[dizzy]
(Dew): [fuming]
(Char): [fuming]
My skin feels all... scorched off...
(Dew): [British] That was from Agatio. Akachi sent him.
[Agatio is menacingly waving from outside the house, while waiting at the bus stop]
He commutes?
(Char): How else did you expect him to get here?
[rubbing head] Point taken... augh, I can't think... Dew, can you get me a headache pill?
(Dew): [British] Mmm...no. You deserve it.
(Char): How bad do you think his headache is?
(Dew): [British] Quite bad, I should presume. Midnight sent Crystal over while he was under the influence of 100 Pixie Stix... he was bouncing off that empty head for awhile.
I'm so glad this is almost over... would someone please get Crystal off the blinds? They're gonna fall...
(Char): Would you rather he be on something else? Like your head?
... just leave him. Let's get on with it.
Review Responses:
Fire Dragons: I agree. Dew is freaky. No djinn should ever have an accent. Ever. With the possible exception of Hail, because pirates rule.
Akachi: Why do you even give your muses bus passes? Maybe Agatio just swiped it...
Midnight C: Did you have to say "millenium"? I really want to give him back, now... At any rate, I'm glad you noticed a difference in the chapter. Now the only challenge is maintaining that level of quality, right?
Caster of Chaos: You... like having three cliffhangers in a chapter? Oooo-kay. I have some fans, then!
Alyss: Keep writing, indeed. Away we go!
I upped the rating to PG-13 because this chapter gets a little angsty. On the other hand, this is the last chapter of Light's Shadow, and it's loooooong. Enjoy!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You know, there's really nothing wrong with failure...
Mia slowly stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself limp on the ground, in what seemed an endless dark void. The voice seemed to come from everywhere, but at the same time, it came from nowhere, as though it was resounding from within her own soul, and yet resounding from a spot worlds away.
Of course, that doesn't exempt the fact that you failed. There's nothing really wrong with it, but you still did it, you know?
Mia slowly propped herself up and looked around, although, seeing how there was nothing to gaze upon but utter blackness, she might as well have kept her eyes shut. Feeling around her as best she could, she gasped to find that her staff was nowhere in sight (not that there was much to see). Moments later, she shuddered visibly (not that you could tell) at the realization that there were no sounds of Djinn in her head. Of course, she hadn't used the Djinn in ages, but it was still comforting to hear them sometimes.
I think the funniest thing about the whole ordeal is that you actually tried not to fail.
Mia clenched her fists tightly, and she gritted her teeth, staring around wildly. Her efforts were to no avail, again, as she couldn't see, and as far as she was concerned, the sound might as well be found in her as it would be around her.
Is it too dark for you, Mia? The Mercury Adept said nothing, but frowned and shifted into a defensive position, unmoving and prepared. Perhaps I should shed some light on you. What would you like to see, first? The void started to light up, and Mia squinted as her eyes slowly adjusted to the addition of light to her metaphoric prison. Do you remember... I wonder...
The void lightened even more, and Mia found herself face to face with her past self. Except it wasn't quite face to face. It was more like Mia looking at young Mia, on a windy night at Mercury Lighthouse, secure in the arms of Alex. Mia– the grown Mia– gasped and stepped back. With a tear threatening to sting her eye, she called up Mercury Psynergy and blasted the image with everything she could muster, but once the frost cleared and the dew fell, there was the image, eternally present, with her, young and impressionable as ever, leaning in slowly to kiss him.
It was a nice evening, was it not? Mia felt sick to her stomach, similar to the feeling she had atop Mars Lighthouse's mighty aerie, and she dropped to her knees, clutching it.
"How could I... ever..." she shut her eyes tight against the scene, hoping it to go away.
It did.
When next Mia opened her eyes, she didn't see the Mercury Lighthouse, but rather a very familiar scene. Was it familiar because it was recent, or because she had seen the event in her mind's eye every minute of every day, and recurring in every dream– or nightmare– she had experienced since? She certainly didn't know. She only knew she was familiar with this scene. This scene, in a Valean shop.
Of herself, pinned to the ground by mud that she couldn't quite pull free from, a butterfly in a net, helpless.
Of Isaac, and his body being cut and split open by shard after shard of ice, a valiant and ever-giving hero... or sacrifice.
