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Thieves of Light Chapter 11.A Saint Seiya fanfiction by Ariane Kovacevic, AKA Fuu-chan. The situation was appalling. Try though he might, the great angel couldn't stop himself from seeing in his mind's eye the naked gravity of recent events being played over and over again in an endless loop. Even the feeling of the great Light at the heart of Qodech Qodachim couldn't soothe his worries or quell the insidious fear that he stubbornly refused to acknowledge. Here at least there were silence and peace; he was free of the constant scurrying on Wardens in the Celestial Hall's alleys. They didn't understand. None of them seemed to be able to fully grasp the threat that was now hovering over the holy Realms of Heaven. Even the archangels appeared to underestimate the menace. Even Michael, who should have known better, who should have understood, being the war maniac that he was...but no. No hint of wisdom, on the opposite, the angel thought with disgust as he remembered the Warrior Prince's last, extravagant request. You're a fool, Michael. You lack true vision. Anger followed the reflection, anger at having to deal with such unworthy servants. It didn't last long, however, for he had far more important things weighing heavily on his mind. Decisions had to be made, and quickly. Choices, which would be irrevocable. The great angel didn't like to make rash decisions; he liked to consider and to spend a lot of time analyzing every possible consequence, no matter how unlikely, before committing himself. He was prudent, and sometimes fools criticized a quality they mistook for hesitation or worse, cowardice. Michael was one such fool, and more than once the angel had been tempted to deal with the unruly archangel as he deserved to teach him the respect he was due. He was, after all, the first and greatest among the whole Heavenly Host. "Forgive me, Prince of the Divine Presence, but the blade is ready." Abruptly brought back to reality, Metatron, Chancellor of Heaven, turned around to face the unwelcome intruder. The smaller angel was carrying a great length of what looked like shining metal in his arms. Realizing that the Warden had been right to disturb him, the great angel decided to stay his hand with a pang of regret. He didn't take kindly to being disturbed, but this time he couldn't fault the Warden for his action. With a small sigh, Metatron swallowed his annoyance and told the angel with a dismissive gesture, "Assemble it, then send it back to Ratson as soon as possible. There's no need to come to me with this again. Do your work quickly, and give it to its intended wielder." Apparently, the tiniest trace of anger had seeped into Metatron's words, for the smaller Warden bowed deeply and exited the room almost at a run. Metatron allowed himself a derisive smile, and then went back to his careful decision-making. The renegade group of mortals and demons had won through Zakhout. They'd soon cross Ahava, but they wouldn't encounter any obstacle there. Uriel had seen to that, the stupid archangel preferring to save worthless Wardens' lives rather than to slow down and perhaps even weaken the enemy. Of course the Hall of Love's guardians couldn't hope to defeat the combination of demonic and human godlings' forces, but their sacrifice was worth it if it could put a spoke in the opponent's wheel. It was standard enough as a war tactic, but Uriel had flatly refused to obey Metatron. Worse, the archangel had overstepped his authority and had ordered the Wardens of Ahava to leave the Celestial Hall empty. That act of rebellion would have to be dealt with as it deserved, but later. Now, all that was standing between the threat to Heaven and its goal was Ratson and the Four Archangels who were its Wardens. Hence Michael's insane request, of course. The Warrior Prince had always disputed Metatron's choice of keeping the Heavenly Host in reserve, the archangel had fought each of Metatron's decisions like a horse chafing at the bit, refusing to be restrained even though he was galloping right towards a bottomless abyss, unable to stop himself. But now, oh now Michael was making requests and was appealing to Metatron. Now that he and the other archangels had allowed evil to reach the heart of Beriyah...fools that they were. One of Michael's sacred swords had been broken by an enemy blow, a proof that the issue of the battle which would take place in Ratson was in no way certain. It was indeed possible that the archangels would lose, and the consequences of that defeat called to mind memories of a time long past, dreaded images which were casting shadows over Metatron's heart. This cannot be allowed to come to pass. That a threat had somehow managed to reach Heaven was intolerable, an unbearable, unthinkable thing. No mortal could touch those who were true fragments of Light. No mortal could have the gall to reach out to the sky without being burnt to ashes. Qodech Qodachim was pure, an untouched, unsullied sanctuary, and it would remain so. The demons from Hell would Fall, and Fall again. Gabriel would follow them, and Uriel would be lucky to be granted forgiveness. As for the human vermin, they'd be crushed and obliterated from the Four Worlds like the worms that they were. Who do they think they are, that they dare look up at the sun and not be blinded by its radiance? Sending the sudden burst of anger away like one would a pestering fly, Metatron examined the different courses of action open to him. By now the Blade must have been re-forged. Soon it would once again be in Michael's left hand, and the archangel's full power would be restored. That was one thing, but there still was that other request of his to consider. That, and the possibility of the enemy breaching through the gates of the Hall of Will. Looking straight at the pillar of pure Light before him, Metatron agreed with himself that he had no choice. Little as he liked the idea, there was only one path left before him. With a single, grim nod, he turned away and quickly exited the room which was the heart of Qodech Qodachim, the Holiest of Holy Places. The sacred bridge towards Atsilouth and the En Sof. As he had expected, it didn't take much time for him to encounter one of the Wardens once he was outside of the sacred room. "You!" He called out to the one closest to him. "My Lord Chancellor?" The angel bowed gracefully. "Send a message to Michael in Ratson," Metatron said in a quiet, merciless voice, "and tell him that his request is denied. There will be no reinforcements sent to the Hall of Will. The Four Guardians and their servants are on their own." Shock and incomprehension flashed in the nameless angel's eyes, clouding their clear gaze for a moment, but he wisely didn't discuss Metatron's words. Metatron knew that his decision resembled either desertion or a death sentence, and he didn't care in the slightest. The existence of a threat in Beriyah, one of the holy Worlds of Heaven, couldn't be tolerated any longer. It would be brought back where it belonged. War would follow, a just punishment for the incredible presumption of mortals who had dared bring their pitiful, stupid battle for survival to Heaven. Metatron had waited until now, reluctant to stoop so low as to have to deal with human beings directly, but events were forcing him to go over that justified dislike. Since they had had the insane arrogance to challenge Heaven, he's take up that challenge and teach the world of Assiah a single, deadly lesson. He'd bring the war back there, where it belonged, among the weak husks of flesh which bled and died. Heaven was beauty and harmony, it was peace, and it would remain so. "Once you're