju. There was a look of pain on the ancient Esper's face, mixed with an accusing look of suspicion. Four strong hands grasped Dune tightly, perhaps too tightly. Was this his rescuer or his captor?
"I ask you again, Esper of Chemosh! Are you Dune?" Genju's voice was full of anger, and his grip grew even tighter. Amazingly, Dune actually felt pain as the old man's hands dug into his hard skin.
"I am no longer an Esper of Chemosh," Dune stumbled, scared about what this powerful being might do to him if he was found to be untrustworthy. He knew he had much to answer for. Maduin's actions were his actions, no matter how much Dune wanted to separate the Esper from the man.
"I do sense a new light in you, but do not think that I trust you," Genju said in measured tones. His grip loosened slightly.
"I...I'm sorry for what I've done while under Doom's influence. I will never let myself be controlled again, I swear it."
Genju looked at Dune for another tense moment, then turned his piercing stare to where Alexander patiently waited in his newly formed valley.
"That...perversion, what is it?" Now Genju's anger was palpable.
"It's Alex Figaro. He's an Esper now, too," Dune said sadly. How many more of his friends would be lost in this pointless struggle?
"Alex Figaro?" Genju gasped, stunned. "I sense the Pearl of Order from within him. What has that demon Moloch done?"
Dune did not know what exactly had happened to Alex or the Pearl, but it seemed they now were joined as one powerfully destructive force.
As if to answer Genju's question, Alexander's featureless visor of a face robotically turned to face Genju and Dune, its intent impossible to gauge. When the visor lowered and revealed the hotly glowing Pearl, however, Dune tugged hard at Genju's robe.
"We've got to move, now! It's firing again!" Dune yelled, trying to pull the confused Genju out of the path of the oncoming beam.
Genju realized what was happening at the last second, plummeting downwards to avoid being seared by the tremendous wave of holy energy coming from Alexander. Just above their heads, the white light spread out like a newborn sun, filling the darkened skies with a flare of false daylight.
"To see the Pearl turned to such devious ends breaks my heart," Genju said as he wheeled around to get behind Alexander. "We must retrieve it somehow."
"What would happen to Alex?" Dune asked.
"The Pearl and your friend are now one being, one Esper. I suspect it would be fatal to forcefully remove the Pearl, but..." Genju wavered, but continued approaching the slow moving Alexander from behind.
"I can't let you do that!" Dune cried. "I am going to save Alex, and if that means sacrificing the Pearl, then so be it!"
Dune yanked himself free from Genju and struggled before alighting on his own field of magical energy. Flight was not as easy for Dune as it was for the naturally winged Genju, but he would not just sit there dangling like a rag doll while Genju threatened his friend.
"What are you doing? We must save the Pearl!" Genju spluttered, surprised by Dune's sudden vehemence.
"No, we must save Alex!"
Dune and Genju grappled with each other, each of them trying to subdue the other while they flew closer to where Alexander patiently stood his ground.
"This is pointless! We must not fight each other!" Genju pleaded, trying desperately to pull Dune off him. The man fought wildly, but Genju did not want to hurt him. Violence was never the solution, but if it was a choice between an Esper of Moloch and his precious Pearl, Genju knew where his loyalties lay. He did not want to attack Alex, but the Pearl must be freed at all costs.
Dune continued to thrash and claw at Genju, heedless of the Esper's words. He was caught up in his own passionate desire to save his friend, and was letting his power flow freely, and dangerously. Genju was holding back, but Dune was pouring all of his power into trying to stop the Esper from reaching Alex. And he was succeeding. Genju was being battered backwards, too afraid to use force against Dune.
Just as Dune was losing himself to his own power, the Nacre around his neck began to pulse, sending waves of calmness flowing through him. Immediately Dune was aware of what he was doing and let go of Genju and looked away, ashamed. He had let his power consume him again, and almost destroyed another life in the process. He had to try harder to control this newfound power of his!
"I've done it again..." Dune mumbled.
