Here we go! The final chapter!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When someone, no matter who they are, calls you something as strange as 'Starguard' you kinda want to ask what that is supposed to mean. Oh, how that want tiggled at my mind as I braced for battle with the Zilart prince. The definition didn't matter at the moment. Only the moment mattered.
"BEGONE!", Eald'narche screamed as a lance of orchre light erupted from his fingertips. I managed, with some difficulty, to sidestep this assault and allow it to burn a massive scorch mark into the shined floor.
What I was really at a lack of was what to do. He floated above the floor and I had no way of reaching him. I had no ranged weapon and a certainly wasn't skilled at magic. I had tried magic before. My healing magic was terrible. My attack magic was worse and summoning is what really got me in trouble, but that's another story.
He laughed. "Oh, simply annihilating you is no fun. Let us make this more fair.", he set his feet upon the ground again and from between the fingers of both hand emerged blades of pure energy. He held these like long daggers.
"You are lucky to even be here, Starguard. If the Astral Candescence had not reacted with my poor brother and the Mothercrystal, Vana'diel would already have been under my rule.", Eald'narche explained.
"Why do you keep calling me Starguard?", I asked, panting.
He just smirked and ran at me, those daggers flashing. One of the daggers was parried by my mace with an audible crackle and the ozone-like stink of mana. The other I could do nothing about as it raked a long, cauterized wound into my upper arm. I stepped back and gripped this wound for a moment. It burned a bit, but the adrenaline had already flooded my bloodstream so the pain quickly dissipated.
"It is almost sad. Poor Starguard won't be able to taste the greatness of Paradise.", Eald'narche said before once more taking a half-hearted swing at me with his energy knives. These attacks I blocked easily. I was getting sick of his playing around. "Maybe I don't want to taste Paradise yet.", I said and threw a great amalgamam of mace blows that broke his defences easier than I would have expected. One blow landed across his right shoulder and sent him literally careening across the room. Such a blow normally would not have had such a dramatic effect. Hence my inference that I had just landed something beyond a normal strike. As Eald'narche came to a stop his blades faded away. Seemingly unfazed, he stood up and brushed his cloak off.
"Alright, Starguard. Enough playing around. Now you die by my hands!", Eald'narche took on a bizzare greenish cast not unlike the surrounding floor and ceiling. This pseudo glow encompassed his entire form so he was no longer visable to my eyes. From that metallic prison emerged a new, improved Lord Eald'narche. He looked very similar, but he was now in the form of an adult. His left eye had darkened from purple to a deep, abysmal black. He still retained his ominous grayish robe that seemed to transform along with him in order to fit his new body.
"About time.", he said, "With the Astral Candescence destroyed, my black magicite was able to finally reach it's full potential and allow me my real body back"
"I bet you're happy.", oh, what an ideal time to be sarcastic. My mouth can't shut itself sometimes.
"Poor Starguard. You tried so hard to get rid of me. It is to no avail though. It is too late to win now so please, just die nicely.", Eald'narche said as if he was talking to a kid.
I swallowed hard. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was too late. With me as the only one who could do anything at the moment, I was far less powerful than the Soulforged. I didn't know if I could win. Hell, I was sure I was a dead man. I was sure that Vana'diel was dead as well.
"No, Eald'narche. It is not too late.", said a mature womanly voice. Eald'narche, seemingly as confused as I, looked to see the source of this radiant sound. Standing before the oddly glowing doorway was Kaorin. Dressed in the same robes as Azura wore, yet her eyes betrayed the fact that she was not herself at the moment.
"Who are you to say such a thing, girl!?", Eald'narche raged.
"The prophecy is fulfilled, Eald'narche.", Kaorin spoke in a voice not her own.
"It is not!", he raged, "The Starguard is only one of the four to appear"
"A falsification of your own mind. All four exist and are here.", the woman said through Kaorin's mouth.
"Prove it.", Eald'narche gritted his teeth.
"Release the blue mage girl from your spell.", he was instructed by the woman.
