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Chapter Text

She hadn't slept since the banquet.

Summoned by the Emperor of the Gestahlian Empire, she had been tasked with a diplomatic mission to negotiate a cease-fire with a group of hostile Espers that had recently razed the Imperial capital. Not because she had any experience with diplomacy, mediation, or even basic interpersonal communication skills, but simply because she was half-Esper herself. A half-Esper who had originally been abducted and brainwashed by this very same Empire until she had won her freedom in a fortuitous coincidence.

Her name was Terra Branford, 18 years old. And she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

She had backup for this, though. Locke, one of her companions, had insisted on accompanying her, which both relieved and heightened her anxieties. Relief because at least now she wasn't being expected to do this all by herself. Anxiety because the primary reason he wanted to go along was because he suspected this entire mission was a trap. She'd spent the entire night at the inn lying awake in bed, tensing at any sound she heard in anticipation that someone was going to come abduct or attack her. Locke had seemed similarly agitated as she'd noticed him up and about most of the night as well.

Now, come morning, the two of them were groggily making their way towards the dock in the port city of Albrook to board the Imperial transport ship they had been directed to. Imperial soldiers, who up until yesterday would have arrested them on sight, were busy bustling about the dock prepping the ship and loading cargo, paying them absolutely no mind.

As they ascended the boarding ramp onto the transport ship, the remainder of their contingent came into view, these being the emissaries assigned by the Imperial side. Leading them was their general, a tall man with a dark complexion who looked to be maybe a few years older than Edgar, sporting a neatly-groomed brush cut of blonde hair and wearing a green officer's long coat. "Leo", she'd recalled him being called at the banquet. In his brief appearance there he'd seemed polite enough, and Sabin of all people had stood up to vouch for his character. Terra had the vague impression that she might have encountered him during her time held captive by the Empire, but her memories of that time were hazy. He appeared to be in the middle of going over an itinerary docket with one of the other soldiers, so she stood awkwardly at the end of the ramp, unsure if they should interrupt him.

Fortunately, the general noticed them board and turned around, folding his hands behind his waist and giving them an acknowledging nod. "Ah, there you are. Excellent timing; we're just about ready to depart. General Celes and Shadow are already on board. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

Terra unconsciously slid behind Locke. Shadow... her only experience with him had been in South Figaro where Edgar had warned them to keep their distance, describing him as an assassin who would kill anyone for the right price. Him being on board only added to her uneasy suspicion. Celes on the other hand... Terra at least remembered her from her time in the Empire, but those memories were of a cold, aloof woman who spared her little thought. Her single conversation with her in Narshe after Celes had joined their team had been similarly chilly. After that, she'd heard that Celes had left the group after accusations of being a spy and hadn't been seen since.

Locke had assured her the day before that Celes and Shadow were probably okay. Probably. Terra had spent weeks in a coma in Zozo while the rest of the team scoured the world first looking for her and then looking for a means to revive her. Locke had attempted to fill her in on how Celes and Shadow had both contributed to that search, but only hearing about it second-hand did little to ease her mind. Her entire life was a series of long memory gaps and she constantly felt like she was playing catch-up while the rest of the world was fifty steps ahead of her.

They all had drive. Grand ideals and passions that motivated their decisions and prompted them to action. And Terra had kind of... missed out on all of that. Instead she was constantly herded from one crisis to the next, merely being informed of how important everything was instead of having any personal feelings on the matter one way or another. This mission was no exception.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She did legitimately want to talk to the Espers. Her coma in Zozo had ultimately been broken after coming in contact with the crystallized remains of her Esper father, Maduin. Through this contact, she had been able to experience his memories of how he and her mother had met and formed a bond. But these had only been visions. The emotions behind them had not carried through along with them. And that had left Terra wondering if Espers could even experience emotions, or if those emotions manifested differently than they did in humans.

So far Terra had been unable to bond with any of her human companions beyond a cordial camaraderie. When asked to explain their feelings to her, she had been met with confusion, dismissiveness, or a vague explanation that they just "knew in their hearts" like this was something she was supposed to already know.

So if the humans were unable to help her understand her feelings, maybe the Espers could. Otherwise the only remaining explanation was that the joining of the two species had created something that was... fundamentally broken.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the ship's steam engines roaring to life with a sudden jerk. Soldiers on the dock removed the mooring lines from their bollards and tossed them to the ship's crew while others retracted the boarding ramp, thus severing the ship's connections with solid ground. As the engines increased their power and the ship pulled away from the dock into open water, Terra began to feel more and more trapped. Confined to this small space with no escape, surrounded by Imperial soldiers... it was starting to trigger some deeply-suppressed traumas that she couldn't consciously define.

Once the ship had achieved its desired heading and cruising speed, General Leo broke away from the crew to approach them. "ETA to Crescent Island is 0900 tomorrow morning," he informed them. "I would suggest resting until then."

Terra meekly nodded and averted his gaze. Rest... that was something that she'd still been unable to do this entire time, and an arrival time of the next morning meant a full 24 hours trapped on this ship with her own troubling thoughts. She looked over to Locke in the hopes that he might be able to help her, but...

Locke looked around the deck and noted, "Uh... so, you said Celes was on board, right? Can... I talk to her?"

"General Celes is below deck but has requested she not be disturbed," Leo replied. Locke's shoulders slumped and he nodded dejectedly. Right... Locke had initially offered to come along as a bodyguard, but as soon as he'd learned that Celes would be joining them, he'd been thoroughly distracted by her ever since. With his attentions elsewhere, Terra couldn't help but feel even more isolated.

"One of my men can show you to your quarters in the meantime," Leo's voice came again. "Private?"

The soldier in the standard brown Imperial uniform next to them saluted, then indicated towards the rear of the ship. "Of course, Sir. Please, follow me."

Terra and Locke reluctantly nodded in acknowledgment, trailing after the soldier as he led them below deck. The stifling corridors and cramped amenities... Terra hated it, but she was trapped here now and couldn't back out. All she could do at this point was follow where other people pointed her and hope for the best.

She didn't know how many hours it had been. Lying on the small bunk below deck and watching the swaying of the oil lamp, Terra had drifted off into a catatonic state as a sort of defense mechanism. It was neither restful nor calming, it was merely placing her mind on standby while time drifted by without her. But she couldn't suppress her anxieties forever, and the crawling sensation had slowly crept up her spine to the point where she couldn't ignore it anymore.

Rolling over, she noticed that Locke had once again vanished at some point during her daze. This left her ever more aware of being in a cramped, dimly-lit space and completely alone. And she absolutely couldn't handle it.

She slowly stumbled up the stairs to the main deck of the ship, still unaccustomed to the swaying of the boat. Once she was above deck, she attempted to cast a Float spell on herself for stability. That worked to counter Earthquake spells, after all.

Quickly she realized this was a bad idea, as even though now she was steady, her entire surroundings were swaying around her giving her instant vertigo. She dispelled the Float and clasped at the ship's railing, resigning herself to her precarious footing. There were some things that even magic couldn't fix, it seemed.

It was night time now, meaning she'd at least managed to last half the trip without having a panic attack. But the uncertainty, the anxiety, the loneliness were all becoming unbearable. If she had been confident she could control herself, she would have willed herself to transform into an Esper and fly out of here. ... She was still actively considering it, either way.

As she made her way to the front of the ship, she noticed that she wasn't the only one out and about at this hour. General Leo stood at the bow, facing out to sea, and remaining enviously sturdy on his feet. What sort of dark magic had they infused him with?

He'd been nothing but courtesies and protocol up until now, barely acknowledging her since she arrived. But right now she was afraid she was going to do something stupid and needed someone -- anyone -- to talk her out of it. If she approached him and he simply told her to return to her bunk, she would say "Yes, Sir" and do as she was told like she always had, and her emotional crisis would be averted at least for the next few hours.

She cautiously moved towards him and made a small sound to alert him of her presence. He turned his head to look at her, and even though it was difficult to make out his face in the darkness, he almost looked... surprised to see her? "Are you having trouble sleeping?" he wondered.

There was genuine concern in his voice that Terra hadn't expected. She resigned herself to a silent nod but didn't make eye contact. He turned from her as well, and after a pause, continued, "I apologize if I have come across as distant towards you until now. You have seemed anxious since yesterday and I did not wish to unnecessarily impose..."

Oh... It was true that if someone had noticed her mental state and had started fretting over her -- especially someone she didn't know -- she probably would have retreated even further into her mental shell to avoid the attention. "It's okay..." was all she could say in response.

"Perhaps in the sense that it is better that you are feeling anything at all now," he replied. Turning his head to look at her, he commented, "I am glad to see that your emotions have been returned to your own possession."

Well, if he was going to bring up the Fat Chocobo in the room for her, then let's talk about it. This was exactly what she'd been worried about but had yet to have the opportunity to voice. "It's... strange, then, isn't it?" she responded. "For years I was a pawn of the Empire, my thoughts and actions under their direct control. Now here I am working with people from that same Empire again... After that, how... can I ever believe that their intent for me now could be anything other than subjugation?"

It was only after she finished talking that she realized that she might have come across a tad on the accusatory side there and it might be a bad idea to take shots at an Imperial general. Especially if they were plotting something, she'd just revealed that she was suspicious of them and might have inadvertently put herself and Locke in premature jeopardy.

Thankfully, he seemed to take those blows in stride, replying, "The people of the Empire are as human as anyone else. Not everyone is like Kefka."

Well, no. Kefka was a malicious sadist who reveled in suffering and death. He was the one responsible for her captivity and brainwashing in the first place, forcing her to carry out gruesome tasks for his own amusement. Even Terra could tell that he was an outlier, but the fact still remained that the Empire had at least tolerated him and allowed him to maintain such a powerful position for this long. Even though he had finally been jailed now after all he'd done, it felt like too little too late.

Not everyone in the Empire was as bad as Kefka. But "not as bad as Kefka" was still an incredibly low bar. "Then... what kind of person are you?" she asked. If he was going to offer himself as a target in an Imperial uniform for her to lay her anxieties concerning the Empire's behavior on, then she was all too happy to take him up on that.

He'd been rolling with the punches until now, but that one looked like it actually hit a sore spot. He turned from her again and began slowly pacing in silence as though attempting to formulate a decent answer to that. There was a tinge of guilt to his voice when he finally replied, "I... knew that you were half Esper and that you were being forced to suffer through horrific Magitek experiments. I couldn't stop them... which I suppose makes me just as guilty as Kefka."

The fact that he would even admit to it meant that he most certainly wasn't. He'd known what she was going through, but he... "couldn't" stop it? As in... he'd tried? Or at least wanted to but lacked the power to do so? Was that why he'd been so awkward around her? He was... ashamed of having been unable to help her?

And yet here he was letting her unload her problems on him like it was some kind of penance. That wasn't fair. If she was going to be upset with someone, she'd rather be upset with someone who deserved it. Complaining at him had been cathartic, yes, but in the end it hadn't accomplished anything besides making both of them feel guilty.

"If... you knew about me while I was being held in the Magitek Research Facility, can I ask you something?" she tentatively pressed.

She saw his shoulders stiffen like there were hundreds of uncomfortable places that line of questioning could lead. Nevertheless, he responded, "Please understand that I was in no way involved with that research, therefore my knowledge of the specifics of what transpired there is limited. However, if there is something you need to know, I will do my best to give you an honest answer."

Well, she certainly wasn't planning on asking him for the gory details of what was done to her, because frankly, she was fine not knowing. No, this was more along the lines of what that research on her might have uncovered. Kefka had been infused with magic and lost all concept of caring about other people. Celes had undergone a similar procedure and had scoffed at her when Terra inquired how it had affected her ability to feel. Terra had been born with her magic, but she still wondered... "My parents were a human and an Esper and were able to experience love with one another. So do you think... it's possible for a human and I to experience love with one another?"

"Of course it is!" he responded almost in bewilderment that she would think otherwise. But was this an assertion supported by research, or his own personal opinion?

Walking to the opposite railing and gazing out over the horizon, she confessed, "But... I still don't even know what it feels like to love... or be loved..."

If she'd been facing him, she might have seen him visibly flinch with that revelation, begin to approach her, think better of it, and instead slowly move to the side to join her at the railing instead. "Do not ever think that that is because of what you are. We are all products of our experiences, and yours have been..." He shook his head, aborting that line of thought. "No, you are just still young. I am sure in time you will come to know these feelings, too."

"But... how?" she wondered. "I can barely even talk to people, and when other people talk to me I feel like they're usually only trying to get something out of me."

"Ah..." Leo looked out over the water with a solemn expression. "I had only hoped to put you more at ease, but if my continued presence is causing you discomfort..."

"No!" Terra responded quickly, looking up to really look him in the eye for the first time. Their gazes held for a moment before she looked away and continued, "I'm sorry... I feel like I'm the one who's made you uncomfortable, even though you've just been trying to help."

His eyes softened and he folded his hands on the railing, leaning against it. "You know, it takes a certain level of emotional maturity to even recognize how you make other people feel. I think you are more capable than you give yourself credit for."

Terra felt a slight flush in her cheeks at the praise, even though it had been coupled with the implied confirmation that she had indeed hurt his feelings. "So... what can I do to interact with people without leaving one or both of us uncomfortable?" she asked.

The side of his lip twitched into a small smile. "In all honesty, I think you have done a rather respectable job figuring that out on your own. This conversation has already progressed into something much more pleasant than where it started, and you did that all by yourself. Again, I think my biggest piece of advice would simply be 'experience'."

There was that praise again that gave her that tiny bit of happiness in the depths of her chest. True, all he'd been doing was pointing out that she'd already been on the right track all along, but hearing explicit confirmation of that felt... validating, in a way. This felt like the first time that anyone had both taken her worries seriously and given her advice that she felt like she could actually act on. "Okay," she said, nodding. "Then... if I want to understand love, what kind of experiences should I try to have?"

Leo shook his head with a smile. "Love is not something that can be achieved simply by following a set of steps. It differs from person to person and tends to happen unexpectedly without any conscious effort towards that goal. For instance, I love my fellow people, being of service to others, and fine music. I did not come to love these things by trying to love them, but rather by coming to discover that I already did."

"Oh," said Terra, somewhat disheartened. "But those are all such different things, and yet you seem to be able to apply the feeling of 'love' to all of them. You said you 'discovered' that you loved them... how?"

"Well now you're asking the hard questions," he responded, looking back out over the water and folding his hands. "A question that I will still nevertheless attempt to answer, but give me a moment to think."

She nodded and looked at him intently while he was lost in thought. Anyone else would have just told her something like "I just did" and that would have been the end of it, but he was actually... putting effort into helping her through this, even though not ten minutes ago she'd been using him as an emotional punching bag to relieve her anxiety. But he said he loved being of service to people, so perhaps that meant that... "love" was something that outweighed adversity?

"I think..." Leo finally began, breaking his thoughtful silence, "that the feeling that connects those three things is the joy at seeing them flourish, and the deep sorrow I feel at their suffering or loss. I mourn every soldier who loses their life while under my command and any civilian collateral casualties on either side, but I celebrate their growth and successes. And I think my happiest day would be the day I can send them all home to their families, and not in a casket. But until that day comes, it brings me gratitude when I can help them overcome their struggles and... grief when I cannot." At this he spared Terra a slight glance before clearing his throat. "And as for music, this is a much less weighty subject. But when I have to work long hours at the office in Vector I find that nothing relaxes me more than putting on a record in the background and letting it just..." he made a small conducting motion with his hand, "set the mood."

Terra nodded and unconsciously mimicked his conducting motion herself as though this was imperative to understanding how the music made him feel. When that seemed to be the end of his explanation, she noted, "You said that the feelings that connect those three things are joy and loss, but you didn't mention any loss regarding music."

Even though it was dark, she could swear she saw him blush in embarrassment. "Well... my example of that is nowhere near as extreme as innocent lives being lost or failing to protect someone from suffering... it's rather frivolous, really, so I didn't think it merited mention..."

"Oh..." said Terra. "It's just... I appreciate your explanation, but even emotions like joy... sorrow... grief... are things that I don't think I've ever experienced, either. I've been happy and I've been sad... but the degree of those emotions feels so much lesser than what I've seen expressed by others. So a lesser example of a feeling might actually be more helpful..."

He sighed with a small smile and relented. "All right. Just... keep this story between you and me, okay?" Terra nodded firmly, not realizing this would be such a private matter but nevertheless feeling special that he still decided to share.

Looking out over the ocean, he began, "About eight years ago, I helped the Empire take control of the Western Continent. Among the spoils we uncovered was a one-of-a-kind four-album full recording of the opera Orco e Delphina: an opera that, even given my extensive collection at the time, I had never heard. So, even though I normally pass any spoils of monetary value on to various charities, that one I... decided to keep for myself." He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced down at Terra, who passed absolutely no judgment on that.

"Anyway, after conquering the Western Continent, despite the Empire having an alliance with the Kingdom of Figaro, pockets of unrest had started cropping up in South Figaro, so I was assigned there immediately thereafter, meaning I still had that record set with me. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I set up a record player in my field office tent so that I could play it while going over my reports. But when doing so, I quickly found myself so engrossed in the music and story that I was paying more attention to it than my work.

"So, the story is basically... um, do you care about spoilers?" Terra looked at him blankly and shook her head, not even understanding what he meant by that. He chuckled and continued, "Anyway, the main character of the story is a man named Orcus who comes from nothing, but is in love with a girl called Delphina. He decides that he is going to become a soldier and travel the world to find riches and gain new skills, so that one day he can return home and be worthy of Delphina's hand. The story follows him through his years in the military and the adventures he has, but when he finally returns home... Delphina isn't there. She's left and married another man in the meantime."

"That's terrible!" Terra gasped. "Why would she betray him like that when he was working so hard for her?"

"Mm, I have my suspicions, but I've only ever heard it as an audio recording; I've never seen it in person so I can't be sure if my theory is correct." Leo replied. "Anyway, Orcus is, needless to say, devastated, and in the final song, Alla Fine del Fiume , he climbs to the top of a waterfall overlooking the ocean and sings about how his life's efforts have come to nothing, and like the river, has reached a cliff with nowhere to go but fall into the sea."

Terra gulped. "And then what happens?"

"Then..." Leo emphasized, "Someone firebombed my tent. I'd been so distracted by the music that I hadn't even heard them coming. One of the reports in my stack might have even warned me that an attack was suspected, but I'd paused in reading them. Thankfully I escaped the tent unscathed and there were otherwise no human casualties, although the culprit was never apprehended. When the fire was put out and I returned to my tent, to my relief the first three records had been spared, but the final one that had been left out on the record player... had been damaged beyond repair. It would only play up to the third verse of the final song, at which point it would endlessly skip... ironically on the word 'Eternally', over and over."

He shook his head. "I was... angry. I was surprised at how angry I was, actually, over a mere broken record. Not quite 'finding out about what Kefka did at Doma' levels of angry, but... still pretty mad. I think I had subconsciously internalized Orcus's struggles, so it felt like more of a personal loss. To this day I still have no idea how his story ends. I still regularly replay the surviving parts of the album, but for me, Orcus's story concludes on that cliff overlooking a black abyss unsure of what to do."

Terra could definitely relate to the frustration of not knowing something. From his description it sounded like the story had been headed towards a tragic ending, but... not knowing that for sure was almost worse than knowing it was a tragedy. "Have you checked with the Jidoor Opera House?" she wondered. "Maybe they can help you."

He shook his head. "Oh, believe me, I have asked. The Impresario informed me that they won't perform it on account of it being obscure and unpopular and wouldn't sell enough seats to make it worth their time. I know I could simply ask him how it ends, or even just read the score, which I know is available in the Vector library. I've been tempted, but..." he pursed his lips and clenched his fingers. "It's not the same. Merely being told how something is rather than experiencing it is so... unfulfilling, and you're left with nothing but empty knowledge of something that should have been more meaningful to you."

Terra felt her chest and throat swell. Eyes widening, with a slow and surprised whisper, she realized, "I... know how that feels.... I know how that feels!" she repeated more excitedly. She balled her fists under her chin and gave a happy little bounce while Leo watched on in amusement. So it was possible for her to understand the feelings of other people. True, that feeling was "frustration", but it was still a feeling that drove him to act and she could understand why . Watch out, world, she just figured out how to relate to other people tonight. She'd know what love was by the end of the week for sure.

"Oh, speaking of love and relating to other people, you said that you felt so upset about losing that record because you internalized what Orcus was going through. So... does that mean you have a girl you love back home you're worried won't be there when you get back?" He hadn't mentioned one in his list of "loves", but...

Leo actually laughed at that. "No, not quite that literal of a parallel. I'm deployed 50 weeks out of the year and on call the other two, which effectively means no leave time for any kind of outside relationship. That length of absence wouldn't be fair to the other person, anyway. As for people I come into contact with due to my work, while I did attempt to court a few people while I was a teenager at the Academy, I quickly discovered that pursuing a romantic relationship within an organization rife with power struggles led to... unhealthy results, to say the least. So when I achieved the rank of General at 18, I swore off romance with anyone who might pose a conflict of interest with that position. Which... was essentially everyone."

With a shrug and defeated smile, he noted, "So, if you're worried that there's something wrong with you because you haven't yet experienced the type of 'love' involving a committed romantic relationship like your parents had... then I'm 30 years old now and still in the same boat as you."

Terra blinked and looked back and forth at their surroundings. "We... are in the same boat..." she noted sheepishly.

He gave her a silent blank look for a few seconds, then slowly brought his hand to his forehead and shook his head with a bemused grin. "I... hadn't even been attempting to make a joke there. Wow. Okay. I think that's probably a sign that I should be getting some sleep as well."

Terra made a slight giggle at that, which caused him to perk up. She gave him a small bow and said, "Thank you... for talking to me tonight. I think... I think I'll be able to do better from now on. But... do you think we could talk more again soon?"

He smiled and gave a single nod. "Absolutely." Falling back into the more formal speech that he had progressively lost over the course of their conversation, he squared his shoulders and folded his hands behind his back, reminding her, "But be aware that our mission takes priority over any personal desires. Locating those Espers and negotiating peace with them is of most vital importance and we cannot allow anything to distract us from that, understood?"

Terra was a little shocked at the change in tone and quickly nodded. His expression softened again and he added, "But once it is complete, I anticipate the return voyage on this ship to be of similar duration and idleness, during which time I look forward to speaking with you again."

She grinned. "Okay! ... I mean, yes, Sir."

With a smile and an informal salute, he turned from her and bid her, "Good night, Terra."

"Good night, General." As she made her way back to the cabin, she noticed that at some point during the night she'd developed her sea legs and wasn't stumbling about the deck anymore. And once she returned to her bunk she was, at long last, able to get to sleep.

Chapter Text

Negotiations the next day were more tense than expected. Leo kept a firm gaze on the person across from him and noted, "I had hoped the two of us could come to a more mutually beneficial agreement."

"Not gonna happen," said his opponent. "I have the upper hand here and I have no intention of relinquishing it."

"You only believe you do," Leo countered. "I have yet to show you the extent of what I am holding."

"Yeah, well I don't have any problem showing you mine," the other man retorted. He slapped his cards down on the log between them. "Straight flush, baby. Beat that."

Leo nodded, gazing down at the cards intently. "A strong hand, to be certain, Private Ozzel. But still able to be defeated."

"Okay, seriously, General, just show him your cards," sighed Private Piett, who was reclined against a tree and absently whittling a piece of wood. "Everyone knows you're a terrible liar."

"In a diplomatic situation it is to your best advantage to always negotiate in good faith," Leo defended. "Gain your opponent's trust, and they are more likely to provide you with more advantageous opportunities. Thus, when you have the upper hand, they will often acquiesce to your demands without resistance under the assurance that they will be treated fairly," he said, laying down his cards.

Ozzel looked flatly at the cards and nodded. "Yeah, General... that's a pair of fives."

"And when you are at a disadvantage, they are more likely to be lenient with you," he continued.

Ozzel shook his head with a sly grin and held out his hand in a beckoning motion. "Pay up, General."

Leo sighed. "I had hoped for this to be a teaching moment in the art of diplomacy, but..." With a chuckle he reached into his pocket and then tossed Ozzel a few gil. "Buy your wife something nice, Private."

"Thanks, General," Ozzel replied, pocketing the money. "Her birthday is coming up next month so I was hoping to send a carrier pigeon with some flowers or something."

"Well..." said Leo, standing up and stretching, "If this peace mission with the Espers succeeds, then the war will officially be over and there will be a good chance that you will be able to deliver those flowers in person."

"I hope so..." said Piett, flicking shavings off his knife. "My dad can't get around as well as he used to anymore and has been having trouble taking care of the wood shop by himself. I'd hoped I'd be able to go back and help him before his strength gives out completely."

Leo folded his hands behind his back and looked out over the canopy of trees covering them. "We have to rely on Terra and her companions for this initial stage of making first contact with the Espers. As we are considered a hostile nation by them, if we were to engage them first rather than a neutral mediator, it would likely be interpreted as an act of aggression. Therefore, we are at the mercy of awaiting word from Terra and the others that their contact was successful. Once that happens, I will act as the Empire's ambassador to open full negotiations with them, and if we play our cards right, true peace will finally be achieved."

Ozzel finished reshuffling the deck and returning it to its box. "Well, I hope you play your cards with them better than you did with me, or we're all screwed."

Leo's posture faltered. "That.... that's the second time in as many days that I've made a joke without intending to." He turned to them and wondered, "Am I getting old?"

Piett picked at his teeth with a wood splinter while looking over his work. "Dunno, General, that sounded like a textbook Dad Joke to me. Maybe that's your biological clock telling you to finally find yourself a nice girl, settle down, and have kids."

"Hey, and being a general of the most powerful nation in the world means you've got ladies lined up around the block looking for a chance with you," Ozzel added. "Hell, even my wife sometimes teases me that she would have been better off going after you instead." He looked to the side after a brief pause. "... But don't pick, her. Please. She'd probably drive you nuts, anyway."

Leo shook his head wistfully and returned to gazing through the trees. "No worries there, Private. And it is precisely that tendency of people to court the uniform rather than the person that has caused my enforced policy of maintaining a professional distance from everyone I come into contact with. It has become so habitual that I doubt I could manage a romantic relationship with anyone now."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But... should this mission truly mark the end of the war and the remaining military forces are able to competently manage themselves without my continued presence... then..." He bowed his head. "Over the years I have had to face so many children and tell them that their father or mother is never coming home. Many of them had no one else... and I was not able to do anything for them at the time beyond refer them to a social worker. But if I could... I think I would very much like to take a more active role in taking care of those children whose families have been destroyed by this war..."

Piett and Ozzel held each others' hands and whimpered with trembling lips. "General, you want to take care of orphans after you retire?" They both burst into dramatic tears. "You're such a great man!"

Leo rubbed his face and left the two of them to their theatrical sobbing. He didn't want to do it for praise and attention, and wished that he could operate more anonymously than his position often allowed so that he could avoid it. Helping someone in need was reward enough. And there was one other person who had been in his company during this trip who still seemed to be in need of counsel.

He found General Celes sitting by herself on a boulder, polishing her sword with a cloth and absently humming to herself. She had been agreeable about accompanying him on this mission when it was proposed to her in Vector, but as soon as they'd arrived at the ship and met with Terra and Locke from the Returners' side, she'd suddenly become withdrawn and reclusive. He'd given her her space until now in the hopes that she would be able to work herself through it, but as the critical meeting with the Espers drew near he couldn't afford to have her in such a standoffish state.

He waited until she sheathed her sword before identifying her humming as, " Maria and Draco, Act 1, Aria di Mezzo Carattere."

She jolted upright with a start, then leaned her head back with a groan. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to make sure you did not cut yourself when I startled you," he replied. He walked around the boulder she was seated on and leaned against the opposite tree. "You have impeccable pitch, by the way."

Her face turned red and she averted her eyes. "It's... just because of those records you always have playing in your office that I even know the song in the first place..." He found it odd that she felt the need to specifically make that excuse as he could fathom no other reason for her to know it, anyway.

"There is no shame in enjoying it..." he began to explain, but she held up a finger and shook her head.

"No. I'm a general, not some opera floozy. I don't sing, I don't wear pretty ribbons, and I don't pine after lost loves."

... All right, if she wanted to do this the hard way, then he was left with no choice. Leo stood to his full stature, squared his shoulders, and bellowed, "That's right, you are a general, Celes, so it is high time you started acting like one." She looked at him in shock, but he continued, "At attention, Soldier, I am still your senior officer."

Celes slid haphazardly off the rock and immediately snapped up straight and saluted him. "Yes, Sir!"

He paced slowly in front of her, speaking with a firm voice. "It is absolutely imperative that this mission succeed and I cannot afford to overlook anything that might put its success in jeopardy. We are here as representatives of our mother country I expect every one of us to put nothing short of our best face forward, is that clear?"

Celes swallowed harshly, but repeated, "Yes, Sir."

"Now..." he said, turning to face her and folding his hands behind his back. "Are you going to tell me what is going on, or am I going to have to pursue disciplinary action?" Please pick the first.

Her eyes wavered and her lips parted slightly before she responded, "I will tell you... but only if you promise me that nothing that I say will cause you to pursue any action against the Returners."

"We have a truce with them now, so there is little action I would take regardless... unless you mean to say your words may implicate one or more of them in espionage or other war crimes..."

"Promise me!" she pleaded again. This request was technically out of line, but... all he could do was trust that she would not make such a request if it was truly a great matter of national security.

"Very well. I promise that anything you tell me here will be off the record. Now... are you ready to talk?"

Celes nodded reluctantly. "Y... yes, Sir."

"At ease, Soldier."

She let out a long breath and sagged back against the rock, slumping down and holding her face in her hands. After a few more shuddering breaths, she finally admitted, "It's... about Locke..."

"The man who is accompanying Terra who has the look of a thief about him?" Leo wondered.

"Treasure hunter," Celes corrected automatically. "We were... close. At least... I thought we were. But when we infiltrated the Magitek Research Facility to liberate the Espers, Kefka... told everyone that I was a spy and had led them into a trap. And they believed him. Locke... believed him... How could I face him again knowing that's how he felt about me?"

"And yet you agreed to come on this mission knowing that the Returners would be a part of it?" Leo wondered.

"I knew Terra was going to be a part of it," she corrected. "She'd been in a coma at the time of the Magitek Research Facility infiltration and thus wasn't there." Wait, she'd what? What was the cause? Is she cured now or is there still...? "So I don't have any complaint with her," Celes continued, oblivious to Leo's internal topic change. "Locke coming along was... heh, I guess I shouldn't consider it unexpected. He trails along after every girl he finds..."

"Like the Figaro King?" Leo asked cautiously, suddenly a little bit apprehensive that he'd left Terra in Locke's care.

"No! No... god, no," Celes quickly amended. Okay, that was good, at least. "Locke... failed to protect a girl who was important to him... and now automatically offers his assistance to every girl he meets as a sort of retribution by proxy. I guess I was just... his latest one and nothing more."

"Oh..." said Leo, a pang of guilt twinging in his chest. That meant that he and Locke were more similar than he'd realized. "Well... if it is any consolation, he did specifically ask after you when he first boarded the ship, but I told him you were not seeing visitors."

Celes rubbed her face with a groan. "I knoooow. He tried to talk to me the night before, too, but I just... still couldn't face him then. And then when I tried to talk to him this morning, he gave me the cold shoulder and left with Terra instead..." She hung her head. "I'm so hopeless..."

"You are only as hopeless as you convince yourself you are," Leo responded. "This is a mission of negotiations, and when you enter into a negotiation, you present yourself in the position you desire to see yourself in. Then it is up to the other party as to whether they agree with your assessment of yourself. If they concur, then the negotiation is already won. If they dissent, you have already placed yourself in your desired position, anyway, and are therefore no worse off."

"So you're saying... I should just talk to him like nothing's wrong?"

"You should talk to him like nothing should be wrong," he corrected slightly. "You cannot change what is, but you can make known what it is you want."

Celes bowed her head. "I want... to see him again," she finally admitted.

"Then allow that desire to drive your actions," Leo confirmed. Celes nodded and sniffed quietly. Leo sighed and relaxed a little, hoping this meant that her emotional troubles would be corrected before negotiations with the Espers began. For someone who had never been in a steady relationship himself, he certainly was giving a lot of relationship advice lately. He may have been bad at lying, but he certainly seemed adept at sounding like he knew what the hell he was talking about.

"And do not worry yourself about his involvement in the Magitek Research Facility infiltration," Leo added. "I am well aware of that incident, however the Esper attack halted any progress it had made through the criminal tribunals, so I currently have nothing to charge him with. The Magitek Research Facility is completely outside of my jurisdiction as it is."

Celes flinched. "Oh, no, I know you knew about that. But Locke is also... he's the one who broke me out of prison... He's the reason I joined the Returners in the first place... and eventually raised my sword against Kefka..."

Leo's eyes widened. "He is the reason you were able to escape?"

"Please, I know he infiltrated our territory, impersonated our soldiers, and interfered in our judicial process, but if it weren't for him..."

"It it were not for him, you would have been unjustly executed," Leo agreed, to her surprise. "In that case, I owe him a debt of gratitude."

"You... you do?" she whispered, wiping her eyes. "But... you're always so... strict with your duties and loyalties. I didn't think you'd be able to overlook something like that."

He sighed and began pacing slowly in front of her again. "General Celes... just because I am loyal to my country does not mean that I am blind to its transgressions. I will not abide by injustices done in our Emperor's name."

"And neither will I, but that's why I was charged with treason and sentenced to death in the first place," Celes countered. "When I heard they were planning on poisoning Doma, I absolutely fought against it."

"'Planning' ?!" Leo repeated, spinning around to stare at her in shock. "That was... premeditated?"

"I... overheard Kefka talking about it a few days prior..." she admitted.

Leo dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He read it over, rubbing his hand over his chin in agitation. "General Celes... you said Locke, a Returner from the Northern Continent, was the one who broke you out of prison. Where were you being held?"

"South Figaro..." she replied hesitantly. "It was in a secret underground dungeon. I honestly don't know why they would choose such a place..."

Leo held his hand over his eyes and leaned his head back, letting out a ragged sigh. "Because... Kefka was using you to bait me... and he succeeded, and thousands of people died because of it..."

"What?! Why would having me arrested for treason have anything to do with you?" she questioned. He handed her the missive that had been in his pocket and she unfolded it to read it over.

URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL

DELIVER TO:
GENERAL LEO CRISTOPHE
IMPERIAL BASE CAMP DOMA

BY ORDER OF EMPEROR GESTAHL
General Celes Chere has been charged with high treason and has been sentenced to death to be carried out at the stroke of noon tomorrow. Any appeals to this sentence must be made in person at Vector High Command no later than 1130 of that day.

"Vector?" Celes wondered in confusion. "But... even if you'd somehow made it there from Doma by 1130 the next day, there's no way word of a stay of execution would have made it to South Figaro by..." She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my god... This... didn't actually come from the Emperor, did it?"

"I am now highly suspecting it did not," Leo confirmed, clenching his fists. He turned in frustrated circles, running his hands over the top of his head. "I flinched. I flinched and he took full advantage of it... But the alternative would be standing by and watching you die.... Just like I stood by and watched Terra be tortured for so many years..."

"Then get out," Celes pleaded. "I was disgusted with the Empire's tactics and chose to leave. The Returners would happily accept you among their ranks if you chose to do the same."

"You do not understand. That," he pointed at the falsified letter in her hand, "is precisely why I cannot leave." Pacing in agitation, he explained, "Up until twelve years ago, Magitek infusion was mandatory for all incoming soldiers. I and many others opposed this, and we led a protest that ultimately led to a restructuring of the command, resulting in the separation of the army and the Magitek divisions. Magitek infusion became voluntary, and I was recommended for the rank of General by my peers for my efforts. With my newfound authority, I ordered the public release of the results of the Magitek research that had gone on for the past six years to allow for full transparency in people's decisions."

Celes bowed her head. "I was... infused when I was just a child... I never had a choice. I'm grateful for my powers, but... after seeing what the infusion process did to Kefka I can understand why people would be wary of them."

Leo nodded sadly. "Yes... we only found out about the experiments that were being performed on children after the reorganization. And I was court-martialed for forcing the research release, warned that if I did not want the Magitek division interfering with the army, then I could not interfere with the Magitek division, else I would be removed from my post and executed for treason. If it was only my life that would be threatened then I would not have cared and would have continued to oppose their practices until it killed me, but... they had a second ultimatum: The one who would take my position should I vacate it for any reason... was Kefka."

"And the Doman genocide... is the sort of thing that would happen if you left that post open for Kefka, even for a moment..." Celes realized.

"For twelve years I have held that line," Leo expressed wearily. "Kefka... took sick amusement with this, and would regularly torment me with examples of the horrific experiments being performed in his Magitek division, testing to see what it would take for me to budge. His favorite 'toy' being a certain half-Esper girl they had abducted years before..."

He covered his face with hand and shuddered. "And I could do nothing but avert my eyes and allow it to happen, because any action I took against it would be a breach of duty and cause for dismissal, opening the rest of the country... and likely the world... to that same treatment. The only way to ensure that would not happen was to become a paragon of loyalty... carry out any order no matter how abhorrent, so that I would be the one on the front line rather than Kefka deciding how that order would be executed. I have had to oversee the ruination of so many lives, under the belief that it was necessary to prevent even greater suffering. But Terra... had become the face of that decision to me: The innocent life I deemed necessary to sacrifice in order to save the rest of the world."

Celes was silent for a moment as she took that all in. She eventually gave a self-defeating chuckle as she slowly shook her head. "Here I've been worrying about facing Locke when you have to face Terra with that kind of baggage hanging over you... I just thought you were a good man who was blindly loyal to the wrong cause... I had no idea the kind of anguish you've been going through all this time." Looking up at him, she hesitantly wondered, "Does... Terra know?"

"I... do not know how much of her time in the Facility she remembers," he replied. Turning away, he admitted, "She seemed terrified of me when we first met again in Albrook. I feared that she hated me for being an idle spectator to her suffering. But to my surprise, last night she actually approached me of her own accord... and while at first it seemed like she was there to lay bare my sins, it became apparent that she... did not even recognize me. Her actual anxieties were generalized, internal, and focused on her self-worth and identity. She had no time to worry about who I was when she could not even comprehend who she was. I had been so selfish, worrying about what she thought of me rather than recognizing how poorly she thought of herself. And when she revealed to me that in all her life she had no concept of the emotion of 'love', I..." he looked down at his hands, clenching his fingers. "I had the overwhelming need to hold her, comfort her, and tell her that everything was going to be okay... But what right did I have, to only offer my support to her now that she was already free?"

"Why do you think you can't?" Celes wondered. "You said that you believed the world was more important than her. Is your guilt more important, too?"

"No!" he insisted quickly. Looking down at his hand and clenching his fist, he resolved, "No, it absolutely is not. Our conversation last night may have started tense, but it ended with both of us laughing together, which proves that it is possible for us to help each other heal from what Kefka has done to us. I want to help her find more reasons to smile, and help her to experience all the joys of the world that she had been denied all her life. Not as some selfish penance, but because... I honestly want her to be happy."

Celes allowed herself a small smile and rested her cheek on her hand. "Well... if she wants to feel love from another person, it sounds like you're already up to the task."

"It is a purely fraternal love, General," Leo intervened before she romanticized this too much. "Terra is an amazing person, but she is..." He paused a moment, running through his mental checklist of usual excuses as to why his relationship with someone ought to remain platonic. He just didn't find her particularly engaging? Far from it! She was already in a relationship? Her inability to form one was the entire source of her misery. She was subordinate or superior to him? No. She held a position that was poised to gain politically from his favor? No. She was someone his job would prevent him from seeing regularly? Hopefully not. She was too young? ... Perhaps, though she was still an adult there was a 12-year age gap, so pencil that one in for later in case he couldn't find a better excuse. She was a blood relation? Oh god, we're at the bottom of the list now, back up. "She is... emotionally... still just a child," he finally settled on, hastily scribbling in a mental modification to that line item on his list. That was close.

"Yeah, but isn't the entire point of this to correct that?" Celes wondered, handily blowing a hole through the list he had just fixed.

The "she's too emotionally immature" line still stood... for now... but it wouldn't always. Through his efforts that, too, would be erased, and then what would his excuse be? As Leo watched the shreds of his mental list scatter in front of his face, the scrap containing the absolute, final line item on it fell into view, and it was all he had to fall back on now: Because I'm scared of being in love.

Chapter Text

"I feel like I must have offended an octopus in a past life and this is my punishment," Locke muttered as he flapped out his jacket over the mountain ledge in an effort to get the slime off. "This is the second time I've run into that thing. How does an octopus even get into a mountain cave ?"

"Oh, you've fought him before, too?" Terra wondered, also trying to unstick her clothes. "We ran into him when escaping the Returner hideout after you left for South Figaro." Making little progress, she called over to the old man from the village of Thamasa who had joined them on their search: "Mister Strago, you know the spell Aqua Breath, don't you? Could we have a little help, please?"

"Much obliged, young lady!" he replied and raised his hands in the air.

"Ah, wait, no, I'm fine!" shouted Locke, waving his arms, but the two of them were doused in a torrent of water, leaving them drenched.

Terra didn't mind, though, and shook out her hair with a pleasant shiver. "Ahh... at least it's better than being slimy. Thank you, Mister Strago."

Locke wrung out his jacket and eyed her dejectedly. "So... what's been up with you the past couple days? When we first left Albrook you wouldn't say a word and spent most of the trip curled up in your bunk." Whereas he'd spent most of the trip throwing up over the side of the ship but he wasn't about to bring that up. "But ever since we've gotten here you've been more talkative than normal and in a generally good mood. You even played silly with that octopus in order to distract it, which I never thought I'd see from you. I mean, there's certainly nothing wrong with any of that, it just seemed like such a drastic mood swing."

"Oh... I just had a nice talk with the general while we were on the boat, is all," she replied, her face involuntarily flushing lightly. "He helped me get my thoughts in order and I feel a lot better about what I'm doing now."

Locke pulled his jacket back on and brushed a few stray water droplets from his hair. "Well, when it comes to Imperials, I do trust your judgment. If you think we can trust him, then I feel better about this mission, too."

"Of course we can! He wants peace just as much as we do and I know he'll pull through for us." Terra almost felt offended that Locke would ever even consider that General Leo might be untrustworthy just because he was from the Empire, but... she had hypocritically thought the exact same thing when she'd first encountered him. He'd eventually proven his kindness to her, but... he shouldn't have needed to. Their quickness to judge based solely on Leo's country of origin made them no better than the people she'd condemned for banishing the citizens of Thamasa to the edge of civilization simply because of their abilities.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Strago's granddaughter, Relm, peeking up at her and announcing, "Oooh, I think somebody's got a cruuush."

Terra looked down at her and blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?" But Relm just puffed out her cheeks and turned around in disappointment.

"Awhh... if you did, you would have been more embarrassed than that." That still didn't explain what she'd meant by "crush".

Locke stretched his arms out behind his head. "Ahhh, anyway, we've got some Espers to find. Old man, how many more caves are left on this mountain that we haven't searched yet?"

"Just the one up ahead," Strago replied. "If the Espers aren't there, then I honestly don't know where I would point you next."

"Well, no time like the present to find out, then," said Locke, leading them to it. They entered the cave and found that it opened up into an expansive cavern. A few shafts of light penetrated from openings in the cavern ceiling allowing them some visibility. As they made their way in deeper, a figure came into view before them, illuminated from the light from the ceiling. Humanoid, but sprouting multicolored wings from its back akin to a butterfly.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" Relm exclaimed. "Is this... an Esper?" she wondered, approaching the creature.

The creature turned to her with a snarl, causing Relm to jump back and Strago to stand protectively in front of her while Locke moved to shield Terra. From the darkness, other creatures began slowly advancing towards them, bearing strange and varied forms, from dragons to hairy beasts.

Terra moved out from behind Locke and looked at the approaching Espers curiously. "I didn't realize there were so many..."

"Yeah, and they look like they're more interested in a fight than a chat," Locke warned, backing up. "Gramps, take Relm and get out of here!" Strago nodded and herded Relm back towards the cave entrance, but their escape was blocked by two other Espers appearing in front of them. They retreated back to the others where Terra, Locke, and Strago formed a protective circle around Relm as the Espers closed in from all sides.

Terra looked around nervously. This... this was supposed to be a peace talk, and it was her responsibility to open that first conversation. After all the help he'd given her, what would she do if she let Leo down and failed to convince the Espers to talk to him? He'd encouraged her to keep feeling her way through situations because she'd been hitting on the right answers all on her own so far, but...

He'd told her that experience was the key. And her previous experience was that being quick to judge others' intentions without talking to them first led to unnecessary misery.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Strago began to charge up a spell. No, wait! Out of instinct she began charging her own to counter it, but... what would she even cast? General Leo, help me, I'm going to completely screw this up!

 "Wait!" came a voice from the depths of the cave. Both Terra and Strago stopped their charges and observed a tall, bulky humanoid figure with ashen skin and a large mane of white hair emerge from the shadows. The other Espers parted for him and he strode heavily towards the group, where he stopped to survey them cautiously.

Terra darted out from behind the others and approached this new Esper. She couldn't let her uncertainty cause her to hesitate any longer. Too many people on all sides were relying on her. She came to trust Leo because he had left himself vulnerable to her. If she wanted the Espers to trust her, she had to do the same.

She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, allowing her Esper powers to pool to the surface, laying her inner self bare before them in a show of fellowship. The Esper before her did the same, his magical aura intermingling with hers as if feeling her out, trying to understand who and what she was and what her intentions were. She could hear the others murmuring their concerns from the side, but she refused to allow them to sway her. She had nothing to hide and nothing to fear, and neither should they.

After some time, the glow around them subsided. Terra allowed her powers to relax and looked up at the Esper before her earnestly. He cocked his head and noted, "You are... different from the others... I can sense a power similar to our own coming from you."

"Yes..." Terra replied. "I am Terra, daughter of the Esper Maduin, the Esper World's former gatekeeper."

"Ah, so that is why you were able to open the gate," the Esper replied. "I am called Yura. There is a rule in the Esper World that we are forbidden from coming to this world. However, these young ones had nevertheless gathered near the gate to find some way to help our companions who had been turned into Magicite. That was when you appeared there..."

Terra held her hand to her chest. "I could... feel your thoughts, even through the gate." It had been a sensation similar to when she realized she related to Leo's feelings. Except at the gate it had felt like that sensation had been impressed upon her rather than something she had actively sought out. But it meant that Espers were capable of sharing their feelings with others, though it must take a different form than with humans.

"And when you opened it, that is what allowed us to enter this world," Yura continued. "However... once in this world, we lost control of our powers. We destroyed an entire city, taking many innocent lives..."

"The same thing happened to me..." Terra admitted. "When my Esper side was awakened, I was unable to control that newfound power..." She'd gotten better at controlling it now, but could only manage it in short bursts, like pulling a kettle about to boil over from the flame. But she still took some comfort in the fact that even pure-blooded Espers faced the same problem. Perhaps they could teach her how to better regulate herself.

"It seems that even we Espers are not exempt from losing our senses and causing great harm... I am truly sorry..." Yura admitted.

This apology seemed to prompt Locke to finally have the nerve to come forward and talk to them. "The Empire is seeking to make peace with the Espers as well." Extending his hand, he offered, "What do you think? How about you come with us?"

"They would so readily forgive us?" Yura wondered hesitantly.

Locke nodded. "Let's all head back to Thamasa and join back up with General Leo's group. That way you can see just what kind of people they are."

Terra smiled and nodded excitedly. "Right!"

They'd... they'd done it. She'd done it, and all by herself, just like Leo knew she could. She'd opened herself up to someone and they'd reciprocated in kind. Maybe more experience really was all she needed to be able to more fully understand the feelings that drove people fight for each other. Although, with this peace talk close to being achieved, there would be no reason to fight anymore, but... that was also just as well. It meant more time to talk to people, gain experiences, and one day learn what love really meant.

"All right, on three, Private. One, two... three!" Leo and Ozzel clutched a large wooden beam and lifted it up to wedge it under the roof awning of a burned-out house in Thamasa. While they held it in place, Piett went to it with a hammer and nails to secure it to the rest of the structure.

Dusting off his hands, Piett announced, "All right, that's not going anywhere. That should keep it from collapsing any further until a more full-scale repair can be done."

"Good work, Private," Leo commended, rotating his shoulder. "I will be sure to recommend you for promotion once we return to Vector."

"Y, yes, Sir!" Piett responded, snapping to attention and saluting. "I just come from a long line of carpenters, Sir, and merely noted that this dwelling was structurally deficient."

The townspeople of Thamasa had been rather wary of the presence of soldiers when they had first arrived. The shops refused to do business with them, the inn had charged an exorbitant price, and most people refused to speak to them. It was only once Piett had noticed that a large house on the eastern edge of town appeared to have burned down recently and was at risk of further collapse that any of the townspeople reluctantly began to offer their assistance.

"Oh, you're such nice boys, thank you," commented an older woman. "And thanks to those nice people who came to town yesterday, no one was hurt in that fire. Are they friends of yours?"

Leo smiled and gave her a single nod of the head. Even without further description he knew who she was talking about. "Yes they are, ma'am. They are currently on an important mission and we came here to await word of the results of their efforts. I hope that our continued presence does not cause you any further discomfort. I assure you we come for peaceful purposes."

"My, and what manners, too," the woman replied, lightly holding her cheeks. "Of course, make yourselves at home. Let me get you boys something to drink, you must be tired from all that work."

"Much appreciated, ma'am," he replied, nodding his head again.

As the old woman toddled off, Celes watched her from a reclined position against the tree in the center of the town square. "... How do you make friends with everyone so easily like that?" she wondered.

Leo strolled over towards her slowly and suggested, "I merely offer my help where it is needed and such things tend to be the natural result."

"I just feel like you're opening yourself up to being taken advantage of," Celes noted. "My question was more out of wondering how you manage to avoid that."

"I would have assumed the incident at Doma was example enough that even I am not immune to falling victim to deception. I simply refuse to allow one bad faith actor to sully my treatment of other people," he explained. "Do you believe these townspeople wish ill of us?"

"No, it's not that, it's just..." Celes chewed on her lip and looked around a little warily. "I've had a foreboding feeling ever since this morning. Like... this mission has gone too well until now and something has got to give. I can't exactly place my finger on it, though."

He gave a light nod of understanding and let out a breath through his nose. "I certainly do not wish to make light of your apprehensions, as it is always wise to keep a healthy skepticism. But viewing the world only in terms of the worst possible outcomes can make it so that that is the only outcome you are ever able to see. And from where we stand here, I am able to see a path to the peace we desire, and with that in view, it is the path I choose to focus on."

Turning his head, he added, "However... if that focus has blinded me to the presence of storm clouds approaching from the rear, I trust you to be my eyes and alert me to them, General."

"Of course, Sir," Celes replied.

The old woman returned with a tray of cups and offered, "All right, I brought you boys some water with mint leaves. I hope this will help refresh you a little."

Leo took one of the cups while Ozzel and Piett rushed up behind him to grab theirs with jumbled murmurings of gratitude. Leo gave a light toast with his cup and stated, "Thank you, ma'am," before taking a sip. The mint added a pleasant chill to the water that offered a calm, cooling sensation that heightened the water's refreshment.

"Oh, and I saw that those nice people from yesterday are on their way back, and they seem to have brought some Espers with them. Haven't seen any of those in a long time," the woman added.

Leo choked on his drink and wiped off his mouth, placing the cup back on the woman's tray. Calling back over his shoulder, he announced, "Look alive, everyone, fall in behind me." Acknowledging the woman again he told her, "My apologies, but duty calls."

They made their way to the town square where Locke came trotting in ahead of the others from the opposite direction. "Heey, General, reporting back in!"

"Locke!" Leo responded, looking over his head to see Terra and a number of Espers following behind him and chatting with each other. "I see you were able to make contact with the Espers. Your efforts are more appreciated than I can express. I hope you did not run into too much trouble."

Locked waved him off, "Nah, just a purple octopus incident." From behind Leo, Celes made a small groan like she knew what that meant. Was that a Returner code for something? "But thanks to Terra, everything else went totally fine," Locke continued.

Locke moved out of the way, allowing Leo and Terra to lock eyes for a moment. She looked... so full of confidence and accomplishment now, a far cry from the timid, uncertain girl he'd talked to only a few days before. Terra gave him an earnest smile, causing his throat to involuntarily catch. She gestured wordlessly to the Esper beside her and moved aside to stand with Locke. Leo followed her with his eyes for only a moment, offering her a wink and mouthing "Well done", which made her hunch her shoulders and blush slightly. He'd have to catch up with her afterwards about how she was feeling now.

The Esper approached him and Leo squared his shoulders and resumed a neutral expression. This was only potentially the most important diplomatic meeting since the peace accords following the War of the Magi. No pressure.

With a curt nod, he opened with, "I am Leo, a general of the Empire. Might I have your name, please?"

"I am Yura," the Esper responded in a deep monotone. "We have done something inexcusable to your people. We are likely in no position to ask for your forgiveness, but..."

Leo nodded. "Your regrets are well understood. We did not seek you out to chastise you for your mistakes. On the contrary, we are the ones who ought to be ashamed for thinking of your people as nothing but a tool of war. We were on the verge of repeating the mistakes of the War of the Magi..."

Yura's stance relaxed. "It brings me great relief to hear you say that."

From the side, Terra couldn't stop grinning. Leo was just... talking with the Espers like they were any other people. Even Locke and the others had initially shown fear towards them, but Leo seemed to see them as fellow people first and Espers as secondary. It was like she was watching her deepest desires made real, and he made it look all so effortless.

Locke glanced over at Celes, then casually strode over to her. "So, I guess this is mission accomplished, huh? Looks like true peace is finally upon us!" Terra wondered if this was his way of announcing a "peace" between himself and Celes as well.

"Let's return to Vector, then," was all Celes responded.

"Celes..." said Locke, hanging his head.

Celes turned from him and shook her head. "Please don't say anything..." When Locke continued to look dejected, she sighed with a small smile and turned to face him again expectantly.

With Leo's conversation with Yura appearing to have concluded successfully, Terra approached him excitedly. He turned to her with a smile and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Relm loudly observing from the background, "Those two are hot and heavy, huh, Grandpa?"

Terra and Leo both froze, and Terra could feel her face instantly heat up. The two of them broke their eye contact and looked elsewhere, only then realizing that Relm seemed to have actually been referring to Locke and Celes. After watching them dance through a similar tango of embarrassment, Terra let go of the apprehension she'd felt before with a light laugh. Why had Relm's statement made her apprehensive, though?

Leo laughed it off as well, the weight that had been on his shoulders these past few days slowly ebbing away. The war was... actually over. Over the next few weeks he'd finally be able to start sending everyone home. And after that, with any luck, he might actually be able to utilize some of his leave time to take Terra on some field trips to help her explore more facets of life that could stir more long-suppressed emotions in her. But... that was only if she wanted it. She seemed to be progressing well even without his help now. But for now, hearing her laugh like that warmed his heart. He wanted to hear more of that laugh.

That laugh...

THAT laugh...

They weren't the only ones laughing anymore.

Chapter Text

Leo stiffened, his hair involuntarily bristling. That... that was impossible. How was HE here?! HE was supposed to be in jail for war crimes. HE was supposed to be stripped of his authority and rendered no longer a player in either the Magitek division OR the army. So HOW in the Emperor's name did HE get HERE?!

Everyone turned to face the newcomer who had appeared at the northern edge of town. Face painted ghastly white, dressed in mismatching multicolored robes and a red cape, hair adorned with garish feathered plumes, and laughing maniacally.

Kefka. That could only ever be Kefka: the man who had made Leo and so many others' lives a living hell for over the past decade and a half. He was flanked by three Guardian-class Magitek Armored soldiers whose weighty footsteps actually knocked Kefka over momentarily as they marched into town.

Guardian-class Armor... but... those were so heavy and bulky that a single Magitek transport ship could only carry one at a time. ... Meaning Kefka had to have come with a fleet of at least three ships... meaning he could not have possibly gotten here without support . Not only that, the logistics of getting those Armors to the port and loading them on the ships would have taken days , meaning that he would have needed to have started preparations almost immediately after Leo's team had left. And yet no one had sent word to Thamasa ahead of time warning that Kefka was coming....

The implications of his mere presence here caused Leo's chest to clench without a word even needing to be said. He fixed his jaw and looked at everyone around him. Terra, Locke, Celes, his men, the Espers, the town's civilians... Regardless of what Kefka was doing here, their lives were disposable to him. Leo had to get them to evacuate before--

"Uwee-hee-hee... How'd you all like a taste of the power of my Magitek Armor escort?" Kefka called to them. He raised an arm and one of the armored soldiers fired a blast into the crowd before Leo could react. A blinding flash of light and hot wave of pressure slammed into them, knocking almost everyone back. Higher-ranked soldiers were required to undergo yearly resistance training against crowd control blasts like these to prevent from being disabled by their own weapons, but the strength of the beam felt amplified from the mere debilitator pulse that he had experienced in training. But that meant that after he regained his footing, Leo was the only one left standing besides the Espers.

Locke was the closest person to him and Leo immediately knelt down to check his pulse. Weak, but present. But he knew from experience that Locke would be out for at least a half an hour. He stood again and then felt a chill run down his back. Terra, though...?

He turned and saw her crumpled, unmoving on the ground. He could only stumble towards her and gaze down at her body in anguish. Kefka had hurt her again... and once again he had been right there yet unable to stop it. She... she had only just begun to laugh again, so how... how could you do this to her?

Inhaling sharply in anger, Leo stormed towards Kefka and shouted, "Kefka, what do you think you're doing?!"

Kefka, completely oblivious to the carnage he had just caused, playfully responded, "Hee hee, Emperor's orders! 'Go and bring me the Magicite remains of those Espers,' he said!" Raising his hand, he said, "So, want to see my new extra-special Magicite-ification technique?"

Before Leo could even wonder what that meant, a beam of light shot past his head and struck Yura, who had been standing behind him. By the time Leo could turn around to see what happened, Yura's body had disintegrated, leaving only a small crystal shard behind, which flew through the air back into Kefka's hand.

"Kefka!" Leo shouted in anger, gripping his sword.

Kefka looked down at Leo's hand with a sneer and a raised eyebrow, tempting, "Oh? Planning on raising your sword against me , General? This is an official mission of the Magitek division." Kefka flicked another beam of light from his finger, and Leo heard another Esper scream and abruptly go silent behind him. "You're not going to interfere with it are you?" Another flick, another scream. "That would be treason ."

Leo's hand faltered, his breath coming in short pants. A decade of conditioning himself to stay his hand... a decade of sitting by idly and doing nothing while people suffered, all for a supposed greater good. Greater than what , though? People were dying here while he did nothing !

Kefka rolled his head at Leo's lack of action and announced, "Boo-ring..." Toddling back to the other two Guardian Armors, he ordered them, "You know what, I don't think I like this town very much. Burn it to the ground."

The Magitek Armored soldiers marched towards the village's buildings and began charging up their fire beams. Leo could only watch in dismay and plead a final time, "Kefka, stop this!"

Kefka groaned and snapped "Shut up!" at him. It was fun making him squirm, but if all he was going to do was whine like usual rather than go on the counterattack, then there was no point. He motioned for one of the Magitek Armors to point its weapon in their direction, and before Leo could get out of the way, it fired a high-energy debilitator blast at him. At this high a setting, and targeting only a single person rather than dispersed through a crowd, even Leo couldn't withstand it and collapsed unconscious on the ground.

Kefka pranced over to him and dug the heel of his boot into Leo's back, posing on top of him like some kind of trophy hunter and laughing hysterically. It was only amusing for a moment, though. In reality, this had all been painfully boring. The Returners put up no fight, the Espers put up no fight, Leo put up no fight... It was all too easy.

For years he had been baiting Leo, trying to force his hand into giving up his role as general and opening the way for Kefka to act without interference. Sure, trolling him led to years of entertainment, but it didn't change the fact that if Leo didn't move, Kefka couldn't get the whole of what he wanted. Always being that stick in the mud, always being the good little boy, always whining about "innocent lives" this and "honor" that. It was sickening.

The only time he'd gotten even a hint of a reaction out of him was when it involved that half-Esper girl. When he'd used the Slave Crown to order her to fry fifty of their own soldiers just for fun, oh... the look of anguish on Leo's face. It was marvelous. He was certain that Leo would overstep himself then, but still, still he held back and only gave another one of his boring morality lectures. The half-Esper girl escaped him soon after that, so he had to pick a new target to try...

General Celes was the same age as her and another plaything of the Magitek Research Facility... baiting her into turning traitor by letting her overhear his plans for Doma had been so easy compared to Leo. Then sending Leo a fake letter to get him to plead for the sake of a traitor to the Emperor himself... ohhh, that would certainly look bad on his record, and it left the Doma camp free to Kefka's command to boot. But then those meddling Returners broke General Celes out of jail before Leo could even arrive in Vector, causing his audience with the Emperor to never happen.

It was all too boring. He could just kill Leo now, get him out of his hair, and be done with this game for good, but that would also be too boring. This man who had been a thorn in his side for so long didn't deserve to just die in his sleep like this with his honor intact. He deserved be broken, and die in humiliation with full knowledge of everything he'd worked for coming to nothing.

Well, if this didn't motivate him, then nothing would. Kefka gripped Leo by his scruff of hair and yanked his head off the ground, leaning down to whisper a little incentive in his ear. The idea being planted, he let Leo's head fall back to the ground again, then wandered off to wait. Let's see if he feels like fighting when he wakes up this time.

Leo's world was spinning when he regained consciousness. Stumbling to his feet, he took assessment of his surroundings. Everything... still looked the same as it had been when he'd lost consciousness, other than the Guardian Armors had repositioned themselves at the town exits. The town still wasn't burning and everyone else was still incapacitated, though. He must have only been out for a minute or so at most. Kefka was standing behind him, laughing gloatingly as he was wont to do. What was he up to this time? Had he... done something while Leo was unconscious?

He looked uneasily at the bodies strewn all over the square again and took a step towards Terra and the others to check on them when he suddenly heard Kefka's voice ring in his ear: It doesn't even matter anymore. They're all already dead.

Leo whirled around and stared at Kefka in shock. What...? Had he actually...? Why?! Just to get to him?! Just because he could?! He'd already failed to save the Espers, but now the civilians... his men... Terra...

He clenched his fists and shook. But that's how it had always been, hadn't it? Every time Leo had failed to stop Kefka from hurting someone, that was just giving him another opportunity to hurt someone again. All those years of convincing himself he was preventing some greater atrocity by allowing smaller ones, but years of smaller ones still added up. He wouldn't let Kefka destroy an entire country at once, but he would passively stand by and let him pick them off one by one... until there was no one left, anyway...

If there was no one left to protect, then what did it matter anymore? If he turned his sword against Kefka, he would be a traitor, but Kefka would also be stopped for good. Assassination had never even been an option in his mind to correct this problem, but if Kefka was still going to avoid facing any real justice even when jailed for his crimes, then raw vigilantism was the only viable solution left.

With a deep breath, he looked out once again at the bodies of his comrades scattered about the town square. Please forgive me... for not doing this sooner.

He spun around and marched towards Kefka, bellowing, "Kefka! I cannot overlook your conduct any further!"

Kefka grinned at him maliciously. "Finally feel like putting up a fight, General?" Leo wordlessly drew his sword and glared at him. Kefka giggled excitedly and raised his arm, taunting, "Well, then, since I know you prefer 'fair' fights, how about we start by giving you a bit of a handicap? Poison--"

Leo spun his sword at his side and thrust it into the air, summoning a bolt of energy that exploded from the ground and engulfed Kefka before he could cast anything. There's your 'fair fight' right there, you coward. If you're going to drive me to the point of not holding back, then don't you dare go into the actual battle expecting me to hold back.

When the flash cleared, Kefka was gone. That had been immensely satisfying, but also too easy. Kefka wasn't exactly a strong man, but there was no way he would go this far into forcing Leo's hand only to allow himself to be taken out so easily.

Confirming his suspicions, Kefka's voice came sailing through the air, "Ah, Leo... I always knew someday you would put me in this position..."

Leo looked around cautiously, sword still drawn. "Where are you, Kefka? Show yourself!"

Kefka's voice began ominously chanting from all around him: "EM-PER-OR GES-TAHL. I... need... you... here..."

The Emperor...?! Had he... also come here with Kefka? Had he... condoned this senseless brutality? No... the Emperor desired world unification, not slaughter... There was no way...

But out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw Emperor Gestahl appear beside him. Quickly he sheathed his sword and bowed heavily on one knee. "My liege..." he submitted anxiously. So he was here... Was this all set up so that Kefka could broadcast his betrayal to the Emperor in person so there could be absolutely no excuse? But in that case, the Emperor had to have also seen what Kefka had just done...!

"Leo..." the Emperor slowly intoned. "I'm sorry that I had to deceive even you. This was all for the purpose of acquiring Magicite. Surely you will accept that this was my intent from the start."

Leo's skin chilled. Magicite? The crystallized remains of an Esper's powers? The data in the reports released a decade ago indicated that Espers were non-sentient monsters no different from those roaming the countryside, and that the extraction methods employed did not kill them, thus Leo could begrudgingly turn a blind eye to it... The attack on Vector proved otherwise: that Espers were a sentient, feeling race who mourned for their comrades. That was why peace had been called so abruptly, had it not? This was why he had traveled out here: to beg forgiveness for his nation's misguided policies towards another race of people. "But... Emperor, I do not..." he began.

"No need to speak, Leo. I completely understand your feelings," the Emperor interrupted him. Did he, though?

"Uwee-hee-hee, listen to your Emperor! The top priority now is to gather Magicite!" came Kefka's voice again. "You're not going to disobey him, are you?"

Leo broke into a cold sweat, bowing his head. "Gathering Magicite" was nothing more than a euphemism for "genocide". He could accept pressuring neighboring countries for their resources if those resources could be obtained without killing the native populace, but this type of resource gathering... necessitated the slaughter of an entire race. "Emperor... then what would you have me do...?" he questioned, at a loss. He had taken unsavory orders before and executed them in such a way that damage was minimized, but an order like this... there was no way he could even "technically" follow it.

"Leo, I think I would simply like you to take a bit of a rest." Rest? So even the Emperor recognized his unwillingness and was instead suggesting a forced retirement... All the while Kefka assumed his position and led the charge to wipe out the rest of the Espers... "A reeeeallly long one, uwee-hee-hee!"

... That wasn't the Emperor's voice coming from him.

Leo looked up from his submissive position to see Kefka's pallid face mere inches from his, smirking wickedly. Before he could react, Kefka grabbed him by the throat with one hand and pulled his sword from its scabbard with the other. The hand on his throat was charged with the Poison spell from before, and Kefka's nails dug into his skin to ensure a full affliction. Leo stumbled back, holding his throat and choking, "K... Kefka...!"

Kefka strolled towards Leo, spinning Leo's sword awkwardly around his hand. "So, you thought you defeated me before? That was just an illusion. You came at it with an enchanted sword, no less. My my, General," he said, looking it over. "Here you've always been so high-and-mighty about not needing a Magitek infusion, yet you rely on a blade forged of magically-charged crystal. I always knew you were a hypocrite."

Absently tapping the sword against his leg, he continued, "And that gutless Emperor Gestahl you just saw? An illusion, too. Honestly, how did someone who can't even see through that ever become a general?" He clenched his fists and began to shake. "And you're always... ALWAYS..."

Leo could see the murder in his eyes and tried to scramble away, but the poison had seized up his throat and sapped his strength. Kefka stalked up to him and kicked him in the side of the head, then stomped down on his back while leaning down and screaming in his ear, "ALWAYS playing the good little soldier boy!"

"K... Kefka..." Leo gasped. "You're insane..."

"Uwee-hee-hee, and here's the best part. See..." Kefka snapped his fingers and pointed ahead of them across the courtyard. Leo tried to raise his head and squint through the pain of the poison, and could barely make out Terra's figure begin to stir, looking up at him from her crumpled position on the ground.

"Oopsie, guess they weren't quite dead yet after all. Guess that means you had no reason to attack me other than because you really wanted to. I'll be reporting to the Emperor that Leo has wholeheartedly betrayed him."

Leo tried to shakily push himself up. Terra... she was alive... but that meant he had to get her to safety... He had to...

He was stopped by his own sword being driven into his back, the magical energy infused in it burning through his insides. His arms went slack and he collapsed on the ground, no longer able to breathe. Please... please don't make her watch this... As the world faded around him, he thought he heard Terra scream something at him, but it was drowned out by Kefka cackling over him, pulling the sword out and stabbing him repeatedly while chanting, "Die... die... DIE!!"

And it was all he could do. His final order, that he had no choice but to obey.

Terra groggily blinked back to consciousness, trying to take in her surroundings. Her body felt battered and limp and she could barely even move. What... what had just happened? They had just completed negotiations with the Espers when...

Kefka... had come out of nowhere and attacked them. She panicked, but found she still lacked the strength to get up, and could only weakly turn her head. Locke... Celes... they were still unconscious beside her... The Espers... she couldn't see what happened to them... General Leo...?

Her eyes hazily focused across the courtyard and could see a figure in green pinned to the ground by a cackling, garishly-clothed figure above him. She saw Leo look up at her from the ground... and there was so much pain in his face. What did Kefka do to him...?

She could only watch as Kefka raised a sword over Leo's head, and she felt the pit of her stomach fall away. What... what was he doing? Don't...

When she saw Kefka drive the sword into Leo's back, it was like she could feel the strike in her own chest. He hadn't even struck her, so... what was this pain? Why was she hurting so much?

She didn't understand why it hurt. But she wanted him to stop. Stop hurting both of them. Kefka had ripped the sword out of him and raised it again... He was going to hurt him again... She couldn't move, but she had to... had to do something . Locke, Celes, Espers, someone... please... help him .

Terra shakily reached out a hand and tried to charge a spell. Any spell. She didn't even know what. Something that would stop him from hurting. Something that would stop him from...

With a choke, Terra pleaded, "S... Stop...!", and launched every reserve of strength she had left in his direction. Which hadn't been much. Not enough for Kefka to even notice. But it was something... anything... she'd tried... But she couldn't...

Her power sapped once again, Terra collapsed back into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

Terra next awoke to a cool green energy glowing by her face. She inhaled and lifted her head to find Celes crouched over her, tending to her with a Cure spell.

"There... that should be enough to get you back on your feet," Celes said quietly. "That debilitator blast must have done a number on you; you've been out quite a bit longer than everyone else."

Terra slowly pushed herself to a sitting position. "Everyone else... are they okay? Is General Leo...?"

Celes bit her lip and turned her head away. "Terra... I'm sorry. When I woke up, the Espers were all gone, Piett and Ozzel were dead, and General Leo..." Terra tried to look over Celes's shoulder out into the courtyard where she'd last seen Leo, but Celes held her by the shoulders. "No, Terra, don't look..."

But she'd already looked. And she'd... probably should have expected that's what she'd see: General Leo, face down in blood-stained grass, his own sword left protruding from his back. She looked at the scene passively, the pain she had felt before no longer manifesting itself. Now she just felt... nothing. Emptiness. Defeat, maybe. Whatever she had felt before hadn't helped avert this result at all, so maybe feeling it wasn't worth it.

Locke paced in agitation. "That damned Kefka... I knew this whole thing smelled fishy, I just didn't expect a secondary squadron to show up later. Leo... Leo and his men have been on our side this whole time and I feel terrible for having ever doubted them..." Looking over at Celes, he added, "And for ever doubting you. I'm so sorry..."

"I know..." said Celes, slowly standing up. "We... should at least give them a proper burial before we figure out what to do next... It's the least we can do..."

Burial... Terra clenched her hands in her lap. That sounded so... final. It felt like only a few minutes ago she was going to get to talk to him again and tell him all about her recent experiences and... now she couldn't. Ever again... She... she wasn't ready to accept that yet.

Celes and Locke slowly made their way over to where Leo lay. Locke scratched his head and wondered, "So... is there really nothing we can do for him? I've been pursuing legendary life-giving magical artifacts for years... I know they exist. With all the Espers who have sacrificed their Magicite remains to us in order to lend us their powers, there has to be... something... we can do..."

Celes shook her head. "Cure spells recover superficial wounds, Raise spells render mortal wounds superficial. But both require a living body. Even on the brink of death, they can still be saved by magic, but once they cross that brink... I'm sorry, Locke, but nothing we know of magic can bring anyone back from that..."

Locke grumbled in frustration and reached down to check Leo's pulse in the off chance there was something there. He held a pair of fingers to the general's neck and went completely still. Twenty seconds passed and he still didn't move. At this point Celes wondered, "Locke... what are you doing? What do you feel?" No response. "Locke...?" she asked in a bit more worry. Taking his arm and forcibly pulling it away, she again repeated, "Locke!"

Locke blinked and looked at her, sputtering, "Whoa, wait, what? I was just about to check his pulse to make absolute sure he wasn't still alive."

"'About' to? Locke, you've been checking his pulse for the past thirty seconds and that's more than enough time to know whether..." Celes paused on that thought. "Time..." Tentatively, she reached out a hand and hovered it over Leo's head. There was a faint numbing aura that she could feel surrounding him. "This is... time magic..." she whispered. "But... time magic usually wears off within minutes unless there's some kind of anchoring..." She looked up at the sword sticking out of his back. "... Oh my god..."

Celes bolted to her feet and turned to shout, "Terra, get over here right now! It's an emergency! General Leo needs you!"

Terra jerked out of her catatonic state and hazily looked up towards them. General Leo... needed her? But General Leo was already...

And yet she still somehow automatically wobbled to her feet and stumbled her way over to them without ever consciously giving herself the directive to do so, as though the mere suggestion that she could help him was all her body needed. When she reached them and was able to see the kind of state Leo was in up close, though... that pain in her chest started bubbling to the surface again.

Celes snapped her from her thoughts and firmly stated, "Okay, Terra, listen to me, this is an absolute long-shot and I have no idea how this happened but... we might actually be able to save him. But I'm going to need all your help, understand?"

Terra and Locke both perked up at that, with Locke exclaiming, "Wait, are you serious?! You think you know a way to bring him back to life?!"

"No, I can't bring him back to life," Celes stressed in slight annoyance. "But... he might not actually be dead... not yet..." She pulled her own sword from her hip and explained, "It is customary to issue new Imperial generals an enchanted blade. Mine is a Runic Blade that can absorb magical fields. General Leo's is a Crystal Blade that can have a spell affixed to it and maintain it perpetually. I was certain he had a Shock spell affixed to his sword, but right now, for some unfathomable reason, it's been overlaid with a Stop spell." Terra's eyes slowly widened at this revelation. "And that spell has frozen his body to the moment in time when it was cast. So if he was still alive at that time..."

"He... could still be healed..." Terra finished for her, covering her mouth.

Celes nodded. "Yes... but for all I know, he might have had literally seconds left to live at the time he was originally stopped. I can't touch the sword to remove it without getting stopped myself, so I'm going to be occupied with an Esuna. But the absolute moment I do that, Terra, I need you on a Raise spell. Locke, Cure. Understood?"

Locke rubbed his hands together. "I can do you one better. I learned Cura while we were up on the mountain. Let's bring someone back to life!"

Celes shook her head but didn't bother to correct him again. She held her hands out over the sword in his back and began to charge up an Esuna spell while Terra and Locke knelt beside him with their respective tasks. Well, General, you asked me to watch your back. I'm sorry I wasn't able to do that initially, but... hopefully this will still count in a roundabout way. She let out a breath, then chanted, "... Esuna..."

A blue glow enveloped the sword, then traveled down the blade to wash over the rest of Leo's body. As soon as the glow began to fade, Celes gripped the sword and pulled it out, simultaneously commanding, "Both of you, now!"

Terra immediately pressed her hands over the wound, chanting "Raise..." with a shuddering breath while instinctively trying to stop the fresh flow of blood. That pain in her chest at seeing him hurt like this returned in full. But the blood now covering her hands was... warm... In just this one moment, he was still alive, and she was going to do everything in her power to keep it that way.

A golden light flowed from her hands and into the wound, sealing it and the two other stab wounds that had marred his back. Locke took this as his cue and followed it up with "Cura!", supplementing her golden light with a green one, covering the rest of Leo's body in a gentle glowing aura.

When the glows subsided, a few tense seconds passed, but Leo's body suddenly shuddered with a violent gasp as he pushed himself up on his hands, taking several deep breaths thanks to the Esuna having also cleared his airways of the poison.

Celes fell to her knees next to Locke in relief, who grabbed her and shook her excitedly, exclaiming, "We did it! We actually did it! We brought him back to life!! Ha haaa!" He hugged her tightly. No, they had just exploited an extremely unlikely highly specific set of circumstances that would probably never come together again, but she wasn't going to dampen his mood just yet. She kind of liked the hug.

Terra leaned down and cautiously wondered, "General Leo...? Are you... okay?"

Leo's head snapped up to look at her, his eyes still glazed over in panic. "Terra... Terra, run!" he choked out. Terra stepped back in surprise as he sprang to his feet and whirled around, keeping her to his back. He instinctively gripped at his empty scabbard, raising his other arm in a defensive posture. He darted his eyes around the town, but saw no sign of Kefka or the Magitek Armors.

Celes slowly stood up, holding her hands out in a peaceful gesture. "Easy, there, General, calm down..." said carefully. That's right... If his body had been stopped at the moment before he would have died, then so had his mind. To him, absolutely no time had passed between now and when Kefka had attacked him, so he was still in that moment. "Kefka's gone... you're okay now..."

"General Celes..." he said warily. What if... this was just another illusion? Celes, Locke, Terra... what if they were all still illusions? He would not put it past Kefka to raise him from the brink of death just to torment him further like this. He pulled away from Terra and kept all three of them in his vision, slowly backing away. "If... if you are all real, then I sincerely apologize for my mistrust, but... Kefka has plagued me with deceptions and I can no longer be certain... I beg that you offer me some manner of proof of your identities, if you are able..."

Locke looked at Celes and shrugged, as he and Leo barely knew each other and therefore wouldn't have any kind of secret shared knowledge that Kefka wasn't privy to. Celes knew him better, but it was mostly through work, and she didn't know much about his personal life besides his music obsession, which anyone who walked into his office could have deduced. He'd revealed the contents of a confidential letter to her the night before... but it was a letter that Kefka wrote , so that was no help. His motives for remaining loyal to the Empire despite its crimes that he'd confessed to her also all revolved around Kefka and were thus likely known to him as well. How was it that bringing him back to life had been the relatively easy part to figure out?

Terra wrung her bloody hands apprehensively, then quietly whispered, "... Orco e Delphina..." Leo's eyes snapped to her while Celes and Locke both cocked their heads in confusion as to what that was supposed to mean. To them, those weren't even words.

But surprisingly, Leo let out a shaky breath of relief and collapsed into a seated position on the ground, pressing his palm to his face and letting out something that sounded like a cross between a chuckle and a whimper. "That will do..." He was still shaking, and took a few forced, slow, deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

Finally he lifted his head, sliding his hands slowly down his face with a long sniff and requested, "... What is our status, General?"

Celes snapped upright, surprised that he was back to business so quickly. "Yes, Sir. Locke, Terra, and I are all accounted for. Shadow is MIA, but Locke informed me he left before any of this went down. No reported deaths amongst the civilians in town, just minor injuries that have already been tended to. Privates Piett and Ozzel, however... were killed in action. They took the full brunt of that first blast and never awakened..."

Leo's face slowly sunk into his hands again and he let out a shuddering breath. "... Understood, General..."

Celes pursed her lips and continued, "The Espers... are all missing as well... We suspect..."

"They were killed by Kefka..." Leo confirmed with a harsh whisper. "The reason he came here was so he could reduce them to Magicite and steal their power... This entire mission..." He punched the ground and clenched his teeth. "This entire mission was merely to lure those Espers out into the open so that Kefka could pick them off." He looked up to Terra guiltily. "I'm... so sorry... I couldn't save any of them..."

Terra shook her head. "I never blamed you for any of this. You did everything you could."

Leo flinched. But he hadn't. He'd hesitated, weighing the lives of everyone here against the safety of the nation. And in that hesitation, those lives had been lost, anyway. By the time he finally found the nerve to face Kefka, it was too little, too late. And now Kefka was on the loose, unencumbered by Leo's presence, and armed with the powers of dozens of Espers.

"I must return to Vector," he decided solemnly. "If I am able to have an audience with the Emperor... the real Emperor... then perhaps there is still some way that Kefka can be stopped..."

Locke rubbed the back of his head and informed him, "Umm... that's going to be a problem. The transport ship we came in on has been burned. And Thamasa is a secluded village so they don't have any boats of their own that would be able to reach the mainland." His arms fell to his sides. "Sorry, General... we're stuck here."

Leo turned his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "... There were five crew members left on that ship..." Shakily pushing himself to his feet and rubbing his fingers over his brows, he requested, "Then... if there is nothing else that we are able to do at the moment, I ask that you assist me in constructing a memorial to all who have fallen here... We must honor their sacrifices... and pledge to them that their deaths shall not have been in vain..."

A stone mound was erected in the forest east of the village, a plaque chiseled with the date and the Imperial insignia adorning the front. Leo and Celes stood at attention to one side, Terra and Locke holding armfuls of flowers to the other. Leo broke his salute and clasped his hands behind his back, beginning, "We gather here today to pay our respects to those who have given their lives on behalf of the Gestahlian Empire, and those whose lives were taken far too soon. We come here to mourn them, but also to remember them. Each of them contributed something to the world that the world has now lost. Please join me in a moment of silence for each of the men and women, human and Esper, whose lives were lost on this tragic day." He brought his hand back up in a salute. "Private First Class Ozzel... Corporal Piett, promoted posthumously... Petty Officer Third Class Derlin..."

With each name, Terra silently laid a flower on the memorial. By the time they were finished, there were eighteen flowers total: seven Imperial soldiers and eleven Espers. With no remains to bury except for the two, it was only now that she was able to visualize just how many people Kefka had killed here. And for what? "People only seem to want power... Do they really want to be like me...?" she murmured. "I... I wanted Yura and the others to teach me so much more about what it meant to be an Esper..."

Leo stood beside her and looked passively down at the memorial, holding a pair of swords in one hand, each with a metal tag affixed to their hilts on a small chain bearing Piett and Ozzel's names. "They could confer to you their own experiences... but what your life means is ultimately up to you. There is no pre-defined path you must follow in order to be fully human or Esper. Mourn not what they could have done for you, but what you could have done for them."

What she... could have done for them? She had... she had never really thought about that. She had simply always taken it as a given that the only thing anyone ever wanted from her was her powers. But the Espers... what did they want... and was it anything she could have helped with? She... had never asked. And that realization... made her feel terrible.

"Man... if this is the level of carnage they managed all the way out here, I'm worried about everyone we left behind in Vector," Locke said.

As if to address his concerns, there was a sudden whirling of engines in the sky above Thamasa. A giant shadow passed overhead and Locke jumped up and whooped. "Yes, the Blackjack! They got it fixed! That must mean everyone made it out okay!" He turned to everyone else and gave the thumbs-up. "And that's our ride out of here."

"General Leo, won't you come with us?" Terra asked hopefully.

"I will accompany you as far as Vector," he replied. "As I said before, I must have an audience with the Emperor as quickly as possible in order to potentially intervene in anything Kefka has further planned before he can act on it." Looking down at the pair of swords in his hand, he added, "Also... these need to be returned to Piett and Ozzel's families..."

Terra nodded a little sadly. That sounded like... they would be parting ways after this. But... just because she wanted to spend more time with him didn't mean that she had any right to protest his wishes. These were things he wanted to do... that he needed to do... and she had to let him do them. There might not be anything she felt she could do for him right now, but at least she could simply not selfishly monopolize his time.

Terra and Leo emerged from the forest memorial to find that Locke and Celes had met up with Setzer and the remainder of the team that had been left in Vector. "The Empire has betrayed us. We almost fell right into their trap," Setzer informed them.

"Thanks to intelligence that King Edgar gleaned from the staff, we were able to escape before anything happened," Cyan added.

Celes and Locke looked at each other uneasily. "We... weren't so lucky," Locke admitted. "Kefka showed up here and attacked us. He killed all the Espers and Leo's men, and almost got Leo himself, too."

The others looked behind him at Leo, to which Cyan exclaimed, "Good heavens, Sir Leo, thou art in a positively dreadful state! I am relieved that thou hast managed to survive such wounds."

Leo hadn't even taken stock of his own appearance up until now. But looking down, he finally noticed that his normally green uniform was soaked red with blood front and back. He almost felt faint looking at it, as his mind automatically paired that extent of blood loss with the inability to stand. How... had he survived, then?

Setzer clapped his hands and offered, "The staff on the Blackjack should be able to clean and repair that, no problem."

Leo blinked at the offer of aid from someone he didn't even know and who was... technically the enemy again now that the truce had been breached. Though now that he'd turned his sword on Kefka and had presumably been left for dead and branded a traitor, what status did he even hold anymore? Nevertheless, he bowed his head and thanked, "The assistance is appreciated."

Edgar nodded, then motioned towards the Blackjack. "We should all get back to the airship to rethink our strategy. If Kefka took the Magicite from every Esper that fled the Sealed Gate, we should expect him to flex his newfound muscle soon."

Once on board the airship, Leo immediately requested, "I regret making demands after being graciously allowed passage on your ship, but I must return to Vector immediately to speak with Emperor Gestahl."

Setzer shook his head. "Sorry, General, we only barely escaped Vector before. We can't go back there now."

"Then you may drop me at Tzen and I can procure a chocobo for the remainder of the distance. Please..."

"If your intention is to speak with the Emperor, going to Vector won't do you any good, anyway," Setzer replied. "When we escaped, the Imperials were headed to the Sealed Gate. Something about having found some statues..."

Terra suddenly held her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Leo approached her in concern, hovering a hand behind her back. "What's wrong, Terra?"

"It's the island..." she whispered. "The earth is... crying out in pain..."

A low rumble began to be heard over the sound of the airship's engines. It slowly escalated into a roar, punctuated by the groaning of rock and the crashing of waves. Soon the very air around the airship itself began to tremble.

Everyone looked over the railing and saw the entire eastern third of the Imperial continent -- the island containing the gate to the Esper world -- lurch itself out of the sea and slowly rise into the air. As the island rose to the elevation of the airship, they could clearly see Emperor Gestahl and Kefka, along with what appeared to be three stone statues, perched atop the summit. The island continued to ascend until it occupied its new domain amidst a sea of clouds.

Leo looked on in horror, gasping, "What... what is that?"

"The beginning of all magic... the Warring Triad..." explained Strago, the old man from Thamasa who had also accompanied them.

"Those statues?" Terra clarified.

"It's said that the three of them turned themselves to stone while facing each other in order to neutralize their powers," he said. "If their mutual gazes are ever broken and their balance disrupted, their power could destroy the world..."

Leo gripped the edge of the railing and bowed his head. Destroy the world...? And now Kefka stood within reach of that kind of power that he could enact at a whim. With the Emperor standing in cooperation at his side, no less. Raising his sword against Kefka had been hard enough, but against his own Emperor, the avatar of his homeland and its people...? There had to be some other explanation than the Emperor having been directing Kefka's actions for quite some time, but... he couldn't currently think of one.

With a shuddering breath, he stated, "I need some time to think... Please excuse me..."

As he made his way below deck, Terra turned to follow him with a worried "General...", but Celes put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"Give him his space, Terra. He's having a rough time right now." But as Terra watched him disappear down the stairs, she knew from experience that when she was having a rough time, being left to wallow in her own thoughts was the last thing she needed.

Chapter Text

Leo still took up Setzer's offer on the uniform repairs due to his physical state proving to be a constant distraction now that he was aware of it. Sabin, the Figaro prince, enthusiastically offered him a spare kenpo gi to wear in the meantime, and seeing as he was the only other person on the airship of comparable height and build, Leo had little choice but to accept. Sabin seemed to want to make further conversation with him, but Leo had to respectfully decline. He wanted to collect his thoughts, and for that he needed solitude.

He found a bay window in the casino area and settled himself in the sill, pensively gazing out at the sky and the shadow of the island floating in the clouds. What... had he even been hoping to accomplish all these years? He'd been practically raised as a soldier his entire life, but he'd seen the army as a means to obtain skills and resources to help people that he wouldn't have had access to otherwise. And over the years he'd convinced himself that remaining in the army was the only way he could remain effective in being of both service and protection.

Would anything have turned out differently if he'd taken Terra and run 12 years ago when he first discovered her amongst the myriad other horrors of the Magitek Research Facility? There had been numerous times over the years where he'd actively considered it after witnessing particularly egregious abuses. And yet he stayed, telling himself that something even worse would happen if he were to leave.

Well, despite all that, Kefka still had world destruction at his fingertips now. All he could say of his accomplishments was maybe he'd delayed it by a year or two. Was the torture he'd forced Terra, Celes, and thousands of other people to endure worth that?

He heard a creak of the floorboards to his side. Not averting his gaze from the window, he requested, "Please leave me be at this time."

"Oh... I'm sorry," said Terra with a small bow of her head, and turned to leave. It looked like Celes had been right; he did just need his space. Maybe people with more emotional experience than her were better at handling their thoughts on their own.

Leo flinched when he heard her voice and turned away from the window to face her. Terra? If she needed something, how could he possibly dismiss her in favor of his own brooding? "Wait!" he hurriedly called after her. Terra paused and looked at him hopefully, while he sagged back against the windowsill and apologized, "Forgive me... you are welcome to stay. If you need something I will do what I can but... please understand that you find me at a bad time..."

Terra turned back to face him and clasped her hands together timidly. In his reclined position, clothed in a simple white sleeveless martial arts uniform that hung loosely from his shoulders, he looked so much more... vulnerable than he usually did. The last time they'd spoken at length, she'd accidentally opened the conversation by complaining about her situation and hurting his feelings. She knew she wanted to help him feel better the way he'd helped her, but she didn't even know what to say.

Tentatively she made her way over to him, then softly sat down on the edge of the couch below the window ledge where he was seated. She saw him watching her attentively, albeit a little apprehensively, as though he was waiting for her to ask him a favor. But this wasn't about her this time.

"You... seemed upset, and I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help," she attempted with a bit of uncertainty.

Leo's pulse quickened. She... was worried about him? Swallowing hoarsely, he replied, "That is... very kind of you, Terra, but... I am undeserving of your sympathy."

"Why...?" she wondered, confused. "Ever since I've met you, you've been nothing but generous, compassionate, and devoted. I want... to make sure you receive the same in return..."

He shook his head. "Terra... thanks to my inaction you needlessly lost over a decade of your life... You paid the price for my misguided ideals, and now all I can do is offer my assistance in helping you recover from that and move on."

Terra gripped at the hem of her skirt. "I... don't think that's what you've been doing, though." By the pained look on his face, she immediately realized that was probably worded badly and quickly attempted to recover. "I mean, when I said you've been nothing but kind and compassionate, I didn't specifically say to me ." ... Also worded badly. God, she was bad at this. "I mean you've been considerate to everyone , including me, so I think... I think that's just the person you are. I think you would have been kind to me even if you knew nothing of my past. You were kind to the rest of the Returners even though you've only known them as the enemy until now. You were kind to the Espers even when everyone else was afraid of them."

"And yet I still let them all die..." he whispered, bowing his head. "And if Kefka is now in control of that mountain, I suspect that any who were left behind the gate are now also..."

Terra gripped her skirt harder and bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut. "And all that means is that you failed to save them from the danger I put them in." Maybe she didn't have the skill he did at making people feel better, but at the very least she wasn't going to let him blame himself for something that was her fault .

