The next two years went by in a frenzy of parades, wars, and darkness. Ultimecia had gained total control of the people of Esthar, becoming far more merciless than her predecessor, Sorcerer Udine. Executions were a common event, now enjoyed by the common folk as entertainment. The poor were swept off of the streets and into concentration camps where they would be processed as slaves and forced to work. Their payment was one more day of life, given one day at a time. The rich were mutilated for their connections to the previous regime, even though they, too, had been held enthralled by Ultimecia's mind-warping powers. For all of the bloodshed she caused, and all of the destruction she had wrought, she was still hailed as the savior of the world. She reveled in their forced praise, hiding from her own misery in the anguish that she created, building up a wall of control and vanity to satisfy her need for protection from her own self-loathing.

Soon, Dollet fell, Galbadia fell... all of the other nations paid tribute to the Sorceress Ultimecia as she blasted the world back into the Dark Ages. As her contempt for life grew, so did her desensitization to the chaos and misery she created. Soon, much of the world had been reduced to a barren wasteland. Unlike Adel, Ultimecia had subdued the world, and in an extremely short amount of time. She held nothing back, daring to attack even where Adel would have been cautious. Within the first two years of her reign, all hands raised in salute to the "Sorceress of Great Life," a title that Ultimecia used to differentiate herself from Adel.

Often, she would also fill her nights with time spent with Ian Loire, forcing her random torment upon him in various forms. It was a comfort for her to have him with her, but he was more a being to be used for his ability to withstand emotional and physical pain. When she felt herself suddenly slip into fits of horrified recollection, she would send for him, use him, and send him on his way back to the front to fight, although those left to slay were few and far between.

In fact, the only group that still existed in opposition to her was the SeeDs. They no longer had their Gardens, those being made into prison camps, but they did form an underground movement against her. They were not much of a threat, but dozens of assassins had been captured and executed for their attempts on Ultimecia's life. With every day that passed, so grew her hatred for SeeDs and their frustrating perseverance. Many times, she personally slew those SeeDs that had been captured, earning her the undesired title of "Mistress of Pain."

But, as she conquered, the world began to bore her, and the pain she had found so easy to repress began to leak from the cracks in her psyche, fewer things occupying the part of her mind that she used to fight against her inner torment. She knew that she must soon begin her final plans.

Late one night, she sat in her throne room, torches casting the only thin veils of light that shimmered and danced across her red dress. At eighteen, she had assumed Hyne's look in its entirety, pulling back her hair into horn-like protrusions from her scalp, which she had dyed gray. Her red dress was very revealing, a homage to Hyne's personal vanity. Now, however, her false feelings of pride and ambition had begun to wane, leaving her with little more than fragments of horrible memories and black, empty thoughts. Often, she would sit for a day at a time, looking ahead into nothingness.

That was what she found herself doing that night, but as surprising as it was, she had a brief glimmer of a memory... something that Callie had told her long ago... "Time compression?" she whispered, the thought growing in clarity. Subconsciously, she could sense her increased despair, and knew that she would not be able to hide for much longer. There had to be a more permanent solution. If anything would save her, it would be time compression.

"Guards!" she shouted, and two of them entered the room and bowed low to the ground, both nearly kissing the marble tiles. "Get me Professor Eldrin of the Akademy."

They bowed and went to find the distinguished scientist who headed the Esthar laboratories. She sat back in her throne, contemplating her next move. If memory served, there existed something in Esthar that could help her. That thought, however, gave way to another as Ultimecia allowed the darkness to overtake her.

Chapter 25

"My Sorceress..."

"Griever..."

"What are we doing now?"

"I have found a new plan... something from before."

"You often spoke of this time compression with fear. Now you seem excited."

"It may be our one last chance."

"What would you have me do?"

"Nothing, for now. Simply grow. I will take kare of the details. I have this world in the palm of my hand. There kan be no stopping us now."

"Very well. I await your command."

"Go to sleep, Griever."

As she snapped out of her trance, the guards returned with the Professor and two of his comrades. They were all elderly men, nearly carbon copies of President Udine. She disliked them on sight. All of them rubbed their eyes sleepily, but they were careful to be alert to Ultimecia's every command.

"My Sorceress," Professor Eldrin stammered, "may I introduce Dr. Cyas and Dr. Lindain, my assistants. How may we be of service?"

"I have recently had an epiphany," she began. "I have, in my childhood, studied the works and klassified files of the notorious Dr. Odine. His work... interests me."

