0.o This is a really long chapter now. Well, with everything that was to happen here I shouldn't get surprised.
Now people, with this chapter we end the part "Dark Whispers" of my fic. Like I said before, here the general mood of the fic will start to change, yet again (at least this what I think).
So let's get with it, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own, and possibly never will, ToS. I own, Kermish, Scarv, Khan'Tharu and other creeps and freaks like them, save Nebilim.
Chapter 25
The Angel and the Linch
Kermish stared at his front to the great floating, multicolored gem. There was the relic that powered the great fortress of Nebilim and now he would activate the gem and bring the fortress back to life.
Nebilim promised to the ancient Chosen that if he helped him to get his old powers and body back, he would teach the great secrets of the magic that Kermish wouldn't learn from any elven book, save the Necronomicon by itself. Also the promise of the eternal life to Kermish and help him to reach his objective, the forge of a new element.
Looking to the gem, Kermish felt that now he was closer to his object more than never before. Nebilim showed interest in his researches about it and showed to him that it was possible to create that element.
A shout of his name brought Kermish back to reality. Looking behind, the fallen Chosen One saw Merilius coming to him through the corridor from where he came. The warrior of light stopped near the stairs to the altar where the Elemental Heart was.
"Stop now Kermish, before you do something that you will dearly regret!", Merilius shouted.
"Regret? I don't think so.", Kermish laughed. "This is all that I always dreamed of.", he said, mentioning all the fortress with his arms. "This is my destiny. To hold absolute power over the magic and to forge the new element! Everything is at hand and the only thing I need is to get rid of you!"
Kermish started to sound insane once more. Merilius asked to himself why he stilled trying to get the degenerated Chosen back to his sense if he obviously lost it much time ago. Sighing, the Children of Light stated:
"You don't have idea of what kind of horrors you're just about to release in this world."
"Don't I?! Well, let's see then if you can really stop me!", with a movement of his hand, Kermish made all the Devil's Arms floated out of his cloak. Only the Evil Eye was missing, probably still with Colette. "Yes. Let's see what you can do."
With another motion, Kermish send the Devil's Arms flew against Merilius...
- - - - -
Colette and Khan'Tharu fought against Lloyd and the others in a ferocious battle. The Linch, with his powerful magics, could easily froze Regal, Zelos and the others and battle with frost bolts emanating from his hands.
In a moment the Linch opened his jaw and a great, green-poison cloud shot from it. Luckily, Zelos and the others avoided, but when the cloud reach a house, it was immediately dissolved, leaving none trace.
"I think it would be a good idea we don't let that cloud touch us.", Zelos commented, the others nodded.
Lloyd, Yuan, Sheena and Presea weren't having much luck with Colette either. The girl attacked with a clearly intent of kill them and their attempts of talk just resulted in her shout back something at their face. Lloyd was the one that most hesitated in fight her back.
Nebilim wasn't turning the things easy either. At random times he would use simple spells against them or spread his energies to weak them. Colette took advantage of it and attacked with all her strength.
Sheena was also hesitating in fight and that made her one of main targets. Colette launched her chackrans with such strength that they turned into blurs of purple and black. When she was about to attack Sheena again, Colette released her cursed chackran and it floated near her open palm, starting to spin at great speed.
"Mortal Wheel!", Colette proclaimed, letting the ring flew until it touch the ground and started to dug it, leaving a little trench behind.
Sheena jumped aside, avoiding the spinning chackran from cut her feet. At that moment Colette flew against her and started to attack with great strength. Sheena defended each of her blows, but didn't notice the spinning chackran, scaring the ground, coming to her again.
The female ninja just noticed that when the chackran was near her right feet. She tried to avoid another attack from Colette and the chackran by spinning her body, but the Evil Eye caught her at the side of her right feet. The cut was superficial, but bring some pain to her, giving to the possessed angel the chance she needed.
Colette cut Sheena in the face and the stomach, used Ray Thrust to hit her in the abdomen almost taking all her air, Para Ball and quickly charged and launched Angel Feathers. Sheena was pushed away hearing Colette's tauting voice:
"How about now? Not a pretty face anymore, hu?", Sheena didn't believe it was Colette this time. It must be Nebilim. "When I end with you, Lloyd won't want to even look to your twisted face."
