Reaper Pollenburn Campaign Finale
#11 of Reaper
Finale: Spreading My Wings
"Fly so high, fly so high
I will prove what I can do, I will not give up, I won't
Fly so high, fly so high
Till the day that I will die, I will praise and I will fight
For my life"
Fly
From Chaos Legion
**Composer: Hideyuki Fukasawa
Vocal: LIV
Lyrics: Manabu Oshio**
Jacob fought off the urge to switch to his Brand Form again.
There was a sort of... 'poetic justice' in fighting Gale in his 'everyday form'. The first time they had fought, it was in this form and he felt that their 'rematch' should be the same. Even If he was surrounded by Unsealed, horribly outnumbered and with no support - even from Spectre - he felt it was right to fight Gale like this.
"Jake... Is that so wise?"
He nodded slowly.
Yeah... I'm good.
"You're outnumbered and outgunned..."
Jacob glanced at the Unsealed around him... and smiled.
Changing someone's opinion is never easy... especially when that opinion is of themselves...
...
"Good luck."
Nemesis Wind lunged forward, swinging his wakizashi.
Jacob's focus was laser-like.
He threw Radiance behind him and blocked with -
CLANG!
... Requiem. Before Nemesis Wind could retaliate, Jacob seized the Unsealed's face and threw him over his shoulder. Radiance's trigger activated on some unspoken command, spraying lasers all around the shattered throne room, cutting through Unsealed with ease.
Gale Archers sprayed countless golden arrows in his direction. Jacob leapt over them and scrambled up their path, running up their vast curtain of gold. He seized one of the archers, stabbed it through the chest with Requiem and spun it around. The arrows of the other Archers peppered the Unsealed he had captured.
He pulled Requiem out of the Unsealed and kicked off the creature, leaping upon the next closest Gale Archer. He hacked its head off before using the beast's falling body as a platform to leap onto the next one.
A Fallen Flower appeared in front of him and swung at him with dual kunai.
Swish!
The Unsealed was cut in half.
Radiance_returned to Jacob's paws. He somersaulted in midair and landed in the midst of a ring of Storm Wardens. They all raised their staves, each one electrified. Jacob pulled the trigger of _Requiem and spun completely around, sending out a circular shockwave that knocked the Storm Wardens back and stalling their attack. He took the second they paused to leap upon the closest one and drive Radiance straight into it. He snatched the Unsealed's staff and flung it straight at Gale.
Nemesis Wind dove in and knocked the weapon aside.
The remaining Gale Archers gathered around the Unsealed version of Gale. Each one drew an arrow and let them fly. The golden projectiles all joined into a single bolt and zoomed straight towards Jacob.
Jacob jumped straight at it. He leapt over the arrow and dashed along its length before diving at the Gale Archers. He spun around and threw both his swords at the Unsealed. Nemesis Wind ducked away but the Gale Archers were ripped to shreds as Radiance and Requiem flung bounced from Unsealed to Unsealed, slashing wildly at their foes.
Jacob caught both in midair and landed.
The path to Gale was clear.
He took the opening.
Nemesis Wind appeared in his way again, this time accompanied by the Fallen Flowers. The ninja-like Unsealed threw their palms forward. A storm of flower petals flung towards him. The petals had blade-like edges, cutting all over Jacob's face and exposed flesh. Gritting his teeth, Jacob drove Requiem into the ground. A sonic blast knocked all the petals around him back into a bright, pink dome.
Wait...
Something's wrong...
Each of the petals abruptly transformed into a kunai... Thousand of kunai levelled at him...
Uh-oh...
CLANG!
Jacob froze...
Instead of his vision being filled with heavy metal and piercing pain erupting from all around his body... He only saw a field of jet-black feathers. A soft growl filled his ears and he immediately spun around... to find Spectre looming there behind him... fangs bared and black wings wrapped securely around them both.
"Don't give up, Jake..." Spectre growled. "Don't you dare give up..."
"Spectre..."
His Animus gave him a wry smile... before his features softened and his sapphire-blue eyes closed. Spectre collapsed beside him. Kunai clattered to the ground around them as Spectre's body began to dissipate in a flurry of white and black feathers.
Jacob felt a tear run down his cheeks... Spectre wasn't dead... but the sacrifice meant a lot...
He heard clattering.
The kunai were slowly coming back to life...
With a growl, he lashed out with Radiance, pulling the weapon's trigger. A beam of light erupted from its tip but instead of cutting through the air, it spit off into a thousand, thin tentacles that wrapped themselves around each of the kunai. His growl erupted into a roar as he flung Radiance around, sending a hailstorm of kunai flying straight at Nemesis Wind and the Fallen Flowers.
The Storm Wardens jumped to protect their comrades.
Jacob drove Requiem into the ground. A sonic blast shattered the very ground beneath them. The ground beneath the Storm Wardens shattered and they fell down into the storm. The thousands of kunai controlled by him plunged into the Fallen Flowers.
