WARNING: Some graphic/intense depictions of violence, self-mutilation, and gore ahead. Continue at your own risk.


Sonic the Hedgehog: The Phantasy of Archangelus

Paradigm Forty-Three - The End's Perish, Hadean Lament

A dark aqua hue overtook The End's rapids: Constant tides no longer washed with purple. It looked like a true ocean now, more so a foreboding whirlpool beneath the floating platform. If one were to fall into it, would he return to the surface? Would he drown in the darkness and agony of the malformed demigods—of the world? Spira's oceans were countless, borderless. It was still but an island, no matter what its size. Were there even other continents, besides itself? There was really no time to answer that. For the final battle was close at hand.

All the Archangelus Triune knew was that every body, living and dead, on Spira was counting on their victory. If there were other continents too, all the more would that be true. Their friends wanted them to return, Yuna wanted them to be safe, and everyone else want them to succeed.

The disassembled god wanted nothing more than their destruction: "You feeble-minded fools canst only dream of victory…"

Teal swirled faster. The Helios Gyres quickened. The Carnal Fervor and Mystic Illumine's tethered hands lifted together. Their Glyphs burned and ghosted away, respectively. Joining their hands in a more intimate lock, the monstrous pair locked their seething gazes on Sonic, Silver, and Shadow. Agitated by the teardrops they released, they walked across the platform at a teetering stagger. The Carnal Fervor exhaled fire, of infernal purity, Ardor's gauge reading clear anger; the Mystic Illumine showed somber fangs, after snipping his cauterized flesh into stringy bits. The pain of his jaws opening once more didn't effect him.

The Triune only watch them subject themselves to even more pain. Silver's tears flourished more at the sight of them, literally ripping open their wounds while staggering together along the platform. The bottommost eye of the teal whirlpools followed each step. Shadow was unnerved by the spectacle, if anything. He wasn't too surprised by the self-mutilation, but all the while the demigods' hands were bound. They were lost in their insanity and ire. In complete and utter, loving, simultaneity. Sonic couldn't watch the spirits drag themselves into battle. He didn't want the will to fight and beat them, but it was the only way he could keep his promise to the Illumine, his lifelong partner, to Yuna and her world. A shared responsibility between, himself, Shadow, Silver and Yuna.

Purposely.

That Hadean tone lilted at them once again. It was lachrymose, daunting, and vengeful all at once:"…Alas, soon thou shalt dream no more. We will oust thine need." And soon after, the Hadean tone resounded as a final shrill, ear-popping, heart-rending battle cry.

In spite of it, the Archangelus Triune Aeons were unfazed. It was only enough to blow back the tears they'd already shed. Their strength had drastically weakened, indeed. But something didn't feel weak about it. Sonic was the first to think this; Yuna agreed, and Shadow and Silver caught on through the Harness. And, upon reaching a wordless share of knowledge, they all detected a feebleness, like they were pleading.


"They need salvation." The soon-to-be Legendary Guardian chimed. The baby girl in his arms looked up at her father with bright, beaming aquamarines. She cooed at him, tugging onto Rikku's littlest finger. Rikku was crying softly; she knew her second cousin didn't and would never get a chance to understand all that was happening. "Please, Yuna…give them salvation."


"Give their souls a chance to finally rest." Yuna heard her Guardian's plea.

"Perish Void…!" both halves chanted, recognizing their teal spell had reached the level of a typhoon. The End's Eye was still sealed with the Yevon "A" and now bloodshot with newly coursing shimmering blood. Much like the revived lilies Tails, Cream and Cheese, and Knuckles noticed in the Guadosalam mansion semblance.

"Is that real blood?" Rouge gawked, seeing a supply of blackish blood seep into the reviving veins. They branched out even further than before, slowly, covering as much of the Eye as possible.

"Solaris's first two Formes have been destroyed," Blaze spoke up. "But the one remaining…Hadean?" Her fierce cat's-eyes glared up at the eye, which unknowingly resumed its focus on Spira. Claws scratched into the floor. "The Counterparts are literally pouring all their energy into destroying Spira. They want revenge, destruction, the spiral of death to cease…and, in their corruption, have resolved to destroy everyone, and everything, they loved."


