Author: Shadow's Hand

Title: Godslaying Demon

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Nope. Rose belongs to The Legend of Dragoon, which belongs to Sony. I just love to write about her.

Rose walked onto a small bluff above the village of Neet, waiting calmly for night to fall. She always hunted by night, as the blood red light of the Moon seemed somehow fitting as she slew its child and spilled the blood of innocents. No. Not innocents. Servants to the God of Destruction by now, as the Moon Child was undoubtedly here. Or had been. Add to the innate power that turns people to serve Soa's will the fact that she was these people's beloved princess....All of Mille Seasue would rise up to aid the birth of the Virage Embryo, unwittingly but willingly destroying themselves and the rest of Endiness. Glancing up, she noticed there were heavy clouds to the east, still far off, but gaining quickly. Stormclouds. They would be upon Neet by late afternoon tomorrow, snuffing whatever bit of dark fire remained after the deed was done.

The dark warrior remembered something. How very, very appropriate. It was on this very day, 11,556 years ago, the evil known as Melbu Frahma was vanquished....And the lives of her friends, of her troops, of her enemies, and most of all, her love, were taken away.

With a toss of her raven hair and a small snarl, she cut off those thoughts before they could lead to where she knew they eventually would. There was no way she could bear those thoughts of despair and anguish, not when the monster was barely being restrained. "When night falls....Then, and only then, will I allow my emotions to fuel my actions." Came the quiet remark. She sighed slightly. "Might as well get some sleep. Nothing much better to do." Rose grasped a nearby tree branch with her left hand and swung up, arranging herself comfortably with her sword in her hand.

~~::{Dream}::~~

"Rose!"

~What?~

"Rose!"

~Who...?~

"ROSE! Wake up!"

Her eyes opened; she could feel it. But nothing changed. It was still darkness, darker than anything she had ever seen. It wasn't HER darkness, the kind she commanded with ease. It was foreign, malevolent....Perhaps even frightening.

"I told you to wake up! Come on already!"

~But I am awake....My eyes are open.~

A sigh. "Rose, just because you think your eyes are open does mean they truly ARE. And just because your eyes are open doesn't mean you're awake."

Only one person could be that philosophical. ~Syuveil...? But...You're dead.~

"Too true. I'm merely trying to warn you. You need to awaken, before it is too late."

~I don't understand....~

"My time here is up. Sorry, Rose. Bye."

~Syuveil! Wait!~

"Come visit me sometime."

~SYUVEIL!~

~~::{End Dream}::~~

Rose awoke with a start. The dream she had experienced was fading fast from memory, as was the daylight from the sky. ~It is time!~ A voice from somewhere inside her screamed.

"Not yet. Just a little longer."

Sullen quiet met her spoken response. Nodding, Rose watching the sky fade from pink to blue, and finally, to deep purple. The moon that always hung in the sky began to glow more fiercely red, signaling that it was time.

~NOW! It is time now!~

Rose sighed. "Yes, it is time."

The hated demon that lived inside her flesh rose to the surface, hungry for blood. Her Darkness dragoon spirit changed from a deep blue/purple to darkest crimson, the color of spilled blood in the moonlight. The armor of the legendary Dragoon formed on her body, then abruptly changed to the horrific armor of the Black Monster, ending with her sunset wings disappearing and being replaced by dark flames. Blinking slightly glowing eyes, the demon that was once called 'Rose' flew out to Neet, anticipating the death and destruction that would begin there in earnest.

A woman down in the village screamed and pointed up. She was immediately consumed by black fire, followed quickly by several others. Gliding low to the ground, the monster ignited the wooden buildings with a single thought. Several knights came running towards her. She torched all but one and grabbed him by the throat. "Where is she!?" The demon's harsh voice rang out. "Where is the princess!? The chance to kill the Moon Child comes only every 108 years, when the moon glows a blood color!"

"We will never give you Princess Louvia! AHHHHH!" The soldier was consumed in the dark flames and thrown to the side. The demon torched everything in sight, until, on a whim, she came to a small house in the center of the village.

She could hear, over the crackle of the flames and screams of the people, a young girl speaking in a panicked voice, and her mother's calm answer. The Black Monster threw open the door of their house and the woman became wide-eyed with fright. The little girl did nothing but complain about the heat and dark. Catching a glimpse of the girl's eyes, a small shred of Rose came to the surface, whispered ~She is blind....Spare her.~ and was quickly smashed by the demon. "Where are you hiding the Moon Child!?"

The mother looked at her in defiance. "We will never tell you!"

"Do you wish to die with your daughter?"

With a pained look filled with hatred, the mother nodded. "Princess Louvia has taken to the sea. Now leave our village!" Those words were her last, as she, too, died by the hand of the demon, leaving an orphaned and blind daughter behind.

The entire village was burning. The demon prepared to leave, knowing her task was finished, when a blonde man ran up to her, sword in hand. Turning to face this pitiful human, the demon was shocked. He looked like Zieg! But Zieg was dead, and damn this man for bringing him to mind! Snarling in fury, the monster prepared to dispatch him when a woman, obviously his wife by the way he told her to go back, to stay with their son. She went first, exactly like all the others, except that instead of burning from the outside, then in, the woman's internal organs caught fire first, then spread to her outer flesh. "CLAIRE! How dare you, you monster!" The man shrieked at her as the demon smirked. Suddenly a red light flared, and when it died, the man who so reminded her of Zieg was gone. Without a backward look, the Black Monster flew into the lightening sky, in the direction of Illisa Bay, leaving only two children and the ashes of a village.

~*End of Part 1 – Flames of Neet*~

AN: This is just going to be a little bitty two-parter, maybe kinda as an epilogue to Sliced Strings. I dunno. And yes, I know, I'm obsessed. So sue me. *Shrugs* Read and review please. Constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcomed.