Spellbound Souls

Thunder and lightning raged uncontrollably that night, rain pouring down on the two women.

"No matter what, I won't let you go, Light. I'll come back for you, I promise." Fang said with a grim voice, holding on to her staff as her black robe flapped in the heavy storm that had the upper mountain in its grip.

"Fang, I..." Lightning sat on the floor, holding the wound on her upper thigh. It looked nasty, but she would be okay.

"I know you can do it, Light. I'll come back for you, and if it takes me a thousand years to do so. We will see each other again," Fang replied with determination in her voice, and Lightning thought she saw a hint of a smile on her face.

"I- ... I don't know if I can do this without you, Fang...," Lightning almost pleaded in a voice so unusually weak for the normally so strong and independent woman. But she was wounded, they had just had a desperate fight against their archenemy, and now she was just about to see her newfound lover leave her, uncertain if they would ever see each other again.

Glancing at the still wide open portal again, Fang made a few steps to her love, kneeling in front of her. "Listen, I know it's hard, but someone has to follow him and end this - once and for all. You're wounded, so I'll go alone. You can do this, I know you can."

Lightning nodded, staring back into those jade eyes she'd come to love so quickly, so unexpectedly. But she still had a hard time believing the woman's words, as much as she wanted to.

Fang smiled, stroking a hand through her damp her. "I'll come back. I promise." And with that, she closed the distance between them for the last kiss they'd share for a long time, holding Lightning's face with both her hands as their lips moved against each other, showing the love they felt in their hearts without words. Were there words to describe this anyway? Probably not.

They broke and shared another moment just looking at each other. It was as if time froze for a moment before the sound of the roaring thunder pulled them out of their moment again. "Okay ... I'll be waiting for you. I will."

Nodding, Fang got up again. "Good. I'll see you again, Light." She made a few steps towards the portal, only turning again once she stood right before it. "I love you." And with that, she stepped through the door their archenemy had disappeared through just minutes ago. The portal closed after, leaving Lightning staring at an empty spot.

She's gone ... A tear rolled down her cheek as she took it all in. Her love was really gone. And she didn't know if she'd ever return from wherever that portal had led her. Hopefully she was strong enough to beat him on her own.

"Lightning? Good lord, are you okay?" Turning, Lightning found her sister running up the passage, a few knights behind her.


Fang opened her eyes, feeling the rest of her body materialise on the other side of the portal. Shaking off the familiar, yet odd feeling, she looked around to get a quick grasp of her surroundings, looking out for the man she followed back in here.

It was ... odd. The portal hadn't led her to a real place, it seemed. This here ... it was just an empty, endless nothing she found herself in, surrounded by pink and reddish colours and odd forms moving about. It didn't make sense; portals led you to another place, but not to this ... whatever this was.

"Confused, sorceress?" Fang twitched at the familiar, deep voice, looking around for the source. But it seemed to come from everywhere at the same time, the voice echoing through the endless nothing as if it was the place itself.

"Show yourself, Barthandelus!" she spat, slowly turning to keep her surroundings in sight. She knew he must be here somewhere, but why couldn't she see him? And why was his voice so powerful, as if coming out of all directions at the same time? Raising her staff, she prepared for the worst, clenching her teeth.

She ducked just in time to prevent a shadow bolt from hitting her from her right. Narrowing her eyes, she concentrated, channelling energy into her hands and from her hands into the staff. The warm feeling flowed through her in no time, enveloping her red staff with flames at last. But there was a kind of creepy silence around her still, the crackling fire and her harsh breathing the only things cutting through it. What's this bastard tryin' to do? I'm not here to play games!

"So... I should show myself, you say? Your wish is my command, dear lady." He laughed, landing before her, only a few metres between the two enemies. His black cape flapped slightly as his feet met the ground. He smirked at the woman before him.

Fang didn't wait, using the opportunity to strike. "Ha!" She pointed her staff towards Barthandelus, unleashing the fiery magic on him. As to be expected, the wizard raised his arcane shield in time to fend off the three fireballs. She couldn't say she was surprised, really. It hadn't been easy even together with Lightning before, and she knew this man possessed great power.

"Fire magic ... I always kind of liked it, Fang." He snickered, pacing around a little as if not the least bothered that the woman had already charged another spell, just waiting for the right moment to fire.

