A/N: For Warning and Disclaimer, refer back to PROLOGUE

Chapter 7: Farewell

The EGG complex was in disarray when the Embryon tribe arrived. Director Angel's men had been fending off Cuvier's forces. In the disarray, the Embryon members had slipped inside. They had managed to fight their way through the numerous Avatar Tuners and acquired the 3 laboratory keys that held the facility down.

The group, especially Serph and Argilla, trembled with anticipation as they walked through the chamber of the EGG where they were told Sera was contained. The group hurried onwards and released Sera from her encasement. The girl fell out of the capsule and into Serph's arms. Argilla tensed at the sight but said nothing. Sera trembled as she felt the absence of her life-sustaining fluid and the instead felt the sharp prick of the cold air.

As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Serph. She flew up in surprise and happiness and clung to him desperately, "Serph! Oh Serph! I thought I lost you!"

"You won't get away!" a voice thundered at the entrance of the chamber.

"Heat!" Sera said, scared. Serph let go of her and walked in front of her, while stealing a glance at Argilla, and shielding her from Heat's view.

Heat's eyes burned with fury as he beheld Serph and Sera. Serph's own eyes blazed with emotion as well; but it wasn't anger. It was resolution. He wanted to be firm and steadfast against anyone, even his former comrade. Argilla's heart beat faster as she worried and speculated upon the outcome of this scenario. 'Heat could get killed…or Serph might get killed! Oh God no!' she thought helplessly.

She wanted nothing more than to stand in between the two, who was once the best of friends and resolve this peacefully. But her legs wouldn't and couldn't move. She was rooted on the spot. She, as well as the rest of the group, knew that this was a battle that cannot be avoided. Heat and Serph needed to settle this in one way or another.

Heat began to rush toward Serph and had his right arm transform. In a split of a second, everything was over. Serph slumped forward and Argilla felt her heart caught up in her throat, preventing her from breathing. Blood splattered on the floor, all over the railings and on Argilla's cheek. Argilla watched in horror as she saw the man she loved impaled on the hand of his best friend. Sera, seeing two of her most important people fight each other for her sent her over the edge and she fell into unconsciousness.

"Serph…" she whispered, with disbelief and grief.

"You idiot! Why did you just stand there?!" Heat demanded, shocked that he had won and hit Serph. Heat knew Serph the most in the Embryon group. He knew that he was a steadfast person; knew that he would defend everything and everyone he loved from anyone and everyone until his life had been extinguished. Yet, despite this knowledge, Heat was unable to comprehend as to why Serph had laid down his life so willingly for him to take. Why? Why did he do it when he still had a lot of people and ideals to protect and uphold?

Serph's labored breaths tickled Heat's skin by his neck as Serph slumped towards him. His next words, however, sent chills down his spine, "Because…we're comrades…"

Heat's eyes widened at the realization. Serph had done nothing wrong. Despite the action, or lack thereof, that he had done, Serph was being steadfast. He did uphold his ideals and protected the ones he loved. Only, he did it in the most unobvious and painful manner; self sacrifice. Heat felt his eyes brim with tears and his heart ache with guilt and regret. 'He…called me comrade…even after all that I have done…Serph…I'm sorry…'

Serph, with his strength depleting rapidly, made his way, with Heat in tow, towards the inside of Sera's capsule. Heat let Serph drag him away. As they reached the edge of the container, the rest of the Embryon group stood still, their eyes filled with sadness as they had already come to know the repercussions of today's events.

Serph would die. Serph would disappear and Embryon would be without a leader. Their group was beginning to fall apart and every last one of them knew it.

Serph gave them all one last genuine and sad smile and let his back fall into nothingness. The small action that he did brought Argilla back from her reverie and she ran towards the pair into the capsule.

"Serph!!" she screamed with tears in her eyes. Serph caught sight of her as he fell and mouthed the words, "I love you…Goodbye…"

Argilla continued to scream his name even as they hit the fluid and drowned. Argilla walked further inside the capsule only to be stopped by Gale, "Serph is dead. He died so that we may live. Let's go."

Gale's words, no matter how true, stung Argilla's heart and slapped her in the face. She forced her feet to move towards the exit but she found herself turning around and screaming his name once more.

"Serph!!"

xxxxx

The Karma Society was in shambles. Their government was falling apart. On one side of the spectrum, lay Madame Cuvier who wanted nothing more than to ensure man's survival. And on the other end of the spectrum, lay Directress Jenna Angel who insisted that the Liberation was the only key toward man's survival.

The system had been corrupted and now, even as they bicker around, data was flowing back to its source, God. Madame Cuvier's face fell as she could see, as plain as day, what awaited man should the process of data uploading continue. The world as they knew it would cease to exist. Everyone and everything around them would disappear. Now, there was no longer any hope for mankind. All of their hard work had gone in vain.

