Clive dodged many of Ultima's attacks as he closed the distance between them. He swung his sword at the entity and was surprised when he realized the blade was doing more damage than usual. He glanced at the glowing scripture of the gods and figured it had to be what was infusing his weapon with more power.

Although Ultima tried to keep some distance between him and Clive, the gap was always quickly closed by the man. He used his Eikonic abilities and semi-primed with Ifrit to take down the otherworldly being.

Even when Clive believed he had the upper hand, Ultima would reclaim it with his powerful spells. After he received a heavy hit, he was taken by surprise when he felt the talisman near his chest pulse. At the same time, he felt his injuries heal and his energy restored. He mentally thanked Lyra for healing him when she wasn't here with him physically.

After dealing a few heavy blows to Ultima, Clive found himself being blasted back by a powerful burst of aether. He glared up at the entity as he floated in the air.

"Countless centuries have I waited for this moment—This moment in which I might revel in my creation. Only to find it profaned. And so..." Ultima concentrated the aether, creating a large ring of light. Aether shot outward toward Clive. "It must be cleansed!"

Clive braced himself and stood against the powerful spell. As he triggered a small connection between him and Ifrit, his body was engulfed by flames to protect him from the blast. However, that wasn't the only thing that protected him. A barrier of light appeared around him before he lost sight of it due to how blinding the spell was.

When the light faded, it revealed Clive's surroundings had changed. The flames disappeared from his body and the barrier vanished. He lowered his arm to see the entity still standing before him.

Ultima gazed stoically at him. "Un...expected. How is it that your will yet endures?"

Clive got back on his feet and gripped his sword tighter. "Because it's not so easily broken!"

"But it can be broken. And I shall see it so. For such is my will." Ultima primed another attack, but he didn't get to cast his spell when he was interrupted by a spear being plunged into his back. He turned to see a void of light behind him. From it, he saw Lyra emerge. "The goddess chooses to intervene. She shall be punished for this transgression."

"I won't let you lay a hand on her!" Clive declared. He charged at Ultima and distracted him long enough for Lyra to reclaim her spear and join him.

She used light magic to send a powerful blast that pushed Ultima away from her and Clive. She cast a smile toward her beloved. "Apologies for the interruption, but I couldn't let you have all the fun."

Clive smiled back at her. "Your presence only strengthens my resolve. Having you here makes me stronger."

She spun her spear around. "Your strength knows no bounds. However, I've been thirsting for revenge lately. Ultima killed all those I cared about in the heavens. It is only right I avenge them by aiding in his annihilation. We'll destroy him, together."

"Yes," Clive replied, his gaze drifting over to Ultima as he recovered. "With you at my side, the false god shall fall."

Ultima fully recovered and focused his attacks on Clive and Lyra. The couple ducked and dodged whatever he threw their way, which only infuriated him. They avoided flames and lightning as they gave him the runaround until closing the distance between them.

Lyra managed to get behind Ultima and throw her spear. It impaled his back like before and opened the flesh of his back even more. From the spear came a combination of ice and lightning that dealt some heavy damage to his body. With a wave of her hand, she was able to free her spear and it returned to her hand.

Ultima turned around to face the woman. "Remarkable power flows through your veins yet you choose to waste it aiding tainted creations."

"You are too fixated on perfection that you deem any flaw as an excuse to wipe the slate clean," she remarked. "If you were a true god, you would use that flaw to strengthen your creation. Instead, you are dissatisfied and cannot bear to admit your wrongdoings. You have convinced yourself you are the perfect being and that is where your weakness lies. No god or mortal is perfect. We all have flaws. You have flaws."

"No," Ultima denied. "I am perfect! Away with you, goddess!"

Lyra erected a barrier around herself when the entity sent a barrage of lasers toward her. Each one collided with the barrier and she only dispelled it when his attack ended.

Clive dashed forward and used Shiva's abilities to attack. Combining ice with fire, he was able to knock Ultima off-balance and stagger him. He semi-primed with Ifrit and attacked relentlessly with Lyra using her own magic against the downed Ultima. With their combined strength, they were able to force him back and recollect himself.

Ultima stumbled back, flabbergasted at how he was being overpowered. For the first time ever, his emotional turmoil showed on his face and in his voice as he looked at Clive. "Why... What latent force feeds these flames? I sense...more here than mere will. Is this Logos? Have you truly become...free?" He clenched his fist and refused to accept the truth of his creation. "No... I forbid it! You are not a god. You are but flesh and bone. You are not one of us!"

