Chapter 3
Capture and Escape
Back inside Altair that night, Levy and several other members of Fairy Tail were sitting at different tables, when a young boy approached her.
"Let me guess, you guys aren't from around Stella Island, are you?" he said.
"Good guess," she replied.
"And that guy's part of your group," the boy said pointing to Gajeel who was on the stage playing his guitar.
One of the waitresses tried to tell him to get off, but he knew that the show had to go on. Suddenly, Juvia began wondering where Gray was, as she slid under the table, much to Lily's annoyance.
"My Graydar's starting to pick up a strange signal, so he can't be far," she said.
Gray suddenly shivered, making everyone turn and look at him with mild concern.
"What's wrong?" Kirito asked him.
"Is something the matter? You shivered," added Wendy.
"I'm fine. Just had a little chill," Gray assured them.
"Rather unusual for an ice wizard," quipped Carla.
"I'm guessing it's because he shed most of his clothes, save for his boxers. Still, that habit of his has to be toned down abit," sighed Cody.
"Yeah, I have to agree with Cody on this one, Gray," added Natsu.
"I share their sentiment as well, Gray. You've always gotten in trouble for undressing in front of a lot of people, and that often led to the guards of another kingdom giving you a hard time," added Yumi.
"Stella is at a higher elevation than what we're used to. It stands to reason it'd be chillier," replied Erza.
"Speaking of which, do any of you smell something a little off?" asked Asuka.
"Oh, my bad, that was me," replied Happy.
Carla glared at him.
"I can totally understand why this place is sometimes called the island of stars. The skies are beautiful," said Lucy.
"Yeah?" asked the dragon slayer, looking up at the sky.
But he turned and looked at her in annoyance.
"You liar," he quipped, only to get punched in the stomach by Yang once more.
"Point taken. Don't be rude to Lucy again," groaned Natsu.
"I think he's had enough punishment for today, Yang," hissed the reequip mage.
"I guess, now that you mentioned it, I'd actually like to show you the stars, if the clouds have parted away. Maybe I'll give you that chance tomorrow night, Lucy," said Cody.
"Well, that's very sweet of you, Cody. I would love to experience all of the glittering stars in the sky here sometime," replied the celestial mage.
Before she could press on, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching, which made them think that they were being tracked. Was it the city watch from the kingdom? Their answer came sooner than expected, when a woman came at them, and sent energy beams down towards the two teams with a flurry of kicks, causing them to scatter.
"I am poetry in motion," she said, attacking Erza.
It was Swan, one of the members of the Three Stars mercenary group.
"No way. They're stellanium!" gasped Erza, as she fought her opponent.
Swan's allies, Doll and Gapri attacked the others, while Sephiroth slowly walked up to them, with Masamune in hand, and his wing unfurled. Sora and Natsu knew that they had to fight, and so they turned to their friends who agreed with them. However, Asuka alerted him of the Heartless that appeared around them, and realized that he had to fight them off, while Cody did his best to protect Lucy. Suddenly, Zash appeared and knocked out Happy.
"I'm taking back what's mine!" he said.
"No way!" barked Natsu.
Sephiroth chuckled menacingly at him.
"Erza was right. You are all bark and no bite, Natsu. Though it would be a shame to not know that no one is aware of your deepest darkest secret. And when they do, they'll reject you, and you'll end up alone forever," said the One-Winged Angel.
"You know what, GO BLOW YOURSELF, SEPHIROTH!" shouted the dragon slayer.
But suddenly, Zash used his own powerful spell, the Evil Eye on Natsu, who suddenly began to fall victim to the darkness within him. Suddenly, he turned and glared at Lucy and Cody, then lunged at them. Quickly Cody took the punch by stopping it with his open palm.
"Natsu, snap out of it! You're not thinking clearly!" he cried.
"No! Cody, please! Don't hurt him!" Lucy said, just as Gray joined him, and stopped Natsu from trying to punch Cody again.
"Those two are right, man," he agreed.
Doll then had Francois and Catelyn attack the four of them, until Cody was blasted back by Sephiroth's Giga Flare, and lay motionless. Wendy and Carla were not so lucky either.
