Chapter Three: Day of Reckoning

The lava caves were even more arid and hot than the desert surrounding the town of Azha. Sweat ran down Kalas's face, stinging his eyes.

"Kalas… are you sure that this is what you want?" Vera asked hesitantly.

"What's this nonsense?" Kalas muttered to the spirit. "You can't get cold feet now, Vera. Not after we've come this far…" The truth was, Kalas could feel his conviction wavering. Giacomo was dead, after all. And he didn't want to betray the people who called him friend, who looked at his single organic wing without flinching away from him…
"Kalas… Giacomo is dead. Ayme is dead. Your reason for revenge is gone. And I know you don't want to betray your friends."

"But Vera, you're…" Kalas started, desperate to stop Vera from repeating his own doubts.

"Dead. I know. It doesn't really bother me… after all, I don't hurt anymore as a spirit… although… I hurt when you're sad." Vera laughed, a sound like tingling bells. "Listen to me. I sound like some silly girl in a cheap romance novel. What a fool I am… Although, I can't say I trust Melodia either."

"Why not?"

"Do you remember when we defeated that monster in the Shrine of Spirits? The one that came through the dimensional gap? Do you remember how I said I'd seen it before?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Kalas, it came from the same realm where Malpercio was sealed."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Although, I couldn't exactly say so at the time. You will recall that everyone was there, and that explaining exactly where I'd seen that particular type of monster before would cause problems."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Name one time between now and then when we were alone for more than a few moments." Kalas had to admit, since more or less that point, Xelha had been around him almost constantly, following him everywhere.

"…It doesn't matter. It's too late in the game to back out now. It was too late the moment we gave the End Magnus to Melodia." How could he look them in their faces and admit that he'd stolen their End Magnus and delivered it to their enemies? No, better to complete the betrayal and shatter their trust than go crawling back on his belly, begging for forgiveness. His pride wouldn't allow him to take such an action.

"It's never too late. I am proof of that."

"I don't want to turn back, Vera. I want my wings. Melodia promised me two of them. And I know you want a body again."

"…I do. I just wanted to make sure that that wasn't the only reason you were doing this. This is too much to sacrifice just for me…"

"We really need to work on your self-confidence." Vera laughed again. Unfortunately, this was just as Xelha caught up.

"What's so funny?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing," Kalas replied brusquely. "Come on, there are more monsters between us and Geldoblame. We have to hurry if we want to stop him!"

"Laying it on a little thick, 'hero'?" Vera asked. Xelha giggled, completely missing the subtext in the comment.

"Sheesh! You grow a sense of responsibility, and everyone's at your throat! Geez!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Geldoblame screamed as his mutated body fell into the center of the molten island. Kalas and the others didn't have time to rejoice, however, as they found themselves encircled by Imperial rifles.

"Enough deception," Melodia said, her tone almost sickly sweet. "You have done you promised. You may step forth, and claim your reward as we agreed."

Of course, this statement caused the required panic to ensue.

"Eh? What?" Gibari asked.

"So there was a traitor in our midst!" Lyude exclaimed.

"Who lied to the Great Mizuti?"

"Speak up, whoever you are," Savyna growled.

"No, wait everyone!" Xelha exclaimed. She opened her mouth to speak again, but she was cut off.

"It's me, I worked together with Melodia," Kalas sighed. Xelha, instead of responding, merely hung her head in defeat. Strange. Did she know, somehow? Maybe she wasn't as much of a gullible fool as I first thought.

"This can't be!" Lyude exclaimed.

"Kalas lied to the Great Mizuti?"

"Duuuuuuuuuuuuuh," Vera sighed.

"So it was you…" Savyna said.

Xelha said nothing. The blonde witch's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Kalas, you're not serious, are you?" Gibari asked.

"I'm dead serious," Kalas replied.

"You were responsible for the loss of the End Magnus in Mira," Savyna realized.

"Exactly," Kalas replied, smirking. "In the Confectionary Village, Melodia staggered and stumbled in front of us… I pretended to help her stand up, and handed her the End Magnus."

"What… I should have known there was something up with you acting like a decent person without being forced into doing it!" Gibari snapped, his hands going for his deck.

"I would advise you all to behave yourselves… unless you want me to unleash the full might of Malpercio right here, right now." Melodia commanded, her red eyes daring them to defy her. The five of them glared at the girl, but slowly dropped their weapons.

"Kalas… this is a joke, right?" Lyude asked softly. Kalas was unable to meet the redhead's pleading gaze and looked away.

