Faith - Kain Highwind x Reader (FFIV)

XV. The final boss fight

Your small group of four had fought their way through what felt like an eternity filled with only dark spirits. While you were behind everyone else in order to save most of your strength for the cleansing ritual, your stubborn mind did not allow you to simply sit around, hence you cast spells from time to time as well. You felt like your body was already about to reach your limits, most likely since you had been a constant victim of the darkness the whole time. It gnawed at you, however, you shut away your pain in your heart, focusing on the task at hand. You lowered your right arm, which held your short staff and started sprinting after Ishina, Sir Kangen and Kain, who was notably the closest one to you, holding your breath. Glad for the Dragoon's presence next to you, you managed to stay concentrated fairly well, despite the circumstances.

All of a sudden, you felt a massive amount of black magic, causing you to gasp while abruptly slowing down. Coughing due to the fact that you had held your breath only a second ago, your team's attention fell onto you, as they slowed their pace too, matching yours. "The black orb, should be right here..." You loudly mumbled, now passing the rest of the group, advancing further into the forest. You ducked underneath a low hanging branch, which blocked your view and then stepped onto a new clearing, your heart immediately stopping alongside your feet. Out of the corner of your eye, you witnessed Ishina and Sir Kangen do the same. While the monk managed to somehow keep his composure, the young woman's mouth dropped, as she stood there, her red eyes focused on what was in front of you. Even Kain who usually was extremely calm appeared shocked, as his body tensed up and his hand grabbed the spear even tighter.

In front of you was another black orb, something you had seen several times during the past weeks, yes. However, this one's size surpassed everything else you had seen before. It was by far taller than the trees, causing you to wonder how you hadn't seen it before. The dark sphere seemed to reach into the sky, its aura absolutely menacing. Your body felt weak upon simply staring at it. How could this much black magic even end up here? Seeing how rapidly the orbs apparently grew, you grew anxious, thinking about what damage the other ones could've caused if you hadn't cleansed them in time. After all, you were lucky this one was in a forest instead of a city. The amount of disaster that would have taken place in an environment with humans was incredibly disturbing. On your way here you had seen many dead animals, which had been a horrible sight. Would people would've died the same way?

You were torn out of your thoughts, as the ground started to quake, whereas you flinched, searching the clearing for the cause. Once more, the dark energy shocked you to an utmost extend, as an enormous giant, completely consisting of dark spirits stood tall in front of your group, it's presence just as horrifying at the orb's. "What..?" You heard Ishina utter underneath her breath, her eyes fixated on the giant in panic. "This is... Unbelievable..." Sir Kangen added, his right foot stepping back, while his left hand seemed to almost let go of his long wooden staff. Kain was silent the whole time, merely gripping his spear, seemingly full of regret and guilt. You knew he partly blamed himself on the inside for this, seeing how it was connected to the war he had recently been a part of.

So here you were, a group fueled by fear and a threatening giant in front of you. It was everything but optimal conditions for a fight. Yet somehow, you refused to simply give up. You did not know where this sudden urge to finish this fight derived from, however, the determination and fear now mixed up inside your heart, forming a force that drove you forward. You hated seeing the people around you in utter shock, especially Kain at that. Your wish this whole journey had been to do a good job at your work of a Holy Priestess and to support Kain in his plight. Now you had the opportunity to fulfill both. You weren't just (Y/N) (L/N) anymore, yes. Kain had taught you to be your own person during you journey, which you were eternally grateful for. But you weren't only the Holy Priestess either. At this very moment you were able to be both parts of yourself - to feel the power of who you truly were, all together. A strong user of holy magic that protected the world out of duty and kindness. Additionally, a woman who wished to support the man she loved. This thought filled you with a huge amount of strength, it was indescribable.