Disclaimer – Final Fantasy VI and all affiliated characters are owned by Square-Enix. Please support the official release.
After the Fall / Prelude to Hope
Terra & Strago
"…ra…."
"…erra…?"
"Terra."
The sound resonated in her ears, rousing her from a fog of unconsciousness. Her vision, though blurred, adjusted to the faint light that illuminated the room.
"Wh-what…?"
"Easy. I've got you."
She muttered a groan. "Is that Strago?" she said weakly.
"Aye. I'm here."
She lifted her head until something sharp and stinging jabbed her on the side of the head. She reached to touch it, only to come into contact with something damp and viscous. When she lowered her hand, blood caked her fingers. "What happened…?"
"A fragment of the Floating Continent clipped you on the side of your head. You managed to catch me from falling but you were knocked out. If we weren't pulled by some magical force, we'd have taken a dip in the ocean." Strago eased her into a sitting position. "I can't imagine you surviving had you landed in the water."
She hissed each time she touched the wound. She dismissed his offer to use his magic. "It's fine, I'll do it."
Closing her eyes, she drew her hands close together. "Oh angel Seraphim, grant me a reprieve from pain and anguish. Cura."
The warm glow of her spell enveloped her body until the pain dulled. New skin formed and merged on her head, closing the wound. Seconds later, she was limber enough to stand. She then offered a hand to Strago.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"This is not a place I'm familiar with," Strago noted. The interior resembled a prison cell based on the enclosure limiting their area and a single door ahead with a circular window. She examined the walls until she stopped. "Shh. Listen."
A low rumble pierced the wall, vibrating it. Terra backed away, pulling Strago aside. "What in blazes?" Strago exclaimed.
"Quiet! I sense a powerful magical presence behind this wall," Terra said. Strago pursed his lips. "I sense it now, too. Must be your Esper senses being more attuned than ours."
"It's a creature. Large, fierce…," Terra muttered. She reached out with her hand, gauging the creature's magical aura. Something immediately snapped back like whiplash on her as she sank to her knees.
"Terra!"
"And strong…!"
"Are you alright?!"
Terra was slow to rise, nodding. "Yeah. I'll be fine. But there's something else. Something in the air that feels off. Something about the magic itself."
Strago stroked his beard, shaking his head. "Aye, it's foul, whatever it is."
The longer she reached out, the more her stomach churned. Not from the dizziness of waking up, but from the feedback she was receiving from the magical force permeating the air. It wasn't long until another wave of dizziness made the room spin. She would've fallen forward had Strago not held her aloft. "S-sorry."
"It's quite alright, Terra. Can you recognize anything here?" Strago asked. Terra refocused her senses on the room, using Strago to stabilize herself. There was a single bench bolted to the opposite wall and a single toilet at the back. She took a few steps back towards the door and upon further inspection, realization hit as hard as the wave of dizziness. "This is Vector," she concluded.
"Vector? The Imperial Capital?"
"Yes. It has to be," Terra said but paused. Something about this did not sit well. "But Kefka killed the Emperor, so there's no one in charge of the Empire."
"Unless he declared himself Emperor in his stead," Strago added. His face shifted into a scowl the moment Kefka's name left her lips.
The man solely responsible for ransacking Thamasa and murdering countless Espers.
The man who took Leo's life.
The madman who ended the world.
It was like a bubbling cauldron ready to burst in her stomach, shooting up foulness. She covered her mouth. "Oh god. It really happened, didn't it?"
"Aye. I dared hope we all dreamt this nonsense. But the Warring Triad was stirred from their slumber and scorched the world with their magic," Strago said, then whispered, "just like before."
"I might need that toilet," Terra managed to say. She swallowed several times to keep it all down, leaning back against the door. Sliding to sit on the floor, she wiped her face with her hands and held her head aloft. She was tempted to remove her hairband as if it cut the circulation to her brain but paused to breathe slowly.
"This will be the hardest thing to accept, going forward," Strago said. He sat by Terra along the adjacent wall. "The world is out of balance. Who knows what it looks like now?"
She wrapped her arms around herself. Every fiber in her body felt like it was stretched and compressed at once while the cauldron sloshed around randomly. One moment she tensed, the next it was like a gaping hole formed in her chest, leaving her hollow. Please wake me up.
Please.
The hollow void inside her was rocked by the sound of faint laughter. It was unmistakable how inhuman it resonated in their ears each time they were forced to listen to it. Especially for a woman who endured it often as she grew older under the watchful eyes of the Empire.
Only this time, this laughter had more power to it.
"Kefka," Strago hissed. He was back on his feet. "I know it's you, you crazy git! Show yourself! What right do you have imprisoning us in here?!"
Terra rose, but more slowly. Her eyes scanned the room with unease. It bloomed as the laughter increased, getting louder by the second. "Something's different," she muttered.
"Different?"
She shook her head slowly. Strago was still defiantly glaring upward. "Something about Kefka feels different."
"Are you sure?" Strago asked but froze. "Terra! Your hands!"
"Huh?"
She glanced down to see that her hands were fading. Moments later she found herself enveloped in a bright light. She reached for Strago only to see him and the room shift.
~.~
Strago only had a moment to process a reaction. Once the light was gone, he approached the empty spot she once occupied. "No…!"
He closed his eyes. With his magic, he searched for Terra. He found himself among a sea of fog so thick he wasn't sure if he could even see his hands. Amidst the thickness, a distorted laughter was heard in the distance.
The laughter crescendoed until it focused on a singular point ahead. From the sound emerged a creature, like a giant snake. What should've been the snake's head was Kefka's instead, striking at him with such velocity that all Strago could notice were teeth encased in a maddening grin.
He staggered back. "What in blazes?!"
Balling his hands into fists, he dug into the source of magic once more to search for Terra. She had to be alive! There's no way some light would take her so easily.
Another flash in his field of vision produced Kefka's laughing face until it jerked him back into the jail cell.
"What have you done with Terra, you monster?!" Strago howled. "Release me at once!"
He used his fists to bludgeon them against the door. He pushed and pulled, even trying to channel magic into the latch to move it. The door would not give. He gave it one final smack with an open palm. "Damn you."
"Are we having trouble?" said a voice from behind. Strago spun, panicked. Instinctively, he backed into the door to meet his new cellmate, a thin man he had never seen before.
"What the devil is going on here? How…?" Strago asked, searching the room. There were no openings along the walls and ceiling to speak of, with only the creature's low rumbling piercing the wall to his left to add to the ambiance. The man sat on the bench, legs stretched out with one crossed over the other. He adjusted his seat and offered a space for Strago to sit. "Well?"
"Who are you?" Strago asked. The man rose from the bench and gestured before Strago with a short bow. His garb was simple for a man of his size with trousers, boots, and a loose white long-sleeved shirt. But his face held an ancient aesthetic older than Strago could perceive.
The man extended his hand forward. "I sense a kindred bloodline in you, friend. Do not be afraid."
"Kindred bloodline? What do you mean?" Strago asked.
The man continued to hover his hand before him. "Shake my hand and you'll find out."
There was no way to easily give in to this, Strago knew. He raised his hand, slowly, only to find the man clutching it in a firm grip. "Take it easy. I won't bite," the man chuckled.
A surge of magical power flowed into Strago the moment the man made contact. It was a depth of power so vast and so open he couldn't figure out where it began and where it ended. When the man released his grip, Strago pulled his hand away, using his other hand to soothe it.
