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Chapter 20: The Final Three

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Dark cursed himself mentally for his rash behavior as he found himself lost in the thick of the darkness that he had wandered into. Looking around himself impatiently, he found no more than what was already surrounding him.

"Ah, this isn't any fun," he grumbled to himself unconsciously, "how the hell am I supposed to find anything in this kinda setting..."

His hands touched the broach he'd collected from before, and instantly shot up.

"That's it!"

He held out the broach, and, slowly, it began to glimmer softly in the center, emitting a gentle light that completely engulfed the area around them.

"Simple," he congratulated himself, "now... what have we here anyway, that makes it so special..."

As his eyes adjusted with the light, he noticed that there were people gathered together as they formed a tight circle around something or someone. Without another thought, he went towards them, making no attempt to mask the sound. His footsteps encountered soft ground, making a low 'thump'-ing type of noise, but as he expected, no one turned.

Now what's going on? he thought, when he finally reached the crowd, What are these people staring at anyway?

"We know that you have them in there! Let us in!" bellowed a low rumbling voice.

Dark stared up at the large building that they were teaming over, and recognised the stained-glass windows to show that it was some sort of cathedral.

"What the hell?" he mumbled, as the voices yelled in agreement, as they waved torches and sharp objects with an enthusiasm that didn't look right.

"If you don't force them out, then we'll burn it down!" called out a raspy voice, as everyone continued to agree. The rickety door creaked open slightly, and an old man stepped out. His face was unemotional as he regarded the crowd of people.

"You know as well as I do, children," he said softly, "that no one else remains in this church anymore than they use to."

"Don't give us that!" yelled an indignant voice, "We know they're in there!"

"If you will put down your weapons first, then I will allow you in," the Priest replied calmly, "and you will see, with your own eyes, that no one is here."

As the crowd flocked together to talk it over, Dark slid past them and entered the cathedral without disturbing the priest that stood in the way.

They were threatening to burn down something like this? he wondered, but who are they after...?

He stopped and stared at the two shadows, which stood at the pedestal. One was shorter than the other was, while the taller one seemed to be wearing a long robe of some sort.

As he edged towards them, he caught a flicker of red hair that was shown through the weak moonlight that seemed to push itself through the dusty windows.

"Celes... this is all my fault, isn't it?" whispered the shorter one, fear in the tone of voice, "it is because of what I possess that makes them fear me... but... they don't understand the Flame itself, if I'm to die..."

"Nonsense, Scarlet," replied Celes, who was robed from head to foot, "that will never happen. You can take care of yourself now, and your training is complete."

"So," the voice turned bitter, "from now on I will be living in captivity, forced to watch life come and go until my death. Is that what my life has become?"

"Please do not see it that way," pleaded the Priestess, as Scarlet's voice echoed through the large room, "you have a great responsibility ahead of you. You cannot ignore such a fate."

"... I understand," came the response, "please go ahead of me. I... I will be right there."

Through the dim light, Celes gave the girl a long look before disappearing in a wisp of power, leaving with it a bleak silence that seemed leave a cold feeling with it.

Dark moved closer, using the broach's power to light the way ahead of him, as he approached Scarlet. She moved a hand over the pedestal, head bowed, and he noticed that her hair, unlike every other time he had seen her, was down up in a thick braid, and his mind tugged at a memory that reminded him of someone else.

"My life... all because of them," she whispered, as her voice cut sharply through the silence, "but I can't blame them... fate decided on it, didn't it?"

He moved swiftly around the large stone block so he could see Scarlet's face properly. Her eyes were half-closed as she looked down at the cold stone.

"They always say that the will of fate is what controls our lives," she said, as if she was speaking to someone, "but... it's because of that time is fading. I know it's that..."

"Oi," muttered Dark, in an attempt to catch her attention to no avail, "can you hear me?"

"... 'Niwa and Hikari blood,' that's what they always say," she continued, "and that's why I have to preserve the truth, until the time comes. Celes... why are you forcing this on me?"

She turned as the sound of approaching footsteps and touched the table lightly, and, in a whirl of pure black energy, she was sent away, leaving no mark of her being there.

"Do you see?" asked the priest's voice, "There is no one here..."