done," he told the angel, "you'll go to Netzach and there you'll relay these words to Hanael: he is to gather all those angels who're not stationed as Wardens of Beriyah's Celestial Halls and he's to pit all the strength he can muster against the accursed Veil separating us from Assiah. And once it has fallen, he is to obliterate the fools who think to resist the Light's Will." The angel bowed, his movement that of a willow tree startled by a sudden wind, and Metatron turned away from him, his orders given. For good or for ill, the choice had been made and nothing could stop what was coming. The Light's Will was everything, it was all that mattered, all that gave meaning to the universe. What could be glimpsed of the En Sof's Fire recently had unsettled some weak fools like Uriel, but that was because they didn't understand. It didn't matter that the Light wanted to be One again, they were a part of it. Its Will was their will, no more and no less. And it would be carried out. The Heavenly Host was descending to Assiah, and it would bring devastation and death to mankind. "Where are we?" Julian Solo's question was quickly muffled by the shining mist that was Beriyah's atmosphere. We had just stepped out of the pillar of Light, leaving Ahava, the fifth Celestial Hall behind us. We hadn't met anyone there, it had been deserted like Noga had been. In the silence and peace of the Hall of Love, we had laid Hyoga's body to rest. It had been hard to do so, we had felt like we were abandoning our friend in an alien land, but there hadn't been any other alternative. Better to let him rest in a peaceful place which was basking in the Light that he had believed in rather than to drag his mortal remains with us through battles and bloodshed...it was what Saori-san had said, groping for the right words to say. If I closed my eyes, I knew I'd see Hyoga resting on his back, his hands joined over his chest as if in prayer, as it was customary for believers to be laid for their final journey, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. I could see the image, but it was senseless to me. I was simply unable to realize that my friend was dead, forever out of reach. "Somewhere close but outside of Ratson, obviously," Lucifer replied, his eyes narrowed in speculation. "We met a barrier as we were about to set foot into the Hall of Will. There was a shield which forbade us to enter it directly. It must have been the Wardens' work. After all," the Fallen Angel glanced at me with an unpleasant grin on his lips, "Michael said he'd be waiting for his opponent so they could finish what was started in Zakhout." Inwardly, I shuddered while I made myself sustain Lucifer's cold, alien gaze. Fear and hatred were warring within me, sparked to life anew by the memories which had risen in the wake of the Lord of Hell's words. It took me a few seconds to get a hold of myself, and then I gave Lucifer a slow nod. "It's true he said he'd wait at the Southern Gate. Does it mean he'll really stay there?" On my left Sammael laughed, a harsh sound which was dripping with contempt and fury both. "Yes, it means exactly that. Michael challenged you and as the honorable Warrior Prince that he is, he'll expect you to take up that challenge and go to him." "Then it seems obvious we should avoid that particular Gate." Sorento interrupted in a soft voice. "But which one should we choose? If this is the place where the archangels intend to make their last stand, then certainly each entry point will be heavily guarded." "It would be so," Lucifer agreed with a smile towards the Marine Shogun, "if it was solely with Michael that we were dealing with here. Unfortunately for him," the Fallen Angel continued, a sly glint sparking in his eyes, "he must answer to Metatron, and the old cowardly fool must be ready to throw a fit by now. There's no way Michael will be given reinforcements, the Heavenly Host will be kept to guard Atsilouth and most of all the oh-so precious person of the Chancellor of Heaven." "The Northern Gate, my Lord," Belial said softly, a strange, unfathomable light shining in his eyes, "we also have something to finish there." Lucifer's eyes widened in surprise, then he gave a quiet chuckle. "Yes, of course! My thanks for reminding me. I don't think, however," the amethyst gaze suddenly grew distant and a crooked smile came to his lips while he went on, "that it'll be as easy as you seem to believe. Despite appearances nothing was determined in Livnat Hasapir." Refocusing on his surroundings, Lucifer locked his gaze with Saori-san's and Julian Solo's in turn before asking them, "Will you follow us? In the path laid before us stand war and death, but there may be a way to circumvent the worst of the confrontation." For a few seconds we faced the Fallen Ones without reacting, unsettled by the strange solemnity there had been in Lucifer's words. It was as if he had wanted to give us one last chance to step back. One last chance to save what could still be saved and go back to the world of clay we belonged to. As if there was still a way for us to stop falling down the abyss of war. Yes, we could go back and wait for death, but it was too late for that. Blood had been spilled and lives had been lost. Lucifer's question was absurd, there was only one answer we could give to it. We had reached beyond the point of no-return, and he knew it full well. "Lead the way," Julian Solo finally nodded with a small shrug. "We agreed that you'd be our guides in Heaven because you know its hidden pathways. It'd be stupid to go back on our word now." Before the echo of the host of Poseidon's voice had time to fade, the three Fallen Angels started walking away and we followed after them, surrounded by Beriyah's shining mists. After what might have been minutes or an eternity, the blinding fog of light started to lift and allowed landmarks to once again give a semblance of reality to the world. As we reached the top of a small hill, Belial lifted his right arm horizontally in a halting gesture. "We're here," the Fallen Angel whispered softly. Beside me, Shiryu froze, tensing. "This isn't possible!" He said in a hiss, "What is Livnat Hasapir doing here?" What had appeared before us was a twin of the beautiful White Tower that we knew as the Hall of Sapphire Whiteness. I stared at the fragile crystal bridge leading towards a great door in the building and wondered if I hadn't suddenly been trapped in an insane dream. As Shiryu had said, this was Livnat Hasapir, the first Celestial Hall. There was no doubting the truth of that statement. Down to the smallest detail, it was the first building we had encountered in Beriyah. "This isn't the Hall of Sapphire whiteness, even though what your eyes are showing you is true," Lucifer explained while he stepped towards the crystalline bridge, "this is Ratson, and what you see is shaped by the Will of the Northern Gate's Warden. That's what the essence of the sixth Celestial Hall is: Will. And it follows and shifts according to its guardians'." Just as the Lord of Hell was about to set foot on the bridge leading towards what looked like a White Tower but wasn't one, a myriad of particles of light rushed together, converging on a single point, and an angel materialized before us in an explosion of blinding radiance. "Go away, you may not pass beyond the Gates of Ratson. The path is closed to such as you." The solemn voice was familiar, and the hints of regrets in it had given the statement a final quality, as if it were merely the translation into words of an eternal ban set upon our souls. Slowly, the too bright light receded, and at last I managed to see again. "Well met, Gabriel." Lucifer grinned at the archangel