Final Hours [Orchestral Arrangement] - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask OST
*Miserable Spectacle - Tales of the Abyss OST
*The Feared Existence - Tales of Zestiria OST
*Rising Up - Tales of Zestiria OST

For all the (little) good it was doing, the headband may very well have been no more than an aesthetic choice than a practical one of keeping her ashen hair and sweat out of her eyes. Then again, in the bowels of the ancient temple, in the literal crater of a volcano, there was little that the headband alone could do- without magical protection, nothing could survive down here, herself included- excluded of course, being the intruder that had been terrorizing her people and the sorcerous tyrant it served. In a specific chamber of the temple, she proceeded, the legendary hammer on her back somehow weighing more heavily than usual. While illuminated by the small pools of magma littered throughout, there was a certain, inexplicable darkness to the chamber. Well-aware she was being watched, she drew her rather ungainly weapon. "Alright, I know you can see me." she spoke, apparently to no one in particular. "So you might as well cut the tricks."

"Hm, you actually did come." boomed a deep, masculine voice- again, seeming to come from nowhere in particular. "You must be very brave...or very stupid."

"Well, my people need me- and I've come to kill your pet for that very reason!"

"Ha! Better men than you have tried, girl! Come out then! Your next morsel has delivered itself to your lair!"

With this command, the chamber began to quake. As if to answer its master's call, the beast emerged from the magma pool in the center of the chamber, its wingless form soaring about the chamber with a terrible shriek, intentionally knocking loose rocks from the chamber's ceiling. But she was in no mood to let little tricks like this stop her, she thought, grasping the great hammer. How could she? The very existence of her people hinged upon her smashing in the skull of this revived monstrosity.

True, Hana did not exactly expect the life of a unit commander to be a particularly easy one. Even more so being something of a minor celebrity as a result of her feats on the battlefield. Still, there were the rare occasions where the swordswoman could take some time to herself and unwind, getting rather...lost in the moment, as it were. In fact, the literal day after she collapsed into Kirigamine's spare bed was one of these occasions. Scarcely able to hear the rapping on the door thanks to her own labored breath, she found it extremely rude of Amagi to interrupt her. "WHAT?!" she snapped most uncharacteristically, frantically returning her scattered articles of clothing to her person.

"Th-the chief..." he spoke in an almost trance-like manner, most of the color drained from his face. "Needs to speak with you."

That look of existential dread from the normally composed Amagi told Hana that there was something exceptionally wrong with the situation- far more important than an interrupted moment of adolescent self-abuse. To that end, Hana replaced what little armor she wore and sought out Amagi's sister before they set out to see the chief.

By the time this was all said and done (the trial was, unsurprisingly, rather tiring) it was almost twilight. This would be rather unremarkable if not for the spectacle of great jets of flame intermittently spewing into the sky thanks to...some figure or another. "What? What exactly are we looking at?" inquired Hana genuinely. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"The complete collapse of our morale and discipline." remarked Rinkah grimly.

"Wait, why?"

Kikai inhaled deeply. "To make a very long story short," he began. "back in the mists of time, our people were supposedly threatened with extinction by a marauding dragon. I don't know all of the details or even if it's true, but there's a widespread belief among our tribe that its return marks the end of the world."

"While the exact details of the tale are lost to time," came the voice of Fi. "it is understandable why this belief would persist in the tribe's memory- I sense a powerful, evil magic emanating from that direction."

From the bottom of her heart, some atavistic instinct led Hana to resonate with this situation rather intimately. Scanning the horizon, hoping against hope for some inkling of good news, the group did notice a lone pegasus darting through the air. At its rider coming more into focus, Kikai silently ordered his archers to stow their weapons. "Commander!" said Yua, dismounting from the great beast. "Thank the gods you're alright!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." insisted Hana. "So I take it you didn't come to bring me good news."

Yua shook her head grimly. "I'm afraid not."

"S-Princess Sakura is alright, right?"

"Yes, as far as I'm aware, commander. In fact, she actually sent me to retrieve you."

A particularly potent burst of flame shooting off into the sky interrupted the knight's explanation. "I take it you noticed that as well?"

Hana nodded resolutely. "Right. Take me to her."

"We'll be right behind you." insisted Rinkah.*

Helping herself onto the back of Yua's mount (it was rather uncomfortable for her, wrapping her arms around another red-haired woman), Hana had actually come to dislike flying quite a bit- she had now idea how Yua and her cousin pulled it off! Truth be told, it was not exactly a long flight, a small portion of it descending the mountain. However, the darting and weaving to avoid the jets of flames, as well as the sheer desolation of the ravaged Hoshidan countryside, alternated between being jarring and simply terrifying.*

Truth be told, Hana was not exactly counting exactly how long (although she had suspected something of a change of direction) she and her subordinate had been airborne, but by the time they landed at the familiar Flame Tribe base, the air about the place, given the visible casualties noticeable and the overworked healers, was more of a triage center. Including one healer, who, upon seeing the pegasus land and confirming its passengers, threw down her staff and rushed to embrace one of them. "Oh, Hana!" cried the princess, almost in tears. "You're safe!"

