The Final Choice

Wet, clammy cloth sticks to my ashen skin as I'm carefully lifted up another step on the stairs. My head is pounding and my ears are filled with an irritating ringing noise. I sense two people, one on either side of me, half-carrying my limp body.

"Don't worry, Seb, we're almost there. You'll be okay. You'll be fine."

"What... happened?"

I wince as the movement of my lips is harsh and dry, the skin on my face feeling as withered like the rest of me.

"Civis is dead, but... your mana burns flared up."

"How did you... put out the flames?"

I sense Vol's hesitation. It must be quite bad. Luckily, I can always count on Elizabeth's blatant honesty.

"The part of you that was covered in her blood didn't catch on fire, so..."

They drenched me in her blood. No wonder everything feels so gross. I let out a ragged breath.

I can't imagine a much worse state to be in than this. How did it get this bad? Thinking back, my injuries seem to be my own fault. My own carelessness. Maybe I just got tired of all this at some point. Or maybe I thought it didn't matter how it ended, as long as it did.

I don't know, and I guess it doesn't matter now. This is the end for me. I'm sure of it. I can barely twitch my muscles, the heat seeming to have cooked even the flesh beneath my skin.

We pass through something moist and my vision gets foggy for a moment. I'm pulled up another step and the golden light seems to dim. My headache, too, lessens. We stop. The others aren't moving, but I can feel their presence next to me. And... someone else.

Blinking hard, I manage to open my brittle eyes.

An unexpected sight greets me.

"Oh dear."

A small pavilion stands before us, resting on an underlay of opaque clouds. The figure of an adult woman hovers just above the white fog, a mild note of concern on her face. She radiates a feeling of serene kindness, her body as inviting as a mothers sweet embrace. I don't need an introduction to guess who she is.

"Coactus Risus," a bass-filled growl emanates from behind her, "State your business."

"Grott, please," Gaia says, smiling calmly, "Let our guests breathe."

The man - Grott - is large and hulking, his bulky muscles rippling across his exposed torso as he rises from a marble throne. A thick belt wraps around his middle, holding up a seemingly limitless supply of tools, as well as a ragged cloth, which covers everything down to his ankles.

"We're... terribly sorry to have interrupted your meeting, oh great Gaia," Risus says, lowering his head before them.

"You have interrupted nothing, my dear Risus. We are here to serve you. I am pleased to see that our invitation has finally seen a reply, even if the reason appears... unfortunate."

"In... vitation?"

"Indeed. We have extended the steps many times before, but none have seemed willing to ascend them."

The woman's eyes move to look at Vol and Elizabeth, still holding me up.

"I think, perhaps, you should lower your friend," Gaia says, "He looks most uncomfortable."

I see Grott's eyes flicker over to me, taking in my broken and burnt body, drenched in the blood of a lesser god. I see his sharp eyes glance to my right, then go wide with rage.

*WRACRRAAR*

I realize immediately what he must have seen, as he lets out a roar, moving in front of Gaia, as if to protect her.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, FA'LO-CROSTRA?!!" he roars, his booming voice shaking the air around us.

"Grott, please."

"WHAT?!" livid, he turns to Gaia, "DO YOU NOT SEE?!"

"I do," she smiles sadly, "Now, if you could please move aside, so I can find out why, I would be most appreciative."

His jaw clenches hard together as he grits his teeth.

"... Right," he snarls, taking a step to the side and letting Gaia move closer to us.

He sticks closely to her, his eyes locked on the sword strapped to Elizabeth's hip, smeared with the blood of the lesser gods.

Gaia looks curiously upon my crippled figure.

"If you do not mind, I would very much like to know why you have come here."

Considering the situation, she's unusually polite. Overly polite, almost, though it somehow doesn't strike me as the deceitful, manipulative kind that I'm used to from kings and nobles. And from Civis.

As I open my mouth to speak, something occurs to me. I don't know where to start. How do I explain all of... this?

"I see. I am sorry."

What? I haven't said anything yet.

Glancing tiredly up from my spot on the hovering platform, I notice a large sphere shimmering in the air in front of Gaia's nude body. Within the sphere, I can see shapes and moments that I recognize. People I used to know. Conversations I've had. Are these...

"My... memories?"

She smiles back at me.

"Yes. My apologies, but I felt that it was best to verify your story for myself. I hope that you will not take offense to this, Sebastian."

I shake my head, then groan at the pain. Unexpectedly, I hear Elizabeth speak up from next to me.

"Can you help him?"

Gaia's eyes travel smoothly over to Elizabeth's face.

"I am afraid not."

"What?? Aren't you supposed to be all-powerful gods?!" Vol asks, a tone of restrained anger in his voice.

"We are, perhaps, the closest equivalent to 'gods,' yes. However, we are merely beings, like you, harnessing the power of mana."

Gaia looks solemn.

"Believe me," she says, "If I could undo your burns, I would. But I cannot."

She sighs, "I am sorry to see what my daughter has done to you, Sebastian. We never believed that the Cyrene would take such drastic measures. I will... ensure a fitting punishment for those that remain."

She pauses, glancing at Vol, who seems hesitant to ask another question.

"You will not be punished for self-defense. If it had not been them, it would have been you. To punish such a thing would not be suitable."

Vol nods.

Risus, trembling slightly in front of the greater gods, steps forward.

"Great Gaia. This boy has suffered much pain to get here. Is there nothing you can do for him?"

"Mana burns cannot be healed..."

Gaia's glance shifts to the sphere, still shimmering beside her.

"However, there may be something else I can do."

Something solidifies within the floating globe.

"Ordinarily, I would not do this, but considering the situation, I suppose... an exception would not be out of line."

A young woman appears within the shimmering shape, a broad smile on her face. I feel my heart beat faster as I gaze into her kind eyes, my mind flooded with memories of her. After learning of Civis' lies, I had given up hope of ever seeing her again, but...

"I can bring you back to her. If, indeed, that is still your wish?"