"Come on, Aero! Get up!"

Aero could barely make out the voice of the man standing on the other side of the chamber. His ears were ringing loudly after getting his head slammed into a pillar following one nasty energy shot that sent him flying across the room. He had just enough time to activate a small shield on his back, but the pain still came on impact. Luckily, the pillar was able to withstand the force. Aero was already crushed a few inches deep into solid stone. A roof falling on his head wouldn't have made his situation any better.

"Now Aero, I know that didn't kill you. I've seen you take harder hits than that. Hell, I've given some to you."

Aero's vision came back into focus as the man began walking in his direction. He wore a pitch black set of Totomian robes with brilliant violet highlights running across the fabric, matching his dark hair. Though it didn't show well, there were small plates of Adamantine underneath those robes glimmering through the small slashes Aero had been able to make.

Aero guessed he should've taken that as protection as a form of praise. For people like he and Risse, armor was nearly unnecessary in normal combat. Of course, this was hardly a sparring duel. The collapsed walls, torn tapestry and other assorted forms of rubble showed how intense their fight had become. They'd even managed to make a few holes in the dome above their heads. A few more redirected attacks and the whole castle might have collapsed.

"Why," Aero asked as he worked my way out of the stone. He fell and landed on his feet with a fleeting moment of unevenness, his breathing coarse, but slowing. "What's the point of this? You have power, fame, love. What more do you want?"

"It isn't about what I want," said Risse. "It is about what is good for the people of Totum. The true descendents of our powerful lines." As he got closer, Aero could make out the necklace he wore. On it was the symbol of Totum, a cut diamond-shape with a pair of wings jetting from the sides. The crystal in the center was a deep, rich purple, like the last glimpse of dusk before nightfall. It was the same color as his eyes.

"The peace we knew," he continued, "is gone. The foolish king, Halos, who you blindly serve, has driven us to ruin."

"You are truly insane," Aero said. "You may not have noticed, but the one destroying this city is you!" He pointed out the window where a battlefield was opened up to them. Smoke was rising from the buildings and screams of fear and rage blended with the clash of metal on metal. The tower's height gave a great view of the ensuing chaos of the coup.

"No, Aero. What you see is how we will thrive again. Our nation has become weak. Our enemies are plotting against us and what does Halos do? Nothing! For us to reclaim the power we once had, this is necessary."

"What we were before was evil!" He reached out his hands toward the dual blades lying near him. Each had two blades rising from the hilt, leaving a small space between them. The necklace Aero wore, a sterling silver crystal shining in the center, began to glow as he drew power from it. His blades began to glow with the same shimmering light as they flew into his hands. He flipped them in his fingers to hold them each in a reversed grip.

"The power we had nearly destroyed us, along with the rest of the world," Aero said as he pointed to his necklace. "We were killers. Warmongers. If we hadn't limited our use of the Shards, we would have all died in those constant wars!"

"We were in no danger of dying, Aero." He lifted his right arm to the sky, in his hand a double ended blade with violet text engraved on the hilt. "The sky could not hold us back! We were invincible. Untouchable. We were gods!"

"We are not gods, Risse! We were demons, like those beasts you have let into our city! The same beasts you are allowing to slaughter your own people." Aero had tears in his eyes as he thought of them, the Creatures of Grimm, running rampant through the streets, attacking those he was sworn to protect.

"Do not call me by that name!" Risse jumped at Aero, slashing his blade in a twirling motion as Aero countered with a similar movement. A series of rapid slashes continued, some making glancing hits on their bodies, their normally massive Aura's slowly draining down. Aero pulled energy from his Beta, enough to cause his whole upper body to become encased in the light, and swung at his opponent with both swords. Risse was knocked back a few feet from the hit, but barely wounded. He didn't even bother to raise a shield.

"Why can't you see that this is how the world is meant to be," he said. "The Grimm can be controlled with this." He pointed to his own Shard. "They can be conquered, as you can see, and once I've taken the remaining Shards, no power will be able to threaten this world again. Then, and only then, will we have peace, but we must first do away with this way of things."

He fired a violet blast of condensed power from his hand. Aero slashed it away with his charged blades, the mixing of energy causing arcs of lightning to shoot to the side. The many charred spots on his grey-silver robes reminded him of that redirecting those blasts was his priority. If the full frontal force didn't kill him, the conflicting powers of Beta and Omega would.

