WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS END GAME SPOILERS!!!

A/N: I was inspired by Panda91593 to continue this fanfic. Sometimes I need a kick in the arse to get moving again and update my other fanfics instead of just one. n.n;; I've been working hard on Flames of Rebirth, but that can wait because I'm starting to get a little bit of insanity and writer's block for it. Don't worry though, to those readers! I'll get the next chapter of FoR out ASAP! Just needed to fulfill my Radiata hunger! :D

Hope this chapter is good and I apologize for all the talky talky. I am a plot writer, so of course there is conflict. If you want a plotless story with a bunch of fluff, might I recommend... *cough*twilight*cough* Please don't hurt me, though... I am neutral about that book... but the fandom is too big for me to say much... sorry. And yeah, I'm thinking of a big battle between Lord Zane and the humans, :3 Hahahah... story will get mega-intense... hopefully. I'm into catastrophic storyplots with epic battles and whatnot. So yesh, battles on the way!

For those who want to hear more game experiences, keep reading the A/N. For those who don't give a flying Goo about it, then skip to the story! :D (I just love Goo! He's so fraking cute!)

(I made up questions, yes.)

When you first explored the town, what did you spend most of your time doing?

Hee... I found Olacion... and I just hung out there. I could probably scale that place with my eyes closed. I've done it and that means I've played RS too much.

What's your favorite equip for Jack?

FEATHER EARRING!! I was so sad when I restarted without starting out strong and realizing how SLOW Jack is without that doohickey. I was so at home when I restarted with it and I just love to be able to avoid battles when the time comes.

Who do you want Flau to end up with?

Personally, I don't really care. Whatever pleases my fans, is fine with me. However, I will be doing a split story as I continue. Let me explain. Remember how Jack had to choose human or non-human path? It's kinda like that. Except for the paths are actually Eon or Kain. I will be writing and finishing both sequels. I hope I don't lose fans because of this, but I'm getting a lot of votes for Eon. The pairing has actually grown on me, but this was originally a KainxFlau story, so yeah. If you are like me and don't care, then you should be perfectly content. So, as cannan with the game, thus the story has two outcomes... and possibly a Doctor Who reference... Keeheehee!

What was your reaction to Thanos, the manager of Theatre Vancoor?

Haha, I thought he was fun! I just love his verbage. Such a ruffian. I actually found him quite attractive. Rough types have interesting backgrounds. And, let's be real, someone has to talk Jack Russell down sometime. "Boo-hoo! Nothin' for you!" That line was funny too. But that was after I got over my laziness and finally did some jobs.

Will you write a MirandaxElmo arc?

I'll think about it. I'm more or less interested in creating a bunch of stories for Radiata, but not all of them romance. Some good friendship ones are really awesome and FFIX is killing my romance appetite. Honestly, I enjoy writing a lot of graphic violence. Hence, epic battle equals caution. There will be blood. Lots of it.

Goblins?

There's no Goblin King! And why are the goblins all on crack!? T.T I wish there was a real Goblin King... *looks about for Jareth*

Last battle?

Omg, it was soooo fun! I really enjoyed using set tactics. I'm too low in level on my saved file to cut right through the final boss, but I really enjoy fighting him over and over again. But I really wish it hadn't been... y'know the end for him... I really liked the guy... he was hot too... maybe I'll write a fanfic about him...

Alright, that's it! Enjoy! And thanks for reading my rambles!

-Mayris

Flau blinked. Several times. This man claimed to be her father. But. why? It was strange to her. Years of searching and she had accepted that they were killed in an accident or some kind of warfare. "You're taking this joke too far," she accused, shaking her head.

He shook his head and stepped forward. "The fact is that you're closing yourself off from the answers."

"It's not my fault, okay!? If you didn't abandon me, then maybe things would be different!" she yelled.

He sighed. "There was a lot to think about."

"Think about?" she nearly laughed. Inside, she was welling up. Forgotten emotion she had shoved away to become stronger. "Ahah… Ahahahahahah! All this time… I find I'm related to a coward!" She moved to pass him and head back to Radiata.

He closed his eyes. "Flau… please forgive me," he asked humbly. "That's all I want."

"Hmm… sorry to disappoint, but the request is far overdue," she said icily, belying her troubled and sorrowed state. He deserved to feel remorse. Withholding forgiveness seemed fitting. She blinked, biting her lip as a tear rolled down her cheek.

