Chapter 7: The Enemy's Queen
After we made it back to Balamb Garden, Squall and Rinoa waited in the main hall for us and we went up to them. Squall started "I heard about the incident in Deling City from a backup squad that left for there. This might be a bigger problem than i expected..." Yaru replied "They think our Sorceress is Ultimecia... she managed to fight some of them off but there were just too many and we had to retreat." Squall sighed and put a hand to his head. Seifer added "And from what we learned in the abandoned missile base, it seems like the enemy has made devices to control the will and powers of a sorceress for their own gain." Rinoa cried "Thats terrible... Why?" Yaru said "We dont know but after how much overkill they threw at us just to get Ultimeya something tells me theyre planning to start a war..." Rinoa looked down "They must know of Ultimecia's true power if they attacked like that..." Squall shook his head "But this one isnt Ultimecia. As much as she may look like her... she hasnt attacked mercilessly at all." Rinoa asked "What about Edea? Could you find her?" I answered "I believe they might really have her after learning what they created..." Seifer said "But its Sorceress Edea. We have to help her without killing her." Squall nodded "Were you able to learn how to disable the enemy's devices used for their schemes?" I shook my head "No, but... if she really does have the heart you guys know she does there has to be a way to have her resist enough for it to break." Rinoa asked "You really think it would work...?" Squall looked down "We have to try... we were never supposed to fight her to begin with. This was a rescue operation, not a battle. At least until the new enemy showed up." Yaru shook her head worried "This is looking pretty bad.. think they will really find Ultimecia...? if they did get her it wouldnt be pretty. she can compress time!" Squall added "Which means theyd be able to win no matter what by getting her. especially if the devices you mentioned are stable enough to handle her strong magic." Seifer sighed but didnt say anything. Rinoa said "But we defeated her, didnt we? So arent they wasting their time?" Squall replied "Normally id say yes, but... something tells me Sorceress Ultimecia managed to survive by a thread. And now theyre conducting this witch hunt to use her power.. and the world only knows what terrible thing theyd turn this world into with it..." Rinoa looked at me curiously but didnt say anything. Rinoa said "I wonder if she had a sister... this one looks so much like her..." I shook my head "I dont know anything of this one. other than the enemy wants her power of time compression to turn this world into whatever they please." Rinoa replied "You sound like her too...weird..." I did my best to remain calm and didnt say anything. Squall sighed and kept silent as well. Yaru spoke first "So what next about this mission?" Squall turned to me and said "You need to be honest with me. Are you... is this woman Ultimecia?" I widened my eyes a bit but kept silent. Seifer replied "What kind of question is that?! Where did that come from?!" Squall said "You three need to tell the truth! If this is her and the enemy gets her its the end for all of us!" I backed away nervously. Yaru shook her head sadly "It is... this is Sorceress Ultimecia..." Squall stepped between them after drawing his gunblade and i lifted my hands backing away nervously. I warned "D-Dont come any closer...!" Rinoa cried "Squall dont!" Squall hardened his expression but didnt attack "If we kill her here and now the enemy cant get what theyre after." I hardened my expression and warned "As if Id make it that easy for you....! I needed help only to realize my foolishness...!" My hands emitted a purple glow and Squall was warped behind me. Rather than attacking with a strong spell i decided to kick him as hard as possible and i ran off to the dorms scared and upset. Squall coughed "Dang it... get her you guys,now!" Seifer hesitated and said "Im not doing it." Yaru shook her head "Me neither. I know she was an enemy of this time itself but shes been nothing but a good and reliable partner." Squall cried "If she isnt killed the world dies no matter what! Even if the enemy doesnt capture her Ultimecia will compress time again!" Rinoa went up to Squall and said "Squall... youre forgetting something. Look at the position shes in." Squall didnt answer and Rinoa explained "Theres an evil organization after her... she probably is weaker from her injuries during that long battle we had against her. If we dont help her, who will?" Squall cried "Help her? after everything she did to us?! To you, to Edea... after trying to destroy everything?!" Rinoa replied "I dont think she wants to repeat that this time.. if she was serious about it she wouldve taken advantage of the situation by now." Seifer stepped forward "And to me, Ultimecia is a friend. She might be rough and a bit crude but so was I." Squall said "Seifer..." Rinoa continued "We need to prove to Ultimecia how good SeeD's will is. If we dont do that she will go on trusting only herself and then she will compress time all over again. She doesnt like us. We have to show her that we're around to help, not destroy." Squall sighed and managed to stand up "I guess youre right... if she went to take the enemy on by herself she might just end up getting caught..." Rinoa nodded "And i think she might have one friend out there someplace, but i dont know where.." I laid on my bed after overhearing them and used my magic to create a barrier around myself feeling scared. Squall said "She probably