"And what work would that be, my Sorceress?" Dr. Cyas asked.

"My first order of business, gentlemen, is to find a certain piece of equipment konstrukted by Dr. Odine."

Professor Eldrin adjusted his spectacles about his ruddy nose and asked, "What would that be, my Gracious Sorceress?"

"I wish to find the Junktion Machine Ellone."

There was silence for a moment as each of the scientists eyed each other with knowing uneasiness. Standing with her arms folded, Ultimecia frowned evilly as they fidgeted amongst themselves. Professor Eldrin raised the question that first leapt into the minds of each of his colleagues.

"You, um... know of the device?" he asked timidly. "I had no idea that anyone had ever even heard of the thing."

"I do and have, Professor," Ultimecia answered coolly. "I have also studied the experimentation done with Ellone Loire. Where is it?"

"We have had it under constant sealed storage, my Sorceress. It is a very dangerous device..." Dr. Cyas's reply was edged in a mutual fear: that of his ruler and that of revealing so powerful a machine. He was cut off, however, by Dr. Lindain.

"Yes! There is a great deal of stored magic contained, and it has been left in stasis for so long. I wouldn't dare release it... wouldn't dare! Turning it on could cause many problems... many problems!"

"Regardless, I expekt you to take me to it immediately," Ultimecia shot back. "I am in no mood to diskuss the moral trivialities so selektively placed in your minds. This is not a request, it is an order, gentlemen."

Instantly they snapped into action, each one scrambling to find some piece of equipment that each kept on their person. Within seconds, they had assembled a set of five odd, playing card sized computer chips.

"What," Ultimecia asked, "are these?"

"These are the keys to Junction Machine Ellone, my Sorceress! We keep it sealed in this building on containment level four."

"This building?" she asked. "Why?"

"President Udine wanted it kept out of the hands of those who might abuse its power. Even he feared the Machine, Gracious One."

"Then that is where you shall take me immediately." Her voice was edged in consternation at hearing her old rival's name spoken out loud, but her anticipation allowed that to pass. The scientists all looked to their feet, dejected in their inevitable loss. Without further comment, they took the keys and led the sorceress to a room that branched off of the throne room. In that small, unassuming space, there was a button hidden by a trick wall panel. The elevator ran in the back of the room. It was sealed electronically, and all five keys had to be used simultaneously to open it. When it was finally opened, Ultimecia saw that it was large enough to hold thirty people safely.

"This way, Exalted One," Dr. Cyas said. Ultimecia brushed past the other scientists and took her place in the center of the elevator.

"Proceed," she ordered, and they joined her on the elevator. After a minute of silence, the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a gentle whoosh. Cold air rushed inward from the chamber, denoting the chill air of disuse and neglect. All was dark, and Ultimecia could see nothing with only her mortal eyes.

"Just a moment, my Sorceress... my Sorceress," Dr. Lindain muttered, and he hit a button on one of the keys. Instantly, huge solar lights hummed into life, illuminating a room before them that was easily as large as the entire Palace of Esthar.

"We are now three miles below Esthar, directly underneath the Great Plains," Professor Eldrin explained. "There is nothing above us, so an explosion would not affect the outer world beyond a slight tremor... or at least that is what the simulations told us. We monitor the Machine daily, just as others before us have for years, in order to determine the correct balance and alpha configurations, plasma relays, magical output levels, para-capabilities... all things that allow us to control the sheer presence of the device, although many of the factors I have mentioned are still... sketchy, even after all this time. Dr. Odine was brilliant, but he lacked a great deal of foresight. The maintenance of J.M. Ellone costs Esthar more than our entire military budget four times over."

"So what you are telling me," Ultimecia sneered, "is that you have no idea what this thing is or how to deal with it... but you know how it is supposed to work?"

A slight cough later, "That is correct, Great One."

"And why is that?"

"Because," Dr. Lindain interrupted, "the existence of this machine defies all natural laws. Even with the basis of magic, there is nothing that can explain how Dr. Odine ever conceived of such a work... nothing to explain. Ellone has almost no natural ties to physical laws other than its casing, which is itself a hybrid of titanium-alloy and an element that can only be classified as 'unknown...' as unknown. It should not be here, and it continues to baffle us. Its very presence is a slap in the face to everything that humanity has come to know about the world. The ideas behind it are even more complex. If you will step this way... this way..."

