"This must be my destiny, death becomes my light. The only true reality, death becomes my light. And in fear devils take my life away. And in peace all the angels sing to me "let us free you from this Earth", death becomes me, death becomes my light..." - Kreator
When death shows up, leaves tangible signs: time seems to stop suddenly, while the mind becomes a rewound tape of thoughts, memories, feelings, emotions experienced in the course of one's life. In front of death you can only bow your head, accept your destiny and let it take you by the hand to take you away forever. Before it all become equal, the good, the bad, the victim, the executioner, the innocent, or the guilty. Maybe you can escape from it once, twice, even several times, but the time always come for everyone. And no one can oppose this, many can challenge it, but anyone can't win it. They say repentance at the point of death is enough to atone for the sins of a lifetime. They say that at the point of death you see the same blinding light of birth, being swallowed completely. After all, what is death if not the dawn of a new beginning?
There was death in Steve's eyes: the vision of his mother being pierced by those metal claws that cut out her still beating heart, in a huge gust of blood. Blood now dripping between those monstrous fingers and splashed on that demon's face, intent on licking his lips satisfied with his work. He swore to himself that he would fight alongside her, that he would protect her, that no one would hurt her... But his words were just words to the wind. He had failed. He had lost her forever. The Devil now pointed his murderous gaze at them. The sadistic grin on his terrifying face became even wider. He and his brother would be the next...
A heartbreaking scream, a desperate cry roused the boxer from his trance. Keiichi, who hadn't lost a single second of what was happening before his eyes, had burst into tears and screamed with all his breath in his throat. He was only a child, yet he seemed to have understood the situation very well, stretching his open hand in the direction of his mother, leaning out of his brother's arms as if he wanted to reach her. Everyone was holding their breath. Devil Jin's hand suddenly jammed just a few millimeters from Nina's chest, so close that it grazed it with its claws. The cry of the child had stopped him on the razor's edge, rumbling in his head as if it were coming from a powerful amplifier. Even Devil couldn't explain the reason for that sudden stop and especially because now it itself couldn't move. A memory in Jin's mind resurfaced forcefully, a memory he had deliberately buried in the most hidden depths of his head, confining him where he could no longer harm him. He seemed to feel again the smell of burning in his nostrils, the smoke that still rose from that pile of burnt wood and stones blackened by soot, the light wind that blew, but that didn't bring any noise to break that deafening silence. He was left alone in that hell. He had lost everything. The tears that began to descend copious from his eyes, turning his cheeks dirty with ashes and full of scratches. The forest that was silent. The sky was silent too. The wind no longer breathed. Slow, but inexorable, his sobs interrupted that stillness, in a crescendo of anguish. A requiem of tears and pain resounded on that new moon night, without even a star in the sky to shine to give him a minimum of comfort. Keiichi's cry was identical in every way to his during that damned night. The night everything changed.
"Mom..." he muttered instinctively.
Those words came out of his mouth by themselves, just as on that occasion, on which he had called her out loud, in the vain hope she reappeared. That night his beloved mother's life had been brutally torn away from Ogre. Now he was going to do the same with the woman he loved. With the mother of his child.
"Stop, honey... Nina's right, remember who you are..."
That voice. It couldn't be... Devil Jin's body collapsed on his side, finally allowing Nina to move and breathe. She hadn't dared to emit a breath, certain that she would exhale her last breath in few moments. Her instinct was to run away, take her sons and get to safety, instead she leaned over the boy's body, which at that moment was in the throes of uncontrollable spasms, while holding his head in his hands. She had just barely escaped death, yet she knew something in him was changing. She felt that somewhere his Jin was still alive and now he was struggling with all his strength to take over the Gene.
"Come on, Jin, don't give up... Fight! Take your life back!" she shouted, shaking him vigorously. "Come back to yourself, please!"
"Listen to her..." added that melodious voice in his head.
"Is it you? Is it really you?"
"Of course, my darling..."
"W-w-where are you?"
"With you Jin...I've always been here..."
A dazzling silver light enveloped the his body, forcing Nina back, who was forced to cover her eyes so as not to be blinded. The air suddenly changed consistency, becoming lighter, while a delicate floral aroma was released all around them, wrapping them like a warm blanket. When the beam of light gradually began to thin out the blonde tried to focus on the surreal scene that was happening: from Jin's huge black wings began to come off feathers, feathers that became crows, until it formed a small flock above his back. A flashback of that night a few days earlier allowed her to fully understand what was happening, preventing disbelief from affecting her judgment. The scent of cherry blossoms, the crows, the gentle breeze... There was no doubt. When the birds flew away, the figure of Jun Kazama appeared before their astonished eyes. What had happened had some incredible, paranormal... But then again no one should have been surprised at anything at the point.
