Kin to hatred, Fire burned in Halystaru's eyes. Sandoria was no longer a city of beauty and wonder and pride, it was a world of heat and fire. Towers crumbled right before Halystaru's sight, the walls were decimated, and no movement save the taunting dancing flames was seen. Sandoria was a ghost. But fire did not destroy living souls, and it did not kill the hope of the people. Halystaru would find Fxeni, she would hunt him down, and Evil would die for this atrocity.
Initiating her own fate, she lowered her head from her view of the night sky and walked into the front gate. Footsteps echoed around the room, filling the air with a sound that fought and tangled with the roar of a flame. Too much hurt lay in Halystaru's heart for her to wait for Truth to finish its first two jobs, she could not see her home being desecrated like this any longer. She stepped out of the pathway and into the main plaza, but she found the grounds practically unhurt. Actually, the entire entrance seemed undamaged, the doors were open when she had entered the ground of Sandoria, but both the gate and the entrance seemed untouched.
Dazed and perked by this sight, Halystaru swung her head around the rest of the town and took it all in at once. Fire ravaged the walls and towers, but aside from that, Sandoria remained relatively unharmed. A building here and there had been pulverized, and the sky was dark as night with a false top of choking dust, but Sandoria still remained a city glowing in the darkness, devoid of people or movement. It still ravaged Halystaru, but what kind of person expected to change the world with a simple wand and cloak? The white mage did not actually fully intend to initiate any kind of conflict with Fxeni should she find him, though she was pressed upon to do so by the feelings inside her. Memories rushed to her; even from here she looked at the abandoned buildings and tents around the square. Here, she had played hide and seek as a young girl, it was here that she had spent so very much of her life, and yet now, played right in front of her, it was nothing but a shell sickened with festering heat and rubble.
Red light filled Halystaru's eyes, but the fires did seem to quiet as the small Taru walked farther into the plaza, her small boots padding softly on the cobblestones, and the metal braces around them clanking softly. None of her memories mattered now, even if she did want a chance at redemption for the city, it would do Sandoria little good for her to die without a purpose. Instead, she searched the area for anyone that could use her help. No bodies appeared in sight; Halystaru had found many slain soldiers out in the Ronfaure wilderness, but no civilians lined the streets with their bodies, blood, or possessions.
In an hour's time, Halystaru had patrolled the streets with wand in hand, searched in abandoned homes and buildings, which were still strewn with valuables, pictures, family heirlooms, and clothing, but had found nothing. Sandoria had obviously had little warning before the attack. As the Taru continued on, she was always ready for Fxeni around a corner, or a survivor begging for healing. But neither came.
Anticipating the worst to come and finally succeeding to better judgment, Halystaru put her wand away and headed for the gate. Adrenaline kept her from succeeding to despair or revenge, but Halystaru knew that it was foolish that she had come without Truth, but...she needed to know what exactly had happened here and who was left. Whatever answers she had gotten from this ghost town had only led to more confusions and questions, and the White Mage had decided that very little could be done know to save anyone or anything that had occurred a few hours before.
It all began as she approached the gate; a crash erupted from the northern part of town. She stopped and debated if it was a danger worth pursuing in idea of survivors or a danger she should flee, but it was quickly decided for her. Fxeni seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and slowly floated through the air towards the White Mage. Instincts finally taking over, Halystaru turned and fled for the front gate, but was stopped when a blast of magic struck her only exit and turned it into rubble, leaving her trapped with the bane of Sandoria. Half sighing at the gate, and half cursing herself for being so stupid, Halystaru slowly turned around to face Fxeni, who was giving her an emotionless look. He cocked his head, like a dog studying its master's actions, but Halystaru knew that he was only curious, not stupid.
She concentrated and did her best to unnoticeably put up protective barriers of white magic around herself. If Fxeni did take note of this, he did not express it openly. He continued to stare with the curious look on his face; Halystaru replied with a deathly serious look. The silence started to get to her, so for good measure, she semi-yelled at Fxeni, intent on getting into contact with her old friend.
"Tell me where the civilians are. Where are the people of Sandoria?" No response. Halystaru tried again.
"How did destroying Sandoria accomplish anything you are seeking? What are your intentions here?" No response, but Fxeni dropped the curious look.
Eventually, Halystaru gave up the questioning, and went directly to confrontation. "Fear will not move me to flee from you...Fxeni, or Evil, or whatever you call yourself. Four of your kind are as good as dead. You are the soul survivor." Bad choice of words; Fxeni's face scrounged into an angry frown, which made the White Mage uneasy.
"Looks deceive you; what makes you think Celos and Fupac won?"
In natural response, Halystaru was shocked. She had not heard the Pale warriors talk before, and none of the others had mentioned them speaking. When she had yelled at Fxeni a moment ago, she did not expect an answer in her own tongue, she expected a death threat in physical means or such. This only made her feel more uncomfortable. She swallowed.
"Gah...You talk?" Her voice was shaky; she coughed loudly as if to clear her throat.
"Heh. I see little use in conversing with your kind. It beats boredom, however, and I would love to relish our victory to you." Halystaru noticed that Fxeni did not talk with his mouth, obviously he was telepathic. Or perhaps he just didn't want to speak with his mouth.
"The victory over Sandoria?"
Fxeni sneered. "You call the Elvaans a victory? They were mere entertainment. Beating you five and restoring perfection was the victory."
Halystaru lowered her eyes and quizzically frowned. "What? You don't have Kidria OR Celos."
"Wrong."
The voice was quiet in Halystaru's head. Had they found Kidria or beaten Celos? Perhaps both? Or perhaps Evil was merely doing what it does best, scaring her. Regardless, that didn't change the goal of what the White Mage was here to do.
"Ironic, isn't it? A Mage of healing versus one of explosive power?"
No response. Halystaru bit her lower lip, and continued.
"Despite your seemingly unfazed attitude, Evil, you have been beaten hundreds of times over the centuries, it's just that every time you refused to give up and die; instead you take the victor? That sounds like one hell of a sore loser."
Fxeni made a slight motion, and a small wisp of air blew next to Halystaru's ear. A black, shining scythe flew towards Fxeni, spinning in air like a deadly boomerang as it did so. Fxeni caught it by the hilt and held it in his right hand, easily visible to Halystaru. It was larger than Fxeni was, and, much like his armor, it was black in color, covered in etched runes, and gleaming. It was curved in a manner that could only be described as evil, and in it was mirrored the flames of the wreckage burning around it.
"Losing is so cliché."
The air erupted in an explosion of heat. It rippled like water disturbed by a stone throw, and then escalated until Halystaru was pushed backwards by the force. She put her arm over her eyes and pressed forward, but the blasting wind finally picked her up and heaved her like a paper doll across the town.