The doctor led the rest of the group toward a large, freestanding pillar in the center of the room. Overhead, pipes and wires of various shapes, sizes and colors attached themselves in a plethora of locations to the pillar. The Estharian crest adorned it in several spots, a further reminder of the bygone days of the nation's period of enlightenment.

"My Sorceress," Professor Eldrin announced, "I present to you the greatest mystery in all creation: Junction Machine Ellone - Inter-Dimensional Quasi-Physic-Mental Doorway, and the bane of every practical notion of scientific sense and sensibility."

The Sorceress walked toward the machine slowly, her eyes finally taking in the doorway of her own fate. For the first time, she could actually feel time compression within her grasp, even though she had no idea what she would do with the Machine. The Machine, she knew, was the key to her happiness. She thought of Squall, of the promises they had made, of her mother, of Callie... how all of their pain would no longer exist. She nearly burst into tears, but controlled herself, contenting herself with mild tremors of relief and discovery.

"So beautiful," she breathed, running her cat-like eyes up and down the towering mechanism.

As Ultimecia inspected the equipment, all of the scientists silently congratulated themselves as though it had been they who built the machine in the first place. Professor Eldrin was especially pleased with the Sorceress's initial reaction to the discovery. He prepared himself for the accolades he was certain to receive. Oblivious to their ruler's inattention, they all readied themselves for praise and rewards, doing an about-face from their previous apprehensions and concerns. Indeed, their moral objections now seemed highly selective with the anticipation of praise and perhaps even monetary reward.

"So this is Junktion Machine Ellone..." Ultimecia mused, running her hand over the massive, sleek blue casing. "This is the machine that will allow me free reign over another's mind?" Inside, she knew there was a computer so powerful, so advanced, that it would have never been created were it not for the innovative genius of Doctor Odine. Everything was finally coming into focus; all of her work had not been for nothing, after all.

"Just as Dr. Lindain said," the Professor answered with a hint of pride. "It was built during the rule of the Odious One. It is para-magic enabled to allow for a junction with anyone who shares the powers of Hyne in any period of history... in theory."

"Perfekt," Ultimecia hissed, regaining her composure. "I expekted nothing less. How might I manipulate it?"

"That would be simple, Majesty," Dr. Cyas beamed. "Simply stand here." He indicated a small platform that could comfortably hold one. There were no instruments, no levers or buttons - just a solid chamber that extended into the darkness of the ceiling.

"Very well," Ultimecia said, and she stepped within without hesitation. As she did, there was a flash of blue light. Determined, she looked back at her assembled scientists. They were busy inserting their keys, a look of childish curiosity clouding all of their faces.

"Now what?" she asked impatiently.

"Now the rest is up to you, Gracious Sorceress," the Professor stammered. Her cold demand had unnerved him. "The abilities you hold are the control mechanism. None of us could ever say just how J.M. Ellone works. The only one who was able to make it work even the slightest bit was the nefarious Adel. Ellone Loire herself was the only one who could skip time without any sort of aid."

"I see..." the Sorceress replied. She knew what she had to do. She had to put Squall out of her mind. He was gone now, and only the mission had any meaning. She had to force a thought, and he could not be her focus.

"I will require this time to myself. Go now and return in an hour's time."

Her command was heeded instantly, although reluctantly, and they clambered over each other to leave. Soon, Ultimecia was alone in the dimly lit room with Junction Machine Ellone.

"You are my gate to eternity," she whispered to the darkness above her. "You are the path to my redemption."

She closed her eyes and focused. Once her eyes were shut and her mind quieted, she could feel herself drift, much more violently than in her normal thoughts. The pull was so forceful that she fell back against the wall of the machine, as her body was unprepared for such a jolt. With unforeseen cruelty, it began to unravel each thought in her consciousness, memory by memory. Without warning, she was torn from her own mind, and her body was able to let out a brief, shrill cry of agony before her mind no longer dwelled there. For a while, there was nothing but darkness, and she was afraid that she might have died, so great was the pain in her head. Crying out in anguish, she heard her echoing misery reverberate against the walls of the cold steel cylinder in which she stood, a conduit of mystifying power.

Chapter 26

Then, with as little warning as it had begun, she plunged into a well of bluish light that stretched out in all directions. The sudden nature of the journey and the horrifying sensations that accompanied it had taken a toll on her nerves. Grabbing each of her wrists with her opposite hands, she tried to stop shaking. It proved futile, and she finally decided to try and figure out where she was, despite the pounding in her head.

