A brief flash of purple lightning illuminated the Angels as they soared away from Bevelle towards the Calm Lands. Even there the storm continued unabated, the spells that Penance was weaving from his castle playing havoc with the weather patterns. Ice-cold rain lashed down on them in stinging droplets, and the clouds darkened from grey to a sickly red as they flew deeper into the corrupted Calm Lands.

"Nearly there!" Fariel yelled from the front of their small V-formation, pointing towards the castle in the distance.

"Thank frak!" Zell muttered from his awkward position hanging on to Alia, being the only one of the group without wings of his own.  He temporarily took the protective arm away from his face and braved the stinging rain to look down.

"Bloody Farplane..." he cursed as he processed what he was seeing.

Penance's stronghold there was now completed, the walls now sheer impenetrable faces of forbidding black stone. The ground was black and scorched for some distance around, as if the castle itself was leeching the life out of the Calm Lands. A moat of purple flames leapt and crackled around the fortress perimeter, hissing and spitting in the rain, and ghostly comets of magenta fire with leering demonic faces circled the towers, drifting eerily in and out through the walls. The eye of the great storm roiled above the castle, purple lightning flickering down again and again upon its tall towers with their frowning battlements and leering obsidian gargoyles. Even amidst the din of thunder and the roaring fire, the Angels could hear disembodied voices whispering at the edge of perception, scratching at their minds like knives.

"Like a small piece of the demon world sitting right in the middle of the Calm Lands," Neji growled, "This shouldn't be happening..."

Eevee remained silent, fighting the fear that was rising up in her stomach. The last time she had been here, she had been forced to watch helplessly as her parents were dragged into the timeless prison of the Void. She reached inside her jacket and put her hand against the Oathkeeper under her top, so that the comfortingly solid and warm metal pressed reassuringly against her skin.

The Angels wheeled over and dived, skimming low over the tortured landscape on their final approach. Immediately, the wall of fire surrounding the castle guttered and roared. Out of the flames stepped heavily-armed demons, striding through the raging inferno without flinching. Rank after rank appeared, levelling their weapons in unison as they marched to bar the Angels' path.

Set's eye's focused on Gau and Cid as they stepped out the airship onto the deck, the demon stood motionless eyeing up the pair that had previously given him so much trouble.

"Hey," Gau said confidenly at Set, the demon said no word and instead held out his hand, purple fire began to gather then stretch eventually materializing into a a sword.

"Nice trick you have there," Cid said drawing his golden sword, Set without warning swiped his sword in the air unleashing a curved purple beam. Gau instantly jumped in front of the attack holding his sword tight in both hands his blade caught the sharp looking energy attack and caused Gau to take a step back, Gau sword went a blaze with an orange flame and with a mighty heave he sliced the energy attack in half, his sword still blazing.

"Whats wrong? never seen an elfish blade before," he smiled charging at Set, cooly Set took a step back avoiding the blazing tip of Gau's sword, and then with one hand easily blocked his follow up strike, Gau's attack was furious but Set appearing to make a fool of Gau dodged and blocked his attacks, before finally counterattacking with the back of his clawed hand causing the mortal to spin in the air and land hard on the ground, in the wake of Gau's attack the brave Cid charged blade help high, effotlessly Set blocked the attack and Cid flinched with the pain in his ribs, seeing this Set crulely punch him in his already brocken ribs.

Cid was thrown back in agony dropping his sword and clutching his ribs, Set paced towards him and put his foot on Cid's chest gradually increasing the preasure, suddenly Gau launched himself at Set catching him off guard Set could only move slightly recieving a burning cut along his chest, he growled at Gau who stood before Cid, Set attacked in aggression but Gau was able to parry Set's attacks gradually being pushed back, eventually Set knocked aside Gau's sword and cut him down the chest, Gau moved to avoid getting killed but took a painful wound and dropped to his knees.

"Give...up...human," Set said his voice deep and menacing.

"Heh, so you have a voice after all," Gau smiled raising to his feet, "But you obviously don't know who I am the son off," magic started to form in Gau's hand it soon becoming surronded with an icy chill. "I am the Son of Choiji" mage to rival the likes of lady Lulu! BLIZZAGA!" Gau roared thrusting his arm forward unleashing a sub zero blast of icy wind, Set was pushed back in the blizzard ice forming around his body, even a demon the likes of Set had to shiver from the cold.

"Whats Wrong? cold?" Gau cancelled his spell and gripped his sword it once again blazing with an orange flame. "Maybe this will help!" he shouted charging forward, Set went to move only to find his feet were frozen to the ship, with a mightly haul he lifted his foot out shattering the ice just in time to avoid Gau, Gau froze as victory was snatched from his fingers and now left very open.

Set's raised his knee striking Gau in the gut, forcing him to spit blood and collapse to the ground out of breath, Set kicked him onto his back and looked down at the captain with disgustice.

"...Necrorb..." was the only word Set could say promting a smile on Gau's face.

"That's some victory chant," he said saracastically raising his hand, "Firaga," Gau said through his smile, a powerful ball of fire burst from Gau's hand scoring a direct hit on Set's face, the demon staggered back angerly wiping the burning embers from his face he fixed his eyes on Gau his now burnt he roared in fury, Gau now on his feet never backed down he raised his sword with one hand clutching his bleeding wound with his other. Set jumped towards Gau murderous fury in his eyes. His sword came down hard, and Gau shut his eye calmly accepting his defeat and death, when suddely he felt himself harshly lifed off his feet and thrown back, Gau opened his eye to see himself getting thrown back in a powerful gust of wind and landing next to Cid.

"What the?" he said to himself looking around, Set too confused by Gau's sudden evasion looked around in anger.

