Chapter XXII
Azurda took us as far up the World Tree as he could, but even titans like himself need oxygen. After thanking him, we exited and went towards the Megrez Elevator. Where Jin had died. Before we entered, I stopped everyone.
"If we go in there, Cereza will be waiting for us. There's no guarantee she doesn't already have Malos' Monado, but I don't think that's the case. Once we enter, there's no turning back. Are you guys sure you want to do this?"
"I'm with your dumbass til the end. No one's allowed to kick your ass except for me!" Mythra chimed in.
"And I'm getting Pyra back! I won't let you do this alone!" Rex added.
Tora looked thoughtfully. "Tora have beaten many monsters, Tora will keep fighting!"
"As will Poppi!" Poppi said cheerfully.
"And someone's gotta keep you guys from going belly-up," Nia teased.
I acknowledged this. "Thanks, now let's go clean up my mess."
And with that, I opened the door, the elevator ride was particularly long, and quiet. Everyone was nervous. I gave Mythra a weak smile, which she returned. This could be all of our last days here.
One thing was for sure, I no longer feared death. When I had first arrived, I was scared, confused, I didn't know who I was or why all of this had happened to me. But as I had grown with everyone here, I finally knew my place. And whether I lived or died was just another way of saying whether I could keep fighting or not.
The elevator came to a stop. We exited and marveled at the world below for awhile.
"First time to space?" Mythra laughed.
"Yeah, do you come here often?" I laughed back.
"I would love to but apparently humans need oxygen or something," Mythra responded.
We stood side by side and just watched the world below for a little bit longer. Eventually I sighed.
"We done stalling yet?" I asked.
"Hold on, just a bit longer," she answered.
"Mythra," I chided.
"Fine, fine! Let's get going!" she laughed.
As we arrived to the land that was once Elysium, we noticed something strange. It was dark. Like it was night time. There were two lighted areas, one in the center of Elysium, and one inside the church. As we approached the hill overlooking Elysium, we noticed someone underneath the tree. It was a girl, she seemed scared. She was in a small maid outfit and seemed to be shivering, but it wasn't even cold.
"Are you alright little girl?" Rex asked out of concern.
"You are all going to die," she said before disappearing.
"That voice!" Mythra exclaimed.
"It was definitely Mòrag's. Something isn't right," I concluded.
We walked into the lighted area at the center, and Zaccharias walked into it.
"Hello, Waylon," he said, sounding as haunted as Mòrag did.
"Zaccharias? Are you still in there?" I asked.
"I must... I must save my family, Waylon," he continued.
"Zacc, we can help you! You just need to—"
"It's so cold, Waylon...," his form began to twist in front of me as he shape-shifted into a monster, a blade eater.
"Guys!" I turned around to see no one there. My head started throbbing and I couldn't think anymore. I let out a scream.
"Can you keep us warm, Waylon?" Zaccharias said, but I could hear Mòrag's voice behind his, speaking in unison.
I screamed again as I fell on my hands and knees.
"What's the matter, Waylon?" Every time they spoke it hurt even more.
"What is this?!" I demanded, but no answer came.
"Join us, Waylon! We want to be warm too!"
This... I knew this feeling. It was another empath attack! But this was much worse, I was being forced to see things that I didn't want to see. Just like when Cereza made me think Poppi was her! If I attacked them I could end up hurting someone I didn't intend to, I just had to fight this. But how?
"Aren't you cold, Waylon?"
"No! I'm not cold!" I yelled back. Cereza had always fed on fear, and I told Zeke clearly that I feared failure, not Cereza. All I had to do was succeed.
"Aren't you scared, Waylon?" Zaccharias roared at me, his mouth turning into mandibles. He charged at me and I looked him straight in the eye.
"I wasn't ever scared of you."
Immediately Elysium lit up, and everyone was standing next to me. Zaccharias was across from us, on the ground and breathing heavily. Apparently my empathy was turned into an attack that did to them what they did to me.
