Disclaimer: I don't own LoM..., etc etc... fiuh... the last disclaimer...
Italic font are for character thought, book words. You can find the translation of the german phrase in the end of the chapter. I'm sorry for the bad grammar for those who knew the correct grammaring for german. I use babelfish to translate :D
This is it, guys! The last chapter! Hope you guys had a good read so far until the end of this one.
The lad traveled to the tree of mana and then he met the divinity, there he survived stokes of pain and finally he strike the deity with the unspoken words which soon fade away to empty air. The lad soon collapsed and the mark of ragnarok left his hand. The mark attached itself to the tree and consumes all leaving only the lad's body and the wisdoms who lingered in what used to be Fa'Diel.
Kain left home as soon his body can move, he had been resting for weeks. He knew that his body won't last long because he used the forbidden spells and the mark of ragnarok itself had decayed his body. When Nunuzac had kidnapped the sproutling who would become tree of Mana, he knew his time was almost up. Therefore, he just took his time and rest while he can.
"Skye, take me to the tree." Kain mounted his dragon and left his home. Skye dropped Kain in the root of the tree before he flew away again back home. Kain didn't want to bring Skye closer than this because if he brought a monster here they could just go crazy, no matter how attached they were to the master. He then walked to the tree, treading the path where possible, climbing when it was blocked by vines. He rested in the garden after some time.
"Damn… This isn't getting easier." Kain huffed. His body was slumped as he leaned to the pillar behind him. The monster was getting tougher as he proceeds to the higher ascent. He barely survived at this rate but he didn't know if he could make it to the top.
"Heh… I'd die trying at this rate… but I rather die trying then doing nothing. I have to make sure that my mission accomplished." After awhile, he stood up and started to walk forward to meet the goddess of the tree. When he had seen a big hole in front of him, he knew that this will be his dying place.
"Here goes nothing…" Kain said as he entered the hole to see a new dimension around him. What he saw was a circular place with many trees and in the center of it was an empty space and above the center was a moon waning and waxing as time ticked. In the middle of the air stood a figure, hovering down as Kain slowly approached the center of the room.
"Well…well… I didn't quite expect such a mere child can change fate… Such bravado do worth of a praise. Although, you won't be doing anymore of it. You'll die in my arms, child." She said coldly while reaching the surface of the ground.
"Well… one can only but try. Shall we?" Kain asked when he was ready with whatever will happen.
"En garde." As soon as he said that Kain lunged to the goddess with his enchanted dagger. She evaded with ease, her move was as graceful as a leaf in the air, no friction and fluid. Suddenly, she stuck him on his back and the blow sent him to the edge of the room.
"Damn, she's so strong. What to do…" Kain tried to stand up but a flurry of punches just kept him there. The goddess was ruthless, after she finished with the punches, she threw him in the air and slammed him down.
"Ugh…" Kain moaned in pain, his mind went blank and his body started to ache all over because of the attacks, the mark, and the spells.
"Will I die here? Will I just be the one who ruin everything? Even my own effort.. to save them will go to waste if I die here… but I can't even lift my finger against her…" Kain's will had wavered. He didn't have anymore strength to fight. When he saw that the goddess had prepared to end this, he just shed tears of grief for everyone. Everything when white before he shut his eyes and waited for fate to take him.
Then everything went silent and he saw visions of his life, he saw moments where he was with his friends.
"I'm sorry… Everyone, I'm so sorry that I'm not strong enough to go through this." Kain waited the blow to come that seems like slow motion to him…
"KAIN! What are you doing there lying down?" A voice shouted and a dagger flew in the air. The dagger hit the goddess in her palm. She didn't winch. She just removed the dagger and threw it somewhere else. When Kain looked up, he saw Sierra flying in the sky like a valkyrie.
"This is so unlike you…" Kain heard another voice before he was scooped up and laid somewhere else. Kain's vision was blurry but he was certain that it was Larc.
"Larc? Sierra? What are you doing here…?" Kain's voice croaked in pain but he managed to get his voice working.
"What are you talking about…? Of course, to help you." Sierra fumed as she agilely evaded and countered the goddess attacks.
