"Sir," interrupted the conductor of Vinzer Deling's private train, "a report from the decoy car has confirmed your suspicions. An unknown terrorist organization seized the car."

"Ah!" Deling exclaimed, "wonderful! I knew that the extra precautions would be helpful! We can enjoy a carefree journey, then! I don't know how you knew about them, Edea, but kudos to you!"

Ultimecia ignored Deling as she sat in a plush chair as the train quickly made its way to the second largest city in the Galbadian Empire. Timber had the only television station in the entire Western Hemisphere. The broadcast would be short, but an important part of assuring her dominance over the rest of the world. Now, she merely looked about her, watching the landscape pass her by with an almost serene indifference to the natural beauty she would have once admired in quiet awe.

"...my pleasure to introduce, the Sorceress!"

Deling's constant practice of his own speech was another obnoxious distraction. She was very thankful that Edea had quietly given up her struggle to regain control of her mind. She would have to act fast, though. She had no idea how powerful the Sorceress she inhabited actually was, and to lose control during her final plans would be an unbearable loss. She would have to find Ellone, and if she was correct about Adel...

"...Sorceress Edea! No, no, no, no... That's no good... the SORCERESS!!"

"Just say something to them," Ultimecia snapped hastily, hoping that it would shut him up. "They are pathetic worms, anyway."

"O-oh," Deling stuttered, taken aback by his powerful companion's venomous demand. He sat back, eyeing her nervously as she continued to sit in mute introspection as the landscape raced by.

"Honorable Sorceress, President Deling," came a voice over the intercom, "we will be arriving in Timber within minutes. We thank you both for your inspiring presence."

Looking out the window, Ultimecia watched as a small town came into view just as the train climbed a hill. Timber was a remote town, very much out of the way from the rest of Galbadia. It stood as a lone sanctuary in the middle of vast wilderness. A couple of buildings stood prominently above the rest of the city. One of them, Ultimecia reasoned, was the television station.

"We will be entering through the V.I.P. entrance," Deling told her. "There are rumors of a terrorist organization that is trying to fight the government for independence... like they even know what independence means!"

This time, Ultimecia merely ignored her puppet and watched as the train slowed its progress. Taking the alternative tracks, they pulled into the northern end of town.

Deling stood as the train stopped, unable to contain his excitement. He was sweating slightly, looking nervous and pensive about something.

"What is wrong now?" Ultimecia snapped, her loathing of surprises fueling her angered outburst.

"I, um... I get nervous before I speak..." the Galbadian President admitted. Wiping his brow, he smiled weakly and exited the train. As he stepped out, a battalion of soldiers was standing at attention, forming a human aisle toward the rear entrance of the station. He saluted to them and looked back at the train.

Ultimecia had emerged, wearing the avian mask that amplified the effects of the cerebral crown. As she walked to Deling, the soldiers bowed, showing the customary respect for a Sorceress. Charmed for a brief moment, she realized that Deling had taught them the age-old tradition.

"You are looking radiant, Edea!" he beamed, even as she wore the mask. Allowing herself a weak smile while under the protective guise of her mask, Ultimecia walked toward Deling and took his offered arm. They walked into the television station amid the applause of those assembled within the building. Not even that noise, however, could drown out a familiar feeling. Unable to identify it for the moment, she concentrated on making her entrance. Soon, it would be time to announce her plans to the world.

Chapter 32

"Was she pretty?"

"What?"

"Your mother. Was she pretty?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You have been in my mind, Ultimecia, but I have been with you the whole time. I feel what you feel."

"Nonsense. I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I think that you do. Your powers don't seem to work one way."

"My powers are not your concern. I am no one's concern."

"Why? I can feel your spirit torture yourself every day that you are with me. I can tell that you need something... but instead you are trying to hide."

"Hide? From what? From you? I think that you had best silence yourself..."

