Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 8 > Thy Forsaken Soul: Disturbance it the Peaceful Era
Thy Forsaken Soul: Book One
Thy Forsaken Soul
Book one: Disturbance in the Peaceful Era:
Squall Leonheart never wanted to be a hero but when fate plunges him into battle with the leader of an entire nation, he must face the emotions he has shunned and rely on the friends he never wanted... but is Galbadia's president really the true threat to the world, or is there something sinister behind the secret meetings he has been holding with his newly appointed peace ambassador?
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. Original characters and names belong to me. All names and characters relating to Final fantasy belong to Square-Enix.
Chapter I: Squall Leonheart
Peaceful Era 17, June 1st, 0600
The middle of the year was without a doubt, the busiest time in a student's life. The month of June was a time of the year that caused panic in some and accumulated stress in all for it was the month of June that was the testing period for students of the elite military academy and training facility known to the world as Garden. Everyone in the world knew of Garden and held it in mixed views. Some saw it as a prestigious academy that trained elite soldiers while others saw it as a business run by a greedy money-grubber.
Yes, everyone knew of Garden, but no one among them could begin to calculate the mass expense it would cost to keep such a facility open – let alone to have various branches all over the world. All over the world, there existed only two large inhabited continents – Galbadia and Trabia. To the east and south, there were two more but both were assumed to be uninhabited. Near the centre of the world stood Balamb – the 'tropical island' continent, the smallest populated continent that had once been home to the Acauldian tribes.
The world – to some – may have seemed under-populated. The world was constantly changing; technology was constantly being improved, upgraded and modified to fit purposes within the military of each nation. The threat of war loomed constantly over the Earth like a blanket of shadow. The last big war had been between the dictatorship-ruled eastern continent known as Esthar and the rest of the world. After the fall of their great and terrible leader – Adel, the people of Esthar grew quiet and disappeared off the face of the planet.
The end of what was forevermore to be known as the 'Great Sorceress War' should have brought a time of everlasting peace – this however, was not the case. Even before the war ended, the Republic of Galbadia had begun invading its neighboring countries of Dollet, Timber and the village of Winhill. It was thanks to these acts of domination that Garden was able to make such a large turnover. The purpose of Garden was to train elite soldiers who would enlist in armies all over the world. These soldiers were sent equally to different nations so that the balance of power did not shift too much.
Besides training these soldiers, garden had another purpose – to train a kind of soldier even more elite than the first. This second group of soldiers consisted of combat specialists – elite mercenaries known only by the codename SeeD.
It was a known fact that the majority of SeeD missions involved defending land and citizens from the attacks of the Galbadian army. The road to becoming t SeeD was hard and required tough, arduous training schedules designed to ensure that only the strongest and most disciplined could qualify. Students between the ages of fifteen to nineteen could apply for the SeeD exam which took place after a month of grueling exercises, drills and examinations that covered the majority of what a SeeD would be required to understand in combat.
These were no mere physics finals, they were difficult tests that challenged students – sometimes beyond their physical limitations and even after completing the training and passing the final examination, the task was not yet over. Candidates then had to complete a real mission, picked at random from a total of five different missions chosen by a council of administrators.
Usually, first time candidates wouldn't be able to sleep, but this year all candidates slept soundly in their dormitories, with two exceptions. Two odd students battled on the blood stained battle arena known as Duel hill. A third time SeeD Candidate named Seifer Almassy and his Leather-clad rival, the only other in his generation to specialize in Gunblade training and the one Seifer himself rearguarded as his Ultimate rival, The quiet teenage Gunblader known to everyone as a 'lone wolf' and to his instructors as Squall. This brown-haired, black-clothed and blue-eyed warrior fought hard but could not match Seifer's skill. The tides of hatred and bloodlust flowed through him in this dark cold place, similar to the way the waves rolled up the golden sun-bathed beautiful beach surrounding the shore-town of Balamb.
The Battle was wearing him down like a steep uphill sprint would wear down an unfit couch potato; he was so tired that his mind seemed to be escaping him as if he were a hallucinating lunatic. He seemed to be getting flashbacks - fragments of memories, glimpses of events long since past, long since forgotten ... long since lost in the ever-expanding complex of his sleep deprived mind.
He saw them less as memories, more as visions, hundreds of lost thought shards, each transition blurring the metaphoric line between fantasy and reality. Each vision was accompanied by a deadly attack as if the Gunblader's life were flashing before his eyes. Each hit resulted in a flashback and each flashback in turn distracted the unfortunate victim long enough for another attack by Seifer. It was a deadly cycle sending the young man in black closer to the verge of insanity ... sending him closer to the verge of death. Each flashback hurt and disturbed him strongly, what were they? ... Were they real? ... Why were they coming to him now? The most disturbing of all to him, was the question of why he couldn't recall any of these events. It was as if he were remembering someone else's life.
