Chapter 16
Written By Illuminet
Disclaimer: Most (if not all) of the characters appearing within this story do not belong to me, but rather, are creations of the brilliant minds within Square Soft / Square Enix. I don't claim any of them as my own.
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
------
Cyril City, Bar, Marche's room
"W...where...am I?"
Marche muttered weakly as he opened his eyes. The familiar ceiling of his room greeted him.
"What happened?"
Marche asked himself. Memories of his short lived match with Llednar came flooding back into his mind.
"Your awake, kupo."
Marche turned his head to the side to peer at Montblanc at his bedside. The Moogle sat in the chair that had belong with the small table in Marche's room.
"You were killed by Llednar, kupo. Do you remember him, Marche, kupo?"
Montblanc asked. Marche nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I remember. Looks like you got a Judge over to revive me."
Marche stated.
"Not just any Judge either, kupo. Judge Master Cid came to your rescue, kupo. He told us about who Llednar is, kupo."
Montblanc answered him. Marche's looked to the ceiling in thought.
"All I know is that he's connected to the Royal Family somehow. What did Mr. Randell tell you about Llednar?"
Marche asked Montblanc curiously.
"He's the new guardian to the Prince, after the Judge Master left, kupo. He's got some sort of blessing in the form of an ultimate barrier that can't be destroyed by mortal hands, or so the Judge Master said, kupo."
Montblanc explained.
"So I've physically found out."
Marche replied. He ended up dead because of the force behind Llednar's ultimate attack, and he could not do much considering Llednar had the barrier.
'Mortal means are not enough to penetrate that barrier...maybe I should talk to Mustadio, and he can figure out a way to penetrate it...'
"Hey Montblanc, could you go get Mustadio so I can speak with him?"
Marche asked the Moogle. At the mention of Mustadio's name, Montblanc lowered his head a bit.
"Sorry Marche, but Mustadio, as well as Worker No. 8 have left the clan, kupo. Cloud said that something personal had come up and they had to leave, kupo."
Marche's eyes widened slightly at this news.
"Cloud said this? Can you bring him in here so that I may speak with him?"
Marche asked Montblanc. Before Montblanc could accept, the door opened, revealing the very person Marche wanted to speak to.
"If you will excuse us, Montblanc."
Cloud said quietly as he stepped further into the room. Montblanc complied, and left the room.
"Tell me what Mustadio told you, Cloud. Why did he have to go?"
Marche asked.
"He told me he got a message from Alma. He and Worker No. 8 are needed for some sort of procedure involving your final eye. That's all he told me about it."
Cloud answered.
"So they were needed for that, huh? I see...then I guess there's nothing to worry about."
Marche said with a sigh. He got out of bed and stretched.
"How long was I out, anyway?"
Marche asked Cloud.
"Thanks to the experience of the Judge Master, it's only been a couple of days that you were in bed. All in all, I'd say that's not too bad."
Cloud said. Marche nodded.
"Hey Cloud, get the rest of the clan ready for our departure for the Delia Dunes. Before Llednar and I fought, he told me the last Crystal could be found there. Since the Judges work independently from the Court now, the Judge Master wouldn't have reported to them I'm still alive. We should be able to investigate freely without any interference."
------
Returning to the Delia Dunes...
"Alright...it was somewhere around here..."
Marche said as he looked around. He now wore a white sweater and blue pants, considering his old clothing had been totally removed in his battle here with Llednar.
"Marche, I found it, kupo."
Montblanc exclaimed. The clan ran to where Montblanc was to see an eerie black portal having been made in the sand.
"No doubt about it...alright then, as usual, wait for me here."
Marche ordered as he jumped down into the darkness.
"Well everyone, let's set up camp and wait for our leader's return, kupo."
Montblanc said.
"Hey Montblanc, can I ask you something?"
Rooty asked. Montblanc nodded.
"What is it, kupo?"
Rooty scratched the back of his head in thought
"Well, once our leader completes this, won't the world change back? Should we stay then?"
That was a valid question. Montblanc had forgotten that once the Crystals shattered, the Ivalice they were in should become the Ivalice Marche had come from, still...
"I think we should wait here anyway, Rooty, because we don't know if the process will be long, short, or even truly happen at all, kupo. Remember, the Crystals being able to open dimensional gateways was only a rumor anyway, so we have no way to fully know if this will change things, kupo."
Montblanc stated.
------
Unknown ruins, Ivalice (?)
"Alright, there's the Crystal, now where's the Divine Beast that oversees the Human tribe..."
As if on cue, the giant black beast materialized to protect the Crystal.
"So your the last one..."
Marche said.
"My name is Mateus, The Corrupt Emperor. You are the one they call Marche."
The Beast stated. Marche nodded at this.
"That's right, I am Marche. Prepare yourself!"
Marche got into his battle ready stance, waiting for Mateus to make his move.
"WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK THE CRYSTAL?!"
Marche looked at Mateus in surprise. The deep, baritone voice of the Divine Beast became a feminine one that sounded very familiar in Marche's ears. Marche blinked in confusion. When his eyes opened, it was not Mateus who stood before him, but...
