Book I, Part IV: Mortal Conflict - Dissension in the Ranks
Chapter X—Liberi Fatali
(Play: The Messenger – Your Favorite Enemies, Dissidia: Final Fantasy)
Strikes rained down from Angel's Atma Weapon as he pressed his opening attack, hammering away at the Blade Knight's defense. For all his vampiric strength, Ben was managing to at least muster an equal defense against the powerful blows by using Angel's own momentum to deflect the blows, letting them simply slide off of his sword as he parried and redirected the attacks. It suddenly seemed to Angel as if Ben were fighting with a style more appropriate to his bodily frame and skill – using technique instead of brute strength.
A quick, arcing strike from Angel's blade met Ben's katana, driven away harmlessly by the younger boy and leading into a countering attack that Angel spun away from before ducking a following horizontal strike that went clear over his head. Frigid icicles sprouted from the ground as Angel cast a Blizzard spell, but Ben simply flipped away from the shards, landing outside the range of the spell before letting loose a blast of fire that melted them into puddles of water.
"Last time was for show," Ben commented, channeling more magic as he spoke. "This time, we play for keeps."
His hand clenched as pink diamonds of energy swirled around his body, the Triple magic giving him the ability to channel multiple spells with near-simultaneous timing. By the time the spell finished casting, Angel was back within melee range, chopping out again with a two-handed strike that forced Ben to block the strike instead of simply parrying. The force behind the blow nearly bent him backwards, pressing his feet into the dirt as he struggled to keep the blade from meeting flesh. The pressure eased suddenly as Angel drew his blade back before slicing low at Ben's knees in an attempt to cripple him early, but Ben vanished as Angel's blade transited the space he'd just occupied, the short Planeswalk carrying him a few meters behind Angel. Angel spun, watching as a flat wave of red energy flew towards him, and the Atma Weapon started to shimmer with translucent blue power as he sliced through the wave. The wave split neatly in half, flying in pieces to each of Angel's sides, and a creaking sound carried throughout the area right before the ground shook around both fighters, the result of a fallen tree cut in half by the remnants of the attack.
By that point, Ben had already begun casting a trio of spells; red fire, a rose-tinged spherical barrier, and a blue and yellow-colored hexagonal barrier sprang up around him before fading away as the Haste, Shell, and Protect magic took effect. Angel's immediate response was to call up dispelling magic – even for someone with his stamina and power, letting all those enhancing effects stand would be a terrible problem – but found himself invested in fighting off the slices of Ben's blade before he could complete his spell. He'd suspected it before, but now he knew it for certain; while he held a great and almost disparate strength advantage, Ben had firmly secured a speed advantage ever since their last fight, especially now that he was under the effect of Haste magic. Three slices grated across the metal of his blade before Ben moved again, striking rapidly and from varying angles in an attempt to break Angel's guard, but Angel merely kept his calm and moved his blade as little as possible to intercept the blows, the Atma Weapon's cerulean blade gliding smoothly from defensive position to defensive position.
Angel, after all, hadn't survived for two centuries without adding a fair number of tricks to his repertoire. From humans to Ethereal beings to fiends, he'd trained against nearly every variety of being in the realm, and his combat skills had improved by leaps and bounds during the decades he'd spent in Freya's employ. His blade leapt out suddenly as he finished parrying a slash, knowing exactly when to strike for maximum effect, and Ben withdrew as rapidly as he'd advanced.
"Afraid to attack?" he asked, watching Angel cautiously as he took a moment to assess his fellow Planeswalker. "I'll break your defense soon enough."
Even with the added speed of his magic, Ben's reflexes were pushed to their limits to parry as Angel suddenly appeared in his field of vision, the Planeswalked step taking him across the short distance to lunge out with the Atma Weapon. His silver blade swung around again at neck-level, but Angel spun smoothly inside his guard, and a powerful fist crashed into the side of his head as Angel backhanded him with his free left hand, sending him flying into a nearby picnic table and reducing it to lengths of firewood and splinters.
"It's not fear," Angel said casually, waiting for Ben to get up. "I wouldn't make any assumptions just yet."