"But we're gonna fix all that…" Sonic's unwavering resolve was a beacon of hope.

Energy seemed to be building up in those partnered hands. Rage gleamed from each unharmed eye, like piercing green lights. One reminiscent of a Soul Mirror, the other of the transmutation two hundred years into a dystopian future.

"So don't worry, everyone."

A hellish blaze fired from behind the Fervor. His cloak had fully grown, in a form the Triune had never seen. The mantle and cape themselves were nothing but white flames. They curled and lapped outward, but failed to burn the darkness counterpart. As for Acumen, it was at its darkest and most formless. The Illumine's chest tuft was no longer as slate as it had been, but with inklings of darkness, magic, and blood.

"They're ready to attack." Yuna's chime sounded almost motherly. "Mind your Endymion Harness, my Triune, and remain vigilant."

As an aurora of energy flared from the Hadean Glyph, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver nodded in return.

"Protect me, Fervor."

It seemed the Carnal Fervor was the first to attack. A detachment: His speed was incredible. Leaping outward, his roar shook the battlefield and Ardor left a line of fire in his wake. Without much time for the Triune to defend, he disappeared. Confused, Sonic looked around. Soon after, he reappeared in front of Shadow, disappeared, then in front of Silver, and was gone again. "Halma's Radular Grudge." Suddenly, his dashes' inertia could be felt. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver felt like they'd all been hit by freight trains. They all crashed into each other, and the force caused them to slide off one another and skid away in resumed directions. The Fervor performed it again, but repeatedly: From all angles, he blazed like a living meteor. His fists held an infernal cosmic gleam and rammed into the abdomens of the Triune. With every single-handed blow followed a radial eruption. The final wave froze in its tracks before the Fervor reappeared again. He wanted to marvel the finisher with the Illumine, so he sauntered back to hold that ghostly frame in his arms. Their hands reconnected. And so did the final wave, with the Triune's abdomens. Volcanic floods beamed erratically in every direction. They blazed through the triad targets, incinerating them, making them bellow out in a chorus of unbelievable pain.


Amy flinched terribly, grabbing her head. "Amy!" Cream cuddled closer to her. "Amy, are you alright?" Tails wondered fearfully. At a soothing pat, Amy answered, "I can hear them…! I can hear them screaming again!" More tears fell. "The Counterparts again! And the boys…they're hurt!"

Blaze's claws scratched deeper into the tiling. The feline Guardian grabbed her chest, hissing through clenched teeth from that shared fright. The gleam of the arch behind them never faltered.

Rouge wobbled a bit before her knees gave way. Knuckles caught her and held her for a moment. She was holding her chest, too. He blinked, wondering how she, Amy, and Blaze were all feeling it. But then, he remembered the flowers. Those white lilies—Rouge and Blaze's sashes, and Amy's crown.

"No one has been unaffected by the Illumine's imprinting, but not everyone has been imprinted the same way." Yuna's words were coming back to him. "…Some of you may have served as keepers of Solaris's hope." He furrowed his brows at the mysterious fear all three girls were feeling. His eyes leered over to see Espio cradling Charmy, who hadn't spoken in a while. Uncharacteristic of him not to cheer, at least, Vector got a bit worried. Knuckles listened to the exchange between the older Chaotix Detectives. Their youngest member was so quiet it was bothering Espio, apparently. But they realized why within that same moment.

"…Maybe some of you represent him in ways he could no longer sustain."

Tears trailed down his cheeks, just like Tails and Cream's.

"Don't…give up…!"

Knuckles snapped his sights at the bat girl, small tears squeezing through her eyelids. A small, helpless growl escaped his throat.

A fiery fist slammed into the tile. "Get up…all of you, get up!" Frightened tears sizzled away in the fist's heat.

"Sonic…!" Amy whimpered.

"Silver…!" Blaze chanted.

And Rouge moaned, "Shadow…!"

Yuna's statuette kept its tranquil glow.


The Triune was still alive, but barely.

And the Illumine was sorely displeased. A momentary gush of dark blood leaked from the right side of his face.

"Help me, Illumine."

