“You!” the ninja snarled.
“I am sorry about your parents,” Rubicant said, “I didn’t know about it. I’m not like the others; I want to play fair.”
His eyes stopped at Kain for a moment.
“Shut the crap-hole!” Edge roared, “I will avenge them!”
“Well then,” the fiend said, “let us fight, though you are too weak. I will restore you all to make it fair.”
‘Sleep, Kain,’ Golbez commanded, and the dragoon couldn’t fight the mist.
He knew he fought, but he didn’t do it very well. Only well enough to make the others believe that he was fine, just had a little bad luck. But even though he almost didn’t hit Rubicant at all, the fiend finally dissolved under several magical waves of water and icicles. Kain hardly mentioned it, trapped deep inside the wicked magic. Somebody talked a bit, then there was the sound of many footsteps leaving. Had they closed in earlier? Maybe. Kain wasn’t sure, and he really didn’t care. Cecil said something about a crystal-room, and Kain felt himself walking. Four voices suddenly screamed in surprise and fear, and there was something about falling for a long time. Like through a wall, the dragoon heard voices talking.
“We’re close to the bottom of the tower!”
“Inside of the Underground? Great…”
“Let’s see if there’s a way out.”
Walking again. Shortly or for a long time, Kain didn’t know.
“Hey, it’s an airship!”
“Great, let’s go!”
‘Too bad that your abilities are about zero in this suspended mode…’ Golbez’ voice said.
‘Let me go, demon!’
‘First you will bring me the last crystal.’
‘I won’t!’
‘You will.’
Flying? Yes, he was on an airship. But why? Then landing and walking again. And some familiar voices, but Kain didn’t know whom they belonged to.
“Lali-ho, you’re back!”
“We didn’t get the crystals…”
“Well then, there are two things that I need to tell you. Firstly, Golbez is about to break the seal of the Sealed Cave, so you must get the crystal before he does. Luca has the key to it.”
“And what is the second thing?”
“Your friend Cid is still alive. He’s in the healing-quarters. Wait, if you go visit him, be careful, he’s wounded. Come back here when you’ve greeted him.”
Kain felt rushing and heard happy yells, but didn’t understand what the excitement was about. He heard some more voices, but everything felt more and more distant.
‘Careful, Golbez,’ a woman’s voice said, ‘if you drain more he might collapse.’
The voice almost made Kain scream. He recognized it, he wanted to see the one it belonged to, so much that his heart ached. But why…?
‘It’s the only way I can keep him under control, Valvalis. Now pipe down,’ Golbez said.
It was dark again, and there were big things with fierce jaws. Kain heard somebody yell that some cave was totally screwed up, filled with living doors, and that almost touched his mind only because of the strangeness of it.
“The wall’s closing in!” somebody screamed.
There were so many screams. How irritating. Kain wished that they would all become quiet so that he could get some sleep.
He walked again, for a long time. The others seemed very relieved about something. Then Golbez’ voice spoke:
“Well done.”
“Watch out!” Cecil’s voice snarled.
“Kain,” Golbez sneered, “return to me and take the crystal with you.”
The world became clearer again. Golbez. Cecil, there. Edge and the women, looking concerned.
“I’m… I’m fine,” Kain stuttered, “he can’t control me…”
Cecil has the crystal. He is over there. Go. Hit.
The paladin crashed onto the floor, and Kain snatched the crystal as it fell from Cecil’s hand.
“Now we have all the crystals…” the dragoon snarled harshly and hurried out of the small cave.
In the enormous cavern, he ran as far away from the entrance of the Sealed Cave that he could.
‘Well done, Kain,’ Golbez’ telepathic voice said.
‘You!’ the inner part of the dragoon growled.
‘Now, you will return to me.’
‘No!’
‘Yes, indeed. Valvalis, go fetch.’
A wind made the dust on the ground dance, and the fiend of Air emerged from it. Her eyes were overfilled with a mixture of anger, pain and confusion.
“We meet again, Kain,” she said.
He somehow knew he should be surprised about seeing her, but he couldn’t remember why. She grabbed his shoulders, and wind whistled in his ears. Then he stood inside of a small room with white, slightly flashing walls. Golbez was there, and Kainazzo, a dark figure in a robe, and even Rubicant. Why were they there, they shouldn’t, really… but why, and did it matter?
“The crystal,” Golbez said.
“My liege.”
Kain sat down on one knee and held his hand up high. Golbez took the crystal and then smirked.
“Stand up, my good man,” he said.
The dragoon slowly obeyed.
“I will leave the crystal in it’s room,” the man in the black armor said, “you just guard our friend here for a while, my dear friends.”
“Surely, Golbez,” Kainazzo sneered.
The man in black disappeared into a shadow.
“And you can wake up, Kain,” his distant voice said.
The dragoon blinked and shook his head. He lifted his hand to his forehead, but before he could touch it, he was thrown into the wall by a massive wave of water. Staggering he got to his feet, desperately grabbing his spear. All his memories and knowledge returned, and he realized where he was and who were there as well.
“You!” he stuttered, “you are dead!”
The one in the robe (Kain was glad the cloth hid the body, it didn’t seem very pretty) edged closer.
“Surely,” it hissed, whispering, “we were all dead, sssweet dead…”
“Master Zemus brought us back to life,” Kainazzo sneered, “and now, you belong to us, you foolish man.”
Valvalis and Rubicant said nothing. The robed one (Kain guessed that it was Milon of the Earth) reached out a twisted arm and put his rotting, clawed fingers around the spear. He didn’t seem very strong, but he easily pulled the weapon out of the dragoon’s frozen hands.
“Hang him from the ceiling,” Milon hissed, “let me play with him…”
“No, I will drown him!” Kainazzo snapped, “and this time, I’ll have the water rise slowly…”
“No,” Valvalis said.
The other two fiends angrily turned around.
“What are you going to do?” Milon smirked, “strangle him with a cloud?”
“I won’t kill him and neither will you,” she said, “the master still wants him.”
“Golbez is the only one who wants him alive,” Kainazzo snapped, “and we were never under Golbez’ control, remember?”
‘You are wrong, my faithful.’
It was that terrible, cold voice again. Kain dropped to his knees, the feeling of total evil was so violent that his soul trembled.
“You do want him, master?” Kainazzo said, a bit surprised.
‘Indeed. It makes me very irritated that I cannot control him completely. Golbez will have to work with him until I am satisfied, he’s got one of the most stubborn minds I’ve ever encountered. I am pleased to hear that you feel my wishes, Valvalis.’
“Thank you, master…” she mumbled.
‘When all is over, you will finish both him and Golbez off, my four faithful, this is your reward.’
And so the evil presence left.
“I will take care of this,” Rubicant snarled.
Rubicant pushed Milon aside and lifted Kain by the throat.
“Why don’t you make yourself a bit comfortable, you pest?” the fiend in red clothes growled and threw the dragoon towards the middle of the room.
Kain heavily hit the floor and tried to sit up to make the world stop spinning. But before he was able to move, he was violently lifted again. Rubicant easily held him above the ground by his shoulder, and waved a bit with the free hand. A flame erupted from the floor and formed a chair. By the fiend’s command, the fire turned into burned iron, and Kain was thrown down at it. His arms hit the two elbow rests, and at once his wrists were chained onto the dark metal. By instinct he tried to break free, but he already knew it was pointless to even try. Rubicant violently ripped off Kain’s helmet and sent it flying into the corner where Milon had dumped the spear.
“Now you just sit here like a good boy and wait for Golbez,” the fiend sneered.
Kain caught Valvalis’ eyes through the jumping stars, but she resolutely looked away.
“How long do you think it will take to awake the giant of Bab-Il?” Kainazzo thoughtfully said, almost as he had forgotten the dragoon upon deposit.
“A couple of days,” Rubicant said, turning away from Kain, “maybe a week even. It hasn’t moved in a while, as you know. Might be hard to get to move.”
“Giant…?” Kain harshly whispered.
“It isss a weapon of the lunarians,” Milon hissed, smirking, “it will bring all humansss to sssweet death, for the glory of our massster.”
“Why…?” Kain muttered in a hoarse voice, “Valvalis, Rubicant, you said that you were once human, how can you…”
“I could make his armor melt while he’s wearing it…” Rubicant thoughtfully snarled, “that was centuries ago, you little pest. We only obey our master’s wishes.”
“Roassst him!” Milon hissed, hopeful.
“No, I won’t. I’ll leave him to Golbez, though it is most tempting.”
Valvalis said nothing. She just resolutely looked at the floor, with firmly clenched fists.
