I own none of this.
***
I slowly got to my feet, somewhat dazed. That was a big one. I guess you never really get used to it. I looked around, finally spotting Caminetti's headless body. So much for that creep. Now…you're part of me.
I shifted my gaze skyward. How long was I out? The it hit me. The others!
I transformed and took off for Flanvel Tower.
***
The sheer speed took me by surprise, but I wasn't complaining. Thanks to that, I made it to the Tower in less than an hour. "Now, where would they be?" I muttered. "At this rate, I'll go snow-blind before I can find them."
"Ray! Over here!"
I spun in midair, spotting the other Dragoon near an icy ramp. "Meru!" I made a rough landing and shed the armor. "Sorry I'm late."
"Don't worry about that! We gotta move!"
Meru and I caught up with the rest near Flanvel's base. "Any trouble?"
Dart glanced quickly at me. "Not yet, but I think that's about to change.
Kongol sniffed the air. "I smell blood. There's a large monster nearby. And we're intruders." He lifted his axe. "Here it comes!"
I drew my weapon and transformed, the remaining Dragoons mere seconds behind me. "Let's see how you like this! Divine Dragon Ball!" A plate on my left shoulder opened, sending multiple blasts of energy into the hideous beast.
"Rose Storm!" Albert, once again giving us a defensive edge.
Lavitz and Meru struck from either side, a very odd combination. Regole backed them up with ramming attacks, since her magic was the next best thing to useless in this fight. Kongol joined them from above.
"Astral Drain!"
"Atomic Mind!"
You're no match for us, I thought. You'll be dead before- My thoughts were interrupted by an arrow whistling past my left ear. I shot a brief glare at Miranda. "Careful where you point that thing, huh?"
She smiled sweetly. "Oops."
Great, she's starting to sound like Amanda. This is not a good sign. "'Oops', indeed. Just be careful next time, okay?" Not waiting for a response, I charged up another spell. "It's show time, freak! Divine Dragon Cannon!"
A gigantic beam of energy lanced out from my left arm, striking the monster dead center and vaporizing it. Wha, what the!? I looked down at my arm. "Did I just do that?"
"The Divine Dragon was very powerful," Rose said. "It should come as no surprise that your magic is equally devastating."
"I'll keep that in mind." I hit the ground hard. "Now we can finish Lloyd off."
Mac pulled me aside as we climbed. "Who was it, at the Mountain?"
I felt my lip twist. "I think you've heard of him. Miccolo Caminetti."
The Highlander shuddered. "I met him during the Thirty Years War. Not a nice man."
"I remember him," Methos said. "I had a less than pleasant encounter with him in about 1517, at the start of the Reformation. He almost took my head."
"Well, then, fear not. He's dead." I sighed, hauling myself up a ledge. "I wonder what happened to that ex-Watcher Lloyd mentioned."
Further conversation was cut off by the abrupt appearance of a small penguin-like creature, which I easily dispatched. That out of the way, I took my first good look at the Tower of Flanvel. The place was oddly shaped, even for a Wingly structure: a narrow core topped by a vaguely spherical chamber. "This was a Wingly fortress?"
Rose nodded. "Shot down by a human weapon, the Spear Shooter. It was the personal fortress of Melbu Frahma's second-in-command, Magician Faust."
"So the Moon Mirror is in there?" Dart asked.
"It is," Miranda confirmed. "We'd better hurry."
We were just barely too late. The green teleporter orb dissolved just in time for me to see Lloyd retrieving the Moon Mirror. "Thank you for your cooperation, Your Majesty."
Theresa took a step back. "What…are you?"
Dart drew his sword. "Lloyd!"
The Wingly turned to him, unperturbed. "Here they are." With a quick swipe of his hand, he snatched the Moon Dagger from my belt. "I just got all three Divine Moon Objects. Now the world will be reborn into the utopia Emperor Diaz and I desire."
"The world will be reborn!? What are you talking about!?" Dart demanded.
Lloyd glanced at the Queen. "You should know, Your Majesty. The fate created by the will of Soa. The divine evolution." He turned back to us. "You humans are merely the 106th in the plan. And…we Winglies are the 107th in the plan." The Dragon Buster flared to life in his hand. "I desire the 108th evolution! For that, I will use every conceivable means!"
