Chapter 49: Lifelight
Lucreas- Battlefield - The Next Night
The stars in the sky shined bright in the night sky. Nature was quiet for quite sometime. All the wild animals near the area had ran away from the area; hearing the sounds of footsteps nearby on both sides of the Battlefield. On one side, there was me, my team, all the Lucreans, tamed animals, and powerful machinery walking towards the field. I stood by my allies and my Champions; ready to fight. On the other side, there was all the monsters and soldiers of the Dark Realm, Dharkon's strongest minions, Calamity Tabuu, and Dharkon. My main team looked at Dharkon for the first time and stared at him in shock. "No way... so that's what he looks like..." said Lucina. "She wasn't kidding when she told us about his appearance." Samus replied. Lucina and Zelda nodded their heads in agreement. My team was now wearing a special kind of Lucrean armor and clothing; keeping them safe from Dharkon's powers and abilities. Their weapons also upgraded to be way more powerful than they are in their own worlds. Some of them had even felt their powers and natural fighting abilities get stronger too since we gave them all their items last night. We also recruited all their allies from their worlds, and got them decked out for the battle.
"So that's the ruler of the Dark Realm, huh?" Link asked me. "Yeah... that's him." I replied. We all stared at him and his army as the last of his soldiers stood on the front lines. "You and everyone in your Kingdom has been waiting a very long time for this moment. He has been making your people go through so much pain for many centuries. But tonight... this is where it can finally end. Only you have the power that can stop him. As long as you have the bonds and beliefs of the people you care about with you... you will be invincible." he replied. I nodded my head in understanding as my crystals on my armor began to glow. "And there's him... Calamity Tabuu... the beast that took us all away from her." said Roy. "How long have you all been waiting to challenge him?" I asked. "Ever since he turned us into Trophies... we felt a fire of burning vengeance inside our hearts. The attack he had done to us... the pain he had done to you and Melissa at the Mansion... and making our enemies from our timelines return out of nowhere; causing infinite destruction and fear to our worlds. I can't let that happen again, and I never want to be separated from you again." he replied. "You won't... that's why I'll deal with with him." I replied. "What!?" he and Link replied. "Dharkon is controlling him. Me and my Champions will distract him and keep him off the battlefield, while you and everyone else can deal with the rest of his army." I replied. "Are you nuts!? You're going to get yourself killed by doing that!" Link replied.
"No, she won't." said a voice. We turned around and saw my Dad walk upto us. "The Champions have been training for this moment. They will help her defeat that beast. The allies you have here and from your worlds need you to lead them and protect them in this battle." he said. "Are you sure? What if she needs us?" Roy asked him. "I think that she will do just fine. Look at the determination in her eyes. She knows now that Dharkon is controlling the Calamity. She knows that he is going to test her with it to find a weakness; seeing what makes her tick." he replied. The three of them looked at me and saw that I was staring at Dharkon and the Calamity. Deep inside their hearts, they knew now that this was my fight... and my fight alone. "Roy... Link... keep Pikachu, Loki, and Kujo safe for me. If any of Dharkon's men hurt them... make them pay." I said in a determined, angry tone. They were very surprised by the tone of my voice, but they knew immediately that I was serious. "You got it. And we'll also keep your parents safe." Roy replied. "Thanks." I replied. "And babe? Make sure you and your team get out of there alive. Make Dharkon pay for what he has done. Not only for you... but for all of us." he replied. "I will. I promise." I replied.
He patted my shoulder in thanks, and then we all turned to the other side of the field; seeing Dharkon slowly walk down his side of the field with Calamity Tabuu. "We meet again... Lucreans. And this time you have Galeem's reincarnation with you. Give her to me, and I will spare your worthless lives. We do not want to have a repeat of what happened fifteen years ago now do we?" he said. "No way in hell. I will never allow you to have my daughter." said my Dad. "And you won't be getting her powers either. You and your army can surrender and return to your realm in peace." Volcanis replied. "You had said that last time after I destroyed your homeland. But this time, I came here with something that you all have been looking for." Dharkon replied. "And what would that be?" my Dad replied. Dharkon laughed hauntingly and then looked right at me; smirking with pride. "That would be something that only your daughter would know." he replied. Me and my Champions looked at each other in shock for a second and then turned to Dharkon angrily; knowing exactly who he's got.
