User blog:Carol of the bells/Days of Ruin --- Zen's exile, part 51

Days of Ruin --- Zen's exile, part 51
Here it is: the first part on the finale. Galeforce's Wrath and I have collaborated on this part to tie up both of our fanfic's. I know it's taken a long time, but we worked really hard! So enjoy!

(Note: Gale begins the narration with his character. I've changed my POV to 1st person to fit with his narration)



Ayra and I walk down the path from the blood forest towards the small valley below. We stopped after a good half hour of walking to rest. While we sat there, I got the strange feeling that something wasn’t right. I walked away from the camp and came across a small totem etched in the side of a tree. Curious, I touched the totem and felt a wave of nausea wash over me. I stepped back, away from the totem. Before I could do anything, a female voice boomed in my head.

“Hello, my child… Vrael.” Stated the voice. It sure as hell wasn’t my mother, so I racked my brain trying to think of whom this may be. “Heh, do not worry, Vrael. All living things are my children. I am the goddess of creation… Maxwell.” She said reassuringly. Maxwell? Isn’t she that fallen god? The one I was supposed to defeat and help save Grand Gaia or something? Before I could finish any of my thoughts on the situation, she continued. “Ah, so you ‘’’HAVE’’’ been brainwashed by those fools that you’ve met, huh?” I was confused now. What did she mean by “fools”? Ayra and Mettias were telling the truth when they displayed Maxwell as a horrible fallen god. I began to wonder whether or not I should be trusting her. “You have reason to fear me, child. It’s all that you have been taught after all. Simply visit my servant waiting for you in the caves of malice. He shall explain everything.” She finished.

Before I could reply, the voice and presence disappeared entirely, and the totem turned to ash. I wondered if anything that I had just experienced had happened at all… but then again, it couldn’t hurt to see if what maxwell had said was true, right?





I felt a growing uncertainty in me as I continued up the slope. Soon the mossy surface became so steep I had to use my hands to pull myself up. Ahead, I could sense an ominous presence, shrouded by dark storm clouds. I furrowed my brow and ignored the instinct to turn back.



*Zen,* I heard a voice in my head echo, *Do you have a plan?*



<span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I paused, considering Galant’s question. “Perhaps...not…”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">He said nothing but I could imagine him shaking his head and pinching his brow in frustration.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I continued my climb. “I want to end the battle as soon as I can,” I began to think out loud, “The longer it takes, the greater the risk…”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">*After this,* This time, it was Selena’s voice, *What will you do?*

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">My hand grasped the surface of the stoney mountainside as I continued to hoist myself upward. “I’m going home.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I walked away from the totem, and felt strangely… uneasy, like there was a much larger force at play here. I pushed this thought out of my head as I looked up at the sky. Above me, dark storm clouds had begun to form overhead. I hoped that it wouldn’t start raining, but just as my hope had come into my head, lightning streaked above. I cringed as I heard the loud blast of thunder almost like I was being shot out of a cannon… not like I haven’t tried it before back in the air corps.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I wandered towards the edge of the valley, where a long, steep ledge led to the river below. I could’ve sworn that I saw somebody climbing up the ridge when the lightning blasted, but I wasn’t sure. Ayra must’ve been worried that something happened to me, since I was gone so long, so I immediately headed back to our “camp” so that we could wait out the storm.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">---

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Lost in my thoughts, the thunder overhead startled me, and I lost my grip for a split second. I quickly latched on to the nearest cleft, managing to regain my balance just as the first drops of rain began to fall. I drew in a deep breath, resolving to get to the top of the mountain as quickly as possible and conserve my strength.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I’m not sure how long it took--before fifteen minutes had passed, I found myself on the mountain’s ledge. As I stopped to catch my breath, I saw a large cathedral before me. In contrast to the ruins I had found the Juggernaut in, it was in good condition.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I stepped towards it.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">---

