Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Game Master! ❯ Death to the Gods ( Chapter 28 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Death Note, or Kingdom Hearts. I also have an addiction problem to crossovers. Takahashi, Ohba, Square-Enix, and Konami have all tried to help with, no with avail.

 

“The goddess!?” Ryou, and several of the Nobodies, gasped at once. The woman, Dihanna, just smiled as she looked down at them all. Then her gaze turned to Sith. The Esper was not surprised, nor was she amused to see that the goddess had come down to meet with her. But this wasn't about amusing Sith. This was about making sure everyone here understood what was to happen, once they crossed the chambers and faced Falnika in the room beyond. Dihanna, despite the confidence she had in Sith, could not be so sure the younger woman was up to such a thing. Sith herself barely survived the realization that she had been the cause of this devastating, cruel army of darkness. What chance did the others, the mortals, have?

 

“Yes, it is I,” she replied calmly, descending from the open arch she'd flown through, “I must say, Sith, I am glad to see you alive. I wish I could have said the same for Druegh.

 

“However, such a joyous occasion must be cut short,” the goddess continued sadly, and frowned, “Falnika has not stopped her inhumane conquest, and I fear even Rath holds no control over her. Sith, you must do something before she finally taps into the trinity of our power! If ever all three of us are destroyed…” Sith nodded grimly, her eyes narrowed as she listened to Dihanna's plea. She was not surprised that Falnika had overstepped a boundary.

 

“Then the balance of power will topple entirely,” the younger Esper growled, “And the devastation will rival that of what I've caused.” Dihanna froze, looking down at the woman critically. She hadn't expected that kind of comparison; if the trinity was destroyed, Oblivion would collapse. No one, not even Sith, would survive it. She should've cared a bit more. But Sith was bitter towards her own kind, and with good reason. Dihanna shook her head.

 

“You are bitter,” the goddess said simply, but it did nothing to change Sith's cold expression, “But only to us. This saddens me. You have readily allied yourself with humans and Nobodies. And a time-keeper…”

 

“Do you blame her?” Matt cut in, and Sith glared at him. As a human, he should have understood that his insult would get him killed. But Matt was sometimes an idiot, and things like courtesy never entered his mind. He continued with, “You all kicked her out of her kingdom, banished her from her own world, and now you've sent her reeling, lord knows how many times! You're lucky you aren't dead yet!” This time, Sith hit him and Matt went flying. Frustrated, she turned back to the goddess, who seemed rather amused with Matt's outbursts. At least he wouldn't be killed yet.

  

“We've done so for a reason,” Dihanna simply said, but knew that none of them would listen to it, so she continued with, “But we offer you a chance to return.” Sith remembered Poltzghast's similar offer, and nearly scoffed. She smirked, crossing her arms.

 

“Kill Rath and I'll make up for my past mistake,” she rephrased, and Ryou saw Dihanna visibly wince at the bitterness in the younger one's voice, “How do you know I am not as bad? As far as you all are concerned, I'm already to blame for this mess.” Even Xemnas was shocked at Sith's reaction. He looked down at her with worry, fearing she was becoming too reckless with how she was treating the gods. Then again, this was Sith, and she had done stupider shit before.

 

“We do not blame you entirely,” Dihanna stated seriously, firmly, “But you must understand that you were the one left standing. What were we to think, as we saw you standing amidst the destruction of Nesce? How could we know Rath had lived? We had to let your people rest somehow!”

 

“You are nothing more than cowards who wanted to have me exiled!” Sith finally screamed, and everything fell silent at her words, “You did not even try to find the truth! Why should I even bother to help you? Is there anything left to my kingdom!?” Dihanna was clearly mortified with Sith's accusations, and she stood there, frozen in midair as she stared down at Sith. And when an answer wasn't given, Sith spat and said, “No, there isn't. It is nothing more than a rotting pile of garbage, a world with a broken heart.” Ryou was sure Dihanna would smite Sith for such harsh words, but he understood Sith's anger. They had three thousand years to grant her this sort of freedom. Why on earth did they wait so long?

