The unrest in Westreach had become almost palpable, and as Kanda followed Cross outside the estate, he could even feel the panic of the civilians brushing against his skin like a cold, slimy snake. The council had given the order to evacuate less than an hour ago, and already, the city was bursting with activity. He resolved to keep his nerve in check, even as he watched Link's soldiers run past carrying children or elderly, some whom were protesting their relocation. In fact, the more he observed the busy street, the more he noticed that there appeared to be more soldiers present than civilians.

"Your militia is present as well, is it not?" Cross asked, breaking his focus. Kanda nodded in response; indeed, they were. He'd given them sentinel duty in order to give Link's units full attention to the evacuation effort. The militia was posted around the perimeter. Their orders were to alert Howard Link should anybody or anything approach. It was all he could do to assist with the operation on a sweeping scale, and Link had eventually agreed to the assistance.

Cross lit up a cigarette as his own eyes scanned the wall surrounding the city. It was lined by the silhouettes of soldiers, looking like a mural against the orange sky. It was an odd sight because usually the guards posted there were few and far between, and were rarely even standing. But tonight, they were numerous, and on high alert. On the other side of the wall could be heard the desperate rabble of families climbing into the many caravans that had gathered to take them away. Kanda watched a child being carried away by her father, screaming that they had left their dog behind.

"Will they be safe?" Kanda wondered aloud. Cross looked down.

"Not unless we can kill the demon here," was his answer. Kanda looked over at the Magister, alarmed. Cross met his eyes levelly. "If we fail, it'll run rampant. These refugees may be his first target, and there is no question whether they would perish. And from there..." he trailed off, but his meaning was as clear as it was grim. They had no other choice. It must fall. Cross paused.

"Listen- you hear that?" he mumbled. Kanda strained his ears, not at all sure what he was listening for.

"Hear wh-!"

A rumbling sound was growing, and becoming louder by the second. The ground shook violently, sending both of the men to their knees.

"Earthquake?!" Kanda shouted. But they both knew it was no earthquake; that would be too convenient. Kanda heard the screams nearby, but in the confusion and the quickly spreading dust, he was unable to identify the source. The dust was rising in thick clouds, shrouding the sky. The screams were fainter, and, like the eerie fading of a piano string, they stopped. The rumble seemed to calm down, but now sounded closer to grinding dirt. Kanda picked himself up, coughing. The dust in the air was hard to breathe in, and he couldn't even open his eyes fully. He could make out others in his immediate area on the ground like he was, some standing and still attempting to escape the mess.

"Kid! You'd better get over here!" Cross shouted. With effort, he was able to stand, and walked in the direction of Cross's voice, shielding his face from the seemingly endless dust. He found himself stepping over debris on his way, and steeled himself for what he might find when he got there. But, try as he might, he wasn't prepared for what he did find.

They were standing at the mouth of a massive chasm. Half of Westreach was now swimming in an ever-growing sinkhole. Kanda felt sick when he realised that the screams he was listening to was the sounds of people dying, citizens, soldiers, and... and...

"Where is Lenalee?!" Kanda had never heard himself sounding more desperate.

"She was in the estate, she ought to have been evacuated," Cross said, but Kanda sensed the doubt and worry in his voice that told him he wasn't so sure. They weren't afforded any time to act, however, as the sinkhole began moving again. The debris shifted and swirled like a whirlpool. Houses, street, and foliage was dragged to the centre and pulled down, only to reemerge. The men both stepped back as something began to rise from the sinkhole. The debris that had only moments ago disappeared under the shifting dirt was now reforming into something else. Something almost humanoid.

"That son of a bitch," Cross snarled dangerously. "Go, find them," he ordered Kanda. Kanda stood, transfixed on the monster that was forming in the rubble and fresh carcasses of the city. It was sickening to watch, and he instinctively took a step back as the thing writhed in the centre of it all.

"Magister!" called a woman from across the chasm. They both searched through the dust, and found that another large beast was present. It was a white, furry primate larger than a man, and on its back was Magister Klaud. She'd survived, and they both knew what she was here to do. An understanding passed between the two, and Cross turned to address Kanda once more.

"We'll hold this thing off. Get out of here. Find the Lady, get her to safety," Cross instructed. The red-haired man turned, making a gesture in the air, and then leapt into the chasm, only to rise up again atop a bright blue disc. Klaud and her beast charged at the monstrosity, and as the sounds of their battle waged, Kanda backed up, knowing he would have to focus his energies elsewhere. This was not his battle. He felt the small bundle concealed on his waist bouncing against his hip, reminding him of its burdening presence. He knew he would need it, but his first priority was finding Lenalee. He prayed she was not in that sinkhole. The very thought of it chilled him to his bones. All he could cling to was a small, flickering hope, kindled only by his desire to see that demon fall.

