Chapter 5: A Decision of Life or Death
After about an hour of waiting in line we finally got on the train heading for Deling City. Even i wasnt sure how much carnage would be seen when we arrived. The Dollet attack was only the start of the possible wars to come, and I had a feeling they werent going all out during that incident, too. I decided to speak up "You two... did anything seem a bit off about the attack on Dollet?" Seifer shook his head "Thought i was the only one to notice... there werent that many men on the field that time." Yaru was confused "Thats weird... but why? Wouldnt they think to take Ultimecia more seriously if she had really been there?" Seifer hardened his expression and replied "If she had been there they wouldve requested immediate backup. Somehow i get a feeling they knew she wasnt going to be there." I said "So they mustve been buying time to organize a more serious attack... the only question is where..." Yaru cried "You mean we did all that work for nothing?! Oh man... what a bummer..." Seifer shook his head and replied "We had nothing to go by. It wouldve been impossible to see through this at the time given our already limited intel on the enemy." Yaru sighed "Still, to think we fell for it... whats going to happen to all those people in Deling who have nothing to do with all of this...?" I sat back against the couch and said "I dont know. Given how much time we spent on the previous mission and our briefing time for this next one, we could already be too late if all of this is true." Seifer nodded but then looked down "God i hate setups... theyre not getting away with this." I went on "And apart from a possible setup, we still have to find Sorceress Edea. Remember that is our primary goal right now." Yaru added "I wonder if Sorceress Ultimecia is really alive... Captain Squall said she was defeated about a month ago and a lot of strange things have been happening ever since she was pronounced dead..." Seifer sighed and shook his head "For some reason i have a feeling killing her was a mistake... it mightve left a loophole in the temporal-spacial paradox that rooted all of the crap thats going on now." Yaru looked worried but didnt say anything. Seifer "Edea's disappearance, the random army on a manhunt for Ultimecia, and then some rumors about cracks appearing in the sky..." Yaru cried "Cracks in the sky?! but how....?" Seifer said "Beats me. No one in SeeD has found out if its true though. It could just be a spook to scare people who know of Ultimecia's power and nothing more." Yaru started to calm down "Phew... it sure isnt funny though. I dont know who thought spreading that rumor was a good idea..." Yaru worried "Do you think this world is going to collapse...?" I replied "If its a mild disturbance in time it should settle down on its own. but if its much worse, then you can expect things to get ugly." Seifer nodded and said "I hope you learn to compress time like Ultimecia did, because if it is true everyones life is going to depend on it. Not even top officials of SeeD have enough power to stop something that ugly." I sighed but didnt say anything. After a short pause, i said "For now we need to make sure the people of Deling are safe. it wont do any good worrying about unconfirmed rumors or dangers." Yaru nodded "Youre right. Plus if time does get messed up youre still a sorceress. You can undo it somehow if it gets that bad right?" I shrugged "I can most certainly try." Seifer nodded and kept quiet. Before long we arrived at the train stop in Deling City and got out together. I followed Yaru and Seifer with the back of my gown slightly brushing the surfaces i walked on. Yaru said "Your dress is super pretty. Where did you buy it, Ultimeya?" I shook my head "I didnt. i made it myself." Yaru laughed a bit "Oh right, with your magic, haha..." Yaru laughed nervously and we came to the large street closest to the clocktower. I looked up at it feeling a rush of memories come to mind and kept silent "All that work... what was it really for...?" Seifer asked "You say something, Ultimeya?" I turned around to him and shook my head "No, its nothing... but why is it so calm here?" Yaru also seemed confused and Seifer looked around before turning back to me "Good point... it doesnt seem like anything bad has happened here. But we'd better stay put just in case." I nodded and sat against the wall on the ground near the clocktower. I overheard Seifer and Yaru talking. Seifer began "Something seems really familiar about her..." Yaru asked "You mean Ultimeya? You know her from somewhere?" Seifer nodded "Yeah. I dont know her but at the same time, i feel like i saw her before someplace... i just cant think of where." Yaru said "Shes a sorceress right? I dont think shes been using her full power in our battles... she just seems to be holding back to me..." Seifer