The wind had ripped through the city, the bridges had been torn up, but the people were safe. Eyes closed as the young man took a shallow breath. Valhalla had appeared, and fear spread through the people. It was obvious in the way they looked, the eyes wide in terror. He understood fear better than many.

His eyes opened again and Hope stood from the computer terminal. "Noel, what has happened here?"

Hope didn't need to turn around, somehow he knew that Noel was there, watching him.

"When Caius was killed the goddess died along with him and chaos infected the world. Something changed..."

Hands folded as Hope stared forward and rested his head upon them. They had thought that stopping Caius would return everything to the way it was meant to be, that there would be no more paradoxes, and Light would return.

Sazh was here in this time, Snow might make it someday too, and maybe they would discover a way to get Fang and Vanille back. With Light they would be all together again, just like the old days. Back when they could only count on each other, declared enemies of all of Cocoon.

No, only Sazh was there, and the feeling of loneliness encompassed him. He had fought so long and so hard for this moment, and everything was wrong. Hope hadn't been trying to make it to the top but he had, alone he had emerged above his peers, so many of them far older than him. He had just worked harder.

"Director!"

Noel turned and Hope stood and turned towards the man who spoke to him. "What is it?"

"There has been an energy influx visible from Pulse, request to send a troop to investigate."

Pulse... Hope still remembered his first visit to the wild planet. After the travel through the Fifth Ark their only chance had been to escape to the world below. It was where Alexander had come to him.

He held up a hand and shook his head. "I will attend to this myself. Contact one of the soldiers to accompany Noel and myself down to the surface."

Would there even be anything left? He had never called Pulse home, he had returned to Cocoon after the war finally ended and his father had begun work. It was only a matter of years before he had pushed himself into the Academy.

It was all he could do. He wasn't like Snow, it wasn't his place to battle mindlessly. No, he had been brilliant even in the beginning and he had used what was made available to him. All that had mattered was that he pushed himself until finally he had what it took to save Light, Fang, and Vanille.

Noel frowned for a moment as he watched Hope's back. "It's going to be dangerous... are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I was fourteen when I became a Pulse L'cie, danger is not something I fear."

The brunet gave him a look of doubt. Oh, he knew the story, he had traveled with Serah long enough. At that thought there was a reminder through pain in his heart. He had lost his friend, had lost Caius, had lost Yeul...

He hadn't been able to save anyone. "Just don't get yourself killed."

There was a sudden shallow laugh. "If it was that easy to kill me it would have made life easier for people in the past."

"You're not a L'cie anymore."

Hope's gaze flickered away as he turned away from Noel for a moment. "I felt weak, lost, Light wasn't there so I pushed myself. I learned and skipped several grades in school. I wanted to free her and Fang and Vanille, but one day the magic came back. Others were able to use it, and the feeling returned. I could use my magic again, just like the day I lost it."

Noel blinked and shifted his shoulders. "So you aren't just the brainy sort, you can do stuff in a fight."

"I promise, I won't slow you down."

The transport landed roughly upon the ground it shook slightly in the wind and Noel looked up towards the other two within the back. They both seemed calm, despite the force that buffeted the transport.

Noel kept his eyes on the director, his chin rested on folded hands. They were alike in a way, both so far from their homes, but unlike him Hope had others.

"The gates are gone, what could it be?"

A frown creased Hope's face as he shook his head. "I don't know, this mess may have opened something up, but it could be anything truly. With chaos unleashed on the worlds there is no way to accurately hypothesize what it could be without more information."

Noel nodded as he turned away from Hope and he stared to the side. Whatever happened, he had lost Serah, he couldn't stop her from dying just like he couldn't stop Yeul from dying. No matter what they did they lost in the end. There was nothing that could save the world now.

"Why are you still fighting Hope? The goddess is dead, Serah is dead, Lightning is gone, and Valhalla is in this world. There's nothing we can do to stop this."

"There is always hope Noel, you just need to find it. It was something I learned a lifetime ago. Light helped me learn it, no matter what the world threw at us we couldn't give in, and this is no different."

The transport shook as it finally came to a landing and Hope stood. He walked towards the door and the packs brushed slightly against his leg before he jumped down once the door was lowered. Hope's head was lifted as he glanced around and motioned to the pilot. "The energy surge is ahead, wait here for an hour or until it gets too dangerous, if we haven't reported anything in an hour we're probably dead!"