Looking around, it seemed to Ultimecia that the light extended into infinity. For one short, blessed moment, her physical and mental torment fled, leaving a soul behind as pure as she had ever known. She could forget herself in this vast space of unknown composition, knowing herself to be the only one besides the young Ellone Loire to find so perfect a realm.

"So beautiful..." she whispered, her soft voice echoing through the great span of time that now lay at her fingertips. The feeling was beyond description, and yet it did not last. As soon as she tried to figure out where she was, the purpose of her sojourn came crashing back to her.

"So from here, I might rule eternity." The thought had a certain appeal, though it came much too late for her. Ruling worlds was not her goal. There, in a realm between all possibility, all things became crystal-clear. Blanketed in the light of eternity, she knew... felt... that her soul was being pulled into every space of time in existence.

But where to go first? She had in her mind's eye depicted this scene many times over, but she had never prepared for anything as grand as this. How would she know where to go if she didn't know where she wanted to be? She felt the pull again and grew irritated, fighting against it as it clawed at her soul. She could do nothing to move in any direction. For a moment, she thought she was stranded in that space forever.

"...edea..."

Looking around frantically, Ultimecia's eyes tried to spot the one who had spoken. There was no one.

"Who is there?" she asked, her voice somewhat tinted in fear. She hadn't expected anyone else in the vortex with her, and the fact was unnerving... as well as infuriating.

"Who is there?" she shouted, her fear becoming steadily overshadowed by a silent rage. Who would dare to interfere with her mission? Who had followed her inside of the machine?

"...edea... time..."

The voice was louder then, echoing across the void before her with intense clarity. It was so complete of a voice, something she had never anticipated. But where was it coming from?

"...edea... time... compression..."

The last two words caught her attention immediately. Time compression. Edea Kramer was related to time compression? How?

"Who is there?" Ultimecia shouted once more, and yet no one would reply.

"How does Edea affekt me? Where do I go?"

A sudden thought filled her mind, and it grew to become all encompassing. She almost allowed a tear to fall from her ice-cold eyes, remembering for a moment the time she had spent with her love... her knight. Forgetting her mission, she was overpowered by a new desire.

"I can go see Squall!" she cried, losing her practiced accent in her euphoria. The darkness within her melted away, and she could see clearly back to the past... back to a time when she was safe in the arms of her knight. "I will find him!"

There was then a rumble throughout the vortex, as though time itself was responding with deep resentment to the very idea. Even so, she ignored the thought, wanting nothing more at that moment than to rush back to Squall, wherever he might be.

"...your squall is dead...find edea...she is the key..."

The voice was low and soothing now, but the message at once a reminder and an injury. The memories of her final glimpse of Squall's face before he was erased pained her, and she began to cry despite herself.

"Your Knight is gone," she reminded herself, choking back the last of her tears, "now you have to do this on your own." She didn't fully convince herself, but she had no choice but to press onward. Only the goal mattered.

"...Edea... find Edea..."

The voice was finally crystal clear, free of its masked identity as though it had broken through a great barrier to escape the darkness about it. With no small amount of terror, Ultimecia realized that the voice speaking to her was her own!

"Find Edea. I shall say no more."

It was not a request, but rather an order from herself, though where the voice came from was beyond her understanding. Shocked beyond comprehension, Ultimecia did the only thing she could do; she pictured Edea Kramer within her mind from the books she had read. She was a small woman, but very beautiful and graceful. Constantly dressed in black, she was the sorceress that had revived the order and blessed it with a revitalized name...

...all of that, Ultimecia thought, would most likely change.

"Edea..." she called out, and with her own powers, she searched throughout the void, her essence traveling through all times and places, looking for the Benign One... the only one that could help her find Ellone. It did not take long.

There was an answer from somewhere in time, a place that in her mind's eye Ultimecia could see quite well. It was the world she knew, but plunged into chaos. Edea was cold, lonely, and frightened. Her voice was shrill and tremulous, and it answered Ultimecia as though she had been given an answer to a prayer. Silently, Ultimecia thanked Dr. Odine for the ease with which his machine actually worked.

"Please help me!" Edea cried out, and Ultimecia's blood froze. She could sense the pain of the Benign One, and it both angered and terrified her.

"What is wrong?" Ultimecia asked, her voice through time Edea's only lifeline.

"They want to kill me..." Edea sobbed, and Ultimecia frowned in disbelief.

"Kill you?" she asked, "whatever for?"

"I am a sorceress..." she replied, and the cold misery of her tears stung like a scalding blade. "They want me to use my powers for their own gain..."