joined us because there was no other way for her to avoid capture... i guess its only right to help her avoid the enemy." Seifer nodded and so did Rinoa and Yaru. Yaru said "Its hard to believe shes an evil sorceress... i mean she didnt even try to kill all of us..." Seifer added "You guys dont even know why she tried to do what she did... and im one of her only friends." Squall sighed and said "We need to find the enemy's stronghold before they find garden. If they find us first, i need you two to escape with Ultimecia so they cant get her. We cant afford to let them take her." Yaru and Seifer nodded. Seifer asked "Then what?" Squall answered "Once youre out, find their base and send me the coordinates. Do not enter without authorization. Once you send me the coordinates, i will dispatch a team to distract the enemy head on. From there, you three should have a safe opening to infiltrate their hideout without Ultimecia being discovered or attacked. Just make sure you keep going--do not stop to engage them at all. It will endanger Ultimecia if you do." Yaru agreed "Right... but what about a safe entrance? If we go through the front we will get one mean welcome especially with her on the team..." Squall replied "Let her scope out a back door and keep watch so she isnt spotted. From there, Sorceress Ultimecia can give an ok signal for you three to safely enter the enemy stronghold. Given the fact Ultimecia is a time mage it should be an easy and quick task for her, leaving less room for danger to her." Yaru agreed "Right. Since she can manipulate the temporal-spacial paradox she can find an entrance without going too far." Squall nodded "Exactly. Even if she lost some of her power she should still be able to do that. You two just keep watch so the enemy doesnt find or attack her. If youre discovered that puts the stealth operation at a very ugly start and the consequences will be vicious. You cant allow this to go wrong." Rinoa asked "But what if they send Edea up front? We might need Ultimecia to be able to destroy the device controlling her..." Squall said "I dont think theyll do that. They wouldnt waste the big guns on our secondary guard." Seifer agreed "Good point.. hopefully Ultimecia will know if the answer we heard is true or not." Rinoa said "If you do find Sorceress Edea, remember--dont go all out on her. We need to help her, not try to kill her." Seifer nodded and so did Yaru. I decided to go back to them after hearing the explanation but didnt lower my protective barrier. I said "Are you sure this task will be that simple? What do we do in the case of failure?" Squall said "You will have to fight them off yourself if you are caught before finding a safe route inside. But be as swift as possible about it. You know what will happen if you arent." I nodded and so did Seifer. Yaru said "We can do this. We just have to keep them from getting Sorceress Ultimecia and thats it, right? If they dont catch her they dont get what they want." Squall nodded and so did Rinoa. Squall said "Right. As for possible locations of the stronghold... i have reports of a suspicious dark castle thats recently been stationed several ways away from Deling City near a forest. Use caution approaching it. Remember, if they see Ultimecia the enemy will attack viciously. You need to make sure she isnt spotted as much as you can." I asked "What am i supposed to do? I need to have some part in this operation do i not?" Squall sighed but kept silent. Seifer suggested "You know, they have some pretty tough forces... Ultimecia's powers can help a lot getting big groups out of the way." Squall said "Right... it would be good backup if things dont play out as we plan. If its not very fortified you guys better be careful. More than likely, lack of defense would mean its a trap." Yaru nodded and so did I. I asked "But we cant hide forever. Are you sure the secondary battle squad will make it on time?" Squall sighed "I dont know... but they will arrive as quickly as they can. If a head-on assault can be avoided that would be great but be careful. We might not get that luxury here." Rinoa said "Focus on infiltrating the stronghold and saving Edea. Whatever happens, just do what you can." Seifer nodded "We will, dont worry. No way theyre getting Ultimecia."
I decided to ask another question "Are there any other gardens we can cooperate with in the event of a worst-case scenario?" Squall replied "Galbadia garden is probably equipped for potentially brutal onslaughts, but... there isnt enough trust established after the incidents of last year." I shrugged and shook my head "It seems we're on our own then. We better get a move on before they find us first." Seifer agreed "Right. Lets head back to Deling City outskirts and find this place." Seifer led us out and we followed his lead once again. Yaru asked "Who was that lady calling herself your sister? Do you know each other?" I answered "She seems to know me but i dont remember anything about her... She seems to know whats going on better than we do, though." Seifer asked "Does this big mess have some connection to the fall of time compression from your rightful time?" I said "I dont know... but my being defeated might have thrown the temporal spectrum off balance, however." Yaru added "Ok, so... how do we fix that if its true?" I replied "I might have to return to my time and re-sow compression... but i need my full strength to do that." Seifer asked "But if time compression was in the future so far off why would it be making all this weird crap happen here in our time?" I began "Theres something you dont understand about time