Chapter 2: Fractures in the Sky

World of Gaia. WRO Headquarters.

A couple of days later, Cid and Barret arrived at the WRO, after receiving a call from Reeve. In the mission control room, Cid and Barrett were staring at the screen as it was filled with data.

"What are we looking at, Reeve?" Barret asked.

"An unprecedented phenomenon," Reeve explained. "It's been something I've been investigating for days."

"What the hell's this about?" Cid asked.

"Those ribbons in the sky."

"Okay. So, what the hell are they?"

"That's just it: I can't figure it out," Reeve answered. "It's something similar to energy that appears when we use summons, but… it's not exact. It's unique. This energy… it seems like it's… to a specific place."

"Where?" Barret asked.

"We're not sure yet. We want to send a probe through. I wanted your opinions on that. So… what do you think?"

Cid and Barret looked at each other then back at Reeve. "We should tell Cloud about this," Cid suggested. "Tifa, too."

Reeve exhaled. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."

"Everyone needs to know," Barrett implored. "If this is something big, we'll need all hands on deck."

"Agreed."

"Alright," Cid nodded. "Let's call 'em."

World of Destin. Balamb Garden.

A couple of days had passed since the party, and Lukas walked into the cafeteria and found Squall sitting and eating alone. It was actually uncommon to see Squall without Rinoa these days. After getting his food, Lukas decided to approach Squall. "Hey, Squall!" Lukas greeted.

Squall looked up, smiled a bit, and gave him a head nod.

"Mind if I join you?" Lukas asked.

"Have a seat," Squall motioned to the chair.

Squall and Lukas had known each other ever since they were young men. In fact, Squall met Lukas before anyone else did, finding Lukas washed up on the beach of Balamb. The circumstances of Lukas's arrival were a mystery to this day, to even Lukas himself. With no past and nowhere else to go, Lukas joined Balamb Garden. Despite them having near-polar opposite personalities, Squall and Lukas became good friends. Squall's indifferent nature kept most people at bay and, while Lukas didn't speak to Squall a lot, they did hang out from time to time, even if during those times Lukas dominated the conversation. Squall didn't complain; Lukas didn't force Squall to talk.

After eating mostly in silence, getting to the end of their meal, Squall looked up, "Oh, hey! I put my recommendation in for your Instructor position."

Lukas smiled. "Thanks."

"Now, I get to ask: what the hell took you so long to finally go for that?"

Lukas laughed then sighed. "I don't know, man. I just thought… I had a lot more to learn."

"You became a SeeD six months after me, Selphie, and Zell," Squall reminded. "You've been helping reorganize Trabia and Galbadia Gardens. You even helped us deal with that whole southern Galbadia insurrection mess. The only reason no one paid you more is because they couldn't. And the reason they couldn't is because you wouldn't just become a damn Instructor!"

Lukas held his smile but thought for a moment. "I guess… I just wanted to make sure I belonged at Balamb. Or even still in SeeD."

Squall blinked. "You thought for some reason you didn't?"

Lukas looked off. "Can I be honest?"

"You've never had that problem before."

"I try not to get too personal too often with you. I don't wanna annoy you."

"Irvine and Zell are annoying," Squall corrected, causing Lukas to fight a chuckle. "You don't come to me with trivial crap. If something's bothering you, it's serious. Tell me what's up."

Lukas looked at the ceiling then back at Squall. "I… have this feeling like… I'm supposed to be somewhere else or doing something more. It's why I took that gap year that time to… try and figure things out. Besides, you know me: I've always felt like I don't belong."

Squall considered that then huffed. "Every single time I think we're not that much alike… you prove me wrong."

"How so?"

"Luka… I know that feeling perfectly well. But… I think you belong here. It's why I said 'yes' when you asked me for the recommendation."

Lukas smiled. "Thanks, Squall."

"No problem, friend," Squall replied. "Listen, if you wanna do more, do more. No matter what it is… I got your back."

"Wow. Thanks, again, Squall."

Quistis walked in, "Squall!" She stopped when she saw Lukas and blushed a bit, "Oh!" She smiled, "H-hi, Lukas!"

Lukas smiled at her, "Hi, Quistis."

Squall observed the looks in both of their eyes and quietly exhaled. 'About time with these two.' He spoke up, "What's up?"

"Oh!" Quistis blinked. She focused on Squall, "Right! Umm… President Loire called! He wants to talk to us. As soon as possible."

"Sounds important," Lukas noted.

"Very." Squall thought for a moment. "Did he say to call or go to Esthar?"

"Call for now," Quistis answered.

