Chapter 95
Connect
Edea Kramer still looked young. Raven haired, olive-skinned and heavily pregnant. She was wearing her plain matron clothes, the long grey skirt and the light blouse. Standing at her side was a middle-aged Cid, with his greying brown hair and round spectacles. He had grown a shaggy beard after retiring from Garden, untrimmed and a lot greyer than his hair. He was not wearing the red waistcoat Tyris had often seen in pictures of him, instead wearing khaki trousers and a white, buttoned shirt. In the summer heat, two of the top buttons were undone.
Tyris had assumed she would be seeing the past through her mother's eyes. But that was not the case, not all the time. She was able to leave Edea's body at will, able to move several yards from her before she felt a binding tug. Ellone spectated, in her human image. She was wearing one of her shawled dresses, and she looked around at the people that were oblivious to them.
Edea and Cid were at the bottom of the entrance steps to the orphanage, which looked as dilapidated as it had when Tyris had first revisited it. Opposite them was Seifer and Fujin. Seifer was looking east, across the edge of the flowered prairie toward the chocobo forest. His jaw was wired, and his face was set. The peroxide in his unkempt hair had almost completely grown out nine months after the end of the Second Sorceress War, and his beard was scruffier than Cid's. Fujin was standing between Edea, Cid and their son, the dull scarlet of her solitary eye moving between them.
'Anyone can walk the path of redemption, Seifer,' Cid was saying. 'Fujin started you upon it, and you only need not stray from it. I never doubted your integrity once in Garden! You know the true reason why I couldn't make you a SeeD, that I could not bear to have you take up arms against your mother one day! We didn't want you to find out the truth the way you did! We can't apologise enough for that!'
The Bloodhound of Garden continued to stare at the round chocobo forest on the horizon. As Cid was speaking, Seifer's expression gradually changed to one of anger, before he wheeled on his father.
'You told me Mom was dead!' he roared. 'Instead of stopping Mom, I served as her Knight! Even after I found out the truth, I didn't give a shit! I thought that it was all I had left, after not becoming a SeeD!'
'What is it that you want to hear, Seifer?' Cid asked. 'That I thought you were always good enough to be a SeeD?' He paused, taking a gentler tone. 'Do you remember what I was about to tell you, after you failed your last exam, before the Disavowed butted in? I was going to tell you that you reminded me of myself,' he ended firmly, and without regret or shame.
'I was discharged from Balamb's military on medical grounds after the First war,' Cid scoffed. 'I never saw eye to eye with General Dincht, disagreeing with him at every turn, with every battle plan. He always saw me as a threat to his position, as a Sorceress' Knight with Diablos' power at my disposal. I would never have surpassed the rank of Lieutenant with him in charge. Dincht could never stomach the reality that Balamb's contribution to the Western Coalition would have been minimal without me; that without my power, Balamb would have fallen to Sorceress Adel again years before.' Cid paused for breath as Seifer's posture seemed to ease somewhat. 'I'm really sorry, son.'
Fujin said, 'Well spoken, Headmaster.'
'The Punisher, they called you,' Seifer mentioned. Then he started to laugh maniacally, pointing at Cid's pot belly. 'Well, you've well and truly got a dad bod now!'
Edea moved closer to Seifer. Despite her pregnancy and the recent loss of her powers, she still carried herself very gracefully.
'Seifer, there's something I've been meaning to tell you,' she said quietly. 'When Ultimecia possessed me, she learned of my relationship to you straight away. She knew you were at Garden and could easily gain access to you. After I first became possessed, I almost succeeded in freeing my mind from her.' She paused, and Seifer's eyebrows raised in astonishment. 'It might have worked a second time, but Ultimecia told me that if I ever attempted to do so again, she would use my body to enter Garden and kill you, in front of your father.'
Seifer stared at her. A vein throbbed in his temple as his jaw remained wired closed.
