The Second Battle at Treno

It was just an hour after the other had left. Ralul sat at his crystal ball in a room prepared at the school. The Mist Dragon stood nearby, in a meditative sort of trance. Elvis's voice came chattering over the ball. "Architect, you ain't gonna like what we see over here, kupo. Seems like more than undead ships are being stirred up. Dragons all over the countryside are getting up in arms, uh-huh." Ralul frowned. "Grand Dragons, hm? The original children of Tiamat and Bahamut. And with Bahamut busy it's unlikely he'll be able to mitigate much of it, isn't it? Hm. I'll attempt to contact him regardless." The woman in white opened her eyes after a moment. "...They come. I will call the adventurers of the town to fight." She stood to get up and leave.

Carmilla and her Blind Guardians stood in the midst of town, setting up their instruments. Andrea spoke, ending the silence between them. "Are thou okay with this, lady Carmilla? Didn't thou wish to fight Tiamat herself?" The vampire queen smiled at her childe. "I do. And I hope before the day is through that we will. But the defense of this town comes first. We'll help set the stage for everyone else." She raised her hand and called a name. "Scarleticia, darling, it's time to draw your strings again... Unseal!" With a pop, space twisted as a beautiful, millenia-old violin materialized into existence and gently settled into her arms. "Now, let us play!" Carmilla began drawing her bow across the strings with gusto, causing a powerful melody to sweep over Treno. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN90lOxPK58

When the first of the Grand Dragons touched down in Treno, Elza was ready for them, with her bow. Mite bit tougher than chimeras or whatever sort of beast you'd see prowling the Outer Continent, but nothing she couldn't handle. She loosed arrow after arrow into the beast, nimbly evading its electric breath, sidestepping its claws. This old bow of hers had proven to be a steady friend. Damn thing had more cracks in it than dropping a sweetroll on the floor of a Qu convention. Every time, she had snapped it from drawing the string back too hard, and every time she brought it to Theta, who had repaired it despite recommending she just get a new bow. Truth is... it wasn't really sentimentality to the bow that kept her using it. More... she had just wanted to see Theta, back then. She even brought him homemade lunches at times when she didn't have the gil to spare - and later just because she felt like it. He always seemed like a bright one, even though she had once teased him by calling him a slowpoke, she was sure he'd come around soon. And did he ever. Dayum. She nocked back her bow again, though her thoughts distracted her long enough to hear a horrifying sound. ...Crrrack. And with a snap, her bow fell apart for the last time. It was there, cornered on that bridge, that Elza began to go over the list of regrets in her head... Especially those regarding... him. As the dragon pounced for the kill, however, there was the sound of a shot ringing through the air, and the beast slumped to the ground, dead. A cheerful voice called out, "You okay, Elza?" It was Savannah, carrying a rifle - that weapon Theta had invented. "Ooh... looks like your bow snapped... here, borrow mine! You really need to get with the times!" She passed the gun to the surprised woman. "Uh, thanks... but won't you...?" "I know all kinds of magic, I'll be fine. Besides, we have these on our side too!" She pulled out a whistle and tweeted it. "Come on, fellas!" A parade of golems answered the call, trudging along to once again defend the city. As they moved forward, Elza thought to herself that maybe she would have time to reverse those regrets yet.

The Renegade stepped out of his home for a moment, to retrieve the newspaper. It was dreadfully noisy today, even with the obfuscation enchantments keeping out most of the outside world. All sorts of roaring and nonsense. He glanced up to see what was making the din, and to his surprise, there was a rather enormous horde of dragons descending upon the city. He scoffed, these creatures were rather beneath him. What did they think they could accomplish? He picked up his paper and began to head in, though... something made him pause. In the distance, he heard the screams of panicked townsfolk, and the crying of a baby. It... seemed to stir something deep down, some feelings he had long buried away. Though whatever nonsense was going on would not affect him, there were people here that could die today. People who had barely even begun to experience their lives. The more he thought about it, the more this revelation seemed to shake the Immortal. His thoughts turned back to Katriene, pregnant with his own child. ...It had been ages since he last fought seriously, but perhaps he just didn't know he had a reason worth fighting for. He dropped the paper unceremoniously and began to walk into the city, casting a spell. Soon enough, his wife and a certain cactuar would join him. Meanwhile, at the gates of Treno, a rather exhausted-looking Dark Knight and his Gria companion looked up to the heavens. "And here I thought we'd be getting a bit of a rest, Alexis. ...Let's go."