"RITZ!!"
Marche yelled in surprise.
'Where's the Divine Beast...?'
Marche thought. Instincts kicked in, since Marche could feel the Divine Beast still here, but Ritz was as well.
"This isn't good at all. Can't you see I just want to stay here, Marche? Can't we both stay here and be happy?"
Ritz grasped Marche's hands. Marche blushed at the contact from the young woman, but was still able to get out one line.
"Ritz, this place is a dream..."
Marche could not finish his sentence as Ritz embraced him fully.
"But if we go back...you'll go back to being a normal boy and the kids...they'll just make fun of my hair again..."
Ritz voice was uneven, like she was on the verge of crying. Marche closed his eyes.
"Ritz..."
The warm embraced left him, and Marche opened his eyes in surprise. Ritz no longer was there and hugging him. His eyes got wider as he saw someone else standing before the Crystal.
"You don't want Ritz to cry, do you, brother?"
Doned now stood before Marche.
"Doned..."
Marche said brokenly.
"Look brother, I can walk now...we can go anywhere with each other now, brother. I won't have to be confined in our house anymore in a wheel chair. If you go back, you'll render me helpless again. Please don't do it, brother...let's be happy here! We could go on all sorts of adventures than we ever could back in the real world."
Doned explained.
"Look Doned, we can't keep running from reality. Your being able to walk is simply a dream. I wish you could, but you'd only be fooling yourself...I'm sorry, brother..."
Marche hung his head low, appearing as if in shame. When his head lifted again, Marche was left in surprise.
"Mewt..."
Mewt now appeared before him. Marche could see the traces of what made him and Llednar look so alike, as far as faces were concerned.
"If you change the world back...what do you expect to happen? Something good to occur? Like your father returning to your mother when you only met him briefly on his way out the door and out of your lives? He concerned himself only with work, you know, and never had time for his wife and his real son. Your mother...all she ever did was devote herself to her real son, and when she got tired of that, she adopted you so that responsibility would be lightened. Regardless, you were ignored by her, and if her husband would have stayed long enough, he would have ignored you, too. Everywhere you went, you were ignored in the real world, but how about here? You have a mighty clan of friends to look up to, and many adventures to keep yourself occupied. The world is against you Marche, why can't you just go with the flow instead of fighting against it?"
Mewt gave a long speech. Marche's shoulders slumped as he looked to be falling into a deeper depression.
"Listen Mewt..."
Marche began but was cut off.
"Why do you fight it, Marche? Here, your no longer ignored and your friends have better lives as well. Me, for example, I'm not picked on by the other kids anymore and am not there for their amusement and jokes. My parents are alive and well...do you really want to take that all away from me Marche, do you?"
Mewt asked. Marche remained silent, unmoving. Silence filled the room before Marche looked up, only to get the biggest surprise of all.
"Impossible..."
Marche stood in front of himself. The features were unmistakable. all that was missing was the large blade at the side.
"Amazing, Marche. You are strong...too strong. This strength...it is what's driving you to go back to the real world."
His mirror image told him. Marche looked dejected, almost broken.
"...stop..."
Marche muttered pathetically to his mirror self.
"People like you...heh, we don't need people like you in this world. It's amazing you can face yourself here."
His mirror image said to him. Marche sighed.
"Being strong...no...no, I'm not...I'm not strong at all..."
Marche said, barely above a whisper.
"It's too bad your feelings aren't so full of doubt. You have a brain that your willing to use...that plus the ability to endure...heh, even more than some high roll honor student, huh?"
His mirror self came closer, saying those words nice and slow for Marche to hear. The mirror image suddenly looked confused as Marche laughed, almost in an insane manner. Once Marche quieted down, he sent a powerful left hook to the jaw of his mirror image, making him stagger back and hit the barrier around the Crystal.
"Did you really think I would fall for your tricks, Mateus? I still commend you, however, as you were able to copy the features of my friends and brother so perfectly, even down the their very presence that I really almost thought they were actually here. You forget something though...Ritz never would act like that in front of me. You were simply playing her role based on my desire to be with her someday. As for Mewt, he doesn't have that much knowledge as to how my family was like when I first came into their lives. And why you chose to mirror me was a dead giveaway. Doned was the only one you got right."
Marche stated to Mateus, who still mirrored Marche's form. The mirrored Marche wiped his mouth free of the thin trail of blood that came from the side of his mouth, before smirking. Mateus materialized into his original form.
"Let's end this properly then, shall we, Marche Radiuju."
Mateus growled. Marche smirked, getting into his battle ready stance once more.
"Let's."
The way Mateus attacked was far different compared to the Divine Beasts before him. Once again, Mateus took on Ritz form, this time with the staff in hand.
(Note: In this battle, whenever Mateus assumes a character's form an M- will appear before the name.)
M-Ritz grabbed the top of the staff, and pulled, revealing a hidden rapier within and got into her battle stance. Marche narrowed his eyes.
'Alright, let's see...a rapier's speed can hold my attacks in check so that it will be nearly impossible to attack with my much bigger and slower weapon. On the other hand, the only we she can really defend against me is by dodging or the rapier can easily be broken, even without the use of break techniques. Here goes...'
