Here people! In my view, this is one of the most intense battles I had write until now, but the final battle probably will be even more intense. Hope you enjoy! :D


Chapter 45

My Ideals, My Illusions

"Sorry, Lloyd's not here. Want to leave a message?"

Another thunder stroke at the skies, launching a flash to the room. Sheena stayed at her place, mouth agape and shocked at see that. Nebilim possessed Lloyd. Shock then transformed in resolution. She needed to get Lloyd back. Vallor's voice then sounded:

"Sheena. I sense strong energies coming form the crystal on Lloyd's collar.", Sheena then looked and noticed Lloyd's shirt was open in that part and an exphere on a wicked-looking Key Crest was embedded on him. "That is a demonic jewel. I sense the energies converging to that from Nebilim swords."

The female ninja then noticed for the first time that Lloyd was holding the Devil's Arm that contained Nebilim's soul main part, the twin blades that carried the name of the Dark Lord. She could see a strange energy radiating from them, entering Lloyd's body and going to the exphere on his collar.

"In the case you're wondering, this is called Doom's Blood. It's a special exphere Kermish made for me.", Nebilim's voice said from Lloyd's mouth.

"So it was for this you wanted all those expheres.", Sheena spoke. "Then I'll take this exphere out of Lloyd's body so you won't use him."

"Do you really think you can win me in your own boyfriend's body? Hahaha! At least your humor sense is better than Merilius'! C'mon then. Let's see if you can defeat me before the transference got complete."

Nebilim then stood in a fight stance and so did Sheena. The female ninja didn't want to hurt Lloyd, but she needed to remove that exphere from him then maybe he would react and she would have a chance to get him back. But she also needed to keep her guard up. The red clad angel was powerful enough alone, she had seen that in their trainings at the journey for the expheres.

"Be careful Sheena.", Vallor's voice whispered to her, this time in her mind. "As Nebilim said, I feel his soul being transferred to that crystal through Lloyd's body. This fight can even haste the process, due the energy and adrenaline Lloyd's body will use. If Nebilim ends the transference, the jewel will awake to its max potential and Lloyd's soul may be absorbed."

With a mental nod, Sheena went to the attack at the same time Nebilim did. Cards enchanted with light, Sheena clashed against her lover in a fierce duel. To each movement a reaction. Each technique, a response. Nebilim fought against Sheena like he knew each one of her moves, what she suspected was be true, since the dark spirit should now have access to Lloyd's memory and had been spying them.

When Lloyd's body tried to break her defense, using Beast Sword Rain, Sheena countered by enchanting her cards with lightning and trying to send electricity through the cursed blades. She achieved to do so after the fifth thrust. In the microseconds which Lloyd was stunned by the feedback, Sheena attacked with her best sequences of card blows and martial arts, but using half of the force. She wanted to stun him sufficient time for her to remove that mutated exphere. The possessed Eternal Swordsman was pushed backwards when a well-placed Pyre Seal hit its target, but he didn't go to the ground.

He was always though. But I don't know if it can be considered a good thing right now., Sheena thought.

"Hu, it seems I underestimated you a little.", Nebilim said through Lloyd, with another evil smile. "I should have remembered you know this boy's techniques. Well, that just means I'll have to transfer some of my knowledge to this body.", as the Dark Lord said that, Nebilim swords glowed with a dark aura. "Ready for the second round?"

"Watch out Sheena. Don't let he touch you with that swords, they're charged with darkness and demonic energies now. One hit and your mana will sip out of your body by the wound.", Vallor's whispering voice sounded in Sheena's mind again.

The grand summoner felt the energy around the swords were the same Kermish often used in his attacks. That meant if she received a wound and even if Raine was around, healing arts wouldn't be of much help. She had to fight now with mastery and all her agility, otherwise she could lose in one attack.

Lloyd started by attacking with Demon Sphere. Sheena got surprised by him using one of Merilius' techniques, but jumped away to avoid the attack. When the ninja noticed, her possessed love was on her in a blink of eyes, his wings at show. The Eternal Swordsman used Twin Tiger Blade, but she blocked and dodged.

Enchanting her cards with light, the grand summoner again tried to land a blow on her boyfriend, but Nebilim also blocked her and tried to counter with a thrust, giving to Sheena an opening, which she took advantage and used Pyre Seal on him. Lloyd was thrown backwards with Sheena running on him. The female ninja tried to reach for Doom's Blood, achieving to touch the demonic jewel, but when she did this, Lloyd's hand quickly grab hers and the Eternal Swordsman spun at great speed, throwing Sheena to the middle of the room.

While Sheena was flying, the possessed Lloyd flew to catch up her and unleashed an attack which threw she away some more meters:

"Blood Spin!", tiny projections of souls appeared around Nebilim swords and red blood energies swirled around the cursed blades. Lloyd then spun with great speed again, becoming a blur of red, unleashing the energies and the souls.

