Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 01:03:51 -0700 From: Amethyst Rose Subject: Final Fantasy Rosa Chapter 10 Disclaimer: All rights for the Final Fantasy series goes to Square Enix. This story is a fan fiction in this franchise universe, categorized under fan fiction. This story is obviously fiction. This story will also involve sexual and intimate relationships between two (or more) males, and if this offends you or it is illegal for you to be reading, then please leave. If you are under the age of consent for your community, please leave. And if it does offend you, I honestly don't know why you're even here in the first place. I mean, seriously. Come on. Final Fantasy: Rosa X Dancing in the Dark As the General watched the Meadowland sun at the peak of its solar arch, he jostled back into reality in time to meet eyes with Winnie. "I hope you know where we are," he snapped. "Oh, you bet! Southern end of the Meadowlands. The Ruby landed in the Lumiere Woods. And it's okay, you don't have to thank me for saving your life," she said with a wink. "Hm. We need to return to Windhelm. You can take us there?" She shrugged. "If we can find the other clerics that Teleported down here, sure. We'd need the power of about three." "Very well." Again turning to the sky, he slowly and deliberately took off his gloves. "We must warn the Queen." -+-+-+- Perhaps because Tori had only seen Lumiere Woods at night, he was surprised to find the path not only pleasant, but gorgeous. Gentle beams of light, rhein and glittering, streamed through gaps in the arbor canopy, summoning the fluttering shadows characteristic of forest floors. The sun blessed tree leaves with a verdant glow, enchanting the endless horizon of woody pillars with brightness, caressing the air with a dewy breeze. Birds chirped, reminiscent of reedy flutes, and small whispers of wind slithered with the cool and clear consistency of ice water. Dergus and Silver took up the lead, and Tori trailed several yards behind them. Although he couldn't help but marvel at the delicate beauty around him, the polar opposite of the slums of Calledone, Tori found himself spending most of the trip shooting glares at Dergus whenever Silver laughed, or smiled, or even just looked at him. As for Silver, Tori spent the rest of his time looking resignedly at his back, or opening his mouth to talk to him whenever he noticed a silence in his conversation; the words never came. "Tori Lange, correct?" The thin and wiry voice from a thin and wiry woman caught Tori's attention. Master Cinders, towering in her venom green dress and steeple hat looked at home in the forest, and her slender motions themselves resembled those of a willow. "Wha?" Tori mouthed. Master Cinders looked down on him with narrow eyes. "If you don't mind me saying, you're more easily surprised than I would have expected." "What's that supposed to mean?" A change of subject. "How much formal training have you had?" "I don't get what you're trying to ask me," Tori said, and he was frank. She gave him a smile and a raised eyebrow in response. "Never mind, child. I suppose we'll find out in time." Perhaps she noticed that Tori was distracted, as after a long enough moment of silence she mustered the curiosity to ask, "Is there something about Dergus and Master Silver that bothers you?" "..." "Tori Lange?" "Huh? Oh, what?" "You're distracted." "Oh. Yeah." Tori continued to stare at Dergus, his crimson cape fluttering gracefully with his strong stride. "...Dergus and Silver are really close, aren't they." "I suppose." "Whaddya mean, 'you suppose?' Look at them; they've been on each other all day." Master Cinders rolled her eyes before explaining, "They are both high-ranking officers directly under Valerie's command, so it makes sense that they plan each of our steps carefully. Together." Tori frowned, mumbling, "You don't get it," and shutting up altogether. Dergus had said something with a wicked smile, and Silver laughed radiantly. -+-+-+- Void's spell had warped him and his soldiers directly onto the site of the Ruby's wreckagae; they appeared in a demolished grove of trees, hidden by a hunk of metal that was at one point the starboard fin of the airship. The rest of the Ruby's corpse lay twisted and strewn amongst the rather large crater of destroyed trees, a tragic, smoking testimony to destroyed technology in a destroyed forest. Staff in hand, Void tracked through the silver walls as the rest of the surviving soldiers convened yards away. He was looking for any lost survivors, maybe, or anything of interest before he started the arduous task of Warping back to civilization. In actuality Void did know what he was searching for, but it was only the back of his mind that motivated him--the rest of his conscience tried to stave him away. Eventually he found it: the wrecked Rose Room. The Carbuncle Siphon was wrecked beyond repair and there was the Rose, asleep, floating above the shrapnel unencumbered with all its light and serenity. Unsure of what else to do, Void stepped forward, attempting to reach for it. "Stop!" Void looked over his