Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy: The chronicles of Four! ❯ Final Fight: Aftermath ( Chapter 30 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy, and I'd like to say thank you all. This is sadly the last chapter to the story, and it's a bit hard for me to write, but all good things must end eventually, right?

 

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“Well, we've done all we can do now! If you ask me, the town looks marvelous!” Sabin said, as he stepped back. In only a few short hours, the town had been completed, and it looked even better than before. The houses were small and quaint, and the gardens gave the town a cheerful sensation. Fighter looked over to Black Belt.

 

“So, what should we name our new town, BB?” he asked, but Black Belt didn't answer, “BB?” Black Belt was looking into the sky, with deep concentration. Sabin looked over, and soon had the same worried expression Fighter was getting.

 

“Black Belt, is everything okay?” Sabin asked.

 

“I can feel it...” Black Belt replied, although he didn't look at either of them, “The final battle...”

 

“Final battle? You mean against Chaos?” Fighter asked, suddenly looking up as well, “This is good, right? I mean, this means they can save the world, right?”

 

“I'm not sure... but I can just feel it.” Black Belt said. All of the crowds that were cheering suddenly stopped when they heard the name Chaos. One by one, each of them looked up into the sky, into the stars, and began to pray for the success of the Light Warriors.

 

“At least they'll have a home to come back to.” Fighter said, “I just hope... they can win...” With that, he shut his eyes to pray.

 

---

 

“Are you all ready?” Chaos asked, as he walked towards one side of the room. The four heroes, and Garland, were getting into their fighting stances. Red Mage, however, looked worse than ever, even though his color had come back. But he didn't back down. Kary looked at him with worry, but knew better than to interfere.

 

“Bring it on.” Thief said, grinning. Chaos nodded, and the fateful fight began. Thief and Garland charged over with their swords at the ready, but Chaos merely flew above them. He circled for a minute, and attempted to dive back towards them.

 

“FLARE!” Black Mage yelled, and Chaos flew into an explosion of flames, as Thief and Garland couldn't help but snicker. Lich also laughed, until Kary punched him in the gut. Chaos, meanwhile, had climbed out of the flames and dusted itself off.

 

“So, you find that funny?” he asked, panting a little.

 

“Yeah, but so was insulting Kraken.” Thief replied, and ran out of the way as Chaos's tail swung under him. Thankfully he missed, and Chaos was now in the way of White Mage's Holy spell, which hit him dead on.

 

“Damn it! I fell right into that.” Chaos snapped, flying into the air again. This time, he decided to take out the three mages first, and aimed a powerful blast of air at them. Red Mage managed to get White Mage out of the way, but he was too far away to help Black Mage, who skillfully avoided an attack.

 

“Ha! You missed!” Black Mage teased, until a recoiling blow hit him, causing him to fall over, “Ow...” Chaos laughed.

 

“You've learned rule numbers 1 and 2 of being evil. Rule 1? Always have a double attack. Rule 2? Never tell your enemy of said attack.” Chaos said. Because he was laughing, he didn't see either Thief of Red Mage sneaking behind him until two large fireballs hit him in the back, causing him to yelp.

 

“Hey! What do you know! Chaos was right, those rules ARE evil!” Thief laughed, as Chaos tried to get up. He shook his large head and looked down at Thief and Red Mage, who shook a bit.

 

“That just wasn't fair! But then again, neither is this.” Chaos said, and grinned as he cast Cure4, recovering all of his HP. Black Mage nearly blew his top.

 

“WHAT!?” he roared, throwing down his staff, “That's so uncool! Now we have to do this all over again!? Didn't you say you wanted us to win!?”

 

“Yeah, but I'm also evil. I never said I'd let you win. That, you'll have to do on your own.” Chaos replied, trying to get into the air again. But suddenly he found he couldn't. He struggled for a bit as Black Mage laughed at him, and soon saw why. On his tail was a huge boulder, with Garland, Thief, and Red Mage near it. He put two and two together quickly after that.