"What just...," Mythra started.
"Don't worry about it, he isn't what we came for, let's go get Malos," I interrupted.
None of them argued, and we went towards the church. Once inside we realized the stairs leading to Aion's hangar weren't down, and we were left inside this old building.
Kneeling at the altar was Mòrag herself, completely unrecognizable from who she one was, she was still shivering, she only had one arm.
"Mòrag...," I called gently, taking a step forward.
Why was she now the size of a twelve-year-old girl?
She stopped shivering and her head shot up.
She began to speak in a loud voice, her voice sounded overlapped in multiple pitches, enough to make even Mythra take a step back.
"No flesh shall be spared!" she began repeating over and over again.
"M-Mòrag?" Rex inquired, fearing for everyone there.
She began shaking violently and floating in the air.
I pulled my sword. "Cereza feeds off fear! Don't let her get to you!"
"Meh meh! Mòrag very scary! Even scarier than before!" Tora whined.
"Tora! You took on Amalthus himself! This is nothing! Stand with your blade, we can do this!" I cheered on.
"Friend right! Poppi will fight with masterpon until very end!" Poppi cheered as well. She then proceeded to shift into her QT π form. "Will supply plenty of Poppi power!"
This is the first time I had ever seen Poppi QT π in person. Rex was right, she was definitely distracting. Luckily the demonic chanting coming out of Mòrag was just enough to make me look away.
"Let's get this over with," Nia said tauntingly.
Mòrag let out a bloody murder scream, sending a wave of energy that knocked all of us down.
"Hey! That was a pretty cheap trick!" Mythra said, getting up. She seemed to recollect something after she said it, but shook it off.
"Mythra! Let's go!" I called, immediately the Aegis sword was engulfed in green light, becoming its true form. I began charging towards
"Right!" she responded, running along with me.
Mòrag laughed maniacally as a blood red scythe, bigger than she was. appeared fiercely in her hand, it was already dripping with blood.
I swung my sword and she spun her scythe around faster than even I could see. She parried multiple times and threw me off balance before blasting another wave at me, knocking me back down.
She went to slice me through the chest but Tora jumped in front of me and blocked it.
"Thanks Tora!" I said, getting back up and resetting myself.
Nia healed me up and Rex went in for a few swings of his own, I immediately came in behind her to deal damage from behind. She parried both of us and let out another shock wave, throwing us back.
"Ugh, what the hell is that?!" Nia exclaimed.
"It's some sort of psychokinesis, I can't comprehend how she's using it though!" I answered.
"Psycho-what?" Tora and Rex asked together.
"It's the power to move things with your mind, but it seems her thought waves come out in bursts and can't actually be controlled," I explained.
"Mòrag! You have to recognize us! We've been with you since the beginning of our quest!I know you can remember us!" Rex said, attempting to get through to her.
"Guys! We have more company!" Mythra added.
Zaccharias was standing at the entrance, while Mòrag stood on the other side.
"Why did you spare me? Why didn't you kill me while you had the chance?" he asked me.
"I have no reason to kill you, this isn't your fault. It's Cereza! It always has been!" I answered.
"And what about the girl?" he said, referring to Mòrag.
"This is Mòrag, but we don't know what Cereza did to her!" Rex interjected.
"She... tried to save me too," he recalled.
Mòrag rushed me and I parried as fast as I could, but her scythe-spinning speed was unparalleled and she knocked me against the wall. She went for a finishing blow but it was blocked.
"Listen, you've got somewhere to be," Zaccharias said, blocking Mòrag's attack. "You guys get the hell out of here! The switch is behind that weird pedestal on the stage, that'll open the stair case, now move!"
He was referring to the pulpit, but we had no time. We all started to move.
"What about Cereza, Zaccharias?" I asked.
"I'll cross that bridge when I get there, as far as I'm concerned I'm already a dead man," he reasoned. "Now get the hell out of here!"
