<strong>Time: 1212 Hours<br/>Location: Gestahlian Empire<br/>Fourth Contestant:  Terra Branford.</strong><br/><br/>Terra could feel nothing but pressure clawing at the inside of her skull.  It was like something was trying to get in.  Or out, perhaps.  Six friends stood around her discussing their recent victory against the empire and the Esper they had protected but she could not understand any of their words.  She felt something from the Esper in front of her but could not describe what it was she felt.  The pressure in her head built more and she found herself taking steps away from the magical item in front of her.  When her movement captured the eyes of her friends, the brothers Edgar and Sabin moved to her side and she felt rather than saw Locke move to stand directly in front of her.<br/><br/>"Terra!!  What is it?"  Locke's words fell on deaf ears as the very air around the group started to pulse with a faint blue light.  Her mind registered that Locke flew from the path between her and the Esper but she could not take her eyes away from the frozen being to assure herself he was alright.  The pulsing of blue light stopped for a moment and somehow through the pressure building in her head she heard a soft scuffling and quickly she was surrounded by all six of her newly acquainted friends.<br/><br/>"Nooo!!"  The words were ripped out of her throat without her permission and a giant shock wave threw each of her friends away from her and the Esper.  The pressure began again, this time softly calling her.  She put one foot closer and another as she was slowly being pulled towards whatever was calling to her.  Any thought she might have had was drowned out as the pressure intensified as she stood at the Esper.<br/><br/>"Terra and the Esper..."  She heard Sabin's strained voice somewhere behind her breaking whatever thought she had been trying to form.<br/><br/>"There's... some kind of reaction!"  Terra ignored Edgar's comment as she concentrated hard on something that was tickling the back of her mind.  The pulsing blue light began again and a memory slipped through her mind like water.  The harder she focused on it the faster the blue light pulsed and the more slippery it became.<br/><br/>"What!? What am I feeling?"  She spoke directly to the Esper pinpointing it as the source of all of the pressure.  The tickling in her mind increased and she could almost hear words.   "Huh? W... ... what's going on... ...?"  She looked at the Esper desperately demanding information but things it was trying to tell were still to fuzzy to understand.  "Please... ... tell me!  Who am I? WHO?"<br/><br/>"Terra!" The pressure in Terra's head block her ears from hearing her name from Locke's lips.  She wished she could turn to him and explain the importance of this moment so he would not be concerned but the Esper held her trapped.<br/><br/>"An Esper... ... I can actually feel its mind... ..." Celes words stayed on the edge of her thoughts.  If the Esper had the same effect on her perhaps there was nothing for Terra to worry about.  Maybe the Esper was just trying to communicate with any one infused with magic.  She watched as the Esper started to pulse with the blue light unaware that she was pulsing with the same blue light in exact sync.<br/><br/>"Terra, step away from the Esper"  She wanted do follow Edgar's orders but she could not make herself step back she was held by the Esper in some sort of magic she could not escape.  She felt a moment of peace as the pressure and tickling inside her mind stopped suddenly.  She hung in that one moment of time knowing that something was about to happen.  In the silence the anticipation built and slowly the moment splintered as her whole body lit fire.  The same fire that surrounded her surrounded the Esper and she was surprised to find there was no pain, from the blue flames, just an almost pleasant sensation of heat.  When lightening reached out form the Esper's fire and connected to her own pain erupted everywhere in her body.  She felt her mind being flayed and torn to shreds as her skin seem to rip from her body.<br/><br/>The others watched on wordlessly as Terra completed her transformation.  Whatever had been Terra spun around in circles and for what reason they did not know.  None of them had time to react as the pink animalistic human form flew away from them.<br/><br/><strong>Time: 1437 Hours<br/>Location: Unknown<br/>Fourth Contestant:  Terra Branford.</strong><br/><br/>Terra jumped awake with a sharp in take of breath.  She turned over from her stomach with a loud groan as every muscle in her body screamed a protest.  What had happened?  Where was she?  Bits of memory flashed into her mind: the feel of air on her face as she flew around,  a feeling of being wild and free, the hum of magic, a strange looking pink form in a mirror, and an immense feeling of magical power.  Her brain felt full of wool as she set up trying to grasp at particular memories but as they slipped through her hands much like they had done before she gave up.  The woman stood slowly taking her surroundings carefully.  She seemed to be in a forest of some sort.  Pine trees surrounded her completely and the sun was barely peaking through the limbs of the towering trees.  