"Sakura!" she responded, holding onto her a little longer than she otherwise would have. "Yeah, I'm fine. But enough about me: Are you alright? What's going on here?"

"Yes, but...I...couldn't actually tell you." admitted Sakura. "One moment, everything was normal and the next, there were these earthquakes. Then the Flame Tribe's people overwhelmed the base- they were terrified- like they had seen the end of the world!"

"As far as they're concerned, Sakura- they have."

"Yes, it was quite the chaotic scene." said Victoria, Shiro in her arms, even the lad of his age noticing something very wrong with this situation.

She was interrupted by another dramatic burst of flame shooting into the sky, holding her grandson closer purely off instinct.

"Was there ever anything like this in Chevois legend?" inquired Hana, hoping for some sort of clue or another.

Victoria shook her head. "Not to my knowledge." she remarked. "I could ask Prince Micheal, but I'm not so sure."

While her arrival was welcomed by the Flame Tribe's people, said arrival did little to assuage the general sense of existential anxiety and dread among them. Upon interviewing many of said warriors, as distracting as the tremors were, she had been made aware that the source of all this chaos and devastation seemed to be a giant, bipedal dragon whose flames proved a ferocious weapon. "It was like something out of one of the legends." explained a bedridden warrior. "Those flames- gods, those flames- there was nothing I could have done with so many of my men lost and, to my eternal shame, I retreated."

"No, there was nothing you could have done." insisted Hana, a sympathetic hand placed on his. "Better not to throw your lives away."

The warrior's eyes widened like saucers at a thought that had only just occurred to him. "Chief Kikai and Lady Rinkah! Are they alright?"

Breathless as she was, to his relief, the worried warrior got his answer with the father-daughter pair appearing in the tent, the latter well ahead of the former. "You know, you're really difficult to keep up with." said Rinkah, noticeably short of breath.

"Chief!" he remarked, sitting up from his cot. "I understand completely. Even under such circumstances, this stain on my honor is intolerable-"

"I've heard the reports." remarked Kikai neutrally. "You did everything you could have in your situation."

Knowing fully well that Kikai, his daughter, and his shadow were far more suited to the situation than she was, while giving even her momentary pause, Hana decided that she had to see this monstrosity for herself. "There's a ridge near here, take me there." she instructed. "I need to see this thing with my own eyes."

"I'm going with you." insisted Rinkah. "Hell, our legends being what they are, I feel kind of responsible anyway."

"I-i'm going too." spoke Sakura, audibly at least a little uneasy.

Hana's face wrinkled in disapproval. "Sakura, no! I can't let you! Do you know how dangerous this is?!"

"I've been in danger before, Hana. Always with you at my side. And things have always turned out fine."

For as demure and painfully shy as the princess was, Hana had come to learn (if even on an unconscious level) one unexpected, but very important thing about her: Sakura was actually incredibly stubborn. Exhaling sharply, the swordswoman relented. "Fine, fine. But I want you to stay well behind me!"

The ridge in question was a bit of a hike from the main camp, perhaps five or so minutes. Once the trio reached the ridge and ascended it, Hana and Rinkah found their jaws dropping at the sight: Even in the dusk and quite a bit away, the figure was unmistakable as a great, black, bipedal dragon, standing at least five stories tall, shooting off somehow-sickly-seeming flames in any random direction.

"What the-" remarked Rinkah, sharing in at least some of her people's collective dread.

"What the hell are we even supposed to do against that?!" wondered Hana aloud.

"...Can't you hear him?" asked Sakura solemnly. "...He's in pain..."

The blade in Hana's sheath began to glow a brilliant blue, the sword's spirit shortly manifesting itself. "Mistress, this is an extremely dangerous enemy." remarked Fi upon the obvious. "By my calculations, there is a .050% chance of success against such a foe."

"But still," retorted Hana shortly. "you didn't say 'zero,' now did you?"

"No, I did not."

"So there's still a chance!"*

Taking determined steps towards the edge of the ridge, Sakura nonetheless held Hana back by the sleeve. "W-wait, Hana." she stammered. "You c-can't possibly mean to-"

"Sakura, what choice do I- we really have?" she inquired, still somewhat testily. "If that thing isn't stopped, Hoshido will be reduced to ash in a month!"

"Besides, it's headed in our direction and shows no intention of stopping." answered Rinkah, having audibly steeled herself somewhat. "Hell will break loose even worse if that thing gets to our civilian settlements."

