Final Fantasy 9 - On The Matter Of Dark Matter by LeoCuttridge < Submission

Keywords male 1201226, female 1093197, human 108895, rat 23516, suicide 658, final fantasy ix 320, dark matter 36, arlon of burmecia 1, chiloco the chocobo 1

This story is fictional and for entertainment purposes only; no money hath changed hands in the production of these works.

The characters Zidane Tribal, Princess Garnet til Alexandros XVII (Dagger), Adelbert Steiner, Vivi Ornitier, Freya Crescent, Quina Quen, Eiko Carol, Amarant Coral, Regent Cid Fabool IX, Queen Hilda, General Beatrix, Kuja, Queen Brahne Raza Alexandros XVI, Doctor Tot, Self-Proclaimed Artist Michael, Lowell Bridges the narcissistic actor, the Burmecians Kal and Wei, and Mene the moogle are all characters copyright 2000 to Square Enix, Square EA, Square Co Ltd from the universe of the Sony Playstation JRPG Final Fantasy IX.

Artist Arlon of Burmecia and Chiloco the red chocobo is copyright to me, Leo Cuttridge (Leo_cuttridge@proton.me).

~Final Fantasy IX~

~On The Matter of Dark Matter~

by

Leo Cuttridge
Leo_cuttridge@proton.me

--The Dark City Treno, Auction House, 18:55--

Dark, yet still comfortably warm.  The skies over the big city of Treno were always the same in the position that it lay at the top of a hill on the south side of the Mist Continent, which made the skies an eternal night time scene.  It was a large and very wealthy city housing many of the world's wealthiest as well as the poorest.  Life flourished here much like the Kingdoms of Alexandria and Burmecia, just with a different clientele of citizens.  Many who lived here made a name for themselves with their huge amounts of money and their fame and notoriety to make a long-standing prominence in the city, both in appearance and government.  Like most big cities, there was also a section for the wealthy and one for the poorest, the latter receiving the moniker of 'the slums.'
Nestled in between the two sections was the large castle owned by a wealthy noble who admired collectibles from all around the world of Gaia.  As a collector, he appreciated the value of unique and rare items, regardless of whether they were more functional or simply rare.  Many of Treno's nobles frequented his auction house built into the foyer of his residence on a nightly basis that he opened to the public to sell and trade his expensive wares.
Tonight, the auctioneer had a special item to sell.  One that he had never seen the likes of before in his many years.  “Is everything in order for tonight?” he asked his assistant who was walking around placing certain items onto mobile pedestals to display the goods available for bidding.
“Yes sir, everything is ready for the next auction,” his assistant said.  “A-are you sure you want to sell... that LAST item, sir?”
“Well why not?” the auctioneer asked with a grin.
“Well, I mean... it certainly is a unique item...  I've certainly never seen anything like it before... and it is shaped perfectly... almost like the Gods made it themselves,” his assistant said.  “You usually collect such items and keep them out of the public eye...”
“Hehehe... very true, but I sense this will pull in some serious gil tonight,” the auctioneer said with a greedy grin.
“Didn't that Burmecian eagerly sell it to you just this morning?” his assistant asked.
“Not sold... he literally just gave it to me... said he wanted to be rid of it... he walked away before I could even offer a price... even with all the tears in his eyes...” the auctioneer said.
“I see...” the assistant said, curiosity and confusion filling his mind.
“Well, time for the show.  Let us begin,” the auctioneer said.
There was a crowd of about a dozen nobles out in the audience waiting for the beginning of the auction with the first round of items to be sold, along with one man standing out towards the back that had just walked in, not looking particularly fitting with the rest of the crowd.  The curtains then drew to the sides of the stage with the auctioneer walking towards the end of the stage, taking a bow to the crowd as they applauded.  “My many thanks to all of you for participating in tonight's auction, for tonight, my lineup has some VERY interesting and rare and unique items that I am more than certain will grab the interest of many of you,” the auctioneer said, lights focusing on the four pedestals on the stage with the wares to be sold off to the highest bidder.  He walked to the left side of the stage to the first pedestal, then moved on to the next pedestal to the right for each of the six items up on the block.  “Tonight, I offer you some VERY unique items... this Rat Tail... this beautiful piece known as Une's Mirror... along with this called Doga's Artifact... the rare Griffin's Heart...  this very unique item of the Magical Fingertip... and this latest item only having come into our possession just today... this gorgeous piece that... well, I must admit, I know not what exactly it is, but I'm sure one glance it it and you will agree it simply defies beauty... this Dark Matter!”

--Western beaches of the Outer Continent, west of the Iifa Tree, three weeks prior--

