The bright sunshine broke through Anthony's bedroom window. He was already up and about, making his bed and cleaning up his room a bit; for lately he hasn't had a lot of time to do so.
As he spread his bed comforter, he had a somber look upon his usual jovial face. It was almost like he couldn't show any emotion at all. It was probably because he didn't even know what to feel anymore. In one night, everything he knew had changed drastically. He was left bewildered, lost…and confused. The words Lloyd had spoken into his ear the night before, echoed throughout his entire mind:
"I finally have you…[Moon Child]!!!"
Anthony still couldn't believe what he had heard. It was almost as if he was in denial. Him, the [Moon Child]? But, then again, he was the White Silver Dragoon. It made sense, didn't it?
A knocking came to his door, "Anthony…you awake?"
Anthony didn't say a word.
"Anthony…" the voice called as the door opened. Anthony's mother walked in. "Oh, you are awake. I didn't hear you come in last night," she said.
"Oh, sorry…I didn't want to wake anybody," Anthony said to her softly.
"It's all right. Actually, Julie called you earlier. She said to call her back as soon as you could," she explained to him.
He nodded to his mother, not even looking at her. He knew why Julie had called him. The Anime Convention. With all that was going on, he wasn't sure if he was even up to going now. All he knew is that there was one thing that continuously bothered him. There was one question that was left unanswered.
"Did you know?" he asked.
It was later that afternoon. The clouds began to hover above them at their hideaway, covering up the usually bright sun. It seemed bad weather was approaching them.
The Dragoons all stood in front of them, neither of them saying a word.
"Okay…I'm going to ask you again and I want a straight answer," Anthony said to them sternly. He was angry, and very much hurt. "Did you all know about me being the [Moon Child]?" he asked.
Rose bit her lip, not wanting to say anything. However, she knew someone had to tell him the truth. He had the right to know. "Y-Yes…" she said softly, then raised her voice, "Yes, we knew."
The clouds above began to thunder. Anthony stepped back, tears beginning to form. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe they lied to him and kept this secret from him. "You…knew?" he asked, so choked up, "Since when?"
Dart stepped forward to speak up, "Since the first day we met you…"
Anthony felt like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't take this at all.
"And all of you knew…?" he asked, looking to all of them. He then saw Meru, his good friend, "Did you?"
A tear ran down Meru's face as she looked down ashamedly. She couldn't face him.
Anthony knew the answer, "So everyone did…And you weren't going to tell me…?"
"Of course we were…it's just…!!" Haschel began to explain.
"You weren't going to tell me until it was too late! Is that it?!" Anthony yelled.
No one said a word. They looked away from him, guiltily.
"What will happen to me?" Anthony said, holding back the tears as he closed his eyes.
"What?" Albert replied.
"What will happen to me? What is the [Moon Child]'s fate?" he inquired.
"I-If…" Rose began, trying to keep her composure, "If the [Moon Child] merges with the Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction will be born."
"And what about me? What will happen to me, my body?" Anthony asked.
Rose knew that's what he was asking in the first place. She didn't know how to answer him without it hurting him. What he was about to hear would change everything for him. It would change his entire life.
"Well?!" Anthony shouted.
"The [Moon Child]'s human body is only a vessel to carry the power that the Virage Embryo requires. When the [Moon Child] merges with the embryo, their soul is taken…their life…So, in turn…the human dies…" Rose finally said.
Anthony gasped within himself. He couldn't believe that he might die. He clenched his fist and gathered his strength, "That's it then…I'm done. I'm through."
"What?" Dart asked.
"I quit…I'm fired, I resign!! You can find someone else to be your [Moon Child]!!" Anthony yelled, tears running down his face.
"Anthony, you need to understand that the signs and the legends have always…" Rose began to explain to him.
"Legends…?" he asked. He looked next to him to see some empty cans. He picked them up and threw a couple towards his friends, "Read me the legends!!! Tell me my signs!!! That doesn't help me any!!! I am going to die!!! Don't you see that?!!"
"ANTHONY, BUT…" Kongol began to speak.
"Don't worry," Dart tried to reassure him, "We're not going to let that happen to you. We'll find another way around it."
"I already did. I quit, remember? Pay attention!" Anthony snapped back, "Don't you see that the only way out of this is through death?! Don't you all remember what happened to Shana?!"
Lightning flashed in the distance.
Dart was hurt by those words.