who had appeared before us. "I was hoping you'd come and greet us before we fully stepped into your domain and forced you to commit yourself to war." Something flickered in Gabriel's grey eyes, unreadable and somber. There was a sword in the archangel's right hand, but its tip was resting against the transparent bridge of crystal. Softly, he said, "Your is a dangerous and ruthless game, Lucifer. I have no liking for what I can glimpse of it. Go," Gabriel set his gaze on us, adding in a toneless voice, "I warned you when we met in Livnat Hasapir that we'd be enemies this time." Mocking laughter abruptly interrupted the archangel. "Oh sure! Drop the grim solemnity, why don't you?" Very slowly, Gabriel turned to focus his clear gaze on Belial and with apparent calm he sustained the look in the eyes of molten fire while the Fallen Angel went on, "We told you before and you wouldn't listen, but now is the time to stop the foolishness." Mockery faded from Belial's eyes, and he let his voice drop to a low, sober whisper as he said, "You must step away from the line, it can't be held any longer. There's no other way for you but to at least let us through and to allow us to fight and bleed for your own survival since you won't turn against what Fate has dictated." A long silence followed those words, then Gabriel shook his head, a joyless smile curling up his lips. "No," he sighed, and then he repeated, "no. I hear you, Belial, I hear what lies hidden beneath your words but I won't stand aside. I know you've all kept your word as best you could, but that changes nothing. This is Ratson and you stand before the Northern Gate which is mine to defend. You may not go any further." "So be it," my brother said in a voice hollow with fury. "If you want combat, we'll be happy to oblige." With that, he set fire to his cosmo and lunged forward, hurling himself at the archangel. Ikki-niisan! A horrified voice cried out inside me. It was all happening too fast once again. There had been no time to prepare and now my brother had attacked one who seemed to be a reluctant enemy before we could move to prevent him. Hatred and fury. I knew, I had seen the terrible look in Ikki-niisan's eyes in the halls of Zakhout. "I understand grief." Gabriel had stepped aside, faster than the eye could see, and he had reached out to my brother. His left hand had closed around Ikki-niisan's arm with an iron grip, holding him immobile on a spot right before the very beginning of the crystalline bridge. "And I understand anger," the archangel continued calmly, his clear gaze set on us. There was no strain showing in his stance, as if restraining my brother was no harder than holding a young child in place. With a weary sigh, Gabriel turned towards my brother and grey eyes met the deep charcoal gaze of Ikki-niisan. Then the archangel said in a gentle, quiet voice, "I know the loss of your friend is weighing heavily upon your human heart, but it mustn't blind you. If you allow this to happen, you risk losing all that you were hoping to accomplish." In a slow, deliberate movement, Gabriel stepped back and released my brother. "Will you listen?" He asked, the tone of his voice low and intent. "Not if you want to waste our time with empty justifications," Lucifer said nastily. "Choose, Gabriel. You've just run out of shadows to hide behind. At any moment that fool Metatron might panic and do something which would seal all our Fates. Choose, now." A sad smile came to the archangel's lips and he retorted in a very quiet whisper, "It's you who are a fool, Lucifer. I am the Warden of the Northern Gate, and this is my foreordained task: to guard it against the enemies of Heaven. It's my appointed place and I cannot step away from it...I *will* not move away from it," he concluded, and something in the tone of his voice drew my attention. There had been a strange emphasis on the last sentence, as if it had had a hidden meaning. "Of course!" The Prince of Demons burst out laughing, a joyless sound which chilled the atmosphere of Beriyah. "You should have been a diplomat, Gabriel, you have the twisted mind required for the job. Very well then," Lucifer heaved out a small sigh and waved towards the bridge of crystal and the door beyond it, "We'll leave this place and allow you to remain on your imaginary line. I fear, however," Lucifer added with an unpleasant grin, "that others won't see your invisible thread and will only see you stepping to the wrong side of the abyss." That said, the Fallen Angel turned his back on Gabriel and nodded at us. "Let's go, we're wasting precious time." For a moment we didn't react, completely taken aback by the strange turn of events, but when the other two Fallen Ones followed after their Lord, we moved to do the same. "Be that as it may," Gabriel's voice suddenly rose behind us, "the only thing that matters is that I remain true to what I am. At least this way if I Fall, I'll Fall alone and I won't drag those who look to me for guidance along with me." For the time of a heartbeat, Lucifer froze. The Lord of Hell reeled, almost imperceptibly, as if he was fighting down the need to recoil from the words. As if they had struck so violently they had won through all the layers of irony and hatred surrounding his essence. The whole thing didn't last longer than a moment. Then Lucifer started walking again and said, "I heard you. I don't think that you'll be allowed to indulge in that fantasy much longer, though. Before all is done, you'll have made a choice, willing or not." Once we were out of earshot, Saori-san stopped and rested the tip of the Scepter of Nike against the insubstantial ground of Beriyah. "All right," she said quietly, "What was all that about?" Shrugging, Lucifer replied, "The northern Gate is closed to us unless we win through by force. Its guardian won't move, no matter what, so we go seek another way in." "Gabriel is a fool, but a smart one," Belial explained while Lucifer resumed his walk, "He seeks not to make a stand, but he's reluctant to bar our way. He'll stay at his watching post and fulfill his foreordained task, but that's all. We could have fought against him and then we'd have found all the other Wardens united against us to prevent us from reaching the heart of Ratson. But if we don't force him to fight, he'll remain at the northern Gate. Even if we reach inside the Hall of Will through another way. Even," the Fallen Angel had a feral smile, "if the other archangels ask him to intervene and lend them his power." "Three enemies instead of four, but still we have to win through," Shiryu said thoughtfully, "Well I suppose we can hardly ask for more." "All this is too complicated for my taste," Seiya abruptly cut in. "How can he even think he can remain neutral? Isn't he in truth betraying his own kind in choosing the way he did?" Saori-san gave my friend a slow shake of her head, and then a sad little smile came to her lips. "Gabriel wants his kind to survive. He perceives a threat in the choices of his hierarchy for some reason, and he seems to be trapped, unable to act to save his own. He's condemned to let us do what he cannot, and to hope that we won't destroy his world, I think." "My Lady," Lucifer turned towards us from the top of a nearby hill, his voice reduced to a whisper because of the distance separating him from us, "I wouldn't have been able to explain it better. Now, will you come?" As we resumed our walk, Sorento said softly, "These are terrible times, in which one is forced to become to traitor to his own kind if he is to save them." Again, time lost all meaning while we made our way through the translucent mists of Beriyah. It was as if Lucifer had indeed told us the truth when we