Chapter 1: A Different Snow
A gust of wind caused a banner to fly past Lightning's position atop the enormous golden statue of Bhunivelze. The monorail that connected the few remaining places of this world together soared past high overhead, its light shining through the clouds. The rain had stopped, but the thunder and heat lightning had remained bursting around her.
A loud display of fireworks exploded right above Lightning's head and distant bells began tolling. The sun had long since set, and people were cramming themselves into the Augur's Quarter of Yusnaan, preparing for the night's festivities.
The small radio in Lightning's ear crackled.
"It's beginning," the voice on the other end said. "The feast at the end of time. The last revelry to say 'farewell'. The people here know that it's almost over."
Lightning stood up, her white garments drenched and glistening in the reflected glow of the clock within the statue's bosom. Another streak of fireworks soared past her and blossomed into sparks of color. They were soon drowned out by another crimson flash of lightning.
"Yeah," Lightning said. She removed her shades and placed them within her satchel. "Only thirteen days to go."
She hopped from the statue to the nearby Palace wall. Taking a quick look around to be sure that she had not been noticed – of course she hadn't, the people were too busy with the celebration to notice her- she climbed up the side of the wall into an opening that gave her a view of the ballroom.
Colorful strobe lights flashed, the music seemed to shake the very foundation of the room, and the people danced, all dressed in their unique garbs and provocative clothing. This was an end to all things. Now was not the time to be modest.
Sitting on the second level of the ballroom in what could only be described as a throne was Snow. The centuries of an undying world and a cessation of time had kept his body as youthful as ever, but in his eyes were etched the harsh memories of a thousand years of regret. Sometimes Lightning would forget that she was not the only person in this world whom Serah's death had completely and inexorably shattered.
As she looked upon him, she saw the brand on his right arm. The familiar markings of a l'Cie; servant of the god-like fal'Cie. He had willingly taken upon the curse a second time in his search to find Serah so many centuries ago. The cursed existence that awaited him at the end of his life as a l'Cie was, to him, worth the power it gave him to try and find and protect her. All of this only to fail.
A dark ripple crossed the ballroom and a shiver ran through the ballroom.
"It's the Chaos," the voice in her headpiece said. "Do you want to turn back?"
"Too late now," Lightning said as she walked through the crowd of people, some of whom had already to disappear within the Chaos, leaving only the white aura of their souls remaining.
As Lightning slowly approached the center of the Ballroom, making her way closer to Snow, one of the heavily armored soldiers rushed out towards her, raising his rifle.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" He shouted.
Lightning grabbed him by the throat and slammed him onto the ground, knocking him out cold. The nearby people gasped at the spectacle, but were even more horrified as she lifted the same white aura from him.
Be at peace, she thought as his soul and all the others who had been liberated from their undying bodies slowly began to circle around her.
Snow stood up from the throne, witnessing the amazing display as the souls finally settled within her. The soldiers near him began rushing down the stairwells towards Lightning, leaving him with only two of his close bodyguards.
"The Savior," he muttered.
Lightning and Snow locked eyes for a moment before the ripple of darkness turned into a full-blown quake. The ground shook, almost all light was extinguished, and from the massive wall of darkness there came a great trembling sound. The crowd had succumbed to that absolute and all-consuming silence that hung on the edge of total pandemonium.
"Sire," gasped one of Snow's bodyguards.
"Got it," Snow acknowledged, moving towards the approaching wall of darkness.
A hand reached out of the wall, light bursting from the crack in the fissure. The hand closed around a girl and pulled her into the darkness as she shrieked. From the exact spot where the hand had come, now poured out a large horde of enormous monsters born from within the Chaos. These massive hulking figures carried enormous double-bladed axes which stood almost as tall as they; each one standing as tall as two men. Their broad human-like bodies ended in the head of what could perhaps be mistaken for a wolf, except for the tall bat-like ears.
A swipe of one of these creature's axes sent three bodies flying up towards Snow. He leapt from atop his perch, his hand engulfed in flame. With a single banishing swipe the inferno within him caused the monster to dissipate into nothingness. Snow sat for a moment after this glorious strike, a sudden pain shooting up his arm. He clenched onto the spot where the l'Cie brand lay hidden beneath his gray jacket, hidden to all except himself and Lightning.
One of the monsters landed just beside him and as he looked up he saw Lightning standing in the center of the ballroom. Her hand was still raised, holding the enormous crimson blade which had set the creature flying in the first place.