"The only way she escaped her fate was through death! She died!" Anthony told them.
Everyone around him looked so sad, so helpless.
"But, Anthony we need you…!" Rose began.
"I don't care!!" Anthony yelled back, "…I don't care…" He turned to look at Meru, tears in his eyes, "Meru…I'm only 17 years old…I don't wanna die…"
(The song "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore begins to play)
The rain began to fall down, as Anthony ran away from them.
"Anthony!" Meru cried, "Wait!" She was about to run after him when Albert stopped her.
"Leave him be," he said.
"But…" Meru replied, "Why does this have to happen?!"
Everyone simply stood there, letting the rain drench their bodies. They didn't care. They were too hurt to care, too guilty. And now, they may have already lost for they may have already lost a dear friend.
Anthony went running all across his neighborhood, tears flying across his face. The rain would not stop him. He just kept on running, non-stop. His clothes were soaked with water, and his hair completely drenched. None of it mattered to him. He could only see the faces of the people who were his dear friends.
Kongol.
Haschel.
Albert.
Rose.
Dart.
And Meru…
Their smiling faces.
He couldn't believe that they would betray him and lie to him the way that they had. Everything really did change after all.
Anthony soon arrived back in front of his house. He stared at it, his home. It was the only place in the entire world where he felt safe.
Anthony had gotten out of his wet clothes and into some dry ones. It didn't change the way he felt, however. He lied down on his bed, looking out into the window watching the rain drops hit his window. The sadness that he felt just wouldn't go away.
His mother entered the room and sat next to him on his bed. She could tell something was wrong. "Do you think if I asked, you'd tell me what was wrong?" she asked.
Anthony didn't respond. He continually stared out the window.
"Right…It would take the fun out of guessing," she said, getting up from the bed, "Well, food will be ready soon." She closed the door behind her as she left.
Anthony just wanted to be a normal teenager. He wanted it to be like how it was before all of this supernatural stuff happened. Even if it was only for a moment, he wanted to return to the way things were. For, he knew that he wouldn't be able to escape. He had accepted his fate, and now just wanted to have one more happy moment that he'd be able to take with him.
(Song ends)
He reached over to his blue telephone and began to dial a number.
Someone answered, "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Julie?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Hey, it's Anthony." he told her, "I was just calling to see if you had gone to the convention yet."
"Well, actually, I was waiting for your call. You still up for going?" she asked him.
He thought about it for a moment, but knew his answer, "Yeah…definitely."
"All right. I'll be there in about half an hour," she said.
"Right. See you then," Anthony said as he hung up the phone.
He stood up from his bed and walked over to his closet. He opened the doors and began to look through to find something to wear to the convention. He stopped for a moment and looked back to his dresser.
The White Silver Dragoon Spirit shined its usual radiance.
The Orange County Convention Center, one of the largest ever created, found in the heart of the City of Orlando. The center itself stretching across a long, populated street. Both sides of the streets surrounded by the immense structure. It is beige in color and has large glass windows built along its walls, along with castle-like stairs that lead up to the next floor. A roofed bridge extended across the street and over to the other half. Its always a busy and happening place in the city.
The rain had let up, at least for a little while. The dark, ominous clouds still remained above them.
Anthony and Julie arrived before the main entrance to the convention center. All different types of people entered inside the large building. A lot of them were dressed in cosplay, or in an anime costume. Anthony and Julie looked at one another and smiled. They rushed into the center, laughing.
The room that the anime convention had gotten was enormous. There were all kinds of booths spread all the way around. There were so many people gathered around each one.
Anthony and Julie walked around, looking at everything there was to see. They stopped by the booths, seeing what they had to offer. The two of them looked through artbooks and examined wallscrolls of all different kinds of series. They even bought a few things, carrying around a plastic bag full of merchandise.
As they were walking and talking to one another, they were stopped when an interesting character jumped before them.
An overweight woman dressed in a "Sailor Moon" costume leaped in front of them and began to recite the super heroine's infamous speech. She even did the movements just as the anime character did.
Anthony and Julie were simply stunned. They didn't know what to say as a sweat drop fell upon their heads.
And other things would happen the entire time they were there. The both of them had a great time with one another, laughing and giggling.
Anthony would never forget that day, for he never knew if a day like that would ever come again.
Julie sat down on a bench, putting her bags on the side. "Ah! " she sighed.
