Closure.
FATE had not been kind to him. Serge inhaled quickly as the darkness ate away at him. High above him and his comrades, Kid stood on the sphere containing the Frozen Flame. Harle was there as well, floating next to the sphere... "I hoped it would not come to zis." Harle was saying. A flash of light, and Harle is gone... Serge took precious moments to try to sort out exactly what had happened, but the darkness was eating away at him. The last thing he saw before passing out was Kid falling...
"I am zorry zSerge." Harle's voice, where was he? Serge tried to open his eyes, but found he couldn't, he tried to raise a hand, but couldn't. He was paralyzed. Then Harle touched his hand and a chill went through his body. The hand was soft and uncovered... oddly gentle. It grazed over his upper arm, and then back to his hand. There another hand touched... and began to strip the hand of the ripening, greenish rot that grew between his fingers. FATE had done something to Serge, touched his body as nothing before... he could feel the rot spreading throughout his body, a cancer. He had expected some pain, but as the flesh came away there was only a coolness, nothing at all like pain.
"Serge, you will please forgive moi, but I ave lied to you."
Harle's voice again, near his face, he could feel her breath. Harle moved to his other hand. "I think that you will zoon learn of things about me you would rather not."
Cooliness, but without pain...
"But I want you to remember, to know, zat eferyt'ing I said to you was true."
Down... she began to work out the rot of his feet... her voice was more distant, and it distressed Serge.
"Zometimes I wonder, did you efer dream of moi? Did you efer zink of me as zomething greater zen a comrade?"
The cooliness was maddening, an almost intoxicating feeling that touched him somewhere deep in his being.
"You and Monsuier Lynx zare very much alike, more zen you could imagine. But not zare it matters."
The other foot now...
"Lynx is... was, insane, yet focuzed. You are gentle... Please nefer looz zat zSerge."
Up his legs, not that much rot except for the major joints... and then cooliness around his groin...
"Pardone, iz nothing I ave not zeen before. You, unlike Monsuier Lynx, and ze Dragons, ave a future."
She moved to his armpits.
"I am wishing I ad a future with you. You are truely kind."
She brought her hands away.
"Zo please, I am begging you, allow me zis one moment to be zith you as a human."
He felt her warmth against him. Her hands hooked around his chest and rested her head against his neck.
"T'ings could ave gone so much farzer, I can zense that... but my time iz running out."
He felt the warmth moving into a deeper part of him... but it wasn't erotic, there was for a moment, no lust in his being. He wanted to hold her in his arms and comfort her, from what he didn't know.
"I ave to go soon... duty to ze Planet, I suppoze..."
Her arms tightened. He felt wetness landing on his neck. Tears.
"I am now nothzing. I cannot change ze course of history, nor can I not persvade ze dragons to zeek a less destructive course of action. I am like zem, but please understand I am human as well."
Serge found he could move his hands, he hugged Harle closer.
"Perhaps I will zee you again, perhaps no, but please remember zees truths I ave shared with you."
Then Harle was gone, so quickly it was as though she never was. The warmth left him, and his arms relaxed again... in the distance he heard Harle's voice, the same as it had been the first time he had met her. "Dream of moi..."
"serge... Serge!" Serge opened his eyes in time to see General Viper catch Kid from falling. After the warmth, and absence therof, the real world seemed unreal, a dream. Glenn was looking at him, his eyes asking all the questions. Serge got up on shakey feet, his sense of balance off, and nodded to Glenn. General Viper leapt from the sphere, and the three of them and an unconcious Kid made their escape from Chronopolis. Days later, after learning of the 7th dragon, Serge would remember Harle's words. He prayed she had spoken the truth.
FATE had not been kind to him. Serge inhaled quickly as the darkness ate away at him. High above him and his comrades, Kid stood on the sphere containing the Frozen Flame. Harle was there as well, floating next to the sphere... "I hoped it would not come to zis." Harle was saying. A flash of light, and Harle is gone... Serge took precious moments to try to sort out exactly what had happened, but the darkness was eating away at him. The last thing he saw before passing out was Kid falling...
"I am zorry zSerge." Harle's voice, where was he? Serge tried to open his eyes, but found he couldn't, he tried to raise a hand, but couldn't. He was paralyzed. Then Harle touched his hand and a chill went through his body. The hand was soft and uncovered... oddly gentle. It grazed over his upper arm, and then back to his hand. There another hand touched... and began to strip the hand of the ripening, greenish rot that grew between his fingers. FATE had done something to Serge, touched his body as nothing before... he could feel the rot spreading throughout his body, a cancer. He had expected some pain, but as the flesh came away there was only a coolness, nothing at all like pain.
"Serge, you will please forgive moi, but I ave lied to you."
Harle's voice again, near his face, he could feel her breath. Harle moved to his other hand. "I think that you will zoon learn of things about me you would rather not."
Cooliness, but without pain...
"But I want you to remember, to know, zat eferyt'ing I said to you was true."
Down... she began to work out the rot of his feet... her voice was more distant, and it distressed Serge.
"Zometimes I wonder, did you efer dream of moi? Did you efer zink of me as zomething greater zen a comrade?"
The cooliness was maddening, an almost intoxicating feeling that touched him somewhere deep in his being.
"You and Monsuier Lynx zare very much alike, more zen you could imagine. But not zare it matters."
The other foot now...
"Lynx is... was, insane, yet focuzed. You are gentle... Please nefer looz zat zSerge."
Up his legs, not that much rot except for the major joints... and then cooliness around his groin...
"Pardone, iz nothing I ave not zeen before. You, unlike Monsuier Lynx, and ze Dragons, ave a future."
She moved to his armpits.
"I am wishing I ad a future with you. You are truely kind."
She brought her hands away.
"Zo please, I am begging you, allow me zis one moment to be zith you as a human."
He felt her warmth against him. Her hands hooked around his chest and rested her head against his neck.
"T'ings could ave gone so much farzer, I can zense that... but my time iz running out."
He felt the warmth moving into a deeper part of him... but it wasn't erotic, there was for a moment, no lust in his being. He wanted to hold her in his arms and comfort her, from what he didn't know.
"I ave to go soon... duty to ze Planet, I suppoze..."
Her arms tightened. He felt wetness landing on his neck. Tears.
"I am now nothzing. I cannot change ze course of history, nor can I not persvade ze dragons to zeek a less destructive course of action. I am like zem, but please understand I am human as well."
Serge found he could move his hands, he hugged Harle closer.
"Perhaps I will zee you again, perhaps no, but please remember zees truths I ave shared with you."
Then Harle was gone, so quickly it was as though she never was. The warmth left him, and his arms relaxed again... in the distance he heard Harle's voice, the same as it had been the first time he had met her. "Dream of moi..."
"serge... Serge!" Serge opened his eyes in time to see General Viper catch Kid from falling. After the warmth, and absence therof, the real world seemed unreal, a dream. Glenn was looking at him, his eyes asking all the questions. Serge got up on shakey feet, his sense of balance off, and nodded to Glenn. General Viper leapt from the sphere, and the three of them and an unconcious Kid made their escape from Chronopolis. Days later, after learning of the 7th dragon, Serge would remember Harle's words. He prayed she had spoken the truth.