had first stepped into the World of Creation: the closer we were coming to the source of the Light of Infinity, the more Time seemed to lose its substance to become a potential for change that one had to shape with power and will. Eventually, though, our dreamlike trek came to an end and we arrived at the Eastern Gate of Ratson. "It's so beautiful," Sorento suddenly whispered in awe. On impulse, I stopped beside the Marine Shogun and followed his pale crimson gaze. A strange feeling of wistfulness took hold of me when I laid eyes on what was set before us, and all of a sudden I realized there was an absurd lump in my throat. Absurd, because I had never even glimpsed the sight which was now offered to me. The Hall of Will was no longer a proud white tower reaching out to the sky. It was a Tree. A majestic, giant tree whose canopy of leaves and branches encompassed the universe and embraced the immensity of the heavens. The green of its myriad of leaves was a vivid one, a rich color which bespoke life and health. Joy. Magic. "The Tree of Life," Sammael whispered, and for the first time I heard something akin to reluctant respect in the taciturn Fallen Angel's voice. "Yes, but you are forever denied its bounty." In the same time that the clear voice rang in the air, the Chain came alive on my left hand and violently pulled towards a spot somewhere in front of us. Towards the center of the great Tree's roots. All at once, strangled cries of pain rose around me and I saw with horror that my companions were clutching at their Cloths, their faces ashen. Raphael! Memories of the cold, indifferent archangel abruptly leapt to the fore of my mind and I remembered how he had held Sorento's life between his fingers, as if the very heart of the Marine Shogun had been his to command. "No." In the chaos which had erupted among us, Saori-san calmly strode forward and confronted the enemy. Around her, the infinitely powerful aura of the Goddess was shining brightly, challenging the magnificence of the Tree before us. Slowly, the young woman hit Beriyah's ethereal ground with the edge of her Scepter, giving rise to a vibration not unlike the echo of faraway bells. "No," she repeated, serene, "those lives are not yours to take. The lights of human hearts no longer belong to you, Raphael, Guardian of the Tree of Life. They're mine to nurture and protect, and I won't let you have them." "Damn coward," Ikki-niisan gasped beside me, his breathing labored and his face still contorted in a grimace of pain, "can't you even face your enemy?" Suddenly, I realized that whatever had attacked him and the others had spared me. Me, Saori-san, Julian Solo and the three Fallen Ones. "Another berserker like Michael?" Raphael materialized right in front of us. The pale green eyes of the archangel were alight with a mixture of heavy contempt and irritation. "This is war, not some kind of honorable duel with its full set of stupid rules. A war," he added coldly, "that you brought with you." "Talking to him is useless!" Lucifer snarled, unfolding his wings and once again shedding his guise of Light. Around him a shadow rose, drowning the ever-present shining mists, and all at once I understood what the Lord of Hell had in mind: to attack the archangel with all he had in the hopes of overpowering him with a single attack. "Nii-san!" I called, "Seiya! Shiryu!" I felt more than saw them nod in understanding. There was no need for words between us; there hadn't been since the dark days of the Sanctuary war. Focusing inwards, I summoned the power of my constellation. In front of us, Raphael's great wings unfolded and Fire sparked to life, its source the archangel and its flames reaching beyond the sky. *Something* touched me then, an unreal net of Light which closed around me even as I was flinging myself forward. From very far away, I heard voices resounding in the air, united in a single scream if pain and shocked outrage, mine among them. On my right, Saori-san and Julian Solo fell in the same abrupt movement of oak trees uprooted by a violent storm wind. "Life is mine to shelter or rip from the hearts of all creatures, Lady of the Earth. The Light is mine to shape and caress, and it will hear me when I speak." Raphael's voice was drowned under the torrent of fear which thundered down my being, followed by a pain which had no meaning. A pain which didn't come from any physical wound but which was coming from the feeling of the Fire within as it slowly spilled away from me, burning my soul to ashes in the process. I tried to call to the high flames, but it was as if ethereal fingers were cupping the Light's core within, preventing me from reaching the essence of my own being, severing each of the fragile threads I was trying to cast towards it. Still I fought, animal instinct for survival spurring the weakening flames of my will. I fought, but it was a hopeless battle. The ethereal hand which had reached out to choke the life out of me was working with deadly speed and efficiency. As Raphael had claimed, life obeyed him, be it for healing or for killing. No! With the alien whisper came a Shadow, a dark taint which appeared at the core of my spirit. For a fraction of a second, the shining net around my heart faltered, as if Raphael's hand had released its hold ever so slightly in a reflex gesture of revulsion. Reach out to me, the alien voice said inside me, quickly! In the same time, the archangel's unreal fingers again closed around my heart. On instinct I dived inwards and reached out to the Shadow which was already flickering, about to disappear. Shedding all thoughts of doubt or fear, I plunged and gathered my whole self to beat Raphael to his goal. I won, and as I touched it, the Shadow fed the Fire within, mixing with it and the flames burnt high, their dark Light clawing at Raphael's net. All at once the trap's threadlike jaws shattered and I came back to myself. "Quickly!" A voice yelled, the same voice which had resounded inside my mind and saved me. Abruptly, I realized that I was down on my knees and that I was fighting desperately to get air inside my lungs like a man who had been about to drown. With a difficult effort of will, I forced myself to look up and I froze when I saw the scene set before my eyes. The three Fallen Angels had flung themselves at Raphael, and it seemed it was all they could do to hold the archangel, barely so. Beside me the others weren't faring much better than I was, but at least we were alive. "Quickly!" Lucifer repeated, his voice strained, "Go inside while we keep him busy. You're just hampering us, staying here!" "You can't use your full powers without hurting us," Julian Solo nodded weakly as he regained his feet, leaning against the Trident of Poseidon like an old man drained of strength. His fingers squeezed the golden metal, and the young man lifted his head, refusing the same inhuman feeling of exhaustion which was dragging me down. "Let's go," he said grimly, and started to move towards the beautiful Tree of Life in front of us. My whole body violently protested when I told it to get up, but I refused to listen. Unable to master a grimace of pain, I called to my cosmo and willed my legs to move. It was incredibly hard, but all of a sudden the flames leaked out of my heart and invaded my whole self. They flooded my being and gave it the strength it was lacking, as if they had heard and understood my body's desperate cry for help. There was no time for fear, no time for refusing what I was being offered even though I hadn't asked. I ran past the three Fallen Angels and Raphael, following after Julian Solo and Saori-san. Only distantly aware that the one who had reached out to us and saved us in