Chapter Seventeen: Dawn of a New Sun
I awoke slowly, my mind getting up to speed as I automatically got dressed. I was so accustomed to my metallic implants now that I didn’t even notice them as I pulled on my clothing.
The first thing I did notice out of place though was the horizon, I couldn’t see it.
“What the…?” I whispered as I looked out of the window, my mouth dropping open.
The entire northern horizon had been blotted out with smoke and fire, it was as though a volcano had suddenly erupted in the night. My first thought was that Gulug volcano had exploded but the fires looked too close for it to be that. I had to tell Fury, I turned and ran out of the room down the corridor to his chamber, I hammered on the door but heard no answer, so I knocked again, finally I kicked the door off its hinges with my mechanised foot, noting with surprise the additional power it gave me, and stormed into the room.
“Fury!!” I shouted at the sleeping dictator, but still he didn’t wake up so I walked over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. Immediately he was awake, and with a punch in the face, sending me sprawling across the floor.
“What the hell did you do that for?!” he shouted at me, his fists raised in a fighting stance
“I’ve come with news! Something’s happened!” I yelled back, wincing at the pain in my jaw.
“What?!” He asked, getting up from his bed
“The northern horizon is on fire…all of it!”
His reaction wasn’t what I thought it would be, instead of acting curious, even horrified…he chuckled! His face went up in a smile as he straightened out his cloak.
“Oh that,” he said dismissively “I know about that, it’s nothing to worry about.”
I raised an eyebrow as he helped me back to my feet, he looked at the bruise now forming on my cheek and the crooked angle of my jaw.
“Ouch, did I do that? I am sorry Ilvian, I’m quite a defensive sleeper!” he said.
“That’s ok, it’s nothing.” I mumbled
“Oh, but it is. Hold still a second.” He said before closing his eyes and bringing one hand up to my cheek, he focused deeply for a minute and then I noticed the pain begin to ease dramatically, he opened his eyes and looked at me with a smile.
“There…is that better?” he asked
I nodded, a little confused, this was the nicest Fury had ever treated me since I had arrived in this place, it was as though something or someone had changed him.
“Are you alright?” I asked
“Absolutely fine Ilvian. Come! We must gather the army together, I wish to make a speech to them, we must begin our plans soon.”
“We must?”
“Yes…the fools on the Mist Continent think I’ll stick to my arranged one week…”
“And you’re not going to?” I asked
“Of course not! What do you talk me for? A fool!? While they’re still debating over their actions and preparing their armies I will strike…strike while they’re still unorganised. Strike while our army is at it’s strongest!!” he snarled with an evil glimmer in his eye, his hand clutched in a tight fist.
“I’ll get the troops organised right away…where do you want to make the speech?” I asked, switching quickly into an obedience mode in order to prevent Fury’s refound anger venting itself on me.
“If you gather the army on the plains outside the front gates I will make the speech from the tower. I want it all arranged to go at mid-day.”
I nodded quickly and saluted him before running off down the corridor. On the way I passed Rhiana who turned around and ran with me, keeping pace as we ran down the marbled corridors.
“What’s the hurry?” she asked
“Fury’s getting me to assemble the army outside the castle, he’s going to make a speech to them.”
Rhiana almost stopped running but gathered herself together quick enough to carry on running.
“But…that means…”
I nodded, knowing exactly what she was saying.
“He’s going to invade in less than a week…we’re running out of time and fast!”
Kuja and I had talked into the early hours of the morning, talked about my past and his past, talked about the future.
“What are you going to do now?” he asked me
“I honestly don’t know, just carry on I suppose. You have to do that, because life won’t stop just because you need it to, I just have to think about one day at a time. Take it slowly.”
Kuja nodded, I could see he didn’t really understand but could vaguely comprehend the answer I had given him.
“And you?” I asked
“I don’t know either, my life is with you guys now. Make amends for what I’ve done perhaps, serve the planet I worked so hard to destroy.”
I smiled at him
“That’s a very noble response Kuja, I’m glad to see you like this. It’s a lot easier to be evil than good but it’s more rewarding to stay on the side of good. Trust me, I’ve wobbled on the fine line many times before.”
“Will I be alright to stay around here tonight?”
“What? In my room?!”
“No, no, no, in the castle, I got the impression I’m not that welcome.” He said with a slight sadness on his face
“Yeah, I’ve vouched for you, you’ll be fine. If people start to get at you because of what you were then just remind them of what you are now, you said so yourself that you hope to ‘make amends’, well it’ll go a long way…believe me.”
He nodded and stood up
“Thank you Yugami.”
I shook my head
“Please, call me Domino…Yugami brings back so many bad memories.”