A piece of wood came flying out of the pile suddenly as Ben moved again, the projectile easily shorn in half by a quick movement of Angel's blade as the blue-clad Planeswalker got back to his feet, surrounded by the remnants of the table. His eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, kicking aside pieces of debris, and he reached inside his mind to touch the spirit residing there. A shimmering shield of energy materialized in front of him moments later to absorb a gout of flame from Angel, an action which caused the older Planeswalker's eyes to widen as he realized what was about to happen. Quickly, Angel retreated a brief distance even as he delved into his own mind, calling forth the power of his own Guardian Force. It only took a scant few seconds for Ben's GF to materialize, and the air around him chilled into a cold fog as an icicle erupted from the ground, containing within it the blue-skinned form of the Guardian Force Shiva. The icicle shattered an instant later, releasing Shiva from the frozen enclosure, and blue energy spread over her hands as she began to charge power for her Diamond Dust attack.
Angel hadn't moved an inch as Shiva manifested, even in the face of the Guardian Force's fury, and Shiva was just about ready to release the power contained in her attack when his own Guardian Force made itself present on the mortal plane. The skies around the area seemed to darken slightly as energy rushed up from Angel's form, swirling and condensing before forming a portal of white energy high above the Planeswalker. A roar issued forth from the gate, and a sleek form began to tear itself free of the portal, one that seemed to make even the Guardian Force of Ice hesitate briefly. A long, draconian neck emerged first, followed by two slender forearms ending in four-toed feet with razor-sharp talons, two massive scaled wings to hold it aloft, and a thick, muscular tail, with skin a brilliant bronze color and what seemed to be an aura of holy power surrounding it. It was not the size of the mighty Guardian Force Bahamut, but it was still a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight to behold.
"Crusader," Angel whispered, gesturing in Shiva's direction to direct the summoned creature as it flew down from the portal overhead. The dragon needed no further direction, stopping in front of Angel as brilliant white energy began to gather in its maw. Shiva's hesitation ended as Crusader began to collect power of its own, and she released her attack in a thundering wave of frost and snow that barreled towards summon and summoner at a rapid pace, freezing the ground that it passed over solid as it moved. The energy around Crusader's mouth split off into three spheres of energy that swirled in front of him in a triangular formation, and he bellowed again before releasing the attack to counter Shiva's own. Holy energy met the wave of frost, and the ensuing explosion rocked the entire front concourse, ripping trees and tables apart in its wake and scattering shards of wood and metal for meters around along with kicking up a massive cloud of smoke and dust.
Angel kept one hand shielding his eyes as he waited for the dust cloud to clear, the other hand keeping a firm grip on the Atma Weapon. He could see that the area between them looked like a series of bombs had gone off, with the ground charred and pitted with large craters and several fallen and shattered trees in the wake of the explosion. A glint of sunlight off of metal was the only warning he received before a thin needle embedded itself into his shoulder, and the blade in his hand rose quickly to deflect another pair of them as Ben reappeared beside him. The Haste spell,as well as his other enchantments, seemed to have worn off now, but he appeared unconcerned with recasting them as he charged Angel. Blades clashed once again, the ringing impact mixing with the fading sounds of falling debris and the ringing in Angel's ears from the explosion, and Angel threw Ben back once again using his unnatural strength in order to have a moment to recover. The Blade Knight skidded back, stumbling, but managed to keep his balance by using his blade to steady himself as he came to a stop.
"That's it!" Ben yelled, wiping some blood from the side of his mouth where it appeared he'd been nicked by a piece of flying debris. "Don't hold anything back! I don't want any excuses about how you weren't fighting to your fullest when I beat you into the ground!"
His free hand swiped out in a throwing motion, and knives materialized from thin air as he utilized his Alchemy to send the projectiles towards Angel, prefacing his charge with the ranged attack. Red fire burst around him again as he refreshed his Haste enchantment, and he charged back into the fray as Angel blew the knives away with a gust of Wind-element magic, clearly ready for the second round.
