Never Alone (P2 of 3, 7/?)
Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2004 11:04 pm
Chapter seven- His Desperation
The mystic moon rose high upon the clear skies, accompanied by the shine of thousands of stars upon the dark canvas of the night. The smaller moon, luna, had moved by her as they both shed light upon the dark open fields. The winds whistled through the tall grasses, an almost silent song, seeming that the heavens were singing them, that the moons were in a choir of the ethereal creating the songs of the night. All was silent, all was at peace. Or so it seemed
The howl of horse-like beasts echoed through the landscape, the sound of horse hooves roughly tearing the silence, a crescendo of the things yet to come. Voices echoed through to everything else, making their way towards every crevasse, every hidden path, and behind was a sound that seemed to be a crash of rhinos that had jumped all at once.
The fallen king huffed as he shouted out commands upon his horse-steed, lashing upon its reins, urging it to move on in a way where all life depended on the task of the beast. Upon his chest clutched the short-haired girl, her eyes full closed, almost tearfully praying to herself, trying to find the last ounce of comfort upon him. He held her tighter upon the jump of the beast they were upon, leaping on the shift of the earth.
Behind them were warriors upon steeds, clad in black armor, almost invisible through the shadows that the heavens had cast upon them. One had raised its arm, moving two behind him to nod, raising bows and aiming towards their quarry, the stretch of bowstring followed by a satisfying twang, a smirk moving upon the lips of one as it turned to the other, nodding slowly.
An arrow whizzed just close to the ear of the fallen king as he shifted his form, tilting his head back to take sight of their apprehenders, his eyes widening upon the sight of another arrow, not towards him, worse of, it was directed to her. A grunt escaped his lips as he kicked upon his horse-steed, moving it to jump slightly, turning with the almost endless shout upon the skies as steel had hit flesh. The blow had sent the fallen king flying off his ride, the arrow released sticking upon his right arm, rendering it limp. He could only swear to himself as he held the short-haired girl upon his free arm, rolling down the fields, holding her close to him, seeming never to let go.
A tear ran down her cheek, moving upon his chest, adding to the moisture already created by the sweat that encompassed him. Were they to die today? She never knew everything would end like this. Even he knew that it was hopeless, yet it seemed that he had found one thing he had had since she had come before, and strengthened when she had left, to hope in hopelessness.
As they rolled to a stop, he quickly moved to a crouch, his right arm hanging limply from his shoulder as he moved her to rest upon the field, a half moan escaping her lips, the blood from the wound upon her leg flowing once again. She moved her hand upon it, pressing it down to try to slow the movement of blood as her eyes fell upon his, welling up in tears for what seemed to be a dilemma they could never escape. He shook his head, his expression upon her unfettered, his eyes trying to comfort her, though only succeeding in the slightest, not even the smallest smile could move from her to comfort him. Why would there be? Here was the very person she had held all the greatest of feelings for and yet she could do nothing but lay there helpless.
She closed her eyes upon the realization, she was the one who had hurt him. She tried to block out everything. The sound of hooves as the mounted black clad warriors moved even closer, another crash echoing through, stronger than before. She didn?t want this. She didn?t want him hurt and yet she knew that she was all to blame for everything. She knew she had hurt him for reasons of her own selfish wishes. But was it selfish, wishing to be with him? Did she wish too much for it to come true, to be with him once again?
Her soft sobs moved to him as his heart sank, his free arm reaching to his side to slowly unsheathe his blade, blunt and unsharpened, the steel sang through the whispers of the winds, echoing after was the sound of his shoulder guard, creating light clangs. It didn?t matter that they were prepared for him nor that he was outnumbered. He would protect her, no matter what.
?Kimi wo? mamoru?? He whispered vaguely, almost as silent as the whispers of the night, repeating a promise long had been implied, one that he will never break.