And of Shalex, grinning evilly and cruelly, sending more and more ice at him, savoring the scent of death, a wraith poised for collection.
Isaac fell again, before her eyes. Again, she watched him die. She turned away, tears staining her cheeks for what felt far too many times in far too short a time. And when it was over, and Isaac was limp on the ground, and Shalex had flown away, it stopped. And everything dimmed again.
Did you enjoy that? Mia pounded her fist against the ground in fury, saying nothing. Perhaps not yet...
And then another scene came in, and Mia recoiled more, because she couldn't believe the horror again.
It was the same scene. Again, she watched Isaac die. And when it was over, the voice would offer some snide comment and again she'd watch it happen. Over and over, how many times, she couldn't tell, she didn't keep track, she just felt it wreak havoc with her soul, again and again.
How long did she sit there, collapsed on the ground? Hearing the same lines over and over? "Mia... I love you..." "Isaac!! I won't let you die!!" The other lines were all background and detail. That was what mattered. That was what she heard the most. Isaac, swearing his devotion. She, making her promise.
She, failing.
You... failed. Mia sniffled, and pounded her fist again. You failed... but I'll accept you, still. And though she should have recognized that voice, she just wasn't willing to accept the tormentor, wasn't willing to fight him now. She couldn't fight him now.
But then he appeared before her. And she didn't have a choice.
"Not now... not you..." she moaned. "Sha...lex..."
- - - - -
"Kill them," Loretta said simply, with her back to the pair of Adepts and her mind on other things already. The Fighters advanced. Was it wrong for them to kill helpless people for a living, some would wonder.
Well, it paid well.
Sean gritted his teeth, and gazed over at Feizhi. She was still breathing. She was unconscious, but breathing... there was still time! He, himself was still on the ground, stunned from the Plasma, but he could feel himself able to move again. He struggled to his feet as the Fighters advanced, and casually (albeit quite slowly and painfully) reached into his pocket. His hand closed around a jar and he drew it and splashed it over Feizhi, so the miraculous Water of Life would drip just into her mouth.
"Don't move," he groaned. "That'll take a minute to take full effect... don't push yourself yet." She gave him a weak smile, but didn't move.
"I'll forgo asking you where you got the Water... Right now, we still need to... defend ourselves," she said, but suddenly, through the power of Jupiter, she felt the waves of Sean's mind and found the master plan there.
"No... I need to defend you. I can already tell," he said. "My usefulness to you is soon over..." Feizhi opened her mouth to counter, but Sean was already cutting her off as she was being surrounded by Fighters. "Listen carefully. I'm the most useless one of the group, and I'm the weakest link, but if I do nothing..." he swallowed. "Look, I... I understand now. The boat, the carriage, it was me! I was... I was possessed, wasn't I?! Shalex kept that ability when he gained all of Alchemy's power..." He stepped left and barely dodged a stab from a Fighter, but couldn't help but take a slice to his right forearm. He stumbled to one knee and grunted. "All this time, you've all been in danger... and it's because I was so weak... to let myself be possessed... Augh!" he cried, as he was kicked to the ground brutally.
"No... more..." Sean growled. "No more will I put you in danger. No more will I be a hazard to the group. I will protect you like you hired me to, even at the cost of my life." And at that, with nary more a word, Sean gathered immense amounts of Psynergy to him, calling more than Feizhi had ever seen, much less imagined safe.
Feizhi's eyes snapped open as she felt a sudden familiarity in the Psynergy. "Sean, you can't!" Sean closed his eyes and nodded, succumbing under the sheer number of foes, but never ceasing in gathering power. "Without Djinn, it should be impossible! And it's surely not safe! You'll die!"
"I'll die either way!" he snapped. "But at least this way... this way I can pay you back... this way I can make up for my weakness... I'm sorry!" Fighters beat him down, but it was far too late... Sean was ready. "Hey, Loretta... try... deflecting... this! Thor's Hammer!"
At his command, the mighty spirit of Jupiter, Thor, descended from the heavens and swung his mighty gavel, beating the Fighters and the comparatively-defenseless Loretta over and over again with the full wrath of Jupiter. When the attack ceased, the ground was but a blemish in the earth, with slain Fighters laying around it.