Risse fired another blast, one that Aero was nearly able to redirect at him. He managed to dodge effortlessly at the last second with a smirk on his face. Aero would probably be smiling to if he were in Risse's position. Here Aero was gasping for breath from calling too much on Beta while the dark haired man was holding back. Risse wouldn't be able to kill Aero in one shot, but he knew that even without Omega giving him a power up, he probably wouldn't win this fight. He just wanted to see how far he'd go.

"If peace involves killing your own people," Aero said between gasps, "then I want none of it. I don't care if I die. One of the others will take you down."

"You honestly think they can succeed where both you and Halos have failed. Even if Dunden joined the fight with you now, do you honestly think you could win?" He dashed forward at a blinding speed and punched Aero hard in the gut, knocking him to his knees. Aero coughed up a bit of blood before feeling his hand wrap around his throat. Risse lifted him up so Aero's silver-blue eyes were on level with his.

"I am no longer Risse," he said as he knocked Aero's swords away and lifted his blade to his throat. "Life is over. I am Rize. Death. In me, this world will finally be free."

"How could killing those you love make them free!"

He smiled and laughed lightly under his breath.

"Who ever said I was going to let them stay dead?"

He pointed to the entryway leading to the stairwell. It was hard to see through the dust filled air, but three figures slowly emerged from the shadows. For a moment, Aero thought the guards, poor souls taken by...Rize…, had somehow survived the wounds they'd been given, but the figures weren't them. At least, they weren't them anymore.

Their armor was slashed, compliments of Rize's blade, and blood was stained along the line. One had been impaled. One's torso had been dented inward by a ferocious blast; however, none of their wounds were open. Instead, each had been filled by a matrix of interlocking, purple crystals. Small patterns of the same violet stones were visible on open patches of skin and they seemed to move with every second that passed. Their eyes were open, but there was no life in them. They were nearly black.

"Those… those are…" Aero couldn't bring his thoughts to his mouth. Before him stood an evil the world had long thought gone; abominations not seen in years. Though he had never seen one in person, he knew the form.

"Yes," said Rize. "You know what these are. I must say, the stories don't do these creatures credit. Even I am amazed at the potency of the venom in their veins. I never imagined the effects would manifest so soon."

"You… you…," Aero stuttered.

"I what? Broke the laws of this world? Recreated monsters? Both are true, but is that really so bad? As you can see," he said as his eyes flashed purple, "there are certainly benefits to this little transformation."

Rize lowered his blade and threw Aero backwards, causing him to skid before recomposing himself. One of the guard's eyes glowed with a similar light as his body began to tense up and convulse. Rize showed the smallest amount of frustration on his face and flashed his eyes once more. This time, the guard stopped his movement and turned in Aero's direction.

Before he could react, the mangled body jumped at Aero with a speed normal humans shouldn't be able to reach. His hand, now like a claw because of the crystal encasing it, slashed at Aero's head. He dodged to the side, picked up his blades and used the motion to bisect his attacker. He hesitated for a moment, but then remembered what his father had told him about these creatures. They weren't human. They weren't even alive.

"Well done, Aero," Rize said as he smiled at him. "You are the first warrior in almost 20 years to face a Fractal and live. Of course, what you killed was only a newborn. The transformation wasn't even complete yet."

"Fractals," Aero said, looking at the body, "are abominations. Soulless creatures. They aren't meant to exist!"

"Oh, Aero," he said, shaking his head. "The body of a Fractal is one of immortality. It is improved in every way. Stronger, faster, impervious to pain, and perpetually powered by Omega. Once this is the form of the world, all sorrow and misery won't even be a memory.

"The reason they don't feel pain is because they don't feel anything! Those are nothing but reanimated corpses! Worse than Grimm! They're dead!"

"And your point is?"

"You aren't trying to save this world," he said, gripping his swords tighter, "you're trying to kill it."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I guess there is no getting through to you," he said, looking almost sad. "I would have liked having you alive. Maybe we could have found a way to retain your consciousness in the Fractal state. Then you could've helped me maintain order forever."

His eyes glowed again and the other two Fractals charged forward, this time holding their swords. Aero swung at them, trying to bisect them as he had the first. He wasn't sure exactly what could kill them, so he wanted to use what he knew would work; however, his plan didn't work quite as well the second time. They blocked with their swords, but Aero had caught one of them in the space between his split blades. He twisted his wrist and flung the weapon from that one's hand and launched a quick stab into it, finishing the monster off.

