When Night Falls
By A-Chan
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Chapter 7
Calm Before the Storm
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Edge had his hands rested behind his head, leaning back against his pillow, eyes trained on the ceiling. He just couldn't sleep.. not after all that he had heard. So much of it just didn't fit together. Hadn't Zemus just been a normal Lunarian? Wasn't Zeromus a product of his hatred, not Zemus's actual self? Why had FuSoYa told them Zemus intended to destroy the world with the Giant of Bab-il, if he had really just been trying to get the crystals to Earth?
Furthermore, didn't Lunarians just sleep all the time?
How did they get all this time to make kingdoms and rules and all that crap?!
Edge rolled over onto his side, trying to put all this Lunarian garbage out of his head... what he really wanted to do was sleep. But somehow... somehow, he just couldn't get it out of his mind.
"How I hate having the ability to not let things go..." Edge grumbled, turning over to his other side. "Like the whole Rubicante thing -- hey, wait!" Edge sat upright, slamming one fist into his pillow. "I was right to do that! He was the reason my family was killed and my kingdom destroyed! The rat-bastard." He snorted, and went to settle down again.
"Well... I did overreact with Kain... I shoulda let the grudge, go and--NO!" He sat up again, clenching his fists. "I let it go the LAST time, and now what is he doing?! He's caged up in the dungeon because he wants to kill us! I was right - AGAIN!"
He went to settle down again, trying to come up with other things he just couldn't let go. "Or like the time I tried to convince Rydia to go on a date with me, even though she turned me down numerous times and--WHOA! Hold it!" There was a long pause. "....why am I saying that in past tense?" He sighed, and sat up, rubbing his temple with one hand. "...I still do that."
There was another thing. He should REALLY give that amorous, lady-killer ninja prince stuff up. He wasn't a prince, he was the LAST ninja alive, as far as he knew, and while he was overly amorous, the girl he was trying to be amorous with always found a way to leave him in the dust. Edge looked across his room in the mirror, playing the words 'lady-charming' and 'royal' over and over in his mind, and finally smiled a crooked grin at the mirror.
"Face it - it's sooo not you, anymore. You've gone from the world's most eligible and talented bachelor..." The smile fell from his face, and he looked down at his hands, crumpled in his lap. "...to this."
And another thing... what was 'this'? He sure as hell didn't remember caring about the things he was caring about now previously in his life. It had always been about him. He hadn't had time to care about the rest of the world, not when he had his OWN world to cater to. It was all about his glory, his fame, his power! He was the star! He was the center of attention - no, the center of the universe!
But what was he... now that his universe was gone?
His kingdom was destroyed. He just clearly was not a prince, anymore. Everything he had ever stood for and fought for... wasn't even there, anymore. How could he ever find a replacement for that? And no matter how many people might tell him he just had to pick up the pieces and start anew, they would never truly understand like it was to literally lose everything, like he had.
Some of Yang's people were still alive, as were Cecil's, and when all else failed, Cecil would always have Rosa and his new son to fight for. Edward had remainders of a city to return to, and plenty of people that would return there once rebuilt, on its reputation for harboring the creative of heart. All of them had something to start with, something to return to and to motivate them to keep going.
When it came right down to it, Edge had no pieces to pick up. What he had lost was not shattered, it was decimated. It was gone.
Edge shook his head a few times, and laid back down, frowning slightly. Maybe he was just incredibly lonely.
Edge chuckled under his breath. "Yeah. Lonely. That's it. Almost like I, gee, I dunno - haven't seen any beautiful women for about a year? Well, besides Rydia. Not like I actually BOTHERED with any beautiful women besides Rydia since I met her, anyway..." He grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his face. "...oh, man. Misery doesn't just love company, it needs company."
As if on cue, it was then that a knock came at his door. Edge furrowed his brows a bit, and with a deep sigh, he shoved himself off of his bed and slumped to the door. "Probably just someone else coming late at night to give me condolences. Like I want them..."
Edge opened the door, and went to tell the person 'Thanks, but no thanks,' but he found a shaky Edward standing at his door in his pajamas, hugging a stuffed chocobo.
Both men stared at each other in blank silence for a few seconds. Edward went to open his mouth, but Edge put his hand in his face before he could say anything.
"Go. Now."
"...I--"
"GO." Edge pointed down the hall." "...now."
Edward sighed, and turned away, as Edge shut the door. Not two steps away from the door, another knock came, which caused Edge's left eye to twitch. He spun around angrily on his heel, and slammed the door open.
"GO. NOW."
Edward sighed again, and gave Edge big, blue puppy eyes. "Edge, I-I'm lonely, and it's very dark... and, you see, I--"
"Go." Edge hissed.
"...now.. right.. yes, Edge..." Edward turned and traipsed away a bit, the door slamming shut behind him. Luckily, it wasn't until Edge was halfway back to his bed that another knock came this time.
The door flew open. "WHAT IS IT, EDDY?!"
Edward gasped, then looked up and down the hall, as Edge towered over him, fuming. "I... um... ...should I come back tomorrow?"
The look on Edge's face alone sent Edward running down the hallway in tears.
However, that didn't stop a knock from landing on the door two seconds later.
It flew open one last time. "IN THE NAME OF GOD, WHAT THE HEEEeell...o..."
Rydia blinked a few times, a little taken aback by being yelled at before she ever did anything insulting at all.
"I, uh--" Edge sighed, and threw up his hands. "Edward!"
"Ooooh..." Rydia breathed, laughing a little. "Well, um... I'm not Edward... but, if you want to be alone, I understand." Rydia turned to leave, but Edge caught her by the arm. She turned around with an eyebrow raised to find him grinning.
"Nah, you don't have to go. I was just worried Eddy was gonna come in here and hog the sheets," he smirked.
Rydia laughed. "Of course."
Edge guided her inside, and with a questioning look of permission, was even allowed to close the door behind them. "Uh oh, trusting moi behind closed doors... something must be reeaaally wrong."
Rydia laughed, again, and delicately sat down on the inset of the window. "Well... it's... er... kind of stupid..." she started, brushing some hair behind one ear, keeping her eyes to the floor.
Edge folded his arms, and quirked a brow. "Oh, come on." The ninja grinned. "You, worried about saying stupid to me? I rule on that kind of stuff."
Rydia shrugged, and kept her eyes downward. "I guess... I just feel dumb about it, and I feel like there's no one else to go to."
Edge frowned a bit, and had a seat next to Rydia, leaning over a bit to try and get a look at her face. "Well, don't worry, I ain't got anyone to tell. What's wrong?"
"I just... this whole thing about the Lunarians - I feel like I'm the only person MISSING something!"
Edge sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Believe me, you're not."
Rydia looked up with a light in her eyes. "Really?"
Edge looked over and nodded. "I couldn't sleep I had so much crap running through my head about it. It doesn't make sense."
Rydia smiled, and looked over her shoulder out the window. "Good..."
"...Rydia, I think you have your logic a tad messed. See, it's NOT good that w--"
"No, you doof... It's good that at least I'm not crazy."