Halystaru turned in midair, and with her cloak ripping around her from the wind, cast a small rune of protection around her. She watched as a building rushed to meet her, until she hit with a large smack on a brick wall. There was a large crack, and a wave of rushing pain spread through her veins. She fell to the ground on her feet, but felt woozy, and cleared her mind anew before she noticed Fxeni once more floating across the plaza grounds towards her.
The tiny White Mage did not hesitate this time, and responded with a spell of Holy, intent on piercing the Black Mage with a searing, white light. Fxeni was lost in the light, and a cloud of smoke expanded around him. The ball of smoke continued to move and soon gave way to the floating Black Mage, who didn't seem harmed in the least. The Pale Taru hovered on, and made a light gesture, whereupon Halystaru was lifted into the air, helplessly dangling her legs and arms in resistance.
Invisible binds soon held Halystaru's feet, legs, arms, hands, and neck in a chokehold, and forced her to watch as Fxeni drifted right towards her and directly into her face. He smelled odd, like a wilted rose or an old, wasted piece of food, but Halystaru was far too strangled by the air to cough or choke on the stench. Fxeni lifted his scythe for Halystaru to see, and then gently stroked her cheek with the edge of the blade. Halystaru had no chance to neither respond nor move, and was quickly flung higher into the air.
The binds held her in place as she was lifted high into the atmosphere, until she could see the entirety of Sandoria very well. The cold air gently moved about Halystaru and chilled her as she watched Sandoria burn in some places and crumple in others. Although she could not see him, the floating White Mage soon heard Fxeni's voice.
"I have always despised the Elvaans. They were pompous, high-class, braggarts. A few of them are worthy of adoration, but the remnants of their proud race are nothing but badly overpraised morons. Only those who have no challenges to their power, such as I, deserve such an act. So, I put the Elvaans in their place. Meanwhile, Windurst remains quiet and cowardly. They hide behind their walls and do not act, wary of what we are and what we have. Cowardice may not be a trait people respect, but it has kept them alive. They only await our arrival. Bastok, meanwhile, remains quiet, serene. It does not make its actions very obvious, but from what I can tell, they have sent you and your company. This proves their stupidity, hoping five of you could beat five of us."
Halystaru was turned by the invisible binds toward Ronfaure forest, due south of Sandoria. The fire from the city lit the forest perfectly, and to the White Mage's horror, she had a perfect view of hundreds, even thousands, of dead warriors slain; their blood soaking the fields.
"Five thousand of the Sandorian army could not beat me. Why would five of you?" Halystaru did not respond, but Fxeni apparently did not need her to. His voice grew sarcastic as he continued. "Ah...of course, you have Truth. But what would happen if Truth was dead? None of you, not even the first, would have fought us long. Furthermore, I am imperfect. That has been attended to."
Halystaru felt the invisible ropes that held her in the air, and fell to the ground. She stopped herself with a bracing spell from her White magic, but still hit the ground rather hard and clumsily. She stood up and brushed off herself, to find Fxeni still hovering in sight.
"We have the girl."
Halystaru finally lost it to Fxeni's taunts, bragging, and incessant talking. She screamed at him.
"What have you done to Kidria?!" Fxeni didn't answer. "Why are you so intent on killing her, when you could so easily of taken her like the others?!"
Fxeni shook his head. "Enough talk. I have said too much already."
He lifted his hand and a small ball of fire rolled into his hand. It expanded, and turned from a yellow color to red and then blue. It grew until it was larger then Fxeni, and Halystaru covered herself with a spell against demonic magic. It was more of a natural act than one of actual dependence, chances are that if the fire hit her, there would be little left of the White Mage, even with the protection of the protection.
The world was suddenly filled with an inhumane light, lit by a bluish, glowing fire. It raged and rushed towards Halystaru, like a train charging down the tracks. As it moved, it grew in size until it was a flowing column of molten air, intent on turning the White Mage into charcoal.
Hoping to divert the spell or at least meet it with a spell of equal strength and counter it, Halystaru spread her legs into a stance and prepared her own banishing spell. A small, fuzzy ball of iridescent light spread and warmed Halystaru's palms, which she focused into a firm, solid sphere of twisting, struggling, rays. She crushed her fist, the energy spread into her body, and she blasted the air with the energy directly in front of the train of fire.
It simply dissolved into the blaze, like a train hitting a fly. It increased in speed and shrieked at Halystaru, who was unable to do anything but shield and brace herself, then take the hit.
The fire hit the tiny White Mage like a flying wall of bricks. Incredible heat seared her senses and filled her eyes and nostrils with ash, but the holy barrier shielded her from the full effect of the fire. The blaze spread around her, flowing across the magical, protecting shield like liquid on a round surface, stressing the sphere around Halystaru until it turned white hot, and started to break through. Sweat dripped from her forehead, half from the heat and half from the effort to keep the protection up, and the quarter moment while the fire hounded her seemed like a short second. Call it luck or fate, but the White Mages strength ran out right as the fire finished passing around her. She dropped to her hands and knees, gasping the heated air, seeking repress from the overbearing warmth and force. She was still panting when she noticed a pair of black shoes in front of her.
"One spell. That was all it took. I didn't even try. And you had to nearly kill yourself, to stay alive and die a moment later? Good plan."
There was a crash and the voice was stopped, and Halystaru looked up to see that Truth had come out of nowhere, seemingly from the sky, and landed right on top of Fxeni. The Taru was stunned, not hurt, but obviously angry. Before he could respond, the White Mage heaved herself to her feet, picked up the mirror, and, still panting, shone it into Fxeni's face.
Hoping to destroy the mirror before it could finish, Fxeni shot a small blast of pure, flowing purple magic at its face, but it bounced right back at him and smacked him in the stomach. He flew backwards flipping head over heels, out of sight behind a small shed, leaving Halystaru a quick laugh.
In response, the mirror continued to shine. After a moment of odd blasts of lights and colors, the mirror cooled to the White Mages finger tips, she dropped her hands and stared at yet another Taru, this one with gleaming blonde hair and a very confused look. He composed himself and smoothed his hair, then turned to face the White Mage staring at him behind. He gave her an equally confused look.
"Whoa. You're hot."
Of all the warnings, interesting comments, greetings, and strange sayings she could've expected from an Echo, that was NOT one of them. Halystaru slapped Xenif.
Xenif rubbed his cheek. "Is that how chicks come on to guys nowadays? I suppose a lot can change in 500 years." Halystaru recoiled for another slap, but Xenif backed away and held out his arms innocently.
"Kidding! Kidding! Even a dead guy has his...priorities. It is good to meet you Halystaru." The Echo bowed. "Perhaps I can be of assistance?"
Halystaru nodded. "Fxeni is ravaging Sandoria. The soldiers gave their lives to fight him, and now all remain dead, and the civilians...well, they're gone. I can't find a single one."
"You won't. At least, not yet."
"How's that?" the White Mage cocked her head questioningly.