compression... as the name implies i use carefully gathered power to make the past, present, the future... all into one single piece, removing the very existence of history itself. That was why only i was to live in such a place... and also what i failed to remember in my desperate struggle to get my long lost mother back." They kept quiet and i went on "And because my loss of power caused the fall of this time compression it could be screwing with the fabric of the past we are standing in " Yaru worried "Is everything going to collapse...?" I answered "Not if i get my full strength back and go back to my time. If i fail to do that, however..." Seifer panicked "But if you go back to the future Ultimecia, then that means..." I sighed and stopped walking but didnt say anything. Seifer and Yaru also stopped. Seifer seemed upset "We're gonna do it from here got it? No going back to the future... if you went back to the future I'll never see you again!" I said "I know but... if something isnt done everything dies anyway." Yaru asked "But isnt time compression also going to destroy everything? If it destroys all timellines except the caster's everything ends the same way no matter what..." I sighed but didnt say anything. Seifer went on "And if it doesnt happen right away i wont live the hundred thousand years to see you one last time!" I suddenly felt very pressured and didnt know what to do. If something wasnt done, things would disapear sooner than they would if i took care of time compression where i came from. But Yaru was right... only one would survive either way: me. I didnt know how to respond to her that time. None of this wouldve happened if i never compressed time. Unlike killing an evil version of yourself in the future, this wasnt something that goes taken care of easily. It affects the entire spectrum of time as a whole meaning one wrong move or seriously injuring the caster would bring disaster sooner or later if it wasnt redone on time. If the bizarre occurrences really were from my fall in battle, then im the only one who can return things to normal... or at least, the normal they once were. I decided to speak up "Seifer... im sorry..." Seifer cried "Dont go leaving me got it?! If we die i dont care as long as i see you before i die!" Yaru said "Seifer...." I wondered "Why...? Why do you care so much for me after everything Ive done...?" I continued "I slaughtered countless SeeDs, destroyed the homes and towns of innocents, tore you from your only friends, used you to accomplish my goals... and yet you still..." Seifer hardened his expression and shook his head "Yeah, it wasnt easy doing what i tried to for you... but you didnt just use me. You actually made me feel like i could do more than all my comrades thought i could. You made me feel more confident and like I can do so many things that no one else can." I kept silent and he said "And you also were a friend... you believed in me when no one else did. Even if you had something else in mind that still meant a lot to me." I sighed and kept silent. Seifer continued "You gave me my confidence back... and theres no way im letting you go away again. I never got to thank you before you went back to your time... and this is my chance to show my thanks. But not just for you to go back where you were got it?" I shook my head "My castle... if i somehow find my castle, we might have a safe place to stay should this situation grow too dangerous." Yaru asked "Where is your castle, Ultimecia?" I replied "It should be hovering south of Esthar... but we will need to get close without going through the city. If im spotted the people wont react nicely." Yaru was confused "But arent they normal people? They arent with the enemy right?" Seifer shook his head "They arent the enemy, but they will see Ultimecia as an enemy even if shes with SeeDs. Its better to avoid that type of confrontation then planning how to deal with it." Yaru asked "Why does everyone hate her so much? She practically saved our lives twice during the Deling incident!" I replied "There are too many people who dont react kindly when it comes to a sorceress. and my name most of all is the most feared." Yaru sighed and shook her head "We cant just keep running away like this... this wont do anything. Even if those are our orders." Seifer said "Youre right... but i cant think of other ideas." We kept silent and continued toward the mission objective, then we arrived before long unexpectedly. Seifer started "Ultimecia, remember when people worshipped and body guarded you like a goddess last year?" I replied "Of course i do but where are you going with this?" Seifer suggested "Think you can do it this time too? Might be a good way to keep your powers out of enemy hands." Yaru added "And it might be a good way to establish trust between the common people and a sorceress. Then maybe less people will freak out and panic when they hear about a new sorceress." I nodded "Im certainly up for being royalty again. But i will keep the focus on defensive measures and save my parties for later." Yaru laughed a bit and nodded. Seifer said "Alright... but before we go back to tell the captain we'd better check this place out. Even if Sorceress Edea isnt here there might be crucial information inside." I nodded in agreement and carefully sneaked my way towards the enemy castle. I searched the outside for a back entrance and used my magic to carefully force an opening in the back, then signalled Seifer and Yaru to follow me in. We came to a wide open dining room before long that was so empty and quiet it made the whole place seem like a ghost town. On