Edge raised one brow a bit, then grinned. "Ahh, I wouldn't say you're not crazy, you just happen to not be the only one confused this time around."
Rydia stuck her tongue out. "Very funny."
"I know," Edge continued to grin.
"Well, anyway," she gave him a bit of a shove. "That was the first part I had to talk to you about, and now that we've confirmed we both think it's weird and doesn't piece together--"
"Is this the part where you tell me how much you've always loved me?"
Rydia narrowed her eyes at Edge and his ever-present grin.
"No. Actually, I wanted to ask you about the role of the crystals in all this..."
"Great. You want me to use my long-dormant brain to do something logical? Is that what you're telling me?"
"Basically," Rydia smiled, with a shrug.
Edge sighed. "Shoot."
"When Zeromus had the crystals gathered, and the way to the moon opened... do you think... I mean... did he really intend to just manipulate Golbez up there, or was he hoping what DID happen... would happen...?"
"I don't follow."
"Was he hoping someone would come along and destroy his body for him? Aedam himself said his new body was like a jar, holding inside his hatred... maybe it was in Zeromus's head all along to be released that way!"
Edge laughed, which got a big frown from Rydia.
"Rydia, I know Zeromus was a liiiiittle on the psycho side after being kooked up down in the center of the moon for all that time, but come ON! Wanting people to destroy his body to let out all the hatred so that it could run rampant and eventually... claim someone new.. to.. to take over.. ...his plans..."
There was a moment of shared silence between the caller and ninja, as they sat considering the possibilities.
"This is bad, huh?"
Rydia sighed and nodded. "Well, it was already bad. If WE are the ones that released them, then we're going to have the added responsibility of causing all this..."
Edge frowned. "But, hey, come on! How were WE supposed to know? Plus, if he was strong enough to manipulate Golbez, he would have just found more! It would have continued! Now, we can get rid of him at his core. Once and for all!"
Rydia smiled a little, folding her hands in her lap, and looking back out the window. "I'm glad you're so confident..."
Edge sighed, mistaking her tone for something else, and looked out the window, as well. "Yeah, well... I'm sorry. That's just the way I am."
Rydia looked over at Edge, and laughed, shaking her head. "No, no - I really meant it! I'm glad you're confident about this, Edge."
Edge frowned a bit, and looked over at her. "...you are?"
Rydia smiled brightly, and nodded, getting Edge to smile in return. "It's a good thing... well, just this ONE time it is." She giggled a bit, and poked him on the forehead with one finger. "Okay?"
He raised his eyes up to look at her finger, then back down at her. "Gotcha, boss."
Both smiled at each other a second... then abruptly broke it as they both went back to looking out the window, coughing a little to cover the moment.
The stars were out en masse that night, like little fireflies against a backdrop of dark blue velvet. The moon was there as well, like a great pearl hanging in midair, lighting the sweeping plains and riverways lining the countryside of Baron, crystalizing the waters and dusting the plains with diamond-light.
"It's something, huh?"
Rydia snapped out of her trance, and looked over at Edge, who had a dreamlike smile on his face, with his chin propped in one hand, leaning against the sill of the window. Rydia smiled, and looked back out the window.
"It is..."
"You know... I don't know how much this'll mean to anyone now, with Eblan gone, but we always believed when someone died, their spirit would become a star. Cheesy, huh?" Edge laughed, and brushed some of his hair back.
Rydia softly shook her head, keeping her eyes fixated on the sky outside. "I think that's a beautiful belief."
"Oh... well, good," Edge laughed a little, nodding to the sky. "'Cause I happen to believe it. Okay, now prepare for the REALLY cheesy part."
Rydia sat up very straight, and putting on her best mock grin of Edge, she raised one eyebrow at him. "Shoot."
"...very funny."
"I know," she grinned, folding her arms.
Edge took a deep breath, then moved in a little closer to Rydia, putting one arm around her shoulders, and pointing out at the sky with his other. "Look out toward the West side of the sky... in the direction of Eblan. I swear the day I lost my parents, those two stars... see the two blue ones, shining in time, like that? I swear those showed up in the sky that night... and I'd never seen them before."
Rydia squinted a bit, but sure enough, after a quick sweep of the sky, she could easily see the stars Edge was talking about. They were probably the most beautiful two out there.
"I swear that's my mom and dad..." he said quietly. "And someday, whenever I finally die... I want me and the woman I love to look just like that for all eternity."
There was a moment of shared silence between the two, both sitting at the window, looking out at the stars, until finally Rydia decided to follow up on his comment.
"Well, I'm sure that you wi--"
At that most untimely of moments, Edge finally finished what he had started in the courtyard. Placing one hand behind Rydia's head, and keeping the other around her shoulders, he pulled her into a kiss (maybe a little more passionate than the one intended before), that at first caught her off guard, but he found her joining a second later.
Until she realized what she was doing, and shoved herself back.
Edge was grinning when she looked up at him.
"So, then, tell me - how does it feel to be immortal, baby?!" He crowed.
Not two seconds later, more than a few of the sleeping residents of the castle were woken up by a loud crack of electricity, some of which shot out the underside of Edge's bedroom chamber door, and also some of which completely shattered his window. A red-in-the-face and madder-than-hell Rydia stormed out afterward, and turned around to shout "AND IF YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN, I WON'T BE SO NICE!" before slamming the toasted door.
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The next day, Cecil, Yang and Ekin were out on the ramparts of the castle wall, staring out at the vast countryside. Edge, with a bit of frizz in his hair, walked up, his cloak pulled tight against the chill in the air.
"What's going on? I was told to come up here and take a look with you guys," he said, hopping on top of the wall with ease, and crouching down to a seat.
"Dinah sensed something strange this morning," Cecil said, folding his arms over his chest.
"Uhhh... you wanna fill me in?" Edge said, looking out at the same area the other three were staring at.
"Look very closely, Sir Edge," Yang said, pointing out to an area in the open plains. "Something is certainly amiss. The feel of the land is not as it should be."
Edge squinted a bit, and sure enough, even as dull as he could be sometimes, he could sense it. Something had changed, and something was out there that never had been there before... and should NOT be there, ever.
"You're right..." Edge hopped off the wall, and back next to Cecil. "What the hell is that?"
"We are not yet sure..." began Yang. "But we are certain it is not good."
"We need to get down and prepare for the worst," Cecil said, spinning about, his cape flourishing behind him. "We might have to battle it."
Edge grinned, and pulled up his mask. "Good. I was getting bored sitting here waiting for something to happen."
Yang sighed a bit, as the remainder of the group turned to follow Cecil. "I am not sure I agree..." He paused to cast one more glance over his shoulder at the anomaly. "We may have more than we bargained for..."
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A large dark circle swirled in the center of the great, domed Lunarian room. Within it were stars, suns, distant planets, and all of time itself... all open to the men and women gathered there. Unfortunately, none had good intentions for it.
"Are we prepared?" Donovan asked, with a calculating look directed at Ladena.