"Pheeeeeew," Zell voice said from behind Set, Set spun round to see two figures land smoothly on the airship, and great smile appeared on Gau's and Cid's face. "Really didn't think we would of made it there, that was quick thinking Alia,"

"Sorry Gau for the roughness but we had to act quick and if we went by blondies plan you would of been dead,"

"aww but I wanted to have a cool heroes enterence, like kicking the bad guy away inches from Gau saving the day, thats something Keiji or Neji would have done,"

"But you suck in close combat, seriously it's like watching a monkey with you jumping back and forward like that,"

"Your no expert either,"

"I know thats why I don't attempt it like you,"

"I feel like such a target, why you being so mean," Zell complained he and Alia bursting into a laugh, Gau scatched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Are these guys for real? Hey Zell watch out!" Gau shouted seeing Set's charge, Zell and Alia stopped there laugh and split up to avoid Set's attack, Alia taking to the sky soon finding herself a target for the surronding demons.

"Alrite I'll deal with our demon buddy here, and if everyone else would be as kind as to keep the spectators in order that would be great."

"Careful Zell thats Set, the most powerful demon before Diablos! And Penance's father!" Alia shouted down at Zell

"Oh great now you tell me. Alrite pops lets get this over with."

"Just like when I first entered Kebel."

"They've broken through!  They're inside the city!  Sir?  Sir!  What do we do!?"

"Damn it, I don't have time for this..."

As Fariel doused the castle's protective flames Keiji was suddenly drawn by a feeling, he looked up at the castle and noticed a slender female figure looking over the battle below her.

"Tsunami," Keiji said focusing on his target, a demon lunged at him with a clawed hand quickly Keiji leaned back the sharp claws passing infront of him and in one motion elbowed the demon back while ducking under his arm, seeing Keiji's charge the figure retreated back from the window, another demon jumped in front of Keiji taking little notice of the demon Keiji grabbed his head forcing it down and jumped onto the creatures back launching himself up in the air completely bypassing the demons below and the main door Keiji landed on a balcony a floor up with no demons barring his path he proceded through a door not knowing what to expect.

***************

Zell met Set's murderous stare with a confident smile, his melee rifel pointing to the ground in one hand his other hand hanged loosely at Loki. Paitently he waited for Set to make the first move ready to counter whatever approach he had.

***************

Confident in the other abilities Neji was the first to enter the castle, immeditaly he sensed the demonic properties of the seeming lifeless walls around him.

"Neji!" Eevee shouted running through the keep door, Neji turned to her just as a wall slid between them, the many corridors forming a new shape and effectivly seperating everyone.

"Think will complicate things?" Neji smiled.

"Nah," Neji and Diablos said insync.

"Its demonic they will show the way to there king,"

Neji stepped towards a wall and faced it with certainty, the walls immeidiatly re-shaped before Neji with a smile he walked calmly down the corridor free from obsticals.

*****************

Keji felt his away down the dark corridor silently, he had no idea where he was or how to get out, all he knew was that he was still in Penances castle and being stuck in the dark put him at great danger. Eventually Keiji had enough of the dark, he dared not light his way in fear of drawing unwanted attention but he felt at more risk not knowing what could be stalking him, he tightened his fist bursting his plated gloves into a heated fire, and the corridor suddenly sprang to life lighting a small area around him, Keiji looked in all directions but nothing was behind him or in front so cautiously he continued in the direction he was heading.

Eventually Keiji came across a grand door, he had, had enough of sneaking about if anything was waiting for him through that door he wasnt going to keep it waiting any longer, he charged kicking through the door, he rolled on the ground and sprang up ready for battle his other glove sparking with electricity, but the room was empty, well not empty it appeared he was in a lovely bed room almost exactly like Tsunamis room in the stead mansion, except dark. Keiji cursed he had traveled down a pitch black corridor for nearly an hour and found nothing. he was about to turn round when the flames on his glove vanished, followed shortly by the sparks on his lightning glove, and no matter how hard he tried he couldnt seem to light them up again leaving Keiji once again in the pitches of blacks, it was as if someone had cast Nulblaze and Nulshock on both, but how and who?

Keijis thought no more of the matter after he heard footsteps come slowly down the corridor, he kept silent hoping that whatever was coming down couldnt see him just like he couldnt see it, but he would not be as lucky the walking paced footsteps soon seemed to turn into a sprint, getting ever closer to him, listening closely Keiji waited till the steps were close then threw his fist forward in an educated guess, he indeed timed it right but hit only an invisible wall, and then he soon felt himself getting shoulder barged to the ground. He looked up to see a pair of golden eyes stare at him through the dark.

*******************

Set snarled immpaitently at Zell's waiting game yet Zell stood unfazed still the same smile, eventually Set slashed his sword unleashing a sharp looking slash of energy Zell raised his crystal absorbing the blast Set growled and charged to counter Zell flicked his arm sending the energy blast back at Set, the demon caught off guard made a last minute dodge, the counter failed to hit but Zell was fast to continue his attack as Set was still getting over the shock of having his attacked used against him Zell had drawn both pistols replacing his rifel with one he crossed his arms and fired many shots in quick succession, Set dodged the first pair and jumped back he threw up a dark encampment wall but the wall merely cracked under the power of the bullets forcing the demon to take to the sky.

"Fraking flyers," Zell said to himself re-aiming to the sky following Set, but the demons fast flying manuvers were too quick for Zell and he couldn't get a clear shot, Set barrel rolled avoiding another bullet and punched his fist forward attack with a Dark Dragon, Zell threw Loki in the air and turned his hand catching the blast in his crystal before catching his gun again and continuing his attack.

******************

Penance stood gazing at the sky surronded by a flaming glyph, the flames growing larger and larger uneffected by the rain, his eyes were gast in pure black, above him the clouds swirled a purple energy shining through them slowly the clouds began to vanish under a a sky as black as the nights sky the darkness started the spread across the sky soon to engulff the whole of Spira, the rain continued getting heavier and heavier as slowly Penance's ultimate goal approached the merging of the two worlds.

Penance laughed in delight. "Welcome to Spira, enternal energy of the demon world," Penance laughed madly a laugh soon cut short when he sensed something was wrong, the darkness had stopped spreading.

"These worlds are seperate for a reason," Neji called out from behind Penance. Penance turned round to see Neji stand at the door one hand raised to the sky holding back the energy over taking Spira. "Merging the two worlds? Don't you know they don't get along?"

"How? How are you doing this?"

"The demon world has not forgotten it king," Neji said his voice merged with Diablos' "It knows its doing wrong and cowering before its lord,"

"It not your world any more Diablos, hasn't been for over 5000 years, the demon world as accepted a new master!"