Madame Cuvier found herself weeping by Sera's capsule. She had no other vision but to serve humanity. And now, the world was going to be destroyed and there was nothing that she could do to thwart this impending doom.

Madame Cuvier was so distraught that she hardly noticed a presence behind her. She only felt pain for a quarter of a second before she too departed from that world. She had failed to notice that it was Jenna Angel who had shot her right in between her eyes.

xxxxx

The data flow to God had to be stopped. But with the system being corrupted, the Embryon group had no other choice but to shut down its main power supply at the Power Plant. With Serph gone, the Embryon group turned to Gale to assume command. Sera was still unconscious and was being held by a weeping Fred who had met up with them along with the rest of Roland's men. Serph wasn't just a hired hand to Fred, he was a good friend; heck, he was the one that taught Serph how to shake hands! But now, he was gone. Wanting to control his feelings, he instead diverted his attention to the unconscious Sera.

As they made their way towards the Power Plant, Argilla felt pain constrict her heart, then let it go only to constrict it once more. Serph was gone. The only man that she had ever loved was gone. She was never going to see his face again. She would never again hear his voice, no matter how rare it was for him to speak. She would never again smell his scent. She would never have the chance to touch him again; she would never be able to run her fingers through his silver hair; never stroke his cheek and never kiss his lips again. Argilla would never again experience making love with him. As these painful thoughts plagued her mind, more tears flowed freely on her face. She didn't care what she looked like right now. All she wanted was Serph but no matter how much she wished it to be, no matter how bad she wanted it to be, the dead would never return.

Gale saw and looked on sympathetically as Argilla lost herself. They all loved Serph; he loved Serph like a brother and Cielo too but as he looked at Argilla, he immediately knew that her love for him ran deeper. None of them could compare as to how she loved him. Thus, none of them could compare to the feeling of pain, grief and loss that Argilla was feeling right now.

Gale moved over to where Argilla sat and took her in his arms. Argilla welcomed the warmth that Gale provided and cried harder on his chest. Cielo too, moved over and embraced Argilla's back. Gale's voice rang in Argilla's ears. Her heart slowed down as she heard what he was saying…

"Light shines on the heaven

The earth the spirit

Light brings glory and grace

May it open your eyes to the truth Shanti

Shanti"

That was the song that Sera had taught them all. It was the song that Serph knew. It was the song that all of them knew. 'Prayer huh…'

Her crying had slowly ebbed away into a soft sobbing and she felt Gale tighten his arms around her.

"Argilla…Serph was everything to us. He was like a brother to us and to you…he was more…But he died not so that he could leave you to experience pain. He didn't die so that he could leave you to brave the world alone. He died so that you could have a chance in life. He wanted to grant you a chance that he knew he can't have. He is never really gone Argilla. Death will come for us all…you know that…but when that time comes, we shall all meet once again…in Nirvana."

"And as long as we do what we have set out to do, Serph will be right by our side. He'll always be there with you Argilla…Always." with those words, Gale kissed the top of Argilla's head. Cielo laid his head on Argilla's shoulder and stroked her hand.

All the while, Roland heard every word that was exchanged, but he decided not to interfere. The Embryon group was hurting, they needed the time to heal and lick each other's wounds. That much, at least, should be given. But, even as he wasn't a member of Embryon, he also felt a sense of great loss. Serph was their leader, he was their comrade and now, he was gone. Roland sighed and continued to look over the horizon.

xxxxx

Argilla's mind had cleared, as well as her heart. Granted, the pain was still as excruciating as ever, but Gale's words gave her a promise of hope and salvation.

"This is for you Serph!" she spoke out loud as she eyes the tell building in front of her.

Cielo and Gale could only smile at her. They, together with Fred, entered the Power Plant with the help of the Lokapala units. As they navigated through the booby-trapped dungeon with countless Avatar Tuners, Argilla caught sight of Roland's persona that she hadn't quite seen before.

"So…it just needs electricity to surge through it…" he said knowingly. Argilla smiled in appreciation, "So, you're clever after all…" she winked playfully at him. Roland blushed under her gaze and adjusted his spectacles, "Well, it's pretty easy for me, considering my Atma's electricity. You're hard to impress."

Argilla smiled again, "Oh I'm impressed."

Gale smiled; at least Argilla was beginning her recovery. The group made their way through the facility and once in a while, they would get stuck but eventually, get over it. But whenever it was when they do get stuck, it was Argilla's feet stomping followed by a frustrated yell of "Aargh! How are we supposed to get through this?!" that would make the group chuckle with amusement and humor at the otherwise very serious and dire situation. However, it was after they were almost halfway through the plant's maze that they had gotten stuck, again. It was then, when everyone was in thinking that Roland came with a proposal.

"I'll go and open the gates. You guys go on ahead."

All eyes were fixed on him. "Roland…you can't possibly…" Fred trailed off. Roland shook his head, "There's no other way. Besides, I'll catch up with you guys later!"

