I'd like to apologise, once again, for lateness. I actually did something stupid and went on a hiatus without informing anyone... I'm so sorry. The thing was that I had exams and work, not to mention I was having both emotional and family problems. I lost the will to write for a long time, and then suddenly out of nowhere it all flew back to me today after several days of my girlfriend poking me with a virtual stick and holding a Lucozade-flavoured carrot in front of my face.

I promise; I will try to update this faster. We're getting near the end. Also, I'm going to do something I've never done before to show you I'm serious and RESPOND to reviews. I know, crazy stuff huh.

Arkee: I know, I love Iris too. It's a shame that they really didn't develop her character more in the game or her past. Thanks for the review and I hope you keep watching this story to see what happens.

MammonDaughter: Thank YOU for that, actually. I really wanted to portray how Heath felt and I really wanted to make it heart-wrenching. This scene makes me cry when I see it, no matter how many times I play the game. I love it. Thank you so much for continuous reviews and inspiration you gave me from your other story, even if it did go away.

TinyPalm: Sorry, I can't spoil anything, but I will let you know that Iris does have an effect on Heath after her death, so do keep reading to see what happens. Also, Heath's little scheme? Come on, we all know Andre's daft and Heath totally owns him, right?

EveryDei: I get your point with the song listings. The reason I write them down at the end is actually a flaw of my own; after I write it, I review the chapter in my head whilst playing the song on my DS to see where that song may match or what part of the game would suit a song. I'll try to do your suggestion this chapter. As for free time, I have a lot of that. The only thing I lack is self-confidence and motivation, as well as having family problems. But I'll try to keep at it. Glad you like it.

Lynchly: Thank you. Simple compliments like that don't add anything, but also don't take anything away; it simply lets me know you're a fan. Thank you, and keep tuned.

Crash: Yeah, your reaction is pretty much the same as my girlfriend's one. This story isn't dead, I've just had problems at home so don't press the "panic/eject" button just yet, hahaha.

Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed... and now, without further delay (we've had enough of that already, heh), Chapter four!

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Withered Petals

-/-/-/-/-/-

The next few days were simply a blur to me, distant memories forgotten in my grief. I found out that the two new witches were Claire, the leader of the witches and the thunder witch, and to my amazement, Cecille, the once-priestess. Apparently, Cecille was the "Twilight Witch" and had gone to aid us to prepare us for fighting God, even at such a young age. Also, Leon had not died as I'd thought; he had gone off to fight Sir Andre to avenge his father, the famous "Lion King". At least knowing that they were okay was a weight off of my shoulders.

Many things had happened to them since I had left them. The Nature, Sky and Torrent witches had all joined their ranks – Mavi, Vivi and Mel respectively – and the Witch of Immolation seemed, although reckless, to be fighting for a similar cause as the Witches. Although I was not totally convinced by this, it seemed at least a bit logical. Still, I was a little sceptical. Also, Alph and Lucia had formed some "bond" between a witch and a "Rym". When I asked what a Rym was, they simply told me that Alph was a dragon, which is what a Rym is. I was completely baffled, but they said they'd explain it all at a later date, so I accepted it as it was, no matter how bizarre it sounded.

Although I thought these things, I didn't really take anything in. Iris had gone and that was all that mattered to me right now. The cute girl I had found in a field of flowers was now somewhere just as peaceful... somewhere she could finally rest with no worry of pain or strife.

(Music: "The Tension", game track 09)

We had proceeded to the Gates blocking the port to the main capital of San Reise. As I had heard, Andre and the Black Star squad were there defending the gates. Amazingly, we found Leon also there, on the verge of battling Sir Andre. Alph, the others and I all ran to back him up, and for once, I was glad for something to do to take my mind off of Iris' death.

Besides, Andre was one of the few people who I wanted out of the way... to get to Kingston at least.

"Leon!" Alph yelled, attracting everyone's attention as we hurried forward. The red-headed soldier looked generally surprised with our approach, especially when he saw what a large group we had become.

"Alph? Everyone!" He exclaimed, forgetting about Andre for a moment and running back towards us. I caught up and gave him a smile, generally glad that he was safe and that Andre hadn't done something terrible to him.

"You take care of Andre, Leon. We'll take care of the rest," I informed him, drawing my spear and facing down the huge number of soldiers standing before us.

"S-Sir Heath!"

"Gah!" Andre spat on the floor in front of him angrily; "I knew you'd betray us eventually... 'Arc Knight'!"