The angel went to the attack again, her face showed an evil smile and her eyes soulless eyes an assassin gleam. Sheena didn't have time to think until Lloyd came in her front and blocked the attack, trying to push the angel away.
"Colette! You don't want to kill Sheena, I know you don't!", Lloyd tried to say.
"Don't come trying to say what I must do Lloyd!", the chackran on the ground returned to Colette's hand and she slashed it at Lloyd's arms. "You're just an idiot."
She kicked him and dodged of an attack from Yuan and Presea, fighting back against them. The two were the only ones that were actually fighting.
Sheena looked to her right and saw Regal being beaten by the Linch's hands which seemed to be glowing with white energies. Zelos saved his friend from another punch using Super Lightning Blade on the undead creature.
Khan'Tharu seemed to be affecting by lightning and fire, but Sheena knew that a better option against that type of creature would be light. Genis was casting spells at the Linch, but the creature either avoided it or sent an counter-spell of ice. Raine was too much busy trying to cure and cast protection spells to cast an attack, light spell.
The strength of the Linch was incredible. When Zelos tried to hit him again, Khan'Tharu grabbed the Chosen's hair and throw him against Regal, who was standing up. Zelos would have whimpered about almost have his hair pulled out of his head, but found it wasn't a good hour to do so.
The undead mage floated to them, but when he heard steps nearby he turned to see Sheena jumping and launching many card seals against him.
"Demon Seal!", the technique blew the creature away, making him hit a nearby house.
Sheena thought that the skeleton would break of the impact, but the Linch quickly recovered. She still could sense her attack made some effect by the change of the energies around the Linch. That was the type of enemy that just someone who could feel mana or spiritual presences could see the real damage the attacks made.
Khan'Tharu looked to Sheena in her eyes. She felt again shivers through her spine. Probably Lloyd felt the same when the otherworldly magician analyzed him. Khan'Tharu then spoke in what seemed to be a bothered tone:
"Another Children of the Light? This is getting monotonous...", Sheena got confused by that statement. Did she hear right?
"What are talking about? I'm not a Children of the Light, Merilius is.", the female ninja replied. The Linch seemed to laugh at that if it was even possible for a skeleton.
"Don't try to fool me. I sense the pact of Luna upon you and... wait.", the Linch looked attentively to her again. "Oh, I see."
Before Sheena could ask what he meant by that, a Photon spell hit the creature dead on. Khan'Tharu turned to his adversaries. She heard a blur of wings and again turned to see Colette coming to her.
The blond angel used Stardust Cross against Sheena, who jumped from the falling stars and saw Lloyd coming to defend her again. Colette's accursed weapons clashed against the boy's Material Blades.
"What's your problem?! Do you will just stand there, blocking my attacks? Now you turned into a coward?", the angel said.
"It's not you who is talking Colette, it's Nebilim. It must be.", Lloyd said, almost desperate, while tried to hold off the powerful girl.
"Hu, idiot, stubborn and blind. I just wonder how someone like you could turn into the Eternal Swordsman.", Colette said, almost spitting the words at Lloyd. "You can't even see that it's me who is talking.", she pushed him with a kick and threw Ray Satellite at the red clad swordsman. The blade like chackran cut through his armor under the shirt and made a deep cut in the chest. "I just wonder why I even let you come with me at the Journey of the Regeneration. I feared you would just spoil everything like you spoiled in Iselia.", another kick and a punch with all of Colette's strength made Lloyd flew backwards and slide through the floor. "It must be out of pity."
Lloyd started to feel weak. He didn't know if it was because of Colette's cruel words or because Nebilim was circulating him, but, even thinking that was not Colette, a part of Lloyd, one which he tried to ignore with all his strength until now, felt that it was Colette talking.
