While Ifrit charged at Titan to close the distance between them, Lyra took a deep breath to calm herself and channel her divine powers. She would need more than just her normal holy body to fight this battle. Channeling the aether gifted to her by the Mothercrystal shards, she fused with Cronus and transformed into a godly beast that was worthy of standing against the corrupt Titan.

(A/N: I imaged something like this, but without the wings)

Her form was larger than Ifrit's. It would make for the perfect form to fight the corrupted Eikon. Without wasting any time, she dashed forward as fast as she could. It only took a few seconds for her to catch up to Ifrit while dodging the rubble raining down from the sky. She ran up behind the Eikon of Fire and scooped him onto her back. "Hold on!"

Ifrit was stunned at seeing Gaia's new form, but he was more than enthusiastic at her appearance. He rode on her back because she was much faster than him and was closing the distance between them and Titan at a rapid pace. While she dodged the incoming boulders, he used his fire to destroy the larger debris flying toward them.

Seeing their quick approach, Titan maneuvered one of his stone tendrils and sent it surging toward them in an attempt to crush them.

Gaia nimbly dodged and jumped onto the stony appendage. She ran up it to reach the Eikon's main body, but he tried to stop her with boulders and crystals. Ifrit continued to use his flames to destroy whatever tried to stop them.

Titan saw how close the goddess and Eikon were getting and acted quickly. He destroyed the appendage they were traveling up with his hand, but she jumped into the air just in time to avoid his hand and landed on another stony tendril. They didn't make it far before the corrupted Eikon grabbed the appendage they were on and swung it around.

Gaia dug her claws into the stone to prevent from being knocked off. She lowered her body, only to notice Titan was swinging them directly toward his other fist. Acting fast, she jumped into the air.

Ifrit jumped off her back and delivered a flaming attack to Titan's arm. However, it didn't even cause a dent.

The corrupted Eikon focused his efforts on Ifrit. He sent tendril after tendril toward the Eikon of Fire. He managed to knock him through the air and went in for the kill with another tendril but was stopped when a powerful lightning strike rained from the heavens and destroyed the appendage.

Titan's gaze fell to Gaia, who was still trying to reach the main body. His next attack was focused on her but was taken by surprise the moment Ifrit grabbed one of his tendrils and sent it hurtling toward him. The appendage ripped through his left arm and it fell to the ground.

Ifrit landed on the top of Drake's Fang just below the main body of Titan. He was soon joined by Gaia. "We've got you now!" He shouted. Together, they stood against the corrupted Eikon and dealt heavy blow after heavy blow when he tried to smash them with his remaining arm. They dodged each and every attack Titan sent their way and were in perfect sync.

The moment Titan withdrew his arm after digging his fingers into the ground, Gaia's tail split into eight separate ones and flared outward. With a monstrous shriek, a large waterspout formed around Titan's main body. The powerful currents swirled around him, nipping away at his stone body. It was too much and the Eikon of Earth fell.

In Titan's staggered state, Ifrit and Gaia attacked the arm that collapsed against the platform they were on. They let loose some of their strongest attacks before the corrupted Eikon was back up.

Anger growing, Titan batted the back of his arm at Ifrit and Gaia. Before it could make contact, the goddess swept up the Eikon of Fire and jumped out of the way. The ground was destroyed and she landed on a stone tendril to rush further upward. She jumped to the side and into the air when another tendril was heading straight for them.

She managed to reach another platform and Ifrit dropped off her back. He quickly released a large fireball when Titan used one of his appendages to toss a large boulder at them. The rock shattered when the fireball made contact with it. He then jumped out of the way when he saw the corrupted Eikon's fist heading straight for him.

Repeating the same tactics, Ifrit and Gaia focused their attacks on Titan's hand whenever it was within their reach. They delivered heavy blows and managed to stagger the corrupted Eikon a second time. It allowed them to deliver even more powerful attacks.

Seconds later, Titan recovered. He raised his hand and brought it palm-down against the platform Ifrit and Gaia were on. They jumped to safety and the platform was destroyed. Falling downward, they landed on another platform that was still intact.

Like the previous two times, Ifrit and Gaia fought with all their might to bring Titan down by first targeting his last remaining arm. It was becoming a little more difficult as Titan's desire to kill them seemed to rise with every passing second. He was enraged and now used all of his appendages in an attempt to crush them.

After a final stagger, Ifrit and Gaia were able to shatter the exterior of Titan's remaining arm to reveal the crystals underneath. They only need to push a little more to sever the arm.

Suddenly, a stone tendril appeared. It surged toward them, but Ifrit grabbed it. Fighting against the appendage, he managed to overpower it and rip it off. Swinging it, the Eikon of Fire slammed it against Titan's arm and shattered even more of the stone. The crystals keeping the arm attached to the main body were in full view.

