Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or the characters from the games. I own the OCs presented. I do not profit financially from writing this, only in the joy of writing with my beloved characters.
Author's notes at the end of the story.
"Hurry, everyone. Get the Eternal Sphere backup." Blair said. "I'll try to fill in the gaps as best I can."
Fayt nodded and started to head to the console where Luther had stood just several moments before the fighting ensued. The blond-haired man remained on his hands and knees, shaking his head.
"This makes no sense . . . How could this happen to me? How could I be surpassed by my own creations?"
Blair knelt next to him, her worry for her brother clear on her face. Fayt didn't envy her for her position in the least. It couldn't be easy for her to defy her brother, knowing they were family and would always be such.
He'd taken a few steps when Luther stood up, struck him in the face as he did so, and knocked him to the ground. The other man wavered in place, but he didn't fall. Something about the contact, something about Luther's stance, paralyzed Fayt. His cheek tingled at the point of impact, and, for a brief moment, he was no longer in Luther's WorkSpace. Parts of it resembled the Spiral Tower, but it wasn't where he was supposed to be. In those brief moments, he witnessed another struggle, almost as deadly as the one he and his friends were engaged in, and the power he sensed emanating from the group astounded him. As quickly as it entered his vision, the scenery changed back, and Luther stood before him and his friends.
"Now I see," he said. Luther sounded drunk from knowing he possessed a greater power over them or at least thinking that he did. "It's because I took the easy way out by only erasing the problematic data. If the viruses are working together to create their own data then I should delete everything!"
"L-Luther?"
Blair, too, seemed frozen by her fear. In Fayt's mind, Luther had performed a wonderful job in instilling such an emotion, even into his own sister. Sophia knelt next to him. She'd obviously been concerned about him, but Fayt couldn't bring himself to look at her. He could only watch as the Creator glanced at them and laughed.
"That's it! I won't stop with the Milky Way galaxy. I'll completely delete all the data linked to the Eternal Sphere!" Luther staggered towards his computer, away from his sister and away from Fayt. He couldn't understand why no one else rushed forward, to stop Luther in his madness. More laughter followed as the Creator leaned against his computer and gazed at them for a second time. Fayt sensed as well as saw the wild, panicked gleam of determination in Luther's eyes. "That will completely eliminate these viruses, too! Heh heh heh . . . It's so simple! Why didn't I think of it before?"
The keyboard sounded to life as Luther entered the commands.
"It all ends now. No more of your silly tricks. I'll delete the whole universe!"
He finished the commands, his hands coming down hard onto the console. Light burst forth and created a mock barrier around Luther, and Blair pulled back, as the force of the light's explosion repelled her. Fayt could only imagine the look of horror on her face. It had to mirror the horror he felt. His insane laughter filled the WorkSpace.
"What are you doing!?" Blair asked. Worry, fear, and sadness filled her voice as she spoke. "You're putting yourself in grave danger by trying this while you're still projected into the Eternal Sphere! Luther, don't do it!"
She reached for him, only to be shocked by the barrier surrounding Luther. Fayt rose to his feet. He could feel the powers at work, threatening to destroy him, his friends, and his universe. He wasn't about to allow the Creator to destroy everything he loved. He'd continue to fight, despite the sensation that perhaps Luther had already won over them.
xXx-Changing-the-Tides-of-Fate-and-Time-xXx
Power crackled all about them, and Edge grimaced from the pain as the black and violet currents snapped and sizzled against his skin. There was too much going on, too much for him to process in his mind, but there was one thing he knew. The one standing before him was still his friend, and he had to find a way to reach Faize before the young Eldarian destroyed everything and everyone . . . and continued to live and regret his actions.
