Kain emerged on the other side of the summoning portal, entering the Feymarch. Kain had expected a place where monsters dwelled, like a damp cave or secret lair in a volcano, but instead he stepped onto a wooden floor. Briefly, he saw an immense platform, stretching out around him, little houses nestled into corners, leaving wide walking paths accessible. Was this a village?
Kain would have continued looking, but a huge spark of lightning flashed in front of his face, followed by a belated boom of thunder, so close he was temporarily deafened, now unable to hear over the high-pitched whine in both of his ears.
As Kain's eyes and ears finally adjusted, he saw Ramuh the Eidolon; he resembled an old white-haired sage, with a long beard that went to his feet. He wore lavish purple robes, and bore a staff, its top affixed with a red sparkling gem. Ramuh lifted the staff and pointed it directly at Kain. "You," Ramuh said in a thunderous voice. "You have not followed the Code and cannot be here."
Static crackled in the suddenly tense air around them. The staff's gem pulsed with power as sparks of red lightning gathered around it. Kain took a useless step backward as the red lightning leapt for him. Kain felt a million simultaneous pin pricks of pain all over his body. He shuddered within his armor and then couldn't stop, shaking so hard his armor clinked and rattled. Then, mercifully, it stopped; the sparks faded.
"Leave this place!" Ramuh demanded as he lifted his staff, ready to cast again.
"No." It was Golbez who answered from somewhere behind Kain. "Tell me where Leviathan is, and I might not burn this whole place down. As I did to Mist."
Ramuh scowled, his brushy brow furrowed. He raised his staff again into the air. "You have much to learn about Eidolons; we do not submit easily." The gem sparked again, crackling as it built up energy anew.
"Now," Golbez said as Lugae stepped forward. The doctor pumped the bellows twice and another cloud of green mist formed, this time around Ramuh, just as the Eidolon swung his staff, directing the lightning to strike.
Kain braced himself for another round of painful jabs, but none came. Instead, a familiar wave of green magic rippled through him, leaving relief in its wake, taking away the remaining pain and discomfort. A Cure spell? Kain wondered, unsure. Then, it clicked in place: Reverse Gas, Golbez had called it. Somehow it must reverse the effects of magic, Kain reasoned.
As Kain stood up taller with his vitality restored, Ramuh seemed to have the same realization. He looked between Kain and his staff, eyes wide in disbelief. "You won't defeat our King," Ramuh declared, although he sounded less authoritative than before. With another crack of lightning, Ramuh erupted into countless tiny sparks, then disappeared, followed by a belated boom of thunder somewhere close by.
Golbez cursed low under his breath in a rare display of frustration. "Kain!" he barked in command. "Get on the roof and see if you can spot a castle or manor – any house bigger than the others."
Obediently, Kain knelt and Jumped, just enough to clear the top of the closest house. He landed on its roof with a dull thud, then turned around in a circle to see all around him. He saw a small village sprawled out several ascending levels of wooden platforms. On the topmost platform were two large buildings, one with an inn sign hanging on its front. Kain pointed in that direction.
"There are stairs going upward. I'm guessing they'll be on the highest level," Kain said. He peered up at the sky to realize there wasn't one, only a vague darkness overhead. The light came, instead, from brightly glowing lamps in every corner. Still, Kain searched overhead, his stomach dropping when he realized he had not seen Val yet. Maybe she had turned around and gone back already?
Golbez looked toward the direction Kain had pointed. "Dr. Lugae and I will go on foot," Golbez said, then glanced back up at Kain. "You go by rooftops. When you get there, try to locate Leviathan and any defenses."
"Yes, my lord," Kain answered automatically, already jumping to a new roof.
With a task in mind, Kain Jumped from roof to roof, working his way closer to the next elevation. He passed by some people, Eidolons in human form, Kain assumed. He was not stealthy as he moved, too big and too heavily armored for stealth, so some stopped and pointed as he landed. He did not linger to find out what they could do to stop him.