Upon the sight of the lead of those who had given chase to them, he lunged from his crouch, the blade singing once again upon the air as he tripped upon his own fatigue, only managing to wound the black clad warrior?s steed, forcing him to fall upon the ground. With the blade still pierced upon the horse-like beast, he raised it high over his opponent, pushing its massive form down to crush what had once been its rider.
His eyes held a certain chaotic appearance as he moved towards two more that had approached, a bloodstained blade cascading with the crimson moisture from his now fallen opponent, slashing one of those that had begun to approach?s head while piercing through the arm of the other. He tilted the blade, pushing it against that plates of his current opponent?s armor, the steel creating an ear deafening screech as it created a hole upon the armor and pushed towards its ribs. Pulling the blade up, the fallen king sent the impaled soldier flying towards two more that approached, though only dismounting them. They quickly stood up, accompanied by another two as they jumped off their steeds, allowing them to move off into the horizon, into the endless distance.
The short-haired girl opened her eyes upon the introduction to the carnage that was about to ensue. Her eyes held wide open as the only thing that was keeping them from her was him. He stood silent, like a wall of a city about to be occupied, unbreakable by any attempt, yet she knew it wasn?t so. She could see the weariness upon his eyes, running half the night as he held her in his arms before they could find a stray steed. More than that, she saw the anger in his eyes, one that she had seen before and never wished to remember. She held her breath upon the thought that this was not who the fallen king really was, only some monster from a bad nightmare, or worse, the innocence that was all but forgotten, the only answer he found was to fight, never to escape it, until the inevitable... She voiced out pleas of and begs for his life, for his safety, yet they only seemed to fall upon the silence.
The sound of still more hooves moved through with yet another crash of the earth, this time the sight of a huge mechanical beast moved into view. His eyes moved upon it with the same contempt as when he had stared upon his aggressors. Four more mounted warriors in black armor moved into view, this time slower, moving beside their comrades, letting the steed remain by still, their movements fluid and singular. The monstrosity behind them paused its step, towering above them all.
?You went through all this trouble?? He voiced simply as his eyes moved upon the eight before him, rage burned in the simplicity of his voice as fury accented the darkness of his eyes.
One of the eight stepped forward, tilting its head slightly, a feminine voice moved through, ?My, my? The dragon kin has turned cocky??
He furrowed his forehead as he crouched upon a stance, blade held forth by his left arm as his right still hung limply upon his form, eyeing these strange assailants.
?Sister, keep caution?? Another spoke behind the first as she moved forward as well, ?They say he murdered two of Zaibach?s generals and??
Her voice was cut as the first had shot a glance towards her, though only through the helmet that had deemed them quite unnoticeably female, smirking to herself before moving her gaze back upon the fallen king.
?So? You are him?? She tilted as she moved closer, circling around him though only from in front, observing him like a child observes a toy it had never seen before, ?It makes all of this a whole lot more? pleasant??
He remained silent; still crouched in his stance, ready to lunge upon the first sign of aggression. He narrowed his eyes upon her approach, seeming like an eternity passed as they observed each other.
The clang of armor accompanied the tilt of the woman?s head as those in the same garb moved upon her command, encircling him from all angles, holding similar stances in similar levels, a maneuver that was made special for the occasion.
The short-haired girl tried to stand, trying to inch closer to him, only to fail and fall on again upon the soft earth, her eyes brimming of tears, her cheeks stained with the drops from her eyes, her voice weak, a silent whisper, an attempt to reach someone, anyone, ?Onegai? Dare ka? Dare ka tasukete? Van wo tasukete??
But no one heard, only her prayer to herself as she did the only thing she could. Her arm reached up only to realize that what was left was a cliff. It was a dead end. There was nowhere else to run, nowhere else to hide.
His breathing was labored, heavy from the loss of blood from wounds of previous battles. Loss of sleep from the endless skirmishes that he engaged in, loss of strength from the battered slashes and endless slaughter of his opponent?s flesh, and yet he didn?t care. He had only begun to regain feeling in his limp arm, though not enough. Only to the point that he could hold his blade to remove the arrow that had stuck upon his back, though not even enough strength to flail the blade.
