FicWad

"Alright, we're out numbered two to one, we're pretty much penned up in here, and those things don't need sleep....suggestions?" Cecil said to the group of leaders.
"We can't keep that up, our losses were horrendous." Yang replied.
"I agree, that and we don't have enough white mages to cover the entire battlefield." Rosa added.
"Well we can't just sit here while they starve us." Edge groaned as he pounded his fist on the large table that the group sat around. Heads all around the table nodded in agreement and then the room went silent. Suddenly an idea sprang to Cecil's mind.
"There is one thing...I talked about it a little with Kain, but decided at the last minute that we shouldn't take the chance, but maybe it's time we did."
"What did you have in mind?" Yang asked as he leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows on the table.
"It'll be dangerous, but what we can do..." Cecil began as he took a map from the chest near the door of his tent and spread it along the small table. "Is wait for dark to fall. Then when we have the darkness on our side, we sneak out some of our troops....say the ninjas and mounted dragoons, who will be led by Edge. You'll take them out the back and take them about two or three leagues in the direction opposite that army."
"What? You're going to take troops away from the small force you have?" Edge exclaimed.
"Just give me a second to explain." Cecil replied coolly. "In the meantime, a good portion of the rest of our troops will sneak out the front gate, only they'll be armed with shovels."
"Sh..." Edge began.
"Yes, shovels. You see their line is about here, and we're here." He said pointing to two points on the map. "So what we'll do is we'll send those men out here, about half a mile from the castle walls and they'll begin digging...."
"Okay, I can't take it anymore....."
"Shhh, I think Cecil may be on to something." Yang said leaning forward in anticipation. Edge began to protest but quickly found out that it wouldn't be worth it and sat back while Cecil continued on in his explanation.

*

The three companions made their way down another of the familiar dark passageways that led down to the lower floor, this floor being the third that they would encounter. Upon reaching the floor, they found it to seem to be much smaller in comparison to the upper floors, but upon examination found that instead the stone had been built much thicker, making this floor appear to be about the size of a regular sized room.
Also upon inspection, they found a number of the same symbols that had decorated previous floors. Moving from the doorway clockwise around the circular room, they found that it told much of the tale of the tower and what someone would have to go through in order to reach the fifth floor and the Keeper of Time.
"From what I understand," Eziekial explained, "Is that from the beginning of this tower until now has been the easy part, things to test the body. From here on out, this will be a test of your mind and your soul."
"My mind and my soul?" Kain questioned.
"Yes your mind and your soul. I know you don't use the former much, but I'm sure that after a few good pounds to the head we can clear out the cobwebs for you." He replied with a smirk. Pearl elbowed him for this remark and continued the explanation.
"You see Kain, what this says exactly is that these next two tests should be the hardest for the person trying to enter the tower. This next test specifically will test you through the depths of your soul."
"How exactly does it propose to do that?"
"Simple. You walk through that archway over there." Eziekial answered.
"Oh well that's easy enough," Kain replied as he twirled to walk towards the archway.
"But, there's a catch. The person to enter that archway must be purely balanced. Which means their soul must be completely light, or utterly dark otherwise their soul will be destroyed by the magic in the doorway. And if there's anyway you don't want to go, it's with the destruction of the soul......not a pretty sight, or feeling I would imagine."
Panic rushed through Kain for a moment, but then with a deep breath and a big gulp he remembered what had happened on Mt. Ordeals and his encounter with the unknown being and the dark part of himself. Full again with confidence, Kain began to walk towards the archway.
When he reached the arch however, something inside of him screamed to stop. That he should turn around right then and there. But another part of him soothed him, told him that he would be fine. Unsure, he took a step back and bumped into Eziekial, and then he looked and saw the reassuring look on Pearls face.
"It's your choice." Eziekial said. "But just remember that everyone in the cosmos is depending on you. Their lives rest on your shoulders." Nodding, Kain turned around again, starred at the large, intimidating archway and then stepped inside of it.

