Chapter Sixteen: Realisation of Truth
We reached Alexandria about three hours after Reiganna had parted company with us, and just as the night began to draw in we reached the castle and witnessed an emotional reunion between Zidane and Garnet.
“My love, I have missed you so much!” she had cried when she saw him before running headlong into his arms where he had picked her up and swung her around.
“I’ve missed you too…it’s been a long couple of days.” He said with a weary voice.
“Zidane, you look exhausted.” Said Garnet looking up into his blue eyes
“We’ve just walked here from Dali.” I said as an explanation
“Like I said,” continued Zidane “It’s been a long couple of days.”
“We have rooms you can use, Steiner and Beatrix will show you to them.”
Adelbert Steiner bowed to us and indicated a doorway with his hand
“If you would follow me please.” He said with a smile
As I walked away to follow Steiner I heard Garnet say quietly to Zidane behind me
“I take it you didn’t find any escape pods.”
“No,” replied Zidane “It looks like he’s gone for good this time.”
I blinked several times to stop the tears I felt forming from actually falling, it hammered home at me again, he was gone, he had been so big a part of my life that when I had been with him it seemed as though I couldn’t be without him, even the times he had been on patrol I had pined for him, and I knew that he had pined for me too, I had seen it on his face once he returned. This time however, he wasn’t out on patrol, he wasn’t coming back…he was gone, forever.
“It is good to see you again Domino.” Said Steiner as he walked beside of me
“It’s good to be back in Alexandria again,” I replied “I wish it was under better circumstances.”
Steiner sighed
“Ah yes, Thunderchild…he was a good man. It is a terrible shame, I was looking forward to seeing him again.”
Beatrix spoke up now from the other side of the group as we headed up some spiral stairs.
“It’s good to see our friends from the Discworld, you must introduce yourselves, I recognise Mr Nagy here but the rest of you I know not. My name is Beatrix, white knight and protector of her majesty Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th.”
“That’s a bit of a mouthful.” Said Xola
I chuckled, despite my sorrow
“Most people call her Garnet…or sometimes Dagger.” I explained
“Dagger?!” asked Kitiara
I shook my head, I didn’t have the time to explain the meaning behind Garnets alias.
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, I’m Mizrah, this is Snikity and that’s Xola and Kitiara.”
Beatrix and Steiner nodded, almost in unison.
“Well, it’s good to meet you all, your rooms are down this corridor, you all have separate rooms, Domino, your usual room is ready, as is yours Alex and Mikoto.”
I nodded and thanked Beatrix before bidding farewell to my friends and retiring to my own room, everything was just as I remembered it. The bed sheets well tucked in and unused, but everything still there, the paintings on the wall, the dagger on the table.
“You came back, I knew you would.”
“Of course I came back.” He had said “I couldn’t go on without you by my side.”
I had hugged him tightly, never wanting to let him go in case he left again. Then we had made love, in the bed I stood before…The room seemed so empty now, there was no joyous laughter, no giggles of passion, not even sighs of contentment, all I could hear now was the wind blowing gently through the window.
Suddenly I felt so very, very lonely.
Walking forward I sat down on the edge of the bed and let myself cry, let all the emotions and sorrow I had been bottling up since his death out, let the tears flow freely since there was no-one to see me.
“I miss you…my love…” I sobbed
I paced backwards and forwards in the hologram room in the early hours of the night, most of the castle was asleep now, but I couldn’t sleep, it might have been the buzz the crystal had given me but now it seemed as though I had limitless energy and had no need for sleep.
<I miss you…my love…> said a voice in my head
I shook my head and listened hard, but heard nothing. I blinked several times and continued pacing.
“Ghosts...” I muttered to myself, pacing faster.
A loud commotion outside made me look up from where I had been staring at the floor and walk over to the window to see what was happening.
A group of genomes were dragging three figures into the courtyard outside, I couldn’t make out the figures clearly in the moonlight but decided to investigate further and walked down the stairs nearby and outside.