Moving the long steel once again upon his left hand, he continued to eye those that surrounded him, his eyes closing for a moment before opening, then closing once again out of the tired feeling that moved through him.
His expression awakened upon the lunge of two of the female warriors, the winds surrounding him turning noticeable as they gathered stray dust, a shadow resonating from him, slow to move at first, its pace quickened as of light, a heavy gust of wind pushing them back out towards the far end of the landscape, crashing upon each other, the sound of a bone or two cracking from one.
The others smirked as they lunged as well towards him, making it certain that he did not have enough time to use the dragon blood within him, forcing him to block weekly the slashes of his opponents, though not quick enough. Two of their attacks had pushed through, one clashing with his shoulder guard, shattering it, the pieces falling to the ground. The other lashed upon his cut, creating a wound deep enough for bleeding to begin.
Only a grunt escaped his lips as he took the opportunity of their pause to take another lash at one of them, though his head moved to two more, his eyes narrowing, the swirl of shadows under the moonlight pushing its way across towards his assailants, sending an unseen force towards them, moving them uncontrollably back towards a large rock that broke the almost monotony of the open fields. The slash of his blade had fallen in mistake as the four that remained raised their blades once again, swishing upon the air and pushing towards him.
Fatigue seemed to help him as he fell to his knees upon the soft earth, forced to lie down upon the ground, he rolled to the side to evade yet another flurry of sword slashes. Upon the descent of one of the female warriors, he raised his blade, piercing through her abdomen, moving the steel across her flesh, pulling the blade out as it slashed her chest upon its escape.
Upon this, her corpse fell upon him, pinning him down to the ground, the other three taking another hit upon him, pushing their blades down, though only one fell through. As he tried to roll the corpse of and push himself aside, the pierce of one had fallen upon his thigh, wounding his flesh as he grunted upon the skies, pushing his own blade through the head of the one who had injured him.
The short-haired girl?s eyes closed even tighter, trying to find? well, there was nothing to be found. The situation they had been had? it had never occurred to her, and she was never prepared for this, for him sacrificing it all, just for this. Just for her, he was there, whatever was left of him only moved because of her, stubborn only for a cause. It was all she could bear as she burst into a trance of sorrow, her tears flowing even more as her sobs were now audible through the fields. She lifted her form once again, trying to reach him, her form crawling against all hope, an arm reaching up hopelessly to air.
The two that remained jumped back before his blade could reach them, holding their steel in a stance of defense. He tried to stand, pushing himself up, only succeeding in kneeling upon one leg, his half limp right hand moving over the blade that had pierced him, pulling it off with a grunt before he narrowed his eyes, the winds that moved through turning in smooth motions, entrails of shadow and dirt wrapping around one figure, pressing her to a still stance, unmovable even by her own attempts. He raised the blade, hurling it towards her, piercing through her throat, her muffled screams followed her slow descent down.
Only one remained as she held her blade upon her side, her expression uncertain through the helmet that she wore. His eyes grew grimmer as he held his blade with one good hand, tilting it upon the level of his head, turning to the side. The sounds of footsteps had signaled their approach to each other, blades held high, reflecting the light of the moons. They made slashes towards each other, steel against steel, blade against armor as his attacks weakened significantly, only one thing gave him the advantage.
As she raised her blade above her, she screamed upon the skies, almost a wish for bloody murder.
Her scream was cut short as another pulse of shadow and wind seemed to resonate from him, an unseen force trailed from him, pushing her towards the massive mechanical giant that had been towering over them, banging upon her leg, falling slowly down upon the steel plating, leaving a crimson trail.
For a moment, silence moved through, the winds once again whistling through the grasses. The moment passed and was broken by the escape of steam from the mechanical giant, stepping towards him as he limped back, trying to reach the short-haired girl. Another step of the giant moved him to fall upon the ground, crawling towards her, trying to all the more to hold her once again.
