"Ha ha ha ha!!!!" Lloyd continued to laugh in his usual sinister and menacing manner.
Meru looked back to Anthony, who was still standing behind her, "Anthony, get help!"
"But, I…!" he began.
"Go!" Meru shouted. She wasn't going to risk him getting hurt.
"No! I can't let you fight him alone!" Anthony shouted back. He stepped forward and slightly in front of Meru, "We're both Dragoons, remember?! We fight together!"
Meru smiled at him, respecting his mature attitude, "Okay!"
"You Dragoons never cease to amaze me!" Lloyd smirked, "You always show that purity that lies within your spirits…that light. Well, guess what? I'm going to be the to put out that light into obscurity! Especially when this world becomes the nesting ground for [The Moon That Never Sets]! You Dragoons will not be able to salvage it this time!"
"Don't be too sure! We will stop your evil ambition!" Meru yelled back as she stepped up.
"Ah, yes…My Wingly princess…" Lloyd grinned, "You know, I'm glad that you and I are able to speak to each other, one-on-one, for there is something important that I forgot to mention to you."
"What are you talking about?!" Meru asked him.
"Meru! Anthony!" two voices called from behind.
The other Dragoons, bestowed with their armor, flew up from behind them.
"Everyone!" Anthony said happily.
"We sensed his presence and hurried over here as fast as we could," Rose stated.
"And so the rest arrive…I do not mind. I wish for all of you to witness what I am about to tell your Wingly comrade," Lloyd told them all. One could easily tell he wasn't with the best intentions. He looked to Meru with cruel eyes, "Our race was such a proud race, don't you think so? Every single one of us…"
"W-What are you saying?! Why do you say it like that?!" Meru kept asking.
"This was quite some time ago…I returned 'home' just before I activated [The Moon That Never Sets]. Hmm…it was after you had visited, I'm sure. They all wanted to protect you," he explained as he took out his Dragon Buster.
Meru was afraid of what he was about to tell her.
"Each of them stepped in front of my blade…" he continued, as he began to gesture what he was saying by slashing down with his sword, "One…by…one…"
Meru gasped as tears began to form in her eyes, "…No."
"Meru…" Anthony sighed sadly. He and his friends could only watch for now.
"Soon enough, I reached your parents…Both of them vowed that they would not let me hurt you," Lloyd said mockingly, "But, with two quick slashes from my blade…and they were finished."
Meru had completely lost it. She couldn't handle what she was hearing. She buried her face in her hands and dropped to her knees as she sobbed, "Momma…Poppa…"
"Oh, yes. And then this warrior came to stop me. He seemed to be quite taken with you. I could tell, not only by his eyes, but by the way his heart beat in my palm…" Lloyd told her with pure blood lust in his voice.
Meru looked up to him, tears all over her face, "No…!! Not…!!"
"I believe his name was…Guaraha?" Lloyd asked.
"Ahh!!!" Meru cried, "Guaraha!!!"
Anthony wanted to say something to her, but held back. He knew there was nothing he could say to her right now. She had already lost her best friend. Now she had lost her family, and her lover.
Anthony clenched his fist in anger and frustration and faced Lloyd. "I don't understand you!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "How could you be so heartless?! You killed your own people!!! Have you no remorse?!!! No shame!!!"
"Oh, please. I'm so over it," Lloyd said nonchalantly, "They stood in my way, so I figured I'd just dispose of them…just like I'm going to dispose of your little friends here in a moment."
"Not while we're still breathing!!" Dart shouted.
"We can arrange that…" Lloyd smirked.
"I won't forgive you…" Meru mumbled softly.
"What?" Lloyd asked her.
"I won't forgive you…!" she said even louder, "I won't forgive you…I won't forgive you…I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!!!!!!" She looked up to him as her crystal blue eyes began to glow. Out of her body, power began to emit in the form of bright blue light as well as showing its intensity in the form of strong wind.
The intense air that she blew pushed even her friends back. Anthony fell onto Kongol's huge chest as he held him tightly.
"What's happening?!!" Anthony shouted loudly, having to yell over the forceful wind.
"She's…She's releasing her Wingly power!!!" Albert answered.
Meru put her hand out as her large mallet appeared within her fingers. Out of her back, small blue transparent wings formed. "I hate you!!!" she yelled with all her fury as she flew up to Lloyd at incredible speed.
"Uh?!!" Lloyd gasped.
With all of her strength and might, Meru bashed Lloyd right in the chest, sending him flying across a house and over to the lake lied near the park. Meru, without hesitation, followed him.
"Meru!!" Haschel called.
"MUST GO AFTER MERU," Kongol stated.
"Yes. We have to help her," Rose added, "This could be disastrous…"
"For who?" Anthony asked.
"…For both." Rose answered ominously.
Lloyd was levitating over the dark, deep blue lake. He looked around nervously to see where his attacker was. He knew what the true power of a Wingly was; for he was a Wingly himself.
From the distance, Meru came flying just above the water, spreading out around her as she flew in. She pulled back her mallet and struck Lloyd again, blowing him back even further.
Lloyd felt his lip and saw blood on his fingers. He was being hit hard enough to make him, the most powerful Wingly, bleed.