Leo looked at her in slight bewilderment as she continued, "I... was the one who originally opened the Sealed Gate. Not to make peace or open a conversation, but to beg them to join the Returners in the fight against the Empire. But as soon as I opened the gate, without even asking them to, they went straight for the Empire and razed the capitol. That level of attack hadn't been our intention, which is why we agreed so easily to the Emperor's peace plan. But that just meant I fell for it just as much as you did, and gained those Espers' trust only to lead them straight to Kefka... I..." Her eyes misted as she admitted, "I caused your home to be burned... sent those Espers to their deaths... and left the Gate open for them to invade it now..."

A single tear trailed down her cheek and she touched it in slight surprise. Was she... crying? She had been upset in the past, but never to the point of tears. Even now she still couldn't bring herself to openly weep.

Leo slid off the windowsill onto the couch with her and hunched over to look her in the face. "Terra... you... you were in no way responsible for that. Your intentions were innocent, and you cannot be expected to be able to control or predict the actions of either the Espers or Kefka." He paused and reflected on that. He should have been telling himself this. It was what she likely had been attempting to tell him all this time, just more awkwardly. Why was it so much easier to see how ridiculous and self-defeating this attitude was when seeing it from the outside?

And now here she was on the verge of tears because he wanted to stubbornly beat himself up over this rather than accept that maybe, just maybe, she didn't secretly hate him. And if he was going to turn around and beat himself up over that , then they were just right back where they started. If she wanted to help him and he refused to let her, then he was actively invalidating her feelings that he had been trying so hard to nurture back to the surface.

He held a hand out towards her and hesitated, then with a deep breath finally prompted, "... May I?"

Terra blinked up at him through misty eyes, then over to the hand he was hovering by her shoulder, then back up at him in slight confusion, sniffing softly before asking, "May you what?"

He swallowed, then softly clarified, "... Hold you?"

She felt a slight lump in her throat at that offer. No one... had ever held her before. The fact that he felt the need to request permission first made her wonder if there was something particularly special about it. Still, she trusted him, and silently nodded.

His hand continued to hesitate above her shoulder for a few more seconds before he slowly brought it around behind her to cradle the back of her head. At his touch, she felt a warm tickle in her throat that for some reason prompted more tears to start welling in her eyes. With a gentle tug, he bid her to lean forward and rest her forehead against his chest while he kept his hand on the back of her head, lightly stroking his fingers through her hair.

"Thank you..." he whispered, his voice rumbling directly from his chest into her ear. "Your words... did help me."

Her throat clenched up at that and the tears began to fall more freely. But... she was happy that she'd been able to help him, so why...? There was something about being this close to him... being able to feel the warmth of his body and hear his breath and heartbeat... that made her feel... she wasn't sure what to call it. Like her self-doubts and anxieties were having their power sapped.

Almost automatically, she sagged against him, wrapped her arms around his torso, and squeezed, pressing her face more firmly into his chest and drawing a few shuddering breaths. Leo's back stiffened at the sudden and unexpected increase in contact. But seeing her actively seek him out for comfort made his shoulders relax, and he reclined against the back of the couch while continuing to stroke her head.

For her to be this needy, though, she did still have some emotional childishness about her. And that was to be expected, given her history. He admired how much effort she was putting into growing out of it all by herself, though. He wanted to be there for her whenever she needed guidance or comfort, but also didn't want her to grow dependent on him. He'd have to make sure to set some kind of boundaries, and an embrace like this might actually be pushing them, but...

For now, holding each other like this felt... pretty nice, actually. His mind was clearer now, and he resumed his thoughts over his next course of action while he continued to absently run his fingers over her hair.

Eventually Terra calmed down enough that she slowly sat up and released him with a sniff, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry..." she said. "I latched onto you like that without even asking..."

Leo gave her a small smile and squeezed her shoulder. "And generally you should ask, but in this case, I think we both needed it."

She nodded and sniffed again. "It did make me cry more, but after a while, getting those tears out made me feel a lot better... What about you, are you feeling better?"

"I am, thanks to you," he confirmed.

She allowed herself a small smile, then rubbed her finger over her forehead and looked at his chest again. From beneath the open collar of the kenpo gi, she saw a glint of metal and reached for it. "Oh, that's what it was. I felt something cold against my head, and it was your necklace."

"Necklace? ... Oh! My dog tags," he corrected, pulling the chain out from under his collar to expose them.

Terra leaned forward and squinted to read the text on them. "'Cristophe... Leo... O-minus... Vector...' ... Huh?" It was like some kind of secret code to her.

Leo chuckled and explained, "Every soldier in the Imperial army wears these as basic identification. I try to learn all the vital information of everyone under my command, but in general practice these are used for quick medical reference or... to identify bodies in order for them to be returned to their families."

"Oh..." she replied, still looking at it. She'd already been faced with his seemingly dead body once before, but the thought hadn't even crossed her mind about having to notify family like he had insisted on doing for his fallen men. She certainly didn't want to be faced with something like that ever again, but if for some reason she was... "So... who is Cristophe?"

He blinked at her, then broke into a bemused grin. "That... that's my last name."

"Huh?" She suddenly felt... really stupid. Up until now she'd just known him as "General Leo" and that was his name in her mind. But he had a "regular person" name just like anyone else, which somehow made him feel more... like a normal human rather than some special being of privileged, unreachable status. "Okay... what's the letter O, then?"

"Blood type," he explained. "Good to know in a pinch if an emergency blood transfusion is needed in the field. O-negative for me: universal donor, need a perfect match as a recipient, though." He extended his arm and indicated several puckered bumps of skin along the crook of his inner elbow. "But, I believe that if you have the power to help someone, you should use it. Each scar is a life my blood has saved."

She nodded, unconsciously reaching out to run her fingertips over his arm. The power to help someone... that power didn't necessarily apply to just magic. Even non-magical beings like him still had so many ways that they could save other people. "And Vector I know is your hometown. You have family there?"

He was quiet a moment before answering, "... No, not anymore. My father was a soldier in the Imperial army but died in combat before I was old enough to know him. My mother never remarried after that so I remained an only child. I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps and help support the family, so entered the Academy as soon as I was old enough to apply. But that meant I lived away from home, and once I entered active duty my mother and I were rarely ever able to see each other. She... passed away while I was on assignment a number of years ago... it was weeks before I even found out..."

"I'm... sorry..." she said, still absently rubbing his arm. She had nothing to be sorry for aside from unknowingly bringing up a painful subject, but she couldn't think of anything more constructive to say. It was just that, for as kind and supportive as he was to everyone, it didn't sound like he had anyone back home he could go to for support himself. And that thought tugged at her heart in a new and uncomfortable way.

He inhaled deeply and nodded, then looked contemplative a moment. "Terra... speaking of learning of tragedies long after the fact... I apologize that I was made aware of this second-hand without your knowledge, but... General Celes informed me that you fell into a coma some time ago. Is everything all right?" He spoke calmly, but there was a break in his voice at that question that evidenced his concern.

"Oh!" she said in surprise, then looked away, wringing her hands. "Um..." She really had no reason to hide it from him, though. He was completely cordial with the other Espers after all, and he already knew she was half-Esper herself. "When... we returned to Narshe, I made contact with the frozen Esper in the mountains. There was a... reaction."

"Reaction?" he repeated, the concern deepening.

Terra shook her head and stood up, walking in front of him. "It would be easier if I just showed you." She closed her eyes and slightly raised her arms from her sides, letting out her breath and willing her Esper powers to manifest themselves. A glow covered her body, and her form shimmered and morphed into a pale pink humanoid creature covered in fine fur and a thick mane of pink hair.

She tentatively opened her eyes to gauge his reaction, and to her relief he was looking at her with a mix of fascination and awe. "That's amazing..." he breathed. "You are comfortable in this form, then? It does not cause you any ill effects?"

"I'm better with it now, but I can still only maintain this form for a limited amount of time," she said, looking at her hands. "When that Esper first awakened my dormant powers, I couldn't control them and went flying off in a frenzy. I ended up retreating into my own mind because I was afraid of what I was and what it might mean. But Locke told me about how hard everyone worked to pull me back out of it, and I was eventually able to accept this part of myself, too."

"I'm glad," said Leo, still gazing at her in wonder. "This is another important piece of yourself that the Empire suppressed all your life that you are now able to express. Just like your emotions, which I am sure will also continue to surface in time with the right circumstances."

She nodded and looked away. "It's... still a little intimidating, though. It was almost easier back when I didn't remember anything and didn't know anything about myself. Each time I learn something new, I feel like it's an extra responsibility added, and often a responsibility I don't feel prepared to handle. But... I think I would still prefer the possibility of making the wrong choice than having all my choices made for me."

"That... is true," Leo replied thoughtfully, turning to look back out the window at the island hovering in the sky. "Terra... I think you've helped me make my choice, too."

"Eh?" she wondered, her cheeks turning a little bit pinker than the rest of her.

He turned back to her and admitted, "All my life, I have hesitated to correct problems right in front of me out of fear of my actions causing greater problems in the future. I called it pragmatism, but I think... it was just fear of making the wrong choice, and remaining content to assume a lack of control in my life by simply following orders. My Emperor may be the keystone that binds my country together, but if he intends to rule the world through the fear of its destruction, then he is in dereliction of his duties. Deposing him could very well have the consequence of throwing the nation into anarchy. But... anarchy is merely gaining newfound freedoms and going through a process of discovery of what to do with them, for better or for worse. Many people will make the wrong choices... but I would rather they do that than be enslaved."

Terra smiled and clasped her hands together. "So you're going to help us fight?"

"Yes," he confirmed, standing up and approaching her. "I must face Kefka and Emperor Gestahl and make them answer for their actions, regardless of the consequences. They have acted unquestioned for far too long."

He took a deep breath, this decision still rather weighty to him. "But... I have a request of you, then."

"Yes?" replied Terra, a little surprised.

He extended his hand to her and looked to her with imploring eyes. "I ask that you accompany me. Not because of your powers or your heritage, though your powers will no doubt be invaluable... but because you inspire me. And because, even though I try to keep a calm face for everyone else's sake... I'm scared. And it would help if I had someone at my side whom I consider a dear friend."

Terra was very pink by this point, but she clasped his hand firmly in hers and nodded in assurance. "Then I promise, if you need me, I'll be there for you."

The team had gathered around a large world map spread out across one of the roulette tables in the airship's casino, poker chips laid out on it as markers. "Due to its elevation, we don't have any reconnaissance of the layout of this floating continent, so we're going to have to make our assault plans based on its geography from when it was grounded," Edgar explained, indicating the eastern third of the southern continent on the map.

Leo took one of the poker chips and placed it at the central western edge of the continent. "The Emperor and the Warring Triad were here when we caught a glimpse of them. As the Warring Triad cannot be moved without dire consequences, it is safe to assume that this is still their location."

Edgar nodded. "I would agree with that conclusion. The topography was cavernous, mountainous, and prone to shifting when we traversed the cave to the Sealed Gate previously. I would expect the terrain here to be equally treacherous. Avoiding this would be ideal, so I would suggest dropping in on them as close as possible." He laid another poker chip on top of the marker Leo had left.

"Due to the delicate nature of the Warring Triad, I believe a frontal assault would be ill-advised," Leo replied. He set another chip at the southern tip of the continent on the map and suggested, "I propose infiltrating from the peripheral of their view and use the mountains and caverns as natural cover. A smaller team of no more than three people would be preferable to avoid detection and put as few lives as possible at direct risk. Terra and I will be two members of this team; this point alone is not up for debate. I will confront the Emperor and Kefka over what they have done."

Celes stepped forward. "In that case, I would like to request to be the third member. It's only fitting that those of us who escaped the Empire's control be the ones to bring them to justice now. Plus, you asked me to watch your back, and Kefka's already gotten the better of us once. I'm not about to let that happen again."

"I would be honored to have you by my side, General," said Leo, nodding. Turning back to Edgar and the others, he confirmed, "Is this plan agreeable to you?"

Edgar looked over the map and rubbed his chin. "I understand the need to protect the statues, but still feel like you're putting yourselves at too much risk by landing so far away. The cave to the Sealed Gate was crawling with monsters and this Floating Continent is likely to be the same." He shook his head with a slight smile. "But you do seem quite accustomed to formulating strategies that require more effort on your part to minimize overall damage and loss of life."

"I did conquer South Figaro through nothing but a diplomatic agreement with the city's most affluent family," Leo replied, placing another chip at that location on the map. "Aside from a few minor skirmishes with the locals, it was a peaceful takeover."

Edgar's eyebrow twitched. "I don't know if you're expecting me to congratulate you for that, but..."

"It was necessary," said Leo, shaking his head. "The Empire was planning its fourth major campaign, opening with a large-scale naval assault on the port city of South Figaro to capture it as a new base of operations for further expansion into the Northern Continent. I merely headed them off by staging a nonviolent occupation first."

"Hmm... well, if you were planning on wooing me as well in order to have Figaro Castle itself surrender without a fight, I'm afraid you likely wouldn't be nearly as successful," Edgar countered. "Unfortunately, you're not really my type."

"No, I would have sent General Celes for that purpose," Leo replied absently, clearing the chips off the map. "You would have capitulated easily."

Edgar dramatically held his forehead and spun around. "Ahhh, I would have, too! Curse the treacherous Empire for exploiting my weaknesses!"

"And I would have stabbed him in the face if he tried to make a move on me," said Celes from the side.

"I can think of worse ways to die than by the hands of a lovely lady."

Sabin shook his head from beside him. "I would hope even you would be able to choose your country over a pretty face..." Looking over at Leo, he added, "And I certainly wouldn't let Figaro fall into the Empire's hands without a fight. I'm glad it didn't come to that, since I wouldn't want to have to fight you, General."

"Nor I you, Prince," Leo replied. "Your efforts at Doma were greatly appreciated."

"Well, I tried... ... Wait, you knew I was there?!" Sabin suddenly realized.

"You were... not inconspicuous," Leo attempted to describe in the politest manner possible. "However, I suspected Kefka to be plotting something, and despite my orders to the base to stand down in my absence, I did not trust him to not overrule them. So, after noticing a potential... distraction... upon my departure, I hoped it would be enough to keep him from action."

Sabin pounded his fist into his hand. "Oh yeah, I 'distracted' Kefka a few times all right. I'm just mad I still wasn't able to stop him from poisoning Doma."

"Still... I thank you for trying..." he replied softly. Looking down and fingering the collar of the kenpo gi he was wearing, he added, "And for the change of clothes. I apologize for not being more in the mood for conversation previously. I had... much on my mind."

Sabin laughed. "Ah, it's no big deal, General. When I first saw you at Doma, I thought, 'You know what, I like that guy, I hope we get to be friends some day.' And now here we are, sharing clothes and everything."

Leo gave him a dubious squint. "... If you are implying that I should let you wear my uniform, the answer is 'no'." Sabin snapped his fingers in mock disappointment. Leo continued to absently look at his loaner clothing and explained, "My relationship with my leadership may have become... complicated... however, the uniform is a symbol of my dedication and service to the people. It is not something I can treat trivially."

As if his words had summoned him, a member of the airship's staff appeared behind them, holding a neatly pressed and folded pile of green clothing. "The cleaning and mending has been completed, Sir."

"Thank you for your service," Leo said, bowing his head slightly and taking the garments. He looked to Terra and Celes, informing them, "Is there anything further either of you need to take care of before we depart? We cannot leave Kefka in possession of those gods any longer than necessary."

The two of them shook their heads, but Terra hunched her shoulders timidly. "I'm... sorry I didn't contribute anything to the planning meeting. I couldn't think of anything to say."

Leo gave her a reassuring smile. "Military tactics are outside your realm of experience, so there is nothing to be ashamed of."

"But... you seem so good at everything... it's intimidating when I'm not..." she confessed.

He leaned down and said softly, "You want to know a little secret? In my position it is imperative that I look like I know what I'm doing at all times. If you want a taste of how good I really am at things, I invite you to try playing cards with me sometime." He gave her a stealthy wink, then walked off to get changed. Terra cocked her head and wondered what that meant, while Celes shook her head in amusement.

Although his specific reference to "cards" still escaped comprehension, Terra at least thought she understood what he was getting at. "General Leo" was a highly accomplished and competent man of many talents, but "Leo Cristophe" was an ordinary person who was quite likely just as uncertain and intimidated as she was. Just a little earlier he had confessed to her how scared he was, though he showed no signs of it in this meeting at all. His continued insistence that she accompany him indicated that this wasn't because he had overcome his fear, he was just hiding it in the face of those who had no need to know he had it. And if insecurities could be hidden, perhaps strengths could as well. Leo constantly seemed to see more in her than she would ever give herself credit for, so it could very well be she was capable of more than she thought she was, she had just convinced everyone, along with herself, that she wasn't.

Chapter Text

Leo, Celes, and Terra stood on the deck of the Blackjack while Setzer manned the helm, watching the triangular shadow of the Floating Continent above the clouds grow larger as they approached. Leo was back in his green uniform, freshly cleaned and mended, his sword at his hip and a compact Aegis Shield on his arm. Celes gave him an uneasy look and wondered, "General, are you sure you don't want to equip some Magicite, too? It's not a Magitek infusion, it's a voluntary gift from fallen Espers who wish to assist us."

Leo nodded. "While I do not wish to make light of those Espers' sacrifices, for a battle such as this I would rather not be experimenting with new abilities. I have nothing against magic in principle, but..." He raised his shield and flipped his sword in his hand. "For now I am content with my usage of it being relegated to enchanted tools."

"Understood, Sir," Celes replied. Though with a slight smirk, she added, "But if you ever wanted to learn, I'm sure Terra would be happy to teach you."

Terra perked up at that suggestion and grinned eagerly in Leo's direction. Magic was the one thing she could be absolutely certain she excelled at more than he did, and the prospect of being able to mentor him in something for a change made her feel... a bit giddy. Leo, upon seeing Terra's enthusiastic expression, felt a small stirring in his chest and cleared his throat, turning back to the approaching shadow. "An activity for another time. Let us not get distracted from our mission, General."

Suddenly a swarm of machines descended from above the clouds, the buzz of propellers filling the air. Leo stepped forward and immediately identified them as: "The Imperial Air Force?! The Emperor has them defending the Floating Continent?!"

Setzer turned the airship hard to port while Celes began preparing a spell. "Looks like we're going to have to break through them, then."

"Hold your fire, General, those are manned aircraft!" Leo ordered. "I will not attack my own nation's soldiers if it can at all be helped. Kefka must be utilizing them as defense knowing this."

Actually, Kefka probably thinks you're dead, Celes thought to herself. I certainly did at first, and you would have been had it not been for a freak coincidence. She still had no idea how it happened.

Leo gripped one of the airship's support tethers and pulled himself up onto the ship's railing, facing the oncoming aircraft. "This is General Leo of the Gestahlian Imperial Army ordering you to stand down!" he shouted into the swarm. "I must be allowed passage to speak with the Emperor!"

Several of the Sky Armor craft turned in his direction and fired Magitek lasers at him in response. He barely had time to raise his shield, the force of the impact knocking him back onto the airship deck.

Terra and Celes ran to his side as he pushed himself back to his feet. "General Leo... I don't think we're going to have any choice but to engage them," Celes informed him. Leo bowed his head and clenched his teeth, still not willing to resort to that just yet.

Terra bit her lip apprehensively. There had to be some way to stop them without killing them. ... Wait, that's it! That worked before, so why not now?

She ran to the airship railing and held out her arms, trying to target one of the aerial Magitek Armors between her hands. Once she had one in her sights, she charged her power and chanted, "Stop!"

The aerial Armor froze in mid-air, the airship sailing right past it. Terra beamed in accomplishment while Celes looked at her in shock and stammered, "Wait... before... was that you, too?! Did you...?"

Terra hunched her shoulders sheepishly. Celes strode over to her and quietly insisted, "Terra, if that was you who cast that Stop spell back in Thamasa, why didn't you say anything? You saved General Leo's life! Don't you think he deserves to know?"

"I..." Terra began, but before she could explain herself, the Armor that she had stopped before buzzed back to life and spun around to resume its pursuit. With no anchoring artifact like what had happened with Leo, the spell's effect had only a very limited duration.

Celes threw up a Protect spell as the aerial Armors resumed their assault, firing their lasers at the deck. "Well, it was a good idea in theory, but there's no way we're going to be able to stop all of them for long enough to get through!" Celes shouted.

Leo ran over to join them, covering them with his shield. "No, I believe we may still be able to utilize this strategy. You are quite ingenious, Terra." Terra blushed bright pink as Leo continued, "General Celes, are you able to cast that spell as well?"

"Y... yes, I know Stop," she replied. "But it takes 10 seconds per charge to cast it and the effects only last less than a minute. Even with both of us hitting them with peak efficiency it won't be enough."

"I understand that, General," said Leo, brandishing his sword. "I am not looking to freeze them indefinitely, just long enough to give me a target I can hit with surgical precision." Turning to Setzer, he confirmed, "Once they are stopped, I trust you will be able to pilot this vessel close enough for me to reach them, correct?"

"Ha, what do you take me for?" Setzer chuckled back. "I think I see your plan, though. You could win this easily with a more direct assault, but you'd rather take a gamble by increasing your risk for a chance at a greater reward." He spun the wheel of the airship, lurching it back in the direction of the fleet of Magitek aircraft. "I love it!"

Terra and Celes took their positions while Leo shielded them from incoming laser blasts. Celes targeted an incoming aerial Armor while Terra took one slightly behind it. Both of them chanted, "Stop!", freezing the two Armors in place. Leo leapt onto the railing while Setzer steered the airship towards the first Armor. When they were close enough, Leo thrust his sword into the Armor's weapon bay and severed the power supply to its laser cannons, then cut the barrels off the cannons as a visual indicator of its disability. In less than two seconds, he was able to move on to the next.

By the time they had disabled five Armors, the first came out from under its Stop spell and turned to resume its attack. But as per their efforts, the Armor was no longer able to fire its weapon and hung uselessly in the air behind them.

"Yes! It's working!" Celes cheered when she saw this. "Come on, Terra, there's still a dozen more to take out!"

Terra nodded and targeted another Armor. By this point, some of the Armor pilots had gotten wise to their strategy and held back from the airship, attempting to fire from a distance. But thanks to Setzer's expert piloting, they were still able to out-maneuver them and snipe them with Stop spells, allowing Leo to close in and disable them.

Leo sliced the cannon off the last Sky Armor, then leapt back onto the deck and wiped his brow with his sleeve. "That's the last of them." He turned to Terra and Celes with a smile and nodded in gratitude. "I commend you both for your efforts in concluding this battle without any life lost."

As he moved to rejoin them, a sudden wet slap was heard at the stern of the ship. "Gyahaha, guess who?" came a burbling voice.

All three of them turned to look what they had to face now, and Terra and Celes's faces instantly cringed. "... How?" Celes monotoned.

Leo, on the other hand, lightly pounded his fist into his palm with realization. "Purple octopus. I get it now." Looking back and forth at the reactions of the other two, he queried, "I take it you have both encountered this creature before?" Both of them nodded with a groan.

"No, I'm serious, this is our LAST fight! Honest!" said the purple octopus that had somehow flopped onto the deck of the airship while thousands of feet in the air. He rubbed his tentacles together and snickered, "Hee hee, and look at these two cuties for me to get my tentacles around. And one ugly one to slap around a bit."

Leo's expression soured to match the other two's, commenting, "And now I believe I understand more than I would like to. Er, Terra?"

He turned his head to see Terra raise her arms to charge a spell, an impassive expression on her face. She chanted in a quiet deadpan: "Firaga," and giant red fireball fell from the sky and engulfed the purple octopus in a blazing inferno.

Celes's lip twitched as she regarded Terra dubiously. "Did you just... spontaneously come up with that spell? That isn't one any of our Magicite can grant us..."

Terra blinked out of her wooden expression and looked up at the two of them sincerely. "Oh, sorry... I just... didn't want to have to deal with him again." Her legs wobbled and she collapsed to her knees, panting slightly.

"Terra?!" Leo dropped to his knee next to her and helped support her back. "Are you all right?"

Celes sighed and reached into her bag, pulling out a small vial and tossing it to Leo. "After firing off a dozen Stop spells and then a high-level offensive spell like that, she's just out of stamina. Give her that and she should be all right."

He popped the top off the vial with his thumb and then held it to Terra's lips, holding his other arm around her shoulders. She swallowed the Ether and then let out a relieved breath, relaxing. "Thank you... I feel a lot better."

"You really devised a spell that powerful all by yourself?" he wondered in fascination, helping her to her feet. "I knew your skill with magic was great, but that's still amazing."

Terra looked down bashfully. "New magical abilities just... come to me sometimes..." she admitted.

The flames around the octopus died down and he let out a smoky cough. "Ugh... looks like I lose again... But today I brought along a sturdier friend! Mister Typhon, come on down!"

A large pink creature with yellow stripes and a giant mouth rose above the airship deck behind the octopus, bellowing out, "FUNGAHHH!"

Leo warily raised his sword. "So, I understand the purple octopus now. But this pink creature?"

"No, this one's... new," replied Celes, also holding out her sword. The monster called (Mister?) Typhon opened its gaping mouth, then belched out a gust of hurricane-force wind, knocking all three of them back over the airship's opposite railing.

Leo found himself in a free-fall, the bottom of the airship rapidly receding from his view. What just happened? After everything they'd gone through to get here, after everything that was at stake in this mission, were they really going to get done in by some random pink monster knocking them off a ledge before they could even face Kefka and Gestahl?

He saw Terra and Celes swimming through the air in his direction from the peripheral of his vision. Each one of them grabbed one of his arms and looped it over their shoulders. "Don't worry, General. We've got you," Celes assured him.

Terra nodded, and in unison the two of them chanted, "Float!" Their descent halted, and they were left hanging harmlessly in the air.

Leo looked down at his dangling legs and the open ocean dotted by specks of land below him. "You know... you are starting to make learning magic quite a bit more tempting..." he admitted. "But for now I am honored to be able to rely on the two of you."

Terra grinned, while Celes looked back up towards the airship and shouted, "We're okay, Setzer! Proceed to the rendezvous point and we'll meet back up with you once the mission is complete!"

"Understood, Celes!" Setzer shouted back down from the deck. "Best of fortune to all of you!"

As Float was only a levitation spell, Celes and Terra used small bursts of Fire spells to propel the three of them towards the ledge of the Floating Continent. Once they landed, all three collapsed with a relieved sigh and took a moment to catch their breaths and recover.

"The mission begins now," said Leo. "Kefka, Emperor Gestahl... and the Warring Triad are just ahead. Is everyone ready?"

The others nodded, but then Celes looked up and pointed a short ways away, "Look, someone else is here!" It was a collapsed human figure clad in all black with a face-concealing black mask. "Is that... Shadow?"

Shadow twitched and pushed himself to a sitting position as they approached. "Accursed Imperials... the moment I'm no longer of use to them they try to off me..." He looked up and saw Leo standing over him, then froze. "You...?"

"Don't lump General Leo in with the likes of Kefka, he would never--" Terra began, but Leo held up a hand to request she drop that topic, then extended that hand towards Shadow.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Shadow looked at Leo's hand, then stood of his own power. "I should be asking the same of you. You were quite clearly dead last I saw. I trailed Kefka after he left town, and that's how I ended up here."

"Dead?" Leo repeated, unconsciously holding a hand to his chest. "No, I was... severely wounded, certainly, however General Celes and Terra were able to heal me in time."

Shadow shook his head. "I know a killing blow when I see one. You would have been dead in seconds from a strike like that. It took Kefka much longer than that to leave town once he was done with you and the rest of the Espers, and none of your companions had revived by that point." He looked over at Terra, cold eyes judging her from beneath his mask. "Except for you. You woke up briefly and looked like you cast a spell on him right after Kefka struck him the last time. What did you do?"

Leo looked to Terra in surprise while Celes looked at her expectantly. Terra hunched her shoulders, shying away from all the attention suddenly put upon her. "I... I just didn't want him to die. My body acted all on its own and I didn't even know what I did. Celes was the one who discovered that I'd frozen him in time in the moment before he died, which is what gave us the chance to heal him..."

Shadow nodded. "I see. Something I should perhaps account for in future jobs to ensure they are adequately completed..."

Leo, on the other hand, was still gazing at Terra and Celes in dumbfounded shock, his hand clutching at his uniform breast. "I... I had no idea. I owe both of you my life."

Celes tilted her head towards Terra. "No, you owe Terra your life, and she owes me for figuring that out. Nothing I did would have mattered if it wasn't for her quick action."

Terra continued to look at the ground while Leo regarded her with a sense of... what was he feeling? Gratitude? Certainly he was grateful. Admiration, possibly? Indebtedness? Devotion? It was a mix of so many things that his pulse and breath quickened in response: a pulse and breath that he now knew still only existed because of her. The fact that she had never pressed the matter, and even now shied away from it, indicated she didn't want him feeling obligated to her. Certainly, of all the people he'd assisted in his life, he also expected nothing in return. He just... wasn't accustomed to being on the receiving end of it.

With a bow of his head, he took Terra's hand and said, "... Thank you. Those mere words will never be enough to express the depths of my gratitude, but... truly... thank you."

Terra nodded, squeezing his hand back. "I'm just glad... that I was able to do something for you... when you've done so much for me..."

They continued to hold each other's hands in silence for a moment longer, unable to think of anything else to say, and instead just appreciating the other's presence. Shadow finally interrupted, "As you were my original employer, do you consider my job completed or is there more that you require of me? Additional services will be an additional fee."

Leo cleared his throat and let go of Terra's hand, turning to Shadow and remembering where he was. "I had no intention of dragging you any further into this mission, however even if I were to dismiss you now, I see no way for you to get off this floating island without us. Therefore, I would ask that you accompany us. With hazard pay included."

"Is this going to interfere with our original three-person plan?" Celes wondered.

"If you worry about stealth or mobility when adding an extra team member, I will be but a shadow beneath your feet, a breeze behind your back. My presence shall add no additional weight," Shadow explained, crossing his arms.

Suddenly the rock wall next to them exploded and a hulking purple monster with horns, a black mane, and a spiked tail emerged, roaring threateningly. Shadow immediately leapt in the air and hurled a pair of shuriken at its face, blinding it. Leo swooped in underneath it and managed four strikes with his sword, one on each limb to immobilize it. Once he was clear, Terra and Celes stood on each side of it and fired complimentary Blizzara spells, encasing it in ice. The ice shattered into dust, leaving nothing of the monster behind.

"Good work, everyone," said Leo, sheathing his sword. "I would prefer to keep encounters like these to a minimum to conserve our strength, however. Shadow, would you be able to direct us to the most covert route to traversing this island?"

"As you wish," Shadow replied. "Come, a path is opened beyond that wall the monster broke down."

The four of them made their way towards the center of the floating island, mostly through utilizing natural tunnels that criss-crossed its surface. Just as Edgar had warned, they were faced with numerous shifting pieces of land and caverns that did not go where they thought they would. Despite this, they finally emerged from a cavern onto a path that appeared to lead straight to the summit where Kefka and Gestahl stood with the Warring Triad.

Unfortunately, standing in their path was a hulking, six-legged beast breathing crackling energy from its mouth that even Shadow's skill at stealth could not avoid. " My name is Ultima, " it rumbled. " I am power both ancient and unrivaled... I do not bleed as I am but strength given form... Feeble creatures of flesh... begone! "

Celes and Leo gulped apprehensively and drew their weapons. "Ultima Weapon..." Leo breathed. "That is... a fabled weapon of mass destruction created during the War of the Magi. Pure energy was forged into both a fearsome monster and an unrivaled sword, each bearing the name Ultima... As they have both been lost to history for a millennium I had thought them to be mere legends..."

Terra cocked her head. "Ultima? You mean this sword?" she wondered, pulling out a short, glowing blade. "I brought it along because it sounded strong but it doesn't do much for me so I've been using magic this whole time."

Celes and Leo faltered, then Celes turned to her with a shocked, "Wait, Terra, you're telling me you've been carrying around the Ultima Weapon this entire time?! ... How? .... When? Where?!"

Terra shyly receded back, holding the grip of the sword in both hands and attempting to hide behind it. "We found it in the Cave to the Sealed Gate after I woke up... It was just in a box..."

Leo held the side of his head in disbelief. "The Ultima Weapon is an ancient blade said to transform the strength of its wielder into raw attack power that can cut through any defense. We've had a base at that cave for years, and it had just been... sitting in a box inside it?!"

" Feeble creatures! " Ultima the monster bellowed again, growing impatient at being ignored.

"Silence!" Celes shouted at it, throwing the spell in its direction to temporarily shut it up. "Well, if the sword was a the Cave to the Sealed Gate, this monster version must have been sealed away there, too, and was unleashed when the island was wrenched from the earth."

Terra looked up at Leo and then held the sword out to him. "Did... you want to use it?"

"Yes," he said automatically. He then cleared his throat and corrected to a more courteous, "Er, may I?"

Terra grinned and offered it to him. He took it gingerly like she was handing over a prized limited-edition gold-pressed album signed by the composer. As soon as it was transferred to his hand, the blade flared to life and elongated to three times its original size, glowing a bright bluish-white. He spun the blade once to test its balance and it made a slight hum as it moved. He couldn't help but break out into a giddy grin as he gave a few more test swipes, highly satisfied with the results. Turning to Terra, he commented, "You're just full of exciting surprises today."

"Are we going to fight this monster or not?" Shadow wondered blandly.

Leo dropped his Aegis Shield and replaced it with a Genji Glove on his left hand. With that hand, he drew his Crystal Blade, holding it in one hand while maintaining the Ultima Weapon in the other. "Oh, it isn't even a fight anymore," he said with a wry smile.

He spun the Crystal Blade and pointed it at the sky, summoning the Shock spell to blow the Ultima creature into the air, then with its belly exposed, rushed underneath it and slashed with the Ultima Weapon, leaving a glowing blue streak. "Hah! But that's not the end of it!" Before the creature could even fall to the ground, he summoned the Shock again, followed by another slash of Ultima.

From the side, Celes merely stood with drooped shoulders and a twitching eyebrow. "Terra... what have you just unleashed?"

Terra clasped her hands together and beamed happily while watching. "He looks like he's having so much fun!"

Celes regarded her with a disconcerted side-eye. "Between you summoning fiery balls of death from the sky and him dual-wielding enchanted death sticks, you two were practically made for each other."

"Hm?" said Terra, looking up at her with a perplexed expression.

"Nothing."

After juggling the Ultima Weapon between half a dozen alternating Shock blasts and sword strikes, the creature evaporated into nothing without even managing to get a single attack of its own in. Leo came trotting back to the group beaming like a child who had just won a carnival game, a sword over each shoulder. "Ahh, that was a good stress relief. It said itself that it wasn't even a living creature so I had no reason to hold anything back."

"You were amazing, General!" Terra congratulated, grinning up at him.

He swung the Ultima Weapon around a few more times with a satisfied smile, explaining, "Well, I just got to wield a legendary sword against a legendary monster... it was like I finally got to play the hero I always fantasized about being when I was younger."

Terra tilted her head. "Huh. If that was what you wanted to be, why didn't you do that instead of becoming a general?"

That was an unintentionally piercing question that jolted Leo back into reality. He looked at the sword more contemplatively, then lowered it slowly, replying, "Because... I have responsibilities. If people you care about need you to be something, then you need to be that thing for them, even if there is something else you would rather be doing."

He flipped the Ultima Weapon around and held the grip back towards her. "I thank you for the opportunity, however... I cannot keep this. Up those stairs lies something I must face as the person I am, not the person I once imagined myself to be."

Terra tentatively took the sword back from him and nodded, the glowing blade retracting back to the size of a dagger once it left his hand. Just like on the boat, when he'd started talking about things that really interested him he'd dropped all pretense of formality and conversed in casual tones, as though that ordinary person whose name was on his dog tags was coming out of hiding to socialize a bit. But he seemed easily spooked and would retreat back under the much more formal "General" persona the moment he didn't feel completely comfortable. It wasn't that she disliked the General persona or found it to be any less of a "real" representation of himself, it was simply... just one facet of the whole. She wished he didn't feel he had to hide other parts of himself, especially since she liked the bits that she'd gotten glimpses of.

Shadow backed away and bowed slightly. "The confrontation to come is one that I have no right to be a part of. I will take my leave."

"Your services until now have been appreciated, Shadow," said Leo, reaching into the cargo pocket of his coat and tossing Shadow a bag of gil. "Please take care of yourself." Shadow merely took the money and leapt away out of sight without a word.

Celes looked to Terra and Leo and confirmed, "Are we ready?"

Leo took a slow, deep breath, let it out, then nodded. "I will confront them... but I cannot promise that I will not hesitate. A lifetime of conditioned submission cannot be so easily broken in a day. Therefore, if I falter, if I cannot bring myself to do what clearly needs to be done..."

Terra reached over and held his hand. "You're a kind and gentle person... I don't blame you for not being able to raise your sword against another person, even someone like Kefka." Squeezing his hand gently, she added, "But... in a case like this, even if you did strike him down... I wouldn't think any less of you for it."

He lightly squeezed her hand back and quietly replied, "I appreciate it." It was true that he honestly did appreciate her efforts to make him feel better despite her emotional inexperience still occasionally causing her to miss the mark. And in this case, her sentiment was certainly kind on its surface, but... it was also essentially saying that it didn't matter what he did. He would rather be held to some standard so that he could be made aware whether his actions were doing more harm than good. Was Terra legitimately okay with his conduct, past and present, or was it a noncommittal answer to avoid conflict? He wanted her to become emotionally stronger, for her own sake, surely, but also so that she could be strong enough to hold him accountable rather than settle into the same sort of codependent relationship that he was only now beginning to realize that he'd shared with his own leadership. He wished so much to believe that he had ultimately done the right thing, even if it had caused her so much pain in the past, even if it had led to this outcome, but...

She had meant well in her words, and she was sincerely trying to offer support, and thus he couldn't bring himself to be critical of her naivete and press her for a more firm opinion on action versus inaction. So he would just continue to do what he had been doing all along and pretend that he was okay. He was such a hypocrite.

"Right. Let's move," he affirmed.

Chapter Text

The three current and former Imperial soldiers cautiously made their way up the stairs to the summit. As they rose, the tops of three massive stone figures came into view, a shining white field of magic pulsing between them. Below them stood Kefka and Gestahl, basking in the statues' energy.

When they reached the top, Gestahl turned to them and commented, "Well well... look who's here. The two traitor generals and the test subject."

Leo visibly flinched at being categorized under "traitor general" by his own Emperor. After all his years of service, would Gestahl really so flippantly dismiss him solely on Kefka's word?

"'Two'?" Kefka repeated, turning his attention away from the statues to look at who had come to bother them. Upon seeing Leo, he stumbled backwards, almost falling over. His surprise quickly turned to anger as he balled his fists and shouted, "Why can't you ever just quit?! No matter what I do to you, you always, ALWAYS keep coming back to get in my way!"

Gestahl actually laughed at his outburst. "Fwa-ha-ha, it doesn't matter. It just means they've all come here to die together. Behold, my Warring Triad!" He stepped into the field of the statues, drawing their energy into his body and cackling. "Ohh, such magnificent power!"

He... he had lost his mind. Had the infusion of this level of magic destroyed his sensibilities like it had Kefka? Or had he always...?

Leo shook off his nerves and forced himself to step forward and demand, "Emperor Gestahl, I bid you cease this madness! Please understand that I have in no way betrayed you. I have always served what I believed were the best interests of our nation. However, I cannot see how controlling these gods of magic would benefit our people."

Gestahl raised a wispy eyebrow and smirked under his mustache. "Yes, my boy, you have certainly been a great asset to the Empire. Your leadership and combat skills are peerless and have earned you the trust and respect of the entire military."

Leo dropped to one knee and bowed out of habit. "I am grateful for your praise, my liege. I achieved this through fairness, honesty, and compassion for my fellow people, and I would hope for the same of you. So please, heed my counsel that relying on the power of these statues is--"

"You have seen how eager they are to fight under your command," Gestahl interrupted. "Green young men plucked from occupied towns transformed by your hand into loyal soldiers ready to die for the Empire. Thanks to your efforts we had an endless supply of willing sacrifices."

Leo's body jolted like he had been physically struck, a burning pain just as intense as Kefka stabbing him filling his chest. He had been fighting to protect those soldiers... to make them feel cared for while away from their homes and families... not to manipulate them!  But had the end result... made them comfortable with war? Made them admire him to the point that they were blinded to the carnage he was leading them into?

And the Emperor... approved of this. Soldiers rushing headlong into battle and sacrificing their lives for the glory of the Empire wasn't a tragic necessity to be minimized, but a desired outcome. Leo had... essentially killed them all with kindness.

He held his hand to his mouth and tensed, the pain in his heart making it hurt to even breathe. This meant that just as how Doma had been a microcosm of his relationship with Kefka, the mission to Thamasa was potentially a microcosm of the Emperor's relationship with him: He was put in command to genuinely gain the trust of those around him, which the Emperor would then exploit. And it hadn't even taken a Slave Crown to get him to lead all those people to their deaths... he had done so blindly and willingly.

He was vaguely aware of a rustle of fabric in front of him. Raising his head slightly, he was greeted by a pale pink cape gently swaying before him. Recognizing who it belonged to, he hoarsely choked out, "Terra...?"

Terra squared her shoulders and swallowed, standing between Leo and the Emperor. "Please... stop this. You're hurting him..." she demanded meekly.

Kefka blinked, then began laughing hysterically. Emperor Gestahl joined him, mocking, "Fwa-ha-ha, how can you be worried about someone else's feelings being hurt when you're just a mistake of nature not even capable of feeling emotions yourself?"

She flinched, and closed her eyes, her reflexes telling her to run away from the mockery and insults. But... she couldn't. Some other feeling was telling her to stand her ground. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she softly countered, "That was... because of you."

Gestahl stopped laughing just long enough to wonder, "Hm?"

"You're the reason I've been unable to feel things, not my lineage. You stole those emotions from me. General Leo has been helping me to find them again, and they may not yet be fully formed or functional, but they're there . Thanks to him I've learned to laugh when I'm happy... and to cry when I'm sad..." Raising her chin, she glared down at Kefka and Gestahl and observed, "But when I see the sorts of things that make you laugh, I start to wonder which of us really doesn't understand emotions."

Gestahl scowled and raised his arm. "Hold your tongue, girl. Need I remind you that now that the Warring Triad is in my possession, you have been rendered obsolete."

A spark of light erupted from the center of the statues and struck Terra, pushing her back and freezing her in place. Leo jumped to his feet and shouted, "Terra!", but when he reached out to touch her shoulder, he was shocked away by the force field's energy.

"She was never anything but a tool to help my Empire reach its true power. There was never any way she would ever be anything more," Gestahl said from behind him. "You, however, have so much more potential, Leo. A warrior of your caliber could lead the Empire to even further greatness." He extended his hand. "All you have to do is undergo a Magitek infusion and you, too, will become worthy of inheriting the new Gestahlian Magitek Empire."

Leo slowly turned to glare at the Emperor, his fists shaking at his sides. "I want no part of such an Empire..." he growled.

Gestahl let out a disappointed sigh. "Then, unfortunately, your services are no longer required." A second beam shot out from between the statues, forcing Leo to his knees in stasis beside Terra.

The Emperor turned to Celes, who had been silent through this entire exchange thus far, and extended his hand. "Celes, my child, come to me. You alone are special. You successfully endured the Magitek infusion and paved the way for the future to come. Why don't I give you and Kefka the task of creating progeny to build my new Magitek Empire?"

Kefka smirked and slid over to her. "Just so you know, all it takes to woo me is a little bit of death and destruction. How about you kill those two and offer me their heads, and I'll overlook any treachery you may have committed until now." He was initially infuriated that Leo had somehow survived Thamasa, but getting the chance to see his soul completely shattered here had made up for it. And what better way to top it off than by having him killed by someone he cared about? Oh, he knew just the thing, actually!

With a giddy laugh, Kefka turned to Gestahl and took the ceremonial Imperial saber from him. Holding out the golden Imperial regalia to Celes, he offered, "Now, take this sword! Kill them both!"

Celes held out her hands and took the sword from him, looking at it passively. Kill General Leo and Terra...? What good would that do? Despite Gestahl's insistence that she was "special", the Empire had already considered her disposable once before. Even if she did follow their orders, it was inevitable that such a time would come again.

Gestahl approached the statues again and spread his arms. "Think of it, Celes. Together, we shall rule the world."

Rule the world? She'd never wanted anything so grand. Then again, Leo had remained loyal to the Empire in order to maintain the position of power that he had felt was best equipped to protecting everyone else from Kefka. Even if it meant making sacrifices along the way. And here, right behind her, were the Warring Triad, the ultimate source of magical power, hers for the taking if she so chose. With that kind of power, she could easily stop Kefka and Gestahl, and then reforge the Empire into something more suitable.

She approached Leo and Terra's frozen forms and held out the sword hesitantly. But in order to gain the power to stop them, she'd have to kill her friends. Not just friends, though. Leo especially was more like... family. Like an esteemed older brother who was always better than her at everything whom she simultaneously admired and resented for it. An older brother whom she'd promised she'd have his back. Not stab him in it. If this was the price of the power she'd need to stop Kefka...

"Power only breeds strife..." she whispered. "It would be better if it didn't exist at all!"

She spun around and rushed at Kefka, driving the sword into his belly instead. She froze there momentarily, both of them locking eyes in a shocked expression at what she'd just done. Celes let go of the sword and backed away slowly while Kefka fell to his knees, hand twitching over the blade protruding from his abdomen as though he was still trying to process what just happened to him.

"Owww!!" Kefka finally moaned. He ripped the sword out and flailed, pacing in frantic circles while staring at the blood covering his hands. "I... I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!" Beginning to feel a little light-headed, he slowly sank to his knees again and clutched at his wound. "No... no..." Doubling over and pounding his fist repeatedly on the ground, he continued to incoherently shout, "I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE YOU!!"

He lifted his head and glared venomously at Celes, his eyes shining with murder. The sheer hatred in his heart was enough to give him the strength to push himself back to his feet, then spin around and implore the three statues, "Gods, you were born only to fight! Now is the time to show me that power of yours!"

He rushed into the glowing field generated by the statues but was blown back by its pressure. Unfazed but angered even further, he shook his head and threw himself against the field again. "Let me in here, dammit!" When the statues again failed to respond, he shouted, "Don't you dare ignore me! I command you to show me your power!"

At this point even Gestahl was troubled by Kefka's behavior and stepped up to intervene. "Kefka, stop this! If you revive the Warring Triad, they'll destroy the very world we're trying to rule! There's no meaning in that!"

"Shut up!" Kefka retorted, not even caring anymore. "Everything eventually comes to nothing, anyway, so what does it matter if it's now or later?"

"Kefka! Have you gone mad?!" Gestahl gasped.

"Mad?" wondered Kefka, blinking dramatically. "Why, Emperor, whatever could you mean by that? This is the perfect time to show them all the power of the Warring Triad!"

With a sigh, Gestahl raised his hand and said, "Then you leave me no choice, Kefka. If, like Leo and Celes before you, you refuse to serve your purpose, then I'm afraid this is as far as you go. But don't feel too bad. As a final consolation, I'll just put you to sleep with the very magic you unleashed."

Kefka cocked his head and gaped in mock surprise, then began laughing hysterically. Gestahl paused, his arm still raised, and wondered, "What's so funny?" When Kefka merely continued to laugh, he resigned himself with, "Hmph, very well... I suppose it's only fitting that you go out laughing." Spreading his palm in the air, he shouted, "Firaga!"

But unlike the ball of fire that was summoned from the sky when Terra spontaneously generated that spell, nothing happened. Kefka held his cheek melodramatically, then tilted his head at the Emperor with a coy raised eyebrow. Frustrated, Gestahl attempted again, "Flare!" Still nothing. "I... Impossible! Why isn't my magic working?" Becoming more desperate, he attempted, "Meltdown!" Still no response.

Kefka pranced side to side like a squirrel taunting a dog from a tree. Completely flummoxed, Gestahl sputtered, "K... Kefka! How... How are you doing this?"

Kefka stopped his prancing and approached the Emperor, looking him in the eye with a mad grin. "You wanna know how?" He kicked Gestahl in the gut, sending him sprawling backwards. "Cuz I'm standing in the middle of the Warring Triad, duh. They absorb any magic sent their way. Why, did you perhaps not notice?"

Gestahl coughed in shock and pushed himself to his feet. Kefka merely shook his head and clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, then turned around and addressed the statues, "Warring Triad, it looks like your first victim has volunteered himself! Let's show this worthless excuse for an Emperor your true power!"

"No! Kefka, stop playing around!" Gestahl demanded frantically.

"DO IT!" Kefka commanded.

Suddenly a huge bolt of energy shot down from the heavens, blowing both Kefka and Gestahl off their feet. Kefka immediately leapt back up and giddily exclaimed, "Sweet!" Further bolts began raining haphazardly from the sky, blowing both of them to the ground again. Kefka jumped up and shouted, "No, no, where are you aiming?! He's over THERE!"

Gestahl staggered back to his feet but was blown back by another bolt dropping right beside him. Kefka jumped up and down excitedly, shouting, "So close! A little more to the right!" Gestahl attempted to limp away while Kefka mocked from behind him, "Run, run, or you'll be well-done!"

He didn't make it. The next bolt struck Gestahl with a direct hit, causing the aged Emperor to teeter and fall limply to the ground. "Bulls-eye!" Kefka cheered. He stalked up to the fallen Emperor and looked over his body passively. "Well, I guess I take back calling you 'worthless' before. Now you're less than worthless." He kicked the Emperor's body disdainfully towards the edge of the floating landmass.

Gestahl still apparently had a little bit of breath in him, and wheezed out, "Terror... is about to engulf the world..." Kefka responded only with a disgruntled huff and gave his former Emperor one final push, sending his broken body falling off the edge of the continent and into the abyss below.

With an exaggerated hand-wiping motion, Kefka spun around and returned to the statues, spreading his arms and bidding them to unleash their power again. Steeling herself, Celes ran up behind him and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Stop this, Kefka!" she demanded. But Kefka only spun around nonchalantly, swinging his arm and striking Celes hard in the side of the head, knocking her to the edge of the cliff where she only just barely managed to hang on.

Kefka then returned his attention to the statues and wordlessly placed his hands on one of them, leaning against it until it began to scuff across the ground with an unnerving screech. As he pushed, the field between the three statues began to howl and waver.

Celes struggled in her attempt to pull herself back up from the edge of the cliff, watching Kefka helplessly. "Kefka... don't... if you disturb their balance, their power will run out of control!"

But that was the entire point to him. He grabbed the second statue and similarly moved it out of alignment, the field weakening even further. If he had to sacrifice the entire world to serve himself, then so be it. That's why he hated Leo so much. The man was constantly sacrificing his own well-being for the supposed sake of the world, but none of it ever mattered . Look at how easily it had all come crashing down. Look at what state he's in now. And for what? Not only had Leo constantly gotten in his way for over a decade, his obstruction had been ultimately meaningless , which made it even more infuriating.

The third statue was now moved, and the field between them collapsed completely. Now everyone was going to find out just how ultimately meaningless their attempts at opposing him had been.

Suddenly a whistle was heard from the side and Kefka turned in surprise. "Who's there?"

A man in dark clothes and a face-concealing mask jumped from an adjoining cliff and pulled Celes to safety. She staggered to her feet and gasped, "Shadow?!"

Shadow launched himself at the statue closest to Kefka and pushed it into him, pinning him between it and the statue behind him. "Go! It's up to you to protect the world!" he shouted while holding Kefka in place.

The collapse of the field between the statues also eliminated the force fields that were pinning Terra and Leo. They both stumbled and breathed heavily, as though they had been slowly suffocating the entire time. It wasn't just the stasis fields that disappeared though. The power that maintained the very structural integrity of the Floating Continent had been severely disrupted.

Leo held the side of his head, panting. He had been aware of what was going on while frozen, however he had been unable to react. Now that the stasis had been lifted, everything that had transpired flashed through his head at once. Celes stabbing Kefka... Kefka... murdering the Emperor... the pillar of his nation so thoughtlessly discarded... the Warring Triad... the world...

Celes knelt beside the two of them and urged, "Come on, if we work together we can put the statues back in position."

Terra shook her head. "No... the magical field has already been broken. Even if we were to put them back, it's already too late. The only thing we can do is get out of here before they destroy us."

Leo slowly bowed his head and covered his eyes with his hand. "I am... so sorry that I have put the two of you... and everyone else... in this position. I should have dealt with Kefka years ago..."

"Regrets won't do us any good now! We need to move, General!" Celes shouted, pulling on his arm.

Terra looped his other arm around her shoulders and helped him stand. She swallowed and said, "General... I know you have a lot of regrets... And someday I hope I'll be strong enough that you're comfortable talking to me about them. But no matter what might have come of it, one thing I don't ever want you to regret... is being kind."

He lifted his head and stared ahead, the slightest spark of life returning to his eyes. She had made a specific request. A standard she wanted him held to. With no Emperor left, it was the only order he had at the moment to be held accountable to. "Understood..." he murmured.

The rock face they were standing on shuddered and began to break apart. Celes turned to where Shadow held Kefka at bay and shouted, "Shadow, let's go!" But before he could do anything, the continent lurched and threw Celes, Leo, and Terra to the side, tumbling down a cliff to another portion of the floating island.

"Don't worry about me! Just run!" Shadow called after them. "There's no stopping these things now! I'll come back, don't you worry!"

"Shadow!" Terra shouted back up the cliff.

"There's no time, we have to get out of here!" Celes insisted. The ground beneath their feet began to give way and they had no choice but to run.

Leo's mind was still in a fog and he was only partially aware of his surroundings. The sky was growing ever darker and the world was falling apart around him. He ran because he was told to run, but he had no idea where he was going anymore. Where could he even go from here?

The three of them reached the far edge of the continent, the silhouette of the airship hovering in the murky black sky below them. Terra pulled Celes back and shook her head, insisting, "We need to wait for Shadow!"

As the continent continued to shudder and fall apart, Leo stood atop the cliff and looked passively down into the gaping void below them. This... this was exactly how Orco e Delphina ended... at least for him. Orcus, after having devoted his life's work to a relationship that was not reciprocated and losing everything because of it, found himself at the top of a cliff gazing into the churning waters below.

Orcus... how did your story end? Where did you go from here? Looking forward I see no other path...

There was sudden movement to his side, and he vaguely heard Celes shout, "We've got him, let's get out of here!"

Terra took Leo's hand and pulled, commanding him, "Jump!"

And so he did. As the crumbling continent fell away from view and he plunged into the abyss below, Leo closed his eyes, desperately wishing that it hadn't come to this, but nevertheless resigning himself to the fact that this really was the only possible outcome. Orcus's story ended here... and so did his.

But the river falls from the mountain
And the river ends at the sea
Now a desolate, black expansion
Is all I see
Eternally...

Eternally...

Eternally...

Chapter Text

On that day, the world was changed forever.

Terra slowly began to regain consciousness, the sensation of dry soil and weedy brush beneath her body. She weakly raised her head and squinted her eyes back into focus, trying to take in her surroundings. A howling wind blew arid sand across a barren wasteland. The entire landscape was bathed in a murky reddish hue by a sky in perpetual sunset tones. Through the sound of the wind, Terra could also hear a cacophony of distant wails and growls of unknown creatures.

She pushed herself to her knees and looked all around her, clasping her arms around herself. It was... empty. There was nothing. No one. Just an endless expanse of wasteland in all directions. "General Leo? Celes? Shadow?" she attempted to call, but the only response was the howl of monsters in the distance.

She looked down at her hand, shaking. She'd had Leo's hand when they jumped from the collapsing Floating Continent onto the airship, but he'd been in a nearly catatonic state by that point. A state that she'd recognized from her own experience as being a defense mechanism when she was just too emotionally overwhelmed. She'd wanted to take him somewhere safe to try to help him calm down, but as soon as they'd reached the airship, it was as if the air itself had been rent apart and the ship snapped in two, sending everyone falling overboard.

She hadn't been able to hold on. To anybody. Leo, Celes, Setzer, Locke, Edgar, Sabin... they'd all slipped through her fingers and vanished into the tempest.

Staggering to her feet, she took a few uneasy steps in an arbitrary direction. She had to find someone... anyone... if only to reassure herself that she wasn't completely alone in this harsh, unfamiliar world.

Suddenly a blinding beam of light shot through the air overhead, striking somewhere beyond the horizon to the east. Terra looked back and forth, west to east. That beam of light had to have been shot by someone . But at the same time, it was also likely shot at someone. If she headed west towards the source, she might find someone dangerous. If she headed east towards the target, she might find someone in danger.

Her decision didn't even require any debate. Squaring her shoulders, Terra turned and headed east.

Terra walked all day and into the night. The stretch of land she found herself on was narrow and winding like some kind of serpent and was populated by a fearsome array of monsters she had never encountered in her travels before. It got to the point where she had to relent and find shelter under a rock for the night because the monster presence was far greater than she was used to and she was running dangerously low on both stamina and recovery items.

Once the rust-colored dawn came, though, she was back on her feet and headed in the direction of the sunrise. It had been a full day now and still she had not run into a single other person. Over the hours she had slowly begun to dread that she may indeed be the only person left in this inhospitable world.

But near the end of the second day, she heard something intermingled with the distant howls of monsters. It was a different sort of cry. A human cry. A child.

Despite her legs being on the verge of giving out from the day and a half of constant travel with no food, water, or sleep, she quickened her pace towards the sound of the crying. Passing through some trees, she came upon what appeared to be a large sinkhole that had filled in with debris-laden water. Beyond the sinkhole appeared to be a village, or at least what was left of one. Houses were half-collapsed and falling into the water, and the ones still standing were in significant disrepair.

She followed the edge of the sinkhole until she came across a narrow strip of land that could connect her with the rest of the village. As she followed the source of the crying, she was finally able to see what appeared to be a young boy no more than four years old crouched by the edge of the sinkhole, sobbing loudly.

She cautiously made her way over to him and leaned down, softly wondering, "Hey... what's the matter?"

The child continued to sob through uneven breaths before wailing out, "Mamaaaa!!"

"Mama?" said Terra looking around. Aside from the single child, the village looked to be otherwise abandoned. In a gentle tone, she wondered, "Where's your Mama?"

He sniffed and choked a few times before raising a stubby finger and pointing out into the flooded sinkhole. "Mamaaa!!" he wailed again.

There was a sinking feeling in Terra's chest as she gazed out to where he was pointing. "Oh no..." she whispered. Hearing him continue to cry only deepened that cavernous feeling in her gut. She had the overwhelming need to do... something... but she didn't know what. She knew very well that magic couldn't bring back the dead. But she didn't know what else would help him to stop crying.

She suddenly heard a few snarls and looked out across the water. Several monsters had emerged from the trees and were eyeing the two of them hungrily. Without thinking, Terra knelt down and picked up the boy, insisting, "It isn't safe out here, we need to get inside!" Normally monsters didn't enter towns, but she had no way to be sure of the behavior of these new breeds of monsters.

The child screamed and flailed in her arms, continuing to shout, "MAMAA!" as she rushed towards one of the houses with him. She entered the closest one and slammed the door behind her, moving to the back to hopefully wait out the prowling creatures. Here she found a stairway leading underground and hoped to find some kind of sturdy shelter there.

It wasn't just shelter she found down there. The basement was piled high with boxes, but she could see movement behind them as other children unsuccessfully tried to hide from her. Terra froze and tentatively called, "... Hello?"

A little girl, slightly older than the boy in her arms, poked her head over the top of one of the boxes and gasped, "She found Felix!" Terra looked at the boy in her arms. Was that his name?

The boy sniffed and turned to the little girl who had spoken. He reached out his arms and whimpered, "Sis..." At this prompting, Terra set him down and he ran behind the box to clutch at the little girl who had spoken before.

Surveying the basement, Terra could count five children in total whose hide-and-seek skills were poor enough that she could spot them right away, but there could easily be more. "Umm... are you all... alone in this village? Where are your parents?"

The children all looked at each other but said nothing. The boy previously identified as "Felix" broke away from his sister and went running back towards the stairs, wailing, "Mamaaa!"

His sister rushed after him and grabbed him, scolding, "No, Felix, Duane said to stay hiding down here until him and Katarin came back! You can't go running outside!" Duane and Katarin? Were they some of these children's parents? Or at least adults?

As if to answer her question, she heard the upstairs door slam and a clatter of feet come down the stairs. "Is everyone okay? I saw some monsters out by the edge of... who are you?!" The new arrival was a teenage boy who was certainly older than the other children that Terra had seen, but still looked to be a few years younger than Terra herself. He held an arm to the side to halt the descent down the stairs of another teenager, a girl of about the same age as him. These two must be the Duane and Katarin the little girl spoke of.

"Hello... I'm sorry, I just heard this little boy crying and I wanted to see if I could help..." Terra explained.

"Where did you come from?" wondered Katarin from behind him. "Reaching Mobliz requires crossing the Veldt, so it's rare to see outsiders here."

Mobliz? That was where she was? But she hadn't crossed the Veldt at all, and instead had followed the snake-like stretch of land. Had the Warring Triad's unleashed power... completely rearranged the face of the planet?

"I... I fell from an airship. When I came to, I saw a beam of light shoot in this direction and followed it." Terra wrung her hands uneasily. "Did... something happen here?"

Duane clenched his fists and shook. "Two days ago, there was a giant earthquake and the sky and water turned red. We all survived, but a few hours later, a face appeared in the sky and started laughing. It said, 'I am your new god, Kefka. You all should be honored to be the first to experience my judgment.' We didn't know what that meant, but then this pillar of light came racing towards us. Our parents all pushed us to safety, but that pillar of light... cut this town in half... us on one side, all our parents on the other..."

Terra brought her hands to her mouth. "Kefka did this...?"

"You know the guy?" he wondered.

Terra nodded. "When I last faced him, he'd disrupted the balance of the power that sustains the world and took it for himself... I had no idea he'd become so powerful so quickly..." It was suddenly... all so daunting. Kefka had nearly god-like status now and could wipe entire towns off the map on a whim. Whereas she could barely stand and was completely alone and out of energy.

Swallowing, Terra wondered, "There were others with me when I fell. Have... you seen anyone else from the outside besides me?"

Katarin shook her head. "No, the only other outsider here is that wounded Imperial soldier, but..."

"Imperial soldier?!" Terra repeated, suddenly perking up. Could that be Leo? Was he hurt? "Where is he?"

"He's in the house next door, but like I was trying to say..." Katarin attempted, but Terra was already rushing up the stairs and out the door. Monsters be damned, if he was here she was going to get to him and she was going to help him. She'd nearly lost him once before due to Kefka and she wasn't about to let it happen again.

When she threw open the door of the neighboring house, she saw a figure lying prone in bed. Moving quickly to the bedside, she looked down at the person occupying it and saw...

It wasn't Leo. She didn't even know who this was. And moreover, upon closer examination... he didn't even appear to be alive anymore.

Terra stumbled back and sank into the chair next to the bed, slowly lowering her face into her hands. A few moments later, Duane, Katarin, and some of the other children appeared. Katarin approached her and wondered, "I'm sorry... Did... you know him?" With a gasp, she exclaimed, "You're not Lola, are you?"

Terra shook her head. "No... my name is Terra. I have a friend who's an Imperial soldier who I'm worried might be in trouble, though..."

Katarin nodded sadly. "I see... Up until the end he was always asking people to help him write letters to his girlfriend, Lola. It was the only thing that maintained his will to live. But when that beam of light destroyed the town, the postman died along with the rest of the adults and the carrier pigeons all flew away... No more letters could come... I think he died of a broken heart." She shook her head. "And with no more contact with the outside world, Lola will never know..."

Terra raised her head and remembered something. "Wait... he's an Imperial soldier, right?" She reached out and tentatively pulled back the dead soldier's collar. His skin was unnervingly cool to the touch, but under his collar she saw the thin chain with a pair of metal tags that she was looking for. Detaching one of them, she pulled it back and read it.

JANSON
WES
A-
MARANDA

This was... his identity. The little piece of a soldier's soul that was stamped forever into a small piece of metal that would be returned to their families in the event of their death. He'd lost his only means of support and he simply couldn't go on living anymore without it. If only she'd gotten here sooner, maybe there was something she could have done. But the way things stood, the only thing she could do now was return this tag to Lola. Maranda, though... if the rending of the world had separated Mobliz from the Veldt, who knew where Maranda even was anymore, or if it was even still standing?

She looked over at Duane and the other children, who were milling about restlessly. She desperately wanted to go... go find Leo or any of her other friends and make sure they were okay. But... when she made the attempt to get out of the chair and head for the door, some unknown feeling in her gut was screaming at her that it was the wrong thing to do. ... Why? She was worried about them, so why was it so wrong to leave to go find them? What... what was this feeling supposed to mean?

One of the children tugged at Duane's pant leg. "Duane, I'm thirsty."

"I'm cold," said another.

"My tummy hurts."

"I know, I know," Duane replied impatiently. "We've been trying to find supplies, but haven't been able to find a flint yet to start a fire. We need that to prepare water and medicine, too."

A fire? Terra didn't need flint for that. She looked at the tag in her hand again and slowly ran her thumb over it. Wes Janson. That wasn't someone she knew, but he was still someone . He'd had a life, loved ones, and dreams. Duane, Katarin, the children... she didn't know any of them, but she did know they were in need of help. Help that she knew that she was able to provide.

Leo's voice echoed in the back of her mind: If you have the power to help someone, you should use it.

With a slow breath, Terra rose from the chair and offered, "... I can make a fire."

"You have a flint?" Duane wondered.

Terra shook her head. "No... But I do have the power to help people."

A simple Fire spell was all Terra had the energy for at the moment, but thankfully that was all they needed. Upon returning to the first house, she opened the door to the stove and stuck in her hand, lighting it effortlessly.

Duane stood over her and watched, wondering in confusion, "Whoa, how did you do that?"

"Magic," Terra replied.

"No, I mean seriously, how did you do that?"

Terra removed her hand from the stove and turned up her palm, producing a tiny flame in her hand. "Like I said. Magic."

Duane stood dumbfounded while the other children suddenly crowded around her. "Whooaa, that's so cool! You can do magic?!"

"Can you make things fly?"

"Y... yes, though I don't think I have the energy to right now."

"Can you shoot lightning out of your fingers?"

"N... no, just summon it from the sky..."

"Can you pull a rabbit out of a hat?"

"I... what?" That was more along the lines of something Setzer sometimes did, though she wouldn't call it "magic".

But the children's sudden keen interest in her took her by surprise. Normally when strangers saw her use magic they were either wary of her, quick to ask her for favors, or both at the same time. And though the children were highly inquiring about her, it didn't feel like it was because they wanted to ascertain what they could get out of her. They were just genuinely curious. And it made her feel that happy little tingle in her stomach that she'd felt when Leo praised her just for being herself.

"Well... once I'm more rested up, I can show you some more, if you'd like," she offered.

"Yeeeah!" came the chorus of children around her. She couldn't help but smile at their excitement. Up until now, the children had either appeared frightened or listless, but all it had taken was a little Fire spell to warm their spirits up. Making them happy was so... gratifying.

Katarin got a kettle of water heating on the stove and said, "Thank you for your help, Terra. If you're planning on staying a while, we've been trying to open up the old underground storehouse connected to the basement, but there's piles of boxes blocking the door. There may be bedding and other supplies in there, and it would be much safer from the monsters than up here."

Terra nodded and followed Duane down the stairs. She helped him clear out the boxes and just as Katarin said, there had been a door hidden behind them. Duane gripped the handle and pushed at it with his shoulder a few times before the old rusty hinges finally moved and opened up into a dark cavern. Terra lit another small fireball in her hand for light, then saw an old oil lamp hanging on the opposite wall and went to light it.

The cavern illuminated and they found that there were indeed beds down here along with numerous other boxes of supplies. A second door led into an adjoining room with more bedding and furniture and a fireplace, which Terra also lit.

Duane put his hands on his hips and nodded. "Right, this'll do perfectly. Mobliz was originally founded by trappers who came to the Veldt in search of rare monsters to poach. They'd store their kills underground to keep other monsters from following the scents back into town. Eventually these caverns got converted into shelters for years when the monster migrations were particularly bad, but we haven't needed them for a long time."

He motioned to the bed in the back room and said, "Now that you've gotten some fires going, Katarin and I can handle things for a bit. You seemed pretty tired, so if you wanted to rest for a while, by all means..."

Terra nodded and went to lay on the bed, trying to get comfortable. She watched the dancing of the firelight on the opposite cave wall in an attempt to lull herself to sleep, but there was still too much anxiety bubbling around in her body to fully relax. If any of her friends were still alive, she felt terrible about not immediately going out to look for them. But at the same time, she felt even more terrible at the prospect of leaving than she did before. It tore her up inside. She desperately wanted to know why she felt this way, but it didn't make any sense.

General Leo... have you ever been in the position where you had to choose between helping someone you personally cared about, or protecting vulnerable people that you might not have any prior attachment to? If so... what did you do?

Terra must have been able to drift off to sleep eventually, as she was awakened some time later by the ground shaking followed by a clattering of footsteps down the stairs. Duane threw open the door and fretted, "This is bad. There is one seriously nasty monster that's shown up."

Terra pushed herself out of bed, a little disconcerted that she still didn't feel particularly re-energized. "I have experience fighting monsters," she informed him. "Let me see what I can do."

"Are you sure...?" he wondered dubiously. The children had all run down into the cavern behind him and were hiding under the beds while Katarin unsuccessfully tried to calm them down. Terra swallowed and clenched her fists to her sides. Whether she was sure or not, she had to do something .

She exited the house and walked to the edge of the sinkhole, glaring across it at the monster whose beady gaze was fixated on the town from the other side. It was a huge, stout, green-scaled creature with horns and long claws.

The monster suddenly gaped open its mouth and howled, summoning bolts of lightning from the sky that fell around Terra. She tried to scramble out of the way but was blown back by one of them, hitting the outer wall of the house. She struggled back to her feet and panted. There weren't any spells that she could use at this range aside from her own Thunder spell, but if the creature had summoned lightning at her, it likely had an affinity for it.

She held out her hands and took a deep breath, then chanted, "Fira!" The ground under the monster's feet rumbled, but instead of a blast of fire, only a small puff of smoke shot out. The creature looked down and let out a hissing chuckle through a fanged grin. It then brought its gaze back up to meet hers and pointed in her direction menacingly, before slowly receding back into the forest with a threatening sneer.

Terra lowered her arms and stumbled backwards. Why... why hadn't she recovered any of her power yet? Was it because of her emotional turmoil? That monster definitely looked like it was planning on coming back, and she had to be prepared.

Duane peeked out the door behind her. "Oh, wow, did you actually beat it?"

Terra sank to her knees and shook her head. "No... it's just biding its time. I don't know if I have the power to defeat it."

"Oh..." said Duane, swallowing uneasily. "Well, if it's gone for now, maybe we should check for what books we can find around town. There's all sorts of records of monsters and maybe we can figure out what that thing is and how to defeat it."

And so the search was on to collect all the surviving books in Mobliz. The children were initially still too scared to come out, but once Terra suggested turning it into a game, they were eager to snoop around town to bring back any book they could find. In their search, one of the children even discovered there was a second underground shelter behind the bookshelf in the wounded soldier's house that contained some stockpiles of dried meat, as well as some dogs that had gone missing who had already discovered said trove of meat.

It was here that Terra remembered what Leo had done and insisted that they suspend their search momentarily in order to give the soldier a proper burial, as well as erect a memorial to everyone else in town who lost their lives to Kefka. She didn't have any flowers to offer this time as all the flowers in town had wilted shortly after the attack, but she thought that the village needed some kind of closure for what had happened to it before they could move on with preparing for what was to come.

"This is my dad's favorite hat," said one of the little girls, placing a hat upon the grave stone. "Now he can have it here, too."

"And this is my mom's favorite teacup," said another child, adding it to the offering pile. One by one, the children offered items to the memorial that they thought their parents would appreciate in place of flowers. Terra felt her eyes water. Some of them were still too young to even comprehend what death meant, and she didn't know if that made it better or worse.

Looking down at the metal tag in her hand, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Lola... I don't think I'm going to be able to get this to you anytime soon..."

Once they returned inside, it was back to the books. After several days of searching, finally Terra hit upon an illustration and description that seemed to match what she'd faced. "Here, I think this is it. An ancient monster with the paws of a lion, hide covered in scales, talons of a vulture, and horns of a wild bull... Its breath is lightning and it sleeps within the earth... its name is Humbaba."

"Any info on how to beat it?" Duane wondered.

Terra read further down the page and froze. She then closed the book and replied, "No, there's nothing."

One of the children tugged on her sleeve and held another book up to her. "I found a book my Mama used to read to me about a Chocobo and a Moogle. Can we read this instead?"

Terra took the book and said, "Yes... yes I think I would really rather read this instead." She had just spent days poring over the gory details of what the world's monsters could do to people, so fluffy animals sounded like a much-needed diversion.

She sat in the chair by the fireplace and the rest of the children sat on the floor around her. She read them a story of a Moogle who loved Kupo Nuts and the plans he and his Chocobo friend would devise to get the ones that grew in hard-to-reach places. It was a harmless story that was also mindless, and after all the physical and emotional strain she'd been under lately, mindless was nice. Plus, she liked Moogles and Chocobos.

After she finished, the little girl who had given her the book bounced in her seat and said, "Hee, thank you, Mama." Terra tensed somewhat, and the little girl corrected, "Oh, I mean... you're like my Mama, cuz she always read that book to me, too."

"Oh, I want Terra to be like my Mama, too!" said another one of the children.

They needed her so much... Even in all of her uncertainties and failures, and despite the trauma all those children had gone through, she was still able to make them happy. They were looking to her for guidance, for protection, for support... and she in turn felt the ever-growing need to be there to provide it.

She looked at the book in her hands, then back at the book of monsters she'd left closed on the table. There actually had been a method of defeating Humbaba mentioned at the bottom of the page. But that method was "Can be appeased by offering a child sacrifice."

Terra was going to stay here as long as it took to ensure that never happened.

Chapter Text

As the months wore on, Terra's magic power still failed to return in any measurable amount. She could still light fires and perform minor Cure spells, and had discovered that Humbaba could be temporarily driven away by a regular Poison spell, however any magic that could potentially more permanently deal with the monster was still lost to her.

The crops that had been planted at the north end of town had wilted and died and nothing new would grow. The grass and trees also had wasted away into a sickly brown, unable to subsist under a red sky. With the dried meat stores beginning to run low, Terra wasn't sure what the village was going to do about food in the months ahead.

Duane in particular had become notably worried about this as of late. He paced the underground storehouse under the wounded soldier's house, constantly counting the rations and trying to calculate how long they would last... but for some reason was now accounting for an additional mouth to feed.

"Is everything all right, Duane?" Terra wondered. "You've seemed agitated for the past few days."

"It's nothing. We're fine," he responded tersely, continuing to pace. "I'm just... worried for the future, is all."

Terra placed a hand on his shoulder, and in a patient voice that she had perfected with the children over the months, she told him, "Duane... it's okay. Please calm down. Worrying isn't going to make anything better."

He sighed. "I know... but..." He shook his head. "I need to go see Katarin." He shrugged away from her hand and ran up the stairs to head to the main living area.

Terra held her hands together and looked at the ground. Duane and Katarin had always been so supportive of each other. Even in these trying times, they would still seek out each other's company and make the effort to spend time together. She'd seen them kiss and fall asleep together... even though they were two years younger than her, Terra was certain that the two of them had already discovered what "love" meant.

Terra, though... still felt conflicted. She had thought that maybe what she'd felt towards Leo had been working its way towards "love", but... she'd all but abandoned him at this point. "Love" was supposed to be this emotion that enabled you to do anything, drove you to fight, overcame all adversity... and now just over a year later, she had still never even budged towards looking for him or anyone else. The lack of any kind of contact with anyone after this amount of time -- old companion or otherwise -- led her to assume that they likely... hadn't survived.

But as she slowly made her way up the stairs herself, she began to worry that maybe "love" wasn't this amazing power that she'd held it up to be. Or maybe she still had the wrong idea of what it even was. Duane and Katarin's distant behavior towards each other the past few days had made her wonder if there were some things that even love couldn't overcome. And if even love couldn't overcome them... then what hope was left?

She descended the stairs in the adjoining house to the underground living area and was greeted by the excited throng of children shouting, "Mama!"

Somehow, even after a year, that still never failed to perk her up a bit. She knelt down and patted them on the heads, wondering, "Hey there, have you all been behaving?"

"Yeeees," they chorused. Terra couldn't help but giggle a little. The younger children were all so refreshingly open and honest with how they were feeling. Duane and Katarin, on the other hand, had been more ambiguous. Even now the two of them merely acknowledged her presence but made no effort to speak to her. If they were having a problem she could help with, she needed to know what was wrong first.

One of the little girls tugged on the bottom of her skirt. "Mama, my tummy hurts. Can you make it better?"

Terra nodded with a smile. "Of course I can. Come on, let's go sit by the fire." The two sat down and Terra warmed her hand on the fire, then rubbed it over the girl's belly. "Pain, pain, go away..." she chanted. Giving her a light poke in the bellybutton, she asked, "There, is that all better?"

The girl giggled and nodded. "Yes! All better!" Terra hadn't actually used any kind of magic on her. Often with the children, just the suggestion that things were better was enough. And yet the fact that she could make them happy without resorting to any kind of magical power nevertheless almost felt more rewarding.

The little girl then suddenly hugged Terra around the neck and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Mama! I love you!" She then let go and toddled off to the next room to continue playing with the others.

Terra, on the other hand, was frozen in her crouched position, not sure what had just happened. She slowly brought her hand up to her cheek as a warm sensation began bubbling in her chest. What... what was this feeling...?

There was a sudden sound of barking dogs outside, followed by the clatter of footsteps down the stairs. One of the younger boys burst into the underground shelter and shouted, "Waah! Someone's coming!" Steps were heard on the stairway behind him, and he turned to block the door with his small body. In a less-than-threatening whimper, he insisted, "You're not getting any farther! I'll fight you!"

The commotion outside banished whatever feeling that had been budding in her and Terra ran to the interior door to face whatever this new threat was. Aside from Humbaba the other monsters rarely tended to wander all the way into town, and especially not into the buildings. If this had changed, they were in serious trouble.

When she opened the door, she saw that the intruders were not monsters, but a pair of humans. The first other humans she'd seen in an entire year. And not only that...

"Oh my god, Terra!" exclaimed one of them, a woman in a yellow jumpsuit with long blonde hair.

"Hey, Terra, glad to see you're okay!" said the other, a muscular blonde man in a purple tank-top and baggy white pants.

The little boy turned around and wondered, "Mama, are these people your friends?" Terra nodded slowly, still somewhat in shock, and the boy relented and let them through.

"Celes... Sabin... you're alive... I've missed you so much!" she finally managed to utter. So they really had survived the ruin of the world. And yet she'd never even tried to find them...

Sabin flexed his arm and announced, "Come on, we're getting the whole old gang back together to go let Kefka have it! You're coming with us, right?"

Terra pursed her lips and clasped her hands together. "I..."

"Please, Terra, if we don't defeat Kefka, the world will just continue to fall into ruin..." Celes pleaded.

"I know but..." Terra sighed and slowly walked to go stare into the fireplace. "I've lost my power... I can't fight anymore. Lighting this small fire is all I can manage."

"Ah, you're just out of practice, I bet," said Sabin. "A bit of training and you'll be back in top shape in no time!"

Celes nudged him in the ribs with her elbow and approached Terra. In a hesitant voice she wondered, "Terra, did... something happen?"

Still gazing into the fire, Terra explained, "On the day the world fell... every adult in this town died protecting the children from Kefka's Light of Judgment. With only children left here, they've relied on me since the moment I arrived..."

"But... we need you, too..." Celes began.

Duane, who had been listening from outside the room, barged in and insisted, "You can't take Terra from us!"

Katarin followed after him and tried to touch Duane's shoulder to calm him, but he only grunted in frustration and stalked away. She sighed and apologized, "I'm sorry about him.... But it's true that if Terra leaves, we lose our only means of support..."

Terra glanced at her, then returned her gaze to the fire. "I'm sorry I never went to search for you. I don't know why the children latched onto me like they did. There was nothing physically forcing me to stay here and look after them, either. Just a strange feeling that I could never shake. And once that feeling took root inside of me, I lost my ability to fight..."

Celes shook her head. "Terra, after what happened, no one could blame you for not being able to immediately get back on your feet. I mean, I was..." She trailed off, then cut straight to, "I only just now started looking, and so far Sabin is the only other one of our friends I've found. But I'm sure the others are out there, too."

Sabin crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah, my brother's tough and smart. There's no way he'd get done in by something like the end of the world."

"I do hope they're all okay. But..." Terra took a deep breath. "... I still can't go with you. I feel like... I'm starting to understand something important. But I can't put it into words. And the more I look for an answer, the more I lose any strength to fight."

"All right..." said Celes, relenting sadly. She reached out and put a hand on Terra's shoulder, saying, "Even so, I'm still glad to know you're alive. I wish we could stay and talk more, but the world continues to degrade day by day and we need to find the others as quickly as possible. But as long as you're safe, that's enough." She gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

Terra continued to stare wordlessly into the fire, even long after Celes and Sabin had left. Those conflicted feelings were roiling ever stronger now. She'd just met her long-lost friends after a year of being apart... and had sent them away. Did she really care so little about them now? If that had been Leo who had walked in that door, would she have done the same? Her heart ached even more just thinking about it.

Suddenly the ground began to shudder in a familiar manner. Terra snapped out of her thoughts as one of the children ran in. "Oh no! Humbaba is coming!"

No... not now! Not when her emotional state was this turbulent. She wouldn't have any power at all! But... she still had to try. She still had to protect this village and its people, no matter what.

Terra ran up the stairs and outside, faced with the giant green creature menacingly stomping its way into the village over the small strip of land. She planted her feet as firmly as she could, her body shaking. She had stayed here all this time to protect them... she'd sent her friends away for this... she had to succeed!

She extended her arms and chanted, "Poison!" This usually was enough to ward it off. Just run away like you usually do...

But the spell did absolutely nothing. Humbaba spread its mouth into a fanged grin and stomped up towards her. With no magic left at her disposal and not being otherwise armed, all Terra could do was uselessly try to punch it in the gut. When that proved categorically useless, Humbaba let out a grating chuckle and returned the favor, punching her right under the ribs.

Terra let out a strangled choke and fell to her knees, unable to breathe. She clutched her arms around her chest in pain, her vision giving out. No... no...! If she were to fall now, the children...!

Just before she blacked out, she could vaguely hear a muffled voice shout her name.

Terra gasped back to consciousness. She was back in the underground cavern, in her bed. The cavern... the children...! Were they...? She tried to sit up but there was still a horrible pain in her chest. Gentle hands held down her shoulders and reassured her, "Terra, it's okay, you're safe now. Just try to relax."

She blinked her eyes back into focus and looked to her side. "Celes..." she whimpered. "You came back..."

"Of course we did! We weren't about to let a monster get you after we only just found you again!" she said. "Unfortunately, it ran away before we could kill it. I had to use a Cure spell on you, but that still wasn't getting you breathing properly again, so Sabin had to, er... what was it?"

"Pressure point therapy," Sabin explained. "A hit like that to your solar plexus? That really messes up your chakras and your body's energy flow. Had to hit some other points to correct it."

Terra rolled over and pulled the bed covers around her. She'd sent them away and yet not five minutes later she'd needed their help or she and everyone else in the village would have died. She didn't have the power to help them and now she didn't even have the power to protect this village without their help. She felt so utterly useless.

"Is Mama gonna be okay?" came the worried voices of some of the children from the foot of her bed.

Terra swallowed, her chest swelling at the sound of concern in their voices. Even without any magic... she could still look after the children, at least. If she went with Celes and Sabin she absolutely wouldn't be of any use, but here, just her mere presence made a difference.

"I'm staying here..." she reiterated. "I would only be a hindrance if I went with you... and the children are relying on me..." But... she in turn had relied on her friends, even after pushing them away. Now that same feeling that had been gnawing at her stomach when she first arrived in this town when she thought about leaving was chewing its way back up her throat at the thought of turning her friends away again. What was she even supposed to do?

"Maybe... maybe after a little more time has passed, you could come back..." she decided. "I need to understand what's happening to me and what these feelings are supposed to mean. Until then, I won't be able to fight..."

"I understand..." said Celes. Squeezing Terra's hand, she promised, "We'll come back for you. You deserve a shot at Kefka just as much as the rest of us. We're not going to leave you behind."

How can you say that when I've already left you behind once? Terra thought, her eyes starting to water. The two of them took their leave again, and she was left with only the children to watch over her.

It took a few days for Terra to really get back on her feet, and even then it was only a physical recovery. Her power was still completely gone and she was still just as emotionally conflicted as ever. Tending to the younger children was the only reprieve she had, since no matter how badly she felt about herself, she could always manage to summon the energy to help them if they needed it. But if helping them gave her strength, why, then did it still not give her the power she needed to fight for their sakes?

It was a week or so later when Terra awoke to some kind of commotion outside of her room. Peeking out her door, she saw the children running around excitedly while Duane looked on in horror. "Katarin, why did you tell them?!" he exclaimed.

"Duane, it's getting harder to hide. One of them just came out and asked about it and I told him the truth," Katarin replied.

Duane ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "But there's no way they're not going to tell Terra. Do you have any idea how much extra stress that's going to put on her when she finds out?" He threw up his arms. "Ugh, why did you have to be so... needy in the first place?"

Katarin took a step back, her eyes watering. "Duane... how can you be so cruel?" She then turned and ran from the cavern.

"Katarin!" Duane called after her, but she was already gone.

Terra tentatively came out of her room and wondered, "Duane... what's the matter? Please talk to me."

"It's no--" he began, but one of the little boys interrupted him.

"Katarin's gonna have a baby! I know, cuz my mom looked like that before my little brother was born!"

Terra clasped her hands together with a smile. "Oh, that's wonderful news!"

Duane looked a little taken aback. "You're... not upset about that? We barely have enough resources to feed everyone as it is, and now she's eating for two... Plus a baby takes way more care than even these kids..."

Terra cocked her head. "But... having a child together is an act of love, isn't it? If so, what else matters?"

Duane was silent a moment, then slumped his shoulders and hung his head. "Yeah... you're right... I guess I've just been overthinking this and stressing out when I should have been supportive. I should go talk to her, but... I dunno, maybe you should talk to her first..."

Terra followed him to the neighboring house and he pointed towards the underground store room behind the bookshelf. "She's probably down there. I know her well enough to know her habits. This isn't the first time I've made her mad."

She nodded and descended the stairs into the store room. As Duane had anticipated, Katarin was there, seated at a table and crying. Terra approached her and lightly touched her shoulder. "Hey... I just heard the news. Congratulations!"

Katarin looked up and sniffed. "Terra... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was excited when I suspected I might be pregnant, but when I told Duane, he was... much less enthusiastic."

Terra blinked at her. "Suspected? You're still not sure?" Terra had no real knowledge of how pregnancy worked or if it was normal for someone to be uncertain or unaware of it. But she knew how it started, at least, thanks to the memories passed on from her father having been... "unedited", so to speak, but she only had the experiences from his side to go off of. She knew nothing of what her mother went through when she was pregnant with her besides what her father could see.

"Well, with the way my belly has filled out I can be pretty sure now, but..." Katarin said, wringing her hands. "I've probably been pregnant for at least six months, based on when we... you know..." She held her face and groaned. "Duane is right, though... I was too needy and it was so irresponsible of us to make love in these kind of conditions, but our love overrode our logic..."

Terra blushed at this confession... mostly because this was the first time she had heard of the act that initiated a pregnancy as "making love". As no emotions had been conveyed through her father's memories, her view of it up until now had been purely academic and she attached no feelings to it beyond it being something that two people who wanted to have a child did together when they felt like they should. But Katarin's explanation made Terra feel like there was some sort of greater emotional weight behind it that she had been unaware of this whole time.

Terra took Katarin's hand, shaking her head. "No... you should never apologize for feeling love. I think... I think it's wonderful that even in our situation, you could still find it."

Katarin sniffed and perked up slightly, squeezing Terra's hand back. "Oh, Terra, thank you! I knew I could count on you to be supportive."

"Of course!" Terra replied. "In this dying world, your love managed to create new life! I think that's amazing and something you should be proud of!"

There was a creak on the stairway, and Terra turned around to see not Duane standing there, but...

"Celes!" she exclaimed. Looking behind her, she also saw, "Sabin! Edgar! Setzer! You found more of our friends!"

"Yes! So far they've all been okay, just a little lost," Celes replied. "I know you said you needed more time and it's only been a little over a week, but I was worried and wanted to come back and check on you."

Terra shook her head. "No, I'm glad you all came to visit. I have wonderful news! Katarin is going to have a baby!"

"Yes, we heard from the father," said Edgar, motioning to the stairs. A rather somber Duane appeared, and Edgar gave him a push towards Katarin. "Now you go treat her like a proper lady, young man, before I show you up myself."

Duane shuffled up to Katarin, his head bowed. "Katarin... I'm sorry... I just didn't know how to handle this. I've been acting so shamefully. But I promise to do better. So please... will you come back with me?"

Katarin smiled with a tearful nod and hugged him. Terra let out a light breath of relief. They had never lost their love, it had just been obstructed by petty worries. All it took was a little support and encouragement and it came shining through just as strong as before.

The ground suddenly started shaking with familiar heavy footsteps. One of the children ran down the stairs and shouted, "Humbaba's back!"

Duane and Katarin held each other while Terra looked imploringly at the others. "Please... protect this village. I still... I still don't have the power to fight..."

"Don't worry, we've got this!" assured Sabin, holding his bicep.

The other four ran up the stairs to face the monster while Terra lagged behind. She still felt so ashamed at relying on them like that. This was her village, filled with people who relied on her, so why couldn't she fight to protect them? It was an answer she had been struggling to find for the past year and she felt like she was so close to figuring it out...

"I'm glad you have friends who support you, too," said Duane. "I've always been worried about how much of a burden we must be on you... you always seem so tired..."

"No, you're not a burden at all!" Terra replied, somewhat taken aback. "Being able to help you makes me so happy! It's just..." She wrung her hands. "My friends have been alive this entire time and I never was able to help them... It's gnawed at me... Even now, I wish I was out there fighting with them. But I care about you and I care about them and... no matter what I choose, I'm letting the other one down..."

Duane and Katarin looked at each other, and Katarin said, "Terra, if you need to go with them, we won't think badly of you for it. I'm sorry if we've put you under so much pressure, worrying about what we think of you."

Duane nodded. "Besides, didn't you just tell me that if your actions are born of love, nothing else matters? And you were right. I was so preoccupied worrying about everything that getting Katarin pregnant could make go wrong that I'd lost sight of the reason I'd done it in the first place: Because I love her."

Terra's face flushed. Love...? They looked at what she had been doing here the past year and they saw... love? She looked down at Katarin's swollen belly and felt a bubbling in her chest. Love was... joy at seeing someone flourish. She heard the sounds of battle outside and felt her body heat up. Love was... sorrow at the thought of them suffering. It was being of service in the face of adversity.

She looked at her hands, a surge of energy beginning to build in her body. She had stayed in this village... as an act of love... But because she felt it to be an act that hurt her friends, she could never accept it as being such. And while an act of love could cause problems, that didn't stop it from fundamentally being love. And just because she stayed here didn't mean she stopped loving the others...

