18 - Breaking The Spell

[prodigi]

Prodigi raced through the streets of Midgar, occasionally using his teleportation to get further ahead of Zack. Eventually he stopped to let Zack catch up. He turned around and found the streets behind him empty. Strange, he thought. He closed his eyes and began searching for Zack’s energy. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain and he collapsed onto his knees. What the hell was that? he thought. Slowly he stood, trying to steady his shaking knees. Once he was steady he tried yet again to focus in on Zack. He felt the sharp pain again. He stood once again and then began searching randomly through energy levels hoping that his mind would fall upon Zack on it’s own. He felt the pain again, but it was different this time. Suddenly a face flashed into his mind, a face with deep red eyes, much like his own. Except this being possessed a much deeper evil than Prodigi had even sensed in himself when he almost attacked Bax at the hospital. For an instant a word echoed through Prodigi’s mind.
Zero.
As fast as the pain had come, it was gone. Prodigi pondered the pain, the face, and the word. He had felt the pain but yet he knew it was not the full extent of it, therefore the message had not been directed at him. He had just stumbled across it purely by accident with his abilities. Even though the message was not directed at him, he felt it still held meaning for him. The eyes, much alike his own, and the word, Zero, he felt like they had some meaning to him, like they were some link to his forgotten past. Suddenly as Prodigi pondered the face and the word, an array of images and memories flew through his mind at an incredible rate. Prodigi had unlocked parts of his memory.

Memory 1
Cyrus stood at attention, standing in front of his squadron, one of the many squadrons of the undefeatable army of The Senate. His squadron stood at attention in front of The Senate committee. His squadron was there because of the simple fact that it was the best. It was the most ruthless, most deadly, and was made up of the most gifted soldiers. Many of the squadron possessed some kind of ‘magic’ abilities. Some had the ability to cast elemental attacks, others had super strength which was attributed to their magic abilities. The reason for Prodigi being a member of the “Order of Magi” (his Squadron was named by the Apprentice himself) was because of his unusual ability. He had an ability he called “Trance” which allowed him to transform into a much more powerful form. He was about 18 years of age and was rather small, about 4 foot 9 inches. But what he lacked in size he made up for in ruthlessness.
In front of The Senate committee stood the Apprentice himself. The Senate Army was to go into battle the very next day to fight the Army of the Warrior Of Prosperity. Fifteen minutes ago the Apprentice had had a message sent to Cyrus, informing him that he would like to meet with the “Order of Magi” and wish them well in the battle. The Apprentice stepped forward, “You are the best,” he said looking around at the soldiers standing before him, “You are the most skilled soldiers our army has. You will be the squadron that will run alongside I in the frontlines as we attack the enemy.”<br>A cheer went up from the squadron. The Apprentice smiled and put a finger to his lips, telling the soldiers to hush. Once there was silence he began.
“Cyrus Jackson,” he said, as Cyrus snapped to attention, “step forward.”<br>Cyrus stepped forward, in front of The Apprentice. The Apprentice turned to the aide at his side and opened a large case in the aide’s hands. Cyrus’s eyes gleamed when the box opened. The Apprentice reached inside and pulled out two swords, and two pistols. The swords were medium in length with curving blade that had written down them, “Though We Hope For Promising Years, After Shedding A Thousand Tears, Yesterday's Sorrow Constantly Nears…” “... And While The Moon Still Shines In Blue, By Dawn, It Will Turn Scarlet Hue”.
The pistols were silver Desert Eagle .50’s with customised extended barrels, just the way Cyrus liked his guns, and had written down the barrels, “Peace Is But A Shadow Of Death…” “… Desperate To Forget It’s Painful Past”.
The Apprentice handed them to Cyrus. “Consider this a token of appreciation for your long dedication to The Senate,” The Apprentice said with a smile.
“Thankyou sir,” Cyrus said with a nod, taking a step backwards into position.
“We go into battle at 0800 tomorrow,” the Apprentice paused, “and good luck,” he added.