Dharkon's army then began making battle cries at us, and were ready to charge. Dharkon looked at them silently for a few seconds, turned back to us, and then gave the command to his army; letting them lose. Once we all saw them running upto us; we began doing the same. It took us all a couple of minutes to run towards each other... but once we got close, we finally clashed. The sounds of weapons, powers, punches, and kicks had started in the middle of the field. Aerial collisions had begun a few seconds later. Tacticians on both sides of the field were giving commands to their allies; making sure that they can clear a path for their leaders. Me and my Champions took down many opponents in our paths, and saw Calamity Tabuu looking down at us; swinging his claws and spiked tail at us. I launched a Electro Ball at his face and made him turn to me. I stared at him with my glowing multi-colored eyes for a moment, and then began running away from the battlefield. He roared loudly at me and began making the charge after me. My Champions and Dharkon followed us a few seconds later. Once both armies saw the beast leave the field, my team knew now that they had the upper hand; leaving Dharkon's admins very angry.
"Spirit! Where are we going?" River asked me. "Everest Creek. It's one of the biggest areas of the Kingdom. That's where you, Skye, and Frost can have the water advantage." I replied. "You got it." she replied. After that, my Champions and I kept on running to Everest Creek with Dharkon and Calamity Tabuu on our tails. As we ran, our allies had taken down most of the weak soldiers of Dharkon's army. They then looked at his strongest soldiers and admins on the frontlines. "This is it, everyone! They are the ones left standing! Stay focused and find their weaknesses!" said Volcanis. Both sides then charged at each other again; ready to end this war.
Everest Creek
"Come on! This way! Quick!" said Pyros. Me and my Champions made it to the Creek and turned back to where we ran from; seeing Calamity Tabuu run towards us and making hundreds of trees fall by his speed and size. "Holy shit... he is huge!" said Core. "Yeah. Huge and angry. Just look at him. He only has his eyes on Spirit." Volt replied. "So now what do we do?" River asked. "Lure him to the water. You, Skye, and Frost can use the water to distract and freeze him in place, and then we'll all attack him from the sides." Pyros replied. "You got it." River replied. "Everyone! Scatter!" Core replied. We scattered to different parts of the Creek and began luring the Beast towards us. As we did that, Dharkon stood by the not fallen trees in the distance; wanting to see what me and the Champions are planning.
"Bring him closer to the water, Spirit! He's only focused on you!" said Lux. "Got it!" I replied. I fired a couple Light Spheres at the Beast's face; making him focused on me. He roared loudly and began running towards me. Skye then used her powers to make herself fly in the air and create ring-shaped blasts of wind from her hands; hitting Tabuu at his head and sides. He roared again and then swung his spiked tail at her; hitting her and knocking her down. Jinx then used her Magic powers to make herself fly and then catch Skye in mid-air; saving her life. Skye looked at Jinx and saw the pink glow in her eyes, knowing how much she has grown in strength. "Thanks, Jinx." she said. "You're welcome." Jinx replied. Jinx released her and then Skye used her powers to stay in mid-air again; seeing the Beast swing his tail at the rest of us. We dodged and ducked from the tail and then used our powers to keep him at bay.
"What is this thing up too!?" said Volt. "Destruction. Dharkon made him specifically for destruction." Soros replied. "And to eliminate Spirit." Volt replied as they attacked the Beast's legs. Tabuu swung his claws and tail at us again, but we got out of the way in time. Skye, River, and Frost got to the water of the Creek, nodded their heads, and then combined their powers to freeze the Beast's legs. Once his legs were frozen in place, he gave out an agitated cry; trying to break free. "Alright! They got him!" Pyros cheered. "Now let's finish this." Tempos replied. We all then made our ambush at him; hitting him at every angle we can find. When I flew up at his face and fired a Light Sphere at him, I noticed that someone was inside of him. "What the hell..?" I said to myself. I hit Tabuu's face again, saw the person inside, and then felt a familiar aura from them. My eyes widened in shock to the person inside, and then I remembered what Dharkon said before the battle said. "That would be something that only your daughter would know." he said in my thoughts. The quote stopped playing and then Tabuu looked at me; seeing the shocked look on my face. "...Neos..." I said to myself in a worried tone.