the other side of the large room I saw a sorceress who resembled the one calling herself Matron and my sister but her makeup and her dress werent as dark, and her dress had less obvious glitter on it. Seifer cried "Edea!" Seifer ran to her and tried to shake her gently. She looked very dazed and barely seemed to even notice us. Seifer cried "Edea, say something dang it...! I know youre awake!" Edea moaned but didnt speak. Yaru was confused "Whats going on? Shes clearly awake but is acting like she cant even see us..." Edea barely managed to speak "Run... keep Ultimecia... away from them..." Seifer said "We're not leaving you behind. Youre coming back with us ok?" Seifer carefully picked her up and out of nowhere, she shut her eyes tight as if in pain and cried out as if something was brutally hurting her. Suddenly, she used her magic on Seifer and he was knocked all the way to the back of the room. Edea stood up and got ready to attack him again. Seifer cried 'What the heck?! Whats wrong?!" Yaru drew her katana and hardened her expeession "This must be what the other sorceress warned us about... she cant control herself!" Seifer managed to stand up but struggled to walk "Edea... snap out of it....! gah...!" He fell down again. His leg seemed to be injured and he couldnt walk. Edea suddenly held her head in pain as if suffering. I could tell she was trying her best to resist the dangerous device the enemy had used on her. Yaru worried "What do we do....?! We dont know anything about the device... how do we free her without killing her...?!" I hardened my expression and said "I dont know... but we need to go easy on her. One of us needs to talk to her during battle and hope she returns to normal." Seifer cried "Edea, its me... Seifer! Dont you recognize me?!" Edea let go of her head and went to attack him one more time. I decided to run to her and used my magic to restrain her from behind. I said "Seifer, do you see anything unusual?!" Seifer managed to stand and studied her carefully "Wait... whats this thing on her forehead? Thats not her jewel..." I cried "Try to pry it off, quickly! I cant hold her forever!" Seifer reached for her forehead and gently tried to pull it off. He seemed to have a hard time "Dang it... its stuck bad... I dont know if i can get it!" Edea groaned in pain as he tried to pull the strange device from her forehead and then she broke free and shoved him away hard trying to catch her breath. Seifer cried "Ugh...! Shes tough..." Yaru asked "So whats the plan...? Can you restrain her at least two more times Ultimecia?" I replied "Im gonna have to try... theres not much choice in this situation. We have to save her, not kill her." After taking a moment to recover Edea went to attack me with one of her spells and i phased away with my time compression and used another spell on her as mildly as i could. I couldnt use my full power or she would die. Seifer managed to get her from behind and restrained her. I immediately went to remove the strange device from her forehead using magical force and to my surpirse, it fully detached and she screamed from pain falling to the ground on her knees. Edea tried to catch her breath and Seifer went to her worried "Are you alright?!" I held the strange thing in my hand and studied it then shook my head "Very sneaky... this looks almost exactly like Edea's fashion gem. Unbelievable..." Yaru suggested "So they dont have a standard model for these weird things? Oh great..." Edea struggled to catch her breath "Im sorry... I couldnt do anything... those terrible machines are just too strong..." Seifer shook his head "Forget about what you did. It wasnt your fault. But who did this? What did they look like?" Edea managed to stand and shook her head "Her name... her name was Thasma..." Seifer was confused "Thasma? Where did she go?" Edea replied "I dont know... The only thing i remember is her saying 'you will fetch me the grieving time witch'..." I asked "What did she look like?" Edea noticed me and answered "She looks a lot like you... but older and her gown is completely white. Its the same style as yours, however..." I was immediately confused "Another sorceress... why would another sorceress be behind this witch hunt for me?" Edea shook her head "Shes not just a sorceress... shes a highly advanced scientist as well... i have a bad feeling about her." Seifer sighed "Great. Talk about a combination. Any idea how we're supposed to deal with her?" Edea shook her head "Im not sure but she has to be stopped... if she gets Ultimecia this world will be brought to ruin. She knows how to restore Sorceress Ultimecia's power. If Thasma gets her we are all finished." Yaru cried "What?! How does she know?! Even Ultimecia herself didnt know how to get her full strength back!" Edea shook her head "Im not certain but... she seems to know Sorceress Ultimecia very well... i cant say how, or even why shes doing all of this but its clear she knows all there is about her." I shook my head in disbelief. This was just too bizarre now. I really didnt know what to make of everything after hearing all of this. I wasnt even sure if i could avoid capture for long if this Thasma knew me as well as Edea claimed. Yaru looked down "This is way worse than i thought... if that Thasma knows Sorceress Ultimecia so well theres no question those devices really are strong enough to control her..." Seifer sighed "This explains why the enemy was so prepared the entire time... we need to get out of here before they show up and head back to garden." We nodded and followed Seifer back. Luckily we werent attacked on our way out.
