JC: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Your reviews were great. I appreciate the support so much. I have written so many chapters. This story is definitely one of my masterpieces. Hehe! Better not miss this!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed.
Gundam Seed: Mythical Legends
Phase 55: Farewell
In the wide meadows of Asgard, the Yggdrassil tree stood in all its might and power. It was the tree that connected all three worlds: Asgard, Midgard, and Nifleheim. The tree was also called the tree of life, which was why it was so important to Earth. Without it, all would be lost and the world shall die. The immortals were the most powerful beings alive. They lived in the kingdom of Asgard and they were ruled by a mighty god called Odin. Odin, along with his trusted gods, were tasked to protect the tree and to keep the three worlds in harmony.
For thousands of years, the three worlds prospered and the gods continued to watch over everything. One day, Odin was enraged with the sins of the mortals and decided to change the world. He wanted to rid of the mortals from the face of the planet. He wanted a world where only gods walked the Earth. Of course, many gods have disagreed to this and only a few decided to help Odin accomplish his plans.
Odin's corruptness and selfishness led the world to chaos. Thus, Ragnarok came and took the lives of countless immortals and mortals who got involved with the gods. Odin's plan came to a conclusion 20,000 years ago.
But now Odin, who was known as Gilbert, planned to bring Ragnarok to the world once more. He was not going to rest until every mortal was dead. In order to that, he needed Freya, otherwise known as Cagalli, at his side. Cagalli's hidden power was enough to summon Ragnarok. Alas, he was unable to get Cagalli after for so many attempts.
Gilbert stood under the great Yggdrassil Tree while holding the Gungir in his hand. He turned the blade and positioned it downwards. "It looks like I have to summon Ragnarok by myself." He chanted an incantation and concentrated his aura on the blade. The spear started glowing and so did the tree and the ground under him. The earth began to shake as his power rose.
He continued with his incantation, with the ritual, using up his entire energy to summon Ragnarok. But he was not growing weak. Instead, he was growing stronger and stronger. The green aura from the tree was healing him, or more like, helping him. Gilbert was pleased by this and decided to work even harder.
Meanwhile, Cagalli and Athrun finally reunited with Kira, Shinn, and the rest of their friends in the main lobby of the palace. All of them felt the earth shaking and the strong aura coming from a familiar source.
"This aura…" Stellar muttered, her hands trembling. "This aura belongs to the Yggdrassil Tree."
There was no doubt about it, Stellar was correct. The aura was coming from the tree. However, they wondered why it was unleashing its aura. Nobody in Asgard has the ability to unleash the tree's power except for the ones holding the mystic weapons. Of course, Cagalli's Brisingamen was included.
"Not good…" Auel placed his hand on his head. "Odin's Gungir is one of the mystic weapons. With the Gungir, he's able to unlock the tree's power." He dropped his hand and balled it into a fist.
"Since he realized that he can no longer depend on Cagalli, he decided to act on his own and summon Ragnarok himself." Kira explained, running his hands through his brown hair.
"But isn't that a great risk?" Stellar said.
"It is a great risk when you attempt to do it alone," Rey replied. He removed the hair covering the half of his face from his right eye. He used the power of his eye to see what was happening in the meadows. As the sight came into view, Rey was appalled by the huge power Gilbert was displaying. He snapped back and faced the others grimly. "Odin is in the process of summoning. It won't be long now until three portals will happen in each world."
Fllay clamped her own mouth to avoid squealing. From what Rey said, it would mean that a portal would also open in her world, the underworld. "W-we mustn't let that happen. My world, as well as the mortal world, would be in danger."
"Not only that, harmony between the worlds will be broken," Cagalli added, looking so serious. She touched her heart and it was pounding real fast. Her heart was telling her that she was afraid, but also willing to try. Knowing herself the best, Cagalli was willing to make things right again. "Odin must be stopped at all cost. Everyone, we should combine our strength."
