Yes, I did not forget you or this story! I'm back and here with a nice, long chapter with everyone's favorite guy, Caius Ballad! *Trumpets sound* Anyways, I've seen quite a lot of happy reactions to Fang's return...XD That was certainly unexpected. We got Fang-lovers here. Haha...I personally love Lightning, but Fang's awesome too, and she will be playing a role in my story.

And to yukari123: Coliseum! I knew Arena had the wrong ring to it. Gosh, I knew I should have checked if I used the right word. Meh, potato, potato. . Looks weird written out and not said, but you get my drift.

Anyways, without further ado, here is a lengthy chapter three! Sidenote: Be sure to check my profile if I haven't been updating in a while. I promise not to disappear on you guys without at least informing you if I ever decide to drop this story.

Chapter Three: An Illusory Reality

You are here alone again
In your sweet insanity
All too calm, you hide yourself from reality
Do you call it solitude? Do you call it liberty?
When all the world turns away to leave you lonely

-The World, Yuki Kajiura

He thought she had been happy. He thought the reality he had conjured up for her would make her smile again, thought that partitioning her from the world would satisfy her. It had certainly satisfied him. He had not wanted anything to do with the world. Why else would he have left it to be consumed by chaos?

Unless Yeul was involved, he always preferred his solitude. She was the only person he would ever allow to enter his exclusive world. That was why he had gone through all that effort to make her happy and carefree, to make her smile.

But Yeul had never once smiled. And yet he had done everything for her. Where had he gone wrong?

Caius was presently in a limbo of chaos. There was no definition here, only chaotic energy surging about him. He was cradled in the energy's embrace, which was what allowed him to lean against it and lie down in a place of no shape or dimension.

Brought out of his reflection, Caius lips pulled back into a snarl, admonishing himself. This was no time to be sulking. Action must be taken. Still, even that would not be easy, now that his options were limited.

Maybe mulling over it might actually help him to formulate a course of action.

Somewhat grudgingly, Caius allowed himself to be assailed by those recent memories.

Caius just finished conjuring up their own city of Paddra before her eyes, erecting it in all its original, magnificent splendor. The Yaschas Massif stood sentinel about them, vigilant to any unwelcome entities that might infiltrate their private world.

He smiled slightly as he turned to Yeul, expectant. "We can live here peacefully, Yeul. In this new Paddra, you will not be perturbed by any visions," he told her.

Yeul said nothing, wordlessly gazing at the city. Silvery blue strands of hair floated about her face when a breeze sighed by.

His smiled had vanished by then. He had not been expecting this reaction. Caius regarded her with mild puzzlement. "Does this not please you?"

Those emerald eyes focused on him now. Her normally nonchalant expression was colored by an emotion Caius identified as discontentment. Was she truly unhappy? Or was this simply nostalgia, looking upon their city that had fallen centuries ago?

She answered him in a flat voice tinged with sadness, "There are no people here, Caius."

Yeul was collecting flowers in a verdant field he had taken her to. The sun shone brilliantly from above, but the warmth was pleasant. Caius lay idly on the grass, watching her. This was one of her past selves manifesting within her. The Yeul that loved to collect flowers. But she seemed more resigned about it. She picked the flowers almost dutifully, with an essential lack of the delight she had shown in her other life.

She approached him when she had completed her task. Yeul offered him a colorful bouquet. He smiled thinly. "A splendid arrangement," Caius said to her, taking the flowers. Her strange behavior had not escaped his mind.

Yeul studied him, apparently noting his bland response. Then she asked, "Does this not please you?"

Taken off guard, he gave no reply to her reiteration of his question as she walked away. Caius studied the flowers she had given him. Bluebells and carnations in the center. The carnations were all shades of pink and purple.

He glanced back at the silver-haired girl, recalling again the words a young warrior had told him at Valhalla.

That night, the first intruder had found them.

Caius was in deep contemplation, staring up at the starlit sky. Yeul was asleep on the grass. After her remark about the city he had recontructed through his power of chaos, he decided it might be better to spend the night outside Paddra. The lush grass was comfortable bedding, in any case.

He was not blind to Yeul's lack of satisfaction, nor was he a fool to guess the reasons behind them. He just simply refused to acknowledge them directly to her. Caius had already performed a feat that could not be revoked. And he had done it all for her. He only had to convince her that this was a better life for them.

Do you truly believe she will ever be happy?

Caius stood up abruptly, swiftly drawing his sword. It took him a brief moment to realize the voice came in his head.

I have been trying to reach you for quite some time. I must admit, with the ability Etro gave you over chaos, it was not an effortless task. But naturally, you could not elude me.

Caius cast a quick look in Yeul's direction. Seeing she had not been roused from slumber, he took a few steps away from her. Then he murmured, "What manner of being are you? I will not tolerate your presence here."

A small chuckle. If it vexes you so, you can answer me with your thoughts as to not wake the seeress. And in all frankness, I am not here. But I am in your mind.

