Chapter Six: Eagle's Desperation
Hours later, Yukito was up and walking around. But there was something different about the way he moved and the way he looked. He now moved about in his final armor, instead of reverting to the armor Clef had given him at the beginning of this term in Cephiro.
"Yukito?" Ferio asked, as he approached the silent Magic Knight.
"Oh, hello Ferio-kun." Yukito said, with a wan smile.
"Hey." Ferio said, as they both drifted into an uneasy silence.
"Clow told us about what had happened earlier." Ferio said, breaking the silence.
"He did?" Yukito asked. Ferio nodded.
"There are those in the castle who agree with you about what the Pillar System means. I am one of them. There's got to be some other way to solve this problem." Ferio said, as he and Yukito watched lightning dance in the clouds.
"So you don't consider me to be an enemy?" Yukito asked.
"Nah. I don't blame you for feeling that way about the system. I wish there was something else other than one heart supporting a land." Ferio said, calmly. Yukito looked a little relieved, but the sadness did not leave his eyes.
"Hey, Fuu and the others are gathering in the residential area. They told me to tell you that you can come join them if you so desire." Ferio said, extending the invite. Yukito sighed.
"All right. Tell them that I am on my way." Yukito said, as Ferio grinned and nodded. When Ferio had left, Yukito turned his attention back to staring at the sky. Then an idea occurred to him.
"Yue, I need to talk to you." Yukito said. Seconds later, his Mashin was floating before the opening to the aeries.
"What do you want of me, Magic Knight?" Yue asked, as he looked down at his designated Knight.
"Yue, what is your opinion about the Pillar System?" Yukito asked. If the Mashin had been surprised by the question, he didn't show it.
"The Pillar System is the way that the land is upheld. It is a means to an end." Yue replied.
"But it is a very cruel means to an end." Yukito said, softly.
"That is true." Yue agreed.
"Thank you, Yue." Yukito said, before walking off. Yue merely nodded and vanished, returning back to the dimension where the Mashin slept.
Eagle sat back in his chair. He was tired, bored, and very much ready for a battle. But then his thoughts drifted to Hikaru and Lantis. What were they doing? With a shrug, Eagle went to stand up, but was prevented from doing so when crippling pain lanced through his chest.
"Not again!" Eagle thought, before going into a violent coughing fit. Eagle gagged as blood bubbled up from his lungs and out of his mouth. This continued for about twenty minutes, then the pain eased and he was able to get the coughing under control.
"The disease…………………it's getting worse! I need to attack soon, if I am to get to the Proof of the Pillar alive!" Eagle thought, as he wiped his mouth with his shirtsleeve, then stood back up, even though he still felt weak from his most recent attack. With the military briskness he'd grown up with, Eagle cleaned up the blood from the floor and changed clothes, so he wouldn't alarm his crew. Then he called up to the bridge.
"Geo." Eagle said, calmly.
"Yeah? What's your order, Commander?" Geo asked.
"Go ahead and fire the Laguna Cannon at the castle. We need to see what kind of defenses our enemies have." Eagle said, coolly.
"Yes sir!" Geo said, immediately following orders.
Clef, who'd gotten up without anyone noticing, looked up, sensing that something was about to happen. That something turned out to be a blast from the Autozamian battleship.
"Cresta! Shield!" Clef shouted, as he willed a powerful protective barrier into existence around the castle. Weakened by using his magic so soon, Clef fell to his knees, just as the Magic Knights and others came into the observatory, worried when they'd felt the vibrations from the blast.
"Clef! Are you okay?!" Umi yelped, immediately rushing to Clef's side.
"I'll be fine. I managed to counter that first attack, but another is coming." Clef said, tiredly.
"Then we must fight back." Yukito said, as he and his fellow Magic Knights rushed to the aeries.
"Selece!"
"Windam!"
"Yue!"
"Rayearth!"
Once again, the four Magic Knights went out into battle. And once again, they were together.
Meanwhile, Eagle and Geo stood in the bridge, ready to go. Zazu looked concerned as Eagle and Geo got into their mechas.
"Okay, Commander, you're ready to launch. And please, come back without a scratch this time." Zazu said, with a note of exasperation in his voice. Eagle chuckled; he knew that every time the FTO was damaged, Zazu went ballistic.
"FTO, Go." Eagle murmured. As before, the white mecha responded immediately to its pilot's spoken command. Following not too long after was Geo's GTO. Soon they were face to face with the four Mashin.
"Let's see. What are their weaknesses?" Eagle muttered, as he looked at each Mashin. In the meantime, his visor was taking note of the strengths of the four robotic beings.
"Okay, the green one's main strength is on defense, rather than offense. The blue one focuses on speed, rather than physical strength. The white one focuses on physical strength and defense. And the red one's main strength is on offense. The white and the red are the strongest of the four. So, let's take out the green one first." Eagle said, getting an affirmative from Geo. Without saying anything further, Eagle lashed out against Fuu first, successfully knocking her out of the sky.
"Fuu!" Umi yelped, before she too was beaten badly by Eagle's white mecha. With a fury-filled yell, Yukito launched himself at Eagle, only to get the wind knocked out of him by Geo's mecha. Hikaru, who had caught Umi and prevented her from falling, watched as Yukito faltered for a moment, then regained his breath and attacked Geo. As the scuffle continued, Eagle managed at one point to slip past all of the Knights and started attacking the castle barrier.
Inside, Clef and Ferio were watching the battle with concern on their faces. Then Clef fell to his knees, grimacing as pain assailed his frame.
"Clef! What is it?!" Ferio asked, alarmed by Clef's sudden decline.
"Ferio……………monsters…………have entered the castle……………" Clef gasped, his eyes clinched shut as he tried to stave off the pain.
"What do you mean?! Monsters have managed to find a way into the castle?! But how?!" Ferio asked, desperate to know.
"Alcione…………..she provided an entry for them…………don't ask me how, Ferio. You must warn Lafarga and the rest of the castle guard. Lantis is already alerted to the situation…………please hurry. We must protect the people of Cephiro……….the ones Princess Emeraude loved so dearly……….." Clef said, shuddering in pain. Ferio looked at a loss, for a brief moment, then he nodded, stood, and ran out of the observatory.
Outside, Hikaru had just caught up with Eagle, and Yukito wasn't too far behind her.
"It seems that your Mashin are capable of some pretty decent speed." Eagle commented, impressed.
"Eagle! Why are you attacking Cephiro? Are you after the Pillar itself?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes." Eagle replied, simply, getting shocked reactions from both Magic Knights.
"And you still want it, despite what you know?" Yukito asked, dumbfounded.
"Of course." Eagle said, honestly.
"You're willing to endure the endless loneliness of that position?!" Yukito asked. Eagle was silent.
"We can't let you do that, Eagle. We're here to protect Cephiro, even from you." Hikaru said, seriously.
"Then further talk is unnecessary. All that is left is to fight." Eagle replied, grimly, as he charged at Hikaru and Yukito. As the fight continued, Yukito realized that they were fairly even with one another, as far as strengths were concerned. Before they knew it, they were chasing Eagle into the aeries, and then they continued the chase on foot. Even then the battle was fierce between the three of them. However, when they reached the floor where the Proof of the Pillar was, a brilliant light emanated from the room the Proof was contained in. A voice that hadn't been heard in months then cried out from within.
"No! Cephiro is……………Cephiro!" Princess Emeraude's voice tearfully entreated, as the light surrounded the three warriors. When the light had faded, the three warriors lay unconscious near one another, having fallen where they had been standing.