Alright... new chapter. The idea for this chapter has been swimming around in my head for a pretty long time... I just didn't know how to put it into words. Again, memories are in italics. Enjoy. ;)
Fia groaned in her sleep as she tossed and turned in bed. Her face was mask of agony and tears were streaming from her closed eyes. She was sobbing uncontrollably... yet... she was still asleep... Almost as if she was trapped within a nightmare... one that she could not hope to escape from alone.
"Ein..." Fia whispered weakly in her sleep, "Help me..."
Slowly, her hands slid over the sheets and slid onto her neck, enclosing it in a loose grip... However, her neck was soon encircled in a tight vice formed from fingers. "Ein..." Fia choked out within her sleep, "I'm dying... help..."
Just then, as Fia's face started turning blue from the lack of air, something pushed her off the bed... almost as if whatever it was, was trying to protect her. Fia woke up immediately upon falling onto the heard wooden ground and bolted up and stared around wildly, almost as if she was afraid of something... something poisonous that was slowly creeping up and choking out the dying embers of hope within her heart...
As reality slowly seeped back into Fia's mind, she calmed down slightly and whispered to herself, "It's just a dream... Nothing's been happening...Ei-" At that moment, Fia paused for a while and a single tear slipped down her cheek, tracing the path that her drying tears had created earlier. "Ein... where are you? I'm so lost... Without you, I have forgotten how to smile... Without you, I have forgotten the joy of laughter... Without you... it is like a never ending nightmare that I can never wake up from..."
Fia sat down on her bed and wept quietly. Through her tears, she saw a blurred image on the rising sun and the light reflected off the dew on the leaves around her house... The dew reflected light just the way crystals did... " Crystals..." Fia whispered to herself...
"Fia!" Ein yelled out as he rushed towards her, "Watch out!"
"Wha-" Fia swung her head around in puzzlement as she stopped healing Lina for a moment to look at Ein. However, she was interrupted by the menacing voice behind her, "Fool... Death shall purify your soul..."
With a voice that resonated with the multiple despairing voices acquired from the sacrificed souls, Seth-rah raised the trident in hand and roared, "Longinus... I command thee, RAGNAROK!"
Fia braced herself for the impact of the blow but all she felt was a great push and felt herself hit the ground. "So this is what death is like... painless..." Waiting for her life to fade away, she merely paused there for a moment before realization hit her, "I'm living!"
Jumping onto her feet, she gasped in shock as she saw a messy heap of blood and flesh lying on the ground. She could hear the battle continuing on in a distance, but she crawled over to the still body and poked it gingerly. "Ein..." Fia whispered fearfully, preparing for the worst, "Are you still there?"
Ein groaned in pain and laughed hoarsely, "That hurt..." Fia looked at his eyes noticed that his eyes were beginning to dim. "Ein... hold on..." Fia whispered in panic as she grabbed a scepter, "Saint Scepter... you once served a dark master... Redeem yourself and save a bringer of light... Angel Cure!"
Responding to Fia's command, a gentle blue glow surrounded the scepter and flowed off it into Ein's body. Right before her eyes, she say Ein's wounds mending and the agony displayed upon Ein's face slowly faded away. As the last of Ein's wounds faded away, the scepter shattered... but its task had been fulfilled. Ein lay before her, no longer in mortal danger.
"Are you okay, Ein?" Fia whispered, "Why did you do it?"
Ein smiled weakly and said, "You're part of me... Without you... I'm incomplete..." Then, glancing at the battle ahead, he gave Fia a gentle push and said, "Go and help the rest... I'll be fine..."
Fia held her head low as she quietly slinked through the Grove of Repose... The cool air of dawn was refreshing but she didn't notice... All she had in her mind was to reach her goal... Slowly climbing up the tall cliff, she was half-way there before pausing for a moment to rest. She then continued all the way to the zenith of the cliff. There, a lone headstone was buried within the stone. Sitting beside the headstone, she slowly laid her head on it and closed her eyes, smiling lightly. "Ein... I just wish you were here with me... This view would have been much more special compared to right now... when I can only imagine you being with me..."
As she paused, soaking in the atmosphere, she felt what seemed like a warm embrace around her and a familiar smell... the familiar warmth... Looking around desperately, Fia yelled out, not caring if anyone heard, "Ein... Ein! Are you out there?"
The group lay on the ground exhausted and Seth-rah lay on the ground in defeat. Looking towards them with intense eyes, Seth-rah asked in pure puzzlement, "How was it possible? How was it possible for you to defeat a demi-god?"
Sheathing Einherjar, Ein limped over and said, "The hopes of Riviera... the need to save the innocents... the need to avenge the ones lost in this pointless cause..." At that moment, Ein looked over to Fia tenderly and said, "And for the ones we love..."
With eyes glazing over, Seth-rah spoke, "My energy is spent... but I now see your true strength... My existence was minute... So be it..." As the final word was uttered, Seth-rah faded away out of existence. Right at that moment, the entire area started rumbling and giant pieces of crystal started falling.
"The place is falling apart! We need to get out!" Cierra yelled out as she shot away a falling piece of debris with some fire. "Ya think?" Serene snapped as she cleaved apart another falling piece of crystal. As they ran a distance, Fia suddenly noticed Ein wasn't by her side. Turning around, she saw Ein with his leg pinned under a crystal, desperately trying to free himself.
Seeing her hesitate, Ein waved over to her and yelled, "Get out of here!" However, she just kept running towards him, in a bid to help him get free. However, before Fia could reach him, she was enveloped by a white light. "Einnnnnnnnnn..."
Coming back to the present, Fia felt something moist running down her cheek and raised a hand to wipe it away when she realized she was crying. Whispering to Ein, wherever he was, she said, "I never had really noticed it, when you were still here... But, now that you're gone... I realize that it doesn't matter without you. Everything is meaningless without you. I am meaningless without you... If you can't be here, with me... then I'll come to you..."
Slowly getting up and inching closer to the edge of the cliff, she heard the yells of her friends in the distance. With a mirthless smile, she took the final step towards the edge, "Ein... I'm coming..."
Just then, she heard a very familiar voice joining the chorus of yells... It sounded so familiar... yet... it wasn't possible... With a smile of bliss, she stepped over the edge and took the plunge...
"We'll be together once again..."
Think this is the final chapter? Maybe. ;) I will put the final chapter I've planned for ONLY if I get lots of reviews. ;) Please read and review.
God bless, Azarethian Titan