The kunai and the Unsealed exploded into a shower of flowers...
Leaving only Nemesis Wind and Gale...
"Impressive," Gale commented, his eyes narrowed. He took several steps down the dais until he was standing right next to Nemesis Wind. The chimp made a slashing gesture with his left hand. The Seal of Fate's Winds appeared behind him. It emitted a brilliant, golden glow that temporarily blinded Jacob.
When the light faded, Gale stood once more in full armour. He looked the same as Nemesis Wind only his features were completely encased in a helm that was constructed with two, wing-like 'ears' and a golden crown with the Seal of Fate's Winds engraved against his forehead.
"But the games end here, Jacob."_Gale lifted his bladed-bow and drew upon the invisible string, summoning a Wind Arrow. _"Don't hold back. You'll make this far quicker than it already will be."
CLANG!
Jacob blocked a slash with a wakizashi from Nemesis Wind. At the same instant, he twisted to his right and dove for the ground. A Wind Arrow shot past him followed by a tremendous -
WHOOSH!
... gust of wind that tore up the cracked ground.
Gale and Nemesis Wind worked perfectly in synch.
Nemesis Wind kept Jacob occupied at close range while Gale bombarded Jacob from long range.
He couldn't get anywhere near the Elemental Lord of Wind!
_"Stop holding back!"_Gale shouted, firing an arrow straight into the ground. The Wind Arrow vanished into the concrete. Jacob jumped backwards a second later as it erupted from the floor where he had been standing a second ago, barely missing his nose. The Wind Arrow zoomed by -
... only to be replaced by Nemesis Gale.
Crap!
SWISH!
Jacob gasped and felt the floor slam against his chin, the pain across his chest burning. His regeneration starting rapidly healing the wound. He had no time to think about it and rolled to his left just in time to avoid a slash that would have severed his head. A Wind Arrow zoomed high above his head, completely missing him.
Why would he -?
WHOOOSH!
He found out a second later as a blast of wind threw him against a pillar.
WHAM!
Stars flashed before his eyes and weakness filled his joints.
"This is all you put up against me!? Enter your Brand Form! Show me your true power and fight for the precious future that you love so much!"
Jacob grunted and shakily got to his feet. "I'm not fighting just for the future." He pulled the trigger of Requiem but held it firmly. The blade began emitting a high-pitched sonic blast. Without his earphones, it almost knocked him into unconsciousness. With a swift move, he swung Requiem around and attached Radiance to its very tip, slipping the hilt of the latter weapon through a compartment the activated Requiem had opened.
Gale seemed to hesitate.
"I'm fighting for past, present and future!"
Jacob charged with lightning fast speed. Nemesis Wind instantly barred his path, bringing up that wakizashi in a block.
CLANG! BOOM!
The instant their blades hit, a ferocious sonic boom hit the Unsealed and sent it hurling into the air. Jacob spun and delivering a spinning slash. A circular wave of light swept out from around him, slicing through all the pillars and driving Gale back. Nemesis Wind staggered in the air but Jacob immediately leapt towards him, swinging his combined swords in a series of crushing, heavy and fast blows. Each slash unleashed a wave of light that shattered the Unsealed's armour bit by bit.
Overhead slash, side swipe, uppercut, spinning slash and three repeated jabs -
"You're done!"
Jacob slammed his blade against Nemesis Wind. The sword didn't slice through the Unsealed perfectly but it bit through the armour enough that Jacob felt the blade pierce flesh.
They shot to the ground -
BOOOM!
...and slammed straight into the ground.
Jacob jumped to his feet facing Gale immediately.
They stared each other down...
Gale immediately drew an arrow and fired it into the sky.
Jacob charged.
His senses screamed and he dodged to the left while keeping up his momentum. A Wind Arrow dropped down from the air and slammed left to his left foot... followed by a second one on his right... then another to his left...
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
More and more arrows rained down from the heavens.
He was a good fifty metres from Gale...
The Elemental Lord of Wind drew another Wind Arrow but this one took the form of a roiling tornado. It appeared like a drill made of winds. Gale let it fly -
Jacob charged headlong into the projectile, surging right through it without missing a step
Forty metres away.
Gale sent Tornado Arrow after Tornado Arrow at him. Jacob dodged left and right, avoiding the rainstorm of bolts from above and the arrows streaming towards him from his stationary target.
Thirty metres away... Twenty-five...
A Tornado Arrow shot towards him. Jacob ducked and skidded across the ground. He scrambled to his feet and spun -
CLANG!
... around, clashing blades with Nemesis Wind. With his free paw, he lashed out, seized the Unsealed by the neck and spun around, holding the false Gale up in front of him.
WHACK!
Gale's next Tornado Arrow hit Nemesis Wind.
Jacob threw the Unsealed aside and charged.
