A/N: So yeah... skipped ahead while totally in the middle of that last mission. I got bored with that one, and was really wanting to write this scene. I actually had most of this written for a few months, but got writer's block at a certain part and didn't manage to get over it until just now.


Kyrie stood before an enormous set of doors somewhere within the Walk of Echoes, a look of cold determination upon her features. Once Cait Sith had informed the Mithra what would be needed to return Lilisette to her, she knew it would come down to this. If Lilith's forces needed to be weakened in order for her love to return to her, then the Spitewardens were the obvious choice. Were it not for the current situation, she might have been worried, even scared, at the thought of facing them. They'd always seemed so powerful... so much stronger than her. But Kyrie didn't care about that right now. Nothing would stop her right now.

The massive doors opened inwards seemingly of their own accord, as if inviting her in. Taking the hint, she entered through the doors into a massive arena-esque area, the doors closing behind her and Cait Sith, who trodded silently behind her. She walked down a ramp to the center area of the room, her boots clanging against the hard stone floors. Larzos was sitting in the very center, his back to the entrance Kyrie came through, his spiked staff in one hand, but as Kyrie approached, he grabbed it and stood up, turning to face her as he hefted the heavy weapon to rest on his shoulder. "Soon or late, I knew you'd show up," he intoned calmly. "You jus' don't know when to give up, do you?" The blue mage merely stared at him, her expression cold and unchanging. He continued, "Not that you need remindin', but you're all out of playin' pieces. No amount o' strugglin' will avail you now, so why don'tcha save us all some trouble and give up?"

Kyrie glared at him. "So you think this is a game, do you?" Before the Galka could answer her, Ragelise and Portia appeared atop a balcony overlooking the central area the group was standing in, clad in their purple Spitewarden outfits, their tattooed faces showing their allegiance to the Dark Divinity. Kyrie turned her glare on them. "And the traitors show their faces, too," she added angrily.

"Shame on you for betraying Lilisette and Kyrial's trust! Turning your coats!" Cait Sith added. "Worse, you went so far as to sell your souls to the Dark Divinity like a sack of yams! A bag of popotoes!"

Portia seemed to flinch slightly at the accusations, though Ragelise merely scoffed. "Hah. A mercenary and a creature as near a beastman as makes no difference would presume to admonish me? My soul is for sale to neither god nor man." Wow, Lilith and Odin really helped him get that snooty Elvaan 'holier than thou' tone down pat, Kyrie couldn't help but think bitterly, as the couple teleported down from the balcony to stand beside their comrade. "There existed an enemy that wanted for vanquishing. I merely made a choice-one that granted me the power I needed to accomplish my objectives. Do not think ill of me, Kyrial."

Kyrie returned the man's earlier scoff. "A bit late for that. I really respected you before; you were the last person I would have expected to buy into Lilith's bullshit of a 'true future' and how it's in any way acceptable to become the very evil you're trying to defeat. But then, here we are." She turned to Portia, but didn't glare at the woman. The Mithra merely looked disappointed, and even a bit sympathetic. "And what about you, Portia? Though Altana knows I can guess."

The Hume looked down, almost shamefully, clutching her hands to her chest. "Selfish though this must sound, it matters not what becomes of me... or the future." She then looked up, suddenly resolute. "But a world without Sir Ragelise is like a world bereft of light. I could not abide in such a place."

Kyrie sighed, shaking her head slowly. "Even if I don't agree with what you're doing, I suppose I can at least understand where you're coming from. Even if he is doing wrong, you still have to be there for your love. But... I wonder if he's really still the man you fell in love with, Portia..." Kyrie trailed off sadly.

Larzos interrupted her, pointing his staff at the feline duo. "You two've made a habit o' questionin' our motives, but what o' your own? You and yours seek to prevent the true future from comin' to pass. Me and mine, on the other hand, have taken up arms against Altana's will. Fact is, both our existences are sinful in the eyes o' the gods, and there ain't no changin' that."

Kyrie wasn't having any of that, though. "Again with all this 'true future' bullshit! No future is 'true' or 'false'! They're just different futures. You and Lilith came from this future, so it must be true, right? But if I were to say the future I come from is true, that's just me being delusional, right? You're fucking HYPOCRITES!" she shouted, finally letting loose a rant that had been building up for a long time now. No one took notice as her eyes flashed purple momentarily as she shouted. "And WHAT is so WRONG with trying to fight for a BETTER future!? You fully admit that your future SUCKS! That this war we're fighting never truly ends, and the world is stuck wallowing in misery forever! Why are you trying to PROTECT that!?"

