In the Dark
A noise echoed from the distance. Faint at first, but growing closer and closer each passing moment. The heralding of arrival on countless wings. S'eni couldn't see anything yet, no matter in which direction she looked, but she was sure it wouldn't be long now.
The flapping of a pair of nearby wings drew her attention back forward, where Meteion's now entirely black form was idly fluttering about. She tilted her tiny head and she almost sounded a little bemused when she asked, "You are all still standing?"
"What can I say? We can be very stubborn," she replied. "But I'm sure you know that already."
"Yes, I can feel it. Never before have I witnessed such obduracy. I almost feel something akin to warmth welling within my breast at the sight," Meteion said, and then her tone darkened. "The stars that have become a part of me will not like that. When will you finally give up? What else do I need to do so you finally become one with us?"
"Everyone has a point where they can't go on," Alisaie said and stepped up next to S'eni. "And if that happens, we will lend them our hand. Again and again, until we've averted the end!"
"Oh, is that so?" Meteion asked, and another black bird whizzed by them, followed by another, and another. "Behind every glimmer of hope lurks a shadow of despair. Regrets of today are the grief of tomorrow. Day after day after day—"
More and more birds arrived, their numbers too many to count, and began to circle above them. Dark mist formed as their bodies broke apart, and they coalesced together into a storm of dynamis. As Meteion continued to speak, the voices of her sisters joined her into a choir of endless voices.
"—for as long as you live."
The dynamis within the storm began to turn liquid, becoming a black substance that grew in size as it absorbed the Meteia into itself. The floating mass twisted and turned, and its upper half expanded, stretching and stretching until a tiny tear appeared on its surface and the entire thing ripped apart. A face revealed itself to them, angelic in appearance, beautiful if not for the unhealthy paleness and the deep-seated sorrow marring its features. Long, dark hair framed it, its ends floating wildly in the wind. Like Meteion, small wings protruded from her head, but they were nothing in comparison to the two covering up the rest of her.
A breath escaped S'eni while she stared at the woman. The Meteia's collective despair. The one that heralds the end. The Endsinger...
"By the gods!" Alphinaud exclaimed.
With a deep sigh, her eyelids fluttered open and her wings parted to reveal the dark, unforming void in place of a body. Above it hung an ornament of a certain girl's face, framed by feathers and turning into a drop of despairing faces at the lower end. Pale bronze eyes stared ahead, before snapping downward, towards them.
"Watch out!" Estinien cried out and they all readied themselves.
"Ah..." Dark lips parted and glowing rocks formed in front of her wings. "...pain...wrath..."
In an instant, two tiny planets had formed out of those rocks and he cast them forward with a flap of her wings. S'eni immediately rushed forward, throwing up her hands to form a barrier that would shield them, but the sheer force behind the attack shattered it in an instant and sent her flying back. She landed on the ground in a pained grunt, but otherwise not worse for wear, and she spotted Estinien's armored form jump high into the air and dive towards the Endsinger lance first, only to be intercepted by another planet-like projectile.
Pushing herself back up, she paused mid-motion when a voice, panicked and desperate, resonated deep within her, and she looked up through the dispersing dust towards the tiny blue bird next to the Endsinger.
"Stop it!" Meteion pleaded through the dynamis. "Please, calm down."
"Meteion..." she called out. Rushing past her, Thancred jumped up, a barrier cast by Urianger surrounding him as he brought his Gunblade forward to stop the next projectile that was hurled at them. It exploded upon impact, pushing him back to the ground where he skidded to a halt next to Y'shtola. Her staff glowed with arcane energy, ready to unleash a devastating spell, when streams of black tears ran down the Endsinger's face, splashing onto the barren soil and erupting forth into waves of darkness that caused both to collapse in pain.
"Shtola!" she shouted and continued to get back on her feet.
"Haaa...how can you live without a care in the world, while we have suffered so?" The Endsinger asked.
Seeing his friends in danger, Urianger wasted no time to cast a healing spell, but with his attention occupied, didn't notice the attack coming right at him from above. "Watch out!" Alphinaud cried, rushing over to him and bringing his Nouliths up just in time to form a protective shield over them. The small planet collided with the barrier, straining against it and causing cracks to form all across its arcane pattern, but the spell stood strong.
After the planet burst into pieces, the barrier vanished and Alphinaud dropped to his knees. Urianger was immediately at his side, holding onto the young man's shoulders. Neither of them was able to react to their adversary's next attack, and as they collapsed to the ground, the Endsinger spoke, "How can we, abused by fate, have any hope..."
"Don't harm them, please!" Meteion cries over all of this. "You are only making things worse!"