She had lost all means of consciousness, from loss of blood or the thought of his murder, it was uncertain. Her breathing was rampant, almost rough, through the chaos that was occurring. Upon reaching her form, he moved to a sit, pulling her against him, a tear rushing down his cheek as he closed his eyes, holding her tight in his arms. Only one thing he could do.
His eyes moved upon the massive beast as it trampled upon his path towards him. With the final strength within him, he shouted upon the heavens, his voice echoing through the fields, the shadows and winds had once again made its way around him, almost turning into a physical force, the darkness mingling with the airs as they formed a sheet almost that of a wave, rushing into the ground, rumbling loud upon its descent. In one breath, the earth before him crackled and broke, dust and grit pushing up from the soil, creating a destructive tremor pushing towards the final assailant.
With the act of desperation, the form of the towering monster lumbered and wavered, falling upon its own stand, tilting down to crash upon them, or so it seemed. The fallen king closed his eyes as the figure crashed just before them, a sheet of dust moving up to create a slight fog of dirt, dissipating slowly.
She stirred back to consciousness, though still weak, her lips parted as she looked upon him, trying to move her arm up to caress his cheek. He forced out a kind smile towards her, taking her hand and helping it move upon the side of his head, closing his eyes upon her touch, though this moment quickly ended.
Just as a smile had begun to form upon her lips, the ground beneath them rumbled, tearing from the main field, the massive mechanical beast pushing itself up from its fall, cracking and breaking the soil, leaving nothing under them to be held upon. Her form leaned closer to his as he held her tight in an embrace, falling into the deep chasm, only this time there was no saving them. His wings were gone, and upon the moment, they were never to be there.
He whispered her name as he held her, burying his face upon her hair as she replied with the whisper of his name. He moved his form to shift their fall, moving him to first impact the stone ground, attempting to cushion her.
The sound of an almost inaudible thud had ended their descent.
The mystic moon rose high upon the clear skies, accompanied by the shine of thousands of stars upon the dark canvas of the night. The smaller moon, luna, had moved by her as they both shed light upon the dark open fields. The winds whistled through the tall grasses, an almost silent song, seeming that the heavens were singing them, that the moons were in a choir of the ethereal creating the songs of the night. All was silent, all was at peace. Or so it seemed
The howl of horse-like beasts echoed through the landscape, the sound of horse hooves roughly tearing the silence, a crescendo of the things yet to come. Voices echoed through to everything else, making their way towards every crevasse, every hidden path, and behind was a sound that seemed to be a crash of rhinos that had jumped all at once.
The fallen king huffed as he shouted out commands upon his horse-steed, lashing upon its reins, urging it to move on in a way where all life depended on the task of the beast. Upon his chest clutched the short-haired girl, her eyes full closed, almost tearfully praying to herself, trying to find the last ounce of comfort upon him. He held her tighter upon the jump of the beast they were upon, leaping on the shift of the earth.
Behind them were warriors upon steeds, clad in black armor, almost invisible through the shadows that the heavens had cast upon them. One had raised its arm, moving two behind him to nod, raising bows and aiming towards their quarry, the stretch of bowstring followed by a satisfying twang, a smirk moving upon the lips of one as it turned to the other, nodding slowly.
An arrow whizzed just close to the ear of the fallen king as he shifted his form, tilting his head back to take sight of their apprehenders, his eyes widening upon the sight of another arrow, not towards him, worse of, it was directed to her. A grunt escaped his lips as he kicked upon his horse-steed, moving it to jump slightly, turning with the almost endless shout upon the skies as steel had hit flesh. The blow had sent the fallen king flying off his ride, the arrow released sticking upon his right arm, rendering it limp. He could only swear to himself as he held the short-haired girl upon his free arm, rolling down the fields, holding her close to him, seeming never to let go.
