After stopping for more supplies in town, Kain and Cecil left Baron on foot, traveling north until they hit the Baron River, which originated in the northern mountains and ended on the southeast coast, dumping into the sea. They followed the river northwest. The air by the water was cooler, so although the weather was sunny, the calm breeze kept them from sweating in their armor as they trekked.
They did not speak much on this part of the journey. Cecil brooded silently, his eyes always distant on the horizon, and Kain could sense the turmoil churning around him. But Kain had no words to offer, as Rosa always did, so he said nothing.
The first night, they rested under the open sky, by the banks of the river, the ground soft enough to lie upon. Baron seemed so far away then, the nighttime sounds of the burbling river and chirping crickets coaxing them to sleep.
It was only after the sun had set, now surrounded by darkness, that Kain finally felt brave enough to ask – "What happened in Mysidia?"
"I butchered innocents, for greed and power," Cecil answered stiffly, shifting to roll to his side, facing away from Kain now. "What more is there to say?"
Again, Kain had no words, so he said nothing. He did not know how to counsel Cecil to seek forgiveness, when Kain himself could not even admit his own wrongdoings. And although they seemed so much smaller in the face of Cecil's sins, Kain found he could not minimize them under the intense weight of his guilt and shame.
Cecil was so close yet so far away, and Kain found his frustration boiling within him, not knowing what to say or do to make either of them feel better. He thought of Rosa and the easy way she knew how to comfort their injuries, to both their bodies and their spirits. Kain missed her more than he ever had before, and wondered if Cecil felt the same.
The next day, they left the river behind, now traveling northwest. The mountains loomed high on the horizon, becoming larger and more imposing as they drew closer. They followed the winding path that split the mountain range in half, now going straight north.
They found the Misty Cave at the base of the mountain, nearly lost to the overgrown trees and shrubbery that surrounded it.
It was Kain's idea to make camp outside the Cave, to start the journey fresh in the morning, and was surprised when Cecil agreed readily to it. The ground was less forgiving this high up near the mountains, carrying more of a chill, so they set up a tent and small campfire beside it.
Kain was resigned to another night of tense silence, but it was Cecil this time who spoke first, asking cautiously, "May I ask something… personal?" They sat on opposite sides of the fire, the sky only just now starting to darken around them, Cecil's gray eyes reflected the dancing flames between them as he watched Kain.
"Of course," Kain replied, trying to sound casual. "What is it?"
Cecil hesitated, and for a moment, Kain thought Cecil might have lost his courage to ask. "You and Marion," Cecil blurted out, so abruptly that Kain nearly jumped. "Was it easy to figure out what to do?" He cleared his throat, then added, "And how to do it?"
"Do you mean…?" Kain started to ask, and was surprised to find Cecil blushing, looking aside in sudden embarrassment. "Haven't you and…" Kain found he could not say Rosa's name then, it seeming suddenly taboo to specify. "I thought you had already…" Kain said instead, then stopped at Cecil's abruptly shaking head.
"Not everything," Cecil mumbled, still not looking directly at Kain, color still high in his cheeks. "Not… you know," he said, gesturing vaguely. "She wants to take things slowly, but now I worry I won't know what to do once she is ready."
"Don't overthink things," Kain said, for the second time in as many days. "You'll figure it out, together." He tried not to think of Rosa, present and willing with Kain, but keeping Cecil at arm's length, and what that might mean. The feeling of superiority filled his chest, making him draw in a deep breath. He fought to keep a grin from his mouth, trying to keep his voice neutral. "When you are both ready."
"You think so?" Cecil asked, sounding suddenly hopeful, unaware of Kain's guilty struggle between shame and pride. Kain nodded and saw some of the tension leaving Cecil on a relieved exhale. "Thank you," Cecil said, full of gratitude. "I know you are always looking out for me. I cannot tell you how much I need our brotherhood."
"I know," Kain said, both elated and disappointed by Cecil's words, conflicted as always. "We should rest. Tomorrow may hold more adventure than we expect."
"If only," Cecil said, finally cracking a smile. Kain found himself returning it.
The Misty Cave was exactly as its name implied – misty, filled with a dense fog. The humidity made the air thick and heavier, and Kain found himself sweating through first his shirt, then the inner padding of his armor. They made slow progress through the cave, climbing over slick rocks and wading through shallow pools formed from the dripping ceiling overhead.
From the moment they entered the cave, Kain could not shake the sense of being watched. It made him check constantly over his shoulder, feeling the weight of someone's eyes on his back, but finding nothing but the mist behind him.