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I arrived at the camp just as the light drizzle turned into a torrential downfall. I ducked into the tent that Ayra had set up to keep the supplies in. I sighed with relief as the loud patter of rain pelted the tent, and not me. I called out to Ayra, and she yelled back, acknowledging that I was at camp. We both waited for about an hour until the rain reduced itself back to a drizzle. I crawled out towards the entrance of the tent, and outside into the cool, great outdoors… or something along those lines. I mean, rain’s good for plants and all, but who really likes the rain?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">After thinking to myself that I might’ve offended someone, someway with that remark, I rolled my eyes and looked out towards the area that I had been before the storm started. I could’ve sworn, again, that I saw somebody there. It could’ve been my imagination. I looked towards the forest and thought I saw the glint of a rifle when the lightning flashed again. I sighed in frustration as I debated whether or not my imagination was acting up. Instead of making myself look crazy, I ignored the person near the woods and walked towards the person that I saw near the ledge. The person entered the cathedral near the ledge, and I noticed that the structure was a bit… strange. It looked a tad familiar, but I didn’t know where I saw it before.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">As I walked, the cathedral grew larger and larger, or in legitimate standards, I was just getting closer to it. Once I reached the edge of the cathedral, it loomed above me, and it was quite intimidating… for a building. I chuckled at the thought that a building was making me feel this way, but I had a reason! There was possibly somebody inside, and that person could be hostile. Plus, said person would have plenty of places to wait so that they could ambush me if they saw me approaching. As I walked up to the door, I readied my maelstrom and created some armor for myself. I gave off a dark aura, but protection was more important than appearance. I stopped for a moment and pondered why I was so paranoid. Like, who would be after me? Nobody. I calmed down a bit and then pushed the door of the cathedral open with my sword before bolting inside and taking cover behind a pillar.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I was staring at the stained glass windows adorning the walls. In between them hung elaborate tapestries, with an ancient history woven into them. I was almost breathless--I hadn’t seen halls so vast, aside from my home.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Suddenly, I heard the door swing open behind me. As I spun around, I caught the afterimage of a shadowy figure disappearing behind a pillar. Alarmed, I wasted no time in rushing to the column, but whoever had rushed behind it wasn’t there anymore.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I wasn’t alone, obviously, but I wondered who in the world could have followed me up the mountain. Was it Seria or Karl? Or maybe worse--one of my brothers. Both of those were unlikely. I heard the brief sound of a footstep, then complete silence.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I continued swiveling around, searching for my pursuant, moving further into the cathedral. Was it Maxwell? I suspected not.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">*Zen, behind you!*

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I didn’t have time to wonder whose voice it was as I spun around, coating my arm in crystal and raising it up to block an attack. I grunted and was shoved backwards, sliding across the marble floor. I looked up, and was met with a fierce set of eyes.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I sensed a dangerous aura from him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Who are you?” I demanded. This was obviously not Maxwell--had I come to the wrong place? Was the fallen god not here?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I paused mid-attack as the girl blocked my attack and demanded who I was. “I’d like to know the same of you first.” I blankly stated. The girl said nothing, and neither did I. I stepped back, sword drawn and maelstrom ready. It was quite easy to notice that she was powerful. In the air corps, we were always taught to not attack first… and I’d suppose that my speedy attack was stupid of me. I summoned a few stromlings and tridon. The girl seemed surprised after I summoned tridon, but didn’t react much except with a scowl.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The girl and I stood still, staring at eachother. Nothing moved. There was no noise. The stromlings, tridon, my, and her breathing were the only sounds that one could hear. The light patter of rain echoed through the cathedral, but otherwise it seemed as nothing wanted to make a noise in fear that something bad would happen. I then decided that this standoff was getting us nowhere, so I charged at her and swung my blade right at her throat. She blocked my sword with her… crystal shield? Whatever it was made out of, it was hard. The small crystals began to envelope my blade, which I let go of with a curse. The stromlings attacked, only to be sliced apart faster than I could comprehend. As the little guys crumbled to dust, Tridon threw his trident to me and attacked the girl with his magic. The girl blocked that attack too and threw my crystalized blade at tridon, hitting him in the chest and killing him instantly. Tridon turned into his little orbs and flew at me, disappearing as it made contact with my head. I was a bit dazed as I felt tridon’s pain as my own for a few seconds before it faded to a light headache. The girl seemed quite hesitant to fight me, as if she seemed to think that we weren’t supposed to be enemies.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I then simply stated, “My name’s vrael.” This seemed to catch her off guard. As she spoke up to say something, I did yet another stupid move. I summoned a bolt of maelstrom right next to her and detonated it, causing her stumble to the side, giving the the chance to stab her with the trident. It was a clean hit, but it resulted in her firing a crystal at me. I got hit in the right shoulder with it. I stumbled back, grabbing the crystal and trying to pull it out. Logistically, one would leave the bottom half of the crystal in and cut off the top half to stop any unwanted heavy bleeding and then attack with a maelstrom wave or any other magic attack, but logic was not with me. The girl used my screw up to her advantage. I guess two months without an real battles really caused me to lose my battle skills. I tried in vain to block as she hit me with a ‘’’MASSIVE’’’ barrage of attacks. I stumbled back when the girl paused her attack. I winced in pain as I limped back away, trying to think of something to do. The trident wasn’t my sort of weapon to use, and she was much faster than me.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Then the idea hit me. If I couldn’t win, then what if just tanked the attacks? It was stupid, I knew that, but learning her moves and attacking her at the right times to get a hit could allow me to win. I focused some of my energy into the maelstrom in my arm, causing it to grow like wildfire. The tendrils crawled all over me, creating a thick shell of maelstrom armor. The girl seemed a bit shocked by this too, which I hadn’t expected. I threw the trident at her and grew myself a pair of claws out of the maelstrom. I then charged at her and started to slash at her with my claws almost as fast as she could slash me with her blade. The tables had turned! I was-