 

“A broken heart like yours,” Dihanna said softly, and looked at Xemnas, “Which is why you pity the Nobodies. Because they have no heart, and you're so close to losing your own.” Xemnas said nothing, but it was clear by his expression that the goddess sensed his true purpose for allying with Sith. To turn her into a heartless. Sith glanced at him, and it was clear she knew this, too. Her lips thinned.

 

“My heart died when I had to leave Mello like that,” she said darkly, and looked down, “You have no idea how angry I was. I finally thought I found a safe place. Kira was annoying, but Mello knew how to stop him. You were the problem.” Ryou looked over at Mello. His skin had paled, and he looked away as Sith spoke. Ryou blinked; Mello was always supportive of Sith, in his own, possessive way. Something was up.

 

“We are not the ones who chose to run from our responsibility,” Dihanna reminded her sternly, and Ryou saw Sith's eyes glower, “We have been lenient. We could have killed you. Now, I see there is no reasoning with you.” Sith growled furiously, and behind her, Saix's eyes began to glow yellow - he was ready to turn berserk! But Sith held him back.

 

“Do you think I enjoyed running away!? Do you think I wanted to!?” Sith yelled, and this time, Saix had to hold her back before she actually struck, “You think I wanted to be screwed over!? Does anyone enjoy being screwed like that?” Ryou had to admit, Sith held a lot of valid points. But not one of them stuck; in the Espers' minds, Sith did this to herself. Dihanna was no exception to that thought.

 

“You acted rashly,” the goddess said to her. Sith completely lost it after that. She tore away from Saix's grip, snarling as she lunged. Saix and Zexion rushed to try to retain her, but one swipe of her tail sent them tumbling like a pack of puppies.

 

“STERBEN SIE!!” Sith screamed, and Ryou watched her fly across the chamber, each second closing the gap between herself and the goddess before her. Dihanna raised her hands; green energy was being generated between them. Ryou felt the amazing power from the goddess, and knew Sith would not survive the blast.

 

“Sith, come back!” he cried, as Matt ran over and said, “Shit, she's going too fast!”

 

“Sterben Sie, Dame Winchester,” Dihanna muttered, and before Sith even registered the words, the goddess unleashed her full might. A bolt of green energy shot out from her hands, and hit Sith dead on. Paralyzed, burned, and squarely pummeled, Sith froze for a second, an agonizingly long second, before she dropped right out of the air. She crashed onto the floor, her wings singed off and her tail twitching. Her eyes were wide open, glassy, terrified. Any tears she shed were evaporated. Ryou was about to run, but then he saw Mello was already halfway there.

 

He had never imagined Mello would be someone who could cry. Mello had always been so confident, so arrogant, and so overly insensitive. But now, he was none of that. As he ran to Sith's broken body, Ryou saw that tears had spilled like a waterfall, his good eye as glassy as Sith's, his skin as pale as a ghost as he dashed along the length of the chamber. It felt as if time had slowed, purposely to ensure he could not reach Sith before she died. He stumbled, but he barely stopped. He turned the fall into a roll, and came up directly by her side. And when he saw her, he fell right to his knees.

 

Sith was nothing more than a broken shell. Her hair, bound by a bandana that had snapped, flew wildly around her now-white face, half-covered in blood. Her clothing was stained similarly - gashes adorned her half-bare arms, and her coat was burned. Nothing even remained of her wings; even down to the stubs on her back, they had been blown clean off. And her expression… she was frozen with horror. It was a painful look, one that Ryou could not bear to see. One that Mello had seen two times too many. He grabbed her arms. Her body was already growing cold.

 

“SITH!” he screamed, his voice so broken, it was barely his, “Sith! Speak to me! Please!” He picked her up in his arms, trying desperately to tell himself she was not growing colder with every second. But he knew it was too late. Her life had ended so quickly, so unfairly. He felt Xemnas behind him, and the Nobody laid a hand on his shoulder.

 

“She is dead, friend,” he said, and Mello snarled at him. It was a feral, painful sound.

 

“She deserved to die if she dared to strike me,” Dihanna said to them both sadly, and looked down at Sith's body, “Not even a queen can command us.” Mello's eyes narrowed. Sith was Sith. No one could take her from him. Kira certainly hadn't, try as he did.

