"I knew the fog was gonna be bad, but this… this is something else entirely."
"No kidding. I can barely see my hand in front of my face, let alone ten feet in front of me." Hilda replied in exasperation, struggling to keep Claude within her vision as their extended traveling party cautiously proceeded through the obscured plains before them.
"To think it managed to stray as far as Garreg Mach for the past couple of weeks… What could have possibly created this phenomenon?" Ashe pondered aloud, gripping his bow tightly in apprehension of the inevitable ambush that was sure to meet the group at any moment.
What began as little more than a nuisance lingering throughout the grounds of the academy rapidly grew in volume the further one traveled westward, to the point where even the light of a torch did little to dispel the mist hanging in the air. The only sight any member of this small army could properly make out was the occasional streak of red lightning off in the distance, a disturbingly familiar glow of energy that instinctively shook Bernadetta to the core.
"Regardless of the cause, we must remember to stick together at all times." Byleth cautiously reminded the myriad of students under his care. "None of you are to separate from the group under any circumstances, understood?"
"That means you especially, Monica."
"Oh, ye of little faith." the redhead in question turned to Bernadetta with a look of mock offense on her face. "No one here is stupid enough to go rushing off into the endless fog, right?"
"I'd be more concerned about keeping in such close quarters if I were you, especially when we have a wild boar flailing around." Felix smugly cut in, drawing some ire from a handful of his fellow Blue Lion classmates. "You'd all do well to keep a closer eye on your allies than your enemies, lest you end up on the wrong side of a rusted spear."
"That should not pose an issue so long as we maintain our formation, Felix." Dimitri calmly refuted as he continued to march at the forefront at the group. "I have faith that the enemy will never be able to break through our defensive line, especially with the legendary Thunder Catherine at our side."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Prince, but feel free to keep laying it on me." the blonde knight let out a hearty chuckle in response.
The group's plan of attack was relatively straightforward. A small fraction of the Knights of Seiros would line up along the front line and the rear end of the group to act as mobile shields for their accompanying students as they advanced upon Castle Gaspard. Though their forward march was slow, which was hardly helped by the heavy fog surrounding the general area, it allowed every unit present to continue on their path without fear of losing any potential stragglers. A single misstep otherwise would likely make it impossible for any unfortunate souls to find their way back to the party.
Another flash of crimson lightning flared up in the distance, this time accompanied by an ear splitting cry of pain, greatly startling many members within the group.
"Hey, are you holding up alright, Bernadetta? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"It's nothing, Ignatz. I'm just a little shook up from the lightning, that's all." Bernadetta shakily reassured her bespectacled classmate. "It's kind of dredging up some bad memories for me, though."
"I can certainly relate." Ashe hung his head down in contemplation as he walked over to join the conversation between the two archers. "My siblings and I used to live in fear of thunderstorms nearly every day before Lord Lonato finally took us in."
"So you used to be an orphan, huh Ashe?" Ignatz inquired, prompting a quick nod of confirmation from the other boy in response. "I've heard of so many good deeds from Lord Lonato over the past couple of weeks… It makes it so hard to believe that he'd instigate such a brutal uprising against the church."
"I know… I just want to hear a proper explanation for this madness more than anything." Ashe solemnly agreed, his head still lowered in dread at the prospect of what was to come.
"Didn't you write him a letter asking for his motivations earlier?" Bernadetta curiously asked. "I'm sure your father must have been willing to give you some sort of information."
"I did just as you asked, but I was unable to receive a reply Lonato directly." Ashe grimly admitted. "Monica's carrier pigeon arrived with another letter later that same night, but it only contained a vague message from one of my father's vassals warning me to stay away from the conflict, and that the Central Church's hour of retribution was finally at hand..."
"The Central Church's hour of retribution…?" Ignatz nervously repeated.
"Honestly, I have no idea what this message was going on about…" Ashe shook his head in frustration. "I can only assume this has to do with the death of my older stepbrother Christophe, but this is something I'd rather hear from Lonato's own mouth, not some intermediary vassal."
"Your father really doesn't want you to get involved in this whole mess, huh?" Bernadetta pondered aloud. "He probably doesn't want to see you getting hurt in the crossfire…"
"I suppose it's far too late for that now…" Ashe sighed in dismay, still dreading the confrontation that was soon to come.
The entire group's march was brought to a screeching halt when the sound of a man crying out in pain suddenly echoed through the air. The students all looked to the front of their small army to find the corpse of a lone soldier lying before Catherine's feet, the knight's signature blade emitting a faint red glow as she turned to face the classes accompanying her.