"Lloyd! Is that all you have to say!?" Dart snarled.
The other brandished his weapon. "I'll let my sword say the rest! Shall we finish up?"
"I'll finish you up," I growled, raising my blade. "I won't die yet again." I charged, swinging my sword in an infinity loop, slashing high and low. Lloyd blocked the high cut, but the low one got through, bouncing off his armored leg.
He smirked and countered, slicing deeply into my arm. "Can't you do better than that, Immortal?" He danced aside slightly, narrowly avoiding one of Miranda's arrows. "Missed." The Wingly leapt into the air and slammed to the floor, along with four giant spikes.
I didn't recognize the effect, but Meru apparently did. "Watch out, guys! This is gonna hurt!"
As usual, my young friend understated it rather severely. Most of us were badly injured, and Richie was killed outright. Poor Richie. First the Divine Dragon nails him, and now this. "No more games." I stood, drawing on the power of the Divine Dragon, trusting my immortality to guard against the Dragon Buster. "Take this, traitor!" I attacked from above, ending by scraping a huge ball of energy off my cannon.
To my great annoyance, Lloyd was unfazed. "I think not." His next attack wasn't a killing blow, but it sure felt like one. I was out of the fight.
Dart had apparently had enough. Roaring a challenge, he charged Lloyd directly. The Wingly dodged at the last moment, landing heavily several feet away, his wings fading. Dart slowly turned and swung his blade in a circle, then charged again, sword raised for a killing blow.
It never landed. Much to my astonishment, and rage, Wink, the Third Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, blocked Dart's attack, receiving a shallow cut across the back for her trouble. Wink yelled in pain, and then, in a near whisper, said, "Please…forgive Lloyd."
That was too much. I picked myself up off the floor and stalked forward. "Forgive Lloyd!? Are you out of your mind!?"
"He saved my life twice!"
"I couldn't care less," I snapped. My voice became low and deadly. "Lloyd had Shana kidnapped from Seles, stole the Moon Gem from Albert, killing me in the process, manipulated the war in Serdio, nearly caused a catastrophe in Tiberoa, and kidnapped your own Queen!!"
"Hey! She's hurt!" Meru yelled.
"Through her own stupidity," I shot back. "Wink, given all that, just who do you think you are, getting in the way like that!? He had to be stopped!"
Wink was in tears now. "His death won't solve anything."
I shook my head. This woman is hopelessly naïve. Even Shana, bleeding heart that she is, would know better. "Forget it. What are you doing here, anyway? You didn't come all the way to Flanvel to save Lloyd's hide."
Wink looked at Dart. "Shana was taken away!"
The Fire Dragoon went rigid. "What!?"
"By the man named Emperor Diaz."
"At last, he has begun to take action by himself," Lloyd murmured.
I shot him one icy glance. "What does he want?"
Wink trembled a little. "He said to bring the Divine Moon Objects and Lloyd to Vellweb."
I looked at the other Immortals. Mac, predictably, was outraged. "Kidnapping to get his hands on a few artifacts," he growled. "Doesn't sound like a hero to me."
Richie had revived just in time to catch Wink's arrival. "Bastard sounds like Horton."
The big surprise came from Methos. "If Shana is hurt in any way, this 'Diaz' is dead."
I raised an eyebrow. "You don't usually sound like that, old man."
He snorted. "I don't like kidnappers. Besides, Mac's rubbing off on me," he added, nodding to the Highlander. "I haven't decided yet whether or not it's a good thing."
"Whatever." I shrugged. "Next stop, Vellweb."
***
In order to get to Vellweb, we first had to pass through the snowfields to the west. I admit I like cold climates, but this was a little too much. The moment we got their, we ran into a huge blizzard, forcing us to take refuge in a nearby cave.
Lloyd made himself useful by starting a fire, then sat down. "There is something I have to tell you before we get to Vellweb. It's about Diaz."
"Finally," Dart muttered.