Alisaie rushed forth, her focus glowing, ready to unleash a spell. Another dark droplet then ran down the Endsinger's cheek, forming into a large black puddle that flowed towards the Elezen. As soon as it touched her, it sent a shock through her entire body, making her drop her weapon and cry out.
"Stop it! Please!"
"Why should only we be the ones to suffer pain?" Pale bronze eyes landed on S'eni, who was rushing over to Y'shtola and Thancred, and the Endsinger reared her wings back. "They shall all feel it!"
As she brought her wings down in one powerful flap, a storm descended upon them. Caught off guard, S'eni could do little else but dig her heels into the ground. It wasn't enough, inch by inch, she felt herself being pushed back. Then, all of a sudden, someone jumped in front of her.
"No!" it was G'raha, ramming his aetheric sword into the ground and holding up his shield. Glowing wings sprouted forth from his shield, protecting both of them from the storm. Another powerful flap caused the torrent to intensify, and he gritted his teeth as he pressed against it with all of his might.
To no avail.
Bit by bit, the aetheric wings that protected them were torn asunder and G'raha's shield shattered. With a cry, he flew past her, caught by the storm together with the others. S'eni called out his name, followed by a curse, and she dug her fingers into the ground to keep herself in place. Turning her head upwards, she watched her friends whirl violently through the air, until her eyes caught sight of the Endsinger forming dynamis into another attack that dwarfed the entire area. And her targets were obvious.
"All shall be extinguished..."
Oh gods. She needed to do something, and fast. But how, there was no way she could intercept—her eyes widened. Yes, of course!
Pushing herself up, she reached into her bag and pulled out the portable teleporter Wilfsunn and Bloewyda had given them.
"S'eni, wait!" Alisaie called from above. S'eni looked at her friend and smiled.
"It's alright," she said, thumb going to the crystal-shaped button. "And tell Shtola...she promised too."
She pressed it.
"NO!"
Holding her hand out, she loosened her grip on the device and watched it fly away, like grass in the wind. A soft chime echoed through the area, once, twice, before turning into a long, drawn-out beep as the other teleporters activated simultaneously, spiriting her friends to safety.
Everything... she thought and closed her eyes to shield them from the bright explosion the Endsinger's attack left in its wake. When it subsided, she took a deep breath and turned to face her foe.
"You saved your friends. And now you are all alone," the Endsinger said, regarding her with cold eyes. "If your power lies in the strength of your bonds...then you are powerless now. Or do you believe those two shades will come to your aid again?"
"You're wrong," she replied with a shake of her head, her legs shifting and her arms rising as she readied herself for battle. "Knowing that they are safe gives me all the strength I need!"
"Hah. One last gesture of defiance, but you will soon perish. Beaten, broken, you shall writhe on the ground as you scream your impotence out into the world." Pain flitted across her face. "Just like we did. The sorrow, the pain, the suffering...we lived it all, and to what end? We died, nothing more. In the end, all we shared was nothing but death. And just like us, you shall now perish, in endless despair!"
Her wings parted once again, like a vulture of death and despair, ready to unleash her attack...but suddenly stopped when a sound echoed through the air. The Endsinger looked around, her expression puzzled. "What is that...? What has happened to my nest...?"
Silence answered her at first, only to be replaced by the sound of something shattering. Again. And again. Growing closer each time.
It was coming...from above!
Looking up, S'eni's eyebrows rose when she saw cracks appear in the starry sky. Something slammed against it from the other side, causing more and more cracks to appear. With a sudden snap, claws broke through the surface and began to violently tear through it until, with one final shatter, a giant dragon broke through.
A gasp escaped S'eni as the dragon descended and stopped next to the isle she was standing on. Not just any dragon; Shinryu. "...Zenos?"
"I have found you at last, my friend," he said. "I know now what it was that drove you to fight me. And what my soul desired from you."
"But...how?" was all she managed to ask in pure disbelief.
"I struck a bargain with the woman of the Scions. The one possessing the same gift as you."
"Krile..."
"I was to lend the Scions my aid in their hour of need. I accepted, and was offered a way to the edge of the universe—to you. I absorbed the rest of the Mothercrystal, took on this form, and ascended into the sea of stars. So great was my anticipation, that I even overcame light itself."
Unbelievable. To think that Krile would not only strike a deal with him of all people, but convince him in the first place. But she supposed that this entire day was full of surprises for everyone.
"So that is the prey you have been after." Zenos turned his head to look at the Endsinger. S'eni, too, faced her again. "Tell me, why does it still live? Did you not make it clear to me that you would never fall in the face of evil, that you would never lose hope? Or was I wrong to believe as such?"
She narrowed her eyes, hands balling into fists. No, he wasn't. "Don't think I'm going to protect you."
"Of course," he chuckled. "The only time you ought to wield your weapon for me is when we battle."
