Chapter 22

The Ideal

“Ends here? Ends here?” Marcus’s mind was shattered. The small ways he used his words proved how little control he had. It was enough for him to try and hold things together as Meredith faced him, the power of the world’s soul within her. “For your attempts, perhaps, but I intend to be left standing. I intend to still save this world, with or without your permission.”

“And what about the world’s permission? Did you ever think of that?” Meredith asked. Stepping forth with her will driving them, the Legendary Weapons pointed in Marcus’s direction. They were against him, and from the way his eye twitched, he knew it. “You seem to underestimate a great many of our wills.”

“Yes, it would seem so…How did you make it out of that tempest of souls? You should be dead.”

“I was…but like I said…you underestimate the power of souls. That’s always been your biggest flaw, I guess. It must take everything you have just to keep the souls within you under control.” Marcus’s face, blank as could be, still betrayed the truth. On all sides of Meredith, her comrades stood, each recovering from their brief battle. They were ready for a second round. “See, you seem to think you can bend every soul to your will, because you’re chosen or something like that. But our souls aren’t yours! Those souls aren’t yours. I’ll make sure you see that. I’ll stop you.”

“Stop…me?” He looked genuinely confused, and Meredith’s body readied itself for him. His face wavered, splitting between a grin and the look of a beast about to attack its prey. “No. None can stop me. I will change the world!”

He was dashing for her, disappearing in a blur of light and manifesting right in front of her. His blade swung, and she knew she only had one chance. The souls inside the Weapons told her to block, and she did just in time. The impact of Marcus’s strike drove her back as the Earth-Splitter and his weapon collided. Without warning, Marcus broke off the attack and plunged his blade into her torso. She screamed, but brought her foot up to kick him off of her.

Come on, Little Meredith, don’t let a thing like this kill you!

Clive’s soul spoke to her from within the Great Soul, and she grinned. The pure aura around her flashed, knitting up the wound in her stomach. Marcus was surprised, enough so that as Meredith slashed for him, he couldn’t block it. The Earth-Splitter tore into his side, and Meredith broke off, twisting one of her hands. Violet and Kyle’s souls responded in kind, both bow and staff facing their enemy.

“Soul Scream: Twin Shot!” Fire from one end and a blast of droplets from another combined together. They became a line that rammed into Marcus’s chest and drove him backwards. He glared at her with hatred and venom.

“Our turn, Mera!” Emil was in the air now, glowing red with what magic Vivian could muster from behind. The blonde was heaving, but kept herself grinning. When Emil had enough height over Marcus, he aimed his blades and shot them with the full force of gravity.

“Bind.” Marcus had recovered, taking the blades cutting into his shoulders in order to snap restraints around Emil. The boy dropped, hitting the floor and rolling across it as his scarf unraveled. Vivian ran for him, avoiding Marcus as much as she could. The Reaper turned to impale her, only for someone to whisk herself in front of him. “Burst.”

“Cyclone!” The two attacks of wind collided, sending a hurricane about the entire place. The protective shield above them wavered, but still held. Meredith stood her ground, the Spear of Squalls erecting its own shield of gales to protect her from the resultant force. When it ended, Amelia ducked under a slash from Marcus before driving her fist into his chin. “For Roy.”

“For everyone!” Meredith shouted. Her feet took her forward again, drawing even with her commander. Amelia smirked, and Meredith saw the Great Soul flaring in her periphery. Masters’s soul was there, offering its once great power. Her commander noticed this, and the two struck together. “Cyclonic Burst!”

Masters’s fire spat out of Meredith’s sword as Amelia created a cyclone. This time, there was no magic to freeze it, just a minor protection that Marcus put out. The devastating attack drove him back, lighting his body ablaze. He groaned as he dropped to a knee, and Meredith could sense it. The souls inside him were starting to dwindle, beginning to burn up so they could heal him. It was the outcome she didn’t want.