Ladena smirked, and bowed a bit. "We are fully prepared, Donovan. You give the word," she snapped her fingers. "And we can enter through the portal and down to the Blue Planet, no mess, no hassle, and most importantly, no loss of time. Seeing as how you have wasted very much of it, thus far."
Donovan scowled, and made a motion with his hand for his soldiers to move in. "It would do you well to watch your tongue."
"And it would do you well to mind yours," Ladena shot back. "Without me, hardly any of this would be possible. Who was it that pointed out that dragoon to you in the first place?"
Donovan rolled his eyes. "So you can backtrack past events. Clever you. Now! All of you, move out! I have a few more loose ends to tie here at home..." He glared at Ladena, at this point. "As much as I distrust you, you are leading my troops until I arrive."
Ladena merely laughed, and with a sweep of her hand, signalling that the soldiers move in, disappeared into the portal...
...and emerged in a place very new to her, and all the troops that would follow.
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Cecil, Yang, Edge, Ekin, Aedam and Cid all stood outside the city of Baron, with what soldiers and fighters that they could manage gathered. Something was definitely happening at the place of disturbance Dinah had sensed. A large, dark hole had opened, and it was getting bigger by the moment.
"Shouldn't we try to, I dunno, stop it, or something?" Edge asked, nervously flipping Masamune around in one hand, and Murasame in the other.
"I don't know if that's possible," came a soft voice, as Dinah entered the battle-field, walking up to stand next to Aedam. "I've been trying to neutralize it from back at the castle, and nothing I do seems to even phase it."
"Then it's...?" began Aedam, looking over at his wife.
Dinah nodded. "It's a warphole."
"A whazzit?" Edge raised a brow.
"It allows matter to be transported from one place to another, possibly infinite miles away," Dinah said, folding her hands in front of her.
"So ANYTHING could come through there?" Cecil asked, looking back at the ever-growing blackness.
Dinah nodded solemnly. "Although, I have a feeling I already know who we'll see..."
Aedam immediately unsheathed his sword - a very beautiful piece of work, brandishing a pearlescent hilt and long, wickedly curved blade, that looked like it was carved from the moon, itself. "If Addyan wants to fight, he'll find more of it than he's wishing for."
"Wasn't Addyan...?" Cecil began, but Yang finished his sentence.
"The Lunarian prince that Zeromus was manipulating..."
At this, all eyes turned to the warphole, again, weapons being drawn with the clank of steel, shield and sheath.
Dinah sighed, and pulled her husband back a bit by the arm, causing him to turn around and look down at her with one eyebrow raised. "You think I can't beat Addyan? It's been done once before..."
"It's not that," Dinah began, shaking her head. "It's just that it is NOT Addyan."
At this moment, a loud crackle came from the warphole, causing everyone to look back, as a tall, dark, elegant-looking young woman stepped out of it, shaking out her hair as she did so. She had no hesitation in her step, and the only bit of her that might signal she was distracted was the quick sweep she took of her surroundings. But there was no faulter or pause in her march forward toward the group.
"Ai chihuahua!" Edge said, taking a step back. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't mind THAT kind of matter coming through the warphole."
"No!" cried Dinah, jogging up to be on the very front line. "Don't let her beauty deceive you - that's Addyan'de Donovan's planar entity! She's possibly even more powerful than Addyan, himself..." Dinah paused, and slowly stepped back behind the main line as the woman continued to approach. "The day that he found a way to summon and control her may come to be known as the darkest of all..."
"That's Ladena the Violet Rose, of the Yven Plane. She's notorious for usually meddling in the fates of others, all as fun and games... but when she does want to cause damage, or in this case, is being forced to, the effects are devestating beyond belief..."
The party didn't have long to wonder why. As the soldiers began to pour like an army of ants out of the warphole, Ladena snapped her fingers, and opened her palm, pointing it down at the ground. A great flash of light eminated from her hand, and a lightning bolt that appeared small, shot from the center of her palm down into the ground. As she contined to walk, it appeared nothing had happened, until a great crack began to rupture along the plains, spreading and growing wider as it approached the group at an almost impossibly fast rate.
"Everyone, move!" shouted Cecil, and while near all of the soldiers were able to leap to the side, one tripped as the crack raced past them, plumetting into the small ravine. Luckily, one of his hands caught the edge, and he hung on for dear life, as everyone else began to recover from the sudden jump. One soldier turned to run and pull his friend up, but it was too late. The lightning that had seemed so small before, now jutted out of the entire length of the split in the Earth, lighting up its entire run as high as twenty-odd feet in the air.
Cecil growled under his breath, and once everyone was back on their feet, they all turned to look at this mad woman, who now stood not more than thirty feet away. She laughed, and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, propping one hand on her hip.
"Well met, King Cecil of Baron," she said, with a sarcastic smirk. "It is only fitting that I introduce myself to you, in return for such an efficient counter manuever..."
"No need, witch!" Cecil said, pointing Excalibur out at her. "I've already been told who you are, Ladena. And no matter what powers you may have, none are of any use against my army's free will!"
Ladena's smirk fell, but only for a moment, melting into her signature haughty laugh. "You think this is completely against my will?" She laughed, slowly tucking some of her hair behind one ear, her earrings jingling with the motion. "Believe me, I'm going to enjoy this very very much..."
"So, Violet Rose," Aedam called, stepping forward, and pushing Cecil back a bit, much to the king's surprise. "How is Addyan? Squirming his way out of battle?"
Ladena smirked a bit, adjusting one of her many belts. "Donovan is currently busy back on your home planet, but I'm sure it won't be long until he's here. The idiot loves to have me do all the work."
"I'll bet..." muttered Cecil. Edge was too busy being transfixed by this beautiful woman adjusting her belts.
"And besides, what's it to you?" Ladena let her eyes wander idly over Aedam, getting a good, healthy glare from Dinah, who took a brave step forward. The dark lady finally let her eyes rest on his left cheek. "Are you sure you want to garnish another scar from the King of Nocte'ja?"
"He may have scarred my face, but I am certain I scarred his pride -- a far more essential asset to battle," Aedam quipped, putting one arm up protectively in front of Dinah.
"All this aside!" Cecil cried, narrowing his eyes. "Begone, or prepare to face the power of light and justice as you never have before! I personally guarantee you'll not triumph against us!"
Ladena sneered, and rolled her eyes. "I hate goody-goodies like you who think their self-righteousness will pull them right out of hell if they need it to..."
With that, she raised one hand high above her head, a light once again pulsating from her palm. "On second thought, why don't we test that theory?" Everyone readied their weapons, and moved forward to charge Ladena before she could unleash another powerful attack. She only laughed, and started to move back, motioning that her army of darkness should move forward and hold back the smaller, and less-prepared group.
The light began to flash quicker, and quicker, going from a bright white to almost an anti-light, stealing all the color from whatever it touched. "Why don't I send you all to hell... and I can spit down on you watching you try to claw your way back up?"
