WARNING: For details on overall warning, see Chapter One. Also, cliff-hanger. This chapter has one. You have been warned.

Author's note: Mwa ha ha! That was almost a reasonable space of time between updates! Of course, that's mostly because this chapter's a fair bit shorter than the usual seven thousand word efforts. Children of Mana probably had something to do with it too, making me all nostalgic for SD3. I was disappointed – still hanging out for Dawn of Mana next year (or this year if you can read Japanese fluently). So yes. End is near. Maybe only one - two if I get wordy - chapters left. We have PROGRESS! This is the part of the fic where I wrap everything up in an impossibly short period of time. Enjoy.



Another Witchmaker

Chapter 54 – The Art of Deathbed Confessions

By Sinnatious


The Dragon Emperor turned his face skyward, as though staring at something they couldn't see. "And then, once the Mana Goddess is dead, I will rule the world."

The trio of weary warriors didn't quite know what to say to that.

He wanted to KILL the Mana Goddess? They rather had the idea that he wanted to rule the world, and quite frankly, Angela could deal with that. Every villain they'd come across yet had designs on ruling the world, and it was a perfectly understandable and rational goal, even if a ridiculously lofty one. Who DIDN'T want to rule the world, really? But to KILL the Mana Goddess?

Was such a thing even possible?

As though answering their unspoken question, the Dragon Emperor continued, "I should really thank you children - I might never have been able to if you hadn't brought the Mana Sword from the Holyland. Since my loyal servant Koren retrieved it from you, I've been gathering my energy for this day, and now I'm finally ready. The Goddess's hours are numbered."

"As if we'll let you!" Duran yelled, stepping forward and drawing his sword. His words were brash, but his eyes betrayed his panic.

The Dragon Emperor regarded them briefly with cool eyes. "You are welcome to try and stop me."

Then he vanished.

Angela blinked a couple of times, hoping it was just an optical illusion she could chase away. But the Dragon Emperor really had just disappeared right in front of them. He'd cast a teleportation spell without even having to murmur an incantation? Even Koren had to spend a few seconds concentrating.

The Fairy shimmered into existence in front of them, in near hysterics. "He's going to the Mana Holyland! We have to stop him!"

"Can he really kill the Goddess?" Hawk asked, "I mean, she's a freaking Goddess!"

"With the Mana Sword, anything is possible! We can't waste time! Call Flammie! Call Flammie now!" The Fairy buzzed about in an increasingly agitated fashion. Angela, in contrast, felt herself growing strangely numb. She stood there dumbly as Hawk called Flammie, and the Fairy paused briefly in front of her before disappearing into her head.

The white dragon swept down from the stormy sky and landed with a bray moments later, Hawk leaping onto her back, followed by Duran. The Paladin looked back at her, concerned. "Hurry, Angela!"

Mechanically, the Princess mounted the dragon, making certain to cling onto Duran a little closer than purely necessary, some distant part of her mind rather put out that Hawk was riding up front - even if it made sense, considering that they required the utmost of haste and Flammie responded best to the Navarrian out of all of them. Then she spent another moment wondering why exactly she was trying to make Hawk jealous when the world was about to end.

'You really need to sort out your priorities, Angela,' the Fairy admonished from within, echoing her own thoughts. 'Angela? .…..Angela, are you crying?'

The Princess tried to blink away her tears as the white dragon beat her powerful wings and took off into the sky at breakneck speed, ripping the droplets of water from her face. Her hands clenched Duran's armour a little tighter. She was so stupid. What made her think that the Rogue would even notice her in a situation like this? Why was she still bothering? They were going to catch up with the Dragon Emperor and either kill him, or die trying. Assuming that they were successful, she'd run out of time - Hawk would disappear afterwards, she just knew. He was that sort of person. He'd vanish into the night without a warning. He'd already left her behind at Astoria once. It wasn't hard to believe that he'd do it again.

