8
CHAPTER 8 – PRISONERS UNBOUND
The chill wind whipped violently with each aerial maneuver taken by the dragon. It expertly weaved in and out of harms way, dodging the sea creature's incoming shots with finesse. The moment there was an opening, it swooped down towards the water. A fire blast or two was usually all it had the opportunity for before retreating back into the night sky. Just holding on was enough of a challenge for Selphie, much less actually contributing to the battle. At best, she could manage an occasional fireball or lightning strike whenever the dragon got close enough.
Irvine seemed to be having better luck with his assault rifle's grenade launcher. His own dragon moved every bit as nimbly, trading off with hers in quick succession. They worked together exceptionally well. Unfortunately, none of their efforts seemed to be doing much damage. But then, that had never been part of the plan. With any luck, the others would soon find what they were looking for, and cut off the monster's source of power once and for all. For Selphie's part, she was just happy to finally be having some of her own where her GF was concerned.
Things still weren't completely back to normal. Though she no longer had any issue with calling forth fire or lightning, holy spellcraft still perplexingly remained out of her reach. It had always been slightly more taxing for her to conjure than any other element, but never to this extent. Nothing was materializing, no matter how hard she tried. And try she had, over and over again. The current situation was perfectly suited for it; the spellcraft's higher potency and sheer destructive power would have put much more of a dent into the monster's thick hide.
As things stood, she had no choice but to make due. With Irvine's dragon pulling back from its latest firebomb run, hers swooped in again. She began drawing in the energy in preparation for another lightning bolt. Just as she caught hold of it, the dragon wobbled unsteadily, breaking her concentration.
[I'm pulling back up, Matt! Try to draw its fire!]
Out of nowhere, the voice from before pinged through her mind again. It just as quickly faded out as her mount abruptly pivoted off course. The dragon beat its wings, climbing back up and away from the water. Myriad shots whizzed past from below, some coming far too close for comfort; even a near miss from one could be liable to send them whirling head on into another. Across the way, the other dragon had yet to circle back around for another pass. Having momentarily let up the pressure on the sea creature, they'd given it free reign to go on the offensive for the first time since the battle's start.
Selphie knew she couldn't sit in place and let themselves be blown out of the sky. She began drawing in energy yet again, this time to conjure a reflective barrier against the shots. It would take a great deal to form one capable of shielding both her and the dragon. There was also the strength of the laser blasts to consider; she'd yet to see one make contact to gauge their potency, but could safely assume that was for the best. As she continued to build up even more power to compensate, she became content to leave the rest of the battle up to the dragon, and provide defensive support as needed. Belatedly, she considered if that should have been her approach from the start. And then, the beast jolted downward again, much more violently this time.
[Selphie! Stop!]
She nearly let go her grip on the dragon's neck along with the energy. Her mental faculties ground to a halt; she could register nothing beyond those two fleeting words. The next thing she knew, her world was suddenly thrust back into motion just as sharply. The blast from below connected with the dragon, momentarily jerking them both straight up. The great beast roared in anguish as the brilliant beam of light bored into its plated breast. It was all downhill from there in every sense.
Selphie shrieked as they plummeted, picking up speed at an alarming rate. Additional laser shots whizzed by them on all sides. Most had arced too high above to pose any further threat, though that alone was hardly cause for relief; there was nothing to stop their imminent impact. Selphie quickly reoriented her focus to generating a flotation buffer strong enough for the both of them. She'd barely drawn in half the energy required when the voice spoke to her again.
[No! Stop! Leave it to me!]
She immediately obeyed out of compulsion, despite how little she still understood. On cue, the wounded dragon extended its wings back out, providing some deceleration before they barreled headlong into the ocean. Selphie closed her eyes and braced herself. It wasn't enough; she was swept clear off the dragon's back as the tide washed over her. The force of the collision sent her tumbling head over heel. She opened her eyes underwater, and shifted her vision every which way to get her bearings. The lit-up underside of the research center glistened off to one side. To the other, a long thick tendril extended down from the sea monster's dome. Understanding the danger she was in still being so close, she wasted no time in righting herself and swimming back upwards.