Elizabeth had gotten her old friends together, just outside of Theta's house. Cirra and Gale. Already, the three could hear the beasts coming. Cirra: "Seems like we will have quite the time, ladies!" Gale snorted. "Yeah, really fantastic. Guess we should get this show on the road. Liz, the past few months as a housewife hasn't dulled your magic any, I hope." Liz poked Gale in the gut. "Just because I'm not an overachiever like you doesn't mean I'm not a master of my craft. Let's go." The three turned to leave, but a throat clearing made them pause. "I hope to hell you aren't thinking of going anywhere without us, Elizabeth." Adenine's voice called out from behind them. Turning, Liz's eyes widened as Adenine approached, leading a small army. Abigail, Dahlila, Roulette, Rita, Luna, T-33, T-69, Forafa, Medly, Myrina, and for some reason, a clean-shaven King Zephyr. Adenine smirked as they started out towards the fighting. "As Tina would say, 'Let's roll, bitches'."

Vivian and Amarant stood back to back, surrounded by Grand Dragons as well as three larger, snake-like creatures. The thug snorted as he got into stance. "When were you planning to tell everyone, anyway?" Vivian's eyes widened in shock. "W-what do you-" Amarant: "Pffft. Alright, whatever. We can play that little game. But I want to hear everything when this is over. Just focus on fighting." Two of the dragons launched out supremely hot bursts of flame that seared and scorched their skin, but they gritted their teeth, magic auras flaring up around themselves as they cried, "Return Magic!" in unison, moments before the battlefield would erupt into fire and meteors. Over the corpses of dead dragons, six teens climbed to join their mother in the plaza, followed by a Qu, late as ever. "You no leave Quina behind!" "Then stop pausing to taste every dragon, would you?" "I dunno, Bebe, they look pretty delicious to me..." "Quan have good taste!" "Ugh, shut up shut up shut uuuup! You want me to practice my new dark knight skills on you or what??"

Ayane heard the sounds of battle well beyond the confines of the school. She was staring around her room quietly, contemplating on what needed to be done. After several moments, she stood and took her broom from the wall, placed her janitor's cap on her head, and began to leave. She was barely out the door when she bumped into Millie, who was in a hurry. "Ayane! Thank goodness, there you are. The city's under attack by dragons... Come on. People are taking shelter in the school's basements, we should go as well." Ayane just shook her head and started walking, clearly not towards the shelter but towards the city. "...Ayane? ...Ayane, no." Millie started walking quickly with her. "You don't know magic, you haven't been allowed to tinker with things... you don't stand a chance out there without a weapon. And besides, you're not permitted to leave the King Estate! Come on, come with me to the shelter." Ayane shook her head again. "Millie... thank you. But... I can't just sit around and do nothing while everyone else is out there fighting. I know I've screwed up in the past, that every decision I've made has become an avalanche of fuck, but... I can't just abandon them. I've hurt them too badly to just sit by and let them bleed when I could be by their sides... If I make even -one- right decision in my entire life, let it be this. ...Besides, I'm the janitor. My job is to help clean up messes, no matter how big they get." She kept walking, Millie standing there a bit at a loss for words, but she quickly caught up. "...Alright, but I'm coming with you. I'm a Blue Mage, so I can fight. ...We'll fight together. But if you get hurt, I'm dragging you back here myself. Friends don't let friends do stupid things just because they feel bad about what they've done." At that, Ayane smiled a bit. "Okay, let's go."

