Resonance Chapter 10: Tower, a tales of the abyss fanfic

Many years ago…there was an Anomaly. An unknown soul appeared on her surface, the Fates bringing it from another realm. She bode her time, and when the Anomaly recovered, she made to remove it from her form.

But it struck back. She recoiled at the force of its rage. She then opted to study the Anomaly. To watch as it grew. And grow it did. She grew fearful, for though it was not of her, it could wield her rules as its own.

She determined it to be a threat, and moved to stand against it. She gave Power, to a child. A child who was destined to cross paths with the one chosen by her final Child. She knew, from the Anomaly's dreams, that their paths would cross. But how, was the unknown.

But then the Anomaly did something that surprised her. It willingly opened its heart and soul to her. Being what she was, she took advantage of this opening, and peered into its very essence.

And within, she found her movements to be ones of regret. Upon communing with this unknown soul, she learned its origins, its desires. It wanted peace, it wanted love…it wanted change. She grew…unhappy. While this soul was not born of her, it spoke to her in a way that not even her own creations could. It sought understanding, while they chose what they wanted to understand, and rejected all else.

She granted its wish, its dream of flight, in the process, giving it some of her essence as well. She had learned, while it was not of her, it was a free, open soul. She imbued it with some of her power, much like she gave the child. For this soul knew what was to occur on her form, and desired her continued existence, if only for the sake of its love.

She expected it to stop speaking to her, once his plan was put into action. But it continued. It willingly sought her out, before performing nearly any task. It would act in the time between moments, to speak with her, to ask how much force he needed to place into his will, before her form would resonate and respond. It would converse with her, speak to her its full desires, and give her complete details of the result it wished to bring forth.

And she enjoyed it. It sung to her, a song of comprehension, of companionship. Even the Original Songstress did not connect with her as deeply as this Anomalous Soul, even during Her communication with her Last Child. This unknown soul sung to her, and she would sing back. She came to enjoy feeling his will become real, witnessing how this outside being wielded her power, the very essence of creation she gave to all of her children, even though he wasn't of her. He performed acts that until he appeared, only she was capable of.

And he did it all out of love. Love for the Beast Girl. This, was something she could understand. For all the changes she brought, was out of love for her children. However, some of the changes had outcomes she didn't expect, such as the deadly miasma. While it allowed her to bring the souls of her children back into her collective, it did so on too wide a scale. But she watched as the one chosen by her Last Child acted, how the Anomalous Soul's presence changed even that outcome.

And then, the second anomaly appeared. however, this, was Home Born. The anomaly known as Vandestelca Musto Fende had captured the essence of one of her Children, and forced it to merge with himself. But even then, a plan was created and acted upon. The chosen of her Last Child, the Sacred Flame, did battle with the second anomaly, not long after she had finally touched the consciousness of the First. While her words were warped, and difficult to hear, she knew the Anomalous Soul had received her will.

She knew what would come. The process known to the humans as the Planet Storm, had been forcefully stopped, many changes brought about to facilitate the flows of her power, had been undone, causing an echo that would lead to the end of her form.

And this was something neither she, nor the Anomalous Soul desired. With the Planet Storm no longer in effect, the particles of her essence classified by the humans as Fonons, would cease to replenish. Eventually, the energy would be used up, and all that would be left would be dead particles, that would eventually collapse into a corruption even worse than the Miasma.

But the Anomalous Soul was brought to this world for a reason. It was no fool. It had already come up with a new desire. Its true wish, was for a world its beloved could exist upon.

And upon sensing its new desire, she knew, that she had made the right choice the year prior, when she heeded the call sung by the soul who resonated tones similar to those sung by the Original Songstress. But she needed time. Time to prepare herself for the change they would bring. The humans would be fine. As would the majority of life upon her form. However, she needed to prepare. Her consciousness, her essence, her very being, would be changed. For while a new regulation system would be created, it would be…different.

But that time had come. She had prepared…and now, after having spent the last five months training his new students, the Beast Girl and the Sky Maiden, it was time. Their plan would require the existence of the Descendant of the Original Songstress…but it would come to fruition.

After all…

Not even the Gods, have an easy time of it, when attempting upon defying the will of a Planet.

"Why…why are you doing this?!"

She cried out to her captor, a man whom she'd traveled with, trusted and fought both alongside and against. A man who claimed solely to seek the continued existence of his love, and the world they lived upon. She couldn't move her body, the gravitational field around her binding her motions. She wanted to shiver in the cold winds atop the now somehow completed tower, as her bare flesh was assaulted by biting chill.

Her captor said nothing, focusing on attaching the required objects to random parts of her body. A few soft cloth pads with strands of wire attached to them were placed on her form, their purpose to draw out her energy and convert it into something usable.

"Answer me Zero!"

Zero looked up at her, staring intently. Her scowl had a slight blush added to it, as he was beholding all of her, something she only wanted one person to do, and it wasn't he. She wished she could struggle, she wished she could cover herself, but she couldn't. Her entire body was exposed for him to see. Every inch.

"Because I have to." Was the simple response.

Nothing made sense. He appeared to her suddenly, before easily binding her with his unique brand of fonon manipulations. It wouldn't be the first time she'd cursed his ability to manipulate gravity through his own special practices. He'd then somehow transported her to the Tower of Rem, which was now sporting noticibly less holes in it, before ripping her clothes off, quite literally, and sticking her within a glowing glyph at the center of the highest point on the tower.

Now, he was placing those strange objects all over her body, connected to the ground, no doubt further to some unknown device within the tower itself.

