"Take this!"
Lightning's Quake shakes the ground, throwing all the nearby Cie'th to the air.
"Try this one for size!"
Beside her, Hope sends his own Firaga which explodes right in the middle of the thrown Cie'th. They screech in pain, bursting into crystals and disappear. But soon enough, another wave of Cie'th replaces them. Vampire, Ghast, Strigoi, Pijavica, Edimmu… Hell, it looks like all kinds of Cie'th are here! And this new wave of them is even bigger than the previous, which already gave us quite some trouble to dispatch.
"Give me Waterga!" Lightning shouts, quickstepping away from the approaching monsters. Without further ado, Vanille, Sazh, Hope and I send our Waterga to the middle of the enemy, killing some of the weaker ones but leaving the stronger ones merely stumbling and soaked. Not to worry, though, their lives are gonna end soon.
True enough, a split second later Lightning releases her Thundaga into the horde of Cie'th. Coupled with the earlier Waterga, the electricity spreads through the entire Cie'th horde with twice its usual power. Shrill dying screeches and wails ring through the air, making us Dazed. Luckily, Fang and Snow soon cast Esuna on all of us before continuing pummeling at the remaining enemies. Which are still aplenty.
How and why did they attack us, anyway?
All I know was that I was woken up roughly this morning by Lightning, who all but dislocated my shoulders as she shook them in her hurry to wake me up. She'd shouted "Enemy attack!" and I immediately scrambled to my feet, seeing the others doing the same. Snow, however, was still snoring; so Fang kicked his back to wake him up. Looking around, my eyes widened in horror as all I could see was a wall of Cie'th surrounding our building. They were everywhere, staggering their way towards us, so numerous that we couldn't even see the horizon anymore. Everything was covered in Cie'th. How could all of them arrive here so suddenly? Last night there wasn't any of them! It was completely peaceful last night; there wasn't even a single sound save for our own breathings. So how did all these Cie'th appear out of thin air like this, without anyone noticing their approach?
"Stay together!"
Upon that shout from Lightning, I had banished all those thoughts away and focused on the battle. Following her lead, we dashed out of the small building and clustered together, forming a circle with our backs facing each other. That way, at least we can protect each other's back.
What happened after that was a blur. We fought so hard, sending spell after spell into the Cie'th army. Yet they kept coming, and soon we were overwhelmed by their number. Our circle broke, we were scattered and struggled to survive individually.
Soon enough, anyway, we realized that the best way to survive was to combine forces. There was no way we can win if we kept fighting individually, since the Cie'th kept appearing. Fighting individually would only bring danger, and someone might get hurt if we do not be careful. And so, upon releasing Ruinga simultaneously to clear our way, all of us hurried to gather back.
Unfortunately, the other Cie'th wouldn't let us do it so easily. They wailed and scurried faster towards us over their fallen comrades, blocking our ways.
Hence, now here we are, still fighting the horrible creatures desperately. We can't form a circle like earlier, but at least we are now closer together and we can combine attacks too, like just now with those Waterga and Lightning's Thundaga.
As soon as I recover from the Daze I quickly send more elemental spells at the Cie'th, including some Slowga to slow down their approach. Although not much, but it can at least help giving us more time to prepare our next spells. I see Vanille and Fang are casting Slowga spells as well.
"Where the hell did all of 'em come from?" Sazh asks angrily as he sends a barrage of bullets at the nearest Cie'th's heads.
"Hey Lightnin'! Where did they come from?" Fang shouts as well from her position a little further down the area, where she is currently beating the daylight out of several Cie'th with her Blitz.
Lightning, who is releasing a chain of Blitz attacks as well, shouts back. "How should I know? I only woke up when the first wave's already begun to surround us!"
"Is this kind of Cie'th infestation natural around here?" Snow shouts too as he applies Steelguard to withstand a Vampire's attack.
"Ooooh, yeah sure, it is as natural as those PSICOM Dragoons backfiring at their own comrades!" Fang replies sarcastically.
"It's not natural, Snow! We've never seen anything like this!" Vanille explains hurriedly as she aids Hope in casting Haste and Shell at everyone.
"Then can this be… his doing?" Sazh asks hesitantly without casting his eyes off the approaching Pijavicas.
"Tch. We know nobody else that can control Cie'th besides him, right?" Lightning snarls.
My body feels immediately cold. Even without saying his name, we all already know who Lightning and Sazh are referring to. Our nemesis, the one we've beaten twice yet keeps regenerating back to life… Barthandelus.
As if on cue, suddenly another wave of Cie'th appears, wailing and shrieking.
"Enough of this!" Lightning roars angrily. "Fang!"
Fang immediately runs towards Light, ignoring the last two Cie'th surrounding her. "Ready when you are!" she shouts with a smirk, readying her lance.
"Stay away, everyone!" Sazh shouts as he scurries hurriedly out of Lightning and Fang's way. Following his lead, we retreat, using the time to heal and cast buffs. By now, we've managed to get out from the circle of Cie'th surrounding us and create some sort of chess-like formation, with us on one side of the board and the Cie'th horde on the other side. And despite they are approaching us dauntingly right now, but we know they'll soon be exterminated.
"Too late to beg for mercy!"
With a blinding flash and deafening explosion, our death machines release their Lightning Fang directly into the new wave of Cie'th. The powerful attack instantly kills all the nearest monsters, and even its shockwave sends the others who stand further staggering.
"Now's our chance!"
With that, the others continue to assault at the staggered Cie'th using their best attacks. Death, Cold Blood, Sovereign Fist and Last Resort, while I stick with casting buffs.
"Go all out!"
With that command from Lightning, we start attacking even more frantically. There aren't many Cie'th left now, it may be our only chance to create some room to escape should more Cie'th appear! There is no way we can keep this up much longer if more waves appear. Our magic and stamina are depleting at a worrying rate, what with the continuous barrage of assaults from the ridiculously many Cie'th. Has Barthandelus sent them all to kill us? To be frank, he'd almost succeeded… If not because of Lightning waking up right on time to alert us of the incoming danger.
