Chapter 28: The Angel Reborn
"Who did it?" Lloyd demanded. "How?"
"I don't know," Regal said. "I was knocked out." He sounded weary, and ashamed.
"They came right after we'd pulled wreckage out of the water," Genis said. "I didn't have any magic left."
"I saw their leader," Presea said. "He was average height, with light hair and expensive armor, and he fought with two shimmering swords." She looked at him gravely. "Wasn't that how you described Joseph?"
Lloyd's teeth ground together. He rubbed along the line in his chest where he'd be cut by Joseph's weapons, the Seraphim Feathers.
Genis shuddered. "You said he wasn't that good…but he fought like a whirlwind. He was right in the front of his people. He killed a few people, and then captured a lot of the rest. The only ones who got away were people who ran away. He has Pietro and Clara!"
"I'm going to end this," Lloyd said bleakly. "I'm going to Sylvarant to find him."
To general surprise, Elpida agreed first. "The bastards!" She snarled with ample venom. "They should leave them alone!"
"Leave who alone?" Sheena asked.
"Everybody! Ordinary people and the Exspheres, too!"
No one had seen her angry before, but it was only a moment before the others agreed.
Except Regal. The big man stared at his hands. Finally he said, "I apologize, Lloyd, but I cannot accompany you."
"Why not?" Lloyd asked.
"I cannot bring myself to end another life," Regal said quietly. "I've caused too much death already." His back straightened. "I shall go to the King and help him organize aid to the Palmacosta region, instead." Seeing the looks on their faces, he said, "I—" he faltered. "I cannot kill again. I can't."
Lloyd's face softened. "I wish I could say that. But I can't let Exspheres be let loose again. No matter what." He rubbed at the Exsphere on the back of his hand. No matter what.
Lloyd woke up just as the sun rose. He'd been set on leaving immediately, but the others had talked him into staying long enough to sleep and stock up on supplies.
He'd only gotten about four hours' sleep, but he felt like he was on fire. He rolled out of bed, and immediately woke his friends, asleep in the various bedrooms around Zelos' mansion. They set out without breakfast, Lloyd urgency spreading to the others.
By midmorning, they were in sight of the eastern shoreline of the Palmacosta region. Elpida was the one to notice the plume of smoke rising from Hakonesia Peak. She brought it to the attention of the others, and they'd turned in that direction.
The smoke was from a fire in front of Koton's house. The treasures the old man collected were in heaps here and there. A dozen men were spread out among the various piles. Every so often, one of them would throw something—usually furniture or an art object on the fire.
The party set down a couple of hundred yards away. Lloyd left to scout things out, and no one argued with him. Elpida even came along. When he was close enough, Lloyd called "What's going on?" in a friendly voice made of 100 artificial additives.
One of the armed, armored men looked up. "Nothing that you need to worry about."
Elpida began scanning around the piles, hoping to see a glint of what she was looking for.
"Is that so?" Lloyd said. "There's an old man that lives here. Is he on a trip?"
The speaker looked up, and nudged the man next to him. They both grinned. "Actually, he's sick."
"Sick?" Lloyd said, expecting the guy to follow up on it.
"Yeah. He caught a bad case of dead after hitting Cygin here when we were dragging his stuff out here." The fighters were rising from their work to form a loose semicircle around Lloyd.
"You murdered him," Lloyd said quietly. He drew his swords. His friends had noticed the confrontation, and were hurrying over
Unnoticed by any of them, Elpida bent over a pile of junk, frantically pulling stuff from it. Her hand closed over a jewelry box. She opened it, and smiled when she saw her ring. She took it, and read the tag attached before breaking it off.
She turned it over in her small hand first. Memories were surfacing, her thoughts focusing. Memories of a burning drive to accomplish something great, memories of an absolute faith, and of power granted in response to that faith.
Her wings spread out, silvery shimmers in the air. She slid the ring onto her finger.
The flare of white light surprised everyone, etching the world in blinding white and rich black.
Lloyd shielded his eyes, then stared at his Exsphere. It was tingling, and he felt oddly…happy.
The light lessened, not so much dying at it was being contained. It shrank until it was only in Elpida's eyes, filling it from edge to edge.
Her feet were several inches above the ground. She held out a hand, and light blossomed out and coalesced into a small bow of light. An arrow, an incandescently-white spike, appeared. She drew back the bow, and pointed the arrow at the mercenary leader.
"Submit," she said imperiously, and every Exsphere there resonated to her voice.
The mercenary unslung his shield and drew his sword. "Submit to what?" he demanded.
"Judgment. Throw down your weapons, and live peacefully, and you shall be shown mercy." Her voice was calm, commanding.
"Who're you to order us?" he snarled.
"You refuse?" she inquired.
"Yes!" His men drew their weapons and chorused their own affirmative.
Her tone didn't change. "Then die violently." She released the arrow. It streaked through the air, raising a trail of greasy smoke as it burned its way through the man's heart.
Elpida disappeared in a brief rush of light, and was almost instantly by one of the piles of antiques. She bent down, and picked up a pair of exquisitely made broad-bladed daggers. She weighed them thoughtfully in her hands.
A man recovered from the horror of his leader's demise. He darted for her, sword ready. She pointed a dagger at him and said softly. "Holy Lance."
She disappeared before the first lance had impaled the man. She reappeared on the other side of the yard, and held out the daggers. Light slid out of edge of the short blades, lengthened until they were the length of swords, burning white shapes in the air
Lloyd was staring at the pile of Koton's treasures. The Spiritua Statue was on it.
He'd seen it, or at least others like it, so many times that he hadn't really noticed the features of it in years. He looked at the face of the statue, then Elpida's face.
He remembered the Tethe'allan legend of Spiritua, told to him by Zelos once.
No one knew where she'd come from.
Elpida cut a man down, the searing blade encountering no resistance as it sheared through metal armor, flesh, and bone.
She charmed all who met her and rallied the people to the Church of Martel.
Two men fell to her arrows.
The King had assumed she wanted his throne, and summoned her. He'd told her that he would massacre the followers of Martel if Spiritua didn't disband them and give herself up for treason.
Elpida sliced through two men in one swipe.
Spiritua's reply was a demand that he convert to the Church of Martel. The King called in his regiment of personal guards.
She appeared before another man, her blades slashing down crosswise in an X that went from shoulder to hips.
The King died first. The guards fought to the last man. When it was over, Spiritua prayed for their forgiveness and left the room littered with corpses.
She skewered two at once as they came at her.
She'd stayed on, organizing the new church and giving instructions for its practices.
The last three men got back to back, facing outwards.
After picking her successor as the Chosen, she'd left. No one knew where she went.
Elpida appeared again,
her swords and her eyes equally bright.
The people remembered
her and her power.
She streaked towards the group.
The people said she would return someday.
She slashed once.
They said she would come as the Angel of Death.
She slashed again.
She would bring Heaven's wrath on those who commit blasphemy.
She slashed a third time.
And the people prayed they were wrong.
The light extending from her daggers gently split into pieces and faded. Elpida's feet touched back on the ground, and her wings disappeared. The white fire drained out of her eyes.
Lloyd's friends remembered themselves, and ran forward to stand by Lloyd.
Elpida looked at the carnage around her. She dropped down, bringing her knees to her chest. She buried her face in them, and cried like a child.