A/N: Hiya, loyal readers. Hope all's well. This is going to be a very fast-paced chapter, so try to keep up ;) Lives are on the line and the world is in the balance... as usual.
As for those of you that have been asking about lemons – I know some of you want me to add lemon scenes, though I know that some people do not like them. If I add a lemon scene, I'll have it be one chapter so it is easily skippable for those who do not care for them. Also, Lightning and Hope have not had sex yet. If/when they do, I'll make it clear.
Read and review :)
Reviewers:
A Better Day1 – Aida had darker tanned skin but even with that, yeah I get what you're saying. She did kinda look like her. Thank you for the compliments and I am glad that this fic has had such a good impact on your life. And I'll make sure to keep any intimate scenes tasteful and anything too intimate avoidable, all right?
Lightphantom742 – Thanks so much. I look forward to your reviews with every chapter I write. I really hope life's doing better for you. I know my life is a disaster zone right now and I'm not quite sure how to fix it. Hope you're well :)
Ototoi no Asa- Thanks so much. Sorry for the wait.
Guest – I may do so. You'll just have to wait and see.
Reader – Thank you :)
Crush-Chan17 – Thanks for all of the reviews. It was great to hear all of your feedback on every chapter. Hope this chapter is to your liking.
Revised: October 2015
Fire and ash fell all around us. It was utter chaos and destruction. The people we passed cried out in desperation, trying to survive. Their eyes were filled with such fear and despair, but I never let myself stray. My thoughts and actions were solely on you. My hand's grip on yours was all I allowed myself to feel. As long as you were with me, as long as you were safe, nothing else mattered. The beat of your heart is all I live for...
"We have to be completely sure about this, Maq," warned Cass for yet a third time as his companion tried unsuccessfully to get ahold of Hope. "Still not picking up?"
This was too important. Far too important. He had to reach Hope. Maqui knew exactly what Cass was so worried about, but the teen didn't need to keep prattling on about it. Did he think that he wanted to start another war? But this could mean finding and defeating Castea. This could mean taking down the fal'Cie behind all of this. Hope could use the crystal without worrying about the enemy's desires. Snow could wake up. "Ugh, I'm trying again." Before the elder was able to dial once more, the cell flew from his hand, a bullet piercing straight through the device and causing it to fly into the wall.
"Sorry, boys," came a rather gruff female voice from the entrance to the Academy library. A toned and lean woman stood there, a smirk across her face as she glanced at the man beside her.
Maqui's eyes widened as he took an involuntary step back. "Who..."
Cass moved forward, golden triple barrel revolver trained on the unwelcome newcomers. "Who are you and what do you want?" the brunet demanded.
The woman only continued to grin as she began to walk toward the two. Before she could take three steps however, Cass pulled the trigger twice, aiming right between the eyes of the intruder.
A hefty blade swung through the air, blocking the bullets from their target and causing them to ricochet away. "I don't think so, little man." The grey haired man accompanying the woman pulled his sword back at his side as he gained a fighting stance.
Maqui's heart began to thump harshly in his chest as he looked upon the two with fear in his eyes. He had nothing to fight with since his weapon was up in his shop. The NORA member cursed himself for not being prepared. Blue eyes glanced at Cass for a moment, seeing the courage and strength that the teen possessed. Cass was ready and willing to fight.
"They're Castea's men," Cass whispered quickly, seeing the brand above the woman's brow and the one on the man's hand. "We're no match for them, especially since you don't have your gun. We have to get out of here."
Maqui's fists tightened. These were the people that had stolen his friends. These are the bastards that... Flashes of his humiliating, degrading, and painful beating came to his mind. I will not run and hide this time.
"Hey!" All eyes turned to the left side entrance of the library just before two chakrams were flung in the enemy's direction. The large woman ducked one as the man swiped the other with his weapon. "Need a little assistance?" The Pulsian jumped to catch her chakrams as they came back, soon tossing Maqui a gunblade. She then ran before the two men, weapons at the ready before her. Looking at the two l'Cie with abhorrence, Zalera found she recognized the woman. In fact, it hadn't been that long since she had killed her. "I don't believe you belong here."
Hope jerked forward, now awake as he sat up, sweat dripping from his brow. He'd known it had all been a dream, but everything had been so real. His thoughts were scattered as he tried to focus on his and Castea's conversation and her parting words that she had spoken with such passion. "As you wish." His body trembled as those words reverberated through his body. No, it was all real. She's going to-
"Hope!" Lightning shouted, immediately pulling him close and checking his pulse. She thought he was gone... "What happened?" One minute everything had been peaceful and the next he wasn't breathing.
"I..." Heaving in a few much needed breaths, the teen tried to speak. Lightning looked panicked and it threw him for a moment. He thought that it had all been in his mind. Did something happen to her too? "Are you... okay?"
Lightning quirked a brow. "Me? You were the one that didn't have a pulse a minute ago. I was performing CPR when you just suddenly woke up and nearly threw me from the bed."
Hope blinked at the new information. Apparently Castea had wanted to make sure that their conversation wouldn't be interrupted. She'd frozen him in time just like she had with the others. "We don't have time for this. Listen, Light. I think that they're going to-"
A loud thunderous boom came from the distance, silencing all in the room as the whole house shook in its wake. It was already starting.
Screams and shouts. Explosions and gunshots. Dead bodies and lost souls. That was the scene as smoke rose into the air, masking the city as it was quickly being torn apart. Buildings crumbled as missiles shot through them, turning the inhabited structures to rubble. Bodies of civilians and soldiers alike laid in the streets, their blood mixing on the pavement. Havoc and turmoil ruled Academia, and it had only been twenty minutes.
"You shouldn't be out here, Gadot!" Yuj tried to push him back towards the hospital, but he knew it was no use. The stubborn man didn't want to go.
"I'm not going to sit back and watch this city fall." Another large explosion went off behind them, nearly sending them both to the ground. Windows shattered from the nearby building, glass shards falling around them. "This can't be happening."
Ships, dozens of them, hovered in the sky. Some dropped off men that were now shooting and killing innocent people. Other ships shot off their artillery at buildings, sending most to the ground. Yuj didn't understand it. What the hell is going on? It was like the Hanging Edge all over again. The screams of the dying purge victims filled his ears once again, the traumatic event still existing as a very large stain on his psyche. All those people NORA had tried to save just died. The mistakes of the past were doomed to repeat.
"Watch out!"
Suddenly Yuj found himself shoved to the ground as Gadot began to take on one of the enemy. The blunet watched in a daze, noticing the mark on the man's chest that was exposed above his shirt.
"You bastards. I'm not letting you get away with what you've done." Gadot shot at the man, but the bullets bounced off of his invisible shield.
Smirking, the male Pulsian brought out his own gun, aiming it toward Gadot. "I think I liked you better asleep."
Gadot's eyes flared with fury as he gritted his teeth. Bringing his gun back up, he prepared to fire, only to find that he wouldn't need to.
The l'Cie had no time to even cry out before a sharp blade pierced his skull from behind. Yuj yanked the knife back out, letting the lifeless man fall to the ground. "Are you just going to stand there?"