"You still have that puzzled look about you," said the man. "So be it. Had your blood not diluted so much with all that backwater village life, you'd have realized much sooner who stands before you."
"You know of us?" Strago asked. He steadied his voice, which was something he had no other recourse but to do considering the company he was keeping.
"We're brethren! Cut from the same magic cloth since ancient times! Come, brother, surely you haven't had the wool pulled over your eyes so much they've fused to your retinas?"
Brethren? It could only mean one thing.
"You're a Magi," Strago concluded. The man did a two-fingered salute before he eased himself back on the bench. "But we've only had Magi in Thamasa for generations since the end of the war. We would have recognized you."
"Ironic, you say that. In fact, I was sort of in a prison like this one," said the man, tapping the wall with his finger. "Annoying thing, that seal. If I had to guess based on my perception of time and space, several hundred years have passed? Maybe more? Less? Why don't you fill me in, brother?"
The unease of the questions didn't come close to the way he addressed him as "brother." The closest person he'd ever consider a brother not by blood was Gungho. This Magi held an air of command that thickened the air in the cell, under his aura alone.
"A thousand years," Strago said. The Magi nodded, accepting the fact so easily.
"Impressive. Doesn't feel like it, but then again, time didn't exist where I was. Locked away with so many others, bound by the power the Warring Triad held over us."
Once the Magi mentioned the Gods, it became obvious what happened.
"I see. Awakening the Warring Triad unsealed your prison, is that it? Then that must make you one of the Magi from the war itself," Strago stated. The Magi wagged his finger, mocking him.
"Not one of the Magi. The Magi," the man said. "I was the Grand Magus, the Master of Magic that led our people to glory against the Esper monstrosity that tore this world apart. Bastard servants of the Gods, they were."
Strago swallowed. The Grand Magus, himself? "Grand Magus Thamasa?"
He was silenced with a single look. "Do not call me that. I hate that name. I discarded it a long time ago."
"But we founded our village after you!" Strago protested. The Grand Magus arched an eyebrow. "Did you, now?"
"Aye. My ancestors found a stretch of secluded land and built a village in your name and honor. They revered you highly, choosing that land to preserve your legacy and keep the Magi name strong among us."
"I'm touched," the Grand Magus said. "But I wouldn't go as far as to say your ancestors revered me, as you claim. Mumblings of me passed around in hushed tones, saying I was too hungry for power, that I slaughtered Espers for the fun of it. But I could not care less about their opinion, brother. I cared about the mission of claiming our birthright to conquer this world for the Magi to rule as Gods. Had it not been for the Espers wasting my time, I'd have secured the power of the Warring Triad for myself. Seems there was someone else who beat me to it."
He chuckled. "Lord Kefka would've made the finest Magi in my company during my time."
"You serve that madman?" Strago said. It was sickening to hear such a thing said so casually.
"I tolerate him. No, that's not correct. I recognize his power. I daresay I can respect such a bold gesture to pull off the impossible. In fact, that is why I am here sharing this cramped space with you, brother."
Strago furrowed his brow. He wasn't having any of this. "Where did you take Terra? Answer me!"
"Lord Kefka summoned her to him. He sent me here to put you to work as one of his acolytes," The Grand Magus explained. Strago raised his hands in defiance, ready to channel magic. It didn't matter how often he'd see Kefka's deranged form before him as he cast his spells. Grand Magus or not, he'd get a taste of an old man's wisdom.
"You wish to raise hands to your Grand Magus, brother?" The Magi asked.
"I will do what I must to escape this cursed place," Strago hissed. "I am still capable in my old age. I've read all the stories about you, Grand Magus. I have magic that can hurt you."
The Magi's ancient face stared back, amused. "Your courage is commendable, brother. I've no doubt the Magi blood in you would have figured out ways to counter my skill. However long that will last, however, is not up to you. You are being put to work at Lord Kefka's orders."
The Magi did not mince his words. He moved with such a blur that Strago couldn't perceive where he went. He froze as two hands sandwiched his head between them.
"I will give you a choice, brother. Either you submit to the will of your new God, or you rot in this cell for the remainder of your days," the Grand Magus whispered.
"I'd rather die than choose either option. Kill me now and get it over with. I will not be a slave to this chicanery!"
"You are outclassed, brother. You stand before forces you do not yet comprehend. All those studies, all those books you've read in your youth that spoke of monsters I've slain and fought with. All those weapons of war at the tips of my fingers. They pale in comparison to your new God of Magic. The Warring Triad's time has passed. The time of Kefka is birthed before a world of chaos. And I will be his General to usher in that new world with a beautiful tower in his honor. A tower that you will aid in its construction."
The Grand Magus's words stirred a sea of disquiet within Strago. He struggled to free his head, trying to strike back at him with an elbow or a foot to kick him with. Once the Magus finished talking, he released his grip, flashing back to his original location in another blur.
"What good would it do to enlist the services of a feeble old coot like myself?" Strago said. He used the door to hold himself aloft. "Even if you work me to death, my friends will-"
"Your friends are dead," the Grand Magus said bluntly. "And in moments, so will the girl. It is pointless to resist us, Strago."
"No…!"
No one survived the Triad's magic? It couldn't be possible. "You lie, Grand Magus! I will not accept such a bastardized statement!"
"Their bodies were scattered and torn apart, Strago. You will never see them again."
He couldn't figure out whether the Grand Magus's calm tone throughout the entire exchange left him hollow or fueled a fire ready to burst. "I will send you to the deepest layers of Hell itself," he howled.
Before he could move, the Grand Magus halted him with a hand. "A moment." He paused, touching his frontal lobe with a finger, then sighed. "Very well."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Lord Kefka requests my presence. As for you…," he said, approaching him. "Unfortunately I'll have to choose for you. Your presence is more important to him as an acolyte than a corpse so I'll expedite the process on his behalf. This may hurt a bit."
"What are you…?!"
The Grand Magus moved again. Too fast. He was simply too fast for Strago to react or process. He only found himself kneeling before him with the Magi's hand clamped on his head, fingers digging into his skull. Everything around him blurred and faded. "Relm," he choked as he shook. "I'm sorry, Relm!"
He couldn't move his hands. The last thing he could sense was the tear that trickled down over his cheek and into his snow-white beard. His eyes rolled back as the room faded.
All that surrounded him was darkness without sound, sight, smell, or taste. Darkness he could not sense. Whatever the Grand Magus had done to him, he would never know.
~.~
When the light vanished, Terra found herself in a different location. It was empty, save for mountains of unnaturally placed debris bonded together as if drawn to each other like one giant magnet. Situated at the center of the debris was a shape that resembled a throne of sorts.
Before she could move to examine the area, a pair of hands covered her eyes. "Guess who?"
Belting out a shriek, she stumbled forward, spinning to face him, the madman. Kefka.
He laughed. "Jittery, aren't you?"
She raised her hands in defense. "Please," Kefka cooed. He flicked his fingers in a downward motion. Terra's hands moved on their own to lower themselves at her sides.
"What's going on? Why am I here?" Terra asked. Kefka didn't answer. Instead, he sauntered over to her, face full of caked-on white make-up with that wide red-lipped, teeth-filled grin of his until it was inches from hers, looming over her. "Shall we dance, my dear?" he offered.
"What?!"
Taking her hands, Kefka began moving around, swaying and sashaying with her in tow. To her surprise, her legs moved in sync with his, dancing along the floor. If there was music playing, she didn't hear a single note of it. "La danse au folles!" he sang. "Un petit séjour avec toi, ma chère."