replied "Most likely because of the enemy. If theyre looking for sorceress to capture, of course she wouldnt want to reveal her full strength against them. It would draw too much attention if she did and the whole garden might get attacked." Yaru looked down and sighed "Oh no... i guess youre right..." Yaru shook her head and continued "That wouldnt be good at all... I think i get it now..." Seifer said "Most likely thats why Edea didnt come back when she left. She probably tried to handle them herself to avoid endangering the entire garden." Yaru cried "And they got her?! But shes really powerful!" Seifer sighed "It would seem that way... and if they have the guts to target an even stronger sorceress like Ultimecia then you better know these guys are dangerous. It takes one heck of a monstrosity to hold out against her." Yaru added "But if shes dead, then how...?" Seifer shook his head "If they cant get Ultimecia i guarantee theyll be going straight for her... and then we're on our own." Yaru shook her head fearfully but didnt say anything. Out of nowhere, i heard a man cry "There she is! After her!" I immediately got up and saw a group of soldiers in the same black suits we saw i Dollet running right to us. Yaru cried "Look out! Its the enemy!" Seifer also took immediate notice and drew his gunblade. He saw them running towards me and stood in their way with Yaru protectively "Sorry guys, not happening." The lead soldier said "Then guess we will have to get rid of you two. We're not letting you two keep Ultimecia." Yaru grew confused "Um this isnt Ultimecia... youve got the wrong woman." Another soldier stepped up and drew a photo from his vest showing it to them "You sure about that? Take a good look at this picture and that woman behind you. Tell me the difference." Seifer and Yaru did but kept silent after turning back to them. Seifer mumbled "Its her... what do i do...?" Yaru shook her head in disbelief "Youre... youre kidding... how is she....?" One of the soldiers laughed "Not so protective now, huh? Now step down and let us take her like good guys." Seifer tightened his fist "She hasnt done anything wrong.. somethings not right..!" Seifer attacked them without saying anything else. Yaru stood in shock and the soldiers were down very quickly. Yaru worried "Seifer... whats going on...?" Seifer replied "I dont know...but pictures dont lie..." Yaru took the photo from the dead soldier's body and looked at it in disbelief. I wanted to run without saying anything. I didnt want to disappear. There was too much i still had to do and i just couldnt die now. I remembered my encounter with Matron while we waited in line, had flashbacks of the day my mother died; i didnt want to die. Even if it meant going everything alone all over again. Seifer said "I cant do it... i cant kill her..." Yaru worried "Seifer..." Seifer turned to me and I backed away nervously. Yaru asked "But if lie about the truth in garden who knows what will happen?" Seifer paused in silence, then said "If they know we've been keeping Ultimecia with us, the reaction wont be good. She hasnt done anything wrong to us but even then... Squall will order her execution without thinking twice about it." Yaru shook her head sadly "We cant just kill her, youre right... but what are we gonna do...?" Seifer went to me and puts a hand to my shoulder. I decided to say something "Are you going to murder me?" Seifer shook his head "No. With the truth already being out, things are gonna get ugly really fast. SeeD and the enemy will be waging war nonstop until one side gets what they want." I hardened my expression expectantly at him. Seifer let go of my shoulder and continued "And if garden does find out who you really are, then i wont let them get you." I warned him "But Seifer, if you rebel like that... theyll go after you too..." Yaru looked down "We cant win either way here, Ultimecia... the enemy wants your powers, and SeeD wants you dead... we dont have many options here." Seifer nodded "And im not just handing you over to them. Not that youd allow it either way." I said "If we did find Edea she wouldve immediately spoken my true identity. War would have raged in the end regardless if the enemy discovered me or not." Seifer tightened his fist "Dang it...! I had a feeling you were her, and yet..." Yaru sighed "I can understand why she lied about her name... she doesnt want dangerous attention..." I nodded and looked at Seifer "You helped me once, Seifer. I know you can do it again." Seifer looked at me "But its worse this time... youre not pulling any strings. And we've got two big groups wanting two different things from you...and theyre both cruel fate." Yaru shook her head "How strong are you, Ultimecia...? Can your powers confuse the minds on either side so youre safer...?" I replied "Not very easily... Squall has resisted my