Chapter 8:
The intercom crackled.
"This is Instructor Trepe speaking. Squad A SeeDs please report to the front hall. I repeat, Squad A 
SeeDs report to the front hall."
Soon afterwards, Quistis paced in front of the six students who had assembled. These included Squall, 
Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa and Seifer. After the Ultimecia incident, Rinoa joined Squall at Balamb Garden. She 
proved to be adept and intelligent and swiftly passed her SeeD exams. Seifer finally decided to pull his 
act together and also passed the test with relative ease. 
"Waaaaaaaiiiiit!!!" a voice yelled.
Quistis turned her head in surprise and saw Zell Dincht come running towards them.
"Sorry I'm late," he panted, "I'm also part of Squad A. Hey, a new mission, where're we going this time..."
Zell's voice tapered off when he noticed Quistis' apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry Zell but due to your injury, you may not attend this mission. I've already arranged for Nida to 
take your place." 
"Awww, c'mon!" Zell pleaded frantically, "I'm fine! It's just a little scratch..."
However, the yard of red stained gauze wrapped around his arm did little to prove this point. 
"I'm really sorry Zell." Quistis said. 
"We're short of time, head for the Ragnarok." she instructed the others.
The sympathetic glances he was receiving only infuriated Zell. Dammit, why did he have to miss out on al 
the action?!? 
Above Balamb Garden, the Ragnarok soared gracefully into the air, heading for Tears Point. Meadows 
and mountains flew past. Small white clouds drifted across the sky. In the distance, the sun reflected off 
the sea like thousands of diamond chips. 
Soon, they were cruising over the Great Plains of Esthar. Quistis gave them a rather adumbrated mission 
briefing. 
"So there's some bizzare c**p happening at Tears Point and we have to go see what it is?" Seifer 
summed it up for them. 
All of a sudden, Selphie, who was in the pilot's seat steering the majestic craft, gaved a frantic yell.
"The instruments are dead!", she cried, "The Ragnarok's not responding!"
Selphie tugged agitatedly at the steering wheel but the Ragnarok was guided by a phantom hand. The 
nose dipped downwards, rapidly gaining speed. The ship was plunging full force towards the ground! 
Rinoa clung to Squall. Selphie frantically tried to revive the instruments, with no avil. The deck was tilted 
almost vertically now. Seifer swore. The ground rushed up to meet them. 
"We're going to crash!" Quistis yelled. 
Chapter 9:
The game was only beginning. She watched the little red airplane plunge towards the ground. But she 
would let them them live. Dying in a crash would be too fast; she wanted them to suffer slowly... 
Metres above the ground, Selphie managed to gain control of the aircraft. The nose levelled out and 
tipped up. But they were too low. The back of the Ragnarok jarred into the ground. The impact shook the 
entire craft. Metal crumpled like foil and steel beams were wrenched apart. The passengers were flung 
around like paper dolls. 
The furious impact threw Irvine across the cockpit, and Seifer landed painfully on top of him. Squall 
hugged Rinoa, trying to protect her from the flying shrapnel. 
Finally, the Ragnarok grated the a halt. A terrified silence pulsed throught the mangled cockpit. A soft 
scrape of metal cut through the air. Selphie crawled out from a mutilated pile of what used to be the pilot's 
seat. She had a bad bruise on her forehead and a thin ribbon of blood down her left cheek. Her eyes 
were wide with surprise and fear. 
Irvine stood up and hurried towards her. Broken glass crunched under his shoes. He gently put his arms 
around her and comforted Selphie. 
"How do we get back?" Nida asked.
Seifer looked up. He'd almost forgotten that nida was there.
"We will walk to Esthar." Quistis spoke slowly, "But now, we still have a mission on our hands." 
One by one they climbed out of the ruined carcass of the Ragnarok. A gentle breeze ruffled the air. The 
sun was setting, and it bathed the landscape in an orange glow. Not far off lay the rubble of the Tears 
Point observatory. 
An instructor and six SeeDs slowly walked towards the ruins, casting long shadows onto the dusty plains. 
Chapter 10:
There was a crumble of concrete. A cement slab moved. Quistis froze, remembering the black mass she 
saw on Cid's computer. 