Why can't I control my body?!
She grunted and pulled back, but there was no give. Kefka shifted into a different dance routine, threading his fingers through hers in one hand, while wrapping his other around her waist. He marched her forward, stopped, and then did an about-face to march in the opposite direction.
"Let me go!" Terra howled. "Stop this!"
He turned his head and stuck his tongue out before he continued the dance. She was spun around until he caught her from falling to the floor, her back arching slightly. Everything about this disgusted her to no end.
Twirling her back to her feet, Kefka conjured a chalice from his hands. "Beverage…?"
"No! I don't want anything from you!" she cried.
Kefka downed the contents instead. Tossing the chalice carelessly, he began humming a tune to himself. As he did, she found the floor began to move under her feet, rising like an elevator. Kefka continued to saunter as he hummed until the floor was high enough to tower over the abstract pillars ahead.
"Will you cut this out, already?!" Terra hollared. Was nothing going to reach him?
Kefka stopped and arched his head back, giving her a view of his eyes. "Hmm?"
Watching his teeth bared again in that malicious grin, Kefka moved his hand up to wave her forward. It was as if a noose was tied around her waist, jolting her forward without any ability to resist. The invisible noose stopped, placing her next to Kefka.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he said. "Gaze upon it. Drink it all in."
Terra furrowed her brow, confused. In his most non-insane posture, he gestured towards the world below for her to see.
The bubbling returned in a violent crescendo within her insides. She covered her mouth, stifling all attempts to void the contents. The devastation that occurred below was ongoing. Cyclones upon cyclones migrated on land and sea. Cracks of immeasurable size sundered across the continents, forcing them apart with jets of magma gushing forth like a fountain. Mountains that were seen as she flew across the world so long ago split and crumbled, creating avalanches. The obsidian skies ejected bolt after bolt of liquid-hot lightning that struck the world below.
People fled below. Panicked and paranoid, they frantically searched for a safe place to hide. They scurried as much as their legs could take them until they were picked off one by one, either from falling into a freshly opened chasm or vaporized by a lightning strike. Directly below, domes of light expanded and burst, some as large as a house, some even larger. Those caught in their wake, gone without a trace. Nothing left of them, not even a charred corpse.
All the while this happened, she spotted Kefka swaying his body, eyes closed, humming that same distorted tune of his.
"What a symphony," he sang. "Do you not hear it? The unified cries of the condemned? The shrieks of panic and helplessness? Listen, Terra. Listen to the Triad's harmony."
Terra backed away from Kefka, working to gain any sort of distance from him. He never sounded this unhinged before, but what made it worse was that he had the confidence behind those words to say them so casually.
She continued backing away until she bumped into a figure. Turning her head, her heart jolted at the sight of Kefka. She blinked several times to assure herself she was not seeing double.
"Leaving? But the song hasn't ended," Kefka said. The world around her was spinning again. She needed to be anywhere but here.
Sprinting away, she was halted by Kefka's presence. She hurried in any direction she saw an opening, only to see the madman blocking her path. Her breathing increased, and her eyes searched everywhere, but the sight of Kefka grounded her.
"Come now. That's no way for my entertainment to act," Kefka said, tsking with disapproval. Terra averted her eyes. Anything to draw her focus away from his gaze. Every attempt to back away was met with a pair of hands caressing her shoulders. "The entertainment's only begun, my dear."
The floor began to lower until it was back in its original place. Maybe there was an exit that she hadn't noticed before. Maybe there was an opening within a wall she could burst with her magic. She attempted to channel her magic to teleport away yet her connection was interrupted by Kefka's deranged visage.
"Trying to cast a spell?" Kefka asked with a chuckle. Terra sneered back at him. "What did you do?" she hissed.
"You tell me. But it looks like you're tapping into the source to cast your little spell to go away. But why would my lovely little face be there as you did it?" Kefka tilted his head pensively. Terra was ready to throw daggers with her glare until the slow, dreadful realization crept into her mind.
"Blessed Kirin, grant me this brief reprieve. Cur-," she froze at another flash of Kefka's face. "It can't be."
"Look at you, you clever shrew," Kefka cooed again. "You're getting warmer."
She reached with her magic, searching for something specific. Ignoring the flashes of Kefka's face, she attempted to reach the Warring Triad, the very Gods of magic themselves.
But found nothing.
It hit her like a cannonball to the chest. A lump formed in her throat, forcing her to swallow it. "What did you do?" she whispered. "Where are the Warring Triad?"
"Around," Kefka said, twirling a finger in the air. "Somewhere."
"What did you do?!"
"Feh! Why would I tell you all my dirty little secrets? Where's the fun in that?" Kefka spat.
"When is it going to be enough?" Terra said. A torrent of magic slowly welled up within her. "How much more do you need to take from us? From me?!"
Kefka sat, floating in mid-air. Crossing one leg over the other, he leered at her with an amused look. "You took my mother! You took my father's dignity and pride! You took my free will! You took Leo!" she howled. Power flowed, ready to burst. "You took the world! And now you dare take my magic?!"
The Esper in her roared. Shifting to her alternate form, she screeched at blinding speeds towards the fiend before her. "GIVE IT BACK~!"
Kefka remained in the same pose as his crazed eyes widened with giddiness. She rocked him back with a right hook that sent him soaring to one of the pillars. She didn't care that he laughed as he flew back, only that she saw him crash. He cackled, dusting himself off. "Yes! Entertain me more, witch!"
He bounded to his feet and hopped around, skipping along uneven surfaces until she reached him again to unload on his face with punches. He swerved and flew back, goading her to move forward. She was lost in her rage, unable to realize the danger she found herself in.
She flung spell after spell at Kefka, channeling elements of Fire, Lightning, and Ice. She willed a piece of magicite before her, hovering her hands around it. "Father, grant me power! Smite this foe!"
From the crystal, a lavender-colored beast emerged with human-like features. Maduin, her birth father, flew around her and stopped at her side. "Let us fight as one, daughter!" he shouted.
"This ought to be amusing," Kefka said. Terra hissed back at him, lacing her fingers into her father's. Together, the pair aimed a concentrated burst of powerful magic that enveloped Kefka. It seemed to work as she could hear him howling in agony from the effects, but she was more distracted by the fact that her father soon vanished as quickly as she summoned him.
Kefka's pained shrieks eventually became interspersed with gales of laughter as the magical force shattered like glass, the pieces floating away. Terra was still glaring venom at him.
With another burst, she had a direct line for a heavy blow, only for him to hold his hand out. "Ah, ah, ah! Wait a moment, my little firebrand."
"No more waiting! Die!" Terra shrieked. It was at this critical junction that she found herself at odds with a force she could not comprehend. It was still Kefka, but something else was somehow superimposed on him, something she couldn't make out. It froze her on the spot.
Kefka clapped his hands twice. "Yoohoo! Come here, if you would!" he shouted.
A pillar of dark blue smoke crackled beside Kefka. A pair of boots emerged connected to a slim man whose face looked ancient, far more ancient than Strago's. He stepped forward, hands in his pockets, eyes closed.
"This better be important, Lord Kefka. I have work to do," said the man. He opened his eyes and met Terra's before he turned his attention to Kefka.
"My toy's being defective. Do be a dear and dispose of it for me, would you?" Kefka asked. Terra lowered herself to all fours, ready to pounce on the new presence.
"I'll kill you both," she hissed.