"Yuj! Gadot!" Both turned to spot Nivien, Olly, and a few other soldiers approaching. "Those are Sanctum ships," shouted Nivien over the roar of explosions and gunfire. "Are we now at war with Sanctum City?"
Yuj's eyes fell to the man he had just slain, taking in the brand peeking out from his collar. "I think this is the same war we've been fighting for a while now." He turned back to the group, face impassive. "That's a l'Cie."
"They're working with them?" Olly's eyes went wide as he ducked a shot and a soldier fell behind him.
Nivien took aim and shot the shooter in the forehead with her gunblade, seething as her target had just attempted to take out her brother. "Appears so. Orders were to get all civilians and injured to the bunker and try to drive these guys out. There was nothing about who the enemy was, but that doesn't seem hard to deduce." She then gripped Olly's shoulder, pulling him towards her. "You okay, little brother?"
His hand tightened on his weapon as he attempted to steel his resolve. He was a soldier. A soldier was trained to fight in these conditions. A soldier who didn't fight, was a dead one. "All good, Lieutenant."
Nivien looked to her brother with confusion before Gadot clapped Olly on the back, the large man sneaking in a small pep talk. "That's right, soldier. Let's give these guys hell, huh? They aren't gonna just expect us to sit back and take it, right?"
"Right," confirmed Olly with a nod and a determined smile.
"Anyone hear a status on the director?" asked Nivien. It's been about him this whole time. Of course they're after him.
Yuj let out a chuckle, attempting to slip back into his usual self and kill his painful memories. "I wouldn't worry about Hope too much. Lightning's not gonna let him outta her sight anytime soon."
A large ship then pulled up over the groups' heads, its huge body blocking out the sun above it and the propellers whirring loudly. A dozen men shot down from its hold, dropping down around the group. And like that, the battle began.
Catching his Airwing as it swung back towards him, Hope watched his opponent fall to the ground, Lightning soon stabbing the man in the chest to finish him off. There was a small lull then in which the young director took the opportunity to take in the scene around him. The incredulous state of the city, his city, caused him to sink to his knees, gunblade scraping across the pavement as it too came to the ground.
Academia was being torn apart. Its structures and its people were dying. And it was his fault. He'd denied Castea. She'd given him one last proposal, and he'd spat in her face. This was her gift, a dead city, in return for his rejection. She was keeping her promise.
Lightning's calls broke him out of his ever darkening thoughts, causing him to pick himself and his gunblade up in time to defend himself against an oncoming attacker. Shutting down his thoughts on the city's condition and his guilt, Hope focused on staying alive, keeping Lightning in sight, and rescuing who he could. He was done losing people.
The sergeant exhaled heavily as she saw Hope quickly stand and parry his attacker's blows. For a moment, it looked like he had given up, but she shouldn't have expected such from Hope. Pink brows furrowed as she felt a soft drop on her cheek. Quickly swiping it away with her finger, she then looked at the powdery grey smeared on the digit's pad. Azure orbs looked up as more powdery flakes fell upon her, ashes drifting down from above. The buildings were shedding almost as much ash as they did smoke, the billowing black seeming to block out the sun.
As completely horrifying as it all was, this was familiar territory to a soldier. Academia was now a battleground. Although this was their home, this wasn't anything new to Lightning. After all, Cocoon had become a battleground before its plunge into crystallization.
Hope grasped Lightning's hand as he tried to pull her away, wishing to get to where there were more soldiers and hopefully more friends.
Lightning flinched at the sudden contact, her reflex causing her to almost violently pull back from him. The teen stumbled back a bit from the stun. "S-sorry," was all she could say as she noticed the wounded expression on his face. They were in the middle of a fight and she hadn't expected such an action. She hadn't meant to be so harsh.
"Feeling a little self-conscious?"
Stiffening at the words, the sergeant immediately recognized the voice. Since when does she invade my mind?
"I've been in here for a while, darling. You didn't know?"
Lightning snarled as her eyes searched desperately around her, surveying her surroundings for the villainess.
"How could I have ever gotten something past you?"
Unaware of the telepathic conversation Lightning had gotten caught in, Hope turned away, hurt by the small rejection. I thought we were past this. He shook it off, however. This was not the time nor place. Before he could turn back to his companion and continue with his goal, Hope was stopped by a muffled cry. It sounded like a little girl. As he turned towards the general direction of the voice's origin, Hope found that it was indeed a young girl. She was stuck in an overturned vehicle, her palms beating against the glass of the back window. He ran to her, leaving Lightning to stand there.
A sharp intake of breath came from the woman as her eyes caught her target. Castea stood inside a building that was now missing its head from the explosion it had taken not ten minutes before.
"You going to fight me this time?"
A large resonating blast sounded throughout the area. Yuj spun around and watched in horror as the Academy building began to cave in on itself. Dread filled him as he recalled where one of his teammates had been before all of the madness had begun. "Maqui!" Yuj screamed as he ran towards the building. The upper floors came down heavily upon the lower half of the building. As the third floor was being crushed, the upper half began to topple sideways. Yuj sighed in relief as he got to the site. The library was on the first floor. There was still time.
Gadot ran after Yuj. Nivien, Olly, along with other soldiers were not far behind. He didn't know what his best friend was up to, but he wasn't about to leave Yuj alone in the disaster that was now Academia. As he got closer, he was grateful of his decision. A large chunk of the building broke off and fell right towards the preoccupied man. Grabbing Yuj by the hips, Gadot swiftly pulled him out of the chunk's path, falling on his side. "Heads up! You need to watch yourself, Yuj."
Shaking the disorientation off, Yuj looked back to the crumbling Academy building. "You don't understand. Maqui is-" Before the words could make it out, the Academy Base's front doors swung open revealing a battered Zalera, Maqui and Cass.
The three ran out of the building, huffing as the rest began to come down. Zalera paced herself behind Maqui and Cass, making sure that they would be all right, though her wary gaze was set on the door. If we weren't enough to take those guys out, the building should be. Temporarily, anyway.
"Maqui!" exclaimed Yuj and Gadot simultaneously. Yuj's actions made much more sense to the burly man now.
At the call of his name, the young man found his companions on the ground a few yards away. "You guys are okay." Though the three had been busy defending themselves against their previous problem, they had not been unaware of what was going on outside of the building.
"Dude!" Yuj grabbed Maqui and hugged him, clapping him on the back as he pulled away. "I thought you were a goner."
"Heh, so did I."
Zalera took in the scene around her, everything falling apart and burning to the ground. It reminded her too much of her tribe. "What's going on?"
"Castea's attacked," replied Nivien as she retracted her blade into gun mode. "And she's working with Sanctum City."
The Pulsian nodded in confirmation and bit her cheek in annoyance. That woman has even more people under her thumb.
Maqui's brows furrowed. "So you know?" It hadn't even been an hour since he'd made the big discovery. Apparently he'd been too late. As usual.
Gadot shook his head as he picked his gun up from the cluttered street. "It hasn't been confirmed. Wait," the fiery-haired man paused, looking at Maqui curiously, "How'd you know?"
