Caius waited along the beach's shore, staring out at the white, cold water, waiting as he observed, thinking and considering. It was done. He could feel it. His chance of finally getting past Lightning, to the throne where Etro sealed herself. With this outcome, if not as a distraction, could possibly eliminate Lightning completely. A battle of knights. Caius smirked, or perhaps, as a more fitting term, a knight fighting off a dragon.

A bellowing roar filled the empty air, and Caius looked up to see the odd Bahamut flying down towards him, its skull like head constantly facing him. Smirking confidently up at the beast, Caius walked up to it, hardly flinching as it landed on the beach, snarling at him, its wings opening and spreading casting him in a shadow.

"I've seen a creature like you," the immortal told the beast. "I saw a glimpse of you, a great dragon, terrorizing a dying city." The black dragon growled at him, red eyes blazing. Still confident, Caius went on, dark energy gathering in his palm and curling up his arms. "I saw the great power that you have, the great power that could wipe out this replica the Champion made up. Great power that could overwhelm the Champion herself."

Bahamut reacted, claws reaching for him, ready to smash him to the ground. Caius easily evaded, laughing mockingly at the dragon's violent nature. "Don't like that do you?" Caius teased, jumping high into the air to avoid a lashing tail, sending rocks and sand in the air in a thick, brown cloud. Landing on the ground, he twisted Ragnarok out just in time to lock it in with diving claws. The metal hissed as the pointed tips slid across, hooking and locked in the uneven, twisted edge of his sword.

The Bahamut gave him a bellowing roar, its other claws coming at him from the side. Caius raised his own hand, his palm smacking up against it, long black claws sliding past it and grazing his body.

The immortal hardly acknowledge the pain, smirking as he stared up at the seething red eyes, specs of blue and green scattered about the pupil.

"Its time Yuel," Caius whispered to himself. "Its time to cut down the tyranny of Etro, time to free you."

Chaos that was in his palm was pressed up against Bahamut's palm, curling and rising around the dragon. Bahamut jerked against him, only to be held in place as Caius twisted Ragnarok, and keeping his palm pressed against the dragon.

Bahamut jerked and wreathed, struggling to get away as he screeched and bellowed; his roars ringing and raging over Valhalla as Chaos curled and rose over its form.

Caius smirked confidently as he watched the darkness cover the odd, dark dragon.

It was time. Time for the goddess to fall.


Lightning stood at the top of the steps peering over at Valhalla, grimacing as she listened to roars that came from the beach, and seeing dust cloud of a battle rise. Behind her, the empty throne was silent, letting its guardian observe and listen as the battle raged.

Just as suddenly as the cries filled Valhalla, they went hush, leaving only the drifting dust cloud as the only unnerving thing in the still, sleeping realm.

"This was fated, wasn't it?" Lightning voiced out to the throne, not caring if she got a response or not. "I don't know if you knew that Zack would come, but you knew he would become one with his eidolon, and become... that." She turned, peering at the throne. "It had to be fated," she mused to herself. "Otherwise you would have contacted me, have me done something to prevent it."

The throne was silent, still not breathing a word to her.

Lightning growled at it. "What would be gained letting Zack become Bahamut? Would this really help you? Would this help me? Or am I fighting a useless cause with Caius is supposed to win in the end? If so why did you even bother dragging me here?!" Lightning snarled.

Nothing. No change in the air, no whisper of a sound or voice, Lightning didn't even feel a buzz of emotions or thoughts that Etro would have wanted her to feel.

Lightning sighed tiredly, wanting nothing more to be back on Cocoon, or even Gran Pulse, with her friends and comrades, instead of here, fighting and eternal war with a man that could be fated to win. "Are you even sure this will end well?"

Finally, she got a response.

Warm encircled Lightning, easing the tension and stress from her; her muscles relaxed and any anxiety that bubbled inside her dimmed, and for a moment, there didn't seem to be any problems; that all was well in Valhalla.

Logically, she knew it was far from well.

Zack became one with Bahamut and flew off, and where a battle had cominced was now hush and still. Even the large dust cloud she had seen had disappeared and faded.

Only she didn't feel as bothered or worried as she was before.

Sighing, she accepted the answer Etro gave.

It would be fine.

Everything would be fine in the end.

Though Lightning couldn't see how, she had no reason to doubt Etro, for the moment. If everything was going to be find in the end, she'll put her wary trust in Etro's assurance.

If this was how it was supposed to be, and things were falling into place and Etro knew that everything was going to go as it supposed to; Lightning could accept and cradle the small, reluctant hope that sparked.

Everything will be as it should be. Everything will be fine in the end.

If it meant that Caius would get his deserved peace, Zack a new chance at life, and herself a reunion with her sister and the rest of her adopted family; she was willing to hope for the chance and possibility that the goddess did know what she was doing.