Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Akirame Norwen ❯ Ansem, Seeker of Wisdom ( Chapter 39 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

(A/N: Yes, that’s right... Ansem! My most beloved video game villain ever... I couldn’t help but have him in here, even though I didn’t originally plan to... it’s his voice, he has the sezziest voice... *sighs* plus he was a complete maniac who lives in a freakin castle with floating rocks, what’s not to like? I noticed some of you hate him... put up with it! Now at first he seems to be a bit ditzy like the normally beloved Sora... I was in a funky mood, I’ll do him justice later.)

Chapter 39: Ansem, Seeker of Wisdom

Erik stared up at the man’s tan face and piercing eyes. He had a smug expression, his smile twisted, almost in irony if not insanity, his greyish eyebrows poised, only adding to the effect. Clearly, he was pleased by Erik’s dropped jaw and stare of disbelief. “What’s the matter Erik? Can’t believe your eyes?”
“Ansem.... lived hundreds of years ago, when all that castles and kings stuff was going on... in fact, he himself was a king. He was supposed to be totally into all that wisdom stuff, and drove himself mad with his experiments and search for ‘ultimate knowledge of the truth’. Dude.... you’re freakin’ crazy! You can’t be Ansem!”
Ansem dropped his smile at Erik’s response and rolled his eyes. “I’m not crazy. Crazy is if you’re homeless and live in a cardboard box. I however, have plenty of money and my home is a sizable castle of sorts. I’m eccentric. Besides, my complete devotion to the search for knowledge will one day benefit my kingdom as well as all mankind. And I didn’t drive myself mad, I’ve just spent the past year or two buried in books and research without ever coming out of my room is all.”
“Whatever, but what the heck are you doing here in flesh and blood, rather than just being a lousy drawing accompanying four or five pages in my history book?”
Ansem sighed and finished pulling his lavender-grey hair out of the cloak, letting it fall over his shoulders and rest just above the bottom of his shoulder blades. He couldn’t stand the feeling of his hair getting plastered with sweat and sticking to his back as the temperature in his cloak continued to rise. Ah, the great sacrifice of comfort one must make in order to keep one’s identity a secret while trying to keep up to date with the current trends in fashion. “After several long months of thorough research and many disastrous failures, I managed to successfully create a portal that let me travel through time.”
Erik idly whistled the theme to Twilight Zone while somewhere in the room a cuckoo clock went off. “Right. So what brings you here, your highness?”
Ansem folded his arms in disgust. “Why is it that no matter where I go, I’m always met with the same sarcasm and disbelief? I know my claims are somewhat skewed, but you figure somewhere there’s someone open-minded enough to listen.”
“Hey, if you wanted someone to believe you, you would have headed to one of the local colleges and crashed a dorm party. Besides, isn’t telling everyone where you’re from disrupting the time-line and destroying history as we know it?” Red quickly replied.
“.....I’m not answering that. Besides, I’m not directly meddling, I’m just observing while helping things happen. That’s what I came here to do. Observe and further deepen my understanding.”
Erik shook his head and looked at the two. With this high level of intelligence and firmly founded logic, they definitely weren’t people to worry about. “Right, so what ultimate truth has brought you to the 21st century?”

