"Run! Run NOW!"
Vivi couldn't. He could only stare.
His voice… doesn't sound like it usually does… something's… different about Mr. 78 somehow.. Something…
"Come on!!" Garland shoved Mikoto forward, out of the glade.
"B-but…" Vivi stared at his friend, as the pulsing of dark magics grew thick in the air. It was a kind of magic that Vivi had never felt before. Tainted and dark, his mind reeled at its touch. He felt sick.
Vivi couldn't move. He watched, fascinated as the trick of the shadows played over Mr. 78, making him seem somehow larger than before.
"I said.. come on!" The boy shouted again, grabbing the little Mage by the cuff.
Vivi resisted. "W-we can't leave him here alone! That thing will kill him!!"
"It'll kill us, too! Let's go!"
"I-I.."
"Vivi! He told us to go, so let's do it!"
The little Mage reluctantly followed, glancing back as the glade closed up behind them. A dome of black void rippled outward, an oily pool, through the air, eating away at everything like acid.
Nothing could survive a spell of that magnitude…
A deep thrumming began in the back of Vivi's mind, but he forced all his concentration on moving forward as quickly as possible. And not tripping.
Mr. 78… what's going on? What's happening to you? Why…?
Vivi felt himself suddenly falling forward, having come off balanced as he turned to watch the spell. His arms windmilled, only to be caught on both sides by Mikoto and Garland. The little Mage wanted to thank them, but found no time or breath to do so. They simply swept him up between them and kept running.
A roaring ripped through the forest behind them. Trees groaned, coming free from their roots, flung into the air as if by some giant unseen hand, only to disintegrate into black mist, drifting skyward. The earth under Vivi's feet lurched, sending them topping forward, scrabbling on hands and knees. The darkness still gained ground, swelling into enormity, as if empowered by the life it was taking into itself.
He heard Mikoto shout as she was flung hard against the ground, digging her fingers in as a black wind swept around them, whipping them off their feet. Vivi felt his grip slide. The darkness loomed just over his shoulder.
Noooo!! This is it!!
Vivi clamped his eyes shut, not wanting to look into the eye of the void. The dark magic… where had it come from… what power could have created something so horribly deadly? Doomsday seemed paled in its wake.
"Vivi!!"
It was Garland's voice.
The boy was wrapped tightly about a large tree limb, Mikoto at his side, gripping his lower half in steady hands. Garland's own fists were caught onto the back of Vivi's coat-belt.
"Hang in there, Vivi!! I'm not lettin' go!!"
"Garland!!" Vivi twisted to face him, grabbing tightly to the boy's arms, hoping to shift weight so that it might be easier for Mikoto to pull them in. She was surprisingly strong.
"Look!" Garland called over the moaning winds, "It's… goin' away!!"
Vivi caught hold of the tree limb just in time to turn and see. The darkness drew into itself, as if being summoned back into its origin. Where it had passed, there was nothing but a pit of darkness over the once-green lands. The little Mage could feel his hands shaking, and clutched them closely to his chest so that the others might not see.
"HOLY SHIT!" Garland hissed. "What the hell was that?"
"I-I… don't know…" Vivi shook his head.
"Mr. 78…." Mikoto murmured. "Is he… gone?"
The boy slid down the face of the tree, landing lightly on his toes. "I'm going back for him."
"What!" Mikoto followed his example, landing beside him. "What are you thinking? What if that thing is still back there?"
"You've gotta be jokin' me! There's no way in hell it survived that blast…"
"Then neither would Mr. 78…" She told him.
The boy shook his head, a cold gleam in his eyes. "I won't believe it till I see it."
"Why…?" Vivi asked quietly. He couldn't see a hand-hold to help him down the tree.
Garland stared up at him. "Why what?"
"Why would something unleash such a power when it could easily consume itself within it?" The little Mage asked.
"Maybe it is immune?" Mikoto suggested.
Vivi quit trying to figure a way down. The only obvious way was to simply jump. But it was awful high. And it would probably hurt.
I hate heights…
"Maybe…" Garland glared up at the little Mage. "Are you comin' or not?"
"I-I…"
Vivi felt dizzy looking down.
"Are you okay up there Vivi? Did you get hurt?" Mikoto asked.
"N-no… I’m okay… I'm just…"
"Don't tell me.. you're stuck…?"
