11/20/2014, 07:05 AM #304 Chapter 40 - Edge of Eternity (Part 1)
"Anna!" Aion was frantic as he raced forward in a mad attempt to reach Anankerisa being dragged away by the chains of energy, quickly approaching the Fissure. "Let her go!" He lunged forward, grabbing hold of her limp form and trying to pull her free. More chains, however, defeated his hope as now he too was being pulled into the Fissure. Accelerating helplessly forward, he clung to the still unconscious Anankerisa as if to protect her from whatever may lie beyond the rift. Once through, the chains restraining Aion ripped him away from Anna, throwing him to the hard tiled floor below. The shock from the impact knocked the air from his lungs, temporarily paralyzing him with pain.
"Look what the cat dragged in."
When Aion regained focus, he saw the man he had been looking for. "Sol..."
A swift kick sent Aion sprawling across the floor. "We meet at last, Master of Time..." As Sol spoke, Aion got to his feet, pain and exhaustion inhibiting his movements. "I'll be honest, I expected more from the man who owned this place. So many mysteries... Like this sanctuary. Looks an awful like the easier to access Sanctuary of Light, but in reality... it's a completely different room, yet occupies the same space. How well do you even know your own home? Because while you were prancing about the galaxy..." Sol grinned manically as the chains holding Anankerisa lowered her next to him, "I was here, playing puppet master."
"You... you were..."
"Oh yes, quite comfortably too I might add. Having access to Heaven's Forge was also quite a convenience," he said drawing forth an ornate blade that seemed to be brimming with power. "It granted me access to one of the most powerful artifacts ever created! A fine blade... such attention to detail... and such power! The Void will be no match against this!"
"You're mad."
"Oh? What's that now? I didn't quite catch that."
"If you think that sword alone will defeat the Void, you have another thing coming. You might think yourself so clever... but you're blind. Our best chance of surviving lies with the one Venturia sent us..." Aion took a moment to stand properly, fighting through the pain. Then he flanked over to Anankerisa. "Her. She's our hope."
"Her? Oh you mean this puppet?" Sol caught Anna by the back of the collar of her dress as she fell free from the chains. "Our hope? Pah! She has played her role." His face then turned grim. "A puppet that no longer has use..." Energy surrounded Anankerisa's body, slowly growing in intensity as Sol spoke.
"...is but mere garbage."
In an instant, the form of Anankerisa vanished. Traces of the energy used to destroy her dissipated in the air as sparks. Aion stood stunned as realization of what Sol had done slowly sank in.
"Nothing can stand against me. I have transcended this mortal plane and have become a god. With this sword I shall single-"
"Enough."
Sol looked annoyed at Aion for interrupting him, but his mood soon changed as the doors behind Aion opened. Those that entered soon were beside him. Joe, Eleos, Nemesis, Kiara, Starla, Terrisa, and Nero stood to either side of Aion, armed and ready.
"How...?!" Sol looked perplexed. "Impossible! No one else would have known to come here!"
"You're forgetting something, Sol." Aion said with a level voice that dripped anger. One more person appeared from behind him, a girl that made Sol stumble backwards in disbelief. "I am the Master of Time. Rarely do I choose to command it..." He glanced down to the girl next to him, to Anankerisa. "But for when I do choose to do so... It obeys." Aion held his left hand out and energy formed a sword, the same ornate design as Iris. "I am Aion Leonares, Master of Time, Champion of Venturia, Bearer of the Spirit of Iris. I fight on behalf of all who call this Eternal Galaxy home. And you, Sol Hyperion, Former Guardian of Time, Self-proclaimed god, Bearer of the Vessel of Iris... Your time is up."
Disbelief flashed to rage on Sol's face as he lunged at Aion, blade at the ready. Before he knew what was happening, he found himself suddenly falling in the skies of Duon. A downed Orcus Class Cruiser rushed by him. Aion came hurtling out of nowhere, slamming Sol into the side of the cruiser. Barely moving in time, Sol evaded Aion's initial attack, watching as Aion's blade cut through the thick armor of the Orcus ship with ease. Using the top of the ship as a platform, Sol was put on the defensive against Aion's savage assault. Right when Sol thought he had good footing against Aion, everything changed again. Now they were in the middle of a battlefield on Alcyon between two charging armies. Aion kept pressing the attack. Sol barely keeping up countering each blow. Suddenly, a blast of dark energy struck Sol, sending him flying back. Achlys ran up alongside Aion, both now charging towards Sol, who was desperately trying to get to his feet. Before the duo could reach him, Sol unleashed a blast of energy from Iris. A wall of ice blocked the attack. A blue-haired Kiara then joined the fray, but the three found themselves on the defensive against Sol's attacks, which were slowly increasing in intensity as he drew upon the power of Iris. But as it seemed Sol had gained the upper hand, he found himself in a dense forest and immediately screamed in pain as a bullet punched through his sword hand. Eleos prepared for another shot, but Sol saw where he was and began charging after him, preparing to unleash another blast of energy despite his injury. His attack was cut short as Aion dropped from the foliage and knocked Sol down with the pommel of his blade. As Sol sprung to his feet, he realized that he was now in a magma cavern of Inopia, facing a charging band of renegades, led by Dalia. He was quickly beset by the mob, fighting through a flurry of axes, swords, and spears. A explosion of energy freed him from his assailants, but in the brief moment of exhaustion Aion struck him down again. As Sol stumbled, he was pulled up by his hair. He was staring face to face with Erebos, he simple grinned sadistically before throwing Sol into one of the pillars of the Fortress of Nox. Getting up from the rubble of a damaged portion of the Hunters' Guild on Duon, he stared for a moment down the barrel of Joe's BEHEMOTH Cannon as it charged. Reacting, he rolled out of the way of the laser blast, only to be punted by Terrisa's mech. Quickly getting up, Sol saw Aion, the Hunters, Navarre, and Ember taking aim with rifles all trained on him. He unleashed another blast of energy in the form of a roar of anger, which shattered the glass of the throne room of the Floating Palace. Avonna stood at the top of the stairs above Sol, unaffected. Next to her was Aion. Behind them was a Iupiter Class Cruiser belonging to the Noble Guardian Order, with guns aimed at Sol. His expression twitched slightly as he wanted to attack Aion, but the aura of Avonna prevented him from doing so. Instead he summoned all of the power of Iris to create an impenetrable shield to protect him from the looming danger of the onslaught of the massive war ship.
Instead, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as he noticed that he was back in the Manor of Eternity. He looked down to be greeted with the sight of Aion's form of Iris protruding through the place where his heart would be. The blade was removed from him and he slowly turned to face Aion. What he saw horrified him. Holding a bloodied Iris was the last person he was expecting to see. "Lu-Luna?!"
"Iris is not limitless power. Your 'immortality' was tied to the energy of the blade." Aion stepped forward. "Though it was not my right to decide your fate."
Sol looked from Aion to Luna in total horror, his eyes slowly starting to cloud over. "Luna... why..."
Luna merely stood watching Sol as he fell, laying on the sheet of his own blood. A moment of silence reigned before Luna finally dropped to her knees, crying.