"M-m-m-mom..." Jin croaked at the woman's sight.
He could hardly believe his eyes, yet it wasn't a mirage. Jun smiled softly at him, kneeling next to him and looking at him with love.
"I know you still exist, my son... Keep fighting so that the evil that afflicts you no longer takes over."
She reached out her hand to caress his forehead, with that ethereal and terribly real touch at the same time, but the idyll was short-lived.
"You..."
Jun didn't get upset by hearing that single word, pronounced with such venom as to injure. She stood up and with her head high and a determined scowl turned to that voice.
"I." she replied proudly, claiming the murderous look of Devil Kazuya, without blinking. "It breaks my heart to see you like this, Kazuya... You shouldn't have done this to yourself..."
"AH! So how? Powerful? Indestructible? Invincible?" he replied contemptuously, crossing his arms in defiance.
"Vile. Ruthless. Corrupt." was her answer.
The man laughed loudly.
"Please! Look at you, Jun... You disappear into thin air, and then you reappear like nothing happened. And above all you have the courage to present yourself before me when I perceive that you are so weak..."
"You're wrong! I've never been stronger before! And I'll prove it to you!"
"How? You're little more than a ghost without a shred of power. You really think you can stop me?"
"Sin of presumption has always been your greatest fault, you know? But you haven't always been like this: there was kindness and goodness in your heart. Why did you choose evil Kazuya, why?"
"I already told you, for power! That's all that matters."
"Love, justice and respect for life are the only things that matter! If only I could..."
"Could what, Jun?" he abruptly interrupted her. " To save my soul? Well, then you should have tried harder. You were gone for days, before Heihachi threw me into that damn volcano. I had been looking for you far and wide! And now after more than 20 years you dare whine in front of me? Although in hindsight I understood the reason..." he concluded with a look of pure disgust at Jin.
Jun remained silent for a moment. Her gaze suddenly darkened, Kazuya's words had hurt her deeply. It was true, once she realized she was pregnant, she avoided him for fear of his reaction. They were both very young and way too different, she had many dreams, Kazuya instead had no other goal in life than to destroy his father. She had tried to take her time to think about how to approach such a delicate subject, since she would never give up her pregnancy, but the ominous fate had got in their way before time.
"Kazuya..."
"You lied to me Jun! If you really wanted to save me, you wouldn't have just disappeared! I..." he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to continue or not. " I... I hoped to have your support before that damned final. Where were you, huh Jun? Where did you hide to keep him hidden to me?" he yelled out.
It wasn't the Gene who was speaking at the moment, but the man himself, who was venting years and years of repressed feelings against the woman for whom he held such a grudge.
"... I was afraid..."
"No, Jun." replied the other, after an eternal moment of silence, during which his face was further disfigured by hatred. " You don't really know what fear is... I myself, now, here, will show you what it really feels like..."
A purple aura enveloped his body again, so intense that the earth trembled. The air charged again with electricity, as the sky darkened. His Gene had never reached similar power levels, even during his last encounter with Heihachi.
"You said you wanted to save my soul, but you only helped make it worse. And you know what? I'm glad things turned out this way. Power is everything and it's all in my hands. And now you're gonna pay for turning your back on me!"
Could a spirit shudder, tremble, cry? Jun's face became even paler, as her eyes filled with pearly tears. Then she sighed deeply, wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand and recovered her innate composure and elegance, despite having her heart shattered.
"I'm so sorry, Kazuya... But I can't let you destroy everything. I can't let you hurt our son and our grandson. Jin had to go through hell to make the Gene powerful enough to allow my spirit to detach from it and come back to life... I will not make his suffering vain!"
"You can't do anything against me, Jun! I'll destroy what's left of you, so you'll understand how it feels..."
"DON'T TOUCH HER!"
Like a bolt from the blue, Jin stood between ish parents in defense of her mother. He had spent years and years of his young life blaming himself for her demise, believing her to be dead, and thinking that he would never see again her kind eyes that infused courage, her sweet smile able to calm every torment and hear her calm and reassuring voice. He had spent sleepless nights and nights weeping and hating himself, as his soul descended ever lower, towards the black abyss of the Gene's wickedness and corruption. He was deeply ashamed of his actions, he knew that she would never support them, yet he had simply let go of despair and the unbridled desire to end his life, regardless of the consequences. The world was on its knees because of him, hundreds of thousands of people had died, or had lost everything, and he was guilty of it. Yet she still thought that somewhere that innocent little boy who had left alone that ominous night still existed, even though he had just tried to kill the woman he was madly in love with. A gentle hand leaned on his shoulder, making him jump and snatch it from his stream of thoughts.
