Disclaimer: We all know the drill by now; I don't own Legend of Dragoon.

Author's Note: Dragoons are in for it now! Read and see what happens!

"Another Legend"

By Shinshia101

Chapter 21

Her screams were piercing, as the sudden rush of energy overflowed her body. Small fragments of the Moon That Never Sets surrounded her and the filaments began to slowly link together, encasing her in an egg shaped cocoon. The dragoon spirits began to glow and one by one flew toward the shell, forming a tight ring around it.

Then, there was silence. It was as if the whole procedure had come to a permanent hiatus. The Wingly scientist looked at the blank monitor. There was no more power. The electrical cells that ran the machine were fried due to overheating and smoke was streaming out of the control system. Had all those years of work prove to be fruitless?

Suddenly, the chrysalis began to resonate with blue light and there was the sound of a soft pulse.

…tha-thump…

Tha-thump…

THA-THUMP!

The pulse grew louder and louder. Finally, the egg burst, releasing large ripples of blue energy. Immediately, Vector's eyes turned golden. Rocks and minerals emerged from the ground, encasing him and his companions in a protective dome. Wingly scientists and soldiers, who had not prepared themselves, disintegrated when the energy hit them. The blast lasted for several seconds, until there was silence once again. The rock soon ebbed away and Vector sighed, seeing only smoke around them.

"Is everyone alright?"

Their groans and coughs proved that they were indeed alive. However, they were still bond by the shackles that were put upon them. Vector tried to concentrate his energy into his hands and feet, but he felt too weak. The shield he had created took a lot out of him. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that they weren't the only ones who survived the sudden outburst. Faust and several other Winglies survived as well, with a shield of light protecting them. He groaned internally, wishing they had died in the blast.

When the smoke finally cleared, there stood a creature like none they had ever seen before. Its large body took up over half of the space of the room. It had the head, arms, and torso of a woman—white, grainy skin covered in green tattoos and ebony hair. The lower half of its body was like that of a dragon, with shiny black scales, four extra appendages, and a long tail protruding from the derrière. Seven pairs of wings ran down her back—two for every dragoon spirit that she wore around her neck. Her eyes were like that of sapphire stones as they gazed at the surviving individuals.

"I am Kazic, the 108th species birthed by the Divine Tree." There was an echo in her voice, two different sounds—one sounded motherly and calm while the other was authoritative and sonorous. "I have come to cleanse this world of all its malice. You Winglies and humans have tried to evade the will of the Creator, but no one can escape what has already been deemed for them. Finally, Soa's fate can be accomplished!"

The thunder dragoon spirit glowed. She raised her hands into the air and an electrical pellet formed. It fired at the ceiling, creating a hole to the outside. Cold air immediately rushed into the room. She was about to fly away when she cringed. She looked down and her eyes flared.

"Virage Embryo! I am your master and you will do as I say!" Faust cried, holding the Moon Crystal in his right hand. He raised his staff and a large ball of fire fell on the creature.

Rage filled Kazic's blue eyes. "How dare you!" Before her mission can start, she would have to get rid of this Wingly!

------

"Are you sure they're down here?" Lani asked stepping over the body of a dead Wingly soldier. She looked around the dust filled room. "I don't see anyone."

"They have to be," the former bandit leader replied. "They flew down here. And I knew I heard something…" He squatted down, trying to see if there was any clue of the dragoons' whereabouts. There were bloodstains everywhere, debris, and several indents on the walls. He prayed that Kylin was okay. He turned when he noticed a trail of blood that seemed to lead to a particular side of the room. He followed it and began to knock on the wall. He gasped.

Hollow!

He pushed the wall, and it began to move, revealing a long coiled staircase. He ushered Lani over and the two furtively walked down. When they heard voices, they took cover against one of the pillars that held the lower roof of the room. Lani squatted down and peered over. The air was filled with dust which made it difficult to see. She slowly walked down, hugging the railing.

"Over there!" Lani whispered. She tugged on Crayk's shirt and pointed to several circular contrivances.

He picked up a jagged rock from the ground and began to sharpen his dagger. "See any enemies?"

Her eyes shot back and forth. "I only see…11, 12…16 of them. Wait there's something else..." She squinted and saw what looked like to be a large creature of some sorts. "What the hell is that thing?"