I nodded and we lowered the stairs and went down them quickly. Zaccharias hit the switch to re-conceal the stairs and then broke the switch with Cereza's sword.
Mòrag rushed him, she let out a barrage of scythe attacks, which he only successfully parried half of.
He was thrown onto the ground, torn up pretty bad.
"Those some bitches weren't kidding," he grunted out, getting back up. "You are fast."
He grinned. "Let's test that."
He rushed her this time, she let out a shock wave, but it had no effect on him, as his mind was already gone.
His speed with Cereza's sword began reaching speeds he'd been unable to reach before, and he tore that scythe out of her hand.
"Mòrag! I know you're in there! Fight it!"
"No one is home anymore," she replied am hauntingly. "Just pain."
He grabbed her by the collar and held her close.
"I don't believe that, because I know you. You're the strongest person I know, and I know you can beat this! You can beat anything! You're Special Inquisitor Mòrag! Don't lose me soldier!"
"Z-Zaccharias?" Mòrag began to recall.
A voice came from behind him. "Oh no you don't!" He watched Cereza's own sword go through his chest and she slammed Mòrag into a wall, knocking her unconscious.
"What a waste," Cereza said, wiping the blood from her sword.
...................................
"Daddy! Daddy!" I heard screaming coming from my daughter's room.
I ran in there immediately.
"Mòrag? What's wrong?" I asked.
She was crying. "Daddy I'm scared!"
He sat at her foot of her bed.
"Oh? And why's that my little girl?"
"I saw a monster outside," she whimpered.
"Well hunny we live next to a farm, it was just a little ardun! Do you really think that I'd let something bad happen to you?"
"No...," she said thoughtfully.
"Right, I've always protected you, there's no reason to fear as long as I'm here!"
"Daddy, do you kill a lot of animals?" she asked, suddenly changing subject as children often do.
"Yes, I'm a hunter, and I have to get food for the entire village! It's my job!" I explained.
"But why?! They don't want to be food! Maybe they just want to be friends!"
"So you don't want me to be a hunter anymore?" I inquired.
She shook her head. "I don't want you to hurt anyone or anything anymore!"
"But what if you're in danger? Then what?"
"Then you can fight! But don't kill anything, there's no need for it! If you kill everything, then how does that make you better than a monster?"
"Sometimes in life, you have to get rid of monsters. So if someone is genuinely bad, may I have your permission to go through with that?"
She thought for a moment. "Yes, yes that's ok. But no more hunting!"
"Ok, ok. You drive a hard bargain missy," I said, tickling her a bit.
She giggled.
"Alright. Tell you what? I'll talk to my boss tomorrow, and I'll do something else. No more hunting, just for you sweet pea."
Mòrag jumped up and hugged him. "I love you Daddy!"
"I love you too darling."
...................................
I made a promise, I intend to keep it.
Zaccharias felt a burst of strength inside of him. He started picking himself up off the ground. He wasn't dying, not yet.
"You'd better make damn sure you kill me this time," he grunted through gritted teeth as he pulled himself off the ground.
"How do you still breathe human?" Cereza asked, bewildered.
His sword turned blood red in his hand while the hole she put through his chest disappeared. His black hair turned back to its original brown and his eyes returned to blue.
Without another word, he rushed her at speeds she couldn't comprehend. Each blow more furious and powerful than the last. He knocked her into the air, kicked her to the ground, and slashed her multiple times.
She backflipped over him and swung herself, which he blocked with ease before shoving her through the temple wall. He jumped through the whole and stabbed her straight through the skull.
Cereza ripped herself off of his sword. "YOU BITCH!" she shouted as she swung with everything she had.
"What are you made of?" Zaccharias questioned as he swung back, shattering her sword.
"I want to ask you the same thing," she said as she pulled out Brighid's sword whips, flicking them out and surrounding them in a wall of dark purple fire.
"Fine, let's burn then," Zaccharias said, unfazed by the heat.
