A/N: STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING YOU NUMPTY, YOU'RE MISSING THINGS!

Okay, so here's the thing. Technically yesterday now, I finally found the time to get my thumb outta my ass and comb through this story in preparation for a new chapter. YES A NEW CHAPTER SUCH EXCITEMENT IT'S BEEN FOREVER MY GOD. I hope I'm not on anyone's hit list. It'll be written and up within five days. You have what's left of my honour.

Now, I looked through the first two chapters and I felt a little squeamish. So I all but scrapped them and rewrote them as best I could, to maintain the fluidity and writing style of the story. All today/yesterday/leave me alone it's 1 in the morning. And editing the entire story - yes, I might've had to split the first chapter and redo the others' numbers - was not fun. My eyes are so tired it's not funny. And I'm currently wired to start feeling tired at like 4 in the morning because OH MY GOD FINAL FANTASY XV IS AMAZING AND I CAN'T STOP PLAYING AND GOOD LORD WHERE DID THE TIME GO.

No I'm not addicted.

Anyway, so there's an extra chapter that isn't technically a new chapter. But there will be a new chapter.

Don't look at me like that. There will. Don't doubt me. I'm making my partner hog the console so I don't go gallivanting off with Noctis in XV. See what I do for you guys? ...please love me again I'm so sorry.

Update: We interrupt this programme to inform you that I am the tiredest mofo of all time. It's past 2 in the morning. Uuuuugh.

Chapter Fourteen – Shiva

Snow continued to hack at Serah's crystal prison, repeatedly wiping away at the grains his twisted metal piece left behind. Wonder if the others made it out safe. Not much else was on his mind; he was single-mindedly focused on freeing his fiancée, no matter how long it took him.

"Hey, Snow! Think I found somethin'!" Keller's voice drifted to him from above. He had no idea how long she'd been up there, searching for something that could help them get Serah out. Somewhere deep down, Snow knew he couldn't just dig into her prison and expect her to be flesh and blood in there. Fal'Cie magic didn't work that way. This thought was mirrored by Keller's words, just behind him.

"You know she's just crystal now, right? It doesn't just go skin-deep." Keller laid a hand briefly on Snow's shoulder. "When l'Cie turn to crystal, they turn to crystal. How else do you expect them to survive for eternity?"

Snow did not believe she was dead. She had to be alive in there. I'm coming, baby. Your Hero's here. Could she see him? Feel his presence? Did she know he was there, trying to get her out? Blinking back the sadness that overwhelmed him, he continued to dig – until the sound of airships made him look up in time to see them pass over them.

They doubled back and surrounded their position from above. Spotlights lit up the crystal around him. He shot back up to his feet, Keller at his side.

"They found us," she hissed through clenched teeth.

Massive sky-tanks were the source of the spotlights. Three in all, they hovered menacingly over the pair – and Serah.

Snow turned and gave one last half-hearted blow to the crystal at Serah's feet.

"What're you doing?"

"Sweep Team to Base," they heard. "L'Cie spotted. I repeat, l'Cie spotted." A pause, and then, "Pulse l'Cie. Confirmed."

"Snow!"

He growled and looked up at the sky-tanks. "You gonna lend me a hand, or what?!"

As if in response to his question, PSICOM soldiers began to drop from the tanks. Using AMP tech, they landed soundlessly and painlessly in front of them, exactly where the Warmech stood hours before, their guns aimed at the pair.

Keller flipped out her swords. "Now you've done it."

"Commencing clean-up protocol."

"Clean-up?" Keller's brows stitched together in fury.

"Let me help," murmured Snow, before throwing the tool he'd used to try to dig Serah free at several of the soldiers, throwing them backwards. With a running start and a tremendous leap, he landed heavily on another soldier's chest, winding him.

As more soldiers dropped from the tanks, Snow backed up until he felt a warm female body brush against his. Keller.

"We can take 'em," she said calmly.

He nodded, swiftly raising his fists.

And then the fight began.

Snow raced to the front, picking off soldiers with his fists alone. Keller had her own problems as four of them grouped up against her. She struck out with her foot, catching one of the PSICOM lackeys in the throat, before spinning and striking another through the torso with one of her blades. Both turned to ashes.