"We can't let you take everything on your shoulders alone, can't we? We're your friends, Kain. Give us some credit." Larc said before he rushed to strike the goddess when she just evaded Sierra's counterattack.
"Don't you dare to take it alone again! You had risked so much to save our life once, but we're not babies. We don't need to be protected at all times. This time Kain, let us protect you and be your shield." Sierra spared him a glance before jumping in the air and a flurry of wind blade materialized as she cut the air.
"Yes. I made a vow to myself that I would put my life in the line if either you or Angelique was in danger or in need of my help." Larc said while recovering his breath before slamming his ax to the ground and the earth spiked up to attack the goddess. His two friends fought while Kain watched them from afar. Kain never thought that he wanted someone to risk their life for him so he always took it to himself to solve his own problem. But now, he realized that maybe his choice had angered two of his precious friend.
"I should have trusted them more… my friends…" Kain said and a voice chimed in his mind.
"Yes… you should. They are your friend. Give them some credibility, for goodness sake." A voice as hot as fire and passion scolded him.
"Hmn… yes. Friendship is as light as zephyr but it can be as strong as gale. Hold them close…" Continued a voice now as light as wind and mischievous at the same time…
"Damn…" Larc cursed as he was pushed back by the goddess blow.
"I guess, we alone are not enough." Sierra breathed hard as she tried to assess the situation which had been turned so badly at their disadvantages.
"Well… well.. looks someone beats us first on getting here." A male voice suddenly chirped in, his steps firm and gallant.
"Does that even matter. It's good that they have arrived and at least, Kain is not dead if they are here." A female voice continued before the shadow let go of their cover. Escad with his sword in his right hand and Daena with her flail on her left hand.
"Escad..? Daena? You too…" Kain asked in amazement. What was it that make his friends knew that he was here.
"Yeah. After this you better damn explain why you left all of the sudden." Escad while lunging to the goddess who almost finished Larc and Sierra.
"Yes. You have to explain properly. You give us quite the chaos that we don't necessarily need." Daena smiled before dashing to hit her new opponent.
"Matilda, Irwin… you and I have a wonderful friends." Kain said smiling. His body didn't ache so much now but he still can't move. After those other two voice that spoke to him, his pain had subsided a bit. Kain saw that Escad fought valiantly, he brandished his sword and aimed it to cut his opponent swiftly. Daena always covering Escad with her flurries of flail, both protecting and attacking.
"Kain. You ok?" Escad said while evading the goddess jabs. So far, Escad hadn't broken a sweat yet.
"Don't force yourself, ok? We're here to help you…" Daena said while ducking the kicks that were aimed at her.
"I will be fine… don't worry." Kain smiled when he knew that the concern that was aimed at him was not farced but truly genuine concern from a friend to a friend.
"As long as I have friends like you, then I can go through a whole lot more than this." Kain mused in his head then another voice chimed in his head.
"Now, do you realize? Friendship is not only giving but also accepting. You cannot expect to give and receive nothing. Your effort will bound to fruit and that fruit won't always be there. It will drop and rolled its way to you, for you to pick it." Its voice was rich and kind. It reminded him about what Trent said that plants have its way of returning back the love human gave them. It were by their fruit, smell, and beauty. They tried their hardest so that human wold receive something from them too.
"What is life without companion? Even the strongest peak will crumble without a strong foundation. Friendship is just like that." Now it was a voice as firm and strong as earth that spoke to him.
"Blast it! She's way to fast to keep up." Escad crouched as he just took a rather serious blow from the goddess.
"If only we know, what would weaken her…" Daena huffed as she just lost her footing and now, she had sprained her ankle.
"Oh no… what should I do? I should do something." Kain's heart raced as he saw that his friend one by one had been damaged seriously by that insanely strong goddess.
"Are you sure that it's this way?" A gruff voice diverted Kain's attention.
"Yes… my core tells me that it's this way. There's no mistaking it." A soft but firm voice trailed along soon after that.
"Well… as long you're sure about this." Another reply was heard.
"I'm sure since we can't afford to waste time." Then another reply before two figures comes out from the shade.