"You fairies totally dropped the ball," grinned Gapri, distracting Erza.
Swan used this advantage to deliver a powerful kick to her abdomen.
"Now, it's my turn, Swan," said Sephiroth, who walked up to her.
"Sephiroth, you're gonna pay for trying to have my friends killed. This time it's personal," she remarked.
"Is that really supposed to be a threat, Erza?" he asked.
"Only I decide whether I threaten someone or not," countered Erza.
"I am your greatest threat," growled the One-Winged Angel.
"Not yet!" barked the requip mage.
But Sephiroth didn't care. He then pointed Masamune at her.
"You've committed an act of treason, which means Civil War is coming to Fiore," he said with a wicked grin.
He then unleashed an inhuman sound that sounded like a demonic roar, causing Erza to prepare for battle. Quickly, Kirito, Leafa, and Ruby rushed back to her side with Sora's approval, but the One-Winged Angel first struck down Aincrad's dark knight, then the Sylph Fairy of Alfheim. He then engaged the wielder of Crescent Rose MK II and the requip mage, who barely deflected his attacks, until Ruby was brought down by a quick slash across her chest. Enraged, Erza saw that Sephiroth had gone too far, just as he had done by killing Nehelenia, then found herself being driven back by his relentless assault, as Swan, Doll, and Gapri attacked the other members of Team SKYYYLAARC, rendering them all unconscious one by one. Erza struggled against the very swordsman that Sora now truly hated, only to see him pointing his sword at her chest, as if he meant to plunge it right through her heart, but she quickly attacked him and they entered a blade lock, with Sephiroth growling even more ferociously as they glared angrily into each other's eyes. Meanwhile, Sonya was now racing through the forest, her eyes filled with fear as she sensed that Sephiroth's murderous intent was slowly beginning to build up. After breaking the blade lock, Erza and Sephiroth began clashing furiously with each other, the One-Winged Angel giving a cold his, but then leaped onto a rock then back towards her, while their blades collided against each other. Then they stood near one of the cliffs, where the requip mage sent several rocks tumbling down. She tried to attack Sephiroth, only to see him slip past her as he deflected another of her strikes. The One-Winged Angel attacked again, this time gaining the advantage, as Erza started to grow more desperate, only to be kicked in the face, and driven back, her eyes filled with fear, right as Sonya arrived.
"You and your companions will not escape again, Fairy Tail scum," he said, his voice now calm.
He turned to Sonya.
"Do you understand now, Sonya? I was correct. These fools intend to take the Dragon Cry from Stella," Sephiroth explained.
"We only wanted to have it taken to Fiore, so that it can't be used for evil," protested Erza.
"No… No. No! YOU WILL DIE!" he snapped enraged at what he heard, then blasted Erza with a volley of dark lightning.
The requip mage screamed in pain and agony, causing Sonya to turn away in shock.
"They are infidels!" the One-Winged Angel called over the screams.
"WE'RE NOT YOUR ENEMIES!" howled Erza.
"The Dragon Cry has the power to save Stella from destruction. You must choose," Sephiroth said to Sonya.
"Sephiroth will have us all killed!" cred the requip mage, who tried to endure with all her being.
"Will you be the one who allows Stella to die? Or will you want to have this fool who can't withstand my onslaught as she dies under the effects of my power now that she has become far too weak? What is it you'll do now, Sonya?" asked the silver soldier.
"Such power. I don't know if I can hold on any longer," groaned Erza as she was now covered in severe electrical burns.
"Wait! Please let them live. We came here to take back the Dragon Cry. It's just not right," Sonya said finally.
"She's right. I won't let you kill anyone else, Sephiroth," agreed a weakened Sora, who staggered towards him.
"You only wanted to take that very staff to secure our freedom. You're too dangerous to be kept alive," protested Zash.
"Yes. You're all too weak. Your death is the only salvation," agreed the One-Winged Angel.
"Sora, please, don't be a fool, so that you can play the hero," the weakened requip mage said.
"This isn't the way it should be. They must live!" Sonya protested.