Black clouds filled the sky all over the area as the majority of the flotilla of ships of the Alexandrian Navy were all burnt to nothingness out a short distance from the shores, the air filled with the smoke of burning wood and blood from the many people that perished during the recent battle.  A lone escape ship sat on the shores of the Outer Continent some distance from the Iifa Tree with a small gathering of witnesses to the events that took place sitting and resting with little to say.
Just hours ago, Queen Brahne had advanced a massive fleet of her Navy to the shores of the Outer Continent to eliminate a being that had helped her acquire the power she possessed.  Her target was the mysterious white-haired scantily clad feminine male named Kuja that promised all and delivered so much, but with hidden consequences.
Queen Brahne had only recently vanquished the Kingdoms of Burmecia, Cleyra and Lindblum with Kuja's help of acquiring the use of special summon powers of magical guardians of Gaia known as Eidolons... specifically, Odin to destroy Cleyra and Atomos to severely damage Lindblum.  Upon her arrival at the Outer Continent, she had summoned the legendary dragon king Bahamut to help eliminate Kuja to make everything on Gaia hers, her heart and soul filled with the deepest and darkest greed.
In a mysterious and confusing turn of events, a mysterious power from the skies turned Bahamut upon Brahne and destroyed nearly everything in her naval fleet, the mysterious Kuja flying off into the distance on the back of a silver dragon.  Once dusk fell upon the region, Queen Brahne lay dying on the beaches of the Outer Continent, her own daughter, Princess Garnet til Alexandros XVII kneeling by her side in her final moments.  Although, Princess Garnet had only recently discovered in her expedition with her companions on the Outer Continent that she was NOT of royal lineage, but that she was a descendant of a long-forgotten tribe of summoners from a small village by the name of Madain Sari.  It was still a mystery as to how she arrived at Alexandria in her youth and became a princess and why she had no summoner's horn, for she found her soul belonged to Madain Sari that she recently discovered in her journeys.
Off to the distance, several companions to Garnet sat or stood off to the distance to give privacy and respect to a dying mother and her daughter.  A tall muscular man with flaming red hair in dreadlocks that wore a massive glove for attacking named Amarant Coral stood and checked over the rigging and mechanics of the life support vessel Queen Brahne escaped from to see it's seaworthiness to return to Alexandria.  He was a very reserved loner who found a curiosity of one of the other members of the entourage he had joined, intent on trying to understand his intentions and methods of thought, especially having lost to him in a one-on-one hand-to-hand battle with him.
The man he was watching, a shorter, slender blonde-haired man with a simian tail named Zidane Tribal who took the title of team leader sat watching the scene of Brahne and Garnet from a distance, sitting next to a young 6-year-old purple-haired girl with a summoner's horn named Eiko Carol, the young girl watching quietly as well.  Before them stood a young and short pot-bellied black mage with weathered attire named Vivi Ornitier.  In their travels, they had discovered that other black mages were being manufactured for war using the Mist of the planet in the creation process, which they only recently discovered is the source of former souls of Gaia.  This revelation was an enormous emotional and psychological blow to Vivi, forcing him to question his own realness and consciousness in everything in this world.  They had also learned that Queen Brahne was taking these black mages from Kuja to use as instruments of war, the existence of his kind seeming to be a tool to be used for murder and destruction by those in power.
All of this made a huge pool of mixed emotions in Vivi... part of him was glad and happy to see Brahne, the creator and taskmaster of his own people to be used for evil intent, dying before him... but part of him was feeling incredibly sad for Princess Garnet, knowing that not only was she about to lose her mother, but that Brahne was her SECOND mother, having lost her biological mother in her youth.  Tears shed down his featureless black face from his round yellow eyes as he looked on to Brahne and Garnet, not knowing exactly how to feel right now... feeling somewhat glad Brahne got what she had coming to her, but also depressed that one of his beloved friends was losing someone dear to her, regardless that Brahne was full of greed and stole Garnet's Eidolons forcefully and used them for the purpose of war.
Garnet knelt down by her obese and rotund second mother's body, Queen Brahne breathing deep and slow through her mouth as she drew in her final breaths, holding her daughter's hand.  “I... feel my... my daughter's hand in mine... darling, I'm... so sorry for all I've done...” she said, tears streaming down her ashen pale face.
“Mother...” Garnet said softly, squeezing Brahne's hand lovingly and softly.  “Things are going to be okay...  I am truly grateful for you and father bringing me up in Alexandria... and I must tell you now... I have finally found out who I am... and where I came from...”
Brahne, took a deep breath as her smile widened in relief to Garnet's words.  “Ohh... I'm glad, my darling...  I'm so... very sorry I couldn't tell you in the past... I didn't know how you would take the news... I planned on telling you someday... your father and I just couldn't figure out how...”
“It's okay...  I'm still grateful that you have graced the last ten years of my life... I'm going to still miss you a lot... and I... forgive you for all the wrong you have done...” Garnet said, her words starting to break up as tears streamed down her face.
“Sweetie... you are a pure heart... and you have many that stay by your side and support you... when I pass, you will be FAR better a leader of Alexandria than I ever could have been... they will be so very happy to have you secede to the throne...” Brahne said as her breaths continued in a slow, deep and raspy rhythm.  “I've... let greed ruin me... I've let Alexandria down the path of ruin and despair... now YOU know what NOT to do... and persevere against all odds... our Kingdom will flourish more than any time in the past, I just know it...”
Garnet started to choke up as she continued to hold Brahne's hand.  “I don't know if I can...”
“Of course you will... you're so much stronger and smarter than I... I think it is something you have the power to do...”  Brahne said softly as she panted deep and slow.  “And you will have wonderful people to guide you... just like your retinue there...” she said, her eyes glancing towards Zidane, Vivi, Eiko and Amarant.  “You are the bright... strong... beautiful new face of Alexandria... I finally feel... free of that horrible greed... it's time... to see your father again...” she said, taking in one last deep breath, then exhaling slowly before her body went limp and lifeless.
Dagger leaned in to hug Brahne closely as she softly sobbed while watching her pass away.  After some time, Zidane and Amarant helped to move Brahne onto the escape ship called the Blue Narciss, then headed back to Alexandria.

--Alexandria Castle, Memorial Resting Place, Brahne's grave site, one week later--

The skies over the kingdom of Alexandria were clear and warm, a gentle breeze blowing across the kingdom as Princess Garnet, Adelbert Steiner, General Beatrix and Doctor Tot all walked up the stairs to the large grave marker for Queen Brahne.  The mood was quiet, calm and sad.  Doctor Tot, a short and somewhat round man with round spectacles over a very large pointed nose carried a wreath of roses to give to Dagger.  “These are from the citizens of Alexandria, my Princess,” said Tot.  “Despite all the wrongdoings and evil deeds she committed in the final year of her life, they all still had a love and affinity to her.  Red roses were her favorite.”
“Yes, they were,” Garnet said as she took the wreath and placed it before her second mother's grave.  She stood there for a minute or so looking down and sighing sadly, then turned around to face Steiner and Beatrix.  “I know that I must ascend to the throne... but I admit privately to you all, I do not feel up to the task... I must beg of you all to guide me in this time of adjustment, if you would please.”
Steiner and Beatrix rose an arm to salute Garnet dutifully.  “Absolutely, your Highness!  We will be proud for it to be our duty.” Steiner said proudly with a smile.
“We will be more than happy to guide you in your time of need, your Highness,” Beatrix said calmly with a reassuring smile.
Garnet nodded softly.  “Umm... I suppose you both should all know that... Brahne was not my real mother...” she began.
“Doctor Tot has already explained it all to us, your Highness,” Beatrix said calmly.  “And please understand that information does not change our loyalty to you at all... if at all, it will make it stronger to you as we guide you.”
“Absolutely!”  Steiner added.  “Please, we beg of you, take the throne with full confidence knowing we will be by your side, now and forever.”
Doctor Tot then reached into his pocket and pulled out something, then held it out to Garnet.  “These jewels contain the powers that Brahne forcefully extracted from you, my dear,” Tot explained as three gemstones fell into Garnet's hands.  One was a brilliant greyish white Opal that contained the summoning power of the ice Goddess Shiva.  Another was an brownish orange Topaz that contained the power of the hellfire beast named Ifrit.  And the last was a purplish amethyst that held the power of the intense gravity monster named Atomos.  “It is only right that they be returned to you.”
“Thank you so much, Doctor,” Garnet said, looking at them for a few moments before putting them in her pocket.  “I am very grateful to have you all.  I feel... I mean... I shall be a great Queen.”  She then walked out to the pier attached to the island that was the place of remembrance they were on and looked out over Lake Alexandria at the castle on the other side.  The magnificent castle was a gleaming bright greyish white with a giant sword sticking up out of it from the middle front, the finish of the blade like that of a finely-polished mirror.
Her mind began to return to the mentality of trying to think and act like a Princess like she had always done for the last ten years.  Her recent inclusion to Zidane and company in their journeys made her try to behave and think like a commoner to blend in with the populace.  Part of her was saddened to think that she would no longer be traveling with them anymore on their adventures... and part of her felt it her duty to resume her royal lifestyle... but deep down, she was scared to death about what may come in her ascension to the throne.  But of all the many thoughts going through her mind at that moment, the last thing she thought about was that the gemstones Doctor Tot gave her were only some of her Eidolons that were extracted from her.  There was one that stood out from the rest that wasn't present, and during Brahne's returning to Alexandria after her passing, it had somehow slipped away...