In the blinding brilliance of aether, Ultima transformed. He revealed his large form to be almost a carbon copy of Ifrit but with three sets of wings. "I created you. All of you. And what is mine, is mine to destroy. Not even another god shall stop me." Using his power, he dismantled the room to reveal the cosmos.

Clive and Lyra found themselves floating amongst the stars. With his free hand, he grabbed hers to keep her from floating away from him. He cast his gaze to the angered entity. "Once, perhaps. But we are no longer yours. Our flames are our own...and they burn as one!"

Lyra broke away from Clive when he released her hand. She floated away from him as he tapped into Ifrit and fully primed with him. As Ifrit Risen, the feathers of the Phoenix flowed from his back. With a mighty roar, Ifrit Risen was prepared to fight against Ultima Risen.

Ultima Risen glowered at the Eikon. "Have you learned nothing?! Damned is the slave who would turn the scourge upon his master!"

Lyra's body floated through the cosmos as Ifrit and Ultima collided to continue their battle. Seeing how strong Ifrit was made her remain on the sidelines until she saw it was the perfect time to join the fight.

When Ifrit was knocked back by one of Ultima's attacks, Lyra acted and transformed.

With her heavenly body, Gaia soared through the cosmos and struck a powerful blow with a dark spell that sent Ultima flying backward. Together with Ifrit, she flew across the stars and they fought against the entity. While he focused more on close-quarter combat, she kept her distance and cast spell after spell.

Whenever either one of them got hurt, Gaia would provide healing. She switched from healing to offensive and defensive magic to help in more ways than one.

The moment she and Ifrit staggered Ultima, they quickly closed the distance and didn't hold back their attacks. They were able to weaken him significantly before he recovered.

Ultima flew away from Ifrit and Gaia. He was growing tired of their disobedience and shouted, "Enough! With fire shall fire be repaid."

As he began absorbing a vast amount of aether to unlock purgatorium, they knew what they had to do. They attacked like before to stop him. Ifrit and Gaia dodged whatever he threw their way to prevent them from stopping him from casting purgatorium. They moved out of the way of lasers and projectiles while dealing blow after blow to him. They didn't come out unscathed, but no injury was too much for the goddess to heal.

Unable to withstand their attacks, Ultima's plan to cast purgatorium shattered. The aether he had gathered to cast the spell vanished alongside his concentration.

Ifrit released a powerful barrage of flaming claws against Ultima and was able to force him back and cause him to stagger.

Ultima glared weakly at the Eikon as he was assaulted with a barrage of attacks. "That your flames...might consume mine."

Eventually, Ifrit and Gaia were able to completely overwhelm Ultima. He could not handle their attacks and his Risen form shattered. Their surroundings changed again.

Ifrit vanished and Clive returned to normal. Gaia, on the other hand, remained as is as her large form floated behind him.

The weakened Ultima kneeled across the way from them. He was still in denial and refused to accept the truth. "No... No... No... My will is inviolable. Something is wrong."

"You're afraid," Clive said as he drew his sword. "You always have been. From the moment the Blight exposed what you were—weak. You conceived us to prove otherwise, but the result shook you to the core. For in us you saw yourself, and realized we had the potential to be more than you could ever be. And so you turned your back on your creation your back on the world—like the coward you are. A true god would have embraced their creation. You are nothing but a false god."

Ultima lifted his head and glared at the man. "You think you know me...? You know nothing, Logos. Nothing!" His body lifted into the air as he prepared his next move. A pool of aether formed underneath him. From the pool emerged the many copies of Ultima. They floated into the air around the main entity and created a strange formation that resembled that of a sword.

Passing their power to the main body, Ultima's form transformed once again. This time, he had become Ultimalius.

"Bathed in light I stand above you and the goddess, my rebirth complete," the entity proclaimed. "And you, for your defiance, shall pay the proper price—an eternity of anguish as I will see to the warped mind of the goddess."

"Anguish, pain, suffering..." Clive muttered. "You have known none of these. But we have so we know what they grant. They bring us together. And that makes us strong."

Gaia reverted.

Lyra landed behind Clive and called upon her spear as the final phase began.

This time around, Ultimalius was embodying the powers of the Eikons. Fortunately, Clive still had the abilities of all eight wardens as well.

