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"Maybe they're right. I'm just an average face. I'm not intelligent nor am I anything special. But I was tasked to live. So I will live. I will die alone." The man spoke in a very quiet tone. He was far from the same man Lightning Farron had fought during her time as a L'cie.
No, this man was a broken, empty shell who had lost his purpose to live.
There was barely any life left in him as Lightning raised her blade against him.
He was moving on autopilot, defending his body from her blows.
"So why are you still alive?" The fear and sorrow was evident in Lightning's otherwise, emotionless eyes.
"I wish I knew." Snow laughed humorlessly, brutally kicking the savior away from him.
Lightning performed a quick back flip, schema shifting back to the equilibrium.
"If death is what you desire so much," Lightning pointed the blade towards the man whom her sister had loved. "I will grant it."
The offer was met without hesitance as the mayor of yusnaan dropped to a knee, head bowed low. His bulky posture was supported against his weapon.
There was no more will left in the man to live. Absolutely none.
Insults be damned, Snow hadn't responded to Lightning's bait of insult upon gate crashing his party.
This man was only a shadow of the Snow Villiers everyone knew.
And he was pleading. Right before the Savior.
He wanted to die.
He was tired of fighting.
So why wasn't he brave enough to take his own life yet?
The answer lay in the form of a demon who wore the same face as the late Serah Farron.
"What have I told you?" The aforementioned demon smiled pleasantly from her spot, pearched atop a ledge of a balcony railing. "You will and cannot die yet~!"
Snow didn't even move to counter the demon with an insult. To him, the demon was always right. It was his fault that shit went downhill. It was his fault that Serah died. It was his fault that she existed, wearing the same face as Serah and it was only right that she would cease him from escaping eternity and immortality. He was worthless, good for nothing.
But tonight, this demon's attention was focused on someone else.
"Big sister!" Her shrill voice echoed across the empty club room.
Quick as a flash, the black clad girl raced towards the savior, mythril whip in hand.
Before Lightning could comprehend what was going on, Snow had jumped in the way, taking the full impact of the thundaga charged whip. Lumina smiled and dug the sharp, bladed weapon deeper against the man's frame, pushing the poisoned metal through his skin.
Time seem to stop as Lightning dived from behind Snow. But her actions were slow.
How...how is this even possible?
Serah?
No. Serah was dead. Serah would've never done that.
"Am I cruel?" Through the haze of monochrome and red, Lumina's voice was as clear as day. "For killing someone who truly has no desire to live?"
But Snow was the one who had answered the question through blood and tears. "No...You are the true savior, Serah."
And so, the worthless puppet fell to the ground, never again tasting failure.
Chaos erupted, claiming the city of festive.
The clocktower crumbled and Lightning had lost 48 hours and a friend.
"You should stop hesitating." Lumina giggled. "I wonder who will be my next playmate..."
The demon was gone in a heartbeat, leaving the savior frozen in place, surrounded by chaos.
And all those stupid little words she had used against Snow in the past, was never remedied by a simple apology.