FFIX - Script - 3.10 - Terra & Bran Bal
[The screen, white, fades back in on a path. Zidane, standing alone, looks around. Everything is strange, alien; A deep blue landscape, surrounded by high-ranging trees all around]
Zidane
"Could this be...Terra?"
"What's this light? Could it be..."
"!?"
[The screen flashes white. A man appears down the path]
Old Man
"So you finally came."
"The time has come at last... The one who folds time is here."
Zidane
"Who the heck are you!?"
Old Man
"Ask my name, will you? Then let us ask..."
"What is your name?"
Zidane
"Me!? My name is-"
Old Man
"What is your name?"
Zidane
"Hey, what's your problem!? I'm trying to tell you my name."
Old Man
"So you believe a given name has meaning..."
"Boy, you have been bewitched by the light of the blue moon."
Zidane
"What do you know? You must be from Terra."
Old Man
"You know nothing, and that is all."
"Come and see for yourself... See what Terra is, and what you are..."
[The Old Man teleports away]
Zidane
"H-Hey, hang on!"
"He's gone..."
"Zidane!"
[Dagger walks on screen and up to Zidane]
Zidane
"Dagger! Are you alright?"
Dagger
"Yes. Everyone's fine."
"Come, let's hurry..."
[Zidane runs off screen. The background focuses on the strange new world, as the word "Terra" appears on screen. At the next screen, Zidane sees a blonde-haired girl]
Zidane
"!?"
"Hey...!"
[She runs away. He follows her to the next screen]
Zidane
"!?"
"Hey, wait up!"
[She runs away again. Once again, he follows her to the next screen. She's standing there, facing him]
Zidane
"...?"
[She turns around and runs away again]
"What's your problem...?"
[He runs to the next screen. He looks around; no one's there]
Zidane
"Where'd she go?"
[He runs off the screen, descending a plastic ladder-type thing, and approaches the girl, who is standing there, waiting, and facing him]
Zidane
"Who are you?"
Mysterious Girl
"You don't remember anything, do you?"
Zidane
"!?"
Mysterious Girl
"Follow me, and you will understand us."
"...and maybe your own heritage as well.
[She runs away]
Zidane
"Hey, wait! Hold on a sec!"
[He follows her to the new screen. They're both standing on a bridge]
Mysterious Girl
"Once you go on, you'll see."
[He runs off screen, to the new one. Zidane and Dagger walk up a set of stairs, and stop at the base of a different set of stairs]
Zidane
"What the heck...? What is this place?"
Dagger
"It looks really artificial. So different than before."
Zidane
"Yeah... But it doesn't seem very lively."
[The Mysterious Girl walks on screen, up the final set of stairs]
Mysterious Girl
"Welcome home."
Zidane
"!?"
Mysterious Girl
"This is where you belong."
"The place to which you shall offer yourself..."
"...is here."
[She walks up the stairs. At the top of the stairs is a glowing blue light. The words "Bran Bal" appear on the screen]
Zidane
"Hold on a second! What the heck are you talking about!?"
[The ground begins to shake]
"Wh-What the-"
[FMV. An airship flies over the edge. Dagger and Zidane look up at it above them. It's the Invincible, a.k.a. The ship with the eyeball that destroyed Madain Sari and Alexandria, and was at the Iifa Tree. Dagger falls unconscious]
Zidane
"Dagger! Wake up!"
"Dagger!"
"Dammit! What the heck is going on!?"
[The mysterious girl, at the top of the stairs, looks at him, turns around, and walks off screen. The screen fades to black]
"You are completely oblivious."
"Just like a newborn child."
"You don't know why you were given life, or for what purpose you exist..."
"You simply shout to emphasize your life...your own existence."
"You are completely oblivious."
[Screen resumes at the top of the stairs; Zidane runs to the new screen]
Zidane
"We gotta find a place for her to rest!"
[Steiner runs on screen]
Steiner
"Zidane! Leave the princess to me. You must go reconnoiter at once!"
Zidane
"Yeah, you're right. There's gotta be some place around here..."
"Watch over her, Steiner! I'll be right back!"
[Zidane goes left, to a new screen]
Zidane
"!?"
[In front of him, several people are walking around; they all have tails, just like him]
"Wh-What's going on?"
"Everyone has a tail... and their hair is just like mine!"
[Zidane explores Bran Bal for a bit, then approaches someone]
Zidane
"Hey, is there a place around here to get some rest?"
"Why do you rest?"