He swung again, Cereza's agility has increased with the new weapons and she dodged much easier, hitting much easier as well.
She lashed Zaccharias multiple times, but he kept going anyway. He kept fighting with everything he had, he no longer cared how much energy was used, just that he did everything he could to kill, or at least stall her.
She pushed him into the fire and he immediately set himself ablaze, but he charged out of the fire, burning alive and swinging madly at her.
"How?! How are you still alive?!" Cereza shouted irritably.
He kept swinging, but soon the damage from the fire and his overuse of energy caught up with him.
She sliced him up multiple times and he kept slashing her as well. The fight took up a lot of Cereza's own energy, but she finally ended it when she plowed her sword through his chest, and used the second one to wrap around his neck.
Zaccharias laughed. "They never really were alive, were they?" he choked out.
"No, I tortured them to death. The young one was... a real treat!" Cereza said.
Zaccharias laughed even harder. "Right there! I saw it! You showed emotion! Heh, you didn't want to kill them, did you? So why? Why go through all of this?"
"You don't know anything, keep your stupid comments to yourself. Now goodbye, and die."
His laughter faded away as he accepted his fate.
"Amelia, Mòrag," he said as his last words. "Don't worry, Daddy's coming home." He managed to choke out one last tear. Whether it was of joy or of sadness, no one can ever know.
With one pull, his head was torn off.
Zaccharias' body swung the sword a few more times before landing on the ground and finally going to rest.
Cereza fell to the ground and rested for a bit. "Zanza fucking Klaus he wouldn't die."
After she regained control of herself, she got up. "Alright Cereza, you have shit to do."
...................................
We had finally arrived in Aion's hangar, the large machine lay there, dormant.
"Could we use that to help deal with Cereza?" Rex asked.
"You mean 'him', not that," Mythra corrected. "And no, he used the last of his power to keep this place from dying."
"But doesn't he get powered by the Conduit itself?" I asked.
"Yes, but he turned the connection off, so he just simply lays here, in a dead state."
Rex spotted Malos' crystal and picked it up.
"Hey guys, I found it!" he said.
"Well what're you waiting for? Get him out here already!" Nia cheered.
"Is this really the right decision though?" Rex thought aloud.
"There's no guarantee he's going to be cooperative," Mythra advised.
"Well odds are he'll have no memory," I said. "So I'm not worried about it as long as we make sure to help him and not hurt him."
Mythra groaned. "That's such an Addam thing to say...."
"Well am I wrong?"
Mythra and Poppi shrugged. So Rex tapped the core crystal. Nothing seemed to happen.
Rex stood there for a second before stepping back and falling to his knees.
"Titans foot," he said weakly. Nia rushed to his aid to find his nose violently bleeding.
"Now Rex Rex know how Tora feel!" Tora said triumphantly.
"Can Masterpon get head out of clouds for two seconds?" Poppi scolded.
Nia started healing him up and I looked at the crystal.
"Waylon you try it," Rex said as his strength returned.
"Why would I be able to do it if you couldn't?" I asked.
"You resonated so well with Mythra that you took her from her driver!" Nia chimed in.
"Arguably," Mythra said, rolling her eyes.
I shot her a look.
"What?! Are you seriously going to tell me that I'm crazy for wondering how on Alrest you did that?!" she defended.
"You get a pass," I cautioned jokingly.
"Yeah you'd better resonate with him before I pass my hand across the back side of your head," she mumbled.
"What was that?" I inquired cheekily.
"Resonate with the damn crystal Waylon!" she yelled out of irritation.
I laughed. "Alright, alright, here goes nothing."
I tapped the core crystal. This would be the first time I'd ever actually resonated with a core crystal since Cereza. Within seconds Malos was standing in front of us.
He looked up at me and then stood up.
"How long has it been? Did the kid bite it?" Malos asked.
"Nope, over here," Rex called.
Malos was a bit confused, but he adjusted. "So how long?"