"It took you 5000 years to be accepted? Well it took us 5 days for it to return loyal to Diablos,"

"Its my world! And as is this one! and when they become one the eternal energy of the demon world will mix with that of the farplain giving birth to a new greater power one which I will control! DEMON WORLD! LISTEN TO YOUR MASTER COME FORTH! I ORDER YOU!" Penance roared to the sky his eyes shifting black again, Neji felt an extreme preasure on his arm as the weight of the demon world pushed against him. He tensed and pushed back and thus the energy remained unmoved.

******************

"Who are you?" Keiji demanded jumping to his feet, the eyes soon vanished leaving Keiji with no way of telling where his assailant was. He listened to the air around him and soon caught the whistle of something swinging at him, he ducked feeling a draft pass over his head, and in a guess he swept his leg round, but got nothing. The golden eyes appeared once again, this time circling him, Keiji kept his eyes on them tracing this persons movements, not letting this opportunity slip past he kicked towards the eyes which soon vanished and Keiji lost his balance as he passed through the air, he heard something behind him and swung his leg round in a round house kick, but once again hit nothing, the next thing he felt was his legs being swept from under him putting his hand down first Keiji broke his fall, quickly getting back steady on his feet. Whoever this person was, was merely toying with him making a game from his inability to see in the dark, they started to make noises further toying with him, frantically he punched and kicked the air hoping to get lucky and following the noises, but got nothing only damaging the furniture and walls. Then the noises stopped and Keiji stopped his failed attempts to hit and once again began to focus, he closed his eyes he was getting no where like this he had to try and sense his opponent. Keiji entered a type of meditation remaining calm and focusing on everything around him then the pin dropped and he discovered something else he could hear, the persons breathing. Keiji leapt to the attack shocking his opponent as he narrowly missed them, his fist brushing past the persons silky hair as they moved to evade, angered they retaliated by stabbing what ever weapon they held, Keiji sensed great danger from the weapon he moved but got slightly cut by a blades edge, a very minor wound but surprisingly brought him great pain, the wound expanded and bled quite badly, Keiji pressed his hand on the wound to stop the bleeding, suddenly the room lit up in a blinding light with such power Keiji was swept off his feet and pushed back, he slammed his lower back against the great bed, slowly he got to his feet his wound still burning and also in confusion on what exactly that attack was, it looked like holy but Keiji doubted that since none of Penances men could use white magic. He heard the foot steps burst into a sprint, knowing the opponent was coming in for the kill Keiji had to take a gamble, waiting till the last possible moment he moved feeling the weapon fly past him, he reached his arm up and caught a wrist.

"I've got you now," Keiji said tighten his grip as the person tried desperately to pull free, grabbing them he flipped them over his shoulder onto the bed, pouncing Keiji pinned them down his hand round the persons throat the other pressing there sword arm on the bed.  "Play games with me eh?"

"Do you like choking me?" the person said, Keiji's eyes widened as he recognized the voice, he jumped and off the bed, the nulblaze and nulshock faded from the air and he immediately lit the room with his fire knuckle.

Keiji nearly exploded into rage. "You!" he yelled about to launch an attack but stopped the flames vanishing from his glove. Tsunami clicked her fingers causing candles around the room and a candle lit chandelier on the roof spark up lighting up the room, in a dim blaze.

"Oh Keiji I'm hurt, and after you pinned me to a bed as well and here was me thinking you loved me again, you could at least say its nice see you," Tsunami turned to her side on the bed her head resting on her hand, she looked at Keiji seductively causing him to step back nervously. "Oh youre still so shy, its so cute," Tsunami said while standing up and walking towards Keiji. Keiji took a step back for every step Tsunami took towards him until he felt his back pressed against the wall. "Why do you step back Keiji? Are you going to attack me? or embrace me? You said in Zanarkand next time it would be for real, well you had me back then, and why didnt you finish the job?"

"Why do you do this Tsunami why do you always make that taunt? We are enemies does it really matter whether I love you or not?"

"I'm just messing with you," Tsnuami said coming in close to Keiji, "I know your feelings Keiji," she whispered in his hear before bring her lips close his, "And I love you," Tsunami kissed Keiji who didnt resist for a second before quickly coming to his senses and pushing her back.

"I may love you Tsunami but that doesnt change the fact you are my enemy and you stand in my way of my goal,"

Tsunami clenched her fists, "Why Keiji!? Why are you so fixed on defeating Penance!? You cant beat him! Ive seen it! Ive seen the outcome of the battle!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You will not make it through this battle! Whether you win or lose! You have a fate worse than death!"

"I don't know what image you saw Tsunami but I dont care even if it costs me everything, even if I have a fate worse than death, if I have the satisfaction that Penance is truly gone and everyone I care for is safe, I dont care what happens to me,"

"Why are you like that?! There is hope Keiji, if you come to my side you will have no need to fight Penance and can avoid that fate completely,"

"And what about everyone else?! Eevee! my Father! Fariel! listen to yourself Tsunami how could you be so selfish! What makes you think I would ever choose that option?!"

"Heh, you so predictable, well my mission is a failure, but there is one other option; if I kill you at least you wont disappear completely," Tsunami picked up her cross staff changing it into a sword, she charged at Keiji blindly sword held above her head, in one swift movement Keiji channeled a small lightning edge into his fingers ducked low and stabbed Tsunami.

"Iknewyou could do it," Tsunami said with a slight smile. Slumping down only to be caught by Keiji.

(That alot for now, will finish Keiji and Tsunami and Zell fight another time)

"Welcome Ramuh, Tritoch..." Penance grinned sarcastically, "Show yourselves."

"Ramuh...Tritoch...and Diablos," Penance nodded, "Now it's getting interesting.  But where is Leviathan?"

"Oh well, it was worth a try..." Fariel said as she reformed, collecting in a puddle between Neji and the two younger Angels and rising up out of the water, "So what did I miss, anything good?"

"You should give up now," Penance taunted them, "Like all the Angels before you, you underestimate my power.  Like all of them, you will fall.  I will etch my name in pain on each of your bodies, and then I will tear the power of the First Aeons from your mangled corpses and Spira will be mine."