Why would he have to? What the hell is going on?

"Tear. Your end…will bring about a new beginning. I honestly wish I could use someone else, but you're the only one."

…END?!

"…so you're going to kill me. Then why go through all this?!"

He stepped back, appraising her from all angles again.

"Incredible. Really. You've got an amazing body. Damn, almost wish I was in Luke's place."

She remembered a lesson he once gave her, after watching the group take down a few soldiers.

"Tear…you move like a guy."

"What?!"

"Do you really have no idea how to fight like a woman?"

"I fight like a soldier. My gender doesn't matter."

The conversation had gathered the attention of the others.

"Yeah, you fight like a soldier with something dangling between his legs. You're a woman Tear. You should really act like one."

"I keep trying to tell her-

"Not a frilly pretty princess like you woman." He barked at Natalia. "A woman. Honestly, did Regret teach you nothing?"

Tear scowled. "Well fine, if you're such an expert at it, then why don't you tell me." She mocked, thinking that as a man, he wouldn't understand a thing about how to fight as a woman.

"Well for starters…those." He pointed at her chest. She immediately crossed her arms in front of her impressive bust, flushing both in embarrassment and indignation.

"And what do my breasts have to do with anything in battle?!"

"A lot actually. Improper support and security sends those things bouncing around, which would actually explain the tight outfit you wear. But no. they have a use. Haven't you noticed most of your opponents are male? Replica, natural, it doesn't matter. Most men, at least the heterosexual ones, have a weakness for boobs."

"I'm NOT FLASHING-

"Really now, let me finish. Show a little more skin and you'll have the guys distracted, but that's not the point, that's just where it starts."

He Stepped behind her, kneeling down and making an obvious show of staring both at her rear, and her legs. She shrieked and was about to move, when Zero held out a hand, causing her to topple over.

"…not what I was aiming for but it works. Turn your head Tear."

She looked back at him, mortified.

"See, one thing you and Regret share, besides the amazing ass, is your legs. You both have very powerful looking legs." He tapped one, testing the density of the muscle.

"Yeah. Not yet good enough for Shukuchi, but Shunpo wouldn't be too far outside your capabilities to be honest. But not only that, these here are kicking legs. Not to mention, the lack of a dangly bit at your crotch increases your split range, which means you can extend farther before your body starts to protest." He released the field, letting her stand up immediately, before he stepped behind her again, as she had whirled around, and grabbed her by the waist.

"Work this a bit, and you'll be able to tune your body into getting used to bending in odd ways, giving you a much wider range of evasion than most men, since while similar, there's specific genetic differences between us that makes men less likely to be as flexible, even in just the waist area, than a woman. The size of your breasts actually while a slight cushion for chest attacks, is actually a downside, considering that any vaguely angled movements will end up with someone just chopping your tits off, rather than say an arm. Neither being an outcome you want."

He slid around next to her, moving so smoothly that it looked like he simply shimmered from one place to the next. She was paralyzed both from just outright embarrassment, slight confusion, and now that she was looking back on it, pleasure, that SOMEONE finally had the balls to touch her in intimate places, even if it had a more serious purpose. He gently lifted an arm, running his fingers along it, causing her to shiver.

"don't have much strength here…reaction time yes…obviously you've wired yourself to be able to fling those things as fast and as accurately as you do. I know you're primarily a caster, but you move like a man so much its disgusting. Not only are you a woman, but you've been blessed and cursed with having an incredible body, which you keep in very good shape."

"I'm not going to act like…like a slut!"

He rolled his eyes. "Really now, are you that big a prude that the slightest thought of wielding yourself in an even vaguely sexual manner gets that response? I'm not saying waltz up to a guy and slather yourself all over him, I'm saying that with the right moves, a slight shift of posture every now and then, you'll get a person distracted enough to be taken down easily. On top of that, if you moved more like a woman, we wouldn't have to dash back here so often to cover your ass when someone attacked you."

She glared at him before the last sentence registered.

"…how?"

"Women are different from men, much different. While eventually they can gain the same strength and brute force capabilities as a man is naturally based on, they're originally born for finesse, speed and dexterity. On top of that, as natural born mothers, they have a closer connection to the world than a man naturally does. Which is why girls make the strongest casters, more often than not. I've seen women soldiers, women who've gone to wars, and won their battles by not getting hit. Not because people were coming back to draw enemy attention, but because they moved. I've seen women spreading their legs like they were asking for a plowing, and then angling their bodies to catch an enemy's weapon with their feet, before pushing off their hands, twisting in the air, ripping that fucker out of their opponent's hands and slicing off their heads in one smooth motion.

I've seen girls pull off shit that even I wish I could do. They can bend, twist, and contort in ways I can only imagine, and each movement can be used in the midst of battle, hell I've seen girls do that crap and then follow up with a high level spell right after. Shit, I've seen women turn their hair into weapons!"

That caused everyone to blink.

"Look Tear, you've got the body for it. Start holding yourself less like a damn soldier and more like a woman, and you'd be surprised how much easier it is to flow in battle. It takes a guy forever to train himself to flow properly, because we're naturally inclined for brute force. A woman? She's got a step up. And while force is occasionally needed…women embody Water more often than they do hard Rock, like a man. And we all know what water is capable of."

She gathered her will. "…so, you like what you see then?"