"Um… I… don't like heights much…"
"Vivi!! Come on!!" Garland demanded, tail lashing. "What if Mr. 78's alive? He might need our help!! We need to go see!"
"I do not think… he could have survived that Garland." Mikoto's tone was somber.
"Screw it…" The boy snarled, then began to jog off by himself into the wreckage.
"Garland!!" Vivi shouted after him. "Wait!" He nearly took a tumble, leaning down over the branch. "There might still be some sort of after-effect of the spell in place.. D-don't go in there!"
"Garland!!" Mikoto called, echoing Vivi's cry. Then she sat heavily at the base of the tree. "Would do me no good to run in after him and get lost."
The girl bowed her head, her shoulders shaking. Vivi knew she was crying.
"Mikoto.. a-are you okay?" Vivi asked, edging carefully towards the trunk of the tree.
She turned to look up at him. It was shocking to see tears so plain on her face. "Mr. 78. Is he gone?"
"I-I…"
"What is happening? What are those horrible horrible things that attacked us? Was it really Mr. 299?" She continued. "Why did Mr. 78 stay to fight it? He could have run away with us, and still be here. Still be alive. Why did he do that?"
"I don't know." Vivi could find nothing else to say.
"What should we do? Return to the village and warn the others? Go find Garland?"
Vivi was about to answer when Garland suddenly reappeared, his face bleached white, voice stammering. Behind him, staff in hand, strode Mr. 78. The Mage called out happily, waving when he saw them all.
"Hello!!" He bounced over to where they all stood, chocobo feather in his hat bobbing with the motion..
"I… do not… believe it!" Mikoto staggered to her feet.
Vivi couldn't help but stare. "All that magic, and… He's not so much as even scratched.."
The big Mage's eyes smiled, and he crunched Garland in a friendly hug. "Now you shouldn't go running out there without your friends! There m-might be m-more danger about!"
"Mr. 78!" Vivi was shaking in disbelief. "You're... o-okay?"
"Of course I am!" Mr. 78 chuckled. Then cocked his head up at the little Mage. "You're stuck in the tree, aren't you?"
"U-um…"
"Here now, don't be afraid.." He raised his arms up, voice kindly. Mr. 78 was almost tall enough to reach. "Just hop down… I'll catch you.."
"U-um.."
The worst that could happen is I fall and land hard…
The little Mage took a deep breath and let himself fall. Mr. 78 caught him easily, gently setting him back on the ground. Dizzy, but relieved, the little Mage dropped to sit right there.
"How…?" Mikoto was gaping at Mr. 78 openly.
"M-Mikoto.. if you keep your m-mouth open like that, your face m-might freeze that way."
"What happened back there?" Garland demanded, getting to the point.
"Where?"
"Back in the glade?"
"Wha--"
"Mr. 78! Cut the crap!" Garland spat.
Mr. 78 made a hurt sound, dipping his head down. "G-Garland… are you m-mad at m-me?"
"I want the truth, dammit! What's going on? What are those dark things? Those… Da'injin? And how the hell do I know that name?" The boy was shaking in rage. "What kinda magic was that? And how come you're not dead? Who cast that anyway?"
"Um… um.." Mr. 78 backed away wringing his hands. He sounded like he was going to cry. "I'm confused… Umm…"
"Garland… leave him alone!" Mikoto stepped between the two of them. "Mr. 78… just saved our lives… do not yell at him!"
Vivi stepped forward slowly. "Mr. 78… can you tell us what is going on?"
"Where?"
"Back in the glade?"
"Um… glade?"
"The evil creature we saw..?"
"OH! THAT!" Mr. 78 tilted his head. "I dunno. Never saw one before."
Garland tensed with frustration. Mikoto held a hand out to the boy to silence him.
"Are you sure you don't know..?" Vivi asked.
Mr. 78 looked up at Vivi. There was something strange behind the light of his eyes. Something that bothered Vivi very much.
Mr. 78… was the one who cast that spell… I.. can feel the after effects around him. He must know I do.. Why is he hiding it? Why won't he tell us?
For a moment there was a dark silence, a sorrow never known, hidden deep under the shadow of the big Mage's hat. Then it was wiped away, replaced by a mindless cheer and smiling eyes. "Know what?"