The moment before the four droids could even fathom touching the two held together, a single teardrop descended from Ardine's eyes, splashing softly against Claire's left hand, like a frog to a lily pad. In that same exact moment, in a split second that seemed to take longer than a century, a golden power awakened inside Claire's body, enveloping the two in a radiant golden barrier flocked with white-winged feathers.
The pulse of the barrier blasted the four droids back against the entrance hallway's walls. Ardine, who had accepted his passing to the new world, slowly opened his eyes as a burst of energy ignited his soul. The golden godly aura enveloped his body with a healing radiance that twinkled like the star-struck soaring Florians to resemble good faith and harmony. As he opened his eyes, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing.
Claire's hair was transformed into a light blonde instead of brown. Twinkling blinks of astral stars formed around her golden aura from head to toe. Her white pupils completely blanketed her entire eye, leaving no trace of color within except for ivory. Violet iridescent and pearly earrings that reflected an aurora of colors formed on her earlobes. A crown that resembled a jeweled tiara hovered over her head, suspended in air. And the most impossible moment of her transformation was a complete marvel, to say in the least.
A single celestial white wing blossomed out of the left side of her back, slanted upward to depict a goddess's awakening. Silver feathers from the wing descended from the skies, vanishing before even touching the ground. The feathers never lost their luster when they disembarked from her wing.
Ardine, who continued to hold Claire tightly, slowly moved backward as he witnessed her eyes reverting back to its normal shade of ivory white. She looked directly at Ardine with a hopeful stare, which blossomed into a fully fledged smile after locking eyes with him.
"Claire...?" Ardine gasped, unable to grasp what he was witnessing.
"Claire" extended her gentle palm and pressed against Ardine's shoulder. With her light and delicate accent, she spoke normally. "You've done your part, Ardine," She said, mentioning his true name for the first time. "Now it's my turn. Stand back."
Ardine remained silent and followed her bidding, cornering himself to safety on the side. "Claire" witnessed the four droids recovering from their brief fall. With their eyes locked her, they gathered around each other to increase their strength in numbers.
"You want the true me?" "Claire" spoke, summoning her folded blade into her hand. Her weapon was nothing but a white void that resembled the shape of a sword, and she gripped it facing downward to prepare for a plunging stab to the ground. "You want... Erpha?"
The four droids held themselves back to prepare for a charge.
"Then come and get me." Claire said.
With a plunging stab, Erpha closed her eyes until the entire entrance hallway's setting began to dramatically shift with the blink of an eye. The moment she reopened her eyes, she became the normal version of herself, reverting back to her brown-haired Claire with her folded blade pierced through shallow waters beside her feet. There were no signs of her godly wings or aura any longer.
With a cold and blank stare below her waist, she raised her head up until she noticed several ivory pillars suspended in midair, with an unknown symbol etched in the sky that resembled an unknown language's code.
The glistening waters were suddenly illuminated by the twilight sun, swaying above Claire's heels as she continued to plant them firmly with resolve. Four twinkling figures that eventually came out of thin air stood beside each other, all smiling confidently with their hands at the ready.
Claire pulled her folded blade out of the waters and approached them with a hopeful smile in return. As the light shrouding their faces began to shade itself after their spiritual figures revealed themselves, she realized that they were her family, in the flesh without any blemishes or signs of damage.
It was them as flawlessly as they could be.
"Look who came after all," Mossen's voice rang through. His voice was almost unrecognizable from all of the pain Claire endured over the years. But once she had heard it, it was nothing but a serene moment in her ears that hadn't been blessed in millennium. "See? I knew she'd come back to see us again."
"Hmph," Pirelle voiced out, crossing his arms to reject Mossen's statement. "It's about time. Typical Qliphosian, always being late."
Claire giggled in response and wiped a teardrop leaking from her eyelid.
The burly figure of Thatcher stood forward, looking down upon his step-daughter. "We are so proud of you," His coarse voice was as deep as Claire could remember. "We've been watching you this whole time, and we have to say, we're thoroughly impressed, ain't we?"
"Oh, hell yeah!" Mossen shouted, pumping both of his fists in the air. "You've got so much stronger! I can't even match you anymore!"
"Doesn't mean we won't try." Pirelle intervened.
"Yeah, well..." Thatcher said, moving back into position where he was lined up with the other three. "You know we have to give you a challenge, right?"
Claire nodded in understanding, gripping her folded blade tightly.
"Yeah! Just because you're a girl doesn't mean we're gonna go easy on you!" Mossen shouted, hyping himself up before the battle by taking short hops to loosen his muscles.
Pirelle matched his energy by cracking his knuckles and adjusting his neck. "You got that right." He briefly said.
"Get out of my way, boys." Her voice came abruptly as the final figure formed directly in front of Claire. Her asymmetrical black bob haircut and slim muscular body frame was all that she needed to see to identify her. Her voice increased in confidence. "She's mine to deal with."
