Well, finally, we move into the main setting of the story. It'll be a lot of twists and turns from here on out, so get ready...
Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge
Chapter XI: Journey
The Celsius is eerily quiet, a far cry from the atmosphere of happiness just yesterday after the defeat of the Forsaken. My thoughts, however, are anything but quiet. Ever since I woke up, I've been wondering the same thing over and over; namely, just why Angel and I should be the ones to go. No clear answer has come to me yet, and the only thing I can figure out is that somehow, someway, it's just meant to be. Besides, who am I to question the fayth? Like Angel said, they've been right so far. And the fact that they are essentially gods, after all.
Stepping into the bridge, I can see the familiar faces of Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, as well as Tidus, Shuyin, and Lenne. The former three are sitting on one side of the bridge, conversing among themselves, and Tidus is apparently pestering Shinra to show him something on his computer. Shuyin and Lenne also appear to be talking, though they're much more quiet about it than Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.
'Everyone's together…good. It'll make this simple. Well, as simple as it's going to get, anyway.'
"Guys?"
"Hey, Ben," Yuna says, smiling as she looks up at the stairs where I'm currently standing. Stepping down, I walk over to the group, Rikku giving me a quick kiss as I approach.
"I've got something I need to talk about," I say, sitting down.
"What's on your mind?" Yuna asks.
"It's…complicated," I say after a moment, my face scrunching up in a look of slight frustration. "The fayth talked to me yesterday, after we came back here. He said that I needed to go to Gaia with Angel, but wouldn't tell me why."
"Gaia?" Tidus asks, a clear look of confusion on his face. "Where's that?"
"It's…well…the simplest way to say this? It's another world completely. Really, I guess you could say another dimension," I reply, earning a look of surprise from Shuyin and Lenne. Yuna and the others seem calmer, already knowing that I'm from another dimension entirely.
"So...you're leaving?" Rikku asks slowly. Silently, I just nod, and Rikku's face turns to one of determination. "Then we're coming too!"
"Rikku, but-"
"No buts! We're coming with you, and that's that!" she says firmly, holding a hand up to silence the comment I've already opened my mouth for. "Besides, the fayth didn't say we couldn't come, did he?"
There's something to be said for Rikku's logic, simple though it may be.
"She's right, you know," Yuna agrees, stepping up beside Rikku. "If you go, you might need our help. You don't know why you're even being called there."
Giving up, I utter a sigh of exasperation, shaking my head and looking over at Yuna and Rikku.
"Alright, alright...fine. You've proven your point already." Looking around the room at Paine and the others, I send a questioning glance their way. "You guys up for it?" Paine sends a mute nod my way as a sign of assent.
"You bet!" Tidus says enthusiastically, which amuses me as I quickly remember his reaction when he first came to Spira from the future Zanarkand.
"It will be...interesting, I believe," Shuyin chimes in, Lenne nodding as well.
"I guess that's that, then," I say, just as the bridge door slides open to reveal Angel, who steps in silently.
"You ready to go?" I ask the vampire, who just nods.
"They're coming too?" he questions, and I nod. "Thought so."
"You don't care?"
"Not really my place to decide, don't you think?" he retorts, causing me to shrug.
"Guess all that's left is to tell the fayth, then," I say.
"No need."
Apparently, Bahamut was listening, as no sooner are the words out of my mouth than he appears.
"Are you ready to leave, then?" he asks, all of us nodding our approval. "Good."
"Just one thing," Tidus breaks in, looking confused. "Just what is Gaia, anyway?"
"Gaia is a world much like Spira. However, Gaia is much more technologically advanced than Spira is. In Gaia, magic such as the magic that you possess is rare. Most people acquire the use of what is known as 'para-magic.' People are able to learn more advanced forms of para-magic, but they are few and far-between. Sorceresses have no such limitation, and can manipulate energy almost freely. Gaia is also home to several facilities known as Gardens, which train most of the world's military forces. There are three Gardens currently; one is in the plains region of Balamb, one is in the rocky, mountainous region of Galbadia, and the last is in the icy region of Trabia. Balamb Garden also has an elite group of mercenary forces known as SeeD."