 

“You… had… no right… to KILL HER!” Mello screamed, and gave Sith's body to Xemnas as he took out a gun, “I WANT MY SITH BACK!”

 

“Mello…” That one word made Mello stop and look back. Sith wasn't dead! But she was damned close, and she looked at nothing as she spoke, “Mello… Mello… where… are… you… so… dark… Mello…” Mello froze for a long minute, trying to sort out what he should have done. Dihanna deserved to die. Dihanna broke Sith in half; on the other hand, Sith needed him right then. If he slain the goddess, he would lose Sith. And if he helped Sith, the goddess would escape.

 

Except that the goddess would not escape. Dihanna had acted too rashly, and her power alerted Falnika the moment it was unleashed. Mello had come to a decision; Sith had Ryou and Xemnas to protect her for the while. He had to take down the goddess. But right as he had come to that conclusion, he heard screaming. It was an ungodly howl, a wailing that rivaled the banshees that haunted the boundaries of hell. And when he turned, he saw that it was Dihanna. Slowly, her skin was being peeled away, revealing sinew and bone, her dress melting as quickly as her skin. Soon, her body was turned into a bloody mass of writhing tissue and muscle. And then, it vanished entirely in a flash of darkness. She was gone. And he didn't even have to waste a bullet.

 

“W-what the hell!?” he heard Kaiba ask, and looked back to see that everyone, both within the sphere, and around him, was staring at where the goddess had once been. Not even her shadow remained, nor a scrap of flesh. Nothing had been kept.

 

“She's gone?” Larxene asked, as Zexion said, “How? What form of evil was that?” Mello blinked as he looked on, trying to sort those last few seconds out. He remembered wanting to shoot the Esper for killing Sith, or nearly killing her, but he hadn't fired. No one had; Ryou and Matt were too far, and Xemnas was too concerned with Sith to strike. What did kill her?

 

“Just make sure Sith is okay,” the blonde finally said, and turned to Ryou, “Get her out of here. I'm going to figure out what the hell happened.” Unfortunately, Ryou already had his own guess. If it wasn't Sith, then there were only a few choices that could wield such raw, terrifying power. Rath, or Falnika. He knew which one had done this, too.

 

“Mello, wait,” Ryou said slowly, and for a reason Mello didn't understand, he heeded the younger man, “Don't bother. You won't find anything that'd answer the question.”

 

“Do you know something?” Mello asked him, turning and looked at him with an arched brow. Ryou didn't respond, and so Mello forcefully added, “If you do, spit it out or I'll shoot you, too.” Ryou looked up at him, and there was such a seriousness that Mello knew killing him off would be foolish. He lowered his gun, and glanced at Sith. She was alive, but she wouldn't make it. Not in this world. Not for long at all. Ryou had to make this quick.

 

“It was Rath,” Ryou told him, and Mello's eyes widened, “That was too evil, too incomprehensible to be Falnika. Rath… Rath must have known Sith was dying.” But why she was bothered by that, Ryou couldn't say. As far as he knew, Rath hated Sith. He couldn't see the point in helping her now. Like Mello, he also glanced toward Sith. Even with Rath's help, she was losing her strength. The goddess's attack had done so much more than hurt her; it was as if her age was catching again. Her eyes looked so much older than her body, an exhaustion that broke both Ryou and Mello's hearts.

 

Sith turned slowly, staring at both of them. Already, her vision was blurring. She had only a few moments to tell them what they needed to know, and then to try and escape back to recover. At the very least, she had to warn them. She had learned so much, too much, and now it was all crashing in around her. In one blow, her past sent her spiraling toward Death himself, and now she had to arm the two men she came to love the most: Ryou, her dearest friend and companion during this entire conquest, and Mello, the man who promised to protect her no matter how grisly his own fate was. She owed it to them both. But, god be damned, it hurt to even think.

 

“Ryou… listen to me,” she coughed, “These swords… they can kill Rath, but only if they have a wielder. My time is coming, or it seems to, and I cannot wield Zealacht. Please… take my sword and kill Falnika.

