Chapter Six – Fabula Nova Crystallis

"Serah!" Lightning cried, running over and crouching down to where the girl lay, making sure she had a pulse before picking her up bridal-style and turning to Sazh.

"Time to go. We have to leave before the army –" Lightning stopped, realising that Sazh was fixated on the Pulse brand situated on Serah's left upper arm.

Lightning looked up at Sazh's face. "What?"

"That's a Pulse brand." He gestured to the brand on Serah's arm. "That girl's a l'Cie."

"I already told you that." Lightning was getting impatient. She had her sister, and nothing was going to stop her from getting her the hell out.

"Pulse l'Cie are the enemies of Cocoon." Sazh's hands reached down and clasped the handles of his Vega 42s.

Lightning saw the movement, and pulled Serah away from him so she was shielding her with her own body. "So they should die?" she snapped, glaring daggers at him.

"Listen; if she fails her Focus…you know how that'll end."

"And killing her is a mercy?" If she was about to say more, nobody knew, because then a cool hand pressed itself against Lightning's cheek. She looked down in surprise to see Serah's crystalline blue eyes open and twinkling up at her.

"You came…" she breathed, smiling the smile that made the corners of Lightning's lips twitch upwards. She set Serah back down gently, just as a male voice rang through the chamber.

"Serah!" Lightning tilted her head up to see Snow Villiers, Serah's fiancée and Lightning's personal pain in the backside jump down off of a still-moving platform and run to Serah's outstretched hand. He clasped it firmly yet gently, and held it to his forehead. Three sets of footsteps followed him, and Sazh looked up to see a boy with silver hair and two girls – one with red hair and weird clothes on, and another with brown hair and a leather jacket. Hope, Vanille and Keller.

"Serah," Snow breathed, squeezing her hand, as if unsure whether this was a dream, a figment of his imagination. "You're here."

"Is that…my hero?" Serah smiled, her eyes closing briefly as she did so. Snow grasped her hand tighter, enveloping it completely in his own. He didn't notice Lightning's frown of disapproval.

Vanille inched closer to see who Snow was talking to, and as she saw Serah, her green eyes widened.

"Let's get you out of here," Snow murmured, and moved as if to pick Serah up, but Lightning stopped him harshly with her own words: "Hands off. I'm taking her home."

"But, sis –"

"I'm not your sister!" Lightning snapped at him before he could finish that sentence. "You couldn't protect her! It's your fault she –"

"You can save us." Serah's small yet gentle voice was possibly the unlikeliest thing to interrupt her fuming sister most days, but now it was enough to make Lightning stop and look down at Serah.

"Serah?" Lightning looked questioningly down at her sister, who was smiling gently up at both Lightning and Snow. "You can save us," Serah reiterated, "protect us all. Save…Cocoon." She fell silent once more, closing her eyes for a brief amount of time before opening them again.

"Anything, I'll do anything," Snow said fiercely, almost desperately. "Leave it to me, you'll see. I'll protect Cocoon, I'll save everyone!"

Lightning barely spared Snow a glance before looking back down at her sister and murmuring to her, "Somehow, I'll make things right."

"You just relax," Snow added.

Serah smiled brightly. "Thank you," she breathed, before she started to glow. Lightning and Snow gasped and stood as she was lifted higher, and out of their reach. Snow still had a tight grip on her hand, but as she was lifted higher, he let her hand slip out of his. Their fingers caressed one last time, and then Snow was only grasping empty air.

"Serah!" Lightning cried out desperately. She had her hands out and underneath her sister – a subconscious attempt to catch her should she fall. Everyone looked up at her, partly blinded by the brilliant blue-white light emanating from her floating body. It started with her hands, and then moved up and down her body like waves. Everyone soon realised it wasn't just light; Serah was turning to crystal. Serah moved her hands in front of her body, cupping them lengthwise as if she were holding something precious or dear to her. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye, just before her face was lapped up by crystal waves. As it fell it glowed gently, and when it landed in Snow's open palm it formed into a large, deep blue, tear-shaped crystal. His fingers closed around the tear, gripping it tightly before staring back up at his crystallising fiancée, supported on a bed of crystal shards and out of his reach.