The Eternal Swordsman was almost giving up to believe. Each of Colette's words seemed to pierce his heart. She was bringing back all his ancient doubts of that time, when Iselia got destroyed, and when he wondered if when Colette knew that he was the responsible for her village's destruction, she would even let him to come with her in the Regeneration Ritual.
His thoughts were interrupted when Yuan descended near Colette, thrusting his blade in the ground:
"Thunder Explosion!", the rain of Lightnings hit the girl and made she turn back.
Presea came from behind and used Mass Devastation, making heavy rocks hit Colette.
"Get prepared!", Yuan said. He and Presea jumped at the same time, lading at each other's side, thrusting their weapons at the ground in the same time, pronouncing. "Conducting Soil!"
To each rock that hit Colette, two lightnings came, one hitting at her and another at the rock, making it explode on her. Sheena took the chance and grab one of Colette's chackran sand threw it away while Lloyd, seeing the chance too, made it with another. The blond girl then fell to the ground.
From his fight, Khan'Tharu saw that and tried to go for the weapons, but stopped and suddenly turned to attack his adversaries again. The other group was already getting tired, they had used almost all of their mana, but the skeleton still persisting. Not even the undead that they fought before were so resistant like him.
Genis and Raine knew if they could use Prism Starts they might turn the fight to their favor, but the Unison Spell required a lot of time to get ready and that time they didn't have.
The other four knelled near Colette, she seemed more calm now, maybe they could now break the spell like they did with Presea. But the question was, how could they make she felt better when what made Nebilim control her was two of her friends being in love with each other?
"Colette, are you all right?", Lloyd asked when he saw the girl moving.
She didn't answered, she just knelled, looking to the ground. The group was about to talk something when they heard a sound of something cutting through the air.
Yuan and Presea got hit in the arm by the Evil Eye chackrans, making them to clutch their wounds. At the time Lloyd and Sheena looked to them, Colette showed her wings once again and a circle appeared beneath her, making feathers flew around her.
The four friends looked back to her and saw that her eyes still soulless and with that assassin gleam of before.
"Hu, fools.", she said.
Followed by that line, beams of light started to rain upon Lloyd, Sheena, Yuan and Presea. The four didn't have chance to use their defensive techniques in time and the beams hit dead on. Lloyd and Sheena, who were nearer to Colette, were caught by her Ring Cyclone, which send them to the ground together, side by side.
Colette went up to them and lift her weapons, ready for the final strike against her friends. Nebilim appeared in their front, grinning:
"You should be honored to be the first couple that I actually allow to die together.", the shadow said in its venous tone, with an hint of amusement. "I generally kill one and let the other to cry over his corpse until he beg for death."
The specter grinned even more by remembering that torture he used to apply. Colette didn't show any reaction at that, she was just looking to Lloyd and Sheena. The gleam in her eyes was anger mixed with what seemed to be desire to kill.
"Colette, don't do this. We really regret if we caused any pain to you, but do you really think that by killing us this will make you feel better?", Sheena tried to argue.
"It's too late for excuses. I already decided to take the darkness and I don't need of you anymore.", Colette said in a cold voice, devoid of emotion.
Yuan and Presea were getting up at the time to see Colette move her chackrans to strike.
"NO!!!", Yuan and Presea shouted while Lloyd and Sheena closed their eyes, waiting for the lethal blow.
Moments passed and they didn't feel anything that could indicate their life ended. Opening their eyes, the couple saw the chackrans, inches of their noses and Colette holding it, her hands shaking. She seemed to be fighting to get the weapons closer to them, but it was like some invisible force was holding her.
Then her eyes went wide and she started to scream and walk back clutching her chest like she did when they discovered she was possessed by Nebilim.
"Wh...why I'm feeling this?!", she asked, looking desperately to Nebilim's shadow.
"Damn! Get back the control now you useless! Before you...", Nebilim suddenly inclined back, like he had received a strong punch, and disappeared.
"Nebilim! Argh!", Colette then threw the chackrans aside, her arms still trembling like it wasn't her will to do that. "No! I was so close...", she lied down while tears started to come from her eyes. "Damn you...", Colette mumbled between her teeth.
