Chapter 28xx: Starlit Battle with Seymour (takes place between Chapters 28x and 29; the current "party" is Roy)

I had begun walking into my room, ready to sleep in preparation for the long day ahead, when I saw three flashes of light out of the corner of my eye.

"What is it that you want, Gullwings?" I asked, not even needing to turn around to know who it was. "I have a long day ahead of me, and I need to rest. Se whatever it is you've got to say, make it quick."

"So sorry to interrupt you," Yuna began, "but we need you to finish your job."

"You don't have any sort of contract with me," I replied. "I did that job for you guys… our alliance is over now."

"Nu-uh! You didn't finish Seymour!" Rikku complained.

"What are you guys talking about…" I said, turning around. "Of course I finished him."

"No, you didn't," Yuna complained, as well. "Seymour's still alive."

"That can't be true… I killed him…" I said in disbelief.

"Well… he's not really alive," Yuna explained. "He's… unsent."

"So, now I'm contract killing unsents?" I asked. "The situations I get myself in can be pretty funny. Well, regardless of whether Seymour's alive or not, there's nothing I can do about it. Unsents aren't my specialty."

"Just weaken him, and I'll send him to Hades!" Yuna shouted.

"Fine," I sighed, seeing there was no way out of this. "I'll do what I can."

"Okay! Just walk around for a little while, and you're bound to run into him!" Rikku said with a wink as she, Yuna, and Paine disappeared.

"Guess I'd better get going…" I muttered, grabbing my sword while I walked out the door. I walked down and around, meandering through the entire town and battleground until I came to the Dark Depths. There Seymour stood with his back turned, staring into the starry ether. It seemed he was waiting for me.

"You're way more resilient than I thought, Seymour," I said, getting into an iaijutsu pose. "Why hang on so long? Is total annihilation that important to you?"

"Of course," Seymour said with a slight snicker, turning around. "I haven't forgotten about you."

"I sense… darkness within you," I said. "I thought you despised the light and the darkness?"

"Of course. But if I am to destroy something, I must learn how it works," he replied.

"Well, then, I suppose we ought to finish this," I said, upping into my True Form. "Get ready." I drew my sword and pointed it straight at Seymour's heart… er… where his heart should have been.

"Very well," Seymour sneered, floating into the air. "Your hope ends here! And your meaningless existence with it!"

Then he transformed into… Seymour Omnis.

"That's a bit much, isn't it?" I asked arrogantly before giving him a 'bring it on' taunt. "Come."

Witt that, four very large ice stalagmites rose out of the ground. I looked up to see Seymour preparing for his next spell… this time it was…

I ran up the stalagmites, narrowly dodging four bolts of lightning that rained down close behind me. I cut off one of his hard, gel-like hands, gracefully landing on the ground below.

"Looking for this?" I asked, waving his severed hand at him. "Want it back?"

"You… you…" he said with an odd distortion in his voice.

"Here, have it back," I said, tossing it into the air. I sliced it in half before Seymour could get it back. "Sorry about that… you know how people get sometimes…"

"I'll kill you!" Seymour shouted as the pyreflies from his old hand made a new one. This time he made four bullets of highly-pressurized water. I dodged all of them, save one, then dashed between the four pillars of fire that rose up around me.

"For your best form, I was expecting a little better," I taunted him. "My move."

I leaped into the air, dodging four sharp icicles that came my way, then masterfully cleaved off Seymour's head. I landed gracefully again, tossed aside the head, then leaped back into the air, dicing Seymour's body up. But then I…

"AAAGH!" I screamed as I was struck with four bolts of lightning in succession. While I was staggering, Seymour reformed himself.

"I need to stop underestimating you," Seymour sneered. "But when you take such obvious hits…"

"Sh-shut up! I'm not afraid of you!" I shouted, pointing my sword at him again. I cut his water bullets this time, and then slammed the ground to put out the following flares.

"Those eyes…" Seymour commented. "They're the same as his eyes… the eyes of a hero."

"I'm not a hero. I don't know how many times I have to tell people that," I said back. "Someone like me… someone who has killed and will kill again… isn't a hero."

"Then… let darkness take you!" Seymour shouted, pouring so much energy into a spell I could see it. A black sphere began to visualize around me…

"No! It can't be!" I shouted as the Ultima spell began. I'm not going to make it out, I thought. Unless…

I focused all my energy, jumping and blasting into my Aether Form simultaneously. I just barely managed to clear the blast. I used the force of the explosion under me to boost my jump, cleaving Seymour in two. He reformed as I landed gracefully once again. This time, however, Seymour reverted to his normal form.

"Yuna, now!" I called out. Yuna immediately appeared, wielding a miniature version of her Nirvana staff. She silently performed the Sending.

"So, even now, it is you two who will end me. But even so, the darkness will prevail," Seymour said as he faded away into pyreflies..

"Our contract's fulfilled. I need to get back so I can rest," I said, leaving Yuna with no other words. I leaped off back to my room, making it to the balcony in three jumps, then dropped my Aether Form. Oddly enough, Jason was waiting for me.

"What were you out doing?" he asked.

"Nothing important. Now get outta here! I need to sleep," I said with what force I could. I was physically and mentally tired… so…

"All right, all right. I'm leaving!" he said, turning off the lights as he left. I laid down in my plush bed, drifting almost immediately off to sleep. Before I could get to sleep, Seymour's last words echoed in my mind…

Even so, the darkness will prevail…

END CHAPTER 28xx