Vicious and Yuna are looking around in an underground cavern.
Vicious: Yeah, I ain't seein' any signs of Kanata anywhere. Guess the kid's dead. Yuna: Been searching for 'im, 'ave you? Vicious: Doin' a duet with a degenerate liar gets old fast. It's makin' me miss my old toys, is all. Yuna: Ever ze smooth-talkin' gentleman, eh? You won't be making many new friends with zat attitude. Vicious: Don't need 'em, don't want 'em. Yuna: Wanting to be liked is a perfectly natural zing, you know. You needn't deny yourself. Vicious: Natural, huh?
Vicious looks pensive.
Vicious: Hey, ya ever been a butterfly? Yuna: Heh? What kind of question is zat? Of course I 'aven't! Vicious: Me neither. You can tell me flower nectar tastes amazin', and that flutterin' in a breeze is a blast, but I don't envy 'em one bit. A beast born to creep on the ground can't even imagine that stuff. Yuna: ..... Vicious: You get what I'm sayin', right? A person who's been alone from the beginning doesn't get lonely. Yuna: From the beginning? Zat can't be right. Surely you 'ad a family at one point? Vicious: Couldn't say. Don't got no memory of one, that's for sure. Yuna: ..... Vicious: First time I managed to rub two brain cells together, I was already "me." The villain of this world. You saw me back there, right, the way I looked fightin' that goddess chick? I was an avatar of ruin, keepin' myself goin' by consuming every living thing around me. That right there is what a Great Transgressor is. It's only "natural" that every person alive should hate me. After all, I could kill the whole lot of 'em just by existin'.
Yuna listens to all of this with a fairly unimpressed expression.
Vicious: Now, it took a while, but I managed to suppress that power, to an extent, and take the person-lookin' form you see before you. But at that point, the word had gotten out, and the whole world hated me. Vicious, the Great Transgressor, feared by all. Yuna: Hmm. You're 'aving yourself quite ze pity party, aren't you? Vicious: Huh? Screw you. Yuna: "Ze Great Transgressor, feared by all." Zen 'ow come I'm not afraid of you at all? Kanana doesn't fear you one bit, nor does Aegrouch, nor ze mademoiselle. Yuna: And do you know why? Because we are your friends. I do not believe zere is anyone in zis world who does not mind being despised, nor is zere anyone untroubled by loneliness. If you wish to bluff and bluster your way through zose feelings, go right ahead. But we do not 'ear ze boasts of ze Great Transgressor. We are too focused on divining what our friend Vicious is trying to say. Vicious: Hmph. This conversation is dumb. Yuna: It certainly is. Vicious: Friends... That's a pain in my ass I do not need. I ain't never had nothin', and I ain't never needed nothin'. Defyin' a world that rejected me is all I live for. And I don't need no one's help with that. Yuna: And is zat all you will ever live for? To be rejected, and to fight back? Zat isn't living. Zat is merely reacting. Do you not yearn for a deeper raison d'etre zan ze tantrums of a petulant child? Vicious: Hell no. That's reason enough for me.
[a yell comes from elsewhere in the cave, from a squad of knights.]
???: There he is! The Great Transgressor! Yuna: Ah, ze knights of Medegal. And so many of zem! Out on some excursion, per'aps? Vicious: Man, that's gotta suck, runnin' into the devil in the middle of your little field trip. Knight: When the output sent for reinforcements, I never imagined it would be something like this... Can't beat the timing, though. Just when we were itching to test out our little gift from the bioscience guys! Yuna: Bon... zat sounds ominous. Vicious: Ya think? Sounds to me like a party.
[a large monster roars from behind the knights.]
Vicious: Aw, look, they got 'emselves a darlin' l'il fur baby. Yuna: Do you not find it strange zat ze lofty and righteous Order of Knights are in cahoots with monsters now? Knight: This isn't some garden-variety monster. This is a top-secret biological weapon designed by Medigal's biosciences lab just to fight the Great Transgressor. Yuna: Oh la la. Ze Order 'as been branching out, eh? Good for you! I guess zis explains why Aegrouch was not familiar with ze local outpost. A top secret affair! Vicious: Aww, I can't believe ya made me a new toy just to blow the crap outta. You shouldn't have.
