Chapter 35:

The Final Battle Between the Light and Darkness

(Maria's POV)

- Good, for coming. Boy, Sis. My name is Apzu. The one that rules all birth and destruction. The God of Darkness. Apzu.- say Apzu while he unleash his wings.

- Where's Saori?- ask Koga. Apzu low down his head and behind him was a little sparkle of light.

- Athena… will soon vanish in my darkness.- say Apzu which make us be alarm. - Athena's world is over.

- I will not let you!- say Koga and went to attack him.

- Koga! Wait!- I alarm him but, it was too late. I went to attack him also because if something went wrong I will not forgive myself. Koga was send back while Apzu only rise his dark cosmos and make me feel pain, I fall to the ground then.

- Sister, have you forgotten? You're the Goddess of Light but, sends that human girl has your light and my darkness. I can control you now.- say Apzu.

- Never.- I say to him. He then disappear and attack Koga destroying the golden armor. He grab Koga with the water.

- Leave the light, child. You are the son of my darkness.- say Apzu.

- No, I'm…- say Koga.

- Light up the darkness! Destroy the world of Athena.- say Apzu and make Koga unleash his dark cosmos.

- Koga!- I scream and Apzu use his dark cosmos to attack the others. But then, Koga unleash the Light cosmos and defeat his dark cosmos.

- Does that mean that you wouldn't give up the light?- ask Apzu.

- Of course!- say Koga.

- You have also taste the suffering by living in Athena's world.- say Apzu and attack Koga while he took me with him.

- Koga.- I say before I vanish and I couldn't see him.

- Maria!- I hear him scream my name but it was already too late. I was cover in darkness but, I could still have my light and feel Koga's light. - Apzu. You think that you can defeat me with your darkness but… like you say. I also have darkness and I can use it against you.

- Are you going to battle me, sis? Like the last time? Went you help the Gods of Olympus and prison me in the most strongest one of the universe?- ask Apzu.

- Yes.- I say.

- If that's your choice then I don't have no other option than… take your life.- say Apzu and with that I was afraid. Before I knew it his darkness was making me feel pain all over again, this time it was more stronger than before so, he make me scream. But, I still feel hope from Koga and the others, so I wasn't going to give up either. I use my light cosmos so I will brake this shield of darkness. Then I feel Koga's cosmos that was very close from here so, I light up even more my cosmos but, with that the darkness was making me feel even more pain.

- Koga…- I say weakly and I let my light cosmos die out. With that I feel that Koga's cosmos rise more and later… it was gone.

- Athena.- I hear Apzu speaking but, I couldn't see anything. - You're the only one of the Gods that is left that took my world away from me. You will give me back the universe.

- I… I will not give up! Besides… I'm not the one who rules the universe and you know that!- say Athena.

- Even so… you might want to see this.- say Apzu and with that I feel that the darkness that I have around me vanish and hear Athena gasp in horror. - As you can see. My sister can't even do anything right now.

- What did you just done to her?- ask Athena.

- Simple. Because the human body that she now posses has my dark cosmos, I can now control her like I want. If she tries anything against me… her body will pay the price. But… she doesn't have a real body right now. Right now she's just a wondering soul with a great cosmos. But, in a few minutes she will die.

- NO!- I hear Athena scream.

- If she doesn't return to her body right now she will die. And that's something that I wouldn't aloud her to do.- say Apzu.

- I still have one hope left! The only hope that I have left!- say Athena and I see that Apzu only smile at that. Then we all hear footsteps coming to our way very quickly. It was Koga.

- I will destroy your last hope.- say Apzu and disappear.

- Koga!- scream Athena.

- Run away!- I scream to him. Apzu attack Koga which he dodge very easily and he attack Apzu back. Apzu block his attack without moving a finger.

- Inside the darkness, the light doesn't bright.- say Apzu and now he make Koga suffer even more.

- Koga!- scream Athena.

