Chapter 4: Replicas...

"Ah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah!!!", Dists magically strenghtened voice was heard throughout the city. "As I said before, residents of Kimlasca, surrender or you will pay with your lives!"

"Where are you, asshole!?", Luke yelled and looked around frantically for the source of the voice.

"Where I am? Ah hah hah hah! That doesn´t matter! If I were you I´d rather pay attention to what´s happening around me!"

"Thunder Blade!!!", the person wearing the cloak shouted in that exact moment, and a sword, impregnated with the Fonons of Lightning, shot towards Luke who jumped to the side. The sword crashed into a house wall that exploded immediately. The house shook, then crumbled down.

"No!!!", Luke screamed, many lives annihilated at once.

"Just sit still, otherwise there will be more victims!", the person under the cloak snickered and aimedfor another house. "Thunder Blade!!!"

"No! Stop!", Florian shouted and jumped in front of the house, trying to protect it.

"Florian, no!", Anise screamed in horror and aimed at Florian with her staff. "Barrier!!!" A barrier appeared just in time around Forian and threw the blade back towards the person who just stood there, not moving an inch.

"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryou Toue Kuroa...", they heard someone sing, and in the moment a protecting shield appeard which blocked the sword and let it crash into one of the castle´s towers. Tear who had sung the protecting fonic hymn landed beside the person.

"Tear, what´s happening here?! Why are you helping them?!", Luke asked her.

"That´s none of your business.", Tear answered in a monotone voice and threw daggers at him, lightning-fast, which he blocked with his sword.

Several Oracle Knights stormed the palace grounds moments later, all heavily armed.

"But how...?!?", Florian started, confused.

"Doesn´t matter how, at least we have some kind of support now!", Anise said, satisfied. "Guys... GO GET 'EM!!!" But the Oracle Knights didn´t obey their Fon Master, they all pointed their weapons towards Luke, Anise and Florian. "What the...?! ... Oh, I got it... of course..."

"What´s going on?! Why are you´re people against us?!", Luke asked.

"Replicas...", was Anise´s only answer.

"What?!?", Florian shouted with huge eyes.

"Each one of them are replicas!", Anise said and pointed at the Oracle Knights. "Isn´t that right, Sync!?!" Lightning-fast she produced a heavy wind that made the cloaked persons hood fall off. The grinning face of Syn appeared under it.

"But how...?!?", Luke asked, perplexed.

"Dist had been in Sync´s present long enough to have been able to make a replica of him.", Anise explained. "I bet the Sephiroth which is raising the castle higher and higher is also only a replica."

"Grrr! Come out of your hiding place, you coward!", Luke screamed and looked up at the sky. "Do you think you can just produce replicas and let them fight for you!? That´s exactly the same thing Master Van did!!"

"You´re still calling my brother `Master´? How pathetic.", Tear taunted.

"Tear, why...?", Luke asked her again.

Tear sighed. "I just realized that there is no other way.", she said, voice devoid of any emotion. "The planet´s memory is unstoppable..."

"Yes, Lorelei is now part of the fon belt, but the planet´s memory is still active like it has always been. It will never end like this.", Sync said.

"The only way is the destruction and revival of mankind.", Tear added.

An arrow meant for Luke shot towards him, and Luke could manage to dodge it, not only a second left.

"What the...?!", Luke stammered: Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Gardios, sitting on a griffin who flew down from the castle, approached.

"So you also made a replica of Gloomietta that can control monsters.", Anise snarled and looked at Natalia. Suddenly her eyes went huge. "I know where Dist is! He´s inside the castle!"

"What?!", Luke shouted.

"This is a replica of Natalia! He´s got to be inside of the castle! Otherwise he couldn´t have gathered any material for a replica of Natalia!"

"This is...... a replica of Natalia?!", Florian repeated, shocked, while the replica of Natalia to the ground, an arrow aimed at at the three friends.

Tear, a replica of Sync and Natalia, and the Oracle Knights... yes, Luke and his friends were totally surrounded, no exit in sight...

Annotation: I painfully remember this chapter. One whole month had passed between chapter 3 and this chapter! So, after I´ve translated chapter 21 it could really take some time before a new update. ^^;