Genju stopped his pursuit of the Pearl and peered at the Nacre resting peacefully around Dune's neck, a new look of hope spreading across his face. "You wear the Nacre? But where did you find it?"
"It was on the ground next to Captain Bismark when I regained control of my body." Dune said simply.
"You will have to explain what happened to your group after you left the Maiden, but not now," Genju said quickly, wordlessly forgiving Dune for his lapse. He knew all too well the intoxicating influence of magic. "For now, we have the Nacre, and with it we may be able to save your friend, and perhaps the Pearl as well! Come!
Genju and Dune, together in purpose again, began to descend towards Alexander, who was now laboriously twisting his hulking mass around to face his assailants. Before they could reach him, though, another explosion rocked the surrounding area, hurtling the two almost directly into the flames below. One of the great mythril towers nearby tumbled to the ground with a roar of sound. It had been struck by an unknown blast of energy, and instantly crumbled under the immense force.
"Was that Alex?" Dune said, recovering himself before he fell further into the seething cauldron of Narsille's streets.
"No...that was..." Genju started, but never finished. Another fearsome roar of sound stopped him, but this was the roar of some mighty beast, not of a falling tower. Genju and Dune turned in unison at the source of the feral outburst, and were both shocked into silence at the sight before them.
Flying on leathery wings high above them was a beast straight out of legend. There was no denying the thick scales, reptilian body and tail, and cruel fangs, talons, and horns. This was the mythical dragon made real by the incomprehensible power of magic. Its horn-rimmed eyes burned with a blue intensity that bore the unmistakable mark of the Master of Ice. Another Esper had been awakened, this time lifted from the deepest nightmares of countless adventurers.
Grasped securely in one of the dragon Esper's clawed feet was another surprise. The beast held the body of a woman in a vice-like grip. She appeared unconscious, or dead. But even so, her shining beauty was a stark contrast to the dark malevolence that held her.
"Draco...what have you done?" Genju managed, appalled at seeing yet another mortal consumed by the irresistible power of the gods.
"I am Bahamut, the Dragon of the West reborn!" Draco's guttural voice echoed from the lips of the dragon. "Give Dune to me, Genju!"
"No!" Genju shouted desperately. "You are still Draco! Look inside yourself and fight the negative feelings that are controlling you! Stay strong, Draco!"
In answer to Genju's pleas, the dragon spread its black wings wide and opened its mouth as if to roar. But instead of sound, a harsh blue light began to swirl deep in the Esper's throat. Wisps of raw magic licked the corners of his mouth as the light rose past his sharp teeth and expanded in front of him.
"He's going to attack!" Dune shouted, seeing too late a grim replay of his initial encounter with Alexander. He tried to push Genju out of the way, only to realize the dragon's fury was aimed solely at himself. A solid sphere of pure magical power slammed into Dune and knocked him tumbling out of the skies. The force behind the concentrated attack had been intense, and Dune felt his cold blood flow from where the blast had struck him.
"Dune!" Genju yelled, diving after him. Genju knew what must be going on in Draco's mind. He was probably blaming Dune for the death of Maria. Of course! Chemosh would play into that hate like the skilled manipulator of the human heart that he was, forcing Draco to fight under him in endless battle against the other gods. Just like Bismark's mindless assault on Leviathan, now Draco would be a slave to his negative emotions, and Dune was his target.
Genju had to save Dune from this insanity somehow. They were the only two free wills left in this battle, and if Dune fell, Genju would be forced to don the mantle of Warrior King once again. No! He would never allow himself to fall to violence again! Let the gods have their war, he would find another path to salvation. His soul depended on it.
Genju snatched Dune's body from the air, flirting with the tips of the flames before rising up to meet Draco. he took a wary glance at the immobile Alexander, fearing another attack while he was defenseless. The mountainous creation was silent, studying the unfolding events with cold detachment.
"Give the murderer to me!" Draco's voice tore through the air as he dived towards Genju. He would not be denied the satisfaction of exacting his judgment on this heinous fiend. Maria was dead, and his child inside her dead as well. This final battle was all he had left, and he would not falter.