Kain wondered if Cecil felt the same and was about to ask, then Cecil paused, head tilted, as if he listened for approaching footsteps. When none came, Cecil exchanged an uncertain look with Kain.
"I feel a presence," Cecil said. "It is not hostile, but nor could it be called friendly."
"Leave this place…" a soft, ethereal voice called out its warning, before Kain could reply.
Kain pulled his lance from his back, while Cecil drew his black blade, both glancing around for the source, but finding none.
"Who's there!?" Cecil demanded, but the voice did not answer him.
Uneasily, they lowered their weapons, and continued.
"Return whence you came," the voice warned again, as they made progress through the cave's winding, circuitous path.
"That voice - could it be the Eidolon?" Kain asked, but Cecil had no answer, only mutely shaking his head.
Finally, the path turned north, and as they climbed the stone steps upward, the afternoon sun beckoned through the open mouth of the cave ahead.
"Men of Baron..." the dreamy voice returned, invoking an old fey magic by naming them.
"You know who we are?" Cecil asked, looking around frantically.
"Leave at once, and no harm will befall you," the voice said instead of answering. "I will abide no further trespass."
"Show yourself!" Kain demanded, taking a step forward with his drawn lance.
"You mean to ignore my warning?" the voice asked, full of a strange melancholy.
"We must deliver this ring to the village of Mist beyond!" Cecil said, reluctantly drawing his sword.
"So be it," the voice said with a sense of forlorn finality. The mist seemed suddenly thicker, heavier in the air. No, Kain realized, it was -
"The mist is gathering!" Kain warned, staggering back as the mist took shape into a white dragon. It stretched out its long neck, its curling tail ended in a fan of green feathers on either side. Its head came down, reaching toward them with a snapping mouth.
Cecil scrambled back and drew his shield up, ready to meet the dragon's greedy jaws, while Kain took off in a Jump, up into the Cave's dark ceiling. From up high, Kain watched Cecil strike at the dragon's side, splashing blood across its white scales. The dragon pulled back, rearing up, giving Kain an easy opening on the dragon's exposed neck. With his lance aimed downward, Kain let himself fall.
It was halfway through Kain's descent when the dragon suddenly dissipated, its body no longer corporeal, leaving only swirling mist in its wake. Caught off guard by the inexplicable change, Kain hit the ground hard, not prepared for the landing. Dizzied by the impact, Kain struggled to get to his feet. Cold, stabbing fingers bit into his flesh, probing and pressing deep, leaving Kain chilled in their wake; when he exhaled, his breath turned to ice in the air, then fell, shattering as it hit the ground. The crippling cold drove him to his knees, and Kain found himself crawling along the ground, trying to pull himself free from the freezing mist.
"Cecil…" Kain croaked out weakly, reaching out with desperate fingers, unseen into the fog.
But Cecil found him, circling arm around Kain's, pulling him free from the greedily reaching mist, and up to his feet. The mist recoiled back from Cecil, then swirled as it started to materialize again, resuming its dragon form. Roaring in outrage, the dragon opened its mouth, reaching for Kain, but Cecil stepped ahead, meeting the dragon's teeth with his sword and shield.
Kain watched Cecil, now wreathed in purple smoke, send an inky wave of Darkness from his black blade at the dragon. The Mist dragon threw its head back in a wordless cry of pain, as dancing white lights swirled around it, engulfing its large form. The lights grew brighter, too dazzling to look directly at, and Kain shielded his eyes. When he looked again, the lights, and the Mist dragon, were gone.
Cecil was beside Kain, handing him an uncorked Potion, which Kain took and drank gratefully, feeling the cold, aching pain in his muscles gradually loosen, allowing him movement again.
"Strange," Cecil remarked as he offered a hand to Kain, then pulled Kain to his feet. "I felt no malice in that dragon, no evil."
"There was little sport in that," Kain grunted as he stood. "But it is done. Now, to deliver that ring…"
The village of Mist sat both protected and isolated by the surrounding mountains. Kain watched as Cecil paused to consider the tall, craggy peaks, head tipped back as he looked over the size of them all.
"Not enough space to land an airship?" Kain asked.
"No," Cecil answered, his voice quiet. "Small wonder His Majesty sent us by foot." He reached into the pack at his side, withdrawing the ring that Odin had entrusted to him. "He said they would understand the message," Cecil muttered, more to himself than to Kain.