Athrun was amazed yet again by her bravery and determination. He had always thought of her as someone who was not like other girls. He had always thought of her as a feisty girl who sometimes act like a boy and even dress as one. Until know, he still thought of her that way. And the reason was because she was Cagalli Yula Athha.
He put up his fist and said, "Cagalli, I'm ready."
"Athrun…"
"Me too!" Stellar said, raising her hand high.
"I agree with what you said. Cagalli, I'll fight with you and make sure you won't get hurt." Kira placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and smiled.
Fllay stroke her lovely hair. "Don't forget about me. I'm going to do this for Nifleheim." She winked an eye.
Placing his arm around Fllay's shoulder, Rey showed his attractive smile to everyone. It was not often he showed a smile, so everyone was shocked. "I'm ready as well."
"I can't let Rey steal the spotlight from me. I'm definitely in!" Auel took a moment to glance at Fllay. Just as he thought, his feelings for the girl were all gone. His past obsession with her was a dreadful sin. He had caused her great sin by taking away something important from her. He thought Fllay could never forgive him. However, he was wrong with that. At the time he asked for forgiveness, Fllay told she was waiting for him to admit his sin to her. She was waiting for him so that she could tell him that she has forgiven him. Auel was very happy with that and he promised that he will never repeat his actions again.
And since Fllay forgave Auel, Shinn forgave him as well.
"This is getting interesting. I can't wait to kick Odin's butt." Shinn slammed his fists together, feeling excited to fight. "Cagalli, we're all set. Let's teach Odin a lesson that he'll never forget."
When they reached the meadows, Gilbert was already in the verge of finishing the incantation. A gush of light was already rushing out from below him. The light was a sign of the portal opening.
"We can't let the portal be opened!" Fllay uttered, hovering into the air. She twirled around, called upon the darkness, and unleashed a black energy around Gilbert to disable his movements.
Stellar also flew up and unleashed a similar but white energy towards Gilbert. Her light energy was forcing the portal to close. "We have to do our best, Fllay."
"Let's keep this up!" Fllay said, putting more energy into her work.
Despite the interference, Gilbert continued with his incantation. The Gungir was already at its fullest potential. The ritual was reaching an end, meaning Ragnarok was near. Gilbert concentrated the tree's energy into the blade and let it sunk into the ground. A magical seal was unleashed and it formed a barrier around Gilbert.
"A barrier?!" Stellar yelled out, sensing that her powers were going down.
"Damn! My power's not working against it!" Fllay grumbled.
"The ritual has reached the highest level. It can't be stopped unless we use the Brisingamen." Rey turned his head at Athrun. "Athrun Zala, you must combine your strength with Cagalli-san to put a stop to this ritual." He grabbed Cagalli's hand and placed it on the Brisingamen.
"Only you two can do it," Kira added.
For a brief moment, Athrun and Cagalli looked at each other. Their eyes were full of concern and fear. However, in their hearts, they knew they could accomplish anything together. Just as they did back in the past, they will work together. Though they were unsuccessful back then, they were not planning to let the past repeat again.
"Athrun, you ready?" Cagalli said, pumping up.
"Always…" replied Athrun, squeezing her hand gently.
The two of them concentrated hard. Cagalli unleashed her own energy and transferred it to the Brisingamen. The Brisingamen began to glow furiously, as Athrun tried his best to control it. Cagalli touched the Brisingamen with her two hands and placed Athrun's hand on her heart. She then gazed at Athrun's emerald Orbs as a surge of light enveloped them.
Kira narrowed his eyes and balled his fists. Everything that was happening was so familiar to him. It was just like in the past. "If past is repeating itself, then Athrun will…" He did not dare to say it. It was too painful.
"Athrun will not die like Alexander," Shinn muttered, approaching Kira from behind. He stared hard at the brunette's back. "Not all of this is similar."
"That's… umm…" The fertility god spun on his heels to face the trickster god with his eyes dyed in amethyst color. He bit his lip as he thought of the consequences of the ritual Athrun and Cagalli were doing.
