Xu slowly opened her eyes, but her vision remained blurry. The Blind spell had been cast on her, and she knew from experience that it would wear off in about ten minutes. Her hands and feet were tightly bound, and even when she tried to move her knees, she realized her assailants had done a fair job by tying them up as well.

Suddenly, she heard a squeaking sound as the box that held her captive was opened. A familiar voice, intentionally distorted to prevent recognition, spoke to her. "Balamb Garden is programmed to crash in fifteen minutes. In five minutes, you will be set free. Run, steer the garden back to its course."

They then closed the box and left.

Xu screamed internally, feeling helpless as she counted down the minutes, hoping she could make it to the third floor on time.


"Stop!" The Commander ordered the girls in black cloaks who had just returned from the top chamber.

The girls halted, their hearts pounding as they awaited his next move.

The Commander walked around, then suddenly delivered a hard kick to the girl with red braids, causing her to fall to the floor and scream in pain.

"What was that for? I still have more tasks to complete!" the girl barked.

The Commander glanced at her for a moment before waving his hand, signaling for them to leave.

The girl grimaced, limping alongside the other girl carrying the large bag as they hurried out of the room.

As the door slid shut behind them, they sprinted forward with Hyne's speed.

"Acma… we're free…" Lina murmured.

"We're almost there… so close... You two get to the aircraft as planned. T should be there by now. L, come back to 2F to back me up in ten minutes. We can do this!" Acma exclaimed.

Thank you, Z. This plan is perfect. I'll remember every turn today and tell you when you're back. I'll make you proud, Acma thought, a smile forming on her face as she descended alone into the basement.


Wednesday. G-day. Balamb Garden's Basement.

"Raddie, wake up!" Acma pinched Raddie to wake him up from the Sleep spell about to expire.

Raddie woke up and found Acma next to him in the mobile prison cell.

"Acma… Where were you? I didn't see you in the basement."

"I was knocked down in the lab, and lured here."

Raddie saw her backpack still under her clothes, they hadn't taken it from her for some reason.

Acma glanced at her watch and then turned to Raddie with a sudden request.

"Raddie, I'm going to give you an order. No questions asked. It's urgent. Listen carefully because I won't repeat it. Ready?"

"Okay, I'm listening." Raddie was surprised, but receiving such sudden orders from higher-ranking SeeDs was not uncommon.

"I'm going to talk us out of this room. Inside this backpack, you will find enough junctions for everyone. Commander Squall's prison room is right next to us on the left. Rescue and junction him first, then proceed to the other rooms in this row. All the high-ranking SeeDs are kept there. Do not open the rooms in other rows until you break through the first wave of guards that will come when the alarm goes off. We need to keep the lower-ranking cadets safe. Free them once you've taken down the first wave of guards. Do you copy?" Acma laid out the plan.

"Ok, but where do you get the junctions?" Raddie was confused as Acma handed him her backpack. Old junctions? Raddie thought, looking inside the backpack.

"No questions asked, please. Here, take this Xiphos. It's not as good as your sword, but it should be enough to get through the first wave along with GFs and magic. All the weapons are located in a safe at the corner of this basement. The code for it is MYSTIC - 697742. Once you're upstairs, dive straight in and attack the puppets again. They won't have their magic refilled this time. When one falls, retrieve their corpse immediately. If possible, try to keep them alive. Do you copy?" Acma continued.

Raddie felt confused but did his best to absorb Acma's plan.

"Wait... where will you be if you're not coming with me? How do we even get out of here?"

"You'll know the answers soon." Acma glanced at her watch again. "It's time. Good luck, Cadet Smailes!" She walked to the door and knocked on it three times.

The guard opened the door immediately, and Acma whispered something to him. Suddenly, she cast a Sleep spell on him and moved him behind the door, then started to undress him.

"Are you impersonating the enemy?" Raddie asked.

"Now it's your turn. Get Commander Leonhart! We have to part ways now." Acma put on the guard's uniform and signaled for him to execute the plan.

Raddie nodded, still having more questions than answers, but he knew it was crucial to follow orders and not waste any precious moments in a critical situation like this.

As he reached Squall's room, he was faced with a passcode that he didn't have. He turned around and saw Acma, dressed as an enemy, typing something on a control panel.

ZIP! ZIP! ZIP!

All the doors in the row turned green. Acma nodded at Raddie, signaling him to proceed to Squall's room.

"Commander Leonhart!" Raddie entered and saw Squall looking perplexed at his presence.

"Raddie, what's going on?"