Zidane
"'Why?' Don't you guys go to sleep at night? Not that I'm sleepy right now, but..."
"By night, do you mean the condition in which light recedes?"
Zidane
"Look, I don't have time for an interview! Where can I find an inn!?"
"There is the entrance."
Zidane
"Right there, huh? Gotcha."
[Zidane enters the Inn]
Zidane
"This looks like a good place for Dagger to get some rest."
"But...what's up with everyone here? They're all so...stiff."
"I dunno why... but I have a bad feeling about this place."
"Well, first things first. I gotta bring Dagger back here!"
[Zidane walks off screen. Screen changes to outside the inn; Eiko is trying to talk to some of the villagers of Bran Bal]
Eiko
"'Scuse me..."
"Do you have any medicine...?"
"..."
Eiko
"Hello... Is there a place I can buy some medicine around here?"
"..."
Eiko
"Hello!? I'm asking if you have any medicine!"
"Ngaaa! How come this place is full of weirdos?"
"Everyone has a tail like Zidane..."
"Aww, if I could only find some Pimo-pimo herbs, I could make some wake-up powder for her..."
"But is this my lucky day? No!"
"Huh!?"
[Eiko runs up to a girl]
"Found ya! You're that girl, right? It's your fault Dagger collapsed, you know..."
"Oh, never mind. Say! Don't you have any medicine at all?"
Girl
"She will soon awaken."
Eiko
"How do you know?"
Girl
"Where is your man?"
Eiko
"M-My man? MY man!?"
"Are you talking about Zidane!? Even I never called him that!"
"But too bad for you! He and Dagger are super hot for each other!"
"You don't have a chance with him."
Girl
"Tell him I am waiting in the underground laboratory."
[The girl walks away]
Eiko
"Oh, the nerve! What makes you think I'd tell him that!?"
"Hey, where do you think you're going!?"
"What a bimbo!"
"Uh-oh! I don't have time for this!"
[She runs into the inn. Screen changes to in there; Steiner, Freya, and Zidane are gathered around Dagger's body, which is lying down on a bed]
Zidane
"Dagger..."
Steiner
"Princess... Why must you suffer more...?"
Zidane
"Dammit!"
Freya
"What is the matter, Zidane? You haven't been yourself at all."
Zidane
"What the heck do you mean, I haven't been myself...?"
Freya
"..."
Zidane
"I'm sorry... I don't even know what's wrong with me."
"I just...I just can't concentrate with this blue light..."
Dagger
"Ah... Uhhh..."
Steiner
"Princess! You have awoken!"
Freya
"What made you lose consciousness so suddenly?"
Dagger
"I remembered."
Zidane
"Remembered what?"
Dagger
"It wasn't a storm that destroyed Madain Sari."
"It was...it was the eye on that airship that destroyed Madain Sari."
"You remember, don't you? The eye was also there when Alexandria was leveled."
Freya
"Yes, there was a large eye in the sky above from which light emanated."
Zidane
"Now that you mention it... It was there when Bahamut went wild at the Iifa Tree."
Dagger
"Yes... It was there in the sky. It must be the same airship."
Steiner
"WHAT!? Then that must be the ship that slew Her Majesty..."
Zidane
"Rusty!"
Steiner
"Oh... I-I'm sorry, Princess!"
Dagger
"Don't worry about it. I've already come to terms with that."
"That ship took everything from me..."
"It took away my parents, my homeland, Alexandria...everything."
Freya
"How terrible..."
[Eiko runs in]
Eiko
"Dagger! Are you alright?"
Dagger
"Yes, I'm fine..."
Eiko
"No, you're not! You're still pale! You gotta rest!"
"Hmm? How come everyone looks so pale? What's wrong?"
Freya
"No need to be concerned. A strange place such as this is cause enough for exhaustion."
Eiko
"Oh..."
"Hey! Where are you going, Zidane? Oh, that's right!"
"That weird girl! The girl that led us here said something strange again!"
"She said she was waiting for you in some underground laboratory! What a pervert!"
[Zidane walks out of the Inn]
"Zidane?"
[Zidane goes to the underground laboratory. Sure enough, the girl is there]
Girl
"..."
[Zidane turns around and sees two tubes against the back wall, filled with water, also containing two humans]
Zidane
"Oh, so that's what's going on... Geez, I should've guessed..."
"So, this is what you wanted to show me?"
Girl
"Yes. I am glad you understand."
Zidane
"I don't understand! Sorry, but I'm not like that."