control more times than i can count. And now that so many know i exist, its more difficult for me to remotely bend their will. Anymore than 3 people at once and i cant do very well there. Dispersing the energies like that weakens the result which makes it near impossible for me to manipulate large groups without the use of a top official that the people trust." Seifer said "So thats why you only puppeted one person at a time... but you sure knew what you were doing." Yaru asked "So can you just use Squall to calm everyone down?" I shook my head "He wont be easy... he has enough mental resistance to keep my will out. Especially since he seemed to recognize me from the start..." Yaru said "Oh man... we're really in trouble now..." Seifer said "Its also hard for her to do it if its not someone experienced with sorcery. Everyone she used that year were sorceresses from the past." I nodded. Yaru replied "I think we need to keep as low as possible about this.. especially if we do go back to garden..." Seifer shrugged "Good luck doing that since they already know shes been staying there. Especially since captain Squall seemed wary of her since the Dollet mission." I added "And if i were to force my way in there it wouldnt make things any better. The warriors of SeeD wont back down from a fight with me." Yaru sighed "So what now?" Seifer answered "We stay put and deal with reinforcements. Look real hard, you two..." I immediately realized we were surrounded by enemy forces. I said "Youre here for me, arent you? You wont be so excited after this." I held both of my arms out to my sides then lifted one hand, emitting a small light. In the blink of an eye, they each cried out in pain and dropped like flies. Yaru was shocked "Oh god... such power....!" Seifer also seemed surprised "She really was going easy on them before... incredible..." I managed to smile a bit, holding my arms out to my sides "Anyone else want to join the party? Hm?" There were a few soldiers some ways ahead of me who kept silent and backed away fearfully. One of them cried "Shes a monster! Run!" They ran off as quickly as they could and there were no signs of more anywhere else in the city. Yaru shook her head in disbelief "No way.... Sorceress Ultimecia is that strong....?!" Seifer turned back to me "Well, thats one way to scare them off... looks like they underestimated you." Yaru added "But you cant expect anyone to easily comprehend that level of power... Hopefully theyll back down for a while." I nodded and so did Seifer. Yaru asked "You really think garden can easily execute her....? Shes ridiculously strong..." Seifer answered "Normally id agree, but keep in mind that SeeD has confidential means of disposal against a powerful sorceress. If shes caught off guard even once they will suppress her powers and she wont be able to defend herself..." Yaru added "Are you sure those stones are strong enough to suppress the kind of power that can compress time though? Theyve never had to execute a sorceress at that great level... would they even work on her?" Seifer looked down "I dont know... its true they can shatter if the sealed power is too great but we cant take any chances." Yaru looked down "Is there nothing we can do to protect her...? if she was as wicked as the rumors say we would be dead by now..." I spoke up "I did have my own place, in my former time... but an unexptected disturbance has prevented me from returning to my far away future." Seifer added "Its because you were too injured during your fight with captain Squall's group... your being temporarily weakened caused the time compression to slip didnt it?" I nodded "I believe so... my loss in that fight has distorted the fabric of space in my rightful time. And even im uncertain how to fix it..." Yaru suggested "Just compress time again, right?" I shook my head "If i did that, my era would completely collapse. Its already falling apart because i failed to win that fight..." Yaru sighed "Oh man... what happens if it collpses...?" I answered "If it does... I will die..." Seifer cried "What did you just say?! You shouldve spoken up sooner!" Seifer hardened his expression as if upset and continued "Thats it! Im doing something about this crap right here, right now! I dont care if i die trying!" Seifer ran off upset and didnt turn back. I shouted "Seifer, wait! Its not over!" Yaru said "He really cares about you doesnt he...?" I nodded feeling concerned "It seems that way... I'll go get him." Yaru nodded and I went to Seifer who was sitting on the ground near a store on a street further away from the clock tower. I decided to sit next to him and said "The will to live on, Seifer... the will to fight." Seifer was confused "Huh? What are you talking about?" I explained "I see now why Squall's group survived in my era where time was compressed... They kept the desire to fight