The field was open and cold, yet mad with heated battle. The eight friends were strongly fighting, trying to outwit the horrible child trying to stop them. Their power united, they used everything to battle.
All of them were there for the battle. Each had sweat coating their faces, their arms and legs twitching with expectation of another attack. The weapons glistened in the light of spells and the glowing moon, the only thing left that kept the world in order. There was no way to leave the battle, only finishing the horrid boy on the other side and finally finishing the adventure, then able to be free. Yes, to finally be free from adventure and able to calm in ecstasy.
Regal ran up to the monstrous child, his blue hair flowing behind him as he flew forward, his greaves glinting against the moon and smacked into the ground before the mighty Mithos. A shock of earth flowed into the child, causing him to jump back, and then immediately cast a deadly spell directly on the attacking man. Large, shining rays grew around him, encompassing his entire body as he turned madly to run away. He couldn't. Regal was trapped in the light, and then, turning back to the party, the lights erupted around him, making him blind. Holding his chained hand up to his face, trying to hide from the hard light, he completely blanked out. He gave one last spin on his heels, then fell, sprawled on the ground. When the light had vanished, Mithos smiled at the body and then turned to the seven others left to kill.
The small pink-haired girl screamed with pain. She had never forgiven the man that just died before her. "Regal…I'm…" she tried, but could not continue. Her axe clutched tightly in hand, she stared angrily at the mad boy and then ran toward him, thrusting her huge axe around her body and finally reaching the child and spinning with all her strength to cut and throw the horrible half-elf.
Raine yelled at Presea to stop, "No! He's starting another spell!" She madly attempted to cast a resurrection spell on the dead Regal, so brave. With wet eyes, she raised her staff high above her white head and screamed for the power of mana to bring forth the lost soul from purgatory. Suddenly, a stray child flew into her, stopping her spell with abrupt daze. "Are you alright?"
Presea nodded, shaking her head from the shock of the hit. Her axe had fallen on the other side of the pond, and she ran after it. Raine called after her, "Be careful, child!" The large, soulless eyes turned back to the healer. Her pink head nodded once, and then turned and ran back to the fallen axe.
A terrified scream emitted from deep within Colette's lungs, causing Lloyd to turn and run toward her, trying to save her from another heinous spell cast by the terrible Mithos. "Colette!" he called.
Trapped in blue rays of deep light, Colette looked back at the boy, her best friend. "Lloyd! Help!" She turned back to Mithos, yelling at him. "Now I'm mad!" She spun, hurling her chakrums at him in one last anguished try to halt his evil ways. They flew true, dashing Mithos and weakening the spell cast on herself.
Lloyd ran next to her, kneeling beside her as she fell, very much weakened from the hit. "Are…are you okay?"
"Yes! Just go and get him! Don't let me worry you!" She tried to stand, and managed with a little help from the swordsman. "Go!"
He turned and ran back to Mithos, flying over his head and slapping him with a sharp whip with both swords. "Ready for this?" he called out, thrusting his shoulder into the boy. "Beast!" The forceful knock took Mithos off his feet, and Zelos took the opportunity to shoot off a powerful spell.
"Grave!" he yelled, watching the jutting rocks stabbing at the fallen boy. "All right!" Then he turned back to the ground, readying another hit, but also thinking about saving the health of his comrades. Turning to Raine, he called to her through the turmoil of spell casting, "Help Sheena! She's trying to summon, but she's in a bad place!"
Raine nodded, her staff already eye level, glowing with healing magic. "Nurse! Help is on the way!"
The purple clad summoner closed her eyes, blocking out the noises of pain and screams of attacks to connect with one of her summon spirits. She felt a strong connection with Sylph, and the three wind goddesses appeared before her, holding the power of wind in their blades and shields. They smiled at her and then turned to Mithos, swinging and sending large gusts of wind his way, causing him to be brushed into Lloyd, who quickly swung, making Mithos gain extra damage from the wind gusts coming from the front.
Silent for almost too long, Genis completed his powerful meteor spell, crying for success while seeing the huge meteors smash into the ground, many missing the mark. One hit, sending both Mithos and Lloyd far off, away from the seven fighters. Presea and Sheena flew into action, flinging themselves closer to the fallen boys.