When she finally resurfaced, gasping for air, she saw to her horror that the dragon was faring no better. It thrashed and flailed about nearby, treading water as best it could. It obviously couldn't swim. Worse still, she knew there was nothing she could do to help. She craned her neck up, scanning the night sky as she fought to keep herself afloat. It was then she noticed the other dragon coming in fast; it dove down beneath the still oncoming laser barrage, making a beeline for their position. Only as it drew closer did Selphie realize the winged beast was headed not for its partner, but for her. It swooped straight in, talons extended, and promptly scooped her up out of the water the same way a bird might catch a fish.
She yelped as she was whisked away by her shoulders. They soared back upwards, the dragon pivoting in the direction of the research center. For whatever reason, it had made the choice to prioritize her safety over one of its own kind. Perhaps it were acting at Irvine's behest. Or perhaps there was something more to the voice in her head; she was now confident it hadn't been just a figment of her imagination. It had explicitly called to her by name, in a tone somehow familiar.
It couldn't be…
The dragon descended as they flew over the facility's outer edge. It loosed its talons around Selphie's shoulders, letting her drop to the grated, elevated walkway. Irvine immediately slid off its back and bolted over to her side. He'd barely touched down before the dragon beat its wings again, and took off back in the direction of the sea monster.
"Are you alright?!" he asked worriedly.
"Y-yeah, fine," she absentmindedly assured him; her attention was drawn elsewhere.
Wiping away her soaked, drooping hair from her face, she stepped past Irvine and stared out into the distance. The dragon tore across the water, flying straight for its still thrashing comrade yet to sink beneath the waves. Their level of intelligence had been apparent from the beginning, as was their camaraderie in the struggle against the giant monster. And now, with the benefit of firsthand exposure, Selphie was positive the two shared some form of telepathic connection. How else could she rationalize the voice she'd repeatedly heard in her mind?
On a hunch, she reached back into her breast pocket to retrieve her GF. She pulled it out, the gleaming energy still seeping from its open, silver shell. Focusing her mind just as she had moments before, she fought to bring forth a flicker of flame in her other hand. She couldn't even feign surprise when nothing materialized. Once again, try as she might, she could no longer grasp hold of the sphere's energy frequency. She'd never managed to in the first place, for that matter; the familiar intangible aura she'd rediscovered for the first time in months hadn't been coming from the sphere at all.
With each spell conjured, she'd been inadvertently sapping away the dragon's own strength, little by little. Now, as the other one forcibly yanked it back up out of the water, it seemed to be struggling just to catch a gust of wind. Each beat of its wings was laborious, its movement painstakingly sluggish compared to just minutes before. Even still, it rose to meet the challenge of its gargantuan nemesis. Breaking off in the other direction from its friend, it began circling the sea creature as the many pores across its dome swelled with light. Another scattershot laser bombardment followed; by comparison, the monster's energy supply seemed virtually limitless. They clearly couldn't hold out much longer. And Selphie, with all the power she'd ever known in the palm of her hand, could still make no use of it. Now removed from the confrontation altogether, there was nothing she could do but watch.
Come on, guys, hurry up down there!
As Squall descended through the hatch connecting the tower's fifth and sixth levels, he breathed a sigh of relief; the flooded fourth had indeed been an isolated case. After such a close call with the focalor shark, he wasn't keen to go exploring any more submerged sectors if he could avoid it. More surprising was the absence of yet another hatch situated in the usual spot. Sweeping his eyes across the semi-circular stretch of laboratory, otherwise virtually identical to the other levels, he spotted the only other discrepancy: a pair of sliding metal doors were set directly in the center of the inside wall.
"No more revolving floors?" Reiner wondered aloud behind him.
"Cross your fingers," Squall said as he touched down off the last step.
Everything certainly looked to be in one piece. He trailed off to the intercom system as the others made their descent. Although Zell had been instrumental thus far in helping them reach the bottom, the rearranging of the tower's levels meant there was no way for him to rejoin the party. In any event, Squall owed him an update.
"We've made it to the bottom level," he spoke into the receiver. "Just continue to hold position until you hear from us again."
"Copy!" the speaker blared back. "You might wanna pick up the pace, though. Liza's telling me it's getting pretty dicey out there."
Squall turned his attention back out the window. Through the unfathomable depths, now even further from the research center's gleaming underside, he could see the confrontation had indeed shifted. Down stretched the creature's tendril, just on the peripheral. Despite being at least 200 yards away from their position, it was still too close for comfort given its sheer size. Only once he saw its lifeless husk sunk to the bottom of the ocean would he be able to breathe easy again.