"Even if it weren't for the Aeons we'd all still have a reason to be here, Penance." Neji called out, "You killed our friends and family.  You robbed Eevee of both her parents, you took Fariel's friends and her lover...you took my wife from me.  She's waiting in the Farplane for me, and when I see her again I will tell her how we rid the world of your evil!"

"Fools!  This is my hour.  Do you not know death when you see it?  Die now!"

"It's the jewel." Neji replied grimly, "It's flooding his armour with protective demonic energy.  Even Lightning Edge won't be enough to break it."

"This armour is indestructible!" Penance taunted them, "You cannot beat me, Neji!"

"Maybe not.  But I've just proved for the second time that I can make you bleed."

"I can't kick properly in a skirt but I'm with you in principle..."

"Focus, Fariel." Leviathan chided. Fariel looked up towards the continuing battle and saw her friends and Penance as dark specks amongst the whirling violence of the thunderstorm, wheeling and somersaulting through the air as they dodged the spells they were hurling at each other. Now and then Penance and one of the Angels would streak past each other and there would be an explosive flash of energy as Oblivion clashed against Neji's swords or Keiji's enchanted gloves. Eevee fanned her wings and fired a stream of energy bolts from her glowing force lance, but Penance read her attack perfectly and jinked aside from each arrow of white light in turn. Now he was duelling with all three opponents at once, Oblivion spinning a deadly cyclone round its master. Neji swung backhand at Penance but the demon lord ducked under the raking spikes on the back of Neji's bracer, and now a shockwave of black light hurled Neji and Eevee back through the air and Penance was fighting Keiji, drifting back through the storm-wracked clouds as he turned aside every punch and kick with his free hand.

"Still can't hit me, young demon?" he sneered, "Still using all the muscles except the one that counts?"

And he raised Oblivion in his other hand and stabbed down, forcing Keiji to beat his wings and recoil from the killing thrust.

Fariel saw it all. Keiji, shouting incoherently as he threw punch after punch at Penance. Eevee, whose force lance bolts seemed to be moving slower than if she had thrown them. Neji was tiring from the battle and as he tried to summon the strength for a Demonic Burst Edge a mighty swing of Oblivion beat down his defences and sent him tumbling from the sky, leaving just Keiji and Eevee airborne. They flew upwards together in the wake of a barrage of high magic and demonic spells. Eevee put up a hand and caught one of the lightning bolts flashing around them, redirecting it towards Penance. Keiji brought his hands together in a massive Black Dragons spell and hurled it at the demon lord. But with a gesture Penance summoned a shield of black energy that dissipated both attacks, and then the Dark Encampment Wall parted and down swooped Penance with his wings tucked in close, purple lightning crackling around his arms before he unleashed a Dark Element Explosion from each fist. The twin beams of black energy barrelled into Keiji and Eevee before they could jink aside, striking them head on.

The spell punched into Eevee like a massive fist, a magical hammerblow that sent her streaking back down towards the castle. The leading edge of the beam sparked and blazed against the shield spell hovering a few centimetres above Eevee's forearms where they were crossed protectively in front of her face, but the momentum of the spell still drove her relentlessly downwards and a searing fireball carved a crater in the castle roof as she was hurled down against it. A dark ripple swept outward through the surrounding stones, causing them to crack and splinter like chalk.

Keiji gritted his teeth and pushed back against the beam boring into him, fighting Penance's demonic energy with his own, but with all his power now unleashed Penance was the stronger. A bright light pulsed from the jewel on his chest and a surge of power swept along the beam of light connecting him and Keiji, the magical backlash hurling the young Angel away. Slabs of black stone leapt into the air as Keiji was mercilessly slammed into the castle roof.

Penance swooped down to see his opponents lying in smoking craters, their bodies broken on the anvil of his sorcery. He laughed.

But the Angels were stirring. Slowly, laboriously, but insistently, Neji dragged himself to his feet and stood by Fariel. Keiji followed, staggering upright even as his eye filled with blood from a gash across his forehead. Eevee's black jacket was streaked grey with dust and mixed rivulets of sweat and blood were running down her face, but she reached up and grabbed Keiji's hand and he helped pull her upright. She shrugged off the rain-soaked trench coat and stood in her black skirt and strapless top next to Keiji and the others. With a flick of her wrist her force lance telescoped out to its full size, the runes along its length glowing silently. Keiji raised his fists defiantly and dropped to a battle-ready crouch. Neji summoned the strength to heft his weapons once again, and the rain hissed as it vaporised on the twin sword blades. And Fariel, her clothes ripped and torn, raised her one remaining wave sword in her right hand, her face a mask of grim determination. Bright glowing auras burned defiantly round all four of them like an outline of holy fire.

"Why delay the inevitable?" Penance asked them, his raven-black hair plastered to his head by the rain, arcs of magical discharge sparking from Oblivion's overcharged blade, his feather-edged cloak whipping round him in the howling wind, "Why keep fighting?  Because your 'destiny' demands that you prolong your suffering?"

"No," Keiji answered him, spitting blood onto the ground, "Because we choose to."

A smile tugged at the corner of the demon lord's mouth.

"So be it."

Ribbons of demonic power whirled round Penance like a solar system of red and purple energy bolts. He rose into the air, raising his arms above his head then spreading them wide as he gathered his power.

And then, in a terrific blast, he unleashed it.

Penance shot upwards like a spear of black light, growing and growing until the fabric of reality tore apart around him as it tried and failed to contain the raw demonic energies. Eevee's force lance clattered to the ground as she gripped her head, an anarchic howling piercing her mind like a white-hot spear. The psychic cacophony would have shredded her mind had it not been for the much stronger minds of Ramuh and Tritoch shielding hers. The howling subsided and she looked up. Penance was looking down on them contemptuously in his full demon form, his eyes two glowing yellow pools of malice at the centre of a whirling mass of black shadows, above which could just be seen the curved outlines of two great horns.

"You will have to summon us." Eevee heard Ramuh say in a level voice.

"Which is exactly what he wants." she replied.

"But we have no choice."