But more and more soldiers dropped from the tanks, faster than Snow or Keller could pick them off. Several managed to grab Keller in a physical hold, their guns at their feet as they struggled with her, finally managing to disarm her by numbers alone. "No!" She struggled, but it was no use; they had her now, and they weren't letting her go.

In front of her, Snow wasn't having much luck either. He was exhausted now, sweat trickling down his face and neck, his hands shaking, and suddenly he was on his knees, his vision spinning.

"Goddammit, Snow, get up!"

"Shut up!" One of the soldiers struck at her abdomen, and she winced at the blow. Suddenly a blue light drew her gaze to Snow again, and her eyes widened.

Something was happening to Snow's brand. It was glowing bright blue, tendrils of cold air winding upward like steam from a boiling kettle. Snow's eyes widened, first in disbelief, and then in wonder as a glowing orb grew from his brand, bigger and bigger, two shapeless forms swimming inside it.

"What's he doing?"

"Watch yourself!"

"Stay alert!"

Snow was up now, the orb no longer connected to him, looking at it curiously, his lethargy draining as adrenaline took its place. The soldiers were backing away now, their weapons still raised. Cold seeped from the orb; it was now icing over, cracking as it continued to grow. The soldiers groaned from the cold; yet Snow seemed to be unaffected. Keller's breath was misting in front of her, and only her jacket stopped her from feeling the extent of the chill. Her captors now backing away, she backed to the side, wary of the orb. It couldn't be…

The orb finally exploded outward in an icy blast, sending the soldiers to the floor. And from the orb, still glowing, were…two young women, it looked like, yet Snow knew they weren't from Cocoon or Pulse. Their skin was blue, one lighter than the other – one of them had a wheel spinning under her hand – their nails longer than any he'd ever seen, both looked like they were made from parts of a bike, and both of them extremely beautiful.

"What's happening…?"

The one with the wheel let it spin from her hand, the other emitting icy magic from her fingertips, and both hit their mark, creating an icy torrent of air spinning relentlessly around the soldiers until they collapsed once more, this time all of them dead from acute hypothermia. Keller ran to check for a pulse on one of them, then drew her hand back, wincing as the icy cold burned her skin.

"Keller! Look out!" The wheel was coming back now, straight at Keller's head, and before either of them knew it Keller had slumped next to the soldiers. She was out cold.

Snow eyed the two warily now. Finished with the soldiers and Keller, they turned to him, and he raised his fists.

"Who are you?" he dared to ask.

The answer didn't come from their lips.

We are Stiria and Nix, the Shiva sisters. We have come for you. Two female voices spoke in his mind as clear as day, both of them as cold as their attacks.

Without warning, Nix leapt forward and ground her wheel sharply against his body. He winced from the pain. Then she pirouetted, cold air seeping into his skin, prickling pain erupting everywhere. He staggered back before she could grind at him again with her wheel. She darted back, her wheel above her head now as she waited. The other one, Stiria, blew him a kiss, sending pure green curative magic his way. His pain disappeared as suddenly as it had begun.

Apparently ready to attack again, Nix leapt forward once more, but he guarded the attack, his arms crossed on front of his face, and he began to glow yellow again, like when he had gone up against the Warmech. He didn't question it now. He waited out Nix's attacks, and then when she had darted back and assumed the waiting position – is she charging for power? – Stiria blew another curative spell at him. Rejuvenated beyond measure now, he attacked, half fearful Stiria would move to parry. She didn't, calmly letting him strike at her sister.

The pattern recommenced – Nix would attack, Snow would block and attack when able, occasionally striking at the sister with ice- and water-magic – the only magic he knew. He didn't know how long he fought for, or even if he was winning – those girls were more stoic than Sis. He didn't even know that was possible.

What is the point of this? he asked himself, frustrated. He clearly wasn't winning if those girls weren't on the ground after having surrendered. So what was their game plan? They had to have come from him; they literally grew from his brand! Did he summon them?

…Were they Eidolons?

Eidolons were considered the stuff of fairy tales. They were said to come to certain l'Cie when they were in need. The reason why there was so much superstition around them is because there hasn't been a Sanctum l'Cie in centuries. No one ever has seen any proof Eidolons even existed, and so they faded into myth, and that's where they stayed – until now.

