This chapter took more time than I would've liked to get out, but my co-authors and I spent a good amount of time considering events to come and changing things in accordance with our thoughts. This is the first "interlude" chapter you'll see between arcs, though almost certainly not the last. Also, if you haven't read Daniel Wesley Rydell's story Family Rites, it's a good idea to do so in order to make one of the scenes here make more sense.
Begin!
Interlude I—Signs of Change
[July 5, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Training Center | 3:19 PM]
Alchemic light starts to fade away from my hands as I finish my transmutation, the circle on the back of my right hand losing its shine as the energy recedes. The sight of a line of sharp spikes of ice extending from the ground in front of me makes me smile, right before a Fire spell from my left hand melts them into nothing but water that starts seeping into the ground. Not for the first time, I take a careful look at the small circle embroidered onto the skin of my hand, fascinated by the design and the purpose of the object. Alchemy in general seems to fascinate me, and I haven't quite been able to get myself to fully settle on a reason why it does. The skill involved, the effects Alchemy can have, how mundane and yet exotic it seems – all are things I've considered, yet none of them are in any way solely responsible for my rapidly-growing love of the art. I think it's a shame that I hadn't had more time to practice using it, especially the aspect I'm practicing now, before I'd gone to fight Destine.
Also not for the first time, I'm finding myself wondering why nearly dying twice in the same number of days past seems to have made me so thoughtful. I usually don't consider my own feelings with deep thought; I like to think that I know myself and why I do things well enough that I don't second-guess myself any more. I've also been chided more times than I can count that I keep my feelings bottled up so much that I'm like a time bomb waiting to explode, so perhaps this is just another thing that I'm terribly wrong about.
Giving up on the thoughts, I let my hand drop back towards my side before pulling up the bottom of my white shirt again to take a look at the place where my stomach had healed. I'd finally taken the bandages off when I woke up this morning, having slept most of the rest of the previous day after coming back from the Ethereal Plane. I'd joked to Angel once he'd woken up that I was already getting tired of spending more time in a bed than on my feet, but I can't say I'd regretted it yesterday. Even after having Will help heal me enough where I was certain that I wasn't going to die until I came back to Garden to have someone look at me, I'd felt like going to sleep and not waking up for a week. I was rather surprised when I woke up again to realize I'd slept for around fifteen hours, far more than I'd ever slept before even at my sickest or most exhausted. Of course, I'd never been physically exhausted, mentally drained, and battered with magical attacks designed to kill any given mortal before.
Seeing the scar tracing my stomach now is a bit disconcerting, given that I'd never been scarred to any real extent before even during my travels in Spira. The place where Manes slashed me was bad enough that even magical healing didn't erase the mark completely, leaving a long white line tinged with ugly red flesh in spots stretching across the better part of my abdomen horizontally. All the healing I'd ever done or received before left only the faintest of lines or marks on occasion, often removing practically any trace of injury to all but the most well-trained eyes. However, I seem to have gotten one good thing out of it – I've once again found my drive to improve. Daiesthai opponent or not, it was embarrassing for me to be caught off-guard the way I was, and even more so, to be cut down in a single strike after everything I've been through, and seeing that scar for the first time this morning filled me with the desire to make sure it never happened again.
It's the reason why I've been practicing with my Alchemy for the past two hours. I've just recently really begun to learn how to use elemental-based Alchemy, and my fondness for the art combined with that desire to throw away weakness has made me throw myself into practice and study with a fervor that I was beginning to think I'd lost. In some strange way, I guess I should be glad that things have gone the way they have, if only for that reason.
[July 5, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Cafeteria | 3:20 PM]
"Yo, Naoki!"
The dark-haired SeeD officer looked up from his conversation with his companion as Tetsuya's voice carried over the immediate area's general loudness and multitude of conversations, seeing the younger SeeD and his sister approaching the table where they were sitting.
"Tetsuya. How's the day been?" Naoki asked as Tetsuya took one of the chairs at the table, with Yuki sliding into one beside Sumiko a moment later.
"Same old stuff, boring class, the usual," he commented, shrugging. "You?"
"Sumiko and I were discussing some things from my Symbology class today," Naoki replied.
"So, stuff way over my head. Got it," Tetsuya said with a grin, leaning back in the chair. "Nothing weird happening?"
"Not that we've seen," Sumiko replied, glancing over at Tetsuya. "Why do you ask?"
"Just seems like there's been a lot of strange stuff happening around here lately, you know? That lockdown about two weeks ago, things like that. Andréa's been on edge every time I've talked to her, and it ain't like her."
"She's changed, you know," Yuki remarked, also looking over towards her brother. "Maybe not changed…I think she just grew up. You haven't seen her in years, you know."
"You're worried about her?"
Tetsuya's head turned towards Sumiko quickly enough that it almost looked uncomfortable to the other two residents of the table. "Well, yeah…Yuki's right, it has been a long time since we talked, but things just don't feel right around here. Kinda like in the movies, where the boss is really planning to experiment on all the people working for him, and he's just waiting to find the right time to spring the trap!"
"I think you've seen a few too many movies," Yuki sighed. Naoki chuckled – he hadn't known Tetsuya for very long, nor could he really claim the SeeD was anything more than an acquaintance, but he'd already come to see and get used to his lighthearted personality.
"I think your sister might be right," he added, despite the smile on his face. "You can't really think that the Headmaster rebuilt Garden just to have a number of people on hand to use as test subjects."
"Course not," Tetsuya replied. "I was just giving an example, that's all – you know what I mean!"
"Do we?" Sumiko asked, a bit of a half-smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.
The older Kurabasa sighed, his chair scraping across the tiled floor of the cafeteria as he shifted his weight on it. "Now you're just making fun of me."
"Guilty," Sumiko admitted, finally letting the smile cross her face.
"Being serious for a moment, it's been on my mind for about a week now, even more so after yesterday…I just wanted to see if anyone else was picking up on that kind of vibe, or if I was just imagining things."