As much as he insisted he was alright, Lenalee was fussing over his injuries nonstop while he pored through tome after tome. He knew there was something here. He'd read about it before, the words slipping through his brain without leaving a trace of meaning behind. He'd always been so interested in history and mystery, but discriminated between what he thought was real and pursuable and what was most certainly superstition. Now, he wished he hadn't. As recent events had proven to Lavi, the boundaries between fact and fiction were blurred and indiscernible. He felt a niggling regret for discarding his predecessor's instruction to simply study it all. He thought he was smarter than that old bat, choosing to spend his time pursuing new discoveries to add to his meaningful collection of decidedly real information. He wished he had the time now. He would study everything.

His mind ultimately returned to the idea that Allen had been a demon all along. He wondered how that could happen. The boy had shown him everything, and he could only assume his claim of being a former apprentice was true, or Cross wouldn't have acted in the way he did. Allen was different, somehow, than the others. Lavi was missing a piece of the puzzle, a piece he knew was there and yet he didn't. Schrodinger's cat was both a kid named Allen Walker and a timeless, inter-dimensional demon with multiple personalities. Lavi shut his tome hard, throwing it aside into a careless pile next to the window. Why did he care so much?

Lenalee was at his side again, another book in her hands. She had, at some point, taken a break from piddling with his dressings to help fetch books off of the cramped and dusty shelves. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head to look at her helplessly.

"Don't give up," she said, trying to encourage him. Lavi turned back toward the table, stacked with books he hadn't checked yet, and leaned back in the chair. It wasn't comfortable in the least, but he'd been so focused on scanning the fragile pages of all these useless books that he didn't even notice the ache forming in his back. Lenalee set the book down, and sat on the table in front of him. Now, taking up his entire line of vision, Lavi was forced to look at her full on.
"You didn't let me give up," she reminded him harshly, her finger held sternly in front of his face, "And don't tell me you don't remember. You remember everything. You're smart. You're determined. And sweet." Lenalee blushed faintly. Despite everything, Lavi smiled, and kissed her.

Lenalee was surprised, and almost stumbled from her perch. She had to lean down to kiss him, and the two became locked together so fiercely that Lavi managed to pull her from the table. She stumbled onto his lap, and while Lenalee absolutely flushed, Lavi was distracted by a thump on the floor. The book that Lenalee had brought over fell open to reveal a portrait of Mana. Lavi stared at it, squinting to read the words scrawled on the page.

"What is this? Where did you find it?" he asked, voice still straining. Lenalee was flustered, answering in broken sentences as she tried ignore the compromising position she was in.

"It's a biography of Mana, written by, I think, the Archivist at the time," Lenalee answered, "I was moving it out of the way, I saw a tome on-!"

"You're a bloody genius, Lenalee!" Lavi cheered, cupping her cheeks in between his hands and kissing her again. This time, Lenalee stood, red in the face, but utterly bewildered by Lavi's excitement. Lavi knelt to flip through the book, his energy almost intoxicating. He remained on the floor as he scanned the contents. If what he knew about his own bloodline was true, then the author of this biography ought to have some insight into how, exactly, Mana was able to banish Millennium in the first place. Lenalee stood nearby, almost seeming to hold her breath.

There were noises outside, and dust started falling from the ceiling. She looked up, growing nervous quickly.

"Lavi, I think..."

"Here it is," Lavi hissed, cutting her off. He read quickly, soaking up as much information as possible. Slowly, his excitement slowed. The sounds grew louder, and a few books started to fall off the shelves. Lenalee looked down at him intensely.

"Something is happening, we need to go," she said, meaning it this time. But Lavi couldn't peel himself from the book, his focus intense and his skin paling. "I said- let's go!" Lenalee forcefully dragged him from the book, just as the ceiling caved around them and crashed to the floor where Lavi had been only a moment ago. The floor rumbled again, this time sending violent tremors up and down their bones. They exited the archives in a hurry, only to be swept aside when a cart flew past them.

Lenalee was the first to stand, helping Lavi to his feet again. The horror in her eyes told all, as she watched her city mercilessly torn to pieces before her. She was transfixed as the brick and mortar upended itself and seemed to sink into the ground, swallowed into a vortex. Sobered, Lavi turned his gaze upward, taking in the scene. There was something forming ahead, a monster. He looked behind them, and narrowly avoided a clock that whirled past their heads, its hands ticking numbly in reverse. It was as if time itself had shattered as the ground behind them began to shimmer and break, and Lavi realised that they, too, would be next to be devoured.

"Move!" Lavi urged Lenalee, who obeyed despite her lament. The shaking ground became a downward slope, and with alarm, Lavi noticed it was becoming an avalanche of debris pushing against them. They were now climbing and clambering a wall of broken houses, uprooted trees, and bodies. So many bodies. It was hard to ignore the wreckage beneath them, and Lenalee wailed in agony as a hand gripped at her ankle from under the sliding ruins of Westreach. It wasn't the terror of being dragged down, but knowing that others were still alive- like them- fighting tooth and nail to stay alive. Lavi took her hand tightly and hoisted her up, forcing the unknown victim to let go. They disappeared beneath the land slide.

