Legend of Parocaav II: Against the Darkness (rough draft)

Chapter XLVII: The Aftermath

Roku gently lays Sammi down on the ground with tears still pouring down her face. She takes a deep breath and tries to hold back the sadness. Her thoughts soon turn to Drayk, realizing he doesn't know yet. Besides that, he wasn't in the best shape when she had left him. The sound of footsteps echo from behind her, slowly getting closer.

"Hello again, Bringer of Hope," Lord Bahemyth speaks with a calm and soothing voice, "I see Lord Xivaac has finally been vanquished."

"Tao taught that to me," Roku manages to say, "A few days ago actually. He said it might come in handy."

"You know he stayed back on purpose, don't you?"

"You.... mean he let this happen to poor Sammi?!"

"Not just her.... but Drayk as well."

"He can't be dead! He just can't!"

"Roku, y-"

"No! I won't accept it!"

Roku stands to her feet with a serious look on her face. She wipes the tears away while walking up the staircase. In the back of her mind, she believes him. That thought only adds to the chaos of her emotions. Without Tao, she isn't quite sure how she will be able to get back to Drayk. She knows she must find a way however. This place is not far from the River of Souls, but it is considerably further north.

The lands above the surface are still dead and grey. No tree remains now, all have crumbled to dust. Even the once blue sky has lost all color and has been dulled to grey. As far as the eye can see, a constant reminder of what's at stake. Roku starts gliding through the air using Wind Magic towards the River of Souls. At this point, it's a race against time.

Meanwhile ~

Near the River of Souls, Drayk lies face down in the dirt. Blood is pooled around him as he falls in and out of consciousness. His vision is blurred and he can barely think straight. Even still, he can't help but wonder about the fight. His sister versus Roku. Either outcome is ideal for him. Drayk slips unconscious again as he thinks about if Roku is safe or not.

Just as Drayk passes out, Tao comes walking up. He sighs while looking down onto the fallen Bringer of Hope. Once he reaches him, he starts to draw lines into the dirt surrounding him. Slowly, it starts to resemble a giant alchemic circle, very similar to the one that once trapped Lady Parocaav. Leon's words echo in his mind as he finishes the final touches.

Before Tao can activate the alchemical spell, he hears something being carried by the winds. It's the sound of Roku's voice, she's getting closer. Tao knows it's now or never. He has to activate this spell. He removes his jacket as he prepares himself. The lines of the circle start to light up.

Roku sees the light shining bright as she gets nearer. It's not long before she realizes the light is a spell being casted by Tao. He finally showed up! He must be there to heal him till she gets there she thinks to herself. As soon as Roku can get a good look at Drayk's mangled body, it disappears in a flash of light. Once the light fades away, she can see a crater in the ground where he once lied.

Tao dusts himself off as Roku lands in front of him. Before he has a chance to speak, she blasts him to the ground with wind. He hits the ground and looks up at her, who now has one blade to his throat. Her eyes are filled with anger and hatred towards him.

"What the hell Tao!?" Roku screams, "You.... you're the one that kills Drayk! How could you do that!"

"Look Roku, I can't explain it right now!" Tao shouts, "Get that blade off of me!"

""Oh? This blade?" Roku asks sarcasticly as she pushes the blade harder against his throat, making it bleed a little, "I'm the one asking questions now! If you want to live you better start talking!!"

"You won't get any answers if I'm dead," Tao says calmly, "Now, please settle down."

"You killed Drayk! Sammi's dead! What's next!? Me!?

"No.... Sammi is.... dead?"

"Don't act surprised! You knew she was going to die! You knew I would be the one to do it and you knew that Drayk would be defenseless while I was fighting her! Leon trusted you!"

"Roku, look.... it-"

"No! You do not get to address me by that name! That's Bringer of Hope to you! I'm done talking! Prepare to die Tao of Ragnarok!"

Just as Roku thrusts her blade, Tao vanishes in a flash of white light. Her blade passes through it and sticks into the ground. Roku let's go of it, leaving it stuck there. She spins around looking for him, with him being no where in sight. Her head starts spinning and she screams as loud as she can.

Roku drops to her knees and starts to weep. Uncontrollably she cries into her cupped hands. Her body is shaking all over and her mind feels lost. First Leon, then Crito, then Sammi, now Drayk. Everyone she ever truly cared for is dead. Drayk, her partner through this never ending quest, and her love, gone. How can she possibly face Lady Parocaav on her own? Tao holds the charm, Drayk held the Cosmic Ultimate Magic.

Roku walks over to the edge of the River of Souls and sits down along the bank. She reaches out and touches the water, feeling the cold water run through her fingers. After a moment, she allows herself to get lost to the water. The whispers start echoing in her mind, but now, she can understand every word. Random voices echo, both happy and sad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Merii!" Roku shouts out on the floating platform, "Merii!"

"What?" Merii asks from behind her, "Is everything alright?"

"No! I.... killed Sammi.... and Tao betrayed us all.... he.... killed Drayk," Roku barely manages to say before breaking down into tears again, "I don't know if I can face Lady Parocaav on my own!"

"Oh.... my dear Riinah.... you have the power to face her alone. You have always had to power. I knew it from the moment I saw you. Sure, you didn't win every fight yourself, but you have grown. You know everything you need to in order to defeat her."

"I'm not so sure.... I just don't know that I can do this without Drayk."

"Riinah, you will be just fine. You, are the Bringer of Hope! You will singlehandedly bring peace to the world! You cannot let Drayk's death be in vein!"