--Mist Continent, the King Ed Plains by the Chocobo Forest and South Gate, one week later--

The sun shone down on Gaia much more over the Mist Continent as of late, providing more clarity in travel along with more warmth for all living on it.  Travel had become far easier than any other time by walking or by employing the use of a chocobo.  The depletion of the mist put a halt to machines and vehicles using the mist as a source of fuel, so many tram cars on the mountain passes as well as airships had been shut down.  On the flip side, however, the land had been more sparse of monsters that lurked over the land.
Along the sandy beaches off a short distance from the Chocobo's Forest sat a tall slender rat named Arlon, a male citizen of the Kingdom of Burmecia.  He sat looking out over the King Ed Plains westward with a paintbrush and easel in hand, applying brushstrokes of paint to a canvas to recreate the landscape.  His vantage point gave him a clear look onto the other side of the river there and over the Eunorous Plains which lead up along the mountainside to a long rocky trail to the Lindblum Plateau to the south.  He had been out on a pilgrimage to seek a perfect spot to make an epic painting, and for that he decided to try to find as much of a place as serene as he could, and this largely untraveled area was a very easy choice.
He was enjoying the landscape, totally surprised at the sudden disappearance of the mist during his travels, along with the warm sunshine and the sounds of the crashing waves behind him was an incredible feeling that brought him much happiness.  Never did it enter his mind to think about the cause to the mist's departure or if it would come back, for he just was used to it in his lifetime much like anyone else on Gaia.  He was feeling very pleased and confident for the future.  It was definitely a world in which he was hoping he and his wife and two children at home would grow up in to enjoy forever.
He slowly slid his brush tip along the canvas with one last stroke as he looked on to the horizon and compared it to his painting, smiling and nodding at his progress.  He wasn't finished with the painting, but he had enough of a basis to continue on filling in other parts at another time, such as the clouds in the sky, the green boughs of trees, the ragged edges of rocks along the sides of the distant Aerbs Mountains that surrounded his home Kingdom of Burmecia to the north and the Kingdom of Alexandria to the northeast.  A rumble in his stomach signaled him to stop and hunt for food for him and his steed.  He had been here since dawn and now it was the middle of the afternoon.  Thankfully he didn't have to go far to search for some fish.  “Mnf... getting hungry... I should stash this away and start getting shelter and food sorted out,” he said aloud.
He then rubbed off his easel of the traces of paint remaining on it with a rag and stowed it in his backpack, his brush and paints into a satchel to his side and canvas over the outside facing the sun.  He then met up where he left his steed, a red bipedal avian named a chocobo by a bridge crossing over the river.  “I'm back, Chiloco,” he announced to the big bird.  Chiloco greeted him with a smile and nuzzle to his face and a happy “Kweh!”, the signature sound of the chocobo.  “Enough painting for one day.  I'll see if we can catch some fish from the ocean for dinner while we camp, yeah?” he said, a soft gurgle from Chiloco's stomach sounding in agreement.
Arlon then began to unpack his belongings from the side packs on Chiloco to begin setting up camp by the shores of the ocean.  He always found it calming to camp on the oceanside, the sounds of the ocean, the calmness of the sand and the peaceful tranquility of the area very relaxing for him and Chiloco.  He had a huge tent for just one person, but he always had his steed sleep in the same room with him even though a chocobo was used to resting by itself in an outdoor setting.
Once he had the tent set up and a fire pit constructed from dry wood he got from the outskirts of the Chocobo's forest, he retrieved his fishing gear and headed out to the shoreline to start casting his line.  The sun was close to the horizon when he began to try and snatch a fish or two from the ocean.  He had some preserved rations in his pack, but he had been consuming those for days on his travels and was craving something fresh, and he felt that Chiloco was wanting something other than gyshal greens and bull kelp from the ocean for a nice change of pace, as well.
A few hours went by with little success, having caught a lot of kelp from the ocean and a small salmon that was barely capable to sate either one's hunger.  The sun was halfway down on the horizon before Arlon was about to pack up and quit, but he then noticed his fishing rod begin to slowly tug and bend towards the water, indicating catching something slow-moving.  “Ah... must be some more kelp...” he said without enthusiasm, Chiloco letting out a soft and disappointed “waaaaark...” in response.  Arlon began to gently pull in the catch towards the shore, feeling very little in the way of resistance for a couple of minutes before starting to see the body of his catch come closer to the shore... and it was a big fish... a grouper, a huge bodied fish that made Arlon and Chiloco very happy to see.  Chiloco began to chirp and kweh happily at the sight as Arlon laughed out heartily at the amazing catch he landed.
Once he tugged the huge fish to the shore out of the water, he looked closely over the body, and it was indeed a huge catch.  But looking over the middle of it caused him to pause in wonderment... he knew groupers were large by nature, but the shape of this one's belly was abnormal for some reason.  He took little time in dispatching the fish of it's blood and cutting off the head before gutting and cutting the fish into proper filets for grilling, and when he got into the insides of the body, he noticed the stomach had been greatly distended, swollen huge and round.  “What in the world did you eat...?” he said to no one in particular, cutting the stomach open with his mythril knife to reveal a big sphere of blackness, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
He took the black sphere out of the guts and washed it off with the ocean water to see it more clearly, and it was a sphere of perfect roundness, about 6 inches across and very hard to the touch.  He tried to cut at it with his knife only to flake off a couple of chips of mythril from his knife.  This was harder and heavier than anything of such size that he had ever seen, confused as to what it was and how it came to be in the world.  He thought it must've been a piece of obsidian that had been weathered and shaped by the passage of time, but it seemed too perfect of a sphere to be weathered by time.  Arlon was totally confused as to what he had discovered, Chiloco looking over his shoulder as the Burmecian gazed into the object deeply.
Chiloco then nudged Arlon in the side firmly with a loud “kweeeh!” to indicate his hunger.  “hehe Okay, yeah... sorry about that, my friend... I'll get supper ready,” Arlon said as he put the black  sphere in his bag and resumed preparing the kelp and fish for cooking on the campfire.
Arlon and Chiloco dined on a lot of delicious fish with a helping of bull kelp caught from the ocean along with cattail stalks and fiddlehead ferns acquired by the bridge over the river nearby.  It was one of the most delicious and filling meals of the whole journey in the several months they spent on Arlon's mission to create the prefect picture to paint.  They loaded the campfire up with a good pile of wood to last the night so they could sleep in the tent warmly, their full bellies helping them fall asleep quickly as the twilight gave way to night time.