Twenty metres... fifteen...
Fourteen...
Thirteen...
Gale increased the ferocity of his attacks, sending bolt after bolt of wind at him. He took hesitant steps back, unwilling to give ground as there was nothing behind him except for his throne.
Twelve...
... eleven...
Ten...
Jacob skidded to a halt and leapt backwards, somersaulting completely over Nemesis Wind, the Unsealed's wakizashi sliding just beneath him. He landed with a soft thunk behind the Unsealed and drove his sword right through his chest. A roar escaped his lips as he charged -
WHAM!
Gale gave a cry of shock as the three of them collided. Jacob spun and hurled Nemesis Wind off his combined swords and-
CLANG!
... clashed with Gale's double-sword, Breath of Fate.
"Mortals need more than just breath to live," he growled, glaring into Gale's hidden eyes. "They can't just move forward." He pulled the trigger of his blades.
BOOOM!
Gale was hurled back, slamming hard into his throne.
"The path to our fates is a winding road," Jacob said softly, his Brand glowing brightly against his arm. The energies from his Brand filled him, coursing through his veins. He pooled all that energy into his sword. A brilliant, white glow encased the sword and delicate rings of energy rippled out of its edges. "Our journey isn't straight forward. Just because we don't like where we're going, doesn't mean we should start all over. Sometimes it's better to see things through instead of going back to the crossroads and taking a different path."
Because... If I just started all over all those times I doubted myself...
... I would never have met my friends...
... I would never grow.
I'd always be the same person that would never change.
It's not the destination... nor is it the starting point.
"A journey is defined not by how long it takes, where we end up or where we start from..." he said, a small smile crossing his features. "... It's how we get there, what paths we take and who we take it with. That's why it's called a journey."
...
Soft, dark chuckling echoed across the silence of the storm.
Slowly, Gale rose to his feet. Nemesis Wind appeared by his side once more.
"Then... By your logic I shouldn't stop."
Jacob's smile grew broader. "Yeah... You made your choice, Gale. Life doesn't have an 'undo' button... and it definitely doesn't have a 'reset' button either."
Time seemed to pass on for eternity... until Gale reached for his helmet and pulled it off.
Standing beside Nemesis Wind... they looked like twins... or brothers...
Then Jacob saw it...
The two of them... brothers.
Nemesis Wind was Gale's representation of Danny...
"Life may not have a way of undoing what has been done," Gale said ominously. "But it certainly has a 'delete' button!"
The Elemental Lord of Wind suddenly surged forward alongside Nemesis Wind. They moved with blinding speed. Nemesis Wind was first to attack, lunging at him with that wakizashi in a slow, overhead strike. Jacob easily blocked it -
... then Gale appeared face to face with him.
Oh crap!
Jacob remembered this move...
Gale's Breath Control... the power to control another person by breathing into them...
It was how Gale beat him the first time!
Gale exhaled -
Jacob made to counter but remembered he was also occupied with Nemesis Wind!
Wait!
Marcus' words echoed in his mind.
"You know the only time I ever beat Gale was when I discovered that each of his techniques has one_weakness...._
"Gale."
WHAM!
Gale gagged.
Jacob's fist may not have punctured his Seal Armour but the force was strong enough to cause him to temporarily pause and lose concentration. Taking every second he had, Jacob kneed Gale in the groin and knocked Nemesis Wind away with a roundhouse punch. Both foes danced away, Gale coughing slightly.
"You won't escape again!" Gale took another deep breath.
Gotta keep Gale distracted!
He drove his combined blades into the ground. The already shattered ground of the throne room shuddered and broke apart with a terrifying boom. Gale gasped as the floor beneath his feet dropped away and the entire throne room finally had enough abuse. Its entire structure crumbled.
Jacob planted his feet against the closest slab of the throne room and kicked off. He landed on the golden carpet and scrambled up its length, instantly closing the distance between himself and Gale. Wildwind's eyes went wide as Jacob reached him and delivered a spinning slash.
"Argh!" Gale cried as a bloody gash appeared across his chest.
Nemesis Wind hurled himself into Gale's defence, lashing out with that wakizashi. Jacob blocked the attack, grabbed the Unsealed's face and hurled him straight at Gale. The two collided in midair and slammed into a crumbling piece of the throne room, smashing right through it and crashing into the gigantic Seal of Fate's Winds.
The two landed on the Seal like it was some enormous, glowing, ethereal platform.
Jacob jumped from falling shard to shard before landing on the Seal himself. While the shards dropped out of view and were consumed by the storm, he managed to remain firmly standing on the Seal.
The big problem was that now, there was another huge gap between them.
Gotta get in close...
The seconds that Gale recovered from the last attack Jacob used to bolt down the enormous Seal.
Sixty metres...