The man sighed. "You summoned me for this?"
Kefka chuckled. "You're more than a match for this tasty little morsel. I'm about done with my entertainment. I only need to take care of the leftovers."
"Who are you?" Terra asked. The man shrugged his shoulders. His bored expression hadn't ebbed.
"I shouldn't have to explain myself to the likes of you, but I'll make an exception this one time. I was once the Grand Magus of the Magi, sealed away with the Warring Triad when they felt they needed to cease the conflict. Disrespectful whelps."
He approached Terra, tilting his head slightly. "You are a curious creature. I sense the presence of many Espers on your person. You are an Esper I have not seen before."
"My father was a powerful Esper warrior named Maduin. You better remember that name!" Terra boasted. The Magi's lips curled into a grin.
"One among the ancients. Good. What of the others? Valigarmanda? Odin? Alexander? Ragnarok? Bahamut? Do they not dwell within you, girl?" the Magi asked.
"Who?"
The Magi's smile vanished, replaced by a scowl. "Pathetic. I'll make an example of you quickly before I secure Lord Kefka's treasure in a safe place. We can't have your grubby little mitts on such a valuable trinket."
"I'm strong in my own right!" Terra shouted. "These Espers fight with me! My bloodkin won't let this world be eviscerated any more than it already has once we've rid it of your filth!"
"Your magicite," the Magi stated, "is dead weight."
He rolled the sleeves of his shirt back and from his pockets he produced a pair of gloves, slipping them onto his hands. He gestured with them, goading Terra. "Prove your worth, Esper child, if you value your strength."
Within her fiery aura, Terra noted a shift in the Magi's posture. It was unclear what he had done, only his aura fluctuated with prismatic colors.
She aimed and unloaded a blast of fire. Anticipating a direct hit, it was eaten by the aura and coated the Magi. "Fira," he said. "What else have you for me?"
It was clear he knew the spells. But how many? She shifted to a different tactic and planted her hands on the floor to conjure a deluge of ice that would've created a prison of cold had it not also been absorbed into the Magi's aura.
It's not working?! What is he?!
"Blizzara. Interesting. You've studied the elements, girl. Good. But not good enough."
The Magi's voice didn't sound mocking, though she wanted to believe it was. She howled again.
"Thundara!"
"Bio!"
"Break!"
"Death!"
The Magi stood, hands behind his back as each spell fizzled without a single hint of effectiveness. "Are you done?" he asked.
The aura surrounding Terra diminished until it faded. The pink, rose-colored fur-like flesh of her Esper form morphed back into her pale human skin, clawed hands changing back into her gloved ones.
The Magi scoffed, turning his head to Kefka. "Lord Kefka, why am I wasting my time with this? I have a tower to assemble with those peasants you insist on sending me."
"Oh, very well," Kefka said, waving him off. "I think she gets the point now."
Terra fell to her knees, breathing heavily. This can't be real! What was he?! Nothing I cast had any effect!
The Magi bowed formally, hand to heart before he disappeared in that cloud of dark blue smoke. When it imploded with a pop, Kefka stalked over to her. He placed one foot on the back of her head, pushing it down.
"Do you understand now, my dear?" He asked. "All your boasting? Your theatrics? Your heroics?"
His foot felt like a boulder, crushing her. Fighting to escape it, she was pushed down until her face pressed itself against the floor. She cried out from the pressure, reaching with her hands to pull his leg off.
"Call all the so-called Esper dreck you want, it matters not," Kefka whispered. Her cries were pleading for release, but it only made him press down even more. "But don't worry, it'll all be over soon."
He lifted his foot. The pressure somehow was still there, even though she could move again. She crawled backward in a feeble attempt to gain distance from him. She lifted her head.
"Please," she pleaded. "Let me go."
"Oh, I'm not done yet," Kefka said. His tone was no longer playful, she realized. That was only the start of the horror she soon found herself subjected to. She tried to crawl but her body was locked in place. The force that bound her wrenched her body so fiercely she wanted to scream, only her mouth was forced shut.
"You're not playing wiTH CHILDREN'S MAGIC ANY LONGER," Kefka said, but his voice lowered, and lowered, until it was a bottomless pit of chaos she had never heard before. Lifted into the air, arms and legs spread open like a torture rack, she gazed upon Kefka morphing into a figure beyond human limitations. His pale skin which could've been make-up for all she knew, darkened to an unsightly violet, covering his body from head to toe. Gone were his green robes, replaced by robes that concealed very little of his toned physique. From his back sprouted wings, two sets adorned with feathers, a third below them leathery and black like a bat's. Eyes that once had pupils vanished into a pale misty husk that still looked as if it knew what it was staring at.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MAGIC, TERRA. THE ONLY THING YOU WILL KNOW FROM NOW ON IS YOUR PLACE IN THIS WORLD. MY WORLD."
He raised one arm, draped in one of the many robes that concealed his flesh from the waist down to his legs, and opened his hand, palm forward.
"OH, MOTHER OF DESTRUCTION. REND THAT WHICH IS CREATION INTO OBLIVION," he recited. It was an incantation that never touched Terra's ears in her entire life. It was leading to something that made her want to plead for the god of dreams – if there was such a being – to wake her.
"ULTIMA."
The bonds sealing her mouth shut were released, as if Kefka wanted to hear the wails of agony she was doomed to be subjected to. From the center of the room, a sphere of blue and white light expanded, distorting all that was within. It was approaching her fast, with no means to escape. She reached one last time in desperation to teleport, but her resources were depleted. She was completely and utterly helpless before what came.
This spell, named Ultima, made contact. It consumed and distorted her flesh and bones, driving deep within her very soul, even. Time and space melded and shifted, contorting reality itself around her. Her screams were absorbed into the sphere until it ejected her far away from Kefka. If he was laughing while this happened, she would never have known.
The raw, pure, destructive energy left her battered on the ground she found herself in. How it didn't destroy her was too baffling to ponder, as the liquid fire, frigid chill, and crackling electricity seared and tore at her, making her believe the spell was still consuming her to destroy her mind. Only it was her body writhing on the ground until she could no longer hear herself cry from the endless agony.
"Cure," she said, her voice hoarse. "Cure…! God, please! Cure!"
It was pointless.
She depleted her magical essence. Each part of her body wanted to howl. She crawled until she reached a stray boulder to help her lift her body. Her legs were like gelatin, causing her to tumble back onto the ground any time she attempted to gain stable footing.
"Get! Up!" she barked, punching her legs. "Get! Up!"
She sidled her back along the boulder, hoping that it would keep her on her feet momentarily. "Come on!"
She wobbled forward and backward. "COME ON~!"
Her throat was dry from all the screaming and heavy breathing. Wheezing, she carefully moved one leg forward, stomping the ground. Once she was confident it would keep her steady, she moved her other leg. After a few steps, some measure of strength returned to her legs.
Now that she had regained some momentum, there were two desperate issues at play. One, she was still writhing everywhere, and two, the winds blew a bitter cold that made Narshe warm by comparison. Looming ahead was the spire that launched her. Pieces of land and buildings were still amassing themselves towards the structure. Stray strands of her emerald hair hung across her face, forcing her to brush them away, even though the winds were more than capable of blowing them about.
She hadn't the slightest clue which direction she needed to go, but as long as it was far away from Kefka, she'd take it. The land behind her stretched over to a fork in the road that curved outward. Her pace was slow, but she eventually reached the junction. It was only a matter of where to turn next.