- Good… disappear in the darkness!- say Apzu but before he could make a move I will stop him. I attack him before he attack her. Which he didn't block it but, he grab me by my neck with one hand and brought me to Athena. - You know. I think its time that… you're gone with Athena but, first I will make she the pain of Athena.

- We… we aren't even… gods.- I say at last which I knew that Koga will hear me.

- It's true. We aren't gods but, most people have believe that we are gods. We are the first of our kind… even much more older than the gods and the titans. We're the last ones, and we are the most powerful immortals that exist now… we're… Primordials.- say Apzu. Then he put me the same way as Athena and make us both suffer the same way. - Athena, Ourania.- and with that he put his hands toward each one of us and attack us with the darkness. He was hurting us until…

- Stop it!- say Koga and with that he stop. - Your rival… it's me! My fist… hasn't lost it's light.- say Koga while he stuck up. - Saori… to my friends… to my dear friends I couldn't protect them… I hurt them… to my friends that try to protect you! But… they believe in me and they entrust me… in saving Athena. And protect the light! Saori. Maria. I… I will protect you either way!- with that he attack Apzu again. Apzu dodge it but… I see that Koga left him a scar. Apzu grab him my his right arm and show him to us.

- Idiot you challenge a god!- say Apzu and make Koga's arm burn. He scream in pain because his hole arm was burn and I couldn't see him suffer that way.

- Stop it! Your hurting him!- I scream at Apzu and he let go of him. Because of the pain Koga fall back and he was rolling back. Koga was able to grab in the very edge of the stairs.

- Leave the light. Son of the darkness. Knee before me. If you do, I will free you from that pain.- say Apzu.

- This pain… compare of what I felt… went I hit my friends… when I hurt everyone… I… I felt it went I was inside your darkness! The pain that everyone have been hurt by me… there still in my fist!- say Koga.

- Do you hate me?- ask Apzu.

- Yes, I hate you! But… I'm no longer afraid to your darkness! I… will live having this pain! In a world of light!- say Koga.

- Child.- say Apzu and Koga unleash his power even if his harm was hurt.

- Apzu! I… I… will… destroy you!- say Koga and unleash his light cosmos. Then I feel the hope of our friends and that they were rising their cosmos even if they have the dark wound. And they send it toward Koga. Finally their cosmos involve Koga.

- Soma… Yuna… Ryuho… Haruto… Eden! The cosmos of everyone! I accept them!- say Koga. - Burn up… whip your wings… boil… howl… thunder… and… bright! Our cosmos!- with that he fuse all their cosmos in his burn arm and make it bright as one. - Pegasus Ryusei Ken!- Koga broke Apzu's defense and hurt right in his body. Which cause that Athena and I fall free from Apzu's trap but, he also broke Apzu's bond over me, because now… I didn't have anything with Apzu now. My cosmos was right under my control and I unleash my wings so I will not hurt myself. Koga was able to grab Athena in time.

-Koga…- say Athena and now we run for our lives and make sure that Athena was out of here as soon as possible. Apzu was now angry so, he use his dark cosmos to be demolish, he was right in our tail which Koga use his cosmos and attack him. Apzu send Koga to the other side and later I attack him but, he send me also to the other side and now Athena was unprotected.

- Athena, don't run away! Your body is already mine.- say Apzu and make that the dark wounds appear again. - Disappear inside the body of the Father!, Me! Athena!- Athena was beginning to fate away in his darkness if I didn't stop it.

- Maria!- say Athena, I manage to grab her hand and pull away but, Apzu was making me also be inside his darkness which Koga grab me in time.

- Koga!- I say went I see him. But Apzu grab his head.

- I will eliminate you first.- say Apzu.

- You can't eliminate me! Me, that has your darkness!- say Koga.

- What?- ask Apzu. Koga rise his cosmos and send the darkness away from me. He even make that my cosmos rise too and we both make Athena be out of the darkness.

