When Tria and her friends exited the portal, they found themselves on the roof of the Neo Black Whale. The submarine had apparently resurfaced, and the stormy clouds and sea tossed the massive pod around violently.
"I spent five long years in that dank cell…" Dr. Blackraven mumbled grimly, his Bone Buggy facing away from the group, "And for what? My time machine, gone! My Dreadsaurus, reverted! My plans lie in ruins around me…" He turned around suddenly. "AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" he screamed at Tria, "You! The meddling little Warden who dogged me at every step!" He then laughed maniacally. "But this isn't over! Oh no! The world will still be mine! Mine, I tell you! Bwaaa ha ha ha!"
"Give it up, Dr. Blackraven!" Leon yelled, bold as ever, "You've got nowhere left to run!"
"Run?" Dr. Blackraven laughed again, "Oh, I don't intend to run!" The claw held up the dark crystal. "This crystal is filled with obscene amounts of dark energy! And I'm gonna use it to turn myself into the ultimate weapon!"
"WHAT?!" the Wardens screamed.
"No! Don't do that!" Roland cried.
"Have you completely lost it?!" Dahlia yelled, panicking.
"Do you know what that'd do you?!" Penny asked, her voice high with fear.
"Oh, sure, I'll lose my emotions and become one with destruction and hate." Dr. Blackraven answered dismissively, "Probably never love again and so forth…"
"No, you fool!" Elric called out angrily, "You'll become a tool of the dark energy! You won't lose your emotions; you'll lose yourself! You'll just become a vessel used for the dark energy's further growth!"
"I DON'T CARE!" Dr. Blackraven bellowed, his despair at having been thwarted making him delusional, "A world that will not yield to me is a world that does not deserve to exist!"
"This is bad! Call Captain Stryker!" Roland yelled fearfully.
"I'm trying!" Nate cried desperately, "We've lost contact with Warden HQ!"
"Bwaaa ha ha ha ha!" Dr. Blackraven laughed, "Now I shall claim the power of the dark energy for myself!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Tria yelled, taking her battle form once more. She roared in challenge.
"Hmph. You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Dr. Blackraven said, irritated, "Giganto! Keep her busy!"
The released carnivore roared at the dinaurian, his massive form blocking the path, but Tria didn't seem concerned. Instead, she began glowing with a bright purifying light. It wasn't a piercing light like her Blinding Strike, but it was far more violent. Even the darker parts of her body glowed white, as did her eyes. She spread her wings and, with a single flap, blew the large vivosaur away, its Dino Gear landing at the top of the submarine. The powerful gust of wind also disrupted Dr. Blackraven as his Heavy Hauler was slammed into the sub's watchtower.
"Whoa…What happened to Tria?" Penny almost whispered as she and the other Wardens gaped at their friend.
Elric smiled, his fondness for his childhood friend showing almost as brightly as the glowing half-dinaurian herself even as his eyes clouded with tears. "That…is Tria's Boost Skill. She's gathering all of her energy and releasing it all at once. Tria's going all out for this fight, because she knows she won't get another chance."
Tria slammed into Dr. Blackraven's Bone Buggy, biting down on the claw that held the crystallized dark energy.
"What do you mean, Elric?" Roland asked, sounding terrified.
"This is our last chance to stop Dr. Blackraven?!" Dahlia cried disbelievingly.
"No." Elric replied gravely, "You all will get another chance to stop Dr. Blackraven if he escapes. Tria will not."
"What do you mean by that, Elric?" Leon asked, becoming increasingly suspicious even as cold dread set in.
"Yeah! Why does Tria only get one more chance?" Nate asked, his innocent naivety heart-breaking.
Tria managed to knock the dark crystal out of Dr. Blackraven's claw, tossing it into the air.
"Tria came here to rid the world of that dark energy. I came here to help her." Elric explained, "Dark energy is manifested hatred and rage; it will not simply go away."
"Then how do you plan to get rid of it?" Leon yelled, frustrated with Elric's roundabout method of explanation. Elric looked up, still smiling sorrowfully.