"Who?" asked Ultimecia.

"The Galbadians. They want me to help them rule the world!"

This gave Ultimecia some pause, enough to help her forget Edea's suffering. Somewhere in that time period, Ellone would be alive, and if that were true, she could also take Galbadia and use them to find her. In one fell swoop, she could atone for her previous failure. It was all too easy, she thought with a self-congratulatory grin. The only obstacle would be Edea herself...

"Edea," Ultimecia began, "do you want me to help you?" Her confidence returning, she knew it would be no difficult task to take control of Edea Kramer. The situation was win-win.

"Who are you?" Edea asked, doubt and fear screaming in protest to the idea of her even speaking to a distant soul.

"I am your future," Ultimecia answered. "I seek to restore the honor of the sorceresses in a time where they are reviled as mere beasts to be slain with impunity."

She knew that she would have to hide her emotions from Edea, and only let her see enough of her soul as she needed her to see. If she had seen what had become of Ultimecia's own soul, she would never allow her free reign over her own. Hating to become so deceptive, but finding it necessary for her own ends, Ultimecia forced a pleasant thought meant for Edea to find. Thankfully, she took the bait.

"You are of Esthar?" Edea asked carefully, still uncertain.

"Yes, Benign One... a land that I rule."

"Like Adel..." came the expected response. "With fear?"

"No," Ultimecia said, choosing her words carefully, "with wisdom and truth." It was going very well so far, and she could do little to keep her excitement in check. She felt so close to her own goal, closer than ever before. Only the thought of Squall's face stayed her exuberance.

"I... I can trust you, then?" Edea asked, feeling her way in the void as if in darkness. She had her.

"Of kourse," Ultimecia said, regaining even her accent, "I am a friend. All you must do is give me kontrol for a short while. I will help you."

"A... alright," Edea stammered, and suddenly a doorway in the void, invisible but assuredly there, appeared. It was Edea. Pushing against the unseen force that held her at bay, Ultimecia fought back with all of her might, focusing all of the mental energy she had in her immediate control. Inwardly, she let out a triumphant yell as she felt the force lose its grip on her. She was free!

Ultimecia wasted no time and plunged headlong into the nothingness before her. She approached the void, her mind being swallowed by that of another. Letting the darkness wash over her, she knew that she had made it one step closer to her goal. She was within Edea's mind.

The first thing she felt was disorientation. It was so new to be contained within another mind and very confusing. Edea was right alongside her, and she was just as confounded as Ultimecia.

"Your powers are weak," Ultimecia noticed in dismay, coming quickly out of her confounded state.

"They have waned over time," Edea agreed, and she seemed to place herself in the background as Ultimecia took control."

"You won't be able to see for awhile," she told Edea. "I must be able to have komplete kontrol if I am to help you."

"Alright," came the familiar response.

"Good," Ultimecia said, and she opened her eyes. She was in a small prison cell, both metallic and dirty. Above her, the ceiling extended into darkness where the cries of tortured prisoners echoed through the conduits that ran the length of the walls. Rats scurried about in the shadows, looking for stray prison rations with fearless bravado, even in the presence of the humans before them. For a moment, Ultimecia thought of the alleys...

"What is wrong?" Edea asked, sensing her sudden fear.

"Nothing," Ultimecia answered, shaking the head she now found herself in as thought to clear her thoughts. She was alone and unbound. Apparently, the Galbadians thought little of their charge.

"That mistake will be made quite klear to them," Ultimecia noted satisfactorily, regaining her confidence.

"Don't hurt anyone," Edea begged. "Please..."

"We shall see what happens," Ultimecia answered back. "Just leave everything to me."

Standing in the new body was a strange sensation, since all of Edea's nerves and senses besides speech, hearing and sight still exclusively belonged to the Benign One. After a few cautious steps, however, Ultimecia was able to move about with ease. Inspecting her bleak surroundings, she soon discovered the only exit.

"They put one simple lock on the door," she mused. Raising her arm, she pointed at the door, hoping that her own powers had transferred to the time period she found herself in. She was answered when an energy blast blew the door completely off its hinges and clear into the cell across the hall. Immediately, alarms began to blare, and Edea/Ultimecia took her first steps out into the hall.

It was like a dream, Ultimecia thought just then, watching everything move so slowly as compared to her. Soldiers dressed in ancient blue Imperial Galbadian uniforms ran at her, guns at the ready. Their bullets, however, did nothing but fall to the ground at Ultimecia's command. With little more than a gesture, she evaporated the soldiers without effort.

