Reversed fate
"I'm nervous" Natalia admitted and everyone except Jade and Luke nodded. Luke didn't know what he was feeling, if there was ever a word to describe it well…
The group of seven including Mieu, the cheagle had landed from a crashed aircraft, Albiore III. They had asked Noelle to stay behind with her brother Ginji and bade her farewell, Luke for the last time.
As they headed deeper through the replica Hod, Eldrant, Luke had to try very to keep his tears at bay. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, he kept thinking. But he didn't want to die, not when he had finally started to want to live life after acknowledging himself as a whole person, not now that he was in love with Tear.
That last bit had been on the tip of his tongue every now and then but he couldn't do that to her, he knew it would hurt her if he confessed and then left. But he had already done that and he would be gone soon. What the hell? He had to leave. Not just her but everyone else, his friends, parents and even that damned thing Mieu.
The group was silent and the only noise was that of the scraping of their shoes or the stifled sobs from Natalia. The shadow of Luke's death was looming over them, threatening to engulf them with every advancing step. If only there was a way to turn back time and change everything so that Van could have been captured earlier, so that the world wouldn't have been on the verge of being eradicated.
"Hand over the key of Lorelei" came a cold voice and they looked ahead to see Legretta.
"I can't do that" Luke shouted, "I came here to release Lorelei".
"I won't let you stand in His Excellency's way" she snapped at him.
"Major, do you support my brother's wishes as well?" Tear asked softly.
"His Excellency is the one who lifted me and saved me" Legretta replied, "I will go to the end of the world to see his wishes fulfilled".
"Then I'll be forced to kill you" Tear replied heatedly and Legretta laughed, "It's regrettable to have to do this to you with these hands of mine". With that, the God-General got into a raging battle to her last breath.
Legretta panted from the battle, "I……I loved that person and his ideals. I thought I could die for that reason. That is my will…alone. Van….reform this….warped world" and her fonons began separating as she closed her eyes for the last time. Tear stood for a few seconds with tears in the corner of her eyes but she shrugged it off and they continued on.
Luke was now on the lead and the others gave him some space knowing just how he felt. If this is how it feels to let go of someone, I wonder how much worse it is to let go of your life, Tear thought and sighed sadly.
Suddenly Luke had dropped down right in front of their eyes through a hole on the floor that had remained closed until now.
"It's a trap" Jade said.
"Let's jump in after him" Guy shouted, not wanting to let his best friend leave his sight for a second, who knew what the seven year old would get into?
"No" Jade stopped him; "We will only be a hindrance".
"There must be another way for whoever set the traps" Tear reasoned, "We could use that path" with that they hurried forward.
Luke landed hard on his back and he felt a dizzying headache on its way. He got up gingerly only to see the shock in the emerald eyes of….
"Asch!" he exclaimed and strode towards his original, "How did you-"
"Tch" Asch interrupted, "I can't believe my replica fell for the same trap as I did. Guess we share some genetic stupidity".
"Asch, we're not the same people" Luke told him, "My thoughts, my memories, everything is different. I'm-"
"A what? A human? A person?" Asch shouted in anger, "I'll never accept that you're nothing more than just a replica".
"Asch! What are you doing?" he asked when he saw Asch approaching the mechanism in the middle of the room.
"Creating a hyperresonance" he shouted back.
"No Asch" Luke stopped him, "Listen. You're the original-"
"So, stop with the inferio-"
"Your hyperresonace is much more powerful than mine" Luke told him, "Even though we both are similar I think the more advantageous one of us should go to kill Master Van".
"Just shut up you idiot" Asch shouted in rage, "Your servility disgusts me. For heaven's sake you don't even know which one of us is the advantageous one".
"This device allows only one person to go out the door" he told Luke, "So one of us-"
"Like I said, you're the origin-"
"This isn't about replicas or hyperresonances" he shouted again, "this is my only chance of getting a revenge for everything I lost". With that he unsheathed his sword.
"I don't want to fight you Asch" Luke refused as he saw Asch approaching him.
He laughed, "It's a duel. The stronger one of us will defeat Van. Get that?"
"Fine!" Luke replied and imitated Asch, "But I won't lose Asch. I'm me even if you haven't accepted me". The two redheads started battling and like before, any onlooker would have said that Asch was the better one. Asch frowned as he realized that his replica had improved greatly. He blocked almost every attack he directed towards an opening. When he couldn't take it anymore, he went berserk and Luke was soon getting tired.
This couldn't be happening, Luke thought in panic as he fought to keep up with Asch whose defense was flawless. He increased his frequency of attacks but ended up clashing his sword against his reflection again and again till his sword was thrown out of his grasp and he was thrown on to the ground with the tip of Asch's blade against his neck just like the time in Yulia City.