He turned and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jerked to get him off, but he pulled her back, hugging her. "Please, Flau…" he begged.

She tried to muster up the energy to push him away. No, she wouldn't forgive him. This man had been the reason for her anguish and suffering. The reason why she hated life so much. He abandoned her. What kind of father abandoned his daughter? Through all of these emotions, the sedative of relief was taking over. Ignoring it now was near impossible. She shook with tears and slowly, she managed to return the embrace. "Damn it…" she cursed, resting her forehead against his shoulder. "I hate you… I hate you!" she screamed.

Slowly, he stroked her hair, offering comfort to his anguished daughter. She eventually calmed. "Thank you, Flau," he whispered.

She shook her head. "Why did you do this to me?" her voice cracked.

"I wanted to keep you safe," he answered.

"From what?"

Hesitating, he said. "I am not what I seem…"

She pulled away, looking to him. "I… I don't understand… father…" the word felt foreign. It was even more awkward as it passed her lips.

His blank eyes simply stared into hers. "Humanity has been placed in my hands."

Narrowing her eyes, she gave him a skeptical look. "Humanity…? What in the world does that even mean?" The thought was outrageous. Clearly, he was losing it.

"There is a much higher order in this world than humans are meant to understand," he explained. "As of now, your race is on the brink of extinction. Once the golden dragon awakens, all human life will be extinguished."

She backed away from him. "Golden dragon? Sheesh, how many dragons are there?" she sighed, pressing her palm to her head.

"I must go now," he stated, moving past her.

"W-wait a minute! You can't just leave after telling me that we're all going to die!" she protested.

"I can, Flau. I may be… humanity's last hope," he turned with a painful smile.

She opened and closed her mouth. "Y-you can't just—"

"Time is short… the dragon awakens…" he stated. "I must kill the golden dragon. I must protect humanity…"

As he started on the path, she followed, pulling him back. "I'm sure it won't happen! There's no way we could all be wiped out from a single attack. I mean, we have the Radiata Knights!"

He looked back to her. A strong aura pushed her back. "Do not try and stop me… breaking fate can cause many catastrophic consequences… I don't want you to get hurt," he stated.

"You can't just… tell me that you're my father and then leave me again!" she protested. "You can't jerk me around like this!"

He closed his eyes remorsefully. "I am sorry. I have no choice. I thought you should know before I left."

"You're off to fight something that could possibly destroy you!"

"Not if I kill her before it awakens…"

"Her? Awakens? What do you mean?"

"In order to stop the natural flow of fate, I must destroy the vessel before it is taken over by the golden dragon."

Something didn't sound right. Deep in her gut, a bad feeling arose. "You can't be a martyr…" she said. "I just found you and now you're leaving me!"

He closed his eyes and said, "I am sorry."

"No! No, you're not! I've heard that too much from you! You're not sorry for abandoning me! You're doing the same thing over again! Again, you're leaving me alone!"

He waited. "My fate calls to me, Flau. I cannot ignore it. I will stop the cycle…"

She glared at him. "What? Do you think you're some kind of god!? You can't kill a dragon on your own!"

He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "The truth, my dear, is that I am actually, a dragon myself…"

With that, he left. She watched in disbelief. As he walked away, he jumped and morphed into the mythical beast. Away he flew. She covered her mouth, stepping back. "Father…" she muttered, stumbling back to the ground. She leaned forward, hugging her knees. "What kind… of world is this…?" she asked aloud, letting her sorrow have the moment. "What did I do to have you leave me like this…? I just found you… and now I've lost you…"

She watched as the clouds parted for the moon. Blankly, she stared at the oceanic sky. The clouds looked like the ripples of a shore. The moon behind them seemed like a glowing shell. Her vision blurred with more tears.

Footfalls pierced through the silence. They paused before speeding to her side. Lightly, a hand landed on her shoulder. Startled, she jumped slightly, not expecting to be touched. "What happened?" he asked.

She shook her head, wiping her cheeks. "Nothing…" she said, forcing her voice to sound unbothered, but also put on a tone of irritation. She hated being caught crying like a child. "Go away… Leave me alone…" she choked.

His gaze softened and he knelt next to her. "Please… you're going to get sick if you stay out in this cold weather…" Eon coaxed, trying to pull her to her feet.