Sheena and Lloyd looked, struck. What was just happening? Yuan and Presea came also and looked to Colette, who was whimpering and crying in the floor.
The blond angel's eyes flickered, backing to its normal blue tone. Colette looked to her friends from her position. Lloyd's chin drop, looking back to him was the Colette he always knew. Her eyes showed its gentle gleam of always even behind the curtain of tears that came from it.
"Colette... is that you?"
"Lloyd... Sheena...", the Chosen said, looking to the two of them. "I... I don't know if I still can hold it. It's so strong and... it keep telling... telling me that I will still be alone."
Lloyd wasn't understanding a thing. What did she mean by "it"? Did she broke the spell by herself? Yuan approached to her and knelled. The blue haired Seraphim started to talk:
"Colette, I know what you mean. I know what is this thing that keep telling you that. Don't pay attention to it.", Yuan's voice was firm.
Presea, Lloyd and Sheena approached to the fallen girl.
"But... what if I really stay alone?", Colette said.
"Forget it! You won't stay alone! People like you always have someone there for you, always have friends even if they're just friends. You won't end alone like it says, cause you have people close to your heart.", Yuan said.
Lloyd wanted to say him to not shout like that, but Sheena put her hand in his shoulder. He understood the message.
"And what if you don't have anybody that special, I lived good part of my life now without it. But you will certainly encounter someone. It may not be now and not even in much time, but you will encounter. Even I encountered, but the different is that you have everything to become happy.", Colette now looked to him. Her teary eyes showing what seemed to be a new hope. "Don't let 'this' ruins your life like it almost did with me. Besides, do you really wanted Lloyd to be yours?"
Colette looked away, thinking in what she really wanted about Lloyd. The voice stilled in her head, trying to make she to give the control to it again, but now it was barely a whisper. She then finally recognized what she really wanted.
"I... just... wanted him to be happy. I didn't want to hurt Lloyd. Neither Sheena. I want both them to be happy, they really do deserve it.", she said.
Lloyd and Sheena knelled near Colette. The blond angel looked to them and asked, almost pleading:
"Lloyd... Sheena... can you ever forgive me for all that I've done?"
"I never believed it was really you Colette.", Lloyd said, but the blond Chosen replied.
"It was me... it was a part of me... that wanted you to suffer like I was."
Colette dropped more tears now. The others battling against the Linch noticed everybody knelled near Colette's figure. Khan'Tharu also noticed something wrong and looked to the scene.
"It doesn't matter Colette. The important is that you're back, but if this makes you feel better we forgive you.", Sheena said with a caring look. Lloyd nodded with one of his typical smile.
Colette smile also, one of her typical warm smiles that were so common to her. Now she seemed to be back.
"Thanks...", a golden crack appeared in her forehead and started to extend by all her body while she spoke. "Lloyd, Sheena... I love you."
"We too, Colette.", the two spoke at the same time not surprised by the cracks.
When the cracks covered all the blond Chosen's body, a bright flash made everybody shield their eyes. A sound of explosion and magic, glass-like fragments flew everywhere, stopping in the air and dissolving into black smoke.
The group of heroes rushed to Colette while Khan'Tharu floated to the two chackrans laying in the ground, which let out their piercing screams when the darkness started to return to them.
Colette struggled to sat. She seemed to be weakened, but better. The girl then looked to all her friends and again apologized for all the trouble she caused. Yuan, Genis, Lloyd and Sheena couldn't help but smile at realize that Colette was truly back.
"You don't need to apologize, dork. Actually, it's us who have to apologize by what happened.", Lloyd said.
"No you don't. It was me who was weak again. I let Nebilim deceive me and let me believe you betrayed me. I'm the one who caused all."
"There was more about it, didn't it?", Yuan asked and Colette nodded.
The group was about to ask what they were talking about, when they heard someone panting at a corner. Turning, they saw Khan'Tharu, holding the Evil Eyes, and Nebilim's shadow, which seemed to have just escaped from an almost death situation.
"Master, are you all right?", Khan'Tharu asked to his lord.