"Just what are we supposed to do when we get to Gaia? And for that matter, where are we going?" Yuna asks the fayth, who turns to her.
"I will send you to the Balamb region. As for what you must do...even we are not sure."
"Still up for it, guys?" I ask, looking around. "You don't have to go, you know."
"What, and let you have all the fun? No way!" Tidus jokes, chuckling.
"He's right. We're not going to back out now, you know," Yuna adds, nodding.
"Then I guess we're ready," I say, turning to Bahamut, who nods.
Beginning to chant, Bahamut folds his hands together as if in prayer, as a sense of dizziness overtakes me. Looking through blurry sight, I can see everyone else suffering the same effects. The entire area around us seems to blur and warp, in fact, twisting around us like ocean waves. As quickly as the feeling began, though, it subsides, the area returning to normal and leaving Bahamut standing in front of us with an impassive face.
"There. It is done. All else is left to you. This journey is what you make of it."
With those final words, Bahamut vanishes, leaving all of us alone on the bridge.
(Play: Overture - Yoko Shimomura, Parasite Eve)
"Hey! Check it out!" Tidus yells from the front of the bridge, staring out the large front window. The rest of us head over to the window quickly and look outside, examining the beautiful landscape. The area is mostly open plains, but several small groups of trees dot the area, smaller forests of a kind. Far off to the east of us, I can see sandy beaches, and to the northwest of us, I can see a large area of upturned earth. That isn't all that we see, however. A massive structure floats near the area, the front of the structure apparently turned towards us.
The structure is easily several times larger than the Besaid temple, a pristine white and blue in color. It resembles a futuristic ship, except much more compact. Compact, however, isn't really the appropriate word. The structure is easily several hundred feet high, and even more than that in length. A rounded hull sits on top of a glowing, yellow ring, slowly rotating under the structure and apparently giving it the lift it needs to stay in the air. A pair of large spikes also extend from the back of the structure, apparently acting as some sort of tail fins or rudders.
"Incredible..." I breathe, looking at the Garden ahead of us.
"What is that...?" Yuna asks, mouth agape at the sight. "It's huge..."
"That, Yuna, is Balamb Garden," I reply, continuing to look over at the flying building. "I'll explain more later."
"The whole building is flying!" Tidus exclaims, still looking at the Garden. "But...but how!"
"Hey, don't look at me. I don't know how it works," I say, shrugging.
As all of us watch, the Garden stops floating, lowering itself to the ground slowly. The yellow ring underneath begins to float up, crackling energy surrounding it as it moves towards the top of the structure. The bottom of the structure flattens out, giving it the necessary support to stay level with the ground, as the structure hits the ground with a cloud of dust.
(End: Overture - Yoko Shimomura, Parasite Eve)
"I hate to interrupt, but it looks like they noticed our sudden appearance," Shuyin cuts in, pointing towards a smaller object on the ground. It appears to be some sort of amphibious vehicle, heavily-armored from the looks of things. And it's heading straight for us.
"They sure got their act together fast..." I mutter, watching the approaching vehicle. Sighing, I begin to head for the exit of the Celsius, as Yuna puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me.
"Where are you going?"
"To talk to them, let them know we don't mean any trouble. After all, we did just appear out of the middle of nowhere, you know," I reply, stepping out of the bridge. Footsteps behind me let me know that everyone else is following me, and they quickly catch up as we head to the exit.
[March 17, 2152 | Balamb, Plains | 1:17 PM]
When we arrive at the exit, the vehicle has already unloaded its cargo. Four people, who appear to be SeeDs shouldering powerful rifles, as well as three others. One is a teenage boy, wearing a pair of blue shorts that come down just over his knees, as well as a black shirt. A black, short-sleeved jacket covers that, the front portions of which are red, and I can see the boy tug irritably at a pair of fighting gloves over his hands. The most outstanding feature is the black tattoo covering almost the entire left side of the boy's face. That, and his spiky blond hair give him a very outgoing appearance.
The second figure is a slender girl, her body covered in a somewhat short, one-piece yellow dress, with two straps over her shoulders. Her short, brown hair is a contrast to the other boy's appearance, her bangs curling along the sides of her face. Gripped in her hands is a pair of nunchaku, the bars easily a foot to a foot and a half long each.
