Rain and Serah didn’t seem to care about the planet falling to pieces. Instead, they looked at each other. Serah gave Rain a nod, bowing her head forward.

Rain's hand started glowing in a golden color, then she moved it to Serah's forehead, looking like she was plucking a hair from it.

John's mind raced. ‘No! Don't touch her!’ His muscles strained against the invisible force holding him, but to no avail. He could feel his heart pounding, each beat a painful reminder of his helplessness.

The hand slowly pulled it away, and what followed out of Serah's forehead was a golden string—a string John had seen once before.

Still completely unable to move, John could only beg for his will to have some effect. Seeing the golden string of fate, the one the Lady of Fate had told him to protect over everyone else, filled him with panic.

What are you doing?! Serah, why are you letting this happen?! Why won't you tell me anything?!’

His vision blurred with unshed tears of frustration and rage. The world seemed to narrow down to that golden thread while everything else faded into insignificance.

The rage and the grief in his heart beckoned for power. And finally, John could no longer resist it.

The vestige. The remains of billions of souls, their anger and grief, hiding untold power. All he had to do was reach out willingly. And now, left with no other choice, he did.

The black tendrils connected to his mind, releasing a burst of rage and power unlike anything he had ever felt. There was no essence, nothing that should have affected his power, but the emotions themselves pushed him past his limits.

His vision changed, focusing on the center of his view while dampening everything else. His skin turned dark, releasing steam from every pore. It was like he was no longer human, turned into an animal fueled by rage.

But even with that, could he do anything against a tyrant?

He was forced to keep watching as Rain pulled the golden string tight. In her other hand, a golden knife appeared, surrounded by a glowing white smoke. It was like a physical manifestation of essence.

And with a simple swipe of her hand, the golden string was cut.

It lost its color instantly, and then it smoldered into ash all the way to Serah’s forehead.

Another wave of rage crashed into John, threatening to consume his sanity—or what little was left of it. Finally, he managed to move, commanding Larang to attack Rain with no plan.

“John…” Rain begged quietly. “Please stop.”

Without her lifting a finger, Larang burst apart and was broken in two, from tip to pommel. Each piece hurtled into the burning tree, embedding themselves so deep that John would have to dismiss it to get them out.

John wasn’t in the mood to stop. With desperate effort, he managed to point his arms between his legs.

Two air blasts filled to the brim with power wrecked the earth below him, sending him flying at Rain at unprecedented speed. His body could finally move again, and he wasn’t about to let go of this chance.

Summoning his final weapon, the lucky sword, into his hands, he prepared for a mighty overhead stab.

“STOP!!” Rain screamed, raw and vulnerable. And John had no choice but to listen. He was stuck mid-air right before Rain, holding the sword he was trying to pierce her heart with.

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Her sorrowful eyes were like knives stabbing into John’s empathy. But every time that happened, he silently asked who was to blame for all this. And it sure as hell wasn’t him.

‘You’re the one forcing my hand. You knew me well enough to know what I would do. What right do you have to blame me? What fucking right do you have to act sad?!’

Serah kept her eyes closed, not wanting to watch the painful confrontation. She cared, but she didn’t act. Why?

Rain raised the golden knife high and slashed it forcefully. A line appeared in the air in the distance, like she had cut the very space itself.

Her other hand stretched toward it, grabbing hold of something invisible, and then she turned it slowly. It looked like a momentous task even for her, causing her arm to tremble.

The space around the cut started twisting, revealing an opening in the middle. Gradually, a white vista of trees and grand buildings came into view, connecting to a different world.

“... I’m sending you ahead, Serah,” Rain said, waving Serah away. She drifted toward the new portal, opening her eyes to take a final look at John. With a wave, she conjured letters of light in the air and turned them to him.

‘Forever’

John didn’t want to read that. He didn’t want to see her goodbye. He didn’t want her to leave.

But Serah disappeared through the rift no matter what he wanted, and the letters faded into nothing, losing their connection.

“John,” Rain mumbled, looking completely drained. “I will hand you my life as soon as my goal has been achieved. Until then…”

She reached up to her right antler, touching one of the points. The light inside the antlers focused on that point, making it shine brighter and brighter. Then she grabbed it and clenched her teeth.

Her arm started shaking, and then her face turned red from exertion. Then, with a light sound, the point broke off, sending her head backward as her arm came down.

She held it out to John. “... Until then, take this. It will guide you like I have done, pointing you to whatever is most important. As the last of my kind…”

She looked back at the burning tree, briefly lost in memories.

“... I hand you my power of guidance.”

John felt her sorrow in those words. He was now connected to the grief of the vestige as well, feeling new power coming to him. But nothing seemed to help.

Rain approached him and pulled on the neck of his armor, putting the white horn inside it. “Don’t lose it…

I can't let you speak now that I have my essence back. I can feel the emotions in your voice… And hearing you say my name like that… with so much hate… I can’t take it anymore.”

She turned away from him, unable to even face his frozen stare. “I never intended to hurt you, John. I am only here to bring Serah back. And this planet is too weak to handle my authority, so I had to seal it away. Then you arrived, and I… I figured I could use you to find her.

But you were so sweet… So protective, so caring, so kind… It reminded me of memories I thought were lost. My powers guided you to Serah, but I thought it was because she would be the most important person to all humans due to her fate. But I never imagined you…”

Her voice disappeared, choked by emotion. She had to take a break before continuing, “I couldn’t handle it… Ripping away the person you’ve been looking for all this time… Then she asked me to give you a day together, to make it less painful, in exchange for her cooperation. And I had to try. I had to…”

John remembered the piece of the planet that fell once Rain used some of her essence to save him. Looking back, it was obvious. He found her right after the first piece fell as well.

Then he remembered what Rain had asked before going into shock. She had asked if Serah was important to him. And he replied, ‘More than anything.’

‘So you’re feeling bad for doing this, is that what you’re saying?! Stabbing me in the back feels unpleasant?! You should have told me your plans sooner, because then I would have left you to rot!’

He wanted to shout at her until his voice broke, to curse her name and fight against whatever goal she had that was so damn important. Beyond even her own life, and those she supposedly cared about.

But he was locked in place, helpless to even whisper.

“... I am not a mere tyrant, John. A tyrant wouldn’t have broken this world. So stop fighting my restraints.”

She looked over at the rift in space, seeing it start to move. “I will forever remember the time we spent together, John. And if you ever find me again, as I’m sure you will… Let it be a quick death… I will be waiting.”

Grabbing the air below her, the four bodies started lifting into the air, floating next to John.

“I told Dennis to take care of you before knocking him unconscious, but I doubt he will listen to me. So take care of yourself, John.”

Rain took a deep breath, turning to look at John one final time. It was the face of a broken girl, pushed past her limits by some unknown goal. Her arms were lowered with palms facing up, like she was about to fling them all into the sky.

“Goodbye, John. It was nice, being your sister.”

Then her arms rose, and everything disappeared.