ME: O___O We're approaching the climax!!
CS: To the reviewers…
Arashi Doragon: Very close, but not the grand prize. 'De novo' means 'Born Anew' But since you came so close, you get a piece of chocolate cake! *hands her a piece* Sorry, it took so long but this chapter took a lot out of me. 2 more chapters after this and that's the end of SoTM!!!
Weeping Angel: You got a good guess though. Kai *did* think he was dead, but we can't have Chris dying out on us, can we? And yes, to the second question, but it's more complicating than that. Read and see.
dragona15: O___O I didn't know that, seriously. 'De Novo' is 'Born Anew' How do you know Portuguese? That's an interesting language. We were stuck learning French and Hindi. Since you tried and got the languages mixed up, you get a slice of chocolate cake! Enjoy!
I luv Yugi and Daisuke so :p: The chappies are taking a lot out of me though… x___X Schoolwork is piling up as well. Three health essays and one Social Studies Term paper. This is what happens when you live in boarding school…you get mobbed by teachers…
Rumi-Chan: RUMI!!!! We'll rescue you!!! Don't worry!!!!
Dreamer: Arigatou gozaimasu!!! Enjoy!!
Skittles the Sugar Fairy: Glad you liked it. But I can't wait till this story is over. It took up years off my life…
ME: *grumbles*
CS: You're in a bad mood. What's wrong?
ME: 4 km walk…
CS: Well, at least you did some exercise…
ME: Not funny CS…
CS: Right.
DISCLAIMER:
ME: *grumbles* Who's doing it?
CS: Hmm…*spots Nathan* Hey Nathaniel!!!!
Nathan: Haven't I told you not to call me that?!
ME: You have, but since when has CS listened to you?
Nathan: Good point. What do you want?
ME: Can you do the disclaimer?
Nathan: No.
ME: *huffs* Fine. Then I just take this* snatches Budokai from his hands*
Nathan: O____O;;; Hey, give that back!!!
ME: Nyah nyah nyah nyah!!!!
Nathan: WHY YOU…!!!! *chases Timmy around the room*
CS: Just do it…
Nathan: I don't wanna!!!!!
ME: Then I guess you won't be needing this….
Nathan: Fine. Timmy does not own Beyblade. Now, can you give that back?
ME: *tosses it out the window*
Nathan: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*jumps out the window*
CS: …You're just evil…
ME: ^^ And proud of it!!!
Chapter Ten
The Outcome
"Retreat! Retreat!!" Calyph yelled as he swung his mace, which was blocked by the Hikori's paw. The Hikori snarled and lunged at Calyph. A pair of hands pulled Calyph back as the Hikori landed on the ground with a deafening thud.
"We can't keep this up!" Nathan said, pulling Calyph back. Half of their army had already been demolished. Calyph, Nathan and a precarious few Mythicals were all that remained.
The Hikori let out an earth-shattering roar. Nathan clutched his ears in pain. Calyph gritted his teeth as he swung his mace at the Hikori's face. But the Hikori didn't even filch, even when the mace hit its visage. Its wings spread out before them as it took flight once again and raked the army with its claws.
Meanwhile, a bunch of teens began to form a circle around the Hikori and the generals.
Calyph barely dodged the Hikori's teeth when he saw them.
Alia, Allison, Jason, Chris, Kaleb, Ray and Max lifted their hands [1], so that their palms were facing each other, and began chanting.
Bind this circle
Bind this light
Bind these foes
Into the abyss!
Calyph knew that spell.
"NO!!"
They began to glow. The Hikori shrieked with pain as light began to fill the circle. Alia glowed a pale blue, Jason and Max a deep cerulean, Allison and Ray a rich earth green, Kaleb and Chris glowed a fiery red. Light from all directions filled the circle, covering the Metal Brood and the Hikori in star binding light. The pillar of light touched the tips of the sky and faded beyond recognition.
And they were gone.
Calyph was finally dead…
They all dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. Yet, despite it all, they were smiling.
They had won. They won.
Alia laid her back on the ground, "Allison, you're a genius."
"Of course," Said the blonde smugly. Beads of sweat ran down her face, "I knew that spell would come in handy one day."
Jason smiled at her, "Good work," He said, making her blush.
Kaleb wiped his face with his sleeve, "Now what?"
Chris smirked, "We head to the Beacon."
Ray was confused, "But Calyph is gone!! Won't the war end now?"
Max shook his head in pity, "Ray, just because Calyph is dead, doesn't mean the war will end. Calyph was just an excuse to start a war. The Elders will continue with the war."
Chris had a pained expression on his face. He knew what would happen.
The storm will sweep over the world, destroying all.
…And there was no stopping it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They managed to drag themselves back to the village of Faggelan. The villagers were apprehensive at their reappearance, but gave them shelter, nonetheless.
They escaped with superficial wounds and for that Tyson was grateful. He was still worried about Dragoon, but the Storm Mythical can take care of himself. Kai was still tired from the effort he put into opening the entrance.
