I have now posted this story onto AO3- along with a couple of other stories. :) So, yeah, just wanted to let you know that. :) Anyways, sorry for the delay- Been focusing on the two nearly completed fanfics (DIS and GD)
Anyways- E3... Agito and Type 0 confirmed for the West!? :D When I found out I literally was dying of happiness inside! :D and it looks absolutely stunning! :D (In a nutshell- I'm happy- even though it should have been on the Vita, not PS4 and Xbone)
So, let's get going!
VI- A look at a future that Class Zero could now have.
ANVI1- Takes place long after the side scenario ends. Has adult members of Class Zero (OOCness as a result) -it focuses on Trey, Jack, Cater, Ryid, Sice and Tiz, though the other members of Class Zero (21 in total- including the 5 optional ones, Joker and Tiz (obviously)) feature or are mentioned. Quite long. Finally, two characters speak in code- I translated it for you guys though :)
VII- Cid and SnakeEyes in a serious debate.
ANVII1- Angsty one out of the three. Takes place before the main scenario begins.
Side Scenario VI- Darkening Skies.
Trey
"Queen!" Trey quickly approached his boss, trying to recover his breath, "I've been looking for you for a while. Quon told me that you would be around here, and so I quickly..."
"Trey, what is it?" Queen sighed, cutting off Trey's lecture, "Have you found something important?"
"Well... I think I have managed to find the cause of magic in the world. The people that I have been studying have a unique gene that they all share. I presume that this gene alters their blood slightly, so that magic can flow throughout their body. I have a hunch that if we can find out what makes their blood carry magic, then we can produce synthetic magic that anyone can use." Trey rambled, before handing Queen his reports, "If I can have another fifty or so magic users to test my theory, that will help me confirm or deny my hypothesis..."
Queen nodded, reading the information that Trey had supplied. What Trey had supplied looked scientifically reliable, and everything Trey had said correlated with what was in the report.
It had been fourteen years since the first users of magic appeared in Orience. No one could explain why magic developed or what purpose it would serve. Some people said that it was down to the Gods. Others, like Trey, suggested that it was caused by biological differences. Queen could now see that it was clearly the latter.
"I approve of your request." Queen finally replied, in a serious tone, "We have some new magic users, who have willingly signed up for tests. You can borrow them. But don't just treat them as subjects. Treat them like people too. After all, Machina's wife is one of those being..."
"Rem has magic?" Trey's was speechless, "I will be nice to her. I don't want the Finance minister Machina, or even the deputy Finance minister Carla, to cut our departments spending!"
Queen nodded, before she led Trey to her office, where the files on the newest participants were being stored safely.
Meanwhile, Trey was trying to comprehend the fact that Rem Kunagiri, wife to a leading Government figure and Philanthropist, could use magic. Of course, she wasn't the first of his school friends who could use magic. Trey knew that Mutsuki and Ryid were in Ryid's ancestral home Lorien, with a young child who could also use magic.
Seven was in the research labs, volenteering in a series of experiments to test the potential that magic could reach. She was proving to be quite a strong Mage, specialising in ice magic.
However, they weren't the first in the class. That 'honour' was owned by Joker and Tiz. They were also one of the first documented cases of magic users in the whole of Orience, and their disappearance had caused quite a stir for all four countries. And, as a result, they were highly desired as soldiers in all of the armies bar Milites' (who wanted all magic users dead)...
Which is maybe why the two of them fled so long ago...
"Joker!" Trey shouted, chasing his friend down the corridor, "Where are you going!? What have you been hiding? Ever since that day..."
His friend paused, sorrow in his eyes. He then turned around, and replied, "I cannot...I cannot stay here with people like you. I...I have..."
Trey's eyes widened, "You have magic? Why didn't you tell me? We could..."
"You're going to say that you will experiment on me? Treat me as if I am naught but a laboratory rat?" Joker muttered angrily, "Maybe that is why I did not diverge this information! I wanted to live my own life, and having magic is a massive curse curse! I am departing from this hell hole. I know I haven't graduated yet, but if I stay, I am going to become nothing more than a Government pawn!"