Even just thinking about leaving the estate was causing the magic in her bracelet to flare up a bit, bringing thoughts of guilt to the front of her mind. She shuddered and reflexively touched her arm. It's true, this guilt of hers gnawed away at her mind, slowing her steps and caused her to falter. It tugged at her, reminding her of her past mistakes... and it scared her. Immensely. But the one thing that was even more terrifying... was the thought of one of the girls she had created, laying in the street, motionless, if she were able to help... She shuddered again and kept walking. They were in the Ice Cloister now, so maybe Millie didn't notice the shuddering as anything more than the cold. But when Ayane began to slow, then she stopped too. "...Ayane?" "It's... I-I'm okay." she responded, thinking that her friend had finally noticed. "...are you? Something strange is happening to you, though..." "What...?" Ayane came to a stop herself and stared at her skin, which was shining slightly pink. There was a distant feeling inside of her... a familiar one, that used to be comforting in the past, but now was... disturbing.

Ayane sat there for a minute, focusing herself, trying to figure out what was going on. She... could sense that awful presence inside herself again. And after she noticed it, there was something of a laugh surrounding them. 'Not so easy to rely on just yourself, is it, girl?' Millie gasped, looking around in alarm, and Ayane felt sick to her stomach. "That voice... Diabolos...? No... the Cloud of Darkness that Theta mentioned...!" She grit her teeth, trying to maintain her focus and raised her broom in defiance. "What the hell do you want with me...? I'm done with you, with being your little puppet... go away..." Millie spun around too, hands raised and ready to cast magic as well. 'Really? After all I helped you with, that's how you greet me? Shame, shame. It's really too bad, because you need me. Why not accept despair into your heart again? Allow me to fill your very being and grant you the strength you need here. You can become a hero again... Leave this earth and soar above all, even the dragons...' "I said begone!" She growled, looking around for something to see her reflection in and stopping at the front window of the diner Millie worked at. Sure enough, she was glowing purple. The Cloud of Darkness was once again trying to induce that transformation inside of herself that was essentially a borrowed tool - Trance. ...It was true, she could never achieve Trance herself. It was somewhat of a legendary power, used by great heroes, or terrible villains... But this time, the process was unwelcome. She began to claw at her own body in desperation. "No... stop. Stop it! I don't -want- your power! I don't need it!" The glowing intensified as a laughing filled the air.

Trance!

Ayane felt her body fill with energy as it changed form into the familiar dark-skinned demoness. Junctioned with Diabolos. Two demonic, batlike wings emerged from her back. Her face spread into a wide grin as she found herself staring. The creature spoke with her own mouth, engaging her in conversation via her own reflection. Millie whirled at Ayane, but stood there, unable to hurt her friend. "There we are. Not so bad, is it? These beautiful, shining wings? What's the matter, dear? You seem to be terrified. Isn't this what you wanted? To have the power to save all of them, to be forgiven, and become their hero again? Or did you really wish to soldier on in this joke of a punishment, letting Theta think for you?" Ayane grit her teeth, and found she could still somewhat control herself. "What, letting -you- think for me is any better? We saw where that ended up. I'm not going back to that time! I've learned from my mistakes... I really have! And I intend to repent for them, whether I'm forgiven or not!" "...what?" "That's right, I don't need to be forgiven..." she said, softly. "It's... nice, it really is. But if I only strive to make up for my misdeeds because I want to be forgiven... how selfish is that?! I want to make up for what I did because it was wrong, because they -deserve- better than what I gave them! Not so they'll treat me nicely again... I'm not that vain anymore. I'm not a hero... I'm not a villain, either. I'm just the fucking janitor! And you know what? That's alright with me!" Struggling, she reached back and took hold of her wings. "And you can take these wings of yours and shove them! I'm never going to soar above anyone, ever again! I'll fight by their side instead!" And taking a deep breath, she pulled with all her might, ripping the wings off of herself. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH!" Ayane wasn't sure if it was Diabolos screaming, herself, or both. It was intensely painful, these wings were as real as any part of herself, during Trance. But... it seemed to do the trick. They evaporated into motes of light... and the light around herself faded with it, transforming her back into normal. She breathed a sigh of relief. Millie rushed to Ayane's side. "Ayane... are you okay?? Geez, that looked painful..."

