JC: Gilbert has died and that's that. Since he managed to place his Gungir in the tree, the gods and goddesses became powerless. It's getting exciting, isn't it? Oh yeah, this is the chapter where you'll find out who killed Alexander in the past. Make sure to read and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own this series. I don't own the characters. I only own Jean and that's it.
Gundam Seed: Mythical Legends
Phase 56: Sacrifice
Asgard was in chaos. The Yggdrassil Tree's power was going out of control. The leaves of the tree were turning black and the tree itself was rotting. The fields of flowers were turning into a desert of gray sand. Dark clouds have formed all over the realm and the portal was getting wider and wider by the minute. Not only that, a portal has newly opened in Midgard, the human realm, and it was already causing thunderstorms around the globe. As for Nifleheim, the underworld, the spirits were becoming restless. The portal was still little there, but it was starting to suck up the spirits.
Being powerless, the gods and goddesses were unable to do anything. No force in the world could stop Ragnarok from coming.
"What are we going to do?!" Shinn uttered, fuming in rage. "We can't just stand here and do nothing!"
"But what can we do, Shinn? We've lost our powers," Stellar said, sighing deeply.
"Not only our powers, but also hope." Jean gripped her own arm and lowered her head.
Everyone was feeling down and helpless. Who could blame them? They were just regular beings now. They thought they could save the world by putting their whole effort, but they were wrong. Just like in the past, they failed to stop Ragnarok from coming and they just escaped. In the past, however, they still had powers, which was why they were able to survive and save most of the humans. The present was far worse than the past. It was too much to handle.
Fllay dropped to her knees as her body trembled in fear. She was thinking about her world and she was seriously worried. She wondered if her brother, Fenrir, was okay. She was also dying to know the condition of her world. "Nifleheim…"
They have given up. They did not know what to do anymore. There were no more plans, no more ideas, and no more hope. The gods and the goddesses were at lost and they have accepted the fate at hand. There was no more future for them.
"We… WE CAN"T GIVE UP!!!" Cagalli uttered, putting up a fist. She faced everyone seriously.
"But what can we do, Cagalli?" Kira questioned, narrowing his gaze. "We can't stop Ragnarok! It's all over for us!"
Suddenly, Cagalli slapped Kira hard, surprising everyone. Her eyes were all in tears and she looked hurt as she stared at her brother. "If you give up then it'll be really over! While we're still alive, we can still think of something!" She wiped away her tears with her arm and faced the others. "There's still hope!"
Athrun smiled, agreeing with her truthfully. "This is so much like you," he muttered softly. "Kira, you should know that your sister hates giving up."
Kira had always known of Cagalli's determination. He has forgotten about it due to the terrible circumstances they were in. He touched his sore cheek, thinking of the pain he felt just a moment ago. It made him realize that in every problem, there was always a solution. He looked at his sister kindly. "Cagalli, you're right. We can't give up."
Shinn shrugged. "I can't believe you can still be stubborn, Cagalli." He stretched out his arms, as if he was getting ready to fight. "Well, it's because of that stubborn attitude is why we're here today."
Fllay looked up at her father. "Oto-sama, are you willing to—"
"Giving up is not my style either, Fllay," Shinn cut her off. He turned his head at her and smiled. "We can still think of something to save your world."
Since her father was not going to give up, Fllay thought that it would be shameful if she kept moping around. She quickly stood, struck her beautiful red hair, and posed sophisticatedly. "Oto-sama, I'm with you all the way."
Stellar narrowed her eyes at Fllay, sighing how Fllay can easily change her mood. Nevertheless, seeing that Fllay is back at her feet, she did not want to stay behind the scenes. "Me too! I'm willing to do anything to save the world."
"I can't let my little sister have all the fun," Jean stepped up, placing a hand on Stellar's shoulder.
Miriallia felt proud after hearing her two sisters talk. She crossed her arms and said, "Maybe after this, we can live a normal happy life.