Kain's vision blacked out for a few moments, and when he could see again what he saw put his whole self in awe. All around him were his memories, and as he sifted through them with his thoughts, he glanced as he saw all of the things that happened within his lifetime. It didn't take him long to find the first memory that he did not remember, however, and that memory was the one of a stern face of a dragoon, and the crying face of what appeared to be the dragoon's wife. After a few seconds it dawned on Kain that this must be his real father and mother before they both disappeared from his life.
The next memories were mostly familiar ones from Kain's childhood. Growing up in the castle with the warmhearted King as his stepfather. Then there were the memories of Kain growing up with his lifelong friend Cecil and the beginning of their friendly competition over the beautiful Rosa from the town of Baron just outside the castle.
Smiling at these fond memories, Kain continued forward, passing his training as a novice dragoon and his quick advances through the order, as well as his many conversations and moments with Cecil, who had taken instead the path of knighthood, and was soon after convinced by the imposter King to take up the Dark Sword. Kain had always known that the Dark Sword wasn't right for the kind natured Cecil, but it was his friend's decision and Kain had respected that decision.
The next memories began the downfall of his good mood. He and Cecil traveling through the woods and caves to the city of Mist where the imposter had tricked them into killing the city's only defense and using a bomb ring to destroy the city and most of its inhabitants. Cecil had made it out of that city with the Devil's own luck, but Kain was not quite as lucky. Instead he was picked up by a patrol sent to make sure that Cecil and Kain had done their job, and when they found an injury-stricken Kain, they had taken him to their informal leader, the infamous Golbez.
Golbez.... The name echoed within Kain's mind. Over and over the name rang, and as it did so the face of that monster came into Kain's head. The face haunted Kain and he began to scream in agony as he began to remember the evil acts that he had committed in his lust....his hate for the fact that Cecil had finally beaten him in their contest over Rosa's love. She loved him, of course, she had said so herself, but only in the way a friend loves another friend....not the way he loved her......not the way she loved Cecil....
The very thought wrenched at Kain's mind, echoed along with the menacing laugh and stare of Golbez, damn him to hell. "No! Stop it! Get out of my head!!!" he cried, grabbing at his head and falling to the ground in a fetal position.
Let it go! The voice again. Not another voice, he was already being ripped apart by the other voices in his head....Golbez...Cecil....Rosa...
Listen to me! If you don't let the past be the past it WILL destroy you!
"I can't...its inside me, it uses me....it is me..."
You must, or you will die a horrid death just as Eziekial has told you.....this is only the beginning.....let go......
"I......will.....I'll let go..."
Yes, let the past be the past. Your time is now Kain, the world needs a hero, the world needs you....they need you.....
"Yes....." Kain said with a sigh as the air remaining in his lungs left him and he passed out in the middle of this limbo. Later...Kain wasn't sure how much later, but later, Kain awoke to find himself on the cold stone floor. Lifting his head and looking all around him, Kain saw that Eziekial and Pearl were nowhere in sight. Getting up, Kain walked over to the door and looked at it for a bit. After awhile of inspecting and mustering the courage, Kain quickly jabbed his hand in and out of the doorway....nothing...
"It will work no more." Said a loud voice. Kain turned to see a...a...well he wasn't sure what it was, but it looked about the size of a man, but where pale skin should be, all Kain could see was a blinding white light. The being was covered in a while cloak and had eyes of the brightest hue of yellow.
"Who are you?" Kain asked of the new being.
"Didn't you read the symbols?" another softer voice asked. "We are the angels of creation and reason.....we are your next test."