"Are you that scared of yourself that no one can tell you what you already know about yourself to be true? Do you think that this is the way to solve things?"

"What would you know about me to be true? You do not know me, you don't know what I have seen or felt..."

"But I do. You have felt pain... such a great deal of pain for one so young..."

"Pain is relative. Perhaps what is pain to you is pleasure for me..."

"I think not. I think that you are forcing yourself to think that way... you will never find what you are looking for through destruction."

"I will find release. I will find peace. They will have rest."

"Why don't you tell me about it? Maybe I can help you."

"Ha! Why should you help me? What do you have to gain?"

"My body, for one..."

"Humph."

"...but I also do things out of love, Ultimecia. I love all Sorceresses... and to see you fall into such pain hurts me as well. How did you let such darkness overwhelm you?"

"You can't possibly understand how I feel, Benign One. You have a pure Sorceress heart. Mine was borne into damnation. There is nothing but agony left for me in this world or any other. I must end it all so that I can rest... so they can rest."

"Are you truly so different from the rest of us that you set yourself so far apart?"

"I don't know who I am..."

"Then why do you seek rest from someone you do not know?"

(...fithos...lusec...wecos...vinosec...)

"Because the me inside is evil... the me inside should never be found."

"I don't think that you are evil. I think that you are frightened."

(...i want my mommy...)

"What?"

"Nothing at all… You poor child..."

"I am not a child!"

"Stop trying to hide from everyone! Stop trying to hide from love!"

"LOVE? There is no allowance for love! Love is something that is given to you by time, only time will tear it away from you and never give it back! Love forges bonds that you think will never be broken, bonds so strong that when they are finally ripped apart, you can never heal the wound! Love opens your heart, but allows it to be filled with pain! If love is so important, Edea, then why does the world fight against it in every animalistic instinct? If love is so crucial, then why is it torn from all of us? If love is so great, then why does it do nothing but ready us for torment? How can one feel love and expect it to last? Nothing lasts but agony in this world! This world is evil, this world is polluted, and it must be cleansed..."

"Ultimecia..."

"...but there can be no end to this world with time. Time is the great enemy, the beast that taunts our mortal emotions, the fiend that tricks us into caring about one another. Then, without any thought or qualm, it TEARS THEM AWAY! We are left hollow and without anything to fill us again. What is even worse is that we cannot fight back. Time is not a being that can be killed. It is a force of eternity. I will control time. I will mold it as I see fit. I will make it my slave... and then I will slay it."

"Slay time? How would you do that?"

"Hyne once tried the same thing..."

"You mean time compression?"

"I do."

"But even Hyne admitted that it could never work..."

"Her motives were not pure. She sought to control time to suit her own vanity."

"You seek revenge. How is that different?"

"I seek to end this cruel joke that has been forced upon us. Mortals have been robbed of their dignity long enough..."

"But what about those of us that have found the love that you say cannot exist? Would not death destroy their dignity as well? Would you destroy those victories that love has made? I have found love in so many, and though they are apart from me, I shall always have that treasure within my heart..."

"I seek not to kill, but to end..."

"But why give up? Why not find this love for yourself?"

"My heart cannot hold such love... not when it was taken away from me."

"It can! Love is not something that can ever be taken away! It can find you again! You can be forgiven for all of this still!"

"NO! I cannot!"

"What about us, Ultimecia? Would you destroy those who have found love for themselves? Would you slay the innocent to hide your pain?"

"Yes."

"Yes? Why?"

"Because... I hate those people most of all."

"You can't mean that..."

"Why?"

"..."

"Why?!"

"Was she pretty, Ultimecia?"

(...leave me alone...)

"Leave me alone."

Chapter 33

Ultimecia awoke, sitting in an empty room that overlooked Timber. After realizing that she must have blacked out again, she smiled. Vinzer Deling had grown accustomed to finding suitable quarters for her whenever she experienced one of her "spells." He even made excuses for her, and whenever she fell into her own mind, she never once awoke without a bed or chair underneath her. It was almost unfortunate that he had to die.