Zero blinked. And then laughed. She frowned as he laughed long and hard. "Oh, oh man. That's a good one. Come on Tear, if I wanted to get between your legs, do you really think I'd have waited until now? Actually I'm kinda glad this particular ritual doesn't require an exchange of bodily fluids…" He trailed off.

"No…as tempting as the thought is…I've had Noelle before, and outside of the training, she's not too much different from your body type. Chest is a bit smaller but that doesn't really matter. Especially since she's obviously read so many damn trashy novels that she's got the subconscious knowledge, if lack of experience, as of what to do in bed. While you…you're a total friggin prude Tear."

She flushed in irritation and huffed. There goes that plan.

"Sides…I think Luke would want the honor of being your first."

She blinked. …that doesn't make sense. "What happened to this being my end?"

He just smiled at her. "You'll just have to find out."

They'd looked everywhere. Nobody knew where she was. But they couldn't look any longer. Time was up. They all proceeded to Tataroo Valley. Arietta had accompanied them.

"Zero's been missing for the last couple months. I know he treats Luke like a brother. Maybe he'll show up there."

As the group waited at the very spot that Tear and Luke had materialized at the beginning of their journey, Arietta held Mieu. The little Cheagle was grabbed along the way, with the thought that he would want to see Luke again. The little creature was fidgeting, however.

"Why are you not still, little one?"

"Something…feels strange…" It muttered back to Arietta's whisper. Noelle frowned at that, sitting next to Arietta and overhearing the conversation.

"Yes…I feel it too…"

And then…a form appeared. A red-haired man, locks reaching down to his back, approached the group, soft smile on his face.

"Before the greetings start, who are you?" Arietta spoke clearly.

"I…am Luke fon Fabre."

Arietta smirked. "Good answer. But really."

"Both."

Arietta nodded. That was the outcome Zero had said he put his cards behind.

"Welcome back…Luke." Guy said, the two embracing like brothers.

"While this should be a joyous occasion…we…have a bit of a problem." Jade hesitantly spoke.

"…problem?"

"Tear's missing Luke." Guy said bluntly. "We looked everywhere for her…but…"

"MASTER!" Mieu suddenly screeched out, causing everyone to jump. His eyes were widened beyond belief, his body trembling.

"M-Mieu?" Luke blinked.

"Master! Fonons! Lots and Lots of FONONS!" the creature cried out.

"Wh-huh?"

"Which one, little one?" Arietta asked.

"ALL OF THEM!"

That caused everyone to blink. They blinked again when Mieu gasped.

"TEAR!"

Immediately all of them focused on the cheagle.

"I can feel Tear!"

Natalia was extremely confused. "You can feel Tear? What ever do you mean?"

"Tear! Tear is that way!" Mieu pointed to the south-west, just as a massive flare of light emitted from that direction. It was extremely far off in the distance, but it lit up the sky like a large star.

"I…what was that light?" Anise asked.

"I don't know." Luke responded, gripping his blade. "But if Tear is that way…then she might be where that light was. Mieu, can you still feel-

"She's in pain! I can hear her screams! I can taste her fear! Master we have to hurry!"

"Wow…that wasn't morbid at all." Noelle muttered sarcastically, holstering her guns, which she drew subconsciously when Mieu began his freak-out.

The group had immediately taken off in the Albiore, following Mieu's senses. Surprisingly, he was a good compass. They blazed past Chesedonia, and over the Zao Ruins, where Jade had thought the light emitted from. Mieu just shook his head violently, before continuing to point forward.

Jade reasoned then, to the others, that he thought maybe it had something to do with the Sephiroth again. As they flew over the ocean, the light grew brighter.

"The Tower of Rem? Tear is there?"

"S-so many…fonons…" Mieu began muttering, as if possessed. He shuddered, then passed out.

"Guys…I'm getting really twitchy here." Arietta spoke.

"Uhh?" Was the question posed by Anise.

"Zero put us through some tests while he was training us. If Arietta starts getting twitchy, that means something powerful is nearby. And I'm talking Gold Dragon levels of powerful. If her aura flares up, it means it's something capable of easily killing her." Noelle explained from the pilot seat.

And not a moment after she said that, Arietta's body glowed a soft pink.

"…formless…something really strong is there. It's not enough to get me nervous, but it's pushing the limit."

"Guys! We have a problem! There's some sort of barrier around the top of the tower! I can't get any closer at this altitude!" The blonde called out.

"Can we land?"

"Uhh…yeah." She looked at what appeared to be a designated landing spot. Why do I have the feeling…you have something to do with this, Zero?

Her thoughts were brought about by a massive slab of land with the words AIRSHIP GO HERE carved into it.

"These are…fontech machines…" Guy said, running his hands along a metal casing.

"Nerd out later Guy! We have to keep going!"

The group had began climbing the tower. The elevator shaft seemed to be converted into some sort of giant mechanism of unknown use. Massive wires were everywhere, as strands of light seemed to occasionally run through the walls. They were expecting some sort of monster type to exist…but nothing was there. Nothing save for the humming of energy.

"Is it just me…or does this place look…cleaner?" Anise spoke.

The others agreed, even with the changes in the tower, a lot of the holes were patched up, even the layout was different, with more pathways through the center, but not directly. A massive pillar of metal was where the elevator used to be, the pillar reaching all the way to the top of the tower. Large rods were sticking out of it, occasionally glowing at odd intervals. When they reached the area of the tower that used to still be under construction, they were surprised to see it have been entirely demolished, replaced with a winding staircase leading to a large plate above them. The metal shaft seemed to stop just below the plate, as the stairs led to a hatch above. Anise and Arietta glanced outward, noting that there was a glass pane protecting them from the winds…but other than the brilliant light coming from above…

"…it's beautiful…" Arietta muttered, never having the chance to look at the world from above.

