"My dear goddess Ashera, please forgive me!"
"Lehran..." She said his name and nothing else. It was impossible to know what she was thinking.
"Everything I've done is a mistake" he admitted."This is all a result of my weakness. The changes were unbearable to watch. Too frightening to understand. It grew painful to accept change and with that my heart filled with cowardice. I was overwhelmed by the pain and could think of nothing but soothing it. As long as I suffered, I was blind to anything else, even the beautiful things of the world. I can see it now. The people deserve compassion. They deserve their lives back!"
Ike and the others watched in silence as he pleaded their case. He knew Yune's words had fallen on deaf ears but he hoped against hope that he alone among all people could make the goddess see reason.
"No" she said at last. "You were always too flexible, too inconstant. You cannot sway me any further."
"Ashera...My goddess...Please!" She did not raise her voice but her words cut through him like a knife.
"Be silent now and watch as I erase these being that confuse your simple heart."
And so the battle began. It did not last long. Ike and his allies rushed the goddess but killed themselves destroying her barrier. One of them managed to knock Ashera to the ground and for a moment it looked as if they had won but she got to her feet and the slaughter continued until only Lehran was left. Without a weapon that could hurt her he had hung back, hoping only to heal. Part of him still hoping he could avoid choosing a side. Like the coward he had always been.
In the end even Yune fell and only Lehran remained.
"They're all dead" Lehran whispered. "You've killed them all."
"They have destroyed themselves" Ashera said coldly. "They should have known better than to challenge the divine."
"They only wanted to defend themselves...And now they're dead, because of me." Lehran walked over to the body of the little empress Sanaki. "I was wrong" he whispered. "So wrong." Holding the dead child in his arms he couldn't conceive why he had ever thought this would be preferable. That the world would somehow be better if it lacked people like her. He wept. Wept for the life of the girl he thought of as a daughter. Wept for the life of every laguz and every beorc that had been lost because of him. All the while Ashera merely stood there and stared. With her unblinking eyes and unmoving expression. She stood so still one could almost mistake her for a statue.
"Go on then" Lehran eventually said without looking up from Sanaki's robes. "I took up arms against you too. Finish me off with the rest of the world."
"I will not" Ashera said in her perfectly unwavering tone. "You have served me faithfully throughout all these years. I forgive you your temporary lapse in judgement. It is expected. You are only mortal after all."
"I do not want to live anymore Ashera. If you wish to reward me, then kill me now."
"In that case mercy will be your punishment for betraying me."
Lehran looked up from Sanaki's body and gazed into the soulless eyes of his goddess. "No... You can't."
"I may do whatever I desire Lehran."
"Then what will you do now?"
Ashera slowly moved her gaze down at Micaiah's body, another one of Lehran's descendants. "Yune still lives. She is weakened but her soul persists. This little insurrection has once again convinced me she is too dangerous. She must be destroyed, permanently."
"Ashera no, you can't!" Lehran got to his feet.
"I have already told you Lehran. I can."
"But destroying Yune would mean destroying yourself. The two of you are one and the same."
"I am aware of that fact."
Lehran's shoulder's dropped. "So you deny me the right to die while killing yourself."
"That is correct."
"And what of the Laguz and the Beorc? I thought we were going to start anew."
"Yes, that was the plan. Until Yune demonstrated how truly incorrigible the descendants of the zunanma are. Even when facing utter destruction and the divine, they still choose the path of bloodshed. The world is better off without their influence. It will remain as it is, silent and perfect, just like you desired."
"Then what's the point of it all!" Lehran screamed. "You must not do this Ashera!"
"I must, and I will." The goddess raised a hand and with it Micaiah's body rose into the air. It glowed silver and floated towards Ashera. "Goodbye, Lehran, worthiest of my children." There was a flash of light, so bright it blinded him. When his vision returned there was only one figure there. Floating high above him. A woman with orange hair the colour of the dawn. She gave him a gentle smile before dissolving into dust. Lehran fell to his knees as the particles of the goddess slowly floated to the ground. He raised his hand to try and feel her remains but it was as if there was nothing there.
Lehran couldn't say how long he spent wallowing on the top floor of the tower. Absolutely nothing changed up there. The bodies didn't decay, there was no plant life and no one else came looking for him.
Eventually however, his sorrow subsidized and he made his way back down. The last dragon king, Deghinsea, was kneeling at the entrance of the room. He barely seemed dead at all. The colour was still in his face and there was no visible injury. Only his stillness indicated the ancient hero was no more. Lehran had spent more time in this man's presence than any other person he had ever known. Yet they had never really agreed on anything important. Except, of course, sealing away Yune. He regretted not making more of an effort to compromise with Deghinsea on many issues but more than that he regretted not speaking to his oldest friend one more time before the end.