"You're mine!" Ifrit shouted before leaping into the air and landing on Titan's arm. He rapidly attacked the appendage with fire to eat away more of the stone before jumping into the air to get into range of the crystals. Conjuring an immense fireball, he sent it hurtling toward the exposed crystals. "Burn!"

The fireball hit its mark.

Titan's arm was blown off. It fell to the ground and the corrupted Eikon was armless.

As Ifrit fell, he was taken by surprise when a tendril collided with him. He grunted from the impact as his body was forced upward into the sky.

Gaia, after witnessing what happened, targeted the appendage with wind magic. She conjured an arc of wind that sliced through the stone, allowing Ifrit to rip it off with ease. She looked to the sky to see the Eikon falling back down with the tendril in his grasp.

Titan was too focused on Ifrit. The Eikon of Fire had his full attention, allowing Gaia to attack the other tendrils after seeing they were heading straight for Ifrit. She used all sorts of combinations of elements to slice through the stony appendages and prevent them from attacking the Eikon.

As Ifrit passed through the cloud of dirt, he gripped the tendril tighter. "Heads up, Hugo!" With all his strength, he threw the appendage. It pierced Titan's shoulder.

"Your time...is past!" Ifrit channeled his power and rammed into the tendril, causing it to pierce deeper into Titan's body and shatter the crystals within. The large form of the corrupted Eikon crumbled as he and Ifrit plunged deep into the earth.

When both Eikons vanished from sight, Gaia landed next to the large hole in the ground. She could hear the sounds of battle, but she trusted Ifrit to deal the final blow to Titan. Backing away from the hole, she jumped away and landed in the sand. Remaining in her heavenly beast form, her eyes scanned the desert for Torgal.

Hearing a bark, she saw the canine running towards her. She was more than relieved to see he was safe. She feared he had been killed when Hugo transformed into Titan and caused the inner sanctum to crumble.

Minutes later, Gaia's attention was drawn back to the hole when she sensed Titan's presence. She looked over just as the Eikon's body soared into the sky before plummeting down. His body slammed against the ground and the heart of the Mothercrystal appeared above his body.

Ifrit, having returned from the depths of the earth, saw the core and formed a blade of pure flames. Leaping at the heart, he slashed through it and shattered it.

As the shards floated outward, they coalesced together before surging toward Gaia. She closed her eyes, the shards being absorbed into her weary body. Among the shards, she senses the presence of Rhea and sighs in relief. "Welcome back..."

With the core destroyed, Hugo's body reverted to reveal his stone corpse. It was slowly crumbling and being blown away by the breeze that blew across the desert.

With Hugo dead, Ifrit vanished.

Clive looked toward Hugo's corpse before he was suddenly overcome with excruciating pain. He grabbed his head and screamed at the top of his lungs. Blood dripped from his nose as his surroundings were engulfed by darkness.

As the pain subsided, Clive panted and lowered his hands. In the strange place he was, the hooded figure that had haunted him for years was present.

The mysterious man held out his hand, flames igniting from his palm. He snuffed out the flames by clenching his fist, revealing his true form to be the otherworldly being—Ultima.

Clive glared at the man. "Is that you, Ultima? What do you want?"

"Your soul is tainted with worthless human will, yet your thirst for power remains undiminished... With every sip you take, you grow in strength. And soon you shall achieve perfection," Ultima replied, his face and voice void of any expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You will accept us, Mythos. It is inevitable." Ultimate slowly approached him. "You were created for this purpose. And you shall serve it."

Clive drew his blade quickly. "Never!" He thrust his sword through Ultima's abdomen. Seeing the blade did nothing, his eyes widened in horror.

Ultima glanced down at the blade before looking back up at Clive. He continued his approach.

Clive was petrified with fear. He was about to let the man take him when he heard Joshua's voice. "Fight it, Clive! Don't let him in!"

Withdrawing his blade, he quickly backed away from Ultima.

The otherwordly being's eyes never left Clive. "Consciousness. We see now. Human will is so insubstantial, it cannot exist in isolation. You mitigate its weakness by interweaving it with your consciousness. We believed we had merely to purge you of your will to claim our vessel." He looked away from the man. "It appears we first have to sever every thread of the consciousness that supports it. No matter. The time to build a new world is not yet upon us. We will—"

Suddenly, a spear was thrust through Ultima's body from behind. Unlike Clive's sword, the weapon had managed to pierce his body. Black blood dripped from the tip of the spear. He looked over his shoulder to see Lyra.