'Then, sometime later,' Edea elaborated, 'the worst thing possible happened! You appeared before me in Timber. You were about to be expelled from Garden, and Ultimecia convinced you to follow your boyhood dream!' Tears appeared in Edea's eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her slender palm as Cid put his hand in the small of her back. 'She had the ultimate leverage! Chances were that I could have freed myself, prevented Vinzer Deling's murder and the entire war, but I wouldn't take the chance! Not if it meant even the smallest risk to my son's life!'
More tears flowed, and Edea's face was now red with sorrow. She buried it in her hands as she sobbed.
'Noble,' Fujin remarked.
'And then she turned you against me, painting my reasons for leaving you in the worst possible light, years after Ifrit caused you to forget me! She made you hate me! Made you hate your father, too!'
Edea struggled to continue, and she fell into Cid's embrace as she was wracked with sobs. Tyris knew first hand Fujin was not the sentimental type, but she still stepped toward Edea to place her hand on her former Matron's shoulder. Seifer could no longer look at his parents, turning his back on them again. Tyris could see he was fighting back his own tears, and forced herself to look away, unwilling to abuse her position as spectral audience. Ellone stood away from them all, with her arms folded. Eventually, Edea was able to collect herself.
'I was aware the entire time,' she said croakily, 'and you were so close, after all those years! But at the same time, I was so far away! I was so helpless to stop anything!' Tentatively, she took a few steps toward the rigid Seifer. 'Just know that I never wanted want to leave you when I did, Seifer, but your father and I had a very important task ahead of us, which I am sure that you can better appreciate now.' She paused. 'Squall appeared before me, in the past, towards the end of Time Compression. He planted SeeD in my head. And today, SeeD thrives, recently prevailing over two of the most dreadful Descendants of Hyne that have ever lived!'
Seifer continued to look across the prairie. It took him some moments to get his next words out.
'I've had time to reflect,' he managed. 'I don't hate you, Mom. Not anymore.'
Cid said softly, 'We know better than ask for your forgiveness, Seifer.'
Seifer turned around, and spoke to Edea. 'When I learned the truth, my past with Rinoa and failing to become a SeeD didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. After Timber, I vowed to defend you from the SeeDs that–' he halted, shooting a look of loathing at Cid '– your loving husband sent to strike you down!'
There was a very strained silence.
'I know, Seifer,' Edea said. 'I always have.'
It was Fujin who spoke next.
'Gender?' she asked Edea, looking at her bump.
Edea's face softened, and she smiled. 'It's a girl!'
Now, Tyris floated in a different plane. One of shifting whites, and greens and violets, the same colours Ellone often wore in her human avatar. The ocean was jade, and the sky was a translucent lilac layer over an endless void of twinkling stars. It was a wholly different filter of vision from before, though no less lovely.
'There are no people around,' Ellone mentioned, back in her Unei avatar. 'But they come here when they sleep. There is no escaping the World of Dreams, not for mortals. Everyone returns here eventually, aside from Descendants of Hyne. The Aether rejuvenates you as it sustains you. Conversely, you can only visit my realm if I allow it. Here, I hold the power of a deity; I just do not manipulate it.'
'It's probably past time you did, Ellone,' Tyris replied, 'with everything you've been through. You could strip Ultimecia of her allies, entrap them here! You could end the war!'
'Another promise I made to Edea was to never abuse my power,' Ellone said. 'And I do not intend to. Besides, Ultimecia learned to shield herself from me,' she mentioned. 'After I connected with her a number of times. It's entirely plausible she placed the same wards around her Knight and magicite holders. In any case, I connect to people very rarely – and since my youth, only with their consent.' The hazel eyes bore into her now. 'The last time I did was to see Raijin's death, so I know how remorseful you were.'
Tyris had to look away, into that amethyst shawl of a sky.
'Raijin loved it here,' Ellone said suddenly. 'Who needed a vacation, when we could shut our eyes in Winhill and go anywhere we wanted in this realm?'
'Ellone,' Tyris whispered. 'I am so s-'
'Anyway!' Ellone said sharply, cutting her off, and the useless platitude died on Tyris' tongue. 'I'm witnessing these scenes for the first time, too. We're going to jump forward a few months now. I remember the times and dates Edea cited to me, clear as day. I've repeated them in my head for years, so that I would never forget. Figuring out the night she was killed was harder, but I got there in the end. Are you ready to continue, Tyris?'