Marche decided to go with counter attacking. He allowed M-Ritz to quickly run up to him and perform a flurry of thrust which were blocked by Marche's wide blade. As her weapon clanged with his, Marche counted the number of thrusts colliding with his weapon, trying to determine the best way to counter attack. He didn't need to, however, as M-Ritz halted her assault quickly and side stepped to his right side to stab at his unprotected flank. Marche intervened once he saw her shift to his right side, as he also slided right. M-Ritz went for another thrust, but as he slid right, Marche reeled his sword back and timed his counter attack perfectly. Marche twisted his hip, bringing the blade to the right, where the pommel blocked M-Ritz's thrust, and made her go off balance, as Marche completed the full swing in M-Ritz's unprotected side.
"Got you!"
Marche declared, as he sent M-Ritz's body crashing into the barrier of the Crystal. Before M-Ritz could recover, Marche performed the attack again, crushing her body between the blade and the barrier.
"What's wrong? You can't be that easy to defeat, Mateus."
Marche stated. M-Ritz smirked. Marche felt himself being pushed back. Marche chanced a peek over his blade to see M-Ritz pushing his blade back with her free hand. She suddenly turned her push to a full shove which sent Marche off balance, making his blade lift high over his head. M-Ritz came with another succession of thrusts. Marche jumped back as much as he could from her hailing offensive. As he kept jumping back, she kept following. He could barely sway between her thrusts, and finally he took his chance and smashed his blade down hard, catching M-Ritz's rapier and snapping the blade in two under the weight of his sword. Marche brought his free hand to strike the surprised mimic with enough force to send her twirling in the air briefly before hitting ground. Marche brought his sword up overhead, before smashing it down on M-Ritz, but she rolled swiftly to the side to avoid injury.
"It seems Ritz is not suited for battling you."
Mateus took on his normal form once more. Marche kept himself ready, ignoring the many holes he sustained in his sweater.
"So who's next, Doned?"
Marche asked. Mateus shook his head.
"Doned may have the ability to walk in this world, but that's about it. He does not have the efficient strength to carry on a long term battle. Mewt would be the next likely one to use, as he is superior to Doned, however, he too lacks enough power to deal with you. So now I move to..."
Marche finished the line for him.
"Me..."
Mateus materialized into Marche again, however, he was dressed as the original Marche had been in the start of the adventure. M-Marche hefted his similar giant blade overhead.
"Let's proceed."
M-Marche said with a smirk. Marche smirked as well.
'You may be able to duplicate everything about my ordinary self, but you can't duplicate my other half...'
"Come on."
Marche gestured. The two ran towards each other at exactly the same speed. As they fought, every blow was mirrored to perfection. Marche and M-Marche could not break through the other's defense because their was none to break. One could only break through the other's offense.
"Using your body...I find it hard to believe you could beat the Divine Beasts one-on-one..."
M-Marche stated.
"I must have just been lucky."
Marche said afterwards.
"No...luck could not have carried you this far...How can a human be hiding his full power from me...I should know everything about you, Marche..."
M-Marche said, as he was puzzled. The two kept swinging their massive blades, not being able to penetrate through each other.
"Indeed you do..."
Marche stated. Marche was breathing heavily from over exertion. His normal limits would be reached soon.
'And knowing that he's a Divine Beast and all...his limits surpass my ordinary ones, most likely...'
It happened shortly after his thoughts were completed. Marche felt himself struck down by the wide blade of his mirror image and skid across the ground on his back. Marche flipped backwards to land on all fours and halt his skid. Luckily he only sustained a large hole in the back of his sweater and long cuts along his back. Mateus transformed back into his original form.
"Luck you say...well, if it's helped you so much this far, then I suppose it has just ran out."
Mateus stated. Marche breathed heavily as he got up, leaning heavily on his blade
"Looks like it."
Marche said. He brought himself back into his battle stance as he waited for the towering Mateus to get closer.
"Even if your body is not heavily injured, you have worn yourself out by fighting your mirror. Your ridiculous ability to endure shows your willingness to battle even when the odds are against you. Such a silly mortal."
Mateus bellowed. Marche smirked.
"You said it yourself...I have the ability to endure, even more than an honor roll student."
Both Marche and Mateus laughed.
"True, I did say that. Well, let's see how long you can keep standing."
Mateus now began to battle like other Divine Beasts did: In his original form. Marche could see what made him the most dangerous Divine Beast: His ability to mirror the exact features and powers of the humans he faced could be used to turn the tables. Marche doubted that any who opposed Mateus probably got as far as Marche himself did. Despite his large size, Mateus was swift in movement. Marche couldn't even bring his blade up in time to defend the giant fist that came flying at him and sending him into the wall. He could hear Mateus coming towards him as he laid propped up on the wall.
"Impossible...luck could not have carried you this far..."
Mateus mumbled. Marche felt himself struck hard in the stomach by the Divine Beast's fist, and coughed out blood.
"Tell me the truth...what was it really that got you here."