"Everybody, prepare for battle! We're about to engage the enemy forces!"
Bernadetta wordlessly notched an arrow into her bow in preparation of the unfolding conflict, but her attention was quickly grasped by a brief, but noticeable whimper from Ashe, who was staring at the man Catherine had slain with a look of realization dawning on his face.
"I… I recognize that man…!" Ashe barely managed to stutter out. "He was the head of the local bakery back in the village…" he revealed, visibly struggling to keep his tears from falling from his eyes even as his fellow classmates set out to confront the legion of soldiers sent to attack them. "The son of the old blacksmith… the young widow who worked at the jeweler's… I can hear their voices with such clarity…"
"Ashe, this isn't the time-"
"Why, Lonato? Why are they all here…?" Ashe's whole body shook as his gaze fell to the ground below.
"Ashe, we're under attack! Please pull yourself together!" Bernadetta urgently pleaded as she scanned the area around her for any signs of movement.
"I- I'm so sorry! It's easy enough to take lives without a second thought when I'm just fighting simple bandits, but when I recognize these faces on the battlefield, I-" the silver haired boy continued, unaware of a faint orange glow in the distance signifying an enemy mage taking aim at him.
Faced with few other options, Bernadetta lunged forth and forcefully tackled the boy to the ground just in time for a bright fireball to sail right past their heads. Before Ashe could even catch his breath, his violet haired savior immediately turned in the direction of their attacker and let loose a single arrow. The sharp cry of pain that followed was definitively confirmed that the arrow hit its mark, piercing the mage's heart before he could conjure up another spell.
"Ashe, you have to listen to me." Bernadetta sternly warned as she helped the boy get back on his feet. "I hate the feeling as much as you do, but whether you recognize your enemies on the battlefield or not, you have to choose between your life and theirs. There are no exceptions in war…"
"But we're not fighting a war-"
"War or not, your hesitation can and will get you killed if you let it take over!" Bernadetta loudly snapped, prompting Ashe to briefly flinch in response.
As if right on cue, Dimitri suddenly appeared by the pair's side, lance in hand as he thrust the weapon through the abdomen of an approaching soldier hoping to strike while their backs were turned.
"I truly wish there was a better way…" the young prince solemnly cursed, removing his spear from the man's corpse and forcing him to collapse to the ground with an unintelligible cough of blood.
"I- I'm sorry, both of you. I shouldn't be dragging you down like this." Ashe uttered a heartfelt apology before notching an arrow into his bow. "If we want to put a stop to this needless loss of life, then we'll just have to end this battle as soon as possible." he resolutely stated, prompting two nods of agreement from his fellow students.
"Hey, you guys! Now is not a good time to fall behind the rest of the pack!" Claude's voice called with bated breath as the Golden Deer leader rushed in meet up with the preoccupied trio with a lit torch in hand. "I swear this fog's getting worse every minute…"
"The situation has grown quite dire. Our forces have scattered all throughout the area in such a short period of time… If only we can find the source of this accursed fog…" Dimitri placed a hand to his chin in contemplation as he scanned the limited horizon around him like a hawk.
"If the mist has gotten this bad, then whatever's causing it has to be close by, right?"
"Indeed. I believe you should take your search to that thicket over there. Powerful as this fog may be, it was originally dispelled by simply slaying the lone mage responsible for conjuring it." Sothis calmly advised, drawing upon her memories of her first experience with this battle to plot out the swiftest route to victory.
"Alright, we're not going to accomplish anything by just standing around here." Bernadetta declared as she stepped out in front of the small group that had gathered around her. "I… think I can see some trees in the distance over there. If we're lucky, we might find whoever's causing this fog within them."
"I say we should just murder everyone in sight to narrow down our options!" Monica's voice suddenly crept into the conversation, giving Bernadetta a brief scare as the redhead suddenly popped into view.
"Wh- what do I keep telling you about sneaking up on me?!" Bernadetta hotly protested, her bow instinctively drawn on the surprise visitor for a few short seconds. "Especially here of all places; I almost shot you on sight!"
"But you didn't; I'm glad you're finally starting to trust me, Bernie." Monica refuted with a sly wink, much to the violet haired archer's annoyance.
"I dunno about you guys, but I think I'll take the recluse's plan over the crazed lunatic's." Claude heartily joked, his torch firmly raised as he turned in the direction of the distant thicket. "Just try to stick close to me till we get there. I wouldn't want any of you guys to trip over a pebble along the way or something."