“Sorry…Domino. Thank you for talking to me, I’ve got the impression many people are scared to.”
I nodded, swishing my tail slightly as I too stood up.
“Yeah, the people around here hold long, long grudges…but they’ll forgive you over time.”
He patted me on the shoulder and I gave him a small hug in return, after all he was my brother and as I waved him goodbye and wished him a good night, I sat back down on my bed and sighed gently. I just hoped I could see the next week through, it was going to be tough…very tough.
I had to find out what this man was up to, I knew how much of a danger he was to the safety of Gaia now, especially since he had the crystal of light. Gallion had confirmed who I feared this ‘Fury’ if that’s what he called himself, to be.
The Unipeg was up and about now, but only just, he wouldn’t be able to be ridden for ages now, he could barely move about the cave he was in, but, like I would have done if it had have been me in his place, he couldn’t just lie down and wait, he had to be up and moving about, even if to do so was extremely painful.
I waved my hand over the viewing mirror and thought of Fury, thought of where he could be…the mirror flickered and switched to a castle I didn’t recognise. Outside it was the biggest army I had seen in a very long time, I could see other genomes in it, I could also see Silver Dragons, Behemoths, Vices, Nova Dragons, and loads of other kinds of monsters, all congregated around this castle. I zoomed into the castle to have a closer look, the sun was almost overhead in the midday position. The monsters who could talk seemed to be cheering something, I could barely make it out through the mirror…then I heard it.
“Fury! Fury! Fury! Fury!” they were chanting, my blood went cold, if this was the size of the army he was in power of then we were in trouble, big trouble.
I walked steadily down the corridor, Ilvian to one side of me and Rhiana to the other, the corridor echoing to the sound of our marching feet.
“The army is ready to hear you now.” Said Ilvian
“Good work.” I replied with a smile.
We stopped outside the large double doors which lead to the platform where I would make my speech.
“Time to address the nation.” I muttered and pushed the doors open, as they opened outwards I saw the army together for the first time, it was perfect…nothing could stop this vast army of monsters, the Mist Continent would fall within a week!
I walked out and up to the wall surrounding the ledge, I could hear them all chanting my name, I looked around, taking in the view slowly from the left to the right, I then took a deep breath and raised my hand to silence the crowd.
“Citizens of the New Order, I greet you!” I yelled, almost instantly the army started cheering again.
Sheesh, enthusiastic crowd I thought as I waved my hand to quieten them down again.
“This week we will go forth and claim what is ours by right…Scientists from my world once had a theory, they said only the fittest survive. I say they were right but wrong! I say, only the strongest survive and we are the STRONGEST!!” I shouted, smashing my fist down onto the wall at the end of the sentence to emphasis my point.
“Using technology gained by the alliance between myself and Lawrence, we will smash deep into the heart of the strongest land in the world, the Mist Continent. Lindblum, Treno, Alexandria…all will fall before our marching feet! Nothing can or will stand in our way!”
The crowd began cheering and chanting my name again, this time I let them cheer for a while, smiling at the response to my speech…this was going better than I expected.
Then I raised a hand to bring order back to the chaotic cheering.
“Citizens! We march forth into VICTORY!!!” I yelled punching the air with my right arm.
I turned to Ilvian standing behind me, and nodded at him.
“Bring the defence systems online.”
Ilvian bowed and whispered the command into the ear of a genome standing behind him, the girl ran off to execute the order. I turned back to the crowd and smiled.
“No-one can stop us! NO-ONE WILL STOP US!!!” I yelled over the noise, and as I finished shouting a new sound overruled the cheering, as the particle cannons around us whirred into life and pointed skywards, firing one burst as a test round, the noise of the particle blast echoed over the crowd and off the walls of the tower behind me.
“Tremble before me for I have awakened the beasts of war.” I muttered
“We’ve going to have the funeral the day after tomorrow.” Announced Zidane
“What?! No-one told me?!” I yelled
“It’s probably the best time to have it…everything is ready to go with your permission Domino.”
“But, what? Eh?” was all I could manage, Zidane had made the sudden announcement when I came to the banquet hall for lunch and found him and Mikoto talking.
“Cid has arranged for a procession through the streets of Lindblum and a burial in the main park.” Said Mikoto
“It’s a little soon isn’t it?” I asked
“Better late than never.” Replied Zidane with a small shrug
“Very well then,” I replied “It at least gives me tomorrow to get ready…are we taking the Hildagarde to Lindblum?”
Zidane nodded
“There’s one more thing I wish to let you know of Domino, it’s something I want kept quiet.”
“What’s that?” I asked
He leaned over to me and Mikoto and whispered gently so that no-one else in the room could hear.