As the battle against Ultimalius continued to be drawn out, Clive and Lyra were able to corner the entity and force him to turn to the powers of the elements. First was wind followed by lightning and earth. Clive clashed with Ultimalius by using Garuda, Ramuh, and Titan to counter each and every attack. He managed to overpower him and knock him back, causing his anger to flare.

"You cannot have this power!" Ultimalius shouted as their surroundings distorted to reveal purple cosmos. "It is not yours to take!"

Lyra conjured a powerful spell that combined light and darkness. "Neither was this world, but you still stole it!" Releasing the spell, spears composed of pure light and shadows surged toward the entity. They pierced his body and caused him to scream out.

Clive lowered his sword as he stood next to Lyra, his eyes focused on the enemy. Seeing he recovered from her spell and the familiar wings of Bahamut sprout from his back, he knew what he had to do. "Stand back," he told the woman. She listened and backed away.

Calling upon Bahamut, Clive channeled the Eikon of Light's power to counter Ultimalius' attack. The two streams of light clashed, but the man's power was much more than his opponent's. The laser forced Ultimalius back.

Alas, Ultimalius wasn't done. He called upon ice and darkness to try and cut down Clive.

Ultimalius was shocked and angered when the blade of darkness he possessed shattered. He turned and glared at the man. "No! Mine is the altar at which you pray! Mine are the eyes that look down upon you all." He gathered more aether and performed limit break to reveal his final trick. His body floated in the air as the aether engulfed his being to create a blue radiance.

"And yet still you cannot see. You are no better than us. We are one and the same." Clive glanced at Lyra before looking back at Ultimalius. "Only a true god sees the truth while you continue to deny it."

"We are not the same!" Ultimalius bellowed. "The goddess is naïve and is blinded by her own will! No man nor god might stand beside me! None!"

Lyra understood Ultimalius was being blinded by rage. This was the perfect time to finish him off. With her spear in hand, she followed Clive into combat and they continued their assault.

After receiving another wave of punishment from them, Ultimalius called upon the power of the flames and tried to attack Clive directly. However, his flames were no match for the man's. He was consumed by Clive's flames and he screamed out in pain.

Once the flames faded, Ultimalius fell to a single knee. The cosmos faded and the area turned bleak.

Clive's eyes never left the entity. "So sure of your place atop the world, you refused to acknowledge those below. You chose to remain alone. And so you shunned the one thing that could have made you stronger. Pushed away the hands that could have raised you higher."

Ultimalius glowered at him. "I do not need you. You or anyone!"

"And that is where we are different," Clive said, glancing at the goddess who was by his side. "We could not have made it here on our own. We carry with us the hopes and dreams of our brothers, our sisters. And it is they who will give us the strength to end your reign."

"I...cannot end!" Ultimalius shouted. "I am the end!"

Before Clive could attack, Lyra grabbed his arm. She didn't have to say anything for him to understand. He allowed her to step forward and take control of the battle. Slowly, she approached the crippled Ultimalius. Fueling her aether into her surroundings, she called upon what little essence of the gods remained in Valisthea.

From the darkness emerged an army of light specters. The apparitions, who were the gods slaughtered by Ultima, gathered behind Lyra. Weapons in hands, the spectral images of the gods marched forward past her.

Ultimalius stared in horror before he was attacked by the apparitions in a flurry of attacks. He screamed as his body was torn to shreds and he was consumed by the light of the specters. It wasn't enough to kill him, but he was too weak to even stand on his own feet.

As the specters vanished, Lyra felt a sense of peace wash over her when her fellow gods vanished for good. She could hear their kind words as they disappeared and smiled. "Go in peace, my friends."

"Gaia!" Ultimalius shouted as he resulted to one last attack. He used what little aether he had left in his body and floated up into the air to conjure one last spell. "Your naïvetee will be your downfall! Mortals shall be your undoing for you seek the same fantasy world!"

Lyra remained calm as she met his angered gaze. "It is no mere fantasy."

"The only fantasy here is yours. And we shall be its final witnesses!" Clive shouted.

"Never!" Ultimalius shouted, releasing his final spell. The lightning surged toward the goddess, but she didn't move. She remained steadfast as a flaming sword flew past her. As the flaming sword cut through the lightning and pierced Ultimalius' chest, the spell fizzled and she was unhurt.

Ultimalius couldn't believe what was happening as the gaping hole in his body throbbed. He fell to his knees.

