On the journey to the Tower of Zot, Kain tried to track the ship's movement over the sea. At some point south of Baron, the Red Jenny broke into a thick layer of clouds, and Kain became disoriented, swearing the ship must have turned around at least twice. When the ship finally emerged from the clouds, the Tower of Zot stretched high up into sky. The surrounding clouds obscured the landmarks around them – if there were any to be seen.
If the ship's crew was put off by the tower's ominous presence, as Kain was, they hid it well, going through their tasks with a detached efficiency that unnerved Kain. These were not monsters, Kain knew, they moved too certainly in their own bodies. Instead, they were men, who chose to be here, as surely as Kain did.
The ship docked, and as Kain disembarked, a powerful gust of wind hit him, nearly sending him stumbling. He braced himself as the wind swirled around him, playfully pushing him back and forth.
"Kain," the wind sighed beside him, and Barbariccia swirled into existence. "Let's ride the winds out of Zot and see how far I get before its magic snaps me back."
"And what of me? I have no magic to keep me from falling to my death," Kain protested.
"You have me," Barbariccia retorted, feigning hurt. "Wouldn't you trust me to keep you safe, as I've always done?"
"You are a fickle thing," Kain pointed out. "Who knows what whim you might follow."
"Ah," Barbariccia clicked her tongue and she suddenly grinned. "Perhaps I am a bit mercurial, but I do not forget my promises." She seized him by the hand and pulled, and the wind picked up around them, helping push Kain along. "I still owe you a boon, for bringing me the Wind Crystal."
Kain thought of the Wind Crystal here at the Tower Zot and how it had been used to bind Barbariccia in servitude. He had thought his betrayal, unwitting or not, negated the promise, so now he was surprised to hear her mention it again. There was Kain's anger too, on their way back from Fabul, how furious he'd been with Barbariccia and her role in the slaughter. The idea of monster troops still felt viscerally wrong, but somehow his outrage had been tempered, his feelings too raw from his encounter with Joanna and Golbez.
"But…" Kain started to object, but let the protest die, curiosity prompting him to instead ask, "You will tell me your real name?"
"Hardly a prize," Barbariccia replied with a shrug. "I have something much better in mind." Still holding Kain's hand, she led him into the Tower of Zot. She knew the tower and its halls well, navigating each turn confidently, despite Kain immediately getting lost.
Just as Kain was about to ask, where are we going? they entered a large room; within, the smell of fresh hay and blood filled the space. Kain looked around to see the room divided up into individual stalls, like a stable. On the opposite wall, a large set of doors was ajar; sunlight spilled in, and the wind whistled sharply outside.
"Chocobos?" Kain asked, not understanding. "This high up?"
"Black chocobos," Barbariccia corrected him. She led him across the stables. Kain saw a pile of fresh hay in one of the larger stalls, and beside it, a pile of dead rodents. "The original denizens of the tower used to stable them here, for quick transport." Barbariccia nodded to the stall. "Grab a Sword Rat – we'll need one. And mind the needles."
Kain frowned but obeyed, gingerly holding the dead animal by its long tail. Barbariccia's hand was still in his other.
They passed through the outside doors, onto an extended stone platform, not unlike a dock for airships. This one was too small for a ship, but large enough for a chocobo to safely land. There were a dozen or so stone ledges protruding from the tower's side, where the chocobos could perch.
"You've always been lonely, Kain," Barbariccia remarked, and as if to prove the point, dropped his hand. Facing Kain, she backed slowly down the dock, each step deliberate and careful. "No one knows that more than me. I've heard everything you've ever told the sky and wind in confidence. I know the deep yearnings of your heart, even if you are too cowardly to name them yourself." The wind danced around Barbariccia, throwing her hair chaotically in its wake; she looked like a witch giving prophecy.
Kain said nothing, her words too honest to counter.
"I cannot ease them all of your troubles, but perhaps just one of them will be enough." Barbariccia turned away from Kain, now facing the cloudy sky that surrounded the Tower of Zot. She raised her arms, and around her, the wind swirled faster, her hair now coiling like a tornado. Distantly, a warbling cry answered, then the clouds parted.
It was small but fleet and nimble, dashing back and forth, playing in the currents of wind that Barbariccia's presence created. As it gradually approached the tower, circling overhead, Kain could faintly make out a flash of blue, glittering in the sunlight. Then, it dove for Kain.
It happened too fast for Kain to react, a new weight slamming into his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. He heard a loud snuff of nostrils and felt warm breath on his exposed jaw; Kain wondered what sort of beast Barbariccia had summoned to eat him.