Asch had a victorious smile plastered on his face, "So" he drawled, "I guess you stay here and activate the device and I go complete the rest of it".
Luke nodded and simply stood up to obey his command. Damn him, the replica wasn't even going to argue with him.
"Alright" Luke turned to him, "So you take the sword of Lorelei and here-"he took out the jewel of Lorelei, "You have to defeat Master-no Van. Stop his foolishness" Asch was taken aback by Luke's sudden somberness and smiled as the replica finally called the Sensei not master anymore but Van.
Luke swallowed and began casting the hyperresonance. As the golden light began emanating from his hands, he looked up the way he had come. Tear, be safe.
The door on the side began sliding upwards and Asch was already sprinting ahead when a guard arrived.
"Hand over the key of Lorelei" he ordered as more guards came up behind him. Asch hesitated leaving his replica here but Luke continued with the hyperresonance.
"Go!" he shouted to Asch, "I'll hold them back". Asch nodded and dashed away the moment the door opened. As soon as he was out, however the door had closed and part of his cloak was caught between the floor and the door(that rhymes). He gritted his teeth. Luke must already have begun the fighting if he had abandoned his attempts at keeping the door open. He yanked on his cloth and advanced to see the other members of Luke's group coming his way.
"Asch!" Natalia called, "Where's Luke?"
"In there" he pointed behind him, "Let's go. Or we'll be wasting his sacrifice" he shouted and sprinted on ahead.
"Sacrifice?" Anise asked as they ran to follow Asch and towards their battle with Van.
"I don't want to think about it" was all Tear could manage. Somehow, she felt she wouldn't be seeing him again. No, don't even think like that.
They arrived at a long narrow whitewashed path and Asch heard a voice much like the one he did when he had those damned headaches.
"……so this is how it is"
'With you guys, it ends' he heard Luke's shout and frowned, how was this happening?
'Aaaahhhh'
'Luke!' he tried connecting to his replica. Damn it! "Luke! No you dreck, you can't-" everyone turned towards him as he stopped with a tortured look on his face.
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Luke had battled so many soldiers by now, he had lost count. He was tired, damn it. Asch hadn't gone easy on him.
"With you guys, it ends" he panted and stabbed the last remaining oracle soldier with his 'Nebilim'.
"…….Prepare yourself" there came a sudden shout from behind just as he relaxed his hold on his sword. The next moment, the guard had run his own sword through Luke's back and into his stomach. He pushed it further so that it tore through his skin and he screamed. Another soldier stabbed him from the side and he could only take this much. In rage, he whirled around with his own sword and finished the last of oracle soldiers.
He was exhausted, he panted and the white floors of Eldrant were being covered in his crimson blood. He slumped across a wall behind him and the sword that had pierced from behind was pushed deeper into him. He shut his eyes and knew that life was finally over. His fonons began separating and he whispered.
"That was kind of tough. Asch, I'll leave the rest……to you……" He closed his emerald eyes one last time, "Tear. I…" and he heaved his last breath as his head drooped on his chest.
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"damn you Replica!" Asch shouted knowing it was useless, "You can't just-"
"Asch what is it?" Natalia asked him frightened. Everyone was, they dreaded Asch's answer.
"Luke's dead" he told them in a quiet voice and Natalia looked horrified. He didn't know what he could do to make her feel better. Was it his fault that the replica wasn't here anymore? Only Natalia could make him feel this guilty.
Everyone was shocked, silent at this recent blow delivered to them. Tear looked as though she would never move again, so stunned was she by the sudden grief.
Luke, she thought with the hint of tears once again, how could you just leave? Did last night mean nothing?
The incidents of their last peaceful and probably the most beautiful nights she had ever had were running through her head. He had promised her, damn it! Promised her that they would make out of this ordeal together and then….there had been nothing except the feel of his lips on hers, his hand in her hair and hers on his shoulder. The more time passed, their passion grew and he had been afraid, had wanted to let it go but she had literally asked him for this. They had given in and she wouldn't regret it. No, those moments with Luke were something she would hold on to forever.
It wasn't until Jade nudged her slowly out of her trance that she noticed everyone had gone on ahead and she followed too.
They were outside an entrance that had strange mist around it so it was impossible to see what was ahead. Everyone tensed at the stairs.
"Mieeeeu I can feel very scary power ahead" Mieu said in a shaky, squeaky voice.
"It's now or never" Anise said in a fake cheerful tone, although one could see that she was clearly scared. They advanced and Tear hoped that Van could see his stupidity in this recklessness. She didn't think she was ready to lose someone just yet again.
Van was sitting with his sword stuck into the ground. He had his eyes closed as though in meditation.
"So you've come" he announced, "I knew Luke wasn't capable. What a waste".
"Don't talk about him that way" Natalia shouted.