"Such foolish arrogance," scoffed Sephiroth.
"Please don't," shuddered Erza.
"Don't do it!" she cried, as she saw Sephiroth raise his sword over him.
"Be silent!" shouted Ydoc, who emerged, then knocked Sonya out with a sleeping spell, then struck at Sora, causing his hand to go numb, as well as him to drop his Keyblade.
He gave a loud scream, which made all of his other friends truly worried, until Sephiroth smiled, cast aside Masamune by stabbing it into the ground, then turned to his weakened opponents.
"POWER!" he cried, blasting them all with dark lightning.
Everyone screamed loudly at the deadly attack that was directed upon them, which echoed all across Earthland. This made Juvia react in shock, when she heard Gray's voice.
"Levy, did you hear that? That was Gray's voice. He's in pain!" she gasped.
"UNLIMITED POWER!" Sephiroth shouted with evil triumph, as Sonya staggered back, a look of pure terror in her eyes.
"Those poor souls," sobbed Sonya, who was truly rattled by Sephiroth's ruthless nature.
Then both Teams Natsu and SKYYYLAARC, were sent flying and grabbed by a swarm of flying Heartless who took them away. However, Zash stopped one, and allowed Lucy to fall down near him, as she was still unconscious, but he turned to the others and ordered that she be taken to the dungeon in Stella Castle where he would deal with her alone.
"As for me, I have plans with my friend, Cody. It's time for us to get reacquainted with each other, after my defeat at the hands of his friends, and then he'll have my permission to die, after I tell him how I was revived. As for the girl, while we leave her in your capable hands, Zash, I also want to show her exactly what I look like, when I get that chance," came a robotic voice from nearby.
It was Ydoc, Cody's alternate self from another reality, brought back from the dead after his humiliating defeat by Nuno, who had been taught how to restore those who had been killed, through biological cloning by Nuno, a scientifically ingenious way to help bring life to one who was already slain. But although his defeat managed to save all the worlds from being destroyed by his twisted desire to rewrite history, Ydoc was now driven by a longing for vengeance against Cody.
"Also, I will reawaken Vanitas within Sora, so that my apprentice will forever be with me," smirked Sephiroth, as he recovered Masamune.
Sometime later, back in the present, Natsu and Sora stood triumphant over the bird that tried to take him away. Something clicked in his mind, and Natsu suddenly realized that he had been controlled by Zash's power over darkness, making him attack his friends.
"Natsu, we'll save them. What happened wasn't your fault. It was Zash who made you attack your friends. For now, we have to regroup," Sora assured him.
"I guess you're right, Sora. It's time to make a real difference, so let's go," agreed Natsu.
They soon raced off and managed to reunite with their comrades, who were searching for Lucy. The only one who was truly worried for her was Cody, who slowly began to feel Berserker slowly getting stronger thanks to his despair.
"Lucy! Lucy! Where are you!?" he called.
"Cool it, Cody. I know exactly who it was that captured her. It was none other than Zash Caine," Natsu assured her.
"Natsu's right, Cody. And believe me. I know that you're worried about her. If Asuna was taken from me again, then I too would be worried about what that bastard would do to her. But, you wanna know the one thing that'd truly haunt me most of all? Losing myself to darkness and awakening the demon, Gleam Eyes, from within. And I'd never be able to forgive myself if you died by his claws. But the same can be said about Sora and his own family. If one of them truly died in his arms, then Vanitas would use that despair to his advantage to burst out and hurt everybody. It's only if we work together as one that we can truly save those we cherish. Your will is far stronger than Xehanort's. We'll let our hearts guide us to Lucy, because we're all connected to her, and we can't let her down, no matter what," explained Kirito.
At Stella Castle, Sonya looked sadly into the well, when Sephiroth and Animus approached her, calling her name which made her jump.
"Yes, King Animus?" she asked, turning to face him and the One-Winged Angel.
"Where is the staff?" Animus demanded.
"Sir Zash still has it. He insists on holding on to it until the ceremony tomorrow," explained Sonya.
