Final Chapter) Broken Light
We started a little garden to try and help ease the burden. Surprisingly, considering we didn't really know what we were doing, it started doing well. I thought it was the kids. Their cheer made everything better.
But we still had trouble, so I still continued to steal, eventually making plans to steal from the mayor, again… and from there, I believe you know the story.
The Sanctuary reminded me of the Shrine of Seals, yet larger, grander, as it sparkled in the distance. The area in front of it, though, was where we had to stop. After all, there were people all over the place, scurrying about and crying, desperately trying to reassure scared children who knew they were being told lies. We all watched them from a safe spot on a cliff, trying to figure out what to do.
"If we simply charge through, they'll fight," Hartmut whispered. We all nodded, even Bramimond, though I swore it was just because we had. "I'm tired, and they're not…" He turned to us, sighing. "Is there a chance we can talk to them?"
"Well, anything is possible," Fiona answered. She crossed her arms and grimaced. "I can't guarantee it, though."
"Well, at least we can say we tried?" He shook his head. "That's if everyone wants to try, though."
"I say so," Roland reassured. The rest of us nodded again. We were all just incredibly tired. "But we'll have to be careful. We do have fancy dragon slaying weapons."
"Maybe it'll cow them enough to listen and run, if only to get away from the scary people," Durban pointed out. We could only grimace in response. "Who should take point?"
"Fiona," I answered. "They'll at least know of her. Maybe they'll listen and believe her."
"Maybe." He sighed, and I saw his hands twitching at his sides. Armads demanded he fight, and he resisted the call with everything he had. "Shall we, then?"
"Yes." Slowly, our group climbed down from our safe spot, being careful to make sure no one slipped and no one trailed. There was an awkward circle around Bramimond, but we did our best to make sure he remained with us. Regardless of everything, he was still our friend, after all.
Screams welcomed us as we walked towards the dragons, and it broke my heart how quickly they hid their children behind them. It reminded me of what Delrin had said; we were their monsters. We were the ones they told scary stories about. But we were even worse, because we were real.
"Please, remain calm," Fiona called, holding up her hands. We all did the same, with Ely and Athos even making a point to drop their tomes. The rest of us kept our weapons sheathed. "You might have heard of me. My name is Fionataralis."
There was an immediate uproar. Oh, yes, they knew her, and to them, she was a traitor. To them, she was just as much of a monster as us. But as they screamed, she remained calm, and waited for them to stop.
Only when they ran out of things to say did she continue. "I know what you're all thinking. How could I, one of your princesses, turn against the dragons? The answer is simple, and it's the same reason why Wuotan hid among the human army and helped them. It's the same reason why Aenir lent them her aid until she was killed." She drew herself up tall. "Hydra and Jahn are wrong. Humans might've provided the spark for this war, but we could've walked away. We could've turned our rage on those who actually deserved it. But, instead, Jahn annihilated an innocent town, right down to the babes in arms! What sort of madman answers the death of children with the death of children? What sort of madman allows and praises such a thing?"
Silence. Absolute silence, and that alone told me one thing. They agreed with her. They thought Hydra and Jahn were wrong. But they had stayed with them, fought with them, because the war had twisted everything. They had feared so much for their lives that they stayed with those they hated, because at least, those two wouldn't kill them.
As that silence reigned, Hartmut stepped up, pausing just a little behind Fiona. "Hello, everyone," he murmured. Yet, somehow, his voice projected, and I wondered if this was a trick he'd seen from his Lady Mother or his father. "My name is Hartmut. I am the son of Phoebe, a lady of the Divine Dragon tribe. Idenn, your demon dragon, is my half-sister." He made a point to look at all of them, and I knew which ones he made eye contact with. They flinched back. "I am the leader of this group of heroic fools. It's our fault that the world is twisting so terribly, all because we sought the might to end the war now. We're tired of killing and dying. I can imagine you're the same." He shook his head. "It's just us. It's just us eleven. Please, run. Find other places to find safety. No one will chase you down or hunt you. We promise this."
"And what of the man who caused this?" one brave dragon spat. Their eyes blazed with anger. "The Dragon Knight Commander who-?"