His ears perked up. "What's what?"

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter, it's being occupied right now." She looked up at him. "Got a plan?"

Crayk opened a bottle of healing fog and inhaled it. He could feel his cuts and bruises sting, and begin to numb. He watched as the gash on his left arm began heal. He gave the rest of the bottle to Lani, who drank the contents. "I kill the bad guys, you set our buddies free and then we get the heck out of here! Sound good to you?" He handed grabbed a handful of attacking items and stuffed them into his shirt before giving the sack to Lani. "Heal them if you can, too."

They immediately set their plan into motion. Crayk scuttled behind one Wingly soldier, and slit his throat. Seeing their fallen comrade, the other Winglies retaliated. He back-flipped and threw an attack item. A blizzard of frost surrounded the group encasing them in ice. He slashed through the ice statues. Four down. He somersaulted as he dodged a fireball coming his way, and threw several shuriken.

Sensing someone behind him, he immediately turned around and came face to face with a female Wingly. He parried a bit, but her blade pierced his left side. He stumbled and began to move side to side, trying to avoid being struck again. He placed his dagger in front of his face, blocking her attack.

"How about I take out that other eye of yours?" Lohita sneered. She leaned in, trying to break through his defense, but he wouldn't budge. She raised her other hand, about to cast a spell, when he head-butted her. She staggered, caressing her forehead.

The bandit smirked. "Sorry, but you aren't my type." He threw several stars to create a diversion, aimed his dagger and…

Bull's-eye!

The thin blade found its way to the female Wingly's head and she fell to the ground, dead. He turned and saw more Winglies coming his way. He groaned.

------

While her friend kept the enemies occupied, Lani ran to the imprisoned dragoons. However she was greeted by a stray soldier who had noticed her. As soon as he began to move his arms, she raised her Magical Shield, which blocked the attack. She then charged at the stunned Wingly and stabbed him in the neck.

"Lani!" Kylin called.

"It's about damn time!" Tristan scoffed. "Where the hell were you?"

Ignoring his snide comment, the female bandit went behind Kylin, and noticed a switch that was glowing green. She shrugged, and flipped the switch. It turned red and the magical bands around the young elf's arms and legs opened. Green on, red off…made sense. After she had freed the rest of them, Crayk caught up with them. With their immediate threat dealt with, Lani thought it was a good time as any to ask:

"What the hell is that thing?" She pointed to the giant creature that was battling the elderly Wingly she had seen before.

"It's Riza!" Kylin cried, almost bursting into tears.

Crayk looked at the creature. "For real…?"

"…the god of destruction…" Vector said somberly. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. The body and the soul of the Virage Embryo had now merged, ushering an epoch of destruction! He couldn't take his eyes off the creature. It just felt all too surreal.

A ball of energy came flying their way and they scattered. The effect of the blast sent them flying across the room.

Faust lay on the ground, breathing heavily. He was battered and weak, but refused to give in. He had waited too long for this moment. He raised his hand again, and the Moon Crystal began to glow, but it seemed to have no effect on the Virage Embryo. It was as if she had somehow evolved and become immune to its power. He flew and dodged another one of her attacks.

"You think you can control me?"Kazic positioned her hand in front of Faust.

"I am grateful for your services in creating this body for me, but now you are no longer needed."

The earth spirit glowed and vines sprouted from the earth and encased the weakened Magician. He grunted, and tried to break free with his magic, but to no avail. Kazic's arm morphed into a scythe, and in one swift motion decapitated the infamous Magician.

They all stared, wide-eyed, in disbelief.

"Such a sad, pathetic little man. Now my time has come…"

Tristan growled and ran toward the Virage Embryo. He was going to snap Riza out of this 'destroy the world' phase!

"RIZA!" he cried. He screamed her name loudly. He wanted her to hear him. Soa, please, let her hear him!

Kazic looked down at the boy. "You cannot reach her. She is inside." Her hand moved to her bare chest. "Now witness Soa's will be executed." She took flight and exited out of the opening she had created before.

A refreshing cool breeze hit his chest as he entered the city of Deningrad. He hadn't been here in such a long time, but everything was more or less the same. He looked up at the newly repaired Crystal Palace, remembering the adventures that he and his comrades had. Ah, to be young again!

