The true Rune

          Rune stood there in front of Dark Serge, blue eyes narrowed, lightning dancing around his form. His sword flashed and sparkled in his hand, glowing with every color of the rainbow. He withdrew a band from his pouch and tied it around his forehead, holding his hair back. Everyone stood there in silent shock, their eyes wide. Dark Serge shook his head in disbelief.

          "Chrono…?! Back from the dead?!" Lynx, Leena, and Norris all gasped again, and Norris spoke in an awestruck whisper.

          "The former king of Guardia…"

          Rune shook his head, his eyes darkening with hate.

          "Try again." He hissed. He ripped the top of his tunic, exposing part of his chest. His chest was scarred badly, the skin black as though tattooed. Dark Serge's eyes widened again.

          "You… You're that boy…! You're that… Aaron!!"

          Rune nodded slowly.

          "Oh good… You remembered…" He said hatefully. "You did those things to my mother and sister… Then you tried to kill me. But you were getting cocky, weren't you?! You didn't think that my own innate magical power may save my life!!" He looked down. "My father… He was so injured at that point that he didn't make sure I had been killed… When I woke up and returned to the palace, I found your handiwork, Lynx…" Rune shook his head. "My father… He tried so hard to protect us…" Tears rolled down the young man's cheeks, and he clenched his fist. "We were so happy, and you had to come and destroy that!!!" Dark Serge glared at Rune, his eyes flashing.

          "Blame your parents!" He sneered. "They and their friends were irresponsible teenagers who couldn't accept the will of FATE! Well, they've accepted it now, haven't they?! Your mother and sister accepted it right away! They died quickly, and that pleased FATE. But your father…" Dark Serge shook his head. "He refused to die. Like an annoying insect he continued to fight back! And just when I thought I had stamped out the vermin once and for all, you slither out of the wreckage of Guardia!!!" He smirked a bit. "Like father, like son, I suppose… You're a head strong idiot as well, I gather. Why don't you join your family in the abyss?!"

          Rune smirked again.

          "So you think that I'm an idiot, huh…? That's sort of funny… Because that's what I think you are." Rune began to gather power from his soul, and he floated off of the ground, his eyes glinting. "Because you forgot something I didn't—Harle isn't here right now!!!"

          Dark Serge's eyes widened in shock.

          "No… It's IMPOSSIBLE!!!"

          Rune brought his hands up, and his sword floated in front of him. He held his hands out, his eyes going white as the pure energy exploded around him.

          "LUMINIARE!!!!"

          The light slammed into Dark Serge, who was sent flying. He hit the wall, and then toppled off, landing on his knees. He looked up towards Rune, coughing as blood flowed out of his mouth. But then he began laughing. Rune blinked in confusion, as Dark Serge began to laugh even louder.

          "What's so funny?!" Rune exclaimed. Dark Serge grinned.

          "Was that your best…? Maybe fourteen years ago it would have worked on me, but now…" He shook his head, wiping the blood from his mouth. "I'm afraid it's a little too weak." He held his hands up, and dark light exploded around him.

          "FOREVER ZERO!!!!"

          Rune's eyes went wide, he dropped his sword, and he dove to the side, struggling to evade the blast. It was then that he realized that the blast was now heading towards Leena and the others. In the split seconds he had to act, his mind raced through ways to reflect the attack. Finally, just as the blast neared his friends, Rune thrust his hands out in front of him, forcing a wave of pure energy into them. He then closed his eyes and pushed the energy forward, shooting it out in front of Dark Serge's attack. Rune's energy formed a barrier around his friends, and the impending attack fizzled out harmlessly on the shield. Rune sighed, bringing his hands down, and turned to Dark Serge, who was a bit surprised. He clapped nonetheless at Rune.

          "Bravo." He said flatly. Rune smirked.

          "A bit different than when you slaughtered my father, huh?" He glared at Dark Serge, retrieving his sword. "I have been training my entire life for this, Lynx… I've watched you in many battles, learning your techniques. Now I can stop them all!" Dark Serge glared at him.