"We want to end the war now so that we have the clout needed to get him executed and he can be delivered to whatever hell the gods throw him in." Hartmut's eyes were serious. "I will be honest. After eight years of war, I can't guarantee that humanity as a whole will care about what happened. There's been too much. But we do have other crimes that they will care about."
"...So, you will see him dead."
"Ideally, a nice, public execution." He shrugged. "It would be more fitting to throw him at you all to be ripped to pieces, but I'm afraid we can't arrange that safely. Not and make sure he is forever known as a traitor, not a martyr."
"But do we believe you?" There were murmurs of unease. "You who have hurt us so much… you who have sacrificed us…" It was clear how much they hated even having the option. "How can we believe you?" Maybe it would've been kinder to them to just attack, because now they were stuck between trusting their monsters and dying.
Even worse was that we didn't know how to reply. We had hurt them. We had chosen to sacrifice them to get Delrin. So, we remained silent, waiting for their decision.
"It's okay." A child's voice. A child pushed through the crowd, and with a start, I realized I recognized him. The dragon child who looked like Vash. "It's okay," he repeated, looking right at Hanon and me. "I know those two. They helped us escape a horrible battle, and they remained, even when frightened."
"What are you doing here?" I breathed, my eyes widening. "You were heading to the Gate."
"Lady Aenir stopped us and directed us here, because of the Hunters. She said she was going to do something about them." He smiled warmly. "I guess someone did?"
"Yeah, we did. We were checking if dragons were going to return, and killed the hunters."
"I thought so." He turned to the others. "See? They really do mean it. We can trust them."
It wasn't an instant bit of agreement. But slowly, the child's simple, endearing belief made them sway. When they asked questions, we gave them our most honest answers, and in the end, it was a combination of their desperation and that honesty that made them agree to run and seek safety elsewhere.
As they all packed, I immediately went to the boy and crouched in front of him. "What of the others in your group?" I asked. He instantly beamed. "Are they okay?"
"Yeah, they're fine," he reassured me. "Scared, but fine. We all talked together and decided I'd be the spokesperson! So, they're telling the adults their own impressions."
"I see." I smiled slightly. "I never got your name, last time, did I? What is it?"
"It's Cinead." He gave me a hug. "Be careful, Miss Hilda. I'd like to see what sort of world you make."
"Even if it's one dragons can't live in?"
"We're still here." He pouted. "So, I think we'll be fine. We might have to hide, but we'll be fine."
"Haha, maybe you will." I returned the hug. "Stay safe."
"I will."
We waited three hours after the refugees all left, to make sure they had time to get away. Only then, did we attack. Hydra and Jahn were waiting, with all the dragons and war dragons they had left poised to rip us apart.
The field of grass was nothing more than a mushy red-brown, and I swore the rocks would forever bear the stains of the blood that splattered and drenched them.
"Everyone, I'm healing!" Ely shouted, bringing up the 'Saint's Staff'. I thanked our lucky stars that we thought to bring it, and Ely decided this battle was worth the exhaustion. It had saved us after the initial onslaught and now, it saved us as Jahn and Hydra entered the field.
Hydra focused on Hartmut and Sacae, while Jahn had bolted straight for me. Ely and Roland were near, though, so they supported me. I thought Hartmut and Sacae were being healed by Bramimond. The others were dealing with the war dragons, to make sure they couldn't catch us in a pincer.
"Hilda, on your left!" Roland yelled. I ducked under Jahn's swipe and twisted to slice the back of the joint. As he set the claw down, he quickly buckled. "Got you!" Roland took advantage of that to catch him in the chest, Durandel's flames eating his scales.
"You'd think he'd have some sort of resistance to Durandel," I murmured as Jahn screeched and stumbled back. "I mean… he's a fire dragon and Durandel is the blazing sword."
"I guess Durandel's so hot it sets fire on fire?" Roland gave me a tired grin, before glancing around. "How are the others?"
"Fiona is still dancing." I pointed to where she was, guarding by Barigan. She was singing something under her breath too, and we were getting a lot of needed strength. "Durban is… well…" I couldn't see him, but I could hear his bellows and deranged laughter. "I think Athos is near him keeping him alive. Hanon is herding the dragons into Forblaze, and sniping where she can."