Dart walked down the path that led to the palace. Although he had promised to let Riza do things on her own, he couldn't help but feel protective. Checking up to see if she had made it this far wasn't bad, was it? Besides, he just wanted to see an old friend. At least, that was the excuse he planned to give if he happened to run into her. Not that he needed an excuse. She was his daughter after all! It was his right! Fathers don't need excuses to check on their daughters. As long as she remained under his roof, she was his responsibility. Then again, she was nowhere near home…agh that didn't matter! He sighed.

There's no need to worry, he told himself. Riza is fine. She is with Tristan and Derrick is looking out for her, as well. Besides, she has the dragoon spirit.

Still Dart couldn't help but worry. She was all he had.

The castle guards allowed him passage, and he went up to the throne room, and greeted Queen Theresa. He bowed low before the female monarch, showing his respect/ She was pleased by his visit, but Miranda looked at him skeptically, releasing his intentions.

"They are only missing the fire spirit," the First Sacred Sister remarked, with her arms folded. The Queen looked at her, slightly puzzled by her comment.

He nodded, understanding. Good, at least his daughter had made it this far. He was about to ask her about his daughter's whereabouts when suddenly, the room began to shake. A loud explosion was heard from the top of the palace and the floor below them began to collapse. "What the…?"

Miranda ran toward her foster mother, before that part of the room fell into the streets below. Screams were heard from outside. Dart and Miranda looked out the newly created hole to see what was the matter. The sky was blanketed in a thick dark cloud and the townspeople below were being assaulted by hundreds of black…

Dragons..?

The First Sacred Sister turned to one of the guards. "You! Go outside and evacuate the people. Help them in any way you can!"

"Yes ma'am!"

She turned to another guard. "You will escort the Queen to a safer place underground. Now hurry!" She turned to Dart, who nodded and leaped out the 'window'. She grabbed for her bow and arrow and headed outside to help the citizens.

There was a bright flash of light and Dart was clothed in a silver heavy suit of armor, that was about twice his actual size. Six majestic wings protruded from his back, and his arms formed into weapons: one a cannon and the other a sword. He flapped his wings and hovered over the castle. He identified the dark cloud in the sky to be a congregation of dragons. His eyes narrowed as he sensed the dragon's power. The armor on his right shoulder lifted.

"Divine Dragon Ball!"

Hundreds of flares repeatedly shot out of his shoulder and flew into the throng. Immediately the rockets combusted and killed the some of the creatures. He heard laughter, and the dragons soon parted, revealing a large creature, that had the top of a woman and the lower body of a dragon. Dart readied himself, not knowing what was to come.

"Who are you?" he called out at the creature. He eyed her for a moment, and noticed seven different colored orbs around her neck. He raised a brow.

Are those…?

"I am Kazic, the destroyer." She noticed the large dragon eye on his chest. "It seems that I have missed one of the spirits…No matter. Children, dispose of this nuisance." However the miniature dragons were quickly destroyed with one sling of the dragoon's gargantuan sword. Kazic scowled as she dodged a powerful stream of energy that came her way. Indeed this dragoon in front of her was much stronger than the rest. If he was added to her collection that was needed to create this body, she would've surely been invincible! He aimed his cannon at her, again. She would have to use other methods to defeat him.

"Father, wait!"

Dart paused, as the familiar voice rang in his ears. He gazed at the creature, whose chest began to effervesce and there emerged the head and torso of an unclothed a young girl. The girl's head was drooped down slightly, as if she was asleep and short brown hair covered a part of her face. Dart's eyes widened.

"RIZA?!"

"You would not want to harm your daughter, would you?" Kazic sneered as she watched Dart's face grow white.

He stared at the sleeping girl. Riza…

She was supposed to be safe. She was supposed to be with friends. She was supposed to be…

His eyes turned red with anger and rage.

"LET HER GO!" he yelled. Who was this 'Kazic' that held his daughter? He charged at demi-dragon and swung his blade at her, forming a deep gash on the side of her face. Dart eyes narrowed, but Kazic only smiled. The skin surrounding the cut slowly began to converge, until the gash was completely healed. He scowled. That wasn't good, if the opponent had a built-in healing factor. However, he watched in horror as the same wound appeared on Riza's face, on the exact place that he had attack the monster! Blood began to stream down the girl's cheek, but she seemed unfazed by the injury, as if she was just an empty husk. His eyes widened. The creature was transferring its own injuries to his daughter!

