Darken swiped at Kirone, but she had already sidestepped him. He turned again, using his momentum to slide across the floor and catch her. Kirone took wing and fired back with one of her spells.

Darken blocked the spell and took wing himself. He moved closed to her, trying to get too close for her spells to stop him. He caught her wrists and braced her with his foot, pushing her into one of the walls of the throne room.

Kirone hit the wall hard, her head snapping back. She fell to the floor with an audible thud. She slowly rose to her feet, putting a hand to her mouth.

Blood, she thought. My blood.

Darken came to rest next to her, catching her with a kick to the side of her head. Kirone rolled with it, and caught Darken with her own leg, throwing him forward to the floor. She sized him by the hair, her talons at his throat.

Darken threw his weight forward. Kirone tumbled into the throne, her wings the only thing saving her from a broken neck. Darken blasted her with a stream of his fiery breath, but Kirone was bale to summon a spell and the fire melted away to mist.

Kirone rose to her feet and tried to turn-kick Darken. Darken blocked it , and elbowed her in the chest. Kirone grabbed him on the way down, raking her talons deep into his flesh. Darken felt the warmth of his blood of his body, but kept on fighting.

* * *

Phoenix threw her Talon at Garuda with all the force she could muster. Garuda met it head, on. He changed his form to that of a shadow and let the weapon pass through him. He seized it and re-solidified.

"Conventional weapon for a god," he said indifferently. "Is this all your new race can offer? Show me your power!"

He threw the Talon aside. Phoenix drew her sword. She flicked the edge against the ground, and a stream of fire rose, racing towards Garuda. Garuda was caught by the fire and staggered.

"That's better," he said. "Now here's mine . . .ZODIAC FIRE!"

Garuda gestured, and a wheel of fire erupted, rushing towards Phoenix. She cartwheeled to the side and swiped at him with her sword, but Garuda dodged it and fired again.

The windows in the room of the Palace blew out with the force of their battle. Phoenix nicked him with her blade, which caused Garuda to blow her back with a wall of energy.

Phoenix rolled to her feet and grit her teeth. Obviously the sword's not going to do it, she thought. I need something with range.

She sheathed the sword and gestures. There was an arc of fire, and then a bow and arrow had formed in her hands. One after the other she sent arrow after arrow at him. She had rarely used the bow, but she knew how to make use of it.

The arrows became flaming streaks of energy, shredding Garuda's clothes and cutting into his skin.

"You still insist on using the child's toys," he said. "Why? Why is it so important for you walk among these mortal's unnoticed?"

Phoenix fired off another rain of arrows. "Because that's what my race does," she said. "We don't rule over mortals, we protect them!"

* * *

Liandra swiped her Soulsword through another group of Seketha. She frowned. "I don't think we actually got all of them on the ships," she said to Sarene.

"These are Garuda's creatures," Sarene said, annihilating one in a blast of energy. "He can creates as many as he needs. They won’t stop until we stop him."

Liandra slashed through a few more, her fairies clearing her a path. "Then they're not meant to stop us," she said. "Just to delay us from reaching the top of the tower."

Sarene nodded. She closed her eyes. The room darkened, then was lit by a brilliant blue light from her body. Every Seketha within the chamber of the castle went up in a flash of azure flame.

Liandra's fairies looked around in wonder.

They made their way up the stairs.

"Liandra," Sarene said. "I may not have a chance later to say this, but I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Liandra asked, running up the steps.

"For freeing me."

"You sound rather pessimistic."

Sarene looked down for a second. "Whatever happens when I confront Garuda, both of us must die. I see that now. We can't be allowed to live in a world like this."

"There's always a chance you could start over," Liandra said.

"No," Sarene said. "Garuda's evil is inside of me. Al I have now is the clarity to resist it, and the power to return the favor for all the agony he has caused me. It will be my final act."

Liandra stopped, and turned toward her. Her fairies rested on her shoulders, looking at Sarene.

"There's no way out except death?"

* * *

Darken tried to summon a spell, but found that he couldn't. She must have cast an anti-magic spell, he thought. My Soul Power's has been dampened too. I guess I'll have to rely only on my weapons and my skills.

Kirone rose to her feet, her clothes tattered and bloody. "I knew it would come to this, Darken," she sneered at him. "But I never knew quite why. Why couldn't you have just accepted that you were inferior to the task destiny put before us?"

Darken breathed another stream of fire at her. It caught the fabric of the throne, and began to burn. Their face flickered in the darkening room.