He gave her one acidic glance and waved his arm to release the Soulforged, erm...Osaka, from his spell. She teetered on her feet before taking a step. "Ah, that feels betta.", she said.
"What is your name?", blurted out the woman inside Kaorin's body.
"Ah, Kaorin you know mah name. Don't be silly.", Osaka responded. The woman sighed.
"What is your name, girl?", she asked again.
"Kaorin yer actin' wierd. Did the aliens getcha?", Osaka said.
"Girl! Tell me your name!", the woman raged.
"Ah fine. I'm Ayumu Kasu..", she was interrupted by the woman again.
"THE NAME THE IMMORTALS CALLED YOU!", the woman yelled, exasperated.
"The Immortals?", she cocked her head to the side. "Don't waste my time.", Eald'narche said with a smirk. The woman ignored him.
"Yes! The Immortals! The blue mages!", the woman explained angrily.
"You mean the pretty kitty lady?", Osaka said.
"Yes! What did the Graciarch call you!?", she said.
"Ah, ya shoulda said so earlier. They called me tha Soulforged or summin' like that.", Osaka finally said what the woman wanted to hear.
"Impossible. A girl that foolish could never be the Soulforged.", Eald'narche said caustically.
"Hey, that's mean...", Osaka pouted.
"Alas, she is, Eald'narche. You've seen her powers.", the woman said.
"The Graciarch is certainly not here! There is no Mithra amongst this bunch!", Eald'narch said.
"The Graciarch is within you.", the woman responded.
"This is foolish! Get out of my way! Immortality awaits!", Eald'narche shrugged off the woman's comment and made a rush for the glowing door. He was laughing triumphantly as he ran, Kaorin's body stood still, eyes on him. I thought about trying to stop him. That was until his body began to fall apart before my eyes. He seemed not to register the fact that from his legs ascending, he was literally falling to pieces. He laughed as he placed his hands upon the door. he gave it one last loving gaze before his entire body simply drifted away into particles too small to be seen. A black stone clattered to the polished floor.
"What just...happened?", I asked, head cocked.
"His greed and disbelief destroyed him.", the woman answered. She walked over and picked up the stone from the ground.
With his disappearance his spell on my companions must have broken because Sakaki was the first one to reach me.
"What are you doing in Kaorin's body!? Explain yourself!", she said angrily.
"Do not worry Miss Sakaki. I am not malevolent. I will leave as soon as this situation is resolved.", the woman answered.
"Who are you anyhow?", I asked.
She gazed at me. "I protect this world and everything in it. Very often I act from afar, but at this moment I feared the worst for the inhabitants of Vana'diel and took the situation into my own hands.", she answered.
Azura and Leslie fell to their knees and said in unison, "We are not worthy to gaze upon you Great Mother of Vana'diel"
The woman smiled with Kaorin's mouth.
"Do not grovel. Stand before me, for we are equals.", she said.
"Is it really over?", Azura asked.
"Almost.", she responded and crushed the black stone in her fist into literal powder. Moments later wisps emerged from this powder and ascended into the air and through the roof. I recognized these as spirit forms. The faces and upper bodies of the people were clearly visable. Every race upon this world was present in the floating forms.
"Are those...spirits?", Leslie asked.
"Yes, all the spirits that Eald'narche was involved in the deaths of.", the woman said.
Two forms passed overhead that bore a striking resemblance to two of our lost companions. Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice this.
"Is that Yukari and Chiyo-chan?!", Yomi pointed at the two spirits of the little girl and disgruntled teacher.
"Yes, those are your friends' spirits.", the woman responded.
"They're dead!? THEY'RE DEAD!?", Yomi raged.
"Do not worry. All these spirits are returning to their rightful homes. Your friends will be returned to Earth, their bodies fully restored.", the woman said.
"And you're sure of this?", Sakaki asked.
"Yes, I am very sure.", said the woman.
She dumped the dust onto the floor after the last spirit emerged, where the dust then dissolved into nothingness. She approached our assembled group.