Of course, the princess did not like this prospect in the slightest- even Hana's sword was telling her how dangerous this undertaking would be! But having known Hana as long as she had and how headstrong she was, Sakura, in the heat of the moment, could not offer any real objection to the points made. "V-very well." she said neutrally. "But just promise, promise me something, Hana- if things look bad, promise me, promise me that you'll fall back."

While such a proposal was anathema to her very being, Hana could scarcely deny her princess anything. "I will, Sakura." she answered, taking her dainty hand in her own.

"We'll protect the princess." came the voice of Saizo. "Don't worry and focus on doing what you need to do."

While Sakura and Hana were long since inured to the ninja's tendency, Rinkah nonetheless still got something of a start at his sudden appearances and disappearances. "Can you tell him to stop doing that?" inquired Rinkah.

The pair ignored the (likely futile) request. "Alright," began Hana. "are you ready?"

Rinkah nodded. "Born ready."

Descending down the ledge, the two women necessarily had to take their time approaching the poor, malformed beast. By the time they had found even a semi-advantageous position from which to attack, the sun had long since set. Fortunately however, both the full moon and the sporadic jets of flame (and the objects they set alight, of course) provided more than adequate lighting. From behind an outcropping about five hundred paces from their target, Hana and Rinkah took one last look at each other and nodded resolutely.

"Hey, you!" called Hana.

Of course, the dragon's very first instinct was to fire a burst of flame at the two women. Well-prepared for this, Hana and Rinkah scattered from the outcropping, making motions to encircle the great beast- while its power was unlike anything either of the pair had ever seen, not even it could follow two targets simultaneously. However, its spiked tail would naturally be a problem, Rinkah having a few more close calls with the appendage than she would have liked. "HEY! Watch for the tail!" she called over the chaos of the battle.

Either not hearing her or already well-aware of how dangerous such an enemy, Hana ducked and slid under a burst of flame obviously meant for her. And she did not fancy getting anywhere near those gigantic claws. While Hana focused most of her conscious energy on survival, she was offered a less-than-expected advantage revealed itself to her.

"Mistress." came Fi's voice. "I have been observing the enemy quite intently and-"

"Unless you've found out how to kill this thing, Fi, then-"

"Once the enemy raises its head, raise your blade and focus on striking the target."

"What? What good will that do?!"

Lacking a bow, a spear, skill with magic- or even really anything to strike at the great beast- as she ducked behind a large rock to shelter from another blast of flame, Hana realized she had precious little option but to trust the instruction of her new, unusual comrade. As that particular burst of flame subsided and the enemy's attention was once again turned to Rinkah, Hana emerged from her cover, hands gripped rather consciously on her blade. Speaking of the lady of the Flame Tribe, Rinkah was not exactly thrilled by being the target of the monstrous dragon's flames and razor-sharp tail. "So do you have a plan or what?!" she shouted over the din of the battle, unsure as to whether the swordswoman could hear her.

Apparently more intelligent than either of them initially gave it credit for, the dragon suddenly whipped around, Hana narrowly avoiding the pointed tail, receiving a deep, nasty gash on her shin plate. With the beast's focus now directly upon her, Hana knew this would be her best chance- as its great maw rose to the heavens in preparation for another burst of flame, Hana raised the shimmering-blue blade, and, exactly as the sword's spirit had instructed, focused intently. With a downward motion of the weapon, before the flames could be summoned, a blue wave of energy darted forth from the blade of the weapon, striking the monstrous dragon on the chin, earning a pained, earth-shaking roar in response. Its tail now thrashing furiously, it once again whipped around in an attempt to eliminate the source of the pain. While caught somewhat off-guard by the quaking caused in her vicinity, Hana nonetheless, did manage to avoid the extremity. "So that's a good sign, I take it?!" Rinkah shouted, rather relieved to be out of the line of literal fire.

"Yeah!" Hana called back.

But for all this initial success, one could very easily notice some troubling signs from the confrontation: A misstep here, a glancing blow against some armor there- to say nothing of the fact that both Rinkah and Hana alike were becoming (understandably) rather fatigued by such an opponent, who clearly had far more stamina in reserve. So concerned was Sakura that she managed to slip well afield of her escorts, watching the pair struggle against the towering enemy from the relative safety of an elevated thicket.

The princess winced at the dragon's tail swiping the swordswoman's chest plate, nonetheless undeterred from continuing the fight.

"Truly, this is a desperate situation." came a heavy, familiar voice. "Surely, wise princess, you must understand the outcome of such a struggle."

"I know." admitted Sakura, nearly choking back tears.

"If you are truly committed to protecting your land and your dear friend, take this- and borrow some of my power."

As if from nowhere, a glint of light shot from the heavens, landing directly in front of the princess. As she inched forward to inspect the ball of light, it abruptly transformed into a shimmering golden bow, suspended in midair. As Sakura took the ethereal weapon into her hand, she could not help but wonder- what truly had been truly accomplished by her taking up arms? She had been scarcely able to stop any of the carnage unleashed upon her people, and their triumphs as of late had been the doing of Hana and others.