"I do hope your hunch is right about this, Bernadetta. The sooner we raise this veil over the battlefield, the better." Ashe anxiously stated, scurrying over to Claude's side to guard the house leader while he acted as the group's only source of light within the area.
"Eh, fine, we'll do it your way." Monica halfheartedly shrugged. "It'll be easier for me to actually see who I'm stabbing without this dumb fog anyway."
"You'll hear no objections from me." Dimitri readily voiced his agreement, tightly gripping his spear in preparation of the group's next move. "I have no desire for us to remain here any longer than we need to be."
Now fueled by a brimming sense of unification between their three different houses, the small band of students set out to advance upon their targeted thicket with a renewed sense of determination. Any soldiers that dared to draw near were swiftly dispatched, whether they were slashed across the chest by Dimitri's spear or pierced through the throat by one of Monica's knives. Any archers who attempted to take potshots at the group were met with an arrow in the chest in return, and the one poor soul who managed to come near Claude was met with the grim fate of having an arrow jammed into his throat when the Golden Deer leader easily ducked under a swing of his untrained blade.
It was not long before the group finally arrived at their target destination, where they were immediately greeted with a long row of fireballs sailing right over their heads.
"Well gee, with this much protection in one area, I think we might have just found our mark!" Claude proudly commented, throwing a single precise dagger that easily burrowed into the throat of one of the attacking mages. Dimitri quickly followed suit, throwing a javelin forth with such power that it not only fully impaled its unfortunate target, but pinned his body to a nearby tree as well.
"Wait a moment, does that particular mage's attire seem strange to anyone else?" Ashe curiously asked, pointing to an unknown man garbed adorned with jet black robes and a mysterious bird-like mask.
"That's it! That's the guy responsible for the fog, I'm sure of it!" Bernadetta shouted as she hastily pointed her crossbow at the mysterious figure. Though her loud declaration gave the man enough of a heads up to slip past the arrow fired at him, he was shortly caught by a second shot from Ashe, which managed to cleanly pierce through his heel, dropping the mage to his knees with a sharp grunt of pain. Seizing the opportunity, Bernadetta fired another arrow into the man's heart before he could stand back up.
"Oh my, Bernie. It looks like you've really done your homework, huh?" Monica raised an eyebrow at the girl as the fog plaguing their location finally began to disappear from the air. "How'd you figure this out, exactly?"
"Oh, you know, I, er… thought it was obvious…" the lilac haired archer nervously twiddled her thumbs together in a vain attempt to explain her advanced knowledge of the situation. "With an outfit like that, I was sure that guy had to have been important, you know?"
"What in the world is this…?" the pair's impromptu interrogation was cut short by a surprised Dimitri, who was standing over the corpse of the unknown mage with an expression of sheer bewilderment. The rest of the group hurriedly darted over to find that the mage's bird mask had been removed, revealing a face pale as snow and an eerie channel of exposed veins running all across his skin. These telltale features were more than enough to tell Bernadetta that this mage was a denizen of Agartha.
"Now that's gotta be the second freakiest thing I've seen all week." Claude casually exclaimed as he bent down to get a closer look at the mage's dead body, where his eyes instantly drawn to the man's right arm. "Get a load of this strange metallic bracelet… and that shiny white orb implanted within… I've never seen anything like it before."
"Ooh, that looks neat! I think I'll go ahead and claim it for myself!" Monica loudly announced, swiftly darting over to swipe the accessory from the mage's arm before Claude could lay a hand on it.
"Hey now, what gives?" Claude protested in frustration at the redhead's thieving antics. "Is there something special about this bracelet you don't want us to know about?"
"What, this old thing?" Monica chuckled, dangling the bracelet in front of her as if she were jingling a set of keys in a cat's face. "It's nothing more than a cosmetic item; I just think it looks cool!"
Unconvinced as he was, the Golden Deer leader was given little time to reply before the group's attention was drawn towards the familiar sound of a galloping horse approaching from the west. Perched atop the animal was none other than Lord Lonato himself, complete with an entire legion of soldiers at his beck and call. Most strikingly, the weapon in his hands brought a couple of loud gasps of shock from Dimitri and Bernadetta the moment they laid eyes on it.
"Is that… that's impossible!"