Kai was barely conscious when he tumbled into bed. Tyson smiled as Kai's breathing regulated itself. Tyson brushed some of Kai's hair.
He looks so peaceful when he's asleep…Tyson thought.
Tyson laid down his head next to Kai's chest and slept.
A world of white. That's all he saw.
He shivered in his sleep.
This is wrong…yet it feels right…
Tyson spun around, trying to orient himself.
There is something here…yet there shouldn't be…
Tyson felt a familiar chill run down his spine. He knew this place.
Welcome youngling. I see you have escaped.
Tyson swallowed his fear. The tingling feeling hadn't left his feet. He ached to run somewhere.
…But how can you run away from nothing?
You are smarter than you look. You know this place.
"De novo," Tyson whispered uneasily.
You must bring the storm.
"But I can't!" Tyson protested, "I can barely do a teleport, how do you expect me to fulfill the prophecy? I can't do it."
But you can. And you will.
"NO!" Tyson yelled at him, "I won't do it! I won't!"
Then you will suffer. And you will doom your world to suffer as well. And…what about your mate? Do you wish to see him fall?
Tyson stopped his rant. Fear filled his veins, "Kai…"
Tears prickled his eyes, "I'll do it. For Kai."
The white blanket faded away—
— And Tyson woke up. He wiped his drenched face with his sleeve. He looked at Kai.
So peaceful. He looks
so peaceful when he's asleep.
Will I have my chance of peace as well?
Tyson kissed Kai's hand and then kissed his forehead.
In a whirl of dust, he vanished.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dragoon wished he knew what he was doing.
One thought pervaded his mind: Find Dranzer, warn her, and run.
They would kill him if they saw him there.
The trees rustled. Dragoon pulled back the leafy foliage.
How was he going to talk to Dranzer?
The Keep seemed deserted, almost haunted. The walls were caked in a reddish ore, giving it a desolate effect. Yet, it also gave a majestic look with its rising towers and pointed turrets.
A hand grabbed Dragoon's shoulder and spun him around.
"Dranzer!"
The phoenix bit-beast gave him a scowl, "Who did you expect, the Lady Sora?"
Dragoon relaxed himself. But not before he caught a glimpse of Dranzer's eyes.
Bright and cold. She was hiding something.
"What are you doing here Dragoon?"
Dragoon flinched at her tone, "Gailen is gone. I came to warn you about the war."
Dranzer flicked her hair over her shoulder coolly, "That's nothing new."
Dragoon held his temper in check, "Dranzer, the Metal Brood attacked Gailen. Nothing was standing by the time I got out! You can't be serious about going to war! You'll die!"
Dranzer was unrepentant, "Then I will die for my home and my friends."
Dragoon was shocked. He shook her shoulders roughly, "Dranzer, be reasonable!"
"I. Am. Reasonable," She bit back at him, pulling away from his grasp, "This is what I want."
"No," Dragoon thought, the reason dawning, "This isn't what
you want. This is about me, isn't it?
Dranzer turned away, her blonde bangs covering her eyes.
"Put it this way Dragoon. When I die…" She trailed off.
Dragoon spun her around to face him and placed a hand on her chin, "Dranzer, we can run away! We don't have to do this! Run away!"
Dranzer was silent for a moment, "No. I can't. I can't run away."
"Dranzer," Dragoon pleaded, "My family is gone. My friends
are at war. Please don't let me lose you as well."
Dranzer softened, "I can't," She said gently.
"Then I will go to war," Dragoon said harshly, "And don't expect to see you again either. This is the last time."
Dranzer kissed him, "No. We will see each other again."
Dragoon stomped off without another word. Dranzer dashed the tears from her face, "We will see each other again."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Allison rubbed her aching back. They had been trooping the stairs of this god forsaken lighthouse and she was ready to collapse. If she hadn't bunked training so often, she might have been in better shape.
Well, nothing she can do about that now.
Alia groaned and stopped, "That's it! Stop right here and rest or I'll sending you guys to the next ice age!"
Everyone chuckled.
Chris smirked and sat down on a step, "Fine with me. I wasn't built for this kind of thing anyway. This is more Kai's department."
Kaleb's eyes grew dark, "Do you know what happened…." He trailed, afraid of the possibilities.
Chris crossed his legs, "I saw him when I arrived at Gailen. He and Tyson were there, running for their lives. I'm sure they're fine."
Alia scowled at the mention of Kai's name, "Good. Kai and I need to have a chat."
Jason sighed exasperatedly, "You're still raving about that? Look, he's dead. End of story."
What Jason didn't expect was Alia to lunge at him and grab him by his collar. She hissed at him, "Whatever you may think of Tala, I would advise you never to talk about him like that in front of me, understood?" She said coldly, her aura building.
Jason's teeth started chattering. Alia's powers could give anyone the cold shoulder, "Y-Y-Yes ma'am."
Alia released him and dropped to the floor, clutching her hair tightly.
Ray leaned his back onto the wall, "That's interesting. They have a relationship going, don't they?"
Kaleb looked stupefied, "They do?!"