"You're talking about Bayloh-sensei and Ben-san, aren't you?" Yuki ventured, deciding to hazard a guess on what her brother seemed to be implying. While Yuki wasn't Estharian by birth, living in the city for as long as she could remember, as well as being exposed to the formal business environment, had left her adopting the honorific style of speaking of others that the Estharian language held. It seemed to fit well with her soft-spoken personality; Tetsuya, by contrast, rarely ever used it unless it was business-related in some form, with the occasional exception.
Tetsuya nodded in assent, and Naoki's gaze shifted between the brother and sister pair. "I'd heard something had happened with the two of them, and that Ben had been placed in the infirmary, but by the time I did, he was already out," Naoki said, his eyes finally resting on Tetsuya.
"We saw him just before he got out, when they started showing all that news about Deling getting offed in Galbadia," Tetsuya responded, nodding. "Didn't say what happened, but I got the impression it wasn't anything good."
"If he was in the infirmary, of course not," Sumiko remarked.
"More than usual, Sumiko. We're SeeD – we do crazy stuff on a daily basis, as long as the pay's good. But, this seemed like more than that, like something went wrong that they didn't expect," he continued, a twinge of annoyance finding its way into his voice. "And it's hard to find something a SeeD doesn't expect."
"Did you ask?"
"No…it just didn't feel right, you know? Too soon to bring it up, and all that."
"We would have, but he's right. It didn't seem polite to ask him what happened while he was still recovering from whatever did happen," Yuki added, nodding.
"Is that why you went to talk to Andréa?" Naoki cut in, finding himself rewarded with a barely-perceptible wince that flashed across Tetsuya's face.
"Well…yeah, sort of. She's the squad leader, so I thought she might know something, but either she didn't, or did and wasn't gonna tell me about it."
"Really, onii-chan…can't you just wait and ask him yourself once he's ready to talk about it, if you want to know so badly?" Yuki chided, the frail-looking girl seeming to act more like the older sibling than her brother.
"Okay, fine, I screwed up – happy? Don't have to bite my head off about it…" Tetsuya muttered, momentarily throwing up his hands in exasperation before slouching back down to the tabletop. "But you all would be curious too if you'd seen Instructor Bayloh yesterday."
"Was something wrong with him?" Naoki asked. "I had heard that we would be having a different instructor this week for the class I have with him."
"Not 'was.' You guys ever seen him injured – I mean, really injured, past a few scratches or bruises from hands-on training around here?" A chorus of heads shaking in disagreement followed Tetsuya's query, and he seemed to sit a bit more upright as he went on. "Well, yesterday, I caught a glimpse of him being taken to the infirmary, and Ein had to help him stay upright as they were walking. He seriously looked like someone had just…I dunno, run him over with a car a couple times or something. All torn up and bloody, cut-up clothing, the whole nine yards. You'd think he'd gotten himself on the wrong side of one of those Estharian gangs or something!"
Yuki's eyes widened – her brother had talked to her earlier in the week about some of what he'd said now, but she hadn't heard him mention this yet, likely because of how recent it was.
"That's…horrible…!" Yuki finally managed to say, her voice lowering as she spoke.
"Ben's got some skill, yeah, but he's still just an Ensign. Bayloh is an Instructor. You can't tell me that that doesn't sit right with you."
Naoki knew what Tetsuya was implying, but didn't want to jump to any unfounded conclusions just yet. Instructors in Trabia Garden earned their licenses similarly to how the process worked in the other two Gardens, with one additional requirement – no matter how skilled, the candidate had to be of at least the rank of Major, a fairly high ranking in the general structure of SeeD. Only one rank outside of the command staff existed above Major, the rank of Colonel, which meant that Instructors were among the very top of SeeD's population in terms of skill, having been through a great number of field missions in addition to extensive training for their instructional exam proper.
"What makes you so certain that this is the result of the command staff hiding something from us? Missions go wrong all the time, and you and I both know that Instructor Bayloh still participates in difficult missions – he's mentioned it several times in class. Perhaps this particular mission simply went more awry than usual."
"Come on, Naoki – are you still saying that you don't think Katanas DeValle is hiding something from the rest of Garden?" Tetsuya insisted, looking almost imploringly at his fellow SeeD.
"Tetsuya is correct."
Sumiko's sudden statement caused Tetsuya to blink stupidly and turn towards the girl, unsure that he'd actually heard her correctly.
"You agree with me?"
"Yes, but…" she began, cutting Tetsuya off before he could find the urge to gloat, "…not for the reason you might think. Katanas DeValle is the SeeD Commander of this Garden. Think for just a moment about everything he deals with on a daily, even hourly, basis. If he made a point of informing the greater part of Garden about any piece of information he knew or ran across which was relevant or important, he would spend all his time sending out messages and information instead of getting any actual work done. It's a balance, Tetsuya – he keeps things from the majority of Garden staff because theydon't need to know in order to get their work done, not because he feels it needs to be hidden."
Naoki smiled as the look on Tetsuya's face dulled significantly. Logical and direct – Sumiko was nothing if not both, though she made efforts to not come across as rude or uncaring in the process.
"I…" Tetsuya floundered for a moment, before finally sighing. "Alright, you win. You're probably right, anyway…"
"We're not saying that you need to accept everything without question or ignore everything, Tetsuya," Naoki added, "just that you're thinking a little too hard about this. Like I said, it could be nothing – merely a mission gone wrong, for the both of them."
"I never thought I would meet anyone who could put Tetsuya in his place like that," Yuki said, giggling and looking at Sumiko.
"We've both had practice with Uriko, trust me," Sumiko replied, smiling.
"I can imagine, knowing her," Tetsuya muttered, giving a look around the table. "Anyone else hungry? I know I could go for some food right now."
"Maybe the source of your paranoia is really your stomach," Naoki suggested, causing Yuki to giggle and Tetsuya to simply roll his eyes. "But, yes, I am a bit hungry myself." Yuki and Sumiko also chimed in with their agreement, and Tetsuya stood from his chair.
"Alright, I'll see what's on the menu today. Maybe something edible for a change…" he said, getting another round of laughs from the table's occupants as he left to check out the options for the day. The cafeteria occupants had seemed to remain blissfully unaware of their conversation, and…perhaps that wasn't always a bad thing, he realized. Sometimes, he thought to himself, it really might be all for the greater good.