shoulder; the voice seemed to have came above him. Void saw him perched on a cliff of metal, the sun at his back. And attached to his back--angel wings? They couldn't have been but they were, white feathery plumes that spread proud against the sky. Void could only see his shadowy silhouette in the light, but with swiftness the figure swooped down to reveal a handsome face, soft brown hair, a shining set of armor and a diamondine spear. The armored angel landed just in front of the Rose, barring Void from coming any further. "What is this?" Void whispered to himself, although the angel took it as a question to himself. "He is mine, and you have no right to keep him any longer," he replied nobly. "You say 'him.' You always say 'him,' you and the other Body." "'Other Body?'" Void knew he had caught on quickly, but he didn't realize that even the primary player in front of him was confused. "Well, yes," Void postulated. Both he and the angel had let their guards down at this point. "The man with the helmet. The Dragon. I assume both you and he are Bodies. And you're after this Rose. Which is a 'him,' I suppose." "I don't know what you mean." The angel turned and faced the Rose. "All I know is that this Rose is my destiny." "Ignorant fool!" Void looked up in exasperation; as he anticipated, the Helmet Man he had once encased in ice had reappeared, glorious as ever on the other side of the wreckage. He spoke as he brusquely approached the Rose himself, and now the angel had raised his spear again. "You know nothing. Your mind is blank from the light of the sun, and you, the ignorant, do not deserve to have him!" The armored angel, although strangely and visibly shaken, still stood his ground. "I won't give him up!" "And neither will I." In a burst of superhuman speed the Helmet Man ran into the angel, punching him into the air; the angel dropped his spear in shock, his armor dented. But although he was propelled backwards, he quickly recovered with several large flaps of his wings. The angel raised his hands above his head; a column of pure light fell from the sky like a waterfall from heaven, and the Helmet Man found himself drowning in it. It seemed to thicken like some sort of celestial molasses, and while he was immobolized the angel attempted to make his move on the Rose. However, the Rose was not so willing. When the angel tried to lay a hand upon it he was repelled by a shocking force. He exchanged a glance with the Helmet Man, as though to ask him what had just happened. Before any such exchange could take place, however, the Rose bloomed open, spun in place like a rabid top, then literally whizzed into the air towards the Mountains. All that was left was a far off speck of light like a shooting star. Hopeless, the angel reached for the sky, yelling, "No!" It was enough of a distraction for the Helmet Man to break from away from his glowing prison, wading through the light with pure brute strength. He grabbed the angel by his neck and threw him into the air like a rag doll; he collided into the earth with a cloud of dust, his radiant wings twitching, his face clenched in pain. His work done and not another word said, the Helmet Man jumped from his place into the woods, still in the direction of the Rose. The spectacle over, Void approached the angel and kneeled down to inspect him; he was still alive, but obviously on the verge of unconsciousness. Unsure of what else to do, Void prepared to take him to the rest of the soldiers. Maybe, just maybe, this one would be more willing to talk. But something seemed strange about the wreckage now. Something sudden changed in the atmosphere, as if a single light had been extinguished in the sun, a faraway switch turned off. Whatever it was, Void felt the more urgent need to leave, and the sooner he could Warp away the better. -+-+-+- Dreams. Dreams of water snakes, of icy fangs dripping with blood, eyes watching in the abyss. Dark stuff in the sea. Screams drowned in bubbles. Lots of fingers and hands that are reaching for air, but they will never find it down there... Tori awoke, cold sweat, cold night. There was something about these woods that summoned the dreams again, visions that would haunt him only in the darkest and loneliest of times. It was the same as in the Meadowlands two nights ago. Only then he had Silver to keep him company... ...and speaking of Silver, his bed was empty. Dergus lay propped against a tree and Master Cinders was motionless on a slab of stone; Silver must have been on watch, Tori thought, so there was no need to disturb him. Tori tried to go back to sleep. He lay his head down on his pillow and tried to close his eyes, but each time he did a deep-set fear would jolt him like a shock of electricity. No, there would be no sleeping tonight. He lay, eyes open, staring at the moon through the canopy. How was Adrienne doing, he wondered? Probably getting molested by Trixie at this very moment. Or maybe Trixie would be that affectionate to that Candice girl, or Dayheart, whoever he was. Would they be safe? Of course, Tori thought--Trixie knew what she was doing, and Dayheart was