There were shouts of outrage, but Dark's attention was elsewhere, as his eyes focused on the strange carvings that were on the pedestal. The marks were finely detailed, with small people, and feathers and buildings. But, as his mind focused more so, he saw that the town seemed to be in ruins, and the people were running.

"What the hell is this?" he muttered under his breath, touching the inscription lightly. Instantly, he was engulfed in a strong light, that whispered to him.

"Dark... Light... opposing elements, both..."

The world whiled around him, before stopping abruptly, and he looked around himself again.

"The cathedral again," he concluded.

He noticed that sunlight filled the entire room through clear glass, creating patterns on the floor.

So this was before everything, he concluded.

"Welcome, Black Wings," said a calm voice behind him. He turned around to face the speaker calmly, showing no sign of surprise.

"So you're one of the spirits, I expect," he said, grinning, "it's so nice to see someone using that name without the intention of trying to provoke me."

A girl was sitting on the pedestal, her silvery-white hair glimmering in the shaft of sun. Her eyes were a calm, light blue colour, and she wore a long white dress, that landed gracefully to her feet as she eyes the Thief thoughtfully.

"Yes, I am the supporting Flame of Light," she smiled, her radiance and power making Dark stare at her, "my name is Raine."

"So... why are you here?" asked Dark, as he moved up to her.

"I was sealed here many a year," she explained calmly, beckoning him to sit next to her, "by the Flame itself. The Time Keeper had nothing to do with it, so I don't blame her for my captivity. For you see, she has been the one captivated, and she was only trying to protect us from our fate."

"... Scarlet."

"Yes," Raine nodded, and let a hand gracefully point at the entrance to the cathedral, "you see, it is the blood that tied her to the Flame, and her mother is a beautiful singer. Look, here she comes."

Dark looked where she was pointing, and nearly fell off when he recognised the face.

"Gawd! She almost looks like Emiko!" he exclaimed.

"A Niwa," came the reply, "although over half the time the Niwa family only has one child, mainly a male, this time they had twins. She's the younger of the two."

He watched as she stepped up to the pedestal, the blood red hair tied gracefully behind her. Clasping her hands in front of her, she began to sing softly. Her voice rose up and filled the room with her voice, as Dark listened, captivated.

"You see?" asked Raine softly, as the woman finished, and made her way out of the cathedral, "The Niwa family were always talented in one way or another. Her gift was song and voice. She was always a strong one."

"But then... what happened?" Dark frowned slightly. She sighed, her power flickering unexpectedly.

"She... fell in love with a male Hikari," she explained, "but it was forbidden with both familes..."

Well, it's worse with two guys, he added, but remained silent as she continued.

"As you might have thought, they... had a child together," Raine looked up, "they were afraid of the child being killed for what she was, so they took her to Celes. The priestess adopted her as her sister, and... well, they never thought of the responsibility that would be placed on the child. She became the next in line of the Time Keepers."

"So, you're saying that the Time keepers are people who have both Niwa and Hikari blood in them," Dark said bluntly, "and that they're forever trapped, bound by the Flame itself, and can never escape, no matter how hard they try."

She nodded, "And that is why we have to help her now. If we can save the Flame now, then she may have another chance with her life. So, Dark, will you take me to my brother, the Flame of Darkness?"

"Well, that's why I'm here in the first place," he replied, giving her his most charming smile, "let's go."

Raine smiled, as her power was transferred into a transparent broach, and, as Dark took it, another portal opened. He entered, leaving the beauty, and the voice of the Niwa, behind him.

---

"Dark... Light... opposing elements, both..."

Krad frowned as the words echoed around him. He looked around him, noting the dead buildings and the scattered bodies of dead people. As he reached it's heart, he noticed that a boy say in mid-air, not caring about the destruction before and around him. Without looking up, he spoke to Krad.

"So... you are the one who hurt Elena?" he asked in a low voice, "The one known as the curse of the Hikari family?"

"And who are you?" came back the reply.

"I am the Supporting Flame of Darkness, Ryu," he looked up, his dark bangs sweeping over his blood-red eyes, "and you... you're the one I've been waiting for."

"Is that so?" Krad stopped moving forward, "And why wouod you be waiting for me?"