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I had no time to finish that thought before a massive pain erupted from my chest. The girl stood there, sword arm outstretched towards me. I let out a moan as I looked down. The blade that the girl had was impaled through my chest. She yanked the blade out of me, causing me to fall forward. I turned over onto my back as my maelstrom armor faded. I tried to seal the wound, but there was too much blood. I looked at the girl, who just stood next to me, watching me bleed out. My head fell to the side, and the only thing that I saw before my vision faded to black was the door of the cathedral being knocked open.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I stood there, breathing hard. My palm drifted to my face as I stared at the crimson blood staining my hand. The blade clattered to the ground as I dropped it in shock. It had all happened so quickly. Besides hearing his name, I didn’t know who he was. I...I didn’t mean to--

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Behind me, the cathedral door opened once more, this time more forcefully. I turned to see a girl barge in, searching the inside of the cathedral with panicked eyes.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Her silver hair swished around her as she looked around frantically. Her eyes fell on me and the still body of her companion. Her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed as she sized me up with blue eyes.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“You,” She addressed me, “Are you the one who did this?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I swallowed, beginning to feel the guilt well up in me, and nodded. I felt like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. “It was...an accident.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Skepticism flashed through her eyes as her hand drifted to the hilt of her sword. “Really? An accident, huh?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I cautiously took a step backwards and slowly lowered myself into a defensive stance. “My apologies. I know what you’re thinking, but I am not an enemy. I am here to fight the fallen god Ma--”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Maxwell?” She interrupted me, drawing her sword and pointing its edge at me. “What quarry do you have with a god?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">*Zen* Selena spoke to me *Summon us, quickly!*

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“I can’t,” I murmured quietly to her, “You must save your strength in the fight with Maxwell.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">*You are the one who must save your strength. Summon us and let us take care of her.*

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Who are you talking to?!” The girl demanded sharply.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I didn’t bother to answer her and I ignored my units request as I formed a long crystal blade in my hand.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">She smirked slightly. “So you wanna fight, huh?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“You drew your sword first. You are the one who wants to fight.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Gripping her blade, her grin widened. “I don’t know how you took Vrael down so easily...but it won’t be the same with me.” She charged forward, sword at the ready.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">We clashed, the crystal of my sword colliding with metal. I defended her blows, trying to read into her attacks. She was strong. It shoved her back and released a speeding crystal shard at her. She dodged easily, falling into the path of my second attack as my right foot connected with her ribs.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">She grunted, but recovered easily, parrying with a downward strike. I blocked with the broadside of my sword, holding it in place underneath her blow. She took the handle in her hands and pulled it apart, splitting it into two daggers and slicing at my neck. I ducked, feeling the sensation of her blades severing several of my hairs from my head.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Our fight took us further into the cathedral as we clashed, neither of us gaining the advantage. I was holding back, trying to conserve my strength. She must have noticed this immediately, because she suddenly shouted, “Hey, why don’t you fight me for real!?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I grunted, clutching my crystal sword.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Fine,” She took a leap back, smirking. “I’ll get serious, then.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I woke up in a daze, pain burning in my chest and my vision blurry. I blinked a few times in an attempt to clear my vision. My vision was still blurry, but I could see clearly enough to make out the details of the area around me. I pulled myself up, much to the protest of my body, and looked around. I was still in the cathedral. My eyes darted over towards the left when I heard the sound of swords clashing. Standing there were Ayra and the girl. The girl seemed to notice me, but couldn’t react as Ayra immediately pounced, landing a flurry of strikes. The girl dodged most of them, or blocked others. Then, Ayra kicked the girl before stabbing her sword arm. The girl blocked the kick only to be hit by the second attack, a classic move. I shook my head as I thought of how low the move was… but I couldn’t complain since it was a battle that I was no longer a part of. My mind raced as I tried to register what to do next.

<span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">While the two fought, I could swear that I felt a strange tingling near my wounds. As I looked down, I was startled to see that the maelstrom had begun to creep into my wounds, and the maelstrom was actually stuffing my wounds until they could naturally heal. This brought a smile to my face for a brief moment since… well… the maelstrom cared! Or at least I thought the maelstrom cared. I was then blinded after the girl yelled something. I made out the outline of Ayra stumbling back as the wounded girl disarmed her before pushing her in my direction. As my vision refocused, Ayra saw me and gave out a sigh of relief. We both looked at the girl, and all three of us realized that we could either duke it out with our magic or just stop fighting, as our normal weapons were scattered about. I put my hands up in surrender sarcastically. Thing were going to get very awkward…

<span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">***

<span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Yay! First part of the finale, complete!

<span style="font-size:14.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Thanks for reading~!