Chapter 12
Beyond the idealistic thoughts of four young women, the leaders of Cephiro gathered in the main hall. Lantis stood at the head of the group, taking what would have been Clef's place. Presia, Ferio, Lafarga, Ascot, and Caldina were all there, and many of the other world delegations as well. A pressing question must be raised.
"My friends," Lantis began. "A disturbing thought has come to me as the day has progressed." He paused, not wanting to upset many of his newer friends. The ways of Cephiro were so muddled sometimes, and many of the people here were so unblemished by the events of the past. The quest to "save" the pillar, the fight against the three other worlds that had brought us into this system of government, the quest to find the soul of Cephiro... all had inflicted deep wounds into him, and the object of their concern. "Seeing my friend so tarnished by the darkness is painful to me, and I'm sure that it would be painful to Clef to see himself like that. He is being consumed by this darkness and it is up to us to stop it."
"And what if we can't save him is the question, isn't it?" Ferio said with a sober face.
"Yes." Lantis bowed his head. No one here knew how strong the darkness inside Clef was, not even him. "If if comes down to it, one of us may have to kill him."
"WHY!" screamed Presia suddenly. "We can bring the light back within him, I'm sure of it!"
"Sometimes the light doesn't want to come back..." Eagle said softly. He looked sharply at Lantis and saw the narrowing of Lantis's eyes.
Tatra nodded. "Sometimes we have to do what is best, rather than what is most comfortable."
Ascot looked at the group with sad eyes. "The pain of this death may be more than Cephiro can bear, if you understand my meaning. The world has already been scarred too much by our petty conflicts."
"You're right." said a voice from the doorway. Umi smiled at Ascot and led the trio of girls from the doorway. Behind them, Emerria trailed behind them wearing her white dress. "You're right, the world has been scarred to much. She won't let herself be destroyed. Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue."
"Cephiro herself rages against the evil in Clef. It is otherworldly and seeks to destroy her with Clef's power. It has been focused and magnified so that it would be billions of times stronger than if it was Clef alone." Fuu said to the group.
"But if we combine our powers, we will be stronger. Together, we will be able to drive away the darkness from Clef. If we drive it away from him, its power will not be as focused as before!" Hikaru said in a clear and strong voice. "Alone, it is only as strong as the weakest of us. Without Clef's amazing power, it is defenseless!"
Emerria cleared her throat. The revelations from the Magic Knights had come from the center of Cephiro, the great mother. She was a vessel of that power and she knew her eternal place in the grand scheme of things. "They are correct. To drive the darkness out of Clef will mean our victory." She smiled at the group. "We will not need to harm my master. And if we do, I will be the one."
On to Chapter 13
Back to the Library