"I think this is it." Luke said. He pushed a button, and a metal hatch above them slid open. Light filtered through.

The group climbed the last stairs and found-

"TEAR!"

She was floating in a slightly transparent bubble at the center of the plate. She was groaning, in obvious pain, as energy seemed to swirl around her naked body. Luke took a Step, trying to reach her, only to slam into a very familiar barrier.

"Sorry…but I can't let you do that Luke."

Zero appeared from behind the glowing orb.

"Damn…is it that time already? Fuck. I knew taking that nap was a bad idea."

"Sen…sei?" Luke was stunned. "S-sensei…what's going on?"

"I'm sorry Luke…"

"Sensei…wait…you took Tear?!" Zero nodded.

"Why?!"

"I need her…"

"But…you're hurting her!"

"…killing…is more like it." Was the correction.

"Killing…WHY?!"

"I need her life, in order to finish this plan. Believe me when I say I wish it could be someone else…but…"

"I…I won't let you."

"…I had a feeling you'd say that." He sighed. "Damn, and here I was hoping to be done before you came back. So close to pulling it off without interruption too…" He shook his head.

"Oh well…just goes to show that nobody can try to change the world without something coming along and throwing a wrench in your plans…"

"Change the world?! Have you lost your mind?! What you gonna pull a Van on us now?!" Guy yelled.

"Pfft, that simple minded fool? Please. What I'm doing is far beyond anything he could have thought up. No…he wanted to destroy the world. I'm simply changing something."

"And that something just so happens to require the death of the last Fende." Jade snarked.

"Unfortunately. It makes sense though…considering what she is."

"Tear…is not an object!"

"Never said she was, Luke. Look…obviously talking isn't going to get us anywhere. And I'm not letting you at that sphere. And there's still too much time left until things complete…so. Since I doubt you're gonna stand there and listen to your not-girlfriend scream louder than she will on her honeymoon night…"

Another barrier popped up. This one resembling blue wispy flames, with its radius around the edges of the plate. The appearance of that barrier confused Noelle. Why set something like that, if he's gonna kill us? He can fly, we can't. Why would he want to make things easier for us? Dammit Zero…even thinking like you, I can't figure you out…

Everyone drew their weapons.

"You gonna fight me too, Ari?" he said, noticing the girl with the group.

"…you vanish for five months without a word. You kidnap Tear, hold her naked in some bubble, and now, you're gonna kill her after doing who knows what to her? I don't know what happened to you…but I'm definitely gonna beat it out of you!"

He surprised everyone when he smiled.

"That's my girl. I wouldn't have it any other way. You're wrong, of course, but that's because of a lack of information. Information I'd like to tell you…but…well, you'll understand when everything's over."

A small flash, and his six wings had appeared.

"Well then…since you're challenging…I declare first attack!"

Shit! His sword can resonate enough to block out my manipulations! I can't bind him with him holding that damn thing!

Zero quickly found himself in a much more even battle than he'd anticipated. While his greatest threat was still mostly Luke, with Noelle knowing how he thought, and both she and Anise having trained with him personally, his opponents had a much wider range of being able to take him down.

On top of that, Zero learned that the Key of Lorelei could stop his gravitational fields.

It's not that I'm controlling gravity…damn. I'm only weaving the fonons in a way that it simulates the effect of a gravitational field. People and things like that damn sword can block the base fonons I use to make a command, and make my attempts useless! On top of that, the fucking thing can cut through my AT field? Fucking…broken-ass weapons!

Natalia's arrows and Noelle's bullets only served as minor irritants. The glowing shield he sported around himself when he fought them all in Arietta's name long ago was more than enough to deflect that. But he had to focus in order to absorb or block any of Jade's spells, and his barrier was easily ignored by Luke's blade. What was worse for his luck, is that they were all working together extremely well. He landed plenty of hits, spells and traps, but they were easily forcing him to calculate and re-calculate his moves, far too often.

Something's not right here. After watching him struggle to block an oncoming Searing Sorrow from Noelle, Arietta dropped back for a moment, to properly analyze.

He's stronger than this. Even blindfolded and only allowed to use one element, and no wings, he was still kicking our butts. It can't be that he's not trying to kill us…

She unlocked her Fonic Sight, deciding to take a proper look at things.

His fonons are going…somewhere else?! His wings are spitting out a lot more than they usually do. It's not being properly regulated in the slightest! On top of that, he's supporting the barrier around Tear, and that barrier around the tower, along with the new barrier around the plate?! No wonder he's not at his best, he's focusing almost all his power towards everything but us! What the hell are you doing Zero?!

Suddenly, he stopped. There was an unusual glyph beneath Zero's feet. Luke and Guy had backed off, sprinting away as the array formed.

…boundary field? Even with me crapped out this thing can't-

"I who stand in the full light of the heavens, command thee to open the gates of hell!"

SHIT! I totally forgot he could pull that out! Well I can-…no…no I can't. I can't dodge. It's improperly formed, this much energy attuned to his wavelength could mess everything up. No…but I can't block…well…maybe…

"Come forth, divine lightning!"

I've got one shot at this. And it's a fucking longshot. Zero placed his left hand over his right wrist. I can't draw from the world around, he's already doing that. This damn array is already converting everything above and around us to his wavelength. But that's alright…I've practiced pulling this out from myself a long time ago…I can do this…I have to do this…

"THIS ENDS NOW!"

