Lyra regained consciousness only a few minutes after falling from the sky. Taking the brunt of Bahamut's attack wasn't the brightest idea, but she wanted to protect Joshua. When her eyes opened, she was surprised to find herself in Joshua's arms. Next to her, she also saw Jill and Torgal.

Joshua sighed in relief. "Thank the Founder..."

Jill was holding one of the woman's hands. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," she answered.

Joshua wasn't convinced, knowing she had taken a hit from Bahamut for him. "Are you certain?"

"Yes." Lyra was able to sit up with his help. "I may not look it, but I am quite sturdy."

Joshua kept a hand against her back to support her. "Thank you for protecting me."

"I would do anything to protect those that I love."

Receiving help from Joshua and Jill, Lyra got to her feet. That was when she noticed the spiral crystal that had sprouted around the Mothercrystal's heart was in full bloom, taking the shape of a flower. In the center of the crystalline flower, she saw Ifrit and Bahamut fighting. From what she could tell, the Eikon of Fire currently had the upper hand.

Lyra slowly pulled away from Joshua and Jill. She took a few steps forward, only to stop when she caught sight of two figures from the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw none other than Anabella and her tainted child, Olivier. The moment her eyes landed on the woman's son, she knew he wasn't human. She sensed Ultima's presence from the child. Although she abhorred the false god, she was more focused on Anabella. "You..."

Anabella shrieked in fear as her eyes locked with the goddess'. She hugged Olivier, holding him tightly against her. "Stay away, you corrupt monster! I should have killed you when I had the chance!"

Lyra couldn't stop herself from laughing. "A sick and twisted demon calling me a monster. I haven't laughed that hard in a while." She took a few steps toward the cowardly woman. However, she stopped when she heard Bahamut's roar. "I will deal with you later, my lady," she coldly told the woman.

The goddess turned her attention back to the Eikons fighting in the blooming Mothercrystal. She walked over to where she and Joshua had crashed through the building, her eyes watching the battle. When Joshua walked up to stand beside her, she said, "I know your body is weakened by Ultima, but I sense you will not idly stand by while Clive fights. I will still ask, though. Will you remain here?"

Joshua smiled faintly in amusement. "I'm afraid not."

She sighed. "You both really are stubborn at times..." She turned to him. "Let's go, Joshua."

He nodded. "Yes, let's."

Joshua was the first. He primed with the Phoenix and flew toward the crystalline flower. Lyra followed him, fusing her holy body with Theia again. Just as they both arrived at the Mothercrystal, Bahamut had flown into the sky to get away from Ifrit. He was gathering aether and preparing to use gigaflare.

"Don't do this!" The Phoenix shouted, flying toward Bahamut. However, it was too late. The Eikon of Light released his attack. A powerful beam of light discharged and headed straight for Ifrit.

Gaia had flown over to Ifrit just in time to place herself in front of him and erect a barrier made of light. The barrier absorbed most of the beam, but it was too powerful and shattered the crystal beneath the Eikon of Fire and the goddess. They both fell as large pieces of the crystal fell with them.

Gaia and Ifrit became buried underneath the large crystal shards, leaving the Phoenix to deal with Bahamut alone. The goddess' barrier had shattered when they were buried by the crystal debris. The fall had been great, but they were uninjured.

Gaia only realized Ifrit was unconscious the moment she started to push the crystal shards off them. She used her size and strength to free themselves from the debris. It took her some time considering the shards were heavy and they had been buried underneath a lot. She wriggled through a hole she created before focusing on digging out Ifrit.

After she was done, she sighed in relief to discover Ifrit was only unconscious. She then looked up at the sky to see the Phoenix and Bahamut battling. She knew Joshua couldn't do this alone and needed both her and Clive. Turning her attention back to Ifrit, her larger form loomed over his. She provided him with healing and was glad his eyes opened seconds later.

Ifrit's eyes landed on the dragon. "You're all right..."

She laughed. "I should be the one saying that. You're the one currently lying on the ground, not I."

"I'm not the one who crashed into a building earlier protecting someone else."

