Final Fantasy 8: Future Bound

by Darsar

The continuation of the events of Final Fantasy 8, shortly after the conclusion of the game.

57. Chapter 57: The World's Enemy

Chapter 57

The World's Enemy

(Squall)

"Sir?" a muffled voice said. "Sir? Sir? Are you alright? Call the medic over here."

Squall's head pounded. His arms and legs felt like they were encased in lead. There was a stabbing pain in his side and the sensation of sticky wetness around his hips.

(Blood?)

He was torn between two desires: the urge to wake up and tend to the various pains around his body, and the urge to sleep, to slip deeper into the blackness and retreat from the pain entirely. Time passed, and he couldn't quite decide which option he wanted to take, instead lingering in a hazy, dreamlike state.

He heard voices around him talking and the sounds of footsteps. Someone knelt beside him and began checking him over, examining his pulse and pushing hands along his body, squeezing areas to feel for breaks and bleeding wounds. When the fingers reached his ribs, lightning stabs of pain forced his eyes open. He gasped and tried to sit up, but someone grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down. His vision was blurry and his head swam.

"Easy now," a voice said. The speaker turned to someone else that Squall couldn't quite see. "A couple broken ribs. It looks like… ah…"

The hand reached down to his waist. Another burst of agony—worse than the first—seared through him, making him clench his teeth and release a moan.

"Yeah, as I thought," the voice said. "Fractured pelvis. A deep laceration on the right side as well. Get the gurney over here."

(Fractured pelvis?)

"How…" Squall started to say, but his mouth was completely dry. He worked his lips and tried again. "How bad is it?"

"You'll be alright," the voice said. "Just stay still."

Squall's eyes focused for a moment and he realized that person speaking to him was an Esthar soldier. One with green markings on his joint pads which, Squall assumed, made him a medic. A few other guards stood around as well, looking down at him.

Squall looked up around him. His eyesight wavered, bringing him brief moments of clarity before fading into murky smears of color. The shattered remnants of the skyway hung in the air above him. Flashes of memory returned to him. Seifer, riding atop the Black Widow and crashing through the skyway. Squall fighting off Fujin and Raijin. Rinoa getting possessed. And then something struck him in the chest, throwing him off the skyway. From there, he could remember nothing.

(Rinoa…)

"I need to go…" Squall said.

"You won't be going anywhere for a while, I'm afraid," the medic said. He turned and looked around. "Where's that damn gurney?"

"Right here, sir," another soldier said, pushing forward a long, floating gurney, identical to the one that Selphie had been sealed in earlier.

"All right, man," the medic said to Squall. "We're gonna put you in this gurney. It'll hurt to move you, but we'll get you some painkillers once you're inside the gurney, and then you'll go to sleep for a while. You'll be alright, you hear?"

(Asleep?)

Squall remembered what he had been told about the gurneys. They encased the wounded person in a bubble and released a cocktail of sedatives and painkillers. With the agony thumping through his body, the idea of sleep and a respite from pain seemed tempting, but he knew he couldn't accept the offer. Ultimecia was still out there. She had taken Rinoa. She was going to head for the Pandora. She would try to take Hyne's Fount, and once she had it, it would be impossible to stop her.

(I can't let that happen.)

Several pairs of hands gripped Squall's body, sliding under his back, shoulders, and legs.

"Lift on three," the medic said to the others. "One, two…"

"No!" Squall said. He twisted to the side, putting horrible pressure on his wounded ribs and hips, but he managed to wiggle free from the soldiers' grasps. He tumbled on the ground and rolled weakly.

"Whoa, whoa, easy now!" the medic said, gently grabbing him and holding him down. "We're trying to help you."

"I have…" Squall said, fighting to get each word out through a wall of pain. "I have to go."

"You can't even walk, man," the medic said. "You gotta come with us."

Without even trying to stand up, Squall knew that the medic was right. Simply laying on the ground was an almost unbearable torture. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that awaited him if he tried to get to his feet.

"It's a miracle you survived the fall at all," the medic said. "Hell, it's another miracle that you aren't paralyzed right now. But if you start moving around, you could permanently damage yourself. I know you wanna fight, but—"

"I'm a SeeD," Squall said. "I can… I can handle this."

"We're all soldiers here," the medic said. "I understand you wanna put on a brave face. But if you don't get in the gurney now, I'll have to sedate you."

"Don't…" Squall said. He coughed. "You don't understand."

Another soldier stepped forward. This one had red markings on his joints, putting him at a higher rank than the average Esthar soldier.

"You're Squall Leonhart, aren't you?" the soldier asked.

Squall looked up at the soldier. His first instinct was to respond with the affirmative, but after he had a moment to think, he asked himself a simple question:

(How does he know who I am?)

The only people in Esthar who knew Squall by name were his friends and Laguna. While it was possible that Selphie or Irvine had told the Esthar soldiers about him, Squall thought that was unlikely. However, it seemed probable that the soldiers had been given a description of Squall from Laguna, with special orders to protect him or give him special treatment. In any case, if the soldiers knew who he was, it was a safe bet to assume that they wouldn't let him do anything dangerous—like chase after Ultimecia.

Trying to preserve his freedom, Squall said, "No, never heard of him. I'm nobody. Leave me alone."

"You match the description," the Esthar soldier said. "President Laguna wants you alive. He wants to speak to you about something. Get in the gurney."

(As I thought…)

"What about the others?" Squall asked.

"Ah, yeah, them," the medic said. "We picked up a girl in a yellow dress and a guy in a brown trench coat. Both were unconscious, but alive. Are there any more of you left, or is it just the three of you?"

(Only three?)

(That means… Rinoa, Ellone…)

(Fujin, Raijin, and Seifer are all together. Probably heading for the Pandora.)

(But… what about Ciel?)

Squall didn't think it was likely that Ciel would join up with Seifer and his gang, and since Ultimecia was possessing Rinoa, there really wasn't anything she could do to force Ciel to come along against her will. Squall's guess was that Ciel had either been killed or had escaped.

"Sorceress… Ciel," Squall asked. He tried to form it into a question, but his chest hurt too much and the words came out flat and affectless.

"Didn't see her," the soldier said. "Is she supposed to be around here? Is she loose? She's supposed to be at O Lab."

"No, she escaped," Squall said.

"Damn it," the soldier muttered. He turned around and pushed a button on the side of his helmet, activating his radio. He began muttering into it, relaying this information to his higher ups. Meanwhile, the medic and the other soldiers began crowding around Squall again, trying to hoist him into the gurney.

"You don't understand," Squall said. "Ultimecia is heading for the Pandora. I have to stop her."

"We're aware of the situation," the medic said. "And we're doing everything we can to stop her from reaching the Lunatic Pandora."

("Everything we can" isn't going to be enough.)

With Selphie and Irvine both out of commission—and Ciel somewhere unknown—Squall was the only person in the city with both the ability and desire to stand against a sorceress. Granted, he knew he had no real chance of fighting Ultimecia by himself, but he was still more qualified than any of the Esthar soldiers.

"Give me a second," Squall said.

(If I can heal myself…)

"There's no time," the soldier in red said, finishing his radio conversation and turning back around. He glanced at the medic. "Sedate him and put him in the gurney. We're moving out."

The medic obeyed, reaching into a pouch on his belt and pulling out an object that looked like a cross between a pen and a hypodermic needle. The medic tapped a button on the side and a tiny needle— the width of a hair and no longer than Squall's fingernail—emerged from the tip.

"No!" Squall said through gritted teeth. He couldn't allow them to sedate him. Even a mild sedative would slow his reflexes, dull his mind. He couldn't afford to be weakened like that, not when Ultimecia was minutes away from acquiring the power to destroy the world.

He closed his eyes and focused. Normally, when he concentrated, his magic leapt quickly into his mind, ready for him to use it within seconds. But now, dulled by pain and disorientation, he found it difficult to reach forward and grasp the magic. As the medic drew closer to Squall, he struggled from side to side, trying to buy himself more time to complete the spell.

"Hold still," the medic said. "Help me hold him down," he said to the other soldiers.

Hands once again pressed down on Squall, this time rough and forcefully. His wounds cried out in agony, but he shut his mind off from the pain and focused. The medic pressed the needle against Squall's arm, ready to press it into Squall's skin when, finally, he connected with a wind spell.

He couldn't focus or direct it, he could only summon up the energy at let it disperse in all directions. The gust ripped the hypodermic pen from the medic's hand and all the soldiers were thrown backwards by the force of the spell. They landed on their backs, shouting curses.

Squall took this moment to find his best curative magics. Knowing his time was limited, he began pouring the green energy into his chest and his hips, allowing it to spread out and go wherever it wanted. There was no time for detailed, precise work. He needed to get well immediately.

Within seconds, he felt a small amount of relief flood through him. That relief grew stronger and stronger as he continued to empty his magical energy into himself.

Without Squall deliberately controlling the magic, the cure spell behaved erratically. It sealed shut wounds, but at odd, uncomfortable angles. Bones were knit, but unevenly, leaving bumps along the fusion points that Squall could feel. The bleeding stopped, but the circulation in his veins was warped and unnatural. He knew he would eventually need further medical attention to address all these problems, but for now, he was healed enough to get the Esthar soldiers to back off.

Grunting, he rolled onto his stomach and then pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. He put one foot under him and then stood up, wobbling slightly, but able to hold himself up without assistance. The Esthar soldiers were still recovering from his wind attack and stood around, looking at him. He couldn't see their faces behind their helmets, but their silence and their postures indicated that they were shocked at his instant recovery.

(They must not be as familiar with junctions and GFs as we are.)

"Have you seen a gunblade around here?" Squall asked. His voice was thin and raspy, but now he could speak without his bones grinding under his skin, which was a marked improvement.

No one answered for a few seconds. Finally, a soldier carrying Squall's gunblade stepped forward. He gripped the weapon by its blade and handed it—grip first—to Squall. Squall reached out and took the blade. It felt abnormally heavy in his hand, but then he realized that his weakened body lacked the energy to properly control its weight.

(I'll just have to work with what I have.)

"I'm going to the Pandora," Squall said. "Tell Laguna I can't talk with him until after this is over."

"One second," the soldier with the red joint pads said. He spun around and raised one hand up to his mask, depressing a button that activated his radio. Squall could hear him mumbling something, but couldn't discern the words.

(I don't have time for this.)

Wracked with pain, Squall began lurching forward, one shuffling step at a time. Now that he was standing and looking around, he realized that he was atop one of Esthar's many skyscrapers. He realized that Esthar's crowded city design had saved his life and his friends' lives on multiple occasions now. If Esthar didn't have so many buildings that were thirty or more stories high, he probably would have fallen all the way to the city streets below—a fatal drop, even for a SeeD.

He searched around and found the elevator that would take him down to street level. Then, once he found that, he scanned the horizon until he saw the massive obelisk known as the Lunatic Pandora.

(That's my destination.)

Once he had the direction fixed in his mind, he continued shuffling towards the elevator.

"I said wait a second," the Esthar soldier snapped at Squall.

Reluctantly, Squall paused. He turned and looked. The soldier said something else into his mask, then spun and faced Squall.

"We're going to escort you to the Lunatic Pandora," the Esthar soldier said. "President Laguna wishes to inform you that the signal from Ellone's tracking device was detected inside the Crystal Pillar. He's organizing a squad to come rescue her. You're not allowed to go any further than we allow until the backup squad arrives, you understand?"

Squall hesitated. He knew that if Ellone was already inside the Pandora, then it was only a matter of minutes before Ultimecia got ahold of Hyne's Fount. Sitting outside the Pandora waiting for backup was out of the question.

But he also knew that if he refused the escort, he'd never make it to the Pandora at all. He had to accept the offer, if only for the free ride.

(I'll figure out what to do once I'm there.)

"Alright," Squall said. "I'll come with you."

The medic approached Squall with another hypodermic pen, this one colored differently from the other. Squall recoiled and raised his arm defensively.

"No, no, no," the medic said. "This is a painkiller. It won't slow you down, I promise. It just numbs the pain."

(Being numb might slow me down too.)

(But… I don't have much choice.)

His magic had made the pain bearable, but he was still shuffling around like an arthritic old man. His body was shouting at him, telling him to lie down and rest, and he needed the painkillers to tell his body to be quiet. He would have time to rest and recover once he stopped Ultimecia.

(Or I'll fail to stop Ultimecia and I'll die.)

(Either way, I'll be resting soon.)

He allowed the medic to press the pen into Squall's forearm. The effects were immediate. Cold relief rushed up Squall's arm, then spread through his torso and down both legs. He nearly shuddered with the sensation. He was aware that his skin now felt fuzzy and vague and that he couldn't move his toes very well, but it was better than the way he had felt before.

