Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Angel of Death Reborn ❯ Flashbacks ( Chapter 1 )

"It's so dark..." The young man commented quietly, lifting up the candle. His blue eyes sparkled as the light flickered before him.

He shook his head and walked forward, straining his eyes to see the table in the middle of the room. "Candles..." He murmured, leaning forward to light the bunch with his smaller candle.

The room lit up and there was a muffled bump in the next room. "Who's there?!?" A voice exclaimed.

<Boy, we really had to improvise, but we got her!> He thought happily.

"Do you work on this airship?" The hooded girl was asking him.

Zidane scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. <Aw, she figured it out? >

"As you no doubt have guessed…" She said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "The truth is that… I am actually… Princess Garnet til Aleaxandros." She completed, lifting up her hood, and revealing her face.

Zidane smiled and nodded slightly. <I knew it!>

Zidane fell to his knees, trying to hold on as the ship rocked. The soldiers on the castle were shooting something at the Prima Vista…!

<What the hell…!?! Her daughter's on here!> He thought as it shifted again, sliding Garnet to just behind him.

He paused and looked back. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and his tail puffed out slightly. "The entire forest is coming after us…" He murmured.

Blank looked confused. <Huh?"

His fellow thief turned towards him. "Look after everyone, Blank." He told him softly, then started running after the others again.

Blank ran after him, wondering, <What did he mean by that…? >

<Ding ding ding ding… >

< …..?!?>

Zidane slowly came to and got to his knees. "What was that…?" He whispered, getting up. "Is someone there?"

He walked in to the larger cavern, the looked startled. A black mage with wings was standing there with a bell in its hands, watching him curiously.

"How are you still alive? You should be dead by now…"

Zidane's eyes narrowed and he adopted a fighting stance. "You're the one causing this blizzard, aren't you?"

The `mage's eyes twinkled and glowed brighter. "What if I am?"

"Then you're screwed." Zidane replied with a smirk that didn't belong on his face. He grabbed a dagger and held it in his hand, now looking surprisingly unconcerned.

The `mage' stepped back slightly, watching Zidane warily. <He's too assured in his ability… I should destroy him now. > It nodded slightly, then began waving the bell again.

<Ding ding ding… Ding, ding, ding…>

"Come to me, Sealion!" The `mage' commanded, his wings stretching out slightly and turning to Zidane to see his reaction.

The thief looked bored, his dagger hanging lazily in his hands. He watched as the Sealion surfaced through the ice behind the mage, and then slid up to its side.

"Kill him!" The mage exclaimed, pointing at Zidane with the bell.

Zidane raised his eyebrows and stepped into his battle stance, flinching as the creature hit him with a wing. Pinkish light flared up and surrounded the thief's body.

"Wha-what is that?!?" The mage stammered, stepping back.

"Trance." Zidane replied in a growl, and then straightened. He pointed one dagger in the air and the other at the mage. "Free energy!"

The fire of the magic surrounded him and washed over the mage, the slowly faded to show the winged figure sprawled out on the snow.

"F-Finish him for me, Sealion..." He said hoarsely, raising one hand in the air, then collapsing and lying still.

The giant serpent looked down at its dead master, than turned to Zidane and hissed.

"Please." Zidane practically yawned. "You couldn't kill me if yo- Okay, so your life does depend on it... Oh well." He lifted the two daggers and ran in to hit the Sealion once, twice, five times in all, each hit in a vital location.

"Raurgh...!!" It roared, it's head swaying around, then it too collapsed.

Zidane stepped back, watching the remains disintegrate into mist. "That was pathetic..." He decided, shaking his head ad the trance light left his body.

<Guess I have to put up with this for a little longer... > He thought, the last of the reddish-light fading from his eyes.

The air around him grew warmer (thought still freezing), and the wind died down. Zidane blinked and looked around.

"Huh... Nobody's here..." He noticed, a puzzled look on his face, then shrugged. "Well, I gotta get back to the others!"

He ran out of the cavern, unaware of two figures watching him from far above…