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Lara's eyes widen when Ayn speaks Abbissian, but she soon shakes it off, there would be time for an explanation later, hopefully. Lara then looks directly into Ayn's eyes, speaking in a firm yet gentle voice. "Those things don't matter. I've only known you for a few days, but I can see you have a good heart. You're being used by this guy so he can get what he wants. He's the sinner here! Don't let your world collapse because of the past, like I did. You have the strength to live through this! What's the right thing to do right now, at this very moment? To just die and let everyone else perish? You know that isn't the right choice!"

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((Sorry for the wait))

Cloud raises and eyebrow at the blade. The sword begins to crack in the middle. The sword pulses green, sending a very strong blast of Ultima into the strange sword, blowing it off of the blade easily. Cloud begins to think to himself: "This is impossbile..."

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Ray of Light is sent flying backwards in a squealing and writhing heap. Rand snatches it by the hilt and watches as the sword melts into a metallic puddle at his feet. Apparently, the large amount of heat created by the spell was too strong for the synthetic demon's home and the hilt sits useless in Rand's hand.

Ray of Light, now in its true demonic form, stand before Cloud. It is in a minotaur shape with large hands, hooves and teeth. Ray of Light roars in frusturation, having lost its metal toy, and lumbers at Cloud.

Ayn somehow manages to push herself to a sitting position, already the ground beneath them is beginning to tremble with the same near-death instability as Gaia. Once sitting, she closes her eyes and mutters something which is impossible to decipher.

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AYN!!!!!!! it's me, stay strong, i got your back

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((Add a bit more content and sign up if you want to join, Flyboy. Though it's a bit late now. =/ Contact me if you're really intrested.))

Legion snarls at Hayate. It was no secret that Hayate was stronger than he was, and he wasn't about to go into a world of hurt to fight someone who should little intrest in helping Ayn. "I'll pass, Messenger. See you i-" Legion is throw back by a volley of divine arrows fired by the weary Hallon, who had only recently recovered for a previous attack.

Hallon lowers his crossbow and lets out a nervous laugh. "This old man isn't done yet. On his last legs maybe, but not done." Hallon looks at Cloud and Hayate. "You'll have to finish these villians, I'm not super powerful. I can, however, give you covering fire."

Lara looks at Ayn with a confused look. "What did you say?"

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Cloud nods to Hallon and bravers the demon, his sword glowing strangely. The sword had gained an aura just as Ayn had finished speaking, and easily ripped through the demon. Cloud then lifts the sword to Rand's neck and looks at Legion. "It's over for you two."

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did you all know that megiddo was a great fortress at the top of Canaan back in biblical times?

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Rand frowns slightly, although he doesn't seem very phased by the quick and effortless destruction of his prized demon. In one swift movement the Buster sword is punched in a diagonal direction away from his throat, and he steps away from Cloud casually. "Is it a fight you want? Very well." His eye glows a bright red and he floats above the others, landing on a mound of rubble out of reach. He holds out a flat palm and sends a small red beam at Cloud's feet, severing the ground and creating a split in the earth. Matter is sucked into the bottomless pit at an alarming rate.

Ayn's eyes widen, and she scrambles to her feet, ignoring the pain and rumbling underneath her feet. Despite her increasing weakness she manages to grab Gale by the collar and pull him away from the gaping hole in the earth, saving him from a rather dishonorable burial. Once they're both safely away she leans against a tree, panting heavily.

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Cloud gasps and dives away from the blast, though not quick enough to get past the power of the rift that was sucking everything into the pit. He began going down quickly. He finally realized his situation and stabbed his sword into the earth on his side, hanging on to the hilt of his sword. The crack in the middle of his sword grew bigger by the moment, and in a scream, Cloud Strife said something he never thought he would say in his lifetime. "Help me!" The sword loses it's aura and only the orbs shine. He closes his eyes tightly as he is hit by debris and attempts to raise himself up in vain.

