I am... The Amazing Chris. By the way, if you have not read Gender Bending by CyberBanjo, read it first! And now, without further ado, let the story begin.
Kratos surveyed the chaos around him, heart pounding in his chest. He swore, trying to get up and failing miserably. The battlefield was dark, and getting ever darker as the darkness of the Shadow temple threatened to envelop him. Kratos flicked his eyes over to Raine, hoping against hope that she would be able to help him… No such luck. She was barely conscious herself, concentrating fully on keeping the still able fighters on their feet. Kratos frowned, reaching for his own inner mana. Presea and Genis were lying nearby, and he must at least be able to protect them… He struggled internally. Sitting up, he rested his aching back against the nearest wall. "Some Seraph I am…" he mumbled with a sigh. None of them should be here… If only Cruxis had got to Abyssion before the Regenerators had… Kratos scolded himself. There were the "if only's" again. The point was, he hadn't got to Abyssion fast enough, and so he was powerless to stop the demon transformation until it was too late. He had only just arrived, seeing the battle already in progress. Before he could even strike, he had been hit full on by a Meteor storm, catching him off guard. He had been trapped in a corner, the meteor draining his mana to the point where he was nearly useless. All he could do was hope in those who were still standing…
Regal had his battle grimace firmly in place, dodging a chakram strike before jumping into the air. "Crescent moon!" he screamed out, catching Abyssion full in the face with his right foot, and flipping into the air. And now… "Eagle Di-" his voice cut out as Abyssion struck him with the flat of the Soul Eater, nearly separating his head from his shoulders. He flew almost impossibly far, slamming into the wall next to Kratos. He fell unconscious quickly, prompting Kratos to use the last of his mana to heal his fatal injuries. Kratos groaned, feeling pain rack his body as almost his entire stores of mana were depleted. Was this it? The question reverberated through his darkening mind, and he fell into the blackness.
Lloyd got onto one knee, feeling Raine heal him. He saw Regal get taken out, to join the pile of bodies. But Abyssion was weakening too… He could see it in the demon's hurried attacks, how he rocked off-balance even now… He looked over at Sheena, who was ferociously attacking the exposed side of the beast. Zelos screamed over at him "Now!" Lloyd nodded, rushing towards the beast. He stood up fully, raising his swords for a final strike… And lost his balance. He would have sworn, but the situation was too serious. He hadn't quite fully recovered from being Lydia. He was concentrating on his centre of balance being higher than it was, thus the slip. A fatal slip, he grimly realized, as the Soul Eater was coming down.
Abyssion laughed as the sword sliced apart the air. With the red-clad fool gone, there would be no challenge left for his victory. He heard the cries of despair of those who were still standing… What little soul he had as Abyssion cried out, irking him, but he ignored it, crushing the voice underneath his bloodlust. He felt the sword enter the flesh, and all traces of pity were erased as his beastly mind smiled in anticipation of the kill.
Lloyd felt the sword pierce his skull, and in that moment, he seemed completely detached. He heard his friend's cries of anguish; he saw that sword separating his body. Was this even possible? How or what was he? Even as his eyes closed, his body preparing for death, he still was, observing. It was almost as though he was watching a movie of his own doom. Slowly, he came to realize that he was not alone in observing this terrible sight of his own death. He looked over at the other inhabitant of this ethereal room. She was behind a veil, and he could not see her clearly, but he could still tell who it was… Lydia… she was surrounded by the veil, which had drawn tight around her. Lloyd could tell that the veil was tormenting her, and the sight brought tears to his eyes. Had he done this to her? How could he? But then… The veil was spreading, pulling away from Lydia, towards Lloyd, cutting the room in half. And then, at that moment, there was a tear, and the two halves ripped apart, becoming two, and there was darkness everywhere.
In the real world, the sight was equally terrifying. Raine simply fell, unable to take the stress of seeing her student die. The two left conscious, Sheena and Zelos, leapt at Lloyd, trying to prevent fate. It was too late. They each grasped an arm and pulled, but the sword was halfway down, and there was no stopping it. Or was there? It seemed to be changing colour, from a dark, evil black to a white-hot pall. It was actually burning Abyssion, his hand smoking, his mouth screaming. The sword pierced the mid-chest, slicing the heart. There was an explosion, louder than anything heard before by man. The sword shattered, unable to take this stress, the pieces raining on the floor. Abyssion saw his hand disintegrating, watching it spread in horror. If he stayed, he would follow the path of the sword… There was only one thing to do. He recited the words in an ancient language, the words that hadn't been heard on earth for centuries.
(Changed into English)
Take me to the cursed realm,
In which this wound will heal,
For flesh becomes shadow,
No wound can be real.
Here evil reigns,
And all cures will pale,
All good is erased,
In a soul-splitting gale.
A ring of fire erupted from the floor around Abyssion, the flames turning from a red to black, covering Abyssion inside. The two last fighters stood watching in horror. Then, the cocoon of fire wound itself into a single line, disappearing from sight.
Sheena watched the dark fire disappear from her view. She looked down, viewing Lloyd's mutilated body as she held his left arm. She dimly viewed Zelos doing a similar motion, followed by a retch as he viewed the remains. Sheena was feeling sick herself. Tears poured down, creating a small puddle underneath her as she viewed what was left of Lloyd. It was just too much for her… She threw up herself, still crying over Lloyd.
Lydia felt so relieved. Such torment, for so long. Now she could be complete again. She flowed into Zelos's arms, creating a new form, making herself whole again. Lloyd saw this, and he realized that she was creating a new half. He leaped down into the other, filling it with his essence. Then, lying side by side, the two halves completed themselves, becoming two separate people. Their first gazes were at each other. As though mirror images, they rose as one, meeting their fingers together.
"How…" Lloyd croaked out, viewing the female image of him.
Lydia looked back, meeting Lloyd's shocked gaze with one of her own. "I don't know…"
Silence reigned in the Shadow temple for a few fleeting seconds. Then…
"Lloyd?" Sheena looked up at the standing figure.
"Lydia?" Came the similar saying from Zelos.
"Yes," the two voices answered as one. "I'm here." Then the figures faltered, looking at each other. "We're here."
Perhaps some of you will be angry that this chapter is so dark. Perhaps you love how the plot twists in a whole new direction from the last installment of this story. Perhaps you have a whole other opinion. Review and let me know! Critics are welcome, as always.