"Well played. Now, get off your flaming arse. It's time we rejoined Joshua," she remarked.

Ifrit chuckled. "Gladly." He got to his feet and met the dragon's emerald eyes. "I'll need a lift."

"Understood." Gaia flapped her wings and grabbed the Eikon of Fire. "One ride to the top coming right up." Carrying Ifrit, she flew back to the top of the Mothercrystal.

At the same time, they witnessed Bahamut grab the Phoenix and plummet downward toward the crystalline flower. The Eikon of Light slammed the Phoenix's body against the crystal before releasing him.

Gaia dropped Ifrit just in time for him to shoot a powerful beam of fire at Bahamut, knocking him away from his brother. The Phoenix recovered and flew over to his allies. "Clive! Lyra! Thank the Founder!"

"It's now or never, Joshua!" Ifrit shouted as Bahamut prepared his next attack.

"Three against one," Gaia said. "Quite an uneven match, but it never was fun to play by the rules. Let's go!"

The Phoenix flew a safe distance from Bahamut while Gaia and Ifrit attacked him head-on. Whenever the Eikon of Light was just far enough out of Ifrit's reach to attack, his two winged allies would see to barraging him with attacks. The trio was slowly siphoning the life out of Bahamut, but it was a tough battle.

At one point, Bahamut flew high and prepared to attack them with teraflare. The Phoenix erected a barrier for him and his allies, but he was shocked when Gaia disregarded the barrier and flew behind Bahamut just as he discharged his attack. To his surprise and Ifrit's, she was safely out of range.

Without hesitating, she swooped down and latched her jaw around Bahamut's neck and used her weight to slam him against the crystal. The Eikon pinned underneath her wriggled and shrieked in pain.

Bahamut managed to break free from her and bat her away with his wings. He aimed his megaflares at her, but she sliced through them with blades of wind.

Ifrit and the Phoenix took advantage of the distracted Bahamut and attacked in sync. They were able to stagger the Eikon of Light, allowing all three of them to assault him with powerful attacks.

When Bahamut recovered, he soared into the air. The Phoenix followed him and soared as fast as he could toward the enemy as the Eikon of Light protected itself with a barrier. The Phoenix collided with the barrier in an attempt to break it. Ifrit joined and the Eikons of Fire were able to break through. They attacked Bahamut and took what little life remained in him.

Ifrit and the Phoenix returned to Gaia. The three allies watched Bahamut struggle to fly. They thought the battle was over until the Eikon of Light did the unthinkable—absorb the Mothercrystal's heart.

"Is he drinking the aether?!" The Phoenix gaped in shock.

"We have to stop him!" Ifrit yelled.

Gaia took to the sky as the Eikons of Fire combined their power to attack Bahamut. Their flames collided with the opposing Eikon, triggering a powerful explosion. However, it was too late.

Bahamut had absorbed the core and was more powerful than before. The flames hadn't harmed him and he quickly primed his next powerful attack. The Phoenix figured he could stop the incoming attack with his shield and flew above Ifrit to protect both of them.

Gaia tried to reach Bahamut in time to interrupt his attack, but she was too late. The powerful beam of light surged toward the Eikons of Fire, easily breaking through the barrier and hitting the Phoenix and Ifrit.

The goddess stopped her approach to glance at the brothers. After the smoke cleared, she saw they were both lying on the crystal. With a growl, she looked back at Bahamut as he flew away. She released a thunderous roar and healed her allies before flying after the Eikon of Light. She followed him into the exosphere of Valitshea and caught up. Flying as fast as her wings could carry her, she closed the distance between them. She swooped in and used her body as a battering ram, but she was quickly blown away by a powerful laser.

Gaia's body spun, her body aching from the attack. She stabilized her body but not before a flaming figure surged passed her.

"We're here!" she heard the Phoenix and Ifrit shout in unison.

Stunned, the goddess saw the combined Eikons flying directly at Bahamut. The Phoenix erected a barrier to deflect the incoming megaflares. Once the brothers were close enough, Ifrit delivered a powerful blow to the opposing Eikon.