“Come on! Let’s press the advantage! Don’t give him time to heal! Immobilize him!” Jay shouted, he and Emily running towards the man they’d once called their leader. Marcus began to stand, only to find six blades of pure wind surrounding him. With a snap, they set to impale him, only for Marcus’s blade to shine with light. With a cleaving horizontal slash, he knocked them away. Emily was right in his face, and brought a punch into it. Marcus stabbed, wounding the woman in the shoulder. With a heave, Marcus tossed her to the side, where Raymond was, the trail of blood left behind.

“You think…this is…enough…” the Reaper groaned. He clutched at his chest while his feet took steps forward. Though they were slow, their murderous intent was enough for Meredith to step back. He would come to her no matter what. “It won’t be enough. No matter what you do, it won’t be enough! There will always be people that ruin this world! Only through one guiding will can we make it safe!”

His body let go, the light that emitted from it eclipsing that of the Great Soul. He became a bullet, intent on ripping apart Meredith’s body, and she prepared herself to intercept. A shadow moved in her place, smirking back at her before the blade plunged itself into his body. Rico gripped the chief commander’s blade.

“I thought like you, too, once upon a time…” he groaned. Marcus attempted to yank the blade out, but found himself unable to. “I descended into that madness, until I realized you can’t control the people. You can’t force your own pain upon them. You can only guide them.”

“I will guide them.”

“Guidance…doesn’t take a person’s choice from them. But you’ve had it easy, I suppose. You’ve never had your choices taken from you.” Meredith ran around Rico’s side, witnessing Amelia rush at Marcus from the other side. Jay came from the back. The Spear of Squalls activated, and as Rico held on, they let loose a storm that battered Marcus from all sides, dropping him to his knees. Rico let go now, allowing the blade to slide out of his body. “So, we’ll just have to illustrate how that feels. Let us guide your soul, Reaper. Emil!”

“Move aside! Gravity Force!” Meredith felt wind grow under her feet, her body light as a feather from one of the other Weapons around her. Emil had been freed, glowing with Vivian’s enchantment as she leaned on him. The orb crackled, its dark energy pulsing as it grew larger and larger within the boy’s hands. He let it fire, and the teens tumbled back. Pieces of the barrier above and below were eaten up by the gravity, drawn into its nexus before it barreled on Marcus.

“No one will guide my soul!” Marcus screamed. His now free blade turned on the attack, and he jabbed it inside. The sword shined with light which broke through that darkness, obliterating Emil’s attack. Meredith leapt from her position in the air to bring the Earth-Splitter crashing down. To this, Marcus lifted his blade and blocked it. “Your guidance is weak. It will eventually fail. Your conviction will not hold for long. I must be the one to do it!”

Meredith flipped off. Her eyes trained themselves on his as he brought his blade forward again. This time, the Lightbringer Axe intercepted the strike, and it glanced off the largest Weapon. Whirling around, Marcus began a flurry of blows that started pushing Meredith back. Yet she blocked every one of them, the Weapons moving with her will to deflect each strike as they came. With every hit and blow, Marcus’s eyes were increasingly unsettled. He was desperately grasping for his goal, but losing control every time he tried. It was slipping through his fingers, and it made him dangerous.

One of his attacks pierced her shield, and Meredith brought the Earth-Splitter up to parry the strike. Once more, he threw her defense off, and rammed his blade into her side. Yet again, the Great Soul shined and her wound was healed. He broke his assault off and looked in the direction of the very soul he was trying to manipulate, revelation dawning upon his face. In the corner, Meredith could see her brother recovering, and alongside him were the priests, one of whom began to stir.

“Marcus…”

He ignored Cynthia’s voice. “So, you’re using the Great Soul, even without Crea’s power.”

“There’s a pretty big difference between you and me, Marcus,” she said. The Weapons closed ranks around her body, continuing to circle it. “I’m not controlling them. They’re just lending me their power to take you down and free everything you’re keeping trapped.”

“Well, then…” Marcus’s face was twisted, fluttering between a manic grin and resolute decisiveness. “I’ll just have to stop your supply.”

His fingers curled in, and Meredith felt her power slip. The torment inside the Great Soul erupted inside her head, forcing her to her knees. Crea’s soul was thrumming inside Marcus as he used her power and energy to bring the Great Soul back under his will. The others all began to join that will. The Weapons started to fall to the floor.