"Hmm. He hasn't made a request like that in a while. Let's call him now. Go get the others, would ya? Tell 'em to meet us in the main office."

Quistis nodded, "Right."

Squall looked at Lukas, "You come, too."

"Me?" Lukas asked.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because you're smart, capable, and you can be useful when you wanna be."

"Squall!" Quistis gasped.

Lukas laughed. "That was the kindest, most backhanded thing you've ever said to me. Yup! That's the Squall I know! You're such a nice jerk."

"That's another reason we're friends." Squall smiled. "You're honest."

Quistis rolled her eyes, "How any of us are friends with you is a mystery."

"Hell, I wonder why you guys like me, too."

World of Gaia. WRO Headquarters.

Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, Yuffie, and Red XIII entered into the WRO mission control room where Reeve, Shelke, Barrett, and Cid were waiting. After having everything explained, Cloud folded his arms. "I think I've seen those shimmers a few times," Cloud confirmed.

"Same for me," Vincent nodded.

"So, what's going on?" Yuffie asked.

"We haven't the slightest idea," Shelke answered. "But we want to use a probe, and I'll use the SND to see what kind of readings I can get."

The Synaptic Net Dive, the SND, was a good idea to use. But Vincent had his own concerns. "Shelke…" Vincent spoke up.

"Don't worry about me, Vincent," Shelke reassured. "I can handle it."

"Just be careful."

An alert went off, getting everyone's attention.

"What's that?" Tifa asked.

They all looked at the screen to see a series of the shimmering ribbons in the sky.

"That could be a problem," Red declared.

"Shelke…" Reeve said.

"Initiating the SND," Shelke headed for the device.

"I'm going outside," Cloud headed for the door.

"We're with you," Tifa followed after him.

"Reeve, keep an eye on things," Cid said as he and the others followed Cloud and Tifa.

World of Destin. Balamb Garden.

Squall and the rest of team met in the bridge/headmaster office of the Garden. Quistis and Lukas stood close to each other, which the others managed to not call attention to. Squall communicated with Laguna via a video call, finding Laguna, Kiros, and Ward in the Lunatic Pandora Laboratory.

"Hello, everyone," Laguna greeted, causing everyone to reply. "Well, no time to beat around the bush since, sadly, this isn't a social call."

"What's the problem?" Squall asked.

"Something… really strange."

Quistis took note of someone behind Laguna, "Is that Dr. Odine, Mr. President?"

Laguna sighed, "Yeah. We've needed his expertise, and I use the term loosely."

"You're so kind, Mr. President," Odine grumbled.

"What's going on, Laguna?" Squall asked.

"Have you noticed those red shimmers in the sky?" Laguna asked.

"Heard about 'em."

"Only saw one," Irvine added. "The news covered 'em a bunch."

"The shimmers are giving off some weird energy," Laguna explained. "And they're getting stronger. In the past few days, over certain locations, it's like a summon is trying to come through."

"Has one?" Selphie asked.

"Not yet. But it's worrying."

"That much power is proving to be a problem," Kiros noted. "We don't know what it could to the planet if left unchecked."

Lukas saw a landscape image flash in his mind. He blinked, whispering, "Planet…"

Rinoa looked at Lukas. "Luka?"

"Huh?"

"You say something?"

"I… did I?" Lukas shook his head, "Umm… sorry."

"You okay?" Rinoa asked.

"Yeah. I… think."

"How do we even find out what's goin' on?" Selphie asked Kiros.

"An excellent question, Selphie," Kiros replied. "Unfortunately, we're not too sure."

"Uhhh…" Laguna's eyes widened as he stared out of the window. "…if you want somewhere to start… you can try looking outside."

The Garden group looked out of the window, seeing a series of red, glimmering energy ribbons steadily glowing in the sky.

"Squall…" Rinoa whispered, concernedly.

"Outside," Squall ordered. "Everyone! Now!"

World of Gaia. WRO Headquarters.

Standing outside, Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, Yuffie, Cid, Barrett, and Red XIII looked up at the sky, seeing the red shimmers all throughout the sky.

"This isn't good," Yuffie whispered.

"We don't know if it is or isn't yet, Yuffie," Tifa declared.

"When was the last time something good happened when we dealt with something like this?"

Tifa paused. "Okay, fair."

Barrett got on his phone, "Reeve?"

"We're launching a probe now," Reeve replied. "We've got a couple of satellites monitoring things."

Cloud stared at the sky. He swore he could hear a quick whisper of a familiar voice. "Was that…" He shook his head. "No. I'm hearing things."

World of Destin. Balamb Garden.

The SeeD team walked outside of the Garden and stared at the sky.

"Damn!" Irvine whispered.