“I see you’ve been playing a bit,” Golbez’ voice said, sarcastically.
He stepped out from his usual shadow.
“Had fun?” the man in black asked the fiends, with raised eyebrows.
“Not as fun as we could have had,” Kainazzo grumbled.
“Better not, that will have to wait.”
Golbez turned to Kain, who stubbornly met his cold glance.
“Now then,” Golbez growled, “I will seize control of your mind, even if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Well then, go on,” Kain snarled, “this time it won’t be as easy as you think!”
“You’re truly a fool.”
The man dressed in black raised his hands, and Kain’s brain caught fire. But he clamped his teeth and put up his whole will against it. Knowing no magic, he used all the memories of Cecil and his other friends to create a wall against the evil influence. Golbez frowned and clenched his fists; Kain concentrated on the memory of Cecil’s and Rosa’s laughter. His head throbbed with agony, but he fought the spell back.
‘Concentrate…’ he thought, ‘Cecil is my friend, he is my friend! Don’t scream, mustn’t loose concentration… Cecil is my friend! Rosa, Rydia and Cid are my friends!’
“Clever, I give,” Golbez snarled, “but it won’t work in the long term!”
The pain was getting unbearable, but Kain refused to give up.
‘Cecil!’ he thought, ‘he won’t loose hope…! I trust in him, because he is my friend, he won’t let this giant destroy the planet! Cecil… Rosa, Rydia… Cid… Valvalis…!’
It was as if the fiend had heard him think of her; she looked at him with her eyes almost imperceptibly widened. Kain himself didn’t really know why he had thought about the fiend of Air, but somehow, his mind had caught the memory of her shivering voice as she had spoken to Zemus and Rubicant. And that memory made him feel compassion towards her. His lips moved a little; not a word, not a grimace, not a smile. They just moved a bit.
‘I care, Valvalis, I didn’t want to kill you… you were a prisoner just like me, and you’re scared!’
She turned away with a small shudder. But no one else was looking at her.
“Most fascinating,” Golbez snarled, “and irritating beyond compare.”
He lowered his hands and Kain heavily fell back, gulping for air.
“You have become much stronger than I expected,” the man in black armor growled, “then we’ll just have to let you become a bit weaker.”
“Will you leave him to us?” Kainazzo said, hope dribbling from his voice.
“No,” Golbez said with an evil smile, “time will help us instead, time, hunger and thirst. That will bring even the strongest down. Come, we must begin working on powering up the giant.”
“Very well,” Rubicant said with a harsh glance at Kainazzo.
All five of them disappeared through their own element; Milon in a fountain of mud. Kain leaned back, smiling broadly of triumph. He was aware that he would soon suffer nature’s own, cruel torments, but the victory made him feel that starving was a minor event.
He had been able to withstand, he had been stronger than Golbez! If it was only for a brief time that he was victorious, so let it be that way, one victory was better than nothing at all.
A few hours later his throat was beginning to get dry, but he refused to surrender the remaining flame of triumph in his chest. It kept burning even as his armor started to feel like it was made of a thousand needles, all trying to penetrate his skin. After surely ten hours, he fell asleep of the pure exhaust to keep his strength up.
Since there were no windows in the room, he wasn’t sure for how long he had slept. The flashing lights on the white walls began to make him dizzy, Kain closed his eyes to stay sane. He thought about his friends, went through his whole life and all his dreams and hopes to keep his mind strong. His stomach moaned about being empty, his throat felt like it was made of torn paper.
‘I mustn’t give up…’ Kain thought, resolute, ‘I know that Golbez will try again sooner or later, but I will by no means beg for mercy!’
An eternity seemed to pass, and he slowly fell into half unconsciousness, weaker and weaker for every minute that passed.
There was a sound similar to the wind’s warm whispering in the treetops, and then slow, soft footsteps.
“Val… va… lis…?” Kain harshly whispered.
“You’re such a fool!” she growled.
Kain felt a smooth edge by his lips and managed to open his mouth enough for the cool liquid from the cup to be poured over his dry tongue. His throat burned as he swallowed the water, but it felt much better immediately.
“Don’t lit any false hopes,” Valvalis snarled, “I’m only doing this because my master wants you to survive a little while longer, and Golbez don’t understand that you are about to die.”
Kain slowly managed to force his eyes open. The fiend of Air snorted.
“You know you can’t fight, why don’t you give up and spare yourself all this?” she snapped.
“Hope…” Kain whispered, and his lips even moved into a tiny smile, “it is what leaves the human last of all.”
“There is no hope!” Valvalis snarled, “there never was! Nothing can stop my master! Fighting Golbez back means nothing!”
“That I am held captive means nothing… Cecil and the others will find a way to stop even your master.”
“What does it take for you to understand that it is impossible?!”
“How do you know that?” Kain asked, “has anyone ever tried?”
She opened her mouth, froze and closed it again. She and Kain stared at each other for a moment.
“It is impossible,” she finally snapped, resolutely, “he is far too strong for any human to defeat. You have felt his presence yourself; that evil mind can bring anyone to kneel before him.”
“How did you end up in his clutches?” Kain asked.
That one really startled her.
“What did you say!?”
“I heard you speak with Rubicant in the tower of Zot,” the dragoon said.
His head was thrown at his armored shoulder as her palm violently hit his cheek.
“You!” she growled with unsteady voice, “you have no sense of gratitude, do you?! Have you any idea what you can bring me to by causing imbalance in me?!”
Kain calmly looked back at her eyes. They were filled with rage and fear.
“I’m sorry about that, Valvalis,” he said.
She raised her hand once more, but didn’t slap again. Instead she turned away, shivering with anger.
“I am a fiend!” she growled, “and I am going to help my master destroy your planet! Why don’t you hate me, you pathetic insect?!”
Kain said nothing. Valvalis spun around and grabbed his hair, pulling his head backwards.
“Answer me!” she snarled.
“I can’t…” Kain stuttered, clenching his teeth, “you told me not to cause imbalance.”
“I’ll break your blasted neck, you…!”
‘That is good, my beauty,’ a familiar, cold voice said, ‘I see that you finally try to fight your humanity back. But you better not kill him yet.’
“As you wish, master,” Valvalis said and let go of Kain.
The dragoon felt that a dark gaze rested upon him, but he clenched his fists and forced himself to stare at the opposite wall, not to look at the shadow that sent coldness through the room.
‘You are truly stubborn,’ Zemus said, ‘almost even more than Valvalis was. Fascinating, really.’
Kain said nothing.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ the more or less telepathic voice continued, ‘there are more than one way to break a strong will, and you are fading quickly.’
“Are that all you care about, demon?” Kain asked, “to control me?”
‘You are very brave or most foolish, human, to dare talk to me like that.’
“Maybe I should fear you, but I don’t.”
‘Valvalis once said something similar. Fascinating…’
The fiend of Air resolutely looked at the floor.
‘Humans are such strange creatures,’ Zemus said, ‘you know that your planet is going to be destroyed, and yet you refuses to surrender hope?’
“I have never believed in the Apocalypse,” Kain said with a strange smile, “tomorrow is another day.”
‘Not for much longer. I will let you see what happens with your own eyes, then maybe you will come to your senses.’
The evil presence left. After a moment, Valvalis did the same.
Kain kept awake a while longer, but then he fell into something which was a mixture of unconsciousness and sleep.
A hit in the stomach awoke him a while later, but he only gave a silent moan, too weakened to even show pain and surprise.
“Time for surrender, sleep-over,” Kainazzo said with a vile grin.
“Keep dreaming, you deformed fish…” Kain muttered.
“Stop it, Kainazzo!” Golbez demanded as the fiend of Water growled in an alarming way.
The blue monster-turtle sneered.
“Of course, Sir…” he said, forcefully calm.
Golbez and Kain glared at each other.
“Today you won’t be the victorious, trust me,” the man dressed in black snarled.
“We’ll see about that,” Kain replied and clenched his teeth.
Golbez raised his hands.
“Wait!”
“What?!” Golbez, Kainazzo, Milon and Kain growled.
Valvalis only turned her head in surprise.
A flame erupted from the floor, and Rubicant rushed into the room.
“What is it now, then?” Golbez asked, most irritated.
“The giant is ready for start, Sir!” the fiery fiend reported, “don’t waste time on that puny human now!”
Golbez smirked.
“Well then,” he said, “I suppose that seeing whole countries fall to their knees by a wave of my hand even will bring the revolt out of this foolish dragoon. Bring him with to the control room.”
“Of course,” Valvalis said.
