12) Betrayal
Chaos decided to skip ahead a month. "Nothing too important happened during that month. I lightened everyone's workload and told them to spend more time with their families. Oh and Remus was supposed to visit. At the end of that month, apparently his work got done faster than they estimated." In three lines he effectively described the calm before the storm.
Chaos was wandering again; he had spent most evenings that month wandering about the woods contemplating his next moves. He hadn't seen Bahamut since he dropped his men and him off at the Northern Borders. Nor had he seen any of the higher-ranking beasts for that matter. 'Hades must have them assembling his army' he thought to himself. He still had two weeks before the insurrection was to take place, and Remus had written to him a week back saying that the work at the temple was going faster than he originally thought, and he would be able to visit in roughly 8 days times. Tomorrow, Chas would go out to the dock and greet his friend. Remus would stay in the Northern Territory at a friend's home until his self predicted death sometime before spring or until the human population here was eradicated. Either way…
In his left hand Chaos was carrying an assortment of papers, construction contracts and long term civil works proposals that he would review later in the night. In the other hand he carried a bottle of scotch. Very early the next morning he would finish the bottle off with some of the dockworkers, as he used to do a month ago on occasion. Chaos wanted to sit down and talk to his men while trading shots, as some bland attempt to convince himself that somewhere in the back of his mind he had not already made a decision. To convince himself that he was still one of the 'good-guys'.
Choas was getting close to the dock. The dock was located on the coast (logically), and the city it self was 13 miles inland. There was a cobblestone road that led there. Chaos had a small cottage he had built many years back on the coast about 5 miles west from the dock and 10 miles south of the city. Chaos turned to his right he was on a small overhang on the coast. He could hear the waves crash up on the shore, and there was a beautiful full moon staring at him from the South. To his left he noticed the docks; they were unusually bright this night. 'No matter,' he thought to himself, 'I'll be there in a few minutes'. He just stared out into the moon stretching his arms, and twisting his neck. After a few friendly cracks from his neck he turned to continue his brisk walk, that's when he heard someone or something breaking through the undergrowth of the woods.
For a moment he just stopped and listened. He could hear it getting louder. 'There must be a few creatures or just one large one to be making such a racket.' Whatever it was it was coming straight at him. Chaos gently put the various papers down, and the bottle on top of it. He didn't want to risk smashing it. Then he just waited for whatever it was to emerge from the woods. Sure enough there were two of them, both human. The first was a male; he had his arm covering his face and was desperately running through the woods when he arrived at the clearing ahead of the overhang. Behind him he was clutching a woman's arm. She was crying and had one hand covering her stomach.
Chaos recognized him. "Jacks?"
Jacks was horrified. "Lord Chaos!"
Chaos looked at the frightened woman who was now hiding behind him, none other than Jacks's wife Lidia. "Lidia." Chaos said in greeting before turning back to Jacks. "Speak of the devil, I just finished reading your proposal for a rope suspension bridge at the Eastern Gorge. Normally I'd give you the go ahead for your resource requests, but I've had numerous requests for mining and logging projects on the other side of the gorge, so I would like you to expand your project if possible." Chaos leaned forward to papers from the ground.
Jacks did not have Chaos's night-vision and could not tell what was on the ground. Stepping in front of his wife, Jacks pulled out a large knife from his belt. "What are you doing!" he yelled.
Chaos looked up at him, and while carefully watching him retrieved the papers from the ground. "I was offering some criticism but I didn't think you'd take it so badly…"
Lidia was sobbing more than ever now. In one hand Jacks was holding a knife out towards Chaos, the other Lidia was clinging onto for dear life. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to upgrade your project from a one person rope suspension to a full fledged metal and stone bridge, but if the stress has gotten to you I can always have someone else take over…"
"You don't know what has happened…" Chaos shook his head in reply. "Beasts attacked the City, and not the crazy ones like Kain. They were organized. They just walked in. No one questioned it. There were so many. The wooden houses they burned down and killed the occupants as they exited. The non-flammable houses they ransacked. We barely made it out of the city limits." With his knife he pointed back towards the city. Chaos looked off into the distance. He couldn't see the city itself, the tree line covered it, but in above the trees he was an orange glow stretch into the sky. It was too dark to see the smoke.
"Chaos took a step towards the glowing light. "I don't understand, there was still time. Why is this happening."?
"Because we finished sealing the temple early." a voice called out. Chaos and Jacks both turned back towards the woods where a hooded figure emerged. All they could see of him were two glowing red eyes. Slowly he pulled his hood back to reveal his face. Jacks and Lidia grimaced at the old worn face. Chaos recognized him. Hades. "After the first three weeks, all we had left to finish were the inscription in the circle of purification. When that was done, the temple was quickly sealed and everyone went their way." Hades began to circle the group. "It's a shame Odin and Alexander left early. We could have killed them easily when they were aboard their ship and leaving the island."
Chaos was shocked beyond belief. "What do you mean as they were leaving the island?"
In a detached tone Hades replied, "Well after the last human vessel left the docks Neo and Zero Bahamut began bombarding them. It only took one or two shots to sink each vessel."
"Is there a chance of survivors?" Chaos asked.
