Chapter 125 - Orario Section: END

At the same time, as the wyverns changed their targets…

At some point, Fianna stopped twisting and moving in pain. Instead, she was now completely still, hunched down on her knees, covering her temples with tears slowly dropping from her eyes. Finn could've taken the chance, to pierce through her skull. Instead however, he caught his own breath, after downing a health potion, just looking at the crying woman.

Unlike the others, she was never mind controlled. Thus, her eyes were the same. Still filled with spite. Still revealing the heart of an avenger. The music itself did nothing to diminish it. No, quite the opposite in fact. The piano…brought forth the entirety of her hatred. Even the hatred she so desperately tried to ignore, by only looking forward. Indeed. The all consuming hate was still there. But it was not purely directed outwards. As if hearing a melody of childhood…his opponent remembered. Remembered what she tried to ignore, tried to pretend didn't exist, for the sake of pointing her dark flame at everyone.

Everyone but herself. But the piano resonated with her too much. It did not allow her to pretend. It did not allow for the hatred to be held back any longer. Instead, it forced her to face the full brunt of her own hatred. Hatred that spilled outwards…and inwards. Thus, she wept, at her own existence, her own actions, her own past, tearing apart at her soul.

"I…" She whispered, mostly to herself, her eyes staring at the ground as she slowly shook her head. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone…I just…wanted to live up to their name…To hers…" She clenched her eyes shut with a whimper. "Why was it such a mistake…? Why was I such a fool…?"

Finn's eyes widened. He processed her words and couldn't help but cover his mouth.

The puzzle pieces came together. This mystery of the past reaching into the present, it all fell into place. It was mindboggling to imagine. For time itself to be so twisted…but seeing her tears, her self loathing, he came to the true conclusion. According to the history he knew, she, the knight before him, never existed. But how could he?

She sacrificed her own identity to the name of Fianna. May it be by fate, divine will or just a series of coincidences…history blurred together. The cause of the deification of Fianan was not because of the second, of Finn's brave deed. No. It may have been the root of all…but the person before him was the one who cemented the myth of the divine Pallum.

The third Fianna, forgotten to time itself.

"...You are like me…" He muttered, eyes wide with shock. The young woman before him looked at him, glaring with resentment. But he pushed on, reaching and voicing out the truth. "You took on a new name. No, not just a new name…You took the role of the original Fianna."

The knight let out a scoff. Yet her lips quivered as she closed her eyes, leaning her back against the building. She appeared…weirdly tranquil, despite the noises of battle roaring around them, despite her spite against herself.

"Their stories…they encouraged me…gave me hope…I just…wanted to make sure they weren't forgotten…so why…" She bit her lip, her hands clenching into fists. "Why didn't they have the same effect today? Why…"

Why did history turn out the way it did? Finn had no answer for that. No placations to tell. After all…the pats was history. He couldn't change how their race turned up. And she knew that, chuckling darkly.

"I hate you. I hate the Pallum. But most importantly…" She pointed at herself with a weak smile. "I hate myself for ruining Fianna with my actions and stories…I just wanted to make her name immortal, so that they can withstand time itself…so that others would pick up that name, when needed…but…" She lowered her head. "That's on me for having faith in you people, isn't it?"

A pure love for her kind, and the figures that raised them up. A love so strong, she wanted to mimic their pride as much as she could. And when that love was spat upon, twisted and discarded…it only made sense it would become hate instead. Finn tightened his grip on his spear, feeling anger at this cruel fate inflicted on their race, on this woman's good intentions.

"...What's your actual name?"

"This fool discarded her name a long time ago. It never meant anything, and it means nothing now…" She let out a long sigh, slowly getting up to her feet. "The name…that is Fenia."

"The Fenian Cycle…you wrote it. The second half of it…they were your stories."

The Fenian Cycle. It was the most popular, and 'recent' version, after the stories made by the bard Wishe, and the writer Rowanus. The former was a retelling of events of the first and second Fianna, the latter being the one he named himself after. The latter was a story about a singular knight without a specific gender at all. However, after the fall of the Liberator's kingdoms, another version arised years later. The version of the story that would later be used as the basis of Fianna's deification. Not that the story itself was deifying her but…they made Fianna up as something from out of this world. As a knight, starting from the first Fianna, that would 'appear' once more with her godlike powers. With two major events standing out, one being the first deed before revealing her identity as Fianna. One being an immovable vanguard against the infamous Titan Golem, a black colored monstrosity that ignored physical and magical attacks, until it was destroyed by Fianna's spear. The second major event was her 'disappearance'. Jealous of her power, those with the influence tricked Fianna into a trap, to be surrounded and to be torn apart by an army of monsters.

