The intricate circuitry of the Tower of Zot hummed around Kain as he exited the prison wing, a perpetual reminder of Barbariccia's omnipresence. Trying to ignore both her and Golbez's leeching occupation of his mind, Kain hurried down the corridor, desperate for any sign of where Rosa might have gone.
Kain was not surprised to see the Delta Sisters in the next room but did not expect their gleeful demeanor. The youngest, Mindy, was bouncing up and down, daggers flashing. The middle sister, Sandy, grinned fiercely as she twirled her spear with a graceful expertise that looked almost dance-line, then slashed at the open air. Meanwhile, the eldest, Cindy, had her head tipped to the side, listening intently, eyes sparkling with interest. The circuitry in the walls spun faster around her and the wind whistled sharply as it circled the large, open floor.
"Where is Rosa?" Kain demanded, of both the Delta Sisters and Barbariccia.
Cindy straightened, no longer listening, and shook her head. "Barbariccia can't locate her; she has her mouth covered." Cindy smirked, amused. "What fun we'll have once we find her," she added, sounding oddly ominous.
"Well, how did she get past you?" Kain asked, exasperated.
Mindy giggled, still bouncing. "She dropped a Hold spell on all three of us and just ran," she answered, eyes twinkling with delight.
"Didn't even get a chance to start our Delta Attack," Sandy added, sounding impressed.
"It was odd – the Paralyze lasted much longer than it should," Cindy remarked, tapping her fingers on her pudgy chin as she thought. "We'll have to split up and search each floor." Cindy paused, said, then hefted her large scythe onto her shoulder. "Where will you go, Dragoon?" she asked, watching him too intently.
Kain hesitated, combing through everything he knew about Rosa and what she might be thinking. Would she go up to the top floor, to use the arcane rune of power to amplify her Sight and Teleport spells? Or would she go down to the docks, and attempt to get onboard a departing airship? Did Rosa know the tower well enough to navigate to either?
Following that thought, where did Rosaknowwhere to go? Rosa would try and tread familiar territory if she could. She'd followed Kain before and watched as he navigated around the patrols on this floor above them, during their ill-fated escape attempt – could she have memorized that route? Would she try and go to the stables, because it was the safest way she knew out of the tower?
"I'll take the next floor up," Kain finally answered, unsure if he was making a grave mistake. The chocobo stables were the easiest and most certain route – it made the most sense for her to go there, he decided.
Cindy eyed him a moment longer, then nodded to the other two. If she was worried about Kain's intentions, she would have been confident enough in Barbariccia's surveillance to alert them. Either way, Kain didn't want to stick around and risk further scrutiny.
Squaring his shoulders, Kain strode past the three sisters. He missed the silent exchange between them: Sandy tipped her head in gesture toward Kain's departing back, Mindy nodded excitedly, while Cindy slowly smiled – a wide, toothy expression that wasn't quite human.
On the next floor, Kain found evidence of Rosa quickly enough. As he turned around another corner, he discovered two Soldieresses sprawled out on the floor. Their throats were cut and still leaked blood, gathering in a small pool beneath their heads, mixing in with the strands of their blonde hair, making it look black in the tower's eerie artificial lighting. For a moment, both looked like Rosa, then morphed into Elena, and Kain had to shake his head to dispel the images.
How had Rosa done this? Kain wondered. He knew the Soldieresses; they were a group of Troian soldiers who had defected and joined Golbez in his quest for power. They were both beautiful and deadly, and it unnerved Kain to see them so methodically killed. How did Rosa do this? Kain asked himself. HowcouldRosa do this?
As he passed through, he was shocked to see one of the Soldieresses was missing her sword, armor, shield and boots. While their armor was somewhat sparse for combat, the Soldieresses were lethal enough with their blades to keep any from getting close enough to strike their exposed bodies.
Kain spotted bloody footprints beside the robbed Soldieress – had Rosa stepped through here to loot the corpse? Had she then disguised herself as a Soldieress to escape detection by patrols? Would Rosa do something so drastic, if it meant her freedom?