Mateus said lowly.
"Still carrying on about that huh? Fine, here's your answer..."
Before Mateus knew it, Marche sailed through the air towards him. Mateus's head reeled back as Marche struck him with the wide part of the blade. Mateus staggered back, while Marche remained overhead. Marche then performed a flip through the air, catching the back of Mateus's head with his sword and making the Divine Beast fall forward on his stomach. Marche landed on the ground shortly after. He finally had activated his red eye.
"Where did that power come from...?"
Mateus asked while slowly getting up, his back facing Marche.
"I'll let you ponder about it. Right now I'm too tired to explain myself to you. Good bye Mateus."
Marche came forward quickly as Mateus turned around, thrusting his sword through the Divine Beast's chest. Mateus roared, leaving a loud reverberating echo within the ruins. Marche removed his sword.
"You think a simple attack like that can finish me..."
Mateus began, however, his body went cold and began to stiffen. Mateus peered down at himself. His body was becoming frozen!
"How..."
Before Mateus could say another word, his whole body froze. Marche sighed.
"That won't finish you off...but this will."
Marche tapped the back of his fist lightly on Mateus's body, as if he were knocking on a door. Mateus's form began to show signs of cracks running along the surface of his body. Soon after the body fell to millions of pieces of ice scattering on the floor. A golden glow began emanating from the shards before forming into a golden dust that swept over Marche's body.
------
Outside of portal...
"The final Divine Beast has fallen."
Cloud stated simply as a golden aura surrounded him and Rooty, granting them access to Mateus's power.
------
Back in the Ruins...
"That should be the last Crystal..."
Marche said slowly.
'Something's not right...'
"Shouldn't the world transform back now...?"
Marche asked himself. Soon Marche felt an unfamiliar presence in the air. He turned around from the shattered Crystal to gaze at the ghostly figure of a woman he'd never seen before.
"Who are you?"
Marche asked.
"The Queen of Ivalice..."
The woman said. Marche's eyes widened in slight surprise.
"So...your Remedi...Mewt's mother..."
The woman nodded.
"Since your not dead, Marche Radiuju, that means Llednar failed his mission."
Remedi said. Marche shook his head.
"He completed his mission, but thanks to my clan and a Judge, I was easily brought back to life. Now tell me, why are you here?"
He asked.
"I simply am here to answer your question. You wish to know why your world has not returned. Simple, because this world is still desired...it is still needed. You see, this world was desired by my son, he still needs me...and so this world still remains."
Remedi explained. Marche nodded slowly.
"I see. Thanks for answering the question. Still, I had my doubts for a while that the Crystals wouldn't change the world to normal. Take heed, your highness. I'll be coming for you shortly."
Marche said. Remedi laughed.
"I'm looking forward to it. Remember that you'll still have to deal with Llednar and his barrier."
Remedi disappeared from view.
"Not if I can sneak in...anyway, How do I get out of here?"
Marche wondered.
"That's where I come in."
Marche turned to see himself faced with Cid.
"Oh, Mr. Randell. how are you?"
Marche asked. Cid shrugged.
"I've been better. I came here when I felt the final Crystal shatter. I've heard your conversation with the Queen. Your world still eludes you, and you wish to face the Queen herself. Llednar will be your biggest obstacle. What do you plan to do?"
Cid asked.
"I'll have to plan for a little while, but maybe something will come up."
Marche answered. Cid nodded before using a card to transport Marche and himself from the ruins.
------
Cyril City Bar, Large table
"I think the best course of action would be to meet Mewt. I'm not sure if it will work, but since the Queen remains through Mewt's desires, that makes Mewt the source."
Marche explained to his clan and Cid, who sat with them. He already had explained to them about his meeting with the queen. When the clan first got into the bar, everyone who saw Marche had given him questioning glances because he had yet to remove his tattered clothing.
"True. Still how do you plan to do this? It's hard to sneak into the palace, plus, Mewt never leaves it, so there won't be opportunities for an ambush, either..."
Cid stated. A heavy silence fell on the table as everyone thought. Montblanc snapped his fingers as his eye lighted up.
"I've got it, kupo. We could get in easily on Present Day, kupo! That's the big event where everyone is welcome, no matter what their class or status, kupo. It should be coming up soon, too, kupo."
Everyone looked at Montblanc.
"That might just work. Still, the Queen would probably expect it. Well, it couldn't hurt to try...but you'll need a present, right? That's what that event is all about."
Cid stated.
"That sounds promising...all right, we'll go with that idea. Mr. Randell, your Mewt's father. What does he like for presents?"
Marche asked as he turned to Cid after agreeing the event would be a good way to speak with Mewt. Cid thought for a bit, as his hand brushed his beard in thought.
"Materia. If you can make a present with Materia, he'll really like that."
Cid answered. Marche smiled, turning to the whole clan this time.
"Well then...I guess it's time we went out and get some Materia, then."
Everyone nodded.
***TBC***
Note: Sorry for the long delay. Not much to say about this. Just thanks to the positive reviews and no, I haven't forgotten about this story, and...yeah, that's about it for the rambling.