"I said!" Clive ran past Lyra with a flaming fist. "It's over!" He punched Ultimalius in the face with his flaming fist, dealing the final blow.

Having been defeated, Ultima reverted and lied on his back. His body was slowly crumbling. Turning his head, he gazed at the man. "Tell me... What do you imagine will befall this world...now that you have gained your precious freedom?"

"I honestly don't know," Clive answered as he loomed over the entity's decomposing body. "But I doubt it will be pretty. A sorry tale of sin and suffering. Hardship and pain."

"And it was for this that you fought so fiercely? Why?"

"It's who we are. We fight. We survive. We endure. We don't need a reason. We are imperfect creatures. When we stumble, we reach for a shoulder to lean on. When we fall, we stand back up." Clive looked up to the sky as the sun broke through the dark clouds. "We see the horizon ever out of reach and still we march on...certain the answers lie just beyond it. Because that is our way."

Lyra walked over and looked down at Ultima. "In the end, will you continue to deny mortals are different from us gods?"

Ultima's lifeless eyes drifted to her. "Mortals will be your downfall."

She sighed heavily. "Stubborn till the very end..."

Clive held out his hand and started to absorb Ultima's power.

Ultima looked back at the man. "My congratulations. Relish this victory, knowing that you have but delayed the inevitable. Your world is already dead. May you enjoy an eternity...on its blackened husk."

Those were Ultima's final words as his body vanished and his power was absorbed by Clive. Once he had gained all of the entity's power, they were taken back to the Nexus.

Lyra gazed at the Nexus before looking over at Clive. She saw him staring at his hand. "Clive..."

"It seems Ultima's power was too great for this vessel all along," Clive told her. "But while I have it... Perhaps I can use it to set things right..."

Lyra grabbed his hand and smiled at him. "You have done enough. I shall take it from here."

Clive felt something strange happening to his body. He could feel the essences of the Eikons and Ultima vanishing. Eyes widening, he looked at the goddess. "Lyra, what are you—?" He was shocked when she let go of his hand and stepped back. His magic was gone. "How...?"

Just before he could grab her, a barrier appeared around him. He pressed his hands against the barrier and gazed at the goddess. When he saw the sad smile on her face, he was consumed by dread. He slammed a fist against the barrier. "No... No, no, no! Lyra, please! Don't do this!"

"I'm sorry, Clive, but...it must be done." Lyra turned her back to him and approached the Nexus. As she focused Ultima's power and the Eikons on destroying the Nexus, she fused her own to ensure the world will be healed. She could hear Clive's desperate cries from behind her, causing tears to fall from her eyes. They streamed down her cheeks. She didn't want to sacrifice herself, but she wanted to protect everyone.

Once the magic was ready, Lyra knew it was time. Looking over her shoulder one last time, she smiled at him. "I love you, Clive."

Clive continued to slam his fists against the barrier as he yelled at the top of his lungs. He desperately tried to break the barrier but he couldn't. All he could do was watch helplessly as she cast the spell.

The powerful spell shattered the Nexus and the top of the crystal. A bright beam of light shot into the sky and spread across all of Valisthea. Origin shattered and the large pieces began falling into the sea below.

Clive saw the crystal crumble before he looked back to Lyra when he heard her body collapse. At the same time, the barrier protecting him vanished. He didn't waste a second and ran to her. He pulled her cold body into his arms, his heart racing with desperation and fear. He placed a hand against her pale cheek as his breathing became frantic.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to quake and crumble.

Clive held on tightly to Lyra's body as the ground disappeared. He didn't let go for a second as they plummeted to the sea below. Their bodies plunged into the water, but he was quick to swim them both back to the surface. He held her as close as possible while swimming to the shore. He pulled both of their bodies out of the sea and onto the shore.

Laying Lyra gently on the sand, Clive checked for any sign of life. "Please...! Please...!"

He searched for a pulse, but be couldn't find one. A devastated sob ripped from his throat when he realized she was dead. Tears fell from his eyes as he wailed at the top of his lungs. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face into her neck. His tears trailed down his cheek and splashed against the pale and frigid skin of her neck. He desperately clung to her lifeless body. "I cannot lose you! Come back to me, please...!"

Clive lifted his head from Lyra's neck when a strange glow caught his attention. He looked to see her body was disappearing. "No... No! You promised to return to me!" His magic was gone and he couldn't do anything to stop her body from vanishing. More tears spilled from his eyes as he felt her body slipping from his grasp.