"Let's go," the soldier said. "We have cars waiting at street level."

The soldiers rushed to the elevator. Squall moved to keep up and found—to his surprise—that he was fairly mobile. He knew that all this running around was probably damaging his wounds and that he would pay for this later when the painkillers wore off, but that was not a concern at the moment.

They got aboard the elevator and rode it down. Squall shook his head, trying to clear out the fuzzy static that had been filling his brain since waking up. He used a little more curative magic in the elevator, taking the time to direct it to his head. It helped a little, clarifying his thoughts and sharpening his vision.

Down at street level, a couple of cars were parked and waiting. The medic and the soldier with the red joint pads ushered Squall into the back of one of the cars before both piling into the front seats. Another soldier with blue joint pads joined Squall in the back. The other soldiers got into the remaining cars and together they all took off down the road.

Then, at the first road intersection, Squall's car continued to the east—towards the Pandora—while all the other cars broke off, heading up a ramp to one of the skyways.

"Where are they going?" Squall asked.

"They're needed at the front," the red soldier said. "We're the only three who are coming with you."

Squall snorted.

(Not much of an escort.)

He settled back into his chair while his mind churned endlessly. He was aware of every passing second, and he couldn't help but try to imagine the size of the Pandora, and estimate how long it would take Ultimecia to reach her destination. No matter how he looked at it, he didn't know how he would ever manage to catch up to her in time to stop her.

(This can't be it.)

(This can't be the end.)

If Ultimecia won—if she seized control of Hyne's Fount and used it to cast time compression or destroy the world or do whatever she planned to do—then wouldn't that irrevocably change history? Wouldn't that undo everything that Squall and the others had already accomplished? If Ultimecia stopped her journey backwards across time now, if she didn't go back in time at least once more to possess Rinoa immediately after Adel was defeated, then nothing in the past would happen. Squall and the others wouldn't move forward in time and defeat Ultimecia in the future. Everything would be different.

(And that can't be right.)

Or could it? Maybe Ellone was wrong. Maybe they were all wrong. Maybe the past could be changed, if a person with sufficient willpower and strength forced themselves upon it. Maybe Squall and the others had just been lucky so far, and had managed to preserve the integrity of the past only through sheer strength and determination.

Maybe this time, they were destined to fail.

Even though Squall believed that no one—not even Ultimecia—could change the past, he couldn't help but doubt himself. After all, what was going to stop Ultimecia now? She had possessed Rinoa. She had the support of Seifer and his posse. She had Ellone in her possession, probably still unconscious. She was already inside the Pandora and within minutes of taking control of Hyne's Fount. Esthar couldn't stop her. And Squall, in his wounded condition, would have trouble fighting anyone, let alone one of the most powerful sorceresses ever to live.

If Squall was destined to succeed, he had no idea how Fate planned to lead him to victory.

(Aside from a miracle, I don't know what's going to save us.)

The car sped through the abandoned streets of Esthar. Occasionally, military trucks carrying troops and supplies rushed to and from the front lines of the fighting, but aside from that, the city had been all but emptied. Everyone who wasn't fighting was huddled in their homes or their in shelters, waiting for this all to end.

The car turned over to an on-ramp that rose up from the city level and began slowly to ascend into the sky, joining into the network of skyways that laced their way across Esthar. Squall pivoted in his seat and turned to the west to watch the battle.

Galbadian missiles continued down rain down from the north, pounding the city of Esthar and tearing holes and craters into the city. From the yellow bursts of light and smoke in the distance, Squall could see that the fighting had progressed far into the city of Esthar. O Lab would soon be overrun. Many buildings were on fire, and Squall could see Galbadian robots marching down the street, flanked by soldiers and cars, all bearing down on the Esthar lines—which were still fighting, but slowly retreating.

Squall grimaced.

(Even if I stop Ultimecia, what's going to stop them?)

It was hopeless. The amount of miracles that Squall would need just to survive to see the next sunrise were staggering. Squall turned and faced forward in his seat.

(At least…)

(… I'll die fighting.)

Ever since he first put on a SeeD uniform, he'd assumed that that would be his fate: to be killed in battle one day. Many of his classmates had tried to distance themselves from death. They spoke about their plans for the future, what they were going to do after they left SeeD. To them, SeeD was just a small engagement, a service of a few years, something to give them job experience. Even the more loyal SeeDs, the ones who had no intention of ever leaving Garden again, spoke optimistically about the future. They talked about becoming administrators, or of opening up other Gardens in other countries. They had plans, goals, long-term ambitions.

But not Squall. He knew that life as a SeeD would mean a lifetime of battles. And he knew, no matter how hard he trained, no matter how well he was equipped, if he fought enough battles, one day his luck would run out. A stray bullet would catch him above the eye, a soldier he didn't see approaching would stab him through the chest. One day, he would die.

(It seems today is that day.)

A month ago, shortly before Squall and the others had gone to the future and defeated Ultimecia, Rinoa and Squall had shared one last private moment in the field of yellow flowers that grew wild around the ruins of Edea's orphanage. There, Rinoa had confessed that—while she didn't want to die—she would be okay if it was Squall who killed her.

("Squall's blade will pierce my heart.")

They had been talking about a situation exactly like the current one. What would Squall do if Rinoa became possessed by Ultimecia? What if there was no choice but to kill her to save the world?

Squall had made up his mind a month ago, and his decision had not changed since then. Nor had it changed now. No matter what, Squall was not going to kill Rinoa. He would fight Ultimecia, of course. He would fight her as many times as it took, across generations, across oceans, battling however many bodies Ultimecia chose to possess. But he would never kill Rinoa.

(Then it is truly hopeless.)

(Even I can't stop Ultimecia now.)

But, in all likelihood, he wouldn't have to worry about whether or not he would kill Rinoa. He'd probably never have the chance. It was far, far more likely that Rinoa—possessed by Ultimecia—would kill him within seconds, before he even raised his blade.

(Rinoa's magic will stop my heart.)

He found no comfort in that thought. No romanticism. Being killed by the woman he loved held no appeal to him. Even if he had to die—absolutely knew without question that he had no choice but to lay down his life—he would not choose to have Rinoa kill him. He didn't want her to be there when he failed in his final mission. He didn't want her to watch as the light faded from his eyes. He didn't want her to know that her body, her powers, had been used to end his life.

(But… at the same time…)

(I won't stop fighting until I can't fight anymore.)

He closed his eyes.

The car sped along the skyway, and the Lunatic Pandora almost completely filled the front windshield. Below it was the glittering Presidential Palace, and the end of the skyway.

"How do we get up there?" Squall asked.

"Easy," the red Esthar soldier said. He allowed the car to drift to a stop, then shifted a lever on the floor. When he accelerated again, instead of moving forward, the car traveled straight up in the air. The sensation of moving straight up in a car was a little disorienting. The car rose above the roof of the Presidential Palace and came parallel to the massive steel exterior of the Lunatic Pandora.

Making minor adjustments, the Esthar soldier swung the car around until its passenger side was pressed close to a small, door-sized rectangle drawn in the side of the Pandora. When it was close enough, the medic opened the door and then leaned out over the gap. He tapped a few buttons on the side of the Pandora, and the rectangle opened up, revealing a passageway. The medic grabbed his rifle, strapped it across his shoulder, and jumped from the car and headed inside.

The Esthar soldier in the red joint pads grabbed his own rifle and shuffled over to the passenger seat. He turned and looked at Squall.

"Can you make it across this gap?" the soldier asked. Squall nodded, and then the soldier hopped from the car and landed in the passageway. The third soldier climbed into the front and hopped over. Then Squall crawled between the front seats and maneuvered himself into the passenger seat. Doing his best not to look down, he set his feet on the edge of the passenger side doorway and hopped.

A second later he was inside the darkened passageway leading into the Pandora. One of the Esthar soldiers pressed a button and the door sealed shut behind him. Automatically, a series of lights flicked on, illuminating the featureless steel path before them.

"Let's go," the red Esthar soldier said, pointing with the barrel of his rifle. "The rally point isn't far."

They headed down the hallway for several minutes. At any moment, Squall expected to feel or hear signs that Ultimecia had acquired the Fount and was beginning to destroy the world. But as they walked, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

They turned a corner and headed down a series of steps. The Esthar soldier in red stopped at a seemingly blank wall and pushed a couple of recessed buttons. A hidden panel slid to the side, revealing another doorway.

The four stepped through and found themselves in the large central room that Squall and Rinoa—and the rest of the Esthar soldiers—had entered after they had traveled across the Esthar plains. The massive ceiling, radiating green energy from above, made Squall feel intensely small. A large circular opening in the floor revealed the top of the glittering Presidential Palace below.

"We wait here for backup," the Esthar soldier said, coming to a stop.

But Squall immediately spied the hulking X-ATM092 nearby. It was missing two legs and covered in bullet holes and marks. Its menacing red eyes had been shot out, leaving only black LED panels behind. The walls around the Black Widow were pockmarked with bullets and seared with the aftereffects of magic. Dozens of Esthar soldiers were strewn about, none of them moving.

(They've been through here.)

(Esthar couldn't stop them.)

But, in a way, the evidence of battle was a small comfort. It meant that Ultimecia had been forced to stop and fight off the Esthar soldiers for at least a couple of minutes. Perhaps that would buy him more time to stop her.

(But I have to hurry.)

He moved past the Esthar soldiers and headed for the hallway with the most destruction. Undoubtedly, that was where Seifer and the others had gone.

"Hey, hey!" the red Esthar soldier said. "We're supposed to wait here for backup!"

"You can wait if you want," Squall said. "I don't care."

Grimacing at the aches in his legs, he broke into a jog and gripped his gunblade tightly. He stepped over the bodies of the slain soldiers and headed down the hallway, following the trail of destruction and hoping it would lead him to Ultimecia.

He was aware of footsteps following behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, ready and willing to fight the soldiers if they tried to stop him.

But to his surprise, the medic said, "We'll come with." Squall shrugged, indifferent, and continued down the hallway.

(As long as they don't get in my way.)

The hallway eventually turned into a long metal staircase going upwards. Squall's boots clicked hollowly as he ascended, with the three Esthar soldiers behind him. He held his gunblade in one hand, ready for an ambush. He did not expect to see Rinoa anywhere nearby; Ultimecia would not waste her time sitting around, fighting off anyone who came after her. She would go straight to her destination, destroying everything in her path.

Seifer, however, could very well be lurking around any corner. He had no qualms about an ambush attack, and no reason to accompany Ultimecia all the way to the end, not once she had reached the Pandora. In fact, the best use for Seifer at this point would be to leave him behind to mop up any pursuers.

The air around him hummed. At first Squall thought that his ears were ringing after the previous battle and the fall down to the top of the skyscraper. But as he climbed the steps, the humming grew louder—one long, continuous note, as if someone had struck a steel pipe and allowed it to ring indefinitely. The sound was maddening, making Squall unconsciously grind his teeth.

At the top of the steps, the Pandora opened up into a wide cavern, with a ceiling almost five stories high. Squall guessed that one could easily fit a couple of basketball courts, including the stands, inside the cavern and still have room left over. The floor was one continuous sheet of silver metal, emblazoned in the middle with Esthar's emblem. A half dozen hallways extended in various directions, and two elevators—numbered "12" and "13"—waited at the far end of the cavern.

And just before the elevators stood Seifer. He spread out his arms—his gunblade in one hand, the blade flashing in the alien green light emitted by the nearby stones—and grinned.

"Took ya long enough," he said. "You know I don't like to be kept waitin'."

Squall took a few steps forward, enough so that the three Esthar soldiers could enter into the cavern and spread out behind him, but not so far as to make himself an easy target.

"Careful," Squall said to the soldiers. "There's at least two more with him."

(They're never far away from Seifer.)

Squall searched around, but saw no sign of Fujin or Raijin. That made him nervous. In a straight fight, Squall thought he and the Esthar soldiers stood a chance of beating Seifer and his posse. But if Seifer and the others had taken the time to prepare at trap and make plans, then that lessened Squall's odds significantly.

"And you brought friends to the party!" Seifer said. "Three of 'em. You know, Squall, you really should let the host know beforehand if you're plannin' on bringin' uninvited guests. It's just good manners."

"Where is she, Seifer?" Squall asked. He raised his gunblade. The weight of the sword made his wounded arms ache, but he held firm. He couldn't afford to show any weakness.

"Where's who?" Seifer said, with a mocking grin. "You mean Fujin?" He pointed up at a spot above and behind Squall. "She's right there."