"Seriously, what is going on?" Zell asked.

Lukas froze in place as he stared at the sky. He walked further from the others, standing in the middle of the field.

Quistis noticed Lukas seemed to be in something of a trance. "Lukas?" Her callout to Lukas drew the rest of the team's attention.

"Luka?" Selphie asked.

Squall stepped forward, "Luka!"

"Hey!" Zell called out. "Hey, Luka?! What's up?"

Lukas held his focus on the sky.

"I'm sorry, Lukas!" the kind voice whispered, seemingly out of fear and concern. "I've been trying to—"

"Too late," another, more menacing voice declared. "You've served your purpose, boy! It's time now!"

Lukas yelled in pain and clutched his forehead and chest.

"LUKAS!" Quistis ran toward him.

"ARGH!" Rinoa gripped her skull. She sank down to a knee, "WHAT… THE HELL?!"

"RINOA!" Squall shouted, hurrying over and kneeling next to her.

"What the freak is goin' on?!" Irvine shouted.

"There's…" Rinoa grunted. "…something… happening…" She looked at Lukas, "LUKA!"

Lukas suddenly floated in the air as light exploded from his body, throwing Quistis back.

"LUKA! QUISTIS!" Zell rushed over to Quistis, kneeling next to her, "You okay, Quis?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Quistis replied, fearfully. "Lukas!"

Lukas was still floating in the air until the light shot from his body and into the sky.

Rinoa took a few breaths and looked up.

"Rinoa?!" Squall asked. "Are you okay?"

Rinoa grunted, "Yeah, yeah. But… Luka!"

Everyone looked to see the light still coming from Lukas's body, as he continued to float in the air.

"How about that?" the menacing voice laughed. "This might work out better than I hoped. What a good lab rat you made, boy. Ashamed you won't live to see the outcome."

"No!" the kinder voice defied. "I won't let you do this! I won't let you kill him!"

"Stay out of my way!"

"Not happening, pal!" a stronger, but also kind voice echoed.

"You meddlesome—!"

Some of the light shifted to bright green strands, entering Lukas's body. The green light created an outline around his body and Lukas dropped to the ground, unconscious and his breathing being very shallow.

Quistis rushed over to him, "Lukas! Lukas!" She kneeled down next to him to check his vitals. Lukas was alive but his pulse felt low.

Squall looked up at the sky. The red ribbons weren't as bright but they were still there.

"What the hell?" Squall whispered.

World of Gaia. WRO Headquarters.

The ribbons decreased in vibrancy and intensity but seemed to be permanent.

"What the hell?" Barret asked. "Am I the only one who noticed those don't look the same?"

"They're not as bright," Red XIII noted.

"What changed?" Yuffie asked.

Cloud's phone rang. He answered, "Yeah?"

"Cloud," Reeve said. "One of the probes got some info. It's not a ton but… but you need to see this. Get back in here."

"See what?"

"The probe we sent. It broke through. Those ribbons are portals. To another world."

World of Destin. Balamb Garden.

A little while later, Quistis was holding Lukas's hand while he lay on an infirmary bed. Rinoa came in and noticed the scene, feeling sorrow for Quistis and Lukas immediately.

"Quis," Rinoa spoke up.

Quistis looked at her, tears slowly forming.

"Any differences?"

"None," Quistis whispered. She brought her voice up, "But, umm… he, uh… he's breathing normally. Vitals are stable. So… that's good."

Rinoa put her hand on Quistis's shoulder.

Quistis looked at her, "Are you okay?"

"So far." Rinoa scratched the side of her head, "Just an irritating headache. You?"

Quistis exhaled. She turned her attention back to Lukas. "Scared."

"I know."

"He… asked me out."

Rinoa smiled, brightly. "He did?!"

Quistis looked at Rinoa, "Yeah. The… other day. At the party."

"And you didn't tell me sooner?!" Rinoa blinked. "You said 'yes'… right? I mean, you had to say 'yes'. You've been wanting him to ask you out for months! I've been wanting him to ask you out for months! Please, for the love of Hyne, tell-me-you-said-'yes'!"

Quistis giggled, softly. "I said 'yes'."

"Oh, then he's gonna wake up! He's got to!"

Quistis laughed. She looked at Lukas, "Rinoa?" She turned back to Rinoa. "Why have you… always backed me up when it came to Lukas? I mean… you always back me up."

"Well, overall, it's because you're awesome and one of the best, sweetest people I know," Rinoa answered. "When it comes to Lukas, easy. He likes you and you like him. And because… I want you to be happy. You're my friend. You both are. I like it when my friends are happy."