And as Feizhi rose after the Water's effects took full power, she saw, in the centre of the crevice, Sean's limp body, not breathing, nor stirring in the least.
With tears staining her eyes, she called gusts of wind to blow dirt into the hole, filling it and creating a large grave. She found a piece of wood from nearby trees and used razor sharp wind to shave it into a suitable item to write on. Then she etched in it with rocks and Wind Psynergy very carefully, and placed it in the centre of the grave, a makeshift tombstone.
She said one prayer to Jupiter, then left the site to head for the Shrine where Ivan and Sheba had left to investigate, leaving behind a grave, which simply said:
Here lies Sean; the greatest among friends we could hope for.
May you find peace in new lands and journeys.
You shall never be forgotten.
- - - - -
"...mommy? ...mommy!" Sheba cried in a flurry of tears, chasing an unseen specter. Ivan chased after her, but every time he caught up to her, she simply pushed him away and ran further.
"Sheba, what are you doing?!" Ivan cried in a panic. He chased her, trying to stay a meter or two back so he wouldn't be pushed away, but still close enough to stay near her. He tried reaching her mind, but it was closed. Ivan was building himself into a huge panic. What was happening to her?!
"Mommy!!" Sheba cried even louder, chasing after the invisible apparition with a previously unreached fervor. "Why... why are you running?!"
"Kinda what I want to know!" Ivan quipped, though none could consciously hear him. And suddenly, Ivan saw... something! He didn't know how, maybe his bond with Sheba enabled him to she what she did, but he was grateful he could, regardless. A woman hovered before Sheba, leading her down the path away from the Shrine. She looked tan, as though she had lived in a Sol-harden area for many years.
And then everything hit Ivan. This was Sheba's adoptive mother! But why her and why now?
Suddenly Ivan saw something out of the corner of his eye. He caught a glimpse of a dark, swirling... something down the path. It looked as though it might be a gateway, or a doorway to something! And this ghost was leading Sheba right into it!
Ivan wasted no time in acting. "Whirlwind!" he cried, sending mad gusts of wind through the woman. The image started to distort, as though she was nothing more than a mere image made of fog. For a second, Sheba hesitated, but the image pulled itself together and led her onward. This gave Ivan an idea.
"Tornado!" he cried, ripping into the image even harder. Sheba stumbled and looked around for a moment, and seemed torn between regaining her senses and following her 'mother'. "Sheba, listen to me! It's a ruse! You're being tricked!"
"No!" she cried. "It's her! It has to be! I have a... a family here! Mother!" Ivan caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to prevent shaking her outright, but trying to snap her back to reality.
"It's a lie!" he burst. "It's a trick! I don't know why, or what for, but that can't be your mother! Do you understand me?!" Sheba closed her eyes and stalled long enough for a single tear to escape, then threw Ivan to the ground and ran onward. She was so close to the darkness now... five meters... then three... a few feet...! Ivan's heart stopped beating.
"Sheba!" Ivan cried out. "I love you... does that mean nothing to you, anymore?! Will you risk that on whatever's in there?!" Sheba paused. Standing at the threshold of the portal, she paused, and blinked. Blinked, as though she was seeing for the first time.
And slowly, took a step back.
Then she took two, and three. The image of her mother reached out to her, but Sheba called up Wind Psynergy of her own and blew it away. Both the image and the portal vaporized, like will-o-the-wisps in the wind.
"Oh... oh, Jupiter," Sheba moaned, dropping to her knees. Ivan cradled her gently and held her tight. "I'm sorry, Ivan... I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he reassured her, "I'm sure I would have done the same thing." Sheba frowned heavily.
"The past is... the past... how can it... affect me so much?" she asked, on the verge of a total breakdown at the thought of her actions. Ivan simply shook his head.
"The past is what makes you who you are, y'know?" he replied. "And if something affects that past, then it affects who you are. Changing your past will change you, no matter how much you think against it."
Sheba didn't answer for a long time. Then she leaned in and kissed him, and rested on his shoulder, saying nothing else.
Ivan didn't need another answer.
- - - - -
"What's wrong with little old me?" Shalex asked slyly. "Don't want to see me?" Mia barely stumbled to her feet, wracked with fatigue.