 

“There is something I did not tell you. Dihanna and Poltzghast do not lie. What they've said of me, all of it is true,” the older woman continued, “I am no hero, Ryou, but I know my fate is to kill my cousin, or be killed by her. Neither has happened, but I can't face her, not like this. I… I have to…” Ryou saw she was straining to finish, and not just because of the throbbing migraine she had. What she was going to say was `I have to run away.' And for Sith, that was as bad as admitting defeat. But he understood the severity of her wounds, and knew what she said of her sword was the truth. She could not possibly wield it with her injuries. But he had a sword already, and Mello couldn't use swords. Who was to be her heir?

 

“Sith, who can do it!?” he asked her quickly, knowing how little time he had, “Who can wield Zealacht in your stead?” Sith coughed, and coughed, so much that Ryou feared she was truly choking. But she came through, and with a shaking hand, pointed at Saix. Ryou turned. Saix had carried Zerrkandr for some time, so perhaps he could wield Zealacht. It made sense, almost. He was powerful enough.

 

“Sith, are you sure?” Ryou whispered. Sith nodded - she was too weak to speak now. Her tail was drooping now, and he could feel her energy drain with every second. Ryou looked up at Xemnas. The Nobody was just as concerned. Ryou bit his lip. He needed Xemnas's strength right then. But who else would be able to transport Sith so quickly?

 

“Xemnas,” Ryou began slowly, and sniffed, “Please, take Sith and bring her to my world. She'll be safe there.” Xemnas looked down, and then looked away. He knew she was important, but they had a deal. If he left, Falnika's power would be sealed, and he would get none of it.

 

“I will do it,” Aeon said, and Ryou turned suddenly, almost forgetting he had been there. Aeon had glanced down at his clock-blade, but now he was looking squarely at Ryou, his eyes blazing golden. He nodded, “I can, and I can be back quickly. But we must act. Sith is dying.”

 

“Then get moving!” Kaiba snapped over the sphere, “Hell, bring her here if you want. I don't have a medic, but I can double as one. It's better than the shit Raptor might give her, anyway, and right now, he's been appointed as lead cop, lead fireman, and lead doctor.” Ryou blinked, trying to process that. He heard the words, but in the heat of the moment, Kaiba's sarcasm fell flat. The only thing that rang true was that Kaiba offered to help her. That was all Ryou needed.

 

“I'm not sure what's happened in my world, but take Kaiba's advice,” he told Aeon firmly, “They can take care of her from there. Meanwhile, we'll go ahead and try to kill Falnika.” Aeon stared, barely conscious of the fact that Xemnas slipped Sith into his arms. He highly doubted their rag-tag team could actually stop Falnika, but Sith knew what she was doing. She had placed Saix as her heir for a reason. He had to trust that. He nodded.

 

“I'll see you all soon,” the time-keeper said, and making sure the Esper was securely in his arms, Aeon faded. Then, he was gone. And he left Ryou wondering just what they should try to do next.

 

For a while, everyone stood in silence as they considered their options. Now, all three gods of the Espers were killed, and Falnika was not too far away. From what Sith had said, killing all three would unleash a terrible power, and if they were to win, Ryou knew they'd have to be very precise and very cautious. Even though Sith left her sword for them, it was enchanted only with its wielder. In Sith's hands, it was a terribly powerful blade. But in Saix's, Ryou was not sure it could be relied upon.

 

Knowing strength alone was not on their side, Ryou called for Zexion and Mello. Defeating Falnika might only be the simple part; it'd be escaping this world alive that'd be difficult. Especially if they were expecting some superpower to come from nowhere and wipe everything out. And while Mello's knowledge bordered on killing Mystics, or just anyone in general, Zexion seemed more versed in Esper lore. He could be able to tell if Sith's warning was true, and if they could counter it.

 

All three of them sat in one corner, a box pulled over to serve as a table. Zexion had brought out all of his books, and was reading through them quickly, scanning for anything that could help them. Personally, he did not care if the humans lived, but he had delved into Sith's history, into her world, and into everything she had come from. He could not let such a catalyst like her die. And if that meant saving humans, then so be it. Finally, though, he snarled and slapped one of his books away. He couldn't find anything on the warnings Sith had given them.

