Chapter 13: Chapter Chapter Twelve

The Arraken Desert was dry and barren. Sabine’s gaze pored across the wasteland. Although there was no wind, the sands still twisted and churned in the air. After wandering the desert for what felt like hours, Sabine stopped her mugen and poked her head out of the cockpit and climbed on top of Bastien. She was met with the darkness and silence of the eternal night. Just as she was about to return to her cockpit and continue searching, she heard an old man call out to her.

“So you’re here to kill me.”

“Gaius?”

“I believe that’s still my name, yes,” the voice whispered in her ear. Sabine turned her head to find that a frail old man with frazzled white hair was sitting atop Bastien. She could see his bones jutting through his skin and one of his eyes was missing. In the empty hole sat a crudely carved wooden replacement.

“Yes. Steiner has ordered me to kill you.”

“I suppose she’s finally putting her plan in motion,” Gaius smirked. “I’m becoming a bit bored of this world anyways.”

“What?”

“Perhaps it’s time for a new era. I’m interested to see what Ciel does to the world,” Gaius let out a long sigh. “Before you do it though, could you promise me something? I know he’s on your hit list anyway, but… make sure you give Colbrandt a run for his money.”

Sabine unsheathed Sverker and placed the tip of his blade on Gaius’ chest. “What do you mean?”

Gaius laughed and pointed to his wooden eye. “Gouge an eye out for me. I asked someone like you to do it before but… he failed.”

“I don’t want anyone to suffer. I’ll do what I must and nothing more,” Sabine replied as she plunged the blade through Gaius’ torso. Gaius let out a sigh as his skin began to crumble.

“I suppose that’ll have to be enough. I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Don’t let me down, Sabine.”

The sewers of Asnea were cramped, forcing Sabine to leave Bastien behind and traverse them on foot. The tunnels were dank and had a rancid smell. The bricks in the walls were covered in green lichen of differing shades. Between the two pathways ran a river of waste. Sabine traveled along the thin walkway for a while before reaching a doorway that led to a large, open room. In the center of the room a man stood over a small tarp that seemed to be covering a person’s remains.

“Shund?”

“The one and only,” replied the man as he rested his foot on top of the tarp. He had long, greasy hair that dangled down past his bony shoulders. His crooked nose sat just below his mahogany eyes. His blackened teeth had been filed to a point and were visible behind his massive grin. His lanky torso had many scars, the most prominent of which was a large incision along the base of his neck with the word tattooed just below. His pants were black and stained with dirt and blood. “Steiner’s finally decided we’re not welcome any more, eh?”

“I don’t know what you mean… I just know that I must kill you,” Sabine responded hesitantly.

“Oh, of course you don’t. I’m totally fine with it anyways. I’ve been killed a few times myself,” Shund snickered and pointed to the scar on his neck. “The thing about dragons is we’re basically gods. You can destroy our bodies but really… we’re ethereal beings, dear. Our souls return to the Aether and we go about our business.”

“I take it you aren’t going to put up a fight either?” Sabine asked as she unsheathed Sverker. Steiner’s blood sizzled and steamed as it dripped onto the damp bricks.

“Nah, no point. I’ve been down here for ages. I actually stopped going to the surface a few hundred years ago. There’s just nothing to do. I wouldn’t mind a reset. It’ll be interesting to see how Ciel runs the place. Before that however, I’d like to show you something.” Shund grabbed the tarp and tossed it aside to reveal the comatose body of a heavily augmented man. The skin around his machinery was red and swollen and had grown over his augments multiple times, leaving his body distorted. “This is what happens to a vampire with augments.”

“Why are you showing me this?” Sabine asked as she approached.

“Just figured I’d fill you in on why Steiner wanted you to remain pure. Oh, you should kill him too.”

“He’s… alive?”

“Of course. He’s a vampire. He’ll never wake up, but he’s very much alive. You’ll be doing him a favor, honestly.”

Sabine quietly placed her blade on the swollen man’s chest and plunged it where she thought his heart was. There was no response as the man’s skin turned to ash and he dissolved into nothing. Sabine coated Sverker with more of Steiner’s blood and pointed the blade at Shund.

“Would you like to do the honors, or should I?” Shund laughed as he pushed his chest against the blade. As it began to pierce his skin, he shifted his weight and flung his body at Sabine, grinning wildly the whole time. “Why not both?”

As Shund’s skin was peeling from his body he posed one final question to Sabine.

“I wonder what’s going to happen to you when this is all over. You’re a vampire too, are you not?”

The Obsidian Planes were a mass of stone that jutted out of the planet. Sabine didn’t have to venture far to find Yus. A glowing beacon shone down from the sky and a mass of swirling wind descended until it stopped directly in front of Bastien. Sabine climbed out of the cockpit and faced the swirling mass.