'Yes!' Tyris replied eagerly.
Now, Edea was holding a sleeping Tyris. She looked to be about three months old, and had just been fed. They were in an armchair within the stone house. The tools of the stonemasons and carpenters rang out occasionally, the refurbishment of the orphanage almost complete. The year was now 5002, the year after the Second Sorceress War. Now well into autumn, the fire to their side was well fed and hearty. The spectating Tyris remained in her mother's body this time, looking down into her own eyes. Ellone stood across the room.
Seifer and Fujin were in chairs opposite her, engagement rings on their fingers. Seifer's hair was now completely brown, but it was the lighter shade of Cid's rather than Edea's much darker one. Cid was currently away, visiting children in care on the western continent. Seifer's ring was the same crucible engraving from the sleeves of his trench coat, the symbol once adorned by crusading knights of the Holy Dollet Empire. His fascination with knights had not been limited to the ones that were bound to Sorceresses, and his new chinstrap beard was also testament to that.
'I'm very sorry to hear that, Fujin,' Edea was saying. 'As a former Sorceress, I know how infertility feels. But there are ways, now. Fertility clinics are all over the World. I heard that one recently opened in Balamb.'
Fujin nodded. 'A possibility.'
Seifer spoke frustratedly. 'But Balamb will remember Fu from the occupation. Besides, the cost is fucking extortionate! Gil we're not gonna have, any time soon, with me working door security in Venetia.'
Edea sighed. 'Cid and I have been thinking. We would not give up Tyris for the world. But, if possible, we want to avoid the fate that befell you. We don't want Tyris growing up as an orphan, not knowing the truth for most of her youth. By the same account, if she does know the truth, it will only strain her relationship with the other children, as it did with yourself.'
'Then don't reopen the Hynedamn orphanage!' Seifer cursed. 'Just live here! You deserve to live in peace after what happened to you, Mom!'
'Indeed,' Fujin agreed.
'I have to, Seifer!' Edea said. 'Thousands of children were orphaned at my command, some of them by my own hand! As the matriarch of SeeD, I know something about honour. I know the deeds I committed were not truly my fault, but it's the least I can for some of those children now that SeeD is in capable hands.'
Seifer remained silent. Tyris wondered if he was reflecting that so many people had died during the Second Sorceress War because his mother would not risk his own life. After a few moments, he asked, 'What were you thinking? About Tyris?'
'That the two of you can adopt her. Raise her as your own.'
Seifer looked uncomfortable, meeting Fujin's eye. 'Raise my sister as my daughter? I dunno, Mom. I'm not sure I'm fit to be raising anyone.'
'You can both take as long as you need to make a decision,' Edea said. 'Your father and I will pay for everything, so you won't have to worry about gil. Just give her what I really desired for yourself, Seifer; as normal an upbringing as you can possibly give her, away from Garden, SeeD, orphans, and war. Perhaps when she comes of age, you can tell her the truth, but I'll leave it to your discretion.'
Tyris knew that the newly emerged Sorceress Reina had already seized power in Esthar, for Seifer to even be living in Galbadia. He had been pardoned there after successfully extraditing Laguna to Galbadia City. Another Sorceress War loomed, but for now, the Planet was making the most of a peace hard won by the Children of Fate.
The baby Tyris looked sleepy. Edea softly kissed her head, and Tyris' felt an imaginary tingling on her own brow.
'I love Tyris very much,' Edea said. 'Your father and I want nothing more than to have a normal family now that I'm mortal again, but after the things I did as Ultimecia's puppet, I can't have it both ways. And if anyone comes looking for revenge, like Vinzer Deling's family, to use Tyris as leverage like Ultimecia did with you,' Edea trailed off. 'I'm not Sorceress Edea, anymore. I'm Matron once again. I know that we have no right to ask anything of you, Seifer, but please, do this for us.'