"I mean all these guys with tails, who look just like me... They're a bunch of zombies."
Girl
"They are my peers. We are Genomes. We live in this village."
Zidane
"Genomes? Is that what they're called?"
Girl
"Not just them, but you and me, too."
"It is the name of the seed given to all of us. Its name is Genome."
Zidane
"Talk about a let-down. Who would've guessed that the home I've yearned for would be a dump like this."
"No wonder I never found it. It's not even on Gaia!"
Girl
"Why are you not happy? You have returned to the place of your birth."
Zidane
"Happy? You guys can process that emotion?"
"Look at 'em! Look at all their blank faces!"
Girl
"What can we do? After all, we are made that way."
"And we are built to watch over each other and work together as soulless Genomes."
Zidane
"What's it all for!? Get to the point already!"
"How come I grew up on Gaia if I was born here!?"
"I'm alive! I have a soul! Why is everyone here so..."
Girl
"Because you are...special."
Zidane
"What!?"
Girl
"We are mere vessels. You have been given a greater purpose."
"The will of Garland is absolute..."
Zidane
"Garland? Who's that?"
[She walks up the stairs. He follows her. She's on the floor above the underground laboratory; several Genome surround a large glowing crystal]
Girl
"Garland watches over this planet. His mission is to restore the people of Terra."
Zidane
"R-Restore the people of Terra? You mean people besides these guys here?"
Girl
"They are merely vessels. So am I, and so are you."
"But the true people of Terra have been asleep for ages, waiting for their time to come."
"When the time is right, the light of this planet will change from blue to red, and Gaia will become Terra."
Zidane
"Wait a sec! So the people of Terra are out to take over Gaia!?"
Girl
"What else can there be? Terra has always absorbed new planets to survive."
"And when the time comes, the souls of the people of Terra will occupy the Genomes. Such is the restoration of the people of Terra."
Zidane
"Why do they have to be so tedious!?"
"Why don't they just wipe us out with magic like they did Alexandria!?"
Girl
"Once, Garland tried to use a more forceful method, but failed."
Zidane
"Then he should just quit and leave Gaia alone!"
Girl
"Because of his failure, he was forced to wait a long time."
"...To wait until Gaia's civilizations gained tremendous power: The power to use eidolons."
Zidane
"So that's why you attacked the summoner's village and destroyed Alexandria."
Girl
"Planets have a cycle of souls. Souls are born from the planet, and then return to it."
"Garland planned to gain control of that very cycle..."
"...and you were supposed to help him achieve that."
Zidane
"What!?"
Girl
"Garland is waiting for you. Come..."
[She walks off screen]
Zidane
"What do you think you're doing!? I don't care about all this Terra and Gaia stuff!"
[The screen fades to black, and resumes in the inn, where the same people as before are gathered]
Eiko
"Zidane isn't back yet."
"And with Dagger not feeling well... I wonder where he is."
Dagger
"Eiko..."
Eiko
"No, Dagger! You can't get up yet!"
Dagger
"It's alright. Listen, I want to ask you a favor."
Eiko
"Oh? Just tell me, and I'll get right on it!"
Dagger
"I want you to go find Zidane."
Eiko
"Huh? Oh, sure. Okay."
"Oh, I get it! You're getting jealous!"
Dagger
"No, I'm not... I just have a feeling something terrible is going to happen."
Eiko
"Alright! I'll go get him. So you just stay here and rest!"
- Place to Call Home
[Quina walks into the room with the large crystal, that several Genomes are standing around, watching]
Quina
"Aiya! What big stone!"
"Why you all watch stone?"
"Is stone edible? Or is for barbeque?"
"No answer..."
"I think I lick it."
"You no answer, so you no mind, right?"
[Quina licks it]
"Hmmm... Is very salty."
"Oh? Who that?"
[Quina runs to the other side of the screen; Zidane is standing there, still]
Quina
"What you doing here, Zidane?"
Zidane
"Huh? Oh... Hi, Quina."
Quina
"You stand here say nothing, then you just like other dummy-dummies. No can tell difference!"
"They say someone always has double somewhere. There so many of you here!"
"The world strange place, no?"
Zidane
"Yeah, I guess..."
Quina
"Zidane, what matter? You no seem yourself."
Zidane
"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. I'm always myself."
"Besides, it's not just me. You look just like your master, too."
Quina
"Of course! Master Quale is Qu Clan! We same!"
Zidane
"Yeah? I guess everybody looks the same to someone from another race."
