Chapter Forty-Three: Those Chosen by Destiny

 

Domino's POV

I rolled with my landing as I dived to my left, a tendril of energy snaking across the crystal floor to my right.

"You don't know the gift I gave you Yugami...my precious daughter."

I stood up to my full height, flinging a fireball at Lawrence as I did.

"I am NOT your daughter!!"

Lawrence brushed the fireball aside as if it was nothing.

"Stupid child, cease your struggling and join me to rule this universe. Nothing can stop me; nothing can stop Neo-Lawrence. With the power of the crystal world behind me, I am God!!"

I sneered and crouched in a fighting stance.

"I don't believe in a God."

Lawrence glanced at me as if I was nothing and shrugged slowly.

"Belief is not a requirement for service...obedience is."

"Go to hell Lawrence!!"

He laughed, so loudly that I thought my eardrums would burst with the sound of it, I put my hands over my ears but it seemed nothing would shut out that laughter. So distracted was I that I never saw the energy blast until it ripped though my body and flung me end over end to the other side of the arena. I slid to a halt, my breath ragged, my body battered and bruised and my clothing torn and shredded...but I was still defiant.

Back flipping myself to my feet I tried to focus my energy into attaining Phoenix trance, the only way I knew I could stand a chance of beating Lawrence.

I could feel a change in the air around me and the wind began to ease suddenly, my hair falling back down across my eyes, I brushed it irritably to one side.

"Can you feel it Yugami? The creation of a new universe! Nothing can stop this! Eternity awaits us all!!"

Above us in the centre of the spiralling clouds was a small black sphere which crackled with dark energy. I realised with horror what I was witnessing, the birth of Lawrence's universe! As I stared at it I could see it expanding, slowly but inexorably.

Time had run out.

I looked back at Lawrence, saw him still staring at his new creation and realised that now was my chance. I began to run at him, summoning the Phoenix powers from within as I did, I felt my wings and tail blossom into existence as I ran and I began to summon my greatest attack, Ultima Flare. Lawrence must have heard me start running as he slowly looked back down at me, but it was too late for him, as I unleashed Ultima Flare. Purple tentacles of energy snaked out from the aura surrounding my body and flung themselves towards him. Lawrence saw the attack coming and tried to prepare some kind of defence but the attack reached him before the defence work was complete.

He was blown backwards along the arena, sliding across the floor but still somehow retaining his posture, not being knocked down like I thought he would be. I could see that the attack had done significant damage...but not enough.

Now he was angry.

"How dare you strike me so Phoenix! I will make you pay! I will set every bone in your body alight! Your Phoenix may be eternal Yugami...but your life is not!"

The first energy attack struck me firmly in the chest and I flew backwards, but using my wings I was able to stay standing, however the next lightning-like bolt of red energy struck me firmly in the back, sending me sprawling on the floor again, I rolled over on my back, saw the beginnings of the last energy bolt which if it didn't kill me would seriously wound me.

The floor shook slightly, I felt the tremors through my back and I looked down towards my feet and across the floor, a couple of yards away the floor suddenly glowed a bright white and exploded upwards, the shards of crystal flung high into the sky where they were slowly sucked into the newly forming universe.

Two shapes emerged from the explosion and hovered in the air, I blinked and rubbed my eyes as my vision cleared and I made out just what the shapes were.

To the left...my husband...to the right...my former self.

 

Thunderchild's POV

It looked like we were in the nick of time; I saw Domino sprawled out on the floor and Lawrence charging up some kind of energy force. Jara flew forward and landed on Domino, shielding her with her wings so that when the energy beam did strike it didn't do any damage to her. Jara was visibly hurt by the force though but stood up and allowed Domino to get to her feet. Lawrence looked surprised by this turn of events.

"Two...two of you." he stammered, his voice echoing around the silent arena. I looked up and saw a black sphere hovering above us, raising an eyebrow and wondering what the hell was going on up there I forced myself to bring my gaze back down and focus on the battle at hand.

