Requiem of a Legacy

The Beginning of a Wanderer's End

A/N: Woah, it's been an over a year since chapter 1. My apologies for keeping you guys waiting. Good news is that I have an overarching outline of how I want the story to play out! Without further ado, here is chapter 2!

EDIT 7/23/19: Just like last chapter, I want to give big thanks to justforfum and tin from EFB for proofreading! I've updated the chapter with grammar fixes and changes to enhance the story.

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~Two weeks ago in Altera~

Ain laid on a mattress in the laboratory. The room was filled with an extensive collection of alchemy and mechanical tools, which were frequently used by the ponggos. At least once a month, Ain paid a maintenance check-up for his el-powered Nasod device; a machine that the ponggos gave him to sedate the dark energy within his body. The priest's right arm was laid out on a table for Agatha to examine its mechanical interior.

"Gak! Why, the circuit is damaged again, pong!" she exclaimed. "If this keeps going, the nasod device won't be able to keep up and will crash permanently pong."

"If it crashes, can't you just build a new one?" Ain asked.

"Hey, kiddo, collecting the parts ain't so easy!" Agatha huffed. "Not just that, but that weird energy of yours keeps overpowering it. I can perhaps build another device, but that won't solve anything if it will just break again." After replacing the damaged circuit with a new one, she closed up the device.

"There has to be something you can do, Ms. Ponggo." Ain took in the news with nervousness. He knew this would happen someday, especially when the device didn't work for him all the time.

Agatha wiped her forehead with a rag. She seemed worried. "I can tell that queenie about it, pong." she sighed.

"Are you talking about Ms. Nasod?"

"Yeah, her, pong. From what I've seen, she is very knowledgeable about nasods technology, too." she tosses her tools back into the bin "I'd say you're pretty lucky. Maybe she will be able to help you in some way-

"So you're saying I should just rely on her. Are you giving up on me?" Ain cut her off sharply, his voice bordering between bewilderment and anger. Yet, he was also fearful at the same time.

The ponggo was taken aback by the sudden inquiry, perhaps even a little intimidated. "Hey hey, calm down now. You got it all wrong! It's just that...this is the extent of our technology. For now at least, pong." she explained herself. "Look, pong. Give us a few months to research and we will build you a new type of device. That's the least we can do to repay your team for saving us, pong."

As silence stood between them, something reflected in Ain's emerald eyes before it disappeared. His head lowered slightly in response. "Sorry, but I can't wait that long..." he apologized. He got off the bed and walks toward the exit without looking back.

"Where are you going, pong!?"

Ain stopped in his tracks. Was he angry? No. Sad? No. Disappointed? Not even. Then why was he leaving?

"I don't know. I just know that I can't sit and wait any longer," he replied with clarity. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, Ms. Ponggo. Truly, I am. But...I'm afraid this power is only becoming stronger. By the time you've built that new type, it would already be too late."

With that, the priest left without another word.

~Present~

After his prayer failed to receive an answer, Ain continued to wander the forest in despair. The seed of chaos had now doubled in size, feeding off of his dark emotions. He subconsciously clutched the nasod device attached to his left shoulder; heat could be felt from within the metallic shell as it worked vigorously to sedate the chaos that surrounded him. Of course, it barely made a difference.

Ain then caught a glimpse of the Feita Tower which stood in the far distance. When he heard the holy place was overtaken by demons, he naturally joined the El Search Party to stop their rampage. However, it was also said that the tower sheltered giant El shards, which got him thinking...if he came into contact with the El, would his prayers be able to reach Ishmael?

Before he could put more thought into it, a familiar low voice chimed in.

"How pitiful..." it said.

The priest immediately spun around, only to see no one there. Heart beating fast, he staggered until his back hit against a tree. "N-No, it can't be. The voice from my dream..."

"Fear..." The mysterious monotonous voice echoed. Ain tried to run but collapsed when a surge of pain coursed through his body again. He screamed.

"Accept it..."

"SHUT UP!"

"Accept..."

The seed of chaos pulsated and grew larger as Ain helplessly succumbed to the taunts. As if going on for hours, he could feel his consciousness quickly fading. "Someone...please, I..." his voice became weak and hoarse as if struggling to breathe. "Ishmael...Ishmael...please...!"

"No one...can...save...you..."

Those cruel words. How painfully true they were.

Everything slipped all at once.

"Destroy..."

Destroy...

"Destroy..."

Destroy.

Destroy.

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A/N: Next chapter will be much longer. I appreciate everyone who reviewed! Thank you!