the instant of death had been Lucifer. Behind Gabriel, the battle was raging. The archangel didn't need to turn around to feel the continuous explosions of light, he didn't need to lay eyes on Ratson to feel the high flames rising and intertwining themselves as they flew upwards like great dragons locked in a mortal embrace. There was pain, deep inside Gabriel's being. Pain at knowing that those who were his kin would perhaps be extinguished forever while he remained aloof. While he stood his solitary watch at the Northern Gate of the Hall of Will. It hadn't been an easy decision. Almost, Gabriel had wished that the Lord of Hell wouldn't understand his words, or if he did that he'd choose to ignore them and that he'd force the issue. Perhaps I'm indeed a coward as they believe, the archangel thought with a self-deprecating smile. Darkness. Unable to help himself, Gabriel whirled around when the sensation struck him. There, towards the East where another Gate was standing, a great Shadow had suddenly risen. The archangel shivered as he fought the almost overwhelming urge to leave his post and go to the Eastern Gate to help and defend Heaven against the defiling touch of the blackest of evils. It took all of Gabriel's formidable will to control the instinctive reaction. To stand still and watch while blackness smothered the shining mists of Beriyah. If the Fallen Ones had shed their guise of Light and revealed themselves, it meant that the opponent the strange group of mortals and demons had met had proved to be too much for the human beings. Gabriel knew the human godlings, he had read their hearts and he was aware that both of them wanted to keep the Fallen Angels' intervention to a minimum. Which suits Lucifer fine, of course. The dry irony in the stray remark wasn't lost on Gabriel. Theirs is an impossible situation which demands impossible or insane choices...like mine. With a weary sigh, the archangel tore his gaze away from the great tower that his will had shaped Ratson into. It was possible that Raphael had used all his considerable power to extinguish the fragile light of human hearts. Yes, it was possible the mortals were dead by now, with the exception of the three that Metatron wanted. The three that must be given back to the En Sof. And may the Fates help us if they're dead. It would mean that Lucifer and his minions were left free, released from the terms of their alliance with the humans. The thought of the great Lords of Hell let loose in the heart of Heaven was terrifying...and yet Gabriel couldn't move, couldn't intervene. Impossible choices, indeed. Die, or die. The third way an unlikely possibility hanging as much on human hearts' generosity, on their willingness to forgive and dare trust as on the whims of chance's winds. All of a sudden, the cold feeling of darkness tainting the atmosphere shifted. Inside. On reflex, Gabriel tensed and he forcefully unclenched the hands which had closed into tight fists at his sides. Almost in the same time, the Light beside Gabriel twirled and rippled, as if disturbed by a storm, and then it gathered into matter. "Raphael," the archangel gave a slight bow of his head, acknowledging the newcomer's presence. "They won through," Raphael spat, anger plain in the tone of his voice as well as in the way his jaw was set. "I couldn't stop them, not even by losing my own life. I almost dispatched the mortals, but one of them fought me with Fire and Shadow both...." Fire and Shadow.... Gabriel started at those words, almost imperceptibly. Yes, he would do this, but...is there a chance that what I saw was true, then? For the time of a heartbeat, the archangel closed his eyes and then he sent his thoughts away, unable to dwell on them any longer. Unable to face the pain of the terrible hope that Raphael had just sparked to life again in his heart. "Then the Fallen Ones were on me," Raphael continued, apparently unaware of the effect his words had had on Gabriel. The archangel of healing turned a baleful eye towards the Northern Gate's Warden and he added in a low whisper, "You had hidden them well. I knew of Lucifer, but I thought the two accompanying him lower demons. When they discarded your mantles of light, I saw the Prince of Darkness and two of Hell's great Lords come at me. I was lucky to hold them for as long as I did, and it was because we stand at the door of Heaven's very heart. Had things been different...." Gabriel waited while the echoes of the other archangel's furious recounting of the Eastern Gate's battle faded into silence, distantly wondering why Raphael had come to him rather than to pursue the enemy and rejoin Michael, to immediately remember who the archangel of healing was. To remember what Raphael was. Cold, bright, cruel and yet loyal in a way no mortal could have grasped. Curious, always thirsting for knowledge.... Raphael just couldn't let Gabriel stand here unchallenged, he couldn't abandon one of his kind to certain doom without at least trying to move him away from the abyss that he saw. And most of all, it was impossible for the archangel of healing to ignore a situation and a behavior that he judged to be insane. Useless, Gabriel thought with a touch of sadness and an inner smile. Then, Gabriel confronted his companion, taking in the naked anger directed towards him. A raw anger that he understood better than Raphael could ever guess. The other's wrath was fully justified, there was nothing that Gabriel could oppose to it in answer. The truth was the truth, after all. Eventually, he gave Raphael an appraisal glance and told him quietly, "You're wounded. Do you need healing?" "No," Raphael snorted. Then, for a while there was silence. Both archangels turned to face the Hall of Will and watched while a furious battle was being fought inside, its echoes shaking the very essence of Beriyah. "Michael had left the Southern Gate to stop them, and Uriel has abandoned the Western Gate as well," Raphael said at last. That only elicited a single, absent-minded nod from Gabriel. When it became clear that the other archangel wouldn't volunteer any comment of any kind, Raphael heaved out a weary sigh. "Why?" He asked, his voice carefully devoid of emotion. "Because there isn't any other way," Gabriel smiled sorrowfully, "because we are trapped by what we are, forbidden to act against the Will that shaped us ourselves. Because," the archangel added softly, his fair head bowed, "I would save my kind, even if it means allowing the enemy into the soul of our Realms and depending on trust, trust that the human heart can hold enough generosity to allow us a place in the order of things." Dry laughter filled the air in answer to Gabriel's statement, and Raphael shook his head in disbelief. "What you say is blasphemy, I won't hear you." The archangel of healing's pale green eyes suddenly locked on Gabriel's and Raphael added in deadly earnest, "The path you've set for yourself is madness. It leads to self-destruction, one way or the other. Even if the Light's Will is what you have glimpsed, still we will survive as fragments of it, at last reunited with the source of our existence." "Survive...." Gabriel let his voice trail off into silence and looked away, unwilling to show his companion the sorrow mixed with dark mirth which he knew must be shining in his gaze. To survive, yes. But as what? Parts of a whole so immense it wouldn't know them, mindless limbs of a Light which would neither acknowledge them nor care. They had achieved sentience at the dawn of time, be it by accident or by design. They were limited by the Fire which defined them, that was true. The smallest of them were barely aware of themselves, that was true also. But still, even