Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Notice: I have replaced the notice about SOPA with the actual 52nd chapter, so now both it and this one are open for reading.
Ch.53 Born Anew
Dysley sighed and slouched on his throne. "Such willful insolence... Disappointing," he said angrily, his expression hardening as he rose into the air. "You prolong Cocoon's suffering. And to what end? Refusing me today but condemns another to face your Focus tomorrow. If you truly seek salvation..." Minerva flew into the light of his staff, and Barthandelus revealed his true self. "You will obey!" His true form was the same as it was by the end of our battle in Oerba, that being with his face in the center and two and each side, only this time he had white metallic wings on the side as well.
We all gripped our weapons tightly, and as I ran forward I said "Fat chance!" and slashed with Indomitus. The move left a long scratch on his metal-like skin, and he grunted before the heads began firing lasers at me and the others. Sazh, Hope and Vanille began casting buffs while Fang and Sofia worked the debuffs, and Snow used Challenge and Entrench. Lightning and I ran forward, and she changed her blade into gun form before firing. The bullets hit the fal'Cie and struck sparks, but other than a few very minor dents they didn't do anything. She frowned and cast Ruin, finding the spells doing slightly more damage. Barthandelus grunted and raised his head, saying "Can you conquer this?"
The air around us swirled with energy, and that energy suddenly turned to heat and exploded. I cried out in pain as the force of the blast sent me forward, to the side, and then on my back. The others were similarly affected, and I hurriedly jumped to my feet. I cast Imperil, and once he was inflicted with it I cast Quake. Pillars of earth shot up from the ground and hit him from the sides and below. Unaffected, he said "Fulfill your Focus, and gain eternal life!" "I'd rather turn Cie'th than destroy Cocoon!" Hope replied, hitting him with Fira and Blizzara and Watera. Sazh nodded in agreement and using Blitz, sending a stream of bullets at Dysley. This time they went through, and he growled before resuming his attack.
Snow ran forward and swung massive punch, returning all the damage that he had been hit with when he used Vendetta. The blow was hard enough to send him back across the ground a few inches, but just as he cast Ultima again Sofia used Elemental Storm. The spell resolved and exploded, but all the energy of the spell was drawn into the orb over her head, which instantly swelled to the size of a beach ball. Although his faced didn't, and couldn't, change expressions, when he looked at Sofia I could feel anger and irritation emanating from him. "You wish to try and absorb my power? Then absorb this!" he said, his face splitting apart and the space left behind glowing.
My eye widened, and as I ran towards Sofia I saw her expression changed from determined to fearful. "Sofia!" I called, just as the Thanatosian Laughter fired. Countless bullets fired from his face and shot straight for her, and since she couldn't cancel her Elemental Storm spell they were all drawn straight for the orb over her head. In less than a few second it swelled the size of a beach ball to a desk, then a couch, and then a car. The orb shook and trembled, struggling to contain all that energy and sweat broke on Sofia's forehead from the effort of keeping it in. I ran towards her, and just as Dysley's face closed he cast Ultima again. The spell was once again drawn into the orb, which began to wobble and make a high-pitched keening sound.
Sofia tried to get away but couldn't and I channeled all of my strength into my sword. Jumping up next to the orb, I swung with all my strength and hit it with my sword like a baseball bat. I half-expected my sword to just pass through, but instead it landed solidly against the orb and caused it to shoot forward. Barthandelus had just enough time to shout in surprise before it hit him, detonating a blast not unlike that of a hydrogen bomb. I held my arm over my face and squeezed my eye shut, feeling the light and heat baking me as it blew outwards. The entire room trembled from the blast, more so when I heard something rising up and hitting the ceiling, accompanied by a pained yell.
Dysley landed back down but was surrounded on all sides by energy that threatened to tear the fal'Cie apart on an atomic level; all returning his own attacks back at him twice fold. He tried to stand fully back up, but was beat down by the storm and could barely move. After a long while it finally relented, and we all uncovered our eyes to see the devastation. The walls were melted in some places and covered with black streak marks in others, while the mechanical gears still spun around the edge, only much more slowly. Dysley's metallic skin was covered in burn, chips and dents all over his body, and one of the wings on the side of his head had snapped off. His expression still couldn't change, but I could feel rage pouring out of him.
"Disobedient l'Cie. Now you shall perish!" he yelled, and swung forward with one of his hands. The back of his hand hit Sofia straight in the chest and sent her sailing through the air, accompanied by the sickening crunch of a broken ribcage. I winced and ran to catch her, but Snow did it for me while Vanille began to cure her. "Thanks Sofia; I think you went and made him weaker," I said. Although I doubt she could have heard me she nodded, and I turned my attention back to the fal'Cie. He was targeting Lightning, Fang, Hope and Sazh with a fury, doing everything he could to bring them down.