Go left? She considered it, only she realized within moments that there was a procession of people migrating her way. She stumbled forward, going to the right until her legs gave out again, causing her to trip.
She watched them walk by, eyes dead to the world. Their vacant expressions said the same thing only they were smiling. Why were they smiling?
She continued, silently, until her eyes locked on someone she dreaded would be among them. Strago. She reached with a shaking hand, waving it around frantically until her strength gave out again, making her fall face-first into the scorched dirt. She had no voice for which to shout his name, with only the mouth muscles enunciating his name as her call to him.
The brief trek was exhausting in her debilitated state. Once Strago was too small to distinguish, she belted a groan as she rose. She dared not pursue him or the people he marched with. She could not discern what foul magic was at play that involved those unfortunate souls. She hobbled in the opposite direction.
The more she walked, the more stability returned to her legs. It wasn't much, but it allowed her to carry on wherever the route took her. Ahead lay a small forest, yet the trees had seen better days after the magic had its way with them. She expected some semblance of greenery to remain, but the leaves and trunks were a sickly blackish brown that did not entice her to examine further. She wanted to distinguish other noises among the wind and detect some movement within the trees, but in her condition, she'd be playing tag with death itself.
The skies had receded from their darkness, leaving only a bloody husk. The crimson cloud cover rolled above like waves, offering no light from either the Sun or the Moon. Who knew what time of the day it was, or how long the devastation had lasted until it subsided?
Her bones and flesh throbbed the entire time. Each step, regardless of strength, sent wave upon wave of death through her body. Something had to be there, soon. A house, or a campsite. Anything.
Something did eventually come into view, however. There was a house, or what was left of a house. A body of water surrounded houses that she discovered were submerged, leaving partial sections of the roof above. Terra surveyed the area, searching for other houses only to find three were still above ground. Along the ground, Terra detected a thick line of charred soil that ran upward until it changed direction. It had no distinct pattern, yet she realized that they ran along the edge of the land that had once been above the water, now drowned within it, taking houses with them.
At least the sight of one house intact left her with a chance to take refuge and recover. As she approached it, she was met with the sound of barking.
Three dogs, medium-sized with black and brown fur, rushed towards her and barked fiercely at her. There was no strength in her to defend herself. It took all she had to reach this section of land that was the last surface area before the ocean beyond.
She stepped back on aching legs, wobbling on uneven ground until she lost her balance. The dogs didn't pounce, however, but rather continued to bark and snarl at her, as if an unwelcomed guest in their territory. The warning barks continued until a young man emerged from behind the house Terra would've reached, brandishing a sword.
"What do you want?!" he shouted. He sounded hysterical. "Back off! Go away!"
Terra couldn't shout back in her defense. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry," but could only opt to crawl away from the man and the dogs.
She tried to lift herself, to apply all the weight she could to her legs, but there was nothing left of her to exert. Each attempt had her fall back repeatedly until she noticed the man approaching her, keeping the dogs at bay. It was clear, based on her memory of all the times she witnessed training exercises at Vector that this man had never wielded a sword in his life. He clutched it in his shaking hands, pointing it awkwardly at her. "I mean it! I'll use this if I have to! Go away!"
"Duane!"
A blonde woman emerged from the back of the house. The man named Duane waved her back with vigorous motions. "Don't come any closer, Katarin! I've got this!"
The woman's dress was torn and caked with mud and soot. Very few patches of the white fabric were still visible. She needed to hold part of the top to conceal her chest while she had lost much of the bottom that was exposing her leg. This woman, Katarin, did look more stable than Duane, it seemed. Duane looked no worse for wear, as his pants and shirt were ripped apart and hanging loosely from its threads. It gave Terra a moment to examine her own wear to see how much damage Ultima had done. There was a flash of memory that surfaced while remembering Kefka's spell.
Something else about Ultima concealed a different power, separate from the spell itself. A light, shot like balefire from the top of the spire as she was engulfed in Ultima's nexus, steered her ahead and left her careening down to the ground while it continued its trajectory. She could not discern where the light had reached, unfortunately.
"For God's sake, Duane! Does she look like she can pose a threat?!" Katarin cried. She laid her hand on the back of Duane's, lowering the sword. "Look at her!"
She went to each dog and patted them on the head, soothing them. As she turned to approach Terra, several other figures emerged from behind the house.
Eight of them, Terra spotted. All smaller than Duane and Katarin. All of them children.
Some approached quicker than others while some stayed in place, holding hands. Those younger children were either sucking on a thumb or a finger, yet there was no mistaking the haunted looks in their eyes. They've seen horrors and nightmares they should've only had while sleeping so their parents could soothe them away. Terra searched the area and found no such adult present except Duane and Katarin. Yet even those two looked too young to be adults.
Katarin caught on to her observing the children. She kept her voice steady. "If you're looking for their parents, don't bother. We're all that you see here."
Terra fought to stand again. So much physical anguish flared in each step, it dragged her down to her knees. She reached with a hand towards the children but brought it to her mouth. She couldn't bear to let them see how much she struggled against a well of emotion fighting to surface. Each breath was halted, cut off by a sob she did not want to leave her throat. But more came, harder and faster, until she had to shield her face. She was shaking her head, desperate to believe this couldn't be happening. But as she looked around the wrecked houses, the appearance of bodies she hadn't seen initially, and the little silent faces of the children before her, Terra's face contorted to her wailing, no sound able to escape but a faint shrill.
She couldn't scream. She could only lay shaking and blubbering like a child until she found herself wrapped in Katarin's arms. But not even the young woman soothed her. She too had succumbed to the emotional state Terra was in, as if it were contagious.
What made it worse was that throughout this ordeal, she could detect the children joining in where they were. All that was left was a despondent Duane pleading for them to stop.
Terra wanted to stop. She was desperate to reach out to her mind and scream at it to stop, but her wailing went on auto-pilot. She clutched at Katarin, shaking and burying her face in her lap.
It was unclear how long she was there until Duane's erratic voice broke through. "Get the children in the house, NOW!"
Terra raised her head. There was something present that wasn't before. In her hysterics, she stopped long enough to sense the ground jolt beneath her. She glanced to her left and along the water's surface were small bubbles that emerged. It was a small number, but as each second passed, the number increased, as did their size. Another jolt in the ground rocked her and Katarin. "What's-?"
"Katarin, get the door open and bring the kids in!" Duane yelled. "Hurry!"
Katarin wiped her face and was back on her feet. The children were still in hysterics, yet Terra was able to see the young woman usher them to the front door. She drove her shoulder forward, opening the door. One by one, she quickly lured the children inside.
Terra couldn't look away from the water. Something was coming, and each step of whatever this was shook the ground underneath. In her lucid state, she found herself lifted into Duane's arms. "There's no time, we need to hide!"
Once inside, Duane kicked the door closed and used his weight to keep it shut. Terra slid awkwardly out of his grasp and rolled forward on the floor. The impact sent a fresh wave of agony through her body that she mouthed the sounds, but they never emerged in her throat.
"Quiet! Everyone! Katarin, get the kids to stop crying!" Duane hissed. He peeped through the keyhole, breathing heavily. Sword still clutched in his hand, he frequently attempted to shush the kids.
"Kids, it's going to be alright. Please lower your voice," Katarin whispered. She did her best to maintain a soothing tone. She turned to Duane. "What about the dogs? They're still out there."
"It's either us or them, Katarin," Duane said. "I'm sorry."
