Hikari sighed as Sephiroth and Marcus dueled. He watched on calmly as Marcus was tossed, turned, his loss inevitable. Through all of this, Sephiroth’s laugh echoed, the maniacal cackle burning itself into everyone’s minds.
From the corner, Hikari could see Maya shivering, obviously fearing for Marcus. The rest of the group just looked on solemnly, waiting patiently for the brutal duel to be over. Suddenly, something seemed to click in Hikari as he looked back at the duel, seemingly resolute.
“It’s time, Hyperion.” There was a small intake of breath in Hikari’s head, and Hyperion responded.
“A-are you sure Master?” Hikari sighed once again as he nodded.
“There is no other way now.”
Hikari began to walk towards the duel as his aura began to flare, and Hyperion stayed silent as he approached Sephiroth. A solemn air was around Hikari as he marched. All sorts of feelings radiated form him; fear. Hope. Anger. Happiness. He was a mix of emotions, a walking catastrophe. Yet one feeling radiated the most powerfully, the most intense.
Resolution.
As Hikari finally reached the edges of the duel, he looked on as Sephiroth’s laugh slowly died down, and Marcus was left on the floor, near defeat. Sephiroth noticed Hikari’s presence as he looked over, an eyebrow raised.
“Child, if you are so eager to die, I will happily kill you next; but wait your turn, please.” Hikari stood his ground as Sephiroth spoke, and Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed.
“I said lea-“ Hikari suddenly put his hand up as he stopped Sephiroth mid-sentence, and began to speak.
“Ten years ago, a young boy, who was a disciple of the light, had a father looking to destroy the three Darks. He ended up finding a way after years of research, something that would completely annihilate any dark being it touched. The Darks, for obvious reasons, were scared. So for the first time in millennium, they worked together to kill the man. They succeeded; and then, they went for his children. The young boy and his sister.”
Hikari took a pause in his speech, his eyes sorrowful as he spoke. “The sister fell quickly. She was a fragile thing. Graceful, yet easy to break, like glass. The boy, however, fought back. He wished to avenge his family, to fight for justice. He was the very essence of light. In the end, the Darks could not destroy his will or devotion. So instead, they overtook the boy’s body. Instead of being a disciple of the Light, he became a monstrosity.”
Everyone looked at Hikari in wonder as he reached for the top of his bandages. “That boy… is standing here before you.”
Hikari violently ripped his bandages off, revealing his body benath. Maya seemed like she was about to faint, and the others looked on with horror. Beneath the bandages was a body made of clockwork, metal, wood, and demonic flesh. Clicks could be heard as he moved, and gears ground in his chest, while the flesh of demons pulsated and squirmed on their hinges.
“I… was horrified by myself when I was first taken over. Yet now I see. I can see so clearly the balance of the world, and the flaws surrounding it. The Light is no better than the Dark. They are like to sides of a coin. While both exist to forward their cause, neither may exist without the other. Yet they may lso not co-exist peacefully…”
As Hikari continued to speak, Construct, Ophion, Lilith, Onuncu, Hyperion, and Kristya all appeared behind him, emitting an aura of power. “Not without destroying themselves. Yet that is exactly what I plan to do.”
Sephiroth backed away, a look of horror on his face. “M-monster! Get away!” Suddenly, Apoqliphort Tower was above him, flying towards Hikari. Hikari calmly raised his arm as a blast of energy was sent out, blasting through the Tower’s body as it fell with a crash.
Hikari walked towards Sephiroth, and Sephiroth continued to back away. There is, however, an end to everything, and eventually Sephiroth hit a wall; he had nowhere to go. “N-no! Stop! I won! This isn't meant to hap-“
Hikari had finally reached Sephiroth as he grabbed his head, and a light pulsated around them as Hikari’s very essence began to flow towards his hand. “You have upset the balance for your personal gain. Now, taste what you have sought to anger.” A pained scream was heard as a bright light surrounded Hikari, mixed with traces of darkness. Marcus looked up as he saw the events proceeding before him, and he screamed for Hikari.
“Hikari, no!” Hikari looked over and smiled softly at Marcus, while the rest of the group looked on in shock.
“Stay strong, Marcus. You’ll go far.” As tears began strolling down Marcus’s face, the last thing the group heard was Sephiroth’s pained scream and Hikari’s voice.
“I’m coming, Angelica.”
~~~~~
Hikari and Sephiroth disappeared from their sights, and left behind not a trace of either of them.
As the light faded away, 7 orbs were left behind, and the seven Zefra warriors materialized around where Hikari and Sephiroth were. They began to speak in unison to the group.
“Your friend, Hikari, has killed Sephiroth, thereby freeing us from his reign. We are unable to take a physical from in this world now; however, we shall continue to watch, and help influence this world in the order of balance. Barian himself shall not return for years to come. You have all done well. Congratulations.”
Marcus looked down, tears rolling over his face. “Yet we couldn't save Hikari.”
The seven figures turned to look at him, and began to speak again. “Do not worry, young one. He sacrificed himself as a hero would. It is not a time to mourn, but rather to celebrate.”
Marcus nodded shakily and stood up. “I-I understand. Thank you, and welcome back…”
The seven figures smiled and nodded back. “Thank you. You have our gratitude. If you ever require help, simply call. We shall return and aid to the best of our abilities. For now, we must have you leave this place.”
A glow surrounded them all, and suddenly they all found themselves back on the edge of the island, the boat in the dock. In the distance, they saw the castle crumbling to dust, and a splash could be heard as the debris fell, the last evidence of the events disappearing before them.
~~~~~
(A week later)
It was dark outside. The group was together, surrounding a small gravestone outside the school.
Here lies Hikari Himitsu, a hero and friend. May he rest in peace.Maya put some flowers on the ground in front of it, and they all backed away, bowing their heads in respect. Asuya began to speak.
“I never thought… of the Dark like Hikari did. Perhaps I was not the one who understood it…”
Marcus shook his head as he looked at Asuya. “None of us understood the big picture like he did. I only hope… He’s with his family now.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and they all parted ways. As they did, however, Asuya stopped Marcus.
“Hey, Marcus?” Marcus looked over at Asuya.
“Yeah, Asuya?”
Asuya looked down as he turned and walked away. “I’ll see you around.” Marcus chuckled as he walked away, sadness in both of their eyes.
“Yeah. See you around.” Marcus then ran back with Maya as everyone left for their own lives.
Cecile looked down from a tree, a single tear rolling down her eye. “I only wish… we would have had more time, Hikari. Yet all things come to an end. We are all interconnected on this island… and so we shall continue on our ways, holding hands even in the worst of times. You allowed me to realize that.”
Cecile jumped down as she ran after Asuya, catching up to him as he looked down on her. “Yes?”
“Hey. I’m Cecile…”
Asuya chuckled as he continued to walk. “How things have changed. Come on. You can follow, but I’m not waiting.”
Cecile laughed as she followed after Asuya. Behind them, the moon glistened.
It looked like a white orb in the sky, glistening with a soft light.
END OF RP