Here's another chapter. The chapter title might spoil the name Golbez had when he was a child according to a flashback from the DS version of Final Fantasy IV. Again, sorry if this chapter title doesn't cut it.
Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy series, characters, etc. were created by Square.
Redemption-Theodor 'Golbez' Harvey
Ceodore held his ground, face-to-face with his father. Cecil stepped forward a little, a hint of a smile on his face. The Paladin spoke in his own voice"Well done, Ceodore. I knew you had what it takes."
Ceodore gripped his blade, lowering it slightly"Father..."
Cecil charged forward and swung his blade, which Ceodore quickly blocked. The two locked blades as they struggled for what felt like an eternity. Calling on his Latent Lunarian power, Ceodore focused magic power in his being as his body was surrounded by a bluish aura.
"Ceodore! Cecil!" Rosa tried to reach out to them, but father and son were too focused on getting the upper hand of each other. Cecil, more so as he still wasn't himself.
Ceodore managed to push Cecil back and swing upwards to try and disarm the older man. Cecil jumped out of the way and let loose with a horizontal swing. Ceodore barely managed to dodge that and rush forward with a thrust.
"Nice one" Cecil had taken the blow on one shoulder and charged with a vertical slash. Ceodore blocked the blow and kicked, knocking Cecil backwards again. However, his stamina was beginning to wane as his boosted abilities wore off.
"Hang in there" Cid administrated a potion on Ceodore, while Kain darted forward to engage Cecil. The possessed Paladin blocked the blow and knocked Kain back with a thrust. Rosa pitched in to keep Ceodore and Kain on their feet with her white magic.
Edward watched the fight, but mostly avoided butting in, his harp wouldn't really be much help, but he could still heal Ceodore and the others if needed. Kain and Cid lunged at Cecil, only to get knocked backwards.
Ceodore stood his ground again, unwilling to try and help defeat the Paladin. Rosa addressed Ceodore"I don't like this situation anymore than you, Ceodore. But you have to be brave. I won't let your father die."
"I know, but still. I can't..." Ceodore trailed off, he had mostly countered while trying to get through to his father, unwilling to bring it upon himself to inflict serious damage. The Paladin easily deflected Cid and Kain's attacks and rushed forward at Rosa, blade ready. Ceodore quickly stood in front of his mother and swung his sword upward, knocking the king sword out of Cecil's hand.
The Paladin moved backwards, healing his injured self before saying"You're serious, aren't you? Good." Before the group's eyes, Cecil concentrated,, and through a familiar power that wasn't his own, Cecil summoned forth a mounted horseman in gold armor with a blade.
"Odin..." Kain whispered.
"No..." Rosa was shocked.
Ceodore gripped his blade, still unwilling to harm Cecil. Cid shrugged and rushed forward to attack Odin with his hammer, despite being shocked. The Eidolon shrugged off the blow while Cecil knocked Cid back and charged at Kain. The Dragoon jumped over the attack and brought his feet plummeting into Cecil, knocking him backwards.
Edward administrated a potion on Cid while Ceodore and Kain redirected their assaults on Odin, who seemed to be holding back and countering with only an occasional swing of his sword.
Rosa helped keep the group on their feet, while Ceodore and Kain used a Cross Slash technique on Odin. The Eidolon appeared to be readying his last attack which would kill the group instantly.
At that moment however, a voice spoke"Ceodore... Kain... Rosa... Cid..."
Kain was startled as he heard the voice of the late monarch who had been Cecil's adoptive father"Your highness...?"
"All of my children... The children of Baron are here... How could I possibly turn my blade against any of you?" spoke the voice within Odin.
Ceodore and the others watched as the Eidolon turned to face Cecil, still addressing the group"Please... You must save Cecil and our kingdom..."
"Wha-?" Ceodore was at a loss for words.
Odin now had his attention focused on Cecil, calling forth a burst of light which shot the Paladin in the head. Staggering, feeling lightheaded and weary as he regained his senses, the Paladin gasped"Why... My liege..." The Paladin collapsed, much to the surprise of the Mysterious Girl who had stood back, watching the whole fight play out. Ceodore and Rosa rushed to Cecil's side, and were relieved to find out he is only unconscious from whatever Odin had just done.
"Cecil!" A familiar voice called as four more people entered the throne room. Rosa, Edward, Kain and Ceodore turned to see a seemingly unfamiliar man in black attire accompanying Edge, Rydia and Luca.
