A/N: hey everybody, AeonLegacy here once again. Back from the sixty plus hours of Lightning returns and several hours from Fable the Anniversary and a lost count of hours playing Blood Masque by Square Enix... Anyways Hope everything is going good so far. Like I had previously mentioned in the last chapter; in this sequel the final game of the Lightning's journey will make small and significant appearances to help with some confusions that I might not have addressed before and so forth. I figured I try to do things a little different but I'm not sure if it will be. And I'm gonna try and fix some things along the way. So, with this next chapter lets begin a fight! Enjoy!
Struggling to fight back against the power of the Seer's war hammer took its toll on the party of three. Each swing and blow the girl landed made it difficult to retaliate. Yuel moved with grace and ease and just as elegantly with her weapon even though it seemed odd for a small girl to wield such a massive tool. Hope threw his boomerang whilst evading with a shoulder roll from another fissure heading his way. His weapon spun through the air hastily to be knocked away with the hammers long hilt raised up protecting the seer, returning to its master with failure. Clenching his teeth in annoyance while stabilizing his breathing, time and effort clashed since the director had participated in a fight.
Serah stayed behind focusing her attacks with her bow, every basic spell she learned on her own; fire, water, aero and ice all fire like colored fiery cannon bullets towards the seer. Spinning her war hammer in a windmill fashion the fire spell dispersed upon contact, ice shattered into a million shards, the air was knocked back with force and the water became rain not even reaching the Seer. Yuel had her eyes trained on Serah now, feral and cold, as the pinknette continued to shoot more magic arrows at the enemy. Once the silver haired adversary stopped her weapon similarly to Ruby Rose from 'RWBY' in the intro Yuel crouched low almost very near the ground, ready to pounce on all fours without removing her hands from behind her back, on her weapon. Serah instantly knew something was coming so more and more spells she shot as she ran for cover or for protection from her teammates. Hope stood in front of Serah and Mel, charging up a spell with her scarred arm and electric blue eyes trained on the enemy with defiance. The seer raised her head, her shoulders raised and dropped like she found something amusing to look at,
"You cannot protect the girl. She was destined to a fate unavoidable the day the demons harbinger enters the living realm from the unseen chaos!" Spoke Yuel like three of her spoke a second later than the last voice. Launching forward on her right foot, creating a rocky explosion from sprinting, Yuel was already upon the trio faster than you could blink. Hope pulled Serah out of the way while Mel was unable to move from gaining energy to attack. Raising her weapon above her head and slamming it downward. Once the weapon came down upon the interloper a wave of chaos erupted and surrounded both the seer and the interloper, isolating both from the outside world.
"Mel, hold on we'll-!" Serah cried but Hope stopped her from getting even near the ominous dome. Shaking his head was all Hope could say to his friend, what could he say? They knew nothing of the chaos that had weighed heavily upon the research facility.
"If only we knew more about this darkness but we don't... All we can do is wait and help Noel, he went into shock when that girl showed up. Come on, lets go." A little numb and helpless Serah sighed deeply and followed Hope back the remains of where his tent once was. They knew, Hope knew that his 'older brother' might never be free from this painful void; existing in a world she shouldn't even be. A Nobody, damned to exist and damned to oblivion.
In the Chaos:
Darkness, the carnation of Death, had found itself to me once again. I tried to eliminate a threat with the spell I used on Orphan, 'Lightning's Embrace', to be caught in this whispering prison of false prophets and hymns. When I entered this world did this worlds God damn me to this place; when I come from a world far beyond their own but close enough to be destroyed alongside this once fantasy? The answers eluded me again. Please! Let me go! The madness is hammering my skull with the chisel of evil and the hammer of malice, let me out of this forsaken cage!
"The darkness called for 'Her' blood, not yours, Interloper... A mistake has been made and we will correct it!" Cried a voice from the darkness.
The darkness began to shift and melt until ruins of the former shrine of the Goddess appeared, scattered and littered with rubble, glass; debris. A shadowy silhouette formed in front of the dim crystal throne before me, the same figure that belonged to the Seer. The world began to shake making it harder to keep myself balanced, reaching for anything to keep myself from falling over I looked at the shadow darkly.
"Well, it was better me than Serah. I ain't letting anyone hurt her before her time comes." I spoke ready to fight. The figure did not move, it pulsated profusely as if to shake away the cloak that draped over it, and summoned another shadow in form of a hammer.