In his clawed hand Draco still held the Scion, although the great sword looked like a small knife compared to the massive body of Bahamut he now wore like armor. With the sword of his ancestors he would destroy the destroyer of his family line. The blood of the ancient Christophes screamed out for justice from inside Draco and the sword responded in kind. Magical energy from within Bahamut was channeled into the mortal-sized sword, wrapping the crystal blade in a thick blue sheath and greatly extending its power. Now the Scion shown gloriously, an ultimate weapon of destruction befitting the Dragon King. If only he had had this kind of power against Leviathan, perhaps he could have saved Kite, perhaps he could have reached Maria in time...
My Herald, I revel in your hatred and rage. You are my finest servant, and will serve me well in our future battles. Obliterate the traitor quickly, and you shall be rewarded with your heart's desire...
Draco heard the arrogant voice of Doom inside his head as he lunged towards the defenseless Genju, but did not know what he meant. There was only one desire in his heart now, and he needed no one's help to achieve it! Dune would die in just a few moments, and then...then what would be left for Draco? He was a doomed man without a future, and he knew it.
This is not so. Doom responded, reading Draco's thoughts. Do you not feel the pulse of life in your very grasp? Do not believe the feeble mortal senses, for they are blind and ignorant to the deepest powers of the universe. Your Maria still lives, and you can save her!
Draco was so stunned by Doom's words he halted his plunge in mid-air, stopping abruptly a few dozen feet from Genju and Dune.
"Tell me how I can save her! Now!" Draco commanded out loud, ignoring his fight with Genju and Dune.
Aaahh...you must do my will first, my Herald. Doom crooned. Kill the traitor Dune! Only then can you save your lovely wife and her precious burden.
But the unbreakable will of Draco would not be coerced. He had the blood of kings flowing through his veins, and even as a servant of Chemosh, there were limits to what he would endure.
"I will seek justice on my own terms! If I can save Maria, then you will tell me how, or you will never command me again!" Draco roared. He had allowed himself to be brought this far, but his love for Maria was more than his lust for Dune's head. He would not be controlled in this.
You dare command a god!
Doom's voice howled through Draco's mind, causing him to cringe in pain. But he did not bend. He would not bend. "I dare it!" Draco said in the voice of a king.
The bolt of hate-filled energy that assaulted Draco's mind sent him swerving wildly away from the baffled Genju and recovering Dune. He growled in intense agony, letting out giant blue spheres of magical energy from his twisted jaws as he fought the battle within himself. Several more towers were struck with his uncontrolled attacks, each one collapsing like a house of cards. One of the deadly flares of magic hit the still motionless Alexander, rousing it from its neutral position.
"We must flee this insanity!" Genju shouted over the raging Bahamut and grinding Alexander. Soon the two forces would clash, and there would be nothing left of Narsille but ashes.
Dune nodded in agreement, realizing just how far the war of the gods had come. It was beyond either of them to stop alone. The best they could hope for would be the mutual destruction of their foes, and perhaps something left of the world to rebuild afterwards.
"Let's get out of here," Dune said with effort, still in pain from the wound in his side. He hovered next to Genju shakily, but determined not to be burden. Leaving Alex behind was not something he wanted to do, but he was quickly running out of options.
The two looked at the slowly widening visor of Alexander and the maniacal twisting of Bahamut, watching for an opening to escape. They started to fly away from the two mad Espers down the only safe avenue of retreat, but were stopped by a sudden flash of lightning.
"Where do you think you're going?"
It was the last voice either of them wanted to hear at this critical moment. It was the heartless voice of Leviathan, echoing down from above them. Barring their path directly ahead was the form of an old man, floating on a crackling aura of electricity. Dune recognized the familiar face of his old shopkeeper in the that silent presence.
"Indie? Have they gotten to you, too?" Dune wailed, further from hope than he had ever been. Too many of his friends had been dragged into this war, and he could have stopped it, if only he had been strong enough to fight Doom. Draco was fighting the fiend on his own right now, so why had Dune been so weak?