The woman glared at him. "How dare you claim this world as your own... You are nothing but a false god seeking to control all. You knew you wouldn't be able to get what you desired which is why you sought to kill the gods of this world. We were an obstacle, one you saw that needed to be eliminated..." She yanked her spear out of his body. "Give it back... Give back the world you stole!"

"Goddess," Ultima simply said as he fell to his knees because of the wound. He could sense her power and reached out his four arms to her. "It is true. Another god lives. We were unsuccessful in purging the heavens. Perhaps we were hasty and did not weigh our options wisely. Your power... We shall have it as well."

Ultima's body suddenly erupted with red and black flames. As the flames spread outward, Lyra and Clive covered their faces. When they lowered their arms, they saw the darkness and Ultima were gone. They were back to standing in the desert.

With the threat gone, Lyra dispelled her spear. She glanced over at Clive as he pulled out the Phoenix's feather and thanked his brother. She walked over to him at the same time Torgal caught up. Turning her gaze to the blue sky, her blonde locks blew in the breeze. Her attention was drawn back to Clive when he grabbed her hand.

"I also need to thank you," Clive said.

She figured he was referring to Ultima. "I did nothing. You are the one who stood against Ultima. My intervention was not required."

"I would not have made it this far without you or anyone else," he explained.

She smiled faintly. "That goes for me as well. I misjudged the bonds I forged with those of the Fallen, believing they were a hindrance to them. It took quite a few lifetimes, but I have finally learned that bonds between people are what make them stronger. I will never forget that and shall rely on those who I truly cherish."

Torgal barking drew their attention. It seemed the canine was in agreement.

Lyra glanced over at what remained of Hugo. "With Kupka dead and the Mothercrystal destroyed, our work here is done. We should depart for Dalimil to get some rest before returning to the hideaway. After what we've been through today, we should take a little time to recuperate."

Clive nodded. "All right."

|| The Dalimil Inn ||
|| Western Dhalmekia ||

As the sun set, the trio arrived back at the Dalimil. They rented a room at the inn to spend the night before returning to the hideaway in the morning. While Clive was enjoying a drink at the tavern, Lyra left the inn to the baths to soothe her exhausted body. She paid a few extra gil for a private bath to avoid any strangers wandering in.

Lyra was escorted to the private bath by the woman currently in charge of seeing to guests. When the door was closed behind her, she changed out of her clothes and wrapped her body in a towel and undid her hair. She sat at the edge of the bath and dipped her feet into the water and sighed contently as the warm water soothed her achy feet.

Not wishing to waste any more time, she pulled off the towel and neatly folded it by the side of the bath. Slowly, she stepped deeper into the water until it was up to her waist. Her long blonde locks floated on the surface behind her. She then dove below the surface to wet her entire body.

As she emerged from the water, she combed her wet locks over one of her shoulders and gazed up at the stars carved into the roof above. It allowed her to see the nighttime sky. The moon's radiance shone through the stars, the brilliance bouncing off the surface of the bath water.

She had been entranced by the beauty of the moon and the nighttime sky that she didn't notice the person who joined her until their arms wrapped around her from behind. The arms rested around her waist and pulled her against them. Her back was flush against a bare, toned chest she was all too familiar with. A small smile crept onto her face. "Sneaking into the bathhouse? How devious of you."

Clive huffed out a chuckle. "I don't believe it's considered sneaking in if I convinced the attendant we are married."

She started to laugh. "At this point, all of Dalimil will be convinced we're married. Though, I don't mind."

Clive tightened his arms around her waist. "We could make it the truth."

The woman's eyes widen. She wasn't expecting that response, but the thought of marriage made her happy. She placed her arms over the ones that were secured around her midsection. "I... I would love to, Clive, but... The current state of the world is not ideal. Once we alter the future of this world, we can pursue our happy ending. For now, we can remain like this."

Naked bodies pressed against each other, Clive and Lyra lowered themselves into the warm water. The woman rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes while enjoying the warmth of the bath and his touch.

Alas, her happiness vanished the moment vivid images of the slaughter of the gods filled her mind. With parts of her memory restored from absorbing the shards of Drake's Fang, she regained forgotten memories while her duller ones were restored entirely. She could hear the screams of the gods as Ultima slaughtered them one by one. Seeing all the corpses of the gods she called family and friends horrified her. It was the next image that haunted her the most.

Ultima, having shifted forms, revealed his real body. He loomed over the injured Gaia before he drove his hand through her chest, his dead eyes never leaving hers.

Frightened by the memory, Lyra's eyes flew open with a sharp gasp. She pulled away from Clive and placed a hand over her chest. She was breathing heavily as she searched for where Ultima had reached inside her. A few wet strands of hair clung to her face, her body shaking. She didn't hear Clive worriedly call her name due to the panic she was experiencing.