"Do you want to know the name of Tria's Boost Skill?" he asked rhetorically, "It's called 'Wrath of the Guardian'. Tria is compassionate and understanding, while still being firm with those under her protection and care. She also has so little darkness within her that she'd qualify as a saint. This aspect of her personality makes her key to this mission, and as cruel as that reality may be, there is nothing that can be done to change it."
"What are you saying, Elric?" Penny asked. Now she was getting nervous. "What does Tria's personality have to do with getting rid of the dark energy?"
"In order to destroy the dark energy, it must first be contained in something with enough purity and light to counter it. And then…" Elric swallowed his sorrow before finishing, "The container must be destroyed, with the dark energy still inside."
The Wardens and vivosaurs alike gasped in horror and disbelief, staring at the silver-haired boy from the past, as if hoping he's say he was joking. Elric just watched Tria fly up after the dark crystal and open her jaws, no hesitation in any of her movements. She was going to see this through to the end.
"Do you get it now, Wardens? Why Tria wanted to come alone? Why she didn't want any of you to be here? Why she was crying when she left?" Elric asked, his eyes never leaving Tria's glowing form as the tears he'd been holding back for so long fell down his face, "Tria didn't just come here to save this world."
He watched as Tria's jaws closed around the dark energy.
"She came here to die for it."
Suddenly, a piercing shriek sliced through the stormy atmosphere. All eyes turned to the heavens as Tria's rapidly-darkening figure fell. Her brilliant white scales were quickly turning pitch black as the light from her Boost Skill faded. Her dark blue wings, fur, and stomach turned a dark purple, while her claws turned red. The bloody red also consumed her golden eyes, the gentle orbs becoming harsher as hatred and rage filled them. The darkened dinaurian shrieked again, sending herself into an inescapable spin as she fell toward the submarine.
"Tria!" Dahlia screamed, her eyes wide and terrified.
"Tria, no!" Penny sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
"Tria!" Roland cried, gripping his steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Nate was speechless, too sad to speak and too scared to cry.
"Elric, you bastard!" Leon yelled, his grief fueling his anger as he turned on the other boy, "How could you let her go through with this?! You've been her friend longer than we have, so how could you let Tria kill herself?!"
"You think I wanted this to happen?!" Elric snapped back, the venom-soaked blade his tongue had become startling everyone, "I told you, this reality is cruel, that someone as wonderful and loved as Tria has to be sacrificed, but there was nothing that anyone could've done to change this. It was either Tria or this world, and no matter what any of us think, you know what Tria chose."
The conversation between the Wardens and the Space-Time Engineer was abruptly cut off by the violent jolt of the submarine as Tria crashed, a sickening crunch echoing as she landed on one of her wings. The humans all watched in horror as her flailing back legs tore through her other wing, ripping the thin membrane to shreds and dislodging the wing's wrist joint. She then staggered to her feet, swaying unsteadily.
"Tria…" a couple of the young Wardens sobbed, while others clenched their teeth to bite back their own whimpers. Their grieving was interrupted by a familiar laugh.
"Well, this seems to have worked out quite well for me." Dr. Blackraven said, driving forward, "She's no Dreadsaurus, but she'll do. This dinaurian will become my new ultimate weapon! BWAAA HA HA HA HA!"
"Don't be so sure." Elric warned the madman, "Tria hasn't forgotten you yet. She isn't far enough gone to forget your deeds, Dr. Blackraven, although she has lost enough of her compassion to do something about it."
The corrupted dinaurian roared viciously, turning to face the madman that had started this mess. He put his Heavy Hauler in reverse, trying to escape the enraged creature's attack, but it was futile. Tria reared her head back, narrowing her blood-red eyes, and fired a blast of black flames at Dr. Blackraven. The man screamed in agony as the Devil's Fire consumed him, reducing him and his Bone Buggy to ashes. By the time the flames faded, not a trace of them remained, except for the blackened ash that was then blown into the furious ocean. With its main target gone, the Dragon of Darkness turned on the only other living beings on the Neo Black Whale: the Wardens and their vivosaurs.
"Tria, stop!" Penny cried.
"Don't you remember us?!" Roland asked, almost sounding betrayed.