"I can't be a part of the Church's evil deeds!" I retorted, pointing my spear at him angrily; "I will fight against the church under the flag of justice!"

"You're a fool!" Andre yelled angrily, flexing his armoured muscles for an attempt at intimidation; "Justice lies with God! Our God Zaheal, who will be reincarnated very soon!"

"It's as I thought..." Cecille whispered, her voice full of worry; "God will be reborn soon..."

"You people are mere INSECTS compared to God!" Andre yelled, glaring at us; "And God has no time to waste on puny bugs like you... I'll crush you all!" He drew his sheathed sword from his belt in a vain attempt at brandishing it at us; "With my Regulus Heart!"

"Geez..." Leon gave a loud sigh, rolling his eyes, "Why do you bother fighting with a sword that's stuck in its scabbard?"

"Grrraaaaaah!" Andre yelled angrily, his fists flailing. He looked like a giant armoured gorilla having a tantrum, and despite making him look severely stupid, it did nothing for his temper; "You'll all pay for mocking me!" With this, he gave a loud whistle; "Crow Knights! Black Stars! To me!"

"Yes sir!" A soldier replied, running up with several other soldiers behind him. All of them looked pretty menacing, and Andre grinned wildly.

"The Black Stars are the best of the best in the Crow Knight ranks. All of them have a thirst for blood; they would put the most feral fiend to shame..." He grinned wildly, and a deep, maniacal laughter rose out of his helmet, his eyes wide with rage and bloodlust.

"When they're through with you, there'll be nothing left... but your screams..." He pointed forward and down at the group; "ATTAAAAAAAAACK!"

I remember very little about the battle. I do, however, remember the ending. We had all battled ferociously, side-by-side, like a team. Although the Black Stars were strong, they really weren't very organised and they had no healers, unlike our group. We kept close together and kept our guard up as Leon got close to have a personal battle with Andre. As Kai and I felled the last of the Black Stars, we all heard a shout from near the gate.

"GAAAH! Y-YOU... TRAITORS!"

As we turned, I saw a sight that half pleased me, half shocked me. Andre was pinned with his back to the gate bars, the Regulus Heart by his feet having been knocked aside. Leon was in front of him, fury in his eyes and ice in his voice...

...a foot of his six-foot sword was sticking clean out of Andre's back. The blade had been forced forward so hard that it had cut through the grade A armour like a knife through butter.

"Don't lecture me, you hypocrite!" Leon yelled into Andre's face as the older man wheezed in pain, "You're the one who betrayed my father!"

"Hmph... that's true—" Andre suddenly coughed, blood spilling from his mouth; "I guess... I've lost... b-but... even if I die now... the ritual to revive God has..." he gave a weak cough and closed his eyes.

"...begun already... you cannot... stop... it... uuuuuugh..." With that, Andre finally slumped forward, his body limp and falling to the floor at the foot of the gates. Leon stared down at the body of the man who betrayed his father as we all hurried up behind him.

"Nice job Leon!" Theo called out. Leon looked back with a smile before turning back and yanking his sword out of Andre's chest.

"Father... I have avenged you."

"It's finally over, Leon!" Alph smiled. The two close friends walked up and embraced in a hug, and I couldn't help but feel a smile make its way across my lips. At least that was over... and Leon was back with the group.

"Yeah... I know. Thanks guys."

"That was splendid work, Leon!" I commended, walking up and for the first time, shaking his hand like a fellow soldier and not a teacher and pupil. Leon's face beamed with my approval and I returned the smile as best I could.

"Thank you very much Sir Heath... I'm kind of surprised to see you here with Alph, though."

"I had to split up from you all to investigate the Church myself," I replied, laying a hand on his shoulder; "And now... I'm going to avenge Iris."

"Iris...?" Leon looked a little lost, and I sighed slightly. I would have to explain to him later.

However, seeing Leon here defeating Sir Andre gave me new hope. Hope that I, too, could avenge someone close to me who had fallen from injustice. Just like Leon's father had been betrayed, Iris had been lied to and betrayed by the Church that I had served. And now, like Leon, I was going to pay them back for what they did.

Next... it was Kingston's turn.

-/-/-/-/-

(Music: "Failing to redeem the sin", Game Track 34)

We took a boat and headed to San Reise, the holy capital. The capital is situated on an island between the two continents and can only be reached by sea, making its defences very tight. However, now with the gate unguarded, we were able to get inside the main walls and to the main church in the centre of the city.