"Who on earth...?" Rosa trailed off.
"Brother" The man in black whispered, walking towards Cecil and putting a hand on his forehead.
"Huh?" Edge was completely caught off guard.
"Then this man must be..." Luca whispered.
Rydia nodded, realizing just who the man in black is"So he's Golbez, Cecil's older brother. He looked so different outside his armor..."
Ceodore glanced at the man in black, unsure how to react to seeing his uncle for the first time.
The Mysterious Girl stepped forward, showing a sign of surprise at seeing the black-garbed man"You're alive."
"Apparently, not that I have quite as many bodies are you" responded Golbez, now facing the Mysterious Girl. From the looks of things, Golbez and the mysterious girl had met before.
"I was finished with all of you, long ago" spoke the Mysterious Girl, casting Firaga. Golbez barely withstood it and cast Blizzaga in retaliation. The Mysterious Girl countered with Thundaga.
Not completely understanding what was going on, Ceodore, Rosa, Rydia and Edge pitched in to help fight the mysterious girl while Luca, Cid, Edward and Kain watched over Cecil's prone form.
Rosa cast shell on her allies while Rydia summoned Titan to attack the Mysterious Girl. Golbez followed with a Thundaga while Ceodore powered up once more and attacked. The Mysterious Girl cast Meteor in retaliation, prompting Ceodore and Rosa to cast white magic on each other and their allies. Edge attacked their enemy with his katana, only to get hit by Flare.
"Bio!" Rydia hit the Mysterious Girl with a poison spell before following up with Thundaga. Rosa healed Edge while Ceodore attacked the Mysterious Girl and helped buff his allies with protect and shell.
"All right" Edge attacked the Mysterious Girl with Blitz, which Rydia followed up with a zap from Ramuh's Judgment Bolt. The Mysterious Girl focused magical energy and summoned forth Leviathan with Tidal Wave.
"Oh no... Not the Eidolon king, too..." moaned Rydia as the group withstood the tidal wave.
Rosa kept her allies on their feet with Curaga while Ceodore and Edge counterattacked their opponent. The Mysterious Girl summoned Bahamut to attack with Megaflare, prompting Rosa to counter the damage with Curaja. Golbez attacked the Mysterious Girl with Quake, knocking her back.
"Rydia, I might have an idea. Use your strongest attack spell at the same time I cast Holy" Rosa addressed the Summoner.
Rydia nodded, then began readying Flare. Ceodore and Edge attacked the Mysterious Girl again, resulting in being countered by Firaga. Golbez used a Hi-Potion on the two younger men, while Rosa and Rydia were powering up for a powerful combination spell they'd never tried before.
"Holy Burst!"
The Mysterious Girl was completely unprepared for the attack. Flare and Holy merged white-colored explosive magic that engulfed the group's adversary. Overwhelmed by the combined magic, the Mysterious Girl collapsed.
"We did it" breathed Edge.
"Not quite" Golbez remarked, feeling the presence of more newcomers, he knew from his earlier investigation on the Lunarian moon before rescuing Rydia and Luca from the possessed Titan that there was more than one copy of their mystery enemy.
"What?" Edge was puzzled.
Several 'clones' of their fallen enemy appeared and took hold of the crystals along with the dead 'girl's' body.
"This planet is of no more use to us" spoke one of the Mysterious Girls just before they vanished.
The group was stunned for a moment, unsure what to do now. Rydia addressed Luca"We can still get the Crystals back, and maybe we can find a way to stop the moon."
"Yeah, its been getting creepily closer to our planet. We could modify the falcon and Cid and I can fly us there" said Luca, optimistically.
Cid shook his head"We don't have the technology, the Falcon's not strong enough to escape the planet's gravity."
Golbez, who had been in thought for a moment, spoke"There is a way." He motioned the others to follow him outside. Kain hoisted Cecil onto his shoulder and carried him outside with some help from Edge. The dark-clad half-Lunarian prayed in concentration, telepathically summoning a familiar-looking lunar vessel. The vessel in question landed in front of Baron Castle, only a short distance from the Falcon.
Rydia breathed"The Lunar Whale!"
"Fusoya and I summoned it to our moon with some aid from Cecil's and my father's spirit. We sensed that the Blue Planet was once more in peril, so I used the Lunar Whale to make my way back here to the planet" explained Golbez.