'Angela? Angela! Focus! You're going to have to fight the Dragon Emperor! You need to keep your attention on the battle ahead, or you'll die! Seriously, Angela! Stay with me here!'

She'd screwed up every step of the way. She'd taken too long to realise her true feelings, and her own selfish actions had messed things up so badly that she'd estranged the one man she'd ever really wanted. And now it was going to be too late.

'Angela!'

'It's okay, you know,' Angela heard in the back of her consciousness. It took her a moment to recognise the cool voice that wrapped around her mind like a comforting cloak of darkness. Shade. The Elemental of Darkness so rarely spoke directly to her that she'd almost forgotten what he sounded like. 'You'll still get a chance afterwards. He will not vanish immediately as you fear.'

'If I couldn't convince him over the course of a month, how am I going to do it in a matter of hours?' she replied morosely, even as they tore through the clouds.

'You will speak plainly to him. As you did before. Again and again if necessary. You will talk until he has to listen.'

The Princess could feel her tumultuous heart calm at the reassuring words and her steely resolve return. Shade made sense - she was just panicking, she reasoned, because she was scared of facing the Dragon Emperor, and pinning her fear on her romantic troubles was a much safer avenue of thought. True, she was worried about what would happen afterward, but after all they'd been through together she knew that even the flighty Hawk wouldn't vanish without at least some form of goodbye.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the Gate to the Mana Holyland approaching; a giant glowing tear high in the sky. Things started to slide back into perspective. She was Princess Angela of Altena, a fully-fledged Magus and a damn attractive woman, if she did say so herself. She'd defeated the Wizard of the Red Lotus, withstood the tiny terror that was the High Priest's adopted granddaughter Carlie, helped save Forcena and Rolante from invasive forces and defeated eight God-Beasts. This was a battle she wouldn't lose. She was discouraged, certainly, but she was too damn stubborn to let Hawk get away from her without admitting his true feelings first. Besides, their battle was far from over and if she let herself get distracted by this, they'd be facing the same disaster as the clash with the God-Beast of Darkness all over again. She had to focus on the problem at hand. There was no point in winning Hawk's heart if she was going to die from inattentiveness in a crucial encounter.

As her thoughts centred and her turbulent emotions soothed, though, suspicion grew at the edges of the Princess's mind. 'You Elementals... you're not suppressing my feelings like you did to Duran, are you? You're not forcibly keeping me calm?'

'Of course not, child,' Shade assured her. 'You are a Magus, one of my few precious children who have walked the dark path and not lost your way. Your emotions are your strength - to shield you from them would only make you weaker.'

There was a rush of air as they passed through the Gate to the Mana Holyland - Flammie had flown so fast that it was a miracle they'd been able to cling on - and Shade's presence receded into the background of her consciousness once more.

After a moment of silence, a concerned Fairy asked, 'You okay, Angela?'

'I'm fine,' she retorted. 'Just spaced out for a minute or so, is all. Guess that the battle with Koren took more out of me than I thought. Messed with my thinking processes. Small attack of nerves. I'm good now.'

'Can we rely on you?'

'Of course you can rely on me! I've held it together against God-Beasts, even BEFORE I became a Magus! I can handle this! And shouldn't you be with Duran right now? I think your precious Mana Knight needs your company more than I do at the moment!' Not that she needed the Fairy's company in any form, but the gnat was still working under some misconception that hanging out in the consciousness of distressed individuals helped.

'I'll head back over to him once we land. But I wanted to talk to you after your battle with Koren, and make sure you were okay.'

'Nosy parasite,' she sniped, out of habit by now more than anything.

'Spoilt brat.'

'Bothersome insect.'

'Immoral harlot.'

'Hey, that's WAY too-'

Angela's protest was cut short as the Mana Holyland came into view. As always, the floating isle in the clouds was positively breath taking, but something seemed terribly... off, about the place. Even as Flammie veered towards the clearing to set them down, she couldn't quite figure out what was bothering her.

