The Scramble [Complete]

[Victoria]

Her name was Lightning, but, she had had another name before that. It had been a real name, wholesome, the sort of name you gave to a normal person. She never told anyone that, because it wasn't her, not anymore. Clara was dead. She had died with her father, with her mother, and then...her sister.

Serah wasn't dead; she was just frozen in time. It might as well have been the same thing, though. If not for her stupid brooding she wouldn't have let her sister run off like that. Here she was, though, and Serah was trapped.

The one that took it hardest was Snow. It wasn't like he had lost the last person in his family. Even so, Serah was special, she knew it. Her sister had a special gift for making people believe in the impossible...Gods, did she ever fuck that one up.

She'd spent too much time with her back to the proverbial wall. Never let them take her down, never let them destroy what she had left, and then she went and let them win. Not only was Serah a human-sized crystal, she, herself, was branded and fated to end up the same way.

Save Cocoon...

How could she, with this rag-tag group? A man she hated more than she'd admit aloud, a boy that wanted revenge, a wayward adventurer that had something to hide, and then there was Sazh. Good old Sazh. Well, he was alright.

Maybe this group wasn't so bad. Even so, it was a lot to take in, and they had only so many Phoenix Down's.

If only she had taken her vacation time early. If only she had spent more time with her sister, instead of learning how to climb the military ladder. It wasn't worth it. So many regrets...and Lightning had no choice but to pretend that everything was going to be okay.

--

“Get back,” she shouted, running up ahead of the party.

Snow had remained behind, in some valiant show of self-sacrifice, attempting to dig Serah out of the crystal. It was no use. She knew it, the others knew it, there was only one way to go and that was forward. She’d said her goodbyes.

Sazh jumped back, lifted his gun, and fired a few rounds at the beast in front of them. It was a hulking mass of flesh and destruction. It glowed red and ugly at its core. They said that, when a Pulse I’Cie failed to complete their focus, this is what they would become. A Cie'th, a monster.

“Lightning!”

Hope called out, but it was too late, as a volley of blizzard ice buffeted against her. She’d been hit harder, they’d had tougher foes. The scorpion machine created by the PSICOM had just died by their hands. Sure, Snow had been there too, but it wasn’t as if she needed him.

She didn’t count on another beast jumping in, however, and the odds began to stack against them. It was all she could do to shake off the previous attack and rush forward with her sword in hand. The blade reflected off the crystalline surroundings, and she leapt, forcing the blade right between the monster’s eyes.

It roared in fury, pain, and withered like a rotting corpse. She pulled out her sword and whipped around. The other creature was on her a beat later, its clawed hands grappling hers. Her sword clattered to the ground. While the others fought to overpower the hulking mass, she stared right into its dead, demonic eyes.

“I’m I going to become like you?” she said.

It felt like more than a moment, but it was only that. Lightning felt a surge of awful, agonizing magic, as the monster fought back and forced her away. She stumbled, hand to her chest, eyes wide. All she needed was a cure spell, a potion, worst case scenario, they could bring her back…but there was always that fear of the unknown and the fear of whether she would finally die for good.

“No, not today!” she said, slumped to the crystal floor, and watched the others take down the creature with everything they had. Hope ran toward her, his hands reaching into his bag, she knew he’d help her. By then the world began to fog, flicker, and fade.

--

Omni…

Her eyes stared up at a vast veil of white. So much of it, it was blinding, but not. Her blue eyes roamed left and right, her lips straight, her mind swirling with old memories, and new. It took a few beats of her heart before the most recent memories flooded to the surface of her mind.

You interest me…

She sat up and pressed one hand against her face. That’s what the creature had said. Was it a creature, though? She had to wonder, as she tried hard to remember what Omni had looked like. For some reason her mind couldn’t settle on an image. All she had was a name, and that name was etched into her cranium.

“Serah,” she said suddenly and stood. Lightning found her sword in its sheath where it belonged. Her hand settled on the hilt, as if finding comfort there, while her gaze swept her surroundings. It was just as white in every direction as it had been looking up.

She saw in the distance a fountain, and further, she saw black arches. Her feet began moving before she realized, and she approached the fountain. It was a beautiful thing, almost shimmering, as it poured gallons of water up and down.

Lightning rounded the large structure to find that she was not alone. A man sat with all the air of a king on a throne. Next to him…

Her hand twitched on her sword. She had to fight the urge to draw it. The creature next to the king was, without a doubt, a monster. It wasn’t anywhere near as dastardly as the mutations she’d just faced, but even so.

Why am I here? she asked herself. She should have resurrected. This was not Cocoon, and it couldn’t be Gran Pulse. Something had gone terribly wrong, but, she kept such things to herself.

Not more than a few feet away from the creature and the king was a girl. Chances were they were all harmless, but she kept her guard up just in case. “How do I get out of here?” she asked in that cold, level voice of hers. Her question was directed to the man on his throne. She could only assume that the green beast beside him wasn’t able of speaking the common language.

The only way to go is forward, she told herself. If she was not dead, she was in some other place, and she would get out. If she didn’t complete her Focus…