"Serah! Serah!" he called, jumping up and reaching his hand out, desperate to feel her hand enclosed in his one last time, but despite his best efforts, he could not reach her. Lightning lowered her outstretched hand, a look of grief settling over her features.

Vanille had her hands to her mouth, a shocked look on her face. "Why is she turning to crystal?" she breathed. Hope, who was looking on in awe, answered her question.

"L'Cie who fulfil their Focus are transformed into crystal, and gain eternal life."

"Just like the stories say," Sazh murmured.

The glow around Serah's crystallised body slowly ceased as she lowered back down to the ground. When she stopped about half a foot from the floor, Snow leaned down and briefly squeezed her crystal hand in his. "Sweet dreams, Serah," he whispered to her, his heart throbbing in his chest. This could be the last he would see of her.

Lightning pushed past Sazh to face Snow. "Sweet dreams? She's not sleeping!" She sounded completely broken, even though she was shouting loud enough for everyone to hear. She looked down at Serah's crystallised form, fighting back tears. "Serah's…she's…"

"She's alive!"

Lightning looked up at Snow as if he'd lost his mind. Maybe he had. "No."

"The legend," Snow stated, stepping forward. "Remember the legend! L'Cie who fulfil their Focus turn to crystal and gain eternal life, it's the same with Serah!" He turned to Vanille, to Hope, to Sazh and to Keller as he explained. "Eternal life! She's not dead!"

Sazh looked down, his hands on his hips as he shook his head silently. Finally, Snow turned back to Lightning. "Serah's my bride-to-be. I promised to be hers forever." Snow raised the fist containing Serah's crystal tear and glanced at it, then turned to face his fiancée. "I don't care how many years I have to wait –"

He didn't get to finish that sentence. Lightning looked up at him, raised her fist and punched him hard across the face. "It's over!" she yelled as he fell to the ground, stunned. "Open your eyes, and face reality!" She pulled her fist back once more, ready to hit him again.

Snow could only lie there, shocked. Sure, he'd been punched before, but not by a woman, and certainly not by a woman as strong as Lightning. Or someone with knuckle busters on, he thought wryly. But all the same…he refused to give up hope that Serah would return to him. He did not want to believe that she was truly gone.

Serah…does becoming a l'Cie really mean losing everything?

Vanille watched as Serah slept, unsure of what to think. Suddenly an explosion rocked the Vestige, sending debris raining down upon the group. Hope sank to his knees in terror, covering his head with his arms. Vanille gasped and looked up.

An enormous rubber tube had shot through one of the walls of the Vestige and straight through the opposite wall. Another explosion resounded through the Vestige, and yet another tube shot straight through the walls like it was nothing at all.

"Oh, wait!" Sazh yelled.

"What now?" Vanille asked him.

Sazh took an unsteady step towards her as the whole place continued to shake. More rubber tubes shot through the walls and even through the ceiling, raining more debris down upon the group. "The army!"

Snow shot up from his place on the floor as the Vestige continued to quake.

Outside, in the Hanging Edge, PSICOM was preparing their assault on the Vestige. Even while the group of seven were inside, the Palamecia had continued to carry the enormous structure to the target position.

"The target is almost in place. Surface team, what's your status?" the commanding officer's voice asked over the Comm device.

"Good to go. Resistance is under control. The assault proceeds as planned."

"Leave no trace. The Pulse Vestige never existed." And with that, communications went silent. Sky-tanks hovered in the air, placed strategically around the Vestige. Huge spotlights were lit, and pointed up at it. Soldiers were poised to fire, ready for the order.

"Fire!"

The sky-tanks fired huge rubber tubes encased in a strong metal alloy into the Vestige, piercing it. Big as they were, they looked like red strings compared to the Vestige itself. Smoke permeated the air as the sky-tanks continued to fire, one after the other.

Inside the Vestige was chaos. Hope was still on the floor, head in his hands in fear. He hadn't moved an inch since the first tubes pierced the Vestige. Lightning held her body over Serah's, protecting it from falling debris, while Snow covered the both of them with his own. Huge rubber and metal tubes of varying colours criss-crossed the ceiling and walls, raining down debris over the lot of them. The place continued to shake with the impact of the Sanctum's weapons.

