Chapter 12: Standing For Whats Right or of Heart
We arrived back at Garden, and as usual Squall noticed us and Seifer explained everything that happened during our attempt to find and protect Sorceress Matron. Yaru added looking down "So in short, Thasma beat us to getting her and we couldnt reach them to get her back or challenge Sorceress Thasma..." Squall sighed and shook his head "If we cant get to her without disappearing, then our only option is to draw her attention right towards us." Rinoa panicked "But Squall... you do realize how strong our enemy is...?" Squall put a hand to his forehead "Im well aware of how dangerous she is but if the other Sorceress she abducted is the only one able to stop her then we dont have a choice but to risk it." I replied "I dont think your other members of SeeD are strong enough to challenge my mother. You will need to lure her here without engaging her directly." Squall got angry at my response "And if she does attack us herself what else do we do, die?!" I sighed but didnt answer. Even if they did attempt to defend themselves against her, there was no way it would end well for Garden. I wasnt even sure if i was strong enough to face my mother in a heated battle of sorcery. But if anyone here was even close, it had to be me. I knew better than to call my new comrades weak, but this was a fight they had no chance of winning with a direct onslaught. I shook my head and answered "Squall... i know you wont like what im about to say. But i am going back to that castle above Esthar by myself." Seifer cried "What?! Are you insane?!" I turned to Seifer and said "If we lure her right to us here theres no way we would win. Not only are we outnumbered by apparitions of a soldier army, but my mother's powers are far beyond what any of us have in terms of strength. Luring her here is complete suicide." Rinoa looked down nervously "I think shes right... it was hard enough surviving against Ultimecia in the future that no longer exists... how would we be any match for her mother Sorceress Thasma...?" Squall hardened his expression "You better know what youre doing, Ultimecia... if you dont come back then we're going after her ourselves..." I sighed and looked down "No. If i dont return just stay put. Assume she has what she wants if Edea cant contact me telepathically. If i cant stop her then no one can." I grew firm and turned to leave for her stronghold in Esthar. Yaru worried "We cant let her do this alone! If shes caught and defeated then its over for all of us!" Squall replied "I know we cant but she isnt entirely wrong in what she said... what are we supposed to do against a master of time like Sorceress Thasma when we barely stood up to Ultimecia?" Rinoa worried "Squall..." Yaru suddenly remembered "Wait... what about the black dragon that we saw at the comm tower in Dollet? Did Sorceress Thasma make that thing too?" Seifer replied "It wouldnt surprise me... but where did it go? We havent run into that thing in ages." I was too far away to hear anything after that. I made my way for upper Esthar to enter my mother's castle.
By the time i arrived below the magically protected stronghold i looked up and said under my breath "Im sorry, Seifer... but i cant allow you and the others to fight someone this far beyond your combined power." I floated above the ground carefully, holding my arm out and slowly drawing closer to the floating castle that looked almost exactly like mine from my former time. Once i reached it i landed carefully on the stairway and walked the rest of the way to get inside. As expected, the temporal mist did not react negatively to my approach. I went through the partially open, large double doors leading inside and looked around. The first thing i was greeted by was a group of three enemy soldiers. Instead of attacking me though, they cried "Welcome home, Princess!" They said those words in a surprisingly friendly tone as if happy i arrived. I said "Where is my mother and the sorceress of spatial fabric?" One of the men nodded and answered "Theyre in the master room further inside. Sorceress Thasma, or the Queen, remains there as a precautious measure to avoid direct contact with possible intruders." I nodded and decided to climb the first set of stairs. Somehow, i knew exactly where i was going to reach her. On my way there, i said "This looks exactly like the interior of my castle... good thing i will know where to go." I reached the master room without being attacked by any of my mother's soldiers. Thasma took immediate notice to my presence, but i did not see Matron anywhere nearby. Thasma carefully slipped down from her elevated throne and landed, her long silvery gown that resembled the style of my red one slightly dragging on the floor behind her along with her very long silvery hair. To my surprise, she didnt seem angry; instead she seemed very sad and like something was upsetting her. Thasma shook her head hurt and said "Do you even realize what youve done...?" I kept silent, choosing to listen to her feelings "You abandoned me after i saved your life on the brink of your nearly inevitable death... joined the organization called SeeD which directly threatens our legacy of time-based sorcery... you have broken every possible piece of my heart Ultimecia...!" I suddenly got confused "So the reason i didnt die was because..." Thasma nodded after gently wiping the tears from her