She grabbed one of Kain’s shoulders, and everything became unclear to the sound of whispering wind. The dragoon next found himself hanging on a wall in another light room. The opposite wall had an enormous window, covering the upper half of it. But it was too dark outside of it to see anything through the glass. The other half of the wall was hidden behind peculiar, grey tables covered with strangely colored buttons. Some of them flashed silently. The four fiends and Golbez stood by the tables, the one in the black cloak sneering over his shoulder.
“Watch carefully, Kain,” he said, “I will now turn the last pieces of Eblan into fine dust.”
He and Rubicant pushed a few buttons, and everything began to shake. Then there was a heavy crash to be heard. Another one followed the first, and a third and forth… Kain slowly realized that what he heard were footsteps. But they were loud enough too… oh no, could it really be true!?
Sunlight hit his eyes, and he had to look away. When he once again looked at the window, he watched in horror as the land of Eblan with its crumbled and empty castle to the east could be seen way down. He could even see the distant ocean. The room was as high up as any airship…!
Golbez pushed another few buttons, and a stream of fire cut a wound in the grasslands. Crashing step, more fire. Crashing step, the castle of Eblan was going to get burned to the ground…
Then suddenly everything shook again, but not because of another step.
“What the…?” Golbez growled.
“Ssstupid, ssstupid dwarwesss…” Milon hissed, irritated.
“With their stupid, stupid tanks, I see,” Kainazzo scornfully said.
He gazed through the window. Something big and reddish flew past.
“I see that the Red Wings also wants to play,” Golbez sneered.
Everything shook yet once more.
“They can’t hope to win,” Kainazzo smirked, “the central computer will heal any damage with normal and scientistic magic.”
“It’s hopeless to fight,” Rubicant snarled, “silly humans… what!?”
His hands crashed upon several buttons as he leaned forward and stared out, upwards, through the window. A shadow covered the sun.
“What in the name of…?!” he said and pointed, “look, can it be?”
“But it’s impossible!” Kainazzo growled.
“The Big Whale?” Valvalis exclaimed, “it can’t be!”
“It’s Cecil, that’s what it is!” Golbez growled.
“I see that there might be trouble anyhow, Sir!” Kain sneered.
Golbez snorted.
“Don’t start the celebration too soon, my friend,” he said, “even if they should manage to somehow enter the giant, there’s far to many monsters in here for them to pass through.”
There was a beep to be heard from the tables. Rubicant rubbed his forehead.
“Sir Golbez,” the fiend of Fire said, rather tiredly, “Cecil and his friends have entered the giant, and I believe that they are aiming for the central computer.”
“So, so…” Golbez said, frowning, “he never know when to stop, the little knight… very well, you four go to guard the computer. Should he manage to get there, which I do doubt, his friends are all yours. But bring Cecil himself to me, alive.”
“Finally…” Milon sneered and vanished through his fountain of mud.
Kainazzo and Rubicant disappeared without a single word, but Valvalis quickly looked at Kain before she snorted and left.
Golbez pushed some more buttons. The wall to Kain’s right turned blank for a moment, then showed a picture of Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, Edge and an old man in purple robes, with a beard so long that it reached to the floor. All five of them moved through a strangely lit corridor, their hands equipped with their weapons of choice - the old man held a mage’s staff - and their eyes dark with determination.
“Fascinating,” Golbez muttered as a huge robot stumbled with the help of Rydia’s whip and then got massacred by Cecil and Edge.
The ninja-prince didn’t see the small, eye-formed robot sneak up behind him, but the old man and Rosa did. The white magician sent an arrow into the vital part of the attacker and then, before it had re-energized the bearded one sent it a powerful lightning spell, blowing it into bits. Another giant robot came running. Rydia and Edge exchanged glances and nodded. The summoner/black magician chanted a second lightning, just like the old man had done, at the same time as the ninja leaped forward. The shock of the magic stunned the robot just long enough for Edge to penetrate its metallic throat with his katanas, ripping the head off. Though the prince and the young woman had argued through all the time Kain had been awake and around, they made a great team, that had to be admitted.
Kain watched with a good sensation of triumph, but yet he also felt a rising fear.
They would undoubtedly make it all the way up to the central computer, where the fiends awaited them, and…
The fear swallowed the triumph completely.
No!
“Golbez!” the dragoon shouted, “let me fight instead of Valvalis!”
“What?”
The man in black glared at Kain, surprised and irritated.
“What’s that rubbish about?”
“She’ll get killed!” Kain hoarsely said.
He knew it was true. Cecil and his friends would defeat all of the fiends, nothing could stop them. And then Valvalis would truly be dead, Kain strongly doubted that Zemus would consider resurrecting his servants if they failed him a second time.
“Killed?” Golbez scornfully repeated, “do you really believe that Cecil will accomplish that?”
“I know he will! Golbez, I’ll give you my mind, please!”
“I see that I never understood the depths of your foolishness. Are you telling me that you’re actually in love with a fiend?”
Having Golbez speak the truth that Kain hadn’t seen himself was like an ogre’s fist hitting the dragoon’s stomach. All that the warrior had thought he felt was a desperate urge not to let Valvalis die or end up in Zemus clutches again. He had thought that it was because that she had saved his life and he had paid her back by killing her. That the shame about that was why he wanted to protect her. But he now understood that it was more than that, his despair was far to deep. Yes, it was foolish, even stupid and insane.
But he loved Valvalis. He loved the fiend of Air. Because she had saved him, she had suffered like him, being a slave. She was a fighter of the air, as she had said to describe him once. She was strong and yet vulnerable, just like the dragoon had felt for a long time. He hardly knew her at all, but somehow he did anyway. The thought of her had helped him withstand Golbez’ power, better than the memory of his friends had done. It was so, stupid, silly and foolish; it didn’t matter. He loved her.
“Yes,” Kain coldly said.
Golbez snorted.
“No, you won’t fight instead of her,” he said.
“But…” the dragoon growled.
“Answer me this; are you a fiend? No. You might want to give me the power over you, but I will take it anyway. Later. You and Cecil will scream in unison as I destroy your puny resistance.”
“Golbez, he will kill all four of them!”
“I doubt it. They became much stronger as they were resurrected, and this time they are working together.”
“It won’t help them!” Kain desperately yelled, “Cecil and the others will defeat them, don’t you see?! Look how they wave off the monsters in here!”
He pointed at the moving picture as well as he could. Rosa sent a flood of healing stars over Edge, who didn’t stop his quest on punching a screeching dragon even at that. Cecil grimly ran his sword through the beast’s chest, while the old man and Rydia sent lightning-bolts flying in all directions.
“It doesn’t matter,” Golbez snorted, “they’re no match for the fiends. Now shut up.”
A bolt of dark energy left the evil one’s hand and hit Kain’s lips, covering his mouth. He wildly shook his head trying to get it off, knowing it was hopeless. Even if he could speak, nothing would make Golbez listen. He could only watch in growing horror how his friends ran over a long bridge, approaching a big platform. As they reached that, a fountain of mud, one of water, a tornado of dust and a flame erupted around the warriors, and the fiends entered. Cecil and his companions gasped in surprise but then grabbed their weapons, ready for battle. Rubicant held up his hands and sent a rain of healing stars over his enemies.
“Idiot,” Golbez grumbled, “that man has a far too big sense of honor.”
‘Valvalis, get out of there!’ Kain desperately thought, ‘they are too strong! Rubicant, don’t let her fight…’
He saw both the fiend of Air and Fire frown and exchange bewildered glances. But the dragoon wasn’t very surprised, after all his arguments with Golbez consisting of mere thoughts he knew telepathy. And Valvalis had seemed to know that the dragoon had been thinking about her as the man in black tried to convert Kain a second time.
‘Listen to me, Valvalis, Rubicant!’ Kain thought, hoping they could hear what he wanted to tell them, ‘Cecil and his friends have become too strong!’
‘We have no choice, Kain,’ Valvalis’ voice whispered in his head, bitterly, ‘farewell.’
‘No! Valvalis!!’
But she didn’t answer.
Rydia pointed at the four fiends, and green, flaming orbs danced around her. She called something, and the intensity of the orbs’ glowing gave away that it was something powerful.
What appeared in front of her was a giant, blue sea snake, and Milon was brought to its knees by the powerful tidal wave erupting from the long body. The old man raised his hands, his strangely light-green eyes flashing as he mumbled. A massive lightning bolt hit Kainazzo and the wave of pressure forced Rubicant to stagger aside. But as the magicians had to draw back for preparing a second magic blow, the fiends attacked. Cecil and Edge held their swords ready, Rosa had an arrow in her bow. Kain turned his head. The knowledge was enough, he didn’t want to see Valvalis die again. He didn’t want to know which one of his friends it was who turned his heart to dust.