Squall heard a whistling sound and—without turning around—sidestepped reflexively, just in time for Fujin's chakram to zip past him. It arced around and sliced open the back of the Esthar medic's knee. He bellowed through his helmet and collapsed to his hands and knees, dropping his rifle on the floor. The other two Esthar soldiers wheeled around and blindly opened fire, their bullets ricocheting off the metal and stone. By the time Squall turned around to where the chakram had come from, Fujin had already vanished.

The Esthar soldiers stopped firing. Moaning, the medic rolled over onto his back and sat up. He pulled at his leg, drawing it close to his body so he could inspect the damage. The red Esthar soldier moved forward to help him, but the medic waved him off, preferring to tend to his own wounds.

"Now it's a bit more fair," Seifer said. "Three on three."

(I don't have time for this.)

Squall spun around and shot a glare at Seifer. "Where is Ultimecia?"

Seifer's smile faded slowly. He changed his stance, extending his empty left hand towards Squall. He curled his fingers in a "come here" motion.

"Come closer and I'll tell ya," Seifer said.

(He's stalling for time.)

Even though Seifer's tactics were obvious, Squall knew that aimlessly roaming through the tunnels inside the Pandora wouldn't help him. He needed to get Seifer to talk—or at least get him out of the way so that he could explore the Pandora undisturbed.

Squall gripped the handle of his gunblade in both hands, leaned forward, and charged, leaving the three Esthar soldiers behind. Seifer's grin returned. Seifer shifted stance again, putting his gunblade between himself and Squall. He raised it to shoulder level and spread apart his legs, then pointed the tip of the blade at Squall and began rocking forward and back, shifting his weight between his legs. Squall tried to remember as much as he could about Seifer's fighting style as he ran to close the gap between them.

(He has a quick backhand slash.)

(But his downward strike is slow, because he puts too much force into it.)

(If I can—)

Before Squall had even covered half the distance across the cavern, he saw a streak of color approaching from the side. He had enough time to blink and begin to spin around when Raijin came flying from his right. Raijin thrust his staff into Squall's stomach, blasting the air from his lungs and throwing him down to the ground. Squall tumbled and rolled, struggling to keep his grip on his gunblade as he slid across the floor.

The Esthar soldiers in the back opened fire on Raijin, but he was moving too fast and their bullets trailed just behind him. He leapt straight up, holding his staff like a javelin, and aimed one end down at Squall's head. Squall rolled to the side and felt the wind rush past his face as Raijin landed, slamming the pole into the floor and leaving a dent the size of a fist.

Squall slashed out in a circle with his gunblade. Raijin jumped out of reach of the attack and leapt up in the air again, once more trying to crush in Squall's skull with a single blow. The Esthar soldiers continued to fire, but the few bullets that came close to Raijin were deflected by Raijin's protection magic.

Squall rolled again, missing Raijin's attack by less than a hand span. He slashed again with his gunblade, and once more Raijin jumped backwards to avoid Squall's counterattack, then leapt in the air again.

(I can't do this forever.)

(Sooner or later, he'll get lucky.)

Squall heard a cry of pain and glanced across the cavern in time to see Fujin's chakram slice through the air and tear through the shooting arm of the red Esthar soldier. He fell to his knees, clutching the bleeding wound, and dropped his gun to the floor. Squall could hear Seifer's laughter echoing through the cavern.

Squall rolled onto his back and looked up at Raijin, who was in the middle of his jump and coming down fast. Squall clenched his teeth and held his gunblade firmly in both hands.

(I have to time this perfectly.)

As Raijin descended, Squall let out a shout and slashed his gunblade out in an arc across his body. Raijin adjusted himself midair, moving to block the blade with his staff. The moment the wooden staff struck the gunblade, Squall pulled the trigger. The additional force of the ammunition gave Squall's strike an incredible amount force, and both the staff and Raijin were hurled a half dozen paces away. Raijin twisted in the air and got his feet under him, but he landed awkwardly, stumbled, then fell to his knees.

Raijin hopped back onto his feet, but the attack had given Squall enough time to regain his footing. He stood up and faced down Raijin. After a moment, Squall realized that he didn't hear gunfire anymore. He chanced a quick look over to the entrance and saw the third Esthar soldier lying face down on the floor, Fujin's chakram embedded in his spine.

(Damn it!)

Squall's only consolation was the knowledge that Fujin would have to emerge from hiding in order to reclaim her weapon from the dead soldier's back. But with the medic trying to stop the bleeding in his leg and the red soldier desperately doing the same to his arm, Squall was alone against all three members of Seifer's posse.

It occurred to him that although they had fought many times in the past, Squall had never been in a situation where he'd been outnumbered by Seifer's posse. Squall had always either fought Seifer one-on-one or else had his allies behind him for support. He wished that he had managed to bring Irvine and Selphie along, but there was nothing he could do about that now.

Raijin charged, spinning his staff in elaborate circles as he approached, moving it from left to right, spiraling it above his head and down around his legs. Squall grimaced. The staff was fast—and Raijin was an expert with it. Squall's gunblade was powerful, but it was also slow and clumsy compared to Raijin's lightweight weapon.

(I can't take him on in a physical fight.)

Squall switched his grip so that he was holding his gunblade with one hand. With his free hand, he clenched his fist and focused. He found a fire spell—just a small, quick one—and summoned it up. He reached forward, aiming it at Raijin, but he held it in his hand for a moment.

Raijin jumped, gripping his staff in both hands, ready to drive it down into Squall head, but Squall had known this was coming. He waited until Raijin was airborne and then released his fire spell, the flash of heat striking Raijin directly in the chest.

"AAAAGH!" Raijin yelled out, flailing his body and swatting away the flames. The spell wasn't strong enough to kill him—or even to knock him out—but it stunned him, making him land hard on his knees and tumble facedown a few steps from Squall's feet.

Squall raised his gunblade and slashed it downwards. Still lying on the ground, Raijin rolled and flicked out his staff, and managed to swat aside the blade. Squall pulled the trigger, hoping to cut through Raijin's staff, but all that did was send the blade flying further off to the side and filled the cavern with the echo of the gunblade's report. Squall struggled to keep his grip on his weapon as its momentum carried the blade past Raijin and bounced it hard off the floor. Raijin jabbed with the staff, catching Squall in the side of his abdomen. Squall grunted and spun, slashing wildly while he retreated backwards.

Raijin put his hand on the floor and neatly hopped back to his feet. He was barely winded, while Squall was already beginning to fatigue.

(I can't do this for long.)

"No you don't!" the Esthar medic shouted.

Squall turned and looked, just in time to see Fujin dashing from the side of the cavern, sprinting for her chakram—which was still embedded in the third Esthar soldier. The medic was sitting on the ground, his leg half-bandaged, his rifle pressed to his shoulder. He opened fire wildly, forcing Fujin to stop running and jump backwards to avoid the stream of bullets. She glared at the soldier with her one eye and then tossed out a quick wind spell, knocking the Esthar soldier into a backwards somersault. The bandages fell of his leg and the wound reopened, dripping blood down the soldier's uniform.

"Pay attention, man!" Raijin said. He rushed forward—suddenly much closer than he was a second ago—and drove his staff into Squall's shoulder. Squall cried out and was flung onto his back. His head snapped hard against the metal floor, sending bursts of light across his vision.

Raijin mercilessly pressed his advantage. Instead of leaping into the air for extra power, he simply charged forward, his staff held straight out and tucked against his body as if he was jousting. Squall held his gunblade by the handle with one hand and used his other to brace the blade along its dull backside. He swept the blade up perpendicular to his body, striking the staff aside at the last second and causing Raijin to stumble and fall forward.

Squall slashed blindly and was rewarded with the sensation of his blade cutting flesh. Raijin cried out as the gunblade drew a sharp line of blood along his calf. Raijin stumbled forward a couple of steps, then knelt down and clapped a hand over his bleeding leg, grunting and cursing under his breath.

Squall got to his feet and spun around, looking for Fujin and Seifer. He heard a whooshing sound and ducked—but too late. Fujin's chakram flicked past his ear and sliced a narrow trench across his shoulder. Squall stumbled and cried out as the chakram continued its flight, arcing through the wide open cavern before returning to its mistress's hand.

Wincing with pain and gasping for breath, Squall spun to face her. As he watched her movements, he called up a cure spell and directed it at the site of his wound, hastily patching it up as best he could in the few moments of reprieve that he had been granted. Fujin gazed at him dispassionately. She held the chakram up with one hand, next to the side of her head, and then flicked it out again.

The little spinning wheel was deadly fast. Even though he saw it coming, Squall still only barely sidestepped the attack. The chakram whizzed by his head, circled around, and then returned to Fujin.

"Hey!" Seifer shouted, just before he drove his fist into the back of Squall's skull.

Everything went pure white for a moment, then black. When Squall recovered himself a second or two later, he was flat on his stomach, his head aching in pain, and his gunblade just out of reach of his fingertips.

Squall grunted and rolled over onto his back, his chest heaving for air. Either his painkillers had worn off, or Squall was too injured for them to have any effect, because he felt as though he'd been thrown down a flight of steps. He blinked and found that his eyes had trouble focusing after Seifer's attack.

Seifer stood above him, his gunblade resting casually on one shoulder. He grinned.

"This is a good sight," Seifer said. "Wish I had a camera."

(Bastard.)

Twin streams of gunfire erupted from across the cavern, and Seifer's magical protection flashed blue as it diverted several of the bullets, sending them sparking across the room. Seifer raised a hand across his face to protect his head, scowled, and stepped backwards away from Squall.

The medic and the red Esthar soldier had recovered their weapons and were firing frantically at Seifer. The medic's leg was hastily bandaged and only barely supporting his weight, and the soldier in red had to fire one handed, his other arm wrapped with white gauze. Squall took this moment, shook his head clear of the lingering fuzziness, and seized his gunblade, slashing out at Seifer's legs and forcing him to jump backwards. With the gunfire still hammering down at him, Seifer threw out a quick fire spell to force the Esthar soldiers to move aside.

Seifer's counterattack worked, and both soldiers stopped firing and ducked aside from the attack. That gave Fujin an open window to toss her chakram. It spun through the air and slashed the medic across the side of his head. His cry of pain was cut off prematurely, ending almost the same moment it began. His body fell to the ground, limp. Fujin's chakram—its trajectory altered by the impact—wobbled in the air and then fell to the floor before coming to a rest against the far wall of the cavern.

(Damn it.)

(Now two soldiers are dead.)

While Fujin's chakram was still in the air, Raijin recovered himself and leapt across nearly a quarter of the cavern's width in a single bound. He lowered his staff like a javelin again, aiming at the third and final Esthar soldier. The soldier spun and aimed his weapon at his attacker, but without junctions to speed his reactions, he was a fraction too slow. By the time he leveled the barrel of the rifle at Raijin, Raijin had already struck him hard in the chest, cracking the man's armor plating and throwing him hard to the floor.

Squall knew that his chances of survival would dip to almost zero if he lost his last remaining ally, so he spun away from Seifer and launched out another rapid blast of fire, forcing Raijin to dodge aside.

Squall heard footsteps, and turned in time to see Seifer rushing at him, gunblade held high above his head. Seifer slashed downward, Squall crossed his gunblade perpendicular to Seifer's, and the two slammed into each other with stunning force. They pulled the triggers on their weapons simultaneously, and the resulting shockwave was too great for either man to handle. Both were thrown backwards by the thunderous explosion.

Seifer spun—his back now facing Squall—taking stumbling steps and bending over at the waist as he struggled to keep from falling to his knees. Squall was thrown back onto the seat of his pants. His skidded for a couple paces before he stopped. Instead of trying to get back to his feet, he looked at Seifer's exposed back, snarled, and threw out a lightning spell before Seifer could recover. The magic spell hit Seifer square between the shoulder blades. He cried out in pain, his arms jerking convulsively, and he lost his grip on his gunblade. It clattered to the floor. Seifer dropped to his knees beside it a moment later, his back smoking.

Squall, still seated on the floor, spun on his wounded hip, wincing at the pain, and saw Raijin deliver the killing blow to the red Esthar soldier's head. Squall's diversion had bought the man a moment's reprieve, but not enough for him to reach his gun and defend himself. Squall was now officially alone in the fight. Meanwhile, Fujin had dashed over to the far side of the room and was bending to recover her chakram.

(I can't win this.)

(It's all I can do just to stay alive.)

Desperate for any chance to increase his odds of survival, Squall's eyes alighted on the blue Esthar soldier lying face down on the floor. His rifle was still in his hands, untouched. Squall scrambled to his feet and dashed for the fallen soldier.

Fujin spun around, saw what Squall was doing, and hurled out her chakram. Squall angled the wide, flat side of his gunblade, and deflected the chakram, steering the spinning disk up and into the far wall, where it bounced off of an outcropping of green rock and then clattered to the floor. Fujin cursed and readied a wind spell, but pulled it back when she saw Raijin move in for an attack of his own.