 

“And you just learned MY rule! Don't get mad, just get moving!” Thief exclaimed cheerfully, indicating the boulder, “Or, in your case, don't get cocky, just keep going. Or you'll end up like this!” Chaos roared with annoyance, trying to break his tail free, but he wasn't strong enough. Kary looked to Tiamat.

 

“Is it me, or are they having fun?” she asked. Lich threw his hands in the air.

 

“Fun!? How can they possibly have fun!? This is the final battle. The fate of two worlds hangs here! How can anyone have fun with that kind of pressure?” Lich asked, his brow deeply furrowed. Tiamat smiled warmly.

 

“Because, on the inside, Chaos wasn't the problem. Kraken was, and he's already gone. This is more of a goodbye than a battle.” Tiamat stated, as Chaos suddenly broke free. He soared towards the center of the room and flapped his wings.

 

“All right, playtime is over. Now to get serious!” Chaos exclaimed, “FLARE!” A burst of fire appeared near Red Mage, and Garland quickly pushed him out of the way. But suddenly, hundreds of little bursts of flames appeared, and it was much harder to dodge.

 

“What the hell!?” Black Mage asked, practically jumped around to avoid getting burned, “Why is he doing this!?” Thief, who had the agility, ran along the walls to avoid the flames.

 

“You can't reach me here, can you?” Thief asked, “Sadly, I can still do THIS!” He leapt off the wall and kicked Chaos on the back, which shocked the demon. The flames stopped, and Chaos turned around to get at Thief. That gave Black and White Mage enough time to get both Flare and Holy going. Both did extreme damage when they hit, too. But even then, Chaos still looked unharmed. Unfortunately, the stress of two tough battles finally looked as though it was taking its toll on the warriors. Red Mage was so shaky, he was ready to collapse. White Mage was breathing heavily, unable to stand without her staff. Black Mage's cloak was burned at the edges, and Thief managed to fall over.

 

“It was a nice try. I applaud you.” Chaos said, sadly, “But applause won't do anything. You cannot defeat me. You're too weak as it stands.” Kary looked down, closing her eyes tightly. She didn't want to see anyone die.

 

“We're... not giving up...” Red Mage said, coughing a little.

 

“But you can barely stand. Who do you have to fight me?” Chaos asked, and got his answer as a sword cut right through his wings, slicing both off as though they were made of warm butter. Chaos screamed as Garland leapt out and landed in front of the Light Warriors.

 

“They have me.” Garland said, “I will fight you.” Everyone, even Chaos, looked completely shocked by this. But Garland looked more determined than ever now.

 

“All right. You will be the last stand...” Chaos said, “As I see it, neither of us can stand another attack. Therefore, whoever is standing after this... wins.” Garland agreed, and rushed off towards Chaos, with his sword ready. Likewise, Chaos charged at Garland, and from then, everything became slow again. Garland leapt off the ground, soaring through the air as his sword shone with every color imaginable. Chaos dashed forward, though it seemed as though he were going in slow motion as his body emitted a red glow. Sword met demon, and the blast came almost instantaneously. Every noise became muffled, and everything seemed numb. For a painfully long moment, no one knew what was going on, until...

 

Garland stood to the center as the smoke cleared. His armor gleamed with light, and his sword was still glowing, although it was cracked. Behind him, Chaos's body was ripped to pieces from the force of both attacks. Everyone looked, but no one could believe what they saw. Chaos was gone, and Garland was the victor. Red Mage dropped his sword and ran over, followed closely by his friends, and then the three fiends.

 

“You did it! You actually won!” Thief yelled, hugging Garland, “You're a hero!” Even Black Mage gave Garland a pat on the back as the smoke from Chaos's destroyed body cleared. But what really got Garland's attention was the ghost hovering above him. It was Chaos, in a human form.

 

“Good job. You've finally saved the entire world.” Chaos said calmly, “I'm very glad I got to fight you all. I've never had such a fun fight in my life!”

 

“Wait... but... you look human...” Red Mage said, tilting his head, “Aren't you a demon?”