Memory 2
Cyrus ran through the mass of soldiers. Some were allies, most were enemies. It seemed to Cyrus as if the Warrior of Prosperity’s army was going to win. He ran through the battle trying to find The Apprentice. Suddenly he emerged into small clearing where all the surrounding warriors had halted battle and made way for a much more intense battle. In the centre of the clearing was The Apprentice, and he was currently doing battle with The Warrior of Prosperity. The two fought for what seemed an eternity, until it seemed that The Apprentice got the upper hand and unleashed a series of blows that knocked The Warrior of Prosperity to the ground. “NO!” came a shout from the crowd, and a figure ran into the clearing to help the The Warrior of Prosperity. Cyrus couldn’t allow for this. He ran into the clearing after the figure and cut him off. The man pulled out his sword and swung heavily at Cyrus. Cyrus ducked the blow and returned the attack with a sideswipe. The two exchanged blows, while alongside them The Apprentice approached The Warrior of Prosperity who was kneeling in the dirt, his weapon thrown from him. The Warrior of Prosperity looked up, “You cannot get what is not rightfully yours,” he said, looking into the eyes of The Apprentice.
“Not according to the legend,” The Apprentice replied.
Suddenly The Apprentice lifted his Katana and brought it backwards beside his body, ready to thrust it into The Warrior of Prosperity. The Warrior of Prosperity looked over at the figure Cyrus was doing battle with. “Brother,” he murmured. The Warrior of Prosperity distracted the figure and Cyrus took advantage of this by throwing a hefty diagonal slash at him. The figure suddenly whirled around knocking the blow to the side, and then thrust his sword deep into Cyrus’s stomach. Cyrus let out a gasp of horror. He had been beaten. The figure pushed the sword deeper into Cyrus’s stomach and then leaned forward whispering in his ear, “Tomorrow holds no hope for you.”<br>Suddenly the figure heard a gasp behind him and he whirled around to find The Warrior of Prosperity pinned upon the katana of The Apprentice. “NO!” the figure shouted in horror. The Warrior of Prosperity and the figure locked eyes, until slowly, The Warrior of Prosperity’s eyes glazed over as he died. Then something strange happened. A blue substance emerged from the wound in The Warrior of Prosperity and slowly spiralled itself up around The Apprentice’s katana, and then into The Apprentice himself, causing him to shudder slightly. Then another small blue substance came out from the eyes of The Warrior of Prosperity and slowly made its way through the air until it entered the tear-streaked eyes of the figure and the figure shuddered slightly. Then the blue substance continued through the figure and went down his sword and into Cyrus’s wound, using the sword as a bridge between the two bodies. Cyrus shuddered slightly as the slightly chilling substance entered his bloodstream. Suddenly Cyrus felt more alive than he had ever felt in his life, and he felt like he had new powers that he had never even dreamed of. Suddenly the figure above Cyrus wrenched his sword from Cyrus’s gut and then swung at his neck. Cyrus closed his eyes and concentrated and then at the last second, disappeared in a burst of feathers.

Prodigi snapped back to reality. He had regained parts of his memory but many were still locked away. He concentrated on the face of the figure in his memory and compared it to the face that had flashed into his mind before. The face was the same… the eyes seemed different, but the face was definitely the same. Prodigi began to feel immense anger for this figure, and in this momentary lapse of control, Cyrus took over. Prodigi no longer cared for his newfound ‘friends’, no, now he wanted nothing more than to kill this figure. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the image of the face and tried to pinpoint it’s location. This proved difficult. It’s movements seemed erratic, as though he was slipping in and out of existence, but his central location seemed to be a church not far from where Prodigi was. He steady himself to teleport and then stopped. No, he thought, There are more important things to take care of right now. He concentrated on another figure and then disappeared.

[prodigi]

The door closed in Apprentice Leon’s face. The Senator stepped into his room and then stopped. He turned to the shadows. “Who’s there?” he asked, reaching for his katana.
“Cyrus Jackson of the Order Of Magi,” a voice croaked from the shadows.
The Senators eyes widened, “Cyrus…? But how?”<br>“You’re not the only one with powers,” the voice came again.
“Of course,” The Senator nodded, “The power transferred to you as well. Well, what is it that you want?”<br>“Why is it that I am hunted?” the voice croaked.
“We did not set about hunting you, we wanted to bring you in, that’s why the price is considerably larger for alive… and plus, nobody could possibly kill you,” The Senator laughed.
“Why did you want me?” the voice came again.
“We want you to help us find the Element Of Prosperity.” The Senator said.
“You are in luck. I have come to serve you my lord,” the voice croaked as the figure emerged from the shadows and revealed itself as Prodigi.
“We have already sent out another much like you,” The Senator explained, “He calls himself Sephiroth X, you can either meet with him and work alongside him to find The Valley of the Promised, or you can hunt for it alone, I care not, as long as you find me The Valley.”<br>“I have heard of him,” Prodigi muttered, “But I care not of him at this point in time, I come to ask about the one they call Archangel Zero.”<br>“Yes,” The Senator nodded, “I thought that might be why you are here. He has returned here to Midgar.”<br>“I thought so,” Prodigi muttered, “So I did sense him before.”<br>Suddenly Prodigi turned his head to the side as though listening to a far off sound. He turned back to The Senator. “I must go now,” he said, “I will find this Sephiroth X and see whether he is worthy enough to accompany me on my search for The Valley.”<br>Prodigi turned from The Senator and faced the window that occupied the wall, looking out over the city. Suddenly Prodigi ran forwards and leapt through the glass pane into the night. “Sephiroth X is very worthy,” The Senator muttered, “You have no idea of the immense power he has inside him… Although, neither does he...”

[ZaCloud]

Prodigi had teleported away yet again, this time so far ahead Zack could not see him anymore.

“Hahahaha, you cheat!” he shouted in lighthearted annoyance. “Just wait’ll I challenge you with rules next time!”<br>
Seeing as how it was no longer much of a race, and he had been running for quite some time, Zack slowed down, panting. “Phew, so nice to run without roasting. Now if only the air were fresher around here. Give for take, I guess.” He kept walking for many minutes, saying “Hi” to every person he passed on the sidewalk. He got various responses. Sometimes a nod, sometimes a returned greeting, sometimes just an odd look. Sometimes they looked shocked and gave him a wide berth. A few people even flicked him off without making eye-contact, others ignored him completely.