Swords and other weapons began to clash, the sound of steel against steel quaking the valley. Ladena continued to retreat as her army piled around and in front of her, acting as the perfect barrier to her spellcasting, the light growing larger and larger by the second. Cecil was quickly finding himself and his warriors overwhelmed by the sheer amount of soldiers Ladena had brought with her. He had to force his way through the lines.
With a roar, and a great lunge, Cecil impaled the fighter in front of him, barreling head on into the next man behind him. He thrust his sword out, and raised it to block the incoming swish of a club, splintering the thick, wooden top of it in the process. Cecil again thrust his sword out wide, leaping over his fallen opponent, and ducking another swing with the split club. Using this process, Cecil was able to fight his way through half the army, downing who he could, and dodging who he couldn't. Faintly, he could hear the calls of his comrades, telling him he was too far in, to turn back.
Even if he could at this point, he wouldn't have. He had to stop that crazy woman before she did something even worse than before. Finally, with a last burst of strength, he let out a great shout, and charged through what he thought was the last few soldiers. Sure enough, as he jumped over the bodies, he could see Ladena in a great clearing, surrounded by other soldiers still running forward. There was a moment of fear on her face, but no hesitation from Cecil. He began to run forward, his sword out in front of him, and ready to impale the vile sorceress.
However, Cecil found himself suddenly in a very confusing situation. His arm seemed to be violently yanked to the side, waylaying him, the hilt of his sword simultaneously being tugged from his grasp, and leaving him face down in the grass and dirt. In the next moment, he felt the pain in his arm, as something was securely lodged into it. With a gasp of breath, he turned to look at his arm, to what looked like a small scythe dug into it, a trail of blood quickly trickling down his arm. Running his eyes along it, he traced it back to a clasp on the back, where a chain was attached. The Baronian king continued to follow the chain, spotting a similar scythe-like attachment on the hilt of his sword. And there, finally, was the weilder of this weapon.
He was tall, and well-built, with a stance typical of the Eastern fighters most often trained in the forests of Toroia or deserts bordering Toroia and the Misty valley. A Celtic tattoo wrapped around one of his arms, faded with time, as were his clothes, suiting of a wanderer or ranger more than a warrior on a battlefield. His long, brown hair was pulled over one shoulder, some strands hanging in front of his eyes, which at the moment were flashing like the sky before a storm.
"Zacnaine...!" cried Ladena, her spell still in full-progress.
The young man grinned at her, and waved one hand as he delivered a very low, but somehow mocking bow. "At your service... did you really think I'd let you be disappointed with me twice in a row?"
Ladena was at a loss for words... this was not supposed to happen. But who was she to complain at the moment?
With a flick of his wrists, both scythes came whipping back to Zacnaine, one taking a good slash into Cecil's arm as it did. "Well, don't wait up on me, I'll take care of this, I believe it was 'goody-goody', as you put it... finish whatever it is you're doing!"
Ladena opened her mouth to say something, but still found she was at a loss for words... so she simply smirked, and nodded. "Good luck, Zacnaine... and thank you." Her spell still pulsating in hand, Ladena retreated further back into the blackness of the army.
Zacnaine grinned, and began to circle Cecil, who was just getting his bearings back. "Get up, you weakling..." Zacnaine taunted, punctuating the word 'weakling' by kicking Cecil's sword over to him. "I give you a pinprick, and you take a nap?"
Cecil growled under his breath, and snatched the sword up, clambering to his feet.
"I don't know who you are, but if you're on the side of that witch--"
Cecil had to jump back as one of the scythes came whirring at his left leg, then raise his sword to block the other, which whipped straight for his throat.
"Tsk, tsk," Zac said, waggling a finger as he whipped one scythe back to his hand. "That's no way to talk about a lady. What WOULD your mother say?"
Cecil could see long distance was not the choice way to fight this man, the only problem was - how was he going to get in close range?
This time, the scythes came flying in rapid succession. Cecil found himself blocking with the flat of Excalibur one second, and leaping aside or ducking the next. His mind was too boggled to find a safe strategy to get in close - until someone else found it for him.
From behind Zacnaine, a flash of blue and gold came throttling out of the army, heading toward him in a kick stance. Zac sensed the presence, however, and ducked, allowing Ekin to fly right over him. Ekin's spear tip, however, did not miss, spinning through the air as Ekin turned around, knicking Zac in the arm. The hunter spun his scythes back to him, trying to gauge this new opponent.
"Cecil!" Ekin cried, as Yang followed out of the hoards, ready in stance. "Please, pursue Ladena - stop her!"
"Right!" Cecil yelled, and began to run, but not expecting Zac to still focus on him with two new opponents, he wasn't expecting a sudden sting as his scythe hit him one more, this time near hooking around his entire lower right leg. He cried out and stumbled a bit, but as the scythe was torn away, it was almost like he couldn't even feel the pain. He disappeared into the army, preparing to fight his way through them once more, as he could hear Ekin and Yang begin combatting the violent, and somewhat unpredictable hunter somewhere behind him.
Cecil's thoughts were racing, and as he tried to battle his way forward, he could see the spell. The black light was flashing far above Ladena's position, which gave Cecil a bit of hope, seeing as how he could pinpoint where she was. But his force simply could not take a spell of that proportion. There were already too few, they needed a chance...
If he could just give them that chance...
But unfortunately, he was too late. Within the next instant, the spell was done, and in a horrific flash, he watched the light go sailing over the tops of the army...
...and completely over the heads of his force, as well. It was then, in that awful moment, Cecil finally realized what Ladena's intent had been this whole time. The light went hurling across the plains.. over the ruins of the Baron city.. and finally arched down to its landing space within Baron castle. For a short time, everything was still, but then you could just feel it in the air... something was going to happen, and it was going to be huge.
The first thing that happened was a shock wave, an actual visual ripple in the Earth barreling out from the castle, and knocking more than one person off their feet. It was then the giant ring exploded, a huge dark blue, and black and fuschia light, followed by the explosion. Every woman, man and beast turned away from the brightness. However, the most horrible part wasn't the sight, it was the sound. The explosions howled like the wind, crackled like grease on a fire, and moaned like the deathly departed, all at once.
When it had finally calmed, everyone turned... the castle, and surrounding city and some of the landscape, was all set aflame. The towers looked completely gone, barely stone nubs sticking out of the ground. The walls continued to crumble, even from a distance, visible, flaming chunks falling to the side. The large and strong wooden gates of the castle weren't even there... only splinters and large planks scattered all the way to the middle of the city, and maybe even further.
And now that Cecil truly looked around... the army, and Ladena, who had caused all this, was gone.
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A/N: YES! It WAS actually up quicker than Part 6. So no whining ^^; Well, unless the chapter is bad. I'm sure there's a ton of mistakes, especially grammatically and spacing-wise, but I had some HTML problems, to say the least -_- I'll try to fix them as I go, but in rough form... here it is! So you can stop mailing me! And please, if you don't wait AT LEAST a week before you start banging down my door for Chapter 8, I'll die of heart-attack.
On the other hand... I also appreciate all you people wanting this so bad! The reviews are enlightening, and the mail is flattering. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart! ^_^ Keep it coming, you guys!