Raijin leapt across the cavern and landed a few paces in front of Squall. But Squall did not hesitate or slow down. He brought the heel of his gunblade to his chest, the point sticking straight out in front of him. Raijin moved and swept out his staff to deflect the blade to the side, but Squall stepped hard into Raijin's attack and pulled the trigger, putting all his weight into the blade as he did.

His gunblade struck Raijin's staff, shoving the staff backwards into Raijin's chest and hurling the tanned teenager to the side and out of Squall's path. With Raijin out of the way, Fujin finished her wind spell and threw it at Squall, but Squall's Guardian Force absorbed the worst of the impact. The wind rushed on either side of him, but he kept his footing and was not bowled over. When the spell died a second later, Squall dashed the last few steps towards the blue soldier and then slid onto his knees. He crashed into the soldier and yanked the rifle out of his hands.

Holding it awkwardly in his left hand, Squall gripped the rifle and fired a wild arc around him, in the general direction of Fujin and Raijin. The two of them ducked, the bullets flying just over their heads. Squall pivoted on his knees and turned to where he'd last seen Seifer.

(If I can get him, the other two should be easier.)

As Squall had anticipated, Seifer had already recovered from the lightning attack, had picked up his gunblade, and was charging once more. His grin and his sarcasm were gone, and his face was a mask of blind rage. Squall leveled the rifle directly at Seifer's chest and pulled the trigger.

The gun clicked dry, firing nothing but air. Squall's eyes widened and his heart hammered. Without thinking, he chucked the heavy rifle at Seifer. The throw was perfect, and although Seifer reared back to dodge the attack, the end of the barrel still caught him in the face, smashing his nose and sending twin spurts of blood pouring out from his nostrils.

Seifer howled in pain and clamped his free hand over his face to staunch the bleeding as he stumbled to a stop. Squall tightened his grip on his gunblade and pushed off from the floor, lunging towards Seifer and bringing his gunblade across from his waist to his opposite shoulder in one fluid motion.

Seifer instinctively raised his gunblade to deflect the attack, but only used one hand to do so, keeping his other clamped to his nose. Squall pulled the trigger when their blades connected, tearing Seifer's gunblade from his grasp and sending it spinning through the air. Squall set his feet, adjusted his grip, and swiped at Seifer again.

"Bastard!" Seifer said from behind his fist. He jumped backwards awkwardly, dodging Squall's attack by the length of a finger. He stumbled, tripped, and fell on his back, landing beside the empty rifle that Squall had thrown at him. He picked it up with both hands and held his across his chest as Squall leapt up and slashed down.

Squall pulled the trigger, and his gunblade sunk in partway through the rifle, nearly severing the barrel in half. But somehow the rifle did not break and Seifer's grip held firm. Squall was trapped for a moment, his gunblade wedged in the metal of the rifle. He tugged it side to side to try to loosen it, while Seifer kicked out, aiming for Squall's knees.

"OFFA HIM!" Raijin shouted. He jumped from the side, striking Squall hard in the hip with his staff. Squall stumbled and fell—his gunblade finally pulling loose from the rifle—then rolled on the ground. Raijin jumped again, this time holding his staff on one end like a bat, ready to club Squall hard with the wooden weapon.

Squall sat up quickly, allowing the staff to strike the floor just behind him. Instead of rolling away from the next attack, Squall immediately threw himself back down again, pinning the staff under his shoulders. Raijin's eyes widened as he realized what Squall was doing, but he had put too much energy into the attack and couldn't recover in time to pull away. Squall coiled his free arm around the staff, holding it in place as Raijin futilely tugged on the weapon, trying to pull it free.

Squall—still on his back—bent at the waist and raised the heel of one boot, driving it hard into Raijin's stomach. Raijin grunted and released the staff as he stumbled backwards. Squall leapt to his feet and spun the staff awkwardly in his left hand. The blow crossed Raijin's chin, sending him tumbling down to the floor.

A whooshing sound approached Squall from behind. He dropped to his knees as the chakram shot over his head. He got to his feet again and saw the spinning disk return to Fujin. Meanwhile, a few steps away, Seifer picked up his gunblade and began charging at Squall yet again.

(Every time I deal with one…)

(… The other two attack.)

Holding Raijin's staff in his left hand and his gunblade in his right, Squall set his feet and braced himself for Seifer's attack. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fujin raise her chakram, readying another attack, and an idea occurred to him.

Seifer charged, all fury and no foresight. Squall retreated slowly, dodging some attacks and deflecting others. Seifer swung his gunblade again and again like he was hacking through dense forest, cleaving through the air and pulling the trigger even when his attacks came nowhere close to landing on Squall or striking his gunblade.

Squall continued to back away, using Raijin's staff to help nudge aside Seifer's wild attacks and keep him off balance. There was no time for Squall to counterattack with his gunblade, and Squall feared that if he tried, Seifer's pure rage would overpower him and send him reeling.

When he finally saw an opening, Squall thrust out with the staff, hitting Seifer in the chest and knocking him a step backwards. Squall flicked a sideways glance at Fujin and saw her wind up her arm, her chakram ready to throw. Now that Squall had opened up a gap between Seifer and himself, she saw an open shot.

(Perfect.)

Squall backed away, opening the gap between himself and Seifer even wider. The attack on Seifer had been deliberately weak, and Seifer recovered quickly. Snarling, he charged forward. Squall held his ground, even as he heard the familiar whooshing sound once more. Seifer, oblivious to his surroundings, continued to rush forward. He raised his gunblade above his head and brought it down with a crushing strike.

Using the staff and the gunblade in tandem, Squall redirected Seifer's attack to one side and then ducked to the other side, putting Seifer between the flying chakram and himself.

"SEIFER!" Fujin shouted, but too late. The chakram embedded itself partway into Seifer's thigh with a meaty thump and stuck there, hanging off the side of Seifer's leg.

"AAAAAAARRRRGGGGHH!" Seifer screamed. His free hand dropped to the chakram and pulled, but the disk was embedded in too deep for him to get it out on his first try.

Panting and gasping, Squall raised his gunblade and charged, hoping to finally end this fight. But once again, Raijin leapt out of nowhere, this time swallowing Squall in a crushing embrace and tackling him to the ground. Squall hit the floor hard on his shoulder, landing on his gunblade. The sharp edge tore a line through his jacket and cut open his arm.

Raijin put both knees on either side of Squall's chest and straightened up, pulling his fists back towards his chest.

"You stay," Raijin shouted, punching Squall hard in the temple. "Away from," he said, punching Squall with the other fist. "SEIFER!"

Raijin punched a third time, and Squall's mind went white. He was aware only of a stabbing pain in his head, Raijin's crushing weight upon his chest, and the dim feeling that he had lost the fight.

(I must…)

Squall released both the staff and his gunblade and brought his hands up to his head to shield himself. Raijin adjusted appropriately, angling his fists to the sides and finding the gaps in Squall's defenses. Squall twisted and squirmed, deflecting the worst of the damage with his hands and forearms, but Raijin's relentless attacks were quickly wearing him down.

(Focus…)

An ordinary fighter, in this situation, would swiftly be defeated. Squall was in one of the worst positions possible, and strength alone would not save him.

But Squall was a SeeD, not some street brawler.

He closed his eyes, clamped his arms tight around his head, and began to call up Quezacotl. The electric energy filled his body, temporarily absorbing the pain and the damage of Raijin's blows as it suffused Squall's being, filling him with power and energy.

"SUMMONING!" Fujin yelled to Raijin.

"I know! I know!" Raijin yelled. He threw out a few more punches. "I'm tryna stop him!"

But punches wouldn't be enough to interrupt a summoning. Squall wasn't invincible during a summon—a strong attack could stop the process and cause permanent damage to the GF, maybe even outright destroy it—but mere fists alone wouldn't be enough to overcome the power of Squall's GF.

Squall's connection to his GF was almost as good as any SeeD's had ever been. Even distracted by Raijin's attacks, wounded, half-delirious, and in pain, he kept the link that connected him to Quezacotl active and continued the summon. Soon the electric energy began to crackle in the air, and Raijin abandoned his attack.

He leapt to his feet, leaving Squall alone and dashed over to Fujin, yelling, "RUN! RUN!"

Still focusing, still drawing out the energy of his Guardian Force, Squall slowly rose to his feet. He looked and saw Fujin and Raijin sprinting towards the nearest exit, scrambling to get away. They weren't important. It was Seifer he wanted. He scanned along the cavern until he found him.

Seifer, meanwhile, was holding his ground. It was then that Squall noticed Seifer's look of concentration, his focused gaze, and the wreath of fire surrounding his head.

(He's summoning too.)

Squall almost broke off the connection then. No one had ever tested what happened when a summon attacked a summon. And to do so inside the Lunatic Pandora—which was full of all kinds of foreign, unstudied energies—was risky to the point of being suicidal.

But Squall knew that, once Seifer began his summoning, he would not stop it for anything. Furthermore, if Squall abandoned his own summon, he would never reach the exit in time. Seifer was nearing completion—was only seconds away.

His only choice was to finish the summon and see what happened next.

With a burst of light and a crushing roar of thunder, Quezacotl flashed into being, the massive green-and-yellow bird spreading its wings, which nearly touched both sides of cavern at once. Its massive body both brilliant and terrible.

(It seems… stronger than I remember.)

A moment later, Seifer finished his summon. With the roar of an erupting volcano, Ifrit tore his way into the world, spewing fire and lava and molten rocks in his wake. Ifrit was a muscular demon, covered in thick brown fur with coarse black patches of hair at its joints. Long, wicked claws extended from the ends of two massive hands, each one large enough to crush a human skull in its grasp. It had the face of a bear or a dog, with long, sharp teeth and two massive horns sprouting from its head and arching parallel to the curve of its spine. Ifrit roared and stepped beside Seifer, fire belching out from its mouth.

Quezacotl flapped its wings, spraying sparks in the air. The air smelt both burned and charged with the combined powers of the two Guardian Forces. Squall's lightning GF leaned forward, an orb of pure electric energy forming at its beak. Squall used what little control he had over the GF to direct its attack towards Ifrit. He felt the GF acquiesce to the order and shift its attention from Seifer to the fire demon that stood beside him.

Ifrit roared again, the roar producing a perfect sphere of boiling flame in front of its snout. The two GFs charged their attacks, crackling lightning and sweltering fire filling the cavern with heat, light, and a staggering amount of energy.

The two Guardian Forces unleashed their attacks at once. The bolt of lightning struck the inferno in the middle of the air, producing a shockwave that detonated with the force of a bomb and threw Squall across the cavern, slamming him hard against the wall. The tips of his hair were charred, his clothes were smoking, and his entire front side was lightly burned, as if he'd spent the day in the sun.

But he was alive. Staggered, he opened his eyes and felt as the twin energies of Ifrit and Quezacotl dissipating from the room. His nose and mouth were full of smoke. He glanced up.

At the far end of the cavern, Seifer stumbled to his feet. The chakram was still embedded inside his leg. With an animalistic roar, he gripped the weapon with both hands and yanked it out, sending a spray of blood spurting from his leg. With a maddened roar, he summoned a flame in one hand and pressed it hard against the wound, searing it shut. Squall could hear the flesh sizzling even on the other side of the cavern.

(He's completely insane.)

With his wound crudely mended, Seifer tossed the chakram down to the floor and lurched forward, heading for his gunblade. The force of the blast had knocked it to the wall a few dozen paces away.

With a start, Squall realized that he had dropped his weapon much earlier, during Raijin's attack. He frantically searched around, and found it resting against the wall near the entrance. Squall scrambled to his feet, too full of adrenaline to pay any attention to the terrible pain in his body, and dashed—limping and stumbling—to his gunblade.

"SQUALL!" Seifer bellowed, raising his gunblade. His stance was unsteady, his wounded leg barely able to support his weight. He looked almost drunk with pain and fatigue. "This ends now, Squall!"

(I agree.)

Squall scrambled to his gunblade. He bent to pick it up, but his legs gave out from underneath him and he collapsed beside it. With shaking hands, he grabbed the handle and lifted the gunblade. It felt like it weighed a hundred times what it did before. It took everything he had to pick it up off the ground.

He stood up, getting one quivering leg underneath him, then the other. Gasping, he turned his body towards Seifer. Sweat poured down his face and his lungs couldn't seem to find enough air.

Just then, bullets flew through the front entrance. Seifer's protective shield had worn off long ago, and the bullets whizzed past him, piercing holes in his trench coat and buzzing dangerously close to his body. The only thing that saved him was the fact that he was standing at the far end of the cavern, making him a difficult target to hit.