[July 5, 2152 | Centra, Kramer Orphanage | 3:19 PM]
She was angry, to say the least.
She'd known, of course, that Freya would eventually find out what she was doing. She'd known that if she was caught, she'd suffer the consequences. Stripping her of her powers as a Pillar of Reality was, in all honesty, the best outcome for the situation she could've hoped for. She could have just as easily been nothing more than a figurative smear on the porcelain floors of the Palace of Creation…but, somehow, the Creator had seen it fit to release her with nothing more than that, onto the same plane which she'd wished to sow chaos upon.
Something about the action screamed "insult" in her mind, like she was being pitied as nothing more than a broken opponent or a discarded toy, allowed to roam freely because she could do no further harm. So, she was avoiding all contact with anyone, Ethereal or otherwise, made easy by the fact that she was hiding in an old Centran ruin. No one visited the Centra continent any more, not since the Lunar Cry that shattered the land into an archipelago of lifeless rock. The ruin she inhabited now had once been an old orphanage, but years of neglect and exposure to the weather had worn away the hardy stone that composed the structure, eroding away the stone in places and leaving it desolate and lifeless. No one had seen it fit to disturb her, even though she knew that at least the other Pillars undoubtedly could sense her location innately, and even though she'd gotten her revenge on the Powell kid, it wasn't helping her mood much at all. She glanced around the outside of the structure whose stone steps she was currently sitting on, noticing a broken and weathered stone pillar along the path leading down to the beach that once likely stood tall and proud outside the building, before obliterating it in a spark of rage with a burst of energy, its mere state of being offending her for being far too similar to her own situation.
"You will all be sorry for this…" she growled to the air, letting out her rage where no one could see or hear.
Except, she knew, someone could, or could now.
The familiar and interesting feel of spiritual energy nearby led her to know who was standing in the doorway long before she even turned to look with her eyes. She knew she couldn't harm him. Even before Freya stripped her powers as a Pillar, he was stronger than she, and even Fayt understood on an innate level that Will was not to be crossed or trifled with despite his pacifistic nature and amiable demeanor. Without a word, she put forth her best face – or rather, her best angry grimace – and finally turned to look at the face of her 'brother.' Will, unsurprisingly to her, ignored the look, instead simply walking from his spot at the top of the set of winding steps and sitting down beside her on the cold stone steps of the orphanage, an act which did surprise her somewhat. Warily, she watched him unflinchingly, seconds passing like minutes as the silence between the two Erudite persisted. Will's eyes were locked on the ocean beyond, seeming to watch the waves, but he finally sighed as Destine's wary stare continued, speaking without taking his eyes off the water.
"How long will you persist in glaring at me?" he asked quietly. "Your eyes cannot pierce holes in me, as much as you seem to think they can." Destine's look continued for but a second longer before she, too, sighed and looked down towards the beach below them.
"What do you want, Will?" she asked, a tinge of anger lacing her voice. "Gonna gloat? Chew me out? If you are, can we assume that it worked, I'm suitably chastised, and be on our merry ways?"
Will said nothing, letting the tense silence fall back into place like a curtain let loose, which only worked to further irritate Destine. Her 'brother' was infuriating by his mere existence, and his presence was the last thing she needed or wanted right now. Finally, he looked at her for the first time since his arrival, his face serene and straight.
"What do I have to gloat about, Destine? Do you think I have the authority or the desire to pass judgment on you, beyond what Mother already has? Do you think it made me happy to have to allow the Planeswalker to defeat you as he did and not be able to lift a finger to assist you, mei-mei?"
Will's name for her momentarily broke through the thin haze of anger she seemed to wear like a cloak, bringing back memories…a name he'd not used since…
She threw the thoughts aside, shaking her head physically to dismiss his statement just as she did the same to her own thoughts.
"Well, you didn't seem disappointed, to say the least, dipshit."
"Your plans had to be stopped," Will said with a sigh, discarding Destine's insult. "You weren't acting in the best interests of any of the planes…" He stopped briefly, gazing once again out towards the ocean beyond them. "…Or yourself. It was easier to have the Planeswalker do it, rather than someone such as Byakuya Kuchiki, who had his eye on destroying you before you did any more damage or decided to interfere with the affairs of his own plane."
Destine's laugh was not the response Will expected to receive, but it was the one that he did receive, momentarily startling him with the volume and starkness of it. "Yeah, you always did think I gave a damn," she started, standing up from the step and turning away from Will. "You don't realize, and you never have. The reason the last war happened, the reason there's still mutterings calling for Mother's head." She whirled back on Will suddenly, the Pillar of the Future neither acknowledging the gesture, nor turning back to her. "She can't do it – she's too lenient, too careful! She sits up there on her throne, only stepping down when she's got no choice, when she's not too scared to run and hide! She's not worthy to be a leader of mortals, much less gods and goddesses or an entire plane of existence! She's a failure, and it won't be long before he notices!"
Despite all her words, all her angry sentiments and pent-up rage, Will paid it no heed as his eyes fell to the ground, his head shaking sadly as his 'sister' finished her tirade.
"And you wanted her to kill you, didn't you."
Will's tone was final; there was no question at all left in the words, just cold fact. Destine just growled in response – she didn't want any of his "high and mighty" act today. She made to say something, but his voice cut her off before any words left her mouth.
"You never cared. This was never about the Plane, never about pleasing the factions, or uniting them, or anything along those lines. This was never about you taking her position of power, or destroying the mortal plane. You knew she would catch you, and you were hoping to find some solace from the pain you've dealt with for three hundred years. You hoped to find solace from it in the only way you thought you had left, and that's complete obliteration by the being that created you. You never wanted a better life from this, Destine…you wanted death."
The former Pillar of Destiny closed her eyes, ignoring the stinging sensation that pricked them as she did. It was dust from the stones, she reasoned; the Pillar of Foretelling was being his usual self, and she could care less right now. And that wasn't a tear that hit the dirt and stone below her feet, either.
"This was your attempt at assisted suicide, wasn't it?"
He suddenly leapt from his place on the stone stairway as a high-powered blast of fiery magic scorched the place he was sitting, landing neatly on one of the lower steps as he turned to face Destine.
