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THE BLUE SKY
(BASED ON "FINAL FANTASY")
BY
SOPHIE GREEN
CHAPTER THREE
Gaian started to walk towards the light. Bevern called out to him, “Gaian, it might not be a good idea to do what that voice says. After everything that’s happened today, it could be some sort of trap.”
“No,” said Gaian, “I don’t think it is...” He couldn’t explain it, but something in his heart told him that it was safe, and that he had to follow the voice. He continued to walk slowly towards it.
Sianna followed him, “We can either stay out here, or find out what it is. And I for one want some answers.” She followed Gaian.
“Oh well,” said Bevern, “In for a penny, in for a pound,” and he also followed. Tyght didn’t say a word, but he, too, followed.
The cave narrowed into a small path. There was a gap at the end where the light was shining from. The gap was wide enough of one person to pass through at a time. Gaian did so, and found himself inside a gigantic cavern. The cavern was dominated by a lake. Hovering over the centre of the lake was a woman wearing a flowing white gown.
“Come,” said the woman, as the party filed in, “It is quite safe.”
“Who are you?” asked Bevern.
“My name is Lisa. I am a guardian of the world. A world that has suffered a grievous injury today, as I'm sure you are aware.”
“Well that’s a bloody understatement if ever I heard one!”
Gaian than spoke up, “You called us ‘Warriors of Light’, what did you mean by that?”
“You have been chosen by my kind to put the world back to as it should be. To restore order to the chaos that has befallen it.”
“So, do you know what has caused this catastrophe?”
“I do. It was Emperor Calistan. He has tapped into a most dangerous form of magic, a magic that has consumed him with rage. He has brought this catastrophe upon this world.”
“See!” exclaimed Tyght, looking at Sianna with disgust, “I told you that your form of magic would drain the world of its energy!”
Lisa spoke again, “His magic is much unlike any that you use or have witnessed before. He has tapped into the very elemental forces that govern this world, upsetting their balance.”
“What are these elemental forces?” asked Gaian.
“There are four elements in this world – Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind. Everything in the world is made up of these elements. The forces that govern these elements are contained within four crystals spread throughout the world. But the Emperor has upset the balance that these crystals maintain, unleashing the chaos that Geevan wishes to unleash upon the world. He has become consumed by his greed for power, to the point where he now wishes to gather all of the natural power in the world for his own use.”
“But why would he want to do that?” asked Sianna, “If he takes all of the world’s power, the world itself will be destroyed. What use would the power be to him then?”
“Yes, this world would be destroyed. But he would refashion a new world with Geevan, one better suited to their wants and needs. A world of pain and suffering, of death and destruction.”
“Well,” said Bevern, “That’s all very nice and all. Yep, totally agree with you, this isn’t good and we need to get order back. Just one slight flaw in your plan. How do you expect us to be able to do anything about it? We’re just two ex-soldiers, a witch, and some guy with a magic staff that hates her for some reason.” Tyght shot him a dirty look. “Hey, I was just saying!”
Lisa answered, “You have been brought together by those of my kind, as you have been chosen to work for us. We will guide you in your quest – our quest – to restore order to the world.”
“Very well,” said Gaian, who strangely found himself being able to accept all of this without any problem, “What is it that we need to do?”
“First, I will bestow on you what little power my kind has left. Then you will need to locate the four Crystal Shrines, and bring the crystals under your control. Then you will be able to face Calistan, and destroy him, and with him Geevan’s way into our world.”
“Oh,” said Bevern, “It’s as easy as that then. We should all be home in time for tea!” This time it was Gaian that shot him the dirty look.
“Come Gaian,” said Lisa, “Step into the middle of the lake.” Gaian did so. It was only waist deep, and pleasantly cool, helping him to feel strangely rejuvenated. He quickly reached the centre, with Lisa hovering above him. “Unsheathe your sword and hold it above you head.” Gaian did so.