[Quina turns around to look at the crystal & Genomes]
Quina
"Hmm... Maybe you right."
[Zidane walks off screen]
Quina
"What he say? Same...race?"
[Eiko runs out of the inn]
- Where the Heart Is
[Vivi is speaking to a Genome. Behind the Genome is a deep lake of blue light]
Vivi
"Excuse me..."
"..."
Vivi
"So, umm... What do you guys do here?"
"..."
Vivi
"Hmm... Oh, yeah... This blue light sure is pretty, isn't it?"
"..."
[Zidane walks on screen and stops behind Vivi]
Vivi
"You like it, too, right? You're all looking at the blue light."
"The light is unpleasant to us..."
Vivi
"Oh...really..."
(Huh? It's that girl...)
[The girl walks off screen]
"Hmm?"
[Vivi turns around]
"Hey, Zidane... What are you up to?"
Zidane
"What do you mean? What are you doing, Vivi?"
Vivi
"I'm trying to talk with the natives. This boy here seems to be my age and everything..."
Zidane
"You're wasting your time. They won't give you a decent answer."
Vivi
"Oh... But I think I can get through to them."
Zidane
"Huh. I'm surprised you feel that way."
Vivi
"I don't know why, but... I...I feel like we're similar."
Zidane
"Similar? What do you mean? I know they're similar to me, but..."
Vivi
"No, no... Not like that. They're a lot like the black mages we saw on the cargo ship, and in Cleyra..."
"Of course, we don't look alike at all. But I can see one thing. Their minds aren't hollow."
"I think that their minds are just out to lunch for a little while..."
Zidane
"Hmm... Not hollow, huh?"
[Zidane walks, following the direction that the Girl went]
Vivi
"Hey... Where are you going, Zidane?"
"Zidane?"
[Eiko runs to the next screen]
- Came into this World
[The girl and Zidane are at the entrance of Bran Bal, with the glowing green light]
Girl
"This way..."
[She walks into the light. Zidane stands in front of it]
"Hey, Zidane!"
[Amarant walks on screen]
Zidane
"What do you want?"
Amarant
"What? That's no way to say hello."
"What the hell is this place?"
"I thought we'd find some mean mothers down here, but they're all a bunch of wimps."
Zidane
"No challenge, huh?"
Amarant
"Yeah, I guess not."
Zidane
"Hey, Amarant... Can I ask you something?"
Amarant
"No."
Zidane
"Do you... have any parents or family?"
Amarant
"What a stupid question."
Zidane
"Sorry. I was just curious."
Amarant
"I don't remember any loving parents. My first memory is of the face of a guy I had to fight."
"I only found meaning in life through combat."
Zidane
"Funny how you put that in past tense. All due to my wonderful influence."
Amarant
"Pshhh. What do you want me to do? Thank you?"
Zidane
"Please! You're gonna make me sick!"
Amarant
"How about you?"
Zidane
"What? You mean my parents?"
"...I don't have parents."
[Eiko runs to the next screen]
- The Truth
[Zidane is walking along a path of Terra. The girl is standing on the path in front of him]
Zidane
"Hey! Where're you taking me?"
Girl
"I told you. You are going to see Garland."
Zidane
"Yeah, of course. But this way is a dead end."
Girl
"There is a way."
"See? You may find him through the portal."
"He awaits where the souls sleep. The floating castle, where souls bide their time until their restoration... Pandemonium."
"Will you not say farewell to your friends?"
Zidane
"I don't care what I am... I was born here, wasn't I?"
"If so, then I am an enemy of the people of Gaia."
Girl
"You learn quickly."
Zidane
"Make no mistake. I won't join your side."
"I just... If we are actually relatives, then..."
"Then I want to take care of this little family matter myself."
[Zidane steps into the portal, teleporting away]
[Eiko runs to where Zidane teleported away. The girl is still standing there]
Eiko
"Now, you listen to me! Where did you take Zidane?"
Girl
"He went on his own to see Garland."
Eiko
"Garland!? Oooo, THAT's a sinister name!"
"But Zidane wouldn't just leave us hanging!"
Girl
"He went... Yes, he went to find out the reason for his existence."
Eiko
"Lair! That's a terrible lie!"
Girl
"'I am an enemy of the people of Gaia,' he said as he walked through the gate to Pandemonium."
Eiko
"!"
"We-We gotta tell the others!"
[Eiko runs off screen]
Girl
"Heaven grant the wandering souls eternal respose..."