"To you Koyomi Mizuhara, I give the Light of Al'Taieu for your selfless compassion throught this endeavour.", she then inscribed a complex rune upon Yomi's forehead in pure light. The light faded soon after as if it was absorbed into her skin.
"Umm...thank you...very much.", Yomi blushed and lowered her head.
"To you Tomo Takino, I grant you the Light of Holla for your extreme displays of courage throught this task.", the woman repeated the rune carving.
"Hey, thanks. That was cool.", Tomo said while rubbing at her forehead.
"To you Sakaki Koyoshi, I grant you the Light of Mea for your unwavering trust in your companions.", the ritual was once again repeated.
"Thank you.", Sakaki said simply and cracked a loving smile.
"To you The Soulforged, Ayumu Kasuga, I grant the Light of Dem for your unbridled search for justice in this pressing matter.", she drew upon Osaka's head with her finger.
"Thank ya.", Osaka said and tilted her eyes upward as if trying to see her forehead.
"It is about time you returned to your own planet, girls.", the woman stated.
A few moans followed, but all four came to the conclusion that it was for the better to return home. Osaka broke from the group and hugged me tightly around my midsection. I placed my arms around the girl's shoulders and squeezed her a bit as well.
"Imma miss you Mista Prior!", tears welled in her eyes.
"I think we'll all miss him.", Yomi said. Affirming nods followed from the other girls.
"Come visit again sometime!", Tomo yelled and waved.
"If I can, I will.", I confirmed.
"I shall now return you four to Earth. I will return this girl's body to her rightul place as well as soon as I have finished my work. You have all done well, be proud.", the woman said as smiled abounded between the four girls. The woman in Kaorin's body waved her hand and the four girls were engulfed in light and soon faded from view leaving Leslie, Kaorin, Azura, and I.
The woman turned to us.
"Azura, you have proven yourself. You are worthy of entering Paradise. Are you ready to move on?", she asked.
Azura paused and looked at me and Leslie. A smile cracked his slightly rough features.
"No, I wish to return to my weapon. I want to assist Prior in his travels.", he stated.
Kaorin's face registered shock.
"You do not wish to join me in Paradise"
"No, I am sorry Great Altana. I wish to return to the weapon I was placed into.", he answered.
Altana paused.
"Very well.", she made a simple gesture and Azura's full form was reduced to a glowing pinpoint of light before rushing into the mace that hung at my side.
"Ah...this is comfy.", Azura said from my side.
"Starguard, Leslie Utovan.", Altana addressed us. We stood at attention.
"Yes, Great Altana?", Leslie said.
She walked to us and took Leslie's hand, leading her towards the glowing doorway.
"I am leaving soon", Altana said, "When I take my leave I want you to read Ber'shakk's Lexicon before this doorway"
"Y..you want me to seal this portal?", Leslie seemed to shake.
"Yes, and when you do this plane will collapse for it is not present on Vana'diel itself. You will then be deposited wherever in Vana'diel it happens to correspond with at that moment. Do not worry, you will not come to harm." Altana smiled gently.
"Yes, Great Mother.", Leslie said and began to unfurl the scroll of Ber'shakk's Lexicon.
"You are all very brave, be proud of what you have done.", Altana said and was then gone in the blink of an eye. Leslie stumbled only a moment before beginning to speak the spidery archaic words written on the scroll.
"Ber'nal iksar del'chos nildem"
The shine of the door dimmed.
"Kello nik'sal nerdevnik"
It went dark.
"Shiakk del'nar untolovik"
The world shimmered.
Trees peeked through the dissolving world.
We descended.
Hey, was that any good? Man, my hand is cramped from all that writing and I'm not even done! Another adventure awaits us. Don't miss out...I know you won't...I hope...I'm sure you don't want to disappoint poor 'ol Prior do ya? Of course not! So keep reading!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How was that? I hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks Miiake for the support and I hope you read my next story too!
The next installment is another FFXI based tale that shall be called "Time Stands Still" Don't miss out!
peace out for now,
-Jay