Squall turned and saw a squad of Esthar soldiers rushing into the room and fanning out, leveling their rifles at Seifer.

(The backup's here.)

"DAMN IT ALL!" Seifer yelled. He raised his empty hand and clenched it into a fist. Fire formed in between his fingers and he hurled the conflagration at his enemies. The blast of fire struck the ground in front of the Esthar soldiers, sending a few of them flying through the air and forcing the rest to scramble to avoid the attack.

While they were distracted, Seifer turned and—holding his wounded leg—limped down the nearest hallway and out of sight.

Squall gritted his teeth and poured curative magic through his body. It wasn't enough—not nearly enough—but it kept him going. At a pained jog, he chased after Seifer, rushing towards the glittering green hallway. The Esthar soldiers began to follow after Squall, but Fujin and Raijin burst out from a nearby hallway and launched wind and lightning attacks at them. The Esthar soldiers broke away, leaving Squall to pursue Seifer on his own.

He entered the hallway, with the sounds of battle behind him growing more distant with every step. The hallway curved ahead, preventing Squall from seeing around the bend. He expected that Seifer would wait in ambush and launch a fire spell. Squall readied his own magic defenses in preparation, but when he rounded the bend he saw that the hallway was empty.

(Where is he?)

Squall grimaced. It was unlikely that Esthar would try to continue deeper into the Pandora until Fujin and Raijin were dealt with, which meant that Squall would have to chase down Seifer on his own. Sitting and waiting for the soldiers to come help was out of the question—and so, too, was the thought of going back to help fight Fujin and Raijin. Seifer knew where Ultimecia currently was—or where she was going, and Squall didn't think that Seifer would be clever enough to lead Squall on a wild chase around the Lunatic Pandora.

No, Seifer would head back to his sorceress and try to use her power to finally defeat Squall. He had done so once before—during the fight inside Galbadia Garden, when Ultimecia still possessed Edea—and Squall assumed he would do so again. Therefore, Squall's only choice was to run after Seifer and hope that he was right.

The tunnel sloped upward, making Squall's aching muscles cry out for mercy as he jogged up and up and up. The path curved several times, but never forked off in another direction. There was only the one direction to go, so Squall knew that he was on Seifer's trail, even if he couldn't see him.

But as Squall continued to climb, with still no sign of Seifer, he began to get worried.

(How fast can he run with that leg injury?)

Fast enough, apparently, to stay ahead of Squall. Granted, he did have a large head start, but Squall thought he should have already caught up to him.

He continued to climb and then traveled around one final bend. Then the hallway opened up into an enormous chasm, almost half the size of Garden. A bridge connected the hallway to a massive elevator shaft in the middle of the chasm. Shining green rocks and metal formed the walls of the cavern and the Esthar logo was printed on the floor—five stories below the bridge.

Halfway to the elevator, Seifer was frantically limping forward, one hand on his wounded leg and the other on his gunblade.

"SEIFER!" Squall said, but Seifer ignored him and kept running. Squall took a breath and charged.

Seifer reached the elevator and pressed the button. To Squall's despair, the elevator was already there and waiting. The doors immediately opened up, and Seifer threw himself inside the car. Leaning against the inside wall of the elevator, Seifer stabbed the down button and the glass doors shut, and Seifer began to descend.

"No!" Squall yelled through clenched teeth.

(I can't lose him in the elevator!)

He continued running and summoned forth an ice spell in his free hand. When the spell was finished, he formed the ice into one solid block and hurled it at the glass tube. The glass tube shattered on impact and Squall lunged forward, slashing with his gunblade and pulling the trigger to sweep away the remnants of the tube. Glass flew all around him, tearing holes in his clothes and cutting lines across his skin. Without a thought, he plunged into the elevator shaft and fell straight down.

He accelerated frighteningly fast. In the darkened shaft, he couldn't see where he was in relation to the descending elevator, so he curled into a defensive ball and held his gunblade away from his body so it wouldn't pierce him when he landed.

With a painful thud he hit the top of the elevator. He heard Seifer cursing and fumbling around inside the elevator.

Squall took this moment to fill himself with more curative magic, nearly exhausting his supply. He would have enough—he estimated—for maybe one more fight. After that, he would be unable to heal himself. Unless, of course, he burned his wounds shut, like Seifer had.

(I might have to do that.)

Slightly energized by the healing magic, Squall managed to heave himself up onto his knees as the elevator continued to carry both him and Seifer down to the lower levels of the Pandora. He raised his gunblade above his head, pointed the tip straight down, and thrust hard, pulling the trigger. The blade pierced through the metal ceiling of the elevator. Inside, Seifer's cursing grew in intensity.

Squall pulled the trigger again and again, filling the elevator shaft with deafening reports. As he fired, he rocked the gunblade back and forth, plunging it deeper through the metal and tearing the hole open wider.

When he finally broke through, a ray of light illuminated the shaft through the newly formed hole. He could catch glimpses of Seifer through the opening, staring up at him with a mixture of hatred and surprise. Squall yanked out the gunblade and stabbed again, making another hole beside the first.

A few seconds later, the elevator came to a stop and Seifer rushed out, choosing to flee rather than fight. Squall finished cutting his second hole in the elevator ceiling and then slammed his free hand flat against the metal between the two holes. He summoned his strongest earth magic—which affected metal as well as dirt and rocks—and used it to warp the steel, snapping off one end and pushing it down like popping open a can of soda. A harsh metal screech filled the air, nearly deafening Squall, but his plan worked. Within seconds, he had a hole wide enough to jump through.

He dropped down through the gap and landed gracelessly inside the elevator. The doors opened as he approached and he stepped out into a glowing green tunnel. The stone floor was slippery under his boots.

Seifer had not gotten far—only a few dozen paces away from the elevator. When he saw Squall emerge, he stopped running and turned around. Even though he was panting and gasping, Seifer's mouth twisted up into a smile.

Squall stumbled forward and raised his gunblade. He shifted his right leg forward, fighting to stay upright while the world seemed to be swaying under his feet.

"Ya know what the problem is?" Seifer asked. He paused and took a couple of breaths, then raised his gunblade and pointed it at Squall's chest. "You. You're the problem. If you'd just fricken die already, then this would all be over by now."

(What is he talking about?)

(… Whatever. It doesn't matter.)

"Where is she?" Squall said. Last time he spoke those words at a bellow. This time, it was all he could do just to growl those same words.

Seifer lowered his gunblade and shrugged. "You're provin' her right, ya know. Every time you survive some crazy accident, or get shot in the chest and don't die, you make her more convinced that you're some kind of immortal. A Legendary SeeD."

He spat.

(Legendary SeeD…)

"That's what Ultimecia says?" Squall asked. He was too exhausted to think straight. He was sure that he had heard those words before, but he couldn't remember when or who had said them.

"She's got it in her head that you're destined to kill her," Seifer said. "So she's doin' everything she can to stop you. Even if it means destroying the world."

"And you're helping her," Squall said.

"You willin' to die for your little girlfriend?" Seifer asked. "Because that's what it's gonna take. You can't stop Ultimecia any other way. Die, and show her that you're not invincible. Maybe then she'd stop all this."

(I won't die.)

"Where is she?" Squall asked.

Seifer snorted. "Back the way you came. Up the elevator."

(He's not going to tell me.)

(And there's no more time to waste.)

Squall leaned forward, desperately willing his fatigued legs to carry him through yet another battle. His knees shook with every step, and the weight of his gunblade felt like he was carrying a whole second person on the ends of his arms. Seifer grinned and got into his fighting stance—almost as shaky as Squall.

"One last time," Seifer said as Squall approached.

(Yeah.)

Squall lowered the point of his gunblade until it was dragging on the smooth green stones below him. He broke into a run—or tried, in any case. The result was a loping gait, evidence of Squall's overwhelming exhaustion. When he got close enough to strike, he pulled the trigger before lifting his blade off the ground. The resulting shockwave kicked up the blade upwards in a diagonal arc, with greater speed than Squall could have managed on his own. He guided the blade, turning the sharp tip towards Seifer's chest.

Seifer slashed down, showing surprising strength and speed, despite his obvious fatigue. The two blades collided in the air and Squall's gunblade was knocked to the ground, with Squall only barely hanging on to the grip with one hand.

Seifer snarled and put both hands on his gunblade and swept upwards. Squall threw his head back, the tip of Seifer's blade coming dangerously close to adding a second scar on Squall's face. He swung his gunblade as he stepped back and managed to catch Seifer in the burned flesh of his leg wound with the flat of his blade. Seifer grunted and stumbled, flailing his gunblade erratically. Squall took several steps back and focused.

(Seifer's got more energy left than I do.)

Squall retreated another step and began calling up a lightning spell. The energy crackled in his fist as he poured in more and more energy. He wasn't aiming to stun or distract Seifer this time. With this attack, he wanted to end the fight for good.

"No… you… DON'T!" Seifer said.

He charged and lowered his shoulder. Squall tried to sidestep the attack, but Seifer adjusted quickly and drove his shoulder into Squall's stomach. Squall felt as if his innards were being pushed up into his chest as the force of the impact threw him backwards and against the glowing stone wall. The back of his head cracked against the stone, making Squall's vision blur, and he stumbled down to his knees.

Seifer thrust his gunblade straight out, aiming to pierce Squall's chest. Too weak to lift his gunblade and parry the attack, Squall threw himself onto his side, allowing the gunblade to slice just above him and clang loudly against the stone wall of the hallway. Squall's shoulder cried out with pain when he landed, but the hurt was drowned out by all the other myriad pains screaming throughout his body.

Still lying on the floor, Squall swept his gunblade in a low arc, aiming for Seifer's ankles. Seifer grunted and danced away from the attack. Squall managed to catch Seifer on the bottom of his boot, tripping him up and making him stumble wildly for a few steps. While Seifer fought to regain his balance, Squall continued bringing up his lightning spell.

Seifer got his feet under him and glanced down at Squall. When he saw the crackling orb of lightning growing in Squall's hand, he charged recklessly forward, raising his gunblade above his head as he ran.

With the spell still incomplete, Squall was forced to reach out and splay his fingers, firing the lightning spell into Seifer's chest. The impact drove the wind out of Seifer's lungs and shoved him back against the opposite wall of the tunnel. Seifer groaned and slumped his shoulders, but the spell had not been strong enough to kill or incapacitate him.

(Damn it.)

(If I'd had one or two more seconds to charge up, the fight would have been over.)

Seifer grunted and clenched his teeth then charged again. With no time to call up another spell or get to his feet, Squall had no choice but to defend himself with his blade while still on the ground. He rolled onto his back, pointing his legs towards Seifer and raised his gunblade. He kept his knees bent and close to his body.

Seifer struck downwards in a vicious arc. Squall angled his own blade and redirected the attack so it struck to the left of Squall's ear. Howling in anger, Seifer raised his gunblade and stabbed down, and Squall blocked it to the right this time. Again and again, Seifer struck, and Squall parried every time, keeping himself alive for another moment with each successful defense.

But his arms were tiring fast and his reflexes were slowing. Each parry required perfect timing and a massive amount of energy. If this continued for long, Squall would eventually lose the fight.

"Why…" Seifer said, slashing his gunblade down. Squall blocked it, spraying sparks everywhere as their blades collided.

"Won't…." Seifer stabbed forward, aiming for Squall's gut. Squall blocked it, but a moment too late. Seifer's blade slashed open a shallow gash along Squall's belly, and thick blood slowly oozed out of the cut and seeped into his clothes.

"You…" Seifer said, swinging his sword underhand like a golf club and forcing Squall to awkwardly defend the attack with the side of his gunblade, twisting his legs away as he did. The force of the impact deflected Squall's own gunblade into the side of his head, stunning him for a second.

"DIE!" Seifer yelled, finishing his sentence. This time he attacked at Squall's exposed legs, trying desperately to score a solid hit on his rival. This proved to be a devastating mistake, as Squall simply tucked his legs tight against his chest, avoiding the attack and allowing Seifer's gunblade to clash uselessly with the floor. At the same time, Squall swept out with his own gunblade, aiming for Seifer's knees.

Seifer jumped back, but too slowly. The gunblade cut two lines, one underneath each of his kneecaps, and Seifer immediately collapsed. He fell forward, his eyes widening as he realized that he was about to fall on top of Squall. He twisted mid-fall to try to drive his shoulder into Squall's chest when he landed.

With the last of his strength, Squall heaved his gunblade in an arc from his left shoulder to his right. He had no energy left for an accurate strike, and he found himself catching Seifer on the side of the head with the wide, flat part of the blade. He pulled the trigger on contact, sending a shockwave through Seifer that hurled him sideways across the hallway and into the opposite wall, where he collapsed in a heap.

Seifer grunted once, and then was still. His hand relaxed and his gunblade slipped from his fingers.