The female ninja was cut by the swords when Lloyd spun and was caught by the energy circle that expanded from the attack. Sheena used her hand to touch the ground and land knelled. The wound pained and she could feel her mana seeping by it.

"Hum, this would be a good moment for me to use a spell. If it wasn't for me to be in an human body... oh, but wait. Abyssion was human, wasn't him? Well, let's see if my power still can break the barriers of race.", Nebilim's voice came from Lloyd's mouth.

The possessed hero then united his two hands, with the index and the middle finger stretched, and started to charge a spell. A dark, magic circle appeared under him as Sheena widened her eyes. The female ninja soon recovered and prepared to defend against whatever powerful spell Nebilim could throw on her.

"Shadow Lance!", the dark spirit pronounced, pointing to Sheena, like he was commanding an army to charge.

Another magic circle, with different runes in green, dark-blue and red, appeared at Lloyd's front. Lances made of darkness flew out of the circle, at Sheena's direction. The female ninja used Guardian Seal at time for the first lance to hit her barrier. The lance was deflected, but a dark beam, similar to the ones Kermish summoned in the Dark Judgment spell, rained upon Sheena's shield when the lance hit.

As the other dark lances made their hits, Sheena's protective shield threatened to break. It was then the necklace of Vallor glowed again, shooting lights that mixed with the green bubble around Sheena. The next chief of Mizuho could feel her defensive technique being enchanted by the lights.

When the last lance made its hit and the last dark beam fell, Nebilim seemed some of surprised by what happened. Cursing, the Dark Lord ordered Lloyd's body to attack again. Using several Demonic Sphere attacks, Lloyd made Sheena jump several times, using even her hand as a leverage to jump quickly again and avoid a secondary wind sphere.

Before the ninja could react, Lloyd teleported in a light flash of darkness and appeared at her front, trying to cleave the female warrior. Sheena blocked the blow with her cards and held the swords, but Lloyd was too much strong for she to hold him like that and the cursed twin blades started to drew close.

With a kick on Lloyd's chest, Sheena pushed him backwards again and attacked the boy again with a quick succession of blows of her cards. The guardian user then placed a card enchanted with wind on the red clad warrior's chest and it released a powerful gust of wind that blew him away of her.

Recovering in midair, Lloyd landed on his feet and looked to Sheena, who was panting from all the effort of that fight and the mana she was losing. But she wouldn't stop of fight. Lloyd needed her, now more than never. He needed her to bring him back.

"It was fun to play with you, but this battle needs to have a winner.", Nebilim said, charging another spell. "Dark Sphere!"

Sheena blocked the spell with Guardian Seal again, but she soon find out it was for distracting, when Lloyd teleported again to her back and pronounced:

"Ascendant Spiral!", Lloyd jumped, spinning the blades and slashing Sheena's back. The female ninja was threw up by some unknown force and still being slashed at each turn the possessed angel's body completed.

When Lloyd stopped to spin he brought the pointed, orange blade with a red mouth on the hilt to back and flew some feet higher. When Sheena was descending, the Eternal Swordsman shot to her, blade pointed forward, creating a great spiral of pressure in the air. It was Rising Falcon.

Sheena noticed that and quickly twisted her body in air, staying with her front to Lloyd and seeing her lover flying to her, blade ready to thrust her heart. In an almost automatic gesture, when Nebilim twin blades was about to hit, the female ninja brought her hands up and held the orange spike of the cursed blade.

The grand summoner was pushed back, going with the blade at the same speed, but some inches away of the pointy spike. Sheena could feel her hands burning by the energies around the blades and the pressure of the air cutting her palms, but she couldn't leave it go or the speed she was flying would decrease and that would open a chance to Nebilim pierce her chest.

Noticing the despair of the ninja, Nebilim smiled an evil smile through Lloyd's lips. He then stopped in the air with a flap of the wings, but used the pressure and the energies in the blade stretched to push Sheena to the ground. The young woman hit the ground with a strong thud and could now feel the pain in her hands. She stood, but Lloyd quickly flew to her front and before she could defend herself, he used Beast Sword Rain.

The thrusts drew blood from Sheena, making several wounds through her body. The ninja was then violently pushed to the wall, hitting it with such force that it left a slight impression and cracks on it. The female ninja could feel some of her bones also cracking, almost breaking. She then slid to the ground and sat there.

The next chief of Mizuho never imagined she someday would feel so much physical pain like she was feeling now. She could feel mana letting her body, like water flowing in a river. Sheena also could feel her gloves getting wet with the blood coming from her hands, as well as the back of her kimono. Even leaning against the wall was bringing pain to her back and she couldn't even describe how it was when she was thrown at that way in the hard stone. Holes in several parts of her clothe gave sight to the wounds made by Lloyd's thrusts, which were contributing to make her a blooding mess.

