GREETINGS ALL!!!! I'm back after a LONG LONG break from TPM and I've quit all my previous Pokémon stories to write this one with a plot in which I have much more interest. Please note that this fic is for a more mature audience as it does contain harsh violence and strong language.

This Final Fantasy has no connection with the plots and worlds in the official games, but will contain features common to all Final Fantasies like magic, summons, and creatures.

Also, this is the first time I'm writing in first person for a public fic, so the beginning chapters may not seem very eloquent. Please offer me any suggestion you deem fit and I hope you enjoy. Thank you!



R.K.Y. Chan

Banner by: Perdanski


Music: Prelude

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Prologue
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The rapid wind against my face and the ceaseless fluttering of my hair brought back the joyous sensation of flight I had missed for almost two months. I stood at the fore of my zeppelin, taking in the view so familiar to me whenever I flew above this place -- the cloudless sapphire sky and the tranquil ocean far below with waves perceptible only to the trained eye. Here I was again leading another important mission for the Illivarion Command with my best friend since childhood Commander Reeve Lorse, my partner in the previous mission Lieutenant Jeffrick Kravier, two other men I had never worked with before, and The Vibragust. I had piloted this airship ever since I got promoted to the rank of captain when I was eighteen and consequently she became my home in the air for the last four years. Her oval, titanium-plated gondola had the design of a sea vessel that suspended with thick metal wires below the imposing gasbag. And just like a sea vessel, it had three decks in total with the first deck bearing steel railings along its perimeter, a large control cabin in the middle and a smaller cabin near the aft leading to the lower decks. The second deck held the briefing room, the kitchen and the dining chamber while the third deck housed restrooms and beds. Being onboard The Vibragust was just as placid for me as being on ground, if not more placid, for the sky had been my territory ever since I took my first hang-gliding lessons when I was five. I was as close to the sky as I was to the ground.

While the most of me felt exhilarated since we took off, the back of my mind kept instinctively predicting a mishap, a premonition that our mission would be jeopardized in either a small or severe manner. But this would be the last thing to surprise me right now because I had these since my early teenage years. Most of my predictions back then, be it adverse or favorable, were false. Yet strangely as I matured, predictions that turned true were persistently increasing. And this prediction almost assured me that some obstacle would present itself in our objective.

Our mission was to infiltrate a military installation in the dictatorial nation of Kazakrin, which we suspected was collaborating with the terrorists of the west against our country, and hack into their military network to gain a critical piece of information. We were to land on the enemy’s coastal border in a forest called Drakithi and from there move inland to where the structure was located.

I wouldn’t deny that this was effective in making the first move against the dictatorship, but in my opinion it would be a whole lot better if we launch a direct assault against the terrorists. Kazakrin would then have to confront us on their own…and lose.

I broke from my momentary thought as I heard orderly footsteps approaching me. I turned to see Reeve with a reassuring smile and he laid his hand on my shoulder.

“Things’re turnin’ out well after our two months on the ground, eh Derris?” he asked in his usual tone that unfailingly brought warmth to my heart and spirit to my mind ever since we were kids.

I then placed my hand on his broad shoulder and replied, “Sure thing, pal. I was itching to take flight again since we touched ground after our previous mission. Feeling the wind up here’s just another part of my life. An integral part, ya know what I mean?”

Reeve was a muscular man, quite unlike me, with a rich and often tough complexion. Even when we were little, he looked at least a couple years older than he was with an indomitable build and an imposing height. His bodily features and his sincere, benign spirit had served him well, winning him a lover just a few months after he joined the armed forces. And just as how I expected the relationship of a person like him to be, his merely deepened as time passed. The two certainly knew the true meaning of love. Recently, he had a haircut which was backed by his claim that he looked more serious and more suited for covert missions with trimmed hair. But I didn’t believe his hairstyle depicted his attitude. Rather, they were his actions on and beyond duty, selfless and honorable, and from my perception, he exhibited genuine leadership skills which I could firmly say outclassed mine despite that I was a rank higher. Yet I was almost too certain that he’d be promoted right after this mission.

“I know, I know. We’ve both grown up with this wind ‘n’ it’s been with us like forever. Feelin’ it again just makes me realize a part of my life I miss on the ground,” he commented.