The third figure is easily the most imposing. Dressed in a black leather jacket, black pants, and a pair of black boots, the figure is shouldering a weapon that resembles a sword, but instead of a normal handle, the weapon appears to have some sort of revolver fused with the handle. A long cut runs across the bridge of his nose, from above his left eye to below his right eye, and his brown hair is cut short, much like the girl's.
"Don't make any sudden movements, and there won't be any problems," the black-clad figure states, motioning to the others with his free left hand. Instantly, the four SeeDs fan out, surrounding the exit to the Celsius in a semicircle, as the other two figures take up positions to his left and right. "Now. Tell me who you are."
"My name is Yuna," Yuna says, stepping beside me, "and this is Rikku, Paine, Tidus, Shuyin, Lenne, Angel, and Ben," she says, pointing to each of us in turn.
"We don't mean you any harm," I say, keeping my hands at my side. "I'll make that clear now."
"Be that as it may," the apparent leader continues, "you understand the precautions."
"Of course," I reply quickly.
"Since you've introduced yourselves, I think we should do the same. The person to my left is Zell Dincht, and the one to my right is Selphie Tilmitt. I am Squall Leonhart, Commander of Balamb Garden's military forces," the leader says, causing a shiver to run down my spine at the name. Even though I know who he is, knowing who he is and actually seeing him in person are two entirely different things. His eyes are cold enough to send shivers down my spine, and he appears to be all business, from the tone of his voice.
"We can explain how we got here...but, is there anywhere where we can talk in private?" I ask, looking at Squall. Squall just nods, turning back towards the vehicle.
"We can go to my office in Garden. Unfortunately, this vehicle is only designed to hold up to ten people. Three of you can come with us."
"Got it." Looking for a moment at Zell and Selphie, I turn back to Yuna and the others. "Yuna, I think that you, Angel, and I should go."
"Sounds fine to me," she says, looking around. "Anyone have a problem with that?"
"Go ahead," Paine says. "We'll wait here."
Nodding, Yuna approaches the vehicle, followed by myself and Angel, the three of us climbing into the back of the vehicle. Selphie takes the driver's seat and Squall the passenger's seat as the four SeeDs and Zell climb into the back of the vehicle, taking a seat on the bench-like cushions along either side. The doors on the back shut automatically, and Selphie spins the vehicle around sharply, heading back to Balamb Garden at a speed that I'd call less than safe.
[March 17, 2152 | Balamb Garden, Third Floor, Squall's Office | 2:13 PM]
"And that's basically it," Yuna says, finishing up her explanation. For the past 20 minutes or so, as best I can tell, Yuna and I have been explaining our adventures in Spira, beginning from the start of our careers as sphere hunters and explaining nearly everything up to our fight with Vegnagun. Angel has spent most of that time listening to us, but adding in his own commentary about the tournament and some of his training beforehand. Squall, Zell, and Selphie have been patiently listening to our story, and were noticeably less shocked than I imagined at the mention of our origins in another dimension. My guess is that it has something to do with their experiences in Time Compression. Squall seemed to quirk an eyebrow at the mention of Darius' name as well, which piqued my interest.
"So...you looked like you recognized Darius' name," I begin, looking over at the Commander. "You know who he is?"
"Not Darius, no. I do, however, know his father. Darius Sr. DeValle is the new headmaster of Trabia Garden."
To say that my jaw drops would be an understatement.
"Wha...you're kidding! The headmaster? This has to be a joke..."
"It's no joke. The DeValles funded most of the reconstruction of Trabia Garden, and supplied much of the manpower as well. As a result, the Garden committee nominated Darius Sr. DeValle to be the new headmaster not only because of his help with rebuilding, but his leadership during the reconstruction," Squall explains. I can only stare in disbelief.
"I'm gonna have to see this for myself before I believe it," I mutter, getting a chuckle out of Zell.
"He's telling the truth, man," Zell says, folding his arms. "I've seen it. They really did a nice job, too. Makes Galbadia Garden look shabby." Selphie seems to take a bit of pride in that statement, being a Trabian native.