Kain had no wisdom to offer, so he said nothing as they began to approach the small village. They passed through the village's entrance, the central road branching off into small side streets, each lined with modest but well-built houses.
"The ring!" Cecil cried out, startling Kain. He looked over to see Cecil's hand holding a bright red spark. The ring exploded into fiery red balls, swirling outward and growing rapidly in the rich air of the village. As they grew, they circled high above Kain and Cecil's head, before exploding out, streaking off to carry flames around the village.
Around them, chaos erupted as the flames caught hold, some clinging to the dry roofs of the houses, others to villagers themselves, crawling up their clothing, consuming their bodies within an endless appetite. Screams of pain and distress joined in the roar of the fire and cracking wood as several buildings collapsed in on themselves.
Cecil stood in mute disbelief as the fire raged on around them.
"This is what we were sent to do?" Cecil finally asked, his hands helpless at his sides.
"He wished this village torched," Kain said, his deep voice solemn. "But why?"
"WHY!?" Cecil seized on the question, screaming up toward the sky. When all the air left his lungs, Cecil leaned forward, hands braced on his thighs, breathing heavily.
Over Cecil's labored exhales and the crackle of the fire around them, Kain heard a child weeping. Cecil must have heard it as well, exchanging an unsure look with Kain, before following the sound further into the village.
Beside a small pond, a small, green-haired child wept over a woman's body.
"Mother, you can't die! Just because your dragon did..." The girl sobbed, shaking the woman's shoulders. Even at this distance, Kain could tell the woman was no longer alive, her chest still and unmoving.
"I've heard of their lot," Kain said, looking aside to Cecil. "Men who can conjure Eidolons - summoners."
"Then the dragon we slew was her mother's?" Cecil asked, the question full of horror.
They were close enough to be overheard, Kain realized, as the girl looked up, then back over her shoulder at them. Then she stood, disbelief battling with anger on her young face. "You - you're the ones who killed her dragon?" she asked, a hand at her open mouth.
"Forgive us," Cecil said, stepping toward the girl, his palms open to show her that he bore no weapon. "We'd no idea this would happen to your mother."
"His Majesty sent us to eliminate every last one of these people," Kain said, trying to be quiet, watching the girl with caution.
"No..." Cecil fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what Odin had ordered – and what Cecil himself had done.
"Foul work, to be sure," Kain had his lance in his hands – he did not remember drawing it, or know what he was saying until the words were in his mouth. "But we'll need to kill the girl as well." He took a determined step toward the girl, his lance pulled back to strike.
"Kain!" But Cecil was on his feet again, catching Kain by the shoulders, halting Kain's approach toward the girl.
"It's her or us, Cecil," Kain said, his voice stiff. He was suddenly terrified by both what he was suggesting, and that Cecil would agree with him. He wondered if Cecil had posed the same to the Red Wings crew when they slaughtered the Mysidians. Would Kain agree to this terrible task if Cecil commanded it?
"She's a child!" Cecil protested, looking back at the girl with a new fear in his eyes.
"You'd betray your king?" Kain asked softly, praying that this might finally mean that Cecil could stand up to Odin, to tell him no, to choose the best path for himself instead of what Odin wanted.
"Betray him? Any man who'd wish for this is no king of mine," Cecil answered, surprising Kain with the conviction in his voice.
"Heh," Kain let out a small laugh, unable to help himself. The whole situation seemed terribly absurd at that moment, with the flames raging around them, and the girl still watching them with fearful eyes. "I thought you might say that," Kain said, secretly relieved that it would not be his own decision to defy the king, but Cecil's – and that somehow made this all easier. Kain could not help the smirk that tugged on his mouth.
"Then...?" Cecil started to ask, with too much hope hinging on the unfinished question.
"I owe His Majesty much but not so much I'd soil the Dragoons' name in this," Kain said, turning to face Cecil, holding his lance upright and at the ready.
"Then you're with me?" Cecil asked, not quite believing Kain.
"Baron's army is the mightiest in the world," Kain said instead of answering directly. He took a few steps away from Cecil, looking at the burning and dying village around them. "Our fight means nothing if we remain alone. We must treat with other nations, share what we've seen." Kain hesitated, then glanced back at Cecil and added, "And Rosa - she must share our fight." Kain knew, now more than ever, that he could never hope to leave her behind again. Being without either of them felt like he was missing a limb.
"And she will," Cecil said with a relieved exhale. "Thank you."