--in the middle of that night...--

Despite the huge meal at supper, the warmth of the tent and the sounds of the crashing waves against the beach and the crackling of the fire, sleep was anything but peaceful for Arlon... that night he dreamed of a thunderous storm cloud somewhere, the crash of lightning frightening to anyone nearby... the skies filling with darkness unlike anyone had ever seen... and out of the thick clouds of dark grey and black, he watched a horse with six legs—four in the front and two in the back—with an impressively muscular body galloping out of it.  It's fur was ashen dark grey and its eyes were a glowing crimson red, its gaze threatening and violent towards any onlookers.  On the muscular and imposing equine's back was a rider equally muscular, but his skin was ashen grey and bald, his eyes also a deep glowing crimson red with a face that was expressionless... and he then reached to his side and behind to grab a mighty sword that defied belief... it was almost as big as he was, yet he wielded it with zero effort... and then he threw his arm back and thrust the massive blade away from him... to watch it disappear into the heart of a really big tree that Arlon did not recognize... it looked to be a tree of immense size, and for some reason, very important... and once the sword had pierced the heart of the tree from above, the tree suddenly burst apart in an explosion, and glimpse of shelters and buildings built within its many branches all being destroyed in short time, the entirety of the natural structure becoming torched and immolated within seconds as the figure on horseback came back into his mind, his mouth opening to reveal a violent toothy and bloody grin that could only be compared to that of a demonic being of immense power and destruction...
…and then Arlon woke up gasping and screaming out in fright in a cold sweat, the Burmecian sitting up from his restful repose panting and gasping for breath, Chiloco suddenly waking up and whimpering at the sounds of his master waking up from a nightmare, leaning in to nuzzle him for comfort.  Arlon panted slowly and deeply as he petted Chiloco's head softly and nuzzled it in return.  “ugh... I'm okay, my friend... thank you...” he said on each exhale.
He sat there trying to think about the dream again, trying to figure out anything he could to relate him to it and its events, but nothing was really coming to mind.  It was common belief that dreams were a connection to everyone's mind and lives in some aspect in one way or another, but for several minutes he struggled to make any sort of connection to himself, finally shrugging it off and reducing it to random happenstance as he lay back down and closed his eyes to get back to sleep.

