DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VI and its characters are wholly the properties of Square Enix. This story is written purely for entertainment and not profit.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is it, the final chapter before the epilogue. I want to warn you all that this chapter could be a tearjerker, and not for happy reasons. Please heed the warning and proceed with caution.


Resolutions

Written by daBOSSz

Chapter 11: Finality

Another sunrise hit his eyes, drawing them open. Strago looked up from his bed at the same sight that had greeted him every morning since he wound up confined to it.

Yesterday had been a blissful day for him. Although he had physically remained in the exact position as he had every day, getting up only for essential matters with Lola's and Interceptor's aid, he could feel the overwhelming amount of joy from half a world away. No one needed to bring any messages for him to know that the family reunion had been as wonderful as he envisioned or that Celes and Locke were now happily married.

Strago lay in bed and indulged in his own vision of yesterday's events. He pictured the scene of Figaro Castle fully decorated, adorned by silk flowers and ribbons of various bright colors everywhere. He pictured the euphoria of every person in one room excitedly catching up with each other on what they had been up to since the last time any of them spoke with one another. He pictured Locke standing in front of the thrones wearing his fancy royal attire and Celes walking down the aisle in a gorgeous gown. He pictured the entire throne room crying while the bride and groom recited their vows and Edgar declared them married. Of course, he also pictured Relm's surprise when Gau made his proposal, unable to contain a slight chuckle at the thought.

By the time Interceptor had climbed onto his bed and nuzzled next to him, Strago did not realize how long he had lain there with his own thoughts, but it did not matter. He knew the family was delighted to be together again, and he pictured himself right there with them.

"Good morning, Strago," Lola cheerfully greeted as she walked into the room. "How are you feeling today?"

"Morning…Lola…" Strago answered. "I'm…fine…"

He lied. He knew fully well that he was in poor physical condition and had been for quite some time. He had already defied all logic by surviving three years past his disease's expiration date. His health was worsening by the day, and today was no different. He was strong enough to distract himself through his joyful thoughts about the others, but no amount of mental resolve was enough to completely ignore the reality of his rapidly declining physical state.

Still though, Strago refused to openly acknowledge such a reality to anyone. When he first acquired the disease, he vowed to remain fully positive, knowing it would only drive those he loved into depressed states of mind if he wallowed in any misery. The disease challenged his resolve constantly throughout its course as though it was daring him to uphold this vow while it ate away at him from within, and yet Strago fought back each time, never caving to its repeated attempts to consume his mind and spirit the way it was ravaging his body.

Lola lifted up his head and placed a few more pillows atop the one he had been resting on, allowing him to sit up. She then tried to hand him the bowl filled with his meal, but he could not find the strength to lift his arm this morning. Strago hated such mornings, but sadly, they were becoming increasingly frequent, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would be the norm instead of the outlier.

As Lola fed him his meal, Strago mentally channeled his inner Relm and sent a curse-filled tirade at the cancer cells in his body, giving them a piece of his mind. Interceptor sensed everything, softly nudging his way under Strago's arm and providing the elder mage with an empathetic grunt. Strago wanted desperately to pat the dog's head in appreciation, but could only find enough strength to rub the animal's head with his fingers.

Lola had just barely finished wiping his mouth with a handkerchief after feeding him when a knock sounded at the door. Strago slowly shifted his head in the direction of the knock just in time to see Lola open it and reveal Relm standing on the other side. His temporary caretaker and his granddaughter exchanged a few words that were too soft in volume for him to decipher before the latter stepped into the house and dropped her bag on a nearby table. Lola closed the door behind Relm but did not move away from it.

"Hi, Grandpa, I'm home!" Relm said and approached the bed.

"How…was…" Strago started to speak.

"Save your breath, old man," Relm interrupted. "The wedding was fine, they're married now, and everyone was happy to see everyone else again. There, questions answered."

Strago curved his lips upward as much as he could muster, satisfied with Relm's ability to read his thoughts, her full understanding of his situation in her own unique way, and the confirmation that his vision of the events had some validity.

"And yes, they did ask about how you're doing, and I told them the truth," his granddaughter added.

That was something Strago hoped not to hear. He knew the others were likely to inquire about his condition, but he hoped that Relm would assure them all that he was fine. However, he also knew that Relm was not someone who would lie to their family, so her answer did not come as a surprise.

"What…did…" Strago uttered.