Hope stood, his hands over his ears, and almost stumbled into Vanille, who was surveying the damage done to it so far. Keller caught hold of Hope's elbow before he could bump into anyone else, and kept a grip on it, sinking to the ground with him.

"What's happening?" Vanille cried

Sazh looked up and around almost frantically. "Must be a Sanctum strike," he replied, seeing the Sanctum's insignia on one of the tubes – a blue cobra, fangs out and ready to strike. He stumbled over to Vanille as he continued, "Bring down the Vestige and the fal'Cie right with it!"

Vanille grasped his forearms for support, not believing what she had heard at first. "Aren't they taking it back to Pulse?" she asked wildly, fear in her tone. "That's what the Purge was, right?"

"All they care about is gettin' everything from Pulse off Cocoon!" Sazh yelled over the bangs and booms of the Sanctum strike. "Dead or alive, it's all the same!"

Vanille stepped back, stunned. She felt her hand being grabbed and pulled down slightly, and she looked down to find Hope grasping her wrist in both hands. "We can't stay here! They'll kill us!" he exclaimed, terrified to the point of hyperventilation.

Vanille looked up and around them. The explosions were slowly halting, the shaking of the entire Vestige stopping along with them. Dust continued to rain down upon them randomly, but at least they could walk straight. Lightning and Snow righted themselves from their previous position – hunched protectively over Serah – and looked around. The silence the minor explosions left in their wake was almost eerie. Ears ringing, they all looked up to see the Pulse insignia flash briefly on the door up ahead before leaving their way clear.

Snow briefly squeezed his fiancée's crystallised hand. "I'll be right back," he whispered to her, "hold on." He then turned and started to walk briskly up the multiple flights of stairs towards the door.

"Hey trench-coat, where're you goin'?" Snow turned to look back at Sazh.

"Date with the fal'Cie. Got some things to talk about."

"What? You're gonna ask it to help her?" Sazh scoffed slightly. "Are you outta your mind, kid? That thing wants to chew us up and spit us out!"

"Well what do you want me to do?" Snow asked furiously, hands raised in fists.

"Uh…" Sazh lost his nerve once more, stepping backwards. Lightning raised her head, a look of determination settled over her features. She walked past Snow and up the first flight of stairs leading to the fal'Cie. Snow turned as she walked past. "Lightning?" he breathed, and started to follow her.

Sazh sighed, and pulled out his guns. "Here we go," he muttered, and followed the two up the stairs.

Vanille looked back. Hope's head rested on her shoulder, her arm clasped tightly in his hands. A subconscious need to be comforted on his part, possibly. After all, he had just lost his mother a little over an hour ago. The pain must still be fresh. He must be so scared. With nowhere else to go, Vanille looked briefly down at Serah before following the others, Hope dragged blindly beside her.

Keller heaved a small sigh, an expression of determination mixed with a grim resolve on her face. She looked up at the others, then back down at Serah, her eyes watering slightly.

Galen…

She looked back up at her companions; her mind seemingly made up. She followed Vanille and Hope up the stairs, pulling out her twin blades as she did so, as the whole place was now crawling with Cie'th.

Lightning kept moving up the stairs, every Cie'th she encountered receiving no mercy from her Gladius, which was the only blade she had that could cut through their crystallised skin. She needed to get to the fal'Cie. She refused to look back down at Serah's crystallised form. Snow, Sazh and Keller – who by now had caught up to them – lent helping hands to fight, so they stood a greater chance against the Cie'th than before. They were scattered among every landing, blocking their path as they writhed on their feet. Wights flew about the area, startled from their nests in the rafters of the Vestige by the Sanctum strike. Finally, they reached the last landing, where several more Cie'th stood, both blocking their path and guarding a sphere. When the Cie'th were nothing more than puffs of ash in the air, Snow took a look inside the sphere to discover five more potions. He threw one to Lightning, one to Sazh and one to Keller, and put the other two in one of his pockets on the inside of his trench coat. Once that was done, Lightning and the others immediately headed through the open door and into the darkness beyond.

Snow might have only wanted to talk to the fal'Cie, but Lightning had other plans in mind for it…