"Come on, Kira, he's not going to die. Twenty-thousand years ago was an accident. We weren't aware of the outcome." Shinn explained clearly, setting his eyes on his best friend, Cagalli. "We're not going let them make the same mistake again."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Kira lowered his head.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure." Shinn smirked.
"When Oto-sama says he's sure then he's sure!" Fllay popped up behind Shinn and hugged his arm. "Don't take Oto-sama's confidence for granted!" she reprimanded Kira.
"Fllay... Still, they could…" Kira was not yet convinced. He was still afraid of the outcome.
This time, Rey stepped up to say something to the brunette. "Back then, Shinn and I were enemies. When Auel and Odin descended to Midgard to retrieve Cagalli, I was ordered by Gilbert to find Shinn. That's when our fierce battle started."
"And you don't see me working for Odin anymore," Auel casually said, putting his fist on his hip. "Things are different now."
Hearing their words made Kira felt relief. The fear was still inside his heart, but he had to be strong. He had to be determined, not only for himself, but also for his sister and the others. "Thanks, everyone…" he said.
The portal was growing wider and wider. Gilbert was almost done with his incantation and he was receiving a new power from a new source. The new power came in a dark aura.
Fllay suddenly felt cold as she felt the dark aura. She wrapped herself and dropped to her knees. "This can't be…" With her body trembling, she looked at Shinn. "Oto-sama… Nifleheim…"
Shinn knelt to her level and embraced her. "The portal has opened in Nifleheim, am I right?"
The goddess of death nodded slowly
"This is bad." Shinn stood up and turned to Athrun and Cagalli. "You guys better hurry up. Ragnarok is coming!" he shouted.
Athrun and Cagalli heard Shinn loud and clear. They were almost done with their ritual and the power of the Brisingamen was at maximum level.
On the other hand, Stellar was still trying her best to prevent the portal from opening in Asgard. She gave out every bit of her energy to stop the time around the portal. "I can do this… I must!" She boosted her power again, even though she was running out of breath.
Just then, two beams passed by her at lightning speed and hit the portal. Stellar was surprised to see such power. She slightly turned her head only to see her two sisters, Miriallia and Jean. They were there to help her out.
"Onee-sama!" Stellar cried out, a smile curved on her lips.
"Stellar, your power is dropping." Miriallia muttered, sounding serious. "You might have to exert effort a little more." The goddess of the past smiled at her little sister.
Jean hovered to Stellar's side and patted her shoulder with her free hand. "Stellar, let's work hard, okay?"
Stellar showed them a wide smile. "Yes, let's work hard!"
With the power of the three goddesses of destiny, they were able to reduce the size of the portal. The dark aura suddenly stopped flowing into Gilbert's body and Yggdrassil tree has stopped healing him.
Gilbert was enraged by their actions. He knew that without the portal in Asgard, Ragnarok will not come. He had to do something. The summoning ritual was half-way finished and all he needed was more energy. "I guess I have no choice but to do this…" he muttered under his breath. He picked up his Gungir and turned to face the Yggrdrassil tree.
Shinn and the others wondered what he was up to. Knowing Gilbert, they knew that it was no good. As Gilbert raised his spear, everyone's eyes grew wide in surprise. Gilbert was going to strike the Yggdrassil tree. If the tree would die, then the world will end.
"Hold it right there, Odin!" Shinn unleashed a powerful light wave towards Gilbert. However, a sturdy barrier was set in place and his power did not pierce nor scratch it. "No way…"
"Odin, don't do it!" Kira uttered, firing his own wave of power. As expected, his power did not pass the barrier. Kira quickly turned to Athrun and Cagalli to check if their ritual was finished. He clenched his fists and yelled out, "Cagalli, Athrun, we leave everything to you!"
At that, Athrun extended his right arm and Cagalli extended her left. They entwined their free hands together and concentrated their energy on their palms. As two spheres formed, the light surrounding them immediately flowed into their bodies. With the power they gained, they felt stronger and confident. When Gilbert was about to strike, the two of them fired a large stream of light towards the said god. It was powerful enough to destroy the barrier and hit Gilbert dead on.