Where were her friends?  Feeling a moment of unease she pulled her sword Ragnarök from her belt.  She took comfort from the blade as her unease was confirmed by the ground shaking at her feet.  It stopped for a moment then began again.  Footsteps.<br/><br/>She planted her feet firmly on the soft forest floor and began reciting known spells her head.  Her natural magic ability kept her from having to complete a ritual saying for what ever magic she thought to use would began to materialize immediately unlike other magical users she had met.  She put all thoughts of magic abilities aside and completed her list prepared for whatever was about to happen.  Terra cast Cure on herself to erase all signs of fatigue before she raised her weapon  to a fighting stance just as a creature (http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs26/f/2008/177/9/d/Anima__Humbaba_golem_by_Wen_M.jpg) exploded through the trees.  She did not bother reacting to the hideousness of the creature she just immediately charged it.<br/><br/>The thing seemed slightly surprised by her charge but did not slow its trek towards her.  When they met the monster swung at Terra, intent or grabbing her by the waste, but she lowered her body and slid easily underneath his arm and between his legs.  She stood and turned hoping to  come face to face with his back but he surprised her by already having turned around.  She jumped backwards barely missing its other arm.  Her jaw clenched in frustration as she circled the beast.  She had not even landed a blow.  Terra thought Lightening and bolts hit the creature squarely in the chest.  It did little to phase the thing as it reached for her once again and she ducked his claws once again but this time she followed the motion of his arm with her Ragnarök and easily slicing through the it's thick fur on the back of its hand.  It stood more wearily of her this time but it did not slow its efforts in trying to catch her.  Terra thought quickly.  She needed more time.<br/><br/>Slow, the thought entered her mind with force and the creatures movements became sluggish as if it was trying to struggle threw slime and her breath became easier as she quickly circled behind it.  She jumped up onto the beasts back and placed Ragnarök at  the thing's neck.  But before she could end the creatures life it managed to fight through the slow spell.  She thought about the creatures stone-like armor and hated herself for assuming a grey spell would stop the creature for long.  All the air was squeezed out of her lungs as the beast reached up and put its hands around her chest.  It lifted her above it's head and threw her like a rag doll into a far away tree.  As she slid down to the ground fatigue hit her again.  She cast cure once again, knowing that if she did not end this quickly she may not survive.<br/><br/>She all the magic she could hold comfortably and then started to gather more.  Something strange started to happen as her body warmed up.  Holding magic had always been easy for her but usually by the time she held this much she was sweating.  If anything she could hold more and she did.  Soon she recognized that the magic was calling her name and she called back intoxicated with the power she felt.  Her body caught fire but this time there was no pain as she transformed.  She looked down at her now pink hands in awe.  What was going on.  The creature roared it's frustration at her before starting quickly towards her.  A bit of wildness hit her in response to the beasts roar and her feet lifted off the ground.  Terra thought Pearl, Flare, Meteor, and Ultima, her four most powerful spells, consecutively at the creature and it finally began to show signs of distress.  She readies another attack and almost as if the creature could feel the magic building it turned and  ran back into the woods.<br/><br/>Terra felt the power and relished in it she had never felt so alive until suddenly all the magic left her and she hit the ground with a hard thud drained of almost all but a tiny reserve of energy.  The toll she did not feel as an Esper was ten fold what it should be after reverting back to her human form.  She laid where she had fallen too tired to do anything but breath and that was only because it was a mere necessity.  Something landed in her out stretched hand and she had to fight to bring it to her face.  It was... It was something.  Her curiosity getting the better of her she somehow managed to pull herself up into a sitting position.  It was some circular object with symbols on it.<br/><br/>"What strange symbols... I wonder what they mean?"  As if the object had heard her words the symbols she could not read faded and were replaced by a simple arrow pointing to her left.  She looked in that direction unsure of what to do.  Clearly this was a sign from someone trying to lead her somewhere.  But who?  And to where?  She took a deep breath and decided to follow where ever the arrow pointed.  Perhaps it would lead her to a place where she could easily find her friends and she thought about getting up.  But at the mere thought her limbs seemed heavier.  She laid back down to rest with the intent to figure out the mystery of the arrow when she had recovered enough to move properly.