"I see. So that's what he's doing. And I suppose you intend to sit back and do nothing. However, while he should have passed it to Animus, his time still continues to grow shorter, until it ultimately destroys him, if he doesn't have that Dragon Cry in his hands. You will be the one who asks Zash to pass it to his king, or you will die a very painful death, which will be far worse than the kind of pain I showed both Team SKYYYLAARC, and those wretches from Fiore's Fairy Tail guild," remarked Sephiroth, pointing Masamune at her in a menacing fashion.
Down in the dungeon, Lucy was now dressed in a ragged dress, as she lay unconscious on the ground, after her electrical burns had been healed. Slowly she opened her eyes, then sat up.
"Where am I?" she asked groggily.
"You are in the dungeon of Stella Castle, Lucy. However, I am not Cody. I am known as Ydoc, the Keyblade Master who wanted to have history rewritten, but was humiliated by the boy you love, and four of his friends, Sora, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and Dragon Chris 99, only to be revived in this clone body that now houses my blackened heart, thanks to Nuno Harime, son of Sephiroth and Nui. However, since I'm in a bit of a generous mood, I will show you my true face. After all, you are what Animus would call, a guest in this castle," Ydoc explained.
All the other girls in the dungeon quivered in fear, as Ydoc carefully removed his mask, and showed Lucy his true face, then placed his mask on a table,then stalked towards her, with his Keyblade in hand. It's name was Darkgnaw, which had Gray guards with pink edges at the intervals, three pink wings emerging from the base of the blade, a pink orb near the base, while the blade was both the same color, but much larger with a white line and rune, and the teeth were both very large and monstros looking, and the token was a pair of wings attached to a pink keychain.
"I don't believe what I'm seeing. How can you have Cody's face?" she asked cowering before him.
"Oh, so you don't know why I have Cody's face, do you? Well, since you're aware of the fact that he's Xehanort's child, then I'd say that this is what he'd become after he fully succumbs to the darkness and becomes the leader of his own group of Warriors of Darkness, or rather the thirteen Seekers of Darkness. However, thanks to Xehanort's nobody Xemnas, after he took up the name Ansem, following his take over of Terra, he created the first Organization XIII, which was promptly destroyed by Sora and his friends. However, the real Organization was created, with Xehanort as the true leader, but they were ultimately slain, and very soon, I will do what Cody still hesitates to do in fulfilling his father's destiny. Or rather, our father. I seek to kill you right in front of Cody, when he comes to try and save you, but only after Zash finishes his business with you," he remarked menacingly.
He quickly stepped back when Zash entered the dungeon, which made the other female inmates cower when they saw him.
"Ydoc, why are you doing this?" Lucy demanded, despite her fear betraying her courage.
"She's all yours, Zash," Ydoc said as he stepped back, then redawned his helmet.
Zash nodded, then used his Evil Eye on her, overriding her free will.
"Come with us," he said to her.
"Yes sir," replied Lucy, now under his spell.
They took her out of her cell, then to a nearby pillar.
"Stand there," commanded Zash.
"Yes sir," Lucy replied without question.
She stepped to the pillar, then turned and faced them. Then, under his orders, she raised her arms, and was now cuffed to the pillar, by both her wrists and ankles. Then Ydoc slowly stepped up to Lucy, and began to touch her cheek with his gloved hand, then stroke it.
"It's time I tell you what Zash wants to do to you, before I end your pathetic life, Lucy. He intends to take a small drop of blood once per day, to ensure that his power continues to serve him. It may leave a few scars, but once he decides he has no need of you, your heart shall forever be banished to the deepest darkest reaches of pandemonium from which no mere mortal can fathom the same kind of hell I went through after I was killed by your friends, only to be revived, as I told you. However, to Sephiroth, your screams will sound like sweet music, not just to his ears, but to mine, Zash, and Animus' ears as well," he explained.
Lucy shivered as Zash drew a dagger, then placed the steel blade against her thigh, making her squirm, then watched as it was pointed towards her chest. Suddenly, Sonya burst through the door.
"I need the staff," she said.
"You dare to interfere! Then I will make you suffer for interrupting Zash's attempt to draw blood from this girl that Cody holds dear to him," glowered Ydoc, pointing Darkgnaw at her.