"Now we can go and get the crystals back, maybe we'll even find out why the moon is approaching our planet and reverse it" grinned Luca.
"We don't have much time, we have about a week at best, just a guess, mind you. I do not know the exact amount of time we have" acknowledged Golbez.
"Right, let's get ready to blast off. But what about everyone else?" asked Edge.
"We can't just ditch Cecil, and we'll need to check up on our friends on the Falcon" said Rydia, grimly.
"What are we waiting for?" said a cheeky voice. Palom, Porom, Yang, Ursula, Harley, Leonora and the Eblan Four had emerged from the Falcon, having felt a gentle tremor from the Lunar Whale's landing.
Porom was amazed"The Lunar Whale is here, then. But how...? The Elder and I saw it fly out of the sea into the sky."
"My apologies, I needed it in order to come back here and help protect the Blue Planet on Fusoya's instruction" explained Golbez.
Yang walked over to Kain and saw Cecil's prone body leaning on the Dragoon's shoulder"Cecil... What happened to him?"
"Cecil was possessed by the enemy, but Odin knocked him out of it" shrugged Kain.
"Rydia. I, too will go with you and confront our mystery foes. I suspect that the Eidolon King and Queen and the Hallowed Father are up there, somewhere" spoke the voice of Odin as the spiritual warrior reentered Rydia's soul, enabling her to summon him whenever she needed him.
"Thank you, Odin" whispered Rydia.
Yang addressed Rosa"I am sorry about Cecil, I hope he recovers. If you will permit it, my daughter and I will go with you."
"Certainly, we need all the help we can get" nodded the Baron White Mage.
"Don't forget us" piped Palom.
Rosa smiled, then addressed Ceodore and Kain"You two come with me back to the castle and help me pack, we don't know how long we'll be gone. At the very least, we'll need enough food and other provisions for everyone."
"I agree. Yang, Edge, take Cecil up to the Lunar Whale. Porom, I cannot apologize to you all for the trouble my dark half might've caused you, but you should be able to help treat Cecil, correct?" asked Kain.
"I'll do my best, though I don't think I can do much for him... I'll cast Raise on him, but we'll wait and see either way. And Kain, I was scared when I heard you were going to kill Cecil, and what did you mean by your dark half?" asked the Mysidian White Mage.
"There was a small mishap back at Mount Ordeals, but there's no time to explain" replied Kain.
Yang and Edge took Cecil's body up to the Lunar Whale, while Ceodore, Kain and Rosa went to pack for the mission. Rydia, Luca and Cid joined them as they packed some supplies at the castle, heading to the town of Baron to stock up on more supplies.
"Ceodore, I must say that I am not all that comfortable bringing you along, you are the only Heir that Baron has" said Rosa, concerned.
"I understand, mother. But as a Red Wings Soldier, I can't just turn my back on all this. While I get why you didn't want me to join the Red Wings in the first place, its helped me to learn other things" said Cecil.
Rosa paused"At least you're safe... But I still worry."
"Ceodore has proven his worth on the battlefield as far as I'm concerned, Rosa. I must admit, I was surprised to hear of his relations to you and Cecil, much has transpired in my absence from Baron. I can only hope you'd forgive me for missing your son's birth" acknowledged Kain.
Rosa smiled"You had your reasons, I'm just glad you're back. And I'm sure Cecil, once he recovers, will be happy to see you, too."
"I suppose, but I do not feel worthy..." Kain trailed off.
Rosa's group finished shopping, taking the time to visit Cid's family and Rosa's mother before going. The group was unsure what to expect once they got to the moon, but knew that they will be in for a difficult battle to retrieve the Crystals and save the remaining Eidolons and their planet.
I did my best with this chapter, but anyway, the combination I had Rosa and Rydia use for their Holy Burst Band attack may not have been accurate according to the game. Six Final Fantasy villains will make appearances, but likely not until I get to the part after Cecil regains himself, since most of the Depths portion of the final dungeon contains bosses from Final Fantasy I through VI.
Oh, and the Kain/Rosa scene was strictly a friendship-type interaction, in case anyone's wondering. And besides the canon pairings from Final Fantasy IV itself, I might squeeze in some Palom/Leonora, Porom/Tsukinowa and possibly Edward/Harley action. Not that there will be some serious romance, just some small interactions.
Thanks for all reviews up to this point. Feel free to review if you'd like, but you don't have to. I might be able to get this fic done sometime during September, but we'll see.