She jerked out of his grasp and turned to swipe at him. Easily, he caught her arm, pulling her close. Growling, she tried to catch him with her other hand. A hand cupped her cheek and caught a falling tear. Gasping, she blushed slightly. His gaze never left hers. "What happened?" he asked even more gentle than his touch.

Still, she resisted, trying to rip her wrist out of his grasp. He held tighter, taking care not to cut off her circulation. Just enough force to keep her hand from freeing itself. "Let me go," she ordered, closing her eyes. She wanted to ignore the feeling his concern was giving her. She loved Kain. Nothing should be allowed to make her waiver.

He shook his head. "Not this time. If I let you go now… then I'll never have another chance."

She raised an eyebrow. "Another chance… for what?"

"I will convince you… I am yours. My heart, soul, and mind belong only to you…" he stated.

"Then, please, let me go!"

"No! Just give me a chance! Even I deserve a chance at happiness, right!?" he retorted.

She kept silent. "You can't force me to love you…"

He let her wrist go, sighing and rolling his eyes. Angrily, he punched the ledge. "You still… you don't get it!"

She lost it. "Listen! You're not the only one going through life-shattering events right now! Don't you dare get selfish just because I refuse to be yours! You don't have a clue about me!"

He closed the space between their lips as she finished talking. Slowly, she pressed back, closing her eyes. He wiped the tears that followed from her face again. He pulled away after a moment and said gently, "I'm trying to get one… you just won't let me in…" His hand caressed her hair.

She leaned against him dazedly. "It's nothing you would want to understand…" she said.

He sighed. "I'm right here… even if you don't want to talk, I won't disappear. I'll wait for you to come back to your senses…" he said calmly. "You don't have to be alone, Flau…"

She shut her eyes. "I just can't open up to you…" she admitted.

"What are you afraid of?"

She started to answer and then stopped. "I don't want to end up betraying my heart."

"How do you even know if you aren't already?"

Again, another tough question. "You can't expect me to love more than one person at a time…"

"Then… how will you ever know what you really want?"

He continued to hold her. Oddly, she didn't stop him. She instead rested her head on his arm. "I just… I don't want to be alone…"

"You won't. I'll be here… Just have a little faith in me."

"Faith isn't the issue."

"Then what is? No matter how much I reach out to you, you're always drifting away. I'm holding you, yes. But I can't touch you. I can't reach far enough. You're a leaf in the water. No matter how close I row, you're always drifting out of reach."

"Maybe you need a net?" she suggested with a small laugh.

He smirked and let out a laugh. "That would be forcing…"

"You don't seem like you'd have a problem with that," she jibed.

"Heh, I do. Even though you've given me that chance… and I'm tempted to take it. It wouldn't be love. I will not settle for a one-sided chance of passion. I want something far more valuable than that. Plus, I would never want to destroy you." He paused and said, "Look, if you can't do that… if you can never come to love me of your own free will…" He hesitated. "Then choose the one you love the most… I won't stop you. If it's Kain, I'll do my best to support you. This is… about your happiness after all."

She looked to him disbelievingly. He stared back. "Eon…" she said. He dropped his arms from her, letting her have some space.

Above them the sky lit with the late night stars. Far away in a tower, the silver dragon perished under the blade of Jack Russell. The young knight, Ridley Silverlake was rescued from her fate and death by the one she loved. Humanity would live, but the dragons would no longer be summoned to reign over them. Even though the King of the Light Elves, Lord Zane, despises the human race, they would continue in existence. He believed they perished from the light of the golden dragon. But thus was his curse of the Algandar's plague. Without a soul in sight, Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake returned to Radiata in the dead of night, just before the breaking of the dawn.

~Radiata Stories~ Confessional~

Flau arose late. For a moment, she was lost. Blinking, she looked around her familiar bedroom, confused. Yawning, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. As she prepared to leave her house, it wasn't until she opened the door and nearly got squished by a purple-clad ninja that she remembered what happened last night.

"Whoaaaah!" he exclaimed, falling back. Swiftly, Flau dodged out of the way, watching him fall to the floor.

She scowled, feeling embarrassed. "Get lost already," she grumbled, stepping over him.

He jumped to his feet, closing the door which had been left ajar before following Flau. "Hey, have you seen Rynka anywhere?" he asked.

"Why should I tell you whether or not Rynka's been around? I've been asleep until now, half wit!" she responded.