The next few minutes are somewhat blurry to us. All we know is that we have to keep attacking. I can feel my fatigue growing uncomfortably with each spell I cast. My magic is almost depleted fully… As well as Hope's, despite I'm sure Vanille is still reserving her magic for healing purpose. She has stopped attacking by now, opting to evade enemies' attacks that come her way in order to save her magic should anyone gets seriously injured. Lightning, Fang, Sazh and Snow are still attacking, but it is obvious that they are nearing their limits as well. Fang and Lightning seem to get angrier and angrier with each additional Cie'th that comes their way, but it only proves that they are getting desperate. Even I can see that their blows start to lose strength. Fang even got hit on the back once by an Edimmu, and despite Vanille has sent her a Cure, Lightning still rushes to her side and they are now fighting back to back.
"I don't even know Gran Pulse has this many Cie'th!" Snow shouts as he Provokes the nearest two Ghasts, distracting them away from Hope who is still struggling with a Daze inflicted to him.
"Save your breath and focus on surviving!" Lightning snarls, back-flipping away to avoid a Vampire's swinging arm. She continues to slash at the monster. The attack should've normally decapitated it, but now Lightning's power has been depleted with exhaustion and the Cie'th merely staggers. Luckily, Fang aids Light by sending a couple of Ruin spells which explode right on the monster's head, killing it.
Struggling with my own fast breathing, I force myself to send some healing spells at Sazh who has been hit a few times, and an Esuna at Hope. My vision starts to get blurry, and I can feel my magic draining fast. I can't keep this up much longer… And we can't even escape; the monsters just keep coming and blocking our way!
"Ugh!"
I immediately turn upon hearing that groan, and sees Snow has fallen; he is overwhelmed by six Cie'th that he tried to Provoke away from Sazh.
"You reckless idiot!" Lightning snarls. Without thinking twice, she runs away from Fang towards Snow.
BOOM!
All the six Cie'th that were beating Snow up are immediately thrown back, scorched and dead from Lightning's Wrath of Heavens. Snow is immediately up on his feet again, despite his head and arms are bleeding. Vanille sends him a Curaga, sealing his wounds.
Thump.
Although faint amongst all the chaos, that noise is enough to make me turn around. Lightning has fallen to her knees, her body shaking from her last exertion of releasing Wrath of Heavens so soon after the previous Lightning Fang. Those spells need a lot of energy to unleash! Especially in Lightning's already exhausted state… it must have drained much of her energy.
"So are you, foolhardy!" Fang's shout booms as she dashes towards Lightning, applying Steelguard to protect her battle partner from three new Cie'th that are trying to take advantage of Lightning's exhaustion.
But soon Fang too gets overwhelmed, and despite Lightning has risen back to her feet and assists Fang, they are still struggling. I've gotta help!
Ignoring my own exhaustion, I send Firaga and Aeroga at those Cie'th. I can see Hope is casting his own spells to help Light and Fang too. But then, his face is getting pale as well… he even almost fails to catch his boomerang that he's thrown at the nearest Cie'th coming at him. Vanille, Sazh and Snow are not in better condition as well, in fact they are suffering some injuries that Vanille is struggling to heal. Upon seeing Fang and Lightning have begun to recover, I channel my magic to help Vanille in healing instead.
"There is no end to these guys!" Fang shouts in frustration. She's right, the monsters keep pouring like water from a broken jug, overwhelming us and not giving any chance to escape.
"We'll escape at first chance! Look out for it, everyone!" Lightning shouts, her usually emotionless face now betrays some desperation and frustration.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a laughter breaks. A booming deep voice echoes through the air, the voice we all know so well yet it is the last voice we want to hear in this kind of situation.
No way… not now! Not now, when we are all drained!
"Escape? Oh pitiful l'Cie, it may save your miserable lives for now. But you are just postponing your inescapable doom!"
We all turn immediately to look behind us.
There he is. Barthandelus, smiling coldly at us as he stands calmly a few meters away. We didn't even notice his arrival, it is as if he just… appeared from thin air, much like the horde of Cie'th. He merely gazes at us emptily as though he's been watching for a while and is bored with the show. As we stare at him in disbelief, a hoot can be heard from above and we look up to see his silver owl Mnerva flying around, eyeing us with its unblinking gaze.
"You! What do you want?" Snow shouts angrily. Before anyone can stop him, he's charged right at Barthandelus with a war cry, readying to slam him to the ground.
"No, Snow! Stop!" Lightning shouts.
Too late. Snow slams into Barthandelus, but instead of hitting him, he falls right through Barthandelus' body. Our eyes widen in surprise, as Barthandelus laughs.
"Pitiful child, don't you ever learn?" he asks spreading his arms which also get through Snow as if he is nothing but air.
"He's not real," Sazh says, frowning. "It's just a shadow…"
He's right. Just now we were too shocked to see him, but now we realize that Barthandelus' form is wavering, and a little transparent at the edges. It is indeed just a shadow of his real self, sent from the safety of his throne at Eden. Snow meanwhile, has scurried back to his feet and retreats.
"What do you want?" Lightning asks him again, her voice sharp and wary. Upon Barthandelus' shadow's intervention, the Cie'th have stopped dead on their tracks, their heads turned to him as though waiting for his command.
"I am merely here to warn all of you foolish creatures," Barthandelus says sternly. Pointing his long, wrinkled finger at us, he bellows. "You are tempting fate! Cocoon is past saving. If you proceed, there is nothing ahead that awaits beside your impending doom. Like you can see from this Cie'th army of mine, my power is far greater than yours. Succumb, l'Cie! Give in to your fate, adhere my commands and you might just be able to survive to see the birth of the new world in the hands of the Makers. That is your fate from the beginning as l'Cie!" he roars those last words, sending a wave of phantom energy that makes us stagger slightly.
Despite his words have indeed scared me, but I can feel anger rises within me as well. Who is he to decide that Cocoon is past saving? He is just a falsehood in this world!
Turn falsehood to ashes.
My head jerks up as I remember those inscriptions on Fafnir. Turning my head slightly, I can faintly see it hidden safely inside our building, its blade already flaring bright orange in the presence of Mnerva and Barthandelus' shadow.
