Hey ~

it took a little longer than I planned, but now the second chapter is finally ready for publication. :)
I hope you like it and that you can live with the transformation towards the end. Because now this FF is starting to be interesting. : D

I hope you enjoy reading once again. Of course, I am still happy to receive opinions and constructive criticism. :)

LG your Ankh sun Amun





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Chapter 2 - In the shadow of the future II





Despite his attack, the wind that bit into the skin of his face while executing, Noel could see how Lightning's gaze changed. The expression in her calm, ice-blue eyes sharpened and showed determination, a testament to the will to fight. Her right arm lifted up elegantly and he could see her reaching back with her hand, hearing the whirring sound that came out as she pulled the blade of her sword from its attachment on her back.

So she would seriously defend herself. She had to. Because the movements of the young hunter were quick, unexpected and deliberately lethal. He knew that, they both knew that. And he wouldn't make it easy for the young woman, no, and certainly not spare her life at all. No, he was going to win, had no other choice. He just had to win this fight ... for Yul ... the dream of a better future.

All means were right for him to make this dream come true. Even if it meant death for so many others. Even if the thought of killing Lightning made him sick, a fearful, faint tremor before this act seized his whole body again and again. He couldn't go back. He had already lost too much, nothing left to hold him in this world ... except the memories of a promise, words of hope in the lonely, skyless darkness that he had suffered alone for far too long.

These words of hope had kept him alive for so long, gifted with knowledge of so many pasts and futures, that far too often he believed he was going to perish. What had saved him from complete collapse of madness all these years? Really she? The girl who foresaw her own death and when she died her heart tore in utter pain of despair and grief? The hope, somewhere and not completely lost, that they would see them again someday?

He would see Yul again, whatever the cost, he was ready to pay any price, yes, even his soul. The end had found its beginning, here and now.

Hatred, sadness and hope drove him on and he pushed himself off the ground with his right foot. After a barely noticeable moment in the air, he started to strike. And the melodic sound of two cutting edges rang out as the sword blade in Noel's right hand hit the Lightning and he felt the pressure of the impact wander through his arms. Surprised at this strong resistance, the strength with which the beautiful young woman stood up to him, his head shot up and he looked into the face of his opponent.A low, shocked sound left his mouth.

To give the blow additional power, he had followed up with his second weapon, hoping to take Lightning off balance. But without giving in a little bit, she simply blocked the attack of the young hunter and held her sword upright in front of her body with the blade falling. A few long strands of her morganite hair danced gently in the agitated air as she looked down at Noel with cold, slightly mocking eyes.

"Is that all you can?" She asked unimpressed and pushed the young hunter back slightly.

Their blades clanked and rubbed against each other and Noel, who was trying to loosen the tension of the swords between them somehow, let a faint growl from his lips as he threatened to slip back with his feet. After the young woman pushed Noel away violently, the latter used the push to immediately push himself off the ground and get out of the reach of his opponent.

In the jump he had turned around slightly to see where he touched down again. He gasped for breath from the exertion, after he had got back up safely on his feet and, alarmed, with the feeling of danger behind his back, he wanted to straighten up again immediately. But he was too slow. His head jerked to one side when he suddenly heard a breeze on his right. He quickly tried to turn around and his sea-blue eyes widened in disbelief when he suddenly and completely unexpectedly saw the shadowy, moving silhouette of Lightning right next to him.

How could that be? This woman was not only incredibly strong, no, also unusually fast. Had he overreached himself too much with her as an opponent?

This unexpected moment left the young hunter almost inactive. He ruled far too slowly, was far too surprised and all he could do was pull up his sword protectively before the sharp blade in the young woman's hand hurt him as seriously as possible. Because as expected, the one shot out of the shadows with a threatening speed, hit the one with a powerful and clanking sound, which he held firmly in his right hand. As taken by surprise as Noel was, he had little to say. He couldn't withstand the attack any longer, and the pressure that Lightning exerted against his defense with her weapon broke his protective barrier, whereupon the precisely guided blade slid along his singing.

All he could do was flinch his torso, feeling a sharp, acrid draft of air brush the skin of his left cheek as the blade of the sword slid past his face. Noel was rudely pushed back by the pressure that was released during the attack and dared to leap out of Lightning's immediate vicinity.

When he got on the floor at a safe distance from the young woman, he stumbled and stumbled a few uncontrolled steps to one side. This attack required an unusually high level of strength and was so drained that the young hunter suddenly fell to the ground.Obviously exhausted, with a few deep breaths, he leaned on the sword in his left hand. His cheek, the place where he had previously felt the cutting breeze, burned and he felt a warm, thin liquid wet the skin there.

"Damn it ... your god gave you amazing powers.", Noel managed to take a few heavy breaths.

'Damn it, get up. 'he also spurred himself on when he noticed how Lightning was slowly moving towards him. But he didn't want to succeed, his body escaped his control and for a moment demanded nothing more from him than air to breathe, a brief recovery.

"I would say he blessed me with a curse.", He heard Lightning's still soft voice say.

"More powerful than ever, but for what price?"

Through the fringed shadows of individual, blond-brown strands of hair, which kept falling in front of his face, he could see how the young woman was touching the black material over her breast with the fine fingers of her free hand.

"I don't even know if I'm still human at all."

"Nobody?", Noel managed with a slight strain, and his head had shot into the air with concern as Lightning had said.

"What are you then, Lightning?"

If she wasn't human anymore ... then what was she? Had Bhunivelze ultimately ... perhaps made them equal to God himself?

Goddess Lightning, known as the savior and bringer of a new world. At this thought Noel had to smile a little in spite of his situation, because it suited her. Reminded him of the day he first met her in Walhalla. I would probably never forget the sheen of grace, pride and power that she exuded back then. And actually ... after all this time, a full five hundred years, she hadn't lost a tiny bit of it.

"If only I only knew.", Explained Lightning, while she lowered her head a little and looked at the fingers, which were still resting on her chest.

"I've taken more lives than I can count. If I had even a bit of humanity in me, I would have broken with guilt."

The young hunter struggled to get up again when he heard the light steps with which Lightning slowly moved further towards him.

"But do I look broken?" Said the young woman, suddenly atypical, slightly imperious tone in her voice.

"I will see Serah again. For that I am ready to fight as long as necessary and give up everything. If need be, even my humanity."

Noel knew neither what to think nor what to feel when he heard Lightning's words. The young woman was looking for Serah ... her sister. He could feel the name sending a stinging pain through his heart, waking memories. Serah ... she too had been a seer, just like Yul. She, too, had foreseen the future and her death ... just like Yul. And she too had died in his arms ... just like Yul.

His heart was beating uncomfortably in his chest and a cold shiver of anger, self-hatred and sadness ran through his whole body as he tried to straighten up.His insides seemed to be overturning. He suddenly felt uncomfortably weak as his memories brought his mistakes and his failures from days gone back to his eyes. And he didn't like that. It hindered and only brought difficulties to let any feelings dominate you too much. But there was nothing he could do about it. He felt guilty. Guilty to Yul ... Serah ... and Lightning too. He had let all three of them down, and two of them he couldn't protect. He had failed ... and maybe that's why it wasn't particularly difficult for Lightning to kill him, if he gave her the opportunity. Quite the opposite of him. He did not want to kill the young woman, cursed the prophesied future, the task that it placed on him. The dream that he just couldn't give up for anything in the world ...

He stood in his own way. So he could not emerge victorious from this fight.

The young hunter got to his feet even further, barely noticeably shaking his bowed head. But he had to do it. He couldn't just give up now. No, he had to make it ... somehow ...

"You're not like me, Noel.", He listened attentively to the words that Lightning spoke to him, finally found the courage again to lift his gaze and look the young woman in the face.

"You're different. Even when it comes to the future or a reunion with Yul."

He followed the steps with which Lightning approached him