At these words, Joker ran out of the door, leaving Trey to awkwardly stand in the middle of the corridor.
Seven days later, Tiz also left. Trey hadn't seen either of them since in those fourteen years.
And that was why he was studying magic. If he could come up with a synthetic form of magic, then Joker and Tiz would have no more reasons to hide. They could come home, and Trey would be there to accept them with open arms...
"Trey?" Queen asked worriedly, "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." Trey lied, sounding deflated.
Queen nodded, realising that Trey was lying, "Here are the files. I'll call the head of the science facility to allow you to have seventy five new volunteers. After that, I'm calling it a day, and going back home to be with my fiancé. You'll have the volunteers tomorrow..."
Trey nodded, "Thank you. And congratulations, Queen. I was wondering how long it would be before Nine proposed to you."
Queen smiled, "Thank you. Goodnight Trey."
"Night night, boss." Trey replied, before walking out of Queen's office.
Jack
Jack sat down in the cafe, slowly drinking his cup of tea. He looked around the room he was in, making sure that no one had followed him. Otherwise... Jack didn't even want to think about it. When he realised that no one had followed him here, he smiled.
He was waiting for King. The two of them were investigating the Susaku Labs, as both of them were skeptical about the fact that the test subjects were being treated kindly. After the Kira incident two years back, both of them suspected that the magic users who went into those lab were treated as if they were animals, and not human beings.
That's why they had a mole in the company- King's girlfriend Seven. She went into the labs, and was willingly participating in the experiments, so that the two investigators had some information.
"Jack." King muttered, before sitting down next to him. Both of them had decided to speak in code, so that no one knew what they were actually saying. King continued "Lucky Seven has struck." [I have some information.]
"What happened?" Jack paused. "Did lady fortune take away your luck?" [What happened? Did something happen to Seven?]
King sighed, "Kinda. She took away some of my luck, but not all of it." [Something happened to her, but she's fine.]
"Tell me more." Jack gasped, "Is Lucky Seven in fact Unlucky Seven?" [What did the Susaku labs do to her?]
"In a nutshell, Science decided that Lucky Seven needed to share her luck. Conditions not good." King replied sadly. [The Susaku labs decided that Seven needed to live in a commune with other magic users. The conditions in those communes are not good.]
Jack rubbed the back of his neck, before he asked, "How bad?"
"No running water, ten people to a room, health conditions there are appalling." King muttered, not using code in order to get the point hammered home, "She gave me some information about it. She also mentioned that Rem had been moved into the commune."
Jack muttered urgently, "We need to publish this. Soon. If we don't... Then more magic users will suffer."
King nodded, before the waitress arrived, carrying King's cup of coffee. The two of them at in silence, whilst trying to work out how to publish what they had uncovered without being arrested, and even tortured and killed, for going against the state.
Cater
Cater could feel him in the building. Where was he? He was being selfish, keeping his magical ability to himself, when it could be used to help improve Susaku society!
"He's in here somewhere." She muttered to herself, as she searched the first room in the building. Nothing. She couldn't feel anyone's life force in the room.
"The intelligence reports told me tht Eight would be in here somewhere. Now, where is he?" Naghi muttered in a frustrated tone, before he walked into the room next to Cater's.
Cater felt a wave of sadness hitting her in the heart, trying to smother her ability to feel. Eight. Her ex boyfriend. A brilliant, funny and kind man. A magic user. The person who she was looking for. A friend. A lover. An enemy. Another thousand labels ran through her mind, calling Eight both ally and foe. Cater didn't really want to feel the conflictung emotions anymore.
She finally left the room, and started searching all of the other rooms in the building, fonding no traces of life bar her associate Naghi. Where was he?