"LET LUCY GO!" shouted three familiar voices.
It was Natsu, Sora, and Cody, who burst through the wall. Lucy was relieved to see them, but Sonya saw that he was indeed a dragon slayer, until she saw him punch Zash back. Sora and Cody quickly managed to dispatch the Heartless that emerged around them, but then they saw a sight that chilled them to the very marrow of their bones.
"Long time no see, Sora and Cody," the presence said to them.
"Ydoc!? This is impossible!" gasped Sora.
"No. You can't be real. You're… dead," Cody said in shock.
"Is he?" asked another voice, which came from Sephiroth who emerged before them.
"Yeah. We defeated him in a-" he tried to say, but was cut off.
"Oh, you need not remind him. It was the crowning moment of your time together. But that was then, and this is now. As for why Ydoc was revived, it was thanks to one of my children who's a scientist like Hojo, who I may hate with all my being, but have come to realize that he was my father, which made Lucrecia my mother. However, I dismissed her from my memory, by saying that Jenova is my true mother, after erasing that wench from my memory. I can tell that even though Nuno has been trained to use a sword, he is also a great scientist like Professor Gast Faremis was. And it's thanks to him that he can finally have my revenge on you, Son of Xehanort," explained Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth is right, Cody. I have been waiting for the longest time to have my revenge against you and Sora, since you defeated me in that duel to decide the fate of all living things," agreed Ydoc, as he stalked towards his most hated enemies like a vicious predatory creature.
"You alright?" Natsu asked
Lucy nodded, then she was broken free by her companion. Right as Yang engaged the soldiers in battle, with Erza's permission of course.
"It can't be," shuddered Cody, who staggered back.
"Cody, snap out of it! I may have heard Lucy say that she'd never allow you to fall into despair, just like how you won't let her, but as your friend I'll say this. You are better than that masked jerk! And if you let him hurt Lucy, he might draw out Berserker so that he can have him kill us all without the need of a challenge!" called Gray.
Yes, he's right, Cody! Don't let him break your confidence!" agreed Wendy.
"We'll keep this bunch busy, guys! But we gotta get out of here before they send in everybody!" Yang called as she fought.
"We'll also help you out, Yang," added Erza
"What!? How did you break out of the birds' nest? And how did you find us here?" demanded Zash, right as Sora clashed with Ydoc.
"It's because our hearts will always bring us back together again. And thanks to that, I was able to find my way to Lucy, who's heart was calling out to me. As for what you were going to do to her, I'll make sure you and the reborn Ydoc pay dearly for that!" Cody remarked.
"Then I'll turn you all to dust!" he shouted, and drew the Dragon Cry from the back of his belt.
"No! Please don't do it, Sir Zash! You'll kill us!" cried Sonya.
"Idiot girl!" howled Ydoc, blasting her with dark lightning, that sent her flying back.
But Wendy saw what was about to happen, and she decided it was time to make a hasty retreat. Quickly, thanks to her shield, they managed to enter the sewers of Stella.
"Is everybody okay?" Carla asked.
"We'll be fine, Carla," replied Sora.
"That was scary. Thanks so much for coming to rescue me, guys," sighed Lucy.
"It was our honor, Lucy. But, even though Natsu felt that a full frontal assault was the only way, I'm afraid I had to agree with him, as he too is bound to you through friendship, and it's thanks to him that we're back together," replied Cody.
He gently kneeled down and pulled her up onto her feet, then they shared a kiss with each other.
"Uh, guys, escape now, hug and kiss later," Gray said to them.
"Let them have this moment, Gray. Besides, I'd really hate to find out what would happen if Cody did find Lucy slain," Asuna assured him.
But they soon shifted their attention towards Sonya.
"Hey. I'm Sora. This is Kirito, Yang, Yumi, Yui, Leafa, Asuna, Asuka, Ruby, Cody, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Lucy, and Erza," Sora said, greeting her.
"Well, my name is lady-" Sonya was about to reply.
"You can't hide from me, you scum!" Zash howled in the distance.