He saw people surrounding him in the middle of a courtyard,
Next he saw a blade heading strait for his face. In an instant, his vision was recalled and he was granted yet another fantasy. The fighters' final vision was the most vivid of all. It was the clearest and the most painful.
He remembered himself looking up to a kind woman with non-discriminated accusation. Betrayal could be found in his then still innocent eyes. A woman whom he had always admired, someone who was like a mother to him but had had betrayed him. This event would shatter his trust in people forever. Because of this, he would loath his matron with all of his seven year old heart...
Seven year old heart, He was seven? How, And more importantly, why was this happening? Why couldn't he just fight the rival whom he despised oh-so much?
This gave him so much to ponder on and he knew, no matter how much he loathed the idea, he would be thinking about this over the next few nights. It would add to the ever-growing list of things to ponder over during every sleepless night for the rest of his life. How could his subconscious have taken him back to what was supposedly ten years in his past, and why was matron just standing there, when Sis was in trouble, he had to do something...
He was standing outside a stone beach house. He had short brown hair with bangs that did not quite reach his eyebrows. Standing before him, was the one he once called his Matron. Across from her, four men possibly in their early twenties held their struggling captive. "Sis" he called from his first person account.
"Sis, Come back! Bring her back!" He was screaming at the men in white uniforms, men who remained completely calm and kept completely controlled emotionally, but they were not above hitting a child who tried to interfere. Sis was screaming her lungs out and using every ounce of vitality she possessed trying to get away from those who seemed emotionless.
"Squall!!" she was screaming so powerfully and with so much treble in her normally quiet peaceful voice that it was difficult for Squall to even understand the noise she was emitting from her strained vocal chords but still, she continued to shriek like a harpy being roasted alive on an open flame for ones twisted amusement. "Squall, help me! Don't let these guys take me!" the eleven year old was literally crying as she yelped for help. "Matron, how can you let them take me? Please!" she yelled with tears running down her face.
"Shut the fuck up you little bitch!" one of the men scolded Sis, swiftly thrusting forward his palm into Sis's throat, restricting her air flow and knocking the wind out of her body, taking with it her consciousness.
"Mind your language Kalder, remember where you are." the man in front – evidently the leader of the four calmly stated.
"What...? Listen, we don't need no little bitch like that moaning and screaming like no fucking whore!" Kalder furiously retorted "...sir" he added, not wanting to sound disrespectful to his leader and instructor.
"That may be you're personal and private opinion Kalder, but I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself." The leader muttered quietly and then bowing to the woman before him, he stated "Matron, I sincerely apologize on behalf of my subordinate. He is rash and requires further discipline. He certainly does not speak for the rest of us."
"No, that's your job isn't it" Kalder spat "you damn control freak!"
The leader ignored his remark and bowed down low again to Matron and said "I thank you for you're non-interference my matron. Rest assured, we know of the white army's threat to the girl and we will do everything in our power to protect her. I bid you farewell, my matron."
"NO!" Shouted the young Squall Leonheart, finally summoning the strength and courage he required. "I can't let you take her! I won't let you take Sis!" he charged at them but his untrained seven year old body was no match for these soldiers. Kalder simply picked him up by the back of his dirt-covered bright orange T-shirt as the leader simply told him calmly and quietly "relax kid; your sister is going to be all right. We are SeeD. We are just taking her for her own protection. She will not get back into military hands. I promise." Kalder then threw the young boy to the ground at his feet with excessive force.
As he slipped out of consciousness, the young boy witnessed Sis's body being dragged along the ground with disregard. This point in time was Squall Leonheart's first experience of hatred but he had no strength he could use to do anything about it as Sis was slowly dragged off by the men calling themselves 'seeds', then there was darkness, the dead quiet unconsciousness of his mortal slumber.
Ten years after the traumatic experience of his childhood, after the loss of the sister he never knew he had, but one month prior to his fight with Seifer on Duel Hill, Squall Leonheart-the last surviving descendant of the knights of León, had no idea that said experience had affected him in any way. His train of thought could never have perceived the concept that he had been manipulated for the entire duration of his life. His constant losses to his training partner and rival; Seifer, had forced him into an obsessive training regime which was making both he and his rival Seifer the most powerful cadets in the academy. If only he knew that his training with Seifer was an idea not conceived by him...
He got up off his Dorm room bed already wearing a white T-shirt and his trademark black leather pants. He slowly walked up to the large black case leaning on the wall near the door and opened it. He picked up the weapon inside, inspected it thoroughly and began to clean and polish it with Hearthless brand weapon polish. Unaware of the complications his destiny held in store for him, he was equally ignorant of his past just as he was of his future. Oblivious to the events taking place in the present, his only focus was on wiping that smug smirk off of Seifer's sneering face. He was determined to beat Seifer in a duel even if it killed him.