She didn't snap out of her panicking state until Clive grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. She blinked a few times and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. After a couple of minutes, her body ceased shaking and she was fine. She placed her hands on his bare chest with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Clive. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm all right now."

Clive searched her emerald eyes for an explanation. "What happened?"

"Memories of the past, from the time Ultima invaded the heavens." She moved one of her hands to the valley between her breasts. "The moment where I was certain death awaited me... I still do not comprehend how I was able to survive."

"It doesn't matter how you survived. All that matters is you did, and you're here with me," he declared. He was about to kiss her, only to be interrupted when a knock came from the door.

"My lady, you only have a few minutes remaining," the attendant said from the other side of the door. "If you wish to extend your time for you and your husband, there will be an additional fee."

"No, thank you," Lyra replied. "We'll be done shortly."

"Of course," the woman responded. "Do be careful when exiting the bath. The floor may be a tad slippery."

Lyra listened to the attendant's footsteps walk off before she addressed Clive. "We best return to the inn and call it a—" She was interrupted by a kiss. She quickly pulled away to prevent him from going too far. She smirked at him. "Hold that tongue of yours for later. Let's dry ourselves off so we may change and leave the bathhouse."

Clive sighed, slightly disappointed they didn't have more alone time in the bathhouse. "All right." Although he knew it was rude, he watched her exit the bath. He couldn't stop himself from admiring her beauty. Knowing he had looked too long, he averted his gaze and focused on getting out of the bath himself. He dried himself off and changed back into his clothes at the same time Lyra did.

Once they were both ready, the couple left the bathhouse and returned to the inn. They had checked on Torgal before heading up to their room for the night. Though the room offered two beds, they were used to sharing one.

With everything off of them that would have made it impossible to sleep, they lay side by side and stared up at the dark ceiling. The window was cracked open to allow some light from the moon, but it wasn't enough to light up the room.

Thoughts were racing through both of their heads, which made it difficult for either of them to fall asleep.

Breaking the silence, Lyra asked, "Is it unbefitting of someone like myself to be frightened? Should I not be shaking in fear because of a false god?"

Clive turned his head to her, surprised at the questions. "Gods are mighty beings, but they aren't perfect. I believe even the mightiest of us all fear something or someone. Emotions are not unique to just mortals."

She continued to gaze at the ceiling. "Gods and mortals... We are all emotional creatures." She turned over onto her side to face him. "Some are more emotional than others, and I would say I am one of them. I was quite the whiner when I was a child, but I sense you already knew that."

He smiled as he recalled a memory. "You were in such a hurry that you tripped in the garden and fell into a flower patch. You were crying not because you fell but because you crushed the flowers."

Lyra groaned. "Please, wipe that from your memory..."

"Never," he replied. "That was the moment I realized I was in love with you."

She closed what little distance remained between them and snuggled into his side. She placed her head on his chest with her arm resting across his waist. "All I had to do was cry over flowers to make you realize your love for me. Not to mention, be covered in dirt, flower petals, and a few scratches."

He smiled faintly as he wound an arm around her shoulders. "The way you cared for those flowers more than yourself was the true cause. Ever since the Lord Commander introduced us when we were children, you have always been one to care for others before yourself. I knew the day you fell into the flower patch that I wanted to be the one to take care of you. While you worry over others, I shall worry over you."

Lyra searched her memory for the day she fell in the garden. "That was...a week before the ball being held for Joshua's nameday. How strange..."

"How so?" he asked.

"At Drake's Fang, I was reminded of the time your mother cornered me in the garden because I accepted the archduke's present. It was the dress he had tailored for me to wear to the ball. You came to my rescue, and so did your father."

"My mother..." Clive's mind conjured an image of Anabella. "She did horrible things to you. I could never forgive her for the way she treated you. Even as the healer in charge of Joshua's well-being, she despised you."

"She is quite a twisted woman," Lyra spoke. "I still cannot wrap my head around her betrayal."

"Neither can I."

She gripped the side of his shirt. "I cannot allow her to go unpunished for all she has done to you and so many others. Divine retribution is the only punishment fit for a woman like her. However, she is still your mother. If you are against it, I will search for another punishment that does not result in death."

Clive thought about Anabella. After learning he did not inherit the power of the Phoenix, she pushed him aside and treated him as if he were the lowest scum of the earth. He harbored no love for the woman and also believed she needed to pay for what she had done. "Her hands are stained with the blood of many innocent Bearers. It is only right she is punished for her misdeeds."

Lyra closed her eyes. "Then please allow me to handle her. I shall see to it she pays for the suffering she has caused others."

Clive didn't hesitate to reply. "All right."

After the couple became silent, they soon completely relaxed under each other's touch and fell asleep.