Souls…share your soul, Mera!

That was Eddie’s soul, shouting from within Marcus. The Reaper halted for a moment, his soul cracking further as he endeavored to get those souls under control. Meredith felt like her head was ready to be wrenched open, her eyes seeing what was there and beyond. The world shuddered, and the mineshaft fell apart, pieces breaking atop the barrier. Meredith cast her eyes around and found Emil. She let her soul reach out, touching to his, feeding his encapsulated soul with her own. He blinked, coming back to reality.

“Emil! Take him down!” Emil nodded, flying forward for Marcus. The man let go of his control over the world’s soul in time to use his own power of gravity. The two identical magics clashed. Pressure was exerted on the area, the platform beneath their feet cracking. The end of Marcus’s manipulation brought the others back to their senses. “Viv! Commander! Your turn!”

Her soul was being stretched in numerous directions, but not once did she worry for it breaking. All she did was stoke the will and strength inside of them, allowing the two blondes to race for Marcus. Meredith’s soul turned skyward, finding another friend’s through the conduit of the Great Soul. It granted permission, and Meredith plunged her hand into the platform. Hot water and steam erupted around the area, obscuring Marcus from view, but giving Amelia and Vivian the time to move in.

You can’t let him do that again. The more he tries to exert his will, the faster the world will fall apart, Violet told her as the Weapons were raised once more. As long as Crea’s soul is contained inside that body, he is a threat. The longer this battle…

“I know, Violet. Don’t worry!” Meredith ran into the mist, rushing through at her companions’ side. Marcus was ready for them, and Meredith pressed the offensive. She swung The Earth-Splitter down, clashing with Marcus’s weapon. It gave Vivian enough time to send a crescent of light which tore at the Reaper’s side and allowed Amelia to make an uppercut that sent Marcus flying through the air. She leapt after him.

“Did you think your one will was enough to contain all of ours? How did you ever lead us, Marcus?” the commander asked. Marcus’s eyes flashed and he spun around, kicking Amelia in the chest to send her down to the ground. He landed, his hand outstretched to control the world anew. Meredith ran at him, but found her legs frozen to the cracked platform.

“I led because my will is strong. When will you accept it?”

“Never!” Vivian yelled. A ribbon of light broke apart the ice encasing Meredith’s legs, allowing the two girls to advance on Marcus together. “We’re not in the business of doing whatever we’re told. We like to think and grow!”

“We listen to others, and we get heard.” Emil had floated above Marcus’s head, diving with his teammates for their own combination.

“That’s what makes a true Guardian, Marcus!” Meredith brandished her weapons and the three leapt for the Reaper. His eyes darted around, looking for the best way to counter their strike. They were too fast. Vivian’s fist struck his side, Emil’s crushing gravity hit from above, and the magic of Meredith’s Weapons assaulted his front.

His body took the attacks, but as they started to fade, Meredith felt that burning sensation inside his soul once more. It cracked, little by little, and more of those contained within fell to the abyss. Amelia, Jay and Rico, wounded as they were, planned to join in, giving Meredith no time to issue the warning.

Marcus’s soul exploded with energy.

That horrendous cracking noise from before, when Marcus had taken Crea’s soul, resonated. It was the soul’s purest form of energy, weaponized. All of them were caught in it and thrown back. The barrier above cracked, its blue hue fading. Pieces of the mineshaft fell through, crashing through the platform and leaving a giant hole within it. Meredith hit the floor, rolling across it as she nearly went over the edge again. The Weapons clattered with her, but she pushed herself up as quickly as she could.

Marcus was growling, the smoke coming from his body at the expense of so many souls. The ones left, still great in number, became more distinct, each of them battering against the cage that was Marcus’s will. He advanced upon Meredith, slowly, while she used the Earth-Splitter to pull herself up. The others were either down or recovering. The blow had taken its toll on them.