They fight the monster, but it doesn't seem to take any significant damage.
Knight: What did I tell you? It was developed specifically to take you down. Its hide is constructed from antimatter. Your bullets will never pierce it.
The knight is right - Vicious takes a shot that does nothing. On the other hand, the monster lands a painful hit on Vicious.
Vicious is injured enough to be immobilized. However, before the monster can land a finishing blow, a light shines from somewhere.
Knight: This light... Is this from a truesight stone? I've heard that they're cut from crystals mined in this region, but... to think we'd find a stone right here!
The light becomes blinding, and Vicious finds himself in a dark forest, with a dark, child-shaped shadow across from him.
Boy: *sniff*... Wh-Why? Why does everybody hate me? Vicious: ..... Boy: Don't get angry! Don't despise me! Please don't hate me anymore! Vicious: Ugh, seriously? Boy: Don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't-- Vicious: Hey, kid! Reel it in before... I...
The shadow transforms into a mirror copy of Vicious.
Vicious: Huh? Is that... me?
The shadow vanishes.
Vicious: Ah, so that's the deal. This is that whole facin' your inner self thing, yeah? God DAMN, is this lame. That's supposed to be me, right? The voice inside my heart, or whatever? What, did I really come to be that scared of bein' hated?
A light shines again, and now Kanata is standing there.
Vicious: Huh? What are you doin' out here? Kanata: I... I want to change the world! I'm going to do it! Vicious: ......Hey, slow down! Were you seriously plannin' on doin' that without me? Changin' the world, huh? Man, the stuff you say sometimes... Eh, I always get a kick outta you. Guess that's why... you're my reason.
Back in the cave, Vicious returns painfully to consciousness, where the monster is still ready to land the killing blow.
Knight: Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill kill kill kill kiiiiillll! Vicious: Ah ha ha ha. Knight: What? What are you laughing about? Vicious; All that hatred and malice... Feels kinda nice. Comfy, even! You think THAT would scare me? Hell, I love that stuff! Gimme more! I want all of it! Right here, pal, every last bit of that hate and anger and yearnin' to kill! Yuna: Erm, Vicious...? Vicious: I don't care if the whole world hates my guts! Why should I?! You see, I got me a reason. Because I know a guy who wants to change the world, and I am gonna follow that dumbass to the bitter frickin' end!
Black flames envelop Vicious, and he shifts to his demonic form.
Knight: What... What is this power?! Monster: HRRRAAAAHHH!!! Vicious: Round two, baby. Let's dance. TREMBLE TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT!
Vicious defeats the monster handily with his new power.
Knight: No way... That was a weapon designed specifically to defeat him, and he just... swept it away! How could we have so grossly underestimated his power? Vicious: I know, right? Knight: Eee.... eeep! Vicious: You know I can't let ya get away.
Vicious kills the knight unceremoniously.
Vicious: Heh. Yuna: ......I 'ave to ask... Is it safe to approach? Vicious: Huh? Why wouldn't it be? Yuna: Don't you remember what 'appened in Yednark? If you were to go crazy like zat again, I would be as good as dead! Vicious: Oh, get off it. That ain't never gonna happen again.
Vicious drops back into human form.
Vicious: At some point I guess I did start gettin' scared. Of unleashin' my powers, and of people hatin' me for it... And it made me lose sight of myself, and lose control of my powers... Pretty pathetic, right? Yuna: Not at all. In fact, if only just a little... je vous trouve plus cool. Vicious: Huh? The hell's that mean? Yuna: It means zat you seem like you're going to be okay. Vicious: Yep. Not a problem in the world. Yuna: Onward, then. Vicious: Yeah! Let's get movin'. Great Transgressor, sower of nightmares, comin' through...
Truesight Stone
Vicious and Yuna are looking around in an underground cavern.
Vicious: Yeah, I ain't seein' any signs of Kanata anywhere. Guess the kid's dead.