Massive dark clouds had gathered overhead. Flickers of light could be seen arcing along them. The swirling grey fluffs were crackling with energy…

But all they heard was a series of chirping noises, coming from Zero's location.

"INDIGNATION!"

The clouds dumped their payload, a massive bolt of violet light. As it ripped through the air, barreling down upon Zero, he flung his right hand up, covered in crackling blue-white energy.

"CHIDORI!"

As the two forces met, there was a brilliant flash that caused everyone to cover their eyes and a massive wall of dust as the force of the connection created a small explosion. As the dust cleared, they all stared as Zero was literally holding a massive bolt of violently crackling purple lightning. That alone deserved shock. But the shock deepened, as the violet bolt slowly changed into the same blue-white that was emitting from his hand, before it shrunk, getting absorbed into the crackling field surrounding his palm.

Im…possible…

Jade was gaping at the sight. While he was struggling, Zero still managed to pull off something unbelievable. Not only did he clash forces with the most powerful lightning spell in the world, but he blocked it. And on top of that, converted it to fit his wavelength, and as if that weren't enough, he had just then, finished absorbing all that energy into himself.

T-too much! I can't hold it! Gotta spit it out NOW!

They watched him whirl around, and roar in both pain and exertion as he flung his now blindingly glowing arm out towards Tear. Discharging the energy, a massive beam of blue-white power ripped from his palm, slamming into the sphere around the naked girl. A horrifyingly agonizing scream ripped from her throat as the energy was absorbed by the barrier, then focused inward upon her. As the stream of power ended, his arm limply dropped to his side.

That…was a bitch. On the flip-side…

He turned around, giving a weary, but cocky smirk to the stunned group.

That definitely sped up the conversion process…I think I just cut off almost all the remaining wait time.

He fanned his wings out again.

Wish I could'a kept some of that for myself…but…

It's just a little longer.

He flew up, dodging a spire of earth summoned by Jade. He ascended high into the air, weaving the fonons around him, creating a small curtain of light between his hands. Something flared in the back of his mind. An instinct born of years of practice. He canceled the intended formula, and shifted it in an instant, whirling around with a blade of light in hand, to just barely block a re-forming Luke, whose own sword was brought down upon Zero. The two clashed, before Zero relented, allowing the force of Luke's swing to force him back toward the ground.

He fanned his wings out, catching himself before he slammed into the rocky spike created by Jade before. A wave of his hand and the spire burst into fragments, creating a wall of sand that was melted into a shimmering glass pane from a heavily charged ray of light jutting from between Arietta's hands. He shattered the glass wall, sending it whirling around and mostly flying towards a charging Guy's face, before catching and crushing an arrow headed for his skull, then calling a quick chain to materialize from the ground, to trip up Tokunaga before it could deliver the haymaker it was readying.

However, all that was enough of a distraction for Luke to make his final move. In two steps, he had appeared in front of Guy, just as Noelle launched a small stream of fire at Zero, who weaved the currents of air around him to cause it to snuff out before it reached him. Luke appeared right behind Zero, who whirled around just in time to see a glowing red fist heading right for him.

…god…dammit.

And with a final blow, Zero was sent flying backward, crashing into his own barrier, before dropping on all fours. His wings flickered and shattered like fine glass upon impact with the ground. He attempted to stand, before clutching his chest, and coughing out a hefty amount of blood.

"Gotten…stronger…Luke…" He shook his head, hair matted to his forehead from sweat.

"No…all of you…"

"Give up Sensei! You've lost! Now let Tear go!" Luke yelled. While he was hurting inside, both from Zero's betrayal, and from the assault on the man he'd call brother, he pushed it away.

Zero remained silent.

Was this…all pointless? Was my dream…to make a home for Arietta…and myself…was it all pointless? Was my wish…to change this world…to give my love…the strength to keep her safe from beings like myself…

Was it all a waste?

"No…"

I can't give up here. I have to keep going. The Tower is almost complete. Just a little more. I just need to hold on a little longer…

"I won't…stop here…" He slowly climbed to his feet, blood dribbling down his chin, body swaying with instability.

"Not…when…I'm so…close…" He dropped to his knees again.

My heart and soul can desire all they want, but if my body can't follow through…

"Not…yet…" He whispered, silent tears running down his cheeks. It's not that he wanted to fight his friends, let alone Arietta and Noelle, but his dreams brought them to a clash of ideals. Much like with Van.

The difference being…I know exactly what I'm doing. I have support. I just…need a bit more time…I need to hold them off a little longer…

"Zero! Stop! Please! You'll kill yourself if you push any harder! I don't know what you were trying to do but it doesn't matter now! Just please, give up!" Arietta cried out.

"Just…a little…" He began falling forward.

"…more…"

He collapsed. Unmoving. Arietta screamed his name, running towards him.

"Lhyasa pass Was yea ra chs hymmnos yor, en chsee fwal fwal yor. Ini en exec lhyasa tonelico XENMARU."

Arietta froze as she heard that unintelligible phrase, spoken by an unseen voice. The moment she stopped, a massive glowing light appeared beneath Zero, taking the form of the glyph of Chaos. His body seemed to lift off the ground, surrounded by an otherworldly glow. Six rays of light shot from his back, before two more appeared. All eight rays burst into tiny orbs of light, revealing eight glowing prismatic wings. His body righted itself, as his skin seemed to darken in color, becoming a more chocolate brown. His hair fluttered around him, a few strands streaking a pure white.