No…

Taking his hesitation as an opportunity, Kazic created a whirlwind of ice and shot it at the stunned dragoon. She then grabbed him and threw him into Flanvel Tower.

He fell through several stories, until he finally could gain some control of his speed and landed on some leveled ground. He growled as his blood began to boil, yearning to release an attack. He refused to let this creature use his daughter as some pawn in its sick game! "Give me back my daughter! If you don't want to die, you will do as I say!"

Kazi hovered over the injured man. "Every attack you inflict on me will end up on her body. If you try to kill me, you will kill her in the process!" she reminded him, with a smirk on her face.

Dart clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth. Damn! Anything he did would hurt Riza—his only child. His only…

I'm sorry Shana. I couldn't protect her…

No! He couldn't give up hope. He didn't give up when he found out the Shana was the Moon Child that gave birth to the god of destruction. He didn't give up when he realized that he would have to take up arms against her. No, instead he said:

I will save Shana no matter what!

He would do the same for his daughter.

"Stay strong for me, Riza! Don't give up." he cried, aiming his cannon at Kazic. "I'm sorry." He could feel the power of the divine dragon flow through his veins. "DIVINE DRAGON CANNON! WAHH!!!!" A large concentration of energy shot out of his arm, hitting the unprepared target.

Kazic stared at the dragoon in disbelief. He had actually hit her, even though he knew it would harm his daughter! "Foolish creature! The child's soul is one with mine. If you hurt me, you hurt her as well!" She flew to a higher elevation. Despite her threat, Kazic knew that her host couldn't sustain anymore attacks. She needed Riza in order to survive, otherwise she was done for. However, if the girl appeared to be severely hurt, her father would think twice before attack with that giant weapon of his! Again she transferred some of her injuries to the girl, but none of the acute ones—her body wasn't able to handle that.

Dart cringed as he watched more wounds appear on Riza's body. The blood just kept flowing. He knew that if he tried again, he would surely kill her. He had to back off for a bit. It broke his heart to see her like this, but he wasn't going to lose her! No, not like how he had lost Shana all those years ago…

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that now. He wondered if it had anything to do with the dragoon spirits that were sported around the creature's neck. He had remembered seeing the blue one glow just before he was attacked. Could they perhaps hold the key?

"Mr. Feld?!"

The familiar voice broke his train of thought. He turned and saw Tristan, Derrick and several others running towards him. He glanced up at the creature, who just lingered above him. It wasn't doing much of anything, probably still shocked that he had attacked it earlier. It bought him some time to find the answers he was looking for.

Dart glared at the young black haired boy. "What happened?" His voice was that of a low growl.

Tristan froze for a moment. He hesitated as he tried to fumble for words. "Mr. Feld…I…I couldn't…Riza…" He put his head down. There was so much he wanted to say, but he could find the right words. He wasn't strong enough to protect her, to prevent her kidnapping. He couldn't save and watched helplessly as she turned into a monster.

Derrick stepped in, to his rescue. "Mr. Feld, none of us saw this coming. It was this lack of understanding and knowledge that led to this dilemma. We want to help in any way we can; however our dragoon spirits were stolen to create that creature."

"That man is scary…" Kylin whispered.

"I'm going to assume that he is Riza's father." Crayk said, eyeing the majestic dragoon in front of him.

Vector looked at Dart, who didn't seem at all satisfied with Derrick's reason. The father and daughter resemblance wasn't obvious—this man had hazel eyes and dirty blond hair, unlike Riza's brown hair and eyes. However they both emitted this certain presence. He didn't know how to explain it, but it was much like the feeling he had when he first met Zieg. It was an aura that was authoritative, but also youthful and slightly naïve. However, he couldn't help but feel slightly fearful of the large enraged dragoon. "Excuse me, sir? If you could just hear me out…"

"What?" the king of dragoons asked coldly, turning to the silver haired man. "Can you give me a better explanation as to what happened and how that thing has my daughter?"

"Yes, I can." Vector replied, confidently. "As strange as it may sound, your daughter is what is known as the Moon Child." He watched as Dart opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't. "It is true that it was your wife that was the original host of the Virage Embryo; but I believe that the soul moved into your daughter after your wife died. It is possible that it saw a chance to join with its body through Riza. However someone else knew about the new host of the Virage Embryo, and schemed to use the dragoon spirits as a power source to create a new body for the god of destruction. That man is Magician Faust."