"Well I was in prison for nine months and we've been dealing with Cereza for about two, so... four-ish months?" I guessed.
"You mean to tell me you need my help 'changing the world' after only four months of effort? Did I misplace my trust?" he asked.
"Actually, human and blade-wise it's going much better," Mythra argued. "All of the nations of Alrest have put aside their differences to unite as one nation and keep detailed records of all blade activity so that no blade has to ever truly forget who they were."
"Is that right? So why are you here?" he asked Rex. "And who's this kid?"
"Name's Waylon, Mythra's driver. Summoned a blade of pure evil who can destroy core crystals and steal the blade's data," I explained quickly.
"Mythra's—? And evil blades? What are you talking about?" he asked again.
"Malos, while I'd love to sit here and explain everything to you in detail, we have a blade stronger than anything we've ever seen, we can't use the Aegis' true form, only a percentage of its power. If she breaks your core crystal, she gets your Monado. She gets that, and we're fucked. She's faster, stronger, smarter, and much more of a threat than you and Jin ever were, so are you in or not?" I asked.
"So from what I'm getting, we need to kill a blade?" he asked.
I threw him his sword. "Yes, and we can't find her core crystal, the current theory is she constantly moves it around on her body so it doesn't get hurt, so we need to do a lot of damage fast. You in?" I asked again.
"Sounds fun," he stated, powering up his Monado. "Let's end this."
"But why Malos have memory?" Poppi asked.
"Don't care, but I'll gladly take them for my own," Cereza said, walking into the room.
"I'm assuming this hot mess is your evil blade," Malos mocked.
"Hot mess?" Cereza scoffed. "Says the one with hair gel and thighs for days but with little else to offer. Didn't even know they stacked worthless garbage that high."
Malos pulled his traditional half-grin. "Quite a mouth on this one. This outta be fun."
"Quite," Cereza giggled. "But allow me to start with the opening act to this lovely ensemble!"
She snapped her fingers and Mythra screamed and fell down, writhing in agony again.
"Mythra!" I caught her and let her down easy, resting her on my knee.
"And one down, now for the next act," she said, switching her voice into her serious tone. "Time to make an asshole disappear."
"Tch. Says you," Malos retorted.
I picked up Mythra and set her down off to the side.
"Stay here potato chip, I'll get this done," I promised. Which, again, I hated doing.
"Malos, sword. It's time to end this," I demanded.
"How do I know you're any good as a driver?" Malos asked.
"Quit asking dumb questions and I won't make you find out," I threatened.
Malos laughed and threw me his weapon. "I like this one," he said.
"Waylon, promise me you won't do anything reckless when fighting her," Rex demanded.
"I promise, let's just get this over with," I said definitively.
I held his Monado in my hand, and prepared for a fight.
Cereza rushed me specifically, Tora immediately used Poppi to break her and then I proceeded to use Monado Cyclone to topple her and drain her power.
"Try using a special now, you little shit," Malos jeered.
I threw Malos' sword at him. "Talk shit later, focus now."
"Yes, Dad," he said mockingly.
I swear I heard Mythra laugh, but I know she didn't.
Cereza laughed. "Special huh? How about this."
The room grew extremely dark and a ball of pure darkness appeared at the tip of her sword.
"Eclipse's Shadow," she uttered.
It expanded and soon none of us could see. And at this point I realized she had used only driver arts up to this moment and I had never seen any of her blade arts.
"Malos!" I called.
There was no answer.
The darkness cleared and Cereza had pinned him down and already driven her sword through his crystal.
"Heh, on the ground and stabbed through by a lunatic blade. Not your typical way to die, but I guess I could think of worse ways," he chuckled.
"Malos...," Rex said aloud.
"Ah don't sweat it kid, in the end I deserved it anyway. Just make sure you kick her ass for me, k? See ya around," he said before becoming nothing more than ether particles.
Cereza let out a deep cackle as his Monado appeared in her hand.