"Fxeni has the power of insanity. He hasn't actually attempted it on you; White Mages are particularly resistant to its effects. However, no such hindrance held him back from the civilians." The Echo shrugged. "Insanity is a very powerful tool. It can corrupt the mind into misinterpreting evil from good; it removes the limitations of common sense, and destroys memories, beliefs, and previous references. You won't be so eager to find the civilians when they come to find you."
The White Mage nodded slowly, not entirely sure of what Xenif meant. Regardless, she readied herself as the rubble of the shed across the way was blasted into the stratosphere, revealing a very pissed looking Fxeni. He gave off a shining purple color, radiating a menacing radiance that Halystaru did not think was meant to show friendship.
It happened so quickly. Fxeni soared, spinning, into the air, and shot a dozen or so yellow balls aimed in the direction of Halystaru and Xenif. They screamed like banshees as the golden spheres shot towards the two fighters, until they came to a dead stop in mid-air, surrounding the two of them. Without any hesitation, the balls exploded in an eruption of fire, which spread like mini-nuclear explosions across the air. Xenif quickly reacted and hummed as he gestured, which summoned a bluish liquid to seep from between the cracks in the pavement, and spread across the entire body of Halystaru and said mage. After the strangely chilly, blue, blobbish material covered the two of them, it exploded outwards into a cage of frozen, blue ice, trapping the Echo and the White Mage in a small glacier. The fire immediately struck the ice, blasting it and hounding it with its heat, but the cold shield held against the strikes. Eventually the golden balls evaporated into nothing, whereupon the ice casing dissolved as well, leaving nothing but a wet puddle. Halystaru remained shocked; the entire scene had started and finished in the period of maybe ten seconds.
Fxeni was not finished. More stubborn than ever, he sent his scythe reeling towards the ground, until it struck with a ringing, metallic, 'Twang' into the ground, blade first. The earth began to shake and reel with the blow, until it split into pieces, throwing Halystaru to the ground. Xenif struggled to not topple over with Halystaru, and upon snapping his fingers, simple floated an inch or two off the ground, ignorant of its fits and cries. With another snap from the other hand, Halystaru floated aloft as well, and while the earth continued to cry and whine until it festered and melted into a pool of melted lava which arose from the deepest bowels of the earth. It soon cooled in the summer night's air, whereupon the two rebels fell back to solid ground, unhurt and none the worse. Xenif, seemingly bored, turned into the night sky and screamed at the offending Black Mage who was intent on killing them both.
"I don't recall being this stupid with my powers when I was one of your kind, Evil. You know just how easy it is to counter Black Magic with the right spell."
Even from the ground, Halystaru easily heard Fxeni's growl from midair: "You ignorant bastard. I would love to see you counter this Black Magic with one of your spells." His fist shook with rage as he continued. "You sought the civilians so heavily, Halystaru. Did you expect to find this?"
It grew quiet, and the three of them remained silent. Halystaru listened, hoping to hear over the fire in the background and her own breathing. Despite her attempts to search the area with her eyes to find anything, she neither found nor heard anything. Then, from the northern gates, came a moan.
At first, it was a single, quiet, crying voice. It did not actually speak words, simply cried out in a low voice. It spread to five or six voices, then erupted to fifty or so, and finally ended in a few thousand voices crying out as a single mind, screaming for some sort of restitution. Half in caution, half in fear of what she might see, Halystaru turned towards the northern gates. Peering back at her, thousands of eyes, all hungry and desolate, were staring at her. The civilians of Sandoria, children, young men and woman, thousands of Elvaans had all grouped at the northern gate and now walked towards the White Mage and Echo. They did not appear hurt, but many of them were equipped with weapons or clubs, and instead of walking with the normal, proud Elvaan strut, they dragged their feet lazily as they shifted toward Halystaru.
Halystaru gasped. "Like zombies..."
Xenif shook his head. "No. They are not dead, but they are not sane. Fxeni, in a way, commands them, and they now see us as the bad guy. Normally we could fight them very easily, but we cannot kill innocents. They see no reason to keep them from doing the same to us."
Fxeni crossed his arms in a proud, vain gesture. "The 'Proud' Elvaans are nothing but boggling idiots who now seek to kill their only allies. You two. Interesting that I would have no problem killing them all, yet, your conscience doesn't allow that, does it?" He laughed. "I'll even give you a head start. Run."
Xenif grabbed Halystaru's hand and dragged her along the streets, away from the lost minds and Evil, where the two of them ducked into a one of the small watchtowers untouched by the flames of the city. Halystaru shut the door quietly out of self-habit, then prodded over and up the tower to the top. There, Xenif padded his foot impatiently as he closed his eyes and thought. Halystaru remained silent and watched him think, but thought about Celos and Fupac and the others, wondering if they were alright. From time to time a light moan emanated from the window near the tower entrance, but no Elvaan set foot in the tower. It was a long, dark, bleak half hour until Xenif spoke.
"Judgment. Do you still have enough energy to perform a Benediction, Halystaru?" She nodded. "Benediction has cleansing as well as healing powers. It can remove the taint from the mind, as long as it is given the chance to do so..." His voiced trailed off, but it required no explanation.
At the moment, voices started to grow outside of the window of the tower, and the door in the entrance began to shake. It trembled and was finally beaten into splinters by several hundred fists, until an army of Elvaan entered the room. Xenif reacted quickly, shoved Truth into Halystaru's hands, and then jumped into the mass of attackers, intent on keeping them from the mirror and the White Mage.
Bleeding, bruised, and cut in several places, Xenif was held in front of Fxeni like a sacrifice. The floating Taru was pleased, and seemed even happier to see that Halystaru, too, was held before him, although she was unhurt.
"Bastard..." Xenif mumbled. Fxeni took little to no notice, but instead spoke to Halystaru.
"Looks like I didn't even need to kill you myself. Not only did the not-so- proud Elvaans bring you to me, but they'll be the ones tearing you limb from limb as well." Xenif gave a small twitch in the arms of the two Elvaans holding him, but did not speak. Fxeni did not make any gesture to suggest an action that would condemn Xenif to death, but eventually the Pale Taru stroked his chin stared at Xenif, then shook his head.
"I have a better idea. Let him down." The Elvaans let the Echo fall from their hands to the ground, where he crumpled in a heap. Fxeni waited until Xenif looked back up at him, and then pointed at Halystaru. "Kill her."
Xenif looked slightly surprised. "Wha...?"
The floating Black Mage's voice grew more focused and serene. "It's pretty simple, either kill her or I kill you."
Xenif shook his head. "I refuse."
Fxeni laughed. "I have an army of Elvaans at my disposal. What makes you think your life is more worth than theirs? In other words, for every resistance you make, I will kill one more civilian." He waved his arms at the entire plaza filled with the civilians.