Another lightning stroke outside, launching one more flash to what seemed the end of the battle. Sheena tried to stand, but all her body protested and she had to sit again. The summoner tried to move her hands, but even it was bringing pain to her. Nebilim had hit her shoulders and arms.

The possessed swordsman then approached, a great, wild grin in his lips as the red blood eyes gleamed like never before. Was it like Nebilim feel and seem before kill his victims? Did he like so much to kill to smile as that was the happiest moment in his whole life? The thought of someone like that being inside the body of the man she loved, scared her with no end.

"Interesting.", Nebilim stated, making Lloyd to put a hand on his chin, like he was analyzing the situation. "I sometimes forced people to kill the ones they once held dear. But they were all my loyal soldiers, so it wasn't as nearly interesting as this. It's the first time I actually kill somebody using the body of his loved one."

The Dark Lord's eyes then rested in the necklace of Vallor. Nebilim smiled even widely as he saw the proof of pact. He knew Vallor was there, just watching what he did to the one that was possibly the last who could protect the name of Ishtar lineage.

"Game over, Vallor. Your descendant lost to the one she loved and by the hands of this one, she shall be killed.", Lloyd then flew some meters above and stretched up the orange blade. Energy started to build up around the cursed weapon and it started to gleam dark.

I... I failed... the most important person of my life and I fail with him..., Sheena thought. Her life then started to flash at the front of her eyes as she saw the dark light around the sword gleam brighter. All her training... all her missions... all her deeds... everything to arrive in this moment and fail at the most important mission of her life: save her love.

"I can see what you're feeling.", Nebilim's voice said while Lloyd's arm still holding the blade pointed to the roof. "I can hear your darkness speaking. Interesting thing... a Children of the Light with darkness inside her. Hu, that is a joke!"

The tone of the Dark Lord was the venous, piercing one he used to hypnotize and convince his victims to let him enter in their soul, Sheena could guess that much. It was like Nebilim's words were entering right in her mind, even if she didn't want to hear it. But that didn't matter for the next chief of Mizuho now. She would die by Lloyd's hands. This was the most gruesome way to die that she could ever think in.

Vallor seemed to try to speak something to her, at her mind, but his voice was barely a whisper. If her darkness were blocking Vallor's voice, Sheena didn't mind.

Merilius said the curse killed all of Ishtar lineage in the most gruesome ways... it seems he was right., the female ninja thought.

"Tsk, tsk... I would offer to you a chance to live with your love in the new order I'll establish, but I remember you're one of Vallor's descendants. You may not be a Children of the Light, but you have his blood, notwithstanding, so I won't waste my time with the likes of you.", Nebilim said. He was enjoying to step on the fallen fighter. "You know, you had really escaped of my course when you survived in Gaorachia. The protective bless over you made such a strong answer in that moment that it nullified my course, together with itself.

"Strange, no? You escaped a curse, but couldn't escape the legacy of failures and misfortune of your family. Saved just to die in a worse way... ironic, don't you think?", the spiked blade was now launching dark shine over the room. The following flash of a thunder was blocked by the energies radiating from the cursed item. "Now, let me put an end on your misery."

It was that then. The time of her death. Sheena could almost feel the breath of death itself upon her. She closed her eyes. Memories of her failures flashed again at her front, but now that she felt the taste of failure again, they brought more pain than before. That waiting was eating her by inside. Why didn't he just strike her down?

Daring to open an eye, Sheena saw Lloyd was struck at the same way he was before, with the sword raised to up. Opening the two eyes, the female ninja saw an expression of utter surprise and confusion on Lloyd's face. What was just happening?

Trying to stand, Sheena finally did so, though the pain she felt. The grand summoner could hear Nebilim speak something:

"Get back to your place! This body now belongs to me and I'll kill your little girl with it."

A new voice then sounded inside Sheena's mind... no. It was inside her heart. The voice that she wanted so much to her again, instead of Nebilim's venous one. Lloyd.

I won't let you do it!, the voice shouted, though to Sheena it sounded like a mumble.

When Sheena saw what came next, she didn't have doubt that it was Lloyd. The wings disappeared in Lloyd's body, making him to fall. When the possessed angel's body hit the ground, Nebilim sword released all the energy it had accumulated in a big, powerful shot, but the target of the shot was totally different of the one intended. The shot hit the wall between two windows, obliterating the wall and the windows, opening a large hole.

Nebilim cursed. He had got so surprised by Lloyd reacting against his control that he didn't notice the boy turning off the mana used to maintain the wings. But he wouldn't let that boy interfere. He wouldn't commit the same mistake twice. Standing, Nebilim ordered for Lloyd's body to throw the sword with the orange, spike-like blade at Sheena, what it did.

When the female ninja saw the cursed blade flying towards her, she forgot about her wounds and got a fan of cards up, enchanting it with earth to give righteous to the shield. The freak-looking sword bounced in Sheena's defense and fell harmless to the ground. The summoner then felt again her wound limiting her and she let her arms fell limp to the sides.

