Chapter 63
Ramuh approached Phantom, who floated there numbly.
"Phantom?" he asked.
"I…cannot go on," said Phantom.
"What are you talking about?" asked Shiva.
Phantom tossed a leather strap to Ifrit. Ifrit stared at it with a puzzled expression.
"Put in on," said the ghost.
Ifrit wrapped it around his right hand.
"Now fight me Ifrit," said Phantom.
Ifrit blinked. "Why the hell should I do that?"
"Because I destroyed your Queen and country!" whispered Phantom.
"But the war's over!" said Ramuh.
"Yes, and now I must atone," replied Phantom.
Ifrit hung his head. "I'm not going to execute you."
"Then I'll execute your friends," retorted the ghost.
"Unknown dimension, consume thy foes…X-Zone!" cast Phantom.
A yawning chasm appeared behind Ramuh and Shiva, revealing a starry field behind. It closed again, but did not succeed in swallowing them.
"Phantom!" yelled Ifrit, flying toward the spectral Esper.
He brought the sword down, where it cut into Phantom's shoulder. Ifrit blinked as his arm came down and struck Phantom a second time. Then a third time. Then a fourth time.
Phantom rematerialized as Serpentarius, bloody and wounded, fell into Ifrit's arms.
"He's from the Raj!" exclaimed Shiva.
"What did you do?" demanded Ifrit.
"Consider it a peace offering," said Serpentarius weakly, "I'm sorry Ifrit."
"I didn't want to hurt you," said Ifrit, "You forced me to."
"I know it was cowardly," said Serpentarius, "But it was the only way."
"You idiot!" snapped Ifrit, "You could have tried!"
Serpentarius shook his head.
"Humans and Espers cannot coexist in this world," he said, "And there is no place in this world for a half-breed like me."
Serpentarius body glowed from within, then condensed into a crystal of magicite in Ifrit's claws.
Steam hissed off Ifrit's cheeks. "Damn you!" he shouted.
"Enough blood has been shed!" said Shiva in a strange voice.
"Shiva?" asked Siren.
Siren touched her shoulder and was blasted away by a blast of ice energy.
"What have we done?" asked Ramuh in an echoing voice.
"We have laid the land waste," said Ifrit in a distant voice.
"What's going on?" asked Maduin.
"We have chosen new Magi," said Shiva, "These three Espers."
"Are you the goddesses?" asked Cyrus.
"We are," replied Ramuh.
"The blood of our children has finally woken us," said Ifrit sadly.
"But we have woken to a new nightmare," said Shiva.
"Our anger is spent," said Ramuh.
"But our vengeance has exacted a terrible price," said Ifrit.
"Will you end the war then?" asked Terrato.
"We will," said Shiva.
"What do you desire for this world?" asked Ramuh.
Cyrus and Terrato looked at each other.
"We desire peace to return," said Cyrus.
"The Espers need a refuge," said Terrato, "A place to live in safety from humans."
"Humans are not all bad!" said Cyrus.
"It's not the good ones that worry us," said Fenrir.
"So be it," said Ifrit.
"We will also take refuge so we will never again disturb this world," said Ramuh.
"Keep our statues aligned and balance will be forever maintained," said Shiva.
The three Espers blinked in confusion.
"What happened?" asked Ifrit.
"Long story," said Terrato.
"The short version is the war's over!" said Cyrus.