By A-Chan
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Chapter 7
Calm Before the Storm
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Edge had his hands rested behind his head, leaning back against his pillow, eyes trained on the ceiling. He just couldn't sleep.. not after all that he had heard. So much of it just didn't fit together. Hadn't Zemus just been a normal Lunarian? Wasn't Zeromus a product of his hatred, not Zemus's actual self? Why had FuSoYa told them Zemus intended to destroy the world with the Giant of Bab-il, if he had really just been trying to get the crystals to Earth?
Furthermore, didn't Lunarians just sleep all the time?
How did they get all this time to make kingdoms and rules and all that crap?!
Edge rolled over onto his side, trying to put all this Lunarian garbage out of his head... what he really wanted to do was sleep. But somehow... somehow, he just couldn't get it out of his mind.
"How I hate having the ability to not let things go..." Edge grumbled, turning over to his other side. "Like the whole Rubicante thing -- hey, wait!" Edge sat upright, slamming one fist into his pillow. "I was right to do that! He was the reason my family was killed and my kingdom destroyed! The rat-bastard." He snorted, and went to settle down again.
"Well... I did overreact with Kain... I shoulda let the grudge, go and--NO!" He sat up again, clenching his fists. "I let it go the LAST time, and now what is he doing?! He's caged up in the dungeon because he wants to kill us! I was right - AGAIN!"
He went to settle down again, trying to come up with other things he just couldn't let go. "Or like the time I tried to convince Rydia to go on a date with me, even though she turned me down numerous times and--WHOA! Hold it!" There was a long pause. "....why am I saying that in past tense?" He sighed, and sat up, rubbing his temple with one hand. "...I still do that."
There was another thing. He should REALLY give that amorous, lady-killer ninja prince stuff up. He wasn't a prince, he was the LAST ninja alive, as far as he knew, and while he was overly amorous, the girl he was trying to be amorous with always found a way to leave him in the dust. Edge looked across his room in the mirror, playing the words 'lady-charming' and 'royal' over and over in his mind, and finally smiled a crooked grin at the mirror.
"Face it - it's sooo not you, anymore. You've gone from the world's most eligible and talented bachelor..." The smile fell from his face, and he looked down at his hands, crumpled in his lap. "...to this."
And another thing... what was 'this'? He sure as hell didn't remember caring about the things he was caring about now previously in his life. It had always been about him. He hadn't had time to care about the rest of the world, not when he had his OWN world to cater to. It was all about his glory, his fame, his power! He was the star! He was the center of attention - no, the center of the universe!
But what was he... now that his universe was gone?
His kingdom was destroyed. He just clearly was not a prince, anymore. Everything he had ever stood for and fought for... wasn't even there, anymore. How could he ever find a replacement for that? And no matter how many people might tell him he just had to pick up the pieces and start anew, they would never truly understand like it was to literally lose everything, like he had.
Some of Yang's people were still alive, as were Cecil's, and when all else failed, Cecil would always have Rosa and his new son to fight for. Edward had remainders of a city to return to, and plenty of people that would return there once rebuilt, on its reputation for harboring the creative of heart. All of them had something to start with, something to return to and to motivate them to keep going.
When it came right down to it, Edge had no pieces to pick up. What he had lost was not shattered, it was decimated. It was gone.
Edge shook his head a few times, and laid back down, frowning slightly. Maybe he was just incredibly lonely.
Edge chuckled under his breath. "Yeah. Lonely. That's it. Almost like I, gee, I dunno - haven't seen any beautiful women for about a year? Well, besides Rydia. Not like I actually BOTHERED with any beautiful women besides Rydia since I met her, anyway..." He grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his face. "...oh, man. Misery doesn't just love company, it needs company."
As if on cue, it was then that a knock came at his door. Edge furrowed his brows a bit, and with a deep sigh, he shoved himself off of his bed and slumped to the door. "Probably just someone else coming late at night to give me condolences. Like I want them..."
Edge opened the door, and went to tell the person 'Thanks, but no thanks,' but he found a shaky Edward standing at his door in his pajamas, hugging a stuffed chocobo.
Both men stared at each other in blank silence for a few seconds. Edward went to open his mouth, but Edge put his hand in his face before he could say anything.
"Go. Now."
"...I--"
"GO." Edge pointed down the hall." "...now."
Edward sighed, and turned away, as Edge shut the door. Not two steps away from the door, another knock came, which caused Edge's left eye to twitch. He spun around angrily on his heel, and slammed the door open.
"GO. NOW."
Edward sighed again, and gave Edge big, blue puppy eyes. "Edge, I-I'm lonely, and it's very dark... and, you see, I--"
"Go." Edge hissed.
"...now.. right.. yes, Edge..." Edward turned and traipsed away a bit, the door slamming shut behind him. Luckily, it wasn't until Edge was halfway back to his bed that another knock came this time.
The door flew open. "WHAT IS IT, EDDY?!"
Edward gasped, then looked up and down the hall, as Edge towered over him, fuming. "I... um... ...should I come back tomorrow?"
The look on Edge's face alone sent Edward running down the hallway in tears.
However, that didn't stop a knock from landing on the door two seconds later.
It flew open one last time. "IN THE NAME OF GOD, WHAT THE HEEEeell...o..."
Rydia blinked a few times, a little taken aback by being yelled at before she ever did anything insulting at all.
"I, uh--" Edge sighed, and threw up his hands. "Edward!"
"Ooooh..." Rydia breathed, laughing a little. "Well, um... I'm not Edward... but, if you want to be alone, I understand." Rydia turned to leave, but Edge caught her by the arm. She turned around with an eyebrow raised to find him grinning.
"Nah, you don't have to go. I was just worried Eddy was gonna come in here and hog the sheets," he smirked.
Rydia laughed. "Of course."
Edge guided her inside, and with a questioning look of permission, was even allowed to close the door behind them. "Uh oh, trusting moi behind closed doors... something must be reeaaally wrong."
Rydia laughed, again, and delicately sat down on the inset of the window. "Well... it's... er... kind of stupid..." she started, brushing some hair behind one ear, keeping her eyes to the floor.
Edge folded his arms, and quirked a brow. "Oh, come on." The ninja grinned. "You, worried about saying stupid to me? I rule on that kind of stuff."
Rydia shrugged, and kept her eyes downward. "I guess... I just feel dumb about it, and I feel like there's no one else to go to."
Edge frowned a bit, and had a seat next to Rydia, leaning over a bit to try and get a look at her face. "Well, don't worry, I ain't got anyone to tell. What's wrong?"
"I just... this whole thing about the Lunarians - I feel like I'm the only person MISSING something!"
Edge sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Believe me, you're not."
Rydia looked up with a light in her eyes. "Really?"
Edge looked over and nodded. "I couldn't sleep I had so much crap running through my head about it. It doesn't make sense."
Rydia smiled, and looked over her shoulder out the window. "Good..."
"...Rydia, I think you have your logic a tad messed. See, it's NOT good that w--"
"No, you doof... It's good that at least I'm not crazy."