 

“Sort of. I can maintain human form, but because of Kraken, my figure was distorted into a demonic shape.” Chaos replied, “Anyway, as a final parting gift, I'll restore the future and make your home the way it was.” With that, Chaos waved and slowly disappeared. Tiamat took out a small orb and gazed into it. After a few minutes of silence, Lich finally broke it.

 

“Tiamat, what are you doing? We have work to do! We cannot stare into the orb of Wind!” he snapped, crossing his arms. Kary slithered behind Tiamat to look into the orb, and gasped.

 

“By the fires... you should see this!” Kary exclaimed, and White Mage ran over to look. Red Mage and Thief followed in a minute, and giving up with logic, Lich and Black Mage looked into it too. It showed the world in the future, and it was beautiful again. The black skies became bright and blue, the raging waters became calm, and the dead land flourished with grass and foliage. Even the sun seemed to be burning brighter.

 

“Whoa! Chaos actually restored the world!” Thief exclaimed happily, as the orb showed a brief flash of Bikke and Matoya, who were waiting outside the Temple of Fiends with Princess Sara, “You know... now that I think about it... this quest seemed almost pointless...” Tiamat looked at him sharply.

 

“Pointless? How can you figure? You've saved the world!” she said, readjusting her glasses. Thief took off his ninja hood, his blonde hair flopping down.

 

“What I mean is, everyone we thought to be a threat ended up helping us. Bikke, the Sahagins, even Chaos. Even you three came to our aid!” Thief explained, “But it seems like the quest was so long when our only true target was Kraken himself.”

 

“But if you hadn't fought so many battles, you wouldn't have been able to win.” Kary explained, “See, all monsters, even to the smallest of imps come from this time... and we all formulated the plans to stop Kraken...” As Kary explained, flashes of their monstrous friends ran through the heroes' minds, “One by one, we went to look for the warriors, to train them, to teach them. We all went against Kraken until it was safe to return here.” White Mage suddenly looked very upset.

 

“But... if Kraken is gone... does this mean you're all going to leave?” White Mage asked. Tiamat patted her head with a dragon claw.

 

“We'll always be here. But this is our home, dear. We shouldn't be in your world.” Tiamat said, as White Mage wiped away the tears coming down her face. Kary smiled, though Red Mage saw her eyes watering up.

 

“You can always visit us.” she said. However, Lich stepped in.

 

“But then we need someone to stabilize the gates! They can only hold for so long.” Lich replied, pointing to the machine Chaos was once in, and everyone saw that it was actually a gate into another time. But it also looked to be in horrible shape, no doubt from Kraken's use. Thief tensed up.

 

“So then this is goodbye?” Thief asked, “But... but can't Garland stabilize the gates with his power?” Garland looked down in guilt.

 

“I... I used the last of the Light Knight's powers to finish Chaos...” he murmured.

 

“That, and Garland has earned the right to live his own life.” Tiamat added, looking specifically at Red Mage, “However... we need someone of true technological talents. In order to make this work, we must split this time from yours, and turn it into a separate world for the gates to connect to. Only a true master of technology can do something so grand.” Red Mage blushed slightly, realizing Tiamat meant for him to stay. Kary beamed.

 

“Will you?” she asked. Black Mage stuffed his hands in his pockets.

 

“Wait a second! What about us!? What about his friends!?” Black Mage spat, a look of anger crossing him, “You're actually suggesting he leaves!?”

 

“You all can visit me whenever you want...” Red Mage said, and Thief's smile faded, as did White Mage's, “But... I think my place IS here. My dad worked with the fiends before me... please, understand... if I do this, the world can truly have peace with demons and monsters.” Thief began to smile again, and high-fived Red Mage.

 

“Well, buddy, whatever you choose, I'm behind you all the way!” Thief exclaimed, giving Red Mage the thumbs-up. White Mage smiled too, though the look of depression was still on her face.

 

“I support you too, Red Mage... but just make sure to visit us a lot.” White Mage added. Black Mage walked over to Red Mage, and took off his hat. His black hair fell to the ground, and his grin was a mile wild.