"Keep moving," Lavi grunted, now pushing Lenalee ahead of him as much as he was able. Lenalee offered little resistance, but refused to let go of his hand. Together they ascended, until they reached the very edge of the wreck. They were on the other side of Westreach, overlooking the Devil's Wood. Lenalee reached it first, and helped pull Lavi out of the pit. Their reprieve wouldn't last long, they found, because the pit was growing bigger by the second.

"Lavi!" Lenalee cried, signalling they had arrived at the end of the line. Lavi had no answers for her, however, and wished with noted irony that he was a dragon once more. They could fly their way out of the mess. But no such easy answers came to him. The monster in the pit was taking form, growing in size the more it devoured. Either they became one with the sinkhole, or they backed off the cliffside and fell to their deaths in the Reach. A rush of wind from behind caught him off guard, and in mere moments he was flying over the pit, casting a gargantuan shadow on the mess below. Lenalee fell silent, perhaps absorbing the view of what was left of her home. Lavi had grown used to the sensation of flight, and for a moment he believed he'd accomplished a transformation on his own. A dragon indeed flew over the wreck, however, it was not Lavi. He found himself encased in a claw easily his body size. Lenalee was by his side, clutched in the other in an all-too-familiar scene.

They kept on flying, and just as Lavi became uncertain where they would end up, the great beast descended. They landed a distance from Westreach, dropped most unceremoniously on some tilled piece of land. The dragon landed next to them with such force that it knocked the both of them to their knees again. Before they could rise, the great scaly beast bore down on them. It was simply massive. Easily the length of a trading vessel, the dragon looked like a mass of shadow, broken apart only by its demonic yellow eyes.

"Where is it?" Its voice erupted in their minds, a deep and velvety hiss only befitting a dragon of its volume. "The onyx blade, where is it?"

Lenalee started. "T-Tyki! Is that you?" She sounded both frightful and amazed, but Lavi was instantly on the defensive. This beast could crush him easily, but if he was a demon as Lenalee had previously explained, then Lavi had the upper hand.

"Gone!" Lenalee shouted up at him, more bravely than Lavi thought was safe for her. The beast roared, his ire rattling their bones.

"Useless girl!" the dragon snarled viciously. His wings spread, making him seem all the larger. Lavi moved in between her and the demon, catching his attention. An amused grumble emerged from his chest.

"You would stop me?" he taunted Lavi.

"Until my last breath, demon," Lavi shot back. The two glared on in silence as Westreach crumbled in the distance. Finally, the dragon broke its evil gaze, lifting his eyes toward the city.

"This was my home," the dragon grumbled, mysteriously wistful. It stood, took some steps forward, then crushed the farmhouse beneath its behemoth tail. Lavi and Lenalee backed away in shock as the dragon pummelled every last centimetre into sawdust. "Until it was taken away! My life is gone! Time has taken you away, and only time will bring you back!" The dragon's voice devolved into a pained howl. Lavi's brows joined as he pieced together the information. Millennium was an aspect of time, and it appeared Tyki wanted his power.

"You cannot kill that demon on your own, Tyki," Lavi called, clutching his throat in pain. "You need my blood."

The dragon paused, turning toward Lavi again and crouching down close.

"You're a clever one," he commented, licking his lips, "Who taught you our secrets?"

"Lavi, no-!" Lenalee started, catching on.

"Is that a deal I sense?" the dragon coaxed. Lavi nodded. The dragon's great black lips parted into a devilish grin.

"Lavi, you can't-!" But Lavi turned and pulled her close, silencing her protest. He kissed her full on the lips, imparting on her a thousand words he had no time to tell her.

"Disgusting," the beast groaned, and Lavi raised him the bird in response. They parted, and his singular gaze found hers, an intense look passing between them, begging for her trust.

"That day on the Reach," he told her quietly, "I told myself I would never let you go again. Never again will you slip between my fingers. That was a promise I'll do anything to keep." Lenalee had no words, but the fear growing inside of her was showing. Lavi brushed back her hair, finding her more beautiful than ever. "The book said that a demon such as Millennium cannot sustain inside the body of a demon hunter. That is the key to destroying it. I know what I need to do. Please, let me do it. You taught me that birthright is a responsibility. Maybe I'm not of noble birth, Lenalee, but my path is clear to me."

"You can't believe that?!" Lenalee finally asked, her voice cracking.

"I can," Lavi argued, "And I believe stopping this calamity is bigger than the both of us." Lenalee was shaking.

"Are you saying goodbye, then?" she could no longer look him in the eye.

"I surely hope so," the dragon bellowed, "Get on with it!"