His eyes opened, revealing glowing red eyes.

"That's it!" Luke yelled recognizing the sound. "That's the voice I heard back on Eldrant!"

"We cannot fall here." The voice returned, speaking through Zero's mouth. "Our wish will not be denied. Prepare yourselves, children of Man. For the world as you know it shall change."

His body was healed. All wounds seemed to vanish before their eyes. The blood dried and chipped away, vanishing. Arietta took a step back, her Beast Aura flaring up on its own accord, her instincts screaming that this was something she did not want to fight.

For there would be no victory.

"Even after all this, you won't give up will you?! And to think, we called you a friend." Guy said angrily.

"Foolish mortal." Those words caused Arietta to blink. Something was different here. "You speak of matters you know nothing about. Our task must be completed. Your efforts against the Anomaly known as Vandestelca Musto Fende are appreciated, however, you stand before an event that must take place. Unlike Vandestelca Musto Fende, this one has our full support, for his desire for change mirrors our own."

"Who are you?! Get out of my boyfriend!" Arietta yelled.

"Out? Silly child, we are bonded together. There is no 'out' unless you desire his end. His soul is connected to ours, and We are the masters of this world. He desires change upon this world, a simple change, one that while granting him even more power, will also bring forth stability, balance. And it is this power, and balance that will be required for the trials to come. Yet you challenge him, you challenge us, for the sake of your friend, regardless of the outcome? Folly. Your ends will not come today, but you shall soon see how powerless you are against a God."

Zero's body seemed to stretch out, as the many voices spoke through his mouth.

"AULDRANT tab ADDR:0x011:0737:0501 :: jYEwA INFINITIA!" (From Auldrant I entrust myself to the address 0x011:0737:0501 in Infinitia)

A scream of pure agony ripped from Tear's throat as Zero seemed to glow with a heavily prismatic shine. The field he was using against the others before this sudden transformation, returned, only far denser and more powerful than before.

"hmm…let's make this interesting." The voices spoke. They waved Zero's arms around in an intricate pattern, before a dome of black appeared. As the darkness stripped itself away-

"M-Mary?"

Guy's long since dead sister, Mary had appeared, holding a small sword and shield. She stared at her brother with disappointed eyes.

"Why do you stand in our way, Gailardia? Why do you stand against the very desire of the world?"

"M-Mary…Tear-

"Is the sacrifice of just one single life not small enough to change the world? It isn't the death of the many, nor even the few. But just one. One end, to create a brand new beginning."

"Mary, you have to understand-

"No Gailardia…it is you, who must understand." She readied her blade, and in a blur of movement, had nearly severed Guy's head from his neck. He had leaned back and jumped away just in time.

"This…must be done, to secure the continued existence of this world."

Another black sphere appeared. From within emerged another familiar shape.

"I..on…?" Arietta spoke, eyes wide.

The usual gentle features of the Fon Master were formed into a heavy frown.

"N-no. You're dead. You're dead twice…three times over! You can't be anything but an illusion!" Arietta grew enraged that this…thing would dare impersonate her Ion.

"You have to stop this, Arietta. Anise. You can't win here."

"Win? I don't want to win. I want my Zero back! And no replica or copy of even you is going to stand in my way Ion!" She'd long since accepted his end. After spending time with Zero, he nursed her feelings, challenged her emotions and will, until she understood and grew. The pink haired girl lashed out with a blast of darkness that took the form of a Negative Gate spell. Ion stepped away from the well of inverse power, before flinging his own hand out, a holy glyph appearing beneath the girl, erupting into a pillar of light as she leapt to the side.

While Guy fended off his sister, trying his hardest to wrap his mind around what just happened, and Anise and Arietta were being held at bay by the arrival of Ion, Luke, Jade, Natalia and Noelle all charged Zero's form. Noelle's shots seemed to bounce off a slightly transparent glow around Zero, as Jade's fonic manipulations, weaved into spells, failed to fully manifest, the shimmer around the winged warrior dissipating the gathered fonons before they could trigger. Natalia's arrows met the same fate as Noelle's fonon pellets, and even Luke's sword was unable to penetrate the field, the power of the Key of Lorelai not strong enough to break through.

A wave of his hands, and Luke was launched backward, before being bound by heavy steel chains that erupted from the ground. He struggled, attempting to call up his own Hyperresonance, to shred the metal, before a torrent of electricity lanced through his body, distracting Guy with his sudden yell. The moment of inattention caused Guy to be bashed in the face by his sister's round shield, and he instinctively flowed with the motion, before impaling the woman on his own blade. He froze in horror, as her body slowly became limp.

"Gailardia…please…stop this…pointless battle…" She whispered, as her form glowed, before bursting into hundreds of small particles of light. Her soul returned to the cycle, the unknown entity's purpose for her having been fulfilled.

Noelle did a series of back-handsprings, evading the sudden spires of earth that ripped out of the ground, lancing for her position. She delayed the push on one, having an odd feeling that something was off. She was right to follow her senses, as a spire appeared behind her, right where she would have been. She pushed off her hands, before kicking off the spire, whipping her arms around and lashing out with a Searing Sorrow. The massive sphere of condensed flame ripped through the air, before it was suddenly blown apart, nowhere near Zero's form. She scoffed, watching as Natalia notched three bows at once, stepping to the left before a Field of Fonons erupted beneath her feet, setting the tips alight as she fired them. There was a ripple of air, and all three arrows were deflected, but that left Zero open for Jade's spell to take effect.