"Stop talking!" she screamed, her face contorted in rage even as tears started running down her face. "Just stop it!"
A blast of lightning followed the fire, aimed at Will's new position, but the Pillar of Foretelling merely vanished from his place and reappeared behind her, causing her to spin to face him again and sending more tears falling to the ground.
"Death is a coping mechanism, isn't it? You've tried so many other ways; why not try the ultimate solution – the final ultimatum?"
She screamed in rage again, spells flying from her fingers in a furious spray, all aimed at destroying her 'brother,' the one saying things which were hitting far too close to home. Each spell was evaded almost carelessly by Will, his form flickering in and out of the plane every time a bolt of magic grew near. He reappeared as the barrage slackened again, only to see Destine whirl on the worn pillar which had been paired with the one she'd destroyed earlier, lifting it with nothing more than her force of thought and sending it soaring through the air towards him. It narrowly swept past him as he turned aside, and she resumed throwing spells of all types and elements at the Pillar of Foretelling, none of her spells, incantations, and high-tier magical abilities seemingly able to faze the stoic Erudite.
The tears falling from her eyes were so numerous that she could barely see.
(Play: Soundscape to Ardor – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)
"Why…why won't you just shut up?" she raged, magical energy still flying from her hands like rain falling from the sky. "Damn it, just leave me be!"
Will's silent look never wavered even as his form did, his body flowing around each and every one of Destine's enraged castings with fluid grace. Neither truly knew how long Destine kept up her fury-filled attack, but she finally fell to her knees on the ground, openly sobbing in front of the one person she'd never intended to let see her this way.
"…Why wouldn't she…why wouldn't she kill me?" she asked, her voice choked with tears as she looked back up at the Pillar of Foretelling. "Will, k-kill me, please!"
Will slowly walked over to Destine, his face finally beginning to show emotion now that Destine's rage seemed to be subsiding. He knelt down beside the former Pillar of Destiny, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace.
"I won't ever do that to you."
She suddenly pushed up, Will's statement refueling the anger that had filled her before as he fell to the ground. She lashed out furiously with her fists, hammering the fallen Pillar with blows fueled by grief-filled rage, all that was emotionally left inside her. She didn't speak, didn't bother with words; only sharp screams of pain and anger came from her mouth as she battered Will's grounded form with strikes. Finally, after a particularly strong punch, she screamed again, the shout echoing across the empty beach and out over the land.
"I hate you! I hate you so much! Just kill me!"
As if a switch had been flipped inside her, sapping away all of her energy in a single gesture, Destine collapsed back to the ground beside Will in a heap, sobbing uncontrollably now without regard for who saw her. Will sat up again as she did, quietly moving over beside her and beginning to keep a silent vigil until she was ready to speak once again. Seconds became minutes, and Will found himself consoling Destine as she cried openly into his shirt, his 'sister' allowing him for the first time in centuries to resume the "big brother" role he seemed to be so accustomed to.
"…I'm…sorry," Destine choked out, her words strained and voice hoarse as she tried to voice everything in words that had wanted to come out ever since her plotting had begun.
"She knows," Will replied, a warm smile crossing his face. "She knew from the beginning. She never blamed you for any of it, and she fought so hard to make sure you could be happy. She would not tell you herself, of course, but…I think you are her favorite."
Destine looked up, shocked by Will's words.
"But, you –"
Will's chuckle cut Destine's statement off before she could finish. "I'm the obedient son. You, however, are much more like her than I could ever be. You are the free spirit, and you've always been unafraid of what anyone thinks of you, even her. She loves us all equally…but you are still her favorite."
(End: Soundscape to Ardor – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack 3)
Destine's head fell again, still stained with tears, but she managed to smile upon hearing Will's words. "Why…are you here, Will?" she asked, her voice no longer cracking but still quiet.
"You needed me, mei-mei," he responded, the smile never wavering. "And there's something else, something I want you to do for me." He paused for a moment, shaking his head suddenly. "No, I want you to do it for you."
Destine looked up again curiously, but said nothing, allowing Will to continue.
"You still have the power to Planeswalk, and I have made sure you have the permission to do so. A…friend in the world of Terranigma has told me of events there, and I would like you to go and watch them unfold."
Destine's eyes narrowed, not in malice, but in confusion – she didn't understand why her brother was asking this of her.
"…Why?"
"If what I've heard is correct, it seems that someone is there that someone in your position might be able to relate to…maybe even let you learn about yourself merely through observation."
Destine closed her eyes…Will's words weren't making sense to her, but she knew that Will always had the best intentions in mind, even if it didn't always seem that way.
"Alright. Will you…tell Mother?" she asked, seeming to not feel up to facing Freya so soon after everything she'd done. Will simply laughed in reply.
"Mother already cleared your way. Come back when you are ready, mei-mei."
The former Pillar started to stand up, her 'brother' following a moment behind her, and she threw her arms around Will again as they got to their feet. He nodded lightly to her as she turned away, her body vanishing as she crossed the barrier between realms, and then smiled.
"…I think Mother will understand in the long run, once I explain it to her."
His body faded away in an orb of white light moments later, headed back to the Ethereal Plane to speak with Freya himself about what he had just done. He'd told her before that he would help Destine, if she would be so kind as to allow him some leeway in that action. Indeed, she had, with the explicit order that he simply explained himself and his actions once he was finished.
Somehow, he had a feeling that the deity would approve of what he'd done.
[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]
There were very few things, she found, she'd truly expected death to contain. Not a whole lot, really – some black surroundings, screaming voices, maybe even being trapped somewhere. Revival magic had its limits, and she'd never been one to intentionally test those limits. Kitaras Nicholai could say with certainty, however, that she'd not expected to be greeted by a fairly good-looking gentleman in thick armor who called himself Odin.