“My thoughts exactly, Reeve. I now feel I can’t live without bein’ in the air anymore.” I let out a brief laughter and had Reeve join me. “So, how long do we got before our mission starts?”

His face turned sterner, but the smile he wore persisted, “Well, we should expect to see land in less than fifteen minutes. Now that you mentioned it, I better get our fellas to prepare the equipment now.”

“Right, Reeve. Thanks.”

He promptly turned and dashed back into the rear cabin. My view returned to the horizon and almost instantly a peculiar black dot, tiny in the backdrop, materialized. I narrowed my eyelids and grimaced, wiping away my smile from the conversation with Reeve as I noticed the dot approaching the airship at a daunting speed. I had every reason to worry for no bird in these parts could be spotted when I was so far from it; I estimated the object to be at least a kilometer away. This was something huge and was heading directly for our airship. A wild rush of cynical thoughts and questions abruptly crammed my mind as I scrutinized it even more. What if my uninformed prediction at the back of my mind came true? What if the Kazakrinis knew of our mission despite the long months Illivarion Command spent meticulously planning this covert operation?

“Derris, our items are prepped, but Specialist Harlith somehow forgot where he put the cloaking orb. Guess he’ll need some time.” Reeve’s voice from far behind came like a spear piercing the barrier that obstructed my thinking.

I turned to face him, my expression unaltered, and seeing it, he hurried toward me.

“Yo man, what happened?” he inquired in a solemn voice and frowned.

“Reeve, look over there with your scopes,” I replied, pointing to the growing dot. “I think we got company.”

He detached a pair of palm-sized binoculars from his waist belt and peered through them. His smile instantaneously vanished, hinting a most probable fulfillment of my intuition of danger.

“What is it? What do you see?” I asked in a calm tone, reflecting nothing of what was filling my mind.

Reeve curtly removed the scopes, turning to face me with a grave expression and slowly shaking his head.

“Prepare for the worst, Derris. This **** is nothin’ to be taken lightly.” He handed me the scopes and without a mutter I looked into them. The vision had my jaws gaped and nearly made me lose balance. The anticipation I had earlier scaled to nothing of what I saw before me; the black object was an enormous dragon with a wingspan twice its body length and big scales that gleamed like metal in the sunlight. Protruding from above its black, slanted eyes was a pair of intricate horns which was shaped as a ram’s. It clamped its jaws continuously as it effortlessly flapped its wings.

After a moment, a white beam lanced from its mouth and a violent shake of the zeppelin ensued seconds later, forcing me to lose my ground and tumble onto the deck. Another shake, twice as forceful as the previous one, followed and this had me bang the back of my head against the railing. The momentary shock dulled my vision and robbed a part of my consciousness.

“Derris! Derris!” I could barely hear Reeve’s voice above me.

I gradually began to move my head and ferociously blink to clear my eyes. The strength of my limbs and senses was quickly returning. Then Reeve grabbed me by my arm and helped me to my feet.

“You’re all right, man? That was a hard hit,” Reeve said, patting me twice on the shoulder.

“I’m okay, thanks.”

Abruptly, a thunderous roar resounded in the horizon, causing Reeve and me to look toward the beast. It was at most four hundred meters from our airship, and closing in at a tremendous speed. Just then, the three other officers emerged from the rear cabin, breathing hard with rifles in hand.

“Great timing, men! We’re being assailed by a black dragon and I’m pretty unsure about its power, so to be on the safe side, I’m gonna get our emergency wings ready. Reeve, I charge you with the auto cannon. You men take your positions and open fire when the dragon comes,” I ordered and gave Reeve a nod before hurrying into the rear cabin.

My heart raced faster as I descended the staircase to the second deck. Rapid drops of sweat tumbled down my cheeks. Down here seemed airless and steaming; it seemed I was becoming breathless more quickly than I ever had; it seemed as if I had developed a new weakness. Damn, how could I succumb to pessimism this easily? No! I was Derris Windfeather of the Illivarion Air Force, succeeding in every mission assigned to me. This was no exception.