          "You're beginning to annoy me… Why couldn't those Porre buffoons do anything right?! All they had to do…"

          "Was kill legends." Rune said. "And they did… Only partly. Because one of those legends has come back to life!!!" Dark Serge scoffed at Rune.

          "You're nothing. You're just a ghost." He sneered. "A ghost of a man that just refuses to just die!!!"

          Dark Serge dashed at Rune, his sickle raised high. Rune flipped backwards, avoiding the attack. He back-flipped across the room, but no sooner had he landed, Dark Serge was already there, attacking furiously. Rune fought just as hard, however, and the two for a time seemed matched. Rune kicked off of the wall behind him, landing a square kick on Dark Serge's face. His enemy screamed in anger, and Rune laughed.

          "No shield this time, huh?" Rune taunted, moving back, inviting Dark Serge to attack. The two clashed again, this time forcing magic into their blades. The dark energy raced up and down Rune's form, and he screamed, falling back. Dark Serge also fell back, lightning exploding over him. The two men glared at each other and clashed once again, blades flying. Rune flipped over Dark Serge, who ducked low, avoiding Rune's oncoming attack. Dark Serge punched Rune in the gut, causing the boy to stumble back a bit, stunned. Rune glared at Dark Serge, and then broke out into a mad dash, swinging his sword down on his enemy. Dark Serge struggled to parry, but his attempt failed and he received a nasty wound on his arm. Rune took advantage of the seconds Dark Serge was stunned, and he used the time to unleash a flurry of punches, kicks, and swings with his sword on his adversary. Dark Serge let loose a frenzied energy attack, blowing Rune back against the wall. Rune winced, but then kicked off of the wall, sprinting back into the fight. The clash continued, until both warriors stood gasping. Both were running out of energy.

          "You… Little… Pest…" Hissed Dark Serge. Rune glared at him, his chest heaving.

          "How about…" The boy started. "…we finish this now… With Magic." Dark Serge nodded, and started to reach for his Element Grid, but Rune shook his head. "No Elements. Just your magic versus mine. We're matched physically… But we cannot be matched magically too…"

          Dark Serge nodded.

          "Fine then. We'll end this like true magic users." He agreed. Then he smiled and thought to himself. Besides… Luminare is the most powerful attack that his father had… And that is nothing. This boy will die just as easily! He glared at Rune, drawing his energy to his hands. Rune did the same, closing his eyes.

          Rune slowly floated into the air, his energy wrapping around him. He opened his blue eyes and looked gazed up, absently. Before him, he saw all of those who had died in the war… Lucca, his grandmother, his sister, his mother… And finally, staring back at him was his father. His father nodded to him, and Rune narrowed his eyes.

          The ultimate lightning attack… Use it… His father was pleading him. Aaron, I know you can do it…! It's a level I never ascended to, but I know you can do it!

Use it… Show Lynx what Guardian's are made of!!!

          Rune nodded.

          "Okay… Dad…"

          Light wrapped around him, faster and faster. Bolts of it shot out of his form, and Leena, Lynx, and Norris backed up, shielding their eyes. As the light grew, Rune began to speak softly.

          "From beyond the gates of time…"

          Dark Serge brought his hands forward.

          "Forever Zero!!!!"

          Leena screamed, her eyes wide with terror.

          "Rune!!! Look out!!!!!"

          But Rune paid no attention to her screams. He continued gathering power.

          "From the gates of Heaven and Hell…"

          The blast exploded towards him, ripping the tiles of the floor up in its wake. Dark Serge began laughing manically. Lynx pulled Leena and Norris through the door, screaming.

          "Get back!!! It's going to destroy the room!!!!"

          Leena shook her head in, tears flying from her eyes.

          "But, what about Rune?! We can't leave him!!!"

          Dark Serge's attack ripped into Rune, setting off a powerful explosion that sent all three of them flying. Leena looked over her shoulder to see the room engulfed in flames.

          "RUNE!!!!!!!!"

          Lynx bowed his head.

          "No…"

          Norris's face was white. He looked to Lynx and Leena.

          "Do you… Have any idea who that boy was?! He was prince Aaron, King Chrono's son!!!"

