I swear I'll be quick with this author's note. I just wanted to say that when I finish this story, I am going to attempt to upload videos on my YouTube channel of me reading the story. Maybe even draw up some comics for it as well. So if you enjoy listening to stories as much reading them, check my bio for a link to my YouTube channel. Now, on with the final battle!
~oOo~
It took an entire day, but the Cardinal warriors made it to the Northern kingdom. It appeared untouched but the soldiers on the walls showed something different.
"Looks like the Northern army is preparing the kingdom for war." Erika observed.
"That's good. It means that Ivan is still behind." Lukas assured, "Now Tolys. How should we go about this? You know his army best." He glanced at the brunet. Tolys was as pale as a ghost.
Feliciano landed on Erika's head, "We must hurry to the castle! Ivan's army is making their way down the mountain. They'll be upon us soon." He stated.
"His army is so much . . . bigger." Tolys gulped.
"Don't worry Tolys. We're going to save them." Lukas patted his shoulder, "Erika take us in. We must meet up with Matthew, Julchen and Ned. We're going to enter the castle as a company."
"I'm on it. Hang on tight." Erika flapped her wings once and took a nosedive towards the ground.
Feliciano suddenly flew up and attacked another phoenix. Tolys readied his staff to aid the young man.
"NO! DON'T HURT HIM!" Feliciano screeched. He pushed the other bird away and changed into his human form, keeping his wings.
"Animal shapeshifters can keep a part of their animal form in their human form?" Tolys gasped.
"Only one part at a time though." Lukas sighed. The other phoenix changed to a similar form as well. It revealed a young man with dark brown hair and pale green eyes. Although, his eyes were glazed over. He tried to attack Feliciano again who quickly dodged.
"Big brother, I don't want to hurt you! Stop it!" Feliciano whined.
Lukas patted Erika's neck, "Grab him. We're taking him with us." He instructed.
Erika growled in frustration, "That's if I can grab him. He's too fast and too small. I'm a hawk and he's a hummingbird."
Tolys put his staff on his back and held out a hand, shooting an ice beam at the brother's wing. Feliciano panicked, quickly catching his brother. "Easy! You could've froze us." He pouted.
"But I didn't." Tolys rolled his eyes and ushered him closer. The brother fought Feliciano's hold until Lukas pressed two fingers to his forehead.
"There. That should hold him still until we land." Lukas nodded curtly, "Head down now Erika."
Erika wasted no time and flew towards the ground. However she was shot in the shoulder with a beam and the group made a crash landing. Lukas and Tolys rolled onto the ground while Feliciano kept himself in the air with his brother.
"Shit! That is cold." Erika groaned as she turned back into a human.
Tolys slowly stood up and used his staff to melt the ice block on her shoulder, "We were flying over the mountains and I don't doubt Ivan recruited my people into his army." He rubbed his arm.
Erika shook it off, turning her attention to Feliciano. He was on the ground, holding his brother in his arms. He appeared to be crying.
"Please Lovino. Come back to me. Come back and we can go find grandpa. Be a family again." Feliciano whispered. Lovino's expression was neutral and his eyes were still blank. However, he looked to be listening to his twin. Lovino sat up on his own but then turned on a dime and wrapped his hands around Feliciano's throat. Feliciano squeaked and gasped for air, trying to pry his brother's hands off his neck. Then, Lovino loosened his grip.
"You . . . dumbass. Stop crying." Mumbled a gruff, accented voice.
"Oh my stars. Feliciano did it!" Tolys gasped.
Erika raised an eyebrow, "What did he do exactly?" She questioned.
"Feliciano's love for his brother broke the spell on him." Tolys smiled. Feliciano perked up at the sound of that and looked up at Lovino, "Lovi? I-is that you?" He spoke softly.
Lovino snickered softly and yanked his twin in for a tight hug, "I just called you a dumbass. Of course it's me!" He laughed. Feliciano immediately hugged his brother back.
"Amazing. That spell is so hard to break. And the kid did it with little effort." Tolys blinked and jotted something down in a journal.
"Let's get back on task. We're short on time." Lukas huffed and pointed at Lovino, "You're coming with us. You're apart of the company now. Mind me and we won't have any problems." He ordered.
"Keep talking smart, asshole. Like I'll listen to you. I don't enjoy being bossed around." Lovino snorted.