“I see now…how much…power…the Great Soul has…” Marcus hissed out. He stopped, his head turning in the direction of his priests. Cynthia was smiling at him, and Marcus regarded her with something strange to Meredith’s eyes. “It can fuel my soul…a never-ending cycle of death and rebirth for my soul that will continue my will upon the world for an eternity. It’s everything I could ever want!”

“Want? I thought you wanted to protect this world!”

“And to protect it, I must become more! I must! It is the only way! I need more! More souls! More time! Give me more!” Meredith was afraid to look in his eyes, for she knew the madness that dwelt within. His body turned, shuffling in the direction of his fallen allies.

Cynthia sat up, watching him approach. She didn’t care that Marcus had lost it. She didn’t care that his soul was teetering on the edge of oblivion, barely holding it together by the many he held within. She just opened her arms. “Let us protect this world. We shall give you everything.”

“Thank you, Cynthia. Become one with our new world.” Meredith finally managed to stand, only to watch in horror as Marcus showed no pity to his companions. Worse yet, they all seemed to welcome it, smiles upon their faces as Marcus plunged his hand within their chests. Their bodies turned to white and disappeared as the souls entered inside him, the last jingle of Maria’s earrings echoing on the air. It was certainly the “more” he had asked for, but Meredith knew it was a more that would never be enough.

She had to stop him now.

Before he could recover from the surge of emotion that came from taking the souls within him, Meredith ran for the Reaper, her blade ready to strike. She didn’t call for him, or yell, but planned to end it in a swift stroke before the expulsion of souls.

Marcus didn’t give her the chance. He snapped his fingers, and the lower half of her body was frozen to the floor. The others had yet to recover behind her, and they had to be more concerned with the falling debris than any of Marcus’s attacks.

“Next will be your soul…Meredith…” His eyes most certainly reflected their derangement while he charged. His blade shined with the light of magic, or maybe the souls swirling within. Meredith didn’t know, but she readied her own need for defense. The blade hit, and the force of Marcus’s strike broke the ice holding her down. Their locked swords rattled, the maniacal strength behind Marcus causing her to waver. He readied to bat her blade aside, only for something else to come in and lock around the weapon, pulling it from hers. The two combatants turned. “Raymond…”

“Hands off…my sister…” He was panting, but standing. Where he had been was Emily, passed out but smiling at the work she’d done to get him back in the fight.

“Raymond…” Marcus repeated. “I thought this was what you wanted.”

“Not like this. Not if it means my sister has to…” Marcus flicked his blade, breaking the whip from it, which retracted back into place on the hilt of Raymond’s sword. “You’re not the chief commander I once followed. You’re lost, Marcus, and I was lost with you. I can’t let you do this.”

“You can’t stop me, Raymond!” Marcus roared. He charged at her brother, his sword strikes wild and frenzied. Raymond blocked them, his movements desperate against the wild animal that had been the chief commander. Meredith connected with Violet’s soul, burning away the last of the ice as she joined her brother. Sensing her arrival, Marcus’s free hand called one of Emil’s discarded blades to him, blocking her attack. “None of you can stop me. None of you should stop me! I’m saving this world! I’m saving this world!”

“At what cost, Marcus? Your soul? Everyone else’s? What happened to your dream?”

“I want more!”

“Well, I…don’t!” Raymond held off Marcus’s attack, letting one of his hands free to clock the man across the face. Marcus stumbled, and brother and sister acted together, kicking him in the chest and to the side, driving him back in the direction of the Great Soul. The groans indicated the others were trying to stand, but couldn’t. The siblings ran for Marcus. “Not anymore. Not like this. I don’t want a world where someone would take my sister from me because she doesn’t belong in their grand plan.”

“Then you’re just like the rest of them! Selfish! Lost!”

“Marcus, open your eyes!” The siblings slashed inward, beginning a dance and duel of blades between the man. His movements were getting sloppier, but he yet held them off until, finally, Marcus used Emil’s blade to drive into Raymond’s shoulder. Meredith shouted for her brother, barely avoiding Marcus’s next blow and backpedaling. A soul was stirred up inside of Marcus, one more willing than the rest, and his blade transformed.