Terra slid along the floor until she reached Katarin. Something about her presence helped her focus. But what she didn't realize was that the children were surrounding her. She stopped moving once they all lay down around her. Each child put their hands on Terra, holding onto a part of her. She soon found herself nuzzled in the middle as if both she and the children needed comfort from one another.
Terra curled herself up into a fetal position on the floor. The children moved to lay on top of her like a blanket. She kept her ears perked to listen for signs of what was out there, as well as what she could hear Duane and Katarin saying.
"Stay down, we can't be seen," Duane advised. "Let's wait here until it leaves."
"Look, Duane. The children."
Terra didn't understand what was going on. Why were these children smothering her?
Katarin's hand lay gently on her head, soothing her. "I think we'll be safe in here. Can you tell me your name?"
Terra swallowed. She forced the sound from her mouth. "Terra."
"Terra. My name is Katarin. That's my boyfriend, Duane. You're in Mobliz, or what's left of it," Katarin explained.
Mobliz! How could that be possible if it was located on the Veldt? The route she took could not have brought her here. There had to be some mistake.
"We'll talk later," Duane muttered, laying a hand on her back. Something about the presence of all in this room was comforting. All she could do was nod weakly.
Duane and Katarin huddled together while they sat on the floor, overlooking the children who had fallen asleep on Terra. Terra couldn't move a millimeter, bound to the floor. She could only face one wall, moving her eyes to study the room. Although her back was turned against the couple, she could at least tell where they were in proximity. It was enough, at least.
They stayed for hours in the room. Occasionally she'd hear a few words from Katarin to assure her they hadn't left until Duane was heard rising to his feet.
"Are you sure it's gone?" Katarin asked.
"Only one way to find out," Duane responded. He showed himself in her blind spot and she followed him with her eyes until he reached the window to peer out. His posture was sturdier than it was earlier as if he had adjusted to the situation at hand to hold himself more confidently. He angled his head as far as he could to get the best view until he moved out of Terra's sight to the door.
"I'm going outside," he said to the room. Terra wanted to protest and shout at him to stay inside, but the door was already heard opening before she could attempt to lift her head. Katarin slid to her. "The noises must have stopped a while ago. I don't feel the ground shaking," she told her.
It was something. Terra couldn't sense the jolts from each step either. The air was still with only the howling of the wind outside to dull the silence. "I think it's gone, whatever it is," Katarin whispered.
It was a stressful few minutes without Duane in the room. Terra could only fix her eyes on the far wall and the ceiling while the kids were napping on her. The frigid air of the wind outside kept the door open and banging against the wall behind her.
She wanted to ask Katarin how long Duane was out for. She wanted to move to see for herself. Yet the more she willed herself to move, the more resistance came from the children.
When Duane returned, he was accompanied by the three dogs that "greeted" Terra earlier. They immediately went to Katarin to shower her with kisses, wagging their tails. "You all survived! You're such good boys!" Katarin said. The door could be heard shut, leaving only the sounds of elated canines and wagging tails as their claws clicked on the floor frantically from their movement. More survivors.
"Any sign where it went?" Katarin asked Duane.
"I found the dogs first after I went outside," Duane said. "They followed the footprints left behind back to the water. We stayed low, waiting for any sign it might emerge again, but there was nothing. I believe we're in the clear, for now."
Thank goodness.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Duane stated. "Starting with beds."
"Do we have any healing potions left?" Katarin asked. It was difficult to pay attention to a conversation she couldn't see, Terra noticed. She tried to move her head and was able to get a slightly better angle.
"We lost the Item Shop and the Armory. The Relic shop up north is still intact, and we're currently in the Post office. If I had the means, I could dive into the water to search for anything we could retrieve and use."
Terra muttered a grunt through her throat. The couple eyed her. "We'll get you into a bed as quickly as we can, Terra," Katarin told her. Terra nodded. Another wave of emotion bubbled to the surface. All the misery that plagued her gnawed at her. She pleaded with her eyes, desperate for an end to her suffering.
"We'll need to wake the children, first," Katarin suggested. "Kids, it's time to get up," she whispered to them.
Terra watched her gently rousing the children from their sleep. One by one they opened their eyes, wiping away stray tears they still shed until they sat around Terra. Draping one arm each on their shoulders, Duane and Katarin lifted Terra to her feet.
"Kids, we'll need you to help us guide Terra down the stairs, okay?" Katarin instructed the children.
"Is the lady going to be okay?" one of them asked.
"Where's mommy?"
"Where's daddy?"
"I'm hungwy, Katawin," said a girl who had to be only four years old. She tugged at Katarin's dress.
"We'll figure that out later. Right now, we need to get Miss Terra into a bed," Katarin said. Terra hung limp, relying on the couple to move her. Where they would lead her was up to them.
"I know the postmen keep cots downstairs. We'll set some up for now until we see what we're working with," Duane said as the pair took each step with caution to avoid dropping her. Terra's head drooped forward, her vision blurring. It was as if each step they took sapped what little reserves she still had left until there was nothing but a wasteland in her core.
"Am I dying…?" Terra struggled to say.
"You're not going to die. We won't let that happen," Katarin told her. "Two more steps."
Can't keep my eyes open. I'm going to die as broken as this world.
"Kids, check the emergency supplies. See if you can find a potion or a phoenix down. If we can keep her stable, she'll be able to sleep off the rest," Duane said to the children. The older two, no older than eight, scrambled to search the crates labeled "For Emergency Only." They tried to lift the lid off, but pulled their hands away, shaking them.
"We can't open them, Duane," said the boy. The other boy eyed Terra somberly. "She's going to die, isn't she?"
"No," Duane said firmly. "No one here is going to die. Not on my watch. All you need is a crowbar to pry the lid open, that's all. There's one on the hook there. See it?"
The boy followed Duane's finger until he spotted the crowbar and nodded. "Good. Go ahead and use that."
The boys took some effort but were able to jimmy the lid open enough for Duane to pull it off completely. "Okay. Let's get Terra on a cot first. They're on that wall over there. Bring a couple down to unfold them."
Little by little, the children followed Duane's instructions until Terra found herself lying on the cot's mattress. Duane sifted through the contents until he pulled out a glass vial. "Katarin, help her up."
No sooner was Terry lying down that she found herself lifted via Katarin into a seated position. The young woman held her aloft to keep her from slipping. Pulling the stopper off the vial, Duane presented it to Terra. "Open wide."
The taste of a healing potion was never pleasant, she remembered. It was always bitter and grainy, yet she welcomed all of it as though she was drinking clean spring water. She forced her throat to push the contents down due to how parched it had become, yet she was glad it didn't go down the wrong pipe. It was the last thing she needed to happen to her.
Seconds later the molten fire that coursed through her body subsided. There was enough feeling returning to her bones and muscles that she could move her arms and legs. "Thank you," she said hoarsely.
Katarin pulled her head to her shoulder. "Leave everything to us, Terra. You'll be back on your feet in no time."
Katarin clapped her hands. "Okay, children. We need the oldest to help Duane find food. Who wants to be brave?" she asked them.
The eldest, the two boys who opened the crate, raised their arms hesitantly. "Is it safe out there?" one of them asked.
"What if that thing comes back and eats us?" asked the other.
"We don't know what that thing is yet, though," Duane said as he sifted through the rest of the crate. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled a satchel as long as his head. "Is this what I think it is?"
Opening the satchel, he turned excitedly to the others. "Dried Meat! There's food in this crate!"