"I... underestimate... the girl's heart...", the specter said, painting at each word. "I lowered the defenses that held her... and her heart fought back so violently that it could have destroyed part of my power...", Nebilim glanced the group while spoke the next words. "Anyway... don't think this victory has any meaning... for now... Ara Tharu... will be... revived..."
Chilling winds filled the air around the Linch and the Dark Lord's shadow. Lloyd and the others stood ready in the case of an attack. Great ice crystals started to form, covering Khan'Tharu's and Nebilim's figures in a case of pointy ice. When they were totally covered, the winds stopped and seconds latter the great ice stalagmite exploded, launching some shards at a short distance.
The group then looked back at where the ice stalagmite was and found that Nebilim and Khan'Tharu disappeared...
- - - - -
Merilius was launched against one of the chamber's walls by what seemed the fifteen time in that fight. Even so, he stood again, however with some difficulty.
The magic swordsman was severely injured. His lower lip had three cuts from the other times he was launched against the walls and the floor. His armor was totally destroyed by the previous attacks of the floating Devil's Arms and Kermish's own attacks. His cape was tattered and wet with his own blood. Several cuts of all the sizes and deeps were by all his body.
Merilius thought that he could handle Kermish alone, but he forgot that the dead Chosen One had Nebilim and the Devil's Arms at his side and now he was paying by his foolishness. Always he tried to attack, one floating Devil's Arm came and blocked his attack while Kermish attacked, wielding another Devil's Arm or with his bare hands and dark magic. Merilius' Runeblade was close to useless against all those Devil's Arms and the Children of the Light was already feeling tired from all the blood he lost during the fight.
"C'mon, is that the best you can do? You didn't even touch me yet.", Kermish taunted, grinning more than never.
The warrior of the light grumbled. He was losing this battle and he didn't even make a scratch on Kermish. Merilius charged again, using Light Thrust, but the ancient Chosen avoided that with ease. Merilius was slow due his tiredness and all the energy he used previously.
The light sphere went to the point of the sword and disappeared while Kermish grab Merilius by the hair and pinned him against the floor. Merilius felt his head buzzing when he hit hard the ground yet again. He could hear Kermish's arrogant, taunting voice:
"Pathetic! Do you actually think you stood any chance against me? You're not match to me even before I got the Devil's Arms and you still hardly be of any challenge.", pulling Merilius' hair again, Kermish suspended him in the air and punched him in the stomach with all his strength, sending the Children of the Light to the wall. "You pathetic excuse for an hero. You didn't save your uncles and your baby cousin in the past. What makes you think you are able to stop me?"
Merilius tried to stand, but this time all his fatigue and wounds finally caught him and the magic swordsman needed to cling in his swords' hilt to not fall to the ground. Sustained by the sword and with a blurry vision due the pain and the tiredness, Merilius could only see the lines of Kermish's figure and sense that other two figures were approaching of him by his sides.
"So, this is how the last one of Ishtar lineage encounters his end... really pathetic. Well, I suppose I shouldn't expect any less of a failure like you. Slash, Scarv, you may put our friend out of his misery.", Kermish's voice sounded.
The light warrior looked to his sides and saw the two henchmen ready to strike him. Trying to speak them to reason one last time, Merilius said:
"You two... don't you see...? Kermish will doom all this world if he's not stopped..."
"And what so? If the boss have a scary, powerful spirit at his side this only means we're at the right side. This means I will be finally able to get my revenge.", Shioru said in what seemed to be a smile.
"Indeed. And I also will finally get back what that nasty elves took from me and rid this world from their kind.", Scarv pronounced in his roar-like voice.
Merilius lost his hopes with that sayings. It was obvious those two were so blind by their own desires of vengeance like Kermish was by his hope that Nebilim would help him to forge that new element.
The Children of the Light couldn't fight even against that two as he was right now, but he wouldn't let they end with his life that way. Using the last of his power, Merilius send it to the crystal in his Runeblade's hilt. The stone emitted a bright flash and in the next second Merilius disappeared, using the teleport technique of his family.