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Legion lets out a gleeful laugh as he's saved from inevitable doom by the hands of Hayate when the Earth splits and swallows him. As he laughs the Demon becomes transparent before disappearing all together.

Lara floats above the chasm that would of killed her had she not been able to fly. When she sees Ayn grab and pull Gale's body away from the opening, her eyes widen.

"He's your-" Lara is interrupted by Cloud's cry for help, and after a moment she flys down to the swordsman. "Funny how he tried to kill me earlier." Lara holds her hand out to Cloud. "Let's hope you're not too heavy for lil' ol' me, pinhead."

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Cloud ignores her comment and grabs her hand, ripping his sword from the earth, the sword nearly broken all together. With that he then flies with her over to the same tree Ayn and Gale's body is at and regains his barrings. "Thanks, Lara..." Cloud drops his sword stands firmly, a red orb then appears in his hand, with what looks like many knights and weapons inside of it. He throws it at Rand, the orb itself going at it's own speed directly at Rand's torso. Just before it makes contact, it dissapates and Rand disappears. "There's always my trump card... heh." Cloud then falls over and hugs his battered sword, sighing with relief. This may have finally been it...

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Ayn slides down to the ground and buries her face in her knees, now in tears. Her shoulders shake slightly with her sobs.

After a few moments he reappears, his clothing tattered and his body somewhat beaten. He is clearly not pleased although he still has gained an advantage by shattering Ayn's mental state. He chuckles one final time before disappearing.

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Cloud looks over and is slightly shocked, slightly relieved by Rands appearance and disappearance. He then sits up and looks over to Ayn, wondering if he should try anything to comfort her. He finally does so, crawling over to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, you know..."

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Epilogue: The Morning After the World's Last Day

Hallon leans against some nearby ruins, finding himself too tired to do anything else.

Lara makes her way over to Ayn and does her best to comfort her friend. "Don't cry Ayn... You did what you had to. Brother or not, Gale was out of control. He became a monster. If you hadn't did what you did, we'd all be dead right now."

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Her face remains buried in her knees, and she mutters to herself. "It makes so much sense.. And it was right in front of me.. How could I have not realized it..? I.. I might have been able to stop all this madness.."

After a few more minutes of quiet crying, she puts a hand on one Cloud and Lara's shoulder each and pushes herself up. She stumbles over to Gale and stares blankly for a few moments, feeling an overwhelming sort of numbness take her senses.

It takes a bit of effort on her part as she's injured, but Ayn manages to lift her brother up on her shoulders and start to carry him back to his castle.

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Cloud lingers a bit before following Ayn, dragging the sword in his hand and taking the orbs from it. He looks over at Lara and speaks. "Thanks for saving me..." He sighs and keeps his eyes on Ayn, making sure she dosen't weaken herself anymore than needed.

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Lara frowns and tries to help Ayn. "You made the best choice you could at the time. The Gale that was your friend, your brother, he was gone long ago. So don't feel bad." Lara turns to Cloud and shrugs. "Don't think anything of it."

Hallon looks up when Ayn and her companions come toward the castle and then stands. "Need any help, lass?"

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Ayn shakes her head. "That doesn't make it right.. Nor was any of this unable to be prevented." Her gaze shifts to Hallon. "No, he's not heavy.. He's my brother."

So begins the long and heavy-hearted trudge back to the castle.

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The group finally gets close to the castle and Cloud looks over the large opened gates. "We should find a place in the courtyard. I'm sure he'd at least want to be there."

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Ayn only nods and makes her way through the gates and towards the courtyard.

A few minutes later she's managed to trudge into the courtyard, and looks around. It was an eerie sort of peaceful here, and surprisingly there was no lingering scent of death. Curious..

She steps up to a grave she'd seen before, now marked with a tombstone. She stares at it for a moment before setting Gale down next to the grave, then straightens. To her left she notices another grave, which was freshly made and marked. "One.." She sighs, not really able to completely grasp the amount of loss. Any pain had been replaced by a numbness that empowers over all other emotions and senses.

