Important note: Just a quick reminder: A true potion is what Justice/Reason created to bring out Zidane's hidden strength/power. He made him drink it to regrow his tail faster so the destructive soul could be put in him. Only Reason can make it, and it will only work on Zidane.

Also, cheated a bit and using a fighting strategy similar to the final fantasy VIII final boss, where you can switch out with other characters in the battle (except here they don't have to be unconscious to do it)

Enjoy!


Final Stand

The Hill of Despair was just how Dagger remembered it. The clinging darkness, the ruined coliseum, the endless moans of pain.

And Necron, waiting for them.

So once again you've come to deny the inevitable. Such foolish creatures.

'It's not foolish to want to live,' Zidane argued. 'You were a God of Terra; you must have believed in life once.'

Terra is gone, proof that I am right. Everything ends eventually, returning to the zero world. A lot of pain and suffering will be spared if it's achieved now.

Dagger shook her head.

'It's true life can be painful, but it's also joyful and beautiful. I'd rather live through the painful times so I can experience that happiness. That's what living is!'

'Yeah!' Vivi agreed, 'Even if it's short, it's still better to live than have nothing. W-we won't let you destroy Gaia!'

Your rebellion is pointless. I thought the destructive soul would have taught you that, but your stupidity is beyond what even I imagined. I will crush you here and give you the first taste of the zero world.

The group was grim but determined as they fell into their battle stances.

This ends here.


'So, how do we do this?' Mikoto asked, speaking in Terran so both Reason and Ipsen could understand.

'First we need to find where-'

'Here.' Reason said, pointing at a chip in the crystal's surface. 'They came from here.'

'Good.' Ipsen grinned, moving to view it more closely. He held both pieces in his hand, examining them.

Mikoto let out a triumphant cry, taking one of the pieces and fitting it in perfectly. Reason looked amused at her smug look.

'But how do we re-attach it? As soon as she moves her finger it will fall out.'

'That's where you come in.' Ipsen said, 'I need you to hold the shard instead of Mikoto.'

Reason sighed but did as he was told, guessing what was coming next.

'I need to channel my crystal shard into this one, right?'

'Exactly.'

Mikoto frowned at Ipsen.

'But-'

'It's the only way.' Ipsen insisted with an apologetic sigh. 'There's a chance the crystal will restore Reason's natural life-force in the process.'

'But you're not sure.' Mikoto said coldly.

'No, I'm not.'

'It's okay Mikoto.' Reason soothed, 'I was expecting this.'

'And you didn't warn me?'

'I didn't want you worrying about something we can't change.'

Mikoto gave him a long, pained look before sighing and nodding, hugging him from behind.

'I love you,' she said softly.

'I love you too,' Reason replied, enjoying the warmth of her embrace for a moment before closing his eyes and concentrating on the crystal's energy. It felt a lot like using magic, and he was able to extract half its energy, pushing it down his arm, into his finger holding the crystal shard in place. Slowly it flowed out of him, pouring into the shard, escaping to weld it against the rest of the crystal.

Reason moved his finger away and breathed a sigh of relief when the shard stayed in place, now as smooth and indistinguishable as the rest of the crystal's surface.

Ipsen handed him the other shard and Reason repeated the process, trying not to panic as he felt the last of his own crystal's energy leave it. To his surprise, the crystal shard around his neck crumbled to dust, leaving just his locket on his necklace.

The large, newly repaired crystal began to glow brightly, forcing the three to close their eyes. Reason felt a warm light engulf him.

A show of our gratitude. A voice spoke, one with multiple levels to it. Reason shuddered at the power behind it.

He opened his eyes, seeing he himself was glowing like the crystal until the light faded from them both. He looked at Mikoto with shocked confusion.

'W-what?' he sputtered.

Ipsen laughed gently.

'The crystal is grateful to you for restoring it, and has bathed you in its light. Your own life force has been restored; you don't need a crystal shard to keep living anymore.'

Reason let out a shaky breath while Mikoto pulled him into a tight hug.

'Now,' Ipsen said, turning sober. 'You must go find The Invincible, quickly. Destroy it, and leave as soon as you can.'

Reason looked at him, unable to shake the feeling he would never see the young King again.

'Thank you, for everything.'