[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Palace of Creation]
'Things seem to be a bit…tenser here than usual,' Katanas thought to himself, quickly making his way through the halls of the Palace of Creation. Normally, those who guarded the Upper Court were wary, yet restrained in their guard duties; Planeswalkers were especially able to command respect even among the Erudite who guarded the sacred center of the plane. Katanas' appearance in the palace courtyard this time, however, had been met by an entire squad of Erudite guards from the Ethereal Knights, brandishing polearms, heavy broadswords and claymores, and thick shields to go along with full plate armor. After a few seconds of realizing the nature and identity of the intruder, the guards relented and granted him access to the palace, but it had left him wondering of the exact state of affairs within the Ethereal Plane at the present time. His duties on the mortal plane had kept him from staying current with the affairs in the higher planes, and he absently thought to himself that he may have to set Ein on that task once he returned from his business here. He had left the young boy in charge of his duties at Garden for the time being; he had every reason to believe that Ein could handle things for an hour or so while he took care of business.
This was good, because if Angel's reaction was any indication, he needed to find Destine posthaste. He didn't have a clear picture of exactly what had happened, but he had suspicions – suspicions that were similar to Angel's own, it seemed – and the only way to confirm them would be to find Destine. Normally, he wouldn't bother going to the Creator directly, but this situation required a certain measure of expedience, and he felt that it warranted the direct approach enough that Lady Freya would understand his concern.
As he approached the doorway that was the entrance to Freya's inner chamber, he noticed that there were no less than six guards standing watch at the doors – three to either side – instead of the normal two. Four of these were garbed similarly to the group that had met him outside, heavy plate armor and thick greatswords or polearms, while the remaining two were dressed in the robes of the Ethereal Magi with dark purple sashes – Prelates, a single step below the Praetors of the order. Two immediately stepped in front of the doors, crossing their polearms over the entrance, while the other four stepped forward, the two remaining members of the Ethereal Knights defending both the chamber doors and the members of the Ethereal Magi.
"State your business," one Erudite rumbled, his voice carrying throughout the hallway as he watched Katanas.
"My name is Katanas DeValle. I must speak with Lady Freya, immediately," Katanas replied, making no motion to advance until he had been cleared to do so. "It is a matter of urgency, regarding one of her Planeswalkers."
The lead guard paused momentarily; Katanas DeValle wasn't known to them by face, but by reputation as a Planeswalker of the Nether Plane. That alone would give him clearance to speak with Freya as a representative of another plane. The lead guard asked nothing further, only nodding and turning back to his fellows, gesturing for the two nearest the doors to open them. Wordlessly, they did so, opening the grand doors before stepping inside and moving to each side of the entryway, while the four outside moved aside to allow Katanas to enter. He nodded courteously towards the assembled guards, stepping inside without any further pleasantries; as he did, he noticed that two of the guards were staying inside the chamber as well, something else that did not normally happen. Freya did not object to such an action, he knew, but it was rare that the guards felt as if they needed to remain within her chamber themselves.
"Sir DeValle," Freya intoned, offering a curt nod of greeting towards the Planeswalker as he entered. "What is the reason for your visit?"
"I must speak with Destine, milady," Katanas said, wasting no time in moving straight to the matter at hand. He did not bow, and hoped that Freya saw it not as a sign of disrespect, but as a sign of the urgency he felt. "As I told your guards, it is a matter of urgency regarding one of your Planeswalkers."
A flurry of knives were scattered into a cloud of flying metal as Angel's weapon smashed into each of them in turn, sending them wildly off-target to land around the area to no effect. Ben's blade followed up the attack, striking out with a curved wave of red energy that forced Angel to dive out of the way, only to meet with a hail of needles this time that broke his guard and lanced into his flesh at various points in his upper body. White energy washed over him in response as he quickly removed two of the needles, healing up some of the wounds and leaving a regenerating enchantment on him that helped to continue restoring his energy. As much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling pressured – most of the time, he relied on nothing more than his great amounts of experience and basic sword fighting techniques, along with his Planeswalking, to dispatch enemies.
Ben hadn't given him the luxury of being able to keep the fight in melee range, nor make it a simple clash of blades; he had kept up a Haste enchantment on himself constantly, and was flinging magic and alchemized knives and needles every chance he had, keeping Angel at mid-range and letting distance do the work of wearing him down. Normally, his Planeswalking would allow him to close the gap and keep the fight in close-quarters, but the fact that his opponent was also a Planeswalker negated any advantage that normally offered him. Still, even in close combat, Ben was using every special technique at his disposal to turn the tables, and Angel found himself with little choice but to match magic with magic of his own.
