Dissidia Final Fantasy: Unus Mundus

Chapter Fourteen ~ The Crystal Tower (Bartz)

"Did ye notice the moon's color? Ever since it turned red, that's when the wind changed."

Bartz, Faris, and Boko walked through the jungle-like island in the same direction Faris came from. It was nighttime already, and Faris was looking up at the blood red moon. Bartz looked up at it and nodded. "I never paid attention, but you're right. How did I not notice the change of color?" He shrugged a bit. "Eh, I guess I didn't need to. I sensed the change in the wind almost immediately."

"You've gotta be color blind not to notice a shade of blood red coming from the sky," Faris giggled. Bartz laughed a little and gently kept a hand on Boko to keep him from stumbling as he walked.

"Thank you for coming to the rescue," he said to Faris. "I was really worried it wasn't gonna end well for us... I couldn't even land a hit on the guy who attacked us."

"I'm surprised," Faris replied as she kept her gaze to the ground. "You're quite a skilled fighter, Bartz. Did you know him?"

"Not at all..." Bartz shook his head. "He was a tall guy with long, silver hair and a black jacket that went down pretty low, about ankle height. And his sword..." Bartz stopped talking and placed a hand over Boko's mended wound. "I don't know who he is or where he came from, but his strength far surpassed mine. The blade of his sword alone was taller than me."

"Sounds like trouble." Faris crossed her arms and looked back up, and after realizing how long they'd been walking, she quickly realized that they weren't even close to the ocean. "Speaking of which, did we take a wrong turn?"

Bartz looked at her with a bit of confusion as he looked around. They were out of the jungle-esque area, and they found themselves in a sprawling field of hills with deep green grass and flowers of every color growing everywhere. while it looked beautiful, they were both worried about where they were. "I don't recognize this place..."

"I coulda' sworn my ship was docked here," said Faris. "What the hell is this?"

After surveying the area, Bartz turned around, though upon doing so, he could no longer see the jungle-esque area they were in just moments ago, and it was replaced with more grassy hills. "Okay... that's not normal."

Faris promptly turned around after Bartz's concerning comment and she sighed deeply, shaking her head. "Aye... there've been rumors of the planet shifting, people disappearing and suddenly appearing elsewhere... could this be what they were talking about?"

"I certainly hope not..." Bartz knelt down to meet Boko's eyes. "Hey, do you think you could carry Faris and I for a little bit so we can explore?"

Boko cried out weakly, but it sounded a bit joyous.

"Good. Take it easy, now." Bartz smiled and gently got onto Boko's back as he held his hand out for Faris. Faris took it and got onto Boko behind Bartz, her hands around his waist as Boko began riding through the peaceful fields. Aside from Boko's footsteps and the occasional sound of crickets hiding, it was a rather silent ride that seemed to go on for a while until they came to a valley surrounded by tall mountains. Boko slowed down upon arriving at the valley's entrance, which was the home of four identical statues depicting people with heavy armor and swords, almost acting as a gateway to the valley. Bartz and Faris exchanged glances and got off of Boko.

"This is new," Faris said in a quiet tone. "You ever seen this place when exploring?"

"I've never seen this place in my life..." Bartz looked at the four statues and walked slowly towards one of them, his heart beating quicker with anticipation, fear, and excitement at the sight of this strange new place. He lifted his hand with great hesitance, slowly, and he gently touched the statue in front of him. It was made of rough and aged stone, like it had been around for hundreds of years, yet showed no signs of weathering or aging. Bartz turned around and looked over at Faris, who was touching another of the statues.

"Do ye think we should go in?" she asked softly. It took a moment before Bartz responded.

"Might as well," he said. He turned around and looked at Boko. "Go find a place to hide in safety, okay? We'll meet you back here after we've determined what's beyond this valley."

Boko cried out softly but kindly with acknowledgment, softly nuzzling into Bartz's chest before walking away.

"Alright..." Bartz unsheathed a short sword with a slightly curved blade and looked beyond the four statues. "Let's do it." He and Faris both walked past the four statues, treading slowly and carefully. With the night sky illuminated by two moons of completely different hues, it was unsettling, especially when surrounded by mountains in almost all directions. Once they got past the four statues, they nearly jumped out of their skin as all four statues seemed to crumble and collapse completely on their own. Neither of them dared to turn around at the sound.

"What was that...?" Faris asked in a hushed tone.

"I don't think I want to find out." Bartz and Faris exchanged frightened glances before they began walking faster through the valley. The rest of the walk was filled with an eerie silence. It wasn't the normal silence they had been dealing with. It was so silent that it felt like the valley was frozen in time. Bartz felt like his steps were being held back by an unseen force.

He and Faris turned around a corner once the mountains blocked their path and curved inward, revealing a path to the right, but as soon as they did, the sight they beheld threw them off. The air was illuminated by a bright blue glow and they saw a tall tower standing before them. It wasn't like any tower they had ever seen. It was made of what appeared to be bright blue crystal, stretching beyond the skies. As the two approached it, they saw a man with long, flowing silver hair, but it wasn't the man who attacked Bartz. This man was different. He didn't carry a sword, he didn't wear a long black jacket, and he did not have such an intimidating aura. He carried what appeared to be a frozen body, the same shade of crystal blue as the tower before them, and he entered a building surrounding the tower.

"What do you think it is?" asked Faris.

"I don't know..." Bartz examined the area and felt a strong urge to enter the tower, almost like it was beckoning him to it. "But I think we need to go in there."

Without another word, Bartz began walking towards the tower like he was hypnotized and forced to do it.