The weight was suddenly gone, and Kain sat up to see a small dragon, not much bigger than a hatchling, tearing fur and flesh from the Sword Rat. It paused to throw a piece up into the air, then playfully caught it with a snap of its jaws. Its scales were a dark blue, the color of the night sky just before it turned black. Despite its enthusiastic eating, it watched Kain with curious yellow eyes.
Barbariccia laughed, and that drew Kain's attention back to her. "She likes you already," Barbariccia remarked with a smile. "I heard her a few days ago, crying for her lost mother, so I guided her here." Her smile faded then, and Barbariccia's eyes went distant as she looked out to the horizon. "She… reminded me of you."
"A dragon?" Kain sputtered, still in disbelief. "But don't they need to be taken as eggs, to properly tame?"
"Do you want a tame dragon, Kain?" Barbariccia asked pointedly, now frowning at him. "No, she will be more loyal and fierce than any terrified captive. She will fly for you like no other." Barbariccia paused, then added, "There's nothing more potent than the gratitude of an abandoned orphan, don't you agree?"
Kain looked back at the dragon with a new perspective. She watched him with both a hopefulness and wariness that Kain knew too well. "What's her name?" Kain asked.
Barbariccia shrugged. "You will have to think of one."
Kain reached tentatively out toward the dragon, who eyed the approach cautiously. Then, she lifted her head to the gesture, leaning her bloodied muzzle into his gauntlet. "This is a grand boon," Kain said, still watching the dragon. "But not what you promised."
"You are displeased?" Barbariccia asked with a new flirty edge. "You would reject my gift and demand another?"
"Hardly," Kain said, withdrawing his hand, now smeared with blood along its metal fingers. The dragon fell to her back, belly showing as she writhed on the ground. As soon as Kain reached in to pet her, she curled around his arm and seized his wrist with jaw. Her haunches flexed, digging her back talons into his forearm; she would have pierced flesh if he did not wear armor, but instead, her claws scraped nosily against the metal. "But would you tell me your name, anyway?" Kain asked, as he tried tugging his arm free. The dragon rumbled deep in her throat in mock threat. "Not as a goddess, but as yourself, whoever you are?"
"I was not important before I was Barbariccia," she replied, turning away from him, to watch the clouds again. She seemed suddenly smaller, dwarfed by the expansive sky around them, rather than empowered.
"Yes, but—" Kain started to protest, but the dragon suddenly dropped his arm, scrambling to her feet. She took off in a run, jumping off the stone dock in a sharp dive downward. "Where did she-?"
Kain did not get a chance to answer before Barbariccia seized him, her hair circling tightly around him, lifting him off his feet. They took off into the sky like the shot from a ship's canon, gaining altitude faster than Kain had ever Jumped before. Kain thought they might fly forever, and as soon as he had that thought, the Tower of Zot below them beckoned them back, and together, they fell.
Kain clung to Barbariccia like a lifeline, and she held him. The intimacy of the embrace inspired a strange sense of security Kain thought he had never had, but then realized it was the same feeling he always had Jumping into the wind, a blind trust that it would guide him to safety.
Together, they landed on a perch high above the stables' dock, nestled in the anonymous gray stone of the tower. The dragon landed nearby, nervously pacing up and down the ledge, watching the dock below.
"What—" Kain tried to ask, but Barbariccia hushed him with a scolding hiss, then pointed downward. Kain looked down to see two figures emerge from the stables, both at a fast pace, their voices raised in argument – his mother and father, both unarmored.
"What do you want of me?" Elena asked, whirling around on Richard. "I've died for my mistakes already, Richard, what more punishment do you want from me? Would you like to kill me now, and have Scarmiglione Raise me again? How many times would you like to watch me die before you're satisfied?"
Richard stopped short just before Elena. "Yes, of course," he retorted, full of sarcasm. "Elena the martyr, as always. You willingly allow pain into your life, then act indignant that we're not all grateful for your unasked-for sacrifices. You're not noble, you're just selfish and greedy."
"What do you want, Richard?" Elena asked again, this time through clenched teeth.
"I want you to leave my son alone," Richard answered. "Tell Scarmiglione you'll do this mission alone."
"Your son?" Elena countered with a new rising anger. "He's my son, too."
"And you left him!" Richard shouted. "You left us both alone when we needed you the most."
"So did you!" Elena yelled back. "You left, because being powerful was more important than being Kain's father. You're just as selfish as me, but worse, because you knew how much it would hurt but did it anyway."
Richard said nothing, either too chastised or too angry to reply; Kain could not tell.