“What the hell…!?” Golbez gasped in shocked rage.
Kain sighed deeply, and his breath shivered. It might as well have been a sob.
‘Farewell, Valvalis…’ he bitterly thought.
He still didn’t turn his head to watch his friends advancing. But there suddenly was a blinding flash coming from the wall with the moving picture; like an explosion.
“You have to do everything yourself…” Golbez growled in outrage.
He pushed a button on the tables, and a door opened a few feet away from Kain, to his left. Golbez’ cloak flowed behind him as he rushed out of the room, leaving the dragoon alone. Lazily, Kain turned to the right wall.
Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, Edge and the old man stood silent, watching their work. They had destroyed something; three black orbs laid cracked on a mess of smashed mechanical remains. Suddenly, they all looked up. Golbez entered the screen, his dark eyes glistening with hate. He shouted something, and the old man ran over to him, trying to speak with him. But Golbez fist hit the bearded one and he fell.
However the man in black suddenly froze, staring bewilderedly at the old man.
Nobody moved.
The old man said something, and Golbez rubbed his forehead. As he then slowly said something, Cecil looked like he had seen a ghost and backed a few steps in shock. Rydia, Rosa and Edge’s eyes went between the paladin and Golbez, their gazes filled with disbelief.
‘What’s happening?’ Kain wondered, frowning.
Golbez reached out a hand and helped the old man to stand up. This, needless to say, really startled the dragoon.
Suddenly his chains dissolved, and he fell to the ground. It was not a soft or silent landing since he wore his armor, but at least he was free. He had no idea why, though.
The old man and Golbez rushed out of the screen on the wall, though Edge and the women shouted something after them. Cecil seemed paralyzed.
‘I won’t bother you anymore, Kain,’ Golbez voice growled in the dragoon’s head, ‘I have been used, and I’ll go to take my revenge.’
‘What’s happening? Who is the old man?’ Kain thought, confused.
‘His name is FuSoYa,’ Golbez answered, ‘and he was a friend of my father KluYa. And my father is also Cecil’s father.’
‘What!?’
‘I didn’t know. Your friends can tell you everything, now hurry to get them out of here.’
Kain got up and staggered out of the room. His whole body was stiff after the rough treatment he had received in the past few days, and it was long since he had moved last.
There was a stair outside of the door, and something lay on the floor down there, between two metallic doors.
‘I’ve sent your helmet and spear to the stairs,’ Golbez informed, ‘take them and then go to the right to find your friends. The left path will bring you out of the giant. Hurry, it’ll start to break up any second.’
Kain somehow made it down the stair. He picked up his stolen equipment and pushed the right door open. There was the smashed machinery, and behind it his friends. Everything began to shake as the dragoon staggered inside.
“Come on!” he shouted, “the giant is about to fall, I’ll bring you out of here!”
Everyone except Cecil, who just stared at the floor, spun around to stare at Kain.
“You betrayed us!” Edge growled.
Kain was too tired and broken to start explaining. There wasn’t any time for it either.
“Should it happen again, don’t hesitate to do away with me,” he called, “but right now you have to trust me!”
Rosa shook Cecil’s shoulders to bring him back into life, but he still moved like a zombie as the four warriors followed Kain.
The dragoon forced the second door open, entering a small, flashing room.
‘It’s a teleportation room,’ Golbez explained, ‘just call out where you want to go, there’s still just enough power left. Good-bye, Kain. I won’t torture your mind again.’
‘Wait…!’
But there was no answer.
The flashing lights on the walls were becoming less and less flashing for every second that passed.
“This will bring us out,” Kain harshly told Rosa, “where do you want it to bring us? Hurry!”
“The Big Whale!” Rosa yelled, and everything became unclear.
Kain found himself in another light room with flashing walls as he opened his eyes. In the middle of it was something astonishingly similar to a crystal’s holy pillar. There was a crystal there, but Kain was too exhausted to really care.
“Are you alright, Kain?” Rosa asked, worried.
“Tried to weaken… haven’t eaten in…” he mumbled.
His legs couldn’t carry him and his armor anymore and he fell to the floor, unconscious.
He awoke in a bed. It was grey and seemed to be made all out of metal, but despite the looks it was soft and comfortable. On the other hand, he felt as if he’d consider anything soft and comfortable. His armor laid on the floor in a tidy heap, and beside it was his spear. Kain only wore the usual, simple light-brown shirt and pants that he always carried beneath his armor.
He knew that he had changed from the prisoner’s clothing into his own some time when he had been hypnotized in Baron, but those details were all too vague to grip.
Kain tried to move, and his whole body exploded with ache. He moaned slightly.
“Oh, you’re awake,” a relieved voice said.
“Rosa…?” Kain harshly whispered.
With a cup in her hand, she sat down by his bed.
“You need to eat something,” she softly told him and helped him to sit up, “here, have some soup. Don’t drink too fast.”
Kain managed to hold the cup and lazily blew on it to cool it down. Though his body screamed and pleaded for him to swallow the meat and vegetable soup, he wasn’t in the mood for it. His head was spinning with questions and bitter knowledge.
“She’s dead…” he whispered.
“Who?” Rosa carefully asked.
He needed to tell somebody; it was too much for him to carry alone.
“Valvalis… she saved my life, and I killed her, Rosa! She didn’t want to listen… she was a slave too, I… I…”
Rosa moved over to his bedside and put her hands on his shaking shoulders.
“Look, Kain, if you hadn’t killed her back then, she would have killed all of us. It was the same this time, when…”
“Don’t tell me,” Kain whispered, “I don’t want to know who killed her once and for all.”
“Alright.”
Rosa put her hand on his pale cheek, calming.
“Now drink the soup,” she kindly told him, “you’re very weakened, and I can’t heal hunger.”
Ignoring the remaining heat, Kain slowly swallowed all of the soup. It sent warmth through his battered body, though his throat burned by it.
“Healing forces in my blood…” Rosa softly chanted.
Kain’s body stopped aching, and his strength returned. But it didn’t help his darkened, sad mind.
“Do you feel any better?” the white magician said.
For as long as he could remember, Kain had wished that she would be at his side, caring only for him. But now it didn’t matter at all.
“Yes, thank you,” he forced past his lips.
“Kain?”
It was Cecil. He looked very tired, and more or less fell down on the bedside, by Rosa. For the moment he also had taken off his armor, only wearing the same simple clothing as Kain did.
“Kain, Golbez is… he is…”
But the two words couldn’t touch the paladin’s tongue, though it burned everyone’s mind. “My brother”.
Kain slowly nodded.
“I know,” he said.
“Can you stand up?” Cecil asked, “we’ll have to talk about how we will proceed.”
“I’m coming.”
Kain pushed the blanket aside and managed to get up. His legs protested, but he refused them their wish to let him fall.
Following Rosa and Cecil through a short corridor, Kain found himself in the room where he and the others had been teleported before he fainted. Now he had strength enough to wonder about the crystal in the middle of the room, but only did so briefly.
“Charming,” Rydia’s voice said, with a poisonous scent, “I bet you tell every girl you meet stuff like that, if they don’t run screaming in the first place.”
Edge’s voice gave a short, dry laugh. It seemed like they were behind the pillar.
“I conclude you consider yourself very brave, then?” he teased.
“I do, but the only reason I didn’t back off the first time I saw you was that you were a miserable, defeated lump!”
“Now, now, lady, let’s not bring up old mistakes.”
“Better not,” Rydia replied, “if you would make a list of yours, I’d die either of boredom or laughter.”
“A heart of stone that perfect chest carries within…” Edge sighed.
“I wouldn’t let my mind wander in that direction if I were you, my friend.”
“They make such a sweet couple, don’t they?” Cecil said with a tired smile.
He raised his voice.
“Get over here, you two!”
Edge and Rydia emerged from the pillar’s other side. The ninja still watched Kain with disbelief, but the young woman smiled warmly at him. He was glad to know that his friends cared about him, it made his heavy thoughts a little lighter.
“Let’s go to the moon and smash this Zemus, damn it!” Edge said, as if it was already set, “you know we can’t stay here doing nothing!”
Zemus…?
“You’re an idiot,” Rydia snorted, “you mean we’re just going there without planning or anything that complicated?”
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on,” Kain growled, “but I agree with Edge!”
