Prologue:
This is not a matter of strength, but a matter of judgment…good or bad, the result is final. Before you enter a battle, realize your priorities and do well to make good decisions…
What if, just once, you weren’t perfect?It had taken a great deal of time to reach this point, but at last, the ragtag group of soldiers and royalty from all three areas of Auldrant were facing off against Vandesdelca Musto Fende. The fate of the world sat on their shoulders; Luke fon Fabre, Mystearica Aura Fende, Gailardia Galan Gardios, Anise Tatlin, Jade Curtiss, and Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear.
Natalia and Anise hung back, offering support as their comrades fought; they were the insurance that was to destroy the fomicry machines on Eldrant whether the others failed to kill Van or not.
Guy leaped forward, attacking with a White Tiger Blade strike. Luke followed up immediately with a Raging Fang Blade. Van hardly flinched; his power in combination with even the dormant Lorelei’s was too great to feel such trivial pain. Much. It mattered little, however, because the two swordsmen were merely buying time for Jade to cast. Their work was paid off as ice built around Van.
“Absolute!”
It shattered with its own pressure and temperature, staggering the enemy.
“You do not tap into Lorelei’s power, and that weakens you,” the Necromancer told Van smartly as he charged another. Angered by the words of admonishment, Van sent a Radiant Dragon blast towards the fonist, which Guy took with his blade and body. Knowing her team was getting weak, Tear began to sing.
Ryuo rei kuroa ryuo zue rei va zue reiA large spell circle appeared beneath the gang, healing all but Van. She then began to charge an offensive fonic arte of her own.
“Éclair de Larmes!!”
Melee attacks against Van were only useful if either of the two supports or one of the swordsmen broke his guard first. Eventually, they figured that out by experience and began to exploit it.
“Guy! Break his guard!” Tear called, speaking on her’s and Jade’s behalf as she prepared to sing an offensive fonic hymn.
“Got it! Luke, cover me,” the blond murmured, charging forward. Fire built around his fonic blade.
“O noble conflagration…incinerate all!
RAZING PHEONIX!!”
When the Mystic Arte ended, both Judgment and Mystic Cage beat down on Tear’s brother. After such a powerful group attack, Guy and the others fell back for a rest, allowing Luke to deal with his old master.
As he caught his breath, Jade noted that Van was letting too many blows hit him. Surely he didn’t want to sustain such injury…
“Natalia! Stand by to heal Luke!” he ordered, summoning his spear.
That idiot is getting too close. Van is drawing him in to finish him off, but since Luke's style is close range, he assumes Van’s is as well. The student always underestimates the teacher…Tear had to wonder what was in the Colonel’s mind to make him rush Van. It was suicide, no matter how frighteningly powerful he was. Following his gaze, she realized his plan.
“Luke! Colonel! Back away!!!”
Distracted, Luke turned to Tear, an amateur’s mistake. Fortunately, Jade was there to intervene and block Van’s blow with his spear.
“Saved your head,” he told the red-haired one tauntingly, arms shuddering under Van’s strength. Luke couldn’t even react; he didn’t have the time to.
Van growled, his eyes livid.
“Out of my way, Necromancer!!”
“Afraid not,” the fonist replied leisurely, disengaging. He backed away about five feet, then started an attack.
“Impaling Hea—AARGH!!”
Time seemed to slow as Van thrust his sword into Jade’s midsection. The wide blade sliced into his body and exited through his back, skewering organs as it did so. And then Van twisted the sword ninety degrees clockwise. Jade could only groan in agony as the bottom of his left lung was completely shredded and his diaphragm was split.
“JADE!! NOOOOO!!!” Luke yelled, disbelieving as to what had just happened. Of all the people to sustain such an injury…
Jade Curtiss?!
The Necromancer was thinking that himself…
Why did I do that? I knew that at close range, Van outstrips me in power and speed…my power is in fonic artes even if I can kill just as easily with the spear…he told himself as searing, burning pain overtook his body. He strove not to let out so much as a whimper, but his breath came in agonized pants because of his injury. Each inhale caused his stomach to scream in pain in a way he wished he could, since Van had severed his diaphragm and caused respiration to be that more painful.
“I warned you,” Van said tonelessly. “Now study how it feels to
die, Jade Balfour.”
He ripped his sword away, splattering Jade’s blood to the ground and watching him crumple to the ground.
Luke nearly dropped the Key of Lorelei as Jade collapsed, then he heard the Necromancer’s hoarse voice.
“Fight…Luke…don’t…worry…”
That was all the teen needed to hear. Instantly, he rushed Van out of anger and struck out.