Zelgius, the man he had loved as a son awaited him a little further down. He had been aware of the Black Knight's demise at the hands of Ike but seeing Zelgius' cold dead body once again reinforced the feeling of loss. He noticed the sword Alondite was missing. He remembered seeing Ike's sister, Mist, making a laudable but ultimately futile attempt at using it on the upper levels. He briefly considered returning so he could lay it to rest beside the boy but decided against it. Being in this tower brought back too many painful memories. He was eager to be out.
At last he came to the entrance where Lekain and the other so called Disciples of Order lay slain. He did not hesitate to pass right through this room. Lehran hated Lekain. More so than any other creature he had ever encountered. The pompous greedy fool exemplified all the most vile and sickening traits of humanity. Working with him to bring about Ashera's return had been a trial. More than once he had contemplated murdering the senator in cold blood. Vicious thoughts that made him feel ashamed of himself. In the end he allowed Lekain to remain free and alive. The senate was just too useful a pawn to throw away for the sake of a personal vendetta. When Ashera began freeing the devout to combat Yune's army, Lehran himself suggested resurrecting the senate. He had no reason for this other than the desire to feel Lekain die.
Outside the bodies weren't so pristine. Ashera's judgement had spared the insects and animals that now made a feast of the two armies. The stench was overwhelming. Judging by the state of the decay he had been inside the tower less than a month. He guessed Ashera's immortal soldiers were victorious since the merchants assisting Yune had been killed too. When their task was done the undead probably just stopped working. Or perhaps they died their final death only when Ashera left this world. In the end it didn't really matter. Just like the battle itself didn't really matter.
He decided he would bury the dead. It was the least he could do. All this death was his fault. It took a long time. Much longer than he expected. In total he counted just over four hundred corpses though by the end they were little more than skeletons. He didn't bother to count the days but the fact that summer was now fading suggested it was just under six months. In that time he had slept but never eaten. Ever since receiving Ashera's mantle he had never needed to. His clothes and body also remained clean, as if the goddess's blessing wouldn't even allow dust to harm him.
He took up residence in the palace where he had been living for some years. The dead he buried but the living, frozen in stone, he left untouched. He spent his days researching. Reading any text he could find in some vain hope he could uncover an ancient magic that could dispel Ashera's prettification. But there was nothing. He knew there wouldn't be. Nothing like this had ever happened before and, as Ike demonstrated, no mortal power can stand against a god.
It was a week after finishing the graves when he first tried to kill himself. Seeing no better alternative he flung himself off the highest tower of the palace. When he hit the ground there was no impact. His landing was as soft as falling into a feathered bed. Softer even. He tried using a blade not long afterwards but, like before, Ashera's mantle prevented any edge from cutting him. After that he abandoned the idea though the desire to just stop existing never truly left him.
With nothing better to do he continued his research. Slowly, but much faster than he had anticipated, nature began to reclaim the city. Before long it was a forest with the great buildings, green with foliage, playing the part of mighty trees. Only the Tower of Guidance was untouched even though Ashera no longer dwelled there.
Eventually he had read and reread every text in the palace and surrounding libraries. Out of boredom more than anything else he left. The site of the developing forest made him long for his own forest. So he returned to his birth place and the site of the most important event of his life. The Serenes Forest. A home he had abandoned long, long ago. He spent several years there meditating. Trying to come to terms with what he had done. But the semi silent world did little to ease his consciousness. He ached to hear the voice of another person but there was only the wildlife. Deciding that if he could not have the sounds of people he would rather have no sounds at all, he eventually left and made his way into the desert. But even there the true silence evaded him as the winds howled across the dunes.
When he grew weary of walking he lay down and closed his eyes, wishing for death for the thousandth time. Soon the sand would bury him. So deep even the wind wouldn't disturb him. Then there would only be silence and darkness. In time hopefully his mind would grow silent too and he could die in every way that mattered.
Lehran woke violently from what he hoped would be his eternal rest.
"What are you doing buried in the sand?" A voice. A voice of another person. Lehran could scarcely believe it. He didn't stand up so the stranger helped him to his feet. When the sand cleared from his eyes he became certain he was dreaming.
"S...Soan" he whispered, reaching out to touch the familiar face. His own voice sounded so strange to him. It had been years since he used it.
The man that looked like Soan grabbed Lehran's reaching hand. "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else."
"You're right. You can't be him. I must..." Lehran fell to his knees. "I must be dreaming." Even if it was a dream or a delusion or death, Lehran didn't care. It just felt so good to hear the voice of another person. The relief overcame him and he collapsed in the sand once more.