Finally, she could hear movement. Eight was in here, somewhere. She felt uneasy, sad, and worried even. She didn't want to do this really, but... He should have willingly signed up for the labs. After all, the more magic users that signed up, the more they could learn about magic. This could be beneficial for Orience, as magic could be used to save lives and making technology more effective.
However... She could see why he didn't. It must have been tough for him- wanting nothing more but to live out the remainder of his life, and yet he couldn't because of the whole 'if you have magic you must sign up for the labs'.
No wonder Joker, Tiz, Ryid and Mutsuki left.
"Cater." A male voice rang out. Cater turned around, and she saw him.
Eight had finally revealed himself.
Cater mumbled sadly, "I didn't want to find you."
"I know." Eight sighed, "I didn't want to be found."
"Why then did you give up?" Cater frowned, "You could have..."
"Escaped? Yeah, I thought about it." Eight replied with a frown, "I wanted to see you one last time. Cater... I...I know the situation is different to what it was like when I was magic-less 6 months ago. However... I...still love you. I just feel bad that our relationship had to end this way."
"Me too." Cater sighed, "What now? Are you coming with me? Or not?"
Eight muttered hopefully, "Unwillingly, I'll come with you. I wanna make a deal. If I can continue to see you, and even live with you, I'll join the labs. Deal?"
"Deal." Cater smiled, before kissing Eight, "Let me find Naghi and tell him about the deal, okay?"
Eight nodded, a small smile on his face, "Ok."
Cater walked out of the room, and she quickly saw Naghi climbing the stairs. Cater smiled at Naghi, telling him in one small gesture that Eight had been found.
"You got him?" Naghi picked up the hint, "Is he coming willingly?"
Cater nodded, "In return for volenteering for the labs, he wants to live with me."
"Is that wise?" Naghi asked, "I mean... What if he tries to escape?"
"He won't. Trust me, I can feel it." Cater muttered confidently.
Naghi was about to challenge Cater's view, but instead he sighed, "You wins. But... If Eight uses this as an oppertunity to escape... then..."
He dragged his finger across his neck, telling Cater in one gesture what would happen, "You'll be executed."
Ryid
"Do you think they will actually confirm it on tonight's news?" Mutsuki asked quietly, paranoid about what would happen if it was.
Ryid paused, looking at her with fear in his eyes "I don't know. I really, really don't know."
He couldn't believe that it had been barely a year since Operation Magicfell was created. And now... Tonight was the night. If the plan were to succeed, then three groups of Lorican secret agents would break into the Susaku labs (Ryid himself had got into contact with a friend of his from his days at the academy in order to assist with this part of the operation), the Milites death row and the Concordian barracks, rescuing hundreds of magic users from their grim fates.
If it failed... The world would be at war. Ryid didn't want to think about his new homeland, a save haven for magic users, being destroyed in the resulting conflict. What would happen to him? His wife, Mutsuki? Their daughter Akira?
What grim fate would befall the users of magic?
Ryid paused, shaking the thoughts out of his head. He didn't want to think about this, he couldn't. He wanted the mission to succeed. He wanted the magic users in other countries to be rescued. However... Wouldn't the other three countries blame Lorican for what happened? If so, was the mission doomed to failure from the very beginning?
Meanwhile, he could see Mutsuki pacing up and down the room, muttering "It's going to not work. It isn't going to work. We're doomed."
"It'll be fine." Ryid tried to comfort himself and his wife. It didn't work.
Mutsuki shook her head, "No no no. We are gonna fail."
Silence filled the room, as both husband and wife worried about their uncertain futures. Meanwhile, Ryid has one eye on the clock, waiting for it to strike six. Then, both of them would know their fate.
Finally, it was time. Mutsuki turned the TV on, and the news programme began.
"This is the six o clock news." The presenter muttered, a sence of urgency in his voice, "First item on the list is the result of Operation Magicfell. As you all know, three groups of 50 Lorican mages infiltrated the buildings where magic users were held in each country, with the goal of breaking as many magic users out as possible. We succeeded in our goal."