"I never cared about our destiny," Darken said. "All I've ever wanted is to pay you back for what you did to Maryna!"

Kirone threw another spell at him. It blew apart a chunk of stone.

"Maryna was nothing!"

"She was everything to me!"

Kirone sent a lightning spell through the floor. Darken fell to one knee, holding himself.

"You moved on," Kirone said, sending another shock through the floor. "You found another woman."

"Doesn't matter . . .Still . . .hurts."

"We are destiny's children Darken," Kirone said. "We weren't meant to love mortals. We were meant to win the hearts of gods and walk among them. I did you a favor!"
Darken screamed and leapt at her, his hands finding her throat.

Kirone kicked him off her and slashed at his face. Darken touched the side of his face, felling the blood from his cheek.

"And that wasn't enough, was it?"

"What are you talking about?" Kirone demanded, summoning another spell.

"You had to destroy the angels, had to send Lanicrus to destroy everything. You stupid blind fool, he destroyed your world!"

"All the Spheres are my world!" Kirone said, unleashing the spell. Darken felt as though his entire body had caught fire, even the air he way breathing. He fell to the floor.

Kirone grabbed his Dive Spear and aimed for his neck.

* * *

"Protect these mortals?" Garuda said, hurling another torrent of green flame at Phoenix. "What a foolish thing! The strong are meant to rule the weak!"

Phoenix fired a huge flaming arrow at Garuda.

"The strong should help the weak to become stronger!" Phoenix said. "That's why my race was created in the image of mortals . . .to walk among them and befriend them."

Garuda threw his arms wide and blew the chamber out. Phoenix summoned her aura to protect her from the falling masonry.

"You can't believe that," Garuda said. "What is the good of absolute power if you cannot bend the universe to your power?"

Phoenix rolled to the side and threw her Talon at him. This time it caught him, slashing deep into his side. Green blood issued out in a geyser. Garuda screamed.

"I'll eat your heart for that!"

He blasted at Phoenix, but she was too quick. Garuda's blast pulverized a support beam in a nearby chamber. The palace, already weakened by the blast Adamov had caused, lurched unsteadily.

Phoenix leapt high into the air and slashed down at Garuda. She cut deeply into him. Garuda crumpled to the ground. Phoenix stood over him, sword emerald from his blood.

"Did . . .you . . .think that would stop me?" Garuda said. He leapt up to his feet and drew himself up, unleashing a wild sphere of fire and green lighting that blew Phoenix backwards, over the ledge. She caught herself and drew herself back up.

Garuda stood there, his wings of midnight and green flame drawn, surging with power.

"At first," Garuda said. "I was certain you new Gods could be taught the proper way to comport yourselves as gods. The true way is not to shepherd these mortal races towards the ideal we represent. On the contrary . . .these mortals must be protected from themselves."

Garuda sidestepped Phoenix's Talon and blocked her sword strike. He waved his hand and pushed her back. Phoenix got back up.

"Is that what you think?" Phoenix asked incredulously. "That you’re doing mortals a favor by living their lives for them?"

"Look around you!" Garuda said, blasting at her. "Look at what these races have made! Machines of war! They have killed one another, and for what? The pride of their races? A tattered banner? The land under their feet? We know how empty and transitory those things are! They are not ready to live without supervision. They must be controlled."

Phoenix tried again, but Garuda was behind his shield. He threw her back again.

Phoenix started laughing. Garuda's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry," Phoenix said, smiling. "I just realized it. I understand it now."

"What?"

"You're . . .scared," Phoenix said. "You’re scared you're obsolete."

"I'm not . . .scared," Garuda said. "Stop laughing."

"I can't help it," Phoenix said, laughing even louder. "Look at you . . .even now you hide behind a shield, too scared to fight me one on one. You keep trying to convince me of your power, but all I've heard you do is try to bore me to death."

Garuda screamed. Phoenix was blasted off her feet by the release of energy.

"Frightened, am I?" Garuda said, stalking towards her. "We'll see about that!"

* * *

The battle above was too much for the palace. The ceiling above Liandra and Sarene groaned, sagged, and finally caved in on them. Liandra caught the brunt of it, as huge chucks of stone and metal crushed her beneath their weight.

Sarene was able to push most of the rocks away thanks to her great strength, but when she reached for Liandra, she felt a cold shock go through her.

Oh no, she thought. She's been hurt badly. She'll die if I don't do something soon. If nothing else I do is remembered, remember this, my sweet Liandra, and at least we'll be even.

