Book IX: Aegis
Chapter LXVI
We landed a short distance away from where we knew they'd be. After a short walk, we arrived.
"I knew you fools couldn't resist a direct challenge," Adonis greeted.
I sighed. "Hello Adonis, I see your pride has healed, how's your sword?"
"That's the spirit," Adonis responded as a sword appeared in his hand, just like his other one.
Pyra emerged from behind him, and she drew her sword, not taking her eyes off of me. I honestly resented the way I had fought her.
Mythra threw me her sword as I locked eyes with Adonis. "You still won't fight with your blade?"
"I am not a blade," Pyra argued. "I am simply here to protect my master."
"Poppi not real blade either, I see no excuse," Poppi responded in an irritated fashion as she switched to her Q-TCE Finale form.
"This world is broken, so I will help her rebuild it," Adonis stated, although nobody could figure out who "her" was.
"Oh yes, because you've done such a good job with this one," Canaan said sarcastically.
"I tire of your constant meddling," Adonis replied to Canaan, "Return to the ether flow, and may you be reborn again."
Foresight hit me, but not Mythra's. However, there was nothing I could do. I shouted, but by the time my words reached him….
Adonis immediately flew past us as his sword began glowing its teal color, he simultaneously plowed through Finch's core crystal and Canaan's heart.
"I-I'm sorry Cantaloupe," Finch cried out as Adonis withdrew his sword and they both slumped to the ground.
"No worries," Canaan replied as he coughed up blood. "It wasn't… y..ou..r… fault-"
"ADONIS!" I shrieked as I slashed at him with Mythra's sword, to which he parried.
https/youtu.be/-eU9N59CkkA
He laughed. "Now quit wasting everyone's time and quit holding back!"
I took a deep breath, I was anything but fine, but I couldn't lose control, not again.
"He's baiting you," Mythra warned me, but I could tell even she was falling for it. "Don't lose yourself."
"You too," I stated. "Do you think I can handle your power?"
"I trust you," she started, but shook her head. "But it isn't a good idea, he may be trying to take advantage of our inability to control our emotions."
"You…," Gabriel said as Kasandra cautiously handed him her weapon. "YOU SLIMY BASTARD!"
"BE SENSIBLE!" Acacia yelled back before grabbing Malos' Monado.
"You sure you can handle it?" Malos questioned her.
"I think it's time we found out."
Gabriel went in, and Adonis would have cut him through if Acacia hadn't countered it.
"Pay attention, don't die for nothing," she said as they stood back to back.
Gabriel sighed. "Fine, you're right."
"Much more composed are you?" Adonis inquired. "Or did he just mean that little to you? I honestly can't even blame you, he was just as mindless as a blade! Only money was his driver."
"Double Spinning Edge!" I shouted as I took Mythra's sword and slashed my way toward him.
He was thrown back, but not nearly enough. He retaliated with a slash downwards, but KOS-MOS fired off a blast that prevented contact.
Pyra snuck behind me and went to slash me, but I threw my sword back to Mythra and she countered it.
I spun around as Mythra tossed the sword back and I locked blades with Pyra. She looked very unconfident, and scared.
I took a deep breath, "I'm sorry Pyra."
"What?!" she responded, confused.
"I'm sorry I attacked you like I did last week, I was angry and out of control. Her death wasn't your fault and you didn't deserve to be treated like that."
She seemed agitated. "I attacked her too, and you're my enemy! You shouldn't be apologizing to me."
"No, I'm Adonis' enemy, and he's been taking advantage of you for the Architect knows how long. This isn't your fault and I refuse to blame you."
Poppi and Rafi had locked blades with Adonis, but even fighting he still turned to Pyra.
"QUIT TALKING TO THE ENEMY YOU USELESS MACHINE!" he shouted at her.
"Why do you let him treat you like that?!" I interrogated. "You don't have to take that!"
"He is my master, I do as he commands."
Adonis was suddenly in front of me and she shoved Pyra to the ground.
We all simultaneously stopped attacking, utterly shocked at this move.
He lifted his leg off the ground and slammed his boot into her skull, and then leaned into it as she began screaming in pain.
https/youtu.be/-OGmA3Nk-gU
"YOU WORTHLESS CREATION!" he shouted at her. "HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL! I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU ARROGANT WHORE!"
Everyone stopped, looking completely stunned, Mythra even looked sick.
I felt something hit my leg, and I realized that Canaan had been trying to give something to me before he finally died.
I stopped to pick it up, it was an ether shield, and a really powerful one.
"E-End this… Please...," he cried out before he coughed up more blood and died at my feet.