“What have you brought me?” I asked when the genomes approached
“We found them wandering on the plains nearby.” Replied the lead genome.
“Release us from these chains! I demand you release us!!” shrieked a red headed woman who was struggling with the manacles which the genomes had placed on their hands and legs. I looked at the other prisoners, a man in his early twenties with dark blue hair and a small kid wearing a baseball cap.
I sighed and rubbed my temples
“Ye gods, what crap have you dragged in here?”
The genome raised an eyebrow but said nothing, seemingly not understand my curse.
I shook my head and grabbed the lead chain from out of the genomes hand and tugged on it hard which made the blue haired man fall onto the red head.
“Get off of me you stupid idiot!” she yelled at him
“It’s not my fault Jesse, it’s these chains!” he protested
“Shut up, unless you want to land up dead instead of merely mortally wounded.” I snapped at them before pulling them back up the stairs and into the main hall.
“Whoa.” Muttered the kid
“You like it?,” I said “Well, that’s good…because it’s gonna be the last place you’ll ever see.”
I lead them over to the secret door and pushed the concealed button which swung the door inwards, the entryway appearing from within the stonework.
I drew my sword and pointed it at the kid.
“After you.”
He gulped and gently made his way downwards, the other two had no choice but to follow him, I walked down after them and shut the door behind me.
“My god, what is this place?!!” yelled the kid as he reached the bottom.
“My torture chamber and your new home.” I said with a snarl as I unbuckled his chains, he tried to swing at me in an attempt to knock me out but I easily dodged the attack and laughing with amusement smashed the kid in the side of the face with my fist sending him sprawling to the floor.
“You will share a cell together, you may derive some comfort from it.” I said with a snarl as I undid the other twos manacles and pushed them into the cell before picking the kid up with one hand and throwing him in after them.
Slamming the door shut I laughed insanely before shouting in through the barred window at the top of the door.
“Have a look at what awaits you!” I yelled before selecting a door at random and picking out a battered and weary blonde female genome.
Ash’s POV
I couldn’t believe the sickening scene being played out before me. Firstly the
man had smacked the genome several times about the body, occasionally I heard
the crunch of broken bone. Then he pushed her onto a table and fastened her
legs and arms down with leather straps, looking around he then picked up a
sharp knife and held it up to the light coming from a glowing orb in the roof.
“The poor thing, what is he doing?” whispered James from beside me
“I don’t know but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be pleasant.” I replied
The cloaked man picked up another knife and examined it, with a smile he returned to the genomes side and looked at her, I could see the fear in her face as she turned her head from side to side, trying to break free of the restraints.
“There is no escape…there is no mercy…the death I bring upon you is as inevitable as the coming morning.” He said in a calm voice as he delicately cut open the genomes stomach and let the blood spurt out. The genome pulled on all of the restraints, her face a grimace of pain.
“Please...” she begged him
He just smiled and jammed the knife point down in her shoulder which made her whimper and tense up in pain. Then he walked over to the other side of the floor in which a fire burned making shadows dance on the ceiling, he studied the flames for a moment and then pulled out a poker from the fire. Turning around he advanced on the genome, the tip of the poker glowed white hot and I could see it reflected in the terrified genomes eyes. The cloaked man then dragged the poker along the wound he had created in the genomes stomach, sealing it shut and cauterising the wound, he then did the same with the knife wound in the shoulder.
“What the hell? He harms her and then heals her.” I muttered
“I don’t think he’s finished yet.” Said Jesse from behind me
The man then picked up two knee high metal boots which he fastened to the genomes legs. He then turned to our cell and smiled
“These are called Iron boots…I shall show you why.”
He returned to the fire and picked up a small cauldron while wearing a fireproof glove and stirred its contents, when he gently tilted the cauldron to show us its contents, I could see molten metal inside glowing white hot, he then turned and poured the metal into a hole on the boots. The genome went wide eyed and screamed, she screamed so loud I thought my head would explode but the cloaked man didn’t relent, if anything the screaming made him happier, a small smirk crossing his masked face.