When Lehran awoke he found himself in a bed. A proper bed in a one room cottage. A mat lay on the ground covering the sand meaning he was still in the desert. Outside he could hear...children...playing. He lay there for several minutes trying to convince himself it was real.
The man with green hair who looked like Soan entered the tent carrying an urn. "You're awake" he said. "We thought we'd lost you." He spoke neither harshly nor kindly. As if Lehran was no one of consequence yet, paradoxically, still worth talking to.
"We?" Lehran muttered, still trying to grasp the concept of others.
"Yes. The people of this village."
"Village..."
"Here. Have some water. You must be parched."
He wasn't but he took the water anyway and drank greedily.
"My name is Stefan, what is yours, stranger?"
"My...name." Lehran lowered the urn and paused. "Sephiran" he murmured. "My name was Sephiran."
"Welcome to my village Sephiran. What were you doing wandering about in the desert like that?" Stefan spoke evenly but looked at Lehran cautiously. Clearly he was suspicious of the stranger's unnaturally healthy appearance.
Lehran was quiet for quite some time. All the while Stefan stared at him. Both of them wondered what kind of man this other was. Realising he had absolutely nothing left to lose, Lehran decided to confess to everything. He told his story, right from the very beginning. The Great Flood, sealing Yune, wandering for centuries and witnessing the cruelty and intolerance. The culmination of it all at the Serenes Massacre, mere days after meeting his descendant. His despair, conspiring to wake Ashera and how it turned out. All the while Stefan remained silent, only asking occasionally to clarify certain points. He took Lehran's words at face value. Never doubting him for a second.
"If you are a laguz then where are your wings?" he asked when the story came to a close.
"I had a...a relationship with Altina, the hero. It produced a child. When a laguz and beorc mate the-"
"The laguz parent loses its ability to transform" Stefan interrupted. "Yes, I know." He parted his fringe revealing a mark on his forehead. "I am one of the branded. Everyone in this village is. It's how we escaped Ashera's judgement."
"Truly? An entire village populated by the branded. In all my years of travelling I have never even encountered the mere idea of such a thing." Lehran thought of Zelgius and how he could have been at peace in such a place. If only he had known.
"Indeed. We didn't even know of the judgement when it first happened. It was only when Yune marched through the desert did we learn something was wrong. I followed her to Sienne where I had a chance to talk to her. She informed me that my people's oppression is not the will of god. That all the suffering was pointless."
"Was it not a relief to hear such news?"
"Many of us were relieved but it angered me."
"I must apologize. The taboo regarding laguz-beorc relationships was my doing. Mine and the three heroes. When I lost my powers we feared the outrage it would cause. Especially among the laguz."
"I've half a mind to kill you for that."
"If you can then go ahead." Lehran smiled weakly. "It is only one more of my many regrets. Looking at the state of the world I can't help but think things would be better had mine and Altina's union been public."
"You think the two species might have eventually merged? In a way they have now. There are no more beorc, or laguz. Only we branded remain."
"It must be ten years since Ashera's judgement. Why have you remained secluded in this harsh place when the world is empty and yours to inherit?"
"We did not know the goddess is gone. We feared leaving even more than when the beorc were in control. We thought if we left she would learn of us and unleash her judgement on all who remain. After hearing what you have to say I suppose we will start to leave this place. Though there will be no rush. The desert may be harsh but this place is our home."
"So despite Ashera's judgement, life will remain." A single tear rolled down Lehran's cheek. "That is truly good."
"If you are as unkillable as you claim, then how did Ike manage to defeat you?"
Stefan asked, evidently pondering the question for some time.
"His sword, it had Yune's blessing. It could cut through Ashera's protection."
"And that sword remains in the Tower of Guidance?"
"Yes, I suppose it does. Though with Yune gone its blessing has probably faded."
"Ashera is also gone yet the wards she gave you remain." Stefan pointed out.
"You're right. I never even considered it."
"Well now that you have, what will you do?"
Lehran didn't answer as he put serious thought into the issue.
"Would you like to hear my opinion?" Stefan asked. Lehran nodded. "You can't kill yourself. Not yet. Not until you've redeemed yourself. There are only a few dozen of us in this village. Maybe only a hundred branded in the world in all. Just because we live doesn't automatically mean we'll prosper. You have to help us. Restore the descendants of the beorc and laguz to the state their parents were in before they perished. Only then can you die."
"You really trust me? After hearing everything I've said. All the mistakes I've made."
"We're branded. We've learned to accept help from anywhere."
Lehran nodded. "Alright then. I will help you." He offered his hand and Stefan took it, helping the ancient soul to his feet. Together they left the cottage and Lehran met the people that would become the future. The future of life on his planet.