Everyone stared at him, the sudden anger that filled his voice had startled them all.
“Do you know something about Zemus?” Cecil carefully asked.
“I know that he controlled everyone, including Golbez and the fiends. That is enough for me; he is the one we must fight!”
“Let me explain everything to you,” Rosa said to calm him, “when we went through the giant we got a lot of help from an old man named FuSoYa…”
Kain just listened, even though he already knew about the old man’s name and that Cecil and Golbez were brothers. What he wanted most of all was to save time and enter the battle as soon as possible, and interrupting Rosa would only cost more, precious minutes as he in turn would have to explain.
“He and Zemus are both lunarians, which are a humanoid race. They have been sleeping inside of the moon for a long time, as the rest of their people. However, Zemus had sinister plans for the Earth, so FuSoYa sealed him away and forced him to sleep. But his mind wandered, and he found that a man of the lunarians, KluYa, had two half-human sons on Earth. Those are Golbez and Cecil. Zemus could easily control one of them since they were of his own race, picking Golbez.”
She fell silent for a moment, and Kain realized that the chosen one just as well could have been Cecil instead. That realization almost made him shiver; the thought of his friend in the dark armor and black cloak, talking with the fiends…
Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Rosa continued:
“Now that Golbez’ mind is free, he decided to come with FuSoYa and help him defeat Zemus.”
“I say we go and help them!” Kain said, grimly.
He knew that he would fight with anger and the pure wish of avenging Valvalis. But he couldn’t help the hate he carried within. Valvalis had suffered and died, just as many, many others, only because of Zemus. It could by no means be tolerated any longer.
The room was silent for a moment. Then Cecil slowly nodded.
“Alright. We’ll go to the moon again,” he said, “but…”
He turned to Rosa.
“You and Rydia won’t come with us.”
She stared at him, mouth open. Rydia did the same.
“What?!” Rosa finally stuttered.
“It’s different this time,” Cecil gravely said, “nothing can assure our return. Therefore I don’t want you to come.”
“I won’t leave you behind!”
"Neither will I!" Rydia snapped.
"Come on now," Edge smirked, "be a good girl and stay at home."
Rydia gave him an extraordinarily cold gaze, and this time she was really mad. Edge blinked, realizing that he might have gone too far this time. But the caller didn't say anything.
"I won't go!" Rosa said, almost desperately.
“Yes you will!” Cecil harshly said, “I don’t want you to die, now leave the ship. Please, Rosa!”
She stared at him for a moment longer, then she turned around and went down a stair in the room’s bottom corner without a single word. Silent, Rydia followed her.
Cecil clenched his teeth and stared at the floor for a moment. Kain knew that his friend had suffered greatly giving Rosa such an order. It hurt the dragoon as well. The prince of Eblan only sighed a bit as Rydia disappeared.
“Let’s go,” Cecil said.
He went up the stair to the crystal and said something in a low, demanding voice. Everything shook a bit, and Kain felt the familiar sensation of being inside of something that was flying. He had learnt it as he had grown up in Baron, with its airships.
“To the moon again,” Edge said, in a strangely lazy voice, “well, better get equipped.”
He went down into the corridor leading to the room with the beds, probably only because he needed to get the belt with his katanas. He seemed to have everything else. Except Rydia. Kain easily saw, with a bitter smile, that the prince of Eblan and the caller of Mist undoubtedly liked each other very much, though they’d rather die than admit it.
The dragoon lazily looked at the grey floor.
‘Valvalis, I will avenge you!’ he thought, frowning.
He was well aware he was a fool for even start feeling something for her in the first place, she had been a fiend… but he couldn’t help it. The way she had made him nervous as they had met in Baron, in the cell… all the time she had seemed so confused. Kain had only known her for a short while, during which she had intended to kill him a few times, but… it was hopeless trying to deny anything, or even point out how silly and foolish it was. Valvalis was dead, and she had brought a major part of Kain with her.
He heard Cecil walk the same path as Edge, also intending to get equipped. The dragoon concluded that he might as well do the same.
“We’ve landed,” Cecil concluded.
“Then let’s go,” Edge grimly said.
Kain followed his two comrades towards the exit. Cecil was about to walk down the stairs when he suddenly drew back with a surprised gasp, forcing the dragoon and Edge to step backwards.
“Rosa?!” the paladin whispered.
She stepped into the room, her arms resolutely crossed and with a harsh look in her eyes.
“I’m not leaving you behind, Cecil!” she said.
“It’s too dangerous, you…”
“I’m not moving an inch if you don’t agree to let me come with you,” Rosa said, coldly, “if you die, I will be with you!”
Cecil hesitated.
“Damn it, Cecil!” Edge exclaimed, “you have a woman begging to come with you, and you show her away? Rydia obviously call the wrong person a moron!”
The paladin sighed.
“Alright, then,” he said.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Rosa. She suddenly smiled warmly and buried her hands in his thick hair.
“It worked!” somebody cheered.
Rydia entered from below, grinning broadly.
“Oh, I see I have yet some hard times ahead!” Edge smiled.
“Right you are, oh prince of the world’s lousiest pick-up lines,” the caller laughed.
Cecil smiled a bit, then he turned his whole mind at Rosa again. He held her tightly, and they kissed.
“Whatever happens,” the paladin softly mumbled, “I will protect you.”
‘If only I could have promised you the same, Valvalis…’ Kain sadly thought, ‘I’m sorry, my friend, but I will just have to do what I can and defeat the devil who tormented you.’
“Zemus sure has some sour pets!” Edge grumbled, grimly watching the giant, yellowish bat with the enormous eye dissolve on the floor.
“Healing forces from heaven, free us from our pain…” Rosa chanted.
Cecil rubbed the blood from his lips and lifted the glowing spear from its carved stone-pillow.
“And we have another sacred weapon,” he grinned.
Holding the spear forth, he turned to Kain.
“It belongs to you, I believe.”
“Indeed,” Kain said.
He took the spear, and it buzzed softly as he held it. The weapon amazed him, just as all the other holy weapons they had found on their way down through the moon; the Masamune and Murasame that Edge now wielded, Cecil’s new sword… and now this.
The spear was made of a material unfamiliar to the dragoon; it was heavy as iron but look similar to pearl. He couldn’t find a better description. It glowed softly, almost like a promise of power and victory. He smiled at it, as to a new friend, and it buzzed in his grip.
“Come, I think that we are closing in,” Cecil said and once more took the lead.
Kain didn’t think much for the moment. He was silently preparing himself for the approaching battle.
“Oh, my…” Rosa said as they went down a stair after a short walk and entered something completely new.
She wasn’t the only surprised one. Leaving the dusky, cold caves of the moon, the small troop had now stepped out into a world made of crystal. The floor and stairs ahead were as clear as glass, held up by pillars of the same material. The distant cave-walls were reddish and seemed to flame from within. Light came from a gigantic orb below.
Somehow, Kain knew that the glowing orb was their destination. He noticed that the others also looked down, frowning. They all knew, and hurried on.
There were few monsters here, and by now Kain and his comrades had become strong enough for beating even two Behemoths at the time with little trouble. They were determined not to let anything stand in their way.
And eventually, they used yet another magic teleporting plate on the ground to move on. They had used so many by now that Kain couldn’t count them all. But this time, it wasn’t silent where they materialized. There was the sound of a battle, above several stairs.
“Hurry!” Kain growled, and he rushed upwards after Cecil.
Then he saw Zemus.
The lunarian was even taller than Rubicant, dressed in a dark cape. His skin was purple, his claw-like hands moved like snakes as he chanted. His dark, cold eyes flashed by his words below the bold forehead.
“Stones of hatred from the universe, bring your fury upon our foe!” two voices yelled in unison before Zemus had finished his spell.
It was Golbez and FuSoYa. They stood on each side of the wicked one, their faces strained in determination and the torment of controlling the powerful magic.
“Good, show your power!” Zemus snarled.
Then the burning rocks started crashing upon him, and he fell.
FuSoYa and Golbez stood there gulping for air, watching the seemingly defeated enemy, waiting for the slightest movement. But Zemus didn’t even seem to breathe. Slowly, the two standing warriors lowered their hands.
“Pity,” FuSoYa sighed, “he wasted his whole life on hate…”
“Hey!” Edge yelled, cheering.
Golbez and the lunarian turned around in surprise as they heard the call and the footsteps.
“Oh, you came!” FuSoYa smiled.
With a slight sigh, Kain looked at the one he had come to defeat. Zemus was dead, that was for sure. Was it enough to see him die? The dragoon nodded inside of his mind. It was enough. It had to be.