“The prophecy that your friend Riku is about to reveal, of course. You see, the legend of ‘Nakineiri Itami’ was written even long before my own time, back when the Ancients, people who were blessed by Hyne himself with great wisdom and understanding, first built the temples here in Cosmo Canyon.”
“Hyne... so now you’re bringing religion into all of this?”
“Religion is truth, Erik.”
“Maybe in your time, but now, everyone believes something different, everyone has their own truth.”
“But how can that be? There can’t be two absolute truths, you know. If you introduce a second truth to a world which already has one of its own, you bring chaos and ruin.”
“Well, that’s why people who believe in Yevon like to kill everyone who believes in Hyne and force them to join their own religion, while even those who believe in something else, those who claim to love all and accept all, fight with each other and split up into their own groups. That’s why there’s denominations. No one agrees on just one truth.”
“That’s because mankind is normally self-absorbed and cares more about its own opinion than others, and quickly becomes hard-hearted and refuses to listen to what others have to say. But I’m jumping in far too fast... I’ll tell you everything once you’re in the temple, it will help you understand everything that is about to happen.”
“You’re coming with us?”
“Well of course, how else did you expect him to observe the prophecy finally being fulfilled, buy the DVD when this great event is bought by Hollywood?” Red cracked.
“You have a point there. So I guess there’s three of you time-traveling crazies around now, huh? You, Sephiroth and Seymour... what a bunch. All male and all insane.”
“Eccentric. For the last time, I’m *eccentric*.”
“Whatever. So what am I supposed to do now? Just... sit by and make sure Riku goes into the Farplane?”
“Exactly. If I’m going to meddle, I might as well make sure things occur as accurately as possible. Riku goes, but now you’re going to be there too. After all, if I want to better mankind and let them find their own understanding, I should help you find truth as well. This should make a very interesting report once I return home.”
“You realize that if you record everything that happens here, go home and some one reads your findings, you’re going to mess up history, right?”
“I’m not answering that either.”
“So... how do you two know each other? Meet each other at a time-traveling convention?”
“No... I was alive the same time he was, remember? I’m seventeen-hundred. I assure you, I was there. I was a good friend of his, and gave him advice on how to keep the kingdom in line.”
“So were you there when he went nuts and locked himself in his room for two years?”
Red sighed. “Yes... and it did surprise me at first to see him when he finally came back out... in this time period. It’s hard to explain, to know that you’ll see your friend in the distant future, yet be talking to him at present... oh forget it, it’s impossible to explain. Point is, I’m here, he’s here, you’re here.”
“Okay then... so Riku and I head to the Farplane then.”
“Quite. That’s the way you’ll find out the truth about your past. Within the Farplane is a... you can’t really say a person, but an entity of sorts, the Oracle.. She sees all, knows all.. But only tells one answer. And she’ll only take a small number of questions a year. Usually five... and even then, the highest number of people she’ll see a day is two. So you must be discreet and wise with this.”
“The Oracle, huh? She got a name?”
“Well, yes... but no one uses it, seeing as to how it’s not the appropriate title to use when addressing her.”
“Hmm.... well if this is the only way I’m going to find out anything... and if you truly aren’t out to hurt anyone... I have no choice but to do as you say and see what happens.”
“Good... very good. Now if you don’t mind, keep our little chat to yourself, hmm? We don’t need to complicate things by bringing the whole group into this, now do we?”
“I...guess not. But how about we make a deal... give me something valuable of yours, and I’ll hold onto it until I see through all of this and you don’t turn your back on me or my friends, then you get it back.”
Ansem smiled and folded his arms. “I see you think things through, Erik... not one to rush into something,” he reached into his robe and pulled out a small bag made of a shimmering gold velvet. “This is the most precious item I have come across in all my travels. Pheonix down. Its worth is far greater than all the treasures in the world, for it can be used to resurrect someone dear to you that has died an untimely death. If any of your friends should be harmed due to my actions, you may use it.”
Erik held out his hands and gently held the small parcel. “How does it work, exactly?”
“That I’m not sure... all I know is that there is only enough in there to bring back one person. I only would pray that you never find yourself in a place where you would have to use it. Keep it safe, Erik, guard it well. Many people would give their lives to be in possession of something like that.”
“Then why are you giving it to me?”
“I have no one close to my heart, and there is not enough magic in the world to save those I’ve lost. In time I have learned to accept my losses and move on. However, I find in you a wisdom to know when to use it... I believe that it will be of great use to you.”
Erik reached into his shirt and pulled out a small wooden pendant on a leather string, and carefully untied the string and wrapped it around the end of the bag, securely knotting it and tugging on it to make sure it would hold, then retied the string around his neck and tucked the pouch into his shirt. “I won’t loose it.”
Ansem nodded and looked to Red. “We should be going, we have already interfered enough here. We’ll stay nearby, and will meet you again in the Temple.”
Erik nodded and watched as the two parted. “So I guess that’s why Red wasn’t around half the time... in fact that’s most likely the reason why he had me come along with these people... because this isn’t just Riku’s story.... or Akira’s story.... it’s my story too.”