"Everyone, please understand that no one can stop Ragnarok now," Rey said, being pessimistic. He analyzed the whole situation and tried to think up of ways to undo Ragnarok. In the end, his mind could not think of anything, because he knew that it was impossible.
"Rey, we're very aware of that!" Fllay reprimanded him, planting a fist on her hip. "But Oto-sama and the others are not going to give up. Don't tell me you're not going to do anything, Rey?" She showed him a pissed look.
"That's not it, Fllay." Rey wanted to explain more about his thoughts and his concerns. He was afraid of what might happen to everyone if they attempted to stop Ragnarok. He was going to say something, to prevent them from doing anything reckless, until Auel locked his head in his arm. "What are you doing? Let go me, Auel!"
"Can't you think positive for once, Rey? Sheesh!" Auel rubbed Rey's head furiously, totally messing up his hair. "Lighten up will ya!"
Rey was enraged by this. "I said let go!" he boomed, pushing himself away from Auel. He balled his hand to a fist and threatened Auel with his cold cobalt eyes. "If you do that again, I'm gonna..." He was going to finish his sentence until he heard Fllay letting out a slight giggle. He looked up at her and noticed how she tried to hold off her laughter.
"Woah…" Auel seemed staggered. He let out a small laugh and slapped Rey on the back. "I didn't know the watchman can make a girl laugh." He winked an eye at the blonde god.
"Laugh? I wasn't even trying to be funny."
"But you and Auel looked so funny!" Fllay uttered, bursting to laugher.
With Fllay laughing, everyone joined in and laughed.
"Fllay… Everyone…"
"Glad you loosened up a bit," Auel said, slapping Rey on the back again. He almost made Rey lose his balance, but Rey did not mind it. He felt relief to release some stress out of his mind and he had Auel and Fllay to thank for.
Speaking of release, Rey remembered something about the old history of the Yggdrassil tree as he looked at the tree. He read it once in book from the Forbidden Library of Asgard. The article of the Yggdrassil Tree was kept hidden for centuries and only those of the high rank knew it. He wasn't one of the high ranking gods. But, as the watchman of the gods, he had knowledge beyond capacity and authority over certain things. He managed to read that book when he was still a young god and he had to say that it was very interesting. However, he could not remember most parts, but only the 5 first lines of a poem included in the article:
Thy key which unlocks the power shall release chaos and destruction.
Damage done to the worlds, too massive to compare.
In dire need, into the depth of power,
A heart of purity and might must be sacrificed.
To bring forth tranquility once again.
He said it out loud to the others for them to hear and understand. "In order to stop Ragnarok, a heart of purity and might must be sacrificed." His face darkened as he lowered his head.
"You're kidding, right?" Shinn stepped forward, growing irritated. "We have to sacrifice someone!? That's not fair!" He went to Rey and grabbed his collar. He clutched onto him tightly, showing his fuming eyes.
Rey simply turned away. "Shinn, this may be the only way—the only solution we have."
The trickster god released his friend and banged his fists together. "Dammit! We can't afford to lose anyone!" He looked at Stellar, then at Fllay, and then he turned his head at Cagalli. "What do you think of this?"
The blonde goddess let out an exasperating sigh. "If that's what the book says, then we don't have any choice." She scratched her head in frustration. "So, who among us has the heart of purity and might?" She sounded cold and sarcastic.
Everyone averted their eyes away from the blonde. They all felt concerned about the sacrifice. Neither of them wanted to neither lose someone nor lose their own life.
"Looks like no one's volunteering," Cagalli muttered, curving her lips to a smile. "In that case…" In an instant, she ran behind Athrun, took the Brisingamen off of him, and ran off towards the direction of the Yggdrassil Tree.
Athrun's eyes were as wide as marbles. He could not believe that Cagalli outwitted him so easily. "Cagalli!" he shouted, seeing her fleeing towards the rotten tree. "What are you going to do?!"