"Snap out of it, Tria!" Leon ordered, as if hoping his voice would bring her back.
"Wake up!" Nate begged desperately.
"Get a hold of yourself, Tria!" Dahlia called to the dinaurian, "You would never attack us! You're better than that!"
"Grrr!" Nibbles growled, running up to the body of the girl who had saved him from becoming a weapon, who had shown him the good side of the world. The girl who was now doomed to suffer in the grip of the very same darkness she had saved him from. "Tria! The madman is gone! You saved us! You can come back now!"
The Dragon of Darkness screeched in anger, stomping forward in an attempt to crush the little vivosaur. It then staggered backward as it was hit by the head of the Water-type Toba Titanosaur. The sauropod bellowed at her opponent, sounding mournful.
"What do you think you're doing, Nibbles?!" Elric yelled, "You cannot approach that thing so carelessly! Tria has no control over her body anymore; you of all creatures should know that!"
"But…" Nibbles whimpered, his eyes lost in a sea of despair.
"What can we do?!" Dahlia cried, looking at Elric desperately, "How do we bring her back?!"
"Are you Wardens all deaf or something?!" Elric barked, the lack of cooperation from the Wardens and their familiars only adding to his sorrow, "I told you; our mission was to destroy the dark energy, and the only way to do that is to capture it in a pure container and then destroy that container! Tria's body is the container, and now it must be destroyed!"
"WHAT?!"
"No way!"
"Impossible!"
"We are not killing Tria!"
"And even if we would, we can't! She's too strong!"
"Do all Wardens take their word so lightly?" Elric snapped, his voice low and dangerous, "Have you forgotten why you came here in the first place? You said you wanted to help Tria."
"We never agreed to kill her!" Leon argued, his eyes defiant.
"That's the only way to help her!" Elric replied, "She sacrificed herself for this world; don't let her sacrifice be in vain!"
The Wardens all exchanged glances with each other, unwilling to attack their closest friend and comrade. Elric sighed, looking back to the battle between Toba and the Dragon.
"I guess Tria was right. She told me you wouldn't be able to follow through with this mission."
"Damn right we won't!" Leon replied simply, "We have to save her!"
Suddenly, five Dino Gears flew out of Penny's Digger's Rig, glowing as the vivosaurs were released.
"Penny?! What are you doing?!" Nate cried.
"That wasn't me!" Penny denied, "They flew out on their own!"
"Those are…" Roland whispered as five familiar vivosaurs materialized on the field next to Toba.
"You Wardens are all so weak!" Lythro roared in frustration, although his grief was still there, "Now I remember why I left them!"
"Yeah. We vivosaurs do all the work anyway." Thalasso agreed, hovering right at eye level with the darkened creature that was glaring at them.
"It's not entirely their fault, though." Stego's gentle voice defended the humans, "Even though they're not fighting directly, they're still giving orders to the ones fighting. They feel like their vivosaurs are extensions of themselves. Is that really so horrible?"
"I don't think they can see what we see, either." Diplo added, even as he swallowed his grief, "Lady Tria's not here anymore. This monster is all that's left."
Gorgo snorted, turning around to address the Wardens directly.
"Lady Tria spoke to us about this before she left. She knew she was going to die, and that she would then need to be killed. She had hoped to not have to put us through the trauma of having to kill her ourselves, but she prepared us in case the situation arose."
Elric translated what Gorgo had said for the other humans, before responding, "She prepared you to battle her?"
"Yes. Or rather, she prepared us to battle the monster she's become." Gorgo replied, "However, we could not defeat her in sparring, so, alone, we won't be able to defeat her here. We still need help."
"I'm afraid help may not be willing to come." Elric replied sadly, "You may have to do what you can on your own. Toba and I will do what we can, but even that may not be enough."
"You're not alone, Elric!" a sudden voice called through the radio.
"We stand with you, as representatives of the Wardens!" a second voice added.
"Captain Stryker!" Nate exclaimed.
"And Professor Little!" Roland cried.