Azure light flowed into Liandra's body, pulling her back from the brink of death and healing her. Liandra moved very slowly, expecting pain but finding none.

"What happened?" Liandra asked, rising to her feet as her fairies gently dusted themselves off.

"There was a collapse," Sarene said. "You very nearly died, but I saved you. I suppose we're even now. You saved my soul, and I have saved your life."

"Thank you," Liandra said.

Sarene smiled. "Just remember that kindness when I'm gone, all right?"

"You seem prepared to die now more than ever," Liandra said. "Is it so inevitable?"

"I think so," Sarene said. "Even if I were to survive, and Gaurda were to die, it wouldn’t matter. Our time is done, and I've lived far too long for my taste anyway."

"I'll say this again," Liandra said. "It doesn’t have to be that way. You could start a new life, far away from all of this."

"A new life," Sarene reflected. "Perhaps. But there are aeons of memory of the previous one, Liandra. Try as I might, I will never forget what Garuda has done to me, what all of them did to me."

"The past is not all there is," Liandra said.

"Perhaps, but can you forget what was done to you? Or for that matter, forgive it?"

* * *

Before Kirone could use the Spear on Darken, a surge of lighting burst from the Spear and into her. She doubled over in pain, which gave Darken enough time to catch the spear and spin backward, bringing the Spear's blade down in a long arc.

Kirone felt a flash of pain, then, saw one of her wings fall to the ground. She hissed at Darken, then brought her wings back into her.

"Even if you kill me," Kirone said. "It won’t bring Maryna or the world you love so much back. There's still Garuda to contend with, and even if I die, he'll avenge me."

"I'm not fighting to bring any of that back!" Darken said, tripping her with his spear. He tried to strike her, but caught her red hair instead. "Stopping you from doing any more damage is more important!"

Kirone sneered. "And somehow," she said. "You’re completely blameless here?"

Darken stopped. "What are you talking about?"

"We've only met four times in our lives, Darken" Kirone said. Once, on Skycity, then at the Machine Sphere, when Maryna died. Then again, at the Machine Sphere, and now here."

"What's your point?"

"You could have stopped me years ago," Kirone said. "You could have stopped me after I killed Maryna. Hunted me down until you caught me, or killed me when the angels held me in their prisons. But you didn't!"

Darken stiffened. "I certainly regret it. But unlike you I don’t kill."

"You're willing to now," Kirone said. "What changed?"

"You won’t stop," Darken said. "So you have to be stopped."

"No," Kirone said. "That's not what changed. You were afraid. You so wanted to retreat to your idyllic bit of solitude that you never finished the job, you always left it undone, and that was all I needed. Darken you are just as guilty for what has happened . . .to us, to our world . . .as I am."

* * *

Garuda and Phoenix's powers clashed with such force that the surfaces of the stones in the palace were fused to glass. The very sky was scorched by the fury of their battle.

"Coward, am I?" Garuda said. "Have you any idea how many gods I murdered before your world was born?"

"Yes I do," Phoenix said, holding her own. "That's why you had to be imprisoned. You created the Godslayer and took it upon yourself to murder or turn every god who didn’t share your vision."

"They didn't understand," Garuda said, trying to force her to her knees. "They didn’t realize what a god's role is!'

Phoenix caught him with a kick. Garuda was too shocked to retaliate. Phoenix laced her hands together and smashed Garuda in the head with a hammer-like blow to the side of the head.

"And you still cling to that ideal even now," Phoenix said. "Doesn’t the evidence around you show you that's we're past that now?"

Garuda rose to his feet again.

"Some things are timeless, little goddess," Garuda said. "The divine right of a god to rule over the mortals of the universe is one of them."

"Is that so?" Phoenix asked.

Garuda charged at her. But Phoenix was ready. She brought her sword up under his rib cage and pushed it home. Garuda staggered backwards, the look on his face one of complete shock.

His arms thrashed about as he backpedaled. Phoenix summoned her firebird aura and blasted him off the side of the Palace. Garuda fell off, tumbling end over end.

"Good riddance," Phoenix said.

That's got to have got him, she thought. If we got here in enough time and he's still vulnerable. But I'm not altogether sure it was worth a good sword.

She turned to see Liandra coming towards her. And behind her . . .was it . . .one of them?

Phoenix summoned her firebird aura, poised to strike, but Liandra flung herself between Sarene and Phoenix.

"NO!"

"Step away, Liandra," Phoenix said.