Portia, and even Cait Sith, looked somewhat stunned at the outburst, though Larzos seemed to take it in stride, as he did seemingly everything. Ragelise merely rolled his eyes however, still acting the part of the insufferable Elvaan. "Spare us the rhetoric. Even a hoodman could see that next to nothing separates our two factions-that we're but two sides of the same coin. I, for one, could care less for justice and utopias. We glaze our words with honey and put on a righteous facade, but in truth we're naught more than power-starved scoundrels. Even as I stood engulfed in the cold flames of the underworld, I became awakened to my deepest, darkest desires. 'Twas such an epiphany as I had never known." The Elvaan clenched his fist. "For all my gallantry and talk of honor, what truly drove my existence was the feel of hard steel in my hand as it cleaves the flesh and bone of mine enemies, spilling their lifeblood. I have all my life been a soldier. By the sword have I lived, and by it shall I die. I shall slay the Shadow Lord... or perish in so trying."

As Ragelise's monologue went on, Kyrie's expression went from angry, to disgusted, before finally settling on what could only be described as annoyed boredom. "I'm sorry, Ragelise, but I don't even hear you talking anymore. Lilith and Odin have clearly done an excellent job of brainwashing you, because all I'm hearing is Lilith's words being spoken from your mouth as if they're actually your own opinions. And all that about how gallantry and justice are just facades, and we're all slaves to our darkest desires? That's just Odin talking. But I guess you're just not as strong as I always thought you were. Clearly, you're too weak-willed, and they took advantage of it." The blue-haired girl slid into a combat stance, drawing her swords. "But it doesn't matter anymore. The time for talking is through. You're all going down, right here and now."

Ragelise drew his sword as well. "You are right, Kyrial. I have chosen my path, as you have yours. There's naught to say nor do now but stay our resolve and see things through to the last." At these words, Portia's look grew determined once again. She drew out her daggers and spun them in a flashy manner while sliding into her own combat stance reminiscent of Lilisette's, while Larzos swung his staff and stood at the ready. Cait Sith merely looked on, seemingly frightened, as a ball of light blue and dark purple energy coalesced alongside the three Spitewardens. The energy suddenly flashed outwards before dissipating, leaving the alternate Kyrie, Lilith's fourth Spitewarden, standing amongst the other Spitewardens.

Kyrie grimaced, but looked no less determined. I don't care if they bring out Lilith herself! NOTHING is stopping me from bringing back Lili! The other Mithra grinned at her counterpart. "What's wrong, other me? Cat got your tongue?" she teased.

Cait Sith looked up at Kyrie uncertainly, rightfully worried. After all, the last time this other her had shown up, Lilisette was so distressed that she ended up devoured by Atomos. "Kyrial...?" Kyrie looked down at the Avatar, reassuring her. "It'll be all right. Trust me." She looked back at the four Spitewardens, her expression suddenly shifting to angry determination. She spoke in a cold tone that would brook no argument. "You might wanna step back though, Cait Sith. These bastards are all that's keeping Lilisette from me. I know you can handle yourself, but you don't wanna be caught in the middle of this." Worriedly, Cait Sith stepped back.

"The stage is set for our decisive battle... and there is no lack for cast members." Ragelise stated.

"Whatever the outcome, the end'll see these grounds awash with the blood o' scoundrels." Larzos chimed in.

Ragelise swung his sword, finally shifting into a combat stance. "Let it begin. Set free your inner beast... and come at us with all your strength!"

He didn't notice as the Mithra Spitewarden winced at his words, nor did he notice as Kyrie's eyes suddenly glowed purple, almost seeming to pulse with an inner light. "You'll regret that..." Kyrie growled. "My inner beast is more terrifying than you can ever comprehend." And with that, the battle commenced. The four Spitewardens surrounded their foe, but hesitated for a moment as Kyrie let go of her swords, only for them to float up into the air above her head, spinning in a circle, slowly at first but quickly gaining speed. At this, they all charged her, but Kyrie let out a strange sound and her blades swung outwards, knocking her foes back. Not wasting a moment, Kyrie jumped over Portia with a flip, catching her swords midair as they returned to her, and as she descended, she lashed out with the hilt of one of her swords, hitting the back of Portia's head with a heavy strike, knocking her unconscious. Landing in a crouch, she stood up and glared coldly at the remaining three. "One down."