The attack only lasted for a second, but it was enough time for the other to slash at him with his free hand, making huge gashes on his upper arm. Aero screamed in pain for a moment before using his now unoccupied left hand to slice the monster's head clean off. He took a moment to try and move his right arm. It felt like it was burning and he could barely make it move. He was able to hold the blade at his side, but his arm was hanging limply.

"Now that," Rize said, "was unexpected. And disappointing. I honestly didn't think they'd be able to touch you, but here you are a bloody mess with an arm that looks like it may fall off."

Aero was barely able to stay calm. He was a dual-swordsman. Fighting with one hand was an option, but it wouldn't be nearly as effective, especially against someone as powerful as Rize. He could use Beta, but he would be able to aim any blasts with my right arm. Gripping wouldn't be effective against him. He didn't know what to do. His body wouldn't move. Maybe...

"I am sorry, Aero," Rize said walking towards him, putting a blade to his neck, "You would have made my plans go so much smoother, but, I will give you a last gift. Because you hate my Fractals so much, I will spare you the fate of becoming one."

Everything started moving in slow motion for Aero. He heard his heart beat faster than he ever had before. He thought about everyone he knew. Everyone he loved. Father, Acrose, Selena, Jen, Zek, Dunden… Quinn.

"And about them being soulless…"

He looked into Aero's eyes.

"I don't believe in souls."

Everyone, he thought, I'm sorry.

Then, almost faster than the eye could follow, a sword swung at Rize's face, matched with a blinding kick to the stomach, which knocked him back hard. In Rize's spot stood a grown woman, around Rize's age. She held a thin, red sword, dripping with a small amount of blood, and a long white hood. She pulled back her hood to reveal her pale skin, long black hair and scarlet tips. She turned to Aero and smiled sweetly. He could almost see his reflection in her silver eyes.

"You should know better," she said, never giving up her smile. "You don't always have to fight on your own." She turned back to Rize, who was still in a mild shock, but standing up. It was too bad her amazing speed could only happen with a recharge. Then she could have landed another blow to Rize. Maybe even finish him. Not even he could match her speed completely.

"And before you say anything," she continued, "I know I can't win, but I do know how, and so do you. Are you ready?"

She held her hand out and in it were four rings with gleaming gems in the center. A fiery crimson, a radiant emerald, a piercing yellow, and a deep sapphire blue. The remaining Shards.

"Wait," Aero said, "does this mean that…?"

He couldn't bring myself to say it. These rings were in the possession of the other Bearers. If she had them, then maybe that meant…

"Don't worry. They're fine. I'm just borrowing these. Now, are you ready? We have to be quick." She gestured over to Rize. "Sneak attacks only work once."

"I can't," Aero protested. "If anything goes wrong…"

"Trust me."

She spoke softly, like a mother soothing her child. The fear in Aero's heart was still there, but he felt it start to fade slightly. He understood the risk, especially the risk to her, but he also understood the necessity. Rize had to be stopped.

"Okay."

She nodded with a smile and tossed Aero the rings. He caught them with his Grip and, unlike most other objects, the glow of each turned their respective colors. They both turned to Rize, who had recovered from the sudden blow. His breathing, though a little raspy, quickly slowed. He even had a small trickle of blood running from a cut on his cheek, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Of course you would survive," he said.

"Duh," she said with a smirk.

"You know, for someone so fast, your mind must be pretty slow," he said with a laugh. "To think you would actually bring the Shards here…" He raised his hand toward her. He fired a blast at her, but this time the energy was more condensed. It was almost spherical and a direct hit would mean certain death. She hadn't recovered enough Aura to do another massive sprint, so she crossed her arms in front of her, bracing herself for the impact.

But it never came. Rize's attack smashed against a wall of light Aero had erected in front of her. Personally, Aero was amazed he'd had the strength to complete his defence. He still couldn't move his right arm, but above his left hand were the four rings. He'd gotten his powerup.

"Aero," she shouted. "Now!"

Aero gulped out of fear, but then sheathed both his blades using his Grip and readied himself. He held out his left hand in front of him and started to form a condensed ball of energy around the shards. The orb shined with a rainbow of color that got brighter every moment until it looked like a blinding white star. He was staring down Rize, who now had the shining light of Aero's Grip around him. Aero had never seen a more rage filled look in his life.

