"Isn't this thing going just a bit too fast?" Celes called over the howling winds. Standing a few feet away, Setzer threw back his head and laughed.

"Of course! Isn't it exciting?" The two were standing on the deck of the airship, flying through the air at incredible speeds. Setzer had just placed new boosters on the ship, and had invited Celes along for the initial testing. Setzer was firmly grasping the steering wheel, while Celes was carefully holding onto the railing.

"I don't know if exciting is quite the word I'd use." She muttered, brushing a wisp of hair out of her face. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Live dangerously for a while!" Setzer shouted back. "It's exhilarating!"

"You're going to kill me sooner yet, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't dream of it! You need to liven up a bit." He tossed his head back. "Live a little!" Setzer turned the ship quickly, nearly knocking Celes off of her feet.

"If you keep going like this, that's about all I'll be able to do." She criticized as she regained her composure. Setzer flashed her a grin and continued to fly. He banked quickly, nearly smashing into the side of a mountain.

"Let's see what this baby can really do. Hold on tight!" With one hand still on the wheel, Setzer reached down to the control panel and pulled down on a silver lever. Celes tightened her grip on the railing as the airship began to shake. Two large, horizontal cylinders dropped out of the bottom of the ship and rested in place on either side of the back propeller. A light humming sound became audible, rapidly increasing in intensity until it erupted in a great bang, flames shooting out of the cylinders and rocketing the ship forward.

"What... is... this...?" Celes shouted over the roaring engines.

"A new type of thrusters I've been working on! We should reach unfathomable speeds within seconds!"

"But is it safe?" She screamed back. Setzer said something in response, but it was inaudible to her. Everything outside of the ship itself was no more than a blur as they flew by, engines blazing. The world suddenly became silent as a bright light flashed beside the ship.

"What the-" Setzer turned his head to look at Celes, but nobody else stood on the deck. "Celes!" Another light flashed in front of the ship, this time remaining stable. Setzer steered the ship towards it, and upon contact, both disappeared.

Cyan stood before the Phantom Train as he had countless times before. A cold wind stirred around him, blowing his face and causing him to shiver. A single tear fell from his eye as he thought back on Doma, Elaine, and Owen. He clenched his fist tightly and bowed his head. He stayed that way for a number of minutes before a voice startled him.

"So, we meet again." Cyan looked up to see Shadow perched atop a wooden pole. The ninja dropped to the ground and stood before Cyan. "What brings you here?"

"Just dreaming... old dreams." Cyan breathed quietly, his gaze once again returning to the train. A loud horn blared, and Cyan jumped back, startled. The train was starting to pull away slowly. Cyan stood still for a moment in consideration, looking towards the haunted train. After several seconds of hesitation, Cyan ran towards the Phantom Train and leapt aboard. Shadow looked on in puzzlement.

"What are you doing?" He asked, following the train down the tracks.

"Following fate." Shadow walked beside the train for a few more seconds before springing onto the side.

"I think I'll join you. It's been a while since I've had any excitement." The train picked up speed and moved away from the station. Cyan walked almost aimlessly towards the front. The spirits of the dead stepped out of his way to let them by in an unusual manner of respect. The only sound which could be heard was that of the train churning down the tracks. Shadow stood a few feet to Cyan's side as the knight stood before the door to the engine room. Without glancing back, Cyan threw open the door and stepped inside. At first Shadow heard a small cry, and then a shout. After a few moments of silence, Shadow turned the corner and came face-to-face with a swirling vortex. "Cyan?" He asked into the void. "Damn it." Letting out a sigh, Shadow drew a shuriken and stepped without fear into the portal.

Quietly he crept through the cavern, his eyes darting from wall to wall. He had been here before, many years ago, and could only vaguely remember the layout. Not that it helped much. After the earthquake, most of the cavern had caved in on itself, greatly changing every tunnel and path. The treasure was here. He could feel it in his bones. The last time he was in this cave he left abruptly upon hearing a cry for help come from outside. It wasn't anything major, but he had been hit by a poison-tipped dart in the process and felt too dizzy to come back in. It wasn't long after that when he met up with Terra, and the cave had been forgotten until recently.

He turned a corner and smashed his face into a rock ledge which hung from the ceiling. He rubbed his nose and shook his head. Man, that was smart, he thought to himself. As he turned back around to head the other way, he thought he caught sight of something white moving behind a pile of rocks. He half-jogged up to the pile, but the only thing behind it was more rocks. Shrugging it off, he turned down into another path which he had not yet been in. This one led downward, further into the depths of the earth. After walking for a few minutes, he could see light up ahead. Strange. There shouldn't be any sunlight coming in down here.

Approaching the source of the light, he turned his lantern off when it became bright enough. He could now see that the light was coming from a separate room at the end of the tunnel. He stepped inside and was taken aback at the very sight. The room was in a circular shape, and the walls were lined with torches in golden holders. Sitting in the center of the room was a large chest, lined with rubies and diamonds.

"If the chest itself looks like this..." He whispered to himself. "Then I wonder what the treasure inside is!" The man knelt down in front of the chest and pulled out his lockpick. Within a minute the lock had been removed and he was prepared to open the chest. Right before he did, a thought crossed his mind, and he spoke it aloud. "This was too easy to find. Why hasn't it been discovered yet?" After a few seconds of deliberation, the curiosity overcame him and he threw open the lid. He cried out as an explosion shot him into the wall. As the smoke cleared, he stood up and shook his head. In front of him floated a large ring of smoke and mist.

"This is the treasure?" He asked himself. An uneasy laugh escaped his lips. "Looks like I got gypped." He reached his hand out to touch the anomaly, and a sudden sensation of coldness overcame him. He tried to pull his arm back, but it seemed to be stuck. "What the hell?" He struggled to free himself from its grasp, but it only resulted in more of his arm being pulled in further. The portal was now pulling him in quickly. He tried to grab ahold of something with his free hand, but it was of no use. Within seconds he had been pulled into the void.

"Kupo!" Right after the man disappeared, a white moogle with red wings burst into the room. Without a second of hesitation, it jumped into the gate.

IcyBrian's Fanfiction