Right. We have Fafnir. We can't let Cocoon be destroyed! This falsehood of a fal'Cie must be stopped!
"Talk all you want. But you can wait forever till any of us adhere your command!" Lightning shouts back at Barthandelus. "That's all you can do, right? Waiting for others to come and do your dirty job! Depending on others, can't even do things by yourself… You don't even dare to come here by yourself. Sending shadows, Cie'th and bird to represent you? Now that's pathetic."
Fang laughs sadistically as Lightning finishes, swinging her lance threateningly. "What she says, old creep. We are not yours to control! We won't follow some control freak's orders. You are helpless without your slaves, aren't you?"
"We won't let you manipulate us into destroying Cocoon!" Hope adds, scowling angrily at Bathandelus.
"You're not hurting anyone else!" Vanille shouts as well. "And we'll do nothing to follow your evil plans!"
"You'll pay for all you've done!" I shout angrily, and Snow roars. "And we are coming to destroy you this time!"
"Impending doom, huh? Empty threats as always," Lightning says again. Pointing her gunblade at Barthandelus, she aims it straight at his head. "If you truly expect to destroy anything, then stop cowering! Prove you can actually carry out your threats, get your real body here and let's finish this!"
"Khu khu khu…" Even under Lightning's murderous glare, Barthandelus still maintains his cold front. His eerie chuckle rumbles, and soon turns into laughter.
"Ha ha ha! Such a big talk, coming from mere slaves! Do you truly think you can defeat me? I, Barthandelus! I have the power to keep coming back to life. In fact, I am the one who gave you life! My mercy is the only reason you are still standing here right now!"
"Cut the crap. Just come here and let's finish this already!" Lightning's voice reaches a dangerous edge. She's so fed up with all the threats; she's more than ready to fight.
Barthandelus falls silent upon this. Even as a shadow, we can see clearly the fury in his eyes.
"Insolent lowlife," he growls. "Fine. If you are so keen on perishing, then let's settle this like you want! I'll come to Oerba at the next solstice of the sun. I'll show you utter despair!"
"Now that's a first," Lightning scoffs. "Come, and we'll show you true death in turn, creep."
"Don't be so confident on yourselves. First you still have to survive this Cie'th army of mine! A mere preview of what's waiting for you all!"
And with that, Barthandelus laughs wildly and disappears. Mnerva shrieks shrilly at us, before taking off and flies away.
"Coward," Hope hisses.
Despite still feeling deep fury at Barthandelus, I can't help but feeling a little worried about the incoming fight. Why would he accept Lightning's challenge that easily? Doesn't he know that we have Fafnir? Can this be… a trap?
However, all those hesitant thoughts are banished as Lightning growls. "Incoming!"
Lightning's right, as soon Barthandelus' shadow and Mnerva disappears, the Cie'th army that's been waiting starts to charge at us again.
"Preview, huh? Then it's nothing we can't handle!" Fang shouts as she launches to the air, releasing her Highwind right into the middle of the Cie'th horde, scattering them.
And with that, we all charge back into the fight, despite the exhaustion is still wearing us down.
After taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady my trembling body, I immediately release my strongest Aeroga. Beside me, Hope is sending some Fira spells to finish off the Cie'th my Aeroga has thrown up in the air. Snow has joined us too, offering protection as a Sentinel. He is using Mediguard, trying to compensate for his lost stamina.
Meanwhile, the advancing horde of Cie'th has managed to separate us from Lightning and Fang, and Vanille and Sazh. I'm a little worried about Light and Fang, since both of them are too busy attacking and doesn't have any Medic available. Glancing at Hope and Snow who are doing pretty well, I make a decision.
Sending a couple of Aerora to clear my path, I begin making my way towards Lightning and Fang.
I won't feel the least bit sorry if Cie'th extinct after all this, Lightning thinks grimly as she dispatches some Vampires with a round-house kick right to their guts. While Lightning is aiming to kill the stronger Cie'th first, Fang is getting mad; she is swinging her lance without caring which Cie'th she hits anymore.
Suddenly a Pijavica swoops down at them, and Lightning quicksteps sideways to dodge it. Turning, she quickly slashes at the monster's wings and at its head as soon as it falls. Before any other Cie'th can block her way, Lightning swiftly steps backwards, only stopping when she feels Fang's back bumping into hers. This is the best strategy she can think of right now; if there's anyone Lightning would trust with guarding her back in battles, that person will be Fang. With Fang guarding her back, Lightning can feel sure that no Cie'th would take advantage of her blind spot, and the same time, she can guard Fang's back too.
Despite they've been fighting for so long, still there seems to be no end to the Cie'th. If this continues, sooner or later someone will fall from exhaustion rather than from the strength of the enemies. These kinds of Cie'th are sure as hell not strong enough to give them trouble under normal condition, but now in this number, they can be even more dangerous than a Megistotherian! Lightning casts about at her surroundings after shooting an Edimmu, and what she sees doesn't look good.
Everyone is fighting desperately. Snow and Hope have been forced to drop the offensive; Snow is currently acting as Sentinel while Hope is healing both of them. A little further, Sazh is still attacking, but Vanille can be seen sending a few Cure at his direction. As for herself and Fang, Lightning can say they are doing pretty good. They do not even require any Medic right now, but if this continues…
Wait. Where's Serah?
Lightning tries to turn around to look for Serah amidst all the Cie'th surrounding her, but a Taxim is standing right in front, blocking her view.
"Out of my way!" Lightning snarls angrily as she sends the Cie'th flying with an Aerora. With it out of her field of view, Lightning can see Serah. She is alone among the sea of Cie'th, and she is clearly struggling. The fact that she doesn't have any weapon makes matters worse, since she can only rely on magic to fight and the overwhelming number of Cie'th just won't give her enough time to release her spells. How can she be alone, anyway? The last time Lightning saw her, she was with Snow!
A small cry makes Lightning glance away, and her heart sinks as she sees Vanille being attacked by four Edimmu. Sazh is shooting at them desperately, but he is struggling to defend himself as well.
