Jun 17, 2020
USA 1987
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USA 1987
Endgame: Band of Brothers and Sisters
((Continues from For Our Hearts)) ((Soundtrack for this is Domain of the Dragon and The Dreams)) ((Featuring characters by @celestial-opposition))
I opened my eyes and saw that there was a room surrounding me now. In front, I see Nanatsusaya and Jonah also waking up. It seems that we weren’t dazzled for too long. The last thing I remember was Shintaro trying to reach us, but he couldn’t. We were too far away.
The room itself looks quite creepy. There are 2 gargoyles, a bed, a fireplace. Some shelters and tables spread out. Lots of flowers and plants. Even the floor is made to pretend that it is a grassy field.
And sitting in an armchair, we see the Master of Ceremonies. She smiles to us, crossing her legs and putting her index finger on her chin. I ready my weapons just in case. The boys do it too. The girl doesn’t move, though. Her presence is much more peaceful than before.
“You... you came for her, right?” Her voice is different. It is soft, calm. She also speaks with an accent, different from the Eorzeans, different from the Xaelic tribes that I know... but still, different from the one before. This isn’t the same person. “I am sorry you had to go through all of this... even, not being my fault.”
“Who are you, in fact, miss?” Nanatsusaya is the first to talk, lowering his weapon. He is still on guard, however, as I can see, and Jonah is also ready to strike if she tries anything.
“My name is... Kannitha.” She holds her head, lowering her posture. “Sometimes I am able to take control of myself again. This is why I could bring you all here. I need you to save her, to save Anni. Only then you would be able to save me too.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask her. “And where are Shintaro and the others?”
“Your friend... is in another realm. For the benefit of... Mister Wise. Mister Wise was the one that trapped me inside my own body. He was the one that tried to destroy you, to prevent a prophecy to happen.” She is on the verge of tearing. She wipes them out, and then gets up, walking to the direction of a bed, shaped like Tonberry’s knives. I can see the miqo’te girl there. Jonah also notices and tries to rush to her, only to be reflected by a barrier.
“Ow! What is this... thing?” He asks, in surprise.
“Mister Wise created a barrier around her. It will also drain her energy and soul to a reliquary in another place. The same one that your friend is now.” She explains. “There is only one way to free her. You need to build a bridge.”
“Where are we?” I open my eyes.
Misaki lights her astroglobe and looks around searching for clues about our whereabouts. She sees Kakero on the floor, still alive, not harmed at all. She checks on me too and I smile to her. I have no wounds or whatever.
“This seems to be...” Kakero tries to explain. “I’ve seen this before. This is some sort of pocket dimension. Used to hide objects that are not meant to be found.”
“You say that, but considering what the Master of Ceremonies did and said, it is almost that we were invited here...” Misaki smartly remarks. I agree with her. The voidsent wanted us here. This is a prison for us now. But there is only one way to go.
“Down. I can see some stairs. But be prepared. I don’t know what we will face here.”
“A bridge?” I question the xaela woman. “You mean... a connection?”
“Yes, a connection. When you connect your souls to those of your friends, they will be back. And since Mister Wise used the reliquary to draw them, it will also break the spirit of Anni free.”
“And how are we supposed to trust you, after everything you did?” I ask her, bluntly. I am not buying this. This is probably a trap. No, I am certain that it is a trap.
“You can’t tell. I know. But isn’t it your only chance...?” She looks at us and then climbs one of the gargoyles of the room. “This is Mister Wise. He embraced me. And the other one is Juno, his master. In order to awake the true power of his master, he needs to draw upon the souls of kind people, full of life. Like a circus. He killed our old Ringmaster first, then he made me... torture every one of them, until there was nothing but empty shells. Like Marisa, the girl that used the glamour prism to become Mona Rees, and Valentia, the woman that destroyed your home.”
“And how are we going to build a bridge?” Nanatsusaya asks her, giving a vote of confidence.
“You will use my body as catalyst and as a portal. But beware. As soon as Mister Wise feels the connection, he will try to destroy your friends souls.”