Elena sighed, some of the anger going out of her. "I'm trying to leave him alone. It is… hard," she admitted, looking to the ground. "But this mission? I have no choice. It comes straight from Golbez, and he specified I was to take Kain with me." She hesitated a moment, looking cautiously back up at Richard. "I have not told Kain anything… Have you?"
"No," Richard answered too quickly. "He doesn't need to know. It doesn't change anything."
"And the girl?" Elena asked, concerned. "You are not worried?"
"She won't survive this," Richard said with a cruel casualness. "It won't matter."
"Richard…" Elena implored, her tone softening. "She isn't a random captive. Putting aside our problems, this is Joanna's girl we're talking about." Elena paused. "Joanna," she repeated with emphasis, as if he did not hear her the first time. "Do you really not care? After everything, do we not owe her this?"
Richard frowned, and it was his turn to look away. "I owe more to my son."
"I see," Elena murmured, more to herself than to him.
"You should go prepare for your mission," Richard said stiffly, stepping aside to allow Elena to pass. She hesitated a moment, then stepped past him into the stables, disappearing.
Richard stood on the dock for a moment longer, his eyes closed, and face upturned to the sky. Then, he turned away and followed Elena back into the tower.
"Well," Barbariccia said with an exaggerated sigh. "What do you suppose that was about? They've been fighting since Richard returned from Eblan, but they never put breath into the actual problem, only dance with vague mentions of some great wrongdoing."
"I'm not sure," Kain half-lied, only having uncertain theories but nothing concrete. "And I don't know if I want to find out." Beside them, the dragon tested her wings with a few flaps, then dove off the ledge.
"What's the point of a secret if you don't try to figure it out?" Barbariccia asked, watching the dragon pull up suddenly, then take off, disappearing into the clouds.
"Like your name?" Kain suggested with an unexpected grin. He wanted to forget what he had seen and heard from his parents. He expected Barbariccia to laugh, but instead, she wore a sadly serious expression, not looking at Kain but downward, beyond the stables and its platform, to the foggy, unseen depths below. "You don't have to tell me," Kain corrected quicky, hating to see her so forlorn.
"Valvalis," she said quietly, almost too low for Kain to hear, as if she feared someone eavesdropping. "Before I became an Archfiend, my name was Valvalis."
"Valvalis," Kain repeated, testing the name out. As he said it, the dragon came back into view, streaming clouds behind her. "Val," Kain said, suddenly inspired. "It's the perfect name for a fierce and beautiful dragon."
"Kain…" Barbariccia said, almost a warning.
The dragon circled in place, letting out a trumpeting bellow, like a victory cry. "See?" Kain said, gesturing toward the dragon. "Even she likes it."
Barbariccia, despite herself, smiled at the sight. "Perhaps it is a good name," she reluctantly admitted. "But Elena is right – Golbez has a new mission you need to prepare for."
"What is it?" Kain prompted, unsure if he wanted to know.
"The Earth Crystal in Troia," Barbariccia answered, knowing everything as always. "But before you leave, you should visit the prison."
"Why?" Kain asked, his tongue dry in his mouth. Part of him had been desperate to see Rosa, to confirm her safety, to beg forgiveness and help, but that was drowned out by the cry of his own cowardice.
"Because…." Barbariccia pouted. "It is the one place where I don't have ears."
Kain was about to ask what she meant when Richard's voice boomed from below, "Barbariccia!" Richard called, like a summon. Kain looked down and saw Richard back on the dock, pacing around.
Barbariccia frowned. "I'll explain later." Then, as if remembering her usual playful self, she blew a kiss. "If you're lucky. And with me, you're always lucky." She disappeared in a blur of hair and wind. Kain watched as she reappeared next to Richard, swirling around him, then leading him back into the tower.
Kain waited a few minutes after they left before Jumping back down to the stables' dock. Val flew lazily down and landed, looking up expectantly at him.
"Another Sword Rat?" Kain asked, inclining his head toward the stables. Val nipped at his leg, forcing him to take quick steps to get away from her. She followed, taking swipes at his ankles as she got closer, herding him toward the stables. "All right!" Kain laughed, "You can have two, you greedy thing."
Val made a sound of approval deep in her throat; it made Kain smile.
Despite her departure with Richard, Kain could still hear Barbariccia in his ear, guiding him through the tower, up several flights of stairs, through twisting corridors and hallways. He passed by several of Barbariccia's monsters – Centaur Knights patrolling with Frost Beasts by their side; Sorceresses alongside Fell Turtles, reminding Kain too much of what he may or may not have seen on Baron's beach; even strange Marionettes, little doll like creatures that danced under the direction of their Marionetter. He did his best to ignore them and the pit of dread he felt deep in his stomach whenever he saw one.