But the sight of Hana struggling, barely holding back a direct hit from that horrible, pointed tail, as well as an unexpected interjection, told her what needed to be done.

"I plead with you, kind princess!" came a man's voice she did not recognize. "I am a proud warrior. I do not want this- to be a mere weapon for these human reprobates! Take that bow and put an end- save me from this pain! And my brother, as well!"

Meanwhile, Hana, had in fact, managed another such blow with the energy from her blade. However, this had convinced the beast that the swordswoman was less of a nuisance and more of a threat. Appropriately, his attacks became even more frantic, rending, gnashing, and expelling flame at an even more furious rate. And the blows, while not direct hits, had begun to take their toll. Hana found it progressively harder to focus her attention the more damage she took to her person. Rinkah, apparently in even worse shape, had come around to her own side.

"Any ideas?" she panted, apparently well-aware of the desperate situation.

"No." Hana admitted bitterly. "Not one."

As the dragon reared back his head for another burst of flame, the two woman, battered and bruised as they were, prepared to drag their bodies from its intended path.* However, right when they expected the worst, something little short of miraculous occurred- a beam of light streaked through the sky, striking the great beast in the head to another bestial shriek of pain. Before either could remark upon the arrow of light, both Hana and Rinkah were overwhelmed by the familiar, balmy feeling that accompanied healing magic.

"What in the world?" asked Hana breathlessly.

Turning their attention to a nearby ridge, Hana was horrified, relieved, and amazed at the sight of her princess up on the ridge, loosing another beam of light at the monstrous dragon's head. "Sakura!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

"It's not important!" chided Rinkah. "He's coming back!"

True to the report, the dragon had returned to the attack, apparently unsure whether to target Hana or the newcomer to the fight, apparently deciding upon the former once the swordswoman had used her now-returned focus to produce another beam of energy at his chin, earning another pained, earth-shattering roar. Only this time, lifting his head only compounded his danger; true to form, Sakura had loosed yet another arrow of light into his head. Apparently both confused and enraged, the dragon, while limited by both its frame and the mobility of his assailants, made a concerted effort to gnash, rend and tear at Hana before finally settling upon another burst of flame in her direction. Healed and rested, the swordswoman was more than ready for the attack this time, ducking behind a rock (which had served much the same purpose previously) and waiting for an opportunity- once again, a brilliant blue beam streaked forth from Hana's blade, striking the great beast in the head, shortly accompanied by more thrashing, flailing, and gnashing.

"Hey!" exclaimed Rinkah, most dismayed at his attention being turned to her. "What did I do?!"

Teeth, claws, and flame now directed in the direction opposite her, Hana now had only to deal with the tail thrashing about in increasing desperation. For some reason, this actually ended up being pivotal in the clash- and an opportunity for more elucidation.

"Mistress, I have an idea." spoke Fi. "Once the enemy returns its attention to you, once again, hold your blade as you normally would and focus intently."

"What will that do?" inquired Hana breathlessly. "But you've gotten us this far, so I'll give it a try!"

Once more, one of Sakura's arrows of light struck the dragon in the neck, earning yet another desperate, pained roar, whipping around to search for the source of its torment, much to the horror of Hana. "SAKURA, MOVE!"

While she (not with the swordswoman's agility, of course) did in fact, comply with Hana's plea, the burst of flame apparently caused the outcropping to give way, creating something of a landslide as she slid with the earth down to the battlefield. "Sakura!"

Fortunately, Rinkah had narrowly evaded the landslide, being well-positioned to help. "Are you okay?" she inquired, extending her spare hand.

The princess grimaced. "A few scrapes and bruises, but yes." she confirmed.

"Mistress." said Fi, calling attention to the very imposing enemy. "Now is your chance."

Now that did it, thought Hana angrily. Just like that fateful day when she'd first saved the princess, a righteous anger boiled up inside her. Standing in her typical stance, holding her blade in the typical way, the weapon began to glow a brilliant blue. The dragon apparently saw his chance, having his tormentors in something of an enclosed area. Neither Rinkah nor Sakura got a good look exactly what had occurred. Truth be told, it was so quick, that it scarcely registered for Hana either- apparently, like a flash of light, she had rushed forward, stabbing the great beast in its front before cutting upwards, all the way to its chin.

Back on the ground, the dragon, apparently robbed of any energy left for any belligerence, took a few unsteady steps over to his right. Seeming to attempt one last barrage of flame breath, the dragon finally- mercifully, fell to its knees before falling forward, its great, lifeless form spread out on the plains. As if the blade had somehow exorcised the twisted form, dragon's form disintegrated in a great flash of light.*