"While Hartmut and Sacae are holding up against Hydra." Both of us turned to the other side of the battlefield, where that particular battle was happening. I longed to go help, but I reminded myself that I was helping by remaining here. We kept Hydra and Jahn from cooperating. "Elimine's got Aureola going."
"I'll head up to the back, then." I spun away, rolling as Jahn tried to burn me alive with his fire. Ely's Aureola struck him straight in the neck, though, and the blood steamed as it flew. I used the distraction to climb up Jahn's back and tumble off, slicing the wings as I went. Jahn screeched again, rearing back from the pain, and Roland lunged, driving Durandel deep into his belly.
Jahn stumbled back a little further, and to my surprise, actually transformed into his human state. He coughed wetly, falling into a pool of his own blood. Some of it splashed and dripped down the edge of the cliff we were near.
"I suppose he was unable to hold the form," Ely whispered, coming to my side. Together, we carefully approached, and there was this strange feeling of… uneasy glee. I was gleeful that he was so weak and powerless, but at the same time, it seemed so strange. This was the man who destroyed Aquelia. How could he be weak? "The world's end is killing them."
"I suppose," I answered. Between reality breaking and our own weapons, even a dragon like Jahn didn't hold out long. "Still, this feels pathetic."
"I'll remind you of that in two candlemarks, when you're screaming from pain because the battle fever faded. Remember, I had to heal everyone. Twice."
"Good point." The two of us stood over Jahn, watching him struggling to breathe. "Ely."
"Yeah." We both glanced at each other and nodded, thinking the same thing. Then we both marched over him and kicked him over the edge.
Perhaps it would've been smarter to knife him and ensure he died, or even just let him lie there and suffer, but there was just something so satisfying at hearing him scream, and knowing that all he saw was two survivors of Aquelia watching him fall.
"You two can be so scary," Roland instantly deadpanned, making us both turn. He smiled slightly. "Then again, I was planning on stabbing him in the stomach, again, and twisting it, so I'm not much better."
"Maybe," Ely laughed, smiling bitterly. It turned to triumph, though, as she pointed. "There!" Roland and I both twisted to see what she was focused on and realized it was the battle with Hydra. Hartmut had cut off his wings and, like Jahn, Hydra screeched in pain and transformed back into his human form. Sacae instantly jumped at the opening and, with the Sol Katti shining in the sunlight, he drove the blade clean through Hydra's chest.
Everything froze for that moment. For one brief heartbeat, everything froze.
Then Sacae twisted, ripping the sword out of Hydra, and Hydra dropped, making blood and mud splash as he hit the ground. He did not get up again, and he didn't make a single sound. He was dead. Hydra… was dead.
"Quickly, inside!" Fiona yelled. She moved past us as the dragons remaining dragons slowly fell apart. I wondered if they were all War Dragons, and that they couldn't hold their forms any longer. "Inside! Idenn must be there!" She reached the door first and held out her hand. A brief glow wrapped around her, and it opened without even a creak. "Come on!" None of us needed to be told twice. We ducked and weaved around the remaining dragons and escaped inside the Sanctuary.
However, before I could follow the others, I noticed that we were two short. I turned, frantic, and found that Hanon had frozen in the doorway. The panic increased as I ran to her side, and saw why she had stopped. Sacae wasn't following us. He was still outside, standing among the dragons slowly crumbling into dust.
"Sacae!" Hanon called. Sacae simply smiled in reply, and I thought there was something wrong. I couldn't place it; it was just a feeling. "Sacae, come on! We're heading in!"
"So you are," Sacae answered. He was still smiling, and it looks both incredibly sad and incredibly relieved. "But I cannot."
"What do you mean you can't? Did you injure your leg?" She took a step forward. "I'll come get you. I'll carry you."
"No, Hanon. You can't carry me anymore." He glanced down, and my eyes followed. And then everything froze, again, because… because his legs weren't there. There was only a scattering of light, and is slowly broke up his body. "My time has come."
"Your time has…?" Hanon glanced down and shook her head. "No! We're at the end! The war is almost over!"
"And I shall see it from the peace of Mother Earth's meadows, alongside our fallen friends." His smile warmed; his body was broken up to the waist. "That's all, Hanon. You knew this day would come."