Xenif spit on the ground in front of him. "You son of--" He stopped when he saw Fxeni raise a hand towards a nearby, blonde, Elvaan child, fingers glowing menacingly. Feeling defeated and angry, he turned to Halystaru and frowned. The White Mage briefly recognized a wink, but it was gone before she could reconcile it. Before she could understand the meaning of the gesture, the Echo had sent a small blast of pure magic aimed right for the small White Mage Taru with the mirror.
She reacted quickly and without thinking. The realization of the hints Xenif had given her hit home, and she lifted Truth from beside her and stuck it out in front like a shield, angling it for recoil into the air. When the sphere of magic reached her, the mirror took the blow and shot the magic back at an angle like a rubber ball, aimed directly at the Pale Warrior floating in the sky. Unaware and feeling far too cocky to expect foul play, the small Taru clad in black armor and wielding a black scythe was hit full force with the blast, sending him rolling all over himself. Haly jumped forward into the midst of the Elvaans and concentrated while Xenif prepared some ancient spell, and at the same instant that Xenif hit Fxeni with a spell of Flare, Halystaru called to the heavens for benediction.
Even from miles away, one could easily see the force of the two incantations. The sky was lit with a lovely, warm, white shine which healed Xenif and Halystaru to perfect health and brought the Elvaans back to sanity, releasing them from a false reality they didn't even know they were experiencing. Meanwhile, still stunned by the force of the magic and the sudden ambush, Fxeni had no time to react to Xenif's flare, which caused the sky to explode in a display of fireworks, which seared Evil to the core. Drained of all energy and strength, the Echo fell to the ground on his hands on knees, heaving for air. Knowing it would take more than that to finish off Fxeni, Halystaru summoned all her heavenly might into a spell of banishment, and sent it directed at the Black Mage in the sky.
The final holy spell finished the job. Fxeni howled in anger and frustration, and then started to shine a light yellow color. He lit up the night sky with his glow, until he became an artificial sun. Xenif, still heaving, turned his head to the clueless Elvaans milling around, and screamed at the top of his lungs for them all to run. Not one to argue with their city burning and magic exploding in the sky, the Elvaans quickly dispersed, and the plaza was soon empty save the Echo and Halystaru. In a final act before it lost control, the Evil controlling Fxeni gripped the scythe and heaved it at the ground, where it connected with Truth and sent the mirror shattering into a million pieces. With this final act completed, Fxeni fell from his perch in the air, and half of Sandoria was engulfed in a piercing light.
In the distance, a small wyvern, perched on the branch of a tree, smiled.
"We win." It said
When Halystaru came to, she found herself looking at Fxeni, who was now unconscious and breathing heavily, and at the Echo, who now breathed harder then ever. He was fading, no longer solid, but when he spoke, his voice seemed more solid than ever before.
"500 years ago, I became estranged in a fight I didn't even know I was getting into. Evil took my body and forced me to kill over, and over, and over. I was a merciless puppet, my fingers following an invisible string. Despite the silence, the horrible anguish and the fact that I was unwilling victim playing murder, the greatest punishment of all was time."
"While I remained immortal, totally immune to any mortal binds of old age and deterioration, my family grew old, my children became parents, then grandparents, and finally perished. Then their children grew old as well and soon died along with the others. That cycle continued, one generation after another, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. Yet here I was, stuck right next to my good friends with the same exact thing happening to their families. Never again did we see anyone we knew, never again would we. Eventually, it got to me, and I soon realized the fact that I didn't care who I killed anymore. People would come and die to the five of us, and I did not care."
"People die for a reason. It is to avoid this inevitable realization, which only comes from time. Can you imagine, Halystaru, watching from hundreds of miles away, your family wither into dust and leave people you have never even seen before? I SAW my child go to my supposed funeral. I SAW my son get married without me to wish him luck. And I SAW my son pass away in his sleep...of old age. I did not wish to live; I did not wish to be freed. I wanted to die, and yet when I did, I still wasn't allowed to rest. I was forced, along with the other four, to return to make penance for a crime we did not commit."
"Now, after all five of us have been killed, and return even in death, we fought our hardest against Evil, which made us so very cold and bitter against life. And we still lost, yet we have 'redeemed' ourselves? Truth is gone, the girl is taken. I am supposed to rest with this upon my conscience?"
"Nothing will ever change, Halystaru. After 500 years, all the things that life envisions, living, love, trust, friendship, all of the ideals wither into dust. But something remains...something which isn't described by human words. Something a million times more complicated then love, more powerful then friendship, and greater than anything people can be construed as ideal."
"I...feel at peace. For the first time in 500 years, I am not angry, or sad, or bitter. Remember Halystaru, that even in the worst of times, even if Evil was to take this world and all would be lost, there is something beyond life, beyond death, beyond love, beyond truth, beyond good and evil, that will always be with us. Because even now, I hear them..."
Somewhere in the ruins of Jeuno, underneath a rock left from the rubbage of a wall, a small glow formed out of the darkness, and floated slowly into the sky.
In the Crawler's Nest, a tiny light emanated in the darkness from a jeweled sword, which glittered in the cave, and rose towards the heavens through a small crack in the ceiling.
Meanwhile, in a small cave in Valkrum Dunes, a piece of sand sparkled in the moonlight, which then melted into a sphere of rolling gold. It rolled out of the alcove, and jumped into the air happily, then drifted towards the beautiful stars above.
Deep within the darkest reaches of Jugner Forest, beneath a tall oak, something glittered in the grass, lighting up a small clearing where an Elvaan lay breathing softly. The glitter swung upwards towards the top of the tree, and then continued upwards into the night.
Meanwhile, a small, blonde Taru stood on the pavement in Sandoria in front of a White Mage. The Taru smiled, and sighed, then glowed golden and evaporated into a shimmering form. The form swirled in the air for a moment, and then soared upwards, as if seeking something. The White Mage stared at the form until it disappeared from her sight.
Halystaru did not smile nor did she frown. Her focus had switched from the Echo's sudden departure to the black scythe impaling the ground a few feet away. It was twitching like a sick child; almost gleeful of its destruction of Truth, yet that wasn't what held the White Mage's eye. Halystaru slowly walked toward the scythe, staring at the runes on its curving form, which were now glowing yellow. As the Taru got close, she realized the runes were actually words written in an odd text; a riddle that ran the length of the entire weapon. Halystaru cocked her head aside at an angle, and read the words aloud to no one in particular.
Celos eyes shot open and she hopped to her feet. Her new armor was tight, and heavy, but very fitting. She looked up at the trees in the darkness and smiled, then walked over and picked up the dark, black, blades next to Marzinquan. She put them gently back into Marzinquan's hands, and then headed for the exit of the forest, intent on reaching Valkrum dunes. Behind her, the night grew even darker as the swords emanated a dark glow that swallowed Marzinquan, leaving Celos giggling. Near the exit of the forest, she walked by a small puddle of water left by the rain, where she saw a reflection of a Pale Elvaan clad in black armor walking by with a bright, but fading flicker in her eyes.