"Hello, Kain. I hope you're still alive." Pearl smiled before her core shined and changed into Blackpearl.
"Seriously, you drove us crazy by disappearing like a ghost." Elazul pouted angrily before he looked at Balckpearl and charged together.
"Elazul, Pearl, Blackpearl. Thank you…" Kain said. A lone tear glided in his cheek. He wondered how much had he lost just by closing himself from outside world. He could have so much fun if only he didn't shut himself. Kain tried to move his finger and feet now. It could move now but still stiff. Better than before at least.
"It is to be hoped that you reflect on your actions and consider things appropriately." Blackpearl said while swinging her hammer with full force.
"If you want to go somewhere you could have asked me or someone to come along. We will definitely be glad to go on adventure with you." Elazul said while countering the goddess attack.
"But how can I ask you to give up, your life…. I simply couldn't do that… You all are too important for me." Kain said softly before images flashed in his head about those moments that he spent together with all his friend. Both happy and sad, they went through it together and they always stick together to the bitter end and also the happy end.
"A friendship is ever present it is not only there when once in a while but it is forever. It sooths and it heals what wounds you receive. Its touch may be gentle and it can sweep you away too from danger if it needs be." A calm soothing feel like water was produced from that voice.
"It wants to be protected but it also wants to defend what is dear to them. Do not protect them all the time, let them protect you too. A friendship is as strong as a bulwark in the middle of war." A shy but serene voice touched him like a budding flower.
"Ugh…" Blackpearl grunted when she was just slammed to the tree.
"Aghhh… why is she so strong? Damn it!" Elazul laid on his stomach as he was just thrown in the air. Kain tried to stand up and tried to stop the goddess from continuing her attack on Blackpearl. An arrow singed in the air stopping the goddess hand for the second time.
"Stop. Don't you dare to continue…!" Angelique appeared with another arrow pointed at the goddess. The goddess flipped back and jumped. Angelique shot the arrow and threw the bow that she held. She too jumped in the air, her fist colliding with her enemy's fist.
"Ange… you're here…" Kain's disbelief showed on his face. He thought that he had locked up the house successfully and trapped his sister there. Angelique smirked before she returned to give flurries of punch and evading attacks.
"Heh… I'm so stupid…" Kain glanced down at his hand and balled it into a fist. He should have asked all of them all along maybe then…
"There's never the word too late to repair your mistake. You could never go back and change your decision but you could always try your best at the present to change the end into a slightly better shade for your cherished one." A bright and wise voice said and it talked sense to Kain's head.
"Yeah. It's too late to regret that I just do what is best for them now. Even if I lacked the strength to do it, I will risk my life as they risked theirs." Kain said determinedly.
"That is why, we the spirits of Mana, decided to help you, O child of Ragnarok. Receive our blessing and create a better end for all of us." A dark, enigmatic voice ended.
"Ahh…" Angelique cry of pain was heard to Kain now. Kain walked forward with his new strength, the strength that he received from the spirits but mostly it was the strength that his friend gave to him, the strength to give them a brighter future.
"With so many of us… and yet…" Daena moaned in pain and agony.
"Isn't there something... someway to can beat her?" Sierra whispered softly as she was regulating her disrupted breath.
"If only, I was stronger…" Escad grunted as he looked heatedly at the now assaulted Angelique. All of them turned their heads and looked at Kain who was striding nimbly to the center of the room.
"Kain… what are you doing…?" Elazul groaned as he failed to stand up.
"Don't you do something foolish again." Blackpearl flinched when her wound stung her body.
"Kain…" Larc grunted in despair when he felt that he couldn't even keep up his oath.
"Don't worry. Now, it's my turn. You guys had helped me enormously and I really appreciated it." Kain gve them the best grin that he could muster. He then shot a magic arrow to the goddess who instantly let go of Angelique.
"Kain… don't force yourself." Angelique whimpered in pain as her body slumped on the tree. Kain smiled before he chanted a spell.
"When you hear, the sound of angel sang. Don't you feel like rejoicing. It is because they have delivered to you a gift. A gift so strange yet magnificent. A gift of life, and this is their gift that they have entrusted to me for you to receive. Heaven's edict." The surface glowed a warm white light and enveloping each of his friends with their tender touch. Kain smiled as he finished this spell.