"Your Highness, thank the Goddess you're safe! You would do well not to stray so far from the group again." Dedue's voice called from afar, carrying a far greater sense of urgency than the man was typically known for as he rushed over to reunite with his lord.
"Your concern is appreciated, Dedue, but I simply had to come to the aid of those who had fallen behind as well." Dimitri humbly dispelled his retainer's fears before turning his attention to a frantic looking Sylvain. "And Sylvain… what is the meaning of this? Why is Lord Lonato wielding the Lance of Ruin of all things?"
"Believe me, I have no idea!" the red haired womanizer gave out a wide shrug as he finally managed to catch up with his house leader. "Last time I checked, it was still lying safely in the lands of House Gautier! You can even ask Ingrid if you want confirmation, she was just there last week!"
"You'd think we would have received word that a Hero's Relic was stolen from its territory, even on such short notice…" Ingrid concurred, sharing the same sense of confusion as the lance's future heir.
"Sothis, can you tell if that lance is actually the real deal?" Bernadetta silently asked the Goddess within her mind for insight.
"It does not look any different than the lance I am familiar with, yet something feels… off about its aura. I can't quite explain why…" Sothis muttered, feeling just as perturbed as her companion on the matter.
"Yikes, does anyone else see how that lance is faintly pulsating? I don't think I wanna come anywhere near that thing." Hilda commented, her eyes wincing in disgust as she pointed s shaky finger towards the ancient weapon.
"Regardless of how Lonato managed to obtain the Lance of Ruin, I'm going to need all of you to leave Lord Lonato to me." Catherine demanded, stepping out to the forefront of the army with her signature Thunderbrand drawn and ready. "He may not have a Crest to properly wield it with, but that doesn't make that Hero's Relic any less dangerous for it."
"Understood. I'll have the students fend off his army to give you and the Knights of Seiros some room to breathe." Byleth nodded in affirmation, marching off to Catherine's side with his own trusty blade firmly in hand.
"This is bad… This is really, really bad…" Bernadetta nervously fidgeted in place as her allied forces made their preparations to meet with Lonato's army head on. "Even with a Relic Weapon, there's no way Lonato could possibly survive a duel with Catherine…"
"Then what should we do, Bernadetta?" Ashe desperately pleaded. "I can't simply sit back and watch while my only living parent is ruthlessly cut down in front of me!"
"I know, I know…" the violet haired girl's mind scrambled for ideas as the confrontation between the two armies grew closer with each passing second. "If we want to have any hope of settling this peacefully, then there's only one person who can talk some sense into him."
"You mean me, don't you…?" Ashe quietly asked, receiving a firm nod in response. "Yes, I understand. Mark my words; I will get Lonato to see the error of his ways!"
"That's a fine sentiment and all, but I'm pretty sure you're gonna want some backup if you wish to cross an active battlefield to have a talk with your old man." Claude stated, spinning an arrow around in his hand as he joined in on the pair's conversation.
"Indeed, Claude is quite right." Dimitri concurred with his gaze firmly set upon the vast plains before them. "There will be much ground to cover, but I assure you, you will have the chance to say your piece with Lonato before the day is up."
"We'll make sure nobody lays a hand on you along the way!" Mercedes cheerfully chimed in; flashing a comforting smile in her classmate's direction as she peacefully clasped her hands together.
"And if anyone does hurt you, they're really gonna be sorry!" Annette added, pumping her fist in the air in an eager show of support.
"Everybody… I can't thank you enough for your support." Ashe bowed his head to the crowd of students gathering to aid him with a wide smile across his face.
"You had best save your thanks for later, Ashe." Lorenz cautioned, pointing his finger out to the quaggy field where a small squadron of knights were slain by a single slash from Lonato's fearsome weapon. "We should all make haste if you wish to reach your father before it's too late."
With nary another word, Claude and Dimitri lead their two classes on a mutual charge against Lonato's forces, intending to cut a path for Ashe to safely pass through on his way to his final destination. The worry in the boy's demeanor was easily apparent at a glance, and it only grew worse as Catherine and Byleth began to clash with his old guardian off in the distance.
Much to the collective surprise of the onlookers present, the old lord was actually holding his ground against the combined might of the professor and the wielder of Thunderbrand. He struck at Catherine in particular with much more vigor and ferocity than a man of his age was thought to be capable of. Brilliant sparks of crimson flew through the air with each clash of the two Hero's Relics, and neither side of the confrontation was looking to concede defeat any time soon.