Colette took up her chakrums and then stopped movement, a pink, floating aura surrounding her. She began to pray to Martel for strength and help with her spell. With an invisible harp, she began to play a no coherent tune and then opened her eyes. "Angel feathers!" she said, seeing the glowing pink rings and feathers shoot forth into the enemy, past the running Sheena and Presea.
Mithos stood, taking in the pink flurry and yelling at them angrily. "Why can't you understand?" He quickly cast two judgment spells, and the light droplets shot at random fighters, striking Raine, Zelos, and Genis. The three spell casters fell, but Raine tried to take to her feet again. Colette ran to her aid and helped her up, asking if she could continue. She nodded, raising her staff to her eyes once again.
"Just tell Sheena to help with Regal. Tell her to use purgatory seal, and I'll heal him."
Trying to smile, Colette nodded. "Of course." She floated up to Sheena, dodging a few rays of light droplets and found Sheena. "Help Raine with Regal! I'll try to halt his spells."
Sheena stopped running, saying, "Well…okay, but be careful." Without a second to stop action, she turned and flew toward the still body of Regal. His chained arms were still around his head, and she couldn't help but stare at the faint look of pride in his face. "Purgatory seal!" she cried after a short silence, gaining power.
Almost immediately after her spell, Raine yelled forth into the darkness, "Grant us a breath of life! Revitalize!" A blue figment grew over the ground, and each fighter felt renewed and filled with extra vigor.
The blue-haired man stood, brushing off his greaves. "Thank you."
Sheena pushed back some stray hair. "Nothing to it. Come on. Let's get this guy." She pivoted on her heel and ran quickly at the child, his wings being trampled by Presea's large axe. As the summoner ran, her pink tassels flowed behind her, sending waves of her scent after her.
Lagging behind, Regal jogged up to the others, planning a large combo that should stun Mithos, allowing for an onslaught of spells and melee clips. With a grin to himself, he ran faster and took his place next to Presea.
The little girl glanced at the tall, broad man and smiled, swinging her axe for a smashing move to throw the enemy past her small frame. "Sorry," she said, masking it while she used her might to hurl her powerful hits on the enemy.
Smiling and throwing his legs at Mithos, he said, "No time for that." And after a silence, other than the smashing noises of hitting attacks, he said quietly. "Thank you."
With a slight upturn of her mouth corners, Presea halted her swinging for just a second. That miniscule halt allowed Mithos to throw her back from him. She spun out to the middle of the pond, her axe dropped and still near Mithos. She yelled with a pitiful cry and landed in the wet pond, still for just a second before throwing herself back to a standing position and running toward her axe yet again.
Her actions were cut short by another strong spell. Blue streaks of light poured over her, and she gave one look up, seeing the wretched sight of darkness closing in on her. She tried not to scream, and managed to remain silent until the shockwave of blue washed over her, making her collapse. A small squeak left her mouth, and she crumpled to the ground, no longer moving.
Seeing the awful scene, Genis stopped his current spell and stood motionless. After a long halt, he heard the horrid screeches of Mithos laughing, and shivers racked his spine. "For you, Presea," he whispered, and then shot bolts of lightning at the laughing boy. Each hit more powerfully than the last, but his laughs only increased.
Suddenly, a huge orb surrounded the boy, and he floated upward with evil glances at each fighter. "Don't you see? This is all in vain. I cannot be stopped. Now you'll pay!" He sent out shining orbs from his hands, seven in all, each thrown at a different fighter.
Sheena tried to jump out of the way, performing a back flip and hurling three of her spelled cards at him in retaliation. Her flip did not halt the orb, and she crashed onto her head, falling limp with her legs over her face.
Lloyd raised his swords in a defensive stance, bracing himself for the strike, but to no avail. The shocking orb blew up on his blade, and flew around him, causing him to drop one sword and fall onto the other. He cracked his spine in his tossing fall, and yelled out in pain.
Watching the shining light orb, Colette threw one chakrum at the boy, but he caught it with a fist. He threw it at the ground, and she saw her weapon crash into the earth, burying itself in the cold dirt. She gawked at her loss and then was thrown back by the orb, blinded by the light and pained from the strong thrust. "How?" she cried.