Barbariccia's guidance abruptly ended, as he turned a corner and entered a new hallway. The atmosphere felt strange to Kain, somehow different than the rest of the tower. He took a few steps down, paused, then walked back, trying to place the strange feeling.
It is the one place where I don't have ears, Barbariccia's odd remark came back to him, and Kain realized he felt no wind in this hallway. He ran his hands along the wall, feeling for a draft – there was none. This was not a regular prison, but one for a Wind Archfiend, where they could not breezily escape to another room. Kain wondered what sort of people had built this place. Swallowing hard, Kain continued down the hallway, trying not to feel like his lungs couldn't get a full breath.
The prison door waited at the end of the hall. Through the bars, Kain saw Rosa within. Although not a small cell, it was sparsely furnished, with a bed in one corner and a bucket in the opposite; built into the wall opposite the door was a hearth, dirty with old soot, gathering cobwebs from long term disuse.
Rosa sat in the middle of the room, cross-legged, her open palms resting on her knees and her eyes closed. She reminded Kain of Yang, with his infuriating calmness. She wore a coarse gray shift, but otherwise looked as she did when he saw her last, and Kain felt a wave of relief and gratitude that she had not been mistreated.
Did she Pray? Kain wondered but was not sure. If Golbez's Hold spells could last this long, no doubt his Silence on Rosa did as well. Kain watched as Rosa shifted, now kneeling, then leaned down to trace something on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Kain asked without thinking.
Rosa looked up at the sound of his voice and froze, alarm in her blue eyes. It was the same fear he'd seen in that terrible moment in the infirmary when he'd cornered her. He felt the same sense of excitement as he had then; he should have felt dismayed by the notion, but the feeling was strangely absent, letting Kain stew in his greedy desires.
"Planning our escape," Rosa said, surprising Kain. She stood and crossed the cell to the bars, peering curiously at him. "Unless you've come to rescue me?" she asked, with too much optimism.
"I don't have the key," Kain said, nodding to the locked door. "How are you speaking? What of Silence?"
Rosa shook her head. "Golbez is not nearly so powerful as he thinks. At least not his White Magic."
Kain felt a flutter of hope. "You can do undo his magic?"
"With time and patience, perhaps," Rosa said, her voice now gentle. "Would you let me try to undo his magic on you?"
"If you're not Silenced and can cast, why haven't you escaped?" Kain asked instead, trying to swallow down his rising panic. "You could have Teleported out."
"Ah," Rosa sighed, closing her eyes briefly. "I cannot. For Teleport to work correctly, I must know both where I am and where I'm going. This tower moves constantly in the world, starting the day in one region and ending it in another." Rosa stepped back, to allow Kain to look inside. From here, he now saw the floor more clearly – Rosa had been using soot from the hearth to draw a rough map on the ground, marking out locations with Xs. "I can track the tower's movements with Sight, but there doesn't seem to be any pattern or schedule for when it moves," she said, answering the question before he had a chance to ask. Then added more quietly, "For a while, we were close to Baron."
"Why didn't you Teleport then?" Kain asked.
"I couldn't leave without you," Rosa answered, sounding shy and small.
"Rosa…"
"Even with Sight, Teleport is risky," Rosa ignored his potential protest. "If the tower moves at all, it could throw off the spell and land us somewhere dangerous." She bit her lip in thought. "If we could leave the tower by air, it might be easier."
"We couldn't take a ship without raising an alarm," Kain said, frowning. He looked down and saw his gauntlets, one with now-drying blood on it. He looked back up, suddenly inspired. "I might have an idea."
"Do you mean it, Kain?" Rosa asked. She stepped close to the bars, gripping one in each hand. "Would you really leave with me?"
Kain hesitated, unsure of what to say.
Down the hallway, loud footfalls sounded, drawing Kain's attention back.
"Promise you'll leave this tower with me," Rosa said; it was not a request but a demand.
"I have to go," Kain said, taking a step back from the prison door.
"Promise me!" Rosa rattled the bars in her grip. "Whatever is to come next, I can endure, if you promise not to leave me here alone. We'll escape and find Cecil together."
"I…" Kain hesitated. How could he tell Rosa that Cecil had died at sea? "I promise," he said quickly, not knowing if he lied.
Hope blossomed in Rosa, lighting her up from within, making her somehow more beautiful. Unable to bear the sight, Kain turned and ran down the hallway, passing three strange girls on the way, not caring as he bumped into the tallest of the three.
The mission to Troia for the Earth Crystal, and Kain's mother, awaited him.