There was no time for further argument. With a sound like an earthquake, Penance thrust his clawed hands downward and roared:

"DARK MESSENGER!"

The massive ball of energy hurtled downwards, its magical bow wave rending the air into shards of lightning and leaving a fiery contrail in its wake. The impact whiplashed down through the castle, causing demonic stone to warp and crack and sending the ghostly skulls saturating its walls screaming in all directions. Four vast shapes soared up out of the holocaust, riding out the shockwave and silhouetted against the expanding fireball they were only just outrunning. Abruptly, the purple flames were sucked back in by the explosion overpressure and the First Aeons were revealed. Tritoch, his golden feathers reflecting an oil-streak shimmer of colour, rose up on a slipstream of ice and lightning with Eevee riding between his shoulder-blades. Beside them flew Ramuh, his grey robes swirling round him in the gale-force wind. The glare from his staff illuminated a face of immeasurable age and even greater power. Leviathan corkscrewed through the air with graceful coils of his sinuous body. A watery sheen made his silvery-blue scales glitter like chain mail, and Fariel was holding tight to his finned head. Diablos spread his vast bat's wings and roared his defiance, a sound that was matched by the warshout of his host beside him. Far smaller than them all but generating a crackling magical aura just as powerful was Keiji, streaking up like a thunderbolt with rapid beats of his leathery wings.

Penance laughed, and the thick black clouds around him shredded as he called up his power in a flurry of spinning white circles.

"First of the Aeons! It has been too long! Finally your power shall be mine!"

Neji, recognising Penance's most powerful attack, shouted a warning to the others. At that very moment, the halos of light exploded and spears of demon energy stabbed forward, ripping apart the worn-thin veil between dimensions and leaving purple rents in the sky in their wake, bleeding raw demon world essence into Spira that spread out and infected the clouds, turning them blood red.

Diablos spread his arms wide and a glittering purple hexagram seared itself onto the air before him. The other Aeons poured their magic into the defence, and when the ravening energy beams struck it the impact shockwave drove the rain in all directions in a swirling mass, but when the sphere of water lost cohesion and collapsed to the ground with a mighty splash it was the Angels' defence that had prevailed.

A titanic battle followed, both sides summoning vast magical energies to blast the other. Penance sought to shred the minds of the Angels with his magic even as he tried to shred the four First Aeons with his claws. The Aeons darted in and out, discharging thunderbolts of multicoloured magic into the swirling blackness surrounding Penance. Eevee called upon Shemash Caman - Nature's Fury - and all the lightning in the sky thundered down at her command to be channelled by Ramuh against Penance, while Tritoch corkscrewed up through the white daggers of light Penance was hurling, fanned his wings and unleashed a twisting slipstream of magic from the other side. Propelled by a tidal wave summoned by Leviathan, Fariel leapt from her Aeon's back to dive, headfirst and spinning, into the centre of the shadows while the other Angels followed suit. Neji's swords and Eevee's force lance flashed in the darkness, and then there was a brilliant surge of white light.

A nuclear flash enveloped the scene. A blast front of ash and smoke swept out across the Calm Lands, followed by a series of shockwaves that made the ground buckle and heave. The earth rippled like water, and massive fissures snaked out across the land as spires of rock were thrust upwards only to crash down again and smash themselves apart. The fabric of space and time was torn to ribbons - howling vortexes dominated the sky, gaping holes in the air that whipped the wind and rain around them into whirlpools of darkness.

In the centre of the devastation stood Penance's castle, many of its dragon-toothed battlements crumbled and cast down by the energies unleashed. On the wide stone plateau of the castle roof, from which Penance had planned to watch his final victory over Spira, 5 figures lay crumpled and exhausted.

Penance, beaten back to his Atellian form, had fallen to one knee, his four wings hunched raggedly over him and Oblivion hanging loosely in his grip, its purple glow diminished. His breath was coming in deep, shuddering gasps.

The four Angels could not even summon the energy to stand, their magic depleted, their minds exhausted and their bodies battered by the relentless struggle. Neji's vision swam elusively in and out of focus and he had to fight to hold on to consciousness. He raised himself up onto his elbows, his arms shaking with the effort, and saw the Set sword lying by his side and a little further away Penance, who was slowly rising to his feet. The jewel at his chest was pulsing rapidly, sending waves of red light across his body. Slowly, it was returning strength to his limbs, and the Angels had no power left to fight him.

Penance let out a ragged laugh, limping slowly towards Neji and the others, but becoming more confident and assertive with every step.

"I admit that you have impressed me," he said quietly, "But it ends here."

The demon lord raised his head and roared his triumph.

"The power of the First Aeons...is...MINE!"

Neji felt an invisible fist close around his mind as Penance reached out with the power of the jewel to rip Diablos out of him. He raised Oblivion to strike.

But as the sword swept down there was a flurry of sparks as a second blade intercepted it. Neji felt the grip round his soul slacken and he looked up, confused. A long, straight blade had crossed with Oblivion and halted it in mid-strike. Looking at the engraving of a wolf on its blade, Neji realised that it was a sword he knew. Silver wolf.

His gaze travelled up the blade of the elven sword he had once owned, past the gold-chased crosspiece and the long-fingered hand gripping the hilt, up an arm swathed in black robes to a hooded, scarred face, at the centre of which two almond-shaped eyes burned gold.

"Tanis?" Neji gasped, unable to process what he was seeing.

With a flick of his wrist their elven guide disengaged Penance's sword and threw the demon lord back. Penance snarled in anger, unable to explain the half-elf's sudden appearance, and he started forward to strike but a second figure ghosted in from the side and kicked him squarely in the chest, knocking him onto his back. Neji's head whipped round to the second figure, who was dressed identically to Tanis, but their hood was thrown back and from their long flowing hair and soft features Neji could see that the newcomer was female. She glanced at Neji and with shock he saw that she was the spitting image of Fariel, albeit with pointed elven ears and burning yellow eyes.

Fariel herself gasped in shock. This made no sense - Tanis was dead, killed at the battle of Luca, and Selina was dead too, killed by Tanis himself...how were they here, and more importantly why were they fighting side-by-side when in life the half-elven outcast and his fallen sister had been the bitterest of enemies?

