Chapter 21
For Whose Sake?
The medical structure was decimated, crumbling right before their eyes.
No...Millianna thought, shaking in fear as dragons flew overhead. That's where Vóreia and Glacia were...they can't be...
...where am I?
Glacia opened her eyes, nothing but blankness all around her. As blank as a piece of paper.
...am I dead?
Suddenly, she could see her life play out before her eyes. Literally.
...I guess I am, she thought.
She was ten, and it was the first mission that they were taking out of the country. And she saw herself fighting—wait, that couldn't be her.
She saw herself—as the dragon from her dream.
White-blue scales glinting in the light, talons for nails, fangs for teeth, and her eyes were cold and slit-pupiled.
That's not how I remembered it, Glacia thought. That's not it at all!
There were other memories like that, too. Flashbacks of her transforming into that dragon. But the more they passed before her, the bloodier they became.
Until finally...one memory resembled a nightmare.
She transformed into that dragon again...but this time, she didn't change back. Rather, the look in her eyes became murderous.
And then...bloodlust.
No...that was an understatement.
Slaughterhouse. That seemed more fitting.
She murdered everyone in sight, revelling in their blood. She carved out hearts, destroyed their innards, even mutilated their faces into oblivion. And then...with the guildmaster of the dark guild she was supposed to destroy—she let him feel different than his lackies by whacking the side of his head. And sending his head flying.
Her friends tried to stop her, but she didn't blink at the sight of them. No—she hurt them too.
And the worst part was...she enjoyed it.
She changed back into a human, but confused and afraid. "'What happened?'"the dream her asked.
"'Glacia.'" A younger version of Dobengal knelt on the ground, holding a bloody arm. "'You don't remember?'"
The younger her gasped at the sight of the limb. "'Dobengal, wha—?" She finally took note of her surroundings. The members of Endless lay lifeless all around them, not even remotely recognizable. Something brushed against her foot. Instantly, she regretted looking down. A head rolled past her, staring at her with blank eyes. And then there was the blood on her hands.
Those aren't my memories! Glacia thought as the memory her fainted.
Take a look around you! The colder version of her voice screamed. Take a look at your so-called life!
Her memories—the memories she recognized—were engulfed in flames right before her eyes.
"Please." As fast as his feet could carry him, Rogue ran past the buildings and other mages in battle. "All three of you...you have to be okay."
"'Listen to me,'" Dobengal said to the three guilds. "'It's true that by doing this, we also awaken Tiamat. As soon as she sees an opening, she'll run towards it. After all, Vóreia and I are the two people left that she hates the most. She'll want to make us suffer in any way possible. But at the same time, the only thing that holds Tiamat back is Glacia. As long as she retains the strength to keep Tiamat from escaping into the open...we stand a chance."
"...ugh..." Vóreia shook her head, dust and rubble sliding off her jacket. "Dobengal?"
"...I'm here..." The ninja sat up, clothes smudged with dirt. "That...was Acnologia, wasn't it?"
"But how are we still...?" Realizing the situation, Vóreia shot into the air, wings sprouting immediately. "Glacia!"
"Shit!" Dobengal sprung to his feet. "The seal wasn't complete!"
"Hurry!" Vóreia began to lift some rubble out of the way.
"Vóreia, calm down!" Dobengal placed a hand on the Exceed's head. "She was wearing the necklace as we began the sealing. That necklace was what helped Glacia control Tiamat. After Nordenburg altered it slightly, it helped keep Tiamat at bay and stayed that way for seven years...what I'm really worried about is Glacia's willpower. If she can find the strength to keep Tiamat from corrupting her..."
"...ughh..."
Ears perking, the duo's heads turned in the direction of the sound. "Glacia!"
Vóreia flew off towards her partner's voice, with Dobengal chasing her.
"Glacia? Glacia?" With strength she never knew she had, Vóreia lifted a hospital gurney. Underneath it was her partner, covered in dirt and scratches.
"I found her!"
The girl mumbled, sitting up on her knees, holding her head.
"Glacia?" Dobengal knelt in front of her, holding her shoulders. "Are you all right?"
Slowly, the young girl opened her eyes.
Just as Rogue and Frosch rounded the corner—
SMACK!
