Author's Note: Forgive the delay in the update. My wife recently gave birth to our little girl so my past several weeks have been preoccupied with baby things.

Chapter 15: The Oracle Drive

Day 2, 00:30

Lightning returned to the Warrens, which looked just as bleak as the night before. There was significantly less foot traffic than the night before, with the exception of the increased security. The robotic sentries hovered casually in certain key areas, patrolling with an emotionless vigil. Lightning stuck to the rooftops as she made her way towards a small back alley, where the final glowing digit, a bright purple 2, was etched into the side of a shack.

Though the final piece of the code was not the only thing there. Sitting upon a pedestal was a polyhedral orb-like device. Upon closer inspection this was merely a statue of whatever the genuine article was supposed to be, though it seemed horribly familiar to Lightning. As did the prickle on the back of her neck as she examined it.

The sensation was justified by a high-pitched girlish laughing. She turned around to see Lumina pacing about the alley.

"What do you want?" Lightning sighed.

"I'm here to help, why do you think?" Lumina said innocently. She began twirling around the alley and then added coyly. "Oh, and to have some fun of my own. If you're going after the goddess's children, there's something you should know."

She stopped twirling and looked at the statue. Lightning met her line of sight, and Lumina nodded towards it.

"You know what this is, don't you? It's an Oracle Drive. It records the future. The Children worship it. Whatever they see in it, they know it's a future that's bound to happen," Lumina explained.

Noel, Lightning instantly thought. He used these when he traveled with Serah. They contain the records of the seeress Yeul.

Noel Kreiss, the former last man on earth, and one of a handful who had meddled with time. He was headstrong, but formidable in his convictions. Pieces were starting to come together in Lightning's mind. Threads that had been swimming about in her head but never holding. That didn't make any sense, and she wasn't going to give it any further thought than she had to.

With a swift motion, Lumina cast her hand over the Oracle Drive. The statue was replaced with the genuine article and a wave of images flashed across the space between Lumina and Lightning. In the images, Lightning was standing at the edge of the world, in a realm between reality and non-being. Stars and all the planets surrounded her as distant onlookers to the spectacle. The God Bhunivelze stood beside Lightning and they both watched together as the world faded into nothingness.

"Question: If someone believes everything this shows," Lumina began.

Just as the last of the lights were beginning to blink out, he appeared. Rushing towards Lightning with his lance drawn. In a furious trade of blows, he cuts her down. As Bhunivelze ascends to the heavens, the world rights itself, and light returns to the planet.

"This... is who's going to kill me... The Hunter." Lightning said.

Of course it was him. There was no denying it. Noel Kreiss was the one in the image. Noel was the one placing his blade through her heart.

Noel Kreiss was the Shadow Hunter.

"What would they end up thinking? I mean, if they saw that oracle I just showed you." Lumina asked.

"Well, savior? Can you guess?"

Lightning scoffed. Why was it whenever Lumina was around she knew exactly what to do to tug at the remaining shadows of emotion left in her. "Sure. It would look like the savior appears on the final day, and she tries to destroy the world. But then a hero appears, and puts an end to her sinister plan. That about right?"

Lumina paced around, nodding "mm-hmm" to herself in affirmation of Lightning's explanation.

" 'The evil savior will die at the hands of the Shadow Hunter.' The Oracle says Noel's going to kill me."

"You got it!" Lumina announced proudly, like a schoolteacher applauding a student learning that 1 plus 1 equals 2. "But you know they're very impatient, these Etro-lovers. So they've started the hunt without him. Anyone who looks like the savior is fair game."

Without him. So Noel isn't behind the killings? Lightning could help but feel a little relieved. But, now that Lumina mentioned that, something else was bothering her. "So why hasn't he shown himself? What's he after? If Noel's supposed to be here, why is he hiding still?

Lumina turned back to Lightning. "Tell you what. Ask him yourself."

Footsteps, behind. Lightning didn't even have time to process as she turned and raised her sword to match his lance. Sparks flew from the contact point as time seemed to return to normal. Noel jumped back, and Lumina sat on a rooftop nearby, humming to herself and kicking her legs merrily.

Lightning ignored Lumina and raised her blade to Noel. "Noel Kreiss. Or should I say... Shadow Hunter?"

Noel sighed in exasperation, as though the term had no meaning to him. "That's what they call me."

"Enter stage right, ready to play your role in the show," Lightning said, giving her sword a few preparatory swings.

"We don't make the prophecies. They are what they are," Noel replied. "And the future happens whether we want it to or not. You're going to try to destroy the world, and I'm going to stop you."

Lightning shook her head. "I'm not planning to destroy anything. But I can't deny that I'm here on God's orders. Bhunivelze- He named me the savior, and ordered me to rescue his people."

"Yeah right. Just like the Oracle says," Noel nodded back towards the Oracle Drive which was once again a statue.

There was a moment of tension where Noel twirled his lance in his hands, until finally he broke it apart into its two separate pieces and sheathed it on his back.

"But it's too soon for our showdown, Lightning. When the time is right, we'll put an end to this- all of it."

This did not make any sense. Noel had to know better than anyone. Prophecies were divine crap shoots. How could he, who traveled the corridors of time more than any of them, possibly have been so convinced that this one was legitimate?

"After all we've been through, you're telling me you still think these prophecies mean a damn thing?"

Noel shrugged. "If you want the truth, I didn't until now. Who would believe you'd actually show up again, out of nowhere, after five hundred years? Here you are, just in time for the final act. Right on cue."

Noel turned around and hung his head, and before he ran off into the shadows he whispered. "You have to die, Lightning."

Lightning turned to Lumina, but she had disappeared along with Noel, leaving her alone in the dark alley with nothing but her thoughts, and the single glowing digit which had brought her here in the first place.

7,4,5,2.

Lightning put her hand to her ear. "Hope. That's all four numbers. Now it's time to crash the Children's party."

"Good. Now hurry. If they complete the ritual, another girl will be killed. That can't happen." Hope replied.