Lightning's eyes meet Fang's. And despite that simple glance, both of them have already agreed. Nodding, Fang sends a Dazega at the nearby Cie'th; and with that, the two fighters separate to protect their loved ones. Lightning dashes towards Serah, Fang towards Vanille.
Lightning soon reaches her sister. "Just stay away!" she growls as she releases Blitz at the three Taxims surrounding Serah.
"Light…!" Serah looks at her, a little startled, but Lightning can't risk wasting any more time. Already has her heart boiled with rage upon seeing the bruises on Serah's face and arm from the Cie'th's assault. Grabbing her sister's arm, Lightning drags Serah along with her as she slashes her way towards Snow and Hope, who are standing closest to them.
"Follow me closely!" Lightning tells Serah as she releases her grip on Serah's arm so she can cast her spells. Nodding, Serah runs closely behind Lightning, dealing with the Cie'th attacking from the sides while Lightning deals with the ones in front.
As soon as they reach Snow and Hope who have regained some control, Lightning quickly hisses at Serah, "Stay here, and don't get separated again!"
Without waiting for reply, Lightning bolts towards Fang, Vanille and Sazh. Vanille is still struggling to heal herself and Sazh, while Fang provides cover with Steelguard. Somersaulting over the last few Cie'th blocking her way, Lightning lands right beside Fang and immediately beats the senses out of the Strigoi attacking her battle partner with a well-aimed kick at its head.
Smirking in gratitude, Fang stabs the next enemy before standing back to back with Lightning again. Both of them are acting as Sentinels now, trying to buy some time for Vanille and Sazh to recover.
"Whoa!"
However, soon after Sazh and Vanille regain their ground, one of the remaining Vampire releases its Aeroga. Fang curses as she, Lightning, Sazh and Vanille get thrown to the air; their breaths knocked out from their lungs by the force of the spell. Aeroga doesn't really pose an immediate threat like Firaga or other elemental attacks, but it throws its targets up in the air before hurling them back down to the bone-crushing ground. Moreover, the wildness of the wind prevents the victims from pulling out any stunt to break their fall.
But that's for half-wit victims. They are l'Cie, not only brawn and magic but also brain!
Grunting, Fang struggles to aim a Ruinga spell to the ground as she feels the Aeroga begins to hurl them downwards, Vanille's terrified screams giving her more determination to succeed.
And Fang succeeds. The Ruinga spell explodes near the ground, banishing most of the Aeroga energy. However, they are still falling quite fast towards the ground. And although this kind of fall won't kill them, but it'll at least give them broken bones.
"Damn," Fang mutters through her gritted teeth, closing her eyes as the ground shoots up to greet them. Beside her, she can hear Sazh's grunt and Vanille's whimper.
But the hard ground never makes contact as Fang anticipated. No pain surges through their bodies, no bones broken. Instead, what comes is the feeling like everything around her has been stopped abruptly from moving, sending her stomach lurching. Opening her eyes, Fang huffs in relief as she realizes they have all fallen right into Lightning's grav-con unit. Vanille and Sazh are struggling to get up a little further, while Lightning is already up on her feet, looking blown up like the rest of them.
"Thanks for the Ruinga," Lightning says to Fang as she stands up using her lance for support.
"Thanks for the grav-con," Fang replies, smirking.
"So much for sticking together," Lightning sighs, seeing that she and Fang have once again been separated from Sazh and Vanille.
"At least there aren't many of 'em left now," Fang says before striking at the remaining Cie'th. She is right, the number of the enemy has indeed been greatly reduced.
About time, considering we've fought for damn long!
They might stand a chance to survive now, if only they can keep up fighting despite their exhaustion.
We mustn't give up now! Just a bit… more…
Just right then, another cry reaches their ears.
I could only watch as Lightning bolted away again after taking me to Snow and Hope. I hadn't even got the chance to thank her, but it was nothing uncommon in war zones like this. After she left, I stayed by Snow and Hope, acting as Medic while they focused on attacking. If we could keep this up a little longer, we might be able to win… the number of Cie'th had been reduced greatly.
But then, a Vampire released Aeroga and I could only watch in horror as Lightning, Fang, Vanille and Sazh were thrown up to the air. I couldn't just stand there and watch as that Aeroga hurl them to the ground!
Ignoring Hope's panic warning, I had dashed towards them, releasing Stopga in my attempt to stop the Aeroga's whirls. However, the spell was too big and my Stopga did little to slow it down.
Luckily, soon afterwards I could sigh in relief when Fang and Lightning managed to save themselves with Ruinga coupled with grav-con unit. They landed quite roughly, but I knew they'd be okay. Fang and Lightning were even already up on their feet.
But that was when reality sank in. I had been separated from Snow and Hope again, and despite they were trying to approach me, but the Cie'th were already blocking our way. To make matters worse, the Cie'th were coming at me from everywhere.
"Shoot." So now I am trying to get back to Snow and Hope, casting spells left and right at the approaching Cie'th.
Two Pijavicas swoop down from the sky, and I quickly repel them with an Aerora. Another one coming from my right; I shoot it down with Fira. A Strigoi approaching from in front… Daze stops him right on the spot. Vampire replacing its position…
I grunt in desperation as I struggle to cast a string of Fira spells at the Vampire. However, my exhausted state reduces the power of my magic, and the Fira spells do little damage. The Vampire is still approaching, even angrier now after it's been hit by the Fira.
"No, stay… away!" I shout at the Vampire, attempting to cast Aerora but only manage to cast Aero.
"No way!" Channeling all my energy into it, I cast another Aerora at the Vampire, successfully hurling it away.
"Ugh…"
Oh no… My vision… is blurry… I can't see…
That last spell has drained my energy; I can feel my legs trembling…
"Serah! Look out!"
That shout from Hope snaps me back into reality. However, my reflexes are already slowed and it was all too late when I finally manage to turn around. My eyes widen as I see another Strigoi behind me, its arm raised high, ready to hit.
After that, I remember feeling pain exploding in my head before everything turns dark. Somewhere further, I can hear someone roars in fury.
Ugh… my head…
The first thing I feel when I start to wake up is the pain in my head. It keeps gnawing, refusing to go away… but luckily, it is still bearable… What happened anyway?