"Snow, it's been a long time," Lightning said. She raised her sword towards him. "You know what I am, and you know what I want."
Snow stood up, smashed his foot into the head of the monster, dispelling it with the frosty chill of ice that exploded from the impact. His brand burned once more, but he ignored it.
"I can take a wild guess," he said shaking his long white hair out of his eyes. With a slight clench in his teeth he growled. "You want to save me."
The remaining monsters resumed their attack, Lightning her way through each one almost casually. Three of the enormous beasts had her pinned down, but she was still holding her own, blocking each of their successive strikes with his incredible swordsmanship.
"Legends are told of her coming," Snow said. "Banisher of darkness, bringer of light, redeemer of souls. She'd come at the end of days to guide our souls to salvation."
Lightning had cut her way through the monsters between her and Snow and they now stood mere feet apart. Snow had himself been battling with his own set.
"Damn you, Lightning!" Snow cursed as he dispatched yet another beast with an icy axe that he had summoned. His brand was an absolute inferno at this point. "What's it gonna be?!"
Lightning and Snow met in the center, his frigid axe against her crimson steel. The power of a God's Savior against the power of a Pulse l'Cie.
"You gonna try to kill me," Snow growled as the two pushed against one another. "Huh?"
They both saw it at almost the last moment. One straggler had come at them from Snow's right. The broke their lock for a moment to each strike at the beast, cutting it down. It disappeared into Chaos and their alliance of mere seconds had ended. The two chased each other around the room, smashing through the stone pillars and decorations, each trying to find that one opening that might give them an advantage in this near deadlock.
It was Lightning who had found it. Taking a quick strike at him as they rounded a corner, she shattered his axe and sent him hurling back into the center of the ballroom once more. Between those who had been absorbed by the Chaos and those who had managed to flee, Lightning and Snow were the only ones left within the Palace.
As Snow slowly lifted himself up, Lightning's sword was at his shoulder. He felt it graze slightly against his ear, the steel that promised death colder than any ice he could conjure.
"It's over," Lightning said.
Snow slowly stood up. "You're a regular Angel of Death, Light. So now what? Is this the bit where you save my soul?"
"I could help you," Lightning replied. "If that's what you want."
"Damn it," Snow let out softly as he turned and grabbed her collar, pulling her closer and setting her sword right up against his neck. "What kind of answer is that?"
The two stood eye to eye, Lightning's sword inches from a death strike. Sweat dripped from Snow's brow and off of the small patch of beard at his chin. The centuries had changed him in more ways than Lightning could have ever possibly guessed. Snow had always been the hero. The foolish, the arrogant, the smug. And standing before her was a soul crying out through the sorrow of a hopeless existence. Here was a soul she must save, and yet he viewed his only hope for true salvation as an early death.
"Uh-uh," came a small girlish voice from above their heads. Darkness took over once more, casting them both in shadow. "That isn't going to work."
In the reflected light that shone through the roof, Snow's body had suddenly changed into that of a young woman wearing a black dress, with the same rose-colored hair as Lightning. The soft face, the frail looking body. Her mind screamed with the possibility that she knew could not be: how much she did looked like Serah.
The phantom girl smiled and giggled as a scarlet line etched through her blade. It glowed brightly until the blade shattered at its point, light returning to the room and the girl's figure turning back into Snow.
The flying tip of her sword stuck into the tile floor a few feet behind her. The two looked up at the little girl in the black dress, sitting atop the enormous chandelier kicking her feet merrily as she looked down at the display between the two.
"Lumina!" Snow shouted.
"Now that's not right. You're not supposed to throw your life away!" She said as she raised her hand towards the ceiling.
A burst of energy caused the chandelier to start falling to the ground as she disappeared into the Chaos. Snow summoned the last bit of his energy to send an enormous wave of ice towards the falling shards, encasing them all within a towering display of crystal.
"I swear that kid is a demon," Snow said, panting as his brand continued to burn.
"Angels of death and demons," Lightning replied. "You're attracting the wrong crowd, Snow."
The Chaos that had once filled the room now began to fade away, rushing towards Snow and seeping into his body. "No one is gonna stop me, you hear? Not you," he clenched his fist. "And definitely not her."
The Chaos had almost consumed him, and the sound of sentries rushing in to check on Snow echoed from outside the doors.
"If I have to fight the Savior, then I will," Snow said before turning back towards the remains of the Chaos and disappearing into the void.