Even more pressing on her mind were the sensations that she felt upon awakening. The feeling that she had felt coming into the station was still present, only more prominent. She had to know what it was!

Standing, she felt a wave of nausea pass through her as she found her balance. The conversation that she had with Edea had unnerved her, and the unwelcome sensation of loneliness and sadness flooded her mind. Imagining the voice that she had heard so plainly, she eyed the hands of the body that she inhabited. What was she doing?

A knock at the door caused her to turn sharply, her agitation a product of her renewed torment.

"What is it?" she barked, and the door opened slowly. It was an employee of the television station.

"They are ready to begin, Sorceress."

"Tell me," she said suddenly, "who is here today?"

"Just you, the president, his body guards, and the staff, Sorceress."

Then who, she wondered, was giving her darkened senses such an alarming jolt? There was someone in the station that did not belong there... someone quite distinct in his or her yearnings.

"Where is Deling now?" she asked.

"In studio A," the employee replied.

"Take me there."

The employee bowed and led Ultimecia through the vast hallways of the television station. The walls were a dingy white, dirty from the years of disuse. Low-hung, buzzing fluorescent lights lit the halls. All about, people ran to and fro with excited anticipation. It was, for some unknown reason to Ultimecia, a cause for jubilation that the television signals would be opened to the world. To her, it was a means to an end, almost unessential.

"We will be broadcasting all over the world!" the employee gushed as though he were talking to his best friend. "Galbadia's announcement for peace will be the first mass communicated message in years!"

Peace. The very concept obviously held such a different meaning for Ultimecia than it did for all those in that ran about her. Still, something about what the man had said caused her to question him. While he was arrogant in his assumptions of her interest in his words, he was still a source of information.

"Why is this the first in so many years?" she asked. "What happened that caused the signal to be halted?"

"Well," the man said, "the Galbadian war with Dollet was one, but then there was the signal failure right after the Sorceress Wars."

"Signal failure?"

"Yeah. After we lost the signal, we also lost contact with Esthar. Pretty weird, huh?"

Realization hit Ultimecia hard, her history lessons suddenly leaping to the forefront of her memory. Not only was Ellone Loire alive during this period, but so, too, was Sorceress Adel, only she was being held prisoner by Laguna Loire in her spatial containment field. Instantaneously, her mind raced at the possibilities that this presented. She had to force herself to keep calm as she was led further into the station, through a set of metallic double-doors that read "STUDIO A. ON AIR IN FIVE MINUTES."

"President Deling is waiting for you just through those curtains, Sorceress Edea." With that, the employee left to go about his errands. Ultimecia looked at the huge red curtains that blocked her path. Insulted with the fact that she had to open them herself, she walked inside and squinted Edea's eyes.

There were so many lights falling on one platform that she had to wait a moment before her sight adjusted to the stark contrast from the station's halls. Three cameramen were in position, and President Deling sat off to the side while a man in a similar suit stood at the podium.

"We're on in less than two minutes, sir," one of the cameramen said to the man standing at the podium. He nodded back and waited for the clock on the wall to count down.

"Edea!" Deling called from his seat, "Please, sit down and enjoy this momentous occasion!"

She simply eyed him back, her mask forming around her head as she hid from the bright lights. Folding her arms, she waited for her chance to speak. She thought about how shocked Deling and the rest of the world would be, and although an insignificant part of her plan, she could not help but smile at the very thought.

Looking around, she saw the many seats of the studio in what must have once been a presidential conference center. Now, it was vacant with the exception of those who were assembled to give the address and those assigned to put it on the air.

Then why, she wondered, did it feel like someone else was there, as well?

"What? Am I on...?" the man at the podium began, and he began to speak, Ultimecia hearing none of it. Instead, she focused on the spirit that she felt. Whoever it was, it was angry. It was going to attack.