pretty strong. Even Candice seemed competent. How about his own group? Master Cinders seemed frail, and although Tori knew looks could be deceiving, the way she snored did not make her any more intimidating. Maybe Dergus was good in battle, Tori acknowledged reluctantly. But as for Silver, Tori could not imagine him as anything other than fragile. Adrienne and Candice both called Silver one of the most powerful Wizards they had ever seen. Trixie and Dergus called him the Rebellion's greatest asset. Even old-timers like Dayheart and Master Cinders seemed to give him an unheralded amount of respect. So why was it that whenever Tori looked at him, he only saw the broken boy in the dungeon? Tori only saw the small hidden pain in Silver's crystalline eyes, the delicate apprehension in his fingers, the scars on his small wrists that chains had carved. And Tori wanted to protect him, to rescue him from his chains again, even though he knew in reality Silver was probably more capable of rescuing him... "Tori." Tori suddenly returned to reality just in time to see Silver looming over him; it was a strange thing to notice now, but in his head Tori made a memo that Silver had a new staff, silver and glassy. The tip glowed bright white, and it illuminated Silver's face like a miniature moon. "Are you still up?" Silver asked quietly. "Yeah. Why?" Silver bent down on one knee, keeping his staff perched straight up. "...You haven't been sleeping well lately. Are you sure you're okay with this place?" He thought Silver had been mad with him after their last altercation, but Tori was relieved to hear the gentleness in his voice again. "Uh. Well..." "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want. But if it ever gets too bad, just know there are always spells to help." Tori nodded. In the white light, he noticed something about Silver's eyes. Swiftly and without asking, Tori reached forwardand brushed Silver's cheek--Silver drew back only briefly, until he saw that Tori was moving the hair out of his face. There was someone who touched him like that once, all the time. Silver shook the thought away. "Hey. You're tired. Isn't your shift over?" "I--" Silver broke away from Tori's touch. "I'm fine. But I wanted to show you something." He rose to his feet; Tori followed noiselessly as Silver took him deeper into the Woods. He brought Tori to a tree-laden cliff that overlooked a large clearing below. The moonlight streamed through unobscured here, and it cast a glittering spotlight onto the ground like a stage. Tori looked down, unsure of what he was looking for. "Just wait," Silver told him. Tori thought he had seen something move in the branches of the trees below. But it wasn't his imagination: out of the darkness and into the moonlight stepped a huge thing on a green body. It seemed to be all mouth and no eyes, two writhing, vine-like tendrils waving in the air as it walked on four stubby legs. It wore a corolla of large pink petals like a skirt, and with each step a cloud of sparkling pollen misted out of it in a spiral pattern. It was an ochu. From around the grove of trees half a dozen other ochu emerged from the shadows, shaking the earth, quietly squirming. They arranged themselves in a circle, facing inwards. "What are they doing?" Tori asked. "The Ochu Dance. It's an annual spring mating ritual. Ochu are endangered species around these parts, and this is one of the only times you can see this many congregated at once." The ochu began to bounce up and down with a steady rhythm, the sparkly pollen blooming like a whirling dervish. The adjacent ochu entwined their tentacles, creating a circle of green and petals. Tori turned to look at Silver's face; his eyes caught the moonlight like blue dew. "Isn't it fascinating?" he whispered. There was that smile again. Seeing it brought a similar one to Tori's lips. "Hey, Silver." Silver looked at him wordlessly. "I never saw you smile much before this, you know." "Oh. Well, it's frustrating to be Fogged. You can't remember a lot of things and you just feel a lot worse. Not to say I'm always happy... But I'm sorry if I seeemed morose." "S'alright. I just like you better like this, that's all." "...I'm also sorry if I offended you earlier. I just wanted you to be here is all." "What?" Silver thought briefly about what he had just said. "Um! I meant I-" Silver blushed: a sight Tori was used to seeing at this point. Tori snickered. "-well, you're here now, a-and that's it." "Nah, I'm sorry too. But, uh..." Silver waited expectantly for Tori to continue his sentence. Tori was about to mention Dergus' name, but he held his tongue. "...never mind. "Hey." "Yeah?" "We spend a lot of nights together, don't we?" Silver remarked. He giggled when he saw Tori blush. "It doesn't mean anything. I just think maybe we could both use some Sleep spells. Doesn't Adrienne know some?" "Yeah! Yeah, she does. Addy was always WAY better at magic than me and Seb. She picks it up naturally, kinda like you." Silver nodded thoughtfully. "She told me her inventory of magic is limited. These days spellbooks don't come cheap, so I'm not