The Last Stone

The King's smile disappeared.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at Nino. Violet veins still glowed along his neck and arms, while One remained motionless among the rubble dozens of yards behind him. The man who had barely been able to stand moments earlier now held the black sword as though the battlefield itself responded to his presence.

The King took a step back. Then raised his hand. The shadow over the palace began to move.

Nino looked up.

The Primordial's only remaining hand hovered over that part of the city, large enough to hide the sky. Its fingers curled and descended until they touched the ground behind them.

The King closed his fist, and the hand moved.

Stone roared against stone across the entire square as the Primordial's fingers dragged backward, sweeping through ruins, broken walls, and everything else in their path.

Straight toward those who were still down.

Three looked back.

The Hero of Lumeris remained among the rubble. The Hero of Orvain was a few yards farther ahead. Leo still hadn't gotten up. And the wall of stone was coming straight toward them.

Nino ran to stop the Colossus.

The moment he moved away, the King rushed toward the Stones.

Nino noticed.

Without slowing down, he twisted his body and hurled the black sword. Violet Pulse covered the blade as it cut across the battlefield.

The King was only a few steps from the container when the sword struck the ground in front of him.

BOOOM!

The explosion threw him backward. Nino kept running.

"Nino!" Three shouted.

The Primordial's finger was over her.

Nino got there first. He threw himself against the colossal mass and raised both arms.

The impact drove his feet into the ground.

Cracks spread beneath his boots as tons of stone continued pushing forward. The muscles in his arms trembled. Blood began running from his side again, and the violet Pulse around his body flickered.

Even so, the finger stopped. Three looked at the colossal structure above her, then at Nino.

"Leave me here!" she shouted. "Go after him!"

Nino gritted his teeth.

"I'm not sacrificing anyone else."

He released one hand. Closed his fist. All the Pulse around his arm converged into it.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Nino punched.

BOOOM!

The stone shattered.

Violet cracks tore through the Primordial's finger before the entire structure exploded into enormous fragments. Three shielded her face as chunks of stone crashed around them.

Across the battlefield, the King was already back on his feet. He staggered toward the container.

Three saw him.

Her fingers closed around her sai. She took a deep breath and threw it.

The blade spun through the air.

The King reached for the Stones. The sai pierced his robe and buried itself in the ground.

The fabric pulled tight, yanking him backward.

"What?!"

He grabbed his robe and tried to free himself. Three smiled between heavy breaths.

"Always the same."

Nino looked at the Primordial. The creature was still moving. Its damaged arm began to rise again as the colossal mass reorganized itself under the King's commands.

Something lay near Nino: Six's hammer.

He picked it up with both hands.

The handle looked disproportionate compared to the enormous weapon, but Nino raised it and fixed his eye on the Primordial's chest.

Pulse wrapped around his legs. The ground exploded beneath his feet.

Nino jumped.

He rose before the living mountain, gripped the hammer with both hands, and pulled it back. Then struck.

BOOOM!

The head of the hammer sank into the Primordial's chest. For an instant, nothing happened. Then a violet line appeared, followed by dozens.

Nino's Pulse tore through the stone from within, spreading across its chest, shoulders, neck, and throughout the entire colossal structure. The violet lines reached its head.

The Primordial stopped, and the light disappeared.

Nino ripped the hammer from its chest and began to fall. Behind him, the mountain toppled.

THUMP.

The impact shook Lumeris.

A cloud of dust swallowed part of the city as the last Primordial lay motionless on the ground.

The King looked at it. For the first time, there was nothing but desperation on his face. He pulled at his robe with all his strength. The fabric tore.

He was free.

The King ran toward the Stones again.

Three was still on the ground. Her first sai remained embedded beside the torn piece of the King's robe.

She reached forward. She still had the other one.

"Hey."

The King turned.

Three threw it.

He tried to move. But it was already too late.

The sai struck his back. The King arched his body and dropped to one knee.

Nino landed among the rubble and immediately started running again.

The King looked at him. Then at the Stones. His hands went to his collar. The two stones he had already used remained embedded in it. His fingers closed around them.

Violet filled his eyes.

"KICK IT!"

A nearby soldier moved. His foot struck the container, sending it sliding across the ground.

The untouched Stone slipped free and rolled toward the King. He reached for it.

At that same instant, Nino arrived with supernatural speed. They both touched the stone at the same time.

WHUMMM.

The force repelled them.

Nino was thrown to one side and slammed into the ground. The King flew in the opposite direction, rolling through the rubble.

The Stone shot upward. It struck a broken structure above the palace entrance and remained there for an instant.

Then it moved. One turn after another. Eventually, it fell onto the staircase. The stone bounced down the steps, slowly descending until it came to rest near the pillars.

Nino planted one hand against the ground and stood. His leg nearly gave out.

Across from him, the King writhed as he tried to reach the sai embedded in his back.

Nino began to walk.

