Well, people, this is it. The final chapter if my first fanfic.
The slam-bang climax, the grand finale, etc, etc. (After
saying all that, I hope it lives up to that promise). I have an
idea for a continuation, and I *may* do it if I get enough
responses to the story. Please tell me what you think.
GUARDIAN ANGEL
An Iczer fanfic by Andrew Dynon
The Iczer series and all characters therein (c) Toshihiro Hirano
This story and all original characters (c) Andrew Dynon
CHAPTER 5
Soul's Fate, Soul's Destiny
"Nagisa..." Nagisa heard Ylara's voice speaking softly to her,
and felt her hand upon her forehead. "Please awaken..."
"Iczer-1..." Nagisa cried as she awoke "She's... been..."
"I felt it as well, Nagisa. I can feel your pain. It was
difficult even for me to heal the damage that your psyche took
through your link with her. Please, I know how difficult this
is for you, but you must try to be strong."
"But... I feel so helpless..."
"That's how Neos wants you to feel. If you've given up hope,
that means she's defeated you. Don't give her what she wants."
Despite her apparent calmness, Lady Ylara was as concerned as
Nagisa. If Atros failed, and Iczer-3 died, then Neos would gain
enough power to manifest in physical space. If that happened,
then no matter what was done to stop her, the amount of damage
caused would be cataclysmic.
* * * * *
"My sis is... is dead?"
"Yes, Iczer-3, I'm afraid so. I'm sorry, but if I hadn't let
you know, then Neos would have told you to try and make you lose
confidence or act recklessly." Atros replied "Please, it may
still be possible to revive her, but we have to destroy Neos
first". She knew this was a lie. She had seen Iczer-1
destroyed, and as far as she knew there was no way to bring her
back. But if it was necessary to lie in order to bring hope to
someone, so be it. The first and foremost duty of *any* angel,
be they warrior, healer, guide, artist, or of any other array,
was to create hope and erase despair. She could worry about the
truth later. Right now, she had to help her still-mortal twin
sister.
"Atros, you helped me beat her last time. Now it's my turn to
help you."
"Only if you want to."
"I want to."
Atros sensed the unmistakable, foul presence of a demon
conduit opening. She gritted her teeth, and her beam swords
appeared in her hands. "She's coming." she said.
"Have you got a plan?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"We charge in and beat the crap out of her." Atros smiled.
"I like it!"
Atros, with Iczer-3 following her, flew at Neos Gold, slashing
with her beam swords. As Atros reached melee range, however, a
field of energy, sickly yellow in color, appeared around Neos,
lancing out at the young angel and hurling her backward. Atros
managed to pull out of the tumble she had been knocked into by
the blast, but noticed Iczer-3 being struck in the abdomen -
luckily, it appeared to be only a glancing blow. Atros
concentrated, building up power for an energy blast. Her blast
slammed into Neos' energy field, and Atros noticed a brief
flicker. Atros and Iczer-3 charged once again, and were once
again hurled back. This time though, the energy field was
noticeably weaker.
"All right! Iczer-3, we're beating her!" Atros smiled. "Hey,
Neos, if you feel like running away, then it's time to do it!"
"Why you little bitch!" Neos cried out in anger. "I shall not
be denied my revenge!" She screamed with rage. Her yellow aura
began to glow brighter, and Atros initially thought it was
regenerating, but her _k'tsyyv_ - the name of the sense used by
angel warriors to "read" the nature of a spirit - picked up
something different. Then Neos' skin split apart, revealing a
humanoid boidy made of what looked like rusting metal, covered
in some type of vile yellowish liquid. Hundreds of thirty-foot
long, spear-tipped metallic tentacles were attatched to her
back, and, even more so than with most demons, the young angel
warrior was filled with disgust and rage simply from sensing her
presence.
* * * * *
"Lady Ylara..." Nagisa began, breaking off abruptly.
"Yes?"
"I feel... I have to... I have to help them! I have to go!"
Nagisa burst out.
Outwardly, Ylara showed no emotion whatsoever. She had seen
people act like this before, many times. If a soul had great
emotional attatchment toward someone who was threatened or hurt,
then that attatchment could manifest itself in a variety of
ways. The soul-shock that Nagisa had experienced when Iczer-1
had been destroyed was one of them, her determination to help
Atros and Iczer-3 was another. If she refused to let Nagisa go,
it would cause distress and damage to her spirit, no matter
whether Atros won or lost. On the other hand, if Nagisa *did*
travel to the Astral plane, she would no longer be protected.
Neos could...
"Please, Ylara! I can feel power entering into me from this
place! I know how I can help them! I *need* to help them!"