That wasn't quite possible, she'd reasoned, seeing as how Odin was said to be the god of war, heralding great battles and glorious conflicts with his appearances and occasionally even showing favor to one side, changing the tide of history for whoever happened to be lucky enough to prove themselves worthy of his aid. And there was also no possibly way he'd be greeting her in the afterlife, either, seeing as how things like the afterlife and deities in general didn't exist; they were just myths, legends, stories told by people who'd had a few too many drinks while jotting down historical records or just felt like playing a joke on the rest of the world. Nonetheless, she'd humored him, allowing him to escort her through this new land, this "Ethereal Plane," as he'd called it before. He'd mentioned someone named Freya wished to speak with her, but she had no idea who that was – myths had never mentioned her, at least – or why someone would wish to speak with a dead person, barring the impossibility of the act she'd considered at first thought.
'Can't hurt…not like I'm getting any deader,' Kitaras thought to herself, now past the confusion that had arisen when she found she could, in fact, think at all while dead. He'd been escorting her for some time now, having only just arrived at the massive and grand palace she was now walking through…and secretly, she was glad he was here. She didn't know how long they'd walked, through places that seemed no different than those she'd seen in the world while alive, but these other beings unnerved her, like there was something inherently wrong with her presence. She'd caught several of them giving her open glares and dirty looks, even though she was sure of the fact that she'd done nothing to deserve them, not to mention that she didn't recognize any of them at all.
'Wait…Silver Dragon,' she mused to herself. 'Scratch that. Maybe I have.'
Kitaras snapped out of her thoughts in time to see their arrival at a large pair of gleaming, pearl-white doors, each door flanked by a heavily-armored guard carrying a tall, thick-hilted spear in a gauntleted hand. Odin calmly stepped up to the pair of doors, rapping his metal-covered knuckles against one of the doors strongly and causing the sound to echo down the hallway.
"Milady, I've brought her, as you requested."
The doors in front of them suddenly swung open, revealing to Kitaras a large and lavishly-decorated room beyond, full of paintings, sculptures, and ornate furnishings, as well as an exquisite, shining silver throne near the back of the room with a figure seated upon it.
"Thank you, Lord Odin," the blond-haired, green-clad woman atop the throne responded, her voice soft and yet commanding. "Please, enter, Lady Nicholai."
Kitaras swallowed somewhat nervously, but began to walk forward. She was unused to the feeling she was getting now; the woman in front of her seemed to have a presence about her that defied words, a power that she could feel all around her without even trying to focus upon it. The doors closed behind her as she entered, leaving her alone in the room with the seated figure, and she swallowed again, unsure of what to do or say. After several tense seconds, she decided on the simplest course of action she could think of.
"Hey."
The Creator stood from her throne with a smile, eyes set upon the person before her.
"Welcome to the Ethereal Plane, Kitaras Nicholai," Freya said politely. "You are wondering why I have brought you here, are you not?"
Kitaras nodded, still unsure of what to make of everything. "I suppose…" she said hesitantly, looking around the room for a moment. "How do you know who I am? Am I dead? Who are you?" she asked, the questions coming out rapidly and all at once.
"I am Freya Syr Vanadis, the Creator of the Ethereal Plane," Freya answered, patiently beginning to address each of the woman's questions in turn. "It is my responsibility to uphold the peace and stability of this plane of existence. My knowledge of who you are…will be explained in due time." There was a note of hesitance in her voice, but it was gone quickly as she continued to speak. "At this moment, yes, you are deceased; however, that is the reason I have brought you here. I bear an offer for you, though I will gladly answer any questions you have presently before I explain."
Kitaras looked at Freya, allowing her mind to slowly wrap around what the woman was saying. The Creator…of the Ethereal Plane? Leader of an entire other plane of existence? Things were changing, and quickly at that.
"Has it been a long time since I died?" she finally asked.
"Not in the terms of time as mortals know it," the Creator responded calmly. "Time in the outer planes is largely irrelevant, usually kept only for historical records, as beings on the outer planes live much longer lives than any mortal being."
Kitaras nodded, slowly starting to regain her wits about her from all the sudden, new information. "Okay. So…why am I here, then?"
"To explain that, I must first explain something about the nature of the Ethereal Plane itself," Freya began, carefully stepping down from her throne to stand on an equal level with Kitaras. "The stability of this plane depends upon a group of beings collectively known as the Pillars of Reality. Together, they maintain the barriers that separate this plane from both the mortal planes and the other outer planes, as well as control the balance and nature of magical energy within the mortal plane. Recently, one of these beings revolted against my rule, and was stripped of her powers as a result of her actions." She paused briefly, allowing Kitaras a minute to digest all the information, before continuing once she felt that Kitaras was ready. "Kitaras Nicholai, I offer you the powers of the Pillar of Destiny, in order to restore the necessary balance between these beings."
Kitaras suddenly found that she couldn't quite contain her shock any longer.
"W-W-What?" she stammered, blinking in surprise and looking at the woman in front of her as if she'd gone crazy.
"It is not a decision to be made lightly, I assure you," Freya spoke, ignoring Kitaras' surprise – she'd expected it, as she had from the one who had taken Fayt's power before. "However, this decision was made with the best interests of my plane in mind. I do not expect you to answer immediately, as there is still more I must explain to you."
The Creator paused again, but this time, she seemed to be…uneasy, as if she had been dreading the words that she was going to say next. "You are certainly wondering why I chose you, of all mortals, are you not?"
"You…might say that," Kitaras replied slowly. The person in front of her ruled an entire plane, sure, but Kitaras found herself wondering if she hadn't perhaps lost her mind over the years. Was it even possible for that to happen to a deity? Freya turned away from Kitaras then, hiding her face from the woman's view.
"Three hundred years ago, this plane found itself at the end of a brutal, all-encompassing war, brought on by gradually-rising feelings of tension between the two races upon this plane. The reasons for war were petty and feeble, but the war itself tore this plane apart before it ended…all because two Erudite among us dared to fall in love, to have a child, when society believed that their positions made such a thing an unthinkable crime," Freya explained, solemnly turning back to Kitaras as she finished speaking. It was then that Kitaras noticed the sorrow on her face, a sorrow that few in the Ethereal Plane had ever seen the Creator express openly and freely.
"They were Arragious Nicholai, the leader of the Gilead Order, and Destine, the Pillar of Destiny…and you, Kitaras Nicholai, were their child."