A piercing glow in the Yu Yevon sigil preceded the Illumine's attack. Another detachment: Like an evening shadow, the Illumine fleeted toward the Triune. The three hedgehogs were trying to recover from that last attack. Sonic saw the Illumine skating around them. When he completed the wide circle, the Illumine scraped to a halt. Acumen shivered into spears and stabbed itself into the black circle. Swirls branched out, curls of icy darkness spun upward, and intricate weaves spelled out a lethal strike. "Zelsuric's Futile Resistance." As a cage began to materialize around them, darkness thickened. Sonic struggled to push himself up, as the Illumine leered at him. A sweat drop fell from his temple. The last thing he saw was that eye. Even after the Illumine disappeared, it remained—and procreated three more. He tried to reach out, but his wrists, wings, halo, and ankles were tethered down. Shadow was trying to fight back, tugging at the gummy restraints. When Silver tried to revolve his halo, the darkness had jellified its movement. Sonic's "Illumine, no!" was disregarded, as materializing legs carried him away from the black cage. At the snap of his fingers, four magical seals appeared over four corners of the bubble cage. "Drown…"—Then, a purple lance coiled from the "Water" Glyph. "Crumble…"—A titian lance from the "Lightning" Glyph. "Freeze…"—A teal lance from the "Ice" Glyph. "And burn to ashes."—A crimson lance from the "Fire" Glyph. All four lances spun faster and faster. The Mystic Illumine made his way back to the kneeling Carnal Fervor. He leaned that warm face into his chest. At their hands' reconnection, the lances drilled through the cage and the Archangelus Triune simultaneously. Water, lightning, ice, and fire burst inside the darkness maiden; the Triune screamed from the pain.

SPIRA'S VACUUM…

"Illumine, Fervor! Please stop it!" Amy yelled to the tops of her lungs. "You're hurting them—and yourselves!"

"Please, Miss Amy. Let there be calm."

The pink hedgehog gasped, throwing her eyes back at Yuna's pearled likeness. Her own eyes watered even more. Yuna's Staff, Nirvana, had changed: Since the Sun God's previous two Formes were fought against by the Triune, pieces of Spira's reality had shattered and recovered. Not sure how, Amy saw that the staff was beginning to look even more brittle, antiqued by wear and tear: Blue shaft steadily chipped away and crimson tassels frayed. The roseate crown was still brilliant and shining, however. Perhaps even more now than what felt like mere minutes ago. An undisclosed, but large amount of time had somehow passed. None of the Otherworlders felt it, and it made Dr. Eggman wonder.

"Let calm be in your hearts, all of you. Salvation is almost here."

Blaze's chest no longer felt as tight as it had. She huffed a little.

Rouge felt a strange desire to snuggle closer to Knuckles. As confused as they both were, Knuckles welcomed her to lie there, against his chest. Tears softly strode, but she felt more comfortable there in his arms. 'Like the Illumine wanted to be…with the Fervor,' the thought skated through her wakefulness.

"They're gonna win."

Vector blinked wildly at the softness of Charmy's voice. But there was an unwavering faith flooding from the boy's eyes. Both Espio and Vector nodded to each other. "You betcha, kiddo!" Vector tapped his fist playfully on the bee's arm. Espio cradled him closer while keeping an eye on the Void's Eye overhead. It hadn't moved much, stared back at everyone. Refocused, and seemingly waiting.

The notion of it waiting for Spira's salvation was something Eggman didn't doubt.


The Helios Gyres spun, with a symbol or two flashing before flickering back into disorder. The End's torrents still wept. The whirlpools were still dark aqua.

And somehow, by miraculous grace, the Archangelus Triune still clung to that razor-thin thread of life. Both attacks felt like first-turn Overdrives—just like Sin's Giga-Graviton and Yu Yevon's Ultima. It was only fair for each Counterpart to have his own, as well. The Apocryphal Summoners' personalities seemed to scream from each one. Albeit, obviously more merciless and diabolical.

Both of whose deified representations seemed severely displeased.

"Okay…?"

