The huge bow of the Morgana loomed large in the sky. It looked imposing, even in the mists that Kirone had created that she and Garuda would be able to see the battle from afar.

"Do you think they'll be enough?" Kirone asked him, nervously biting her bottom lip.

"Beetween your ships and my Seketha we should have no trouble," Garuda said confidently. "I do wish that my brethren were here, however, it would be nice to have them witness this. Perhaps test their own might against this . . .what is his name?"

"Darken Blackangel."

"Yes," Garuda said. "Nevertheless, it isn’t like they brought an army. This should be sufficient."

* * *

Darken wasted no time, he banked around the Morgana, deftly avoiding a volley of fire from the ship's guns, and summoned his Dive Spear, the weapon Phoenix had created. This was the ship Kirone had escaped in when the machine sphere had been destroyed. He hoped she was on it.

He began to channel his soul energy through the blade. It was easier now--in fact, the difficulty had been holding it back. Phoenix was right, he thought. I am drawing on it easier.

"SOUL CALIBER!" Darken cried, unleashing a beam of brilliant blue energy at the side of the Morgana. It blasted out the other side with a force and fury even Darken was stunned by.

But not for very long. A swarm of black insect-like beings swarmed out of the hole he had created. Their pink wings hummed angrily, like a swarm of hornets. Darken brought his spear to the ready as one broke off to attack him.

A section of the monster's carapace opened. A bolt of energy fired from it, slicling into Darken's tunic. Darken feinted, turned and slashed through the chest of the beast.

Too close, he thought. He looked up and saw Phoenix and Liandra struggling with these monsters too. One down, a million or so to go, it seems.

Another one had found him, it was tracking him with energy bolts. Darken blocked a few of them. In dodging them, he as nearly vaporized by the main gun of one of the Morgana's flank ships.

Damn it, he cursed. Leave it to Kirone to cheat.

* * *

Sarene was watching the battle with interest. She was standing now, on the perch of her tower, hand together, rapt with attention. Even in untold milennia of imprisonment, she had never seen anything like this. They cannot possibly win, she thought. Yet they continue to try. So unlike myself. What is it that drives you, young warriors? Can you even feel despair?

She could see them all, the entire battle unfurling before her. It had not been like this even in the last war she had remembered. She had surrendered then, as she had surrendered to Garuda.

I have never taken a stand, she realized. Yet these mortals, these small people, are doing what is even beyond the power of a god. And if mortals are this strong, why would they need gods? Are we obsolete?

I must know, she thought. She summoned her Hydra, using its magical energy to make a path to one of the ships.

* * *

Phoenix ripped through another of the Seketha as her firebird aura crushed another in one of its burning talons. Whatever these things were they were strong and relentless. But they could not long stand against her power.

However, they are slowing us down, she thought. They're trying to keep us occupied so the ships can pick us off. The ships are the main enemy, not them.

A stay bolt caught the sleeve of her jacket. Phoenix summoned her Crescent Flare spell and hurled the arc of fire at the Seketha, flash-frying him in an instant.

These creatures have the taint of a Dark God on them, she thought, drawing her sword.

She blocked two power bolts with her sword and in one smooth motion, threw her Talon at the Seketha. The whirling disc, sliced through him, and returned to her hand in a matter of seconds. The Seketha fell, dead.

I don't have time to play around, she thought. This ship has to be destroyed.

She threw her talon wide. It began to zig-zag through the air, as a horde of Seketha closed in on her. She flew towards the deck of the Morgana.

The Seketha fell to the deck as she landed, the Talon having shredded them unmercifully. He caught the Talon behind her back and fastened it back on her belt.

"INFERNO . . .GEYSER!" Phoenix cried, stabbing her sword into the deck of the ship. A rumbling began to issue deep in the ship. Phoenix smiled and backflipped away from the ship, her firebird aura forming around her. A huge pillar of flame issued from the heart of the Morgana, blowing off the forward section of the ship.

That takes care of that one, she thought. Before she could follow up, however, more Seketha poured out from the ruined hull of the ship.

Phoenix frowned. Then again . . .

* * *

Typhena strode into the throne room as though she owned it. She saw the look of consternation on Kirone's face and felt positively wonderful.

"What's the matter?" Typhena asked in a way that totally belied her concern.

"Nothing," Kirone said, straightening herself. "Victory is . . . just taking longer than I thought."

"Oh of course it is," Typhena said. "Of course, we would have dealt with this a long time ago, wouldn’t we, my dear?"

"That was a different time," Garuda said distractedly. "The fighting spirit of these people is most interesting to me. I've never seen it's like before. How could someone continue on even when it's so obviously hopeless?"