The words hit Kitaras mentally with all the force of a Behemoth's stomp, her thoughts muddling as her legs buckled, sending her sinking to the floor in a state of shock. "…There's…no way that's true. I was born in Timber…I know I was!" she managed, her voice cracking – it had to be a mistake, a lie that the woman in front of her was telling!
Freya simply closed her eyes.
"In the aftermath of the war, your father, Arragious Nicholai, was banished from the Ethereal Plane as a result of his actions, a decision I regret making to this very day. For the safety of my plane, I had no choice. Still, the unrest did not quiet, and I became unsure as to whether it was going to lead into further conflict. I…proposed to your mother that we do something to ensure your safety, given the situation, and she agreed. You were sent to the mortal plane to ensure your survival, to live out your life as a mortal unknowing of your heritage."
"…That…turned out well," she said quietly, still gazing at the polished floor. "Dead before twenty-five…"
"There was no life for you here, Lady Nicholai," Freya stated, her voice equally reserved. "To remain upon this plane would have meant certain death for you, and almost certainly the beginning of a new conflict as a result. On the mortal plane, you had a new life, one free of a conflict you would have been drawn into of no fault of your own. We…truly believed it was the best choice."
Kitaras still didn't look up from her place. "I suppose…I understand…as much as I can, anyway. This is…a lot for me to take in," she said, unable to see Freya's polite nod at her words. "You said something about me becoming the Pillar of Destiny…my mother. Is…she well? What happened to her?"
"She is alive, though she is not here. She has traveled to another realm, in order to see what her choices may have resulted in had she been allowed to continue."
Kitaras spent several seconds thinking about what the Creator had told her. She knew that was but a piece of it, a small portion of everything that had really happened…but perhaps it wasn't for her to know yet. "…And you need me to help maintain this balance?" she finally asked.
"That is correct," Freya replied. "You are the one most capable of performing that task at present, even if you feel that is not the case." Kitaras seemed to consider that statement just as she had the last one, speaking only after several seconds had passed.
"Not to sound…I suppose, greedy, but what do I get out of it?"
"You will be returned both to life and to your rightful place as an Erudite, and given the power to travel between the outer planes and the mortal plane as needed. As the Pillar of Destiny, you will have magical abilities beyond nearly any other Erudite within this plane, as well as the knowledge to use them when needed. However, you will have a great degree of responsibility, both to act for the good of the planes, mortal and outer alike, as well as to obey my decisions."
Kitaras looked at Freya silently, measuring out her words and testing their veracity against her own thoughts. It certainly wasn't something to be taken lightly, as the Creator had said, but…even assuming everything was true, she somehow felt as if she could trust the being in front of her.
"Okay."
"Very well," Freya replied, standing up straight and once again looking like the leader she truly was, as if a weight had suddenly been taken off her shoulders in that moment. Her eyes met Kitaras unflinchingly, and her gaze seemed almost to weigh on Kitaras as she spoke. "Kitaras Avaleene Nicholai, I hereby bestow upon you the powers and responsibility of the Pillar of Destiny. May you act towards the benefit of all planes, both of this realm and others, and may you uphold your duties with pride and honor." She held out one hand towards Kitaras as she finished speaking, watching as raw magical energy gathered around it before beginning to flow into Kitaras like water poured into a container, strands of magical energy moving in waves and entering her body.
Kitaras suddenly felt a surge of power rushing over her like a flood, far more than she'd ever felt before in her life. Suddenly, she felt the full weight of reality, the true essence of what made up the world around her…and realized, among other things, just how powerful the woman in front of her truly was.
She dropped to a knee as she did.
"Thank you, Milady, for trusting me with this."
"It is I who should be thanking you, Lady Nicholai," Freya remarked. "I can only ask not that you forgive us, but that you understand why we acted as we did. The past cannot be changed, even for beings such as ourselves, but that does not mean that we cannot regret those actions."
Kitaras nodded in understanding, rising to her feet once more. "I'd like to take some time to grow acquainted with this power. By your leave?"
"It is a large burden to bear, I understand," Freya said with a nod to the new Pillar of Destiny. "Whatever time you need, you shall be given."
"Thank you," Kitaras said, politely bowing again before turning and walking towards the door. As the door swung shut again behind her, Freya smiled, beginning to return to her throne. It had been difficult for her, both then and now, to come to terms with what she'd had to do to preserve her plane's safety, but she felt now as if she'd finally made right an error that she had made so very long ago.
Now she simply hoped that Destine could find a way to come to terms with her own feelings.
[July 5, 2152 | Balamb, Juuban Café | 3:39 PM]
It was the best and worst of decisions, he reflected quietly over his tea. Searching for answers to what the Pillar was plotting was dangerous, but doing it alone was far too risky. Normally, those were the risks he thrived and succeeded on, but this time, he'd made an almost fatal error. He'd followed his duty as a Chosen, but he had ignored his instincts, instincts that had kept him alive for this long.
Those instincts told him that Destine wasn't to be trusted when she told him that proof existed of a plot against the Creator, and that she held it. If he'd listened to his instincts, they would've told him that that proof was the black haired woman in front of him. The instincts would've told him that Benji Powell and Katanas DeValle were to be trusted above all else.
Liam Bayloh wondered what those two thought of him now.
Ben wouldn't see it as a betrayal, because he would've never known the doubts that Destine had given him, except those he'd admitted aloud to Katanas. Still, that was enough to cause doubt. Would Ben find him untrustworthy? Only time would tell, but Angel doubted it. Ben seemed to place his trust in those he felt earned it, and rarely seemed to pull it unless required. He would see Angel's slip of judgment as just that, a slip of judgment. But...
Shaking his head, he turned to more pleasant thoughts. Katanas... that was trickier. Time would truly tell with the intrepid Commander. He'd know based on what Katanas assigned to him. Angel had, before this incident, been one of Katanas' trusted messengers; a SeeD and Instructor who was far more capable than others, able to do missions alone without many of the risks involved that normally accompanied solo missions. He'd know soon enough, however, if that was still true.
Once he came off of sick leave in a few days. Which is where he expected the medical staff at Trabia still thought he was. He probably had a good hour or so before someone would be calling him up on his GLD to instruct him (none too kindly) to return to his bed. And of course, they'd believe he was someplace else on the Trabian campus. It was helpful that the GLD's tracking could be disabled if required.