There was something else, too, he sensed. It was a weakening of some kind, somewhere, as if someone had severed the bonds of life. The sensation felt heavy, like there were several thick blankets wrapped around him, tying him down, and it left his mouth dry, his tongue leaden. At least, that's how Edge interpreted the sensation as it descended upon him. He couldn't shake it, even as he fought his way back to where Faize . . . who now called himself the Apostle of Creation . . . stood, ready to destroy the entire universe.
Guilt consumed Edge. He blamed himself for not noticing Faize's plight sooner, the pain his young friend endured, so he could have helped Faize through his struggles. No one, in his mind, should have suffered as much as Faize had. More than anything, Edge wanted to comfort Faize, to let his friend know he didn't need to suffer alone . . . and that it was okay to accept the fact they couldn't save everyone. It was a bitter pill to swallow, one that galled Edge, but it was something he knew he would have to accept. They couldn't save every person in danger on every single planet, but there was one thing Faize had gotten wrong.
They could have saved the Black tribe members. Faize had been right in wanting to leave as soon as possible to stop Asmodeus's resurrection. He just hadn't been correct in how to get into the lower levels, and Edge blamed himself for not listening to his friend sooner.
'I won't let him defeat me,' Edge vowed, gritting his teeth against the pain. 'I swear I won't and, when we get out of here . . . all of us . . . I'll make it up to him.'
xXx-Changing-the-Tides-of-Fate-and-Time-xXx
Everything around her disappeared – Luther, his Workspace, Fayt and his friends – and Blair found herself standing in her brother's office at Sphere. In her hands, she held the Eternal Sphere backup disks.
While her brother had been distracted, she'd been the one to retrieve the disks, and she'd hidden them within the pockets of her uniform. Luther's attention had been on Fayt and his friends, intent on killing them, destroying them, and everything he'd created, that he held so dear. Blair knew that, once he came out of that haze, that driving force, her brother would realize what he'd done, and he'd want the Eternal Sphere back up and running. What he'd do about what he deemed anomalies, Blair didn't know, but she felt certain she couldn't let him destroy something he'd worked so hard to create.
'I know you'll be angry at me for this, Luther,' she thought. She looked around for the nearest computer. 'But it's something I have to do . . . for them and for you.'
Blair hurried over to the terminal. The moment she reached it, she inserted the disks into the console and set about her work. As she did, she contacted her fellow programmers, Oreas and Shar. Luther would, she believed, turn up at some point, either in Sphere 211 or somewhere in Gemity, and he would be injured. She wanted him in the hospital as soon as he appeared so he could be treated. They were the last of the Lansfelds, and she needed to keep him safe, even from himself. She wasn't about to lose him, despite the side she'd chosen in that final confrontation wasn't the same as what her brother desired.
"Don't worry, you guys," Blair murmured. "I won't let your efforts go to waste. I swear to you that I won't . . . just give me a little time, and everything will be back to normal."
Whew! Another story to my belt here! Don't worry, ye fans of Destinies Intertwined by Fate and Wizards, Warriors and Rogues and Swords and Sorcery, updates for them are forthcoming, even for Enchanted! As I've mentioned before, I've taken to self-publishing, and I have a few stories in the works that need to go up as soon as I can manage them.
For those who are following me in the Speed Racer, Inuyasha, Gravitation, Hetalia, and Avengers/Thor fandoms, right now, I only have plans on updating Dark Intentions (Hetalia) and Loki's Exile (Avengers). I know I have incomplete works in other places, but I also have no love or desire for them at this point in time. I will update them when I can, when I read over them and rediscover the love, but not until then. I'm not interested in publishing crap, and that's what most updates for the other fandoms would be: crap. I know it's been a long time, and I do ask that you allow me even more as I continue with the writing. Thanks! Hope you've enjoyed this latest piece!
About this story: Many years ago, I'd toyed with the idea of crossing over Star Ocean 3 and 4 by various means. One was to have Blair create a massive data error when trying to restore the Eternal Sphere, thus crossing the timelines, putting Fayt and Edge in the same timeline. This is the result. I hope you've enjoyed.