Chapter 18
The duel
Renegade Seraph
Seifer smashed into Squall's blade with no mercy, each attack was harder and faster than the last. Squall struggled to defend them; the previous blow to his head had not yet relinquished its increasing levels of pain. Each time Squall moved, the stinging sensation washed over him again. Seifer lunged at him. Squall barely had time to dodge it. Seifer's motions became slightly slower, as he moved his arm to his shoulder level. Squall brought his blade up ready to attack, but was knocked backwards when a ball of fire hit him. Sitting up slowly, he felt the heat burn into his skin. Seifer seized the moment and raised his blade high. Squall watched, as the silver blade was brought down between his eyes. Slicing heated pain into his skin. Squall's blood fell on to floor at his feet.
Selphie, freed from the restraints of the attacking demons looked on in horror. There was nothing she could do, she was helpless to defend herself and could do nothing for Squall. Suddenly more hooves were heard.
"Seifer stop!" A voice shouted. Selphie turned to see Mia, standing alone amongst the mist, her horse beside her. This distracted Seifer, and allowed Squall to get back up. Grabbing his blade tightly he swung it up at Seifer, slashing him between the eyes. Seifer cried out and fell to his knees.
Selphie seeing that Seifer was down, took hold of the staff, which lay abandoned in the grass.
"This is for my fellow people, the people who have been kept so wrongfully under your evil dictatorship." Selphie screamed, bringing the staff high and smashing it into the hard ground by Seifer's feet.
"NO!" Seifer screamed.
A ring of white light burst from the broken shards, knocking them all down with its strong force. The light continued to plunge forward. Engulfing the fighting soldiers. The unearthly beings started to scream their high-pitched notes filled the air, as the hallowed light burned into their demon skin. The screams became louder as the eyes of the evil ceased to move. The scale like skin on their bones became hardened and stone like until their movements became jagged and restrained. With their ever-increasing determination to continue their fights, their marble statue appearance was destroyed.
Cracks ran deep though their arms like veins, as they tried desperately to grip their ice steel weapons. But their cold lives had bee lived too long, and their bodies cried their last scream of pain, and were turned to dust.
The Seadon army rejoiced, laughed and clapped for each other. While there was celebration far off, back with Squall things were looking dim.
The loss of blood to Squall's multiple head and body wounds were slowing his reactions. His attacks were becoming weaker and were having no effect on Seifer. He felt sleepy. All he wanted was to lay down, for this too end. The dizziness from loss of blood was claiming him from the world of the living. Seifer saw this and laughed. When Squall looked up at him, Seifer punched him hard in the face, knocking him down. This time he didn't get up.
The rest watched, tears forming in their eyes, tears of sadness and then of anger. Worried calls from soldiers however distracted their concentration. It appeared something was happening to the dust of the demon bodies. Selphie ran to help Squall as Seifer smirked. The dust zoomed its way towards them, Selphie leant over Squall to shield him from it, as the others raised their hands over their eyes and turned away.
The dust headed for the broken staff, it hit the floor and went straight through it. Silence was left as everyone wondered what would happen next. A loud rumbling sound was heard from beneath them, Selphie helped Squall backwards and away from Seifer. Seifer walked to the edge of the cliff to be away from the danger. A crack started to appear between Squall and Seifer. It ran a fair distance before widening. Seifer looked around worried, he had chosen the wrong side to be standing on. The ground under his feet began to shake, then gave way. Letting him plunge to his death on the sharp rocks below him.
Steam hissed out of the newly formed crevice, the heat radiating from it was unbearable to the human skin. Out of the fires arose the Sprit Mecleck, a huge red dragon, with wings tattered and torn. As it turned to face them it screamed it's unnatural sounds. They noticed one of his eyes had been gorged out of its socket. Blood ran down its face as it screamed at them and twisted with pain and anger in the air. Selphie gasped.
"Squall what is that?" She whispered. Squall opened his eyes to look at the winged demon.
"Mecleck." He said, his voice weak and fading. "We destroyed its powerful eye, now it will take revenge."
"We cannot fight that!" Selphie exclaimed. Mia found her way to Selphie's side.
"No one can fight it. It can only be destroyed one way," Mia informed her. The demon looked at them with it's remaining eye as it searched for its master.