"Everyone, thank you for everything. I will explain everything when we met again. Trust me, this will be the last selfish things that I want to do. After this you can scold me as much as you want…" Kain smiled when their body started to disappear from the room. When they were finally gone, Kain turned to the goddess.
"Now then, shall we dance? A dance of death. We shall dance while I sang us, our elegy." Kain smiled as he prepared for the fifth forbidden spell.
Kain erected a force field around him, to make sure that the goddess can't hit him while he sang them, their deliverance. Kain started off with ancient language, every pore of him concentrate on this one spell. He knew that his chance is this only one shot. So he will make sure that this spell hit her at all cost. The goddess started to break the force field that Kain had set. Her enormous strength had limited Kain's time.
"…. Ich hörte das dreizehnte bellrang. Es ist das Zeichen des Abnehmens. Die Dämmerung des Lebens nähert sich. Ob Sie oder gewesen nicht bereit hatten, ist es Zeit. Der glorius Ton des Todes hatte Sie angerufen. So gekommenes, liebes Kind. Kommen Sie und verschwinden Sie mit mir. Dieser Ton beendet Ihre Schmerz. Ihr Körper, Seele, Herz und Verstand lösen sich in eine leere Lücke auf. Totenglocke."
When Kain had finished this spell, the goddess is directly in front of him. He touched her with his gloved hand and she vanished to nothing. Kain smiled before he fell down. Blood flowing from all over his body because of Totenglocke. This dual natured spell was more dangerous than any of the previous one because this would kill him too soon.
"Before that, I still need to do my last chore, the last two spell of the seven. Ragnarok." Kain sit up and started to chant the rite of the sixth spell. The spell of reset.
"Kain, so you have decided…" Matilda appeared before him.
"Yes… Matilda. Will the wisdom frown on this?" Kain said in his mind while he continued the rite.
"No, we will pray for you. We will pray for you so that you can finish what we had failed to finish." Matilda said before she stood there silently.
"You have our blessing, my child." Gaeus appeared magically there. His stone body along with the part in which Luon Highway that he was rested upon.
"Do what you must." Olbohn soon to reveal himself before the shadow of the moon.
"We will pray for your descision." Pokiehl emerged from the waning light of the moon.
"Bear no regret, in whatever you do." Rosiotti came out from the tree.
"You have become wise, with hardship as your mentor." Tote soon followed after Rosiotti.
"You will done what no other human done. Your deed will rest with us forever." Selva said hovering down.
"To cast the sixth and seventh forbidden spell. You actually need to cast the other five first." Matilda continued.
"Heaven's Law, which altered life and death." Tote started.
"Infernal Gate, which ended one's life." Olbohn continue.
"Aetas Iudicium, which gave life after death." Rosiotti said after Olbohn.
"Fragosus Aevum, which froze time and space." Gaeus resumed.
"Totenglocke, which dual nature would kill the caster and target." Pokiehl continued.
"And finally Ragnarok, which reset everything to origin. The spell that destroy and create." Selva ended their talks and gave Kain time.
"Yeah… this time I will give it more mana than it could hold." Kain released the mark from his hand and planted it to the surface below him. Then he stabbed his right hand with the Sword of Mana to the ground right at the center of the mark.
"This is the rest of the spell that Nunuzac hadn't conjured. I will finish this once and for all." Kain became still for awhile before he said his last word to the wisdom.
"Will you sang me my elegy before I died and my requiem when I had finished this…?" Kain whispered softly and they all nod and sang him, the elegy of seven angels.