surprised." "Uh huh. All the spells she knows, I stole from some rich dude with a library. I picked up a couple too-" "-Invis, Quick..." Silver said them both fondly, and Tori warmed up inside knowing that Silver remembered the times he had used them. "...if that's the case, then both you and Adrienne should stay with us a little longer. We could train you." "Huh? Whaddya mean?" "Well, a movement that's trying to accomplish what we're doing has to be self-sustaining. The Rebellion holds a large number of its own fighting and magic instructors, and almost all of them are here in Alabast. I mean... if you'd want to stay, that would definitely be an option. If you go back to Calledone, it'd be best to go back prepared." How could Tori tell him that, after all this, he didn't want to go back? That after surviving zombies, meeting Rebels, watching the Ochu Dance, or just meeting him, he couldn't stand the thought of going "back to normal." Instead, Tori just did what came naturally: "Cool. I'd like to stay." "I'm glad. If that's the case, I'll tell Dergus-" Silver was cut off by a sharp wail: one of the ochu had begun to convulse, and it disconnected from the circle. As though in aversion, the rest of the ochu gathered and faced the shaking one, their tentacles in an offensive position. Tori shuddered; they reminded him of hungry snakes. The one ochu had begun a transformation. Its petals wilted, its tongue slid out of its mouth like a gargantuan body all of its own, dragging grotesquely on the ground. And its skin--something, like molasses with a mind, crawled about it from seemingly out of nowhere, sheathing its body in an obsidian goop. Tori remembered the nymph: green displaced by black, nature distorted into something twisted. One of the ochu, witnissing the metamorphosis, slashed its tendrils at the monster before it. The dark ochu, fast as a flytrap, snatched the tentacles with its tongue. It literally swung the several-ton ochu in the air with the ease of a toy, sending it flying back into the trees with a tremondous whomp. The other ochu followed in suit, the dark one crying with a gutteral rasp. Silver now stood up from his perch, although he first pointed his staff straight into the air: a ball of glittering light shot from its crystal tip, its trajectory peaking directly above him. It exploded with a loud crack and painted the sky with silvery dust. Tori inferred that something that noisy would awaken Master Cinders and Dergus. The dark ochu, alerted by the noise, hurled its tendrils at Silver and Tori. Its reach was surprisingly long; reflexively, Tori grabbed Silver and jumped into the air, narrowly avoiding the tentacles crashing into the cliff. The problem was, they were now hurtling towards the clearing below at a faster-than-comfortable speed. "Swift wind, sweep us away to the heavens," Silver yelled over the wind. "Teleport!" Blue lights and white wind like bright orbs of silk wrapped around Tori and Silver, and in the blink of an eye they materialized, with no impact, on the ground. The dark ochu now towered over them, a twenty-foot monstrosity with an even worse temperment. Silver swung his staff behind him, an arcane light shining in his free palm. He threw his hand in the air. "Protect!" Tori remembered what Adrienne had said about saying spells without incantations. Bubbles of pure transparent light enveloped both him and Silver, and it was just in time; the dark ochu shot its tentacles at them once again. The force of it against Silver's Protect richocheted them away like pinballs; Tori, innately agile, flipped onto the side of a tree, grabbing hold of its trunk like a monkey. Silver, not quite as lucky, hit his back against the rough wall of the cliff. From his high perch, Tori reached into his belt. He pulled out a glassy red flask and hurled it full force at the ochu: while it was still in the air, he aimed a dagger at it and, as percise as a sniper, shattered it. A blanket of crimson flames poured out of the bifurcated bottle, and then the ochu itself was on fire. It screeched in pain as it flailed, smoke billowing around it like a curtain. By now, Silver had regained his footing, and he quickly ran to Tori's side. "Nice work," he remarked, although it wasn't for long. The fire burning on the ochu, as though a switch had been thrown, suddenly changed from red to black. The fire itself seemed to have been taken over by the dark presence, becoming like an extension of the ochu, a dancing headress that cast a sinister shadow in the moonlight. "Spirits of time-" Silver began to cast. But he wasn't fast enough; the dark ochu grabbed him by the waist with its tongue: Silver screamed in shock as he was lifted up into the air, dropping his staff in the process. Tori, in desperation, jumped onto the tongue before it went to high; it was difficult to keep his footing on the worm-like thing, but he found that the black stuff stuck to his boots like tar. Tori caught a brief, panicked look from Silver before he plunged his dagger into the tongue. It felt like cutting through rubber, although the reaction was obviously enough to make it