“We’ve lost a few airships recently over the Forgotten Continent, just cargo ships and the odd warship. Cid’s sending the Hildagarde II out to investigate.”
“That thing? I thought it crashed…what about the Hildagarde IV?”
“It blew up remember? Just after it left port on the shakedown cruise.”
I nodded, I remembered now, Thunderchild had talked about it a lot, the Hildagarde IV had taken ‘shake down’ a little too seriously, thank goodness for escape pods!
“Do you think it might be Fury?” I asked
Zidane shrugged
“I don’t know…the weather has been a bit treacherous around there lately…it could have been that. However…” he stopped suddenly, looking around again
“However what?” asked Mikoto
“The last airship to go missing reported seeing a large section of the plains near Oeilvert on fire and evidence of mining near Ipsen’s Castle.”
“So Fury could be at Oeilvert or Ipsen’s Castle?” I asked
Zidane nodded and smiled
“We’re going to send the fleet to investigate after the funeral.”
“Don’t you think Fury is going to attack before then?”
Zidane shook his head
“I wouldn’t have thought so, both the Lindblum and Alexandrian fleets are on the highest alert…if anything crosses the border, we’ll know about it.”
I nodded before raising my voice again.
“Ok, set the funeral for the day after tomorrow.”
Zidane nodded sombrely and ran off.
Reigannas POV
“That does it…I need to take action, but how?” I wondered out loud.
Domino had to be warned, the whole Mist continent needed to be warned, but how?
“Reiganna?” asked a voice from behind me, I turned and saw a tall brown haired woman standing behind me.
“What the hell?” I asked in puzzlement
“Don’t be scared…it is me, but I’m not evil.” Said Jara
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been here ever since Yissan was brought back from the dead, I’ve been living in an abandoned city on the outskirts of the forest…a week ago I found a giant war machine…I wanted to come and let you know.”
“A city? Where?”
“I told you…on the outskirts of the forest. It’s name is,” she paused, searching her memory “Atlantis!”
I raised my eyebrow, I’d never heard of such a name before.
“That’s all well and good Jara but a crisis is developing…one which needs my attention immediately.”
“That’s the problem Reiganna…the machine has woken up. It woke up last night and set fire to part of the city, it destroyed my home in the process.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“I think it’s related to the Crystal of Light.” She said
I thought for a moment and then made my decision, Gaia could wait, my home was in possible trouble and I had neglected my duties here once too often.
“Take me to it.”
Jara nodded and walked out of the cave we both had stood in, I followed her as we made our way deep into the Twilight Forest, I just hoped that by ignoring the threat from Fury I had made the right decision.
Well…we were all impressed, there was no doubt about that, Fury’s speech had been impressive, as had the reaction of the army, I began to believe in Fury now, believe that nothing could stop us. I had just ordered the genomes to bring the army together, I didn’t know just how large that army really was.
“Well…that was incredible.” I muttered to Rhiana as we followed Fury back through the corridors to the observation room.
“It was scary.” She replied
I nodded, she was right, seeing the size of that army was impressive and yet terrifying at the same time.
A Magic Vice messenger ran up to Fury and said something to him, I couldn’t quite hear what although I heard the words ‘funeral’ meantioned.
“Are you sure?” asked Fury
The messenger nodded and saluted Fury before running off again, as it left Fury grinned evilly and rubbed his hands together.
“Excellent…truly excellent.” He said
“What’s happened Fury?” I asked
“The plan unfurls the day after tomorrow…I will explain everything to you, but from now on I want the army on constant readiness, it’s got to be ready to go within one hour…do you hear me?”
I nodded and saluted Fury
“Crystal clear sir!”
Fury chuckled when I said ‘Crystal’ I didn’t know why
“Very good Ilvian, very good Rhiana. I’m going to personally need your help over the next couple of days…stay close to me.”
We reached the edge of the forest by what I reckoned was evening time in the outside world, the forest spirit within me was vastly more intelligent than myself and could calculate the time taken. The Twilight Forest was no small place and it had taken us almost four hours to get to where we were now, around me the twilight began to give way to daylight and through the trees ahead leaked white light which blanked out any view I could have of the way ahead. I didn’t trust Jara as much as perhaps I should have done but she was still the same person who had invaded my home and tried to destroy it, this time around it was another invader and I was relying on Jara this time, trusting her a little maybe but nevertheless she travelled in front of me and I kept my powers ready for use at all times.
We reached the light and finally I could see beyond the forest and for the first time in my life I saw what lay beyond the Twilight Forest.
A ruined city, marble towers reaching up into the sky, trees growing through stone houses, the odd ancient monument scattered here and there.
“Welcome to Atlantis.” Said Jara
My mouth just fell open and stayed open.