It didn't make sense, though. Even with Rosa's magic and skills, she wasn't capable of slaughtering two people. Or was she? As Kain looked over the bodies, he wasn't sure anymore. He followed the red footprints until they became faint, then disappeared.
Around another corner, a Marionetter knelt on the floor, the bodies of her Marionettes in torn pieces strewn across the floor. Tears streamed down her misshapen purple cheeks as her shoulders silently shook. She looked up at Kain's approach and swallowed down a sob, quickly wiping her face with the hem of her headscarf.
"What happened?" Kain asked, offering a hand to help the Marionetter up.
The Marionetter was old (most were, it took decades to learn the art of supernatural puppetry) with her shoulders and back twisted in a crooked hump. With Kain's help, she leveraged herself to standing.
"A Soldieress came through here," the Marionetter whispered, her voice trembling. "Only, she was looking odd. When I asked where she was going… she Paralyzed me and my babies," the Marionetter sniffled hard. "Then I had to watch as she cut them apart," she said, gesturing with a nod to the disassembled puppets. "Why?"
How did Rosa's Hold spell last so long? Kain wondered, trying to suppress his admiration of Rosa's cleverness.
You should find out, Golbez suggested, radiating curiosity, reminding Kain again that his thoughts weren't private.
"Which way did she go?" Kain asked. Most of Golbez's monsters and soldiers (was there a difference?) wouldn't have notice a Soldieress on patrol; the Marionetter had been unlucky.
The Marionetter lifted her wrinkled hand and gestured down one corridor. "That way," she said with a sigh.
What are you doing, Rosa? Kain wondered, too scared to guess at an answer.
Kain reached the stables; there was a haunting emptiness to them, now knowing Val would never fly down to him to catch her dinner ever again. He went quickly past the stalls, into the open air outside.
He saw Rosa immediately, standing on the end the platform, the stolen red armor highlighted sharply by the surrounding white clouds around the tower. The armor looked wrong on her, like a child playing dress up; the way it exposed her body looked garish and made Kain want to avert his eyes.
With his lance sheathed at his back, Kain approached with his hands up and open. As he came closer, he saw Rosa hold the sword defensively; both her hands and the weapon were still wet with Soldieresses' blood. A careless swipe of her fingers had smeared red across her forehead, like a morbid mark of baptism.
But Rosa's stance and grip were wrong. Kain knew he could disarm her easily, but he dismissed that idea. She stood too close to the edge and might topple over if there was a struggle.
"Stay back!" Rosa demanded, her voice high in panic, eyes wide and fearful.
Kain stopped abruptly, his hands still up. "Rosa," he said, trying to sound gentle, like he approached a half wild animal. "You only have a little bit of time before Barbariccia drags you back inside." He paused, considering his next words thoughtfully. "Don't wait for me. Teleport out. It doesn't matter where you go – anywhere is better than here."
Rosa's eyes instantly watered, and she blinked back tears. "I can't," she whispered, barely audible. "I never learned Teleport. Baron is so mobile with airships, so why would I? And I've been trying to figure out how to cast it since arriving in Zot." She drew in a shuddering breath, then exhaled shakily. "And I just can't."
Kain was stunned; it was the first time he had ever seen Rosa fail at something and the notion was deeply disturbing. "Rosa…" he started to say but trailed off. What could he say that would undo any of the hurt he'd inflicted on her?
"Besides," Rosa continued, as if Kain had not spoken. "Barbariccia isn't coming after me." She looked over her shoulder, over the edge of the platform. Below, the open ocean twinkled in the morning sunshine. "She wants me gone," Rosa said as she looked back at Kain, her voice solemn. "She's wildly jealous of your… affection for me. She will not miss me."
"She won't let you escape the tower," Kain said.
Rosa shook her head slowly. "You're right. I won't escape but I will be free." She took half a step backward, her foot dangerously close to the edge. "Cecil's going to die climbing this horrible tower and you're more of a..." she hesitated, the wordmonsterleft unspoken. "...you lose more of yourself every day," she said, instead, the words watery with tears. "I can't watch Golbez destroy both of you."