Written By Illuminet
Disclaimer: Most (if not all) of the characters appearing within this story do not belong to me, but rather, are creations of the brilliant minds within Square Soft / Square Enix. I don't claim any of them as my own.
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
------
Cyril City, Bar, Marche's room
"W...where...am I?"
Marche muttered weakly as he opened his eyes. The familiar ceiling of his room greeted him.
"What happened?"
Marche asked himself. Memories of his short lived match with Llednar came flooding back into his mind.
"Your awake, kupo."
Marche turned his head to the side to peer at Montblanc at his bedside. The Moogle sat in the chair that had belong with the small table in Marche's room.
"You were killed by Llednar, kupo. Do you remember him, Marche, kupo?"
Montblanc asked. Marche nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I remember. Looks like you got a Judge over to revive me."
Marche stated.
"Not just any Judge either, kupo. Judge Master Cid came to your rescue, kupo. He told us about who Llednar is, kupo."
Montblanc answered him. Marche's looked to the ceiling in thought.
"All I know is that he's connected to the Royal Family somehow. What did Mr. Randell tell you about Llednar?"
Marche asked Montblanc curiously.
"He's the new guardian to the Prince, after the Judge Master left, kupo. He's got some sort of blessing in the form of an ultimate barrier that can't be destroyed by mortal hands, or so the Judge Master said, kupo."
Montblanc explained.
"So I've physically found out."
Marche replied. He ended up dead because of the force behind Llednar's ultimate attack, and he could not do much considering Llednar had the barrier.
'Mortal means are not enough to penetrate that barrier...maybe I should talk to Mustadio, and he can figure out a way to penetrate it...'
"Hey Montblanc, could you go get Mustadio so I can speak with him?"
Marche asked the Moogle. At the mention of Mustadio's name, Montblanc lowered his head a bit.
"Sorry Marche, but Mustadio, as well as Worker No. 8 have left the clan, kupo. Cloud said that something personal had come up and they had to leave, kupo."
Marche's eyes widened slightly at this news.
"Cloud said this? Can you bring him in here so that I may speak with him?"
Marche asked Montblanc. Before Montblanc could accept, the door opened, revealing the very person Marche wanted to speak to.
"If you will excuse us, Montblanc."
Cloud said quietly as he stepped further into the room. Montblanc complied, and left the room.
"Tell me what Mustadio told you, Cloud. Why did he have to go?"
Marche asked.
"He told me he got a message from Alma. He and Worker No. 8 are needed for some sort of procedure involving your final eye. That's all he told me about it."
Cloud answered.
"So they were needed for that, huh? I see...then I guess there's nothing to worry about."
Marche said with a sigh. He got out of bed and stretched.
"How long was I out, anyway?"
Marche asked Cloud.
"Thanks to the experience of the Judge Master, it's only been a couple of days that you were in bed. All in all, I'd say that's not too bad."
Cloud said. Marche nodded.
"Hey Cloud, get the rest of the clan ready for our departure for the Delia Dunes. Before Llednar and I fought, he told me the last Crystal could be found there. Since the Judges work independently from the Court now, the Judge Master wouldn't have reported to them I'm still alive. We should be able to investigate freely without any interference."
------
Returning to the Delia Dunes...
"Alright...it was somewhere around here..."
Marche said as he looked around. He now wore a white sweater and blue pants, considering his old clothing had been totally removed in his battle here with Llednar.
"Marche, I found it, kupo."
Montblanc exclaimed. The clan ran to where Montblanc was to see an eerie black portal having been made in the sand.
"No doubt about it...alright then, as usual, wait for me here."
Marche ordered as he jumped down into the darkness.
"Well everyone, let's set up camp and wait for our leader's return, kupo."
Montblanc said.
"Hey Montblanc, can I ask you something?"
Rooty asked. Montblanc nodded.
"What is it, kupo?"
Rooty scratched the back of his head in thought
"Well, once our leader completes this, won't the world change back? Should we stay then?"
That was a valid question. Montblanc had forgotten that once the Crystals shattered, the Ivalice they were in should become the Ivalice Marche had come from, still...
"I think we should wait here anyway, Rooty, because we don't know if the process will be long, short, or even truly happen at all, kupo. Remember, the Crystals being able to open dimensional gateways was only a rumor anyway, so we have no way to fully know if this will change things, kupo."
Montblanc stated.
------
Unknown ruins, Ivalice (?)
"Alright, there's the Crystal, now where's the Divine Beast that oversees the Human tribe..."
As if on cue, the giant black beast materialized to protect the Crystal.
"So your the last one..."
Marche said.
"My name is Mateus, The Corrupt Emperor. You are the one they call Marche."
The Beast stated. Marche nodded at this.
"That's right, I am Marche. Prepare yourself!"
Marche got into his battle ready stance, waiting for Mateus to make his move.
"WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK THE CRYSTAL?!"
Marche looked at Mateus in surprise. The deep, baritone voice of the Divine Beast became a feminine one that sounded very familiar in Marche's ears. Marche blinked in confusion. When his eyes opened, it was not Mateus who stood before him, but...