The crackle of electricity zapped the entire area, right through Meredith’s chest, scorching the floor. Then Marcus turned his own sword into a whip that walloped both brother and sister, tossing them to the floor. Raymond didn’t get up, coughing and unable to move.

Meredith, however, attempted to stand despite her inability to breathe. The Great Soul attempted to heal her, but Marcus’s soul locked it down, the two now in an eternal struggle. Her chest hurt, and she no longer had the support of those souls deep within. She could feel them being drawn far away from her. All she had were the seven with her.

“This whole world has grown rotten…if I don’t save it, who will?” Marcus was clutching to his chest, his soul breaking up even more. His attention was split between the soul behind him and all those inside, keeping them under his control. An unbidden tear slid from his eyes. “Alliances cannot last. The idealism of many always breaks down, lost in the reality that crushes it underfoot. No matter what, Meredith, you know it deep within your soul…when it comes down to saving the world…you’re alone.”

The Weapons fell to the platform, and Meredith’s body heaved with the strain of her new wound. Everything shook around her, and it took all her effort to stand, still clutching the Earth-Splitter. Her eyes looked at it, hoping for guidance, but without the world’s soul…

No…He was still in there. They all were.

Never broken.

Never alone.

Meredith began to stand, the strands of her soul reaching out, seeking permission for one last fight. They all agreed, from Vivian and Emil, to Amelia and Jay, all the way over to her brother, attempting to crawl forward. They’d all decided on the world they wanted to make and chose to champion her together. It didn’t matter their past or their conflicts. What mattered was now, a now that Marcus was blind to.

“The brain is the one controlling the body. Is that it…Marcus?” The souls joined to hers fueled the Weapons to gravitate around her once more. They were the source of this, protecting the Great Soul, keeping it going. Now, she knew, facing Marcus, who wouldn’t stop until he was free of that insatiable duty to save the world in his own twisted way, that she was going to finally free them, and put it all to rest. “I can see why you think you’re alone…Other people are such a hassle. They make you out to be wrong and they point out how you’re weak.

“But you know what, Marcus…I’m glad I’m weak. Because it means I’m not alone. It means that I can build something better than anything I could build on my own. I think you knew that once, before you became obsessed with this.”

“You need a strong will to survive. A strong will to change the world!”

She wasn’t sure even he knew what he was saying anymore. So, ignoring the pain in her breast, and standing tall, she smiled at him. “It’s okay, Marcus. You don’t need to struggle alone anymore. You don’t need to be the world. I’ll free you.”

“I will be! I must be! The world needs guidance!” His soul cried out, its energy manifesting upon the blade he held before he charged for her. She stood her ground, the energy of her comrades’ souls alighting around her body. The whisper of the Weapons was present, and she echoed a silent promise. Marcus was there, swinging his sword right on the Chain Blade.

“Soul Scream: Light Driver.” It was the soul buried deep within, one that had lost the will of its own. Her own soul pushed into it, finding it buried deep inside, feeding it with her own will until it began to eke out of the blade as white ash. The soul that had long rested inside was released, becoming a drill of light that rammed itself into Marcus. The man stumbled back, and Meredith kept steady. The other souls prepared themselves as the Chain Blade dropped to the ground, now devoid of all power.

Thank you…

The soul’s gratitude emboldened her, and Meredith put the next Weapon forward. Marcus didn’t want to be denied. With a roar of insanity, he charged. She placed a hand upon the Lightbringer Axe, and with her will, released the soul within, a cleaving blow struck upon the Reaper. Next came the Abyssal Blade, twin slashes blooming on Marcus’s chest. Then a gust of wind so thin and sharp, it pierced his center. The Violent Staff and Bow of Torrents floated in front of her, the last of the hovering Weapons.

Thanks for everything, Meredith.

Ready to go, brother?

Marcus was deranged, his mouth frothing as he recovered from the blows dealt to him. The souls inside him were preventing him from acting, be it healing or otherwise. Meredith let the Earth-Splitter go, causing it to hang there as she pressed her hands to the final two Weapons. They shined, and both Violet and Kyle were given energy and will within their soul to finally emerge. She held orbs of fire, while he created arrows of water. They struck Marcus simultaneously, finally throwing him off his feet before their former vessels crashed with the others. Violet turned in the air, smiling and waving before she was gone with her brother, back into the world’s flow.