eyes with a tissue "I shared some of my powers with you in order to keep you from dying... thats why youre here in the past. By pushing you to those extremes they destroyed our former time... but i refused to allow us to be destroyed along with it." I understood what she was talking about now. I replied "Mother... those mercenaries in SeeD arent strong enough to fight you... I came here alone in hopes of resolving things peacefully. But why have you abducted Sorceress Matron and used those strange devices on Edea?" Thasma shook her head turned firm "They wouldnt cooperate with me in my efforts to defy and annihilate SeeD from existence. You see, my child..." Thasma walked several ways behind her throne and i followed her. She led me to a very large cannon that had a strange insignia on it and said "This weapon... its the ultimate treasure we've held since you were small. But it wont do its job without the powers of four sorceresses and two of them need to be time mages." I suddenly remembered what it was supposed to be used for "But this... anything that touches a magic energy laser from this will disappear instantly!" Thasma nodded "Yes, eradicating a vile and vicious group from existence. But my powers alone wont fuel it enough to obliterate every Garden that remains. Normally it would require four sorceresses, but with your older sister Matron being a master at spatial magic, i only need you thus having only 3 sorceresses needed to remove the very things that are designed to bring us to ruin!" I backed away nervous, unsure of what to do. I realized i had walked right into a trap. I panicked "Mother... listen... theres a man in Garden who was very good to me ever since i went there.. his name is Seifer... please, you cannot unleash the weapon...!" Thasma turned to me with a firm expression "I think its time you listened to your mother for a change. I may love you but i will punish a daughter who doesnt help her mother in a time of need." I backed away, hesitant to attack. I knew I had to stand up to her, but part of me held back because i didnt want to hurt my own mother. Thasma gently grabbed my hand and put her black gloved finger to my forehead, then said "Forgive me, my child... but families need to work together during times like this." Her finger gave off a white flash and i immediately blacked out.
To Be Continued...
We arrived back at Garden, and as usual Squall noticed us and Seifer explained everything that happened during our attempt to find and protect Sorceress Matron. Yaru added looking down "So in short, Thasma beat us to getting her and we couldnt reach them to get her back or challenge Sorceress Thasma..." Squall sighed and shook his head "If we cant get to her without disappearing, then our only option is to draw her attention right towards us." Rinoa panicked "But Squall... you do realize how strong our enemy is...?" Squall put a hand to his forehead "Im well aware of how dangerous she is but if the other Sorceress she abducted is the only one able to stop her then we dont have a choice but to risk it." I replied "I dont think your other members of SeeD are strong enough to challenge my mother. You will need to lure her here without engaging her directly." Squall got angry at my response "And if she does attack us herself what else do we do, die?!" I sighed but didnt answer. Even if they did attempt to defend themselves against her, there was no way it would end well for Garden. I wasnt even sure if i was strong enough to face my mother in a heated battle of sorcery. But if anyone here was even close, it had to be me. I knew better than to call my new comrades weak, but this was a fight they had no chance of winning with a direct onslaught. I shook my head and answered "Squall... i know you wont like what im about to say. But i am going back to that castle above Esthar by myself." Seifer cried "What?! Are you insane?!" I turned to Seifer and said "If we lure her right to us here theres no way we would win. Not only are we outnumbered by apparitions of a soldier army, but my mother's powers are far beyond what any of us have in terms of strength. Luring her here is complete suicide." Rinoa looked down nervously "I think shes right... it was hard enough surviving against Ultimecia in the future that no longer exists... how would we be any match for her mother Sorceress Thasma...?" Squall hardened his expression "You better know what youre doing, Ultimecia... if you dont come back then we're going after her ourselves..." I sighed and looked down "No. If i dont return just stay put. Assume she has what she wants if Edea cant contact me telepathically. If i cant stop her then no one can." I grew firm and turned to leave for her stronghold in Esthar. Yaru worried "We cant let her do this alone! If shes caught and defeated then its over for all of us!" Squall replied "I know we cant but she isnt entirely wrong in what she said... what are we supposed to do against a master of time like Sorceress Thasma when we barely stood up to Ultimecia?" Rinoa worried "Squall..." Yaru suddenly remembered "Wait... what about the black dragon that we saw at the comm tower in Dollet? Did Sorceress Thasma make that thing too?" Seifer replied "It wouldnt surprise me... but where did it go? We havent run into that thing in ages." I was too far away to hear anything after that. I made my way for upper Esthar to enter my mother's castle.