Lloyd ignored him. "I first met Diaz three years ago in the ruins of Kadessa. He spoke of the decay of the world, saying it was no different from the world ruled by Melbu Frahma, the Wingly dictator. He wanted to rejuvenate the world."
Lavitz eyed him suspiciously. "How?"
"Through the 108th race," Lloyd replied. "'Count 108 years, and when the Moon That Never Sets glows red, a Moon Child descends upon the earth, and shall give a holy blessing to the world.' The Moon Child is the 108th race, the final evolution that will rejuvenate the world."
Rose shook her head adamantly. "That's not true."
The Wingly glanced at her in surprise. "It is the truth. Then why does the Black Monster continue to kill the Moon Child?" He answered his own question, "The Black Monster imagines himself scorched to death by the holy light."
Rose didn't answer.
I frowned. She's been getting edgy of late. And this bit about the Black Monster is hitting just a little too close to home. Aside from Rose, I was the only one present who knew the truth about the Moon Child. So Lloyd's been duped. He really thinks he's doing what's right.
Dart stormed over and grabbed Lloyd by the collar. "Why did you kidnap Shana!? What is she to you!?"
Lloyd was unruffled. "The rest will be told by Diaz." Dart dropped him in disgust.
"You say you met Diaz in Kadessa?" Albert asked. Lloyd nodded. "Is that how you got the Dragon Buster and those Dragoon Spirits?"
"Exactly. You know, of course, who I gave them to."
I gazed contemplatively at my Spirit, the Dragoon Spirit of the Divine Dragon. Such power, in such a small object. Why did it choose me? Is it because I'm an Immortal? That reminded me of a question I had. "Lloyd, what happened to that ex-Watcher you mentioned?"
He shrugged. "I believe your friend Dawson shot him."
"Good riddance," Mac muttered. No surprise there, Mac had had too many run-ins with Horton's crowd.
Miranda leaned close, her voice pitched so only I could hear. "Ray, who are the Watchers?"
"The Watchers," I replied, "are a secret society devoted to observing and recording the lives and deeds of Immortals. They observe and record, but never interfere…theoretically. The reality is somewhat different. Methos managed to infiltrate them about ten years ago, trying to get out of the Game. The guy Lloyd just referred to, Joe Dawson, is one of Mac's closest friends."
"How'd MacLeod find out about them?"
I sighed. "Just over two years ago, a man named James Horton, who happened to be Joe's brother-in-law, formed a group called the Hunters, dedicated to destroying us. You see, he was assigned to watch one of the most evil of us who ever existed: the Kurgan. This guy was the ultimate sociopath; he'd kill just because he felt like it. He was finally beheaded by Mac's cousin Connor MacLeod, about the same time Methos joined the Watchers. Anyway, Horton was convinced that we were all bombs waiting to go off, so he started hunting us down. Mac was brought into it by an attempt on his friend Hugh Fitzcairn, who sadly died a year later. The cat-and-mouse game when on for over a year, culminating in Horton's death at Mac's hand."
She shook her head, clearly disgusted. "Bastards." Miranda hesitated. "Who was Caminetti.?"
I winced. "Miccolo Caminetti was a thug. He killed my parents fourteen years ago. Foster parents, actually; none of us are sure of our origins. They were the only people who ever thought of me as anything but a useless burden, until I met MacLeod, any way. And Caminetti killed them, just for a little money." I shivered as old memories came flooding back: my parents lying dead before me, blood everywhere, and Caminetti's cruel laughter. I shook myself. "But that's over."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories."
I waved that away. "Like I said, it's over. Caminetti's dead, so everything's settled there." I stretched. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some sleep. I have the distinct feeling that something nasty is going to happen when we hit Vellweb, and I want to be rested for it."
***
Vellweb was much more to my taste than Kadessa. While just as ruined, it didn't have the air of sadness that so permeated the Forbidden Land. So, this is where Rose and company spent their time when they weren't fighting. I'll bet it was a sight to see in its prime. "Just where are we supposed to go?"
Lloyd gestured. "Diaz's throne is at the base of the tower of the seven Dragoons. That is where we must go."
"Shana had better be safe," Dart said tightly.