Without opening my eyes, I try to recall what has happened. Everything is blurry… I only remember something hit my head hard; then I must have fainted or something to have my memory so unclear like this. Who hit me?
Cie'th!
I suddenly remember the Cie'th army and the crazy battle against them. No way! Am I still in the battlefield?
I struggle to open my eyes, but they just won't obey me. Dammit, I have to wake up now! What if I'm still in the battlefield? I've gotta move!
But come to think of it… It doesn't feel like I'm in the battlefield anymore… There are no sounds of explosion or Cie'th's screeches. But that's if my ears can be trusted, of course. Deciding not to rely on my ears alone, I try to feel every sensation from my surroundings. It's so warm… I can feel my body lying on something soft, and even my head is lying comfortably against something. Wait… More careful inspection enables me to notice that my body is rising slightly up and down, as if I am lying on something breathing.
Then everything comes to me. This warmth, this tranquility…
My eyes snap open, and immediately meet the slope of Lightning's neck. My head is lying on her right shoulder, and her arms are wrapped firmly around me as she carries me while walking.
"Sis?" I ask groggily, the pain in my head still lingering. Lightning turns to look at me, looking slightly surprised. Huh? I thought she normally would've noticed that I've woken up?
Lightning immediately stops walking, and I can see the others too now. They are walking around Lightning, and are now coming towards us.
"Welcome back!" Fang says, smirking at me. "How are ya feeling?"
"Umm, I'm fine… What happened?" I look around at everyone, and they seem okay. The battle must have been over for some time, since everyone's seemed to be healed. Sure, everyone looks tired, but that's normal considering the long battle.
"We won," Lightning answers curtly. "More importantly, are you sure you're okay, Serah? Your head was hit quite hard…"
"Don't worry, Light, I'm fine… You can put me down now," I add hurriedly when I notice her arms trembling slightly.
Lightning grumbles, making no move to put me down. Knowing her stubbornness, I assure her again. "Really, sis, I'm fine… My head doesn't hurt anymore, I'm not even feeling dizzy." It's true, after all. Just now my head was indeed feeling dizzy, but not anymore.
Fang snickers. "Quit yer bridal game and put 'er down, Light. You're already at your limits, too, right?"
I can feel Lightning's chest rumble as she growls at Fang. I smile to assure her, despite feeling curious at Fang's last sentence.
Lightning finally sighs, before putting me down carefully on my feet. I hold her shoulder for a while to regain my balance, before releasing her and smile my gratitude. Vanille immediately approaches me, grinning. "Glad that you're okay, Serah!" she chirps.
I was about to ask her what exactly has happened, but I don't get the chance as Lightning speaks again. "Come on, it's getting dark. We should move."
I blink, confused. Sazh realizes my confusion and explains. "Our building back there was destroyed into rubbles from the battle… We are looking for a new one now."
I thank him, before walking faster to catch up with Lightning and Hope who have walked quite further away. I am still curious about the battle I missed, but for now maybe we should focus on finding a new camp first.
We finally find a new building to use as camp. Fang, Vanille, Sazh and I have just finished sorting out the new building and are now sitting near the campfire, waiting for Lightning, Snow and Hope to return with our dinner. Seeing this as a chance, I ask Fang and Vanille. "So what exactly happened?"
Vanille lets out a sigh. "Whew, you have no idea how scary it got back there, Serah!" she says.
I frown. "Why? Did more Cie'th appear?"
"Nope, quite the contrary in fact. No more Cie'th appeared, but the ones left were actually enough to kill us all… If not for Lightning."
"Light? Why? What did she do?" I ask, feeling worry begins to creep into my heart, remembering her trembling arms and Fang's last words to her.
"She went berserk right after you went down. Man, I've never seen her that furious before! Sure, I often see her angry, but not berserk like that… She roared like a wolf and I almost got a heart attack looking into her eyes. She looked more than ready to kill every living soul. And true enough, she immediately bolted towards you, unleashing Wrath of Heavens left and right! Those spells kill so many Cie'th, we were so shocked to see her annihilating them so easily like that, considering we'd been struggling to kill them until then. Looks like her anger gave strength to the spells, and whoa, that time was the tide-turner moment! The number of Cie'th was so greatly reduced… But that's not all, after reaching you and ensuring you were okay she glared at the remaining Cie'th and unleashed even more Wrath of Heavens! In total she released five of them under three minutes!" Vanille describes enthusiastically while I can only gape at her.
"Heh, but that almost drained all her energy too," Fang adds. "I mean, all those spells so fast… She literally collapsed to the ground after sweeping off all those Cie'th, so we immediately ran in to help finish off the last remaining few. She looked dead tired, and the rest of us were not so much better than her either, so we rested for a while. After that Hope healed the wound on your head, and we decided to look for a new camp; but Light was still stubborn enough not to let anyone else carry you. Snow's offered to help, but the glare she gave him was enough to send him apologizing and scurrying away, of course. And that's why you woke up in her arms, missy," Fang finishes.
"Light is so protective towards you," Sazh adds, shaking his head tiredly. "I mean, where did she get the energy to unleash all those spells after that crazy battle anyway? And once she was at it, there was nothing that can stop her from mauling those Cie'th that hurt you."
"You have no idea how it was like!" Vanille says again. "All those thunders roaring around us… The explosions, the rocks and Cie'th flying around all scorched… everything was literally crackling with electricity! Whew! I was scared they might hit us too; you know how ferocious the spells are, right? But surprisingly, none hit us. Gotta appreciate Light for that, especially since she was already all out for blood that time."
I smile upon hearing that, even though the sudden flow of information kinda overwhelms me a little. "Light will never hurt her friends," I tell them. "Never."
Etro, what have you been doing when I was out, Light!