Ryid and Mutsuki looked at the TV screen, mouths agape. They... Had succeeded? They were safe? The two of them started to celebrate the good news.
"However..." The presenter continued, and the mood in the room darkened, "Rebrum suspects that we were involved in the mission. The leader of Rebrum, Khalia Chival VI, has demanded that we give them all the magic users that we freed. If we don't then we're going to war with the rest of Orience."
Ryid's breath hitched. He knew what the presenter was going to say next, he knew how much danger they were in now. After all, the leader of the Lorican Alliance was a magic user himself. He wouldn't agree to send magic users to their probable deaths.
The presenter paused, and took a deep breath, before he stated, "The latest reports tell me that King Gilgamesh is refusing Khalia's demands. If this is true, then we are at war."
Sice
Sice and Deuce were huddled in a dark alleyway, trying to remain hidden from the Susaku police force. After what they had done... They wouldn't be given mercy. They would be killed, cut down where they stood just for siding with Lorican.
They heard footsteps near where they were hidden. The two woman stopped breathing, trying to not attract the attention of the owners of the footsteps. When the footsteps finally started to get quieter, the two finally breathed out again.
"Where...next?" Deuce asked quietly, "We need to get out of here..."
Sice muttered, "We need to get to Lorican. They'll help us. After all, you were the one who gave Ryid and his allies the plans to the labs. Surely they'll trust us enough to give us hospitality."
Deuce paused, "That means I won't see Trey again."
"He's working for them! He is working for the scum scientists! It would be better tp forget him then to go back to him!" Sice replied angrily, "I want to ram my gun up his..."
"Sice!" Deuce gasped quietly, "He's our friend."
"Not anymore." Sice replied coldly.
Finally, the two of them escaped out of the alleyway, and were now in the streets. They tried to remain hidden, as they listened to what their countrymen were saying.
It didn't sound good.
All of them were excitedly talking about the war, about how eager they were to bash the Loricans in, and then they could torture and kill all of the magic users in Orience. Sice's blood was boiling at this point.
How dare they? Just because the magic users had abilities that the 'normal' people didn't... They were being treated as second class citizens, or even as animals.
It wasn't fair! No living being deserved this.
Before she knew it, Sice had grabbed her gun from out of her gun pocket, and shoved it in the face of an innocent citizen. Sice saw red cloud her mind, and finally she pulled the trigger. The citizen fell to the ground, blood pouring out of the wound. He moved around a little bit, and Sice shot him again. This time, he was dead.
Screams filled the air, snapping Sice back to her senses.
"Shit!" Sice exclaimed, "No no no! What have I...?"
Deuce muttered, "We need to get out of here, and fast!", before she pulled out her own gun, threatening to kill people if they didn't allow her and Sice to escape.
And the two of them began to run, pushing past their countrymen as they tried desperately to get out of the situation that they had been forced into. Whilst both of them hoped that they would be able to get out of Rebrum, without being arrested, neither of them expected that it would actually happen.
By now, the police had been alerted to what had happened. They were following behind the two criminals, trying to arrest them before they escaped.
Sice by now was clear of the crowd of people, and was able to run towards freedom. Meanwhile, Deuce had began to lag behind: After all, she was being swamped by a crowd of people who didn't want her to escape.
"Deuce!" Sice yelled, realising what was happening to her younger friend.
"Sice! Just go!" Deuce yelled, "Get out of here..."
Another ban filled the air, and Sice turned her head to look behind her. She couldn't see Deuce. Was Deuce dead? Or had the police shot her with a tranquilizer?
Sice shook the thoughts out of her head. She didn't want to end up like Deuce, dead or in captivity. Deuce, after all, wanted her to escape. Which is why she ignored the shouts of the police demanding her to stop, as she ran towards freedom.
Tiz
"Thank you so much for allowing us a safe place to hide for the night." Joker smiled, as he and Tiz left the camp.
"It's fine! :D Anything to help a friend! :)" Cinque smiled enthusiastically, waving at her two friends. Behind her, Ace was holding their five year old son, who wanted to approach the two newcomers.