"Thought you'd sneak out for patrol or something," he said defensively.

"Seriously?" she asked. "You stalk me that far?"

He smirked. "Just making sure you're safe."

"Look, what happened last night… I don't like you. Bad timing. That's all it was," she snapped.

He crossed his arms. "So you're still not going to tell me what happened?"

"It's none of your business," came her sharp, but ready reply.

Olacion came into view and she turned on her heel. "This is where you turn back," she growled.

Cheekily, he pulled something from his belt. Dangling it before her, he smirked. "Don't you want this back?" he asked.

She gasped. "My dagger!" Reaching to snatch it, she nearly fell forward. He chuckled. "This isn't funny, Eon!"

He grinned even wider. "Too slow~" he taunted.

She gripped his wrist, pulling the dagger to where she could reach. "You're impossible," she hissed, grabbing her weapon and yanking it from him. A crowd moved past them, eagerly heading toward the castle. "What's going on?" she asked, looking confused.

Elmo stopped in his tracks, turning toward the two. "What are you waiting about for!? Jack has returned with Lady Ridley! There's something big goin' down at the castle! C'mon!" he shouted, turning and continuing to jog. He halted once more, turning the corner and colliding into Miranda. "Oh! Gosh! I'm s-so sorry!" he exclaimed, helping her up immediately.

She smiled and dusted herself off. "Oh, it's alright!" she said happily. He visibly blushed. "Are you on your way to the castle?"

"Y-yeah…" he answered.

"Well then, you can help me look for Master Godwin there!" She turned and was on her way.

"W-wait for me!' he called, rushing after her. A large, goofy grin took over half of his face.

Flau glanced to Eon before jumping down from the path, taking a shortcut. Promptly, Eon followed. The two of them hotfooted it over to the castle, able to avoid the large, gathering crowds.

At the castle entrance, Jack was being commemorated for his return after defeating the silver dragon Aphelion. Beside him stood Ridley Silverlake. A disgruntled, but controlled Jasne watched from the sidelines. He still had a quibble with the boy.

Jack Russell was an official Radiata Knight. Lord Larks presented him with a pendant after he was honored by the king. He turned to the gathered audience and shot his fist in the air. "Yeah!" he exclaimed. A slow applause was initiated until everyone was cheering him on. Ridley smiled. Little did they know how much he had done for all of humanity. Maybe that was the way Jack wanted it.

Flau clapped as well. He was a brat, but he had done something spectacular. She knew it. Although, an odd pang of sadness hit her in the chest. Looking to him, she suddenly felt a wave of sickness. She clutched her side and then slunk out of the group.

A dragon. Jack had defeated a dragon… was it the golden dragon her father spoke of? Then again, her father said he was a dragon himself. She had to know. But how to ask him…

"Hey, you shouldn't go off on your own for a bit. Last night has me worried about you," Eon said, leaning back against a wall with his hands behind his head.

She glared. "J-just leave me alone…" she grumbled.

Without a word, she left to Olacion. She had to know. The only person she could trust to tell her… was within that confessional. She dreaded the real answer and any of the consequences. But most of all, she dreaded the guilt his voice would bring. She loved him. But now… was she being fickle?

She shuddered. Flau didn't want to be split in half again. But Eon kept pressing. Blaming him made it easier to accept. Whether or not it was true, despite her pleadings, he just couldn't keep out of her life. The one man she wanted in her life didn't seem assertive enough to do so. He was always busy, but mature. He knew his role in life. She had now started to believe it was time to search for her own role.

As she reentered the dark room. She waited patiently. In doing so, thoughts filled her mind. What if her father really had died? There was so little she understood. All of it was very confusing. In her confusion, she lost track of time. It wasn't until she was actually crying again that a soft voice said, "Welcome back, Flau… I have… some very grave news for you…" Kain spoke remorsefully, knowing exactly what she longed to understand.

"Please… what has become of Lucian… what has become of my father…?" she asked desperately.

"It's going to be a long session… Are you sure you want to hear everything?"

She nodded. "Yes," she told him.

Drawing in a breath, he said, "Alright. Now don't worry. You're not alone in this. I'm right here… don't forget that if you need someone, you can always come into the Hall and find me…"

"Okay…" she said.

He started to explain from the beginning. "There was once a Radiata Knight named Cairn Russell…"