"...You ungrateful little whore." came the voice again, this time, from several meters to her right. The motes of light drew to that spot, quickly becoming clouds of darkness as a female demon materialized in the air, hovering. "You have wholly rejected me? You dare to? Fine. I will show you the true depths of despair, as I make you into my host like I did Diabolos!" Ayane turned slowly towards the demon, raising her broom, which elicited a bit of a laugh. Millie turned too, and raised her hands to cast a spell. "What do you think you can do with that? You fool." Rushing forward, the demon knocked Millie aside easily, through the front of the diner window, the glass shattering as her body was suddenly a torn and ragged thing, tumbling onto the floor. She then slashed her claws into Ayane, easily breaking the broom and ripping her janitor outfit apart. The force of the blow sent the genome flying and tumbling through the air, rolling roughly across the ground. 'Diabolos' was on her in second, beginning to tear into her with her claws. "And after this I will infect each and every one of the ones you hold dear with everlasting despair!" Ayane was in pain, but more than that she was scared. Not for herself, but for everyone she was letting down - Her eyes focused on the broken diner window, and though she couldn't see Millie from her... She was so scared... She... honestly didn't know what she could do. She limply tried to bat the demoness away, to no avail. The pain... it all hurt so much... and more than anything... the guilt she felt at failing everyone, the terror she felt at Millie being.. for her sake... oh god... ...What could she do? She couldn't do everything herself... Hell, she could hardly do most things herself. she'd realized that after Theta's triumphs and her failures. So... as she began to lose consciousness, she did something that before, in her vanity, she never would have. "...H-help... Please... someone... if you can hear my voice... please help us..." she coughed. And in that moment, a voice spoke to her. Strong, feminine, kind. "You are not alone, my child. I am here for you." A beam of light rained from the heavens, striking the demon and sending her flying off of Ayane. The Genome looked blearily around for the source of the voice, but found none. "Who...? Where...?" "Sssh. Concentrate." The voice cooed. "Think for a moment, on the lives you created, that live happily in this city. How far are you willing to go to protect them...?" Ayane was woozy, but she stammered out. "I would die, if need be..." The voice chided her. "They do not need a martyr. They need a friend. Do not die for them. Live for them instead. Deep within yourself... and within the connection you share to each of them, sleeps a power. Draw upon it now."

Ayane thought for several moments, about each and every girl. The lives they lead then, the lives they lead now. How much happier they were... She began to weep as she recalled the pain she had caused every single one. The hot tears streamed down her face as she looked at Millie's unmoving form, and the pain this creature caused to her. And in that moment of sorrow and remorse, she felt something deep inside swell up, like a balloon about to burst. And in a single, white hot second of intensity, she imagined poking it with a pin. Immediately, that energy 'burst' and filled her body as her wounds began to heal, her body glowing intensely again, with purple light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8sU4aBPWIw

~Trance: Anima~

The area around herself and the demon faded away, replaced by a large courtroom, in which a jury bench started as normal but spiraled around the room and climbed impossibly high, filling the area with one thousand and one jurors, dark shadows with yellow eyes, under pointy hats. A robed judge sat quietly at the judge's bench, the official's robes obscuring their features, but the long blonde hair and masculine posture suggested a possibility. Diabolos looked around in wonder at it all. "What is... this?" One by one, each juror-mage began to announced a verdict. "Guilty. "Guilty." "Guilty!" "Guilty." Hundreds of voices, speaking in layers that ended in a crescendo with the judge banging the gavel. "Guilty." came the judge's voice, familiar, masculine and restained - certainly Theta's. And all at once, chains begin to erupt from each mage, engulfing Ayane. Binding her body, her legs, her neck. The chains pulled, and her arms slammed to her chest, crossed, and bound to her. A half-helmet lowered from the air onto her head, covering her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. A thousand and one padlocks materialized on the links of these chains. "Yes... I'm guilty." she said softly. "And I will serve as I need..." As she spoke, two of the mages, next to each other, #1 and #1001, materialized into Crystal and Millie, respectively, who smiled and pointed beams of light that shattered two of the locks.