"There's no time to explain!" Or rather, Raddie couldn't make sense of the situation yet. "Here's your junction, and I have all of our junctions."

The experienced commander nodded and took action, saving questions for later. As Raddie and Squall left the room, they saw Acma giving Raddie a thumbs up and smashing the alert button before running away.

"What the..." Raddie was more confused.

"Raddie, give me your sword, I'll hold off the guards. Go help others." Squall gave the order.

"Roger."

Raddie had more questions than answers, but followed his commander's lead. A surge of pride filled him as he fought alongside Squall who had saved his life more than once during the previous garden attack. Back then, he was just a vulnerable boy, but today he stood at the forefront with the legend commander. He couldn't imagine a better way to start his first day as a SeeD.


Balamb Garden. 1F.

"Acma!"

"Lina! Is everything going according to plan?"

"Um… sort of. They're all in the second-floor classroom. But I didn't see T in the transportation area," Lina reported.

"Weird. Anyway, let's find him later. Let's take care of 2F first. Hop on. Back me up."

Acma commanded Lina to attach to her using Zyma's gear, positioning themselves back-to-back.

"Arghhh…" Acma winced in pain.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Lina asked, noticing that the harness was tightened around Acma's torso as she snapped her back into the harnessing device.

"I'm okay... just a little scratch," Acma brushed it off, though internally, she cursed Zyma who had injured her right before G-day. "What a dumbass," she swore silently. I need to keep going.

Acma aimed the Zyclaw, as Zyma called it, towards the aisle on the second floor and pulled them both up.

At least you gave me nice gear, Z. Faster than an elevator.

Acma switched her HP junction to Full-life, maximizing her maximum HP to 9999.

"Drain my HP," she instructed Lina, and they both ran towards the classroom.

They faced a couple of confused guards who weren't sure how to react to the alarm sound triggered from the basement. The basement guard didn't reply to their calling.

"Basement, quick! The prisoners just broke out!" Acma shouted.

900/9999. Aczyma, show me what you can do.

"Enough. Unlock the door in 10." Acma said, closing her eyes and connecting with Zyma's GF in her consciousness. The dark GF's horns emerged.

"Now!"

The classroom door swung open.

Aczyma appeared, scrowling. "WHO DISTURBED MY MASTER SHALL FACE HELL'S JUDGMENT."

Acma was amazed by Aczyma's appearance—the white-haired creature with a tall, broad figure. His tanned dark skin revealed a noticeable dent on his stomach, and his long, curvy horns added a masculine touch. His muscles were bulky yet agile. Aczyma dashed towards the magic puppets with lightning speed, knocking them down before summoning an area flare magic that brought each of them to 1 HP.

Amazing. Thanks, Z.

"Wow, that GF… he looks just like a spitting image of Z," Lina exclaimed.

"What?" Acma was confused at Lina's remark.

"You know, I'm a morph. It's just my habit to notice things. The GF is like Z sprinkling muscles and horns on top," Lina explained. "Are we good here, A?"

When Aczyma flew back to Acma and she caught his image, time seemed to stop in slow motion.

They're GF tokens. One of the ingredients used to forge real GFs. Pretty amazing, right?

I'll lend you my GF to help you out.

He has the same hair as me, so I named him Aczyma.

Don't wait for me.

I'll miss these muffins.

I've left you and Trepie #23 all of my cards.

A serious question: in our next life, would you be my GF?

I love you. Forever.

Acma was overwhelmed replaying Zyma's voice and tears welled up in her eyes. Aczyma seemed to acknowledge her moment of realization, placing a hand on her shoulder and whispering before returning to her consciousness.

"FOCUS, MASTER."

Acma wanted to cry, now certain of her suspicions.

"A, are you ok?"

Stay focused. Just remember, things don't always go according to plan. Be flexible, be creative. You can do it.

Acma finally snapped back to the present moment.

"Stay within this room if you don't want your heads popped," Acma warned the disabled puppets scattered on the floor, then proceeded to lock the classroom door.

"We're done here… Let's go."

Lina followed, unable to comprehend the reason behind her friend's tears after her remark.


Flashback. Tuesday evening, 1905, Fire Cavern.

Zyma opened the muffin box and took a bite.

"Sweet," Zyma said, his expression somewhat displeased.

"Really? I didn't add much sugar because I know you don't like it."

"No, they're delicious, and you're sweet. Thank you…"

"You're welcome. I thought that since you'll be leaving soon, you won't have a chance to enjoy homemade food anymore."

"Thank you… I'll miss these muffins."

Silence hung in the air.