"Tanis!" Eevee exclaimed from beside Keiji, "But how...?"

The unsent Tanis turned towards them, the mocking half-smile they knew so well tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm playing my part as your guide one final time. Sorry I'm late - I was gathering allies."

"Allies?" Fariel echoed in confusion.

"I figured that it would be better for the dead to join our ranks than for us to be forced to join theirs. With a little help from Summoner Yuna, here we are."

Around them a host of shadowy figures appeared, many of whom the Angels recognised. Neji stared in disbelief; the summoning of the dead was considered unnatural by the elves, and even in these desperate times only Tanis would have considered it. Despite this, all the unsent now gathered around them looked determined to play their part. There was Laconfir, tall and stately in robes of deep blue threaded with gold. Next to him was the half-Atellian Lady Rayne who had given Fariel her shape-shifter bracers, blue tattoos looping elegantly either side of her face and down her neck. Captain Kerek, a Ronso of imposing size in any case, bulked up even further by the armour he wore. Beside him captain Hartlock, a laconic smile on her face, tossing her red hair back out of her eyes. They and their men had died in the battle between Kebel and the Guard that had been cunningly manipulated by Penance to make his takeover of Spira that much easier. And there were four of the five Atellian Angels, who had been killed by Beelzebub. Sorata, Revast and Haldir looked determined, while Ghanima looked at Neji and smiled.

"Tell Zell and Alia that we wish them well."

Beside the four previous Angels were ranked other figures - elves, humans and winged Atellians - all the Angels who had been host to the First Aeons and used their powers to protect Spira against Penance and Sin. The only two who were not there were Feyd and Sonya Kobie, and beside him Keiji heard Eevee give a dry sob.

Neji recognised Seifer the swordsman, and the mage Chouji, former captain of the Highwind who had sacrificed himself to save others at the first battle of the Calm Lands, as well as other former members of his crew.

"While you fought Penance's armies on the mortal coil," Tanis explained, "I travelled the Farplane, seeking out the spirits of our greatest heroes and journeying down to the darkest depths of the Farplane to rescue the souls exiled there. There I met my sister, and I convinced her and others that it was not too late to repent what they had done, so they could earn the right to walk the paradise side of the Farplane as free spirits."

Fariel looked from Tanis to Selina and back again, until suddenly her eye was caught by two men standing side by side at the end of the line of unsent. One was dressed in a black thief's jumpsuit, the other in loose dark fatigues, but both were so similar in the face and in posture that there could be no doubt that they were brothers.

"Jacen!" she gasped.

Jacen Locke smiled slightly, "I was killed a few hours ago in Bevelle. As soon as I got to the Farplane Tanis found me, and I insisted he help me find my brother. When we finally did, I managed to convince him to let go."

Beside Jacen, Kerr stood at ease with his hands in his pockets, his dark hair spiked and a smile on his face, but not a cruel sarcastic smile. It was Kerr as he had been when Fariel had worked with him in Luca, when they had been friends as well as rivals, before revenge had consumed him.

"Hiya Fari," he said, "Maybe both of us were in the wrong, but it doesn't matter now, and I'm sorry."

The brothers parted to allow a line of figures to step through. Fariel gasped as she recognised the Kebellians killed in the Custodian attack - Breezer, Lei, Faber, Dante's brother Zeke...tears filled her eyes as she looked at the handsome young man leading them.

"Larek..."

He smiled kindly, stepping forward and putting up a hand to stroke her cheek. She clapped a hand on top of his and let the tears flow.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I failed you..."

"Shhhh," Larek soothed her, "You did all you could. You know I love you no matter what."

But they were forced to break apart as on the other side of the castle roof Penance was stirring and pulling himself to his feet.

"What is this!?" he shouted, caught between anger and the closest thing to fear that a demon could feel as he raised Oblivion towards the unsent surrounding him. Nothing like this had appeared in his visions.

"Our power is yours, Angels," said Haldir, "Now finish this."

As one, all of the dead Avenging Angels held up their hands and white light poured from them into Neji, Fariel, Eevee and Keiji. Instantly they felt stronger as the soul-power of their predecessors coursed through them. They formed up facing Penance, and Fariel found herself standing between Larek and Selina. She glanced at the elf, still unsettled by the uncanny resemblance they shared. Selina noticed her apprehensive scrutiny, and as she twirled her katana into a two-handed grip next to her face she glanced at Fariel and smiled.

"Did Tanis never tell you the reason we look so alike?"

Fariel shook her head.

"As you know my father was not the fine upstanding elf he presented to the rest of the Ellessar community. He was a twisted sadist who let his baser desires rule him. I eventually killed him to put a stop to his twisted ways, and in taking his soul to gain enough power to destroy Tanis, who I still believed to be a traitor at the time, I became that which I sought to destroy..."

She blinked, her elven expression unreadable. Fariel thought better than to press her.

"Anyway before I killed him, Tanis' mother was not the only human that my father raped. I don't know how many bastard children he sired, but your mother Duenan was one of them."

"My mother was half-elven? But she didn't have pointy ears, or funny eyes, or..."

She tailed off as Selina raised a slightly-affronted eyebrow at her.

"Which genes dominate in a half-elven child varies considerably from case to case. As it was, your mother showed no physical signs of her heritage, and neither did you, although it seems you both retained the agility of our kind. But if you saw pictures of my father, you would see me in him, and apparently his appearance skipped a generation and passed on to you too. It was that more than anything else that drew Tanis to you in Luca seventeen years ago. And when Yendor looked into my brother's mind and saw that he loved you, it was the love and protectiveness towards his half-niece that he was seeing."

"So I'm...?"

"One quarter elf. Which explains your fast reflexes and your aptitude for magic."

"And that makes you...?"

"Your half-aunt, yes."

"Small world." Fariel shrugged, and fixed her eyes on Penance.