As he cast the collective known as Prism Sword, the crystal blades dropping around Zero's form, his eyes narrowed as the holy blades seemed to become filled with darkness before his very eyes. They lifted from the ground, the field they were emitting being broken as they did so, and all rocketed towards him. He rolled away, as they tore through the air where his torso was only microseconds before.

Anise had tapped, surprising both Arietta and Ion at the same time. But even with her now fully unlocked powers, the two girls were still struggling to keep up with him.

He wasn't the Fon Master for nothing.

Even with their boosted abilities, they were being worn down. His small stature made it easier for him to dodge the strikes from Arietta's Beast Aura, and his command over the fonons around him made it difficult for any of Anise's weavings to keep their effect, let alone properly hit him. It wasn't until Arietta had a sudden stroke of genius, the idea to launch her 'paws' into the ground and have them appear underneath him, did they finally pin him down.

Stuck between two ethereal claws, Ion tried to gather the fonons required for his clone's signature technique, Akashic Torment. Unluckily for him, Anise had summoned a massive wall of dark energy, which shattered into hundreds of small spears. Swinging her arms down, the miniature lances all perforated the Fon Master, Ion giving both a pained yell, and a surprising laugh.

"If only…you guys…understood…" He muttered, before vanishing similarly to Mary.

Seeing its summons being defeated, the figure of Zero called forth another Black Orb. When this one vanished, Jade's sister Nephry, had appeared. She blinked repeatedly, as if confused as to where she was, before spotting Jade, glaring in her direction. She ran towards him, trotting along as if jogging, before approaching him.

"Jade! What the hell is guh-

In seconds, Jade had materialized his spear and ran it through Nephry's chest. The others would have been shocked at his cold directness, had it not been proven that they were merely illusions. He ignored her look of shock and betrayal, before he coldly pushed her body off of his spear, causing her to drop to the side. He stepped forward, gathering fonons for another spell.

"Your illusions won't work on me, Zero."

"Perhaps, you should take another look, Human. Before you consider yourself a victor of this minor struggle."

He didn't want to. His training, his mannerisms told him to keep his eyes on his foe. But his instincts screamed to turn around.

We are all slaves of our own subconscious.

He turned his head slightly, before his eyes widened and he turned around fully.

Nephry was still there, bleeding from the gash in her chest, glasses broken next to her.

Wh-what? Why…why hasn't she- No…it must be another illusion.

"And before you go assuming anything, keep in mind, if I have the power to draw forth the souls of the dead, what stops me from having the simple ability to transport a living being wherever I wish?"

That's when everything struck home.

"God…dammit Jade…even…even after all this time…you still…" She broke off, coughing up blood, her body slowly shutting down. He ran to her side, all pretense of control gone.

"Nephry, Neprhy hold on! NATALIA!" The girl was already running. Her hands glowed with the seventh fonon…and suddenly Zero appeared before her.

"Not this time, little girl." A single flick of his wrist, a ripple of air erupted before him and she was sent flying backwards. Everyone stared, stunned beyond words.

"fucking…demon…" She spat at her brother. Jade looked on, horror in his eyes, as her body grew limp, Nephry breathing her last.

"Nephry…?"

"How does it feel, Mortal? To know that your own arrogance, your own stupidity, led you to once again slay someone dear to you? You, have grown the least of all whom have traveled with the Sacred Flame. You have learned nothing, it seems. And now…"

Zero made a gesture, before gently floating backward. Nephry's body flared with light, Jade being thrown away from her, as it lifted from the ground, before rapidly floating over to Zero's side.

"Now, you have condemned your own sister, to the same fate. How pitiful. Because you became so arrogant to think that a simple pattern of similarities was enough to dictate the outcome of this battle, because you didn't take into account the differences between events, focusing only on what was alike, you, have directly caused the end of your own flesh and blood. Your inability to take into account acts of intelligence, deception and even comprehension of beings other than yourself, has led to this moment."

"…let her go." He quietly demanded. Zero's face twisted into an amused smirk, before raising his arm. Nephry's body flowed with his movements, and as he swung it down, so did she. She crashed into the ground with a sickening crunch, head first. The girls gasped, Jade's eyes widened with both abject horror, and rage.

"Why should I? She is of no use to anyone now, you have seen to that personally. No, Jade Curtis. Now is where you will understand the powerlessness that comes with Death. You, brought about your own sister's end. You, decided it was a perfectly plausible thought to ignore any dissimilarities between arrivals, and act without taking into account all variables. You, made the conscious decision to strike."

As the voices spoke through Zero's mouth, he was weaving his hand around, Nephry's body following the motions, slamming and bouncing into both ground and air, rolling around on the concrete like a puppet being directed by strings. Crunches and snaps could be heard, pops and squelches, as the woman's body was being battered by the absent assault, Jade unable to tear his eyes away from the limp movements of his sister's lifeless form, the gash in her chest still spewing her life-liquid.

"Stop fucking around with her!" he finally snapped out.

"I think no. You see, I don't care. I created her. As such, this body, is my piece of meat, to do with whatever I wish. Why are you complaining? After all, that was your thought process up until this moment. You weren't satisfied with the end of your beloved teacher. You weren't filled when your old friend's mind broke, reducing him to an insane, if not skilled, shell of his former self. So what makes this any different? Because she was your sister? Spare me the false care. If that mattered to you, you wouldn't have blindly attacked without noticing her actions."