With a mighty roar, Zenos dove towards the Endsinger, who took to the sky to get away. Running as fast as she could, S'eni jumped off the edge of the isle and onto his back. "The final hunt is at hand!"
"Hear the song heralding the end and despair!" the Endsinger spread her wings, sending out volleys upon volleys of spells towards them. While Zenos was busy dodging them, S'eni reached into her bag and pulled out Azem's crystal, the magic within it glowing. It was ready for her to call upon the warriors willing to lend a hand.
No, not this time, she thought, grabbing the crystal tight and letting its magic form a platform upon Zenos' back. Once done, she put it away and glared at the Endsinger.
This was just between them.
"Get us closer!" she shouted over the barrage of spells exploding all around them.
"Hmpf. I told you that not even the light was able to keep up," he replied and she nearly stumbled when his speed increased rapidly, inching closer to their quarry even as she, too, sped up to get away. "No matter how far you flee, there is no escape! I will bring this hunt to an end!"
"Oh no, this will not end the way you desire," the Endsinger spat back when they got within striking distance. "Even the brightest star will eventually expire!"
"We'll see about that!" S'eni dashed towards her, jumping into the air and delivering a series of blows to the Endsinger's head. Despite her size, she flinched at the force behind each strike, and raised one of her wings to blow S'eni away.
As soon as she landed back on the platform, S'eni felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and she threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding the lightning that struck from above. Pushing herself back up, she rushed over to the Endsinger once again when the burning shape of a meteor spell entered her field of view. She grit her teeth and summoned forth her staff, swinging it around while an arcane pattern began forming underneath her feet and sending a large flare towards the meteor. The resulting explosion shattered it into tiny pieces, and she cast another spell to hurl them all at her foe.
The Endsinger raised a wing to shield herself from the debris, but in doing so, left herself open enough for S'eni to close back in and slip underneath to deliver a solid kick to her chin that made her head snap back. It remained there for a second before snapping down again with a sick crunch. Pale bronze eyes narrowed.
"Despair has many forms," she said, her mouth opening wide to reveal the glowing darkness within. S'eni waved her hand and was pulled back to the ley lines, narrowly avoiding being hit by the stream of dynamis shooting forth from the Endsinger that carved a swath of darkness across the platform. Hands reached out from within it, trying to grab and pull her in, but found no purchase when she backed away.
They lingered for a few seconds, then vanished together with the darkness. No time to watch it, though, as her adversary was not remaining idle. Sending her staff away, S'eni went back on the offensive, striking whenever she could and fending off her attacks. Which was easier said than done, because this place truly was the Meteia's domain and whatever they imagined became reality.
"My sisters only found despair. Again and again, no matter where they searched," the Endsinger spoke, summoning forth tiny versions of herself that immediately made a beeline for S'eni. "A sorrow so deep that one would lose the ability to grieve."
"And yet—" S'eni destroyed one of the duplicates with a high kick, then finished off the rest with a carefully aimed ball of aether. She pointed a finger at the Endsinger. "—I'm here because deep down you know that not all hope is lost. That there is more to our existence than despair!"
A flicker of...something flitted across her angelic face, but was swiftly driven away again by deep, cold sorrow. "A cold, empty void was our only companion."
"You don't need to be lonely anymore. It's time for you to finally come home!" Dodging the razor sharp feathers flying at her, S'eni vanished and appeared right in front of the Endsinger's head, planting both of her feet against the diadem adorning her forehead and pushing herself off it with a sudden gust of wind that hit her straight in the face. She whirled around in the air, before zipping back towards her in a rush of blows from all sides, ending with an axe kick from above that shattered the headdress.
The Endsinger lurched forward momentarily from the impact but quickly regained herself. Her face was an unreadable mask, yet pale bronze eyes fixated on S'eni in a glare. "No. There is no joy in life. And thus we shall create our own form of happiness!"
As her wings spread wide, the ornament around her neck detached itself. Like a spring coming loose, limbs 'grew' while its head detached itself, appearing like a woman in ragged robes now. It immediately homed in on S'eni, viciously attacking her while the Endsinger began to gather dynamis in a large sphere.
"Meteion, don't!" she called out as dodging. But her foe didn't listen, using the accumulated despair of all her sisters to fuel an attack of cataclysmic proportions. Bringing her fist up, she punched the floating head, making it spin, then delivered a flurry of blows to its body that tore it asunder. And not a second too soon.
Shit! Staff returning to her hand, S'eni raised it high into the air. A blue glow emitted from its tip, shooting forth and forming a huge webbed barrier around herself and Zenos just as the Endsinger unleashed what could only be described as the end of all existence upon them. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed her staff with both hands and pressed against the sheer endless force pressing down, funneling more and more aether into her spell to mend the cracks appearing within, but still only managed to keep it from completely shattering just so.