Everyone rolled their eyes at Kaleb. Alia sighed, "Kaleb, you had to be blind, deaf and dumb, not to notice. It's like watching Allison and Jason and Ray and Max. It's so obvious."
"Or in Alia's case, Kaleb," Allison said, her eyes glinting evilly. Both Alia and Kaleb flushed deeply. Max's cheeks still held a tint of red.
"Anyway. Remind me again why we're going to the Beacon if everyone is still going to do this war?" Max said, trying to change the topic. Ray was unusually pink.
Chris ran a hand through his thick bangs, "All I know was what the Overlord told me. He said light the Beacon. I still don't know why."
Ray was quiet. Then he spoke up, "I think I do."
Everyone turned their faces at the neko-jin.
Ray flushed from embarrassment, "We know the Beacons are like signals, right? But what if they are more than that?"
"Like what?" Kaleb asked curiously.
"Like if they are a source of power," Ray continued, "For something."
Chris breathed, "The last Storm."
Now everyone's eyes were on Chris. He started shaking.
"Chris?" Allison asked, concerned.
Alia caught on though, "You mean….this beacon we light will give power to the Storm Brethren? But then how…." Her eyes widened, "The legend…"
Now everyone was thoroughly confused.
"What legend?" Jason asked, baffled.
It was Max, who answered,
Fire new-born,
Earth old in spirit
Water the creations and life
Metal, the weapons of our souls
Ice, the shattering cold
Wind the untamed
Sky, Sea, Light, Dark, unborn, unmade
Unleash the destruction, Unborn
Unleash the doom, Unborn
And let the Storm be born
De novo
His voice faded away like wind. His cerulean eyes were shining.
"It all makes sense now. With our powers at half because the Elemental stones have been destroyed, there's no way we can stop it! The fighting, the Elemental stones, the delegation at Speres…it adds up!" Jason said in an awe-struck horror.
Chris nodded grimly.
Alia stood up angrily, "We can't! I won't destroy the world! I won't! Not after all we've been through! All our efforts, our lives…." Alia hurled her fist against the wall, ignoring the pain, "I refuse to do this!"
Kaleb got up and shook her roughly, "You will. Because it's what we have to do," He said harshly, starling all of them, "You will fulfill the prophecy."
Alia dashed the tears from her eyes and hardened, "You're right."
Chris nodded glumly, "This is what we have to do…for the world…"
Max was puzzled, "But why are you'll so sad?"
"We're destroying the world. Our home, our lives everything…" Allison stated grimly, ignoring the tears, "We will have nothing left."
Max wanted to say something, but thought against it.
A grim silence settled over the group.
Alia sighed, "Well, let's go on now."
Chris made a grimace, "Yeah."
They glanced at each other, looking for hope.
They turned away and went on.
They found none.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*
Wake up…
Kai stirred gently. An urgent message was building in his mind.
Wake up…
He groaned inwardly and his eyes opened blearily.
Wake up…or else…
Something was missing…Something important to him…
Something he loved…
Wake up or lose what is beloved to you…
His eyes, half open scanned the area before him. His eyes snapped open and widened.
No…
Wake up…
"Tyson!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Is it so easy to leave behind?
The dearest of dear to you
Is it so simple to take away?
What you would have held for a lifetime
Is it so uncomplicated?
To break what was broken
Is it the way
Is it the right way
To solve things
It is the hard way, the complicated way
It is why we always take the easy road
It is the broken way, the run-down way
For hurting hearts and shattered tears
Is this why you're running away?
Is this why you left your lover to cry?
Is this why you thrown your future
To the roadside and darkness
It is the false way, the untruthful way
The way we choose to run to
Maybe one day, when my roads are done
My new road would lead to you
Tyson stumbled down the road. The teleportation had taken a lot out of him.
He can't do this.
Kai's face appeared to him. Tyson smiled grimly.
Kai…you would probably be furious with me…
Tyson felt another tear trickle down his cheek, tickling it.
But this is the best way…
Tyson climbed over the last hill. He came face to face with a battlefield.
The soldiers stood there, grim and dark.
But even in the shadows, Tyson could make out his friends.
Dragoon…
Farren…
Hanna…
His friends.
And they raged against each other.
Thunder roared and flashes of lights were seen.
Blood was spilt and the world seemed red.
It was the last war of the Mythicals.
ME: *wipes brow* Phew….
CS: You put up lousy cliffies…
ME: Whatever. *flops onto a chair* I'm so tired!!!
CS: ¬¬ So what's new?
Nathan: THERE YOU ARE!!!!!!!!!!!
ME: O__O I think it's time I started running…*starts bolting towards the door*
Nathan: *follows her out of the door* YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTILL YOU BUY ME A NEW BUDOKAI GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CS: *sweatdrops* Review.
ME: Reviewers receive—
CS: Sleeping Kai plushies!!!
ME: Warning: They are known to snore loudly.
Kai: *very red* I do not snore!!!
Tyson: ¬¬ Liar.
Kai: ;___;
CS: Review!