- Apzu! Even if you're the one that create the world! The world is ours, the ones that live in it! Even if your darkness covers it all! We, with the Goddesses of the light, will forge the future!- say Koga and make a bright explosion so that will give us time to run away. We were almost there and the only think that was left was to make Athena leave this place.

- Guys! We entrust you Athena!- we say at the same time. By the time we manage to be at the end of Apzu's domain, Apzu was almost close to us. - Saori, you go first!

- Koga!- scream Athena.

- I'll be fine.- say Koga with a big smile in his face.

- Don't worry Athena. I will make sure that he's safe.- I say.

- Ourania…- say Athena and I notice that she want to cry.

- Go on, everyone is waiting for you.- say Koga and he push her to the edge so she could finally fall.

- Koga!- say Athena but, she was already gone and safe. Then we turn around and attack Apzu went he was already behind us. He punch and hurt Koga in many ways as possible but, I attack him and make him attack me instead.

- You will be the first one… to die in here.- say Apzu.

- I don't think so!- say Koga and make Apzu free me. Koga grab me in his arms before I fall down.

- Why do you choose the light? Why do you reject the darkness?- ask Apzu.

- I don't reject it! We… live in the darkness! Because of that! We will bright our lights! We will bright for ourselves! That's the proof that we live!- say Koga.

- Child!- say Apzu and attack us but, our attacks clash and make a great explosion. - Die! Child! Sis!- but before he could end our lives, part of Aria's staff came in front of us and block Apzu's attack. Went Aria's staff broke, the hole place turn bright and make our cosmos rise even higher, we were now equal to Apzu's power or should I say even more. - This is…

- Disappear, Apzu!- we scream and attack him many times, Koga pull me in front of him and we make the last attack. Before he was gone, we look at each other and… we give each other a kiss while Apzu was vanish once and for all. The light make the darkness fate away, everything was over. But… there was something I need to do first, I locate Koga flying in space and I walk toward him but… I wasn't alone. We both grab his hurt arm and make him wake up. By the time he open his eyes, he was surprise and we could only smile at him.

- Aria! Maria!- say Koga.

- Thank you. Koga. For protecting the world.- say Aria.

- You did it. Koga.- I say.

- Aria…- say Koga crying while he hug us both. We also cry with him but, what I was about to tell him will brake his heart even more.

- Thank you… Koga…- say Aria and she vanish. Now it was my turn. I pull away from Koga and I turn around while I was beginning to fate away also.

- Maria… wait!- he say.

- It's time. Koga.- I say to him without turning back.

- You can't leave me! I wouldn't aloud it!- say Koga and he grab my arm and turn around to look at him. I let him see the pain that I was having right now.

- Koga. This is how it most be.- I say to him while I cry even more.

- Why? Why can't you come with me?- he ask me.

- Because… I was too long… away from my body. If I didn't return to my body went I was with Apzu, I will die as a soul. A soul can't leave without a body, it will fate away as if I dead from the beginning. My time is over, I did what I need to do. I most go away.- I say and now Koga couldn't touch me now. I see the pain of Koga too but, before this was too much harder now. I turn around. But… Koga grab me again and I didn't know how he did but he did. And kiss me one more time before I was gone. I make myself never forget this moment so I make it last long until I pull away and say what I need to say before it was too late.

- We will meet each other again, in another time.- I say while I was almost gone. - Koga… I love you.- and then I was gone.

The Earth was cover by the light of Aria, the rain make the dark wounds vanish and return everyone to normal. Ludwig and Sonia's wounds were heal, everyone was. Athena's light return to her finally and a flash of light came from the sky. Yuna was the only one to notice that and turn to see it, in front of her eyes was a miracle. Koga was back and he stuck up smiling to everyone. What everyone didn't notice was that far away from there hidden in the woods, someone was looking at them. Someone with long burgundy hair was smiling at them before she disappear from that place. But before she left she say…

- We will meet each other again, much more sooner than you think.