Required in this case, as he didn't want to explain how he was in Balamb when his car was still in the SeeD garage, and cameras had him in the infirmary two hours previously. No air or ground travel was capable of that, though he'd heard the Ragnarok could make the run in three hours at full speed. Despite of his recent failings, it was still his modus operandi to keep his Planeswalker status a secret from those he could.
But he'd had to get out. Bed rest and self-belittlement weren't a good combination, and he'd had a few things on his mind recently, before the incident with Destine, that fueled the issues that fueled the latter. So he'd done something about the first one, in order to deal with the second one.
Which is why he was sitting in a quiet cafe in Balamb; one of the last places anyone would look for him.
"You know, I just had a very unusual conversation with Commander DeValle at Trabia Garden. Do you know what he told me, Liam?" a male voice behind him asked. Angel didn't need to look over his shoulder to recognize who had spoken to him, and he stood up to turn and face him. As he had expected, an older – by most Humes' specifications – male with a healthy head of brown hair, a pudgy face, and piercing blue eyes that looked through thin glasses met him evenly. The man in question was dressed in a white button up shirt, with a red vest overlaid. Dark brown shoes and dark khaki pants completed the look.
"Headmaster Kramer! I didn't expect to see you here."
If Cid Kramer had a reaction to the statement, he chose not to voice it, choosing instead to sit down at Angel's table with his own cup of tea. "I had heard through the Network that one of my former SeeD and Instructors who'd transferred to Trabia Garden after its reconstruction, rather suddenly, I might add, was seriously injured. So, I thought I'd see if he was awake and around, as his injury was surprising to me. Imagine my surprise growing further when I go to contact Trabia, and I receive a call from Commander DeValle about an unrelated matter. When I ask of this individual's status, somehow he knew that said individual was sleeping, and isn't to be disturbed. But perhaps, if I went to Balamb and enjoyed a cup of tea at my favorite café, I may have luck at a later time."
Angel opened his mouth to speak, but Cid continued before he could. "I thought a cup of tea sounded like a fine idea. And with all of that in mind, imagine my surprise lastly, when I find the target of my sympathy drinking the same tea that I came to enjoy. Liam, why aren't you in the infirmary?"
Angel sighed. Once again, poor thinking on his part. Of course Katanas had known he had left. He was probably weaving some elaborate story explaining his whereabouts in a plausible manner. He supposed that answered one question. It seemed as though Katanas still approved enough to assist him when he went off...though he couldn't have known why he did, could he?
No, absolutely not.
"I can't stand bed rest. I've never been able to. I shouldn't have to, regardless of how beat up I am. You understand, right?" Liam replied quietly, taking the first sip of his tea, finally enjoying its rich, full taste. Cid looked to him before sighing, his lips curling into a smirk.
"I suppose I do, mister Bayloh. And you truly believe it's safe enough to walk around?"
Angel shrugged. "I've been relatively fine for a few hours. I've got some cuts, bruises, and a limp, but because of my... unique... chemistry, I'm having to fake some of it, which the pain helps. Like it or not, though, I had a number done on me, and eyebrows were going to rise if Katanas hadn't had the best of the staff working on me. The fact that I was able to walk to the infirmary with assistance probably helped, but no one recovers this fast. If I'm not careful, there'll be some questions to answer that are far too uncomfortable," he explained. Then, he blinked. "Of course, you're aware of that more than anyone, Headmaster."
Cid shook his head, a chuckle passing his lips. "I am," he replied, before waving over one of the dining staff. "Can you bring me out my usual?" he asked the woman who came to assist. She smiled, nodded, and headed into the kitchen to place the order. "I would like to know if my intuition is wrong. But Katanas seemed far too sure that I -"
Angel cut him off. "Don't bother. It's a Katanas thing." Cid looked at him questioningly. He'd known Katanas DeValle by reputation alone. What was Angel hinting at? He took a long taste of his tea, hoping Angel would elaborate. He wasn't disappointed.
"If you were to believe some of the rumors, you'd think Katanas knows everything. Of course, that's not true," he started, waiting as a large roast beef Reuben was placed in front of Kramer. The headmaster smiled, delighted and thanked the woman. He took a satisfied bite before looking to Angel again.
"Then what is he?"
Angel grinned, but waited as he waved the woman back. "Could I have another cup of tea?" The woman replied in the affirmative before she headed off to get the tea prepared. Then, he met Cid's eyes. "Katanas is intuitive, for lack of a better term. I think he sees situations and people and looks beyond what the exterior shows, choosing to examine the exterior and interior of the situation. It makes him a powerful SeeD Commander, to say the least. He simply seems to guess where and when the right place and time is a good portion of the time. Add in the fact that he's surrounded by good advisors... there's few more suited to the position that he's in."
Cid looked to his tea cup, taking another drink from it. "And how did he guess where I'd need to go to meet up with you?" his eyes twinkled with merriment. He appeared to have an idea, but Angel would need to confirm it for him. Angel once again couldn't disappoint.
"He's a keen sense when it comes to magical energies, like Planeswalking."
Cid nodded as a large pitcher was brought with the tea they'd both been drinking. Both of them thanked the waitress as she left to attend to other tables. After refilling both of their mugs, Cid looked to Angel. "How did you get yourself injured, Liam?"
Angel sighed heavily. "Do you want the truth, or the truth?" he asked quietly.
To anyone listening, this appeared to be a silly question. Cid Kramer knew differently, however. Angel was asking him the truth he'd told the infirmary staff, or the truth that he'd tell the Ancient he'd been championed by, or in this case, the Headmaster he'd bared his entire story to as a return for joining the Garden organization. "The full truth, Liam. You're quite a few years past shocking me anymore."
And so Liam Bayloh began to tell Cid Kramer of his own weakness; allowing an enemy to make him doubt one those he trusted more than most others, and almost leading to his death.