The two high soldiers then looked to where the half-elf disappeared and sworn. Before they did anything more, Kermish's voice echoed in the chamber:
"Leave him. He won't be a problem anymore. Even if he did scape and live, it will be too late for him to stop anything."
Turning to the great, multicolored gem at his front, Kermish started to shot energies at the Heart. The Devil's Arms floated around the Heart, making a circle around it and starting to also transfer energy to the gem.
The Elemental Heart glowed with an eerie light and started to beat, sending energies to the multiple magic tubes connected to it...
- - - - -
The entire city started to shake, like a little earthquake was taking place. Rocks were falling from the roof, but, strangely, it seemed to be avoiding the buildings.
Lloyd and his group were fighting to maintain the equilibrium while the whole city was shaking.
"Wh... what's going on?", Lloyd asked and after he jumped aside, avoiding being hit by a rock of the his head's size.
"I don't know, but it's better we get out of her!", Raine stated.
Everybody started to run for the tunnel, hoping it hadn't collapsed. Genis then remembered that someone was still missing.
"Wait. What about Merilius? He's still there.", Genis said, almost stopping, but Presea grab his wrist to maintain him walking while she spoke.
"Don't worry. He's strong and he can take care of himself. The probabilities of him to be eliminated are...", she ceased to speak when realized she was again speaking in her habitual analyses. "Hum, he surely will find a way to scape.", Presea said, choosing the best words she could think on.
At the distance the group saw the tunnel from where they came. Entering they passed through the walls Raine called their attention, but soon found that a section of tunnel had collapsed. Before they could turn a more violent quake made the part of the tunnel from where they came collapse.
The heroes then realized they were trapped and the quakes continued, they would be buried alive if didn't find a way to escape. When Colette went to check the tunnel that collapsed behind them, she tripped and fell flat face.
"Colette! Are you alright?", Genis asked.
"Yeah. I just tripped in this cable.", she said.
The group then looked to the said cable. Regal recognized it as being a power cable and it was connected to the floor lights.
"I see, that may be our salvation.", the president stated, drawing an "uh" from Lloyd. "That cable is connected to the lights and since the base was deactivated it requires another energy source. The only think that could support the machines and the lights would be an energy station at the surface."
The group, less Lloyd, took the idea. They could follow the cable so they would find a way to the surface.
"Leave that to me!", Sheena said, preparing to summon. "I call for the servant of mother earth. I summon thee. Come, Gnome!"
The big, hamster-like Summon Spirit appeared in an flash of light-brown light. Gnome felt the quakes and seemed some of uncomfortable.
"Whoa. Are we near to what I think we are near to?", he asked, looking back to the tunnel from where the group came.
"No time for that! Gnome, excavate following this cable so we can scape from here!", the female summoner said in a hurry, pointing to the power cable.
"Hum, 'kay.", the spirit acknowledge.
Taking out his shovel, Gnome started to dig in an incredible speed for his size. The group followed the newly made tunnel...
- - - - -
A small hole formed in the floor of the hidden energy station, which was also abandoned, with exception of the machines that still working. The hole then get bigger until a great, heavy guardian spirit passed through it, followed by a group of nine people.
Sheena thanked Gnome and soon the Summon Spirit faded with a nod. Yuan was the last to emerge from the tunnel. Part of the group dusted themselves when they felt another big quake, which seemed to be coming from outside...
- - - - -
The desert lands at the north of Gaorachia Forest shook, sending birds and other animals away from that region. The unfortunate, ground creatures that didn't achieve to leave in time were soon shallowed by the big fissures that started to appear around the whole desert.
Hills, small canyons, all the scenery was falling apart by the big earthquake that was happening. Debris, rocks and dead trees fell inside the cracks and disappeared from sight. Soon, something started to emerge from under the earth.
A big, transparent, purple and pink, dome-like sphere started to appear. The colors seemed to flow around all the dome and inside it was a city with a big fortress inside and tall walls around it. The walls almost touched in the extremities of the dome.
The quakes stopped when the city's floor was at the level of the land. Now, where once was the central part of the desert stood the City of Darkness, involved by the strange shield that seemed to shield it from the outside world...