Another explosion bellowed from East Academia followed by another in the west. Cass sucked in a breath and holstered his weapon as he fished his comm from his pocket. "It doesn't matter now. We know. I have to call Kori."
A few gunshots rang out, taking out a soldier standing beside Olly. More l'Cie were coming at them. The group surrounded Cass, ready to protect him so he could finish his call. Whipping his gun back out, he shot at the enemy as he awaited an answer.
"Call Hope and Lightning when you're done," yelled Nivien as she struggled with an enemy, his blade nearly catching her throat.
"Cass! Oh my Etro, are you all right?!"
Kori's frantic voice rang in his ears and he sighed knowing that she was okay, obviously afraid, but alive. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"
A loud sniffling from the girl caused some static over the line. Cass could hear the screams and explosions even louder over the phone. The teen squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced as a heavy crash sounded very close to his sister. She was apparently right in the eye of an attack. "Dad's bleeding and-and we... I-I don't think I can f-find him anywhere he-he-I got separated from him on our way to the bunker and-"
"Where are you?"
"I'm in the square, by the fountain. Oh Maker, Cass-" Kori began coughing harshly into her comm. "...there's so much smoke..."
"Kori, I'll-" A sudden high pitched scream rang through and into his ear before the line went dead. "Kori! Kori!" Cass shouted and shouted into the phone, but there was nothing. He had to get to her.
Noticing the brunet begin to speed away, Olly called to him. "What are you doing?"
"I have to find my sister!"
Olly went to chase after him, figuring his friend shouldn't be out there alone, before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"He'll be just fine," spoke Nivien. She grunted as she took a heavy blow to the side from her current opponent. She spun back around, favoring her side as she blocked the next blow coming at her.
Olly then refocused on the battle. Cass could take care of himself. He had to believe that.
Zalera slashed her chakram against the l'Cie's chest, the spikes digging heavily into his flesh. Pushing her back as he groaned in pain, he elbowed her in the face before kicking her in the gut. As he began to cure his new injury, he took two shots in the back of the head, falling dead beside Zalera.
After shooting the man, Gadot ran over to her, helping her up as she muttered a pained thanks. "No problem."
"What's the bunker?"
Gadot kept an eye out and his finger on the trigger as he explained. "The underground bunker was only supposed to be for an emergency. I suppose that's where everyone's going for shelter. It won't be able to hold this whole city, though."
Zalera clicked her tongue as emerald eyes glanced over Academia. "There isn't a whole city to keep safe anymore." Sharp eyes lit on an incoming man in the distance, shooting down enemies as he ran. Recognition flashed in her mind as he got closer. It was Sazh.
He was a man on a mission as he shot any l'Cie that dared to get in his way. The afro-haired man had just finished getting the chocobo safe in the bunker while helping some unfortunate people along the way. Now, he had to get to Dajh. Sparing a glance, he saw Gadot, Zalera, and the rest of the group as he passed them, but he wasn't going to waste time. He had to get Dajh out of the building before it fell.
Grabbing his jacket, Gadot held him back. "No, Sazh. What do you think you're doing?"
Sazh struggled. The building was right there, all he had to do was get inside. "I have to get to Dajh."
"And get yourself killed?" retorted Zalera. As she looked into Sazh's eyes though, she saw that he wasn't listening. His mind was focused on his son and with good reason. If Yeul were in there, nothing would be able to stop her.
"Dajh!" he yelled. "I gotta get to my son."
Gadot continued to pull him back, dodging a fist to the cheek until finally the elder had had enough. Sazh pulled his pistol and aimed it at his face. "You better back off, now. I have to get to my son."
Gadot hesitantly let him go, growling as he did so. He understood Sazh's motivation, but he didn't want him getting himself killed.
With swift and precise movement, Zalera kicked the gun from the man's hand before kneeing him hard in the stomach. Sazh fell to his knees as he stared up angrily at the woman. She scowled back at him, determined to not let him go on a suicide mission. "Dajh is fine. Nothing is getting through that crystal. Trust me."
Maqui then ran up to the hunched over man and squeezed his shoulder. "Believe me, I don't like leaving Snow in there either, but she's right. This is where being stuck in crystal is good for them." They were going to be okay. Absolutely nothing could get through that crystal.
Right?
She didn't hesitate in running after Castea, the woman continuously taunting her in her head. Flying towards the woman, Lightning ran through the shattered glass door. She stopped, however, seeing her just standing there, grinning that smug grin of hers. That smirk made Lightning sick. She wanted nothing but to knock that air of pride and nonchalance right out of her. But she knew the woman had something up her sleeve, she always did.
"Acting cowardly now, are we? I thought you were going to... What was it? Ah, yes... 'Tear me apart limb from limb.'"
Castea was grating her nerves, just as she wanted. But Lightning was not going to be elicited into making the first move. No, she was going to be taking back some of the control that Castea thrived on.
"No?" The blonde shrugged. "That's quite all right, really. We'll just stay here and stare at each other all day. Academia will fall. Your little friends will die. But we'll just keep on standing here... staring... wasting time..."
Putting a hand on her hip, Lightning scoffed. "When Hope said you could talk, he wasn't kidding. You really love your own voice, don't you? You're just another egotistical psycho on a power trip."
A slow clap was returned for Lightning's words. "Trying to ruffle my feathers. Bravo." She lowered her hands to her sides as she fell into silence, steel grey eyes boring into icy blue.
Lightning tensed, sensing a small change in the air. Her grip tightened on her gunblade just in time as she swung it around to parry a few very large icicles forming into her path. Just as the ice was clear, Castea was in front of her. Lightning lunged for the woman before being thrown back by the blast of a water spell.
Castea watched as the girl was flung back into the concrete wall beside the building's entrance, her head smacking against the wall with a loud crack. Amusement crinkled her eyes as a dazed Lightning stood, her body relying heavily on the wall. Lightning was determined, she'd give her that. Although, her doggedness and pride would no doubt lead to her downfall.
With a small wince, Lightning shook off her pain. There was no need for it here. Pain would only get in her way. She needed to win this battle. Drawing in a deep breath, Lightning sped towards her target, weapon ready and waiting to demolish her opponent.
Having anticipated Lightning's head on attack, Castea simply drew her hand up in front of her, passing it before Lightning slowly, drawing up a spell.
Crackling could be heard in the air around her. A chill slithered down the soldier's spine as she felt her body slow. All her limbs, her whole body was going at a alraune's pace even though she put all of her usual effort into her attack. Recognizing it as a slow spell, Lightning cursed. There was no way she was going to win against a l'Cie as powerful and skilled as Castea. Her breathing picked up as she began to panic. Everything just seemed futile.
A sharp pain shot through her side, then another, and another. Something was stabbing her repeatedly while she was helpless to even react. I can't do a thing. A huff fell from the sergeant as she told herself to halt those thoughts. She had to win.
The only way she could get out of her predicament was to counteract the slow spell. There was a way to free yourself from it on your own, but it took immense concentration. Something she had learned and mastered long ago.