 

“Damned be it, just when I need this information!” he yelled in frustration, and sighed, “I cannot begin to guess what we should be expecting.” Ryou's lips thinned. He was betting his life on Zexion's knowledge right then.

 

“That's all right. I'm not surprised,” the white-haired boy replied, and Zexion stared, “A lot of things go wrong when the Mystics are close. I'm not sure what it is, but this happened when we faced the last one. The only reason we knew what to do was because we found an old diary explaining it.” Zexion snorted, and went back to his books. That was a nice thing to wish for, but he knew a diary would do little right then. They needed knowledge, and if he couldn't remember it, he knew they were as good as dead.

 

“Go wrong?” he repeated as he read quickly, “How so?”

 

“Sith's magic was cut off a few times,” Ryou told him, and did not see that both Zexion and Xemnas were listening, “I'm not sure, but it's like they can warp reality a bit. It's happened to Sith a lot, and it happened to Aeon once.”

 

“So they're utilizing an illusion of sorts,” Zexion said quietly, and Ryou stopped. He hadn't thought of it that way, but put in perspective… that was what happened. At least, Amber had used something to that extent. It had warped in on itself, but it was a good attempt. The only downside was that time had been reversed, but that was something Sith let slide. Mainly because that sealed off her power, anyway. He looked up, and saw Zexion was grinning.

 

“…what?” Ryou asked suspiciously, not liking that grin. He'd seen it too many times in that day to trust it.

 

“I am a master of illusions,” Zexion told him darkly, and narrowed his eyes, “If they're weaving our minds so we forget certain things, perhaps I can try to sort it out.” Ryou shook his head. That would take too long, and they needed to get moving. Illusions or not, they'd faced Mystics before. What they needed was a plan, not a way to make a plan.

 

“We have to work with what we have right now,” Ryou reminded him, and Zexion frowned, “I know. It's next to nothing. But you said you've studied the Espers. What do you know? Is there anything about them we can use? What about Sith? Anything on her?” Zexion blinked for a long moment, trying to go through anything that might be what Ryou was looking for. Sith was a good place to start; if she was the reason the Mystics were even alive, then something she did would clue them in. But as far as Zexion knew, what had happened was an aftereffect. Sith had no direct involvement with it.

 

“I know that Espers rely almost solely on their magic for their livelihood,” he finally said, “Their magic is their strongest part. Without it, they're actually frail. If the Mystics are anything like them, I'd imagine it'd be the same.” Ryou considered that. Falnika had grown fond of the Light of Judgment, and he knew it was only because of that light that this world had been destroyed. Without it…

 

“So you're saying if we seal their magic, they grow weak,” Ryou concluded, and hummed, “Can we do that? More specifically, can you?” Zexion realized Ryou was speaking solely to him. He blinked.

 

“Me?” he repeated, and Ryou nodded.

 

“You say you're a master of illusion. What if you cast one to make it impossible for Falnika to use magic?” Ryou asked him. Zexion thought about it. He had never done that before, but there was no reason it should have failed. It wasn't exactly an illusion; physical illusions changed a person's appearance. What this entailed was going into a person's mind and repositioning certain waves and energy transfers. Zexion smiled. That much, he could try to do.

 

“If she is less intelligent than I am, then I can probably achieve it,” he said after a minute, “Yes… it could work. Give me ten minutes; it takes time to delve into another's mind and sort their neural passages out. But if I can, you'll know by the significant drop in energy.” Ryou smiled, knowing Zexion understood what his power was. The two nodded, and Ryou turned toward Mello. He intended to take Mello, Saix, and Xemnas up toward Falnika. The other Organization members and Matt would keep the stairs clear of anything that came to oppose them. It wasn't exactly a good plan, but Xemnas had more or less agreed when Ryou first proposed it. And by `agreed,' he basically said that as long as he got his end of the deal, he would do anything. Ryou didn't like that thought, but at least he had a loyal ally for the time being.