Pyra was still screaming and Adonis wasn't letting up.
"I'VE GIVEN YOU LIFE AND A PURPOSE AND YOU'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT A MISERABLE FAILURE!"
Pyra now had tears streaming down her face as she kept screaming and gasping, yet she refused to ask for help.
A new form of rage tore through my body as my feet began charging.
"GET OFF OF HER!" I shouted as I shoved him hard enough to send him reeling back.
I took a stance in between them as the teal sword I had summoned a week ago appeared in my hand once more.
"HOW?!" I shouted. "HOW CAN YOU TREAT HER LIKE THIS?!"
"Silas…," Mythra uttered as she began approaching me.
I shook my head, telling her to stay back.
"She's risked everything for you, sacrificed everything for you! How can you treat her like this?!"
Pyra forced herself off the ground. "Stay out of this!" she said weakly.
I turned to face her. "Pyra, how can you not see this is wrong?! Look around, do you see anyone as scared as you?!"
She stopped. "What?! I'm his… I was made to serve… him!"
"That's titan dung and you know it!" I snapped, and tears began streaming down my face. "You don't deserve this! You clearly feel pain Pyra!"
"AND SO WHAT IF I DO?!" she screamed.
"MACHINES DON'T FEEL PAIN PYRA!" I screamed back. "WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE MORE THAN WHAT HE TELLS YOU THAT YOU ARE?!"
"I follow his orders only!"
My sword disappeared and I pulled my ether pistol out, emptied out the clip to reveal an earth ether bullet in the clip, put it back in, cocked the gun, and put it in her hand.
She quickly aimed it at my head.
I carefully grabbed the gun and moved it down to my heart, letting her hold it.
"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND?!" Acacia shouted.
I threw down the ether shield around Adonis, Pyra, and I, preventing anyone from interfering.
"You're a machine, right? Then do your job," I said simply.
"You can't be serious!" Pyra argued. "There has to be some trick!"
"Shoot him, Pyra," Adonis ordered. "Shoot him and I'll forgive you."
I looked her in her tear stained face. "A machine would've pulled the trigger already. What's the hesitation?"
"I…," Pyra stuttered out.
"Pyra listen to me," I said. "You can pull that trigger, and then you'll be nothing more than the machine he's made you believe you are."
"KILL HIM! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" Adonis shouted.
"Pyra this world can be so much to you, I can show you a better world! I can end the pain he's put you through! If you care about yourself at all, you can use that gun to end him and you'll never have to be in this pain ever again. Just please listen to me!"
Tears were streaming down her face. "I- I don't deserve happiness!"
"I think you do," I argued, pointing to Mythra. "And I guarantee you she does. I want you to be happy, what do you want?"
"What do I-?" Pyra said as she began crying even more.
"You want what I tell you to want," Adonis shouted. "And I want you to kill him once and for all!"
The teal sword appeared in my hand again as I turned around. "STAY OUT OF THIS!" I shouted at Adonis, letting my frustration get the best of me.
Before I could hit, my body lurched forward and I fell to the ground. I then looked at Pyra, trembling as smoke left the barrel.
"SILAS!" Mythra shrieked.
"YES!" Adonis shouted in glee. "FINISH HIM PYRA, IT'S WHAT YOU WANT!"
"What I want…," Pyra said as she looked at the gun. "What I want…."
We stood in shock as she held the pistol to her head.
"WHAT I WANT IS FOR THIS ALL TO END!" she screamed as she pulled the trigger.
A loud bang and a soft thud echoed out and everyone was left mortified.
I stood up, she hadn't actually shot me, she had the bullet graze my arm.
Adonis' face twisted into a sick smile as he began laughing hysterically, clapping even.
"Bravo, bravo!" he said. "What an impressive display! I had her so fooled that she legitimately thought she could kill herself!"
"You… heartless BASTARD!" I shouted as the teal sword appeared in my hand again and I went to slice him.
He dodged it as he continued laughing.
"Was her life… nothing more than a game to you?!" I cried out. "Did she mean anything to you?!"
"Listen kid," he replied. "Her existence is inconsequential, this whole world is. It's cruel and broken, and I want to destroy it all!"
"The only thing cruel and broken is you!" I retorted.
He stood across from me and held his arms wide. "Then why don't you end this now?!"
I held my sword up, ready to deliver the final blow, and I stood there, just like that.
"Can't do it?" he asked, before laughing again. "You can't even kill me?!"
I stood there, unable to swing my sword, unable to move, unable to think.
His laughter was swiftly replaced by anger. "YOU'RE USELESS!"