Panic was the first thing that needed to go. Ignoring another stab to her body, Lightning tried to calm her mind, letting all of her flaring anger, pain, and concern for not only her own safety, but that of others, leave her thoughts. Once her mind was at peace, her pulse began to slow. Her heartbeat began to set to such a low thrum, you could hardly tell that it was even beating at all. This caused her body to go limp for just a moment, letting the slow spell almost completely consume her, before jolting out of it completely. With one precise movement, time was restored around her. Before Castea could react, the younger swung her blade in her direction, aim directed at the woman's heart.
With astounded eyes, Castea witnessed Lightning pull out of her spell and begin a new attack. Moving just in time for the soldier to miss her original target, Castea took a good slice to the bicep. Stumbling back a few steps, she caught Lightning's descending blade between her hands.
Lightning grunted as she tried to push against Castea, her weapon coming down towards the l'Cie's head. Just because Castea was exceptionally strong with magic, didn't mean that her physical strength could compete. But it appeared that the woman could hold her own because she was holding Lightning off well.
"I have to say that I'm quite impressed. That was a lot of magic to parry so quickly. Again, I applaud you." Castea's gaze left the saber and its wavering descent as she looked into the struggling girl's face. They would be at a standstill all day if they kept on like this. Unless... Drawing in a slow breath, Castea focused her power on just behind Lightning. "You really are a stupendous fighter and are very determined to save those you care for. I was doubtful, at first. I mean, you didn't even come for him. You didn't even try."
Lightning felt herself jolt away for only a second, her weight lifting for a brief time. The abrupt change in conversation and its subject stung even more than her hollering wounds that marred her body. The slack didn't last, though, and she returned to her battle of strength just as soon as she'd left it.
A crooked smile was given before Castea continued her taunt. "At some point, he started screaming for you. But you were never going to come... were you, Light?"
She was finished with this. Lightning had slain these demons and put it all to rest. So how was it so easy for the woman to use Hope's torture against her now? The words, as well as the truth behind them, hurt her badly, but it wasn't enough to get her to pull back or be conquered by this woman. Castea's tactics would lose.
But something didn't feel right to the soldier. There was something she was missing. That crooked smirk was all she needed to see to know.
With a swift spin, Lightning turned and stabbed Castea in the gut. Her gunblade firmly pierced a new Castea that had been behind Lightning, the other then fading away into the air. Shock was written on the woman's face as she was hunched over the weapon within her abdomen. The superiority was swept from her expression instantly. Eyes wide and mouth agape, Castea drew in a harsh breath as blood dripped out of the corner of her mouth and onto the tiled floor beneath them.
Not allowing the opportunity to pass, Lightning then withdrew her gunblade from the wounded l'Cie and went to slash her blade across her neck. A loud clang rang through the room as her blade passed right through air and hit harshly into the ground. Castea was gone. Lightning's teeth clenched as she saw that the woman had vanished. "Where did she go now?" she growled.
A voice light with amusement sounded within the air around her. "Was I ever even there in the first place?"
Yuj practically threw himself to the ground in relief and exhaustion as the group got a brief reprieve from the fighting. "Just how many of these freaks are there?"
Maqui collapsed beside him. "A lot."
"Yo, this ain't no time for naps," chided Gadot. "Get yer asses in gear."
Yuj nodded, pushing a deflated Maqui off of his side and grabbing Olly's outstretched hand. A look of extreme alarm passed over his features as a thought crossed his mind. Where was Lebreau? "Hey, has anyone heard from Lebreau?"
Maqui's head shot up. How could he have forgotten about Lebreau? "Crap!" Frantic hands scrambled for his comm. When he finally got it in his grasp, he dialed, then waited impatiently for her voice. "When was the last time anyone saw her?"
"Last I knew she was at the cafe." Yuj bit his lip, hoping that she was all right.
Sazh nodded. "I was there for a bit. Rygdea was there too."
Maqui groaned as he got her voicemail. "Dammit, pick up, Lebreau!" When she didn't answer after yet another call, Maqui about lost it.
Readying his weapon, Gadot began to head off. "All right, to NORA it is. We gotta make sure she's safe. Then we'll get to the bunker."
"Right," agreed Yuj and Maqui.
"We're coming too." Nivien and her brother jogged towards the departing group, wanting to ensure Lebreau's safety as well as wanting to stick with everyone.
"You guys go on," hollered Zalera. "We're gonna find Hope and Lightning." Gadot nodded and sent a salute towards her and Sazh before their group took off.
Sazh grabbed the girl's shoulder as she was about to head off in another direction. "Hey, we should get to my ship."
"What? Why?"
"These people are after Hope, right? All of this is about Hope?"
Zalera nodded hesitantly, unsure of where the old man was going with this.
"So if we get him out of Academia, they'll follow, right?"
"Right. But we don't have Hope. Getting to the ship and leaving without him won't do a thing."
Sazh dragged a hand down his face. Exhaustion was creeping up on him heavily and they needed to get going. "We got no clue where Hope and soldier girl are. Searching for them ain't goin' to cut it. We should call until we get ahold of one of them and have them meet us there."
"Neither of them have picked up so far."
"It's the best option we have."
Zalera didn't like it, but it really was the best option. "All right. Call as you run. I'll call Lightning. You call Hope." Green eyes caught a sight behind Sazh that had her pushing him toward the hangar, hurrying him along. Sebastian was coming towards them, his eyes locked on the warrior. "And stay alive."
Castea fell into a stunned Barsilisk's arms upon encounter. "What happened with the Farron girl?"
The woman practically hissed as the soldier's name fell from his lips, pulling from him as a rage burned within her. "They're not supposed to be this strong," she snarled, practically foaming at the mouth. Her whole body tensed as her mind went over every detail of her last battle. It should have worked.
When Barsilisk caught sight of the rather large injury Castea was sporting and neglecting in her fury, he quickly healed it, a grimace upon his visage for having to. "You knew this would happen. You anticipated-"
"I knew the boy would... just not this soon. And I thought the girl would have cracked by now... Maybe we need to give her another push. Her sister should do nicely."
The man grabbed Castea by the shoulders, pulling her in front of him. "I don't think we'll have to resort to that." Barsilisk then turned the woman around to face all of the destruction they had caused. He watched as her eyes lit up, taking it all in from their nice hill top. "Once both she and the boy realize what this means and their part in it, we won't have to worry."
Castea sighed in appreciation as her eyes greedily took in the scene. "This world must burn." Her words rolled off of her tongue with hatred as if the entire world utterly repulsed her. "But he will never give in, will he?"
"When has your persistence ever never paid off? Give it time, my dear."
She nodded, steeling her resolve. Turning to her husband, Castea tenderly caressed his cheek before lightly pecking him on the lips. "You'll stay by my side, right? When I stand and lead the new world?"
"Of course."
Smile falling as she pursed her lips, Castea knew what the man really thought of her and her question. She slid her hand off of his cheek before giving it a light pat. "Of course you will. You have to." She then turned from him, preferring to watch her work unfold.
Barsilisk came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I want to."