As we got close, however, it was evident that a battle was already going on. Approaching, every single one of us was surprised to see Vanessa, the Witch of Immolation, fighting against the guards at the front of the church. After the witches had a bit of a dispute, the entire group began to fight as one against the guards. I fought as hard as I could, knowing that Kingston had to be inside the Church, as well as the angel, Provost Hugo and the Grand Cardinal himself, the one who would re-awaken God.

If I got rid of them, then Iris' death wouldn't have been in vain.

Once the last guard was taken care of, we rushed the church, Vanessa not even forming a plan and just throwing some form of fiery projectile that she called a "firework" to blast the door clean off its hinges, sending it crashing to the ground. As we made our way further in, I could see a few unmistakable figures further ahead.

"There they are!" Leon yelled angrily, pointing toward them. As the two figures turned, I could make out the Cardinal's sneering face and the young, innocent face of the young Grand Cardinal. All this evil... it was amazing to believe he was barely older than Theo.

"It's Kingston! And Grand Cardinal Johannes!"

"The unstable angel is here as well..." Saki observed, seeing the angel leaning back against the altar a few feet away. As she said this, the angel got up and flew over, landing near us with her annoying high-pitched laugh.

"Like, WHOAH. You cuties all look, like, so steamed!" She giggled, grinning at us; "Like, y'know? What's the problem?"

"Where the hell are the palace guards?" Kingston growled angrily, looking around furiously. As if to make a response to his question, Leon began to whistle loudly and pointedly in a mindless tune as he sheathed the blood-stained Regulus Heart back into its scabbard.

"Vacation." Was his single response.

"Hello everyone," Everyone turned their head to see the Grand Cardinal, Johannes, standing a few feet away. I knew he was the root of all of this evil... but I couldn't bring myself to harm a small child.

"G-Grand Cardinal Johannes?" Alph almost yelled, his jaw almost falling off in the process. The Grand Cardinal nodded, straightening his robes out with a smile.

"I'd extend a warm welcome to you all, but unfortunately, I do not have the time for that." The Grand Cardinal spoke in an innocent, kind voice that betrayed every inch of what he was about to do.

"Cutie little Johannes here's gonna, like, become one with Master God!" Priel cried. Several gasps of shock and outrage ran through the Witches and Fatal Hounds. I, too, was shocked. Reviving him was bad enough, but becoming ONE with him?

"Kingston, deal with them." Johannes nodded, turning and beginning to walk away with Priel, the angel. Kingston nodded standing and blocking our path to them.

"Yes... your Holiness."

"Goodbye, everyone!" Johannes gave us all a cheery wave before disappearing into the next chamber.

"Wait Johannes—" Alph began to run after him, but Kingston blocked his path, holding a large staff out towards him; "Hey!"

"And just where do you think YOU'RE going? I have prepared my latest and GREATEST weapon, in case you interrupted us... come!"

(Music: "Red Temple", Game Track 10)

With that, the wall gave a loud crash and out came... I wasn't sure. It was some sort of huge, metal object that seemed to move on its own, a monster made of steel, spare parts and what appeared to be a huge sort of electrical generator on the top. As we watched, Kingston took the Water Lapistier from his pocket and put it inside the machine, causing it to start up and aim directly at us.

"MOVE!" Kai yelled, and the entire group split as a blast of energy shot toward us, creating a huge crater where we had all just been standing. Leon spun on his foot, drawing his sword again to face the giant machine, which was now charging a second shot.

"What the hell is that?"

"Some kind of machine...?" Kai muttered, unsheathing his own blade. Kingston gave a hollow chuckle and a dark growl as he patted the giant machine.

"Are you surprised?" Kingston sneered as we were all forced to avoid a second blast from the giant cannon; "This Runic Weapon was made using the information we got when we created Iris!"

"Created..." My fist clenched angrily at the word; "Created...? You little—"

"Take a look," Kingston continued, showing us a glass screen on the front of the machine; "The Water Lapistier. Simply inserting it into the machine's body gives it a huge power boost thanks to the power enhancer installed inside it. Very similar to Iris... however this one will not be a failure. That girl was nothing compared to this marvellous machine, even with the Thunder Lapistier..."

