Chapter 83: Shattering Saint Of Light

Under Finn's claws, the crystal shone brightly, prompting all his feathers to puff up in a mighty roar. His voice made my core vibrate, and Solas shook where he stood.

"I-I think the king just summoned everyone to come here," The pup informed, voice quivering as his eyes gave off a soft shimmer.

The only reason he wasn't affected was my mana, which separated him from all the others.

"Fuck!" I cursed instantly, moving towards Finn, who slammed his tail onto the ground, pulling me away.

Soren tried to get close from another angle, triggering the dragon's feathers to shimmer before erupting fire from his snout. Julian quickly came to his hero's defense while Evelyn hid behind the pillars, unable to catch her breath.

My speed wasn't enough to get me close to the crystal now that the dragon clung to it. No matter what I did, my reach was never enough. It didn't take long until a scream erupted from Evelyn from where she was hiding.

A swarm of demons had arrived. None whom I recognized, allowing me to breathe for a moment. I didn't know what to do if Rizak or any generals entered this room. My sister took no hesitation to blast the weaker demons away. However, her magic was waning.

With each blast, it took longer for her to fire the next one. Soren kept Finn's eyes locked on him as I tried to run toward the crystal. However, it wouldn't be long until I lost something irreplaceable. I didn't see when she walked in.

No, all I heard was the scream that stopped me in my tracks. Within the hoard of her kin, the little goblin was in there, trying to find me like always. My body couldn't turn fast enough as her name left my lips.

"Nyla!" I shrieked, triggering energies of magic to erupt out of me, causing a similar effect to Finn's gravity spell to come into place.

However, instead of forcing everyone to the ground, all those affected dropped to their knees as I pushed past the demons in my way. Reaching the little goblin, I quickly covered my mouth, realizing she had a gaping hole where her heart should've been.

Evelyn had blasted right through her cavity.

No… I can't… I can't…

Kneeling next to her, her little red orbs found me, triggering me to shake my head. Picking up her body from the floor, I buried my face on her chest as I grabbed onto her shaking hands.

"You should've stayed by Gael! Why didn't you stay with him?" I cried, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"S-Sylvia, I-I… I-I…" She trailed off as her lips curled upward. "I… wanted to…"

Before she could finish, her eyes lost the light, alerting me that the saint of Traedan had successfully slain her. Her body was slowly turning to ashes as I held onto her hand, not wishing to let go.

This little goblin had been searching for me to keep me safe. I clung to her, feeling a snap within me.

Enough... How many have been hurt like this? Friends, mothers, fathers… lovers… Enough… No more…

Images of everyone I had met until now rushed through me: Brie, Jack, Phoebe, the little gremlins, Gael, Vabaru, Vorex, Sebastian, Rizak, Leivara, and Astred. Not all of them were allies, yet all of them mattered in some way, and none of them deserved to die like this.

They were all real beings I met and would probably never see again if things continued as they were going.

Ah… Are all of them dying or dead? Am I going to lose everything again? All because of the selfish priestess who couldn't handle not going home. No… All because of a god who couldn't stay in place!

Finn was bleeding, but unlike Nyla, his purification took much more than a blow from my sister. To kill him, the crystal had to be destroyed.

How many more friends will I never meet because of this? Everyone who's in the village below the castle...

Another snap throbbed through me as I stood up from the first and only mother figure I had. More pulses of energy erupted from me with every step toward the crystal and her protector. The dragon had finally gripped himself enough to set me into flames. However, instead of scorching my skin, it felt more like a soothing warmth was brushing my skin.

My entire body gave off the soothing light I usually had when nesting on the bed. Shadows were also in every one of my steps, dripping down my blade and onto the floor.

Nothing else matters but stopping this madness from continuing. I… We… can't lose anyone else!

Unable to harm me with his magic, Finn launched at me from the crystal claws first. However, instead of meeting with my flesh, he froze in place. The same soft smile that had risen on Nyla's face when she saw me formed in mine.

Tears still streamed down my cheeks, "I think this is enough, Finn. It's time this all ends. There will be no more bloodshed today. I'm tired of it."