"So where is this...Trabia Garden?" Yuna asks, still looking somewhat confused.
"To the east of where we currently are, in the Balamb region," Squall says. Pulling a small map from a shelf, he unrolls it onto the table to give us a general idea. "We are here," he says, pointing to a small island in the center, "and here is the Trabian region," he continues, circling a large portion of the eastern continent. "Trabia Garden is in the mountains of the region."
"I'm surprised that you can tell us this," I comment, causing Squall to look my way.
"If what you've told us is true, then you pose no threat to us, or any of the Gardens. However, we will be keeping an eye on you for a while, just to make sure."
"Besides," Zell cuts in, "I doubt that even a ship like yours could take on the entirety of a Garden's force."
"Our ship isn't even armed, really," Yuna replies.
"Then that's one less thing that we have to worry about," Squall retorts, handing the map to Yuna. "You can use this map to navigate the world, as you may not be able to use your computers to find one."
"Thank you, Commander," Yuna says, and I nod.
"Thanks."
"Call me Squall," he replies, standing up from his chair. "Good luck on your search." Quickly, he heads for the door, Zell and Selphie following Squall as he heads for another office on the third floor.
"That wasn't so bad," Yuna comments, standing up and turning to the two of us. Angel just shrugs.
"It could have been worse. They could have thrown us in the brig the minute they saw us," he says wryly.
"Ever the comedian," I say, rolling my eyes. "Let's just get out of here. I want to go see Trabia for myself. If that's okay with you guys, that is."
"I don't see a problem with it," Yuna says.
"There's something I need to grab first. I'll meet you guys back at the Celsius," Angel says, as the three of us step into the elevator, descending to the first floor.
[March 17, 2152 | Celsius, Bridge | 2:41 PM]
"How'd everything go?" Rikku asks as Yuna and I walk back into the bridge.
"They're letting us go, but they're going to keep an eye on us," I reply, walking over and sitting down.
"They gave us a map of the world, too," Yuna says, stepping over to Brother and handing him the map. "It'll come in handy."
"Now, all we have to do is wait for Angel," I say, prompting a look from Rikku.
"What's he doing?"
"Getting something from Garden, he said," I retort, turning around in my chair to fully face her. "Must be important."
As I finish my sentence, the bridge door slides open, Angel stepping in and looking over at Brother.
"Mind opening the cargo bay?" he asks, causing Brother to give him a strange look.
"Why?"
"For my car," Angel replies nonchalantly.
"Whoa. Wait a second. Your car?" I say, a small grin creeping over my face.
"Yeah. I'll show you, if you want," he replies, turning and heading out of the bridge. Thoroughly intrigued now, I follow, unsure of just what to expect.
"This is my car. I call it...the Angelmobile."
"You're kidding," I say, stifling a bout of laughter.
"Not a bit," he retorts, completely straight-faced.
"Did you name it?" I continue, pressing on.
"Nope. I can't remember just who gave it the name, to be honest," he says. "But it just stuck."
The car in question appears to resemble an old Plymouth GTX, gray in color. The car, despite appearing old, has been kept in remarkably nice condition. The gray paint is shining like almost new, and the top is down, revealing the four seats that are also in near-perfect condition.
"Pretty nice ride," I say, whistling softly at the car.
"It has a certain charm to it," Angel replies, stepping over and into the driver's seat as the cargo bay door opens. Stepping out of the way, I watch as Angel drives the car inside, turning it off and getting out as the door to the cargo bay closes.
"So, we're going to Trabia now?" Angel asks.
"Guess so. Not sure if Yuna told Brother or not," I reply, shrugging. As the two of us begin to head out of the cargo bay, the Celsius suddenly shakes, and the familiar feeling of lifting off overtakes both of us. "Well, I guess we know now."
"Yeah," Angel agrees, as the two of us step into the elevator, headed for the bridge.
Well...I am certainly glad that is over with. Despite how important this chapter is to the overall design of things...I hated to write it. I took a great deal of time just trying to perfect the descriptions and make sure that everything was coherent. As always, please review!