Lightning then fell back into the wall behind her, sinking to the ground as her body went limp. Her head ached at the thought of it all having been another mind game. But it hadn't been. Lightning came to the conclusion that the fight certainly had been real this time. She hadn't stabbed herself with those icicles. Speaking of... Eyeing the sharp, slender, frozen projectile embedded in her thigh, Lightning grasped it carefully. Her other hand tenderly held the wounded appendage down. With a sharp inhale, the soldier yanked the icicle from her leg, a cry being restrained in her throat. With vicious contempt, Lightning threw the icicle against the opposite wall.
Irate with anger and frustration, her body began to shake. The woman had escaped, vanished before she could even land the finishing blow. The wounds she had been able to inflict on the blonde were probably already healed. Her part and effort in the fight had been worthless. Even if she had been able to win the fight and decapitate that vile woman, it wouldn't have done a thing. Castea would have died, sure, but she wouldn't have stayed dead.
There was no point in fighting. They were fighting a battle that had already been won. Castea was too powerful. She had planned everything before Lightning had even known there was any danger. Why even fight?
Slender hands clenched into tight fists as Lightning cursed her thoughts. This was what Castea wanted. Doubt. Lightning wasn't going to give it to her. Pulling one of the potions from her pouch, Lightning drank the bittersweet green liquid, letting the refreshing coolness wash over her. The spark of life that filled her died out within half a second as usual, taking away all of her insignificant injuries and partially healing the larger ones in her abdomen and thigh. The hole in her stomach was manageable, whereas the one in her leg was seeping heavily. Choosing to save her other two potions for someone else, knowing it would be needed in the chaos that the world was now, she tore off a portion of her cape and tied it around her thigh.
A dull ringing came from her pocket, alerting her of an incoming call on her comm. "Sergeant Farron, here," she answered.
"Lightning?! Do you know how long we've been trying to call you? Are you with Hope?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Sazh and I are on his ship in the hangar. You gotta get him here. We need to get Hope out of Academia."
Well at least Sazh and Zalera were okay. And they had a plan. "All right."
"Hurry!"
With a sigh, Lightning picked herself up, needing to get back to- Shit! Where's, Hope?!
"Back up from the window!" Hope shooed the girl to the other side of the car with his hand, hoping to keep most of the spray of shattered glass away from her. With a frantic nod, she complied, scooting herself back across the bent up metal of the roof in the backseat as far as she could. "Cover your eyes!" Hope waited until she did just that before slamming the hilt of his gunblade into the window, shattering it on impact.
The little girl removed her arm from her face and watched as the man carefully moved into the window, holding his arms out to her. Eagerly, she jumped into the man's arms, allowing him to extract her from the thoroughly wrecked vehicle.
Hope pulled the girl away from the site with a relieved sigh. As he began to walk away a few steps, though, he felt an adamant tug on his jacket. Concerned emerald eyes looked upon the girl as she squirmed in his arms, her tear-filled gaze stuck to the car. "What is it? Are you okay?" Hope set the girl down to check her for injuries, only for her to bolt back to the car, tugging fervently on the driver's side door. It was then that Hope realized what the girl wanted. A man was in the front seat, smashed between the steering wheel and the roof of the car, unmoving. The young director was pretty sure he was dead, but he would check for the little girl.
The door was severely dented in and it took a few minutes of attempting to pry the thing open with all of his strength, but eventually with loud groans of protest the door sprang open. Pushing past Hope, the girl ran to the man, pulling on his arm. The man didn't wake.
Putting her arms around him and attempting to pull the upside down man out, the girl let out a cry. "Please! Please, Daddy, c'mon! We gotta get outta here!" When it was clear that her father wasn't complying to her will, she turned to the stranger that had rescued her. If he had rescued her, he could surely save her dad too. "Please help him," she begged.
The plea broke his heart, mostly due to the fact that he knew that he could do no such thing. Hope prayed that he was wrong as he bent down and yanked off his frayed, battle worn glove. When he pressed his fingers onto the man's neck, he prayed for there to be a pulse. When he grabbed the man's limp hand, he prayed for even a weak beat. When he sat back on his heels with a grave face, eyes looking over the man, he prayed for any sign of life. But of course, he never counted much on prayer. And it was due to times like this. "I'm sorry, but..."
"No!" she screamed, immediately pushing him away and laying beside her father, embracing his body against hers as she sobbed into his shirt. "Not daddy too..."
Hope swallowed his sorrow and grief, his guilt, before going over to the young one and tugging on her shoulder. He knew she wouldn't want to leave her father, but he wasn't going to leave her to be slain too. She protested and struggled as he picked her up, using his strength to force her away. It was completely against his nature to be so forceful and rough, especially with a child, and though he knew he had to, he hated doing so. As Hope managed to successfully pull her into his arms, she bit his hand, trying any tactic to get back to her father. "He's gone, okay? We have to get you out of here."
The tears only fell harder at his words. "I just want my daddy," she cried.
"I know. I want mine, too."
She stopped struggling slowly, looking at the stranger with wide and surprised eyes. "You lost your daddy, too?" Wiping at her eyes with clenched fists, the girl then clung onto him, waiting for an answer.
Hope took a steady breath, grateful for her fit to have passed. "Yes. I lost my daddy, too. I know you're sad and I know you don't want to leave him, but what was your daddy doing before you... got in an accident?"
"...He said he had to get me someplace safe."
Smiling warmly at the girl, Hope pushed a lock of her slightly wavy and long violet hair from her eye. "Right. Your daddy wanted you safe, so that's what we're gonna do, get you someplace safe."
With a slow nod, she accepted. "What about daddy?"
"He's..." What about her father? Of course she wouldn't want to leave his body laying in the wreckage in the street. Hope had no answer for her. He couldn't take her and the dead man. What if they were attacked? He needed to be able to protect not only himself, but now the defenseless girl too. "I-" His words caught in his throat. He couldn't just simply tell her that her dad would be a hazard and literal dead weight.
"He's already safe," the girl mumbled, tilting her head to the side as she looked at her father.
"What?"
A small smile came to the girl's face, her chapped lips cracking some with the movement. "Daddy's with mommy now. They're both safe. They're both together." One last drop fell from her eye, drifting slowly down her face until it was harshly wiped away. "That's just his body. Daddy doesn't need it anymore..."
Hope stared down at the child in his arms, astonished at the way she was handling the situation. It seemed that she had worked everything out for herself. "Where did you learn that?"
"Daddy told me that when mommy died," she spoke simply, though her words were heavy. "Daddy told me mommy died in the fall... and even though we didn't have her body to bury, that that was all right. It was just a body. She doesn't need it anymore. Mommy's spirit is free and her soul is safe. She's up in heaven with grandpa and grams."
Taking in a sharp breath, Hope smiled at the girl, wishing that he could see the death of his loved ones in such a light. He'd spent days upon weeks upon months upon years wishing to have his mother's body, to see her and hold her just one more time. Hope had never thought of it the way the girl did.
"What's your name?" came a shaky question.
"Hope. My name's Hope."
The girl then held her hand out timidly. "Emilina."
With a chuckle, Hope grasped her hand and shook it. "How old are you, Emilina?" Hope frowned as blood began to seep from a cut on her lip.
