Hatman1801

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios was silent for several moments, looking over Melina's condition. It had taken only moments for him to heal up Jenso's arm on the short walk over to the girl. Eventually, he let out a pained sigh.

"She's...she's at the same stages that Cilia was at before...before I had to make my decision before." Alvios put his hand on the hilt of his blade, retrieved from Cilia's body. He seemed ignorant of his former lover's pleas that she could still be saved at this point. "I have to end it here."

Was Alvios mad? Deranged as she may have been, clearly Cilia had been acting of her own accord, and what Alvios had done all those years ago had solved nothing.

Maybe Cilia was right about Alvios' twisted sense of righteousness. He was being blinded by his own light.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios was still for a moment, long enough to rile Jenso's fear, but he slowly pulled himself off of his blade, stumbling as some blood trickled from his mouth. "D-Damn...the f-fire was a little much, Jenso...a-anyway, get over here..." Alvios moved a hand over his stomach, emitting a faint light from it. His shaken breathing began to become much more steady as the wound miraculously began to close at a rapid rate.

"Come on, let's get to Melina. I'll fix your arm up there." It didn't take long for Alvios' breathing to be regular now and for him to be walking with just mild exhaustion. Like impalement was just a minor inconvenience.

Showoff.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"So, that's your game..." Alvios noticed her body going tense as she began trying to absorb his energy. He hoped that meant she would be less able to dodge, and Jenso's attack was perfect for this. He reached out, and his discarded sword flew towards him, right into the direction he and Cilia were being drawn to by Jenso's flame whip. He immediately dissipated his light armor as well, and focused on giving her as little energy to drain as possible; he needed that spot on her back to be as brittle as possible so his sword could run them through. His other hand grabbed Cilia's free arm, to try and prevent her escape.

Jenso had better not mess this up again...

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios' eyes widened suddenly as Jenso interrupted his plan. He supposed he should have expected his hotheaded reaction. "Damn it all, Jenso!" He couldn't stop to help him immediately; Cilia had to be stopped; Melina's infection was spreading, and it may already be too late for the young girl.

He began seeing the crystalline figure jumping towards Pij less and less as his former lover, and more and more as the true Swarm Queen. His greaves flickered for a moment as he kicked up after her as quickly as possible, forming blades in his hands again, looking to stab her through the back.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios rushed towards her as well, ready to clash blades. "You would keep the Swarm alive and curse Melina to the same fate as you, all because of what I did?! Fine!" Alvios decided to take a gamble. He suddenly threw his blade aside, and dematerialized the light sword in his other hand, slowing his run and spreading his palms in a defenseless stance.

"Then run me through, and get it over with. Impale me."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios didn't react with much emotion when the crystal blade parried his own. His focus was on trying to keep collected. He let her blade push his back, instead letting go with one hand to form a light sword in his off-hand, thrusting at her side. "You don't have to do this, Cilia. It doesn't have to be this way. Don't drag Melina down with you!"

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios followed suit, grabbing his sword with both hands as he touched the ground from his earlier leap. The blade was completely covered in the unstable light now, and as he swung a sword wave at Cilia, the attack looked more like lightning than solidified light. Intending to use it alongside Jenso's punch as direct attacks, he ran around in an arc, looking to try and get to a spot behind Cilia where he could blindside her with the follow-up attack.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"You..." Alvios' eyes widened as he looked at the transformation on Melina. Just as it had started with Cilia. His body stiffened, and he looked back at Cilia, eyes glowing. His sword tore itself from the distant ground, and flew into an outstretched hand, clad in light now.

"What is this, then? Vengeance?! This isn't right! Even... even if you could have saved yourself, why did you drag Melina into this?! If you were strong, why did you submit to the Swarm! Why have you let them run amok?! You... You aren't Cilia. You know Melina isn't like you. She will never resist this. And the Cilia I remember would never sacrifice her sister to satisfy some petty revenge." He took a step forward, armor covering his arms and legs once more, although it sparked vaguely with instability.

"In all of us, there is hidden some root of despair, for in all of us, there is pride." He looked up at Cilia, a dark expression on his face. "Fine, then. Call my decision wrong, call it corrupt. But what if you didn't save yourself? What if my softness had gotten me killed, and you became the leader of the Swarm anyway? Who would be left to defend the village?" He readied his blade, narrowing his eyes at Cilia. "I love you, Cilia, but I will not risk the lives of many to save the few, even if it breaks my heart. As the Swarm's queen, I must cut you down again. For Corona. For justice. And I will repent through pain and regret, through nightmares and tears."

Alvios leapt up at Cilia, ready to cut her down again, willing to repeat history for the greater good.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios looked up at Cilia, dumbstruck. She was...alive? The blades of light in his hand began fading away, as did the pseudo-armor around his forearms and shins. He was struck by flashbacks; her screaming, tearful face as the Swarm infested her. The cold sweat threatening to slide the blade from Alvios' hands. Her fear as cold iron resolve overtook him. Better to die fast than suffer. Better to spare her guilt lest something happen.

Why did s-she have to die, Alvy?! Why my big sis?!

Don't cry, Melina... she'd want you to be strong. And I'll be here protecting you, alright? Nobody will have to die again. I promise...

"Cilia... I... I did it so this wouldn't happen! I never wanted this! I wanted you to be at peace...! How... how did they still take you?! I KILLED YOU!" His breathing was heavy, unstable. Jenso would understand now why the Swarm would take humans; to break down their resolve to kill loved ones.

He turned, slowly, to look at where Cilia was pointing. A wrapped body. Someone from the surface, likely to replace the dead hive queen. To replace Cilia.

"Oh no..."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Alvios looked down on the bug queen as best he could, considering the size of her head. The contempt he felt for her welled up inside of him, and her arrogance before death was pitiful. "Your new host body is going to be cut down just the same as this one. You and the Swarm will know death, queen. Die in defiance as you like, but you will repent with pain for all that you have done. And perhaps when I cut down the next one, she will know respect and fear for justice." With his short speech said, the armor and blade around his right arm glowed brighter and more solid-looking, as he impaled her through the eye.

As he did so, he glanced back towards Jenso, to make sure he was alright and that the Swarmlings and the new general had begun to die alongside their queen.