"…Mit diesem Leben I folglich Dichtung der Vertrag. Der Vertrag, zum der Welt zu seinem korrekten Zustand zurückzubringen. Eine Welt ohne Streit, in dem alles gesegnet wird, wo alles sicher ist und kein Haß in Richtung zu irgendeinem anderem beherborgen wird. Eine Welt, wo alle wir Glück finden können, wenn wir stark genug versuchten. Mit dieser Dichtung gebe ich, die Verriegelung zum Sixth frei und lasse das siebtel. entriegelt werden, während mein Leben für mein Leben ist der siebtel. Schlüssel durchsickern. Der Kreation Mythus, Ragnarok..." When Kain had finished, he collapsed to the floor and breathed his last breath. The tree shook as the mark of Ragnarok which was incomplete now had its flawless weave. The mark soon sent all beings to stillness that none can feel. The ground below them gone and replaced with new earth. Everything was new, even if the people were still the same, they have no qualms of their past, it's as if everything is just a bad dream. The Mana Tree stood there, beautifully, every creature saw it as a symbol of peace. They visited the tree often and everything flourished because the tree provides for them and they in return give it love.
"Kain….!" Angelique woke up from her bed and she shed tears when she woke from her dream.
"Who was him… Who was that man…? I feel like I known him but I hadn't seen him at all. The dream it felt real… it feel very real… It's so frightening. I wonder who he is…" Angelique continued to cry that night as the images from her dream haunt her until dawn. That man's last word before she woke kept ringing in her mind. "Everyone, thank you for everything. I will explain everything when we met again. Trust me, this will be the last selfish things that I want to do. After this you can scold me as much as you want…" That man's voice kept ringing in her head for a week before it was gone. When she shared this experience to her friends, they all had the same dream as her during that night. They all wondered who the man in that dream was. The man who seemed so close to them…
In the Tree of Mana, laid a boy whose age seemed only so young. Although, he was laid on the tree trunk in garden, everyone never saw him. To all of them, he was invisible. His sleeping face didn't indicate anything but deep sleep or perfect stillness.
"Kain… everything is peaceful now. Everyone is happy and they didn't have to worry of the threat of war." Matilda said to Kain. Kain's body was leaned on the tree, his face so peaceful, if one didn't know then he might look like he was asleep.
"If only people remembered about you… It has been two years since you have initiate Ragnarok." Matilda continued to approach Kain and touch his cheek gently.
"I have some good news for you… Angelique just had her firstborn. Do you know his name yet?" Matilda talked to Kain as if he was hearing her intently. When the wind rustle and Kain's hair flowed gently with the wind, Matilda spoke again.
"Yes, you guessed right. His name is Kain." Matilda rose and walked away from Kain. She stopped when she heard another sound.
"Matilda… do you think I had broken free from my chained fate?" Kain's obsidian eyes flickered for the first time in two years.
"Yes... our chained fate is broken. Now, you can live as you wish in this world that you have protected, Kain." Matilda said before Kain returned to his slumber again. Who knows when he would woke up again or if he ever will but Matilda was sure that Kain now will be much happier than he was ever before because he had broken free and flew away from his shackles and bounds. The chained fate had been broken and like every tale, it may not have a happy ending but this ending was slightly better than what was supposed to be the original.
"So good night, Kain… May you have a nice dream." Matilda exited the garden and saw Kain smiled in his sleep.
Mit diesem Leben I folglich Dichtung der Vertrag. Der Vertrag, zum der Welt zu seinem korrekten Zustand zurückzubringen. Eine Welt ohne Streit, in dem alles gesegnet wird, wo alles sicher ist und kein Haß in Richtung zu irgendeinem anderem beherborgen wird. Eine Welt, wo alle wir Glück finden können, wenn wir stark genug versuchten. Mit dieser Dichtung gebe ich, die Verriegelung zum Sixth frei und lasse das siebtel. entriegelt werden, während mein Leben für mein Leben ist der siebtel. Schlüssel durchsickern. Der Kreation Mythus, Ragnarok... (literally means:)
With this life, I therefore recite the contract. The contract to return to the world to its rightful condition. A world without controversy, in which everything is blessed, where everything is safe and no hate shall be harbored toward to another. A world, where all can find good luck, if we tried strong enough. With this word I speak, it unlocked the Sixth seal and the seventh is now unlocked, with my life. For my life is the seventh key. The creation myth, Ragnarok…
Please review and tell me what you think of this story since this is my first fic, I'm not sure if I did well :(
And lastly, thanks for those who read until the last chapter :D I really appreciate it!
Hope to see you in my next release... :)
Best Regards,
Mr. Cat