A rope of silver was tied around her arm. She was standing inside the Silver Ray, the hurtful weapon that had killed many. Because of the terror it had caused she was about to put an end to it.

Her father had created it, and she believed it was her responsibility to destroy it. The ship was the last thing that had reminded her of her father's love. He had been taken away by the government and killed for a crime he didn't commit. She was left on the streets with nothing, not even a penny to her name.

She and her father had been very poor, their only source of money her father's silver puppet shows. With nothing left, her heart turned black and she longed to take revenge on the king who had killed her father.

A man named Gale Raregroove had given her that power that she had desired. It filled her mind and thoughts. With the evil within her, she murdered the heartless king and gained her revenge.

The evil grew stronger and stronger and soon she found herself killing more people.

She had teamed up with one of her enemies to defeat the ultimate evil. They had destroyed their opponent, but the self-destruction of her father's creation had been set and would go off any minute.

Here she stood, ready to use the Silver Claiming technique called Silver Bonds. She had used it once with this man she had befriended and they had become stronger. It bonded them not physically, but mentally. Through using this, their feelings for each other had grown stronger.

She gazed down at the sea below, her fellow Silver Claimer treading in the water. His tears were visible to her, and her own fell to the floor of the damaged ship.

She had convinced him that she needed to die with her father's creation, but he had protested. He wanted to sacrifice his life to save the world with her. Both of them knew that this wasn't possible. The world needed him, as much as he needed her.

She felt his power climb up the silver rope and into her body. Tears trickled down her face as she took one last look at the man she loved. Last minute thoughts had rushed through her mind.

'Father, what do you think would happen if I'd met him earlier? Life would be much different now. I'm sure we wouldn't always agree, but I don't think we'd mind. He is a flirt but I don't think he'd cheat on me. If we'd married and had children . . . we'd be so happy. Me living a normal life, imagine that.

"Musica, goodbye."

------

'In the south you will be presented with two critical choices. When that comes, whichever you choose will have immense consequences for the rest of your life.'

Did I do the right thing?

A river of tears poured down Musica's cheeks as the remains of the Silver Ray fell into the water. Her painful words rang through his ears. Smoke spread across the sky, blocking out the sun.

It was all the Onigami's fault. She'd still be here if it weren't for them. Ogre could've stopped it. He knew there was no way to stop the Silver Ray's self destruction, but still he went through with it.

'I'm happy to have loved another person before I die.' The words repeated themselves over and over again. Her last thoughts filled his mind. 'Father, what do you think would happen if I'd met him earlier? Life would be much different now. I'm sure we wouldn't always agree, but I don't think we'd mind. He is a flirt but I don't think he'd cheat on me. If we'd married and had children . . . we'd be so happy. Me living a normal life, imagine that.

She loved him. The more he though about her, the better he felt. He loved her too, and it was good that she got the chance to know before . . . before . . .

The thief shook the thought out of his head. She wasn't dead. He could still feel her. He was still in denial, even though he had seen her die.

One thing he wasn't expecting though was the kiss.

The kiss . . .wow, I can even mack on the evil ladies too. But Reina wasn't all bad. She gave up the last trace of her father so that I could help save the world. She knew that it was important for the Silver Ray to be destroyed.

Watching her demolish her father's creation that had been misused made me understand her more. If it wasn't for the disappearance of the ship, she'd be living with her father right now, with the ship still in their possession.

I would've given anything to see her happy again. He looked down at his hands, seeing the burns that Ogre's alchemy had left. So, maybe in the end she was happy. Reina loved her father, and her being able to clear his name must've been her last wish, and she got it.

Musica touched his lips, and realized he was smiling. He looked up, knowing that he'd fight longer and harder for her. And with his new Gold Claiming abilities, who knew what he could do now.

If he gave just a little more than he did with silver, he could easily become a Gold Claimer. Rize would've wanted that. For me to go as far as I could, doing good along the way was his wish. Well, I kept my promise; the Silver Ray is in a million pieces now.

His feet were kicking wildly, trying to keep his head above the water. He swam to shore, sand covering his soaked body. A mixture of water and tears ran down his face as Musica tried to catch his second wind.

I wonder how Haru and Elie are doing. He remembered another promise he had made to his friends. He swore he would help defeat Demon Card, even if he had to lay his life on the line. Reina did that, and I'm willing to give up everything too, if it means peace.

He trudged through the hot sand, and began the long journey to find his friends. He looked up, just one more time. He saw an object similar to a spear. It gained speed as it plunged to the earth.

It pierced the ground in front of him, as he stood bewildered. Musica reached to touch it, when he heard her voice.

"A weapon has been destroyed . . . a sacred artifact has been born. Musica . . . you have the right to wield this. This spear carries my father's ideals and my spirit. You've destroyed the Silver Ray and fulfilled your oath to your master. This is not a weapon . . . this is an instrument filled with hope. Your master would not have wanted you to destroy this. The ocean rending silver spear, Silver Ray. I want you to use it to bring peace and love to this world."

A feeling of warmth came over him, as he felt her last embrace. He wiped the last of his tears away, as he gazed at the shining sky. Reina's spirit drifted off, leaving him standing alone.

He gripped the silver spear, feeling the cold of the metal. His fingers ran across the edges and curves of its fine design. A smile tugged at his lips.

"Reina, you're pretty tough. If you're gonna keep fighting even after death, we'll fight together."

He could feel her power surging through his body as well as his own. He lifted the spear towards the sky. No matter what happened, he would fight, not just for himself alone, for his friends, for Reina, and for the entire world.

For he knew that the weight of the world was resting heavily on his shoulders. He clenched the spear tighter and thought of Reina's smiling face. He could feel her spirit combining with his own. Suddenly, his burden didn't feel so heavy anymore when Reina was at his side.