"Don’t kill her," Liandra said. "She's not like the rest of them."

Sarene pushed Liandra aside. She fell to her knees and closed her eyes. A smile crept over her lips.

"Don’t, Liandra," Sarene said. "This is how I know it has to be."

Phoenix powered down her aura.

"You certainly don’t act like a Dark God," she said.

"I'm one more by association than by choice," Sarene said. Phoenix offered her a hand, and Sarene rose to her feet.

"Where's Garuda?"

"He took a bit of a spill," Phoenix said.

Before she could continue a flash of green fire appeared in the sky above them. The melted remains of Phoenix sword, clattered to the floor. Garuda stood above them, angered beyond words.

"Your persistence is futile, little goddess," Garuda said. "I rise again."

* * *

Kirone drew her father's sword. She felt a bit cold despite the fire, which had turned the throne into a brazier despite the growing darkness outside.

"You’re right," Darken said. "I am responsible. I didn't want to kill you, because I afraid it would make me just like you. But that's what you wanted, wasn't it? You exploited it."

"Every time," Kirone said, charging at him. Their weapons met with a terrific clash. "No more magic . . .I'm going to fight you hand to hand. I want the pleasure of seeing your blood on my blade!'

Darken elbowed her away. "Only because you know what would happen if you tried to drink my blood."

"I'm not that stupid," Kirone said.

"You were stupid enough to free a Dark God," Darken countered, swiping at her once again. Kirone parried and swung again.

Darken caught her sword-arm on his shoulder and brought his spear down on it, breaking it in one solid motion. Kirone gasped and screamed.

"Damn you!" Kirone screamed at him. With her other arm, she threw a spell at him.

Darken shielded himself from the spell with his wings. "I thought you were going to kill me with your sword," he said.

"Shut up," Kirone said. She took the sword in her other hand and tried to attack. This isn’t her leading arm, Darken thought, ducking out of the way. She's not used to fighting this way.

Kirone over-extended a swipe of the blade, but caught Darken in the stomach coming back. Darken doubled over and thrust his wings at her. One of his wing spurs plunged into her shoulder. Kirone howled in pain again, her hand dropping her sword.

Darken stood back.

"Finish it."

Darken shook his head. "I won't kill you, not unarmed like this."

"That's what caused this mess in the first place," Kirone said. "Finish it, you hypocrite!"

"No."

Kirone screamed again.

"Come on," she said. "Finish it. Take your revenge for Maryna, for Gailion, for everyone you know that I hurt or killed. Take your revenge for everyone I killed that you didn’t know about. No one would accuse you of murder . . .after all, I'm the greatest villain the Spheres have ever known."

"But I'm not," Darken said. "It suits me just as well for you to live just long enough to see the Dark Gods, your army, and everything you planned destroyed. I want you watch you seeing everything you worked so hard for--everything you manipulated, schemed, and killed for turned to ashes."

"Why?"

"Because killing your pride will hurt you worse," Darken said. "It's the only way to pay you back for all the pain you've caused me."

Darken turned and walked out.

Darken kept walking. Kirone summoned one last spell. She knew what it would mean, but there was no choice. She would not suffer him any longer. Mystic energy surged into her, and she felt herself changing. It was like when she had summoned her wings, only now her wings were made from the night itself.

She swooped high into the air. Darken turned in time to see her bearing down on him. He braced, seized his dive spear and attacked.

There was a flash of the Spear's silver blade.

Kirone fell back to earth.

Darken was behind her. He was still holding the spear out.

Kirone slumped behind him. She opened her mouth to say something, but blood rushed out instead. She put her hands to her abdomen, and slowly traced the line up to her heart. A clean cut, she thought. It didn’t even hurt.

Kirone fell forward, dead. Darken slowly turned to look.

For a second, he couldn't believe it. He checked her body.

Dead, he thought. And yet . . .In a way, I sort of mourn her. She was right . . .I can’t run away. Not anymore. No one will protect the world but those chosen to, and if they don't, then it's defenseless.

Darken rolled Kirone over onto her back and closed her eyes for her. He looked at her once last time, now seeming to quietly sleep.

Maryna, Gailion, all of you, he thought. You can rest at last.

He stood up, still unable to believe Kirone Witchfire was dead. It felt like his whole world had changed now. He honestly didn’t know how to handle it.

Darken saw a flash of light from a nearby tower. Phoenix, he thought. He blasted a hole into the side of the wall and made he way out, taking wing in the darkening sky.