"No Jin, your father is right. I was wrong with him, I'm partly responsible if we got to this point. " said Jun, siding with him again. " You see, if I stood by him, maybe things would have been different. Maybe I'd let him know that hate and revenge would get him nowhere. Maybe we could have been a family like many others, with its ups and downs, but we would have raised you together, giving you so much love. Unfortunately this has not been the case and the past cannot be changed..."
"Bullshit!" Kazuya barked. "I would have never let you give birth to another abomination like..."
"Like who, Kazuya? Like you, perhaps? No life is an abomination, no one is born with evil in their heart! Right now there are three people carrying the gene, but one of them is still immune from its corruption!" he replied flying, and pointing to Keiichi, who at that moment was tight to his mother's chest. " Look at him yourselves! In the veins of that little one flows your own Mishima blood, blood that you consider cursed. But it was your actions that made it so! Keiichi was born and is growing loved and protected and as long as he is, he will never be a slave to anything and anyone! Heihachi instead ruined your life, he killed your mother, condemned you to an existence of violence and abuse and also undermined our son's life, but evil cannot be fought with other evil! You decided to follow his wicked steps, Jin was going to end up like that..."
"YOUR son is no saint, Jun!"
"OUR son knew love, compassion, respect and despite his descent into the abyss made him commit atrocities in turn, he managed to preserve a shred of humanity!"
Jun Kazama never screamed, never lost her temper. Yet at that moment she was pulling out all the grit and the unspoken words that she had always held in.
"I don't give a shit about your sermons, spare me. It's too late now...It's over for you."
As quick as a lightining Devil Kazuya lashed out at them, but Jin managed to stop him and defend himself. A new violent clash began, without exclusion of blows, while all presents remained on the sidelines watching helplessly and stunned. Jin seemed to have regained strength and vigor, yet not enough to overpower the other: their strength was exactly equal and no one could prevail. They should have taken advantage of that brutal fight and run, but no one could move a muscle and look away from the final battle. On the other hand, there was no place on Earth that could have kept them safe.
"You've finally decided to get serious!" exclaimed Kazuya between fists. " But you're still not good enough... You'll never be!" He finished by giving his son a blow in the face.
"And he's right!" Devil snapped into his head. " Stupid, damn kid, your useless feelings are getting the worst of us!"
"SHUT UP!" roared Jin, countering with renewed vigor. "I won't listen to you a second longer, Devil!"
"Little worm... Without me you're nothing!"
"You're wrong! YOU, without me wouldn't even exist! You need me Devil, but I'll never be your slave again!"
"Is that so? Then how about I deprive you of my power again, leaving you at the mercy of your dear daddy?"
"You won't... If I die, I'll drag you to hell with me!"
Things were taking a decidedly wrong turn for Kazuya's likes and his counterpart Gene's. That's not how it was supposed to be: Jin was standing up to him like never before, and the euphoria given by the feeling of omnipotence was starting to wane. Where did all that strength and grit come from, if Devil was against him? Despite being completely transformed, Jin seemed to be in total control of his mind and actions. On the ground the few present tried to follow that clash, holding their breath. The outcome would have been crucial: if Kazuya had won, it would have been the end for everyone and everything. But what could have happened if Jin had triumphed? Nina couldn't look away from him, as if just staring at him was enough to give him strength and courage. Even Keiichi, who had stopped crying, kept his eyes pointed upwards, completely captured.
"Jun..." the blonde muttered, approaching her. "What now? The situation is perfectly equal, this clash risks to never end."
"It's the final battle, my dear." replied the woman. " It could last a minute or a thousand days. It will not end in parity and they will not destroy each other. Only one will remain."
"Yes, but who?" replied the other exasperated by that cryptic answer. "You're telling me Jin isn't supposed to beat him?"
"I trust that his heart will follow the path of light and find from it the strength to prevail."
Nina wanted to scream. She had great respect and gratitude for her, but after all the hard work and dangers to which they had exposed themselves, he wanted to have a minimum of certainties.
"So we have to stay here and make beautiful figurines and watch them fight to the bitter end and hope for a miracle? What was my phantom role in all this, Jun? What is yours?" she screamed impatiently.
The brunette didn't get upset in front of that outburst of anger. She kept following the fight with a concentrated expression, as if she was waiting for some auspicious moment.
"JUN!"
"It has already begun... Everything is in motion... You cannot stop the course of events, fate has already decided the epilogue of this battle..."