“Why, Master Van?!”
The descendant of Yulia shook his head as he parried Luke’s strike.
“You are my enemy. If that is not enough for you, then call it reparation. Remember that you killed five of my God-Generals and your Necromancer friend arrested Dist.,” Van reminded him with a wan smile on his face. “Jade held Dist’s interest and ultimately, that interest was Dist’s downfall.”
“Like you cared!” Anise snarled brutally, tromping forward. “You put their lives on the line!”
“Anise…stop.”
Jade’s eyes were closed, but he still spoke, albeit weakly.
“So the Colonel is the
real leader, hm?”
“Wrong…Van…Luke is the…l-leader…I just…suggest…”
“Indeed?” Van said amusedly. “Heh.”
Va rei zue toue neu toue ryuo toue kuroa… As Tear sang, Luke rushed forward, attacking Van with the Key. Instantly, the man brough his arm up to guard…and his flesh seemed to peel away, revealing a dark purple and rough…hide, for lack of a better term. Luke was sent flying into Tear, forcing her hymn to cut short.
“So it comes to this,” van said quietly. “You’ve left me no choice but to unleash this terrible power within me…”
With an explosion of Seventh Fonons, Vandesdelca Musto Fende began to use Lorelei’s full power for the first time. When the light dissipated, there he stood, in flowing clothes. His revealed arm was still purplish with surreal veins of light running up it, while his other arm had several large feather plumes tied around it. Once bound hair spilled forward, framing his serious face.
“You have strong allies, Luke,” he told the red-haired one quietly. Luke tensed.
“They’ve helped me right from the start,” the duke’s son replied, his emerald eyes blazing. “For their sake, I can’t lose—“
“No, Luke,” Tear corrected. “
We will not lose!”
Van closed his eyes, exhaling softly.
“I underestimated you all in our last fight. I did not believe that you would ascend so far…but that, too, ends now,” he said solemnly.
“Goodbye…
Luuuuuuke!!!”
Both Luke and Guy leapt into action, making sure to avoid as much injury as possible. Without their fonist comrade to help with the distribution of items or an arte, they’d have their work cut out for them.
“Rending Fang Blade!”
“Moonlight Demon!”
Both attacks seemed to simply tickle the Lorelei-infused Van. He thrust his own sword forward, blasting them back with his sword’s pressure.
“Radiant Dragon!”
Tear sung the Fourth Hymn repeatedly in order to fully heal her friends. She’d been worried about he Colonel and sneaking healing artes to him, but her First Aid spells seemed to have no effect…
Please, Colonel, she thought despairingly, turning to where he was.
Don’t—oh, gods, where is he?!
Luke’s blade locked against Van’s, and he fought to overpower his old teacher.
“Do you honestly believe you can become the master, Luke?” Van queried, notes of actual curiosity mixed with his scorn.
“Of you?” Luke sneered. “Any day!”
Van smirked, a fonic circle appearing beneath him. Luke backed away, but the arte’s range was too far for him to escape now.
“Negative G-ah?!”
A long spear sliced into Van’s flesh, tearing his chest.
“Y-you!” he spat, glaring at the spear’s master.
Jade smirked weakly, allowing himself a chuckle.
“I…am just…s-starting…” he rasped, slashing at Van with his spear. Van blocked it, but left himself open for the others. This time, as they struck Van, a Revitalizing circle healed them all, restoring stamina. Nevertheless, Jade’s midsection continued to bleed profusely, especially as he fought to hold the much stronger man back. Darkness fonons began to gather about him, circling around Van’s blade, then his arms. The man growled, flinging Jade back before the Drain Magic sapped enough energy for Jade to use a Forbidden Arte.
It’s enough…“Luke…use…R-Radiant…Howl…”
The fonist collapsed, sharp pain overtaking him. He fought to breath steady as Luke sent Van reeling with his attack.
“Colonel!!” a pleading young girl’s voice begged, “Stop it, please!”
“Jade looked up, his vision darkening around the edges.
“Anise…get…”
“No! I’m not gonna sit here and watch you kill yourself!!”
If breathing didn’t prove to be such a problem, Jade might have laughed.
“Shush, Anise…get…get back into……position…” he admonished even more weakly than before. He rose with the greatest of effort, using his spear as a crutch. This was going to be his final effort…in these two attacks, he would give it his all…and watch as his comrades finished the battle. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
I can’t speak…perhaps…after a bit longer…He concentrated his powers, then opened all of his fon slots. This was it.
A cage of light appeared around Van. Instantly recognizing the move for what it was, Guy and Luke beat a hasty retreat. Anise glared up at Jade, a mixture of worry and anger on her face. She could feel his life seeping out of his fon slots. He mouthed the words to the chant.