"So… back to business, how do we settle then?" Acma asked. "I bring simulation gears, in case you don't want to risk getting actual wounds."

"No, we don't need these. Let's settle for real." Zyma said, turning away. "Junction your best stats, two minutes, and then we start."

Acma was taken aback. "What do you mean 'for real'?"

"Death," Zyma responded coldly. "We settle this with the Death rule. One of us walks out of here alive."

Acma furrowed her eyebrows with a half smile. "Death? I don't understand... Z, don't joke like that. What's going on?"

Zyma took out his Kusarigama and Shurikens, their edges shining red under the reflection of Ifrit's lava pit.

"I'll make it quick to minimize your suffering, A. One minute thirty seconds."

"Z, this is a joke, right?"

Silence.

"Yesterday you helped me with the plan. What's changed?" Acma pleaded, desperately trying to comprehend the situation.

"It's either your head or mine will be popped. I'd rather we settle it ourselves than let G dispose of us like toys. You would do the same, A. No hard feelings," Zyma explained coldly.

"No… You too?" Acma suddenly realized that no matter where they ran, they couldn't escape their fate unless they eliminated the root cause. "Surely there must be another way... You always find a way... Your plan is almost perfect. Please... don't do this." Acma tried to persuade Zyma, realizing as she spoke that he must have considered all the options and that what he was doing now was his best solution.

For him.

"I'm sorry... This is the best option. Rest assured, I'll remember you, forever. Let me know when you're ready," Zyma replied, his tone stern and unyielding.

"Z... I can't... I love..." Acma's words were cut off as a Shuriken was thrown, slicing through a strand of her red hair.

"Junction, this is your last chance."

Acma trembled, feeling the coldness of his voice and the fear of being struck by his sharp Shurikens. Zyma was not to be taken lightly, even with his non-lethal moves during SeeD training. His bare-handed strikes and kicks alone could leave MMA fighters bruised for weeks. Acma stood no chance if she were to face a physical attack from Zyma.

She hastily junctioned the best magic she had on her only bet - Mag stat. Zyma was a Flare user, which means he had the advantage of being in Fire Cavern, though Acma doubted if he had to use magic at all to kill her. Her Thunder spells could momentarily shock him, but it wouldn't be enough against such a swift ninja.

I need backup…

"Timeth, get here as soon as possible! He's trying to kill me!" Acma quickly enabled her com device, screaming into it.

"What? On my way in 10," came Timeth's prompt response.

Timeth was not one to waste time, and Acma loved that about him. The question remained whether Acma could survive for 10 minutes under Zyma's relentless attacks.

"Time's up. Let's begin." Zyma threw another Shuriken towards Acma, who managed to dodge it by jumping out of the way.

He swiftly dashed toward her, and she immediately cast Thundaga to stall him, but not quickly enough to avoid taking a hit that cut about an inch deep into her torso, reopening a recent wound.

"Ahhhh..." Acma cried out in pain, instinctively rolling back to create some distance.

Think, Acma. Think.

"Blind!" she exclaimed, casting a spell to disable Zyma's eyesight before she darted away, seeking refuge behind a large rock. Acma was well aware that the spell offered her only a brief respite. After all, Zyma was as accustomed to darkness as she was to daylight.

9 minutes 20 seconds. Hurry, Timeth!

Silence. Not a sound. She couldn't hear Zyma's footsteps. He was quick and quiet. Hunting was his nature, and Acma was his current prey. She couldn't fully concentrate as memories of the previous night flooded her mind—when they had held each other warmly under a blanket, exchanging love.

Just remember, things don't always go according to plan. Be flexible, be creative. You can do it.

His words echoed in her head.

Is it your final lesson to me? Not to trust the one you love?

Acma could imagine Zyma holding his Kusarigama—a sickle attached to a chain with a weighted metal ball at the end—trying to listen for her breath, attempting to locate her. She had run hurriedly, hence he couldn't have missed her whereabouts. He might even be closing in on her.

What would he do?

If Acma were in Zyma's position, she would throw the metal ball around to destroy her hiding places. She had to act quickly.

Acma picked up a rock and threw it to the opposite direction.

BANG!

She heard the metal ball crush something from a distance. She held her breath, not having the presence of mind to celebrate the fact that she had just bought herself another minute.

Or not.

BANG!

She felt the impact as the metal ball struck the rock behind which she was hiding, causing her body to crash to the ground.

"Protect!" she cast the spell without looking up, feeling the rush of air as Zyma's Kusarigama sickle narrowly missed her ears.