"Oh, great!" I cried, my fear donning a mask of bravery to no avail. As if laughing the shadow slams the weapon into the ground and a wave of chaos came my way. Almost as if I'm caught in a dream my movements became slow motion and the wave already had me by the heel. Entangling me in a bitter grasp I cough out the black ooze suffocating me, let me out, NOW!
When my eyes opened I couldn't recognize where I was. The scenery, the smell, the feeling of the material under me all felt alien. I sat up and saw I was in some sort of medical facility, I even heard typing sounds nearby, possibly a hospital. Did I wake up or did I imagine this before my death.
"So, you're finally awake, Mel?" A voice said from behind the curtains next to my bed. I could see the shadow of the person, a woman, but nothing more. The curtain was drawn and a warm smile welcomed me; the woman was very familiar but this air around her was different despite her appearance and I couldn't help but stare. My lips trembled as much as the words caught in my throat did. But, with all my might, I tried to speak and the name finally escaped my lips.
"Claire?"
Dilapidated Research Site:
The battle continued, with or without the interloper, Yuel was still determined to continue in her quest for blood. Blood of the Champions beloved treasure. No matter how hard they fought Noel stepped in taking the brunt of the attacks to protect the girl he was so vigilant in protecting.
"Noel get out of the way!" Hope shouted, breathing and talking became a tricky task, as he watched the brunette stand between them and the seer.
"Just let me talk to her, maybe she'll calm down. You have to let me try Hope!" Desperate rode on his voice and into the air. Could he really make a difference if the hunter spoke to this girl born from the Chaos? It was a shot but a gamble not worth taking.
"Recludet eum, hoc est, cogitationum falsum oblitteratis!" (Translation: Shut up, That are thoughts of a past long forgotten.) Yuel shouted and her hammer became a scythe! Hope raised his arms and let them hit his legs as if annoyed.
"How many weapons does this seer have!?" But got ready to fight either way. Noel heard what Yuel said, she wasn't the same as the one he knew? How can that be? She was alive right then and there so it had to have been her, right?
Jumping into the air with silvery Phoenix behind the girl and weapon raised above her head Yuel descended at a quick speed her weapon slashed Noel in the back starting from his shoulder down to his lower back, and an explosion sent him flying forward into Hope. The collision came with a head butt to the face the impact sent both men into a dark dream leaving Serah alone and awake in a terrible nightmare. Teeth chattered, knees feeling ready to give out, Serah lost all feeling in her arms her weapon dropped and fell to her knees until her whole body shook with fear. Yuel was victorious in such a short time yet contained any emotion from being shown walked towards the frightened pinknette indolently with her scythe screeching against what was left of the earthy ground, playing with her trapped prey. Serah scurried backwards until her back hits the rail of the camps safety precautions to prevent injury or death from falling and trapped herself from getting away without moving forward towards her captor. Yeul's shadow washed over Serah in a few, agonizing minutes tears welled up in her eyes. She was no fighter. No matter how much 'time' had passed for her she was merely the sister of a true fighter, a real SOLDIER, and now death was eminent for her quicker than what she was told.
"We are one in the same, you and I. Destined to a fate that the Gods could not prevent nor remove. A curse controlled by the hands of the unknown." Yeul said this in a soft tone her face inches from Serah's, her expression was no longer hard but sympathetic, with a shrug and deep sigh the Seer backed away.
"I honestly did not come here for a fight, but my strings were being pulled from the start. I have no control, so now with what strength I have been granted now I shall pass along a message, as foreseen from the Oracle Drive recorded in my time so long ago."
Yuel turned around to face Serah, her face glistening with tears and hands interlocking over her chest.
"Keep fighting. I will come to your side, no matter where you are. I promise." As the final word was spoken the Seer held her head high and slumped to the ground. With a heavy thud her body was blown away as if sand in the breeze until not even the ashes were left. Serah sat there dumbfounded, a strange twist of events she thought would only happen in the movies and in books but not in real life. Never in a million lifetimes did she think an enemy would stop trying to kill her to tell her a message, it was just too much. Shakily trying to stand up, the shock got to her and she fell on her knees until she realized they were bleeding at her kneecaps. What felt like an eternity to stabilize her breathing and to finally let the words that was spoken to her from the Seer to sink in it was apparent it may have been a message from her sister. A loud 'whoosh' snapped Serah out of her thoughts in time for her to see the dome of chaos was slowly disappearing like the body of the Seer. Serah believed that the Interloper may have the answers so she ran towards the dissipating chaos, hoping to find her 'mentor.'
"Mel! I need your help, please!" She cried, still in shock, and when the chaos finally vanished the pinknette couldn't help but drop to her knees once more.