"We'll do what we can," he answered. "Look after yourselves. Out."
He stepped away from the intercom and followed his squad to the door. As he ducked through behind Quistis, he emerged into a wide circular chamber spanning the tower's center. Two matching doors stood spaced apart across from him, to the left and right side. They undoubtedly led to either of the floor's other two sectors. To his relief, neither looked to be structurally compromised; what a waste it would have been to come so far only to reach a dead end.
A railed elevator platform sat in the center. It was a simple maintenance lift fixed to a vertical tread, no different from the kind he, Zell and Selphie had taken up to the top of the Dollet communications tower. Despite the rust spread across its surface, he figured it would have no problem holding the four of them. Reiner pressed the switch once they'd all piled aboard. With an unsettling groan, the lift began to slowly descend.
"Hopefully it won't be much further," Quistis remarked.
The rest of them said nothing. Though Squall too hoped the end of their journey lay at the bottom of the elevator shaft, he couldn't realistically see how. The data on the facility's server had clearly stated the power source was located on the ocean floor. He knew the tower couldn't possibly stretch down so far. But then, how were they ever to reach it? To his surprise, the lift touched down into place before he could consider any potential options.
The domed chamber they'd descended into had no windows nor doors along its reinforced metal walls. A small cluster of ceiling lights shone down from above, too dimly for Squall's liking. To one side was a generator, significantly larger than even the station's auxiliary power system. A control console stood on the other; the switches lit up all over were reassuring enough that it was functional. In the space between, on the far end opposite the elevator, a thick black cable stretched down from a raised metal spool. It disappeared beneath the surface of a small pool just below.
"Wonder what's on the other end?" Brent hummed.
"Ten-thousand gil says it's exactly what we're looking for," Reiner answered him.
Squall too would have been willing to take those odds. For one thing, there was no other discernible way to head further down; they had finally reached the lowest level of the entire facility.
He approached the console for a closer look. Scanning his eyes across its surface, poring over each successive switch and button, he was reminded of when he and Quistis had descended to Balamb Garden's maintenance levels. Just as then, he had no real idea what they would find at the end of it all, or if it would be of any use in neutralizing the threat they now faced. Fortunately, the modern console required nowhere near the guesswork as ancient Centran machinery. He quickly spotted the lever to retract the cable, grabbed hold, and pulled down. With a groan, the spool above began to slowly turn.
"Moment of truth," he finally spoke.
"What do you think it could be?" Brent asked to no one in particular.
"I wouldn't have the slightest idea," Quistis responded. "Guess we're about to find out. Still… I've got a bad feeling about this."
Squall would have been lying to say he wasn't the least bit apprehensive as well. The spool, despite its width and sturdy construction, had started to creak as it fought to raise the line. If nothing else, it was a promising sign; there was clearly something on the other end. Further, the thought of finally uncovering the origin of Selphie's missing GF only added to the suspense. He reached down to activate his own in preparation. Long had he pondered as to the true nature of the power contained within its shell, or that of every other Balamb student. From the moment he'd first laid eyes on the mysterious bronze sphere however, there was no other he'd hoped to prioritize.
And yet, therein lay the complications. Despite effectively being a counterfeit, there had been no denying the GF's power was every bit as potent as their own. The same surely held true for the source, begging the question: was there even anything they could potentially do to cut off or otherwise contain its energy? Simply raising it up from the depths would do them no good; the creature could just as easily rip through the station to get at it if it so pleased. More importantly still, they were on a time crunch. As if to actively spite their efforts, the slow moving crank refused to pick up the pace. A full minute passed. Then two.
"Sure is taking its time," Brent grumbled.
"It's a long way down," Reiner reminded him. However reassuring his tone, he'd begun tapping his foot.
Squall could sympathize with their impatience. There was no telling how much longer it would be until the creature eventually tired, and retreated back down to revitalize itself. Neither could the dragons hold out forever. As the seconds continued to tick by, he could practically feel a weight steadily begin to mount on him. His breathing gradually became labored; it soon reached the point where he was on the verge of wheezing with every exhale. By the time he noticed Quistis reaching for her own throat, he realized it was more than just a simple case of anxiety taking its toll on him.
"Is it just me, or… is the air getting… heavier?" she eked out.