"AERO!"

Aero pulled Rize toward him with all his might. Though he was resisting, Aero had him on a crash course with his ultimate attack. Once he hit, his body would vanish in an instant, but so would anything else. Small pieces of rubble from around the room began shooting forward, only to disappear into the light. Everything started to shake as more and more objects met their end in the increasing bright form. Aero even felt himself getting pulled in.

Rize was pushing against the pull as much as he could, but now he was actually trying. Violet energy was streaming out in front of him in his attempt to escape. Their forces were nearly equal, but Aero knew he couldn't keep this up for long, especially because it wasn't just the two of them. The woman had jabbed her sword into the floor and was holding on for dear life. If Aero pulled much harder, not only would he tear his body apart, but she would get pulled in as well.

Then, in an act of true desperation, Rize changed course. Instead of trying to get away, he flew himself straight toward Aero's star, holding his sword like a spear. Aero felt his fear return when he realized what Rize was planning. Aero couldn't move from his position. If he did, the energy would be released immediately as a shock wave, but Rize must have been counting on it, even though it could destroy everything here, including himself if he was unable to block. Moving fast enough, there was a chance he could go around the attack, if only for the smallest microsecond, but that's all he would need to finish Aero off.

Rize came at him full force with a palpable killing intent. His eyes, once soothing like lavender, were as black as the eyes of the Fractals. Aero knew then that Risse was gone, completely consumed by Omega. He was forced to admit the truth.

His brother was dead.

Then, just as he was about to be finished off, the same red sword as appeared in front of Aero, this time severing the chain of Rize's necklace. The sword, along with it's wielder, glowing with a cloak of red Aura the began mixing with Aero's silver. At the same time, Omega, still glowing with power, fell into the light; however, instead of disappearing, it cracked upon contact before fully breaking into several pieces. These fragments fell back into the light again, this time causing Aero's attack to lose all stability and explode, filling up the room with it's light.

The feeling wasn't natural. Instead of impact, Aero felt engulfed, like being under the sea. He felt weightless and heavy all at once, but at the same time he couldn't feel his body. The light was intense, like looking into the sun, but he couldn't see anything. All he could feel was his aura.

"Am I dead," he whispered.

"No."

Aero knew that voice. It was hers. He could feel her Aura in front of him so Ihe reached out to it, but, instead of feeling a body, his hand found a soft piece of fabric, just as he felt a pull engulf him. It wasn't in any real direction. It just was.

Aero didn't know how long he felt like that, but he gripped the cloth as hard as he could. Suddenly, he felt thrown back. He felt the wind blow across his face as he glided through the air, only to hit something. As opposed to the hard stone he was used to, what he hit felt soft. Or, at least it would have, if he hadn't have been moving so quickly. So, instead of a pillow, it still felt like a brick wall.

Aero came to a stop not much further, this time laying on the grassy ground facing upward. His swords, both sheathed on his back, were making it pretty uncomfortable, but he didn't care at the moment. The world was still a blur, but he was starting to get a sense of where he was. The air was fresh with several rose petals flowing in the win, so he must have been outside. This wasn't surprising, considering he'd probably just destroyed the entire castle in the blast. When he opened my eyes, Aero saw a star filled sky above him with the broken crescent moon sitting behind a cloud. It was nighttime, which was strange. He had been fighting in the middle of the day. Maybe he'd just been knocked out for a while.

No, he thought, that can't be right. My attack had just gone off. I was still conscious. How could it be night time?

"Are you okay?"

He was taken aback by the worried sounding voice. It was almost the same as the one he had just heard, but it was...different. It sounded younger than before.

But it was still hers.

Then, Aero saw a girl bending over him. He started slowly losing consciousness, but he could still make out her fearful face as everything got dark.

Impossible, he thought. She looks… but she looks my age. Maybe younger. How…?

Aero felt something in his hand, which had landed across his chest. With what little energy he had left, he raised his head to see what it was. What he was holding was the long, white garment of the woman who saved him. Her hood.

Aero turned back to the girl. She herself wore a cloak, though hers was a brilliant red. Just like a rose. The last thing he was able to make out were her eyes. He had seen those same eyes just a moment ago. Those same silver eyes.

"Summer…" he whispered.

Then the world went black.