I touched his claw, which was only a few centimeters away from me, and it triggered his body to begin to shine brightly. His feathers slowly ripped from his body, shifting him back into his demi form.

All the red had turned blue when he fell knees-first onto the floor like everyone else in the room. The sudden push into sanity wasn't something easily digested for him, especially with how deep the curse had him in.

No matter how much I wanted to run to and shower him with love, I continued walking towards the crystal.

"Sylvia," Solas mumbled, ears tugged back.

"It's okay. Stay and remind him of everything." I didn't look back as I dropped my sword on the ground.

The demon King's fang had shattered, prompting it to wither away.

"I'll always love you, Sylvia!" The pup whimpered, sitting by Finn.

And I you. Thank you for being with me until now, and I'm sorry for…

I stared at the crimson crystal whose shine was nothing compared to mine. Serah's body was the same as the last I had seen her, yet her presence wasn't calling out to me like last time. Even so, I knew her soul was stuck in there.

I touched it and closed my eyes, focusing on the other soul within the chaotic gem whose hatred had caused all this. Within seconds, memories flowed through me as I finally met with the girl who caused everything. We were in an empty white space, and my hands felt like I was touching something scorching.

When this happened, she was sixteen years younger than me, and her sole goal was to make it home. Geisha was always taking care of her ailing mother, who was dying of an unknown disease. Unlike me, her family unit of two was full of love; all she wanted was to spend those last months with her—something the dreadful king exploited when she arrived in this world.

It wasn't long until she came into being, gazing at me with eyes filled with a fire I couldn't hold anymore.

You…

"What? Who are you? Are you here to hate me too? Get in line! I don't care what you think! They all deserved it!" The girl snarled, crossing her arms.

A sigh left my lips, "I won't pretend to know what you lost. Coming here was the best thing that could've happened to me."

Her eyes narrowed, glaring at me intensely. "I'm not stopping this until I go home!"

"The people who are suffering were victims along with you. They don't deserve the pain they've endured. Don't you think this is enough if this is a punishment?" I asked, shifting my gaze towards the side.

Her glance slumped to the floor, shaking her head. "This world took me from my mom! They deserve everything and much more! I won't stop until they get me home!"

Wait… You don't realize… oh… damn… I need to be careful, but at the same time, I don't have much time.

Even in this space, my hands were glowing red.

"Don't you think you've made your mom wait for you long enough?" I added, prompting her eyes to widen.

"What?" She mumbled, holding her hands together.

"You've been dead for a while now. Don't you want to start another life? One where you might meet her again or others like her?" I stepped towards the side, where the invisible walls shimmered red.

This is… the heart of the curse. Is it this girl's grudge?

"No! I want to go home! Send me home now!" she demanded.

Ah… For you, it hasn't been that long as it. How… pitiful.

It had been thousands of years since she came into this world. Perhaps before her soul went to sleep into this crystal, that was possible, but in her current time, she had nothing but bones to return to.

"Your world is long gone, along with everyone you know. Everything would've moved on without you, even if you returned to it." I informed Geisha, prompting her eyes to fill with tears.

"No! Impossible, I need to... Mom…" She trailed off, holding her hands to her chest.

Rizak, I can see why you don't blame this girl. She was just a means to an end to Ageth, much like…

Before I knew it, my arms were around the poor girl, who could barely control her emotions.

"It's time you move on, sweetheart, and go to your next life. The only thing we can do is pray that it's better than this one." I sighed, holding her close.

"That's unfair! It can't be! This… this isn't fair! He promised to send me back! He promised." She cried, holding herself to me.

Ah… I'm sorry I can't say what you want me to, but…

A soft cackle left me, "Life is unfair, and many are liars, but it's worth living."

If it had been the me who stumbled into a crystal room those months ago, I wouldn't have ever thought those words would come from me.

Death is all I sought, but now that's a distant past.

"Hey, lady, do you think I'll have another shot after everything I've done?" She mumbled, tugging slightly away from me.

With a simple exchange of words, all that anger from before vanished from her eyes. I wasn't the only one tired of everything that was happening.

Grudges are so heavy to hold, especially when there's no reason to grip them anymore.