"Nagisa..." Ylara said, "You may go. Demo, o-negai,
kiotsukete*."
* But, please, be careful.
Ylara concentrated on reopening the conduit, and Nagisa headed
straight for it. She watched as Nagisa disappeared, heading
toward the Astral plane, and whispered two words.
"Nagisa, kiotsukete."
* * * * *
Atros focused her power, attempting to form a shield against
Neos' blast. The blast was blocked, but Neos' power level had
undoubtedly increased since her mutation. She fired an energy
beam, hitting her enemy in the chest, but it didn't seem to
affect Neos at all. She saw Iczer-3 trying to engage Neos in
melee combat, but being forced to dodge her spear-tails.
Iczer-3's attempt to avoid Neos' attack was not altogether
succesful. One of the spear-tails struck her in the thigh,
causing her to cry out.
"Ittai! Why, you..."
"Iczer-3! Atros!" A voice - Nagisa's voice, the two young
warriors realised - called out from behind them.
"Nagisa!" Iczer-3 cried out. "You came!"
Nagisa closed her eyes and concentrated, attempting to use the
power that had entered into her being while she was in the
Heaven Realms to enhance her psychic abilities. Her mind made
contact with Iczer-3 and Atros, enhancing their perception and
reflexes, forewarning them of any unexpected danger. It would
have been easier for her, and more effective, had she been able
to focus on one of them, but she didn't have that option.
Atros and Iczer-3 renewed their attack on Neos Gold, and Neos
was hard pressed to defend herself. Atros struck her in the
shoulder with one of her energy swords, and flowed liquid leaked
from the wound. Iczer-3 flew back past, out of range, preparing
to make another pass at Neos Gold. She flew at Neos again, but
this time Neos moved differently to how she expected. She
dodged around Iczer-3, and attacked not her, but Nagisa. Her
tails coiled around Nagisa's arms, legs, and neck, cutting into
her skin, tightening, crushing her. Nagisa felt faint, she
couldn't breathe, she was going to...
"BRONZE BLAZING CRESCENT!" A boomerang-shaped object,
sparkling with bronze light, sliced through the tails Neos was
using to hold Nagisa. Atros immediately recognised the
spiritual signature, and didn't need to take her eyes off her
enemy to see who had come to Nagisa's aid.
"Tiam! Hi!!"
Tiam appeared, holding a staff with two bronze, crescent-shaped
blades at the ends, wind currents rippling her clothes and
orange hair. Her copper-colored eyes shone with the glee she
felt at the opportunity to once again assist her friend in
battle.
"Hi Atros! I decided you might like me to help you!"
"Yeah, it looks like I..." - she looked at Iczer-3 and Nagisa -
"like *we* might be needing it."
"Another of you accursed angels?" Neos screamed in rage. "No
matter. You shall also be destroyed! Feel my power!" Wisps of
what appeared to be black smoke appeared around her, being
sucked into her chest, and Atros and Tiam felt her aura growing
stronger once again.
"Hmph. Can't you demons get some new material?" Atros raised
her beam swords, and prepared to make another attack.
"No, Atros." Tiam grabbed her arm. "We won't get anywhere by
just charging in. I'll hold her off. You, Iczer-3, and Nagisa
form a radiance wave."
"A radiance wave? But they're mortals! Mortals can't help us
form them, can they? Their souls aren't pure enough!"
"In most cases, no. But remember, Atros, you're part of them!
You were created from the Iczerio, like Iczer-3, and Nagisa's
spirit was used to make you! *You* can give them the power!"
Without waiting for a response, Tiam flew towards Neos, swinging
her blade-staff at the demon's torso.
"Iczer-3! Nagisa!" Atros called out. "I need your help!
"Sure thing, Atros!" responded Iczer-3.
"I'll do my best!" Nagisa said.
Atros flew towards Nagisa and Iczer-3. "Join hands with me!"
she instructed. "Purge all thoughts of darkness - all
vengeance, all cruelty - from your mind. Think only of light!"
A triangle of bright red light formed in the center of the three.
Nagisa's mind strained with the effort to do as Atros
instructed. She thought of Atros' betraying Neos Gold and
saving Iczer-3, of Iczer-1, of the battle to save the Earth ...
the triangle of light changed from red to orange. Still not
enough. Her mind focused on Atros' visitation, and then on her
being taken to Ylara's hall. The energy that was forming
between herself, Atros, and Iczer-3 began to glow yellow.