It changed its form into something I recognized very well.
It was Meyneth's Monado. But why? Why was this the form it took? I couldn't understand, but I had other things to worry about.
"Hey Rex, we're down two Aegises and we've got nowhere to go, I'm pretty sure we're fucked."
"You said it," Cereza laughed.
"Yeah, it's pretty tight," Rex agreed.
"Tora not want to die here! Tora must keep fighting!" Tora said.
"Now," Cereza giggled.
Before we could blink she slammed Nia and Rex into a wall and bent the metal around their limbs to keep them there.
"Let's play a game. You know the rules, pick who dies. You have ten seconds."
"No!" Rex yelled. "It can't end like this! Not yet!"
I didn't know what to do. Mythra was out of commission and Tora couldn't help either.
"Five," Cereza began.
I was pissed, but I had no way out. I was powerless and she knew it.
"Four."
Rex looked at me. I knew that if I chose Nia he'd never forgive me. But if I chose Rex, Nia nor Pyra would be able too either.
"Three."
I knew what Rex wanted. He wanted me to choose him, he didn't have to say anything.
"Two!" she said aggressively.
"Rex!" I shouted angrily. "Just... make it quick."
"Aww there goes your pride," she laughed. "Nia it is then."
"What? No!" I shouted.
She immediately went for her core crystal and everyone winced.
But instead of a crack, we heard a loud ringing sound that made all of us cover our ears.
Cereza looked in surprise as her sword had collided with Poppi's shield. The shield should've instantly decayed due to the sword destroying anything it touches, but it didn't. And in Poppi's eyes I could see the most pissed off and determined look I have ever seen.
In a threatening voice, Poppi spoke. "Cereza have one last chance to give up this instant."
Cereza grinned. "And what? You're gonna kill me? You'll never be a real blade, so why bother trying to be one? Get out of the way you nopon sex toy."
Cereza swung her sword quickly, but Poppi blocked it again.
"Initializing Final Protocol," Poppi said in a robotic voice.
Instantly she changed into her QT π form, but different. Her eyes burned red and the center of her chest began to glow a faint orange.
"Form locked, initializing Poppi's Quantum Technochampion Cybernetic Finale. Abbreviation: Poppi's Q-TCY (cutesy) Finale," immediately, her arms were enveloped by QT's gloves, Alpha's shield, and QT π's sword. All of which activated at once.
Tora looked stunned at Poppi, who shrugged his shoulders when we tossed him questioning looks.
"In this form, Poppi has combined assets of all potential Poppi skills. Arts, skills, cores, chips, and aux's," she explained in her QT π voice. "You cannot win."
"We'll see you piece of trash!" Cereza challenged.
She swung as fast as she could, but Poppi blocked or parried them all and overwhelmed her with her superstrength.
"What the hell?!" Cereza questioned.
Poppi let out a barrage of arts, from missiles to spins to hard blows. She easily broke through Cereza's defense.
I quickly grabbed Nia and Rex off the wall and retreated back to Tora.
"This not good! Not good at all!" Tora cried.
"What's wrong?" Rex asked.
"That orange glow is what wrong! It getting brighter. That not power, that her core melting! Poppi never meant to have such insane power," he explained.
"Poppi...," I said, realizing what she was doing.
Poppi kept going, but soon her whole body was burning bright orange. Cereza had been beaten to a pulp, but without her core crystal being damaged, she just kept healing, and Poppi was running out of options.
"This is Poppi's last stand!" she cried out as she kept at it.
"It's over robot!"
"Cereza don't make sense," Poppi said, parrying an attack. "Why does Cereza keep fighting like this? Why keep killing like you do?"
"Because I was designed for this purpose! It's my only goal and I will see it through. I have no options left!" Cereza retorted. "Besides, you wouldn't understand! You can't even talk right, how are you supposed to comprehend anything!"
She let out a huge darkness wave that Poppi dodged narrowly.