Dart closed his eyes, digesting everything what the man said in. It was true that during his fight with Melbu Frahma that his father and Rose had only destroyed the Moon that Never Sets, the body of the Virage Embryo—leaving Shana, the soul, to live in peace. He hadn't expected that the soul would be such a threat. "Where is this Magician now?"

"Dead," Tristan managed to say.

Dart rolled his eyes. "Great…" Still, there seemed like a way to save Riza. "You say that that thing is powered by the dragoon spirits?"

Vector nodded. "However, the Virage Embryo has powers of its own."

"I know." Dart replied, remembering Shana's abilities. "You all distract it while I try to get the spirits."

Nayeli turned to Vector. "You think could give me a boost?"

He looked at her with a puzzled look for a moment. Then understanding, he nodded. He took her hand and levitated her toward Virage Embryo. She jumped and grabbed for the long black tail. She pulled with all her might, causing a very surprised Kazic to collide with the ground. The floor shook and crack at the heavy weight.

Tristan, who had found his rapier earlier, began to attack as well—slashing the large black mass, back and forth, but to no avail. It seemed like he wasn't causing any damage, not even a scratch!

Kazic moved her large tail to try to knock them down, but Nayeli and Tristan jumped out of the way. Kish shot an arrow at one of the dragoon spirits, but the destroyer had already disintegrated it before it could touch her. Derrick charged his staff into one of Kazic's white finger.

The girl on the creature's chest screamed in pain. Dart gasped.

Damnit! That didn't happen before!

Kazic growled. She didn't want to have to do that—causing the soul of the girl to feel the actual pain of the body—but it stopped the attack. They had become a thorn on her side, especially the one in the dragoon armor—the girl's father. He was a huge threat! However, as long as she showed the human girl to them, they were hesitant to attack her. These lesser creatures were petty and weak, for they gave easily to their emotions. They would rather not see their loved one get hurt, than to sacrifice one for the good of many.

It was about time that she got rid of them, once and for all. The fire spirit glowed, and she extended her arm, ready to unleash an attack. But none came. She felt a pain, as if a spark of electrical energy paralyzed the nerves in her hands. She couldn't summon the attack. What was wrong? Was it the dragoon spirits reacting to protect their masters? Or was it perhaps…?

The girl!

Was it possible that the host was trying to fight from within? No, it couldn't be. The child was supposed to be asleep, and protecting…

Kazic tried to do it again, but this time there was an even stronger pull. She cringed at the pain. A sense of uneasiness surrounded the destroyer. She had truly underestimated the power of the human girl.

She still needed to deal with the dragoon and the other species below. Their interference in her quest of total destruction infuriated her and she wanted to get rid of them completely, but her murderous thoughts could not be put into action. She tried to silence the girl's soul, concentrating a piece of energy to weaken her—the girl was only human, after all. Then she stopped. If she changed her focus, the enemy below would notice. Fine, if she couldn't kill them, then she would have to settle for the next best thing.

The Virage Embryo took to higher elevation and began to summon a spell. She closed her eyes and muttered something in an unknown tongue. The green tattoos on her face, arms and torso began to glow and she emitted a blue light that encased Flanvel Tower. She smirked as the people below her stood helpless and unaware of what was happening.

Soon she would be able to carry out her plans without their meddling. After all, they would all be in the land of dreams…

-----

"Tristan! Wake up."

He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head. He looked at the black haired woman before him. Her warm brown eyes softened and she smiled.

"It's about time you woke up." She pulled his sheets, and the teenage boy cringed at as the cold air hit his bare legs. He playfully glared at her, and she laughed at his reaction. He sat up and touched his forehead.

"Mom, I had the strangest dream…"

Author's Note: I was watching the ending LOD and was like, wow, the divine dragoon armor is freaking HUGE! He could like eat Shana! How does someone navigate in that thing? Who knows!

My younger sister is complaining that I am not spending enough quality time with her cuz I'm writing this fanfic. How can I balance my responsibilities as a big sister and still write?! Oh, the humanity! lol Will the dragoons be able to get out of their comatose state? R&R to find out!