He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. The silence spoke for itself; his air supply had already become too precious to squander on stating the obvious. Neither Reiner nor Brent bothered to give her an answer in his stead; with a glance in their direction, he could tell they too were struggling to hold themselves together. Quistis was absolutely right. The air had become uncomfortably difficult to breathe, as if a thick smog had filled the room, invisible to the naked eye.
And then, as if to correct itself, his vision began to blur. Darkness crept out from the periphery, swarming inwards. He fell to one knee as it started taking hold, his consciousness twisting under the mounting pressure. A woman's raucous shriek suddenly rang out in his ears. It seemed far away, echoing to him as though it were steadily approaching from the end of a long tunnel. It couldn't have been Quistis; he'd certainly never heard such a bloodcurdling scream come from her even through the worst of what they'd been through together. But then, even pulling his head back up to look would have been a challenge now.
Rather than waste effort straining his muscles, he instead worked at speed to channel his sphere's power before his mind was completely overcome. The experience was all too similar to that night in Deling City, when Ultimecia had used her magic to brainwash the crowd. Only a concentrated surge of his GF's energy had spared him and Irvine then. As the darkness gradually receded from his sight, it appeared to have done the trick again. Still, the shrieking continued to grow louder.
Fighting to maintain control, he turned his attention back to the others. All three of them were struggling to various degrees. Quistis seemed to be faring the best; she stumbled back to her feet, an aura of light visibly radiating from her figure just as his. Evidently, she'd possessed the same intuition and quick thinking. Her breathing was still plenty labored as their eyes met. Abruptly, they pivoted past him, and went wide the next moment. Squall turned his head back towards the retracting cable as it started slowly grinding to a standstill. What he saw being raised up from the water took what little breath he had left away.
A sturdy metal chassis ascended into the chamber as the spool above finally stopped turning. A network of frayed, broken wires trailed off from all across its frame, flapping about like the strands of a soaking wet mop. Held upright within its confines was a human skeleton. Squinting through the near blinding light emanating from it, Squall could see the tattered remains of faded fabric still clinging to the bones. The outfit had likely been a regal one if the abundance of rusted jewelry hung around the neck were any indicator. There was no question as to what sex the skeleton had been in life. Indeed, there was only one thing it could possibly be: the remains of a sorceress, sunk to the bottom of the ocean untold ages ago.
Son of a bitch…
Squall couldn't believe his eyes. Where those failed, his ears were enough to convince him; the enraged screaming had reached fever pitch. The specifics of how, when, and why this sorceress' body had ended up on the ocean floor were beyond him. Regardless, he knew his body wouldn't hold out much longer for him to keep gawking. He had to take action.
He reached down to pull his gunblade from its scabbard, but stopped mid-motion. Given how much he was already straining against the energy's influence, he could only imagine how hard it would be to actually swing the weapon. Even if he were able to, he doubted it would make any difference. If the gleaming skeleton had managed to withstand the crushing pressure of untold fathoms below, what chance would the blade have of even putting a nick in it? His GF was his only hope now.
Here goes nothing.
Steadying himself, he pushed forward. A mere four steps to the skeleton's side were no small task against the oncoming maelstrom. The closer he drew, the more intense the resistance became. He poured all his focus into channeling his sphere's power, more so than he had even that night in the city. It wouldn't last long; once he'd reached his limit, there would be nothing left to keep his body and mind from being overtaken. Even now, his vision was beginning to blur again. He desperately reached out his hand, no longer able to finely discern what he was grasping for.
Almost… there…!
Just then, something grabbed his other arm. He froze in his tracks, amazed to find his eyesight had cleared up on the spot. Turning his attention from the metal chassis, he found Quistis standing at his side, holding on tight. She grimaced, and mouthed something to him. He couldn't hear her; now so close to the sorceress, the enraged screaming in his head drowned out all else. Regardless, he understood her sentiment. She had his back, no matter the odds.
Mere months ago, he would have viewed such a thing as a sign of his own weakness. It was only over the course of a short yet intense period of self-discovery that he finally had come to terms with his position as part of the team. He never would have made it so far without the help of his comrades. With Quistis alone, he owed her his life twice over: once on the shores of Dollet, and again before Norg's leviathan. Then there were Selphie, Zell, and Irvine to consider; all three had likewise come to his rescue when he'd needed it most at one time or another. Even Brent, just now, had done his part. And yet, none of it would have meant nearly so much to him without the support and understanding of one other person; she'd saved his life to no smaller degree.
