On day 37 of my Final Fantasy Marathon, I continued the final tale, leaving off after Edge defeats Rubicante. Today, I am continuing the final tale.

CPU

The next dark crystal spawns the CPU from the Giant of Babil. The CPU casts reflect on itself and has two nodes.

One attacks the party and the other protects and heals the CPU. If you take out both nodes, the CPU counters with a powerful attack and revives both nodes.

I take down the defense node, but leave the attack node alive. Because my bands hit multiple targets, I don’t use them. Instead, I whittle down the CPU with normal attacks.

It’s a slow approach, but it works. The CPU doesn’t say anything when it dies. The party ponders the meaning of the unknown enemy reviving non-human enemies.

Two treasure chests appear. They contain the Yoichi Bow and Yoichi Arrows, which I give to Rosa.

Lunar Dragon

The teleporter takes me to Lair of the Father – B3. I find some Crystal Mail for Kain and a Seraphim’s Mace for Rosa.

I also find some Tiger Fangs, which I don’t equip. A light colored crystal on a platform triggers an optional battle with the Lunar Dragon.

The Lunar Dragon is similar in appearance and ability to the Mist Dragon, complete with its ability to transform into mist. It has a lot of HP and some powerful attacks.

This is a lengthy fight. I use bands when I can, but party members get KO’d frequently, so they aren’t always available. I’m constantly healing with Rosa.

I have Golbez and Rydia casting Firaga and Kain jumping. Whenever the dragon turns to mist, I heal the party.

I eventually get the win and the crystal gives me the option to grant the dual cast ability to Leonora, Palom, or Porom. I choose Palom.

Kain and Golbez

I enter an area that looks like the Village of the Eidolons. A save point triggers a scene with Kain and Golbez.

Kain says that never in a million years did he expect Golbez to return. He adds that he has mixed feelings about Golbez coming back, but admits he has been a strong ally.

Golbez says Kain has changed. Kain says it took a very long time, but he regained control of himself, just as Cecil and apparently Golbez did.

He says he owes it to the power of the Lunarians, particularly Cecil and Golbez’s father. Kain asks if this moon is related to the Lunarians’ moon.

Golbez doesn’t answer. Kain asks what happened to the Lunarians’ moon. Golbez says he doesn’t know.

He tells Kain that the enemy robbed the Lunarians’ Crystals of their power. Golbez plans to get revenge on whoever controls this moon. The pair learn the Spiral Blow Band.

Asura

I find Asura standing with her head down. When I approach she is unresponsive at first, and then attacks.

I battle her the same way I did in FFIV, except using bands instead of just magic. I cast reflect on her so that she bounces her buffs and curagas onto me.

Then, I just kept hitting her with bands, taking care not to line up more than one at a time, so I don’t accidentally kill her. Eventually, she comes to her senses.

She apologizes to Rydia for chasing her out of the Feymarch. Rydia says she understands that the Queen was just trying to protect her.

The Queen says she has wanted for so long to see Rydia again. Now they will always be together.

Rydia regains the ability to summon Asura. A treasure chest appears with a Minerva Bustier, but I don’t equip it.

Leviathan

I find Leviathan in the same state as the Queen. He is weak to thunder and inferno doesn’t work on him, so I have Rydia and Golbez casting Thundaga and I have Edge band up with Kain, while Rosa heals the party.

After I beat him up a while, Asura appears. She tries to talk some sense into him, but it doesn’t work.

She casts Curaga and Protect on my party and then leaves. We continue to battle Leviathan until he finally regains his senses.

The King feels guilty because he was unable to protect the Eidolons. Rydia says that doesn’t matter now that he is back.

He says he couldn’t have done it without Rydia and Asura. He tells her we can’t leave our world victim to their whims a moment longer.

Rydia regains the ability to summon Leviathan. A treasure chest appears that contains the Mystic Whip, which goes to Rydia.

Subterrane: Crystal version

The teleporter takes me to the crystal portion of the Lunar Subterrane. I find Loki’s Lute, which I don’t equip.

The Gigant Axe goes to Kain. I opt not to equip the Black Garb. Golbez gets a Ribbon. I enter a room that resembles the place where I got the class change in the original Final Fantasy.

The Dark Knight

We encounter Cecil as the Dark Knight. He attacks, declaring this is his true self. He says he has no use for these bodies and repeats that he is the true Cecil.