Both Gale and his Unsealed clone looked up and snarled. They both drew a kunai knife each and hurled them at Jacob. A glint of something metallic between the knives caught Jacob's eyes.
Then he remembered...
In the battle against the Clear Wind...
Gale had used garrotte wire...
Shit!
Jacob jumped...
... barely missing getting cut in half by the wire linking the two knives.
He landed and immediately pressed himself against the solid Seal as another knife flew above, barely missing ripping his ears off the top of his head. With a grunt, his jumped to his feet and charged.
Fifty metres.
Gale and Nemesis Wind hurled their kunai at him, garrotte wire linking them. Jacob jumped through their webs, somersault and sliding, dodging and deflecting. He cut through one and got a painful slash across his arm and leg as the wire snapped out.
Forty metres... thirty...
Suddenly, his foes threw about a dozen kunai at the same time arranged in a vertical circle. Jacob saw the massive wire mesh that linked them all. It was like a sharp, spider web hurtling straight towards him or a laser grid!
Damn!
Desperation flooded him.
He jumped backwards and doge to his right -
SWISH!
Jacob bit back a gasp of pain as three of the kunai buried themselves in different places all over his leg. He didn't have the time to dwell on his pain. Gale was already drawing a new set of knives. He scrambled to his feet, yanking one knife out of his thigh and charging the remaining twenty metres with the other two knives in his left leg.
He kicked it into supersonic gear and slammed straight into Nemesis Wind, crossing the distance between them in a second. Exhaustion threatened to overtake him and he was reminded why it was stupid to hit supersonic speeds in mid-battle unless running away. Ignoring the dizziness and weakness in his muscles, he drove his sword into Nemesis Wind and swung him at Gale, sending the two crashing to the ground on top of one another.
"Danny!"
I was right...
In his anger and madness... He looks at Nemesis Wind like his brother...
"That's not your brother, Gale!" Jacob panted. He felt blood run down from his forehead... Where it came from he wasn't sure. "Snap out of it! You can't undo what happened! Destroying everything won't get rid of the pain!"
"You're wrong!" Gale shouted, pulling up Nemesis Wind. The Unsealed wasn't getting back up. "If no one lives to remember what happened, then it never happened!" Tears were welling up in his eyes.
That struck a chord in Jacob... and for the first time, he realised just how vastly different they were. "Gale... No one is ever truly gone if we remember them." He straightened as Gale reached for his own wakizashi. "Even when I thought I had murdered my father... I never wanted to forget my dad... I knew I had done something terrible... but I would never let his memory fade. He lives on in my memories of him... and even if I had done horrific things to him, I would not let him die...
"You did the same... You kept Danny's memory alive. You kept Bloomcrest's memory alive. Don't lose that... because then you'd really be a murderer."
Their gazes met...
Jacob could feel some retribution coming... Some way for Gale to twist his words and only strengthen his own conviction.
It was just around the corner...
Maybe something about how memory is fragile and not physical... How keeping a terrible memory is just the same as torturing the person over and over for as long as they were remembered...
"Shut up!"
...
Jacob balked in surprise.
Not exactly the comeback I was expecting...
Gale thrust his wakizashi into the ground. A tremendous tornado kicked up around him, hiding his and Nemesis Wind's bodies in the thick funnel.
Jacob readied himself for an assault...
But nothing came.
What...?
Then the winds died down... and Nemesis Gale stood back up, fully healed.
Gale was looking perfectly fit as well!
That's just not fair!
They can heal themselves!
Jacob growled and pulled the last two knives out of his leg. He was starting to feel the weariness of the battle reaching him...
Gale threw his head back and let out an anguished cry. He pulled out several kunai and dug them into the ground around him. Nemesis Wind did the same. The scant light glinted off the garrotte wires that flickered against the knives as they became empowered by Gale's might and stood straight on end.
_"Wind Siren's Sonata!"_Gale shouted, striking one of the erect wires with his wakizashi. The instant he did, a blast of sharp winds shot out from it as well as a mournful tune.
Jacob jumped to his left and grimaced as the winds tore right through the tail of his coat.
More sorrowful notes hung in the air as both Gale and his Unsealed counterpart struck wires like a circular harp. Blades of wind flew all around them, battering Jacob and slicking into his flesh and ripping through his cloth armour. Pain stabbed at Jacob from all over. His regeneration was vastly slowing as his energy reserves faded. He tried sucking the light out from around him to recover but it was far too slow.
Damnit!
How do I -
Then a thought occurred to him.
He recalled the battle against Dorothy and Caroline Boswin... They encased themselves in a funnel of winds and attacked from inside... Jacob countered by -
His eyes darted to the top of the cylinder... and he grinned.
Gathering his strength, he charged towards Gale's little fortress of winds, bearing the storm and the multiple slashes across his body. Gale intensified his attack but as the gap between them closed to about twenty metres, Jacob launched himself into the air and unleashed a sonic boom that sent him soaring over Gale's wire cylinder.