and live on. When i was nearly defeated, on the brink of death... I refused to let go. I couldnt pass on my powers either." Seifer asked "What do you mean?" I continued "That desire to finish what i couldnt before is what allowed me to live, though i was very weak upon waking up outside of garden. That same wish to keep going is why my time is in limbo so to speak, and the reason that distortion manifested. My desire conflicted the fabric of that era and is why it wasnt fully destroyed." Seifer asked "Where are you going with this stuff?" I looked at him and replied "If you wish strongly enough as i do or greater, I wont die even if my era does fully collapse. Its a strange magical reaction that even i dont understand... but i never had anyone who loved or cared enough for me to show me this mysterious truth. And my mother, the strongest Sorceress to ever live, died when i was only a child." Seifer said "You had a mother?" I nodded "My mother was very kind and protective of me. We lived in a time where the people hated us out of fear. And the only way I could come up with to avenge her death was to manipulate the masses myself as i did last year. Then use them to bring about their own inevitable demise for being such shameless, filthy wenches..." Seifer asked "But why destroy everything? You trying to collect power to bring your mother back?" I shook my head "That was the goal... but it didnt work. I was the only one able to exist in that time... all else vanished as if they had simply never happened." I sighed and Seifer put a hand to my back trying to comfort me. Seifer "Hey... maybe i dont know how to bring your mother back, but I know i wont let you die like that, got it?" I nodded and kept quiet. Seifer "As for concealing the truth from garden... i think we can manage until the enemy attacks garden. And since some of their men fled, i doubt theyll be lashing out anytime soon. They know youre not someone to screw around with." I said "You sure its safe?" Seifer nodded "For now it is... if it really comes down to it, i'll risk my own life to do the right thing. They dont know what youve been through." Yaru came and struggled to catch her breath "Guys, we gotta go! Theres a ton of soldiers looking for Ultimecia!" Seifer hardened his expression "They want more? Too bad we cant play with all of them. Lets go!" I nodded and me and Yaru ran behind him, heading out of the city as fast as we could.
To Be Continued...
After about an hour of waiting in line we finally got on the train heading for Deling City. Even i wasnt sure how much carnage would be seen when we arrived. The Dollet attack was only the start of the possible wars to come, and I had a feeling they werent going all out during that incident, too. I decided to speak up "You two... did anything seem a bit off about the attack on Dollet?" Seifer shook his head "Thought i was the only one to notice... there werent that many men on the field that time." Yaru was confused "Thats weird... but why? Wouldnt they think to take Ultimecia more seriously if she had really been there?" Seifer hardened his expression and replied "If she had been there they wouldve requested immediate backup. Somehow i get a feeling they knew she wasnt going to be there." I said "So they mustve been buying time to organize a more serious attack... the only question is where..." Yaru cried "You mean we did all that work for nothing?! Oh man... what a bummer..." Seifer shook his head and replied "We had nothing to go by. It wouldve been impossible to see through this at the time given our already limited intel on the enemy." Yaru sighed "Still, to think we fell for it... whats going to happen to all those people in Deling who have nothing to do with all of this...?" I sat back against the couch and said "I dont know. Given how much time we spent on the previous mission and our briefing time for this next one, we could already be too late if all of this is true." Seifer nodded but then looked down "God i hate setups... theyre not getting away with this." I went on "And apart from a possible setup, we still have to find Sorceress Edea. Remember that is our primary goal right now." Yaru added "I wonder if Sorceress Ultimecia is really alive... Captain Squall said she was defeated about a month ago and a lot of strange things have been happening ever since she was pronounced dead..." Seifer sighed and shook his head "For some reason i have a feeling killing her was a mistake... it mightve left a loophole in the temporal-spacial paradox that rooted all of the crap thats going on now." Yaru looked worried but didnt say anything. Seifer "Edea's disappearance, the random army on a manhunt for Ultimecia, and then some rumors about cracks appearing in the sky..." Yaru cried "Cracks in the sky?! but how....?" Seifer said "Beats me. No one in SeeD has found out if its true