Another foul curse came from Lloyd's lip. The Dark Lord then spoke to the insistent Children of the Light:

"Why you still fighting?! Everything would get better if you simply let yourself be killed. Can't you see it?! If you die, then Lloyd won't have to worry about your curse anymore."

"Are you crazy?! What do you mean with this?! You said that the curse was lifted from me.", Sheena protested, clutching her hands.

"My curse was, but the legacy of misfortune of your family still. Did you ever stop to think why all of your mistakes and failure always resulted in the death of those around you?", Sheena's eyes went wide as memories of Volt's accident came. "It doesn't matter that you're not a Children of the Light, you still bear the legacy of sorrow and death your family brought to everybody around them.

"How much time do you think will take for Lloyd to die because of you? And do you think that after he go somebody will ever accept you? Your people just stand you because of Igagury. When he's gone, do you think any of them will follow you, someone whose mistakes resulted in catastrophes?"

Nebilim's voice sounded inside Sheena's mind, together with many memories of lives lost because of her. The feeling of failure and fear of fail came back, renewed. She felt she shouldn't think on that, she should get rid of this, but she couldn't. Nebilim was making her to feel like her mistakes were costing another life. Lloyd's life.

"No! That's not true!", Sheena shouted from her place, shutting her eyes, like she was trying to concentrate on get rid of those feelings and memories.

"How can you say this? Didn't a quarter of your village get killed when Volt refused to make the pact? Didn't the people on Palmacosta died because of the berserker Kharlan Three that released when you made the pacts? You killed them all. It was by your actions that their deaths occurred and there isn't how you to deny it.

"Now say to me, would you be capable of live knowing Lloyd died because of you? No, you wouldn't. It's what happen with the ones that belongs to Ishtar lineage, they brought sorrow and misfortune to all those they hold dear. Just look to Merilius. Abyssion was his friend and I just needed one talk to convince him to join me and that led him to death. Do you know why he accepted my offer? Because Abyssion saw how Merilius was suffering and he wanted to do something to make something to release Merilius from the curse."

More memories came to the female ninja. The people of Luin tried to help her and good part of them got killed by the Desians. Botta also tried to help her and the others and he died. All those deaths and she had blame on it. She didn't want that to happen to Lloyd. She didn't want to be the cause of his death. She simply wouldn't stand that.

Tears started to come from Sheena's eyes as she slid again to the ground. The memories were more intense now and she could feel all the pain of those who died because of her. She didn't want for people to suffer because of her, nobody should.

"I can see you finally realized the... gah! Get to your place, your little...!", Lloyd's body twitched, like he was in pain. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened again, they were with their normal wine color.

"Sheena, don't listen to this guy.", Lloyd's normal voice sounded from his mouth. Sheena opened her eyes and looked to Lloyd. "Remember he uses painful memories to deceive us. It wasn't your fault all that happened in the Journey of Regeneration and it wasn't your fault what happened in the past with Volt. Don't let he makes you think all that happened is your fault."

The Eternal Swordsman twitched again, putting the palm of his hand on his face and closing the eyes. When he opened again, it was back to the void, red blood orbs of Nebilim. Lloyd's face twisted in an angry expression. The Dark Lord was getting very angry at not being capable of control the red clad warrior's spirit.

"How can you defy me?! Doom's Blood gives to me control over your body...!", again Nebilim's voice stopped and Lloyd's body twitched, his eyes reverting to their normal color.

"I... I don't know what to think. What he says is true in a way. And I don't want people to die because of me.", Sheena spoke, lowering her head and letting more tears fell.

"But nobody will die because of you, Sheena! I also made people to die, but I always tried my best to make up for these deaths. It's not like I also wanted for them to die because of me, so I fought in the name of these people, to make them proud of me and for them to know that I didn't want them to die.", another twitch and Lloyd's expression changed to angry. Nebilim's voice spat "foolish idiot", before another twitch came and Lloyd returned to normal. "And you know me. I promised I would move and live with you in Mizuho. When did you see I break one of my promises?"

Sheena's memories and feelings finally gave her a break for her to think clearly. "Fought in their name, so they would know I didn't want them to die"... yes, many of people died believing Lloyd, she and their friends would restore the world. She fought in their name, trying the best to make up for those who died on her. Lloyd was right, she must continue to fight for those people, so they would know she didn't want them to die and would do her best for them.

The female ninja then thought about Lloyd's question. No, he never broke his promises. Well, at least the ones he considered important like that. Lloyd spoke again, in his usual lively tone:

"I won't die so easily. You know me, I'm hard to beat. So, please, don't think that anything of bad that might happen will be your fault. It's not because you belong to Merilius' family that you bring bad things to people around you. These things just happen, so please, promise to me you won't think of everything being your fault. Do you promise?"