Neji, Fariel, Keiji and Eevee raised their arms above their heads and disappeared in halos of light as the ranks of Unsent surrounding them surged forwards and bore down on Penance like a tidal wave. Penance roared his fury as blades slashed down towards him from all directions; ducking and spinning through the melee he brought up Oblivion to parry attack after attack, but though none of the Unsent could land a blow on him the demon lord was being forced steadily backwards, unable despite his consummate skill to find an opening to strike back. A cataclysmic Black Shockwave bought him a few seconds respite, but soaring towards him now were four great glowing forms, avatars of magical fire. All four Aeons released a single blast of magic and then slammed into Penance; Leviathan's teeth, Diablos' sword, Ramuh's staff and Tritoch's talons striking simultaneously at the centre of Penances chest. Arcs of power corkscrewed in all directions, and the black armour cracked.

"NO!" Penance roared, staggering back as purple light poured from the rents in his armour. Everything around him whited out in a brilliant flash, and out of the light came Keiji, leaping forward in a powerful double kick. A corona of lambent flame boiled around the young Angel as he knocked Penance back, his lightning-gloved hand reaching down and tearing the great jewel from the centre of Penance's breastplate as the impenetrable armour burst in pieces.

Penance screamed in anger as Keiji kicked off him, turned a handspring and backflipped out of his reach.

"Eevee, destroy it!" he shouted as he landed, throwing the gemstone at the girl's feet. Penance was already streaking forward towards Eevee, wings beating furiously as he scattered the Unsent in his path. All four Aeons turned to Eevee, their power flowing into her force lance as visible ribbons of iridescent light as she spun it downwards to point at the jewel. Penance landed with the force of a thunderbolt, cracking the stone underfoot, Oblivion raised to strike. There was a flash like lightning as Eevee fired her lance at the jewel.

A terrific explosion left all the combatants bleeding from their ears, and the shockwave that swept out across the castle roof knocked them all off their feet. The power that had been trapped within the jewel by Penance flew outwards in a cyclone of ghostly shapes. The forms of mortals, demons and Fayth soared free, their combined voices an overpowering shriek, before dissolving into a blizzard of pyraflies and vanishing from sight.

Totally blind and deaf for several seconds, Eevee picked herself up, feeling as if an iron vice had constricted her ribcage and pressed her eyes back into their sockets. Almost instantly, Keiji and the others were by her side, while Penance was kneeling at the epicentre of the blast, his hand clawing at the shattered fragments of his jewel. Slowly, he rose to his feet and fixed the Angels with eyes that burned like purple fire.

"You will suffer for this!" he shouted, "I still have enough power to destroy you!"

"Suffering," Eevee spat in reply, "Is that all you know how to bring?"

The First Aeons continued to circle above them, the army of Unsent standing grimly below with all eyes on Penance. Infused with the soul-power of all of them, the Angels felt the memories and emotions of their predecessors as if they were their own.

"You have taken everything from everyone who ever stood in the way of your ambition!" Keiji shouted, standing next to Eevee with his fist closed around the Oathkeeper hanging at his neck, "Not only lives but hopes and dreams!"

"Do you remember any of them?" Fariel challenged the demon lord, "You never saw their faces, never read the feelings of those who lost everything they'd ever loved, and died in despair because of you."

We are their wrath. Leviathan echoed, coiling his powerful serpent's body through the air above Fariel.

"We are the guilt you never felt." boomed Ramuh, his staff pointed towards Penance in one hand as the slipstreams of magic coursing around him blew the white hair and beard around his ancient face, lit from within by the glowing white of his eyes.

We are the lives and hopes and loves of all those you killed! cried Tritoch as he soared upwards and fanned his wings, causing them to glow in a terrifying display of light and colour.

The dazzling beams shone down on his host, Eevee, who was standing by Keiji and was also clutching her Oathkeeper so hard that her knuckles were white. Her face was frightening - part fury, part terrible pain, all fierce determination - all mixed together in a tempest of emotion.

"I am the hope of the Atellians, she cried above the howling gale of magical wind that the Aeons were creating around themselves, "Who all died save those who bowed down to you. I am the love of all the families you shattered - Elves, Guado, Ronso, Al'bed! I am the sacrifice of all the other Angels. I," a tear ran down her cheek, "Am the sacrifice of my mum and dad. You can't keep us hidden any more."

"Stop..." the demon whispered.

"That's what we all said to you. This is our revenge."

A look of horror crossed Penance's face as the four First Aeons swept past him, combining their powers in a whirlpool of multicoloured energies. It began to spin, faster and faster, and then it imploded with a deafening concussion and in its place appeared a howling vortex. Penance tore his eyes away from the swirling black mass behind him, looking back at the Angels who were now advancing towards him while the First Aeons and the Unsent stood watching. The sky behind them was on fire, purple thunderstorms roiling overhead as the demon world continued to bleed through the many holes in reality, but the shining light of the Aeons eclipsed all.

"Be gone!" Neji shouted, throwing a clenched fist forward so that Penance was blasted back by a shockwave of demon magic. Penance dug Oblivion into the stone between his feet, trying to fight the inexorable pull of the vortex behind him.

"No!" he shouted, trying to hurl a spell of his own towards the four Angels. Now the Angels surrounded him, but still he refused to be banished to the Void without a fight. Neji stood before him, his hair tugging in the strong wind as the vortex continued to try and pull them in. Penance looked up at him with a face contorted with hate.

"This is my world!" he hissed.

"This," Neji snarled, planting a booted foot on Penance's chest, "Is Spira."

<ooc - I'm sorry!  I DID try to resist!>

With an explosive motion he kicked Penance backwards. Oblivion tore free of the castle roof and Penance tumbled back, still gripping it. With his free hand he seized Keiji, pulling the young Angel off his feet. Eevee reached out and grabbed Keiji's other arm to try and pull him back, but the gravity well of the vortex was two strong. Before anyone could react all three of them fell, spinning and buffeted by the slipstream, into the roiling black heart of the maelstrom.

"Keji!" Neji yelled in horror, and Fariel screamed, "Eevee!" but with a black flash the vortex collapsed in on itself and they were gone.