Initiating her own fate, she lowered her head from her view of the night sky and walked into the front gate. Footsteps echoed around the room, filling the air with a sound that fought and tangled with the roar of a flame. Too much hurt lay in Halystaru's heart for her to wait for Truth to finish its first two jobs, she could not see her home being desecrated like this any longer. She stepped out of the pathway and into the main plaza, but she found the grounds practically unhurt. Actually, the entire entrance seemed undamaged, the doors were open when she had entered the ground of Sandoria, but both the gate and the entrance seemed untouched.
Dazed and perked by this sight, Halystaru swung her head around the rest of the town and took it all in at once. Fire ravaged the walls and towers, but aside from that, Sandoria remained relatively unharmed. A building here and there had been pulverized, and the sky was dark as night with a false top of choking dust, but Sandoria still remained a city glowing in the darkness, devoid of people or movement. It still ravaged Halystaru, but what kind of person expected to change the world with a simple wand and cloak? The white mage did not actually fully intend to initiate any kind of conflict with Fxeni should she find him, though she was pressed upon to do so by the feelings inside her. Memories rushed to her; even from here she looked at the abandoned buildings and tents around the square. Here, she had played hide and seek as a young girl, it was here that she had spent so very much of her life, and yet now, played right in front of her, it was nothing but a shell sickened with festering heat and rubble.
Red light filled Halystaru's eyes, but the fires did seem to quiet as the small Taru walked farther into the plaza, her small boots padding softly on the cobblestones, and the metal braces around them clanking softly. None of her memories mattered now, even if she did want a chance at redemption for the city, it would do Sandoria little good for her to die without a purpose. Instead, she searched the area for anyone that could use her help. No bodies appeared in sight; Halystaru had found many slain soldiers out in the Ronfaure wilderness, but no civilians lined the streets with their bodies, blood, or possessions.
In an hour's time, Halystaru had patrolled the streets with wand in hand, searched in abandoned homes and buildings, which were still strewn with valuables, pictures, family heirlooms, and clothing, but had found nothing. Sandoria had obviously had little warning before the attack. As the Taru continued on, she was always ready for Fxeni around a corner, or a survivor begging for healing. But neither came.
Anticipating the worst to come and finally succeeding to better judgment, Halystaru put her wand away and headed for the gate. Adrenaline kept her from succeeding to despair or revenge, but Halystaru knew that it was foolish that she had come without Truth, but...she needed to know what exactly had happened here and who was left. Whatever answers she had gotten from this ghost town had only led to more confusions and questions, and the White Mage had decided that very little could be done know to save anyone or anything that had occurred a few hours before.
It all began as she approached the gate; a crash erupted from the northern part of town. She stopped and debated if it was a danger worth pursuing in idea of survivors or a danger she should flee, but it was quickly decided for her. Fxeni seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and slowly floated through the air towards the White Mage. Instincts finally taking over, Halystaru turned and fled for the front gate, but was stopped when a blast of magic struck her only exit and turned it into rubble, leaving her trapped with the bane of Sandoria. Half sighing at the gate, and half cursing herself for being so stupid, Halystaru slowly turned around to face Fxeni, who was giving her an emotionless look. He cocked his head, like a dog studying its master's actions, but Halystaru knew that he was only curious, not stupid.
She concentrated and did her best to unnoticeably put up protective barriers of white magic around herself. If Fxeni did take note of this, he did not express it openly. He continued to stare with the curious look on his face; Halystaru replied with a deathly serious look. The silence started to get to her, so for good measure, she semi-yelled at Fxeni, intent on getting into contact with her old friend.
"Tell me where the civilians are. Where are the people of Sandoria?" No response. Halystaru tried again.
"How did destroying Sandoria accomplish anything you are seeking? What are your intentions here?" No response, but Fxeni dropped the curious look.
Eventually, Halystaru gave up the questioning, and went directly to confrontation. "Fear will not move me to flee from you...Fxeni, or Evil, or whatever you call yourself. Four of your kind are as good as dead. You are the soul survivor." Bad choice of words; Fxeni's face scrounged into an angry frown, which made the White Mage uneasy.
"Looks deceive you; what makes you think Celos and Fupac won?"
In natural response, Halystaru was shocked. She had not heard the Pale warriors talk before, and none of the others had mentioned them speaking. When she had yelled at Fxeni a moment ago, she did not expect an answer in her own tongue, she expected a death threat in physical means or such. This only made her feel more uncomfortable. She swallowed.
"Gah...You talk?" Her voice was shaky; she coughed loudly as if to clear her throat.
"Heh. I see little use in conversing with your kind. It beats boredom, however, and I would love to relish our victory to you." Halystaru noticed that Fxeni did not talk with his mouth, obviously he was telepathic. Or perhaps he just didn't want to speak with his mouth.
"The victory over Sandoria?"
Fxeni sneered. "You call the Elvaans a victory? They were mere entertainment. Beating you five and restoring perfection was the victory."
Halystaru lowered her eyes and quizzically frowned. "What? You don't have Kidria OR Celos."
"Wrong."
The voice was quiet in Halystaru's head. Had they found Kidria or beaten Celos? Perhaps both? Or perhaps Evil was merely doing what it does best, scaring her. Regardless, that didn't change the goal of what the White Mage was here to do.
"Ironic, isn't it? A Mage of healing versus one of explosive power?"
No response. Halystaru bit her lower lip, and continued.
"Despite your seemingly unfazed attitude, Evil, you have been beaten hundreds of times over the centuries, it's just that every time you refused to give up and die; instead you take the victor? That sounds like one hell of a sore loser."
Fxeni made a slight motion, and a small wisp of air blew next to Halystaru's ear. A black, shining scythe flew towards Fxeni, spinning in air like a deadly boomerang as it did so. Fxeni caught it by the hilt and held it in his right hand, easily visible to Halystaru. It was larger than Fxeni was, and, much like his armor, it was black in color, covered in etched runes, and gleaming. It was curved in a manner that could only be described as evil, and in it was mirrored the flames of the wreckage burning around it.
"Losing is so cliché."
The air erupted in an explosion of heat. It rippled like water disturbed by a stone throw, and then escalated until Halystaru was pushed backwards by the force. She put her arm over her eyes and pressed forward, but the blasting wind finally picked her up and heaved her like a paper doll across the town.
Halystaru turned in midair, and with her cloak ripping around her from the wind, cast a small rune of protection around her. She watched as a building rushed to meet her, until she hit with a large smack on a brick wall. There was a large crack, and a wave of rushing pain spread through her veins. She fell to the ground on her feet, but felt woozy, and cleared her mind anew before she noticed Fxeni once more floating across the plaza grounds towards her.