Bahamut's body was consumed by flames as his body started to fall, but he quickly recovered once the flames were gone. With a roar, the Eikon of Light threw arcs of light at the Eikons of Fire and the goddess. All of them dodged and regrouped. Together, the combined Ifrit and the Phoenix and Gaia would take down the powerful Bahamut.

The three allies didn't waste a moment and combined their strength to fight against Bahamut. Although the Eikon of Light had gotten stronger by consuming the Mothercrystal's heart, the battle seemed to be in the opposing side's favor. The Phoenix and Ifrit combined were a deadly enemy just as much as Gaia. The three opposing forces not only outnumbered Bahamut but also exceeded his strength alone.

While Ifrit and the Phoenix seemed to attack head-on to grab Bahamut's attention, Gaia would swoop in from behind to assault the enemy with powerful magic consisting of various elements. Whenever his attention would switch to her, her allies were quick to deflect it back to them.

In the midst of battle, Bahamut managed to push back the combined Eikons. Using the aether he stole from the Mothercrystal's heart, he created small orbs that surrounded the brothers.

Acting quickly, Gaia soared to her allies and grabbed them just in time to avoid the lasers that emitted from the various orbs. She flew them away from the field of lasers. "I know you both already have a set of wings, but I hope you will settle for a second pair."

"Thank you, Lyra," Ifrit said.

"Yes," the Phoenix added. "Two wings are no match for four."

Combining the strength of her wings with the Phoenix's, Gaia was able to swiftly close the distance between them and Bahamut. She released Ifrit at the same time he conjured a large fireball. He rammed it into the Eikon of Light, dealing a powerful blow and causing him to stagger.

As Bahamut's body began to fall through space, Gaia roared and conjured a powerful dark spell. Multiple dark rifts appeared around the incapacitated Eikon. From the darkness emerged black tendrils that wrapped around Bahamut's entire body. The Eikon shrieked as the corrosion from the appendages burned his flesh.

Bahamut freed himself after regaining his strength. He broke through the tendrils, but the damage was done. His body was covered in dark spots from where the magic had burned his flesh. Angered, he flew far away and used the attack celestial foundry.

Powerful beams of light shot toward the Phoenix, Ifrit, and Gaia. They dodged the overwhelming concentration of light and managed to circle behind Bahamut to attack.

The passage of time seemed to blur as the battle carried on.

Bahamut was losing and becoming desperate. He attempted to attack the combined Eikons with his own body as a weapon, but the brothers dodged and Ifrit formed a large fireball that hit its mark.

Bahamut's flaming body was falling back to Valisthea. However, he quickly regained consciousness and flew past the others. He spread his wings and began concentrating a vast amount of aether.

"What in the hell...?" Ifrit muttered, watching the Eikon of Light closely.

From Bahamut's back sprouted large wings of light.

Gaia gazed in horror. "This concentration of aether...!"

"He would burn the world!" the Phoenix shouted.

Bahamut roared as zettaflare was primed. He was ready to release all the aether he had gathered in a single powerful beam of light.

"Not today," Ifrit replied.

"Take a portion of my power." Gaia spread her wings and passed to the brothers Rhea, one of the four winds. "May Rhea protect you both."

"Thank you," Ifrit replied, feeling the portion of the goddess inside him. "Come on, Joshua! This ends now!"

Ifrit flew toward Bahamut as the laser discharged. He pushed back against the light with help from his brother and Rhea. His strength outmatched the opposed Eikon's and he successfully caused the attack to be redirected to Bahamut, ending the battle with a supernova.

Bahamut was defeated.

The Phoenix and Ifrit separated, watching as Bahamut's body fell through the exosphere. From the defeated Eikon's body emerged the Mothercrystal. Bahamut's form crumbled to reveal his Dominant, Dion Lesage.

Seeing the man's unconscious form plummeting back to Valisthea, the Phoenix acted quickly. "Dion!" He swooped down and caught the prince before flying back to the world below.

Ifrit set his sights on the Mothercrystal's heart. Forging a blade of flames, he destroyed it with a single swing.