"You didn't think we'd let you get away with this, did you Lawrence?" asked Jara as she walked back to my side.

"You are too late Miss Gedyen...the wheels have been set in motion!" said Lawrence, indicating above us, I looked up and saw only the black sphere, and then it fell into place.

"Oh dear god...that's his new universe!!"

Domino ran in between me and Jara so that she was flanked either side by us.

"Let's finish this!" she vowed, a grim look of determination on her face.

"I can't argue with that!" agreed Jara.

I simply nodded, knowing how quickly time was running out.

 

Zidane's POV

"I can't just sit here, knowing that they are fighting for their lives out there." I said, kicking the control panel.

"We can't do anything else, you heard what Thunderchild said." replied Mikoto from where she sat, cross-legged, on the floor next to the view screen.

"Ya know...I'm getting mighty sick of just following his orders...for all we know the guy might be about to go and join Lawrence!"

"I think that is highly unlikely." muttered Rhiana.

"I don't really care what you think!!" I yelled, still highly distrustful of her and her so-called brother who was deep in discussion with Kuja over in the corner of the bridge.

There was a silence which seemed to drag on for a small eternity during which Rhiana turned her back on me and began staring out of the view screen. I growled gently in the back of my throat and leant against the console. After a small while, Kuja and Ilvian walked across to me.

"We've been talking...and we happen to agree with what you've said."

"Are you completely mad!!?" yelled Rhiana.

Kuja shook his head.

"I have stood by for too long in this lifetime and let everyone else do the work...I am prepared to fight for my freedom, prepared to fight to save my soul."

Ilvian nodded in agreement.

"I've fought for the wrong side for too long...I'm going to put that right."

I smiled, and put my hand on Kuja's shoulder.

"I always knew that you could come round Kuja...I always believed in you...brother."

 

Kuja's POV

The feel of Zidane's hand on my shoulder gave me strength, and brought back a flood of memories.

Shaking my head in wonder as I first saw those who would oppose me, Zidane, Vivi, Freya and that strange Quina.

Gloating on the back of a Silver Dragon as Bahamut turned against its summoner, Queen Brahne...chuckling with unrepressed glee as the small naval fleet of Alexandria was blown to smithereens in the shadow of the Iifa tree.

Being caught by surprise by the ferocity of the Invincibles attack as my attempt to capture the eidolon Alexander went disastrously wrong, courtesy of that meddling android Garland.

Discovering the power of trance for the first time and levelling the city the genomes had built on Terra in a wanton display of power.

Finally facing Zidane and his companions in the Crystal World, in my bid to destroy all life, simply because I was doomed to lead the life of a mortal...to grow old and die...to die when Zidane had matured...

And finally facing death itself in the bowels of the Iifa tree, with Zidane by my side as the roots of the tree sealed us in...leaving us to our fate.

Then...

 

"Zidane...I'm scared."

"Don't worry Kuja...I'll get us out of here."

Kuja shook his head, concern for his brother showing in his face.

"No...You get out of here...I wouldn't make the trip."

Zidane smacked his fists on the side of Kujas leafy resting place.

"You're not gonna die Kuja!!"

"There's no way out...the roots have sealed the upper entrance."

Zidane looked up at where only minutes before there had been a way out to the surface...now it was clammed shut, blocked by a mass of writhing roots.

"Perhaps there's a way out at the bottom...failing that we'll blast a way out!"

Kuja laughed and then doubled over coughing.

"I couldn't cast a weak fire spell...let alone something to blast our way out of here."

Zidane felt so hopeless, he had risked his life to come back here to save his brother...only to find that there was no way to save Kuja or himself, would he ever see Dagger again? Or would he be condemned to spend the rest of his life, trapped inside this warped tree...he remembered the zombies he had fought the first time he was here and wondered if he too would become a zombie at some point...doomed to spend eternity in restless torment.