Terra clenched her fists and looked up the stairs. "I have to go help them..." she whispered before running out the door.

"We believe in you, Terra!" Katarin shouted after her.

When Terra got outside, she found that Humbaba still had her friends severely outmatched. It wasn't running this time, but rather summoning great gusts of wind to expel them from battle. Terra let out a calming breath and closed her eyes, willing her power to the surface. I'm not going to let regrets hold me back anymore. I chose my path out of love and I'm not ashamed of that.

She raised her arms and her body glowed, taking on a pink hue while her hair erupted into a long mane. She let out the screech of a trapped creature that had finally been freed, then launched herself at Humbaba in a blaze of energy. She slammed into the monster, knocking it away from her friends, before leaping over to stand beside them.

"Uh... hi, Terra?" said Sabin, a little shocked. But then he broke out into a grin and pumped his fist. "All right, looks like you got your fight back! Let's show this monster who he's messing with!"

Terra raised her arms and chanted, "Bio!" A cloud of toxic gas enveloped Humbaba, melting away its scaly skin. It roared and summoned more lightning, but Celes raised her Runic Blade and absorbed it before it could do any damage. Sabin clapped his hands together and produced a ball of energy which he then threw at the monster, cracking through its scales.

While still holding Humbaba down with the cloud of toxic gas, Terra raised her other arm in the air and chanted, "Firaga." A fireball fell from the sky onto the creature, and with its scales gone, the rest of its body quickly melted into nothing.

Celes nodded with pursed lips. "Aaaand now you're dualcasting. You can be kind of scary sometimes."

"Hey, scary is good if it kills monsters," Sabin argued. "Um, I'm going to go check where Setzer and my brother got blown to. Meet you back at the airship?"

Terra hovered over the ground and flew back towards the houses to check on the children. They had been watching from the doors, but when they saw her glowing pink form approach, they all cowered back in fear. "It's another monster!" they cried.

Terra's heart sank as she landed between the houses. She had finally regained her ability to protect them, but in doing so... had she driven them away? She had done it out of love, yes, but if that act meant that she had lost them, she couldn't help but feel... grief...

Slowly, one of the girls peeked out from behind a door and wondered, "... Mama?" She cautiously approached Terra and looked at her. "You're Mama, aren't you? I can tell..."

The other children, Duane, and Katarin all tentatively approached for a closer look, before they all confirmed in unison, "It is Mama! It's Terra!"

Terra felt a wave of relief wash over her as her eyes began to water. "I... I'm going to fight. I've finally come to understand that feeling that's been growing inside me. It must be... love. And that feeling is telling me to fight... not just for those here now, but for the lives yet to come."

She spread her arms, floating above them. "Duane, I need you to take care of Katarin and the baby. Children, Mama needs to go away for a while to ensure your futures. But I promise I'll be back!"

The children all made whimpering noises, but eventually gave her their support. "We'll be good! Come back soon, okay?"

Terra nodded. "Thank you... all of you... It was thanks to you that I was able to come to understand my feelings. It was thanks to you that I can fight again. And I will fight... for your future, and for a world where new life can flourish!"

She landed, and Celes extended a hand to her with a smile. "Welcome back to the team, Terra. We've missed you."

Chapter Text

Terra stood on the deck of the new airship, the Falcon, and basked in the wind blowing through her hair for the first time in a year. She took a deep breath, feeling like for the first time since the fall of the world, there really was hope. Her powers had returned even stronger than before, her friends had returned, their wings had returned... nothing was ever truly lost for good, it just took a while to find it again.

"So... you've found Sabin, Edgar, Setzer, and me so far... do you have any ideas as to where anyone else might be?" Terra wondered to Celes.

"Well, we actually found Strago at the Fanatics Tower, but he wouldn't even acknowledge us. We may need to find Relm to slap some sense into him. We don't have a lead on her yet, but we also haven't checked Thamasa at all so there may be clues there. Gau probably made his way back to the Veldt, we just hadn't had the means to get there until now without the airship. I know Cyan is from Doma, but I'm not sure how likely it is he'd go back there..." She shook her head. "But Locke wasn't in Kohlingen when we passed through and no one really had any clues about him there. I don't know where else to even start looking for him."

Terra nodded and wrung her hands apprehensively. "Um... what about General Leo? I know he's from Vector, but after the Empire betrayed him so badly, I don't know if he'd want to go back there, either..."

Celes swallowed. "Um, Terra... Vector doesn't even exist anymore. The entire city was demolished and the pieces were absorbed into Kefka's tower at the center of the Southern Continent. General Leo is fairly well-known in the Empire, but even though I passed through Albrook and Tzen on the way to finding you, no one in either of those towns had seen him. Neither had anyone in Nikeah, South Figaro, or Kohlingen. In fact, I haven't run into any Imperial soldiers since I started exploring. It's almost like... Kefka completely erased the Gestahlian Empire from the world..."

"General Leo is still alive," Terra insisted. "He has to be. He spent his life standing up to Kefka, and if we all survived, I know he did, too."

"It would be nice..." said Celes. Still, she didn't quite share Terra's confidence. She remembered what kind of state Leo had been in when they'd fallen from the Floating Continent. Filled with soul-crushing despair after losing everything he'd worked for, being separated from the people he cared about, and ending up in a freefall... She knew what that was like... And while she knew he was stronger than she was in regard to most things, he also had to have his breaking point. But no matter his own personal struggles, he was NOT the type of person who would sit by idly while people were suffering around him, so the fact that there had been absolutely no known contact with him over the past year did not bode well... She sincerely wished that she didn't have to lose both a surrogate grandfather AND a brother to this cruel new world... but after weeks of searching and her own emotional exhaustion she had already resigned herself to accepting that this was likely the case.

Not wanting to completely dash Terra's hopes just yet, though, Celes mentioned with a sigh, "Well... there was one other thing. It might be nothing, but... after we got this airship I saw a carrier pigeon headed to Maranda. I know that's hardly an uncommon thing, but I just... had a feeling it might be important."

"Carrier pigeon to Maranda?" Terra repeated. She reached into her sash and pulled out the dog tag she had taken from the soldier who had died in Mobliz. He... had also regularly sent carrier pigeons to Maranda, before Mobliz was demolished. Certainly, he likely wasn't the only person ever to do so, but it was still a tentative connection that she wanted to investigate.

"Let's go to Maranda, then," Terra decided. "Even if the carrier pigeon turns out to be an empty lead, Maranda is still the third former Imperial town, and someone there might know something about General Leo."

They landed at Maranda, which was now on a separate continent from the other former Imperial towns. Celes and Terra wandered down the street, checking the rooftops for carrier pigeons to determine who might have received the letter.

As they walked, Terra inquired of random passers-by, "Excuse me, have you by any chance seen General Leo recently? A little over six feet tall, thirty years old, dark skin, blonde hair in a military cut, usually wears a long green coat..." But the townspeople merely shook their heads saying they didn't know him, or had heard of him but hadn't seen him. Some of them seemed to recognize Celes, though, and actively steered clear of her. It was looking like they wouldn't find any clues here, either.

Until a young woman approached behind them and offered, "General Leo? I've heard of him. My boyfriend mentioned him in his letters."

Terra whirled around with an excited smile and exclaimed, "Really?! Your boyfriend knows him? Does he know where he is?"

The woman took a step back in surprise at her enthusiasm. "Er, I don't know if I know where he is now, but... my boyfriend was drafted into the Imperial army and served under General Leo at Doma a year and a half ago. The general let him use one of their carrier pigeons to write to me while he was stationed there so we were still able to keep in touch while he was on the other side of the world. General Leo sounded like such a kind person, and my boyfriend thought that maybe a forced life in the army would be bearable as long as it was under him..."

Terra felt her eyes water. She wiped them with a finger and nodded. "Yes... yes, he is a very kind person... I've been wanting to return that kindness for so long, but I still don't know what happened to him after the world fell..."

"Oh no, I hope he's all right," said the woman, clasping her hands. "Unfortunately, General Leo was called away from the Doma camp and another man took over in his place... a horribly cruel man who ordered them to poison the entire kingdom. My boyfriend couldn't bear it and fled, but the other soldiers found him and attacked him for desertion. He still managed to escape and made it to the frontier town of Mobliz, where he's been writing me ever since."

Terra froze and shared a look with Celes. Mobliz? If she'd been receiving letters from a wounded soldier in Mobliz, then that meant... this must be Lola... And that also meant that the boyfriend she was talking about was...

Terra swallowed, fingering the metal tag that she kept in her sash. "Um... about your boyfriend... you probably stopped getting letters from him about a year ago, and that's because--"

"Oh, no, I just got another one from him today!" Lola replied happily. "He's been sending me artificial flowers, too, since real flowers don't bloom anymore."

"Huh?" replied Terra, faltering slightly. There... there was no way. She had personally buried that soldier a year ago. No carrier pigeons had come or gone from Mobliz in that time. If she had still been receiving letters, they weren't from him and they weren't from Mobliz. But then who... and where...?

"Um... I hate to pry, but can I see those letters you've been getting recently?" she wondered. "They... might offer us some clues." Probably not about Leo, but now she was curious about who was sending letters in the soldier's stead.

Lola blushed. "Oh, well, they're mostly just sweet nothings and he hasn't mentioned General Leo for quite a while, but you're welcome to look at a few of them if you think it will help you."

She led them to her house and to a desk covered with letters and surrounded by bouquets of silk flowers. She picked up an envelope from the top of the pile and handed it to them, saying, "Here, this is the one that just came today." Terra opened the letter and she and Celes read it:

"My beloved Lola. Art thou well? We have rebuilt as much of the village as we could hope to... I believe I should be able to return to thy side before long..."

"This prose..." said Celes. "It sounds like Cyan's... but why would he be sending Lola letters? And from where?"

Lola cocked her head. "So did the letter give you any clues?"

"Yes, but not about what we thought it would..." said Celes. "Thank you for your help, though."

"Of course! I know what it's like to be separated from someone you care about," Lola replied. She held out another envelope and said, "But when you go, could you please drop this off with the carrier pigeon outside? It's my reply back."

Celes took the letter and nodded, and she and Terra exited the house. Once outside, though, Celes flipped open the envelope to read the letter inside. Terra fidgeted frantically and whispered, "Celes, what are you doing? We were only reading her letters to get clues, not snoop on her!"

"I know, but if Cyan is leading this girl on, I am going to smack him so hard when I find him," she replied. "Let's see.... 'Dearest Wes, I'm glad to hear that reconstruction is going well. Maranda has also been completely rebuilt, thanks to a steady flow of supplies from Jidoor, which we now share a land bridge with. You'll have a comfortable place to stay upon your return. Hope to see you soon! Lola.'" Celes lowered the letter and sighed. "Well, that's boringly tame."

"I think you really were just snooping..." Terra accused with a side-eye. She was beginning to see why everyone had so readily believed that Celes was a spy.

Celes shushed her and attached the letter to the carrier pigeon. "Well, now to see where this bird goes and follow it with the airship."

Following the carrier pigeon, they found that as expected, it did not head to Mobliz, but rather to a different town that was surrounded by mountains. This town turned out to be the new location of Zozo, the den of thieves. Hardly the most romantic location to be sending love letters from.

Terra and Celes disembarked at Zozo, followed by Edgar. "I must insist on accompanying you two here," he stated. "This town is no place for two lovely ladies to be wandering alone."

Celes put her hand on her hip and gave him a flat look. "I'd rather take my chances with the thieves, thanks."

Edgar shook his head with a sigh. "No faith in me at all. You both already turned me down once and I accept that. This is just an honest offer of backup. Also..." He pulled out his chainsaw and revved it a few times. "This place had some interesting technological offerings the last time we were here and I'd like to explore more."

Celes nodded with a forced grin. "I am surrounded by crazy people, I swear..." she muttered to herself.

Sabin waved at them from the airship deck. "Hey, Brother! While you guys are here, I want to take Setzer and the airship to go check on my little beast buddy, since he's probably just out on the Veldt and won't come out if we're all there, anyway. Meet you back here in a day or so?"

Edgar waved back at him. "Divide and conquer; you're starting to get a knack for strategy, Little Brother. Good luck!"

After the airship departed, the three of them made their way into town to see what they could find. Terra made a few customary inquiries to the townspeople about Leo, but was still met with the same response as before that no one had seen anyone matching his description. However, inquiring about the bird or Cyan was met with similar unhelpful responses, so it became apparent that they were going to have to search on their own.

"The bird flew into the mountains, but I recall the last time we were here the door to that building built into the mountain was rusted shut and we were unable to get in," said Edgar.

"Well... when we were talking to people in Maranda, one of them suggested we look for the merchant in Zozo, since he might be able to help us," Celes remembered.

They found the merchant standing outside one of the other buildings. After explaining their situation, the merchant replied, "Ah, yes, I actually do happen to have procured some rust remover I'd be willing to part with for 1000 gil."

Celes raised an eyebrow. "'Procured', huh?"

The merchant held up his hands in innocence. "Though I can't speak for anyone else in this town, I assure you my supply chain is legitimate. Look, see?" He held out the bottle, a black feather tucked into the cap.

"What's the feather?" Terra wondered.

"The receipt, of course!"

Edgar shook his head and handed over the 1000 gil in exchange for the bottle. "We didn't come here to police this town's practices. In this world, people will do what they need to in order to survive, even if it looks unscrupulous to outsiders." He clutched the bottle and sighed dramatically. "Stealing rust remover is one thing, but stealing a poor young maiden's heart under false pretenses... some things are just too unscrupulous." So that's why he came along.

"Does this mean you're both going to smack Cyan when we find him?" Terra wondered.

Upon reaching the rusted door, at least the rust remover worked as advertised, the feather "receipt" even proving to be a handy applicator. Upon entering the mountain, they found that the people of Zozo weren't the only thieves in the area, as even the monsters were audacious pickpockets.

After a few hours of dealing with this, the three of them stopped to take a rest in a cave. Celes rubbed her face and grumbled, "Seriously, what does a bear even do with money?"

Edgar looked around the cave, then saw something that caught his interest. "Why, hello, what have we here? It appears to be a button installed into the cave floor."

"Edgar, don't push the button," Celes monotoned, not even looking at him.

"But... it's a button!" Edgar argued. "If a designer puts a button on something, he intends for it to be pressed!"

"Maybe we need to push it to get to that treasure box on the wall?" Terra suggested, pointing to an inaccessible chest on the far side of the cave.

"Excellent observation, Terra. I have a hunch your theory is correct," Edgar replied. "Ladies, I'm pushing the button."

"Okay, but don't blame me for what happens," Celes warned.

Edgar, Celes, and Terra all sat in the cave tending to themselves with Cure spells. Celes glared at Edgar, castigating him, "I told you not to push that button."

"In my defense, 'Press Button, Receive Dragon' was very low on my list of likely functions," Edgar reasoned. "We still beat it, didn't we?"

"That thing was even stronger than Humbaba..." Terra wheezed. "Just what kinds of horrific creatures were unleashed by the fall of the world?"

"I heard someone say that eight legendary dragons were released. I wonder if that was one of them," said Celes. "Either way, we're not here to hunt dragons. Cyan must be around here somewhere, and if he's up to anything obscene, he's going wish he was facing that dragon instead."

They continued out of the cave, and luckily only had to cross one more ridge before they came upon an inhabited-looking grotto. The cavern was filled with bouquets of silken flowers just like the ones they had seen at Lola's house with a table laden with writing supplies at its center. On the corner of the table was a letter in an envelope that, due to the dust accumulation, looked like it had been sitting there unsent for quite some time.

Celes, being the natural snoop... er... curious type, picked up the unsent letter to read it.

Dear Lola,
Please forgivest me for perpetuating a terrible lie. I believe it to be time to cease averting thine eyes from reality, and thus am penning this letter. The young man of Mobliz is unfortunately no longer of this world. I have been penning letters in his stead. I hope thou canst understand... Far too simple is it to be bound to the past, rendering the future unreachable. Stagnant. Moving on becomes an impossibility. I would like for thee to look to the future once again, and remember what it is to love.
Cyan

Terra looked over Celes's shoulder. "So, what does it say?"

"Nothing!" Celes yelped, quickly folding the letter back up and returning it to its envelope. She then wiped her eyes, muttering, "Ugh, that envelope was so dusty... he should have sent this one a long time ago..." So Cyan had understood that he was perpetuating an unhealthy fantasy, however reality still scared him too much to admit it. Locke was trapped in a similar scenario, obsessing over Rachel and unable to move on despite there being no possible way for them to ever be reunited...

There was an exit on the other side of the grotto and the three of them peered outside. Here, the mountain path ended in a cliff, and upon it stood Cyan, attaching another letter to a carrier pigeon and sending it on its way. As he watched the bird fade into the misty mountain air, he uttered, "The world before the fall... delightful is the dawn... noble is the heart of man..."

"Cyan, there you are!" shouted Edgar, interrupting him from his meditation.

Cyan nearly stumbled off the edge of the cliff in surprise before composing himself. "Sir Edgar! Ladies Celes and Terra! Thou art... alive?!" He strode purposefully away from the cliff, declaring, "If thou art alive, then so is hope! Too long have I secluded myself upon this mountain mourning those who can never return."

"We're gathering everyone to storm Kefka's tower and stop his reign of terror," explained Celes, encouraged by his enthusiasm. "Won't you come with us?"

"Of course I shall!" he replied. "Living in the past is tantamount to consigning the world to perpetually exist in its current state. Such a thing cannot continue." He placed his hands on his hips and nodded. "And yet, however didst thou find me up here? Zozo is hardly a locale for casual visits." His face gradually fell as he realized, "Wait... please do not tell me thou hast read my letters?!"

He rushed around them back into the cavern and belatedly attempted to hide the piles of flowers and the letter that had been left out on the table. When such an effort proved futile, he sheepishly turned around and attempted, "Um... these are... merely diversions of mine..."

Celes nodded. "It's okay, Cyan. I was worried you might be taking advantage of that poor girl's vulnerability, but... I think you were just trying to help. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions."

"Wh... what do you take me for?!" Cyan exclaimed, turning his back to her and folding his arms in a huff. "I am not some lecherous knave like a certain king I know."

"I'm... standing right here, you know..." muttered Edgar.

With a sigh, Cyan admitted, "I came to know of that girl when I passed through Maranda some time ago. She would write letters every day despite never receiving a reply. I... could not stand for it. While writing to her I began to realize that she and I were plagued by the same woes. Neither of us could move on. But I cannot avert mine eyes from reality any further..."

"You should... probably go to Lola and tell her yourself..." Terra suggested.

Cyan fidgeted, flustered. With a mutter through his mustache, he sputtered, "W... we have been corresponding through written prose this entire time. It is only proper that I break the news to her through our preferred medium. I..."

"I know it's hard, but... if you want to make it real, I think you should be there. I'll go with you, if you want. I... have something I need to give her, too," Terra responded.

Cyan grumbled unintelligibly, then stalked out of the cave. "Give me time to... collect my thoughts... and my belongings."

After he left, Celes pulled out a key she found out on the cliff and tried it in the locked chest she'd found in the cave. She grinned as it made a satisfying click and she popped open the top. "Now let's see what he's hiding in here..."

"Is snooping through other people's things really that interesting?" Terra wondered.

"It can prove handy sometimes. You wouldn't believe how many people store elixers in their clocks," Celes defended. Rummaging through the chest, she said, "Let's see... what have we here... 'Machines For Dummies', 'Learning Machinery Through Comics', 'Big Book of Machines'..."

"I approve of these books," said Edgar from behind them, nodding.

"And... 'Bushido in the Bedroom'?" Celes questioned, finding a magazine hidden under the cover of one of the larger tomes of machinery.

"I also approve of this book."

"Why would you do that in a bedroom?" Terra wondered, picking up the magazine to look at it. It was a picture book of couples in traditional Doman garb in various private and serene-looking settings, some were holding hands, and one page even had a couple kissing. "Oh..." she said, blushing in realization.

"Waah, Terra, give that here! You're too young for a book like that!" exclaimed Celes, pulling the magazine away from her.

"We're the same age, though?"

Looking it over, Celes realized, "Wait... this is the most vanilla erotica I've ever seen. Dammit, Cyan, give me some dirt to work with, here. I came up here to smack someone, and so far I've got no reason to do it."

"Mm, well, I see by those machinery books that he's open to broadening his horizons. I can provide him with certain... other resources if he's willing to broaden his horizons on more than one front," Edgar offered.

Celes picked up the entire chest and clobbered Edgar over the head with it. Wiping off her hands and nodding, she asserted, "There, now I'm satisfied."

Chapter Text

Terra, Celes, and Edgar returned to the streets of Zozo with Cyan in tow and converged at the edge of town to await the return of the airship. Cyan continued to pace uneasily while Terra looked on. "Cyan... you need to face her... it's the only way that both of you can move on. Isn't that what you want?"

"Of course it is what I want, it is just that... talking about doing it and actually doing it are fundamentally different creatures," he admitted. Remembering something, he wondered, "What of thee, Lady Terra? Thou said thou hadst something to give Lola. What might thy connection be to her?"

Terra reached into her sash and pulled out the dog tag. "I've... been living in Mobliz for the past year. I buried that soldier." Cyan's face fell when he heard this. "General Leo told me that when a soldier dies, their effects should be returned to their loved ones, and since I have this, I thought..."

"Ohh, Sir Leo! Hast thou located him, then?" Cyan wondered.

Both Terra and Celes flinched. "No, not yet..." said Terra. "We haven't found any clues where he might be. But I'm determined to keep looking. No matter how long it takes."

"You can't keep looking forever..." Celes said softly. Terra snapped her head over to look at her and Celes clenched her hands in her lap. "It's... it's just like with Cyan. There comes a time when you have to accept that someone is gone and move on..."

"But we don't know he's gone!" Terra argued. "We have no clues one way or the other, so in their absence, I choose to believe he's alive! I've only been looking for a few days, after all, and you've only been out searching for a few weeks."

Celes sighed. "I know... and as much as I hope that you're right... I also hope that you understand that we may never find anything definitive one way or the other. We at least have leads for almost everyone else, but for him... it's like he just vanished. And while we search, the world continues to degrade. So you have to decide what's more important to you... the world... or him." It was only after she said this that Celes realized... this was the exact same conflict that Leo had confessed to her a year ago that had perpetually weighed on his conscience, just in regards to Terra. And he... had chosen the world.

Terra bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. As much as she wanted to give herself unlimited time to look for Leo... the children in Mobliz were running out of resources and she couldn't stand the thought of Duane and Katarin's child being born to such an inhospitable world. She'd already chosen them over Leo once before and insisted to herself she wouldn't regret it. And she still didn't regret it, but now that she was actually out here and on the hunt finally... why couldn't she have both?

"So... what about Locke, then?" Terra wondered. "We haven't found any clues about him yet, either, have we? Are you going to give up on him?"

"Locke is out there," Celes replied definitively. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bandanna. "I found this tied to a bird and it's what finally gave me that first shred of hope that inspired me to move forward and start looking for everyone." She brought the piece of fabric up to her cheek and closed her eyes. "I'm not giving up. If I've found this much, I know I'll eventually find more." Opening her eyes, she looked at Terra sadly and admitted, "And I do hope you find at least something, too. Even if it's proof that he died, at least it's closure..."

Terra's eyes watered and she nodded weakly. As much as she hated to admit it, Celes had a point. Leo wasn't the type of person to make himself scarce in a crisis. And helping people generally necessitated interacting with them, so after a year, someone should have seen him by now. Celes had mentioned that it felt like all traces of the old Gestahlian Empire, including all its soldiers, had been wiped out of existence. The thought of Leo being all alone and caught up in such a purge while still in the distressed mental state he'd been in when they were separated... crushed her heart. She refused to believe that life would be so cruel, even in this ruined world.

The whirl of propellers was heard overhead, and a few moments later the Falcon landed outside of town. Sabin waved from the deck and shouted, "Heyyy, everyone, sorry we're late! Made a few more stops than we were expecting!"

When everyone boarded, Gau came bounding towards them and jumped on Cyan. "Mister Thou! Gau missed Mister Thou!"

"Ohh, hello there, Sir Gau, it's good to see thou art well!" Cyan replied, ruffling the boy's unkempt hair.

Sabin jabbed his thumb behind him, indicating the corner of the airship's interior. "And we ended up stumbling across another old friend in a cave while we were out on the Veldt," he explained. Terra was momentarily hopeful, until she saw that the figure he was pointing to was a man dressed completely in black, his face concealed by a mask, and accompanied by an unfriendly-looking dog.

"Yeeeah, though we had a heck of a time getting him to come with us," Sabin continued, rubbing the back of his head. "First we pull him out of that cave and he up and vanishes on us. So we checked around a bit and found him at the Coliseum. No idea how he managed to get there so fast." He punched his fist into his hand. "But, you know, turned out a good old-fashioned beating was enough to bring him to his senses and he ended up finally joining us."

While Shadow hadn't necessarily been the mystery person Terra had hoped they'd found, she nevertheless was glad that he'd survived. She'd misjudged him on their first meeting, but he'd ended up being the one who made it possible for her, Celes, and Leo to escape the Floating Continent. Since he'd been with them right when the world collapsed, it was possible... that he knew something.

Before she could approach Shadow to ask, though, Setzer spoke up, "Oh, and while at the Coliseum, we ran into someone else who dropped a bit of a tantalizing puzzle into our laps. A surviving Imperial soldier..."

Terra perked up again immediately and stared at Setzer expectantly. A surviving Imperial soldier with information? Could that finally be a clue about Leo?

Setzer held up a finger and repeated, "He said, 'I gave a tidbit to your friend with the bandanna: "Talk to the Emperor twice". It's a hint about where Emperor Gestahl's secret treasure is hidden.'" Setzer lowered his hand and shrugged. "He didn't know what that hint meant, though. But! We've had a bandanna spotting, and were given the same puzzle he was."

Terra deflated a little bit while Celes was positively glowing next to her. "Someone's seen him?! And sent him to talk to the Emperor? But... the Emperor is dead..." She waved her hands out and paced. "Okay, think, it's a puzzle, so it must not mean the actual Emperor. Maybe something like... an image of him... a statue or a painting maybe... He had a portrait collection in Vector, I know, but that would have been destroyed, so if there was one someplace else..."

Terra took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes. She was happy that they had a lead on Locke and that Celes was invigorated by it, truly she was. Finding Cyan, Gau, Shadow, and everyone else were also all good things. She loved all of her friends so why was she so singularly fixated on Leo? There was something... different about how she felt towards him. With the others, she was content if she knew they were safe and happy, but with Leo that wasn't sufficient. It was like she also needed him to be... physically within reach. Was it simply because she was worried about his condition to the point that she wouldn't be satisfied until she personally confirmed he was okay, or was it... something else? Whatever it was, the gnawing anxiety inside her was making it difficult to focus on the others and she felt terrible about it.

That was it then. She needed an answer, some way or another, so that she could either find him or put him behind her and focus on the future just like everyone else was. And thankfully, now they had someone on board who might be able to help her do just that.

But when she looked to the corner again, Shadow was gone. Wait, where...? This airship was much less spacious than the Blackjack so there weren't that many places he could have disappeared to. Sabin had mentioned that he'd run off on them when they'd first found him, so had he absconded again? At this rate she wouldn't be surprised at her luck being so terrible.

Thankfully, fate had thrown her a bone this one time and it turned out Shadow had just gone above deck to get some air. When she cautiously approached him, Shadow informed her, "It was getting a bit too hectic in there. I prefer the calmness of the night sky."

Terra clasped her hands nervously and looked at her feet. "Um... I wanted to ask you a favor..."

"I do not do favors. I perform jobs. How much money are you offering?"

Terra made a tiny squeak of surprise. "Oh, um... I really don't have much. Those bears in Mount Zozo stole most of it. If you're willing to wait I might be able to earn some somehow, but..."

"Don't bother..." said Shadow, resting his arms on the airship railing. "Money is practically worthless in this world now, anyway."

"Then... what can I do?" Terra pleaded. "Please... Dead or alive, I just want to know what happened to General Leo. We haven't been able to find a thing so far, but I know you specialize in hunting people down. And since he's your former employer and you were with us on the Floating Continent when it fell, I just hoped that maybe... maybe you'd have a better chance..."

Shadow continued to look out over the railing into the night sky passively, before turning around and saying, "... I'll accept the job."

"Huh?" said Terra, looking up and blinking. "But... I still have no way of paying you..."

"The payment he gave me on the Floating Continent was almost double what his job was worth," he said. "So I'll consider this one prepaid."

Terra's eyes lit up with a smile. Nodding, she said, "Thank you..."

"I said 'almost' double, though..." he added. "There's still some debt you owe, and I expect it to be paid upon the job's completion. Not in money, but in the only thing that has any value in this world anymore."

"And what's that?" Terra wondered, swallowing.

Shadow turned his back to her and leapt up on the railing. "Hope."

He crossed his arms with a bow and jumped backwards off the edge of the airship, disappearing into the night sky below.

After some discussion, the party eventually decided their next stop would be Jidoor and its art collection to investigate the clue from the Coliseum. Celes, Edgar, Sabin, and Setzer decided to check the mansion at the north end of town while Terra and Cyan remained outside to question the townspeople. Even though she already had Shadow on the case, Terra nevertheless still gave her usual round of questioning about General Leo but was again met with no affirmative responses.

Jidoor was still unusually bright and prosperous in comparison to all the other places they'd been so far. True, it was the kingdom of the wealthy, but as Shadow had indicated, money wasn't worth much towards keeping the world from slowly dying. And upon closer inspection, Terra noted that the green grass and flowers that still adorned this town were actually all fake: a facade to mask the true state of the world from people who would rather not worry about it.

Out of curiosity, Terra entered one of the shops to inquire about how she might be able to make a bit of money. Even though Shadow had indicated that he didn't need money to make up the rest of the fee for his job, Mobliz was still in desperate need of supplies and most other places probably wouldn't accept "hope" as payment.

"Hah, if you want to make money, retail is where it's at right now," said the shopkeeper. "With the world as it is now, everyone's looking for food, medicine, building supplies, weapons, and protective gear and relics. I can charge as much as I want and can still barely keep anything in stock. I mean, look at all these orders," he said, hefting a stack of papers onto the counter. "I've moved five times the product this year compared to last year. The end of the world has been amazing for business."

Cyan grumbled and clenched his fist. "Mmph... how unethical to profit on the desperation of others. Even if thou didst supply Maranda with the necessary supplies for its restoration, how much didst thou bleed them dry in the process?"

"If people are willing to pay, I don't ask questions," he said with a shrug. "I get the payment, I send out the deliveries; what happens before or after that is none of my business."

Terra looked over the price list and balked. She didn't have time or resources to open a business, and she wouldn't feel right charging people for basic necessities in a time of need like this. But at the same time... "If people are still paying this much for these supplies, where are they getting the money?" she wondered.

The shopkeeper shrugged. "As long as that money makes it into my pocket, I don't ask where it came from. But, you know, these supplies still come from somewhere. Most weapons, armor, relics, and medicines are made from monster parts. If you've got a death wish, hunting them can yield you a good income, too." He stretched his arms out and leaned back his his chair. "I'm good where I'm at, though."

Terra sighed. So it looked like her only option was hunting monsters to earn money to buy overpriced goods to take back to Mobliz. She turned to leave, but then noticed a black feather on the floor that must have fallen out of the stack of orders when he flopped them on the counter. She wouldn't have taken any note of it if she hadn't already seen a similar one in Zozo. Picking it up and twirling it between her fingers, she wondered, "So, are these black feathers really receipts?"

"Hah, I guess you could call them that," he said. "I sometimes find them outside after an order's been picked up. Honestly, I suspect those thieves from Zozo are stealing some of them. But, hey, I've already been paid, not my problem."

Terra and Cyan left the shop, with Terra disheartened and Cyan indignant. "The gall of these people to ignore the plights of the less fortunate when they have the resources to spare! Instead they spend their time burying themselves in excess to hide from the world's problems!"

"They're just... putting up a false reality when they can't deal with the real one," said Terra. Glancing up at Cyan, she admitted, "I think we've all been guilty of that to some extent."

Cyan flushed and his mustache flared. Turning his back to her, he conceded, "I... know that I must tell Lola the truth. However, I am afraid of dashing the hope that I have been able to provide her and destroying the person I was attempting to save. If she is happy... then is it truly so bad that it is because of a lie?"

Terra thought about that for a moment. "I think... that if your happiness comes at the expense of leaving a problem to fester rather than solving it, then it's not a true happiness. It's selfishness. General Leo once told me that he couldn't do some of the things he wanted to do because he had responsibilities to other people. I didn't understand what that meant at the time, but... I think I do now."

"Terra! Cyan!" came a shout from the northern end of town. They looked towards the mansion and saw Celes and the others running towards them. "Terra! We found the clue in the Emperor's portrait! It told us where to find the Phoenix Cave! Locke is probably there!" Celes stopped in front of them and panted. "Also, while we were in there, we found Relm!"

The little girl poked her head out from behind Celes and waved her paintbrush. "That rich guy Owzer wanted me to paint him a picture of the goddess Lakshmi, but I guess it was a little too realistic and a monster possessed it. We kicked its butt, though." She put her hands on her hips and grumbled, "And what's this I hear about my worthless old coot of a grandpa moping around a cultists' tower? This is why you can't leave old guys alone; they start believing in weird crap. I'm gonna kick his butt, too."

Terra took a deep breath and then informed Celes, "I... want to go with you to the Phoenix Cave. I want to help you find Locke. I'm sorry I've been so focused on General Leo lately and ignoring everyone else."

"Terra, there's nothing to apologize for," replied Celes in surprise. "If anything, I should be sorry for suggesting you give up hope so quickly. I..." She fidgeted a little. "I'm just... emotionally exhausted. As much as I care about General Leo, I can't... I can't invest in that many people right now, so I have to choose my battles. And if that strong of an investment leads to tragedy..." She shook her head and held Terra's hands. "Terra, I just don't want to see you destroy yourself, okay?"

Terra nodded. Celes had still been extremely hushed on the details of what had gone on with her over the past year other than she had been asleep for most of it. But Terra got the feeling that... something happened... and that Celes was still not entirely recovered from it. But if that was the case, it was up to Terra to be there for her to reduce that strain, even if she'd rather be looking for Leo.

"Let's go find Locke, then," said Terra. "After everything we've been going through, I just really want to see one of our efforts pay off."

After a quick detour to the Fanatics Tower so that Relm could slap Strago back to his senses and get him to rejoin them, the group flew the airship to the mountains north of Tzen, which the hint in the painting indicated was the location of the Phoenix Cave. Upon examination of the terrain, it was decided that without Locke's dungeon crawling expertise at their disposal, it would be safest to send in two groups to work in tandem in order to get through it. Terra offered to lead one group while Celes led the other.

Despite the cave being full of spike traps, pitfalls, and magma, as they proceeded they began to notice signs that someone had already been through it ahead of them. Areas that looked like they might have once contained treasure had already been pilfered, except for those in hard-to-reach locations that necessitated both teams working together to access. Terra's team stumbled into yet another dragon, this time due to Gau rushing at a shiny treasure box, but with a full party they were able to defeat it rather easily.

On the final ledge, Terra depressed a pressure plate in the floor that opened a door to the rest of the cave beyond. She motioned to Celes and encouraged her, "Go on. Go find him."

Celes nodded, but hesitated. "This 'secret treasure' he's been searching for all this time is supposed to be an artifact that can call back the dead. I never believed such a thing existed, but if it does... and it can do what he claims it can... if he brings back Rachel... I don't even know where that leaves me."

"Even if that happens, I'm sure he'll still be your friend," said Terra reassuringly. "You mean too much to him to just abandon like that."

Celes bit her lip. "I know, but... it feels like being just friends would be even harder... To have him be there, but also for there being a boundary that I'm not allowed to cross. It feels so constraining... and at the same time selfish to complain about it..."

Terra cocked her head, trying to understand. Being friends... wasn't enough? There was something extra she wanted out of her relationship with Locke that went beyond being friends? Was that what differentiated "friends" from... "lovers", then? If there was some kind of line of demarcation between the two that constituted a "boundary", she wondered what specifically that was.

"I... don't have experience with that type of feeling to know what to suggest," Terra admitted. "But... if being just friends isn't sufficient for him, I hope it's still sufficient for us. And to know that we'll still be here for you no matter what happens."

"Thank you... That... does mean a lot," said Celes, turning to face the cave opening. Squaring her shoulders, she nodded and said, "I'm going to go find him. And no matter what happens, I'll always be grateful for your help."

Locke had indeed been in the Phoenix Cave, and had uncovered what turned out to be the Magicite remains of the Esper Phoenix, which was supposed to have the power to restore the dead. However, the Magicite was cracked, so if it ever did have such an ability, it no longer had the use of it. Still, the Magicite had just enough power to open a temporary bridge to the afterlife that allowed Locke to communicate with Rachel one last time. After this, Rachel disappeared and the "secret treasure" was reborn as a normal shard of Magicite.

Locke sat on the bridge in Kohlingen overlooking the river, Celes next to him. He let out a relieved breath and said, "Rachel... forgave me for not being able to save her. She wants me to move on and live my life."

"I'm glad..." said Celes. "You two had a special bond, and it would be terrible for that bond to be broken by misplaced resentment. Sometimes... even though you try your hardest... people still die... and you shouldn't blame yourself for it."

Locke pulled up his knee and rested his arm on it. "With me, it was more like... I felt guilty. Like if I ever stopped trying to bring her back and moved on with my life, that I'd abandoned her. I thought I was doing it for her, but really I was only doing it for myself. I never really thought about if that was something that she would have wanted me to exhaust myself over."

He leaned back and looked at the sky. "And honestly... I'm glad it turned out this way. If I'd really been able to bring Rachel back, then I'd be left feeling guilty about you ."

"Huh?" said Celes, blushing.

"I'm sorry that I've kept you at arm's length for so long," Locke apologized. "If I'd moved on and opened myself up to you, I'd feel like I was abandoning Rachel. But if I went back to Rachel, I would have been abandoning you. I felt trapped..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Honestly, it's amazing that you've stuck with me for so long, after how badly I've treated you."

Celes clenched her hands on her legs. "I guess... in the back of my mind I understood that you weren't being cruel... you just had other issues that you needed time to work out. And that I would be the cruel one if I didn't let you have that time..." She sighed. "Just like I've been with Terra and dissuading her from looking for General Leo... You spent years looking for your miracle to reunite with a lost loved one and were actually somewhat successful... Maybe Terra can pull off a miracle, too."

"I wish I had some kind of clue to offer, but in my searching and information gathering since the world collapsed, I never heard anything about him, either," said Locke. Looking back down at the water, he added, "And in my case, the 'success' of my miracle was just the ability to say goodbye. It was a bittersweet ending, but at least it was closure."

A ways away, Terra sat on a crate next to one of the buildings, absently flipping the dog tag around her fingers and gazing only vaguely in its general direction. Cyan leaned against the wall of the building next to her and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I... was in a similar situation to Sir Locke once. When we disembarked the Phantom Train, I was faced with apparitions of my deceased wife and son departing this world. It was an opportunity to see lost loved ones again that few mortals ever experience... and I felt that I wasted it begging them to return when I knew that they could not. I should have used that time to tell them I loved them, as they did to me."

He looked down at Terra sadly. "But in thy situation, thou dost not even know if 'goodbye' is yet warranted. It is a story whose final page is missing. An opera whose final song is unsung." Terra raised her head a little at that reference but said nothing. With a sigh, Cyan conceded, "But... as for Lola, while I may know how that story ends, she still does not. And it is only my reluctance that is keeping her from knowing it. I do not know how I could help thee, Lady Terra... but I do know how I can help her..."

Terra finally looked up at him. "Does this mean... you're ready to go to Maranda and talk to Lola?"

"Yes..." he relented. Indicating Celes and Locke sitting together on the bridge, he noted, "In this town, we experienced both a reunion and a final farewell. And while farewells are the less desirable of the two, they are still just as important. They are what allow us to move forward."

Terra nodded and continued to fidget with the dog tag a little longer. Just like with Locke and Rachel, she'd promised Leo that she'd be there for him, but she'd failed. Locke had spent years searching for a means to rectify this... and had ultimately actually been partially successful. Based on everyone else's suggestions, Terra had almost been ready to accept that Leo was gone and move on, but now... now she had precedent that something might actually come of refusing to give up. And whether it be reunion or farewell, she wasn't going to assume the ending until she actually saw it with her own eyes.

Terra and Cyan stood outside the door to Lola's house. Cyan was looking at the ground, kicking his foot against the cobblestone nervously. "I just... do not want to hurt her..." Cyan fretted.

"I know," Terra affirmed. "But I think keeping up this ruse will eventually hurt both of you more in the long run. I think the best thing to do is to acknowledge reality so that you at least know where the pain is that needs to be stopped."

Cyan sighed with an understanding nod, then hesitantly raised his hand and knocked on the door. After a few tense moments, the sound of footsteps was heard on the other side, and a young woman opened the door for them.

Seeing Terra, she exclaimed, "Oh, it's you again! I'm so glad, I was hoping you would come back! I have something for you!"

"Huh?" said Terra, following her inside.

Lola handed her a stack of letters. "You said you were looking for General Leo. I still don't have any clues for you, but after you left I went through all of my letters from Wes and found all the ones where he mentioned the general. While going back through them I realized that... just reading about the general made me want to strive to be a more giving person. So, I don't know if they'll help you at all, but I wanted you to have them."

Terra gently took the stack of envelopes and looked at them, first in confusion, then in appreciation, then in fondness. Eyes watering, she returned her attention to Lola and said, "Thank you..." Wiping her eye, she wondered, "But... aren't these important memories from your boyfriend, too?"

"I still have plenty of other memories from him, so it doesn't hurt to share," she replied. With a bit of a sad shrug, she informed them, "Although... I haven't gotten any from him recently. And by recently, I mean in the past year..."

Terra and Cyan looked at each other in surprise, then back to Lola. "I... knew those flowers and letters weren't from him," Lola admitted. "But I was afraid to admit it and wrapped myself in this comforting falsehood." She lowered her head and gave a slight nod. "But... I'm okay now. Even though I don't know who was writing those letters, I could still feel my heart begin to heal while reading them. That person must have suffered a similar loss. I wish I could meet them..."

So she already knew... Just like Cyan, she'd known it was a ruse the entire time but had just been playing along because it helped her to heal. People coped with loss and trauma in different ways, and maybe Terra had been too quick to try to put a stop to this method if it was what was working for them. Still, Lola had seemed to have come to a natural point where she wanted to move on.

"I... came back because I had something for you, too," said Terra. "You see, I've actually spent the past year in Mobliz... I never knew your boyfriend personally but I did know about him." She pulled the silver tag out of her sash and held it out to Lola. "And I came here to make sure this was returned to you. It's a year late, but... this really is from him..."

Lola held her breath, gingerly taking the tag from Terra. Slowly, she clutched it in her hands and brought it to her chest, bowing her head. "Thank you... The worst part about knowing that he was gone was also knowing that he was lost... somewhere in an unknown part of the world... and that I would never see him again. Thank you... for bringing even a little piece of him back to me..."

Terra nodded, looking at the stack of letters in her hand. "And thank you again for giving me a little piece of the general, too. Even if I never find him... I'm glad to have something now."

Sniffing and giving Cyan a nudge, she added, "And about the person who was sending you letters in his stead for the past year..."

Cyan cleared his throat and held out the dusty envelope from his table. "Er, yes, Madam, it appears he has sent thee another. I, er, found this attached to the carrier pigeon outside. I believe he also wishes thee well and is grateful that thou hast decided to carry on forward."

Lola took the letter and gave him a small smile. "I'll be sure to tell him that it's appreciated."

Terra gave Cyan a side-eye, but he merely bowed to Lola and the two of them left the house. Outside, Terra considered berating him for still never coming out and revealing himself to Lola, but... in the end, no harm was done. Lola knew the truth and was healing, and that was really all that mattered. She seemed quite shrewd as well and may have already figured it out for herself, leaving no necessity for Cyan to say anything, anyway.

"Ahh, good for her," he said, stretching. "I am grateful that she is still in good spirits." Turning to Terra, he noted, "Lady Terra, it is beginning to get late. Shall we return to the airship?"

"You go on ahead," said Terra, looking at the stack of letters in her hands. "I... think I want some quiet time to myself to read these and think about what I want to do next."

Cyan bowed. "Do as thou wishes, Lady Terra. Healing is a process. Take as much time as thou requires."

Terra sat against a wall on the outskirts of town, sliding her back down it as she let out a long breath. Once she was settled on the ground, she let out a small chuckle. Leo had been missing for a year, but her memory of him had been guiding so many of her decisions. And now even Lola, simply after reading about him, had made up her mind to stop lying to herself and move forward. He wasn't gone. Even things he did over a year ago were impacting people even now.

She smiled to herself and opened the first few letters.

Dear Lola,
I'm writing to let you know that I'm doing as well as I can, and hope you are doing the same. I've been stationed at a camp outside of Doma under the command of the Imperial General Leo. He came around and asked all of us about our hometowns and families, and when I mentioned how much I missed you he offered me the use of the military's carrier pigeons to keep in touch with you! It surprised me that an Imperial would be so generous. I still wish I was back in Maranda by your side, but I'm glad we'll still be able to talk. I'll write you again soon.
Wes

Dear Lola,
A stray dog wandered into camp yesterday and I and a few of the other guys decided to keep him. We hid him in our tent, but he got out and ate the general's boots. We were afraid the general would be mad, but he told us that we could keep the dog on the condition that we train him to be a guard dog and that we name him "Chewie" because he ate his boots. So that means we have a dog now! Chewie says "hi". Oh, General Leo also says "hi".
Wes

Dear Lola,
Unfortunately, it sounds like I'm going to be here for a long time. Doma is playing a war of attrition and has walled themselves up inside the castle. With their defensive advantage, General Leo won't send any of us in for an assault he's not sure we can win, so that means we're just left to wait. He's apologized to us for keeping us out here like this, but he lacks the authority to send us home. I know I can't ask him to sacrifice his position by disobeying orders and sending us home anyway, especially after how good he's been to us, but I just really want to see you again.
Wes
P.S. Chewie ate your last letter. I hope it didn't say anything too important.

Terra had to stop reading a moment and wipe away a tear, but she wasn't sure if it was a happy or a sad tear. Even through the eyes of other people, these accounts just... sounded so much like him. These may have been past memories of him, but they were someone else's memories and thus new to her. She was so grateful to have been given these, but at the same time the reminder made her miss him all the more. Someone so generous and reverent of other people's lives... if he was still alive now, where could he possibly be and why had no one else taken notice of him?

A light gust of wind came up and a black feather floated by her. She reached out to grab it and look it over. Another black feather... There had been ones in Zozo and Jidoor, too. The shopkeeper in Jidoor said that he thought they came from Zozo thieves, but what would a Zozo thief be doing in Maranda?

She looked up and saw a crate sitting next to the town's outer wall that she hadn't recalled being there before. Out of curiosity, she got up to examine it. Inside was a collection of restorative items, medicine, blankets, hand tools, and relics to ward off poison and petrification. It also contained an invoice indicating that it had come from Jidoor, the contents were quite expensive... and had been paid in full?

A man came down the stairs and observed, "Oh, good, the latest supply shipment is here! That's wonderful, we were starting to run low on remedies."

The man hefted up the crate and began to walk back into town with it, but something about it nagged at Terra's mind and she inquired, "Excuse me, do you know who is providing those supplies?"

"It's the people of Jidoor, it seems," the man said with a smile. "And for free, too! I guess all it takes is the end of the world for them to start worrying about karma. Not that I'm going to complain. Cut off from the rest of the Southern Continent, this town would have died without these care packages, so I'm glad someone stepped up."

"R... right," said Terra, thinking that over as the man left. She knew for a fact that Jidoor wasn't giving these away for free. Which meant that someone had to be acting as a benefactor on Maranda's behalf, both paying for and delivering regular shipments of life-sustaining goods, and expecting no recognition in return. And after reading those letters, she knew exactly whose personality fit that bill...

"So it appears you have found him as well," came a voice from behind her.

Startled, Terra turned around to see a masked, dark clothed figure had appeared behind her. "Sh... Shadow! You're back!" His statement catching up to her, she waved her hands and pointed back up the stairs towards where the man had left with the crate. "So you mean... that was him who's been doing these supply runs from Jidoor to Maranda?"

Shadow nodded. "And Zozo. And Kohlingen. And South Figaro. His logistics have actually been quite impressive. He's practically been sustaining half the world's resource stability single-handedly."

"But... I don't understand... I asked around most of those places and no one had seen him," said Terra, confused.

"Did you see him here just now?" Shadow wondered.

"Well, no..." she admitted. Brows furrowing at that, she realized, "Wait, but... I was sitting right out here reading those letters. Surely he saw me . Then why... why wouldn't he say anything? Why wouldn't he let me know he's okay?"

"I have my suspicions, but it would likely be prudent to ask him that yourself," replied Shadow. "Come, I have been trailing him for days and know his movements. I know where we can intercept him."

Chapter Text

Terra anxiously followed Shadow into the desert area south of Maranda. After all this time, she finally had a lead on Leo's whereabouts. And from the sounds of it, not only was he alive, but he had been actively assisting in recovery efforts all along. Therefore, his absence could potentially be explained the same way hers could: he'd just been busy helping other people and hadn't had time to go looking for anyone else. That thought was such a relief, but at the same time, she wanted to confirm for herself that he was okay.

Shadow suddenly held out his arm to bid her to stop, then motioned for her to crouch behind a sand dune with him. Terra did as instructed, but when she looked over the dune to see what they were hiding from, all she saw was a cactus. Despite her building restlessness at the thought of seeing Leo again, she trusted that Shadow knew what he was doing and thus didn't question this. She waited, watching the cactus since it was the only thing aside from sand that was visible in any direction.

Suddenly, a bolt of energy erupted from the ground under the cactus, sending it flying. Terra held her breath, her eyes widening. That... that was Shock! The spell tied to Leo's sword that she'd never seen anyone but him use! But then, if he'd used it, where was he?

The cactus fell to the ground and sprouted what looked like a pair of arms and legs. It bounced a few times and spun in a circle, also looking confused as to what had just hit it.

"A Cactuar," Shadow explained in a low whisper. "Extremely resilient and difficult to hit, and their parts fetch a high price, making them the most lucrative monster to hunt."

Terra nodded. "So that must be how he's been funding all these relief supplies." Another Shock launched the unassuming cactus into the air while it was still disoriented. Terra looked around and wondered, "But... where is he? That spell hits a large area but it can't be cast from a very great range."

The Cactuar landed again and wobbled. It let out an irritated screech, then tilted over and spun in a circle, launching a spray of needles in all directions. About twenty feet away from it, the air shimmered and human figure materialized. Terra couldn't make out any details from this distance through the desert's wavering air, but she could tell he was holding a sword in one hand and clutching his leg with the other.

"He's hit!" Terra exclaimed, her hackles raising. She made a motion to leap out from behind the dune to go help him, but Shadow bid her stay where she was.

"Let him finish this fight. Even Vanished, a Cactuar's attack is guaranteed to hit. Now that he's exposed, he needs to finish it off before the Cactuar can attack him again."

Terra swallowed and watched in apprehension. "Vanish? He's been... Vanished this entire time? That's why no one's seen him?" Celes had mentioned that it felt like Leo had just vanished off the face of the planet, but Terra hadn't considered that could have been literal. Mostly because... "But... General Leo never learned magic. So how...?"

Shadow produced a small scroll from his sash. "Invisibility Scroll. These are bound with a single-use Vanish spell. Maranda actually has an ample stock of them, likely thanks to him."

The Cactuar screeched again, and the human figure in front of it swung his sword in an arcing motion that Terra definitely recognized. A third Shock bolt erupted from under the Cactuar, and this time it disintegrated into a pile of needles and juice.

The battle won, the figure collapsed into a sitting position in the sand, still favoring his leg. Terra stood up and pleaded, "Please, he's hurt, I have to help him."

Shadow didn't stop her this time, but instead warned, "Use caution." Terra looked at him in confusion. Caution? If that was General Leo, why would she need to be cautious around him?

Terra crested the dune they had been hiding behind and slid down the other side, running towards the fallen figure. As she got closer, she could see that... he actually didn't look much like General Leo. Instead of the green military uniform, he was dressed in a black trench coat with several large cargo pockets, a number of varied-colored sashes around his waist and shoulders, and most notably was wearing what appeared to be a black lion mask over the top half of his face, the mane of which was constructed of a plume of black feathers. It looked like something similar to the dragoon masks from one of the children's picture books. The black feathers at least tied him to the supply shipments in Maranda, Jidoor, and Zozo, though.

Terra slowed her run to a trot, now not entirely certain who this person was she was looking at. But like with the wounded soldier in Mobliz, even if this wasn't Leo, he was still hurt and needed help. "Are you okay?" she finally called out to him. "I can help heal you if you need it."

The man whirled around in the sand and pointed his sword at her defensively, causing Terra to stop in her tracks. Wh... what? Terra slowly raised her hands in a peaceful gesture, looking down at him in apprehension. That was... definitely Leo's Crystal Blade. And he'd used Leo's Shock technique. He was the right height, and the bottom half of his face that she could see from under the mask was the right skin tone and jaw shape. All those features pointed towards a positive ID of him, but...

"You're... General Leo, aren't you?" she asked hesitantly. "It's me, Terra... don't you recognize me?"

"Terra?" he questioned.

Terra's throat and face warmed. That voice... saying her name... the way that made her feel was the most solid verification of his identity that she could ever hope for. She nodded with a smile and replied, "Yes... I've been looking for you and am so glad I've finally found you..."

He kept his sword trained on her, not budging, before responding, "I am sorry. I do not know anyone by that name."

Terra's breath caught painfully in her chest. Oh no... Had he... lost his memory?

"And if you are in league with that assassin who has been trailing me for the past few days, unfortunately I have no reason to trust your intentions, either," he continued, nodding his head towards Shadow who had approached from behind her.

"Oh? Your eye is more keen than I gave you credit for," said Shadow, seemingly more concerned by the fact that he'd been spotted than the fact that the man who was probably Leo considered him an enemy.

Terra's heart raced. What... what could she do now? He didn't remember her, and the fact that she'd hired Shadow had already made him distrustful of her. She... wait... That was... that was the exact same situation they'd been in when she first met Leo in Albrook, only in reverse. She had experience with this. Leo had managed to earn her trust despite all that, so she would need to draw from her memories of her own feelings at the time to try to judge what his needs were now and how she could best respond to them.

Closing her eyes, she exhaled and tried to calm herself, mentally swapping her and Leo's positions and remembering how she had felt in Albrook that day. Leo hadn't approached her directly at all during that time, and thinking back on it, that was probably for the best. No matter his intentions, if he had imposed himself on her, she would have been intimidated and only receded from him more.

Terra opened her eyes, then with her hands still raised in a peaceful gesture, slowly began backing away. "I'm sorry... I understand how this looks, but I really am a friend who's just worried about you."

His sword faltered only slightly as she backed away. "If you are a friend, then I apologize as well... but unfortunately I have no means to verify the veracity of your claim. I have no memory of friends, family, or anything that transpired more than a year ago... but thanks to the multiple attempts on my life that have been made over this past year, I can reasonably conclude that Kefka wants me dead by any means necessary and thus I cannot afford to take any chances."

So Kefka had targeted him during his purge of the former Gestahlian Empire. Remaining out of sight through multiple layers of obfuscation via both a mask and a Vanish spell was likely the only way for him to stay safe and still be of some service to the world. But if he had no memory of anything from before the fall of the world, then not even referencing his favorite opera was going to do Terra any good to prove her identity this time. However, Leo hadn't won her trust by proving that he'd previously known her. He'd won it by leaving himself vulnerable and being receptive to her needs. But leaving herself vulnerable meant... taking a huge risk.

Terra swallowed and backed away more. "I just... want to talk to you, and help you if I can. But I also want to leave that up to you. I'm going to go back to Maranda, and if you're open to talking to me, I'll be there, okay?" She squeezed her eyes shut, then slowly turned her back to him. She had to leave him. Injured, alone, and frightened, she still had to leave him to have any chance of getting him back later, by forcing herself into an even weaker position than that.

Holding a hand to her mouth to fight back tears, she shakily began walking away from him. She had finally found him, and could very well have just lost him again. All she could do now was hope that he would come to her of his own accord, and that her fledgling empathy was still enough to make herself seem sufficiently approachable.

Sparing a glance behind her, she saw that he had already vanished again. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees, holding her face in her hands. She should have been happy that he was alive, but instead this chasm that had opened between them felt like it hurt more than it would have if she had discovered he was dead. He was there but... completely out of reach. If people were products of their experiences as he had once told her, without those experiences was he even Leo anymore?

Shadow crossed his arms and looked out passively over the sand. "Memories of the past are such fickle things. If not properly controlled they can come back and haunt you at any time. Some traumas are so terrible that the only way to continue functioning is to block them out. And that means anything tangentially associated with them as well. Friends, family... any kind of reminder is sacrificed out of necessity."

Terra took a shuddering breath. She knew he'd been in a fragile emotional state on the Floating Continent, and after the fall of the world he had been left to deal with it without any support. "I just wanted to help him heal... to let him know that, even after everything the Empire did to him, his life was still worthwhile... That's what he did for me, after all..."

"Don't be so hasty in trying to reopen old wounds," Shadow warned. "Any memories of you or his past life are irrevocably bound to the traumatic memories that put him in this state in the first place. He has moved on from that and made a new life and new purpose for himself now. It's not your place to take that from him. Some people don't want to remember."

Terra wanted to rebuke him for that assertion, but she would be a hypocrite for doing so. After all, she still had little to no memory of what happened to her in the Magitek Research Facility and had never had any desire to know. Even though it had sounded like she might have had some interaction with Leo during that time, would remembering 18 years worth of torture be worth it to remember possibly only a few glimpses of a friend? And in Leo's case, Terra had only known him for, what, a week? How selfish she was to think that she was important enough to expose him to so many terrible memories just so that he could remember her.

She pulled one of Lola's letters out of her sash and looked at it. But... Leo's life hadn't necessarily been full of terrible memories with only a few moments of reprieve. Gestahl had merely cruelly re-framed all his acts of kindness as acts of exploitation. And Leo's corrective action for that wasn't to then refuse to be kind. His dedication to relief efforts and retaining his politeness towards her even when he feared she was an enemy was evidence enough of that. No, he'd corrected it by making sure the effects of his kindness could no longer be traced back to him so that he had nothing to gain from it. He was hiding from Kefka, but he was also hiding from Gestahl, whether he consciously understood that or not.

Terra stood up and clenched her fists. "I'm going back to Maranda," she announced. "You're right that it should be his decision... but it should be an informed decision. And for that I still need to talk to him."

Shadow bowed, then turned his back to her. "He has been located; my job is complete. And as I suspect only one potential outcome of your contact with him will fulfill the remainder of my payment request... I wish you luck." With that, he threw a smoke bomb at his feet and vanished.

Terra sat at the railing at the southern outskirts of Maranda overlooking the reservoir, anxiously fiddling with her pendant. How long should she wait for him? What if he didn't come at all? And what should she tell the others? They were still waiting for her in the airship and deserved to know she'd found Leo alive, especially Celes. But Terra was afraid if she moved from this spot, she might miss her only chance to talk to him and he'd be lost forever. So all she could do was wait.

She pulled another few letters from Lola out of her sash to read to distract herself from her anxiety.

Dear Lola,
The general received a missive ordering us to attack Doma tomorrow. I can tell he doesn't want to but he also can't go against orders. He asked for volunteers and almost everyone stepped up! I didn't, though, and I'm having a hard time not feeling bad about that. This war is for a cause I don't believe in, for a country that isn't ours. But the outcome of this battle will reflect on the general, and it's only because of this that I feel conflicted. Though he will never say as much, the general is just as trapped here as any of us, and I'd feel terrible letting something bad happen to him just to save myself.
Wes

Dear Lola,
The attack yesterday ended in a stalemate and we had to withdraw. We lost five men from our side, two of whom were also former Marandan soldiers. The general asked us all to come together for a moment of remembrance and to collect their personal belongings. He wants to personally return them to their families. I still don't understand how a man with that much compassion can serve such an evil regime as the Gestahlian Empire, but at the same time I shudder to think what the Empire would be doing if he wasn't there. So maybe I answered my own question.
Wes

Dear Lola,
I hope this letter reaches you. Remember when I wondered a while ago what the Empire would be doing if General Leo wasn't there? Well, General Leo left abruptly for some mission in South Figaro, and in his absence an absolute maniac showed up to oversee the base in his place. This guy is the complete opposite of the general. He looks down on everyone, treats us all like disposable pawns, and has said he's going to send us on a suicide assault on Doma to finish the fight once and for all. He even kicked Chewie! I'm going to have to sneak to the carrier pigeon as long as he's around. If General Leo doesn't return soon, I don't know what I'm going to do.
Wes

Terra put down the letter and rubbed her face. I don't know what I'm going to do, either, Wes. She'd mentally run through dozens of possible conversations in her head that she hoped might sway him, but they were for a conversation that might never actually happen. She was the only one with any real incentive for them to talk, after all.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat at the railing next to her, but when Terra turned to look there was no one there. Her face tingling, she realized that this was actually exactly what she should expect. "General... Leo?" she attempted tentatively.

After a few moments of silence that caused Terra to worry her anxiety was making her hear things, a familiar voice acknowledged, "That is what you called me before, yes."

Terra's heart raced. He came! He was here! She hurriedly sorted through her mental collection of conversation starters she'd been rehearsing but suddenly drew a complete blank. So instead, the main thing that struck her was, "Do you... not remember your name?" That was a terrible conversation starter.

"It is a name Kefka has also called me when he rained beams of light down on me from the sky," he replied. "But it is not a name I have any personal memory of."

Terra clenched her hands on the railing. "Please believe me that I am absolutely not in league with Kefka. So many other people know you by that name, and most of them would never hurt you."

"And that also goes for you?" he wondered.

She was about to insist an affirmative, but... that would be a lie. If she wanted to gain his trust, she had to be brutally honest, even if it hurt. "I... I would never intentionally harm you, but I know I've still hurt you in the past. I've said... thoughtless things to you, and even though I knew you must be traumatized and alone this whole time, I'd still never come looking for you until now."

He had gone silent again. She may very well have scared him away with that. If he was worried about being hurt, that was basically a confession that, intentionally or not, she was still a danger to him. It seemed like it would be so much simpler if she could construct this happy fantasy where she had been his perfect friend and he should never feel uncertain when he was around her, but doing so would only be setting him up for a future betrayal of that expectation. He'd been betrayed enough already.

But after some time, his voice returned, but was still laced with caution. "If... you knew me from before, may I ask you something?"

Terra nodded, looking to the empty space beside her. "Of course! ... Although, I should warn you, I only knew you for a short time before... all this happened... but I'll try to answer what I can."

She heard him swallow. "When I awakened a year ago, I knew only two things: That I had suffered a great betrayal, but that I also could not stand by while other people suffered. The fear of betrayal coupled with the need to be of service has torn at me all this time and forced me to operate absolutely anonymously. It is... so wearying. Was I... ever capable of trust?"

"Of course you were!" Terra replied automatically. He had been trusting almost to a fault, actually. Kefka's curse on the world had been to sever everyone from the source of their hope. Celes from Locke, Edgar from Figaro, Setzer from the Blackjack... but since Leo cared about basically everyone, Kefka had to essentially drive a wedge between him and the entire rest of humanity in order to fulfill that goal.

He let out a self-derisive breath. "And yet... this is the first time in my memory that I have had any direct interaction with another person besides the thieves of Zozo. With them at least I knew I could not trust them, which was... reassuring in a way. But that still meant my interactions with them have been devoid of any attachment or meaning. With everyone else, I can merely exist among them unseen, listening to them talk about their problems so that I know what they need."

Terra blinked. But... she'd asked the townspeople of Zozo about him and they'd all said they hadn't seen-- Oh for heaven's sake, they were lying?! She shook her head and replied, "I can confirm that your emotions were... hurt pretty badly just prior to the fall of the world. And you not being able to remember the cause of that pain may be what's preventing you from overcoming it. But that's why I've been desperate to find you, because I want to do what I can to help you with that. Please believe me that you are only hurt, not broken. I have seen many other people able to heal even in this world, and I know you can, too."

He cleared his throat and noted, "Well... on that topic, my leg is still somewhat injured. Potions would only recover so much, and you indicated that you could heal it, so..."

"Yes, absolutely!" said Terra with a smile, holding her hand out in the direction of his voice, but stopped herself. If he didn't remember her, then it also stood to reason that he didn't know anything about her, including her abilities. "I would be healing you with magic, though, if you're okay with that. And as a forewarning, if I use magic on you, it's going to undo your Vanish spell. I want to make sure you understand all of that before agreeing to let me do anything."

He made an uncertain sound in his throat and didn't immediately reply. "If... that is the case, I would prefer not to be exposed in town. There is a forest northwest of Maranda that would provide more cover. I would be more comfortable there."

Terra nodded in understanding. "Of course, whatever you need."

Chapter Text

Terra left town and headed northwest as instructed. As she had no means of following him, all she could do was go that way and hope that he was covertly following her and would instruct her where he would like her to go once she got closer.

Terra cautiously entered the forest, brown and decaying just like the rest of the world. Strong monsters had a habit of hiding in forests, so she was somewhat disheartened that he would rather take his chances being spotted by a monster than he would other people.

"This is far enough," his voice came from behind her, startling her as she was still on the lookout for monsters.

Terra nodded and sat down with her back against the trunk of a large fallen tree. She extended her hand and said, "Since I can't see you, you're going to need to take my hand and place it on your injury for me."

She heard a rustling of dead leaves on the ground next to her and felt a light thump against the log, indicating he had sat down next to her. A few moments of no sound or movement passed, but then she felt the experimental bump of fingers against her hand. She closed her eyes and tried to suppress a small smile. Slowly, the uncertain contact became more solid, and his hand slid over hers and gently gripped it. It was the same size and warmth as she remembered, though the skin was a little rougher now. She had such an urge to squeeze his hand back in reassurance, but knew that if she wanted to earn his trust, she couldn't do anything beyond what she had explicitly told him she was going to do.

Her hand was guided to the side and pressed against what felt like torn fabric, stiff and crusted with dried blood. She opened her eyes and looked to her side, guessing where his eyes would be, and gave a nod. "All right, are you ready?"

He took a deep breath. "... Yes. I want to be able to trust, but that is never going to happen if I do not open myself to it."

She smiled softly, a soft green glow beginning to emanate from her hand. Since she couldn't see his injury she couldn't gauge the severity of it, so she decided to just go with the strongest healing spell she had, which had recently received an upgrade, anyway, thanks to the Magicite that Relm had found in Owzer's mansion.

With a whisper, she chanted, "Curaga," and the green glow expanded to wrap around his entire body. It flashed brightly in a pure, soothing light, and when the glow faded, there he sat, fully visible. The black lion mask still covered the top half of his face, but this was still one layer of obfuscation now gone between them.

He let out the breath he had been holding and actually gave a light chuckle. "I think that fixed a few other ailments I have simply been ignoring this entire time as well." He cracked his neck back and forth a few times. "Carrying those crates has been awful on my back." Looking at her sheepishly, he offered, "Thank you..."

"You're very welcome," she replied, smiling broadly. "I want to do whatever I can to help you."

He looked almost a little intimidated by that, slightly recoiling away from her. "... Why, though? Even if you were a friend before, going to those lengths seems excessive. What... what do you get out of it?"

She laced her fingers around her knee and looked off into the forest. "I'm sorry if I'm coming on a little hard. But... I've been in your position before: Dropped into an unfamiliar world with no memory of who I was, pursued by some shadowy regime for unknown reasons, not knowing who I can trust... I was scared and had no idea what I was supposed to do. People would tell me I needed to fight the Empire even though the only thing I knew about myself was that I was an Imperial soldier. It felt like such a contradiction since I had no personal stake in what they were fighting for. They took care of me, yes, but I could tell they also saw me as an asset. But since I had no connections to anyone or anything, I just... did what they asked of me. I began to worry if it was even possible for me to have a connection with another person and have something that I believed in that I could fight for."

He bowed his head and let out a soft chuckle. "Well, you seem to have been successful in overcoming all of that. I never would have guessed any of that based on how you have presented yourself to me. You are definitely a person who knows what she wants and has the determination to work for it."

Terra blushed. Was that... really how he saw her? She felt like her emotions were still a mess of uncertainties and that she hadn't become particularly more competent than when she'd last seen him. She just knew from her time with the children that if they were scared, she had to take charge in giving them a sense of security even if she actually had no idea what she was doing.

"It's still hard for me to even see myself that way," she admitted. "I was only able to start overcoming it because I met someone who gave me what I didn't realize I needed: Validation. He was the first person to go beyond merely acknowledging my insecurities and actually made an effort to make himself available to encourage me to work through them. Really, he was the one who gave me the confidence in myself that I even could . So since that's what helped me, I wanted to be able to help you the same way."

He looked at the ground and swallowed. "I get the feeling that... the person you speak of was me." Terra fidgeted slightly and didn't immediately confirm, but he shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not believe I am capable of being that person for you any longer. I do not wish for you to hold such expectations of me only for me to inevitably betray them."

Terra's shoulders slumped and she bit her lip. She wanted to tell him she didn't have those expectations of him, but... that would be a lie. Her entire goal with this was to see if it was possible to coax out the General Leo she once knew. But the General Leo she once knew... was still who he was . There should be no need to direct or coax anything, only to let him be himself. That was what he had done for her, after all. He'd just... been there as support while she figured out who she was on her own.

"The only hope I have for you right now is that you become more comfortable in your own skin," she finally said. "I agree that... hoisting lofty expectations on you is counterproductive. People would tell me that I was 'the key to winning the war' or 'the last ray of hope'. All it did was intimidate me and I never believed I could be any of those things, but I was also terrified of letting everyone down." She smiled a little. "But that friend of mine, who may or may not have been you, was happy to merely see me succeed, no matter how small the victory."

He rubbed his hand over his chin restlessly. "Still... I feel like you are placing a perilous amount of emotional stock in me when I do not have any confidence that I can deliver."

Terra cocked her head. "But isn't delivering all you've been doing this past year?"

He made a choking noise in his throat, then held his hand to his mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to stifle a laugh, his shoulders shaking. Taking a deep breath, he relented, "All right, you win that one. Some things I can deliver."

Terra giggled as well. "Well, and I mean, look at you. Earlier today you were afraid to even let me come near you, but you approached me all on your own, brought me out here of your own will when you could have refused when you heard what healing you would take, and have been holding down a conversation ever since. I think that's an amazing feat from where you started."

"I... suppose you have a point," he replied, his cheeks flushing a little from beneath his mask. "Though I occasionally have empty exchanges with the thieves of Zozo only to satiate my need for socialization, this is the first time I have found a conversation with a human... enjoyable."

Well, "human" wasn't entirely accurate with Terra, either, but if he still found conversation with her enjoyable despite her still carrying a modicum of self-doubt concerning her ability to relate to other people, then... maybe "human" wasn't so incorrect after all. Still, if he had specified "human", it made her wonder, "So, is there anyone other than humans who you've been talking to?"

She felt a sudden yank on her ponytail which made her yelp and flail. A monster?! She'd been so absorbed in their conversation that she'd forgotten all about the fact that forests tended to be crawling with monsters.

But while she struggled, she heard Leo's voice over her head take on a firm but somehow bemused tone, insisting, "No, no, those aren't greens, that's her hair. Let go. Come on. Open your mouth." There was a disgruntled squawk in response. "Yes, I know you're hungry. I'll pick you up something when we get back to Jidoor. Now let go of her."

There was another grumble of a squawk, and Terra's hair was finally freed. She stumbled forward and turned to see what had "attacked" her, but when she did see it, her eyes lit up in admiration. "A chocobo! And not only that, a black chocobo! I've read about them but I've never seen one in real life before!"

"Ah, yes, I did notice that all of the chocobos in the stables I saw were yellow," he said, stroking the side of the large bird's face. "I found this guy injured shortly after I awoke in this crumbling world, and seeing him hurt was the first thing that really stirred the need inside of me to help those who were suffering. Since he was the first chocobo I saw, I had no preconceptions of his rarity. I just knew he needed help."

Terra reached out her hand and looked at him hopefully. "Can I pet him? I love chocobos." Moogles were still her favorite since she could hold and hug them, but there was still an appeal for an animal that was bigger than her but nevertheless fluffy and pettable.

"Er, you may make an attempt, but be warned that he is still a wild animal." He gave the bird a scratch under the chin. "He may be amicable to me now, but it took quite some time after I first began tending to his wounds for him to stop attempting to attack me. Even now he usually hides in the forest when I need to approach populated areas."

"I'm glad that he at least became friends with you, then. You two seem to have similar needs," Terra observed with a grin, edging closer with her hand outstretched. "You even have matching black feathers." The chocobo made an uncertain squawk and bobbed its head, but Terra coaxed in a soothing voice, "It's okay, I'm a friend. You liked my hair, remember? I like your feathers and want to know if they're as soft as they look..."

She touched the side of the chocobo's neck and it gave a small agitated stamp of its foot, but didn't pull away. Stroking her fingers through its feathers, she commented, "Oh wow, he really is soft. Thank you for letting me pet you, um... does he have a name?" she wondered, looking back to the lion-masked man.

"Well, I did name him 'Orcus', but I am unsure if he even recognizes that as his name," he replied, scratching the side of his chin. "But I am impressed that he allowed you to get close to him. You must have quite an affinity for animals."

Terra was still caught at the first part of that statement. "Orcus? You... remember the name Orcus?"

He cleared his throat and clarified, "Well... when I first awakened it was a name that was floating around in the haze of my mind. For a while I assumed it was my own name, however I found that I was wearing a tag that bore a different name, which also bore a resemblance to the name Kefka called me when he attacked me, and also the name you called me."

Terra nodded. "Cristophe, Leo. O-negative. Vector," she recited.

He made a startled sound and unconsciously placed his hand on his chest where his tags would hang. "You... know what my tag says?" He stepped forward and prompted, "Please, do you know what it means? It has been a puzzle to me this entire past year and I have had no one whom I can ask."

"It's... it's your military identification," Terra explained. "It's how a soldier who is lost is identified... and how they're returned home to their loved ones..."

He reached into the collar of his trench coat and pulled out the familiar metal tag on the chain. Seeing it again made Terra's face buzz in excitement. Not that there wasn't already ample evidence that this man was indisputably Leo, but the presence of his tags still felt like yet another piece of the man she knew coming back to the surface. "Then if my name truly is supposed to be 'Leo'... then who is 'Orcus' and why would I remember that name instead?" He clutched the tag and worried, "I hope it is not the name of some adversary of mine, as that would be a terrible thing to name my chocobo."

Terra shook her head with a smile. "No, Orcus is a character from an opera you said you identified with quite a bit, so I can see how you could have thought he was you." She turned to Orcus the chocobo and rubbed his cheeks. "And it's also a very good name for your chocobo."

Orcus made a rumbling coo and then clamped his beak down over Terra's ponytail again. She giggled and ducked down to try to escape it, but it took a light pat on his cheek from his master to get him to let go again.

"All right, I suppose I should find you some food before you actually do eat her," he said in slight amusement. Stroking the chocobo's neck, he noted, "Herbivores like him have had it rough. With plant life unable to grow anymore, the only food I can get for him is existing stocks of dried grains and hay, which are starting to run low. And as most monsters have toxic flesh, meat is difficult to come by as well. It is likely a good thing that Orcus remains hidden as he would be a viable meal to many. And while I would not condemn people for eating a chocobo to survive... I am also not going to let them have him."

Terra shuddered. If the world decayed to the point where people were eating chocobos to survive... then the world might as well be done for at that point. But if he was going to get supplies, then... "So, you're going back to Jidoor?" Terra asked.

"Yes. I have another shipment for Maranda to pick up there as well. I can only carry so much weight at a time before Orcus becomes unable to handle it." He pulled himself up on the bird's back, then looked to the side, pursing his lips indecisively. Terra was contemplating asking if she could go with him, and wondered if perhaps he was waiting for her to do so as he was still a little too uncertain to ask her himself. She was tempted, but...

"I... have people waiting for me back at Maranda," Terra explained. "They'll worry if I stay away too long." Not only that, but if she did disappear unexpectedly, they'd all come looking for her and that would potentially spook him back into hiding.

"Ah..." he said, sounding noticeably disappointed. "I am glad that you have friends you can count on like that," he said. Turning to look at her, he insisted, "But please do not tell them about me. Even if they are all former friends of mine as well, I... it is still too much for me to handle more than one person right now..."

Terra swallowed. What would she tell them, then? She absolutely didn't want to betray Leo's trust, but what about the rest of her friends? Celes especially would be so relieved to hear she'd found him alive. She deserved to know... but Leo also deserved to have his wishes honored... What should she do?

She should just be honest, that's what. Trust meant that he could rely on her to always tell him the truth, even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear. Looking up at him, she replied, "I can't promise that." He flinched in response and began to tense up like this was the inevitable betrayal he had been anticipating, but she quickly went on to explain, "I'm not going to lie to you, but I'm also not going to lie to them. If you're not comfortable with interacting with more people so soon I absolutely respect that, and I'll ask them to give you your space until you're ready. But I'm not going to make them suffer by continuing to think that you've been lost forever when I know you're not."

He bowed his head, clenching his fists around Orcus's feathers and letting out the breath he had been holding. "I... I apologize. That was indeed a selfish request. I have been so preoccupied with worry that someone might betray me that I never considered that... there may be others lost to my memory whom I was betraying by insisting on remaining hidden." He swallowed, looking ahead of him into the forest. "I wish to remedy this, but... I am still afraid..."

Terra approached him and hovered a hand over his leg, but thought better of it and absently stroked Orcus's feathers instead. "It's fine if you still need time. It took me a long time to come to terms with my feelings as well, and even now there are plenty of things that I'm still unsure of. I can't expect you to recover in a single day, either."

Continuing to look ahead, he requested, "If you cannot come with me... will I still be able to see you again? I should be returning to Maranda in a few days, if you will still be here... I hate to impose on you, but I do not think I can do this alone..."

Terra gave him a warm smile. "It's no imposition at all. I told you, I came looking for you specifically to help you , remember?" His cheeks flushed slightly at that, which made her smile even more broadly. "Also, if the others know about what your needs are, with the airship I can be wherever you need me to be. I can even meet you in Jidoor, if you want."

He let out a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "Is it overly selfish that the first thing I thought was how much more efficient my relief work would be if I was friends with someone with an airship?" Orcus gave an annoyed squawk, and he leaned over to give him a scratch on the neck. "Ohh, I don't mean it like that. Your work has been invaluable."

Terra giggled, then extended her hand up to him. "Then, I'll see you in Jidoor?"

He looked at her hand, then tentatively reached out his own and clasped it. A content smile slowly formed on his lips, and he replied, "Yes... I look forward to it."

He reached into one of the pockets of his trench coat and pulled out one of the small Invisibility Scrolls. Looking at it in uncertainty for a moment, he squeezed it, then slowly returned it to his pocket. "No... I have no intention of backsliding if it can at all be helped. Reverting to old habits as soon as you are out of reach would be a gross disrespect to all of your efforts until now. I need your help... but I also need to be able to help myself."

Coming to a realization, he turned and fished back into his pocket, pulling out a whole handful of small scrolls. "And, just to make sure I am not tempted..." He tossed the handful of Invisibility Scrolls to Terra. "Here, return these to the shop in Maranda."

She made a surprised squeak and flailed to catch them, but dropped one, which poofed at her feet and ended up turning her invisible instead. She stood there in transparent shock for a moment before they both started laughing.

"D... Dispel," she chanted between giggles, returning herself to full visibility again.

"Now, see, there's another thing I wish I'd had," he said in a bemused voice. "I can use an item to turn myself invisible but I have nothing that can change me back. I have to wait for myself to take a hit, and for some reason, when you're invisible it hurts a lot more."

"Well, that's the trade-off with magic. When you're the most hidden you're also the most vulnerable," Terra replied. Reaching up to touch his hand once again, she offered, "But in that case, may I give you a different spell to help keep you safe before you go?"

"Yes, of course," he replied without hesitation.

She smiled and closed her fingers around his. Closing her eyes, she chanted, "Protect..."

A golden glow enveloped him and he let out a slight gasp and closed his eyes. It felt like he had been wrapped in a thick, protective blanket, but without the extra weight. Opening his eyes slowly, he breathed, "Thank you..."

Terra nodded. "Safe travels, General."

"Safe travels to you as well, Terra," he replied warmly. "We shall meet again soon." Turning and giving his chocobo a pat on the neck, he instructed, "Let's go, Orcus." The chocobo gave a squawk, then dashed into the forest ahead. Within seconds, the two black figures had melded into the shadows and were out of sight.

Terra returned to the airship after returning the Invisibility Scrolls to the shop in Maranda as requested. However, she ended up keeping one for herself as a memento, as it was the only thing she had that Leo had given her directly, as silly as it was. When she boarded, most of the others were milling around quietly. They acknowledged that she had returned but didn't immediately attempt to converse with her.

She took their behavior as meaning that Shadow had not informed them that Leo had been located and they assumed she had been off brooding instead. However, she had never heard Shadow discuss the details of any of his other jobs with anyone, so it was understandable. Noticing Shadow reclined in his corner, she twitched a smile at him and flashed him a covert thumbs-up gesture. He nodded, then actually appeared to relax somewhat.

Celes approached her finally and noted, "You seem to be in a surprisingly good mood compared to before. Cyan told me about the letters Lola gave you." She leaned down and whispered, "So was there something really juicy in them?"

Terra let out a small snicker and shook her head. "No, just some nice memories of the General being just the way I remember him."

Celes smiled back at her. "I'm glad it's been enough to lift your spirits. While you were gone the rest of us were brainstorming some new strategies to try to track him down. He deserves at least one last push effort to find him."

"Oh! Um... that's not necessary..." said Terra, fidgeting a bit. How should she break the news? Just tell them all at once? But then she'd have to quell the enthusiasm of ten people at the same time to keep them from invading his space, and the prospect of that sounded overwhelming.

"No, Terra, it's absolutely necessary," Celes protested. "I was wrong to be so negative about it to you. I was just... afraid of giving you false hope only for you to be let down. Yes, you have those letters now, but should you really be satisfied with just that? What if we really could still find him?"

"We can," Terra replied confidently. Celes blinked at her in surprise at the apparent contradiction, but Terra leaned forward and quietly requested, "Can I talk to you alone for a bit?"

Terra pulled her into the small room adjoining the main quarters of the airship. As she closed the door, Celes quietly wondered, "Wait, Terra, what is this about? Did... did you find something?" Terra turned to her and nodded eagerly. Celes clasped her hand to her mouth and quietly exclaimed, "Oh my god, you did?! Is it some kind of lead? Some evidence of what happened to him? Was it in those letters?"

Terra held up her hands to hush her and replied, "No, I found him. Alive! He's been helping to rebuild Maranda this entire time!"

"Wha..." Celes couldn't even process that. Shaking her head, she confirmed, "So... he's alive. And in Maranda. But no one had seen him?"

"Well, remember when you said that it was like he had just vanished?" Terra reminded her, fishing into her sash. She pulled out the Invisibility Scroll and held it out with a cocked head and a shrug.

Celes looked at the item in her hand and squinted. "So, you're saying you met him in Maranda right after reading some letters about him, but he's invisible, and no one else there has interacted with him, and he also didn't bother to come back with you." She looked up at Terra in concern. "Terra, now I'm starting to worry you're not actually okay."

"No, Celes, I'm not hallucinating him," Terra insisted. "Shadow helped me find him, so he can back me up." Although, on second thought, good luck getting him to talk. Taking a deep breath, she explained, "Look, he's suffering from amnesia, same as I was. Kefka tried to purge him with the rest of the Empire in the midst of his identity crisis and he went into hiding not knowing who he could trust. He's still emotionally damaged from the Empire's betrayal, but he's having a hard time moving on from it because he can't remember where that damage came from or who he had for support."

Celes bowed her head. "That... that sounds awful... I've been so worried about him being in such a miserable state, and if he's been like that for the past year... He's just such a 'people person' that not being able to interact with any other people must be torture to him." She looked up. "But you said he's been rebuilding Maranda?"

Terra nodded. "Because underneath all that pain and uncertainty, he's still him : A person who can't idly watch people suffer. Interacting with him at first was an incredibly delicate matter. But while our conversation may have started tense, it ended with both of us laughing together, which proves that it is possible for us to help each other heal from what Kefka has done to us."

Celes choked in surprise, getting the feeling that she had heard a very similar sentiment coming from Leo himself a year ago when he had interacted with Terra for the first time since her release from the Empire's brainwashing. If he was trapped in an emotional prison, if there was anyone that he'd be able to open up to, of course it would be her.

"What can I do to help, then?" Celes wondered.

Terra looked down a little apprehensively. "At the moment, not much, actually," she admitted. "He's still trying to regain his trust in people, and he's requested that no one else try to approach him just yet." She looked up at Celes with pleading eyes and begged, "I know he means a lot to you, and I'm sorry if I've made you feel helpless by saying that you can't do anything for him right now. But I still wanted to make sure to let you know that he's alive at the very least. And that I am going to do everything in my power to get him back."

Celes let out a sigh, then with a wry smile clapped Terra on the shoulders. "I know you will. You mean a lot to him, too, and he'd better remember that or I am going to smack him so hard." What was it with Celes and smacking people? And how would that help?

Terra took her hand and nodded with a bit of uncertainty. "Right now I'm just focusing on getting him comfortable enough to talk to us. Whether he ever remembers us... that's going to be up to him, but I can't force it. Even if we never get the old General Leo back, he's still someone worth forging a new friendship with."

"But the old General Leo needs you, too!" Celes insisted. Terra blushed with a slight squeak, and Celes realized that this really wasn't her place to tell her about Leo's feelings regarding her. He should tell her himself. But that meant he'd need to remember them. So she settled on, "The old General Leo had insecurities he still needed to work out, too, and forgetting about them doesn't mean they got solved. They just got overlaid with something else. Being content to let him forget his old identity is being content to leaving the General Leo you originally knew with no closure."

She had a point, but there was still no way to force him to remember. Telling him about things that happened in his past was just empty information to him, like people trying to explain to her that they did things out of "love" before she had any personal concept of the feeling. If he was going to deal with things in his past, then they still had to mean something to him, and that meant that he had to remember them himself rather than just being told.

"All I can do is try to get him comfortable with the prospect of remembering his past, but the rest is out of my hands," Terra advised her.

Celes nodded sadly. "Then... in whatever manner you're able... please bring him back to us."

"I will," Terra promised. "We've brought everyone else home so far. I'm not going to let him be an exception."

Chapter Text

Terra casually roamed the outskirts of Jidoor looking for any sign of where she and Leo might be able to meet. The airship had most likely made better time than a chocobo so she was fairly certain that she'd beaten him here, she just wasn't sure by how much. She knew that he was coming to pick up another relief shipment and some food for Orcus, so waiting near the shops and chocobo stables seemed like a good choice.

When she came around near the shops, she saw that there was already a pair of crates left out front. That must be his pick-up, then. So if she waited there, he was bound to find her.

Terra sat herself down on the crates and swung her legs a little impatiently. Once again she was left waiting in a town for him to come find her, although at least this time she knew for certain that he would actually come. Still, she was left with a mix of apprehension and giddiness at the prospect of seeing him again. Celes and the others knew about him now and were all eagerly awaiting his return, but she felt like trying to forcefully steer him in the direction they wanted was little more than manipulation, and a betrayal of his trust if she tried to groom him into someone he wasn't comfortable being anymore. She liked him for who he was, and by definition that should come naturally to him without her having to direct anything.

As had somewhat become habitual while she was waiting for him, Terra pulled out the last two letters from Lola to read through them.

Dear Lola
Thankfully General Leo came back before that crazy guy, Kefka, could do anything, so I'm still safe for now. However, I can tell that Kefka wants to drive the general out and take over here permanently, and I feel like it's only a matter of time before he's successful. General Leo is the only thing between us and Kefka, but I get the feeling that's the case all over the Empire and the general has himself stretched far too thin. All it's going to take is another crisis somewhere else for him to leave again. If that happens and Kefka takes over, I'm tempted to make a run for it. Some of the other guys have talked about it, too. I know it's dangerous, but I'd rather take my chances with that than with Kefka. I hope it doesn't come to that, and I wish I could help the general do something about Kefka but I'm in no position to do so. I wish there was someone who was, so he doesn't have to deal with this all alone.
Hope to see you soon,
Wes

Terra's heart sank. Even before, it was still like he was trying to save the world all by himself. Did he really have no one he could rely on back then, either? Celes had deserted when she could no longer handle the Empire's wrongdoings, but it sounded like Leo had instead stuck it out in order to protect those who didn't have the option of leaving. And while Celes's desertion might have seemed selfish on the surface due to disqualifying herself as potential support for Leo, by removing herself from the Empire they had also lost a tool in her, whereas Leo had remained beholden to the Emperor's orders. She could honestly sympathize with both decisions.

Both she and Celes were here for support now, though, he just had to be open to it. With the Empire gone, there was no reason for him to need to carry the entire world on his back alone anymore.

She pulled out the last letter and noticed that it was on a different type of stationery than the others, and when she unfolded it she saw that it was also in a different handwriting. Was she given one of Cyan's letters by mistake? No, this was...

"Hey, don't be messing with those crates, they're for a delivery!" came an annoyed voice from behind her. Startled, she turned away from the letter and saw the shopkeeper standing at the door, locking it and turning over the sign from "Open" to "Closed".

Terra let out a breath and confirmed, "I know, and I know who they're for. I'm just waiting for him."

"Hah. Good luck with that," the shopkeeper replied. "The guy's been responsible for the bulk of my orders for the past year, but he just leaves the order request along with the payment in the mail slot and then picks them up in the middle of the night. This whole time I've never actually seen who it is."

"I think I might have better luck," said Terra. "If you're okay with me waiting here."

The shopkeeper shrugged. "I mean, suit yourself, but I wouldn't sit on the outskirts of town like that if I were you. The monsters get bad at night. I don't know how that guy manages to operate at night and not get attacked." He waved to her and turned back into town. "Ah, whatever, I got paid already, what do I care?"

Terra smiled. She already knew that his secret to never being seen and avoiding being attacked was because he was invisi--

Her chest seized up in realization. He... he wasn't invisible anymore. And he'd given her all the rest of his Invisibility Scrolls. Yes, she'd given him the Protect spell, and she knew that chocobos could generally outrun monsters, but if Orcus refused to come near towns and stayed behind in the forest, then there was still some part of the trip that he'd have to make on foot. And if he wasn't accustomed to being visible to monsters...

She turned and frantically called back to the shopkeeper, "Excuse me, sir, where's the nearest forest to Jidoor?"

He turned and cocked his head at her. "Huh? There's one a few miles north of town, I think. Why?" But Terra had already hopped off the crates and dashed out of town to the north.

It was already getting perilously dark by the time Terra made any significant distance north of town. The air was full of the yelps and howls of monsters all around, and she was having disconcerting flashbacks to her first night in this new world. Leo had obviously retained some memory of how to fight, but even someone like him wouldn't last against monsters like these all by himself.

Terra lit a fireball in her hand to continue to light the way, and had the unnerving feeling of dozens of hungry eyes watching her from the scrub brush in the barren fields. With this light she was essentially making herself a beacon to any monster in the area, but she would be completely lost without it.