Thy Forsaken Soul
Book one: Disturbance in the Peaceful Era:
Squall Leonheart never wanted to be a hero but when fate plunges him into battle with the leader of an entire nation, he must face the emotions he has shunned and rely on the friends he never wanted... but is Galbadia's president really the true threat to the world, or is there something sinister behind the secret meetings he has been holding with his newly appointed peace ambassador?
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. Original characters and names belong to me. All names and characters relating to Final fantasy belong to Square-Enix.
Chapter I: Squall Leonheart
Peaceful Era 17, June 1st, 0600
The middle of the year was without a doubt, the busiest time in a student's life. The month of June was a time of the year that caused panic in some and accumulated stress in all for it was the month of June that was the testing period for students of the elite military academy and training facility known to the world as Garden. Everyone in the world knew of Garden and held it in mixed views. Some saw it as a prestigious academy that trained elite soldiers while others saw it as a business run by a greedy money-grubber.
Yes, everyone knew of Garden, but no one among them could begin to calculate the mass expense it would cost to keep such a facility open – let alone to have various branches all over the world. All over the world, there existed only two large inhabited continents – Galbadia and Trabia. To the east and south, there were two more but both were assumed to be uninhabited. Near the centre of the world stood Balamb – the 'tropical island' continent, the smallest populated continent that had once been home to the Acauldian tribes.
The world – to some – may have seemed under-populated. The world was constantly changing; technology was constantly being improved, upgraded and modified to fit purposes within the military of each nation. The threat of war loomed constantly over the Earth like a blanket of shadow. The last big war had been between the dictatorship-ruled eastern continent known as Esthar and the rest of the world. After the fall of their great and terrible leader – Adel, the people of Esthar grew quiet and disappeared off the face of the planet.
The end of what was forevermore to be known as the 'Great Sorceress War' should have brought a time of everlasting peace – this however, was not the case. Even before the war ended, the Republic of Galbadia had begun invading its neighboring countries of Dollet, Timber and the village of Winhill. It was thanks to these acts of domination that Garden was able to make such a large turnover. The purpose of Garden was to train elite soldiers who would enlist in armies all over the world. These soldiers were sent equally to different nations so that the balance of power did not shift too much.
Besides training these soldiers, garden had another purpose – to train a kind of soldier even more elite than the first. This second group of soldiers consisted of combat specialists – elite mercenaries known only by the codename SeeD.
It was a known fact that the majority of SeeD missions involved defending land and citizens from the attacks of the Galbadian army. The road to becoming t SeeD was hard and required tough, arduous training schedules designed to ensure that only the strongest and most disciplined could qualify. Students between the ages of fifteen to nineteen could apply for the SeeD exam which took place after a month of grueling exercises, drills and examinations that covered the majority of what a SeeD would be required to understand in combat.
These were no mere physics finals, they were difficult tests that challenged students – sometimes beyond their physical limitations and even after completing the training and passing the final examination, the task was not yet over. Candidates then had to complete a real mission, picked at random from a total of five different missions chosen by a council of administrators.
Usually, first time candidates wouldn't be able to sleep, but this year all candidates slept soundly in their dormitories, with two exceptions. Two odd students battled on the blood stained battle arena known as Duel hill. A third time SeeD Candidate named Seifer Almassy and his Leather-clad rival, the only other in his generation to specialize in Gunblade training and the one Seifer himself rearguarded as his Ultimate rival, The quiet teenage Gunblader known to everyone as a 'lone wolf' and to his instructors as Squall. This brown-haired, black-clothed and blue-eyed warrior fought hard but could not match Seifer's skill. The tides of hatred and bloodlust flowed through him in this dark cold place, similar to the way the waves rolled up the golden sun-bathed beautiful beach surrounding the shore-town of Balamb.
The Battle was wearing him down like a steep uphill sprint would wear down an unfit couch potato; he was so tired that his mind seemed to be escaping him as if he were a hallucinating lunatic. He seemed to be getting flashbacks - fragments of memories, glimpses of events long since past, long since forgotten ... long since lost in the ever-expanding complex of his sleep deprived mind.
He saw them less as memories, more as visions, hundreds of lost thought shards, each transition blurring the metaphoric line between fantasy and reality. Each vision was accompanied by a deadly attack as if the Gunblader's life were flashing before his eyes. Each hit resulted in a flashback and each flashback in turn distracted the unfortunate victim long enough for another attack by Seifer. It was a deadly cycle sending the young man in black closer to the verge of insanity ... sending him closer to the verge of death. Each flashback hurt and disturbed him strongly, what were they? ... Were they real? ... Why were they coming to him now? The most disturbing of all to him, was the question of why he couldn't recall any of these events. It was as if he were remembering someone else's life.