[July 6, 2152 | Galbadia City, Residential Sector | 1:11 AM]
The streets of Galbadia City during the day were some of the quietest in the world, some had said upon seeing the grandeur of the city and its comparatively odd lifestyle. A city whose day life was literally its nightlife, only upon the rising dawn did it settle into a state of silence.
It was during those twilight hours on certain days that Trabia Garden's General of the Sphere, Albel Nox, would wander the streets of the most corrupt city on the world, and truly feel at home.
Particularly when his clawed hand happened to be wrapped around the throat of a hoodlum who thought to jump him.
"I do not gladly suffer fools around my person. However, rather than crush your gutless body beneath my heels, I will give you one chance – one – to give me information I want. Take me to your boss, and I won't be the one who kills you today. Irritate me in the slightest," he tightened his grip, slightly, "and you won't live to regret it."
When Albel was grumpy, he tended to drop whatever limited form of politeness he exerts towards most people. It was always best to cooperate when Albel was feeling less than polite.
Twenty minutes later, he was standing before a greasy little man with dark hair sitting behind a desk far too large for his person.
Albel leaned forward, resting his good hand on the desk and staring down at the man in an intimidating fashion, ignoring the glares from the four bodyguards in the room. He did give them credit for how quickly they had set up positions around the room with guns trained on him, but they really didn't have any idea who they were dealing with.
"I want information, little man, and I, and my employer, will have it."
The man puffed himself up, trying to look tough, but Albel could smell the fear wafting from the man. It mixed poorly with his cheap cologne, aftershave, and hair gel. "I don't take kindly to -"
His statement was cut off as he was forcibly evicted from his desk, now held aloft by Albel's clawed hand, the target of a threatening sneer from the Trabian General of the Sphere.
"Allow me to rephrase. You will give me the information I want, and I'll only kill one of your men."
Negotiations from therein went quite smoothly.
[July 6, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 9:47 AM]
Angel put the last of a few of his belongings in a small duffel bag, glancing over his room quickly to see if there was anything else he might want to take along. Cid Kramer had helped him work through some of the issues that he'd had, and while they weren't fully resolved in his mind, he had a fresh perspective. That was valuable enough for now. And he'd also given him some more advice; advice that he was following at this moment.
"Pack a bag, Liam. Take a few days off, allow yourself some perspective. You've dealt with many things in the last few years. No one would blame you for using up some of your leave time."
A few things left behind; his GLD reluctantly not one of them, Angel threw on his duster, and threw his bag over his shoulder. One last check saw everything in order, and moments later he was locking the door behind him. He wouldn't be taking the Angelmobile today; he just wanted to get there and relax. No one would look twice if he didn't take the car, as people left Garden without a vehicle on a fairly regular basis.
He turned a corner as he went over his mental checklist, only to run smack into a woman, knocking her to the ground. He quickly knelt to help her up, only to realize that the woman was someone he recognized... and had recently been crying.
"Yuna?" he asked, helping her to her feet.
She looked at him, visibly shaken. "I-I-I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going! I should've been paying more attention, and I'm so -"
Angel interrupted, a mild chuckle coming out of him. "It's quite alright, Yuna. I wasn't paying full attention either." His words did nothing to calm Yuna, though, who started to cry.
Angel was good at a lot of things, but dealing with a suddenly crying woman was not one of them. He put his hand on her shoulder; an attempt to console her. Before words could start, she'd wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Once again caught off guard, he merely allowed her to cry, patting her back and whispering words of consolation. Suddenly realizing where they were, as well as the possible scene they could be making, he pulled her away from the dormitory entrance and down the hallway a bit.
A few minutes passed, and she finally calmed down enough to stand on her own, wiping the tears from her eyes as she tried to put her emotions back in place once more. An awkward silence passed between the two, and Angel finally cleared it. "Probably not my place, but, um... is everything all right?" he asked. Yuna looked at him with a sad smile on her face.
"Not really. I just needed a friend, is all. I had a fight with Tidus... and I think..." she trailed off, and then stood straighter. "Don't worry about me, Angel. Thanks for being there, though."
Angel smiled warmly. "It was my pleasure, Lady Yuna," he replied, and she blushed. A few moments later, she began to walk away. "Hey, Yuna?" he called after her. She turned, curiosity on her face. "It's gonna be okay," he said. A smile lit up her face, and she nodded politely before she started heading away. Angel watched her leave with a sense of trepidation, though he couldn't quite explain to himself why he felt that way.
He realized, with a start, that talking to Yuna Kaname in close proximity had made him nervous. He chuckled, and headed towards the main concourse. He'd head outside, get a good distance out, and Planeswalk to his destination – Cid was right about one thing. He did feel like he deserved some leisure time after everything that had happened.
Is that the sound of foreshadowing in the distance? Of course not...it's probably just the wind.
Though I typically do most of the actual writing for this story, using material from both of my co-authors as well, this interlude has scenes written by all three of us - those with Angel were written by Daniel Wesley Rydell, and the scene with Albel was written by Iron Reaver. You'll notice that this interlude chapter was also much longer than my usual chapters; this was because we all wanted to focus on many different characters at once in order to show some of the varied reactions to recent events. Another thing that I should explain is how the Trabia Garden ranking system now works under Darius DeValle, Sr.
Trabia Garden itself is split into several different specializations - Alchemy, Combat, and Magic - as well as a fourth group for students who choose not to have a specialization. There are also two other non-combat specializations, one for Mercantile and one for Political specialists, which are ranked differently. The first four are split into enlisted and officer rankings, as follows:
Enlisted: Layman, Cadet
Officer: Ensign, Lieutenant, Captain, Major / Instructor, Colonel, Petty Officer, Headmaster, Commodore (Knight of the Sphere), Brigadier (Paladin of the Sphere), Field Marshal (General of the Sphere), Garden Commander
Major and Instructor are equivalent ranks, all things considered, but most Instructors have foregone field work to focus on teaching, hence the separation. The last six ranks, from Petty Officer onwards, are for those who have achieved command positions within Garden. I won't detail the non-combat specializations yet, as they don't have much bearing on the story at this point; they only have five and four ranks, respectively. Most of this structure comes from the mind of Iron Reaver, as he worked with Trabia Garden's backstory and structure the most out of us while we developed the story.
As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please read and review.