"Mortal stupidity," Typhena snorted.

Kirone turned to her. "Darken Blackangel is many things," Kirone said. "Stupid isn’t one of them."

"So long as he can hurt, I own him." Typhena said, looking into the mists. "He just doesn’t know it yet."

"Where are the others?" Garuda asked her. "In the unlikely event they make it through, we may need them close. To better protect Kirone."

Typhena looked at him, slack-jawed with exasperation and disbelief. Is this all I am to you now, Garuda? Just a bodyguard for your bride? Have you no idea how you insult me?

"Sarene is out somewhere--whining, no doubt," Typhena said, sneering at the name. "I doubt she be much help to you anyway, unless you plan to drown them in tears."

"And Lassius?"

Typhena smiled. "Lassius is outside, playing, I do believe. He should be very close to the palace courtyard now. Shall I send for him?"

"No," Garuda said. He took Kirone's hand, gently squeezing it. He allowed a smile to creep along his painted black lips. "So long as I know where they are, that's all I need right now."

"Of course," Typhena said. She felt like throwing up.

* * *

Liandra, for her part was easily meeting the Seketha, her powers made fighting a mob of attackers easy, even in the air. She smiled as they drew closer. She concentrated on her inner energy, and her fairies began to glow.

"STARLIGHT SHOOTER!" Liandra cried, her fairies generating twin beams of light. Slowly Liandra began to turn, the beams slicing into wave after wave of Seketha. She began to spin faster, turning and turning in the air. Seketha after Seketha was destroyed as she sprayed the sky with light energy.

Once they were destroyed, she paused. She felt a little dizzy, and she couldn’t afford to be that way, not with the battle still raging. She forced her mind to resolve itself into some sort of sense.

Her fairies caught sight of the flanking ships moving into position, its guns swiveling towards her.

You want me? She thought, her teeth grit in concentration. Here I am.

She drew on her own Soul Energy, which had itself been created from Darken's soul power. A red blade of energy formed around her fist. This was her Soul Sword.

Usually I can't stand to use weapons, she thought. But I'm not naïve enough to think I can destroy this ship on my own. And we have to succeed. Everything depends on it.

She banked and turned in the air, angling herself towards the deck of the ship. She came in low, her fairies pounding the ship with beams of light as she slashed into the hull of the ship. Behind her, fire and explosions rocked the ship. She pushed on, gaining speed, until the bridge of the ship was in sight.

Her fairies turned their laser lights forward, using their energy to blast a hole though the bridge. Liandra tore through the rest. The ship was disabled, but not destroyed.

She rocketed out the other side of the ship, the bridge exploding as she did. Another wave of Seketha appeared, pouring out of the ship like a black angry buzzing cloud.

She met them head on. Her fairies' light seemed to keep them off-guard, as though they couldn’t stand it. They also seemed to be especially vulnerable to her Soul sword.

She noticed the cloud beginning to part. They were breaking off now, moving to attack Phoenix and Darken, no doubt. But what was moving on the deck of the ship?

She moved in closer. A woman, she thought. And is she . . . challenging me?

* * *

Vertigo had done pretty well. It seemed as though most of the guards were occupied with something else. It sounded like there was a battle going on outside. She could only hope, anyway. She tightened her grip on the spear she had stolen from a fallen Serpahim guard and made her way quietly through the halls.

She silently prayed she was going the right way. She had never gotten this close to the Angel Palace, and wasn't quite sure which was the way out. More than that, she wasn't sure why Adamov had helped her in the first place. So many questions. Too many.

Never mind you don't have the best sense of direction anyway, Vertigo, she reminded herself. Remember that dragon hunt in Illuria? You got lost for two days in that forest, and you never even found a dragon until you stopped to sleep . . .

She watched some more Seraphim and Metalhawks move past the corridor, then she crossed it.

A sense of directions, she reflected. Maybe that's what I've always needed. I've been so chaotic, so long, it would be nice to know, for once, which way I'm going.

She saw a sliver of daylight at the far end of the corridor. She didn’t even bother with stealth, she just ran as hard as she could to the daylight. Her lungs drew a deep breath of air as she made her way outside.

Thank the gods, she thought. Now that I'm out, what do I do? Is Darken even on this Sphere? Damn it, I wish I'd paid more attention . . .

Before she could finish, a monstrous roar spilt the sky and the courtyard wall exploded outward. Vertigo covered herself against the onslaught. What could have done that? Some war machine?