No...There had to be another way...and yet, he could see quite clearly there wasn't...he didn't want to tell Kuja, but during his unceremonious entrance and arrival at the floor of the organic cavern he hadn't seen any other entrance or exit...they were very much trapped.

Kuja noticed a light out of the corner of his eye.

"Is that you Zidane?"

"No...I don't know what it is..."

Kuja turned his head slowly to see what was making the light and saw a portal slowly open up in front of them. Slowly, almost as if it was afraid, a tendril of light emerged from within the main bright white glow and slowly snaked its way forward, Zidane quickly backed away from it.

More tendrils joined it until there was a writhing mass just outside the glow, and suddenly the mass of white tentacles became a naked female body with bright golden hair hanging down to the back of her knees, she positively glowed with energy and Kuja was reminded of the angels Lawrence had nicknamed the genomes after.

Her eyes fluttered open and her golden eyes took in her surroundings.

"Do not be alarmed...I come not to hurt you." she intoned, her voice sounding like the sigh of the wind through the trees on an autumn day.

"Who are you...What are you?" stammered Zidane.

"My name is," she paused, as if trying to remember it "Elora. I am a watcher."

"A watcher?"

She nodded slowly.

"We watch over the story of the universe, make sure that it runs smoothly."

Kuja blinked, if what she was saying was right then that made her...

"You're a goddess?" he asked.

She smiled and spread her arms wide.

"That is open to interpretation...but suffice to say I make things happen."

"Why have you come here?" Kuja asked.

"I am here because your stories have not ended yet."

"We live?"

She didn't answer but opened her hands to the heavens and brought down a strange blue mist upon them, Kuja lost sight of Zidane, lost sight of everything except the Watcher.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"You wished for a chance to put right the wrongs you have recently committed?" she asked.

"That's right." he had desperately wished so.

She spoke quickly now, almost as though she wished to say something before she was silenced.

"Then let me tell you this Kuja...when you awaken, you will have no memory of this meeting until the time it is needed. You have one chance to even out the odds...although you can't cheat fate. History shows that you died in the Iifa tree Kuja...we plan to bend history a little. If all goes to plan, you will save not only Gaia...but the entire universe itself. You will know when the time is right Kuja..."

His eyes had shut, as though they were no longer under his control, and when he was able to open them again, he lay exposed to the sun in Madain Sari.

 

I blinked; all of these memories had come quickly, as parts of my brain which hadn't been accessible before fired up into full use.

"This must be the time." I said suddenly, confusing the heck out of Zidane.

"This must what?"

"Zidane...listen to me, and listen to me carefully. We have to act quickly..."

 

Thunderchild's POV

Myself and Jara channelled a flow of energy in front of Domino so she could add her Ultima blast to it, her attack was refined and enhanced by Jara and I's energy beam causing it to increase in power at least twenty fold, smashing its way into Neo-Lawrence and causing huge amounts of damage.

"NOO!!!" he roared, anger flowing from his veins, a red haze surrounded his body and attempted to deflect our blows but there was little point, the battle had swung quite thoroughly in our favour and Neo-Lawrence knew it.

"I am eternal!! I cannot be defeated!! If I die then the universe dies with me!"

"The universe shall live Lawrence!! OUR universe will live! Your sickened and twisted reality will never be, neither shall you!" yelled Domino, sweat pouring from her as she panted with the exertion of the battle. I know that Jara was in a similar state and I imagined I was, but I couldn't feel it, not through the power pumping in my veins.

We sent another channelled Ultima blast at Lawrence who staggered and stepped backwards, he now stood perilously close to the edge of the tower, the multi-coloured clouds swirling about us as they were slowly sucked up into the proto-universe forming above us. In fact, I could see cracks beginning to emerge around the tower as the gravity waves from the new universe affected it. Soon, everything would be sucked in and rewritten and Lawrence would have won.