With his blue hair flinging madly behind him, he attempted to kick at the orb, sending it nowhere, but having it smash his leg back toward him, cracking it out of its socket and causing him to fall over, silent from the major pain caused. Regal writhed on the ground, trying to move himself from on top his broken leg.
In the back of the party, Raine tried to counter the light orb with a light spell of her own, sending a powerful photon attack at it, but her attempt also failed and she was sent sprawling back, her staff dangerously close to leaving her grip. She landed hard on the ground and tried to stand with aid from her staff.
Genis encountered the same problem, having the orb smash into his head, and his head creaked completely around, his body too slow to keep up, and his body crashed to the ground, completely still, his face smothered in the dirt.
Trying to reflect the orb with his strong shield, Zelos realized the failed results that would ensue, but still remained calm and kept his shield up to his face protectively. The shockwave and power emanating from the orb shook his entire body, and he fell over from the blast. His shield shattered, and the remains of the light shoved into his middle, forcing up spit that wetted his face and blotted his eyes.
Mithos laughed with a dark glee, smiling at his deed. Watching the pain he had wrought on the fighters, and with just one attack, had caused him to want to stay, just to see more pain. Martel would have to wait now. With a thrust of his head, Mithos powered up yet another spell, one that would send deadly waves into the bodies of all of them.
Stirring slowly from the hard ground, Raine tried to stand and used her staff for support. Looking around her at the dying children, she knew what she had to do. But then she noticed her brother lying beside her, his head practically off, swimming in blood. With tears falling from her eyes, she took her staff strongly in both hands and planted it firmly in the ground, using all mana in her body to power her next spell.
With cloudy vision, Lloyd raised himself on an elbow, trying to dislodge the sword sticking out of his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the sword from his shaking shoulder, closing his eyes to the pouring blood. "I…won't let you get away with this!" he screamed. Forcing his head upward, he screamed even louder at Mithos. "You bastard! I won't let you kill my friends! Do you hear me?" His eyes rolled back in his head. He then fell to the ground, his soaked sword beside his empty fist.
"Lloyd!" Colette yelled, pulling her lone chakrum up from the ground and standing defiantly upwards. She locked her eyes on the one enemy she wanted dead. "I've never felt this before…but…I hate you!" She grew stronger by saying it, so she repeated it, over and over, growing with every word.
Still squirming from his broken leg, Regal shot horrid glances at his foe and then fumbled himself onto his side, getting his hands set for one of his most powerful hits he had ever learned. He spoke softly to his love, "I'm sorry Alicia. But I know you'll forgive me. I have to do this. Now."
Glazed over and totally inept, Sheena tried to acknowledge what was happening. All she realized was the throbbing pain emanating from her head, and the wet spots in her hair. Pushing her legs away from her head, she let them fall down to the ground, sending small tidal waves of dust into the air. Trying to move her head, she began to convulse, sending tremors in the dirt. She stopped moving after a while, completely motionless. One painful tear slipped down her face.
Wiping his face with one pink-clad arm, Zelos gasped at his shattered shield and then turned to the glowing, floating half-elf that had done the damage to his special gifts. Surveying the field and seeing his lost friends, along with the tortured live ones, he grew angry, his face matching his red hair. "You may have killed my friends, but you will not kill our power!" Using his blade as a firearm, Zelos pointed it at the child and a slash of silver light flew out the tip, straight for him.
"You can't stop me!" the boy yelled, sending out scattered stars at Zelos. The silver streak of power struck the foe, causing a slight disturbance, but nothing brutal. Mithos simply closed his eyes and then continued with his spell, undaunted.
Staring down the projectiles, the mini-healer tried to jump and also block as many as he could with his blade, but only dodged less than half. The others flew into and around his body, shaking his whole figure and tearing at his flesh. His head snapped back, and he flew backward and into the ground, still having stars rush at him. With his last gurgling breaths, he uttered, "Damn…seem to have failed you guys again…." Slowly, and stills seeing the sharp streaks of stars searing the sky, he left life, dropping his dagger to the ground and sighing.
