She held the red cap; a memorabilia of the past, the relic of an old friend, a friend who would never be forgotten.
The blade materialized in her other hand, she faced the darkness, facing the foe ahead. She'd been tracking him for a long time, since that day, with unfinished business. He could not continue onward any longer, he had to pay for what he'd done.
It had all started on the island and this was where it would come to an end. Here, now, tonight.
Desti glanced down at the red cap, remembering her, remembering the times they had shared together. She remembered the day they became friends and the day her life had been taken. If she'd known what would happen then, if she'd been prepared and had the strength, Desti could have taken him down. Now, after all this time, it was time to make up for that mistake.
For endless seconds, they stared at each other from a distance with nothing but dim neon lights all around them, with nothing but the sense of a long-time rivalry coming to a head.
He emerged from the darkness, his blade glistening and his long hair running down his shoulders, his appearance unchanged. The power that had created him wasn't supposed to have lasted this long, but it had. How he continued past the day he was drawn into existence was a mystery, Axol's Inkweaver, the Inkweaver's power, was beyond all comprehension and imagination.
Anime creations from that pen usually faded away when their time was up. But out of everything that Axol and Francis had conjured up, he had been a major exception due to very mysterious circumstances.
Emotionless, cold and lacking any humanity, Sephiroth, Fake Sephiroth, stared at Desti with the eyes of a soulless being devoid of compassion. A vision flashed through her mind, a memory of when she'd dodged his blade.
Then another vision appeared, one showing a different timeline, one where she'd fallen to him. Cold chills ran through her skin, colder than the rage in the brown-colored Octoling's deep yellow eyes.
"I'm going to do what should have been done on the island…" Desti said to the silent Sephiroth, "It's time for you to face your inevitable fate."
She put away Meggy's beanie, 'Don't worry, Meggy, I'll never forget you.'
Fake Sephiroth drew his sword, the blade gleaming in the dark. The tension between him and Desti surged, the atmosphere getting tenser by the second. Now, there was no going back, they were past the point of no return.
Both combatants rushed towards each other, a shrill Octoling battle cry leaving Desti's vocal cords while Fake Sephiroth's mouth remained closed.
The darkness around them swelled and the night was filled with the sounds of battle, the sound of two enemies engaging what was destined to be their final battle. In the end, one would fall and the other would continue on.
Nothing else mattered here, it was just her and him with only one thing on their minds; Finishing unfinished business, a fight to the end, settling things for good.
Desti sliced at Sephiroth's neck, the shining blade of her dagger in motion. CLANG! Fake Sephiroth's sword came up, blocking the attack. The dreaded one-winged seraph pushed back against the Octoling, catching her off guard for a time just long enough for Desti's foe to swoop in for an incoming attack.
However, Desti recovered her balance quickly and leaped out of the way, flipping over Sephiroth's head and landing behind him. The Octoling raised her blade and moved in for another attack, aiming for his back. The dark-clad fighter blocked the strike with the blade and turned, facing Desti with an even colder face.
They were in motion, blades clashing and the two foes dueling across the neon-lit street. Metal clinked and sparks flew whenever the blades made contact, Desti's hand gripped the handle of her weapon even tighter, maintaining her grasp to ensure Fake Sephiroth's next strike didn't send it flying.
Furious adrenaline surged through Desti, her eyes blazing with determination and confidence coursing her way through her every fiber and vein in her body and heart. Lightning exploded across the darkening cloudy night sky overhead, illuminating the shadows surrounding the fighters as the bright and colorful neon lights flickered through the darkness.
Desti backflipped to evade a slice from Sephiroth and the imposing enemy charged at her, intending to skewer her just as he'd done so with Meggy on the roof that day. The pink-haired Octoling leaped out of the way, narrowly evading the blade by inches and experiencing an odd sense of déjà vu.
A flash and she was back on the island, back in the cartel's holdout, over a year and a half ago, that same energy racing through her as it was now with the enemy's blade still gleaming dangerously.
'You better come out on top for me...'
That voice, it sounded like her own, then it spoke again. This time, it was Meggy's voice. She was speaking to her friend from beyond the grave, her restless soul was by the Octoling's side. Desti could sense her presence, in her mind, heart and soul. A new surge of energy rushed through her veins, Meggy's memory was strengthening and aiding Desti, shining through the darkness.
And in that moment, as the Octoling sliced at Sephiroth and their blades continued to clash, she could sense someone else from beyond the grave.
Him, Francis, the one whose actions had led to this. With Meggy's death, his vengeful soul was laughing, laughing at Desti through the fake Sephiroth. Evil was never destroyed that easily, not even defeated enemies were truly gone.
Deep behind Sephiroth's cold, emotionless eyes, the soul of Francis was laughing maniacally as he sought the fall of Desti. Just one more soul to take to the grave with him, then his vengeance would be complete and he could rest in the darkness forever. But Desti was not about to give up, she'd fought her way to this point, even as the darkness bore down upon her.
Motions swelled, emotions boiled and lightning flashes intensified. They were fighting on the edge now, moving back and forth with the light illuminating Desti while Sephiroth blended in with the shadows, it was almost like poetic symbolism despite the dark vengeance in Desti's heart.
Sephiroth may have been strong, but Desti had trained hard and was stronger by this point.
Every adventure since Anime Island, all that training with Meggy, it had prepared her for this. After so much struggle, she was gaining the upper hand and the intensity was hitting a crescendo. Sephiroth's form flickered, the aura glowing a different color. Desti was wearing down her foe, just one more push, just a little further...
Light awaited at the end of the tunnel, the light of peace and victory.
The long blade cracked from the pressure, the weapon losing its gleaming edge. She saw her foe's foothold slowly give out, even as he tried to hold on. She pressed her offensive, the enemy was on his last leg and his powers were weakening, dwindling and beyond the point of rejuvenation…
Desti pushed harder, her weapon getting closer towards the enemy's neck. Closer over the edge, closer to breaking the enemy's defenses and pressing through. Then, shatter point!
The replica's weapon shattered and Sephiroth stumbled, trying to cling on longer. Desti let out a shrill cry and her blade struck true, plunging into the enemy's beating heart. Silent and emotionless as when he'd started, Sephiroth's eyes faded and the defeated one fell.
He vanished into the shadows, falling into darkness, falling forever.
She sheathed her weapons, exhausted and standing triumphant, her quest over and her friend avenged. A sensational warmth crossed her shoulder, Desti backed away from the edge, her eyes closed with a smile. She was there, surrounded by a comforting light. Desti turned, seeing the spirit of her friend. Meggy smiled at her warmly, giving the Octoling some encouragement.
It was over, a terrible enemy had finally been defeated and an old friend could find peace. It was time, time for a new beginning, time for one final farewell and for brighter days to come.
"Farewell, Desti..." Meggy said, "And thank you…"
A purple tear trickled down Desti's cheek, she hugged Meggy, acknowledging her. With one final smile, the Inkling-turned human vanished in a haze of light. Desti departed the cityscape, ready to head home and move on with her life...
The End