He then wipes us out with his Darkness attack. The game returns me to before the battle and prompts me to choose a different party.

I select Cecil, Rosa, Ceodore, Golbez, and Kain and try again. This time the battle opens with Cecil going to his knees and groaning.

We get the same opening dialogue from the Dark Knight, but this time, when he moves to wipe out the party, the real Cecil protects them.

The Dark Knight says, “The final flame? Enough, you shell!” and knocks out Cecil.

Golbez does something to save Cecil’s life and the Dark Knight asks if he thinks that atones for anything. Golbez says he is sorry and asks Cecil to forgive him.

The Dark Knight attacks Golbez, who is down to 1 HP. He asks if this isn’t what Golbez wanted, to die at the hands of the brother he abandoned.

Rosa heals Golbez and joins the fight. The Dark Knight asks why she would choose Golbez after he threw Cecil away like trash and steered the world to destruction.

Rosa says, “You are not my Cecil!” Ceodore is still knocked out. Biggs and Wedge appear to him.

Biggs calls him a fool and Wedge tells him to believe in his parents’ blood and in himself. Biggs asks him what his problem is, because even in death, he’s a dick.

Wedge asks him if he remembers what Kain taught him. Ceodore gets up and Biggs says that’s the Red Wings soldier he knows.

Ceodore declares that Cecil is his father and Rosa is his mother and he is their one and only son and rejoins the fight. Kain also returns to the battle, though Cecil is still KO’d and can’t be revived.

Ceodore tells the Dark Knight that he isn’t his father. The Dark Knight tells Ceodore he shall obtain eternity in exchange for his life.

He knocks out Ceodore, but Cecil revives in time to save Ceodore from a killing blow. Cecil returns to the light.

The Dark Knight claims he is the true Cecil again, and the battle resumes. I hit him with bands until he succumbs.

He says if Cecil is the real Cecil, then what does that make him? Cecil says the Dark Knight is part of himself, the part he shut away from the world in the past.

However, those days are done, and the Dark Knight is no longer alone. The Dark Knight disappears.

Family reunion

Cecil tells Ceodore he has become a strong man. Ceodore says he owes it to all the people who helped him.

Cecil tells Golbez that he could hear his voice throughout the entire ordeal, which prevented him from withering into an empty shell. He also reunites with Kain.

Cecil thanks everyone and says they must hurry to stop the moon and ensure their future. A sword appears, driven into the crystal floor.

Cecil obtains Excalibur. I return to the Lunar Whale.

???

The teleporter at the Lunar Whale can now take me to an area called ???. I go there and find Tradingway.

He will swap the adamantite I have collected for Adamant gear. I get two sets of armor and one helm, shield, and gloves.

I also find the tail collector. I didn’t get any drops on the way here, so I just have the Black tail and Rainbow Tail to trade.

I get the Twin Stars for the black tail, which reduces MP use in battle by 50% and the Limit Ring for the rainbow tail.

The limit ring increases the damage the wearer can inflict beyond the 9999 limit. I return to B12.

Mysterious Girl

I edit my party to be Cecil, Rosa, Kain, Edge, and Rydia. I go up the stairs and find the Mysterious Girl.

She remarks that Cecil has returned to us; however, it means nothing. She says our planet has completed its role and its fate has not changed.

Cecil says that fate is not set in stone and all we have to do to change it is believe. The Mysterious Girl says she supposes it is beyond the comprehension of earthbound maggots.

She adds that we are free to choose how our deaths play out. She disappears and a teleporter appears.

The Depths

I step on the teleporter and it takes us to the Depths. I get a Robe of Lords for Rosa and a Holy Lance that I don’t equip.

A save point prompts me to rest. It triggers another scene.

Brothers

Cecil approaches Golbez. He says he is glad to see him back. Golbez says, same to you. Cecil says he isn’t sure what the enemy was doing to his mind, but he felt like the light was slowly fading away from him.

He says he felt isolated inside a world of profound darkness. However, he still had faith that his friends and family would come to his aid.

However, he didn’t expect Golbez to be among his saviors. Cecil thanks Golbez. Golbez tells him he should thank FuSoYa, because it was he who sent him.

However, Golbez says he has had enough of hiding. He must live up to his sins and himself.

The scene shifts to Kain. He tells Cecil it has been a while since the two of them talked. Cecil apologizes for losing control of himself.