"I said STOP!" He yelled out, massive ball of flame rocketing from his hands. Zero simply smirked again, before holding Nephry's limp form in front of the sphere. Jade cried out in sorrow, as he watched his sister's body become engulfed in flame. The voices simply laughed.

"Even now! You continue to act without thinking! Now that you have discovered the emotions you have failed to recognize for so long, you are blinded by them! Behold! This is the price you pay for your arrogance! This is the result of all your actions! This is what comes to those who disregard Life!This is your punishment, Jade Balfour. No longer will you hear the voice of your dear sister. No longer will you have any blood family left. Be swallowed by your own foolishness, as your disregard for sentient life, your inability to even fathom the concept of intelligence lying in anything outside of humanity, has come full circle, and now has claimed twice those you believed to hold dear!"

As the voices spoke his judgment, they grew in intensity. The air around Zero became heavy with extremely dense fonons, Nephry's body being shaken wildly by the raging power leaking off of the winged possessed teen.

"This is your judgment, for your crimes against the children of the All Mother!" The voices screeched, as Zero's arm lashed out, Nephry's body suddenly becoming rigid, before he clenched his fist. With a mighty squelch accompanied alongside a loud crunch, her body was immediately compacted into a small chunk of flesh and cloth, blood splattering along the ground, a hazy red mist surrounding it, before it was engulfed in a massive distortion of air, being shredded into fine particles.

Arietta's eyes widened not just at the sight of Zero so violently erasing any possibility of Nephry's return, but at the words.

"And bear in mind, my child…the All Mother watches over us."

"Mommy? Who is the All Mother?"

"The All Mother is the very soul of this world, my child. She is our creator, we walk upon her flesh, play through her hair, and drink of her tears. She is the soul of the very planet we live upon, the creator of all, and the minder of every spirit in the world. When our time upon her form ends, we return to her sacred embrace, where we are purified, allowed to rest, and then returned upon the world, in another form."

"…if we are all her children…then are we evil for killing our brethren?"

"Nay my child. Only those who slay others for the sake of merely doing so, only those who completely disregard life at all times, are considered evil. But even then, she still loves them, for we are all her children, including the ones she is saddened by. I cannot say why she has created this cycle, if she even holds any choice, for something must have created her as well. But nay…she knows of our requirements for survival. Our way of life is understood by her. You need not fear her, my child. For those who have performed evil are justly punished, even if it pains her to do so…"

Arietta stepped forward, her Beast Aura fading gently. Jade looked on through tear filled eyes, as the little girl approached Zero's form…before dropping to her knees and placing her head upon the ground.

"And so…the Beast Child recalls her mother's words. Where has your spark gone, little one? Have you given up on returning your love?"

"No…All Mother." Was the response. "I…understand now. As…great as your presence is…Zero…he is of another world. He operates on a different set of rules, from us. With his mind…with his soul the way it is…you would not gain access to his form, without his permission. He would die, denying you his wings. He…has allowed you to control his form, to combine your essence with his…for whatever reason."

"Rise, Beast Child."

She did so, slowly.

"The time has come. I shall return to my rest. It is time for the final part of this plan to be put into action. Remember this day, Jade Balfour. The day that your foolishness finally came to a head, and claimed the life of your sister. She will not be returned to you, for she, is the price you pay for your folly."

The glow began to fade, Zero's form no longer holding the impregnable barrier around it. Tear gave one last shrill scream, before her body grew limp in the sphere.

"TEAR!" Luke yelled out, before the chains around him broke and vanished into grains of sand and scraps of metal. He got up and ran to her, as the sphere of energy around her vanished, Stepping to catch her naked form.

As he did this, Zero floated behind Arietta, whom was distracted by Luke's movements. Her cry of surprise as she felt her bodily functions halt, a glyph of light appearing beneath her feet, drew everyone's attention.

"Was yea ra chs hymmnos yor, en chsee fwal fwal yor. Ini en exec lhyasa tonelico XENMARU enter ARIETTA fehu LETICIA AULDRANT."

Arietta gave a small gasp, her hair beginning to flutter under the curtails of power that was suddenly flowing through her. She gave a soft groan as millennia of information, songs, thoughts and desires were suddenly ripping through her mind. Unseen to any, on the back of her neck formed the sign of Chaos, engraving itself into her flesh. Her eyes glazed over, as the glow faded.

In a blur, Zero had appeared next to Luke and the expired Tear. Luke held Tear's form closer to him, but could do nothing as he felt his body freeze, Tear's body being pulled away from him. He couldn't move, he couldn't yell, he couldn't do anything.

"Lhyasa. Enter MYSTERICA fehu YULIA AULDRANT."

The same light appeared beneath Tear, as her eyes snapped open, her lungs sucking in a heavy amount of air in a large gasp. Seen by only Luke, a symbol began engraving itself upon her body, just under her collar bone. It appeared to be a cross with a ring just within the tips, and at the very bottom of it, the sign of infinity. Her eyes shimmered the same silver that Arietta's did. Zero motioned, and the two slowly shuffled over to the center of the top of the Tower, where the elevator used to rise.

"Was yea ra chs hymmnos yor, en chsee fwal fwal yor. Exec drone hymmnos COSMOFLIPS enter ARIETTA ANSUL XENMARU en MYSTERICA ANSUL XENMARU."

Twin bands of symbols wrapped around the girl's forms, before seeming to be absorbed into their respective markings. Their bodies shimmered with energy as they closed their eyes and clasped their hands together, before opening their mouths and singing as one.