He'd thrown up a Protect enchantment over himself before wading back into the fight, watching with satisfaction as a series of thrown knives simply deflected away before a cross of light appeared on the ground underneath Ben, exploding with Holy energy that burned away at the Blade Knight's body and forced him to give Angel a moment to breathe. Unfortunately, while the attack had done a good amount of damage and left his opponent dazed for several seconds, it had also made him decide to get serious and use both of his blades instead of just one. That, Angel realized now, was something he wasn't enjoying in the least.
A strike from the blade in Ben's left hand met the Atma Weapon, and Angel pushed the blade back to break the lock just in time to deflect a sweeping slash from the right-hand blade, and then twist aside from a follow-up stab of the left blade again. Red energy built up around Ben's right-hand blade, and he sliced down only to have Angel parry the attack and then sweep his sword up, sending his own blade violently upward as the Atma Weapon tore across his chest and shoved him back with the force. A ragged, bleeding wound was left stretching from the middle of his chest up to one shoulder, and he backed up for a moment to get back out of melee range as his Haste wore off yet again. Silently, Ben cursed the fact that he wasn't better with enhancing magic; his enchanting spells only lasted a very brief time, forcing him to use more and more of his mana to recast them that he could otherwise use for offensive techniques.
"Give up," Angel said, ignoring the stinging that the needles had caused as his Regen magic worked to heal up some of his wounds. "You're in over your head."
"Funny," he grunted, a slow smile creeping across his face as he retook his stance, "I was about to tell you the same thing."
Angel realized the meaning of the yellow aura that suddenly burst around Ben's body around the same time the Blade Knight appeared in front of him, sparks of electricity crackling across the metal blade of his sword. The first slash was too fast for him to block, tearing down the left side of his body close to the shoulder and causing his entire body to spasm from the electrical energy, but he managed to get his blade up enough to at least lessen the impact of the following rising slash that struck him. His sword moved upwards with the blow, his guard broken by the force of the strike and the convulsing of his own muscles, and opportunity flashed in Ben's eyes. Quickly, Ben's blade came down to a horizontal position, and he fluidly spun before cutting across Angel's chest with the electrified blade, tearing open another wound there and causing Angel to stagger. A countering strike came from the Vayash Moru, but it was weak and unsteady because of his twitching muscles, and Ben didn't even attempt to block it – both swords returned to their sheathes as he jumped back, the energy of his Overdrive wearing off, and he fought down the feeling of weakness that sank over him as his transmutation circle glowed.
Angel's eyes widened in surprise, and a beam of frigid energy blasted into his body as Ben let the Alchemy technique fly, blowing him across the battle-scarred concourse. He smashed into the ground seconds later, the glittering ice that had covered his torso from the attack shattering into shards of frost that scattered around him as he landed. He coughed and shook his head, trying to pull air back into his lungs and wincing as the motion sent a wave of pain through his battered chest.
"It's over."
Angel looked up just in time to see a shard of wood from a broken table dive straight for his chest.
The doors to Freya's throne room opened again, letting the figure of the Pillar of Destiny walk inside quietly, passing the two guards flanking the doorway as she moved. Much like Katanas, she offered no bow to Freya, also foregoing any kind of acknowledgement besides a faint nod towards her 'mother.' The look on her face was unusually solemn, as if she already knew the reason why she'd been called to the throne room.
"Destine," Katanas said, the simple word his only manner of greeting the Erudite. "I'll waste no time here – what did you do with the Daiesthai?"
"Manes?"
Katanas nodded in reply, keeping his own expression carefully neutral. Behind him, Freya watched her daughter with quiet interest.
"I…disposed of him."
(End: The Messenger – Your Favorite Enemies, Dissidia: Final Fantasy; Play: Power to Strive – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack IV)
Angel's eyes widened as he watched the improvised stake stab down towards his heart, and he snapped a hand up to clamp around Ben's wrist with an iron grip, instantly arresting the momentum of his thrust. There was no doubt now in his mind that Ben was willing to kill him, and he knew that if he was going to win, he had to be willing to do the same.