Now, two Eidolons were facing him, fighting him, and, it seemed, were ready to kill. He knew he couldn't last much longer, even with Stiria's constant curing spells. When he felt almost ready to collapse, they backed off.

Enough. You are worthy. They bowed down before him, two beautiful women who looked almost like parts of a motorbike. You may command us as you see fit.

"W-what?"

Touch me, said Nix, and we will show you.

Snow's eyebrows furrowed, but he did as he was told. Almost instantly after touching her arm, she and her sister floated toward each other and grabbed each other's hands, spinning and melding together to form…

Snow couldn't believe it. They were forming into the coolest bike he'd ever seen – pun intended.

Hop on. There was a hint of dry humour in that statement.

"All right!" Snow jumped onto the bike, and by doing so, brought the Eidolon under his command. After he got off and they formed back into the two sisters, they disappeared, leaving a blue crystal in their place. Snow only just managed to pocket the crystal before the pain in his brand caused him to collapse.

"The Twin Sisters…" an unfamiliar voice called to him, taunting him, with the same accent as Keller and Vanille.

"Keller…?" he breathed, momentarily confused. Wasn't she unconscious?

"…I gotta hand it to you for taking 'em down, but don't gloat just yet." He could see sandalled feet swimming in his vision, and then the point of what looked like a red spear. "Might come a time you wish you'd let 'em end it, and made things easy."

Wasn't Keller. Couldn't be. Snow looked around him from his place belly-up on the crystal water, and finally noticed that there were no soldier bodies on the floor. They must've turned to ashes. But what about Keller?

Snow rolled over onto his stomach, and the woman in front of him – as well as her very sharp metal-tipped spear – came into focus. She eyed him the way a hunter would eye her prey. "Hm."

"More of you, huh?" Snow's vision wasn't clearing. In fact it was growing foggier by the minute. More soldiers surrounded him, one of them without a helmet.

"He's a l'Cie," the woman said. "Take him."

"Back off!"

The raven-haired woman came closer – Snow could now see the precise colour of her hair, her eyes an emerald green, her attire consisting of…something foreign Snow couldn't quite put a name on. All he knew that it had two brown furs attached to it and that it was blue, and that the woman in it was about to threaten him.

"You wanna keep breathing?" She knelt down and put one finger under his chin. "Shut up and come quiet."

Snow pulled his face away from her fingers. She grinned and pulled her hand back as if to slap him.

Ah, shit. But it wasn't a slap. In fact, it was something much more painful.

She chopped his neck with the side of her hand. Almost instantly his vision went black.

…

A while later, he came to once again. He heard voices, and the sound of a bird trying to land.

"Bring 'er this way!"

"Careful now!"

"Come on!"

Snow looked up. His vision was blurry as hell, but he could just make out two pairs of watchdrones, one carrying a stretcher with Keller on it, still unconscious – they must have found her nearby – and the other two carrying a beautiful young woman encased in crystal.

It was Serah!

"Keller." Snow jumped feebly in an effort to get to them both. "Serah!"

One of the soldiers walking by came over to the fighter, his gun aimed carefully at his face. "Shut it."

Snow glared daggers at the soldier in a stare he was sure Lightning would be proud of, until that woman from before came in between them both. She pushed the gun down. "Stand down." She then jammed her thumb toward the ship.

One of the two soldiers under Snow's arms nodded to the other, and they proceeded to escort Snow back to the ship. He continued to look back at the woman – until he noticed the scorched-blue brand located on her upper-right arm.

"You too? Why are you helping them?" he called weakly.

She crossed her arms. "If I were you I'd worry about myself."

As she saw the man who had taken down the Twin Sisters escorted back to the ship, she smirked. "Hm."

A/N: So there you have it! I hope you guys are more satisfied with the story now. I've put a lot of love into this baby and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Drop some love in a review, and I'll see you guys again in four/five days or so.

This programme was brought to you by the late trance dot fm, whose domain is now for sale. Anyone - I repeat - ANYONE who has the know-how and loves trance music anywhere nearly as much as I do must, MUST buy it and get back up and running. I implore you! I'll even donate! I can't donate much, but I'll donate!

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