The Captain's Digger's Rig landed on the submarine's roof from the portal leading from Dr. Blackraven's chamber. Two Dino Gears immediately flew from the vehicles, the simultaneous flashes of light signaling the release of Spino ST and Argento. The two high-ranking vivosaurs roared and joined Toba and Tria's team in trying to subdue the dark dinaurian.
"What's going on here?!" the Captain yelled, "Why are you all just sitting there?! Can't you see how dangerous this creature is?!"
"B-But…" Dahlia squeaked pitifully.
"Captain…" Leon mumbled, stricken with grief, "That's Tria…"
"We know." the Professor said sadly, "Tria gave us a quick debriefing on the plan before she disabled communications."
"Tria disabled our communications?!" Nate cried in betrayed confusion, "Why?!"
"So that the rest of the Wardens wouldn't have to see her death unnecessarily." the Captain replied, "She wanted as few people to see her like this as possible." He raised his voice at the hesitating Wardens. "That doesn't matter now! Why aren't you doing anything?!"
"But…" Penny sobbed.
"This is Tria!" Leon yelled adamantly, "We can't kill Tria!"
"Look at that thing!" the Captain bellowed angrily, "Does that monster look like Tria to you?!"
The Wardens watched as the Dragon of Darkness swatted at Thalasso, sending him flying before knocking Lythro into Spino ST with its whip-like tail. It then countered Gorgo's Primal Roar with the Call of Hell, cancelling out the Fire-type's attack completely. After overpowering Stego's Blade Barrage and Argento's Summit Drain with the Condemned Mist, it kicked Diplo away as he tried to use his Rolling Whip to trip it. The corrupted creature shrieked, enraged, reddened eyes filled with an agonizing amount of hatred and bloodlust.
"I know this body once belonged to Tria, and that's why you don't want to hurt it." Captain Stryker said, more gentle and understanding this time.
"But Tria doesn't have control over it anymore." Professor Little continued, "It's no longer hers."
"Listen to me, Wardens." Elric said, "Even if you do help us fight, you won't be attacking Tria. I told you before, our original enemy wasn't Dr. Blackraven, nor the Dreadsaurus, but the dark energy itself. Tria was fighting the dark energy from the very beginning. Even when she consumed it, or rather, just before it consumed her, she crippled and weakened her own body so that, when the dark energy finally overcame her, we would have a better chance of defeating it." Elric looked at the crying faces of the Warden graduates, at the hardened masks of determination worn by the other two Wardens, and concluded, "You don't have to worry about killing Tria, because she's already dead. You just have to stop her body and free her spirit from the darkness that binds it."
The group of young Wardens didn't say anything. They looked at the Dragon of Darkness, the creature that had once been their best friend and most reliable comrade, as it rampaged against the vivosaurs that had once been its closest allies. They looked down at the Dino Gears that held their own vivosaurs, feeling the comfort, reassurance, and shared grief radiating from them. After a few seconds, one Dino Gear was released, with another following, and then another, the series of bright lights announcing the five vivosaurs of the newest Warden graduates. Hypsi, Tricera, Edapho, Ptera, and Pachy all called out a battle challenge to the Dragon of Darkness, their rage fueled by the suffering the dark energy was causing their beloved fighters. They charged forward, joining the other vivosaurs in the joint assault against the dark energy.
"Hypsi! Soothing Song!" Penny called through her tears. The small Fire-type sang beautifully, distracting the Dragon.
"Tricera! Horn Rush!" Roland practically sobbed. The large herbivore roared with protective fury as he rammed into the Dragon's side.
"Edapho! Tornado Sail!" Nate yelled, his voice trembling badly. The small sailed vivosaur growled and spun through the air, slamming his sail into the Dragon's head and knocking it off balance.
"Ptera! Chaos Twister!" Leon ordered, his grief and despair clear. Ptera shrieked and flapped his powerful wings, spinning the wild winds of the cyclone and confusing the Dragon.
"Pachy! Skull Charge!" Dahlia commanded as she gripped her steering wheel so hard she shook. Pachy screeched in rage, charging forward and slamming his rock-hard head into the Dragon's chest.
The Dragon screamed as it fell to the floor, lashing its tail out at its attackers. It then managed to get to its feet, extending its crushed and broken wings as it taunted the vivosaurs and their fighters.