Necron's attacks were just as Zidane remembered. He'd already unleashed several Neutron Ring attacks, forcing Amarant and Quina to fall back while Dagger healed them. Freya had used jump to avoid the attacks, while Zidane was able to dodge them. Eiko, Vivi and Steiner had been hit, but were fighting on for now.

Time for me to get serious. Zidane thought, tucking his weapon away and beginning to charge an Ultima attack. The spell hit Necron's left side, making him turn to face Zidane. A Blue Shockwave hit Zidane before he could dodge, reducing his HP to one.

Damnit!

Necron has a bad habit of being able to attack three times in a row. Zidane tensed as the ex-Terran God began to perform Grand Cross.

No!

Eiko was guarded from any negative status ailments with her ribbon, but Steiner was hit with Death and Vivi with Zombie. Dagger, Quina and Amarant were out of range in reserve positions, unable to attack but safe from harm. Freya was still in the air.

Zidane had a moment of sheer panic before his mind was taken over with Confuse.

'Eiko!' Dagger shouted in panic. 'Forget the others and lift the Confuse straight away!'

Necron finished his three-attack combo by casting Shell on himself.

'Right,' Eiko said, quickly casting Esuna. Zidane sighed in relief as his mind cleared.

That was too close, too much like being controlled by the destructive soul again.

Vivi used his turn to revive Steiner, and Steiner used an X-potion on himself, unable to cure Vivi while he was a zombie.

This is going to be a long battle. Zidane thought wearily, jumping back to the reserve line as Freya descended from the sky and struck Necron before joining the front line. I hope your plan works, Ipsen.


Ipsen placed his hand on the crystal, closing his eyes as he concentrated.

Is this really what you have chosen? The multiple, ageless voice of the crystal asked.

Yes, it's the only way. Please, help me do this.

Very well. Thank you, King Ipsen, for your long years of dedicated service.

Ipsen just smiled.

And for the eternal servitude this will cost you.


Mikoto shivered as they flew further into Memoria, the area dark and cold around them.

'Of course The Invincible has to be in the creepiest location.' She complained.

Reason smiled at her fondly before turning his attention back to his device.

'We're almost there,' he promised.

'A pity that device can't blow it up for us.' Mikoto sighed.

'Well, it could, but it has to be attached to The Invincible first. You'll have to be my translator again after this.'

The landscape around them was so dark, Mikoto could only make out faint outlines of rocks.

'This place…' she drifted off.

'I think it represents the end of days. Perhaps a glimpse of what the zero world would be like.'

'So Necron formed this.'

'Another reason to defeat him, before he overtakes Memoria with places like this.'

Reason's device let out a long beep, making him grin.

'The Invincible is directly below us. Ready?'

Mikoto nodded.

'Let's do this.'


Zidane had swapped back onto the front line, now with Quina, Amarant and Dagger. Eiko was healing Steiner, Freya and Vivi on the reserve line.

Necron had placed Protect on himself. Quina used Frog Drop instead of attack, while Amarant cast Aura on Zidane, activating Regen and Auto-Life. Dagger did a group Curaga.

Right, we're in good shape, Zidane grinned, casting Ultima on Necron. And he's finally showing signs of weakening.

Necron countered with a Neutron Ring, damaging them all but not fatally. He then used Blue Shockwave on Zidane, reducing his HP to one. Zidane sucked in a breath when he saw the ex-God begin to perform Grand Cross again.

Damnit!

Both Amarant and Quina were hit with Death, while Zidane and Dagger had Confuse cast on them.

If I cast a spell on us now, we're dead!

Luckily, Dagger's turn was first, hitting Zidane and knocking him unconscious. A moment later Auto-Life took effect, bringing him back with one HP, but his head now clear.

I have to make this move count.

Curing Dagger couldn't be a priority, she would either get attacked and return to normal or wouldn't do much damage by attacking…but his HP was at one, he'd die if she hit him, and then only she'd be left.

It's time to use my trump card.

He silently thanked Reason, glad the Terran had the brains to make this emergency item and force Zidane to bring it.

A True Potion.

Let's see what you can do.

He quickly drank the potion, feeling his HP and MP return, as well as Trance bring activated.

Because he was using Destruction's fighting style, his Trance was different too. He blinked in surprise as he realised it was similar to Vivi's, but more advanced.

Like Necron, he had three turns at once, but he could also use three actions per turn, as long as it was the same one. However, because it was so powerful, this Trance would only last for these three turns before fading.