*

Edge lay in the bed that had been set up in his tent starring at the dying embers of what used to be his fire. Unfortunately, that had been all he had been able to do that night, the thoughts of Cecil's plan bouncing around in his head. After the meeting Cecil had told him to get some rest since he would be running nearly an eight-league loop that night.
Edge had agreed and retired to bed early, but even after slipping out of his light armor and setting aside his katanas, he had not been able to sleep a wink that night. He rolled over one more time, just in case he could fall asleep for even a couple of minutes, but to no avail. As soon as he did, someone entered his tent and gently shook him while saying, "Edge, Cecil says that it's time." Grunting, Edge rolled over to see Rydia standing there.
"Wow...good thing I didn't fling of these blankets like I was going to..." Edge thought while his cheeks heated up and became a little red. It was also a good thing that the tent was as dark as it was, because there was just not enough light to see the blush that now covered his face.
"Well, what're you waiting for?" Rydia questioned. Giving her a funny look, Edge cleared his throat and nodded down towards the foot of his bed where his trousers lay. "Oh..." she replied, but the blush on Rydia's face could not be hidden even by the dimness of the tent, and as she scurried from the tent, Edge chuckled.
Pulling on his trousers, Edge grabbed the belt with his katanas on them and strapped it around his waist. He then slipped on the light armor and finally his mask and mythril gloves. On his way out, Edge decided to grab the medium coat, since they were in the middle of Damcyan, and if the nights here were anything like he remembered them, the desert would be plenty chilly on this night.
Edge brushed through the tent flap as he put on his jacket, and on his way out he passed a still blushing Rydia. Chuckling silently, he kept his quiet about inside the tent because he knew that there was no way she would stand for him teasing her about it. So, he walked with her slightly behind him through the camp and to the fortifications, where by now Cecil was finished giving out orders and was preparing to watch from the battlements his next move. His first prediction was right on, as he found Cecil standing upon a small landing with the army assembled and standing below.
"You now have your orders." Cecil said to the crowd. "Now go with the crystal's protection." Edge hated that line. The crystal's protection hah, the crystals were pretty much useless now that their journey to the moon had ended, but nonetheless the people on the Earth still used the line and the crystals as a symbol of protection. Which, Edge was sure, Cecil and the others did not like too well either, but being as the people liked it, that was all that mattered.
The group below began to disassemble, half of the men walking towards the tents and grabbing shovels, and the others walking towards either the back gates or their mounts. "Edge!" Cecil said with a smile. "Get much rest?"
"Heh. Nope couldn't sleep. So what now?"
"Come on, let's talk as we walk. Now we follow the plan, your half of the men take the loop we discussed, bypassing the enemy scouts and effectively getting and spreading out behind them. Then, when you hear the sound of our battle horn you come crashing in on their backside, and we'll crush them in-between us."
"What do I do if they spot us?"
"Head straight back here and we'll think of something else. But I think that you'll be able to slip by them that's why I chose the dragoons and ninjas, speed and silence." Edge nodded as the two stopped when Cecil stooped down to grab a shovel.
"Cecil, you aren't going out there are you?" Edge questioned nervously.
"Do you really have to ask?" Cecil said with a smirk. "A leader has to show some confidence in his plan, and besides if something does happen, I could use some combat all of this being King and not fighting because the troops need me is bull. I need to show some confidence in my plan, and in my army, and so do the rest of us. Edge nodded, moved by the short speech given by the paladin. "Now, you should be off you have a long trip ahead of you. And I have a lot of digging to do." He said with one final smirk and a wave as he turned and joined his troops at the gate.
Edge turned, bid his goodbyes to Rydia as he passed and joined his troops at the back gate. As the gates opened and they began to leave, Cecil turned to take one final look towards his departing friend and the troops entrusted to him. "Good luck Edge." He murmured. "We're going to need it."

Later that night, Cecil and his troops were still digging and toiling about a mile from the front gates of the castle. The trenches that Cecil had drawn out and talked about with the others were taking longer than he wanted to. If the troops didn't get some sleep they might not be ready for tomorrow's battle. Then again, many of them would not sleep the night anyway and would sit together in talk about different things until morning, unable to sleep because of their fear.
Cecil knew that fear well. Many times on his journey he had been unable to sleep, but the lack of rest rarely seemed to affect him, instead it fueled him, motivating him that much more. Finally, Cecil came to from his thoughts when a low-level officer came and informed him that the three trenches were ready.
"Good, are the stakes ready?" the officer nodded again and replied,
"Most are already in place, sir Yang and a few others put most in not too long ago." Cecil nodded and began to walk towards where the middle trench was located. It didn't take him long to get their though, being that all the trenches were connected. As he arrived in the middle trench, Cecil found that everything was in place. The stakes that they had put in the trench were actually better described as spikes, being as they were tall and about half a foot around.
"Cecil. I think that your plan is turning out nicely. What do we do now?" Yang said as Cecil turned to face him.
"Now, my friend, we wait.

*

Kain quickly dropped his bag and readied his lance, being that the second bright white being that had approached him had just informed him that they were his next test. Without Pearl and Eziekial.....wherever they were....he didn't know how well he would do, but he would do his best. That's all anyone could ask.
"No Kain. We do not wish to fight...yet. First you must answer a few questions in order to reveal your true motivation to walk to the next level which contains the most low of all life forms."
"Ask away, but don't expect me to lower my weapon, I don't trust people that are in a tower full of things that have tried to kill me."
"So be it. Are you ready for your questions?" the second angel asked.
"Sure...I guess."
"Good." The first quickly responded. "Now, tell us, what is your motivation for entering this tower?"
"To save the cosmos from the Keeper who if his will in uncontested will rip apart my time and every other."
"No we know why you think you are here. But why are you really here?" the second angel replied.
Kain stood there for a moment, speechless. He had given them the most obvious reason, but apparently that's not what they wanted. So instead of repeating himself he looked deeper. The next reason that came to mind was Rosa, but no, he had given that up in the third test when the voice had once again saved him. No it wasn't just Rosa....that's when the answer came to him.
"I have come here on behalf of all of those who I do of have loved. Those who cannot defend themselves, I am here because there is no one else."
The first angel looked to the second, who nodded slightly and then said, "Very good. Now tell us, what do you seek to gain from this?"
"Nothing. I have already found many things out about myself and benefited very much so from this venture, I do not need anymore." The angel nodded again, and once again said,
"Very well, you may enter, on one condition."
"And what, may I ask, is that?"
"You must battle with the Angel of Creation and win. Death is unacceptable and terminates the deal."
"Agreed.....wait, can he kill me?"
"You will have to ask him." Before Kain could voice his complaint, the angel was darting towards him. Jumping, Kain dodged the initial contact, but while in the air the angel slammed into him, sending him careening towards the wall.
Steadying himself in mid-flight, Kain redirected himself back at his attacker by springing off the wall he would have hit, and within a couple seconds, he and the angel fell to the ground. Both landed hardly with a thud, but in the fall Kain lost his grip on his lance which went flying across the room. "Oh well." Kain thought. "Can't kill him anyway."
Pulling himself to his feet, Kain looked up to realize although he couldn't kill the angel, it was coming at him with a pair of fairly large blades which although the points faced towards the owner which left him without range, the blades were still very sharp and very deadly.
Kain dodged the first swipe of one of the blades by jumping over it, then he slowly began to give ground. After a few more of these attacks, Kain found himself against the wall. Looking over, Kain saw his lance about ten feet to his left. "A lot of good it does me over there." He thought, right as the angel brought one of its blades on a deadly arc, aimed to decapitate Kain. Kain then ducked under the attack and caught the inside of the angel's arm, which clearly surprised it since it took it a second to bring the other blade towards Kain, but before it could strike, Kain punched the angel in the stomach as hard as possible with his gauntleted fist, witch made it crumple to the ground, writhing in pain.
Kain then jumped to his lance and quickly jumped back over the angel, holding the point of his lance just over the throat of the angel. "Very well, I acknowledge my defeat. You may pass." Kain stepped off of the angel, and walked back to where his pack was, picked it up and proceeded to the door. Just then Kain noticed that the angels were now gone, shrugging he was about to enter the door when he heard a familiar voice say,
"You weren't going in there without us were you?" Kain turned to see Eziekial standing there next to Pearl.
"Where were you two?" Kain asked.
"Um...got lost..."Eziekial stammered. Pearl gave Eziekial and exasperated look.
"We're going to have to tell him eventually Eziekial."
"Fine, but you do it."
"You're just mad that someone finally beat you." Eziekial looked at Pearl furious who looked back with an innocent yet sarcastic smile on her face.
"You've spent too much time around me, you know that?"
"Yes I do, now....."
"Someone beat him.....you mean...."
"Yes Kain, we are the 'angels' of creation and reason." Pearl explained. "But we're not angels in the way that people in Time see them. Instead we are from the realm of the Gods, where angels are overseers."
"Which pretty much means we baby-sit the Gods." Eziekial shot in.
"Yes, except we do not have the same power as the Gods, we can only create to a certain extent, but for the most part we are for fixing the mistakes of others."
"Or baby-sitting."
"Yes yes Eziekial baby-sitting." Pearl said rolling her eyes. Kain shook his head with a smirk, all of this was definitely a little hard to take in, but at the same time, part of him had expected it. "Well, shall we?" Pearl asked as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder.
"I guess so." Kain replied. "It's now or never."