"General?!" she shouted into the darkness experimentally, and the whoop of calls of unseen monsters crescendoed in response. There was a gargle of a growl in front of her, and a pair of green, lizard-like creatures with six legs slithered in front of her, croaking. Terra froze, but then had a moment of recognition. Wait, she'd read about these in the monster records in Mobliz. They could turn a person to stone with just a look. And yet she hadn't bothered to bring any protective relics with her!

The two creatures looked intently at the fire in her hand, its reflection dancing off their bulbous yellow eyes. If they were attracted by the fire and were lizard-like, it stood to reason they were weak to cold. She doused the fire in her hand, then charged her hands with a blue glow. The two creatures leapt at her, but she shouted "Blizzara!" before they could reach, freezing them in place.

Re-lighting her fire, Terra hurried around the frozen monsters and continued towards the forest to the north. She had gotten lucky with those, but she would still rather avoid any further monster encounters as she knew she didn't have the strength to take on many more of them alone.

She reached the edge of the forest and held up her fireball, peering inside. "General?" she called again. "It's me, Terra. I didn't think about your vulnerability to monsters when I took away your Vanish spell and wanted to make sure you were okay."

There was a rustle in the trees and she hopefully wondered, "General?" But it wasn't him. A giant mantis-like creature stalked out of the forest, hissing and raising its two scythe-like appendages. Terra backed away, but then heard another hiss behind her. There were two of them?! And they'd surrounded her!

Bug monsters, so... fire, then. Thankfully that element was her specialty, but with them on either side of her she'd only be able to hit one at a time. She targeted the one blocking her way into the forest and shouted, "Firaga!" A fireball exploded from above it, smashing the creature to ash, and she took the opportunity to dive towards the forest for cover from the one behind her.

But she wasn't quite fast enough. The other mantis creature swiped with its scythe arm and tore a giant gash across her side, causing her to buckle and crash against a tree trunk. She sank down to the ground, clutching at the deep wound in her flank. That hit hard. That hit really hard. If she tried to hit this one with another Fire spell, she'd bleed out before she could heal herself, but if she tried to heal herself, it would just attack her again and finish her off, anyway. If something this powerful roamed the forest, then what if General Leo had already been...?

There was an enraged squawk from behind her and a blur of black feathers. A giant black bird rushed out of the forest and kicked the mantis creature in the head, then grabbed one of its arms in its beak and ripped it off. The monster hissed and stumbled back, but was met with another dark figure, this one in a lion mask with a black feathered mane and a black trench coat. He swiftly rushed forward and drew his sword, arcing it upwards and cutting off the monster's head and other arm in a single motion. Its decapitated body fell over, and the bird hungrily began pecking at it.

The lion-masked man sheathed his sword then immediately ran to Terra and crouched beside her. "Terra?! Wh... what are you doing out here? We agreed to meet in Jidoor, did we not?"

"General...?" she breathed, her head fogging over and listing to the side. "I..."

He frantically searched his cargo pockets, patting them down and rifling through them. "No, no, stay with me now, all right? Hopefully I still have some -- ah, thank goodness, here it is." He pulled out a small pouch and from it produced a tiny gold feather. He pressed it against the wound in her side and it gave off a faint yellow glow, closing it and stopping the flow of blood.

Terra let out a breath and sagged, still heavily weakened. She felt a hand under the back of her head and a glass vial pressed against her lips. "Here, drink this. It is not enough to fully recover you, but it should at least stabilize you from the blood loss," she vaguely heard his voice say. She weakly swallowed the potion and felt a small surge of energy flow down her body and through her limbs.

Fluttering her eyes open, she saw a black, feathered lion mask looking down at her in concern. Her lips parting into a smile, she whispered, "I found you..."

He helped her sit up straighter and rest against the tree trunk, insisting, "And it is supremely fortunate for you that you did. The Greater Mantis is the strongest of any roaming monster. Its sickles also fetch a good price from weapons makers." Shaking his head, he questioned again, "What on earth were you doing roaming around alone at night? I would have met you in Jidoor, as promised."

"Because I had the same worry about you," she replied weakly. "Without your invisibility, I was afraid you would be a target for monsters, too, and I didn't want you out here alone..."

"Oh..." he replied guiltily, sparing a glance back at the chocobo who was still contentedly crunching on the giant bug. Pointing at his mask, he explained, "That is partially what this is for. As you can see, chocobos are a force to be reckoned with when provoked. The beast mask coupled with the chocobo feathers renders the monsters unable to discern me as human in either sight or scent. It aids in hunting them, but also avoids unwanted encounters, even when I am visible."

He let out a sigh and turned back to her. "But... that is certainly not something I would expect you to come to know without being previously informed, so your concern is understood. And appreciated."

She gave him a frail smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"But you still are not," he observed in concern. "Your injuries were greater than my stock of healing items can fully recover."

"It's okay, I can heal myself," she said, shakily raising her arm, but he reached out and gently grabbed her hand.

"No... no, I think not," he softly protested. "While I do not doubt your healing abilities, having experienced them first-hand, I would assume they take some form of exertion on your part that I fear you do not currently have the stamina to bear." He looked down and absently squeezed her hand. "I... admit I could perhaps be wrong due to my primitive understanding of magic, but if you are going to err on the side of caution regarding my safety, please allow me to err on the side of caution regarding yours. If you would allow me to return you to town, I believe an ample night's rest should be sufficient for you to regain your strength."

She felt a warmth in her chest at his expression of concern for her. She felt he might be partially right, too. She did still have the power to heal herself, but in her current state could probably only manage a normal Cure spell which still wouldn't be enough to put her back in peak condition. A rest would be warranted either way.

She nodded in consent, and he gave her hand another squeeze before standing up, adjusting the sash at his waist and tying it together with another that he unwound from his shoulders to fashion a sort of sling harness. He crouched down with his back to her and prompted, "Here, take my shoulders. I can carry you."

"Are you sure?" she wondered, hesitantly reaching out and tentatively touching her fingertips against his upper arms, even though he had already given her permission to touch him.

"I have been hauling crates of relief supplies for the past year," he explained amiably. "Carrying a weight on my back is something I am highly accustomed to."

Terra gave a faltering swallow at that description, but seeing as he was willingly offering his back and she had no real other option at this time, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and slipped her legs over the sling. He looped one arm under her knee and stood, pulling the sling tight around his waist to support under her bottom before looping that arm under her other leg. "Hopefully this will be comfortable enough for you until we reach Jidoor."

She nodded against his shoulder, her cheek resting against the soft mane of feathers from his mask. He turned and called to Orcus, "Hopefully that mantis will satiate you for now. I promise I'll be back later with some better food for you, all right? You take care of yourself." The bird flopped down on its haunches and boredly crunched on a giant bug leg.

As they made their way back towards town in the darkness, Terra felt conflicted. Being carried by him felt... nice. But she also felt horribly guilty that it felt nice. "I'm sorry... for making myself a burden on you..." she finally whispered.

"On the contrary, with as much as you have helped me recently, I am glad that there is finally something I can do to assist you," he replied. "Not... that I wanted for you to be hurt or in need, I am just glad that when you were, I was hopefully able to do something for you."

She squeezed him lightly. "Yes... you saved my life back there... Thank you..." He gave a contented hum in response, and she recognized, "You always did love being of service to people. But... that doesn't necessarily mean you have to carry all that weight by yourself. I had hoped to take some of that weight off your shoulders, not add to it..." She sighed and rested her cheek on his shoulder looking off to the side. "I guess I was too needy to want to help you and put myself in danger by underestimating your ability."

He gave a light-hearted chuckle. "In your defense, the first time you met me you did not exactly witness my finest moment. I have fallen victim to a Cactuar's thorns before, but normally I am able to defeat them unscathed. So I can see where you may have assumed my skills to be lacking." He looked down at the sword at his hip. "In all honesty, even I am not fully aware of my capabilities. When threatened I was able to call upon the powers of that sword through muscle memory alone, but I have no conscious memory of where that sword came from or ever learning to fight. It is my body rather than my mind that remembers."

He swallowed hesitantly, his pace slowing somewhat. "And speaking of my body remembering, um... when you held my hand when we last met... there was a feeling in my chest that I could not place, but my body knew... that you have held my hand like that before..."

Terra felt her body temperature rise, suddenly acutely aware of how much physical contact she currently had with him being carried on his back like this. "Y... yes, we've held hands before," she confirmed.

"When I felt that flutter of familiarity in my chest, for the first time I knew for certain... that I could trust you," he admitted. "That feeling was so... liberating." He adjusted his grip on her legs and hefted her up to sit a little higher on his back. "And that is why carrying you is like no weight at all."

Still feeling warm, all she could do was nod against his shoulder and make a small sound of affirmation, unconsciously squeezing her arms around him a little tighter while feeling her consciousness fading. She didn't want to be a burden on him, but at the same time... she didn't want to let him go.

When they reached Jidoor, a problem suddenly presented itself. Finding Terra a safe place to rest for the night necessitated going to the inn. And getting a room there necessitated talking to the receptionist. Fully visible, dressed in black, wearing a mask, and carrying a semi-conscious woman on his back. That was likely to be a tricky conversation even without crushing social anxiety.

He glanced at Terra lightly dozing against his shoulder and tightened his grip on her legs. He had already pledged to himself that he was going to overcome this irrational fear that Kefka had instilled in him, and he wasn't about to let Terra continue to suffer just because he was uncomfortable. If he could muster the courage to talk to Terra even after he had thought she had sent an assassin after him, he should easily be able to talk to an innkeeper.

Clenching his teeth, he crouched low and hurried under the arch at the entrance of town to hide, all the while mentally screaming at himself that behaving like that only made him look more suspicious and would just draw more attention. Thank goodness it was still the middle of the night and there was barely anyone out in the streets. He crept to the other end of the archway and surveyed the area to check for any roaming townspeople. Seeing no one, he held his breath and dashed to the inn entrance a hundred yards away.

Once there, he hesitated at the door. What if the innkeeper turned them away thinking he was a Zozo thief? He certainly had the look of one thanks to adopting many of their trafficking techniques for his own purposes. What if the innkeeper summoned the authorities on him? What if they tried to rob him in the night? What if they tried to stab him in the back while he slept? ... Why did these anxieties always culminate with someone stabbing him in the back? That was an oddly specific fear.

And they were all also very, very unlikely, and he knew that, but... Well, the being mistaken for a thief one was actually pretty plausible in this case. But even so, none of that was worth leaving Terra injured and out in the open. If you want to help her, you need to do this. Just... go in there and talk to someone.

He took a deep breath and gripped the door handle, pushing the door in and entering the inn. The innkeeper looked up from the desk in surprise, and after giving him a once-over, announced, "I'm sorry, but we don't serve Zozo hoodlums. Go do your dirty work elsewhere." Oh no.

He froze in the doorway, unsure of what to do now. The feathers against his cheek gently rustled with Terra's breathing. He knew he had to stand up for her, at least, even if he couldn't for himself yet. "I... I am not from Zozo and am not here to cause trouble," he insisted. "This woman is injured and I am in need of a place for her to stay."

The innkeeper shook his head. "Sorry, everyone knows that the people of Zozo are compulsive liars."

"Well, they are, yes, but I am not--"

But the innkeeper suddenly straightened up, backpedaling with, "Oh, I guess you really aren't from Zozo. Admitting that they're all liars is actually the truth." He pulled out his quill. "My apologies, valued guest, shall I put you down for one bed or two, then?"

Well that had... unexpectedly worked out. He had no intention of sleeping himself, so just the single bed for Terra would likely be sufficient. But it was a second later that he felt a sudden rush of heat to his face when he realized exactly why the innkeeper was asking. Th... they weren't...! He wasn't...!

"T... two, please," he stammered finally, fumbling in his pocket for his coin purse. If his intentions were benign to begin with, why did he care so much about optics?

The innkeeper took his payment and pointed him to their room, and he hurriedly trotted that way to conclude that interaction. Entering the room and closing the door behind him, he let out a relieved sigh and sagged his shoulders. He had... actually conversed with a stranger. Not particularly well , but he had still finally managed some human interaction with someone he could neither count on to lie to him or be trustworthy.

He moved to one of the beds and crouched down, gently unloading Terra from his back and easing her down onto the mattress. She made a light groan and fluttered her eyes open, whispering, "General...?"

"Shh," he said quietly, pulling the covers over her and patting her hand. "Get some sleep. Do not worry, I promise I will not disappear on you again. I will be right here."

She smiled sleepily and nodded into the pillow, sagging against it. "This bed is really soft..." she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep again.

Once he confirmed she was comfortable, he stood up and dimmed the room's oil lamp, then walked to the opposite bed to sit down and keep watch. Upon sitting on it, he noted that her assessment of its softness was indeed quite accurate, and it prompted his muscles to ache with fatigue. While carrying her hadn't been any strain, it had been days since he had attempted any kind of sleep as he had always found it to be a futile and exhausting battle. His body craved it but his over-anxious mind refused to allow it.

He looked at his hand and slowly slid his other over it, clasping it. Terra, though... Terra had a calming effect on him. When they held hands, he found himself awash in feelings of... he wasn't even sure what to call them. It felt like perhaps... gratitude, admiration, and an overall desire to be in her presence. And the depth of those feelings was too great for them to have sprung only from what she had done for him that he could actively remember, though those actions certainly deserved gratitude in and of themselves. No, these were feelings that had to have come flooding from beyond the dam in his memory, devoid of context, but still enough to cause his heart to flutter.

And it felt good . His emotions up until this point had be ones of constant stress. Fighting monsters to earn money, using that money to buy overpriced goods, running those goods across the entire continent, mingling among the townspeople invisibly to learn what their needs were and overhearing so many heartbreaking stories, being paranoid about getting backstabbed at every step, all without ever being seen or having anyone to speak to himself. Yes, he had Orcus, and he was eternally grateful for that, but there was only so much useful feedback and advice a chocobo could give.

The only flashes of joy for him over the past year had been when he'd managed to see people momentarily happy at the effects of his work. A family receiving food, an ailing parent receiving medicine, a child receiving a new toy... It was the smiles of the children especially that had kept him going this past year. Always happy to receive anything no matter how small, and never worrying about where any of it came from aside from those mysterious crates that spontaneously appeared in town every so often.

Perhaps that was what had prompted him to seek Terra out in Maranda and speak with her that first time. He had seen she was in obvious distress, and he had been made known of her need to speak to him. Providing for people's needs and helping them to overcome their troubles was what intrinsically drove him, which had tempted him to oblige despite his intimidation. But she seemed aware of that intimidation and immediately placed herself in a non-threatening position to lessen the burden on him. And when she'd indicated that she was a friend... that was a need that he'd had all along that had yet to be met. So... he'd given it a try, and talked to her. And now he was ever so grateful that he had.

He felt his head nod forward and caught himself. He was... dozing off? With his mind preoccupied with non-stressful thoughts for once, his body was now quite forcibly making its needs known. However, when he attempted to lie down on the bed, he felt his body tense up on its own. Stop it, you're not dying. Why do you even think you're dying? he berated himself.

He cocked his mask slightly to the side so that he could rest his cheek fully on the pillow and forced out a long, deep breath. It really was soft... He hadn't had the chance to sleep in a real bed in... in his entire memory, actually. Was he really going to allow his uncontrolled anxiety to waste this opportunity? He just needed to steer himself back into the more pleasant thoughts that had allowed his body to relax in the first place.

Terra. Terra was here with him right now. She had come back for him, as promised. She'd braved monsters in the wild to come looking for him because she was concerned for his safety. She wasn't going to let anything happen to him, so it was okay to lie down and get some sleep. He twitched his hand and imagined her holding it, triggering that flutter in his chest that sent a relaxing tingle cascading down his back. He breathed deeply and sank more heavily against the pillow, his lips twitching into a contented smile. Finally feeling his eyes getting heavy again, he whispered, "Good night, Terra..." before unconsciousness took him completely.

Chapter Text

Terra stretched with a pleasant groan when morning came. That had been an exceptionally restful sleep and she felt fully rejuvenated. For all the complaints she had about Jidoor's wanton decadence while the rest of the world suffered, at least in this case she'd been able to take advantage of it.

She sat up and looked to the adjoining bed and saw a figure in a black trench coat crumpled on his side atop it. His position didn't look particularly comfortable or restful, so she slipped out of bed to check if he was actually conscious or in any distress. His mask had been cocked to the side though still covered most of his face so she still couldn't see his eyes, but she could still tell that he was asleep. However, from his uneven breathing and twitching muscles, it was a troubled sleep.

She recognized this, though. Many of the children in Mobliz were regularly plagued by nightmares. They would cry out for their parents in the night or huddle under their covers in fear of monsters. Even after reassuring them or reading them a story to get them to sleep, she still couldn't control the images their unconscious minds tormented them with. But she could be the support they needed to gain the strength to fight back against those images themselves.

Leo wasn't a child, but that didn't mean he wasn't in need of a similar kind of emotional support right now. She pulled up a chair next to the bed and gently took his hand in hers, slowly rubbing his arm with her other hand. "You're okay..." she whispered in a soothing voice. "I'm right here and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

His breathing quickened momentarily, his muscles tensing. But then he let a long breath out, his body going slack and his head drooping forward, the mask sliding further to the side. From there his breathing evened out, long and slow. Terra smiled and continued so slowly stroke his hand, watching over him in the hopes that she could continue to keep the nightmares at bay.

Once he had settled into a more restful slumber, he remained asleep for another two hours or so. He must have been absolutely exhausted, and if this was the kind of restless sleep he had been presenting even in the luxurious beds of Jidoor's inn, Terra worried that he quite possibly hadn't been getting any real rest all year. She didn't want to excessively mother him, but at the same time she wanted to ensure that all his needs were being met.

Finally he stirred, inhaling sharply through his nose and rolling slightly onto his back. With the mask cocked to the side and obstructing his vision, he sat upright abruptly as if he had forgotten where he was. Terra held out her hand to touch his arm and reassured him, "It's all right, General, you just fell asleep. We're in Jidoor's inn, remember?"

He rubbed his hands over his face under his mask. "I... actually slept?" he repeated, almost sounding like he didn't believe it. "What time is it?"

Terra glanced around him at the grandfather clock against the wall. "Almost 11:00. You were sleeping pretty soundly and I didn't want to disturb you."

He leaned forward into his hands and let out a chuckle. "The last time I looked at that clock when I put you to bed it was 0100. This entire past year I have been aware of the passage of every hour of every day, as no matter how fiercely my body begged for sleep, my mind would not comply." He sat up slowly, drawing his hands down his face, a glimmer of his eyes peeking out from under the mask. "But I have no memory of the passage of those ten hours. And for once, that is a memory I am grateful to have lost."

"So how are you feeling, then?" Terra prompted. "You looked like you might have been having a nightmare at one point."

"I... do not particularly recall..." he admitted. "The only pieces of dream I can remember was some nonsense where I was on a boat... and it was flying... and then a giant purple octopus landed on it."

Terra leaned forward eagerly. "That wasn't a nonsense dream, that was a memory!"

"... What?"

"And then I blew it up with a giant fireball," she added.

He straightened up and pointed at her. "Yes! Yes, that was the next part!" he exclaimed. He paused in that position a moment before confirming, "So you are saying that the flying boat and the purple octopus are things that literally happened to me." She nodded excitedly. He brought his hand back to rub his temple and looked to the side with a bemused smirk. "Heh... then with memories of benign nonsense like that and your friendship... what exactly is so terrible in my past that I blocked the whole of it out?"

Terra clasped her hands and looked at the floor. "There... were some legitimately horrible things that happened to you, yes. But even though I didn't know you for very long, I'd like to think that most of the rest of your memories were at least harmless." The few accounts of his past that he'd related to her and Wes's letters both painted a picture of a person very similar to the one that she had known. And now even without his memories of being that person, he nevertheless settled right back into that role.

He let out a breath and shrugged his shoulders. "Well... I faced my fears in Maranda and found you... I faced my fears here and found rest... And in both cases trickles of memories or feelings from my past were able to come through. So I would imagine that no matter how terrible those memories are, if I face them then I will regain something more important." He turned to her and confirmed, "You will support me, will you not?"

She nodded earnestly. "Absolutely."

He smiled, bowing his head. "Then... although I cannot force those memories back to the surface... I suppose I can stop hiding from them." He placed his hands on the sides of his mask, which caused Terra to stiffen and blush. He paused in that position momentarily, before muttering, "If I take this off and it turns out that I am not actually the General Leo you know, this is going to be supremely awkward."

He slowly slid the mask down over the top of his head, the curtain of black feathers drawing back and revealing a tangled mop of blonde hair. Terra felt a brief pang in her chest when she didn't immediately recognize his hair and worried that he might actually be right, but realized that it had probably just grown out over the course of the year. And when he slowly raised his head, his heavy brow ridge framing a pair of gentle brown eyes that were looking up at her hopefully, all of those momentary doubts were immediately quashed.

Even though she'd been with him for the past two days and had already come to understand beyond a reasonable doubt that he was indeed Leo, now that she was actually able to look into those eyes -- his eyes -- it felt like she had suddenly discovered him all over again after being without him for the entire past year. Her own eyes began to water and she held her hands to her mouth, squinting at him through the tears.

He cocked his head at her reaction and ventured, "I... hope those tears mean that you do indeed recognize me and not that I have upset you..."

She stifled a laugh through her hands, nodding, then almost involuntarily rose from her chair and wrapped her arms around his shoulders with a sniff, squeezing him tightly. "Your hair's different, though," she said hoarsely through her tears. She certainly was a font of unintelligent things to say when meeting him again for the first time. He hadn't given her explicit permission to touch him, but right now, after finding him again like this, she desperately needed to just hold onto him and confirm that he was solid, alive, and real.

So she was a little surprised when she felt his arms slowly wrap around her back in return, pulling her gently against him as his head tilted to the side to rest his cheek against the side of her neck. But the initial surprise quickly melted away into... contentment. It felt like an unspoken promise of security, that he would keep her safe and close to him. The children had hugged her sometimes, and while it certainly was gratifying, this was the first time she had experienced such a fully enveloping embrace that was was not only seeking comfort but offering it back.

The first time ... Terra suddenly felt a slight pang of guilt. Leo had never embraced her like this before he lost his memory; he'd only lightly held the back of her head even when she held him more fully. And while he'd indicated that he'd liked it, he'd also requested that she not hug him like that without permission, like he'd needed a boundary set that was separate from whether he liked it or not. But with Terra not knowing why he felt the need for those boundaries, and the current Leo also apparently not remembering that he'd set them, Terra almost felt like hugging him like this was... taking advantage of him. In her emotional need, she'd forced herself closer than she probably should have.

Meanwhile, her partner on the other end of that hug breathed long and slow and reveled in the feel of her embrace. He'd been surprised when she suddenly hugged him, but the sensation of her arms around him caused a wave of calming relief to wash down his back. And from that moment, all he wanted was to be close to her and provide her with the same feeling of comfort. So if she had hugged him, he assumed that meant he had permission to do the same. Thus, when he did return the embrace, it felt so... fulfilling, like it was something his body had been aching to do since long before their meeting the day before last.

An unfulfilled ache ... Unlike when they'd held hands and he'd felt a jolt of familiarity, with this action all his feelings instead still felt fresh. That meant that... it was quite possible that this sort of contact wasn't something they'd ever shared before he'd lost his memory. He'd perhaps brazenly assumed that when she'd called herself a "friend" that she was using an overly conservative term so as not to place undue expectations on him, but now that he thought about it... she'd only ever called him by the title of "General" rather than by what he had understood to be his given name, even though he was still unable to internalize that name as his own. As starved for positive human contact as he was, he'd forced himself closer than he probably should have.

The two of them released each other and slowly pulled back, both sheepishly looking off to the sides. After a moment of awkward silence, they simultaneously offered a guilty "Sorry..." before stumbling over each other wondering what the other had to be sorry for. They eventually settled on agreeing that they had both liked it, but both felt a little weird about it, and absolutely didn't think it should affect the status of their friendship in any way.

A sudden knock at the door caused them both to jump like they had just been caught doing something illicit. Terra stood and hurried to the door and cautiously cracked it open to see who was there to disturb them. A smartly-dressed woman was standing there holding a tray with a number of dishes of food and a pair of drinks. "Good morning, room service calling. Your upgraded stay comes with a complimentary breakfast served until 11:00am, and I wanted to make sure you received your share."

"Um... thank you?" said Terra, taking the tray in confusion. The woman bowed and departed, leaving Terra to close the door with her foot and walk back into the room to set the tray on the table. "You got us an upgraded stay?" she wondered. If they were just here to recover from a monster attack, that seemed excessive.

"Er, actually, I never asked how much a room cost and just handed the receptionist a handful of money so I could leave," he admitted in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head. "I likely overpaid, and in a place like Jidoor I would not be surprised if they interpreted that as a request for extra services."

Terra giggled and looked down at the food. A bowl of steaming rice porridge with cinnamon and raisins, toasted bread with almond butter, a hard-boiled egg, and a glass of sparkling water. Despite it all still being protein or non-perishables as was standard in this world with no new plant growth, it was still so much more luxurious than the dried meat she had been subsisting on for the past year. Though she felt guilty for having this when there were still so many people starving in the world, her rumbling stomach insisted that she was allowed to indulge herself just this once.

She sat down at the table and beckoned to her roommate, "Well, since you apparently paid for it, shall we have some breakfast before we go?"

He sat down at the table across from her and looked over the food curiously as though he wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to do with it. "I... have been subsisting on wild game, dried grains, and scraps discarded from various pubs all this time. This is... new to me."

Terra felt her heart sink at hearing how he'd been living, even though up until now she hadn't been faring much better. She dipped her spoon into the porridge, blowing on it. "Well, with everything you've been doing for everyone, I think you deserve something nice to eat for once. Don't feel guilty about it." She took a bite and her eyes lit up. "Oh, wow, this is really good."

Encouraged by her, he followed suit and tried a bite of the porridge as well. His eyes widened, then he immediately began picking through the porridge with his spoon and fishing out all the raisins, placing them on the napkin beside the bowl. Terra watched him in amusement and wondered, "Do you not like raisins or something?"

He looked up at her, then at the pile of raisins, then laughed. "Oh! No, I simply realized that they are dried fruit, which is an incredible rarity nowadays. Orcus would love these."

Terra blushed, her heart fluttering. That was... so sweet of him, and something she hadn't even thought about. She immediately got to work picking the raisins out of her bowl to add to his stash of chocobo treats. She should probably try to find some nice treats for the children, too, for when she eventually went back to Mobliz.

They finished the rest of their breakfast and stashed their ill-begotten trove of dried fruit before preparing to leave. But when Terra turned to her partner, he was holding his lion mask and examining it contemplatively. "This... is still a relic to ward off monsters, so unlike the Invisibility Scrolls, I cannot so easily discard it. And while I may be comfortable with you seeing my face... I do not know if I can present myself so nakedly to the rest of the world quite yet."

Terra nodded. "Take whatever steps you need until you're comfortable. You've still made incredible progress in only two days," she reminded.

He continued to hold it a moment longer, before slowly replacing the mask on his head, his eyes once again shrouded behind the muzzle of a black lion. He let out a breath and prompted, "Shall we go?"

By the time the two of them left the inn, it was the middle of the afternoon and the streets were much more bustling than they had been in the dead of night when they'd first arrived. The black mask and trench coat stood out prominently against the rest of the populace who were otherwise colorfully and finely dressed. Terra held his hand and stayed protectively close to him as they made their way through town, disapproving whispers flitting about them like a swarm of bothersome insects.

When they passed under the town archway, a young girl ran up to them and pointed at the lion mask, exclaiming, "Ooh, are you Griever from The Lion and the Sorceress ? Is the opera house back open? My dad said it closed because of monsters."

Terra stepped forward to correct her, but surprisingly "Griever" was open to talking in this case. He crouched down to meet the girl's eye level and said, "You have a good eye; I did indeed find this mask near the opera house. It is very good at scaring away monsters, so perhaps the monsters showed up there because I took it. I apologize if that is the case."

"Can you go back there and scare them away, then?" she wondered hopefully. "My dad used to take me and my brother all the time but now we can't go anymore."

"I shall see what I can do," he said with a smile. "Speaking of which, where is your dad? I wouldn't want to end up in trouble with him for talking to you."

The girl scuffed her foot. "He's at the auction house. My brother reeeeally wants a robot imp."

"Oh...?" he replied, half surprised and half confused. "Well, in any case, you shouldn't be wandering around out here by yourself. Not everyone who comes into this town in a mask is from an opera. Some of them are thieves who might try to steal you for money, so you stay close to your dad, okay?"

"Okaaay," she said. She waved and ran back up the stairs to the upper part of town. "Thanks, Mister Griever!"

He stood and gave a small wave after her, while Terra stood watching, frozen in a mix of bewilderment, amusement, admiration, and... she wasn't sure how to describe the melting feeling in her chest. But seeing him interact with the little girl so readily and be so open to her needs felt like it... sucked the breath out of her, and that she needed to be close to him again to replenish it. When he turned to face her, she felt her cheeks immediately flush and gave a breathless squeak in response.

"I... I generally do not fear interacting with children," he explained, a little sheepish himself. "They tend to be open and honest about what they want and what their intentions are. Unfortunately, during my days of invisibility I had no means of removing the spell myself and therefore was unable to converse with them properly even if I wanted to." He rubbed the back of his head. "But... I may have inadvertently ended up the 'imaginary friend' of a few."

Terra swallowed and intelligently observed, "Yeah, you... seem like you're really good with kids..." Why... did she suddenly feel so nervous? There had been absolutely nothing concerning about his behavior. On the contrary, she found his attentiveness towards children to be... quite appealing, actually. Appealing to the point that she... felt like she wanted to keep him for herself? How could she view him so selfishly? She'd come along with him because she cared about helping him meet his needs, but thoughts like that were completely antithetical to that goal. Perhaps that conflict was what was driving her nerves now.

He pulled a small, well-worn notebook out of his breast pocket and make a quick note in it. Flipping it shut, he raised it slightly in Terra's direction with a nod and a smirk. "My little Book of Wishes. If I overhear something that someone needs, it goes in here. 'Get rid of monsters at the opera house' is now on the list."

Terra's blush deepened. He just kept getting even more heartwarming. Between the chocobo treats, his regard for children, and his attentiveness, she was liable to jump up and hug him again, which would just lead to more awkwardness similar to that morning's. So to placate herself and get her mind back on track, she settled on reaching out and clasping his hand. "You've been listening to people's wishes and granting them in secret this whole time... You've been their literal ray of hope in this crumbling world. I know you haven't been doing it for praise or recognition, but I still want you to know..." She looked up to him with a soft smile. "... that I love what you've been doing."

He flushed as well, chuckling modestly. "Y... You are correct that I do not desire praise for what I do. However... knowing that my work has brought someone happiness is what drives me. Therefore, your words still gratify me, not as praise, but as validation." With a cheeky grin, he noted, "And I seem to recall you saying that you yourself were once foisted with the expectation of being the world's ray of hope and being uncertain if you could deliver." He nodded his head towards the edge of town where his shipment awaited. "I am of the belief that you can."

Gaah, she wanted to hug him so much, but because Past Leo had requested boundaries be upheld she had to respect that request until he formally rescinded it, which she didn't feel that Present Leo necessarily had the authority to do. But how far was she going to take this? What if he never regained the rest of his memories? Would she forever deny them physical contact beyond hand-holding even if they both wanted it simply because of a request he didn't even remember making? She didn't want to betray Past Leo's wishes, but... just like when she first arrived in Mobliz and was trapped between helping the children or searching for her friends, here again she felt trapped between honoring the desires of the Leo she knew before or the Leo she knew now.

She decided to compromise and hugged his arm instead. "Yes... I do want to help you deliver hope to the world..."

He grinned and tugged her excitedly to the edge of town where the crates Terra had found the day before still sat. With practiced precision he tied the sashes from his shoulders and waist around one of the crates to heft it up on his back. Looking over at Terra, he noted, "I do not wish to make assumptions of your physical ability, but are you going to be able to lift that?"

Terra smiled at him and placed her hand on the top of the crate. "I can manage it." She closed her eyes and then chanted, "Float." The crate levitated off the ground to chest level, and Terra gave it a light push in his direction, where it sailed slowly and effortlessly like a stone over a sheer surface of ice. The crate bumped against his arm and stopped, floating weightlessly in front of him as he gaped at it in silence.

Slowly, his gape spread into a wide smile as he wondered in breathless disbelief, "Is this actually real?" He poked the crate with his finger and it slowly began floating back in Terra's direction. With a laugh and a clap, he exclaimed, "When you said you wanted to relieve some of my burden, you were not kidding!" He turned around and pointed the crate on his back at her. "Can you do it to mine, too?"

Terra giggled, placing her hand on his crate. "Of course. Float!"

He stood up a little taller and bounced on the balls of his feet. Spinning around on his heel once, he pressed his hands to his face to suppress another laugh. "It's like I'm not carrying anything at all now! Terra!" he exclaimed excitedly, gripping her shoulders. She felt him give a slight tug as if intending to draw her towards him, causing her to tense and flush. However, he stopped himself and merely held her shoulders a moment, before bowing his head and stating, "You are amazing."

She leaned forward and bumped her forehead against the top of his mask. "And so are you. But that doesn't mean you have to carry the weight of the world on your back alone. There are people who love you who can offer their strength to lighten the load."

He lifted his head to look her in the eye, and at this range and angle she could just barely see his eyes shining beneath the rim of the mask. He was breathing deeply enough that she could feel his breath against her face. He blinked and swallowed, then slowly leaned up and pressed his lips against her forehead. Terra felt a pleasant shiver run down the back of her neck and froze, her breath catching in her throat. He pulled back slowly, whispering, "Thank you..." while giving her shoulders another squeeze before releasing them.

Terra wasn't sure how to feel. The children had given her affectionate kisses on the cheek and head before, so this wasn't a novel act to her. But coming from him felt... different. It felt like he was testing the waters for where exactly their boundaries lay. The problem was that it was his boundary that she had been trying to respect in the first place, and even she didn't know exactly what all it encompassed. So since he had been the one to initiate contact this time, she felt she should only judge it by her own boundaries rather than try to guess at his. And in that case... she was actually pretty okay with it.

"You're welcome," she said with a smile, and she could see the tension release from his shoulders at the acceptance of his actions. She pushed the floating box back towards him and said, "Ready to go? Orcus needs his treats and Maranda needs their supplies."

He nodded happily and the two of them left town for the forest to the north where Orcus was waiting for them. Due to the lightness of their loads they were able to make good time, playfully pushing the floating crate back and forth between each other along the way like an odd game of catch.

"So..." he said offhandedly, lightly batting the crate back in Terra's direction, "You can heal wounds, become invisible or visible at will, summon fireballs from the sky, and make objects weightless. And yet I feel like I've only seen a small sampling of what you're capable of."

Terra laughed and swatted the crate back at him. "Well... yes, I know a lot of other spells, too, though I don't know how many more of them will be particularly useful for this work. Most of them are for fighting off monsters."

"How is that not useful for this work?" he countered. "Do recall how all of these supplies are funded. I don't risk getting stuck full of Cactuar needles for the fun of it, but because their parts sell for a high price." He caught the crate and held it a moment. "Now, if you were to tell me that you knew some kind of Teleport spell that could warp us to Maranda instantly, though..."

"Well, I do know a Teleport spell..." Terra began, and saw him throw his arms up and shake his head in mock bewilderment. "... but it's only good for escaping an enclosed area, either when trapped by walls or enemies. It can't warp to a distant location of my choice."

He lowered his arms to place his hands on his hips and laughed. "Well, what good are you, then?" he said jokingly. "But in all seriousness, I'm fine with that. You are so much more than your utility, and I apologize if I have been placing undue emphasis on it. Besides, Orcus would be jealous if I no longer needed him to get around."

When they reached the forest, Terra dispelled the Float spell on her crate to set it on the ground, while her partner placed his finger and thumb between his lips to whistle loudly into the trees. A few moments later, a large black bird came strutting out but turned its head to the side, refusing to make eye contact with a disgruntled "Kweh..."

The bird's master let out a bemused sigh. "I know, I'm sorry for leaving you alone out here an extra night. But, look, I brought you much better food than a bug monster." He pulled the lid off the crate on the ground to reveal a few bundles of hay and a bag of millet. Orcus still just gave a snort and turned his back to them, flopping down on his haunches.

"Is he normally so moody?" Terra wondered.

"Heh, I think... he might actually be jealous of you even without the Teleport spell," he replied. "He's been my only friend for the past year so he's not used to having any competition for my attention."

"Oh! I... I don't want to put any strain on your relationship..." Terra said in worry.

"Don't ever apologize for being my friend," he lightly scolded her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small metal tin and picked out a few raisins to put in her hand. "You just need to show him that me gaining a new friend means that he gained a new friend, too."

Terra looked at the raisins in her hand, then tentatively approached Orcus from the side. "Hey, Orcus, you remember me, don't you? You liked my hair, right?" she attempted gently. He made a grumble at her and turned his head away. Just like a stubborn child, huh? Thankfully, she had experience with that.

She knelt down beside him and softly admitted, "I understand how you feel. You really like him and want him to spend all his time with you. He helped you when you were in trouble and now you want to repay that kindness. In all honesty, I'm so grateful that you've been here for him all this time when I couldn't be. You've taken such good care of him, and I want to make sure you're taken care of, too." She held out one of the raisins under his beak. "We found these in town and saved them for you as a gift."

Orcus gave a sniff, then turned his head and plucked the raisin out of her hand with his beak, flipping it back into his mouth and swallowing. He gave a rumbling coo and his head perked up, at which point he immediately started probing his beak against Terra's other hand in search of more raisins. Terra giggled and tried to push his beak away, insisting, "I see that you like them, but if you eat them all right away then there won't be any left. These are really hard to come by!"

Orcus didn't seem to care and gave another grumble, pushing Terra over and sitting on her like she was a chick. With her unable to get away now, he leaned over and pried Terra's hand open with his beak and helped himself to the remainder of the raisins she'd been holding. With a satisfied coo, he ruffled his feathers and began nibbling at Terra's ponytail instead.

Terra scratched at the ground trying to pull herself out from under the brooding bird but was unsuccessful. "General, a little help?" she requested in amusement.

He shook his head and instead sat down next to her, petting Orcus's flank. "This is how he bonds with you. He does it to me sometimes, too, so let him sit for now."

Terra let out a snicker, as the mental image of Leo flattened on the ground with a giant bird fluffed out on top of him was just too adorable. "All right, we should let him do as he needs," she relented, reaching up to scratch the chocobo's chest as well. Her face became contemplative and she wondered, "Although... if he treats us like we're his babies... do you think maybe he had children that he lost in the fall of the world?"

"I... sometimes wonder as well, however I have no means of asking," he replied. "We are similar in that way. Our thoughts and actions are driven by things that happened to us before, yet we lack the capability to tell anyone what those events that shaped us even were. My fear of people led me to believe I must have suffered a great betrayal, which you have confirmed... but my desire to provide for those same people made me wonder if perhaps I had been a parent as well..." He looked off beyond the forest. "On this topic you have mentioned nothing and I have been afraid to ask. If I had children who perished in the fall of the world, or worse... are still alive and I have been absent from their side..."

Terra swallowed and reached out to hold his hand. She opened her mouth to reassure him, but realized that "Don't worry, you don't have a family" wasn't exactly the most uplifting thing to say. So she decided to switch the framing to, "You were a general and had a lot of experience with taking care of young soldiers, a lot of whom looked up to you, so that might be where memories of nurturing feelings came from." She pursed her lips and closed her eyes, deciding she probably should at least give some explicit closure to his original question. "You told me once that your job got in the way of you pursuing any kind of... um... romantic relationship, so..."

"I see..." he replied. "You were one of my subordinates, then? You mentioned you were an Imperial soldier before and you only ever call me 'General'..." If that was the case, then that would explain the awkwardness about close contact, if it was professionally inappropriate. But if that really was their true relationship, he wished she would have told him sooner, before his feelings had... matured so much in a different direction.

"Oh, no, I never served under you. By the time we met I wasn't even an Imperial soldier anymore. We'd just teamed up for a mission of mutual interest," she replied. That was somehow... relieving to hear. "I called you 'General' as a formality since that's what everyone else called you... and I guess I just got used to it." She looked up at him sheepishly. "Would... you rather I call you by your name?" For some reason this prospect caused her cheeks to flush. She was already on a first name basis with everyone else -- including Celes who was an Imperial general just like him -- so why would he be such a special case?

"I cannot say that I have a preference," he replied. "Whether it be 'General Leo' or 'Leo Cristophe', both are names that I have no internal attachment to. I respond to 'General' from you because I recognize that as what you call me, but I do not yet... 'feel' it as being 'me'. In my own mind I am still nameless."

Orcus made a squawk at him which caused him to sit up straighter. Pointing a thumb at the chocobo, he indicated, "And that would be what Orcus calls me. I do not really 'feel' that one, either, but even if I did I am not sure how I would introduce myself to people."

Terra laughed, and Orcus finally stood up to release her from her incubation. He then strutted over to the crate of food and began hungrily picking through it. Once he was satisfied, they packed up the rest of the feed, blessed it with Terra's Float spell for easy transport, and the man still not yet comfortable with personally identifying as either "General", "Leo", or "Squawk" pulled the other weightless crate back onto his back.

"Are you ready to go?" he queried.

Terra nodded. "Yes. Let's deliver some hope."

Chapter Text

Terra mounted Orcus with the aid of a boost from the chocobo's master, who then pulled himself up behind her . He patted Orcus's flank and said, "All right, to Maranda. I intend to take the long way this first time until he gets used to having two people on his back, which will take about two hours. You have ridden a chocobo before, I presume?"

Terra nodded, also stroking Orcus's neck. "Yes, but never a black one. I've read that they're much faster, though."

There was a pause before he prompted, "... That's all?"

"That's all the book said," Terra affirmed. "That a hunter reported a single sighting of a black chocobo, but it escaped into a forest much more quickly than a regular yellow chocobo, and thus one has never been caught." She turned to look up at him. "Why? Is there something else?"

His lips spread into a grin. "Yes, but I think I'll save that for later." He leaned over her back and slid his hands over hers to grip Orcus's feathers. "But your book was correct concerning their speed, so you are going to want to hold on tight."

She swallowed and nodded, feeling a bit of giddy tension. She wasn't sure if it was because of the prospect of going fast, or because his chest resting against her back and his arms on either side of her holding her hands was like a covert half-embrace. Perhaps a combination of both.

He gave Orcus's neck a pat and declared, "All right, Orcus, let's go." Orcus ruffled his wings and strutted forward a few steps, almost as as a warning to make sure they really were holding on. Terra took the chocobo's unstated advice and gripped more tightly, and Orcus lowered his head and made his way out of the forest with a steady jog at the pace Terra was accustomed to riding a normal chocobo. However, once they had cleared the trees and were out in the open, he stretched out his neck and accelerated into a sprint.

"Ohh my..." Terra breathed, gripping on tightly. They sailed past Jidoor in only five minutes when it had taken nearly an hour to cross that distance while walking, even with weightless loads. Soon after that they reached the narrow land bridge that Lola's letter had mentioned connected Jidoor to Maranda.

"So, how are you holding up?" came a warm query in Terra's ear.

Her cheeks tingled and she let out an excited whoop. "This is amazing!" she said breathlessly. "Even though I know the airship is fast, from that high up the ground still seems to move so slowly so it's hard to tell. But this way, I can... I can feel it, and it's exhilarating!"

"Oh, you're the type who likes the wind in her hair, huh?" he observed with a grin. "You hear that, Orcus? She says she's impressed with you!" he called down to the chocobo, who gave an approving squawk. He mulled something over a moment before continuing, "We haven't yet hit the eastward bend in the land bridge, so the shortcut route would still save a little time." Giving the bird's neck a pat, he wondered, "What do you say, are you acclimated enough to this new weight distribution that you think you can handle it?"

Orcus ruffled his neck feathers and made a cheery "brr" noise. "That means 'yes'," his master translated. Leaning over Terra's shoulder, he playfully whispered into her ear, "And what about you? Do you want to find out what makes a black chocobo really special?"

Terra felt a pleasant shiver run down her neck. That line sounded like something right out of Edgar's playbook, but while she had never felt any reaction when Edgar had made enticing remarks at her... this time was different, like a tickle in her ear that traveled to her stomach. It didn't help that with his face right there, the feathers on his mask were literally tickling her in the ear.

She grinned and leaned down, saying, "Yes, Orcus, I'd love to see what you can do."

"All right, you heard her, time for a shortcut!" he announced, leaning forward and enunciating the last word, likely because the chocobo didn't actually understand anything he was saying outside of his tone of voice and a few key terms. Orcus gave an excited "wark!" in response, then veered to the left towards the shore of the land bridge.

Terra lifted her head to look at the approaching water. Maybe Orcus could swim like a duck, then? Was she going to get wet? Were there any monsters in the water they'd have to watch out for? But as they got closer to the edge of the land, Orcus splayed out his wings, which were much larger than a yellow chocobo's. He started to flap, and Terra had a moment of realization, turning her head around and asking in astonishment, "Wait, he can actually...?"

"I would suggest holding on tight," her partner said with a grin, squeezing her hands. She turned back around with an expectant smile and clutched the chocobo's feathers securely. Orcus crouched forward and then leapt into the air, propelling himself higher with a strong flap of his wings. They sailed out over the water and he continued to pump his wings to drive them higher until settling into a gentle glide about a hundred feet above the water.

Terra let out the breath she'd been holding and looked around in astonishment. "He... he can fly! Orcus can fly !" she exclaimed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "And it's so... quiet. I'm used to there being the noise of engines when I'm flying, but this is..." She opened her eyes and looked down over the water passing by beneath them, able to hear the churning of waves with the rush of wind and the rustling of feathers being the only other sounds. "... serene."

He took a deep breath behind her and loosened his grip on her hands now that they were at a stable cruising altitude. "I suppose I have gotten used to this view after the dozens of rounds I have made between Jidoor and Maranda. But seeing it fresh through your eyes again makes me appreciate it more."

Terra nodded. "I bet it would be even more beautiful with blue sky and water rather than red," she said with a bit of wistful sadness.

"Blue...?" he questioned. Terra inhaled sharply in realization. If he had no memories from before a year ago... then that meant he had no memories of what the world was like before the fall. This rusty sky, blood red water, and barren landscape was all he had ever known. He'd obviously heard people speaking of the world from before, but he had no experience of it. That was... so incredibly sad.

This... this needed to be put right. She'd gotten so enraptured with collaborating with him that she'd almost lost sight of the end goal. She was here to help him recover from his trauma, yes, but also to hopefully recruit him into the fight against Kefka. And while there was no guarantee that defeating Kefka would restore balance to the world, at the very least it would allow people to stop living in fear of arbitrary judgment from the skies. He'd have one less thing he'd need to hide himself from.

But... he'd already been helping the world in his own way. Who was she to pull him away from that? Despite the ongoing degradation of the world, he had nevertheless worked to maintain some sense of stability in people's lives. His work was just as important as standing up to Kefka. She still intended to eventually make the offer, but if he refused, she would absolutely understand.

They reached land again in a little under an hour, which was indeed quite the shortcut compared to the two hours that had been quoted previously. Terra once again found arms on either side of her, firm hands clutching hers to hold onto the chocobo's feathers. "The flight is quite pleasant, but landing can be a little rough," he noted. "Orcus can only land in forests so that he has something to... cushion his descent, I suppose. Best keep a sturdy grip."

Terra gulped and braced herself, seeing the forest northwest of Maranda approaching ahead. Orcus reared back and flapped his wings to slow himself, causing Terra to need to hold on tighter to keep from sliding off. He stretched out his legs and gripped the upper branches of one of the trees, causing it to sway as he settled his weight on it. He ruffled his feathers and folded his wings, then proceeded to hop down the branches into the forest breaking off smaller limbs in the process. When they finally reached the ground, Terra's hair was covered in broken twigs and dead leaves.

She let out a breath and spit some shaved bark out of her mouth. "You were certainly right about the rough landing..."

"Haha, this landing was actually quite graceful compared to some others I've experienced," said her fellow passenger, dismounting and brushing the debris off his coat. He reached up to offer a hand to her to help her descend as well. "I think he may have tried to be gentle this time for your sake."

"Well, that's very thoughtful of him," said Terra with a light bow of her head, taking his hand and jumping down. She turned and scratched her fingers under Orcus's cheeks, saying, "Thank you very much for the ride. It was incredible." Orcus let out a happy "brr" sound and stamped his foot. Terra turned and asked, "Can I give him another treat? He's definitely earned it."

"Of course," he said with a smile, shaking a few raisins out of his tin to pass to her. "Flying that much distance with that much weight wears him out, though, so we will either need to stay the night here for him to recover, or return north by land."

"'Return'..." Terra repeated as Orcus eagerly nibbled the raisins out of her hand with a pleased coo. "Is there anyplace that you consider your 'home', then?"

He exhaled and looked slowly around the forest. "... Not particularly, no. My most valuable hunting marks are in the desert south of Maranda so sometimes I will spend a few days here. However, my orders and pickups are all in Jidoor, so I always find myself heading back in that direction. I spent some time living in the slums of Zozo early on and picked up some of their smuggling techniques, and I sometimes return there if I am desperate to socialize, but it is hardly a 'home'..."

Terra bit her lip, then offered, "I... know that you said you're not ready to deal with other people yet, but... when I go back to the others, you're always welcome to come with me."

He swallowed and noted, "You say that like you intend to return to them soon."

Terra clasped her hands in front of her and looked at the ground. "The others are currently planning their assault on Kefka's tower. We want to rid the world of his influence, and the sooner we defeat him the better. The longer we wait, the longer the world suffers in fear. Three days... is all they'll wait for me. At that point, either I return, or they launch their assault without me."

"And you wish to be present," he concluded.

She nodded. "I owe it to everyone I care about to take an active role in protecting them. I have the power to help, so I need to use it. I promised I would fight, and I still intend to."

"As you should..." he affirmed, still looking out into the forest. He clenched his hands at his sides, adding, "Kefka was the one who drove me into hiding in the first place. I feel that it would only be right for me to face him, but... the prospect is still so overwhelming. Even though you have helped me overcome so much in just these few days, I do not know if I can be fully ready to confront the source of all our suffering in only another two..."

Terra walked to him and held his arm. "I want to help you as much as I can, but even if it's not enough and you're still not comfortable joining us, I don't want you to feel like you let us down." She patted the crate tied to his back. "You've still been doing your part to save the world all this time, anyway."

"I have done what I can..." he said. "Though sometimes I wonder if I am truly saving anyone or if I am merely staving off the inevitable." He turned and held her hands, looking her in the eyes. "And it is not only that. If you are going to fight him, then... I want to fight at your side. I know you will have your other friends with you and I know I should trust them, but..." He lowered his head. "If anything were to happen to you and I was not there, I don't know if I would be able to forgive myself."

Terra smiled and leaned forward to rest her forehead on his chest. "I want you to be there, too... but I also don't want you to force yourself into a situation you can't handle just for my sake. I worry a lot about your well-being, too, after all."

He inhaled deeply, his chest rising against Terra's head. "Then... I cannot drag my feet any longer if I want to have any hope of being ready in time." He looked to the crate on his back and decided, "I will deliver these supplies in person, then, rather than merely leaving them at the edge of town. If I am going to be working with other people I must overcome my fear of them." She could feel him trembling slightly. "You will... assist me, though, I presume."

She nodded against his chest. "Of course."

They unloaded the remainder of the chocobo feed -- with Terra restoring its weight -- and left it with Orcus in the woods to let him rest and regain his energy. Once they left the forest and headed towards Maranda the friendly chatter that had carried on for most of the rest of their travels had gone silent, replaced with anxious mental preparations at the prospect of talking to other people. Terra remembered how easily he interacted with everyone in Thamasa and on the airship previously and it was disheartening how much stress it caused him now. But even back then when she'd mentioned her envy over how easily he conversed with people, he'd reminded her that he was still scared, he'd just covered for it with a veneer of confidence.

Essentially, even before the fall, he'd still been wearing a mask. A mask that would slip off when he was excited or comfortable, but one that he would still put right back on the moment things became tense or uncertain. And by losing his memory... he'd lost access to that mask as well, and was left vulnerable in this new world with his fears amplified and laid bare. The physical mask he wore now... was an attempt at a replacement. But whereas the mask of authority and confidence he'd worn as General Leo was crafted from his own experiences of what kind of posturing he could get away with when conducting diplomacy, the lion mask was one he'd just picked up somewhere and found that it scared monsters away. It was a crutch that offered no room for growth or refinement.

She'd wanted to be as gentle and permissive with him as possible in order to let him feel his own way through this. But she'd learned with the children that their lack of experience meant that sometimes they wanted things that weren't good for them due to not knowing any better. And in those cases, she had to take it upon herself to tell them "no" and explain why so that they could make better choices in the future. Leo wasn't a child and she hated the thought of treating him like one... but with only a year's worth of life experiences at his disposal, in some ways he kind of was.

She wasn't really much different, though. After waking up from the Slave Crown's mind control, her recollection of anything prior was still fuzzy at best. She'd only gained a few months' experience herself between then and the fall of the world, during which time she had been comparably timid and uncertain. But the difference was that afterwards, she'd spent the next year constantly in direct contact with other people while Leo had spent it mostly alone. She'd grown and come to learn more about herself and the world while Leo seemed to have remained in a mostly persistent state since then. If he was going to break out of it, then he was going to need to do things differently.

"General..." she began, breaking the silence and somewhat startling him. "When we get to Maranda, I think you should try talking to people without the mask."

He made a small choke in his throat. "I... am still barely able to muster the courage to speak to them at all, but to do it with my face exposed...?"

"Why do you need to hide your face from them?" she pressed. "There are no monsters in Maranda, and I think wearing that mask at all times is unconsciously reinforcing to you that there's something you need to be hiding from."

"But..." he protested, but was unable to come up with a proper excuse. "Without it, I simply feel... far too vulnerable. That all my weaknesses and insecurities are exposed and easily taken advantage of."

"I do understand that," she concurred. "There are plenty of situations where your fears don't need to be made known to other people. But by relying on the mask, you've never given yourself the opportunity to learn to manage those insecurities on your own. If the goal here is to talk to people, then talk to them as yourself. The mask may be keeping monsters out, but it's also keeping your fear in. Sometimes you have to just let yourself be vulnerable to understand that you don't need to be scared."

He swallowed uneasily and looked towards the town on the horizon. "I wish I had your confidence..."

"Oh, I am terrified right now," she admitted, causing him to look back at her in surprise. "Standing up to you and calling you out, telling you to do something that I know you're not comfortable with... it hurts. I'm afraid I might scare you away or cause you to lose your trust in me. I can't even be certain that I'm right. But..." She couldn't keep it up. After giving him a glimpse under her own mask she'd put on to inspire confidence, she wasn't able to maintain it and covered her face in her hands with a shuddering sigh. She'd wanted to set an example for him but had only given a demonstration of how easy it was to fail at it.

After a few moments of uneasy silence, Terra felt something placed on her head and looked up in surprise only to find something black was blocking her vision. Reaching her hand up to touch it, she felt the brush of feathers against her palm. With a gulp, she slowly lifted the object up to peer out from under it, only to be greeted with Leo's face looking down at her with a faint smile. "Your mask was faltering so I thought I might lend you mine," he said.

"General...?" she whispered with a bit of uncertainty. Even though she'd seen it this morning, seeing his face again now caused that same swelling in her chest that she'd felt before.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I have been relying on you for support so much that I tend to forget that you wear a mask to hide your insecurities as well. Most of the people in Jidoor were immediately distrusting of me, and it was likely because my mask was so obvious. They could immediately tell I was hiding something. But you wear a mask to help inspire confidence and trust in me even when you yourself are uncertain, and it blends so seamlessly that it may as well simply be another facet of you." He lowered his arm and looked back towards town. "I do not like that you are frightened, but it is also comforting to know that I am not alone in my fear. And knowing that even though you have your anxieties, it has not prevented you from doing what needs to be done."

She blushed and pulled the lion mask off her head, hugging it against her chest. "I... really don't feel like I've done anything special, though..." she admitted. But she was saying that in comparison to the General Leo she'd known before. She'd judged him by the face he wore while trying to support and comfort her, and that had led to the illusion of some giant chasm between their relative competencies. But now here it seemed like he was doing the same, viewing her as some kind of highly capable mentor that was light years ahead of him when she knew for a fact that he was equally proficient.

It was like he'd said during their first conversation: they were in the same boat. They were still in the same boat. There was no great ocean between them, only the mutual perception of one. She knew he was just as capable as her if he'd only let himself try. But by definition, that meant that... she was just as capable as him... if only she'd believe herself to be.

"... But if what I've done has helped you, I don't want to belittle that," she eventually added after some thought.

He placed his hands on his hips and nodded. "In all seriousness, if you were not here, I would never have had the courage to do any of this. I would still be hiding in a forest, invisible, and haphazardly throwing resources at ailing towns based on hearsay and hoping something helped."

Terra held out her hand to him. "Then come on. Let's stop being so haphazard about it and make sure we're getting everyone what they really need."

He took her hand and they made their way the rest of the way to Maranda. When they reached the edge of town, she could feel him squeezing her anxiously, with still a slight tremor. It was late afternoon now and there were various people roaming the streets, however the people paid them little attention, as they only looked like regular travelers now.

"Heh... even without the invisibility spell, no one is looking at me..." he noted, absently rubbing his thumb over the back of Terra's hand. "I am... just another person to them..."

"Well, you're a little bit more than just another person, but you're going to need to talk to them for them to find that out," she said. "If you want, I can try easing you into it at first by making the first introductions."

He swallowed. "I would rather not unnecessarily burden you with something that I by all rights should be able to do on my own." He scanned the streets and noticed an elderly woman with a cane shakily ease herself down onto a ledge and rub her knee. With a deep breath, he resolved, "All right, I see someone who may be in need of assistance. Wish me luck?"

Terra smiled and patted his arm. "I do wish you luck. But I also know you can do this."

She let him lead the way, first tentatively, then his pace evened out until he was striding purposely towards the seated woman. When he reached her, he first stood in front of her in uncertain silence, before clearing his throat and attempting, "Excuse me... ma'am?"

She looked up at him and said, "Oh, hello. Can I help you?"

He stood rigidly. "I... was actually hoping that I could help you. Are you in any pain, ma'am?"

"Oh, it's just my old knees," she said, patting them. "I used to take a potion for them once a week, but they're getting hard to come by nowadays and the shops keep increasing their prices."

"Is that so?" he said, pulling the small notebook out of his breast pocket and making a note in it. "While I understand that people who work in this town still deserve a source of income, I had hoped that these supplies would have been more charitably distributed." He looked over to Terra and queried, "Can you check the crate and confirm how many potions I have? This order should have had twenty."

"Oh!" she replied, not expecting to be so directly pulled into the work. But it also slightly excited her. He crouched down so that she could check inside the crate on his back, and after some counting, confirmed, "Yes, you have twenty."

He smirked. "While that shopkeeper grossly overcharges me, at least he does not short me." He reached behind his head and beckoned with his hand. "Give me four of them, please."

"Of course," said Terra, handing him the potions he requested.

He held them out to the old woman and offered, "Here, these should last you the month, then."

"Oh my..." said the old woman, looking at the items in his hands. "But I have no means of paying for this."

"You owe me nothing for these, other than your continued good health," he said, smiling softly.

She tentatively took them, as if still not entirely believing that she could just have them for free. Once they were fully in her hands with no strings attached, she said, "Thank you, young man... Are you some sort of traveling doctor?"

He pursed his lips in thought. "More of a traveling charitable relief aid worker, I would say. I am still in the process of attempting to 'find myself', so to speak, but I wish to help who I can along the way."

She gave him a pat on the hand. "Well, you seem to be on your way to finding someone great. I wish you all of my blessings."

He smiled wider and nodded. "Much appreciated, ma'am."

They turned and continued down the street, and Terra grinned at him giddily. "Well you just... eased right back into that like it was second nature," she observed.

"I know, I was a little surprised myself!" he concurred, letting out his previous tension with a shaky chuckle. "As soon as I started talking to her and knew that I could provide her with the help she needed, everything just... fell into place. I knew what I needed to do and was able to do it. I almost feel silly that I was so afraid to take this step all this time."

Terra folded her hands behind her back. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid, even if it's something that turns out to be small, because you don't actually know how small or large it is until you actually face it. But facing it is the important part."

He held his chest. "And just like when I held your hand that first time, there is... a flood of feelings coming back to me. My body remembers your touch, but it's my heart that remembers this... Reveling in the lives of my fellow people and being of service to them." He scanned the streets for anyone else appearing in need of assistance. "I wish to do more..."

He spotted a young woman standing on a ladder and attempting to hang a sign above a door, however the ladder was balanced quite precariously on the cobblestone street. He hastened his steps in that direction in concern, and just as he approached, one of the ladder's legs rocked into a gap between the stones, causing it to list dangerously. The woman shrieked and dropped her sign, grabbing the rungs, but he reached out and firmly gripped the ladder before it could fall.

"Careful there, ma'am. Are you needing some assistance?" he wondered, pushing the ladder back into place.

The woman panted breathlessly. "Oh my goodness, thank you so much!" She quickly but shakily descended the ladder to more solid ground. "I guess maybe that was a bit much to attempt by myself."

Terra came trotting over to offer her help as well, but then noticed that the woman he was talking to was: "Lola? It's good to see you!"

"Oh, Terra! You're back in town!" Lola exclaimed with a smile. "Have you had any luck in your search for General Leo?"

Terra stiffened and made a small squeak, glancing up at him. While the answer to that was definitely "yes", he still had difficulty personally identifying by that name due to still being locked away from any active memories of that person. It was still only feelings. Therefore, introducing him as General Leo at this point felt a little preemptive.

"We are making good progress on it," he offered for her, giving Terra a stealthy wink. "We know that he still exists somewhere and are doing everything in our power to draw him out."

"I'm glad..." said Lola. "After everything you and your friends have done for me to help me find closure with Wes, I've been hoping that you would find your closure, too. I know how painful it is to be separated from a loved one and be left wondering."

Terra blushed at her choice of words, though they weren't entirely wrong. Just like with the children and her friends, she cared about Leo's well-being and felt joy when he succeeded and sorrow when he was hurting, so that logically meant that she loved him, too. And yet, her feelings towards him still felt... different than that. Something extra that was unique to how she felt about him that she couldn't quite define. Something that made "love" feel like it meant... something else when applied to him.

"And knowing you're not alone in how you feel really helps in working through those feelings," Lola continued. She knelt down and picked up the sign she had been trying to hang and held it out for Terra to see. "So I thought I'd try starting a support group for the other people in Maranda. Where people who are having problems can get together and talk, and maybe even find someone close by who can help them that they may never have realized." She held the sign to her chest and looked down. "Everyone has lost someone, either in the war or the fall of the world. And I kept thinking about how you helped me and how General Leo helped Wes and how Jidoor helped this town, and kept wishing there was someone who could help all these other people... and then realized what's stopping me from being that person?"

Terra's eyes wavered and she held Lola's hand. "Oh, Lola, that's so wonderful of you. Everyone who takes the time to prop someone else up relieves a little more burden from the world."

Lola nodded. "It doesn't feel like much... but getting all those letters probably didn't look like much to the outside, either, but they meant so much to me." She reached into her blouse and pulled out the small metal tag that she now wore as a charm. "And this tag might not mean anything to anyone else, but it helped fill a gaping hole in my heart. So I guess even small things can leave a big impact on other people without you ever even realizing it."

She looked up and saw the man who had come with Terra had raised his hand in a salute. Cocking her head, she wondered, "Oh, are you former military, too?"

He blinked, then slowly lowered his hand and looked at it curiously. "I suppose I am... That was an automatic reaction upon seeing that tag... Ma'am, I... am sorry for your loss." She had never outright stated that someone had died, but somehow... he knew? And that... he felt responsible?

"Thank you..." she replied, bowing her head slightly. "But you don't have to be sorry. It wasn't your fault." He was about to question that, but she pushed a stray bang back from her face and said, "I wish I could meet General Leo and tell him that, too. Even though the Empire took Wes from me in the first place, General Leo was the person who ensured that our separation wasn't absolute. So while I might be able to blame the Empire for losing Wes, I can't blame the general along with them. So wherever he is, I don't want him to feel guilty about that."

He swallowed, then nodded. "I... will do my best to pass that along." Clearing his throat, he nodded towards the ladder. "Anyway, do you still need help hanging that sign?"

"Oh, yes, thank you!" she said, lightly bopping the side of her head. She took the sign in one hand and a brick in the other and turned to climb the ladder again.

"A brick?" he noted. "Is that what you intend to use to drive the nails?"

"Oh, I don't even have nails, I was just going to see if I could wedge it between two panels of siding," she replied.

He shook his head then crouched down and unloaded the crate from his back. "No, no, that will not do. If you are going to provide a service to the town then it must be done with utmost care." He sifted through the crate and produced a new hammer and a packet of nails. Holding them out to her, he said, "Here, this will serve you much better."

She made a slight gasp of disbelief as she took them. "Even when I'm trying to be of help myself, you keep coming back to help me further. Thank you so much..."

Lola ascended the ladder again -- this time with a spotter to keep it steady -- and nailed the sign advertising her support group over the door. After confirming that it was straight and secure, she climbed back down the ladder and attempted to hand back the hammer and remaining nails.

He shook his head and pushed them back to her gently. "No, those are yours to keep. To help you continue to build yourself into the future." He pulled out his notebook and wondered, "Is there anything else that you might be needing? Floor cushions for your group participants? Stationery for them to take notes? Are you yourself in need of any essentials?"

Lola held her face. "Oh my gosh, I don't know if I could ask anything more of you after you've already done so much." She took a deep breath and dragged her hands away from her face. "But... if you're offering then... yes, I think cushions would be good. I'm still all set on stationery from my letter-writing, though." He noted those down while she folded her hands behind her back. "I wish there was something I could do to help you in return, though."

Terra shook her head. "I know what it's like to feel helpless in the face of someone who does so much for you but you struggle to repay their kindness. And... it's nothing to feel guilty about. Even if you can't help us right now, there are plenty of other people who you can help, and using what you've been given to pass along that kindness is the best repayment you could give."

Lola sniffed and nodded. "I will. As a tribute to Wes, and to you, and to General Leo. Oh, Terra, I do hope you find him. Both for your sake and for his. He deserves to be happy, too."

Terra looked to her companion with a soft smile. "Yeah... he does."

His cheeks reddened slightly and he turned his eyes down to the notebook in his hand to read over the wishes he had recorded so far that were still left un-granted. After some thought, he silently added one more to the list: "Find General Leo".

Chapter Text

By the time the two of them had completed distributing the remainder of the provisions in the crate it was late evening, with the reddish sun hanging in the sky just above eye level. They had ended up at the railing overlooking the reservoir at the edge of town where they had met the first time a few days prior, only this time fully visible.

"Thank you for letting me come with you and help you with this," said Terra. "I'm always doubting myself, but most of what we did today were small, simple acts that still made a world of difference to the people who needed them. It made the prospect of being able to move on to saving the world from Kefka... a little less daunting."

"I still do not see where you see yourself as deficient in your ability to provide assistance," he replied. "I would never have made it this far without your support. And I have the utmost gratitude to you for that."

Terra blushed and looked down into the water. "It... it was nothing, really..."

"Which is consistent with what you said before," he said, folding his hands on the railing. "Something does not have to be large or difficult for it to be worthwhile." He swiped his fingertips across his forehead. "Even the simple act of taking off a mask can make a huge difference, but it still takes courage to do so. Thank you... for helping me to find it."

Terra was both flattered and a bit uncomfortable with all the praise as she still felt like somewhat of an impostor who was undeserving of it. With the way that Leo also shied away from praise, though... did he also somehow think that he was unworthy of it? Back when they'd first met a year ago, he'd even called himself no better than Kefka simply for being unable to intervene in the experiments on her. Did he really think so poorly of himself despite all the good he'd accomplished? Did he still feel that way?

He inhaled and let out a deep breath. "And... I think it has helped alleviate a fear that I suppose I was not even consciously aware that I had. I hid myself out of fear of betrayal... but I think it may also have been out of fear of who I might have been. As I wandered through this decaying world when I first awoke a common theme I heard was of the evils of the Empire. Yet the effects I wore... identified me as an Imperial myself. I was terrified that I had been complicit in, or worse, perpetuated the state the world was currently in."

"No, you did what you could to stop it," Terra insisted. "Being unsuccessful at stopping evil isn't the same as being evil yourself. Just as some problems are simple to fix as long as you get up and try, some problems are too big to ever expect one person to be able to overcome them alone. That's why... I wanted to support you."

He nodded with a smile. "And I appreciate it. The feelings that came back to me after helping these people, and the gratitude from both you and Lola all helped me to accept that the General Leo that you knew... was not so different a person than who I am now. That perhaps... I should not be afraid of being him."

He sighed, "But that would still require remembering my past. Even if I accepted calling myself 'General Leo', those who knew of me would still have expectations of me based on my prior actions that I myself have no recollection of." He pulled out the notebook and read down to the line he'd written after listening to Lola's wishes. "That woman Lola desires to meet General Leo and thank him... but thank him for something that I do not remember doing. It would be meaningless for both of us to meet if I did not understand why."

Terra reached over and put her hand over his. "General... I love that you're always thinking about other people's needs and doing what you can to help meet them. But in the case of regaining your memories... I know I would be happy if you did and so would Lola... but would you ?" He made a sound of surprise, but she clarified, "You said you were afraid of who you might have been before, and what sorts of memories were terrible enough to cause you to block them out. And you do seem... generally happy as you are now, and I would hate to think that you feel pressured to wish for something for our sakes that you yourself might not really want." She looked up at him. "I agree with Lola that you deserve to be happy, too, and there's nothing selfish about taking your own happiness into consideration."

He bowed his head with a chuckle. "I do indeed have a habit of always putting everyone before myself even to my detriment," he admitted. "However, while you are correct that thinking about what may have happened in my past causes me discomfort... I believe that the root of it is in the uncertainty. As long as I do not know what my past consisted of, my imagination can fill it in with whatever horrors it can concoct, causing me anxiety over things that may not even be true. No matter what demons I might have had, I would rather they be real and able to be confronted than hypothetical and elusive."

"And if you ever do have to face them, I want to be by your side to help you," Terra said with a soft smile.

He squeezed her hand back. "I sincerely hope so." He let out a long sigh and looked into the water. "... As one of my greatest anxieties involves what my memories of you might hold..."

"Huh?" she responded, confused.

He laced his fingers and fidgeted with them. "When I was able to directly provide service to people, I could feel past emotions seeping through again that highly correlated to what I feel now, leading me to conclude that General Leo and I shared the same love of service." He swallowed, but pressed on, "But my emotions regarding you have been... less coherent. As I am now, I feel..." He moved his mouth as though trying to find a proper word. "... great affection towards you. I do not know what our prior relationship was, but for some of my feelings I have yet to feel a past counterpart like I did when we hold hands. Meaning that what I feel towards you now... is potentially not what General Leo felt towards you. But if I am to accept that he is me..." He clenched and unclenched his hands. "... Whose emotions take precedence?"

Terra's face flushed deeply. It was true that Leo as he was now was certainly much more open with his affection than he had been previously, which was what had driven her to take a step back for reassessment in the first place. But it wasn't because she disliked the affection. On the contrary, if... if she was certain that he was fully of sound mind and still consented to it, she would probably hug him and never let go.

"I... have neither the ability nor the right to tell you what you felt about me back then beyond what you told me yourself," Terra admitted. "But I could feel that you certainly cared about me, and you called me a dear friend." She thought back over their brief time together previously and noted, "We only knew each other for a few days before we were separated, and only one of those days was as relaxed as this one." She let out a small chuckle and shook her head. "We even spent it looking out over the water and talking about our anxieties regarding our feelings, just like now. So if you're worried that your feelings were different in the past, your situation was different, too."

He pursed his lips and looked down into the reservoir with her, watching their reflections waver on the surface. If that was the case, then it was entirely possible that the only reason his feelings from before differed from now was simply because they had never had the opportunity to mature, and this was merely picking up where they had left off. His shoulders relaxed and his chest warmed at the thought. Maybe he really was worrying over nothing all this time.

He squeezed her shoulder with a smile. "Well, I would say the best way to know for sure is to keep drawing more of my past emotions to the surface. Being with you and providing these services has worked wonders for that." He looked behind them towards the western horizon. "It is about an hour until sunset. If we have one more full day before you must rejoin your companions, then we should have time for one more delivery if we leave for Jidoor now. Orcus will have to go by land this time so it will take a little longer, but I think we can still manage."

She giggled. "That's all right, I like spending time with Orcus, too." And she liked Leo pressed against her back with his arms around her when they were riding him, buuuut that wasn't a reason she needed to vocalize right now. "Shall we get going?"

"By all means," he said, offering her his arm to take as they turned to leave town. She took it without hesitation and he sighed contentedly. She'd helped him reconnect with emotions he'd forgotten he'd had and discover new ones that were thrilling to feel. Nevertheless, despite how comfortable he felt now, the sudden stop in his mind still persisted: a lingering fear and uncertainty that he couldn't even define that refused to let go. But whatever it was, he had still finally learned to trust, and he trusted that Terra would help him overcome this, too.

The sun was just setting when they arrived back in the forest near Maranda. Orcus was initially slightly perplexed to see his master without his usual mask, but he got over himself quickly enough with another offering of raisins and allowed them both to mount. Terra grinned in contentment when she once again felt a chest against her back, arms on either side of her, and warm hands holding hers over the chocobo's feathers. "Ready to go?" he queried gently into her ear.

She shivered pleasantly and nodded. He looked up and requested, "All right Orcus, back to Jidoor. The long way, for real this time."

They sped off in the direction of the setting sun, the horizon glowing a fiery red and casting a crimson hue over the landscape. It was somewhat unnerving yet somehow there was still an eerie sort of beauty to be found in it. The world had been turned into something unwelcome and unfamiliar, but if they looked hard enough they could still find remnants of hope that Kefka had been unable to destroy.

After about an hour of riding, the silhouette of a large building appeared on the horizon, backlit by the dimming sky. Terra was a little confused. She was sure he'd said that it took about two hours of riding by land to get from Jidoor to Maranda, so they couldn't be in Jidoor yet.

"Ah, the opera house," she heard him say behind her, as though he had heard her wondering. "I guess you could say this was where I adopted my new identity. There was a crate of discarded and damaged costume pieces that contained the lion mask, the sashes, and the coat, though I added the feathers to the mask and the multiple extra pockets to the coat."

He pulled on Orcus's feathers slightly to slow his pace. "Kefka attacked me for being an Imperial, and the commentary I overheard from the general populace regarding the Empire was mostly unfavorable, so I had no desire to appear associated with them when I had no memory of my role within it. So I cast off my supposed identity as General Leo and became a nameless, invisible non-entity."

"Not entirely, though," Terra observed. "You kept your tags."

He chuckled and pulled the chain out from his collar. "You are right about that," he ceded, looking at the small metal plate bearing a name and personal information that he still couldn't quite make his own. "I had considered discarding these as well, but... they felt important. That dissociating myself from the Empire was one thing, but abandoning these tags felt like I was only throwing away myself, and I had no intention of going that far. I did not know why they were important, but when you recognized them you said that they were... a relic to identify lost soldiers and bring them home."

There was a sudden loud roar that sounded like it was coming from inside the opera house. Terra blinked in surprise and realized, "Oh, that's right, didn't that little girl in Jidoor say that the opera house had been overrun by monsters?"

"I did record that in my Book of Wishes, yes," he confirmed.

Terra turned her head up to grin at him. "So do we have time to make a detour to grant a little girl's wish?"

His chest swelled and his lips pulled back into a broad smile. "I do like making children happy..." he said contemplatively, as though this was actually a decision he had to think about. Craning his neck around and patting the chocobo's side, he queried, "Orcus, do you mind if we stop here for a while? There isn't a forest around here, but there really aren't any people, either. Will you be all right?"

Orcus made a bit of a grumble through his nose, then spread his wings and launched off the ground, causing the two of them to suddenly grip his sides to hold on. However, he only went as far as the roof of the opera house, then settled himself between some spires and continued making soft nasal noises like he was muttering to himself.

"Oh, these spires are sort of like trees, I guess," Terra observed as she dismounted.

Her partner dismounted as well and scratched under the chocobo's beak, slipping him a raisin in the process. "Thank you for accommodating us, my friend. I'll see if I can find you some more dried fruit when we get back to Jidoor, all right?" Orcus bobbed his head in response.

Terra held out her hand to him and offered, "I can get us down from here with a Float spell. Are you ready?"

"I always welcome your assistance," he said with a soft smile, taking her hand and absently looking down over the edge of the roof into the darkness below.

There was a sudden uncomfortable gnawing in the pit of his stomach that gave him pause. Was he... suddenly afraid of heights? He had flown on Orcus countless times over the past year and the height had never bothered him before. But for some reason standing here on a ledge and looking down into what looked like a dark void caused him to bristle with anxiety. He had become so contented by the pleasant emotions that had been triggered from his time with Terra that he hadn't been anticipating that something might still trigger a negative one.

"General?" Terra questioned when she saw him lost in looking down into the darkness.

He shook his head to bring himself back to the present. "Ah, I just got the feeling that I may have had an unpleasant experience with a cliff in my past when I looked down," he admitted. With a smile, he squeezed her hand and said, "I trust that such will not be the case this time."

"I promise," she said, nodding. If he was recalling an unpleasant experience with a cliff, that was most likely the Floating Continent, which they'd all fallen from just before they were separated. Now that they were faced with jumping from a ledge while holding hands again, she also suddenly felt a bit of apprehension, even though the drop was much shorter and in much less dire circumstances. Nevertheless, she reached over and took his other hand, insisting, "Two hands this time, just to make doubly sure no one lets go."

He cocked his head at her as she let out a breath, then chanted, "Float..." The two of them suddenly became weightless and drifted off the edge of the roof. He slid his hands up to clutch Terra's upper arms mostly in surprise at being airborne without the aid of a chocobo than out of fear. Orcus, back on the roof, was equally perplexed at this mysterious manner of flight and stood at the ledge tilting his head back and forth like a quizzical dog.

The chocobo's master laughed and called over to him, "Don't worry, my friend, I'm not abandoning you for a different mode of transport. This is just so that you can stay up there and be safe. We'll be back for you, I promise." Orcus made an agreeable sound, then turned away from the ledge and settled himself back down between the spires.

As they slowly descended, lazily rotating in the darkness while holding each other's arms, he breathed out deeply. "Well, whatever experience I had with a cliff before, I am certain that this is much more pleasant." Looking at their positioning, he gave a small chuckle. "It's almost like we're dancing in the air."

Terra blushed. "I... I've never danced before, though."

"I cannot recall if I ever have, either," he admitted. Sliding one hand to her waist and the other to her hand, he noted, "But if my body remembered how to fight all on its own, perhaps if I have experience dancing it will remember that as well."

She giggled and moved the hand he wasn't holding to his shoulder. "The point of holding each other like this was so that we didn't let each other go, though."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me letting you go," he said with a wink, causing her to blush harder.

When their feet lightly reached the ground and the Float spell was dispelled, they continued holding each other in that position for some time longer. He looked at her seriously and elaborated, "And by that I mean... even if I regain my memory, even if we defeat Kefka, even if the world is restored... I still want to be by your side. I know you have other responsibilities and I have no intention of taking you away from them, but... I'd like to hope that after this is all over we'll still be able to see each other."

"Of course we can still see each other," she said, slightly surprised. "You make it sound like after everything is finished I'm going to vanish or something." Looking to the side, she squeezed his arm and admitted, "You're right that I do have other people I need to take care of, so I'm not going to be able to stay with you helping with your humanitarian work like this all the time... but you have a flying chocobo and I have friends with an airship. Hopefully those will give us some good options for seeing each other regularly." She shyly looked back up to him. "Since I like being with you, too."

He smiled contentedly and relaxed his shoulders. Letting go of her, he rubbed the back of his neck and said, a little embarrassed, "I apologize for the clinginess. I simply... have had no meaningful human contact in the last year, which is the extent of my entire memory, so now that I have it... I may be overly paranoid about losing it. But you have helped me to open myself up to other people again, so even if we do end up apart for a while... I think I will be able to manage."

He cleared his throat and held up his Book of Wishes. "But while we have our time together, we should make the most of it. Therefore, shall we fight together to make a little girl's wish come true?"

Terra grinned and hugged his arm. "I would love to."

The pair entered the front doors to the opera house, where they were greeted by another roar coming from somewhere deeper within the building. They passed through the turnstile, which alerted a man in a fancy black suit in the front lobby to their presence. He walked quickly and stiffly in their direction and announced, "Yes, hello, I am the Impresario of this establishment. I am terribly sorry, but due to a continuing monster infestation that we are doing our best to remedy, the opera house is closed for business at this time."

"That's okay, we're here to defeat the monsters," Terra explained happily.

"You are?" he replied in shock, looking them over. "Just the two of you? Because I'll have you know that we have a dragon that has decided to sit right in the middle of our stage and refuses to budge!"

"Don't worry, I have experience killing dragons," Terra said. She then indicated with her thumb to her partner and added, "And he once killed a legendary monster single-handedly." His eyes widened at this assertion but he said nothing, merely shrugging and nodding in affirmation.

"Oh... my..." said the Impresario, pacing quickly back and forth. "I do hope you're not bluffing. I don't want to have to deal with both a monster and dead bodies tarnishing my stage..." He hunched his shoulders and pleaded to them, "Please try not to damage anything."

"We will do our best, but we also make no promises," said Terra's partner, bowing.

The Impresario sighed. "Very well... you may access the stage from the trap door on the second level. Do take care."

The two of them made their way to the second level through the balcony seating area to the stagehand room to the right side. "I almost didn't want to help him, he was so rude..." Terra complained.

Her companion shook his head. "No matter their behavior, all people deserve a base level of respect. Refusing to help him means refusing to help the little girl who misses going to the theater with her family. I am not about to let other people suffer because I find one person who may benefit from my help less deserving of it. Even the people of Jidoor who would mostly squander it, and the people of Zozo who would mostly exploit it, have still received aid from me. Because I would rather serve a hundred undeserving people than fail to serve one deserving one."

Terra suddenly felt horribly guilty. "Y... yes, I guess you're right. We do still need to help regardless." She pursed her lips. "... But I can still call him 'rude', right?"

He laughed. "Yes, he was quite rude."

They entered the stagehands' room, catching the operator by surprise. "Oh, wow, you're really here slay that dragon? I hope you can; we haven't had any work in months thanks to it taking over the stage and it's killing us financially."

"Don't worry, we'll get you back in business soon. I know of people who are eager to come back and see your performances," Terra assured him. She glanced over at her companion who was examining the levers on the wall and blushed. Leo liked opera, too, she knew. She didn't know anything about it herself, but maybe once everything was settled, they could come back here and see a show together and she could discover what he liked so much about it.

"Oh, that's great to hear!" said the stagehand. "Well, just pull that lever and you'll have access to the stage."

"This one?" Terra's companion queried, pulling the one on the far left.

"Woof."

He blinked and pulled the lever a few more times and it just continued to make a "woof" sound.

"Honestly, I'm not sure why we have that lever," said the stagehand. "This one on the right here will get you to the stage."

"This one?" said Terra, walking over and pulling the lever he indicated.

A trap door suddenly opened under her and she gave a squeak of surprise and fell, but not before her partner dove to the floor to catch her hand before she fell completely. Looking up at the stagehand in annoyance, he questioned, "Just what manner of senselessness are you peddling here?"

The stagehand shrugged, "I don't know why we have that lever, either. Really, I don't know why the Impresario didn't just direct you to the performers' entrance behind the curtains. I think he's just kind of a jerk."

"I am beginning to see that." He looked down into the hole in the floor where he was clutching Terra's hand and wondered, "Are you all right?"

"I'm all right!" she called back up, catching her breath. "It just surprised me, is all. Come on, I can Float us the rest of the way down."

He slid down the hatch with her and they descended slowly towards the stage. "I still intend to help them and do my best to follow their wishes of minimizing collateral damage, but their behavior is certainly straining the goodwill I would feel towards doing so," he commented.

Terra giggled. "I'm just excited about being able to fight alongside you to grant someone's wish, so I don't really mind so much. There was no harm done in the end."

He bowed his head with a chuckle. "And you are correct. That does still make this all worth it."

They reached the stage, still hovering a few inches above its surface thanks to the Float spell. The dragon spotted them and let out a roar, then swung its head to send a shockwave towards them.

That... passed right under them. Terra watched it sail by behind them and noted, "Oh, this dragon uses earth-based attacks. So while we're floating, it can't even hit us, anyway."

"Convenient," her partner said, rolling up the cuffs of his sleeves and drawing his sword. "Then with our defense already taken care of, we are on the offensive." Holding his sword to the side, he noted, "My Shock attack is a bolt of energy from the ground which would likely damage the stage, so I am going to be limited to melee attacks for this battle."

Terra nodded. "And I probably shouldn't be throwing around any fire inside, so I'm going to have to rely on powering up lesser spells." She closed her eyes and willed her inner energy to the surface, bathing in a blue light that radiated out, fanning out her hair and turning her skin a faint pink. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that her partner was gaping at her, and she suddenly realized, "Oh... that's right, you wouldn't remember that I can do this... Um..."

He shook his head, mouth still open. "Part of me is upset that I would have forgotten something like this, and part of me is glad that it means you continue to be full of exciting surprises." He raised his sword to her and nodded. "I anticipate this is going to be an enjoyable battle. Shall we?"

She bowed playfully at him. "We shall."

A head popped up from below the front of the stage. "You're here to get rid of that dragon? Bless you both, we will provide you with all the backup we can muster!"

"Oh, that's all right, this is probably going to be too dangerous for--" Terra began, but the man turned his back to her and raised a wand in the air.

"All right, everyone, put all your energy into it! We can't let those instruments rust!" He waved his wand and the soft sounds of stringed instruments began reverberating around the concert hall. They crescendoed, adding more strings, winds, and percussion, the volume increasing until it felt like it fully surrounded them.

Terra looked to her companion, who had gone stiff when the music started, then his face slowly broke into a grin, his fists clenching and his hair bristling. "This feeling... My chest is swelling and I feel completely energized... Like the sound is melding with my body and guiding my emotions and movements...!" He brought up his hand and his wrist and fingers twitched in time with the music in a manner similar to the conducting motion that Terra remembered seeing him do when they'd first met.

"Terra!" he said excitedly, reaching his hand out and taking hers. Slightly breathlessly, he nodded towards the dragon and requested, "I still owe you that dance. Will you join me?"

Terra blushed hard. Even during their first conversation, his obvious enthusiasm towards his interests was something that had endeared him to her, especially because unlike the others' passion towards things like revolution or romance that she didn't understand at the time, his passion towards music was benign and unintimidating. And now that they were here, in this acoustic hall, surrounded by waves of music that were mingling with her own magical aura, she also felt... energized. Excited. And even though she had no idea what he wanted to do, if the music was directing him, she felt like all she had to do was follow its lead and she would naturally understand it.

She clasped his hand and nodded, and the two of them pushed off the stage floor towards the dragon, the Float allowing them to glide easily over the surface of the stage. The dragon kicked up numerous other shockwaves that harmlessly passed beneath them. Enraged that its special abilities had no effect on them, the dragon spun around and swiped its tail at them. Terra's partner swept up his arm holding her hand, tossing her over the dragon's tail in an elegant spin while he feinted to the side, allowing the dragon's tail to sweep past him, giving him an opening to slash his sword across the tendon at the back of its knee.

From the air, Terra cast a Gravity spell on the dragon, forcing it to the ground on its wounded leg. This allowed her partner to leap onto its back and drive his sword into the back of its neck. Without even needing to look, he reached up his hand and Terra was in position to take it. With his sword still piercing the dragon's skin, he slid down the dragon's flank, opening a deep gash as he went, which Terra filled with a close-range Blizzard spell, freezing the monster from the inside out.

When they reached the ground in front of the dragon's chest, he twirled her around so that his arm was wrapped around her and her back was to his chest, her hands clasping his sword arm. Smiling and sliding her hands to the hilt of his sword, she chanted, "Banish", imbuing the sword with the spell. They launched forward as a pair, driving the sword into the dragon's chest, causing its frozen body to implode into nothingness.

With the dragon gone, the orchestra reduced the tempo and volume of their playing and the onstage pair's actions followed suit, lowering the sword and passing it off to his right hand to sheathe it, turning Terra around in the process to face him. He brushed one hand down her mane of pink hair to rest at her waist, and took her hand with his other. Terra placed her free hand on his upper arm and the two continued to frictionlessly revolve together on the stage, still hovering a few inches above it.

"That was even more enjoyable than I had hoped," he said softly, gazing at her with a warm smile. "You dance well."

"Mm..." was all she could think of to say, lost in his eyes. "You'd told me that music sets your mood, like it can direct your emotions, and at the time I didn't understand what you meant, but... now I think I have an idea. Like feelings that I didn't know how to put into words could still be put into sound. When the music was loud and fast during the fight, I felt excited, but now that it's slowed down, and I'm with you like this, I feel..."

He touched his finger to her lips. "Sometimes words aren't necessary. If we're both listening to the same music, then I think we both feel the same way."

She felt a pleasant shiver run down her neck when his finger touched her. When he took it away and returned his hand to holding hers, she almost missed its touch. Looking up at his face, she found herself wondering that if just a tap of his finger to her lips felt that nice, what would it feel like if...?

Suddenly one of the trumpets belted out some kind of victory fanfare that shocked the two of them out of their mutual dazes. Terra blushed hard at realizing what she had been thinking about, while her partner laughed and called back, "What was that supposed to be?"

"Sorry!" came a voice from the orchestra pit. "You beat the dragon and I wanted to celebrate!"

"You are allowed," he called back in amusement. Pulling the small notebook out of his breast pocket, he crossed off the entry for defeating the monsters at the opera house. Clapping the book closed and returning to to his pocket, he commented to Terra, "Well, mission accomplished. Shall we move on?"

She patted her cheeks to clear her head, then reverted to her human form. With a bashful nod, she agreed, "Y, yeah, let's get going."

Chapter Text

They exited the stage -- simply by jumping from it and passing through the seating area this time -- and headed up the aisle towards the auditorium exit. Behind them, the orchestra went into tuning and warm-ups, filling the area with a conglomeration of various sounds. Terra's partner still found it enjoyable, though, grinning as they walked. "I can still feel that music inside me even now," he said, placing his hand on his chest. "I had been looking to stir more past emotions, but that... that felt like it swept them all up and then let them settle collectively into a more natural orientation. For the first time I don't feel like a stranger in my own skin anymore. That these emotions that keep resurfacing aren't simply refugees from a forgotten time, but that they have always been mine."

Terra smiled shyly. "Yeah, the music... helped me to feel some things, too..." she admitted. She looked away and swallowed. It was almost getting to be too hard to keep him at arm's length out of respect for his past self. She had once wondered why Celes would agonize so much over the prospect of remaining just friends with Locke and what kind of barrier it was she wanted to cross, but... now she was beginning to have a pretty good idea of what Celes had been going through. But if Terra was feeling the same way now, that meant...

When they reached the lobby, the Impresario approached them with a hurried walk. "Oh, splendid, splendid, you were able to defeat that horrible creature after all! I apologize for misjudging you, as you appeared to be nothing but a frail young woman and an unkempt smuggler dressed in an assortment of discarded garments."

"She is not frail, she is the strongest person I know!"