for them, wouldn't the consequences of the Light's blind Will amount to genocide? Arrow of Light. Burning flame which pierced through all the shields to strike directly at the essence of self. Gabriel blinked, taking a step back under the violence of the perception. "Michael is calling for us," Raphael said in a soft hiss beside him. Pale green eyes again met Gabriel's grey ones, and the other archangel added in a very quiet voice, "He needs us to defend Ratson. This is the opportunity to undo some of the damage your folly caused, as well as your last chance to regain his support. Let's go." Staring at the hand Raphael had held out to him, Gabriel remembered Lucifer's words and felt a strange calm settle over him, as if he was standing in the heart of a storm. Here it comes, he thought. This is the crux. Any choice I make now will be wrong, and yet I have no other alternative but to choose. It was hard to confront that harsh truth, harder still to contemplate how his decision would affect Raphael and how the archangel of healing would react. Eventually, Gabriel faced his companion and told him, his voice steady, "You go. I'll remain at my appointed post and I'll stand watch. It's the only thing I can do. I won't argue with you or try to convince you. We all act according to our hearts, and I believe that is to be respected. We are true," Gabriel concluded softly, locking his gaze with Raphael's, "we have no other choice than to be this way. I understand this, as should you and Michael." Listen to me, Gabriel pleaded inwardly, Hear my words, hear the truth of my spirit. Don't discard me too easily, don't be too quick to judge, please. There was almost no chance for that, but still the archangel couldn't help the fervent wish from growing in his foolish heart while the echo of his words faded. Slowly, Raphael's clear eyes darkened and Gabriel made himself sustain the other's gaze while cold, icy anger and utter contempt tainted it, knowing what was coming. What *must* come, Gabriel thought sadly, there never was a chance. It was all set in the moment when you appeared beside me. The bond between Raphael and Michael was running too deep, the crimson threads joining their spirits as old as the foundation stones which had shaped the Halls of Beriyah in the damn of Time. At last, the archangel of healing nodded once, and then turned away. When the great wings spread in Raphael's back, words resounded in the air, harsh and sharp like diamonds: "You will Fall," Raphael said in a toneless voice, "Michael and Metatron will see to that. I will stand at your trial, and I will tell them all how you abandoned your kin even as they battled the Shadow. I will tell them how you deliberately gave way before Evil and allowed it to reach the heart of Heaven. Then, when all is done," the archangel added, cold fury seeping into his tone, "I will watch you Fall while Heaven is filled with your cries of despair." Gabriel staggered backwards almost imperceptibly under the raw violence in Raphael's words, but he refused to look away. In front of him, the other archangel vanished in the blink of an eye to rejoin the terrible battle which was still raging within Ratson's walls. It lasted for an eternity, the eternity of nightmares and dreams. A nightmare, horribly real, which pulled at Gabriel's heart but he remained at the Northern Gate, refusing to move. Abruptly, the Light that was Uriel shifted, and the balance of the Hall of Will trembled, its foundations faltering. Gabriel made himself deaf and blind when great Fires dwindled and winked out of existence, steeling his heart against regrets and grief. Then, in the instant that the storm of battle was at last abating, high flames abruptly rose. Furious and outraged. "Uriel!" Gabriel's eyes widened in sudden and horrified understanding. "No!" In the blink of an eye, the archangel was gone from the Northern Gate of the fifth Celestial Hall. His choice made for him. I gave way under the inhuman strength of Michael and allowed his blade to push mine down, stepping to the side in the same time. One of the great shining swords whistled when it cleaved the air less than a hair's width away from my skull. Thanks to a furious effort of will I managed to ignore the threat and instead I focused on my own blade while I slid it away from the archangel's. From very far away, I could hear the frantic beatings of my heart and feel the too rapid rhythm of my breathing. Fire was leaking from my soul, as if the flames had awareness of their own and wanted to give me their support. As if they knew how desperate the situation was. While I instinctively pivoted to avoid yet another blow, I threw a quick glance at my surroundings and felt cold hit the pit of my stomach. Raphael had joined the battle, the archangel apparently faring no worse for wear after his earlier combat against the Fallen Angels. He, Michael and Uriel, a dark and somber shape who could only evoke Death, had taken on the human part of our group while more than two scores of Wardens had encircled the three demons. It was as if the archangels had deliberately chosen to pitch themselves against us and to use lesser angels to confront the Fallen Ones. The strategy they had adopted was making sense, but in a dark sort of way. They were after us, after those who had stolen their Light when the world was young. If they could get a hold of us, they'd win. It was worth the sacrifice of the Wardens. It was worth pitching them against the great Lords of Hell if they could keep them occupied long enough for the archangels to deal with us. On the right, great Dragons rushed past me as Shiryu released the Hundred Dragons of Rozan. The terribly powerful attack thundered down Michael, giving me enough time to retreat beyond the archangel's deadly reach. Within, the high flames were pulling at me but I kept denying them, aware that without them we couldn't hope to defeat our enemies. Aware that if I used them they would engulf me and turn me into an instrument of death which would make me deaf and blind to everything that wasn't my opponent. I wouldn't feel it if my friends or my brother needed me, I wouldn't see it if a sudden threat came at them and endangered their lives. No more, I thought while I raised the sword of Hades to counter another furious attack. "What are you waiting for, Death?" Michael taunted, contempt dripping from his voice when I blocked a powerful swing of one of his twin blades. "Are you such a coward that you'll refuse to fight an opponent who's fully aware of you?" I didn't reply, focusing instead on keeping my balance while I stepped back under the archangel's assault. The anger in that question didn't make sense. It was as if Michael had been talking to someone else. To someone I am not, and never was. From the corner of an eye, I saw a tall shape collapsing to the ground at Raphael's feet and I froze. Ikki-niisan! For the time of a heartbeat, everything vanished but the sight of my brother falling in a slow motion. Horror gripped my heart and clogged my brain. It didn't last longer than a fraction of a second, but even that was too much. Abruptly, something bit into my left hip and sent white-hot waves of pain rushing down my being. Unbalanced by the excruciating sensation as well as the blow's violence, I went down with a startled cry and rolled on my right side in an instinctive reflex to protect the wound. "Shun!" The urgent shout roused me and I opened my eyes with difficulty, only dimly aware that I must have lost consciousness, if only for a brief moment. Beside me I felt the explosion of a cosmo as Shiryu called out to all te strength he had to keep Michael at bay. "Stand up and get to safety while you can I