          "Don't say 'was'!!!" Leena cried. Norris bowed his head.

          "Sorry… But I—" He trailed off, his eyes locked on the fire. The others followed his gaze, only to see Dark Serge emerge from the fire, his face jubilant. He flashed his sick grin at the trio, nodding.

          "Now I feel refreshed." He commented, gesturing to the flames. "Finally, all of the remnants of Guardia are gone." Lynx shook his head.

          "You've gone too far, Lynx…" He snarled, a low growl forming in his throat. Dark Serge laughed.

          "I'm Serge." He said triumphantly. "I destroyed Guardia as Lynx, and killed the sole survivor of the Royal Family as Serge. Goodness… You're as responsible as I am, Lynx…"

          Lynx glared at his enemy, and Leena and Norris both drew their weapons.

          "My name isn't Lynx… It's Serge! You can't steal who I am. You may have my body… But you will never have my name!"

          Leena nodded, despite her tears.

          "That's right…! What you look like doesn't mean anything…! Serge… Will always be Serge!"

          Norris glared at Dark Serge, aiming his gun at the boy's head.

          "What you did to Guardia was inexcusable. And the fact that you used Porre to fulfill your schemes makes me sick… Rune… No, Prince Aaron's vengeance is now ours!"

          Lynx pointed his swallow at the now fuming Dark Serge.

          "That's right… We'll destroy you here and now, for the sake of all of the people from Guardia! For all of the people in this world!! And… For Rune, and for ourselves and Kid!!! For Lucca, and everyone else you've hurt! Your tyranny stops here!!!"

          Dark Serge took an uncertain step backwards.

          "You… You fools don't stand a chance against me…!"

          Leena shook her head.

          "You're wrong… This is from the people of Arni!!!" She dashed at Dark Serge, bringing her hand up. It was bathed in blue light. "Maiden… SLAP!!!" She slapped him hard, sending the boy reeling. Norris quickly brought his gun up, pointing it towards the ceiling. He closed his eyes, absorbing the power of the earth. Light shot out of the gun as he pointed it at Dark Serge.

          "Top shot!!!" He shouted, letting loose his energy attack. The blast hit Dark Serge in the face, causing him to fall back more. Next, Lynx brought his hands up, light shooting around him.

          "Feral cats!"

          The hoard of dark cats exploded towards Dark Serge, but only damaged him a little. He began to laugh.

          "Not one White elementalist among you… That is funny…"

          Lynx winced.

          "Damn… He's right…" But then, he got an idea. He looked to Leena and Norris. "Keep him busy, okay…? I'm… I'm going to try something." Leena's eyes widened.

          "The… Dragon Tear?"

          Lynx nodded.

          "But…" Norris started. "The room is on fire…"

          "I'll be fine."

          With that, Lynx dashed into the room behind Dark Serge, who laughed.

          "What does he think he can do? Ha ha… Maybe he wants to 'warm up'…" Leena glared at him.

          "Shut up! We're your worry now…!"

          Norris nodded.

          "That is right. So… If I were you, Lynx, I would keep my priorities straight, and pay attention to us."

          Dark Serge laughed.

          "Fine then. Gravitonne!!!"

          Norris and Leena were picked up, then thrown back to the ground. Leena winced standing up.

          "Oww…" She looked at her Element Grid, dismayed to see that it was not charged. She shouted to Norris. "Use a Cure all!"

          He shook his head.

          "I'm out of power! We'll have to attack!"

          Leena moaned.

          "Man…" She dashed at Dark Serge, smacking him several times with her frying pan. She leapt out of the way as Norris expertly landed three shots on their adversary, who shrieked in anger. He took his anger out on Leena with mean slash from his sickle. Leena wasted no time.

          "Cure all!" She screamed, holding her hand up. White light wrapped around she and Norris, and she smiled, feeling revitalized. Norris got three more shots off, missing once. Dark Serge was not faring well, but he was far from finished. He smirked at his element grid. It was filled up to level three. Only four more levels, and he could destroy both of them, easily. He attacked again, getting in three hits. One more level…

          Leena attacked again with her pan, but Dark Serge only snickered to himself. So pitiful…

          Norris shot off two more shells, but then stopped. Dark Serge wondered why he hadn't used all three bullet of the round. He soon knew why. Yellow light was sparking around the Porre Commander, and he punched his hand into the air.