"What do you want...?" she gasped, panting ever so slightly, trying not to let her weariness sound in her nearly broken voice. Shalex smirked. He walked over to her and lifted her chin so she stared him in the eye.
"You."
He leaned in to kiss her, and Mia, using whatever remaining strength she should not have had, leapt back with every ounce of strength she could muster and completely slapped him right across the cheek. Shalex staggered, but did not move back. He instead turned his venomous gaze upon her and frowned.
"Why do you not accept it from me, but you would have from Isaac?" Shalex asked her. "After all, he and I are so very much alike." Mia trembled with rage, nearly foaming at the mouth from this comment. "But it's true, my dear Mia!" Shalex continued, his voice as silky as ever. "Why do you think we each had part of the Golden Sun in us? Because he and I were similar enough to control it!"
"No!" Mia cried. "Isaac was good and self-righteous... he accepted it to protect us! You just took the power for yourself... you just... manipulated us for it!" Shalex laughed louder than she could ever remember.
"I... manipulated you?!" he cried. "What do you think Isaac did?! He manipulated you from day one and you were too blind to see it!" Mia could take no more... she threw herself at Shalex, tackling him to the ground and covering him in a flurry of fists.
"How dare you ever say that about him?!" she cried.
"Because it's true," he countered. "He completely manipulated you!" he threw her back and rose again. "What do you think love is?!"
"What...?" Mia whispered.
"Romance, affection, love, call it whatever you want!" Shalex screamed at her, spittle flying from his mouth as he spoke. "They're all nice words for being manipulated. I did the same thing to you Isaac did, I just made it more obvious!"
"No... no, that's not true... Isaac lov-"
"He did not!!" Shalex exploded at her. "He used you! What is the one thing everyone wants, Mia?! To be happy and with a family. And what did Isaac want?! After all that adventuring, to be happy and with a family to call his own! And Isaac thought his father was dead (boo-hoo), and his mother was dying (boo-hoo), so of course he had to start a new family. And you were the only girl in his group to begin with as you trekked across Angara, so you were the only choice. Isaac just used you for his own security, so he didn't have to worry about living alone!"
"No... no... that can't..." Mia trailed off, drowning in her own disbelief and sorrow.
"And then," Shalex went on in his mighty tyrade, "he would always sweet-talk you, wouldn't he?! Telling you how beautiful you are, how you're the most beautiful girl on Weyard, wouldn't he?! Everyone does that to the person they 'love'!" he raged. "But it's not true! It's personal propaganda! It's utter manipulation to convince you that he will care about you more than anyone else. All that time, Mia, he lied to you. He used you!"
Mia lay on the floor, tears escaping her eyes, and slowly but surely sank deeper in despair. Could she have been lied to by... Isaac? Did he lie? Could he have?
Did he?
"Face it, Mia," Shalex laughed at her. "No one loves you." He moved closer to her, and put his hand down on her shoulder. She tried to move to shrug it off, but didn't have the strength. Besides, what was the point? "No one loves you, Mia. But I do. You know... you've seen my master plan, and now everything is perfect. I don't have any more reasons to lie to you.
"Just stay here with me, Mia. You can love me."
Could she? Mia pondered that when something suddenly sparkled nearby...
- - - - -
Garet slowly staggered to his feet. He shook his head to wake up a little (after all, those attacks of Shalex's could be downright brutal). Gasping, he dashed over to Jenna who lay unconscious on the ground and brushed a hand across her cheek. She slowly stirred. He ran back to rouse Picard and (reluctantly) Felix, as well.
"Are you okay?" Garet asked her once she was up. She held a hand to her head, then cast Cool Aura to refresh herself.
"I'm okay," she replied. "Is everyone...?" he nodded.
"They're okay. I haven't found Mia, though," Garet admitted worriedly. Picard stumbled to his feet and cheerfully (or as cheerfully as he could manage) walked over to them.
"I remember Diamond Dust, now!" he said positively.
"That's great," Felix said, rising and approaching while rubbing his head. "No one cares. Now if you remembered how to cast Ply..."
"Mia!" Jenna cried.
"...or if Mia remembered how to cast it..."
"No!" Jenna said, elbowing him. "It's Mia, over there!" she said, and pointed to where Mia's body was slumped on the ground. They ran over to her and propped her up. Mia was unconscious, and her eyes were fading from their normal aquamarine blue to a crimson red, back and forth, as though a battle was going on in her mind.