Well… this is better than before, isn’t it?

Yeah… Not everyone hates me for sayin’ hi around here.

Cheered up by this observation, he was extra enthusiastic while greeting a man in his late fifties. “Hiya, sir!”<br>
The salt-n-pepper man paused, looking quizzically at the blonde. “Do I know you, kid?”<br>
Zack chuckled and his hand flew to behind his head. “Nope, not that I know of. Was just sayin’ ‘hi’ is all.”<br>
The man looked pleasantly surprised. “Well, that’s become a rare blessing nowadays, especially from the warrior types. You look mighty young to be a soldier; how old are you?”<br>
Zack took his exaggeratedly thoughtful pose now. “Well, I’m not really a soldier, even though I do fight. Then again, maybe that does qualify me then. But I don’t know how old I really am. He says I’m eighteen, but maybe he’s just tryin’ to help me feel more mature. I might be still growin’.”<br>
“ ‘He’?”<br>
Zack blinked. “Huh?”<br>
“…Never mind. Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to greet a stranger. Don’t lose that kindness in your eyes.” He waved, and went on his way.

Zack waved back. “…Thanks,” he quietly said, his smile now thoughtful. He watched the fellow go, then stayed where he was for a moment, mulling over those random words of encouragement. Why did it feel so unnatural, yet familiar, to hear such words?

Because I was the only one who’d say stuff like that to you, till recently. We ain’t used to kind strangers.

“Ahhh… right.” Zack began to stroll along once more. He then realized it had been a while since he’d had a conversation with his inner guide. Somehow, Bax had become ample substitute, providing a more tangible sense of fellowship. And now, there was Prodigi, the small but strong man with feathery hair and a real sense of fun. Zack smiled, remembering the brief pillow-fight earlier that morning. Maybe Zack would be safe to consider him a friend too? Maybe…<br>
His head lowered and his face scrunched into a smile almost too big to be contained. One friend had been more than he’d ever hoped for. But two? He wasn’t even sure if he could handle the sheer joy of such a possibility.

“WOOO!” he squeaked loudly, throwing a fist into the air, “Who knows?!”<br>
The people around him certainly didn’t know; they stepped widely around him, staring uncomfortably.

On a high from very possibly having a second secure friendship, wanting to find out for sure, plus already cheered up by the stranger’s kind words, Zack once more began to run toward his destination, completely exhilarated.

His energy kept up for many blocks, and he felt he could get all the way to the building at still a good pace. But as he focused ahead, he could see a familiar light in the distance. His temporarily smaller smile widened once more, and he pressed onward. They were already on their way back.

He was fairly breathless by the time he reached them. He stopped ungracefully, slowing and widening his steps, then abruptly doubling over with hands on knees to catch his breath. Then he straightened and regrew his ever-eager smile. “Hiya Bax! *pant* Hiya Lynx! *pant* Looks like the timing was pretty good! Hey, where’s Prodigi? Didn’t he get here before me?”<br>
Bax was already too puzzled with his own situation to be ready with an answer. Lynx thought for a moment, not really sure who Zack was talking about. Then, he said, “Nobody came to us before you. There was a meeting of someone… but certainly not who you refer to.”<br>
Zack looked around, scratching his head. “Well, sheesh. Maybe he teleported to the wrong place then. Hah! Even though he was cheating, I still won! Yaaay!” He threw his arms up and out, standing on one foot. Lynx closed his eyes to ease the grating on his nerves.

Zack then noticed how uncertain Bax looked, as if he had just come from some sort of hard time and didn’t know what to make of many, many things.

He quieted immediately, looking concerned. “Bax? What’s wrong? You don’t look too comfy.”

[Shadow Phoenix]

Being outside wasn't as refreshing for Bax as he had initially hoped it might be, nor was seeing Zack. He still had far too much on his mind and the risen sun couldn't serve to warm Bax's demeanor in the slightest. He couldn't understand Lynx very well at all, and it seemed as though Lynx liked that arrangement just the way it was. But it all made Bax nervous. His logic frightened Bax a little bit, but perhaps it would not be the last time that they would see Pyramid Head. Bax hoped it would be, but the things Lynx had said and the way he had said them made Bax wonder. Perhaps it wasn't over as Lynx had said. Either way, Bax was uncomfortable with this entire situation between Lynx, Pyramid Head, and the apparent disappearance of Prodigi.

Indeed, Bax felt that Prodigi had left the city limits. There was very little doubt in his mind of that as he felt him nowhere near them. He wasn't going to reveal this because he wasn't 100% certain, but Bax could feel that their number had been cut down to three once again. And Bax wasn't sure how long Lynx would stay with them. He might have been overreacting, but he was sure that this crushing wave of nervousness came with definite reasons.

