A/N: Underwent extreme editing. To be expanded upon in author's note at the bottom.
WARNING: MAJOR spoilers
Contradictions
Marno is not entirely complete; only a fragment of his heart resides within Sagi. But it's enough, enough to think, to be, to feel. And he feels all the time: emotions, presences, hearts. While his host, friend, brother (victim) traversed the lands of the sky during the journey that changed their lives, Marno still has the consciousness to feel. Even now, as he feels himself slowly molding into Sagi's essence. Even now, as he becomes more incapable of distinguishing himself from his malideiter. Even now, as he feels himself slipping quietly away into blissful repose inside his host's heart.
And across the vast skies he feels the pull of his brethren, inseparable in life and divinity. He feels them, pulsing and magical and very much alive. In the smog and flame of Alfard's fires, he feels Seph. In the mist and obscurity of the clouds of Diadem, he feels Pieda. Deep in the heart of Anuenue's enormous tree, residing amongst the rainbows of magic and knowledge, is his Thoran. The inhabitance of Mira's souls and illogic hides Ven. And in the calm, simplicity of Sadal Suud, Marno feels himself.
And it sickens him, this pull. Their presence, so insane with darkness, so filled with madness, so evil, powerful, and repulsive. Marno can only hide in the warmth of his malideiter's heart and remember that it was their choice.
They chose to accept the Dark Brethren's help so long ago. They chose to pay the price. And, in exchange for power, in exchange for the peace of their world, the darkness consumed them and they were no longer their own.
Marno tries to remember their resolution. He tries to accept it. But still…
But still…
Marno grips his blade, his breathing labored, a grin spread wide across his cheeks. Those who dared target his family, those who dared come between them and their goals˗ thousands of dragons, and warriors, and gods˗ all of them dead at his feet. And he is alive. They are alive. He and his siblings. They are indomitable, unconquerable, invincible. The pain, the hardship, the sorrow…none of that matters because they are alive. The five of them, destined to overcome, destined for divinity, destined for immortality. None could touch them. None could defeat them. None…
"Wait! Brothers…look! Look at what we have done!"
Pieda's clear voice pierces at Marno's heart and he awakens from his drugged stupor and looks upon the scene before him and… 'No…'
Hundreds of bodies, surrounding the siblings, mocking them in their mutilated repose. The smell of massacre fills Marno's nostrils and the silence of the dead suffocates him. Red, red everywhere. His heart stops, his soul shatters and his body becomes heavy, so heavy from the blood of his victims and he can't breathe, he can't breathe…
Marno turns desperately to his siblings, searching for comfort, but finds none. For a moment, the siblings' disbelief suspends itself in the air and, at that moment he feels their innocence crumble at his fingertips and that is when reality crashes down from the skies and Marno drops his blade and falls to his knees because he cannot bear the weight of his sins. Ven, kind compassionate Ven, begins to cry and his regret falls from his eyes like crystals of unadulterated agony. Beautiful Pieda covers her face with her hands, hands meant to comfort and hope, now stained with blood and marred with murder and her soul is crushed and her lovely eyes are hidden and she looks lost, so lost. Strong Thoran, able to lift all adversity with his large arms, carry the weight of sorrow over all five of their heads, now crushed, eyes clenched, teeth gritted, fists closed and he is defeated, utterly defeated. And Seph…Seph the leader, Seph the eldest, Seph the hopeful, looks so sad and broken and Marno can see the shattered pieces of Seph's heart, lying vulnerable at his feet.
Marno looks back at the bodies and immediately wishes he didn't because his broken heart is lying at the pit of his stomach and the weight of it is more than he can bear and the sight of those he killed breaks him into more pieces and all the agony, all the regret, he feels it bubbling up his throat and through his nose and leaking out of his closed eyelids and it mixes with the blood and the earth. Marno feels the power that rendered his opponents helpless turned loose against him and he feels the darkness consume him, piece by jagged, pathetic piece, and he knows his siblings feel the same. In a moment of sheer agony, he wonders why? Why had it come to this? What will become of them? Did they even manage to defeat Wiseman?
Marno's pain erupts from his throat and the darkness follows soon after and he pounds the earth and screams into the mocking blue sky.
"NO! This wasn't supposed to happen!"
The darkness that had consumed him and his siblings never really went away. It pulsates within each island. In the Forest, the Shrine, the Tree, the Garden, and the Cave. He feels it, evil and powerful and darker than Cor Hydrae itself.
But even as he feels the darkness' sickening presence undulating throughout each island, he could also sense…somewhere deep, deep down…so faint and so nearly undetectable…the true core within the End Magnus. The true essence of the islands' power.
Yes. He could feel it. And it is far stronger than the darkness. Enduring in its faint heartbeat. Strong in its persistent existence. The hearts, the compassion, the light of all five siblings together. Like the hill upon which they played, warm and inviting and full of light. And forever at war with the darkness which means to consume it. The Prayer of Malpercio. The Curse of the Dark Brethren. A malediction upon the humans who forsook them and a hope for the same people they failed to save.
Soon…their time will be up. Soon, they must either take their revenge or become a source of salvation. And both ends of the divine spectrum begin to work.
As Marno's host sleeps next to his lover, the product of their love will be their curse.
While far away, within the machina of a great Empire, Malpercio has begun their prayer.
A/N: Of course, all this is based on the assumption that Melodia is indeed Sagi and Milly's daughter. That's only fan speculation, but the idea intrigued me so there it is.
I was inspired after I beat Baten Kaitos: Origins and learned about the true Malpercio. And for some reason, I couldn't get what Xelha said about Malpercio in Eternal Wings out of my head. She said how Melodia was Malpercio's curse, and Kalas was its prayer. Once I beat Origins it all just made sense to me and I had to write this.
So anyway, I edited the crap out of this drabble. I might as well have completely started it anew, but I've matured in my writing and I hope I portrayed that here.
Thanks so much for reading my story, and thank you in advance for any review you may send me!
Have a blessed day everyone :)