DESCENT

Like a swarm of locust, black shadow blackened the sun, casting eternal shade over the battered lands of earth. Flashes of light flickered here and there, screams and shouts drowned in the river of massacre. People rained like tempest, crimson droplets dyeing the rivers and lakes below in deep shade of scarlet, while countless corpses and twice as many limbs and heads turned entombed within the shattered earth. In the symphonic harmony, two sides clashed as though God of Madness descended. All eyes stared vicious, bloodshot red, tears gritting till lips bled, cries of agony harmonizing into a beautiful and sorrowful ballad of war. Y’se watched from the safety of the walls, feeling pieces of her heart break away, bit by bit. Even if she was ten times as powerful, she would be unable to stop it. As the realization dawned upon her, her nails dug deep into her palms, causing blood to drop down slowly. No words were spoken. As millions bashed their heads against ten million, cradle of life shook, and unhinged stones of ere cracked. It was a war, yet it was not. It was a massacre, yet it was not. No matter what was written in the books she read, she had truly, for the first time, experienced the clash which tore open wounds in the sky.

High up in the sky, she saw Patriarch and several dozen others battling False Gods. Down below, there was no discernable battlefield. There were no friends or foes. There was just a magnificent swarm, a sheet of blood coveting all life. Explosions berated, arrays of magical spells clashed, swords, shields, axes, maces… it was irrelevant. Some even used limbs of their dead friends as weapons. Some threw bodiless heads. Some tore open their own limbs and threw bones. Some dove like mad beasts and bit. Whatever civility there was when the battle begun has been long lost. She knew that this wasn’t what anyone wanted. No, it’s better to say that this was something that should never be even dreamt. Yet, before her very eyes, it unfolded like a self-begotten parchment of decimation. A man was no longer a man. A woman a mere dream of tranquility. Children more akin to feral beasts.

“… is this it?” she mumbled softly as she lowered her head, her heart unable to withstand the sight anymore. “What worth is the victory, I wonder?”

Yet, no one was there to answer her. Whether those up above or down below, all knew that this was no longer war between two opposing sides. Too many people have died. Too many to count. War was fought with victory in mind, with taking over other’s land and population. What was transpiring in the high skies was no longer a war for dominance. It was a battle of shame. Every minute, hundreds fell not by the sharp blade of the foe, but a dagger of their own, unable to watch their own brothers and sisters turn into bloodthirsty monsters. Wise sages of the old never claimed death to be the scariest of realities, but the days when all of mankind considers death as its closest brethren.

Down below, atop the bloodstained earth, corpses piled up into mountains. There was no way to discern who was an enemy and who was a friend. Such notion has long since been discarded. There were only those who were dead and those who’ve yet to die. Such bleak segregation meant nothing. Y’se, perhaps for the first time in her life, understood Lynne. Were there no magic in the world, there would be no such thing as this scene. There would still be blood, there would still be wars, there would still be shades of good and evil all about, but there would not be this. She always believed Magic was wonderful; when she was young, she used to heal her friends, to heal animals who were all but dead, to cause life to spring where only death was. She grew up in such tranquility. Even when her heart was broken and she felt despondent, she never stopped believing in Magic. In the good of it. All things in the world are merely tools – it’s the usage which determines them good or evil. However, some things simply cross a threshold of consideration. They don’t leave an open alley of retreat. What worth is her ability to heal when, before her very eyes, hundreds of thousands have fallen? When the last of sanity has been purged from their minds? When all but lunacy remained on the battlefield? Were there no Magic, could the sky be gashed open like a tortured animal? Could the millions fall in the span of a day? Could it ever rain blood and corpses?

“… it’s scary, isn’t it?” a warm, familiar voice suddenly jolted her senses as her tears grew watery. She looked around fervently, but couldn’t see the figure. “Ha ha, what are you growing so flustered for?” the voice laughed as though it belonged to an innocent child. “It’s like you never heard me speak before.”

“… L-lynne?” she mumbled, as though uncertain.

“Eh? Who else could it be?” Lynne said, sighing. “Aah, this sight really makes me wonder whether it was worth it. I could be taking a piss in some nice shack in the woods right now. How great would that have been? A bottle of ale and a roasted boar, stargazing till deep night before falling asleep underneath the open sky…”

“W-where are you?” Y’se asked. “Are you okay? Did you win? When are you coming back?”

“… I’m right here,” the voice replied, as though smiling. “And I’m just dandy. As for whether I won… hah, I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

“… when are you coming back?” Y’se asked again when she realized he didn’t continue speaking.

“… heh, did you miss me that much?”

“… yes.”

“Oh, wow! I’m flattered!” the voice exclaimed. “Find me a nice place, Y’se. One that’s far away from the world. Somewhere in the mountains, where I can open up a farm. Let me know when you’re done.”

“… w-what the fuck are you talking about?! When are you coming back?” Y’se asked, somewhat angry.

“Ha ha, oh, right, prepare some of that Heavenly Ale. My throat is so fucking dry it’s kind of insane. Alright, on the count of three, close your eyes.”

“Eh?”

“Trust me.”

“Trust your mother!!”