"I thought we were the responsible of our own destiny..." Nina replied harshly.
Jun smiled faintly.
"It's exactly like that..."
Nina tried to reply, but what she saw interrupted her, leaving her speechless. Jin's big black wings were gradually becoming lighter and lighter. From pitch black they became smoke gray, then ash, until they became pearly. Crow wings, became dove's. The darkness that enveloped his body became light.
"What's going on?" was the question that everyone here asked at the exact same time.
The beam of light that enveloped Jin's body protected him as a barrier against the fierce attacks of Devil Kazuya. An impenetrable shield came between them, causing the man to flinch whenever he tried to hurt him.
"What sorcery is this?" he growled, furious.
"A disaster!" replied the demon inside his head.
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you lost, Kazuya!" replied Jin. "You and the Gene have lost!"
The boy's voice came out clean and not distorted. The horns were gone. The tribal marks were fading, while the sinister silvery glow of his eyes was gradually disappearing, giving way to a warm amber tinge. Jun was right, he had to go to hell to get up. He believed that at worst there was no end, he had cried, screamed, got lost in despair, he had felt desperate and abandoned, betrayed, neglected, forgotten. He completely forgot to live. He had always struggled with all his strength, he had tried to start over, to understand where he was wrong and what to do to correct the path his life had followed. He had surrendered once, twice, ten times and almost got to the point of doing it permanently... He had to feel broken to regain the strength to start over again... But in the end he had succeeded. He had defeated the devil and found himself again.
A wave of incredible energy hit Kazuya, causing him to crash into a building. The impact was so violent that he spat blood and all the air in his lungs came out. Gasping, he clumsily tried to get back on his feet, but felt something holding him back. He looked down and noticed a pair of diaphanous arms tightening his waist with a superhuman force, preventing him from further movements. A slight floral scent hit his nostrils. It took him a few moments to understand, but when he came to the conclusion it was already too late.
"What the hell are you doing?" he growled furiously.
Where did she find all the strength to keep him immobilized? He turned his head and saw Jun's smiling face. But it was not a smile of derision, but a sincere manifestation of affection and above all compassion. Her eyes shone like stars and sparkled with pearly tears.
"What I wanted to do many years ago...Saving you."
"Let me go now Jun, it's useless..."
But she didn't give up. Although he was wriggling like a madman, her grip did not show signs of diminishing, becoming almost suffocating. Devil Kazuya's purplish skin was starting to burn like it was being engulfed in flames. His heart seemed on the verge of exploding in his chest and his heartbeat became, if possible, even more frenetic, when, to his horror, he noticed what was going on. A few meters in front of him the figure of his son was getting closer and closer. The enormous wings, once black, were of a bright white, almost dazzling, as well as the luminous aura that his body continued to emanate.
"Come on, my darling... You know what to do..." Jun muttered, encouraging him.
Jin hesitated for a moment as his eyes began to shine.
"Mom... But you..."
"It doesn't matter, honey, it doesn't matter. As I said, everyone is the responsible of their own destiny. Mine is to save you. Yours is to save the whole humanity."
Jin narrowed his eyes to try to hold back the tears and looked away for a moment. It was very clear what needed to be done, and if he lingered any longer, he would never be able to make it. He had spent so many years hoping in hishis heart that her beloved mother was still alive and now he was about to lose her again. But she was right: the time had come to put an end to all that evil and destruction. At all costs.
"Don't hesitate anymore Jin... Just go..."
No, he wouldn't wait any longer. Wiping his eyes with the palm of his hand, he prepared for the final act. His eyes were blind to anything but his target. His ears were completely deaf to Devil's cries, who, now defeated, ordered him to stop.
"No... NO!" Kazuya yelled.
Jun squeezed him even harder, without stopping smiling. She lovingly laid her cheek against the back of the man she had loved with all her heart, trying to give him warmth and comfort.
"Fear not, Kazuya...You will soon be free too."
It all happened in a moment. Jin lashed out at his father, giving him a powerful punch at his heart. Just as he had taken the life of his hated parent, Kazuya suffered the same fate by the hands of his own blood. It was the Mishima's destiny to betray and destroy each other. A blinding light enveloped the three of them, swallowing them completely together with all that surrounded them. The darkness was swept away by dawn... The first dawn of the first day on which Mishima blood could never hurt again...
Author's note: almost there, almost there. This is probably the longest chapter I've written, so many things happen, but at this point it wouldn't have made sense to split it up. Final chapter is coming soon, I still have something more to tell...Thanks to everyone for reviewing, or simply reading!