Squall gasped and looked up at the ceiling. His arms gave out, and he let his gunblade hang loose in his grasp, stretched out along the floor beside him. Wincing, he closed his eyes and began healing himself. The cure spells repaired some of his injuries, but did nothing to ease the extreme exhaustion that held Squall pinned to the ground. He felt like the gravity in the room had doubled or tripled, and every breath of air brought not relief, but instead searing pain through his lungs.

(I have to go.)

(I have to finish this.)

Squall opened his eyes and rolled onto his stomach. Seifer still hadn't moved. He lay face down on the floor, his arms above his head, obscuring his face.

(Did I kill him?)

Squall had struck him with the flat of his blade, which wasn't normally a killing blow, but since Squall had struck directly against Seifer's temple and pulled the trigger, the resulting shockwave could have been enough to kill Seifer.

(But I wouldn't bet on it…)

Shaking, Squall pushed himself to his hands and knees, grunting with the effort. He couldn't lift his gunblade, so he left it on the ground.

(I have to be sure.)

Panting, Squall sat up on the floor, clenched his fist, and focused on a magic spell. The only way to be sure that Seifer was dead—without getting dangerously close to his body—was to fry him while he was down. There was no honor in it and no dignity, but Squall was beyond caring about such things at this point. If one of the two of them was destined to die inside the Lunatic Pandora, then Squall was willing to do whatever he needed to do to ensure that it was Seifer who perished.

The elevator hummed and the doors opened, spilling out a battered Fujin and Raijin.

"SEIFER!" Fujin yelled, hurling out her chakram.

Squall didn't dodge the attack, so much as collapse away from the blade. He fell on his side as the chakram bounced along the narrow walls of the tunnel and finally skittered to a stop. Raijin rushed to Seifer's side, kicking Squall away from his friend, and knelt beside Seifer. Squall dropped onto the ground, dizzy, weak and disoriented.

Feebly, Squall rolled over towards his gunblade. He reached out and grasped its handle. He could barely lift it—could barely even drag it along the ground—but as long as he was alive, he was going to fight—or at least make the attempt to fight.

(I can't lose.)

(Not now.)

"He's alive," Raijin said, pressing his fingers to Seifer's neck. He turned to Squall. "The fight's over, ya know? You won, okay?"

Squall closed his fingers around his gunblade and looked at the pair. He was too weak to attack, so he waited for one of the two to strike first, hopefully opening up a weakness for Squall to counter. But neither of them moved. Raijin looked down at Seifer with regretful eyes and checked Seifer for any major injuries. He rested his staff alongside Seifer. Fujin stared dully with her one eye, glancing at Seifer, then at Squall, then back to Seifer.

Gritting his teeth, Squall watched Raijin, unsure of what was going to happen next. Raijin, sighed, grabbed Seifer's arm, and threw it over his shoulder, then lifted up his unconscious body. Fujin knelt down and recovered Seifer's gunblade and Raijin's staff, then draped Seifer's other arm over her shoulder and together the three of them walked down the hallway, heading away from the elevator. Seifer's feet dragged lifelessly along the floor. Squall watched them go for a few seconds.

(Is this a trick?)

"You're not gonna fight?" Squall asked them. They paused. Raijin glanced back.

"We're here to protect Seifer, ya know?" Raijin said. "We don't give a damn about anyone else. Not you, not the sorceress. Nobody."

(What happened to the Esthar soldiers?)

Either Raijin and Fujin had defeated them all, or they had successfully thrown the soldiers off their trail, sending the soldiers running down some distant part of the Pandora. In any case, Squall was alone now, and couldn't expect to get any help finding or fighting the sorceress.

(Damn it all…)

Squall watched as the two moved further and further down the hallway. Eventually, Fujin reached her chakram and bent down to pick it up, holding it along with Seifer's gunblade. She had to fumble to hold all three weapons. Raijin saw her struggling and took his staff back from her, allowing Fujin to carry just the gunblade and her chakram. She clipped the chakram to her belt, and they continued walking forward.

"Where's Rinoa?" Squall asked.

This was his last hope. He didn't have the time or the energy to roam around the Pandora looking for her, and he had no idea where she might be. If Raijin and Fujin didn't tell him now, then he would be no closer to finding her than he had been a few minutes ago.

At an intersection further down the hall, the trio paused. Fujin glanced over her shoulder, making eye contact with Squall, then lifted Seifer's gunblade, using the weapon to point down the path to the right.

"SORCERESS," she said. She lowered her hand and the three turned to the left, heading in the complete opposite direction. They vanished around the corner a second later.

Squall rested on the ground for a few moments, breathing deeply.

(I'm still alive.)

(Somehow… I made it this far.)

When he had first gotten into the Esthar car on his way to the Pandora, he honestly didn't think he would survive a single battle, let alone an incredibly lopsided fight against Seifer and his entire posse. Not only had he won the fight, chased down Seifer, and then beaten him in a final duel, he had now been given his first lead to Rinoa's whereabouts. He had come much further than he ever thought he would.

But it still wasn't far enough. In fact, in Squall's estimation, he'd only accomplished the easiest part of his task. Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin were tough, but none of them could compare to a sorceress. And not just a regular sorceress, but Rinoa, possessed by Ultimecia. Beating Seifer's posse was only a preamble to the actual fight.

(Another fight…)

And there was Squall, lying on the floor, too exhausted to stand. He still had so much more work left to do, and his body wasn't going to let him take another step.

(No…)

(I'm gonna do this.)

He closed his eyes, sucked in a breath, and clenched his teeth. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and then—bracing himself against the wall—managed to push himself to his feet. He took a couple of trembling steps.

(I can do it.)

He glanced down at his gunblade on the floor. He turned away, deciding to leave it behind. After all, he could barely lift the blade, let alone swing it. All it was going to do now was slow him down. And besides, mere physical force wasn't going to do anything to stop a sorceress. He would need to come up with a different plan if he wanted to stop Ultimecia and save Rinoa.

And unfortunately, Squall's mind was drawing a blank. He had no idea what he was doing. His only thought was to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. After an eternity of walking, he reached the intersection and turned to the right as Fujin had directed him. The hallway, to Squall's dismay, sloped upwards and curved in a long slow spiral. The gentle angle may as well have been a mountain, in Squall's condition.

He looked down, focused on his feet, and began taking steps forward.

He'd taken no more than a half dozen steps when the green stones began glowing with greater and greater intensity. The light became almost blinding, and Squall had to squint against the glare. He could hear a humming in the air and feel as the entire hallway thrummed with ever growing power.

(It's happening.)

(She's connecting with the Fount.)

That thought should have given him a boost of adrenaline, but his body was utterly tapped out. Instead, he felt only more exhaustion pile on top of him with the knowledge that he was too late to keep Ultimecia from achieving her goal.

But he was still alive, at least for the moment. If nothing else, he could see Rinoa one last time before the end. He put one boot in front of the other and continued marching up the slope, his eyes pointed downwards at the glowing stone beneath him. He trudged along, like a man going to his execution.

(That's basically what it is.)

(An execution.)

(I can't stop Ultimecia.)

(I won't kill Rinoa.)

(All I can do now is choose when and where I die.)

Before he realized it, he saw the green stones give way to flat, corrugated steel. His boots clicked on the metal, startling him out of his trance. He looked up and found himself in another cavern—this one only about a quarter of the size of the one he'd fought Seifer's posse in. The high, vaulted ceiling extended about three stories up, illuminated by the intensely glowing stones.

A series of metal steps in the middle of the room rose up to a square dais. Upon the dais was a long, thick pole the size of a small tree jutting straight out from the middle. On the pole was a series of symbols in Esthar's writing, but it was too small and too far away for Squall to read clearly.

Rinoa stood there, both hands pressed against the pole, her back to the entrance. Squall couldn't see any evidence of the energy being transferred, but he could feel it in the air as Ultimecia—via Rinoa—absorbed the energies contained within the planet. His skin prickled and limbs felt loose and watery.

Down at Rinoa's feet was Ellone, stretched out on her side, asleep. When he saw her, Squall realized that there was one last desperate plan that might save himself, Rinoa, and the world.

(If I can wake up Sis…)

If Ellone could be woken up in time—and if she could form the connection quickly enough—then Ultimecia could be put down. Even Ultimecia didn't have the strength to overcome Ellone's power. The only question was, how to wake up Ellone? Neither Squall nor anyone else—not even the great Dr. Odine—had managed to come up with a way to do it.

(There must be a way.)

He thought back to how she had been put under in the first place. Irvine had put Rinoa's ring on her finger, which in turn affected Ellone's connection and knocked herself—as well as Selphie and Rinoa—unconscious. Earlier on, back in the Ragnarok, Ellone had suffered a crippling headache when she attempted to use the ring.

Nearest Squall could figure, the ring created some sort of problem for Ellone, perhaps by trying to form a connection on top of her connection, like overloading an electrical circuit. If that analogy was correct, then perhaps all Ellone needed was to have her mental circuit breakers reset.

(I hope I'm right.)

(Because if I'm wrong…)

But there wasn't time to consider the consequences of failure. He needed to act. Still standing in the doorway, he clenched his fist one more time and summoned up a small—nonlethal—lightning spell. He fired it out at Ellone…

… And watched in despair as Rinoa spun around, one hand still on the steel pole, her other extended, creating a shield that easily swallowed the lightning spell, like how the ocean swallows a raindrop. Rinoa's eyes met Squall's. A small, defeated gasp escaped his lips.

(It's over.)

"You think the heiress can save you, SeeD?" Rinoa said with Ultimecia's voice. "It is already too late. I have taken Hyne's Fount and become a god. Now, I shall break your spirit. And then I shall break you."

Rinoa lifted her hand from the pole, breaking the connection to the Fount. The intangible energy in the room cut off suddenly, and the green stones in the walls stopped glowing. But now it was Rinoa who radiated in the cavern, seeming to pulsate and give off heat as she stood triumphant above Squall.

She raised a fist above Ellone. Grinning maniacally, Rinoa dumped a single, explosive bolt of electricity through Ellone's body. The thunder roared in the small cavern, shaking Squall's insides. Ellone twitched violently, then tumbled off the dais and rolled lifelessly down two steps before coming a stop.

"SIS!" Squall said. He lurched forward and collapsed to his knees, no longer able to keep himself upright.

"That's right!" Rinoa shouted. "Kneel! An appropriate way for you to die!"

(Sis…)

"The heiress is no longer needed," Rinoa said, lowering her hand. "My journey across time is complete. I have Hyne's Fount. Now, everything shall end."

She lifted her hand and fired another blast of lightning. Squall hurriedly began a summon, calling upon the energies of his Guardian Force to take the attack. Quezacotl responded and—being a creature of lightning itself—readily absorbed the energy, merging with the electricity and growing stronger with it.

Rinoa snarled and thrust forth her other hand, shooting a blast of pure white energy. Quezacotl could not absorb this magic, but it could still shield against it. Squall was thrown back against the wall, but his Guardian Force accepted the worst of the attack, breaking apart into pieces like it had aboard the Ragnaork.

Squall sat with his back against the wall, still alive for the moment. But his Guardian Force was gone and with it, so were his junctions. He had left his gunblade further down the hallway. All his strength and energy was gone. He had no allies around him, no support. The Esthar soldiers were already too late to have an impact on the battle. Even if they stormed the room at that moment, they could do nothing to stop Ultimecia now that she had taken the Fount. They would be crushed like ants—merely delaying the inevitable.

Squall had nothing left. He closed his eyes.

(Maybe this is meant to happen.)

(Maybe Seifer was right.)

(Maybe if I die, it will all end here.)

Perhaps Ultimecia wouldn't bother casting time compression, once she had killed Squall. Without the so-called Legendary SeeD around to stop her, she might abandon her quest for destruction and dominance.

(… Yeah, right.)

The idea was so preposterous that Squall almost smirked. Even in the best case scenario, Squall couldn't imagine Ultimecia doing anything less than destroying all of SeeD, hunting down every one of her enemies, and turning the world into a barren wasteland. Seifer's plan was madness. Allowing Ultimecia to have that kind of power—and then trusting her not to use it—was foolishness in the extreme.

Ultimecia needed to be stopped, not bargained with.

(But how?)

He could see Ultimecia, snarling with Rinoa's mouth, and clenching her fist, ready for another attack. Squall had one second, maybe two, before she ended his life completely. Images flashed before his mind.

He thought of Ellone.

Of his GF, Quezacotl.

Of being trapped in time compression, reassembling his GF from bits and pieces.

Piet, talking about the Pandora, and how it contained energy identical to Ellone's.

And how Ellone's power was related to—if not identical to—a Guardian Force's.