Quistis smiled. "Here I was thinking it was because you were worried about me being around Squall."

Rinoa grinned, as well, "Well, given how awesome you are, subconsciously, I'm sure that's part of it."

"Oh, Hyne, Rinoa! I was kidding! I'm over that and you know it. Besides, I'd never do that to either of you. I can't compare to you, anyway. Not in Squall's eyes. You two are made for each other."

"Maybe, but losing out to you wouldn't be so bad. I mean, you're awesome."

"Rinoa…"

Rinoa just giggled. She put her hand on Quistis's shoulder again. "He's gonna wake up. I promise."

"Why are you so sure?" Quistis asked.

"Call it a feeling."

World of Gaia. WRO Headquarters.

The AVALANCHE team studied the screen as the probe showed them images of another world. Shelke sat in SND with the helmet activated. "As we thought, the portals are still stable," Shelke confirmed. "No changes of any kind so far."

"So, whatever caused this got what it wanted," Reeve mused.

"We don't even know what that is," Tifa replied.

"What do we know about this other world?" Vincent asked.

"So far, it's not that different from ours," Shelke answered. "Atmospheric conditions seem to match perfectly with our world. Though I haven't detected materia of any kind."

"They don't have materia?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow. "Ooookaaaay. Weird."

"Any magic at all?" Cloud asked.

"Yes," Shelke confirmed. "But… I can't… quite explain it. Wait a moment." She paused for a moment. "There's been a power spike."

"On our world or the other?" Cloud asked.

"It's a portal, specifically. So, technically, both."

"That sounds big," Barrett noted.

"Where is it located, Shelke?" Reeve asked.

"In the Woodlands Area," Shelke answered, showing the location on the screen.

The team recognized it immediately.

"Where the Temple of the Ancients once resided," Red XIII declared.

The team all paused at hearing that. Cloud took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"We need to check it out," Cloud confirmed. "I'll go."

"I'll come with you," Vincent volunteered.

"We'll all go," Tifa said, getting confirmation from the others.

"I'll stay with Shelke and monitor everything," Reeve suggested.

"The Shera's ready to go!" Cid nodded. "Let's get-a' move on!"

World of Destin. Balamb Garden.

The SeeD team, sans Quistis, were speaking with Laguna and Kiros on another video call.

"How's your friend?" Kiros asked.

"Still unconscious," Zell answered.

"He's breathing," Squall added. "Vitals are stable. That's about all we can hope for."

"Do we know anything more about what's going on?" Selphie asked.

"None at all," Kiros answered. "We sent a small survey vehicle through one of the portals. The other world seems… pretty close to ours. They have a new sort of magic, however. It seems a bit more refined than what we have."

"Weird," Zell noted.

"Hold on!"

Laguna and Kiros looked at another screen, staring at it intently.

"Laguna?" Squall asked.

"There's a major energy source," Laguna explained. "It's not too far from the Centra Ruins."

"Centra Ruins?" Squall thought for a moment. "Hm. We'll check it out. Might need Quistis to come along."

"Think she'll leave Lukas?" Zell asked.

"No. But we need her."

"I'll talk to her," Rinoa volunteered. "I'll stay with Lukas. Since whatever happened to him affected me, too, I may need to wait before I get too close to… any of this weirdness again. Keep me in check."

"You sure?" Squall asked.

"Positive."

"Squall, one more thing," Laguna said. "Ellone has been feeling weird, too, lately. We checked. Her weird feelings coincide with these rifts."

Squall's eyes narrowed. "That's not good."

"Not at all," Laguna agreed.

Rinoa walked into the infirmary, finding Quistis in the same spot. "Quisty," Rinoa said, causing Quistis to look at her. "Squall needs you. Something's goin' on the Centra continent."

"And?" Quistis asked.

"Squall wants you in on it."

"Why can't you guys go without me?"

"You're smarter than us."

"Rinoa…"

"I'm staying here with Luka," Rinoa preempted. "I promise to look out for him and call you the second something changes."

Quistis considered that. She didn't want to leave Lukas's side, especially with everything going on, but sighed. She looked at Rinoa and nodded, "Alright."

"Don't worry, Quistis. We're gonna figure all this out. I promise." Rinoa put her hand on Quistis's shoulder. "And Luka will be okay. The second he wakes up, I'll let him know you were here and didn't want to leave."

"You're a great friend, Rinoa. Don't ever forget that."

"I got your back, Quisty. Get going."

Two Miles Away from the Centra Ruins.

A short while later, the Ragnarok landed on the Centra continent and found a portal about eight feet in height and width affixed to the ground.

"What the?" Zell asked.