"Big brother. Be nicer; remember what grandpa said. Don't sass unless you have to." Feliciano poked his brother's cheek.
"I will sass all I like, dammit. And no one can stop me." Lovino rolled his eyes.
Erika smirked, "Now those are brothers right there."
Tolys nodded, "Without a doubt. You can't argue with a good teasing."
"Whatever. Just get them to focus. We need to find Ned and the rest of the company." Lukas grumbled.
xXx
After Feliciano got his brother to listen and explained their plan, they were on their way. They even bumped into the other half of their company. Things were starting to get nasty. The warriors and Ivan's army had finally collided. They were locked in fierce battle. Julchen, Erika and Ned handled brute force while Tolys, Matthew and the twin brothers focused on defense. Lukas helped sparsely; he was meant to conserve energy to have as much strength as possible to wield the Crystal scepter.
Matthew suddenly dropped his staff, frozen in place.
"Matthew! What's the matter?! Why did you stop?" Julchen snapped as she shoved away one of the brainwashed troops.
Ned looked up and saw Matthew's brother Alfred among the brainwashed army. Alfred's clouded eyes made contact with Matthew's.
"Pick up your damn staff and use it against him! He's gonna kill you if you don't." Erika huffed.
Matthew shook his head, "NO! I can't hurt him. My magical abilities are stronger than his. I could kill him." He gulped, "That is my brother over there. You don't understand this pressure Rika! If I hurt him, I'll never forgive myself. Even if he brushes it off afterwards."
Alfred began to run towards Matthew. The younger brother refused to pick up his staff and instead braced for impact, squeezing his eyes shut. He opened them when he sensed another presence. Ned had jumped in front of him, hands locked with Alfred's. He had his ears and tail on show.
"Oh! A wolf shapeshifter. Fascinating!" Feliciano gasped.
Lovino hit him upside the head, "You know him idiot. How could you forget that detail?" He grumbled.
"Ned . . ." Matthew said softly.
"I understand your feelings. I could never imagine fighting against my little sister or my little brother." Ned sighed and growled quietly, "Allow me to fight your brother so you don't have to. We are partners. I am meant to help you." He smirked at him over his shoulder. Matthew smiled back.
Ned leaned back and tried to shove Alfred forwards. But Alfred forced him back.
"Someone go for his legs. All Alfred has is his upper body strength." Matthew instructed.
"On it." Lovino jumped in and kicked Alfred's legs out from underneath him. This allowed Ned to pin Alfred down. Matthew knelt down by his brother's head.
"Alright, this worked out for Feliciano and Lovino. Please let it work out for us." Matthew bit his lip, "Come back to me Alfred. We're twins. You're my other half. I can't be stronger if I don't have you. Please listen and come back to me." He rested his forehead against his brother's.
Julchen and Erika kept brainwashed soldiers away from their group as this went on. Feliciano hugged Lovino, quietly begging for this to work. Matthew kept his forehead against Alfred's, almost as if trying to speak to him another way.
"Now I understand why he's a strong warrior." Lukas hummed.
Tolys glanced at the blonde curiously, "Enlighten me." He raised an eyebrow.
"Some of Matthew's magic is similar to his older brother's, Arthur's. The kid is able to connect with people on a spiritual level. And, being apart of a twin set, his strongest bond is with his brother Alfred." Lukas explained, "A sibling bond is something special. And twins have the strongest sibling bonds. That is probably why Feliciano was able to break the spell on his brother. The spiritual bond between twins is just as strong as the spiritual bond between a loving couple."
"Dammit Mattie . . . you had to save me again." Alfred mumbled, "I'm supposed to be the hero here."
Ned released Alfred from his hold. Matthew yanked his brother in for a tight hug, "We can both be heroes. We can be each other's heroes." He laughed.
Julchen cleared her throat, "We're on a clock Matthew. We need to move." She huffed.
Matthew blushed and pulled away to look at Alfred, "Hey Alfie. You wanna help save the world?" He smiled.
Alfred smirked, "Hell yeah I do. Let's go!" He nodded.
Lukas pointed towards the castle, "We're nearly there. Let's get a move on." He ordered.
Moments later, the group made a mad dash towards the castle. Feliciano and Lovino fought off Ivan's soldiers following them. But it was slowly becoming a big problem.
"There's too many!" Feliciano whined.
"They're gonna be on top of us if we don't do something and do it now!" Lovino groaned.