"Shut up..." I felt my fists tighten and the hand holding my spear was so tight that I could feel the metal almost bending under the pressure. Kai had a similar expression on his face as to what I probably had, and the two of us locked eyes briefly, knowing we shared the same feelings.

"That low-rated insignificant tin-can was nothing! Nothing at all compared to this robot, the Runic Engine! The power of this far surpasses Iris—"

"Shut up..." I said aloud now, the words coming through gritted teeth. This man... no... this MONSTER... claimed to have CREATED Iris? To use and discard her like a small toy meant for the trash? A human life toyed and destroyed so callously... it made my blood boil. Some of the other members of the group also heard me, shooting looks at me; a few of them seemed a bit worried, especially Alph and the other children who had never seen me act this way before.

"—and proves that this machine is far superior to that of that stupid Steel Witch, and it will not relent its attacks until it has obliterated all of its enemies! You have no chance of surviving this!" He turned away, laughing as he took a few steps towards the door the monstrous machine was guarding; "Before you can even think about reaching the Grand Cardinal, you have to get through this wonderful piece of killer machine! I wait to see you suffer..."

"What a terrible misuse of science..." Nikolai muttered, readying his crossbow; "I hate to destroy such amazing machinery, but... well, it attacked first. Not to mention it's also threatening my lovely witches! I cannot allow that!"

"We don't have time to play with Kingston's new toy!" Lucia yelled angrily, a ball of light energy appearing in her hands; "Let's get rid of this thing and stop Johannes!"

"Get rid of it? Really?" Kingston sneered; "You may have defeated the Steel Witch, but you will not defeat the Runic Engine! Compared to this, Iris was a speck of dust; a mere insect and something that made no difference to anyone whether she lived or died."

At that point, I lost all control of myself. With a yell, I broke free of the group and charged the machine. Several of the others cried out, and I head Kai call my name out, but I didn't care. Kingston had done it this time and I wasn't going to forgive him. Every bit of anger and hatred I had towards him came free of my heart right then as I charged the robot headlong. The thing was at least seven times my own size, but I had a pretty good idea of how to stop it. Kingston reeled away in shock as the huge robot swung an arm around to punch me away, but I had expected a close-ranged attack like this as well. Yelling angrily, I grabbed onto the swinging arm and hoisted myself up and over, the momentum of my prior jump sending me soaring over the top of the Runic Engine. Kingston's face turned from shock to a mix of pure fear and absolute astonishment as I spun around, driving my foot into the top of Kingston's head. The old man cried out, staggering back and putting his arms over his bald head, the force of the kick having knocked his hat off. The control for the robot was still in his hand, but I wasn't aiming for that.

"This thing will never be better than Iris! How DARE YOU!" I demanded furiously; "Iris meant more to the planet than just some piece of junk! She was my closest friend and you TOOK her mercilessly! How can you call yourself better than any of the monsters you claim to purge?" I raised my spear above my head, ready to drive it down; "You'll pay for ruining MY LIFE AND HERS!"

"A-Arc Knight! You'd kill your own Cardinal? The one you serve?"

"I serve you no longer!" I yelled, my spear ready to drive down into his chest; "This isn't for me! This is for Iris and all of the pain you put her through!" The spear began to arc down towards Kingston, almost in slow motion.

Without warning, something bright white shone brightly throughout the room. I was blinded momentarily, my eyes squinting in the sudden harshness of the light. Unable to see, I yelled out in frustration, but something stopped me mid-yell. It was something so surprising that not even I could see it coming.

(Music: "Prayer", Game Track 14)

The light faded to reveal a large open clearing; green, green grass surrounded me on all sides as far as the eye could see. My grip loosened a little on my spear that was still above my head as I slowly turned around, surveying the landscape.

'What... happened?' I asked myself, worry seeping into my skin; 'was I teleported here? ...The others! Are they okay?'

A small twinkle in the grass caught my attention. Moving a little closer, I was surprised to see a single, solitary flower growing in this vast landscape of grass. It was a bizarre flower; large, completely white petals were blossoming from the top of the flower. Just beneath them, a little difficult to see, were smaller petals of a strange shade of purple near the stem, but slowly bloomed into silver at the ends. Its large leaves and enormous flower swayed despite there being no wind, and the centre of the flower was a rich, metallic purple... a purple that reminded me strangely of...

...Iris.