As he Jumped up to the next elevation, Kain paused to survey the area, trying to gauge which was the most direct route to the next elevation. It was so hot, he thought, suddenly sweating inside his armor. It was too hot, actually, as the burning metal of his leg greaves seared against his calves. Kain looked down to see fire around his ankles.
Alarmed, Kain jumped – not Jumped – back from the fire, scrambling gracelessly. His footing lost, Kain stumbled sideways, and then fell off the roof's edge. The house was only one story tall, thankfully, and while Kain landed hard on the wooden platform below, he was largely unharmed, not counting his ego.
Kain rolled to his back, staring up at the sky – no, the nothing, Kain corrected, brimming with pessimism. He would have lingered in his own self-pity longer, but he heard footsteps nearby and sat up.
"The pride of Baron," called out a soft voice. It was almost familiar in a way Kain could not define. A green-haired girl, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old, stepped from the shadows of the house Kain had just fallen from. "You won't find the Feymarch as unprepared as Mist." Fire flickered suddenly in her hands, leaping upward from her palms. She held it out toward Kain, as in offering. "Now, it's you who should fear fire." The flames danced in her outstretched hands, reflecting in her blue eyes, making them brighter. It was here that Kain recognized her; the sight of her fire-filled gaze had haunted his guilty nightmares ever since their first meeting.
"Rydia," Kain said, naming her. But how? The girl he had first encountered was only six or seven and the one before him was older, at least a teenager. Awkwardly, he got to his feet, watching her warily.
But Rydia confirmed it with a curt nod. "Tell me why I shouldn't burn you alive right now," she demanded. "You brought destruction to my home, and you killed my mother. I will not let you do it again."
"Because you know both Cecil and I had no idea what would happen," Kain said, hands up to show himself unarmed, his lance still at his back. "Neither of us meant to harm you, your mother, or Mist." Kain hesitated, hoping that might be enough.
Rydia said nothing and the fire in her hands crackled louder, as if to answer for her.
"You forgave Cecil," Kain blurted out.
Rydia scowled. "What makes you think I've forgiven Cecil?" she asked sharply.
"You joined his cause," Kain pointed out, unsure if this was the best tactic but having no other options, "and journeyed with him until the shipwreck. Surely, you must have—"
"I was a child!" Rydia interrupted; the fire bloomed brighter, now flowing from her hands, swirling around her, reminiscent of Barbariccia and her defensive hair. "You two made me a naïve orphan with no home. What choice did I have but to go with Cecil and help him wage his war?"
Kain took a step back but found the house directly behind him; he was effectively trapped, now feeling the heat rippling out from her and her furious fire.
"Was I just another tool in his hand? Another ally and resource?" Rydia asked, stepping toward him. The closer proximity made Kain start to sweat, not just from the heat but in genuine fear of the immense power this girl possessed. "Do you know how many people I've watched die?" she asked, leaning closer. "Because I lost count in Fabul," she continued in a low voice. Some of Kain's hair was previously loosened from its ponytail, a few strands hanging forward on his shoulders; they began to singe, noisily, and the smell of burnt hair filled his nose. "So, what's one more?" she asked, deceptively soft.
"Cecil wasn't using you," Kain closed his eyes tight and looked away, feeling the fire coming closer. "He climbed Mount Ordeals in atonement for all that he had done," Kain added quickly. This made Rydia pause and Kain felt the fire recede. He carefully opened his eyes and saw her, her mouth pressed in an impatient line, waiting for him to continue. "He became a paladin."
"A paladin?" Rydia echoed in disbelief. Her eyes went distant, and Kain glimpsed the child she had been, awed by the knight who had saved her. Her hands fell to her sides and the flames disappeared. "And where is he now?" Then, she abruptly shook her head. "No, never mind, don't answer that. I'm not rejoining Cecil and I'm not leaving the Feymarch."
"A good decision," Kain admitted. "I will soon defeat him," he said, though did not sound very certain.
Rydia arched an eyebrow. "Cecil was not prepared for you in Fabul. You'll not get another victory so easily."
"Golbez will—" Kain started to say but was interrupted by a dragon's loud roar in the distance.