"He's not unkempt, he's hard-working and all those pockets are full of people's hopes and dreams!"

They both looked at each other with a light blush at each others' praise while the Impresario waved his hands and affirmed, "Yes, yes, that was why I was apologizing, you see." He coughed into his fist and folded his arms behind his back. "Thus I have a proposition to make. I intend to get this establishment back up and running as soon as possible, however we have been idle for a number of months thanks to that dragon and thus need some dry runs before we are confident we can re-open to the public. Therefore, as a token of my gratitude and to make up for my underestimation of your capabilities I am willing to offer you a free private showing of the production of your choice."

"Oh?" Terra replied, blinking and looking up at her partner. She... did want to see a show with him at some point, but she hadn't expected the opportunity to arise so soon. "Are you up for it?" she wondered to him.

He fidgeted his shoulders. "It is quite tempting. That piece they played while we fought the dragon was wholly enjoyable and I would like to hear more..."

"Ah, that was a piece from a new opera, Rex Insomnem . We hadn't even had the chance to perform it publicly before that dragon ruined everything. That would be an excellent choice my good sir."

Terra pulled out the lion mask and noted, "You have a personal connection with this mask, too. That little girl said that it looked like one from an opera she saw. Um, it was The Lion and the Sorceress , wasn't it? I was curious what that might be about."

The Impresario gasped and held out his hands. "That... that mask was destroyed when the world went to pieces. Griever is a central character to The Lion and the Sorceress and we would never be able to perform it again without it. But this has been so beautifully restored!"

The mask's previous owner swallowed in hesitation, then bowed his head and offered, "I am in the business of granting wishes, and if it would do you well to have that mask returned to you, you may have it."

"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed the Impresario, gingerly taking the black-feathered lion mask. "We would be honored to perform that opera for you to allow you to witness this mask in its original glory, if that is your desire."

He kept his eyes on the lion mask as if still not entirely comfortable with parting with it permanently. Finally, shaking his head, he replied, "Your offers are all very kind, however there are still other wishes left un-granted and I am short on time at the moment." Breaking his gaze from the lion mask and shifting it to Terra, he gave her a soft smile and said, "But I would love to return at some point and see a performance together."

She smiled back at him. "I'd like that very much, too." Turning to the Impresario and bowing slightly, she said, "Thank you so much for your offer, but we just don't have time right now, but hope to be back later. Good luck with your rehearsals!"

Her partner nodded and turned to the door. "Let's go, Terra. I'll summon Orcus from the roof."

Terra began to follow after him, but then suddenly stopped frozen, a jolt running up her spine. Something... something just occurred to her right then. A nagging sensation in her chest. Something telling her they couldn't leave just yet.

"General...!" she called after him, causing him to pause and turn to look at her expectantly. Her eyes flitted about in thought and she moved her mouth silently a few times before noting, "You... named your chocobo 'Orcus' because it was the only name you could remember when you woke up, right...?"

"Yes, that's right," he confirmed.

That meant something. If it was the only tangible memory that carried over from his past right from the very start of his amnesia, it had to mean something. She didn't know what it meant, but had a feeling that the answer might be found within the opera that was the source of that name.

Turning to the Impresario, she inquired, "Would you be able to perform Orco e Delphina for us?"

The Impresario gasped. "Oh... my goodness, that is quite an unusual request. I recall there was perhaps only one other person who ever made a request we perform it."

"But can you?" she pressed.

The Impresario straightened his shoulders. "Well, yes, it is in our repertoire, however we haven't performed it in probably ten years, not since we did a run of it for a special recording session. It just isn't very popular. But since we aren't looking to fill seats this time around, it can be arranged if that is your wish."

"That is my wish," Terra confirmed, turning back to her partner. "I want to see it with you."

He flushed lightly. "Are... are you certain? If we stay here we are unlikely to have the time to collect enough money and resources for another delivery before your time is up."

"I know..." she admitted. She walked to him and held his hand, looking down at it. "But... I just have a feeling... that this is important. You'd talked about wanting to see this one, but I think... you need to see it. There's something about it that's still deeply tied to you, and I think it can help you." She looked up at him with slightly pleading eyes. "So I guess this is... my wish for you."

He was held by her gaze, then unconsciously lifted her hand up to his face and lightly kissed the back of it, never breaking eye contact. Her face went pink as he softly promised, "Then... I will do everything in my power to grant it."

The Impresario clapped behind them. "Splendid! Give us about thirty minutes to set up. You are welcome to the box seats in the balcony for your viewing pleasure." He turned and rushed into the dressing room area, clapping his hands and announcing, "Look alive, everyone, we're back in business!"

Terra only vaguely heard him, her attention still firmly focused on her partner in front of her, her hands still clasping his. The full, warm feeling in her chest she had now, the fluttering her her stomach... these were feelings that she was certain went beyond the love for a friend. But if she took that step, if she made those feelings known and asked him to reciprocate... would they be able to still be friends, too? She didn't know what going beyond friendship even meant, and was scared that if she asked for too much she'd lose what she already had.

He rubbed his thumb absently over the back of her hand, and after noting her hesitation said, "I apologize if I have been too forward. If I am intimidating you or making you uncomfortable, please..."

She shook her head and leaned her forehead against his chest. "You don't ever have to apologize for being affectionate with me. I like it, I really do, but I guess I'm a little..." She trailed off, not sure how to explain how she felt.

"Scared?" he speculated. She tensed briefly, then nodded against his chest. He brought his hand up to absently stroke the back of her head and confessed, "I admit that I am as well. From an emotional level I feel like a mostly whole person again, but I am still cut off from the experiences that forged those emotions. Thus, I am constantly in fear that any decision I make might betray one of those experiences that I have no memory of. I know that I cannot be faulted for only working with the information that I have available, but... the fear of the unknown nonetheless proves to be a persistent barrier to taking action."

She closed her eyes and kept her cheek against his chest, enjoying the feeling of him stroking her head, and also the feeling of him being able to understand and put voice to her emotions where she sometimes still struggled. While she did wish they could both be more unreservedly affectionate with each other, what they had now was... safe, and she was afraid of risking that.

But right now they had a chance to relax and have an activity that was outside of work or saving the world or fighting off monsters. Something that was just for the two of them. And not only that, something she knew that he'd wanted to do for a long time, and something that she'd been curious about due to his enthusiasm for it.

She stood back up straight and tugged on his hand, saying, "Come on, let's go find our seats. We may not be able to predict what's coming, but we can at least enjoy right now."

He smiled and allowed her to lead him as she pulled him eagerly to the balcony. The Impresario said that they could have the "box seats" but since neither of them had any prior experience with theaters to their memory, they weren't particularly certain which seats he was referring to. However, since they were the only members of the audience, it wasn't like it ultimately mattered, and they ended up selecting a pair of seats in the balcony front row.

When they sat down, the orchestra was still warming up and stagehands were just finishing setting up some props and scenery on the stage. After they had been seated a moment, Terra noticed that her partner was restlessly fidgeting and wondered, "Are you all right?"

"Oh!" he realized, stilling himself. "I guess I'm just... excited?" he surmised, as though he wasn't entirely sure where his feelings were coming from. "I'm eager to hear more like what the orchestra played for us while we were fighting the dragon, and you said that I named Orcus after a character in this opera, so... perhaps I'm eager to see where that name came from?" He looked down and fidgeted his fingers again. It felt like more than that, though, but he couldn't place why.

The discordant sounds of the orchestra's warm-up suddenly ceased, and was replaced by a single violin humming out a long note, which was then gradually joined by the remainder of the instruments. It lasted for about ten seconds before the orchestra went silent again. Terra's partner blinked and leaned over to whisper, "Was that a song just now? Are we supposed to clap?" Terra shrugged, as she was just as inexperienced with this as he was.

Before he could question further, the lights dimmed and the Impresario walked out on stage, illuminated by a spotlight. "Esteemed performers, crew, members of the orchestra, and honored guests. After many long months our opera house is finally returning to operation. To commemorate this day, please enjoy this special exhibition performance for our benefactors. The Jidoor opera house now proudly presents... Orco e Delphina ."

The spotlight went out, and the orchestra suddenly erupted into an overture, a fanfare of trumpets and strings. Terra's partner straightened a little in surprise, but after a few seconds, his eyes narrowed and he leaned forward attentively. "I... I know this song..." he whispered in realization.

"You remember?" Terra wondered hopefully.

He gave a single shake of his head, still fixated on the darkened stage and the music filling the auditorium. "Not entirely, no. But I can hear the next few bars of music come into my head before they're played. Like..." He raised his hand in front of him and conducted along with his fingers, and when the orchestra changed meter or tempo he was able to match it perfectly. Leaning back in his seat, he whispered to himself, "All right, I need to try to actually pay attention to this instead of continuing to anticipate every beat."

Terra smiled and reached over the armrest to hold his hand. "Don't worry, I'll keep those fidgety fingers in check." He flashed her a quick smile and squeezed her hand back before intently turning his attention back to the stage.

The orchestra quieted somewhat and moved into a softer piece as a man in simple garb walked to the center of the stage. He looked out to the audience, raised his arm, and began to sing.

Fair Delphina
Long have I yearned
To take your hand
And my feelings be returned

Those opening lyrics immediately made Terra acutely aware of the position she had just put herself in. She bashfully glanced up at her partner whose hand she was currently holding to see how he'd reacted, but he was still enraptured by the stage, the glimmer of the spotlight shining in his eyes, which only served to make him even more endearing. Leo had said that he had deeply related to this story, and from just the first verse Terra was already feeling it, too.

Though a common man like this Orcus
Could not possibly earn your heart
With no wealth or esteemed profession
I must depart
For a new start

The stage dimmed and there was the rumble of scenery being rearranged while the orchestra vamped the preceding melody. When the lights came back up it showed an outdoor scene, and Orcus walking across the stage passing various other people inquiring through song about work but being turned down at every turn. Then a man dressed in a soldier's uniform came running from the other side of the stage:

I bring tidings of war!
Northern armies have invaded!
We seek men who are stalwart
To resist the coming foes!

Orcus turned to the audience and responded,

This could be my chance
To prove I'm worthy of Delphina's hand
Gaining prowess as a soldier of war
And defending my homeland!

He left with the other soldier, and after a costume and scene shift, there was a musical montage of him training with the army. He was soon sent on his first mission, which was to expel invading Northern troops from a small village. Orcus's squadron was successful, and in the process he personally rescued a man called Cetus. Cetus was grateful and asked if he could join the army and fight alongside Orcus, to which Orcus happily agreed.

There was another montage of them training together, and Orcus and Cetus ended up in the same battalion for the next mission to liberate another village. Orcus and Cetus rescued a family from a burning house, but after doing so, one of the villagers noticed:

I remember you
Major Cetus of the North Lands
You invaded our hometown
Countless died by your own hands!

Terra gasped in surprise. Leo had given her a very brief summary of the opera before so she already knew some of the plot points, but this was something he hadn't mentioned specifically at all. Cetus was a spy?! But he and Orcus had been such good friends! And Orcus had saved him! How could he betray him like that?!

Orcus was, understandably, angry at this revelation. The music grew dark and he drew his sword as though to execute Cetus for treason, but then turned his back on him instead.

Be gone from me
You may go free
Though we were once friends
I can't abide by your deception
If you return to your country
I'll consider my work done

Cetus backed away, then ran off the stage to the side. Orcus remained in the center of the stage and bowed his head, and the lights went out.

The auditorium lights came back up, and Terra blinked in surprise. "Huh? Is that the end?" That couldn't have been the end; there were still parts that Leo had mentioned happening that she hadn't seen yet.

To answer her question, the Impresario came out on stage and announced, "This concludes Act I. There will now be a fifteen-minute intermission before the start of Act II."

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at her partner, wondering, "So, how are you liking it so far?"

"It's amazing..." he breathed, still staring out at the stage as the scenery was once again moved around. "It's like... I can feel it in my soul, and it all feels so familiar to me. The music... I know every beat and yet I can't place it. I know every word of every song but I can't bring them to my mind until I hear them. But being here now and watching it all play out... feels so fulfilling, like everything is gradually being put into place."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," she said, grinning. "Honestly, I'm really getting into it, too. I wasn't sure about what it would be like to have a story entirely put to music, but it's like the music... brings out the emotions of a scene more fully than simply speaking it. I'd always had such a hard time understanding emotions, but this makes them so much easier to grasp." She fidgeted her fingers. "It's a shame about Cetus, though. I liked his relationship with Orcus and it's terrible that he betrayed him."

"He didn't betray him," her companion said confidently. "I... don't actively remember what happens, but I can just feel it. After all, simply being a soldier of an enemy country doesn't necessarily make you a bad person, right? We're all fellow people before we're soldiers, after all."

"But that villager said that Cetus killed people in that village," Terra noted.

"Y... yes," he concurred, tilting his head. "And he should be held to account for that. But at the same time, I think it was too hasty of Orcus to dismiss him before he had the chance to explain himself." He leaned forward and folded his hands. "And then there's the curiosity with Delphina..."

"Oh...?" Terra wondered. That was a plot point she already knew, but she wasn't going to spoil it for him. "Well, she... sounds nice?"

"That's just it, though," he replied. "Orcus has only ever talked about her. She's never actually appeared yet. You are correct that the relationship between Orcus and Cetus has far more onstage development."

They continued to chat with each other about the finer plot points until the orchestra started up again with a reprise of the melody that Act I ended with that then transitioned into a new melody. The two of them hushed as the lights dimmed again and Orcus reappeared on stage. By the evolution of his uniform, it appeared to be several years later and he had gained a few ranks in the meantime. The scene opened in what appeared to be a military strategy meeting.

Scouts report we are closing in on the Northern hordes
They number seven hundred
Our troops have them outnumbered

Take our troops and position them in the western hills
Nightfall is our ally
Attack at sunset
Leave no man standing
Fell their leader
Vanquish their menace
For all time!

That seemed... unnecessarily brutal. Even if the North was their enemy who had invaded their country, reciprocating with utter annihilation felt disproportionate. And Orcus was okay ordering something like this?

Orcus's army met the opposing Northern forces, but their army was being led by none other than Cetus, Orcus's former friend, who had also risen in the ranks. The two men stared each other down from opposite sides of the stage, a group of soldiers behind each of them. Orcus called out to him in anger:

Here you stand as a loyal slave to your vicious king!
I'd thought that we were brothers
But your lies have been uncovered!

Cetus retorted back, to which Orcus offered volleys of his own:

Yet you bring an invasion force to destroy my home!
You're in no position--
    This is reprisal!
And we defy it!
    You slew dozens!
You've murdered hundreds!
    So you say!

The lighting turned red and there was a tense beating of percussion as they faced off. Orcus then bowed his head and lowered his sword, lamenting,

Here we stand again
Further battles in this long war
I can hardly remember
What we're even fighting for

Lives have been destroyed
By this back-and-forth invasion
Even if I defeat you
Does that really mean I've won?

Orcus raised his hand to bid his soldiers stand down, and Cetus did the same. They sheathed their swords and each walked from their sides to the center of the stage to meet. Here they both acknowledged that they had only been acting on the orders of their rulers without questioning why they were fighting or the means they used to do so. Cetus admitted that although he had started as a spy, he honestly did grow to become friends with Orcus and regretted his actions. Orcus in turn apologized for all the men of the Northern armies that he'd killed over the years in reprisal. They agreed that if they were responsible for so much loss of life then they also had the power to stop it, and that they would return to their respective kingdoms to negotiate an armistice.

However, suddenly a soldier from the Northern army who still wanted to fight broke away from the group and fired an arrow at Orcus. Cetus pushed him out of the way but was struck instead. Terra gasped in shock and held her mouth, while Orcus held Cetus and pleaded with him not to die. However, Cetus seemed content with his fate.

With my death this war will be over
Justice served for those killed before
Go find happiness with Delphina
You deserve more
Than endless war

Cetus died in Orcus's arms, and without their commander, the Northern armies retreated. Orcus returned to his country a hero for ending the war, however he couldn't participate in the celebrations of his fellow countrymen. Instead, he declared that the only thing that could make him happy now was to return home and be with his beloved Delphina.

Terra gulped and glanced up at her companion, since she already knew where this was headed. He bore an unsettled expression as though he suspected what was about to happen, too. Terra belatedly realized that she actually had no idea how the opera ultimately ended, either, and if it did end tragically, how it would affect his fledgling emotional stability.

The scene changed to the village from the opening scene in Act I, but with Orcus now in his military uniform rather than the plain garb from the beginning. He inquired about Delphina, but was met with the news:

I regret to say
That Delphina has departed
Fell in love with a farmhand
And last summer they were wed

The stage lights darkened aside from a single spotlight on Orcus. He hung his head and walked slowly towards the side of the stage as the orchestra began an introductory instrumental.

Terra's companion felt the muscles in his back stiffen as the music started. This song... The melody had been used several times before throughout the course of the story, but this rendition... this instrumentation, the tempo, the key... all the rest of the songs he could follow along with subconsciously despite not actively remembering them, but with this one it was like the introductory bars triggered some sort of deep anxiety. The introduction finished, Orcus began to sing in a lamenting tone:

I held my course
Dreams in my soul
Without remorse
I pressed onward towards my goal

The lyrics, the melody, everything about this song was crystal clear in his head, to the point that he was mouthing along with them as he sat enraptured by the performance. Here Orcus reached the edge of the stage and began to climb a precipice that had been hidden in the darkness. No don't... don't go there ...

Yet my life has been but a river
Locked in deference in its flow
Through immutable, hardened landscapes
Toward tomorrow
Is where I'd go

Orcus now stood high above the stage, looking down into the complete darkness. He had suffered loss after loss, and everything he had been working for was gone. And with everything in his life having become nothing, the only thing he could do to regain them was to... become nothing with them.

No, please... stop... If you keep going you're... you're not even going to exist anymore . He knew what was coming, the lyrics ringing through his head with utter clarity...

But the river falls from the mountain
And the river ends at the sea
Now a desolate, black expansion
Is all I see
Eternally....

Eternally.....

Eternally....

In his mind, the song stopped there... no more music, no more words trickled into his head anticipating what was coming next. Just the word "Eternally" repeated over and over like a skipping record for... eternity... no moving on, no going forward, no existence beyond that point. He was still trapped on that cliff on the Floating Continent, forever staring into an endless dark abyss: everything behind him destroyed, in front of him only nothingness. After losing everything, this... this was all there was: Darkness and uncertainty. Was it endless despair or utter nonexistence beyond this point? He didn't know. And that terrified him, to the point that he was incapable of moving any further from that spot.

Orcus... how did your story end? Where did you go from here? To me, you never moved from this place, and neither have I. The future continued without us and we were unable to join it. But now that future holds something that I want to participate in. But I still don't know how to move beyond this point or if I even can. Please, Orcus, I don't want to be trapped here eternally...

Eternally...

Eternally...

The music went silent, the stage dark aside from a dim spotlight on Orcus. After a few moments of tense silence, Orcus slowly looked up from the darkness and faced the audience, raising his hand towards them as he sang in a soft a cappella :

Turn from despair
Look back behind
While unaware
The terrain was redefined

The stage lights slowly faded on, revealing a backdrop depicting a flourishing kingdom no longer ravaged by war. The perimeter of the stage was lined with trees and flowers of the likes that their current world had not seen in a year. And in the backdrop scenery, a river ran through it all. The music swelled and resumed in a major key, as Orcus continued:

Even solid rocks are eroded
And a forest springs from its shore
Although gradual, life has flourished
My life is more
I can't ignore

Though the path I forged here was grueling
Untold others now may walk free
This mere undesired destination
Shall never be
What defines me

Orcus reached down and took hold of the blue stream of fabric hanging off the edge of the cliff meant to represent the falling river, and instead used it as a rope to gently rappel safely down to the flower-strewn stage. With a tug, he pulled the long blue sash from the precipice and wrapped it around his shoulders, spreading his arms and triumphantly declaring:

Yes, the river fell from the mountain
Where the river joins with the sea
But the sea itself, she is boundless
I am free
We are free!

He turned, the blue sash billowing behind him, and strode purposefully towards the back of the stage and the backdrop of the river surrounded by flowers and greenery. The curtains closed behind him and the orchestra crescendoed to a rousing finale.

Terra sat speechless with her mouth covered and eyes watering for a few seconds, before she sprang to her feet and applauded wholeheartedly. Leo rose from his seat and joined her in the ovation, his mouth firmly clenched as though trying to ward off tears of his own. "That was... fantastic..." he breathed. "After all that had happened, I never would have anticipated it could end that way. But now... now I finally know...." He turned his head to her and gave a light nod, his eyes wavering and misty. "Thank you, Terra."

She sniffed and rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand, smiling. "You're welcome. I really enjoyed it, too. It made me feel... so many things I haven't really experienced before. Based on what you'd told me before I was afraid of how it was going to end, but that ending gave me a lot of hope." She let out a light laugh and looked back up at him. "I can see why you love and relate to it so much. There were a few parts that did remind me quite a bit of you."

His cheeks colored slightly as he looked back to the stage. "And I am... rather touched that you took my frivolous ramblings from back then to heart..."

"I wish you wouldn't call your interests frivolous since they obviously meant a lot... to you..." Terra said, but trailed off as she came to a different realization as she spoke. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she whispered, "Wait, do you... remember our conversation on the boat?"

He slowly nodded once, still gazing out at the stage. "And everything else. The Doman Genocide, Crescent Island, the Floating Continent... and my name." He sank back into his seat and rubbed his hands over his face. "I will... need some time to get my thoughts in order."

Terra slowly sat back down in her own seat next to him and looked after him in tense silence, apprehensive about what those memories might do to him, but also wanting to trust that he had the strength to work through them. And if not... she still wanted to be there to help ease their burden if it became necessary.

Chapter Text

Leo held his face in his hands and took slow, deep breaths, his mind feeling like two halves of a river that had been separated by a dam, now freshly rejoined and still roiling at their connection point. Things that he had learned over the past year that had up until now held little meaning to him suddenly had vast pathways leading back through his mental history, the enormity of them only now becoming apparent.

The Empire... had fallen. Vector, his home, had been wiped off the face of the planet, supplanted by Kefka's grotesque monument to himself. His Emperor had been assassinated, his beloved people had been exterminated or scattered to the wind, his fellow soldiers had been hunted down and picked off by Kefka's wrathful light from the heavens. The once lush and beautiful landscapes had been reduced to desolate wastelands inhospitable to life, with the entire world in a terminal state simply waiting to die. And he... he'd had his love of his country exploited the entire time in order to enable those atrocities.

It had all been too much for him to bear before... and so he simply hadn't. His mind had shut down in that moment, certain that there was no way for his life to continue on. But... his life had continued on, just without any of that connected to it. He had lived a life of ignorance, but also of emptiness, cut off from all the people who had given his life meaning before.

But the true ending of Orco e Delphina had shown him that it was possible to bear that loss and still move forward. That even though the goals he had been focusing on had all failed spectacularly, those weren't the entirety of his life. Things that he had done in pursuit of those goals affected and helped other people, and their successes lived on. He had failed to save the Empire, but he had succeeded in helping the people continue to survive in the aftermath of its fall. He had failed to stop Kefka, but people he'd left an impression on along the way were eager to give him a chance to remedy that. He had failed to save Terra from a decade of torture, but now...

Now she was right here with him, having single-handedly pulled him back from his mental void. But the Terra who was sitting with him now was in conflict with the uncertain, emotionally inexperienced girl from his memories. He had held great affection towards her back then as well, but at that time he saw her as a dependent in his care, not as a...

The heat in his cheeks flared as he pressed his face more firmly into his hands. Oh god, what had he been doing ? He had brazenly flirted with her. He had sensually embraced her. He... he had kissed her! ...Only on the forehead and hand, yes, but still... he knew where his thoughts that he hadn't yet acted on had been roaming and they hadn't stopped there. Without the memories of his adult life experiences it was like he had reverted to some love-struck teenager.

His heart fluttered in his chest. Love-struck...? N... no, that was a wholly inappropriate feeling for him to have given their difference in emotional maturity. He would absolutely never intentionally take advantage of her, but he had been afraid that if he even suggested that he was a viable romantic partner for her that her trust in him coupled with her inexperience would result in him inadvertently grooming her. But... that unease was based on both his and Terra's emotional states from a year ago. After the fall of the world, his emotions had faltered while Terra had grown into a self-sufficient and emotionally stable young woman all on her own. The emotional gap that his past self had used to insist upon a chaste distance between them no longer existed.

General Celes had seen this coming from the very start. Somehow, she could tell that underneath everything, he'd held a flicker of yearning for Terra's emotional growth to mean that someday he'd have someone he could rely on for emotional support as well. He'd latched onto that support so hard when they were reunited in this world, oblivious to the life experiences that would have prevented him from doing so before. But now that he remembered them, he knew that those life experiences were what made him into the person he was now so he couldn't just ignore them. But at the same time, as Orcus's true ending had shown him, bad experiences in his past didn't have to define his future.

Even so, he still couldn't articulate to himself exactly what the nature of his relationship with Terra was at this point or what he even wanted it to be. Well, he did know one thing he still wanted: support. She'd helped him feel so safe and assured these past few days and now that he'd pulled back to a more modest distance to reassess himself, he realized just how desperately he wanted to feel that way again, especially now that the feeling of utter despair that he'd been blocking out for the past year was beginning to claw its way up his neck as the recognition of the loss of the home and its people that he loved had begun to sink in.

"Terra...?" he finally choked out, his head still bowed and pressed into his hands.

"I'm right here, General," she replied attentively, leaning towards him.

His chest clenched and he swallowed, his muscles starting to tense. The memories of her as an inexpressive, emotionless pawn of the Empire still haunted him. Even after her release, he remembered how she continued to struggle with expressing and empathizing with her emotions as well. These memories still gave him slight pause, but... even back then he had genuinely believed that she had the fortitude to grow and overcome the injustices of her childhood. And the woman sitting next to him now had made such amazing progress in doing so that it was more the sudden leap in competency from his memory's perspective that drove his reservations than any actual doubts about her current capabilities. But if he truly didn't want her past to permanently cast a shadow on her life, then he had to overcome it just as much as she did, and interact with her as the person she was now rather than the person she was then .

"Please..." he finally whispered. "You have been... lightening my burden all this time, but now I am faced with a weight that I cannot bear alone. I... I need..."

She nodded, understanding his needs without them needing to be vocalized further. She reached out a hand and hovered it next to his head, but paused and confirmed, "May I... hold you?"

He let out a shudder of a breath, but nodded into his hands. Terra lifted the armrest that had been separating them, removing that obstruction between them, then gently placed the hand that had been hovering by his head against his cheek. He inhaled audibly at the touch, but she maintained the contact, gently tugging his head towards her. He was still stiff, unable to release his own tension enough to lean over. In that case, she came to him, lifting herself up on her knees on her seat and leaning over to wrap her other arm around his shoulders and press the side of his head against her neck.

She rested her cheek against the top of his head and squeezed him gently, still feeling the trembling tension in his muscles. Letting out a breath, she couldn't help but feel like... she'd done this to him. Moments earlier he had been enthusiastically watching his favorite opera with her, eyes glimmering with excitement. But now he was on the verge of breaking under the strain of his revived memories that she'd been working all this time to unearth, going against the advice that Shadow had given her for this exact reason.

But... Leo had wanted to remember, too. And he knew that it would probably hurt. But he trusted her to be here to help him bear that burden, and thus it was a risk he had been willing to take. He knew he'd have to climb that cliff like Orcus did and stare into that black abyss, but she would have to be the one to show him how to get back down.

Nuzzling his hair, she took a deep breath and whispered, "We're all still here... Me, Celes, Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Cyan, Shadow, Setzer... you've left an impression on all of us and we've all been wishing for your safe return. You need to mourn for what you've lost, but you also need to understand how much you still have. That you still have somewhere to go and people who love you. Your river didn't end at that cliff, it just flowed into something new. This world still has a future, and we want you to be a part of it..." She hesitated slightly here, but resolved herself in her choice of words and finished with a soft, "... Leo."

That last word pierced through his immobilizing tension and went straight to his heart. Leo... yes, that was his name. Even without the Empire, even without his title... he was still Leo. A man who held a deep love for his people... a man who found joy in serving and nurturing them... a man with a profound passion for music... And even when he had lost his memories and experiences he had never lost any of that, only the name that had encompassed them. A name that through Terra's words now felt reawakened and fully embodied by him. His memories may have been fractured but "he" had continued to exist uninterrupted the entire time. The enormity of his loss was daunting... but it wasn't all-encompassing.

His tension disrupted, he shuddered and collapsed against her. She was briefly surprised by the sudden weight but was still able to support him. She held him by the shoulders and moved back into a sitting position in her seat, gently guiding him down to lean against her and rest his face on her shoulder. His breaths were trembling and uneven, and she could feel wet tears coating her skin.

She wrapped her arm around his back and nuzzled the side of his head, slowly rubbing his back. As much as it hurt to see him in so much grief... she also knew it was necessary. Tears brought buried pain to the surface where it could be confronted and dealt with rather than perpetually eating away at him from the inside. That was probably why... she could feel her own eyes watering as well.

She held him for quite some time while he quietly wept against her shoulder, his body progressively slackening and sagging more heavily into her. There were so many things she wanted to say to him to reassure him, but... right now was his time to grieve and reflect, and it wasn't her place to interject her own thoughts any further until he requested them. So all she could do was remain a silent companion with a secure arm around him to keep him as comfortable as possible.

After a while he finally took a long, deep breath and shakily pushed himself up, sagging back into his own seat and wiping his hands over his face. He leaned his head back and dropped his arms, exhaling and absently gazing at the crystal chandeliers that adorned the auditorium ceiling. His eyes were still red and puffy and his cheeks and nose were wet, but now he felt like he could at least begin to process the events of a year ago. He felt completely drained, but that just meant that now he had room in his heart again for something other than despair.

He wordlessly slid his hand over the seat towards Terra and turned his palm up with a slight beckoning twitch of his fingers. Understanding his request, Terra clasped his hand with hers, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze back. "Thank you..." he finally whispered in a hoarse choke.

She nodded. "I'm just glad that I was able to help you. I couldn't bear seeing you missing a piece of yourself... but I also couldn't bear seeing you in pain."

He let out a weak breath. "There was admittedly a lot more pain there than I had been anticipating... it was almost overwhelming." He bowed his head and squeezed her hand again. "But... I think what saved me was your ability to draw out so many positive emotions first." He slid his other hand to his chest. "My country... my people... my home... this beautiful world... this is a pain that will likely never fully ease... but instead of needing to struggle to find joy again in the midst of such a tragedy, you made sure it was already there." He let out another sniff. "If... I had become aware of all of this while I was still alone and unable to rely on others, I am certain that it would have utterly broken me..."

He turned to face her, his eyes still glistening with tears, but also with appreciation. "Back in Thamasa you saved my life... here in this new world you saved my soul... I feel I will never be able to express sufficient gratitude for what you have done."

She looked down at her lap bashfully. "I... didn't do it for the thanks, so you don't have to worry that you're not thanking me enough. I did it because you mean a lot to me. Seeing you suffering made me feel distressed, and seeing you overcome it and regain a bit of happiness felt so fulfilling. You've done so much for so many people that I wanted to make sure you were just as well taken care of."

The pit in his chest warmed, but there was still a chill pain of enduring guilt there as well. Swallowing, he turned to face the stage where the crew was dismantling the scenery. "Terra..." he whispered hoarsely. "I... I have certainly done what I can to be of service, but with you I am afraid I have been negligent..."

Terra cocked her head. "What do you mean? You've been nothing but supportive of me the entire time I've known you, and I owe so much to your encouragement."

"But I have known you for much longer than the Thamasa mission," he said, shaking his head. "You were held a physical and emotional prisoner in the Magitek Research Facility for eighteen years, along with the captive Espers who continuously had their very life forces drained to power our soldiers and weapons... I was completely aware of all of these things... yet I did nothing. There was no physical force stopping me from doing so. I could have broken you out of that facility at any time. But I... chose not to."

He leaned forward, sinking his face back into his hands. "You have grown and overcome so much, but the only reason you even needed to do so was because I abandoned you. And knowing that, after everything you have done for me, I feel so... unworthy of it all..."

Terra felt her heart sink at his confession. He'd expressed his guilt over his culpability in what happened to her before on the boat to Thamasa, but at that time he had couched it in terms of ability rather than desire. But from her own experiences, those didn't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. This powerlessness that he felt... she had a feeling she knew what it was and why he had chosen the way he had.

"General..." she began, then shook her head and went for the more personal "Leo..." She saw his shoulders twitch at her calling him by name, and wondered, "If you think that I should resent you for not rescuing me... would you also resent me if I told you that I had deliberately chosen not to look for you for this past year up until now?"

He raised his face from his hands and looked at her, perplexed. "You... were not aware of my condition or location, though, and said that you were occupied with other people..."

"And so were you," Terra reasoned. She pulled the last letter given to her by Lola out of her sash and looked at it. "I've been reading the accounts of just such a person who was in your care. One of your people who you loved and desired to serve. A person who still nevertheless ended up being hurt." She held the letter out to him and said, "I think you should know what his thoughts were about that."

Leo looked at the piece of paper in her hand for a moment before hesitantly reaching out to take it. With trembling fingers he awkwardly unfolded it, giving Terra one last apprehensive glance before beginning to read it.

Dear Lola,
I'm sorry I haven't written in quite some time. This letter is being dictated as I lack the strength to hold a pen. I hope that writing you will allow me the strength to eventually recover.
After my last letter, General Leo was abruptly called away from the base again, and Kefka immediately ordered us to poison the Doman water supply to kill them all, including our own POWs. I and many others refused, and were met with swift retaliation. I was able to escape, though badly injured, but most of the others weren't so lucky. I was swept down a river to the Veldt where I ended up in the town of Mobliz where I am writing to you from now.
I'll continue to make the request of anyone who visits my bedside to assist me in writing you and keeping you up to date. I don't want you to feel distressed at my condition, but I also don't want you to blame the general for leaving the base and allowing this to happen. Kefka is responsible for his own actions, regardless of the general's presence. And I'm certain that whatever prompted the general to leave, it was to save someone, which I can't resent. There's only so much weight he can bear alone and eventually he's forced to choose what he can hold. Therefore my main regret is never stepping up to help him bear that burden. I hope someday someone does. He doesn't deserve to suffer for Kefka's actions and I hope he's all right.
For now, though, I ask for your support to aid in my recovery. I'll write again whenever I'm able. I love you, Lola.
Wes

Leo squeezed his eyes shut and held his hand to his mouth, tears running down his cheeks anew. But these weren't tears of sorrow this time, but of affirmation. The Doman Genocide had been one of his greatest regrets. He had suspected Kefka of plotting something and yet had still left in an attempt to save General Celes from execution. A departure he had later learned to have been set up by Kefka himself and was nothing more than a diversion. So many people died because of that decision...

But they... forgave him. Even at the banquet prior to the Thamasa mission the Doman warrior Cyan had acknowledged that he did not hold him at fault, but Leo had been unable to accept that. But even his own men whom he had abandoned were telling him... that it was okay...

Terra lightly placed her hand on his arm and affirmed, "Before I met you, I thought that loving someone meant that you would never hurt them. Because of all the distress I'd caused people and my inability to protect them, I was certain that meant that I was incapable of love. When I awoke in this world, I found vulnerable people who desperately needed my help, and I chose to stay and protect them over looking for you and the others. I felt so guilty and conflicted over my decision that I could barely muster the power to do anything because I was afraid it was the wrong choice. But... I came to understand that it was love that had made me stay. And that even though I regretted leaving you alone for a year, I didn't regret choosing to stay with them, because I made that decision out of love."

She rested her cheek on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his arm, squeezing it. "You love your people and chose to protect them over me. No matter how much I might have suffered, I can't fault you for that, because you didn't abandon me, you just chose to save what you loved."

The arm she was holding suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her against him, his other hand coming around her back to hold the back of her head and firmly pull her face against his neck. He squeezed her tightly, pressing his cheek against the side of her head. With a sniff and a shuddering breath, he insisted, "Terra, I do not want you to ever think that 'you' and 'what I love' fall into two separate categories."

Terra made a little squeak of surprise at the sudden embrace. Unlike the gentle hug from back in Jidoor, this one was firmer and quite a bit more desperate. It was a moment later that his words caught up to her and she understood their meaning, which caused her entire body to warm. From his actions alone she had already come to the understanding that he felt love for her just as he did all his people , but for him to now be this explicit about it... There was a pleasant fluttering in her belly and she couldn't help but return his embrace, wrapping her arms snugly around his chest and shoulder.

"And I'm so grateful for your love," she replied softly. "If it wasn't for your encouragement of my feelings and self-worth a year ago, I... don't think I would have been able to overcome everything that happened to me. I only knew how comfortable and validated you made me feel... and I wanted the power to be able to make others feel the same. It was because of you that I first understood what it felt like to be loved, and it helped me to learn to recognize it in myself." She squeezed him a little tighter. "And now that I can recognize it... I know that I feel it for you, too."

He gave a small smile, tilting his head to rest his cheek against her. "I am also grateful for your love... and that you were able to discover it for yourself as I always believed you could." The only lingering concern he had was what form that "love" took. The love that he had shown her a year ago had been a platonic, fraternal love, and if she had been using that as a baseline then it was possible that she was reciprocating the same. However the love that he had shown her over the past few days had been... of a decidedly different nature. If that was the type of love she was reciprocating, then...

Leo unconsciously gripped his fingers lightly against her hair and clothing. He still hadn't been able to settle on what sort of relationship he would actually be comfortable with. Insisting they go back to a platonic relationship after he'd already reveled in the taste of a romantic one felt disheartening, whereas proceeding more completely into a romantic one felt like he was overstepping himself. The platonic relationship from before had been enforced, though, whereas the romantic feelings he'd felt during the time he had no memory of that enforcement had sprung up naturally. But raw feelings alone without adequate reflection and rationalization could easily lead to regrettable decisions.

He needed more time to think, and time to get himself back into more emotional stability so that he could make that decision with a clearer head. He released Terra and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face and shaking his head out with a sniff. "I could use a change of scenery. An open acoustic hall is perhaps not the most ideal place to be discussing private emotional matters such as these."

The two of them rose and exited the auditorium balcony, Leo squinting and adjusting to the brighter lighting of the lobby once they passed the threshold. The Impresario was there to intercept them and exclaimed, "Ah, there you are, I was worried you had left already. So, how did you enjoy the performance? This one was a challenge for our actors and musicians as well since it's not one we usually perform."

"It was amazing!" Terra replied eagerly, though she had no frame of reference to which she could compare the quality of the performance. "It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and it was honestly... just what we both needed."

She turned to Leo, who bowed respectfully and said, "I am grateful for the opportunity to have finally seen this production in person. It has been a favorite of mine for years however my recording had been missing the ending and therefore my experience of it had been incomplete until now."

The Impresario rubbed his hands together. "Well, I do hope it didn't let you down. Many people aren't particularly fond of the ending which is why it never gained much popularity."

"Wha...? How could people not like that ending?!" both Terra and Leo stumbled over each other to say in shock at that revelation.

"Why, because the hero doesn't get the girl, of course," the Impresario replied as though it should be obvious.

Terra and Leo looked at each other, then back at the Impresario, regarding him flatly. "That's so petty," they said in unison. Terra then stepped forward to continue, "Orcus's story isn't about him finding love with Delphina. It's about him growing as a person and coming to understand that the things that he had been relentlessly focused on aren't the only things important in the world. And so when he lost both Cetus and Delphina in the end he could still see things worth living for. In a world as devastated as ours, I think that's an important message of hope that we all need!" She blinked and looked bashfully back at Leo, wondering, "At least, that's what I got out of it. Did... I interpret it right?"

Leo had been distracted listening to her passionately defend his favorite opera, so was caught slightly off-guard when she addressed him instead. Flushing slightly, he stammered, "Oh! Well... the beautiful thing about music is that it means different things to different people. That it has stirred feelings in you is enough, whatever they may be."

"Oh..." she said thoughtfully. "Well, in that case, now that I'm more familiar with it I'd like to know more about how it makes you feel, then. I know it's your favorite so I'm sure there's a lot of details that I missed."

He flushed harder. He almost never had the opportunity to discuss his personal interests due to having been on perpetual active duty for more or less the last decade and most every interaction with other people was within context of his position as general. Certainly, he'd socialize with his subordinates to get to know them and help them feel more comfortable but he rarely interjected anything about his own hobbies unless explicitly asked about them, which Terra had done a year ago. People who visited him in his office would sometimes take note of the music he had playing, but only as a courtesy rather than a prompt to start a discussion. Such casual discourse tended to be outside the bounds of the purpose of his office meetings as it was. So when Terra had asked him for more details about his musical interests on the boat and there had been no reason of propriety not to talk about it, he had kind of started to ramble to get his pent-up enthusiasm off his chest. And now that he was again in a situation where his rank and position didn't matter and he'd just finished actually getting to see his favorite opera in person including the ending that had been eating away at him for years and he just had so many feelings about it and now the person he may or may not be romantically interested in eagerly wanted to talk to him about it, too, and...

Okay, breathe, he reminded himself. His emotions were still a jumble and he couldn't let himself get carried away, but at the same time his mind taking refuge in his hobbies instead of dwelling on the implications of the dark memories lurking in the back of his head was probably a good thing. So all of that culminated in him belatedly replying with a breathless "Sure."

Terra grinned pleasantly and held out a hand to him. "Then let's find a place to talk."

Chapter Text

They descended the stairs to the main lobby, where Leo looked around for a more private place to sit where they could continue their conversation. He noticed a guest lounge area tucked behind the stairs to the second floor with a high-backed round booth seat nestled in the corner. As he headed that way, he also saw there was a small bar on the opposite wall and suddenly realized how parched he was after his grieving session. He motioned for Terra to sit down, then pointed to the bar and said, "I need a drink; can I get you anything?"

Terra absently rubbed her throat and replied, "Oh, um, I am a little thirsty but I'm not sure what I could get to drink in a place like this."

Leo pursed his lips. Right, she was only eight-- no, she would be nineteen now. Eighteen was the legal age of adulthood in the Gestahlian Empire, though one could enter the military academy at the age of eight and join limited active duty at the age of fourteen. But this wasn't the Empire, and he knew that in Doma for example the age of adulthood was twenty. He actually wasn't sure what it was in Jidoor. The fact that he even had to think about this when he himself was well into adulthood by any standard still gave him slight pause concerning the nature of their relationship.

He approached the bar and looked uncertainly at the bottles lining the back wall. She hadn't even seemed like she wanted a hard drink and if she wasn't used to them he certainly wasn't going to give her one now. But at the same time, coming back with something mundane like a cup of water or tea felt like it would almost be insulting to her. He was certain she wouldn't mind, but he would mind offering her something so uninspired after everything she'd done for him. He wanted to give her something that was soothing, refreshing, not intoxicating, but also not entirely ordinary and still something he'd consider a "social" drink meant to be consumed slowly while they talked. Why was this so hard? Probably because he'd only ever ordered drinks from a bar in the context of a round for his soldiers since the last time he'd been on a date was when he was seventeen and thus too young to--

He choked, his face heating up. This... this wasn't a "date", this was merely the two of them enjoying a show together and then sitting down for a social drink afterwards to discuss their feelings. Which he was certain was something entirely different.

Finally making his drink selection and paying the bartender a little extra since he was probably his first customer in a year, Leo made his way back to the booth and set a steaming mug in front of Terra, then sat down across from her with one of his own, softly blowing on it. Terra pulled her own mug towards her and examined the contents, wondering, "Hot cocoa?"

Leo nodded and took a sip of his. "With something a little extra." He made a little rumble and smiled as his throat was warmed by the drink. This was just what he needed.

Terra took an experimental sip of hers, then blinked and reacted, "Oh, wow, this is really good. It's warm and relaxing but there's this cool and refreshing taste in there, too. What else is in it?"

"Just a splash of creme de menthe for flavor," he explained with a smile. Toasting his mug to her, he added, "You can thank an old woman in Thamasa for giving me a fondness for mint. Unfortunately as it is a plant, the only means of getting the flavor anymore is through distilled extracts like these."

Terra warmed her hands on her mug and looked down at it. "Still... the day after tomorrow we're going to be completing our plans to storm Kefka's tower and hopefully destroy the oppressive magical energy that's killing the world. If we're successful, I hope that at least means plants will be able to grow again." She looked at him and wondered, "Are you... still coming with us? Has regaining your memories changed your mind at all?"

"I absolutely still intend to come with you," he confirmed with a nod. "I feel partially responsible for not stopping Kefka sooner..." He cut that thought off when Terra's eyes fell into a somber expression. With a sigh, he admitted, "... You are right... I chose the way I did out of love for my people, and just because I can see a better outcome in hindsight does not mean the decision I made was wrong." His lips twitched into a small smile. "You taught me that even before Orcus did."

Terra returned the smile and softly sipped at her mug. "Mm. But I feel like Orcus's decisions were sometimes a lot more flawed than that. He joined the army with the goal of becoming a more prestigious person for Delphina, but... Delphina ended up falling in love with and marrying a farmhand, which seems about at the level of what Orcus already was. It was like he put forward all that effort based on his own assumptions of what Delphina wanted instead of anything he actually talked to her about." Her brows furrowed as she looked into her mug. "She never even appeared during the entire story. Had they... ever even met?"

"Exactly! You picked up on that, too?" Leo replied a little excitedly, leaning forward. "I held a similar theory about their relationship as well, but with only the incomplete audio to go off of, I couldn't be sure. Now that I've seen the complete story, nothing either confirms nor denies my theory, but given some of the other subversions of common operatic tropes found throughout the work I would not be surprised if such was the intent."

Terra politely held her fingers to her mouth to suppress a grin at his enthusiasm. Both because it was so endearing, and because she was just happy to see him in a good mood again. "I'm glad that Orcus still ended up with at least the potential for a future happy ending, but I wonder if he would have even been happy with Delphina if she was still available. I mean, he didn't even know that she would have been content with a farmhand. I can understand loving someone you don't even know personally, like you do with your people, but with Orcus it felt... different from that."

Leo chuckled. "Again, this is a common theme in operas, where a man desires a woman he knows little to nothing about and she is expected to nevertheless be faithful to him. In Maria and Draco, Prince Ralse demands Maria's hand in marriage after conquering her country even though the two had never even met before. I can't even imagine desiring such an empty relationship." He shrugged with a smile. "In that context I feel like Orco e Delphina may have almost been a satire the way it snubbed the hero for behaving that way. I think that's part of why I love it so much, because it subverts storytelling expectations by being more honest about the likely outcomes of its characters' decisions."

"Right, I feel like Orcus could have been saved a lot of heartache by just communicating better," Terra reasoned, nodding into her mug as she took another sip. "Why would he never even tell Delphina that he wanted to be with her to make sure she would wait for him? Or at the very least get rejected then and there so that he didn't go through all that trouble for nothing?"

Leo suddenly felt a little self-conscious at that question. "Well, romantic love is... complicated..." he offered. "With platonic love such as what I feel for my people, knowing that they are safe, happy, and cared for is sufficient. Romantic love, on the other hand, desires..." He swirled his mug a little in thought. "... reciprocation of the same. It is something that requires investment from both sides in order to flourish. I suppose that is why it is referred to as being 'in' love. And discovering the other person to be unwilling or unable to return that investment can be devastating. So I suppose that Orcus was afraid of his dreams being prematurely shattered by approaching her empty-handed and instead wished to put forward the effort towards what he believed would better his chances first."

"Oh..." said Terra, blushing and hunching her shoulders. His description of romantic love as opposed to platonic love... rather effectively described the unknown feelings that she felt towards him. Complete with the fear of their relationship being damaged if she pushed too far. But... Orcus had lost Delphina completely because he never admitted his feelings before it was too late, wrongly assuming that she would wait for him forever. But before he had regained his memories, Leo had admitted that he suspected that his original feelings for her had been platonic. If that was now the case again and she expressed a desire for something closer and was turned down... she could definitely see why Orcus had been afraid to say anything.

Across the table from her, Leo silently gazed into his own drink. Orcus had initially refrained from confessing his feelings to Delphina out of fear... but his failure to do so had lost her forever. In Leo's case, if he settled on a platonic relationship but by doing so forever locked himself out of any future romantic relationship with Terra, would he be okay with that? The sharp sinking feeling in his gut at the thought told him the answer to that was "no". But if he expressed interest in a romantic relationship and she rejected him, would they ever even be able to go back to a platonic one after that heartbreak? But like with Orcus and Delphina, if he simply declined to make that decision it would eventually end up being made for him.

He rubbed his hand over his mouth apprehensively. Despite his mental checklist of excuses he'd always fallen back on as to why his relationship with anyone he met should remain platonic, the fear of heartbreak had always been an underlying reason that he had refused to admit to. That wasn't to say his other excuses weren't also valid: He was constantly too busy, and he had been approached with offers of sexual favors in exchange for a promotion or political access on multiple occasions, which he had thoroughly refused. Thus for his entire adult life he had been content to express love in a way that required no reciprocation. This had been the norm for so long that he never even pictured himself in a romantic relationship, and the prospect of such was foreign and intimidating.

But when he'd lost his memory, he'd also lost his decades of experience with that physical and emotional celibacy. Without his memories he'd had no reason to be afraid of being in love or avoid it out of habit, and thus had quickly fallen right into it. And... there had been nothing inherently wrong with that. His initial discomfort with realizing what he had done was more out of it being outside of the realm of his normal accepted behavior rather than because it had been harmful in any way.

And that was just the anxiety on his side. He actually had no idea what Terra wanted out of their relationship. Even when he was flirting with her and making subtle moves on her she kept a chaste distance, admitting that she was scared of getting too close, too. And that was just based on their cumulative week's worth of interactions. How comfortable would she be with him going forward? He still had the deep desire to someday take in and raise children whose families had fallen victim to the Empire, and now Kefka. He'd generally expected he'd be doing that alone, though, due to his poor luck with creating or maintaining romantic relationships in the past, which also meant that having biological children, while also desirable, had nevertheless been considered out of the realm of possibility. But now that he had an opposite-sex potential romantic partner seated across from him, could that also now be an option? ... Did he even have sexual thoughts towards Terra, though?

Not... really. Even though he recognized that she was physically and mentally an adult now, his attraction to her with or without his memories had been purely emotional. He certainly did enjoy physical contact with her, though, so those feelings might evolve in the future, but... these worries were still getting far too ahead of himself. Just like his aversion to engaging in battle until conditions were markedly in his favor, here, too he still feared risking his already vulnerable emotions until he was sure everything would turn out all right. Yet at the moment he was still only at the point where he had no idea whether or not Terra even held romantic feelings towards him, and even if she did, if she was open to at least adopting children in the future. If she wasn't, he certainly wasn't going to criticize or pressure her... but that would still mean there would be an insurmountable hurdle to him pursuing a long-term romantic relationship with her as he wasn't willing to sacrifice his dreams, even for her. If that ended up being the case... he sincerely hoped they could still at least be friends. The thought of her not wanting to spend time with him at all anymore... hurt immensely.

Orcus had put forth a lot of seemingly unnecessary effort towards wooing Delphina due to never asking what she wanted in the first place, and the emotional strain of this sort of anxiety was really not much different. But Orcus's efforts still helped other people and helped him understand himself better, even if they didn't get him the goal he'd ultimately wanted. And though he'd suffered heartbreak and despair due to losing that goal, he still found other things in the world worth living for. So even if this ended in rejection, that didn't necessarily mean it was the end of the world. This world was huge and beautiful and there were so many more things in it, so the fear of it being shattered temporarily shouldn't hold them back from trying.

"Leo..." Terra said softly as she looked into her mug, re-initiating the conversation that had gone silent before he could say anything.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I was... lost in thought..." he apologized.

"So was I..." she admitted, rubbing her thumb along the mug handle absently. "I was thinking about what you told me about love back on the boat... and what you told me about it just now. And I think..." She took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I think I might actually be in love with you."

He blushed furiously, his body tensing. "Oh...?" was all he could manage to squeak out. He'd already resolved to stop brooding on this issue and bring it up before it was brought up for him, but it looked like he'd still missed it by about two seconds.

Terra nodded, receding back a little bashfully. "I... do want you to be safe and happy, and I hurt when you're upset, but I feel that way about quite a few people. But with you specifically..." She clutched her mug tighter. "I... want you to be physically and emotionally close to me. I want you to talk to me about things that you never tell other people. And I want to be the same to you." She bit her lip. "I didn't understand why I felt so selfishly about you, since I love both my friends and the children but I never desired anything in return from them like I do with you. I was afraid that what I felt towards you wasn't actually love at all, then. But just like before, talking to you has helped me to sort out my feelings, and it's both intimidating, but also... pretty liberating."

Leo's tension melted away and he bowed his head with a smile. That was quite the confession and it rather clearly answered the question of what she wanted from him. Now if he could only muster the courage to admit the same... Looking at his mental pre-engagement checklist -- oh god, why did that word have to have multiple connotations? -- he saw that she had ticked almost all the boxes, and her vague mentioning of "loving children" had at least scratched in a tentative check on that last one. Should he press her for more specifics on that before committing to anything? Should he wait until he had emotionally recovered more fully? Should he...

He grumbled and mentally wadded up his checklist and threw it away. This was why he had such terrible luck with romance up until now, because he was trying too hard to apply logic and tactics to something emotional and wasn't willing to take risks. His heart already quite forcefully knew what it wanted, so why not just trust it?  Besides, the last time he'd jumped into something based on emotion without assessing it fully first, he'd... well, he'd died, actually. And yet, he'd still recovered from that. So even if this didn't work out, yes, it would hurt for a while... but that wasn't the end. There could still be something beyond that, and therefore he shouldn't insist on everything being perfect before he even made an attempt, otherwise by the time he was done preparing it would be too late.

Finally breaking his silence, he began softly, "Terra... seeing how much you've matured emotionally over the past year fills me with so much joy. When we first spoke on the boat I wanted so much to take care of you and help you experience everything in life that you had been anxious about missing, but just as a mentor until you could take care of yourself. But after we were separated you went out and found that love and self-respect all on your own. And when we met again and I was the one struggling, you were the one who helped me regain everything I had been missing. And I realized that you no longer needed a caretaker... but that I still wanted to be close to you all the same. My interest in you no longer focused primarily on righting past wrongs, but because I honestly enjoyed who you had become as a person and spending time with you. I carry so much weight and I know that anyone who gets close to me is going to have to share in it and I didn't want to saddle anyone with such a burden. But... you've been happy to take it, and I feel so liberated, secure, and eternally grateful. And I want... I want you to continue to be that support, and to be the same sort of support for you." He looked up at her with an awkward smile. "These particular feelings are just as new to me as they are to you, so please forgive me for any missteps, but..." He inhaled slowly. "I... believe that I may be in love with you as well."

Terra grinned broadly and let out a small squeak. Leaning forward a little, she excitedly wondered, "So... what does that mean for us?"

Leo grinned back. "I actually have absolutely no idea. This is new territory for me as well." He rubbed the back of his head and looked at her shyly. "But... I do know that I have been aching to hold you again ever since Jidoor..."

Terra felt her chest well up and hurriedly scooted around the semicircular booth seat before Leo could even make it a quarter of the way around towards her. As soon as he was within reach she pressed her face into his collar and tightly squeezed her arms around his chest. He promptly returned the embrace, burying his face in her hair and snugly wrapping his arms around her.

And it felt wonderful. This time there was no hesitation, no guilt, and no grief. Just the two of them being honest with their wants and feelings and reveling in the other's company. Loving the feel of the other's embrace while at the same time loving being able to provide them with comfort and security. They held each other tightly, like they had both finally truly found each other after a year of absence and both refused to let the other go.

After some time, they finally had to take a moment to breathe again and relax their grips. Terra let out a breathy chuckle and turned her head to nuzzle her cheek against his chest. "Mm... Maybe this is what it means to be in a romantic relationship, then? Just being completely comfortable and open and being able to rely on each other?"

"I would think that is certainly part of it, yes," Leo confirmed with a contented smile, resting his cheek against the side of her head. He sagged against her and let out a long breath. "Although now I'm starting to have horribly selfish thoughts like wishing to do nothing but hold you like this until tomorrow."

"I certainly don't mind," she replied with a light giggle. Her face falling into a more contemplative expression, she amended, "Although... no, I think I would mind. There were plenty of times over the past year where I just wanted to lie around and do nothing, but I couldn't, for the children's sakes. You can't always do what you want to do if you have people you're responsible to, right?" she confirmed, looking up at him.

He sat up straighter and chuckled. "No, you are absolutely correct. That wasn't intended to be a serious statement of intent, merely... wishful thinking." He let out a sigh, then cocked his head and looked at her inquisitively. "Though you say you have children you're responsible for? I assume you mean that young girl from Thamasa and the boy from the Veldt who travel with you?"

Terra blinked, then pulled back enough to look up at him. "Oh, no... Well, I mean, yes, I do want to do my best to look after Relm and Gau, but I generally consider them my 'friends'. The children are the people I told you about earlier that I've been taking care of all year." She looked to the side and bit her lip. "I hadn't really mentioned them to you specifically because while I definitely don't regret staying behind to take care of them, that still didn't change the fact that I felt guilty about not coming to find you and I didn't want you to feel like you were competing with them for my attention."

Leo held her shoulders and smiled broadly. "Terra, there is no possible way I could resent you for choosing to look after children instead of coming after me. ... In fact, I think I would have been disappointed if you had chosen differently."

Terra let out a soft giggle of relief. "Heh, well... deep in my heart there was no choice to be made, really. Their parents had all died protecting them from Kefka and they were all alone and surrounded by monsters... I... I couldn't leave them. It took me a while to understand why that was, but over the course of protecting them... I discovered that it was love."

Leo felt his chest swell, like all of the doubts he'd had about pursuing a romantic relationship with her suddenly felt altogether inconsequential. He let out a light breath with a smile, holding his mouth. "That's amazing... So they are still in good health? Is it all right for you to be away from them for this long?"

"They were all doing all right when I left," Terra replied. "Duane and Katarin are seventeen and have gotten quite a bit more mature over the past year as well, so I trust they can handle things for a little while. Though Katarin is pregnant and I'm not sure how soon she's due..." Terra wrung her hands. "Honestly I have been kind of anxious about checking in on them."

"Absolutely!" Leo insisted, startling her slightly. "Reuniting you with those children for a day before we face Kefka is more important than any other delivery we could make." He smiled and shook his head. "Though in all honesty, if I had heard stories of a young woman taking care of orphans all on her own, you would have been a priority on my supply runs over this past year. It's strange that I never heard anything, though. Where were you?"

"Oh, we're living in Mobliz," she answered.

"Mobliz..." he confirmed, then tightened his grip on her shoulders and leaned down apprehensively, "Wait, you and those children have been in Mobliz this entire past year?"

"Y... yes?"

He sat up and rubbed his face, looking to the side. "I had heard that Mobliz was destroyed the very day the world fell and was overrun with monsters. Outsiders could only view it from afar and had reported seeing mostly destroyed buildings and no activity outside of them, so they had assumed there were no survivors. It was declared a no-man's-land and to be avoided if at all possible. So I... I never went there." He blinked and turned to her and realized a little desperately, "So... you've been cut off from any kinds of supply lines for an entire year. Wh... what is the status of your food stock? Clean water? Bedding, clothing, medicine, hygiene products, tools..."

Terra felt a little overwhelmed at the intensity of his interest. "W, well, there was an underground storehouse of dried meat that has fed us all year but it's starting to run low. There's a sinkhole just outside of town filled with water but it's tainted so we have to boil it before it can be used... um..."

Leo pulled the notebook out of his breast pocket and flipped it open to an entirely fresh page, then hovered his pen over it while looking at Terra intently. "Terra, just tell me what you need. I intend to deliver you back to them, but it sounds like they are in need of substantially more than that, and providing such things is absolutely what I am here for. I know you have been working to ease my burdens and I am forever appreciative of that, but in this case I want you to lay them all on me for right now." He tapped the pen against the notebook and looked at her pleadingly, then gently reiterated, "So please... what do you need?"

Terra's lip trembled and her eyes welled with tears. She hadn't wanted to burden anyone with a request for help, but since he was offering, she definitely needed it. And now that she was being given the opportunity to make her needs known, she realized just how daunting they all were. She leaned her face against his shoulder and clutched at his sleeve, whimpering, "... Everything. W... we're out of food, there's no clean water, the children are growing out of their clothes and have no replacements, the beds are falling apart, everything is dirty, the houses are collapsing, the town is surrounded by monsters, and now Katarin's having a baby and we don't have anything for it..."

Leo leaned over to bump his cheek against the top of her head as his hands were both occupied furiously scribbling down all of her wishes. "And that you have persevered in such conditions for the past year is incredible, Terra. But just because you can survive that way doesn't mean you should." He made a pronounced tap with his pen on the last item and then clapped the book closed before turning to hug her more fully. He rocked her a few times and kissed the top of her head before whispering, "Come on, we should get going. We don't have much time to collect all of this."

She sniffed and nodded, sitting up. "But... there's so much this time, how are you going to pay for all of it? You said before we still needed to make some money before we could pick up even a regular shipment. Making enough money for this much would probably take months."

Leo choked a little apprehensively. Even without the memories of his personal code, and even though he had learned his trade from the thieves of Zozo, he had still refused to resort to stealing to provide for the people, even from someone as unscrupulous as the price-gouging merchant in Jidoor. No matter how selfish or irresponsible they were, no one deserved to be the victim of a crime.

He absently fingered the collar of his trench coat while he held Terra with his other arm. In that case he absolutely couldn't haggle with that shopkeeper in the guise of a smuggler or he would have no leverage.

Leo gave Terra a pat on the back, then released her and stood up. "Terra... I need to ask the Impresario for another favor. Give me..." he twitched his fingers in thought, "... maybe half an hour. I have a long-shot battle strategy in mind, but it is predicated on the Impresario's assistance. Wait for me, all right?"

Terra blinked in confusion, but nodded. "Of course, whatever you think will help."

He gave her a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder, then turned to trot back into the lobby area to seek out the Impresario for whatever favor he needed. Terra remained alone in the booth with the two mostly-empty mugs of hot chocolate. She had no idea what the Impresario could do that would help them procure or buy supplies, but she trusted Leo that it was nothing underhanded.

A few minutes went by and she suddenly started to feel a little antsy. They'd constantly been in each other's presence since the previous night in Jidoor, and normally she needed to take a breather from being around people every once in a while since she found social interaction to generally be draining. But with Leo it was the opposite. She felt energized when she was around him and now that he was away from her she was starting to feel ever so slightly anxious. Was this also an effect of romantic love?

The question of what being in love with each other actually meant for their relationship was still unanswered, though, as Leo admitted he had no personal experience with this, either. Well, for one thing, it had removed her guilt about wanting to hug him, so there was that. Maybe it just meant those kinds of boundaries were lifted, and there were no real stipulations about what they were "supposed" to do, just a broader set of options of what they "could" do if they wanted.

So was there anything else she wanted to do with him that she'd felt was off-limits before? She remembered their dance after defeating the dragon and how she'd gotten a bit of a pleasant chill when he touched his finger to her lips... She ran her own fingers over her lips and blushed. Duane and Katarin were in love and sometimes kissed, after all... Her relationship with Leo didn't necessarily have to mirror their relationship, of course, but if that was an option now... she was curious to know how it felt.

And then there was the fact that Duane and Katarin were having a baby together. Terra was certainly excited for them, but at the same time could sympathize with Duane's worries that this wasn't an ideal time or situation to be bringing a new baby into the world. Katarin had made it sound like they had made love to fulfill an emotional need strong enough to override that logic, though. Even though Terra understood physically what the act involved, she had never felt particularly driven to do it. Even when thinking about Leo, her desires towards him mostly culminated in being able to hold him closely and talk about anything or nothing at all and just be content in each other's presence. If someday she ever did gain a desire to have children of her own it would still be predicated on her living situation becoming more stable and the other children becoming more self-sufficient. She was honestly enamored that Leo took such interest in helping her with the children, but she wondered what his thoughts were on having his own.

"Sorry I took so long, but thankfully the Impresario was able to come through with my request," came Leo's voice, startling her from her thoughts.

She looked up at him and smiled, greeting, "Oh, welcome... back..." She trailed off as she got a good look at him and slowly brought her hand to her mouth, her throat and eyes welling.

Instead of the black trench coat, he was wearing a green Imperial officer's high-collared long coat with matching pants and brown boots. His hair, which had grown out and had been rather unkempt, had been shaved back down on the sides and styled into a thick, evenly-cut brush down the middle. He looked... just like how she remembered him from a year ago. The only difference was that he had kept one of the sashes from his trench coat, which he wore tied from his shoulder to his waist.

He gave her a warm smile, saying, "If I do not have the means to procure the funds for the items we require, then all that is left to us is negotiation. And for a negotiation, what we need is not a smuggler," he indicated his clothing, "but a diplomat."

Terra rose from her seat and reached out towards him, but now that he looked like the Leo from before, the habitual respect for his earlier boundaries kicked in and she hesitated. Noticing this, Leo lightly opened his arms and gave a slight beckoning motion with his fingers. "Nothing but my clothes and hair have changed from a half hour ago, Terra. You still have my permission, always."

She continued to stand there and gaze at him a little longer. Over the past few days, she'd gotten him back in gradual pieces. First letters talking about him, then an invisible, faceless phantom who bore his voice and character but none of his memories, then he was visible, then he had a face, then he had memories, and now, finally, he had returned to the full image of General Leo that she had remembered. He was back... completely... and he wanted to be by her side.

She stepped forward slowly and rested her forehead on his chest, then wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tightly as if confirming to herself that he really was here standing with her like this. With a light sniff, she softly reiterated, "Welcome back..."

He smiled and stroked the back of her head, also repeating, "I'm sorry I took so long."

She kept her cheek against his chest and brought her hand around to absently trace along the embroidery on his lapel. At this close range, she could see just the faintest remnants of old blood stains under the seam. Furrowing her brows, she noted, "This... this is your actual uniform, not just something from their costume collection. ... How? Where did you get this?"

He held up his arm to look over the trim on his sleeve. "Recall that when we first arrived here I mentioned that this was where I originally procured my alternate outfit. So it would only stand to reason that my original clothing was left here. After a year I wasn't sure if it was still present or in any usable shape, but I was able to locate it and have the costume department freshen it up a little while the stylist fixed up my hair. Quite lovely people, all of them, and it was honestly exciting for me to be backstage and chat with the actual crew. Those invisible people who nevertheless are the ones who make everything work." He looked to the side a little guiltily. "I'm sorry I didn't invite you along, but I suppose I... hoped to surprise you."

Terra stood back a little and giggled. "No, it was very much a nice surprise." She ran her hand over the sash he'd added, commenting, "And it looks good on you."

"Well, I felt that Orcus bearing the sash at the end of the opera represented that he was still going to carry all the pain of his past with him, but that he could re-purpose it for something more constructive. I thought it would be a fitting accessory for what I have gone through, as well as a reminder of my activities over the past year, which still very much had their own merits." He pursed his lips. "Also, I need it to carry crates."

Terra folded her arms behind her back and grinned up at him. "I find it interesting that even though you didn't know how Orco e Delphina ended and didn't even remember it, you still chose to accessorize yourself with sashes meant to carry the world's burden. It was like deep in your heart, you still were connected to the character. That's why you remembered his name."

He blushed lightly and scratched his cheek. "Perhaps. The lion mask, though... Griever from The Lion and the Sorceress..." He let out a soft chuckle and gave her a cheeky grin. "The character of Griever... is an Esper. It tells the story of a love between an Esper and a human who can use magic..."

Terra's eyes widened. "There's an opera about that...?" she whispered in awe. She then reached up and grabbed him gently by the lapels, bouncing a little and eagerly insisting, "We have to come back here sometime and see that one! Now I'm almost upset I didn't pick that one when the Impresario suggested it!"

Leo laughed and held his hands over hers. "Terra, I would absolutely love to come see a show with you any time." He lifted her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it, never breaking eye contact, causing her to blush. "But work comes before pleasure."

"Yes, absolutely," agreed Terra with a resolute nod. "We still need to bring supplies to the children, and then hope back to the world."

Chapter Text

There was a thin red line of light on the eastern horizon when they exited the opera house, indicating they had spent the entire night in there battling the dragon, watching the show, and coming to terms with their feelings. Leo turned back towards the building and whistled between his fingers to summon Orcus from the roof. There was a squawk from above them, and then a chocobo whose plumage blended into the night ungracefully flapped down in front of them.

The bird backed up and gave an uncertain trill, and Leo placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. "I apologize, Orcus, it seems that the last few times we've reunited I keep coming back looking different from how you last remembered." He reached into one of his uniform pockets, now much less numerous than those he bore on his trench coat, and offered the chocobo a raisin. "But I promise you that I still am, and always have been, me."

Orcus strutted forward and plucked the raisin out of his fingers, then pushed further forward to knock Leo over.

"Wait, no, Orcus, we're actually on a tight schedule right now, this isn't the time--" he attempted, but it was too late. Orcus had re-asserted his claim on him and insisted on sitting on him like a chick, nibbling at his freshly-cut brush of hair.

Terra crouched down next to him with a grin and a giggle. "When you mentioned before that he did that to you, too, I thought it sounded cute. Now I know for certain that it is."

"Well, I aim to please," he said in a slightly defeated, though good-natured sigh. He reached up and rubbed Orcus's chest. "Still, Orcus is someone important to me, too, so if he needs time to adjust to the changes I've undergone, I need to give that to him. I trust that he will take only the time he needs."

Leo's assessment proved to be correct, as Orcus only incubated him for about five minutes before he was satisfied, at which point he stood up and ruffled his feathers, then nosed Leo's pocket for more raisins. Leo stood up and patted the bird's cheek, saying, "Sorry, my supply of treats is starting to run low. But hopefully we can get you some more food in Jidoor while procuring our other supplies."

He helped Terra onto Orcus's back, then mounted the chocobo himself and gave him directions to depart for Jidoor. Once they were off at a steady pace, Leo let out a small sigh and gazed at the dimly-lit surroundings. "This route and landscape all look so familiar to me, and yet it's like I'm looking at it with fresh eyes again. Before today I never knew the world in any other state than what it's been for the past year, but now that I remember what came before... it almost hurts to see."

Terra swallowed and leaned back to rest the back of her head against his chest. "There's... nothing that says for certain that defeating Kefka will undo what he did to the world. But even if it doesn't, I'd still rather try and fight than curl up and wait for the world to die."

Leo couldn't help but smile a little. Even though her words were bleak on the surface, they were nevertheless a little reassuring. That it was better to try to make the world a better place and fail than to just accept fate and succumb to it. Failure was only a potential outcome of choosing to fight, while choosing to do nothing rendered it the only outcome. No, he would fight for the people and world that he loved, and even if it still all came to nothing, the journey to get there would still be worth it.

The sun had just risen completely by the time they made it to the forest north of Jidoor and dropped Orcus off to rest and forage. At this rate, by the time they walked back to town the shops should just be opening.

As they walked, Leo shook out his arms and tugged at his collar while mouthing to himself. Terra tilted her head and wondered, "Nervous?"

He made a slight choking noise, but admitted, "A little, yes. I have conducted dozens of diplomatic agreements, however I am a year out of practice now and for this one I am at a severe disadvantage and the stakes are perilously high."

Terra nodded. "I... don't know much about diplomacy, but... maybe if you talked me through it I could help? Or at least give you feedback from the point of view of a layperson?"

"Perhaps..." he mulled. Whenever he had to conduct diplomatic arrangements in the past he had only ever been able to rehearse with himself, as there had never been anyone with him whom he could share confidential tactics and information with off the record. He cleared his throat and explained, "The fundamental root of diplomacy is understanding what it is you want and what it is the other party wants, and formulating a strategy to achieve both. In our current situation, I want ample supplies to feed and clothe the children, and the shopkeeper wants money. Unfortunately, as I do not currently have sufficient money to exchange for said supplies, I need to formulate a means for our exchange to nevertheless be satisfactorily equal from his perspective. This would either come in the form of a concession, in which I give something else extra to make up the difference, or a threat, in which I propose to take something additional from him if he does not agree to my terms. I try to avoid the latter unless it is the only option and my needs are urgent, but I see nothing else I could offer that would equal the cost of those items."

"I see..." said Terra in thought. That almost sounded like the deal she had with Shadow, where he took her job despite her not having money, and accepting "hope" as a payment in its place. But Shadow had set those terms, not her, so it seemed like the "price" of a job was completely arbitrary. "Instead of trying to think of what we can offer to meet the price he's asking, is there any way to get him to consider the price of those items to be equal to what we're able to give?"

"Prices can be haggled, yes," Leo agreed. "However, I only have a few hundred gil left, which would only buy us two potions at his prices. I may be able to get him to drop the price marginally, but there is no way he would agree to an entire town's worth of provisions for the price of two potions. I was able to convince the aristocrat of South Figaro to sell out the entire town to avoid an armed conflict, however even that sum of money was quite large." He sighed and rubbed his face. "Honestly, with the amount of money the Jidoor shopkeeper has overcharged me I could have bought out any other item store five times over, but Jidoor is central to my route and has the most reliable stock."

He blinked and pulled his hand away from his face, then looked down and fingered his sash. "But my value isn't only what I am holding now, but the accumulation of what I have done..." He turned quickly to Terra and held her shoulders. "That's it! I think I know how I can negotiate this! Thank you, Terra!"

Terra squeaked in surprise. "I... don't know what I did that helped, but you're welcome!"

He squeezed her shoulder with a chuckle. "Just being able to voice my thoughts and anxieties can help me spot solutions that wouldn't be apparent if I had left them locked up inside my head. That's a darker side of diplomacy: if your opponent knows your insecurities they can exploit them, so they need to be kept hidden at all times. But that means... you can never talk about them. They lie in your heart to fester, unable to be dealt with because dealing with them would require exposing them." He smiled and relaxed his shoulders. "It's so nice to be able to have someone to just talk to about these sorts of things without having to worry about privileges of rank or keeping up appearances."

Terra reached up to hold the hand that was on her shoulder. "Of course. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything any time you need it." She blushed lightly and looked to the side. "And... honestly, I'm really happy when you do. Even if you're talking to me about difficult problems that I don't understand or may not be able to do anything about, just knowing that you trust me enough to be able to tell me how you're feeling is gratifying in and of itself."

He smiled and replied, "And I would ask for the same from you. Any time you're feeling uncertain, overwhelmed, or afraid, I want to be there to listen and to help you. Don't worry about being a burden on me. I consider being able to help you a privilege."

Taking a cue from his previous gestures of affection toward her, she lifted his hand off her shoulder and brought it in front of her to lightly press her lips against his knuckles. "Right now the only thing I'm worried about is that you'll be okay. Is there anything else I can do to help?" she wondered, looking up at him.

Leo let out the breath he had been involuntarily holding. Her lips on his hand felt like they had activated every nerve ending in it, so every breath against it, every slight movement of her mouth and fingers registered a distinct tickling thrill running up his arm. What... was she worried about again? What was he doing that she wanted to help with? His mind had faded out in that moment.

Blinking and reorienting himself, he finally stuttered, "I, um, I may require your assistance as backup depending on how the negotiation goes. An extra voice can sometimes tip the scales, as can an honest plea for help. But to start I should be the sole negotiator. It is essential to control the narrative and that is most easily accomplished with as few participants as possible."

Terra nodded and released his hand, causing it to twitch slightly in want of her continued touch. The nerves were still primed from her earlier actions, tempting him to stroke his hand over her cheek, her shoulder, her back... No, he couldn't let himself get distracted. As he had said before, work before pleasure. There were people depending on him and their needs would always take precedence over his personal desires.

It was mid-morning by the time they made it to Jidoor, where the townspeople were just starting to go about their business. People were casually conversing in the streets while shopkeepers were setting out their wares. Leo took a deep breath and laid his gaze on the shop at the far edge of town where he had done all his previous business. He'd never had any direct interaction with the shopkeeper before, although he had entered the store numerous times while invisible to check inventory and prices and had overheard conversations with customers. Thus, as those conversations had been public he considered the intel he had learned from them to be fair game.

Terra squeezed his hand. "I believe in you. You just have this... innate power to make people like you and want to help you. Even if it's someone as stubborn as that shopkeeper, I think you can still get through to him." She shrugged and gave him a cheeky grin. "And if you do end up needing to resort to threats, you can leave that to me."

He made a surprised half-snort half-laugh. "You were planning on threatening him?" he wondered.

"For those kids, absolutely," she confirmed. "I did body-slam a monster ten times my size to protect them, after all. Then I melted it into a puddle of charred goo so it could never hurt them again."

Leo felt the hairs on his neck bristle. That was both intimidating and... kind of alluring at the same time. He recalled feeling the same sort of rush when he saw her blow up the octopus on the airship. He generally detested resorting to violence, but if it was to protect someone then not only did he approve of it, he found it to be wholly proper. "Well, hopefully it doesn't come to that, but if it does... please be gentle," he requested.

They entered the shop with a jingle of the door. The shopkeeper looked up from his counter with a smile and said, "Ah, welcome, valued customers. What can I do for you today?"

Terra and Leo shared a glance, then Leo squared his shoulders and nodded. It was Game Face time. That was a mask he hadn't put on in a year and he hoped that he still had it.

Leo approached the counter and folded his hands behind his back, beginning, "Yes, good morning, I apologize that this is the first time we have been able to meet in person, but we have been doing business together for this past year." He produced a black feather from the cuff of his sleeve and laid it on the counter with a smile. "General Leo Cristophe, a grateful longtime customer."

The shopkeeper looked at the feather on the counter and gasped. "Wait... are you saying that you're the one who has been making all of those anonymous orders all this time?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, food, medicine, blankets, tools, relics, all of which have been distributed worldwide to those suffering from the aftermath of the world's fall. You have played an integral part in all of it and I wished to thank you for your service."

The shopkeeper hunched his shoulders and smiled. "Well, you've been basically single-handedly keeping me in business this whole time, too, so I suppose I should be grateful as well." He scratched his head awkwardly. "But I wish you would have come to talk to me sooner about what all this was for. I feel bad charging you so much if it was for relief supplies."

That was actually the goal of this portion of the conversation, Leo thought to himself. Standing up straighter and lifting his chin, he continued, "Which is why I have come to you in person this time. I have been informed that after the town of Mobliz was destroyed in the fall of the world, a dedicated young woman has been looking after... how many children are there?" he suddenly realized, turning to query that to Terra.

Terra blinked and responded, "Oh, um, including Duane and Katarin there's ten."

"Ten?!" he mouthed back to her in a shocked whisper. He'd been picturing maybe three or four, but that many?! Turning back to the shopkeeper, he re-composed himself and continued, "... ten orphaned children, and their supplies are running perilously low. It is imperative that I deliver these supplies to them today, however this has left me no time to procure the necessary funds for an order of this magnitude. Therefore, I would like to take you up on your previous offer of a discount with a further proposal: That the discount be made retroactive."

"Retro... active?" the shopkeeper wondered, having lost him after the mention of orphaned children.

"Meaning that the discounted price that you have offered me today applies to everything I have purchased from you over the past year, and the surplus money that I have thus paid in the meantime has been building up a reserve fund that I would like to apply to the purchase I wish to make now." He leaned forward with an imploring expression and stated, "Please... I have asked for nothing of you this entire year and have been utterly dependable in paying my dues. But today I come to you as the representative of a village of needy children who have nothing to give but their eternal gratitude. I would hope that this coupled with my reserve fund will be sufficient payment for the goods that we require."

The shopkeeper blinked, then bit his lip and tapped his finger on his counter in thought. With a sigh, he finally relented. "... Yeah... yeeeeah, I'm not going to let a bunch of kids weigh on my conscience. I've got kids, too, you know... and with the way the world is I've been paranoid about losing what we have so I've been charging this much in order to keep it... But that's just taking things away from all those other kids..." He nodded and looked up at Leo. "Take what you need. And thanks for everything you've been doing up until now."

Leo did his best to suppress his glee, though he definitely heard Terra squeak behind him. "You have my thanks as well. And I promise that our work will make the world a better place for your children as well."

"Yes, thank you!" Terra agreed, walking up to stand beside Leo and giving the shopkeeper a slight bow. "You have no idea how much it means to me that we can finally get those children some decent supplies." She looked up at Leo in admiration. "And thank you, too. Just... for everything." She reached up and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pulled herself up to give him a tight hug. He wrapped his arms securely around her back to hold her up and rested his cheek against her neck with a relieved smile that his diplomacy skills had managed to pull through.

The shopkeeper left them in peace to browse his offerings and the two of them immediately got to work picking out everything they thought they'd need. Leo hefted two large bags of assorted dried grains over his shoulders to load into some crates in the back while Terra laid out sets of children's-sized clothing to compare their sizing. While examining the other food offerings, Leo found a bag of hard candies that, while not exactly a necessity, if those children had been eating nothing but dried meat all year, certainly they deserved a treat after all this time.

As Terra folded up some blankets and added them to another crate, she was startled by a "bonk" sound and looked to see Leo bouncing a ball he'd found. He caught it in his hands and looked at her innocently, saying, "Sorry... but, do they have any toys? Years spent standing by in military camps has taught me that boredom leads to severe mental and emotional strain which is why I always tried to have some kind of activity available to my soldiers during times when we were awaiting more ideal conditions to act. I would imagine that children have an even greater need for mental stimulation." He tossed the ball to her, which she caught awkwardly.

"Oh, yes, we spent almost all our time hiding in the underground caverns from the monsters and there wasn't much to do there. We'd collected all the books in town down there and I spent a lot of time reading to them, but most of the books were monster references or hunting guides and not really good reading material for children. They got bored and fussy a lot, and I kept catching them trying to run outside simply to have something to do, but it was too dangerous outside for them to play."

"Well, then I would consider toys to be a safety necessity, then," he said, nodding and examining a shelf of stuffed animals. Shopping for children... almost made him feel like a child again in a way. Looking at racks of toys and trying to decide what looked appealing and what kinds of fun could be had with them, or imagining himself playing with the children while they invented their own games... it made him feel almost giddy.

His internal emotions were echoed by a small "squee" coming from Terra's direction. He looked away from the rack of toys and saw her holding up a tiny white knitted beanie cap with moogle ears and a pom-pom. "I was looking at clothes for the baby and found this," she said, biting her lip with a grin. "I mean, I know it isn't really a necessity, but..."

Leo felt his stomach flutter and shook his head. "Oh, no, a baby's head must always be kept warm and protected, so I think that is absolutely a necessity!" He picked a stuffed moogle off the shelf and wiggled it in front of him. "And, you know, a baby also needs a friend while it's sleeping so it feels protected."

"Okay, then that means we have to get it this matching onesie, too," Terra said quickly, holding up a white cotton baby-sized jumpsuit with little pink bat wings on the back.

Hnngh, I wish I had my own baby to get cute things for, Leo caught himself thinking, unconsciously cradling the moogle doll in his arm. Ah, but, no, that was getting ahead of himself. These were Terra's children he was helping out with, and while he had absolutely no reason to suspect she would refuse an offer to help with them, he couldn't just impose himself and take over without an invitation. That would be... rather Imperialistic of him, honestly. It was a mindset that he couldn't let himself fall back into.

"Yes, I think Duane and Katarin would love that," he replied with a small smile, handing her the stuffed moogle to also add to the crate.

Terra noticed the slight change in his enthusiasm and wondered, "Are you all right?" as she took the doll from him.

He let out a little embarrassed choke. It was far too early in their relationship to seriously talk about having children together, and fantasizing too far ahead with so much still left unsettled was exactly the mistake Orcus made. "I... simply wanted to make sure that we were choosing items based on what we think the children would like rather than our own personal preferences. We may have our desires for them but they are still their own people."

Terra smiled at him and hugged the doll to her chest. "You're right... I just really like moogles, is all..." This was important information that Leo made sure to mentally file away in a safe and accessible place.

They finished loading up the crates and set them outside, ten in all. Leo double-checked the list in his notebook to make sure they had everything Terra requested while Terra tied the crates together with ropes. The shopkeeper came out and folded his arms and said, "Well now that you have all that, how are just the two of you going carry it? And how do you intend to transport it all the way to Mobliz? That's not even on the same continent as us and neither we, Maranda, or Zozo have a shipping port."

"Oh, we have our ways," said Terra with a grin, then cast the Float spell on the crates while Leo pulled the leading one onto his back with the sash he'd kept, leaving a floating train of crates behind him.

The shopkeeper shook his head and let out an amused snort. "Yeah, if you were running supplies all year without being seen and somehow earning enough to continuously pay my prices, I figured magic was probably involved somewhere." He waved them off. "Take care, you've earned it."

"You have our gratitude," said Leo, nodding his head. With a smile he added, "And tell your daughter that the opera house is now monster-free and back open for business. ... Also, don't leave her wandering around alone while you're at the auction house."

The shopkeeper blushed with a choke. "Urk... Guess that's my own fault for blowing all that money on my kids... but the kids are worth it, so I understand. If you've helped the opera house to open back up, I'm sure that'll put a smile on my daughter's face, and that's worth more than any payment you could have given me."

Terra suddenly realized something and raised her hand, also requesting to the shopkeeper, "Um, I hate to ask another favor of you after you've been so generous, but my friends are expecting to pick me up here tomorrow morning, but we're going to be in Mobliz and I have no way to contact them in time to tell them that. If some people in an airship show up here tomorrow looking for me, can you tell them to head to Mobliz?"

The shopkeeper put his hands on his hips. "Airship, huh? You're friends with Setzer? Guess that explains how you're getting to Mobliz, then." He turned to head back into the shop with a wave. "Yeah, I'll tell him. I owe him a gambling debt, anyway, and I'll call that even."

Leo rubbed his chin and looked at the train of crates hovering behind him. "An airship would certainly be a more efficient means of transporting this much cargo, however if we wait for them then you will have no time to spend with the children before we need to leave again, which was the entire reason for the rush." He started walking out of town, the collection of crates trailing after him like a string of balloons. "This looks ridiculous, but nevertheless effective."

Terra stifled a giggle. He did look rather silly, but that was hardly a reason to refuse his service and generosity. "Still, I'm not even sure where Mobliz is in relation to Jidoor anymore. Will we still be able to make it there today?"

"It's actually just to the west of here, across the ocean," he said, tilting his head in that direction. "Not much further away than Maranda."

"We've been that close the entire time?" she said, a bit surprised. With all her world-hopping in the airship since she reunited with the group she'd lost all track of direction and distance and had no idea where they were in relation to anything else anymore. With all the flying they'd done since she rejoined she had simply assumed they were quite a distance away from where she'd started.

She folded her arms behind her back in thought and noted, "But if it's just to the west of here, then... I feel sorry for that man in Jidoor who is always telling everyone that they're the westernmost town. He seemed really proud of that."

Leo blinked at her, then the two of them just laughed.

Chapter Text

It was mid-afternoon by the time they were airborne across the ocean between Jidoor and Mobliz. Terra sighed and stretched her arms, leaning back against Leo once their flight path was stable. "Mmm, I still love this. Just being out here with you and Orcus with nothing but the waves and the wind... I've been anxious about how the children have been doing without me, but this helps me to feel more relaxed."

He wrapped one arm around her while keeping a hold of Orcus's flank with the other hand. Inhaling deeply, he concurred, "You are right, this is quite tranquil. But if the love you've shown them is anything like the love you've shown me, then I am certain that they have the emotional fortitude to withstand a short absence. You said that you vanquished the monster that had been threatening them, correct?"

She nodded. "Yeah, the one major one. There are still a lot of other smaller monsters that still roam the outskirts of the village, though. If any of them got bored or upset and ran outside..."

"You have earned their respect, I'm certain. They'll behave themselves out of their desire to keep you happy," he said, squeezing her. "At least... if children are anything like soldiers, I suppose. I only have experience with rearing the latter."

Terra giggled. "Well, from the sounds of Wes's letters, I think you did a pretty good job of taking care of them."

Leo relaxed his grip on her and gazed off towards the horizon. "Corporal Wes Janson... Nineteen years old, originally hailed from the Marandan armed forces, however they were absorbed into the Imperial army when Maranda was annexed. After some time I was able to win over most of the Marandan soldiers and they became loyal to the Empire, but he was a steadfast holdout. His thoughts were only towards his love back home and how he could get back to her. And if that's where his love ultimately lay I still wanted to support it to the best of my ability, and provided him a means of maintaining contact with her. Even so, I never got the feeling that he cared much for me, so the contents of his letter... were quite unexpected."

"Oh, no, he adored you," Terra said in surprise. "But he did seem to treat you... sort of like you were separate from the Empire. That you were an exception. Just like you once told me not to use Kefka as the standard to judge everyone else in the Empire."

"And perhaps it took me truly becoming 'separate' from the Empire to understand that..." he admitted. "To me, Emperor Gestahl was the Empire. I loved all the people in it and desired to serve them and their interests, and I believed that following the Emperor's will was the means to do so. Yes, even then I understood that there were some people in the Empire who performed evil deeds, but I believed them to be acting out of selfishness and wholly against what our Empire and Emperor stood for. But... when I lost my memory, and could view people's opinion of my country objectively as an outsider..." He closed his eyes and let out a ragged sigh. "What monsters we had become..."

Terra reached up to hold her hand against his cheek. "Leo, you absolutely are not a monster, and never were. You loved your people and put them first. I love the children and put them first. Wes loved Lola and put her first. And in all those cases someone else got hurt because their needs weren't the ones being prioritized... but I don't think... I don't think that means your feelings were wrong."

He kept his eyes closed and leaned his cheek into her hand. "Perhaps... It is just so disheartening that my desire to serve and protect my people nevertheless led to such misery. And I don't mean the fall of the world, which I recognize was solely Kefka's doing, but the ongoing war before that. The conquests of Tzen, Albrook, Maranda, South Figaro, Doma... I still directly played a role in all of that. Willingly."

Terra absently rubbed her thumb under his jaw in thought. He'd said that in the case of South Figaro, at least, he'd made a deal with the upper-class citizens to occupy the town ahead of a planned armed invasion to minimize loss of life. But that couldn't have been the case for everywhere. She'd heard from Cyan that Doma had been under siege for three years, with Leo at the command. She wanted to know what his rationale had been to go along with the Empire's bid for world conquest since that seemed beyond protecting his people, but... she was also afraid of uncovering something that would potentially shatter her view of him. She would almost rather not know and be content to assume he had some noble reason for doing it in order to keep their relationship happy and stable.

But... that right there may have been exactly what happened to him: He loved his country and was simply afraid of questioning too deeply about what it was doing out of fear of the whole thing just coming crashing down around him. But it was that lack of having its actions challenged that allowed the Empire's power to grow out of control. In her case, she loved the children but she still had to know when to tell them "No". And she loved Leo, but she couldn't support that love with willful ignorance.

The children were a priority right now, though. If... there ended up being something, however unlikely, that would put a strain on her relationship with Leo, she didn't want it interfering with the aid to Mobliz. Not to mention that it had still only been less than a day since he'd gotten his memories back so to him the events of the Floating Continent and the fall of the world still stung fresh. She could hardly expect him to be fully okay with everything now after only one short talk. It would take him considerable time and care to even begin to come to terms with everything. Looking up at him, she decided, "I... do want to hear about what you were thinking back then and what drove you to decide the way you did... but I want to get the children settled first. I want to make sure I can give your worries the proper thought and attention, and I think that's going to take longer than the rest of this flight." She indicated ahead of them to a shadow of land on the horizon.