The transport landed on the ground though Noel could hear the yells of disagreement. Noel caught up to Hope. "What was all that about having hope?"

"I am also a realist, there are chances that what we find here may be something we are unprepared to face."

Noel whirled on him and grabbed Hope's shoulder, his grip tightened slightly at the realization that just like Snow the young man was rushing in, not knowing if he would survive the fight or not. In his mind one did not go into a fight they didn't know they could win. "You're their leader, how can you go without any thought as to the people? They look up to you, and if you die who will they have?"

"Noel... sometimes there are things more important than life. I have not been one to sit idly by while the world suffered. If I do not fight for the future and instead remain safe behind walls what does that tell the people? They want a leader they can look up to, one who puts themselves in the same danger as he puts them in. I cannot just sit back and allow others to die for me."

Noel stopped and lifted his hand away from his shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Instead he just closed it once again. He didn't know what to say to him, how to really say anything.

"We've wasted enough time with this argument," Hope interrupted his thoughts and Noel nodded. "Let's go," he stepped forward and his boots crunched against the ground underfoot. The chaos infected land did not resemble anything he had once known.

Noel stared at Hope's back before he walked towards him. His gaze flickered over towards the soldier to the other side of Hope but said nothing before he turned away. The wind whipped at his hair and then he froze as Hope reached back.

The boomerang was removed from its pouch and Hope flipped it open before he jerked his head to the side. "Take the rear, we can't allow anyone to escape."

Noel nodded and moved away from Hope. The dual blades were pulled from his back and he edged around the area. Even this far away he could feel the pulse of energy that emerged from the center, even as he struggled to see anything through the high winds and whipping sand.

He didn't like leaving Hope alone, but the director could take care of himself. He had to accept that the Academy wouldn't loose their leader, even if he wasn't there to protect him.

The familiar weight of his boomerang rested against his palm and Hope's eyes flickered around. He approached the source of the energy and then froze. Something didn't feel right, in fact it felt very wrong. There was a familiar sounding click and Hope turned. The boomerang was nearly released from his hand but froze when he saw the soldier that stood there, with his rifle pointed directly at him.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm saving us all! You'll destroy us, you hell spawned L'cie!"

Hope's body visibly tensed as the words were spat at him. L'cie... those days were long gone, but the sting was still there. He inhaled sharply and he took uneasy step back. He could cast a spell, but would it be fast enough?

"You're going to bring back the Fal'cie! Bring back Eden!"

"Why would I do that! Why do you ever think I would do that?" He couldn't contain it anymore. He could not remain silent with that accusation. "I know the evil of the Fal'cie and Eden. I fought and put my life at risk to serve the people of both Cocoon and Pulse. I would never wish the return of Eden, the same evil that destroyed so many lives, that myself and others fought so hard to defeat. But what would you know, you only know of the war. You never had to live through it, never lost anyone to it and the evil of the Fal'cie."

His mother... even now he wished he could bring her back. The pain was still there, but so was the knowledge that he could not go through time and stop her death. Even if he discovered a way another paradox would just be formed, more people would be hurt.

"It doesn't matter what you say, you're lying! He said you would say something like this, that you would destroy us!"

The man reached on shaky finger and tightened it around the trigger as Hope's hand moved forward. In an instant a funnel of air formed and slammed the man into the sky. He was thrown to the ground as the wind dissipated and fire exploded next and knocked the man back before it sizzled out.

He clawed at the ground and looked up, the fear written on his face. "You're... you're a monster."

"Nowadays normal people have magic, my own returned however it makes me no more a monster than any other. If you still desire this fight then pick up your weapon, but know this, I will battle you as I do my enemies."

The man's hands visibly shook as he aimed the gun once again and then lowered it. "Monsters like you... they don't die... so just leave! Return to the hell you came from!"

The magic continued to gather but Hope never had a chance to release his spell, the Last Resort spell. It was his, only his, a gift of power as a L'cie. He still had his powers, but Alexander was gone.

The energy spasmed and Hope felt his body hit a group of rocks. The explosion buffeted his body and seemed to swallow him. And then there was nothing.

~ Finis

Author's Note: This is the introduction to an rp forum currently we're looking for more members, and would welcome anyone who wishes to join.

.com