“Bax? What’s wrong? You don’t look too comfy.”<br>Bax looked at Zack and his genuine care for Bax's state. Bax must have looked a little pale and he was definitely being quiet. He was giving Zack every reason to be worried about him, especially since he had disappeared and left only a small note. Bax opened his mouth to answer and nothing came out for a moment. He shifted his eyes to the side and then looked skyward as if searching for his answer somewhere amidst the clouds passing above. Somewhere out there beyond the atmosphere through trillions of miles of empty space was Auralis with his family awaiting his return. How long had it been since he had come to this planet? He had been only a few months away from Auralis before having to crash land…had they begun to worry about him yet? Surely they were still waiting for the date he had originally projected he would arrive. And that wasn’t due for another couple months at least. He had to keep working on his goal to get out of here. But the events surrounding him made him nervous and unsure.
“I-” Bax began, hesitating, “I have a lot on my mind.” That was definitely the truth. “Do not worry, Zack…I just need to do things. Talk to Keldira.”<br>
Bax wasn’t quite sure what to do now, but he needed to converse with someone in his own native tongue so that he would not stress himself out far too much in the effort of speaking English. Besides, he wasn’t sure that either Lynx or Zack would understand – not yet, anyway. He turned away from both of them and began walking towards the city limits of Midgar.
“I go to Desert…will return later.”<br>He hoped that Zack wouldn’t worry himself too much…or follow him for that matter.

[ZaCloud]

Zack blinked, puzzled at Bax’s sudden decision. They had only been in Midgar for a while; why would Bax want to leave already?

“Hey, wait a sec,” he said, taking a few steps after the Phoenian, “We came here for a break. Anyone can see you’re really tired, Bax. Going back out there would be all hard on you again.”<br>
Bax paused, looking over his shoulder at Zack. “…I cannot find the words,” he said quietly.

“Do ya just wanna be alone? You can be alone in the hotel room.” He began to approach Bax. “I can go wander around, maybe hunt a few more criminals on the side so we’ll have plenty o’ money for whatever. When Prodigi gets here I’ll tell him to let you alone for as long as you need. Heck, I can even get you your own room if ya want.”<br>
Bax started walking again, not sure he wanted to address the problem of Prodigi, or anything else. He had had enough for now. “No. I go to Desert.”<br>
Zack took half a step, raising his hand as if to stop him, but did not complete the move. He felt, for a painful moment, that he was being abandoned. But then again, who could blame anyone? Zack knew he was strange, probably embarrassing to be around… But he decided to have faith in Bax’s promise of friendship; the man had said before that he liked Zack despite those things. Even if he couldn’t understand why Bax was leaving on his own, the Phoenian had the right to do whatever he wished.

“…Okie,” he said quietly, head and hand both lowering. “Be careful, Bax…”

He wouldn't say it: At certain times, he was afraid of being alone, and this felt to be one of them. But Prodigi would be back any minute, and Lynx was there... albeit still not necessarily a friend yet. He would have to let that be enough for now though.

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Lynx watched all this happen. He could not begin to understand Bax's worry. Sure, he was not used to Lynx's way of living or the way he dealt with an opponent. But there was something different about Bax. A bit of "calmness" when he stood before PH, and the way he left the fight quietly, as well as his concern when Lynx murdered the man in the alley (which, of course, Bax did not know about).
Now he glanced at Zack. He had not yet seen Zack on the battlefield yet, so decided not to be quick to underestimate him. There was a bit of light in the way he dealt with things; how he reacted when Lynx made his appearance...his quietness when Lynx went out for a job while Bax stayed with the man in the hospital...and, of course, his willingness to travel together with Bax and Lynx.
Twitching a whisker, he definitely felt a positive energy aura coming from Zack. It was radiating quite powerfully, maybe even as powerful as his own. It was, of course, the exact opposite of his own - shadow. If they were ever to fight on the battlefield...
"So..." Lynx started.
Zack was still staring off as Bax left, then turned to Lynx. "Huh?"
"Bax is out of the picture - for now. He will be back later."
Zack nodded slowly and quietly.
"So, then...now what?"

[ZaCloud]

The boy blinked a few times, feeling on the spot. This big tough guy was wanting him to make a decision now. His confident facet had been replaced with his humble, unworthy one when Bax had left, so at the moment he felt any decision he made would be wrong, and he just might suffer the wrath of someone.

“Well…” he said cautiously, watching his boot toe draw a circle on the pavement, “I dunno… Maybe wait a little while for Prodigi. He was comin’ with me to get you guys, but musta teleported to the wrong place. Maybe he went to the hospital itself? I…” He trailed off, feeling more and more uncertain. He kept saying those things because that was what he hoped… but somehow it felt like something else was afoot. He could not say, and dared not guess.

Finally, he quietly said, “I guess I’ll just show you the hotel we got, and you can have a break there. If Prodigi doesn’t find us by the time we get there, he’ll know that’s the next place to look.” He started walking, then looked to make sure Lynx was following.

“On the way we’ll stop at a restaurant,” he said, hoping to cheer himself up, and maybe find out if Lynx was capable of being cheerful, “It’s about time for me to try real food!”<br>
***

“That was soooo good!” Zack exclaimed as they exited McDougal’s, “I dunno why people say those burgers aren’t real; they sure tasted better than bugs an’ lizards!” He had a huge armful of to-go bags for later; despite having plenty of places around him, he felt more secure hoarding things when he could. That was conditioned into him from a life of not having much or often.

He paused though, when he saw a homeless man lying on a bench. He didn’t even hesitate to reach into one of the bags and pull out a couple burgers. “Hey, sir? Here ya go!”<br>
The sleeping destitute opened his eyes, stared for a moment, then cautiously accepted the offering. “…There be any charge? I only got my coat…”

Zack cocked his head. “No, why would there be?”<br>
“Thank you young man,” the man said meekly, holding the still warm food close. He felt ashamed to get a handout. Even years of begging never made it any easier…<br>
Zack turned to face him completely, his manner becoming most understanding. “I know…” he said quietly, “I only recently got a job, sir. I know how you feel… But don’t be ashamed right now. It was a gift. Happy birthday.”<br>
As Zack walked on, the poor man quietly cried the tears of the overwhelmed.

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Lynx walked on silenty behind Zack. Forward-looking young man, always being so optimistic, unselfish, and caring for others...this is Zack. I am not.
He stopped for just a second, then, continued following. This young boy...he always seems so... He hesitated, then forced the word into his mind. so JOYFUL. As if nothing bothered him whatsoever. Must be the loving, friendly type after all.
He had an odd feeling about all this. It was true that Zack was the exact opposite of him...why is he following him? Or was it vise versa? They had ABSOLUTELY nothing in common: clothe styles, weapons, auras, life force energy, etc. So why were they together?
He sighed. "Fine, fine...show me the hotel."
Zack glanced at him, then his lips curled upward into a smile. "Alright-o!"

***

Lynx stared at the room. It was a bit of a mess at the moment, with the pillows having been tossed about a bit. And he could tell right away that something in the bathroom was broken...not that he needed to use it.
"Well? Whadya think?" Zack asked with a cheerful tone of voice.
"...it's....alright." He stepped over to the window and opened it. He looked down at the ground. People passed by, minding their own business. His line of vision slowly moved upward, until he was looking straight out. There wasn't much to see, though the hospital was in sight. His eyes began to cringe in anger as he remembered what he could've done back there.
Now he looked straight up. The roof was not very far up. In fact, it was right above the ceiling of the room.
"You gotta try out these things, they're so comfy!" Zack's voice floated around as Lynx turned around to see Zack bouncing on the bed and hugging the pillow.
"...no thanks..."

[ZaCloud]

Zack raised his legs and bounced to a stop in a sitting position on the bed. He looked at Lynx for a while, feeling curious about the kind of person he was.

"Uh, Lynx?"

The feline's ears twitched. "What is it?"

The youth put the pillow on his lap and propped his elbows on it. "I figured that since we're roomies, we may as well get to know each other better. Guess all I can say about me, is I was a drifter, lived in the Desert, annnnd... now I'm a mercenary. Oh, and I really don't like the Senate at all; I wanna be part of putting a stop to them! Sometime. Somehow. maybe..."

He scratched his head, then cocked it curiously. "And how 'bout you? Where'd you come from an' stuff? Oh, and favorite color? I like just about everything but brown myself!" ^_^

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Lynx brought his head in from the window and closed it, then turned around to face Zack. Why was Zack asking these questions?
"You know, that's really none of your business..."
Then he saw the confused and somewhat hurt look in Zack's eyes.
"Oh, fine..." He really didn't want to cause anything...yet. After all, Bax would be somewhat annoyed if he came back and found his friend in a bad state. He thought for a moment, then decided to leave out some stuff. After all, it WAS personal information. "it's something like this...

You can tell already, that I'm not exactly human. I am what is called a "demi-human", and many humans looks down on me for that. You can say that they are, in a way, "racist"."

Zack: "But I'm not!"
Lynx: *glares at him* "let me finish...

I longed for revenge against the humans. Many other demi-humans wanted the same thing, but could not get it, since most of them were imprisoned. But my reason for revenge was simply itself. Revenge. Not to help the other demi-humans.
I learned the dark arts and training with the scythe all by myself. I learned to handle my weapon with focus and specialization, as well as with expertise and finesse beyond that of human understanding. And as for my dark powers...only few people can even withstand my weakest attack.
Satisfied with my fighting ability and prowress, I set out to get my revenge against those who opposed me and find a certain object which could aid me. However, almost as soon as I began my journey, I was somehow teleported to the Beta Continent in this world, a parallel world similar to mine.
This is where my ventures in this world starts. The Senate found me long before I met you or Bax. They took me in, saying that I could help them find a certain "Element". Which, I'm not so sure which one it is, since the world I come from has plenty of elements, two types for each attribute. But that's irrelevant to this story.
I escaped the Senate and found my way to the Alpha Continent. My goal had changed dramatically. It was no longer to hunt down humans, but to find out about this world and find my way through it. However, as soon as I was there, I found myself in a barren wasteland - a desert.
I wondered there for days, pushing on to find my way around in this cursed world. Had I not seen you and Bax on the phoenix, I would probably still be there, or I would be dead by now."

Lynx looked at Zack and studied his face. He had left out the most crucial points in his story, to make sure that Zack didn't know EVERYTHING about him there is to know. "After that, I followed you so that I could find some means of life. Even..." He hesitated, then said it with a tone of disgust, "human life." If there was any hurt in Zack's eyes now, he wouldn't know what to do. "That's where my path crossed yours (Zack and Bax crossed paths with the Black Cat!), and where my story ends."