He grabbed his sword and stabbed it through my torso as my sword disappeared and I fell to my knees.
"Why can't I do it?" I thought to myself. "Why can't I kill him?!"
Did I not hate him? No, I despised him, but I couldn't force myself to kill him.
Adonis sighed. "This would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic, I hope you know you've lost."
Mythra jumped to the ether shield, trying to break through.
Adonis brought his sword up, and I prepared for the end.
I sat there on my knees, not blinking, not crying, not moving, this was it.
Or… so I had thought. A blast of fire shot through Adonis' torso, but it wasn't fire. It was… dark?
As Adonis fell to the ground, Pyra… or someone who looked like Pyra, stood behind him. It looked just like her, but her hair, eyes, and clothes were now black and purple, and her sword gave off dark ether.
"Pyra?" I questioned.
A voice that didn't sound like her at all answered from her mouth. "I am not Pyra, I am Mira."
Ether emanated from her with insane power and the ether shield surrounding us shattered like glass.
"Silas get out of there!" Acacia shouted, but I couldn't hear her and I drifted into unconsciousness.
...
https/youtu.be/UmnQXyiIFp4
"Silas get out of there!" I yelled at him, however he couldn't hear me.
I watched as the dark blade went to finish him, and I ran as fast as I could, but I couldn't reach him in time.
We all at once heard a loud, booming voice echo from all around us.
A bright light erupted from Silas' body as a figure, wrapped in pure teal light emerged from his body, throwing Mira down onto the ground.
Mira stood up quickly. "You've failed! Stay out of this!"
The figure shook its head. "Not yet, he still lives."
Mira seemed irritated. "The deal was that if I could beat your champion the world would be mine! What is this intervention?!"
"I said that if a creature of this world could defeat you, you would die. I will not allow you to end him before he can even control his power."
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" she yelled as she took her sword and slashed at him.
The being summoned a teal sword, just like the one Silas had used, and parried it, sending Mira flying backwards. We couldn't even see the impact, but the sound alone made us cover our ears.
"If I leave it alone, I demand payment!" she argued.
"What would you desire?" the being asked.
"Your blade will leave with me," she said.
The being sighed. "Very well, you may take Malos as well."
"What makes you think I'll join you so easily?" Malos questioned.
Mira smiled. "You cannot seriously tell me you care for this world. Don't you want to see it end as well?"
"Malos isn't like you!" I argued.
"Well if that's all you want, I'd be happy to oblige," Malos responded.
"WHAT?!" Mythra shouted.
"Sleep," the being said as Mythra immediately lost consciousness. "You are not to harm her or Malos until Silas no longer breathes."
"Very well," Mira agreed. "Until we meet again."
In the blink of an eye, the being and Mira, Malos, and Mythra all disappeared. Adonis was nowhere to be seen either, and Silas was left lying unconscious on the floor.
"What now?" Gabriel asked, genuinely unsure of what the hell just happened, but honestly neither had I.
"Poppi hope Waylon have plan," Poppi uttered.
"Let's get Silas, Canaan, and Finch," I decided. "We'll briefly return to Leftheria and lay them to rest. However with Adamas gone, Violet will soon act on her own. Let's get a plan."
"Acacia, there seems to be a flaw in your logic," KOS-MOS stated.
"And what's that?"
"The dark blade called Mira has successfully destroyed our ship."
Unfortunately, she was correct, our ship was completely incinerated.
"Now what?!" Rafi exclaimed.
"Don't suppose you could fix it?" Gabriel asked Rafi.
"Rafi great mechanic," Rafi said, staring at the pieces. "But Rafi no miracle worker."
"Then I suppose you could use a lift?" an unfamiliar voice stated.
"Poppi recognize that voice!" Poppi said excitedly as she returned to her alpha form.
The ground beneath us began to shake as a large titan stood up and looked at us.
"It can talk?" I questioned.
"Greetings," the titan said in a deep, rough voice. He sounded like an old man. "My name is Azurda, and I can get you out of here."
Azurda stood up and stretched himself out, showing his gigantic wings off. He looked like a massive dragon.
"What do we do?" Gabriel asked me.
I sighed. "If the giant talking dragon wants to get us out of here, I say let him. Let's move."
Without much questioning, we sat down on Azurda's back and he flew us out of Morytha.
I had wondered why I didn't ask him anything, especially considering I had plenty of questions. However, my mind couldn't even come up with a single question, I was honestly worried beyond belief. With every Aegis gone, I knew that the world was closer to disaster than what any of us were prepared for. The only question left in my brain was "What now?".
Readability Level: 9-10th Grade
Time Taken: 3 Hours