Rushing toward her fellow angel, Colette expanded her wings, their lovely brightness heating the immediate surroundings. Their purple glow glinted through the moonlight and illuminated Colette's blonde hair, making her appear so evil, the hot colors of purple shining into her face and showing her angry eyes writhe with fury and tears. "I hate you!" she screamed, so loudly that it hurt her throat. She screamed with such fierce pain that her body shook with apparent power. Suddenly, she floated upward, past the battlefield, and even the moon. Her glow could barely be seen from the dusty field. "What's happening?" she wondered, feeling the power flow through her.
With hands at the ready, Regal took the pain from his wounds and transported it into his weapons. "I can't do it! I can't kill with my hands!" he yelled at himself, feeling the weight of his sin crash into him. His hands, so strong to begin with, had diminished into a crumpled ball. Regal tried to refrain from crying, but could not restrain the few solitary tears that fell to his useless hands. "Why?" With renewed vigor, he attempted to fight his way on his feet. He managed, after a short struggle, to prop himself on a knee, but could not make himself stand on his one working leg. He glanced at his hurt leg, and grimaced at the sight of sleek blood covering his greaves. "Oh…damn…" he said, falling back on his face.
Mithos let loose his spell, sending out frightening quick bolts of lightning that struck at such a speed, it wasn't possible to see just one for more than a second. These bolts shattered the ground, forcing Regal onto his back and cracking his leg farther behind him. As the deadly bolts grew closer to the master healer, Regal rolled himself into a better position.
"No!" he screamed, sending out a guardian spell to the healer. A green sphere enveloped her as she continued to power up her spell, oblivious to the occurrences around her. The lightning landed around her, and the few that hit on the sphere were shot away in every which direction. Regal fell back onto his back, his eyes closed. "I can't…go on." With a final sigh, he died.
Her wings closed around her and gave her warm shivers of feathery softness. They sparkled with purple glitter, and their protective shell saved the shaking girl from the insane bolts. With a sharp hug, the wings let Colette free, and she floated back to the casting Mithos. "I know what to do," she said to her power. Turning toward Mithos, she nodded and was then shot straight at him, her wings menacingly open. They even appeared to have their own eyes that glared at the boy with true hatred. Mithos turned to see the wings cover his eyes and then felt their warm embrace all over his body. The warmth was short lived, and sharp, pointy feathers coursed through him.
He screamed, trying to break out of the clutches of the wings, but he could not. The boy could not move at all, although he tried to hit Colette with all his might. Colette had seemed to have lost consciousness and her head hanged limply in front of her, as did her arms and legs. Disregarding the feathers, Mithos laughed, still victorious. One large, sparkling feather threw itself over his mouth, and his laughter was cut short, followed closely by muffled screams.
Raine felt weak. Her entire body shook with the spell, and she was pale and seemed very tired. Raising her staff as high as she could, she cried out in a tiny voice, "Ready! Release your fury and bring what is evil to its end!" The tip of her staff glowed with the powerful magic, and the gorgeous rays of color flew around everything. The rays formed many beautiful things, each more so than the last. Also, each had a more powerful blow added to the destruction of Mithos. Raine managed to watch the pretty creatures she had brought to life. But she brought them to life at the cost of her own. With a slight smile, she crumpled into herself, sprawled on the ground. Her staff followed.
Enshrouded with the slicing wings, Mithos was unaware of the power beyond. He was surprised to have the pain rush through his body much stronger than the wing blades. Each creature threw itself at Mithos, exploded with power, and then managed to recreate itself as a more powerful beast. Mithos cried with the horrendous pain, and his tears were accompanied by wails of fury. He tried to force his way out more than before, but still to no avail. The blood began to streak the inside of the wings, and some covered Colette, who had no knowledge of what occurred. "How the hell did this happen? I thought--!" he yelled, beginning to lose his life. "Martel…I'm sorry…."
Suddenly, the creatures disappeared, their job done, as did the wretched wings. Colette stirred and noticed the fallen body of Mithos. "How?" she wondered out loud, but found herself too weak to function herself. "This is what she wanted," she whispered on her descent. She let herself go and crashed into the ground in a dead heap of feathers.
The field laid out in a bloody splendor of battle, and each fighter down in their own motionless mounds. Everyone was gone, but still the mission was completed. Goodbye, friends.