Three hooded figures umexpectedly appeared behind them. Erika and Lukas stopped, quickly recognizing them.
"No way. My mom, my dad. Your dad." Erika stuttered.
"Father?!" Lukas gasped.
Boden winked at him, "Allow the adults to clean up this mess."
Eric patted Astrid's shoulder, "Now don't kill anyone. They're being controlled." He pulled off her cloak.
"I'm a dragon, dear. Not a monster." Astrid scoffed.
Erika giggled, "Other people may say otherwise mother."
"Then remember you're a dragon too." Astrid snickered and shapeshifted into her dragon form. Eric jumped onto her back.
"We'll handle it from here kids. Now go to the castle!" Boden barked and made his staff appear.
Lukas and Erika looked at each other. "You heard the adults. Let's go!" Julchen shouted. The group turned tail and headed through the castle gates.
xXx
The guards let them into the castle. The moment they entered, they were greeted by a couple. A familiar couple. Two tall brunettes, a man and a woman. The man was more pale than the woman and had violet colored eyes with glasses. The woman had tan skin with long curly hair and green eyes. The man wore a typical princely outfit, colored in white and a lighter blue. The woman had on a purple dress that fell off her shoulders slightly with flowing sleeves that also flowed into a poofy skirt.
The girl ran up to Ned and hugged him, "Ned! It has been way too long. I've missed you so much." She cooed.
Ned awkwardly patted her head, "Calm yourself Martina. It hasn't been too long." He muttered.
"It has been months. That's too long! I love Roderich but I wanted to spend time with one of my good friends." Martina pouted but perked up again when she saw Julchen, "Jules!" She squealed and moved on her to tackle her in a hug.
"Hey easy! Your damn dress is gonna crush me." Julchen groaned.
"Not likely. It is a specially designed dress. It allows her to move more freely. She's not as constrained." Roderich clarified.
"Plus, if we need to run for our lives, I can rip off the skirt. I'm wearing pants and boots underneath this." Martina winked and kissed both her friend's cheeks.
"Okay. I'm getting sick and tired of all these distractions. Where's the scepter?" Lukas groaned. Martina gasped and jumped up, "Right! Let's take them to the chamber Roddy." She nodded to her boyfriend.
"Follow me." Roderich urged them to follow.
The royal couple took them down several stairs to the dungeons and down a long hallway lit only by torches. Roderich pulled out a key from around his neck and unlocked the door at the end of the hallway. Martina pushed open the door. In the center of the room was a large stone slab. On it was a dark blue case sealed shut by another lock.
"In there is the Crystal scepter." Roderich stated, "Please be careful. The safety of thousands of people rests in your hands."
"Oh yeah. That's not a lot of pressure to put on Lukas's shoulders." Erika rolled her eyes.
Martina merely smiled, "It's the truth though. If that terrible Ivan gets his hands on it, we're all doomed." She shrugged.
Julchen looked at the phoenix twins, "You two. Take the couple and Alfred to somewhere safe inside the castle. We'll take it from here." She ordered.
"I'm not leaving my brother. I just found him again." Alfred glared at her. Matthew grabbed his hand, "You always get to be the hero Al. Let me do the saving for once. We'll go find Arthur together after all this." He gently squeezed it. Alfred was hesitant but agreed, leaving with the couple and the twins.
Lukas walked up to the case and grabbed it. The moment he grabbed it, the smaller company was teleported somewhere. When they looked around, they appeared to be in the castle's courtyard.
Ivan appeared before them in a cloud of smoke, clapping very slowly. "Thank you so much for retrieving that. You did all the hard work for me. It's much appreciated." He chuckled.
Lukas glared at him, "Like blue hell I'll give it to you." He snapped.
Tolys stepped forwards, "I was with you for so long. I know exactly what you're going to do with it if we give it to you." He huffed. "We refuse to give it to you."
Ivan laughed gleefully, "Oh dear Tolys. I do believe you're going to hand it over." He tapped his staff on the ground. Moments later, a metal cage appeared. It was in the shape of a large bird cage. In it was a blonde woman with a bob cut hairstyle and a flower crown on her head. She looked to be clutching onto something.
"I found this woman not too long ago. She's someone important to you, yes? What was her name again?" Ivan chuckled. The woman made eye contact with Tolys. They were a bright, emerald green color. But they showed an immense amount of fear. Tolys immediately froze up.