can't hold him for long," the Dragon Saint said between clenched teeth, his voice strained. Focusing on him, I saw that the Dragon Wings in his back had been cut, shredded like lace. How anything could damage a God Cloth that badly, I didn't know. Blood was oozing from long gashes in Shiryu's flanks. Damnit, no! Sending pain and weakness away, I pushed myself from the ground in time to see the Phoenix rise form his ashes, his great Wings of Fire proudly spread and beating a whirlwind of flames. A ploy, I thought distantly, but a desperate one. It was when the great bird arose from his charred remains that he was the most powerful, his strength bristling with the Fires burning at the earth's core. However, to reach that state meant dying. It meant allowing oneself to be struck down and betting on having the incredible force of will necessary to spark the Fire to life again. In the blink of an eye, the torrent of blinding flames encircled Raphael, coming from every direction at once. The archangel hissed in defiance and tried to escape, but the Phoenix didn't give his prey the smallest chance. The Wings of Fire embraced Raphael, cradling him as if he had been the great bird's hatchling, and all of a sudden the archangel cried out. Raphael screamed as he caught fire like a torch. The absolute pain distorting the beautiful, unearthly voice sent shivers down my spine, and I felt my heart wrenching in pity. Within a few seconds the fires of Hell devoured the archangel and all that was left of him was a gust of burning wind which blew over the Hall of Will for the time of a heartbeat and then was gone. "RAPHA-A-E-E-E-E-E-E-L!" The cry resounded in the halls of Ratson, the intensity of it so great that for a moment everything stopped. Time held still while emotions which had no name, too fierce and alien for the human mind to apprehend filled the air, so violent that they almost swept us away in their wake. In a slow motion, I turned towards Michael. The archangel's golden eyes were alight with madness. Turning away from us, he flung himself at my brother. On instinct, I did the same while on my left Seiya disengaged from his own battle against Uriel to come to Ikki-niisan's aid. Lightning struck and shattered the doors which were leading to the heart of the Hall of Will when Michael lifted both his swords. Out of nowhere, a wall of raw Fire rose and separated us from my brother. "Nii-san!" I didn't hear my own desperate cry. Beside me, Seiya instinctively recoiled, protecting himself from the archangel's hungry flames. There was no time to think or to consider the insanity of my actions. I knew only one thing: that Michael would kill Ikki-niisan, that he would tear him apart limb by limb if he could. Unheeding of Seiya's outstretched hand as my friend reached out to me, perhaps hoping to prevent a reaction he knew was tantamount to suicide, I flung myself into the fire. The hungry flames closed around me, ready to melt away the God Cloth that I was wearing, but I snarled at them defiantly. I was Fire as well, I was flames far wilder than they. On impulse, I called out to the Light inside my heart, and for a terrible moment it felt as if my own Fire would combine with Michael's to devour me both from without and from within. Then I won through the barrier. "Die, mortal! Die and forever be burnt by the En Sof! Your soul shall never know rest or peace!" The cold words rose in the air when I stepped into the heart of Ratson. In front of me was the pillar of pure Light which was coming from the infinity that lay beyond the first World of Heaven. The room's ground was stopping two yards away from it, giving way to the abyss which was the sacred path leading the Light through all the Realms. My brother was standing at the room's very edge, his back to the Light. For a fraction of a second, my eyes desperately sought Michael, and then I caught sight of him. The archangel had spread his wings and had left the ground. He was hovering high above us, a shining figure of wrath and vengeance. All at once, my brother's cosmo was blown away as Michael lifted his right hand and pointed the tip of one of his blades towards the pillar of Light. Then lightning struck again, and my brother staggered backwards. And he fell into the bottomless well which connected the four worlds together. "NO-O-O!" Faster than the eye could see, as swift as light, I moved. Releasing the Chain just as I went to my knees on the edge of the abyss, I gave it all the strength that I had and I focused desperately on my brother. For a brief, horrible moment, it felt as though the Chain wouldn't catch its target, then a sudden weight pulled me down as it connected and coiled up to my brother's arm. "Ikki-niisan!" I cried again, unheeding of the excruciating sensation of pain which shot through my body when my left hip hit the ground. "Hold on! I'll get you out of there!" Just as I was calling the Chain back to me, something struck me and savagely crushed me against the floor. Burning. A strangled cry escaped from my lips when the lower half of the back of my God Cloth shattered to pieces. "Leave him to his fate and face me, Death. Abandon him or be slaughtered like the vermin you truly are." The cold hatred in Michael's voice brushed past me, unheard. I wouldn't let go of my brother, no matter what. Never again, I thought dimly while I fought against the pain engulfing my being and against the overwhelming need to close my eyes and sleep. Never again would I allow anyone to die. I wouldn't let go, no matter the consequences. If I died, so be it. If the world died, so be it. "Let go, Shun! Let go of the Chain!" I smiled when I heard my brother's voice echoing in the abyss. There was a desperate anger in it, and fear as well. Fear for me. "No," I replied in a whisper so weak it was almost inaudible, "No, Ikki-niisan. Never again." Humanity could die, I didn't care anymore. It wasn't worth it if I had to sacrifice all those I loved. Nothing was worth that. Nothing. Above me, I felt Fire rising once more and I closed my eyes, gathering all the strength I had left in a desperate prayer to the Chain. "You?!" The naked fury in the startled hiss reached me, and I shockingly realized that I was still alive. A hand closed upon mine, and my brother crawled back onto the floor of the central room of Ratson. Before I could move, pain tore at my spirit with the violence of a tidal wave and blinded me for a fraction of a second. Pain, absurd and alien because it wasn't mine. Because it belonged to another. On instinct I turned around, rolling over on my right side. Before me, a great Shadow was standing, its beautiful black wings spread in a shield which was protecting both me and Ikki-nii-san from Michael's blows. I didn't wonder how he had won through the archangel's barrier of fire, I didn't even wonder why he was doing this. Numb, I stared at the protective shadow he had cast over us. "Oh sweet Goddess!" Shivering despite myself when I heard the horror mixed with pity in my brother's voice, I looked up to see a perfect circle of shining blades of pure Light hovering above Lucifer. It was as wide as the great room, a beautiful ring of flames, terrible to behold. Deep inside my mind an image formed, of inhuman judges in a tribunal from which mercy and compassion, tolerance ad understanding were banned. There were so many I couldn't count them. For a short moment, everything held still, as if Destiny was wavering between Providence and Fatality. Between Life and Death. From very far away, I noticed deep lacerating cuts in the luminous wings of night. Darkness was oozing from the wounds and dripping from the tattered remains of the once proud wings, alien blood, demon