Slightly saddened Hades said, "If there were, then Leviathan's legions would have killed them. While he refuses to kill the humans, he has nothing against sinking their vessels and swarming the wrecks. Presently he is tracking down the vessels that left early…" Chaos was stunned. Remus's ship was supposed to arrive the next day. In all likelihood it probably wouldn't make it across the ocean.
Jacks quietly backed away from Chaos and Hades and towards his wife. "You two can stay here and discuss this. If you'll excuse us, we have a ship to catch…"
In a stern voice Chaos replied, "I wouldn't do that." He took a few steps forwards to the ledge and looked out again towards the dock. 'It is unusually bright today.' "The dock is on fire." Lidia gasped. "Besides you're surrounded." As he said that the beasts that had concealed themselves during Hades arrival made their presence known. Bright eyes shone in the darkness and low throated growls echoed in the clearing.
"So what is left for us?" asked Jacks.
Hades opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Chaos. "Death."
"Nooo…" Lidia called out. Jacks held her close.
It was Hades's turn to speak. "I'm sorry. If it were up to me none of this would happen. But for my people's survival, this is what must be done. When you reach the life-stream ask it yourself why this had to be done. That is all I can tell you."
Jacks began his last conversation with his wife. "Lidia, I need you to know that I love you more than anything in this world. I'd never let anything happen to you…"
"I know." She shut her eyes and sank to her knees. "I just wish we could have seen our daughter come into the world."
"I still think it would have been a son. I'll see you and our child on the other side shortly." He said.
"Please hurry, I'm lost without you." Lidia closed her eyes and both her hands were wrapped protectively over her stomach.
'It must have happened recently.' Chaos thought to himself. 'She doesn't show any signs of pregnancy.'
"Don't worry my love, don't worry." Chaos turned his head a little to the side in order to see what happened next. In the blink of an eye Jacks had decapitates his wife. Her dead body had fallen to the ground and lay a few feet from her severed head. Jacks began walking towards Chaos. The bloodied long knife was still in his hands. The poor man was speechless. He made angry gestures to Chaos with his knife then began shaking it at his wife's body. He threw the knife into the ground and caught his breath before he began speaking again. Hades continued to watch the happenings from the edge of the clearing. "I have two requests. First, you bury my wife and myself side by side deep in the ground. Second, I want you, my lord Chaos to be my executioner." He enunciated lord in a mocking way.
Chaos turned fully to face him. "I…"
"You what? Can't kill me? It shouldn't be so hard. By standing by and doing nothing you've already killed so many of your people. You protected us for close to fifteen years. In an odd way it makes sense that you should be the one who finishes your citizens off. I want you to do it. I want you to realize that you are no different than any of these murderers.
Chaos locked eyes with him. Then placed his left hand on Jacks's right shoulder. In a slow movement he slid his hand up against his throat. Four of his fingers were wrapped around his neck, his thumb was touching the side of his chin on the opposite side of his fingers. In a stern voice Jacks made one final comment before his neck was snapped. "As a city we would have died protecting you no matter what happened, sad to think you never gave us the chance."
Silently Chaos dropped Jacks's body next to that of his wife. Then at that spot began digging their grave with his own two hands. Hades slowly made his way forward. "I have wronged you, and for that I am sorry. I came here behind your back and killed your city."
"He was right. I did betray my people. I let them-" But Chaos was cut off by Hades.
"I intentionally attacked when you were away from your city. I knew that if you saw any chance of saving them you'd jump at it. I came here first because I still need you. I need you to be their champion. My legions need a hero to rally behind." Chaos slowly moved off the side and gently placed the married couple and their unborn child in their grave. "I killed your people, and for that all I can do is offer my apologies. But I'll ask you again if you'll stand by and defend your kin."
Chaos locked eyes with Hades. "I'll join your army. And I'll fight. I'll be their hero. But I'll only fight those who would fight back. I'll leave the knife work of women and children to you." Chaos broke off their stare and looked back out to sea.
"They'll die painlessly, more than I can promise for the soldiers you'll come across." Hades smirked. "I'm glad we have you with us." Hades turned to leave the clearing. When he reached the edge he called out, "We leave tomorrow at day-break. You'll find our black ships where the forests meet the mountains on the western coast of this shoreline." Then he was gone.
Chaos took the paperwork he had been looking at and threw it over the edge. Some were caught and carried away by the wind, and some quickly sank down towards the sea. Then he took the bottle in hand and went back to his make shift home. There Yuffie Vincent and Chaos watched as he overturned furniture, scattered loose paper all about his home and eventually lit the entire things on fire. He only carried two things away from the blaze. One was a bottle of translucent brown shaded liquor, there was only a fourth of a bottle left. The other was his demon sword, a weapon of massive proportions that he hadn't unsheathed in nearly 150 years. Chaos then returned to Jacks's grave, he left the sword there as a tombstone, hopefully never to be used again.
Day would be breaking soon. Chaos took a quick sip from the bottle and poured the rest into the ocean. 'Maybe… just maybe… a diluted drop of that would filter its way to South Ocean, and maybe… just maybe… that drop would touch the lips of his best friend Remus whose ship was blown out from under him.
I thought the last chapter was kinda short and dry, so i decided to throw this in as well. Enjoy!