"Do you see the destruction around you?" Ryu waved a hand across the scenery, "Did you feel any pity for them? Did you even care who they were at first? I know, when I was forced here, I felt so much darkness in me..."

"So you were sealed here, like her," cut in Krad, and the boy nodded, not disturbed that he'd been interrupted.

"But not only that, the Flame itself separated me from my twin sister," a dark aura began to surround him, "and you may be able to reunite me with her."

"... if it's the only way," the blond decided, "fine. We should go. We only have a few hours left before the time runs out."

"Thank you," he nodded briefly, the aura around him flickering slightly as his power started to transform, "but... before you leave this world... please... see what really happened in this town... I think it is best that you know..."

Dark shadows began to flutter around, as if the dead were coming back to life, and, right in front of Krad, the scenery changed. In a few seconds, it turned into a small town, with children and people, but a dark shadow seemed to engulf them.

::What is this...:: he thought, as he pocketed the broach of Darkness, ::how did this town get destroyed...::

His question was answered sooner than he expected, as dark shadow started to tower over the entire town, throwing it into darkness. He heard screams and the sound of people running. As he stood there, he noticed that two shadows stood out more than usual. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Scarlet and Celes.

"Celes! This way!" called Scarlet, voice cutting through the screaming, "We have to stop this!"

"But... but Scarlet... I told you that we should not have come back!" puffed the priestess as she tried to keep up with the younger girl, "Now there is no escape!"

"Don't say that!" she shrieked, covering her ears as she continued to run, "MUM! DAD!"

As the blond watched silently, he saw the shadows engulfing the people who running, and the sound of the young girl's sobs as the power continued to grow.

::So... is this what happened,:: he told himself, as the broach glimmered in acknowledgement, ::but where did the power come from...?::

"No... everyone..." Scarlet fell, "why did this happen? Was my fate bound to the Flame so strongly that... that I can't change it at all... damn you... why..."

"Scarlet, we have to go," Celes whispered, "I have to perform the seal otherwise you will not be ready for when the time comes..."

"Everyone..." Scarlet held out her hands, and light glimmered around her, "Please... Spirit of Light, Raine... please... just return everything back to normal before this... Ryu... seal the darkness away once and for all... I beg of you..."

The two flames of power flickered, and the two spirits formed, nodding.

"Take care, Akane."

"We will do our best."

"Come, Scarlet," Celes insisted.

"..."

They disappeared, leaving the spirits on their own. They linked hands, as power flowed out of them, both black and white, as it swept over the entire area.

Slowly, the town returned to normal, and, Ryu nodded at the girl.

"I'll watch over this town from now on," he said, hugging her, "take care, Raine."

"Don't think we won't see each other again," she smiled, "I'll keep in touch, okay? Let's keep our hopes up."

"Yeah."

Slowly, the vision faded away, and was replaced with the destruction.

"... and that's what happened," Ryu explained sadly.

"So Scarlet is... 'Akane'..."

"When the Flame started to die, we were forced into this world and... the town was destroyed. Thankfully I managed to contact most people to leave the town, the Hikaris and Niwas included. Some refused to leave, and this was the result..."

Krad's face was blank, as he watched another portal open up to him, "Well, that is none of my concern."

He entered it, the sound of sobbing ringing in his ears.

---

Scarlet sat on the floor silently, regarding the small broach that bobbed in front of her. Her hair was streaked with dirt and her clothes were dusty as she watched it with blank eyes.

'Only an hour left...' she thought, 'but even with this one... it still isn't enough to satisfy the Flame... why me...'

"Time Keeper...?"

"Yes..."

"Please... take me to meet the rest of my fellow brothers and sisters. I don't like it here... and... don't worry. I'm sure we'll find a way out of here..."

She sniffed slightly as she got up. She dusted herself off and tied her hair back, "Okay."

She smiled at the child's face that had appeared in front of her as she took the broach, before she turned to the portal that appeared in front of her.

"Soon..." she whispered, "soon the truth will be revealed, and... fate will find out that it can't just control us. I hope you can show it... everyone... Dark, Krad, Niwa-kun, Hiwatari-kun..."

A gentle breeze blew as she left the area, as if acknowledging her words to heart. Her words swept over the dark that had settled over them.

"...soon fate will find out that it can't just control us..."

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