Seifer's Sacrifice Chapter 1

How the mighty have fallen. That was one of the many thoughts running through the ex-mercenary’s mind on one peaceful day in Fisherman’s Horizon. It’s been three years since the final battle with Ultimecia and his foolish decision to join the sorceress in her cause. In his moment of weakness, or perhaps his whole life was just one long moment of weakness, Seifer fell into the false promises and hopes that the sorceress gave to him. He was to see glory, far above his rival Squall, as the knight of Ultimecia. All of that came to a crashing end, thanks to his rival Squall, that annoying Zell, and the beautiful sorceress Rinoa.

Thinking back to that final battle, the thought that he was outnumbered didn’t bother him, as in his arrogance, he threw everything he held dear away for power and with that power he felt he could defeat any number of enemies. The end result was all that mattered and he lost. To make things worse, Seifer could’ve sworn that his opponents were holding back in the battle, even Zell, as if they were trying to get through to him that his cause was wrong. Indeed, it was.

“Yo, Seifer. Ya let the fish go, ya know,” a call came that seemed far away.

Coming out of his reverie, the ex-mercenary looked down to the only friends he had ever known. Raijin, the speaker who seemed to have been calling him for awhile, was sitting at the dockside with his fishing line cast to Seifer’s right. Raijin was average build, showing off his brown skin with his opened sleeveless denim vest. And to Seifer’s left sat his other friend, Fujin. Though she was lean in size, she was still surprisingly strong. Shaking her platinum hair that shined in sunlight out of her face, the strong woman gazed up at Seifer with her one eye while the other was encased in a patch.

During the time of the Garden Wars, these two have stood by Seifer’s side, even when they knew he was in the wrong. Even when he treated them less than the dirt below his feet, even when he couldn’t care less what happened to them, they never questioned him and they never judged him. The ex-mercenary didn’t deserve such friends.

“Why don’t you go in and bring it back?” Seifer announced with a grin before shoving Raijin into the bay.

The dark-skinned man hit the water with a splash, losing his fishing rod in the process. Luckily the rod was light-weighted so it was floating beside him. During the episode, Fujin just tilted her head to the side, the only indication that she was amused. Raijin just treaded in the water, asking what he did wrong this time.

“Because,” Seifer began, reeling in his line. “You needed a bath and of course, I want you to get my fish.”

Reeling in her own line, Fujin got up to stand with her old friend. With her one good eye, she looked from Seifer to Raijin and back to Seifer, who was now walking away. Snapping a glare at Raijin she waved her hand to her dark-skinned friend.

“COME!” she barked and than followed Seifer.

After sometime later, the trio entered the tavern called Lucky’s, which has homed them for the last few years. As they sat around a table that they claimed as their own, each of the former mercenaries pulled out a deck of cards. With a roll of a die, Raijin and Fujin began their traditional, nightly games of Triple Traid. Seifer moved his elbows off the table as the predictable plate of food was placed before him.

Ever since the first day when they entered Fishman’s Horizon, their lives had become routine. They got up in the morning, ate breakfast in Lucky’s lobby, at the same table that sat at now and then off they went to their guard position. Always were they serious during the time that they guarded regardless on how boring it was. On more than one occasion, the three hoped a great leviathan would come right up from the bottom of the sea and relieve them of their boredom. At two o’clock exactly, they left the southern wall in which they guarded and moved to the dock to begin their afternoon fishing time. As they fished they reminisced of times past or to occasionally catch a lot of fish for trade. When six o’clock rolled around, they returned to Lucky’s for their games of Triple Traid and have their dinner. It took the tavern owner, Lucky, a month to know all three desired menus for each day of the week. The only time the menu would change was on one of the three birthdays, which Lucky now marked on his calendar.