Sonic was the first to get back on his feet. Shadow followed, with Silver soon after him. They huffed a little, wings drooping from waning vitality and energy. Each halo wobbled in their hovering spin. Silver's gold medallions ebbed in and out of weak vibrancy, trickles of blood crying over them. Shadow and Sonic's respective orichalcum and adamantine pauldrons were losing their magical patinas, as well. In fact, a puncture hole cratered Gilt Patina's face, and a searing groove nicked Prismatic Luster's outer arch.

The Endymion Harness had drastically weakened, but Yuna was completely calm.

In spite of it all, Sonic's quip was jeeringly snarky and almost arrogant: "You guys done?"

Less than a thought later, both Acumen and Ardor swarmed. Insane bloodstained blackness and enraged white flames burst violently. Another dissonant roar and wail harmonized within the dismal firmaments.

As awful as it sounded, pained as both Counterparts were, Yuna's plan was working. She was able to see into one flaw in Solaris's omniscience: The demigods could see as far into her plan as they wanted, but due to their semi-physical connection to life they were still somewhat as mortal as everyone else. Even if he knew all she had planned, a moment of weakness could throw everything he had to counteract with off kilter. Meaning this moment, of being smitten by exasperation, was unavoidable, unstoppable. Unable to be ignored.

'With so much pent-up emotion, provocation is sort of the easy way out…' Sonic thought, watching his opponents carefully. 'But…I trust you, Lady Yuna.'

"Silver: Regenga."

The manual operation was almost second nature. Clearly under Yuna's control, the white hedgehog cast a White Magic spell without any experience or proficiency in White Magic. All the while they'd fought, Silver felt surprisingly useful. He wasn't expecting to have such an important role. He never anticipated it, nor the high confidence he found in himself and from his battle-mates. Yuna's aura felt almost like a slow melt. Warming, motherly, and loving, all reminiscent to his late High Summoner Lenne. Just thinking about her made Splendent Gleam shimmer. Crests of new vitality imprinted each hedgehog. That feeling of impending doom wafted away. "Fulfill the Sovereignty's Onus." Somehow, an epicene voice had made it into his psyche. Magnolia wings rustled into a steady, mute shine. His hands curved around his cyan orb. Yellow-and-blue heterochromia gleamed as the voice stroked his heart.

"Shadow: Shield your comrades with Gilt Patina."

The black hedgehog nodded his comply to her. Then, gilded appendages gathered enough strength to lift and bristle. Halo just bobbing, armored slivers slid out of alignment and disconnected from Shadow's wings. They were constantly refashioning themselves, keeping most of Gilt Patina's likeness, but made three shields to guard him, Silver, and Sonic. Shadow swipe a guarded hand in an outward wave: The fickle shields sharply flashed before settling on the pauldron's likeness for sure. Obsidian down cradled his peripheral vision. Shadow saw the wings motion into a protective veil. "You would make for a fine Guardian." Another unnamed voice soothed him, as well. He retracted his hand to smooth it over his ruby orb. Strength gleamed in his red and blue eyes. Then, a resolute huff.

"Sonic: Keep your watchful eye. Refrain from engagement."

With a smirk and nod, the blue hedgehog flicked his nose. "You got it!" Pale-blue feathers flared outward. His heterochromia trained on the Counterparts carefully: But soon, a sinking feeling had clawed down his heart. He grappled his green orb a bit tightly. Another sweat drop: "Crap…! Even after those Overdrives, they're still going to attack?"

Two unfamiliar staves shot from a sigil pair from the invisible Hadean Glyph. An ice queen's tiara adorned the Illumine's staff, much like the Fervor's husbandly fire coronet. Nimble hands twirled each one. Dark pearls clinked, gold bells rang. In a single cater-cornered thrust, both Summoner staves' tapers struck the sigil pair, shattering them. The larger Glyph's hellmouth seeped a bloodlike ooze.

From it, pyreflies effervesced.

Acumen shook, Ardor burst. That serpent's needle quivered opal, the partnering Yu Yevon Glyph mimicking it.

"No…what now?" Silver held up both hands, ready for anything.

"Are they…summoning an Aeon?" Shadow's eyes widened slowly.

Those pyreflies swirled around into themselves. Mirror-like pearl wisped, coiled, and hardened into a humanoid shape. Its outline was vague, unfamiliar. Well, almost: Yuna was able to recognize it right away.