Try as she might, Iczer-3 couldn't dispel her negative
thoughts. She was desperate to help Atros and Nagisa, but there
seemed to be no way for her to forget her thirst for vengeance
over what Neos gold had done to her big sister. Try as she
might to shake them off, the thoughts clung on to her mind more
tightly than ever, and refused to let go.
"Iczer-3!" Atros called, "Do you remember what you said to your
sister, after you killed Neos Gold? What did you say to her?"
"I said that... that I felt sorry for Neos! Because all she
could live for was fighting!" Atros felt Iczer-3's mind shake
off the darkness that was clinging to it, and the triangle's
energy went from yellow to green.
Tiam fought desperately against Neos. She was getting beaten,
badly. She hadn't even been able to scratch Neos, and she
herself had geep gashes on every part of her body. Like all
angels, she posessed the ability to ignore her own pain, but it
was impossible to deny the fact that she was heavily wounded.
"Why don't you just give up, little girl?" Neos Gold asked
comtemptuously.
"Why don't you just rot in hell like you ought to be doing?"
Ignoring her condition, and angry that Neos had the nerve to
even *think* that she would quit, Tiam flew at her once again.
Atros concentrated, mentally clearing the path used by the ki
that flowing from the Heaven Realms, into herself, and then into
Iczer-3 and Nagisa. Her mind reached into the Heaven Realms and
opened up, causing the color of Radiance Wave being formed to
progress to a crystal blue.
"My sisters, my brothers...", she began, "I ask for your power.
I ask the Unity to help me, to help Nagisa, to help Iczer-3..."
As she spoke, the energy formed between the three of them
became a vibrant purple, its light hundreds of times brighter
than the red that it had begun as. "We call upon your aid to
defeat our enemy, for the Cthuwulf, for Earth, and for the
Iczers..."
Tiam struggled to free herself from Neos' entrapment. Her
blade-staff had been knocked from her hands, and her legs and
arms were entwined in Neos' spear-tails. No matter how much she
fought, she just seemed to end up held tighter. In peak
condition, she may have broken free, but she had lost too much
strength to have any hope of escaping. The angel managed to
pull one of her arms free one last, useless show of resistance
before another group of her adversaty's spear-tails penetrated
her chest, and pierced through her back. In a final gesture of
defiance, she refused to scream. Then her form disintegrated,
reduced to a bronze-colored dust that was scattered by the
Astral wind.
Nagisa gasped in shock at the sight of Tiam's death, and the
Radiance Wave flickered, losing some of its brightness.
"Nagisa!" Atros mentally reached for her. "All your
concentration!" whilst sending extra ki from herself into
Nagisa, she continued her call for aid.
"My siblings, please, grant me your power!" Atos' voice was
rising to a crescendo. "RADIANCE ... WAAAAAAVE!!!!!!!!!" The
white light, surrounded by infinite, sparkling colors, shot out
from between the trio, blinding Nagisa and Iczer-3. Atros
watched, unaffected by the blinding radiance, as Neos' form was
vaproised. Utterly, irrevocably destroyed.
* * * * *
Atros, Iczer-3, and Nagisa stood in Ylara's halll, their
spirits regenerating from the wounds they had recieved during
battle.
"Atros, what you said to Tiam about our souls not being pure
enough ... what does that mean?" asked Nagisa.
"The physical universe is comprised of both both good and evil,
and so are its inhabitants' souls. When someone dies, their
soul is released from its physical body, and the good and evil
within are separated, and that person's consciousness is
transferred to the realm of whichever is dominant in them. The
rest is reduced to an essence. And no, it's an effect of the
soul losing its connection to the physical universe, not a
judgement of any sort." Atros giggled. "I wonder how so many
religeons came up with that idea."
"What about Tiam? She was killed, right?"
"No. The Unity, the collective consciousness of all of the
heaven realms, prevented her destruction. Her spirit will
regenerate in a few decades' time." The young angel paused.
"It's highly unlikely the same will happen with Neos. The Dark
Lords have little tolerance for failure."
"Iczer-1, and Iczer-2..." Atros continued "To tell you the
truth, I don't really know. I'm certain that the Unity would
have tried to help them, but it's far more difficult to perserve
mortal spirits. There are millions of galaxies in the universe,
and billions of battles being fought in each. The Unity has to
divide power among all of them."
"Their spirits have been preserved." The voice was that of a
teenaged girl, and the three turnes as a new form materialised.
She had curly, shoulder-length aquamarine hair and blue eyes,
just like Nagisa's, and wore a one-piece top-and-miniskirt, pink
in the center and yellow at the sides, with a metallic silver
belt. Nagisa looked at her and let out a gasp of joy.
"Grandmother!"