[ZaCloud]

Zack was fascinated by Lynx's story. He even forgot all about the favorite color issue. "Wow... I didn't know someone could zap between dimensions like that. But well, hopefully it's not as bad for you here." His head lowered, and his tone changed completely, to one who knew of hard times. "But you'll still find plenty who look for any excuse to hate others... Seems their goals in life are to make others miserable for their own entertainment."

Lynx twitched an ear at the change in attitude. Just a sentimental thing perhaps? "None will do so to me anymore. All I have to do is kill them."

Zack looked up with a frown. His eyes were serious, almost completely departed from his usual bright, carefree look. "Well, hope it won't come to that. Life's something that can't be taken lightly, cuz it can't be brought back once it's gone. That's why we don't have the right to judge who's worthy of living or dying, except in defense of our own lives... Or of those we care about." He looked at his now folded hands for a moment, then added quietly, "For me, it'd hafta be the latter... To tell the truth, I otherwise wouldn't care much about the possibility of my death..."

Don't say that!

Zack blinked, then raised his head. Once more he possessed his childish, confused demeaner. "Uh, wha? What'd I just say there? Oh, don't pay attention to that!" He waved his arms in hyper dismissal, then laughed, his hand as usual making contact with the back of his head in his unique habit. "Hahaha! Ooooh sorry, I'm a little weird sometimes! Anyways, I'm probably gonna go shop for clothes in a while if ya don't need me around. Finally can see what it's like to own more than one or two outfits! Wanna tag along? Those are cool clothes, but they look kinda... heavy?"

[Shadow Phoenix]

Bax walked about a mile out into the Desert of the Dead and just stopped. There he stayed for hours: not sitting, not pacing, not moving at all. Just thinking. And oh how much he had on his mind. The Phoeniyan stood there under the hot sun as waves of disorienting heat rose from the desert sands all alone save for one small animal who had found refuge in the cooling of Bax’s motionless shadow. All of the creatures that inhabited this dry, desolate place had retreated to the shadows for now. Bax stood there in the light, however, his eyes downcast and staring at the sand as the wind slowly carved a different face into the desert. And though he was physically in the light, his mind was tumbling in confusion so dark and indistinguishable that he too had, in essence, relegated himself to the shadows. Almost everyone who he had met on this planet had done the same. Lynx lived in the shadows. Sephiroth had told Bax that he would stay by him, but would have to stay in the shadows (what a change had occurred since the Senate got a hold of him). Pyramid Head had disappeared in the hospital. Prodigi had stolen into the shadows and disappeared right out from under Zack’s nose. All was in shadow both physically and metaphysically. And it sort of made Bax uncomfortable – still.

All that Bax really wanted to do go home. He didn’t want to be involved in this hunt for the Element of Hospital. He didn’t want to have his life constantly on the line. He didn’t want to continue suffering losses. He just wanted to get a ship and go home. But the only options he saw were to purchase one (impossible due to lack of money) or steal one (which went against his moral code). So, money was the only option left to him, though he had no idea how he could get enough to possibly purchase a ship that would be spaceworthy enough to carry him that far a distance and fast enough that he would be able to reach home in a reasonable amount of time. It was an impossible goal – Bax was quite lost without his advisors and could not exercise his authority very well without proper documentation and representation, leaving him quite penniless. He also still found the language difficult to understand very well. Certainly, he could carry on a conversation with slightly broken sentences, but comprehending some of the things that were said to him was still difficult. Everyone seemed to speak far too fast for him to keep up, and it was distressing. These and other problems made it difficult to achieve his goal.

Drax would know what to do. If only he were here right now…if only he were alive.

A tear leaked from Bax’s eye and dripped onto the hot desert sands, burning it a little and causing a definite low sizzle to resound in the acoustic-less wasteland. He had been 16 and had just gotten his license to operate a hovercraft. Drax and his wife had gone on a vacation, leaving their three year old child in Bax’s care for the few weeks they were gone. God, Bax remembered it all just like it was yesterday. Another loss that had rocked his very foundations and made it difficult to just get by any longer. Somehow he had survived, but it was beyond him just how…

[Shadow Phoenix]

”Vvvvvvvvvrrrrrrroooooommm!!!!!!! Whoosh!” Bax ran about with his young nephew, Trenix, about on his back, imitating a hovercraft and giving a strange piggy back ride. Trenix squealed and hollered in ecstatic delight, his eyes wide as the world raced by him on his uncle’s back, colors blurring and melding into a dizzying cacophony of images.
“Faster, Bax, faster!” he screamed with his hands swaying about freely in the air around the palace. The soldiers and attendants in the halls gave the pair extremely strange looks, some laughing and some dropping their heads to their hands in obvious disgust. Bax and Trenix were too far-gone in their little game to notice, though.
“Faster? All right, you asked for it though!”<br>Bax hummed and sighed and then screeched, shooting forward at a tedious gallop. Trenix floundered backwards, his arms flailing wildly. He cried out as his legs began to uncurl around Bax’s torso and Bax bent over, flinging Trenix back around him. Trenix flung his arms around his dear uncle’s neck and held on for dear life as Bax took off at full speed about the halls. Both of them were laughing loudly and enjoying themselves thoroughly.