"RITZ!!"
Marche yelled in surprise.
'Where's the Divine Beast...?'
Marche thought. Instincts kicked in, since Marche could feel the Divine Beast still here, but Ritz was as well.
"This isn't good at all. Can't you see I just want to stay here, Marche? Can't we both stay here and be happy?"
Ritz grasped Marche's hands. Marche blushed at the contact from the young woman, but was still able to get out one line.
"Ritz, this place is a dream..."
Marche could not finish his sentence as Ritz embraced him fully.
"But if we go back...you'll go back to being a normal boy and the kids...they'll just make fun of my hair again..."
Ritz voice was uneven, like she was on the verge of crying. Marche closed his eyes.
"Ritz..."
The warm embraced left him, and Marche opened his eyes in surprise. Ritz no longer was there and hugging him. His eyes got wider as he saw someone else standing before the Crystal.
"You don't want Ritz to cry, do you, brother?"
Doned now stood before Marche.
"Doned..."
Marche said brokenly.
"Look brother, I can walk now...we can go anywhere with each other now, brother. I won't have to be confined in our house anymore in a wheel chair. If you go back, you'll render me helpless again. Please don't do it, brother...let's be happy here! We could go on all sorts of adventures than we ever could back in the real world."
Doned explained.
"Look Doned, we can't keep running from reality. Your being able to walk is simply a dream. I wish you could, but you'd only be fooling yourself...I'm sorry, brother..."
Marche hung his head low, appearing as if in shame. When his head lifted again, Marche was left in surprise.
"Mewt..."
Mewt now appeared before him. Marche could see the traces of what made him and Llednar look so alike, as far as faces were concerned.
"If you change the world back...what do you expect to happen? Something good to occur? Like your father returning to your mother when you only met him briefly on his way out the door and out of your lives? He concerned himself only with work, you know, and never had time for his wife and his real son. Your mother...all she ever did was devote herself to her real son, and when she got tired of that, she adopted you so that responsibility would be lightened. Regardless, you were ignored by her, and if her husband would have stayed long enough, he would have ignored you, too. Everywhere you went, you were ignored in the real world, but how about here? You have a mighty clan of friends to look up to, and many adventures to keep yourself occupied. The world is against you Marche, why can't you just go with the flow instead of fighting against it?"
Mewt gave a long speech. Marche's shoulders slumped as he looked to be falling into a deeper depression.
"Listen Mewt..."
Marche began but was cut off.
"Why do you fight it, Marche? Here, your no longer ignored and your friends have better lives as well. Me, for example, I'm not picked on by the other kids anymore and am not there for their amusement and jokes. My parents are alive and well...do you really want to take that all away from me Marche, do you?"
Mewt asked. Marche remained silent, unmoving. Silence filled the room before Marche looked up, only to get the biggest surprise of all.
"Impossible..."
Marche stood in front of himself. The features were unmistakable. all that was missing was the large blade at the side.
"Amazing, Marche. You are strong...too strong. This strength...it is what's driving you to go back to the real world."
His mirror image told him. Marche looked dejected, almost broken.
"...stop..."
Marche muttered pathetically to his mirror self.
"People like you...heh, we don't need people like you in this world. It's amazing you can face yourself here."
His mirror image said to him. Marche sighed.
"Being strong...no...no, I'm not...I'm not strong at all..."
Marche said, barely above a whisper.
"It's too bad your feelings aren't so full of doubt. You have a brain that your willing to use...that plus the ability to endure...heh, even more than some high roll honor student, huh?"
His mirror self came closer, saying those words nice and slow for Marche to hear. The mirror image suddenly looked confused as Marche laughed, almost in an insane manner. Once Marche quieted down, he sent a powerful left hook to the jaw of his mirror image, making him stagger back and hit the barrier around the Crystal.
"Did you really think I would fall for your tricks, Mateus? I still commend you, however, as you were able to copy the features of my friends and brother so perfectly, even down the their very presence that I really almost thought they were actually here. You forget something though...Ritz never would act like that in front of me. You were simply playing her role based on my desire to be with her someday. As for Mewt, he doesn't have that much knowledge as to how my family was like when I first came into their lives. And why you chose to mirror me was a dead giveaway. Doned was the only one you got right."
Marche stated to Mateus, who still mirrored Marche's form. The mirrored Marche wiped his mouth free of the thin trail of blood that came from the side of his mouth, before smirking. Mateus materialized into his original form.
"Let's end this properly then, shall we, Marche Radiuju."
Mateus growled. Marche smirked, getting into his battle ready stance once more.
"Let's."
The way Mateus attacked was far different compared to the Divine Beasts before him. Once again, Mateus took on Ritz form, this time with the staff in hand.
(Note: In this battle, whenever Mateus assumes a character's form an M- will appear before the name.)
M-Ritz grabbed the top of the staff, and pulled, revealing a hidden rapier within and got into her battle stance. Marche narrowed his eyes.
'Alright, let's see...a rapier's speed can hold my attacks in check so that it will be nearly impossible to attack with my much bigger and slower weapon. On the other hand, the only we she can really defend against me is by dodging or the rapier can easily be broken, even without the use of break techniques. Here goes...'