There was a hesitance between hers and the Triune's revelation. She bowed her head regretfully.

"But…they're Aeons themselves! How are they able to summon?" Sonic gulped hard. He noticed a person walking out the pyrefly cloud. In hand was a broadsword. A lethal arrow flanged the sword's tip, three circles cored out of it. Icy curls overtook the dancing flame decal along its body. A heavy chain noisily dangled from a ring on its guard. One arrow flange dragged over the Hadean Glyph, but failed to scratch it. Inhuman jags sprouted from their back, one bent along the collarbone, and gingery tips trailed from the waist down the right leg. Over what looked like the one-legged sash Yuna sported upon Sonic's rescuing her; this one appeared to be yellow and red, however. With tattered black shorts, red headscarf, the Zanarkand Abes emblem: This person's identity was undeniable.

"Wait…who is…?" Silver blinked.

Soulless yellow eyes looked over each hedgehog: An expression of approval graced his face, seeing their wings, halos, gauntlets, and righteous irises. The apparent male huffed a glad sigh. "Hey? Is that you in there…Future Daughter-in-Law?"

All three hedgehogs widened their eyes a little.

"Yes, Papa Jecht. It's me." Yuna let out a tiny giggle.

"Humph, thought so…" He grunted, feeling a wave of detachment wash over him slowly. But he refocused on the Triune. "Hey, fellas? Do me a favor, will ya?"

Sonic, Shadow, and Silver glanced at each other before nodding to the vanishing man.

"I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. It ain't my hearing going, I'll tell ya that right now…but it's these two back here." He shot a thumb back at the corrupt Summoners. "These two need that song as much as I wanna hear it, okay? It's the least you can do for me…for them. We Guardians gotta stick together, y'know?" More jagged horns grew. "Oh. One thing, too…" His facial hair whitened with the rest on his head. "When this thing starts, I won't be myself anymore, so I can't hold back. I'm real sorry, guys, Yunie. Good luck." Jecht positioned himself to strike.

Sonic blinked wide eyes. Silver and Shadow looked to him, awaiting any more orders. "Just stick to Yuna's plan. We endure his attack, too." Both his comrades gawked at him. "Just keep the faith, guys." A blue iris reassured Silver and Shadow. "'Cause it's everywhere, y'know."

Energy steamed from the Hadean Glyph. "End them, Braska's Torrid Aeon: Blitz King."

Broadsword prone, beastly feet charged at them and went right into a combination attack. Jecht targeted his double-footed stamp at Sonic, Gilt Patina's guard splitting to pieces. Despite the stoppage, Jecht fluidly went another combo. Which Sonic was able to match blow-for-blow. Sonic countered each sword swing with one of his own. A bright katana fleshed out in each palm, and heavy edges clashed.

Soon enough, Shadow and Silver joined the fight: Through Yojimbo's Glyph, Shadow brought out twin Gunblades fashioned after the Springtide Aeon's katana, Zanmato. Silvery gold blades protruded over deep red barrels. Their handles and triggers, as well as "Gilt Patina," were a clear gold. Silver's Microphone Staff became a Blade due to the Staff adornment sharpening. The mythril curls remolded into flanges, much like bayonets. The shaft remained aquamarine, "Splendent Gleam" still crafted on the side. Another Microphone Blade was expelled through a Glyph of its own. He twirled them a bit before saying, "Looks like we can't shirk engagement anymore. Forgive us, Lady Yuna, but we have to attack!" Shadow nodded, then pinned his sights on the Counterpart duo. His brows flicked downward. "Would it be worth a try to ambush them?" he asked.

Yuna wasn't too sure of it, but she assured him with, "It would be. Pardon granted…but be careful, Shadow, Silver. Now, my Triune: Disembody."

The feeling of detachment slighted Sonic's attention. "Guys—?" But another of Jecht's kicks came for his face. He was able to block it.

Archangelus Shadow and Silver rushed towards the Summoners. "You're wide open!" Silver cried, less than an arm's reach away from striking the Carnal Fervor.