But Cagalli did not reply, for she did not want to look at Athrun or the others. She was going to do something reckless and she was not going to stop. She was willing to risk it all in order to save everyone. As she put on the Brisingamen, she began chanting an incantation to summon its power. She may be powerless, but the Brisingamen still had power. "Here I go!" she yelled, unleashing a red light from the Brisingamen.
Kira gasped. "Don't tell me…" His hands began to tremble in fear. "She's planning on sacrificing herself…"
"That can't be true," Athrun retorted.
"It seems to be that way, Athrun…" Kira trembled even more. He raised his head, growing seriously, as he ran towards his sister. "Stop it, Cagalli!"
Cagalli was already standing before the tree and she was ready to transmit her powers to it. She heard her brother calling her name, but she did not dare to look back. "I'm sorry, Kira…" She touched the tree and unleashed a barrier.
"Cagalli, stop!" Kira was closing in until he hit the barrier and got blown away. He landed pretty badly on the ground.
"Kira!" Athrun and the others quickly went over to him. Athrun lifted the brunette's head and saw blood spewing from his forehead. "You're hurt."
"This is just a scratch." Kira shrugged. He pushed Athrun away, trying to stand up, as he felt the pain. "I have to go and save her." He was able to stand on his two feet, but as he took a step forward, he fell down.
"Kira-san!" Stellar said, looking concerned. If she only had her powers, she thought, she could heal Kira. But being powerless does not mean she was useless. Stellar tore a part of her dress and wrapped it around Kira's head like a bandage. "There we go. That will stop the bleeding temporarily."
"Sorry for the trouble, Stellar…" he muttered. He stood carefully this time, making sure he won't lose his balance. He looked at his sister who was working hard to put a stop to Ragnarok. "Cagalli…"
"That idiot!" grumbled Shinn. "Why did she decide this for herself?!" Angered, he rushed towards the barrier and struck it with his strongest punch. As a result, the barrier shocked him with electrical waves, rending him almost paralyze.
"Shinn!" Stellar rushed to his side and knelt down. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine!" He stood and punched the barrier one more time. He got shocked with greater voltage, causing him to drop to his knees. "Not yet… I can still do this…" He struggled with his paralysis in order to stand up again.
Stellar could not bear his suffering any longer, so she hugged him. "Please, Shinn, please stop this! I beg of you. You'll die if you keep this up."
"I have to!" Shinn closed his eyes hard and shook in fear. "I don't want her to die!" he shouted.
"Oto-sama…" Fllay felt and understood her father's pain. She, too, did not want to lose Cagalli.
Cagalli was maintaining her focus and energy on the Yggdrassil Tree. She was at the verge of healing the tree back to health. "Just a little more…" She placed more energy into the tree, unleashing a green light from the Brisingamen.
"The green light is enveloping the tree." Miriallia pointed out. "That light is the healing light. Cagalli-san is already at the 2nd stage. She's regenerating the tree back to its original form." She explained as she observed the leaves of the tree turning green again.
"2nd stage?" muttered Athrun. "What do you mean?"
"The 1st stage was to generate a barrier around the tree, as you can see right now. The 2nd stage is the healing process. Cagalli-san is transferring her energy to the tree in order to regenerate it." Miriallia explained it slowly and clearly, while her eyes focused on the Yggdrassil Tree. "The 3rd stage would be the last one." She clasped her hands together and stared at the ground.
"Last one? Meaning?" Athrun asked, and Miriallia shook her head. "Tell me please…" He begged of her, but she did not have the heart to tell Athrun of what was going to happen.
Panicking, Athrun gripped her shoulders tightly and glared into her aqua-blue eyes. "Tell me now!" he yelled as he shook her.
"Athrun-san!" Jean went in between Athrun and Miriallia to separate them. "I won't allow you to be rude to Onee-sama!" she said, flashing a serious expression.
"But I just wanted…"
"Athrun, remember the poem," Rey spoke up. "A heart of purity and might must be sacrificed to bring forth tranquility once again." He walked up to the blue-haired mortal as he looked at him intensely.