release Silver. The last thing Tori saw before being flung into a pile of boulders was Silver falling to the ground. Tori grunted as he pried himself from the rocks. There were cuts and bruises all over his face and arms now, and he felt sore everywhere. He worked his way to his knees, and pulled himself up with the help of a gloved hand. "Thanks," he mumbled. And then he stopped: who else but Dergus was standing in front of him, a slick grin on his face. Tori furrowed his brow, cringing from a gash on his cheek while he did it. "'Bout time you got here," Tori said much more hostile this time. "Why's that? Off to a rocky start?" Dergus winked, and the bad pun hurt Tori more than any of his wounds. With that, Dergus ran into the fray, drawing his broadsword as he did. The dark ochu, detracting his attention from Silver, now confronted Dergus; it breathed in and expelled a cloud of vile pollen. Dergus stood his ground. He held his sword in front of himself, and as he concentrated runes along the blade sparkled with light. "The devil's spirit of restlessness... Split Punch!" He swung his sword forward and a stony column of orange light, inscribed with arcane symbols, sprung from the earth, splitting the cloud in two and dispersing it into the sky. With another swift motion, Dergus swung around and cut the column in two, then kicked it at the ochu. The ochu shielded itself, the chunk of light crumbling into pebble-like shards that vanished in thin air. "Fira!" Tori turned and saw Master Cinders emerge from the forest, her long, ornate staff glowing with a sickly green light. She slapped her hand onto the ground--a trail of green flames traveled along the ground and encircled the ochu, trapping it before it could counter attack Dergus. Dergus ran to Silver's side, picking up his staff along the way; Tori saw Dergus whisper something to him as he handed it back to him. Silver nodded, and to Tori's surprise, Dergus began running at full speed towards the ochu. As he did, Silver raised his staff. Tori heard his pristine voice glow like a river: "Spirits of time, hide us from the judging hand of God! Stop!" Rainbow numerals appeared in a circle around the ochu. Tori could feel the ripple in time flow through his body, and the sound of a ticking clock slowing, slowing, slowing... then stopping. The ochu and the flames around it had frozen in time, a literal still-life. And Silver stood like a mental lifeline, his intense concentration the only thing holding a temporal door shut. It was Dergus' time to strike. With his running start he leapt into the air and, brandishing his sword, soared over the flames. He grabbed one of the ochu's frozen tentacles and slid down it as if it were a pole. He had the speed and precision of a sparrow, of some sort of red fire bird, and like a phoenix he dove down into the dark flames on the ochu's head. Tori heard a noticeable slashing noise, and Silver, with a deep breath, broke his meditation. Time resumed in its completeness, only the ochu now had a blade sticking grossly out of its head. Dergus backflipped out of the flames, somehow landing on his feet. And the ochu, defeated, fell to the ground. Cinders' emerald flames engulfed the body with the rapidity of venom through blood, although it was unsettling to see them turn black as well. "Thanks for the help," Silver said to both Dergus and Master Cinders as they approached. "We were watching an Ochu Dance and one of them was taken over. The change was instantaneous." "Ah, well it's-" Dergus edged towards the burning body and distastefully pulled out his sword. It was covered with green blood and black stuff. "-no problem at all. Tell me, though, did you gather any more information pertaining to the nature of this..." Dergus searched for the right word, but obviously couldn't find it. "It consumes fire," Master Cinders noted, a perturbed shadow crawling over her face. "Fire consumes. Nothing like that should consume fire." Tori, largely ignored, limped forward to join the conversation. "What's wrong with you," he said weakly, but directly to Dergus. "Silver could've been killed, and you're worried about information." "Hm! Your perspective is lacking. Silver's been in far worse scrapes before, I simply have faith in his capabilities." Tori, dumbfounded, looked to Silver, who just shrugged as though to say, "it's true." Dergus examined Tori up and down; he had just noticed his wounds. "I'm afraid I can't say the same for you, my friend... Would you like me to heal-" "No!" Tori spat. Silver rolled his eyes. Not needing any prompting, he trudged to Tori's side. Tori turned red and pouted like a fussy kid as Silver ran his staff over his body. "Life's refreshing breeze, heal from the sky. Cura." A silvery wind swirled around Tori as gentle rivulets of white light poured from unseen heavens. Light trickled down his skin, flooded over his wounds, feeling cool and bright, and the pain and soreness in his body subsided. Tori felt as though someone had washed him in light and dried him with ice crystals. "That being done..." Dergus said, just a touch hurt, "...we can safely assume that