Ayane continued. "...These chains are the guilt that I bear, weighted with my sins. I'll bear them gladly, until I compensate for all the pain and misery I've caused... Until then... let me share our pain with you..." She cried out in anguish, releasing a shockwave that rocked Diabolos with massive pain - far more than just physical wounds, but emotional ones. The demon put her hands over her ears as Ayane screamed again, flesh rending from the creature's body, black blood oozing out. "Stop...!" The demon was overwhelmed by emotions she couldn't comprehend - despair was one thing, but guilt? Sorrow? Remorse? These things were... completely alien to her. "I will not stop..." Ayane said softly, steaming tears still running down her face. "Not even when these chains are lifted from me. I will devote my entire life if need be, and live for them! It's the least I can do after all I've done... Now, begone foul creature, and don't darken our lives again." Ayane shrugged and several of the chains lashed out at Diabolos, tugging at her form and starting to drag her down, pinning her to the floor. They began burning with a white-hot heat, before pulling the demon's body apart entirely. It evaporated into a black cloud as the trance faded, leaving Ayane, once again just a janitor, panting heavily on the ground. The black cloud hovered nearby, and her voice could be heard, crying in anguish. "I am defeated a second time by mortals??? What is this?! Is despair truly that weak? No... no... no!!! I need to feed on desperation... I will return! Who is the most full of despair in the world at present...? ...Tiamat? How low we have sunk. But it will have to do..." The cloud started to float away, but something popped into existence nearby.

A small oil lamp, marked with ancient letters, glowing with a dark aura. It turned toward the cloud and began drawing some of its essence inside. "W-what? The lamp of Diabolos?? But how-? HRGH... Fine, I will release my host!" The cloud seemed to separate with the essence being drawn into the lamp, and a demon, male, exhausted, could be seen briefly before being sucked into the lamp. Then the cloud evaporated into the air, gone. That kind, feminine voice spoke up again. "The lamp... well that was serendipity, wasn't it?" Ayane whirled, to see Eden picking the object up and tucked it away. "Welcome back, old friend. Now then..." she turned towards Ayane, who stared at her, and perhaps past her, where... a healed Millie was painfully limping out of the diner. The woman must have helped her during her Trance. "You're... Eden." Ayane stammered. The guardian force smiled. "I am. And you did wonderfully. Even if you drew on the more... negative emotions, that power you used was born of your bond with others. I'm impressed." Ayane looked down, tears rolling down her face. "I... couldn't have done it without your help and encouragement... thank you..." Eden walked over and gave her a hug. "Sssh. Ssh." Ayane buried her head in the woman's arms as Millie watched this scene silently, but she said, quietly,  "I don't deserve your kindness... my sins are so heavy..." Eden responded, "And they will not go away for as long as you live. But I believe you are strong enough to go and make this world a better place. Should you wish to try..." She patted the genome on the back and stepped away. Ayane looked up, almost hopeful. "What must I do?" "You must be what they need. A refuge when they are feeling down. Someone they came come back to and confide in. A nurturer, for them and their loved ones. A teacher, to learn from your mistakes. As long as it is to the benefit of someone and not to the detriment of another, you must try, for them. You must protect them in their moments of weakness, provide in their times of need. Be as their guardian force, because you truly are someone who cares about nurturing others and safeguarding their lives. Even if it's as simple as lending an ear when they need it... be there for them." Ayane nodded. "I will, but... it might be overstepping my bounds as janitor..." Eden shook her head. "I am not superceding Theta's punishment or going behind his back. I am merely offering my advice to you. You would be surprised how little it takes to make a difference in the lives of others. Work on this during your free time. Besides, you've actually already made a good start with your friend Millie, and Crystal." She smiled, but then that smile faded as she looked on Ayane and Millie. "In the meantime, I think we should speak before you take another step." Ayane winced. She knew what was coming. Millie moved to Ayane's side and hung her head.