"There's something in there!" Nida exclaimed.
He hurried to the edge of the rubble. An instinctive alarm rang sharply through Quistis' head.
"Nida, no..." she began. 
Without a warning, the pile of rubble was flung apart. Choking gritty concrete powder showered over 
them. A huge black form rose out of the ruins. It oozed vile black slime and stank of bitter bile. 
Everyone gazed in disgusted awe, mentally preparing themselves for battle. But the monster didn't want 
to fight. It extended an ebony pseudopod and swiped Nida in to the air. He screamed. There was a soft 
hissing sound as the corrosive slime dissolved into his skin. 
"Nida!" Quistis cried running forward. But Squall grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't." he said, "You'll die too."
Nida screamed again, the tortured noise carrying far across the plateau. The black mass closed over his 
face and pulled him into the ground. 
"Oh God." Quistis whispered.
Chapter 11:
The evening went badly for Zell as well. His right arm was badly injured. It throbbed with pain as if a 
pulsing flame flared up every time he took a breath. His fingertips had become numb. In such a state, 
every simple chore became a trial. Sqeezing toothpaste onto the brush using one hand only was 
infuriatingly difficult and taking a shower whilst keeping the bandaged arm dry was near impossible. 
Zell was glad when he was finally lying in bed, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep 
because of the pain in his arm. He lay awake listening for the hum of the Ragnarok returning. He didn't 
even know where the others were going or when they were coming back but he listened anyway. 
There was only silence. For some reason, Zell started to feel uneasy. A nervous instinct formed in his 
chest. Where were the others? 
Chapter 12:
The moon rose over the Esthar Plains. Quistis, Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine and Seifer trudged across 
the silver landscape heading for the twinkling lights of Esthar. All of them were still shocked over what 
had happened that afternoon. After Nida had been dragged down by the amorphous monster, they had 
beaten a hasty retreat. 
The moon had changed position by the time they finally reached Esthar. Tired and weary, it was 
unanimously agreed to spend the night at the Esthar hotel. 
The others went up to their rooms but Quistis remained in the brightly-lit lobby. Huge chandeliers hung 
form the marble ceiling, dangling with thousands of crystal droplets. Quistis found the phones tucked 
behind an ivory counter, just left of the reception desk. 
She numbly dialled the number of Balamb Garden. It was very late. After 6 rings, someone from the office 
finally picked up. Quistis mechanically explained what had happened and said that they were going to 
take a flight back to Balamb first thing the next morning. She was very tired and ended the call before the 
other side could properly respond. 
The bright light was hurting her strained eyes. Quistis managed to get to her room, unlock the door and 
collapsed gratefully onto the soft bed. 
Meanwhile, Seifer was less than pleased to discover that he was sharing a room with Irvine and Selphie, 
who also happened to be sharing a bed. 
Selphie was in the bathroom and the water was running. Seifer sat on the edge of his bed shooting 
intense looks at Irvine, warning him not try anything funny during the night. Irvine got the message and he 
shook his head.
"Don't think she's in the mood today anyway." he said. 
He was worried about Selphie, she had been unusually quiet the whole evening. Maybe it was just the 
shock and fatigue. Man, they could all use with bit of sleep! 
Chapter 13:
Irvine was caught in a disturbing dream. He was walking in a dark forest. He carried a small lamp but the 
feeble light did little to penetrate the inky blackness around him. Irvine was looking for Selphie, she was 
gone and he was desperately trying to find her. 
He kept pushing his way through the dusky woods. At some point, the trees broke away and he was 
alone on a dark field. The sky was completely black, not a single speck of light shone through. To his left, 
he could hear waves lapping gently against the shore and to his right he sensed huge mountains looming 
up. Below his feet there was a path. Irvine bent down and held the lamp close to it. It was a gravelly road 
but there was something smeared onto the stones. It was blood. A thick sticky trail of blood plastered the 
road. 
Irvine's heart skipped a beat. Could it be Selphie's blood? Maybe she was injured and needed his help. 