 

“Well, at least try to write to us.” he said, and looked at Kary, “And if you happen to have kids or anything, maybe a wedding, be sure to invite me. I always cry at those things.” Red Mage blushed heavily as Tiamat, Lich, and Thief laughed at the comment. Kary looked away in embarrassment as White Mage smiled brightly.

 

“Well, buddy... this is goodbye...” Thief said, and the four heroes hugged each other. Red Mage looked at each of his three friends.

 

“Don't worry. Goodbye isn't forever.” he said, as the other three Light Warriors walked towards Garland, who kept the door into time open. He waved goodbye, and kept waving until his friends disappeared into the fabrics of time. Then he turned towards the three fiends... his new friends.

 

“Let's go. There's a lot of work to do, and we need as much precious metals as we can get to stabilize this world.” he said, and they walked outside.

 

---

 

“WAAAAAH!” White, Black Mage, and Thief were thrown out of the time chamber rather harshly, only to be greeted with a warm sky, and Matoya. Black Mage jumped up and shook his head, only to look around and shake his head again, just to make sure he saw correctly. And he did. The temple was gone. The walls had been worn away with time, and only grass grew in its place.

 

“...where the hell is the temple?” Black Mage asked, looking around again. Matoya chuckled as she adjusted her hat.

 

“Well, now isn't that a question we all would like to know.” she said plainly, walking up to Black Mage, “It seems your bout with Chaos did affect time. The temple simply vanished, as did many of the monsters in the world.” White Mage looked up into the sky.

 

“So then that means that everything's okay...” she said quietly. Princess Sara and Bikke ran into what used to be the courtyard.

 

“Thank the heavens you all survived!” Princess Sara said, slowing down, “I was worried that maybe you wouldn't make it... Garland?” At that moment, Garland had stumbled out of the gates of time, but his armor had turned back into its black self. He nodded.

 

“Hello, Princess Sara.” he said, “Are you all right? Did anything hurt you?”

 

“No, but how on earth did you get inside your temple? I was sure you evacuated.” Princess Sara replied, shocked. Garland looked as though he wanted to say something, but Thief managed to cut in.

 

“Well, it's a long story, princess, but let's just say that without Garland, we wouldn't have won.” Thief stated, patting Garland on the back, “He's a true hero.” Princess Sara beamed.

 

“Is that so? We must tell my father immediately!” Sara exclaimed, and began to run towards Cornelia, but Bikke stopped her.

 

“Hold on there, lassy. I want ter know what happened ter yer friend thar. Red Mage?” Bikke said, looking at White Mage. She looked down, unable to find the words to explain what happened without bursting into tears.

 

“He... he decided to help the rest of the fiends repair the gates of time...” White Mage said, so quietly that Bikke almost couldn't hear her. Matoya looked into her crystal ball.

 

“So, someone will finally set us free from this loophole?” she asked. Thief looked at her.

 

“Loophole? What loophole?” he asked, very surprised at how angry he suddenly seemed.

 

“The loophole that allowed the fiends to come here at all. I'm guessing that whoever created Chaos severely damaged the fabrics of time, which was why this world was affected even though Chaos hadn't truly awoken yet.” Matoya explained, “And it explains why Sara had gotten that lute.” Black Mage rolled his eyes.

 

“Oh, does it even matter? Look, we saved the world, so let's go talk to the king and get our reward!” Black Mage cried, stomping towards the town. As they all walked closer, crowds of people had begun to gather to welcome the heroes. They were especially happy to see Garland, and the guards near the castle even talked to him before letting him in. All through the castle halls, people rushed past, asking to see the heroes. It was only when Matoya locked the doors to the upstairs that everyone found some peace. Princess Sara led the way into the throne room, where the King sat.

 

“Father, we've returned. Chaos was defeated!” Sara announced. The king nearly jumped out of his seat.

 

“Did I... Did I hear you correctly, dear daughter?” he asked, “Did you say that Chaos is gone?” Princess Sara nodded.