Before Seifer was the usual Tuesday smoked salmon with mashed potatoes. To the side of Raijin, away from the cards, was his calamari and to Fujin’s side was her snapper platter. And so the usual night went on with Seifer winning most of the games who long ago demanded his friends to try to win after seeing them throw the first few game his way. He still won more than he lost but never once did he have an outburst whenever Fujin or Raijin won when they’ve been in the tavern. When the games were over they retired to their respective rooms.

Setting down his fishing rod on his dresser, the ex-mercenary gazed over to his bed that was begging him to rest. Seifer knew that no sleep would find him this night like the past few nights. Already he began feeling uneasy about his surroundings. Shaking his head to be rid of the feeling, Seifer decided to lie down and close his eyes, hoping it was just his paranoia getting the better of him. The feeling persisted.

He needed a distraction, so he pulled out his only secret that no one ever knew. Underneath his white shirt and across his heart rested a locket in the shape of a wolf, which he now pulled forth. Within the locket was a picture of a beautiful woman with almond shaped eyes and with thick black hair covering her slender shoulders. Resting his head on his pillow, Seifer traveled back, back in time when things were easier.

“Come on, Seifer. What’s taking you so long?” asked the enthusiastic young woman.

“It’s,” the young, thirteen year old mercenary-in-training groaned. “Four in the morning!”

“I know. It’s the only time that we can sneak out and defeat T-Rexaur. I drew enough Sleep from yesterday’s training,” she excitedly said, jumping on Seifer’s bed.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go, before I change my mind,” he replied, pushing her off his bed and putting on a leather jacket.

An explosion drew the ex-mercenary from his daydream and only then did he realize that he was on the floor. As if subconsciously aware of the danger, Seifer dived away from the bed that was torn asunder by a tremendous force. Before he could contemplate what happened, the air around him thickened, telling him that he wasn’t safe. Tightening his years of trained muscles in his legs, Seifer flipped backwards as another stroke of lightning struck where he was just standing.

“Seifer!” cried Raijin, bursting through the door.

“What’s going on—” Seifer began before he leapt forward, avoiding yet another bolt of lightning.

“RETREAT!” Fujin called, waving to the two in the room.

“Not without my gunblade!” the ex-mercenary screamed, going for his sword under his bed.

Diving into a slide, Seifer reached out, grabbing the handle of his gunblade. Feeling his sword in hand after so many years, the ex-mercenary was caught off guard by the power behind the blade. Attacking his mind as soon as it was touched by his flesh, the sword began trying to destroy Seifer’s willpower, begging him to use the blade to end the lie that was Seifer. The images of the battles with Squall, more of the defeats by Squall, flashed continually in his mind as if a mirror was shown before the ex-mercenary that he has chosen his path wrongly and that his most hated rival was in the right, always in the right. With a blank expression on his face, turning his sword around, Seifer lifted it high for the final plunge.

As a conductor to the lightning, the sword pulled the force to its wielder, striking Seifer in a flood of shock. The bolt lasted less than a split second but the blinding light caught Raijin and Fujin by surprise and the mighty ex-mercenary fell to the floor. Fujin didn’t waste a second and ran in to lift her friend up from the ground while kicking his gunblade far away from them. Taking Seifer’s other arm over his shoulder, Raijin and Fujin left Lucky’s as more and more bolts of lightning assaulted the tavern.

Neither looked back to the place they called home as the destruction continued. Their destination was on the other side of town, where a boat would take them away from this place. They didn’t even take the time to see that there were no clouds in the evening sky.



The devastation was complete long after the dawn. No officials dared to enter the area that once was Lucky’s as the sky was now thick and gray with the sound of thunder was emanating in the clouds. So they did the next best thing, barricading civilians away from the rubble so no one else may be harmed by further lightning. Predictable and very convenient to the red-haired barbarian, he kicked through the debris searching for the body of his prey. As time went on, it seemed apparent that nobody was to be found. The prey and his friend eluded him. The only thing that brought the barbarian some satisfaction was a strange sword that he found, broken in half.

Chapter 2

All That Glitters Is Cold 4 Fanfic Competition


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