“It’s going to be difficult to kill me,” the voice was feminine and echoed through Sabine’s skull. “I haven’t had a physical form for centuries. Perhaps I could emulate the act of death to satisfy your mission though.”

“You’re Yus?”

“Yes. I felt my brothers return to the Aether and realized what was happening. I felt it only right to return to Asnea to allow you to accomplish your goal. Please, present Sverker to me. I’ll do my best to die by your hand.”

Sabine hesitantly unsheathed Sverker and held him against the mass of wind. “Why does everyone want to die?”

“Vampires live a tortured existence. This is why I do not create them. As for the dragons, we are not dying, simply returning home.” The mass of wind solidified into something that resembled a glowing woman and pressed itself upon the blade before dissipating into mist. “I wish you luck Sabine. May you find peace.”

The opening to Mount Violens reeked of sulfur. Sabine dismounted Bastien and walked towards the mouth of the cave. A choking mist lingered in the air. Sabine entered the volcano and made her way down the path until she reached a massive pool of magma. As she stared into the molten mess, a booming voice echoed through her mind like a thunderstorm. “You’ve finally come to do Ciel’s bidding, have you?”

“Yes.”

The earth rumbled as a gargantuan form rose from the lava. Magma poured from the cracks and crevices between its thick, porous scales, which were a bright red hue with a yellow tinge at the edges. The dragon rose to the top of the mountain and was still slouched over. His wings, which were gathered tightly on his back, were covered in black stone. His eyes were pure white, with a small black outline around the iris and a deep circular slash around the middle. Two jagged crags protruded from atop his misshapen skull, scraping the tops of the cave. His neck was about a third of his body length. His lower half was still submerged in lava, but his torso, like his wings, had portions caked in obsidian rock. The beast’s mouth did not move when it spoke.

“I’m sorry, Sabine. You did not deserve this fate.”

“What do you mean?” Sabine asked as she unsheathed Sverker.

“I cannot extrapolate, but I must apologize for your fate. I feel as though my actions may have played a part in these unfortunate events.”

“I don’t care,” Sabine pointed Sverker’s blade toward Ignus. “Will you go peacefully like the rest?”

“A thousand years ago you would be little more than a smear on the ground right now. Perhaps I’ve grown soft… But yes, I suppose the least I can do is allow you to complete your task with ease.” Ignus’ voice bellowed in Sabine’s head as he twisted his massive neck until the middle of it was directly in front of Sabine. “Insert Sverker directly in front of you. That is where my heart is located.”

Sabine tried to thrust Sverker into Ignus’ neck, but his scales were far too tough. A massive claw emerged from the magma and gouged a hole in Ignus’ neck to reveal an enormous glowing heart that pulsed with every breath of the gargantuan beast. Sabine had to stick her arm inside the burning hole to plunge Sverker into the organ. The dragon seemed to gasp a sigh of relief as it began to smolder and burn to ash.

“Perhaps we’ll meet again in the Aether. Yes, I think I’d like that.”

The Heart of the Ocean was little more than a pile of rubble. There were still a few pillars that remained standing before the staircase up to the plateau overlooking the sea. Against one of the pillars leaned a young man who appeared to be about twenty. He had messy charcoal hair that dangled just above his mahogany eyes. He was slim and wore an ancient looking suit.

“I’ve been waiting for you Sabine,” the man smiled. “My name is Liet. You may have heard of me.”

“The master chronomancer…” Sabine paused. “Steiner told me you died.

“Yup. Old age,” Liet quickly glanced at his hands. “You can’t really tell now though.”

“You’re a vampire then. I must kill you.”

“Oh, I’m more than happy to let you, but could we have a quick conversation first?”

“About what?”

“I know the other dragons didn’t put up much resistance, but Colbrandt is different. He used to be a vampire like us.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s possible for a vampire to become a dragon. Colbrandt found out how and succeeded. Now the part where he differs from the other dragons is that he wants to rule the world. He wants to enthrall humanity.”

“You’re saying I’ll have to fight him.”

“Yes.”

“Is that all?”

“There is one more thing…” Liet stepped away from the pillar as Sabine unsheathed Sverker. “Colbrandt told me to kill you.”

“Then why haven’t you?” Sabine’s brow furrowed as she posed the question. Liet responded with a light chuckle.

“Oh, I tried. When Brand turned me, he forced me to agree to a few terms. One was that I cannot kill myself. He also did not provide me with the means to kill a vampire. So I figured I’d trace back your bloodline far enough to prevent you from ever existing. Guess who I had to kill,” Liet’s mouth twisted into a massive smile. “Me! I’m your ancient relative. In order to prevent your existence, I would need to kill myself. Ironic, isn’t it?”

“You… have you been to the future?”

“Yes.”

Sabine looked around at the dreary landscape. “Am I doing the right thing?”