I want to scold Light for being so foolhardy. What was she thinking, going for an all-out assault like that? Doesn't she know that makes her vulnerable as well? She was lucky the Cie'th are all brawn without brain, but Barthandelus is different. He's a shrewd mastermind, he might take advantage of Lightning's recklessness once she goes berserk! But still, Lightning isn't stupid either… She's always composed and level-headed in battles. In fact, even I have never seen Lightning going berserk like Vanille described before. I sigh. Maybe I should let Light rest first before giving her an earful… After all, it is thanks to her that we won the battle. I just hope I can find a weapon fast, so I can help the others in the fight against Barthandelus… I don't want to become a liability anymore.
"Hey, by the way…" Sazh's voice snaps my attention back at him.
"We have good news for you. You're looking for a weapon right?" he asks. I nod immediately, feeling my hopes rising. "Then you'd be glad to know that we found an old arsenal in one of the buildings around here. We've searched through it quickly, but most of the weapons are broken… still, maybe you'd find something nice if we search it more thoroughly tomorrow?"
"Sure! Thanks!" I thank him, grinning. Finally we find something… I really hope I can find my weapon soon.
Lightning, Snow and Hope return shortly afterwards with dinner. We eat silently, too tired to talk much. Soon afterwards, we go into the building to sleep one by one. Fang leaves first, dragging Vanille to force her to go to sleep. Vanille half-heartedly protests, but Fang ignores her since we clearly have seen Vanille almost fell asleep even while chatting. Hope, Sazh and Snow follow them soon after. No wonder though, since today's fight has been madly tiring. Lightning… well, she is still sitting with me, gazing at the stars.
I scoot closer to her. Light immediately looks at me.
"Aren't you tired?" she asks. "Shouldn't you go to sleep?"
I snort. "Humph, you're one to talk! I've heard everything, Light. You should be the one resting, after going berserk like a bull seeing red cloth like that!"
Lightning rises her eyebrow, looking slightly amused. "I didn't go berserk like a bull. I was just trying to make sure you were okay ASAP."
"And your method is by berserking like a bull." I glare at her. "How can you be so reckless? I know you did it because you were worried and all, but still! You could've gotten hurt! Don't you know those Cie'th might take advantage of your berserk state and attack you while you were too busy blasting the front area?"
"But Cie'th are stupid, Serah. They only know how to attack using brute force! They know nothing about strategy and…"
"But what about other enemies, Light! We may meet stronger, smarter ones in the future, and you can't afford to be reckless like that again! Next time, you should just stay calm and cast some Dazega or Stopga to the Cie'th around me before approaching to help, instead of going berserk like that. That's how you do it, Light! You're supposed to think through every action before executing it, no matter how angry you are. Isn't that what Lieutenant Amodar always teach you? Seriously, your hot head always gets you into trouble, like that time when we were still…"
I continue my scolding for a while, linking it to our similar childhood incidents; I even add in some analysis about probability of surviving in battles, quotes from Lieutenant Amodar and even a philosophical advice. I am in the middle of talking something about losing temper when Lightning finally cuts me.
"Alright, alright, Serah, I get it!" Lightning says, rising her right hand to stop my flow of scolding while her left hand rubs her temple tiredly. "I get it, okay? I'm sorry, I won't repeat it again, I remember what Amodar says, I'll think things through in battles and I'll cool my head down! Geez, what a lecture… You even went as far as childhood incidents?" she asks in disbelief.
I can't help but laugh at her tired expression. She's really getting an earful tonight. I think that's enough for one day, besides she already got pretty much the main points. I ruffle her hair affectionately. "But anyway, thanks, sis. You saved me."
Lightning squirms away from my hand, smiling faintly. "Thanks for the lecture, too… I guess."
I giggle. "Anytime," I reply her, feeling a smug satisfaction when she pales at the idea of having to go through such lecture anytime. I hug her arm, snuggling closer to her as I watch the last few embers in the campfire sleepily.
"But y'know, it's just so hard to think calmly in that kind of situation."
I look up at Lightning again when she suddenly whispers those words. I frown, curious. "What do you mean?"
Lightning looks away, looking uncomfortable. "I mean, it was like… I was so scared I might have lost you… and it kinda went all dark to me, and all I could see was you among all those monsters. I just wanted to… reach you before anything else happen to you. And the fastest way is by tearing through all those Cie'th blocking my way."
I sigh, snuggling even closer to her. "I know, Light… It's always easier to talk than actually do it, right? I'm sorry I lectured you. I should've thought about how it felt for you, too."
Lightning smiles bitterly. "No problem. At least the lecture made me see new ways of responding if such thing happens again." She blinks. "Not that I will let it happen again so easily, though."
I laugh. "If only I can strike at those enemies before they get that close to us…" I say dreamily, gazing at the stars too.
But to my surprise, Lightning suddenly tenses upon hearing that. I turn to look at her, confused. "What?"
"Just go to sleep first. I'll be back."
My eyes widen in surprise as Lightning stands up and begins walking away. "Wait, Light! Where are you going?" I ask her hurriedly.
"Nowhere far. Just sleep first, I'll be back." Lightning answers. Seeing that I am not convinced, she sighs. "I won't be going anywhere dangerous, Serah," she says again.
"Wait! Then I'm coming with you!" I say, starting to rise to my feet and chase after her.
"No, you go and sleep. It's way past your bedtime anyway," Lightning glares at me inarguably.
I pout. "Then how come you can walk around this late at night?"
"Because I'm the older sister here, li'l sis," Lightning says in a one-plus-one-is-two tone before dashing away.
"H-Hey!" I didn't even get the chance to chase after her. She runs so fast, and a few seconds later she already disappears in the shadows of the ruins. I sigh. "What's with her? I'm not a little kid anymore!" I grumble.
But then, I'm kinda used to Lightning taking sudden decisions and acting immediately… Besides, she didn't look worried or wary, so I'm sure wherever it is she goes to is safe. Still grumbling, I reluctantly go into the building and sleep beside Vanille.
"Serah! Serah! Wake up! You've got to see this! My, it is so… so… beautiful!"
I wake up the next morning upon hearing Vanille's cheerful voice right beside me. I groan, opening my eyes and immediately see her smiling, enthusiastic face. It looks like something exciting just happened… "What is it?" I ask her, rubbing my eyes sleepily.
"Come! Come! You just have to see it for yourself!" Vanille laughs happily, pulling me up impatiently. With me still groggy, she drags me outside. Fang is standing beside the door, grinning at me when she sees us.