"Leviathan…" Rydia whispered, eyes wide. "Why is he in dragon form?" She turned to glare at Kain. "What did you do?" she asked impatiently.
"Golbez…" Kain said, not in answer to Rydia, but to himself. Golbez and Lugae must have confronted Leviathan without him – or worse, were ambushed themselves.
"You brought Golbez to my home?!" Rydia asked in horror, her teenage exasperation forgotten. She brought her hands to her mouth and magic began to gather around her, her spell building.
A squawking cry alerted Kain. He looked upward and saw Val hovering low overhead. Just as Rydia raised her hands with fire streaming from her fingers, Kain crouched down and Jumped. He felt the whoosh of hot air under his feet as he flew up and knew Rydia's Fire spell had just missed him. Luckily, the current of hot air from the spell was enough to push Kain upward, even in this windless place.
Kain grabbed Val as he got closer and pulled himself up on her back, one leg dangling on each side. Val shifted, wings beating once, then twice, as she adjusted to Kain's weight.
"This isn't over!" Rydia called after them but could not conjure another spell before Val took off, her powerful dragon wings putting immediate distance between them.
"I know," Kain replied, too far away now for her to hear him. Kain had borne the brunt of Rydia's summoning fury once before and he had no desire to repeat the experience. Kain clung to Val's back tightly, wondering how he would direct her to take him to Golbez. Then, a dragon's roar filled the sky, loud and thunderous, demanding attention, summoning. Val banked sharply, changing direction, now heading toward the dragon, like Leviathan had called to her specifically.
As they cleared the last platform, Kain saw the chaos below. Leviathan, the dragon from Golbez's promises and Kain's dreams, reared his head up, huge mouth open, magic gathering around his tongue. He breathed the spell to life, like the fairytale dragons breathing fire, only instead, crashing waves of water materialized, breaking violently against two figures who stood opposite Leviathan. Overhead hung a heavy green cloud, ominous and foreboding – had Dr. Lugae really used so much Reverse Gas already?
As Val descended, slowly, Kain saw them: Golbez and Lugae. Golbez was casting, his head lowered to his cupped hands. Lugae pulled a potion bottle from his belt and chucked it at Leviathan; a rainbow of colors shimmered over Leviathan's form. It was a restorative, Kain knew by its visual effect – but why, Kain wondered, would Lugae want to heal Leviathan?
Leviathan roared suddenly, an anguished, pained cry; the booming sound answered Kain's question: Reverse Gas.
Around them, several Eidolons began to approach Golbez and Lugae from behind – a woman with icy silver skin, her hair in thick blue braids down her back; a horned demon, flames licking his clawed feet; and the sage Ramuh, his staff already crackling with electricity. Immediately, the woman began to cast, a mist of snow and ice gathering around her.
"Shiva, wait!" Ramuh cried out in warning. "They have some elemental immunities. My magic only healed them."
The sound alerted Golbez and Lugae to their presence, and they turned to face the Eidolons. Lugae chuckled darkly to himself, then depressed the bellows, streaming green smoke all around the Eidolons.
"Then we shall try ice," Shiva said coolly as she ascended from the wooden platform, hovering midair. She blew out a breath, a cold wind of ice chunks and snow, glittering brightly as it approached Golbez and Lugae. Around them, large, sharp icicles emerged violently from the floor, entrapping them in a circle. Shiva lifted her hand up and snapped once; the ice around them exploded, shattering into countless shards of glassy ice, Shiva's satisfied smile reflecting in some. When the ice cleared, all that remained was a fine mist, shimmering in the lamplight.
Kain had expected to see Golbez and Lugae wounded, as Golbez had not shielded them, but a restorative green beam rippled over them, restoring their vitality instead. Again, Kain was reminded of the strange effects of the Reverse Gas; how else would this battle be reversed?
"Now fire!" declared the horned demon. Kain would later learn his name to be Ifrit, but for now, the demon was namelessly terrifying, with great claws and bared teeth, and a brimming fury that desperately wanted to rage without control. He'd been birthed from hell in purifying flames, come to burn away all who would stand in his path.