Only Terrill remained.

And Marcus.

“This isn’t…it’s not enough…you can’t…” Marcus was panting. Smoke continued to come off his body. The closer Meredith looked, however, the more she realized it wasn’t smoke she’d been seeing. It was his soul, eking out of his body now that it was so broken. She wept for him. “I’m going to change the world! Give me your energy! Give me your soul!”

He leapt for her, hand outstretched, only to find himself caught by someone moving between them.

Marcus’s hand clenched around Rico’s chest, the bleeding man facing him down with eyes of pity. Yet no matter how much Marcus tried, he couldn’t take Rico’s soul, his eyes widening.

“You’re gone, aren’t you, Marcus?” Rico asked. Meredith wobbled, taking the Earth-Splitter back in her hands. “You’re so determined to save the world, you can’t see another way, and it’s driven you to this. But you don’t have to break your soul anymore. I’ll do it for you. Rest, now.”

Marcus roared, retracting his hand to take his sword in hand and stab it through. Rico, enduring the pain of the second sword through his chest, turned his head to Meredith. His silent command was one she heeded. She ran forth, ready for the final strike.

Marcus took the blade out, turning to her.

“Freeze!” he screamed, using Cynthia’s soul. The ice came forth, threatening to lock Meredith in place, but it was stopped by a countering ice, breaking it off and allowing Meredith to go unimpeded. Marcus turned his head to Rico. “No! You’re…”

“Using your soul.” Rico’s eyes were cold, but resolute as he spoke. Meredith didn’t say a word, listening as the second breaking of that day shuddered through the trembling mineshaft. Rico didn’t relent, his soul siphoning from Marcus’s to keep him held down. “Mera! Do it now! Free him!”

“Soul Scream: Stone Fist! Release, Terrill!” Meredith screamed. She couldn’t let Rico’s sacrifice be in vain. The two struggled, Renegade and former Guardian’s souls in a clash that spread the platform into spiderweb cracks. Meredith let go of the Earth-Splitter in the howling clash of their souls, pressing to it and bringing her will forth to force Terrill’s out. He emerged, his ghostly soul striking across Marcus’s face with a fist.

The burst of energy from the collision of their souls sent Rico falling back, his own body smoking from the fracture of his soul. Marcus remained on his feet, though his blade was flung far away, through the hole in the platform, lost to the endless abyss.

“I don’t need freedom! I need to lead!”

“We’ll lead just fine on our own, Marcus! We don’t need your soul!” Meredith screamed. She skidded on the platform and ran for the Reaper. The glass cracked beneath her, trembling and falling to the depths. “The world we’ll build will be good enough!”

“No, it needs-”

“It doesn’t need any more than what it’s given! You should have been content with that, but instead you took and took, thinking you could dictate everyone’s souls! Thinking the world needed control when all it needed was guidance!”

Marcus lunged for her, and she for him. Their fists screamed, and their souls prepared to collide for one last attack. He was faster, that Light-Speed Magic giving him the push he needed, desperately hoping to absorb her soul.

He nearly did.

Then he stopped, his body frozen as his hand gripped for his chest with pain.

Mera, now! Eddie shouted, his soul screaming from within Marcus. We’re holding him down! So free us! Free him!

“It’s over, Marcus! Your flawed ideal is dead! Your ideal of the world is wrong! It doesn’t belong to you, or Crea, or anyone else! It’s made of all our souls, and we’ll guide the world…together!” Marcus groaned, unable to hold the souls within him back. His other hand reached out, scrabbling for her, but she kept going, punching him. Meredith could feel Vivian and Emil’s souls, tethered to her, filling her with their magic for a strike he couldn’t stop.

The blistering blow struck his face, crumpling it. Her other hand reached straight for his chest, her will gushing forth.

“Now release those souls! BE FREE!”

With what energy she had remaining in her soul, Meredith pushed against Marcus. The lights of their souls collided, and with the force of her will, the air exploded.