 

Neither Saix nor Mello held any opposition, either. Ryou let Zealacht go with a knowledge that, while Saix was clinically insane and prone to going berserk, he was more or less loyal to Sith and would help if Xemnas did so. And with Mello wielding an enchanted gun, Ryou knew now all of them had at least something to fight with. He said a quick farewell to Matt, and then he took his team up the single archway, up a flight of half-crumbled stairs. Darkness obscured it, but Ryou knew where it'd lead regardless. Either he was taking them to the very end of the tower, or he was taking them to an early grave. Neither one seemed better than the other, to be honest.

 

---

 

Falnika was not happy with what just happened. As she stood at the top of the tallest point of the tower, she realized that she was unhappy. Below, the waves of the ocean crashed against the docks, a slow, sad beat that reflected the sudden emotion clear in the Mystic's black heart. It was something she didn't quite understand; she was close to killing Sith herself, and in fact, had wanted to dearly. But with Sith dead… it wasn't the rapture she thought it'd be. It was almost as if she lost part of herself.

 

She continued looking down into the swirling, foaming sea, trying to shift through what was plaguing her heart - a part she had long since thought was dead. Was it simply because Sith had become her greatest adversary, the sole reason she continued to exist? To annihilate the old legend and place Rath on the throne? Falnika wasn't quite sure. She had never truly liked Sith; she felt the woman was often too confident and too grave to be a queen. But now that it was over, Falnika began to see that perhaps Sith had a purpose after all. Sith had a life, and with one move, Dihanna had blown it away. And that life had so little to do with them. She wasn't a threat to them.

 

“I have told you how foolish it is to battle her,” came a voice, and Falnika turned to see Rath behind her. Rath, taller then Falnika by half a foot, with gray skin and white hair, clad in a gray cloak, looked down at her sadly, almost regretfully. Then, she joined her commander and looked over the sea as well, “And now, because of your actions, she is dead.”

 

“I don't understand it,” Falnika whispered, “I hated her. I wanted her dead, like you have. Why do I feel this way?” Rath hummed as they watched the waves in silence for a moment. That was a good question, one she didn't know the answer to. For her, it was because Sith was family. Even if Sith didn't know it, Rath did. Even with their rivalry, Rath did not entirely hate Sith.

 

“Part of it is because you realized that Sith wouldn't have come after us. Not until Amber, of course, failed me so majestically,” Rath told her, and said the last part with bitterness, “It was a mistake to place her in her mother's seat.” Falnika could honestly say she agreed. She wasn't fond of Katsaiga, either, but the woman had been true to her beliefs. She had helped Sith come a long way. Amber just fooled around until it got her killed, and they were still feeling the effects of that horrible incident.

 

“So what you're saying is that I feel bad because I know this wasn't what Sith wanted to do,” Falnika said mockingly, knowing she was skating thin ice by her flat tone, and looked up at Rath, “That I feel bad because I've seen the error of our evil ways?”

 

“We are evil, but our ways are simply our own. As to your feelings, I think you understand now that Sith was not the immortal monster you wanted her to be,” Rath replied with such sincerity, that it shocked the younger Mystic, “In the end, she died because she loved humans. Mello, Aeon, Ryou, even Xemnas and the Nobodies. She preferred them over any of us.

 

“Now, then,” Rath continued, and now she looked at Falnika squarely, slyly, “The other part is because of what you've done to cope with this loss. You've absorbed Dihanna, haven't you?” Falnika's good eye widened. Such a question wasn't expected, and the move had been done so quickly, that she had been sure no one had noticed it. Then again, Rath was her leader. Rath was more powerful than all of the Mystics combined.

 

“You… you knew!?” Falnika hissed, and Rath nodded, turning back toward the sea. She hadn't come there to scold the Mystic. She had come only to warn her that her foes had grown restless and furious with Sith's departure.

 

“You would do well to be very careful with your new power, Falnika,” the older Mystic said seriously, “You have great power, and a greater responsibility for it, too. Now you must keep the trinity from being destroyed.” Falnika blinked for a long moment. It was clear she hadn't realized that flaw, for her skin paled and she began to shake. That meant she alone would be forced to return to that pocket of space, where the three gods used to sleep, when this was done. And while she could do that, she understood that her own seat within the Mystic council was in jeopardy. She shook her head.