"Then let me speak in a way you can understand." Poppi said in such a serious matter that all of us immediately were dumbstruck.
"The way you were designed doesn't define who you are! I'm living proof! I have lived my entire life an imitation, something I can never hope to be. But I live with my master, and he uses me, knowing he can never truly be what he's imitating either, and that's ok, because we exist together. You have a driver, someone who can learn to care for you! He doesn't know why he's here either, so why can't you learn like he is? Why do you have to go on like this?!"
Cereza let out an extreme barrage of attacks, blowing Poppi to the ground.
"YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND!!!" she screamed.
Poppi quickly hugged her from behind, something none of us expected.
"Try me."
"Grip-lock initiated," Poppi said in her robot voice. She turned to us. "Everyone get out of here, I'm finishing this now. Inside of me is a bomb, it's going off now."
"Poppi! Poppi can't leave masterpon like this!" Tora cried.
Poppi smiles sympathetically with tears going down her face. She shot something at Tora, a black box.
"Every moment I spent with you was amazing Tora. I will always love you, so please, for me, take this and go! Be a hero, I know you can be! With or without me."
"Tora could never imagine such a thing!" Tora cried again.
"Masterpon, you've already proven it! I've only been helping you! You were always the real hero behind me. I'm... I'm sorry I could never truly be a blade, but I hope every moment we spent together was worth it in the end."
"It... it was. Be safe Poppi! Masterpon truly love Poppi!" Tora said, and for the first time ever, I saw him cry.
I picked up Mythra, tears in my own eyes.
"Waylon, take care of Mythra and friends, they mean a lot to me, just like you do. Now go!"
I nodded. "Thanks Poppi. Now finish this! And... for what it's worth, you were one of the best blades I ever met."
And with that, we ran out.
Poppi looked at Cereza. "Roger roger."
Poppi flew up high into space.
"Isn't it beautiful, Cereza?" Poppi said, viewing the entire planet.
She stared down at the planet, the mass of blue and white in perfect harmony. It was beautiful.
"I'm sorry you were designed for such an awful purpose, but I can't allow it to continue. I hope, if there is a next life, you find happiness in it."
And with that, Poppi burst into a large explosive flame in the sky. An explosion so large that even people from Elysium could see it.
...................................
We ran as fast as we could, which was admittedly extremely difficult while carrying someone on your back. Tora refused to look back, he was definitely a tough little nopon.
That's when the explosion happened, it didn't destroy anything, but the force of the energy blew us completely off the World Tree.
Luckily Azurda had been flying around outside and caught us, but the moment I landed on his back, I set Mythra down and then everything went hazy.
"Waylon!" Rex called as I blacked out.
...................................
I was quietly staring at the sky on the Elysium beach I had washed up on. No, the blast didn't kill me, my core crystal had not been damaged. Only I knew where it was. But something else was definitely eating at me. My thoughts were halted as the robot washed on shore. I took a sip of the wine I had stolen from a nearby village, but I wished to remain here for a bit longer.
"Has Cereza decided what...Cereza...do?" the robot asked, her speech protocol severely damaged.
"I'll carry on as I always have. I don't believe that there is truly any place for me here. But once I see this world come full circle, then, and only then, will I be truly happy," I answered.
"Cereza...destroy...Poppi's core. When... time is right, you...will know what to do." And with that, Poppi shut down completely.
I poured the rest of my wine onto Poppi's lifeless and mostly destroyed metal corpse.
"To the only thing that could understand," I said before taking my sword and ramming through Poppi's core.
I immediately had all three forms of Poppi's weapons, even as an artificial blade, her weapons were loaded as data, which meant I could still take them. I wouldn't use them, but I believe she wanted me to take them to whatever happy place I found.
"Thanks kid."
Readability Level: 11th-12th Grade
Time Taken: 6-8 Hours (Idek, it just took a long time)
Please do not use without permission. All artwork is not mine and credit goes to the artist.