There isn't much to tell about the trip. We walked, killed monsters, and generally wrought havoc until we reached the throne. Oddly enough, the room was in better shape than the rest of Vellweb. There was also no sign of Diaz, but right in front…
Dart ran forward. "Shana!" Before he could get to her, she floated out of reach. "What the!?"
There was a green flash, and a man in a red robe and mask appeared. Lloyd addressed him. "Diaz, here are the Divine Moon Objects. There are no more obstacles hindering our utopia. Release the girl."
Diaz caught the magic artifacts. "Fine." Shana drifted into Dart's arms. "Now the final race will be born."
Rose's eyes narrowed. "If you are the true Diaz, you should know what this implies."
The man nodded. "Total destruction."
Lloyd paled. "Wha…what!?"
Diaz looked at him. "Lloyd you have done well. Now we the last species we desire, the true Virage, will be born. I will create the utopia once the world has been purged."
The Wingly shook. "You deceived me." The Dragon Buster flashed out. "My utopia exists in the future of this world! Not its destruction!"
"I don't need you anymore." Diaz released a blast of magic, smashing Lloyd through the floor.
"Diaz! What are you thinking!?" Dart shouted.
The other shrugged. "I don't need to hide anymore." With a dramatic flourish, he removed his mask. "It's been a while. Rose…Dart." The man's face bore a disturbing resemblance to our leader's.
Dart went pale with shock. "Father!?"
Rose, amazingly, was even more strongly affected. "Oh, it cannot be!"
Methos nudged me. "You were right. Dart is the son of the first Fire Dragoon. Their reactions prove it."
"Dad! Is it really you!?" Dart couldn't believe his eyes.
Rose was actually losing control. "You died! With Melbu Frahma on each other's swords!"
"Now I can tell you everything." Zieg paced. "In the beginning, there was nothing. The Soa planted the Divine Tree, which bore 108 fruits. Gigantos from the 86th fruit. Minintos from the 99th fruit. Dragons from the 105th fruit. Humans from the 106th fruit. Winglies with magical power from the 107th fruit. And last, the Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction from the 108th fruit." He laughed. "The Winglies found out about the tragedy waiting for them and sealed the god by separating its flesh and soul. The flesh became the Moon That Never Sets, and the soul was sealed in the Crystal Sphere, so Melbu Frahma could draw unlimited magical power from it. He ruled all. But humans, with Dragoons at there head, rebelled. In a final confrontation, they cornered Melbu in Kadessa. I felt certain of human…my victory," he corrected himself. "And then, the spell of petrification captured me. I have waited for eleven thousand years." Zieg nodded at Rose. "Time, almost eternal, dissolved the spell of Melbu. Days spent with Rose became the eternal past, and I lived as the father of Dart in this age, until the tragic day in Neet."
Dart was overwhelmed. "So, both you and Rose are heroes of the Dragon Campaign!?"
"There's more." Zieg was apparently enjoying himself. "Silly humans destroyed the Crystal Sphere. The God of Destruction was exultant. It could now be born. It possessed a human body, so as to reach the Moon That Never Sets. 'Count 108 years, and when the Moon That Never sets glows red, a Moon Child shall descend upon the earth, to give a holy blessing to the world.' The 'holy blessing' is the destruction." He laughed, and I could tell a bombshell was coming. "But, one Dragoon found out about it. Every 108 years, she has killed the Moon Child and those around it. By stopping her own time, she was even called a demon." My heart sank as he pointed at Rose. "That is the true self of Rose…the Black Monster!"
Dart whirled. "Rose is…the Black Monster!?"
Rose looked away, unable to speak.
"It's true, Dart," I said gently. "I knew from the beginning, and she later told Methos." I glanced at Richie. "That's what I meant by her dark past, Richie."
The Fire Dragoon was clearly in agony. "Why!? Why did it have to be you!?"
Rose at last found her voice. "The Moon Child has to be killed, and the people around it, too, before they become servants of the God of destruction."
"Neet, too!?"
"For eleven thousand years, there have been no exceptions."
"Enough." Zieg gestured, and Shana floated over to him. "I will tell you one more thing. Rose, you thought the Princess Louvia you killed eighteen years ago was the Moon Child, but that is not true."