It wasn't until they were on ground level and the white dragon was flying away that she realised.

The Holyland... looked like it was dying?

The place had been looking a little sickly when they'd last come, but nowhere this bad. There were more patches of brown grass than green and leaves falling at a steady rate from the trees. Flowers were wilting right before their very eyes. The crisp fragrance of dewy grass and rare blossoms had been replaced with a stale odor of dirt and decay.

The Fairy headed back over to Duran. "We might be too late! Hurry!"

Taking off at a run, the trio positively flew through the deserted Holyland. Everywhere they went, plant life was dying and giant pillars had fallen, blocking their way. They forged new paths through the brush around the rubble, heedless of scrapes and scratches from bramble and branches, driven forward by the growing urgency of the Elementals' frantic pleas at the back of their minds. The foreboding feeling of dread that overcame them was worse than even when the Gate to the Mana Holyland had been opened prematurely. It was a sickening cloud of fear and unease that made the Princess feel as if they'd never be safe again.

It felt like they'd been running for hours, but given their pace it probably had only been a handful of minutes when they glimpsed the clearing where Duran had drawn the Mana Sword. Pushing forward, breathing heavily by now, the three of them tumbled out of the dying brush onto the grass.

Shock killed the words forming on the Princess's lips, though, when she spied the Dragon Emperor standing there calmly before them, Mana Sword discarded on the ground.

Where she knew the Mana Tree was supposed to be... there was nothing. Where once the most massive of trees stood, trunk large enough to accommodate a small palace and canopy so wide it seemed as though it could be the sky itself... there was just a crater of a stump.

Seemingly amused by their arrival, the Dragon Emperor turned to face them. "...It is done. You've arrived just in time to see my final glorious ascent into power. All the more fitting... it wouldn't be proper without an audience."

He... the Dragon Emperor... KILLED the Mana Goddess? He'd really done it?

Angela never thought that she'd actually get to be there at the end of the world. It was something that happened to other people only.

The Fairy shimmered into existence above Duran's head, angry tears streaming from her tiny eyes. "You... You monster!" For the first time showing a complete lack of fear for danger, the small glowing fairy rushed forward towards the Dragon Emperor - intending to do what, none of them knew.

"Fairy, NO!" Duran called out reflexively, hand outstretched as though to call her back to him.

The Dragon Emperor's eyes flickered, and without his even lifting a finger, the tiny deity was swatted out of the air by an unseen force, hitting the ground near the base of the crater that was once the Mana Tree with a nearly inaudible thump. Angela's heart clenched as the tiny body became still, and the ever-present glow diminished to a barely visible luminance.

Pointing a trembling finger, the Magus yelled, "Hey! What do you think you're doing! Nobody is allowed to swat that damn holy parasite before me!" She fervently hoped her angry tone covered the shaking in her voice.

Regarding them with cool eyes, the Dragon Emperor replied, "She was merely a nuisance, wasn't she? Just think, had she never solicited your help, you children wouldn't have had to suffer so much and risk your lives for a quest that gives you no personal reward. Now that she is gone, though..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "I may just give you a choice. Given that you defeated both my Darkshine Knight and Koren, I have to acknowledge that you three are strong. Warriors at your level are few and far between. I am willing to spare your lives and that of your families if you agree to serve me in my new world."

"Become your slaves?" Hawk asked incredulously, already sliding into a battle-ready position. "I'm rather fond of my free-roaming lifestyle, thanks."

"As if we'd ever work for scum like you! I've never liked that Fairy, but her heart was at least always in the right place!" Angela agreed, grasping her Dragon Rod with both hands.

"We don't need any personal reward! The knowledge that we did the right thing is more than enough!" Duran announced, brandishing his sword angrily.

"We all became a lot stronger besides," Angela added. "As much as it pains me to say it, if we hadn't hooked up with the Fairy I may have been forever unable to use magic-"

"-I wouldn't have made friends that I cherish-," Hawk interjected.

