I do not own Legend of Dragoon or any of the characters.
Ulara
Cade sighed, staring up at the stars. When they'd arrived in Ulara, Rose led them through the city to Charle Frahma, Melbu Frahma's elder sister. She'd been the one to tell Rose where to go and when. She'd also been the one to create the Signet Sphere and, under orders from her brother, the Divine Moon Objects. She'd explained everything to them. The true nature of the Signet Spheres and their purpose, the true nature of the Divine Moon Objects as items designed to generate enough magical power to destroy a Signet Sphere. The spheres could be destroyed with equivalent power, even without the Moon Objects. She also told them where the last three Signet Spheres were. The Magical City Aglis, the Law City Zenebatos, and the Death City Mayfil. She told them they could get to the first they would need to go to by going to Rouge, Haschel's home town. Then, she'd told them they were welcome to spend the night in her house and to enjoy the city in the mean time. So, Cade was standing on the furthest part of the most out-of-the-way area he could find. In this case, a walkway wrapping around behind a fountain lined on the side opposite him with roses.
"Cade?" Rose asked, walking over to him, leaning on the railing beside him in silence when he didn't respond. "I'm sorry for how I've been. Things have been...complicated recently."
"I know," Cade said. "What do you want to do?"
Rose was silent for a long while. Finally, she sighed. "I want to save him."
Cade nodded. "Okay. Then we'll save him."
"I do love you," Rose said. "You're more important to me than I can express...but..."
"But you also love him," Cade said. "I know. I've always known."
Rose fell silent for a moment before lifting her hands, pulling the ring he'd given her off, and holding it out to him. "I think...you should have this back."
Cade nodded mutely, his throat constricting as he accepted the ring.
"I will always-"
"I know," Cade interrupted, voice cracking slightly. "Believe me, I know. You don't have to apologize, or explain anything. From the moment I saw how you looked at him when he took that helmet off, I knew. It's alright." He took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing, his voice more firm and confident. "I swear to you, Rose. No matter what it takes, no matter what happens, I will help you save Zieg. And then...after that, we'll figure things out. Once there's no more threat of the world ending, and no more monsters or Moon Child to kill, you can have as much time as you need to make whatever decision you need to make."
Rose nodded as tears welled up in her eyes. She turned and walked away, leaving Cade there in silence. He grit his teeth as an agonizing, burning cold filled him, turning his blood to ice and making every beat of his heart feel like his heart were being crushed. He could feel the shadow of fate more clearly than ever. it was clinging to both of them, but it was so strong now that he couldn't ignore it like he usually could. He took another shuddering breath before pocketing the ring and pushing off the railing, walking through the city to the tavern. The entrance was a teleporter in the roof, which connected to one in front of the bar, then a walkway from the left that wrapped around the teleporter with tables spread along it.
As soon as Cade reached the inside of the tavern, he stepped up to the bar. "The strongest drink you have. A full bottle of it."
The bartender nodded, handing him a bottle, and Cade payed for it before heading to a table sitting in shadow all the way at the back of the room, at the end of the walkway. It was late. Probably early morning by now. He sat at the table and took a swig from the bottle, staring at the table. He had been prepared for it. He had known it was coming. But there was a difference between prepared and ready. And he was most definitely not ready.
As he took another drink, a memory he had thought he'd locked away returned to him. The nightmare from before they faced the Divine Dragon. He watched in his mind as he drive the glowing swords of magic into the shadow's core. He watched as he prepared his sacrificial spell. And then he watched as Rose left him to die. As they all left him to die.
He blinked and stared at his empty bottle. He sighed, turning to stand just as the Wingly bartender flew up to him, taking the empty bottle and setting an fresh one in front of him. Cade smiled and thanked him, paying him before taking a long drink from the bottle. As he lowered the bottle, he leaned back, staring up at the ceiling in silence, the memory of Rose staring at Zieg filtering into his head. It was crystal clear in his face. The confusion, the anguish, the love, and the guilt. That was the one that had crushed him. The moment she'd seen he was alive, she'd felt guilt. Guilt that she'd moved on. Guilt that she'd fallen for Cade. Guilt that she'd given herself to Cade.
Cade raised his bottle to his lips and tipped it back, only for nothing to come out. He groaned, setting it back down and closing his eyes. "Bartender! Can I have another one?"
After a moment, a bottle was set on the table and he opened his eyes, only to stare across the table at Meru, who was staring at him sympathetically.
"She even gave the ring back, didn't she?" Meru asked.
"Yeah," Cade said, patting his pocket to make sure he still had it. "It's fine."
"How is this fine?" Meru asked.
"Because I'm going to be dead by the end of this," Cade said, Meru's mouth falling open.
"WHAT!?" Meru shrieked.
"I'm going to be dead by the end of this," Cade repeated. "Do you remember the night when we were going to face the Divine Dragon, and I had a nightmare, then Rose got really quiet and distant after it?"
"Yes," Meru said. "Whatever the nightmare was, it seemed horrible from your reaction to it."
"Well, the nightmare was us all fighting something," Cade said. "I can't remember exactly what it was. I could see it during the dream but all I remember now is that it was the source of the shadow I've been sensing since before my journey. In the dream, we were losing. We beat it, but it just came back stronger every time. In the end, it was too strong. But I had a spell that could beat it. A sacrificial spell."
Meru's eyes widened, but she didn't speak.
"I actually know the spell," Cade said. "Every Wingly knows it instinctively."
Meru nodded.
"I started the spell, and..." he stared at his bottle for a moment before taking a long drink. "And everyone left, just like I told them to. None of you even looked back."
"We would never-"
"Yes you would, and you know it," Cade said flatly, then sighed and took a drink. "Anyway, do you remember what I told you about how it felt to sense the shadow before my mother gave me her magic? About how it felt when it was killing me?"
"Yeah," Meru said. "I could never forget that."
Cade nodded. "Well, ever since the Divine Dragon first woke up, I've been feeling that again. And it's been getting stronger since. However...ever since Zieg revealed who he was it's been...it's been unbearable. It's like...Rose realizing that Zieg was alive...sealed my fate."
Meru nodded. "We will never, ever allow that to happen. We will stop Zieg, we'll save him if we can, and we'll stop your dream from coming true."
Cade didn't respond. He sat in silence, sharing the drink with Meru until Dart found them, telling them it was time to go. Together, the three of them walked to the teleporter, where the others were waiting, along with the entirety of the city, who were seeing them off. Cade ignored the others' worried looks as he walked to a second teleporter and the others all joined him before they were sent on their way, the teleportation spell headed for the Home of Gigantos.
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