Lisa held her hands out towards it. A blue light emanated from her hands and engulfed the sword. The sword felt cool to Gaian’s touch. It seemed to gain in length, but didn’t get any heavier. As the blue light faded Lisa said, “You sword is now renamed Excalibur. It is now stronger and more powerful than what it once was. Now, rejoin your friends.”
As Gaian returned to the shore, Lisa looked at Bevern and said, “Now, it is your turn. Come.”
Bevern looked uneasy. Gaian walked up to him and said, “It’s alright.” Bevern then walked slowly to the same spot in lake, and it was clear that he felt uneasy.
Lisa said, “Hold out your hands.” Bevern did so, and once more the blue light emanated from Lisa’s hands. This time a sword manifested itself in Bevern’s hands. Once the light had faded Lisa said, “This sword is called Masamune. May it serve you well in the battles that are to come.” Bevern nodded, and turned to join the others.
“Sianna,” said Lisa, “Come, it is your turn now.” Sianna walked out into the lake. This time Lisa didn’t give her any instructions. She just held out her hands, and the blue light engulfed Sianna completely. When it had faded Lisa said, “I have given you the spell Ultima. Only use it in the most extreme of circumstances.”
Sianna returned to the shore, and Tyght automatically stepped into the lake. Once in the required spot he offered his staff to Lisa. She smiled, and, as expected, the blue light engulfed the staff. But once it had faded the staff appeared unchanged. “My lady, what gift have you bestowed onto me?”
“You will know only when the time is right.” Tyght nodded, and joined the rest of the group.
Lisa looked at them all and smiled. “You are our Warriors of Light. Our world depends on you. You must work together through the numerous trials that you are about to face. You must restore order to the crystals. If you do not, not only will this world be doomed, but I fear that others will as well. The Emperor will stop at nothing to achieve his aims, but you have it within you to prevent him from doing so. Now go, seek out the first crystal, the Crystal of Fire. The world is waiting.” And with that she slowly started to fade, until she had vanished completely. However, there was still an eerie glow in the cavern.
“You saw her too, right?” asked Bevern.
“Yes Bevern,” said Sianna, “We all saw her. My, that’s a nice big sword she’s given you there!”
“Yes, well, it’s not the size of your sword that matters, it’s what you do with it that counts!”
“Enough!” said Tyght, “We’ve got to get moving! We need to find the Crystal of Fire. Now, does anyone have any idea of where it is?”
“No,” said Gaian, “But we can’t start looking for it now. We’re all exhausted. We must sleep first, and we can start looking in the morning. There’s no point starting our search now as we’re all too tired to function properly. I say we sleep in this cavern, it should be well protected. I’m taking first watch.”
And with that no-one argued. Bevern, Sianna, and Tyght all quickly prepared for sleep, whilst Gaian stood guard at the entrance to the cavern.
He thought about what Lisa has said. The Emperor was responsible for this. But he wasn't planning on just invading the Republic as had been rumoured, but on total destruction. Why? It served no purpose. Why bring death and destruction upon the world?
Half an hour went by. Then he felt the ground shudder a little. The vibrations steadily grew until they became a full blown earthquake. The others quickly woke. “Now what’s happening?!” cried Bevern.
Rocks started to fall from the ceiling, and the lake began to bubble, with steam rising from it. “Magma!” cried Tyght, “It must be rising up from under the lake! We have to get out of here!”
Gaian was already making his way towards the entrance to the cave, quickly followed by Sianna and Bevern. As Tyght was about to pass through the gap to the front part of the cave, a rock fell down in the gap. Fortunately it didn’t close the gap completely, and there was still room to climb over the top of it.
“Quickly!” said Gaian, as he tried to assist Tyght. As Tyght was on top of the rock the cave shook violently, and he fell back into the cavern. The entrance then closed completely, trapping Tyght. “Tyght! Hang on in there! We’ll find a way to get you out!”
“No!” said Tyght, “It’s not safe for you here! You must escape! You must get –” His voice was cut off.
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