Penance darted forward, Oblivion chopping down in a deadly arc towards the top of Eevee's head. Eevee sidestepped, slapping the blade away with the extended barrel of her force lance, but Penance turned the deflection into a 360 spin that brought Oblivion slicing back round towards Eevee from the other side. She threw herself aside only just in time, managing to turn her uncontrolled dive into a somersault that brought her back to her feet. As she whirled to face Penance she realised that she had nearly made a deadly mistake, and that the demon lord would have killed her right then in her split-second of vulnerability if he hadn't been distracted by a flying kick from Keiji.

Eevee braced her feet and twirled her force lance into one of the many guard positions that Alarielle had taught her - all the combat knowledge of the elves and the Aeons was there in her head, but with her contact with Ramuh and Tritoch abruptly severed it now took her a conscious effort to execute the once-effortless moves that might have made her the equal of Penance. She watched Keiji flip back, still on guard but clearly hurting with a stream of blood running down one side of his face, saw Penance flourish Oblivion round his body then above his head as he flowed with deadly grace from one combat stance to another, and felt a momentary pang of despair.

She crushed the impulse and, in spite of what her Aeons had taught her, replaced it with anger. She wouldn't let Keiji down again - together they would destroy this monster who had killed his mother and both her parents. Eevee glanced towards Keiji, and as they locked eyes she knew he was thinking the same thing. Steeling her resolve but unable to stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks, Eevee ran to join Keiji and side by side they charged Penance.

Keijis knuckle-dusters and the white metal of Eevee's force lance flashed a brighter white against the swirling backdrop as they struck. A blade so dark it sucked the light from the air around it rose to meet them. The sky crackled and shook in response to the mighty blows as for the first time the two Angels drove Penance back on the defensive. Keiji dropped low as Oblivion scythed over his head, then sprang up again in an uppercut punch that connected with Penance's chest. Penance rolled with the blow and launched upwards, twisting in midair and then fanning his dark wings so that he glided rather than fell back to the ground. Landing lightly, he paused to flash a wolfish smile towards the Angels before kicking off and propelling himself high into the swirling air.

"Look out!" yelled Keiji, and the two of them leaped in opposite directions as Penance came hurtling down like a thunderbolt, his huge sword striking the ground where Eevee and Keiji had been a moment before with the force of an earthquake. The strange material of the ground resonated with the force of the blow; ribbons of light streaked outwards from the point of impact, flashing in rapidly-changing colours and writhing erratically through the translucent surface almost as though in pain. Once again the reactive world seemed to convulse, the pulses of light that swept across the sky collapsing into whirlpools of violence as more vortexes tore themselves in the air. One of the howling black wormholes appeared at ground level not far behind the three combatants.

And as the shockwaves wracking the world threw Eevee and Keiji off their feet, the same explosion of power hurled two figures from the mouth of the vortex. They were slammed like rag dolls into the ivory ground, sending pulses of light skittering through it in all directions. With his eyes fixed on Keiji and Eevee, Penance did not see them fall, nor see them raise their blood-streaked faces to look past the demon lord at the two young Angels. Eevee and Keiji stood rooted to the spot, expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces, as they looked straight into the eyes of Feyd and Sonya Kobie.

<Decided I'm going to try and get some serious writing done today, so I'll go have lunch and then see what I can come up with for LT>

Well, its nice to know that the world still has some misery." Soven whispered to the shadows.

The sky outside the cell was dark and a taste of foreboding clung in the air. Soven had always loved storms; they inflicted fear and panic in the weak.  He once feared storms and would cling to the warmth of his mother, but he had aged, he became more powerful and fearful, he laughed at such storms.

But laughing has fallen out of Sovens soul.  Long ago Soven was the ultimate power on the planet.  His might was unmatchable, unbeatable, and unstoppable.  But that was long ago.  Before Demon ruined it all.  That winged interfering so-and-so.  Life would be so much sweeter now if he had stayed out of it.  Soven would be King and Emperor of the world; instead he is left to rot in this cell, custom built just for him.  Baby brother was always sweet to his big brother.

Soren, almost a match for Soven in every aspect of combat: speed, strength and skill.  While Soven craved dominance and power, Soren chose a different path, to find out the truth about our fathers.  As far our Soven cared, the pair of dont even rate a memory but for Soren they represented something more, something noble.  Bull****.  As far as Soven cares only three people matter: himself, Soren and, of course, Mother.

She is a Goddess among mortals with no equal and the single largest heart that the Spira could hold.  Beautiful, intelligent, witty, clever, inventive, creative, proud, loving, caring, soft, loving, patient: she is truly special.  When Soven left he knew that if she asked he would have stayed for all eternity, but she knew he had to leave.  Soren wasnt as understanding. 

After Soven started his push for control Soren hunted him downed, amazingly defeated him and dragged Soven to his new home, this bloody cell, just West of the Thunder Plains and was guarded day and night by a thousand guards, and there Soven lay for 6 years, waiting, thinking, planning when he, for the first time ever, received a visitor.

Soven sat on his plain bed looking out the barred window, thinking of life and the point of it.  If there was a point and thought Why live only to die one day?  Why seek so-called "happiness"?  Soven learnt long ago happiness was useless, with so much pain in the world.

"Do you always think with so much self-pity?  Or have you been here too long?"

I have been here too long, Soven thought.  I'm starting to hear voices in my head.

"Think again, Soven the Warrior."

Soven jerked himself out of his train-of-thought and stared through the bars to a tall man, covered in shadows.  Sovens stared straight at those eyes and saw, for the first time ever, such evil that chilled his blood.  Hes wanted to get away from him, not run just not be near him.  Ive seen eyes like those, he thought Their the same as Sin...

After a long silence Soven spoke in a hiss, "Three things: 1 - Who are you?  2 - How'd you get in?  And 3 - why are you speaking to me?"

The stranger smiled.  "A while ago I was attacked by people wishing to kill me, and they almost did.  I'm speaking to you because I have an offer for you, Soven the Unbeatable.  How would you like to be my right hand man?  You can become the right hand man of the new ruler Spira.  The successor of the monster Sin."

He wondered for a moment.  How much of a possibility is it that a complete stranger would step out of the shadows and offer so much for so little?  Not frakking likely.  Soven smiled.  "Nice bed time story," he yawned loudly.  "I've been trying to get to sleep for hours.  Cheers."  Soven closed his eyes with a smile and began to wonder....