The genome stopped screaming after about ten minutes and just lay still panting heavily. The cloaked man grinned and punched her heavily in the stomach before removing the boots, the metal coating had cooled down a bit and had solidified. He pulled the genome to her feet, she winced and shuddered as her feet touched the ground, and as he pulled her over to a trapdoor in the corner she hobbled, quite clearly in great pain.
“The only problem with iron boots,” said the cloaked man as he opened the trapdoor by pulling on a chain “Is that you get very heavy.” He pushed the genome down the trapdoor, I heard a loud splash which was followed by the sound of many bubbles breaking the surface, that sound then gave way quickly to silence, I presumed the poor genome had drowned. The man stood on the edge of the trapdoor and shook his head slowly, almost as though he regretted what he did.
“Pity,” he said “The other genome put up twice as much of a fight…had bigger lungs too…oh well.” He let go of the chain and let the trapdoor fall shut.
Before he stalked out of the room he turned and smiled at us.
“I’m sure you’ll do much better…” he said.
A shiver went down my spine as he left, I turned and saw Jesse crying like a little girl, she was quite clearly terrified. I couldn’t blame her, so was I.
Where are you when we need you Domino? I thought
I left Gallion under the watchful and worried eye of Rupee, his injuries were severe but he was healing, thanks to his healing ability. Unipegs were more resilient than they looked.
He had given me a brief description of the attacker, and the description completely matched what I had seen of our attacker on the road to Alexandria…what had he called himself again? Fury, that was it.
I wondered what he wanted with the crystal, it wasn’t difficult to guess what with his threats and ruthlessness, the crystal had devastating powers in the wrong hands, and this Fury definitely had the wrong hands.
I sighed, I had neglected my duties as guardian of the Twilight Forest, I had been DRUNK, how could I forgive myself? It was my fault that Gallion lay on the bed in the main cave, my fault that the crystal of light was gone, my fault that a probable madman was now one step closer to ruling Gaia. I wondered alone through the forest, the gentle wind rustling my silver hair and the fireflies making little glowing dances in the trees.
A glint of shining metal caught my eye, something had been dropped in the fallen leaves on the side of the crystal path. The metal caught my eye so much because it was unusual to see metallic objects in the forest. I walked over to it and uncovered the leaves which had fallen over it. It was a large two-handed sword, the handle was golden and shaped like a dragon and there was writing on the sharp blade.
“Dra-con-us…” I muttered, the words seeming familiar.
I held the sword up to the moonlight and studied it, the blade was big but it wasn’t heavy and it was sharp, very sharp. I figured it must have been dropped by the intruder when he found the crystal cave.
Then I realised who it was, the mystery man with the silver dragon and the sharpened sword. Not in a million years would I have expected it to be him, but there were too many coincidences.
I sat down on a nearby log and put the sword by my feet.
What the hell am I going to tell Yugami? I thought
A commotion outside woke me up from where I had fallen asleep across the bed still fully clothed.
“Get him!!” yelled someone from outside, I immediately got up and opened my door, someone ran into it from the other side knocking it and me back again. I reopened the door and saw Kuja lying sprawled on the floor from where he had been knocked.
“Kuja? What the hell?” I asked
“I don’t know,” he gasped, clutching at his bleeding nose “I went to the toilet and everyone started chasing me!”
I pushed the door open fully
“Get in here.” I ordered, he gratefully clambered to his feet and ran into my room, I put a finger to my lips as a signal for him to be quiet and then closed him in my room.
A couple of seconds later Beatrix ran around the corner, her sword drawn.
“Did you see him?!” she asked, her face furious
“See who?” I asked, knowing quite well who she meant
“Kuja, that silver haired bastard, when I get my hands on him!!” she swore, swinging her sword angrily.
“Oh…Kuja. Yeah, we brought him back from Mardain Sari.” I explained
“But he’s evil! Not to mention he should be dead!” protested Beatrix
I shook my head
“He’s got no memories of his past, he doesn’t know what he did. You can’t blame him for crimes he can’t even remember committing!”