Lloyd looked to Sheena with a look that transmitted confidence to the female warrior. He was right, like always. The grand summoner smiled at the look of her love. She didn't need to think on bad things happening because of her.

"You also made good things to happen, or what do you think I felt when I found we loved each other?", the Eternal Swordsman said with a bright smile, making Sheena to giggle.

Lloyd's expression suddenly changed to one of pain. The boy then grab his belly and lowered his head, shaking. When he stopped, the red clad warrior looked to Sheena again and his eyes had the red blood color back. The Children of the Light stood again, trying to think on something to do.

"That was a rather corny speech, but it won't change anything!", Nebilim spoke, approaching to Sheena and raising the tentacle blade of the twin swords to strike the female ninja.

Another surprise came when Lloyd's exphere started to shine brightly, in the hand he had the cursed weapon. Lloyd's hand then fell to the side of his body, like it had a great weight bound to it. Nebilim tried to lift, but he couldn't. It was like the exphere weighted a ton.

Sheena widened her eyes in surprise. Was Lloyd doing that? She found it wasn't him when a female voice sounded in the room, coming from the exphere:

"You won't hurt her.", the voice's tone was a firm one. "I won't let you use Lloyd's body to hurt anyone, anymore!"

"Augh! Who... Who's you?!", Nebilim asked in a tone which suggested he was feeling pain. "Are you... Anna?"

The question struck Sheena. Anna, Lloyd's mother... Could really be she who was holding Nebilim through the exphere? But the female ninja didn't have time to think on that question, due Vallor talked with her at that moment:

"Sheena, go now! It's your chance! Take that demonic jewel out of Lloyd's body!"

With a nod, Sheena tried to run to Lloyd at a slower peace. When the female ninja reached to Doom's Blood, Lloyd's grab her again. She looked to the possessed swordsman and saw again a look of pure hatred in Nebilim's eyes. But the grand summoner had decided she would end that and reached to the mutated exphere with other hand.

However, when Sheena touched the demonic jewel, a bright flash came from it and in the next moment she felt like the world was dissolving around her in a blur and she was diving to forward...

When her vision finally adjusted, the first thing she saw was a village on fire in a starless night. The fire gave to the skies an orange and red aura and Sheena didn't have idea of how she had ended up there.

The next chief of Mizuho then recognized the village: it was Heimdall. It seemed she had arrived right in the time the village was attacked, but that couldn't be at night. When they had arrived in the hidden, elven village the first time to see the attack it still being afternoon and the sings of fight were too much recent.

Vallor's voice then sounded in the village, his tone was a rather rushy:

"Sheena, are you there?"

"Yes, I am?", the ninja answered and noticed that her wounds had disappeared. "Ok, that's really strange. What's happening here Vallor?"

"Listen to me carefully and don't interrupt me, the link will break in seconds. You're inside Lloyd's heart. In an attempt to defend himself, Nebilim sucked your soul into Doom's Blood, creating a link between yours and Lloyd's heart. You have to find Lloyd and make him to realize what really meant to fight for what you believe, do you understand?"

Sheena nodded, even without know if Vallor could see her. At least, that explained why she was there. Nebilim probably created that illusion to maintain Lloyd's heart under control so he could end the transference of his soul to that exphere he created. She had to find Lloyd and help him.

Vallor's voice then sounded again, but this time it was like he was speaking through a communicator with interference:

"Beware... if Nebilim convinces you he's right... then this illusion... will also be yours... make Lloyd to remember... the meaning of continue... to fight...", the hero of the Forgotten Ages' words silenced after that.

Sheena then heard people shouting at the square of the village. Going to there, she found a group of people forming a circle. It seemed there was someone inside the circle. Approaching, Sheena felt like something inside her jump when she heard Lloyd's voice coming from inside the circle:

"I never wanted you all to suffer. We just...", the Eternal Swordsman tone was an apologetic one.

"How many times will you use that excuse?", a familiar voice interrupted Lloyd. Sheena again struck at surprise by recognizing the voice. It was Neil, the former Governor-General of Palmacosta. "You made us suffer. We believed in your promise of a true regeneration, we believed in your words about peace and how did you return it? You let us to die."

"How many of us will you still to deceive with these 'ideals'?", another familiar voice sounded. It seemed one of the Renegade soldiers that were with Botta when he died. "How much time will we have to wait for you make that world where everyone can live equally you promised? How many of us will you still to tell the same thing just for us to die waiting for that to happen?"

Sheena could hear Lloyd trying to say something, but the entire crowd shouted at the same time and she couldn't hear him. Deciding that was enough, Sheena jumped inside the middle of the circle and landed near Lloyd, who was stand and got surprised at seeing her there.

The female ninja then looked around. There were many people they saw dying and some elves. Probably Nebilim projected them from Lloyd's memory and was now using it to keep the angel's heart occupied.