To Be Continued...
After we made it back to Balamb Garden, Squall and Rinoa waited in the main hall for us and we went up to them. Squall started "I heard about the incident in Deling City from a backup squad that left for there. This might be a bigger problem than i expected..." Yaru replied "They think our Sorceress is Ultimecia... she managed to fight some of them off but there were just too many and we had to retreat." Squall sighed and put a hand to his head. Seifer added "And from what we learned in the abandoned missile base, it seems like the enemy has made devices to control the will and powers of a sorceress for their own gain." Rinoa cried "Thats terrible... Why?" Yaru said "We dont know but after how much overkill they threw at us just to get Ultimeya something tells me theyre planning to start a war..." Rinoa looked down "They must know of Ultimecia's true power if they attacked like that..." Squall shook his head "But this one isnt Ultimecia. As much as she may look like her... she hasnt attacked mercilessly at all." Rinoa asked "What about Edea? Could you find her?" I answered "I believe they might really have her after learning what they created..." Seifer said "But its Sorceress Edea. We have to help her without killing her." Squall nodded "Were you able to learn how to disable the enemy's devices used for their schemes?" I shook my head "No, but... if she really does have the heart you guys know she does there has to be a way to have her resist enough for it to break." Rinoa asked "You really think it would work...?" Squall looked down "We have to try... we were never supposed to fight her to begin with. This was a rescue operation, not a battle. At least until the new enemy showed up." Yaru shook her head worried "This is looking pretty bad.. think they will really find Ultimecia...? if they did get her it wouldnt be pretty. she can compress time!" Squall added "Which means theyd be able to win no matter what by getting her. especially if the devices you mentioned are stable enough to handle her strong magic." Seifer sighed but didnt say anything. Rinoa said "But we defeated her, didnt we? So arent they wasting their time?" Squall replied "Normally id say yes, but... something tells me Sorceress Ultimecia managed to survive by a thread. And now theyre conducting this witch hunt to use her power.. and the world only knows what terrible thing theyd turn this world into with it..." Rinoa looked at me curiously but didnt say anything. Rinoa said "I wonder if she had a sister... this one looks so much like her..." I shook my head "I dont know anything of this one. other than the enemy wants her power of time compression to turn this world into whatever they please." Rinoa replied "You sound like her too...weird..." I did my best to remain calm and didnt say anything. Squall sighed and kept silent as well. Yaru spoke first "So what next about this mission?" Squall turned to me and said "You need to be honest with me. Are you... is this woman Ultimecia?" I widened my eyes a bit but kept silent. Seifer replied "What kind of question is that?! Where did that come from?!" Squall said "You three need to tell the truth! If this is her and the enemy gets her its the end for all of us!" I backed away nervously. Yaru shook her head sadly "It is... this is Sorceress Ultimecia..." Squall stepped between them after drawing his gunblade and i lifted my hands backing away nervously. I warned "D-Dont come any closer...!" Rinoa cried "Squall dont!" Squall hardened his expression but didnt attack "If we kill her here and now the enemy cant get what theyre after." I hardened my expression and warned "As if Id make it that easy for you....! I needed help only to realize my foolishness...!" My hands emitted a purple glow and Squall was warped behind me. Rather than attacking with a strong spell i decided to kick him as hard as possible and i ran off to the dorms scared and upset. Squall coughed "Dang it... get her you guys,now!" Seifer hesitated and said "Im not doing it." Yaru shook her head "Me neither. I know she was an enemy of this time itself but shes been nothing but a good and reliable partner." Squall cried "If she isnt killed the world dies no matter what! Even if the enemy doesnt capture her Ultimecia will compress time again!" Rinoa went up to Squall and said "Squall... youre forgetting something. Look at the position shes in." Squall didnt answer and Rinoa explained "Theres an evil organization after her... she probably is weaker from her injuries during that long battle we had against her. If we dont help her, who will?" Squall cried "Help her? after everything she did to us?! To you, to Edea... after trying to destroy everything?!" Rinoa replied "I dont think she wants to repeat that this time.. if she was serious about it she wouldve taken advantage of the situation by now." Seifer stepped forward "And to me, Ultimecia is a friend. She might be rough and a bit crude but so was I." Squall said "Seifer..." Rinoa continued "We need to prove to Ultimecia how good SeeD's will is. If we dont do that she will go on trusting only herself and then she will compress time all over again. She doesnt like us. We have to show her that we're around to help, not destroy." Squall sighed and managed to stand up "I guess youre right... if she went to take the enemy on by herself she might just end up getting caught..." Rinoa nodded "And i think she might have one friend out there someplace, but i dont know where.." I laid on my bed after overhearing them and used my magic to create a barrier around myself feeling scared. Squall said "She probably joined us