blood like Sammael's. It's his pain. I blinked. His pain that I felt. A vibration suddenly went through the myriad of ethereal swords, a humming sound which meant devouring hunger. An alien song from which my spirit shied away, unable to bear the horribly strong emotions it was carrying with it. Then, one of the blades pivoted. It angled itself so that it was pointing right towards the Fallen Angel, and hurled itself at the Lord of Hell. When it tore at Lucifer's left wing I staggered backwards, my mind reeling as pain and horror engulfed my being. Then another shining sword started moving. And another. And another. Numbly, I watched while the hatred of millions of angels struck. No. It was terrible beyond description, beyond belief. Through it all, Lucifer remained immobile, refusing to evade the cruel blows, refusing to protect himself. No. A spark came to life, deep inside the shadows of my soul. No. A cold flame which could never die once it had been sowed in a human heart. No, you can't have him. The meaningless thought echoed within and flames rose with it, as if in answer to its call. He's mine to kill. Ebony Ice met Fire, all of a sudden. Hatred washed my insignificant pain away as I remembered a promise made in the darkness of a Hall named Agony. Then Fire joyfully leapt from the confinement of my heart when I summoned it. Mine, the cold inner voice repeated. From very far away, I felt myself pushing back Ikki-niisan even as I unsheathed the great sword of Hades. Then I jumped in the air, and in my back the wings of the Kamui unfolded for the first time since its birth in the heart of Elysion. I didn't look at Lucifer when I flew past him. I didn't look at the blades of Light which kept rushing towards him in an endless torrent of hatred. Michael's pale green eyes widened in shock when he realized what was happening. Fury rose in him in a split second, unearthly and alien. A feral smile came to my lips when I lifted the great sword and swung it down in the same movement, willing the Fire that I was to give it power. Flames met flames, and for a moment it was a perfect standstill. Then I snarled at the great archangel, willingly shedding the last remnants of self and humanity, and I plunged the blade through Michael's heart. The sounds of a ragged breathing suddenly brought me back to reality. I was standing on the floor, the archangel's lifeless body lying at my feet. Blood was spreading around him in small pools of crimson red which were rapidly darkening. They had reached my feet, and tainted the Kamui's pure metal. Slowly, I shook my head, finding the recent events to be chaos and thunder, and I bit my lower lip as pain rushed back to engulf me and filled the void left by the high flames which had once again retreated in the depths of my heart. "Shun, abunai!" Just as my brother's warning registered in my brain, a shadow rose right behind me. Before I could move or even wonder at what was happening, power, dark and frightening surrounded me. Something cold cut through my back, tearing through flesh and Cloth alike as if they were one and the same. A black, curved blade accompanied by an unreal wind that I knew. That every living being knew. Death, who struck me down and hissed, furious, "So this is what you truly are. This is how you betray the trust given you!" I looked up to see a dark angel standing over me. In his hands he was holding a Scythe whose nature seemed to be that of shadows and nightmares. I looked at him, and didn't reply anything. When the weapon struck again, I closed my eyes. "Uriel, no!" The dark Scythe had stopped barely an inch away from my throat. A hand had closed around the dark angel's arm, restraining his movement. Glancing above it, I saw the tall figure of Gabriel. For a moment I simply stared at him, paralyzed, unable to understand the reality of the archangel's presence in the room. Gabriel was supposed to stand watch at the Northern Gate of the Hall of Will, it was what he had chosen to do. He had refused to commit himself in this war, so.... "Explain yourself, Gabriel, but do so quickly," the shadow named Uriel hissed. Slowly, Gabriel released his hold on the other and told him quietly, "You're too quick to judge what you see. I take no joy in Michael's or Raphael's deaths, but they chose their paths just as I chose mine. Just as you chose yours." His clear grey eyes locked on Uriel, Gabriel added softly, "Don't let yourself be blinded by regrets and grief. Look, look truly into the heart of the Fire lying at your feet. Look into the core of those flames and then make your decision." There was a long moment of silence while inhuman russet gold eyes set on me. Numbly, I stared back at the archangel. I didn't even know if I cared about what he would do. Perhaps it would be for the best if the alien Fire in my heart was extinguished in the same time as the seeds of hatred that Lucifer had sowed within me. "I see it," Uriel said at last with a heavy sigh. Shaking his head, he went on, "And I think you're mad, Gabriel." Stepping away, the dark archangel added with a joyless chuckle, "We're all of us insane, but what choice do we have?" I rested my head against the floor's stones, unable to understand the cryptic words and too exhausted to care any longer. It was hard to breathe, hard to focus on living. The pain inside me was reaching out to drown everything. I was getting cold, inexorably, and I could feel my life leaking away from me in pools of viscous warmth escaping through the deep cuts in my back and at the level of my left hip. "Here," a soft voice disturbed the darkness which was slowly closing around me. "Hold on to me." Gentle heat spread through my body, soothing the pain and shooing away the tempting lure of oblivion. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to see Gabriel bent over me. "I'm not Raphael, so this isn't as good a Healing as it could be." I blinked back tears when I heard the harshly controlled undertones of raw, alien grief in the archangel's voice. The healing went on for a long time, then all of a sudden I grew aware of presences surrounding Gabriel and I. Ikki-niisan. Saori-san. Seiya. Shiryu. Julian Solo, Sorento and even the three Fallen Angels were there. Lucifer seemed to bear with the pain of his wounds pretty well. The terrible rends in the dark wings had almost closed. "You're alive, everyone is alive," I smiled and felt tears welling in my eyes again. "We are," Saori-san replied softly, nodding. "Can you stand now? The Seventh Celestial Hall is right before us. Our goal is within reach. Soon it'll all be over and we can go back to the world we belong to." I turned my gaze inwards, and found the flames in my heart eagerly awaiting my call. I nodded, reaching out to them, and I got up from the floor. As Saori-san had said, the pillar of Light was right before us, and beyond it was the place where we could bring this war to an end. Slowly, I stepped towards what was just a single ray of the En Sof, my right hand clenched on the hilt of Hades' great sword. Small flames were leaking form the blade called Death, swirling around it in beautiful spirals of Fire.
End of Chapter 11.
Notes
For those who have seen the last episode of Shoujo Kakumei Utena: yes, the scene which made you jump is inspired from *D*A* scene in episode 39. It's one of the best anime scenes I have ever seen. It moved me like few anime scenes do. I just had to use it. You might almost say that the whole chapter was built around it; it's one of the main images around which I built the story. Chapter 11 wasn't the climax of the story, however. Only a chapter and an epilogue to go. Stay tuned! ^^
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