Lavi backed away and put a hand on her head. He didn't have the strength to say goodbye. Lavi turned and faced the demon defiantly.

"Then I make my bargain with you, Tyki."

Westreach was no more. It was none but a battleground now. The town hall was flattened, and the battlements were dust. Before them, a construct loomed, the faces of a thousand clocks ticking upon its surface.

"Three kinds of cat shit," Cross swore, "For a monstrosity covered in clocks, you'd think it could time its attacks a little better."

"Are you seriously complaining?" Klaud admonished him from above. Her ape had managed to scale its way up the construct's back and was now digging its way inside. For every scoop of debris it clawed out, however, more filth came up to replace it. "That's all we've got going on it. Give it any amount of speed and we're- watch your six!"

"There's about one hundred clocks on si- oh!" Cross leaped aside as a pillar of debris rapidly materialised into an arm, narrowly missing him as it fell forward, disappearing into the pool below. "Whew, that's new."

"Just had to talk, didn't you?" Klaud shook her head.

Up above, a new figure appeared over the construct, drawing both of the Magister's attentions. A body rose from the construct's head, fused with the debris but instantly recognisable.

"Allen, get down here and fight like a man!" Cross bellowed, throwing a fireball at the boy. Allen easily dodged it, enraging Cross, who threw several more. Klaud's ape flew to the top in a frenzy, grasping for the boy, but missing every swing. "You're a dishonourable gnat, you are!" Cross cried out.

The colossus turned on Cross, totally ignoring Klaud's onslaught. It lumbered forward, gaining on the Magister. Startled by the sudden speed, he threw up a barrier, but when the arm came down like a hammer, it shattered, sending the Magister hurtling back. Thunderous booms followed as the construct advanced on him once more, and before Cross had a chance to even get up, the arm was coming down again. Cross made a move to shield himself.

KARROOM!

Cross was alive. He couldn't believe it. He patted himself down quickly and even pinched himself. Then he looked up. Before him was a large black dragon, easily the same size as the construct, standing on its hind claws and wrestling the arm back. It had saved his life. Cross resisted the urge to throw up his own arms and cheer. The dragon succeeded in pushing the construct back. Klaud raced to his side, if not to avoid what had become a battle between giants.

"What in the hell is going on?" Klaud asked, thoroughly confused.

"I don't know, but its doing one heck of a lot better than we were," Cross answered, wasting no time in conjuring a quick cigarette. It fell out of his lips the moment he lit up. "Is that Lavi?!"

The red haired man was hard to miss up there. He was climbing up the dragon's neck, and Cross couldn't even begin to guess how he was managing to hold on. The dragon roared mightily, slamming into the construct with its entire body weight. Lavi leapt from the dragon's head to where Allen stood atop the other giant, then disappeared.

"Shit," Cross started forward. "That's not good. And I don't trust that dragon."

"We should help him," Klaud interjected.

"Which one? The dragon or the idiot?" Cross gruffed.

"You help the kid. I'll cover this thing's tail."

Kanda spurred his horse, praying he wasn't too late. He'd of course seen the great black dragon fly near the city, and followed it as closely as he dared. As it happened, one of Link's horses had survived the chaos, and if Kanda was anything, he was an opportunist. The poor creature was spooked to be sure, but with some soothing from Kanda, it had taken him far past the ruined battlements. The horse reared up and almost bucked him off when the dragon flew overhead again, in the direction of the city. Kanda had half a mind to follow it, but when he spotted Lenalee, he plowed on ahead.

He recognised the plot of land here. Lenalee's father had given it to Fort Honning as a dowry, but the land never bore product, so far as he could remember. They always suspected it was cursed. Now, it was destroyed. He didn't think anyone would miss it.

Lenalee came running toward him, again startling his now paranoid horse. She was dirty and exhausted-looking, and a pang of worry intruded Kanda's thoughts. He dismounted and caught her in his arms, trying to calm her. She was frantic.

"Are you hurt, Lady?" Kanda asked.

"I'm fine, but Lavi-! Oh, Lavi, why- Kanda! We have to do something!"

"Wait- you mean- no! We're getting you away from here! To safety!" Kanda nearly balked at her words. "Are you mad?"

"Quite possibly," Lenalee answered unapologetically. "He plans to kill that thing himself. He made a pact with Tyki- that's the dragon, Tyki- I mean, he's a demon- aargh I have no time to explain just get on the horse!"

Lenalee's sudden fervour caught him off guard, and he could find no other response than to do was he was told. Lenalee was on the steed first, and she hoisted Kanda up behind her. This time, she held the reigns as the horse galloped in the direction of death. Lenalee explained the situation to Kanda, who, after learning of Lavi's fate should he follow through with his plan, finally understood what Lenalee intended to do about it.

"So we're going to kill a giant, demonically empowered, man-eating, house-crushing dragon?"