"I'm nine." Emilina watched in amazement as his hand was held over her face, a green glow emanating from his skin. She instantly felt most of her scrapes and injuries disappear. "Wow..." She then wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. "Thank you."
"Let's get you out of here, okay?" Before Emilina could reply, a large blast hit the ground a few feet from them, throwing Hope harshly to the concrete, Emilina then rolling from his grasp.
Ringing was all he could hear as Hope tried to wait out the disorientation. His head felt heavy and he fought the urge to sleep. The world was hazy in his eyes. Whether that was from the hard knock to the head he'd gotten or the smoke clouding the air, he couldn't tell. He figured it was both. Feeling the sting of glass on his face, Hope tried to pick his head up off of the rough pavement. It was just too hard.
As the fog lifted from his mind and the world became clearer, Hope could make out a figure in the distance. It was Jun, laying in the street, struggling to get up. He wanted to get to her and help her. Hope wanted to grab Emilina and get her to the bunker. And faintly aware that he'd gotten separated from Lightning somehow, Hope wished to assure her safety as well, but he was just too tired...
He fell into a doze, drifting off for minutes that passed like hours. A tugging on his collar was the only thing to successfully pull him from his state. Vermilion eyes bore into his own eyes, into his soul, imploring him to move. So he sat up, grimacing at the pain shooting through his skull. He squeezed his eyes shut as Emilina lightly brushed over his oozing temple with her hand. Pulling her hand away and grasping onto the tiny fingers gently, Hope conveyed to her that he was all right, he was there.
Emilina watched as Hope healed his wound quickly before turning to her with a smile and whispering that he was all right. Emilina nodded, helping him up off of the unforgiving ground. She scrunched her nose up in thought for a moment as she thought about the man's super power and his name. She'd heard it somewhere before... "You're a l'Cie?"
Hope bristled at the question, wondering how the girl had known about such a thing. Of course, in this world he was considered something dangerous. What responsible parent wouldn't instill in their child to keep away from his kind? He feared the look on the girl's face. Would she look frightened and be afraid of him hurting her? Would she look angry for stealing her parents from her? "Yes," he stated numbly.
She showed neither and instead gave him a smile. "You're Hope, our leader. Daddy said that you were…" she paused trying to remember the exact words her father had used, "…the key to our future."
"He said that?" Hope was beyond stunned. From what he knew, since he had reattained his l'Cie status, people either hated him or didn't know what to think of him. With the way Harleen spoke of him, he was surprised that he hadn't been kicked out of his position.
"Yeah, he said that there was finally a powerful being to stand for us, not against us." With that she latched onto his hand as if he were the last tangible thing she had to hang onto.
So people do believe in me, after all? A loud cry brought Hope back from his musings. Jun was yelling for help, not for herself, but for Arden. Grasping onto Emilina tighter, Hope pulled her toward the elderly woman. The silveret choked on the air he inhaled as he saw the state of the woman who had been watching out for him and guiding him for so many years. "Jun..." Her arm was mangled and twisted at odd angles and her face held a jagged gash that ran vertically down from her eyebrow to her chin. The gash had cut through her eye and lips, but she did not try to stop the bleeding. She kept frantically calling for Arden. Apparently she hadn't noticed Hope's presence.
He'd been right beside her. How could she have lost him? How could she have allowed him to slip away from her? And now she was laying in the dirt unable to move and half unable to see. A shout had her attention snapping to a blurry figure before her. She swiped at him defensively with her blade and watched as the form grabbed onto the weapon, keeping it steadily from his face. The person began speaking to her, coaxing her to calm down. It was the voice of the man that calmed her, not the words. "Hope..." She knew that voice. Sweet Hope was there. He was safe and could help her find Arden.
"Maker, Jun. What happened to you?" he muttered while trying to heal her injuries.
His help was denied as he was roughly shoved away. "Some bastard came at us and I just barely got us away." Her feral expression fell upon the blade that now laid on the ground. "I snatched that from some poor soldier who was far too green for this." A cry of pain fell from her lips before she grabbed onto his arm and looked at him with desperation. "Please find Arden. I can't believe I lost him. He needs you. Please."
He pulled her hand from him and held it tightly. "Of course. But I have to help you."
"No, Hope-" she began sternly before being quickly brushed off.
"I'm getting you out of here." Quickly healing her wounds, he winced as the woman screamed as her arm's bones began snapping back into place. The pain drew her into unconsciousness. With a glance, Hope saw a small squad of G.C. officers heading off. He stood, shouting at the men, his voice turning horse quickly from the smoke and the strain as he tried to cry over the blaring noise of war.
A captain turned to him, noticing right away that it was their director. "Director," the man addressed him with a quick salute. "Thank the Maker, we thought you were dead."
"Please, I need you to help her. Get her to the bunker."
The man furrowed his brow as he looked at the woman before turning back to Hope. "Our orders were-"
Hope then pulled the man in by his tie so they were face to face. "Your orders are to take this woman and this girl and get them safely to the bunker. They are your first and only priority. Understood?"
The man steeled his features and agreed. Two soldiers carefully extracted the woman from the ground while another grabbed onto Emilina, lifting her up.
A barely awake Jun grabbed Hope's hand one last time and begged him to find Arden.
"I will find him, Jun." The woman was then carried away.
Emilina struggled with the solider, kicking and flailing in his arms. "No! Let me go!" She then screamed at the top of her lungs and bit the man until he dropped her, her falling down harshly onto her backside.
"Fuck." The man looked at his now bleeding arm and watched as the little girl ran to the director.
"Don't leave me." She ran straight into Hope's middle, hugging him with all her might.
Gritting his teeth, Hope waved off the captain and his soldiers with an expression of exasperation. "Just take Jun, I'll take care of her." He then picked up a teary eyed Emilina. "We have to find my friend, okay? He's about your age. I need you to listen for him, okay?"
"Okay." She was just glad that he hadn't left her.
Hope went to call Lightning before realizing that he had neglected to grab his comm in his haste to get out of his house and help his city. So he settled for calling out both their names.
A l'Cie came at the two, causing Hope to throw the violet haired girl from his arms and stand to fight the man who had a few friends following him. There were seven men, and Hope took on them all. He slashed at the first and as the enemy ducked it, the man was hit with a firaga from below, blasting him back.
Emilina screamed as another l'Cie charged her. This caused Hope's temper to flare dangerously. Emilina was an innocent, harmless little girl. Without another thought, Hope sent a powerful blizzard spell toward the man and woman that were threatening her. Both were instantly frozen solid.
The next few moments were a blur as all he focused on was taking out the enemy. "Get away from her!" he shouted over and over with every slash and spell until they were all dead. He stood, blood splattered all along him, before falling to one knee, his forehead against his raised one. He felt numb. So very numb.
Pushing her hair from her face, Emilina ran to him, carefully avoiding stepping on any of the fallen bodies. She pulled his head up and stared into his face. The girl frowned at the blood that was streaked across his features. It made him look like a monster. He was not a monster, he was her savior. Taking her sleeve, Emilina cleaned off his face before pulling him up. "We have to find Arden, Hope."