Anthony sat next to her, "I'm all 'anime-ed' out!"
Julie laughed, "Trust me, I know the feeling."
Anthony giggled along with her.
"Say…Anthony," she began, "What about that new friend of yours? Meru, was it?"
Anthony's face changed from a joyful smile, to a somber look.
"Wasn't she going to come too?" Julie wondered.
"She…couldn't make it today," Anthony replied, trying to come up with some excuse.
Julie looked at him. She could tell that wasn't quite it. "Hmm…" she said, "You know, no matter what…even if you have problems with any of your friends…"
"Huh?" Anthony said.
"…If they're important ones, it's not worth losing them. Don't you think so?" Julie asked him.
Anthony paused for a moment, and thought about what she said.
"Meru…is an important friend of yours, isn't she?" Julie continued, "Do you want to lose her?"
Anthony looked down, remembering her cheerful face and the talks that she and him shared. He smiled to himself, "…No."
"Then, isn't important to talk things out? No matter what the situation may be?" Julie told him.
Anthony looked to her, and smiled in a very gentle way; and at the same time, thankful. "Thank you…" he said, "I…I needed to hear that…"
Julie put her hand on his shoulder, "That's what I'm here for. Now come on, let's look some more. Okay?"
Anthony stood up along with her, "Oka…! Ugh!!" He grasped his head in pain as he felt a terrible, yet familiar force.
"Anthony! What's wrong?!" Julie cried worriedly.
Anthony knew what it was, "Lloyd!"
Floating above overlooking the city, in the gray colored sky, was a figure glowing an intense black color. The three Divine Moon Objects floated before him and were glowing the same exact color.
It was in fact Lloyd.
"Objects of power, objects of death, objects of destruction!!" he began to recite, "The time has arrived for you to fulfill you true purpose!! Bestow your mighty power upon the domicile of the divine God of Destruction!!"
The three objects shot up into the sky at the speed of light, arriving in space, and then reaching the moon, that was hiding behind the clouds. The objects went straight into the moon.
The moon which was once a melancholy gray color, was now beginning to change to the color of crimson blood. After a few short moments, its color was completely transformed.
"Now, become your alternate form and descend to us as…[The Moon That Never Sets]!!" he shouted.
Inside the convention center, the entire ground began to shake like the strongest of earthquakes. Debris began to fall from the roof as the customers and visitors panicked and ran in all directions.
Anthony held onto Julie.
"An earthquake?!" she gasped.
Anthony looked up towards the ceiling and thought, "It's begun." He looked around him to see the wide panic. He could hear and even feel the fear inside the hearts of all of these innocent people. He had to make sure that they would feel safe. "Come on Julie!" he shouted, "Let's get outside!"
"O-Okay!" she nodded.
The two of them ran off along with the rest of the people
They arrived outside, where a crowd gathered to look at the sky. They pushed through to get to the front of the mass. Julie gasped when she looked to sky, "Oh my god!!"
Anthony looked up as well, only to see [The Moon That Never Sets] descending to the earth.
"Is that the moon?!" a man shouted.
"I can't believe this is happening!" a woman cried.
"What is going on?!" another yelled.
Anthony kept watching the moon slowly reach the city, but then saw the dark figure floating above them all. He knew who that was. "Lloyd…" he said softly. He knew that this was it. This was what the legends that Rose had told him stated. Now he was about to see it become a reality. He was about to witness what the Dragoons had witnessed in their world.
He was upset about having been lied to and sad that his fate was to be the [Moon Child]. But, after looking back at all of the innocent people that surrounded him, he knew what the right thing to do was. His fate may have been decided, but he would not let others suffer the same. He wanted to make sure that others would be able to live their lives and make a destiny of their own.
Anthony turned around to Julie, and smiled, "Julie…thank you so much for everything you've done for me."
"W-What?!" she gasped, "What are you saying?"
"You've been such a great friend to me. You are one of my important friends. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you and the rest of the world can live peacefully…and happily." he said, "I have to go…"
"But…!" she began.
"Wish me luck," he smiled. He turned away and walked forward. He stared up towards the sky.
[The Moon That Never Sets] had finally arrived to the earth. It floated above two large office buildings. It glowed an eerie light.
"My story ends here…" Anthony thought to himself, ready to face his fate.
"And now the earth has become the new residence of the God of Destruction!!! You humans are finished!!!" Lloyd yelled, "Ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!"