The remaining three looked shocked at how quickly their foe had taken one of them out, but quickly recovered and charged her again, Ragelise in particular looking quite angry. Kyrie's still purple eyes glowed fiercely as she let out a mighty roar that sounded more as if it came from a Behemoth, as lightning shot outwards from her in all directions, electrocuting the three remaining Spitewardens and stunning them as the electricity wrought havoc on their nerves. Larzos and the other Kyrie fell to their knees, but Ragelise grit his teeth and began charging Kyrie again. The two engaged in a vicious sword duel, but it was quickly clear that Kyrie was winning. Her eyes seemed almost to flash with an inner light every time she executed an attack. It didn't help that Ragelise, accomplished with a sword as he was, could not predict her attacks at all. Sometimes it was almost as if she was wielding other weapons than just swords. He could only think that the instructors in San d'Oria's military academy would have shaken their heads at her utter lack of a disciplined style, but having to fight it himself, he could vouch for its brutal effectiveness. Having fought for so long in this war, he could almost recognize some of the attacks; here she'd launch a swiping three-hit attack reminiscent of a Goblin, there a vicious four-hit combo favored by the Kindred, and at one point when he had one of her blades locked against his own and the other against his shield, she even head butted him like a Quadav, leaving his nose bleeding slightly. This knowledge didn't help him at all, however; she used the attacks far more skillfully than any beastman he had ever fought, and was utterly relentless, performing them one after another, not allowing him a moment's respite. He had multiple cuts and gashes from attacks that had gotten through, and he could feel himself weakening. She poisoned me with one of those strikes, he realized. As he realized this, Larzos and the other Kyrie had finally recovered from the electrical attack, and moved to back up their ally, again trying to surround her. Seeing this, Kyrie let out an unearthly howl that chilled them all to the bone. The chill didn't last long, however, as a huge wave of fire exploded outwards from the Mithra, knocking them back again. Ragelise didn't get up, moaning in pain from his wounds, the poison seeping through his veins, and the burns from the last attack, before slipping into unconsciousness. "Two down." The Mithra stated in the cold tone she'd been using since the onset of the fight.

The alternate Kyrie got up on one knee, wincing and casting some recovery spells on herself. Larzos, however, seemed to shrug off the attack, getting back to his feet and walking towards his enemy. "Well, lass... looks like yer stronger than we gave ya credit for. But if ya thought those attacks ya were just usin' on Sir Ragelise were fast, ya ain't seen nothin' yet." A sudden burst of red energy erupted from the large man's fists, before he launched himself at Kyrie, with a speed belying his size. Kyrie recognized this as the secret technique of the Monks: Hundred Fists. She quickly put up an ice-blue barrier, which shimmered for a moment before disappearing from sight. As Larzos reached her, he began attacking relentlessly, but each hit seemed to bounce off of her harmlessly. The Galka didn't let this stop him, and continued his frenized assault. Knowing that her barrier would not last for the whole assault, she readied another spell, glaring at Larzos as it took affect. The Galka seemed to freeze in spot, absolutely motionless. He didn't know what the Mithra had done, but he couldn't think on it either, as he was currently frozen in pure, unadulterated fear. He felt as if he was staring into the face of a mighty wyrm, and its gaze made him feel as if he were a mere insect about to be crushed. Meanwhile, Kyrie took her chance and swung her swords in a scissor-like motion across the Galka's chest. The man fell to the ground with a loud thud, and did not stir.

"Three down," the Mithra stated, staring at her alternate self, her eyes glowing brighter than ever.

Her alternate self chuckled, seemingly unafraid dispite the sound thrashing her allies had recieved. "Yep, looks like it's just you and me... or should I say, me and me?" She chuckled again at the bad joke. Kyrie walked towards her slowly, showing no reaction. "Hey now," the other Mithra continued, "you sure about this? You keep going much longer, and you may not be able to get control back... I doubt your 'Lili' would be very happy with that."

At that, Kyrie's eyes glowed even more fiercely. At this point, one couldn't even make out the pupil or sclera; her eyes were just a uniform purple glow. Her voice came out much deeper than normal. "Don't you DARE say her name! YOU'RE the one who made her disappear in the first place! If it weren't for you, she'd still be with me, fighting by my side right now! But I'm about to correct that right now..." Suddenly, a smile grew on her face, but this smile scared her counterpart. She had never seen such a look on her own face, but she knew the only thing it could be: her inner beast.

Finally getting serious, Lilith's final Spitewarden mumbled to herself, "This will not end well..." Still, she had to fight; for her Lady, as well as for her counterpart. If the Beast was allowed to take control for too long, it might gain permanent control. It would transform, and not only would the other her be lost, such a beast would be of unimaginable power. Better to take her out now... if she could. Her eyes flashed in a similar manner to her alternate as she breathed a large wave of fire at her.

Kyrie merely smiled before expelling a wave of water, which blasted right through the fire, extinguishing it and continuing on to hit the Mithra, knocking her backwards into a wall, hard. "Come on, what's wrong, Other Me!? I bet your future has all kinds of interesting new creatures I've never seen before! Show me the powers you've gained!" A sly grin formed. "Or should I just devour your essence here and now?" The other Mithra said nothing, merely forming a large ball of dark energy in her hand, purplish-black tendrils of pure magic emanating from it, before launching it at her foe. The beast in mortal flesh merely scoffed, breathing a large wave of pure light magic at it, overwhelming the dark energy and continuing on to strike the one who launched it. The Mithra's eyes widened in panic as the spell prevented her from casting any more magic, in addition to slowing down her movements. Not to mention it hurt pretty damn badly.