That was enough for Caius. "Then get out," he said roughly. He would not mentally converse with this entity, not if it meant it had access to his thoughts. Perhaps it already did if it was in his mind. Well...he would find a way to shroud them.

I am already in your mind. It is futile to attempt to expel me. But peace, Guardian. I only come to convince you.

"Convince me of what? To not seek you out and make you drown in your blood?"

Another chuckle, this one more amused. I genuinely would be entertained to see you try that, Guardian, even with your power. But that is not what I need you for. You have committed a grievous sin, Caius Ballad.

Caius grunted. "So I've been told," he said, once again thinking back on a young warrior's words.

Yes, the boy, said the voice, obviously reading his thoughts, which irritated him. He partook of your sin as well, regardless if it was of his own volition. Together you must atone.

Caius hardly took heed of its words, more concerned with controlling his thoughts. He did not know the nature of this being, but he would never give it the luxury of knowing his every move. He was too accustomed to having control of the board. And so he concentrated on the image of a sleeping Yeul and his memories of her, veiling his innermost thoughts underneath.

Ah...very good. If it comforts you, I cannot see what you might be truly thinking. Oh, I could if I pressed, but I am not here to wring answers from you. But I do want your compliance, the voice told him.

"If you previously knew my thoughts, you would know I am in no mood to comply, nor do I ever comply," Caius said to it. "It is not my desire to speak wth you. It is my desire for you to leave."

I will leave once you have heard me and consider my words in earnest.

"Speak then, before I grow weary of your mind-games."

The girl will never be content with what you have done to her, Guardian. Yes, rather than having done something for her, you have done something to her. You have condemned her and the survivors to this chaos to an existence with no life, time, or death.

This time Caius chuckled. "You think I am not aware of this? But you are mistaken. Yeul and I were condemned when life, time, and death still existed. She was an eternal victim to that accursed cycle, and I forever had to watch it occur. That was true damnation. I revel in chaos, intrusive being. In this twilight realm I can protect her eternally without such torment. And I will continue to do so, without your unwelcome intervention."

Ah…but who was the victim, I wonder?

This made him pause. "What?"

You say the seeress was the victim. But she was happy. You, however, were not. So again I ask: who was the victim and who was the witness?

He contained his brewing anger, hiding within his calm façade. "I told you to leave. The next instance I will not be so lenient," he said, his grip tightening on his sword, his eyes glinting red in the darkness.

You can threaten me not, Caius Ballad. Etro may have given you your power, but I can as easily take it away.

Suspicion crossed his mind, so strong he had not been able to hide it. The being gave a light laugh, all trace of menace gone. Good. So we have established my identity.

"I have killed Etro. I can do the same with you," Caius whispered.

Oh, you can certainly try. But I am not a slumbering deity, nor am I as merciful and kind as Etro, and nor am I alone in this. For that matter, it would not achieve anything but make your reality collapse into nothingness and repeat the cycle. Not even you know what will happen next after your deed, Guardian.

"Is that so? And what is it exactly you want me to do?" Caius asked, secretly devising methods of somehow eluding this entity. Currently, his chances were not very good, since he did not know the deity's location. Still, he had defeated a deity before, and could manage to reenact the deed.

You must ally yourself with the boy, Noel Kreiss, and undo this wrong. You must also awaken her.

"Her?"

Heh…you know very well who I am referring to.

"And if I refuse?"

I would commend your gallantry, regardless of how foolish it be. If you refuse, you will gravely wish you had not.

Yeul had requested some time alone. Naturally, he obliged. He was strolling through the mountainous terrain of the Yaschas Massif, considering what to do with the deity from the night before…if time still existed to make it a "night before". The irony, that he would still make it day and night in his illusory reality.

He would have to shift their location, he decided. That deity could not be allowed to trace them. He just would have to be more elusive in his technique. That much was resolvable.

What would be more challenging was swaying Yeul. Caius hadn't a clue what mentality possessed her, only that he would have to shake her out of it. He had given her everything, and he had to make her see that.

What would possess Yeul that she would need civilization, anyway? Was he not enough for her? All Yeul should ever need was him, her Guardian, the one who truly cared for her. Even the Farseers had only followed her for her prophecy, and even they came to fear her and brought themselves to destruction. No soul was worthy to be here with them. No soul…but perhaps for…

Have you considered my words?

It elicited a wan smile from Caius. "And what brings you here now, invasive deity?" he asked evenly. It was too late to avoid this entity now.

You know my answer to your question, Guardian. I, however, know not your answer to my mine.

"I gave you my answer before. I want you gone," Caius proclaimed, "And I will find a method to execute that if you are not acquiescent."

You still defy me. It was not a question. The voice sounded slightly amazed.

"If you have not noticed, I've defied my fate to protect the timeline. The only drive I hold is to protect Yeul and to keep her in bliss."

Both of which you have failed in.

"I have only failed in one," Caius said, irked.

Let's see…the seeress is most definitely not happy with you. That much is clear, so I assume this is the one you agree you have failed in.

