The red orange flames shot towards the inky black sky. The brilliant stars that were usually scattered in the thick blanket of night above were veiled by choking swirls of smoke. The sea breeze whipped through the fires, sending them higher as the salty tang of ocean faded into the burning smell of charred wood and decaying flesh and rusty blood. Screams bled through the air as silhouettes streamed through the streets and children and adults alike cried for their mothers.

Mother

Mama

Mom

Mommy!

Armor glinted in the chaos and clangs overpowered the fires roar. Soldier and civilian alike fell dead in the streets as people leaped over their bodies, or sobbed brokenly on torn chests. Flashes of colors were visible above as they hovered in the air, searching for the cause…the culprit…the man.

But it was just a blur to her-a blur of color and death and destruction. She didn't see the dying fighters or the screaming people. Her eyes were riveted on the building in front of her as fire crept up the side of the timber. It hadn't even been painted yet and now it was becoming a charred ruin.

Everywhere…It's everywhere. The flames. They burn…they burn forevermore.

"Move!" shouted a young teen, racing out of the building before her, closely followed by a girl of the same age. Ash covered their faces and their exposed skin was dotted with burns. The fire roared in triumph as the second story collapsed. Wood groaned as the building sagged sideways. Arms clutched at her legs and wrists, trying to restrain her.

NO! The word, so desperate in her mind tore achingly from her throat as she threw off her captors and raced for the building. They're still in there!

An echoing crack stopped her in her tracks as a flaming piece of wood broke from its backing and plunged toward her. She screamed and threw her hands up, as though hoping to block the beam.

Something streaked from the inferno and caught her around the chest. She flew through the air and crashed to the ground, or rather, crashed into her savior's chest as he crashed to the ground.

His red-brown eyes snapped open as the two year old in his arms wailed. Her brown eyes met his as she lifted the girl from his arms and shushed her tears. Behind them, the school/daycare collapsed, but it did not matter. Before them, soldiers were fleeing and around them, people were gathering.

She closed her eyes, feeling the auras. Angels…Humans…Half-elves…heroes…all too weak to stop this.

A young woman, heavy with child, stepped forward as the ocean wind parted the billowing smoke, revealing a shadowed figure, spiky hair billowing in the breeze.

"Lloyd!"

The child sprang from her mother's arms and rushed towards Lloyd. Lloyd half-turned his head towards her shout, as though wary of who might be calling him. He caught sight of her and turned his body, scooping her up into his arms and holding her tightly.

Then, the girl shrieked.

"Uncle Regal!"

Two bodies, one on top of the other, lay on the ground. A boy collapsed to his knees and pushed the body on top away before collapsing on the other man's chest, "Father…"

Lloyd covered the girl's eyes and stepped away from the broken body of his comrade and the fallen body of his foe…but not before wrenching a sword from his heart his friend and jamming it back into a sheath.

"Lloyd! What's wrong with Uncle Regal?"

No one else moved, their eyes riveted on the body of Regal Bryant. He's…dead…at Lloyd's hand. But how…why…what has happened?

"Listen to me, Mitsukai Martel Aurion," Lloyd said softly. "I must leave."

"No!" Mitsukai cried. "No, big brother! Don't go."

"I love you Suki," Lloyd said. "I need you to take care of Colette's baby when it comes, ok?"

"But why?" Suki asked.

"Because it may be a long time before I come back," Lloyd said, his throat tightening.

"More than ten minutes?" Suki asked.

"A lot more," Lloyd said, a smile lightening his blood-splattered face.

"I wish it was not more," Suki said, sighing as she had seen grown-ups do. Lloyd chuckled, a tear slipping down his cheek.

"You know what I wish, Suki?" Suki shook her head. "If I had one wish…I'd wish you wouldn't be like me…" Suki looked confused. Lloyd ruffled her hair. "Promise me you'll protect Colette's baby?"

"I promise!" Suki sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "Promise you'll come back?"

"Someday Suks…someday." Lloyd put his sister down and kissed her forehead. He lifted his face to his comrades and family, looking directly at all of them before resting his eyes on Colette.

"They won't hunt you any more," he said. "Not so long as I am gone."

"No!" Colette screamed stepping forward.

Lloyd drew his sword and pointed it at her, his eyes mad. "Stay back. All of you! I'll…I'll do it. I swear to God!"

"Lloyd!" Genis and shouted.

"What are you doing? What are you saying?" Sheena demanded, pushing her nearly two-year old twin son's behind her and Zelos.

"Something's wrong," muttered Yuan. "His mana signature is warped. Like…Mithos's."

"But how?" Presea asked. "Is it because…"

"Regal…" Raine gasped, tears running down her face as she clutched her two-year-old daughter tight. "He's…he's killed Regal. Regal and Castagnier and the Vanguard."

"No," Zelos muttered. "No! Lloyd! What the Hell is going on!"

"Don't you follow me," he hissed. "Goodbye!"

A great set of wings unfurled from his back. Where once they were blue and green…now streaks of red and black mixed in with the colors, matching his new aura.

"No!" Colette howled as he rose in the air. "Lloyd!"

"Stop him!" Yuan shouted shoving the man in front of him. "Do it now, Kratos, before he's gone because I swear to you, you will not get him back!"

Kratos looked at the woman by his side, her pale, heart-shaped face dead and lifeless in the flickering glow. "Anna…"

Without warning, wings exploded from Anna's back. The black feathers, border in blue, glittered, surrounding the swirls of red, pink, blue, orange, yellow, indigo, purple, and green as she took the sky racing for her son.

The air around Lloyd shimmered as his brown eyes met their match. "Gomen…"

Anna's hand clenched around empty air. "Lloyd! Lloyd! NO!"

She furled her wings and dropped, Kratos catching her just before she hit the ground.

"Burning…" Anna moaned. "Burning…Burned…Going…Gone…"

This was so intense to write, I didn't want to start your reading of it with an author's note.

Gomen is Japanese for Sorry.

So, as you can see, I decided to do a sequel to Mirror Image after all. It'll be a long while before it's updated. I want to see how this is received. But if y'all like it, then I'll be rolling with it. It'd be a good idea to read the prequel. Only if you want to know what the heck is going on though.

So basically, what's going on here is the Purge of Blood from Tales of Symphonia 2: Knight of Ratatosk/Dawn of the New World. Which, by the way, is scheduled to be released in Japan on April 24th, 2008, and North America in Fall 2008. –does a happy dance-

But anyway, don't worry: I'm not writing my own version of/following the game sequel. I'm doing my own thing.

REVIEW!