The tiny White Mage did not hesitate this time, and responded with a spell of Holy, intent on piercing the Black Mage with a searing, white light. Fxeni was lost in the light, and a cloud of smoke expanded around him. The ball of smoke continued to move and soon gave way to the floating Black Mage, who didn't seem harmed in the least. The Pale Taru hovered on, and made a light gesture, whereupon Halystaru was lifted into the air, helplessly dangling her legs and arms in resistance.
Invisible binds soon held Halystaru's feet, legs, arms, hands, and neck in a chokehold, and forced her to watch as Fxeni drifted right towards her and directly into her face. He smelled odd, like a wilted rose or an old, wasted piece of food, but Halystaru was far too strangled by the air to cough or choke on the stench. Fxeni lifted his scythe for Halystaru to see, and then gently stroked her cheek with the edge of the blade. Halystaru had no chance to neither respond nor move, and was quickly flung higher into the air.
The binds held her in place as she was lifted high into the atmosphere, until she could see the entirety of Sandoria very well. The cold air gently moved about Halystaru and chilled her as she watched Sandoria burn in some places and crumple in others. Although she could not see him, the floating White Mage soon heard Fxeni's voice.
"I have always despised the Elvaans. They were pompous, high-class, braggarts. A few of them are worthy of adoration, but the remnants of their proud race are nothing but badly overpraised morons. Only those who have no challenges to their power, such as I, deserve such an act. So, I put the Elvaans in their place. Meanwhile, Windurst remains quiet and cowardly. They hide behind their walls and do not act, wary of what we are and what we have. Cowardice may not be a trait people respect, but it has kept them alive. They only await our arrival. Bastok, meanwhile, remains quiet, serene. It does not make its actions very obvious, but from what I can tell, they have sent you and your company. This proves their stupidity, hoping five of you could beat five of us."
Halystaru was turned by the invisible binds toward Ronfaure forest, due south of Sandoria. The fire from the city lit the forest perfectly, and to the White Mage's horror, she had a perfect view of hundreds, even thousands, of dead warriors slain; their blood soaking the fields.
"Five thousand of the Sandorian army could not beat me. Why would five of you?" Halystaru did not respond, but Fxeni apparently did not need her to. His voice grew sarcastic as he continued. "Ah...of course, you have Truth. But what would happen if Truth was dead? None of you, not even the first, would have fought us long. Furthermore, I am imperfect. That has been attended to."
Halystaru felt the invisible ropes that held her in the air, and fell to the ground. She stopped herself with a bracing spell from her White magic, but still hit the ground rather hard and clumsily. She stood up and brushed off herself, to find Fxeni still hovering in sight.
"We have the girl."
Halystaru finally lost it to Fxeni's taunts, bragging, and incessant talking. She screamed at him.
"What have you done to Kidria?!" Fxeni didn't answer. "Why are you so intent on killing her, when you could so easily of taken her like the others?!"
Fxeni shook his head. "Enough talk. I have said too much already."
He lifted his hand and a small ball of fire rolled into his hand. It expanded, and turned from a yellow color to red and then blue. It grew until it was larger then Fxeni, and Halystaru covered herself with a spell against demonic magic. It was more of a natural act than one of actual dependence, chances are that if the fire hit her, there would be little left of the White Mage, even with the protection of the protection.
The world was suddenly filled with an inhumane light, lit by a bluish, glowing fire. It raged and rushed towards Halystaru, like a train charging down the tracks. As it moved, it grew in size until it was a flowing column of molten air, intent on turning the White Mage into charcoal.
Hoping to divert the spell or at least meet it with a spell of equal strength and counter it, Halystaru spread her legs into a stance and prepared her own banishing spell. A small, fuzzy ball of iridescent light spread and warmed Halystaru's palms, which she focused into a firm, solid sphere of twisting, struggling, rays. She crushed her fist, the energy spread into her body, and she blasted the air with the energy directly in front of the train of fire.
It simply dissolved into the blaze, like a train hitting a fly. It increased in speed and shrieked at Halystaru, who was unable to do anything but shield and brace herself, then take the hit.
The fire hit the tiny White Mage like a flying wall of bricks. Incredible heat seared her senses and filled her eyes and nostrils with ash, but the holy barrier shielded her from the full effect of the fire. The blaze spread around her, flowing across the magical, protecting shield like liquid on a round surface, stressing the sphere around Halystaru until it turned white hot, and started to break through. Sweat dripped from her forehead, half from the heat and half from the effort to keep the protection up, and the quarter moment while the fire hounded her seemed like a short second. Call it luck or fate, but the White Mages strength ran out right as the fire finished passing around her. She dropped to her hands and knees, gasping the heated air, seeking repress from the overbearing warmth and force. She was still panting when she noticed a pair of black shoes in front of her.
"One spell. That was all it took. I didn't even try. And you had to nearly kill yourself, to stay alive and die a moment later? Good plan."
There was a crash and the voice was stopped, and Halystaru looked up to see that Truth had come out of nowhere, seemingly from the sky, and landed right on top of Fxeni. The Taru was stunned, not hurt, but obviously angry. Before he could respond, the White Mage heaved herself to her feet, picked up the mirror, and, still panting, shone it into Fxeni's face.
Hoping to destroy the mirror before it could finish, Fxeni shot a small blast of pure, flowing purple magic at its face, but it bounced right back at him and smacked him in the stomach. He flew backwards flipping head over heels, out of sight behind a small shed, leaving Halystaru a quick laugh.
In response, the mirror continued to shine. After a moment of odd blasts of lights and colors, the mirror cooled to the White Mages finger tips, she dropped her hands and stared at yet another Taru, this one with gleaming blonde hair and a very confused look. He composed himself and smoothed his hair, then turned to face the White Mage staring at him behind. He gave her an equally confused look.
"Whoa. You're hot."
Of all the warnings, interesting comments, greetings, and strange sayings she could've expected from an Echo, that was NOT one of them. Halystaru slapped Xenif.
Xenif rubbed his cheek. "Is that how chicks come on to guys nowadays? I suppose a lot can change in 500 years." Halystaru recoiled for another slap, but Xenif backed away and held out his arms innocently.
"Kidding! Kidding! Even a dead guy has his...priorities. It is good to meet you Halystaru." The Echo bowed. "Perhaps I can be of assistance?"
Halystaru nodded. "Fxeni is ravaging Sandoria. The soldiers gave their lives to fight him, and now all remain dead, and the civilians...well, they're gone. I can't find a single one."
"You won't. At least, not yet."
"How's that?" the White Mage cocked her head questioningly.
"Fxeni has the power of insanity. He hasn't actually attempted it on you; White Mages are particularly resistant to its effects. However, no such hindrance held him back from the civilians." The Echo shrugged. "Insanity is a very powerful tool. It can corrupt the mind into misinterpreting evil from good; it removes the limitations of common sense, and destroys memories, beliefs, and previous references. You won't be so eager to find the civilians when they come to find you."
