Chapter 1: A mysterious guest
“Fire Cross!”
A young man in white trench coat yelled as he held his gun blade in front of a large boulder. The gun blade glowed bright red and was set ablaze by the incantation. Suddenly, in amazing speed and precision, the young man slashed the large boulder to pieces.
“Nice one Seifer!” lauded a silver-haired woman from a top a cliff.
“Fujin!” said Seifer, “I thought I told you to stay back at Garden?”
“Yes you did,” she replied, “But Headmaster Cid is looking for you.”
Seifer was confused. After the war with Ultimecia, Garden ceased operations to train more SeeD. Not being able to complete his SeeD training and after betraying Garden, he decided to severe ties with everyone even with his friends.
“This is a special mission,” said Fujin, “You’re going to space.”
“Why?” inquired Seifer, “Garden has Squall and his team.”
“I don’t know,” replied Fujin coldly, “I’m just relaying a message.”
Seifer was again taken aback. He was rarely speechless, in fact he was usually the boisterous one with a sharp tongue and witty comebacks, but being wanted by the very institution he betrayed a few years back was beyond reflex comprehension. He was stunned by the request of Garden.
“Tell th–,” he began to reply but he noticed that as swift as she appeared, Fujin was nowhere in sight.
-oOo-
Several people were gathered at a conference room in Balamb Garden. One was a blond-haired girl adorned with an intimidating pair of glasses and a deadly looking whip in hand. Another one was a pale long-haired guy with cowboy hat and a silver revolver. Another man was blond with a tattoo in his face and wearing the most destructive-looking gloves. Then jumping around greeting the whole group was a young brown-haired girl in a yellow suit, nunchakus tucked on her belt.
Suddenly, the door opened. A girl wearing a light blue duster sweater with angel wings printed on the back on top of a black tank top and shorts approached the group and greeted everyone, “Hello guys! It’s been a while”
“Hey Rinoa, how are you and Squall doing?” asked the girl with the nunchakus.
“Were fine, Selphie” said a young man emerging from the door. He was wearing a black leather jacket with furry collar over a white shirt. His gun blade was safely sheathed in his belt compartment.
“Are we talking about babies soon?” asked Zell, the man with the tattoo.
“Shut up Zell, you’re embarrassing them!” interjected the woman with eye glasses.
“Not really Quistis,” replied Rinoa, “But to answer your question Zell, no, it’s just too sudden.”
Before anyone could react any further, the door opened again but this time, an older man entered together with a lady in black flowing dress. The man prompted everyone to sit down and said, “Let’s start!”
“Esthar has detected a space-time anomaly,” declared Cid in his opening statement to the briefing, “It seems very similar to a time compression vortex, but different in certain number of ways.”
Everyone was still silent for a moment until Quistis asked, “How different headmaster?”
“Well, Quistis, unlike the one from Ultimecia’s time where she compressed future and past into the present, this does not only do that but moreover, it also compresses different dimensions.”
“So is it similar to that one except that there are other worlds being compressed together with ours?” asked the long-haired man with a revolver.
“Exactly Irvine!”
“What do you want us to do then Cid?” asked Squall.
“Well, I would have wanted you to go out there and check it out using Ragnarok,” replied Cid, “But that would leave us open.”
Finally, the lady in long black dress said, “There have been sightings of a new breed of monsters far more deadly than what we’ve encountered before.”
Again, silence enveloped the room. Just then, the door opened to give way to another person who spoke, “They’re fierce and unaffected by regular physical attacks or individually casted magic. The only way I got out from one of them was to use my Limit Break, right Matron?”
Everyone looked back at the newcomer and everyone gasped, a familiar-looking girl in a green halter top and what used to be a long blue dress now were beige Capri pants. Gripping her staff, she launched herself in the air and in a graceful feat of aerial acrobatics landed herself beside Cid and Matron Edea.
Squall couldn’t help but ask, “Ellone?”
Chapter 2: Trance
“So it is set,” proclaimed Cid, “Squall, Ellone and Zell will take Ragnarok to space and investigate the anomaly from there.”
The three of them nodded in affirmation.
“And the rest,” Cid continued, “Quistis, Irvine, Rinoa and Selphie will investigate the source of these abominable monsters.”
“Squall,” interrupted Matron, “Be careful. If you go too near the space-time vortex, it will suck you into a world we know nothing of. Ellone’s magic would only be able to protect you enough to go as near as 20,000 km. In compressed time, that magic is pretty useless.”
“We understand, Matron” replied Squall.
“Make your preparations,” commanded Cid, “Ragnarok launches in 48 hours.”
-oOo-
In an unknown reaches of the universe, 6 cloaked beings appeared out of nowhere.
“There’s a great disturbance in the universe” proclaimed one of them.
“I know, Ultima,” replied another one, “Garden has already sent its best warriors to investigate.”
“But would that be enough, Meteo?” asked a third cloaked being.
“We don’t know, Arthur” replied Meteo.
“I’m ready to help them,” stated Ultima.
“But in doing so, you’re exposing the High Guardians to unimaginable danger,” interrupted another one of the cloaked figures.
“Two of us have already been awakened, Ark,” said a fifth cloaked being, “though not to the full extent of their powers.”
“Yes, Bahumut and Phoenix were awakened prematurely by the SeeDs” said Arthur, “But Madeen, do we have any other choice?”
“I know of none,” replied Madeen.
“Do we know what’s causing this disturbance?” asked the last one.
“We have our hunch, Choco,” replied Madeen
-oOo-
“We’re ready to launch Laguna,” Squall said through the intercom.
“You’re cleared for take off, son,” Esthar president, Laguna Loire replied through the speakers, “Good luck.”