"Not today," he grunted, pushing back and throwing Ben off-balance for the second that he needed to grab the Atma Weapon and spring back to his feet. His lunge this time was calculated and accurate, diving forward and stabbing into Ben's right shoulder before the younger Planeswalker could react. Surprised, Ben dropped the shard of wood he'd picked up before being forced to Planeswalk away as the Atma Weapon sliced through the spot he'd been standing. Silently, he took a chance to assess their relative conditions, now that Angel was back on his feet.
He was tired, as much as it killed him to admit it, and he could feel his breath coming quickly as he stood idle. The slashing wound across his chest and left shoulder was still bleeding, though not as badly as it could have been thanks to his junctions, and the stab wound in his right shoulder made it hard to move that arm and hand now. He was also quite low on mana, thanks to all the recasting of Haste spells and constant use of alchemized throwing weaponry.
As bad as he felt, however, he thought that Angel felt worse. The Vayash Moru had taken two painful-looking blows from the Overdrive that he had used, along with a multitude of slices and puncture wounds from the knives and needles he'd been peppering Angel with the entire fight. He still looked a bit unsteady from the electrical energy he'd been hit with, and the near point-blank Alchemy technique he'd been hit with had to have done a lot of damage.
Overall, he figured that he was still in better shape than his opponent, and keeping up the pressure for a bit longer would give him a chance to end it for good.
Taking a deep breath to try and calm his hurried breathing, he quickly drew both swords and leapt back into battle with a yell, rushing at Angel and leading with a flurry of slashes. His right arm impaired the speed of his strikes somewhat, but it was still enough to force Angel backwards in another defensive posture as his two blades crashed against the Atma Weapon. A vertical strike cleaved only air as Angel stepped aside, meeting the accompanying slice with his cerulean blade, and he quickly drew the weapon back as he prepared to stab out again while Angel's blade was tied up.
"You haven't done half-bad," Angel grunted, shoving the blade aside to break the lock before parrying the following stab, "but I think you're forgetting something."
"And what would that be?" Ben asked, casting a Blizzard spell through his blade that shattered as Angel cleaved it in twain with the Atma Weapon.
Angel's face hardened, taking on a menacing look as his appearance shifted from the normal human face he usually wore to the face of the Vayash Moru he truly was.
"Compared to me? You're still just a rookie, junior."
Then Angel was on the attack, lashing out with a strike powerful enough to cause Ben's entire left arm to go weak as he blocked it. His foot lashed out in a straight kick that hurled Ben back and off his feet, and he covered most of the intervening distance in just a few steps as Ben tried to recover. A burst of icicles suddenly sprouted in front of him, materializing from the ground and rising up in an attempt to spear him, but he leapt up and over them to land on the other side of Ben, bringing the blade down again to be blocked by the pair of blades in the younger boy's hands.
Energy suddenly laced across one of Ben's blades, and Angel drove his blade down with as much force as he could muster, throwing the shimmering weapon down and aside to release its attack into the ground instead, adding another divot to the already cratered area. Ben tried to raise his other sword to attack again, but Angel simply rammed him with a shoulder, ignoring that the blade sliced his flesh as the bodily attack threw Ben from his feet again.
"I know what's happened to you, Ben, and I'm going to find a way to fix it."
At the words, Ben, or the being in Ben felt tremendous satisfaction, almost as if he had been waiting for Angel to utter those words. He forced that joy back and tried to bring himself to his feet, but he knew the truth. This body had been pushed to its limits.
Angel focused, gripping the Atma Weapon tightly as he reached inside himself and took hold of the feelings of pain, anger, and the overwhelming feeling of failure that was permeating his mind.
"Which is why I hate to do this."
Amber light burst around Angel suddenly as he held the Atma Weapon high, watching as Ben got back to his feet and seemed to grow a shade paler at the sight. Power started to flow from Angel as he unleashed the energy contained within his Limit, bathing the entire area in shadow tinged with a dull, blood-red light. It coalesced into a tunnel of the same red light streaked with lines of dark energy, leaving Ben alone inside the newly-formed area as Angel's body vanished from sight within the haze of magic. Wary, the Blade Knight kept both of his swords in a guarded position, wondering exactly what the nature of the attack was going to be.