"Rey…"
"The one who possesses the heart of purity and might is none other than the goddess Freya." Rey turned his head at Cagalli who was already chanting the incantation for the 3rd stage. "Cagalli knew that it was her after she heard the poem. That is why she's doing this right now. She's willing to die for the sake of the world, for the sake of mankind, and for our sake."
Athrun shook his head vigorously. "She doesn't deserve to die! There must be some other way. Come on, Rey, isn't there anything else?" he cracked, feeling torn and hurt inside. He did not want to lose Cagalli. He loved her with all his heart and it would kill him if she were to vanish.
"I'm sorry, Athrun. Cagalli is almost at the 3rd stage. We can't stop her anymore."
"The 3rd stage?" he muttered, realizing what it meant now. He straightened up as he glanced at the tree and Cagalli. "The 3rd stage is…d-death…"
Miriallia nodded. "During the 3rd stage, her body will slowly turn into ashes." She looked up at Cagalli as tears streamed down from her eyes. "And her ashes will merge with the tree."
Athrun dropped to his knees, looking shocked and befuddled. He was going to lose the one he loved, the one he cherished the most, and the one who meant the world to him. "Cagalli!" he screamed her name as he struck the ground with his fist. "Dammit!"
Kira gradually walked up to the barrier. Carefully, he placed his hand against it. He looked at his sister who was engulfed in green aura. He had the desire to embrace her in his arms. He wanted her to come back. He wanted to reach out to her.
Unexpectedly, the tree glowed in a luminous white color, meaning that it was returning to its original form. The tree started to soak up all the negative energy around, including the portals. The dark clouds that covered the sky disappeared, revealing the beautiful sky blue color. Not only that, the flowers all returned to the field in a flash.
Back on Earth, the storms have ceased and order has been restored. The thousand lives that were taken by the dreadful storm and portal were graciously returned. In addition, the tree also erased the memory of the storm and portal from the humans.
Nifleheim also returned to its normal and ominous state. The spirits that were sucked up by the portal have all returned.
It was a miracle. Everyone was very surprised as they gazed around their surroundings, which were full of life.
Auel rubbed his nose and smirked. "She did it!" he exclaimed loudly. "Cagalli-san saved the world!"
Rey felt a strange heat coming from his right eye. At that moment, he realized that their powers have returned. He exposed his right eye, tapped into its power, and looked into the different worlds all at once. "Asgard, Midgard, and Nifleheim are all right. The portals are completely gone and our powers are back."
"Nifleheim is all right?!" Fllay reacted, and Rey nodded. She jumped for joy and hugged Rey with all her might. "That's great news! We have Cagalli-san to…" She clamped her own mouth at the mention of her name.
Everyone shifted their eyes on the blonde goddess who was still standing before the Yggdrassil Tree.
Athrun stood up with tear stained eyes as his lips curved into a smile. "Cagalli, you're still here. You didn't disappear."
"She's still alive. I can't believe it." Kira said, showing off a smile.
"Man, you really had us worried, Cagalli!" Shinn reprimanded, placings his hands behind his head. "You're such an idiot." He grinned widely as he expected a retort from her. But, for some reason, she did not butted in like she used to.
He took a few steps forward and looked at Cagalli carefully. "Hey! Cagalli, is there something wrong?" he asked with concern.
Cagalli spun on her heels to face them. She raised her head, revealing tears and sadness in her face.
"Are those tears of joy!?" Shinn snubbed, sounding way sarcastic. "You never change. You're always a crybaby." He was confident that she would retaliate by that last remark. Calling her a crybaby never failed him before and he always teased her that to lighten her up.
But Cagalli presented him with a weak smile. "Shinn, we've been good friends, right? We've always been there for one another."
Shinn felt like something heavy struck his heart. From the way Cagalli was talking, he sensed that she was saying goodbye to him. "Cagalli, are you okay?" He tried not to look worried.