Light gathered all around Jacob's combined sword, shining brightly with the brilliance of a thousand stars.
"Gale!" he roared.
He hurled his sword straight down -
BOOOOOM!
The entire Seal shook and a tremendous shockwave filtered with light washed over its entire face. It swept through the entire storm, cutting through upper reaches of the cloud cover and letting the sun shine in from the heavens.
WHAM!
Jacob crashed to the ground, exhausting hitting him like a sack of ten tonne bricks. Unconsciousness lingered at the edges of his thoughts but he fought it off and rolled onto his back.
Is it...
Is it over...?
Sunrays filtered down from the blazing noon sun, washing over his black fur and filling him with warmth. He greedily absorbed all the light he could, filling himself back with strength.
I think...
... it has to be...
Clouds came swirling back in, obscuring the sun once more as tremendous thunderstorms rolled in.
Oh no...
Gale hovered above him, eyes blazing with anger.
It can't be!
That was a direct hit!
Unless...
Jacob tried to get up -
WHAM!
Gale slammed a foot against his chest.
In the instant he raised his head, he saw Nemesis Wind lying on the ground, unmoving.
He sacrificed himself for Gale...
"Time to die, Jacob Reaper," Gale growled, his voice low. "Death's Breath..." Wildwind drew a breath.
No!
It was Gale's ultimate ability... He had said so... Instant death with a simple breath...
Gale exhaled...
Black winds slipped out from between his lips and swept down towards Jacob, flooding down his throat and into his -
WHAM!
Gale was yanked out of view by a surge of energy... What appeared to be a blast of red and blue flames mixed with rocks and metal shards with black lightning and a spiral of water twisting around the funnel...
Jacob felt strong paws seize his armpits and lift him up to his feet.
"Alpha - I mean, Jacob, are you alright?"
It took him a second to realise that he was staring at Leo's face.
Relief and joy filled his heart knowing he was safe.
"Yeah..." he sighed, a smile crawling onto his face.
"Good god," Joanna groaned, coming to stand right beside him. "We give you one thing to do, to stop Gale, and you manage to screw that up!" She gave him a bright grin. "How you managed to survive all these years I have no idea."
Taylor walked in to stand beside Leo, patting the young Tribal's shoulder. "It's because he has friends. We are all there to support one another and when one of us wavers, we all stand together to weather the storm."
"United we stand," Kerry announced, slipping in beside Joanna. "Our building, our future, isn't just several small structures huddled together. It's one, titanic skyscraper with multiple floors, a sturdy foundation and an infinite reach."
"Sure we disagree on some things," Max sighed, looming behind Jacob and hefting his massive staff over his shoulders. "But you know what? We're in this together now. We have our flaws and our strengths. But we all balance each other out and that's what'll make us all strong."
Jacob felt his heart soar... felt it filled with the strength from his friends. All weaknesses lay forgotten and he turned to look at his friend one by one...
Each of them in their Brand Forms...
Taylor, the tall, fit, statuesque feline that burned with unimaginable strength.
Leonardo, the big, stocky Tribal that possessed undying loyalty.
Joanna, the beautiful, motherly fox which was the rock they all clung to.
Kerry, the passionate, independent young doe who wielded countless icy spears in her Brand Form and hovered in the air. Her determination and conviction shone through like a comet in the skies... bringing hope to all.
And finally... Max... Gruff but very stoic in his beliefs with a strong sense of justice and order... The fortress that they could all reside in when things got rough...
The other Animus arrived, looming behind Gale.
Eden loomed there with Behemoth riding on her shoulders. Prometheus landed on the Seal itself beside Polaris and Cerberus.
"No building can withstand my storm..." Gale snarled, staggering to his feet. The Seal of Fate's Winds glowed brightly beneath their feet. "Even the strongest foundation will shatter!" he cried... and he literally cried. The tears were dropping down from his cheeks. "I rip it right out of the ground!"
Gale threw back his head and let out a loud roar.
For the second time, he was encased in brilliant golden light. Two pairs of bright, golden wings flared out from the light as it dissipated. Gale Winthrop rose into the air, completely encased in big, thick armour and suspended by those two pairs of wings. In both hands, he held a bladed-bow. The wings of his helm now seemed organic and flapped alongside his other two.
"Suffer my storm!"
Gale swept his hands upwards. Bolts of lightning cascaded down from the skies followed by huge funnels of wind. The Branded immediately scattered. Icy spears shot out from Kerry as he skated across the Seal, leaving an icy trail where she slid. Flaming discs flew from Taylor's paws but were whipped aside by the winds.
"Breathe your last!"
The insane Gale flapped all his wings in unison. A flurry of golden feathers shot out of each wing, sweeping all over the Seal and embedding themselves against the glowing surface. Jacob somersaulted backwards and filled his Brand with all his power. He let out a loud roar as he entered his Brand Form, every muscle expanding and his wings unfurling in glory. He wrapped those wings immediately in from of him and felt those feathers pepper them but doing little damage.