Edge raised one brow a bit, then grinned. "Ahh, I wouldn't say you're not crazy, you just happen to not be the only one confused this time around."
Rydia stuck her tongue out. "Very funny."
"I know," Edge continued to grin.
"Well, anyway," she gave him a bit of a shove. "That was the first part I had to talk to you about, and now that we've confirmed we both think it's weird and doesn't piece together--"
"Is this the part where you tell me how much you've always loved me?"
Rydia narrowed her eyes at Edge and his ever-present grin.
"No. Actually, I wanted to ask you about the role of the crystals in all this..."
"Great. You want me to use my long-dormant brain to do something logical? Is that what you're telling me?"
"Basically," Rydia smiled, with a shrug.
Edge sighed. "Shoot."
"When Zeromus had the crystals gathered, and the way to the moon opened... do you think... I mean... did he really intend to just manipulate Golbez up there, or was he hoping what DID happen... would happen...?"
"I don't follow."
"Was he hoping someone would come along and destroy his body for him? Aedam himself said his new body was like a jar, holding inside his hatred... maybe it was in Zeromus's head all along to be released that way!"
Edge laughed, which got a big frown from Rydia.
"Rydia, I know Zeromus was a liiiiittle on the psycho side after being kooked up down in the center of the moon for all that time, but come ON! Wanting people to destroy his body to let out all the hatred so that it could run rampant and eventually... claim someone new.. to.. to take over.. ...his plans..."
There was a moment of shared silence between the caller and ninja, as they sat considering the possibilities.
"This is bad, huh?"
Rydia sighed and nodded. "Well, it was already bad. If WE are the ones that released them, then we're going to have the added responsibility of causing all this..."
Edge frowned. "But, hey, come on! How were WE supposed to know? Plus, if he was strong enough to manipulate Golbez, he would have just found more! It would have continued! Now, we can get rid of him at his core. Once and for all!"
Rydia smiled a little, folding her hands in her lap, and looking back out the window. "I'm glad you're so confident..."
Edge sighed, mistaking her tone for something else, and looked out the window, as well. "Yeah, well... I'm sorry. That's just the way I am."
Rydia looked over at Edge, and laughed, shaking her head. "No, no - I really meant it! I'm glad you're confident about this, Edge."
Edge frowned a bit, and looked over at her. "...you are?"
Rydia smiled brightly, and nodded, getting Edge to smile in return. "It's a good thing... well, just this ONE time it is." She giggled a bit, and poked him on the forehead with one finger. "Okay?"
He raised his eyes up to look at her finger, then back down at her. "Gotcha, boss."
Both smiled at each other a second... then abruptly broke it as they both went back to looking out the window, coughing a little to cover the moment.
The stars were out en masse that night, like little fireflies against a backdrop of dark blue velvet. The moon was there as well, like a great pearl hanging in midair, lighting the sweeping plains and riverways lining the countryside of Baron, crystalizing the waters and dusting the plains with diamond-light.
"It's something, huh?"
Rydia snapped out of her trance, and looked over at Edge, who had a dreamlike smile on his face, with his chin propped in one hand, leaning against the sill of the window. Rydia smiled, and looked back out the window.
"It is..."
"You know... I don't know how much this'll mean to anyone now, with Eblan gone, but we always believed when someone died, their spirit would become a star. Cheesy, huh?" Edge laughed, and brushed some of his hair back.
Rydia softly shook her head, keeping her eyes fixated on the sky outside. "I think that's a beautiful belief."
"Oh... well, good," Edge laughed a little, nodding to the sky. "'Cause I happen to believe it. Okay, now prepare for the REALLY cheesy part."
Rydia sat up very straight, and putting on her best mock grin of Edge, she raised one eyebrow at him. "Shoot."
"...very funny."
"I know," she grinned, folding her arms.
Edge took a deep breath, then moved in a little closer to Rydia, putting one arm around her shoulders, and pointing out at the sky with his other. "Look out toward the West side of the sky... in the direction of Eblan. I swear the day I lost my parents, those two stars... see the two blue ones, shining in time, like that? I swear those showed up in the sky that night... and I'd never seen them before."
Rydia squinted a bit, but sure enough, after a quick sweep of the sky, she could easily see the stars Edge was talking about. They were probably the most beautiful two out there.
"I swear that's my mom and dad..." he said quietly. "And someday, whenever I finally die... I want me and the woman I love to look just like that for all eternity."
There was a moment of shared silence between the two, both sitting at the window, looking out at the stars, until finally Rydia decided to follow up on his comment.
"Well, I'm sure that you wi--"
At that most untimely of moments, Edge finally finished what he had started in the courtyard. Placing one hand behind Rydia's head, and keeping the other around her shoulders, he pulled her into a kiss (maybe a little more passionate than the one intended before), that at first caught her off guard, but he found her joining a second later.
Until she realized what she was doing, and shoved herself back.
Edge was grinning when she looked up at him.
"So, then, tell me - how does it feel to be immortal, baby?!" He crowed.
Not two seconds later, more than a few of the sleeping residents of the castle were woken up by a loud crack of electricity, some of which shot out the underside of Edge's bedroom chamber door, and also some of which completely shattered his window. A red-in-the-face and madder-than-hell Rydia stormed out afterward, and turned around to shout "AND IF YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN, I WON'T BE SO NICE!" before slamming the toasted door.
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
The next day, Cecil, Yang and Ekin were out on the ramparts of the castle wall, staring out at the vast countryside. Edge, with a bit of frizz in his hair, walked up, his cloak pulled tight against the chill in the air.
"What's going on? I was told to come up here and take a look with you guys," he said, hopping on top of the wall with ease, and crouching down to a seat.
"Dinah sensed something strange this morning," Cecil said, folding his arms over his chest.
"Uhhh... you wanna fill me in?" Edge said, looking out at the same area the other three were staring at.
"Look very closely, Sir Edge," Yang said, pointing out to an area in the open plains. "Something is certainly amiss. The feel of the land is not as it should be."
Edge squinted a bit, and sure enough, even as dull as he could be sometimes, he could sense it. Something had changed, and something was out there that never had been there before... and should NOT be there, ever.
"You're right..." Edge hopped off the wall, and back next to Cecil. "What the hell is that?"
"We are not yet sure..." began Yang. "But we are certain it is not good."
"We need to get down and prepare for the worst," Cecil said, spinning about, his cape flourishing behind him. "We might have to battle it."
Edge grinned, and pulled up his mask. "Good. I was getting bored sitting here waiting for something to happen."
Yang sighed a bit, as the remainder of the group turned to follow Cecil. "I am not sure I agree..." He paused to cast one more glance over his shoulder at the anomaly. "We may have more than we bargained for..."
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
A large dark circle swirled in the center of the great, domed Lunarian room. Within it were stars, suns, distant planets, and all of time itself... all open to the men and women gathered there. Unfortunately, none had good intentions for it.
"Are we prepared?" Donovan asked, with a calculating look directed at Ladena.