whatever is destroying Lumiere is working on the double. I suggest we go to the Heart. Now." "Agreed," Master Cinders and Silver said in synch. Master Cinders serenely walked to the site of the ochu's body, a large black pyre. "Scatter your chilly sharp blades. Blizzard." She waved her staff and a sweet wind swirled around the fire. Lime green ice crystals glittered in the air, and when they melted they flooded the flames until all that were left were wet ashes and smoldering vapor. "Ghastly," she whispered, "Simply ghastly." -+-+-+- Windhelm: the former capital of the Dostravi Empire, and still its industrial capital. The White Citadel, the crown jewel of the Dostravi, was in fact mostly comprised of the three functional docking bays. It was said that it was for this precise reason that the Queen comandeered the far more luxurious Palace in Calledone, and she resided in either of the cities like a transient bird, flitting about on the royal AS Sapphire. By the time that Winnie Sharp had successfully Teleported General Morta to the White Citadel, he found out too late that the Queen had just left for Calledone. Still, he bore important news that had to be listened to by someone. So he was taken, alone, to the throne room, a circular room plated with white marble that was sterile, cold, perfect. One throne. One silver door. No carpets, no windows. General Morta saw the silver door behind the empty throne open. This was not the first time he had gone through this ritual rather than talk to the Queen face-to-face, but even with his own high tolerance General Morta found the whole process rather unsettling. Tango came out first. Her exotic forest-green dress had two parts and she wore red high heels in the manner of a Polichinelle priestess. She had long, straight brown hair that trailed down the small of her back. Her half-mask doubled as a feathery headdress. General Morta eyed her warily, and it seemed that she gave back the favor. Behind her came Waltz. Four feet tall in a baggy white robe, he had the reputation for kindness and youth, although General Morta found him to be nothing but familiar if anything else. His tufts of short blonde hair stuck out under his eye mask, as his was the least concealing of the group: perhaps because had no reason to hide his identity, much less anyone to hide from. Gavotte seemed to put undue emphasis on his non-chalance. He was a perpetually uncomfortable man, from his mask to his tacky rainbow diamond patterned trench coat, and it was said that he was perfectly happy with being an Air Ship Engineer before being "drafted" into the Queen's Court. The General knew that was a load of crap--appliance into the Court was voluntary. But he still tried to show off his uncomfortableness like it were an asset, although it certainly impressed no one. In his deep blue military uniform, Bolero entered behind Gavotte. General Morta gave him a glare that he knew was returned under his mask. He had no more thoughts for the likes of him. Samba trailed close behind, bearing her trademark clown mask. She had a magnficent reputation for wanton ruthlessness, perhaps only rivaled in the court by Bolero. One could never guess from her small lithe frame, however, or by her frilly blue dress, black tights, cute boots, cute voice and cute black hair. And lastly, Minuet, who drowned in his own black robe and hat, crawled along at a snail's pace. He was apparently a teacher of many apprentices, although he was much more than a teacher. To put it vaguely, as that was how it was often framed, he was the architect of Enhanced Information Retrieval Techniques. Maybe the more time one spent among books, the less they cared about people, but many believed the reality was much more complicated than that. It didn't take long for the six of them to file out and arrange themselves in order, and, wordlessly, it was acknowledged that General Morta had the floor. He gave a stern salute before putting himself at ease, then addressed the Court in full. "As you all know, the Air Ship Ruby has been destroyed. The circumstances concerning its destruction pose an imminent threat to the Dostravi Empire." "Then I suppose you've come to warn us," Minuet asked. "I came to warn the Queen," General Morta replied simply. "The Rose that was discovered in the Kilike Mountains has been lost. Some Thing attempted to take it, and tore the Ruby to pieces in the process." "What do you mean? The Ruby isn't a glass figurine. It can't be broken just like that," Gavotte fumbled nervously. The General stared at him gravely, well aware that he was taking the news like the father of a dead daughter. "I mean exactly what I said. Some Thing--a 'Body' according to my Wizards--was originally found and imprisoned in the form of a human. It transformed into a monstrosity." The Court exchanged silent glances with each other. It was an atmosphere that the General hated, one where everyone knew something he didn't. "Do tell us, General," Tango began, "Does this story have anything to do with the man your Black Wizard brought to us?' Come to think of it, General Morta had not seen Void