A tear ran down her cheek, moving upon his chest, adding to the moisture already created by the sweat that encompassed him. Were they to die today? She never knew everything would end like this. Even he knew that it was hopeless, yet it seemed that he had found one thing he had had since she had come before, and strengthened when she had left, to hope in hopelessness.
As they rolled to a stop, he quickly moved to a crouch, his right arm hanging limply from his shoulder as he moved her to rest upon the field, a half moan escaping her lips, the blood from the wound upon her leg flowing once again. She moved her hand upon it, pressing it down to try to slow the movement of blood as her eyes fell upon his, welling up in tears for what seemed to be a dilemma they could never escape. He shook his head, his expression upon her unfettered, his eyes trying to comfort her, though only succeeding in the slightest, not even the smallest smile could move from her to comfort him. Why would there be? Here was the very person she had held all the greatest of feelings for and yet she could do nothing but lay there helpless.
She closed her eyes upon the realization, she was the one who had hurt him. She tried to block out everything. The sound of hooves as the mounted black clad warriors moved even closer, another crash echoing through, stronger than before. She didn?t want this. She didn?t want him hurt and yet she knew that she was all to blame for everything. She knew she had hurt him for reasons of her own selfish wishes. But was it selfish, wishing to be with him? Did she wish too much for it to come true, to be with him once again?
Her soft sobs moved to him as his heart sank, his free arm reaching to his side to slowly unsheathe his blade, blunt and unsharpened, the steel sang through the whispers of the winds, echoing after was the sound of his shoulder guard, creating light clangs. It didn?t matter that they were prepared for him nor that he was outnumbered. He would protect her, no matter what.
?Kimi wo? mamoru?? He whispered vaguely, almost as silent as the whispers of the night, repeating a promise long had been implied, one that he will never break.
Upon the sight of the lead of those who had given chase to them, he lunged from his crouch, the blade singing once again upon the air as he tripped upon his own fatigue, only managing to wound the black clad warrior?s steed, forcing him to fall upon the ground. With the blade still pierced upon the horse-like beast, he raised it high over his opponent, pushing its massive form down to crush what had once been its rider.
His eyes held a certain chaotic appearance as he moved towards two more that had approached, a bloodstained blade cascading with the crimson moisture from his now fallen opponent, slashing one of those that had begun to approach?s head while piercing through the arm of the other. He tilted the blade, pushing it against that plates of his current opponent?s armor, the steel creating an ear deafening screech as it created a hole upon the armor and pushed towards its ribs. Pulling the blade up, the fallen king sent the impaled soldier flying towards two more that approached, though only dismounting them. They quickly stood up, accompanied by another two as they jumped off their steeds, allowing them to move off into the horizon, into the endless distance.
The short-haired girl opened her eyes upon the introduction to the carnage that was about to ensue. Her eyes held wide open as the only thing that was keeping them from her was him. He stood silent, like a wall of a city about to be occupied, unbreakable by any attempt, yet she knew it wasn?t so. She could see the weariness upon his eyes, running half the night as he held her in his arms before they could find a stray steed. More than that, she saw the anger in his eyes, one that she had seen before and never wished to remember. She held her breath upon the thought that this was not who the fallen king really was, only some monster from a bad nightmare, or worse, the innocence that was all but forgotten, the only answer he found was to fight, never to escape it, until the inevitable... She voiced out pleas of and begs for his life, for his safety, yet they only seemed to fall upon the silence.
The sound of still more hooves moved through with yet another crash of the earth, this time the sight of a huge mechanical beast moved into view. His eyes moved upon it with the same contempt as when he had stared upon his aggressors. Four more mounted warriors in black armor moved into view, this time slower, moving beside their comrades, letting the steed remain by still, their movements fluid and singular. The monstrosity behind them paused its step, towering above them all.
?You went through all this trouble?? He voiced simply as his eyes moved upon the eight before him, rage burned in the simplicity of his voice as fury accented the darkness of his eyes.