Slowly, she vanished from this world. The only thing left behind was the necklace he gave her. As he sobbed, he picked up the necklace and clutched it tightly against his chest. His tears fell to the sand.

Overcome with sorrow, Clive didn't know how much time had passed until he saw the moon in the night sky. He ran out of tears to shed, but he was completely devastated. Pulling out the talisman, he watched the flames extinguish before the paper crumbled and blew away.

Sorrowfully, he gazed up at the moon he promised to see again with Lyra. Alas, his promise would be left unfulfilled.

. · : · . ✧ • ✦ • ✧ . · : · .

A week after Origin fell, Clive managed to leave the shore and return to the hideaway. By the time he returned to the lake, he noticed the Blight was retreating. Trees and bushes that were once dead were now a bright green. Flowers were blooming and the deadlands were slowly healing. He was in awe at just how far the Blight had been pushed back by Lyra's sacrifice in such a short amount of time.

Arriving at the lake, Clive saw the water was no longer black. It was a glistening blue and he could see fish swimming below the surface. A sad smile appeared on his face as he boarded a boat and rowed to the hideaway.

When he pulled up to the dock of the hideaway, Clive could see Obolus. The ferryman spotted him before rushing off. The man hopped off the boat just as the docks filled with familiar faces. Gav, Tarja, Jill, Joshua, Mid, Byron, Torgal, and Dion were who greeted him.

"By the flames..." Byron stepped forward and hugged his nephew. "You've come back!"

One by one, Clive received hugs from his friends and family. It wasn't until they had all hugged him did they noticed the one person missing.

"Where's Lyra?" Mid asked.

The happiness Clive had experienced from seeing everyone again almost seemed to evaporate entirely. He frowned melancholically as he couldn't bring himself to answer. He simply shook his head and looked away from everyone.

All their smiles fell.

Jill clamped her hands over her mouth as she stumbled backward. She started to cry and Torgal tried to comfort her.

Even Gav was starting to cry.

Clive looked across the glistening lake. "Lyra sacrificed herself to not only rid the world of what remained of Ultima, but also to heal it. Because of her, the Blight is vanishing and life is flourishing. It...is what she desired."

Joshua placed a hand over his chest. "Lyra saved not only Dion and I, but...all of us from a blackened world. It will take time, though we should ensure it keeps flourishing in her absence to keep her dream alive."

"You bet your arse we will!" Gav shouted confidently. "I'll start scouting the deadlands right away."

"Gav—" Clive tried to stop him, but the scout was gone.

"Aye!" Mid shouted with a grin. "Can't let the lady of life down! I might just turn my thumb green and start growing me own flowers!" She dashed off.

Byron placed a hand on Clive's shoulder. "It seems there's much to be done, my boy."

Clive smiled at his uncle. "It never seems to end."

Byron left with Dion following behind him.

Tarja stepped forward. "It seems I've run out of patients thanks to our lovely goddess."

Joshua smiled. "Indeed. Dominants and Bearers are no more, and the crystal's curse has been eradicated from this world. Those who once suffered under its ailment have been cured. Alas, there will still be those who injure themselves."

The physician sighed. "Aye. The injuries around this place will keep me quite busy."

Joshua and Tarja left, leaving only Jill, Torgal, and Clive.

Jill, after having been able to compose herself, approached her childhood friend. "There is something I must show you, Clive."

Puzzled, Clive followed Jill to the backyard. They entered the small room at the bottom of the stairs, which was currently empty. Torgal was behind them.

Jill grabbed a pot that had a strange flower planted in it. Unlike other flowers, its petals were a deep emerald while its stem and leaves were gold.

Clive stared in awe. "This flower..."

"Lyra gave me a seed before you departed. Once the crystal fell, I planted it and within seconds it bloomed," she explained. "It is no ordinary flower. I can sense her—Lyra. This seed must be a part of her. I also discovered she gave out five more seeds—one each to L'ubor, Eloise, Martha, Isabelle, and Quinten."

"Six seeds in all," Clive said. He gazed at the beautiful flower. He cupped his palm underneath the emerald petals. "Could it be...?"

Jill stared into Clive's sapphire eyes. "I believe she will return someday. All we must do is wait."

Clive turned his gaze back to the flower. "No matter how long it takes, I will wait for her return."