"Kaska!" Tolys shouted, reaching out an arm towards her. The blonde gripped one of the bars, "Tolys! Don't listen to this crazy man. He's using me against you. You're above this!" She snapped.
"Miss Kaska, what are you holding?" Matthew asked nervously. Kaska blinked and held up a baby, "Some baby. She's a heavy one though. Like oh my god, have mercy on her poor parents." She pouted.
"Recognize someone?" Ivan smiled at Lukas and Erika who were frozen in place.
Lukas glared daggers at Ivan as he used his magic to melt the lock on the case, "How dare you use my daughter against me?! She has done nothing!" He hissed.
Erika took a step forward but Ivan shot her back. "ERIKA!" Ned shouted and ran after her. The baby girl began to cry. Kaska did her best to soothe baby Gale.
"Naughty, naughty!" Ivan shook his index finger teasingly, "Make any attempt to free them and they're as good as dead. That was a warning shot."
Lukas clenched his fist as he mulled over his options. If he handed over the staff to Ivan, thousands of people would die. If he didn't hand it over, Ivan would more than likely torture Kaska and Gale. Doing something that would result in their deaths.
Come on Lukas. Just stop and think for a moment. Think of a way out of this. Lukas thought to himself and closed his eyes.
"Come on, Bondevik. I don't have all day." Ivan huffed. Lukas opened them and looked at Tolys who stared at him for a moment before nodding. Erika and Ned watched him with confusion. Wizards and shapeshifters were truly two different species.
Lukas took a deep breath and began walking towards Ivan with Tolys, "I am giving this to you in exchange for my daughter's life." He said simply.
"WHAT!?" Ned, Erika and Julchen were in shock.
"That's suicide! We're all dead if he has it." Matthew panicked.
"I'm not losing my daughter because I was too stubborn to let something go." Lukas snapped back.
Ivan relished in the moment as Lukas came closer. When the case was in arms-reach, something happened.
"TOLYS, DO IT NOW!" Lukas shouted. Tolys grabbed his staff and channeled his ice magic into it, shooting Ivan with a glowing, blue beam. Ivan was thrown across the courtyard. Lukas ripped open the case, revealing a shiny purple staff with a large red crystal adorned on the top. He took a deep breath and grabbed the staff, tossing the case aside.
Almost instantly, Lukas felt an enormous amount of power flowing through him. But it caused him so much pain.
While Ivan was down, Erika jumped into action and shapeshifted, nabbing the cage and carrying towards the entrance of the courtyard.
"Stay right here and stay out of the way. Run into the castle if need be." Erika ripped off the cage door. Kaska nodded stiffly.
It took him a few long moments, but Ivan picked himself back up. He trudged towards the group.
"You've weakened me. Let me have it!" Ivan cackled, looking close to insane.
"Lukas, do something!" Matthew gulped.
Lukas gripped the staff tighter, "I'm trying. I-I-I don't know how to . . . use it." He hissed in pain.
"The hell?! You have to know how to use the damn thing?" Ned groaned.
"Well how the fuck is someone supposed to use it if no one can touch it without dying?" Julchen face palmed.
Ivan let out a string of crazy laughter, "No one person can use that staff. Not unless you're a rank elite wizard like myself. Lady Loki wielded that staff alongside her brother Raynor." He grinned like a maniac. Lukas stopped to think for another moment. And then it hit him.
"Everyone, take hold of the staff!" Lukas ordered.
"L-Lukas, you can't be serious. That staff will kill me and Tolys." Matthew stammered.
Lukas looked at Tolys, "Tolys. You said yourself. All forms of love can be magical. Lady Loki wielded this staff with her brother. She managed to use it with the power of love. Yeah it was a familial love but that's still love right?" He explained.
"But if it's love you're talking about, shouldn't Erika wield it with you?" Julchen countered.
Erika gasped, "It shouldn't just be me though! We've all bonded together. We're basically a family. Colleagues or otherwise. That's platonic love at the very least. Love comes in all forms remember." She grinned.
"Are we really going to do this with the power of friendship?" Ned raised an eyebrow.
"Well it's friendship for all of you. It's romantic love in my case." Erika smirked and looked at Lukas, "I said I was going to stick by your side until the end. And I meant it." She grasped the staff.
"Whatever. Let's do this, I guess." Ned followed suit.