Kain knew that Rosa would inevitably lose faith in him, but it surprised him that she doubted Cecil as well. Golbez, Barbariccia and the Delta Sisters (and Kain himself, but he wouldn't admit it yet) had finally broken her, shattering her belief that she would survive this ordeal.
"Rosa," Kain said, trying not to sound worried but failing. "You're wrong. Barbariccia won't let you escape, even by death. She'll bring you back."
"Will she?" Rosa asked, casting another glance over her shoulder, then back to Kain again. "Or will she claim it was an accident and she was seconds too late? It won't matter then. Golbez has already baited the trap for Cecil; he doesn't need to keep me alive any longer. The only reason Golbez still keeps me around is to have someone witness his triumphs."
"Rosa, don't do this," Kain pleaded, no longer pretending to be stoic. "You can't leave me."
"It's too much," Rosa said, her voice going high with emotion. "You can't ask that of me, to stay here and endure more. Golbez and his cruelty; the Delta Sisters and their games; Barbariccia and her deadly jealousy; and you—" she broke off with an abrupt sob. The sword clattered to the ground as Rosa dropped it, her hands covering her face as she cried. "I can't be hurt by you anymore. I can't do it."
"Rosa—" Kain tried to say.
"You'll never leave me alone," Rosa said, cutting Kain off. "Imprisoned in Zot or free anywhere else, you'll never let me live my life. You love Cecil more than anyone else, but when I try to do the same, you won't let mebecause you were too afraid I'll love him more than I love you." Rosa took a shuddering breath in. "Kain, that was never going to happen. I love you so much it terrifies me, but you've never stoppedhoping Cecil might one day return your don't want me, yet will not leave me alone, perpetually offering me false hope. How can I love anyone else when you won't let me?"
"Rosa, I'm sorry," Kain said. "I don't know how to escape from here or how to clear my mind of Golbez's influence. But you can't give up yet; I need you. I don't know how to exist without you."
A profound sadness shadowed Rosa's face before she looked aside from Kain. "It'll never change," Rosa murmured, more to herself than to him. She slid her foot back, heel hanging over the platform's edge.
"Don't!" Kain started toward her, his hands reaching, but before he could get to her, she took the full step backward – off the edge, away from the tower, and away from Kain. He saw Rosa's brief look of relief as she fell. Kain shouted in surprise and grabbed for her, but she plummeted away.
"Rosa!" Kain shouted after her. He had only a second to consider the details: the stables were about the upper middle of the tower, and Rosa, while wearing armor, flailed her arms and legs as she fell, somewhat slowing her descent. If Kain Jumped now, he might just be able to reach her before…
I will not catch you, Barbariccia warned. The insistent wind tugged at Kain, trying to pull him back away from the is not worth it. Stay with me instead and we'll be unstoppable together.
Kain hesitated, his cowardice tempted by Barbariccia's offer.
Can you do this? Cecil asked incredulously from Kain's memory, as if Cecil could somehow still be surprised by how low Kain could be. Kain remembered Cecil looking down at him from the ship's railing, eyes full of hope and trust; Cecil would still hold him to that long-ago promise. Kain knew then his heart could not let Cecil or Rosa go, endlessly trapped between them.
Kain Jumped, aiming his body downward. He sliced cleanly through the air, like a dark bird dive bombing for prey in the water. He saw Rosa below him, legs and arms still wildly waving as she fell. He caught up to her quickly, and when he reached for her, instead of fighting him, Rosa grabbed at him with desperate arms, clinging as tightly to him as she had when they fell together toward Mount Ordeals.
"I've got you!" Kain shouted over the roaring winds, unsure if she could hear him. In response, Rosa buried her face in his shoulder, her hair flying up into his face, partially obscuring his vision. Through the blondes trands, he could see the bottom of Zot; a craggy island no wider than the tower itself; around them was the dazzling blue sea. At this angle, they would hit the water, but at this speed, the impact would still kill them.
"Barbariccia!" Kain called out, as he knew Barbariccia wanted, but the buffeting winds provided no reply. As the ocean below rapidly drew closer, panic began to set in. Was Barbariccia not going to rescue him? "Please!" Kain pleaded. He could smell the salt of the nearby water.