I smiled; we had gotten him good and pissed now. And when people were pissed, they had a tendency to make mistakes. I ran forward while Lightning and Fang continued to use Elude and Steelguard, and I stood next to Hope. "Hey, I've got an idea to bring him down. But I need both your help, got it?" I asked. They both nodded immediately, and I ran forward. Dysley saw me coming and turned to fire at me, and I stabbed my sword into the ground, jumping and using it to vault me into the air. I willed my powers to emerge, and my hands burst into silver-blue ice shards.
"Use Cold Blood and Waterga! Now!" I called. They both did as I said and Sazh fired, the bullets red-hot and flying at unnatural speed. They both struck at the same time that I concentrated and fired an arrow of enchanted ice, one strong enough to punch through steel. The combined assault sent him back into the air, where Lightning cast Thundaga and Fang used Aeroga. Barthandelus screamed in pain as he was pummeled by the attack, and the fight was over when Snow used Ruinga, and Vanille used Quake. Dysley flew through the air until he landed in the massive pool, where he slowly sank as he flailed wildly.
His screams of agony echoed through the air, and Sazh said "Hey, put a lid on it!" Barthandelus fell beneath the water, and the last thing he said was "Release. At last, release!" "It's done," Lightning said. Everyone was silent for a moment, until Snow pumped his fist in the air and yelled "Alright!" "Fang!" Vanille called, and the two of them tapped their arms together. Sazh put his hand on his knees and sighed audibly, while Sofia smiled in relief along with Hope. I hated to burst their bubble, but I had to say it. "It's not over, guys," I said. They all stopped and looked at me, but before they could say anything I fired a bolt at something behind us.
I barely missed, and the others turned to see Minerva flying overhead. "It's that bird again!" Hope said. It flew down and entered the water, which trembled as a shape emerged. On the left side was a vaguely female face, with a short white arm cradling a sleeping face, and half a set of golden wings. On the right was a face that was dark purple and male, with burning red eyes and a huge clawed arm. The rest of the body resembled a blade, and was engraved with the symbol of Lindzei. In two voices that spoke in perfect synchrony, it said "A haven, yea. Yet it must fall, ere we be saved. Too frail a shell and humans should not thrive. Too stout a shell and they shall not die.
"Slaughter and salvation. Two irreconcilable Focuses we bore. Yet bound we were in a cocoon prison impervious to our power. And so we thank you for granting us our longed-for birth," they said. "Dysley?" Snow asked, and I shook my head. "No, not anymore," Sazh said. The being lowered until it was before us, spreading its arms and wings. "We are the Abandoned One, born but now to die. Our name is Orphan. By our hand the world shall know redemption!" they declared. I grit me teeth and glared at them hatefully, but I was already good for another battle.
"Bring it on!" Snow yelled, running ahead of me with hands fists raised. Orphan chuckled and rose into the air, the blade part of its body glowing. My eye widened, and I just enough time to say "Oh shit!" before it slammed on the ground, unleashing Merciless Judgment. The move sent out a wave of massive energy, one strong enough to send us all flying and dealing enough damage to put us all on the brink of death. I landed on my back and hurriedly stood, seeing Orphan cast Consummate Light on itself. I focused and pulled back sleeve, my crescent mark glowing as I held my hand up and called "Salvation!"
A sphere of milky white light appeared in my palm, which burst and wrapped the others in the same light. They stood and the light faded, showing that all their injuries had been healed. I took a step back and stabbed Indomitus into the ground, the usual bout of dizziness from using Salvation coming over me. As such I had to stand there, watching the others fight as I tried to clear the cobwebs on my head. Lightning jumped up and cast Thundaga, hitting it straight in the center with six bolts of electricity. Orphan grunted and swung its arm, sending her back and hitting the others.
The sphere of energy created by Consummate Light ringed, sending a blast of healing magic at Orphan and healing the mark left by Lightning's spell. She grunted and shot her gunblade, hitting it with a full round of bullets, and before they could be healed Vanille hit it with Poison. Instantly the being's health began to drain away, and I smiled. That smile faded when Orphan swung its arm again, and I had to jump back to avoid it. Sazh followed Lightning's example and began firing, while Hope threw his boomerang while it was set aflame. It hit the being and made a small explosion, made larger by Fang having cast Deshell. Orphan waved its smaller arm and the orb of light disappeared, and again it used Merciless Judgment.
I sighed and readied to cast Salvation again, when Vanille and Hope shook their heads. "Don't worry about it; we'll take of this," Vanille said. Hope nodded in agreement, and I ran forward. Jumping up, I stabbed Indomitus into Orphan's center, not far from the head that was sleeping. The moment I did that Orphan shouted, casting Consummate Darkness. The sphere of dark energy appeared, and it hit me with a blast hard enough for me to pull my sword out and get away from a second. The move had also inflicted me with Deprotect, and I took extra damage from being swept back by Orphan's arm. Still, when Fang slammed her spear against it and they frowned I smiled. We were still in this fight.
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Orphan has emerged, so prepare for a fight! But like I said before I still got one last plot twist up my sleeve, and when I do you won't have expected it!
Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)