because there was no other way for her to avoid capture... i guess its only right to help her avoid the enemy." Seifer nodded and so did Rinoa and Yaru. Yaru said "Its hard to believe shes an evil sorceress... i mean she didnt even try to kill all of us..." Seifer added "You guys dont even know why she tried to do what she did... and im one of her only friends." Squall sighed and said "We need to find the enemy's stronghold before they find garden. If they find us first, i need you two to escape with Ultimecia so they cant get her. We cant afford to let them take her." Yaru and Seifer nodded. Seifer asked "Then what?" Squall answered "Once youre out, find their base and send me the coordinates. Do not enter without authorization. Once you send me the coordinates, i will dispatch a team to distract the enemy head on. From there, you three should have a safe opening to infiltrate their hideout without Ultimecia being discovered or attacked. Just make sure you keep going--do not stop to engage them at all. It will endanger Ultimecia if you do." Yaru agreed "Right... but what about a safe entrance? If we go through the front we will get one mean welcome especially with her on the team..." Squall replied "Let her scope out a back door and keep watch so she isnt spotted. From there, Sorceress Ultimecia can give an ok signal for you three to safely enter the enemy stronghold. Given the fact Ultimecia is a time mage it should be an easy and quick task for her, leaving less room for danger to her." Yaru agreed "Right. Since she can manipulate the temporal-spacial paradox she can find an entrance without going too far." Squall nodded "Exactly. Even if she lost some of her power she should still be able to do that. You two just keep watch so the enemy doesnt find or attack her. If youre discovered that puts the stealth operation at a very ugly start and the consequences will be vicious. You cant allow this to go wrong." Rinoa asked "But what if they send Edea up front? We might need Ultimecia to be able to destroy the device controlling her..." Squall said "I dont think theyll do that. They wouldnt waste the big guns on our secondary guard." Seifer agreed "Good point.. hopefully Ultimecia will know if the answer we heard is true or not." Rinoa said "If you do find Sorceress Edea, remember--dont go all out on her. We need to help her, not try to kill her." Seifer nodded and so did Yaru. I decided to go back to them after hearing the explanation but didnt lower my protective barrier. I said "Are you sure this task will be that simple? What do we do in the case of failure?" Squall said "You will have to fight them off yourself if you are caught before finding a safe route inside. But be as swift as possible about it. You know what will happen if you arent." I nodded and so did Seifer. Yaru said "We can do this. We just have to keep them from getting Sorceress Ultimecia and thats it, right? If they dont catch her they dont get what they want." Squall nodded and so did Rinoa. Squall said "Right. As for possible locations of the stronghold... i have reports of a suspicious dark castle thats recently been stationed several ways away from Deling City near a forest. Use caution approaching it. Remember, if they see Ultimecia the enemy will attack viciously. You need to make sure she isnt spotted as much as you can." I asked "What am i supposed to do? I need to have some part in this operation do i not?" Squall sighed but kept silent. Seifer suggested "You know, they have some pretty tough forces... Ultimecia's powers can help a lot getting big groups out of the way." Squall said "Right... it would be good backup if things dont play out as we plan. If its not very fortified you guys better be careful. More than likely, lack of defense would mean its a trap." Yaru nodded and so did I. I asked "But we cant hide forever. Are you sure the secondary battle squad will make it on time?" Squall sighed "I dont know... but they will arrive as quickly as they can. If a head-on assault can be avoided that would be great but be careful. We might not get that luxury here." Rinoa said "Focus on infiltrating the stronghold and saving Edea. Whatever happens, just do what you can." Seifer nodded "We will, dont worry. No way theyre getting Ultimecia."
I decided to ask another question "Are there any other gardens we can cooperate with in the event of a worst-case scenario?" Squall replied "Galbadia garden is probably equipped for potentially brutal onslaughts, but... there isnt enough trust established after the incidents of last year." I shrugged and shook my head "It seems we're on our own then. We better get a move on before they find us first." Seifer agreed "Right. Lets head back to Deling City outskirts and find this place." Seifer led us out and we followed his lead once again. Yaru asked "Who was that lady calling herself your sister? Do you know each other?" I answered "She seems to know me but i dont remember anything about her... She seems to know whats going on better than we do, though." Seifer asked "Does this big mess have some connection to the fall of time compression from your rightful time?" I said "I dont know... but my being defeated might have thrown the temporal spectrum off balance, however." Yaru added "Ok, so... how do we fix that if its true?" I replied "I might have to return to my time and re-sow compression... but i need my full strength to do that." Seifer asked "But if time compression was in the future so far off why would it be making all this weird crap happen here in our time?" I began "Theres something you dont understand about time compression... as