What felt like an eternity was only mere seconds, and as the attack came to an end, she lowered her staff. Panting, S'eni looked up and saw the Endsinger raise a curious brow. "A flash of dynamis..." she said, then immediately shook her head. "Pah! Behind every flicker of hope lies ultimately only despair."
All of a sudden, the dynamis around them began to glow and S'eni could only stare in shock as time was being rewinded until the dark sphere had returned above the Endsinger. She immediately raised her staff back in an attempt to reform the already dispersing barrier, but it was already too late. Her spell was shattered in an instant, and she fell to her knees. Using her staff to keep her from fully collapsing, she focused her eyes on the encroaching oblivion. One last moment of defiance.
As it began to swallow her, a look of resignation formed on her face, and then, only darkness remained...
...
...
...a white spark appeared in the vast nothing, tiny, yet still bright, keeping S'eni from fading away. Slowly, it began to grow, turning into a tiny. Almost unconsciously, she reached out towards it, her unseen finger brushing against the light that filled her with warmth; with hope. Expanding ever further, it drove away the darkness until only bright white filled her vision.
"Hope, arise!" she heard her friends call in unison, their voices each a hand offered in support. She grasped it and her mind became awash with images of their praying forms. Her lips curled into a smile and, with one final flash, she stood back in front of the Endsinger. All around them, the dynamis that before had been influenced by the collective despair of countless stars was now shining bright.
"What...?" now it was the Endsinger's turn to be shocked, looking around in utter disbelief. "A will...strong enough to withstand oblivion...?"
Her face twitched, a myriad of emotions flashing across it. Anger, pain, sadness, envy. She screamed, giving voice to all of them. The dynamis around them tried to react to her outburst, but the shared hope of S'eni and her friends was holding it back.
S'eni briefly closed her eyes, exhaling deeply, and rushed at the Endsinger.
"The boundless strength..." Alphinaud's voice resonated through the area, and the dynamis formed into four Nouliths that spun around S'eni, throwing up a barrier to block the wave of darkness the Endsinger assaulted her with.
"...to defy despair!" Alisaie's rapier appeared in her hand, and she rotated it with a flick of her wrist, creating a row of arcane circles in mid-air. Thrusting forward, she sent a blast of magic towards her foe, hitting her squarely in the face and causing her to scream out once more. With a violent flap of wings, she was hurled backwards but managed to land on her feet.
"Forged on a long road..." Calling forth her Gunblade in one hand while Thancred's formed in the other, she crossed them in front of her before advancing back forward. Blades becoming wrapped in aether, she cut a swath of destruction through the planet-like projectiles being thrown at her until she had closed the gap once more.
"...through courage..." one by one, Urianger's tarot cards appeared in the air, growing brightly and summoning forth a shower of golden stars, healing what little wounds she received and sending the Endsinger into further panic.
"...and tenacity..." Sending the Gunblades away, she summoned her staff and took hold of Y'shtola's as it appeared. Swinging them both simultaneously, she sent forth fire and ice spells that combined on impact, turning into a devastating storm that nearly drowned out her foe's cries.
"...so that hope may rise!" S'eni held out her hand, grabbing Estinien's lance tightly, and let the dynamis carry her into the sky. Wrapping a leg around its shaft, she spun around, building up momentum that formed into ghostly twin dragon heads that coiled around the tip. With a loud, draconic roar, she descended, striking true upon her mark and using the resulting blast to jump back onto the platform.
"Use it..." G'raha's crystalline scepter appeared in her hand.
"No, no! That is not the answer we found!" the Endsinger violently shook her head. The attacks that she hurled at S'eni had descended into little more than lashing out. And within those pale bronze eyes, was the same frightened look as back in Elpis.
She raised the scepter. As the crystal on it came alight, a glow appeared within the dark void hidden underneath the Endsinger's wings. Growing further panicked, her foe attempted to stop what was about to happen but was intercepted by Zenos lunging forward. With a final, diagonal swing, bright petals erupted from within the dark, blooming into a beautiful flower, before bursting apart and showering the Endsinger in light. She screamed out in agony, struggling around the iron grip that held her in place in a vain attempt to get away until, from second to the next, she grew still, the last of her strength slipping away.
"Have I...made a mistake...? Is...there still...hope...yet...?"
With her consciousness fading, the effects of her friend's prayers also did, and the area around them grew dark yet again. S'eni watched as she slipped from Zenos' grasp and into the endless void below. She breathed out. The battle was won. But—
"Zenos, get us down there!"
—there was still one last thing to do.
Gotta admire Zenos' sheer tenacity.