"You'd love it, missy," she smiles.
"Love what?"
Fang nods towards her right.
I turn around and see Lightning standing a few steps away, holding out her right hand towards me to give something. My eyes widen and my jaw drops slightly as I see the object in her hand.
In Lightning's hand, is a bow.
"Light… is… is that…?" I fumble on my words, unable to believe my eyes. I can hear Vanille's giggles going further, looks like she and Fang have left us to be alone.
Lightning shrugs, looking a little embarrassed. "You said you want to strike at enemies before they get too close… so I went to the arsenal and looked for bows. This is the best I could find, and it was still in a bad condition, so I… uh, fixed it a bit. It won't work like normal bows, but I hope you'd find it oka—"
Her words are cut abruptly when I rush in and hug her tightly, squeezing the air out of her lungs. "'Okay'? Lightning, it's so beautiful! Thank you!" I squeal happily, ignoring how undignified it may sound. Lightning simply smiles shyly, handing the bow to me. "Check it," she mumbles.
I hold the weapon carefully, examining it. It is a very large bow, almost as tall as me and dark purple in color with some tinge of red. Strangely, it is not heavy… I'm wondering how such a supposedly-old weapon can be this beautiful, but soon I realize that Lightning must have reconstructed it almost entirely using components we gathered. 'Fixed it a bit'? That's an understatement. What Lightning did was nothing near 'fixing a bit.' She's reconstructed the whole bow, using only the main structure and replacing the rest with our components. I mean, just look at the limbs! They are covered with the beautiful purple-and-red substance that doesn't even reduce their flexibility. To cover them so smoothly and perfectly like this… Lightning must have been working on it so long, paying attention to the finest of details.
But soon afterwards, I frown in confusion. Usually bows have one string, but this one… it has more than one. And all of those strings are already attached to a single large, thick metal arrow, which is also already stuck to the limbs. I frown again. How am I supposed to shoot it if the arrow is already attached to the whole bow? It can't even be released from the bow, it can only… slide back and fro with the string. Besides, there is only one arrow…
Seeing my confusion, Lightning approaches me. "I changed the structure of the bow too. Normal bows need arrows, and I don't think we'd have enough time to make them. Besides, you can easily run out of arrows during battles, so I think of other ways of using a bow without arrows."
Slowly, Lightning takes the bow from me. "I call this the 'thrower,'" she says, pointing at the attached arrow. Then she points at a red hook attached to it. "See this hook? You can pull the string and thrower using it," she says, demonstrating it. "And y'see this hole…"
I bend forward, and I can see that the thrower actually has a hole at its end, near the hook. I realize that it is actually hollow. An inspection at the other end of the thrower shows another hole too. So, this 'thrower' is actually something like a tube…
"You can channel your magic into the thrower. Then pull the strings, and release it. The magic will be projected, and you can immediately fill the thrower with the next spell," Lightning explains. She lifts the bow confidently before her and pulls at the hook. The strings are immediately drawn taut, the thrower coming into contact with her hand. Then Fire spell forms in her hand, immediately entering the thrower. After aiming carefully, Lightning releases her hold on the hook.
Without any noise, the thrower shoots forward along with the strings before bouncing back to its original position, stopped from being projected into the air by the same strings attached to it. But the thrower is not what I'm looking at. I am looking at the Fire spell Lightning has released into it, which is now being projected like an arrow itself into the distance. Now that's a perfect embodiment of 'fire arrow.'
The Fire spell, which normally occurs in a spherical shape, is now taking a long cylindrical shape; just like the thrower it has been passed through. This new shape enables the spell to shoot through the air very quickly like a real arrow, and gives it more penetrating force. It hits a tree far down the area, going through it like it is made of butter, leaving a smoking hole behind. I laugh in happiness, seeing just how powerful this new weapon is. It is way much better than the normal bow and arrows!
"Sis, I love you so much!" I jump onto Lightning, hugging her tightly again, ignoring her embarrassment. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! It is so perfect! I love it, Light! Thank you!" I keep screaming my gratitude for minutes. I can't believe this. Lightning actually made me a weapon! And she even modified it, creating a whole new type of bow for me! Really, she can never stop surprising me. This new type of bow has no drawbacks like the usual one. I can never run out of arrows, as long as I have my magic!
"Lightning, you're such a genius!" I laugh, ruffling her hair again like last night. Lightning laughs too at my childish enthusiasm, grabbing my hand to stop me. "I was only doing what I could," she shrugs my compliment off. I giggle. Typical Light.
"Are you sure I can take this, sis? I mean, it's so nice! And beautiful!" I ask, marveling at the way the purple-and-red limbs reflect the sunlight.
Lightning nods. "Sure. I made it for you anyway."
I grin at her. "Thank you Light! You have no idea how much this mean to me!"
"There's one condition, though," Lightning suddenly says, her expression turning serious. I look at her curiously. "What?"
"You have to find your reason to fight first. I don't want you to go jumping into fights just because you have that bow, nor because everyone else is fighting. I want you to find your own reason on why you fight," Lightning says sternly, her blue eyes glaring at me. I am somewhat surprised by this sudden change in topic.
"But, Light, I don't understand… What do you mean by 'reason'?"
Lightning shrugs. "Why you fight. Is it to protect someone? Is it to win something? Or to defeat somebody?"
I gape at her. I think I know where this is going to…
"I don't want you to fight just because you are feeling obliged, Serah. I don't want you to fight just because everyone else is. The thing is, every one of us already has our own reasons to fight. But you… All I can say is, so far you've kept fighting just because you want to aid us. But you don't seem to have a reason of your own…" Lightning trails off, gazing at the distance. Then her piercing eyes return to me again. "I want you to think it through. Find your own reason to fight, and don't just follow somebody else's. If you can't find it, then I'll take the bow back and I won't let you help us fighting Barthandelus."
"Light!" I yell at her, surprised. "Why is finding a reason so important? What if I can't find it yet before fighting Barthandelus, would you still take the bow back?"
Lightning's glare turns cold. "Yes."