Ifrit raised his claws and around him erupted streaming jets of fire, circling and twisting around him. He curled one hand into a fist and punched the air, aimed at Golbez and Lugae. The fire around him followed the direction of the gesture, streaming forward to engulf Golbez and Lugae.
Again, the same restorative green shimmered over them, and again, they stood with renewed energy. When will they learn? Kain wondered.
"My king!" cried a new voice. Kain looked to see a strange woman emerge from the large manor house. She had multiple sets of arms surrounding her and Kain could not quite make out her face. Then, she turned to run to Leviathan and Kain saw she had three faces, rotating intermittently, each with a different expression; the current one was furious and frowning, her skin and eyes a dangerous red.
"Asura, no!" Shiva cried out in warning.
Asura's face rotated again. This face was a beautiful but severe looking woman, with sharp angles and features. Her mouth was pinched tight in a merciless line. She either did not hear Shiva or chose not to listen, as she began to cast.
Lugae pumped the bellows once more, as Asura brought her spell to its conclusion, her arms raised up, white squares of light circling around her before they faded. White twinkling lights surrounded Leviathan, circling fast, then disappeared. Kain had never seen a Cure spell so powerful before, not even the night Rosa had healed Cecil's first dark knight injury.
Asura took a step toward Leviathan. His scream of pain halted her, and he now struggled to push his long body off the floor. "What have you done?" Asura demanded as her face rotated to the third: a dark mask with empty eyes and an unnerving smile that filled Kain with dread.
Maybe if I just stay up here, Kain thought to himself, then—
Come, Kain, Golbez abruptly interrupted Kain's train of thought. And earn your reward.
Kain leaned forward on Val's neck. "Hide and stay out of this," he murmured against her scaled neck; she growled in reply. Kain ignored her and leaned to the side, abruptly dropping from Val's back. It was not a long way down, and Kain fell into an easy crouch beside Golbez.
"Master," Kain said by way of greeting. He drew the lance from his back, taking up a defensive position beside Golbez.
"Magic has been reversed," Asura shouted to the other Eidolons, who were paralyzed into inaction, unsure of how to act. Asura looked down at her own hands and her face rotated again to the beautiful one, only now she smiled. "I can adjust," she said and began to cast, all three sets of hands engaged in her spell craft.
"It is time," Golbez announced. Dr. Lugae nodded, and pumped the bellows repeatedly, streaming green mist again. Only this time, as it mingled with the remaining Reverse Gas, it flickered out of existence. Does the second dose of Reverse Gas negate the first? Kain wondered.
Asura's casting concluded, her hands raised up as the white squares circled her again. This time, the twinkling lights fell over Golbez, Lugae, and Kain; he felt the burned skin of his shins healing, no longer stinging. So, it was true, Kain realized, Lugae could switch the effect back and forth.
Golbez began casting his own spell, but it was not one Kain recognized. Admittedly, he knew only a little of white mage and even less of black magic, but the arcane words Golbez whispered sounded nothing like anything Kain had ever heard; it was strange and alien.
A figure in green darted in front of Leviathan – Rydia. Fire circled her, the currents of heat sending her green curls swinging wildly, the brightness of the flame darkening her eyes in its shadow. "Leave now!" she demanded.
"You think to stand against Lord Golbez and his power?" Lugae asked with a giggle. "One little girl's paltry flames against the might of Meteo?"
"Meteo?" echoed Rydia in awe, her eyes wide; the fire faded from her, momentarily forgotten.
"Go, Rydia!" Leviathan boomed, his head seeming too heavy to lift and defend himself. "Do not get caught in his magic."
Golbez stepped forward, about to bring his spell down. He would hit Rydia, too close to Leviathan to avoid.
Kain looked around, judging the distance from him to Leviathan, then up to the roof of the house. Could he do it? Kain wondered, then found he had no time to speculate. Putting his lance at his back, he dashed forward, surprising Rydia as he hefted her up into his arms, one arm behind her back, the other under her legs. Before she could protest or throw more fire in his face, he Jumped, just as Golbez brought his devastating spell down on Leviathan.