Another person came into view from the crowd, this one made Sheena to almost jump when she recognized him. It was Mithos, in his older form of Cruxis' leader. The memory of the past spoke in his cold voice:

"Now, now, just look who came. Another one who helped him to deceive us into believing his promises and words of a new, peaceful world. It was better you had left me to fix the world in my way."

"Your way was by killing countless people. None path can be good when this makes people to die.", Sheena talked back to the ghost of the fallen hero.

"And what does the path this boy chose did if not kill us?", an elf talked at Sheena's left.

So that was what Vallor meant to make Lloyd to remember why he really continued to fight and what was meaning to fight for something you believed. Nebilim was again using a doubt to lure Lloyd into believing what his illusion was saying, but Sheena never imagined that the young man someday doubted of the way he chose to follow. He always talked about his dreams and the way he wanted to do the things with such confidence...

"I'm sorry...", the female ninja heard Lloyd say. She turned to him and saw her love was with his head lowered. "I'm really sorry. I never wanted all of this to happen with you... I just wanted to make a better world... if I could change what happened."

"But you can't, or rather, you don't want to.", Yggdrasil's voice again sounded. "You always had the power to change what happened, but you never used it. You have the Eternal Sword, but you prefer to let those who died because of you root instead of go back and say to them your ideals would be their demise."

"Shut up!", Sheena talked back. "Lloyd would use that power he could, but we don't know how it would affect the time line. It could end up by doing the things get worse."

"Just another excuse. You're just trying to defend him.", another man, a villager of Iselia, spoke. "You're no better than him. You also made people suffer spreading the word about Lloyd's ideas and let them to die. You and he are the same thing: murders!"

Lloyd then jolted his head up and murmured the last word that man said. It was true he didn't use the Eternal Sword to prevent their deaths, but that doesn't mean he actually wanted for them to die. Before he could speak that, the entire crowd started to shout at him, calling him of murder, blaming the Eternal Swordsman for their deaths.

The voices seemed to echo in Lloyd's head. It was like sorrow and despair was trying to overwhelm him. The dual swordsman covered his hears with his hands, trying to stop the voices from hurt his head. Sheena saw Lloyd's pain and tried to make the crowd to shut up, but she just achieved to make them to shout at her.

Sheena was also at the same situation. The voices of the people that left the living world, believing in Lloyd's ideals and visions, were starting to sound inside her mind. She knew that meant Nebilim's illusion was almost getting to her. She couldn't allow that to happen.

"Listen to me!!!", Sheena shouted, trying to make her voice sound above the accusing crowd. "We admit that we don't use the power of the Eternal Sword to bring you back, but there wasn't how we know you would die. Somethings are out of our control and we don't have how to revert it even if we wanted to!

"But when we told to you about our ideals, you believed in us by your own. We didn't force you to anything. Of course, there were deaths while we fought to make our ideal of a peaceful world come into reality, but we also fought for the ones that sacrificed themselves for us and died because of our actions. It's easy for us to give up of our ideals, but if we did so, all those people who also believed in it would have died for nothing.

"We know that one day, all our efforts will be worthy, cause peace will come, even if for a time. And once people saw how it was good to live in a world were everyone have the same right to live and the same chances, they will want it and even if peace is interrupted, it'll come back."

At the end of Sheena's speech, Lloyd looked to her, with a look of complete surprise for to hear she saying that. He never had heard she saying something like that. It just proved how she believed that his dream of a peaceful world could become a reality. When the female ninja noticed her boyfriend looking to her in that way, she turned to him with a beautiful smile in her lips.

"I learned that from you.", the grand summoner said to the Eternal Swordsman. "You taught me and all the others what is to continue to fight for the sake of everybody that died believing in our ideals. When we were fighting to reunite the worlds, many people believed we could do it, they died believing we would have success and we had. We made that in our way and with your help, we fulfilled our promise to those people."

Lloyd seemed that would cry. He always thought of him like being the one in the group that needed to believe in what he was making and that should give satisfaction for the others about the consequences of their acts. That he was one that should always carry the burdens that came with his ideals. That he should be the strong one, the symbol of what they believed in and fought for. Now he saw he didn't need to carry those burdens alone.

I had forgot that I have friends that would willingly do this for me. That I don't need to be always the strong one and take all the responsibility for what happens when something we make goes wrong. This isn't my solely duty, Sheena and the others can help me., the Eternal Swordsman thought.

Lloyd believed that if he stopped to be the one that represented what they believedin and didn't take the responsibility, then nobody more would. He had forgot his friends believed in his ideals not because of him, but because it was also their dream, a dream they would willingly defend in Lloyd's place.

"Hu. What a pointless babble.", a new, familiar voice sounded from the crowd. People gave passage to a new figure that, when entered in their sight, made Lloyd and Sheena gasp.

It was an red blood haired elf with eyes matching, the same eyes Lloyd and Sheena saw in their possessed friends. The elf wore a silver armor under dark and green clothes. His face seemed some kind of mask of solemnity and he looked to the duo of lovers like he had some authority on them. That should be Nebilim when he was alive.