Eden switched from the posture of a caring, nuturing mother to that of a stern, guiding one. "You intended to leave the estate, didn't you?" she asked. Or rather... Ayane realized it wasn't so much of a question as a statement that she expected an explanation for from Ayane. The janitor... slowly nodded her head. "...they're all out there, fighting for us... I... I know I would be more severely punished, but...even then... I don't think it's right to just not do anything..." Eden's expression remained firm, but it also softened a bit. "I understand your feelings, my child, but somethings those thoughts can cloud our better judgement. If you were to leave the estate, it wouldn't just be you that would be hurt further. ...I am supposed to be your warden. Keeping you here is part of my responsibilities, you understand? And while this isn't a matter of pride... as a guardian force for Treno, the people cannot rely on me if I fail in my important duties. Even not considering this... Theta made binding promises with heads of state that you would remain here... you leaving, even for an hour, would jeopardize his work in trying to rehabilitate you. You understand, Ayane? He could have put you in an actual prison, but he decided to try and have some faith in you by giving you some freedom and autonomy. He put his own reputation on the line because of that. And leaving would betray the trust of both of us, understand?" Ayane was a bit stunned. ...It was true, she hadn't considered the full ramifications of that. It wasn't just her being further punished, it was also about making Eden and Theta looking like idiots and betraying all the trust and hard work that had been put into keeping her here. She shivered as that sunk in. She had come extremely close to making another terrible mistake. "I-I'm sorry... Eden. I apologize." she hung her head along with Millie in shame. "I'll... return to my room immediately and trouble you no more..." She turned to go, but Eden's hand rest on her shoulder to stop her.

"Wait." Eden called softly. "I see the extent of your feelings. You truly wish to help the others, this was not a gesture that was to be made for your own benefit. ...Though I cannot permit you to leave, I will permit you to fight. But there are rules and conditions." Ayane listened intently, not expecting this. Eden continued. "You must stay within the borders of the school at all times, like normal. But I will permit you to bear a weapon to defend the area with. I can't stay here, after all... my help is needed out there, as well. But those who are talking shelter here must still be protected. All of the girls aren't out there fighting, of course. Many decided to go down paths in life that involved no arts of magic or self defense. Stay here in my stead, and defend those taking refuge here. If you accept, then give me your hand."

Ayane obeyed as Eden took it. Energy flowed into Ayane's right hand. It felt... extremely warm. From the bracelet Theta had fashioned, heading upwards, a metal gauntlet appeared on her hand, emblazoned with a symbol that mirrored the one on Theta's left hand. "With this, I will be with you. Watching you. Making sure you do not overstep your bounds. Guiding you at times, as well. And..." with a little effort, a knife appeared within Ayane's gloved hand. "...here is your weapon, sealed within the gauntlet, that may only be used with my approval. It will change form as you repent for your actions. Neither the gauntlet nor the blade will be able to harm another if I do not wish it to be so - that is my safeguard. And if you wish, you may speak to me through this to see how the battle beyond these borders is going. I'm sure that will grant you some peace of mind." she smiled. Ayane nodded, a lump forming in her throat as she felt a wide range of emotions, gratitude not the least, and she started to leave with her friend to head towards the shelters. Eden stopped Millie as they were going, however, and spoke gently to her. "We will have to discuss your responsibility as her friend later as well." Millie gulped and nodded, before following Ayane.