Gritting my teeth I focused a strong wave of fire which swept across the floor to Lawrence like a liquid and engulfed him, making him stagger back further. The ground beneath him crumbled slightly, I looked at Domino, saw that she had noticed it too. An opportunity had arisen, I saw her begin to run forward so I distracted Lawrence with a lightning blast, but he ignored me, focusing instead on Domino.

 

Domino's POV

Each foot fall seemed to echo across the arena as I ran all out towards Lawrence, my katana drawn and angled at his heart, all of my energy and spirit focused into one blow which I hoped would change the course of the battle, perhaps even win it. I could see that Lawrence was expecting me, his hand rose up to deflect my blow with an energy beam but I carried on regardless, knocking his hand to one side with my shoulder and bringing the blade down point first on his chest.

There was resistance at first, an energy shield enveloped his body, shimmering and sparking around my blade but slowly the shield gave in and the katana pierced his skin and plunged deep into his heart. Lawrence roared with anger and staggered, falling down on one knee.

"Now! Jara! Thunderchild!! Finish him off!!" I yelled, somersaulting backwards.

Twin energy blasts snaked past me from either side and struck Lawrence, knocking him over. He sat, blood pouring from his open wound, just inches from the edge of the infinite drop into oblivion. I walked across to him and grabbed his neck, lifting him up into the air. He seemed so weak and frail now.

"See...when it all comes down to it Lawrence...you're as mortal as we are...and now you're going to die." I hissed at him, my eyes narrowed as I dangled him over the edge. I stared my tormentor in the eye for the first time, the last time, and I saw no fear, I saw anger, pain and resignation...but I saw no fear.

"I may be mortal Yugami...but, so are you. Mark my words, and mark them well, there will come a time in your life when you will wish for the order I could have given you...when everyone around you will bring you nothing but pain. You're not like them Yugami, not like them at all...and you'll never fit in."

I blinked, pain entering my heart, for what he had said was true, I wasn't like them, I never could fit in....but then a resolve overtook me, I would try! I would die trying!!

I pulled the katana out of his heart and swung round quickly and viciously, there was a flurry of blood and his head fell slowly off his body, falling backwards and down into the abyss, there was a flash of light from his left hand, a last minute energy discharge I presumed, it flickered past me and went out of view, but I ignored it.

Then, slowly but surely, the rest of Lawrence followed his head, falling down until it was out of view.

I breathed a sigh of relief, that was it, there was no way he could come back from that, I had won...at last I had broken free of my tyrannical dictator of a creator, and my life could begin again. I heard something strange over the din of the proto-universe.

I heard sobbing.

I turned around...

 

Thunderchild's POV

For me, it all happened in slow motion. I saw Domino holding Lawrence over the edge, and my heart felt elation, for finally she was getting her vengeance.

Jara turned to me, her back to the action and smiled.

"Looks like Domino is finally getting her own back." she said.

"It was always up to her to finish him off." I replied with a smile.

Jara nodded and opened her mouth to say something, a glint caught my eye and I saw Lawrence's left hand raised up with a fatal ball of energy in it aimed directly at us.

"Jara!!" I shouted, running forward the short distance between us to push her out of the way, she couldn't see the danger behind her. She couldn't see...

There was a short sharp sound and Jara's expression changed from joy to shock, then she slowly began to fall forward, smoke drifting up from her back.

I caught her as she fell, making it to her side too late to save her and I fell with her to cushion her landing.

"Yissan." she yelped, her eyes beginning lose their sparkle, to lose their life.

"Jara! Jara! Just...just hang in there! I'll go get Reiganna, I'll..."

"Don't Yissan." she said, her voice quiet and yet echoing throughout the tower.

"But Jara!"

"This is it Yissan, please...let me go..."

"NO!"

Jara shook her head gently, a trickle of blood running out of her nose.

"Please, I served my time...I put right the wrongs I had made...I can go with a clean conscience."

"But Jara...we've only just got to know...I mean...the Hyrren..."

She smiled and put her finger to her lips.

"I know...but that is for you to discover...when you do find the Hyrrens, please...tell them of me."