Ladena smirked, and bowed a bit. "We are fully prepared, Donovan. You give the word," she snapped her fingers. "And we can enter through the portal and down to the Blue Planet, no mess, no hassle, and most importantly, no loss of time. Seeing as how you have wasted very much of it, thus far."
Donovan scowled, and made a motion with his hand for his soldiers to move in. "It would do you well to watch your tongue."
"And it would do you well to mind yours," Ladena shot back. "Without me, hardly any of this would be possible. Who was it that pointed out that dragoon to you in the first place?"
Donovan rolled his eyes. "So you can backtrack past events. Clever you. Now! All of you, move out! I have a few more loose ends to tie here at home..." He glared at Ladena, at this point. "As much as I distrust you, you are leading my troops until I arrive."
Ladena merely laughed, and with a sweep of her hand, signalling that the soldiers move in, disappeared into the portal...
...and emerged in a place very new to her, and all the troops that would follow.
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
Cecil, Yang, Edge, Ekin, Aedam and Cid all stood outside the city of Baron, with what soldiers and fighters that they could manage gathered. Something was definitely happening at the place of disturbance Dinah had sensed. A large, dark hole had opened, and it was getting bigger by the moment.
"Shouldn't we try to, I dunno, stop it, or something?" Edge asked, nervously flipping Masamune around in one hand, and Murasame in the other.
"I don't know if that's possible," came a soft voice, as Dinah entered the battle-field, walking up to stand next to Aedam. "I've been trying to neutralize it from back at the castle, and nothing I do seems to even phase it."
"Then it's...?" began Aedam, looking over at his wife.
Dinah nodded. "It's a warphole."
"A whazzit?" Edge raised a brow.
"It allows matter to be transported from one place to another, possibly infinite miles away," Dinah said, folding her hands in front of her.
"So ANYTHING could come through there?" Cecil asked, looking back at the ever-growing blackness.
Dinah nodded solemnly. "Although, I have a feeling I already know who we'll see..."
Aedam immediately unsheathed his sword - a very beautiful piece of work, brandishing a pearlescent hilt and long, wickedly curved blade, that looked like it was carved from the moon, itself. "If Addyan wants to fight, he'll find more of it than he's wishing for."
"Wasn't Addyan...?" Cecil began, but Yang finished his sentence.
"The Lunarian prince that Zeromus was manipulating..."
At this, all eyes turned to the warphole, again, weapons being drawn with the clank of steel, shield and sheath.
Dinah sighed, and pulled her husband back a bit by the arm, causing him to turn around and look down at her with one eyebrow raised. "You think I can't beat Addyan? It's been done once before..."
"It's not that," Dinah began, shaking her head. "It's just that it is NOT Addyan."
At this moment, a loud crackle came from the warphole, causing everyone to look back, as a tall, dark, elegant-looking young woman stepped out of it, shaking out her hair as she did so. She had no hesitation in her step, and the only bit of her that might signal she was distracted was the quick sweep she took of her surroundings. But there was no faulter or pause in her march forward toward the group.
"Ai chihuahua!" Edge said, taking a step back. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't mind THAT kind of matter coming through the warphole."
"No!" cried Dinah, jogging up to be on the very front line. "Don't let her beauty deceive you - that's Addyan'de Donovan's planar entity! She's possibly even more powerful than Addyan, himself..." Dinah paused, and slowly stepped back behind the main line as the woman continued to approach. "The day that he found a way to summon and control her may come to be known as the darkest of all..."
"That's Ladena the Violet Rose, of the Yven Plane. She's notorious for usually meddling in the fates of others, all as fun and games... but when she does want to cause damage, or in this case, is being forced to, the effects are devestating beyond belief..."
The party didn't have long to wonder why. As the soldiers began to pour like an army of ants out of the warphole, Ladena snapped her fingers, and opened her palm, pointing it down at the ground. A great flash of light eminated from her hand, and a lightning bolt that appeared small, shot from the center of her palm down into the ground. As she contined to walk, it appeared nothing had happened, until a great crack began to rupture along the plains, spreading and growing wider as it approached the group at an almost impossibly fast rate.
"Everyone, move!" shouted Cecil, and while near all of the soldiers were able to leap to the side, one tripped as the crack raced past them, plumetting into the small ravine. Luckily, one of his hands caught the edge, and he hung on for dear life, as everyone else began to recover from the sudden jump. One soldier turned to run and pull his friend up, but it was too late. The lightning that had seemed so small before, now jutted out of the entire length of the split in the Earth, lighting up its entire run as high as twenty-odd feet in the air.
Cecil growled under his breath, and once everyone was back on their feet, they all turned to look at this mad woman, who now stood not more than thirty feet away. She laughed, and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, propping one hand on her hip.
"Well met, King Cecil of Baron," she said, with a sarcastic smirk. "It is only fitting that I introduce myself to you, in return for such an efficient counter manuever..."
"No need, witch!" Cecil said, pointing Excalibur out at her. "I've already been told who you are, Ladena. And no matter what powers you may have, none are of any use against my army's free will!"
Ladena's smirk fell, but only for a moment, melting into her signature haughty laugh. "You think this is completely against my will?" She laughed, slowly tucking some of her hair behind one ear, her earrings jingling with the motion. "Believe me, I'm going to enjoy this very very much..."
"So, Violet Rose," Aedam called, stepping forward, and pushing Cecil back a bit, much to the king's surprise. "How is Addyan? Squirming his way out of battle?"
Ladena smirked a bit, adjusting one of her many belts. "Donovan is currently busy back on your home planet, but I'm sure it won't be long until he's here. The idiot loves to have me do all the work."
"I'll bet..." muttered Cecil. Edge was too busy being transfixed by this beautiful woman adjusting her belts.
"And besides, what's it to you?" Ladena let her eyes wander idly over Aedam, getting a good, healthy glare from Dinah, who took a brave step forward. The dark lady finally let her eyes rest on his left cheek. "Are you sure you want to garnish another scar from the King of Nocte'ja?"
"He may have scarred my face, but I am certain I scarred his pride -- a far more essential asset to battle," Aedam quipped, putting one arm up protectively in front of Dinah.
"All this aside!" Cecil cried, narrowing his eyes. "Begone, or prepare to face the power of light and justice as you never have before! I personally guarantee you'll not triumph against us!"
Ladena sneered, and rolled her eyes. "I hate goody-goodies like you who think their self-righteousness will pull them right out of hell if they need it to..."
With that, she raised one hand high above her head, a light once again pulsating from her palm. "On second thought, why don't we test that theory?" Everyone readied their weapons, and moved forward to charge Ladena before she could unleash another powerful attack. She only laughed, and started to move back, motioning that her army of darkness should move forward and hold back the smaller, and less-prepared group.
The light began to flash quicker, and quicker, going from a bright white to almost an anti-light, stealing all the color from whatever it touched. "Why don't I send you all to hell... and I can spit down on you watching you try to claw your way back up?"