Skilled as the professor may have been, it was abundantly clear that Lonato's main focus lied elsewhere as he carried on with his hate fueled assault on Catherine, even managing to land a glancing glow on the knight's armor in the process. All Byleth could really do in this situation was to hold off any soldiers looking to interfere with the personal duel that was underway.
Ashe's single minded focus on the intense battle unfolding before him left him unaware of a nearby thief that had managed to draw a bow on the boy, but luckily the foe was quickly dispatched by a handful of well-placed crossbow bolts from Bernadetta.
"My apologies. I allowed myself to get too distracted back there."
"Don't worry about it; it happens to the best of us. Now's your chance to put an end to this battle!" Bernadetta reassured the boy, refocusing her efforts on guarding his immediate flank as Ashe slowly worked up the nerve to call out to his adoptive father.
"Lonato, you must surrender, I beg of you!" Ashe shouted at the top of his lungs, bringing his father's duel with Catherine to a grinding halt as the lord instantly recognized the voice of his second son.
"Ashe… is that you…? What are you doing here of all places?" Lonato asked as his eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm here to prevent you from continuing your destructive vendetta against the church! I cannot claim to fully understand your reasons for this, but there must be a way to peacefully settle your grievances!"
"This has nothing to do with you, Ashe!" Lonato loudly roared, causing his son to flinch in fear. "Lady Rhea… that vile woman… to have dragged you all the way out here, even knowing of your connection to me…!"
"Lonato, this cannot go on any longer!" Dimitri's voice cried out as the Blue Lion leader reluctantly rushed forth to face the aging lord directly. "I sympathize with your position, I really do, but this vendetta of yours has gone way too far!"
"Your Highness…" Lonato looked down upon the blonde prince with a look of pity and regret. "I have no desire to cut you down, but I cannot allow you to stop me either! The true will of the Goddess demands as much!"
"Agh, this is going terribly… he isn't standing down at all!" Bernadetta audibly panicked as the old lord threateningly pointed his lance at Dimitri.
"Damn… I was really hoping Ashe could get him to listen to reason." Claude grumbled to himself in frustration.
"If we cannot get Lonato to lay down his arms with words, then we must simply find a way to peacefully subdue him instead."
"Okay, but…how? You can't honestly expect me to go anywhere near that Lance of Ruin, can you?!"
"Think for a moment. Defeating the man in direct combat is obviously out of the question for you; however, relieving him of his steed could swiftly turn the tides in our favor. Do you have anything that could possibly assist with such a task?"
"That is the ideal way to deal with a mounted unit, but how am I supposed to…" Bernadetta frantically turned the gears within her head until a moment of inspiration finally clicked. "That's it! Claude, Monica, could you two come here for a moment?"
"Ooh, you've got one hell of a sinister look in your eyes, Bernie! I like it!" Monica cheerfully noted.
"If you've got some sort of grand scheme in mind, you can count me in." Claude eagerly obliged as Lonato's personal skirmish began anew. True to his word, the aging lord made a beeline for Dimitri with the intent to kill, only to be intercepted by Byleth and Catherine along the way.
For all the sheer ferocity Lonato had displayed throughout the battle, it was clear that the old man's stamina was wearing thin, especially as he continued to struggle against multiple opponents at once. Even so, it was clear that the man had no intention of backing down, despite the grievous wounds that were starting to pile up on his end.
"Hey, old man! We've got a surprise for you!" the voice of Claude suddenly called out as an arrow narrowly sailed past Lonato's head from behind. Naturally curious, Lonato broke off from his clash and turned around to find Monica flashing an evil grin in his direction while holding a knife up to Ashe's throat. All the while, Bernadetta and Claude stood in between the lord and his hostage son with a mutual expression of steely determination.
"You might want to choose your next move carefully, that is if you care what happens to your little boy here!" Monica loudly threatened, wrapping her free hand around Ashe's chest as the silver haired boy silently stared at his father with pleading eyes.
"What on Fódlan has gotten into you three?!" Dimitri questioned in bewilderment, only receiving a raised hand of reassurance from Claude in reply.
"Don't worry, Dimitri. We know exactly what we're doing here." Claude confidently assured, his left hand closely linked with Bernadetta's as the latter pointed her crossbow at Lonato with her right.
"Professor, Catherine, we'll need you to trust us on this one too." Bernadetta added, looking over to the two instructors who only stared back with looks of concern and understanding as they reluctantly refrained from interfering.