I stare at her, surprised. My mouth can only form one question. "…Why?"
"Because fighting without reason's just a slow suicide," Lightning says. She sighs. Her expression turns solemn. "I don't want you to have to go through aimless fighting, Serah. Fighting sometimes can be one of those things you just do in life, but mostly it can't. You've got to have a reason. For me, I don't fight because I like it. I do it because I must. I have my own reason. Without it, I would've jumped into any fight I can find and end up with that ultimate retribution… committing a slow suicide…"
I can only stare at her. Her words finally sink into my mind, and I have to admit they are right. I nod. "I understand, Light. You have your own reason to fight, so I'll find mine, too! Don't worry!'
Lightning finally smiles after studying me for a while. "That's a good girl," she smirks, ruffling my hair now. I laugh.
"So, now," Lightning says with a smirk. "Don't you want to try out your new weapon?"
I hesitate for while, but then I remember how Lightning has sent that Fire arrow shooting through the sky and through that tree easily. Feeling enthusiasm pumping in my blood, I nod happily, grinning.
"Yep!"
With that, I lift up my new weapon and run towards a large group of Goblins wandering around the ruins.
I can hear Lightning following me from behind, but stops a few distance away. I think I see Fang approaching her, too, but I am too occupied with trying out my new weapon. Raising the bow, I carefully aim before shooting my first magical arrow.
"Wow," Fang says in amusement. "She's really going all out, isn't she?"
"Well, I bet she's been dying to get a chance to let out all the stress," Lightning replies.
Fang and Lightning are standing a few distance away from Serah, who is currently sending magical arrows exploding into a large group of Goblins in the distance using her new bow. At first she was a bit slow in releasing the magic arrows, but now she is already sending continuous chains of them. Arrows of all elements hit the Goblins, killing them in big explosions of utter annihilation. Especially when Serah uses the strongest elemental spells like Firaga and the other –ga spells. What makes them even more effective is the fact that those spells do not explode right away after being released from the bow, instead they shoot through the air first before exploding when they make contact.
"So, why a bow?" Fang asks, turning her gaze back to Lightning.
"She said she wants to attack the enemies before they get too close, that's why," Lightning answers.
Fang nods. "So you choose a long-ranged weapon for her. But I kinda think you might have another reason for choosing a bow, yea?" she looks sidelong at Lightning, smirking smugly.
"What?" Lightning asks, annoyed.
"You don't want her to get too close to danger as well. That's why you made her a bow: so she'd keep a distance from the enemies. Because bows aren't so effective when used close to the targets. They are long-ranged weapons, after all. Am I right?" This time Fang doesn't look at Lightning, but she is still smirking smugly. Lightning doesn't reply, she just lets out an annoyed grunt. But that's quite enough for Fang to know that she's right.
Fang laughs. "But anyway, you've made quite an amazing weapon. What are ya gonna name it?" she asks, turning towards Light.
Lightning shrugs. "I'll leave that to Serah."
"Hey, you can't do that! Weapons are supposed to be named by their creators!" Fang protests. "Isn't that how it works?"
"I don't see any need to," Lightning replies.
"Aww, come on, even yer gunblade has its name! Blazefire Saber, right? Come on, having a name is a joy for the weapon. Besides, it'll make the weapon more meaningful."
Lightning groans. She considers it for a while, thinking. Fang waits for her patiently, turning her gaze at Serah who looks like she's having the time of her life.
"…Morning Glory."
"Huh?"
"The name," Lightning says. "Morning Glory."
Immediately Fang grins. "Beautiful name ya've get there. Care to explain why? If I'm not wrong, I think Vanille's said before that it's the name of some kind of flower from Cocoon, right?"
Lightning nods. "Serah grows one of those flowers in our garden. They're purple too, and she likes watching them in the morning when there are still dews on their petals. She said they really represent morning: cheerful, fresh, beautiful… and like the waves of the new day, they clear all her gloom away."
Fang grins even wider. "Your sister has quite some taste for flowers, yea? I can never comprehend flowers to that extent."
"Neither can I," Lightning says, smiling faintly. "Besides, I finished making that bow in the morning. So I think the name's quite appropriate."
"It is appropriate," Fang says approvingly.
And although that time I am too busy raising havoc to hear them, but I've heard everything about the bow's name. And I must say I couldn't agree more to the name of the bow. I look at the beautiful weapon in my hand, so elegant and powerful. Morning Glory. I smile.
"Hello, Morning Glory. You'll live up to your name, I promise. We'll achieve glory in the battlefield together. And like the morning, your presence will clear all the gloom and doubts away from me during fights."
Smiling in satisfaction, I shoot another Blizzaga arrow at the last few Goblins, watching it explodes in their midst, piercing and killing them all.
So, now that I've mastered my new weapon, there's only one more thing to do: finding my reason to fight.
A/N: Hi guys :D well, this is the first time I leave author's note, so I don't really know what to say... but I just wanna thank you all for your awesome reviews. Really, the reviews are the reason I can keep writing, especially since they can always boost my mood to write. Thank you, for taking the time to write those reviews. You guys are too kind! ^^
Umm, I think I must say sorry too if Serah gets a bit OOC in this fanfic. But I have a reason for that. I just don't like the in-game Serah, who seems to care more about Snow than Lightning who has sacrificed everything for her. That's just so sad and unfair for Light. That's why I write this fic, with Serah caring more about Light than Snow. And that's why you guys don't see him much ^^" I must say I don't like that guy very much. My mindset may sound immature, but hey, I totally love Lightning, I want her to be happy and I'm just unleashing my imagination here ^^ that's what fanfictions are all about in the first place, right? And that's what make them awesome :D
I'm sorry too if I update slowly, but I am usually smack dead by the homeworks and tests my teachers throw like confetti. Seriously, fifteen is the age when those teachers believe you can finish five homeworks a day with two tests coming on the next day OTL *headdesk* But don't worry, I'll keep updating since I like this fic too and even I want to read it ^^ So, thanks for your patience and for bearing with me, my lords and ladies :D
Once again, thanks for all your support and reviews. I really appreciate them. You guys are all awesome xD