"Dune...we are trapped," Genju whispered from his side.
"Now, Ramuh, show these insects the power of the Goddess," Leviathan's voice flowed from the clouds just beyond where his Esper servant waited.
"Indie! It's me, Dune! Snap out of it!" Dune shouted over the rumbling of thunder accompanying his old friend.
The once talkative Indie said nothing, and only looked at the two with a piercing stare of harsh judgment. Leviathan revealed himself just behind Ramuh, out of the reach of the other Espers, and nodded at his servant to attack. Ramuh raised the long staff in his hand, and gathered the lightning to him, readying a massive bolt to strike down the two hapless Espers caught in his trap.
But Leviathan's forces were not immune to the chaos of the battlefield around them. Alexander fired another beam of holy light into the skies, narrowly missing the careening Bahamut. The light blinded the gathered Espers, forcing Ramuh's blow to veer off target.
Before Leviathan could order Ramuh to mount another attack, Alexander unexpectedly released another blast. The mighty guardian of Sade's stronghold was fully roused now, and he would not be stopped until the intruders that had infested his Master's realm were exterminated.
"Flee or perish..." Alexander's toneless mechanical voice resounded through the air like a clarion.
High above where the other Espers were engaging in furious combat, Bahamut was beginning to regain control of himself. Maria still dangled from his claws, a sure sign that Draco was still the ruler of his own heart. He would not let her fall, as long as there was any power in his body to resist Doom's commands.
Your will is impressive, and rightfully so, as an Esper of Chemosh. Doom's voice said in a less brutal tone. He could see that the only way to fully control this man would be to destroy his mind completely, and that was not an acceptable exchange. He needed a Herald, and he needed Maria's essence if he ever wanted to complete the ritual of revival...
Very well. Doom said, finally acquiescing to Draco's fury. Heed my words well, King of Dragons. Maria hangs on the very brink of death, only the faintest spark left of her light. If you wish to save her you must transfer our magical essence into her. Just as my power gave you the body you now own, so too can it give new life to Maria's weary flesh.
"I must turn her into...this?" Draco growled in disgust, looking at his own gruesome appearance. "I..can't..."
You must! Becoming an Esper of Chemosh is the only way to save her now! Let my power flow through you, through her...
"What of my child?" Draco said, reluctantly turning his mind to the awful task at hand.
True magic is an unpredictable force, even to a god of magic. They may live, they may die. The power of the universe is the power of thought and dreams. The hopes and dreams of the parents will decide the fate of their children. Now, time is running out! Make your choice, Esper!
"Children...?" Draco parroted back Doom's choice of words, wondering.
Do not dwell on trivialities! Choose! Doom's voice urged with growing impatience.
"I am sorry, my love," Draco said as he made his choice. "Forgive me, my child."
A blue aura rose up around the trembling form of Bahamut, engulfing both the Esper and its precious cargo in cold flames. The aura flared outwards, then shrank until it only surrounded Maria's silent body. The magical energy flowed and weaved around her, forming a dense cocoon of solid ice.
It is done. Doom's voice chanted.
"Now what?" Draco said. His voice was tired, defeated. He felt a growing magical presence beneath him, and knew Maria would live. But what kind of life had Draco forced upon her?
Now we must flee this place. Moloch's forces are firmly in control now, and there is nothing left for us here. We go south to prepare for the next battle, and next time we will emerge victorious!
With Maria seemingly safe, Draco's thoughts returned to his conflict with Dune. The monster still must pay for this unforgivable act he had forced upon the Star of the West. Maria would be cursed to live as an Esper because of Dune, and the thought of his beautiful wife turned into a grotesque beast filled the man with renewed rage.
Yes...you shall have your revenge against my former Herald, but now we must leave this place.
"I shall have my revenge now!" Draco shouted defiantly, once again testing his will against the dark god within him.
Stop! Your blind rage will get you and Maria killed!