One of the eight stepped forward, tilting its head slightly, a feminine voice moved through, ?My, my? The dragon kin has turned cocky??
He furrowed his forehead as he crouched upon a stance, blade held forth by his left arm as his right still hung limply upon his form, eyeing these strange assailants.
?Sister, keep caution?? Another spoke behind the first as she moved forward as well, ?They say he murdered two of Zaibach?s generals and??
Her voice was cut as the first had shot a glance towards her, though only through the helmet that had deemed them quite unnoticeably female, smirking to herself before moving her gaze back upon the fallen king.
?So? You are him?? She tilted as she moved closer, circling around him though only from in front, observing him like a child observes a toy it had never seen before, ?It makes all of this a whole lot more? pleasant??
He remained silent; still crouched in his stance, ready to lunge upon the first sign of aggression. He narrowed his eyes upon her approach, seeming like an eternity passed as they observed each other.
The clang of armor accompanied the tilt of the woman?s head as those in the same garb moved upon her command, encircling him from all angles, holding similar stances in similar levels, a maneuver that was made special for the occasion.
The short-haired girl tried to stand, trying to inch closer to him, only to fail and fall on again upon the soft earth, her eyes brimming of tears, her cheeks stained with the drops from her eyes, her voice weak, a silent whisper, an attempt to reach someone, anyone, ?Onegai? Dare ka? Dare ka tasukete? Van wo tasukete??
But no one heard, only her prayer to herself as she did the only thing she could. Her arm reached up only to realize that what was left was a cliff. It was a dead end. There was nowhere else to run, nowhere else to hide.
His breathing was labored, heavy from the loss of blood from wounds of previous battles. Loss of sleep from the endless skirmishes that he engaged in, loss of strength from the battered slashes and endless slaughter of his opponent?s flesh, and yet he didn?t care. He had only begun to regain feeling in his limp arm, though not enough. Only to the point that he could hold his blade to remove the arrow that had stuck upon his back, though not even enough strength to flail the blade.
Moving the long steel once again upon his left hand, he continued to eye those that surrounded him, his eyes closing for a moment before opening, then closing once again out of the tired feeling that moved through him.
His expression awakened upon the lunge of two of the female warriors, the winds surrounding him turning noticeable as they gathered stray dust, a shadow resonating from him, slow to move at first, its pace quickened as of light, a heavy gust of wind pushing them back out towards the far end of the landscape, crashing upon each other, the sound of a bone or two cracking from one.
The others smirked as they lunged as well towards him, making it certain that he did not have enough time to use the dragon blood within him, forcing him to block weekly the slashes of his opponents, though not quick enough. Two of their attacks had pushed through, one clashing with his shoulder guard, shattering it, the pieces falling to the ground. The other lashed upon his cut, creating a wound deep enough for bleeding to begin.
Only a grunt escaped his lips as he took the opportunity of their pause to take another lash at one of them, though his head moved to two more, his eyes narrowing, the swirl of shadows under the moonlight pushing its way across towards his assailants, sending an unseen force towards them, moving them uncontrollably back towards a large rock that broke the almost monotony of the open fields. The slash of his blade had fallen in mistake as the four that remained raised their blades once again, swishing upon the air and pushing towards him.
Fatigue seemed to help him as he fell to his knees upon the soft earth, forced to lie down upon the ground, he rolled to the side to evade yet another flurry of sword slashes. Upon the descent of one of the female warriors, he raised his blade, piercing through her abdomen, moving the steel across her flesh, pulling the blade out as it slashed her chest upon its escape.
Upon this, her corpse fell upon him, pinning him down to the ground, the other three taking another hit upon him, pushing their blades down, though only one fell through. As he tried to roll the corpse of and push himself aside, the pierce of one had fallen upon his thigh, wounding his flesh as he grunted upon the skies, pushing his own blade through the head of the one who had injured him.