--Lindblum, Theatre District, the next morning, 09:42--

Arlon and Chiloco woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the shores of the King Ed plains after sleeping for a few more hours after Arlon's nightmare.  They woke up refreshed and rested, then packed up their belongings and rode gently into the Kingdom of Lindblum.  The city was a unique presence in the world, being not only a leading center of technological advancement in shipbuilding and transportation using mist and soon to be steam, but also the fact that the entire city is built within the castle walls, providing an excellent barrier of protection for the citizenry.  While the royalty and government resided in the richest and upper levels of the city, the rest of the populace was separated by three different districts, one for Business, one for the Industrial segment and one for the Theatre, all of which were connected by a series of public transit aircabs powered by mist engines that floated from one district to the other and to the Grand Castle.
Arlon rode Chiloco through the city to the first aircab to discover that access to the Industrial District had been shut down due to the extensive damage done to it.  Disappointed that he would not be able to visit Bobo's Doom Pub for a bite to eat for breakfast, he headed first to the Business District to get some snacks and other edibles from Grandma Pickle, then hailed a cab going to the Theatre District.  The entire journey through the city gave Arlon a sudden uneasy feeling as it appeared that the populace was incredibly busy in the midst of a rebuilding effort.  Nearly all of the buildings were covered in wooden scaffolding with multiple layers fixing the faces and structures of buildings from what looked like collisions from thrown objects.  He felt like he had missed something big and chaotic in the many months since he was last in Lindblum.
Once their aircab landed at the dock to the Theatre District, they departed the craft and walked up the stairs to the living area.  At the other end of the walkway was a bench where an old man sat feeding birds and next to it a staircase going down into a lower level of a large building to a residence.  Arlon parked Chiloco outside the house in front of one of the small vent windows and stepped down off the avian onto the ground, the red avian turning to look back at Arlon in a bit of confusion.  “Kweeeeh...?” he said adorably.
“We're just going to pay a quick visit to Michael to show him my painting... and this... thing we found...” Arlon said softly.
“....kweeeehhhh...” Chiloco said in a tone of sad and mild annoyance and disgust, his smile turning to a bit of a depressed frown as he hung his head a bit.
“It'll be quick, I promise,” Arlon said with a bit of a smile, petting along Chiloco's neck soothingly.  He then went to his backpack and took out the nearly complete picture he had been working on along with his carrier bag with the large black stone he retrieved from the belly of the fish he and Chiloco ate for dinner and walked down the steps into the dwelling.  “Michael, are you in?”
“Oh hey there, Arlon,” the male voice within the dwelling said as he stood before a canvas applying brushstrokes of paint to his own work in progress.  “How've your journeys been?”
“Quite well,” Arlon replied.  “I decided to go for a valley landscape on this new piece,” he continued, showing the nearly completed picture.
Michael looked over at Arlon's painting and smiled with a slow nod.  “Yeeeessss... that is incredible, my friend.  I really like that one,” he said.
“Thank you,” Arlon replied, his gaze going over towards Michael's canvas... trying his hardest to stifle a laugh as he guessed as to the contents portrayed on the fabric, knowing better not to guess if he could help it, knowing Michael.  “Sooo... what're you working on here?” he asked.
“Well, what do you see?”  Michael asked politely with a smile.
“I think I know, but I'd rather you surprise me...” Arlon said.
“What usually eats a gyshal green?” Michael asked.
“...a chocobo...” Arlon said with some reservation.
“This is a picture of a gyshal green eating a chocobo!  Nature gone backwards and in chaos,” Michael said with some excitement.
“I see...” Arlon said, still trying not to giggle from having guessed correctly in his mind, the randomness and nonsensical content of the pic matching Michael's imagination perfectly in Arlon's mind.  He had known Michael to be the type of person to stand in front of a canvas for hours with something as simplistic and mundane as a circle on it before simply splashing a few jugs of paint in random patterns on the canvas, then stating proudly “There!  That'll get me ten thousand gil.  I'm going to lunch.”
They were then interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps coming down into Michael's dwelling from the outside, a man of moderate height and skinny build dressed in a fancy purple vest and hat and yellow breeches and shoes.  He slammed the front door shut and leaned back against it panting, indicating he had just been running.  The sound of girls running past the front door and steps then came from outside from one end of the street to the other.  “Good gods... I'm saved...” the man said in a feminine, foppish and flamboyant voice.
“Lowell, are you being chased by girls again?” Michael asked.
“That fan club of girls is so annoying and out of control,” Lowell said in disgust.
“Come oooon, let one or two of them take you out sometime... and maybe other things afterwards,” Michael said cheerfully. “Everyone knows you need to get laid, anyway.”
“My friend, I wouldn't screw any of those girls with a stolen dick!” Lowell pronounced with pride.
“Is THAT what it takes for you, Lowell?” Arlon quipped suddenly, the comment receiving only a cold stare from the narcissistic actor as Michael chuckled out heartily.
“Seriously Michael, let's get out of this dump and head to Alexandria,” Lowell said in a pleading voice to Michael.  “The Theatre was destroyed, so there is nothing left for me here.  With my acting and your art, we can make a killing there!”
“Oh please, don't even compare my art with your acting,” Michael said in mild defense.  “Yes, we may both be into arts and entertainment, but we are NOT two peas in the same pod.”
Lowell is more of a fruit than a vegetable, anyway, Arlon thought to himself as Lowell sighed and shook off Michael's rejection.  “Ffffiiiiine... such a waste of good talent...”  Lowell said before looking out the windows in both directions before opening the front door to exit.  “If I am still here before I leave to find a new gig in Alexandria, you KNOW where to find me,” he said before walking out and closing the door behind him as he walked out into the street.
“Thanks for the warning,” Michael said softly as he continued to apply brushstrokes to the canvas.
“No kidding,”  Arlon said, rolling his eyes.  “So what DID happen here?  I see the town is repairing nearly every building like it was under attack...”
“Weeeell... we WERE attacked about a month ago by the queen fat bitch from Alexandria,” Michael began.  “Alexandrian troops held the city captive for a week or so, but now the town is totally free again for some reason.”
“Dear gods... why would Queen Brahne attack Lindblum?” Arlon questioned in confusion.  “I thought the Regent Cid was an ally with Alexandria?”
“Hell... I dunno...”  Michael said softly.  “I didn't get much outside the house during that time, so I don't have all the details.  That and I'm not into politics and the bullshit behind them.  Always been that way.”
“True... oh also...” he began, reaching into his bag and retrieved the mysterious black sphere he found.  “...I found this... but I have no clue what it is...”
Michael then turned his head back to the object in question, taking a long glance at it in wonderment.  “Ooh, interesting...” he said, gently picking it up and looking over it carefully.  “This looks like an almost perfect sphere... I can't imagine the skill of the maker responsible for creating this...”
“Had to be a master, whoever they were...” Arlon said.
“Where did you get it?” Michael asked.
“I was catching fish last night for dinner out by the shores by the Chocobo's Forest, and I caught a huge grouper that was barely breathing because it swallowed this,” Arlon explained.
“Interesting...”  Michael said, still looking over it slowly.  “You know what you should do with this?”
“What?” Arlon asked.
“I'd take it to the auction house in Treno and get what you can out of this,” Michael suggested.  “I'm sure there is some rich prick there who would pay a handsome amount for something like this.”
“Quite possibly,” Arlon said, placing the obsidian orb back into his bag.  “Well, I just wanted to stop on by and see you before I head back home.”
“Finishing off your journey, yeah?” Michael suggested.
“Yeah, I have enough to finish this print and sell it off,” Arlon said.
“Sounds good,” Michael said.  “You take care, man.  I'll see you again in the future.”
“You got it,” Arlon said with a smile and a wave as he went out Michael's front door and up the steps and into the street of the Theatre District.
He was walking towards Chiloco to pack up and head out, noticing Chiloco suddenly bending his legs to put his backside against the window in Michael's dwelling.... then the familiar sound of flatulence escaped from behind Chiloco as the big bird let out a fart that lasted several seconds and could gag a maggot, the big bird having a big grin on his beak afterwards.  Arlon snickered as he saw where the smell was gonna go as he packed up his saddle and then heard a familiar voice off to his side.  “Oh hey, Arlon!”  He paused and looked over at the source of the voice and smiled.
“Kal! Wei!  Omigosh, how are you both?” Arlon said, walking over to hug them both, faintly hearing a gagging and choking sound coming from within Michael's dwelling as they walked away from it.  They, like Arlon, were also rat-like in appearance and with very skinny and slender builds.  The male, Kal, was dressed in a soldier uniform with a bandage over his left leg while Wei, the female, wore a blouse and cotton shirt.
“Doing very well,” Kal said.
“The kids were born while you were gone,” Wei said cheerfully, pointing over to the other end of the small plaza where five tiny rat children all stood around playing together.  “Kids, come over here and meet a good friend of ours!”
The children all ran over to Kal, Wei and Arlon and stood looking over Arlon in amazement.  “Who's this, mom?” one child asked.
“Kids, this is Arlon,” Kal told them.  “He is a wonderful artist and a close friend of ours from back in Burmecia.”
“I like his clothing!” another child exclaimed.
“He looks awesome!” said another.
“What does he draw?” asked a third.
“Oh, I draw just about anything,” Arlon said, bringing out his newest painting to show them. “Here is my latest piece that is almost done.”
“Ooooohhhhh prettyyyyy,” they all said in unison, the children's response illiciting a chuckle from Kal and Wei.
“I wanna draw like that!” said the first child.
“Hehehe Well, you just gotta practice your writing with pencils and then work your way up to paints and brushes and you can,” Arlon said with a smile to them all.  “Don't get discouraged by your earliest works, just keep working on it and you'll get better every time, and you'll never go wrong.  Okay?”
“Okay!” the children all said excitedly.
“Can we go play some more?” one of the other children said.
“Sure,” Wei said with a smile, the kids all running off to the sidewalk where they were and playing randomly off in the distance.
“They are all so beautiful,” Arlon said.  “Can't wait to have them play with my own two at home.  Are you two on vacation here for now?”
“Umm... actually, we were forced to evacuate Burmecia some weeks ago,” Kal said, the words making Arlon's eyes and mouth open a little wider, his heart beating faster in concern.
“Evacuate?? What happened?” Arlon asked in shock.
“Queen Brahne attacked the city with an army of manufactured black mages,” Wei said.  “We're not sure as to what they were after, but the king escaped to Cleyra to safety.”
“Michael was just telling me that the queen attacked here, too,” Arlon said, a bad feeling forming in his gut as his heart beat faster in nervousness and fear.  “D... do you know... if my family was evacuated as well?”
“Well, I was injured in the battle and carried out to head here to heal and help Wei with the childbirths, so I'm not sure, but we were one of the last to escape, so I'm assuming they made it out safe,” Kal explained calmly.  “There were some people that made the trek here to Lindblum, others to Cleyra and several of those heading here didn't make it.”
“We have not seen them here in Lindblum, so if they did make it out, they should be at Cleyra with all of the rest,” Wei said.
“I... I must be sure... I'm sorry... I must depart for Burmecia...” Arlon said as he hurried to pack up his painting and climbed up atop Chiloco.  “I will see you guys another time, hopefully back in Burmecia in better times.”
“That's a date, my friend!” Kal said proudly.
“Take care, Arlon!” Wei said as Chiloco strode off with Arlon on his back as he trotted down down the steps to the aircab terminal.  He then took the aircab to access to the Dragon's Gate at the bottom of the valley and rode with all haste.