"That's amazing!" Katarin cried. Terra wanted to echo their sentiment but had to contend with more aches throughout her body. She could down a hundred potions and still wouldn't be relieved of the pain.
Katarin took her hands into hers. "We'll have something to eat, finally. There may be more in the other crates, I'm sure of it."
The young woman's hands were smooth, despite what she had endured. As she stared at them more, she saw where cuts and abrasions had formed on the knuckles and fingers. "What happened to your hands?" Terra asked, straining her throat. She couldn't bring herself to speak more than a few words.
Katarin avoided Terra's eyes and pulled her hands away. "Let's see if we can find you some water."
Terra looked to Duane for answers, but he was still preoccupied with emptying the crate's contents. The children, meanwhile, surrounded her, watching her intently.
"Hi," she said. Each word spoke was like scraping glass against her trachea.
"Why is your hair green?" asked a little girl.
"Do you have a home, lady?" asked another.
"Did your mommy and daddy go into the big hole, too?" asked a girl who looked a couple of years older than the first one.
Terra closed her eyes, shaking her head. The big hole must've been part of the remnants of Mobliz. She wouldn't dare imagine what fate those adults suffered to save these children.
"That's enough questions," Duane told them. He offered a handful of dried meat to Terra. "Here."
As he passed around the contents of the satchel to the children, Terra pulled off a piece with her teeth. Chewing on the smokey, salted beef, she eyed the rest in her hand. Duane propped himself down on the floor and ate with the children. Katarin and the pair of boys returned with canteens in their arms.
"We found these in a broken fridge upstairs behind the desk," Katarin informed them. So there was a desk, too? Terra would have to get a better view of the upstairs room later.
"Let's hope it's water and not something the postmen drink on their break," Duane said, taking one of the canteens. He unscrewed the cap and brought it to his nose. After smelling it, he took a swig, swishing the contents in his mouth. He nodded after swallowing. "It's water."
"Oh, thank God," Katarin said. She quickly presented a canteen to Terra. "Here."
Terra laid the dried meat aside and quickly uncapped the canteen, drinking the entire thing in one go. It was like a cool waterfall dousing a river of magma as it slid down her esophagus. She tapped to get any additional drop she could before she lowered it, hugging it against her chest. "You've saved my life. I owe you both," she told them.
Katarin sighed. "You don't have to owe us anything. We're relieved you're still alive, that's all."
Terra was equally relieved to hear such sincerity. She spotted the young girl from a moment ago. "I was born with green hair," she told her.
"Weawwy?" said the girl with her mouth full of dried meat.
"Yes. And I had a home, but it's gone now," she said to the other child, a young boy. To the third, she tightened her lips. "I lost my mom and dad, but they did not fall into a big hole," she said, then paused. "They were taken from me."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Duane said. He tossed more dried meat to the dogs, who eagerly feasted along with the children. It wasn't much, but it did look like a family get-together. She almost had one back at Thamasa had things not taken a turn for the worse. If only Leo had survived.
"Will you tell me more about yourselves?" Terra asked. "Was it difficult living next to the Veldt?"
"Not at all," Duane said, more to the second question. "That's what these guys are for."
He patted each dog on the head. Katarin sat next to them and stroked their heads while they ate. "They helped keep the animals away from attacking the village. "That one's Roscoe, that's Diego, and the one with a missing eye here is Moxley. They were rescues from the Empire who were going to train them to be soldier dogs."
"We had a sick soldier from the Empire, but he died," said the second oldest boy, the one Terra figured was still pessimistic.
"She doesn't need to know that, Dan," Duane told him. "The less we hear about the Empire, the better."
"Forgive him," Katarin chimed in. "We don't want to address the Empire too often. Especially not you-know-who."
"Yeah, not you-know-who," Terra repeated. It was obvious who it was. Saying his name would be too much for the children's ears to handle.
"Uh, why don't you all introduce yourselves? Kids, this is Miss Terra. Why don't you tell her your name and how old you are?" Katarin said, gesturing them to her.
"I'm Dan. I'm seven." said the second oldest.
"Chris, eight years old."
"Gina, five years old."
"Patrithia. I'm going to be five years old nexth week," said a girl with a missing baby tooth. Her smile warmed Terra's cheeks. "Hello, Patricia."
"I'm Tommy and I just turned six two days ago."
"Sam-mu-el," whispered another boy, who looked about Patricia's age. "His name is Samuel and he's three," Katarin said, helping him out.
"Daisy. I'm almost as old as Chris. Tommy is my little brother."
The last one, the youngest of the children, said nothing. She still had her portion of dried meat in front of her, uneaten. The other kids waited for her to speak.
Though still weak, Terra managed enough strength to leave the cot and approach the girl, placing herself next to her. "Hi."
The girl made a sound in her throat.
"Are you scared?" Terra asked. The girl nodded.
"It's okay. I'm scared, too," Terra told her. "But you're safe, now. You're with everyone here."
She addressed the other children. "You're all going to have to stick together. You're all brothers and sisters and need to look out for each other."
The kinship she remembered sensing within the Espers she encountered had that familiarity. They clung together like a family, sharing their experiences with her. When she connected to Yura, she felt the strong bond he shared with the other Espers, dating back so many centuries during the time of her father.
If anything needed to be taken from that experience, it's that she needed this to be present in this room with Duane and Katarin. "Does anyone know her name?" she asked the children.
"Hope."
The word left Katarin's lips, not with enthusiasm, but with regret. "Her mother passed her to us just before the light hit her. She's the youngest of them, no more than two years old."
Hope leaned forward, wrapping her tiny arms around Terra. "Mama," she mumbled.
"What did she call me?" Terra asked. "What did you say, Hope?"
"Mama," Hope repeated.
Terra's chest tightened. "Mama," she whispered to herself. It wasn't long before the other kids caught on and rounded on Duane and Katarin.
"Can we call her Mama, too?" Daisy asked.
"Please? Can she be our new mama?" Chris added.
More echoes of "mama" surrounded Terra from the children as they crowded her. "I'm going to cry again," Terra warned them.
"We'll take care of you too, mama!" Samuel shouted. Terra gave Duane and Katarin a pleading look.
"I think it's unanimous," Duane told her. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Have you ever looked after children before, Terra?" Katarin asked.
"No, no I haven't," Terra said. Her eyes lowered. "I never had a chance to."
"I believe you'll do just fine with them," Katarin assured her. She sidled closer to Duane. "Before all this happened, Duane and I had plans to get married in a couple of years. I wanted to open a school here and teach the children while Duane worked as a wildlife ranger with a team of experts to catalog all the animals on the Veldt."
Terra wanted to lift Hope into her arms, but there was still much stiffness in her arms. "Do you want to sit with me, Hope?" Terra asked. Hope nodded and took Terra's hand. Scooping the dried meat off the floor, Terra led Hope to her cot.
"Once my strength comes back," Terra said after she swallowed another piece. "I'll be able to help you out."
"We'd appreciate all the help we can get," Duane said.
It had been a long stretch of hours for Terra. Finding herself imprisoned by Kefka to being a part of a small group of survivors was not something anyone expected by any stretch. Still, it was a relief to see she didn't have to meet the world alone. The irony of a girl who was named Hope proved to be not so much an irony after all. Hope was that which these children needed now more than ever.
After she finished eating, she lay back down on the cot. "Terra is still exhausted, children. Let her sleep," Katarin instructed the children. "Hope, leave her be, okay?"
