Chapter 5
"Alright guys. There's no turning back now. We've come this far so lets finish it." Lloyd said resolutely. The group murmured their approval. Lloyd was the first to warp. The rest of them followed one by one.
There, standing at the center, stood Mithos.
But before they could do anything, another trap sprang up imprisoning everyone except for Zelos.
"Zelos! Hurry up and get us out of this thing!" Lloyd shouted, banging on the transparent prison walls.
To everyone's shock, Zelos shook his head.
"I wont be doing that anytime soon." Zelos muttered. He could not lift his head to meet their eyes.
"What the hell! W-what do you mean?" Lloyd yelled.
"It was I who set the trap." Zelos said, gritting his teeth.
Are you betraying us again? We forgave you and yet you have the nerve to do this?" Lloyd shouted, his voice overcome with rage.
Sheena felt like she was going to collapse. Was this really happening? Her dreams and thoughts shattered instantly in her mind. The prospect of having Zelos come to Mizuho was completely destroyed. Nothing could compare to the pain that tore at her heart.
"I'm sorry but this must happen." Zelos said through clenched teeth. "However, I will not allow you guys to be harmed. I have my reasons for doing this." Zelos spun around and faced Mithos.
"Mithos! Your fight is with me, one vs. one." Zelos growled.
"You had us trapped so you can fight him head to head?" Regal said irately. "Why couldn't you just tell us?"
"True, I could have told you. But if I were to die, I know that one of you would have stepped in." Zelos argued.
Mithos was pleased by his challenge.
"Very well. I'll accept your death wish. I will try to make it quick as possible and have you sent to oblivion." Mithos said expressing amusement.
"Mithos... You shall no longer live to carry on with your deceptive and foolish ways." Zelos asserted. "It ends here. The pain and suffering you have imposed on me and others will never fade. The only way I'll feel at ease is by your death. You will die by my sword."
"First fight, then talk, worthless traitor." Mithos snapped.
That sentence struck a nerve. Zelos pulled out The Last Fencer swiftly. Hatred and unrest glowing in his eyes.
Both Mithos and Zelos, at opposite ends of the platform, poised to fight.
Zelos, now assuming a battle stance, had something different about him. He had developed angel wings.
"This power you have given me as to be a member of Cruxis." Zelos said flapping his wings slightly. "Too bad I'm using it to kill you."
Zelos streaked towards Mithos. His movement speed had increased significantly. Zelos was no more than a rainbow blur.
"Whoa..." Lloyd said in amazement. "He seems more powerful than he used to be."
"The angel wings had probably added to his capabilities as a melee fighter." Regal lectured. "As Mithos relies more on powerful magic, Zelos emphasizes on close-combat fighting techniques. The angel wings must of benefited his physical attributes more so."
The rest of them could only watch in awe as the grand battle took place.
Zelos slashed right and left as Mithos eluded both attacks by staying just out of reach.
"Holy Lance!" Mithos shouted.
Zelos had jumped forward in order to stay out of the effected area. Now that Zelos was close enough he shot forward again kicking Mithos in the face. Recovering quickly, Mithos cast absolute just as Zelos landed. Zelos was blasted off his feet into the air. Using his wings to stabilize himself, Zelos flipped once facing him forward.
Following after him quickly, Mithos soared into the air. Zelos did not have time to react and was punched in the face. Mithos followed up his attack by casting ray to which Zelos quickly shielded himself with guardian.
Mithos paused for a second thinking that he had gotten Zelos. He was wrong. Zelos rushed forward and thrust his blade at him.
"Super Lighting blade!" Zelos yelled out. The blade had connected with Mithos and a bolt of lightning shot from the sky striking Mithos down. Mithos hit the ground with a dull thud.
Mithos grew angry as he quickly got up and dusted himself. He shot back into the sky after Zelos. They met each other with a forceful blow, both knocking each other back. They continued to charge at each other, moving in circles, rising higher and higher into the heavens.
The fight had protracted into a long and painful process. There was no clear winner. The battle yet remained indecisive for some time.
From below, everyone could still see the battle going on. Zelos' sword flashing in and out, Mithos' spells emitting rays of light. Occasional lightning strikes dotted the dark sky.
Up above, the battle continued with unwavering strength. Zelos dodged another holy lance. Rushing in, Zelos slashed at Mithos, delivering a large gash in his shoulder. As Zelos pulled back, Mithos cast indignation judgement.
Zelos was hit hard. He temporarily lost consciousness and started to fall back down to the earth. Before it was too late, Zelos broke his fall and shook the blurriness out of his head. Zelos fell to his knees and coughed up blood.
"Zelos!" Sheena screamed from behind the prison. The sight of Zelos dying was too much for her to bear. Tears stung her eyes. "Zelos get a hold of yourself!"
Zelos somewhat regained his composure and looked up. Mithos was diving towards him headfirst, a spell charged at his hands.
Worthless traitor...
The words rang in Zelos' head. Frustration and anger started to dig into him.
"No." Zelos said to himself. He opened his eyes and got back onto his feet. Holding out his sword, Zelos propelled himself back into the air again. Everybody held their breath as the two met.