--a few hours later, Gizamaluke's Grotto--

Arlon rode Chiloco at great speed across the valley to the cavern native to Burmecians as their holy ground, a massive cave system within the mountains that connected the valleys between the Kingdoms of Lindblum and Burmecia.  Within lived the Burmecians' holy guide, a large floating serpent with wings named Master Gizamaluke resided within.  He resided in religious functions like funerals, weddings and congregations, the entire kingdom of Burmecia going to him for a lot of their functions in their daily lives.
Arlon halted Chiloco at the gates of the Grotto and was welcomed by the sight of damage to the front entrance along with two corpses of Burmecian soldiers laying dead at the entrance, the front doors forced open and their locking mechanisms having been blasted out by magic.  Arlon got down from his steed and examined both of the soldiers' bodies, their skin blue and cold.  He guessed that they had been deceased for many days, the smells of decay and rigor mortis deep in the air around them.  Arlon groaned and grabbed Chiloco's reins and hurried through the Grotto.  The many magically powered torches and lights inside the grotto remained on, illuminating the inside with ease, but only to reveal more corpses of Burmecian soldiers laying throughout the Grotto. To Arlon, they all appeared to have suffered wounds by either a great fire or bolt of lightning brought upon them by their attackers.  He was starting to wonder what the extent of the trail of blood would be left behind by these supposed Black Mage soldiers, if indeed it was them that created all this carnage.
He continued down some pathways deeper into the mountains, further into the Grotto and into a large room that was reminiscent of the inside of a chapel, a large indoor lake of water on each side of a pathway leading outside with a large opening in the wall on the far end of the room.  Arlon's fear only increased as he was met with the large corpse of the winged serpent known as Master Gizamaluke laying across the floor from one pool to the other.  The stench of death and decay was intense and horrendous, the sight and smell inside the chapel, making both Arlon and Chiloco groan, but Arlon actually vomited on the floor.  “Dear gods... what atrocity could've done this to Master Gizamaluke?” he said, wiping his muzzle with the back of his hand as he grabbed Chiloco's reins and headed through the rear door in the chapel, the bright sun meeting his eyes as he exited the grotto and was now in the valley across from Burmecia.
He only took about 10 minutes to rest, taking quick bites of bread and giving some gyshal greens and a dead pepper to Chiloco before getting back up and trotting off at great speed across the valley to Burmecia, the kingdom of eternal rain.  The city gates became visible as the clouds filled the skies and the raindrops began to fall at a gentle rate.  When they got there, Arlon guided Chiloco to his home in the heart of the city by the town market square and before the royal palace.  His heart started to race in fear as everywhere he looked he could see only the remnants of a battle, many buildings having been damaged from magical blasts of fire and lightning, several more corpses of Burmecian soldiers laying about everywhere as well.
Once he got to his house, which was a round dwelling with a slate roof amongst similar-shaped and designed houses, he hopped off of Chiloco and ran inside in fright.  “Karleigh??? Kids???”  he shouted, moving as quick as he could and searching every room, which looked looted and destroyed, his family's belongings strewn about everywhere, but his family was gone.  He started to whimper while fighting back tears as he looked around and finally saw a note scribbled on the kitchen table which had a leg broken off it.

Arlon, if you read this, Burmecia has been
attacked by Black Mages.  The kids and I
are heading to Cleyra, the sandy tree house.
We will be waiting for your return there.

Love you eternally,

Karleigh, Nancy and Arlene~ <3

Arlon's mind eased a bit to see the note, his heart slowing a little and his breathing calming down as he knelt forward to rest his hands on his knees to catch his breath.  But the relief was short lived as he suddenly remembered the dream... the beast's mighty sword piercing into the heart of a great tree and destroying it.  He gasped as he made the connection that the great tree in the dream might've been Cleyra!  He knew from his history lessons that Cleyra was a civilization originally from Burmecia that left and took their holy religious ways with them one hundred years ago, leaving Burmecia and it's war-faring populace behind, creating a separation between the two civilizations.  He also remembered that the Cleyrans created a great sandstorm that circled around the great tree to protect it from invaders, giving it its nickname of sandy tree house... but he didn't recall a sandstorm in the dream... was it Cleyra in the dream or not...?  His fear and confusion made him run out of the house and hop onto Chiloco once more.  “I'm sorry, my friend, but to Cleyra we must fly,” he said in whimpers, fighting back tears, fearing the worst...