"I don't like the look of this," Picard muttered. "Not even a Wind Adept in sight."
"No, there are Wind Adepts in sight," Felix muttered grimly, "but they can't help us." He gestured over the battlefield, where hundreds of slain soldiers lay. The battle was long since over. The village behind them was burned to the ground, a lost cause.
"How long were we unconscious?" Garet wondered.
"Too long," Jenna muttered darkly. She sighed. "Just hang in there, Mia..."
- - - - -
"...no," Mia said, her eyes snapping open. She pulled away from Shalex, shrugging his hand off.
"No?"
"No. I just remembered something..." Mia said, looking at a sparkling object. It turned out to be a glittering diamond ring on her hand. "Isaac gave this to me... and he promised me that he would protect me always..."
"More manipulation! How naive are you?!" Shalex countered.
"No... because he said he would protect me for all time... even after one of us... after one of us died," she choked.
"That's manipulation. How can you protect someone if you're dead?! He could be secure his whole life and never have to keep up his end of the bargain."
"I don't think so," Mia muttered. "Right now... it's reminding me of who I am... of why I hate you... that's him, helping me... even after death."
Mia rose to her feet slowly and pushed him back, staring always at the ring. "He swore to protect me, and he is... and there's no reason for him to protect me, if you're right..."
Mia looked at the ring with a hardened expression, then said, "That's love, Sha... no."
"No?"
"No. I just remembered someth--"
"Stop doing that and say it!" Shalex complained, no longer appearing so smooth or cocky.
"You're not some demigod. If you were, you would have won by now. You're strong and powerful... but your abilities are finite as well," she said softly. "You're nothing more than a poor Adept who can't handle losing... named Alex." He writhed in rage, fuming at her.
"I am powerful! I am invincible."
"And you obviously can't get over yourself."
"I will never lose to you!" he shrieked. "If I cannot have you, then there is no reason for you to live! Die, bitch!" He leaped backwards and flung a stream of black Psynergy at her, that snaked around her and tried to strangle her, but she did not recoil.
Suddenly, a gleam in her ring flashed a burst of Psynergy out, that dispersed the darkness and counteracted the attack. When Mia opened her eyes from the flash, she found herself staring in a pair of blue eyes that weren't her own, but came accompanied by a blonde warrior wearing a yellow scarf and a sword in its scabbard.
"I... Is...." Mia choked, unable to speak.
"Isaac," he said gently, and smiling at her. They kissed slowly, and Alex boiled even more with rage. "Mia, thank you," he said once they'd finally drawn apart.
"For what?" she cried. "I let you down, you're dead because of me!"
"No," Isaac answered, shaking his head and brushing tears from her cheeks. "I'm dead because of him. You did everything you could.
"But most of all, you just proved that we were... and are... in love, Mia. That nothing, not even death, can break our bond. I would and have never manipulated you, Mia. I love you. That will never change."
Mia found herself choking back tears of joy as she kissed him again, and held him close.
"I have one last present for you, Mia," Isaac said. He drew his Sol Blade from its scabbard and gave it to her. Surprisingly, it felt like a light sword that Ivan was accustomed to using, and Mia found herself able to move it easily. "Here, in your mind, anything you want is possible. You can beat him here, Mia. Use the sword... use our sword, Mia. Strike him down for us." She nodded. Isaac kissed her one final time, whispered, "I love you,"and disappeared into the shadows.
Meanwhile, Alex was boiling with rage. With the Sword of Hilda in hand, he charged at Mia, screaming, "I will not allow myself to lose to you!" Mia rose the sword and charged back.
"Too late... you just did."
Metal echoed across the void as Mia and Alex fought tooth and nail. Mia ducked quickly under a lateral swipe, then countered with a vertical attack that grazed Alex's cheek, leaving a trail of blood. Alex kicked out and caught Mia in the stomach, then knocked her back and cried out, "Lose Hope!" while black strands of Psynergy whipped at her. The ring glowed a brilliant gold and the strands dissipated.
Without any words, the combatants lurched at each other again, both tired and running on nothing. Mia parried easily and wondered momentarily how she could fight with a sword so well, then realized it was Isaac's spirit guiding her from beyond the grave.