"Vera!" Xelha shouted at her, her expression a mix of hope and apprehension. "Are you in on this too?"

The poor girl wants me to try and help her talk Kalas out of this, Vera realized. Well, I'm sorry, Xelha, but Kalas has already made his decision, and I won't help you badger him into thinking your way. I always hated it when the people I cared about tried to do that to me… "And if I was?" Vera asked softly, her voice growing colder and louder with every word. "In case you didn't notice, I'm Kalas's Guardian Spirit, not yours. I could really care less about what happens to any of the rest of you."

"How would I be able to do this without Vera's willing help? Erase her memories?" Kalas scoffed. Melodia looked thoughtful for a moment, but the expression disappeared almost as soon as it graced her features. I wonder if she's capable of that… Vera wondered with a feeling like a shudder. She reminded herself yet again that Melodia was more than she appeared to be, and her abilities were an unknown. Don't forget about that incident in the Shrine of Spirits...

"Step forward, Kalas, Vera. Become what you have always dreamed to be. Free your mind, and let the power of the End Magnus take control. Allow yourself to be touched by the breath of a god, and you will finally be reborn," Melodia said.

"No Kalas! Don't touch it!" Xelha cried. Kalas jerked back reflexively, then glared at the blonde and started walking forward again as if to spite her, before stopping at the edge of the End Magnus's power.

"What is it you fear? I'm certain you will be fine. Your Guardian Spirit will protect you. You need not fear the madness and anger of Malpercio. You must believe, Kalas… Believe in the power of Malpercio!"

Kalas said nothing. He looked slightly hesitant, as if he was beginning to regret this idea.

"Please! Stop!" Xelha begged.

"Don't listen to her. She has no right to tell you what to do. If this is what you truly want, seize it without regrets. No matter what your decision is, I will support you," Vera promised. "You are the person who saved me from the dark. I will never abandon you."

"…I know," Kalas said with a nod, as he stepped into the dark circle of the End Magnus. Power lanced out from them in the form of electricity, striking his body. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the blinding light. Well, everyone except for Vera, the Guardian had no optical nerves to be fried by the brilliant glare.

"Kalas!" Xelha cried, sounding as if her heart was breaking. For a fleeting moment, Vera felt sorry for the young woman.

And Kalas emerged, changed forever.

"Look at me! This is my true form… at long last!" Kalas cried. His irises glowed an unearthly blue and the whites of his eyes were now black. And, adorning his back, were two beautiful white wings. However, there was something awful about their splendor, something unholy, twisted, wrong… "Look at my beautiful wings! I'm complete! I've found myself! I feel the power flowing inside me. The power of mighty Malpercio! Flames of life from the gods!"

"Yes, my dear Kalas," Melodia said, looking perversely happy.

"Oh…" Xelha moaned.

"Wait a second! Something else is happening!" Savyna warned. The End magnus were glowing again, but this time, a gray mist emitted from them. When the mist vanished…

A woman was standing beneath the End Magnus. Luxurious black hair fell down her like a dark veil, and her eyes were shut in rapture. She was dressed in nothing but a simple sleeveless white dress that fell to her knees. She took a single deep breath and released it. When she did, she opened her eyes. The irises were a brilliant scarlet, flecked with gold, and the pupils were slitted like those of a cat. They looked like the eyes of a demon.

"I… I can see. I can feel." She took a hesitant step forward. "I can walk without faltering. I can take a deep breath without my chest aching." A smile blossomed on her lips, making her whole face light up. With a delighted laugh, she dashed over to Kalas and hugged him. "I am as I was meant to be. No, better than I was meant to be. I, too, am whole, for the first time in my miserable life."

"V-Vera?" Xelha gasped.

"Who else?" she asked, still smiling.

"This is the beginning of a new era," Melodia said holding out her arms reverently. "A holy war shall be upon us. The frenzied god of despair… Malpercio the cursed is awakening from its eternal slumber!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha…"

"Aha ha ha hah hah!"

"WHA HA HA HA HAH!"

The young woman yelped again as a jolt of static electricity jolted through the ring she was wearing. "Ouch! I hate winter! I'm like a lightning magnet!"

"What's wrong, Ani? Zapped again?" teased her best friend, Felicity. "Maybe you should take off that… hey, that's not your class ring!"

"Um… It's Vera's."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "I don't even want to hear why you're wearing it. Come on, the ball's gonna drop! Don't you want to see it, or are you going to spend the rest of the night leaning over the toilet looking like you want to throw up?"