He had to keep his rage down, or he’d turn into the wrong kind of warrior sooner or later; one blind for anything except the own hatred. Valvalis was avenged, and that was what Kain had wished most of all. He was a bit disappointed he hadn’t been able to help out more, but Zemus was dead and that was the only important thing. The dragoon hoped that his love’s spirit would be able to find rest now.
“Cecil…?” Golbez carefully said.
But the paladin turned away. Everybody looked at him, sadly. Just as Cecil had done, his brother had chosen to change paths. Yet that wasn’t enough for the paladin to forgive. Not yet, anyhow.
“Cecil…” Rosa said, softly.
She put her hand on his cheek, comforting, trying to encourage a feeling of forgiveness. But her loving powers had no chance to begin working, because there was a sudden screech. Everyone spun around.
“I’m not gone yet…!” Zemus snarled.
His body was consumed in eerie flames, and out of it stepped a horrible monster, covered with long, grey tentacles. Its fierce jaws were blood red, its eyes flared.
“I am Zeromus,” it screeched, “product of Zemus’ hatred! Now you will now the meaning of true suffering!”
A massive wave of dark energy brought everyone to their knees. Kain gritted his teeth in pain; his skin burned while his flesh felt colder than ice. He fell to the ground, unable to move. He saw, through the dancing, purple stars before his eyes, that his friends also dropped.
“Death only increased his hatred…!” FuSoYa growled through his clamped teeth and slowly managed to stand up.
Snarling in pain, Golbez forced himself to rise from the ground. The two men approached Zeromus, determined to fight or die.
‘Golbez, be careful…!’ Kain thought, though his brain felt as if daggers penetrated it as it accomplished the mere task of thinking.
‘Hang on, Kain!’ the man in black grimly answered.
“Stones of hatred from the universe, bring your fury upon our foe!” two voices once more demanded in unison.
For a second time, burning rocks fell through the air. But as they hit Zeromus they seemed to be absorbed by his tentacles and he gave a screeching laughter.
“Use the crystal!” FuSoYa yelled, despair filling his voice.
Shaking because of the dark waves Golbez reached for his belt and brought forth a glistening stone, as big as a man’s fist, from a small bag. He held it above his head, and it sent a wave of white, shivering bubbles at Zeromus. But the foe only laughed again, as the pure power faded before touching him at all.
“One who follows a dark path cannot use the crystal to summon light!” he sneered.
“Damn!” Golbez snarled.
“Stones of hatred from the universe, bring your fury upon these insects!”
Hearing Zeromus call Golbez and FuSoYa desperately tried to stumble out of the way. But the burning rocks crashed down over them and they fell to the ground, lifeless.
‘No…!’ Kain thought, desperately, ‘it can’t end this way…’
“Suffer and die!” Zeromus screeched, “my hatred will destroy everything!”
(There goes the Void-thing again. Viva les Final Fantasy… author’s stupid note.)
It was the end. It was just as when they had all been paralyzed by Golbez in the land of the dwarves, yet this time there wasn’t going to be any friends coming to save the day. Everyone of their allies were stuck on Earth, and they wouldn’t have been able to help anyway. Cid, the eccentric mechanic, Yang, who Kain never had a chance to know better… and Valvalis was dead, even if she had been able to help in any way. It was really the end this time, for Kain, for Cecil, for Rosa, Rydia, Edge, FuSoYa and Golbez. And judging from Zeromus’ character, they were only the first ones. He was surely going to proceed to his own, sleeping people, and then go to the Earth to fulfill his work. Nothing and nobody could stop him now…
‘Kain.’
He startled at the careful, soft voice inside his head.
‘Val… valis…?’
Even Kain’s mind was about to break down because of the pain. But suddenly, it didn’t seem to matter.
‘Kain, don’t give up. Your and Cecil’s friends are sending you their powers,’ Valvalis’ voice whispered inside of his burning brain, ‘look!’
He moved his head. Cecil had gotten to his feet, shaking and unsteady. But he stood, and he walked towards Zeromus. As the paladin reached his fallen brother, Golbez held up a shaking hand; the one holding the crystal.
“Golbez…” Cecil whispered with a hoarse voice.
“My brother…” the man in black stuttered, “take the crystal and entrust it with your power!”
“Yes.”
Cecil took the crystal, and Golbez’ hand fell. The paladin turned to Zeromus and spoke:
“I am not defeated yet… Zeromus, this is the end!”
‘Stand up, Kain!’ Valvalis whispered.
He shivered, the dark magic had drawn most of his strength. But he rose up on his arms, moved his weight from the knees to the feet and stood up.
‘I know you will win!’ Valvalis smiled, encouraging.
‘I won’t let this devil be victorious, my love, I swear!’ the dragoon silently growled.
Around him, Rosa, Rydia and Edge also got to their feet, gasping in pain but determined not to give up.
Suddenly there were several half invisible figures standing between the warriors and Zeromus, facing Cecil. There were Yang, Cid, a young, blond man who Kain recalled from the now distant fight in Fabul, a small boy and a girl, apparently twins, dressed in Mysidian clothing, and that old man who had died as he had used Meteo in a fallen attempt to kill Golbez in the tower of Zot. They all smiled, yelling their own cheers:
“Don’t give up! Concentrate and fight, we will lend you our power!”
Kain felt his strength return, and he reached for his glowing spear.
‘I will give you all the power I can,’ Valvalis softly whispered, ‘and I wish you luck, Kain.’
‘I wish that we could have had a chance to know each other better, Valvalis…’ the dragoon sadly thought.
Cecil raised the crystal, holding it in both his hands as the many illusions of the friends dissolved.
‘I wish that as well,’ Valvalis whispered, with a slight bitterness in her voice, ‘and I hope that you can forgive me for what I did to you. I now give you my remaining strength, with the love for you that almost sent me to where you know are.’
‘For my love for you… nothing you did in fear matter to me.’
The crystal in Cecil’s hands exploded with pure bubbles of light, swarming towards Zeromus. He roared in rage as the sacred power hit him, and his body with all the tentacles cracked up. From out of it, as a hatching demon, an embodiment of every man’s nightmare arose. It was so hideous it couldn’t be described, but Kain grabbed his spear in both hands, determined not to let the fear bring him down.
“We fight for every living thing!” Cecil shouted and drew his glowing sword.
“Go! You must be brave!” FuSoYa yelled, somewhere behind Kain.
Edge smiled ironically and looked sideways at the grim Rydia.
“You have to admit that this being is uglier than me, sweetness,” the prince of Eblan said.
The caller’s determination split up in a short moment’s smile.
“I give,” she said, “you are handsome as a god in compare.”
Edge smiled broadly.
“Ah, those words fulfill my life, now it doesn’t matter what happens here!” he said.
Rydia snorted, but she still smiled.
Then both of them turned back into grim warriors, resolutely facing their foe, ready for battle.
Rosa’s and Cecil’s lips touched briefly. Kain knew what his friends were doing; if they shouldn’t survive, at least they would have said farewell to the ones they loved.
‘I love you, Valvalis,’ he thought, ‘I might be a fool, but I do.’
‘Both of us are fools in this love,’ she replied, ‘will you please fight for the memory of Rubicant as well, since he wanted to help me?’
‘For anyone you called a friend and meant it, my love.’
‘I thank you. Good luck, Kain.’
Zeromus roared and charged, but a massive wave of mega flare from the dragon king Bahamut’s mouth forced him to draw back a little. Kain jumped as Edge sent one of his old katanas flying through the air, burying it to the hilt in Zeromus’ chest.
“All forces of good, send me your sacred power!” Rosa yelled, and Cecil rushed forwards, protected by the confusion the holy magic called White provided.
The paladin’s sword cut deeply into what probably was Zeromus’ stomach, while Kain’s spear was buried into what theoretically was a back. The evil creature roared in pain and sent out wave after wave of dark power at its enemies, but Kain ignored it. He fought back the wish to succumb to the pain that the darkness sent through his body, and ripped out the spear. Green blood stained Zeromus’ back and the holy weapon that Kain wielded. The dragoon jumped again, weary of Rydia’s second call. Another powerful exploding stream from the dragon god hit Zeromus, and before he had recovered he had recieved several new, deep cuts from the three men’s weapons. He screeched, trying to fight back his foes with both magic and his powerful arms, all in vain.
“Stones of hatred from the universe…!”
“Now, Cecil!” Kain shouted as he rushed downwards, barely avoiding the last meteor that had slammed into the demon on Rydia’s call.
The paladin leaped, stabbing. There was a half-strangled dump! to be heard from the inside of Zeromus. The sword and the spear had hit each other in the middle of the demon’s body. But it still wasn’t enough. The two warriors were sent flying in one direction each, clenching their weapons in tight grips. Edge rushed forwards, but a massive arm hit him. He flew backwards and would have fallen past the platform’s edge, down into the depths of the planet, if Rydia hadn’t gotten a grip of his hands and changed his flight. They both fell down, only a few feet from the plateau’s end. Without hesitating both of them got to their feet, ready to continue the fight again.
Cecil had been temporary knocked out as Zeromus had hit him and now he was shaking his head, trying to stand up. The demon noticed this and turned to him, opening the enormous mouth and unveiling one foot long, sharp teeth. But before Zeromus could bite, Rosa had rushed over to Cecil and shot an arrow that hit the monster’s throat.
Not even that killed Zeromus, yet he screeched in pain and charged forward. Cecil had managed to get up by then, though, and he ran out of the way, holding Rosa’s hand in his.
“Everyone, now!” the paladin shouted.
Rosa and Rydia closed their eyes, mumbling. Cecil grabbed the hilt of his sword in both hands for another powerful stab. Edge held a katana in each hand, ready to cut through anything. And Kain jumped.
“Bahamut, I conjure you!”
“All forces of good…!”
As the mega flare and the holiest of all magic hit the demon, Kain put all his weight into the spear, and Cecil leaped forward, followed by Edge.
The four weapons penetrated Zeromus’ throat.
Every movement froze for one second.
Zeromus gave a loud, gurgling sound.
He began to fall into pieces, all of the loose parts dissolving as they left the falling, main body.
Kain hit the ground.
Zeromus was gone.
It was over.
‘I have avenged you, Valvalis…’ Kain thought.
But she didn’t answer. Sadly, he guessed that she had given him all that was left of her to help him in the battle.
‘Rest in peace, my love,’ he thought, bitterly.
His first love hadn’t loved him, and his second had died. Two times, even. He almost hoped that he would never find a third, since it seemed like he couldn’t carry any warm feelings towards anyone without somebody getting hurt.
“You did it!” FuSoYa cheered, surprising them all in their exhaust by jumping wildly up and down despite his age.
“Yes, indeed,” Golbez smiled.
“Now I can return to my people and continue to sleep for a while,” the old lunarian said, “it’s better that way. I want to thank you all for coming to our aid.”
He bowed, and then started walking towards the long stair rising from the platform.
“Wait,” Golbez said, “I want to come with you.”
FuSoYa turned around with a kind smile.
“But…” he began.
Golbez shook his head.
“I cannot return to Earth. Besides, I’d like to meet my own people.”
“Very well,” FuSoYa said after a short hesitation, “but it will be a long sleep.”
Golbez nodded, and then turned around to look at the paladin and leader of the heroes.
“Cecil…” he slowly said, making one last attempt to ask for forgiveness and peace.
But Cecil looked at the floor, his eyes filled with confusion and questions. Golbez sighed and began to follow FuSoYa up the stair.
Then suddenly Cecil straightened up, looking after the man in black and the bearded one.
“Brother…!” the paladin exclaimed, “farewell!”
Golbez turned around, with a small, careful smile.
“Thank you, brother,” he said.
Then he continued up the stair.
Kain stood on mount Ordeals and allowed the wind to bite his cheeks and move his hair as it wished.
“I’m sorry I won’t be there on your wedding, Cecil,” he said, silently, “but I need to be alone to make peace with what I have done.”
In the middle of the night he had left Mysidia, where he and his friends had spent the night after returning to Earth. Without a word, he had gone away and left the others behind. He knew they’d understand.
However, he didn’t know why he had gone to mount Ordeals. It had just felt right. This was a place for facing your sins and erase them. But he had no intention of becoming a paladin, and therefore the mountains were of no real use for him. Yet he had traveled here, maybe in despite of other options.
He looked at the forest growing below, the green ocean only held back by the vast chain of mountains by the horizon. It looked soft, peaceful. Not at all what he felt like.
Killing Zeromus and avenging Valvalis had only brought him a short peace of mind. Still his heart was bitter, and he could neither deny nor fight it. The pain was still there, and Kain was aware that maybe time only could heal it. Only time could smooth his bitter thoughts.
With a sigh, he put his helmet back on to keep the wind away from his face. It only reminded him of Valvalis.
There was no mending what had gone wrong, he couldn’t have stopped her from fighting whatever he had said. She had been afraid of her master, and she hadn’t been able to fight that back. Kain could understand her fear. Zemus had been a monster, and nobody could possibly have been able to fight him alone. It was the group’s strength that had brought the victory. The dragoon tried hard not to imagine Valvalis desperately trying to defend herself against the power of the lunarian.
He turned around and started to walk over the cracked cliff. He really had no goal, though the top of the mountain seemed like a natural point. But that wasn’t it. He had no business there whatsoever, really. Yet he walked upwards all the time.
There was a canyon ahead. Kain walked over to it and glanced down. It was deep, and pretty wide too. Cecil and his friends had been forced to take another way, for sure. But they couldn’t jump like Kain either. He grinned a bit and took a few steps backwards. Just as he was about to start to run, he heard a loud screech and looked up.
It was a seagull.
So what?
On a mountain at least forty miles from the nearest ocean?
It screeched again, sounding exhausted.
People often scorned seagulls as ugly birds, but for Kain they had always meant the end of winter, the carriers of summer. They might be loud and not pretty like swallows, but they had the nerve and will to scream out that the warm season was approaching fast. They were strong, powerful birds.
But this one was very, very tired. It could hardly keep flying.
And with one last screech, it fell from the sky.
It was going to fall into the canyon.
Kain ran and jumped.
The small, white body landed safely in his hands, and his feet hit the other side of the deep crack.
“Don’t worry,” Kain whispered, suddenly breathing hard, “I’ve got you.”
He raised his hands to the height of his face, carefully holding the saved animal. It looked straight back, and it didn’t have the cold, sharp eyes of a bird. The white wings moved tiredly, the small head slowly rubbed against Kain’s fingers. He dropped to his knees, staring at what he held.
“You…” he whispered, with a growing, soft smile, “you’re alive!”
The seagull began to glow with a yellow, warm light, and it slowly started to grow. The small, bone-like legs became longer and thicker, the wings turned into arms. The beak changed into a nose and a mouth, long, blond hair flowed from the growing head. All of the feathers assembled to become a white-grey, short dress.
“I’m alive… love…” Valvalis whispered with an exhausted smile, “at least… sort of…”
Apparently the flight had drained all of her strength, but Kain could not stop himself from asking her to keep fighting a little longer.
“How?” he whispered, stroking her hair.
“Rubicant,” she mumbled with fond bitterness in her voice, “as I was about to die… he used all of his remaining power to teleport me out of the giant… and I never had a chance to thank him…”
“He was an honorable man,” Kain softly said.
“Yes… I must rest a while…”
“I’ll be right here, love. Sleep as long as you need to.”
She smiled tiredly and raised her hand to touch his by the helmet shadowed cheek. Then she closed her ice-blue eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber.
Kain stood up and carried her away from the canyon. The plateau he had landed on should be safe from the remaining zombies, so he decided it would be stupid to go anywhere else. To protect her against the cold wind, he carefully put Valvalis down behind one of the big rocks that laid here and there.
The cliffs weren’t totally dead; there were moss and stubborn dwarf-spruces fighting for survival. Kain collected a few of the small trees that had been forced to give up and set a campfire since the sun was sinking. But before that, he rolled out his bedroll and placed Valvalis between the blankets.
Valvalis was not aware of any of this. As her body slept, recovering from the flight between Eblan and mount Ordeals, her mind tried to pick up the last pieces of her long lost memory. Zemus had robbed her of all the thoughts of her earlier life as she had become his prisoner and later minion. He had done so in order to control her easier, since she’d had a very strong mind. Even though she had fought him with all her might, the evil had become victorious. But now it was all returning to her, bit by bit.
Her family, her father who had been a warrior of the Dragon, as well as her brothers. Her mother had been a maiden of the Wind before she had fallen in love with Valvalis’ father. Their names were still vague, but Valvalis knew she’d grasp them sooner or later.
It had been very long ago, very long. She didn’t know how long, but it was surely a couple of centuries… Zemus had frozen her age to keep her strong.