That long ponytail swayed with the energy in his Glyph. Canine companion defensive and howling, Espio and Vector spotted that cautious hand draw a mystical blade from the floating sheath. A porcelain mask materialized over his face, a vibrant crimson sleeve furling over an entire arm. His other hand brought a hand sign up to the mask.

Both hedgehogs swung their weapons. "Zanmato!" Archangelus Silver and Shadow called out. Each blade struck the Carnal Fervor and Mystic Illumine, respectively. "X" marked the spot as the blades came down on the Fervor's right shoulder and the Illumine's left one. Milky lava gushed from the former, while dark blood leapt from the latter. Oddly, there were no cries of pain; just groans.

Faces flicked through Silver and Shadow's minds' eyes in that moment.

But there was no time to reflect. A second strike ran through the Fervor and Illumine's chests. No hearts were present, but more lava and dark blood was expelled. Crestfallen moans.

A sharp wave of longing flooded Shadow and Silver's senses. Abandoning their targets hurt by their weapons, both hedgehogs fled. Without looking back, they flew to assist Sonic. Just as Gilt Patina's Gunblades and Splendent Gleam's Microphone Blades tore the Summoners apart with sunbursts.

"Don't stop attacking! That's not the end of them yet!"

Silver and Shadow dodged an incoming steel gleam. It struck the invisible floor, just between them. They gawked back, but huffed in bittersweet relief to see Jecht's blade there. It pinged, ringing like a gentle bell.

That adamantine halo zoomed past. "Follow me!" came the hasty command. And so followed mythril and orichalcum halos.

The brokenhearted woman kneeling on her weighty Glyph allowed snakes of conjoined rings to enwrap her. Arms intertwined, another whisper begot a chrysalis. The leaflets stitched together as she lifted her binds skyward. A hulking tablet hung at her back. Her living image, as Seymour's mother and Guardian, was seared into it. Amy patted her hands over her mouth at the sight of it.

"It's our turn!" Sonic led the head-on charge. "Let's do it! Demi-Sword!"

Prismatic Luster, Gilt Patina, and Splendent Gleam manifested a pair of heavy scimitars for each Aeon. Before the bursts of light had a chance to dim, Silver and Shadow heeded Sonic's previous technique and swung a blade into both daemons; the Fervor tried to defend, but end up getting both hands halfway lopped. He couldn't protect the Illumine, who'd been struck by the secondary blows.

More faces flickered; the Triune hedgehogs grimaced. They left those weapons, too. Feathers bristled uneasily. The invisible floor showed the swirling teal currents. A sense of guilt weighed down the Triune's hearts.

"Worry not, my Triune." Yuna's voice was as calm as her aura. It was a stark contrast to the dark magical explosions that engulfed the daemons. "You're doing the right thing."

Sonic looked to his battle-mates. A reassuring nod came from both of them. He chuckled a little. "I guess this is a 'You'll thank me later' kind of thing, eh? Well, in that case…!" Sonic's halo gave off a aquatic shimmer. "Another wave! Let's do it! We're so close, we can't stop now!" With that, the Archangelus Triune jetted off to finish.

The row of fangs from the woman's wrist prodded outward. A dragon's head ghosted from her arm, slithering outward. Knuckles gawked at the humanoid body taking form from it, water rushing along the slightly feminine figure. Hand taken up by the ice woman's, a blessing seemed to be granted. A Glyph flashed over her palm before expanding.

Glyphs of the Thalassic Aeon, Leviathan, released massive spades. Extensive chains linked them to hefty counterweights, and they were the firsts to be thrown around the Fervor and Illumine. The daemons, entrapped by the triplicate coils, struggled to escape: Ardor couldn't melt the chains quick enough, just as Acumen was too weak to seep between them. Both growled.

"Ethereal Spade!" all three hedgehogs cried. A mighty pitch by each strong arm was enough to skewer both bodies, through their backs, and catch into the Glyph underneath.