The girl kept looking back and forth between Terra and Katarin until she decided to snuggle next to Terra, squeezing her tiny frame into Terra's arm. Patricia and Daisy managed to fit on the cot as well, somehow, while the other five huddled together next to the cot along the floor.
"Don't smother her," Katarin warned them. "She needs to rest and heal."
"It's alright," Terra said. She wrapped her arm around Hope. "I'll manage."
"We want to make sure Mama is all better," Tommy said. Patricia managed to sneak in under Terra's other arm while Daisy was just underneath. Terra expected all the excess weight to crush her but was able to adjust her body to accommodate.
As her eyelids drew close to closing, she could overhear Duane and Katarin discussing a plan of action. "…will need to find a means to provide electricity…" she heard from Duane. Don't worry. Once I'm better, I'll handle things for everyone here.
She drifted into the dreamworld, a lucid realm that looked no different than the world of the Espers. I'm home?
She checked for the gate but found only a solid rock wall where the doors should've been. It was at this spot she witnessed the sparks of magic create her from Maduin and Madeline.
Father. Mother. I wish you could be here.
Crossing the bridge to the entrance of the Esper World, she found herself among Espers. They weren't dead, after all. No, this is a dream. It has to be. There are no Espers left living except me.
Another voice spoke from behind her. That is not true, Terra.
Terra spun to face the source behind the voice. Another Esper, he held humanoid features save for the wings along his back and protrusions on his tanned head.
I remember you from Father's memories, Terra said. You're the Elder.
Though the Elder's eyes had an opaque sheen to them, there was a hint of amusement behind them as he grinned. I am far more than that, child.
He rested a hand on Terra's back, leading her into the Esper village. I am the gatekeeper of worlds. Human, Esper, Waking, Dreaming, Living, Death. My purpose is to protect the sacred passages binding all realms. Even in death, I am still bound by my purpose.
The Espers that Terra believed were roaming around were gone. What happened to-?
Those were interpretations your dream self conjured, Terra. I am all that is physically present before you, said the Elder. Terra closed her eyes. When she opened them, her mother and father stood before them, staring at each other with their hands clasped together.
You're projecting that which your heart desires most at this time, said the Elder. He gestured to them. I had long been skeptical of the possibility of a human-Esper hybrid, doubting a human's ability to channel magic.
Terra reached out to them. Her hand passed through her father before retracting it. Her eyes then met her mother's, but could not for certain know whether she recognized her daughter.
I see them, but I can't sense them. I want to speak with Father again.
The Elder circled her parents. Maduin and the others who had accompanied you left. They were drawn to another in a far-off place from where you now reside.
Does that mean I can't speak with him anymore? Terra asked.
The Elder remained stoic. I'm afraid not, child. Not for a while.
But there's so much I still need to tell him! I can't do this without him!
The Elder shook his head. You suffered a setback, child. Not all has been lost.
Terra scoffed. I wouldn't call being enveloped by a spell that I was convinced tore me apart in unimaginable horrors a "setback," Elder. I can't stand here and call anything I've been through since I was born merely a setback. She wrapped her arms around herself, averting his gaze. I'm not strong enough to fight back against Kefka. And right now, I don't feel much like trying.
The Elder's hand pressed on her shoulders. If that is what you feel, currently, I understand. Kefka is an intelligent creature, yet he is cursed with madness. But chaos cannot reign forever, not without order to balance it out. In time, order will be restored to the world. How that order is restored, I leave that up to you and your friends.
Terra wanted to agree but shook her head instead. But how will I know what to do? I'm so lost! What can I possibly do?!
The Elder only smiled at her. A bright light began to consume the village and soon Terra, herself. His last words before everything faded away were "You do what you can."
Terra's eyes opened. Back in the waking world, it seemed. Patricia and Hope were still in her arms, sleeping soundly. There was a desire to leave the cot for a moment to collect her thoughts and process what she had seen in the dream but opted to stare at the ceiling.
Do what you can, she thought, echoing the Elder's words. I still don't understand, Elder. How can I help them? The children decided to call me "mama" but I don't know what that means. Mother never had a chance to raise me, nor did I get to see how other women looked after their children. Katarin would make a better mother than I would. Why did they call me "mama?"
Pursing her lips, Terra shook her head again. Sleep was far more important than letting her thoughts run rampant.
When she opened her eyes again, she was alone in her cot save for a pair of children, Dan and Hope. She turned her head to them. "Hey."
"Oh! You're awake! Everyone! Mama's awake again!" Dan shouted up the stairs. Terra rose to sit along the cot, quickly greeted by Hope as she raised her arms to be lifted. "You want up?" Terra asked.
She studied her body, analyzing the degree of her injuries to ensure she did have the strength now to lift a child. Reaching down, she took Hope and raised her to sit on her lap. "There we go."
She then opened and closed her hands. Relief washed over her once she realized her magic reserves had returned. "Thank goodness. I thought I lost that for good."
"Lost what, Mama?" Dan asked. Seconds later he was joined by the rest of the children who all ran to jump on the cot to sit next to Terra.
"Are you better, Mama?"
"Can you play with us, Mama?"
"Duane and Katarin were kissing again. I saw them outside," said Gina, pointing the couple out. Terra giggled. It was the first instance of a positive reaction she's had since back in Thamasa. It likely wouldn't be the first instance of seeing how red in the face the teens were getting. "Gina!" Katarin muttered. "That's none of your business!"
"But you do the lip-touching thing mommy and daddy did that's gross," Gina said with a disgusted face.
"Eww. Lip touching? Like with two different people?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah," Gina said with a hard nod. "Their lips touch and move each other around. Sometimes I could see a worm crawling between them."
A unified cry of "Eww!" resonated with the other kids except for Hope, who was in the middle of touching her lips. "Do I have a worm in my mouth, Mama?" she asked.
Terra stifled more giggling, even forcing herself not to look at Duane and Katarin who were so beet red Katarin hid her face in her hands. "I think we should talk about something else, children," Terra advised through chuckles.
She raised her arms, shaking off the sensation of breaking into laughter. "What are you doing, mama?" Daisy asked.
"You'll see," Terra said. She relaxed her hands towards her shoulders, crossing her arms. Closing her eyes, she began to recite. "Oh, angel Seraphim. Grant me this reprieve from pain and anguish. Cura."
The children, except Hope, backed away immediately once a light enveloped Terra. Hope stared at the aura curiously. She reached out with her hands to try and catch some of the light as it washed over Terra. The warm and soothing touch of the spell's energy washed away the aches and stiffness Terra still endured after she woke up until she lowered her arms to her sides.
"What in the…?" Katarin said. Her mouth was agape, but not as much as Duane's. "What was that?!" he exclaimed.
"Magic," Terra said confidently. She lifted Hope off her lap and stood up with little effort. She gave Hope a small toss above her before catching her again. There was still the lingering effect of Kefka's mocking face while she channeled, but it didn't look as pronounced as it was. Either she adjusted to it, or she wasn't as close to him. Regardless, she was assured of her physical recovery.
Lowering Hope back to the floor, Terra conjured spheres of light that she sent dancing around the room. The children giggled and chased the lights while she approached Duane and Katarin.
"Like I said, once my strength was back, I can help you out," she told them.
Katarin rushed to her in an embrace. Duane nodded to her assuredly. "I've heard about this magic stuff, but never saw it in person before."
The children eventually huddled around their new "mama" to embrace her too. It wasn't much of a home, but it never stopped her from accepting its inhabitants.