But where was she? He followed the murky trail and eventually reached a town. But the town was dark 
and empty. No light anywhere. The black windows stared back at him like dead eyes. The blood ended. 
Irvine was standing in the center of an ebony town. 
Suddenly he realised that it wasn't Selphie's blood. She wasn't here. He left the macabre village in a 
hurry. He had to find Selphie. 
Irvine went to the beach. The ocean murmured as the waves swished against the dark sand. The sky 
wasn't black anymore. It was lit by a river of stars that swam in a misty nebula, running right across the 
heavens. 
In the soft silver glow, Irvine saw something bobbing on the waves. A dark shape. Could it be Selphie? he 
thought and an icy chill ran down his back. However, the waves washed the object onto the beach. It was 
a discarded coat, soaked with water that now lay in a crumpled heap by Irvine's feet. 
He was running out of time. he needed to find Selphie, he could feel that she wasin trouble. Irvine turned 
and ran. And ran. All over calling her name but he never found her. 
And so the dream ended. 
Irvine woke up with a start. It was till night outside. The dream was still fresh in his mind. The images of 
the dead town and dark beach haunted him, just as much as the feeling of helpless desperation. 
Irvine realised that Selphie was in his arms, asleep. He hugged her closer and felt her soft hair against his 
face. Before he had time to fully decipher his dream, Irvine Kinneas was asleep again. 
Chapter 14:
Pain comes in many forms. Guilt, fear, worry and despair, these are all ways to suffer. She was well 
aware of this from experience. How often in her eternal existence did her own mind torture itself? 
She wanted others to understand how she felt, thus she used her powers to inflict agony on weak inferior 
races. 
However, the subconscious was one region she couldn't enter. Her power was great yet she could only 
cause misery by manipulating the physical world. But she had no desire to enter human minds to directly 
tweak their emotions. Partly because, physical pain was sufficient to render humans helpless and also 
partly because she was afraid. 
Even though she would never admit it, she was afraid of trespassing into someone's consciousness and 
perceiving their emotions, to feel their affection and care for others. This saddened and infuriated her 
because she knew she could never experience true compassion. 
So instead of trying to understand their happiness, her mission was to destroy their fragile illusions, so 
they could comprehend her sufferings. 
She looked down at her six puppets. Depending on her mood, she would use drastic or subtle measures 
to torture them. She could see two of them standing on the balcony of a hotel. Both were apparently 
shocked and tired after the day's events but they still stood there, gazing at the moon. 
The girl's black hair shone softly in the moonlight. She turned to the boy, who was entirely clad in black, 
and put her arms around him. He was leather gloves but he pulled one off and stroked the girl's cheek 
with is bare hand. 
Watching the scene, a hot wave of bitterness welled up inside her. She hated yet also desperately longed 
for affection. Observing the pair on the balcony, she was painfully reminded of her own miserable 
isolation. Suddenly, her mood darkened like a spreading stain of black ink. No subtle measures tonight. 
Sweeping down a cosmic hand, she ripped the girl off the balcony, and carried her into the night. She 
compressed the air around the girl, smothering her so she couldn't scream. 
"Rinoa!" Squall cried as she seemingly flew over the railings. He could see her floating in the air, rapidly 
disappearing into the dusky gloom. In the darkness, Squall couldn't see what was holding Rinoa. His best 
guess was that an Elnoyle had come and swept her away. 
Without thinking, Squall jumped off the balcony, landing miraculously unhurt on the dusty ground two 
stories below.
"Rinoa!" he cried again, chasing after her. She was just a light fleck over the dark barren fields. Squall ran 
and ran, he had to get her back! 
Rinoa was terrified she had no idea whose icy clutch was sweeping her through the unfriendly indigo sky. 
She could hear Squall calling her name but she couldn't reply. 
"Rinoaaaaaa!!!!"
Soon, the hovering girl and the figure chasing her disappeared over the Esthar Plains, into the murky 
darkness. 
Chapter 15:
"Where can they be?" Quistis said anxiously pacing around the lobby. 
Squall and Rinoa had not shown up for breakfast and were now holding everyone up in catching their 
flight to Balamb. 
"Maybe they overslept?" Selphie suggested.