She responded by killing them all and creating another canyone, ironically also ushering an era of peace, by eliminating most threats in the country. Then, she would vanish, a sign for many that she ascended back to heaven with her task done.

Finn always had the sense of feeling the stories were exaggerated, but from the way Fianna…no, Fenia shook her head in amusement, they must have had a bit of a truth in them.

"Somebody found my diary, I suppose…used it for their own version and made me into…into this…!"

Her rage grew before she spat to the side, her shoulders slumping. Finn nodded slowly at her.

"So there was a successor after all…But the world never realized. Because…"

"Because I lied. Because I pretended. A fake name…that was all it took to turn me into…into this, after all this time. And here I am…the Pretender. Forced with the mantle of the divine, forced with the title of the greatest knights who ever lived." She stared down at her spear, at the blood it was stained with. "How can I not hate everything, especially myself? When it was all so meaningless at the end…"

"You're wrong."

She looked up at him in surprise. Even Finn surprised himself with the heat in his voice. Yet he put a fist against his chest, unwilling to go back on his own words.

"Your faith, your love, none of it was a mistake." He closed his eyes. "Maybe the result of it all was terrible…but the journey. The years inbetween, where our people looked at you…you specifically for guidance, for salvation. They were not meaningless." He opened them with a burning light in his eyes, of gratitude. "We made it to today, thanks to you. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. It's because you loved the Pallum, the Knights, Fianna, more than anyone…so much more hatred did you gain when that love was betrayed. I understand."

Fenia grimaced, as if his words were like poison to her. Considering her existence, they might have been. Words she longed to hear, too late to change the outcome. And yet, Finn uttered them anyway, for if they weren't said now, when would they be said? The servant scoffed, after taking in his words.

"You don't. Nobody understand this sort of hate. It won't go away. Not even with this epiphany from this music. No, especially because of this epiphany…It will only stop with my death. There will be no redemption."

"Haha…"

"What's so funny?" Fenia asked, raising an eyebrow. Finn shook his head a bit, waving his hand.

"Nothing. Just…" He looked at the horizon. Or rather, the direction where the battle was the most fierce, with the wind acting against the beasts. "There's still hope for our little princess then."

"That is funny…" Fenia muttered with a small smile. Then she raised her spear and pointed it at Finn. "This won't change anything about this. I'm still going to kill you all."

"And I am still going to stop you." He pointed his own spear right back at her. "Not because you are my enemy. Not because you are a pitiful existence. But because you are someone who deserves at least that, to be fought with all my might."

The two of them walked at the same time, moving towards the square of the district they were in. Fenia closed her eyes, as if sensing something before opening them again, her spear still pointed at Finn.

"I can feel it. Her desire. Her wish for me to act, to salvage this plan of hers…" She let out a small chuckle. "And even still, she doesn't command me. Despite all her own hate and rage…I guess she still has a soft spot for me. What a silly merchant…"

"The Night Queen…?"

"Is that who she calls herself now?" Fenia raised an eyebrow, before lowering her head. "Time truly corrupts us all."

Finn's mind raced. If she was from the era before the gods descended, then what was the Night Queen? Many believed her to be Nyx, the merchant goddess…but if Fenia wasn't lying to him, it was flat out impossible to be Nyx. Was Nyx absorbed? Or did she never exist, like Fianna? Or maybe…was the real Nyx imprisoned, while the Night Queen took her identity? Was it willingly or not? He shook his head. No, now was not the time to ponder of this. Instead, Fenia rolled her shoulders, shifting her feet across the ground.

"As much as it pains me to reject her call…I still have unfinished business with you." She put a palm against her chest. "In this form, I will never stop hating the Pallum for what they did to me. For what they didn't accomplish. But…" She laughed a bit, looking up at the sky. "Maybe, whatever is left of my soul that isn't tainted…wants to fight like a proper knight, one last time."

Finn's heart raced, as he saw Fenia take up her stance. Feet rooted, as if she was a sturdy tree, she was unmoving, as she held her weapon like a guardsman. In that instant, he didn't feel as if a god looked down upon him. Instead, it was as if a titan stared him down from above, despite the fact that she was actually smaller than him.