She had begun her magic training as a small girl, hoping to become a maiden of the Dragon, a female warrior with great skill in both weapons and magic. She had been a fast learner and grown to her great power, which had surprised many. There had been words about making her a warrior of the Great One, the finest of all titles. All because she could use the sky’s magic better than anyone else, and could jump as high as any man. Her future had been bright.
Then the Darkness had come.
It was a mysterious creature wearing a cape, killing everyone it met. Undead monsters had followed its paths, making life a torment of fear for the living. Together with many other warriors, Valvalis had gone to fight this creature.
Of course it was Milon. He had been much stronger back then.
After a long battle Valvalis had been the only one standing, and her undead friends were attacking her as well as Milon’s other “children”. Valvalis had unleashed all the power she had in an attempt to kill all of the undead and the source of them. She hadn’t won, no, that was the last thing she had done. The undead army had fallen, but so had she, while Milon still was standing.
He had taken a revenge worse than anything else; bringing Valvalis as a gift to his master. What had followed was a long and painful battle between the woman and Zemus, and she had fallen again, becoming his slave. Her mind had been so tightly bound that she had changed it herself to keep sane, becoming the monster her master wanted her to be. After Zemus had defeated her she had sought a way to free him totally, together with the other three fiends.
However, Zemus had found his own way. All he needed was for FuSoYa, who had bound him, to loose a bit of his bone hard focus. A little split concentration was all it would take to break free. So in order to turn the lunarian king’s mind to something else, Zemus had sent his own mind to control one single human and bring him to power on Earth.
Valvalis had no idea who Golbez once had been. She had shared Milon, Kainazzo and Rubicant’s disbelief and disgust as they were sent to Earth to play the servants of this puny human, but they obeyed since Zemus was their master. They had helped Golbez in any way they could, doing away with people standing in his way and replacing them to increase the controlled human’s power. They had started to collect the crystals in order to awake the giant of Bab-Il, because that would shake FuSoYa gravely.
Everything had worked due to the plan. Then it had dawned on them that Cecil, dark knight of Baron, was the only other lunarian on Earth. Golbez brother. That could be a problem, if he was allowed to live.
Kainazzo had made up the idea of having the dark knight go to Mist and take care of the summoners; Zemus knew the power of the espers and didn’t want them meddling with his plans either. After that threat was gone, Cecil would be killed easily.
Valvalis had gotten the order to follow this other half-lunarian to Mist and make sure he didn’t make any mistakes or turned around. It was then she had seen Kain for the first time, and he had made something scream inside of her, some lost memory wanted to escape its chains. Now she finally knew why. It was his ability to jump and his armor that had reminded her of her earlier life. “Dragoon” was just the developed title of “warrior of the Dragon”. Valvalis had watched this puny human with growing fascination and brought him back to Baron alive as the last summoner had called upon the Titan. Then the fiend of Air had gone to Golbez, no, Zemus, and asked him to spare Kain’s life. She had said that it was because he was a strong fighter, who could be useful. In reality she was confused and wanted to understand why she felt that way.
When she had seen him hanging on the wall in the cell, beaten and helpless, the memories had fought even more. He had reminded her of herself that time, as she had been bound by Zemus long ago. Of course she hadn’t been aware of that then, she had only known a strange compassion. Somehow, she had liked the dragoon.
As he had called her a monster it had hurt her very deeply, and that had confused her even more. For many years she actually had believed she was a monster, but as Kain said so, she was hurt. Then he had said that she was beautiful, somebody gave her a kind (even if it was in twisted way) word for the first time in ages.
The confusion had grown and bent in fear for her master. Yet, as she saw Kain beg Golbez for mercy, it had shocked her. For a moment she had remembered how she had been enslaved.
And her master had confronted her, scaring her half to death. But she couldn’t help that Kain somehow healed the one she really was, and that last surviving human part of her knew more than gratefulness towards the warrior. She couldn’t help it, and definitely not fight it. Rubicant had tried, but she could not love him as he loved her.
As Kain had been able to break free, Valvalis had exploded because of her own pain. The dragoon had the nerve to almost send her to Zemus again, and he was even able to break free from his bounds. This twisted bitterness and jealousy had driven Valvalis into rage, and she had attacked. It had been hard to keep fighting as Kain begged her not to but she’d known that she wouldn’t be forgiven if she stopped, and by then nothing else seemed to matter in any case.
One of the many things her powers allowed her was to hear when somebody thought of her, and what had passed through Kain’s head as he had jumped to kill her had been a wild series of painful thoughts, a mess of things he wanted to scream in despair… and a growing feeling he couldn’t help. He had also begun to love, even at that early rate.
He had thought that he killed Valvalis, but he hadn’t. Her body, yes, but her soul was given a new place almost immediately. Almost as if Zemus had known his minions needed to go through death and then get new bodies to become slightly stronger. He had prepared for such an occasion.
And then, in the giant…
Kain had been thinking of her, and that was what fought Golbez back in his attempt to enslave the dragoon’s mind. Valvalis had been outraged for a while, scared that Zemus would know…
And he had asked her not to fight again. He had been all too right about Cecil’s strength. But Rubicant had sent Valvalis away with his last powers, just before he died. He had loved her as well, and it hurt Valvalis that she hadn’t been able to return his favor. He had been better than Kainazzo and Milon, but she had foolishly lost her heart to a just as foolish dragoon.
It was impossible, but it was true. Kain was the one she loved.
‘I thank you for everything, Rubicant,’ she thought even in her sleep, ‘I owe you my life. Rest in peace, my friend.’
She had been very weak after the fight with Cecil, but had hid in the mountains of Eblan, meditating and sending her mind after Kain. To her amaze, he and his friends were really going to try their luck and skills against Zemus. Valvalis had given all the strength she dared to send to Kain to help him in the battle she had once lost.
And they had won. Kain, Cecil, Rosa, Edge and Rydia. They had done what seemed impossible. Zemus was dead, and Valvalis’ mind could begin to break free completely. Soon it would all be back, and she would be herself again; the human woman who had been among the finest of Dragon warriors. (Allowing a small game with words here… author’s note.)
She had followed the dragoon and his friends back from the moon and to Mysidia, even though her spirit had been weakened. As Kain had left the magic town and gone towards mount Ordeals, Valvalis had sent her mind back to her body and managed to turn herself into a seagull. Then she had flown as fast as she could, crossed the oceans, mountains and forests, just to reach the dragoon. He wasn’t only the one she loved, he was also the only one she possibly could turn to.
Valvalis hoped that Kain would love her true self just as the fiend of Air. The only main difference would be that she no longer feared to love him. Everything could be perfect, at least she hoped so. She didn’t want to hurt Kain in any way. He was the key to her freedom, he had helped her to become more human again.
She was still the fiend of Air, which was a problem. Even if she was weakened, that was who she was. That hadn’t changed at Zemus dead. It meant that she wasn’t completely human yet.
But that could be mended.
It had been forgotten, but once mount Ordeals hadn’t been a place to only become a paladin and find the strongest of spells. It was a place where one could mend one’s body completely, find the true self if it had been lost. The pure power here could turn her back into a true human. She’d go through any ordeal, face anything, to become what and who she had been all those years ago. Not only for her own sake, but also for Kain. He deserved better than a half-monster. Even if she risked to loose her magic powers. It was worth it.
Valvalis opened her eyes and looked at Kain. He was sitting down by a campfire he had lit, for the moment deep within his own thoughts. The two moons were almost hid by the clouds above, but their light was still reflected by his armor that laid beside him. Now he only wore a simple shirt and pants, which the flames painted yellow and red. As Valvalis whispered his name, he looked up and smiled warmly, as she had secretly wished that he would do for a long time.
“Are you feeling any better?” he asked.
“Yes,” Valvalis smiled back, “thank you.”
She sat up, pushing the warm blanket away. Then she stood and walked over to him, sitting down by his side. Carefully, he put his arm behind her shoulders, and she leaned against him, wrapping her own arms around him.
“We’re both fools, aren’t we?” she mumbled.
“Indeed, love,” he whispered, “we are.”
She would tell him about her life as a human, that she had been a dragoon, only with another title. She would tell him that she could become human again if she went to the top of the mountain. She would tell him everything he wanted to know. But not right now. For the moment it was enough to feel his warm arms and listen to his breathing, watching the fire and knowing that he loved her whoever she was. It was all she asked for right now.
And it was the only thing that Kain wanted too, watching her calm face. He turned his head and kissed her hair, as he once had wanted to kiss Rosa. But Rosa was happy with Cecil, and Kain was happy with Valvalis. She looked up at him and smiled warmly, and he held her tightly, determined not to let her leave him in any way again.
The end.