"I must be going," Ultimecia said, and with a wave of her hand, she disappeared, sending herself into another plane from which she could safely watch the transpiring action as it unfolded.

"Edea!" Deling hissed, his voice edged in irritation and nervousness. "Not now! Get back here!" He looked about him in vain to find her, but gave up when he was announced by the man at the podium. Dejected, Vinzer Deling put on his best politician's smile and strode up proudly to speak to the world.

Ultimecia, however, cared little for the speech. She watched the room, aware of every detail, her senses poised to detect whomever it was that had so offended her delicate feelings and sensory awareness. No one seemed to be in the room, however, that presented any danger. From out of nowhere, she could suddenly hear their heartbeat; an erratic, wild rhythm that spoke of its owner's desperation. She waited for them to make their move. Whoever he or she was, they had her utmost attention.

Suddenly, someone leapt from behind a set of crates up to the podium. He bore a gunblade in his hand, one that he held tightly. Tearing from his stalking position with the ferocity of a jungle cat, he grabbed hold of Deling and placed the fearsome weapon to the despot's neck.

Sizing him up, Ultimecia knew that this was the one who had triggered her senses. He was possessed of a spirit unlike any other that she had known, a spirit that fought for both honor and arrogance, love and pride. From him she could feel those same conflicting emotions as they intertwined, a desire for romance battling a need to be exalted upon the throne of greatness. The antiquity of his very essence suggested a strong, old-fashioned will; the darkness of his soul suggested that he could be molded.

But he was also so full of youth, one who had tasted of the cup of despair at a young age, only to impede growth and wisdom at its earliest levels. He had a vitality that forced him beyond the normal limits of man, a desire to conquer the world. However, his lack of restraint suggested that he wouldn't know what to do with it once he had it.

But from as much as she saw of his spirit, she saw little of him physically. From behind, she could not make out much except his golden blonde hair. Regardless, at that moment, Ultimecia wanted to make him hers.

Chapter 34

"Leave him alone!"

"I can't. He is calling me..."

"He doesn't need you. He needs help!"

"He will be my champion..."

"He is just a boy!"

"No, he must fight for me."

"Why?"

"I have already lost one true knight. The position must be filled."

The young assailant dragged President Deling toward the back of the studio, suddenly frightened that he had cornered himself. There didn't seem to be a way out. The cowardly man that he held captive squirmed slightly in his grasp, but the gunblade that he held to his throat kept him from any serious attempt at breaking free. Sweat pouring from the assailant's face, he desperately looked for a way out. There was nothing he could do. He was trapped.

Pulling the man along, he surveyed the room carefully. There was nothing but an abandoned stage, a huge tarp draped haphazardly from the rafters. Dust covered every inch of the room, the scent of mildew and grime permeating the air. It was a room that had fallen into decay, a room that only enhanced his fear, magnifying it to a feverish intensity.

The Sorceress that watched him from her own protective veil of time could scarcely hold back a slight giggle, so great was her amusement and joy. Here was one, she felt, that held Squall's qualities, but retained the emotions and desires that she had thought only she held in her cavernous soul. Momentarily, she could understand the concept of love at first sight. No, he could never replace Squall, but he could help to fill a great void... for the time being. Stepping out seemingly from a wall, she faced the young man before her, her breath quickening.

"Stay away from me!" he threatened, throwing Deling in front of him.

"Such a confused little boy..." she cooed, her voice warped by the distortions in the fabric of time, as it was no longer Edea's that she used, but her own. "Are you going to step forward? Retreat? You have to decide..."

"Stay back!" the young man shouted. He seemed frightened by her sudden appearance, a look which pleased Ultimecia greatly. Certainly, this brave young man was not scared...

A young woman entered the room. Paying her little heed, Ultimecia simply pushed her back with her magic, unwilling to be deterred by anything or anyone. Looking to her prospective knight, she grinned and took a step toward him.

"The boy inside is telling you to come. The adult in you is telling you to back off..." She stepped lightly, her movements accented by the very fabric of time pulsating about her, as though even eternity could feel her anticipation. The young man began to sweat, his mind obviously torn by this unexpected development. She could sense his conflict... obvious desire outweighed by foolish uncertainty.

"You can't make up your mind. You don't know the right answer... you want help, don't you?"

He looked to the captive that he held, suddenly aware of his surroundings. Facing to him what could have been a ghost, he suddenly felt very small... trapped and lost.

"You want to be saved from this predicament..." Ultimecia mused compassionately. Still, the boy's pride remained intact.

"Shut up!" he spat. Ultimecia loved the fire in his eyes, his tempered essence that held the blade so close to Deling's neck, drawing a thin line of blood; the way his hands quivered gave him away instantly. For all of his bravado, he was still innocent: a beautiful young boy her age that excited her more and more every second she stood close to him.

"Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Besides, you're only a little boy..." She loved egging him on, stirring up those passionate feelings of defiance that she drank from his spirit like an intoxicating, aromatic wine. So powerful, but so unaware...

"I'm not..." he replied, his voice low and rattled, the gunblade falling a few inches from Deling's neck. "Stop calling me a boy."

Smiling, Ultimecia knew that she had him. She knew that he could feel her desire, a desperate longing to drain every last ounce of emotion from his quivering frame and feed herself with his willing obedience... and she could feel his similar desire.

"You don't want to be a boy anymore?" she asked with false innocence. Even from ten feet away, she could feel his blood boil with fear and anger, their mutual understanding growing. Here was the one she had waited for!

"I am not a BOY!" he shouted finally, thrusting the blade back at the President's throat, who all the while watched with no idea as to what was taking place.

"Come with me," Ultimecia said with a hint of pleading in her voice, "to a place of no return. Bid farewell to your childhood."

As she spoke, three more people burst into the room. With the same consideration as the girl before them, she cast a spell and they were halted in place. All of her attention was focused on the young man before her. Surprisingly, he let Deling go, caring no more for the small man or the tyranny he represented. Her prize simply waved to those that Ultimecia had just paralyzed, and walked with her into the vortex that spun about the wall. Not even looking back, Ultimecia placed one of Edea's hands on the back of her prize, unable to feel his warmth, but able to sense that it was there. He wanted everything that she wanted, and to Ultimecia, that was victory in and of itself.

Chapter 35

With all of Deling's pride, Ultimecia knew that convincing him to spare her new knight's life would be a difficult task. As he shouted to the young man named Seifer Almasy, his face reddened, filled with shaken pride at his embarrassing capture. The office was dark, only thin lines from the Venetian blinds illuminating the barest fragments of carpet. All the while, Seifer merely stood adamant against Deling's threats and obscenities, confident in the shadow of his Sorceress. The three of them were alone, leaving the conversation to dwell upon the most confidential of matters.

Many of the words Deling used on Ultimecia's prize infuriated her. She was in all reality quite tempted to end the President's life then and there. Perhaps she would have, if her need to be immersed in the public eye during the act had not prompted otherwise. No, her grab for power would be made only with the proper acclaim.

Focusing again on Deling, Ultimecia stepped between him and Seifer, her eyes burning with a fierce indignation that Vinzer Deling was either too proud or too stupid to interpret. Unable to cease his tirade, the President spoke even louder with the Sorceress before him, as though trying to force them through her physically to reach Seifer.

"...and such offenses against me are punishable by DEATH! Do you hear me, kid? Death! I don't mean death as in 'grab a phoenix down and you're cured,' but I mean death as in DEATH!"

Ultimecia/Edea stepped forward, slowly raising her index finger to her lips. As if she had suddenly cast a spell or shouted with all of her might, Deling looked at her blankly and silenced himself. Instantly, he lowered both his voice and his eyes.