Reaching out gently, I touched one of the petals on the flower. It seemed to respond to my touch, and the petal wobbled a little. As it did, I suddenly felt something... different about me. Something wasn't quite right, but... not in a bad way. I felt my spirits lift all of a sudden, and suddenly from nowhere, I heard a voice, clear as day. The voice ripped through the sky literally, the clouds parting and a sudden sucking sensation dragging me back to where I was meant to be. The voice rang out in my head as I suddenly found myself away from that strange flower.

"Heath, behind you!"

Without even thinking, I whirled around and struck my spear out forward, the tip of my spear impacting into something and driving into it. I heard the sound of smashing glass and a loud whirring noise before I suddenly realised where I was.

I was back in the church's main lobby. There was absolute silence in the room as I slowly took in my surroundings. The Witches and Fatal Hounds were staring at me as if they had never met me before. Kingston was now standing up, having backed up against the wall, a look of utter terror and amazement on his face. The robot was standing in front of me, motionless.

My spear was jammed into the robot, the end of it lodged in there tightly. The force had smashed the glass containing the Water Lapistier, which had bounced away from the machine and now lay still next to Kingston's feet. Slowly, with a loud groan of metal, the metallic beast leaned ominously before toppling forward, crashing onto the marble steps and breaking into pieces. Slowly, I walked forward and gave a heave, my spear coming clean of the robot's back and returning to my hands. The spear itself had changed too; now not an average looking attack weapon, it had become a long, pointed arrowhead shape, bright silver in colour. The handle of the spear was now a vivid metallic purple, and the tassel at the foot of the handle now had white petals strewn down it. Strangely, it resembled the flower that I'd seen only moments ago, and the white and silver-purple petals lining the point at where the handle met the metal blade made sure of that idea.

What was even stranger was that... I felt surprisingly calm. I didn't feel angry or resentful... I just felt... calm. Turning, I levelled my gaze with Kingston, who was staring at me in shock.

"...Not even..." he breathed, his eyes wide; "n-not even my Runic Engine could beat you..."

I scoffed a little, my gaze never leaving him; "Do you think a silly toy like that is any match for a human life? Thoughts, feelings, emotions and will are all stronger than stupid microchips and circuitry."

"B-but..."

"That's why Iris is superior to that machine. Iris was a girl. A human girl... thoughts, emotions, a spirit and a will to live. She could have chosen to give up at any time, she could have chosen to just sit and take orders... but she didn't. She did everything she could to make sure both she – and I – were happy. Iris meant the world to me, and you took her from this planet..." My spear rose again; "...and that is why I won't let you ever get away from me again or hide behind one of your cold-hearted experiments."

"Sir Heath...!" I heard Alph's voice as the rest of the group came up behind me; "That... was incredible!"

"Heath..." Kai's voice trailed to my ear, and I suddenly found myself losing concentration; "Are you alright? You don't look too well."

"And on this note, I'll take the Water Lapistier and make my exit!" Kingston suddenly snatched up the Water Lapistier, dashing for the door; "Escape route!"

"Wha-? HEY!" Alph yelled, and the rest of the group began to hurry after him as he ran to the door; "Get back here!"

I tried to follow, but my legs wouldn't obey me. I simply staggered forward a few feet before collapsing in complete and sudden exhaustion. As I fell, my vision began to leave me but I caught sight of something that made me smile.

I saw a pair of bright blue, metallic eyes that were framed by purple hair and a mechanical crown. It was only then that I realised who had shouted to me, but as soon as I saw the face, I blacked out, only remembering to manage to say one word.

"...Iris..."

-/-/-/-/-/-

Again, such an apology for the lateness. I've been in a real down spot, but I'm starting to slowly pick up now thanks to my girlfriend. I can't promise when the next chapter will be, but... I can promise two things;

One, it will be good. I'm gonna skip a little bit of the story too just to get closer to the part I actually want to get to, but it will be worth it, I promise.

Two, we're nearing the end. I intended this to only be four chapters or so, but it ended up being more. It looks like this will be six or seven chapters, but we're definitely over the halfway point in my eyes.

As you can see, I kind of skimmed over a few parts like the battle against the Runic Engine and Leon fighting Andre. That's because I wanted to focus more on plot and focus on battles that are really important... like the one in the next chapter.

I want to thank you all for sticking with me through this, and I want you all to know that despite not being around, getting reviews for this actually perked me up during my downtime and made me less reluctant to get back to writing. A special thank you to all of you who read this.

Stay tuned for Withered Petals chapter five.

+Regii the Lunar Wolf+