"NO!" She lunged forward, as if she could grab him and hold him in life. But even as Sacae automatically brought up his arms to catch her, she passed right on through, like he was nothing more than air. Or a ghost.
Hanon crashed to the ground, yelping as she landed on an injury. I ran out and helped her up, resting a hand on her back as she shook. She shook her head and sobbed, whispering something I couldn't catch. So, I turned to look at Sacae, and saw him still looking so peaceful yet so sad.
"You were right," Sacae whispered when he realized I was focused on him. "That day when the gates closed. You were right. I wish I hadn't been so blind, so that I could've been a better brother."
"You were the best brother," Hanon instantly retorted. She refused to look at him as he continued to break apart. I couldn't blame her; it had cracked all the way to his chest now. "You were the best brother I could've ever wanted. That's why I fought to stay with you."
"And now, you must fight for our people, as I know you can." He was only a head now. "I love you, Hanon. Thank you, for being my sister."
"I love you too, Amir. Thank you, for being my brother."
Sacae smiled one last time at the words, and broken apart into a gathering of light. The wind blew and scattered the motes, like petals on the wind. I closed my eyes and held Hanon as she continued to sob, and thought I could hear Sacae whisper, one last time, as the motes passed by us.
'I am glad we were friends. Live, for my sake and others. Live, and be happy.'
There were more war dragons inside, and unlike those outside, these didn't conveniently crumble. There was something about the Sanctuary that gave them strength, even while reality and magic shattered. We cut down all the ones in our way, and ran through the winding paths. Since some of the paths very much went over what looked like bottomless pits, we kicked and tripped some over the edge, just to save us some time.
And then, finally, we made it to the very end. There were no war dragons in sight. There was only Idenn, sitting on a throne with a blank, vacant expression. Like a doll, set to the side because its owner had stopped playing with it for the day.
Cautiously, we approached, wondering what we could do. Slowly, Idenn looked up and, even more slowly, her eyes focused on us.
"Who are you?" she asked, with a soft and almost-fragile voice. "Why are you here?" We all glanced at each other, trying to figure out what to do. But unspoken consensus, Fiona and Hartmut were the ones who stepped forward. "Who…?"
"It's Fiona, Idenn," Fiona answered. She kept her voice light and gave her a pained smile. "I look like a wreck, so I don't blame you for not recognizing me. But it's me, with all the scars and pain. We're friends."
"Friends?" She tilted her head to the side. "What is that?"
"It… means we're close. It means I want to help you."
"Does it?" She blinked slowly, and shook her head. "That does not make sense. There is nothing to help."
"Idenn…" Her voice cracked. "Come on… we've been friends since I was little."
"I don't know you." Her voice was cold, and Fiona flinched back. "I do not know any of you."
"Is that so?" Hartmut asked. He stepped up and gave Fiona a place to hide as she struggled to get her composure again. "You looked confused when we last met."
"Did I?" Idenn asked. Her voice evened out again. "I do not know."
"Yeah, I know. You don't know me. You… know more of me. My name is Hartmut, Idenn. I'm… your younger brother."
"Younger… brother…?" She shook her head. "No, I am alone. I am alone, save for Hydra and Jahn. They are all I have left."
"No, they aren't." Hartmut took another cautious step forward. The rest of us hung back, hoping to not antagonize her. "Besides, they're dead. So, you no longer have to fight." He reached out to her. "You… we… we have no reason to fight anymore, Idenn."
"They are dead?" Something flickered in her eyes, but it was far too fast for me to identify. Far too fast, really, for her to have felt anything. "I see. Then I am alone in the dark."
"Idenn…"
"But I have my orders. If they die, I am to fight. I am to fight to guard the dragons." She stood slowly, and black flames wrapped around her. "Humans ruin the world. I must protect it."
"Idenn, wait!"
There was no waiting. Idenn transformed into her dragon form and screeched, rattling the pillars of the room. Her power washed over us, and made it hard to breath. I collapsed to my knees from the pressure, struggling to even stay conscious.