Zyma didn't say a word. Acma wasn't sure if any words at this moment would be pleasant.

What was he thinking? Was he assessing her moves? Was he laughing at her clumsy escape attempts?

She had never been adept at martial arts, although she had managed to pass her classes with above-average grades. She viewed opponents like Zyma as a rare breed and focused on her strengths in magic casting instead. She knew that in a squad, her weaknesses would be compensated for. One-on-one fights were not her forte.

Focus, Acma! If you can't think a few steps ahead, you're going to die!

"Float!" she cast another spell, combining it with Protect, creating a floating orb that carried her up into the air as Zyma's metal ball struck her from the side. She successfully created distance thanks to his attack.

Acma could see the surprise on Zyma's face as he looked up to sense her floating in the air.

"Thundaga!" she shouted, releasing her most powerful lightning attack.

Zyma jumped away, narrowly dodging her powerful lightning attack but still feeling the residual shock. Meanwhile, Acma used her lasso to anchor herself to the cavern ceiling, disturbing a few Red Bats that were indulging in their sleep. She hit the bats for them to make noises, hoping to distract Zyma's senses.

Zyma swiftly evaded the spell, narrowly escaping its devastating impact but still feeling the residual shock coursing through him. Meanwhile, Acma took advantage of the chaos, using her lasso to anchor herself to the cavern ceiling, conveniently disturbing a few Red Bats from their slumber. Their flapping wings would distract Zyma's senses.

Zyma took out a few more more Shurikens, and Acma knew what he planned to do, though there wasn't many viable solutions to his best move.

Acma kicked the wall and released the other end of her long lasso to hatch on a different stalactite, moving herself to the new anchor, just enough time to dodge his dashing Shurikens.

With a swift kick, Acma propelled herself away from the wall, releasing the other end of her lasso to latch onto a different stalactite, narrowly avoiding Zyma's charging Shurikens.

Just when she breathed a sigh of relief as nothing had pierced her, Zyma hurled his metal ball at her with tremendous force, causing her to gasp in pain and lose her grip. The force of gravity, impeded by the Float spell, began to gradually carry her towards the perilous flow of molten lava below.

"Quezacotl!"

She called for her GF, which swiftly appeared and saved her from drowning burn in the lava flow. Zyma's assault continued, but she could hear Quezacotl, her GF, closing its wings to shield her from Zyma's flying weapons.

"Quezacotl… No!" She exclaimed. She couldn't risk losing her GF, although she couldn't find a way to save herself without it. "Thunderstorm!" she commanded, urging Quezacotl to unleash its powerful area attack. She slid down its tail as fast as she could, escaping the danger and finding refuge behind another rock before summoning her GF back to her consciousness.

She calculated her and Zyma's current HP in her head. She knew she couldn't afford to cast Holy freely, despite its potential for greater damage than Thundaga, as it would deplete her Mag stat.

7 minutes… Every cast needed to count. She thought.

The protective effects of her previously cast Protect spell had faded, but Acma didn't dare to recast it. The sound of the magic shield would reveal her hiding place to her enemy.

But Zyma didn't need that signal.

CRASH!

The rock covering her shattered, and the force of the impact smash her head to the ground.

"Flare!" Zyma's cold voice announced, and the scorching flames of the spell engulfed Acma.

How did he find me? Acma screamed internally in panic and pain.

As if reading her thoughts, Zyma answered, "Your smell..."

Right… I know your smell, too. All too well…

In that moment, her heart shattered, and she lay on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, a stark contrast to the strength she had exhibited throughout her life.

I have survived the most brutal battles since I was little. But now… why does it hurt so much… Not from the cuts or the burns, but...

Zyma, observing her anguish, broke the silence. "When is he coming?"

Acma didn't answer. 6 minutes.

"We still have time. Let's pause for one minute. Go heal," Zyma said. "I'll wait."

For what?

"Why don't you just kill me now" Acma snorted in pain.

Zyma hesitated, searching for the right words. "I'm sorry... I'll make it quick this time. I don't want to see you suffer either."

Tears streamed down Acma's face as her heart shattered even further.

So much for the love. You wanted me to say it and I said it. I gave you the whole me, and the very next day you just decide to kill me fast to save your ass.

"I'm just a toy to you, right Z? For you to discard once you're done," Acma's voice trembled with a mix of pain and anger as she slowly sat up, carrying the wounds on her torso and the large one on her stomach. Her gaze locked with his, the intensity of her emotions palpable.

"I hate you…" She wielded each word with resentment as her trembling hands retrieved two syphons and forcefully attached them one by one to her veins. "You want it to be quick? Well, I'll help you…"

"Acma…" Zyma looked at her in shock.