The White Mage nodded slowly, not entirely sure of what Xenif meant. Regardless, she readied herself as the rubble of the shed across the way was blasted into the stratosphere, revealing a very pissed looking Fxeni. He gave off a shining purple color, radiating a menacing radiance that Halystaru did not think was meant to show friendship.
It happened so quickly. Fxeni soared, spinning, into the air, and shot a dozen or so yellow balls aimed in the direction of Halystaru and Xenif. They screamed like banshees as the golden spheres shot towards the two fighters, until they came to a dead stop in mid-air, surrounding the two of them. Without any hesitation, the balls exploded in an eruption of fire, which spread like mini-nuclear explosions across the air. Xenif quickly reacted and hummed as he gestured, which summoned a bluish liquid to seep from between the cracks in the pavement, and spread across the entire body of Halystaru and said mage. After the strangely chilly, blue, blobbish material covered the two of them, it exploded outwards into a cage of frozen, blue ice, trapping the Echo and the White Mage in a small glacier. The fire immediately struck the ice, blasting it and hounding it with its heat, but the cold shield held against the strikes. Eventually the golden balls evaporated into nothing, whereupon the ice casing dissolved as well, leaving nothing but a wet puddle. Halystaru remained shocked; the entire scene had started and finished in the period of maybe ten seconds.
Fxeni was not finished. More stubborn than ever, he sent his scythe reeling towards the ground, until it struck with a ringing, metallic, 'Twang' into the ground, blade first. The earth began to shake and reel with the blow, until it split into pieces, throwing Halystaru to the ground. Xenif struggled to not topple over with Halystaru, and upon snapping his fingers, simple floated an inch or two off the ground, ignorant of its fits and cries. With another snap from the other hand, Halystaru floated aloft as well, and while the earth continued to cry and whine until it festered and melted into a pool of melted lava which arose from the deepest bowels of the earth. It soon cooled in the summer night's air, whereupon the two rebels fell back to solid ground, unhurt and none the worse. Xenif, seemingly bored, turned into the night sky and screamed at the offending Black Mage who was intent on killing them both.
"I don't recall being this stupid with my powers when I was one of your kind, Evil. You know just how easy it is to counter Black Magic with the right spell."
Even from the ground, Halystaru easily heard Fxeni's growl from midair: "You ignorant bastard. I would love to see you counter this Black Magic with one of your spells." His fist shook with rage as he continued. "You sought the civilians so heavily, Halystaru. Did you expect to find this?"
It grew quiet, and the three of them remained silent. Halystaru listened, hoping to hear over the fire in the background and her own breathing. Despite her attempts to search the area with her eyes to find anything, she neither found nor heard anything. Then, from the northern gates, came a moan.
At first, it was a single, quiet, crying voice. It did not actually speak words, simply cried out in a low voice. It spread to five or six voices, then erupted to fifty or so, and finally ended in a few thousand voices crying out as a single mind, screaming for some sort of restitution. Half in caution, half in fear of what she might see, Halystaru turned towards the northern gates. Peering back at her, thousands of eyes, all hungry and desolate, were staring at her. The civilians of Sandoria, children, young men and woman, thousands of Elvaans had all grouped at the northern gate and now walked towards the White Mage and Echo. They did not appear hurt, but many of them were equipped with weapons or clubs, and instead of walking with the normal, proud Elvaan strut, they dragged their feet lazily as they shifted toward Halystaru.
Halystaru gasped. "Like zombies..."
Xenif shook his head. "No. They are not dead, but they are not sane. Fxeni, in a way, commands them, and they now see us as the bad guy. Normally we could fight them very easily, but we cannot kill innocents. They see no reason to keep them from doing the same to us."
Fxeni crossed his arms in a proud, vain gesture. "The 'Proud' Elvaans are nothing but boggling idiots who now seek to kill their only allies. You two. Interesting that I would have no problem killing them all, yet, your conscience doesn't allow that, does it?" He laughed. "I'll even give you a head start. Run."
Xenif grabbed Halystaru's hand and dragged her along the streets, away from the lost minds and Evil, where the two of them ducked into a one of the small watchtowers untouched by the flames of the city. Halystaru shut the door quietly out of self-habit, then prodded over and up the tower to the top. There, Xenif padded his foot impatiently as he closed his eyes and thought. Halystaru remained silent and watched him think, but thought about Celos and Fupac and the others, wondering if they were alright. From time to time a light moan emanated from the window near the tower entrance, but no Elvaan set foot in the tower. It was a long, dark, bleak half hour until Xenif spoke.
"Judgment. Do you still have enough energy to perform a Benediction, Halystaru?" She nodded. "Benediction has cleansing as well as healing powers. It can remove the taint from the mind, as long as it is given the chance to do so..." His voiced trailed off, but it required no explanation.
At the moment, voices started to grow outside of the window of the tower, and the door in the entrance began to shake. It trembled and was finally beaten into splinters by several hundred fists, until an army of Elvaan entered the room. Xenif reacted quickly, shoved Truth into Halystaru's hands, and then jumped into the mass of attackers, intent on keeping them from the mirror and the White Mage.
Bleeding, bruised, and cut in several places, Xenif was held in front of Fxeni like a sacrifice. The floating Taru was pleased, and seemed even happier to see that Halystaru, too, was held before him, although she was unhurt.
"Bastard..." Xenif mumbled. Fxeni took little to no notice, but instead spoke to Halystaru.
"Looks like I didn't even need to kill you myself. Not only did the not-so- proud Elvaans bring you to me, but they'll be the ones tearing you limb from limb as well." Xenif gave a small twitch in the arms of the two Elvaans holding him, but did not speak. Fxeni did not make any gesture to suggest an action that would condemn Xenif to death, but eventually the Pale Taru stroked his chin stared at Xenif, then shook his head.
"I have a better idea. Let him down." The Elvaans let the Echo fall from their hands to the ground, where he crumpled in a heap. Fxeni waited until Xenif looked back up at him, and then pointed at Halystaru. "Kill her."
Xenif looked slightly surprised. "Wha...?"
The floating Black Mage's voice grew more focused and serene. "It's pretty simple, either kill her or I kill you."
Xenif shook his head. "I refuse."
Fxeni laughed. "I have an army of Elvaans at my disposal. What makes you think your life is more worth than theirs? In other words, for every resistance you make, I will kill one more civilian." He waved his arms at the entire plaza filled with the civilians.
Xenif spit on the ground in front of him. "You son of--" He stopped when he saw Fxeni raise a hand towards a nearby, blonde, Elvaan child, fingers glowing menacingly. Feeling defeated and angry, he turned to Halystaru and frowned. The White Mage briefly recognized a wink, but it was gone before she could reconcile it. Before she could understand the meaning of the gesture, the Echo had sent a small blast of pure magic aimed right for the small White Mage Taru with the mirror.