He saw people surrounding him in the middle of a courtyard,
Next he saw a blade heading strait for his face. In an instant, his vision was recalled and he was granted yet another fantasy. The fighters' final vision was the most vivid of all. It was the clearest and the most painful.
He remembered himself looking up to a kind woman with non-discriminated accusation. Betrayal could be found in his then still innocent eyes. A woman whom he had always admired, someone who was like a mother to him but had had betrayed him. This event would shatter his trust in people forever. Because of this, he would loath his matron with all of his seven year old heart...
Seven year old heart, He was seven? How, And more importantly, why was this happening? Why couldn't he just fight the rival whom he despised oh-so much?
This gave him so much to ponder on and he knew, no matter how much he loathed the idea, he would be thinking about this over the next few nights. It would add to the ever-growing list of things to ponder over during every sleepless night for the rest of his life. How could his subconscious have taken him back to what was supposedly ten years in his past, and why was matron just standing there, when Sis was in trouble, he had to do something...
He was standing outside a stone beach house. He had short brown hair with bangs that did not quite reach his eyebrows. Standing before him, was the one he once called his Matron. Across from her, four men possibly in their early twenties held their struggling captive. "Sis" he called from his first person account.
"Sis, Come back! Bring her back!" He was screaming at the men in white uniforms, men who remained completely calm and kept completely controlled emotionally, but they were not above hitting a child who tried to interfere. Sis was screaming her lungs out and using every ounce of vitality she possessed trying to get away from those who seemed emotionless.
"Squall!!" she was screaming so powerfully and with so much treble in her normally quiet peaceful voice that it was difficult for Squall to even understand the noise she was emitting from her strained vocal chords but still, she continued to shriek like a harpy being roasted alive on an open flame for ones twisted amusement. "Squall, help me! Don't let these guys take me!" the eleven year old was literally crying as she yelped for help. "Matron, how can you let them take me? Please!" she yelled with tears running down her face.
"Shut the fuck up you little bitch!" one of the men scolded Sis, swiftly thrusting forward his palm into Sis's throat, restricting her air flow and knocking the wind out of her body, taking with it her consciousness.
"Mind your language Kalder, remember where you are." the man in front – evidently the leader of the four calmly stated.
"What...? Listen, we don't need no little bitch like that moaning and screaming like no fucking whore!" Kalder furiously retorted "...sir" he added, not wanting to sound disrespectful to his leader and instructor.
"That may be you're personal and private opinion Kalder, but I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself." The leader muttered quietly and then bowing to the woman before him, he stated "Matron, I sincerely apologize on behalf of my subordinate. He is rash and requires further discipline. He certainly does not speak for the rest of us."
"No, that's your job isn't it" Kalder spat "you damn control freak!"
The leader ignored his remark and bowed down low again to Matron and said "I thank you for you're non-interference my matron. Rest assured, we know of the white army's threat to the girl and we will do everything in our power to protect her. I bid you farewell, my matron."
"NO!" Shouted the young Squall Leonheart, finally summoning the strength and courage he required. "I can't let you take her! I won't let you take Sis!" he charged at them but his untrained seven year old body was no match for these soldiers. Kalder simply picked him up by the back of his dirt-covered bright orange T-shirt as the leader simply told him calmly and quietly "relax kid; your sister is going to be all right. We are SeeD. We are just taking her for her own protection. She will not get back into military hands. I promise." Kalder then threw the young boy to the ground at his feet with excessive force.
As he slipped out of consciousness, the young boy witnessed Sis's body being dragged along the ground with disregard. This point in time was Squall Leonheart's first experience of hatred but he had no strength he could use to do anything about it as Sis was slowly dragged off by the men calling themselves 'seeds', then there was darkness, the dead quiet unconsciousness of his mortal slumber.
Ten years after the traumatic experience of his childhood, after the loss of the sister he never knew he had, but one month prior to his fight with Seifer on Duel Hill, Squall Leonheart-the last surviving descendant of the knights of León, had no idea that said experience had affected him in any way. His train of thought could never have perceived the concept that he had been manipulated for the entire duration of his life. His constant losses to his training partner and rival; Seifer, had forced him into an obsessive training regime which was making both he and his rival Seifer the most powerful cadets in the academy. If only he knew that his training with Seifer was an idea not conceived by him...
He got up off his Dorm room bed already wearing a white T-shirt and his trademark black leather pants. He slowly walked up to the large black case leaning on the wall near the door and opened it. He picked up the weapon inside, inspected it thoroughly and began to clean and polish it with Hearthless brand weapon polish. Unaware of the complications his destiny held in store for him, he was equally ignorant of his past just as he was of his future. Oblivious to the events taking place in the present, his only focus was on wiping that smug smirk off of Seifer's sneering face. He was determined to beat Seifer in a duel even if it killed him.
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