"-And you would be standing here unopposed today! It's BECAUSE of the Fairy that we can stand up to you and prevent you from fulfilling your evil desires!" Duran concluded. "Prepare yourself!"

As one, the Magus, Paladin and Rogue charged, fighting spirits ignited.

They never saw it coming.

One moment, they were running forward with their weapons held high, and the next they were being blinded by a searing white light. Angela choked, feeling the powerful magic tearing her body apart, dimly aware that she was falling face-forward the ground as her limbs became numb.

She couldn't sense the gritty dirt beneath her chin, or any of her wounds, but she had the notion that she was bleeding, and that her comrades had fallen next to her - Duran on her left and Hawk on her right. What had that attack been? What spell was that? It had been so sudden, yet so incredibly powerful. None of them even had the chance to try and defend.

The Magus blinked, trying to focus her blurry vision. She could see the Dragon Emperor's boots as he turned away from them, but found herself incapable of raising her head further. She dragged in each breath, trying to force her body to get to its feet, but it refused to co-operate. Even the task of breathing seemed like a terrible chore, with each inhalation sending shooting pains through her lungs. Had their expensive armour really done nothing to lessen that blow?

They had failed. The Dragon Emperor was too strong - one unexpected attack had entirely wiped them out. This was it. After so many near-misses, so many desperate battles, they really were going to die. She was distantly aware of Wisp's attempts to heal them himself, but as she felt life slipping away from her, it seemed as though all the Elemental was doing was delaying the inevitable.

In the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware of a sort of cacophony of voices, all shouting at her, urging her to hold on, to not give up. Jinn, Gnome, Undine, Salamando, Shade... but even their voices became muted, as though she was underwater. It took a ridiculous amount of strength to turn her head to side. And there, sprawled face-down on the ground, lay Hawk. After a moment, she saw him similarly turn his head, in considerable pain, to face her.

Talking took what little strength she had left, and nearly all of her will. Each word seemed to constrict in her chest, leaving her short of breath. "Hawk..."

"Angie...," Hawk wheezed, putting all of his effort just into speaking. The Princess tried to focus on his mouth to better make out the words, ignoring her wavering vision and the blood trickling down the side of the Navarrian's tanned face. "I... have to tell you... I don't care if you like Duran...… I couldn't stop loving you. I wanted you... all for myself."

Angela's lips quirked involuntarily into a weak smile. She wanted to laugh, but she didn't have the strength. Figures that it would take dying for the bastard to finally come around.

There was so much she wanted to say right then. She wanted to explain everything to the thief, to tell him how he'd wound up consuming her world without even trying, how she'd been too slow to notice, how everything had been messed up, and how she really loved HIM and not Duran like he thought and that they'd lost so much time together because of the whole stupid misunderstanding. But she couldn't - she already knew she was dying. She had somewhere between minutes and seconds left. So in the end, she had to settle for saying it all in as few words as possible.

"You're... such an idiot...," she whispered. "You're..."

Her voice died in her throat, and her vision was starting to tunnel, so she simply mouthed the remainder, figuring that the Rogue would count lip reading among his many talents. She saw the amber eyes flicker, a tan hand shakingly try to reach towards her, though it couldn't cross the distance, and was relieved that he finally understood.

His image had become too blurry to make out, and the Magus could feel her eyes sliding shut against her will. It was terribly uncool to confess on your deathbed without at least getting a goodbye kiss, but neither of them could even properly choke out their last words, much less manage to die in each other's arms. She guessed it was naively romantic of her to wish for that. It looked like she'd have to be content with the fact that getting Hawk to admit his feelings was going to be the last thing she did after all. At the very least she'd made good on her word.

It was such a shame was that they'd never even get the chance to enjoy it.

Then suddenly one clear, divine, yet strangely familiar voice rang through their heads, cutting through the mental fog like a resonating bell.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW IT TO END LIKE THIS."

...Fairy?


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