She reacted quickly and without thinking. The realization of the hints Xenif had given her hit home, and she lifted Truth from beside her and stuck it out in front like a shield, angling it for recoil into the air. When the sphere of magic reached her, the mirror took the blow and shot the magic back at an angle like a rubber ball, aimed directly at the Pale Warrior floating in the sky. Unaware and feeling far too cocky to expect foul play, the small Taru clad in black armor and wielding a black scythe was hit full force with the blast, sending him rolling all over himself. Haly jumped forward into the midst of the Elvaans and concentrated while Xenif prepared some ancient spell, and at the same instant that Xenif hit Fxeni with a spell of Flare, Halystaru called to the heavens for benediction.
Even from miles away, one could easily see the force of the two incantations. The sky was lit with a lovely, warm, white shine which healed Xenif and Halystaru to perfect health and brought the Elvaans back to sanity, releasing them from a false reality they didn't even know they were experiencing. Meanwhile, still stunned by the force of the magic and the sudden ambush, Fxeni had no time to react to Xenif's flare, which caused the sky to explode in a display of fireworks, which seared Evil to the core. Drained of all energy and strength, the Echo fell to the ground on his hands on knees, heaving for air. Knowing it would take more than that to finish off Fxeni, Halystaru summoned all her heavenly might into a spell of banishment, and sent it directed at the Black Mage in the sky.
The final holy spell finished the job. Fxeni howled in anger and frustration, and then started to shine a light yellow color. He lit up the night sky with his glow, until he became an artificial sun. Xenif, still heaving, turned his head to the clueless Elvaans milling around, and screamed at the top of his lungs for them all to run. Not one to argue with their city burning and magic exploding in the sky, the Elvaans quickly dispersed, and the plaza was soon empty save the Echo and Halystaru. In a final act before it lost control, the Evil controlling Fxeni gripped the scythe and heaved it at the ground, where it connected with Truth and sent the mirror shattering into a million pieces. With this final act completed, Fxeni fell from his perch in the air, and half of Sandoria was engulfed in a piercing light.
In the distance, a small wyvern, perched on the branch of a tree, smiled.
"We win." It said
When Halystaru came to, she found herself looking at Fxeni, who was now unconscious and breathing heavily, and at the Echo, who now breathed harder then ever. He was fading, no longer solid, but when he spoke, his voice seemed more solid than ever before.
"500 years ago, I became estranged in a fight I didn't even know I was getting into. Evil took my body and forced me to kill over, and over, and over. I was a merciless puppet, my fingers following an invisible string. Despite the silence, the horrible anguish and the fact that I was unwilling victim playing murder, the greatest punishment of all was time."
"While I remained immortal, totally immune to any mortal binds of old age and deterioration, my family grew old, my children became parents, then grandparents, and finally perished. Then their children grew old as well and soon died along with the others. That cycle continued, one generation after another, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. Yet here I was, stuck right next to my good friends with the same exact thing happening to their families. Never again did we see anyone we knew, never again would we. Eventually, it got to me, and I soon realized the fact that I didn't care who I killed anymore. People would come and die to the five of us, and I did not care."
"People die for a reason. It is to avoid this inevitable realization, which only comes from time. Can you imagine, Halystaru, watching from hundreds of miles away, your family wither into dust and leave people you have never even seen before? I SAW my child go to my supposed funeral. I SAW my son get married without me to wish him luck. And I SAW my son pass away in his sleep...of old age. I did not wish to live; I did not wish to be freed. I wanted to die, and yet when I did, I still wasn't allowed to rest. I was forced, along with the other four, to return to make penance for a crime we did not commit."
"Now, after all five of us have been killed, and return even in death, we fought our hardest against Evil, which made us so very cold and bitter against life. And we still lost, yet we have 'redeemed' ourselves? Truth is gone, the girl is taken. I am supposed to rest with this upon my conscience?"
"Nothing will ever change, Halystaru. After 500 years, all the things that life envisions, living, love, trust, friendship, all of the ideals wither into dust. But something remains...something which isn't described by human words. Something a million times more complicated then love, more powerful then friendship, and greater than anything people can be construed as ideal."
"I...feel at peace. For the first time in 500 years, I am not angry, or sad, or bitter. Remember Halystaru, that even in the worst of times, even if Evil was to take this world and all would be lost, there is something beyond life, beyond death, beyond love, beyond truth, beyond good and evil, that will always be with us. Because even now, I hear them..."
Somewhere in the ruins of Jeuno, underneath a rock left from the rubbage of a wall, a small glow formed out of the darkness, and floated slowly into the sky.
In the Crawler's Nest, a tiny light emanated in the darkness from a jeweled sword, which glittered in the cave, and rose towards the heavens through a small crack in the ceiling.
Meanwhile, in a small cave in Valkrum Dunes, a piece of sand sparkled in the moonlight, which then melted into a sphere of rolling gold. It rolled out of the alcove, and jumped into the air happily, then drifted towards the beautiful stars above.
Deep within the darkest reaches of Jugner Forest, beneath a tall oak, something glittered in the grass, lighting up a small clearing where an Elvaan lay breathing softly. The glitter swung upwards towards the top of the tree, and then continued upwards into the night.
Meanwhile, a small, blonde Taru stood on the pavement in Sandoria in front of a White Mage. The Taru smiled, and sighed, then glowed golden and evaporated into a shimmering form. The form swirled in the air for a moment, and then soared upwards, as if seeking something. The White Mage stared at the form until it disappeared from her sight.
Halystaru did not smile nor did she frown. Her focus had switched from the Echo's sudden departure to the black scythe impaling the ground a few feet away. It was twitching like a sick child; almost gleeful of its destruction of Truth, yet that wasn't what held the White Mage's eye. Halystaru slowly walked toward the scythe, staring at the runes on its curving form, which were now glowing yellow. As the Taru got close, she realized the runes were actually words written in an odd text; a riddle that ran the length of the entire weapon. Halystaru cocked her head aside at an angle, and read the words aloud to no one in particular.
"When dark recalls all it has to offer,
renewing the object it once held,
The greatest power shall be found in the smallest possible voice,
The six shall stand against the five when one is felled,
But victory means death and losing means destruction;
all decided by the sister's choice."
Celos eyes shot open and she hopped to her feet. Her new armor was tight, and heavy, but very fitting. She looked up at the trees in the darkness and smiled, then walked over and picked up the dark, black, blades next to Marzinquan. She put them gently back into Marzinquan's hands, and then headed for the exit of the forest, intent on reaching Valkrum dunes. Behind her, the night grew even darker as the swords emanated a dark glow that swallowed Marzinquan, leaving Celos giggling. Near the exit of the forest, she walked by a small puddle of water left by the rain, where she saw a reflection of a Pale Elvaan clad in black armor walking by with a bright, but fading flicker in her eyes.
End
Book One