though. It could just be a spook to scare people who know of Ultimecia's power and nothing more." Yaru started to calm down "Phew... it sure isnt funny though. I dont know who thought spreading that rumor was a good idea..." Yaru worried "Do you think this world is going to collapse...?" I replied "If its a mild disturbance in time it should settle down on its own. but if its much worse, then you can expect things to get ugly." Seifer nodded and said "I hope you learn to compress time like Ultimecia did, because if it is true everyones life is going to depend on it. Not even top officials of SeeD have enough power to stop something that ugly." I sighed but didnt say anything. After a short pause, i said "For now we need to make sure the people of Deling are safe. it wont do any good worrying about unconfirmed rumors or dangers." Yaru nodded "Youre right. Plus if time does get messed up youre still a sorceress. You can undo it somehow if it gets that bad right?" I shrugged "I can most certainly try." Seifer nodded and kept quiet. Before long we arrived at the train stop in Deling City and got out together. I followed Yaru and Seifer with the back of my gown slightly brushing the surfaces i walked on. Yaru said "Your dress is super pretty. Where did you buy it, Ultimeya?" I shook my head "I didnt. i made it myself." Yaru laughed a bit "Oh right, with your magic, haha..." Yaru laughed nervously and we came to the large street closest to the clocktower. I looked up at it feeling a rush of memories come to mind and kept silent "All that work... what was it really for...?" Seifer asked "You say something, Ultimeya?" I turned around to him and shook my head "No, its nothing... but why is it so calm here?" Yaru also seemed confused and Seifer looked around before turning back to me "Good point... it doesnt seem like anything bad has happened here. But we'd better stay put just in case." I nodded and sat against the wall on the ground near the clocktower. I overheard Seifer and Yaru talking. Seifer began "Something seems really familiar about her..." Yaru asked "You mean Ultimeya? You know her from somewhere?" Seifer nodded "Yeah. I dont know her but at the same time, i feel like i saw her before someplace... i just cant think of where." Yaru said "Shes a sorceress right? I dont think shes been using her full power in our battles... she just seems to be holding back to me..." Seifer replied "Most likely because of the enemy. If theyre looking for sorceress to capture, of course she wouldnt want to reveal her full strength against them. It would draw too much attention if she did and the whole garden might get attacked." Yaru looked down and sighed "Oh no... i guess youre right..." Yaru shook her head and continued "That wouldnt be good at all... I think i get it now..." Seifer said "Most likely thats why Edea didnt come back when she left. She probably tried to handle them herself to avoid endangering the entire garden." Yaru cried "And they got her?! But shes really powerful!" Seifer sighed "It would seem that way... and if they have the guts to target an even stronger sorceress like Ultimecia then you better know these guys are dangerous. It takes one heck of a monstrosity to hold out against her." Yaru added "But if shes dead, then how...?" Seifer shook his head "If they cant get Ultimecia i guarantee theyll be going straight for her... and then we're on our own." Yaru shook her head fearfully but didnt say anything. Out of nowhere, i heard a man cry "There she is! After her!" I immediately got up and saw a group of soldiers in the same black suits we saw i Dollet running right to us. Yaru cried "Look out! Its the enemy!" Seifer also took immediate notice and drew his gunblade. He saw them running towards me and stood in their way with Yaru protectively "Sorry guys, not happening." The lead soldier said "Then guess we will have to get rid of you two. We're not letting you two keep Ultimecia." Yaru grew confused "Um this isnt Ultimecia... youve got the wrong woman." Another soldier stepped up and drew a photo from his vest showing it to them "You sure about that? Take a good look at this picture and that woman behind you. Tell me the difference." Seifer and Yaru did but kept silent after turning back to them. Seifer mumbled "Its her... what do i do...?" Yaru shook her head in disbelief "Youre... youre kidding... how is she....?" One of the soldiers laughed "Not so protective now, huh? Now step down and let us take her like good guys." Seifer tightened his fist "She hasnt done anything wrong.. somethings not right..!" Seifer attacked them without saying anything else. Yaru stood in shock and the soldiers were down very quickly. Yaru worried "Seifer... whats going on...?" Seifer replied "I dont know...but pictures dont lie..." Yaru took the photo from the dead soldier's body and looked at it in