This was the original ending I had chosen for "The Soulforged". For one reason or another I changed it to what it is in the chapter "Requiem". So, I decided to let you all see what the ending WOULD have been had I not changed it. Tell me what you think!
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"This is foolish! Get out of my way! Immortality awaits!", Eald'narche shrugged off the woman's comment and made a rush for the glowing door. He was laughing triumphantly as he ran, Kaorin's body stood still, eyes on him. I thought about trying to stop him. That was until his body began to fall apart before my eyes. He seemed not to register the fact that from his legs ascending, he was literally falling to pieces. He laughed as he placed his hands upon the door. he gave it one last loving gaze before his entire body simply drifted away into particles too small to be seen. A black stone clattered to the polished floor.
"What just...happened?", I asked, head cocked.
"His greed and disbelief destroyed him.", the woman answered. She walked over and picked up the stone from the ground.
With his disappearance his spell on my companions must have broken because Sakaki was the first one to reach me.
"What are you doing in Kaorin's body!? Explain yourself!", she said angrily.
"Do not worry Miss Sakaki. I am not malevolent. I will leave as soon as this situation is resolved.", the woman answered.
"Who are you anyhow?", I asked.
She gazed at me.
"I am part of this world. I oversee all that goes on within and without. I usually act from afar, but this time I took the situation into my own hands.", she answered.
Azura and Leslie fell to their knees and said in unison, "We are not worthy to gaze upon you,Great Mother of Vana'diel"
Kaorin's mouth broke into a smile.
"It is alright, but please, step through this door with me.", the woman said, motioning towards the massive, glowing doorway.
Leslie and Azura both got to their feet and intoned, "Anything you desire, Great Mother"
We proceeded in a group towards the portal and stood before it's enormity. The celadon glow it gave off made me feel a bit sick to my stomach.
Kaorin reached her hand towards the doorway and began to speak archaic words of magic.
Suddenly, Sakaki encircled her wrist with her slender fingers and pulled Kaorin's hard from the door.
"What are you doing?", the woman said with a smile.
"I can't let you do this.", Sakaki siad.
"And why not?", the woman asked.
Something flashed through the air. Kaorin recoiled and pulled from Sakaki's grip. It was only after everything was still did I notice that Sakaki had cut Kaorin's hand off at the wrist. The appendage lay still upon the ground. Strangest thing was, there was no blood at all.
"Sakaki!? What the hell are you doing?", Yomi yelled.
"I know what I'm doing. She is evil.", Sakaki pointed out.
"I am not!", Kaorin's voice had changed back to that of her own.
"Sakaki! How dare you strike Great Altana!", Leslie looked very angry at this slight towards her goddess.
"She isn't here to help us.", Sakaki said, never taking her eyes from Kaorin.
"Mi..Miss Sakaki..I only wanted to help.", Kaorin said.
"Don't try to fool me! You aren't even bleeding. I knew I felt something different about you.", Sakaki said.
Kaorin smirked.
"You're a smart girl, you know that?", Kaorin said.
Sakaki held her hand axe tighter. Even I took a hold of my weapon.
"That can't stop me though.", Kaorin took a step foward only to be knocked onto her back by a large blast of energy from Azura.
"Sakaki is right. This isn't Altana. I have no idea what the hell it is.", Azura explained.
"Azura, you should know better than anyone who I am.", Kaorin said, getting to her feet. Her voice seemed to be coming in multiples now.
"STAY DOWN!!", Tomo screamed and shot Kaorin six times across the chest in rapid succession. No blood oozed from these wounds across her breast. Holes in her black, yellow and red robe is all that shown. She turned the black stone that had come from Eald'narche over and over in her single palm.
"Maybe you'll be the first to join your friends in the hereafter Miss Takino.", Kaorin smirked.
"Huh?", lo and behold, Tomo was confused.
"You know. Yukari...little Chiyo...", Kaorin mused.
"What...? You mean...?", Yomi was aghast.
"You're a bastard! Using her body like a tool!", Sakaki raged.
"It was only a matter of time before a suitable vessel came along. Using Eald'narche to get this far was part of my plan as well. Now, with his black magicite I can finally return triumphant!", the many voices of Kaorin echoed throughout the chamber.
"It...it can't be..", Azura whispered.
"Oh, Shrinekeeper. It can be, and it has. Finally, I can rule amongst the stars once more!", Kaorin's eyes took on an ominous look.
"What's going on...?", Tomo asked.
"Allow me to show you.", Kaorin said as the air became heavy, it was incredibly difficult to breathe with what seemed like poison seeping into my lungs. I knew it wasn't poison, it was simply the crackle of mana.