Erasing his mind of his actions and taking in hefty breaths, Hope got up. He called again, his voice and tone reflecting how distraught he was.
Finally, his ears twitched with recognition as he heard a small cry. "Hope! Hope is that-" Arden came around a building, calling for the silveret. The boy was jolted out of his sentence as he was roughly grabbed by another of Castea's men, a gun being held to Arden's temple. He whimpered before being slapped across the face. Arden then fell silent, looking desperately at Hope.
Hope stepped towards the man, only for the l'Cie to raise his brow and push the gun closer to the kid's face. "What are you going to do, director?"
"Not a damn thing," spoke Lightning as she stood behind him and stabbed her blade straight through his back and chest. "He doesn't have to."
Arden leapt away from the falling man. A large smile spread across both Arden and Hope's faces. Arden ran to Hope, his face burying into his stomach. "Jun's okay too, Arden. We got her to safety." Hope wrapped an arm around Arden as he stared at Lightning. Their eyes met, both thoroughly relieved while finding a small amount of solace in the other's irises.
Lightning smirked as she joined the group. "Collecting kids now, are we?"
Hope smiled as he ran his fingers through both Arden's and Emilina's hair. "I'm glad you're okay, Light."
She rolled her eyes, swiping her blade quickly through the air to rid it of the fresh blood. "Zalera called. She's with Sazh. They think we need to get you out of here and I agree."
"But what about everyone else? I can't run away."
Having expected the protest, Lightning kissed him, square on the lips, in public. "You're getting these beasts away from them." She glanced down at the two growths on his sides, indicating who she meant. His people. "They want you or they want you to go after the crystals, either way, you're giving them what they want. They'll leave this city be in favor of following us."
Determination sparked in his eyes and he conceded. "All right, let's get you two safe," he suggested, rubbing the two kid's backs. He looked at Arden with confusion, however, as the eight year old pulled from his grasp, shaking his head.
"Wait, she's hurt! We have to help her." He then sped off, the others running after him.
"Who's hurt?" Hope figured he was talking about Jun, but the boy was going the wrong way. "Wait, Arden!" Running around the building Arden had come from, Hope halted his steps, frozen in horror before shaking it off and going to his side, kneeling before a torn up and battered Officer Mires.
She smiled lazily as they joined her, a horse cough coming from her before she could speak, her voice raspy and quiet. "I t-tried to protect him."
Hope nodded with a strained smile as he slid off his tie and tied it around her thigh. Her left leg, from the thigh down, was gone. It was in such a horrid state that it looked like it had been blown off. He held eye contact with Mires through his movements, not wanting her to pay too much attention to the injury, fearing she would slip into shock.
She let out a light, bitter laugh. "We all know I was never a very good soldier in the field."
"You're going to be fine, Georgina."
Another chuckle fell from her before she coughed and sputtered, blood soon dripping from her lips. "You're not a very good liar, Director."
He shook his head, giving her a hard stare and willing her to stay alive. "It's Hope, Georgina. I think we've known each other long enough to omit the formalities." It was true, he'd known her since before either of them had even joined the Academy. "And I mean it. We're going to get you out of this and to the bunker."
Hope attempted to heal Mires, to which she rejected him almost immediately. Another coughing fit erupted from her before she fell back against the building, panting as she stared up into the sky. Her eyes fell onto the crystallized world above them. "Everyone I've ever cared for has been out of my reach for so long." She raised her arm up as her fingers stretched toward the planet, before her appendage fell lazily back to her side. "It's been so lonely down here." She sighed as Hope pushed her curly brown bangs from her vision, his hand staying a tad longer on her forehead than necessary, probably checking and finding a fever that was surely there. "It's fine, Hope."
He bit his cheek as his eyes watered. She was welcoming death, and he wasn't going to let her. "You have to fight this."
Her lips quirked up into a smile that turned into a grimace of pain. "I know I don't understand much of this, but I know that you have to keep fighting... for us." She stared at him as he took her hand. Her sharp nails dug into his skin; she wanted him to understand. "We're rooting for you." Slowly and with much effort, Georgina brought her arm against her chest and saluted to him. "You're our director, our hope." Her body jerked roughly against the building as she struggled to breathe before she finally stopped, her golden eyes open and staring at Cocoon as the life left her.
Hope trembled. He couldn't take it anymore. His people, his friends, were dying and it was his fault.
Lightning knelt beside him, turning away from guarding them from incoming attacks for only a moment. She put her hand gently over the dead Academy officer and closed her eyes. She then turned to Hope, brows knitted in concern as she took in his hollow stare. "Hope."
His heart ached as the crater of emptiness within him grew with every death he had to endure. He felt himself crack from the pain. And Hope knew it would only get worse if he turned back to the world. The rest of Academia was filled with the dead who had lost their lives because of his actions.
"Hope."
But he had to fight this. Just as Georgina had said, he had to fight for them.
"Hope... she's gone." Lightning jostled him from his thoughts, staring straight at him. Her eyes left him for a moment, warily looking over their surroundings, before snapping back to him. "We have to go."
He nodded and stood, his gaze never looking back on the woman at their feet. Arden and Emilina stood at Hope's hip, holding each other's hands. Hope smiled at them and took Arden's outstretched hand that was offered.
Lightning's comm went off suddenly, startling all in its proximity. She answered, relieved to hear Amodar's voice.
"Farron, you all right?"
The man sounded extremely worried and Lightning felt comforted by her mentor's concern. "All good, sir."
"And Estheim?"
"The director's fine as well. We have Arden Rosch and a little girl too."
"Can you get them all to the NORA cafe? Rygdea's collecting some last survivors before leading them to the bunker. Mr. DeWald has some serious news for you two as well."
"Yes sir." They could stop on their way, but it'd have to be quick.
Lightning shut off her comm and shoved it back in her pouch as Hope was about ready to flag down some passing soldiers a ways away. She stopped him swiftly, covering his mouth and shoving his waving hand down.
"The hell, Light?" he managed as he broke from her hold.
"Don't trust them." Alert eyes traveled over to the group as they passed. She sighed with relief that they hadn't been spotted.
"They're soldiers-"
"And not all of them are like Mires." Lightning's words echoed around them for a moment. "I was attacked by some of your soldiers, Hope, when I was looking for you. Not all of them are looking to you to save them. Some of them are placing blame on you for this. We have to be careful."
Arden shook Hope's hand, looking to tell him something. "It was another soldier that hurt the woman that saved me. He was wearing the same uniform as her and everything! He said that you were bad and she called him a traitor before..."
It was one of his own men that had done that to Mires. Hope felt a part of himself crack a little more.
As the small gang came upon NORA, they all looked on, devastated at the sight. NORA was no longer a standing structure and had crumbled to the ground. Gadot, Yuj, Maqui, and a few G.C. soldiers and Academy officers seemed to be trying to get through the rubble.
"Farron," called Amodar, waving them over.
A very worn Rygdea stood beside the general, eyes lighting up at the sight. He brought Hope into a firm embrace at first chance. "Glad to see you're okay, kid." He then looked down upon Arden and hugged the boy to his side as well. "Maker, Arden, you're okay." The man was about to inquire about Jun before snapping his mouth shut and looking to Hope, silently asking if he knew if she was all right. Hope nodded with a smile, leading to Rygdea's grin broadening. "And who's this little gal here? You got a girlfriend, Arden?"