Yuna: Been searching for 'im, 'ave you?
Vicious: Doin' a duet with a degenerate liar gets old fast. It's makin' me miss my old toys, is all.
Yuna: Ever ze smooth-talkin' gentleman, eh? You won't be making many new friends with zat attitude.
Vicious: Don't need 'em, don't want 'em.
Yuna: Wanting to be liked is a perfectly natural zing, you know. You needn't deny yourself.
Vicious: Natural, huh?
Vicious looks pensive.
Vicious: Hey, ya ever been a butterfly?
Yuna: Heh? What kind of question is zat? Of course I 'aven't!
Vicious: Me neither. You can tell me flower nectar tastes amazin', and that flutterin' in a breeze is a blast, but I don't envy 'em one bit. A beast born to creep on the ground can't even imagine that stuff.
Yuna: .....
Vicious: You get what I'm sayin', right? A person who's been alone from the beginning doesn't get lonely.
Yuna: From the beginning? Zat can't be right. Surely you 'ad a family at one point?
Vicious: Couldn't say. Don't got no memory of one, that's for sure.
Yuna: .....
Vicious: First time I managed to rub two brain cells together, I was already "me." The villain of this world. You saw me back there, right, the way I looked fightin' that goddess chick? I was an avatar of ruin, keepin' myself goin' by consuming every living thing around me. That right there is what a Great Transgressor is. It's only "natural" that every person alive should hate me. After all, I could kill the whole lot of 'em just by existin'.
Yuna listens to all of this with a fairly unimpressed expression.
Vicious: Now, it took a while, but I managed to suppress that power, to an extent, and take the person-lookin' form you see before you. But at that point, the word had gotten out, and the whole world hated me. Vicious, the Great Transgressor, feared by all.
Yuna: Hmm. You're 'aving yourself quite ze pity party, aren't you?
Vicious: Huh? Screw you.
Yuna: "Ze Great Transgressor, feared by all." Zen 'ow come I'm not afraid of you at all? Kanana doesn't fear you one bit, nor does Aegrouch, nor ze mademoiselle.
Yuna: And do you know why? Because we are your friends. I do not believe zere is anyone in zis world who does not mind being despised, nor is zere anyone untroubled by loneliness. If you wish to bluff and bluster your way through zose feelings, go right ahead. But we do not 'ear ze boasts of ze Great Transgressor. We are too focused on divining what our friend Vicious is trying to say.
Vicious: Hmph. This conversation is dumb.
Yuna: It certainly is.
Vicious: Friends... That's a pain in my ass I do not need. I ain't never had nothin', and I ain't never needed nothin'. Defyin' a world that rejected me is all I live for. And I don't need no one's help with that.
Yuna: And is zat all you will ever live for? To be rejected, and to fight back? Zat isn't living. Zat is merely reacting. Do you not yearn for a deeper raison d'etre zan ze tantrums of a petulant child?
Vicious: Hell no. That's reason enough for me.
[a yell comes from elsewhere in the cave, from a squad of knights.]
???: There he is! The Great Transgressor!
Yuna: Ah, ze knights of Medegal. And so many of zem! Out on some excursion, per'aps?
Vicious: Man, that's gotta suck, runnin' into the devil in the middle of your little field trip.
Knight: When the output sent for reinforcements, I never imagined it would be something like this... Can't beat the timing, though. Just when we were itching to test out our little gift from the bioscience guys!
Yuna: Bon... zat sounds ominous.
Vicious: Ya think? Sounds to me like a party.
[a large monster roars from behind the knights.]
Vicious: Aw, look, they got 'emselves a darlin' l'il fur baby.
Yuna: Do you not find it strange zat ze lofty and righteous Order of Knights are in cahoots with monsters now?
Knight: This isn't some garden-variety monster. This is a top-secret biological weapon designed by Medigal's biosciences lab just to fight the Great Transgressor.
Yuna: Oh la la. Ze Order 'as been branching out, eh? Good for you! I guess zis explains why Aegrouch was not familiar with ze local outpost. A top secret affair!