"Prepare yourself, because what you experienced up until this point are mere parlor tricks given to me as a goddess. An attempt of living up to the knights of the past. But no more. I won't insult them anymore." She cracked a spiteful smirk. "This…is going to be just me. You will regret that fact all too soon."

Finn couldn't help himself. He began to laugh, as he started to bounce on his feet, ready to pick up speed as he rapidly moved his spear before holding it behind him, palm stretched out forward.

"The Braver, Finn Deimne. Captain of the Loki Familia, level six…and self proclaimed successor of the light the Knights of Fianna has given us."

"Servant Pretender, Fianna-Fenia. The Knight of Fianna, that came after the era of Argonaut and Doera, after the era of the First and the Second Fianna." Fenia snarled as her fingers twitched. "LET'S DANCE!"

That was the only warning Finn received, aside of his thumb burning up as if set on fire. He was already leaning to the side before he realized it. One moment, she was in a ready stance. The next…her spear was forward, as if she moved it without him realizing it. Sliding over the ground, he turned around, only for his breath to stop.

A hole. A hole that went through several buildings, the size of a spear. Not even a splinter peeked out. And yet, there was not a single sound. He heard a sharp inhale, his thumb burning once more, and he began to roll away as fast as he could. In the midst of it, he saw it, barely as a blur.

The perfect execution of the attack. She reared back her spear, with both her hands. Her hips shifting to gain momentum. A step forward, announcing her attack…and a thrust. The basics…taken to the utmost extreme. For some reason, Finn couldn't help but think of Sasaki Kojiro in that moment, witnessing a weapon defy space itself with its actions. Shaking his head, even as the ground was getting punctured with holes, he bounced off the buildings.

Enough awe, he had to take the fight to her! He bit his thumb, and pressed it against his forehead with a snarl.

"HELL FINEGAS!"

Rage and wrath filled his veins. It began to cloud his mind, before moving past it, and entered his heart instead. His mind remained cool, almost ice cold, as it took in the entire area, including Fenia, and tore them apart for details, for information, while the rest of his body heated up with his fury.

He broke a wall, spinning on his heel, before throwing the fragments into Fenia's view. She snarled, forced to blink at the stones slamming into her face. When she had her eyes open again, Finn vanished from her view. Then, the blade of his spear smashed into her side, causing her to gasp in shock at the sheer force of it. With Finn going low as he was right behind her, he spun once more, taking a step back, before pushing forward, right into her spine…and Finn grit his teeth with wide eyes.

The hit landed head on, with full force. And yet, it felt like Finn was hitting a mountain. He was shocked that his spear didn't shatter on impact. Fenia merely let out a pained grunt, despite the broken ribs, that even he could feel through the spear. She didn't cry out in pain at the spear tearing into her flesh at her back. Instead, she then spun around. Finn barely swayed backwards in time, as the spear pierced through the air once more. He backflipped, his feet hitting her jaw in just the right spot. Yet as he landed on his feet, he winced at the pain that flared up, while Fenia didn't even bother rubbing the hit spot, instead raining down her thrusts as if they were invincible lasers, forcing him to move out of the way again. He thought she was restricted herself, with just using one weapon…but he was dead wrong. Her very aura strengthened her by returning to her roots. Not to mention, the gaps of switching between weapons were utterly gone now. There was no void to be taken advantage of. How could there?

They were simply spear thrusts. One couldn't outsmart such simple minded actions. And yet, Finn tried anyway, feeling glee despite the frustration in his heart.

This was the true third Fianna…no, this was the real Fenia. Someone who never learned martial arts from anyone else. Someone who was inspired by the knights, but never had the resources to be one. Thus, she did what she could. Practice her thrust. How many years, how much effort did she spent on these basics? How did she not go insane, to reach this level? Truly, she was the complete opposite of himself.

He reached into his pocket and threw something forward. Once more, Fenia didn't bother to dodge, instead piercing parts of his left shoulder. He grit through the pain, instead looking away. Fenia's eyes widened, when the flash bomb went off, courtesy of Lyra herself. She didn't stumble backwards, instead growling as her ears twitched…only for her face to snap to the side, a wide gash caused by Finn's own thrust. Blinking the light away, Fenia roared, trying to take his head off, but he was gone already, retreating, before going back in, throwing sand at her face. This time, She leaned her head away, her form breaking just a bit. Thus, her spear thrust became less invincible and 'just merely' powerful instead. He dodged it in time, wrapping his legs around her neck and pulling her down. At least he tried to, but her upper body strength was obscene, her muscles bulging even as Finn clawed the ground with his fingers. He let go with his legs in time, just as she was about to rip him away, spinning on his palms before ramming his heel into her nose. She pushed back with her own face, to create some distance. Finn gasped in pain before leaping into the air, spinning side ways, the momentum slashing across Fenia's chest.