Tabuu struggled a little bit more and swung his tail at my team; knocking them away. When I watched my brother and my friends get knocked back, I clutched my hands in anger, now knowing what Dharkon had done to Neos. I turned to the Beast and then made Light Chains from my wrists; surrounding the Beast and locking him into place. He roared in anger and fired a Chaos Beam at me. Once it came close, I dodged it way faster than the speed of Light. "Whoa... when did she know how to do that?" Core asked the group as they stood together. "Probably when she was rescuing her friends." River replied. "But now it's just her against him... on her own... what do we do now?" Core replied. "We wait." Lux replied. The group looked at him confused for a moment; wondering why he said that. "Lux..? Were you using your powers to see through the Beast?" Soros asked him. Lux nodded his head yes to his question. "What did you see?" Volt asked. "You'll know who in a few seconds. Just watch." he replied. They were curious of what he had said, and then the group looked up at me and the Beast; waiting to see what happens next.
"Neos... so this is what Dharkon has done to you. He knew about your feelings about me... and used them to trick and kidnap you in order to become this monster. A corrupted version of a Subspace monster that my friends fought over a decade ago. I may not know how he had retrieved Tabuu's remains... but once he used them on you with his Chaos powers, he had corrupted you and your mind; telling you to destroy everything in your way. Not only to please him... but to keep yourself alive and not let him kill you when your job was done. But when I saw you at the Mansion when you turned all my friends into Trophies, I felt you. I felt your aura... your presence; telling me to run away. Your voice had broken through the mental barriers of my brain, making me start on this long, tireless journey to rescue every world that Dharkon and his army had corrupted. And now.. we meet again... face to face. No one to stand in our way now. I know that you are in there, Neos. Please... wake up, and reach out to me again. Not as this monster... but as my best friend. Fight the Chaos inside of you, and let your heart reach out to the Light. But if you want to continue on this destructive path... then do it. Fire that Beam or slash me again. I won't fight back against you. Finish me off... and let Dharkon use us for whatever he wants." I said in the saddest tone with tears in my eyes.
The Beast stood still for a moment, gave out a soft growl, and stopped resisting the Chains; letting himself calm down and rest. "What!? That Beast is actually Neos!?" said Jinx on shock. "Mhm. Dharkon had made Neos as the core of the Beast. When Tabuu was alive... he never had the ability to travel to different worlds, according to her friends at the Mansion. Once Dharkon found out about it, he chose to go after Neos and use him as the core of the revived Subspace ruler. But as he was putting his remains on Neos... his powers had turned him into this Beast; losing the abilities that he had once before." Lux replied. "But why is she surrendering!? She's going to get herself killed!" Core replied. "...She's trying to get him to break free." Tempos replied. "Really?" Core replied. Tempos, Soros, Pyros, Volt, and Lux nodded their heads yes to his question. "Let's hope this works. 'Cause if it doesn't... all of our worlds are done for." said Frost. The group nodded their heads in agreement and then looked up at me and the Beast; wondering what will happen next.
I closed my eyes and was prepared for whatever happens now. Tabuu slowly lifted up his head, opened his mouth, and prepared a red/black beam from it. As he did that, I sensed Neos' aura from inside his head. As I read his energy... his mind was awake and conscious, but his body was physically asleep. Dharkon was smiling in the distance; seeing victory was close at hand. Tabuu roared and fire the beam at me. Once it came close... I opened my glowing white eyes, transformed into my Guardian form, flew through the beam, and went inside Tabuu's head. "What!?" Dharkon yelled in anger. My team was in shock of what I have done; thinking that I was insane for doing this. I traveled through the Beast's head for a few minutes, following Neos' aura trail, and then I found him; chained up on the core. My eyes and armor glew brightly for a second, and then I used my powers to destroy the chains; setting him free. I caught him as he fell, and began flying out of the Beast. Tabuu roared violently as Neos was freed, and was beginning to be a monster that was out of control.
"Come on, sis..." said Lux to himself; praying that I get out alive. A few seconds later, I got out of Tabuu's head and flew down to Lux and the others; showing them Neos in my arms. The girls gasped in shock as I gently layed him down on the grass. The group was also in awe of my Guardian form as I looked at them. "Watch over him for me. I got unfinished business to deal with." I said. They nodded their heads in understanding. "When you finish him... try to heal him." Soros told me. "...I will." I replied. After that, I flew back to Tabuu; seeing him begin his destructive rampage. I made multiple circles on the ground and summoned Light pillars; hitting him. He roared loudly and fired multiple Chaos beams at me, but I quickly dodged them with ease and reflected the attacks back at him. He roared in pain and then tried to slash me, but I tossed him around with my Psychic powers; making him hit the rocky cliffs away from people's homes. "Holy shit!" said Pyros in a surprised tone. "She's not playing around anymore. She is serious." Frost replied. "Mhm. This is her vengeance against the Beast that turned her friends into Trophies. And for what Dharkon had done to him." Lux replied as the group looked down at Neos.