A scream suddenly echoed inside the tunnel, and a hazy spirit floated into view, its features indiscernible and covered in a veil of magical energy. Instinctively, Ben sliced out at it with one blade, only to have the spirit wail again as the blade passed straight through and then slice back at him with one hand. The spirit's attack didn't cut flesh, but Ben felt pain all the same as the incorporeal entity's hand passed through him before it vanished without a trace. More screaming started just as the spirit vanished, and Ben could suddenly see more spirits forming out of the ether and converging on him. For an instant, he panicked, blasting away at the beings with bursts of ice and whatever magic came to hand, but none of it had any effect as the spirits sliced, clawed, and delivered bursts of magic of their own. He cried out, stumbling as the intangible assault tore at him, only to find himself stopped and then lifted as the spirits began to merge into a single massive form. A pair of wraith-like hands surrounded his body, squeezing tightly and crushing him with pure magical essence for several agonizing seconds before it released him with a roar, the entire environment melting away in a wash of energy that bit at him a final time before dropping him back to the hard ground of Trabia Garden's front concourse.
(End: Power to Strive – Shiro Sagisu, Bleach Original Soundtrack IV)
Angel felt a momentary pang of remorse as he approached, but quickly stifled it – he knew what he needed to do, and he couldn't afford to be stopped by guilt.
Ben was lying face down on the ground, feeling for all the world as if he'd been hit by a speeding train. The wound running to his left shoulder had been aggravated again and was bleeding more freely now, but he still managed something halfway between a cough and a laugh as Angel approached. Both his swords were still within reach, but he didn't feel like he had the strength to grab them.
"Would you…really kill your friend?" he asked, looking up at Angel from the ground. Angel reached down, grabbing Ben's shirt and hauling him to his feet to stare him straight in the eyes.
"Yes. I would."
The look on Ben's face turned to utter shock as Angel drove the Atma Weapon through his stomach in one fluid move.
Katanas' eyes narrowed faintly as he looked at Destine, her statement doing nothing to assuage his fears. If anything, it was only confirming them.
"How did you dispose of him?"
Katanas' question seemed to make Destine wither in place, unwilling to meet either his eyes or Freya's. The Creator watched calmly as Destine looked away, suddenly seeming incredibly shameful of something.
"I sealed him inside Ben."
The Daiesthai possessing Ben suddenly realized all at once that he really shouldn't have called Angel's bluff – now, he was left with a body that was losing its ability to sustain him much more quickly than he cared to have happen. It was a terrible loss to abandon the body of a Planeswalker, after everything he'd been through to have the opportunity, but it was preferable to dying, which was what was going to happen to him if he spent just a couple more minutes watching his host's blood pool on the ground. He knew that if he left, he would be in a greatly weakened state, both from the battle and the inherent limiters on beings other than Hume in the mortal plane, but still knew that he had little choice. Cursing mentally to himself, he focused his energy, preparing to reform his body outside of the confines of his host…
…and froze.
The look of absolute horror that came across Ben's face in the next instant nearly made Angel's stomach turn.
"What…did you do to me?" Manes demanded, choking on the blood in his host's mouth for a moment before weakly spitting onto the ground. Angel shook his head sorrowfully, readying magic in his hands as he put the Atma Weapon away, along with both of Ben's own blades.
"I didn't do anything to you," he said quietly, releasing a wave of magic over Ben's body that paralyzed him where he lay. He had taken a calculated risk, and found that he wasn't very fond of the results that he had gotten – Angel knew he wasn't much of a magic user, even less of a medic, and he now had two problems. First, he needed to inform Freya of what had happened; maybe there was something that she could do to reverse this. Second, Ben needed to be healed, and fast, before he ended up dying of blood loss. Fortunately for him, he knew, Freya could easily solve the second problem…provided he acted quickly.
Quickly and carefully, Angel hoisted Ben's body up and onto his shoulder, then stepped onto the Crystal Path, headed to the Palace of Creation.
Katanas resisted the urge to grimace at Destine's admission; it seemed that Angel had been correct in his assumption. Freya, however, was the first to speak as she stood from her throne, turning her focus to her daughter.