the name implies i use carefully gathered power to make the past, present, the future... all into one single piece, removing the very existence of history itself. That was why only i was to live in such a place... and also what i failed to remember in my desperate struggle to get my long lost mother back." They kept quiet and i went on "And because my loss of power caused the fall of this time compression it could be screwing with the fabric of the past we are standing in " Yaru worried "Is everything going to collapse...?" I answered "Not if i get my full strength back and go back to my time. If i fail to do that, however..." Seifer panicked "But if you go back to the future Ultimecia, then that means..." I sighed and stopped walking but didnt say anything. Seifer and Yaru also stopped. Seifer seemed upset "We're gonna do it from here got it? No going back to the future... if you went back to the future I'll never see you again!" I said "I know but... if something isnt done everything dies anyway." Yaru asked "But isnt time compression also going to destroy everything? If it destroys all timellines except the caster's everything ends the same way no matter what..." I sighed but didnt say anything. Seifer went on "And if it doesnt happen right away i wont live the hundred thousand years to see you one last time!" I suddenly felt very pressured and didnt know what to do. If something wasnt done, things would disapear sooner than they would if i took care of time compression where i came from. But Yaru was right... only one would survive either way: me. I didnt know how to respond to her that time. None of this wouldve happened if i never compressed time. Unlike killing an evil version of yourself in the future, this wasnt something that goes taken care of easily. It affects the entire spectrum of time as a whole meaning one wrong move or seriously injuring the caster would bring disaster sooner or later if it wasnt redone on time. If the bizarre occurrences really were from my fall in battle, then im the only one who can return things to normal... or at least, the normal they once were. I decided to speak up "Seifer... im sorry..." Seifer cried "Dont go leaving me got it?! If we die i dont care as long as i see you before i die!" Yaru said "Seifer...." I wondered "Why...? Why do you care so much for me after everything Ive done...?" I continued "I slaughtered countless SeeDs, destroyed the homes and towns of innocents, tore you from your only friends, used you to accomplish my goals... and yet you still..." Seifer hardened his expression and shook his head "Yeah, it wasnt easy doing what i tried to for you... but you didnt just use me. You actually made me feel like i could do more than all my comrades thought i could. You made me feel more confident and like I can do so many things that no one else can." I kept silent and he said "And you also were a friend... you believed in me when no one else did. Even if you had something else in mind that still meant a lot to me." I sighed and kept silent. Seifer continued "You gave me my confidence back... and theres no way im letting you go away again. I never got to thank you before you went back to your time... and this is my chance to show my thanks. But not just for you to go back where you were got it?" I shook my head "My castle... if i somehow find my castle, we might have a safe place to stay should this situation grow too dangerous." Yaru asked "Where is your castle, Ultimecia?" I replied "It should be hovering south of Esthar... but we will need to get close without going through the city. If im spotted the people wont react nicely." Yaru was confused "But arent they normal people? They arent with the enemy right?" Seifer shook his head "They arent the enemy, but they will see Ultimecia as an enemy even if shes with SeeDs. Its better to avoid that type of confrontation then planning how to deal with it." Yaru asked "Why does everyone hate her so much? She practically saved our lives twice during the Deling incident!" I replied "There are too many people who dont react kindly when it comes to a sorceress. and my name most of all is the most feared." Yaru sighed and shook her head "We cant just keep running away like this... this wont do anything. Even if those are our orders." Seifer said "Youre right... but i cant think of other ideas." We kept silent and continued toward the mission objective, then we arrived before long unexpectedly. Seifer started "Ultimecia, remember when people worshipped and body guarded you like a goddess last year?" I replied "Of course i do but where are you going with this?" Seifer suggested "Think you can do it this time too? Might be a good way to keep your powers out of enemy hands." Yaru added "And it might be a good way to establish trust between the common people and a sorceress. Then maybe less people will freak out and panic when they hear about a new sorceress." I nodded "Im certainly up for being royalty again. But i will keep the focus on defensive measures and save my parties for later." Yaru laughed a bit and nodded. Seifer said "Alright... but before we go back to tell the captain we'd better check this place out. Even if Sorceress Edea isnt here there might be crucial information inside." I nodded in agreement and carefully sneaked my way towards the enemy castle. I searched the outside for a back entrance and used my magic to carefully force an opening in the back, then signalled Seifer and Yaru to follow me in. We came to a wide open dining room before long that was so empty and quiet it made the whole place seem like a ghost town. On the other