 

“I have no choice?” she asked, almost pitifully. Rath actually felt some level of sorrow for her. Falnika had been close to her for three thousand years, and even beyond that. Now, one rash act of hatred was going to sever the two of them forever. It was sad… but it had been by Falnika's doing. If she didn't know of it, then there was still nothing to be done. Rath shook her head.

 

“I do not believe so, unless the absorption was insignificant,” Rath told her, and turned, “Take your cloak off and let me see.” Falnika blinked, and then did so. The cloak slid off, but the look on Rath's face was unmistakable; something had indeed happened.

 

“What!? What happened!?” Falnika demanded, knowing that look of terror. It was so rare for Rath to ever have it. Rath did not answer, save for conjuring a tall mirror in midair. And when it cleared, Falnika saw herself: a monster of what she had been, though her body had barely been changed. She was still beautiful, and her long hair still brown. But her skin was ghastly white, and in place of her green robes was a torn, blue dress stained with blood. White wings sprouted from her back, but as she had no wings beforehand, they were stained black with her own blood, at the roots. But what really terrified Rath was the other set of arms that came out of Falnika's back, along with the horns on her head. That was enough to tell her she had turned into a demon.

 

“You…” Rath was lost for a moment, and forced herself to become composed, “You have what you need, Falnika. All the power of the Espers are yours now.” Falnika understood that the words rang hollow in both of their ears. This only signified that Falnika was doomed now.

 

“L-lord Rath!” Falnika cried, and then shrieked when Rath began to float upwards, into the swirling mass of dark clouds, “P-please! Wait!”

 

“There is nothing I can do,” Rath said to her, and before the older woman was gone, Falnika heard the last few words clearly, no matter how distantly they were spoken, “I can only pray for a quick death to free you, for you have no idea what you've just done.” Falnika could scarcely understand. She had absorbed Dihanna only because she wanted to end this world, to kill everyone for ending Sith's life and destroying any hope they had at being free. She had no idea she would never be able to return to her world again.

 

Her life, the past three thousand years of it, flashed before Falnika as she stood there, alone. There was nothing worth it anymore. Her life had been spent hating, and plotting, and wanting to kill Sith for all of this. All of the rumors and the lies, all of the ranting Rath had done, all of the bitterness she held for the other councilmen, all of it flashed through Falnika as she stood there, trying to understand why she had chosen any of it. With nothing left, she saw why she hated Sith so much. It was not because Sith had done anything; in fact, she knew Sith had probably saved all of them by splitting the Esper race apart. It was because Sith did have things to live for, lots of things. Sith had her own life, and was happy to have it, even if it meant she was cast away for her mistakes. That had ceased to matter as much when Ryou entered her life. It had ceased to matter to her at all once Mello had come back. It was because of them that she had continued.

 

Falnika had none of that. She had no family to return to, no reason to live even after she succeeded. Katsaiga was dead, and Martus was gone. Rath couldn't help her, and she was not liked with most Mystics. She had shunned any humans near her, and had terrorized anyone associated with Sith. Falnika had no life left. Perhaps it really would have been better to let Sith kill her the first time.

 

Gripping her own arms at the futility of it all, Falnika began to cry. Any second, her time would come, and it would not be dealt by the woman who saved her life from a terrifying end, some three thousand years before. Sith had deserved to end her. Sith had deserved to live. Falnika couldn't help but cry.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

With Sith gone, Ryou forces himself to take charge and try to stop Falnika without her. With Mello, Saix, and Xemnas, he now climbs his way to the top of the tower, where Falnika is waiting. Meanwhile, Falnika herself must decide how she will fight, or if she fights at all. What was her true motive behind the fatal attack on this world, and what was the point of destroying Domino? Was it a twisted sense of sadness over Sith's disappearance beforehand? And, will Kaiba be able to even help Sith, or will the Esper die at the hands of her own kind? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!