As he landed, Kain lost his grip on Rydia, dumping her on the roof unceremoniously.
"What do you think—" Rydia started to ask hotly, then stopped as she saw Golbez's spell unfold.
It was not unlike a summon, Kain thought, as it seemed like Golbez was coaxing open a portal from another realm. Now open, blazing balls of fire and rock streamed through and crashed into Leviathan, each hit punctuated by a distressed roar of pain. Leviathan curled his long body in on himself, tucking his head under his belly, trying but failing to evade the searing agony.
"It can't be Meteo," Rydia said, sagging to her knees, silent tears on her cheeks as she watched Leviathan. "No being should possess that much power."
"Golbez does," Kain said. It was not with pride or with awe, only stated as matter of fact. It was the only thing Kain was still sure of anymore – Golbez was too powerful to stop. "Stay here," he said to Rydia, then Jumped back to the platform. With Rydia out of the way, his guilt only slightly alleviated, Kain could do what he and Golbez had come here to do.
"The girl?" Golbez demanded. "Where is she?"
"I left her up on the roof," Kain replied, trying to sound calm. "Out of harm's way. After Leviathan is defeated, I'll retrieve her." He hoped she'd have the sense to find her way down before then.
"Hm," Golbez made a non-committal noise with his throat and turned his attention back to Leviathan, who lay unmoving, his body limp. He still lived, though, his deep breathing snuffing loudly, blowing hot breath across the floor in waves. One eye peered up at Golbez, waiting. Golbez gestured toward the dragon. "Take the last strike, Kain," Golbez ordered.
"My lord…" Kain said, drawing his lance free from his back. He looked at it thoughtfully, wondering if he could really follow through.
"If you do this, you'll have the mightiest dragon on the planet under your control," Golbez said with a rare note of building excitement. "None will stand against you. But it must be you who defeats Leviathan; he can only be summoned by those whose hands have defeated him."
Kain slowly approached Leviathan, and the exposed eye. Leviathan blinked slowly, and Kain saw his own reflection in the glassy membrane of the giant eyeball. He lifted his lance and aimed for the pupil. When he saw his impending action mirrored back at him, Kain hesitated.
Leviathan blinked slowly again, temporarily interrupting the reflection.
Kain looked away, knowing he should feel shame in this moment and somehow missing it. He turned back and returned slowly to Golbez's side. "I cannot." Kain said simply. "It is… not right."
"If you will not seize power, then I will," Golbez said, his hands now wreathed in purple sparks.
Nearby, Val cried out in distress. Kain looked up and saw her circling low over Leviathan's head. As Golbez's lightning leaped outward from his hands, Val dived straight down, throwing herself between Leviathan and Golbez, absorbing the impact of the dangerous spell. Her whole body jerked violently, midair, then she fell limp to the ground and did not move.
"No!" Kain cried out, running toward Val, falling beside her. He felt over her nose but could not feel her breath through her nostrils. He touched her chest, waiting for it to move up and down with her lungs, but felt nothing. Tears blurred Kain's vision.
"This isn't over," Golbez declared, building magic in his hands again. "If you do not want a true dragon, then I will take him for myself."
"Wait!" Asura called out as she slowly approached. "I have an offer."
Golbez paused, magic fading. "I'm listening."
"I can resurrect your dragon as an Eidolon. Then, you can summon her as you want," Asura offered cautiously.
The idea sparked intense hope in Kain, which quickly died – Val would be Golbez's dragon, then, and not his? Once again, would he rather have a thing destroyed if he could not have it himself? Didn't he just want Val whole and alive, even if she was bound to another?
"Why would I want any dragon when I can have Leviathan?" Golbez asked, his voice dangerously low.
"Because I will kill Ramuh," Shiva answered instead, a long icicle in her hand. "And that will kill his summoner, severing the link to your world." She approached Ramuh, who moved his beard aside, voluntarily exposing his neck to Shiva's icy blade. "Do you want to be stranded here?" she asked, pressing the tip into the hollow of Ramuh's throat.
