Okay, it's time for the next update. I really hope that everyone is enjoying this story so far. We're starting to get close to the end, but I can't say how many chapters are left. Well, I suppose I should get going on this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter and I hope that you enjoy.

Chapter 11: Strength Within Pt.1

Things were looking pretty bleak for the entire group as they faced their enemies. They weren't sure how long they could keep it up, but as things were going it wouldn't be much longer. Colette watched as her friends fought, wishing that there was something she could do.

"Please, someone help us," she whispered to anyone who was willing to answer her call.

"Just admit defeat already," Pronyma told the girl as Storm slowly and shakily got to her feet to face the half-elf once again. Storm was bruised and battered and swaggered a little before staring down the former cardinal.

"I won't," Storm replied defiantly as she pulled her sword at her again. Pronyma ran for her once again, easily dodging Storm's pathetic attempt to hit her, as she jumped to kick her in the stomach. Storm flew backwards and crashed to the ground as she rolled backwards. Storm thought that Pronyma stopped her assault when she didn't hear her coming back at her again, but was surprised to feel as her Dark Sphere attack pushed her into the cracked ground.

Storm had no energy left at all as she looked at the others fighting against their enemies. She knew that her end was near and she wished that she could have helped defeat Spirtua, she didn't want to give up yet. It had been a long time since Storm had not wanted to give up.

"Don't ever give up Storm, we can help you. We won't let you all give up, not if you believe in yourself,"

Storm knew that it was her mother, she was in her heart and she was there to help.

Storm felt as relieving surge of energy run through her body, she knew that it was healing her. Storm dug her nails into the ground below her as she pushed herself off the ground with a new found strength.

"What's happening? How could you still be standing?" Pronyma asked her, her eyes had gotten much larger as she watched her enemy rise in horror.

"Okay Mom, let's show her what we can do," Storm said confidently as she ran towards Pronyma.

Pronyma watched as Storm released her wings as she flew swiftly at her. Storm hit her head on with her Heavy Tiger Blade attack, slamming Pronyma to the ground. Pronyma managed to roll out of the way of her sword which she threw into the ground.

"Prism Sword!" Storm yelled as her attack landed right into Pronyma throwing her back once again. Pronyma was unable to move after Storm's beefed up attacks hit her. Storm slowly walked up to her and held her sword up as she looked into her eyes.

"I'll see you in hell," she said as she brought her sword down taking Pronyma to the underworld as she turned to dust. Storm sighed as she stuck her sword in the ground letting herself rest a moment.

Kratos was battling against Kvar and he was beginning to lose ground fast. He didn't know how much longer he could keep up with the former cardinal before he slipped up. Any slip up would result in disaster and he couldn't risk it. No matter how bad the situation seemed; however, he knew that he couldn't give up. Suddenly, he felt a warm energy rush through his body as he felt his own strength return to him.

"I believe in you Kratos, now help our children and defeat Kvar,"

Kratos would know that voice anywhere. Anna had come back and she had helped him, he knew now that he had the strength to keep going on.

Kvar noticed the change in Kratos as he battled him. At first, it seemed as if he was beginning to lose his focus as he pushed him back farther, gaining an edge in the battle, then he saw the fire return in his eyes as he began to fight back even more fiercely than before. Kvar began to grow worried as Kratos began to gain the upper hand on him.

Kratos decided that he should try something than his fancy sword skills if he wanted to defeat Kvar. He jumped backwards before shouting, "Grave!"

Kvar was launched into the air by the spikes that emerged from the ground. When he landed, he met Kratos' sword, boosted by Anna's power, as he unleashed his Super Lightning Blade attack. Kvar attempted to use an electric attack to knock out Kratos, but the mercenary was able to use his Guardian to defend himself.

Kratos finished off the battle as he unleashed his Gravity Well attack against the former cardinal who was slammed into a newly formed crater from the attack. Kratos looked down at him and saw as he turned to dust, disappearing to hell.

"Stay away from my family," Kratos said as he sheathed his sword. "Thank you Anna," he added lovingly.

"Disappear Raine...disappear," Virginia still continued to chant to her daughter.