"All right!" Shinn rejoiced. "It's a direct hit." He raised his fist high.
Gilbert was blown away by the impact and he landed roughly across the fields.
Cagalli powered down and looked at her lover. She jumped up and hugged him tightly. "We did it, Athrun! We stopped Odin!" she shouted near his ear.
"Hey! Don't need to shout." Athrun rubbed his sore ear and giggled.
The three goddesses thought they were able to rest since the ritual has stopped. They thought that the portal would disappear. But something happened that shocked them greatly. The portal this time had grown even wider. The dark aura was coming in again and it was flowing towards the Yggdrassil tree.
"What's happening?" Jean asked her two sisters, focusing more power at the portal. "The ritual is over now and yet…"
"I have absolutely no idea," Miriallia retorted, unleashing more energy than before. She was even using both hands now.
Stellar felt that something was wrong with the Yggdrassil tree. She glanced at Gilbert and saw that his spear was missing from his hand. She glanced back at the tree, but she saw no sign of the spear. "Where is it?" she muttered.
"I don't understand. Why is this happening? The ritual was incomplete and Odin was stopped," Auel said, noticing the sky was growing dim.
"The dark aura…" Fllay clasped her hands together. "My world is crumbling." A tear fell from her eye.
"Fllay, be strong…" Rey comforted her by pulling her into a hug.
Shinn used his speed to get to Gilbert in seconds. He picked the fallen god up and choked him by the collar. "Hey! Wake up, geezer!" he yelled out. "Explain what's happening right now or else!"
Gilbert slowly opened one eye and smirked. "Hmph… Ragnarok is coming. Can you not feel it, Loki?"
"Don't mess with me!" The trickster threw Gilbert to the ground and stepped on his chest. "How can this be? The ritual was stopped. There's no way Ragnarok will…"
"Shinn!" Stellar called out as she landed by Shinn's side. "His spear… It's gone…"
"What?!"
"It's not with him," she told him. She set her eyes at the tree and pointed at it. "I believe that the spear is inside the tree."
Everyone there had heard what Stellar said and were surprised by it. Athrun and Cagalli, in particular, were very surprised as they thought they managed to stop Gilbert from striking the tree.
Gilbert let out a sinister laugh, despite his weak state. "You all have failed! All of humanity will end and you cannot stop it!"
Shinn gritted his teeth and glared down at Gilbert. "This is your entire fault!" he yelled, placing his palm above his face. "Die!" He attempted to blast his head off, but for some reason his power did not emerge.
"What's the matter?" Stellar asked.
"This can't be happening…" Shinn backed away as he stared at his hand in terror. "My powers…"
"Oto-sama, what's wrong?" Fllay, as well as the others, ran towards Shinn. She held her father's hand and observed his reaction. "Oto-sama?"
"They're gone," Shinn managed to say. "My powers are gone." His hands trembled in anger.
"No way…" Fllay stared at him in astonishment.
"AHHH!!!" two familiar voiced yelped.
Stellar swiftly turned to the direction where her sisters used to hover. She found her sisters nowhere in the air, but she found them sitting on the ground rubbing their butts. "Miriallia, Jean!" She went to them to help them up. "Are you two all right?"
"No, we're not," Miriallia grumpily answered. "What was that? Our powers somehow deteriorated."
"No kidding…" Jean sighed in frustration.
Athrun came to realize what was going on. "Rey, check if you can still use your power," he said to the blonde god.
The blonde nodded. He uncovered his right eye and tried to summon its power. But to his dismay, the power of his right eye was no longer useable. "My eye…" he muttered.
"Oh, not you too…" Shinn said, scratching his head in frustration. He looked at the other gods and told them to use their powers too.
"Okay, let me try." Stellar put both hands near her chest and attempted to form an energy sphere.
