The small ship lent to them by the King of Lindblum descended through the canopy of the forest, its engines humming against the quiet. Vivi leaned over the side, yellow eyes glowing faintly under the brim of his hat, his little hands gripping the railing tight. Zidane stood behind him, arms folded, tail swaying uneasily.
As the ship touched down on the familiar clearing, Vivi jumped out first, his boots landing on the soft earth. His pace quickened as he hurried across the path he once knew so well, heart pounding. Every tree and lantern stirred memories, and for a fleeting moment, hope rushed in his chest. He imagined the soft shuffling of feet, the quiet greetings, the smell of stew simmering in pots. He imagined home.
But when they entered the village, the sound of his steps echoed strangely.
The Black Mage Village was silent.
The huts stood empty, the lanterns dark. Wooden bridges creaked only under their weight. The graves stood as they always had, rows upon rows, but no one tended them. No flowers freshly placed. No gentle voices reading names aloud. Just emptiness.
Vivi's chest tightened until it hurt. His voice slipped out, thin and trembling. "...Where is everyone?"
From the shadows near the graves, a familiar figure appeared—No. 288. He walked slowly, each step heavy, his glowing eyes dimmer than before.
"288!" Vivi rushed forward, tripping on his own boots in his haste. "Where are the others? Where did they go?"
288 tilted his head, his voice calm but burdened. "They went… with Kuja."
Zidane's tail lashed, his eyes narrowing. "What? That bastard again?"
Vivi's small fists balled up, trembling. "But… Kuja's only using them! He doesn't care about them! Why would they—"
"They wanted more time," 288 said softly. "He promised them a longer life. For those who fear the end, that promise was enough."
The words struck harder than any blow. Vivi's throat tightened, his breath shuddering. He wanted to scream that it wasn't fair, that his kin deserved more than lies. Yet, beneath the anger, he felt the sharp sting of understanding. They had always known their lives would be short. They had always feared stopping. Kuja had offered them what they most longed for.
Vivi shook his head violently, his voice cracking. "No… That's not right. They can't— they shouldn't…" His hat brim trembled as his whole body shook.
288 lowered his gaze. "...Not all left. Two stayed behind. They're in the shack."
Without another word, Vivi turned and hurried down the path, Zidane close behind, his steps heavier but steady.
---
Vivi knocked at the door, his voice trembling. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
A frantic voice cried out from inside. "It hatched!!"
The door creaked open, and one of the Black Mages appeared, eyes glowing brighter than Vivi had ever seen. "The chocobo—it hatched!" He didn't wait for a reply before rushing back inside.
Vivi and Zidane exchanged glances, then stepped through the doorway.
Inside, a small chocobo chick chirped from its nest, feathers still damp, wings flapping clumsily as it tried to stand. The cracked shell lay around it. Two Black Mages knelt at its side, their hands trembling with excitement.
"This one feels different," one whispered, voice filled with awe. "Not like the others…"
The other laughed awkwardly, almost nervously. "But… when I look at it, I feel something. Warm… happy…"
The chick wobbled forward and gave a soft, uncertain chirp. Both Mages clapped their hands together, glowing eyes flickering with joy. For a moment, the emptiness of the village was forgotten.
Zidane scratched his head, smiling faintly. "Guess they've got their hands full, huh?" His voice was light, but his eyes softened as he looked at Vivi.
Vivi, however, stood frozen. His heart felt tight, torn between sorrow and hope. Around him was silence, absence, graves untended… and yet here, in the shadow of loss, life had bloomed. Fragile, but radiant.
He knelt by the nest, his little hands trembling as he reached toward the chick. It peeped at him and leaned into his touch, feathers tickling his glove. For a moment, Vivi forgot the ache in his chest.
---
Outside again, 288 was waiting near the shack, his gaze distant as he watched smoke curl from a long-dead lantern.
Vivi stopped in front of him, his voice softer. "You stayed because of the chocobo, didn't you?"
288 shook his head slightly. "I stayed because those two needed someone. Someone had to watch over the life that just began."
The words pressed deep into Vivi's heart. He lowered his gaze, hat brim shadowing his face. "I understand. I know… I'll stop moving someday too. I can't change that. But I don't want to just fade away. I want to keep living. To keep moving forward."
His glowing eyes lifted, steady now despite the tears in them. "Where are the others? Where did Kuja take them?"
For a long moment, 288 was silent. The hush of the forest filled the gap, broken only by the distant chirp of the newborn chocobo. Finally, he said, "…Kuja's secret palace lies on the eastern side of this continent. It's buried under the quicksand. You'll need a ship to reach it."
Vivi nodded slowly, determination hardening his small frame. "…Thank you."
288 studied him for a long moment. His dim eyes flickered faintly, like a candle nearly out but refusing to die. "I hope… we can become strong like you someday."
Then he turned and walked back toward the shack, leaving Vivi and Zidane standing in the quiet street.
The two friends boarded the Lindblum ship once more. As it rose into the sky, Vivi looked down at the village growing smaller beneath them. Empty huts, silent bridges, graves waiting for flowers. Yet in one shack, life had begun again.
---
The door to the shack opened once more, and 288 stepped inside. His gaze lingered on the tiny chocobo, the way its feathers gleamed faintly under the lantern light. The chick chirped, unsteady but full of life.
The two mages laughed softly as it wobbled in circles, falling, standing, and chirping again. Their voices were awkward but warm, flickering with something almost human.
288's eyes narrowed gently, his voice no more than a whisper. "This is…" His words trailed away, lost to the hush of the village.
The chocobo chirped again, and for the first time in a long while, 288 felt something stir in his hollow chest. Not fear of the end, nor sorrow for those gone, but something smaller and brighter—hope.