Cody turned and looked back with suspicion in his eyes.
"I know a way out of here. Follow me," she said to them.
"Hold on. What about that staff, the Dragon Cry?" asked Ruby.
"Not possible, Ruby. It's probably best if we fall back for now. We'll find a way to get it later," replied Kirito.
"Kirito's right, everyone. It's best if we follow her lead for now, then come up with a better plan," agreed Lucy.
They all ran after Sonya who was in the lead, but she saw that there were more soldiers hunting them down, after they entered the sewers thanks to her own power.
"This way," she said, rushing to the right.
"Can you sense where people are or something?" Lucy asked.
"That's my magical ability," replied Sonya.
"I'm guessing they used your powers to track us down," said Erza.
But they had barely gotten to the exit, when they saw some water type Heartless in the form of Sahagins burst out of the water.
"Heartless!?" gasped Cody.
"Erza, we need to hold them off, while we retreat!" Sora said to the requip mage.
"Agreed," replied Erza.
They fought them off as best they could, even though Ruby saw that they looked tough, which meant that Yumi and Gray had to use their ice powers to subdue them while Sora changed his Kingdom Key into Diamond Dust. They managed to defeat the first group, but soon another Sahagin Heartless appeared, along with two Blugu Heartless.
"Yang! Yumi! Freezer Burn!" called Sora.
Yang and Yumi charged at the Heartless and struck them both down.
"Sure is nice to get out of the sewers for a change," said the brawler.
"I just hope I can wash off all this muck when we get out," agreed the snow ninja of Gessen, leading to the other girls agreeing with her.
But they were soon set upon by more Sahagin Heartless, but they were quickly taken down in a heartbeat without any second thoughts.
"You guys stay put. I'll go on ahead and secure the escape route," Cody said to them.
"Sora!" called Asuka.
Sora quickly ran to the side of Hanzo's Granddaughter and readied Diamond Dust again.
"Looks like they're hungry for more," Yui said to them.
"We're not delicious! Not even a little bit!" cried Lucy.
"Then fall back! I'll cover you!" Sora said.
"He's right, now go!" added Yang.
"Okay, but follow us after you deal with them!" cried Erza.
Sora and Yang soon set to work fighting off the Sahagin Heartless, then stood back to back.
"You too!" he said to the brawler.
"But there's too many of them!" protested Yang.
"Not for me, there isn't," remarked the spiky brunette.
"Okay, but hurry up!" she replied, and raced off.
Sora stood his ground as several more Sahagin Heartless came towards him. He struck one down, sending it over the edge.
"Last warning! Back off, or die!" he told the Heartless.
He struck down another, then quickly ran after his friends, but sent another crashing back into the others, and continued to retreat.
"Sora!" cried Yang.
"C'mon!" added Lucy.
He got out, just in time.
"You should be safe here, at least for a while," Sonya said once they were outside in the bright sun.
"We owe you, Miss…" Yumi replied.
"I am Lady Sonya, an advisor to King Animus," she explained.
"Oh yeah? So why'd you help us escape?" asked Gray.
"You must have some sort of reason," agreed Erza.
"Erza's right, Sonya. Please tell us," added Cody.
"Well, because I can't sit back while my people suffer any longer," Sonya replied.
"What do you mean?" wondered Sora.
"King Animus and I have known each other for as long as I can remember. He was a kind man, until the day he became obsessed with getting his hands on the Dragon Cry. Sir Zash told him about the power that it holds. I even helped steal it, trying to convince myself it was for the good of the kingdom," she explained.
"How did you know it would help?" questioned Wendy.
"Do you happen to know anything about stellanium?" Sonya asked them.
"It's Stella's special mineral, isn't it," replied Happy.
"The more starlight that the crystals absorb, the more lustrous, and therefore the more valuable they become. But for the last few years, the stellanium has been crying out. It seems that a great deal of it has absorbed too much starlight. Our kingdom now faces the threat of having all that light released at once," she explained.
"Just like what happened after we learned that Atlas and Mantle were destroyed after we escaped the Ever After, where we found a now changed Remnant under Salem's rule, after she claimed all the relics," Yang said in surprise.