Gale shouted loudly and Jacob pulled his wings back as Prometheus and Polaris attacked the Elemental Lord, slamming him with their weapons.
"Go away!"
Gale fired two, tremendous Tornado Arrows at the two Animus, scoring direct hits. Both Animus had the Arrows drill right through them and they vanished in a flurry of lights. Taylor and Kerry shouted in despair.
"Weep in the winds!"
The storm around them abruptly picked up. Lightning joined the spinning winds and rain pelted them down from above. The ashes gathered around them, obscuring their vision. Eden and the remaining Animus were knocked into the winds and Jacob feared for the people trapped within the Animus.
"Jacob! Look out!"
He looked up.
A huge fist shaped from the ashes came plunged down towards him -
WHAM!
A thick sheet of ice reinforced by a panel of metal blocked the fist.
Max and Kerry stood in front of him.
"There's gotta be some way to stop him!" Max grunted.
WHAM!
Another fist hit.
Jacob thought fast...
They had to get in close... but it was impossible with Gale -
... Gale... gale...
"Keep this up," he said, turning around and running to the edge of the Seal.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Max shouted. "Don't tell me you're running away!"
Jacob flashed his stunned friends a grin. "That's exactly what I'm doing!"
He reached the edge of the Seal and jumped straight into the storm. The winds instantly kicked him to the right, sending him spinning all around the Seal.
One thing I've learned from this experience...
The ash made it hard to see... but he could still find Gale amidst the storm...
... you can't run away from your problems...
Gale shouted something else and lightning descending down from the heavens, encasing the ashen fists and bashing the shield that was now being reinforced by all the Branded.
... no matter what you do...
The storm took him right behind Gale...
... They'll always come back to haunt you!
He slashed out with his swords, blasting the winds with a sonic boom that send him hurtling straight at Gale!
The Elemental Lord turned around -
WHAM!
They collided in midair, Jacob's sword biting right through Gale's spine and plunging right through the Elemental Lord's chest in a burst of blood.
"Eternity beckons!" Jacob shouted, yanking out his blade in midair. He brought it back crashing down, slicing downwards at Gale before mercilessly spinning and delivering blow after blow at the man he had admired.
He was relentless.
Slash, after slash after slash!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Bits of Gale's armour flung out in various directions.
Jacob delivered a downwards blow -
WHACK!
Off went one wing.
... he pulled up from the slashed, bringing up his sword.
WHACK!
Off went another two.
He spun and jabbed is blade forward before yanking it viciously upwards.
THWACK!
Off went the last wing... and Gale was flung around...
Jacob gnashed his teeth, let out a terrible cry and lifted his sword above his head, gripping it in both paws. Light spilled from his weapon, forming into thousands of light swords all around him.
"Infinity Blade!"
He brought down his sword.
All the other swords crashed into Gale a second later.
In the brief instance before the big collision...
Jacob's combined swords hacked right down Gale's face... splitting his helm right down the middle.
For the last time... their eyes met...
...
... and Gale smiled.
"Thank you... Jacob..."
BOOOOM!
*****
The Seal of Fate's Winds shattered.
It wasn't just that the power that I had mustered to summon my storm and channelled my control through the Seal that shattered...
... no...
The whole Seal itself shattered.
In the brief instant when I locked gazes with Jacob Reaper for the final time...
... I knew.
All those souls that were trapped in my Seal... they were free...
Danny...
I remember plunging down through my shattered Seal... Around me, the shards of the golden symbol floated to the ground in some sort of warped slow motion alongside the shards of my once, proud Skystorm Tower.
To my utter amazement, the shards of the Seal began to melt into the shape of familiar faces... The all fell beside me... but they were all smiling... People I had grown up with... My parents... my friends... Everyone...
I watched them reappear before my very eyes...
I wasn't sure if it was just my delirium as I came close to death... or the fact that this was some power of Jacob's Brand that I never knew... but I didn't care.
I smiled as my parents flew over to me and gave me one last hug... before they peeled away from me and drifted towards the sky. All those released from my Seal formed a sort of cyclone that drifted into the glorious sunlight.
My storm had ended.
The skies cleared...
... and those that still stood were stronger than ever.
Jacob had been right...
Life didn't have an 'undo' or 'reset' button...
... I had been an idiot to believe I could wipe the world clean...
... I can't make things go back to the way they once were...
... but at the very least, I can find peace knowing that I made the people that had the capacity to move forward stronger...
I wasn't sure how long I lay there in the ashes... It felt like an eternity.
I guess what they said is true... The moments when your life flees your body do last forever.
And my life flashed before my eyes...
I had lost so much... and I had been deceived... But, I did so much even under that pretence...