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Cloud sighed and headed into the library, picking up Fury's corpse and weapons, and going back to the courtyard. "We should bury them here. No better place to tell you the truth, they all deserve honor..." Cloud sets Fury's body down and looks around to find a shovel not far from Ayn's person and points to it. "If you wish to bury Gale, do so. If not give it to me."

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Lara sighs and sits down. "I never thought so many of us would die..."

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Ayn nods, swallowing. She makes her way over to the shovel and carries it over. She moves slowly and almost dream-like, as if she were walking through water.

It takes her a while to dig a suitable grave, and it's pretty obvious by now she's far past the point of exhaustion. She trudges over, picks up Gale and with quite a bit of effort she gently lowers him in the grave. She stands and stares down at her brother, acknowledging that this will be the last time she ever sees him.

".......Are there any other siblings I have that I should know about.. before I go killing them off too?"

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As Ayn spoke, rain began to fall into the court yard as a storm came in. Meanwhile, Lara is thinking about what Ayn said. "I know Gale had a little brother named Shiloko. I think there was another, yeah. He had an older sister... Damnit, I forget her name. I remember she was smart though, she left to travel before the War."

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Cloud takes the shovel and digs a grave for Fury, listening to Ayn and Lara. After finishing, he gently puts fury into the grave and covers it up, marking it by laying his gun on the grave. "What arer you doing with Sin?" Cloud walked to Gales grave and looked over it, with a sad and pityful look on his eye.

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Ayn blinks and wipes raindrops out of her eyes. "Rain..." She glances at Cloud, but doesn't answer. She takes the shovel and after peering one last time into the grave, she shovels the dirt back in.

She bows her head for a moment, rubbing her eyes, then takes what's left of Sin- now just a regular sword without a soul to connect with. She leans over and stabs it in the ground above the grave, as a sort of marker.

"That's what I'm going to do with it.." She frowns. "...Where's Bianca? I need.. to take her home.."

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Cloud nods. "Do you need a ride Ayn? I'm not sure if the car is still out there since most of us left." Cloud looks at Lara and nods his head in a motion to show Ayn to Bianca.

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Lara nods and leads Ayn to the body of Bianca, who is next to the unconscious Riki. "Riki's alive, she's just out of it. She's the only survivor besides us and...Where'd Hayate go?"

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Ayn bends over and gently scoops up Bianca in her arms. "Yeah.. I could use a ride.." She doesn't say anything else and heads out of the courtyard and out of the castle.

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Hallon watches the group before stretching. "Well, I think it's time I started getting use to this new world I find myself in. May you all go with the protection of the almighty God." Hallon begins to walk out of the castle and toward Estecia.

Lara looks at Ayn and then Riki. "Where are you gonna go, Ayn?"

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"To Pasadga. Bianca was their monarch, and.. they'd give her a better burial than I ever could." For the first time she started to feel exhaustion set in and she leans heavily against the castle wall.

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Lara nods and begins to walk with Ayn. "And what about after that?"

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"...I don't know... I guess I'll come back here.. I don't really have anywhere to go."

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"Hey neither do I, so I'll stick around to bug you." Lara gives Ayn a goofy grin, trying to raise her spirit. "Just let me take Sleeping Beauty over her inside. I'll meet you by the jeep." Lara picks up Riki and heads inside.

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Cloud shakes his head at Lara. "That won't be possible, most of them left or got blown up somehow, but you can fly, right? Meet us in Pasadga if you want, Ayn will be back soon." Cloud escorts Ayn to his bike, wich was big enough for at least 3 people. He gets on and sccots up, leaving room for Ayn and Bianca. "Ready to go?"

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Ayn nods, and climbs onto the motorcycle, cradling her sister in her arms. Of all the horrible things that's ever happened to her, this took the cake, she believed. In all honesty, she wasn't sure how she was going to make it, but.. she always has.

"Interesting... Grief is what started this mess, and by cruel irony grief has ended it.."