"What are you talking about?" Gray asked her.
"Back on our homeworld, my friends and I were transported to the Ever After, a world that didn't take kindly to other worldly visitors. Some of us didn't survive, but we were the sole survivors who returned to that world. Myself, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Sora. We informed them that Jaune was so consumed with despair at the loss of a very special friend of mine, Penny Polendina, who we asked Ambrosious to transfer her essence into a human body, without the mechanical parts of herself, even though Sora said that she had her own heart. A heart that made her who she was, until Cinder murdered her in cold blood, leading to her transfering her maiden powers to Winter Schnee, former captain of the Atlas Military. In the end, we managed to free Salem from the darkness, but Cinder escaped and joined Sephiroth, after her powers were lost, and now we have Aiden to contend with," explained Ruby.
"But now that we know that stellanium absorbs starlight, it'll unleash a powerful shockwave that'll level this entire island, along with all of its people once it's been tampered with, leaving nothing but water everywhere. That's why we're not gonna let it happen, Sonya. But now that we've become aware of the Dragon Cry, and what it can be capable of, we have to find out what Zash intends to do with it," Sora told her.
"There's a ceremony. The King plans to perform it tomorrow night at a temple in the northwest part of the city," Sonya said.
"Hold on, won't that cause the people of Stella to suffer even more than they are now?" questioned Leafa.
"But it's the only way that we can be saved, though it may mean we lose every stellanium crystal. Do you understand? That's why we need the Dragon Cry! We'll die without it!" she explained.
"It belongs to our kingdom, and our mission is to ensure its safe return," interjected Erza.
"That may be true, but right now the power it holds is the only hope for the future of Stella," argued Sonya.
"You're dead wrong about that, lady!" snapped Natsu.
This made her look in shock at what Natsu had said.
"The moment I touched it, I could feel it, the dragon's anger. Their suffering. We can't let that kind of power be released," he added firmly.
"Natsu's right, Sonya. Such power will only bring pain, sorrow, and death. We all saw it after we bore witness to the loss of Eclair, following the destruction of an ancient artifact called the Phoenix Stone, which gave her eternal life after drinking its blood. But, our hearts are saying that if the Dragon Cry's power is used for evil intentions in this ritual, then Stella… No, the whole world will die, leaving nothing but a barren wasteland. Such an action would only serve to break Sora's morality. So please, Sonya, Let us have the staff, and we'll ensure that it'll be taken somewhere, so that none can use it to reign destruction upon Earthland, and beyond," agreed Asuka.
"That's what our hearts are telling us to do, and you need to learn to listen to your heart also. I hear it telling me that you want to ensure that Stella lives, but you're being misguided by the darkness, Sonya. Zash is using it so that he can try to become a dragon god. When he gets what he wants, he'll destroy Stella, and eventually, every kingdom in this world. You know that it's true," explained Sora.
"You're being foolish," gasped Sonya.
"Well, yeah, but sometimes being foolish is better than not being foolish," remarked Yang.
"You stubborn idiots," she sobbed, and raced off.
But that night, inside the throne room, Ydoc blasted Zash with dark lightning, causing him to scream loudly.
"You foolishly allowed Sonya to get hurt, and because of your actions in trying to use the Dragon Cry's power in front of her, you shall be punished for it!" he said angrily, and intensified the attack.
He stopped soon afterwards, then walked up to Animus.
"One more petty excuse from your mouth, and I may have Sephiroth execute you for your attempt to rebel against me," said the king.
"Yes. I will personally make sure that they don't interfere in tonight's ritual, by cutting out their hearts, one by one," agreed Sephiroth, and he stalked out of the throne room, but made doubly sure to blast Zash with Heartless Angel, which made Sonya flinch at what she'd seen, and run off.
"I too will ensure that once Cody's eliminated, I will make Lucy, and all the girls that love him say that their hearts are mine for the taking, and revenge will most certainly taste very sweet after he dies, which will mean I will be standing in his place, gathering a new generation of Warriors of Darkness," grinned Ydoc, and they stormed out of the throne room.