Zidane grinned, using his first turn to use three phoenix downs. One for Quina, one on Amarant, and one on Dagger. The last one didn't have any affect.

Glad I saved these, he thought, as he used his next turn to give each of them an Elixir.

Now, he gave Necron a triumphant smirk, let's see how you cope with three Ultimas in a row.


Reason let out a calming breath as he attached the device to The Invincible's side. It began to beep repeatedly.

'First it will erase all flight control and data, and then the self-destruct will be activated.' He said, climbing back onto Forest. 'We need to be as far away as possible when that happens.'

'No kidding,' Mikoto rolled her eyes as Forest took off, both of them urging her to go as fast as possible.

'This is really it, isn't it?' Mikoto thought aloud. 'Without The Invincible the Terra-Gaia convergence can never happen.'

Reason nodded, smiling at her wistfulness.

'Yes, you genomes will finally be free to be your own person.'

'Same to you,' Mikoto said, smiling.

The Invincible was a tiny dot in the darkness by the time it exploded, but they still felt the shockwave, gritting their teeth as Forest fought to stay airborne. They both breathed a sigh of relief when she managed it, continuing at a less punishing pace, but still faster than normal.

'Right, should we do what Ipsen said or ignore him and go help the others?' Reason asked.

Mikoto sighed, a pained look on her face.

'I know how you feel, but we can't help them. Even if he went, Forest can't carry everyone out, and the Hill of Despair isn't a place you can leave easily. They had to be teleported out last time…We have to assume they have a plan to escape. As selfish as it sounds, we need to think about our own survival first.'

Reason placed a hand over hers, realising how hard it was for her to say those words. Especially when she'd already lost a brother.

'Okay, first we survive, then we'll pray for the others.'


Why do you defy your fate? The zero world is inevitable; stalling will not change that.

Zidane grinned at Necron's words, realising his three Ultima attacks had greatly weakened the ex-God.

But now what? He thought, Ipsen said he'd take care of it from here…

'You're wrong.' Ipsen suddenly spoke, making everyone turn to face him. Zidane had to shield his eyes; the young King was glowing brightly.'There will never be a zero world, Necron. Your threat ends here.'

I-Impossible!

'What's going on?' Eiko asked, wincing at the brightness. Ipsen smiled sadly at them.

'The crystal, the source of life, is a collection of memories, but it also contains the Gods of Gaia. They watch over Gaia through the crystal, using the world of Memoria. It's why they chose people like me when they need to act.

'By merging with the crystal, I can do what they couldn't. While I still have a human form I'll absorb him while he's weak, and he will become a part of the crystal with me, trapped, unable to influence the world anymore. You will be safe.'

'But you…You'll be trapped forever!' Dagger burst out, tears in her eyes. 'You've already suffered so long, serving the Gods. You deserve to rest, Ipsen!'

'This is my fate, I have accepted that.' He gave her a content smile. 'I look forward to watching you live out your life, even if we can never meet again.'

'But-' Dagger began.

Ipsen just shook his head.

'Thank you. It was an honour to be your friend. Now, here's my final gift to you.'

With that, the group began to teleport away. First Quina, Amarant, Steiner, Freya, Vivi and Eiko. Dagger shook her head in despair as she too disappeared. Zidane sighed.

'We'll always remember you, Ipsen. Thank you.' He said as he vanished.

Ipsen smiled, tears running down his face.

'Live, my friends, and be happy.'

The Hill of Despair was already crumbling around them, Necron too weak to move. Ipsen looked at him and smiled before glowing brighter, his human form disappearing as the bright light shot out towards Necron. Necron cried out in agony as it hit him, invading every part of him until his form vanished too, disappearing forever.

As the Hill of Despair collapsed the bright light died down, forming once again into the crystal, nestled within Memoria for eternity.

Goodbye.


Weirdly enough, I don't remember having much of a problem with Necron, I think I made sure my characters were immune to most status ailments, so Grand Cross wasn't too bad. But if I did that here, it wouldn't have been very exciting. Plus, they haven't fought properly in a while, and Zidane was using a style of fighting he's new to, so I thought I could get away with them struggling a bit.

Sorry Guest, but poor Ipsen had to join the casualty list. If it makes you feel better, I was teary-eyed as I wrote it (luckily I was at home and not at work on my lunch break, which is where I usually do my writing).

Epilogue will be up soon!