By the time i arrived below the magically protected stronghold i looked up and said under my breath "Im sorry, Seifer... but i cant allow you and the others to fight someone this far beyond your combined power." I floated above the ground carefully, holding my arm out and slowly drawing closer to the floating castle that looked almost exactly like mine from my former time. Once i reached it i landed carefully on the stairway and walked the rest of the way to get inside. As expected, the temporal mist did not react negatively to my approach. I went through the partially open, large double doors leading inside and looked around. The first thing i was greeted by was a group of three enemy soldiers. Instead of attacking me though, they cried "Welcome home, Princess!" They said those words in a surprisingly friendly tone as if happy i arrived. I said "Where is my mother and the sorceress of spatial fabric?" One of the men nodded and answered "Theyre in the master room further inside. Sorceress Thasma, or the Queen, remains there as a precautious measure to avoid direct contact with possible intruders." I nodded and decided to climb the first set of stairs. Somehow, i knew exactly where i was going to reach her. On my way there, i said "This looks exactly like the interior of my castle... good thing i will know where to go." I reached the master room without being attacked by any of my mother's soldiers. Thasma took immediate notice to my presence, but i did not see Matron anywhere nearby. Thasma carefully slipped down from her elevated throne and landed, her long silvery gown that resembled the style of my red one slightly dragging on the floor behind her along with her very long silvery hair. To my surprise, she didnt seem angry; instead she seemed very sad and like something was upsetting her. Thasma shook her head hurt and said "Do you even realize what youve done...?" I kept silent, choosing to listen to her feelings "You abandoned me after i saved your life on the brink of your nearly inevitable death... joined the organization called SeeD which directly threatens our legacy of time-based sorcery... you have broken every possible piece of my heart Ultimecia...!" I suddenly got confused "So the reason i didnt die was because..." Thasma nodded after gently wiping the tears from her eyes with a tissue "I shared some of my powers with you in order to keep you from dying... thats why youre here in the past. By pushing you to those extremes they destroyed our former time... but i refused to allow us to be destroyed along with it." I understood what she was talking about now. I replied "Mother... those mercenaries in SeeD arent strong enough to fight you... I came here alone in hopes of resolving things peacefully. But why have you abducted Sorceress Matron and used those strange devices on Edea?" Thasma shook her head turned firm "They wouldnt cooperate with me in my efforts to defy and annihilate SeeD from existence. You see, my child..." Thasma walked several ways behind her throne and i followed her. She led me to a very large cannon that had a strange insignia on it and said "This weapon... its the ultimate treasure we've held since you were small. But it wont do its job without the powers of four sorceresses and two of them need to be time mages." I suddenly remembered what it was supposed to be used for "But this... anything that touches a magic energy laser from this will disappear instantly!" Thasma nodded "Yes, eradicating a vile and vicious group from existence. But my powers alone wont fuel it enough to obliterate every Garden that remains. Normally it would require four sorceresses, but with your older sister Matron being a master at spatial magic, i only need you thus having only 3 sorceresses needed to remove the very things that are designed to bring us to ruin!" I backed away nervous, unsure of what to do. I realized i had walked right into a trap. I panicked "Mother... listen... theres a man in Garden who was very good to me ever since i went there.. his name is Seifer... please, you cannot unleash the weapon...!" Thasma turned to me with a firm expression "I think its time you listened to your mother for a change. I may love you but i will punish a daughter who doesnt help her mother in a time of need." I backed away, hesitant to attack. I knew I had to stand up to her, but part of me held back because i didnt want to hurt my own mother. Thasma gently grabbed my hand and put her black gloved finger to my forehead, then said "Forgive me, my child... but families need to work together during times like this." Her finger gave off a white flash and i immediately blacked out.
To Be Continued...