"No, no way..." Words were spoken so softly it was nearly inaudible. Hope and Noel finally awakened and got to their feet slowly, dizzy from the head but. They saw Serah a little far from them, she was trembling.
"Serah!" Both men cried simultaneously and ran to her aid. Just as they reached her both noticed the change in the atmosphere and in their surroundings. Their enemy and the chaos was gone but what of their friend? Hope noticed how bad Serah shook so he was the first to speak up to her.
"Serah, are you alright? Where did that Seer go? And where is the Interloper?" Hope asked slowly, concerned for his friends well being. He reached out to the girl by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. The pinknette, however, did not respond. Not right away though, but she responded when she felt ready, she responded with movement than words. Turning her body to face Hope and Noel, Serah revealed to them what she found in place of the chaos; it was a bandana, one Hope was very familiar with. It was once his but now it was no longer since it became a gift the day before he and his friends went to confront Barthandelus: aka Orphan.
"I found this when the chaos vanished. I'm sorry, Hope. But he's gone. The chaos swept your brother away." Hope took the bandana and clenched his fist around the fabric, he put his fist near his face and his eyes had a hard look in them. He lost his mom when he was young, the same age he lost his dad to the Sanctum. Then he lost two of his friends who sacrificed themselves to save the people on Cocoon by turning into crystal, and as ten years went by his dad then became too busy to see his son progress, even when it was never his own doing despite being a doctor. He then lost contact with the people he saw as family, lost Lightning to the chaos and now he lost another. He wasn't alone, many people lost someone to the terrible anomaly and his resolve to get the people back from the strange paradoxes became stronger than before. He finally had enough.
"Serah, Noel. I believe your time here has come to an end. You must continue with your quest if you want to save Lightning and all of humanity from such a bleak future." Hope's words were brief, as he left the pair to salvage any equipment from the wreckage.
"Are you sure? You won't need any assistance?" Noel asked for obvious reasons. His team fled and Hope was alone. Hope continued to rummage as he spoke over his shoulder.
"Thanks but I'll be fine. I have a lot of work to do. Besides..." Hope stopped, stood up and turned to face the two with a heartwarming smile.
"We will meet again. I'll help out as much as I can, please, you two have a future to save!" Serah looked to Noel and the brunette did the same. Noel shrugged his shoulders and led Serah to the next time gate before saying,
"Well, looks like we will be training on our own for another seven years, huh?" This got Serah to laugh and smile and Hope resumed his own searching. When a golden light flashed and dimmed to nothing Hope found something in the bandana that he never noticed before, a comm. unit, and it began to ring. Reluctant but curious he answered the call.
"Hello?" He asked uncertain.
"Listen to me carefully to the words I speak..." A voice on the other line said. Hope found a recorder and grabbed it, equipping it to the unit.
"Alright, I'm ready..."
"Good... Now, hear the story that was never meant to be uncovered."
As time went by Serah and Noel ended up someplace full of nature and wild monsters. It was Sunleth Waterscape, and you could see the base of the crystal pillar from the gate.
'CRASH!?'
"What was that?" Noel asked upon the sound.
'CRASH!?' The sound became louder, stronger and the leaves, even the ground, shook from the sound.
"Sounds like something is attacking the pillar." Serah concluded as the sound did seem like glass was shattering.
Traveling deeper into the waterscape Serah and Noel found that a giant Flan was attacking the pillar.
"If that thing breaks the pillar, its all over for the people above!" Readying both of their weapons the duo rushed into battle. Noel threw one of his twin blades and once again, even though they didn't recover fully from their recent battle. The blade hit the Flan on the head and it stopped to look at what hit it.
"Hey! Down here you ugly piece of blob! Pick on something that can actually challenge you." Noel shouted as he became a Sentinel, this triggered the enemy to be provoked and it put its attention on the humans. It let out a loud bellowing shriek and attacked.
A/N: finally, another chapter is done! Sorry if its short, it took a lot longer to get this done. If there is anything that doesn't make sense or anything like that, I'm sorry since I did rush this chapter. I am really sorry for the really slow updates. I have been playing Lightning returns, the near ending of the final boss really caught my attention and I finally completed 13's series. The ending to the final game was really awesome I got really distracted by it but I'm trying to continue, so if all and any possible please be patient with me, I know I don't expect it but I'll try my best to do a better job and Hope this chapter was okay. Again I'm sorry, and its just kinda challenging to continue but I'll do what I can, alright? So until the next time, Ciao!