"That's exactly what we're going to do," Lenalee confirmed, humourlessly.

"Are you mad, woman?" Kanda complained, "How are we going to... do that...?" he trailed off, remembering the bundle at his side. "We're both mad," he continued, "We're going to kill that thing, aren't we?"

"Why the sudden confidence?" Lenalee mocked him.

"Because," Kanda withdrew the bundle from his waist, letting the wrap fall just enough for Lenalee to view its contents. When she saw it, she pulled back on the reigns, hard. Kanda was nearly flung off. "Why did you do that?!"

"That blade is evil!" Lenalee admonished him. "You saw what it did to Lavi!"

"Yes, and so did you! Don't tell me he hasn't told you yet!" Kanda held it away from her reach, but his words gave her pause. "Allen sent the message. It contained a warning... and this," Kanda explained. He knew the contents of the letter contained something else, but it was definitely not something Lenalee needed to know. "This blade is slaked with his blood... blood intended to kill Allen with. Blood that can kill a demon."

Lenalee's eyes grew large as the pieces fit together in her mind. "He wanted his blade back... when I didn't have it... oh no, this is my fault. It's my fault he took Lavi." She spurred the horse into motion again. "He's counting on Lavi to die. We can't let that happen!"

The air was thin, yet from up high, it seemed almost congested by a foul storm of dust, debris, and the ever present grip of dread. Tyki's powerful wingbeats drove him into the teeth of the storm, Lavi clinging to his wicked spines as the gusts threatened to batter them out of the sky. Proving himself one with the source of its tainted creation, Tyki seared through it as if he belonged in its chaotic embrace, splitting through the storm with the ease of a thunderbolt flung to earth. Lavi found himself both awestruck and frightened by the sheer display of power. Was it all coming from Millennium? Could he really do this?

Below him, Tyki let out a roar of challenge, swooping into the midst of Westreach and landing with an earth-shattering crash that nearly blasted Lavi from his perch. He held fast as the great beast grappled with the colossus. A true clash of titans.

"Go, you worthless dribble of spit!" Tyki bellowed. Lavi scaled his mighty head, and with surprising agility was able to leap across the gap between the two monsters. Fighting for his balance, he stood before the form of Allen, but only just. Lavi almost didn't recognise the lad. Before him, the sorcerer's body seemed to have sprouted from that of the construct; or, more likely, was in the process of being absorbed. His eyes were open but unseeing, like a doll. Lavi approached him as closely as he dared.

/An ugly blot upon the world. I will erase this abhorrent creation of man./

Lavi doubled over as the voice of the demon entered his head like a thrusting snake. His presence there felt wrong. Slimy. Tainted. Ugly. His words were warped and stilted, like the ticking of a hundred clocks out of sync.

/Dare you stand in my way, insect?/

The body of Allen turned to face him, his glassy eyes looking through him. Lavi braved the now howling winds around them, grabbing on to Allen's arms in attempt to pull his body free. His form was limp, and impossibly cold. Lavi feared he was already dead.

/You know not the consequences. There are always. Consequences./

A wicked change in the wind threw Lavi back, and in an instant he was in free fall. He shouted, reaching out for the quickly disappearing Allen. His descent halted, his vision blurring as if the world had turned to glass. He recognised what it was that had caught him and took a moment to appreciate one of the Magister's many unique spells. The bubble popped, depositing him once again atop the construct. It swayed violently as it delivered a blow to Tyki, who howled in pain, now enraged.

"If you've got a plan, now might be a good time to put it into action," Cross said, lifting his arm to form a shield as the puppet Allen threw a pulsing orb at them, which Lavi could swear was screaming. The truth was, Lavi didn't have much of a plan except for 'kill Millennium in any way possible.'

"We need to kill this thing," Lavi instructed, struggling to keep his voice heard over the wind.

"Really, genius? Well, there he is. Go kill him."

"Wait," Lavi put an arm on Cross's outstretched one, stopping whatever destructive spell he was about to conjure. Cross shook him off to throw up another shield.

"Never. Interrupt. Casting." Cross growled at him dangerously.

"I'm sorry!" Lavi returned impatiently, "Look, there's a way to do this without killing Allen in the process! I just need you to trust me." There was a moment which, to Lavi, almost appeared as if he'd spoken to another Cross, a younger one from another time. One such Cross that had seen the glimmer of hope for his bright, albeit former student. But the moment had come and gone, and whatever softness he'd shown was swiftly barricaded behind a most severe frown.

"You're gambling an awful lot on that, Archivist," Cross warned him.

"I've had a bit of a spiritual journey, Magister," Lavi said, tearing off his sleeve. "I need your knife."

Surprisingly, the man made no sound of skepticism to the request, and produced a ceremonial dagger for Lavi to use. The thing possessing Allen noticed, and another ugly sound filled their heads.