"You're strong, Alex," Mia said, deflecting a swipe meant for beheading, "but even you cannot defeat both of us!" She turned the deflection into a parry that put Alex off guard, and swung a devastating blow that tore into Alex's arm. He recoiled and lurched back, grasping it with his hand as he dropped the Sword of Hilda. Before he knew it, the Sol Blade was at his throat.
"I..." Mia gasped, "hate... you..." She lunged, and Alex disappeared from the void, and was ejected from her mind. She sighed in relief. She had done it.
"I guess now the only question is how I get out of here..." she wondered. Suddenly, a portal glowing gold appeared, and Mia found herself drawn to its familiar warmth. She had no doubt that she was waking up.
Her nightmare was over. Now she had to deal with real life.
- - - - -
"I love you, Mia..."
- - - - -
No one but Mia was totally sure was happened in her mind. Even she didn't know for certain, so she wasn't telling much. All the others could tell her is that as soon as her eyes became, and stayed, blue, a red light emanated from her body and Shalex (or Alex, as Mia would correct them) appeared on the ground beside her, quite injured. He flew off before anyone could say or do anything, but, as Garet put it, "He was busted up real bad."
Feizhi continued on her walk toward Ivan and Sheba. She arrived at the Shrine and noticed they weren't there. She decided to spend the night there and to determine a course of action in the morning. All she could think about at the moment was the fate of the courageous and self-righteous hero she had grown accustomed to traveling with.
Ivan and Sheba hid in undergrowth for the night to avoid Keunam Fighters. They planned to head back to the rendezvous point in the morning. For the moment, they enjoyed being in each other's company and being alive for another day.
As for Mia, herself, she would simply sigh at night, overlooking the vast plains of their new world, wishing she could go back to Weyard and wishing that Isaac would be there to take her in his arms again when she got back. But he wouldn't, and she knew that. But still, she could hope. If there were other worlds and realms out there, then why couldn't one place bring back her beloved? She would swear to herself that someday she would bring him back, but she probably never could.
It was nice to dream, though.
People used to call her an angel. Angels were beings of light. She certainly was no angel, that she knew.
However, there was something to what they said. She may not have been a being of light, but she did have a shadow of despair that lurked over her. And wherever a shadow must be, there must also be light to cast it, for the two are, and must be, eternally entwined.
Perhaps that is to be the fate of Mia. Perhaps she must spend the rest of her days searching for answers. Answers about her own darkness.
Answers to light's shadow.
- - - - -
(Char): I can't believe it's finally over!
(Dew): He even left room for a sequel!
(Char): A sequel?!
(Dew): ...crap.
Well, that's it for Light's Shadow. It's been a blast to write. So without further ado, let's wrap this one up.
Firstly, I want to thank all the reviewers: You guys are a huge inspiration to me, through and through, and I could not have finished this without you. Thank you!
Secondly, to two people in particular:
To Tetra Seleno: When I wrote Chapter 10, the first thing that reverberated in my mind was, "I don't think I'm giving enough parts to all the characters." And sure enough, you proved my fears by reviewing. As a result, I think the last 5 chapters here have all been very well balanced by characters. Thank you for that advice, as I was able to really take it to heart.
To Midnight C: The other thing that was reverberating in my mind the whole way through, particularly in and around chapters 8 or 9 onward, was, "I'm not describing enough," and you pointed that out after the last chapter and that made me realized that other people thought I wasn't describing enough. So here's the last chapter and it's about 9 pages, single-spaced. Hehe... you asked for it! Hopefully it's not just flat-out boring, eh?
Oh, and by the way? Thank you soooo much for sending Crystal over, I really enjoyed him. [note the extreme sarcasm!!]
And lastly, I want to thank everyone who's read this fic but didn't review and talked to me about it personally or online. Your comments have gone a long way in improving my ability and I thank you so much for them.
Well, the way I see it, there are two ways to take this, now... I can either leave it here as a wrap, and if you want to have the plot continued you can imagine it in your mind, or I can start writing a sequel to it. If you would like something one way or the other, please include it in a review and let me know, so I don't waste all your time with fics you don't want to see!
That's it for me, then. Until next time!
"Some things need to be believed to be seen."