Tiz walked into the camp, looking around nervously. It wasn't that she didn't trust her old friends, it was just... herself and Joker were very well known for their magical abilities. Would anyone else in Ace and Cinque's talent trope recognise them? If so, would they sell them out?
And knowing Joker, by tomorrow the while of Orience would know that they had been there (After all, Joker was infamous for fighting a group of Milites soldiers in the buff and winning). Then Ace and Cinque would be arrested for hiding wanted fugitives. Their son, Roi, would be taken away from them and forced into an orphanage.
"Ah, my lovely Tiz. You seem worried, as I can tell from the furrow in your brow." Joker theatrically stated, "Pray tell me what is up, my love."
Tiz sighed, "It'a just... We've put Ace and Cinque in danger by coming here."
"Ah, but they have both told me that they crave the danger that will come as a result of our arrival in their merry camp." Joker replied melodramatically, "Plus, we are friends of theirs. They wouldn't dream of turning us away ever."
Tiz rolled her eyes. Trust Joker to be over the top. Nevertheless, she smiled, "Thank you for that."
"My pleasure, my little ray of sunshine." Joker smiled, "Now, let us explore this place, and greet the marvellous people that dwell within."
Ace and his son by now had caught up with the two of them. He smiled, before he hugged both of them. He was overjoyed that they were here, after not seeing them for so long.
"Roi, these people are old friends of mine, Joker and Tiz." Ace smiled, "Do you want to say hello?"
"Hello, Joker and Tiz." Roi smiled eagerly, trying to shake both of their hands, "Nice to meet ya. Do ya wanna see my magic?
Ace stammered, "Son... I said that..."
Joker's eyes widened, "You are also cursed with the gift of magic? If so, I will gladly observe what sort of magic you are capable of wielding. Maybe, I will even diverge a spell or two."
Roi smiled, before a bolt of lightning flew out of his hands, and towards the metal face. Ace froze, scared that his son's secret was now out in the open (not because he didn't trust his friends, but because he didn't know if anyone else was watching this exchange. If so... He didn't want to think about it...)
Joker muttered something enthusiastically to the young boy, before leading him into a small thicket. Meanwhile, Tiz was thinking. If Roi had magic, there was a possibility that it was through genetics. If so, then Ace and/or Cinque could use magic also. But then...
"Who has magic?" Tiz muttered to herself. Ace overheard this, and he extended his hand towards her. A second later, his hand burst into flames.
"I do." He sighed sadly, "That's why... I wanted Roi to hide his magic. I didn't want to be sold out. Hell, it is hard to tell who to trust in this world now."
Tiz hugged her old friend, "We can smuggle you into Lorican. Yes, there is a war looming, but you'll be safe for the time being. We can teach you how to use your magic, and then you'll be able to defend yourself."
"Thank you." Ace smiled. A second later, Cinque arrived, and beckoned everyone to enter the camp.
Side Scenario VII- A Discussion
Cid paced up and down the small planning room, waiting for a report about the invasion of Rebrum. He hoped that it had gone of without a hitch, that all of his soldiers had succeeded in taking the country with minimal casualties. However, this was a war, and Cid knew that there was little room to be optimistic.
However, as long as he could save Orience from Finis, the casualties didn't matter, especially if billions of lives were saved.
Suddenly, Cid could hear movement behind him. Someone was in here with him, but who? Cid decided not to acknowledge the person, hoping that they would get the idea and leave him in peace. After all, Cid had war plans to make, and he didn't want any distractions.
Finally though, Cid got the picture. This person didn't want to leave him be. This person wanted to distract Cid, stop the war plans being made. Well, Cid didn't want that.
"Hello, what do you want?" Cid growled, "You do realise that I am drawing up war plans in here..."
The person replied, "I thought you needed maps if you were to draw up war plans."
