~*~Chapter 16 The birth of Zeromus~*~
"Zemus sure has some sour pets!" Edge grumbled, grimly watching the giant, yellowish bat with the enormous eye dissolve on the floor.
"Healing forces from heaven, free us from our pain…" Rosa chanted.
Cecil rubbed the blood from his lips and lifted the glowing spear from its carved stone-pillow.
"And we have another sacred weapon," he grinned.
Holding the spear forth, he turned to Kain.
"It belongs to you, I believe."
"Indeed," Kain said.
He took the spear, and it buzzed softly as he held it. The weapon amazed him, just as all the other holy weapons they had found on their way down through the moon; the Masamune and Murasame that Edge now wielded, Cecil's new sword… and now this.
The spear was made of a material unfamiliar to the dragoon; it was heavy as iron but look similar to pearl. He couldn't find a better description. It glowed softly, almost like a promise of power and victory. He smiled at it, as to a new friend, and it buzzed in his grip.
"Come, I think that we are closing in," Cecil said and once more took the lead.
Kain didn't think much for the moment. He was silently preparing himself for the approaching battle.
"Oh, my…" Rosa said as they went down a stair after a short walk and entered something completely new.
She wasn't the only surprised one. Leaving the dusky, cold caves of the moon, the small troop had now stepped out into a world made of crystal. The floor and stairs ahead were as clear as glass, held up by pillars of the same material. The distant cave-walls were reddish and seemed to flame from within. Light came from a gigantic orb below.
Somehow, Kain knew that the glowing orb was their destination. He noticed that the others also looked down, frowning. They all knew, and hurried on.
There were few monsters here, and by now Kain and his comrades had become strong enough for beating even two Behemoths at the time with little trouble. They were determined not to let anything stand in their way.
And eventually, they used yet another magic teleporting plate on the ground to move on. They had used so many by now that Kain couldn't count them all. But this time, it wasn't silent where they materialized. There was the sound of a battle, above several stairs.
"Hurry!" Kain growled, and he rushed upwards after Cecil.
Then he saw Zemus.
The lunarian was even taller than Rubicant, dressed in a dark cape. His skin was purple, his claw-like hands moved like snakes as he chanted. His dark, cold eyes flashed by his words below the bold forehead.
"Stones of hatred from the universe, bring your fury upon our foe!" two voices yelled in unison before Zemus had finished his spell.
It was Golbez and FuSoYa. They stood on each side of the wicked one, their faces strained in determination and the torment of controlling the powerful magic.
"Good, show your power!" Zemus snarled.
Then the burning rocks started crashing upon him, and he fell.
FuSoYa and Golbez stood there gulping for air, watching the seemingly defeated enemy, waiting for the slightest movement. But Zemus didn't even seem to breathe. Slowly, the two standing warriors lowered their hands.
"Pity," FuSoYa sighed, "he wasted his whole life on hate…"
"Hey!" Edge yelled, cheering.
Golbez and the lunarian turned around in surprise as they heard the call and the footsteps.
"Oh, you came!" FuSoYa smiled.
With a slight sigh, Kain looked at the one he had come to defeat. Zemus was dead, that was for sure. Was it enough to see him die? The dragoon nodded inside of his mind. It was enough. It had to be.
He had to keep his rage down, or he'd turn into the wrong kind of warrior sooner or later; one blind for anything except the own hatred. Valvalis was avenged, and that was what Kain had wished most of all. He was a bit disappointed he hadn't been able to help out more, but Zemus was dead and that was the only important thing. The dragoon hoped that his love's spirit would be able to find rest now.
"Cecil…?" Golbez carefully said.
But the paladin turned away. Everybody looked at him, sadly. Just as Cecil had done, his brother had chosen to change paths. Yet that wasn't enough for the paladin to forgive. Not yet, anyhow.
"Cecil…" Rosa said, softly.
She put her hand on his cheek, comforting, trying to encourage a feeling of forgiveness. But her loving powers had no chance to begin working, because there was a sudden screech. Everyone spun around.
"I'm not gone yet…!" Zemus snarled.
His body was consumed in eerie flames, and out of it stepped a horrible monster, covered with long, grey tentacles. Its fierce jaws were blood red, its eyes flared.
"I am Zeromus," it screeched, "product of Zemus' hatred! Now you will now the meaning of true suffering!"
A massive wave of dark energy brought everyone to their knees. Kain gritted his teeth in pain; his skin burned while his flesh felt colder than ice. He fell to the ground, unable to move. He saw, through the dancing, purple stars before his eyes, that his friends also dropped.
"Death only increased his hatred…!" FuSoYa growled through his clamped teeth and slowly managed to stand up.
Snarling in pain, Golbez forced himself to rise from the ground. The two men approached Zeromus, determined to fight or die.
'Golbez, be careful…!' Kain thought, though his brain felt as if daggers penetrated it as it accomplished the mere task of thinking.
'Hang on, Kain!' the man in black grimly answered.
"Stones of hatred from the universe, bring your fury upon our foe!" two voices once more demanded in unison.
For a second time, burning rocks fell through the air. But as they hit Zeromus they seemed to be absorbed by his tentacles and he gave a screeching laughter.
"Use the crystal!" FuSoYa yelled, despair filling his voice.
Shaking because of the dark waves Golbez reached for his belt and brought forth a glistening stone, as big as a man's fist, from a small bag. He held it above his head, and it sent a wave of white, shivering bubbles at Zeromus. But the foe only laughed again, as the pure power faded before touching him at all.
"One who follows a dark path cannot use the crystal to summon light!" he sneered.
"Damn!" Golbez snarled.
"Stones of hatred from the universe, bring your fury upon these insects!"
Hearing Zeromus call Golbez and FuSoYa desperately tried to stumble out of the way. But the burning rocks crashed down over them and they fell to the ground, lifeless.
'No…!' Kain thought, desperately, 'it can't end this way…'
"Suffer and die!" Zeromus screeched, "my hatred will destroy everything!"
(There goes the Void-thing again. Viva les Final Fantasy… author's stupid note.)
It was the end. It was just as when they had all been paralyzed by Golbez in the land of the dwarves, yet this time there wasn't going to be any friends coming to save the day. Everyone of their allies were stuck on Earth, and they wouldn't have been able to help anyway. Cid, the eccentric mechanic, Yang, who Kain never had a chance to know better… and Valvalis was dead, even if she had been able to help in any way. It was really the end this time, for Kain, for Cecil, for Rosa, Rydia, Edge, FuSoYa and Golbez. And judging from Zeromus' character, they were only the first ones. He was surely going to proceed to his own, sleeping people, and then go to the Earth to fulfill his work. Nothing and nobody could stop him now…
'Kain.'
He startled at the careful, soft voice inside his head.
'Val… valis…?'