--two hours later, the Vube Desert, just outside of Cleyra...--

Arlon rode on Chiloco away from Burmecia across the small grasslands surrounding the Kingdom and into the nearby Vube Desert.  The skies eerily did not change from the overcast coverage of grey clouds and the rain did not stop.  His heart beat frantically as he rode on, the visibility forward poor due to the weather, his anxiety very high from the anticipation of what may be to come.  Several minutes of seeing very little went by until the landscape cleared just enough so that he could see a very tall and large object in the distance.  The sandstorm he had heard that protected the tree of Cleyra was absent, and when he got closer, he was finally able to get the whole picture as to what was left.
The tall tree of Cleyra was only a few dozen feet high, the trunk black and charred from fire.  Remnants of shredded wood littered the landscape that used to be the tree.  Small parts of the trunk of the tree were still smoldering and emitting a smoke from the embers of a fire that destroyed the tree.  Arlon dismounted Chiloco and whimpered in fright as he looked around at what had become apparent... Cleyra had indeed been destroyed by an immense great power.  Tears fell down his face as he looked around frantically for any signs of life, but no one but himself and Chiloco were here.
He then stopped as he looked down at an object under some shreds of timber littering the ground around him... and he found an object he recognized... it was a doll, one of Princess Garnet of Alexandria, aged 15 years.  He remembered he gave his twin daughters a doll for their birthday the year previous, which happened to coincide with Princess Garnet's birthday.  He slowly bent down and picked up the doll and looked over it, looking at features all over it... and then broke down all over as he found the names 'Nancy' and 'Arlene' on the back of each of the doll's arms... the names of his daughters that he had written on it for ownership... and the back of the doll was splattered with blood.
Arlon began to cry and wail out in depression and anger as he came to the realization that his wife and daughters were now dead, having been killed in the explosion, or whatever had occurred here.  He dropped the doll for a moment and grabbed a random piece of wood and began to swing it at the ground in anger until the wood broke after four swings, the action making Arlon fall to the ground and drop his handbag next to him.  He continued to scream and wail out in anger as the tears poured from his eyes, now punching the sandy ground under him many times until he felt light headed, soon falling down onto his side and crying, Chiloco whimpering sadly as he walked towards Arlon and nuzzled him comfortingly, the big avian sensing something dreadfully wrong with Arlon.
The tall rat lay on the sandy ground in the rain for a long time, crying nonstop, his clothes becoming soaked with the rain that fell constantly in the desert landscape.  It must've been over an hour that he lay there, curling up into a ball and groaning as he felt aches and pains all over, suddenly feeling alone as his family was no longer on this planet to live with.  His eyes were pained after the lengthy crying, opening to look out along the ground slowly until he saw his handbag... and he noticed the ebony sphere he found having rolled out of his bag onto the ground, and it was glowing an eerie purplish black glow.
He got up and crawled slowly over to the sphere to pick it up and put it back into his handbag, but as soon as his hands touched it, his mind was filled with images of the dream he had the night he found the sphere... about the demonic man riding his six-legged horse... the sword he threw into the great tree to destroy it... and that was when it all clicked in his mind... THIS perfect dark sphere of unknown power... THIS was what had destroyed Cleyra.  Arlon began to seethe in absolute fury as his heart raced, his teeth bared and gritting together in anger as he picked up a nearby rock that was really big, putting all of his strength and effort into lifting the heavy stone up off the ground and above his head, cursing out the dark object.  “Begone you demonic matter of the dark!!!  GGGRRRRAAAHHHHH!!!” he screamed out with all the anger in his heart and threw down the heavy rock onto the sphere... only to watch the rock split easily into two halves.  He then picked up one of the halves and repeatedly slammed it atop the round object dozens of times, growling out in anger the whole time.  “GIVE! MY! FAMILY! BAAAAAACK!!!” Arlon continued to slam rock after rock until none were big enough to hit or seemingly damage the sphere anymore, only to see the sphere hadn't taken the slightest chip or pit anywhere on it's surface.
Arlon soon collapsed and panted through his muzzle for several minutes on the verge of hyperventilating, the tears continuing to fall as he began to sob again.  He had lost his family, he had discovered the reason why, and now he couldn't destroy the cause of his traumatic and devastating loss.  He lay on the ground for several more minutes before his mind went back to Michael in Lindblum, and what he had said about the sphere.  “I'd take it to the auction house in Treno and get what you can out of this.  I'm sure there is some rich prick there who would pay a handsome amount for something like this.”  While the thought of a large handsome sum of gil for the item did sound appealing, it meant nothing to him now that he knew his wife and children were gone.  He had nowhere else to go and no one else to see.  He felt he literally had nothing left to go on for anymore.  What did it all matter?
He then slowly sat up, Chiloco still by his side and nuzzling his face gently.  Arlon then softly caressed Chiloco's head as he nuzzled it comfortingly.  “Thank you, my friend,” he said through tears.  He then got up and put the sphere back into his handbag and put it back on the saddle on Chiloco's back.  Arlon spent the next several hours using his knife to carve out crude and simple crosses for his wife and daughters and placed them in the sand, chiseling their names into the middle of them.  He then put the doll onto the base of the cross for his daughters and then put his gold wedding band onto a string and placed it over the cross for his wife.  “I'm... so sorry... I wasn't there for you all...” he said with whimpers, his crying never having ceased much at all since his arrival.  “That is my sin to live with... but only for a short while...  I'll be with you all soon, I promise...” he said as he slowly turned around and grabbed the reigns on Chiloco's harness and walked along side him away from Cleyra.
Later that night, they had set up camp outside the entrance to Gizamaluke's Grotto, Arlon eating precious little from his remaining food stash, giving most of it to Chiloco.  Arlon sat at the fire and spoke very little, his head and heart hurting from his loss, taking things of his and tossing them into the campfire to watch them burn, starting with his painting supplies, his brushes one by one before tossing his paint vials into the fire.  He then looked over the canvas of his latest painting, the object that took him from his home and family for the last time to try and create.  He spent several minutes overlooking the finer details of the many different colors and brushstrokes he took to make what was before him... but his mind struggled to think of what he would need to complete the painting, his drive and desire having left him completely.  After what seemed an eternity, he then gently placed the canvas in the fire and watched it burn, his final piece of creativity going up in smoke and ashes before him.