Back in the World of Dreams, the horned, naked avatar hovered before her.
'How are you holding up?' Ellone asked.
It warmed Tyris that Ellone would even care for her wellbeing, after what she had taken from her.
'I'm okay,' she responded slowly, then added, 'I think.'
So, there she had it. The reason was why she had not been raised by Edea. Until she had been seven, anyway. Did she understand? Did she agree with her mother's rationale? Tyris honestly did not know. It was all too much to take in, all at once. And even if she did not agree, it was done. It had been decided nineteen years ago, and a whole host of things had happened since; of the three who had been present, only Fujin lived.
'We'll be jumping forward several years now, to when you first arrived there,' Ellone stated. Tyris just nodded.
Seifer and Fujin were back at the orphanage, this time at the sandstone steps leading to the yard at the back. Fujin's hair was much longer now, and whiter. Seifer's beard was longer, and his facial scar was now faded white, a depression in his tanned skin. Edea was visibly aging now, looking to be in her middle thirties. Cid looked significantly older, his hair almost grey, the charcoal lines on his face dark in the shadow. This was how Tyris had remembered them looking when they had died.
With them was Tyris, her straight brown hair swaying in the faint breeze, chasing the smaller, blonde-haired Thalassa around the restored stone pillars. Zell and Adira were there, too. The Armageddon Fist was in his usual casual attire, with the jorts and tight shirt that highlighted his chiselled physique, now more filled out than it had been in his adolescence; a multi-division champion. His arms and legs were now covered with various brands and tribal tattoos. Adira looked much like Thalassa did now, diminutive with pigtails, but with the dark hair and brown eyes speaking of her Balambi ancestry. She wore a light dress in the summer heat and her skin was a nut brown. Tyris was almost as pleased to see them as she was her own parents.
The White SeeD Ship was docked at the wooden harbour near the stone lighthouse, having given them transport. The children from the ship were all playing on the beach. Kurin and Celes were at the top of the sandstone steps after greeting their former Matron, watching their crew down below.
After Seifer had gotten into one too many altercations with drunk nightclub revellers in Venetia, he had been stripped of his security licence and blacklisted from all venues in Galbadia. He had spent six months unemployed and begun drinking heavily, and things had become very strained between he and Fujin, who had qualified as a teacher. Eventually, he had received a lifeline from Zell Dincht, of all people. Zell and Seifer had reconciled over the years, and Tyris and Thalassa were more or less cousins. Zell was short on security for an MMA event, and asked Seifer if he would be interested in temping. The single shift had resulted in a full time bodyguarding offer for Balamb's politicians, and Seifer's family had moved to Balamb City thereafter. They were still living there when Esthar invaded the outer archipelago, in the year 5008.
'It's gonna happen soon,' Seifer was telling Edea and Cid.
'Yeah,' Zell said. 'Reina demanded annexation. She won't settle for anything less. Most children have already been evacuated to Dollet and Timber.'
'Will she stop at nothing?' Cid wondered. 'I still can't believe we didn't know about her before! Then again, could Squall have ordered the assassination of a Sorceress before she had done anything wrong? Could I? Reina was Ellone's friend when they were children!'
'Selphie said she looks like Ultimecia,' Zell commented, looking at Edea. 'Did you ever find out where Ulti came from, when she… well, you know,' he trailed off.
Edea shook her head quickly. 'I wasn't privy to that information, Zell. Only that she came from many generations into the future, and what her ultimate goal was. She didn't reveal her origins, nor did I have any way of knowing what she looked like. I don't know when she was born, or who she Succeeded. I don't think Ultimecia even cared about avenging Adel, by then. She merely used her mother to further her own ends, in our own era and again in ancient Centra.'
'I didn't know, either,' Seifer said. 'Now I look back, it was crazy that I served a Sorceress I couldn't even see!'
'You were serving me, Seifer,' Edea mentioned quietly.