Neos' body was still for a moment, and then all of a sudden... his eyes and fingers began to twitch! "Guys! He's... he's waking up!" said Jinx in a surprised tone. Lux knelt down to him and saw the crystals of his armor begin to glow a galaxy blue color. A few seconds later, Neos finally opened his gray eyes; seeing Lux looking down at him. "...Lux..? Is that really you?" he asked him. Lux nodded his head yes to him, smiled, and had tears in his eyes; happy to see him awake. "...Yeah. It's me." he replied. Neos lightly smiled at my brother, and then looked at our childhood friends; seeing the happy tears in their eyes. Pyros helped him sit up on the ground, and then the girls hugged him. "We've missed you." said River. "I've missed you guys too. I'm sorry for following Dharkon's tricks." Neos replied. "It's okay. We all know that you didn't mean to be tricked by him. You should've known that he was using your feelings for Spirit in order to take control of you and your powers." she replied. Neos blinked his eyes and lowered his head in guilt; knowing that she was right. "But hey... at least Spirit came back and saved your life." Volt replied. "Wait what!? She's here!? She's alive!?" Neos replied in shock. "Yeah, she's alive. Don't you remember seeing her at that Mansion a few months ago?" Tempos replied. Neos shook his head no to his response, and then the group heard a collision of an attack nearby.
The group stood up and looked at Tabuu's claws being held by my energy shield. Neos' eyes widened in shock to see me physically fighting and in my Guardian form for the first time. "How..? How did she..?" he said. "A lot of training." Soros replied. "And memory recollecting." Tempos added. "What!? She lost her memories?" Neos replied. "It's a long story. We'll tell you after you reunite with your family." Lux replied. "Oh... okay." Neos replied. They then looked back up at the sky and continued watching the fight. I made multiple Swords of Light and fired them at the Beast; making him roar in pain. After the Swords disappeared, I concealed myself in a ball of Light. Tabuu made a Chaos Beam in his mouth; ready to strike. As he fired it, I flew through the Beam and went inside of him. He felt some pain as I flew inside of him. I flew down to his heart and then used my energy from the ball and my soul to make the Beast explode; defeating him once and for all. Most of my group was cheering in celebration; seeing our foe finally defeated. Dharkon was angered by his defeat and began to wonder if he and his admins had underestimated me after all this time.
As he thought of those things, he saw a Sword of Light pointing at him. He looked up and saw me flying in front of him; staring him down intensely. "You..." he said in a dark, angry tone. "It's over, Dharkon. You and your army have lost your battle here... just like what happened many centuries ago. And now you will pay for your crimes of what you have done to my people." I replied in a very serious tone. His eyes lightly widened in shock to what I have said, and then saw a familiar look in my eyes. "That look in your eyes... they look just like Galeem's. So it is true then... his soul is inside of you... heh, well then Galeem... you and your reincarnation may have won this battle in your Kingdom... but you have not won the war." he said with a smirk. He then took out his spiked, bone sword and swung it at me; pushing me out of the way. I got very lucky that I wasn't hit by the spikes of the sword as I was pushed back. "We will meet again... for our final battle. And I'll make sure that it will be the last time that we face each other... in our strongest forms." he said as a Shadow portal appeared behind him. I stood up and went after him. As I got close, he disappeared into the portal and it closed.
I fell onto my knees and punched the ground angrily. "Dammit! He got away!" I said. "For now. But you heard what he had said... we will meet him again for our final battle." said Galeem as he appeared beside me. I turned to my right and saw him looking down at me. He extended his hand to me, and I took it. He helped me stand up, and we looked at each other silently; reading each other's thoughts. We nodded our heads to each other, and then he disappeared. I turned back to normal a few seconds later, put my hood down, and then collapsed to the ground; exhausted from using my soul and energy to defeat Tabuu. Now I began to know how Galeem felt when he did this against Dharkon and his monsters many centuries ago. I slowly breathed in and out for a moment, and then closed my eyes; passing out from exhaustion.