"Stop this Van" Tear ordered taking a step towards her brother, "The people can change. Luke did. Things can be settled any other way. There's no need for this".
"Is that what you think Mystearica?" Van asked her, now standing up with his sword ready, "The memory of the planet exists within the people living in it. If these Score devout people aren't annihilated then…well, I don't see any reason to explain again. Asch! Join me" he ordered, stretching his free hand forward, "I see my sister is unwilling to take up the risk for something good".
"Never!" Asch retaliated.
"If this is your something good-"Anise started
"- then no one here is really with you" Jade finished and summoned his spear. Van laughed, "Such audacity. Even you, master Gilardia? Well so we begin" as though it was a training session.
After almost twenty minutes of battling, Asch felt something flit inside him. Tear was now singing the Seventh fonic hymn to release Lorelei and Asch readied the Key of Lorelei.
"Release Lorelei" he shouted.
"In the end it seems I must release this unpleasant power" Van whispered fiercely.
"Is this Lorelei's power?" Guy asked in disbelief.
"I won't lose!" Natalia shouted. Van laughed insanely, "You have confident allies there Asch".
After almost an hour Van fell, defeated. "You understood…………the Seventh hymn…. Mystearica".
"Thank you brother" she whispered, "For passing that knowledge onto me".
"Van" Asch started slowly. No matter what he had done, he had still been someone he had looked up to once, one who had taken care of him through years. If only he hadn't had his crazy ideals in the end.
"Farewell……..Mystearica" Van whispered before a bright light engulfed his form and a few moments later, where his body had been now there was nothing except glittering dust.
Asch turned to the others, "Well, I guess we say good bye here". They stared back at him, no one knowing what to say really except Natalia. She approached him.
"Luke's gone" she said softly, "you have to come back. You must. Don't disappoint me" and she hugged him tightly before letting go with a smile to join the others.
He gulped. He didn't want to die. No matter what he had said earlier to his replica, he wasn't ready just yet. Was that how his replica had felt? He looked at the others who grimly nodded and bade him their farewell and good luck. There really wasn't anyone to care. Suddenly, he felt much lonelier than he had, ever in his life. Was this how he was going to die? Friendless with no one to grieve over him? Alone……
He held the Key of Lorelei in both his hands, ready to strike the glyph in the centre of the floor. Then he felt something. He looked up at the orange glowing sky where the sun was hidden behind the clouds and saw something coming towards him, a golden small ball that was growing bigger every second. The comet like object neared and he considered moving away and attacking it but was bound by some sort of force. The golden glowing orb then enlarged and he saw a faint, blurred image of….
"Luke?" he whispered. The head of his replica was smiling at him, it looked like a portrait plastered on the air in front of him, a fading image.
"You don't have to be alone" he heard Luke's voice, distant and affectionate somehow. He looked around to see that the others were staring at his strange behavior. So they couldn't see it. The replica's image smiled childishly, so innocent and sparkling with acceptance.
"We'll go together" he said in that same warming voice and Asch nodded with a smile for the first time and he felt the golden orb enter him.
Everyone took their eyes off Asch and looked at the ground as he held the sword once more. Jade took off his glasses as he felt cold droplets on his cheek and looked up to see that it had started raining. A rain always brought changes with it and today it sure would.
Asch looked up and his large bangs usually swept up loosened and fell onto his face much like Luke's. He suddenly felt something else, feelings of someone else…Luke's. He wanted to bid farewell to Tear and everyone one last time. Asch allowed Luke to take over and although they were both present in that body somehow it was Luke who was looking back, the one who was seeing the world, holding the sword.
Tear's eyes widened slightly as Asch smiled at her. But he didn't look like Asch, the affectionate gaze with which he held Tear was more like her Luke's. He raised one hand, still smiling and waved gently. Just know that I loved you all along. Tear imitated him and he turned away once again readying the sword. She couldn't hold the tears at bay anymore and for the first time in her journey, she let her tears fall. He hadn't left without a goodbye after all…..
Asch felt what Luke felt, the anguish at leaving behind Tear. There was only little he could do for his replica…no, Luke. They were one now. No one was original, they were both people.
He had never felt such brotherly feelings, such love coming from another person. He appreciated it and would walk towards his end. He looked up to feel the rain one last time and then thrust the sword into the ground acknowledging Luke as something more than his mere replica, something more than just a thieving broken reflection, "Thank you Luke. Thank you".
Incomplete? Good? How was it?I skipped out teh Sync boss batte cuz i didn't want Asch to get his 2nd order hyperresonance right then and because he would already know about it, Jade wouldn't have to explain. I was originally going to add that in another story but looks like I end up making my discarded ideas into one shots. Reviews would be highly appreciated. No flamers though, I like this one.