Cid turned around to look at the person behind him. A male definitely. He had short, messy blonde hair, and pale skin. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses, so Cid couldn't tell what the man's eye colour was.
However, the thing that was easy to tell was that the man was a L'Cie. Cid himself could see the brand shining silver, even though the L'Cie's jacket was hiding it.
"Who are you?" Cid asked, "What do you want?"
The L'Cie replied, a small smirk appearing on his face, "I'm SnakeEyes. I want to know why."
Cid paused, trying to work out what SnakeEyes wanted to know. Why what, exactly? What was he trying to ask? What response should SnakeEyes be given?
Finally, Cid muttered, "Why what?"
"Why are you waging war? Why are you destroying the lives of my people?" SnakeEyes replied, with venom in his voice.
Cid paused. SnakeEyes was a Susaku L'Cie. Of course he wanted to know why Cid declared war, and then he was going to end it by killing Cid himself.
Nevertheless, Cid decided to humour the L'Cie standing opposite him. He muttered, "I need to stop Finis from happening. I want to save the world by taking it over. I don't want to kill innocent people, but if they don't allow themselves to be taken over, I sadly have to do it by force."
"Who told you that?" SnakeEyes queried.
Cid replied, "It's been part of the school textbooks ever since I was a boy. If Finis was to ever occur, it would be better if all four countries was united as one. This was later confirmed by the Emperor when I was under his command. Why?"
"I had been taught differently. We had been taught that if Finis was to occur, it would be because three out of the four countries had been dominated by the last one." SnakeEyes stated, "You are causing Finis, not preventing it."
"How do you know that?" Cid asked philosophically, "No one person lives forever, and so they would never discover the consequences of the decisions that they had made. Maybe my actions will cause Finis, but maybe they don't. We'll never find out until it is too late, and the decisions have already been made."
SnakeEyes sighed, "In a nutshell..."
A while later, SnakeEyes finished his explanation. Cid was stunned. Surely what SnakeEyes was describing was impossible? If so... Was the world doomed from the beginning? However...
"SnakeEyes, you said that you've seen at least a million cycles of Orience, when there have been around sixty million of them?" Cid paused, "If so, could the loops that you experienced just be anomalies in the Gods' experiments? If that is the case, how do either of us know the true cause of Finis?"
The L'Cie nodded, "I do have to agree with you. I wouldn't know if the loops I experienced were anomalies. Whilst I suspect my theory to be the cause of Finis, I will never know the truth. I'll try and save Orience in my own way, as long as you try and save Orience in your own way."
Cid nodded, "That's a fair deal. I guess we are two sides of the same coin, really. We want to achieve the same goal. It's just that we have different ways of doing it. I should be going now- I need to collect the reports about the invasion of Rebrum. Nice meeting you."
"Likewise." SnakeEyes smiled, before he teleported out of the room, leaving Cid to his own thoughts.
ANVI2- Took me quite a long time to write. Joker... I love Joker so much. I also like Trey, which makes it hard for me to realise that he is a bad guy (with good intentions) in the whole scenario... :( Deuce is alive. And war is looming... I also wanted to write something where SnakeEyes wasn't important (and didn't even feature at all. Whilst I like the guy, he does tend to feature a lot in the story.)
ANVII2- I dunno really. I find it hard to dislike Cid. To quote the Final Fantasy wiki:
"After he discovered the truth of "everything about Orience is a part of gods' experiment", he intend to free human beings from the "slavery of gods and crystals" (as mentioned by a Militian Soldier in Chapter 4) and took actions... There, he faces the Lulusathian Judge and how he is to become the one to destroy the world. Faced with this revelation, he commits suicide"
...He wanted to save the world, and that's why he tried to take the crystals. Sadly though, it's his actions that helped caused the world to end- which makes him a beautifully tragic villain (or even anti-hero?) and yet another reason that I love this game.
General Author's note- I was originally going to put Side Scenario VIII on here as well- however, I could see the scenario in my head... I just couldn't put it into words. :( It will be written one day. I know that.