Swords and other weapons began to clash, the sound of steel against steel quaking the valley. Ladena continued to retreat as her army piled around and in front of her, acting as the perfect barrier to her spellcasting, the light growing larger and larger by the second. Cecil was quickly finding himself and his warriors overwhelmed by the sheer amount of soldiers Ladena had brought with her. He had to force his way through the lines.
With a roar, and a great lunge, Cecil impaled the fighter in front of him, barreling head on into the next man behind him. He thrust his sword out, and raised it to block the incoming swish of a club, splintering the thick, wooden top of it in the process. Cecil again thrust his sword out wide, leaping over his fallen opponent, and ducking another swing with the split club. Using this process, Cecil was able to fight his way through half the army, downing who he could, and dodging who he couldn't. Faintly, he could hear the calls of his comrades, telling him he was too far in, to turn back.
Even if he could at this point, he wouldn't have. He had to stop that crazy woman before she did something even worse than before. Finally, with a last burst of strength, he let out a great shout, and charged through what he thought was the last few soldiers. Sure enough, as he jumped over the bodies, he could see Ladena in a great clearing, surrounded by other soldiers still running forward. There was a moment of fear on her face, but no hesitation from Cecil. He began to run forward, his sword out in front of him, and ready to impale the vile sorceress.
However, Cecil found himself suddenly in a very confusing situation. His arm seemed to be violently yanked to the side, waylaying him, the hilt of his sword simultaneously being tugged from his grasp, and leaving him face down in the grass and dirt. In the next moment, he felt the pain in his arm, as something was securely lodged into it. With a gasp of breath, he turned to look at his arm, to what looked like a small scythe dug into it, a trail of blood quickly trickling down his arm. Running his eyes along it, he traced it back to a clasp on the back, where a chain was attached. The Baronian king continued to follow the chain, spotting a similar scythe-like attachment on the hilt of his sword. And there, finally, was the weilder of this weapon.
He was tall, and well-built, with a stance typical of the Eastern fighters most often trained in the forests of Toroia or deserts bordering Toroia and the Misty valley. A Celtic tattoo wrapped around one of his arms, faded with time, as were his clothes, suiting of a wanderer or ranger more than a warrior on a battlefield. His long, brown hair was pulled over one shoulder, some strands hanging in front of his eyes, which at the moment were flashing like the sky before a storm.
"Zacnaine...!" cried Ladena, her spell still in full-progress.
The young man grinned at her, and waved one hand as he delivered a very low, but somehow mocking bow. "At your service... did you really think I'd let you be disappointed with me twice in a row?"
Ladena was at a loss for words... this was not supposed to happen. But who was she to complain at the moment?
With a flick of his wrists, both scythes came whipping back to Zacnaine, one taking a good slash into Cecil's arm as it did. "Well, don't wait up on me, I'll take care of this, I believe it was 'goody-goody', as you put it... finish whatever it is you're doing!"
Ladena opened her mouth to say something, but still found she was at a loss for words... so she simply smirked, and nodded. "Good luck, Zacnaine... and thank you." Her spell still pulsating in hand, Ladena retreated further back into the blackness of the army.
Zacnaine grinned, and began to circle Cecil, who was just getting his bearings back. "Get up, you weakling..." Zacnaine taunted, punctuating the word 'weakling' by kicking Cecil's sword over to him. "I give you a pinprick, and you take a nap?"
Cecil growled under his breath, and snatched the sword up, clambering to his feet.
"I don't know who you are, but if you're on the side of that witch--"
Cecil had to jump back as one of the scythes came whirring at his left leg, then raise his sword to block the other, which whipped straight for his throat.
"Tsk, tsk," Zac said, waggling a finger as he whipped one scythe back to his hand. "That's no way to talk about a lady. What WOULD your mother say?"
Cecil could see long distance was not the choice way to fight this man, the only problem was - how was he going to get in close range?
This time, the scythes came flying in rapid succession. Cecil found himself blocking with the flat of Excalibur one second, and leaping aside or ducking the next. His mind was too boggled to find a safe strategy to get in close - until someone else found it for him.
From behind Zacnaine, a flash of blue and gold came throttling out of the army, heading toward him in a kick stance. Zac sensed the presence, however, and ducked, allowing Ekin to fly right over him. Ekin's spear tip, however, did not miss, spinning through the air as Ekin turned around, knicking Zac in the arm. The hunter spun his scythes back to him, trying to gauge this new opponent.
"Cecil!" Ekin cried, as Yang followed out of the hoards, ready in stance. "Please, pursue Ladena - stop her!"
"Right!" Cecil yelled, and began to run, but not expecting Zac to still focus on him with two new opponents, he wasn't expecting a sudden sting as his scythe hit him one more, this time near hooking around his entire lower right leg. He cried out and stumbled a bit, but as the scythe was torn away, it was almost like he couldn't even feel the pain. He disappeared into the army, preparing to fight his way through them once more, as he could hear Ekin and Yang begin combatting the violent, and somewhat unpredictable hunter somewhere behind him.
Cecil's thoughts were racing, and as he tried to battle his way forward, he could see the spell. The black light was flashing far above Ladena's position, which gave Cecil a bit of hope, seeing as how he could pinpoint where she was. But his force simply could not take a spell of that proportion. There were already too few, they needed a chance...
If he could just give them that chance...
But unfortunately, he was too late. Within the next instant, the spell was done, and in a horrific flash, he watched the light go sailing over the tops of the army...
...and completely over the heads of his force, as well. It was then, in that awful moment, Cecil finally realized what Ladena's intent had been this whole time. The light went hurling across the plains.. over the ruins of the Baron city.. and finally arched down to its landing space within Baron castle. For a short time, everything was still, but then you could just feel it in the air... something was going to happen, and it was going to be huge.
The first thing that happened was a shock wave, an actual visual ripple in the Earth barreling out from the castle, and knocking more than one person off their feet. It was then the giant ring exploded, a huge dark blue, and black and fuschia light, followed by the explosion. Every woman, man and beast turned away from the brightness. However, the most horrible part wasn't the sight, it was the sound. The explosions howled like the wind, crackled like grease on a fire, and moaned like the deathly departed, all at once.
When it had finally calmed, everyone turned... the castle, and surrounding city and some of the landscape, was all set aflame. The towers looked completely gone, barely stone nubs sticking out of the ground. The walls continued to crumble, even from a distance, visible, flaming chunks falling to the side. The large and strong wooden gates of the castle weren't even there... only splinters and large planks scattered all the way to the middle of the city, and maybe even further.
And now that Cecil truly looked around... the army, and Ladena, who had caused all this, was gone.
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A/N: YES! It WAS actually up quicker than Part 6. So no whining ^^; Well, unless the chapter is bad. I'm sure there's a ton of mistakes, especially grammatically and spacing-wise, but I had some HTML problems, to say the least -_- I'll try to fix them as I go, but in rough form... here it is! So you can stop mailing me! And please, if you don't wait AT LEAST a week before you start banging down my door for Chapter 8, I'll die of heart-attack.
On the other hand... I also appreciate all you people wanting this so bad! The reviews are enlightening, and the mail is flattering. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart! ^_^ Keep it coming, you guys!