"I'm not doing this for you," Kain muttered, the words leaping out before he could stop them. He realized it was true – this wasn't for Cecil, or possibly even Rosa anymore, it was to redeem Baron from King Odin's greed, to bring it back on the noble path of the Dragoons. As his father would have done.
"Huh?" Cecil asked, perhaps thinking he misheard Kain.
"Quickly, we mustn't linger here!" Kain redirected, seeing the flames rage on higher and hotter. "What of the girl?"
"We take her with us," Cecil answered, as if it were both easy and obvious. He approached the girl, who was still crying over her mother's body, and knelt beside her. "Come, it's not safe here," Cecil said gently. "Take my hand."
"No!" The girl cried as she got to her feet, backing away from Cecil and Kain.
"We're wasting time," Kain grumbled, keeping a wary eye on the inferno around them. "Use force if you must."
"Stay away!" The girl warned, as she backed away, then took off in a run, deeper into the burning village.
"Wait!" Cecil cried out, before chasing after her, with Kain trailing in Cecil's wake.
She ran toward a house but was cornered on all sides by the raging fire around them. She stopped abruptly, turning around to face them. "Leave me alone!" she demanded, even as Cecil and Kain drew closer. "I HATE YOU!" she screamed, as a yellow light built up from the ground beneath her.
The world began to shake beneath them, rattling the houses around them, until a giant fist punched upward, puncturing the earth from below. A massive earthen hand reached out, then another, pulling itself free from the ground, rocks exploding outward. A giant stood from the crack in the earth, easily taller than the mountains that surrounded them.
Lifting both of its fists high up into the air, the giant swung them down, hitting the ground with a bone rattling force. A fissure in the earth formed, then cracked wide open with the force of the titan's blow, sending rock and debris flying everywhere.
Kain and Cecil, although standing together, were thrown apart by the force of the quake. Uselessly, Kain reached after Cecil, calling his name into the chaos, even as the earth opened to swallow them whole.
Kain opened his eyes to darkness. At first, he mistook it for night. But as he tried to move his legs, then arms, and found them both pinned in place, he realized that he was trapped, buried under the shifting rubble from the earthquake. His armor kept him safe from suffocation, having enough room to breathe, but little else beyond that.
Feeling panic creep up his throat, threatening to make him scream, Kain swallowed hard, trying to chase the taste of fear away and stay calm. He tried rocking his body in any direction, trying to wiggle out as much room as he could, but there was little movement in the stubborn rocks around him. He did not even know which direction was up or if he looked up to it.
"Help!" he shouted, knowing he would be too muffled to hear unless someone was nearby. He desperately hoped Cecil had managed to stay topside during the earthquake and was looking for him. "HELP!" Kain yelled again, finding it suddenly harder to breathe.
By some miracle, Cecil must have found him, as the rocks overhead began moving, sunlight shining through the exposed cracks. Kain wiggled his arm up toward the slice of sky, fingers straining. "Cecil!" he called out, "I'm here!"
"I found him!" A woman's voice declared triumphantly. She sounded so familiar, like a fading memory from childhood he struggled to recall. More rocks shifted around him, a gap forming overhead. Someone appeared, peering down at him, and for one delirious moment, he thought it was Rosa, with her blonde hair framing her face, the sun above her forming a golden halo around her head. But the woman grinned, looking wild and feral with her pointed teeth, removing any resemblance to Rosa. She reached in, hand stretching toward him, and grabbed him by the forearm.
With a strength that surprised Kain, the woman pulled, yanking him up from the rubble. Kain gasped with grateful lungs as he was pulled free. "Thank you," Kain said, as he pushed himself to a stand, looking up to consider his rescuer.
The woman was a strange creature, not looking entirely human; her long blonde hair surrounded her like protective clothing, and it was only when she moved that Kain realized she wore little beside it, her slim golden limbs exposed through her parted hair. She seemed amused, yellow eyes hiding some unspoken joke at Kain's expense.
"Richard!" she called out over her shoulder, her voice carrying on the drifting wind, "Over here!"
Still dazed, Kain followed the line of her gaze, watching in disbelief as a figure in black draconic armor approached – it was not armor Kain recognized from any of his Dragoons.
"Wh…" Kain tried to ask but found he could not form words. Was he dreaming? Or had he died in the earthquake, and this was the afterlife greeting him? Surely it could not be…
The figure reached for their helmet, pushing up the visor.
"Hello, son," Richard Highwind said with a grin. "Are you ready to change the world?"