Just because the source of my strength was evil... it doesn't make me evil. Sherry was right...
I only hope that Marcus could lead a better life than I could...
Then again... if he didn't, I was sure Jacob Reaper would be there to kick his ass if he needed.
Closure... It's a funny thing.
The day I fought against and alongside Jacob, I knew he was hiding a lot of his power from me. Having fought him to the fullest extent of his abilities... I was satisfied... and oddly happy.
Because I realised that his power did not come from his Brand... but his heart... and the connections he forged with those around him... Even me. He bound us all together in some way or another and we all played a part in a grand epic tale that led me to my ultimate fate...
... but it was a fate that I didn't mind...
Because I would live forever in his memory... just like he said.
I guess... I guess I could never really be like the winds.
The winds never return to the same place the same and must always keep moving to live... But I'm not just a gust of wind, I'm not just a breath... I'm a person... and I have to spend time to stop and reflect... to turn around and see where I've been to look forward and see where I'm going.
I realised that too late...
... but at the very least, I will be remembered...
Just like Danny will always live in my memory...
I only wish I could have seen him one last time...
I sighed softly and it sounded so weak in my ears...
Not long now.
I felt weakness in my neck and my head turned to the right...
Beside my hand... lay something that glinted against the brilliant, sunlight...
Heh... Sunlight... It's funny... I've lived in Pollenburn for so long but it's never been as bright as it is now...
There... Sitting right beside my hand was Danny's lucky charm...
I felt a lump form in my throat and tears well up in my eyes.
With the last ounce of my strength, I reached out and seized it in my hand. In the process, I brushed aside the ashes that it rested on.
A small, pink flower sprouted out from beneath the ashes and rose to greet the sun.
Those tears... they became floods and a soft laugh escaped my lips as I pressed Danny's charm against my chest. I felt the winds pick up and the ashes around me were blown away. The fragrance of those beautiful flowers filled my nostrils... the smell of fresh grass and pollen... of constant Spring...
I was laughing and crying at the same time...
I was so happy...
... and relieved.
My dream had come true...
Pollenburn was full of flowers again...
Hidden beneath the ashes of my own despair and guilt... the flowers bloomed. Only now that I had accepted the truth and learned to move on did the ashes of my past wash away. I was the one keeping the ash here...
... but now...
...
Thank you, Jacob...
Thanks for all you have done...
I wanted to say that aloud in the hopes that he would hear me... but I felt so weak...
I don't think my eyes shut... It's just that I couldn't see anything anymore.
I used the last bits of my strength to hold Danny's charm...
In the last bits of my life, I wanted to make sure that I felt his charm in my fingers...
... just... that...
... last bit...
... one more time...
... Danny...
...
...
Thwack.
"Ha! I finally found you!"
Sharp pain stabbed at my forehead and I opened my eyes. The sun beat down on my retinas and I winced.
Hovering above me was a bright, youthful chimpanzee with the same green eyes I possessed. He looked like a younger version of me but a little rounder. Denim overalls covered his first body from years of working on a farm...
Danny...?
"Took me a while!" Danny said, grinning. "But I finally found you, Gale!"
He held out his hand...
I gawked...
I must be dreaming... or dead...
I reached out... and took his hand.
He helped me to my feet... I stood a little taller than him... but he was just as I remembered him...
"Danny... I..."
He just grinned and poked my chest. "Just where we said we'd always meet if we ever get lost."
I turned around and saw that rock... My rock... That black rock in the middle of the flowery fields with that indentation that was shaped just for me that looked like a seat...
"So come on!" Danny laughed, shoving me lightly and dancing away. "It's your turn!"
I... I... I...
Danny frowned at me. "Gale... Why are you crying? Did something happen?"
...
I shook my head and pulled him close to me, hugging him extra tight just to make sure he was real...
He was more than real. I could feel his heartbeat in his chest... and mine alongside it...
"No, Danny... Everything is..." I was lost for words.
Danny laughed and pushed me away slightly, holding me out at arm's length. "I know, Gale," he said softly. "It was rough looking for one another for all that time... but everything is going to be alright now." He poked my nose. "Just don't wander too far again, okay?"
I shook my head. "Wouldn't dream of it."
He grinned and shoved me back, laughing and scrambling into the distance. "Don't think that counts as you catching me!"
I couldn't help but laugh as well...
I took one moment to glance behind me...
Somewhere in the distance... a train blared its horn...
I wiped the tears from my eyes and ran after Danny.
"Ready or not, here I come!"
****
The train blared its horn loudly.
Jacob sighed and adjusted the volume to his music player. He had gotten rid of the white noise. It had gotten too depressing. He was currently listening to a bit of music. 'Fly' by some artist. It seemed fitting after all that had happened.
The train blared another warning.
It was about to leave.
He cast a worried glance over his shoulder at the rest of the station...
... no one else was heading to Graesham...