"Quezacotl!"

[…]

4 minutes.

Is it over? Where is he? That couldn't have killed him… be careful of his Limit Break. Acma thought, taking cover behind another rock and waiting for the blinding light from her "Duo: Thunder's Judgment" to fade, reattaching her syphons to recover her HP.

Another minute passed, but there was still no sound.

He threw his sickle and Shurikens at me, triggering 'it' again. Did they rebound and hit him?

Acma cast Cure and protective spells on herself before cautiously crawling out. As she emerged, her eyes scanned the area, and she noticed a couple of Red Bats pinned to the ground by Zyma's Shurikens. A frown of puzzlement creased her brow as she tried to make sense of the scene.

He was hitting these monsters?

It took her a moment to spot Zyma lying near Ifrit's lava pit.

"Oh no…" Acma gasped, sprinting towards Zyma, whose chest had been pierced by his own Kusarigama.

"Acma… thank Hyne, I thought… the Red Bats really got you… stop using syphons when you're alone," Zyma uttered words in pain as well as relief.

Acma immediately connected the dots… She froze in mix realization and confusion.

"Cause of death: Red Bat. That's the most embarrassing way to die…" he continued, trying to play a usual smirk.

"This is not a good time to joke, Z! Curaga!" Acma hastily cast the healing magic.

Zyma murmured, his eyes struggling to open. "It's okay... Acma... it's over..."

"Why didn't you dodge?" Acma cried in shock, trying to find any first aid kit she could to stop the bleeding.

"I couldn't... so you possess it after all… I suspect… Good thing you hide it well..."

"You could have healed!" Acma's voice cracked with disbelief. And at that moment, Acma noticed the absence of any support magic at his junction. "Why? Zyma? Why are you doing this?"

"Acma… it's over… stay with me. I have something to say."

"No, no, Z. T will be here soon. Let's get you to the infirmary, we can save you there..."

Zyma struggled to force a smile.

"Acma... I never planned to leave here alive."

Never?

Acma shook her head in denial. "Why do you have to do this?"

"It's the best way. I'd rather it be me who dies. It's okay... babe..." Zyma's words were choked by the blood pooling in his mouth.

"No! We can escape from G. This isn't the best way... how can it be the best way if one of us dies..." Acma wiped away his blood, unable to think of anything more useful to ease his pain.

"I've been cursed by the dark GF that left its mark on my body. I won't live for long anyway. But I want my death to have a meaning, for you... a GF. I promised to lend you a mighty one." Zyma moved his hand wearing the GF token.

"I don't understand…" Acma couldn't process anything he said, overwhelmed by the amount of blood on his body which just had covered hers with warmth the night before.

"You remember the other ingredient to create a GF?" Zyma smiled.

"No... no... I don't want a GF!" Acma pressed her body against his, her hands caressing his dark hair, now lifeless and matted with sweat.

0 minutes.

"Acma! What's happening?" Timeth finally arrived and froze at the sight of the bloody scene.

"Help!" Acma cried helplessly.

"T… take care of A." Zyma said, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. "A, I have to go now. My gift, you have to fight it. Use Diablos, there're Hero in my gear. You know what to do…" Zyma summoned his last ounce of strength to roll onto his side.

"No... I can't..." Acma shook her head, tears streaming down her face which she swept away to look at the last moments of him more clearly.

"A… I love you. This way, I'll always be with you until the end. I hope… you'll be my real GF in our next life. Goodbye, for now, babe…"

Zyma uttered his final words before gently pushing Acma away and rolling into the lava pit.

Acma reached out for him, desperate to hold onto his last smile in her memory.

"I love you, Z…" she whispered, seeing the burning lava embraced his body. "Goodbye…"

He's made of Flare. He's not afraid of the heat. He loves darkness. May the dark embrace him. She consoled herself.

Timeth gasped at the scene before him. He had countless questions, but no words would form as a sudden explosion shattered the silence, and a massive creature emerged from the pit. It wasn't Ifrit this time, but a creature twice its size.

"WHO DARES SUMMON ME FROM MY SLUMBER?" the creature growled menacingly.

"Timeth… Diablos…" Acma commanded in a cold voice.

Timeth quickly summoned the dark GF he had just acquired via Garden's tradition.

"Hero." Acma cast the ultimate item on the party, making them all visible while draining her HP once more.

She reached out to connect hands with the dark messenger thirsty for its first taste of blood after a long sleep.

Duo: Darkness's Judgment.