As the group mustered enough courage to go through what they thought was a wall of trees they found what appeared to be a village.
A group of squat little creatures with glowing eyes and pointy straw hats ran up to them and greeted them.
“Hey, I’m 2,488, and this is 2,640, and the eldest is 1,460.”
“Who the heck are you midgets?” Pharda asked.
“Black Mages, this is the Village of Magic.”
“Village of Magic, huh, so it really does exist.” Tempest said, her steely eyes gleaming in acknowledgement.
“Why do you give yourselves numbers instead of names?” Urd asked the shortest one.
“Um, see, it’s uh…1,460, what do humans call it?”
“A tradition, I think.” The taller one answered.
“Yeah, that’s it, we just do it, so that’s um, why.”
Urd smiled and pushed the littlest ones hat down over its eyes, it giggled as little kids tend to do and readjusted it.
“You’re cute, kid.”
“What’s that mean?” The little one asked.
“It means your nice to new people.”
“Oh, that’s a good thing right?”
“Huh?” Pharda asked.
“Even after thousands of years, this village is still so secluded that they don’t know much anything about the world, that’s what makes them so innocent.”
“So, is there a village elder here? Maybe they can tell us which way to go to Alexandria…”
“Well, there’s number 45, but he doesn’t really say that much, especially with that noisy human around.”
“Noisy human?”
“Yeah, this girl that found her way here, she knows a little of our magic, but knows some other stuff too. She’s really smart, but she can get mad real easy. And there’s this big scary Lion that follows her around every once in a while.”
Andomiel smiled and said, “I guess we’ll just have to meet both of them.”
“You can stay here for as long as you like, as long as you don’t draw those long pointy things.”
“Swords?” Pharda said.
“Yeah, those things.”
“I think it a wise idea to find a place to rest for now.” Strife said.
As the group walked off in several directions, Pharda and Urd decided to visit this Number 45.
And they found him simply standing near what appeared to be a grave.
“So…you’re here…, I had a feeling that one day a group of people who were going to change the world would find their way here. And so you have.”
“Who…are you?” Pharda asked.
The black mage was short, and his squeaky voice belied his knowledge of years.
“I was once called Vivi, I gave that name up thousands of years ago so I could follow in my village’s footsteps. As you may know, we use numbers instead of names…,”
Pharda and Urd nodded.
“There’s a reason behind that…it reminds us we were made. Created by man at one time, put together like little dolls and used…we were weapons to them. That was all they thought we were.”
“No one should ever have to be used to destroy.” Urd said solemnly.
“Ironically, that is your purpose…,” Vivi’s golden glowing eyes stared blankly at her. Taking her aback.
“What do you mean, ‘we’re being used?’” Pharda was confused.
“You’ve been chosen to save both Gaia and Terra; it was foreseen ages ago. All life on this planet is using you to destroy the source of evil, so in a twisted sense, you’re being used…I guess it was only a matter of time before I thought of that, but…don’t think it a bad thing…tools can be used to destroy…or to fix…things…”
“If it’s for a good cause, I doubt it’s really like being used, since we chose to do this…,” Pharda replied.
“Hmm…I never really thought of that…,” Vivi said, “You are interesting humans. You choose to save this world, and at the same time, we depend on you…on top of that,” with this a little laughter was in his squeaky voice, “You don’t seem at all shocked that I knew who you were…,”
“It doesn’t matter if you know of us or not…, whether you accept us or not, but our goal at hand is--,”
“To find the crystal shards and put them back together…,”
“Y-you can read minds?” Urd said nervously.
“Don’t think it as intrusive, I developed these powers over the years…since I never seemed to…die. I just check your minds to see if I can trust you…but just so you know, I can read your thoughts, but I can’t read your hearts…,”
At this, Urd flushed red, and Pharda fidgeted with his katana.
“…Interesting…but I won’t discuss anything further, get some rest…eat…prepare yourselves for Alexandria, and don’t stay up too late, I believe the masked one is a rather impatient man.”
“Thank you…Vivi.”
“Oh, yes, my pleasure, and…Urd is it?”
“Yes?”
“Can I speak with you…alone…,”
“Yes,” she said cautiously.
Pharda left without another word and headed over to the Black Cat Synthesis Shop to check out the odd weapons they had there.
Andomiel was examining an odd Phonograph when he heard a young woman yelling.
“For the last time! I can’t teach you White Magic! You just can’t do it!”
“Awww…come on!!” A little black mage pleaded.