since the Ruby had crashed. He shook his head in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't know all the details that have transpired recently," General Morta said more formally than he was thinking. "Well, Master Void brought us something very interesting. A man, in full armor. He can't remember a thing about who he is or where he came from, all he babbles on and on about is finding the Rose, finding the Rose, finding the Rose... and did I mention, he has wings? Feathery as a bird." "I wasn't informed of this." "We've just begun interrogations," Minuet said. "But from what I understand, in this human world of ours, we seem to be finding a number of things that are... far from human. Things that could very well prove hazardous even to the might of the Empire." "I agree." "It's quite terrible," Waltz said softly. "So many people were needlessly killed on the Ruby. The more we can find out about what is going on, then the less innocents have to die." Rumba glanced over in his direction, and General Morta could sense the distaste in her gait. Perhaps Waltz realized it too, and he cleared his throat. "T-to clarify, we need to gather more information. We need to figure out how to destroy these threats, as soon as possible. Are you up to the job, General?" "Me?" "Why, of course. You're obviously the most well-informed on the subject. General Tichonda will accomodate you and your wizards on the AS Emerald." "With all due respect, I don't know what you're saying. Where exactly do you propose for me to look?" "Do you remember Carbuncle?" Minuet asked. He nodded vaguely in response. "Of course you do. Besides the fact that you destroyed the only functional Carbuncle Siphon we created with its help, Carbuncle has been acting strangely as of late. No matter where we put it, it wants to head due North. So we want to let it go where it wants to, and then we want you to follow it." "Follow Carbuncle? You don't think-" "That is exactly what we think," Bolero interjected sharply. "This whole 'Body and Rose' nonsense may be the end of us, and if it's true then that means there are other Roses to find besides the Kilike one." "Speculation; it's all just speculation," The General shot back just as rudely. "If you have faith in the Empire, General, then you'll do what we ask," Tango commanded. "You will meet General Tichonda at the AS Emerald in Docking Bay 2, 0800 hours." As the Court filed out, Tango gave General Morta one last glance: "Look at it this way. You're lucky to have any assignment at all, after what you've done to the most expensive piece of equipment in the Dostravi Military Complex. That's all." With that, she followed Minuet past the silver door, into the darkness. General Morta let the scowl that he was hiding bubble to the surface, and he clenched his gloved hands into fists. Somone would be paying for this... -+-+-+- The atmosphere in the woods was now tense, but not just with the combined sweat and terror of Tori, Silver, Dergus and Cinders. No, the change was something tangible in the air, like a subtle smell that invoked a memory of fear. The darkness, palpable, made the trees sinister, the moonlight pallid and deathly. Small chuckles and whispers from falling leaves shrouded them in an irrational anxiety. They needed no marker to infer that they were approaching the Lumiere Heart. After what felt like a short journey from the dark ochu's smoldering corpse, they had reached something that Tori had definitely not expected: an gate, aristocratic in construction but ancient in constitution. It drowned in thick ivy and had fell apart in certain places, ingrown by trees and bushels that were surely saplings when the fence was young. Tori looked to Dergus in confusion. "...Is this the Heart?" he found himself whispering to him. "It's the entrance. The prelude portal, if you will." Before Tori could ask another question, however, he found that he had grown pale. Behind Dergus and Master Cinders, in the trees, he saw a shadow moving in the dark. It fluttered like a cape on the wind, and it passed as silently as a visage of death. At first, Tori thought he was hallucinating. But when it flew into the air, over the gate and into the moonlight, he knew it was real. "Ahh-ah, ah," "What is it?" Dergus asked. Silver, behind him, raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright, Tori?" The blood had rushed away from his limbs and apparently his tongue, as he was unable to form a coherent sentence. He pointed frantically as the shadow dashed into the darkness past the gate. "Th-there! There!" "Huh?" "What are you talking about?" "IT was RIGHT THERE!" And then, a crack, the sound of twigs breaking. The four of them turned on their heels; something was coming from the woods to their right. They put their guard up all at once, Tori jumping backwards and letting Dergus hold the front row. But instead, out popped Trixie, a frantic look in her eye, and her cloth wound on her wrists. She looked confused as she eyed the four of them. "You are here?" she pondered, as though to herself. "Trikitixa!" Dergus exclaimed. "By the Gods, we thought