Mable moves her eyes towards the distance and says, "Is he crying?" Mable removes her sight from Setanta and stares forward, then says, "There are two souls in that body. Probably a Legacy taking over the Dragon's flesh, and forcing it to do this. A real tragedy, but how deep its control over that boy is, I doubt it will be able to be fre-."
"Let's save him," Setanta says.
"What!?"
Standing in front of Mable, Setanta bows and says, "I know it might be dangerous, and I am asking you to stake your lives on this, but I don't want someone to be forced to kill others due to some creature's influence, so please let's save him."
Mable's face lights up with happiness as her ears start to twitch around, causing her to say, "You've not asked me for a single thing in over the year I have known you, and now you're asking me to save him? You're way too adorable, what a good young man you are!"
She grabs and hugs Setanta tight, then says, "Gabi, go restrain him."
Sighing, Gabi says, "Of course you're leaving the tough part to me."
"Do you mind, honey?" Mable says with a cute smile on her face.
"Not a chance, it's only logical for me to protect the wishes and interests of those I love."
From Gabi back six giant wings spurt out, and he soars into the sky and flies right over to the front of Angra's face and says, "I suggest you end your rampage in this instant."
Angra turns his head towards Gabi and breathes fire out, yet he soon feels feet across the top of his head, then he hears, "What a mighty strong body you have, still power without skill is nothing more than the strength of a child in front of me, now let's calm your flesh this very instant."
Φ "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!"
Around my body, I feel Angra's grip reach onto me, as the entire world around me freezes and breaks into pieces that fly around a white void. I hold my arms against Angra's arm, which grabs onto my neck, then I hear, "REMEMBER YOUR WEAKNESS!"
Within my mind, all my thoughts and experiences remerge and flow throughout my body. The disappointment I caused my parents, the frustration I caused my sister, the weakness I felt when digging through the Basileia caves, the cowardice I felt when I was faced with Ahmed's Advent, the fear I felt when I saw the destruction of Skydust, the helplessness I felt when I saw Orb lying unconscious, the regret I felt when I took Suzuka's place fighting Angra, the despair I feel knowing I am mere moment away from lashing out on the world itself.
The all surge through my body, bringing my mind down little by little, and in the face of that horror, I look away, trying to use whatever I can to distract my mind even a little bit.
My eyes move towards the shards of Zahhak's memories, where I see his body lying flat and limp in his human form in front of Gabi as the man holds a feather shaped like a blade to Zahhak's neck, yet a cocoon of darkness quickly devours Zahhak's body.
"That's how his life ended! That's all the great son of Ahura Mazda became because of his weakness, and you are hundreds of times weaker than he was at the moment of his birth. You who disappointed your parents, you who caused untold despair to your sister, you who lived as a slave out of fear of retaliation, you who follows someone far weaker and younger than you due to your own willpower, you who even after all of your failures still managed to get your sister killed, and will soon end the lives of all your friends, that is all you shall ever be, so accept it Cyrus, understand it!"
His words seep deeper and deeper into my soul, taking hold of everything I am. I've lost, I cannot win; if even Zahhak lost to him, I have no chance of surviving. Because this is inevitable.
Feeling tears surge from my eyes, I say, "I am so sorry, Orb."
Across the left side of my body, I feel ice surge, as darkness follows from the right side. Just like a dream, I feel like I experience two moments at the same time, one now, and one from the past, one that isn't from my mind.
"Cyrus, answer me. We need to get you out of here. (Hey, I know you are still alive in their come out.)"
In that moment, I feel like I can hear two voices emerge from my one body. "I can't leave Orb. I am incapable of doing anything. (I can't, I have caused too much destruction, I must never be allowed to see the light of day again.)"
"Cyrus, I am going to go find Dragoste and beat some sense into him, but this pest is going to bother me, so watch my back. (And what then? You're going to sit in here and rot away as if that does anything to change the situation.)"
"Orb, I fail at everything I do, even now, my own weakness leads me to come and try to claim your life. I made promise after promise towards you, but I will never be strong, I will never be someone you can rely on, I can't even match Dumnorix, how will I ever handle this God! (SHUT UP, I have heard their cries, I have heard their screams, I have caused so much pain to everyone, but worst than that I hurt the three I love more than anything else in the world, I saw their tears as my body was struck by Garəbra's attacks, I turned a day of joy for us all into a day of destruction, I can never be forgiven for that.)"
"Cyrus, I am going to go punch Dragoste in his stupid face, and I know you're going to watch my back, because more than anyone else, you're always looking at us from behind to make sure our weak spots are protected, because you're kind, I know you can do this. (Then try to fix it. The people you've hurt, the promises you've broken, the mistakes you made can only be fixed if you still live, so if you're truly sorry, if you truly wish to make everyone you hurt happy, LIVE!)"