“Ha ha ha…”

Suddenly, sky – and all those within it – froze. There was not even a fly that could move its wings. Time seemingly stopped as eyes of the crazed cleared up. Far up above, beyond the realm of reality and fabric of space and time, two shimmering stars glittered for a moment before they sprung downward into two massive pillars of light. One was ethereally white, as though purified by the first light itself, while the other was ghastly black, as though worn down by countless wailing souls. Two pillars outshone all else, and all were forced to close their eyes for a moment. Pressure dawned upon the world and its inhabitants, causing everything to quake as countless figures fell from the sky and onto their knees, unable to look up. It’s as though the source of divinity itself was descending upon them, something so ancient and pure they didn’t dare gaze upon it. Yet, Y’se held her head firmly up, her eyes fully open. Even though they burned as though someone was spewing flames at her, she didn’t dare close them for even a second. Two pillars quickly extended outward, beyond this, single realm, beyond the boundaries of life and death, until they encompassed every inch of the World.

“Leave.” one voice reverberated through the sky in a commanding tone; Ignis stared down at the False Gods and those who joined to fight in his name. His expression was cold and distant, yet also sorrowful. “Anyone who dares commence another war will be eradicated from existence.”

As though jolted by primordial thunder, countless figures from one side of battlefield departed. It was as though their bodies weren’t theirs, but were moving on the most basic of instincts: fear. Fear which shook the very core of their being, one that – no matter how strong their will may be – they had no chance of fighting against. Only a single person stayed behind – Ryon, whose body was shaking as though exposed to the coldest of winds. He recognized the voice. He recognized the pressure. It was the same one that crippled his eyes. The God of all Flames, Ignis. Yet, unlike with others, he wasn’t told to go back. His knees were firmly planted into the ground, and he was unable to move even an inch.

“Go back,” another voice suddenly resounded, one seemingly much gentler and warmer than the former. Many recognized that voice. It belonged to a seemingly simple youth who happened to be extremely talented. One who upheld the banner of mankind to withstand the invasion of gods. “From today onward, there will be no Divine Mages in the world. Those that are already there will no longer be there. Those that breach the command will be killed on the spot. Go. Reflect. Realize. Remember.”

Those were the only words spoken, yet it felt as though a knot was wrung around everyone’s hearts. Those who had reached the peak of Magic, becoming Divine Mages, felt their magic sap away as though sucked by something they had no hope of withstanding. Bit by bit, they all regressed down to the Creators, peak of Grand Realm. And, they realized, no matter how much they fought, they couldn’t stop it. Rather, they didn’t even have strength to find. All they could do was watch their countless years of progress and hard work being sucked away into oblivion.

Y’se was among them, but she didn’t even have a thought of fighting. She let it all go willingly. Whatever the reason was, Lynne was still a human. He wouldn’t condemn the human race to extinction. She stubbornly glared at that distant, vague figure within the white pillar of light, as though unwilling to look away until she recognized his features. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, it felt like he was someone that didn’t belong to this world, someone far above the rest, someone who couldn’t be seen. Far up, within the pillars, Ignis and Lynne stood side by side, watching the proceedings with different expressions; Lynne’s was playful, while Ignis’ was one of exhaustion.

“… heh, why the long face? Isn’t this what you guys wanted?” Lynne asked, smiling.

“Aii, shut up you shameless bastard.” Ignis growled, glaring at him. “I can’t believe you actually managed to trick the Creator of all things… how is that even possible?!”

“What do you mean how is that even possible?! I’m Lynne!! The Master Swindler! The Lecherous Bastard!”

“What’s that last one got to do with anything?!”

“Aii, I just felt like bragging… after all, this is the last time I’ll see you. It’d be no good if you thought I’ve never held a woman.”

“… I thought you were a valiant, honorable warrior.” Ignis said, sighing. “Turns out… you’re… you’re just a scoundrel.”

“It was a good fight.” Lynne said, his expression solemn.

“… it was.” Ignis nodded faintly. “What will you do now? Can you even live without Magic?”

“I’ve lived more than half my life without it,” Lynne replied with a smile. “It’s merely going back to my roots, to who I truly am. Flying and spewing flames was never my forte, if I’m being honest.”

“… you’re doing this on purpose, right? You’re hell-bent on not letting me go back with a peaceful mind?”

“Ha ha, a little bit, a little bit,” Lynne chuckled innocently. “What about you?”

“… who knows?” Ignis said, looking up into nothingness and sighing. “Perhaps try and figure out if there’s a way to cross into the next cycle alive.”

“… aii, you’re truly afraid to die, aren’t you?”

“It’s not because of that,” Ignis said. “I’m just curious. Aren’t you?”

“Not really,” Lynne said calmly. “One or one billion years… what’s the difference in the end?”

“…”

“… it was a pleasure.” Lynne suddenly extended his arm, smiling faintly at the vague figure standing in front of him. “Whether friends or foes, I’ll consider you a friend until the day I die.”

“… likewise.” Ignis said, a human-shaped hand extending out of the void and shaking Lynne’s. “Live well.”

“Always did… always will…”

“Farewell.”

“Farewell.”

Thus the pillars vanished, as did the pressure and two figures who stood at their hearts. The world unfroze as though nothing had transpired. Yet, hundreds of thousands of books will be written about this day, and about this event. For as long as the letter would exist, so would the story of the Boy who Commanded the World.