Bax looked down the hall and saw his uncle, Relois, up ahead directly in his path. He considered moving around him, as he wasn’t moving, but he met his uncle’s gaze and tried to understand what he was doing. The expression on Relois’s face spelled trouble, not for Bax and Trenix directly, but a definite trouble. It was apprehensive, nervous, and…sorrowful. Bax began slowing down and his own face began to match his uncle’s, though Trenix didn’t seem to notice the gradual decrease in speed. He just kept bouncing up and down on Bax’s back, enjoying his free ride through the palace. As they reached Relois, though, he opened his eyes and stopped bouncing, about to ask Bax why they had slowed down. Then he saw Relois and exclaimed his greeting.
“Hi, Trenix. Bax can I speak with you for a minute?”<br>Relois’s eyes shifted sideways and he tried to put on a show of normality for Trenix. Bax saw through this, but it fooled the little three year old, wise as he was, completely.
“Of course,” Bax said, careful not to allow his voice to betray him by dripping with sudden solemnity.

Bax and Relois walked down towards the end of the hall and left Trenix to gaze at the tapestries and suits of armor lining the entirety of the hall. They walked through the doors at the end and walked onto a small outlook (small for a palace). Relois took his place at the furthest point on the elegant marble railway and stared out at the setting sun. His old, tired eyes definitely held an uncomfortable apprehension. Bax frowned and stood to the old man’s right, slightly behind him.
“What did you want to talk to me, uncle? What has happened? Has a civil war broken out in the Manjulian province again? Are the people demanding a new law? Is Kisenia under attack?”<br>Relois hesitated for a moment before breathing his answer lightly, “I wish Bax…I wish.”<br>That worried Bax even more. “What do you mean?”<br>“I…I wanted to talk to you before Trenix. I don’t think he would understand…he’s so young. Then again, so are you. But you’ve gone through this before, right?”<br>Bax’s face wrinkled up a little bit and he took a few steps forward to join his uncle staring out at the sunset. “…what?”<br>“After all, your mother and father, my sister and brother-in-law, the king and queen – they’ve both passed away. Before this, Trenix hasn’t…I mean…”
A chill wind swept through the outlook and Bax began rubbing his arms with his hands as he gazed out at the sun. He closed his eyes and his lip quivered lightly. He wasn’t hearing this, was he? And if he was, he was misinterpreting it…right?
“Uncle, damn it! Just tell me already!”<br>
Relois’s body convulsed suddenly and Bax saw his face shaking as he sobbed without tears. He teeth were clenched and his hands gripped the railing as tightly as he possibly could, perhaps even tighter. “That poor child, he’s only three…”
A stream of tears erupted from Bax’s eyes as he hoped against hope that his mind was deceiving him. “What is it?!” he screamed, grabbing his uncle by the shoulders.
Relois’s face twitched and he flashed angry rows of teeth as his hand sped through the air and smacked Bax hard on the cheek. He was shaking by now, and the floodgates of his eyes had opened up as the tears rolled over and on down his cheeks. Bax recoiled and grabbed his face, steadying himself on the railing. He, too, was now crying uncontrollably without any words.
“Your brother is dead, Bax! The ship Drax and his wife were traveling on exploded unexplainably and they’re both dead!”<br>Suddenly, Bax’s knees turned to jelly and he collapsed to the ground. “My God, no…why?”<br>“My sister, my brother in law, and now my nephew…” Relois looked down towards Bax and shuddered, “I can’t stand it any more!”<br>Bax closed his eyes and opened his mouth in a silent scream of anguish as his tears completely overpowered him. Finally, a few pitiful whimpers and moans gurgled out of Bax’s throat as he took in his brother’s death. He had been his best friend and main confidant! And now he had been ripped away from him in a short moment…he had never had the chance to say good-bye or anything else. It was so damned unlikely and Bax couldn’t believe it.

Slowly, the tears slowed and Bax looked down at the ground. He shook as he murmured, “It’s not true. I won’t believe it.”<br>“Fool,” Relois scoffed, beyond upset. “Accept it or don’t. You’re legally our ruler now, so you’ll have to accept it and move on eventually.”<br>Bax looked up at his uncle with sudden anger in his eyes, “How can you say that?! Your nephew, my brother, is dead! How can you tell me to move on if you haven’t even moved on yourself? And don’t tell me that you have because it would be the worst lie you’ve ever told!”<br>“Because you’re the Royal Prince and you have to be strong no matter what right now! You have the duty!”<br>“I don’t want the duty!” Bax screamed, “Give it to somebody else, damn it! Just give me back my brother!”<br>“You don’t think I want him back, too? You ignorant, selfish bastard! This isn’t just about you!”<br>“I wasn’t going to say it was just about me! By the Ancients! You’re absolutely amazing!”<br>
Bax turned to the railing and slammed his hands down onto it. The marble shattered beneath his hands, splintering all over and ruining the elaborate designs within instants. Bax screamed in anguish and anger, his body wracked by painful sobs. It wasn’t fair at all!