I've got to stop her before she reaches a point of no return... if it's not already too late, the injured Mithra thought to herself. I guess there's only one thing left to do... Climbing slowly to her feet, she locked eyes with her counterpart before suddenly being engulfed in a blinding blue light. The beast's eyes widened, and it would have rushed over to attack, but suddenly it was rooted in place, unable to move. It roared furiously, struggling with all of its (admittedly considerable) power, though it wasn't able to do much more than inch slightly forward. Oh no you don't! the final Spitewarden thought, as the light surrounding her form somehow increased in intensity. The beast stalled in its tracks, completely frozen again. At this point, the glowing Mithra's mouth opened in a silent scream as the power surrounding her started flowing in a stream away from her, and into her frozen counterpart. The beast howled again, this time seemingly in pain and frustration. Its glowing purple eyes began dimming in intensity, until finally the sclera were white once more. The pupils remained an intense purple, but started flickering briefly between purple and their original blue. As the last of the energy flowed into her counterpart, the Spitewarden collapsed, almost like a puppet with its strings cut.

Kyrie, meanwhile, could move again, though she wasn't exactly paying attention to that at the moment. Get... get back! I... I don't... need your power... right now...! I- I won already!

Wretched girl! Let me out! Your foe remains alive! Let me devour her essence, and add her power to your own!

Don't think you can fool me, damn you! I don't know how she pushed you back for me, but whatever it was she did, she sacrificed her very essence to do it. There's nothing there for you to devour, and she's not long for this world as a result. Now be silent and leave me be! With that thought, her eyes finally settled on their original blue hue, without a trace of purple left. Looking at her remaining adversary, she found her laying on the ground, struggling to breathe. Walking over to her, she knelt down at her side, rolling her over onto her back. A hundred questions ran through her head, each begging to be asked, but all she managed to say to her dying counterpart was, "Thank you."

The dying Mithra tried to chuckle, but it came out as more of a cough. "You... can thank me... by living a happy life... with your 'Lili'..." she paused, coughing again, before continuing on in an ever softer voice, "and... please... tell mine... that I'll... always..." No more sound escaped her lips, but Kyrie could fill in the blanks from the movement of her lips, just before the Spitewarden faded into purple and black energy, and then into nothing at all.

Kyrie remained on one knee, staring at the spot her counterpart died with a complicated expression on her face. Cait Sith walked towards her, in awe of her power, but worried about her sanity. Before she could say anything to the Mithra, though, they heard something stirring a short distance away. Larzos sat up, each of his breaths sounding pained. "So this," he gasped, "is the power o' the Goddess... Tempered in the blazin' forge," he paused, wheezing, before continuing on, "o' her children's hopes and dreams." Kyrie reached cautiously for her swords, but did not draw them yet. Cait Sith also fell into a ready stance. Larzos didn't pay it any mind though, simply stating, "You've proven yourself... worthy o' my respect. I'm gutted that my time's up..." Kyrie almost let out an unladylike snort at the pun, "but there's no helpin' it. Victory belongs to they... who want it more." At that, Kyrie and Cait Sith relaxed their stances, watching Larzos stagger towards Ragelise and Portia, dragging his staff behind him.

Kyrie spoke to the dying Galka as he strapped his staff to his back and picked the two up, slinging the Elvaan over one shoulder. "Larzos... you know I left them alive for a reason. Please... make sure they come out of this okay."

The Galka nodded. "Have no fear. I value their lives... above my own. As my final act... I will see them... to safety. Farewell... bearers of Altana's will." With that, he teleported the three of them away.


The Spitewardens reappeared in a house somewhere in San d'Oria, and Larzos propped the two lovers up against a wall, Portia's head resting on Ragelise's shoulder. Though the two remained unconscious, the Galka knew he didn't have much time left. Looking down solemnly, he spoke his final words. "Sir Ragelise... O' those who fought in the war... none was more valorous... more honorable than you. The folks o' both realities... know this well." The Galka then quickly scratched down a note, leaving it on the floor in front of the unconscious couple. "For the sake o' the future... it don't matter which... You must... live on." Grabbing his staff and standing up, purple and black energy floating off of him like steam from a hot spring, he turned around and hefted his staff onto his shoulder in his trademark pose. "Pray forgive me..." he muttered softly, "my premature departure. Honored... to've served beside you... milord." Reaching up with his other hand, he turned his head and tipped his hat to the couple, before finally fading away entirely.

And as he did, Ragelise opened his eyes just a crack, an unreadable expression on his face.


A/N: The return of Lilisette will be in another chapter, which hopefully won't take as long as this one did!