One last, desperate plan crossed Squall's mind. In his weakened state, he reached out one hand and pressed it against the cool, green stone wall of the Crystal Pillar. The one that linked the planet and the moon, the present and the future. The one that joined together time and space, uniting two distant objects the same way a Guardian Force could.

He touched the stone, and he junctioned with the energy contained within the Pillar.

Once again, back inside the empty, white void.

But for Squall, it's near ecstasy. Here, in this place beyond time and space, Squall is no longer bound by the confines and limitations of his flesh. To simply be released—even for a moment—from his pain and exhaustion feels like being reborn. He stands in the white void and takes a deep breath of the substance that is not air, is not anything at all, and revels in his complete lack of pain.

(I could stay here forever.)

But he already knows that's impossible. He has perhaps bought himself some time to think, but eventually he will have to return to the present, to that moment a fraction before his own death. He will have to confront Ultimecia and stop her before she destroys SeeD.

"It took you long enough," a female voice says from behind him. He wheels around and sees Ellone standing a few paces away, smiling gently. "I didn't think it would take you that long to figure it out. But then, my perception of time is confused now, so maybe it didn't take you very long at all. Who can say for sure?"

"Sis!" Squall says. He steps towards her. "You're alive!"

Ellone's smile fades. "It's not that simple, I'm afraid. Life and death are a bit hazy here, I'll admit, but I'm definitely not alive anymore. Not in the sense that you mean, anyway."

"But, wait, listen," Squall says. He steps forward again and clutches her by the shoulders. "The same thing happened to me. I died, and then I came here and Rinoa brought me back. We can do the same with you!"

Ellone tries to smile, but it's forced. Even Squall can tell that it is not genuine.

"I suppose, in theory, you are correct," Ellone says. "But that isn't how it's going to happen. Other things must occur first, and by the time the necessary events have all taken place, it will be too late to save me."

Squall shakes his head. "No. I'm not giving up. Not on you, not on Rinoa. We're all going to make it out of this alive. All of us."

"You've changed a lot, Squall," Ellone says. Squall's hands are still on her shoulders, and she reaches up and rests her fingers atop his. "You're a lot more hopeful than you used to be."

(Well…)

(I have reasons to hope now.)

"How long can I stay here?" Squall asks. "Is there a time limit?"

"No time," Ellone says. "No limits. There's nothing here, and everything as well. You can do whatever you want, but none of it truly changes anything. Time is fixed and fluid, changing and static, flowing and frozen. You can stay as long as you wish, but I already know you won't stay long."

"So you already know what's going to happen?" Squall asks. "You know the future?"

"I know some," Ellone says. "Not as much as you would like me to know. And I'll tell you even less than that."

"Damn it, Ellone," Squall says. He pulls his hands off her shoulders. "This isn't the time to be coy."

"This is going to be our last conversation, Squall," Ellone says. "I don't want it to be all doom and gloom."

"It's not going to be the last time!" Squall says. "I'll save you!"

"I'm already dead," Ellone says with a sad shrug. "Nothing left to save."

"I…" Squall says. "I'll think of something."

"There isn't any time," Ellone says.

(No time?)

"But you said…" Squall says.

Ellone smiles. "I know what I said. If you want to learn the secrets of time compression, you have to learn to think in paradoxes. The concept of time as you know it—seconds and minutes and hours and days—that doesn't exist here. Nothing really changes. But there is still a vague sense of 'before' and 'after.' That's why, even here, you can't 'remember' the future, only the past. Even though time can't be said to exist here, you don't know what I'm going to say next. This conversation will happen in the blink of an eye, but it still has a beginning, a middle, and an end."

"But what's the hurry?" Squall asks. "If there's no time limit, then we should be able to stay here forever. Surely we can figure something out, given all that time."

Ellone shakes her head. "No. Not forever. You see, there are still major events that must take place. Circumstances that cannot be changed. One of them is approaching fast."

"What is?" Squall asks.

"The moment when you leave here and return to your time," Ellone says. "It will happen soon."

"I don't understand," Squall says.

"We're already closer to that moment than we were when we started," Ellone says. "And yet, we are still infinitely far away. I told you, you must learn to think in paradoxes."

(I don't think I'll ever get the hang of that.)

"Fortunately, there are a few things left that need to be done," Ellone says, "Before you can return to your time. Those intervening actions are both keeping you here with me and also counting down the time to our inevitable parting."

"Then let's not do them," Squall says. He slashes his arm through the air. "We don't have to do anything, right?"

Ellone shrugs. "True. But you want to see Rinoa again, correct?"

Squall looks away.

"You want to see Garden?" Ellone asks. "You want to live your life, to grow old with Rinoa, to see what happens in the future?"

Squall doesn't answer. But his silence is more than enough of a response.

"I thought so," Ellone says. "You could stay here. But you won't. Because you want to live. And here, there is no life. There is no death either, but you do not fear death anymore. At least, you do not fear death so much that you are willing to never live again. That's what makes you different from Ultimecia. And that is why you will leave here soon."

"Different from Ultimecia?" Squall asks. He's stalling and he knows it, but he's still having difficulty accepting Ellone's words. If every action he takes brings him closer to the moment he must leave Ellone behind, then he will delay for as long as possible.

(Just because the future can't be changed…)

(… Doesn't mean I can't fight it.)

"Ultimecia is so afraid of death," Ellone says, "So afraid that the world will move on without her, that people will forget her, abandon her, ignore her, that she would gladly choose infinite oblivion over death. It's a strange way of looking at things, but then, Ultimecia is a strange individual. She has woven herself into the very fabric of time, just to ensure that her legacy is eternal."

"You seem to know a lot about her," Squall says.

"She's here," Ellone says, gesturing at the infinite blank space around her. "And you can speak to her, if you wish. But you won't do that, because you have nothing to say to her."

(… She's right.)

(I can't think of anything I want to say to Ultimecia.)

"Instead," Ellone says, "You're going to ask me a question that will prompt me to reveal a series of events. And at the end of those events, you and I will part, and you will return to your own time. It may take a while—from our perspective—for those events to play out, but they will play out in a very specific sequence. You cannot change that, and neither can I. The only comfort I can offer you is this:"

She takes a step forward and cups Squall's cheek in her hand.

"It is not all despair and war in your future," Ellone says. "You have much happiness waiting for you. You need only believe in it."

(I'm not sure if I believe that…)

(… But…)

(I'm willing to consider the possibility.)

Squall presses his head into her hand, comforted by her presence.

"Thanks, Sis," he says. She smiles and meets his eyes.

"Now ask your question," Ellone says.

"… What happens next?" Squall asks. She pulls her hand away from his face.

"Next, I will answer a few questions you won't otherwise think to ask," Ellone says. "Or at least, questions that won't spring to your mind unless I mention them first. I'll tell you what's different about the time you died in the Ragnarok and the time I died in the Lunatic Pandora."

"Go on," Squall says.

"Look at this," Ellone says. She sweeps her hand in a circle and suddenly, they are no longer alone in the white emptiness. Six more bodies have joined them. Squall immediately recognizes himself and his five friends: Rinoa, Quistis, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie. They all hover in the air, as if sleeping on top of invisible mattresses. They are still and quiet.

"These are versions of yourself," Ellone says. "Specifically, these are the versions of you that are traveling to confront Ultimecia in the future. These portions of you are locked inside the Pandora, and will not be fully released until you arrive at your destined time, generations from now."

"I think I understand," Squall says.

"Because of these alternate versions of yourself, you and your friends are remarkably hard to kill," Ellone says. "Perhaps you've noticed how frequently you evade death. Or perhaps you've simply chalked it up to good fortune and your Guardian Forces. But in times of absolute, dire peril, these versions of yourself have connected with you, feeding you energy, keeping you alive when—by all rights—you should have died. They act almost as backup files, that can restore you when everything else is destroyed."

"And that's why I didn't die aboard the Ragnarok?" Squall asks.

"Yes," Ellone says. "And that's why Zell didn't die when he was attacked by Bahamut. And why Selphie and Irvine are alive and in Esthar's care when their bodies should have been crushed by the impact of their fall. I, however, am not locked in here with you. At least, not as strongly. Odine's Ring was made with a piece of the Crystal Pillar, but only a tiny, insignificant fragment. I am linked to this place by that little ring, while you and the others are linked by the entire Lunatic Pandora. The difference in strength is why it will not be possible for you to save me."

Squall grinds his teeth.

(But there has to be another way.)

"So… are we immortal?" Squall asks. Ellone smiles.

"Sadly, no," she says. "Even the Pandora has its limits. If you were to go back to your time now and allow Ultimecia to finish that spell she's about to strike you with, I assure you, you would die. And the past would change irrevocably, and the very fabric of existence would tear apart. That is how time compression works: by causing a drastic change to the past, one so massive that the entire universe is swallowed up by it, leaving nothing but a void. An endless moment, where one instance is indistinguishable from the next."

"I see…" Squall says. He presses his fist to the bottom of his chin. "So… it's not that Ultimecia is going backwards in time in order to cast a 'time compression' spell. Rather, she's going backwards with the intent to disrupt the timeline so drastically that it causes time compression?"

"Precisely," Ellone says.

"So it is possible to change the past!" Squall said.

(There's still a way to save Sis.)

Ellone looks at Squall with a sad expression. "That's the same realization that came to Ultimecia. But she miscalculated. Just as life resists death, the universe resists time compression. She thought that if she traveled generations into the past and caused massive destruction, the changes to the timeline would be so drastic as to tear apart reality. And she was right, in a sense. If nothing changed, her actions were enough to undo reality."

"So what happened?" Squall asks.

"Time heals itself," Ellone says. "It makes small adjustments over the course of history and counters the effects of her destruction. A coin that would have landed 'heads' before Ultimecia's interference now lands 'tails.' Random strangers bump into each other in the street, having conversations they never would have in other circumstances. Against all odds, a shy little orphan boy now leads the one of the world's largest military organizations."

She continues, "And all these little changes add up so that, by the time history reaches the future and Ultimecia is born, her meddling is completely canceled out and the world is almost no different than it was before. You can't change the past, Squall. The universe won't let you. Ultimecia thought that time was an inert object, like a vase or a picture frame. Something she could break if she applied enough force to it. She didn't expect the universe to fight back. She didn't expect you."

"Sis…" Squall says. But he cannot think of what to say.

"The world is on track to achieve the best possible future," Ellone says. "You must believe that. There will be hardships and death and pain, but trust me, it works out in end. And the future is not as grim as you may fear. Trust me, and allow me to show you what you need to know."

(I trust you.)

"Go ahead," Squall says, aware that as this conversation winds down to its end, so too does his final encounter with Ellone.

(I want to make the most of our time together.)

(I want to remember everything.)

"I need to show you this," Ellone says. "You won't understand at first, but it will guide your actions after you leave here."

"What is it?" Squall asks.

Suddenly the six bodies of himself and his friends are gone, replaced by the interior of the Garden cafeteria. It is exactly as he remembers it, with stains on the tables and empty wrappers hiding underneath chairs. He sees himself sitting at a table beside Rinoa and Edea.

"Wait," Squall says. "I remember this."

"I should hope so," Ellone says. "It was only a few days ago."

While Squall and the others are talking, the sorceress appears. The scene plays out exactly as Squall remembers, with Rinoa approaching the sorceress and accepting her powers. However, this time, Squall notices a thin, transparent band emerging from the sorceress' back and drifting off into nothingness. He narrows his eyes at it, perplexed.

"Ah, you see it," Ellone says. "Here, inside time compression, you can perceive the connections between people, places, and events. It's really quite fascinating to learn how everything in the world is connected. It's been entertaining for me to see the web that interconnects all existence."

"So… how is the sorceress connected to Garden's cafeteria?" Squall asks.

"By you," Ellone says. She looks at him. "And your friends."

"I don't understand," Squall says.

"Memory has great power here," Ellone says. "It's what keeps the past in sequence, prevents it from getting jumbled with the future. Memory is the glue that holds the universe together, and helps keep Ultimecia from destroying the world. If we forget, then Ultimecia wins."

She continues on before Squall can say anything. "But like all things that are powerful, memory can be used many different ways. When you and the others returned from your battle with Ultimecia in the future, you followed along the threads of your memories, thinking of the places and the people that were important to you. You used the power of memory to bring you back across time. The sorceresses that you defeated within time compression did not understand the power of memory, and they did not have any strong connections with people and places in their own times. As such, they had to hitchhike along someone else's memories in order to escape time compression."

"Wait, so it's our fault?" Squall says. He immediately realizes the implications of this. If the sorceress hadn't appeared in the cafeteria, then Squall might never have gone to Esthar. Quistis wouldn't have been put in charge. Perhaps the situation in Timber would have gone differently. Maybe General Caraway wouldn't have died.

