Gaia Falls

Terminus...Omega...the end of all things...

It was perhaps fitting that Weyard's end, its edge, the shores of the void was about as far removed from eternity as possible. An eternity of battle, of bloodshed, of the use of alchemy by Man for means for war. Some spirits of the earth revelled in it, Zagan and Haures throwing in their lot with those who used the element of earth for the conflict. Others however, stayed as far away as possible. And some, as Gaia herself was prepared to, was ready to take yet another step. The final one.

So the time has come...thought the earth spirit sadly, shifting her gaze from Weyard to the edge of the world and the void below. Earth will follow the same path as water...

Suicide...it was so dismal really.

"Are you sure about this?" Cyblene rumbled, the tree beast striding over towards mother earth. "I mean, you are among the most revered of earth spirits and masters of the djinn, but-..."

"But I am one of many," interrupted Gaia, turning to face her fellow spirit. "I, like you, am a spirit of life. But as dear a friend as you are, I cannot see what you can. What life is there in a world embraced in death?"

Cyblene sighed, the sound like dying wind-not of her element of course, but unlike those wielding alchemy for their own ends, the spirits of the world were not divided by petty rivalries and hatreds. Still, this would be a gathering of the spirits of the earth, and earth only. Charon had ferried Gaia in secret and on this remote, unnamed island, unblemished by the greedy hands of Men, Ramses stood guard. This was Gaia's final moment and it would not be interrupted.

Well, this is it...the earth spirit thought to herself. I'm ready...

"Gaia, stop this at once!"

...or not.

Gaia could tell by the voice that Cyblene wasn't the one who sought to stop her from following her chosen path. The voice was laced with arrogance for starters, like one of those religious nut jobs among humans who preached belief in things that either didn't exist or spirits that wanted no such attention. And like one of those preachers, the spirit of judgement had come.

"You know, in a world gone mad, I never thought it would have affected you, of all people..." mused Judgement, somehow managing to look intimidating even with his sword sheathed and his wings folded. "Perhaps you take after Man more than in just appearance..."

Gaia winced. It had once been academic really, that certain spirits such as herself were more humanoid than others. With skin the colour of earth and hair the colour of grass, she couldn't have been mistaken for one of the mortals, but still, the resemblance was uncanny. And after a golden age of art and science had turned to one of bloodshed, it was a resemblance she could have done without.

"It's over, my friend..." said the earth spirit sadly, meeting Judgement's gaze. "Weyard is past the point of no return. There's no room for spirits like us."

"It's a large world Gaia," declared the earth spirit. "Alchemy sustains us. It will always sustain us. Why pine for something that will never cease to be?"

"Because it's dead, you fool!" screamed Mother Earth. "You bring death to your enemies, you sanctimonious angel, but have you ever looked at the other side of the coin? This world is dead! Its people are dying! And the only way to stop it is to send Weyard to a slow death rather than finish the world off now!"

Judgement snorted. "That mad scheme of the Wise One's? Come now Gaia, the idea is ludicrous. No-one, not even a sage would seal alchemy. Those who wield the power in the manner we see never give it up easily. However, that our power is still greater than Man's is our saving grace. Let them attempt to imitate us all they want."

Gaia sighed. There was no reasoning with a spirit called upon by the Venus Clan to deal absolution to their enemies. But then again, she didn't have to justify leaving this world to him. She didn't have to justify it to anyone. Because in the slight chance that there was something waiting in the Void, an untouched land for a spirit of life such as herself, she was willing to take the chance.

"There's no getting through to you..." Gaia whispered. "Goodbye, Judgement."

The spirit didn't try to stop her. Not when she stepped back to the edge, not when she spread out her arms and not even when she fell backwards. Maybe it was understanding. Maybe it was frustrating. Or maybe even a spirit such as himself realized that there was a limit to what he could do. Regardless, in the end, all he did was murmur four words...

"...and thus Gaia falls..."

A/N

27/03/10: Fixed spelling and grammar errors.