The dust settled and the huge red and black form of Lassius emerged. Vertgio's mind recoiled. Not so much with fear, but with shock. Vertigo had hunted dragons, seen city-machines wage war on one another, but she had never seen anything like this.

She raised her spear. She wasn't going to back down from it either. This was a fight for her freedom, and her future. And if the path to it took her through him, that was fine.

* * *

Darken bounced painfully off the burning deck of the Morgana. Phoenix caught him before he hit the fire. She held him tightly, wincing at the cuts and bruises on his body.

"It's too big," Darken breathed. "The two of us alone can't destroy it. We've got to keep these beasts from coming out every time we damage it."

He closed his hands around hers. "We have to merge."

"We can't!" Phoenix cried. "Darken, I'm not sure what it would do to you! It might make things worse!"

"We don’t have a choice," Darken said. "We have to get to Kirone, and this is just slowing us down. We can finish this . . ."

"Darken," Phoenix said. She closed her eyes and nodded sadly. She would never forgive herself if this ended up dooming him.

Phoenix merged into her firebird aura and the flames flowed into Darken. Darken screamed with the pain, feeling the power suffusing his body. His wings caught flame as his face became streaked with tears of blood. His eyes glowed like twin suns.

"NYAAAAAAAARGH!" He screamed. It was done. He flew towards the Morgana, towards the bridge. If the undead Seraphim on the ship had had any reaction at all, it would have been fear.

"I . . . Will . . . End this . . . " Darken said. His hands began to glow with fire. "FORVER!"

A column of white-hot flame surged from his hands into the bridge of the Morgana. Darken scythed the beam through the ship, which blew itself to pieces with a loud report that stung even Darken's ears.

He flew around the scattered remains. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Liandra on a nearby ship, with . . .someone.

Darken! Phoenix thought. That's one of them, one of the Dark Gods!

We've got to stop her, Darken thought. Liandra can't do it . . .

Neither can we, Phoenix said. We have to separate, Darken. I'm using part of my power to hold you together. I can't save Liandra and save you.

Then save her, Darken said. And come back to me my love.

I will, Phoenix said. I love you, Darken.

I love you too, my dear Romanova, he thought, closing his eyes and smiling.

The firebird aura flowed out of him and streaked towards the ship with Liandra on it.

Darken felt himself falling, but was able to spread his wings and catch the air. It was the other thing that caught him that he was more worried about.

The metal cable snaked around his neck, and before Darken knew what was happening, he felt electricity surging into his body. Then whatever was holding him, slung him to the deck of another ship. Darken rolled with the fall, saving himself some broken bones in the process.

Before him stood the form of Adamov. He was different from the way he had looked when they had fought in the skies above the Machine Sphere, but it was him.

"Darken Blackangel," Adamov said, his blond hair caught in the winds. "You know why I have come?"

"To kill me," Darken said, summoning his Dive Spear once again.

"You have taken what I loved the most from me," Adamov replied. "Whether directly or indirectly, I am not sure which. What I am certain of is that my love is gone from me. My vengeance is all I have left."

Darken adopted a ready stance. "I don’t have time for this," he said. "I'm racing against time to keep my world from dying."

"My world is already dead," Adamov said, raising the metal lash above his head. He swung at it Darken, who knocked it away with the Dive Spear.

* * *

"Alas, poor Morgana," Typhena said, smirking. "You were quite fond of that toy, weren't you, Kirone?"

Kirone looked at her. One more snide remark, and God or not, I'm going to kill you, Typhena.

"It's a minimal loss," Kirone said. "I'm sending more and more troops to reinforce the other two ships. They won’t get too much farther."

"So you said two hours ago."
"That's it--" Kirone said. Her hand was raised, summoning a spell to throw at Typhena, but Garuda stopped them.

"Oh no," Typhena said, raising her black-gloved hand to Kirone. "Come on, mortal whore . . . Let me show you the power of a god!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gaurda said. Kirone jerked back--she had never heard him raise his voice before. "Typhena, consider this your first, fair, and final warning, I will not tolerate your attitude towards my wife to be."

"I am your wife!"

"No longer," Garuda said. "At least you're not my most favored one anymore. Kirone shall take your place. And you will obey her, as you do me."

"I will NOT!"

"Yes you will," Garuda said, raising his left hand slightly. "Because you know the power I command, and you know what it can do to you, to all Gods."

"You would use it against your sister . . .against the mother of your child?"

"I would," Garuda said. "Anyone who stands in the way of my love for Kirone is an enemy, and I destroy my enemies. Do not make me see you as an enemy."

Typhena stared at him, then at Kirone. Then her gaze softened and she turned away.