It is not Barbariccia you need beg, Golbez prompted, smug.
"GOLBEZ!" Kain screamed into the chaos of the wind and into his own mind. I'll do anything; I'll be yours; I'll serve you and gather all the Crystals; I'll get you Cecil; anything, anything, please, please don't let us die.
A cyclone appeared below them, sucking them forcefully in; the wind gusted around them, sending them flying back up through the air. Unceremoniously, the cyclone dropped them, sending both Rosa and Kain sprawling out on the ground, back at the stables.
As Kain rolled to his back, he saw Golbez standing over him. Still dazed from the fall, Kain scrambled to stand up.
Beyond Golbez, the Delta Sisters scampered over to Rosa. Sandy hoisted Rosa up by the shoulders and effortlessly hauled Rosa up to her feet, while Mindy hopped around like an excited child and Cindy watched with grim satisfaction. Barbariccia could not be seen but the tension in the air spoke of her sulking presence.
"I tire of these theatrics," Golbez said, his voice stern. "You offer yourself to me, Kain Highwind, yet hold back. You try to keep your thoughts hidden and think you can scheme and plot." Golbez looked up, watching as Rosa unsuccessfully fought Sandy's grip. Rosa kicked and swung her arms, but the hold of Sandy's longer arms was implacable. It was only with Mindy's small dagger pressed against her exposed midriff that Rosa finally stilled. "You have a choice, now, as will all creatures on this planet," Golbez continued, still watching Rosa. "Total loyalty, or oblivion."
"I serve you, Master," Kain answered automatically, as he thought Golbez wanted.
"Not enough anymore," Golbez said, his hands wreathed in pulsing magic. "Come forth, my Shadow," Golbez called, surprisingly gentle. Kain had only seen a summoner's magic twice before, but it was unforgettable how the air thickened with immense power and purpose.
A portal appeared in front of Golbez; Shadow, looking like an inky shadow in the bright sunshine, promptly slithered out, then coiled around Golbez's shoulders. Golbez pointed at Rosa with one hand; Shadow wound around his arm, then drifted lazily through the air toward Rosa.
Rosa, seeing the approaching wyrm, began to breathe heavily, unable to move under Mindy's dagger. Shadow curled around Rosa, the wyrm's body like drifting smoke in the bright sunlight.
"A question for you, Rosa," Golbez said, now addressing her; he rarely spoke directly to Rosa, usually speaking about her as if she was not there, just another asset to be played on the war map. But now, something had about her had obviously caught his attention. "How did your Hold spell last so long?" Golbez asked.
Rosa looked briefly surprised, then narrowed her eyes. "I have nothing to say to you."
At Rosa's unhelpful answer, Shadow hissed, mouth opening wide. Rosa immediately lost the look of defiance, now wide-eyed with terror. She shook her head at the sight of Shadow's terrible black fangs. "No," she protested, her voice small. Rosa closed her eyes as Shadow drew closer, the hot breath from her nostrils making Rosa's hair flutter with each exhale.
"No?" Golbez said; he gestured absently, and Shadow circled around Rosa then slithered away. Rosa heaved a sigh of relief, until she realized Shadow's next target: Kain.
Kain took an unsure step backwards as Shadow approached, slow and circuitous, like she was hunting between the drifting clouds. But Golbez had another spell in hand, Kain realized too late, as magic bands circled around Kain and tightened, the spell's embrace devastatingly cold. Kain gave a strangled cry as the spell forced him to his knees.
"Leave him alone," Rosa said, though the demand lacked her usual determination, her voice trembling.
"Paralyze has a short duration," Golbez continued, ignoring Rosa's plea even as he spoke to her. "You shouldn't have had enough time to kill the Soldieresses or the Marionettes. So how did you extend the spell?"
"I..." Rosa hesitated, looking uncertainly back at Kain.
Shadow hissed and her mouth opened again, fangs bared. Only now Kain could see what Rosa had seen and understood her immense fear– past the dripping black fangs was nothing but a void, its emptiness deeply unsettling. The troubling darkness beckoned Kain, inviting him in, offering safety and acceptance. It would be so easy, it promised, to just trust that it knew what was best for Kain.