"I'm getting there, Grandpa! Geez, you're so impatient!" Relm cut in, and Strago could not help but smile again. "Their answer was simple: 'if he can't come to us, we're going to go to him.'"

Before Strago even had a chance to feel any sort of curious confusion in return, Lola reopened the door. The mage's eyes widened in shock as Edgar walked in, followed by Sabin, Cyan, Gau, Terra, Mog, Gogo, Celes, Locke, Setzer, and a mysterious woman who looked eerily similar to Celes. Umaro brought up the rear, ducking under the doorway to enter, and Strago was thankful that his home at least had a high enough ceiling for the giant yeti to stand up straight without hitting his head.

"What…?" Strago began asking.

"Please, conserve your strength," Edgar spoke over him. "We'll be more than happy to answer. We talked about it at the end of our reception. We said that this was the first time our family was together in five years, and it simply wouldn't make any sense for even one member to be missing."

"We knew you were with us in spirit yesterday," Sabin followed. "We felt you there, but this wouldn't be a full reunion unless you were with us in whole as well, so we decided we'd all come share this moment with you."

"You're our strongest member, Strago," Terra continued. "You've been around longer than most of us can imagine even living right now, and you keep demonstrating to us every day what true strength is."

"We may have shown the world that no fight is impossible when we beat Kefka," Locke added, "but you're the one who continues to display the most unyielding persistence against the unthinkable."

"Our wedding and reunion wouldn't have been this blissful without the inspiration we've drawn from you to conquer our own battles," Celes said. "None of us would be able to forgive ourselves if we allowed you to miss this moment."

Strago's eyes scanned each face and was greeted with the same sincere nod of agreement along that which had been spoken. The barrage of compliments found their way into his soul, and he could feel his heart swelling multiple times over as both the verbalized and silent words sunk in. If there were still any doubts about the sustained closeness of this family, they were now completely erased.

"Thank you…everyone…" he uttered.

However, even as he was inundated with the warmth of the company around him, Strago began sensing his strength waning faster than usual. He tried to summon up the same resistance that he had called upon for the past three years, but this time, the pool had run dry. It was at this moment that he realized the time had come to stop preserving his energy and verbalize what was needed.

"Everyone…please…" he tried to start speaking again. "I want to…say a few…"

"Grandpa, don't," Relm jumped in the moment she heard those words. "You need to…"

"No," Strago responded defiantly, much to Relm's surprise. "Please, everyone…gather around…"

No one hesitated to honor his request. The twelve humans—including both Lola and the Celes look-alike—one Moogle, and one yeti all dispersed themselves evenly around his bed. Interceptor shifted upward so that its face was aligned almost immediately next to his.

Strago took a moment to organize his thoughts, then simply opened his heart and let his words flow as smoothly as he could muster.

"I've lived a long, meaningful life," he began, forcing through any energy he could draw. "Joining this family…was the best…decision I've ever made. You all helped me…in so many ways. You reawakened…my dream…let me overcome…my fears…"

He hacked and coughed, and Relm was instantly reaching over to comfort him, placing a hand behind him to rub his back. Gau, who was on the other side of the bed, gently held Strago's head with both hands to position him further upward.

"We fought…together…" Strago continued once he had finished coughing and Gau had laid his head back on the pillows. "We leaned…on each other…"

His breathing slowed down, and each breath became deeper. He could hear the disease aiming to make him succumb, but his spirit remained defiant against its brute force.

"Terra…Locke…" he kept speaking as Terra grabbed of his hands, "I'll never forget…your courage…in saving Relm. Celes…I saw how much…you and Locke…were meant to be, and…I'm so happy…you found each other."

He took a few more long breaths as Terra gently released his hand. Even inhaling air now was starting to become difficult.

"Edgar…what an amazing king…you are…" he continued. "Sabin…Cyan…I've never seen such…honorable fighters. Cyan…you're an incredible…father to Lola…and Lola…if I had a daughter…I'd want her…to be just…as wonderful…as you."

Tears were now starting to form in everyone's eyes as the reality of what was happening was starting to descend on them.

"Please…don't cry…" Strago pleaded. "I'm…all right. Setzer…keep being you…make the world…better. Mog…Umaro…Gogo…same to you…keep putting smiles…on others' faces."

"Kupo…" came a soft response from Mog.

Strago tilted his eyes slightly, setting them on the stranger who looked like Celes.

"And you're…?" he asked.