“Then we are on.” Nanatsusaya grabbed my hand, making me blulsh a bit with sudden touch, and then took Jonah’s. We touch the Master of Ceremonies and start to focus on our lost companions.
“There are too many, Shin!” Kakero yells from afar, with Misaki in the middle of the way. There are lots of Voidsent trying to kill us now, but still I am sure they are preventing us to getting lower and lower. It was obviously a trap, but we had nowhere else to go. Maybe the Master of Ceremonies was down there. Maybe something else.
“I am drawing them to me, Captain! But it seems that we are on our limit!” I answer the Elezen. I can hear him battlecrying and coming like a meteor from above. He makes an explosion against the voidsent. The first wave is gone, but there are more.
“You will perish today, fools.” This voice! It is the Master of Ceremonies! But it is nothing but a big blob of darkness. Its nature seems revealed now, and if it is, we just need to dispatch it to end this. From somewhere, I hear a voice coming... it looks like...
“Len!”
“I found them.” I say it out loud and Nanatsusaya scolds me, to focus. We need to make sure this bridge will last.
“Mister... Wise... is battling them.” Kannitha warns about the fact that the monster won’t take long to notice the connection.
More of them. We are holding our grounds the best as we can, but I can see Misaki and Kakero getting tired. I swear I heard Len’s voice just now, but I lost her. I need to focus.
“You can’t get out of here. You can’t save anyone! I will be the victor! I will be my master’s consort! I am stronger as never before!” The monster yells and boasts confidence while delivering bolts of dark energy that I deflect away from Misaki and Kakero. I can now feel Len again...
“I can… feel them.” I tell my companions. “It is flowing through my body, their energies are filling me with hope, love, caring, kindness. We’ve reached the endgame. And we are not alone, my friends.”
Kakero and Misaki nods to me, agreeing. They can also feel our friends now, we have made the connection. It is time to get back.
“No... NOOOO... It is coming back!!! MISTER WISE, PLEASE, NOOO!!” Kannitha screams in pain, fear and suffering. We also can feel our friends coming back for us. Nanatsusaya breaks the chain just after Shin and the others arrive. But it was too late. ‘Mister Wise’ was back. “Hah...hahah...hihihahahah... you can’t... you... you can’t defeat me...”
“Now, Jonah! End of the line!” Nanatsusaya rallies Jonah that focus as many energy as they can on their magic crystals. Nanatsusaya points to Kannitha and didn’t listen to me when I ask to stop, because it would kill the girl. “Verflare!! Extinguishing flames!” And Jonah follows his master, also delivering a huge blow of energy.
“Verholy!! This is the Light of Justice!”
“W-what? No! You will kill her! Stop!! You will kill her!!” The monster speaks through the vessel, but the concerning tone is delivering a faulty bluff. This... this combination of purifying flames and healing light... it is really working!
“Hold a little bit more, Jonah! She is faltering!” Nanatsusaya asks his disciple.
“I...I don’t know how much longer I can... keep this up!” Jonah answers. Behind him, I can see a tall silhouette shinning in blue. It is Shintaro. He puts his hand on the shoulder of his young ex-pupil.
“Don’t ever give up, my son. As we are a band of brothers and sisters. We are always together.” And I see the holy aether of my Lord filling the whole room, a sight to behold indeed. And I see the light fading away the darkness inside the body of the girl. Breaking the barrier like it was glass. I swear I could hear the monster scream, but it was so silent, so... deafening... that only one thing remained there: the body of a young xaela woman. Breathing. I see Jonah rushing to R’anni’s side. Misaki and Shintaro holding each other in relief. And I see Nanatsusaya smiling to me, patting my head, making my heart race like never did. Kakero walks towards Kannitha to check if she is okay. But most of all...
We’ve ended this. And we survived.
Oh okay.
Well now I need a new project.
Mister Wise - I Can't Figure You Out
Great track! This is good hip hop! Taken from 'The Way of the Doh Doh' EP! Enjoy!