"Haahhh!!!!" Meru screamed as she came at him again.
This time, Lloyd defended himself from his enemy. He grabbed her hammer and swiped it from her hands. "Try and fight me now without your little hammer," Lloyd told her in a mocking way.
Meru grew even more furious. She pointed one hand at him as blue energy in the shape of a boomerang shot out at him.
"Ugh!" Lloyd grimaced as he was hit.
Like a combination of punches, she kept shooting and shooting at him, blowing him even further back.
Lloyd was injured, and pretty badly. He held the side of his ribs in pain.
"You will pay…!" Meru yelled, "For Momma…and Poppa…and…Guaraha!!! Ugh…Ahh!!!" She held her head and grimaced in pain. The water beneath her began to swirl like a whirlpool, as did the wind that began to encircle her like a tornado. It seemed like she was about to commence a powerful spell. The wind turned into blue magic that spewed small bolts of electricity.
"Meru!!!" Dart shouted from the side of the lake.
"What is this?!" Albert cried.
"Meru's Wingly magic level is too premature!" Rose answered him.
"What does that mean?!" Haschel inquired.
"Remember how I said this could be disastrous for both?!" she began, "This is why! If she lashes out, she could end up destroying the most of this urbanization, Lloyd…and ever herself!"
"Ah!" Anthony gasped. He didn't know what he could do. He could see his dear friend Meru in trouble from within that cyclone of magic. He looked down, ashamed that he couldn't do more. All he could see was Meru's kind face and the kind words she had said to him earlier:
"…I was very sad that my family wasn't supporting me…but, I continued on because it made me happy, and no one else. That's why people do the things that they love most…because it makes them happy."
Anthony's heart felt so warm and so full of light. Once again, his body began to emit the holy, white light.
All of his friends turned to see it.
"Anthony…!" Dart gasped.
"He's…!" Haschel added.
The glowing yellow symbol returned to his forehead, illuminating its brilliant light.
Lloyd could see, from where he was, on the shore of the lake where the light came from. "It's him…!" he said to himself, "This could be my chance…!"
Anthony's body lifted up from the ground and slowly began to hover towards Meru's location. However, this time, the most massive and illustrious white angel wings burst from his back. He slowly flew over to Meru, his eyes now the color of shimmering silver.
Meru still grimaced and grabbed her tightly to lessen the pain, "Agh…! Ugh!!!" She could see a white light approaching her from behind and turned around to see what it was. She gasped when she Anthony, in all his angel splendor, approaching her.
Anthony entered the twister of power and floated in front of Meru. He smiled to her and stretched out his arms to her. He slowly moved to her and embraced her within his arms.
She suddenly began to feel at peace, as she felt the pain begin to leave her body.
"Don't worry…It'll be all right…" he whispered as his immense angel wings enveloped both of their bodies.
A flash of bright light commenced, blinding everyone nearby. As everyone then reopened their eyes, they could see that the magic had stopped.
Lloyd was pleased to see it gone.
Anthony reopened his wings as an unconscious Meru fell out of them.
"Meru!!" Dart cried as he set out into the air and caught Meru before she hit the lake. He looked up to see the lustrous Anthony. "Anthony…" he sighed.
"My chance…!!" Lloyd said to himself. He gathered all of his strength and flew towards the young boy.
Rose saw him flying towards Anthony, "Oh no!! Look out!!"
Lloyd came up from behind Anthony and wrapped his arms around his neck.
Anthony struggled to break free from his grasp, trying to pull Lloyd's arms off of him. He blinked once, as the actual Anthony returned; his eyes now their normal color. He still glowed the holy white light and his angel wings remained as well. Anthony looked below him and then at his body. "What is this…?" he thought.
Meru slowly began to reawaken. When she opened her eyes, after blinking twice, she saw Anthony in danger just above her. "Anthony!!!" she cried.
"Meru, you're awake!" Dart exclaimed.
"Ugh…!!!" Anthony still struggled, "Let me go!!!"
"I finally have you…[Moon Child]!!!" Lloyd yelled into his ear.
"Ah?!" Anthony gasped when he heard those words. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was the [Moon Child]?
"We have to help him!!" Meru shouted, as she leaped from Dart's arms and straight into the water below her.
"Meru!!" Dart shouted.
A flash of blue light flared from within the lake, as then Meru swooped up and out of the depths. She had transformed herself into the Sea Wave Dragoon. "Let him go!!!" she cried as she flew up towards Lloyd.
"Be gone, you pest!" Lloyd shouted back. He pointed his blade at her, firing an immense wave of dark magic in the form dark lightning bolts.
She was hit straight in the chest and blown back to Dart's location.
"Dragoons…!" Rose shouted as they all spread out their wings, "…let's fly!!!"
The remaining Dragoons that stood at the shore rushed into battle towards the white light. Each of them put up their weapons and raced into battle.
"Yahh!!!" Lloyd yelled. He fired another wave of dark magic, but this time in the form of a strong, forceful black mist that also blew the Dragoons back. "Now, to get what I came for…" he stated, "Objects of power, objects of death, objects of destruction…Come forth and reveal your forms to us! Come to your [Moon Child]!!"