He says if Kain hadn’t come down from the mountain, Cecil would have been lost and Ceodore and Rosa would be dead.

Kain says he wasn’t doing it just for Cecil. Baron is his motherland and always will be.

He adds that he has been away too long. Cecil asks what Kain thinks of Ceodore.

Kain says he has talent and is just as earnest as Cecil, though he gets his stubborn streak from Rosa. Kain says they must stop the moon.

Cecil says he will be counting on Kain. Kain says he won’t let Cecil down.

Daddy issues

As we progress through the depths, we learn the Holy Blade Band. I get Thor’s Hammer, but don’t equip it.

I get a second Masamune for Edge. We learn the Effect Form Band. I get the Mutsunokami for Edge and the Lunar Mail for Cecil.

We learn the Iron Flash and Trinity Crusade Bands. A save point triggers a scene.

Ceodore is standing with his head down and Kain asks him what is wrong. Kain asks if having Cecil back has made Ceodore happy.

Ceodore says he is overjoyed, but…Kain says having a world leader as a father is a heavy burden for anyone.

He says his father was a dragoon and a member of the most prestigious of armed divisions, until the Red Wings were formed. Kain idolized the dragoons, but hated his strict and unrelenting father.

Kain asks if Ceodore hates Cecil. Ceodore says no. Kain says that is good and means that Ceodore will come to understand eventually.

Ceodore asks what happened to Kain’s father. Kain says he is gone, killed when Kain was about Ceodore’s age.

Kain says we must stop the moon. Rosa is eavesdropping on the conversation and thinks her thanks to Kain. The pair learn the Double Jump Band.

Whisperweed

The scene shifts to Edge, Cecil, Rydia, and Edward standing around Edward’s vase of whisperweed. Edward swears he heard a voice, but the rest of the group is doubtful.

The group hears the chancellor of Damcyan speaking. Edward asks how things are going on Earth and the Chancellor says pretty shitty actually.

They are enshrouded in darkness and the wind and waters are raging. Things are so bad, they can’t even leave the castle.

Cecil says we must hurry. The chancellor is relieved to find Cecil has returned to his senses and says with Cecil there, the moon is as good as gone.

Cecil apologizes for what he did while under the enemy’s control and thanks them for their support. Edward asks them to hold out a little longer.

The chancellor says they will and tells Edward to stay safe, because they need his leadership. Edward thanks them.

The group realizes that if the whisperweed is working again, it must mean the moon is drawing perilously close to the Earth. We resolve to hurry up.

Bahamut

We encounter the Mysterious Girl again. Rydia demands to know where Bahamut is. The Mysterious Girl says she didn’t think we’d make it to this point.

However, the world that lies ahead has no place for us. She says it is time for us to disappear under the force of a power we know all too well.

She summons Bahamut. Cecil vows that he won’t let this end the way it did the first time.

I make a couple of attempts that fail because I’m spending all my time trying to revive fallen party members after Bahamut’s opening Meteor strike and his subsequent megaflares.

I decide to level everyone up and try again. This time, the whole party survives the opening Meteor.

I throw spider silk at him to slow him down and then have everyone but Rydia and Rosa attack, since we need speed and bands take too long. Rydia summons Leviathan.

Rosa casts Curaja on the entire party every round. After we beat Bahamut up for a while, Rydia begs him to remember who she is.

Bahamut doesn’t respond. Asura shows up and tells him this is not the moon he belongs on.

Bahamut megaflares Asura. Leviathan shows up. He says if Bahamut remains under the Mysterious Girl’s control, then they have no choice.

He uses his Tsunami attack on Bahamut. Bahamut megaflares him. The Mysterious Girl orders Bahamut to finish us off.

Instead, he megaflares her. Bahamut says, “You dared to believe you had rule over our Eidolons?” He says, “My Eidolons are much more than mere pawns of power!”

He adds, “Does the true light reside within you? Bahamut, Father of all Eidolons, shall deliver your final judgment!” The Mysterious Girl tries to save herself by casting reflect.

Bahamut tells her she is wasting her breath and megaflares her to oblivion. Bahamut tells Rydia that the Eidolons will be with her always.

Rydia regains the ability to summon Bahamut. Rosa tells Rydia that without her, Bahamut would never have been saved. I return to the save point and quit for the night.