"Not now…" I growled, forcing myself to stand again. I glowered as Idenn roared. "Not now… not after everything…"
"Gods, give us strength…" Ely mumbled. She wasn't even bothering to stand; she just sat on her knees and clutched Aureola to her chest. "Please, I humbly pray…"
"This time, we make our own future," Athos added. Like Ely, he wasn't trying to stand, but remained on the ground and worked on casting Forblaze anyway. "For all of us…"
"It's not time for us to join Sacae in Mother Earth's meadows!" Hanon snapped. She managed to get into a kneeling position and aimed Murgleis. "Come on! We're the stupid heroes, right?"
"Exactly," Roland confirmed. He was the first of us to make it to his feet. "This ends today! We'll end it for all those who did not live to see it come!"
"And for those who are not yet born," Barigan continued. He used Roland as a crutch to pull himself the rest of the way up. "For them to be born in peace, just as we were."
"And so that we do not lose another soul," Durban growled, pushing himself up. He helped the silent Bramimond to his feet. "No more friends lost to the dark."
"Let this be the last fight," Fiona prayed, her voice cracking. She struggled to her feet, and shifted into the starting position for one of her dances. "Let this end…"
"Idenn…" Hartmut whispered. He closed his eyes and drew Eckesachs. "I'm glad I met you, big sister. I wish I could've gotten to know you." Idenn roared again. "Everyone… one more time… one last time…"
"We fight as one!" I finished. Power thrummed through my veins, and I called fire into my palm. "One last time, let's fight together and finish this!"
As Fiona danced, Athos and Ely opened up the battle with a dual-strike from Forblaze and Aureola. Bramimond loosed the elder magic spell 'Luna' right after them, not using Apocalypse because of how contained we were. Forblaze and Aureola barely scratched Idenn, though Luna did some damage. It was a good thing, as the rest of our weapons just bounced right off. We could deepen the injuries inflicted, but nothing could cut through her scales.
She roared, dark flames flickering along her fangs. We all ducked and dodged, and I flinched when I saw the melted stone her attack left behind. There was no doubt about it; if we got hit once, we were likely dead.
A flash of light temporarily blinded the field, and when it cleared, it revealed Fiona had shifted into her dragon form. She lunged, fangs tearing into Idenn's throat. Idenn screamed and twisted, throwing Fiona off in exchange for worsening the wound. Durban roared and swung Armads at the injury. For a brief second, I thought he was going to decapitate her, but she twisted with the movement and slashed at Durban, carving deep wounds into his chest.
As he went down, Barigan and Roland used his shoulders as a step to get up high. Both tried to go for her eyes, but black flames enveloped them instead and sent them crashing to the ground. Hanon loosed an arrow, but barely managed to get it to hit a wound and make Idenn screech. She slashed again, and Hartmut blocked the blow, only to be sent flying. Bramimond instantly retaliated, throwing another Luna spell while Ely healed everyone with the Saint's Staff.
Athos and I combined his Forblaze and my fire magic to strike at Idenn's injuries, but all they did was make her scream. But as she did, Fiona returned to the fray, and struck Idenn across the chest, digging deep into injuries.
Idenn roared then, and the pressure in the room increased, driving us to the ground. It was difficult to breath as black fire danced over our heads. I wondered what might have triggered such a reaction, but then I noticed something. She had shifted back to her human form. The violent attack was a defense mechanism, to buy her time to heal.
From where I was, I could see her dragonstone, a black crystal that looks so much like the gem Mother had given me. Before I could think twice, I had pushed myself onto my feet and started limping towards Idenn. The black fire wrapped around me, but I batted it away with my own fire magic. The pressure was much higher the closer I got to her, and it became so much harder to breath.
But as soon as I got close, I lunged, snagging the dragonstone from her. She shrieked, breaking the spell, and I stumbled past her, clutching the dragonstone tightly. It burned my hand, but I refused to let go, even as she turned her strangely calm eyes towards me.
She only had one heartbeat to stare at me, as the others resumed their attack. She shifted to her dragon form again, but there was an immediate difference. Everyone's weapons actually bit deep into her and she was much, much weaker. The stone hadn't allowed her to transform; it had simply given her power. But now that power was gone, and she was… weak. She was weak, compared to us. She was weak, without this stone.