He fought like a 'proper' Pallum. A race that was considered one of the weakest, with their small bodies. A race that had to rely on all sorts of tricks, using their own size, their agility, everything, just to get an edge. With Hell Finegas, he became a storm of rage, his very emotions fueling his strikes, to destroy his opponent more and more.

Meanwhile Fenia was…like a dream, that the Pallum race could never reach.

Each attack Finn landed, it didn't even make her budge. Her eyes were like those of a hawk, rapidly moving and trying to track him, to look past his tricks. Yet she was not always successful. However, his tactics didn't create the gaps he wished. She predicted the movements of his spear wrong, being moved all over his body, before stabbing into her stomach. Yet instead of dodging, of reeling back, she just stabbed his stomach in return.

An eye for an eye, no retreat. That was how Finn accumulated his injuries. Yet he had no other choice Anything less than full power, anything less than the risks he took, and they wouldn't do any damage at all.

She was a wall. A vanguard whose weight was so impossibly heavy for her size. She had no footwork, no tricks. She was almost blindingly honest. To make it worse…he felt like she could be better, if her hatred didn't clearly infect her weapon. How strong was she, at her prime? How shining would she be, before the mantle of divinity was thrusted upon her? Ah, how he yearned to fight her past self. How he hated his kind at this moment. He growled, his mind diving deeper into the tranquil fury of Hell Finegas, squeezing every bit of power out of his very soul. Only because she gave all her credit to figures of her past…only because of that, did history not remember such a monstrous martial artist. For the first time, Finn felt empathy for her hatred, against history itself. How such skill can go unrecognized…was a complete and utter shame.

Time became meaningless. It was as if the sun did not move from its position, up at the sky. Spear met flesh, over and over, for Finn didn't even try to parry or even stop the perfect thrusts of Fenia. Instead, they became a storm of blades and stabs.

The area around them became filled with holes, even the clouds above were punctured. Armor was broken more and more, with each strike, revealing the skin beneath, battered and blue. Their steel tasted blood over and over, as they went at it like rapid animals. Fenia, being a buffalo, and Finn, being a singular hyperactive hyena. He never ceased moving around her. Fenia never lost her footing. And despite their crimson stained skin, despite the fury and hatred respectively…the two couldn't help but smile. A hurricane of emotions filled their hearts, as they tried their best to take each other's lives. Lament, joy, respect. The past teaching the present, pushing them to their limits. The present showing the past the fruits of their labor. In that moment, both forgot their labels completely. Goddess. Captain. They didn't matter.

They were just two foolish Pallum, reaching above their station no matter what, as they bled each other out, the ground stained red.

Yet as much respect as he had for her, as much as he enjoyed this fight…the flesh had its limits. His mind, his soul, his body, they were all screaming for a break, to stop. He slid over the ground, breathing heavily, using his spear as a support. Fenia was the same, equally exhausted, several cuts and bruises, her broken armor, none regenerated at this point. Yet unlike him, she still kept her stance up, until the bitter end.

He hated to admit it…but she was better than him. Whether by martial skill, physical prowess or just raw experience, the Pallum was just better than him, even as he entered his Hell Finegas state. And it would only get worse from here. It was just a bad matchup. Someone like Gareth with his raw strength, someone like Aiz with her wind, would've done better. But him, against an endurance type like her, who likely was able to fight for days without rest… There was no way he could win at this point, with his resources and strategies exhausted. The only logical choice to be made was to retreat somehow, to get help, because he could never win on his own. The rock before him could not be outlasted, outpowered, outsmarted.

And yet.

He straightened up his back. He took one last deep breath…before holding his spear with one arm, rearing it back as far as he could, his left arm almost touching the ground with how far he was twisting. Fenia chuckled at the sight, before rearing back her own spear.

"Going to risk it all, are you now? Bring it. If you lose, it'll just destroy everything behind you."

His final move, that would put his entire Falna into one throw. And yet, his mind told him it would not be enough. He saw what she could do, how much power was behind her spear thrusts. There was a reason he never tried to clash with them. Up until now, that was. By all means, rationality declared that this was his losing move.