"You fiendish dastards…!" Lonato visibly fumed at the attempted blackmail unfolding before him. "Do not believe for a second that your threats will save you from retribution!" he roared in fury before mounting a single minded charge, his cursed lanced raised high into the air as he prepared to cut down the impudent students who dared to blemish his honor in such a fashion.
"Claude, now!"
"You got it!"
The two archers speedily split apart the moment Lonato's horse drew near, revealing a long, razor sharp tripwire stretching between their hands like an elastic chain. Carrying far too much momentum to reverse its course, Lonato's steed unceremoniously neighed in terror as it lost its balance and fell to the ground below, taking its unfortunate rider down with it.
Without missing a beat, the perpetrators of the trap proceeded to fire a quick volley of arrows into the aging lord's legs before he could even attempt to stand back up. Though effectively crippled by the surprise attack, Lonato still maintained his hold on the Lance of Ruin, entirely willing to drag his beaten body with his bare hands to continue his personal mission.
"Lonato, that's enough!" Ashe desperately pleaded as Monica released the boy from her grasp, rushing over to kneel in front of the still struggling lord.
"Ashe, what is-"
"I'm sorry to have deceived you, but I must implore you to wake up and open your eyes to reality!" Ashe cut his old guardian's query short with another heartfelt plea. "Look around you! Look at all the needless pain and suffering your ill-fated conquest against the church has brought to everybody!"
"You don't understand, Ashe! You do not know the true depths of depravity that the Central Church has fallen into!"
"Did you truly have to resort to a declaration of war to settle your grievances?! I know I cannot speak for the dead, but do you truly think Christophe would have wanted any of this?!"
Lonato's expression softened at the mention of his deceased son. Begrudgingly, he obliged with his surviving boy's request, his eyes slowly widening in realization as he gazed upon a vast battlefield littered with the corpses of his own men and townsfolk. Though there were certainly casualties among the Knights of Seiros as well, it was abundantly clear that Lonato's own losses greatly outnumbered them. For all intents and purposes, his attempted conquest had ended in total failure.
"I… I see…" the aging lord quietly whispered as the weight of his actions finally began to dawn on him. "I have failed as a lord… I have failed as a leader… and most of all, I have failed as a father, more than once…"
"There is always a chance for you to make amends." Ashe held out his hand in an offering of peace with a warm smile. "We can make things right once again, I know it."
Lonato couldn't help but return his son's smile in admiration of his sheer optimism. He slowly reached out his hand to accept Ashe's kind proposition, only to halt midway when he suddenly fell into a violent coughing fit.
"Ashe… you… have to… get away from me…!" the aging lord muttered between coughs, much to the concern of the many onlookers present.
"Father…?"
"Wh- what's going on now?! Everything was just starting to go smoothly up until now…" Bernadetta mentally panicked as she looked upon Lonato's condition in horror.
"Oh no…" Sothis muttered in dread. "Look at the Crest Stone on the Lance of Ruin!"
Just as the Goddess claimed, the lance's Crest Stone had suddenly begun to forcefully glow with a dark shade of crimson, eliciting a cry of pure agony from Lonato as a grotesque, shadowy mass began to emerge from the cursed weapon.
All Ashe could do was slowly back away in fear as the flow of darkness proceeded to creep up along his adoptive father's arm, who was still howling in pain all the while. The fighting around them had long since come to a halt, with friend and foe alike watching the scene unfold with utter fear and bafflement.
This… was a sight that Bernadetta recognized all too well.
The glow of the Crest Stone grew wilder with each passing second, and Lonato's agony along with it. The shadowy mass grew to such a size that it completely swallowed Lonato's body in a matter of seconds. It was not long before the coating of darkness stretched up into the air and formed into a massive stone skinned creature standing up on its high legs, its crimson eyes flaring to life as it let out a massive roar that could be heard for miles on end.
Lord Lonato was no more, and all that was left was a bloodthirsty Demonic Beast.
Boy was this chapter a doozy to write. I wasn't originally planning to split the battle into two chapters, but it's certainly a better option than rushing out the second half and glossing over the aftermath of the whole operation.
On another note, I've decided to commemorate the release of this story's tenth chapter with a brand new cover image made in SFM. I... think it worked decently. With all the constant backpedaling and second-guessing I've been tackling throughout the process of writing all this, I'm quite proud of how far everything's progressed so far.
Oh, and for those eagle eyed reviewers out there, Ashe's book in the last chapter was indeed one big reference to Tales of the Abyss. I just love slipping in references to other RPGs like that.