          "Thundra Snake!!!"

          Dark Serge watched in horror as the summon appeared in front of him. He wasn't sure if he could take a hit like the one that was coming. He had no choice. If he could survive this, Norris's Element Grid would be empty. Then it would only be the girl… And she certainly couldn't survive what he had planned.

          The dragon flew towards Dark Serge, showering him with bolts of electricity. He flew backwards, hitting the wall. He felt his consciousness waver, but as the attack faded, so did his worry. He stood up, laughing softly. He was hurt badly, but he was still conscious. Now, it was their turn to feel pain. He dashed towards Norris, striking him across the chest with his blade. Norris's blue eyes went wide, and he fell backwards from the huge attack. Dark Serge began to laugh even louder, his element grid sparking.

          "Now…!!! It's time!!!" He exclaimed, cackling. "You will feel the true extent of my power!!!!" He brought his hand up to begin the spell. Leena was knelt next to Norris, desperately trying to stop the blood. Her eyes widened in terror.

          "Oh no…"

          Dark Serge was now sparking with dark energy. His eyes lit up hatefully.

          "What fun it will be when your friend comes back—if he comes back—to find you all rendered to pieces!!! Ha, ha, ha!!!!" He narrowed his eyes, concentrating. "Black… Ho—" A blast of white light crashed into him, sending him flying. The black void and burning whiteness of the spell Ultra Nova—a spell only usable by a White Elementalist—was all he could feel now. He slammed into the wall, coughing up blood. He looked up hatefully, knowing what he would see.

          Serge stood there, glaring at him with his violet eyes. He was leaning against the wall, his element grid sparking. He grinned.

          "What were you saying?"

          Dark Serge scowled at him, but then, his eyes glinted. Fine then… He's a White Elementalist, then he will surely be crushed by my attack! He began to laugh.

          "Heh, heh, heh… Too little, too late." He brought his hands up, the blackness returning to him as his aura enveloped him. "Black… HOLE!!!" A MASSIVE vortex of blackness exploded towards Serge and his friends, reaching out with tendrils of energy. Serge watched it approach in horror, and Leena tried her best to shield Norris, who was on the edge of consciousness. The blackness seemed to surround them, seemed to cut off all light around them. Then, just as the blackness closed in on them, a light appeared, cutting through the darkness. The light, the gleaming brilliant, warm light, peeled the darkness back. The attack seemed to burn into the figure, but the immense light was too much for it, and the attack was destroyed despite its overpowering darkness. Leena looked up towards the figure, and her green eyes widened.

          "It can't be…" She whispered in shock.

          Rune!!!!

          Rune smiled at them all, his eyes narrowed, his form framed in the fire from the room behind him. Dark Serge looked at him in terror.

          "It's… It's impossible…!!!!"

          Rune brought his hands up. He began to glow even brighter, his form pulsing with pure energy, his entire being flowing with the unbearable desire for revenge. The energy around him began to take shape, forming figures horrifyingly familiar to Dark Serge. His eyes widened in disbelief as their features began to reform. The first was a girl with shoulder-length violet hair. She had large, thick round glasses, and had a gun in one of her hands. The next was a girl with blond hair, tied neatly into a ponytail. The final, was a man, no older than twenty-one, with spiked red hair, who looked as though he could be Rune's twin. He had crystalline eyes, and carried a katana at his side. Leena and the others watched in utter shock as the three ghostly figures brought their hands up, energy gathering into their forms. The first, the girl spoke softly.

          "You really thought that you could destroy our future, didn't you…? You killed all of those children in my orphanage… And now, you are trying to destroy this entire planet's future. We will not stand for it! This boy, Aaron… He will be the one to stop your hatred!" She glowed red, and dissipated into a red light that encircled Rune. The girl with the blond hair nodded.