"H-how?" Selphie stammered, as the dragon fixed her in its cold stare. Mia looked at the beast.
"By touching the blood of an Almasy," She said, staring the dragon down. She breathed deeply. "I am the only one left"
"No Mia!" Squall exclaimed, trying to sit up. "You cannot" Mia looked at him determined. Placing her hands onto Squall's Gunblade she stood up.
"I must," She whispered. "It is my destiny" Squall nodded, a tear fell down his cheek. His crusade was destined to end in a death, he knew that right from the beginning. But he had always believed that it would have been his own, and not a sacrifice of an innocent girl.
"Mecleck! Protector of evil, created for the suppression of souls I challenge you." Mia shouted. The dragon reared it's blood stained body and flew towards her. Mia hurriedly took Squall's blade and sliced her wrist. The crimson liquid burst from her pale skin onto the floor. As the dragon neared her, she raised her arm and let the last of her life leave her, as it hit his cold-scaled skin. The spirit flew high into the air screeching until exploding into droplets of fire. Mia fell to the hard floor and was quickly joined by Zell who checked her pulse. He shook his head, and looked towards the sky. The fire droplets had turned to snow. It floated towards them and landed beside and around them.
"Squall, it's snowing." Selphie whispered, tears falling from her eyes. "It's over." She looked down at Squall who smiled weakly back at her.
"It's over," he whispered back.
"Come on, let's go home." Selphie said, as Zell and Irvine walked over to help Squall. Laguna rode over to them, his army remounting their horses behind him. He reached out to help Squall onto his horse. Zell carefully lifted Squall onto the front of Laguna's horse. Irvine fetched Squall's Gunblade and attached it to the saddle.
"What about Mia?" Quistis asked. Squall looked over to where she was lying, but she was longer there.
"Hyne will look after her," Squall said, looking at the place where her blood had spilt. But instead of the crimson liquid, red flowers grew. A strong wind blew in from the sea, moving the mist and the clouds to reveal the sun. It shone down onto their cold skin warming the frozen blood. From beneath them the grass rippled as it grew at an unnaturally fast speed, more red flowers sprouted upwards to look towards the heavens. Squall smiled, amongst the blessing of peace that he found himself in he thought of only one thing, Rinoa.
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(A week later)
"Rinoa?" A soft voice spoke. "Are you ok?" Rinoa fluttered open her eyes.
"Where am I?" She whispered. Looking around at the beautifully decorated room. Selphie smiled.
"Your home." Selphie said, brushing some of Rinoa's hair out of her face.
"Home?" Rinoa asked, "You mean I'm in Equidor?"
"Yes, I will be your home now. We beat him Rinoa, you're free now." Selphie said, smiling at the look of uncontrolled happiness on Rinoa's face.
"I'm free!" She said disbelievingly, tears of joy running down her cheeks. She grabbed hold of her wedding ring and threw it hard across the room. "I'm really free? Then where is my knight? W-where is Squall?" she asked.
"Squall, um he's um, well maybe you better not see him right away." Selphie warned. Rinoa looked worried.
"Why what's wrong?" She asked, "I must see him."
"Alright" Selphie said sighing.
Rinoa dressed in a gown of red velvet, Selphie managed to find her some red shoes to match and a comb to fix her hair with. A maid was called for make up, and then Selphie led Rinoa along the corridor. Zell appeared from one of the rooms ahead of them. Selphie suddenly went very red and giggly. Zell walked towards them smiling, when her reached Selphie he picked her up and carried her off. Selphie playfully screamed.
"Oh help me!" She said sarcastically.
"Rinoa, Squall's in the room I just came out of!" Zell called as he carried Selphie away.
"Oh somebody save me!" She said as she was whisked around the corner. Rinoa laughed at her friends and walked towards the door.
Her hands found their way onto the golden door handle. Pushing it down she slowly opened the door and stepped inside.
"Squall?"
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Thankyou to:
Silver Shadow
Krnman
Twin Blades
townberry
the-angel-of-the-lion
Rinoa Leonhart73
REM
Sorceress Ruby
A/N: wowie 100 reviews! Thankyou everyone who has reviewed, I never thought my story would get such a response. One or maybe two more chapters left to come.
Please review!!