Silence followed. Not for the first time, Edea looked at Tyris, who was losing the game of tag against the nimbler Thalassa. 'Thanks for bringing her back to me, Seifer,' she said. 'Instead of sending her to Raijin and Elle, I mean. After seven years, I'm wondering if I have started to repay my debt to the World.'
'There was no debt to begin with, Mom,' Seifer replied. 'You should just retire, before your Knight gets any older!' He looked at Cid and chuckled.
'I won't, Seifer,' Edea resolved. 'And there will be many more orphans before the Third war is over.'
'Tyris!' Fujin shouted, when the gleeful girls were back in their direction. Adira called Thalassa's name, but the pigtailed girl was halfway down to the beach. Tyris watched her past-self run to Fujin. Fujin put her hands on Tyris' shoulders and turned her to face Edea. 'This is Edea, but you must call her Matron. This is her house. She'll take care of you.'
'Hi, Matron,' Tyris said, a little nervously.
Edea gave her glowing smile and knelt in front of Tyris, holding her arms out, and they embraced. 'I'm very happy that you're staying with us, Tyris,' she said.
When the young Tyris pulled away, she blurted, 'I think that you're beautiful, Matron!'
Edea smiled again. 'Thank you, Tyris! I think that you are, too!'
Tyris had remembered that meeting well. She knew what was coming next, and this was the flashback she had been dreading. The night when the Esthari had come, in 5009.
'You know what's coming next, don't you?' Ellone asked gently.
'Yes.'
'And you won't try to change what happened?'
'No,' Tyris asserted firmly, then said, 'I'm ready.'
Reina's ships did not stop by the wooden harbour, instead landing further east, hovering above the waves when they got close. There were four of them, gliding gently over the sand until coming to rest. Edea and Cid had seen the shapes approach while sitting in the yard. When Cid looked at them through an old pair of military binoculars, he recognised the unmistakable Esthari designs glinting in the faint moonlight.
It was night. The children had long since been put to bed. Cid had quickly awakened them, telling them that they would now be night trekking to the large forest to the north, and to gather their sleeping bivis. Thankfully, everything was organised in one of the underground rooms for such an eventuality. Some of the children were excited, others were worried about running into monsters. Tyris and Thalassa were not there, of course, having snuck down to the beach with wooden swords to duel between the rocks, half a mile away.
Edea was unaware of this, having walked out onto the flowered prairie to await Reina's arrival, ready to summon Alexander. She and Cid knew that Esthar would be able to easily locate the children with their night vision, that a squad from the Adel Unit had probably already been sent north to head them off, but it was better than doing nothing.
Now, Tyris entered Edea's body.
It's okay, Mother, Tyris spoke, her words resonating in Edea's mind. Thalassa and I are on the beach. The Esthari pass right by us.
Edea gasped, looking around her. 'Tyris?'
Yes, Tyris said. We both survive.
Edea quickly composed herself. She knew what the presence of a future Tyris in her mind meant.
This... this is in the past? she asked. Your past?
Yes, it is.
Edea steeled herself, and Tyris knew her mother's thoughts before she sounded the words.
Do I die?
Tyris hesitated, but her gut told her it was right to warn her.
Yes, you do. So does Father. But I'm a Sorceress now; I've become powerful enough to avenge this night. Both halves of Raijin granted me their power, and I wield Raikou.
Edea remained silent now. She watched the silhouette of more than a dozen figures marching across the prairie. The hulking form and the forked beard of Reinhardt were unmistakable. The ceremonial-like armour and horned helm of Gabranth. The distinct staff of the slender Ialantha. The long auburn hair and powerful torso of Cullyn. The one who led them was a rangy, blonde woman in a scarlet gown, with a dark blue crystal at her throat. Sorceress Reina.
At least I know, Edea said resignedly. I don't have to be afraid.
I'll be with you until the end, Tyris said. I can lend you my power. Reina becomes Ultimecia, eventually. You have the chance for some payback, now!
Ultimecia? Edea did not sound too surprised. I feared as much. But I don't know if it will work, Tyris. When Ultimecia used me as her vessel in this era, I was a Sorceress myself.
We won't know unless we try.