"Mm..." he concurred, nodding into her hand. "I do need to confront my past deeds... however not at the cost of rendering myself emotionally unavailable to those children at this time. You are correct that it can wait." He felt a slight pang in his throat at the realization that he might have already assumed too much, and looked down to confirm, "You... will permit me to assist you with them, will you not?"

"Of course you can, I would love for any help you could give," she replied in surprise. Why would he think he wasn't automatically welcome? With him even slipping back into his formal speech pattern, she could tell that he was getting anxious again. Honestly, playing with the children would probably do wonders to loosen him up, and would be a fantastic activity for them as well.

As they approached land, Terra could actually see Mobliz in the distance and felt the yearning in her chest increase. There was no activity outside, which was normal, but it still caused her to worry. Thankfully the forest south of Mobliz was only a short walk away and once they landed it wouldn't be too much farther on foot.

Landing, of course, was the biggest hurdle, as Orcus was already rather ungraceful at it, and with a train of crates floating behind them it made it all the more awkward. Orcus stuck out his feet to grab the top of the tallest tree, but the brittle wood snapped off and he ended up flapping inelegantly into the canopy, his feathers covered in twigs and pine needles. Leo grabbed Terra around the waist and held onto a branch with the other hand, pulling her off the chocobo's back and remaining in the treetops.

Orcus shook himself off and cocked his head at Leo, who said, "I'm sorry, this isn't a criticism of your landing skills. It's just that we have much more cargo than normal and I don't think it's going to make it down through these trees no matter how delicate you are. Go on ahead, we'll meet you down there."

Orcus made a moody grunt and proceeded to hop down through the branches while Leo continued to hold Terra in the crook of one arm while holding onto the tree with the other. He shook his head with a sigh and a slight smile and requested to Terra, "May you provide us a smoother means of descent?"

"Of course," she said, wrapping one arm around the back of his shoulders and placing the other hand on his chest. With a soft chant she whispered, "Float", and the two of them and their train of supplies lifted off the branch and hovered to the side of the trees where they could descend unobstructed. With her Float spell supporting them, Leo secured her against him with both arms and hugged her against his chest. Terra rested her cheek against his shoulder and fingered the flap on his collar, looking up at him both with affection and a bit of worry.

Leo met her gaze and felt a flutter in his chest and throat. When she looked at him like that, his emotions were a clash between feeling secured and cared-for, and feeling like he was just one misstep away from breaking her heart. They genuinely loved each other, of that he could be certain, but they had still only known each other for a relatively short time and there was so much that she didn't know about him... Things that he had only just recently remembered about himself and could only now properly contextualize, and they even gave him pause as to whether he was worth that love.

When they lightly touched down on the ground, Leo let Terra down and silently lingered his hands on her shoulders for a moment. All he could do was be honest with her the next time they had the opportunity to talk and let her make that decision for herself. A part of him selfishly wanted her to just forgive him and stay with him no matter what, because if he lost her, he didn't know if he could keep the trauma that was still roiling in the back of his mind in check by himself. But that kind of dishonesty with their feelings would eventually tear their relationship apart, anyway.

His overly-anxious thoughts were interrupted by Orcus strutting to the edge of the forest and giving a squawk that almost sounded like clearing his throat. Leo tensed with a start, then chuckled and shook his head. "I haven't forgotten about you, my friend. Thank you for your assistance in getting us this far." He pulled the tin of raisins from his pocket and noted that there were only a few left. He hadn't found any more in the shop in Jidoor so this really was the last of them.

Pursing his lips, Leo walked to where Orcus was standing and held out the remainder of the raisins. "And by 'getting us this far', I mean 'thank you for everything'. Tomorrow we will likely be departing from here by airship, meaning we will be unable to bring you along. Not that I expect you would care for an airship." He ruffled the feather's on Orcus's neck. "In the meantime, I would like you to stand guard in this forest and do what you do best: scare away monsters. One we return, I hope that I will eventually be able to bring you even more luxurious treats than these."

Orcus cocked his head, then nonchalantly pecked the remaining raisins out of Leo's hand. Leo sighed and shook his head with a smile, saying, "I really don't think you understood much of any of that, but I would be remiss if I never even attempted to tell you."

Terra walked up next to him and wrapped her arms around his arm. "Don't worry, Orcus, we'll only be gone for a few days, and then I promise I'll bring him back to you. Take care until then."

Orcus bobbed his head like he actually did understand that, then leaned forward to nibble at Terra's hair. She giggled, then playfully pushed his face away. "And thank you for looking after the children while we're gone. It means a lot to me."

Leo reached out to scratch Orcus's cheek. "Yes, thank you. Stay safe, my friend." Orcus made another little head-bob, then turned and wandered back into the forest.

Terra reached over to squeeze Leo's hand. "I know we're technically not, but it almost felt like we were saying 'goodbye' to him. I want to believe for certain that we'll beat Kefka and restore the world and come back here in a few days, but..."

Leo nodded. "Waiting for certainty means waiting forever. There is a fine line in military tactics between rushing in unprepared and waiting too long for the ideal opportunity, and even acting at that line does not guarantee a victory. You can do your best and still lose. What matters, I think, is how you handle that failure."

Terra tugged on his hand. "Well, right now there's no time for waiting or worrying about failing. Come on, we've got some children to take care of."

Leo flushed a little and followed her lead. "Yes... you're absolutely right."

They made their way around the forest, which opened up to the sinkhole with the village of Mobliz beyond. Terra felt her chest clench in remembrance. This was the same view she had when she first found the town a year ago, freshly razed, and she hadn't left since. The buildings were still in shambles and the surrounding vegetation was even more decayed than it had been that day. Even after a year... the appearance of the town had only gotten worse.

Leo also surveyed the surroundings with a harsh swallow. This was where Terra and those children had been living for the past year? What horrific conditions... Though at the same time he felt like making any comment on them would seem like a criticism of her ability to support the town. Nevertheless he admired her resilience to be able to continue to sustain life in such a place.

As they crossed the small strip of land around the sinkhole, two dogs appeared and began barking menacingly. However, they quickly recognized Terra and assumed a more friendly stance, trotting up to her with tails wagging. Terra crouched down and happily pet them while they licked her, saying, "Hey there, you two, I'm glad to see you're all right! Yes, I'm home now. How is everyone else doing?"

"Oh, you have dogs!" Leo said excitedly. "I'm glad to know that you had that kind of security and companionship while you were here."

The dogs looked up at him and made an uncertain whine, but Terra rubbed their heads and said, "Don't worry, he's a friend. He's here to help." They hesitantly approached him and Leo held out his hand for them to sniff. After checking his scent, the dogs began wagging their tails again and excitedly circled his legs to sniff him more and check out the crates he was carrying.

"Looks like they like you," said Terra with a smile.

"Y... yeah..." Leo replied, watching the dogs continue to sniff down the line of crates trailing behind him. Being accepted by Mobliz's guard dogs had... touched him a lot more than he expected. Ever since he had gotten his memories back and re-contextualized them based on the comments of the people he had overheard during his time as an invisible non-entity, he'd realized that... he'd been an invader. A conqueror. An unwelcome intruder in other people's lands. And now that he saw himself that way, he couldn't un-see it, and couldn't fathom how he had never seen himself that way before now. But that meant that now he couldn't help but second-guess himself as to whether he was imposing himself or actually welcome.

The two of them pulled the train of crates into town and arranged them in a stack formation next to one of the houses before Terra dispelled the Float on them, allowing them to come to rest on the ground. With an accomplished sigh, Terra looked to the door and fidgeted, commenting, "All right... time to see how everyone has been holding up these past few weeks." She looked up to Leo with an anxious half-grin. "I'm nervous. What if something happened? What if there's some problem that will prevent me from being able to leave again tomorrow? What if--"

Leo gently pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her and causing her to blush. Why was the futility of anxiety so easy to see when it was someone else's and so hard to shake when it was his own? "If something has happened, let's save our energy for dealing with it instead of wasting it on worrying about it, all right?"

She nodded, then took his hand and lightly kissed the back of the knuckles in appreciation. "You're right... if something did happen, it's better to get down there and deal with it right away than stand out here and worry about it."

She led him into the house and hurried to the stairs to the basement, sparing a worried glance at the wood-fired stove at the top of the stairs which had gone out. She descended quickly to the underground area while Leo lingered a moment on the main floor, taking in the interior. Terra had... invited him into her home so readily. No matter how he'd recently come to see himself, he wasn't an invader today, but a guest, and he had to honor her hospitality.

Leo followed her down the stairs a moment later where Terra stood fidgeting at the door, leaning her ear towards it to see if she could hear anything, then letting out a resolute breath and just gripping the handle to open it.

When she pushed open the door, she made a small gasp of relief at seeing a few of the children milling about near the ledge. They were initially startled at the sound of someone entering, but when they saw Terra, many of them immediately burst into tears and rushed at her. "Mama! Mama's back!" they shouted, clinging to her legs.

From behind her, Leo felt his throat catch and his face warm. Mama? She had never mentioned the detail that the children had accepted her as their new mother. Perhaps it had just been modesty, but nevertheless it was a detail that was so immensely endearing.

Terra knelt down and hugged the children tightly, telling them, "Yes, I'm home now, and I'm so glad to see you're all right." She looked up and around the room, taking stock of everything and asking, "Is everyone safe? Has anything happened while I was gone?"

"Duane got hurt!" blurted one of the young girls.

"Yeah, he said there was no food left and he was gonna go hunting but he got hurt," chimed in one of the boys.

Another little girl tugged on Terra's clothing and complained, "Mama, I'm hungry."

"My tummy hurts!"

"Read me a story! Katarin's been too busy with Duane!"

Terra stood up and held her hands out, trying to calm them with, "All right, all right, please be patient. I can help you with all of those things in a moment, but you need to be good and let me help Duane first, all right? Can you tell me where he is?"

"He's in the other house where the soldier was!"

"Yeah, Katarin's with him, too."

Terra nodded. "All right, thank you, I'll go see him." Turning to Leo, she held his hand and implored him, "Please, can you look after the children for a moment while I check on Duane and Katarin?"

Leo stared at her in a daze, his cheeks flush. Despite her earlier nerves, she'd immediately stepped up and taken charge, prioritizing tasks in order of urgency. It was a level of leadership he was unused to seeing from her, and he... was quite smitten with it. Nodding, he breathlessly replied, "Y... yes, of course, I would be happy to help."

She smiled in relief, then unconsciously leaned up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Her thoughts caught up to her a second later and they both held each other's rather flustered gaze for a moment before she bashfully turned her head away and gave him a grateful pat on the arm as she walked past him back to the stairway.

Leo watched her depart, but his thoughts were interrupted by one of the children noting, "Oooh, Mama kissed him."

"Are you Mama's boyfriend?"

Leo stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and shook his head with a slight chuckle. He crouched down to their level and replied, "I don't want to make any assumptions about that without your Mama's input, so I'll leave it up to her what she wants to call me." He poked a finger towards the child closest to him and continued, "But what's more important right now is what I should call all of you. I'd like to know your names and a little bit about you, if that's all right." He turned his hand and pointed back at himself. "My name is Leo, I'm 31 years old, and I love helping people and listening to music." Turning his finger back to point at the little girl in front of him, he queried, "And you are...?"

She gripped the bottom of her skirt and swayed back and forth bashfully. "Ummm... My name is Lili, I'm six years old, and I liiiike... flowers."

Leo nodded with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Lili. Your Mama and I are going to work hard to make those flowers bloom again, and then I hope you can have a whole field of them here." And with that information, Lili sounded like a good candidate for that flower-patterned skirt that Terra bought.

Her eyes lit up, which left Leo feeling gratified at bringing a smile to a child's face. Moving on, he questioned the little boy next to her, "And you?"

He puffed out his cheeks and asserted, "I'm Felix and I'm four years old..."

"No, you turned five," Lili corrected in a hushed whisper.

"I'm five years old," he continued, holding up four fingers, "And I like rocks."

"He likes throwing rocks," Lili added. "He gets in trouble for that."

"No I dooon't!" Felix retorted, sounding offended.

Leo held up his hand in a peaceful gesture. "It's not nice to make fun of things that make people happy." He turned to Felix and added, "But it's also not nice to do things that hurt or bother people. What is it about rocks that makes you happy? Maybe there's something you can do with them that won't cause other people as much trouble."

"I like it when I can make them go really far," Felix replied.

Leo nodded knowingly. "Ahh, I see." It sounded like Felix was going to get a lot of use out of that ball. He didn't want to let them in on the surprise of all the presents he and Terra had brought along with them until she got back, since he wanted her to be there to help deliver the news.

He questioned through the remaining six children: Isabel, age eight, who liked building things; Charley, age six, who liked dogs; Jeanne, age nine, who liked to read; Ivan, age seven, who liked dried meat; Frances, age six, who liked running around; and Dennis, age eight, who liked chocobos.

One introductions were complete, Leo stood up and looked over the children with a smile. "I'm so proud of you all for doing your best this past year. And I'm proud of your Mama for taking such good care of you."

"Is Mama gonna stay for good now?" Isabel wondered.

Leo squared his jaw and looked at her a little guiltily. "Well... there is still one more thing that we need to do, and after that I hope that she can come back and stay with you for good. But you have to remember that your Mama is a hero, and heroes sometimes have to go away and do things in order to keep you safe."

"I know, she beat Humbaba!" shouted Ivan, raising his fist. "And then she said she had to go fight the monster that took our parents away."

In the past, even though he wholly disapproved of Kefka's actions, Leo would still never go so far as to call him a "monster". He was still just as human as anyone and thus Leo had naively assumed that he, too, was open to empathy and reason if approached with the same level of respect and care. But Kefka would only ever take advantage of that goodwill while offering none of his own in return. And thus it was only recently that Leo had been forced to admit to himself... that some people were simply a lost cause.

He rested a hand on Ivan's shoulder and nodded. "That's right, and we're going to leave to do that tomorrow, but we wanted to make sure that your Mama got the chance to see you again one more time before we did. So I hope you can be supportive of her and make sure she can go do what she needs to do, and welcome her back when she comes home."

"We wiiillll," they chorused.

He folded his hands behind his back and looked at them with a nod. "I like your resolve, however I think I would like to see it in action." He tilted his head behind him to the door and said, "When she comes back through that door, I want you all to show her that support that will give her the strength to fight for you, understood?"

"Okay!" they all shouted excitedly.

Chapter Text

About ten minutes later, Terra returned with a dejected-looking Duane who was back on his feet, followed by a relieved-looking Katarin. When they came through the door, Terra hurriedly began, "Duane's okay now, everyone, I just needed to tend to him with a Cure..."

She trailed off upon seeing the children standing before her in a neat row, oldest to youngest, all grinning up at her. "Welcome back, Mama! Thank you for all of your hard work!" they said in almost unison.

Terra's eyes went wide and she stepped back with a hand to her chest, then looked over to Leo who shrugged at her innocently. A second later she relaxed and broke into a lighthearted laugh. She crouched down and beckoned to them so that she could give them all hugs. "Thank you everyone. I'm so glad to see you all again and I'm sorry I had to go away."

"It's okay, you've gotta save the world," said Charley.

Duane sighed. "I wish I could have been more help. Our food has run out and I have to be the leader while Terra is gone, but I ended up just messing everything up and having to rely on her, anyway. I'm from a town of hunters but I can't even do that right."

Terra held his shoulder. "Your safety is more important than the food supply right now, Duane." She looked around the room, then continued, "Since everyone's here now, I guess it's a good time to tell you." She spared a glance to Leo for his approval, and he met it with a nod. Smiling, Terra announced, "Leo and I have brought all kinds of supplies for the town back with us from Jidoor. Food, clothing, medicine, toys, and all sorts of other things!"

"Toys?!" a few of the children gasped excitedly, bouncing.

Katarin held her hands to her mouth. "Are you serious?"

Terra nodded with a grin. "We even got some things for the baby."

Katarin's eyes started to water and she leaned forward to hug her. "Oh my gosh, Terra, thank you so much..."

Terra stroked Katarin's hair and looked back to Leo, saying, "We should probably start with the food, since it sounds like it's been over a day since anyone has gotten anything to eat. You loaded most of that up, so you know better about what we have."

Leo looked almost a little embarrassed. "While I do know the contents of the food crates that I packed, my only experience with cooking has come from heating pre-packaged rations in a pot over a campfire," he admitted. "I can tell you that we have brought 100 pounds of rice, 50 pounds of millet, 40 pounds of dried beans, 20 pounds of sugar, 10 pounds of salt, and a few jars of spices that... I honestly couldn't tell you what they are. They are various shades of brown. But they smelled good."

Jeanne raised her hand and said, "Um, there's some recipe books that I've read a few times and one of them had how to make rice and beans. I don't know how to cook, either, though."

Isabel bounced up and down. "Ooh, ooh, can I do it? I like to make things!"

"Excellent, thank you both for volunteering your expertise!" Leo commended. He looked to Duane and asked, "Are you well enough now for some moderate lifting? You had desired to provide food and still have the opportunity to if you'd like."

Duane let out a grumble and looked at the floor. "I'd just be the delivery boy for something someone else did the work for, though."

"Duane, be polite," Terra scolded.

"Yeah, I know..." he sighed. Scratching his hair, he shook his head and relented, "Yeah, I'll go help."

He walked out the door and to the stairs while Leo followed. Terra touched Leo's arm as he walked past her, saying, "Please forgive him... he's been under a lot of stress and is still having a hard time coping with everything going on."

Leo gave a light smile. "I take no offense. I have ample experience with anxious and uncertain young men and women trying to prove themselves. Helping them build their confidence and competency was the highlight of my job." He flinched and caught himself, adding, "Although, he is not a soldier and it is not my intent to make him one. I do not wish to overstep myself while a guest in your home..."

Terra slid her hand to the crook of his elbow and squeezed it. "But if you have the power to help someone, you should use it, right?" she reminded him. He made a light choke of surprise as she looked up at him with a smile. "And any help you can offer us here is welcome and appreciated."

He was held by her gaze for a moment, a warming feeling spreading through his chest where his breath was held. Finally he exhaled softly with a smile and nodded. "Yes... I shall do what I can."

Leo headed outside and found Duane looking a little intimidated by the stack of crates. He softly cleared his throat as he approached him in an attempt not to startle him, then extended his hand. "Terra told me about you, however I apologize that we have not been formally introduced. My name is Leo."

Duane looked at his hand, then hesitantly took it with a weak shake. "Yeah, Terra mentioned you were here. She's talked about you sometimes, too, and so did that injured soldier. Said you were nice. So... there's that."

He released his hand and Leo cocked his head at him, wondering, "Is something troubling you?"

"Not really." He was a seventeen year-old boy with a pregnant girlfriend living alone with eight other younger children in a demolished town surrounded by monsters. Surely there was something.

Duane turned and absently ran his hand over one of the crates. "It's just..." There it is. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I don't know if I ever did. I never really paid attention to news of the war because we only heard about it through letters. It seemed so far away and like something that would never affect me, so I wasn't ready for..." he helplessly indicated the demolished town, "... this." Sighing, he continued, "Then Katarin got pregnant and I wasn't ready for that, either. Then Terra had to leave and I wasn't ready for that." He lightly pounded his forehead against the outer wall of the house. "It feels like no matter what I do everything keeps falling apart, and that nothing I'm doing makes a difference."

Leo folded his hands behind his back and nodded in understanding, looking off to the side contemplatively for a moment. "If you do not see yourself making a difference, what do you believe 'making a difference' would look like, then?"

Duane shrugged. "I dunno. This town being put back together. Us having enough food. The monsters being gone."

"And certainly those are all admirable things to wish for," Leo agreed. "However, if you are judging your self-worth solely on your ability to effect such drastic changes single-handedly, then you are selling yourself short. There are more important places where you are making a difference that you seem to be overlooking."

"Like what?" Duane wondered, confused.

"Well... the children certainly seemed happy to see that you had recovered when Terra returned you to them. Katarin even more so," Leo observed.

"Well, yeah..." said Duane, scratching his head. "But I don't really see how that means anything."

"It means that you make them happy," Leo explained, poking a finger to Duane's chest. "And in this world, that is the most important thing. Your desires are for everyone to be safe and secure, and they understand that. Any moment that you can make another person feel happy or cared-for is a moment made worthwhile. A person can live in a fabulous home full of food and be safe from the outside world, and yet still be miserable if they feel that no one cares about them. It is having that emotional security that makes the physical security even matter, because it makes us want to see what tomorrow can bring even if today is looking dire. If you were truly making no difference in Terra's absence, we would have returned to a town full of people unwilling to carry on. And it was only in your absence that the children became despondent, and they recovered as soon as you returned."

Duane blushed and hunched his shoulders, looking away. "I... I'm not that special. I don't even know what I do that makes them like me so much. I feel like every time I try to do the right thing, I just mess it up."

"But you still try, and that's what earns you their appreciation. A lesser person would not have even made the attempt," Leo reasoned. "You haven't given up on them, and through that perseverance you instill hope. And giving people hope is the absolute most valuable thing that you can be doing right now."

Duane let out a little laugh and kicked at the dirt. "Well... and giving them food would help, too."

Leo chuckled. "Well, yes, hope is necessary to our continued survival but by no means sufficient. I am not saying that providing hope is the extent of your capabilities, nor should it be. No, you have plenty of room to grow and I am confident that you will, given time. But as your initial anxiety was that you provide 'nothing', I can confidently tell you that that is not true."

"Heh..." Duane awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Well... when Terra talked about you she did always say that you helped her feel better about herself. Guess she wasn't kidding." He let out a breath and stated, "All right, yeah, let's bring in these supplies." He turned to the crates, then paused and sheepishly looked back towards Leo, adding, "Oh, and... thanks."

They carried in a bag each of beans and rice, the smaller bags and jars of salt and seasonings, plus a large stock pot that had also been purchased in Jidoor. When Duane and Leo re-entered the house, Terra was on the main floor re-lighting the fire to the stove while Jeanne was reading the cookbook to Isabel.

"Okay, this says we neeeeed... two cups of rice and two cups of beans. Um... how much is a cup?"

Terra held her cheek and looked over at Leo. "Oh, measuring cups. We didn't pick anything like that up."

Isabel pointed at the recipe book and said, "No, but this says it's for four people. We have more than four people. We haaave..." she counted on her fingers, then looked up at Terra and confirmed, "... Eleven?"

Terra nodded her head towards Leo and smiled. "Plus one guest."

Both their faces lit up and they exclaimed, "Is he staying for dinner?!"

"Are we gonna have a dinner party?!"

Terra bounced a little. "Oh, we should! We have nice new clothes for you all and everything!" She looked over to Leo and confirmed, "Doesn't that sound like a fun idea?"

"Certainly!" he agreed with a smile. "The quarters are a little cramped, but we can make it work. I've gotten an entire platoon into a tent to celebrate a promotion on more than one occasion."

"Well, there's a lot of open space in the storage area under the other house," Duane offered.

"Oh, excellent," Leo replied. "That would also be an ideal place to store the surplus supplies until needed as they shouldn't be taking up precious living space."

"I'm on it," Duane immediately volunteered. With a smile and a little chuckle, he said, "I think I can handle that much on my own, Mister Leo. You can help get everyone else prepared, if that's all right."

"Understood," said Leo, smiling and giving a slight bow of his head.

Terra raised a cheeky eyebrow at him as Duane left, commenting, "So you're 'Mister' Leo now. I see you got a promotion while I wasn't looking."

"I am technically not permitted to accept titles from foreign dignitaries but in this case I believe I can make an exception," he replied.

She laughed and approached him to hold his hands. "Well, in any case, thank you for talking to him. He seems in a lot better spirits than I've seen him in a long time. That title was well-earned." Squeezing his hands, she sighed and said, "I know this seems like a lot to ask of you since you're a guest here, but could you possibly help with getting the children cleaned up and changed? Katarin can help a little but she's not able to perform much strenuous activity right now. I'd help, but I don't want to leave these two unattended at the stove." She nodded her head towards the two little girls engrossed in the cookbook and trying to use a bowl to measure out rice into the pot.

"Terra, I know you want to lessen my burden, but don't be shy about asking for the favor to be returned when you need it," he replied with a smile. "I want to be your support as well." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her temple before placing a light kiss on her forehead. Smiling into her hair, he softly admitted, "Plus I want to do what I can to make those children happy, regardless."

She blushed, feeling a pleasant tingle from where his lips met her forehead that radiated down her back. She may not have regretted staying and taking care of this village, but that didn't mean it hadn't been daunting and exhausting all by herself this whole time. So to have someone willingly and eagerly offering to help... She looked up at him with misty eyes full of appreciation and gave his hands a squeeze with an earnest smile. "Thank you..."

She sniffed a little and looked around the room, then picked up a pair of buckets and held them out to him. "Um, if you're going to be doing cleaning you're probably going to need water, and we're going to need it for the cooking, too, but the water from outside needs to be boiled first before it's safe to use, so can you bring some back first?"

"Of course!" he replied. But instead of immediately taking the buckets, he fiddled under the flap on his collar to undo his uniform jacket, then pulled it off leaving him wearing only a sleeveless green undershirt and his dog tags. Terra let out a squeak as he held the coat out to her, saying, "I have a feeling my job is going to get messy. Trade?"

She nodded wordlessly and handed over the buckets while taking the uniform coat, hugging it to her chest protectively while he trotted outside to gather water. It was heavier than she thought it would be, and despite it going through numerous repairs, still looked well-worn. He'd said before that his uniform represented his dedication and service to people, and the fact that he would entrust her with it so readily made her feel a flush of esteem. She needed to put this somewhere safe but show it the proper amount of respect.

She hung it on a coat rack on the wall and absently worked on arranging the sleeves and coattails so that it hung straight. While she was fussing over it, Jeanne tugged at her skirt and said, "Mama, Mama, the recipe says we need onion, celery, salt, and pepper. Do we have that?"

Terra looked through the smaller bags and jars that had been brought in with the grains. "Hmm... onion and celery are plants so we don't have any of that... we have salt, but pepper..." She looked helplessly through the jars of spices. "I'm not really sure what these are, either."

"Awwh, does that mean we can't make it? What are we gonna do?"

Terra tapped Jeanne's nose with a smile. "No, we can still make it. But this just means it's going to be your special recipe instead of the one in the book. I think that's even better." She opened one of the jars of spice and said, "Here, let's smell these and see if we think any of them would taste good."

Leo returned with two full buckets of water and set them on the floor, announcing, "Resources acquired. How long will it take to sterilize them?"

"Just a few minutes," Terra replied, kneeling down and placing a hand in each bucket. Her hands glowed red with a Fire spell, and the water in the buckets began to bubble and steam.

Leo looked down at her work in fascination. "That's incredible! Back in Vector we had a steam-powered water pumping and filtration system that delivered clean water directly into every building in the city. I'm glad that you're able to provide something comparable."

Terra chuckled, still working on purifying the water. "Still, that sounds nice... being able to have clean water whenever you want it without having to go outside and watch out for monsters..."

"Can we build that here?!" Isabel wondered excitedly. "I wanna help!"

Leo blushed a little, then looked to the side. "Well, I only know the very basics of how it works from my lessons in my Academy days... plus, Mobliz has its own way of doing things that is different from the Empire. You shouldn't... you shouldn't feel like you need to adopt our way of life, and I don't want to--" He shook his head, then diverted to, "Anyway, I'll go collect the clothes and cleaning supplies."

After he left, Isabel looked to Terra and wondered, "Is he okay?"

Terra pulled her hands from the water, using a low-level Blizzard spell to gently cool it back to a usable temperature now that it was cleaned. "He's had a lot of things happen to him and he's still in the process of mentally coming to terms with them," she explained softly. "So I want you all to do your best to be nice to him, okay?"

When Leo came in the next time carrying an armful of towels, sponges, and soap, Isabel and Jeanne turned to him and said, "Thank you, Mister Leo, for all your help!"

Leo fumbled with his armload in shock and blushed. "Y... you're both very welcome..." he replied. He glanced to Terra who only smiled and shrugged. Clearing his throat, he told the girls, "Now you two take good care to follow your Mama's instructions so you don't burn yourself while cooking, understood?"

"We wiilll," they chorused.

He nodded and descended to the basement while Terra helped get the pot of rice steaming. He made a few more trips to bring everything down including fresh linens for the beds, and after a few moments Terra could hear some splashing and excited shrieks coming from the basement, followed by some muffled words from both Leo and Katarin. Part of her wanted to run downstairs to see what was going on, but she knew that he could handle himself. Having someone to rely on like that felt... nice.

Once the rice was steamed, they began boiling the beans, which Terra, Isabel, and Jeanne took turns stirring to keep them from burning while Terra regaled them with stories of her travels from the past few weeks and the two girls filled her in on what everyone in Mobliz had been up to during that same time. Thankfully aside from Duane being hurt hunting, Mobliz had been generally quiet in her absence.

After about an hour, Duane came back into the house, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Phew, that's the last of those extra bags of grain and supplies moved into the storage area. How in the world did just the two of you get all of that over here in the first place?"

"Magic," said Terra with a wink. "And thank you so much with helping out with that. I know it's not the most glamorous work but it still needed to be done."

At that moment, Leo came back up the stairs, the front of his shirt patched in wet spots and his arms streaked with soap suds. He let out an accomplished breath and grinned, then upon seeing Duane remarked, "Oh, perfect timing. We have some new clothes for you, too."

"Huh? For me?" Duane wondered, a little flattered.

"For everyone," Leo confirmed. "We even bought some maternity clothing for Katarin." Looking to the two girls with Terra, he wondered, "Are you at a point where I can steal our two chefs for a moment to get them cleaned up and into their new clothes?"

"We get new clothes, too?!" Jeanne wondered excitedly. She looked up at Terra and pleaded, "Mama, can we go, pleeease?"

"Of course you can!" Terra replied happily. She gave the pot a slightly uncertain glance and confirmed, "So, I just need to keep stirring these every once in a while, right?"

Jeanne nodded. "Yup, the book says they need to cook for one hour and then be strained. I'm not sure what that last part means."

"It means you've gotta sort of put the lid on part way and dump out the extra water," Isabel explained. "I think I know how to do it. I can help when I get back, but you gotta take that pot off the stove right when the clock says 6:00, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Terra replied with a little giggle.

The three of them followed Leo back down the stairs, leaving Terra alone with the pot. She stirred it absently, excitedly wondering what everyone looked like in their new clothes, but got the feeling that Leo was keeping it as a surprise like he had his own change of clothes at the opera house. She'd never cooked before, but now here she was standing over a stove preparing dinner for Leo and the children. It felt so... domestic. Was this what it was like to... have a family?

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed the clock striking 6:00. She lifted the pot from the fire, which turned out to be quite heavy now that it was full, and set it down on the floor to cool. After looking at the steaming pot blankly for a moment, she picked up Jeanne's cookbook to see if there were any clues in there how to perform this "straining" maneuver. Could it be done with magic?

While looking through the book, she was interrupted by Leo poking his head up from the stairs and quietly knocking on the wall to get her attention. When she looked up in surprise, he chuckled and motioned to her. "Preparations complete. Are you free to perform inspections?"

Terra dropped the book and hurried towards him with unconcealed enthusiasm. "They're ready?!" She balled her fists under her chin and bit her lip with a nervous grin. "I hope everything I picked out fit okay."

He smiled and held his hand out to her. "Come and see for yourself."

She took his hand, the fingertips of which were soft and wrinkled from being wet, and followed him excitedly down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Leo gripped the door handle, then stood to the side and bowed lightly, opening it for her. "Your children await."

Terra cautiously but eagerly entered the room, and was met by the children once again standing in a neat line. But this time instead of the worn, ill-fitting, torn, and dirty clothing they had been wearing for the past year, they were all neatly dressed in colorful, fresh, and vibrant outfits that were only outshone by the smiles on their faces. Their hair was neatly combed and their faces freshly-washed. As Terra had been with them every day for the past year, the gradual degradation of their clothing and hygiene had been difficult to notice, but now they were all wearing fresh garments, the difference was incredible.

"Thank you, Mama!" they all said, though Felix lagged behind with, "Thank youuuu!"

Lili nudged him. "No, you didn't do it right!"

Terra held her mouth and her eyes welled with tears. "Oh my gosh, you all look so beautiful!" she choked.

Katarin came out from behind them, wearing a long dress that fit her bulging belly much more comfortably than her previous clothing. Duane was beside her in a new vest, suspenders, and trousers. She took Duane's arm and shook him a little with a smile. "Look at how handsome he is now!" Looking sheepishly up at him, she amended, "Well, you were always handsome, but you still clean up nice."

Duane took her hands. "And I'm glad that you have something more comfortable to wear, too. It was really stressful seeing you struggling to move around in those clothes before." Looking to Terra, he echoed, "Thank you, Terra. And thank you again, Mister Leo."

Leo strode up behind Terra and gave a small nod, folding his hands behind his waist. "Proper grooming is part of basic training. I offered my assistance where it could be best put to use."

Lili ran up to Terra and spun around. "Mama, Mama, look! My skirt has flowers on it!"

"And my shirt's yellow! I love yellow!" said Dennis.

Frances hopped around the room, shouting, "I can jump so high in these shoes!"

Terra fell to her knees and hugged them tightly. "I'm so glad that you like everything. I know things have been hard for everyone this past year, so I'm happy we were able to help make things better, even if just a little."

"Is there food yet? I'm hungry," complained Charley.

"Charley, that's rude," scolded Jeanne.

"I can help!" offered Isabel again, now wearing a blouse, slacks, and suspenders. "Jeanne, we've gotta mix together the spices and stuff, too."

"Oh, the pot was really heavy, let me help you with that. Plus, I want to know how to do it, too," Terra requested. She looked to everyone else and said, "The food should be ready right after that, so why doesn't everyone else head over to the store room next door?"

Duane rubbed his hands together. "I can take everyone over. I tried to set up everything down there really nice, too, so hopefully it's okay."

"Aww, Duane, that's so sweet of you," said Katarin, kissing his cheek.

Everyone headed upstairs and out the door, while Terra, Isabel, and Jeanne stayed behind to finish the food preparations. Leo also remained to reclaim his coat and watched in interest while he put it back on. Terra lifted the pot while Isabel held the lid over the top and tilted it over another bowl. "Okay, so you gotta pour the water out like this while keeping the beans in there..."

Once they were ready, they combined the beans and rice in the pot and added the salt and other mystery spices. After mixing it all together, Terra held up a small spoonful to Isabel and wondered, "Well, how does it taste?"

Isabel took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully. "... It's all right. But it's not dried meat, which makes it lots better."

"And even without the celery and onions, being 'all right' is still a great accomplishment for just making up the rest of it with what we had available," Terra commended. She picked up the pot and nodded. "Come on, if Duane brought the rest of the supplies over there, then there should be bowls and spoons down there already. Are you all ready for dinner?"

"Yeah!" both girls shouted, then ran outside to the next house.

Leo came up behind Terra, smoothing out his jacket and adjusting his sash. "I look forward to tasting Jeanne and Isabel's famous 'All Right Rice and Beans'."

Terra laughed and nudged him with her elbow while holding the pot. "Thank you so much for all of your help. And it was really sweet of you to figure out that it was Isabel that I got trousers for instead of a dress."

Leo blushed. "Well, she did gravitate towards them all by herself, so it wasn't entirely me."

"But Isabel was the last one you dressed, so you still had to have left it for her," she said with a knowing smirk. "You have a strong sense of what other people need and you don't need to be so modest about that."

"I... have been mistaken before," he admitted, looking to the side. "Even if I do have a skill for something, it doesn't mean I can become complacent and assume my proficiency in every situation." He shook his head and gave her a half smile. "But in this case, I'm glad that I guessed correctly."

Terra bumped her forehead against his arm since her hands were still full of the pot of food. She could see his self-confidence constantly fluctuating, but at least so far he'd been able to recognize it and pull himself back off his forays into self-deprecation. Remembering how he'd encouraged her when they first met, she whispered to him, "You're doing fine."

He sighed, then nodded and reached his arm around her back to squeeze her shoulder in affirmation. "Thank you..." Forcing out a breath, he blinked back to the present situation and noted, "Anyway, we have some hungry children to feed. Shall we?"

Chapter Text

Terra and Leo made their way to the house next door, and when they entered, Terra explained, "The underground storage area is actually fairly well-hidden. We didn't even know about it until the dogs found it. It's over here behind the bookshelf." But when she looked to Leo, he was walking purposefully towards the opposite side of the room. "No, it's this--"

But then she saw what had caught his attention. Next to the bed was a record player, dusty and unused this past year. Leo sat on the edge of the bed and immediately started intently examining the pile of albums left in the cabinet.

Terra relaxed her shoulders with a smile. That should hopefully lift his spirits quite a bit. Curious about what he'd found since she hadn't paid the records any mind previously due to her not yet being able to apply any meaning to them, she set down the pot and crawled onto the bed behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Anything good?" she wondered.

He let out a wistful laugh. "In my mind there is no such thing as 'bad' music..." He paused and squinted at one of the album titles. "'Fifty Harlots for a Hundred Gil' .... Well, that does not mean that there is not certain music that is of lower quality and not appropriate for children, I suppose. But if this is a dinner party, there should be music, shouldn't there?"

"Oh absolutely," Terra confirmed. "And you're definitely the person I can trust to know what would suit it best."

"Heh..." He smiled softly and bumped his cheek against the top of her head as he continued to flip through the pile of albums. He stopped at one with a picture of a dragon on the front and his eyes lit up. "Oh! The Dawn Warriors! This is a good one, and certainly something the children should enjoy. Does this record player work?"

"Um... I actually don't know how to work it..." Terra admitted sheepishly. "Can you show me?"

He kissed the top of her head. "I would love to. Here, come sit next to me and I'll let you give it a try." Terra moved around him to sit on the edge of the bed next to him while he wiped the dust off the record player. Looking it over, he murmured, "Oh, this is an antique. It's beautiful." Checking around the sides of it, he said, "Now, somewhere around here, hopefully there's... Aha." He fished something that looked like a cranking mechanism from behind it and handed it to Terra. "This is the key to music whenever you desire."

"Really?" she said excitedly, looking it over. "What do I do with it?"

He indicated a hole in the side of the player and instructed, "Slip the end of that crank in there and then start turning it clockwise until it becomes difficult to turn."

"Like this?" she confirmed, doing as instructed and starting to turn. As he'd said, eventually she felt significant resistance while turning and removed the crank. "Um... it's still not doing anything."

Leo chuckled and pulled the record from the sleeve and handed it to her. "That's just step one. Here, now put this on the turntable, with the center over that pin in the middle." He watched her do so, nodding, then instructed, "All right, now take that arm on the side with the needle coming out the bottom and place the needle right on the outer edge of the record. Yes, good. And now, if everything still works correctly..." He indicated a switch next to the arm and said, "Flip that switch and see what happens."

Terra pressed her finger against the switch, and with a click the turntable suddenly began spinning, the sound of static coming from the large bell speaker atop it. A second later, a fast, high-pitched song started playing that startled Terra. "Oh! It works! It's so... energetic!"

Leo laughed and searched around the other side of the player. "Actually, someone has been messing with the speed controls. Ah, here it is." He pointed to a dial with a few numbers on it. Holding up the album cover, he indicated a number in the bottom corner, explaining, "This number explains what speed the record is meant to be played at. Different recording processes use different speeds, so players need to be adjustable. Try setting that dial to this number and it should sound much better." Terra did so, and the song slowed down to a much smoother introductory prelude using more familiar-sounding instrumentation. Leo closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. "Yes... that's perfect..."

Terra smiled broadly and hugged his side, nuzzling his arm while taking in the music as well. It wasn't quite the acoustics of a live performance of the opera house, but the fact that they at least had an approximation of it at their disposal here made her giddy with joy. It was a brand new world of experiences that she'd be able to share with the children.

Leo inhaled, having gotten almost too comfortable sitting on the bed with Terra listening to the record, and realized, "Oh, the food is going to get cold if we keep sitting here. Why don't you go ahead downstairs and I'll get this packed up to bring down?"

Terra gave him one last squeeze before standing up and giving a little fist-pump. "Right. Let's get this party started!"

She picked up the pot and carried it down the stairs to the underground storehouse. When she arrived, she was greeted by the sight of some of the empty crates turned over and being used as makeshift tables, with floor cushions that they'd bought in Jidoor surrounding them as seating. Each crate-table was set with bowls and spoons, and a few of the children were already seated on their cushions patiently awaiting their meal.

Terra set the pot on the existing high-topped table that had already been down there and tried to suppress a grin with her hand. "Duane... did you set this up?" she wondered.

Duane rubbed the back of his head. "Well... I was already bringing everything down here and figured if we were going to set up for a dinner party that there had better be a dinner party setup, so..."

Katarin hugged his arm and grinned. "Isn't he the best?"

"Yes, he's been a wonderful help. Thank you, Duane," agreed Terra.

"Heh..." Duane cleared his throat and looked around. "Is that everything then? Isn't Mister Leo coming? I set him a place at the taller table, too..."

To answer his question, Leo came slowly down the stairs with careful steps, cradling the antique record player in his arms. "Apologies for my tardiness, but Terra and I found something that we simply could not do without." When he descended completely and also saw the current state of decor, he nodded in approval and commended, "Oh, excellent work, Duane. You certainly thought ahead to everyone's needs and comfort for this gathering." Setting the record player gently on the counter in the rear of the store room, he said, "May I request this addition to your arrangement?"

Duane nodded, still a little flustered at all the praise. "Y... yeah, sure. Although... do you even know how to work that thing? No one here could figure it out."

Terra grinned and balled her fists. "Yes, and he showed me how, too! Can I try setting it up myself this time?" she queried to Leo. He nodded with a smile and handed her the record. Terra took it and walked Duane and Katarin through the process, "Okay, first you wind this here, then you set the record on here like this, then you put the needle here, and theenn... press the switch!"

The record player spun to life and immediately began to serenade them with a boisterous tune. The children gasped and ran over to it, watching the record spin, wondering, "Mama, what's this? Is it more magic?"

Terra crouched down with a smile and explained, "No, it's music! Leo and I experienced some amazing music at the opera house and we wanted to be able to share some if it with you, too!"

Katarin held her mouth and her eyes watered a little. "It's been years since I've heard music... When I was little the shopkeeper at the relic shop would have music playing in his store... I'd used to sit outside and listen to it for hours..."

Duane perked up and remembered, "Oh yeah, we'd sometimes meet in secret behind the relic shop. And it seemed like whenever we went back there, it was always playing that same song that you decided was 'our song'." He took Katarin's hands and they gazed into each other's eyes, swaying back and forth to the music. "This makes me feel like we're love-struck kids again..."

Leo discreetly leaned down next to Terra's ear and inquired, "Is the relic shop still standing?"

"It is, actually," Terra confirmed. "And now that I think of it, there was still a record player in the back room."

He made a rumble of affirmation and stood back up straight, restraining himself from going off to look for it right away. For now, this was more than sufficient, and they had already had enough other distractions that had delayed the children in getting properly fed. That was a priority now.

Terra clapped her hands together and announced, "All right, everyone, we've kept you waiting long enough. Isabel and Jeanne have worked extra hard to prepare dinner for us all, so let's all eat, shall we?"

"Yeeeah!" the children all shouted in unison, running back to the crate tables to grab their bowls while Terra went to remove the lid from the pot. They then crowded around Terra and lifted up their bowls to her exclaiming, "Me! Me!"

Leo loudly clicked his tongue from the side and reminded, "Now, now, don't crowd her like that. You'll all get a turn. Remember what we've been practicing?"

"Oh yeah!" They scrambled around to order themselves from youngest to oldest again, and Felix held up his bowl calling out, "Me first!"

Terra spared a glance at Leo and mouthed, "Thank you," before leaning down and addressing the children with, "Very good, everyone! But there's still one person here who's younger than you, isn't there, Felix?"

Felix looked around in confusion. "Huh? Who's that?"

Terra motioned to Katarin. "Come on, we need to make sure that baby comes into this world healthy and strong. It needs this food the most of all of us."

Katarin blushed and held out her bowl. "Thank you, Terra..." Terra filled it, then moved on to the other children, filling their bowls one at a time, after which they ran back to their cushion at the crate tables to begin eagerly devouring it.

Except when she got to Ivan, he looked into his bowl and pouted, "It's not dried meat."

Terra shook her head, "No, I'm sorry, we ran out of dried meat. But we've been eating that all year, so don't you want to try something different?"

"But I like dried meat," he complained.

"I know you do," Terra replied a little sadly. "And maybe later we'll be able to have more. But until then, I need you to make sure you eat so you stay strong enough to protect everyone from monsters, okay?" She glanced at Leo and smirked. "Plus, Leo brought everyone treats for when they finish their dinner."

"Really?!" said Ivan. "Is it dried meat?!"

Terra giggled. "You'll see. Now go on, make sure you get plenty to eat."

She finished filling everyone's bowls, including Duane's and another serving for Katarin since she was eating for two now. She took a bowl for herself, then handed the last one to Leo. "And for you. Thank you for waiting."

Leo took the bowl with a smile. "Well, if we were serving youngest to oldest, my being last was a foregone conclusion." He lifted a spoonful to his mouth, then after swallowing called out to Isabel, "Mm, you were quite correct in your assessment, Isabel. These are very all right."

"Hee, I'll make it better next time, I promise!" she called back to him.

Leo saluted with his spoon back at her. "I look forward to it." After a few more nonchalant bites, he casually leaned over to Terra and softly wondered, "Now what was this about me having treats?"

She nudged his arm playfully. "Oh, I saw you take that bag of candy at the store and put it in your pocket."

"I would never do such a thing," he replied with mock indignance. "Now, buying a bag of candy and putting it in my pocket, on the other hand..."

Katarin leaned across the table and wondered, "So... if Jidoor has this much food to spare, the rest of the world can't be doing all that badly, right? Mobliz has always been isolated but at least we had the carrier pigeons before that would bring news from the outside, but for the past year it's been... nothing. Until Terra's friends showed up a few weeks ago, we thought we were the last people alive on the planet."

Leo and Terra looked at each other, and Leo replied, "I do not mean this disparagingly, but Jidoor has always been a nation of excess and are a significant outlier. The rest of the towns are struggling to survive, though Mobliz, being so isolated, I admit is a severe case. However Narshe, which was cut off from Figaro, was completely abandoned and overrun with monsters. Doma is also utterly without life... And Vector..."

Terra placed a hand on his arm and took over talking. "And that's why we can only stay tonight. Tomorrow we're rejoining the rest of our friends and launching an assault on Kefka to protect everyone from any further harm. Even though he ruined the world so much and separated us all, we still all managed to find each other and give each other hope. And if we can do that, then I believe we can defeat Kefka once and for all. And once that happens, I hope we'll finally be able to make forward progress in really putting the world back together."

"I hope so..." said Duane. "I mean, I have no idea what we would have done if you and Mister Leo hadn't shown up with food today. And I don't know what we would have done a year ago if you hadn't shown up then. Kefka is the one who killed all our parents, so... if you go face him, are you really going to be all right?"

"I... don't know the full extent of his powers so I can't promise that," she replied, looking down at the table. She then slid her hand around Leo's arm and assured them, "But I'll have Leo and the rest of my friends with me, and I can guarantee you they're reliable and will do everything they can to make sure we're successful and everyone comes back safely."

Katarin nodded. "Well, if just the two of you were able to bring a miracle back to Mobliz, I'm sure all of you together can bring a miracle to the world."

Terra smiled and nodded and looked up at Leo. He managed a weak smile back, but she could tell that thinking about Vector had hit him hard. She couldn't blame him, though. His home was just... gone, and it had taken him a year to realize that he even needed to mourn for it. Now that she thought about it, it sounded unnervingly similar to what he'd said happened to his mother: She'd died while he had been out on a mission and didn't find out about it until it was too late to do anything.  In both cases, he'd been absent only to come back to find a vital part of his life simply wasn't there anymore.  That was... exactly what had happened to Orcus, too...

He had every right to grieve and she wanted to make sure he could... but he'd also committed to putting on a strong face for the children and making sure he was emotionally available for them. She had a feeling that if he allowed himself to break down here, he would only fall into further self-loathing at failing to meet the children's needs.

Terra heard the song change on the record player, and the feeling the song gave her prompted a flash of an idea. She stood up from her chair and tugged on Leo's arm. "Dance with me?"

Leo blinked at her in hesitation, however from across the table, Katarin turned to Duane and said, "Oh, we should! It's a party, after all, and we even have music! I haven't danced in ages!"

Katarin pulled Duane out of his chair and into the open area of the room while Terra moved closer to Leo and lightly leaned her forehead against his temple. "Thank you for being strong for the children this whole time," she said softly into his ear. "But if you need any extra strength to help get you through the evening, I'm here to offer mine. And so is the music."

Leo closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, feeling the warmth of her breath against his cheek and letting the music penetrate his body. He knew this song, and it was one of reminiscence and friendship... it wasn't particularly upbeat, but it wasn't sorrowful, either. It was just... calming. Soothing. Reassuring. Just like Terra's presence.

He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her to pull her into a firm embrace, slowly forcing out his breath as he did so. Terra rested her cheek on his shoulder and returned the embrace, slowly rubbing her hand over his back. He rocked her a little in time to the music while taking a few more controlled breaths, then finally whispered, "Yes... I would be honored to have this dance..."

He stood, keeping his arms around her, sliding one to wrap around her shoulders and hold her to his chest while moving the other to hold her hand. Terra looked up at him and met his gaze attentively, silently assuring him that she didn't judge him for still being so emotionally erratic and that he was going to be okay.

She kept her own hand on his back and gave him a light tug to start swaying with the music. He stumbled slightly and she caught him with a light giggle. "Sorry, this is a bit harder when we're not floating," she said with a sheepish grin.

He responded with a small smile of his own and a light breath through his nose. He leaned down to rest his cheek on top of her head and allowed himself to sway with her. "Thank you... This song... sets a pleasant mood..."

"Ooh, I wanna dance, too!" exclaimed Frances, leaping up from her cushion and then bouncing around the room much more energetically than the music really called for.

Lili tugged at her brother and said, "Come on, Felix, I wanna dance, too!"

"I dooon't," he complained back. But he was unsuccessful in resisting her dragging him into the middle of the room and then swinging him around. One by one, the other children stood up to join them until the room was filled with a generally chaotic flailing of small arms and legs punctuated by delighted laughter.

Leo observed their merriment and let out a soft chuckle. "They all look so happy..."

Terra squeezed him and nuzzled his chest. "And you certainly helped with that. You brought them music, and all the feelings that come along with it."

He smiled softly took a deep breath, rubbing his cheek against her hair. "Music cannot create joy, only bring it to the surface. The one who ensured that they did not lose their joy over this past year was you. Nevertheless, it heartens me greatly to be able to provide any further assistance with them."

Frances ran up to them and insisted, "Mama, Mama, look what I can do!" She then spun on her heel, her skirt billowing out. "I can spin twice at once! See, see!" She did it again, but this time made herself dizzy and stumbled, to which Leo immediately crouched down to catch her and keep her from falling.

"That's very good, Frances!" Terra commended. "Are you showing anyone else how to dance?"

"I wanted to dance with Charley but he didn't want to," she replied, pouting and shaking out her head.

Leo looked to Terra, who gave him a knowing smile and nodded. He turned back to Frances and offered, "If you would like a dance partner, I would be willing to dance with you."

"Really?!" she said excitedly. She grabbed both of Leo's hands and pulled him with surprising strength for a six year-old. She rocked quickly from side to side and swung his arms back and forth, giggling.

Leo gave a quiet laugh in response. "I appreciate your enthusiasm! However, if you want to dance this energetically, may I suggest a more appropriate song to dance to in order to match that energy?"

"Ummm.... okay?" she responded, not entirely understanding what he meant.

He led her over to the record player and momentarily lifted the needle off it, then picked up the record, flipped it over, and replaced it on the turntable. "This album has a much more appropriate song for that kind of dance." He took the needle and with expert precision placed it on an interior position on the record that was nevertheless the very beginning of a new song, which was much more upbeat and lively.

Frances jumped up and down. "Yes! Yes! I like this one!" She spun around again, but stumbled into Leo's leg. "Awh, I thought maybe I could do three spins now."

Leo held her hand and raised it above her head. "I'll bet you can do even more spins now if I help hold you up like this," he suggested. "Why don't you try it again?"

Frances giggled and spun again, and this time with Leo holding her up she was able to spin four times in a row. She stumbled dizzily a few times, then snapped back upright and happily hopped and clapped. "I did it! I did it!"

Lili ran up to them and exclaimed, "Ooh, I wanna dance with Mister Leo, too! Felix isn't being any fun. He says dancing's dumb."

Leo put his hands on his hips. "Well, dancing certainly is not dumb, but I will accept that it is not necessarily an activity everyone enjoys." He glanced back at the record player and hit upon an idea. "But dancing isn't the only thing you can do to music. Would you prefer to play a game instead?"

"Ooh, a game?!" Some of the other children perked up and crowded around him. "What kind of game?!"

Leo weaved around the children to one of the crates that Duane had left against the wall. He rummaged through one of them, then produced the ball that he had found in the Jidoor shop. Upon seeing this, the children jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Toys!"

"Exactly," he said with a grin, then motioned the ball towards Terra to get her attention before tossing it to her, which she awkwardly caught. "Now, back on the base, the soldiers called this game 'Hot Coal'... because before I got them a ball to use they would play it with a literal hot coal. Now, the object of this game is to have some music playing and stand in a circle throwing the ball to each other." He motioned to Terra to toss the ball back to him and he caught it. "However, if the music stops and you're caught holding the ball, you got 'burned' and are out of the game. This continues until there is only one person left. Is this understood?"

"So I gotta throw the ball really fast?!" Felix wondered.

"Yes, quite fast, to ensure you are not the one holding it when the music stops," Leo confirmed with a smile. "Now, since I have an unfair advantage due to already knowing all the songs on this record and when they end, I'll be sitting this out and manually controlling the record player to stop the music."

"Awwh, but we wanted you to play, too," complained a few of the children.

Leo flushed, and Katarin stepped up behind him and touched his arm. "Um... if you need someone to sit out of the game and control the record player, I can do it. It probably wouldn't be good for the baby to have things thrown at me, anyway, even if it's just a ball. Felix can throw pretty hard, after all. I just need to flip that switch, right?"

"Y, yes, that is correct," he confirmed. Terra grinned excitedly and pulled Leo into the circle of children, and Katarin pushed Duane in that direction to do the same. Leo held the ball looked around at the circle of small, expectant faces smiling up at him, along with Terra and Duane. Part of him felt a little intimidated by it, but he mostly felt... contented and accomplished. Like this was a taste of something that he had been subconsciously working towards all his life.

He let out a breath, then announced, "The game begins now." He first threw the ball to Terra, who caught it with a squeak. He quickly informed her, "Oh, also, you can't throw the ball back to the person who threw it to you. You have to pick someone else."

"Okay, um..." Terra looked around the circle, then tossed the ball to Felix, who proceeded to immediately fling the ball to Lili.

"Ack, Felix, not so hard!" she complained, fumbling with the ball. She then tossed it to Jeanne, who looked at it contemplatively a moment, until a "click" was heard behind her and the record player stopped.

Jeanne looked to Leo and confirmed, "So this means I got 'burned' and am out?"

He nodded. "Sorry, it looks like you're the first casualty."

She shrugged and handed the ball over to Isabel next to her. "That's all right. I prefer reading to games like this anyway."

Terra motioned to her, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Well, if you're out of the game, why don't you go check that crate that Leo got the ball from? We brought some new books, too."

"Really?!" she said excitedly. Now completely placated, she bounded over to the crate to examine its contents while the others resumed the game.

Katarin switched the record player back on and they continued. The next casualty was Dennis, followed by Frances, Ivan, Duane, Isabel, and Charley. But it was when Felix made quite the energetic throw that Leo found himself holding the ball when the music shut off. "Ah...!" he said in surprise.

Terra giggled and took the ball from him. "Sorry you got burned, but I can come heal you once I'm out if you need it."

"Heh, I appreciate it." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, playfully whispering, "Do watch out for Felix; his throwing arm is quite formidable."

"Hee, I'll keep that in mind." Terra turned to the remaining children: Felix and Lili. She took Leo's advice and made the tactical decision to first throw the ball to Felix so he couldn't throw it back at her, and he proceeded to chuck it at Lili, who went back to Terra...

And the music stopped. "Ah...!" Terra blushed and handed the ball to Felix, then moved out of the ring. "All right, it's just you two, left. I guess this means the rule about not throwing the ball back to the same person is lifted since you have no one else to throw it to."

Felix looked intensely at Lili. "I'm gonna win."

Lili glared equally intently back at him. "Nuh-uhh."

"Okay, here's the last song, then," said Katarin, switching the record player back on. The two young children frantically lobbed the ball back and forth between each other, and when the music stopped, Felix was still holding it.

Lili blinked a moment, then wondered, "Does that mean I won?" She then hopped around exclaiming, "Yay, I won, I won!"

"Aww..." said Felix dejectedly.

Terra crouched down and held his shoulder, reminding him, "But that means you get the ball, right? Just as long as you share it okay?"

His eyes immediately lit up. "I get to keep it?!"

Leo stepped forward and clapped. "Well done, everyone. I want to thank you all for finishing your dinners and engaging in good sportsmanship while playing this game. So, as a reward for all of you..." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of candy, "... I have some treats for you all."

"Treats?!" they all exclaimed, rushing him all at once.

He held the bag over his head and wagged a finger at them reminding them, "Ah, what have we been practicing?"

They scrambled again to get in line youngest to oldest, but Felix wondered, "Does Katarin's baby still go first this time?"

"Oh, that's very considerate of you, Felix," Leo commended. "Katarin, you were an excellent maestro. Would you like some candy?"

"I would love some!" she replied, walking up to him and curiously examining the contents of his bag. She selected one, unwrapped the paper, and popped it in her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut and shivered, then shook out her head, commenting, "Phew, it's been so long since I've had anything sweet like that! But thank you, it's still delicious!"

Felix eagerly reached out his hands, insisting, "Me, me, me!"

Leo arched a brow at him and observed, "Now, Felix, you were quite polite before when you let Katarin go first. I would like you to employ similar politeness when asking for yours."

"Please, please, please!" he corrected.

He chuckled and placed the piece of candy into Felix's outstretched hand. "Better, but you're still going to need to work on that a bit."

Lili was next and held out her hands, requesting, "I would like a piece of candy, please."

"Oh, now that is certainly the example to set!" he approved, handing her piece to her. She took the piece eagerly and immediately turned away, but Leo clicked his tongue at her, prompting, "What do you say now?"

"Oh, um... thank you!" she remembered. He nodded with a smile and she proceeded to inelegantly stuff the candy into her mouth.

The remainder of the candy was distributed to eager hands, including Duane who was also surprisingly enthusiastic about getting candy. Leo removed the final two pieces from the bag and Terra held out her hand with a light smile, saying, "May I have a treat, too, please?"

Leo smiled and pressed one of the pieces into her palm. "It is not necessary for you to be so formal with me as I am fully confident of your manners. I simply wished to ensure the children had the opportunity to practice proper etiquette."

"I know," said Terra, unwrapping the candy, "But in that case, as their mother figure, I should still be setting a good example for them."

Leo flushed. "I... apologize if I have been superseding your authority; my actions were not meant as a criticism of your parenting--"

She reached up and held her finger to his lips, using it to press the piece of candy between them into his mouth. He froze and flushed harder, the sugar in the candy slowly melting and coating the inside of his mouth with a pleasant buzz that was heightened by the feel of her finger against his lips. She leaned forward with a light smile and said softly, "Leo, you have been an amazing help today and I appreciate every moment of it. So please don't worry so much and simply be the nurturing person that you are, and everything will be fine."

Terra pulled her finger away and Leo felt an ache in his throat at the loss of her touch. He swallowed in an attempt to clear it, but that only served to spread the sweet flavor of the candy further. Terra looked at her finger, then casually brought it to her own mouth to suck on, which caused a new snap of heat to rise to his face as he watched her. Terra looked up at him curiously, then her own face turned bright red a split second later once she realized that she was sucking on the finger she'd just touched his lips with. Pulling it out of her mouth, she quickly explained, "Oh, ah, it was just sticky from the candy so I was just...!"

Leo let out a light laugh that dissipated some of the tension in his throat and eased the heat in his face to a pleasant warmth that spread into his chest. He looked down at the last piece of candy he was holding and said, "Well, since you demonstrated your generosity by sharing your piece with me, I suppose if I am to show kindness without being self-conscious, I should return the favor." He unwrapped it and held it out to her while prompting, "May I?"

Terra flushed and nodded a little bashfully, then closed her eyes and slightly parted her lips. He reached forward and lightly brushed the piece of candy over her lower lip before placing it in her mouth. She closed her mouth around it, catching the tip of his finger between her lips as well. He slowly pulled his finger back, drawing it across her lip as he did so, and she opened her eyes and looked up at him with a demurely coy expression.

Leo looked at the finger she had temporarily captured, then while still holding her gaze, slowly brought it up to his own mouth to clean off the sugar residue in an act that was much more deliberate than her previous accidental innuendo. Terra felt her face warm and its heat slowly spread to the rest of her body. Though her initial action had been unintentional, what followed had been a much more conscious act, and his reciprocation seemed to be implying consent to the actual activity that they had been simulating. And after that exchange, her desire to do so had only been heightened. But at the moment she was in such a pleasantly warm daze that all she could manage was a nod in his direction that she understood what they had both been implying, and that she also accepted.

She was broken from her stupor by the sound of the children squealing and throwing the ball at each other. She turned and caught it in surprise just as it flew at her, then crouched down and laughed. "All right, everyone, I hope this was a fun party for all of you. But now I think it's time for us to clean up and go back to the house for story time before bed. I can read you one of the new books!"

They turned to each other excitedly and exclaimed, "A new story!"

"Does it have chocobos?!" Dennis wondered eagerly. "I like the chocobo story!"

Terra giggled. "You'll see. Why doesn't everyone take their floor cushion back with them so you have a comfortable place to sit on the floor?"

"Okay!" they chorused, running to grab their pillows, some of them having quick arguments over which one was "theirs". They then scrambled up the stairs back to the main house to eagerly await their first new story in a year.

Terra and Duane began gathering the dishes, then Terra wondered to Leo, "If music can arouse feelings, do you think that it can also calm someone down and help them sleep? Some of the children still have nightmares and I was wondering if that might help."

Leo smiled and picked up the pot. "I know I certainly had to be careful with what I had playing in the background in my office or I would find myself falling asleep at my desk. So, yes, I think if we can find the proper music it may assist in soothing their minds somewhat."

Terra placed her armful of dishes into the empty pot, then put her hands over his to bid him relinquish the handles to her. "I saw that glint in your eye when we mentioned that other record player in the relic shop. This one can stay down here for games and activities while we could move the other one to the sleeping area." She took the pot from him and nodded her head towards the stairs with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Go on, the relic shop is at the north end of town. I can take care of this, but that type of magic is something only you can provide."

He flushed a little and gave a light nod of his head, but before leaving moved to pull Katarin to the side and whisper something to her. She looked a little embarrassed, but after some coaxing whispered something back to him. He nodded with a smile and gave her a small affirmative gesture, then briskly ascended the stairs to carry out his task.

Chapter Text

Terra, Duane, and Katarin returned to the house with the dishes and started washing them in the water buckets and finding places to store their new tableware. As they were washing, Katarin casually wondered, "So, um... is Mister Leo going to be staying?"

"He'll stay here tonight, if that's all right, but remember we're both leaving in the morning to go face Kefka," said Terra, wiping off one of the bowls with a towel and stacking it with the others.

"Oh, it's definitely all right, and I know you need to leave again." Katarin confirmed. "I just meant, you know... after that."

Duane perked up and added, "Oh, that would be great if he did! Since he's a soldier I was wondering if he could teach me how to fight. I want to be able to protect Katarin and the kids even when Terra's not here, and trying to figure out things on my own... it hasn't really been going well."

"And you two seem really close," Katarin agreed. "You've looked so much happier and more energetic since you've come back here with him, and the way you two support each other is so sweet... Watching you two interact makes me want to do more to be supportive of Duane even when he's feeling down."

Terra blushed and looked into the tub of water. She'd been so focused on making it to tomorrow and what they'd have to do then that she hadn't really put much thought into what would happen after that. Leo still had his relief work to do and even if they did defeat Kefka she had no reason to believe that the world would instantly re-stabilize as easily as he'd destabilized it. But she also knew that Leo hadn't really established a "home base" while doing his supply runs and his actual home of Vector no longer existed, so if he was still in need of a place he could consider "home"...

There was a thump from the front door as Leo pushed it open with his shoulder, carrying the record player and a pile of albums on top of it, and accomplished grin on his face. "Phew! You will be pleased to know that the relic shop owner must have been quite fond of a good night's sleep, as he had quite the selection of calming music." Looking down at the pile of records, he listed off, "World of Nocturnes, volumes 1, 2, and 3, Nighttime Lullabies, and The Dream World." He nodded to Katarin with a wink, saying, "There's a song on that last album that I think you'll find familiar. The few lyrics you could remember were more than enough for a positive identification. You have excellent taste in music."

"So you were able to find it?! Thank you so much!" Katarin said excitedly. She turned to Duane and shook him, exclaiming, "Duane, he found our song!"

"Really? The one from the relic shop?" Duane confirmed. When Katarin nodded, he turned back to Leo with an enthusiastic, "Oh, wow, let's take that downstairs and find a place to set it up, then!"

Terra stood and dried her hands, following Duane and Katarin as they escorted Leo down the stairs, chatting with him in earnest. She allowed herself a contented smile as she watched them interact. Despite his emotional turbulence, he truly did seem to be enjoying his stay in Mobliz so far. Duane and Katarin had readily warmed up to him, and the children were happy to play with him. He'd brought so much joy to this ravaged village and lightened both her physical and emotional burdens to the point that even if he was agreeable to staying longer, she felt like the amount that she'd gain from it must mean there was something inherently selfish about wishing for it.

But... he'd also assured her that that's what he was here for. He'd relied on her for support so much these past few days and never did she feel like she was being taken advantage of. It was quite possible that his feelings on the matter were the same.

When they opened the door to the underground living area they were greeted by a flurry of pillows, as the children had apparently become impatient with waiting for the adults to get there and had turned their floor cushions on each other in a chaotic pillow fight. Leo blinked at the scene and noted, "Well... it appears they still had ample energy left to burn off."

Terra held her fingers to her mouth and giggled. "I'm glad those cushions we bought have become so multi-purpose." She clapped her hands and raised her voice, saying, "All right, everyone, we've brought you some more music for story and bed time, but you need to calm down a moment so Leo can get through and set everything up, okay?"

The children lowered their pillows and crowded around curiously while Leo weaved through them to set the record player on a table in the middle of the row of beds. "Are we gonna dance some more?" wondered Frances.

"Not tonight, no, but now that you have these records you can dance every day if you like," Leo replied, getting the player arranged and wound up. He set the record on it and started it playing, and a slow, soft piano tune began emanating from the horn speaker. He let out a contented sigh and explained, "But right now, I think we all need to take some time to relax."

Katarin bounced a little giddily behind him. "Yes, yes, I recognize this song! It's not the one that's 'ours', but I think it comes later on this same record, right?" Leo nodded in confirmation. She took Duane's hands and pulled him to sit on the edge of one of the beds with her, requesting, "Duane, will you sit with me and listen to this, like we used to a year ago?"

Duane wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. "I'd love to, Katarin..." Looking up to Leo, he said, "Thank you... for giving even a little bit of our happier days back to us."

Leo felt a catch in his throat and nodded. "You... are quite welcome." As they settled down to cuddle together on the bed, Leo's chest began to ache, both with joy at seeing young people regaining some hope, contentment, and affection in their lives, but also in yearning to engage in a similar level of intimacy himself. Terra's actions back at the dinner party had left him somewhat flustered, and while he understood that she hadn't intended to suggest anything, she had also indicated that she was nevertheless open to what she had unintentionally suggested.

He pursed his lips in anxious thought. If he... if they... continued to pursue this relationship, what would that mean for them in the future? Would he stay here in Mobliz and help her look after the children? The aching in his chest only increased at the thought of it. Oh, how much he had dreamed of the day he could take an active part in raising children himself, and now here was the opportunity ripe for the...

... taking. His body shuddered at the unwelcome thoughts that had been plaguing him all evening. He wasn't here as a conqueror to take over the town and mold them to his nation's ideals... but up until he regained his memories never thought of himself as such in the first place. How... how did he know what was imperialism and what was an honest effort to help people attain a better standard of living? Just... just because this was something he desperately wanted didn't necessarily mean it was inherently selfish, right?

He was jolted from his anxious musings by Lili tugging on his hand. "Mister Leo, Mister Leo, Mama's gonna read us a new story and you gotta come listen!"

He blinked and looked around the room as though there were possibly anyone else she could be addressing while saying his name and tugging on his hand. "Do you... wish for me to join you?" he asked hesitantly.

Lili nodded in enthusiasm. "Yeeah!" She pulled harder and he had no choice but to crouch down and be led into the other room by an energetic six year-old in a flower-print skirt. The other children were already gathered there, seated on their cushions in front of the fireplace, while Terra was seated in a chair against the wall in front of them. She watched in amusement as Lili pointed at her empty floor cushion and instructed Leo, "Okay, you gotta sit and listen to the story."

Leo glanced up at Terra, who was barely suppressing a grin, then back down at Lili. "But that's your cushion. Where are you going to sit?"

"I can sit in your lap!" she suggested.

He blushed, then looked helplessly at Terra for confirmation that this was allowed. Terra could only grin more broadly and lean forward, saying, "Lili, you need to make sure you ask him if it's okay that you do that first."

"Oh, right!" She looked back up at Leo and corrected to, "May I sit in your lap, please?"

God, how could he say no to that? He felt his legs wobble and before he knew it he was seated on the cushion, Lili happily perched on his knee. From the side, Felix exclaimed, "Hey, can I sit on Mister Leo's lap, too?" Leo didn't even have time to say "yes" before he found himself with a second child clamoring onto his other leg.

Terra giggled. "All right, is everyone comfortable now?"

Lili nodded. "Yes, Mister Leo's lap is very comfortable." Terra certainly couldn't argue with that and gave him a wordless coy smile.

"All right then," she said, opening the book. "The story tonight is 'The Three Friends' Picnic'." The children all eagerly leaned forward to listen, as there had been only six books able to be salvaged in Mobliz that were appropriate to read to children and by this point they'd heard them all dozens of times. Something new was more than enough to pique their interest, no matter what it was.

"'Deep in the forest, there lived a chocobo, a moogle, and a dog who were all best friends,'" she began reading.

Dennis perked up. "It has a chocobo in it!"

"And a dog!" said Charley.

Terra nodded and continued, "'They all got along very well and did everything together. One day, they thought it would be fun if they had a picnic. They each promised to bring their favorite foods to the picnic and share them with their friends. So the next day, they all got together and showed what they brought. First the moogle opened his basket and said, "I brought Kupo Nuts! They're my favorite!" Then the chocobo opened his basket and said, "I brought Gysahl Greens for everyone!" Then the dog opened his basket and said, "I brought dried meat!"'"

"I like what the dog brought!" said Ivan.

Terra continued, "'But when the three friends tried to give each other their food, no one would take it. "I'm sorry, I don't like meat or nuts, but you can have some of my greens," said the chocobo. The moogle said, "Oh, that's okay, I don't like greens or meat, but please have as many Kupo Nuts as you like." The dog said, "I only eat meat, so you can share the rest."

"'The three friends then realized that they could only eat what they brought themselves, and were sad because they just wanted to share their favorite things with their friends but their friends didn't like them. They were worried that meant that maybe they weren't really friends. They decided they wanted to try again, and that maybe meat, greens, and nuts were just bad foods for a picnic.

"'The next day, the three friends got together for a picnic again. The moogle opened his basket and said, "I just wanted to share with my friends, so even though I can't eat them, I brought greens and meat." The chocobo opened his basket and said, "I wanted to make sure you all had something to eat, so I brought meat and nuts." The dog said, "I don't want my friends to be left out, so I brought nuts and greens."

"'And the three friends thought this was the best picnic ever, even though it was all the same food they'd brought the day before, because something given by a friend who was thinking of them tasted so much better than something they just had themselves. They realized that even though they liked different things, they could still best friends, because they all cared about what each other needed. And after they finished eating, the three of them decided to go watch the sunset together. And they all liked that.'" She closed the book and grinned down at them. "And that's the end."

"That was a good story," said Jeanne, nodding a little sleepily.

Terra nodded and closed the book. "And I think that means it's time for bed." She looked up and noticed that at some point during her reading, Lili and Felix had both fallen asleep in Leo's lap and he was looking up at her a little tentatively as though seeking instruction as to what she wanted him to do. With a smile, she walked over to him and crouched down, holding her arms out. "Here, I can take Felix, but can you help bring Lili to bed?"

Leo swallowed and blinked. "It's... all right if I hold her?"

Terra leaned over and bumped her forehead against his as she gently picked up Felix, trying not to disturb him too much. "She wanted to sit in your lap, so I think she'd also very much like it if you held her."

Leo pressed his forehead back against hers and closed his eyes with a soft rumble of affirmation. He supported Lili with his arm and slowly stood up. She made a little groan and stretched, then draped her arms around his neck and flopped her head on his shoulder, never opening her eyes. As if this had triggered some sort of paternal instinct, he automatically began swaying back and forth a little in an effort to rock her back to sleep.

He looked to Terra with an accomplished smile, his eyes a little misty. All of his anxieties regarding his place in the world now and the legacy he'd left upon it were pushed to the side in favor of comforting and protecting the child in his arms right now. A child that over the course of the day he'd also helped to feed, bathe, play with, and instruct... he'd longed to do this for so long but had assumed that, like Orcus, his dreams would never come to fruition. But now that he was literally holding them in his arms... he was still a little intimidated about what to do with them.

He followed Terra and the other children out of the room as they clambered into their beds. Isabel bounced on hers and exclaimed, "We got new blankets! They're so soft!" Some of the other children immediately dove under the new blankets and wrapped themselves in them snugly.

Terra giggled as she gently laid Felix down on his bed and pulled the covers over him. "That's right, so hopefully you'll all get a good night's rest." The record was still playing softly in the background, and she could see a few of them nod their heads along with it as they settled onto their pillows.

Leo crouched down and gently unloaded Lili onto the same bed as her brother, pulling the covers over her and tucking her in comfortably. She let out a yawn, then rolled over and draped an arm over Felix before falling back asleep.

He lingered there a moment longer, meticulously arranging the blanket so that they were both properly covered, then stood and surveyed the room with a mellow warmth in his chest. Eight orphaned children, successfully cleaned, fed, and entertained, now contentedly drifting off to sleep to peaceful music thanks both to his and Terra's efforts. Despite the wrongs that he had enabled before, this... this was definitely something right, and he had to allow himself to recognize that, for their sakes.

As he stepped softly between the beds back towards the landing so as not to disturb them, he took note of the progression of the music on the record, then quietly cleared his throat to gain the attention of Duane and Katarin, who were still snuggling together on their bed. The song advanced to a slow aria with a soothing female voice. Katarin sat up and softly exclaimed, "Yes! This is it! That song!"

Terra and Leo both simultaneously held fingers to their lips to indicate they try to remain quiet. Katarin pulled Duane off the bed and led him down to the landing away from the beds so she could more excitedly whisper, "You remember this song, don't you?"

"How could I forget it?" replied Duane, holding her hands and swaying back and forth. "This is the song we fell in love to." He slid an arm to her shoulder and slowly began dancing with her to it while Katarin rested her head on his chest.

Terra hugged Leo's arm and smiled up at him warmly. The way she held him, the way she looked at him... all his worries over the course of the evening that he might be inadvertently overstepping his welcome and imposing on her were slowly losing their hold on him. The ambiance around him was nothing but contentment, joy... and love.

He turned to her and slowly raised her hand to his lips, closing his eyes as he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Thank you... for giving me this opportunity tonight... and for being a constant source of support for everyone here."

She rubbed her hand over his cheek, then moved it to his shoulder and coaxed him into the same slow dance as Duane and Katarin. Resting her cheek on his other shoulder, she said, "And you've been more than supportive tonight, too, and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done to help." Lifting up on her toes to whisper into his ear, she added, "But if there's still more that I can do to help you, I want the rest of tonight to be for you, to talk to me, or whatever else I can do to help you feel more at ease."

Leo's entire body warmed and he leaned forward to nuzzle the side of her head with an affirmative hum. His mind was peaceful right now and he knew that talking about his insecurities would inevitably agitate it, but his emotions had been swinging from joyful to anxious all evening at inopportune times and confronting and talking about it openly with the person he trusted most would hopefully help temper that going forward. But right now he felt so comfortable and satisfied that he didn't want to disrupt that... not just yet...

The two couples continued to slowly dance to the music while the children drifted off to sleep, each basking in the love and warmth of their partner. When the song finally ended, they continued to hold each other a while longer, still not wanting the moment to end.

Eventually Katarin gave Duane a happy squeeze and let out a pleased sigh. "That was... just what I needed to end the night." She turned to look at Leo and Terra and said, "Even though you said you won't be leaving to try to set the world right until tomorrow, with this song it feels like you've already succeeded in bringing a part of it back."

"You... are quite welcome," Leo replied, a little flustered. "Music does have great power... though it is by no means sufficient to fully restore what has been lost, but we should at least celebrate our successes as they come and allow them to encourage us to press on further."

"I understand that a lot more now, thanks to you, Mister Leo," Duane replied. "And I promise that I'll do everything in my power to take care of everyone while you two are gone... but not to the point where I make myself not able to take care of anyone at all."

Katarin hugged him and yawned pleasantly. "We should probably get to bed, too. Rest is an important part of that self-care, right?"

Leo nodded, and Duane and Katarin excused themselves to return to the sleeping area, bidding Leo and Terra good night. Terra walked back to her room and beckoned Leo to follow her, but he diverted a moment to flip the record over and resume it from the second side to ensure Duane and Katarin had something to lull them to sleep. Surveying the room one last time, he gazed upon eight little heads poking from beneath fresh blankets, all still slumbering peacefully. Allowing himself a small smile, he realized that he himself hadn't actually slept yet since regaining his memories. He wondered if he would be able to with everything still chaotically jostling around inside his head.

He swallowed and looked to Terra's open door, the firelight warmly glowing from inside it. Talking to her when he first regained his memories had calmed him down enough to recognize just how much she meant to him and allow himself to more fully rely on her for support. And she had absolutely excelled at that so far. But his anxieties at that point had revolved around what had happened to him, while the ones troubling him now concerned what he himself had done. With as welcoming and reassuring as everyone had been to him he was probably just fretting over nothing, but... Terra still had the right to know what was bothering him.

She had offered to be his support, and as Leo slowly made his way to the inviting glow of her open door, he was finally fully resolved to take her up on that.

Chapter Text

Leo entered Terra's room and softly closed the door behind him, still mulling over his thoughts. But when he looked up he saw that Terra had removed her cape and arm warmers and was busy arranging the haphazardly discarded floor cushions by the fireplace, her silhouette surrounded by the warm, orange glow of the fire. He relaxed his shoulders and fingered at the clasp on his jacket. She looked so reassuring and open... there was nothing to be intimidated about here. Just be honest and forthcoming and everything will be all right.

He made his way towards her, sliding his uniform jacket off in the process and neatly folding it over his arm. He placed the folded jacket on the chair and leaned his sword against it, then turned to find her seated on the pillows in front of the fireplace, patting her hand on the cushion next to her and smiling invitingly up at him. The yearning in his chest from before bubbled back to the surface and his legs carried him to her side without him even consciously instructing them to do so, wobbling a little as he set himself down on the pillow beside her.

Leo held her gaze momentarily, then automatically reached out his arm to hover behind her with a moment of hesitation. This was okay, right? They were at the point in their relationship now where he could just sit next to her and pull her into an embrace without anything needing to be said, right? He was still so woefully inexperienced with a relationship ever getting this far emotionally that he wasn't sure.

Terra only smiled and leaned towards him to rest her cheek against his neck, taking the initiative to wrap her arms around him first and hug him firmly. His arms found their way around her a split second later, holding her tightly as he took a deep breath through his nose. The mental wall that he'd spent all evening desperately attempting to maintain to spare the children from his internal struggles began to falter, but... that was the express point of this. There was no one here he had to keep up appearances for anymore, and he could just... be the whole of himself and all the baggage that entailed.

He slid his hand up her back to her shoulder to secure her, then collapsed onto his side onto the pile of pillows in front of the fireplace. Terra let out a squeak of surprise, but quickly gave him a gentle squeeze to indicate that she approved of it. He curled into her, moving his other hand to her lower back to pull her more flush against him. As his disorganized thoughts began to spill out from where he had been keeping them restrained, she was his anchor: the one thing he could cling to that he knew was real, right, and good.

For some time they laid there in silence, the only sound being the crackling of the fireplace and the muffled melody of the record continuing to play on the other side of the door. And yet those soft and soothing sounds were nevertheless sufficient to compete with the cacophony of troubling thoughts that were all demanding recognition now that he'd let them out. Their implications still stung, but... after his interactions with Terra and the children today he felt like he was more equipped to deal with them.

Letting out a wavering breath, he finally whispered, "Thank you... for being so accommodating for me tonight... in more ways than one. I apologize for any distress my behavior may have caused."

Terra rolled slightly onto her back so that she could look up at him, reaching up to trace her fingers along his jaw. "Leo... I do understand that you're still trying to come to terms with everything so I can't fault you for that. I guess... I was mostly just bothered that you were being so hard on yourself." She slid her hand up to hold his cheek more fully and said, "You said that just being able to talk through your thoughts helped you get them in order when we were going to negotiate with the shopkeeper in Jidoor. If you need to talk about what's bothering you now, I want to be here to listen."

"Mmh..." he agreed, bowing his head and nodding his cheek into her hand. "I have so many regrets vying for attention in my head that perhaps it would be prudent for me to retrace my steps to understand where I might have gone wrong." With a slight sigh and an attempt at a smile, he suggested, "It won't have as happy an ending as the one you told, but would you care for a story?"

Terra nestled into the crook of his arm. "A story doesn't have to have a happy ending in order to be worthwhile. Plus, yours isn't even over yet. Wasn't that basically what that last song in Orco e Delphina was saying, too?"

Leo blushed and smiled genuinely this time, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "You are turning into a regular musical connoisseur." Terra giggled as he rested his cheek on top of her head, gazing into the fire. "All right, a not entirely happy, but still worthwhile story..."

He was silent a moment trying to decide how far back he should start. What beliefs and incidents drove him down the path he eventually took? What decisions had he made that made things go so spectacularly wrong by the end? He wasn't even entirely sure himself, but... starting from the beginning and putting things in order would likely help the both of them understand him better.

"When... I was a young child, my mother was raising me by herself," he began. "She didn't have any steady source of income after my father died so we often had to rely on the generosity of neighbors for food and basic living supplies. She was always so grateful for it, and taught me that I needed to be grateful for the people around me as well. And certainly I was... but I also felt like a burden so long as I was only taking those resources but providing none in return. So I became self-sufficient at quite a young age, and would regularly go work for those neighbors in order to repay them for their generosity.

"And by doing so, I found that I enjoyed helping them, even when there was nothing I was actively repaying. I wanted to join the army like my father so that I could work to serve all of them at once and also earn income for the household, but the minimum age for enrollment at the Academy was 12 at the time, so that was still a distant dream.

"However, when I was 10 years old, Emperor Gestahl was coronated and declared an immediate and massive expansion of the military, lowering the enrollment age from 12 to 8, and the age of first active duty from 18 to 14. Oh, I jumped at that opportunity, and gained a deep personal admiration for the Emperor for allowing my dream of supporting my family and fellow citizens to come true sooner than I had anticipated.

"I remember distinctly my first day of lessons, seated with the other children in my fresh Academy cadet uniform..." He smiled warmly at the memory. "But I also remember that first lesson being what really started changing my view of the world. The instructor asked us, 'What is the most important building in Vector?'" He looked down at Terra and queried, "What do you think?"

Terra blinked in surprise, not expecting there to be a quiz as part of this story. "Oh! Um... probably the palace, right?"

Leo chuckled, "That's what I thought, too. But the instructor told us, 'The most important building is actually the water pumping station.' It was what moved life-sustaining resources into the city, and due to needing to be exposed to the outside, was also much more vulnerable to attack. The Emperor was our spiritual cornerstone, but our resources were our physical foundation, and we couldn't be so focused on protecting one to neglect protecting the other. Without the water the pumps provided, or the coal to drive them, our city would die.

"And it was over the course of these lessons that we were taught how the Empire was the most technologically advanced nation on the planet and therefore required an increasing supply of resources from neighboring countries, which they were sometimes reluctant to provide. And I distinctly remember the instructor saying, 'If they refuse to give us the resources we need to survive, it means that they want us to die, and any action taken to liberate those resources from them is an act of self-defense.'"

He swallowed and looked contemplatively into the fire. "Thinking back on it, our lessons painted a rather disparaging picture of the rest of the world. Doma had refused to join the technological revolution and was culturally and technologically trapped in the past. Jidoor put all its efforts into the liberal arts rather than 'useful' trades such as science and weaponry. Figaro was a rival technological nation that was too arrogant to trade its secrets with us and was likely hiding something dangerous and subversive. Their failings meant that those resources simply went to waste in those countries and were better off with us where we could put them to the best use. And as an impressionable pre-teen who was eager to please and had never ventured outside of the city, I took this at face value.

"The takeaway from all of this being that if the rest of the nations of the world were converted to fall in line with the Empire, we would have a stable supply of resources and there would no longer be any need for conflict." He bit his lip and shook his head. "And that... made a lot of sense to me back then. Those countries and city-states wouldn't cooperate with us because they simply didn't understand our needs, but if we brought them our technology and culture, not only would they understand and open up to us, their lives would be improved as well. So when I heard that the city-states of Tzen and Albrook had been conquered, I celebrated along with everyone else."

He gave Terra a slight squeeze and parted his lips in silent thought a moment before continuing. "It was in my third year of the Academy when a new term began floating around the instruction hall: Magitek. There were rumors that the Imperial science and technology department had acquired a special breed of... 'monster'... whose powers they could extract and enhance our own soldiers and weapons with. When our instructors finally confirmed this, they said this was undeniably a good thing, as they equated the 'monsters' in the laboratory with the monsters that roamed the countryside, and anything that would put them to use to better our nation was a step in the right direction, to which I... also agreed."

He let out a breath and amended, "At least... until a year later, when rumors began circulating that the first test subject for Magitek infusion, a man named Kefka Palazzo, had been physically and mentally scarred by the procedure. I began to think... would infusing ourselves with the powers of monsters make us monsters ourselves? In response I began to increase the intensity of my physical and mental training to prove both to myself and my superiors that a human could reach the same aptitude all on their own without the need of resorting to dangerous experimentation."

He paused here to look down at Terra to see if she had any comment. She traced her finger lightly along the path of the dog tag chain around his neck and said, "You... were acting on incomplete information. So I don't want to form an opinion on your actions until I hear the entire story, either." She swallowed and cautiously added, "To be truthful... it does hurt to hear you refer to Espers as 'monsters', but... you didn't know any better at the time. You were just going off what you were told." She herself had initially been distrustful of everyone in the Empire based only on the Returners' comments, after all, which she knew had hurt Leo as well. It was only after meeting him in person that she corrected herself and apologized, which Leo had also already done for her regarding the Espers.

"Thank you for hearing me out..." he said, nuzzling the top of her head. "Up until then my view of the world came solely from the words of my instructors, but when I turned 14 I was officially inducted into the army, with my starting rank as private first class due to my exemplary performance at the Academy. I was immediately shipped out to Tzen to aid with keeping the peace. It was my first time out of the city and I was nervous about dealing with people from another country. Would they attack me? Would we even be able to communicate with each other?

"But when I arrived, I discovered that... if it wasn't for the uniforms, I wouldn't have been able to discern the people of Tzen from the people of Vector. And that's when I came to the realization... these weren't foreigners, but new Imperial citizens, and I should be treating them just like my neighbors back home. So it was distressing to me to witness my own fellow soldiers intimidating and abusing the people of Tzen when the entire point of bringing them into the Empire was so that they would work with us. And it was equally distressing hearing the people of Tzen call the Empire 'evil' when to me, the Empire was the families and neighbors just living their lives back home, and I couldn't fathom how that could be considered 'evil'.

"And thus I quickly attempted to set myself up as a mediator. I didn't want to disrespect my senior officers, however I also didn't want to disrespect the people of Tzen. I wanted to honestly listen to both sides and try to find some mutually beneficial resolution to their conflicts. And in many cases, my approach was actually successful. But there were a few times... where some citizens refused to engage diplomatically, stating that they would rather die than join the Empire. And so when they forced us to come to blows... they did just that..."

He looked at his hand mournfully. "I had to make the decision whether to side with my fellow soldiers or the resistance fighters of Tzen who refused to cooperate. And I chose my fellow soldiers, naturally. But that meant that those resistance fighters died by my hand. It was the first time I had ever killed anyone..." He clenched his fist and choked. "I hated it... It was such a waste of life... they could have gone on to contribute so much more, and I couldn't understand why they would choose to throw their lives away instead... Why was being part of the Empire so terrible that they would rather die?"

With a sniff, he continued, "Nevertheless, my efforts did manage to win a significant number of people to our side. My skill for diplomacy quickly caught the eye of my superiors, and I was promoted directly to second lieutenant and sent to other occupied regions to continue to glorify the Empire to those who were dubious and win over converts.

"And... I was highly successful at it. The people I interacted with became fond of me, volunteers for our ranks swelled, and I quickly rose through promotions as the number of soldiers requesting to serve under me continued to multiply. And I considered that to be proof that I was doing the right thing. I was making allies, making people happy and comfortable, making them eager to work with the Empire... I was going to help unite the world as one cooperative nation.

"But... I soon discovered that the more people I had relying on me, the more there were who would suffer the consequences if I were to ever falter or step out of line." He released Terra and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face and gazing into the fire. Terra felt a sudden chill at the loss of his touch and was tempted to latch onto him again, but abstained from doing so just yet and instead sat on the pillow beside him, absently rubbing her arm.

He let out a long breath, then finally continued, "When I turned 18, I was summoned back to Vector. There, I was informed that the Magitek infusion process had reached a level of maturity that infusions had become compulsory in order to 'secure the nation's future'. And that now that I was an adult, I had full legal authority over everyone under my command, and that I was to use that authority to compel them all to receive Magitek infusions, myself included."

He shook his head. "I vehemently refused. My direct peers and subordinates suggested we band together in a formal protest, and while I was reluctant because it was starting to sound like a coup or even a revolution, we found ourselves with an unexpected backer: Kefka."

Terra gasped in surprise. "Wait, Kefka was... on your side protesting against Magitek infusion?"

"So it seemed at the time..." he responded, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "With our numbers and Kefka's direction, we were able to storm the Magitek Research Facility to demand a policy change, but what we discovered inside was..." His lip trembled and he bowed his head. "... Rows of large glass capsules containing an assortment of what appeared to be monsters.... and one containing a young girl..."

Terra hunched her shoulders meekly while Leo clenched his fists and shook. "I demanded the head of the facility explain himself, and he told me not to be deceived, because while the little girl in the capsule may look human, she was just as much a 'monster' as the others..." He inhaled through his teeth. "I didn't believe him. Just like how the citizens of Tzen and Albrook looked just like us but people called them 'foreigners' and deemed they should be treated as inferiors, here, too, I could not accept it... I threatened to make their actions public, but then... someone used some form of magic on me... a Sleep spell perhaps... I never knew what precisely happened.