Let's finish this.
Together, he and Quistis thrust their hands out to the skeleton, and seized hold. The brilliant aura radiating from its body grew even brighter the moment they did so. Squall shut his eyes tightly. All the while, he continued to let loose whatever energy he could still muster from his sphere; perhaps with Quistis' combined power, there was a chance. Time seemed to lose all meaning. As the light grew ever more blinding, seeping beneath his eyelids, so too did the sorceress' screaming become more frenzied. And then it stopped. All was silent.
For minutes on end the battle had continued. Selphie watched from afar alongside Irvine, mesmerized by the seemingly never-ending spectacle. No matter how long they stood there, nor how routine it all quickly became – the lasers, the fireballs, the swooping maneuvers – none of it was any less awe-inspiring than when they'd first set foot aboard the research center earlier that afternoon.
At no point had either of the dragons turned back around to pick them up again. Selphie could understand the reasoning; her efforts had obviously been doing more harm than good. That she'd been unwittingly draining the dragon of its own power as opposed to her sphere was still hard to believe. If anything, it was just further proof that they were a byproduct of whatever energy source her old GF had been made up of. There was no other explanation for why the intangible resonance had felt so familiar.
Still, there was one thing that continued to perplex her more than any other: the voice she'd unmistakably heard in her head. It too had sounded eerily familiar, though perhaps 'sounded' was the wrong description altogether. There had been no distinguishing texture or timbre to the voice; how could there be without vocal cords to produce the necessary vibrations? Even so, there was a recognizable tone to the words as they'd come to her, something she was certain hadn't been her imagination. At no other time had it been more evident than when it called her by name.
Was it really…?
"Something's gotta give," Irvine finally broke the silence.
"I'm… not so sure," Selphie stuttered as she snapped back to reality. "Seems like they've been going at it like this for years."
"Yeah, and that's why I'm hoping it'll be something down below."
She said nothing in return. She merely closed her eyes, silently praying for the same. For a moment, she considered if she ought to head down herself to check up on the others' progress. That she didn't know the way from their current position was all that kept her fixed to the spot. There she continued to stand, eyelids shut, the whizzing of the monster's laser shots all she could hear on the brisk night air. And then, suddenly, there came a noise unlike any thus far.
She opened her eyes back up at the omnipresent groan. It sounded like a whale calling out from the deep, its amplitude intense enough to rumble the scaffolding on which they stood. She gripped the railing tightly to steady herself and stared back out to sea. Fittingly, the noise's point of origin appeared to be the sea creature; its laser bombardment had abruptly ceased as it stalled in place. In an instant, the battle which seemed as if it might go on for all eternity had come to a halt.
"What the hell was that?" Irvine muttered.
Selphie wasn't sure herself. As it faded away, there came no other sound to take its place; she could hear nothing now but waves crashing at the base of the facility. The mammoth creature remained still out on the water, seemingly paralyzed. It was several moments before she finally picked out the wispy, gleaming strains of energy wafting up into the night sky from its body. They were faint at first, but grew more prominent as the affected area spread out across its giant dome. It became impossible not to notice before long.
For once, the phenomenon was something Selphie recognized. It was exactly the same as when she and the others had defeated Ultimecia's three-headed hound aboard Galbadia Garden; the beast had collapsed, and promptly fizzled out of existence within minutes. As the sea creature idled in place, perpetually motionless as yet more energy trailed up and away from its body, she was certain it was no coincidence.
"It's… disappearing!" she exclaimed. "I think they did it!"
Irvine said nothing. His eyes stayed fixed on the scene in the distance, stern as she'd ever seen them.
"Yeah," he finally spoke, extending his arm to point out over the water. "But it looks like it's not the only one."
Puzzled, she craned her neck up to follow his line of sight. It was then she noticed what had caused his face to turn so dour; hers quickly followed. Two glistening beacons of energy were approaching their position, gliding gently on the air. Both still retained their form for the moment, but it was clear they too were slowly dissipating. The same wisps of light seeped out from all over their bodies, rising higher as they themselves continued to dip lower. They sporadically beat their wings to stay afloat. Each successive time seemed to be taking more effort than the last; their tenacity as they'd kept the creature embattled for so long was completely gone.