Liet’s smile faded and he placed his hand on Sabine’s. His voice faltered just for a moment as he spoke. “You’re making the world a better place.”

“Are you ready?”

“You’d think that an immortal time traveler could escape death, huh. Unfortunately, some events cannot be avoided. When I’m ready, I’ll return to this moment. It’ll be nothing more than the blink of an eye for you.”

“Just tell me when,” Sabine placed the tip of Sverker against Liet’s chest. Liet took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Now.” Sabine plunged her blade into Liet’s chest. His skin began to char and turn to ash. He closed his eyes as he crumbled to dust. “I’m coming Skylen. We’ll be together again…”

Sabine began to travel up the dilapidated steps toward the plateau. Standing in a crater in the center of the deteriorated tiles was Colbrandt. His skull was wreathed in fire that dripped from his chin onto the stone below. The clothes he was wearing were charred beyond recognition.

“We finally meet,” Brand’s skull clattered as he spoke. “Ciel’s puppet, here to put me in my place.”

“I’m only doing what I must,” Sabine replied as she unsheathed Sverker. “Will you go peacefully?”

“This world belongs to me, my dear,” Brand replied as he slowly approached Sabine. “I have no intention of handing it over to that bitch.”

“Then I’m afraid I have nothing more to say to you.”

“Do you really think you can kill a god?” Brand laughed as he lunged at Sabine. She responded with a swift jab to his skull followed by a slash of her sword. Brand grabbed the blade in his hand but recoiled quickly as the wound began to sizzle and fester. “I understand now. How many more cuts do you have? Can’t be more than a handful.”

Sabine looked at the vial of Steiner’s blood that was attached to Sverker’s sheathe. It was almost empty.

“Looks like I was right. You can’t touch me without that precious blood. You’ll never pierce my hide!” Brand shouted as his skin began to roil and bubble. After a moment, his skin peeled from his body to reveal the thick, scaley skin of a dragon. His scales were sharp and red with a black tinge. Brand’s body was fat and pompous and he had a stubby neck that attached to his flaming skull. After this transformation, Sabine was little more than an insect to him. He flung a massive claw at Sabine which hit her square in the chest and sent her flying down the steps into one of the crumbling pillars.

The stone structure collapsed on top of Sabine but her injuries healed immediately. She propped herself up and ran towards Bastien, climbing into the cockpit as soon as she could. Brand had already begun charging at her as she stuck the needle into her arm. Bastien sprung to life just in time to grab onto Brand’s gaping maw before it crushed the cockpit. The force of the charge caused Bastien to slide backwards as Brand kept trying to clamp down. The mugen released its grip on the beast’s mouth and put it in a mighty headlock. Sabine groaned as her blood pumped out of her body at an alarming rate. Bastien lifted the dragon into the air and slammed the monster down behind it. The fingers on Bastien’s hand folded back like petals on a flower and the plasma blade surged forth. Sabine positioned it at the base of Brand’s neck and began to plunge through the scales to reveal Brand’s heart. The dragon lashed out with its talons, clawing open the front of the cockpit before lunging with its jaws and clamping down on Bastien’s chassis. The smell of sulfur filled Sabine’s lungs as a soft glow began to rise up from Brand’s throat. Sabine slammed down on a glowing red button that sent her skyward just as the cockpit filled with flames. Sabine unsheathed Sverker as she came plummeting downwards and pierced Brand’s heart.

Impossible…” Brand uttered as his scales began to blister and bubble and burn to ash. His voice continued to echo in her mind as he was reduced to nothing but ash. “You can’t kill me… I’m a god…”

“You did well, Sabine.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“You mentioned to me once that you wished to see the sun,” Steiner replied. “This is Shefira, the mechanical sun built by the Divine King Leinhardt.”

The two of them were standing on a catwalk looking out of a massive observation window at the planet below. It was grey and lifeless. Around them were countless glass tubes filled with unconscious people that had dozens of needles constantly draining their blood, feeding it into massive reservoirs placed around the station.

“This isn’t what I had imagined…”

“How else did you think the star would be powered?”

“Why does it never get turned on?”

Steiner smiled softly. “There is no need. I have other uses for the blood.”

“What now…?”

“Sabine…” Steiner turned to face her as she spoke. “You are like a daughter to me. I love you.”

“You said I could see Wolf again.”

“Of course,” Steiner pricked her finger on her fang. “You will be with Wolf soon.”

“What will happen to us…? Will he be… human?”

“I am sorry my dear, but there is no place for you here anymore,” Steiner plunged her hand into Sabine’s chest and tapped her heart with her finger. Sabine let out a sharp gasp as her skin began to blister and burn. She gazed out over the lifeless grey planet as she crumbled to dust in Steiner’s hand. As she witnessed Sabine’s final moments, Steiner wept a single glistening, golden tear that crawled down her pale cheek.

“Not in world.”