you were-" As though by clockwork, Adrienne burst through the branches in tandem, her rod in hand. She brushed the leaves and twigs out of her beret, and looked around with the same urgency as Trixie. "Hey! Where'd he go?" she asked. "Who?" Silver asked, now the only one with a sliver of composition left. "The guy! He was, he was robed and dark, and-" Tori jumped up and flung his hands in the air. "I saw him! Addy, I saw him, and he freaked me the fuck out! What the fuck is that thing?" "You saw it?!" Adrienne yelled, more frustrated if anything. "Where?" "Err, well, past the gate. You want to follow it?" "It appears we're heading there anyway," Master Cinders answered. "That's the Lumiere Heart, after all." "But why were you chasing 'him?'" asked Dergus. "And why aren't you at the Ruby's wreckage?" Trixie now looked grim. "We were there. But while we were, something dreadful..." Finally, Dayheart found his way to the group. His sleeves were ripped, revaling impressively sculpted features, but in his arms he carried Candice; her mask was gone, revealing a pretty face scrunched in agony. She had a long but shallow gash across her belly, but that wasn't the worst of it. Her right leg was entirely shrouded in black, as though it had been dipped in tar, boot and all. Tori, Silver, Dergus and Cinders suddenly recalled the ochu, and they cringed. Dergus mustered the sense to ask, "What happened here?" "When we got to the wreckage, the whole place was just... dark," Adrienne recalled, her eyes glazed over. "I've seen dark before. But you could tell it was different. There was this feeling that we couldn't describe..." As Adrienne began to trail off into mumbling, Day heart picked up where she left off. "We were attacked. By pieces of wreckage. Can you believe it? This black shit infected metal and turned it into something alive and evil and strong as hell. Trixie and I beat them off the kid, but Candice wasn't so lucky... We beat em out in the end, of course, but when it's all over who else do we see but that hooded freak watching us, fleeing the scene." Silver approached Dayheart, examing Candice in his arms. He pointed his staff at her leg. "Piercing light, pave the path to truth. Dispel." Light poured in streams from the faces of his crystalline staff. Although the darkness on Candice's leg had washed away, her face was still visibly in pain. Silver looked at Dergus helplessly. "...Dayheart, you may want to return to Alabast with Candice," Dergus proposed. "No way. She's suffering because of what that monster did. The only way she'll get better is if we get rid of 'im." "Then I suppose we have no choice." Dergus held his palm open towards the gates. "Destruction of nature, gather in flame. Fire." A shining ball of crimson heat conjured in his hand, and it shot out at the gate. With a small explosion, the gate had been blown to pieces; the group, now 8, walked over the wreckage unobstructed. Past the wall of trees, it stood, a giant hidden by dark canopies. Dilapidated spires like blood-stained knives, windows murky and gross, wood rotting and everything vibrant dying. It was a mansion once, a splendor, but the forest had taken it back now, and eaten it from the inside out with vines and shadows. Tori and Adrienne exchanged glances--they had seen the homes of the new aristocracy in Calledone, but their architecture was nothing like that they beholded before them. "What is this place?" Adrienne asked quietly. "Our destination," Dergus answered. "The Lumiere Heart." -+-+-+- To be continued... "Fun" fact for fans!: As many of you probably know by now, I tend to subliminally create characters that I think are original, but then realize pages of character development later, are actually carbon copies of pre-existing characters. Master Cinders is an example of one of those. "Let's make a green-themed Fire Wizard!" I thought to myself! Then I realized that I had just made Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter :[ (has anyone seen the new movie yet, btw? I have yet to, but my nerd self is very excited :D). On a side note, if anyone has read my other story, Charmed Reborn, you'll notice that Minuet and Barbatos are basically the same character. My brain is rather dull sometimes :P. NO, I'm not dead!!! But I am deeply sorry for my absences. But if it's any consolation, it has not been spent with my stories in idle; good news is, I now have "pictures" of Silver, Dergus, and Trixie available! Sure, it's just my crappy job of photoshop recoloring, but it's enough to create a mental image of these lovely people. If you're interested in these, or the previous pictures of Tori and Adrienne, go ahead and shoot me an email :] Thanks for reading this far ^^. Questions? Comments? Recommendations? Fan Mail? Hate Mail, maybe? Wanna just chat? Email me at ThePleiadesCall@gmail.com . Love to hear from you! If you like FF Rosa, maybe there's the very vague possibility you'll like other stories I've submitted: Charmed Reborn (Celebrity), Pokemon: Amethyst (Celebrity), Teth (Fantasy), Diana Celes (High School), Hallow (Sci-Fi/Fantasy), and Starlight 7 (Sci-Fi).