Chapter 4 - In the end, it shall be revealed…

"Stephen! Call Heller, Troy, and Yriel and relay this message to the reserve units."

Captain Kinoarashi handed Stephen an envelope containing instruccions. Suddenly he realized he forgot all about telling Lord Saus about Ansem. But it could not be helped now, for haste was needed. He went straight for A-Hall, the training grounds and army assembly site of the building.Also, the west wing contained the Chamber of Light. For the Covenant's HQ were but a single building, about five time the size of the castle of Vault. It had two wings: the west wing, containing A-Hall and Army Assembly Site, and the east wing, in which C-Hall and Living Quarters were located. But only soldiers-in-training and soldiers lived at the actual building the rest mostly lived in the outskirts of the great City of Pasadena, center of the Known World. The center part was the command center, and the High Elders' living private rooms.

Mikau was on his way to the mess hall (east wing) when he rounded a corner and found himself face to face with Mike.

"I heard part of the army is going to Vault", said Mike. Mikau nodded.

"Are you going?" asked Mike again.

"No. My unit and I are to be the personal escort of Lord Straus, on his way to Arkane City."

"Oh. So am I to stay here and defend the castle? Again?"

"How am I supposed to know? Ask Griffith or Achilles." Mikau said with a shrug, and walked away. Little did he know that that would be the last time he ever saw his best friend again.

30 days later, at C-Hall…

"My lords, it with my deepest regret that I must inform you that the garrison at Vault has fallen, the shadow army is headed straight for us. As we speak they are crossing the river Gatrhe and will be here by tomorrow afternoon." Griffith reported.

Lord Saus shook his head. "My fellow Elders, I believe we are left no other choice than to use the power of the Gemstone."

Lord Hubert stood up. "The Gemstone? Preposterous! Only those of Sheikra descent have the power to wield that stone. The Shiekra have been extinct for the last 2 millenia."

"Indeed they were, Hubert, as far as we knew. But not 50 years ago I discovered the remnants of an ancient Sheikra bloodline. The man who has these tarces of Shiekra blood told me that his ancestors had extraordinary powers, but he could not remember their names. The man's name was… Ciros Kinoarashi, may he rest in peace."

"He is dead?" Lord Kiron said, utterly surprised.

"Indeed. But his only son, Mikau, is currently in our service and is on the way here from Arkane."

"Mikau Kinoarashi? Is he not the captain whose unit won the Battle of Eirlias?"

"Yes he is", said Griffith, "He is under my command. If we hold out for about 2 days he will be here."

"But by then it could be too late!" said Lord Hubert.

"It is our only hope, our last desperate attempt…" replied Griffith. We must find his family and lead it to safety."

"Safety? Where?"

"Arkane, of course…"

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Chapter 4 (part 2) 'Till the end of time…

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I was on my way from the city of Arkane, having delivered Lord Straus to a small Covenant instalation near the Great Temple of Arkane, which was a place of incredible spiritual power. It had been two days since Griffith's message arrived to me:

Cap. Kinoarashi,

Return immediately to Covenant, Saus needs your powers.

Atte. Cmnd. Griffith.

I already knew what lay in store for me at the Covenant. I knew we had been beaten, and Saus had no choice but to use it… The Gemstone, a stone imbued with the power of Terra Light, which was a gigantic gem from which light energy flowed. The Gemstone was said to have the power to vanquish the spirits of darkness. But the only one who could use it was me. Because of some powers I'm supposed to have inherited from my ancestors. But I was ready.

I was ready for anythign that came, except for what I saw when I rounded the last turn in the forest path. The Covenant was in ruins. The east wing was half destroyed and the center part had been taken down form its foundations. The west wing was untouched.. There were bodies everywhere… too many bodies. More than our own numbers, which had only one explanation. The spirits could enter the bodies of humans and possess them. That explained their numbers.

"Kinoarashi!"

A voice! Where?

"Over here." I wirled left and saw Griffith. He was crawling, covered in blood. His own blood…

"Commander!" I ran to him.

"No time… Take it… Do your work…" he reached into his pocket and produced a small rhombus shaped stone, the Gemstone.

"What? But I don't… Why… where is Lord Saus? Where is everyone?"

"Doesn't… matter… Ansem… west wing… quickly…" He closed his eyes and never opened them again…

"No…"

I loved him like a father, but there was no time to grieve. I knew where to go: The Chamber of Light, where Terra Light was before it was moved to the Vault for security reasons, and the resting place of the Gemstone. Of course there was nothing to fear, for I ha dthe Gemstone, but I couldn't help but imagine what I would find there.

I ran for the west wing and found a passage wide open due to the destruction of the adjacent part. I raced for the stairs and went up about five flights of stairs until I reached the hallway that led to my destination. I beheld a terrible sight when I reached the Chamber: Lord Hubert lay on the floor, dead. Beside him lay Cmnd. Achilles, also dead. Ansem stood in the center with an escort of about 6 soldiers, but not normal soldiers, for they had a look of evil and their pupils were purple. Beside them knelt Saus, his staff broken.

"Mikau!" Saus said as soon as I entered.

"Ah! Kinoarashi, how nice of you to join us. We were expecting you." Ansem said, and produced a sword from thin air.

"Mikau! Use it! The stone is your only hope!"

I didn't have time to even draw my sword. Ansem rushed at me and I raised my arm, holding the Gemstone. The Stone shone with a brilliant, white light, and at the same time I felt the burning pain of a sword going through mmy stomach.

Suddenly, Saus and I were alone. Ansem was gone, along with his escort. I felt my own consciousness was slipping, and then, time stopped…

"Child, well done." Saus, rose from the floor and faced me. Nothing else was moving in the room, The shards from the stained glass windows that broke with the energy of the stone were frozen midair.

"What happened? Am I… Am I dead?" I asked.

"Not yet. But your wound is fatal. But it does not matter, for your work is done. Ansem and his army has been sealed inside the stone."

"Doesn't matter?" I said, surprised. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? Why… How did you know it was Ansem?" I blurted out. I had about two million wuestions, but only that one came out.

"I had my suspicions from a long time ago." He replied, calmly.

"What about my family? What happened to Mike?"

"Your family has been moved to Arkane City, and Cptn. Mikel is wounded, but will recover."

"Arkane… Good, good, um…" I felt that there was much to be said, but I couldn't say anything. "So this is it for me? This is the end?" It had been so sudden, I hadn't even had time to register it.

"Child, there is more to life than death. You gave your life to save the world, if only for some time."

"Some time? Isn't Ansem gone?"

"No, he is sealed inside the stone. Maybe, if his power grows inside the stone, he will escape. But that is not likely to happen in some centuries." Saus said. Suddenly, I saw his eyes went watery and a tear dropped from his cheek. "When you are ready I will release the spell, and you will die."

Of course I wasn't ready, I hadn't expected this to happen so fast. But I knew there was nothing else to be done. I nodded. "Just make sure my family is taken care of. And say goodbye to them for me. And to Mike."

He nodded, waved his hand, and time started again. I felt my world go black, and then, I felt nothing at all…