"People like you always take the path they believe to be the one that will benefit the most of people and won't bring any sacrifice. You take this road and in your blindness you can't see this road is just a circle. When that happens, your ideals pass to be just illusions.", the Dark Lord said, in his venous and piercing voice, but Sheena and Lloyd could caught a tint of cruelty on it. "To truly make an ideal into reality, you need to see beyond mere philosophies, such as right and wrong, and see what is the true nature of the disturbances and fights you need to win to make your idea of a better world true.

"This nature, my deluded friends, is the opposing powers, which duel against one another to overcome its opposite, but never destroys it. For you to make your ideal doesn't turn into a mere illusion you need to eliminate these powers, establishing an absolute one. By doing so, you will end the circle. If not, then your ideal will continue be an illusion and you will drag people to this circle, by making them to also believe in your illusion.

"What I proposed was for you is to exit from this circle, for you see the truth behind the things and see what really must be done for your world to become reality. But you refused. You still insisting in seek an illusion and stubbornly contribute for the circle to continue."

Lloyd gridded his teeth. Nebilim spoke in a tone like he was the only one that knew what people should do to reach their dreams. He spoke like he was the lord of the truth, or something. Lloyd could accept people that choose a different path from his, even if this path leaded them to become something he had to combat latter, but one thing that the Eternal Swordsman couldn't stand was people talking like they knew all and like their path was the only right one.

Sheena was feeling almost the same anger Lloyd was. She understood people that thought different from her and Lloyd, but she couldn't stand people that tried to force others to do their bidding or to follow their path and spoke about others' paths, like they were a stupidity . She chose to follow Lloyd's path, she believed in it and she wouldn't allow that twisted, dark spirit talk about that path like that.

"And who are you to speak about our path?! You're just a spoiled elf that throws a fit when things doesn't happen how you want.", Lloyd said. Nebilim's right eye twitched when he heard Lloyd calling him of a spoiled elf. "You talk about our ideals and dreams like they are a bad thing, but you never even stopped to think on the people you killed. This talk of take all the power and eliminates people that thinks different of you just proves what you want is a selfish thing, so shut up!"

Nebilim shot a look of pure hatred to Lloyd. It was just like he predicted, Nebilim was really the kind of person that didn't stand people that thought different of him and defied him. He was just a possessive, authoritarian elf that didn't take any opinion different from his own.

Before Nebilim could shout at Lloyd or give any kind of reply, Sheena entered in the talk, using the same tone that her lover:

"You don't even know the meaning of ideal. Ideal is a thing that would be good for everybody. Something that would benefit the world and the people that lives on it. But you, you never cared about the world or the people, not even your own race. You just care for yourself and your selfish desires."

Suddenly, the image of the burning village flickered, like it was a screen with interference. Sheena could then hear Vallor's voice again:

The illusion is breaking..., it was the only phrase the female warrior could caught form her ancestor. Lloyd looked around, like waiting to see someone in special came. It seemed he had heard that too.

"We won't stop to fight for everybody that died because of us and for us. If we stop to fight, then it would be like they had truly died for nothing. But you obviously can't understand this.", Sheena spoke again to Nebilim, walking closer to Lloyd.

"Yeah. We'll make our ideal come into reality to honor the memory of everybody that died for us to continue on our path. We won't disappoint those people and if we can't do this for them, then we'll make it for their families, their friends and for the people they cared for. And you...", Lloyd then walked to Sheena and the two held their hands. A blade made out of light appeared on the lovers united hands and they grasped it tight. "Won't stop us!"

Lloyd and Sheena then looked to each other and lifted the sword. When they lowered it, cutting the air in their front, the sword launched a great blade of light, which cut through the illusion, dissolving the image of the burning village and all the echoes of the past.

Light then engulfed the two and Sheena felt again the strange sensation of dove to somewhere. When the Children of the Light opened her eyes, she was with her head at Lloyd's chest, who was with his eyes closed, like he was sleeping.

Something then fell near them. The guardian user saw it was the tentacle blade of Nebilim swords. Then she saw a blur pass above her and fall in the floor. It was the demonic jewel, Doom's Blood. It had detached itself from Lloyd. Sheena smiled, knowing now her boyfriend was free of Nebilim.

The female ninja then slided in Lloyd's body to the ground, feeling the tiredness of her wounded body. She felt strong hands hug her before she could hit the hard stone floor. Lloyd had opened his eyes and was looking to her. How she missed those red eyes that gleamed with gentleness and caring for the ones he held dear.

Lloyd then adjusted Sheena, for the two of them sat, she leaning against his chest. The dual swordsman then saw all the wounds through her body and her blooding and batted state. Mumbling something she couldn't hear, the red clad angel hugged her tightly, like he was with fear that she could die if he let her go.