Gaia watched the destruction of the core before her body absorbed the shards that remained after the explosion. To her dismay, she didn't sense Crius, the last remaining Guardian Beast of the four winds. She dismissed the missing piece of her and grabbed Ifrit so they could return to Valisthea. The moment she touched him, Rhea returned to her body. She flew them all the way back to the Crystalline Dominion to the building where they had left Jill and Torgal.

Gaia released Ifrit, allowing him to revert back. She landed outside and reverted just in time to see the two reunited brothers hug each other.

"My brother..." Clive feebly muttered.

"I...I'm sorry," Joshua apologized, tears falling from his eyes. "I'm so sorry!"

Clive pulled away and took his brother's face in his hands, wiping away his tears. "You're alive. We both are. Nothing else matters." He pressed his forehead against Joshua's. He felt his throat tightening because of the overwhelming emotion of happiness as he released him. "I never dared hope that I would see this day..."

The brothers hugged again, both overcome with happiness.

Jill smiled at seeing the happy reunion. "Reunited at last."

Joshua pulled away from Clive. "Jill..."

Jill began to cry tears of joy. She placed a hand over her mouth as the shock and joy of seeing Joshua again was overwhelming. Torgal was also consumed by jubilation, barking happily as he ran over to Joshua.

He kneeled down and petted the canine. His eyes then fell onto Lyra, who was smiling at all of them. "It seems the goddess of life smiles upon us to give us good fortune."

Lyra laughed lightly at his words. "Lakshmi would be laughing if he heard you say that, Joshua."

As the goddess walked over to join her comrades, Dion stirred from his unconscious state. The prince lifted his bleeding head to see Anabella and Olivier. He glared at the small child as the image shifted to reveal Ultima. He grabbed his lance, fierce glare boring into the otherwordly being. "This is for...my father!" Throwing the weapon, it impaled Ultima.

Having not seen the truth of her son, Anabella screamed in horror. She watched helplessly as Olivier's body slowly vanished into a cloud of aether particles. She tried to grab the particles, but her fingers slipped through them. She fell to her knees, devastated.

Everyone was surprised at what happened. They all watched as Dion fell conscious and listened to Anabella's horrified and sorrowful wails.

When all seemed to fall silent, the ground began quaking. The building shook and everyone braces themselves to avoid falling. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the building collapsed.

Jill turned to her friends. "The Mothercrystal—it's collapsing!"

"Right. We need to leave," Clive replied, turning to leave.

"No—wait," Joshua said, stopping his brother. He moved his injured body to Dion and kneeled beside the prince, taking him into his arms. "I owe him a debt."

Clive was clearly reluctant, but he respected Joshua's wish. "Fine." He kneeled on the other side of Dion and grabbed his arm to pick him up, only to stop when familiar ribbons of aether escaped from the prince's body and coalesced into his own. Overcome with pain from absorbing a portion of Bahamut, Clive's hand slipped and he collapsed to the ground. He grunted in pain.

Lyra rushed over to Clive. She placed a hand on his back and provided him with a minor healing spell. When his painful groans ceased, she peered into his face with worry. "Clive?"

"Not again..." Clive muttered.

"Brother...?" Joshua asked, confused and worried after witnessing what happened.

"It's a long story." Clive met Lyra's emerald gaze and nodded to tell her he was fine. She released him and allowed him to grab Dion. He picked up the prince by placing him over his shoulder.

Joshua stood up and turned to his weeping mother. He carefully walked over to her. "You cannot stay here, Mother. Come." He extended a hand toward her. "Take my hand."

Anabella turned her head and shrieked at seeing Joshua. "Get away from me!" She swung a dagger she'd been concealing at him, slicing open his palm and forcing him to back away. She quickly stood up and swung the dagger wildly at her son. "This is all just a dream! Just a bad dream!"

Just before she could stab him, Lyra placed herself between Joshua and Anabella. The dagger pierced her shoulder and she winced in pain.

Joshua stared at her in shock. "Lyra..."

She yanked the dagger out of her shoulder and tossed it to the ground at Anabella's feet. She grabbed the woman's arm before she could escape.