The Esthari were within a few dozen yards now. The ruby armour of the Praetorians and the scarlet gown of Reina looked grey in the moonlight. Tyris did not have much time left.
I only just found out the truth, Tyris said. I understand why you had to foster me, and it's okay. I love you, Mother. Father, too. I've missed you both so dearly since this night!
I love you, too, Tyris. Just know that your father and I have treasured this last year with you. Even if you live for millennia as one of Hyne's Descendants, we will be waiting for you.
A second later, Reina's amplified voice split the silence of the prairie. 'Sorceress Edea!' Calmly, Edea waited for them to reach her. Reina stood opposite her, her bare feet flattening the white flowers, the Twelve forming a semi-circle around her. 'My mother's sworn enemy! I have come for the Holy Sentinel and the remainder of your powers!'
'I am a Descendant of Hyne no longer, Reina,' Edea said serenely.
'We shall soon discover whether that is true!'
Reinhardt put a broad hand to the receiver in his giant ear. He grunted, 'Memnon has killed the Punisher, Your Grace! All of the children have been rounded up!'
Reina stared at Edea, and said mockingly, 'No reaction to the fall of your Knight, Matron? Your orphans will provide adequate labour for my newest mine, the most robust to be nurtured in the arts of war!'
Edea said nothing.
'Just tell me something, Edea. You were the Saviour of the West during the First Sorceress War. Years later, you tried to take the realms of the old alliance for yourself. But after being thwarted by the Children of Fate, you returned here. Not only that, SeeD let you live, after the acts you committed. I wish to know why.'
'You would not understand,' Edea said dismissively. 'But it's true, about Adel being your mother?'
'Indeed,' Reina confirmed. 'I was born in vitro, like your Bloodhound. My father was Odysseus Vlahos.'
'It makes sense,' Edea acknowledged. 'Adel could no longer contain her powers. It showed in the engorgement of her appearance.'
'Mind your tongue!' Reina snapped.
'I mean no disrespect,' Edea clarified. 'It was known that your mother struggled to find a Successor. She took Ellone, but probably concluded making a Descendant of Unei into a Sorceress would be too dangerous. After all, Ellone could have used Adel to travel back two thousand years. Still, Adel would have rather agonisingly clung to a single thread of life than give her powers to me.'
'Your powers were no match for hers!' Reina shrieked. 'Only your Knight saved you at Winhill!'
'As for yourself, Reina,' Edea continued, 'you understand little of Hyne's power. You may have been born with it, but the one who should have nurtured you in its use was taken from you when you were of scant years. For which you have my sympathy. Then again, I had no one, either.'
'And you have no one, now!' Reina said cruelly. Her grin was sinister, emboldened by the presence of her Praetorian Guard, from which she drew much confidence. She might have been a Sorceress, but in her youth, her pack mentality was primitive.
'Seifer wasn't my only child, you know,' Edea announced. 'I have a daughter, too.'
Reina's eyes widened. 'Who is she?'
Edea smiled now. 'You will never discover who she is, not until it is too late. You may kill me on this night, but my legacy will endure. One day, she will surface to strike you down.'
A light blue sphere rose from Edea's palm, hanging above them all. Cockily, Reina tried to enshroud it in red fire, which only served to obscure it from sight. With a broad sweep of Edea's right arm, four javelins of ice tore through the flames, hurtling out into four different directions. Despite their mana-wards, the ice impaled the chest of four of the Praetorians, instantly dropping them onto the flowers.
'I knew that there was sorcery left in you, yet!' Reina screamed. 'Kill her!'
A purple sphere surrounded Reina, laced with Tiamat's dark blue flames. She fired a non-elemental flare at Edea. There was a blinding flash of holy light and Alexander filled the space between them, Edea standing on a platform near below his head as he rose into the night. The same holy light appeared behind Edea. An instant later, a golden, spiked half-circle appeared at Edea's back; white cloth trailed from it, shifting in the ocean breeze.
'We fight as one for the final time, Alexander.' Edea said.