I buried such oafish thoughts a second later and veered toward the briefing room, a small fifteen by twelve chamber with an oval table in the middle and cabinet at the back. I flung open the only pair of wooden doors onboard this airship to find a dozen steel rods placed neatly next to each other on the wall and below them orbs of assorted colors attached to small round slots. Without even examining the contents in the cabinet, I grabbed five steel rods, and held them between my left arm and body, together with a red and light blue orb, which I inserted into my pockets. I banged the doors shut and ran toward the stairs where the sound of gunfire became more apparent. At length I returned to open air and was taken aback by the approaching dragon and its deafening roar. The three men were next to Reeve in front of the control cabin, their eyes fixed on the creature and firing new rounds every other second. But that seemed in vain. The dragon’s armored hide bounced off every bullet and the abomination did not flinch at least one bit. Apparently frustrated, Reeve pounded the ship’s auto cannon he was operating with a swift fist and forcefully pulled the trigger. The weapon rocked violently and booming blows erupted from the turret, sending traces of yellow light whipping through the air and at the dragon. The impact left huge flashes of orange on the creatures, but just like before, it remained resolute in its stance.

“Damn, this thing isn’t takin’ any hits!” Reeve bellowed.

I couldn’t put up with this crap any longer. Until the bastard was downed, I decided I had to yield to the most atrocious of my fury and hatred. I grabbed the light blue orb from my pocket with one immaculate swipe and held it outstretched toward the attacker with my thumb and first two fingers. For that moment, I concentrated deeply on the orb with my eyes shut, focusing my thoughts on the magic it contained. Blizzard. Upon feeling the gush of energy emanating from my mind to my right hand wielding the orb, I flicked my eyes open to see the orb emit a faint glow before small shards of ice flew from all directions toward the hulking beast. Another tumultuous roar ensued, this time of a different pitch suggesting the magic had inflicted some sort of damage upon it. But before I could concentrate again on the orb, the dragon raised its head toward the gas bag and opened its mouth to accumulate a white ball of energy. An immediate rush of anger and fear surged through my veins as I realized the imminent disaster the dragon would create. My companions rushed toward me. Brusquely, I had them equip their emergency wings before one by one they flew beyond the gondola railing. I then attached mine onto my back, fitting it perfectly in alignment with my spine, neither too high nor too low, and launched myself into the air. We dropped for three seconds before white gliders expanded from our steel rods, guiding us gracefully along the winds.

As I picked up speed, feeling the refreshing wind upon my face, I recalled my first experience of liberty in the air when I took my first wing gliding lesson – the liberty of being in the air with nothing beneath my feet, just my body floating weightlessly among the winds and clouds. A mix of emotions – excitement and anticipation coupled with a little fear and apprehension - thronged my mind when took my first leap off the cliff. But when I made my impeccable landing, I felt as if I had accomplished one of the few great exploits in my life, even when I was five, and my coach praised me like I had performed the most breathtaking spectacle he had ever seen, saying I was among the few children most apt to the air he had yet encountered. And so, I aspired to become a man of the skies, constantly honing my techniques with the hang-glider and memorizing the seemingly complex procedure of piloting an aircraft. But now, considering our defeat, I felt my aspiration evaporated in an instant. I couldn’t possibly imagine I would fail in a mission for my country. Ruefully, I looked back to where our zeppelin was, beholding the daunting scene of the dragon firing a wide beam that intensified the light of day and disintegrated the airship into a myriad of smoldering debris.

We spent over five minutes gliding before landing into the ocean and our wings contracted into our rods. My body did not immediately adjust to the cold of the water and its surprise was like the inexplicable presence of the dragon. As my chest submerged I was beating and flailing wildly because somehow, I felt myself sinking. I was a fly boy and was not as apt to water as I was to the sky, but I gradually settled and had my movements in order. Reeve beside me also appeared calm, apparently resulted from the immense fury he put up with seeing his efforts in vain.

“Great, just great! What’re we gonna do now?” he said.

“Let’s just do our best to find land so at least we can live a bit longer. And for further considerations, we’ll decide that after we’re done drifting,” I replied, agitated with myself for such failure.

“Right.”

Just then I noticed a peculiar sound of rushing water behind me. I instinctively turned and saw a huge wave sweeping toward us. How was this possible?

“Watch out!” Lieutenant Kravier screamed just before being engulfed by the body of water.

Acting on my impulse, I took a deep breath before the wave collapsed onto me, draining all my consciousness.