The World Burned Down

He panted, his heart racing. It was like he’d carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was impossible to remember how many Aspects. Eight? Ten?

He chuckled, glancing to the side. The three-legged Sentinel still hobbled towards its destination. Undeterred that everything around it had burned or brought to its knees. That no one remained.

He raised his hand a final time, and dug his claws into the ground. He sensed the roots growing below, tracing them to where the Sentinel walked. And pulled. Tree roots tore out of the ground around the Sentinel, glinting with green crystals. They wrapped around its legs, snaring it in place as it bellowed.

He lifted his head as the blimp passed by. A woman with long silver hair stood atop it. She glanced at him with slender yellow eyes, raising an eyebrow as her sleek grey dress and drooping sleeves blew back in the wind.

Probably someone from Eclipse.

Ignacio fell forward, catching himself on his hands and knees. He coughed, his Titan form doing the same. A shiver ran through his body, his chest heaving. He swallowed hard. All those days worrying. All the training, the planning, the death.

All of it led to this.

He lifted his head, heart jumping as a new roar broke through the air.

You can’t do this, he thought, turning around. How can you do this?

One after the other, a wall of Dragon Aspects and Titans stepped in front of the Sentinel, five in total.

One of the Titans had a tree growing from the top of its head where eyes and facial features should’ve been. The other with a grey brain matter filling its head, replacing its face in the same way.

The Dragons all looked similar. All walking with wings acting as the front legs. They were smaller than the Green Dragon, though. Much smaller. One a bright yellow, the other a dark orange, the third a navy blue.

He snarled, and grabbed the Green Dragon’s corpse by the throat. He slowly rose to his feet.

Get up!

He roared, the flames on his body flaring with his open wings as he turned to face them. He took a deep breath, and flung the Green Dragon’s body towards them, a cloud of ash rising when it crashed to the ground.

They all stared at the body for a moment, and then back up at him as he stepped towards them. And one by one, they went back the way they’d come. No sound, no fuss. The Dragons took to the sky, flying away as the blimp cruised towards them.

The Sentinel bellowed, probably trying to call them back. Ignacio smiled, and before he knew it he lay flat on his back, staring up at the smoke-stained sky.

His smile widened as something glittered in the sky. There, right above him. A lone star.

“It’s beautiful, ain’t it, Iggy?”

He turned his head to the side, finding Ezequiel sitting next to him on crossed legs. He grinned at Ignacio, his dark brown eyes wrinkling.

“It’s like having a nightmare in a dream,” Ignacio said.

He nodded, a drop of blood running from his nose. “You earned your spot in Genesys, boy,” he said, patting Ignacio on the shoulder.

Ignacio chuckled, blood gurgling in his mouth. “Yeah. I think… I think so too.”

Ezequiel’s smile faltered. “I’m sorry about Kiyomi. I should’ve seen it coming.”

Ignacio shook his head. “Don’t worry, Doc. We all miss things.”

The Doc nodded, adjusting the lens of his robotic eye. “I did everything I could to take care of you, Ace. You know that, right?”

Ignacio nodded, rubbing a finger under his nose as it itched. “I know.”

“But there’s one more thing you need to do,” Ezequiel said, folding his muscular arms as he looked up. “Take care of her, Ignacio.”

He faded as a blue glow shone on the ground, the hiss of flames following. Koharu landed beside him, stumbling as she fell to her knees.

“Ignacio!” she shouted, placing her hands on his chest. “No, no, no, no… No!” She shrieked.

He stared into her green eye, a tear falling from her cheek and rolling down his.

He raised a hand to her face, black crescents of ash under his fingernails. “Your eye.”

She held his hand against her cheek. “I’m here, I’m okay.”

He smiled, coughing as blood rolled down the corner of his mouth. He sighed, chest wheezing as he stared at the sky.

“Where’s… Celeste?”

“They’re getting her now. She was kept inside the Sentinel’s head. The wagon… it was just a decoy.”

He blinked, frowning as the sky darkened. “And… Kaito?”

“He’s alive,” she said, wiping her tears with a hand.

He coughed again, blood sputtering. The sky darkened. He raised a finger.

“You see?” he whispered.

She glanced up, keeping his hand in hers. “What are you…” her voice trailed off. “What do you see?”

The moon. The stars around her. All glittering and glowing, like sparks from a beautiful white flame that just refused to die. That lingered in the dark, setting it on fire.

He took a deep breath. “They’re beautiful.”

Koharu lay down next to him, curling her knees against his side. “Do you see the stars?”

He turned to her. “Why are you crying?”

She sniffed, sputtering as she laughed. “They’re just so… beautiful.”

“But you’re not looking at them.”

She placed a hand to the side of his face, her eye narrowing as a new tear welled. “Yes, I am.”

He smirked. And they stared at each other in silence. Her hand on his face, his hand interlocked in hers.

“Take care of her for me,” he said.

Her eye squeezed shut as she nodded, her breath shaking. “I will,” she said, combing her fingers through his hair. “I will, Ace. I’ll never leave her.”

He reached over, brushing her cheek with his finger tips. “Koharu… promise me, you will find Thiago.”

She frowned, but nodded anyway. “I will.”

He rolled onto his back, gasping as pain flooded through his body.

“Oh, I’m glad I found you,” he wheezed.

The stars began to swirl around the night sky. Dancing, almost. He could hear… music. That same music he’d heard at the Coralune Cove.

“Ignacio,” his mother called. “It’s time for dinner.”

He looked up, pushing the pair of visors off his head. Celeste sat across from him on her knees, elbows on their table. She held her head in her hands as she smiled at him.

“Thank you, big brother,” she said, winking. “I won’t let you down.”

Ignacio laughed, squeezing Koharu’s hand.

“I know you won’t.”