Alternatively, Auel, Fllay, and Kira also did their own way of summoning their power. Sadly, every one of them failed.
"We have no powers now!" Auel uttered.
Without anyone noticing, Cagalli approached Gilbert and knelt down at his side. "You still managed to get away with it—even at the cost of your own life." She grabbed his collar and shook him. "Why are you so obsessed in destroying the world?!" she shouted, getting everyone's attention. Despite that fact, she did not care. She stared at Gilbert intensely.
"H-have you f-forgotten… why… Freya?" Gilbert stuttered, coughing some blood out. He lifted his hand and touched Cagalli's cheek. He looked at her with care and smiled. "I told you before…"
Cagalli's eyes grew soft as she observed how Gilbert looked. It was so familiar to her. The expression was the same one he had when she first met Gilbert. Back then, he was still kind and good. It was the first time after thousands of years to see his kind face again. For some reason, she had missed that.
"Freya, I did all of this for you…" Gilbert said softly as tears formed in his eyes. "I wanted to create a world free from sin and suffering. I wanted to create that world just for you."
Shinn grabbed Gilbert away from Cagalli. "What bullshit are you saying?! Cagalli does not want a world like that! She wants a world where she could be with her friends!" He punched Gilbert right on the face, sending him to the ground once more.
"I didn't want Freya to live in a tainted world such as this. The world I dreamt for her was perfect. I wanted to live with her in such a world. But I guess my end is near. All I could do now is hope that Ragnarok will finish what I have started." Gilbert looked up at Cagalli and reached out for her. His tears were not letting up and he still had the smile on his face.
"Odin…" Cagalli held his hand and knelt down. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't want any of this to happen. I'm happy with this world. You shouldn't have gone through so much." Her voice was cracking.
Suddenly, Gilbert felt a stingy pain in his body. He spitted out a lot of blood and his vision was becoming blurry. His life was slowly drifting away. He hated to say good-bye to her. He wanted to live a little longer to be with Cagalli. But hope was lost for him. "Freya, I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just want you to understand." He coughed a bit before he continued. "I'm sorry… I've caused you so much pain. But I did all that because I love you."
It was unexpected, but everyone was feeling sorry for Gilbert at that point. Even Shinn was growing soft with all the sorrow Gilbert was showing. The immortals began remembering their kind and gentle ruler of gods before he became evil. He was such a good leader and everyone looked up at him. Under his leadership, the gods and goddesses were all happy to serve.
Gilbert held his chest and coughed continuously. He managed to stop himself to say one more thing to Cagalli. "Frey—Cagalli, please take care of yourself. Good-bye…" Afterwards, he closed his eyes and died with a smile of contentment.
Cagalli's face darkened as she gritted her teeth. She nested his hands properly on his abdomen. She picked up a flower and placed it on top of his chest. "Good-bye, sensei…"
Since a god has died, he will turn into ashes and his soul will venture into the underworld. The wind grew a little stronger, blowing Gilbert's ashes with it. As his body disappeared, Cagalli stood and turned around.
Fllay reached out to the ashes, almost forgetting that fact that she was powerless. It was her job to bring the ashes safely to the underworld. Due to the circumstances, Fllay will just have to let go of Gilbert's ashes. "His spirit will join the others in Nifleheim…" she said, feeling sorry for his soul.
"Let him go," Cagalli muttered, raising her head. "With all his sins, I know he will not have the heart to face the others."
"Cagalli-san, all souls should have a proper place to live," Fllay said.
"His soul is free to roam around world. I think it would be best for him." Cagalli's lips curved into a smile, showing everyone that it was fine.
All that was left now was to stop the Ragnarok. But, without their powers, how were they supposed to stop the chaos from happening?
To be continued…
JC: Gilbert has finally died. I know some of you may rejoice and some of you may feel sorry for the guy. As for me, the feeling is mutual. Ahem… In the next chapter, you will found out who really killed Alexander in the past. Please leave a review, not flames!