Without the two of them notice, the Doom's Blood started to roll in the stone floor. It was going to the door at the other side of the hall. Nebilim swords then lifted some feet from the ground and shot to the crystal, floating around it in silence. When the three cursed items reached the platform on the center of the hall, they floated some meters above the ground and were involved by a black, fog-like gas. When the gaseous spheres formed around the items disappeared none signal of it could be seen.

"Sheena... I'm sorry... I didn't know what was happening.", Lloyd apologized to her. "I tried to fight back, but it was stronger than me. When I saw he trying to kill you, I found strength to fight back, but then I lost the control again."

"It's alright.", Sheena said from her position. Her tone was sweet and tired, all at the same time. "I also almost fall to him. That guy really have a damn mouth. But, did you just heard when your mother held him back?"

Lloyd looked to her, confused. Had his mother participated of the battle? He didn't notice her presence around. Sheena's necklace then glowed and lights shot out of it, uniting into Vallor's form. The ancient hero spoke, saying he could explain that:

"I saw you didn't have enough strength to stand against Nebilim's and that demonic exphere's power, so I searched for something that could help you and I found a spirit inside the soul crystal you wear.", the first half-elf said, meaning Lloyd. "I achieved to make contact and learned she was your mother. She said she knew what was happening to you and wanted to do something. I lent some of my power for her to pass the barriers of the crystal and use the link between your mana and the crystal to hold your body."

"So mom... helped you to save me...", Lloyd instinctively looked to his exphere, like he was waiting for lights to shot out from it and materialize into his mother's form, like Vallor often did with the necklace.

"I'm sorry, but that was the only moment I could use my power to make her to manifest her presence. I don't have permission to do it all the time if it's not an emergency. But don't worry about her, she just returned to the crystal.", Lloyd seemed upset by knowing he couldn't talk with his mother. Vallor then tried to cheer up the boy. "If that makes you feel better, I could feel how much she loved you and how she was happy for you to try and defend the one you love. She seemed to like Sheena."

His mother liked Sheena... it took sometime for Lloyd to take his attention back to the hero of the Forgotten Ages and catch what he was saying. At least that was a good new for him. His mother approved his relationship with Sheena and was proud of him for defend her from Nebilim.

"Thanks Vallor. You don't know what it means for me.", the red clad warrior said. Vallor just smiled, with an expression of "glad to help".

The spirit hero then turned his attention to Sheena and talked for Lloyd to concentrate on what he felt for her. The boy didn't argue and did as he was told. Vallor then placed the palm of his right hand on the Eternal Swordsman's heart and the other he placed on Sheena's head. The hands of the spirit glowed and an aura shone around Sheena. When the aura disappeared, the ninja's wound were healed and her energy restored.

Lloyd stayed in awe. How did Vallor just did that if he was an spirit and couldn't use healing arts in that state? Asking his doubt to the ancient hero, the Eternal Swordsman received an answer:

"I used the power of your feeling to heal her. Feelings are powerful things, I'm certain you know that. I can use the power of these feelings to heal and replenish energy. The more powerful the feeling for the person is, the more effective is the healing spell."

Lloyd blushed a little by knowing Vallor used the power of his love for Sheena to heal her. The female ninja then sat by her own and, before any of the two males could predict, she slapped Lloyd at the back of his head.

"Hey! What was that for?", the angel warrior asked, massaging his hurt head.

"This was by making me sick of worry and scare me to death by being possessed.", the half-angry woman said. Vallor then looked to the other side, like he had found something interesting in the blasted walls.

"I thought this was the kind of moment that the hero received a kiss from the damsel he rescued."

"Excuse me, who rescued who?", Sheena asked in a sharp tone.

Lloyd then realized what stupidity he had just said. He was the damsel in that case, he was the one that was saved. Beating the palm of his hand in his forehead, the Eternal Swordsman then said:

"Uh... could you just forget I said that?"

"Why? Wasn't it what you wanted?", Sheena then inclined to him and touched Lloyd's lips. After a brief moment of feel the lips of the one she so much loved, she remembered of something. "Oh no! The others! I forgot about them!", Sheena quickly stood, leaving Lloyd more confused. The ninja then explain. "Raine, Zelos, Merilius and Genis were companying me when I came to rescue you, but an enchanted corridor separated us and now they're somewhere in the city."

Resolution replaced Lloyd's confusion and the red clad warrior also stood. Their friends could be in danger if they were scattered and separated inside that infernal city. They needed to rescue them quickly before they got themselves in danger.

"Then let's go and rescue them. I have had enough of this city and Nebilim's mind games!"


Man, the chapters in this part of the fic are turning to be the longest ones I had write, but I can't be helped to stop to write. The mood of these chapters are just too intense for me to stop.

Well, like you noticed now we'll have a piece of what Nebilim thinks about the ideals and the path of other people. Any question, ask me in a review for I know how it can be hard to understand that Dark Lord's thoughts. Anyway, R&R people!