(Everything would be different, if that sorceress hadn't appeared.)

"It's a bit unfair to say that it's your fault," Ellone says. "It's not as if you did anything wrong. You couldn't help it. You needed to return to the present, and that required you to use your memories. You thought of Garden—the only home you've ever known—and a sorceress followed you there. Rinoa has strong connections to Timber and all the friends she in the Forest Owls, and another sorceress followed those memories and arrived in Timber. Irvine thought of G-Garden, not his favorite place in the world, but it did help shape the man he ultimately became. Selphie thought of Trabia, bringing a sorceress there. The places the sorceress chose to appear were places that held great significance to the six of you."

"But what about Esthar?" Squall says. "… And wait, didn't Selphie get her powers from FH? Who has strong memories of FH?"

(None of us had even been to FH before a few weeks ago.)

"The rock concert that Selphie put on for you is a strong memory for all six of you," Ellone says. "It holds special meaning for you all, especially you and Rinoa. It's where she decided to make the first move on you."

Squall clears his throat. "You... uh… you know about that?"

Ellone shrugs and smiles coyly. "Although the city itself is irrelevant, those memories were strong enough to attract a sorceress. And similarly, Esthar is a place of strong emotions for you all. It doesn't necessarily have to be your hometown or anything. Just a place you remember well, for whatever reason."

"I see," Squall says.

"Here's what you need to know," Ellone says. "You fought and defeated thirteen sorceresses. Only seven have come through so far. The other six will return, following along the threads of your memories."

"What should I do?" Squall asks.

"You'll decide that for yourself," Ellone says. "I'm only here to make you aware of this fact."

Squall puts one hand on his hip. "You do realize how frustrating this is for me, right?" Squall asks. "You keep talking in riddles and leaving questions half-answered."

(Are you actually helping me…)

(… Or are you just an agent of Fate?)

"Some things can't be changed, Squall," Ellone says. "But some things can. Learning to tell the difference is hard—but accepting the difference is even harder. There is one more thing I must do."

Squall stumbled.

(Only one more thing?)

"Wait," he says. "That's it? It's already over?"

Ellone's eyes go downward. "I'm afraid so. Again, you could stay here… but you won't."

Squall moves forward and grabs Ellone, wrapping her in a tight embrace. She hesitates, shocked for a moment, then holds him.

"You've changed," Ellone says. "Even I didn't see that one coming."

"I'm not going to give up," Squall says, tightening his grip on her. "Even if you say it's impossible. I won't quit."

"I know you won't," Ellone says.

They stand there, in the silence and the emptiness, for what could have been an eternity or only a second. Time holds no meaning.

"What's the last thing you have to do?" Squall asks. He pulls away from Ellone and releases her.

"I'm going to help you stop Ultimecia and save Rinoa," Ellone says.

Squall takes a deep breath. "Tell me how."

The cafeteria scene fades away, replaced by the interior of the Lunatic Pandora. Rinoa—possessed by Ultimecia—stands atop the metal dais, a fatal lightning spell clutched in her hand. Squall is at the bottom, sitting down and looking up at her, his hand pressed against the stone of the Crystal Pillar. Time is frozen, and all is still.

"You remember what happened last time we tried to connect with her against her will," Ellone says. Squall nods. "It'll be the same thing if we try again. But it's not impossible to do—just very difficult. If we gather enough strength, we can force her out of Rinoa in the present and send her back to Rinoa just after Adel was defeated. That will close the time loop and remove Ultimecia from the present. At least, until the next time she arrives from the future."

"When will that be?" Squall asks. She doesn't answer.

"Tell Uncle Laguna that I love him," Ellone says. "And that it's not his fault. Tell Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa, Quistis, and Zell that they should never give up and that I'll be watching them. I wish…" her voice cracks. "I wish there was more time. I already learned to accept the past. Now I must learn to accept the future."

"Sis!" Squall says, reaching forward. She takes a step back, moving out of his reach. She clasps her hands before her chest and bows her head, one single tear streaking down her cheek.

"SIS!" Squall yells.

He reaches for her, but his arm passes through nothingness. Ellone grows transparent, the scenery passing through her. She fades away, growing dimmer and dimmer with each second.

From behind Squall, Selphie appears. She bears none of the wounds or marks that she suffered in her battle. She is dressed in her yellow dress and brown boots, her hair playfully curled up at the ends.

"Whoa!" Selphie says. She looks around, then waves at Squall. "Hey, Squall! What's up?"

Beside her, Irvine appears. Like Selphie, he is completely unharmed and wearing his civilian clothes.

"Argh!" Irvine says. He shakes his head, gripping his cowboy hat with one hand. "And I was having the BEST dream too."

Quistis appears. She looks around, furious.

"This is really not the time for this!" Quistis says. She shouts into the sky. "Sis! You have to send me back! I was in the middle of a fight! Oh, dear. This is terrible."

Zell is the last one to appear. He stumbles forward, as if he had been pushed into the room by unseen hands. He looks down at himself and raises his eyebrows.

"Hey!" he says. "I'm alive!"

He gives everyone a thumbs up and smiles.

"Good job, Zell!" Selphie says. "You show death who's boss!"

Ellone, now almost completely transparent, looks up at Squall, her eyes barely discernible.

"Goodbye," she says, at the faintest of a whisper. And then she is gone.

(… Goodbye.)

(For now.)

"What's going on, Squall?" Quistis asks. "Is this… is this time compression?" She holds a hand to her mouth and gasps. "Did we fail? Has Ultimecia succeeded?"

Squall straightens up and turns to her. He rubs one eye with the back of his gloved hand.

"Not yet, she hasn't," Squall says. "There's one more thing we can do."

(Sis said she wasn't strong enough to make the connection.)

(But that she could bring people who were.)

(So I guess that means it's up to us.)

If Squall can junction the Pandora—and if the Pandora can link together time and behave like Ellone—then it stood to reason that, using the Pandora, Squall can forge the connection to the past himself. He doesn't need Ellone in order to use the powers of a Guardian Force or an heiress.

So long as he has support from his friends.

He takes a breath.

"All right," Squall says. He walks slowly up the steps of the dais, growing closer and closer to Rinoa. Ultimecia's fury shines brightly through her eyes, turning her gentle face into a mask of hatred and violence.

Squall recalls what he did to escape time compression before. How he connected with himself and rejoined his body. Instead of connecting to himself, he reaches out and connects to Rinoa.

It's like touching a live wire. Power and energy suffuses his body. The room is still frozen in time, but a deep rumble fills the air, shaking Squall's body and causing the others to have to struggle to remain standing.

Fighting through the pain and the pressure, Squall reaches forward and clasps his hand around Rinoa's wrist. When he pulls backwards, it is not Rinoa's wrist in his grasp, but Ultimecia's. Her head, crowned with twin gray horns of hair, emerges from within Rinoa's, snarling and screaming.

"DAMN YOU!" she shouts, pouring energy into Squall. He is nearly thrown backwards, but holds his grip for an instant. The pain tears through him, making him wish for death, for release, for anything to stop the agony.

(I can't give up.)

"Help me!" Squall yells to his friends.

They don't ask questions. They all rush forward, charging up the stairs and to the dais, each one grabbing a hold of Ultimecia and helping to pull her out of Rinoa. As they add their strength to Squall's, he feels the pain and the pressure diminish, now that Ultimecia's energy is spread out five different ways instead of just one.

Ultimecia roars and pulls back, trying to retreat back into Rinoa's body. She pours out a torrent of white energy, gushing out of her like a geyser, forcing Squall and the others to turn their heads away. But none of them release her.

"DIE!" Ultimecia yells. "DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"

"Get… out… of… her!" Squall yells.

He leans forward against the torrent of energy and—to his surprise—he manages to gain a step. He throws his other hand forward, grabbing Ultimecia's forearm and pulling her out of Rinoa a fraction. The outside world shifts. The inside of the Pandora is gone, becoming a barren desert under a blood red sky. There is no life anywhere, no plants, no grass, no animals. Only endless rocks and sand in all directions. Low, black clouds rumble with continuous lightning strikes.

"It is over!" Ultimecia shouts. "Accept your defeat! Give in to despair!"

"Shut up, you hag!" Irvine yells back.

Irvine pulls back, grabbing Ultimecia by the elbow. She howls in fury and the scenery changes again. This time it shows Balamb Garden burning underneath a full moon. A ring of Galbadian soldiers surround the ruined Garden, raising their guns in triumph as a cluster of ragged SeeDs are led down the street in chains.

"This is your future!" Ultimecia shouts. "Death is your future!"

"You have already lost," Quistis says, and takes a step forward. "In your castle at the end of time, we destroyed you."

"YOU LIE!" Ultimecia yells.

Quistis reaches an arm forward and grabs Ultimecia by the back of her neck, pulling her further out of Rinoa's body. Now her entire torso has been pulled out of Rinoa.

"You're the one who's lyin'!" Zell yells. With a grunt, he digs in his heels and pulls backwards.

The scene shifts again, this time showing the moon hanging brightly in the sky. It breaks apart into pieces, into millions and millions of tiny rocks that rain down upon the planet like meteors. They strike the dusty, barren soil, leaving impact craters the size of buildings. The sun fades away, turning the world cold and black.

All the stars vanish from the sky, as if swept out of the universe by a giant, unseen hand. A crack forms in the ground, splitting the planet in half. Molten rock spews up from the fissure, momentarily filling the world with red light. But even the lava cools to blackness, and soon Squall and his friends are standing in an infinite black void. No light. No life. Nothing.

"All shall end!" Ultimecia shouts, her voice getting weaker. "The universe shall be unmade!"

"Nobody likes you!" Selphie yells. "You don't any friends!"

She bends down and grabs Ultimecia by the leg, pulling out her foot and her knee from within Rinoa. Now almost all of Ultimecia has been torn out of Rinoa, leaving only her hips still inside.

"Let… her… GO!" Squall yells.

With one united effort, the five pull as one and tear Ultimecia clear from Rinoa's body. The sorceress from the future hangs in the air like a ghost, thrashing wildly and screaming like an animal. Her long, black fingernails rake across Squall's face. She kicks Irvine in the stomach, elbows Zell in the head, and knees Selphie in the chest.

But everyone holds on. Through all the thrashing and screaming and fighting, Squall focuses on the proper moment. The scene shifts one last time, opening into the Lunatic Pandora once more. But instead of being inside the room with the pole and the dais, there are beside the ruins of Adel's Tomb, with the red-haired sorceress lying dead on the ground.

Alternate versions of themselves—plus Laguna and Ellone—stand in the room, motionless, frozen in time. Squall grips Ultimecia around the torso and drags her to Rinoa, the past version of Rinoa.

"What are you doing?" Quistis asks.

"Closing the time loop," Squall says through gritted teeth. "Making sure that the past stays unchanged."

With a mighty effort, he and the other four shove Ultimecia inside Rinoa. Still screaming, Ultimecia is absorbed into Rinoa's body, first her arms and legs, then her body, and finally her head. She vanishes from sight, and the five are left gasping and aching.

Now the past is guaranteed. Ultimecia has found her way into Rinoa's body. From here, the past version of Ellone will take Rinoa and Ultimecia back into the young body of Adel. And from there, a mysterious woman called, "Mother" will use the heiress powers to take Ultimecia back another step. From there, Squall can only guess what happens.

But if Ellone was right about everything, then eventually in the past, Ultimecia will find what she is looking for. She will unleash a terrible wrong upon the planet, one that will threaten the very existence of the universe. And then, believing she is triumphant, she will return to her own time, expecting all of existence to be erased.

Instead, she will be attacked by six SeeDs and they will destroy her. Time will mend itself. The past will be changed and unchanged.

(We did it.)

One by one, Squall's friends fade away, in reverse order. First Zell, then Quistis, then Irvine, and finally Selphie. Squall is left alone in the white void. He takes a breath, closes his eyes, and recalls the scene inside the room with the dais.

When he opens his eyes, he is there again. Rinoa still stands upon the dais, leveling an attack down upon Squall. Her expression is unchanged—no time has passed to allow her to move her face—but Squall can feel Ultimecia's absence. Rinoa is once more Rinoa, and when time unfreezes, she will abandon her attack.

(But she's still got the Fount within her.)

What is Rinoa going to do with all that energy? What can she do? Squall has no idea.

But he wants to find out.

He approaches his body and kneels down beside himself. He sighs. He is not looking forward to entering that bruised and beaten body once again, of once more accepting the burden of pain and exhaustion.

But like Ellone had said: Squall wants to live. He wants to know what happens next. Even if it brings pain and uncertainty, he has to know the truth.

He reaches forward and touches himself on the shoulder.

And awoke in the present.