"The gods have no right to judge you. No one does. All you were doing was trying to get home to someone you loved. I can't say I wouldn't have done it differently if I had someone waiting for me, too." I breathed, watching her pull away from me and take a few steps into our space.

Geisha shook her head before shifting her eyes towards me, "I never intended this to happen."

"I know." I noticed fractures appearing in our space, allowing miasma to come in.

The girl turned to me, and a soft smile rose on her lips. "I know they'll never forgive me, but can you tell them I'm sorry?"

"I will," I simpered, feeling my chest heavier.

Geisha's eyes shifted away from me before shaking her head. "Hm… You, too, are a liar."

She was gone before I could say anything else.

I know… I'm sorry.

"Sylvia, don't!" Serah's voice echoed in my head. "There has to be another way!"

My intrusion into the crystal had awakened her from her slumber. A soft smile rose on my lips as the gem had begun to shatter.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "This is the only way."

The only way to break the curse was to destroy the crystal, which would kill everyone within its bounds. Memories of my life flowed through me, leaving me cold where I stood. I felt the same as I did the night I was about to jump off the ledge.

Maybe… this is all a fever dream before I hit the floor, and if this is real… Well…

Taking another breath, I quickly let it go. Our surroundings shifted as I focused on absorbing the magic pushing me to break free. It was like when I was alone in the bathroom, trying to hold the shadows. However, keeping the lid on the chaotic magic within was backlashing into me.

Pulses of agony rushed over to me, causing Solas to whine loudly from behind me. It caused Finn to snap out of his daze. However, it was too late for anyone to do anything but watch. Serah's magic was unpredictable, and so was mine without the Finn's fang guiding me.

It was like two titans clashing, and changes were happening to me while it was coursing through me. Blood dripped from my hands as the skin peeled off, thanks to the energy waves erupting from the crystal, yet I wasn't backing down even if I felt like screeching in pain.

No amount of anguish was going to make me pull away from this. My body trembled as I closed my eyes, focusing on drawing everything back into me.

I… I must…

The haze that covered the world was being recalled into the source where it came from as the gem cracked with each passing second. My womb burned hotter as I used the fetus within me as a conduit to absorb Serah's magic while I withdrew the saint's curse into me.

"Sylvia, stop it! This much mana will kill you!" Serah's voice echoed within me as my lips curled upward.

I know. I can't save us all, but I can save you and the rest of Fathal.

In that instant, her image formed as she grabbed onto my right arm, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No… Sylvia! This isn't what I—" She shook her head, attempting to discourage my path. 

"It's okay; I've been on borrowed time either way," I assured her, triggering her to wince.

That's right… ever since…

My eyes snapped open as I poured my magic into the crystal, triggering it to shimmer silvery white. A sudden snap caused the bloody fog to recoil into the crystal and me—its new vessel. More cracks appeared on its surface before it gave away, shattering the gem that held everyone I loved captive.

Ah, did it—

Before that thought fully formed, a shock wave erupted as a mana surge entered the world, changing everything in its path. Serah's body fell onto the ground as I took two wobbly steps away from where the crystal was.

My breath hitched while the rest of me trembled uncontrollably. Blood dripped to the floor from my hands as the sensation of pins and needles rushed through them. My entire world spun uncontrollably as I struggled to shift my gaze to see what I had done.

However, seeing my beloved demon standing up was worth everything. For the first time since I got to Fathal, my lungs filled with clean air as the haze had finally lifted. The once-demon lord was still alive, and the other fallen ones were also getting up, revived by my healing light that echoed throughout the globe.

Nyla was among them; even soft groans came from Serah, who was returning to the living world for the first time since this happened. Her soul was more than free as her battered body was whole once again.

The bracelet that connected Finn and I had melted away with the surge of magic.

I… I'm glad this… wasn't a dream.

My body was no longer able to hold itself up as I dropped toward the floor. However, Finn caught me, pulling me into his arms before meeting with it.

"No, no! Sylvia!" His voice shook as his pupils were fully dilated.

For the first time since he had turned into a demon, his eyes filled with tears, yet all I cared about was how all the colors had returned to him and how his gaze wasn't clouded anymore.

If you're free, then everyone else is...