O admonishing melody, arise in the name of the Necromancer…Mystic Cage!The cage of fonons exploded, damaging Van severely. But Jade did not stop there. Even as his skin paled and his limbs began to shake, a circle of Fifth Fonon power built around him.
O countless falling stars come forth…just one final time…METEOR STORM!!The attack hurt like no other as it sapped every last bit of fonic power that Jade had within him, leaving him nearly unconscious. Enormous balls of fire pelted Van, but somehow…the fiery might they held was more radiant and beautiful than any arte he’d used ever before…
Limply, he fell backwards to the ground. Anise had been wholly unable to support him with her small arms. Panicking, she made Tokunaga grow in size and cradled the Necromancer’s head in one of its arms.
“Colonel, don’t die!” she begged, feeling as if her head would explode. How could he?! How could one of the few she looked up to ever think to sacrifice himself so thoroughly?! Especially Colonel Jade Curtiss, who seemed to only care about himself.
Jade’s eyes closed and for the briefest moment, his breath hitched. But Anise didn’t let him fall into unconsciousness. She slapped his face lightly, keeping him awake as Guy, Luke, and Tear fought.
Tear stepped forward as Van buckled under the power and might of her comrades. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth and let the hymns flow uninterrupted.
Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryuo Toue Zue
Kuroa Ryuo Zue Toue Ryuo Rei Neu Ryuo Zue
Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa
Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va Zue Rei
Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei
Kuroa Ryuo Kuroa Neu Toue Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va
Rei Va Neu Kuroa Toue Rei Rei…As she sang it one final time through, Guy and Luke attacked Van, taking advantage of his weakness. The instant that the refrain was over, Van lost his power, and his life…
Everything went white.
“The seventh melody…you’ve learned it…Tear…” came the deep, resonating voice of Van Grants—the good man that had once been mentor to Luke fon Fabre.
“I remembered…you sang it to me when I cried,” Mystearica said softly as she spoke to her dying brother. “You knew what the fonic hymn meant. You were telling me right from the start…Thank you…Van…”
“Farewell…Mystearica…”
With that, the light faded and Van was on his knees.
“Master Van!” Luke cried, rushing forward.
“After all that’s happened, you still call me master…you fool…”
Vandesdelca looked up, his body fading into nothingness.
“Farewell…my brethren.”
“Master Van…thank you!” the duke’s son said, his voice caught with slight emotion.
Goodbye, my beloved brother…Tear thought in lamentation.
The ground began to shake even as the combatants turned to where their other comrades were circled around a motionless Jade. Anise had continued to slap him softly awake whenever he’d fade out, but now it was becoming useless. He was losing out to fatigue and blood loss.
Luke crashed to his knees next to Jade, practically sliding into the man as he gathered him into his arms and shook him softly.
“So…here we are…” murmured the Necromancer.
“You idiot!! Whyd’ you do that?!”
“Heh…t-to achieve…my…own ends…of course…”
“But what does it matter whether you achieve
anything if you don’t live to see it?!” Luke snarled, more sad than angry.
“Fool…I…I do it…for my lands…the ones I…c-care about…
“Care about…”
“I hold you responsible…f-for one task…” Jade said softly.
“What?” Luke asked, swallowing hard.
“Tell everyone…that I regret…depriving them…of…my presence…Nephry…a-and Peony…and tell…tell Dist…no…
Saphir…I apologize…
Anise couldn’t take it. She pushed Luke aside and hugged Jade tightly while minding his wound. It wouldn’t matter, since he couldn’t feel much anymore.
“C-Colonel…Jade…you’re so stupid!!” she said angrily, warm tears flooding from her brown eyes. The Necromancer smiled—not smirked, but smiled—at Anise’s words.
“H-heh…duly noted…L-Luke…don’t…f-f-fail…me……let…the Ne-Necromancer…place…his trust…well…”
With that, Jade’s body gave out and he went limp in Luke’s arms. His glasses slid from his face, seeming to crash loudly on the stone floor of the battlefield.
Jade Balfour-Curtiss had lost his life that day for being a damned fool…and going with his instinct rather than his mind. It was not a decision he regretted. In fact, his final thoughts were quite contrary to the failure he’d normally feel at this loss.
This was not a matter of strength, but a matter of judgment…good or bad, the result was final. Before I entered this battle, I realized my priorities and I tried my hardest to make the best decisions…
And for once…I feel perfect. I don’t just look perfect in form, or act perfect…
I felt as if I was doing the right thing.