"You sealed a Daiesthai within my newest Planeswalker?" she asked, her voice stern and commanding. Destine nearly winced at the tone of Freya's voice, closing her eyes and refusing to meet her mother's gaze.
"I…wanted to get even with them," she said quietly. "Manes had failed me, and that mortal had used Will's power to stop me before I could do anything. I thought…that I could get back at both of them at once with what I did."
"By turning a Planeswalker into a demon?" Katanas asked, keeping his tone carefully level.
"I'm not proud of what I did, okay?" Destine snapped, glaring at Katanas. "I just…"
If Destine meant to complete her statement, she didn't get the chance as the doors to Freya's chamber opened once again, letting a battered Liam Bayloh move swiftly into the room with Ben's paralyzed form draped over his shoulder. Katanas could see that there was a trail of blood on the white tile floor leading into the room, and he quickly moved to help Angel with his charge.
"Things didn't go as planned, I take it?" he asked, taking a quick look at the hole in Ben's chest made by the Atma Weapon before helping to set Ben's body down on the ground.
"You could say that. I assume you and Ein will have quite a mess to clean up at Garden," Angel replied, grunting as he carefully slid Ben's weight from his shoulder. "I wish I'd been wrong…but this isn't the time for that." Quickly, he turned to Freya, sparing a quick glance at Destine that said volumes with just a brief meeting of eyes. "Can you help him?"
Wordlessly, Freya called up energies of healing from within her, and sent them cascading over both of her injured Planeswalkers. Angel breathed a sigh of relief as he watched both Ben's injuries and his own mend themselves rapidly; besides being rather pale from the loss of blood, it looked like Ben was going to be okay.
Physically, at least.
"You conniving, traitorous bitch!"
The fact that Manes had spoken was the first indication that Angel's paralysis magic had worn off. Realizing that his host was now healed, the Daiesthai leapt to his feet and whirled on Destine, his face twisted with absolute, undying rage.
"You promised me power, not an existence chained inside some weak mortal's mind!"
Angel and Katanas were both slow to react as Manes lunged at the Pillar of Destiny, too furious to bother with magic – he wanted to choke her to death with his bare hands, feel her life ebb away as he crushed her throat…
Destine made no move to defend herself, merely watching the possessed Hume advance on her with murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
Freya gestured, whispering words underneath her breath, and a glowing sphere of pentagons and hexagons sprang into existence around Ben's body, suspending it in a field of stasis and cutting off the attack on Destine.
"Is there any way you can reverse this, milady?" Angel asked Freya, meeting her gaze again after a moment spent examining the field surrounding Ben.
"I do not know, Liam," Freya replied, a note of sadness in her voice. Even an Ancient such as she had her limits, and she knew that Ben would have been tainted by the essence of the Daiesthai within him. Reversing that taint, even for her, would be difficult to do, and would be dangerous for a mortal being.
"Mother, I –"
"I believe you have done enough," Freya told Destine sternly, her cold expression completely at odds with her normally-gentle and kind personality. "Leave us."
Destine flinched visibly at the look on the Creator's face, but did as ordered, moving towards the doors of the chamber without another word of protest. Angel watched her go, unsure of how to feel, until she was out of sight and the doors to the room were closed once again.
"I understand, milady," Angel said in reply to Freya's statement. "May I speak freely?"
"You may."
"If you can't reverse this, then we need to make sure that he has everything he needs in order to work through and beat this," Angel said, his voice solemn. "Because, if we don't? We're going to have another Scourge on our hands."
Well. Bad news all around, it seems.
This was, without a doubt, one of the hardest chapters I've written for this story yet, despite the content being rather simple. I took great care to try and make everything in the chapter flow well, describe things with clarity, and above all, be logical and believable. The fight itself was one of diametric opposites, really boiling down to a "power vs. speed" battle - Angel isn't slow, but he's still slower than Ben; conversely, Angel also packs a great deal more power into each strike than Ben does. Liberi Fatali was also the only title for this chapter in my mind, as well, being both a fitting reference to the events therein as well as a fun callback all the way back to chapter six.
I really don't have much more to say, except that we're getting close to the end of this arc, as well as the first book as a whole. As always, please read and review.