Marche decided to go with counter attacking. He allowed M-Ritz to quickly run up to him and perform a flurry of thrust which were blocked by Marche's wide blade. As her weapon clanged with his, Marche counted the number of thrusts colliding with his weapon, trying to determine the best way to counter attack. He didn't need to, however, as M-Ritz halted her assault quickly and side stepped to his right side to stab at his unprotected flank. Marche intervened once he saw her shift to his right side, as he also slided right. M-Ritz went for another thrust, but as he slid right, Marche reeled his sword back and timed his counter attack perfectly. Marche twisted his hip, bringing the blade to the right, where the pommel blocked M-Ritz's thrust, and made her go off balance, as Marche completed the full swing in M-Ritz's unprotected side.
"Got you!"
Marche declared, as he sent M-Ritz's body crashing into the barrier of the Crystal. Before M-Ritz could recover, Marche performed the attack again, crushing her body between the blade and the barrier.
"What's wrong? You can't be that easy to defeat, Mateus."
Marche stated. M-Ritz smirked. Marche felt himself being pushed back. Marche chanced a peek over his blade to see M-Ritz pushing his blade back with her free hand. She suddenly turned her push to a full shove which sent Marche off balance, making his blade lift high over his head. M-Ritz came with another succession of thrusts. Marche jumped back as much as he could from her hailing offensive. As he kept jumping back, she kept following. He could barely sway between her thrusts, and finally he took his chance and smashed his blade down hard, catching M-Ritz's rapier and snapping the blade in two under the weight of his sword. Marche brought his free hand to strike the surprised mimic with enough force to send her twirling in the air briefly before hitting ground. Marche brought his sword up overhead, before smashing it down on M-Ritz, but she rolled swiftly to the side to avoid injury.
"It seems Ritz is not suited for battling you."
Mateus took on his normal form once more. Marche kept himself ready, ignoring the many holes he sustained in his sweater.
"So who's next, Doned?"
Marche asked. Mateus shook his head.
"Doned may have the ability to walk in this world, but that's about it. He does not have the efficient strength to carry on a long term battle. Mewt would be the next likely one to use, as he is superior to Doned, however, he too lacks enough power to deal with you. So now I move to..."
Marche finished the line for him.
"Me..."
Mateus materialized into Marche again, however, he was dressed as the original Marche had been in the start of the adventure. M-Marche hefted his similar giant blade overhead.
"Let's proceed."
M-Marche said with a smirk. Marche smirked as well.
'You may be able to duplicate everything about my ordinary self, but you can't duplicate my other half...'
"Come on."
Marche gestured. The two ran towards each other at exactly the same speed. As they fought, every blow was mirrored to perfection. Marche and M-Marche could not break through the other's defense because their was none to break. One could only break through the other's offense.
"Using your body...I find it hard to believe you could beat the Divine Beasts one-on-one..."
M-Marche stated.
"I must have just been lucky."
Marche said afterwards.
"No...luck could not have carried you this far...How can a human be hiding his full power from me...I should know everything about you, Marche..."
M-Marche said, as he was puzzled. The two kept swinging their massive blades, not being able to penetrate through each other.
"Indeed you do..."
Marche stated. Marche was breathing heavily from over exertion. His normal limits would be reached soon.
'And knowing that he's a Divine Beast and all...his limits surpass my ordinary ones, most likely...'
It happened shortly after his thoughts were completed. Marche felt himself struck down by the wide blade of his mirror image and skid across the ground on his back. Marche flipped backwards to land on all fours and halt his skid. Luckily he only sustained a large hole in the back of his sweater and long cuts along his back. Mateus transformed back into his original form.
"Luck you say...well, if it's helped you so much this far, then I suppose it has just ran out."
Mateus stated. Marche breathed heavily as he got up, leaning heavily on his blade
"Looks like it."
Marche said. He brought himself back into his battle stance as he waited for the towering Mateus to get closer.
"Even if your body is not heavily injured, you have worn yourself out by fighting your mirror. Your ridiculous ability to endure shows your willingness to battle even when the odds are against you. Such a silly mortal."
Mateus bellowed. Marche smirked.
"You said it yourself...I have the ability to endure, even more than an honor roll student."
Both Marche and Mateus laughed.
"True, I did say that. Well, let's see how long you can keep standing."
Mateus now began to battle like other Divine Beasts did: In his original form. Marche could see what made him the most dangerous Divine Beast: His ability to mirror the exact features and powers of the humans he faced could be used to turn the tables. Marche doubted that any who opposed Mateus probably got as far as Marche himself did. Despite his large size, Mateus was swift in movement. Marche couldn't even bring his blade up in time to defend the giant fist that came flying at him and sending him into the wall. He could hear Mateus coming towards him as he laid propped up on the wall.
"Impossible...luck could not have carried you this far..."
Mateus mumbled. Marche felt himself struck hard in the stomach by the Divine Beast's fist, and coughed out blood.
"Tell me the truth...what was it really that got you here."