“If I could do it I would! Would you just leave me alone!!”
As the woman ran into the shop, she ran smack into Andomiel, nearly knocking him to the floor.
“Ooops…excuse me…,” she said, rather gruffly.
Brushing himself off, Andomiel kindly remarked, “It’s not everyday I run into a fireball such as yourself…,”
“And just what is THAT supposed to mean?!” She sternly put her hands on her shapely hips and glared at him.
Andomiel had never encountered a woman with this much temper besides Urd or Pharda’s mother, so he smoothly replied, “I meant your…hair…I’ve never seen a redheaded woman before…,”
Brushing a fiery lock of hair from her face, she replied, still hard in tone, “Red hair isn’t all that rare, besides, how do you know I didn’t just dye it…?,”
Not quite sure where this conversation was going, Andomiel shrugged and decided to introduce himself. “Name’s Andomiel, I guess I was just surprised…that’s all…,”
“Frankly I don’t think it was the hair you were surprised about.” She thought, but then said, “Well, it is naturally red, and as if you couldn’t guess, my name’s Rose, I apologize for running into you, I was just trying to get away from a bunch of dumb black mages who think they can learn White Magic, when physics says it’s impossible.”
“Well you did it? Didn’t you? From the look of it you are a fairly accomplished Red Mage, aren’t you?”
“Good observation…Paladin…of course you’re not the only one who can spot a labeled warrior-in-training.”
“You didn’t answer my first question, you did didn’t you? Study both Black and White magic?”
“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that, but I didn’t master either of them, I couldn’t, so saith the laws of physics.”
“Personally, I think Red Mages are more versatile anyway.”
“You really are a smooth talker, aren’t you…”
“…Well…,” Andomiel shifted his foot, he’d never been flirtatious before.
Changing subjects, Andomiel asked, “I heard there was a big scary Lion following you, anything else I should know?”
She rolled her eyes and said, “I really don’t know what the heck those crazy mages think they see, I don’t really see anything. The only thing closest to a lion I have is this weapon.”
Raising it up so he could see the Lion motif engraved, he asked, “So what kind of weapon is it?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s a gunblade! It’s called ‘Griever’s Heart.’ Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of one of those before…,”
“I have, but I didn’t know it looked like that…,” he said inspecting the edge of it, “It’s very elegant.”
“Hard as heck to use though, you know how much timing it requires to swing and shoot this thing.”
“Hey, I know this guy who’s good with swords…maybe he could teach you a little something,”
“Yeah right, with the concentration it takes to cast both a spell and attack, no thanks…”
“Suit yourself, Rose, I’ll see you later…,”
“See you…Andomiel.”
Back at the graveyard…
“So you wanted to talk to me…?”
“Yes…I…just wanted to say you look familiar, like somebody I once met a long time ago. He was a thief just like you, spunky, bratty, obnoxious.”
“Yeah…,”
“You looked like you might be related to him….”
“Hmmm….,”
“Well it’s just a thought but, maybe you should go visit a little place called Neo Bran Bal, it’s somewhere on the Old Continent, shouldn’t be too far from Ipsen’s Castle. Maybe you’ll find someone there you know…,”
“I didn’t know you knew about that…thanks, I will…,”
“Yawwwwwwn…,” Fenris stretched his wings and quietly flew to the top of the hut, “I’m going to bed, this place is boring…,”
“Yeah, we’ll follow you, I just gotta talk with Strife for a minute…,” Tempest replied.
Tempest walked quietly toward the front of the village where they had first discovered the little huts designed like black mages, the pointy hats and everything, and found Strife, just standing there, almost like he was keeping watch.
Sensing someone coming near, he turned around, his cloak masking his mouth so well, he appeared to have no mouth at all, that combined with his large sword, made him almost look like a monster.
“You wanted to talk with me?” He asked, reading her mind.
“Do…are you….what I’m saying is…have I ever met you before?”
“No...I don’t think so...”
“You…look and act…so familiar to me…, like my father…,”
“I’m not your father...”
His words stung her, but she took them in stride, “Of course not…mother said…before she died…father was dead even when he was alive…dead to emotion…”
“Look, I really don’t know what you’re trying to say...,”
“N-n…never mind…,” her eyes became steel again, “Forget it…,”
“...,” “Tempest...”
“…What….,” her voice was harsh, unyielding.
“Don’t close your heart, that’s all I wanted to say.”
“…Oh…,” she said quietly, realizing what happened.
“It’s getting late, I’m going to rest, you should too...,”