 

“Yes, father! These brave warriors stopped whoever created Chaos...” Sara began, “But it was Garland who truly defeated him! He has saved us all!” Garland blushed a bit as he heard the excitement and happiness in Sara's voice. The king stroked his beard thoughtfully.

 

“Garland...? I did not expect such deeds to be done from you! But nonetheless... have you proof of your victory?” the king asked. Thief and Black Mage turned to Garland, who reached into his back pocket.

 

“I have nothing, sir... just a piece of cloth...?” Garland took out what he thought was a cloth, but it was actually the legendary sword, Excalibur. It shown with every color imagined, but a note flew out of it. The king snatched it and looked at it.

 

“To Garland... here is the proof that you have succeeded the greatest deeds of all. I give you the sword that pierced my very heart from the Light Knight you merged with. The Excalibur...” The king turned to Garland, “From Chaos...”

 

“Well, there's your proof.” Black Mage grumbled simply, “Now, do we get anything or not?” The king looked to Black Mage, but he seemed distracted with what he just read.

 

“Yes... yes, of course. Heroes, I give to thee, the ancient relics my family has held onto for years. To you, White Mage, I give you Solomon's Staff. Black Mage, I entrust the Magus Rod to you. And Thief... The legendary Sasuke is now yours.” The king said, as three guards came in with three shining weapons. The respective new owners took them gratefully. Princess Sara turned to her father again.

 

“And what of Garland?” she asked.

 

“Yes. Garland, I ask you to once again join my legion of knights to guard Cornelia.” the king said. Garland bowed.

 

“Thank you, sir. I won't fail you again.” Garland replied happily, then turned to Sara, “But... there is one thing I must ask.” The king sighed, as though he was very exhausted.

 

“Well, what is it?” he asked. Garland knelt down.

 

“Princess Sara... I've loved you since I first came to Cornelia... ten years ago.” Garland began, “I ask, will you do me the honors of marrying me...?” Everyone jumped back slightly, shocked from Garland's proposal. Princess Sara blushed madly, and smiled.

 

“Yes. I will marry you.” She said. Garland smiled as Sara hugged him, and everyone cheered again. The very next day, the wedding took place. It was a grand festival, with lots of dancing. Thief and White Mage even gave blessings to the newlyweds, as Black Mage ate most of the food. And, when the celebrations were finally through, the king sent them all on a boat back to their new destination.

 

“Be sure to visit us!” Sara called, waving as the heroes sailed to a familiar homeland...

 

---

 

“And that's exactly what happened.” Black Mage said, as he sat in the bar with Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, and White Mage, “Of course, we'll be going back to visit soon, but for now, we'll let them get accustomed to married life.” Fighter whistled.

 

“Wow. That's one awesome adventure! It makes me wish I'd have gone with you.” he replied, “Though, I'm glad I didn't have to see Red Mage leave...”

 

“How do you think he is, anyway?” Black Belt asked, sipping a beer, “It's been over a year and we haven't heard anything. Think he's still alive?” Thief chuckled.

 

“I doubt Kary would let anything happen to him.” he assured, “I'm sure he's busy with the gate and all.” At that moment, a young man passed the table and put the group's mail down. Thief picked it up and looked at it. There were two bills, a letter from Princess Sara, another letter from Bikke... and another from Red Mage. Curiously, Thief opened the letter, as the four read it behind him. It was a simple note, but the writing was clear as the crystals had been, and it answered everything the five had been wondering about their long lost friend.

 

“Hey, everyone. Sorry I haven't written for so long, but I've been busy. The gate's been up for two months, and I won't be surprised if you're mad for not telling you. Anyway, there is something on the back that I think you all should read. It concerns the next time you visit.” Thief looked on the back of the letter, and everyone smiled warmly at the only six words written.

 

“Kary and I are getting married.”

 

---

 

And so, the heroes finally completed their quest. So ends the fantastic tale of the Light Warriors. Thank you all again for the support you've given them, and make sure to review on the story. As for Red Mage and Kary... who knows? That's for you all to figure out! So click that Review button!