"Stop it!" Raine screamed as she fell to her knees, still trying to block out her mother's words. She knew that she couldn't allow her mother to drag her down to hell with her words, but it was so hard to fight her.

"Don't give up Raine, be proud of who you are. Never let anyone tell you otherwise,"

Raine couldn't tell who was talking to her, but her voice was very calm and reassuring. Suddenly, there was someone else standing next to her, and she was looking at Virginia. She was a beautiful young girl with green hair. She looked over peacefully at Raine before returning her gaze to Virginia.

"Raine is a wonderful person and has done so much to help the world. It is because of people like you that the world is how it is. There is no difference between you and your daughter, and you are still related by blood, no matter how tainted you believe it is. Now, crawl into hell where you belong for abandoning your children because of their blood. If you were stronger you could have helped them," the woman said to Virginia.

Virginia's eyes got wide as she stared at her daughter. "Do you feel this way about me too? Do you wish to send your own mother to hell," Virginia asked Raine, stroking her doll on front of her.

"Who are you?" Raine asked as she looked to the woman before answering her mother.

"I am Martel Yggdrasil and I am here to help you," the woman replied. "Be strong, you can't allow others to tell you that your life is not worth living because of your blood. Your blood does make you weak, but their hatred towards half-elves makes them weak," Martel told her.

"You...you're the real Martel Yggdrasil?" Raine asked, shocked that she had come to her aid.

Martel giggled a little before looking back at her. "Of course, now I think that you'd better answer your mother's question," Martel told her.

"If you were any sort of mother you would have cared enough about Genis and me that you wouldn't leave us on some strange world without anyone to care for us. Do you know how hard it was for us to fend for ourselves?" she asked her angrily. "And your reasons...because we were half-elves. If that's the only reason, then, yes, that is how I feel mother," Raine answered her as Virginia disappeared like dust in the wind, moving to the afterlife.

"I did what I thought was right!" Sutra yelled at her parents defensively.

"What you thought was right? You thought that betraying everyone was right? You thought that siding with the humans that killed us was right?" her parents asked her accusingly.

"I thought I did the right thing. I followed my heart," Sutra said a little less confidently.

"You're okay...you did the right thing, your heart didn't steer you wrong,"

"It couldn't be...," Sutra said after hearing the voice. Soon, Sutra realized that Mithos, his younger version, was standing next to her. He looked at her then looked at her parents angrily.

"She has tried her best, and when she makes a tough decision from her heart, you bring her down. Not very good parenting in my mind," Mithos told them.

"Who are you to tell us what's right and wrong?" her parents asked him angrily.

"I am Mithos Yggdrasil, the one that you wanted to resurrect, or perhaps that was my dark side. Either way, I am him and I don't think that what she did was wrong," he told them.

"Lord Yggdrasil?" they said as they looked at him with giant sized eyes.

"You really think that what I did was right, even though I am a half-elf?" Sutra asked him, the person that she'd always looked up to.

"Yes, what you did is what my sister truly wanted. She wanted to find a way to end discrimination peacefully, but I let darkness consume me, and I tried to end it a different way," he told her, sadness on the edge of his voice.

"Well, you heard him," Sutra told her parents. "Now I can tell you what I think. I can't believe that you would try to kill Lloyd, Storm, and the others. They're better people than we ever were. They wouldn't kill because they've been discriminated against. Storm knows about discrimination and so do Raine and Genis. They never kill because of that, but we all did. In fact, Lloyd and the others like Raine, Genis, Yuan, and I for who we are, not for what our race is. I hate what you did, what you had me do. Now, I believe that you're late for a date in hell," she told them.

Her parents both turned into dust before being blown away, straight into hell. Mithos looked at Sutra before nodding at her happily. "Thank you," she whispered. He had no idea how much it meant to her to hear someone tell her that she had done the right thing. She had no more regrets about her actions.

A few more people in the group were still fighting and had to find the strength in themselves to defeat their own enemies. The question was...could they find it in time?

Well, that's the end of this chapter, I hope that you all enjoyed it, and don't forget that they still have to fight Spiritua! Yeah, I know. Anyway, thanks for the reviews again and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks!