CLANK CLANK CLANK!
The thundering noise of Steiner's armor came clattering down the hall.
"The demons suddenly vanished," came Freya's call as they darted in. "What ha - " They all stopped dead at the sight that greeted them.
Calan lay sprawled upon the floor. The heroes who had gone to rescue them were all standing looking at his form, tears streaming down their faces and wounded in more than just body. Vivi stood closest, his back to the others. There was a slight shake in his shoulders, but other than that, he was silent and still.
Dregan slowly approached, and rested his hand on Vivi's shoulder. Vivi flinched slightly, but didn't move to remove the offer of comfort. He looked up at Dregan, and the Dunedi noticed that he wasn't even weeping, the pain in his eyes far beyond showing by such simple means. It went soul-deep.
"It was what he would've wanted," he whispered softly. Vivi nodded, knowing it was true, but still...
I'm sorry, Calan, he thought. We failed.
Tears smeared across their faces, the rest moved forward to offer their sympathies and to gather up Calan's body. None knew how they were going to break this to his brothers.
Suddenly Kuja burst through them, startling them considerably. He shoved his way to stand between them and Calan, and again he Tranced.
"Kuja?" Vivi moved carefully around to look up at the Genome, and was shocked to see that his eyes were swirling with gray mist. A sudden pulse of power backed everyone up, as he held up his hands towards the boy's prone form.
"A life of pain/ a life undone/ Be now as you first begun," he chanted in a rather strange way, clearly casting a spell, but none that any of them had heard before. "Magic, Mist, rise anew/Be now as a first made you!"
A surge of powerful magics swirled through the room. It was such force that their garments ruffled, Freya had to grab hold of her hat, hair whipped into eyes straining to see what was happening. The Bretheren and Garnet actually felt some of their magical energy - what was left - being drawn into the spell. It whirled aand pulled into a tighter and tighter spiral above Calan. Like water caught in a whirlpool, it spun down, and actually entered his body. They knew it, even though they couldn't see it. Then the power vanished, and Kuja collapsed.
"Brother!" Zidane was at his side in an instant, gently lifting him into his arms. He was out cold, breathing gently as the Trance left him.
It was then that a ragged gasp of breath drew all attention from the Genome...To Calan.
The Black Mage's body was lifted into the air and turned vertical, floating about half-way to the ceiling in a cross position. His head was tipped down as he was slowly lowered to the ground, onto his feet, and whatever was holding him up let go, leaving him standing under his own power. Shocked, not knowing what to think, they only watched as he staggered a step forward, putting a hand to his head under his hat, and looking up at them.
His eyes were glowing that familiar yellow, looking confused, and a little scared.
"F - father?" he murmured softly, takingg a staggering step towards Vivi. Vivi took a step towards him, then darted forward as Calan nearly fell to his knees, holding him up.
"Calan! You're - you're alive!"
"Father..." Cal looked up, and only the eyes of another Black Mage could see the tears running down his face. "I'm - I'm so sorry..." Vivi cut him off by pulling him into a tight embrace, his own shoulders shaking as the realization finally hit.
Calan was alive, and was himself again!
Once this fact hit home, the rest of the heroes burst into cheering. They hadn't failed as they'd first thought!
"What happened?" Cal asked softly, in between being hugged by everyone. "The last thing I remembered was being tied down on the table, and then there was a lot of pain, and everything went black."
"I'll tell you later," Vivi promised. "Right now, all that's important is that we've got you back." Cal nodded.
"Can we go home?" he asked, and they instantly complied, Zidane and Steiner carrying Kuja back to the airship, and they quickly leaving the area to go back to Alexandria.