/Filthy. Filthy! You must be erased!/

Lavi was wrenched from his position, dropping the knife as his body was surrounded by shadowy tendrils that had sprouted from Allen's back. They coiled around him, binding him tightly in their grip and drawing him in. Cross was hurling obscenities and spells alike, but none seemed to be able to touch them.

"Allen! Snap out of it!" Lavi wheezed, his lungs being crushed by the magic. But Allen made no indication of having heard him. The boy may as well have been dead. Blackened veins were creeping up his neck, and his skin was pale. What had this thing done to him? Lavi felt his breath leave him. The tendrils were now surrounding his neck, and he heard Cross shouting mutely somewhere nearby, but his efforts were ineffectual. The sounds of the battle seemed to be fading away. He was suffocating. Dying.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tick. Tock.

A great clock dominated his vision. He stood in a familiar place, his senses free from the ongoing battle. He knew where he was only because Allen had once shown him. Lavi looked up at the great clock, whose hands were trying dutifully to move but were snapped back by thousands of ghostly black chains. All around him, he was surrounded by a river of great lengths, the water unmoving. There were tiny islands dotting the distance, but as for what they could possibly hold, it was impossible to tell.

The Isles truly were Timeless, he thought.

Was this the clock which controlled all time, or simply the time of the island he stood upon? It was not moving at present, thanks to the chains restricting it. He didn't like it. Lavi stepped up to the clock, and grasped at one of the chains. The moment he began to pull at it, he was thrown backward as if he just touched a lightning bolt.

/You should not be here./

The ugly, twisting voice had returned. There was an odd panic in its tone that seemed unfitting to an ancient demon such as Millennium. If only he knew where, exactly, was 'here.'

/That magic should have killed you! What are you?/

Of course. Lavi peered back up at the clock, remembering something Allen had told him the first time they came here.

"This is all taking place in your mind- a vision of a real place, as it is."

The chains rattled as something started to climb down them. The tall, faceless man had appeared, looking down at Lavi with contempt.

/How dare you touch my ark. You will suffer for your mistake./

Lavi's mouth fell open in a distinct 'O' shape. That thing was the ark? The tiny, black stone he'd seen this creature grasping? In the most surreal way possible, everything nonsensical about how this demon operated was starting to make some sense. It almost seemed as if that ark was responsible for disrupting time.

It was all in his mind, right? Lavi found himself overcome with a newfound clarity. Everything felt possible. He felt like he could fly, if he wanted to.

The chains rattled, and without warning, shot out from the clock and entangled him. Lavi grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. He focused on his escape, envisioning himself strong enough to break through the chains. And he did. His form shimmered, and in his place stood the dragon. The chains shattered as he threw them off, belching up a flamethrower that spilled toward the clock.

/What?!/

The ark faltered, and some of the bindings fell. The minute hand was freed, and began ticking away happily as if nothing had ever stopped it. The faceless man was enraged, jumping from the face of the clock and hitting the ground before Lavi, splitting it and forming a chasm between them.

Like that would stop me, Lavi thought. He spread his wings and made to leap over the chasm, but the faceless man stopped him with a strange gesture. The world seemed to spin, gravity recalibrating. Up was down and left was right. The earth itself seemed to move, and now Lavi found himself shooting down the newly formed chasm. No! He spread his wings and braked, attempting to turn around, but the light had gone and he was blind in the darkness.

Millennium's sinister laughter filled his head. There was a sound of falling rocks. Up ahead, a spark appeared. It grew closer, and soon Lavi realised it was falling toward him. He had no time to move out of the way. It collided with him, sending him hurtling backward, trapped by its form until he was able to open his eye and see what it was.

This is impossible, Lavi's thoughts betrayed his eyes. It was a storm Tease. The same one that had attacked him and Lenalee in the Spires. It had fallen into a chasm and never seemed to land. The construct was still alive. Lavi concentrated, trying to give himself an edge. He needed to get out of this endless cavern. He needed to lose this bird.

And then they were falling through the sky. Startled by the change, Lavi spread his wings only moments before crashing into a still lake. What was going on? A few heavy flaps put him back into the air, but not before the Tease crashed into the water with an electric crackle, remerging as a translucent, watery raptor. Lavi pushed himself back into the clouds, hoping to lose it. He didn't know where he was, but when he spotted the white drake speeding in between the squalls almost half a league ahead, it became clear it was not where but when.

He tried to call out to Allen, but it was no use. The Tease had caught up with him, and now he had no choice but to fight it. He veered away from the lake, flying over the trees. There was a temple ahead which he recognised as belonging to the nymphs, and with trepidation, wondered what would happen if he were to see himself. Not wanting to find out, he made a sudden dive at the woods, concentrating on finding Millennium. The trees obliged, parting and melting away until they formed a grassy knoll. He skidded to a halt, on the island again. The Tease was not so lucky. It overshot the dive, falling into a pocket of time that was neither here nor there, frozen in time with its talons outstretched in attack.