"Agh!" Dobengal sat up, holding a bruised cheek that was nearly identical to Rogue's now. "Glacia..."
Something they shared in common: being punched by a girl who could transform into a dragon...and having their arm sliced open.
"Glacia—"
"Shut up, Vóreia."Those three words came out in a snarl. Just three words were enough to silence the female Exceed.
But Glacia...at this point, her resemblance to her counterpart was frighteningly identical...minus the scales, the talons, and ears. Honestly, Rogue thought she looked more terrifying like this. The expression on her face was the portrait of pure, raw hatred—a look too evil for her delicate features. Hair as pale and soft as snow flew wildly around her head, fury rapidly converting itself into a tempest.
"I trusted the two of you," Glacia hissed, her hair covering over her eyes. "We fought together, cried together—but I guess Mother was right."
"Glacia, we can explain—"
"Explain what, Dobengal? How I could transform into a murderous dragon at will all along? How you two altered every memory I had? How you let me live a lie for the past seven years?!"
Rubble from the hospital ruins began to shake violently.
"Why? Why didn't anyone tell me about Tiamat? I HAD EVERY RIGHT TO KNOW!"
That's right, Tiamat crooned in her ear. You deserved to know...everything.
The blue aura radiated from Glacia, but this time, it didn't linger in the air. Ice began to form under her feet as she stood.
"We did it to protect you!"
"They weren't your memories! They were never yours! They—were—MINE!"
A shockwave from the Dragon Slayer sent Dobengal and Vóreia flying from her as the aura grew larger and larger. There was no mistaking it this time. Rising from her aura, a dragon spread its wings, rearing its head back in triumph.
Or was it in laughter?
In a piercing scream, that same blast of magic destoyed the crumbled ruins of the hospital into dust. The ground split apart as dust was lifted above the ground. The sky parted, as if arms were tearing it wide open while the malevolent magic seal from before appeared. A burst of light forced the occupants of that area to look away immediately.
As quickly as it had appeared, the light was gone.
Vóreia looked up to see her partner standing there...without claws...no scales...not even fangs.
Did it fail? Vóreia thought. "Glacia?" she asked flying a bit closer.
Dobengal rubbed his eyes but stopped when he saw the seal drawing itself underneath Vóreia. "Vóreia, get out of there!"
"Wha—" Dobengal pulled Vóreia back in time as the seal under her exploded.
Glacia opened her eyes, sclerae black as night whereas her irises were pure white. Her pupils, however, were glacier blue slits.
"Dobengal...Vóreia...it's been too long." The hyperboreal voice rang from Glacia's mouth.
"No...No! NO!" Vóreia screamed.
A cruel smirk lining her mouth—Glacia's mouth—Tiamat swiped her finger through the air.
"Augh!" Blood was spilt as the wounds on Dobengal's arm reopened. The young man gripped his arm tightly, doing what he could to suppress the pain.
Just by air pressure? Rogue thought, backing away slowly.
"Rogue—" The mage covered the Exceed's mouth quickly.
But that had already given them away. Tiamat turned in their direction. "Ah, yes. Another I failed to kill."
Before they could blink, the ground beneath the two exploded. Rogue grabbed Frosch just in time as they were thrown by the impact down a set of stairs that led to the hospital ruins.
"Rogue, why is Mermaid-san doing this?" Frosch teared up, fear evident in his eyes.
"Not quite the face you remember, Rogue?" The dragon sovereign that looked too much like Glacia Patin descended the stairs more gracefully than Rogue had, freezing each step as she moved. "Don't worry, Frosch." Her voice changed its tone, one of her eyes returned to a white sclera and blue iris. "I'm right here," Glacia's voice said.
"Mermaid-san, don't hurt us!"
"Honestly, Rogue," her voice switched back to the chilling tones of Tiamat. "You're pathetic. You've only ever seen the aftermath of what Acnologia's been able to do...and that makes you think you can kill him?"
Eyes widening, Rogue held Frosch closer to him. "How do you know—?"
Five colored balls flew past Rogue's head, exploding at Tiamat's feet. Smoke clouds rose up, and a hand grabbed the back of Rogue's neck, dragging him with the mystery figure.