The Next Morning- Spirit's Castle- Spirit's Bedroom
"...Spirit? Spirit?" said a voice. I opened my eyes, lightly shook my head, sat up, and looked around my room; seeing my parents, Lux, Roy, Pikachu, Loki, and Kujo here. "Pika!" said Pikachu happily as he ran over to me. I looked down at him, lightly smiled, and petted his head; happy to see him safe. "Good morning, Pikachu." I said with a smile. Loki and Kujo ran over to me and began to nuzzle me too; making me laugh happily. "Good morning to you too, Loki and Kujo." I said as I petted their heads. My parents, Lux, and Roy smiled warmly at what was happening, but they were mostly happy to see a smile on my face. "Good morning, sweetheart." said my Mom. I turned to her and everyone else in the room, and lightly smiled at them. "Good morning, Mom." I replied. How are you feeling?" she asked me. "I feel fine. Why? Did something happen?" I replied curiously. "After the battle had ended... Neos, Lux, and the rest of your group brought you back home to us. They found you unconscious on the ground." she replied. "We think you passed out from the strength you used against Tabuu in your Guardian form. It's power must've put a strong limit on you to use for a certain amount of time." Lux replied.
I blinked my eyes in understanding, and then looked at the birthmark on my hand; thinking about what happened last night. "Speaking of Tabuu... I heard that you and your team fought him very well at the Creek." said my Dad. "Yeah... we did. I wanted to fight him there because I didn't want him destroying many homes in the Central part of the Kingdom. I couldn't risk anymore innocent lives being taken by him." I replied. "You did the right thing, sweetheart. I know that you would put other people's feelings first than your own feelings. You did exactly what Galeem would do... caring about your people and their safety more than anything. That is what a Champion is supposed to be. And you have followed that path ever since you were born." he replied. "Thank you, Dad. I've learnt it all from you." I replied. He smiled warmly at me, walked over, and kissed the top of my head. "I'm so proud of you. And I am very glad that you came home safe." he said. "Thank you. And I am glad that all of you are back home safe too." I replied. He hugged me in thanks to my words, and then all of us walked out of my room, and went to the Main Hall; seeing our allies there.
Main Hall
As we walked into the Hall, Pyros and Volt lightly punched Neos' shoulders; making him turn to them. "What was that for?" he asked them. "Look who's up." Pyros replied as he pointed at me. The group turned around and saw me reuniting with my friends from the Mansion. We were talking about how successful our win against the Dark Realm army was. Neos stared at me in awe; admiring how much I have grown up. The girls looked at him and noticed the light blush appearing on his face. They then turned to each other and smiled; confirming that Neos is still in love with me. Soros then stepped in and gave Neos a light push; surprising him. "...Go. You've been waiting so long to see her, and wanting to tell her how you really feel about her." he told him. Neos looked at him and took his words to heart; knowing now that this is only chance. He blinked his eyes, and nodded his head to the group. The group lightly smiled and nodded their heads to him. After that, he turned away from them and began walking over to me.
As he walked, he felt his heart nervously beating really fast. He knows that he has never felt this nervous in his life. How much have I changed to him? Does he think that I am the sweet, bubbly five year old girl he used to know? Those were the thoughts that ran through his head. After a couple more steps, he saw me turn around and look at him. My group went silent as I looked at him; wondering what was going on. My eyes were lightly widened in shock to see him standing and fully healed from all of Dharkon's chaos and darkness. I felt my eyes tear up and my heart beating fast; happy to see him again. "...Hey, Spirit." he said as his eyes were filling up with tears too. "Neos..." I replied. A few seconds later, we ran upto each other, and gave each other the biggest hug in the world; while crying in each other's arms. "I've missed you so much." I said. "I've missed you too, Spirit." he replied. We shared our embrace for about 5 minutes, and then let each other go. "Hey... no tears falling on that pretty face of yours." he said as he wiped off my tears. "I'm sorry." I replied. "It's okay. At least they are tears of joy, right?" he replied. "Yeah." I replied.