After several minutes of screaming, Bax was once again just feeling miserable instead of angry with his uncle. He then realized that they would have to tell Trenix…<br>“What about Trenix, Relois?”<br>“We have to tell him, too…”
“…Can I do it?”<br>Relois looked at Bax confused, but slowly nodded. “If you want.”<br>“…thank you. I’m sorry, uncle. I didn’t have the right to demand things of you so harshly. My father would have been ashamed of me.”<br>“…just shut up, Bax.”<br>Bax stepped backwards from Relois, pain crawling over his face. “I-” he began before being cut off.
“Just leave. Please. I can’t bear to think of this any more right now…”

Bax reluctantly left his uncle, beating himself up on the inside for the brash way in which he had acted. Trenix was right there on the inside of the door, having heard Bax’s anguished screams. He looked confused.
“Hi, Tren,” Bax sighed, giving a limp half-smile.
“What’s wrong, uncle?”<br>Bax looked down into his nephew’s eyes and felt like breaking down and crying again himself. His eyes were already red from all of the crying he had done, and his face was glistening with the remnants of tears that had not been dried off. Bax knelt down and waved Trenix over towards him. The boy slowly meandered over and looked Bax in the eyes.
“Tren, I’ve got something hard to tell you.”<br>There was a moment of silence. After an eternity, Trenix broke it and spoke softly, “It’s mommy and daddy, isn’t it? They’re gone, aren’t they?”<br>Bax’s lip shook a little and he nodded, “Yeah, kiddo. They’re gone.”<br>Tears ran down Trenix’s face and he buried his head into Bax’s shoulder, sobbing. Bax embraced his nephew and hugged him tightly as they both mourned.

[Shadow Phoenix]

More tears dripped from Bax’s eyes onto the sand, sizzling as the oxygen fed the liquid flames on their descent. How he wished that Drax could be here right now. He would be so perfect to talk to about everything that had been going on…<br>
Slowly, Bax knelt down in the sands and reached his mind out all around the Earth, calling Keldira, the Phoenix he had met here in the desert before being attacked by Sephiroth. As he knelt, the creature hiding in his shadow was rudely awakened by the sudden absence of the cooling shadow, and it scurried closer to Bax to stay in the shadow and tried to curl up again in a drowsy sleep. Bax concentrated as hard as he could and called out Keldira’s name to the very depths of the Earth. She had been difficult to call last time, but all she would really have to do this time would be travel. Bax just had to keep his meditative state up so that she would easily be able to find him. The link between them as beings of the flame was definitely strong, but it was far from perfect and she still needed to latch onto his telepathic waves. Slowly, the sand once again began to whip up around Bax in a growing sandstorm of his own accidental making. The creature scampered away, grunting and squeaking the entire way for having lost his shade. Bax kept his hands moving intricately as he went through the ritual in extreme concentration. He completely lost track of time, but he could tell by the sweat beading on his forehead that Keldira was coming.

The screech far off in the sky confirmed Bax’s desires and he opened his eyes and looked up just as the sandstorm collapsed around him. There, flying straight at him, was Keldira. Her fiery feathers glistened triumphantly in the sky as she traced her arc through the sparsely-clouded sky. Bax smiled and sat down where he was. It would be good to speak with her again…

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Lynx turned and glared at Zack. Some change in attitude! "No. I'm fine."
Zack half-smiled uncertainly, but nevertheless said "Okies! I'll be going now!"
After Zack left, Lynx opened the window again and looked out. He saw Zack running happily on the streets. Lynx sighed. He knew that Zack was the exact opposite of him. but how far apart were they, exactly? He could've sworn he had met someone like him before...he couldn't quite figure it out.
Lynx stepped on the windowsill and brought his head and chest through the window. A wind began to blow softly past him as he turned around, stepped over the windowsill, and climb-jumped to the roof.
He sat down, facing the horizon before him. He would've stared at the darker side of the sky, but it was noon and the sun was in the middle, splitting equal light everywhere.
He began to ponder. He had told Zack that he hated and despised humans and sought revenge against him. Why, then, was he working alongside them?
The answer, of course, was for his own survival. Like he said, it was what got him out of the desert.
But...was there another reason? He shook his head. He was certain there wasn't...but there was that strange feeling deep inside of him...something he had never felt before.
He didn't care. All that mattered right now was what he was going to do. He thought back: Zack asking him about his personality...the episode in the hospital...the assassination mission...the desert...the Senate...
He stopped mid-thought. The Senate had wanted to use him. He knew why he declined; he hated them not for their selfish want to use him, but the fact that they were humans as well.
He summoned his scythe in one hand and examined it. It was the same as always; the handle being midnight-black, encrusted with a slight gold chain, with a hard goldish metal connecting to the blade. The middle of the handle was curved so he could rest it on his shoulder. The blade was made of stainless steel, and its backside curved into a small razor-sharp blade. The front side stuck out, then curved downwards, without bending.
"Imbrium strikes true..." he muttered. He slung it on his back and continued watching the horizon.