Mateus said lowly.
"Still carrying on about that huh? Fine, here's your answer..."
Before Mateus knew it, Marche sailed through the air towards him. Mateus's head reeled back as Marche struck him with the wide part of the blade. Mateus staggered back, while Marche remained overhead. Marche then performed a flip through the air, catching the back of Mateus's head with his sword and making the Divine Beast fall forward on his stomach. Marche landed on the ground shortly after. He finally had activated his red eye.
"Where did that power come from...?"
Mateus asked while slowly getting up, his back facing Marche.
"I'll let you ponder about it. Right now I'm too tired to explain myself to you. Good bye Mateus."
Marche came forward quickly as Mateus turned around, thrusting his sword through the Divine Beast's chest. Mateus roared, leaving a loud reverberating echo within the ruins. Marche removed his sword.
"You think a simple attack like that can finish me..."
Mateus began, however, his body went cold and began to stiffen. Mateus peered down at himself. His body was becoming frozen!
"How..."
Before Mateus could say another word, his whole body froze. Marche sighed.
"That won't finish you off...but this will."
Marche tapped the back of his fist lightly on Mateus's body, as if he were knocking on a door. Mateus's form began to show signs of cracks running along the surface of his body. Soon after the body fell to millions of pieces of ice scattering on the floor. A golden glow began emanating from the shards before forming into a golden dust that swept over Marche's body.
------
Outside of portal...
"The final Divine Beast has fallen."
Cloud stated simply as a golden aura surrounded him and Rooty, granting them access to Mateus's power.
------
Back in the Ruins...
"That should be the last Crystal..."
Marche said slowly.
'Something's not right...'
"Shouldn't the world transform back now...?"
Marche asked himself. Soon Marche felt an unfamiliar presence in the air. He turned around from the shattered Crystal to gaze at the ghostly figure of a woman he'd never seen before.
"Who are you?"
Marche asked.
"The Queen of Ivalice..."
The woman said. Marche's eyes widened in slight surprise.
"So...your Remedi...Mewt's mother..."
The woman nodded.
"Since your not dead, Marche Radiuju, that means Llednar failed his mission."
Remedi said. Marche shook his head.
"He completed his mission, but thanks to my clan and a Judge, I was easily brought back to life. Now tell me, why are you here?"
He asked.
"I simply am here to answer your question. You wish to know why your world has not returned. Simple, because this world is still desired...it is still needed. You see, this world was desired by my son, he still needs me...and so this world still remains."
Remedi explained. Marche nodded slowly.
"I see. Thanks for answering the question. Still, I had my doubts for a while that the Crystals wouldn't change the world to normal. Take heed, your highness. I'll be coming for you shortly."
Marche said. Remedi laughed.
"I'm looking forward to it. Remember that you'll still have to deal with Llednar and his barrier."
Remedi disappeared from view.
"Not if I can sneak in...anyway, How do I get out of here?"
Marche wondered.
"That's where I come in."
Marche turned to see himself faced with Cid.
"Oh, Mr. Randell. how are you?"
Marche asked. Cid shrugged.
"I've been better. I came here when I felt the final Crystal shatter. I've heard your conversation with the Queen. Your world still eludes you, and you wish to face the Queen herself. Llednar will be your biggest obstacle. What do you plan to do?"
Cid asked.
"I'll have to plan for a little while, but maybe something will come up."
Marche answered. Cid nodded before using a card to transport Marche and himself from the ruins.
------
Cyril City Bar, Large table
"I think the best course of action would be to meet Mewt. I'm not sure if it will work, but since the Queen remains through Mewt's desires, that makes Mewt the source."
Marche explained to his clan and Cid, who sat with them. He already had explained to them about his meeting with the queen. When the clan first got into the bar, everyone who saw Marche had given him questioning glances because he had yet to remove his tattered clothing.
"True. Still how do you plan to do this? It's hard to sneak into the palace, plus, Mewt never leaves it, so there won't be opportunities for an ambush, either..."
Cid stated. A heavy silence fell on the table as everyone thought. Montblanc snapped his fingers as his eye lighted up.
"I've got it, kupo. We could get in easily on Present Day, kupo! That's the big event where everyone is welcome, no matter what their class or status, kupo. It should be coming up soon, too, kupo."
Everyone looked at Montblanc.
"That might just work. Still, the Queen would probably expect it. Well, it couldn't hurt to try...but you'll need a present, right? That's what that event is all about."
Cid stated.
"That sounds promising...all right, we'll go with that idea. Mr. Randell, your Mewt's father. What does he like for presents?"
Marche asked as he turned to Cid after agreeing the event would be a good way to speak with Mewt. Cid thought for a bit, as his hand brushed his beard in thought.
"Materia. If you can make a present with Materia, he'll really like that."
Cid answered. Marche smiled, turning to the whole clan this time.
"Well then...I guess it's time we went out and get some Materia, then."
Everyone nodded.
***TBC***
Note: Sorry for the long delay. Not much to say about this. Just thanks to the positive reviews and no, I haven't forgotten about this story, and...yeah, that's about it for the rambling.