We lightly laughed happily for a second, and then he noticed the scar on my face for the first time. "Spirit? How did you get this scar on your face? Did Dharkon do this to you?" he asked me. I shook my head no to his second question. "I got it from a training accident." I said. "A training accident?" he replied curiously. "Mhm. See the giant spiked-shell turtle with red hair on his head? His son had a vehicle malfunction that caused his weapons to explode out of it. And one of the weapons gave me the scar on my face." I replied. He was very shocked and surprised to my answer. "Don't worry, kid. She can still see perfectly fine. It's all in the past now." said Bowser as he patted my head. "Yep." I replied with a smirk. "And this was way before she regained her memories." said Wolf. "I see... this happened when you were still called Taylor, right Spirit?" Neos replied. I nodded my head yes to his question. "Wait!? How did you know that?" Bowser replied in shock. "Her parents told me. After we got her back here last night... they told me about everything that had happened to her... even things that she told them about." Neos replied. My team was very surprised to what he had said; wondering what he had learned about me.
"That means you know about her hooking up with-" said Lucina. "Me." Roy replied as he walked over to us. I turned to him and saw his eyes were looking at Neos. Once I saw them stare at each other, I began to feel very nervous; hoping that they don't fight with each other. They looked at each other silently for a few more seconds, lightly smiled, and shook hands. "I know that we met last night, but I just want to say... it's very nice to meet you, Neos." said Roy. "It's very nice to meet you too, Roy. Thank you for always being there for Spirit. I can see now how much you two really care for each other." Neos replied. "So that means you approve of us?" Roy asked. Neos nodded his head yes to his question. I breathed a big sigh of relief as they ended the handshake. I looked at my childhood friends a few seconds later and saw them snickering at me. Roy and Neos looked at them too for a few seconds, and then looked at me; seeing the flustered, embarrassed look on my face. "Oh, man... you both just made her go on a mental roller-coaster ride on that one." said Volt as he wiped something off his eye. "I have never seen her that scared in my life! That was amazing!" Pyros replied.
"Alright, kids... that's enough." said my Dad as I walked over to him. He and Mom gave me a couple hugs to help calm my senses. If there is one thing that I can't stand the least... it is getting really embarrassed. When I get this flustered, I just want to hide in a room where I feel safe and wait for it all to disappear. "Oh come on... we're just having fun. She knows that we're just playing with her." said Core. "Yeah. That's all what we were doing." Pyros replied. "Were you though? You thought that teasing her feelings was funny to you? I swear... some of you haven't changed since we were kids." Neos replied sternly. "Whoa... take it easy, man. No need to get strict on us." Core replied. "You wanna bet?" Neos replied; ready to teach him a lesson. "Bring it on, Space Boy." Core replied. "Okay, boys... calm down. We don't want things being broken around here." said my Mom. As they argued, I snook away from everyone and went back to my room. Little did I know was that both Roy and Neos saw me sneaking away. They followed me a couple minutes later; hoping that I am okay.
Spirit's Bedroom
I closed the door and layed down on my bed. As I layed down, I noticed that I was shaking nervously and felt queasy. This is a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time. The last time that I felt this feeling was the night before I confessed my feelings to Roy. And let me tell you... that night wasn't easy for me to handle. I wanted to stay by my bathroom all throughout the night to calm my stomach and nerves down. I remembered Link, Corrin, and Cloud knocking on my door; trying to ask me if I was okay. I had to lie to them a bunch of times, but I had a hidden feeling that they knew what was happening to me that night. When the day came and I told Roy my feelings for him... I felt a lot better, and was finally able to relax after he told me his feelings for me and start dating each other. Huh... now that I think about that night... I realized that I was overreacting and letting my nerves take over me. Sometimes all it takes is to go out there and face your fears head on. Once you conquer them... you'll feel a lot more better about yourself.
I got off my bed a few minutes later and walked out to my patio; seeing the view of the Kingdom outside. I slowly took some deep breaths and began to relax; letting my nerves calm down. As I relaxed, a pair of arms had gently wrapped around me. Once I felt the arms, I was very surprised and twitched for a second. I turned to my right and saw the person that was holding me. "Neos..? How did you?" I said. "I knew that you would hide here. I know all the hiding places we have made in the Kingdom ever since we were kids." he replied. I blinked my eyes a couple times and then rested my head onto his chest. After I did that, his face slightly turned pink, and then smiled warmly at me. "You know... this feels really nostalgic." he said. "What? Just us hugging like this?" I replied curiously. "Mhm. Just having you in my arms like this... it reminds me of the days when I was your knight in shining armor; comforting you as you cried when the kids at school had teased you. Everytime I held you like this, I kept feeling my heart skip a few beats. I didn't understand it at first, but as I grew up... and kept thinking about you... I realized... that I have fallen in love with you." he replied. My eyes lightly widened in shock what he had said. I looked up at him, and he looked down at me; staring into my eyes. As I looked at him, I felt my face turn pink, and wanted to know more of how he felt about me.