"Let me go!" Anabella shouted, trying to break free from the goddess' tight grip. She tried to claw at her with her free hand, but it was caught. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! I know what you are!"

"And I know what you are!" Lyra shouted angrily. "For years, you have tormented not only the lives of your children but also the innocent lives of Bearers. You have slaughtered many innocent people simply because you possess the power. How dare you play with the lives of others!"

Anabella fell to her knees. She was consumed by fright as she met the goddess' burning emerald gaze. Unable to fight anymore, she slumped forward while her hands were still held hostage by the woman. "P-Please, I-I...!"

"Nothing you say will save you," Lyra coldly said. "You shall pay for your crimes. Anabella Rosfield Lesage... By decree of the Celestial Accord, you shall know the pain of eternal punishment. Your soul shall never know peace as it descends into the dark abyss of Tartaros."

Anabella felt a burning sensation. She looked at her hands to see they were becoming consumed by shadows. She started to scream and tried to break free as the darkness slowly started to consume her body and the pain spread. Her screams only grew louder.

Once the shadows consumed all of Anabella, her screams fell silent. Her body fell limp when Lyra released her hands. Falling on her side, her life left her body as her flesh was turned into ash. All that remained of the former duchess was a pile of ash.

Lyra stepped back. Her cold gaze remained as she stared at the pile of ash. "Many souls shall know peace with your eternal punishment." Turning to the others, she refused to meet their shocked gazes. "Let us depart."

No one said anything.

Joshua grabbed Dion's lance before they left just in time to avoid being buried underneath the collapsing Mothercrystal.

|| The Hideaway ||
|| Central Storm Deadlands ||

After their safe return to the hideaway, Lyra isolated herself in her and Clive's chambers. She felt her action toward Anabella was seen as cold and heartless by Clive and Joshua. She feared their judgment.

Standing on the balcony, she stared up at the cloudy sky. She had detected Ultima's presence as they escaped the Crystalline Dominion and wondered what he was up to now. However, not once did she detect Indra. She wondered if the god had fled the city during the battle with Bahamut.

Hearing footsteps, she lowered her gaze from the sky. She knew the person who had found her was none other than Clive. To her surprise, he silently came to stand next to her. Gripping the railing, she decided to break the silence. "I...should apologize for treating your mother in such a manner, but...I cannot. I hope you will forgive me for this decision."

"No," he replied. "I won't forgive you because there's nothing to forgive. When I saw what you did, I felt... relieved in a strange way. What did you do?"

"I destroyed her physical form and sent her soul to Tartaros, a hellish prison in the heavens where the most twisted and vile souls go for divine punishment. Their souls are tormented for all eternity because of the crimes they committed."

"And this Celestial Accord?" he asked.

"A treaty made by the gods to define the line between good and evil. Those who do not abide by the rules presented in the Celestial Accord are stripped of their body and their soul is sent to Tartaros. Even we gods need to have rules to follow."

Clive placed his hand over one of hers. "Knowing my mother will pay for what she has done brings an odd sense of peace to mind."

"I hope Joshua feels the same," she said. "How is he?"

"Asleep since our return from the Dominion. Tarja says he should be back on his feet soon enough...for a while, at least. She discovered something on his chest. A swelling circled in stone..."

She sighed sorrowfully. "Even Joshua is afflicted by the curse..." She turned her head to meet his gaze. "We overcome one obstacle only to discover another."

"It's never ending." Clive looked to the sky above. "Even the sky seems to have grown tired of it all."

Lyra too looked up. "Whatever caused this, I do hope we can undo it."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, pressing his lips against her forehead. "We can, and we will."

She hooked her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yes. But for now, I have a promise to fulfill. Are you ready to learn the language of the gods?"

"More than ready," he answered honestly. "I do hope you're not a tough teacher like Vivian."

"I...would like to say I'm not, but I haven't truly taught lessons like her. Cid didn't make it far into my lessons when he asked to learn from me, but I hope he only grew frustrated because the topic was rather difficult. If I do go too far, tell me. I want you to learn, but I also want you to be comfortable and not be too stressed."

"I will," he responded.

She smiled. "Then let's get started, shall we?"