Our surroundings became the stars. Our ground became space time itself. Far below could be seem a slowly rotating planet. Vana'diel.
Kaorin still stood before us, only that her robe was gone. In it's place was a skintight white outfit that looked as if it was alive. Blue lighed poured from the joints of the suit.
"Wh...who are you?", Sakaki stumbled over her words.
Kaorin chuckled.
"I already told you. I am part of this world. I see all. I hear all. Now, I have to once again posess my right to act upon this world my dream of creation!", she explained.
"No, this isn't right.", Leslie whimpered.
"You got that right.", Azura said before rushing towards the posessed girl.
His attempt at attack was stopped short by Kaorin, who threw him to the grid-matrix floor with a wave of her hand.
"PROMATHIA! STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS!", Azura raged as he stood up once more.
"Promathia...", Leslie gasped.
"Who's Promathia?", Tomo asked.
"He is our doom.", was all that Leslie could say.
"Azura, how about you stop? My time has come once more. The black magicite and this girl have enabled me to access my true body once more and rule Vana'diel. Only you fools are preventing me from reaching my true form.", Promathia explained.
Skakaki hadn't moved, yet her fingers were once more curling and uncurling around the shaft of her axe.
"You were chained for a reason,Promathia!", Azura said.
"Foolishness! Altana was jealous of my image of beauty.", Promathia answered.
Sakaki took a small step foward.
"At least let the girl go!", Azura said.
Promathia shook his head. "No, no, no. I need this body. Afterwards, I will dispose of it how I see fit"
Sakaki took another step.
"Kaorin is an innocent girl.", Azura explained.
"She is my key to victory. I will use her as I please. She is quite the cute little thing.", he laughed and ran Kaorin's own hand down her own body. Feeling her form perversely.
This must have set Sakaki off because she bolted faster than I had ever seen her move towards Promathia. Her ebony hair fluttered behind her as she sent an axe blow that crashed into the side of Promathia. The body was sent flying across the matrix of space time and landed a few feet away.
"Get up and fight, you bastard!", Sakaki choked out.
"As you wish.", Promathia smirked and got to his feet.
Azura backed up towards us and whispered.
"Read the Lexicon, now"
Promathia landed a crushing blow to Sakaki's chest that sent her flailing.
Leslie shuffled through her pockets and retrieved the scroll that Verechant had handed us.
Sakaki, bleeding and beaten, parried Promathia's swinging punch and managed to crack his armour across the front with a well placed axe smash.
Leslie undid the wax seal and pulled the scroll tightly open.
Promathia struggled with Sakaki, who was beginning to look pale and weak.
Leslie stood a few steps from the raging battle and began to read.
"Prior, activate your device.", Azura told me, not looking at me.
"But..what about..?", I began.
"Don't worry.", Azura said.
I trusted this man with my life so I pulled the device from my pocket for the first time this entire trip. I pushed a few buttons and it shone bright blue.
"Ber'nal iksar del'chos nildem.", Leslie read.
Sakaki landed the first axe stroke across Promathia's chest. For the second she spun 360 degrees and planted a blow across his left arm. Light shone from the blade of her weapon as she landed the third and final blow that sent Promathia wheeling across space and he landed hard upon his back.
My device shone brighter as it began it's familiar hum.
"Sakaki! Quickly, come here!", Yomi yelled to the aldrenaline rushed girl.
"Kello nik'sal nerdevnik.", Leslie spoke the next line.
Promathia had gotten to his feet. The eyes of Kaorin blazed with an unholy light.
"Death! Death to you all!", Promathia screamed as the hands of Kaorin began to glow with a fierce light.
"Sakaki! Get out of the way!", Azura yelled.
"No, I stay where I am!", Sakaki said.
The green mist that preceeded my teleportation formed around Osaka, Yomi, Tomo, and I.
"Shiakk del'nar untolovik!", Leslie spoke the final line of the spell.
The green mist engulfed the three girls and I as I saw my final moments upon Vana'diel.
The stars fell from the sky. Their contrails illuminating space. "MISS SAKAKI!!!", Osaka yelled moments before we disappeared, for good reason too.
Sakaki had thrown herself headlong in front of the oncoming blasts from Promathia.
I can't be quite sure, but I believe I saw a woman, clothed in pure azure, standing behind Sakaki. Protecting her.
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Had I actually used this ending, the next story would have been one I was going to call "Firestorm" and would have been totally different from "Time Stands Still". I may still write "Firestorm" sometime in the future. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this!
-peace-
-Jay