But so what? He discarded logic, in that moment. He discarded the mind of the Braver, who built up his image, his plans. All of them were thrown away…to live up to the expectation of the Pallum race. For the ones he loved. For the youth who ignited his soul once again with his own nonsensical actions.

This was the time to go beyond himself, beyond logic. Thus, with all his might, he threw his spear, adding a spin to it, trying to shove all he could into it, to reach the old light before him. Fenia's eyes widened, as the throw broke the sound barrier, exploding into motion. The throw itself tore up Finn's muscles, ignoring their own limits as the Braver roared at the heavens themselves to move out of his way with their rules and logic.

"TIR NA NOG!"

A light suffused the throw, unbeknownst to Finn…but not to Fenia, who clearly saw the blinding energy, even as she moved herself. Because of that, she couldn't help herself but laugh at the situation…and wanting to respond to that miracle with all her might!

Unlike him, Fenia, the foolish girl that picked up the name of Fianna, had no skill granted by a Falna. No magic to be used. However, her opponent infected her. So just this once, she decided to scream out the name of her fighting style, the one she honed in the mountains before returning to civilization. With a twisted wide smirk, between joy and hatred, she thrusted her spear forward, as it began to glow with the golden light of her mortal aura. The very same move she performed, right at the end of her own life.

"GAE GEAL!"

The strongest attack, met the strongest attack. Two spears, of different eras, clashed in mid air, tip against tip. Two lights struggled against each other, trying to erase the other from existence. The struggle lasted but an instant. Neither had the chance to even scream, to do anything more…when one spear broke through the other. Eyes widened in shock…before they closed in resignation, just as an explosion went off.

The dark cloud covered the entire area. If there was anyone left to witness it, they wouldn't have seen anything. All that remained was a pair of pained coughing filling the air. Finn fell down on his knees, fluids leaving his throat as he doubled over. His eyes were half closed, even as he struggled to remain awake, even as darkness tried to conquer him. Yet he managed it, to force his head up.

To look at his opponent one last time. Said opponent…remained standing. Tall. As always, she remained the Vanguard of the Pallum Race, never having taken a single step back, no matter what. Unlike him…she never lost her grace as the Pallum's bravery. Finn laughed at himself weakly. Damn it…she really was too cool…

Hearing his laughter, Fenia shook her head slowly, as the dust cleared up.

"Ah…death really is the cure for hate…"

Soon, the aftermath was revealed. Her spear, completely gone…just as was everything around her heart. Left shoulder, arm, parts of her hip, there was only a hole left, that drilled further and further, until actually going through the wall behind her. Yet even with that gaping void in her body, she remained standing, even as blood spilled out of every gap, and her own mouth as she coughed painfully…and her body began to disappear in a golden light.

"That last move…was excellent…blinding even…"

"I didn't even know…I could do that…" Finn muttered, no idea how he actually survived. Fenia giggled, despite the pain, and pointed at him with her remaining arm.

"That's…surpassing your limits…for you…" She looked up at the sky, letting her arm fall, as the hand began to disappear as well. "I wish…I could've been summoned…at my prime…Maybe then…I wouldn't be such a disgrace…" A shiverin breath escaped her, before she looked at Finn, who fell over on his face at this point. "Will you be alright? Going down this path…you see where this ended…"

"Have… faith."

"Telling that to the goddess? How ironic…"

The both shared an agonizing laugh. Finn blinked slowly, his eyes dimming, before he forced the light back. He struggled up, raising his upper body, despite his own exhaustion and injuries pushing him to the brink.

"Give our predecessors…my respect…"

"...heh…Do it yourself, fool."

A sad smile…before it completely disappeared. Finn breathed heavily, the corners of his vision already darkening. But not yet. He had to move. See how the battle was going, share information. The duties as a captain were not over. And yet…when he tried to analyze the situation, tried to move…he couldn't. He couldn't even bring up the strength to think at this point.

Thus…his eyes rolled up into his skull, as he let his body lie on the ground, his breathing growing more relaxed, more slower. He smiled softly, even as the darkness took ahold of him. He couldn't help but feel utterly at peace, even as the world became silent around him.

The last memory that flashed in his mind, before the cold and darkness fully drowned him..was the image of a young man facing a Xenos, with all his heart.

Eat your heart out, Bell Cranel.