"But what if I fail, what if I let you down again? I can't live with that. I cannot fail again! (I am not strong enough to handle that on my own, I can't face the tragedies I have placed upon the world with my own two eyes.)"
"Then just get back up again, failure is expected from every single action one could ever take, all you have to do is make sure you get back up, people are built to fail and rise again, so do your best Cyrus. (I felt the same after my own tragedy, but despite my best efforts, the words of an annoying starry-eyed beast have shown me the light. It will be hard, but I am sure there is a future for you and even myself. So until you've gained the strength to fight on your own, I will help you as someone further along, as your big brother.)"
In a fragment of the destroyed memoires that fly across the void, I see the cocoon that enraptures Zahhak disappear, and at the same time, I feel the void collapse as the twin voice says, "Let's go (Let's go)."
Zahhak rushes out of the cocoon and hugs Setanta as my eyes return to reality, where I see Orb's body covered in ice, standing over me with a smile. Extending it a bit further, he says, "Are you ready?"
Behind him, I see Angra with a face full of rage, rushing towards Orb with his large hands shaped into the form of a battle axe. I quickly pick up my sword and, activating my Legacy, I swing a blade full of darkness towards him, knocking his body backwards.
Holding Orb, I say, "Head out!"
Smiling, he says, "I know you've got this." He rushes away, then shouts, "Oh yeah, Willow is frozen to one of the bones over there, make sure to not let him die as well."
I instantly turn my head, where I see Willow frozen right against one of Balaur's bones with his mouth covered, and say, "TH-HAT'S TOO M-MUCH!"
But Orb vanishes before I can even deny my new responsibilities. So I turn to face Angra, whose body swings from left to right as if he is in a drunken stupor.
What am I going to do? What am I going to do? My body is still injured, my mind is still shaky, and now I need to make sure Willow doesn't get killed as well. This is way too much responsibility Orb!
"Though I am sure you can do it."
"Eh, that voice."
I quickly turn my head from side to side, and soon my eyes see a figure standing beside me, an adult Dragon whose body is reminiscent of the boy whose life I just experienced, though with much shorter hair, and with clothes far more similar to those from Seirei than Mount Hara.
With a happy smile, he says, "After all the time we spent together, why'd you look at me with that much surprise, Cyrus!"
"ZAHHAK!!!!" My body quickly jumps back in fear, and I say, "W-W-W-W-What are you doing here?"
"I have always been here. I happen to be your legacy, Cyrus. I've been listening to all your thoughts and emotions ever since you were a young little Dragon. Though you've been blocking me out for most of your life."
My sword moves to my neck as tears burst out from my eyes, and I say, "I am sorry for my transgression, Prince Zahhak. Let me apologise by taking my own life."
He whacks me on my own head and says, "Stop being such a downer all the time! Besides, what's the point of meeting with the dead if you still have to follow the rules of the living? Besides, we have a bigger issue to deal with."
"CYRUS! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" A roar releases all the way over towards my body.
Turning to Angra, I steady my sword, but as I see his body constantly break apart and then reform, I say, "What is going on?"
"Angra is just spirit energy in that state; the only thing holding his body together is his strength of mind. You've shaken that quite a bit. It seems his invasion into you backfired. He was unaware of how strong your rejection of responsibility is."
A wave of shame passes over my head, causing me to say, "Sorry."
Wrapping his arm over my shoulder, Zahhak says, "Hahahahaha, it's fine. Besides, you've changed, I know you have Cyrus. Ever since that day, you took my hand in Basileia. That rejection is something you have already surpassed; in that regard, you're superior to Angra."
His words send a wave of calmness throughout my mind, yet soon fear creeps in. "You're not trying to t-take over my body ar-re you? You're talking to me f-far more than Se-etanta does to Orb."
Laughing, he says, "Isn't this how a Legacy is supposed to work? Being a beacon of strength and experience to pass on to their current user? My brother is a bit of a downer, so it seems he is being very cute with Orb. Also, I suggest lowering your head."
I quickly follow his instructions, and in that instant, Angra swings his giant arms where my head once was. "Now time for a counterattack! You should know what to say next."
In that very moment a feel a surge of words flow into my mind, and holding my sword, I say, "Lightless Slash."
From my sword, a surge of darkness shoots out, forming a slash that sends Angra into the sky. Then, with joy, Zahhak says, "Naming attacks often helps with visualisation, increasing how well you use spirit energy, and attacks derived from it."
I jump up into the air, and say, "Lightless Boost," And from the back of my blade, Darkness shoots out, propelling my sword forward into Angra, pushing him and I downwards.
"I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR THIS, CYRUS!"
"Even if I suffer, I won't stop until you're defeated."
"That's what I like to hear!"