"I will, I promise!"

"And one...other thing..."

"Anything!"

Jara put her hand up to my face now, caressing my cheek.

"Say that you forgive me...say that you love me."

"Of course I forgive you!! And...Dammit! Yes, I love you too!!" I yelled, not caring about who heard me.

Jara nodded slowly.

"Thank you Yissan...and I will always love you."

Her skin seemed almost pure white now and her lips icy blue, red tinted feathers were strewn around us as I placed my head on her chest and listened to her ragged breathing.

"Take care of Domino Yis...and I will always live on."

I felt her take one last deep breath, and her hand run itself across my face gently, she smiled and gently breathed out.

"Yissan..." she whispered, and then she stopped breathing...her beautiful body now no more than an empty shell.

I felt an intolerable grief strike me, and the tears that already fell from my eyes now doubled, mixing with the blood on her face and trickling down her cheeks onto the floor which seemed drenched in her blood. I kissed her gently on her lips, ignoring the taste of blood from her mouth and I closed her eyes, pulling her eyelids down over her lifeless hazel eyes. I ran a hand through her hair and across her cheek, it was so cold already, the warmth of life departing like the flame snuffed out from a candle.

Then I collapsed over her body and wept like I had never before.

At some point I felt a hand on my shoulder and a disembodied voice say.

"She's gone Thu..."

I shook my head, the words tumbling out of my mouth as if I had no control over them.

"No...No...She can't be...she's just sleeping...she can't be dead..."

"I'm sorry Thunderchild." said Domino quietly. She stood back slightly behind me, but I ignored her. Right now, my world consisted of the body which lay in front of me.

I sat up slowly and looked at her, there was no getting away from the fact that she had died. Part of me wondered why I was so upset when I had seen her die before, falling into the fiery depths of Terra...but even then I had known that she lived; even then I knew her spirit had been reborn, like mine had.

But now...now she was definitely gone, her spirit departed for who knows where...

I slowly stood up and stepped back, I was about to say something when I noticed an aura spring into place around her body. I jumped and my hopes rose, had she come back? Was it all a terrible mistake? Was she going to wake up and spring into my open arms again?

The aura grew stronger and wiped out my view of her body, it was almost as though she was made of pure white light, and then little balls of light floated up into the clouds, moving around the black proto-universe and out into the heavens, my gaze followed these little firefly like things until the last one had gone out of sight, then I looked back down to see her body one more time and saw to my shock that it had completely gone.

"Jara?" I asked my mouth dry.

But there was nothing left of her, except for one red tinted feather which lay where she once had. I bent down and picked the feather up and put it gently into my pocket.

"She's really gone..." I said after a moment.

"Yes...and unless we hurry, we'll join her." said Domino in a clipped tone of voice, I turned to look at her, to ask what the hell she meant when all of a sudden a large chunk of crystal was ripped up a few metres away and flung into the growing black light.

 

Domino's POV

Whilst part of me grieved for Jara, and even more so for Thunderchild, most of me was concerned about our own survival. The gravity waves from the proto-universe hadn't diminished after the death of Lawrence, in fact they seemed to have grown as the cracks rippling across the crystal floor multiplied, and parts of the floor began to lift up into the heavens.

Thunderchild grabbed my arm and began to run towards the exit but that too was ripped up, shard by shard and flung upwards. I could feel the force too, feel it tugging at me, each step seemed lighter, as though gravity was failing, when in fact it was just changing direction, in fact I could feel my hair being blown upwards.

"Dammit! This can't be how it ends!!" yelled Thunderchild as he slid to a halt just inches away from a drop down into the tower.

"We're going to have to jump; do you think we can make it?" I asked.

"Possibly...although that gravity field might just pluck us up into that universe!"

I took a deep breath and felt Thunderchild put his arms around me.

"I'll protect you." he said, those three words meaning more to me than my own life.