"Um, Edea, do you have something to add?"

"Yes," she said, casting one slow, deliberate look back to Seifer, "I do. I did not bring Seifer here so that you could embarrass my new knight before me. I brought him here to become my protégé, and that is something that you will have to accept."

Stepping from behind the Sorceress, Seifer smiled and sat down in a chair facing the fireplace in Deling's study, allowing her the pleasure of lambasting the President. He sat quietly, his ears attuned where his eyes were not.

"He is to be protected by this nation as a hero for his fine spirit," she continued in a warning tone. "He is loyal to me, and therefore, shall live as long as I require. If you must save your foolish pride, then tell the world that you executed him. That is not important. He stands at my side."

They were simply words, but it was the penetrating stare that Ultimecia was able to push through the barrier of time and use on the President. Obviously frustrated before the great power before him, Deling nodded and sat behind his desk, quickly removing one of his cigars and lighting it up hastily. He sat there, eyeing the back of Seifer's head with pronounced animosity.

"If he steps out of line again," Deling warned, his voice unsure and wavering, "then he is gone."

Ultimecia nodded graciously, but only with the knowledge that soon she would simply kill Deling anyway. His threats would not last long.

"I have in the meantime," he went on, "ordered the preparations to be made for tomorrow night's parade. All of Galbadia is eager to see their new Ambassador!"

Feigning a smile, Edea/Ultimecia nodded. That, she knew, was to be the night when they saw her as more than a simple Ambassador...

"See to it that Seifer has quarters secured in the manor," she snapped suddenly. "I shall be making myself ready for this momentous event."

Turning to leave, she walked over to Seifer and placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up into her eyes, and Ultimecia's heart skipped a beat. His gaze was so self-assured, but so young and helpless...

"You must prepare yourself, also..." Ultimecia commanded. "There will be those who shall wish your Sorceress harm. I know you will be radiant..."

Seifer smiled and rose from his chair. Bowing lowly, he spoke softly, "I do whatsoever you command, your Grace."

"Now then," she added, "please stay with the President and discuss the security plans for the parade."

He bowed again, and the Sorceress took her leave, smiling as Seifer's cocky voice rang through the office as he told Deling exactly how things were going to be run. It was time for her to retire to her chambers... time to make her final plans.

Chapter 36

Ultimecia burst from Junction Machine Ellone with a strength that surprised the still-waiting Catoblepas. Without so much as a word to her bodyguard, she entered the elevator and rushed to the top floor of the palace where her library was kept in order. Since becoming Sorceress of Esthar, she had arranged for all of the world's finest research materials to be brought for her disposal. When the doors whooshed open, she began to frantically pull at the volumes of Estharian history. One by one, they hit the floor in dusty clouds.

"Where is it...?" she breathed through clenched teeth. If she was correct, then she was in the time period where she could do much more than gain Ellone Loire's powers. After pulling out one red, velvet-covered volume, she sat in Callie's old chair and began to pore over the pages. Finally, her eyes stopped upon one passage. Grinning in triumph, she began to read aloud:

"Sorceress Adel still sleeps in spatial kontainment. In order to prevent her junktioning with any other sorceresses throughout time, a special shield was placed over her that disrupts all communications..."

Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? All that she had to do was find Adel! Once she did that, compressing time would be simple with her abilities. She would still need Ellone to ensure complete success, but in time, she was certain that she could find her.

"Junktion with Adel," she said, hugging herself with rapture, "and with her time blending into mine, the rest will surely follow..."

She curled up in a ball on the chair and closed her eyes, her unexpected happiness allowing her a few moments of respite. Her thoughts dwelled on Seifer, and the joy he would bring her those last few moments after she compressed time. After all she had suffered internally and without, soon it would be her time to find peace.

"And nothing will exist to hurt me again..." came a tiny voice from within. Exhausted beyond caring, she let sleep grab hold and pull her under.