"What is going on?" Edea asked, and Ultimecia pushed her further back in their shared mind without response. She could not be bothered by her moral complaints at that moment. Turning to face more soldiers, Ultimecia slew them in the same manner and headed for the marked exit of the prison. She would simply walk out of there and meet with just whoever it was that was heading the Galbadian government at that time. They had a lot to answer for.

Chapter 27

"Why are you doing this?"

"To help you, of course."

"No, I can sense in your soul something that wasn't there before. Why do you hold so much hatred?"

"I am trying to help you..."

"To do what? Why help me? There is something that you want."

"Indeed there is. I need to hold Galbadia under my control. This era must be made my own."

"But why?"

"I could never explain to you. You are a Sorceress, but you have not see the things I have seen, nor have you felt the hideous things I have felt. I cannot live with these things for too much longer."

"What..."

"Do not bother yourself with me. There is but one enemy I have, and it can be caught but through one method..."

"What has caused so much pain within you?"

"Aren't you going to beg to be free of me? Aren't you going to try to save your world, Sorceress, oh Benign One?"

"Why? Is it in danger?"

"Oh, it most certainly is now!"

Even in the middle of the night, Deling City was alive with life, people bustling to and fro without regard to those about them or their surroundings. Large, garish neon signs lit the streets in an aural cacophony of light. From the various shops and restaurants wafted the smells of various foods, all merging into one odiferous scent. It was loud, it was noisy, and, to Ultimecia, it was disgusting. The assault on the senses was almost too much to bear.

"How much further?" she asked the driver of the bus she had all to herself.

"Not much further," the entranced driver answered. "The Presidential Residence is just up this street."

Ultimecia looked ahead through Edea's eyes. A rather large, gaudy building was coming into view. The front gate was guarded on all sides by six soldiers in full uniform, each one carrying a rifle or like weapon.

"Stop this machine," she commanded him, and the driver obeyed. He opened the door for her, and Ultimecia stepped out and walked slowly but confidently toward the President's mansion. As she expected, she was halted by the guards. Caring not for their expendable presence, she moved as if to walk by them.

"Stop where you are!" one of them shouted, and he looked her over with curiosity and a loose veil of arrogance. She was not, she realized, dressed very formally. They had kept Edea locked up for weeks without the benefit of a shower or change of clothes. The black dress that she wore reeked from the long period of neglect, and her hair was a mass of tangles, dirt and sweat. Gesturing to the others, the soldier pointed his rifle at her and added with a sardonic leer, "Don't get too many of your kind out here!"

"I am here to see your ruler," Ultimecia barked in Edea's normally placid voice. "Who is master of this small nation?"

Another one of the soldiers nudged one of his comrades and said, "She wants to see the President! I guess the corner got a little dry..."

He stopped his crude joke as Ultimecia shot out her hand. Grabbing for his throat, he choked loudly as he fell to the ground, writhing to break free of the unknown grasp that was ending his life. He did not succeed.

Without warning, the soldiers' instincts kicked in, and they immediately opened fire. Focusing her energy, Ultimecia stopped each of their bullets, sending them back with a wave of her hand to their origin. With little effort, she cleared her own path to the presidential residence. Looking momentarily at the large crowd of people that had gathered behind her, she smiled inwardly and entered the large mansion, the doors swinging open from her slightest thought.

"What are you doing?" Edea shouted from within, her very essence trembling in horror with the bloodshed she beheld through the sense of hearing alone. She had pushed from the back of her own mind and was now contending with Ultimecia once again.

"I am trying to end a great deal of foolishness..." she replied absently, her thoughts focused on her goal, rather than the task of appeasing the deposed Edea.

"What foolishness?" she cried, pleading for a sane response, "What is it that you want?"

"Life is foolishness... life is agony..." Ultimecia answered, and with a forceful thought, she shoved Edea back once more, and continued her pursuit of the President.

The room she found herself in was immense: a reception hall large enough to accommodate many visitors. Fountains bubbled majestically in the room's center and many exotic plants dotted the hall in an almost tasteful manner. Large columns of marble formed a path down the center. The president lived in great luxury, though primitive by Ultimecia's standards. Turning away from the splendor, she waited to be noticed. It would be better, she decided, to let them come to her.

She didn't have to wait long. Coming down an elegant set of marble stairs was a man dressed in a black suit, escorted by several soldiers. He was clapping, a broad grin across his face. Every bit the politician, Ultimecia recognized the face.