"This is insane!" the Captain exclaimed in frustration, "Just how strong was Tria?!"
"Strong enough to stand against the teams of her parents and mine." Elric replied grimly, "We can't defeat her body like we would a vivosaur. We have to land a fatal blow, one that will shut it down indefinitely."
"How?!" Leon ground out through clenched teeth, "Our attacks are barely fazing her!"
"We need to attack a single, vital area all at once!" the Professor stated, "Then we might have a chance!"
Suddenly, the Dragon of Darkness roared, the blackness of its scales deepening. The creature lunged at all of the vivosaurs, so fast that a human eyes couldn't follow, and threw all of them back, leaving them barely standing from its Blind Strike.
"This is bad…" Elric muttered.
"We can't take another hit like that, Captain!" Professor cried fearfully.
"All right, everyone!" the Captain called, "I didn't want to have to use this, but we're out of options." He addressed the Wardens with the commanding, authoritative tone that left no room for argument, "Everyone! There is a button on your Bone Buggies' control panels near your Support Shots. Push it! It'll fire a special Support Shot that will make your vivosaurs able to use their Boost Skills immediately!"
"We have a Support Shot like that?!" Nate exclaimed.
"It's a weapon of last resort we developed a while ago." the Professor explained, "It infuses vivosaur with energy that normally accumulates over the course of a battle. This allows vivosaurs to use their Boost Skills without having to wait, but it has its cost. Vivosaurs that use it can't fight afterward, which leaves them vulnerable."
"But we're finished for sure if we don't use it!" the Captain yelled, overriding the protests before they could even arise, "Everyone! Fire the Boost Skill Support Shot!"
"Yes, sir!" the Wardens yelled back, firing the secret Support Shot. Their vivosaurs became infused with power, all glowing with elemental energy. The vivosaurs roared in unison as they launched their Boost Skills in rapid succession.
"Diva's Dance!"
"Trident Spear!"
"Sail Assailant!"
"Acrobatic Spear!"
"Vibrant Combo!"
"Third Stryke!"
The attacks landed heavy consecutive blows on the dark dinaurian, sending it flying. It fell to the floor, lying there for a minute. The Wardens, the graduates and the veterans, gasped in horror as the Dragon of Darkness struggled to its feet once more, facing them with burning, hateful eyes.
"I don't believe it…" the Captain muttered, falling into a state of shock, "She's still standing…"
"We can't beat her!" Nate cried, panicking, "There's no way!"
"Get ahold of yourself, Nate!" Leon yelled, "We have to stop her! We owe Tria that much!"
"How?!" Roland sobbed fearfully, "Our vivosaurs can't fight anymore!"
Toba and Argento stood in front of the incapacitated vivosaurs, protecting them with what little strength they had left, but it was futile as the Dragon of Darkness retaliated.
"Oh no…" Elric whispered, fear turning into ice-cold terror, "No, no, no, no…"
"What's wrong, Elric?" Penny cried.
"Speak up!" Dahlia added, starting to freak out.
"It's responding…" Elric whispered, "With its own Boost Skill…"
The fighters watched in absolute horror and their vivosaurs trembled as the Dragon of Darkness turned completely black, becoming a red-eyed shadow. Born from the depth and agony of complete hatred, rage, and desire for destruction, the Curse of the Reaper struck all of the vivosaurs on the battlefield, forcing them to retreat into their Dino Gears and return to their fighters before their own lives were snuffed out completely. The fighters were petrified, frozen in place as the shadow stalked toward them.
"This is it!" Nate cried in despair, "We're all gonna die!"
"Stop crying, you baby!" Dahlia yelled, "Don't give up so easily!"
"What do you suppose we do?!" Leon barked back, "The portal closed when she activated her Boost Skill, and we can't contact HQ! What else can we do?!"
"I'm afraid Leon's right…' Elric muttered, even as his eyes scanned the area for a solution, "This might be the end of us."