Then a new sound emerged above the roaring of the new universe and the breaking of crystal and on the other side of the tower a familiar light blue ship rose up, shaking slightly. Then we were both bathed in a white light.

 

Zidane's POV
"Got them!!" yelled Mikoto, punching the air with her fist.

"Any sign of Lawrence?" I asked, scanning the disintegrating tower.

"None at all...but readings are off the scale." replied Rhiana from the other side of the Illustrious's bridge.

"What the hell is that?" asked Ilvian as he stared at the strange black sphere into which everything was being drawn, even the Illustrious's engines couldn't hold us here for an indefinite amount of time, I could feel the deck shaking beneath us as the gravity waves rocked the ship.

"I don't know..."

"It's a new universe." said a voice behind us; I turned and saw Domino stride onto the bridge.

"Yugami!" called Mikoto with a large smile on her face.

"Thanks for the rescue." she replied before walking up next to us.

"Is there any way we can shut that down?" she then asked Rhiana.

She shook her head.

"Not with conventional weaponry...although a larger explosion might..." her voice trailed off.

"Might what?"

The silver haired genome looked up from her station.

"If we overload the reactor and drive this ship into the proto-universe then it might be enough energy to reverse the growth reaction."

"'Might'? That's an awfully big gamble." I said.

"I am open to suggestions." she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

A particularly violent shockwave struck the ship, almost making me lose my footing.

"Couldn't we throw the Invincible in there?" asked Ilvian, walking forward to my side.

"It's possible," I replied "But it'd take at least half an hour to set up the tow ropes between us and the Invincible..."

"We don't have half an hour." said Rhiana flatly.

There was a pause, during which I slowly began backing the ship away. Then I placed the engines on standby.

"Then it's agreed, we drive straight at it." I said slowly.

There were nods around the bridge, and I took that moment to look at them. Ilvian and Rhiana, standing close together, almost like brother and sister, I could see Rhiana looked scared, but Ilvian had his arm around her to comfort her, Mikoto stood near the view screen staring at the proto-universe, probably wondering like I was, what death would feel like...and Domino herself, standing right next to me, a defiant and resolute look on her face, but fear in her eyes. An icy fear gripped my heart, but I knew that I would die with my brother and sisters around me and...

I blinked and looked back around the bridge.

"Where's Kuja?"

 

Kuja's POV

Fate had brought me here to give me one more chance, just as it had for Thunderchild so Domino had told me. I walked quickly towards the engine room where I knew the emergency teleporters were. As I emerged into the large engine space, the red light of the primary weapon of the ship filling the lofty space above, I saw Thunderchild staring into the weapons core.

"Thunderchild." I said slowly, not wanting to alert him to what I was doing.

"Kuja...This is probably the first time we've met." he said, sorrow in his voice.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

"Jara...she's dead..." he muttered, his eyes not meeting mine.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I replied softly.

"She died doing what she wanted, she put right her wrongs...amended her sins....anyway...what are you doing here Kuja?"

I swallowed gently and looked him in the eye.

"I'm doing the same."

Thunderchild blinked and stared at me.

"I think I understand." he said after a moment.

"Tell Domino...tell her, and Zidane, and Mikoto and all the other genomes, tell them I loved them, and I remember always loving them." I said.

Thunderchild nodded and put out a hand which I took and we shook hands.

"Tell Jara when you see her that I love her."

I smiled.

"I will...but I'm pretty sure she already knows."

"Destination?"

"The Invincible."

I walked across to the teleporter and stood on the platform, Thunderchild walked across to the controls and rapidly dialled in the commands needed to send me on my way.

"Good luck Kuja." he said as his finger hovered above the last button.

"To all of us." I replied.

He stabbed down with his index finger and I lost sight of him in the white glow that surrounded me.

I felt no sorrow of goodbye, and no regrets, only a warm feeling of accomplishment, that I had done what was wanted of me, I had taken my second chance at life and used it to the full, not to destroy and dismember, but to heal and to save...

I had fulfilled my destiny.