side of the large room I saw a sorceress who resembled the one calling herself Matron and my sister but her makeup and her dress werent as dark, and her dress had less obvious glitter on it. Seifer cried "Edea!" Seifer ran to her and tried to shake her gently. She looked very dazed and barely seemed to even notice us. Seifer cried "Edea, say something dang it...! I know youre awake!" Edea moaned but didnt speak. Yaru was confused "Whats going on? Shes clearly awake but is acting like she cant even see us..." Edea barely managed to speak "Run... keep Ultimecia... away from them..." Seifer said "We're not leaving you behind. Youre coming back with us ok?" Seifer carefully picked her up and out of nowhere, she shut her eyes tight as if in pain and cried out as if something was brutally hurting her. Suddenly, she used her magic on Seifer and he was knocked all the way to the back of the room. Edea stood up and got ready to attack him again. Seifer cried 'What the heck?! Whats wrong?!" Yaru drew her katana and hardened her expeession "This must be what the other sorceress warned us about... she cant control herself!" Seifer managed to stand up but struggled to walk "Edea... snap out of it....! gah...!" He fell down again. His leg seemed to be injured and he couldnt walk. Edea suddenly held her head in pain as if suffering. I could tell she was trying her best to resist the dangerous device the enemy had used on her. Yaru worried "What do we do....?! We dont know anything about the device... how do we free her without killing her...?!" I hardened my expression and said "I dont know... but we need to go easy on her. One of us needs to talk to her during battle and hope she returns to normal." Seifer cried "Edea, its me... Seifer! Dont you recognize me?!" Edea let go of her head and went to attack him one more time. I decided to run to her and used my magic to restrain her from behind. I said "Seifer, do you see anything unusual?!" Seifer managed to stand and studied her carefully "Wait... whats this thing on her forehead? Thats not her jewel..." I cried "Try to pry it off, quickly! I cant hold her forever!" Seifer reached for her forehead and gently tried to pull it off. He seemed to have a hard time "Dang it... its stuck bad... I dont know if i can get it!" Edea groaned in pain as he tried to pull the strange device from her forehead and then she broke free and shoved him away hard trying to catch her breath. Seifer cried "Ugh...! Shes tough..." Yaru asked "So whats the plan...? Can you restrain her at least two more times Ultimecia?" I replied "Im gonna have to try... theres not much choice in this situation. We have to save her, not kill her." After taking a moment to recover Edea went to attack me with one of her spells and i phased away with my time compression and used another spell on her as mildly as i could. I couldnt use my full power or she would die. Seifer managed to get her from behind and restrained her. I immediately went to remove the strange device from her forehead using magical force and to my surpirse, it fully detached and she screamed from pain falling to the ground on her knees. Edea tried to catch her breath and Seifer went to her worried "Are you alright?!" I held the strange thing in my hand and studied it then shook my head "Very sneaky... this looks almost exactly like Edea's fashion gem. Unbelievable..." Yaru suggested "So they dont have a standard model for these weird things? Oh great..." Edea struggled to catch her breath "Im sorry... I couldnt do anything... those terrible machines are just too strong..." Seifer shook his head "Forget about what you did. It wasnt your fault. But who did this? What did they look like?" Edea managed to stand and shook her head "Her name... her name was Thasma..." Seifer was confused "Thasma? Where did she go?" Edea replied "I dont know... The only thing i remember is her saying 'you will fetch me the grieving time witch'..." I asked "What did she look like?" Edea noticed me and answered "She looks a lot like you... but older and her gown is completely white. Its the same style as yours, however..." I was immediately confused "Another sorceress... why would another sorceress be behind this witch hunt for me?" Edea shook her head "Shes not just a sorceress... shes a highly advanced scientist as well... i have a bad feeling about her." Seifer sighed "Great. Talk about a combination. Any idea how we're supposed to deal with her?" Edea shook her head "Im not sure but she has to be stopped... if she gets Ultimecia this world will be brought to ruin. She knows how to restore Sorceress Ultimecia's power. If Thasma gets her we are all finished." Yaru cried "What?! How does she know?! Even Ultimecia herself didnt know how to get her full strength back!" Edea shook her head "Im not certain but... she seems to know Sorceress Ultimecia very well... i cant say how, or even why shes doing all of this but its clear she knows all there is about her." I shook my head in disbelief. This was just too bizarre now. I really didnt know what to make of everything after hearing all of this. I wasnt even sure if i could avoid capture for long if this Thasma knew me as well as Edea claimed. Yaru looked down "This is way worse than i thought... if that Thasma knows Sorceress Ultimecia so well theres no question those devices really are strong enough to control her..." Seifer sighed "This explains why the enemy was so prepared the entire time... we need to get out of here before they show up and head back to garden." We nodded and followed Seifer back. Luckily we werent attacked on our way out.
To Be Continued...