Tyris awoke with a gasp, taking in the vistas of jade, lilac and cream. She and Ellone had not moved from that spot on Centra's edge, the eerie reflection of the Cape of Good Hope.
The more believable accounts of Cullyn and Ialantha had been true. Her mother had fought brilliantly, annihilating four more Praetorians and obliterating dozens of Adels that rushed their flank. But when General Zebalga had joined the fray, throwing her father's mutilated body at the foot of Alexander's ramparts, Edea and her GF had been overwhelmed by the combined power of Reina, Doomtrain, Tiamat and Leviathan. Which was in line with the story of Reina's early conquests. Edea had convinced Alexander to flee and accepted her demise. Ellone broke the connection just after.
But as Tyris had told Ellone, what is done is done. She would not ask to go back again to try and save her mother, or herself from being taken into slavery. Abuse of Ellone's power would make them no better than their enemy. She had gotten what she had really wanted – the chance to speak to her mother. It comforted Tyris that Edea's passing had been eased somewhat.
'Ellone, thank you,' Tyris said earnestly.
'That's okay.' Ellone's replied. 'I haven't connected with Matron for a long time, and I've never been able to bring myself to witness her final moments.' She dapped her eyes with the blue skin on her arm. 'I have you to thank for giving me the courage for that, Tyris. I've only seen her and Cid's tomb once. I've got no memory of my own parents, so I can't even connect with them. I truly did love Matron like a mother.'
'All of the orphans did,' Tyris replied.
'I knew what you were going to do,' Ellone said. 'It was probably better. Edea knew of her impending death, and she wasn't afraid. She had the power to fight back, and the sorcery came back to her as naturally as breathing. Besides, it was the only way you could ever speak to her.'
'So, what now?' Tyris asked.
Ellone looked at her. 'Would you like to go back to your body, now? Your real one, I mean?'
Tyris closed her eyes. 'Yes,' she whispered.
(Author's note: Hi all!
These past three chapters technically conclude the Timber arc. While I had originally planned to pen some of the battles detailed in C93, the whole thing had already become much longer than I had envisioned, and I ultimately decided to move the narrative along. Although I wrote a completed draft of this story two years ago, the Timber saga became a whole different entity to what it had been originally, and many of the scenes I had written for the subsequent Balamb and Esthar storylines can no longer be used.
As an example, the White SeeD Ship did not get destroyed and Ultimecia did not junction herself to Eden until much later. While I always planned for Tyris to take Selphie's powers, Rhodry did not die originally. Now, I always intended Rhodry to be the grown-up 'jogging boy' from Balamb Garden, who went on to become the best SeeD of his generation; I just retconned him as a Trabian that transferred along with Selphie. It pained me to kill off one of my OCs so abruptly, but he was ultimately an extension of Selphie's character, and I decided keeping him alive until the end for a copy-and-paste showdown with Selena was a little empty. I love Selena, but I established early on who would win that one. It also gives me a lot more flexibility when it comes to Selena herself, as the path I had drawn for her can now change drastically.
As fellow members will know, there's been no traffic stats on here since mid-September. Without any recent reviews or followers, it's not possible to determine how the story is being received. However, readership was still pretty strong at the end of the summer, so I've been taking it on faith that most of you are still reading. I tried my utmost to have the Timber liberation storyline match the intensity I felt the Galbadia chapters had, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Either way, feel free to give me feedback by review or PM, as it would be great to hear some recent comments!
As for the aforementioned hiatus… I need an extended break from this, as it's been two-and-a-half years since I originally started it, and I've never gone more than a few weeks without working on it in some form. I've been sitting on notes for short stories for FFIX and FFXIV for a while now, along with a retelling of a Silent Hill story that some old online friends and I did as an RP between 2004 and 2007. So yeah, this is gonna be on hold for a while.
Once again, I just want to wholeheartedly thank everyone that has either read, reviewed, or overtly faved/followed my stories, as it was ultimately you guys that gave me the motivation to keep writing this. I hope you all had a great Christmas, and I wish you a Happy New Year!:))