"Dobengal...why—"
"If you had stayed any longer," he said while running, an explosion taking place back where Rogue would've stood seconds ago, "you wouldn't exist."
"Tell me you have a backup plan."
"Backup plan? I don't even have a plan!" Dobengal let go of Rogue once they were far away. "Tiamat's completely awake now, what do you want me say, that Glacia will hold her back and come back to us? She's gone, Rogue! Glacia's gone!"
A white dragon fell to the ground, bathing in its own blood in death. Lifeless blue eyes rolled over as its head hit the ground.
"Whew!" A Quatro Cerberus mage got out of his hiding place to thank the person who killed the dragon. "Thanks kid—wait, your name's Glacia, isn't it?"
Her back turned to the mage as they continued to stare at the dragon, she smirked.
"We have six other Dragon Slayers, we have a fighting chance!" Rogue protested.
"No, Rogue...we have a chance to survive," Dobengal murmured. "And we will...if we can get everyone to leave Crocus."
"It won't end like this, we're—"
"Take a look around you!" he screamed. "We've already lost! There are wounded out there, everyone's suffering because of—"
"What about the people that are still alive?" Rogue asked. "We'll be all right—"
"No, we won't be okay! Nothing will ever be the same again! Not Crocus, not the lives of everyone here, and not even Glacia!"
The Quatro Cerberus mage's lifeless body fell to the ground, mutilated to the point where even his own comrades couldn't recognize him.
"She—she just killed him!"
"Get out of here, wild!"
"Fou—" Tiamat extended her arm in their direction, a magical array on her palm.
In a blast of rainbow light from her palm, the mages of Quatro Cerberus were obliterated.
Other mages saw what happened and made a run for it.
Many didn't make it.
"Tell me you're joking, Dobengal!" Rogue shook his comrade's shoulders. "There has to be a way to rescue her!"
"If I were joking, why did I get you away from Tiamat before she blew you up?"
"Please!" Rogue fell to his knees. "I don't care what happens to me, just tell me what we can do to help her!"
At a loss for words, Dobengal tried to dissuade the Dragon Slayer. "Rogue—"
"Please." Frosch approached the ninja, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Please."
Dobengal closed his eyes, berating himself furiously inside as he forced the next words out of him. "You love her that much?"
"...yes."
"...there is one way," Dobengal said quietly.
Rogue and Frosch's heads shot up when he said this. "Really?" Frosch asked.
"But I guarantee that if you accept this method, there will be things you can never unsee or undo again."
"I don't care," Rogue replied.
"I should've known you'd say that," Dobengal said to himself.
"What?"
"If you really mean those words...then when this method succeeds, Tiamat will be gone forever."
"That's—"
"The only way for you to see Glacia again...you have to kill her. For this world's sake...for everyone's sake...for the sake of the world and Glacia...she has to die."
"No...No!"
"NO!" Millianna screamed as one of her fellow mages died before her.
"Millianna, we have to leave!" Beth cried, pulling her friend with her.
"Tiamat...we have to save Glacia!"
"I know..." Millianna saw Beth crying openly as they ran. "I know...but like this...what can we do?"
"Not that! Anything but—!"
"You said you didn't care what the method was, just as long as you could save her from Tiamat," Dobengal reminded.
"But I—I can't kill her!"
"Your reaction now is the same reaction I had when Nordenburg told me to kill Glacia years ago. I know why you can't kill her, just as I couldn't kill her when Tiamat tried to possess Glacia back then." The ninja balled up his hands. "But—for our sake...and for hers...if you won't kill her...then I will."
Fury pulsed through his veins as Rogue made it to his feet, confronting his guild mate. "A girl shouldn't be sacrificed for the world!"
"And the world can't be sacrificed for a girl!" Dobengal screamed, tears pooling near the edge of his eyes.
Sorry I took so long with this chapter, it took me a while to adjust some stuff here and there, as well as keeping myself up in Biology. I got caught nodding off in that class multiple times.
Tears of regret and sorrow...what does he hide?
"A girl shouldn't be sacrificed for the world."
"And the world can't be sacrificed for a girl."
The greatest decision ever made in this story. But which one will prevail?
*Insert evil laugh*