Suddenly, a loud, powerful roar sounded from behind the Wardens, the grief and despair even causing the Dragon of Darkness to pause for a moment. Nibbles, who had been hiding behind the Bone Buggies during the battle, had transformed into the Crimson Ravager. He roared again and shot forward with reckless abandon, flames shooting from the frill on his head as he sped toward the shadow of his closest and most precious companion. His hatred for the dark energy showed itself loud and clear as he drove his claw directly through the Dragon's chest, breaking the Curse of the Reaper and stopping the Dragon of Darkness for good.
"Nibbles…" Penny sobbed, feeling his pain.
"Did…Did he win?" Nate asked hesitantly.
The Crimson Ravager and the Dragon of Darkness stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Tears fell from Nibbles' eyes as he stared into his friend's tormented soul. His eyes then widened, as did Elric's, as the dinaurian croaked out a few short sounds before collapsing to the floor and lying still.
"I-Impossible…" Elric muttered disbelievingly, tears falling from his eyes once more as he jumped out of his Bone Buggy and rushed over to the Dragon's body.
"Grrr? Grrr!" Nibbles growled desperately, shrinking again and hastily nuzzling the unmoving body. Elric knelt beside the creature's head.
"What's wrong, Elric?" the Captain asked as he and the rest of the Wardens present ran up to the group.
"It…can't be…" Elric whimpered, almost looking smaller as he gently stroked the dark muzzle, "Tria…you're still here?"
Everyone gasped as the dinaurian's battle form disintegrated into a cloud of darkness, rising into the sky and disappearing into nothingness as it was drowned out by the light in the dinaurian's heart. When the dark energy was obliterated, the light faded, leaving the form of the familiar half-dinaurian figure lying on the roof of the Neo Black Whale. Her body was horribly damaged, her torn wings, deep gashes on her arms and legs, the bite wounds on her neck, and the gaping hole in her chest from Nibbles' attack all rendering her nearly unrecognizable, but it was still her. The dark blue hair, white scales, pink stripes under her eyes, black claws, and golden eyes of Tria.
"Tria!" everyone cried, all rushing over and gathering around the wounded half-dinaurian. She was covered in blood, her breathing was labored, and her eyes were shifting in and out of focus. She didn't have long to live.
"Hey…guys…" Tria whispered, bringing more blood with her words, "Great work…you…beat the…darkness…"
"Tria…" Elric said, his voice low and quiet, as if he was afraid he'd scare away what little life his beloved friend had left, "I can't believe you're still here. I thought the dark energy had…" A sniffle cut him off.
"Killed me?" Tria asked knowingly, smiling weakly at her friend, "Heh…it had…mostly."
"Tria!" Nate sobbed, falling to his knees by her side, "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!"
"For what, Nate?" Tria asked, unnecessarily.
"We…" Penny squeaked, her tears silencing her as she gripped Tria's hand, desperately trying to keep her in this world. Roland clung to his Asian comrades.
"We killed you!" Leon yelled, tears streaming down his face, "We attacked you and killed you!"
"How can you be so calm, Tria?!" Dahlia cried, laying her trembling hand on Tria's arm, "You're dying, and it's our fault! Why are you so calm?!"
"Dahlia…" Tria sighed, "Leon…Penny…Nate…Roland…" She looked over at her vivosaur companion and childhood friend. "Nibbles…Elric…" She smiled, weak amusement in her voice. "Quite frankly…I don't have the…energy to be…anything but calm."
"Tria's been preparing for this day for years." Elric explained, another tear escaping his eye, "She accepted her fate long ago."
Nibbles whined mournfully, nuzzling his muzzle into Tria's neck, inhaling the part of her scent that had yet to be drowned by the scent of blood and death.
"I'm sorry…buddy…" Tria whispered, nuzzling the little vivosaur in return, "I should've…told you…" She gently licked the side of his muzzle in a final sign of love and affection. "Don't cry, little one. We have…been freed."
Nibbles shook his head, licking her cheek briefly before burying his head in her neck again. "It's not fair! Why do you have to die?! You should've killed me! That would've gotten rid of the dark energy, wouldn't it?"
Now it was Tria's turn to shake her head. "It may have…but I wouldn't have…accepted it. You've spent your…entire life in the grasp of…Blackraven, suffering…under the influence…of the…dark. You deserve…a chance at a free life…a life filled with…friends and…happiness. I refuse to let you…die without knowing…that life."