"Um…" In all actuality, the girl nicknamed Ani didn't really feel like moving. She'd felt sick ever since she'd gotten to the party. But Felicity was her best friend, and her ride, so if she really needed to bail, Felicity would have to take her home, and Felicity deserved to have fun. So… "I'm feeling a lot better! Let's go drink some of the champagne that the boys smuggled in!" Ani lied with gusto.

Felicity arched an eyebrow. "You know, if you feel that bad I'd be happy to take you home. Don't lie just because you don't want me to be inconvenienced. Besides," she added with a sardonic grin, "the designated driver cannot drink! It is the sin beyond all sins! Should even one drop of alcohol pass your lips, the police shall nab thee for drunk driving!"

Ani rolled her green eyes. "We have about two minutes to get downstairs. I think I can manage not to keel over and die for two minutes. Thirty, even, Or forty. Or 'till one. I know you want to spend some time dancing with Trey…"

"Ani, you don't have to be so nice…" Felicity offered her friend a hand, and they both walked downstairs.

"Hey, you feeling any better?" asked Marcy, the girl who was hosting the party. "You look like a corpse, Anima. You sure you don't want to lie down?"

"Don't worry, Marcy… I'll be fi… ow!" she yelped, grabbing her hand. That wasn't a shock… it hurt way too much! It felt almost like… magic.

"Ten!" All the people shouted along with the television. Anima looked down at her hand, at the ring. Vera's ring. The garnet that had been set in the ring had turned a rusty almost-black, much darker than any garnet should be.

"Nine!"

"Ani, are you…"

"Eight!"

"Gotta get outside…" Anima gasped, yanking off the ring.

"Seven!"

"The back door's over here…" Marcy yelled over the noise. Anima staggered and ran as best she could for it.

"Six!"

Gray mist swirled in front of her vision, but no one else seemed to notice it. She heard demonic laughter echoing inside her head, along with a bell-like giggle that sounded vaguely like her sister.

"Five!"

Anima shouldered her way past the people between her and the door, ignoring the insulted looks she was garnering from enemies and acquaintances, and the growing concern on the faces of her friends. She needed to get outside…

"Four!"

She yanked on the sliding glass door as hard as she could. She shrieked in frustration and banged on the glass door, tears sliding freely down her cheeks as the music pulsed and people exchanged glasses of alcoholic beverages, ignoring her.

"Three!"

A much stronger set of hands closed around hers, and with much more physical force than she could ever have managed on her own, yanked the jammed door open. Anima looked up to see Lucas, a boy on the basketball team who she had dated her freshman year.

"Two!"

She gasped a quick thank-you and gave him a grateful smile as she dashed outside. Instinctively, she threw the ring away from her and started to chant defensively, "Mother Gaia, I submit this plea to thee, in my time of need, as the old year dies, come to my aide and shield me form the blackness that is not of thy creation …"

"One!"

"…in the name of the power that binds me to thee, given to me by thee, I call upon your strength!" The gray mist that had been hounding her grew thicker for a moment, but she then heard a shout of denial along with the sound of something shattering, and both the evil laughter and the mist disappeared.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" came the bellow of glee from inside as Anima sank to her knees. Whatever had just happened, it was over.

Thank God.

"A clever move, child of Gaia," whispered a female voice that she could not identify. "However, that is not enough to save you from my wrath forever, nor will it protect your pathetic world. The ring was not the only catalyst in your world that can carry my power. You will bow to me eventually… one way or another." Evil laughter, much like that of a witch or demoness, echoed softly and then faded. Anima sank into the snow covered ground as shouts of concern mingled with the cries of merrymaking. She saw several shapes exit the house before she blacked out.

I really hope all of you enjoyed this chapter (Personally, I'm not that fond of it, I wish I hadn't stuck to the game's script so closely, but I felt guilty about not updating in so long...), because you are probably never going to get an update this quickly again. I have part of the next chapter finished, but I have to do Xelha's meeting with the leaders, which will probably be a pain to write. And I want to touch up what I have written. Okay, maybe you'll get the next chapter as quickly as you got this one, but don't count on it.

Before anyone asks, Gaia is the name of Anima and Vera's world, and the person who spoke to Anima before she blacked out was Melodia. Since I stuck Vera and Anima with Latin names, I probably should have used Terra instead of Gaia, but I don't want people to get things mixed up with Crimson Rain.

And just in case you're curious…

Vera – Truth, true

Anima – This word has about four meanings, the most common of which are mind and soul. It also means courage.