"Hey, no fair!" Mossen shouted. "I found her first, you know!"
The faded image of Szene appeared as clear as possible to Claire. Instead of readying herself for combat, Claire fell forward as her saddened emotions dictated her fall. It was an unusual combination of sorrow and relief, knowing that she saw them one final time before it all would come to an end.
Yet before Claire collapsed in the water, the four caught her at the same exact time. They held her close, warmly embracing her. When Claire opened her eyes once more, all four of them were in the same shot of her vision, looking down upon her with their visibly warm smiles.
"Hey. Don't you go dying on me just yet," Pirelle said. "We haven't even started yet, you know."
"She's just nervous, that's all!" Mossen said. "Reasonable, right?"
"But I know she's got it in her. Don't you?" Thatcher asked.
Szene and Claire locked eyes with each other, reminding her of that same night where she pledged her to make the promise to survive for the future. But that same haunting image inside her soul began to vanish entirely, wiping those memories for good after seeing Szene's bright face in the midst of herself.
"You okay, kiddo?" Szene asked.
Claire sobbed in response to all of them embracing her tightly. But after controlling herself amidst their respective positions, she wiped her tears away and looked back up at her sister. "I'm ready." Claire briefly said, acknowledging her position without saying another word.
She wished she could say more, but she knew she couldn't.
"We know." Thatcher said, nodding in agreement.
"You better not chicken out on us like last time." Mossen teased.
"Just give us a good fight." Pirelle threatened.
Szene released Claire as the four of them moved back to give Claire enough distance to breath.
Mossen conjured a folded blade in his right hand and assumed a combat stance; the light shining upon it almost transformed it into a wooden blade upon first glance, but it was only an illusion.
Pirelle did the same, holding his folded blade tightly with his posture much more resolute than Mossen's.
Thatcher clenched his fists and primed them up close, ready for combat.
Szene summoned the same folded blade as the two boys, slicing the air before holding it close to her left cheek.
"You ready... sis?" Szene chuckled, winking at Claire.
With a swift movement after being broken free of her grief, Claire knew exactly what she had to do. She extended her arm forward until her folded blade was fully extended outward, freely pointed in front of the four who stood in front of them in shallow water. She rotated her right wrist slightly to the left before placed the back of her left hand next to her mouth, covering it to hide her identity.
She then lowered her hand and placed it behind her waist. All four of them were at reasonable distance for combat. It was a four versus one.
"I am." Claire said, closing her eyes. The sun projected a shadow of her that reflected upon the darkened shallow waters. The sins of her past were released into the wild. The image of Ardine, Lyn, and Alfaic flashed in her eyes, followed by herself nestled in a fetal position. It all dissipated as soon as she took her final breath.
Their voices echoed through the waters, shaking the terrain below them until waves formed on its surface. After opening her eyes, all five of them shouted in unison.
"WE FIGHT!" They all hollered.
Pirelle flourished his blade with several spins before moving first, followed by Mossen behind him. Claire parried a direct overhead slash easily, tossing Pirelle behind her with grace for a somersault. With Mossen charging at her with his usual clumsy self, Claire snapped the handle of her blade and struck him in the gut with its end, kicking him down into the shallow water.
Thatcher leaped into the air and slammed down on the water with full force. Claire kept her composure, elegantly leaping back a short distance with her left hand still nestled behind her waist. With her blade still pointed outward, Thatcher charged at her with his furious fists seeking a battle. She swiftly dodged the first two thunderous blows before striking him in the chest with a swift slash with only the flick of her wrist. Thatcher fell back into the water as Pirelle and Mossen spun around, shoulder distance apart with their swords clashing together for a dual strike.
Claire pinned both of their swords in the air with a single strike, holding them firmly and closely before a single swipe of elegance brushed them aside. Szene charged at Claire from behind, unleashing a flurry of low swinging blows to topple Claire's resolve. But after a poor slice toward Claire's ankle completely missed, she leaped off of Szene's blade and fell back down with a downward spiraling kick toward her, sending her toward the water below.
Pirelle charged a forceful stab from behind, dashing directly with his blade pointed toward Claire's flank. But a swift and graceful maneuver from Claire allowed her to out position herself in the moment. Before the blade could connect with her flank, Claire closed her eyes and rotated herself faster than the speed of light. For a brief moment, Claire's back touched against Pirelle's, safely weaving on the other side of him as he collided with Thatcher back down onto the water.
Claire opened her eyes again, and this time, she wanted to bring her full force into the mix. As Mossen and Szene approached her from both sides, she slid her feet against the water and performed a full rotating slash, striking both of their blades to repel them on their backs. Pirelle dashed forward again after Claire finished her attack, seeking to slice her sword out of her hand.
Yet another swift attack managed to seize Pirelle's control out of mayhem. As he desperately tried to aim for her attacking hand, Claire lunged forward with absolute precision, slicing the ghostly arm of Pirelle's hand instead until his blade plummeted to the waters below. She grabbed his left shoulder with her left hand and sent her knee directly to his abdomen before stabbing through his stomach. Instead of blood, water droplets and mist sprayed behind him. She released him to the ground, doomed to his defeat.