--the next evening, Chocobo's Forest--

Arlon slept very little that night and got up at the earliest light to raise Chiloco and continue his journey.  Again, Arlon chose to walk by Chiloco's side for the entire day as they crossed the Mist Continent once more, this time for the peaceful forest known to harbor the chocobo race.  They had arrived by evening after walking most of the distance, the two of them being greeted by a moogle with a cheery disposition.  “Greetings!  My name is Mene, and this is Chocobo's Forest!” the short moogle announced.
“Hello, Mene,” Arlon said softly.  “I was wondering if it would be possible to release my steed here for you to take care of and watch over.”
Mene tilted his head in slight confusion, Chiloco following suit.  “That is not something I usually do, but I would be happy to take care of him for whatever time you should need me to,” Mene replied.
“It would be permanent,” Arlon said, tears streaking down his face.  “I would like you to take care of him and make sure he gets a new good master, okay?”
“Permanent?  Is everything okay?” Mene asked.
“No... not for myself... but I need to go somewhere that Chiloco doesn't need to go so I can do something... that is all I can say...”  Arlon replied.
“...o-okay... I would be happy to take care of him,” Mene said.  “I'm certain he and my buddy Choco would be happy together.”
Arlon nodded and sighed, beginning to undo the saddle straps and the muzzle harness on Chiloco, tossing the equipment onto the ground softly.  Chiloco whimpered sadly as he nuzzled Arlon in sudden confusion and fear.  “Old friend, listen to me... you have been the most wonderful steed and friend in my entire life... but I must ask that you take care of yourself and seek out another... and do your best to be a reliable and wonderful companion to whomever it may be, as you have done for me... do you think you can do that?” he asked, Chiloco whimpering sadly with the most adorable 'kwehs' possible.  “You haven't done anything wrong nor have you disappointed me in any way... it's just that I have to do something for myself... and you need to carry on... okay, my friend?”
It was Chiloco's turn to shed tears as he nodded softly, moving in close to Arlon as the rat then hugged lovingly around the avian's neck, nuzzling his cheek sweetly for a while as he pet his head, then kissed his beak softly.  “Goodbye, my friend...” he said softly, smiling as much as he could before turning around and walking away from the forest, all alone.

--two days later, the Dark City Treno--

Arlon made his way across the Mist Continent again into the kingdom of Alexandria, making his way through the South Gate.  The Burkmea transport car going up and down the mountain had been shut down due to the cessation of the Mist all over the continent, but Arlon found his way to walk up the steep slope slowly to the top along the tracks.  He had very little in the way of food and water, having no appetite to continue on his way to what he planned on his final trip.  He only carried his handbag with the dark sphere inside it and his coin purse, showing up at Treno in the late morning.
The position of Treno on the planet made it a place where it was night time all the time, a city in eternal darkness.  He made his way through the front gates and walked his way wearily to the east side of the city, walking past the poorest of slums and the weapons shop on his way to the auction house.  He had walked inside and was greeted by the auctioneer.  “Good morning, sir,” he said as he approached Arlon.  “If you're looking for the auction, it won't be for several hours this evening...”
“I have something I would like to donate,” Arlon said, sniffling, his eyes red and bloodshot and his cheeks drenched with his tears, as he had been sobbing the entire journey.  He reached into his handbag and retrieved the dark sphere and handed it to the auctioneer.
The man's eyes and smile went a little wider at the pure beauty of the object.  “Oh my goodness... this is... simply gorgeous... I can offer you a sum of--”
“I want NOTHING... of this evil object...” Arlon interrupted, the auctioneer stopping suddenly.  Arlon then looked up into the auctioneer's face.  “This... dark matter... has robbed me of my livelihood... it took EVERYTHING... from me...  I want it out of my life... do as you see fit with it...” he finished before turning around and walking out of the auction house back towards the weapons shop.
Arlon walked past a homeless drunkard who had let out a huge guttural belch that could've rattled windows and shattered bone china.  He paused to look at him as he sat by the edge of the walkway which was high above a waterway below. He saw the bottle of liquor in his hand as he sat and slumbered in place drunkenly.  Arlon then went to his pocket and brought out his coin purse and dropped it by the side of the drunken man, the metallic rattling within startling the man slightly.  “Care to share a drink, my friend?” Arlon asked solemnly.
The drunken man looked up at Arlon standing by his side, then back down at the purse of coins, then his bottle... then he stood up and gave the bottle to Arlon.  “Oh ummm... shhure buddy...” he said with a drawl.  “Hic!  I can... can buy MANY bottles with this... you can have what is left, f-freeeeeind,” he said with a sloppy smile as he picked up Arlon's coin purse full of the remainder of Arlon's wealth and hobbled off down the street to the slums.  “Th-thank you—hic!—very much!”
Arlon wiped the mouth of the bottle off with his arm and then brought the bottle to his lips and chugged the entirety of the bottle, which was well over half-full.  He stood there at the edge of the walkway, feeling the alcohol seeping into his body quickly, feeling his limbs tingle and his mind numb, his thoughts of his wife and children the whole time as he began to find it difficult to stand after several minutes.  His slender body with very little fat content made it easy and quick to become severely inebriated in a short time.  He then began to sob and cry as the thoughts of his family flooded his mind in his last moments, facing away from the walkway about to fall into the canal below.  “Karleigh... Nancy… Arlene... I'm so very sorry...”  he whispered to himself.  “...I'm almost done here...  I'll be with you... all again... soon...” was all he got out before he closed his eyes, lifted his head up to face the sky, take a deep breath... and then fell forward, falling several dozen feet to the canal below... the impact of his skull against the water shattering his cranium and snapping his neck, his body submerged for several seconds before floating to the surface face-down, still and lifeless.

--later that night...--

“Next buyer please,” the auctioneer said aloud, having just finished selling items in his auction for the night.  He had called up the buyers into line to collect the items they had purchased.  “Your name, sir?”
“Tribal, Zidane Tribal.”  Zidane felt slightly out of place having to actually purchase something instead of stealing it like the thief he was known to be, but he figured since Princess Garnet was becoming Queen of Alexandria soon, he felt it best to be legal and avoid trouble with the law.
“Oh yes, our big spender of the evening!” the auctioneer said cheerfully.  “Yes sir, you won the Rat Tail, the Griffin's Heart, Une's Mirror, Doga's Artifact, Magical Fingertip... and this lovely Dark Matter... your total is 187,300 gil...”
Zidane then produced a huge heavy bag of gil coins to the auctioneer.  He then placed the other items in a bag before grabbing the Dark Matter and held it in his hands, gazing into the perfect black sphere for a few seconds before smiling at the auctioneer. “Aww yeah, this will be a wonderful gift for the girlfriend.”
“I see,” the auctioneer said.  “I take it she is a collector as well?”
“She likes a lot of different precious stones,” Zidane explained, not revealing it to be Princess Garnet he was talking about.  “And I just know she'll LOVE to have this in her collection.”

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Inkbunny

Final Fantasy 9 - On The Matter Of Dark Matter

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