"I forgave you so much," Typhena said. Her voice was thick with despair. "When you raped Sarene, corrupted her, I forgave you, because I knew what you needed at the time. I accepted it as the right of the strong to take form the weak.You wanted converts, people who would bow to your power. And I loved seeing you, I was so excited by your power."

Garuda never changed his expression of contempt. "Those days were long ago," he said. "Perhaps I have changed."

"Only the times change!" Typhena cried. "We are gods, we are eternal!"

She shook her head and looked at the floor.

"And then . . .when you were done with Sarene, when you came to me," she continued. "When I bore Lassius to you, I knew you were angry, I knew that you were angry at me for bearing a defective child. I tried so hard even then to make myself worthy of you."

"I never ever forgot how you stood at my side," Garuda said.

"Then let me stand at your side again, beloved Garuda. I would gladly stand by your side, bow to your every wish."

She pointed at Kirone. "But I will not stand at the feet of a mortal. Why should I lose your favor when I've had it for so long?"

Typhena turned to leave the room. She paused at the heavy door, sighed and turned to Gaurda.

"I go now to make myself worthy of you again."

The heavy door slammed shut behind her.

Garuda sighed and brushed a lock of green hair from his face. "I regret, my love," he began wearily. "That you had to release those three in addition to me."

Kirone curled up in his arms. "So long as I have you," she said. "That's all that I need."

Garuda smiled. He had been saddened just a bit by Typhena's accusations, mostly because they were true. He had done horrible things in the time before. And he had had quite a long time to think about them.

And he had decided he hadn't wanted to be that way anymore. He cringed when he heard the term "Dark God," knowing the inherent condemnation in the phrase.

And there was perhaps no way of recovering his ambition to make the universe better.

Will I be marked forever as the god of evil? Garuda wondered?

* * *

Phoenix was cut off from helping Liandra by the storm of Metalhawks and undead angels coming her way. She grimaced. She could take them, yes, prevent them from reinforcing the two ships, but she couldn't help Darken or Liandra should any of them get through.

She grit her teeth and weighed her options.

I have to save them both, she thought, drawing her sword and flying to attack the reinforcements. She did so with much regret, because it was completely against Darken's plea.

She also knew regret, as she slashed at the Metalhawks that she had to kill the innocent souls that powered the machines. Kirone had bound the souls of angels captured by her forces into them, to make her own forces more powerful.

How can any living being be that evil? Phoenix wondered, fighting on. I'd heard stories Darken's told of how evil she is, but how can she be this vicious? To kill people--for what? What is the meaning of her battles?

* * *

"This battle is useless," Darken said, blocking a volley of shots from Adamov's guns. "I don't even understand why you fight me! What have I done to you?"

"You have caused Vertigo to abandon me," Adamov said, firing his arm at Darken. Darken rolled to the side as the arm ripped into a bulkhead. Adamov retracted it. "Now I have no reason to live but to avenge myself."

"I didn't do anything to her!" Darken said, blasting Adamov with a surge of Soul Energy. It stopped short of Adamov, and dissipated.

"Have you any idea what it's like to lose the women you love?" Adamov said, extending his electric whip again. "What it is like to lose the woman who you live for, who defines your life? Have you any idea how far you can fall from that?"

The whip reached out like a hungry snake. Darken caught it around his Dive spear and yanked back. It snapped off Adamov's arm, ripped loose by the strength of his desperation.

"Actually," Darken said, tossing the whip aside. "I have."

* * *

"I am Sarene Eala Cynara," Sarene said, standing before Liandra. She had never seen her ilk before. Her manner seemed centered, focused somehow. Did she even feel the residual despair she generated.

"You’re one of the Dark Gods," Liandra said. "That makes you my enemy, though I sense you are a reluctant one."

"I fight because I must," Sarene said.

"As do I," Liandra said. "But I fight for a new world. What do you fight for?"

* * *

Vertigo tried to strike Lassius with the spear, but it broke off of him like a house before a hurricane. He stood there, seething, almost incredulous with contempt.

No effect, she thought. Then what else do I have?

She knew the answer before she even finished the question. She still had a sliver of power left over from her sword. She had been hanging onto it to ensure her escape.

I wanted to put this behind me, Vertigo thought. But I have no choice. If I have to summon the chaos to save my life, to get the chance to begin a new one. . .then I'll do it.

A purple aura began to glow around her and soon ignited. She felt the familiar power suffusing her. She took a deep breath, willing herself to control the power and not let the power control her.

This is how I will begin my new life, she thought. And with that, she threw herself into battle one more time.