"However, when I came to my senses I found myself before a military tribunal. They informed me that I was to be executed for treason... and murder. It seemed that the head of the research facility had been found dead and they placed the blame on the protesters. In the power vacuum that had ensued... Kefka... had assumed command of the facility."

Terra made an uncertain choke. "That sounds like... Kefka enabled you to lead that protest... so that he could take control of the facility and let you take the fall for it..."

He pursed his lips. "At the time I could not even comprehend a fellow human behaving in such a reprehensible manner so I refused to entertain the notion. But... in hindsight I believe your assessment is likely correct.

"But..." he continued, "It seemed there was mass unrest among the ranks while this was going on, with entire battalions protesting my punishment and demanding not only my reinstatement, but my promotion. I was afraid that I truly had sparked a revolution. I desperately didn't want any more of my countrymen's blood spilled because of me.

"And yet when all hope seemed lost, I had an unexpected source of salvation: the Emperor himself. He intervened in the tribunal and declared me to be... an 'indispensable asset' to the military. Therefore, he agreed to pardon me, rescind the compulsory infusions, and allow me to serve as a general."

Leo shook his head, his eyes watering. "The Emperor was my savior when I was struggling to support my family, and here when the lives of myself and my fellow people were in jeopardy, he was my savior again. I swore my lifelong loyalty to him then and there, but requested that he make public exactly what was going on in the Magitek Research Facility. To this... he decreed that the army and the Magitek Division were separate entities, and that my position as General of the Army gave me absolutely no jurisdiction over the Magitek Research Facility and that I was to never interfere in its affairs again. And if I ever did... the two branches would again be merged, my pardon would be rescinded and I would be executed, my subordinates would all be forcibly infused, and... Kefka would be left in charge of both branches..."

He blinked back tears as he turned to face Terra, the firelight shining in his eyes. "Could I risk all that just to save a caged little girl that I had only barely gotten a glimpse of? I... I couldn't... I'm sorry... I know you have said you have forgiven me for it, but I still can't..."

Terra sat up on her knees and leaned over to hug him tightly. "Leo... I do forgive you for that, and I hope someday you can forgive yourself, too... And now knowing more of the details, I think I would have been... repulsed... if you sacrificed all those people just for me. You... were essentially being held captive just as much as I was."

"You are very kind, Terra," he replied, reaching his arm around to pat her back but not fully embrace her. "However... as you observed, Kefka gained control of the Magitek Research Facility... and you... thanks to those actions. Actions that stemmed from nothing but a selfish desire to not undergo an infusion." He leaned back and looked her in the eye. "Is that... worth what followed?"

Terra looked down in uneasy contemplation. She certainly thought he had the right to refuse, but how far did that right extend? If people died because of that decision, was he still entitled to it? This was... something she didn't feel like she yet had the experience to decide. All she could think of was, "I guess... it sounds the same as the people of Tzen who fought to the death against joining the Empire. Was that wrong of them...?"

Leo stiffened with a choke in his throat. "N... no, they were fully within their rights! I didn't understand that at the time, but..." He sagged his shoulders and returned his gaze to the fire. "I had been blinded by single-minded devotion to my country and my view of its goals. I considered myself to be the purveyor of aid, of improved technology, infrastructure, and governance, lifting up nations that did not have the means to effectively use their resources to better themselves. I understood that we were imposing ourselves on other people, but I naively assumed that if it was for what I believed was a worthy cause... that it was still permissible."

He looked at the floor contemplatively. "But your observations are quite astute, Terra. The Magitek infusions were touted to us as a means to improve ourselves and our country... but I felt they came at the cost of my own efforts, identity, and autonomy, so it was only natural for me to fight back. And it wasn't until I lost my memory and was able to view the war from an outsider's perspective that I understood that those resistance fighters had only been doing the same."

Terra leaned her head against his shoulder. "If you saw yourself as a purveyor of aid to other nations, I wonder if that's why that's basically the role you fell into when you lost your memory. Just like how you kept your dog tags, you still carried your fundamental identity with you, even if you didn't understand what it meant."

He nodded thoughtfully, absently fingering his tags. "Perhaps... But intent is not sufficient to be absolved of responsibility. I thought I was acting as a nurturing parent directing those who didn't know any better, like you did with Ivan when he wanted meat instead of rice. But the people of other nations are not naive children and know their own needs, so I should have been acting as the three friends in your story and providing what they wanted. Your story was quite prescient, actually: The three friends had diametrically different reactions to what was essentially the same end result due solely to differences in context. In that same way, though I may have intended to be a savior, in reality I was an oppressor, and history will judge me by what I was, not what I wanted to be." He took a long breath and let it out. "I feel I must continue to make reparations for my actions, and face whatever judgment those who suffered harm from them would prescribe me, just as Cetus paid for his crimes in Orco e Delphina..."

Terra felt a twinge of panic at that statement. Yes, he had admitted to killing people, occupying their territories, and forcing them into conscription, and she had rebuked Cetus for those same actions but... the thought of Leo facing punishment for it scared her. Even though she logically understood that the people of all those oppressed cities had every right to be angry with him and demand some kind of compensation, it felt... wrong. She had already chosen the plights of the suffering over Leo before, but that had been a choice of omission. Choosing the victims over Leo in this case would involve actively handing him over to be harmed.

She reached up and clutched at the collar of his shirt, pressing her face into his arm. "I can't... I can't accept that..." she said firmly. "I know it's selfish, and I know the people hurt by the Empire are owed some kind of closure, but... not at the cost of your life. What would that even accomplish?"

She paused on that thought, then sat up on her knees, holding the collar of his shirt more firmly and looking him in the eyes. "No, really, what would anyone gain from punishing you? You already understand what you did was wrong and are trying to change your behavior. You've already been making efforts to give back to those communities even without consciously realizing it. If they punish you, they would lose all that, and in return would only gain what? Revenge? Your life is so much more than your mistakes! That's what that lyric at the end of Orco e Delphina said, too, right? 'This mere undesired destination...'"

"'Shall never be... what defines me...'" Leo finished for her in a soft voice, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. "That is true... I have many regrets, but if I perpetually focus on them I remain trapped on that clifftop... If I allow them to determine my fate then I am simply resigning myself to be swept away by them... But if I accept them, learn from them, and use them as an incentive to continue forward to work for a better future... then that would do so much more good than allowing myself and others to succumb to dark impulses out of a misguided notion of 'justice'."

Terra nodded against his forehead. "And whatever worries you've been having about imposing yourself, I just want to make sure that you understand that you are very much wanted here. I know I can't speak for the people of other towns, but a least in this one, those children really do see you as a savior. And so do I."

He inhaled slowly and deeply before letting out a relieved breath, sagging more deeply against her. "Thank you, Terra," he whispered.

His breath against her face felt like it seeped into her and caused a wave of relief to travel down her own body. She was so grateful that he'd been able to confront his anxieties, and that she'd been able to assist him in doing so. And she wanted to continue being there for him to help him cope with any new or resurfacing traumas in the future. Because in the end... she just wanted him to be happy.

A warm tickle spread from her throat to her face, and following that feeling's urging she tilted her head to the side and leaned closer to him, her mouth hovering over his. She paused there a moment and felt an anticipatory falter in his breath, but he made no move to pull back. Encouraged by this and the ache in her throat deepening, she tilted forward just enough for her lips to experimentally brush over his.

At the touch of their lips, Terra felt a slight jolt pass from her mouth down the back of her neck and into her belly, as though a circuit had been completed. Leo must have felt something similar, as he let out a soft gasp and pulled back ever so slightly to break the connection. It hadn't been an unpleasant sensation, just unexpected, like it was a new kind of touch that her body simply didn't yet know how to process.

But after the initial surprise, they we both overcome with an urging to try again and leaned back towards each other, easing into another experimental brush of lips. The initial connection having been made, there was no shock of nerves this time, just a pleasant tickle. They both parted their mouths, drawing their lips over each other's until they nestled together comfortably, before gently clamping down to complete the seal.

Terra held her breath, her throat clenching at the intensity of the feelings flowing through her. It was like being connected like this allowed her to directly feel Leo's emotions towards her, and she found herself awash in the sensations of appreciation, gratitude, security... and love. It was all she could do to try to will her own feelings back towards him through the kiss in the hope that he could experience just how much she cared about him, too.

Leo made a soft moan against her lips, the vibration from it traveling all the way down her throat to her belly. He slowly pulled back, their lips making a soft snap as the seal between them was broken. He sat back, eyes half-lidded and breathing evenly, still trying to savor the sensation.

Terra brought a finger to her lower lip, still wet from his contact, and smiled bashfully. Her entire body was pleasantly buzzing from the influx of the emotions he'd passed to her and they gave her an almost overwhelming sense of joy. If this level of physical intimacy sparked those kinds of feelings, it only further piqued her curiosity at what an even deeper level of contact might feel like. She felt so blissful right now that any more almost felt greedy.

She looked up and saw Leo gazing back at her with a soft, almost shy smile. After sharing an experience like that, what could they even say? Terra was beginning to appreciate the difficulty people had in putting their feelings into words when she had asked about them previously, as she was at a loss for them herself. Therefore, in her euphoria-clouded state, the only thing she could think of that she could express in words was, "You still taste a bit like candy."

Leo choked, then held a hand to his mouth and bent over laughing a moment before Terra realized how ridiculous of a thing that was to say. But he took it in stride, sitting back up and replying with a bemused, "Well, hopefully you don't take that as an expectation, because I can't guarantee I'll always taste like that." He glanced at the fire then back at her before adding, "But I suppose that is better than tasting like All Right Rice and Beans."

Terra laughed in return, and Leo reached around her to pull her into a soft embrace against his chest. "Thank you..." he said, letting out a breath that felt like it was carrying a great deal of weight away with it. "I apologize for burdening you with my anxiety, but also deeply appreciate that you're willing to carry it, and in doing so have enabled me to alleviate some of it altogether. This conversation was one I have sorely needed to have, both with you but also with myself."

She nodded into him and hugged him back. "I'm so glad I was able to help you. I'm still unsure of myself pretty often but you continue to give me the courage to believe in myself. So please don't think you've only been saddling me with your burdens, when you've been lifting mine as well. You've done so much to help here tonight... I can't thank you enough. I love the children, but taking care of all of them all by myself with such limited resources for the past year... took its toll sometimes."

Leo pursed his lips, then pulled back just enough to look down at her candidly. "Did you need to talk about it? Goodness knows I've spent all this time laying my worries on you, but I absolutely want to be here to take on yours in return, if there is anything still troubling you. I realized that a good portion of my worries were what you might think of them, and getting them out in the open and learning the answer to that for certain helped a great deal."

"Mmh..." She felt so contented right now that she didn't want to spoil it by complaining at him. Thanks to his assistance this wasn't even something that was actively bothering her, either. Nevertheless, as far as they currently stood his help here today was only temporary, so the topic of how they would proceed from here would come up eventually and she had reservations about all of the foreseeable outcomes. But... like he'd said, those were all worries that she'd never have a concrete answer to if she kept them to herself.

With a resolute sigh, she scooted forward and pulled herself into his lap, leaning against his chest. "You're right... you've been so open about everything that's happened to you but I haven't really told you much about what's been happening with me, and you have every right to know. I just didn't want to give you even more things to worry about while you still had so many of your own problems to work through."

Leo nuzzled the top of her head. "Your concern for my well-being is appreciated, however I have found that listening to other people's problems helps to contextualize my own. Just like when you came to me on the airship after we left Thamasa, even though I was struggling, knowing that I wasn't alone in my struggles and that people still saw me as someone they can rely on helped a great deal."

Terra nodded and began absently fiddling with his tags again. "It's just... even though I do love the children and want to be there for them and take care of them... it's hard. Food was limited, and because of the monsters outside there wasn't much we could do with our days. The children constantly got restless, fussy, and sick, and just like stressing over choosing between staying here and looking for you drained my energy, having to prioritize between the children themselves was exhausting. There were some days where I just didn't even want to get out of bed I was so tired, but then inevitably someone would start crying or shouting and I had to force myself out there to make sure they were all right, because I knew there was no one else who would.

"I think... that's why it took me so long to recognize my feelings towards them as 'love'. I thought 'loving' someone meant that you were happy with them all the time and you didn't have any problems. Even Duane and Katarin would argue sometimes. I started wondering if Kefka had utterly destroyed 'love' in this new world he created and that it now truly was impossible for me to ever experience it. And then sometimes found myself thinking... is such a world even worth saving, then? And if not, was there even any point to me working so hard for these children...?"

She sniffed and pressed her face into his chest. "And I hated myself for thinking these things. I would never voice or act on them, but the fact that I would even think them... scared me."

Leo cradled the back of her head and massaged his fingers into her scalp. "Those are called 'intrusive thoughts', Terra. And... even I suffer from them somewhat frequently. Now more so than ever... But I like to think that dark thoughts like those... are like your heart giving you a warning. That when you are in a difficult situation, your heart will suggest some frightening options, with the intent of confirming, 'is this who you are?' And despite your struggles, if you can confidently say 'no' to that image, that confidence can help give you the strength to overcome the situation you're currently in."

Terra blinked and gazed into the fire, her cheek resting against his collarbone. "That's... true. Whenever I had thoughts like those, I would almost immediately get up and do something to help the children when previously I lacked the energy to do so, if only to prove to myself that I wasn't going to succumb to that... I just wish... it didn't come to that so often. I want to be strong and I want so badly to help them, but... there's only so much I can do by myself..."

The two of them remained sitting there in silence for a while, Terra staring into the fire and Leo contemplatively stroking her head. Despite her not explicitly saying so, Leo could understand... that this was a cry for help. He'd spent the entire day worrying that he was usurping her authority if he did anything with the children without her direct request, but after his venting session he'd become more comfortable thinking that taking things into his own hands here wasn't inherently patronizing, especially if she legitimately wanted the help. Maybe she was just a little too proud to come out and ask him, or more likely she was worried that he didn't have the emotional bandwidth to take on a responsibility like this on top of everything else when she herself already struggled with it while it was the only thing on her plate. Which was, to be fair, a legitimate concern. He'd already denied himself a family previously due to the prospect of rarely being able to be there for them because of his job. And he certainly wasn't about to abandon all those towns who had come to rely on his relief work to survive in order to make more time. So was he just going to abandon Terra and the children instead...?

He flinched. There... there was his own intrusive thought... He'd been forced to choose between Terra and the world and had chosen the world. Terra had been forced to choose between him and the children and had chosen the children... Now when forced to choose between the children and the world... but was he actually?

Resting his chin on top of Terra's head and joining her in looking into the fire, he softly asked, "Terra... do you need me to stay here and help you?"

She stiffened against him. "I... I don't want to add any extra burden on you..." she replied.

"But assuming that wasn't an issue. I am asking, devoid of any other obstacles that might have to be overcome to do so... do you want me to stay and help?"

Terra's eyes began to water. She had worried that her desire for him to stay was another 'intrusive thought' that was only there to highlight the selfish option that she was obligated not to take. But if it was an option that he himself was offering... She turned her head and pressed her face into his shirt, taking a deep breath. "Yes... yes I want you to stay... I want you to help the children see all the joys in the world that you were able to show me... I want you to help protect and provide for them... I want you to have someplace you can call 'home' again, with people who will support you when you're in need... I want you by my side as much as you're able... I want you to just..." She sniffed and looked up at him pleadingly with wet, wavering eyes. "... Stay."

Leo looked down at her with a deep warmth spreading to his face, threatening to steal his breath. Terra bowed her head and clutched at his shirt, saying, "But... I can't just pretend that your other burdens aren't there. I would have been disappointed if you'd abandoned the rest of the world to save me before... and if you did the same here, I don't know if I could ever be comfortable with that."

Leo gave her a soft smile and wondered, "But am I really the only person who can save the world?" Terra blinked and looked up at him, and he continued, "I was only running my supply routes solo because of my amnesia-induced social anxiety. Then I found help from you, and it lightened my load so much." He inhaled and turned his eyes to the ceiling, shaking his head, reiterating, "So much." Returning his gaze to her, he explained, "Back in the Empire, I was reluctant to saddle anyone else with my burdens so was resolved to carry them on my own. But you've shown me that there are plenty of other people who are willing and able to carry part of that weight. Lola in Maranda, for example, already took it upon herself to start providing assistance in her own way. Your friends, the Returners, are all banding together tomorrow to stop Kefka. There were more good people in the Empire than bad ones, but unfortunately it was the bad ones whose actions brought everyone else down. But I would like to think that even in this world, the good people still outnumber the bad... and that there are those who would be willing to take over portions of my supply runs." With a coy smirk and a shrug, he concluded, "After all, if there was one thing I was good at back in the Empire, it was getting people to want to work for me."

Terra's eyes widened. "Then... Mobliz could be like your home office..." She gripped at his shirt and sat up straighter. "And this building we're under used to be the post office that would send and receive carrier pigeons from all over the world. You could communicate with everyone without ever even needing to leave!"

Leo held her shoulders with a light chuckle. "Those are good ideas to keep in mind, but I think it's a little premature to make too many plans. Although..." He looked to the side contemplatively. "Orcus may have experienced tragedy due to working towards a future that never came... but does that mean working for a future that's still uncertain is necessarily a bad thing? There's risk involved, yes... but Orcus's ending showed that even if you fail, you can still pick yourself back up and move on, so there's no shame in trying." He looked back to Terra with a soft smile. "And... I'd like to try. This. Us. Staying here with you and the children while making sure the needs of the world are still being met. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but... I think I'd rather risk putting forward the effort to make it succeed than merely abandoning it as an impossible dream."

He blushed and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "My only real reservation with that is, well... we've only really had a little over a week's worth of cumulative interaction with each other even including before the fall of the world, and of that time we've only been... officially romantically involved... since last night. And now we're suggesting we live under the same roof and raise children together, which makes us seem kind of like..." He glanced back to her a little hesitantly, wondering if maybe this was progressing much too quickly.

Terra's eyes were misting and she clasped her hands in front of her mouth with a hopeful smile. "Like... a family..."

Leo's breath caught in his throat and he blushed harder. That was... a much less intimidating term than what he had been thinking of. And one that, honestly, he could readily accept even with as brief as their relationship up until now had been. He shakily let out that breath and leaned his head forward, nodding, tears beginning to fall down his face. "Yes... quite right..." He raised his head and inhaled deeply through his nose, blinking back the tears. "Terra, I would be honored to be a part of this family..."

She held a hand to her mouth, her own eyes watering heavily. Squinting through the tears, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, sniffling a little. "Leo..."

He relaxed into her embrace, slowly sliding his arms around her and leaning into her. They... had a future now. Only a short time ago Terra had been fighting off depression and despair in the face of this inhospitable world, and Leo had resigned himself to cease existing completely. But they'd found each other, helped each other through their respective struggles, and come out stronger for it on the other side. Terra may have possessed the magic of an Esper... but this kind of power was the magic of a human.

He drew back slightly, brushing his lips over her cheek, along her jaw, until they came to rest over her mouth. Breathing warmly against her, he closed his lips around hers, pressing against her with a more earnest confidence than before. This time mingled with the sweetness of the candy there was the slight saltiness of their combined tears, but these were tears of joy. Tears of a profound love that he had felt coming from her the first time they kissed. Her mouth clutched at his, breaking away every few moments to allow them a shuddering breath, before their lips resumed their sensual embrace.

His hand caressed the back of her head, his other stroking her back and tracing the curve of her spine. Terra shivered against him and let out a slight whimper from beneath his lips. The sound coming from her caused a tickle in his own belly that made him reluctantly pull back, catching his breath a little. With a decisive exhale and a smile, he noted, "I think... that's a good stopping point for tonight. We shouldn't be getting too worked up before tomorrow."

Terra also took a moment for her breathing to even out, trembling a little giddily. She sniffed and wiped away a few stray tears, chuckling a little, noting, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Even now you keep helping me feel and experience new things... it's almost a little overwhelming." She patted her cheeks and shook out her head. "But... I like it. Even the ups and downs of our conversation helped me experience just how vast the ranges of emotions there can be."

He placed a hand on his chest and smiled fondly. "And you... have given me the opportunity to realize so many dreams of mine: To take in and care for needy children. To help undo the damage of war. To... have a family again..."

Terra's eyes watered again, and she was half-tempted to pull him back down onto the pillows and go right back to kissing him, but at that moment there was a small knock at the door. Straightening upright in surprise like someone had just caught her about to do something questionable, she cleared her throat and called towards the door, "Yes, who is it?"

The door creaked open and Lili came shuffling in, rubbing her eye and yawning. "Need to potty but there might be monsters..." she mumbled.

"All right, just one moment," said Terra, about to get up, but then she glanced at Leo. With a small grin, she suggested, "Actually, would you like to help her?"

"I would love to help her!" he replied, quickly jumping to his feet. This was it, his first task as an official member of this household: secure the perimeter of the latrines. He strode over to the chair to retrieve his sword, then crouched down in front of Lili and requested, "Would you be all right if I go with you instead of Mama? I have this sword and it's very good at keeping away monsters."

She grinned and nodded. "Okay!" She took his hand and led him to the door.

"Oh my, you are quite strong," he noted as he followed her. "Pretty soon you're going to be able to scare off monsters all by yourself!" As he was pulled through the door, he leaned back and commented to Terra, "I shall report back soon."

Terra smiled warmly as she watched them disappear up the stairs, a contented mellowness spreading from her chest to the rest of her body. He... was going to stay. With her. With the children. This whole day had been awash in experiences of joy, laughter, and love, but now... that could potentially be every day from here on out. Well, that was probably too high of an expectation, but at the very least days like today wouldn't be an isolated event.

She walked out into the communal sleeping area, the beds full of peacefully slumbering children, including Duane and Katarin who had fallen asleep in each other's arms. She hugged her arms around herself earnestly at the view. Now that Leo was here, meeting the children's needs, re-supplying the town, and having the strength and will to get through each day didn't seem so intimidating anymore. She could see such a bright future going forward for them now, which had seemed impossible only days ago. They were still going to have to fight for it, but now more than ever it was imperative that they succeed.

Leo returned a moment later, carrying Lili in the crook of his arm. "-- and then I drawed a picture of it," she said in the tail end of a conversation.

"That's wonderful! I'd love to see some of your drawings sometime." He stepped into the room and held a finger to his lips. "But we need to be quiet now. Everyone else is asleep." She nodded and also held a finger to her lips.

He rocked back and forth a little to try to coax her back to sleep, while whispering to Terra, "Mission complete. The perimeter is secure and the, er, payload has been delivered."

Terra covered her mouth to suppress a snicker. Stretching with a little yawn, she commented, "I just hope the rest of them can hold it until morning. We haven't gotten any sleep since that first night in Jidoor and we need to rest up for tomorrow. I am exhausted... but in a good way."

"Heh... with as agitated as my mind has been all day I was afraid I might have to ask you to forcibly put me under with a Sleep spell so that I could rest sufficiently," said Leo, continuing to rock Lili slowly. Looking at the little girl nodding off in his arms, he smiled and commented, "But now... I don't think going to those lengths will be necessary."

He slowly ascended the stairs to the sleeping area and gently lay Lili back down on her side of the bed. As he pulled the covers back over her, she yawned and sleepily wondered, "So are you gonna come back with Mama once you beat the bad guy tomorrow?"

His smile twitched a little and he softly informed her, "That's the plan. Is it... all right if I come live here with you?"

She nodded and yawned again. "Yeah..." Rolling over and snuggling into her pillow, as she fell asleep she whispered, "Then you'd be like our Papa..."

Leo felt a jolt in his chest and a warm sensation spread through his body. Clenching his mouth firmly and swallowing to ward off a new surge of emotion that might awaken her, he remained kneeling at the side of the bed, attentively watching the little girl drift off into a contented sleep. Slowly leaning over, he pressed his lips against her forehead and whispered, "I would be honored..."

As he made his way back down the stairs, absently rubbing his arm in contemplation, Terra took note of his thoughtful expression and cocked her head, wondering, "Is something the matter?"

He took a deep breath with a sniff, then turned to gaze back at the rows of beds of sleeping children. "No... I simply... received another unexpected promotion," he said with a wisp of a smile. "The highest possible..." Sniffing again, he rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Anyway, we should be following their lead and getting some sleep ourselves."

Terra smiled and took his hand, the two of them returning to her room and closing the door softly behind them. Leo's eyes turned to the single bed in the corner of the room and... somehow didn't feel nearly as intimidated or uncertain about this as he thought he would. They'd quite solidly established their relationship status at this point, so instead of something that would require further questioning or discussion, this just felt... natural, without anything needing to be said.

Terra sat on the edge of the bed and removed her boots and Leo did the same, placing them neatly on the floor at the foot of the bed next to hers. She twirled a finger in her hair and looked up at him shyly, noting, "It's easy to fit two children into a bed this size, but two adults might be a bit trickier..."

Leo smiled and leaned over to nuzzle her cheek. "We've already spent all evening in close contact. I think we'll manage."

Terra purred, returning the nuzzle and wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning back to gently pull him down onto the bed with her. This action prompted a slight flutter in his belly and he chose to shift over to lie on his side beside her rather than let his weight rest on her. Terra used her arms around him to pull herself snugly against him, resting her cheek against his chest with a contented smile. "You were right. This is still... plenty comfortable."

He felt a warmth flow through him and relaxed into the bed, wrapping an arm over her and twining his legs around hers, pulling them flush together head to toe. Letting out a breath, his head drooped onto the pillow and he couldn't help but give a light chuckle. "I may still have difficulty getting to sleep after all... not because I'm anxious but because... I want to savor this feeling as long as possible."

Terra was already breathing steadily against his chest, eyes closed. "Mm-hmm..." was all she could respond.

Leo watched over her for some time, softly stroking her back while she slept. With as quickly as she'd fallen asleep as soon as she'd gotten comfortable, when she said she was exhausted, she hadn't been exaggerating. He could feel the heaviness of his own eyelids encouraging him to do the same, but he just... just for a few more minutes... The delicate weight of her arm around him, the comforting warmth of her body, the gentle rise and fall of her breathing against his chest, the peaceful smile on her lips... He wanted to bask in them... just a little longer...

As his head finally nodded forward to rest against her and join her in slumber, he made a silent vow: I promise to protect this family and ensure that the love and joy evoked here tonight... may reach far into the future...

Chapter Text

Leo slowly returned to consciousness to the sounds of muffled voices around him. As he blinked open his eyes and attempted to focus them, he saw Terra leaning down over him and smiling. "Oh, he's awake now!"

"Yay, he's not dead!" came the voice of one of the children from beside the bed.

Leo rubbed his face and sat up quickly, shaking out his head and trying to reorient himself. Normally he slept at full alert and would awaken to any minor disturbance so that he was ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. But when he fell asleep in Terra's arms he felt so secure and comfortable that his body must have fallen into a much deeper state of unconsciousness than he was accustomed to. But one that had left him feeling incredibly well-rested.

He inhaled and looked around the room as his head cleared. Several of the children were crowded next to the bed looking up at him expectantly while Terra sat in the bed next to him with a bemused grin. He shook out his head one last time and wondered, "I apologize; did I oversleep? Is it time to leave already?"

Terra shook her head. "No, you're fine. Some of the children woke up a little bit ago and I guess I've sort of developed a 'sense' for that and woke up along with them. But you were still fast asleep and looked so contented and comfortable that I didn't want to wake you up just yet. But I also didn't want to leave you in bed by yourself in case you woke up later and wondered where I went."

"You were drooling," Dennis pointed out. "I do that sometimes, too."

He looked back and forth between her and the children and worried, "Terra, if the children need something, you should absolutely--"

Terra silenced him with a finger to his lips, smiling and shaking her head. She leaned forward and assured him, "It's only been a few minutes and there's nothing urgent. In that case, thinking of your comfort is allowed to take priority, I think." She removed her finger from his lips and replaced it with a soft kiss. His brow twitched and he relaxed into it with an affirmative hum. It was true that he probably would have had a brief moment of distress if he'd awoken to an empty bed, so the fact that she had been actively considering his feelings... god, her emotional maturity was one thing that had still managed to blossom beautifully in this ruined world.

"See? They're kissing again. I told you he was Mama's boyfriend," Isabel concluded.

Charley cocked his head. "Does that mean he's gonna be our Papa?"

Leo and Terra both made a choke of a laugh and pulled apart. They shared a wistful gaze for a moment and Terra gave him an approving nod. Lili had already promoted him to that role the night before, so it was only proper that the rest of them be briefed. Leo turned to the children and gently informed them, "I... would certainly like to take on that role... if you're all right with that."

All their eyes lit up at once and they scrambled over each other to jump onto the bed and latch onto him. "Yes yes yes, that would be amazing!"

"We could play more games!"

"We can have more dinner parties!"

"We can dance to more music!"

Leo practically melted as they piled onto him, wrapping his arms around the ones he could get a hold of in a warm embrace. "Yes, of course! I want to help you experience all of those things and more!"

"Does that mean you're not gonna leave today?" Frances wondered.

Leo looked at them guiltily. "Well, no... your Mama and I still have important work we need to do today. And I still have work elsewhere that's going to take time to get properly sorted out, so I'll probably have to be away for a while even afterwards. But I'll spend as much time as I can with you outside of that, all right?" They all nodded but were noticeably less enthusiastic about that revelation.

In an attempt to rekindle their spirits, Leo stood up and suggested, "Isabel, would you and Jeanne like to teach me how to cook? We have a large bag of millet and I believe it can be cooked just like the rice, and with some sugar perhaps it can be made into something akin to a porridge. Would you like that for breakfast before we go?"

Isabel held her bicep and nodded. "All right! I need more practice, anyway."

Leo retrieved his boots and headed upstairs to start preparing breakfast with Isabel and Jeanne while Terra rounded up the remaining children to have them clean up and make their beds, and also help with sterilizing another few buckets of water. Jeanne discovered that one of the spices that they'd bought turned out to be cinnamon, so with that and the sugar they managed to make a pot of porridge that was actually a decent approximation of the luxury breakfast they'd had in Jidoor, minus the dried fruit.

Once the bowls were distributed, Leo suggested that they go outside to get some at least slightly fresher air than the stagnant air of the underground bunkers. When the children worried about monsters, he reassured them, "Don't worry with both your Mama and I out there keeping watch, I promise no monsters will get you." With a knowing smile, he added, "Plus I have a friend in the forest outside of town who can keep the monsters away even while we're gone." He glanced to Dennis specifically and noted, "A friend that I think you in particular would like. Hopefully he'll be open to meeting you someday." Dennis cocked his head, not quite understanding what that meant.

With this new promise of security, the restless children eagerly bounded outdoors. Frances proceeded to run in circles around a dead flower patch while Charley went to chase the dogs. Ivan latched onto one of Leo's legs while Isabel hung onto the other, and Terra tossed the ball around with Felix, Lili, and Dennis. Jeanne had contented herself to just sit on a barrel with a book.

Leo still kept a close watch about town while the children tugged at his legs, finally able to take in more details now that it was daylight. There was definitely a lot of work to be done to make the town properly livable again. Not to mention that it was a much more rural setup than what he was accustomed to in Vector. He certainly didn't want to compel them to adopt more modernized amenities, but... it wasn't rude to just bring them up as an option, was it? Both Isabel and Terra had seemed enthusiastic about the idea of indoor plumbing, at least. Though he now recognized their methodology had been indefensibly brutal, he still stood by his belief that the Empire had many beneficial advancements that could better the world if deployed more ethically.

As he gazed across the flooded sinkhole he noticed a row of grave markers seated on a hill. His expression becoming more somber, he leaned towards Terra and quietly questioned, "Is that where their parents are buried?"

Terra shook her head. "No, all their parents fell into that sinkhole when Kefka turned his Light of Judgment on this town. There were no bodies to bury... We constructed a memorial for their parents in that graveyard, though. But the only person actually buried there is Wes Janson... Lola's boyfriend."

Leo nodded once in understanding. "And one of my men..." he added, looking to the side in thought.

Clearing his throat, he crouched down and scooped up Ivan and Isabel who were still trying to see if they could force his legs to move, but he had been steadfast. Isabel let out a surprised "Eep!", then giggled and noted, "Wow, you really are strong if you can pick us both up at once! I'm getting big, you know."

"You are getting big," he concurred with a smile. "And now that we're all able to be outside for the moment, I think it would be good for you all to pay a visit to your parents so they can see just how big you're getting."

Ivan hunched his shoulders. "Do you think they'll be mad that we have a new Mama and Papa?"

Leo's heart sank a little. "No. No, of course not. Your parents would want you to keep growing and thriving, and I think they would be happy that someone else is helping you do that even if they can't anymore." Looking back to the graveyard, he confessed, "But... I think it would be good to request their blessing anyway, for courtesy's sake."

Terra gathered the children while Leo returned inside momentarily to retrieve his uniform coat and sword so that he was properly attired for a graveside visit. They convened at the memorial, and the children were encouraged to update their parents on their well-being.

"Look, Mama, I got a new skirt!" said Lili, twirling around. "It is very beautiful and I think you would like it."

"I've been eating my dinner every day just like you wanted," said Ivan. "But I haven't been eating my vegetables, because there aren't any anymore."

Jeanne hugged her book to her chest. "I've read all the books in town and have learned a lot since last year. If you'd like, I can read some of them to you sometime."

The rest of the younger children finished their updates, then Duane approached the memorial with a heavy sigh. "... Hey, Dad. So, uh... you're going to be a grandpa pretty soon. If you were here you'd probably have yelled at me for being so irresponsible.... Heh... but I'm going to make this work. I know I've been a screw-up and could never make you proud of me... but I will this time. Mister Leo has already put me on the right track and now I think I'll be able to do better. No, I will do better. I'm already doing better. And... I wish you were here to see that..."

Duane sniffed and turned away from the memorial and Terra put a hand on his shoulder. "I certainly can see how much better you're doing now, Duane. So I think he can, too."

She turned back to the memorial and clasped her hands at her waist, bowing her head slightly. "Um... and I wanted to say... thank you for all the hard work you did raising these children. I'm... still feeling my way through things and have had some rough times taking care of them... but they've helped me through it. They've taught me so much about what it means to love and have the desire to work for other people's sakes... and I think they were able to do that because of what you already taught them." She fidgeted with her hair and noted, "They may call me 'Mama' now, but you will always be their mothers and fathers and I have no right or intention of replacing you in their hearts. But... I still want to see them grow up and stay safe and happy, and promise to do everything in my power to make that happen."

She smiled and looked to Leo, taking his hand. "But I have help now. And that's been such a relief to me that I hope it's a relief to you as well... and that you can rest easier knowing that your children are in good hands."

Leo blushed and cleared his throat, adding, "Um, yes... I had a speech prepared, but I think that about covered it." He bowed and said, "So I will just say that my greatest desire is to build them a better future, but I will also make sure they remember where they came from."

They requested the children observe a moment of silence, however that was only able to be maintained for about thirty seconds before the younger ones started to fidget and wander off to play again. Terra leaned against Leo's arm and said, "Heh... sorry for stealing your speech, though."

He squeezed her hand and looked down at her warmly. "Never apologize for speaking your mind. That you said everything that I was thinking only goes to show how much your heart is able to connect with others."

Leo turned back to the grave and fell into a more somber expression. "However, there is still one more person here I need to speak to, and in this case it would be only proper for it to come from me." He straightened up and folded his hands behind his waist, then announced, "Corporal Janson, your attention please." He waited a moment in silence for an impalpable acknowledgment before continuing, "I have been informed that you deserted the Gestahlian Imperial Army in my absence in the midst of the siege on Doma. Such conduct is customarily punishable by execution." He lifted his chest, amending, "However, my orders upon departing the Doman camp were to stand down. Any order received in the interim -- especially one that violates the rules of engagement -- is unlawful and therefore you had every duty to disobey it."

He relaxed his posture, his shoulders falling and his arms coming to hang at his sides. "And moreover... I should never have had any authority over you to begin with. You were a soldier of Maranda first and foremost, and your service in the Imperial army was as little more than a prisoner of war. No one should be compelled to give their life for a cause they don't believe in. And thus I sincerely apologize... for not recognizing this sooner and sending you home to your loved ones."

He inhaled and nodded. "But it is still something that needs to be corrected." Squaring his shoulders, he resumed his official stance and announced, "Corporal Wes Janson, by the power vested in me by his Excellency Emperor Gestahl as General of the Imperial Armed Forces, I hereby formally discharge you of your duties, with honor." He brought his hand up in a salute and closed his eyes. "May you no longer carry our burdens and your heart be unshackled and free to roam where it may. Godspeed, soldier."

Felix stood next to him and awkwardly mimicked his salute. "Good speed!" he repeated.

Leo let out a snort of a chuckle and broke out of his stiff posture, crouching down to pick Felix up. "Yes, that too. He should get home as quickly as he can."

Felix gave him a pat on the cheek. "And you come home quick, too."

Leo was about to question what he meant by that when he heard a distant whirl of propellers. His face falling, he noted, "You have good ears..." He looked to Terra, and she nodded back to him resolutely. It was almost time...

Terra gathered Duane, Katarin, and the rest of the children in front of the house. Katarin looked on in worry as the sound of the propellers drew nearer, then shook her head and reaffirmed, "You'll win, I'm sure of it. Terra was able to defeat a fearsome monster like Humbaba, so I know you'll be able to defeat Kefka, too, especially with Mister Leo at your side."

Frances raised her fist and shouted, "Yeah, Mama's gonna blow him up real good just like she blew up Humbaba!"

"And Papa's got his sword that makes monsters go away!" Lili added.

Leo felt his legs wobble at her choice of term of address. He had finally realized his lifelong yearning of becoming a father... and now he immediately had to leave them again, on a mission that was decidedly more dangerous than any of them seemed to understand. He knelt down and reached out his arms to beckon to some of the smaller children, who eagerly ran to him for a hug. "Yes... I promise I will do everything in my power to protect you and ensure that you no longer have to live in uncertainty or fear."

Terra crouched down to hug the rest of the children. "Now you make sure you're all on your best behavior for Duane and Katarin while we're gone, all right? Isabel, can you keep helping with the food? Jeanne, can you take over story time? And I'm going to need everyone to do their part to keep everything clean. I've sanitized as many buckets of water as I could this morning, so please be conscious of your water use. Felix, no throwing your ball at people without asking if it's okay. Frances, no running outside without Duane or Katarin there to watch you. Ivan, you need to keep eating your dinner every day so you can get stronger and someday be able to hunt your own meat." She looked around to everyone and fretted, "I hope I'm not forgetting anything..."

"You're only gonna be gone a couple days, not forever," Duane insisted. "We'll be fine until you get back. We were before. Well, mostly..."

Leo nodded towards him with a knowing smile. "Mistakes are permissible so long as you use them as a learning experience and seek to correct them. I stand by my belief in your ability to sustain this village's hope and security."

Duane scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Heh, I'll do my best. But I've still got a lot I can learn from you, Mister Leo, if you're okay with that."

"It would be my pleasure to assist in your continued growth," he confirmed with a smile. Standing up, he surveyed the eight smaller children and two young adults all looking up at him and Terra with hopeful and encouraging eyes. He swallowed a lump in his throat with a nod, stating, "Thank you, all of you, for inviting me into your home and sharing it with me. I have been without a home, a family, friends, or even an identity through this entire past year, but you and Terra all helped me reclaim everything I had thought I had lost." He reached out and took Terra's hand, promising, "And now we pledge to reclaim as much of what you have lost as we can. May your love grant us the power we need to prevail."

The children all nodded and chorused, "We love you, Mama! We love you, Papa! Good luck!"

Leo had to turn away and hold his chest. That was almost... too much power for him to handle. Terra squeezed his hand and confirmed to them, "Thank you, everyone. We'll always carry your strength with us. Please stay safe and take care of each other."

As they made their way away from the village and Leo continued to wear a dazed expression, Terra inquired in mild concern, "Are you going to be all right?"

He sniffed and shook out his head. "I apologize, it is still... a lot of emotion to process. I felt as though if I did not force myself to leave right then that I would never be able to leave them again." He rubbed his hand over his face. "This was why I couldn't see myself having a family while on active duty: the pain of having to leave them behind like this, often for years at a time, and knowing that with each battle there was a chance I might not..." He inhaled and looked up at the airship that had come into view, now slowly rotating in the air in preparation to land. "But... we will only be absent for a short while this time. Only a short while..."

As the airship landed, they could see that there was someone hanging from the boarding ladder and watching them approach: a pale, blonde-haired woman in a yellow jumpsuit. She leapt from the ladder to the ground in front of them and stumbled to rush their way. Leo straightened his shoulders and nodded his head, confirming, "General Celes."

She stopped just in front of them and held her hand to her mouth, her eyes watering, her muffled voice coming through her fingers, "Oh my god... she actually did find you... You're alive and... you remember all of us..." She cleared her throat and shakily stood up straighter, raising her hand in a salute. "Welcome back, General."

He gave her a smile and raised his hand in a salute to match hers, though quite a bit less rigid. "General Leo Cristophe, reporting for duty," he confirmed. Her lip trembled and she bit it with a nod in an attempt to maintain her composure. Leo broke his salute, then offered the hand to her instead. "At ease, General. With the Empire gone, there is no need for such formalities between us anymore. We are all friends here."

Celes looked down at his hand and tentatively took it, unaccustomed to such casual contact with her senior officer. Leo gripped her hand securely, offering her a sincere, "I am glad to see you are doing well."

She sniffed and gave an almost self-derisive laugh, averting her eyes to the side. "Well, as well as I can be given the circumstances. But... finding all of the others... finding you again... has helped a lot." She took a deep breath and nodded, returning her eyes to him. "So, yes, I am doing better." Clearing her throat, she extended her other arm towards the airship and offered, "Anyway, shall we board? The others have been eager to see the two of you again."

Leo's expression softened in concern. She was much thinner than he remembered her, and where her skin was exposed he noticed a moderate amount of atrophy consistent with a soldier who had been bedridden for several months. There were new lines under her eyes and her posture had become more slumped. He didn't want to pry, but he was also quite certain that his struggles upon awakening in this new world were hardly unique.

As he and Terra followed her to the boarding ladder, he leaned over Celes's shoulder and quietly offered, "I am still in the process of recovering emotionally myself, however if you ever find yourself in need of counsel, I would still like to offer whatever I am able."

She tensed slightly. Was her emotional state really that obvious? Then again, back during the Thamasa mission he'd noticed her agitation several times and had offered his assistance to her unprompted. She hadn't even told Locke about everything that had happened to her yet, fearing that it might either damage his opinion of her or drive him into the same sort of overprotective obsessing like he had done with Rachel. But Leo... Leo had always been fair and nonjudgmental. That supportive older brother who was always looking out for her.

She blinked back tears, and without looking him at him let out a shaky whisper, "I am... so glad to have you back..." Continuing to gaze absently at the ladder, she added, "And Terra... thank you for refusing to give up on him..."

When they arrived below deck, they were met by a din of excited murmurs from the remainder of the Returners. Leo suddenly found himself feeling slightly intimidated, as Celes and Terra were the only members of this group with whom he had any prior rapport, and many of them such as Cyan of Doma and King Edgar of Figaro had been adversaries of his for the majority of the time he'd interacted with them. Prior to the fall of the world he had always given everyone the benefit of the doubt and therefore could interact with people in a forthright manner, but even though his memory had been restored, the damage to his heart done by Kefka and Gestahl still lingered.

Sabin strode up to him with a huge grin on his face and clapped his hand on Leo's shoulder amicably. "Hey, great to see you're back on the up and up, General! Terra told us about what happened to you and we've been doing our best to send positive energy your way."

"Um, Sabin, maybe you shouldn't be so..." Celes suggested.

Leo shook his head, then patted the prince's hand on his shoulder. "No, it's often better to get an issue out in the open rather than continue to dance around it." He extended his hand to Sabin to shake. "Thank you, Prince Sabin, for offering to break the ice. Due to our limited interaction beforehand I was indeed somewhat uncertain what status I held with all of you upon coming aboard but your directness has helped to quell those fears."

Sabin gripped his hand and shook it firmly with a bright smile. "Ah, no need to be so formal with me, General, just 'Sabin' will do. And don't you worry about how we feel about you. We're all friends here, right?"

"It is my hope that we shall be," Leo replied, returning a slight smile of his own. Referring to a member of a royal family on a first-name basis still felt almost vulgar to him, though. But then again, when Terra had first dropped his title and referred to him by name, it had made him feel... vulnerable at first, but he quickly understood that it was because she was trying to speak to him as a fellow person rather than because of anything his title may have conferred. And perhaps the Figaro Prince's request was for something similar: that in the battle to come they should only see each other as comrades in arms rather than as heads of state.

"I would be honored to fight by your side... Sabin," he finally attempted. It still felt strange on his tongue. Sabin on the other hand was positively glowing with happiness.

"Indeed, we are grateful to have thee," said Cyan, approaching them and squaring his shoulders, as though sizing Leo up. "For three years the two of us stared each other down from opposite sides of a rampart. However now I should hope we may both gaze out from the same side. Is thy resolve still the same now as it was then?"

Leo swallowed, then slowly and deeply bowed his head. "Sir Cyan of Doma... you are truly a magnanimous soul to forgive me my transgressions after the atrocity that befell your kingdom thanks to my error. You are well within your rights to despise me for my actions, for which I have no excuse..."

Cyan shook his head. "No... Thy excuse is the same as mine... Love and devotion are beautiful things but can lead to single-minded blindness. Thou art a most caring man, this I know well, and thou didst as thou felt was best for those thou loves. Several people touched by thy generosity have shown me that much," he said with a knowing smile, nodding in Terra's direction.

Terra squeezed Leo's hand, saying, "Everyone here helped me get to where I am now. Finding them again and helping them overcome their troubles gave me the strength to find and help you. So I know that you can rely on them just as I have."

Leo inhaled and nodded, slowly gazing around the airship cabin at the faces of the people he'd only interacted with briefly before the world fell, but who nevertheless all bore expressions of relief and excitement at his return. Swallowing, he addressed them sincerely, "Thank you, all of you, for what you have done for the world. Each person that you lift up lifts up those around them as well. Though it only took one person to ruin the world, unfortunately it will take many more to restore it, but I am profoundly grateful that so many are willing to step up to the task. And as such, I would like to step up as well. Please allow me to offer my services to this vital undertaking," he finished, folding his arm across his chest and bowing.

Edgar stepped forward, shaking his head. "You have no need to ask our permission, General, you have been welcome among us ever since the truce was called a year ago. The Emperor may have made it in bad faith, but we know you did not." Putting his hands on his hips with a grin, he noted, "And with as frantically as Terra was searching for you, even if for some reason we did question your recruitment, we would have had to answer to her, and it's not in my blood to cross a lady." He gave Terra a wink, who responded with a flat expression. Walking that back, he scratched his cheek, stating, "Ah, right, I probably overstepped myself there. Sorry."

Edgar nodded his head towards the staircase leading to the lower floor of the interior cabin. "Over the past three days we have been doing reconnaissance of Kefka's tower. He's been oddly quiet as of late and we were able to approach quite close to no ill effect. It's my belief that he knows we're planning an assault and is waiting for us, however it would still be advisable to go over the intel to best prepare the mission. General, your tactical expertise would be appreciated."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Leo responded with a courteous bow.

"Haha, that's not an order General, just a request. Though we may have been adversaries in the past, I still respected your competency even then." He beckoned Leo and began walking towards the stairway. "Come on. And once this is all over, I can show you a good place in South Figaro to go if you want to loosen up a bit."

Leo gave a slight uncertain glance to Terra, who nudged his arm with a smile. "Go on, I know you can do this. Your tactics for the Floating Continent worked well, and what happened at the end of it wasn't your fault. I'm glad that I've been able to support you until now, but for this fight you need to be comfortable relying on them, too."

He twitched a small smile. "Part of tactical reasoning is knowing what people's capabilities are so you can assign the right person to the right task. Despite your reservations a year ago... I think you're coming along well in your tactical thinking."

She giggled in return. "Well, for a battle this important I think I'd prefer to still defer to those with more experience than me, but... if you wanted to give me some lessons in the future, I'd be eager to learn. The more I know, the more I can help you, after all."

Leo's chest warmed and his shoulders relaxed. He knew he had Terra's support, always, and he trusted her words that the other Returners would support him as well. With a gentle smile, he replied, "I would be happy to. Though I suppose that means I should get down there and verify my capabilities have not degraded over the past year." He chuckled sheepishly and squeezed her hand for reassurance. "I'll see you in a little while."

Leo, Edgar, Celes, Locke, Cyan, and Shadow convened on the lower level while Terra and the others who were less adept in military tactics and infiltration milled about on the main floor. Gau eagerly informed her that while she'd been gone, Gau had gotten to meet his father, Sabin had met his old master, they found an underground castle, and Mister Thou had a bad dream.

Sabin leaned against the wall and laughed, agreeing, "Yeah, it was a whirlwind couple of days. Sounds like you had your work cut out for you, too, but I'm glad you were able to bring the general back. When we first found my brother again he was in disguise and acted like he didn't know me. That... that was rough, but thankfully it turned out to all be an act."

Terra sat down next to him, lightly nodding in understanding. "Leo remembers us now and has done a lot of soul-searching about what happened to him and what he's done... and while he's definitely doing a lot better, I think it's still going to take a long time to build his confidence back up." She looked up at Sabin and gratefully acknowledged, "So thank you for stepping up to be so open with him. He really needs friends right now."

Sabin chuckled and slid down the wall to sit next to her with a heavy thump. "Well, yeah, I mean, don't we all right now, really? After the world fell, I had no idea what I was supposed to do, so I just sort of... fell back into what I knew how to do, which was live in the mountains and train. But after a while I realized, you know... who is this helping? I'd originally left to train so someday I'd be strong enough to come back and protect the kingdom, but years turned into a decade, and it just kind of... became a way of life and I'd lost sight of what I'd originally been doing it for. So I finally decided to come down from the mountains and look for people I could actually help with that training, and that's when I ran into Celes and had direction in my life again."

"I was the same," Setzer confirmed. "I'd been content to give up on the world and drink my life away until they found me and gave me back my hope, and my wings."

"And I was in Jidoor painting pictures to cover up the ugliness in the world, but that wasn't actually doing diddly squat to help anything," Relm added. "So I'm glad you guys came along and put my talents to better use. And helping me find my grandpa. We're not going to talk about what he got up to."

Strago hunched his shoulders in embarrassment. "I just... needed some structure back in my life..."

"Gau get stronger on the Veldt!" Gau added helpfully.

Terra giggled. "I'm so glad to have found you all again and that we were all able to help each other overcome what Kefka did to the world. If you hadn't found me, I would have just wasted away in Mobliz until we ran out of food and starved to death... You helped me to realize that I wasn't just staving off inevitable death, but there was a chance for a future for this world, and that's what we're going to fight for now."

"You bet we are!" Sabin agreed loudly, flexing his bicep. Lowering his arm and looking sheepishly at the floor, he admitted, "But, you know, this has been the one big goal we've all gotten together to work for, but once we're done... then what? After that, I'm at just as much of a loss as to what to do as I was a year ago..."

Terra looked around at the others with a sly grin and suggested, "Actually, have any of you ever considered doing relief work...?"

After a few hours of deliberation, the tactical team finally emerged from the lower level with a plan in hand.

"Based on the layout of the tower and the fact that we are going to be up against the three members of the Warring Triad, it will be necessary for us to send three separate teams for our assault," announced Edgar to the remaining members. "As there are twelve of us total, that's four people to a team."

Leo nodded and stepped forward, adding, "As the deepest interior of the tower is still beyond the reach of the reconnaissance that was collected, it would be advisable to balance the three teams with members who are proficient in a range of skills to ensure we have the resources to overcome whatever challenges we may face. These skills being physical strength, magical power, long-ranged attacks, and agility."

"We've come up with teams that we think adequately cover that variety of skillsets and are also comprised of people who we assumed would work well together," Locke stated. "However, if any of you have any objections, we can try to re-work them."

Cyan folded his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Team One shall consist of myself covering physical, Sir Strago and Lady Relm covering magical, and Sir Shadow covering range and agility."

"I'm with a bunch of old guys..." Relm muttered. "Ah well, you old farts need me to keep you in line, anyway."

"Hoh-ho, I look forward to working with thee, young lady," said Cyan, bowing. "Thou art precocious like my son Owain. In another world perhaps the two of thee could have been friends."

Leo lifted his chin, announcing, "Team Two shall consist of myself covering physical, Terra covering magical, Setzer covering range, and Gau covering agility." He spared a glance to Setzer and noted, "Unfortunately as you are more of a loner we had difficulty determining who you would be best paired with, so your assignment was left more to a roll of the dice." With a twitch of a smile, he added, "But I suspect you may actually prefer such."

"Hah, you've got me there, General," Setzer replied in amusement. "If you can discern that much about me, I think we'll work well together."

"And Team Three shall be myself covering magic, Sabin covering physical, Edgar covering range, and Locke covering agility," Celes finished. "I take it we can all get along," she added coyly.

"I can always get along with a lady," said Edgar, bowing.

"Keep that up and our party is going to be down one member," she replied dryly.

"Are there any objections to this setup?" Leo queried.

Strago hobbled forward and coughed, muttering, "Well... just one concern, really. Not about the party assignments, no, I certainly want to keep an eye on my granddaughter and show her that we old men can still do a thing or two. And having Shadow with us I think... I think is good. No, I was more wondering if you had taken into account... what destroying the Warring Triad might mean."

"It's the power of that Warring Triad that disrupted the balance of the world in the first place, and now they're only maintaining that oppression and propping up Kefka's tyranny," Edgar reasoned. "When they were in a mutually neutralized state the world was safe, but if there is no way to return them to that state, we would assume that destroying them would have the same effect, as well as removing them as Kefka's source of power."

"And ours..." Celes suddenly realized with a gasp. All eyes turned to her as she recognized, "The Warring Triad are the gods who govern the magic of the Esper world... if we destroy them..."

Edgar cocked his head, "... then what would happen?"

"It's nothing we can say for certain, but..." she continued, shaking her head.

"Espers... and magic will likely cease to exist entirely..." Strago suggested.

Celes froze, then looked in worry between Leo and Terra. "Then... what happens to Terra...?"

Terra slowly turned her eyes to the floor as she felt her heart sink. She had certainly been prepared to risk her life for the children and the rest of the world in this battle, but if her life was potentially forfeit even if they won...

Shaking her head, she lifted her head and informed them, "If it will still save this world's future, then we have to destroy them regardless of what happens. This world existed peacefully without magic for a thousand years after the War of the Magi. The prospect of losing it again is... sad... but if that's what it's going to take..." She pursed her lips and kept her eyes averted from Leo. She was scared for herself, yes, but she was even more scared for him and the children, and even though she understood that it wasn't her fault, she still couldn't bear to see him sad because of her.

There was an uneasy silence from the rest of the Returners for a moment, before Cyan spoke up, "Thou art exceptionally brave, Lady Terra. Thou faces this with dignity and honor."

"And if there's any way to still save the world that doesn't mean we lose you too, you'd better believe we'll take that route. I am NOT leaving anyone behind," Locke added.

"Agreed, let's not be folding before the cards are even dealt," Setzer commented. "If it's only a possibility, then right now it's still only a possibility. Lady Luck does not treat kindly those who presume to know her too intimately."

Edgar nodded. "That's the spirit. We're all in this together to the end, whatever that end may be. Please convene with your teams to further discuss your strategies. The operation will commence in one hour."

Everyone began to disperse to meet with their respective groups, but Celes lingered for a moment, gazing at Leo in worry. He hadn't made any kind of noticeable reaction to the prospect of winning this battle meaning losing Terra, other than just going completely silent. Terra had only just brought him back after helping him to recover from a serious trauma, and now he was faced with being hit with another grievous loss, of someone whom he had vowed to take care of and who had vowed to take care of him. Celes knew firsthand what kind of outcome that sort of anguish could lead to... and she absolutely didn't want that to befall Leo. Not if she could help it.

Celes slowly approached beside Leo, and after a moment of composing herself, finally announced, "General, I need to speak to you."

He didn't react to her request at all. His expression was unfocused, staring into some unseen distant void. Celes felt a chill at seeing him this way. Terra had told her about what kind of state he'd been in, and even though Terra had obviously worked tirelessly these past three days to coax him out of it, this news might have just sent him right back. She didn't know the details of what Terra had done to aid his recovery, but she knew he couldn't be left to succumb to it.

Standing up straighter and speaking more forcefully, Celes demanded, "General Leo, your presence is required. That's an order." Technically she didn't have the authority to give him orders, but without the Empire or even an organized military anymore, their ranks were meaningless, anyway. But she knew he responded to authority, and that was the primary goal of that statement.

As she had hoped, he blinked back to the present world and slowly turned his head to her, his expression weary and disoriented. "General Celes..." he whispered.

Celes let out a relieved sigh that he still had some form of presence of mind. Approaching him more closely, she softly informed him, "General... a year ago we were on a crucial mission that you suspected I was not emotionally prepared to adequately fulfill and intervened to ensure that my emotional needs were addressed. Now we face a mission whose success is even more vital, and we need to be certain that every member is able to adequately fulfill their roles."

Terra had been snapped from her own worrying at Celes's previous demand, and approached her while fretting, "Um, Celes, maybe it's not a good idea to be so harsh with him..."

Leo slowly shook his head and took a long, deep breath. "No... No, General Celes is correct." His eyes softened as he looked to Terra and admitted, "You are a gentle person, Terra, and I appreciate that about you, but what I also appreciated was your willingness to stand up to me and refuse to allow me to indulge in selfish or self-defeating behavior. The success of this mission is of tantamount importance and I cannot allow my feelings to get in the way of it."

He gave a long sniff and looked at the ceiling with watering eyes, shaking his head. "It just... it isn't fair. Thanks to Kefka you have potentially once again been set up as the necessary sacrifice to save the world... And I am once again in the position of being unable to save you..."

Terra stepped forward and gingerly took his hand, rubbing her other hand over it. "Leo... you know I support the decision you made regarding that before. And I support the decision that needs to be made regarding that now. And just like with Orco e Delphina, even if this looks like it may be heading toward tragedy... we won't know that for sure unless we see it to the end."

He let out a sniffle of a chuckle, turning his misty eyes down to her. "Quite right..." He slid his hands around her shoulders and pulled her against him in a soft embrace. "You escaped Kefka's influence all on your own before. I believe in your power to do that again."

Terra nodded and leaned into his chest with a long breath. She was still uncertain whether she did have that power, but she knew she did have the power to protect Leo and the others and stop Kefka, and right now she needed to remain focused on what she could change rather than worrying about possible inevitabilities.

After a moment, Leo released Terra and cleared his throat, turning to Celes and realizing, "My apologies, General, you had something you wished to discuss with me?"

She gave a startled blink and replied with an eloquent, "Oh, uh..." She had recognized even upon reuniting with them that Leo and Terra had obviously gotten closer during their time together, but she was still surprised to see them so openly affectionate with each other, including Terra addressing him without a title. ... Just how close had they gotten, then? Her natural nosy nature was starting to be piqued.

But, no, there was reason to be concerned about that this time. The stronger Leo's bond with Terra was now, all the more it would hurt him if she was lost. He'd always been so reluctant to rely on anyone else for support and she was grateful that he finally had someone he could open up to. Celes had never been one who was particularly adept at encouragement, but she had to at least make the attempt.

Shaking her head, she finally said, "I'm so glad to see that you have Terra for support now. But... if the worst outcome does happen, I wanted to make sure you understand that you're still not alone. That... if you're feeling depressed and hopeless... well, I'm not going to give you hugs or anything, but I'll definitely give you a stern lecture to snap you out of it again."

Leo gave her a soft smile. "I sincerely appreciate it, General. And would welcome any stern lectures concerning my conduct should it become unbefitting, regardless of the outcome of this mission."

"Yes, thank you, Celes," Terra concurred. "If something ever happened to me, I know I can rely on Leo to look after the children in Mobliz... but I'm glad that I can rely on you to look after him." She looked up at Leo firmly and reiterated, "But I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon."

Leo's shoulders relaxed and he nodded with a somewhat more relieved expression. Celes cleared her throat, announcing, "Anyway, I should get back to my team so that we can finish preparations. The time for battle is soon."

She turned to leave, but Leo called after her, "General Celes..." She paused and looked back at him, and he offered, "I wish you a safe and successful battle."

Celes's eyes misted and she held up her hand in a salute. "You as well, General Leo. Let's all come out of this alive."

Chapter Text

The members of the three infiltration parties stood on the deck of the airship as it hovered over the misshapen tower erupting from the center of the Southern Continent. The ground surrounding it was twisted and warped, and the tower itself was covered with scattered pieces of buildings of Imperial construction, as if the tower had erupted from the ground and impaled Vector from below, mangling the city into barely-recognizable debris.

Leo gazed at the tower in passive shock, as though he was returning to the smoldering remains of a home gutted by fire, except in this case the destruction had been cruelly intentional. All of those innocent civilians... the friends and neighbors he had been fighting for his entire life... it was like their corpses were on display in some sort of mocking show of contempt. He had to fight to save the world from further degradation of this sort, yes, but also to give all those who died a more respectful end.

"All right, we're going in," Edgar announced. "This will likely be the most dangerous battle of our lives, but the very fate of the world is depending on it. Everyone has been briefed, so we all know what we have to do. If we find the Warring Triad statues..." He looked seriously at Terra to confirm her approval. "... We destroy them."

Terra nodded firmly back at him, meeting the seriousness of his gaze. "We have to. It's for the future."

Encouraged by this, Edgar raised his fist in the air and gave a shout: "For the future!"

The others raised their hands in return and echoed his rallying cry. "For the future!"

The three groups convened at the railing and threw down ropes to rappel down to their designated positions on the tower. Leo descended first and held the bottom rope steady for Terra, Setzer, and Gau to safely slide down it. Once they were on solid ground, Setzer casually took in the surroundings and sarcastically noted, "Cheerful place... it barely even seems structurally sound."

"It is the creation of a twisted mind," Leo observed. "Even though we faced no resistance upon arrival, I have no doubt that the demons that plague Kefka's thoughts have manifested and run rampant in this place as well. Be on your guard."

Gau bristled and made an uncertain groan. "Bad monsters... I smell."

Terra lit a fireball in her hand. "If we're prepared to face Kefka and the Warring Triad, we're prepared to face whatever monsters he's summoned here, too. And I know you got stronger on the Veldt, right Gau?"

"Gau get stronger!" he confirmed. "But... bad monster has bad breath... make sick... no fight."

"I will defer to your expert advice in avoiding this monster, then," Leo concurred. Nodding his head down a slope ahead of them, he said, "I see what appears to be an opening into the interior of the tower. Let us proceed there before we have any unwanted encounters."

When the entered the opening, the layout suddenly drastically changed from the misshapen molten rock and dirt of the exterior into square and rigid steel walls and floors. Leo immediately recognized it as, "This is... the Vector palace prison! And it seems largely intact!" He ran his hand along the cold metal wall almost nostalgically. "I wonder if other portions of the city have been similarly preserved..."

Terra looked at him a little sadly. She knew Leo had had an office and likely living quarters in Vector that housed all his personal belongings including his music collection. She wished they could salvage some portion of it and bring it back to Mobliz, but... they had no means to do so as that wasn't the purpose of this mission.

Leo seemed to come to this understanding, too, and slowly removed his hand from the wall, lifting his head. "But... these are just walls. Walls can be built anywhere, but it's the people who are irreplaceable. Keeping you and the rest of the world safe takes precedence."

"Good to hear, General," said Setzer, opening the door from the cell they were in into the main hallway. However on the other side of the door stood two humanoid creatures wielding long swords and wearing wide-brimmed face-concealing hats. Setzer immediately flicked a dart at one of them, hitting it square in the chest and sending it collapsing to the ground. "Phew! That was unexpected!"

However, the creature shuddered and hissed out, "An eye... for an eye..." Before anyone could wonder what that meant, it flicked back a dagger of its own that hit Setzer directly in the chest in the same place, before the monster disintegrated into nothing.

Setzer looked down at the hilt of the dagger sticking out of his chest and only had the presence of mind to say, "Also unexpected..." before collapsing to the ground.

Terra hurriedly ran to him and pulled out the dagger, pressing her hand to the wound and chanting, "Arise!"

Setzer gasped, sitting up and shaking out his head, hardly fazed. "Well then... looks like luck wasn't quite on my side that time..."

Leo let out a breath of relief. "Though I am eternally grateful that we have access to revival spells such as those, I would rather not be putting any of you through that again if it can be avoided. But as these monsters appear to counter with instant death to whoever kills them, I am unsure as how to deal with the remaining one..."

"Gau make leave!" Gau assured, leaping on the monster. Leo held out his arm to stop him, certainly not wanting to watch a child get stabbed to death even if he could be healed, but the monster flailed and then fled, leaving Gau to come bounding back to the party. "Gau leap. Now Gau know monster's secrets."

"Fascinating," said Leo, placing his hands on his hips. "I was briefed on your ability to copy monsters' techniques, however the ability to drive them away without the need to fight them is also quite welcome. You have my thanks."

Leo gazed around the dungeon area and noted, "A year ago we imprisoned Kefka here for war crimes... I had hoped that that would have spelled the end of his influence, but I have come to suspect that his imprisonment was nothing more than another facet of the ruse we all fell into, and that the Emperor did not truly disapprove of Kefka's conduct... Now this cell is enshrined here in his monument to himself, mocking us that it now lies empty," he said, opening the door to the cell in question.

"I AM THE ONE KNOWN AS ULTIMA, FORGED AN ETERNITY AGO AND LEFT HERE..."

Leo softly closed the door and turned around thoughtfully. Without him needing to say a word, Terra held the Ultima Weapon out to him with a smile and noted, "You've been under a lot of stress lately. Do you need a bit of relief?"

His chest warmed and his shoulders relaxed, and he reached out to take the sword from her, leaning down to bump his forehead against hers as he did so. "You always know exactly what I need..." he whispered. "This won't take long."

Leo re-entered the cell where the creature continued to endlessly bellow its speech. With a sigh, he interrupted the monster's ramble and retorted, "I apologize that you have caught me in a rather foul mood, beast. Your master has destroyed my home, my world, and has engineered it so that if I strike him dead I may very well also strike dead a person I love dearly. Though I know what I must do, such a prospect still causes me some hesitation." He raised both the Ultima Weapon and his Crystal Blade, noting, "Thankfully, I have no such reservations with you."

From outside the cell, all the others could hear was sounds of violence. Terra looked on in worry, though not about whether Leo would succeed against this particular monster, which she knew full well that he would. Whether or not he would succeed in managing his emotions after everything that had already happened to him was still another question.

Setzer noticed her unease and observed, "You know, any of us could die at any time and it wouldn't change anything." Terra squeaked and looked over to him in confusion, not knowing whether that was even supposed to be encouraging or not. But Setzer continued, "I get that no matter what sort of face you put on for everyone else, you're both still worried about what happens to you if we defeat Kefka. But that's just one thing out of a hundred in this tower that might kill you, so there's no point in obsessively focusing on it. For all we know, we could walk through that door over there and fall into a pit and die. But we're not wasting any energy fretting over that. If you spend all your time worrying you might lose, you never have time to actually enjoy the game."

"That's true..." Terra agreed contemplatively. Nodding to him, she affirmed, "Thank you, Setzer."

The sounds of battle from inside the cell quieted, and a few moments later Leo emerged, rotating his shoulder. "Mmh... that certainly got some of my pent-up stress out..."

Terra trotted over to him and snugly wrapped her arms around his chest, pressing her face into his collarbone. He blinked down at her in slight surprise, but stroked his hand over her hair and wondered, "Is something the matter?"

"It's just..." she began, squeezing him again and looking up at him. "I want to fight with you and everyone else to stop Kefka, and I don't want worries or anxiety getting in the way of that. If this... if this really does end up being the last time I'll be able to fight by your side... then I want those memories to be fond ones." She reached up and held his cheek. "Because if we keep living like tomorrow will never come, then we've lost today, too."

Leo's eyes widened, then he took her hand against his cheek and slid it forward to kiss the heel of her palm. "I... I apologize. I have been so focused on my own pain that it's like I'm preemptively pushing you away. I even fought that monster without you..."

"Because I already knew you could win," she said with a smile. "But there are more to come." Nodding down to the Ultima Weapon he was still holding, she instructed him, "So you'd better hold onto that. Last time you gave it up and faced Kefka as an Imperial general. This time I think I think you should face him as yourself."

"You're right..." he affirmed. "Not just me, though. Like you said, this is a fight for all of us." He looked over to Setzer and Gau, insisting, "We'll all face him with resolve and confidence."

Setzer gave him a casual wave and turned to the door exiting the dungeon area. "Well, I'm just glad to see that you've got better focus now. There's already enough uncertainties going into this, so it's good to have some things that can be counted on."

He opened the door and stepped through, then immediately flailed as it turned out there was no floor on the other side. Gau scampered forward and grabbed the tail of his coat in his teeth, yanking him back into the room before he could fall. Setzer caught his breath, then shook his head. "I don't know if I should consider this a good omen that I predicted a pitfall here, or a bad omen that I'm two for two in doors that almost kill me."

Leo looked down over the ledge and requested, "Terra, would you be able to get us all down safely?"

Gau flapped his arms like a bird and leapt off the edge. "Gau know flying monster's secrets!"

"Wait, young man, I don't believe that's how...! Oh..." Leo tilted his head, perplexed, as Gau was indeed floating in the air simply by invoking the power of flying monsters.

"Heh, and I'm good, too, General," said Setzer, holding up a piece of Magicite. "Float!" Setzer, too, floated off the ground and into the open pit to join Gau. "You should really try learning some magic sometime."

Leo smiled and shook his head, then held his hand out to Terra. "I do agree that I need to be able to stand on my own... but right now I also don't want to be rejecting your assistance if you are offering it."

Terra took his hand and squeezed it. "I want to keep supporting you for as long as I'm able," she affirmed. Closing her eyes, she stepped out over the empty pit while chanting, "Float," Leo weightlessly following after her. The four of them then hovered their way over to a nearby ledge where they found another door where they could proceed.

Setzer looked at the door and shrugged, then nonchalantly pulled it open. He tensed only slightly, but this time there was nothing of note on the other side. "Ah well, looks like my run of bad luck has ended for now."

"You almost sound disappointed," Leo observed in confusion.

Setzer relaxed his shoulders and gazed passively into the empty room. "Just falling into a novice fallacy, General. That if all the bad luck fell on me instead, then maybe the rest of you would have a better chance... but that's not how it works. A coin can land heads a hundred times in a row, and the chance of it landing heads on the 101st flip is still 50/50. People complain that life isn't fair... but life is fair most of the time, it's just that 'fairness' looks a lot like 'cruel indifference'."

Terra approached behind him and said, "Setzer... thank you for trying to do what you can to change my fate... but I don't want you to do so at the cost of your own safety. You're right that sometimes no matter how hard we try, we can't change the outcome of something. But we can change how we deal with it. And I want the rest of you to be safe."

"Heh... sorry about that..." he responded placing his hand on his hip with an apologetic smile. "I like playing for keeps, but only when it's my own life at stake. I don't care for games where I'm wagering someone else's."

They proceeded through some ductwork that Leo recognized from the Magitek Research Facility. Once they passed through it, they found themselves outside again. There were two more doors leading back into the tower's interior, and Gau immediately dashed towards the closer one. Once they were inside, though, they found themselves at an apparent dead end.

Gau sniffed around and then found a button on the floor. Without any discussion, he reared back and announced, "Gau push button!"

"Ah, wait, Gau!" Terra warned, remembering what happened the last time they had carelessly pushed a button in a dungeon. However, the button only caused a section of floor on the other side of a gap to move, but still didn't offer them any means of passage.

Setzer shrugged and turned around, "Ah well, maybe that'll help one of the other teams. Let's see what's behind door number two."

As they left, Leo wondered to Terra, "What were you were afraid was going to happen if he pushed that button?"

Terra laughed lightly in embarrassment. "Oh, back before we found you we were in a cave looking for Cyan and there was a button in there that ended up releasing a dragon. And when Gau went running off in the Phoenix Cave while we were looking for Locke he stumbled upon another dragon. I was just worried that we'd have to fight yet another dragon, but I'm glad that's not the case this time."

But when they entered the second door, perched atop a red-carpeted pedestal was a golden dragon, glaring at them menacingly. Terra's shoulders slumped with a sigh, relenting, "Well, I guess this is my..." she counted on her fingers, "... fourth one now, anyway? We should be pretty good at this by now."

Gau sniffed the air and declared, "Dragon smell like thunder. Lightning bad, water good. Me know secrets of Chimera!" He rushed forward before they could put together any more coherent plan and shouted, "Rrraaagh, Aqua Breath!"

Setzer shook his head in resignation, pulling out a deck of razor-edged cards. "Once he sees a fight, he's basically uncontrollable, anyway. Shall we?" He flicked a pair of cards at the dragon like throwing stars, slicing gashes across its face and blinding it.

Leo held out the Ultima Weapon, stating, "This sword cuts through all defenses so the enemy's strengths and weaknesses are immaterial to me. How about you, Terra? I assume you have some water spells handy?"

"Actually..." said Terra, biting her lip, "For some reason water isn't an element any of our Magicite ever granted us. That Aqua Breath spell that Mister Strago and Gau can use is something known only to monsters but not to Espers. The only way for me to use water..." she held up a shard of Magicite, "... is to summon."

"Is there some kind of drawback to that?" Leo wondered.

Terra shook her head. "Well, I can only use it once before the Magicite needs to recharge, and if you're not expecting it... it can be kind of overwhelming." She looked towards the dragon, which was raining lightning bolts around Setzer and Gau who were frantically dancing around trying to dodge them. Raising the shard of Magicite over her head, she shouted, "Stand back, everyone, let me take care of this!" When she saw that Setzer and Gau had bounded out of the way, she closed her eyes and commanded, "Bismarck! I summon you! Breach Blast!"

Water began bubbling from between the metal paneling on the floor, then suddenly gushed out in a geyser. Riding this torrent of water was the ghostly form of a great white whale, elegantly gliding over them as if leaping from the sea. Leo watched the spectacle with his mouth agape, the spirit whale reaching the top of its arc and then crashing down on top of the dragon, erupting into a great splash that swallowed the dragon and caused it to disappear beneath the churning waves. Then, just as spontaneously as it had appeared, the water evaporated and the room remained otherwise dry and unscathed as if nothing had happened.

"Now you're just showing off," said Setzer from the side, folding his arms in amusement.

"Gau dodge 200 lightning bolts!" Gau proclaimed.

Leo continued to stare at the area of the floor from where the spectral whale had appeared and disappeared, deep in contemplation. Terra approached behind him and rested a hand on his back, startling him a little. "Seeing a summon in action is a bit intense the first time, isn't it?"

He swallowed and continued looking at the floor, then moved his gaze to the Magicite shard in her hand. "... That's just it, though..." His eyes raised to meet hers, and were tinged with guilt. "This isn't the first time I've seen that Esper."

Terra squeezed the Magicite shard and swallowed, suddenly recalling that this -- and in fact almost every piece of Magicite they had acquired before the world fell -- had come from an Esper that had been held in the Magitek Research Facility at some point. A facility that Leo had stormed years earlier, but whose operations he could do nothing to halt.

Leo noticed that Terra appeared to recognize what he had implied and continued, "You and Corporal Janson have both offered me your forgiveness and I have done my best to accept it. However, I cannot presume your forgiveness to extend to all of those who have suffered due to my actions. The Espers that fled the Sealed Gate razed Vector for what we had done to their comrades. Though as you said, offering myself as a sacrifice to satiate their revenge would be a betrayal to all those who rely on me now, I feel I must still at least offer them the opportunity to judge me individually."

He hesitantly held his hand out to Terra and requested, "May I?" She nodded and placed the Magicite shard in his hand. He gingerly wrapped his fingers around it, a soft warmth emanating from the core of the smooth, green stone. What could he even say to a creature that had been imprisoned and tortured for nearly twenty years by his fellow countrymen?

Before he could even say anything, though, the stone in his hand gave off a soft glow that expanded to envelop him. The glow wavered in front of his face, and there he could see the apparition of the great whale that Terra had summoned earlier. But perched upon the whale's back were the figures of a dozen other Espers, their forms varying from a boar, a unicorn, a cat, and some that almost appeared human.

"General of the Gestahlian Empire..." their voices echoed around him. "We the Espers who were held at the Imperial Magitek Research Facility have borne witness to your actions and shall pass judgment on you as you desire."

Leo swallowed and bowed his head. "Espers... I sincerely apologize for the horrible wrongs my country has inflicted upon you. We sought to use your power to dominate others without any regard to either your or their autonomy. I was ignorant... perhaps willfully so... and allowed such abuses to continue. I cannot expect you to forgive me... but I do ask that you permit me to continue to use my influence to attempt to right these wrongs and re-empower those who were victimized by them."

He looked up and one of the Espers had broken away from the group and was standing before him, one that had the appearance of an olive-skinned human man but with silver hair, horns and claws, and wearing a pelt around his waist. Leo recognized him as another one of the Espers that he'd seen held captive in the Magitek Research Facility years earlier. The Esper regarded Leo seriously and noted, "General Leo... I witnessed your efforts to broker peace between our two races... and your efforts to plead for my daughter's safety when you infiltrated the facility years ago..."

Leo felt his chest clench. His... daughter?! Then this Esper was Terra's...?! And he'd been...?!

Even though the Esper was already taller than him, Leo suddenly felt even smaller. He bowed his head and softly stuttered, "Sir, I... I do not even know how I can begin to apologize for all that has happened..."

The Esper sighed, then lifted his chin and demanded, "Leo, look me in the eye." Leo flinched, the informal term of address making him feel even more vulnerable, but raised his head as instructed, his eyes meeting with the Esper's penetrating gaze. Once his attention was held, the Esper informed him, "There is only one thing I want you to apologize for." He leaned forward and squinted. "And that is constantly debasing yourself in front of my daughter."

Leo choked in surprise and the Esper continued, "You and I are quite alike. Unlike my comrades I held no misgivings about humans and invited one to stay with us when she lost her way. Many of them protested and had terrible things to say about her, yet still I swore to protect her and our child. And yet other humans -- your ruler -- invaded our land, abducted us for our power, and murdered my wife Madeline."

Leo's eyes widened. Emperor Gestahl had... murdered... Terra's mother?! He suddenly felt so... dirty... to have supported such a man his entire life. The Esper cleared his throat to regain his attention, bellowing, "I see the self-deprecation in your eyes again. And I'm telling you to stop. My comrades believed that the other humans followed Madeline's trail to our land. But even if they did... what of it? Should I have thrown her out when she was in need? I regret what happened, but I don't regret what I did. Terra also came to understand that feeling all on her own. But seeing you constantly self-doubt may cause her to start questioning her resolve. She has chosen what needs to be done and I support it. I need you to support it, too."

Leo stood up straighter with a salute out of habit and responded, "Yes, Sir." Swallowing, he clarified, "However, by this do you mean that... it is a certainty that you will all cease to exist should we vanquish the Warring Triad?"

The Esper folded his hands behind his back and looked at the ground. "We Espers were created by the clashing powers of the Warring Triad millennia ago. It is their magic we carry within us, and without it there would be nothing binding us to this world anymore. But as we are now, reduced to shards of Magicite, we are but ghosts, tied to this world by that very magic. With it gone... we can finally pass on completely."

"Terra, too...?" Leo ventured in trepidation.

The Esper shook his head. "That I can't say. Half of her is bound to this world by a force other than magic. But whether that half is sufficient to sustain her existence..."

Leo clenched his fists. "I promised to support her... and I will, no matter the outcome." He gave a resolute sigh and looked back up at the Esper. "But I also need to support and strengthen myself... so that when she does need to lean on me I do not falter." He twitched his lips into a smile and extended his hand. "I appreciate your advice, Sir, and I will do my best to take it to heart."

The Esper looked at his hand, then reached out to take it, however he was nothing but a phantom with no physical form, and he could only hold it in place without making any actual contact. He nodded and replied, "And I thank you for being there for Terra when I no longer can, and helping her to experience so many joyful emotions. I simply ask you to honor her feelings rather than second-guess whether she is mistaken in giving them to you, so that she can continue to enjoy them while she can. I can't tell you how this will all turn out... but I hope for the best... for the both of you."

He released his hand and began to recede away, but Leo quickly requested, "Please, Sir, your other comrades in Thamasa perished before I had even been introduced to all of them properly. Many of their memories were memorialized without any of us knowing their names. If you are truly to disappear when this has all come to an end... may I please have your name so that I might honor it properly?"

The Esper smiled and nodded his head. "Maduin."

As the visions of the Espers faded away, Leo slowly gave a deep bow, whispering, "Thank you, Sir Maduin, for your honest judgment. I shall live by it to the best of my ability."

Terra folded her hands in front of her, looking at the floor, and admitted, "I've been able to hear their thoughts all this time so I already knew that they bore no ill will towards you, but... I wanted you to be able to hear it directly from them."

There was a pang in Leo's chest as this statement hit upon exactly what Maduin had admonished him about: If Terra had simply told him that the Espers held no grudge against him he probably wouldn't have been able to accept it. But that was the same as saying that he didn't trust her or her judgment. He was still ashamed of his past behavior, but he only had the right to inform Terra of it, not try to direct her opinion of it. If she still loved and forgave him even after knowing everything that happened, he had to respect that. Just as he wanted to ensure that she didn't live in the shadow of her past, he had to pull himself out from the shadow of his own. He was here to fight for a better future for everyone and he couldn't do that if he refused to join it himself.

"Thank you... for giving me the opportunity to speak with them," he finally said. Reaching out to hold her shoulders, he bowed his head and admitted, "But when you tell me that you forgive me... that they forgive me... I need to believe that. And... I do believe that. Forgiving myself may prove to take more time and difficulty, but I also accept that your feelings are valid and worthwhile. And I appreciate them."

She bumped her forehead against his with a small smile. "I'm so glad to hear that. I've been a bit worried that since I'm so new to feeling love that I'm just being reckless."

"No... no, you're being brave," he assured her. "To look upon your friends and the children and know that you have the power to give them a better life, but may lose yours in the process, and yet feel no reluctance to nevertheless help them... that is the purest expression of love." He leaned up and kissed her forehead. "And I'm so proud of you... and so honored that you allowed me to share this time with you."

After a moment of silent reflection, the four of them regrouped and exited the dragon's chamber, proceeding further into the fortress. They arrived at some kind of promenade however the stairs to reach it were blocked. Seeing no other means of proceeding besides a button, Gau eagerly rushed forward to stomp on it.

Setzer rubbed his chin and noted, "That button didn't appear to do anything. Perhaps it moved a platform outside of our reach like the last button did?"

Leo ran his hand along the metal walls. "The architecture of this section is like that of Vector's palace but I recognize no such place from it. Unfortunately, I cannot say where this leads or how to access it."

"Need some help?" came a sudden voice from above them.

They all looked up to see Celes looking down at them from an upper balcony. "Celes!" Terra exclaimed happily. "You're all still okay! Have you run into any trouble?"

"Just some annoying monster with regenerating limbs and another one of those dragons. But we know how to take care of those by now," she responded with a wink. "Also, when we beat the dragon, we unlocked a new piece of Magicite," she added, holding it out. "Word of advice, though? Don't... don't summon this one. It's not a fun time."

"Phoenix to the rescue, though!" chimed in Locke, holding up his own piece of Magicite. He gave it a pat and cooed, "Thanks, buddy. Anyway, Cyan's team already made it through here and showed us how to unblock that stairway."

There was a strain of a grunt from behind him and Sabin came lumbering forward carrying a very large weight. "You guys are gonna wanna move!" he warned before dropping the weight from the balcony and completely smashing the button.

"Button break!" Gau observed.

"Hey, it's what Cyan did!" Sabin defended. "Then again, that's how he deals with all technology, I guess."

And yet, despite appearances, smashing the button did indeed have the effect of causing the barrier blocking the stairway to fall. "There's another button inside the doorway at the end of the walkway, as well as one on each side. I believe all three need to be pressed at once," Edgar explained. "Let's not be smashing those just yet before we try it, at least."

Leo's team ascended the stairway and entered the door to find the other two parties waiting on platforms on either side of them. "Mister Thou!" Gau exclaimed. "Mister Thou fight dragon, too?"

"Oh ho, sounds like you've had an exciting time, Sir Gau," Cyan responded. "Alas, our journey so far has actually been quite peaceful."

"You mean 'boring'," Relm pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "Stuck with a bunch of old guys... Though, Shadow threw this thing that set everything on fire. That was neat." She hopped on the button on her side and complained, "Come on, let's get going, I hope there's a really big monster in the next area for me to paint!"

All three groups pressed their respective buttons and a stairway opened up in front of Leo's group, a walkway behind. Neither of the other groups appeared to have gained a method to proceed further, until Gau perked up and noticed on the walkway that had opened behind them: "Gau see button! Gau push button!" Thankfully doing this allowed the others to open a new path.

Terra waved at both parties and encouraged, "Keep up the good work, everybody, and stay safe! We've gotten so far together; I know we can do this!"

Terra's group ascended the stairway that had opened before them and entered the next chamber. However, as soon as they did, they found themselves face-to-face with a giant Magitek Armor blocking their path, flanked by Imperial banners.

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Guardian Armor... the same sort that Kefka brought with him to Thamasa that fateful day... He's mocking us." Raising his voice, he demanded, "Who is piloting this armor in service of such a fiend? If he is compelling you by force, I pledge that I will protect you from him if you stand down and allow us to pass."

The armor let out a hiss of steam and raised up on its legs, responding, "ACTIVATING DEFAULT BATTLE PROGRAM."

Leo actually let out a sigh of relief and a chuckle, shaking his head and drawing both swords. "Oh, thank goodness, it's automated. If there is no pilot, then I have no further reservations." Without a further word, he spun his Crystal Blade at his side and the Shock bolt erupted from the ground beneath the Armor. However, due to its bulk and weight, this failed to send it flying the way it had the Ultima Weapons.

With a shrug, Leo raised his own Ultima Weapon in his other hand, however from beside him, Gau exclaimed, "Ooh, me know that one!"

Leo faltered and looked to him. "Pardon?"

Gau stepped forward and swung his arm in the same motion Leo had, shouting, "Aaaand, Shock!" A second bolt erupted from beneath the Armor, not quite as strong as Leo's, but still enough to make it totter. Gau raised his arms proudly and danced around. "Me learn from monster!"

Leo stood in a stupor for a moment, then leaned towards Terra and wondered, "Do you know if he's available for adoption as well?"

"I think Cyan and Sabin already have dibs on him," she replied.

"Oh, good for them!" he noted, nodding in approval.

Setzer raised a card in the air and summoned his own Prismatic Flash from beneath the Armor and called over to them, "Let's not be getting distracted now! It looks like it'll take more than that to take this thing out! Its armor is tough!"

The Armor let out some more steam and announced, "ACTIVATING ULTROS BATTLE PROGRAM."

"Activating... what?" Terra wondered in trepidation. But before any of them could react, purple tentacles sprang from the floor and smacked all of them on the rears.

Leo stiffened at the inappropriate contact, then scowled and stated, "And now it's just being obscene." Raising the Ultima Weapon, he noted, "Terra, I think you know the appropriate response to this."

She already had her hands above her head, charging up a giant fireball. Next to her, Setzer was somehow making shuffling a deck of cards look threatening. Gau couldn't hold back and swung his arm again, shouting, "Rrrgh, bad touch! Shock!"

As the bolt of energy from Gau caused the Armor to teeter off balance, Leo rushed forward and slashed across one of its cannon arms with the Ultima Weapon, severing the barrels. When he moved out of the way, Setzer spun around and threw a handful of cards at the other canon arm, which somehow managed to slice it off. With the way clear, Terra thrust down her arms, hurling the fireball she'd been charging straight at it.

The fireball struck the Guardian Armor and exploded, leaving it charred and blackened. It let out a few more puffs of steam, then shuddered and collapsed into a smoking pile of metal.

Leo let out a breath, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Excellent teamwork, everyone. That was the Empire's most lethal and advanced weapon. If we were able to fell it with our combined strength, I have even greater confidence in our ability to see this through successfully to the end."

"Hopefully," said Setzer, counting his cards. "But if we keep getting blocked by enemies like this, when the chips are really down we're going to be out of cards to play."

Terra held a hand to her chest lightly. "No... we're getting close... I can feel it. The power of the Warring Triad..."

Leo felt a twinge of panic. Even though they had fought through a gauntlet of monsters to get here already... it still felt too soon. He'd wanted to fight together with her longer... talk with her longer... hold her longer... take care of the children together longer... spend the rest of their lives together as a family... But the rest of her life could very well only be the next few minutes...

"Terra!" he suddenly said a little desperately, reaching out to take her hand. Moving his mouth silently trying to find words for a moment, he finally informed her, "I... I don't want to cause you any reservations about the battle to come. I accept your decision and what needs to happen, I truly do, but... I can't pretend that it doesn't grieve me."

Terra held her hand to his cheek and replied, "Then don't pretend. Don't ever pretend. I asked you to be honest about your feelings with me, and I still want you to be. I had my emotions forcibly suppressed my entire life. Don't put yourself through the same thing. If you're sad, you need to let yourself be sad. I don't want you to be sad, either, and it tears me up inside, too, that what I need to do makes you feel that way. But even when I feel grief, there's a part of me that is still grateful that I can feel anything at all."

He nodded against her hand, a tear wetting her fingers. "I sincerely hope that we won't have to grieve when this is over... but if I have to I know quite a few albums I'm going to be listening to to help me deal with it."

Terra let out a little chuckle and wiped a tear with her thumb. "And should I make it back, I want to listen to all of your music, anyway, the happy and the sad."

He made a small laugh as well, and sniffed, "Well, that's not even up for debate. If you live with me, you're living with music playing in the background all the time whether you like it or not."

"I do like it..." Terra affirmed, standing up on her toes to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

To the side, Gau cocked his head at Setzer and questioned, "Uwao...?"

Setzer shook his head. "This is likely too complicated to explain. But it looks like... we're wagering something of even higher value than I'd feared."

When they'd resolved themselves to continue forward and climbed over the debris of the Guardian Armor to proceed to the summit of the tower, Setzer trotted after Leo and requested, "General, a word."

Leo looked to him in surprise and admitted, "Ah, I apologize for the public display of affection, we're just..."

"Don't worry about it; no one in your present company is going to judge you for that, General," Setzer replied. "I'd never shame another man for doing what he loves. However..." He looked ahead of them as Gau had scampered up to Terra and was inquiring why she had bitten the general's face, to which she looked rather flustered. "I once had... a friend. I don't know if I would say it was 'love', but... she was always the one pushing me to better myself... to try harder. She was my motivation and drive. And... one day she pushed herself too hard... and I lost her. I buried myself in gambling and reckless risk-taking after that in a fruitless attempt to find a substitute for how she made me feel..."

"Are these meant to be words of encouragement?" Leo wondered in a weary voice.

"Ah, I'm not very good at them, am I?" Setzer responded with a shrug. "I guess I'm just saying... I agree with Terra that you're allowed to be sad... but don't let it destroy you. When Celes found me, I had all but given up, wasting away in a pub and drowning in my sorrows. But she helped me realize that there's still people out there who give a damn, even if you've lost everything else." He scratched his head in annoyance and then nudged Leo's arm with his elbow. "I guess that's just a long-winded way of telling you that no matter what happens, it's not a bust. You've still got us. Terra told us all about your whole relief operation you had going on. If you need assistance with transport, I'm all in," he affirmed with a thumbs-up.

Leo's eyes softened and he nodded with a weak smile. "Thank you for that... I do sincerely appreciate it."