Kain was still lost in the stupor when Shadow grazed her teeth against Kain's exposed jaw; it felt strangely affectionate.
"I combined Slow and Hold!" Rosa suddenly blurted out. "Paralyze's duration is based on time, so if the target is Slowed, then Paralyze lasts longer."
"Interesting," Golbez said, sounding sincere. He nodded to Sandy behind Rosa, who promptly let Rosa go; Mindy also relaxed, withdrawing her knife from Rosa's belly. "Can you combine other spells?"
Rosa straightened, looking uncertainly between Kain, still dazed, and Golbez, who watched her through the dark visor of his impassive helmet. "In theory, I think so. Originally, I was trying to..." she hesitated.
"To what?" Golbez prompted. "What spells were you trying to combine to escape here?"
"Teleport and Sight," Rosa answered, her eyes distant on the horizon, as if she might spot Baron if she looked hard enough – not just the place, but the memory of whathomeused to mean for her. She blinked away unshed tears. "It didn't work," she finished flatly.
"Clever," Golbez said, nodding more to himself than to her. Then, "But it worked for Hold and Paralyze. Perhaps it would for other combinations."
"Perhaps," Rosa agreed reluctantly, now watching Golbez warily.
"What about Life and Esuna?" Golbez asked. "Could you attempt it? Right now?"
Rosa considered the request, her brow wrinkled in thought. "For that, there'd have to be someone near death, and—"
Before Rosa could finish, Shadow sunk her fangs in Kain's skin, under his jaw where his pulse thundered. Shadow's venom burned as it pumped into the artery, and Kain could feel a new coldness spreading through his limbs with each erratic beat of his heart.
As the greedy darkness closed in on him, his vision rapidly shrinking, Kain could hear Rosa hysterically screaming his name.
"Kain?" Someone called out; it sounded strangely distant and distorted. "Kain?" It was closer now, a girl's voice. Was it Rosa? "Kain, wake up!" the girl insisted, sounding more distinct now; her Troian accent gave her away. "Your mother's looking for you," Elena warned.
It was enough to prompt Kain back to awareness. He opened his eyes to find himself cradled by overlapping branches, high up in a tree. He knew this tree, Kain realized; it was his favorite to climb, offering the best view of all of Baron Village. He must have fallen asleep here again, Kain reasoned.
He jumped down, landing comfortably next to girl-Elena. She was dressed as Rosa often was in their childhood when she was eager for adventure; too loose trousers belted up and cinched to fit her waist, a practical tunic with deep pockets for treasures, boots caked in mud that Rosa kept for gardening and exploring the river. And in Elena'shair were two blue hair ribbons, streaming between the glossy black strands of her dark hair.
"Aren't you my mother?" Kain asked, confused. He realized he, too, was his child-self.
"The Great Mother is looking for you," Elena corrected him. "When our bodies break down, we return to the mother, and she creates new life. She gives our death purpose."
"What does she want with me?" Kain asked, fearing he already knew the answer. "Am I dead?" he asked, the question small.
"Do you want to be dead?" Elena asked, not flippantly, but in earnest. "If you're ready to be done with this life, then seek out the Great Mother. She will ease your passing through this phase of the life and death cycle."
"What about you?" Kain asked, surprised by the sudden emotion in the question. "Are you dead again? Did Cassia kill you in Troia?"
Elena smirked; it was odd to see Kain's own expression mirrored back at him. "Not permanently."
"Why haven't you come back, then?" Kain asked. "Why are you still here, lingering?"
She reached out and took his hand in hers, reminiscent of the childhood gesture he'd shared with Rosa. "I wasn't sure what to do. I still don't know. If you want to go back, I'll go with you. But if you're ready to be done with this life, then I'm ready too."
It suddenly seemed so easy. Kain would go to the Great Mother, and she'd take him into her arms, offering comfort in a way Kain had never experienced before. He could finally know peace. For the first time in his life, he'dhave his mother.