disbelief. I wanted to run without saying anything. I didnt want to disappear. There was too much i still had to do and i just couldnt die now. I remembered my encounter with Matron while we waited in line, had flashbacks of the day my mother died; i didnt want to die. Even if it meant going everything alone all over again. Seifer said "I cant do it... i cant kill her..." Yaru worried "Seifer..." Seifer turned to me and I backed away nervously. Yaru asked "But if lie about the truth in garden who knows what will happen?" Seifer paused in silence, then said "If they know we've been keeping Ultimecia with us, the reaction wont be good. She hasnt done anything wrong to us but even then... Squall will order her execution without thinking twice about it." Yaru shook her head sadly "We cant just kill her, youre right... but what are we gonna do...?" Seifer went to me and puts a hand to my shoulder. I decided to say something "Are you going to murder me?" Seifer shook his head "No. With the truth already being out, things are gonna get ugly really fast. SeeD and the enemy will be waging war nonstop until one side gets what they want." I hardened my expression expectantly at him. Seifer let go of my shoulder and continued "And if garden does find out who you really are, then i wont let them get you." I warned him "But Seifer, if you rebel like that... theyll go after you too..." Yaru looked down "We cant win either way here, Ultimecia... the enemy wants your powers, and SeeD wants you dead... we dont have many options here." Seifer nodded "And im not just handing you over to them. Not that youd allow it either way." I said "If we did find Edea she wouldve immediately spoken my true identity. War would have raged in the end regardless if the enemy discovered me or not." Seifer tightened his fist "Dang it...! I had a feeling you were her, and yet..." Yaru sighed "I can understand why she lied about her name... she doesnt want dangerous attention..." I nodded and looked at Seifer "You helped me once, Seifer. I know you can do it again." Seifer looked at me "But its worse this time... youre not pulling any strings. And we've got two big groups wanting two different things from you...and theyre both cruel fate." Yaru shook her head "How strong are you, Ultimecia...? Can your powers confuse the minds on either side so youre safer...?" I replied "Not very easily... Squall has resisted my control more times than i can count. And now that so many know i exist, its more difficult for me to remotely bend their will. Anymore than 3 people at once and i cant do very well there. Dispersing the energies like that weakens the result which makes it near impossible for me to manipulate large groups without the use of a top official that the people trust." Seifer said "So thats why you only puppeted one person at a time... but you sure knew what you were doing." Yaru asked "So can you just use Squall to calm everyone down?" I shook my head "He wont be easy... he has enough mental resistance to keep my will out. Especially since he seemed to recognize me from the start..." Yaru said "Oh man... we're really in trouble now..." Seifer said "Its also hard for her to do it if its not someone experienced with sorcery. Everyone she used that year were sorceresses from the past." I nodded. Yaru replied "I think we need to keep as low as possible about this.. especially if we do go back to garden..." Seifer shrugged "Good luck doing that since they already know shes been staying there. Especially since captain Squall seemed wary of her since the Dollet mission." I added "And if i were to force my way in there it wouldnt make things any better. The warriors of SeeD wont back down from a fight with me." Yaru sighed "So what now?" Seifer answered "We stay put and deal with reinforcements. Look real hard, you two..." I immediately realized we were surrounded by enemy forces. I said "Youre here for me, arent you? You wont be so excited after this." I held both of my arms out to my sides then lifted one hand, emitting a small light. In the blink of an eye, they each cried out in pain and dropped like flies. Yaru was shocked "Oh god... such power....!" Seifer also seemed surprised "She really was going easy on them before... incredible..." I managed to smile a bit, holding my arms out to my sides "Anyone else want to join the party? Hm?" There were a few soldiers some ways ahead of me who kept silent and backed away fearfully. One of them cried "Shes a monster! Run!" They ran off as quickly as they could and there were no signs of more anywhere else in the city. Yaru shook her head in disbelief "No way.... Sorceress Ultimecia is that strong....?!" Seifer turned back to me "Well, thats one way to scare them off... looks like they underestimated you." Yaru added "But you cant expect anyone to easily comprehend that level of