They exited the chamber and found themselves at the summit of the warped tower, a chill wind howling about them. And resting at the peak sat a giant stone statue of a winged figure wielding a massive halberd.

Setzer observed it and noted, "Statue, huh? Don't tell me we're lucky enough that all we have to do is smash it." But as soon as he said that, the statue groaned and the stone began to crack and flake off of it. "Yeah, I jinxed that..." he admitted.

The stone casing shattered and the former statuesque figure reared back and gave out a mighty roar. It had the appearance of the torso of an armored man atop the body of a red dragon. It swung its halberd down to point at them, announcing, "I am Zurvan, the Demon. I am the preternatural cavalry and exist only to wage war. I have been awakened from a thousand-year slumber and the destruction of this world is the only fate I have."

"And we're going to change that fate," Terra asserted, stepping forward. "Your power is killing this world and denying its children a chance at a future. We are here to take that future back."

The Demon god sneered. "If it is a battle you desire, then I accept. Too long has my halberd rusted in stone. It longs to feast on the blood of its enemies."

It swung the giant axe-blade of its halberd down at them, smashing into the ground and leaving a deep crevice. Gau jumped over it and fretted, "Gau not know this monster. Gau not know its secrets."

"We will in a moment," Terra assured him. She pointed a finger at the Demon god and chanted, "Libra!" The creature glowed and Terra could feel its feedback in her own body, taking in the sensation of the monster's properties as if they were her own. A moment later she shouted, "Its armor is weak to Poison but absorbs Fire."

"Gau know lots of poison monsters!" Gau affirmed excitedly. He raised his arms and shouted, "Rrraah, Venomist!"

Setzer snapped his fingers and summoned a Poison spell himself and affixed it to his darts, which he then threw at the Demon god. Both the Venomist and the poison darts burned through its red scaled armor, causing it to hiss and fall to the ground, exposing its ashen skin beneath. With the skin exposed, Terra launched a Bio spell of her own, crashing through the remnants of armor and burning a gaping hole in its chest.

The Demon god cringed and swiped its arm to the side in anger. "Esper... know your place! You were created by us as our tools of war. Destroy us and you destroy your very reason for existence."

Leo felt a twinge run up his spine that broke through his lingering reluctance to destroy the Warring Triad. "You believe Terra's reason to exist is to serve you?! Terra belongs to no one. She broke free of her shackles with her own power a long time ago. If you think she will disappear along with you because she is bound to you forever... you are sorely mistaken!"

He thrust his Crystal Blade in the air, summoning a mighty Shock that crumbled the ground beneath the Demon god, causing it to lurch forward. Matching its momentum, he launched himself at it and thrust the Ultima Weapon into its open wound, then slashed it to the side to completely sever its halberd-wielding arm.

Leo leapt to the side as Terra charged another Bio spell. "That's right... the circumstances of my birth don't determine who I am bonded to for eternity. I have forged even deeper bonds on my own than even a god could wield over me. And that is why... this world doesn't need you!"

She launched the Bio spell into its chest where its arm had been cut off, the poison spell melting it from the inside out. The Demon god's screech shook the entire tower, but its body crumbled and melted away. However, as it imploded in on itself, it let off a mighty scorching shockwave, blowing the four of them back, until all that was left was a blackened imprint on the ground where it had once stood.

Leo picked himself up and shook out his head, then hurriedly looked to Terra in concern. "Terra, are you...?!"

Terra also wobbled back to her feet, holding her hand to her chest. "Yes, I'm... I'm fine. I don't feel any different at all."

From behind them, Setzer let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like we lucked out..." Holding up his hand, he flicked a small fireball between his fingers, noting, "Huh, magic still works, too. I thought that at least that should have disappeared. Maybe the other two groups have been held up on their respective gods?"

Terra furrowed her brows, expanding her senses. "No... all three of the Warring Triad have been defeated, but... their magical energy hasn't disappeared." Looking up in horrified realization, she suspected, "What if... Kefka has already absorbed their magical source from them? He'd become... a singular god of destruction!"

Leo's shoulders slackened. "Then that means we still have to face Kefka himself... and the magical power of the entire world that he has amassed." And that also meant... that they weren't out of the woods yet. The Warring Triad had been destroyed and Terra survived unscathed, but it was the gods' power, not their bodies, that bound the Espers to this world. He had already asserted that their power should hold no sway over Terra, and if Kefka was now in control of that power...

He clenched his fists and shook. No... not this time. Not again, not ever. There was no way that Kefka could ever be allowed to hold power over her life again. Leo had passively accepted it as the lesser of two evils before, but... no more. Even if there was the off chance that destroying Kefka and the Warring Triad's power would mean Terra's death... Leo considered that to still be a better fate than an eternity of slavery to that madman. Terra had already made that same decision for herself and now... now he finally knew for certain he would not hold back in executing it.

Chapter Text

The three groups reconvened at the pinnacle of the tower, shrouded in darkness aside from an eerie red glow from the sky and beams of light strobing about the platform. Celes squinted through the unnatural and disorienting lighting at all of the arrivals, then exclaimed, "Terra! You made it! You're all right!" She stepped carefully towards her through the dizzying illuminations and held out an expectant hand. "We defeated the Warring Triad and we still all have our magic, too! Does that mean...?"

Terra shook her head. "No... all it means is that this isn't over yet..."

They were interrupted by a familiar laugh from above them. "Welcome, friends!" it cackled. The strobing lights coalesced on an upper platform, revealing the form of Kefka sneering down at them. "I was certain you'd all show up here eventually, so I've spent all this time coming up with the perfect greeting."

Twelve pairs of eyes glared back up at him, the man responsible for destroying everything they once knew and loved. And he had the gall to be so flippant about it. What was his ultimate aim with all of this? "How much do you have to destroy before you've had your fill, Kefka?!" Celes demanded.

"My fill?" he questioned. "I have obtained the ultimate power! I can never be fulfilled! Behold!"

He raised one arm and Terra suddenly lifted off the ground. "Terra!" Leo shouted, grasping towards her in futility but she was whisked into the air too quickly.

Kefka merely laughed again and raised his other arm, flinging Locke into the air as well. "Such magnificent power. The likes of you are mere insects before me!" He squeezed his hands causing Terra and Locke to gasp for air while the others helplessly watched from below. "You should embrace your destruction. Everything eventually comes to nothing, anyway."

Terra clutched at her throat, then flared out her power, breaking Kefka's hold on her and floating back down to the others. Annoyed, Kefka threw Locke back down at them as well, where Celes leapt to the side to catch him before he hit the ground.

Cyan watched his callous display and fumed, stepping forward and insisting, "I am quite familiar with loss. However, thou hast forgotten that people are capable of building anew that which has been lost."

"Which in turn will still eventually crumble," Kefka retorted. He turned and raised his arms to the blood-red sky. "Why create anything when you know it will be destroyed? Why even cling to life when you know you'll eventually die? Why do anything when you know in the end none of it will have mattered?"

Leo held Terra protectively, scowling up at Kefka's back. This nihilism, though... he regretted to realize that he was personally familiar with it. Back when the world had originally fallen and his mind had receded into nothingness, he had been afraid to continue to exist in a world where everything he had worked for had come to nothing...

But it had been Terra who had coaxed him out of that state, giving him something to live for again. Terra looked back up to him and they nodded to each other, then she stepped away from his grasp and floated up towards where Kefka stood. In a calm but firm tone, she explained to him, "Because it's not the end result that matters... It's having something worth living for right now. Something worth striving for... Something you wish to protect..."

Kefka grunted and swatted her to the side with his power again. However, Terra resisted it and quickly righted herself, staring him down and declaring, "Why does life need to have an absolute meaning? If you can find your own answer for what has meaning in your life, isn't that sufficient?"

He scoffed at her. "And have you all found your answers to the 'meaning of life', even in this world on the brink of death?"

Terra glared at him with an unshakable resolve in her eyes. "We have."

She floated back down to stand with the others, then turned to face him, declaring, "I can finally experience love."

Locke stepped forward to join her, adding, "I have someone I need to protect."

One by one the others stepped forward to give their testimonials on what drove them to continue to fight for the world despite its current state. "My wife and son live on in my heart," affirmed Cyan.

"I have friends here... and family..." Shadow said cryptically.

Edgar ran his hand through his hair. "I still have a personal mission to ensure my kingdom is rebuilt under the banner of peace and prosperity."

"And my brother's always looking out for me and I've gotta make sure I'm looking out for him! Ha ha!" added Sabin, nudging Edgar with his elbow.

Celes came forward to glare up at Kefka confidently. "I have people who will accept me for who I am."

"And I've got my precious granddaughter," Strago remarked.

Relm folded her arms. "And I've got a granddad who's a pain in the butt so someone's gotta look after him!"

"I have the wings of a friend to lift me up," said Setzer.

Gau jumped up and down. "Everyone friend! Everyone Gau friend!"

Leo looked around to all of them with warmth in his heart. They all had such passion and love for life. And he, too, knew for certain why he had survived and why he had to keep on living. Stepping forward to join Terra, he lifted his eyes to Kefka and stated, "Because life can still go on after a tragedy, and I have a responsibility to those still living to ensure that it does. There is no reason a failure must define the rest of our lives."

Kefka bowed his head and held his face, turning his back to them and shaking. Had... they actually gotten through to him? Such poignant exclamations from a dozen people proving to him why life was still worth living had to have done something.

However, still shaking, he balled his fists and turned back to them, shouting, "I can't stand any of you, you know that?! You all sound like chapters from a self-help booklet! Bleck!" Raising his arms, the strobing lights about him sinking into a crimson hue, he informed them, "But if there's one thing that your sickening answers have taught me, it's what I need to wipe out next!"

Terra's chest clenched in panic. "Kefka, no!"

He sneered and snapped his fingers, a bolt of light shooting from the top of the tower into the distance. After a few seconds, an unnerving thunderous rumble of a distant explosion reached their ears. Terra felt her heart race. There was no way of telling what that had just hit. Mobliz had been his first target before, so if he had targeted it again...

Kefka grinned down at them arrogantly as everyone's resolve was suddenly shaken by the anxiety over what he had just done. "You see? I wield the greatest power in existence! You are nothing but dirt compared to me! Less than dirt! Less than whatever is less than dirt!"

To demonstrate, he raised his arms again and the platform he was standing on shot high into the air atop a burning pillar of stone. Spinning around, he declared, "I will destroy everything and create a world that knows only death!"

More stone pillars shot out of the ground around them, disrupting the party's unity. Terra steeled herself then leapt forward, latching onto one of the stone pillars and riding it up to Kefka's level. "You can never destroy everything," she informed him firmly. "New life... and new dreams will always be born."

Kefka fumed at her, stomping his foot repeatedly. "Then I'll destroy those, too! I'll destroy absolutely everything! Destroy, destroy, destroy!"

Leo rode up another pillar, his sword embedded in the side of it as support. "Kefka!" he called out to him forcefully. "I cannot allow you to destroy any more lives!"

Kefka's lips pulled into a coy sneer as he tilted his head to look back at Leo. "And what have you ever been able to do about that?" Leo didn't falter from his position, which only caused Kefka to clutch his belly and laugh mockingly. "Ee-hee hee hee, I'd like to see you try. After all, what fun is destruction if no 'precious' lives are lost?"

The pillars they were all standing on suddenly glowed and converged together into a ball of light. Terra leapt off hers and caught Leo, safely guiding him back down to the others where they could only helplessly watch the light from the pillars shoot out again and cause another rumbling explosion in the distance.

Terra clenched her hands. Whether he had targeted Mobliz... or Maranda... or Jidoor... or anywhere, no one was so callously expendable regardless of who he was attacking. There was no getting through to him... no convincing him that life and the world held meaning regardless of what state it was in. If they were going to protect the things they held dear... they were going to have to do so by force.

Glaring up at Kefka jeering temptingly down at them, Terra met his gaze resolutely and declared, "Kefka... this ends now."

"Hmph... then come and get me," he taunted, pointing at the sky. The entire area glowed a blinding white and a gigantic pillar erupted from beneath him again. Except this time instead of an amalgamation of rubble and the mangled remains of anything that had once stood in this location, the pillar almost seemed alive, teeming with the screaming, snarling faces of a half a dozen unidentifiable beings of vaguely human form all bound by writhing, steam-belching piping. Kefka himself had disappeared above the clouds at the pinnacle of this new monument of torment.

Turning to the others, Terra informed them, "Kefka has absorbed all of the magic of the Warring Triad. It took all of us to defeat the three of them... it's going to take all of us to defeat him now. You all saw what he intends to do. This is our one, last hope to protect this world's future. Are you all ready?"

Locke pumped his fist. "We came here ready for this!" he insisted. "The whole world is depending on us, so we can't back down now!"

Celes nodded. "Everyone still alive now... and everyone who comes after. What we do here now will determine their fates forever."

There was a round of resolute nods from the rest of the team, and they all turned to face the creature at the base of the tower, the torso of a hulking slate-colored devilish figure that sprouted the twisted piping that supported the remainder of the tower out of its back. It swung down its massive arms at the party, who scattered to dodge them.

Shadow leapt onto the creature's arm and threw a Flame Scroll, unleashing a blade of flame from the unraveling paper that struck the monster across the face. Setzer meanwhile took a handful of dice, blew on them, then casually flicked them at the hulking visage before him. The dice exploded with a surprising ferocity for their size, leaving their opponent charred and blinded.

Turning to the others, Setzer informed them, "Looks like we've got things taken care of down here. Go on, we know the real prize is at the top. We'll keep this thing under control."

"Thank you Setzer, Shadow," Terra commended. She and Celes both spread their arms and combined their magical powers to grant a party-wide Float spell, lifting themselves and the other remaining members off the ground to ascend the pillar to its summit.

However, when they were halfway up, they were held up by a mighty roar. The head of a white tiger snapped at them from the twisted array of metal. Surrounding the beast's face were half a dozen human likenesses all bearing Kefka's face, but a variety of body structures as though they were some kind of discarded prototypes of Kefka himself.

Relm rubbed her chin and noted, "You know... it might actually be kind of artistic if it wasn't so weirdly creepy." Lifting her paintbrush, she announced, "I'll show that clown what a real representation of the human condition looks like!"

She launched forward and Strago held out his arm, shouting, "Relm, wait! .... Ah, there's no holding that girl back..." Snorting through his nose, he looked over the writhing mass of flesh and metal, noting, "While you did give me plenty of new monster experiences to brag about back home, this is just a bit too much. Let's show you what the original magic-users can do, eh? Grand Delta!" He raised his arms and a spinning triangular void opened, cutting through all of the figures bound to the tower.

Gau grunted and unleashed a frantic scratch attack on the tiger face. "You not real animal! You steal animal's face and destroy animals' homes!"

Relm sat on the head of one of the Kefka figures, whose face she had painted to resemble a Moogle. Waving her paintbrush at the others, she declared, "Yeah, we got this. You guys go punch the real one in the face for us!"

Terra and Celes nodded, lifting the remaining members to the summit of the tower. Here sat another figure that bore the appearance of Kefka, reclined upon the snaking metal tubing and surrounded by parapet-like exhaust pipes belching steam and flame. Hovering above the prone Kefka-like form was what appeared to be an angelic, almost motherly face looking over it.

Edgar cocked his head in confusion. "A mother figure... did Kefka ever even have one?"

Leo's face fell into a somber expression. "I was only twelve years old when Kefka was taken in by the Facility as the first Magitek test subject and had little interaction with him prior, so I knew nothing of his family. But after he was infused... no one came forward to vouch for his sake. There was mass unrest in the ranks after rumors spread of what had happened to him, but that was in fear for ourselves being subjected to the same, not over what had happened to him. Kefka... had already been abandoned as damaged and not worth fighting for."

"So then... it's possible that he never experienced love in his entire life..." Terra ruminated, gazing down at the reclined figure under watchful angelic eyes.

"Everyone is worthy of love but no one is owed it, Terra," Leo explained. "Kefka spent his entire life exploiting any goodwill sent his way. Experiencing love also necessitates being receptive to it. It took me a long time to be able to accept this, but... some people are just so toxic that they aren't worth pity, as they divert any and all energy offered to help them towards their own self-destructive ends."

Locke juggled his knife in his hand. "And if he's used to exploiting people, this sort of image may just be more of the same: invoking feelings that he can take advantage of. Even on the slim chance that this is a real cry for some kind of family... we can't afford to take pity on him now. He's done too much, and too much is at stake."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what he's trying to say with this whole creepy tower, I just know it's coming down," Sabin affirmed. He launched forward with a massive flurry of punches on the reclined figure, but as soon as he did, the angelic face glowed and healed the damage away.

"Ahh, he's going to make me attack a lady, then," Edgar mourned. "How cruel he is indeed. Certainly not worthy of anyone's pity." He lifted his chainsaw and revved it a few times. "How it pains me to do this, but you leave me no choice..." The chainsaw cut messily through the angelic figure, tattering its headscarf and halo. "Ugh, how obscene, now I feel dirty..."

"It is thy own fault for utilizing such barbaric machinery," Cyan scolded. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, focusing his energy and relaxing his muscles. Then, in a burst of energy, he swung his almost too quickly to see, bellowing in the Doman tongue, "Hissatsuken Tsuki!" Both figures were struck with a paralyzing blow that temporarily stopped their movement.

Locke leapt onto the pinnacle of the twisted forms and scanned his eyes around the crevices between the metal piping. "Hey, thanks for stunning them, Cyan, now I can see if there's any treasures that got tangled up with them."

"Locke, is this really the time...?" Celes sighed.

But Locke descended from the tower shortly after carrying two swords, gleefully beaming, "Hey, look what I found!"

Celes looked at the swords in complete befuddlement. "Wh... what? Is that... another Ultima Weapon?" She reached out to take it and it flared to life in her hands, the blade glowing blue and elongating into a greatsword. Looking it over, she noted, "I... can't absorb magical fields with this, but..." She swung it and an arc of blue energy sailed over to the two figures at the tower's pinnacle, slicing them in half. "It'll do."

"My gift to you," said Locke with a wink. "Not sure about this other one, though."

Terra held her hands out and took the other sword, whispering, "I feel... great magical energy coming from this one." Once her hands closed around the grip, she gasped as she could feel magical energy flowing into her as though she had been holding a piece of Magicite. Closing her eyes, she informed them, "This... this sword is an Esper... It wants to help us fight."

"See? There's benefits to treasure hunting, right?" Locke noted cheekily.

Celes sighed, then glanced behind him at the crumbling tower spire and the two figures collapsing with it. However, as they fell, the reclined figure raised its hand and softly chanted, "Repose..."

A beam of light suddenly fell from the heavens and struck Locke in the back. His eyes widened in surprise only momentarily before he fell backwards towards the collapsing tower.

"Locke!" Celes shouted, rushing down towards him, however Edgar and Sabin caught him, Edgar producing the Phoenix Magicite and holding it over Locke's chest.

Locke gasped back to consciousness, taking a few panicked breaths. Squinting, he tilted his head up to Celes, offering her a weak thumbs-up. "Heh... sorry about that. Looks like I'm gonna have to sit the rest of this one out. Go stab him in the face for me, all right?"

Celes let out a relieved breath and nodded. Edgar assured her, "Don't worry, we'll take care of him. It's up to the four of you to see this through. Good luck."

Leo, Terra, Celes, and Cyan ascended through the thick layer of clouds that had shrouded the twisted tower in darkness. As they rose above them, they were bathed in a radiant golden light as though they had crossed into the realm of the divine. Terra held her chest and shuddered. "I feel... a tremendous magical energy here. The power of the Warring Triad... but warped into something even more sinister."

The clouds above them parted and a dazzling winged figure descended slowly towards them. This figure, too, bore the likeness of Kefka just as all of the facets of the tower had, but this one seemed to carry more substance and will. Indeed, the power radiating off this amethyst-skinned being was enough that even the non-magical members of the party could feel it.

Cyan snorted. "So the man who would cravenly vanquish an entire kingdom without sullying his own hands or even look his victims in the eye now sees himself as some sort of god." Despite Kefka's size having grown to overshadow them many times over, he still fiercely glared up at the hulking figure in determination. "No more shalt thou lay down unwarranted punishment from a place of hiding, cowardly fiend. I am proof that thy attempts at snuffing out all life shall never succeed."

"And I am grateful for your survival, Sir Cyan, as you are indeed a symbol of endurance that we can all admire," Leo agreed. Facing Kefka, he asserted, "I was the one who stood between you and your malicious deeds before, and I have no regrets doing so. I envisioned a bright future for our Empire and nothing you have done has changed that. Despite your efforts to take away everything, our dreams still persist."

Celes took a deep breath and nodded, looking up at Kefka firmly. "It's true... Even after the world fell, even when I thought I had lost everything and was completely alone, even at my lowest moment... I still found hope. Even that one spark of hope that you failed to snuff out was enough to re-energize me and move me forward to gather everyone here to face you now."

The giant godly form rolled his eyes, then boomed down at them, "Do you even listen to yourselves? So what if you've found one tiny thing left to convince you to carry forward? Then what do you do when you get there and there's still nothing?" He spread his arms and lamented, "Life... dreams... hope... Where do they come from? And where do they go?" Raising his palm towards them threateningly, his face darkened and he intoned, "Such meaningless things... may as well be destroyed..."

Terra stepped forward, bowing her head valiantly. "You can't destroy them, though... That's why you keep escalating this, to this form you bear now. You keep taunting us that we foolishly hold on to life, dreams, and hope despite them being temporary... and yet even through everything you've done, you've been unable to erase them." She turned her eyes up to him, flashing with resolve. "And that's because we're all supported by something you have never had the desire to understand: Love!"

Kefka blinked at her, then leaned back in a mocking laughter. "And how does 'love' save you from utter annihilation? If your hearts are what cause you to cling to existence in futility, let's see how you manage without them." He pointed a finger at the sky, and with a sneer chanted, "Heartless Angel."

A golden light surrounded the four of them like a Raise spell, however instead of granting them life, it felt like it suddenly sucked it out. They collapsed to their knees and Leo clutched at his chest, having unnerving flashbacks to this sensation. The pain in his chest, his limbs going limp, his vision rapidly starting to fade... Kefka was killing them. It had only taken a word and they were all suddenly helpless and dying before him before they'd even had the chance to launch any kind of attack. Squinting to the side through the black curtains closing from the peripherals of his vision he saw Terra, Celes, and Cyan all in similarly helpless states.

No... they'd come too far and fought too hard for it to simply be over by the snap of Kefka's fingers. With what felt like an enormous effort, Leo shakily felt his fingers through his pocket and pulled out an item he'd been saving all year, then with the last of his strength crushed it in his hand.

A brilliant multicolored light erupted from his hand and surrounded all of them. With a gasp, they felt their energy surge back to peak power, their strength and stamina fully restored. Celes shook out her head and exclaimed, "General Leo, was that... was that a Megalixir? Those are so rare; I can't believe you would use one!"

"Can you think of any better time to do so?" Leo responded a little dryly. He pointed his sword at Kefka and instructed, "Now, everyone, before he has the chance to devitalize us again! Attack!"

Cyan closed his eyes and raised his sword in front of his face. "For the honor of my homeland and loved ones, Kefka, I rend thee." He dashed forward, announcing, "Hissatsuken Retsu!" There was a flurry of steel and he slashed at Kefka multiple times faster than anyone could see. Leaping back to his position with the rest of them, he slid his sword along its scabbard and sheathed it, and as he did so the gashes from his previous strikes opened in Kefka's skin, his wings tattering into a cloud of feathers around him.

"Aaagh, you little insect!" Kefka bellowed. "Why couldn't you just do what's best for yourself and die with the rest of them?"

He swung one of his tattered wings down towards Cyan, but Celes stepped in the way and raised her Ultima weapon, slicing it off. "Kefka... I may have began as a Magitek Knight just as you... artificially infused with the powers of Espers and used as a living weapon to oppress the world... but I saw the suffering our actions were causing and chose to stand against them. You saw the same things I did and more yet still chose suffering. Whatever torment you're experiencing now, it's of your own making."

"Agh, my beautiful wing!" the godly creature whined. He pointed at her and shouted, "Firaga!"

But Celes drew her Runic Blade in the other hand, absorbing the spell's power and then immediately countering with, "Flare!"

A pinpoint explosion erupted from Kefka's chest, blowing him backwards. While he was reeling, Leo swooped forward and swung down his own Ultima Weapon. Kefka caught the glowing blade in his hand, leaning down and sneering. "Oh? Raising your sword at me again, General? I'm sure you remember this didn't go so well for you the last t--" Leo spun his Crystal Blade in his other hand, targeting a Shock directly at Kefka's face.

"I will raise my sword at you as many times as it takes, and I will stand back up every time you try to strike me down," Leo replied. "We both have our share of mistakes that have led us down dark paths, but you alone refused to learn from them. I stand here in service to the entire world while you only ever stood in service to yourself. Your lack of any kind of bonds shall spell your inevitable downfall."

Kefka shook out his head and raised his arm in rage, swinging it down. "Why can't you ever just roll over and die like the pathetic lapdog you are?!"

But this time Terra moved in to block his strike with the Magicite sword. Straining with all her might against the giant arm, she insisted, "Kefka... I'm not going to allow you to harm anyone ever again. You say there's no point to life if we all eventually die. But the cycle of life and death has been going on for millennia and will continue for millennia more... A single life may be temporary, but what it adds to the whole lives on forever, and you will never destroy that."

Kefka was pushed back again by the force of the sword and the power that Terra imbued into it. Seething, he stretched out both hands, the golden rays of light surrounding them turning dark and foreboding, and it felt like the entire atmosphere began to tremble. "Fine, then... You say existence can't be destroyed completely, but I can still return it to the void of chaos from which it ultimately came... such is the end that awaits you..." Closing his eyes and concentrating his power, he whispered, "All of existence shall be forsaken..."

Phantom faces of Kefka began appearing around them, laughing mockingly as the whole of existence quaked. Celes looked to the others in panic, insisting, "I don't want to wait to find out what that spell he's charging up does. We can't let him cast it!"

"And thus he shalt not, Lady Celes! By the honor of Doma and the memories of all her people, my ultimate technique... Hissatsuken Dan!" In an instant he had slashed through Kefka, appearing behind him as though time had stopped. Kefka's body shuddered and the charge on its spell almost looked like it had reset itself.

"Cyan, that's incredible, you've just bought us more time!" Celes exclaimed. Raising a piece of Magicite above her head, she declared, "King of the Dragons, Bahamut, I summon thee! Mega Flare!" The Magicite glowed white and the apparition of a giant black dragon sprang from it, its wings extending and shadowing even Kefka. The dragon's wings glowed a radiant blue, and a massive wave of energy erupted from its wings and mouth, scorching Kefka's body and blowing the remnants of his own wings off.

Kefka grimaced, raising his arms again. "I will destroy... everything... You can resist all you like, but in the end... it means nothing."

Despite his boasts, it was apparent that he was at his limit. Leo looked on at him passively and noted, "Normally when encountering an enemy at this stage I would be willing to take pity on them and offer them a chance to surrender." Glancing to Terra, he nodded and admitted, "But in this case, I have already offered far more mercy than I perhaps should have. Even your life has value, but you were the one who squandered it."

Terra reached out to hold his hand that was holding his Crystal Blade, holding the Magicite sword in her other hand. "This sword forged of Magicite that Locke found in the tower... I've heard its thoughts... Its name is Ragnarok, the guardian of the end of time." She looked up at Kefka calmly. "And it says we're not there yet."

She twined her fingers around Leo's and turned to face him. "I want to grant this Esper's wish, and use the power it granted me to finish this. And whatever the outcome of that may be... I also want you there with me. Your support, your love... to prove that these feelings can overcome what Kefka has done... and also so that I'm not alone when it's all over..."

Leo nodded, turning to hold her like they had in their dance back at the opera house. They both closed their eyes and he could feel the power from Terra radiating out of her and through his arm into the sword. Though he was wholly unfamiliar with this Esper and its power, he could still sense Terra's will permeating him. Her hair flared pink and she morphed into her Esper form, enveloping the both of them in a blue glow.

Kefka splayed his hands at them, ready to launch his attack, but Leo and Terra dashed forward as a pair, the glowing Crystal Blade extended in front of them. As Kefka's hands glowed red, they burst through his defenses, the energy that had built up around him shattering like broken glass. Pressing further still, they gave one final push and thrust the sword into his chest. Kefka gaped down at them in shock, but Terra and Leo merely held the sword firmly while chanting in unison, "Ultima..."

For a moment it seemed like nothing had happened. Kefka's hands were still glowing red, but he hadn't moved any further. Then, the glow from his hands faded, and cracks began appearing all over his body, a brilliant violet light erupting from them.

Terra pulled Leo back, leaving the sword embedded in Kefka's chest as the power of Ragnarok destroyed him from the inside out. Kefka turned his eyes to the heavens mournfully as his body began breaking apart, reaching a hand up as though to grasp at some invisible higher power. But, as his body decayed further, the arm fell and he slumped in defeat. "So be it, then... Live your pointless lives in this dying world... When nothingness eventually consumes you, too... I'll be waiting there..."

The remainder of Kefka's body disintegrated into a cloud of dust and the brilliant golden light that had been surrounding them faded. All was quiet a moment before Celes hesitantly attempted, "Did... did we do it...? Is he really gone for good...?"

She suddenly wavered in the air and realized, "Oh no, our Float spell!" Reaching out to Cyan, she instructed, "Come on we need to get to solid ground fast!" She turned to Terra to see her and Leo still holding each other's hands and gazing into the other's eyes, almost oblivious to what was going on. Or, rather, more likely so aware of what was about to happen that they didn't want to focus on anything but each other.

"General Leo! Terra!" Celes shouted again. The two snapped out of their daze, then solemnly nodded and followed her as they descended back to the summit of the tower.

When they arrived there, the remainder of the party had also safely descended and gathered. Locke ran towards Celes to inform her, "The tower's collapsing! Did you beat him?!"

Celes nodded. "Yes... but Kefka's power was what was holding this tower together. With him gone..."

"Then let's get moving! The airship is just ahead!" Setzer insisted.

"Right, let's hurry," said Celes. "We'll all make it out of here if we work together!"

Terra nodded and stepped forward, but at that moment her Esper form began to waver. She collapsed onto one knee, holding her chest and gasping for breath as her body trembled. Leo and Celes were immediately kneeling next to her in trepidation. "Terra?!"

Locke pulled out a piece of Magicite, whose brilliant green glow slowly faded before the stone disintegrated into dust in his hand. "The Magicite..." he whispered.

"So magic truly is disappearing from this world now," Strago confirmed sadly, watching his own shard of Magicite waste away.

"Which means that Espers, too, will cease to exist...?" Edgar said in worry, looking to Terra.

Celes squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "No... not Terra, too..."

Leo simply rested a hand on Terra's back, watching over her in silent vigilance. Terra took a few more shuddering breaths and turned her head to try to focus on him through the pain coursing through her own body. It felt like some invisible force was tearing her apart piece by piece from the inside out. Was this really it, then? Was she just going to curl up and die on top of this crumbling tower and be buried in the ruins of Kefka's destruction just like Vector?

No... she couldn't do that to Leo... she couldn't do that to the children or her friends. Even if she was fated to disappear, she was going to go down fighting it to the end.

Shakily pushing herself to her feet, Terra insisted, "We've come this far... you all need to survive, and I'm going to make sure you do." With a deep breath, she pressed forward, nodding resolutely to Leo and Celes. "Come with me. I can use the last of my power to guide you out."

Chapter Text

With great effort, Terra summoned a ball of fire to blow a hole through a section of the tower, revealing a passageway on the other side. Terra led the way through and the others quickly followed. They weaved through crumbling corridors, the very structure of the tower shifting as it collapsed, but with Terra's remaining senses staunchly honed in on the airship, her glowing figure remained a steadfast beacon to the others to light their way to safety.

Leo kept pace with her, focused on her with a mixture of gratification, grief, and apprehension that she might vanish at any moment. She was working so hard... giving the whole of herself to ensure the rest of them still had a future. When they had first met she had worried to him that she would never understand love, but her actions now and for the past year had more than proved that she had come to understand love in a way beyond what many could ever dream.

The passageway suddenly opened up into another section that looked like a remnant of the Magitek Research Facility, with shattered glass capsules that once held Espers lining the steel walkway. Leo's chest clenched in recognition of this place. This... was where he had actually first met Terra, as a six year-old girl sealed in one of those capsules, her pale skin marred from countless tissue samples, her eyes listless and vacant. That those capsules now lay shattered and would be utterly crushed by the collapse of this tower that Terra herself had enabled was the most appropriate justice he could imagine for this horrific place.

Terra suddenly stopped in front of one of the capsules and for a moment Leo feared that being re-exposed to this place had triggered some kind of buried terror that would waver her resolve. Instead, Terra held her hand to her chest and produced another Magicite shard whose glow was flickering dangerously. The shard floated in the air before her, and she identified it as, "Father...?"

The shard pulsed weakly in front of her before they heard Maduin's voice. "Terra... this is where we must say goodbye. We Espers will disappear from this world forever. And as you carry Esper blood, the same may hold true for you..."

Terra nodded at the remnants of her father in understanding and acceptance. However, he continued, "But... it's possible... that if the human part of you is attached to something or someone in this world strongly enough... that you may continue to exist as a human..."

Terra stood up a little straighter at this information, her eyes that had been shining with resolve now regaining an additional small spark of hope. Nodding, she whispered, "Thank you, Father..." The Magicite shard's glow then faded completely, and it disintegrated into dust.

She turned her eyes to Leo and they shared an encouraging gaze. Swallowing his building emotions, Leo encouraged her, "Terra... I believe in your love. I believe in the strength of your bonds to the children and your friends. I believe in the bond we share. And I believe in your own personal strength."

She smiled weakly back to him. "Thank you, Leo... And it's the strength and support from you and everyone else that has helped to bolster mine..." The platform they were on shuddered and the shattered glass capsules began collapsing around them. Reaching out to him, Terra insisted, "Come on, we need to get out of here. It's not much further..."

They fled the crumbling remnants of the factory as that section of the tower collapsed behind them. When they cleared the rubble the airship hovered before them, boarding ladders deployed to carry them to freedom.

Leo latched onto the ladder and helped pull some of the others up while Terra floated beside them. Setzer ran to the helm and looked around, noting, "The sky has gone completely dark. I can't tell which way will run us into a wall and which way will get us out of here."

Terra floated in front of the airship, her body's glow beginning to fade but still visible through the murky air. "Follow me," she instructed. She flew ahead of the airship like a sort of guiding firefly, while Setzer powered up the engines and turned the ship to follow her heading.

As the ship pulled away from the tower, Edgar held out one final piece of Magicite. "This is the last one..." he lamented. As he spoke, the Magicite disintegrated in his hand. "And with that... magic truly is gone..."

Celes and Leo rushed to the bow of the airship to check on Terra. She was still airborne, but if magic was now gone, it was like she was remaining aloft through sheer willpower alone. But even that was obviously taking its toll on her, as the glow from her body was flickering and fading, her altitude slowly decaying. "Terra, you've done enough!" Celes shouted to her. "Your power is fading...!"

The airship cleared the tower and sailed into the open air, the sky re-lighting and the world opening up around them. With the way now cleared, Leo leaned over the ship's railing to see Terra's speed decreasing, her body slackening and falling further still. "She's not going to be able to hold out much longer..." he fretted. Turning frantically to Setzer, he shouted, "Setzer, can you get us closer?"

"I'll give it all she's got!" he confirmed. He increased the power to the engines and pointed the bow downwards, accelerating the ship in Terra's direction.

However, at this point Terra was in a near free-fall and they weren't making up the gap in distance quickly enough. Pacing at the bow, Leo agonized, "We're still too buoyant... at this rate even if we catch up to her, we'll have too much momentum to recover and we'll all crash..." Looking to everyone on the ship, he swallowed and admitted, "I... I couldn't bear to sacrifice others to save her before... I can't ask that you do so now... not after she's used all her power to ensure our safety..."

Celes looked at him in worry. "General Leo, are you saying... we're going to leave her?"

He looked over the railing again at Terra's plunging form. She was trying... she was still trying even now to fly, but she'd exhausted herself too much...

Closing his eyes, Leo shook his head and said, "... No. The one thing she asked of me back in Kefka's tower was that she not have to face this alone. She is strong, but her strength comes from the bonds she forged with all of us, and we need to be her support during times when her strength alone isn't enough."

He gripped one of the airship's support tethers and pulled himself up on the railing. Celes had a sudden panic and ran forward to grab the tail of his coat. "General, no!" she insisted fearfully. "I know you don't want to sacrifice us, but I can't allow you to sacrifice yourself. No matter how hopeless things seem, you can't... you can't just throw it all away like that. It won't help..."

Leo turned to look down at her and could see the genuine terror in her eyes. Terror that could only come from experience. Softening his gaze, he informed her, "General Celes... Thank you for worrying about my safety. I understand that I still have people relying on me whom I promised to take care of, and therefore I cannot sacrifice myself, either."

Looking back down over the edge into the open sky below, he added, "But... when you find yourself at a ledge like this, the most dire outcome isn't necessarily the only possibility. And so... this isn't an act of despair... but a leap of faith." Celes made a small gasp as he looked back to her with a pleading expression. "General Celes, I have no desire to abandon you, either. But... I can't stand idly by this time and tell myself that her suffering is a necessary outcome. This is a risk I need to take."

Celes slowly lowered her eyes to the airship deck, then nodded and released the tail of his coat. Moving back, she straightened up and saluted him. "Godspeed, General Leo."

Leo gave her a heartfelt smile and saluted in return. "Thank you, General Celes. I shall report back soon."

He turned back to face the sky below him, Terra's struggling form falling further away from view. Closing his eyes, he internalized, Orcus... I am faced with another precipice bearing an uncertain future. You helped me to overcome it before... please lend me your strength again now...

Set in his resolve, Leo leaned forward and launched himself off the side of the airship, plummeting into a free-fall towards Terra below. He straightened out, pinning his arms to his sides to increase his speed and make up the distance between them. The rush of air past his face made his eyes start to water, but he insisted to himself, Terra... I'm not going to let you be a sacrifice this time. This time... I'm coming to get you.

Terra pressed forward single-mindedly, her senses reaching out through the darkness to find the way out of the tower's squalid air and lead the airship to safety. And it was with such great relief when her body punched through the curtain of gloom into the open sky beyond that she could only keep going. Keep flying far, far away from that place, to make sure everyone is safe.

I have to keep going. For the children, for my friends, for everyone I love... I have to...

She was so focused on this mantra that she hadn't even realized that her Float spell had given out, her body had progressively lost its glow, and she was beginning to fall. It was when her body gave a shudder that she belatedly noticed how much altitude she had lost and desperately attempted to push herself back up.

But she couldn't. Her magic was gone. Her Esper powers were gone. And now she was far from anyone who could reach her. She'd pushed herself so hard to ensure everyone else's safety that she was beyond the point where she could pull herself back.

No... not like this... her father's words had re-ignited her hope that she would be able to stay with everyone. They'd succeeded in removing Kefka's oppressive influence from the world, so now people could start putting their lives back together without living in fear and despair. The children could grow up in peace and good health. And Katarin's baby would be the start of new life in this reshaped world. Oh, how she'd wanted to see that.

Katarin... don't give up... Terra reached out an arm ahead of her as if to grasp for the strength of her friends and loved ones. I won't either... Not yet...

"Terra!" came Leo's frantic voice from above her. Terra's chest clenched in shock and she turned over in the air to see him plummeting towards her. He stretched out his arm and shouted again, "Terra, take my hand!"

Terra held her arm out weakly, straining to reach him. Their fingertips brushed against each other and he hooked his fingers around hers firmly, pulling her towards him. He drew her into a tight embrace, burying his face in her mane of pink hair.

Terra wrapped her arms around him in return, but fretted into his chest, "Leo... what are you doing?! I can't... I can't fly anymore. I can't... support you anymore like I used to..."

Leo pulled back to look her in the eyes and smiled. "Terra... it was never your magic that was supporting me. It was your heart... and no gods of magic have control over that. That's all yours." Her eyes welled with tears and he leaned in to kiss her lips softly. Smiling against them, he whispered to her, "It's okay if you can't support me all the time. During times when you're feeling weak or overwhelmed... let me be the one to lift you up..."

Terra nodded and clutched at his arms. "Leo... I do want to be able to rely on you for support, but in this case... without magic..."

Raising a brow at her with a cheeky smile, Leo noted, "Terra... when have I ever needed magic to fly?" Her eyes widened as he brought his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle.

From below them came a spirited "Waaark!" and the black silhouette of a pair of large, outstretched wings appeared below them. Leo reached out to grab onto a tuft of soft, black feathers, pulling them both onto the bird's back.

"Orcus!" Terra gasped in surprise and delight. "You've been watching over us!" The chocobo squawked back an affirmative in response.

Leo helped get her settled on the chocobo's back, then leaned against her and wrapped his arms around her securely. "Despite how dire everything seemed, Orcus never fell, Terra. And neither will we."

Terra smiled and nodded, the adrenaline from her earlier strain fading as she sagged against him. But now without it, her body just felt... limp. Powerless. Like now that the immediate task that she had been focused on was complete, the power holding her together had been disrupted. She took a few shallow breaths and her mental grip on the Esper form she had been desperately holding onto released, the pink fur shedding from her and scattering to the wind. She watched it float away and disappear like the last lifeline she had. She had helped to defeat Kefka and saved all her friends in one final act of love, but... was that it, then? Was that... all there was left of her?

She definitely wished that wasn't the case, but even now she could still feel herself fading. But here, in Leo's arms, on Orcus's back, peacefully soaring through the endless sky... If despite all their attempts she was still inevitably going to slip away, this... this was where she wanted to be.

Leo squeezed her gently and gazed out ahead of them. "Terra... look..." he prompted. "The sky... is turning blue..."

She made no response, her body limp in his arms. Leo swallowed and leaned over, his chest beginning to clench. "Terra...?" he attempted again. But the only movement from her was her hair rustling in the wind, covering her eyes. Orcus turned his head back and made an uncertain worried coo.

Leo squeezed Terra closer to him, pressing his face against her head. "Terra... your father said that you were bound to this world by a force besides magic. I know how strong your bonds to the children and your friends are, and a love that powerful can't possibly be broken by the whims of the gods. But if you need those bonds reinforced to secure your future..."

He inhaled and looked up from her hair, his eyes misty. "Orcus... I apologize, but I'm going to need to request you to do something you're likely to find uncomfortable..."

Celes paced frantically on the deck of the airship, holding her face in her hands. "I can't believe I let him do that! Now he's gone... We'd only just gotten him back and now we've lost him forever, and Terra, too..."

Locke stood uneasily behind her and tried to console her. "Celes, he knew what he was doing. He must have some kind of plan in mind. He promised he wouldn't abandon you, right? He's a man of his word and if he promises not to abandon someone, he won't."

"I know that, but he never learned magic, and even if he had, it won't help anyone now, so I can't see any way for him to..."

"Perhaps with that!" Setzer shouted, pointing over the edge of the railing. "Incoming!"

The rest of the Returners only had a few seconds to scatter as a large black bird came sailing ungracefully onto the deck. It skidded across the wooden floorboards, throwing off its rider who curled onto his side and held another person protectively against his chest as he hit the deck.

"General Leo!" Celes shouted, running to him. Seeing who he was holding in his arms, she held her hands to her mouth, gasping, "And you got Terra, too!" Looking up at the bird, she added in confusion, "And a... flying chocobo?"

"Hah, I knew the General would come through somehow, but that was pretty low on my list of guesses as to how," Locke admitted.

The chocobo looked panicked at being around this many people and unsteadily backed up, trilling in uncertainty. However, Gau hopped in front of it and proclaimed, "Wark! Wark wark! Kweh!"

"Kweh?" The chocobo responded, cocking its head.

"Wark wark wark!"

The chocobo then peaceably flopped down on its haunches and continued to keep a watchful eye on Leo and Terra. Gau turned to the others and explained, "Chocobo worried! But me tell chocobo we all friends!"

Leo pushed himself up to a sitting position, holding Terra protectively in his lap. "Yes... we're all friends... and right now it's the power of that friendship that we need most of all."

Celes knelt next to him, looking Terra over. With an uncertain swallow, she wondered, "General, is Terra...?"

"She is holding on by a thread," he explained solemnly. "But we need to turn that thread into a sturdy anchor if she is to remain in this world with us. You all have had... so much more time with her than I have. Our bond may be strong, but it is not the whole of what has made her." He blinked back tears and looked up at them pleadingly. "Please... lend her your strength. Don't let her be left behind again..."

Celes nodded firmly, placing a hand on Terra's shoulder. "There's no way we'd leave her behind. Terra was the one who made sure I wouldn't give up even when I would find myself thinking that all hope was lost. She gave me that hope, and I'm not going to squander it when she needs it back."

Locke moved to stand by them. "Yeah, Terra was there with us from the start, agreeing to help us even when she didn't understand what it was we were fighting for. She just... wanted to make sure we were all right. I never wanted to coerce or manipulate her into fighting for us, but as things spiraled out of control she stayed with us all the same. I really respect the fortitude she had to stick with us all this time."

"Ah, yes, I do remember when I first laid eyes on her I found her to be quite lovely," Edgar reminisced. Everyone glared at him, and he amended, "But that loveliness was due to her courage and compassionate character. She wouldn't let herself get distracted by trifling things like I often did."

"Oh, and you should have seen how she took out that monster in Mobliz!" Sabin added. "I'd spent years training to become stronger and it got to the point where I was just training for the sake of training. But when I saw that burst of raw energy she had to protect those kids, it reminded me of why I wanted to be strong in the first place. She's tough with a big heart and I know she's got the strength to pull through this."

Cyan nodded. "Aye, it was Lady Terra who confronted me concerning my correspondence with Miss Lola. I had been content to hide from it and continue to live a comforting lie, but she was the one who insisted it was better to face the truth and learn better from it. And for that I owe her my most sincerest of gratitude."

"She's got an unbreakable spirit," Setzer noted. "She made sure we were all dealt a winning hand, so it's only proper for us to return the favor."

"Terra friends to animals!" Gau added.

Leo squeezed Terra, nodding through his tears. "Thank you, all of you. I may not have been with you for most of your journey together, but I am grateful to hear that she has always been such an integral part of it." Looking down at her fondly, he gently brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "She saved both my life and my soul, coaxing me back from a very dark place I had fallen into. She has been my constant source of inspiration and comfort in these bleak times, and I wish for her to be able to share in the fruits of her efforts."

He pressed his forehead against hers, his lip trembling. "And... perhaps more selfishly... I wish... I wish for her to stay with me. With the children. To raise them together and watch them grow and thrive. I want her to be able to have a real home and family... For us to all support each other when we're in our weakest moments... Just as I hope we are able to do now..."

Terra's head lolled forward against his, and there was a breath of a whisper from her lips: "That sounds... wonderful..."

Leo sat straight up, his heart racing. "Terra...?" he wondered hopefully.

Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up to him with a weak smile. "Leo..." she whispered back. "I made it back to you..."

"Terra!" Celes exclaimed excitedly. "You're all right!"

Terra rolled her head to the side, nodding. "Yes... I am now." She sat up a little, with Leo supporting her back. "For a while I felt like I was... caught between worlds... that I was being taken away to where the Espers were, but not completely. I felt... trapped. Like I had no direction for how to get out." She smiled and looked around at the others. "But then I felt all of your wishes towards me, and they lit my way back. Thank you... everyone..."

Locke pumped his fist in the air. "You should know by now that there's no way that we'd leave you behind, Terra!"

She made a light giggle, then turned back to Leo, holding her hand to his cheek. Gazing at him fondly, she cocked her head with a grin and noted, "But I still think... the strongest wishes I felt were coming from you..."

Leo let out a sniffle of a chuckle, clasping his hand over hers. "I have a habit of apologizing every time I feel I have overstepped myself, but in this case... I make absolutely no apology for that." He leaned towards her and whispered against her, "Or for this..." His lips closed over hers firmly, awash in desperate relief. Terra wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling herself up against him and returning the kiss with a resolute promise that she truly was here to stay.

Celes scooted back and blushed furiously. Well, that certainly answered her questions concerning what the nature of their relationship was now. And with the intensity and confidence of that kiss... there was no way this was even their first time. She wondered if that was all they had gotten up to during their three days alone together...

She shook her head with a smile. But, no, that wasn't important right now. She was honestly relieved that they were both all right, and that they had both finally found someone they could rely on for support.

From behind her there were murmurs of various reactions from the others, including an excited squawk from the chocobo. Edgar politely clapped and offered a sincere, "Bravo!"

Relm clenched her fists with a mischievous smile. "Oh yeah, things are getting hot in here now! Someone's getting lucky tonight!"

Leo snorted and broke away from the kiss, then bumped his head against Terra's forehead. "Please promise me that we will raise our children to have more decorum than that."

"Oh, definitely," Terra agreed, pressing her forehead back against his with a light laugh.

Leo stood and offered Terra his hand. She took it and pulled herself up shakily, leaning against him for support. But after regaining her balance, she slowly let go of him and remained standing under her own power. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the wind against her face. Opening her eyes again, she looked out over the bow of the ship and noticed, "Yes, I do see it, Leo. The sky... is blue..."

She slowly made her way to the front of the ship, taking in the whole of the sky, now bright and clear for the first time since a year ago. She spread her arms, letting the air rush between her fingers, then reached up to undo the ribbon in her hair, letting it fly free and catch the wind fully.

From behind her, Leo's shoulders relaxed in relief. They were no longer bound by war or terror or magic, but free to pursue the futures they desired. The world was no longer new and frightening, but new and exciting, and they would be able to explore and shape it together. And at this thought, Leo couldn't help but realize that his perception of the "final" lyrics to Orco e Delphina had undergone a similar evolution: from a theme of despair to a theme of hope.

Yes, the river fell from the mountain
Where the river joins with the sea
But the sea itself, she is boundless
You are free
We are free!

Chapter Text

There was a knock at the door and Lola rose from her desk to answer it. "Yes, hello, is there anything I can help you--" she began, but to her surprise she was greeted with a stack of cushions on the other side.

Terra poked her head around the side of the pile, greeting, "Hello, Lola, we're here with the supplies you requested! I'm sorry it took so long, but things have been pretty hectic the past month or so."

"Oh my goodness, Terra, it's so good to see you again! Please, come in!" Lola replied, moving aside to let her through. Terra entered her house with the pile of floor cushions, and she was followed by two men that Lola had recalled accompanying Terra during her previous visits: One tall with dark skin and short blonde hair, the other an older pale man with a black mustache and ponytail. The two men were also carrying crates of supplies that they helped offload in Lola's living room.

Looking everything over, Lola wondered, "Is this... really all for me? Even though I only asked for the floor cushions?"

The dark-skinned man smiled and held out a box of potions. "As you have offered your support to the people of this town, maintaining that role effectively necessitates adequate self-care. We wanted to make sure that you, personally, were sufficiently stocked to succeed in that position."

She took the box of potions slowly and nodded. "Thank you. I do get a bit of a headache sometimes from it... but I do feel like things are getting better. I mean, you've all seen the sky now, right?"

The older, mustached man nodded. "Aye, tis a beautiful sight, Madam. But even clear skies cannot completely lift the fog of despair that clouds men's minds after a tragedy, so thy efforts here are still very much needed."

"How have things been going?" Terra wondered, helping Lola to arrange the cushions. "Are you feeling overwhelmed at all?"

"A little..." Lola admitted. "I wanted to do what I could to help, but sometimes other people's problems were more than I felt like I could handle. I didn't want to fail them, but sometimes I did feel like I was failing them if I couldn't immediately help them feel better." She shook her head. "But even if things don't get better right away, I can definitely still sense a gradual improvement, I think."

She took a deep breath, then wondered with a smile, "So, what about you, Terra? You said things have been hectic and it's been over a month since I saw you last. If you have anything you want to talk to me about, I'm eager to listen."

"Oh, well, we are a little busy, but..." she began, looking to her companions.

The dark-skinned man smiled and sat down on one of the floor cushions, "But a visit with a friend is always welcome."

The older man concurred, "Aye, with our prior correspondence having ceased, I was feeling quite anxious to check on how Miss Lola was faring these days."

He suddenly went stiff with an expression of embarrassment. Lola was momentarily surprised, but then smiled and extended her hand to him. "Then if it's all right, might I know the name of whom I should be addressing letters to in the future should that correspondence resume?"

He made a bluster of a grumble through his mustache, then tentatively took her hand. "Cyan Garamode of Doma, My Lady. I do terribly apologize for my presumptuous behavior prior."

She shook her head and sat down on the cushions. "No, I... I appreciate it. With Wes gone, I thought I was completely alone. But thanks to you, I knew there was someone out there who still cared enough to want me to continue to carry on. And so I wanted to pass that feeling on."

Lola looked up to the other man and added, "And I'm also thankful for your help from before. You were the one helping Terra search for General Leo, right? Have you made any progress?"

He blinked at her, then chuckled and extended his hand warmly. "I apologize that I was not in a position to properly introduce myself to you last we met." He took her hand, saying, "My name is Leo Cristophe, former general of the Gestahlian Imperial Army."

Lola's face flushed, her eyes widening as she slowly sat back, releasing his hand. "Wait, you're... General Leo? But... but before, you were..."

He shook his head. "When we met before, I was not General Leo. And... even now, though I have re-accepted the name, memories, and responsibilities... I perhaps still am not the same 'General Leo' as I was when Corporal Janson served under me. You had forgiven me for my actions back then, but I still feel it is only right that I apologize. I may have done my best to treat Corporal Janson well, but that still does not change the fact that he was essentially my prisoner."

Lola nodded. "I understood that, and so did Wes... And it's true, I do blame the Empire for taking him, and Kefka for losing him... but if it had been anyone besides you taking care of him, I would never have heard from him again at all. You probably had to do a lot of things you didn't want to in order to keep yourself in a position where you could do that... and we were both glad that you did."

Leo gazed at her solemnly, then bowed his head. "Thank you for your understanding, Miss Lola. You have respectable wisdom." Raising his head again to meet her eyes, he concluded, "I see that you will make a fine counselor."

Lola blushed again, holding her hands in her lap. "Really, it was reading Wes's accounts of you that inspired me to do it." Taking a deep breath to clear her head, she added, "But I'm glad to see that you're all right. With the way both Wes and Terra talked about you, it would have been a tragedy for the world to have lost you. So are you mostly focusing on relief work now?"

"Well, we're spread a little thin at the moment," Terra admitted. "There's a new baby in Mobliz now and one of us usually needs to stay in town to help with taking care of it while the other is out clearing out monsters, running supplies, or negotiating with other countries for aid. We've got Setzer providing transport with the airship now, though, which has helped immensely, and Locke and Celes have taken over aid to Kohlingen. We're slowly gathering other people to help, though. Leo was able to recruit a few people out of the Coliseum for monster hunting, for example."

Leo nodded, adding, "Yes, one of my former soldiers was there, alive but a little lost, just like many others. But I feel that we're slowly helping to bring people around to the idea that the world will go on, and things will get better, but it will take all our efforts to make it so."

"And that's why we wanted to especially thank you for what you've been doing," said Terra. "I need to get back home soon to help with the baby, but I wanted to come out here at least for this delivery so I could see you again and offer my gratitude. Plus it's been a while since I've gotten to go on a field trip like this with Leo," she added, hugging his arm and sharing a smile with him.

"Yes, thank you for coming and it's great to see you again, Terra! But I understand if you have to go," Lola affirmed. She stood and held Terra's hands, saying, "And I'll do my best, too, and put all these supplies you've brought me to good use. If there's anything else I can do to help you, please let me know. If you're in Mobliz, I am quite familiar with writing letters to there, if you want to keep in touch."

Terra grinned. "I'd like that very much!"

Lola looked to Cyan and wondered, "And what would be the best way to keep in contact with you, Mister Cyan? Are you still in Doma?"

Cyan flushed and ruffled his mustache. "Um, er, well..." He coughed into his hand, then admitted, "I was actually hoping to provide thee with more than words of assurance, which is why I requested to accompany Sir Leo and Lady Terra today." Turning to Leo, he stated, "Sir Leo, I am wholly grateful for thy efforts in sustaining Maranda and Miss Lola's health this past year. However, such is not a burden thou must bear alone. If thou wouldst permit it, I should like to take a more active role in overseeing Maranda's reconstruction and growth. I am done with mourning the dead and must place my focus on those still living."

Leo bowed his head. "Your offer is truly generous, Sir Cyan. I would be honored to leave Maranda in your capable hands." Looking to Lola, he added, "That is, of course, if Miss Lola is agreeable to it."

"Of course I'm agreeable to it!" she replied. "Thank you, Mister Cyan, I look forward to being able to converse with you at greater length than a single sheet of paper can hold."

He made another mumble, then bowed before exiting the house. Leo and Terra exchanged another round of farewells with Lola before following him. Once they were outside, Terra concurred, "Yes, thank you so much, Cyan, for offering to help with this. The more people we have, the less strain there is on any individual."

Cyan nodded, looking at the two of them wistfully. "Aye... But more importantly, the two of thee have a family to support, and I see that this work is often keeping thee from it." Shaking his head, he noted, "Separating a person from their family is a fate I wouldst not wish on my most hated enemy." Lifting his eyes to Leo, he quickly added, "Which thou most certainly art not. I bid the two of thee cherish the time thou hast together with each other and thy children, as thou can never be certain of when thou might lose it."

Leo stood up straighter, his eyes misting. "Sir Cyan, I..."

"Wallowing in regret and guilt will only sap the time thou hast left, Sir Leo. By my wishes, thou shalt engage in no such thing," Cyan requested, shaking his head.

Leo inhaled, nodding, before bowing and responding, "I thank you for your graciousness, Sir Cyan of Doma. I will honor your wishes."

"And I wish thee the best, Sir Leo of the Empire," Cyan replied.

Leo looked to Terra with a smile and took her hand. "Though I shall never forsake my homeland... it is 'of Mobliz' now..."

Cyan chuckled. "Very well, then... Sir Leo of Mobliz."

Leo sat at the table in the underground storage area in Mobliz going over the latest correspondences from around the world, a record softly playing in the background. Sitting at a desk in a dimly-lit room doing paperwork while listening to music... there was a comforting sort of familiarity to it. Kohlingen had set up a supply route between itself and Figaro, which could ferry goods between them and South Figaro, which could in turn connect with Nikeah by boat. Locke and Celes had been handling overseeing the Kohlingen continent while the two Figaro royals were managing the South Figaro continent. With Cyan stepping up to look after Maranda, that lifted some burden, but without a direct shipping port on the continent and three cities to serve, they were still heavily reliant on Setzer's airship. Tzen and Albrook still lacked a dedicated team, and Mobliz was too remote for a regular supply line and still relied solely on Leo and Terra returning with provisions.

It was Terra's turn to leave this time, and she was currently in Figaro negotiating a request for aid from the king in reconstructing and improving Mobliz's infrastructure. She had originally been nervous to act as an ambassador, but she had also recognized that perpetually deferring to Leo's expertise wouldn't improve her own competence if she never made the attempt herself, and she already had better rapport with the Figaro king than Leo did, anyway.

There was a soft thump of footsteps coming down the stairs, and Katarin entered the chamber carrying a baby in a sling across her chest. "Hi, I hope I'm not disturbing you," she ventured. "You've received another letter."

"Oh, it is certainly no disturbance, especially not from my littlest visitor," Leo replied, standing up to walk over to her. He leaned down to grin at the baby sleeping comfortably against her chest. "How are you doing, Noel? Are you feeling better now?"

"Heh, he finally stopped crying after he got something to eat, and he's been quiet for now. Duane's taking the opportunity to take a nap himself and I didn't want to disturb him in case Noel woke up and started crying again."

"What about you; are you in need of a break?" Leo wondered a little eagerly. "If he just ate, I can watch him for a while."

"Oh, would you?" Katarin requested. She undid the sling and carefully passed the baby over to Leo, who took him gingerly in his hands.

Noel started to squirm and moan a little, but Leo quickly whispered, "Oh, no, shh, it's okay. It's just me, your Uncle Leo. I'm going to look after you for a bit while your Mama gets some rest, okay?" he cooed while tying the sling around himself. The baby bubbled a little bit of drool between his lips and then fell back asleep.

Both Leo and Katarin relaxed a little, and Katarin handed the letter to him as well. "Oh, right, your mail. For some reason, this letter smells really nice."

Leo took the letter in interest, and confirmed that there was indeed a pleasant scent coming from it. "Mint...?" he wondered curiously. He opened the letter and read it over.

Dear Leo,
I was thinking about how Lola and Wes used to write each other letters while they were apart and thought it would be fun to write you one! Also, I wanted to give you an update on how things are going in Figaro. Edgar won't be able to spare any engineers for a while since right now they're focusing on getting a port built near Narshe so they can send soldiers and supplies there to liberate it from the monster infestation and make it livable again. However, he's collecting books for me from the Figaro library and has set me up with his chief architect to teach me a few hands-on basics to bring back to Mobliz with me. There's a lot to take in, but I hope it will still help until Figaro can send a full construction crew.
Also, while the architect was showing me around Figaro's engine room, I found this mint tea in their storage and thought of you, and they said I could have it. The matron said that mint tea is supposed to help you sleep, so I'm sure Duane and Katarin might appreciate it as well! Please share!
I should be home in a few days with the books and some tools. I can't wait to see you again and show you what I've learned. Say "hi" to baby Noel for me!
Love, Terra

Katarin peered up at him while Leo gazed at the packet that had come with the letter with a bashful grin. "Oh, my, are you blushing?" she giggled. "It's nice to see an Imperial soldier getting love letters delivered to him in Mobliz again, this time under much better circumstances, too."

Leo cleared his throat and absently rocked the baby tied to his chest. "Ah, yes, this was... quite a pleasant surprise..." he admitted. He brought the tea packet to his nose and inhaled deeply, then exhaled with a contented smile. Lingering on the feeling a moment longer, he then turned to Katarin, prompting, "Anyway, shall I make us some tea?"

Terra wiped the dirt off her hands and the sweat off her brow, standing up and looking over their handiwork. "All right, I think we followed the instructions in that book exactly, didn't we, Jeanne?"

"There were a couple parts that were confusing, but yeah," Jeanne confirmed.

"Ooh, ooh, can I test it out, pleeeease?" said Isabel, bouncing up and down. "I helped build it, after all."

"Yes, you were a very big help," Terra confirmed. "Why don't you give it a try?"

Isabel rolled up her sleeves and gripped the lever on the pipe protruding from the ground next to the house and pulled down on it. There was a screech of metal and a puff of dust out of the opening in the pipe. She pumped the handle a few more times, and eventually there was the sound of bubbling and sputtering, and suddenly the end of the pipe spit out a glob of mud followed by a stream of water.

"It works!" she and Terra both exclaimed together, holding hands and dancing around.

"Oh, wow, so with this we don't have to drag water up to the house with buckets, we can just pump that lever and fill them right here next to the door?" Duane confirmed, observing the results while rocking Noel in his arms. Noel was awake this time and was staring at the pile of mud in abject fascination. "There used to be a well in the center of town, but it was destroyed by Kefka. But we'd still have to haul water back to the house from it, so this is a great improvement even from that."

"So is this what Papa had back where he was from?" Jeanne wondered.

"Mm, not quite," Terra said, trying to remember what sorts of things she'd seen in the Vector palace during her short time there during the banquet. "They had water coming directly into the buildings and it was already cleaned and even heated. They also had some kind of system for taking away waste water, too. But that wasn't technology Figaro has so this is the most we can do with what we have right now. But this is still much better, right?"

"Yeah, that thing you brought back that digs holes all by itself was neat!" Charley said excitedly. "It digs even better than the dogs!"

A bird flew overhead and landed on the post next to the house, a letter tied to its leg. "Oh, we have mail!" Terra observed, removing the letter and giving the bird a little pat before sending it back on its way. Looking at the seal, she grinned a little giddily when she noticed, "It's for me!" Opening it excitedly, she read it over.

Dear Terra,
I write to inform you that Narshe has been secured. No casualties reported among the Figaro troops. A supply route is being constructed between the city and the coast to further movement of provisions and displaced citizens. Awaiting further orders Sorry, habit.
I don't have much experience writing personal messages, but yours was very nice and I wanted to try sending one, too. I also wanted to send you a present, and after liberating Narshe we found something that I think you all will like. In the cold storage in the caves was a trove of seeds. These are going to become a high commodity therefore I wanted to ensure some made it back to Mobliz ahead of me. I hope your water pump project was successful and I look forward to seeing your progress when I return. I expect it may be one or two weeks yet before I am able to leave and will keep you updated if that changes.
Thinking of you daily.
Leo Cristophe, GEN IGF Love, Leo

Terra held a hand to her mouth to suppress both a snicker and tears of happiness. His writing style was so stilted and formal even in a love letter and his penmanship was so much more refined than hers, but she found it absolutely endearing. She carefully detached the packets of seeds that he had included with his missive, each one labeled with its contents.

"So did Papa send you something nice?" Isabel wondered curiously.

Terra grinned and crouched down, showing the children the seed packets. "He sent us seeds to plant! We're going be able to have all sorts of new greenery and flowers and fresh vegetables now!" Lili was excited about the flowers while Ivan was rather nonplussed about the vegetables. Terra pointed out two seed packets labeled "onion" and "celery" to Isabel and Jeanne, adding, "And it looks like now we're going to be able to make that Rice and Beans recipe for real."

Terra sat at the counter in the underground storage going through paperwork, the record player serenading her in the background. Managing the worldwide supply chain was still daunting, but there were some experiences from her time in Mobliz that she was unexpectedly able to put to great use to this work. Most of the letters were to inform them of what items were in greatest need in each region, and this information would then be forwarded on to the monster hunting teams to instruct them which monsters to hunt. And it just so happened that all of those monster books in Mobliz turned out to be handy guides as to what items could be poached from which monsters, as well as where to find them. Well, where to find them in the old world, at least.

Terra headed upstairs and outside to attach a set of instructions to a carrier pigeon and send it on its way. As she watched the bird fly away into the clear, blue sky, she slowly lowered her eyes towards the horizon across the sinkhole towards the forest. There, she caught sight of a figure in a long green coat standing at the edge of the forest and beckoning her with his hand.

Terra's throat swelled and she broke into a wide grin as she hurried across the strip of land around the sinkhole to meet him. He opened his arms and she practically launched herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly. "Welcome home!" she cooed excitedly, pressing her face into his collar and deeply inhaling his scent. Oh, she'd missed this scent.

Leo returned the gesture, holding her snugly and burying his face in her hair, also taking a long, deep breath. "It's good to be home..." he whispered, his shoulders sagging with contentment. Smiling into her hair, he added, "And it looks like I may be here for a while..."

"Oh?" Terra questioned, pulling back to look up at him with a tentative smile. "Hopefully it's because something good happened."

Leo laughed and led her towards the forest. "A few things, actually. I have secured contacts with a number of engineers in Narshe and Figaro, and they are open to scheduling a consultation to see what additional infrastructure repairs and improvements can be made here. However, I certainly want everyone to be present as I don't want them making any changes to this town that the residents don't all approve of. Jidoor has also requested a shipping port be constructed there, and their location makes them ideal to serve as a hub between Albrook and South Figaro, which will open the Southern Continent to greater ease of goods transport."

"Oh, that is good news!" Terra agreed. "It will certainly lighten Setzer's load. I think he's starting to miss his old carefree lifestyle a bit."

"Heh, I think all of our air carriers deserve a break, actually," Leo noted. He whistled between his fingers into the forest and was met with a "Wark!" in response. Orcus strutted into view and bobbed his head excitedly, then turned around and made a few more squawks back into the trees. Another chocobo, this one with the typical yellow plumage, poked its head around the trees with a tentative "Kweh?"

Terra held her hands to her mouth to unsuccessfully suppress a grin. "Oh my gosh... does Orcus have a girlfriend?!"

Leo nodded and rubbed Orcus's neck. "Orcus has done great work this year, but I believe I should follow Sir Cyan's example and make some adjustments to my travel schedule to allow him to spend time with his family." He smiled back to Terra. "And, of course, so that I can spend more time with mine."

Terra bounced a little giddily and hugged him again, then looked over Orcus's back towards the shy yellow chocobo peeking from behind the trees. Giggling, she noted, "It looks like you've found yourself a wonderful chocobo, Orcus. I wish the two of you the best." Settling down a little, she blushed slightly, adding, "And if you end up having any babies, I'd love to meet them."

Orcus gave her a coy look and nibbled her hair with a coo before turning to rejoin his friend in the forest. Terra smoothed her hair out as she watched them leave, then looked up at Leo, saying, "I don't speak chocobo the way Gau does, but... I swear he just said 'you too'."

Leo's face snapped flush and he stammered, "Oh! Well, um... is that... something you were even considering?"

Terra rubbed her arm bashfully, looking to the side. "Well, I have thought about it sometimes, yes. But with as busy as everything has been, it never seemed like a good time to really bring it up." Looking back up at him, she confessed, "But, you know... Jeanne and Isabel are really becoming pretty self-sufficient, and they're helping out a lot around the house and with the other children, too. And if we don't need to leave to personally run supplies or fight monsters or conduct diplomatic arrangements as much anymore... and if our housing situation gets improved, then..." She raised her eyebrows at him hopefully. "What do you think? Did... you want to have children?"

Leo swallowed, the warmth in his face spreading. Straightening up, he stuttered, "Well... yes, it is certainly a notion I have entertained. I had been worried that since I had never actually taken care of children before that perhaps I had an overly-romanticized notion of it, but my past few months here looking after Noel and the older children has made me fully understand that..." He shook his head with a sheepish smile. "... I want one. However, I was afraid that voicing my desire might put undue pressure on you when this is a decision you should absolutely be making for yourself. But... if this is something that you also want, then..."

Terra nodded, taking his hands. "It's been so rewarding helping people grow and recover from everything that's happened. And I thought how nice it would be to help someone grow right from the very beginning..."

"To help them discover their potential in this new world..." Leo added wistfully.

Terra gave him an endearing smile, but twirled her finger in her hair with a bit of hesitation. "But like you said about worrying about over-romanticizing it, I have seen how much it's worn Duane and Katarin out, and I know that in order to have children we'd need to... make love... And while I've been curious about it and know conceptually what we need to do, I've never..." She blushed awkwardly.

Leo let out a warm breath and squeezed her hands. "This is something we absolutely can and should take our time with. Just because we've had this conversation now doesn't mean we need to act immediately." He cleared his throat and looked absently off into the trees. "And it's something I'm going to have to gradually work up to as it is. I may not be completely without experience, but it has been a good many years..." He looked back to her with a twitch of a smile. "But I think that clumsily feeling our way through this together may make it more enjoyable."

Terra lifted herself up on her toes to give him a soft kiss on the lips. "I look forward to it."

"Mama! Papa! Wake up!" Lili exclaimed, bouncing excitedly and shaking the large lump under the bedcovers.

Leo inhaled and rolled over, blinking hazily at her through half-lidded eyes. "Good morning, Lili..." he greeted through a yawn.

Terra draped herself over his shoulder, her hair an intricate tangle. "Is it time to get up already?"

"No, everyone else is still asleep," Lili informed them happily. "But I just couldn't wait to check on my seed again! And this morning it finally sprouted!" She raised her arms in the air enthusiastically.

"Oh!" Terra and Leo said in unison, becoming quite a bit more awake at that information.

Lili ran to the door and jogged in place next to it. "Come see! Come see!"

Leo sat up in bed and pulled on his shirt and boots while Terra re-adjusted her tunic and straightened her hair. "It's been over two weeks since we planted those, so I was getting worried they weren't going to come up," Terra said as she slipped on her shoes.

They followed Lili outside to the garden behind the house where she continued to bounce. "See?! See?!"

And as she had said, it wasn't just her seed that had sprouted, but tiny fresh green tendrils were poking out of the ground all in a line. Terra crouched down, noticing, "Oh, the gysahl greens are starting to come up, too! That's perfect timing for Orcus and his new family!" She looked up at Leo with wavering eyes, biting back a grin. "Life really is coming back, Leo!"

"Indeed..." he concurred with a warm smile. "When the contractors and engineers get here, we're going to have to make sure they don't disturb this fragile new life."

As if in response to his statement, there was a whirl of propellers overhead and the airship sailed slowly into view, rotating and landing just outside of town. A ramp was deployed and dozens of builders from what looked like every country began unloading tools and materials.

Terra and Leo approached the airship as Edgar disembarked. "Good morning, General! Terra! We've reviewed the plans for the repairs and improvements you requested and are ready to start as soon as everything is set up."

Terra looked around at the numerous workers, saying in surprise, "This many? Leo said he'd been communicating with a few contractors but I didn't realize how many there were."

"This number actually surprises me as well," Leo agreed. "Your Majesty, where did all of these workers come from?"

Edgar gave him a knowing look and a smirk. "General, you are far too modest. When the call went out to assist General Leo in rebuilding his home of Mobliz, we had volunteers from all over the world eager to help. The influence of your work has reached far and wide, and people are all too happy to return the favor."

Sabin came out from behind him, flexing his arms. "I'm here for some heavy lifting! ... And to check in on my friends," he added with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "You two are looking good!"

Gau suddenly sprang up out of nowhere. "Gau come, too! Mobliz get separated from Veldt, but Mobliz still part of Veldt. Gau help Terra! Gau help General! Gau help Mister Thou!"

"No, Mister Thou is still on the airship," Sabin responded in slight annoyance.

"Oh, Cyan came, too?" Terra wondered.

"Everyone came," Locke confirmed, approaching with Celes. "Once more and more people started volunteering, we decided, you know, maybe we should have a big reunion or something. It's been six months since we were all together to fight Kefka, after all."

Celes nodded. "And we've got some things for you. Edgar made a request of my knowledge of the Empire and Locke's treasure-hunting skills to sift through the remains of Kefka's tower to see if we could salvage any Imperial knowledge or technology that would help further the restoration of the world." She nodded to Leo, confirming, "You're right that the Empire's methods were brutal, but its airships and machines could really help us."

"Just as long as it is only the technology and research you are taking," Leo requested. "The removal of any surviving personal artifacts from that site I feel would constitute grave-robbing... unless your intent is to return them to their owners."

"Heh, well, yeah, that's one of the reasons we came out here," Locke admitted. He pulled out a burned and battered sword and held it out to Leo. "We found this pretty close to the top of the rubble. I'm pretty sure it's yours."

Leo gasped, gingerly taking the sword from his hand. "Yes... this is indeed my Crystal Blade... I left it embedded in Kefka's chest when we defeated him, but considered it a worthwhile sacrifice. I am surprised that it survived." He gazed at Locke in gratitude. "Thank you for returning this to me... Even though it likely is no longer suitable for battle, I am grateful to have a relic of my home."

Celes stepped forward and held out a tattered book to Terra. "And I know you didn't really have any personal attachments in Vector, but we still found this and thought maybe you'd like to have it."

Terra took the book curiously and carefully opened it in an attempt to preserve the integrity of the pages. Inside she found drawings and informational text concerning all of the Espers that had been held in the Magitek Research Facility. Her eyes widening, she flipped through the pages until she found an image of Maduin, her father, his likeness preserved there on the paper even now that his Magicite remains had vanished. Her eyes watering, she lightly stroked her fingertips over the page while whispering, "Thank you..."

Leo looked over her shoulder at the page, nodding in approval. "Thank you, both of you. These are truly wondrous gifts." Swallowing and turning his eyes hopefully back to Locke and Celes, he wondered, "Did you... happen find anything else of mine?"

Celes shook her head. "No, that sword was the only thing of yours we could salvage. I know you had your whole music collection in Vector, but there was absolutely nothing left of that, or anything else that had been in your office or quarters."

"Ah..." he responded. "Still, that you have been able to return even this much to us is more than we could have ever hoped to have asked for."

"Now hold it right there!" came a loud and shrill voice. Relm and Strago toddled up to them, Relm crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. "You buffoons are missing the big picture here!"

Strago coughed, then held out a rectangular object covered in a cloth towards Leo. "Yes, well, what my granddaughter is trying to say is that she has brought you a gift as well."

"For me?" Leo questioned, tentatively taking the object. Relm was someone he'd had scant little interaction with, so he had little idea of what she could possibly want to give him. He slowly removed the cloth from the rectangular object, and upon seeing it, covered his mouth with his hand with a pronounced choke and stumbled backwards. "This... where did you get this?!"

Relm pointed at her head. "From right here," she informed him. "We found that painting while we were in Kefka's tower, but it was pretty badly damaged and it looked like someone had scribbled on it. But I'm the world's greatest artist, after all, so I was able to memorize the original details and reconstruct it after we got out."

Terra leaned over to look at the painting in Leo's hands. It was an image of him, though much younger, yet nevertheless standing at stiff attention in a manner that was quite familiar to her. But seated in front of him was an older woman with smooth, dark skin, curly brown hair, and a soft expression. Terra let out a small gasp and wondered, "Leo, is... that your mother?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, his hand still covering his mouth. "Emperor Gestahl was an avid painting collector and had a portrait commissioned of each of his highest-ranking officials. As my mother was my greatest support through my early years, I asked that she also be present for mine. After she died, this painting was... all I had left of her."

Relm fidgeted a little. "Well, I mean, I know what it's like not having your mom and only remembering her through a memento. So I thought, I dunno, maybe you'd like that, too."

Leo nodded and wiped his tears away. "Thank you, Relm, this truly is the greatest gift you could have given me. I apologize profusely for any unfavorable thoughts or comments I may have had towards you in the past. You are a most considerate person."

"Heh, well, yeah, I mean... plus I thought Terra would like to have a picture of you from when you were actually kinda hot," she added.

Leo was silent a moment, then simply repeated, "... A most considerate person."

Relm nodded, considering that transaction complete, and ran off to play with the dogs. Leo sighed, then turned back to gaze at the painting fondly. Terra hugged the book of Espers against her chest and joined him, bumping her head against his shoulder and commenting, "I guess this means that now the children will get to know more about their grandparents."

A warm grin spread to Leo's face. "That is true. And also... I feel that my mother was likely often lonely due to my extended absences. But at least now she can watch over a household that is always full of family."

"Aye, being surrounded by family is a wonderful thing," came Cyan's voice.

Leo looked up from the painting to greet the Doman retainer. "Sir Cyan, it is good to see you again. I hope that your work in Maranda has been fruitful."

"That it has," Cyan conceded with a smile. "Miss Lola has been of great support to the effort as well, which has allowed plentiful time for rest and conversation. It is through these efforts that I am finding my place of belonging and purpose again, so I thank thee, Sir Leo, for offering me this opportunity, and Lady Terra for assisting me in overcoming my reservations."

"You're welcome, Cyan," Terra said with a smile. "It's so good to see you doing well."

Cyan stretched his neck to look over her shoulder at the numerous children curiously running around inspecting the equipment that was being laid out, with a few of them asking dozens of questions while Duane and Katarin tried to keep the younger ones out of the way. With a bright smile, Cyan noted, "I see thy young ones are also doing well. I had yet to have the opportunity to visit Mobliz in this world and was eager to meet them."

"Of course, you're welcome to visit any time," Terra agreed. "And I think it would do the children good to be able to socialize with new people. Hopefully they don't get too overwhelmed with so many here at once, though."

Cyan nodded. "And as I am... perhaps not the most skilled in tool usage and thus can only provide limited assistance to the construction efforts, I felt instead that if thou needest any assistance in watching over the children during this project's commotion then I am willing and eager to provide mine." With a smirk, he added, "And thou art also free to call on me for the same in the future if the two of thee are in need of an excursion. I recall Lady Terra lamenting that she missed doing so."

Leo and Terra both blushed. "Oh! Well... that is certainly a kind offer, Sir Cyan, but we have certainly been able to spend more time together at home these past few weeks thanks to your continued assistance in Maranda."

"Yeah, but you don't want to be homebodies all the time, right?" said Setzer, strolling up to them. "I recall you speaking quite fondly of your musical interests in Kefka's tower. And I just so happen to have quite the history with the Jidoor Opera House, and when I stopped by there recently it came to my attention that the Impresario is quite in your debt." He held out a pamphlet to Leo, stating, "He asked me to pass this on to you."

Leo took the pamphlet with a flustered pursing of his lips, then opened it to look it over. "This is... the performance schedule for the next year. And..." He swallowed with a blush. "... A pair of VIP lifetime passes..."

"What does that mean?" Terra wondered with a tilt of her head.

Leo chuckled in embarrassment. "It seems it means that should the desire and favorable circumstances arise, we can go to the opera whenever we wish."

Terra's eyes widened and she leaned over to look at the pamphlet. With a small squeak, she bit her lip and looked up at Leo hopefully. "They're doing The Lion and the Sorceress next month."

"Heh, your previous expressed interest in seeing that one has been stirring in the back of my mind for a while," he said with a smile. He read the pamphlet in greater earnest, and when he got to the bottom he let out a slight choke. "Wait, their final show of the season is... Orco e Delphina." He squinted to ensure he was reading that right. "I have never seen that on their schedule before..."

"Maybe having them perform it for us helped them to realize that its themes of hope after loss shouldn't be kept so obscure," Terra wondered. She fidgeted back and forth with a grin. "So... what do you think?"

Leo's face warmed as he looked up from the pamphlet to Setzer and Cyan. "I think... we are going to be making good use of Sir Cyan's offer to watch the children."

Repairs to Mobliz took about a month, with the existing houses being renovated and several new ones added. The children all gained above-ground bedrooms and their own beds, an office wing was added to the post office for greater efficiency, and a windmill was constructed on the seaside cliff and connected to Terra's pumping system to provide a steady flow of fresh groundwater to the town. While the secrets of the Empire's intricate plumbing technology had yet to be unlocked by the Figaro engineers, Terra and the others were still plenty excited by what they'd gained.

Terra folded clothes and put them in a dresser while she watched some of the children play in the new play area outside the window. Living in a place where light could stream in... It felt so foreign to her, but nevertheless so... right. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly as her lips pulled into a contented smile.

Leo quietly approached behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and leaning down to give her a soft kiss on the shoulder. She shivered pleasantly, leaning back into him and tilting her head up to look into his eyes. "Hey..." she grinned up at him. "Everything all set?"

He nodded once. "The warm water and cold water tanks are full so that should be sufficient until we get back. Meal prep ingredients have been left out in the kitchen, and the training equipment has been put away for now. Duane is making progress but I still don't want him trying to use it without supervision."

Terra regarded him thoughtfully. "What about me? Am I... getting stronger?"

Leo nuzzled the top of her head. "You already had the benefit of some combat training prior so your starting points are unequal. And refining an existing skill shows a much more granular level of progress then initially learning the skill outright." He ran his fingertips along her arm. "But I can definitely feel the improvement in your motor control."

She relaxed into him and stroked his cheek. "I'd been so reliant on magic my whole life, that it's still... scary without it sometimes. Knowing that I could fall or get injured or freeze and not be able to stop it..." She closed her eyes and nodded. "But those are fears you've lived your entire life with and yet you're still so strong. So I know that as long as I have you teaching me... that I'll be okay."

There was a knock at the door, and without even waiting for them to respond, Lili burst in and announced, "Mama, Papa, Mister Cyan is here!"

"Oh, quite punctual," Leo commended, checking the clock in the room.

They exited the bedroom to the front of the house to meet Cyan at the door. Cyan bowed, stating, "Good afternoon to thee, Sir Leo, Lady Terra. Setzer is outside with thy transport."

Terra bounced giddily. "Thank you so much, Cyan, for doing this. I've been looking forward to this all month!"

Leo stood up straight and folded his hands behind his back, instructing him, "Meals are laid out in the kitchen, fresh sets of clothing are in the bedroom dresser. Bed time is 2100 sharp, story time before that. Felix is only allowed to throw his ball outdoors. Despite what he says, Ivan is not allergic to vegetables. Please give Charley a bath if he gets too dirty playing outside. The hot and cold water pumps are labeled. Jeanne sometimes hides herself with her books. She is likely fine, but please check on her periodically. Duane and Katarin now live in the neighboring house with baby Noel. They can provide assistance if needed however Noel can get fussy if disturbed."

"Hoh hoh, thou runnest a tight ship, General," Cyan said with a laugh. He nodded, affirming, "I promise I shall look after thy children with utmost care. In return I ask that the two of thee relax and enjoy thyselves. Thou hast certainly earned it."

Leo let out a chuckle of a sigh and relaxed his shoulders. "Yes... quite correct, Sir Cyan. Thank you for allowing us this opportunity."

Dennis cocked his head. "So are you gonna go fight another monster?"

Terra laughed. "No, this time we're just going to see a show together at the opera house."

"I knew it! They're going on a date!" Isabel exclaimed, fists clenched.

Leo and Terra both blushed, while Frances waved at them, shouting, "Yaay, have a good date!"

Clearing his throat, Leo told them, "Yes, we shall return tomorrow, so in the meantime I would ask that you all be on your best behavior for Sir Cyan. He is from the ancient kingdom of Doma and I am certain he has many exciting stories to tell."

The children all babbled excitedly at the prospect of new stories while now it was Cyan's turn to blush. Leo leaned towards him and said softly, "My education concerning Doman history and culture came only from Imperial textbooks. I would rather they learn about it from its source, so they can help carry it on. And... perhaps someday you could teach me as well."

Cyan closed his eyes to hide their wetness and gave a soft sniff. "It would be my honor..."

Terra took a slow sip of her mint cocoa, then let out a contented sigh and leaned against Leo's arm as they sat together in the booth in the opera house lounge. "Ahh... I was looking forward to this almost as much as the show."

Leo sipped his own drink, also nodding in approval. "Fine music does take time to properly seep into your being, much like this warm drink." He set down his cup and raised an expectant brow to her. "Well? Did it live up to your expectations?"

"Heh, mostly," Terra admitted. "The characters were so lively and the music was fantastic, and I really just... loved the theme of being born to a certain fate but how love and friendship can help you overcome it. Angelina was rejected by the other humans because she could use magic, but Griever gave her a place to belong, and learned that he could be loved himself. That really was what I was hoping to see in a story like this, and it didn't disappoint there."

Leo's lips were pulled into a cheeky grin as though trying to suppress a laugh. "But...?" he prompted.

Terra fidgeted, swirling her mug. "Mmh... it's been such a nice outing, and you love opera so much, I don't want to say anything negative..."

Leo let out the laugh he'd been holding. "Terra, the best thing about seeing a show with someone is being able to talk about it with them afterwards, the good and the bad." He nudged her with his elbow. "After all, the two of us confessed our feelings to each other at this very table after a rather passionate critique of my favorite opera."

Terra blushed and smiled wistfully. "Heh, well, in that case..." She fidgeted her fingers over her mug a little more. "I mean, I know this was written by humans who had never seen magic or Espers before, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but at the same time..." She looked up at him with a perplexed eyebrow and a bewildered grin. "... What was that?"

"I take it you found their depiction of magic unconvincing?" he replied with a snicker. Terra merely leaned down and thudded her forehead on the table in response, which only caused Leo to laugh harder.

"But seriously, though, I loved the characters, I loved the music, I loved the story, but then it gets to this tense battle and it's, 'I only have five Fires left!', like magic is some consumable item like a potion..." she mumbled. She rolled her head to the side to look up at Leo with a bemused grin. "It kind of broke the immersion. But I still really liked it overall." She bit her lip and looked up at him hesitantly. "Maybe even more than Orco e Delphina."

Leo rubbed her back. "Terra, you're allowed to like different things from me. I'm just happy that I've been able to help you experience something that makes you happy. Although..." He looked ahead thoughtfully. "If you like The Lion and the Sorceress more than Orco e Delphina, then that means Orco e Delphina is your least favorite opera that you've seen..."

"Oh no!" said Terra not entirely seriously, sitting up. She fished out the schedule pamphlet and looked it over, suggesting, "Well, then that just means we need to see more." She flipped it around and pointed at the calendar. "When we fought the dragon the Impresario said the song they played for us was from Rex Insomnem, right? They opened the season with that one and we already missed it, but there's a rerun performance of it in two months. He said it was a new show, so even you've never seen that one, right?"

Leo felt an intense warmth in his heart at her enthusiasm for this, both because it was something she could find excitement in, but also because it was something they could be unabashedly enthusiastic about together. "A new experience for both of us, then..." he agreed with a smile. He reached over to take her hand and kissed the back of her knuckle. "I wholeheartedly accept your proposal."

Leo and Terra stood at the railing of the ferry that now ran between Jidoor and the opera house, gazing out across the star-lit ocean as the waves gently rocked them. Leo let out a contented sigh, noting, "I am certainly looking forward to being able to fully enjoy those soft beds at Jidoor's inn. The last time we were there my troubled sleep didn't allow me to adequately appreciate them."

Terra quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're just looking forward to sleeping?"

He replied with his own knowing smirk. "I did say 'fully enjoy', Terra."

She laughed with a light blush and leaned against the railing to wistfully watch the moonlight dance over the waves. "It's funny... the last time we were on a ship together like this I was worried I would never be able to experience love... and now I can't even imagine my life without it. You told me that there wasn't anything in particular I could do in order to find it, only that you were sure that I eventually would. That didn't make sense to me at the time, but..." She turned to look up at him with a smile. "I think I finally understand what you were trying to say."

He returned the smile softly and leaned against the railing with her, lacing his fingers together loosely. "I think you understand it even more deeply than what I had ever told you. You discovered it for yourself and made it your own, then passed that wisdom back to myself and others when we were in need of it. That is not something that can be taught. It is a reflection of who you are intrinsically."

Terra felt a bubble of happiness in her chest at his praise, the same as she had that night on the ship a year and a half ago when he had first validated her feelings. "I see the same in you. Even when you were in a state where you didn't consciously know yourself, you still were driven to help and serve others and make their lives better. That person is who you are at your core... and the person I fell in love with..." she said softly with a blush.

Now it was Leo's turn to feel a warmth in his chest. The giddy contentment he felt when he interacted with her hadn't diminished at all in the six months they'd been together. And now that their lives were starting to settle down and they were able to spend recreational time like this together, for the first time in likely his entire life he felt... at peace.

He reached over to take her hands, slowly wrapping his fingers around them and feeling their soft warmth. "Terra... my life would have likely taken an ultimately much more tragic path had I not met and fallen in love with you. And I think... that is a reflection of the power that love has. I had told you before that I believed love was expressed through joy and grief, but perhaps in the broader sense it is simply the desire for a continued existence. That no matter how bad things may get, the will to keep trying is tied to that very desire. And that even the smallest act that helps someone continue onward is an act of love."

Terra nodded, squeezing his hands back. "Yes... and I think that's how we ultimately defeated Kefka. That even though he ruined the world and stole all our sources of hope... he couldn't steal our love. Destruction may be inevitable, but it has no aim. It simply 'is'. So love, which has drive and purpose, will always overcome it eventually. It can still be difficult and painful, but... it gets better."

Leo nodded with a soft smile, then turned his head to gaze out over the ocean. "It does indeed. When the river meets the sea, it does not end, but rather transforms. Its form may be new and unfamiliar and requires new means to traverse it, but it continues to exist all the same." He turned back to her, saying, "And... I look forward to traversing it by your side. Wherever that river may take us, whatever sea it may join... I wish to share that journey with you."

Terra's throat welled and she pursed her lips together in an emotive smile. Reaching her arms up behind his neck, she pulled him into a tight embrace, which he earnestly returned. She had been able to experience so many new things thanks to him and was eager to experience many more. The world was different now, but it was a world of new possibilities. A world where people from so many different walks of life had come together to fight for its continued existence.

A world that was saved by love.