The short-haired girl?s eyes closed even tighter, trying to find? well, there was nothing to be found. The situation they had been had? it had never occurred to her, and she was never prepared for this, for him sacrificing it all, just for this. Just for her, he was there, whatever was left of him only moved because of her, stubborn only for a cause. It was all she could bear as she burst into a trance of sorrow, her tears flowing even more as her sobs were now audible through the fields. She lifted her form once again, trying to reach him, her form crawling against all hope, an arm reaching up hopelessly to air.
The two that remained jumped back before his blade could reach them, holding their steel in a stance of defense. He tried to stand, pushing himself up, only succeeding in kneeling upon one leg, his half limp right hand moving over the blade that had pierced him, pulling it off with a grunt before he narrowed his eyes, the winds that moved through turning in smooth motions, entrails of shadow and dirt wrapping around one figure, pressing her to a still stance, unmovable even by her own attempts. He raised the blade, hurling it towards her, piercing through her throat, her muffled screams followed her slow descent down.
Only one remained as she held her blade upon her side, her expression uncertain through the helmet that she wore. His eyes grew grimmer as he held his blade with one good hand, tilting it upon the level of his head, turning to the side. The sounds of footsteps had signaled their approach to each other, blades held high, reflecting the light of the moons. They made slashes towards each other, steel against steel, blade against armor as his attacks weakened significantly, only one thing gave him the advantage.
As she raised her blade above her, she screamed upon the skies, almost a wish for bloody murder.
Her scream was cut short as another pulse of shadow and wind seemed to resonate from him, an unseen force trailed from him, pushing her towards the massive mechanical giant that had been towering over them, banging upon her leg, falling slowly down upon the steel plating, leaving a crimson trail.
For a moment, silence moved through, the winds once again whistling through the grasses. The moment passed and was broken by the escape of steam from the mechanical giant, stepping towards him as he limped back, trying to reach the short-haired girl. Another step of the giant moved him to fall upon the ground, crawling towards her, trying to all the more to hold her once again.
She had lost all means of consciousness, from loss of blood or the thought of his murder, it was uncertain. Her breathing was rampant, almost rough, through the chaos that was occurring. Upon reaching her form, he moved to a sit, pulling her against him, a tear rushing down his cheek as he closed his eyes, holding her tight in his arms. Only one thing he could do.
His eyes moved upon the massive beast as it trampled upon his path towards him. With the final strength within him, he shouted upon the heavens, his voice echoing through the fields, the shadows and winds had once again made its way around him, almost turning into a physical force, the darkness mingling with the airs as they formed a sheet almost that of a wave, rushing into the ground, rumbling loud upon its descent. In one breath, the earth before him crackled and broke, dust and grit pushing up from the soil, creating a destructive tremor pushing towards the final assailant.
With the act of desperation, the form of the towering monster lumbered and wavered, falling upon its own stand, tilting down to crash upon them, or so it seemed. The fallen king closed his eyes as the figure crashed just before them, a sheet of dust moving up to create a slight fog of dirt, dissipating slowly.
She stirred back to consciousness, though still weak, her lips parted as she looked upon him, trying to move her arm up to caress his cheek. He forced out a kind smile towards her, taking her hand and helping it move upon the side of his head, closing his eyes upon her touch, though this moment quickly ended.
Just as a smile had begun to form upon her lips, the ground beneath them rumbled, tearing from the main field, the massive mechanical beast pushing itself up from its fall, cracking and breaking the soil, leaving nothing under them to be held upon. Her form leaned closer to his as he held her tight in an embrace, falling into the deep chasm, only this time there was no saving them. His wings were gone, and upon the moment, they were never to be there.
He whispered her name as he held her, burying his face upon her hair as she replied with the whisper of his name. He moved his form to shift their fall, moving him to first impact the stone ground, attempting to cushion her.
The sound of an almost inaudible thud had ended their descent.
