The Farewell II [LEON]

The red-eyed shadow plunged.

Leon readies his stance.

Then…Just before the red-eyed shadow’s spear could impale him…

He is pulled sideways. The spear misses its target. Leon stumbles upon a familiar figure.

“Just in time…”

It is Noel. There is a new kind of confidence on her face. There is a subtle glow in her eyes. There was something different about her.

“Noel… how? Why are you here?” Leon asked.

She turned her face to him with a soft smile, “What’s with that aloof look? I came to save you, idiot.”

Leon’s voice trembled. “But… can you see it now? The red-eyed shadow?”

Noel’s smile deepened, “I guess that’s the case.”

The red-eyed shadow twists its spear and launches a strike towards Noel.

Leon, “Noel!!!”

Noel swiftly dodges the attack.

“As usual, such a tremendous pressure. Also, as silent as ever I see.”

Leon is shocked hearing this, it was like Noel already knew about the red-eyed shadow.

Then, Noel lifts Leon into her arms. A princess carry.

“W-Wait! Noel! What are you—?” Leon stammered.

Noel with a smile, “Do not resist for now. Let's make a run. I will explain everything on the way”

She jumps off the balcony. Lands perfectly fine on the ground.

She drops off Leon and tells him to make a run with her.

They ran. Amidst the run, Noel glanced back at the balcony. The red-eyed shadow stood still with its spear and glowing red eyes.

“Those eyes still send shivers down my spine”

Leon, “Noel, can you just tell me what’s happening? What changed in you?”

“Rather than saying I’ve changed… let’s say I’ve returned to who I was. My memories… they came back.”

Leon’s breath caught. “Memories?”

“Yes, Let me tell you everything, Leon.”

“I used to live an ordinary life. Just a noble girl, drifting through the days. Everything was so predictable, so painfully mundane. Until that one night… when I started to traverse to your world.”

Leon’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I know it sounds strange, but please listen. Leon, I appeared in your future. Sometimes far ahead. You met me there first. And just like I knew you as you arrived in my world, you knew me as I arrived in yours.”

He couldn’t breathe for a moment. The weight of her words sank into him like stones into deep water.

“You were always there to greet me,” she continued, “Always there to guide me, protect me, love me. We built something… something beautiful. Our bond was unlike anything else.”

“You see, just like how you battle the red-eyed shadow and fall… I did the same, in your world. I know that pain, that darkness.”

The red-eyed shadow catches up to them.

It strikes its spear against Noel, but she barely dodges it.

They were quite far away from the town. They were at the place where Leon re arrived everyday. Golden trees under the moonlit sky.

Noel, “I will tell you everything. Every single thing but let's take care of this guy first.”

Leon nods.

They were ready to face the red-eyed shadow. This time Leon was not alone. Yet, in a hurry, they forgot to bring their weapon which put them at a huge disadvantage.

Noel, “Leon, please place out your hand”

He hesitated but obeyed.

Noel places her hands on Leons. A mysterious power surges into Leon.

“What is this? I feel power surging into me.”

Noel, “This is something that you gave me before and now I am giving it to you”

“Noel, I listened to everything you told me. Every word. But something just… struck me. Am I really the Leon that you knew?”

For a heartbeat, the world stilled. Then, Noel scoffed.

“I asked the same question before to you, Leon. You know what you said? Leon is Leon and Noel is Noel. It doesn’t matter which time or version it is we are meant to be together”

Leon's eyes glimmer.

The red-eyed shadow charges.

Noel creates a long spiky icicle and Leon generates a flame barrage. They engage.

The collision of fire and ice creates smoke. This goes on for a while.

Suddenly, out of the mist. Noel is met with the spear of the red-eyed shadow. It's too late to dodge.

Leon, “Noel!!!”

Then…

Clang!!

The blade of another weapon intercepted it with brutal force.

A third figure had arrived.

Noel blinked, stunned. “Uncle?!”

Leon gasped, “Master?!”

Uncle arrives at the scene carrying both Noel’s and Leon’s weapons.

“Take this” he hands over their respective weapons.

Noel, “Uncle, How are you here? Can you see the red-eyed shadow too?”

Uncle, “Do think I could miss out on such a burst of energy from the mansion? Actually, this is really strange. The energy I sensed was yours, Noel. Though, it was much more powerful. I can’t believe I missed out on something this sinister. I didn’t even notice its presence until I got here following your energy thinking there was some trouble and here we go, there really was trouble.”

Noel realizes something, “This pattern. This has happened before too. Though here uncle is present instead of the great hero. This is the same…”

Uncle, “Great hero? What are you talking about? Rather, it's coming again. Brace yourself.”

The red-eyed shadow charges. Now, Leon, Noel, and her uncle are facing it. It strikes, and Uncle barely parries it.

“What the hell is even this thing? Neither human nor monster…Such a tremendous power. If I don’t give my all then I will be torn apart in a second”

The brutal battle erupts. The party fights the red-eyed shadow together. They coordinate their attacks to somewhat handle it. For a moment, they held their own.

Then…

Suddenly, the red-eyed shadow leaps.

Everyone is alerted, “What is it trying to do?”

Noel, “This pattern…Now comes the wings I guess”

Then as Noel guesses, massive wings emerge from the back of the red-eyed shadow, and the glow of its eyes grows much more intense.

Everyone is shocked but the one who’s most shocked is Noel.

“This…is not the one I faced. This…is different”

Dark bat-like wings. Similar to that of gargoyles. This was different than what Noel had anticipated.

Then in a blink, it appears before Leon and strikes its spear. Uncle charges with his all only to be batted away.

Noel grits her teeth and dashes with her rapier. The shadow’s spear suddenly twists its spear and redirects Noel’s attack. Noel’s back is wide open. She is in mid-air so she cannot dodge.

Leon, “NOEL!!!”

Then…the spear struck…