Draco ignored the frigid pressure Doom was placing on his mind, and dived back down into the fray, the magically enhanced Scion in hand, and the cocooned Maria tightly gripped in his lower claws. He would have justice this night!
Below, Dune and Genju were still struggling to get out of the trap Leviathan had sprung on them. As the blinding flash from the most recent of Alexander's relentless assaults faded, Dune and Genju tried to escape through the opening Bahamut had made as he left the area to wage his own internal battle. Just as they thought they might push through, Bahamut reappeared from above, cutting off all possible hope of escape in that direction. The cold look in his eyes told them all they needed to know about the unpredictable Esper's current intentions. He was here to finish what he had started.
The pair was surrounded on all sides by the forces of the Fallen Masters. Alexander, Leviathan and his group, and now the returned Bahamut had them pent in like animals to be slaughtered. There were only two directions to go. Downward, into the flaming mouth of Narsille, or up into the merciless hands of the storm.
Dune looked down at the sinking city, rapidly disappearing into the freely flowing lava that was filling all corners of the once beautiful valley. There would be no safety in that. Sade had won the prize of Narsille, whatever it was worth to him in this state.
But above was the storm, still churning over the skies of Narsille, still unleashing its unceasing might long after there was anything left below to care. The storm that had hounded him since the beginning of this nightmare. Its power had been unstoppable at every turn of the journey, but now Dune had power of his own. Now it was Dune's turn to fight back against this Master of Storms.
"Genju, we have to fly straight up! Into the storm!" Dune shouted, dodging the bolts of lightning from Ramuh and the balls of energy from Bahamut, and always keeping an eye on Alexander for the next blast of holy light. The situation was getting out of hand, and Dune knew very soon he would be defeated by one of the warring Espers.
"What?" Genju said, trying his best to dodge the barrage of magical energy as well. "Pierce the walls of Merkabah? That's madness! We'll be struck down like flies!"
"It's our only choice! If we stick together and combine our power, we might survive." Dune said, narrowly avoiding another attack from Bahamut. He winced with pain as his previous wound reopened with the effort.
Genju was reminded of the barrier he had created using Dune's power before. The strength of that barrier had been beyond anything Genju had thought he could ever cast. It had survived the awesome suicidal force of Sade's full power...perhaps it would be enough...
"Yes," Genju said, deciding. "We go to the Throne of Uranos. If we can show our strength by surviving the winds of Merkabah, perhaps the Master of Storms will listen to our prayers and intercede in this madness."
"We just need to get out of here," Dune said, already propelling himself straight upwards as fast as his battered body could move.
"Beware, Dune." Genju said, rising to match Dune's rapid ascent. "Uranos is a fickle god. Even I do not know what lies beyond the Merkabah's walls. We may be fleeing from the claws of the dragon straight into the mouth of the lion."
"It's a chance we'll have to take. I've had enough of being a plaything of the gods. This storm ends tonight."
With a brilliant flash of blue and white light, Dune and Genju rocketed up into the clouds, leaving their dumbfounded enemies speechless below them. Before the army of Espers could react, the two renegades had bravely punched through the roiling mass of black clouds, vanishing from sight as the billowing darkness quickly reformed behind them.
At this gross intrusion of holy space, the entire span of Merkabah shuddered, and the storm unleashed a new level of ferocity on the dead city below. Tornados spiraled down from the skies, and a rain of gigantic hailstones filled the air. Thick curtains of lightning rippled across the city, incinerating anything they touched. This was nothing like the storms over the Thanas Desert and Mordic Sea. This was the full wrath of Uranos, raw and unfettered. The remaining Esper servants of the Fallen Masters scattered in all directions, desperate to escape the apocalypse falling around them.
Only Alexander remained, stolid and unbreakable as the earth itself. After the others had abandoned the city and he was left alone, sole protector to Moloch's throne, he quietly sank back beneath the ruined landscape. The battle for Narsille had ended, and nothing remained of the once grand city but smoke, fire, and ash. Sade had won this battle, but the war of the gods was just beginning. There was still an entire world out there, waiting to be cleansed.