Vicious: Aww, I can't believe ya made me a new toy just to blow the crap outta. You shouldn't have.
They fight the monster, but it doesn't seem to take any significant damage.
Knight: What did I tell you? It was developed specifically to take you down. Its hide is constructed from antimatter. Your bullets will never pierce it.
The knight is right - Vicious takes a shot that does nothing. On the other hand, the monster lands a painful hit on Vicious.
Youtube: Chapter 8 5-6: That Light... Could It be?
Vicious is injured enough to be immobilized. However, before the monster can land a finishing blow, a light shines from somewhere.
Knight: This light... Is this from a truesight stone? I've heard that they're cut from crystals mined in this region, but... to think we'd find a stone right here!
The light becomes blinding, and Vicious finds himself in a dark forest, with a dark, child-shaped shadow across from him.
Boy: *sniff*... Wh-Why? Why does everybody hate me?
Vicious: .....
Boy: Don't get angry! Don't despise me! Please don't hate me anymore!
Vicious: Ugh, seriously?
Boy: Don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me don't--
Vicious: Hey, kid! Reel it in before... I...
The shadow transforms into a mirror copy of Vicious.
Vicious: Huh? Is that... me?
The shadow vanishes.
Vicious: Ah, so that's the deal. This is that whole facin' your inner self thing, yeah? God DAMN, is this lame. That's supposed to be me, right? The voice inside my heart, or whatever? What, did I really come to be that scared of bein' hated?
A light shines again, and now Kanata is standing there.
Vicious: Huh? What are you doin' out here?
Kanata: I... I want to change the world! I'm going to do it!
Vicious: ......Hey, slow down! Were you seriously plannin' on doin' that without me? Changin' the world, huh? Man, the stuff you say sometimes... Eh, I always get a kick outta you. Guess that's why... you're my reason.
Back in the cave, Vicious returns painfully to consciousness, where the monster is still ready to land the killing blow.
Knight: Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill kill kill kill kiiiiillll!
Vicious: Ah ha ha ha.
Knight: What? What are you laughing about?
Vicious; All that hatred and malice... Feels kinda nice. Comfy, even! You think THAT would scare me? Hell, I love that stuff! Gimme more! I want all of it! Right here, pal, every last bit of that hate and anger and yearnin' to kill!
Yuna: Erm, Vicious...?
Vicious: I don't care if the whole world hates my guts! Why should I?! You see, I got me a reason. Because I know a guy who wants to change the world, and I am gonna follow that dumbass to the bitter frickin' end!
Black flames envelop Vicious, and he shifts to his demonic form.
Knight: What... What is this power?!
Monster: HRRRAAAAHHH!!!
Vicious: Round two, baby. Let's dance. TREMBLE TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT!
Chapter 8 5-7: Before I Knew It...
Vicious defeats the monster handily with his new power.
Knight: No way... That was a weapon designed specifically to defeat him, and he just... swept it away! How could we have so grossly underestimated his power?
Vicious: I know, right?
Knight: Eee.... eeep!
Vicious: You know I can't let ya get away.
Vicious kills the knight unceremoniously.
Vicious: Heh.
Yuna: ......I 'ave to ask... Is it safe to approach?
Vicious: Huh? Why wouldn't it be?
Yuna: Don't you remember what 'appened in Yednark? If you were to go crazy like zat again, I would be as good as dead!
Vicious: Oh, get off it. That ain't never gonna happen again.
Vicious drops back into human form.
Vicious: At some point I guess I did start gettin' scared. Of unleashin' my powers, and of people hatin' me for it... And it made me lose sight of myself, and lose control of my powers... Pretty pathetic, right?
Yuna: Not at all. In fact, if only just a little... je vous trouve plus cool.
Vicious: Huh? The hell's that mean?
Yuna: It means zat you seem like you're going to be okay.
Vicious: Yep. Not a problem in the world.
Yuna: Onward, then.
Vicious: Yeah! Let's get movin'. Great Transgressor, sower of nightmares, comin' through...