With all its strength, one of the dragons just barely retained enough air to clear the lip of the research center. Selphie and Irvine backed up a good 10 feet from the edge as it prepared to cross over. It made no attempt to land, instead letting itself plummet to the rusted metal flooring with a mighty thud. The moment it settled in place, Selphie raced in. She reached its side just in time to see the other one dip below the railing. Another tremor rocked their position as it slammed into the level below. A splash followed shortly thereafter.
Maneuvering around the wellspring of energy that was the dragon's evaporating figure, she ran to the edge and looked down. Its partner showed no resistance as the waves washed over its body, dragging it under. By the time Irvine arrived at her side, it was fully submerged. The radiant light surrounding it still shone through the water's surface, growing fainter by the second as it trailed away into the depths. The sight alone made her heart shrink into her stomach just the same. And then, as the voice spoke to her again, she felt it suddenly jump back up and into her throat.
[Selphie… I'm sorry…]
She spun around and re-directed her attention to the first dragon. It lay slumped over on its belly, both wings drooping down to either side. Like its fellow, it looked completely incapable of moving any longer. She pushed off from the railing and circled back around to where its head lay. Despite her proximity to the hazy, swirling aura surrounding it, she knew she was in no danger; its resonance was the same familiar rush she'd felt riding on the dragon's back. As she gazed disbelievingly into its half-destroyed facial mask, one slitted eye stared right back at her.
[Selphie… if you can hear me… I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. Please… forgive me…]
There was nothing she could say in response. She fell to her knees, astonished by just what she was hearing. By any reasonable standard, she would be crazy to even entertain the notion. And yet, she now knew without a doubt that the voice was no figment of her imagination, nor was this dragon any mere monster. Somehow, in her heart, she felt she'd always known.
[I have so many regrets… so many things I wanted to tell you… and now it looks like I'm all out of time. But… at least I got to see you once more… before the end. You've grown up so much without me these last few years. I'm so… so proud of you. I'm sure your mother would be, too. So, please… promise me you'll keep staying strong. All I've ever wanted is the best for you… even when that turned out to be my undoing. But, seeing you now, with all these friends you've made… all these people who care so much about you… you're doing just fine. That's enough for me. Thank you… for everything. And remember… I'll always… love… you…]
The dragon's crumpled frame had become ever more distorted and blurry as it spoke its final words to her. It was as much due to the tears welling up in her eyes as the energy's rapid dispersal. Its own eyes slowly closed. And then, the next moment, its body finally gave way. It shimmered and burst into a cluster of gleaming pyres, all breaking off from one another and floating up into the sky like helium balloons.
Selphie watched them go, the tears now streaming down her cheeks. Whether or not the same had become of the giant sea creature was none of her concern; she was determined not to look away until they'd fully disappeared up into the atmosphere. As they twinkled off into the night sky, appearing to join with the stars, she reflected on the kinship she'd felt with the dragon, and just how much more it meant to her with hindsight. The short joyride she'd taken on its back before the battle was the most fun she'd had since the Garden Festival. That unforgettable experience was now doubly so, with the most bittersweet twist imaginable.
That… was really…
"Selphie! Are you okay? Talk to me!"
She finally snapped out of her trance as Irvine shook her by the shoulder. As she craned her neck back down and looked out to sea, there was no trace of the monster anywhere. By all accounts, their plan had been a smashing success. And yet, there was no joy in her heart. Irvine couldn't possibly understand the pain she felt, and neither could she think of a way to explain it to him that would make any sense.
"I'm… fine," she lied. With his help, she pulled herself up from her knees.
"It's sad, I know," he tried to reassure her. "But I'm sure those guys must've been ready for it. They had everything else worked out."
She knew he was right. Her father had likely known the risks, and been willing to take them for her sake if nothing else.
"Now, come on. We've gotta get down there and make sure the others are alright."
Selphie nodded, wiping the tears from her face. Whatever the reasons for why or how things had turned out this way, all that truly mattered to her was seeing her father's dying wish through. She'd sworn a vow five years before to become a SeeD in honor of her mother's memory. Now, it was his turn. She would continue to be strong, and make him proud in the fight to come against Sorceress Ultimecia. As Irvine turned on his heel, she lingered in place for a moment longer, and cast her eyes back up to the starry night sky.
Goodbye, Dad. Say 'hi' to Mom for me. I love you, too…