As he began to walk away, Argilla called up to him, "Hey Roland! Don't forget the Embryon Tribe's color!" Roland gave her a confused look and she replied, "It's the sign for victory!"

He waved at her again and closed the gates in between them and opening the one up ahead. The group had proceeded through the gates and had reached the control room where they hoped to shut down the power of the satellites uploading the data to God. It was then that Sera had drifted into consciousness. Argilla and Cielo quickly ran to her aid as she tried to gain her balance. She looked around her and noticed the control room.

"No…" she breathed regretfully, "There's no way to shut the uploading of data from here…"

Gale looked at the firmly, "Then how do we stop it?"

Sera shook her head, "There is no way to stop it. Even if you shut down the power…it won't do it…"

Gale was about to protest when Fred's com link had activated. "Roland? Is that you?" Fred asked happily. "Yeah it's me…listen, we've got a problem."

"What?" Fred asked worriedly.

"The Karma soldiers…they had broken through our defenses and are coming in your direction. And that's not all. They have released a very powerful monster, the legendary Meganada. I tried to stop it but I wasn't powerful enough…"

The rest of the group had heard every word and now, Argilla's heart began to sink once more. It was déjà vu all over again. It was happening again. What had happened in the EGG Installation was about to happen here again, and result in another casualty.

"Roland! Get out of there!" Fred yelled.

"I'm okay. So, did you stop the uploading?" Roland's breath came out labored and everyone knew that he had been badly wounded.

"No…Sera says there's no stopping it…" Fred sighed regretfully. Roland slumped and limped along the hallways in despair, "Don't worry…I have one more trick up my sleeve…You guys should get out of here…"

"Roland what are you saying?" Fred shouted.

Roland smiled a sad smile, "Don't worry about me. Fred…there's something I need to tell you…"

"Roland…"

"I'm nothing more than a selfish bastard. Your father was my best friend…but I wasted it. I turned my back on him…I'm the reason your father died…"

Fred was speechless as his tears profusely ran down on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry…Fred."

With those words, Roland had signed off. Argilla held her hands to her heart. No! She would not stand by while another member of their group perished!

"Look!" Fred exclaimed as he saw Meganada prowl through the hallways. It was undoubtedly the one that Roland had fought. Argilla's eyes widened, "There's no way he could beat that thing alone!"

"Gale! You guys go on up ahead and I'll go back for Roland!"

Cielo ran up to her and frowned, "No. Roland made his choice! We have to get out of here!"

Argilla glared at him, "I'm can't watch him die! I'm ready to make my own decisions too! Gale! I'm going and don't try to stop me!"

Gale looked straight into her eyes and knew that there was no dissuading her. She had already made up her mind. And so, he could do nothing but give her his consent. She smiled gratefully at him and made her way out of the room and into the power room.

Sera's eyes snapped awake as she felt the familiar warmth in her body. "Serph? Is that you…?" and in that instant, she felt a mark on her cheek. She had become an Asura; an Avatar Tuner. Sera heard his voice once again, "…Oh Serph…I understand. I shall tell her…" Sera dashed out of the room to follow Argilla.

"Argilla!! Wait!!" Sera yelled. Argilla turned around, "Sera I…I'm sorry I'm not going back! Goodbye! I'll catch up!!"

Sera shook her head frantically, "No!! I came to tell you that I received a message from Seph…and it's addressed to you…"

Argilla's eyes began to water once again when she heard her lost beloved's name, "Serph…has a message for…me?"

Sera nodded, clasping both her hands together and putting them upon her heart, "Yes…he told me to tell you that he'll always be with you…and that…he loves you…"

Argilla stared at Sera for but a moment and broke down into a loud sob and buried her face in her hands before quickly wiping them away and turning around, "Thank you Sera…Goodbye!" she said as she ran out.

"Goodbye Argilla…"

Sera unconsciously touched the Varnani mark on her cheek and smiled. She was the one chosen to inherit Serph's powers. She was glad.

xxxxx

"Aaahh!!!" Argilla screamed as she saw Roland being devoured by Meganada, the unstoppable monster.

"I won't let you take my comrade!!" She lunged at him. Argilla fought the monster with all her might. But, being alone and tired, she had lost the battle and was being strangled by the monster, "So…this is it huh? Well, you like electricity do you? Well, why don't you have the electricity of the entire city!!"

Argilla elongated her arm and reached for a lever behind the monster to complete the meltdown and self-destruct sequence. As she was about to pull it, however, the monster got sight of her objective and bit her arm. Argilla screamed in pain but saw that Roland, barely alive, had managed to get a hold of the lever. He looked at her briefly and smiled to which she nodded.

"Serph…I'll be with you soon…" she muttered as she accepted her fate. This was the last thought she'll have. Roland pulled the lever down and in an instant, the Power Plant had exploded.