"And how is it that I am unsuccessful in the other? She is safe in this world I have created for her, secluded from any beings that might care to trouble us. Not with the inclusion of you," Caius said.

Oh? Can you protect her from herself, then?

"You need not tell me what she needs protection from, deity. Leave," Caius said with the suggestion of a growl.

Oh, I shall leave you be. But I will have you see the side of reason, Caius Ballad. You are afflicted terribly with your chronic illness: insanity. It has deadened your senses and made you insentient to reality: blinds you, deafens you. I only wonder what will cure you of it. The voice sounded somewhat thoughtful. You have left me no choice, Guardian, nor have you left any with the girl.

"You know nothing of Yeul."

I know that she has betrayed you. She has let them come for her.

"Them?" The question was soon answered. His purple eyes glowed crimson, sensing the threat. "What have you done?" he asked, voice dripping with venom as he drew his large sword.

I? Nothing. The seeress did this. She wanted them to come for her.

"Who?" he demanded furiously.

Who else? The Guards of the Arbiter.

In an instant and with no further comment, Caius used the chaotic energy to transport himself back to Yeul. How could Yeul be so foolish? No…the deity was lying. She would not have done this, no matter how dissatisfied she might have been.

The verdant field appeared before him, but the scene was anything but lovely. There they were, their golden armor flashing in the sun, floating above and surrounding a small figure. Yeul seated calmly on the ground as they closed in on her. What was she doing?

"Accursed reptiles! Die in true battle." The jewel in the elaborate hilt of his sword glowed a dangerous red, his eyes flaring the color. Before they were even aware of it, he was upon them. He reappeared behind one of them and swiftly thrust the blade through the breastplate. The insipid reptile was not given the chance to raise its pike. As it should. Caius only regretted granting it a swift death. They deserved to witness themselves being bathed in their own blood, but perhaps he could prolong the death of his last victim.

Even as the first one began to fall, he materialized behind the second, who had just begun to turn its head. He struck down the golden-clad warrior through decapitation. Blood showered the ground behind him, the severed head spiraling to the floor, as Caius moved on to the third, who was ready for him. The other six went to its aid, pikes ready to jab at him. He only needed a single glance—all six were instantaneously immobilized, pikes still held at the ready. These fools obviously did not know what they were up against. The third guard was impaled by his blade before it could even process what had happened.

Caius smirked, still floating in midair. "Were you not aware of the nature of your opponent?" he asked to none of them in particular. "Every one of you shall die feeling deepest remorse."

Enough of this.

Those three words the voice had spoken still rung with finality. The next thing Caius knew, he woke up to this limbo, his sword gone along with the bulk of his power. He had been mystified for a few moments before the realization came upon him that the voice had sent him here, allowing those wretched creatures to take Yeul. The darkness enveloping him was the remnant of his conjured illusion. The illusory world he had constructed was demolished. Demolished by a cursed deity that had stopped him from protecting her.

He clenched a fist at the memory. He would have his vengeance, to be sure. This was why he would never welcome divine intervention. This was why the gods deserved to perish. They would feel his wrath, every one of them. He would devise a way.

Yeul would no doubt be taken to the Coliseum, either made a prize or a prisoner condemned to fight in battle. He knew he would have to go there, but in his current state, he could not survive. Not alone.

Which forced him to a decision he thought he would never make.

Caius grimaced slightly, realizing what desperate measures he had been forced to take. He always could perform a task on his own. But needing an ally...oh, how that being would pay a dear retribution.

He could no longer summon Bahamut, nor control the chaos with the ease he had possessed prior, but he could still use it as a means of transportation. That much the entity had not taken. The energy engulfed Caius, taking him to his desired destination.

Blackness yielded to ash-gray as a vast sky loomed above him. It was all the same, only the bells no longer rung. The dirge for the goddess was done. Silence alone reigned here.

He entered the temple unceremoniously. She was the same as he had left her, as to be expected. The sword upon her lap, her head slightly bowed, legs crossed nobly. Never would he have thought he would have paid her another visit, or in this manner.

Of course, the first person to have crossed his mind was his former apprentice. But time was of the essence, and Caius could not afford such time to search for him. Which brought him here, before the powerless queen. How amusing…he was technically obeying the deity's command; but it was for his own motives.

"Doubtless you would not have expected to see me here before you," he said to her, carefully forming his words, very much unused to what he was about to do, "nor do I think it would ever have crossed your mind that I would be the one come to awaken you. I am aware that you have made of yourself an epitaph for your dear sister. But an epitaph is unnecessary for the living, which your sister may yet be. I know you are able to hear me through your crystal stasis, and so I come before you for an audience. I have a proposal for you, warrior goddess…"

GASP. Is it marriage? Don't be a fool, Lightning! Haha, I hope you guys are happy. . I just finished this at four in the morning, with a minor headache. :P I'm off to bed...so it will be a pleasant thing to wake up to see reviews in my inbox! :)