"What?!!" Anthony gasped. It was true what he was hearing. He really was the [Moon Child].
"[Moon Gem…Moon Dagger…Moon Mirror]!! Bequeath me with your enchanting magic!!!" Lloyd finished.
"Ahhhh!!!!!!!!" Anthony began to scream loudly, as the golden symbol upon his forehead began to radiate beams of light.
The Dragoons covered their eyes to protect their eyes from the bright light.
"Anthony!!!" Meru cried.
The glistening moon above them began to emit an eerie golden glow. From its illuminating light, three beams of golden light hurled down and placed themselves in front of Anthony and Lloyd.
"Yes…YES!!!" Lloyd shouted with pure ecstasy, "They're here!!!"
"No!!!" Haschel shouted.
"The Divine Moon Objects are…!!!" Albert began to yell.
In each of the three beams of light, an object materialized itself. The first beam held a round, metal sphere that held a large green gem within it; which could be seen through a large crevice in the object. This was the [Moon Gem]. The second beam had a small, sharp blade made of the same material as the gem. The blade was slightly curved back. There was a small green gem carved into the handle. This was the [Moon Dagger]. The final beam held a small handheld mirror, also of the same material as the other two. The mirror glass did not project any reflection. It was purely opaque. There was also a green gem upon the top of the mirror. This was the [Moon Mirror].
"The Divine Moon Objects!!!" Rose gasped, "No!!!"
The light from the symbol on Anthony's forehead ceased, as the symbol also vanished. The glow from his body also ended, as his angel wings returned into his body. "U-Ugh…" he fell unconscious inside Lloyd's arms.
The three Divine Moon Objects floated into Lloyd's hands. "Ha ha ha ha!!!!" he laughed evilly, "Now it's all over!!! Now I have the Divine Moon Objects, and the boy!!! Ha ha ha ha!!!!"
"NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT!!" Kongol yelled.
Albert closed his eyes as he began one of his Dragoon spells. The winds in the entire mall picked up to speeds even more powerful than those of a tornado or hurricane. Out of thin air, glistening cherry blossom petals flew around in the colossal gusts of wind. In a matter of seconds, Albert reopened his eyes as he called out the spell, "Rose Storm!!!"
Dart threw his sword up into the air and placed his palms in front of his chest. Drawing magic from his Dragoon Spirit, fire magic began to collect itself in between his palms, soon creating a massive ball of flames. "Flame Shot!!!" he shouted as he hurled the magic attack at Lloyd.
"Atomic Mind!!!" Haschel quickly yelled, sending off a massive attack filled with violet bolts of lightning.
"GRAND STREAM!!!" Kongol called out his spell, launched a wave of golden magic at the evil Wingly.
All of the Dragoon attacks headed towards Lloyd's direction.
"Uh?!" he gasped. He let Anthony go and then teleported away, the magic spells missing him.
As Anthony went falling towards the lake, Meru flew in and rescued him just before he hit the water. "Anthony…" she smiled to him, even though he was still unconscious, "…You're all right now."
Lloyd reappeared in front of the team of Dragoons, laughing as usual, "Ha ha ha ha!!! It does not matter!! The boy will be mine, soon enough!! But, now…what you all should be concerned with is what right glows in the sky!" He pointed to the full moon that shimmered in the night sky, surrounded by sparkling stars.
The Dragoons looked to it, and knew he was right.
"In time, that moon's white light will change…to that of the thickest of blood! This time, your efforts will not stop me!! This world will soon be mine!!! Ha ha ha ha!!!" he went on laughing, vanishing into the night.
"Urgh…this can't be happening!" Albert said.
"The events are occurring once again…" Rose stated in disbelief.
"This world will turn into a battlefield…just like Endiness was…" Dart added.
"What now?" Haschel asked himself.
Kongol looked away sadly.
None of them knew what they were going to do now. They stopped their world from ending once. They didn't know if they could possibly do it again.
"Anthony!!" Meru called to him.
Everyone turned around to see Meru kneeling down next to Anthony, holding him. They all flew to him.
"Do not worry Meru," Rose reassured her, "He's just fatigued, that's all. He'll be fine as soon as he gets rest."
"He…saved me…didn't he?" Meru asked them, in a soft voice.
"Yes, he did." Haschel answered.
"He saw you in danger and did not hesitate to assist you…He really is quite taken with you," Albert smiled.
"THINGS DIFFERENT NOW," Kongol told them, in his usual blunt manner.
"Yes. He knows now," Dart said disappointingly, "About him being the [Moon Child]."
"When he wakes up…who knows how he'll take it…" Haschel added.
"He will be upset with us…for not telling him sooner…" Rose said to them, "We will have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow."
They all looked towards the full moon. Their faces looked so somber. Everything was at its culmination.
"We should get him back home," Dart said.
"Yes," Albert agreed.
"Oh, Anthony…" Meru whispered, "Please don't be made at me…for not telling you…"
The moon glimmered radiantly above them. Soon enough, however, the moon's light would change; just as Lloyd had described earlier. The only question was: Could it be stopped?