power... Hopefully theyll back down for a while." I nodded and so did Seifer. Yaru asked "You really think garden can easily execute her....? Shes ridiculously strong..." Seifer answered "Normally id agree, but keep in mind that SeeD has confidential means of disposal against a powerful sorceress. If shes caught off guard even once they will suppress her powers and she wont be able to defend herself..." Yaru added "Are you sure those stones are strong enough to suppress the kind of power that can compress time though? Theyve never had to execute a sorceress at that great level... would they even work on her?" Seifer looked down "I dont know... its true they can shatter if the sealed power is too great but we cant take any chances." Yaru looked down "Is there nothing we can do to protect her...? if she was as wicked as the rumors say we would be dead by now..." I spoke up "I did have my own place, in my former time... but an unexptected disturbance has prevented me from returning to my far away future." Seifer added "Its because you were too injured during your fight with captain Squall's group... your being temporarily weakened caused the time compression to slip didnt it?" I nodded "I believe so... my loss in that fight has distorted the fabric of space in my rightful time. And even im uncertain how to fix it..." Yaru suggested "Just compress time again, right?" I shook my head "If i did that, my era would completely collapse. Its already falling apart because i failed to win that fight..." Yaru sighed "Oh man... what happens if it collpses...?" I answered "If it does... I will die..." Seifer cried "What did you just say?! You shouldve spoken up sooner!" Seifer hardened his expression as if upset and continued "Thats it! Im doing something about this crap right here, right now! I dont care if i die trying!" Seifer ran off upset and didnt turn back. I shouted "Seifer, wait! Its not over!" Yaru said "He really cares about you doesnt he...?" I nodded feeling concerned "It seems that way... I'll go get him." Yaru nodded and I went to Seifer who was sitting on the ground near a store on a street further away from the clock tower. I decided to sit next to him and said "The will to live on, Seifer... the will to fight." Seifer was confused "Huh? What are you talking about?" I explained "I see now why Squall's group survived in my era where time was compressed... They kept the desire to fight and live on. When i was nearly defeated, on the brink of death... I refused to let go. I couldnt pass on my powers either." Seifer asked "What do you mean?" I continued "That desire to finish what i couldnt before is what allowed me to live, though i was very weak upon waking up outside of garden. That same wish to keep going is why my time is in limbo so to speak, and the reason that distortion manifested. My desire conflicted the fabric of that era and is why it wasnt fully destroyed." Seifer asked "Where are you going with this stuff?" I looked at him and replied "If you wish strongly enough as i do or greater, I wont die even if my era does fully collapse. Its a strange magical reaction that even i dont understand... but i never had anyone who loved or cared enough for me to show me this mysterious truth. And my mother, the strongest Sorceress to ever live, died when i was only a child." Seifer said "You had a mother?" I nodded "My mother was very kind and protective of me. We lived in a time where the people hated us out of fear. And the only way I could come up with to avenge her death was to manipulate the masses myself as i did last year. Then use them to bring about their own inevitable demise for being such shameless, filthy wenches..." Seifer asked "But why destroy everything? You trying to collect power to bring your mother back?" I shook my head "That was the goal... but it didnt work. I was the only one able to exist in that time... all else vanished as if they had simply never happened." I sighed and Seifer put a hand to my back trying to comfort me. Seifer "Hey... maybe i dont know how to bring your mother back, but I know i wont let you die like that, got it?" I nodded and kept quiet. Seifer "As for concealing the truth from garden... i think we can manage until the enemy attacks garden. And since some of their men fled, i doubt theyll be lashing out anytime soon. They know youre not someone to screw around with." I said "You sure its safe?" Seifer nodded "For now it is... if it really comes down to it, i'll risk my own life to do the right thing. They dont know what youve been through." Yaru came and struggled to catch her breath "Guys, we gotta go! Theres a ton of soldiers looking for Ultimecia!" Seifer hardened his expression "They want more? Too bad we cant play with all of them. Lets go!" I nodded and me and Yaru ran behind him, heading out of the city as fast as we could.
To Be Continued...