INTERCOM: Ragnarok systems have been optimized. Commencing count down…
(30… 29…)
“Here we go outer space!!” shouted Zell.
“Calm down,” said an irritated Squall, “You’re bound to break something in your over excitement!”
(28… 27…)
“Guys,” said Ellone in a mysterious voice, “We have company.”
INTERCOM: Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Unidentified Creature has been detected inside the hangar.
(26… 25…)
The hangar doors were ripped open by a powerful monster. It had the head of a bull but with added tusks. It walks on two legs with an overgrowth of brown fur that ends in extremely hard hooves, while scales covered its back entirely. Each step causes a dent in the hangar floor as it makes its way towards Ragnarok.
(24… 23… 22…)
“Squall!” shouted Laguna from the speakers, “Do you have visuals on the creature?”
“We can’t s–” Squall was cut off by a powerful jerk of the hull. The next thing they heard was a buzzing sound coming from the speakers.
“Awwh man,” groaned Zell, “Communication’s down!”
“And so is the main control panel…” replied Squall, “We’re in big trouble guys.”
(21… 20…)
“We need to abort launch, or else we’ll be paralyzed out there,” said Ellone.
“Can we engage the enemy?” asked Zell.
“It’s too risky to go out,” said Ellone, “It’s like a pressure cooker in the hangar!”
(19… 18… 17…)
Squall, use me.
-oOo-
INTERCOM: INTRUDER! INTRUDER!
(16… 15…)
“Communication’s down Laguna,” yelled Kiros.
“We need to abort launch,” said Laguna, “Kiros, do manual override. Ward, target the intruder with micro-canons”
Kiros and Ward started working on the control panel in front of them. However, their effort returned with unpleasant results.
(14… 13…)
“No use Laguna,” replied Kiros, “Ragnarok is not responding.”
“Our cannons can’t penetrate the beast’s skin,” added Ward.
“Damn!” muttered Laguna, “Squall, I leave it up to you.”
“Laguna, there’s a man out there in the hangar.”
(12… 11…)
-oOo-
As if coming out of nowhere, Seifer unleashed a ball of fire towards the raging bull.
“Hey you big bully!” yelled Seifer.
The monstrous bull shifted its attention from Ragnarok towards Seifer. Without any warning, it launched itself in the air into a ball of fur and scales. The ball started rolling towards Seifer in deathly speed. Fortunately, Seifer’s reflexes were enough to dodge that attack.
(10… 9…)
“Too slow!” mocked Seifer, but before he could get his bearings, he was knocked down by the same ball from behind. The ball stopped rolling as if prompting Seifer to stand up and fight. However, he had a little bit of trouble. That one hit, took a lot out of him.
“You’re a powerful monster,” smirked Seifer as he tried to recover, “I don’t think a mere gunblade would work against you but how about this, Eternal Darkness!”
The hangar was engulfed with shadow. A glowing figure then manifested itself. It was an ark with a dragon’s head at its bow. Under the ark, connected to the keel protrudes a gigantic blade, while in place of sails, lie a giant propeller of sorts. Seifer unleashed a Guardian Force never seen before.
(8… 7…)
The Guardian Force changed to its true form in a series of metal-clunking transformations: Ark, The Shadow Dragon Knight. Ark, then jumped high into the darkness and unleashed a ray of shadow towards the bull. The shadow then compressed to a ball, becoming smaller and smaller until there wasn’t anything left of the monster. With only a small nod towards a barely standing Seifer, Ark vanishes with the shadow.
(6… 5…)
As the shadow clears up, Seifer looked back at Ragnarok and saw a few dents and electrical wiring dangling from several areas of the ship.
“Squall, you need to abort launch now!” shouted Seifer with his last ounce of strength before fainting.
(4…)
Inside the ship, Zell unstrapped himself from his seat and started to go to the main engine room.
“Zell!” called Ellone in a calming voice, “Sit down… Squall’s trying something.”
Zell looked at Squall who was sitting calmly in his station, eyes closed.
(3…)
“Whatever he’s doing, it’s not helping, Sis” replied Zell.
“Let’s trust him.” Said Ellone.
“I can’t just sit down here and let myself get killed you know,” ranted Zell, still not going back to his station.
“There are far greater forces at play here than what you understand, Zell,” said Ellone, “I’m sorry but I have to do this.”
Reaching her hand out to Zell, Ellone sent a magical pulse that caused Zell to fall asleep. Ellone stood up and carried Zell with much effort and discomfort back to his seat and strapped him there.
(2…)
“Come on Squall, do it!” muttered Ellone.
(1…)
Suddenly, Squall’s eyes shot open and glowed bright as he called out, “Bahamut!”
(0…)
INTERCOM: Commencing Launch.
Ragnarok jerked a little as the boosters started up. The blinding flash of combusting fuel soon enveloped the whole hangar. Ragnarok accelerated towards the opened gates and in supersonic speed, it soared out of the hangar and into the sky.
Suddenly, from an unknown part of the sky, Ellone saw a comet-looking object. As it got closer, Ellone recognized the Dragon God, Bahamut. Squall, still in a trance, “Bahamut, can you help us?”
Certainly, replied a commanding but invisible presence.
Bahamut changed into a ball of energy that hit Ragnarok. The ship glowed white as the dents and the circuitry started to fix itself as if Ragnarok was a living and self-healing entity.
Ragnarok is operational, said Bahamut, you can now go back to Esthar or continue with your mission. We will meet again.
“Thanks Bahamut!” said Squall. Then turning his attention to Ellone, “We need to go back and look at Seifer.”
“Of course,” replied Ellone, “He was actually late today. He’s supposed to join us in this mission.”
“What?!” interjected Squall.