"Even though we argue, we still get along. Remember the time when I accidentally hit you with a ball—"
"CAGALLI!" he cut her off, feeling that something was not right anymore. "Stop talking! You sound like you're dying!"
Cagalli giggled. "Dying? What gave you that idea?" She wiped away the tears from her eyes and turned to her brother Kira. "I'm sorry if I wasn't a good sister to you. I've always caused you a lot of trouble. But you were kind to me all the time. I'm grateful to have a brother like you." Her eyes grew soft as she stared at Kira more.
"No, you're wrong," muttered Kira. "I'm not a good brother at all! I've failed to protect you so many times."
She shook her head and said, "Kira, you didn't fail." She clasped her hands together. "You were always the brother who protected me and understood me."
"Cagalli…"
"I love you, Kira, and I know that you love me too."
Next, she looked at her friends one by one and offered them a kind and warm smile. "You guys are amazing. We didn't start off nicely but we all ended up as friends." She lightly laughed. "I'm glad I met everyone."
Lastly, she turned her gaze upon Athrun who was looking worried. She felt tears forming in her eyes again as her heart pounded hard. She tried her best to feign a smile. "Athrun, our meeting was all planned out by destiny. It's kinda cool, don't you think?"
"Well that's…" Athrun stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. His eyes stared into his amber orbs where he saw pain flickering within. He started walking towards her, as she continued speaking.
"We fell in love in the past and we fell in love again. We're really meant for each other, huh?"
Athrun stayed quiet as he kept walking.
"Have you ever found out? Who killed Alexander?" she questioned, trying to sound cheerful. "You wanted to know, right?" Her hands began to tremble.
He was only a few inches away from her. He was almost there.
At this time, tears flowed out from her amber orbs. "Athrun, the one who killed him was me…" she finally admitted, lowering her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it happen."
Without a warning, Cagalli was pulled into his arms where he held her firmly. "It's all right, Cagalli," he whispered in her ear. "It's all right. I don't blame you for it." He soothed her golden locks with care.
Cagalli let out a cry before she buried her face in Athrun's chest. She sobbed as she kept saying sorry again and again. She truly regretted what she did in the past. She felt so guilty that it hurt her heart so much.
"Please stop crying…" Athrun said, rubbing her back. "Alexander is still here and that's me."
She looked up at him and smiled. "You're right. He's still alive until now." She lowered her head down until her bangs covered her eyes. As she placed a hand on his chest, she unleashed a teleportation spell to return Athrun back to the others. She then stood and faced Athrun. "It's time for me to go, Athrun. Thank you for everything…"
"What…? Go…?" His eyes widened as he slowly gained composure. "What are you saying?"
"Athrun," she said, holding her heart. "You will always be in my heart and I will always love you." As the last drop of tear fell to the ground, a light of pure white enveloped Cagalli.
"CAGALLI!" Athrun shouted, as everyone stared in disbelief.
The light was turning Cagalli to ashes. Despite this fact, Cagalli held a genuine smile for all of them to see. She wanted to prove that she was not going to be lonely after leaving them.
"Idiot!" Shinn clenched his fists. "Don't you dare leave us!"
Kira lost his will and strength to even speak or stand up. He fell down on his knees as tears fell from his amethyst eyes.
Everyone was calling out to her, telling her not leave them. They were all friends and they cared for Cagalli very much.
Still holding a smile, Cagalli extended her arms towards them. "Goodbye..." she spoke her last word, and everyone cried out. The white light glowed furiously, turning Cagalli's whole body completely to ashes. As the light vanished, all that was left of Cagalli was her ashes that were soon joined with the Yggdrassil Tree.
To be continued…
JC: There was so much drama. I'm sorry for going overboard. I felt really bad for writing about Cagalli's death. But this was needed for the story. I'm really sorry AsuCaga fans. Now that Cagalli is gone, what will happen to Athrun and Kira? Find out in the next chapter. I'll update soon. Please review and no flaming.
Phase 57: The Will of a Goddess