Golbez was silent, considering the implication. Then, he spoke, his voice short. "Fine. I do not need Leviathan for my goals."
"Good," Asura said, sounding relieved. She knelt beside Val's body, magic threading through her deft fingers. "Heed my call," Asura said softly as she drew her glowing hands over Val. "Come back to me; your service is still needed."
Kain held his breath, waiting. Val's body twitched once, then twice; her eyes began to open—
"Now," Golbez commanded, but to whom? Kain looked up to see Dr. Lugae aiming his bellows at Asura and Val. He pressed on it, deploying the Reverse Gas as Asura's spell reached its conclusion.
At first, Val was bathed in light, illuminated, but as the green mist crawled over her, shadows seemed to follow, like dozens of strange spiders from the void. Val opened her mouth and shrieked – a horrible sound of terror; the sound broke Kain's heart.
"What have you done?" demanded Asura, stumbling back from Val.
Val convulsed on the floor, twitching violently, her whole body shaking as she began to retch. Her mouth opened wide, and a shadow streamed between her teeth, growing thicker as more emerged from her. As more shadows poured out of her, Val seemed to deflate, like her body was crumpling, deprived of the substance that made her Val.
The shadows coiled together, forming a long, twisting body while purple scales emerged in ridges along the spine. Her mouth formed and she opened it, Kain saw the dark void within, black and endless, framed by black fangs. The sight made him want to weep in terror.
"My shadow dragon," Golbez said with reverence, as the shadow wyrm curled around Golbez, almost playfully in the same way Val used to dart around Kain's legs. She had been the light in Kain's life and now she was part of the shadow – Reverse Gas, of course, what else would she be?
"Leave my realm," Asura demanded, now stepping between Golbez and Leviathan. "You have been granted the boon you've earned," she said, the words ominous.
"Come," Golbez issued the one-word command, and turned to go. Val – or Shadow, now? followed, gliding easily through the air, curling around Golbez's shoulders.
"I'll get the girl. I'll meet you at the portal," Kain said gruffly, desperately needing distance; he did not wait for an answer but took off with a Jump, landing on the roof where he had left Rydia.
To his surprise, she was still there. Rydia had watched the events unfold, and now looking pale and withdrawn, the color having drained from her face. "Kain," Rydia said as he landed. "Golbez must be stopped. Tell me you can see that."
"Nothing can stop him," Kain said.
"Cecil can," Rydia said, with a new defiant tilt of her chin. "And I will help him."
"I thought you weren't leaving the Feymarch," Kain questioned dryly.
"That was before – before you came here, before Golbez nearly defeated Leviathan, and before he claimed a corrupted Eidolon as his pet. That kind of power is terrifying, and Cecil will need my help," she said, suddenly filled with passion. "When I face Golbez and his Shadow Dragon next, whose side will you be on?" Rydia asked, the question sincere.
"I don't know," Kain answered honestly before he Jumped away, racing to catch up to Golbez. As he went from roof to roof, he no longer saw any people or monsters in the walkways, all having gone inside to wait out the danger.
Dr. Lugae and Golbez were waiting at the portal.
"Thank you for my new summon," Golbez said without emotion, and Kain could not sense if Golbez was being sarcastic or not;
Kain was too numb to care, saying nothing as Golbez, then Lugae entered the portal.
Could he stay here, Kain wondered, already knowing the answer. He stepped into the portal.
On the other side, the Red Wings marine was beside the Elder, who was still on his knees, maintaining the summoning portal. At seeing Kain emerge, Golbez nodded, and the Elder gasped with relief as he released the spell and the portal closed.
"Now for your reward," Golbez said. He held a hand out, as if to offer the Elder help in getting up. Instead, Shadow coiled around Golbez's arm, then launched herself forward to attack the Elder, sinking her black fangs into his neck. Quick as lightning, she released him, letting the Elder fall bonelessly to the floor; he did not move again.
"That will do nicely," Golbez said, a smile in his voice.
A shiver of terror went down Kain's back.