Thatcher grabbed Claire from behind with his strong arms, seizing control of her underarms for Mossen and Szene. As the two charged at her, Claire kicked both of their faces with her swift legs before using her forced weight to fall forward, causing Thatcher to flip forward. As soon as Thatcher hit the water, Claire recovered instantly and delivered an instant stab to his neck. Water and mist spewed from the exit wound of his ghostly body.
As Mossen tried swinging down against Claire's body with her back turned on the ground, she swept her folded blade behind her back without even looking at him, blocking the blow. Sparks flung out of their collided blades, stunning Mossen's eyes momentarily the moment it touched his eyelids. Before he had a chance to react in defense, Claire blinked at lightning speed in front of him, performing a leaping stab toward the center of his chest. She clenched her teeth firmly, holding nothing back in her potent strike.
Water and mist flung out of Mossen's chest as he flew back against the waters, defeated.
After landing, Szene clashed blades with Claire's the moment she seized the opportunity. The two wrestled with each other's weapons to disarm each other, butting their foreheads against one another to dominate in power. It wasn't until Claire managed to break free and slice through Szene's shin, stopping their collision entirely. Szene collapsed on the ground before Claire performed a final rotating spin slash, slicing through her neck until water and mist spewed out to end the battle.
Her final slash was also held together by Claire's only scream of power. The final drops of water dripped from the edge of Claire's blade.
With all of them defeated, Claire stopped her graceful facade and stepped back, dropping her folded blade behind her. All four of them were lying on the ground, eyeing Claire with a momentous impression of auspicious pride and pure joviality.
"Not bad, kid." Thatcher complimented, chuckling with pride. "You've become so strong."
"I knew you had it in you." Pirelle said, amused by his defeat.
"Well, I knew it first!" Mossen chimed in, scratching the back of his head.
Claire giggled in response to their comments, witnessing the end of their spiritual journey. Heavenly lights descended from the skies as golden and white tethers began to entangle around their shoulders. The tethers injected them with a white substance that made them appear more ghostly and transparent.
It was finally time for them to pass onto the new world, all fulfilled of their oath to protect.
As the tethers rose them in the air, the fading fragments of their bodies began to slowly vanish as seconds passed. As the three ascended toward the sun's glowing grasp, they waved good bye to Claire before disappearing entirely in a hail of bright mist.
Szene, who was on the verge of fading away, firmly pressed against Claire's shoulder with a confident touch after getting up from her weakened position. The two of them looked at each other once more as her hand began to glow.
Autumn leaves descended the skies.
The aroma of stingy fresh flowers traveled through their nostrils.
A basking light warmed her forearm.
All this and more, with time.
"You know what I'm about to say," Szene briefly stated. "You never fail to disappoint me, Claire."
Claire agreed, nodding in return.
"I know..." She whispered.
Szene bumped foreheads with Claire affectionately. It was time for her to go.
"You kept your promise," Szene reminded her with a solemn voice. "I'm so proud of you."
Claire closed her eyes tightly as wrinkled surfaced on her forehead. She was grief-stricken, as she wanted to live in this moment forever. But it was nothing but an illusion, conjured up directly from her to cope with her trauma. Yet for some odd reason, this trauma was no longer hurtful in the moment. No. It was instead replaced by pure bliss, healed and mended by the journey she had endured to get here in this exact moment.
And that journey was not yet over.
"I... miss you..." Claire asserted, knowing what little time she had remaining.
Szene chuckled and kissed Claire's forehead. "Don't you know, sister?" She began. "I'll always be here for you."
With one final smile to end it all, Szene mouthed an inaudible phrase into Claire's ear. Her reaction was nothing shy of warm. A final salute ended their talk as she finally faded away into nothingness, carried off by the godly tethers harnessed around her to the sky.
Claire's tense heart pounded steadily. Her tense shoulders released themselves of the agony and the burden she had carried. She kneeled down and grabbed the folded blade with her right hand, tightening her grasp around it. After swinging outward to wipe away the water from her blade's edge, she looked directly at the sun with a confident stare, smiling one final time to signal her solace.
The watery vista slowly calmed itself, as the clouds in the horizon finally faded away. The skies were nothing but blue, and the pale white thrall the illusion had within her mind was gone in a quarter of a second.
After blinking her eyes to end it all, Claire was transported back into reality in the entrance hall of the space station. Her true winged form was still revealed, but its luster began to dull itself after solace peaked through her mind. Her left feathered wing vanished into ash, and the golden shimmer on her hair dwindled back to her original brown hue. The tiara hovering over her head also vanished, leaving nothing but her usual state left in the open.
The four droids were annihilated.
And the human features of their corpses were purged entirely from their bodies. To heaven.
Take care of them. They're your family now. Especially him.