"Selphie," Squall said, "keep the communications open with Esthar."

"You got it," Selphie nodded.

"We checkin' it out?" Irvine asked.

"No, I'm going alone," Squall replied.

"What?" Zell jerked his head back.

"Squall!" Selphie protested.

"All of you stay here," Squall instructed. "That's an order." He headed for the exit.

"And if something goes wrong?" Irvine asked.

"Just do what Quistis says. She's smarter than all of us anyway." Squall left the bridge.

"Why does everyone say that?" Quistis asked.

"Because it's true?" Selphie countered.

World of Gaia. Woodlands Area.

After exiting the Shera, the group approached the portal, stopping just before it.

"I don't like this," Tifa muttered.

"Me, neither," Yuffie added.

"I can't…" Red XIII began, "sense… anything 'off' about it really. No malice or danger. However, I can't sense anything reassuring from it, either."

"It's more than a rift in the world," Vincent noted. "It seems like a cut through reality itself."

Cloud steeled himself and took a step forward.

"Whoa!" Barret grabbed Cloud's shoulder, stopping him. "Are you nuts?!"

"We need to find out what's going on," Cloud answered. "I'll go through. Give me a few minutes. If you don't hear back from me… make your decisions. But…" he looked back at the portal, "I feel like I need to go through."

Barret was about to protest but sighed and let go of Cloud.

"Cloud…" Tifa whispered.

"I know, Tifa," Cloud admitted. "But… I feel like I have to."

Tifa exhaled, nervously. "Okay."

"Be careful, Cloud," Red XIII implored.

Cloud nodded and walked toward the portal.

World of Destin. Two Miles Away from the Centra Ruins.

Squall advanced to the portal and saw a man walk through. He had blonde hair and a sizable sword strapped at the back of his waist.

Cloud saw the brown-haired, scar-faced man standing before him. Cloud didn't recognize the man's blade but it looked interesting.

Squall readied Revolver. "Who the hell are you?"

Cloud put his hand on his Fusion Sword. "That was my question."

"Are you the one behind all of this? 'Cause if you are… I got a few questions."

"How am I supposed to know you're not behind this?"

"How can I be sure you're not?" Squall asked.

They glared at each other. The first thoughts of combat beginning to takeover their thought processes.

"Listen, pal," Cloud said, "something is happening and that portal led me here. I need to know if you're the problem or part of it."

"I would've said the same thing to you," Squall replied, "except I wouldn't sound like a pretentious jackass."

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Seems like we have an issue." He drew his sword.

"Yeah, we do." Squall entered a more battle-ready stance with his gunblade.

Each taking a breath, Cloud and Squall charged at each other.

World A.

Evangeline walked into Queen Sarah's throne room, causing the entire court to come to a stop. Evangeline kept her stride until she stopped at the throne's dais and took a knee before Sarah.

Sarah stared at Evangeline, solemnly, then looked at everyone else in the room, "Leave us."

After everyone else exited the room, Sarah studied Evangeline. "I don't like this," Sarah admitted.

"I know, Your Majesty," Evangeline replied.

"The rest of the family is begging you to reconsider."

"I know," Evangeline repeated. "I've heard it from everyone. But I must. Yildrim must be stopped."

"We have no stake in the worlds he threatens. He is no longer any concern of ours."

"We don't know that. His power… it could grow. He could return. He's already done enough damage here. I must stop him. I must save the warriors of the worlds he threatens. I must give them a chance."

"But…" Sarah sighed. "…Eva, you could never return home."

Evangeline already knew that, but she considered that probability again. She thought she made her peace with it. But, here she was, facing that decision again. Still, she knew this was the right choice.

"I know," Evangeline responded. "I accept that."

Sarah paused. Then exhaled. "Very well." She stood. "I… Queen Sarah the Tenth of Cornelia, hereby order you, Red Master Evangeline, fellow descendant of the Warriors of Light, to go and destroy the monster, Yildrim. Hunt him… to whatever end."

Evangeline bowed her head lower. "Thank you, Queen Sarah."

"Rise."

Evangeline rose to her feet.

Sarah walked up to Evangeline, and they embraced each other in a fierce hug. "No matter where you go," Sarah said, "no matter what you do… you are always loved."

"I know," Evangeline replied. "We'll always be family, no matter what. I love you, Sarah."

"I love you, too, Eva." Sarah sniffed. "Good-bye, cousin."

Fighting tears, Evangeline tightened the hug. "Farewell, dear cousin."

A/N: I know you all have a lot of questions. Just hang in there. The answers are... not close but on the way. But I think you guys can figure out a couple of things along the way! See you soon!