          "My Aaron… My little boy… Look at what you made him go through…! We tried to save this planet! We gave everything to save it! We won't let you effect it anymore!!! And for what you did to my kingdom… You'll pay the ultimate price!!!" She glowed blue, vanished into a glowing light as the other girl had done, and began to encircle Rune. The man who looked identical to Rune smiled a bit at Serge, his blue eyes glittering.

          "It's nice to see you again."  He said softly. "Please… You, and your friends… You're all that this planet has on its side. Never give up, and always remember, that you are not just fighting for yourselves. You're fighting for this planet's Past, Present, and it's future." He looked over his shoulder to Rune, who was looking at him with tear filled eyes. "Aaron… You grew up so strong… Please, show Lynx what it feels like to experience the pain that we all did! Let him learn what it is to fear, what it is to feel alone on the inside as you wait to die… I'm so happy that you are alive, my son… I'm sorry… That I couldn't be there for you…

          Rune looked at him, his eyes determined.

          "It's okay, dad… You… You did everything you could… Leave this to me. I'll take care of everything."

          His father nodded, his blue eyes serene.

          "Thank you, Aaron…" He looked to Dark Serge then, his eyes fiery. "The tables have turned, Lynx… Consider this a gift from all of Guardia..! From all of us, and from the future we saved!!!" Light shot around him, as his form melted away. He turned once back to Rune, and he smiled. "Aaron, your mother and I… And everyone… We will always be with you… And remember… You are my son. You have a father, even if he can't be with you. I love you, and that will never change. After this, let go of your hatred, and live a normal life… For your mother and I, please…" Rune nodded, tears filling his eyes.

          "I will… Dad…"

Rune's father, Chrono, the King of Guardia then dissolved, his energy joining the rest. The light wrapped around Rune, but soon the three energies were joined by more. The souls of every man, woman, and child, human and demihuman, that died at the hands of Lynx were now pouring forth, giving Rune their power. Serge and the others heard the outcries of hundreds, mostly Guardians. Young voices and old, crying for revenge, sobbing for hope. The light gathered around Rune, and he brought his hands up above his head, his hair spiking straight up into the air. The light surged through him, forming blade of pure energy that cover each of his hands. He brought the two blades across his chest in a cross, hovering into the air. Dark Serge watched in terror as the nameless spell gathered its strength, but he finally snapped himself out of his shock, and turned to run. As he did, he felt hundreds of hands holding him down, pinning him to the wall. Rune floated towards him, raising the blades. Dark Serge shook his head in disbelief as Rune smirked at him, speaking in a low turn.

"This is the vengeance of all of the people who's futures you stole away… This is there vengeance, and mine. Guardia's final justice will now be passed!!!" Dark Serge shook his head.

"You may silence me… But you will never silence FATE!!!!"

Rune cried out in anger.

"It's over!!!!!!"

He brought the first blade across Dark Serge, and with it came the hatred and revenge of an entire kingdom. It sliced through him, cutting the youthful flesh that he had stolen from Serge. Blood exploded from his mouth as pain shot through his entire body. The white electricity seared through him, crystallizing the wound. Rune brought the other blade down, making an X cut down Dark Serge's body. The whiteness burned through his body, rending his body of all consciousness. Rune then brought both of his hands forward, and the blades shot from his hands, becoming blasts of pure energy. Dark Serge was ripped apart and vaporized by the unfathomable energies that burned through his form. It took out part of the wall behind it as well, burning deep into the fort. When it was all over, when the nameless attack was finished, Rune stood in the midst of the smoking debris that was once Dark Serge. He dropped to his knees, his eyes closed in pain. Serge hurried to him, shaking him out of his shock.

"Rune! Rune! Are you okay?!"

Leena was suddenly there, kneeling next to Rune as well, her eyes worried.

"Are you alright?! I thought for sure… That you had…"

Rune winced, smiling at her.

"You should know better…" He said, smiling. "I'm just a little weak… That was… An attack I didn't think I could pull off… Thank God that my parents… And all of Guardia came to help me…"

Serge blinked.

"That wasn't part of it?!"

"No…" Said Rune softly. "My father… My mother… They, and all of Guardia… They saved us all."