"What about Rosa?" Kain asked, the reality of the current moment and its danger finally coming back to him. "I can't leave her alone in Zot."
"Joanna's girl is still there?" Elena asked, frowning.
"I tried," Kain said, feeling pathetic even as he said it. "I couldn't escape with her." He looked away, knowing he should feel shame and the absence of it so much worse.
"You have to go back and try again," Elena said firmly. With Kain's hand still in hers, she began to lead him away from the tree. "Joanna doesn't deserve to lose her daughter too."
Kain stopped abruptly, yanking his hand from hers. "What happened between you two? Why do you care so much about Joanna after she betrayed you?"
Elena looked confused. "What are you talking about? She didn't..." Elena hesitated, then shook her head. "Before I died, we fought..." she paused again, trying to find the right words. "We disagreed on how to resolve a problem. I was angry and hurt, and I wanted her to be hurt too." Elena closed her eyes against whatever painful memory had surfaced. "I can never right the wrong I've done to Joanna, but we can try and help her daughter."
"That doesn't make sense," Kain protested. "She's the one who hurtyou."
Overhead, a cloud passed over the sun, dramatically dimming the bright afternoon into shadows. The smell of freshly turned earth filled the air. Distantly, Kain could hear a woman's soft voice singing. He didn't know the words, but the tune was like a memory he'd never remembered having.
"Forget the past," Elena hissed as she pulled on Kain's hand, dragging him into a run behind her. "It doesn't matter anymore. Go back to the living and be the man you want to be."
"I can't!" Kain gulped for air as he ran but felt suffocated by the overwhelming grave smell. "Golbez controls too much of me."
Elena stopped abruptly, dropping Kain's hand again. She wore Rosa's expression of anger, and the effect made the dreamscape distort and warp around them. "Excuses," Elena said, clipped. "You give Golbez control because it's easier than making decisions for yourself and being responsible for the consequences."
The woman's eerie singing came closer.
"Stay here and surrender," Elena said. "Or go back and fight. But you can't stand still any longer." She sighed and some of the anger left on her exhalation, her shoulders sinking. "I know because I made the same mistake." She sighed. "I still am."
"What do I do?" Kain asked.
"Figure out how to free the part of yourself Golbez has hidden," Elena said, as if it were simple. "Try to remember what he has made you forget exists."
A long shadow fell over them. Kain looked up to see the dark wings of a massive Zu filling the sky; no, it was the shadow of Mount Ordeals, beckoning Kain to return; no, it was Elena standing too tall, holding Kain as a baby, blood dribbling out of her mouth, spilling onto baby-Kain's head and face.
"Go!" child-Elena whispered urgently, pushing at Kain. Hand-in-hand, they ran through the streets of the village. It was a childhood fear come alive, like urgently dashingup the cellar steps to escape the potential monsters who lurked in unknown darkness. Together, they ran, lungs bursting, muscles screaming, hearts pounding, panic licking at their heels, somehow keeping them just one step ahead.
Kain didn't know how they got there, but suddenly they were at a cliffside, a sharp drop off into the ocean below, with craggy rocks jutting up into the water. Strangely, there was no wind around them, no birds' shrill cries overhead, no waves crashing against the cliff face, only an eerie silence that grew more ominous as the shadow continued its approach.
"There's only one way back," Elena said, as she peered down the cliff. With the shadow behind them blocking out the sun, the water was cast in darkness, making it look inky and black. Like the deep void between Shadow's teeth, like the pool of blood drawn from Cecil's knife point, like the empty eyes of the dead as they look off into oblivion. "Can you do this?" Elenaasked. Did she know what it meant? How could anyone visit Kain's dreams and not know how much that question both haunted and saved him?
"What about you?" Kain asked; the shadow around them deepened, stealing the color from the sky.
"I'll come find you and help you and Rosa get free," Elena said, squeezing his fingers. "Will you jump with me, Kain? Do you trust me?"
Kain felt fingers grip his shoulder from behind and an icy breath in his to sleep, my love. It is time to rest.
"Yes!" Kain answered, surging ahead, Elena at his side. They jumped and plunged together into the waiting darkness.