Epilogue: Tenebrae
Lightning calmed her fears with a heavy sigh. She knew that in a few more steps, she would see her opponent. Lightning knew what he had done to her, remembered the words he had spoke to her, how he had hurt her. Yet he would have no memory, no recollection of any of the events that happened in Dissidia. She reminded herself that this was all for the greater good, looking down at the small bundle she held in her hands.
For this occasion, she had decided to dress up. Rather than her normal officer clothes, she was wearing a long, floor length dress. The gown had thick straps that gently graced the sides of her shoulders, showing her normally hidden neck-line. There were no beads or embroidery on the dress, except for the fishtail styled bottom. It was the deep maroon color of her cape. The dress was accented by long black evening gloves she wore on her hands.
Finally making her decision, she climbed the last few steps before reaching the balcony looking over the city. Looking to her left, she saw Noctis sitting by himself on a furnished bench. He seemed unaware that Lightning had made appeared. It was bizarre. Lightning had watched him 'die'. Yet here he was, breathing and living.
"Your Highness?" she spoke in a polite, sweet voice.
Noctis immediately took notice of the woman, slightly surprised her sudden appearance. He walked over to Lighting, with a confused look on his face. She could tell from his eyes that he had no idea who she was. Lightning was taken aback by his attire, smirking that he was wearing a tux.
"Who…" he started.
"My name is not important. I have something for you." She moved her hands with the bundle towards the prince. "A gift from the Goddess of Life."
"What?" Noctis asked having no idea what was going on. He then gingerly took the bundle from Lightning's hands and examined it. The object was wrapped in a white burnt velvet cloth with hints of gold and aqua. As he unrolled the cloth, his eyes went wide when he saw what was concealed.
"This…Is this a crystal?!"
Lightning shook her head in agreement. Noctis was now fully engrossed in the shape and power of the crystal.
"Yes it is. But before you leave I want you to know this. With this crystal comes the responsibility of caring for the powers that it bears. If it is too much for you, you can return it to me. However, if you decide to keep it, that crystal will become your responsibility and you bear the powers that come with it, even if it means your death. The choice is yours."
Noctis seemed to weigh these two decisions heavily in his mind. Lightning looked on, hoping that he would do the right thing, for him and the future of their world. After what seemed like an eternity, Noctis looked Lightning in the eyes.
"I'll keep it" he said firmly, "and I will protect it no matter what the cost."
Lightning smiled a rare and happy smile that she rarely ever showed. "You made an excellent choice, prince. I wish you the best of luck."
With that, she headed to the staircase. Noctis simply looked at the crystal. He was mesmerized by the blue color of the stone. As he continued to examine it, the prince noticed the cobalt and copper metal ribbons that twisted around the sphere. Another inspection of the crystal revealed that a new, light aqua ribbon was forming around the sphere, entwining itself around the original two ribbons.
How...how did that happen?
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Lightning had reached the outside of the skyscraper. If Cosmos was correct, Pulse would reappear any moment. At that instant Lightning saw light blue ribbons appear in the air. First there were only a few, but then they increased, to the point where that was all she could see. Relaxing she closed her eyes and waited.
When she opened them, she saw that she was standing on something natural. Her regular clothes now draped her body. A soft breaze played across her face. Lightning looked down to see a deep brown and tan dirt ground. The smell of life filled her noses as she took a deep breath.
Lightning then looked up and gazed in awe. Before her was an winding river with a pack of dinosaur like creatures trudging through the path with ease. Beyond that were green forests, canyon walls, and giant stone figures that seemed to touch the clouds that dotted the crystal blue sky. In the sky was a large sphere, about the size of the moon, that was partially covered with a white spiderweb like substance, with bits of a piercing aqua globe showing through the web covering.
It was all to good to be true. Pulse!
She was home.
Lightning's story was about to begin.
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A/N: The end. I hope that you all enjoyed it. There are a few dear readers who have been following my story since I first published that I would like to thank! Skykhanhuter, narutofan1091, SunflowerWeilder, Ghost Writer no 3., Pearl Terra Branford, and Zindakku Hirokai. Thanks for all of your comments and feedback. They put such a smile on my face and helped me to continue writing this story!
To Square Enix, for all of the characters, worlds, and stories that have entertained millions for over twenty years. Here's also the hope the thirteenth Final Fantasy is as incredible as all the other fantasies and that those untold stories are just as incredible!
And to all of you who have read and enjoyed 'A Never Ending Tale'. Thank you!