Damn...
"Maybe we should give them a few more seconds...?"_Spectre suggested. _"You could always take the next train."
Jacob shook his head.
Nah... It's okay...
He picked up his bags filled with his new belongings including a fresh set of 'casual' clothes and several copies of his 'combat attire' since Christy apparently hated the idea that he kept getting his torn up and she was returning home to continue her studies. She couldn't be around to sow him new outfits when he needed so she gave him a suitable stockpile.
"Jacob! Wait!"
His heart skipped a beat.
Shana and Darren came running down the train station, waving frantically.
He grinned and dropped his bags, catching Shana in a tight embrace and laughing joyfully. The sensation of laughing was still new to him but he was getting used to it.
He liked it after all.
"I thought you weren't going to make it in time!" he laughed, setting Shana down.
"We almost didn't," Darren chuckled. He gave Jacob a lopsided grin. "I mean, it's a little hard running the affairs of all of Pollenburn's farming industry."
"STFU and getting a lot of support, you know," Shana said with a smile. "Marcus personally put it in front of MODD and there's talk it'll be a worldwide organisation."
Jacob snickered. "MODD is still a corporation. It's still at the mercy of the consumers and if STFU has its base of operations here in Pollenburn, it can't just wipe out a massive organisation like that especially if it has the support of all the farmers in Rillotia. After all, they get money out of it as well since STFU is a subsidiary of MODD."
They all shared broad grins.
MODD couldn't touch Pollenburn now.
In the few weeks since Gale's Storm, the incident was reported all over the world. STFU became the primary charity that helped rebuild Pollenburn. With its notoriety already spread thanks to Gale's work, MODD was unable to touch Pollenburn with STFU's base of operations located in the very same town.
While it didn't make Pollenburn immune, it ensure that if anything else happened to Pollenburn, it would be linked to MODD.
Right now, the storm was given to an Unsealed attack... one were Gale Winthrop tragically died alongside his loyal lieutenant Sherry Stormrock. Marcus Willows took over as the new ExIT Commander of the aptly named Gale Force.
The best part about it all...?
The flowers were back.
Jacob finally got to see what Bloomcrest looked like...
Endless planes of flowers...
"Gale would've been proud..."
"Oh, Marcus, Darren and I got this for you," Shana said, reaching into her pockets and handing Jacob a small trinket. "We thought about that trinket you said Danny gave you to help convince Gale to come back and Marcus thought this might be a good 'thank you' present."
"He couldn't be here right now," Darren explained. "Kinda busy helping repair Pollenburn."
Jacob regarded the trinket... a keychain ornament, actually. It was a small, petrified flower. "I understand... You guys didn't have to..."
Shana wrapped her hands around his paws, closing them securely around the ornament. "We wanted to, Jacob. Any time you ever feel like the ground is shaking under your feet, all you have to do is remember we're here for you. That you have friends that stand beside you to help hold you firm even if we're halfway across the world."
Jacob grinned and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his broken pocket watch and flipped it open.
One day, we shall all die...
He snapped the watch shut and attached the petrified flower ornament to the chain of the watch.
The broken watch... his shattered past...
... and the flower... a symbol of the supports he was using to restabilise his foundations...
Yeah... I like it.
"Thanks."
He hugged Shana -
The train's horn blared again.
"Jay! Hurry it up!"
Jacob straightened. Taylor was waving from inside the train.
"Ow! Stop that you mutt!" Max shouted from inside their cabin. "Jacob! Will you tell your stupid Tribal to stop sniffing my groin!?"
"But I need to get your scent in case we get separated..." Leo replied.
"The farther away from you I am, the better!"
Joanna and Kerry's laughter could be heard from inside. Joanna mentioned that she let Leo sniff her and that Max should be flattered at the attention. Kerry just giggled quietly.
Jacob turned back to Shana and hugged her one last time. "Take care of yourself, Shana. And I'm sorry I couldn't bring Gale back home."
Shan gave him a smile and shook her head. "I think Gale is exactly where he belongs now, Jacob."
He turned and shook paws with Darren. "Take care of your mom, okay?"
"And you take care of yourself, man. Thanks for everything."
The train began moving.
"Whoa!" he cried, snatching up his bags. "See you guys!" he shouted, running up beside the window Taylor was hanging out of. "Tayl! Catch!"
He threw his bags at Taylor who caught them with a bit of fumbling.
"Jay! Where are you -?"
Before the cougar could finish, Jacob jumped at the train, scrambling up its walls and standing firmling on the vehicle's roof.
A big grin on his face, he turned around and waved farewell to Shana and Darren McLeod.
My future is uncertain...
But now... I'm a little stronger on my feet than I was before...
... I know I can move on with my life...
_"And you have a goal now,"_Spectre reminded.
That's right...
Jacob lowered his paw and turned towards the distance... to the south...
... To Graesham.