Emilina giggled as a blush soon spread across Arden's face. "Rygdea," he whined.
The man cackled before straightening up. "Okay, say your temporary goodbyes, kiddos. We're going to get you both to safety."
Both sets of eyes landed on Hope. "Go on, guys. I'll see you later. We have some last monsters to beat before we can join you." Arden nodded before grabbing Emilina's hand and following Rygdea toward the group headed for the bunker.
"Watch yourself, Hope."
"Always, Rygdea."
Amodar waved Maqui over, the man looking hopeless, his expression filled with anguish. "Hope-"
He choked on his name and Hope's mind quickly ran through all of the possibilities of why he seemed so broken. "Maqui, what..."
Lightning tensed, hoping to get the apparently important information soon. It wasn't that she didn't care, but they needed to get Hope out of Academia. The sooner he was out, the sooner everyone else was safe. The sooner he was safe.
"Lebreau's stuck in the basement, underneath...", he turned back to the building, becoming more disheartened by the minute, "... all of that. We had her on her comm, but... we think she passed out... well... we hope..."
Hope paled at the news.
Maqui continued, his voice firming as he spoke though his expression remained grave. Lebreau was going to die. He knew it. "Nivien was shot in the shoulder twice." He looked over toward Nivien and Olly as the former was being patched up. "We got a call from Alyssa. She and Hildough are trapped in the Academy building... in one of the upper floors. If that building comes completely down..."
It wasn't in great shape when we passed it not ten minutes ago... Hope stopped those thoughts as soon as they began to take shape. They were going to be fine.
"And no one's heard from Cass since he took off after Kori. There are hundreds of dead soldiers and civilians..." Maqui threw his gunblade across the ground. "What is happening...?" Just yesterday, the city was fine. Castea kept them on their toes, but this...
Lightning shook her head at the information. It was unbelievable how much she cared. Each bit of information Maqui had given had sent a stab of pain through her. Lightning then realized that she had changed since the fall; she'd changed in more ways than she had thought. She cared for so many people now. Before it was always only about- "Serah," gasped Lightning. "Is she-"
"She's fine, Lightning," Hope assured.
"How do you know? You haven't seen-"
"Even if that building falls, nothing is getting through that crystal." He let Lightning soak up the words before turning to Maqui. "I'm leaving. Castea's disciples should follow us out. You'll be able to focus on saving people when they're gone."
Maqui gulped in a breath to calm himself before relaying his earlier learned information to Hope. "Belphagor is their fal'Cie."
Hope's brows rose. He supposed it wasn't too shocking. If Sanctum City was working with them, then it made sense that their fal'Cie Belphagor was with Castea, too.
"Castea is a lot older than we thought too, like, hundreds of years older. It's no wonder everything about them was buried so far in such ancient Pulsian that even Zalera couldn't understand it." The man huffed. "Her and her group are like an extension of Belphagor."
"Maq, how'd you-"
"I deciphered it all in a-"
Olly briskly walked up in between the two men, having just noticed Hope's presence, and punched him in the face, sending the elder to the floor. "This is all your fault! Look at what you've done!" the teen cried angrily.
Lightning kicked the frustrated soldier down to the ground, her boot held on his chest. "I suggest you shut your mouth, Private."
Olly glared at her before spitting on her shoe. "I won't take orders from a l'Cie's bitch."
Azure eyes flared with rage as Lightning lifted him off the ground, fully ready to pound the little brat.
Hope was about to jump in as he gripped his now bleeding nose, but Nivien got there first. "Please take it easy, Sergeant." She extracted her brother from the woman's infuriated grip and thwacked him upside the head. "Shut it." A gasp of pain left her, but she held firm. "Never say such things again, Olly, you got me?"
"Tch." Clenching her fists, Lightning turned back to Hope. "Let me see."
Hope waved her off. The bleeding was minimum and had stopped anyway. "What were you saying, Maq?"
Glaring at Olly as the two La Salles retreated, Maqui went on. "It doesn't matter. But I found out one extremely important bit. The book said that Belphagor's l'Cie are only as vulnerable as their fal'Cie allows them to be."
Lightning's eyes narrowed. "So Belphagor brings them back to life. If he wanted, they could die."
Maqui nodded. "But it also means-"
"That if we kill Belphagor, we take away their invulnerability to death," interjected Hope.
"Exactly."
Hope then grabbed Maqui's shoulder's, whispering to him quietly. "Have you told anyone else?"
"I just told Amodar I had important news for you. The only other person who knows is Cass."
"You guys have to keep this to yourselves. I don't want anyone getting the idea to go after the Sanctum's fal'Cie without us, got it?" Maqui just stared, bewildered by the command. "That's an order, Maq." The goggled man nodded then. "As soon as we're out and the ships are gone from the city, I want you to put the shields up too, okay?"
Maqui's nod then turned to an adamant shake of the head. "What about the problems? We still haven't worked all of the kinks out. We still don't know how to shut them down once they're up."
"Just do it."
"How will I know when to turn them on? The comm system's down."
"Like I said, when all of the ships follow us out."
"You won't be able to come back," Maqui spoke softly as his gaze pleaded with Hope to not say what he knew was coming.
Hope's grip tightened on Maqui's shoulders. "I'm not coming back."
Shots fired in her direction, hitting the wall beside her head. Looking back, Lightning could see two incoming l'Cie gunning for them. Both of them wouldn't be able to make it to the ship before they caught up. Pushing Hope ahead, Lightning stopped, turning towards her attackers while firing a barrage of rounds.
Tripping at the sudden action, Hope turned back. Lightning was no longer running, she was fighting. It was clear that she intended on him going on without her. "I'm not leaving without you," Hope cried, throwing his boomerang over Lightning's head and hitting an attacker.
Lightning cursed his stubbornness while fending off the nameless l'Cie. They had to get Hope out of the city, not only for him, but for the sake of Academia. "Go on, Hope. I'll be there soon."
"No, Light, I'm fine-"
"Go," she barked. "I swear, if you don't get your ass in gear, I'll shoot you myself." One l'Cie fell to the ground with a final cry, leaving only one standing. "I'll be fine."
Knowing that she was right, Hope turned and ran. They were already at the hangar. He hated leaving her, but if anyone could take on any challenge ahead of her, it was Lightning. Feet hitting the smooth concrete of the hangar, Hope took in a breath of relief as he had made it into the building.
He paused just a bit from the ship, however, glancing at the door with apprehension. Was it right for him to flee when everyone else had to fight? No, I have to do this. I'm doing this for them. With that, he made to turn back towards his destination. Lightning should be right behind him, considering how quick she usually disposed of her enemy.
But the faint sound that came from his right like the click of the safety of a gun had him halt in his tracks once again. With caution, Hope turned to the sound, knowing that he would see a gun trained on him. Though who was behind the trigger was someone he couldn't have guessed in a lifetime.
"Cass…"