Wasting no more time, Lavi lunged at the clock, his claws coiling around the chains. This time, he anticipated the shock it would deliver. He held fast, clenching his teeth through the pain. He owned it. The magic rattled his body until it flowed through it. Lavi had never felt so powerful in his life. He yanked at the chains, breaking them completely.

/Insufferable whelpling!/

The demon was pissed now. The clock was ticking freely. With the ark disabled, Lavi turned on the demon, now shaking in anger at the dragon's meddling.

"You can't harm me," Lavi threatened. "It's over, Millennium." His claw came down upon the demon, pinning him to the ground with all of his weight. "You're finished!"

/Fool! Without its master, time is-!/

Lavi's teeth shut around his head, tearing it clean from his shoulders. Instantly, the isles dissolved, and he stood again over the ruins of Westreach. He bore down upon Allen now, the boy trapped under his claws.

"Do it, Lavi!" Cross shouted over the roaring winds. Lavi peered down at Allen. His cerulean eyes were looking up at him, that stupid smile he wore so well now plastered on his weakened features.

"Kill him!" Tyki's howl came trembling through his ears.

"It's okay, Lavi," Allen said, so weakly and so quietly that he almost didn't hear the boy. "It's okay."

But all was not okay. As he looked over Westreach, ruined as it was, he saw beyond the Reach. His breath seemed to leave him momentarily. The woods were a serene green, the lake sparkling, untouched, untainted. Timeless. It was as if Millennium had turned back time, to a time before his own dark magic had festered in the soil of their land. This was what Allen had wanted all along. But Millennium was dead. Yet time was still out of control.

'Without its master...' Lavi echoed. He released Allen. 'Time is...' Time is what?

"Lavi! Watch out-!" Something had tipped the colossus. It was crumbling, and Allen with it.

Lavi lunged again for Allen, pulling at his bindings with all of his strength. Allen was wrenched free as the construct fell beneath them. Cross was battered away by Tyki as he tried to conjure his flying disc. Lavi dove for him, too. Tyki turned on him.

"Traitorous dog!" the dragon bellowed, and a wall of black dragon fire raced toward Lavi, who promptly dropped to avoid it. Something white collided with the dragon's side, sending him down. Lavi had to turn his head all the way around to see what it was that hit him. Klaud and her beast were attacking Tyki, her ape in a frenzy, tearing away at Tyki's hide. His belly was now a mass of blood. Lavi didn't want to waste the distraction. He landed roughly near the battlements, depositing Allen and the Magister underneath the flagpole. Cross was coming to.

"What in the- oh, it's just you. Some roar there, you bust a lung, beast? Ow..." Cross blubbered incoherently. "Klaud, is she alright?"

Lavi turned back to the battle. Tyki had, unfortunately, overpowered Klaud's pet, its bloodied remains licked from the dragon's jaw. Lavi felt a quiver down his spine. Somehow, Tyki was far more fierce than Millennium had been. Wasn't Millennium the most powerful of their lot? He hadn't time to ponder over it. What was left of the resistance was being slaughtered. Howard Link had ordered his men onto the ballistae, or what was left of them. As a round fired off at the dragon, he realised that none of them would be able to stop him. His scales were already regenerating, and the bolts that hit him seemed to have no effect on him at all. Tyki was a true monster.

Cross was already flying past him. After one last look at Allen, Lavi launched himself into the air. He expected Tyki would leap into the air after him, but he seemed content to take his four-pawed stance over the remains of the sinkhole. Instead, he drew breath, and began to pound the ballistae with fireball after fireball. Lavi couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tyki was like a fountain of black fire, his fireballs the size of boulders. There was no need for accuracy. His fire didn't evaporate, either. Wherever his fire hit, it continued to burn as if feuled by oil.

Lavi surged down after him. He had to stop him, or at least distract him, before he killed all of Link's men. He dodged a sweep of Tyki's tail, pounding into his back and digging in with all twenty of his claws. His scales were harder than steel. He raced upward, snapping at his neck. Even at the widest gap in his jaws, Lavi couldn't possibly close his fangs over his thick neck. Tyki shook him off easily. A couple of his own fireballs did nothing but tickle his scales, and Tyki's horrible laugh mocked his efforts.

"I'm going to rip you in half!" Tyki growled. Lavi howled in pain as he felt Tyki's teeth sink into his back, dragging him down. Lavi fought back, but there was nothing he could do to escape short of tearing off his own wings. Then, the beast spasmed, releasing Lavi involuntarily. An arrow had plunged straight into Tyki's left eye. The red dragon fell to the ground, rolling back to his feet.

"Lavi!" It was Lenalee. Her and Kanda approached him fearlessly, both brandishing weapons. With one look, Lavi discovered that it was Kanda who had fired the arrow. Lavi nodded to him in thanks. Cross joined them.