A clang caught my ear, and I turned to see try and figure out what it was. But just as I caught sight of Hartmut, he swung and light flooded the room again, blinding all of us. Heat flashed through the air, and there was the sound of something large flying through the air. Then the light slowly faded away and I blinked open my eyes, trying to process what just happened. Then I tried to figure out where in all the hells Idenn went.
Then I looked at the throne and saw her. But she back in her human form, wrapped in gold and red chains, gently secured to the throne. Her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping, and the way she leaned to one side helped support that impression. Slowly, I approached, afraid to wake her, but I found that I actually could've get within a certain distance. A glance down showed runes marking a circle, sealing the area off.
The word 'seal' jolted my thoughts, and I turned to Hartmut at last, wondering if I was right. The Sword of Seals glittered in his hand; Eckesachs laid discarded at his feet. The 'clang' had been him throwing Eckesachs down.
"The battle is over," he whispered. By this point, all of us had turned to stare at him. "We won. The Demon Dragon is defeated."
"You just… sealed her?" I asked slowly. He nodded, posture almost defiant. "Why? Hartmut, seals can be undone!"
"We can tie it to the sword, or maybe the dragonstone within." He shook his head. "But I know seals can be undone. That's the point."
"Hartmut, just because she's sealed doesn't mean she's-!"
"We can't save her." His words were blunt. "We might find a way, but the world we live in, the world we will make, won't give her it."
"Okay, yes, that's a good point, but-"
"But the future could be different."
"So, we condemn the future?"
"We believe in it. That's what I think." He smiled softly. "Would not the future hold more promise than now?"
"...You could've mentioned this." I finally sighed. There was no helping it. We did accomplish all that we had wanted. With this, the war was over. With this, Idenn had a chance. None of us had felt comfortable at killing her. "At least, mention the possibility."
"Yes, well, it was a last minute decision." He laughed awkwardly, coughing as his face reddened. "It was more of a 'what can I do to make this no longer a kill or be killed situation' and then I remembered Aenir's words." He shrugged. "So… uh… I am sorry for being heavy handed, but I can't say I regret the decision?"
"Not quite good enough." I tucked Idenn's dragonstone in my pocket, crossed my arms, and scowled, biting back a laugh as he winced. "You may be forgiven after you give me a kiss. At least, I'll forgive you."
"Oh, is that all?" He laughed, and closed the distance between us, kissing me warmly. "I like this sort of punishment."
"Get a room, you two!" Roland instantly teased. He grinned, and the mood of the room slowly lightened. "I will admit; I am fine with this outcome. It feels almost nice to just 'have faith'." His smile faded. "But, Fiona, are you okay with this?" All of us turned to her, and I saw how small and tired she looked, now that she was back in her human form. "I mean…"
"It's okay," she whispered. She took a shuddering breath and nodded, giving us a tired, but genuine, smile. "It's not what I wanted, but it's better than I feared. I can only hope that by the time she wakes up, I'll still be alive to hold her hand."
"Well, you're a dragon. You just might." Roland's grin returned. "Does anyone else have issues?" Everyone shook their heads. For now, at least, we could agree that this was a better outcome. "All right! Now, everyone! Let's tease the hell out of Hartmut and Hilda as we leave!"
To my intense embarrassment, they did just that. Even Bramimond joined in, though that was likely because he simply mirrored the others' teasing. But, I couldn't be mad.
The war was over. Sacae was dead, Idenn was sealed, but the war was finally over.
Author's note: And here we are at last, the 'final chapter'. No 'info' on the chars this chapter. The title of the chapter is based on the Final Chapter for Fe7 (called 'Light'), reflecting how this group of heroes is far more battered and worn compared to the FE7 crew. Sacae finally dies in this chapter, after nearly an entire story of hinting to it. Hartmut's words prior to the Idenn fight are based on Roy's words in FE6, because Idenn directly states in FE6's final chapter that she recognizes the words and 'a warm breeze'. The legendary weapons doing barely anything to her is based off of Idenn's stats when she's equipped with the (unused) Demon Dragon Stone (fifty defense, hello; still demolished by the Sword of Seals)
Next Chapter - Epilogue 1 (there will be two epilogues)