"Heh... just seeing that Light in your eyes. That calm, loving, peaceful light that shines deep in those eyes of yours... it makes my heart feel warm and happy. I have never felt this feeling with any of the girls I dated in the past. I only feel this feeling with you. It made me realize how special you truly are to me. You have left a huge impact on my heart, Spirit. You mean everything to me. Everytime you smiled, you get me flustered and lose my track of thoughts. When I feel the warmth of your embrace... I feel like I am right at home... home with you. Keeping you safe in my arms... and never letting you go." he said in a calm, quiet tone. "Neos..." I replied in a soft, quiet tone. "I know that your heart already belongs with Roy, but I just want to let you know how much I love and care about you. All I want for the rest of my life is to see you happy. He told me how you make him happy everyday, and how he does the same for you. Just hearing how happy you are with him... it makes me happy." he replied. "But in your heart... you wish that I was with you instead?" I replied. He blinked his eyes once, and nodded his head yes to my question. "I know... it sounds so selfish for me to think about it and say that. But I treasure the times we had spent together and the happiness you gave me. Now all I want is just to see you happy. But you will always have a special place in my heart, Spirit. I love you... and I always will." he replied.
I looked up at him silently for a couple seconds; taking his confession to heart. To be honest, I felt happy and relieved to know his true feelings for me, but somewhere deep in my heart... I could tell that he was feeling sad and heartbroken. He had been waiting for a very long time to tell me this; knowing that this might be his only chance to tell me all of this. And it also made realize... that ever since I got my memories back... all I kept thinking about was him. All of the days that we spent together when were kids; smiling, laughing, playing, and getting through the tough times together... it made me see how truly special he is to me. Not only as my best friend... but also... as my first crush. Now that I think about it... everything that Roy is to me now... is just as the same I had wanted with Neos. A guy who is brave, strong, caring, loving, and not afraid to tell me his feelings. That is the perfect guy I have wanted in my entire life.
"Spirit..? You alright?" Neos asked me. I snapped back into reality and saw the curios look on Neos' face; wondering what was going on. I blinked my eyes once, stood up on my toes, and gave him a kiss on the cheek; surprising him. His eyes widened in shock after I did that. We let go of each other and shyly turned away for a moment. Once we turned back to each other, he saw the shy look on my face for the first time. "Spirit... did you..." he said. I nodded my head yes to his question. "But... why..?" he asked. "Ever since I got memories back... all I kept thinking about was you. There were so many things I wanted to tell you about when I was away. The things that I have learned from so many people from different worlds... the friends that I have made... the things I could do with my powers. Everytime your name popped into my head... all of those memories back here with you kept coming back to me... it made me realize... that I have fallen in love with you." I replied. His eyes widened in shock and his jaw slightly dropped to my response; wondering what was happening right now. "Are... are you serious..? You're in love... with me..? You feel the exact same way I feel about you..?" he said. I nodded my head yes to him; confirming my answer. He blinked his eyes a couple times, and then showed off the biggest smile he had ever done in his life.
I couldn't help but smile back at him. We laughed happily together and then shared another hug; while making sure we don't squeeze each other to death. "But what about Roy? You're still in love him, right?" he asked. "Mhm. But you will always have a special place in my heart. I love you, Neos. I always have... and I always will." I replied. "Spirit..." he replied. We stared into each other's eyes silently for a moment, slowly leaned to each other, gently closed our eyes, and shared a kiss. To us at this moment... it felt right to do this. Our hearts were beating as one, and we felt complete. Our lips let go a moment later, and we opened our eyes and smiled warmly at each other with slight blushes on our faces. "Wow... that was..." I said. "Amazing?" he replied. I nodded my head yes to his response; making him happy. "About time, you two." said a voice.