"It's time to end this- now," Cross said, conjuring a second disc for Kanda. The man didn't seem to trust it, but with a pointed look from the Magister, he stepped on top of it.

"I'm with you," Lenalee said, looking up at Lavi. He didn't like the idea of putting her in the way of danger, but Lenalee was fearless. And she was damn good with a blade. Who was he to deny her? "Get me in close, and we'll finish him."

They took off. Cross and Kanda split up on either side, but when Tyki finally broke from cradling his damaged eye, his hateful gaze fell upon Lavi and Lenalee. His roar of pain and anger shook the earth. Sensing danger, Lavi raced into the sky. Tyki's massive head turned to track him. He heard the beast spread his wings behind him. Lavi turned back to see the black dragon pursuing him. His jaws parted wide, anticipating a devastating attack.

"Now, Lavi!" Lenalee shouted from his back. Lavi spun, twisting in the air, plummeting back toward Tyki's head. Lenalee hurled something shiny and sharp down his throat. Lavi sank his claws into Tyki's snout, and that's when he saw it. Hidden between his onyx scales, a glimmering stone was wedged in between, pulsing with energy. Lavi bit down on it, hard, wrenching it out, as Tyki shut his mouth and shuddered. Lavi launched himself away as Cross and Kanda fired off joint shots at his wings.

His scales gleamed briefly in the inferno that blossomed around him. Fire couldn't burn a dragon, but his wings had turned into sticks. Tyki flapped his wing bones, which were all that remained of his once impressive wingspan. He plummeted like a mountain from the sky onto the flagpole of the battlements. The tip of the flagpole speared cleanly through his throat and exited the top of his skull. He shuddered once, and moved no more. His lifeless weight snapped the flagpole and he fell dead over the battlements where Allen lay.

There were cheers coming from the battlements, and even Lenalee cried out in victory, but Lavi swooped down to the fallen dragon's head. A heart still beat beneath. He heaved at the dragon's neck, pushing with all of his might. Cross landed nearby, thankfully understanding, and shouted at Link's men to help him move the beast's head as Lenalee slid from his back. With a flurry of barked orders, a dozen men fell to the task. Together with Lavi's strength, they heaved and shouted until they managed to lift him up just enough to reveal what lie beneath. Lenalee gasped, and her and Kanda pulled Allen out from underneath Tyki's broken skull.

The dragon was dropped with a thud, and Lavi transformed. He knelt over Allen's body, shaking him. He spit the black stone into his hand. It was still alight with energy.

"Allen? Allen, wake up," Lavi shook the boy. The boy blinked. A relieved smile washed over Lavi's face.

"Oww," Allen groaned, "Only being alive could hurt this much."

"It's a miracle you are," Cross observed. Allen blinked up at the man, startled that he wasn't trying to kill him. His eyes darted around at everyone, then at all the destruction around him.

"My," he gasped, as if seeing the damage for the first time. Lavi knew what he was thinking, that he'd been the cause of it all.

"Millennium is dead," Lavi said. Allen looked back at him, wide-eyed this time. "But the ark yet remains. Allen- Millennium was just another demon after all. A clever one, no doubt, but his lording over time was only thanks to this ark."

"I knew that, perhaps," Allen said, uncertainly.

"I think," Lavi carried on, "A force so powerful as time shouldn't be in the hands of something as evil as a demon. Allen, I know you aren't a demon. You may possess their power, but your heart is good."

Lavi folded the stone in Allen's hand. The boy was speechless. Lavi smiled gently at him.

"Now, I think I've done my part," Lavi said, tired. Everyone around them took a step back as the stone dissolved into Allen's hand. Tears filled the boy's eyes.

"Lavi," he said, throwing his arms around the red-haired man, "You're the truest friend I never deserved. Thank you."

"Same to you, devilish little beansprout," Lavi patted him on his back. "Now if you wouldn't mind..."

"Say no more," Allen stood with renewed strength. He turned to Magister Cross, taking a deep bow. The man stood stock still. A moment passed between them before Allen spoke up again. "I've failed you as a student. I-"

"No," Cross stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I failed you as a teacher. I should have recognised how weak you were back then. I could have helped you. Instead, I made things worse." Allen twitched. Lavi couldn't tell if it was a sincere apology or an insult. Or both. Such was Cross's nature.

"Nonetheless you put in a decent morning's work, lad," Cross finished.

"Decent? That's all?" Lenalee scowled.

"Down, Lady," Cross laughed, "He did tear a rift in time and space, kill hundreds of innocents, and destroy our beautiful city, after all. That takes a powerful Magister."

"That was a demon," Kanda corrected him.

"And that demon is dead," Lavi added. It was a foreign feeling, agreeing with his rival.

"I'm going to fix it," Allen resolved, "All of it." Allen closed his eyes, clutching his hands tightly to his chest. "Things will be better; I promise."