The three hedgehogs huffed for air. Milky lava coursed with a near-black, murky shimmer. Sonic rested on all fours, ice-blue appendages drooping a little. Regenga's crest beamed, its light traveling throughout his body. A soft glow ebbed in and out. It was a momentary comfort. It showed itself in his comrades, too. Shadow's obsidian down shivered under Gilt Patina's radiating armor; Silver had shut his eyes to feel the recurring spell's soothing massage. His flaxen wings twitched a little. The black hedgehog had fallen to one knee, while his psychic partner fell to both his own.

Amidst the huffs, the Helios Gyres never slowed nor stopped. SOS Hastega was still in effect, and Yuna's awareness of a slow recovery was spot-on. They didn't know where the Counterparts were in regards to it, but it seemed to be taking a torturously long time. In the face of said torture, the Counterparts themselves appeared calm. Drastically calmer than at the very beginning.

Something about it was relieving, yet unsettling.

It wasn't sitting right with Silver. "It's…not over now, is it?" he gasped.

Shadow and Sonic could feel their partner's gaze bolt between the two of them. The orichalcum-plated Aeon sneered. "No way. Then, it would've been too easy," came the afterward remark. "Good point…?" Sonic's blue iris was trained on the deified halves. A glimmer from the Seal caught it. This time, it was pale. His brows sank. "Looks like we might be in for another round, you guys…!"

A pale coat of magical energy encased Hadean Solaris. The Carnal Fervor's draconic eye stayed on the Illumine. The Illumine, in that respect, gazed back lovingly. Chests bound by a Triplecast Ethereal Spade were healing. The Fervor's half-cleaved hands repaired themselves and took up his lover's. A breath of glitter was left on contact.

Sonic's blue iris widened, smitten by an abrupt familiarity. A tiny gasp. He reached out, "Illumine!"

But it went unheard. In fact, it couldn't be. The Illumine and Fervor were pooling their remaining energy together in order to heal each other. Their cloaks, Acumen and Ardor, had nestled into more solid shapes. Ardor's heat radiated like the sun in attempts to keep the Illumine warm, safe. Acumen was busy with the task of maintaining the Magic around them. Its transparency was an uplifting sight. Sonic instantly remembered the connection it bore between him and the Illumine.

'My promise to you…!' Tiny fangs gritted.

The sheer cloak floated there. The Illumine's Yu Yevon Glyph had disappeared behind an eyelid, as did his bloodshot right. The Fervor shut his single right eye, the paper talisman slowly burning away. Their Seal's white tracings gleamed a steady, patient gleam. Speckles of pinks, indigos, and blues coursed in them, even. Concentration isolated the daemons. They did not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste anything, their senses were so numb. All they focused on was each other. "Protectga," chanted the Carnal Fervor. He wrapped his more solid arm around the Illumine.

'Both of you…!'

"Shellga." A glistening sheet poured over the embracing figures.

'I won't let it…'

Shadow and Silver were ready for the next launch. They nodded to each other.

'…Be broken!' Sonic's strong resolve grappled both fists.

"Regenga," was what both spirits chanted, now. Hands still together, the Fervor nuzzled his life partner's neck. The flowers around it, called Hecate's Laurel, gave off a pleasant scent. A scent natural only to the moonlit Summoner. Not even the Moonflow's wildflowers could rival Acumen's lotuses, he'd felt: He could live off his scent, alone.

The Illumine smoothed a free hand over his breastplate. It, designated as Eris's Gorget, gave off a warm, comforting heat. One he remembered sharing with his sunlit partner, just before that fateful ultimatum was made: His chest was as soothing as that nighttime hearth.

A Reunion, one they had sought ever since their rupture a decade prior, was about to be interrupted again. Sonic had no choice but to lead Shadow and Silver back into battle.


JunAegileus777: Hey there, my peoples! Is my story grabbing your attention? We're almost to the end, actually, and I am so excited! This is probably the second-most enjoyable story to write, second only to my first (longest) multi-chpt fanfic, The Just and the Fallen, if you haven't been able to tell. You shouldn't, since I reintroduced the fic in 2011. The first vers. was good, but the rewrite turned out better, imo.

Teeny side-note: The Phantasy of Archangelus will be part of my "Main Men Hedgies" collection. With The Hymnals of Tetragrammaton being the final installment.

Back to the story at hand, though. The "Final Battle" nears its end in Paradigm Forty-Four!