We jumped out of each other's arms in shock and turned to my room; seeing our parents, Lux, Roy, and the rest of our Champions there looking at us. "What the!? Babe!? What are you doing up here!?" I said in shock. "I followed him up here. I've been here the entire time you two were talking." Roy replied as he walked over to me. "That means you saw-" I replied. "Yep." he replied. I blushed wildly to his response and put my hood on nervously; scared of what he is going to say. "Spirit..?" he said calmly. He gently took my hood down and saw my eyes nervously look up at him. "You think that I am jealous right now, aren't you?" he asked me. I blinked my eyes and nodded my head yes to him. He lightly smiled and shook his head; making me confused. "Spirit... I gave him permission to kiss you." he said. "Huh!?" I replied in shock. "When we first met last night, he told me about his feelings about you. I could tell how much you meant to him... so I gave him permission to tell you his true feelings for you and share that little moment together." he replied. I was very surprised of his answer and turned to Neos; seeing a light smile on his face. "It's true." he said.
I was surprised and speechless after that. How did they get along with each other last night? What did I miss when I passed out? Roy and Neos lightly laughed happily together and patted my back; letting me know that everything is okay. "Come on, kids. Why don't we have a nice, big breakfast?" said my Mom. "That sounds great." Roy replied. After that, we all went downstairs and had breakfast with everyone; enjoying the peaceful time for now.
In front of the Great Fox- A few hours later
"You really have to go?" Lux asked me. "Yeah... I have to. My friends and I have a lot more of our friends to save. And they need my help to travel to their worlds and restore their worlds from Dharkon's corruption. Once we find them all, we will return here and prepare for our final battle with Dharkon." I replied. He sadly blinked his eyes, crossed his arms, and looked down; not wanting me to leave. "Hey... Lux... I promise... I will come back home. We will see each other again... I promise." I said as I put my hand on his shoulder. "She's right, sweetheart. She will come back. You just have to believe in her." said my Mom. Lux then looked up, blinked his eyes, and looked at me; seeing the Light in my eyes. "Okay... just promise me that you won't lose any of your friends on this journey." he said. "I promise." I replied with a light smile. We shared a hug for a moment, let go, and then turned to Loki and Kujo. "As for you two... I want you to stay here with Mom, Dad, and Lux. I want you both to keep them safe while I'm gone. And also... keep an eye on Neos for me, okay? If you see him sad... I want you both to comfort him for me." I said. Loki and Kujo nuzzled me in understanding; making me pet them happily.
After petting them, I went to hug my parents goodbye. "Stay safe, Spirit." said my Dad. "I will. I promise to call you guys when I get to other worlds safely." I replied. "We know you will." he replied. After hugging them, I hugged all my childhood friends; telling them to stay safe and keep on training. When I got to Neos... we both shared a little smile and shared our embrace. "Good luck, Spirit. I hope that your friends will be okay when you rescue them." he said. "Thank you. Neos?" I replied. "Yeah?" he replied. "Can you keep an eye on Lux for me? I wanna make sure that he will be okay for a little while when I'm gone." I replied. "I will." he replied. "Thanks." I replied. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and let him go; surprising him. I smiled and winked my eye at him before turning back to Roy, Link, and the others. We all waved goodbye to everyone in my Kingdom, and then went to our Ships.
"So... who are we rescuing next?" Mario asked me. "Palutena." I replied. "Palutena!?" said Pit and Dark Pit surprised. "Mhm. Her Trophy is in her Temple. If we all distract her False self for a bit of time, Pit and Dark Pit can go inside the Temple and find her Trophy there." I replied. "Her Trophy is in the Temple? Alright! You got it, Spirit! You can count on us!" Pit replied happily. Dark Pit nodded his head in agreement; making his light counterpart happy. "Okay. Time to rescue a Goddess." I replied. After that, we went inside our Ships, and flew off to Pit and Dark Pit's world; heading for Palutena's Temple.
Thank you so much for reading Chapter 49 of the story! Holy crap... what a way to end 2020. A year full of craziness and so many other things... I am glad that this Chapter is the way to end 2020 for me. The plot of this one really took so long to figure out, due to mental breaks and the holidays. I hope that you all had a good and safe Holiday season. And let's make 2021 a positive New Year full of love and happiness! Again, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day!
Next time, Chapter 50: Palutena (Goddess of Light). Our heroes arrive at Palutena's Temple and face off against two familiar foes of the two Angels. How can they get to Palutena's Trophy on time and defeat these two foes? Find out in Chapter 50!