"I phoned their room, it should've woken them up but no-one answered." Quistis replied.
After 10 more minutes of waiting, they all trooped upstairs to knock on the door. Still no response. Quistis 
was getting very worried. She called the reception and asked them to unlock the room. Soon, a smartly 
dressed maid appeared with a chain of keys. She fitted one into the lock and after a muted click, the door 
swung open. 
The room was deserted. The balcony doors were wide open and the translucent white curtains flapped in 
the breeze.
"They haven't slept here." Seifer commented gesturing at the neatly-made, unruffled bed. 
Irvine walked to the balcony. 
"What now?" he asked.
Quistis summoned up the last shred of self-control she had and replied steadily, 
"I can't leave under these circumstances. I must contact the police in Esthar. You three should go back 
Balamb Garden to...report on the situation. Hurry, you can still make the flight."
After Irvine, Selphie and Seifer left, Quistis sat down numbly on the bed. As an instructor, she was 
responsible for her party, yet now...one dead, two missing...
She had failed, again. 
The small jet flew steadily across the calm, crystal ocean. 
"A dolphin!" Selphie squealed excitedly looking out the window. Irvine smiled, glancing over at her. 
Despite all what happened, he was finally able to relax a bit. 
All of a sudden, the plane was racked with a huge explosion. Irvine's heart flew into his throat. God, 
nothing was going right anymore.
There was a gaping hole torn in the hull of the plane. The cabin pressure was lost and the oxygen masks 
dropped down. People screamed. 
A message was broadcasted through the intercom. The panicking passengers quietened and listened in 
fearful apprehension.
"This is your captain speaking. We have suffered a hull rupture but the plane will be able to land safely in 
Balamb. The cause of the accident is yet undetermined. Please keep your oxygen masks on and remain 
calm. Thank you." 
Irvine squeezed Selphie's hand reassuringly. Suddenly, he noticed that the seat in front of him was 
empty. Seifer! Where was he?!? 
Seifer had just come out of the bathroom at the back of the plane when the explosion occured. There was 
a sharp burst of light and hot sparks flew across his face. The hole was just a metre away. Then, he 
heard a sharp whistling of air and before he could react, Seifer was ripped out of the plane by the 
powerful suction. 
One second he still had his hand on the door handle, looking at the green "Vacant" sign and the next 
moment he was hurtling through the air watching the plane recede rapidly above him. Seifer couldn't 
believe what was happening. During his brief vertical flight downwards, it was as if he was shut off in a 
cocoon, detached from time and space, floating in a cerulean emptiness. 
However, the incredible impact with the water's surface jolted every bit of awareness back into Seifer. His 
immense velocity plunged him many metres below the surface. Seifer struggled back up and gasped for 
air. In the distance, he could see the injured jet flying away. 
This couldn't be happening but it was, Seifer Almasy was alone, drifting aimlessly in a vast endless 
ocean.
Chapter 16:
A commotion was brewing on the plane. Irvine ripped of his mask, they had lost altitude, it was difficult but 
not impossible to breathe normally. He stormed up to the nearest stewardess and insisted that a 
passenger was missing. After a good deal of confusion, it was confirmed that Seifer was indeed, gone. 
Meanwhile the plane had made it to Balamb's airstation. 
The worrying case of Seifer's disappearance was turned over to the authorities. Irvine and Selphie were 
to be escorted back to Balamb Garden. In the car-ride through Balamb, Irvine suddenly got a dizzying 
feeling of deja-vu. However, this feeling was also laced with an edge of fear, the reason of which he 
couldn't quite place. Still, Irvine was glad when they left the town, and were cruising through the open 
fields towards Balamb Garden. 
"Man, where were you guys?!?" Zell exclaimed rushing out to meet them, "And where the hell are the 
others?!!"
"Long, long story." Irvine sighed. 
Squall stirred. His neck ached almost as bad as the rest of his body. He was lying on the soft sand of a 
beach on the east coast of Esthar. Slowly, the memory of the previous night came slipping back. 