"But... There is a kind of magic I cherish even more, much more, dear. And now that we are alone, I'll gladly show you what I have in mind..." He raised his hands, dark lightning bolts flowing out of them, quickly becoming more and more around the man as he closed his eyes.

"You don't think this is impressing me, I hope. Because it's clearly failing!" Fang replied, determined to defeat her foe as she unleashed one large fireball at her opponent. She was sure this would not only stop whatever summon he was trying to do there, but it would also catch him off guard, delivering a critical blow.

Oh, how wrong she was. Barthandelus laughed, his voice echoing through all of the emptiness again as the fireball puffed out like nothing as it collided with his lightning bolts. Eyes glowing red, he turned back to Fang, pointing his hands towards her.

"Urgmh!" Fang tried to get out of the invisible grasp that lifted her up into the air, lightning bolts all around her. She screamed as an inconceivable fear came over her all of a sudden, leaving her defenceless. Agony followed on the spot at the gruesome images that forced their way into her mind, overwhelming her completely.

"It is quite ... useful, isn't it? Black magic focussing on what we all have crawling inside our very beings, our strongest enemy: the fears... I loved the idea already when I heard of it for the first time." Barthandelus smirked, his voice turned sinister and demonically dark as he watched the woman with glowing eyes, observing how she tried to remain conscious.

"You seem to be quite fond of it too. Oh, and it is kind of amusing your greatest fear is really to lose this sweet little thing. Love is pain, Fang. Remember that, since you will never see your precious Lightning again."

His words were the last thing Fang heard before she was sucked into a dark void of unconsciousness, her eyes closing as these painful images continued to torment her, too strong to be met with resistance. Lightning...

Barthandelus nodded before activating his teleport, taking Fang with him.


Lightning hissed in pain as her sister tended to the gaping wound on her upper thigh. She couldn't help it, but she couldn't stop herself from thinking that this wouldn't have happened with her armour on. Plus, if Barthandelus hadn't somehow blocked her admittedly limited healing abilities, she would've been able to help herself before her sister arrived too.

"So what happened? When I woke up and asked for you, the only thing I was told was you and Fang had to leave for Mount Angerona on short notice." Serah asked with a soft voice while tending to the wound with careful movements. She grimaced as her sister winced in pain again.

Lightning nodded, shaking slightly at the treatment. Etro, if only I'd taken the time to get into that stupid armour! "Yes... Fang woke up with a vision tonight, telling her where we could find Barthandelus, so ... we acted, knowing we couldn't let this chance to finally get him pass by."

Serah turned to wash the cloth, nodding. "That makes sense. Still, I bet there would've been time to at least wake me up to join you, don't you think?" She turned back to her sister, a bandage in her hand as she walked the few steps back to the examination table.

Lightning couldn't agree more with the pain flowing through her thigh. "I'm thinking the same thing now, yes." She smiled and her sister reciprocated it as she began tying the bandage around Lightning's thigh.

"So what about Fang? You didn't say a word about her yet. Where is she?" Serah asked, immediately noticing the discomfort her sister felt as she looked away.

Lightning gulped. "She ... left. Followed Barthandelus through a portal. I don't know where she is or if she'll ever return..." The sisters' gazes met, and Serah felt for her older sibling as she saw the sadness in her eyes; she didn't even hide it from her. It was only proof how close the two had grown over the last weeks.

Serah put a hand over her sister's. "I'm sure she will come back. You know she's strong. She will defeat him." Gesturing for her sister to get up and try to walk a few steps, the priestess stepped back. "And then ... she will come back."

Lightning nodded as she walked a few steps. It still hurt, but with her sister's healing skills and experience with tending to even the deepest wounds, she knew she would be alright again in no time. However, she did not feel nearly as certain about Fang. She knew her secret lover was a strong mage, but Barthandelus wasn't to be underestimated either. And she knew too well that her younger sister could be a tad bit too optimistic at times.

Serah watched Lightning walk a few steps. It looked good. Nodding, she patted the paladin on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, sis. Fang will come back."

Still, Lightning couldn't cast off that sense of foreboding as the sisters made their way out of the sick chamber and through the castle. She just had that feeling something was not right with Fang.