"Maria," she quickly answered. "I'm an opera singer."

"Nice to…meet you…" Strago wheezed as he spoke. "I'm…sorry we're…meeting so late…in my life. Please…know this…you won't find…a better family…to be part of."

"I understand," she nodded, and it was a sincere response. Tears were even starting to well up in her eyes as if she was losing a loved one.

At last, Strago turned to Gau and Relm.

"Gau…" he resumed speaking, "…did she say 'yes'?"

Gau nodded with a slight smile, fighting to hold back a tear.

"Please…take care…of each other…" Strago followed up. "Relm couldn't have…fallen for…anyone better."

"Grandpa…" Relm's voice choked back as she grabbed his hand.

"Relm…" Strago acknowledged. "You've always been…so special…so remarkable. You'll continue…to inspire…the world. Lean on…our family. They love you…as much as…I always have…and will."

The old mage hacked out another round of coughs, this time noticeably more violent than the last. He was still fighting, still refusing to cave to the illness that was using every second to prematurely silence him for good.

"We…saved the world…" he remarked to everyone and no one in particular. "We…saved each other. We've already…accomplished…the impossible. What's ahead…for us all…should be…child's play."

The tears that had been forming in everyone's eyes had started trickling down a few cheeks. There was no longer any indication that any of them were denying the reality of the situation. Still, Strago curved his lips upward into another smile.

"Please…don't mourn for me…" he tried again to reassure. "Do me…a favor…and hold…your heads high. I'm…okay…and ready."

He truly was. This was not him succumbing to the disease. This was a decision he had made as a last act of defiance against his illness: to depart on his own terms—in the comfort of his bed surrounded by the warmth of his entire family—instead of allowing it to dictate when he would leave.

"The Phantom Train…calls," he said barely audibly. "I'll see you all…again…on the other side."

Taking in one more image of his family together, seventy-six-year-old Strago Magus closed his eyes for the final time.

"Grandpa…please…sleep well," came Relm's voice laced with sobbing hiccups. They would be the last words he would hear.

"Thank you…all of you…for everything," he whispered with one terminal breath.

His vision faded to black, and he knew no more.


The memorial service for the elder magus was held the next day, and every single soul in Thamasa showed up to pay their respects. Strago Magus truly received the send-off worthy of the hero he was.

The family now stood at his gravesite, preparing to lower his body into its permanent resting place. There was never any doubt where he would be interred: beside Leo and Shadow in the same town that he had called home his entire life. Terra had just finished delivering the eulogy, praising Strago for his courage, devotion, inspiration, motivation, and—of course—heroism. The rest of those in attendance tried to honor his final request by holding their heads high and keeping the mood more celebratory than melancholic, but some simply could not hold it together.

Relm had yet to stop crying since the moment Strago drew his final breath yesterday. The usually stalwart and spunky sixteen-year-old was currently as broken as anyone had ever seen her, still clutching Gau with an iron grip and bawling her eyes out into his chest and shoulders while Interceptor nuzzled her from every direction. She was facing away from the gravesite the whole time, and while she turned around for a second when the body was being lowered, she immediately burst into fresh tears and buried herself back in Gau's clutch, unable to witness the sight of her grandfather's remains descending into the ground.

Empathetic for the teen's unbearable sorrow, Terra and Celes approached Relm and placed their arms around her from the back, surrounding her with as much comfort as they could provide while the men finished the burial process. Seeing this, Lola and Maria followed suit, latching onto the group from opposite sides. Mog jumped atop everyone and rested his body against Relm's head, clutching her by the shoulders. As the men completed their task and noticed what was happening, they too gradually joined in: first Gogo, then Locke and Setzer, followed by Cyan and Edgar, and finally Sabin and Umaro. In the end, the entire family had fused into a perfect circle that tightly hugged Relm, Gau, and Interceptor in the middle.

No words were exchanged, and none were needed. The message was as clear and obvious as it could be: no matter what the world threw at them, their family would stick together.


AUTHOR'S NOTES: When I was planning this story, I made the decision pretty early on that I would write about Strago's death. I feel that, being the group's senior member and likely the first to pass on post-game, he deserves to leave in the best way imaginable: with loved ones all around him. This would be a well-earned final resolution for him.

Okay, all that remains now is the epilogue. For those who've hung with this story from the start, thank you! Writing this has been quite the journey, and it'll be sad for me when it ends, but I'm ready to conclude it. Until next time!