Rinoa. He had chased after her the whole night. Ran and ran, until his legs threatened to collapse with 
fatigue. But he wasn't going to lose Rinoa. However, when she disappeared over the ocean, Squall finally 
had to give up. He remembered how he flopped down on the sand, his exhausted mind thinking useless 
random thoughts, before falling into a sweet sleep. Even now, the whole ordeal seemed like a surreal 
dream. Squall gazed out at the ocean. Now, with his strength back, he was willing to swim the vast 
expanse of water just for Rinoa. But he had long since lost sight of her... 
Seifer was struggling to stay afloat. He could swim, of course but after an hour all his muscles were 
cramped up already. His coat soaked up water and was pulling him down like a leaden weight. Seifer 
struggled out of the coat, and also kicked his shoes off. He watched the coat float off into the horizon, 
carried by the waves, to be washed upon some unknown shore... 
Surely, they would know he was missing and start searching soon. The sun shone mercilessly overhead 
and salt water splashed into his eyes, burning like hot acid. Seifer kept swimming, his arms were 
agonizingly cramped but he kept pushing at the water. How much longer...? 
Chapter 17: 
Rinoa was cold and hungry. All around her, she could only see white snowfields and jagged black 
mountain ranges under a steely blue sky. She had no idea what had carried her here. 
All through the morning, she had been walking, trying to keep warm. Now, exhausted and frozen, Rinoa 
dug a small hole in a soft bank of snow, crawled into it and curled up into a ball. Inside the little cave, it 
was surprisingly warm. She tried to figure out what had happened but instead, she dozed off and 
dreamed of Squall, chocolate and crackling fire places. 
Meanwhile, Selphie was standing under a hot spray of water. Everything had been so crazy, the 
meteorites, the Ragnarok, Tear's Point, Esthar and Seifer's disappearance. But now, Selphie's world only 
consisted of water, steam and the fragrance of apple scented shower gel. 
Enjoying the delicious warm spray, Selphie didn't notice the odd green thing poking out of the bathtub 
faucet. 
It was thin and faintly iridescent. It moved. The shimmery green tail wiggled further out of the tap. Then, 
with a noiseless plop, the small viridian snake dropped into a puddle of soapy water, not far from 
Selphie's feet. 
The water and steam irritated the venomous reptile. It rose up slightly, eyes blinked like tiny milky 
marbles, and sunk its sharp curved fangs into Selphie's ankle. 
At first all Selphie felt was a sharp pain. Then, when she looked down and saw the snake, she screamed. 
She stumbled out of the tub, skidding slightly on the mat. Her ankle was throbbing and already swelling 
up. Grabbing a towel, Selphie burst out of the bathroom, a blast of cold air prickling her skin. 
Irvine jumped up from the bed, where he was trying the ponder the day's events. Half sobbing with fright 
and hysteria, Selphie fell into his arms. Her leg was numb up to the calf. 
Irvine had no idea what was wrong with Selphie. After he frantically found out what happened, Selphie's 
eyes were fluttering and she became limp.
Chapter 18:
A boy lost on the beach, a girl lost in the snow. A boy adrift on the ocean and a girl bitten by a poisonous 
snake. The others were guilty and worried, and that was also torture. 
Now that they were all suffering, she was satisfied, to some extent. The time had come for her the play 
her game on a wider scale. She could see a small town, on an island near the edge of the ocean. Quaint 
blue buildings surrounded a peaceful harbor where ships docked. A good place to start. 
By shifting her thoughts, she summoned various deformed creatures to mutilate the town. The nearby 
woods buzzed with an invisible vibration. Monsters, from T-Rexaurs to bite bugs, sensed the 
uncomfortable discrepancy and fled the forests. 
The subtle tremors guided them towards the town. A sign with "Balamb" painted on it rattled as the 
impending mass of monsters shook the ground in search for safe land. Monsters swarmed towards the 
little town like a flock of moths towards a blue patio light. However, this time the beasts will not fry to 
death on the bright bulb. 
Monstrous creatures poured into the streets, destroying everything in their path. Flying insects with multi-
faceted ruby eyes oozed hissing acid over the roads and T-Rexaurs crumbled buildings with flicks of their 
tails. 