"At least if I die, I die a warrior's death and get to die among friends." Julchen came next.
"Dying a hero wouldn't be so bad." Matthew took a spot.
"At least I got to see Kaska one more time. Let's put an end to this." Tolys stepped in last.
Ivan was in shock and all this made him unbelievably angry, "Impossible! Only the most powerful wizards can wield the crystal scepter." He growled, "The last person to wield it was a rank elite!"
"She wielded it, with help." Lukas corrected, "That's where our strength differs. You stole power for yourself. You didn't develop bonds with anyone. And the one person you let in, you tortured and forced him to do your bidding. That in turn drove him away." He raised the staff towards the taller man. "You may be powerful. But you're nothing against someone who has created bonds with others. We are stronger together than we are alone. And that is your downfall."
Ivan took a step back, "No! NO!" He shrieked. A flash of light came from the staff, aiming a large beam towards Ivan. And then, after a loud booming noise similar to thunder, everything went silent.
xXx
Everything had happened so fast. Erika was the first to wake. She was lying on the ground. The blonde glanced around, doing a headcount of everyone. Ned, Matthew, Julchen, Tolys, Lukas. The others were spread out across the courtyard, all sprawled out. Lukas was laying next to the staff, his hands covered in burns. This jolted Erika out of her haze.
Erika got on her hands and knees, carefully crawling towards Lukas. She promised to be with him as he died. She intended to keep that promise, no matter how much her body ached. The blonde flopped down next to him, breathing heavily.
"Take it easy. You're very weak." Kaska knelt beside her, holding a sleepy Gale in her arms. Erika reached out for her baby. Kaska was wary but obeyed her silent request. Erika held the babe against her chest. Baby Gale roused and looked around. Once her eyes rested on Lukas, she recognized him. The baby girl reached out to him, becoming whiny when Lukas didn't response.
"Baby you can't be with daddy. He needs to rest for a while." Erika whispered.
"You mean in death?" Kaska snorted. Erika glared at her.
Gale wriggled and squirmed, beginning to cry. However, something began to happen. The moment the baby began to cry, Erika was becoming less achy. She was able to sit up on her own. Everyone else began to wake up, each taking a moment to process what had happened.
"The burns on my hands. They're healing." Tolys gasped.
"My head doesn't hurt anymore." Julchen placed a hand on her head.
"Baby Gale. She has the power to heal." Matthew blinked in shock.
Erika snapped her head to look down at Lukas. The blonde man grumbled something and opened his eyes.
"What in the blue hell happened?" Lukas sat up and popped his shoulder, then paused. "Wait. I'm supposed to be dead. Why am I alive? How am I alive?" He questioned.
Erika began to cry tears of relief and held out Gale to Lukas, "Th-thank your little girl. She began to cry and she somehow healed everyone." She smiled through her tears.
Lukas looked at the crying babe and took her into his arms, gently rocking her. "Looks like I'll watch you grow up after all." He kissed Gale's head.
"Kaska, go find Martina. Spread the good news." Tolys gazed up at her with a loop-sided smile.
Kaska smirked, "One thing first." She sat on his lap and began to make out with him.
"Hell yeah! Get it Tolys." Erika cackled as she wiped away her tears.
"That escalated quickly. I didn't think they'd become a thing this fast." Ned hummed.
"Horrible events can bring people together. It's not too weird." Matthew shrugged.
"Love can come out nowhere. That's what makes life interesting." Julchen agreed and pulled the young blonde in for a deep kiss. Matthew's face was completely red when she pulled away.
"Now we just need Ned to make out with Sakura." Erika teased. Ned crossed his arms, "No. Just . . . no." He shook his head.
Oh my gosh. I think that was my longest chapter yet. But I did it! I wrote a pretty decent final battle. I at least gave enough information to allow your imagination to run wild. This was actually pretty fun to write. I don't think I'll write anymore battles for a while though.
After all that, I can confidently say that the next chapter will be the final chapter. I really wanted to end it on a multiple of five but my brain is fried and this is already long. I don't know how some fanfic writers do it.
However, despite the next chapter being the final chapter, I don't intend for this story to be the end for this universe. As I've stated in a previous chapter, I do plan to write a story featuring Gale and children born from the ships. Still working out the plot but I hope to get that story started after I end this one. Until next time my fellow Hetalians, hasta la pasta! ~Mistress Churro