Rose stared in anguish. "N, no…"
"Louvia had a twin sister." Zieg laughed triumphantly. "Shana is the Moon Child!"
And then came the last sound I ever expected to hear in Endiness: gunshots. Blood spurted from Zieg's chest, and he fell, hard. Released from the telekinetic grip, Shana also fell, Kongol just barely catching her. I spun, looking for the source of the gunfire. What I saw was Methos, the oldest Immortal, a smoking autopistol in his hand. "Nice shooting, old man."
He grinned. "Figured he wouldn't even know what a gun is, let alone expect to be shot."
"No argument there…what the!?"
Zieg was glowing greenish white, as though something was rising from him. This impression proved very accurate indeed; a spirit separated from his body. At the same time, Shana was glowing even more brightly. Somehow, I knew what was happening at once: whatever was rising from Zieg was absorbing Shana's power. The spirit solidified in a new body, a very evil-looking Wingly. Who is that!?
Rose stared at the newcomer with obvious loathing. "Melbu Frahma! But Zieg killed you!"
The ancient Wingly laughed. "He couldn't finish the job. I sealed my soul in his Dragoon Spirit. When you attacked Neet, the fool attempted to use his powers, which was just what I was waiting for. I possessed him then, and left." He shot a contemptuous look at Shana. "Now, thanks to the Moon Child, I have a new body, and I will soon become one with the God of Destruction. Keep the girl, I no longer need her." Melbu vanished.
Miranda hurried to Zieg's side, immediately casting healing magic. The bulled wounds disappeared, and Zieg slowly opened his eyes. "I'm…still alive?"
Rose threw her arms around him. "Zieg, it's really you!" To my astonishment, the Dark Dragoon was actually crying.
Zieg returned the embrace. "It's been far too long, Rose." He smiled at his son. "And you, Dart. You've grown."
Dart worked his mouth. "Dad, I…"
"It's all right." The older man carefully got to his feet. "I understand, and I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Dad." Dart hugged him. "You couldn't have done anything else."
"Thank you." Zieg swept his gaze over all of us. "I know it's hard, but I want you to understand. What Rose did had to be done, or the world would have been destroyed long ago. Please, forgive her."
Under other circumstances, Dart would probably have argued, but a plea from his own father was something else. "You're right."
Rose looked at Shana. "Shana, I'm sorry. I tried to kill you, and succeeded in killing your sister. I didn't want to, but I had no choice. Can you-" she was cut off when Shana hugged her.
"Rose, I've always thought of you as a big sister," Shana murmured. "Besides, I'd rather die than become the God of Destruction."
Rose hugged her back. "That, at least, you don't have to worry about." She stepped back, looking more alive than I'd ever seen her. "I think we should go to Ulara next."
"The Spring Breath Town?" Zieg said.
"The same. Charle should be able to help."
"There's still something I have to do," Dart said. Removing his Dragoon Spirit, he offered it to his father. "Dad, this belongs to you."
Zieg placed one hand over it, and came away with an extra. "That won't be necessary."
Meru gaped. "How'd you do that!?"
"Residual magic. Courtesy of Melbu. Thought I might put it to good use." He looked significantly at Miranda.
Knowing precisely what he meant, the Sacred Sister had her Spirit copied, and offered the extra to Shana. "This is for you, Your Highness."
Shana accepted it. "Thank you. But, please don't call me that. Even if I was born a princess, Seles is my home."
"Alright."
"I suggest we rest before setting out," I said. "We've got a long journey ahead."
Zieg nodded in agreement. "You're right."
***
Author's note: I said there would be some big changes here, so don't say you weren't warned. To anticipate a couple of likely questions, Rose is unusually emotional here because she just got her fiancé back, and I included he residual magic because I couldn't think of any other way to have extra Dragoon Spirits.
On a side note, Ray's little tirade against Wink is more or less how I felt the first time I watched that scene. Lloyd isn't really a bad guy, true, but they don't know that until later.
Next chapter will be mostly a flashback, as Ray tells the story of how he became Immortal. D.S.