“He should stand trial…”
“For what? Zidane owes Kuja his life and besides he can’t remember it.”
Beatrix put her sword back in its scabbard and her hands on her hips.
“How do you know he isn’t lying?”
I shook my head, it was a good question, we didn’t but it was a risk I was willing to take for my brother
“I don’t, but for now, I trust him.”
Beatrix paused for a moment and brushed a stray piece of her hair back behind her ear.
“Well Domino, if that’s the way you want him treated, but he’s your responsibility…and if he slips up then I’m going to arrest him and he will stand trial for everything…memories or no memories.”
Fury’s POV
Strangely this round of torturing didn’t bring me any satisfaction, it normally did, seeing the genomes writhe under my power and whimper for my mercy. I didn’t know whether it was because I had spectators but it just didn’t feel the same.
Still unable to sleep I returned to my room and uncovered the crystal, picking it up in both hands I tucked it under my shoulder and walked back down to the main hallway and then into another room which I knew was the space observatory, a holographic image of Terra was turning slowly in the centre circle, I stopped for a moment and watched the barren planet, knowing what it once looked like and also what it looked like now.
My plan was still underway, the ultimation had been made, I had to have everything ready in one week because I didn’t expect the leaders of the Mist Continent to surrender to me at all.
You shouldn’t have even given them that warning I
thought to myself Better to have killed them all in their sleep
Shrugging I continued to walk over to the other side of the room, reaching the edge of a massive drop, a circular pit which went down further than I could see and the dimensions of which were huge. A small platform waited patiently directly in front of me and once I had set both feet upon it the green surface of the platform glowed and it began its downward descent around the side of the pit, slowly spiralling down.
As it fell I once again ran over the plans for next week in my mind, they couldn’t fail, not with the power I had and the army I had control of. There were only two random factors which I had to wary of, one of them was Lawrence and the other was that Domino, both of them had the capability to ruin my carefully laid plans, but I wasn’t exactly going to let that happen.
It took a couple of minutes but finally the platform reached the bottom, slowly to a steady halt. I stepped off the platform and walked out into the dark room, I didn’t know much of the pathways underneath this place, but I didn’t want to go exploring, I just wanted somewhere private to explore the mysteries of the crystal.
Placing the crystal on the floor I pushed every once of my psychic ability into the crystal, at first nothing happened but then I noticed that the crystal was glowing brighter. Then I began to call the power to me, presenting my body as its willing host, the glow of the crystal grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the whole area.
Then a giant spark arced off the crystal and struck me in the chest, sending the familiar feelings of pain and pleasure through my body, slowly I felt myself begin to levitate off the floor, the pain forgotten now as the crystal continued to discharge power into me. I closed my eyes and felt a strange change come over me, I didn’t notice anything physical but I could sense vast amounts of hidden power suddenly surface within me, opening my eyes I raised a hand and sent a trail of purple energy at a nearby rock, making it explode in a shower of rock fragments. Smiling at the power I looked down at myself and nearly fainted with shock. My normal brown hair was now a light blue in colour, a colour which perfectly matched a TAIL which grew out of my back, exactly like a genome tail! My clothing had changed into a white robe with arms and a cloak coloured like fire.
I smiled and summoned forth a lightning bolt which smashed into the ground, turning it into a bubbling puddle of molten rock. I smiled and levitating off the ground I flew out through the cave network which seemed to litter the area under the castle. On my way I encountered a couple of monsters, the odd Ogre which I promptly vaporised with my new found power.
Then I emerged into the outside and hovered high in the air, snarling with the uncontrollable power within me. I knew that I could do anything now, anything was possible.
That night I sent lightning bolt after fireball after comet crashing down on the plains on the Forgotten Continent, and by the time I returned to my room as the dawn light broke, my powers had faded and I had returned to normal, and as I looked out of the window at the destruction I had caused during the night, the crystal safe in its cloth beside me, I smiled and watched the smoke gently rising, most of the northern horizon on fire. Then overcome by exhaustion I collapsed onto my bed and slept extremely soundly.