An explosion rocked the platform back and forth. Smoke and dust rose everywhere. For a few seconds there was nothing but silence. The dust and smoke cleared. Mithos and Zelos were still poised in the air. Blood started to spatter the floor. Zelos had completely impaled Mithos through the stomach.
"Super Sonic Thrust..." Zelos growled, finishing his attack.
Mithos eyes were wide. He let out a small gasp as he fell to the floor.
Mithos couldn't properly aim the spell at its intended target since he never expected Zelos to charge him at the same time. The spell never connected. Zelos had only suffered half the damage from the blast.
On his knees, Mithos spat blood. Zelos flew down and stood in front of Mithos.
"It ends here... You have lost." Zelos commanded. "Give in now."
"Do you think that I would stop my plans and beg for forgiveness?" Mithos said mockingly.
"Your ambitions sacrifice too many lives." Zelos continued. "The chosen and her group is this dying worlds only hope."
"What the hell do you know..." Mithos smirked. "You waste of life..."
Those were Mithos' last words. Zelos brought the Last Fencer around swiftly, metal gleaming in the cold light. There was the sound of metal against flesh. Mithos fell foward, his head falling off completely. Mithos body dissipated into the air. His Cruxis crystal now floated before Zelos.
"May you be eternally damned to the fires of hell and your soul forever remain restless." Zelos whispered. He brought his sword down swiftly as the Cruxis crystal shattered into a thousand remnants.
With Mithos gone and the battle over, Zelos dropped the barricade around Lloyd and the others. They came running to him.
"Zelos are you okay?" Lloyd asked in a concerned voice. "That was one hell of a fight you put up out there."
"Yeah I'm fine." Zelos said calmly.
"Lloyd, Quickly!" Colette said pointing up. "The seed! Hurry dont let it get away!"
"Alright! I'm counting on you, Eternal Sword!"
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In the distance, the Great Tree stood once again. Its beauty and glory stood out from its background, the ruins of the tower. The tree situated tall and outshined everything else. Its stalks of green leaves projecting out from its healthy brown-reddish trunk.
Back on the ground, the group could see the great tree bloom. In the distance, Lloyd and Colette were already one their way back to them.
Zelos smiled to himself. What he had to do was done. The smile quickly faded as his thoughts caught up to him. Zelos turned and walked down the path back to the Rhaeirds.
"Hey where's Zelos?" Genis asked, making everybody turn around suddenly.
Zelos was no longer with them. The horrible reality of it struck Sheena. Zelos had come with them from Derris Kharlan but was no longer here. Sheena started to run down the only path back to the Rhaeirds.
Zelos was just about to mount his rhaeird when Sheena caught up with him.
"Why are you leaving so quickly?" Sheena asked, pausing Zelos' actions.
"What do you mean 'why'." Zelos responded. "Don't you remember that I betrayed you a second time?"
"Yeah but-"
"Who would ever want to see or talk to me after that?" Zelos continued.
"That's not true. I'm sure Lloyd and the others would give you a second chance." Sheena replied.
"I was already given a second chance." Zelos said looking away. "There's no third chance."
Sheena paused unsure of what to say.
"Zelos, don't you think you're taking it a little to hard on yourself?" Sheena suggested gripping his arm to prevent him from getting on the rhaeird. "I mean, I don't think what you did earlier was exactly a betrayal anyway."
"Huh? What do you mean."
"Sure you trapped us, but you didn't allow us to come to any harm. You did it for what you believed or had to do." Sheena maintained.
"Yeah I guess..."
"Believe me, Lloyd still cares about you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have asked if you were all right after that battle."
"..."
"As long as you know what you have done is wrong and you're sorry for it, then its no problem." Sheena said releasing his arm. "Trust me, there will always be a good heart in you."
"I guess you have me beat." Zelos said, his mouth twisting into a smile.
Sheena chuckled. Zelos had changed more than she had expected. Aside from no longer being a pervert, he was no longer arrogant as well. More importantly, he was serious. She was starting to like the "new" Zelos more and more.
"What would I do without you Sheena?" Zelos said softly, touching Sheena's cheek. "It is only because of your understanding that I can go on with my life."
"I could say the same about you." Sheena replied turning slightly red. She put her hand over his.
They looked deeply into each other. In the brief moment that they shared alone, they came close together and met in a long and passionate kiss. The fire and the burning that they felt for each other, erasing each others fears and pains. They were lost, only feeling the shattering sensation that ran through one anothers body and mind. The kiss they had before was nothing compared to this.
Their mouths parted slowly, regretfully. Sheena looked up into his eyes.
"By the way, didn't you say you were going to come back to Mizuho with me?" Sheena asked, smiling.
"Yeah, I haven't forgotten about that." Zelos returned, breaking out into a grin.
"C'mon, lets go back. The others are probably wondering why we're taking so long." Sheena said, pulling him a little bit.
Side by side, they walked up the path back to the group.
"All the darkness in the world, cannot put out the light of a single candle."
The End.
Authors Note: Well thats the end of my first fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed it. Feel free to read and review.