The panicking inhabitants of Balamb fled into their homes seeking refuge from the sudden rampage 
which was as terrifying as it was sudden. The monsters tore through Balamb, paying no heed to houses 
or humans.
Chapter 19:
"Trouble in Balamb...I understand...thank you...good bye." Headmaster Cid hung up the phone. Instructor 
Trepe, who in the meantime had returned to Balamb Garden, was waiting loyally for further instructions. 
Cid switched on the microphone.
"Balamb is under attack. We are going to send some SeeDs over to keep things under control. 
Meanwhile, no-one is to leave the Garden because the near vicinity is considered to be very dangerous."
Quistis left to recruit the cadets. 
Irvine and Zell were sitting in the infirmary next to Selphie's bed. an oppressive silence hung over the 
ward, interrupted only by the soft beeps of the heart monitor. 
When Irvine got Selphie to the infirmary, Dr Kadowaki immediately administered an antidote but it may 
have already been too late. Whether Selphie made it or not, would be up to time. 
Suddenly, Cid's message broadcasted over the intercom. 
"Balamb's in trouble!" Zell exclaimed, "My parents!" 
He jumped up and ran out. 
Irvine didn't respond. He sat hunched over, still looking at Selphie. A thin oxygen tube ran to her nose. 
Her skin had taken a strange translucent sheen and her brown hair, still damp from the shower spread 
out in wispy strands over the pillow. 
Zell clattered down the hall towards Quistis.
"You gotta let me come!" he panted, "My friends and family, they're all in Balamb!"
Quistis badly wanted Zell to join the team but it was against the rules for an injured student to attend a 
mission.
"I'm sorry Zell, but you are still to injured to fight. I don't want you endangering your own health."
"But...I need...I.." Zell was incoherent with fury and frustration. Hot angry lava swelled inside his chest 
threatening to explode. Zell felt like he was gonna lose it any second. 
Cursing Quistis, he ran back to the dormitory. Finally, Zell was able to calm down and think clearly. He 
went to the window. It was afternoon. The sun's rays were diffused into an orange glow and the sky was 
slowly turning a smoky teal colour. Staring at his transparent reflection on the glass, Zell came up with a 
plan. Busted arm or not, he was gonna sneak out of Balamb Garden once it got dark. 
Chapter 20:
The approaching evening brought gusts of cold choppy wind with it. The breeze churned up the sea's 
surface creating waves that rose and dipped ceaselessly on a dark grey brew. 
Seifer, gripping to a piece of driftwood, was tossed along the restless ocean. Occasionally, a spray of 
intensely salty water would get into his mouth, only to increase his intense thirst. 
Watching the fuzzy horizon bob up and down, Seifer suddenly felt dizzy. To his great dismay and self-
disgust he realized that he was getting seasick. Chilled, wet and fighting nausea, Seifer prayed for the 
sight of land, or at least for the waves to end. 
Far away, a wave broke gently over a sandy beach, and retreated in a froth of foam. The next wave 
came, a bit higher up the shore this time, and touched the edge of a row of footprints. The water softened 
the edges of the prints, making them mere indents in the sand. Finally, a third wave came and washed 
them all away. 
Squall looked back and watched his own footprints disappear along the shore. It was a bit chilly, he was 
hungry and thirsty but Squall's biggest concern was Rinoa. He had absolutely no idea on her faintest 
whereabouts. It was a despair as empty as the beach and as big as the ocean. 
Squall looked down and saw small holes in the smooth damp sand. Crab water holes. He remembered 
how, not long ago, all of the went to the beach. Seifer and Zell had a somewhat primitive yet nevertheless 
fun looking mud fight. Selphie buried Irvine up to the neck in sand. And he and Rinoa had tried to dig for 
crabs. They never found one though because every time, a wave washed into the hole they were digging, 
filling it with sand and making it collapse. 
But still, it was a nice memory. Squall remembered Rinoa, how she brushed her hair away from her face, 
leaving a trace of sand on her cheek. Then she laughed and resumed digging. 
Squall realized that he was no longer walking but sitting on the beach, filled with a profound sense of 
sadness. Over the ebb and flow of the waves, the light was fading.