Every step demanded more than the last. Blood stained his clothes, one of his arms barely responded, and his breathing came heavily. Still, he moved forward.

Movement appeared across the battlefield.

The Hero of Orvain raised her head among the rubble. The Hero of Lumeris pressed what remained of one gauntlet against the ground. Farther away, Leo opened his eyes.

Even some of the Shadows began to regain consciousness. None of them stood to fight.

They all watched Nino. He was walking toward the last Stone.

"NO!"

The King's voice tore across the square. Nino kept going.

The King finally pulled the sai from his back and let it fall. He tried to stand, but dropped back onto one knee.

"Don't do it!"

Nino took another step.

"You don't understand!" the King shouted. "I was so close!"

Nino stopped. The King struggled to breathe.

"You think I wanted to live forever?"

Nino turned his head slightly.

"Immortality..." The King let out a weak laugh. "What for?"

He tried to stand again.

"I want everything back."

Nino remained still.

"Everything I sacrificed. Everything I lost. That's what I chose from the beginning."

The King raised his eyes.

"Restoration doesn't simply return what was taken. It brings everything back to the point before the first price was paid. Before the first exchange. Before any of this."

Nino looked at him.

"You want to go back in time."

"I want to start over!"

The King's voice broke.

"My parents... I can have them back."

The battlefield remained silent.

"All of this can disappear, Nino. Every death. Every war. Every person I sacrificed. The Shadows. The Colossi. Everything. I can go back and do things differently."

Nino looked at the Stone a few steps ahead.

"I'd do it right this time," the King continued. "I already know where I went wrong. I know what not to do. I can save all of them."

“And you think this ends here?” the King continued. “With Mezi? Solvar? The Four Nations?”

Nino looked at him.

“You’ve never seen what lies beyond our borders. Neither have I. Not truly.” The King struggled to breathe. “But I’ve seen enough. Old records. Maps. Fragments left behind by people who knew about the Stones long before we did.” His fingers dug into the rubble. “Four Stones were found here, Nino. That doesn’t mean they were the only ones.”

Nino’s expression changed slightly.

“There are things beyond the Four Nations that even I don’t understand. Powers older than our kingdoms. Maybe older than the Stones themselves.” The King looked at the last Primordial Stone. “If I go back... I can prepare for them this time.”

Nino didn't move.

"That is my dream."

For a moment, the words remained between them. Nino thought of the lives that had been lost; the people of Mezi; Two; the soldiers who had fallen to give One power; the memories torn away from Three; his own life, stolen before he had even been able to choose who he wanted to be.

Then he looked at the King.

That man believed what he was saying.

He needed to believe it.

Because as long as there was a future where he could erase everything, any atrocity in the present could be turned into something necessary.

There would always be one more person to sacrifice.

One more life. One more lie.

Nino started walking again.

"You're only deceiving yourself."

The King's eyes widened.

"Zer... Nino—"

"No more control." He took another step. "No more lies."

The Stone was right in front of him. The King panicked.

"KILL HIM!"

Footsteps echoed behind Nino. The Queen ran first. The soldiers followed her, violet eyes fixed ahead, weapons in hand.

Nino clenched his fists.

Pulse exploded around his body. The wave swept across the staircase.

The soldiers were thrown backward. The Queen was pushed away as well, falling across the steps without enough force to injure her.

Weapons scattered across the ground. The violet disappeared from their eyes. The Queen blinked in confusion. The soldiers looked around.

The King remained still. His control was gone.

Nino climbed one more step and stopped beside the Stone.

The King looked at it. Then at Nino. Tears began running down his face.

"It's over..."

Nino lowered his eye toward the stone.

"I was so close."

One step. Nino walked past it.

The King blinked hard, making sure he was seeing correctly. Nino continued up the stairs.

"What...?"

The Stone remained behind. Untouched.

The King followed Nino with his eyes until he realized where he was going.

Alicia.

A faint smile appeared through the desperation on his face. There was still a chance. He tried to stand, but his arm gave out and his vision darkened. At last, he fell unconscious.

Nino kept going. Then he heard the crying.

"No..." Raysa shook her head. "No, no, no..."

Tenshi was kneeling beside her, his face wet with tears.

Nino stopped. For a moment, he was afraid to take the next step.

"Alicia..."

Raysa raised her face toward him. Alicia was in her mother's arms.

Nino understood. Even so, he approached. His face was far too peaceful compared to everything that had happened around them.

He knelt.

"Alicia."

No response. He placed his hand over her and closed his eye.

The little Pulse he still possessed spread carefully, searching for the presence he had learned to recognize. And he found it, distant.

Her heart beat.

Nino held his breath.

Another beat.

Raysa held her daughter tighter. Tenshi covered his mouth with both hands. Nino waited for one more beat. And then...

Nothing.

Alicia's Pulse disappeared. Nino kept his hand over her. He waited once more, but nothing came.

Alicia was dead.