"But you deserve that life too!" Nibbles argued, refusing to break contact with her, "You're so kind to everyone! Everyone loves you! You deserve a free life too!"
Tria laughed tiredly. "I've already…had that life. I've known…happiness and love…my whole life. I've had…a good life…now…it's your turn…to be happy."
The humans listened as Elric translated the exchange, becoming choked up at Tria's selflessness and acceptance of her death. Captain Stryker, although unable to understand the ancient tongue, could tell that Tria was getting tired, and would soon leave the world of the living. Holding tightly to the sobbing Professor, he knelt at Tria's feet, next to the Asian Wardens.
"Tria." he said, voice tightly controlled, "Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear…Captain." Tria whispered, her voice slightly louder to show her respect to her superior.
"I just…want to apologize." the Captain said sadly, gripping Tria's leg to keep her attention, "I didn't trust you on this mission. I doubted your abilities, your words, and your sincerity. I wasn't able to help you or protect Nibbles, and as your Captain, I am deeply ashamed." He clenched his teeth as a single tear slipped past his mask of professionalism. "As your leader, I have failed you. Can you ever forgive me?"
Tria smiled at this rare show of humility from the Captain. She lifted her tail, loosely curling it around the man's arm in a reassuring gesture, the closest thing she could manage to a hug.
"Don't be…so hard on yourself…Captain." she whispered, "You did…everything…you could. You're a…great…leader. Don't…forget…" She trailed off, gasping. The Captain placed a hand over the tail circling his arm in silent thanks.
"Tria…" Professor Little whimpered, sounding, for once, like the little kid it was so easy to forget he was, "Do you really have to leave? We'll miss you."
"I know…Little one…" Tria's voice was practically a sigh by now. She circled more of her tail around the Captain's arm, letting the young Professor hold the end. "It'll be okay…You're strong…You'll be fine."
"You're wrong, Tria!" Leon cried, despairing as he held her other hand, "You're the strongest Warden we have, and more than that, you're our best friend! You can't leave us!"
"Please, Tria! There must be another way!" Dahlia added, still holding onto Tria's arm.
"Maybe we can still save you!" Roland sobbed, his tone betraying the false hope in his own words.
"You can't die, Tria! We're lost without you!" Nate claimed fervently.
"Think about the others!" Penny continued for her friends, "Mei Lian! Hanzo! Becky! Violet! Liu Ren! Sean! Drake! And Lucky too! They all need you as much as we do!"
"Penny…Nate…Roland…Leon…Dahlia…" Tria said quietly, "Listen…don't have…time…" She struggled to lift her arms and gesture for them to get closer. "The Parks…take care of them…Make sure…they're safe…" She smiled. "You're Wardens…Remember that." She then looked over at Nibbles, nuzzling him one more time. "You too, buddy. These Parks are…your home now…Look after them."
Nibbles lifted his head to look at the girl, tears still spilling from his eyes. He nodded, giving her one last loving lick.
Tria looked up at Elric, who had been holding her head in his lap. She gasped, trying to speak, but he shook his head, smiling sadly down at her.
"Don't worry about me, Tria." he said, stroking his friend's hair, "I'll miss you, you know I will, but I'll make it. My life still has purpose, and I'll keep moving forward, with you in my heart, my friend."
Tria's smile widened, and she closed her eyes, satisfied with the knowledge that her friends would be okay. Her breathing slowed and her grip loosened. Her tail unwrapped itself from the Captain's arm and fell from the Professor's grasp to the floor, followed by the weakening of her hold on Penny and Leon's hands. Her friends cried silently, their tears falling on her in a rain of grief as her expression softened, her smile becoming more gentle and peaceful as she sighed in a final farewell. Her body went still as the rest of her vitals failed, finally freeing the young half-dinaurian from the restraints of the mortal realm, leaving behind the pain and the pleasure as her light finally faded completely.
"No matter where you go, Tria, or what you do." the Captain said, looking to the sky in a final ode to the risen angel, "You'll always be one of us, a part of the Wardens. Never forget that."