Chapter 2: Courage ------------------ The rain didn't let up. The wind blew hard, and lighting was striking quite frequently. The remains of Kefka's Tower seemed to be a hot spot for these storms...at least Scythe thought so. ------ "'NO!!'" .. "'NO!!'" .. "'NO!!'" .. The laugh.. ------ The rain continued to pour relentlessly. Scythe was crouched under a large overhang, protected from the downpour. He was soaked already, as he had just found the courage to creep into his shelter a short time before, long after the storm started. He had no protection from the wind, however. He was cold. It was damp, dreary... His long silver hair was plastered to his sobbing eyes, and he shivered uncontrollably. He didn't know whether it was from the frigid temperature or the fear, which was still very alive in his veins. "What else can go wrong?" he mumbled to himself. "When will the sun rise? And when will this damn rain stop? I can't see anything." It was insanely dark. Lightning brightened the sky quite often, but only for a moment. Then it was dark again. Darker.. He still did not move. The wind picked up, and an eerie feeling crept through his bones. It was a familiar feeling. The tingle spread through his body, completely overtaking him. Savage thoughts began to flow through his mind. Scythe grinned for the first time since he felt this last. As much as he wasn't in the mood for it, a fighting inspiration bubbled in his blood. What caused this feeling? At the moment, Scythe wasn't concerned. "Back for more?" Scythe stood up. His fear was gone. It was still very dark, and he really had no idea where he was. The rain seemed to crash down harder and the lightning began to illuminate the sky even more vividly. He could feel a rush pulsing through him. His muscles tensed. He swung around, eyes glowing. His enemy stood before him. Facing the Mantis, he screamed, "Dare you return? Things will be more painful this time!" The Mantis shrieked at the thought, but it was hungry, and food was scarce. To it, no food meant death anyway. Scythe continued to taunt the creature, "Well.. Let's finish this!" Scythe unsheathed Eternal. A brilliant crimson aura surrounded the sword and engulfed the Mantis as he raised the blade in front of him. The rain reflected the red light and illuminated the entire sky. The sight was breathtaking. Thunder struck many times in succession, causing the ground to rumble. The Mantis shrieked again, but could not run this time. "Ooooh.. You're for real this time? What a pleasant surprise." Scythe laughed. He felt the adrenaline surge through him, while the sword's power emanated into his body. Scythe took a brief moment to bask in this power, before he heard a thump. "Holy SHIT!" The Mantis hurled itself into Scythe, viciously knocking him to the wet rocks. It pounced onto him, trying to rip Eternal from his hands. As hard as it tried, the sword wouldn't come loose. The Mantis briefly backed away, giving Scythe a moment to recover himself. Scythe pushed himself off the rocks and quickly recovered. He gazed at Eternal. It shone brighter than he had seen before. He could feel the anger in the cold, red blade. Scythe lowered his head, but jerked it back, clearing the hair from his face. His eyes shone as deep red as the blade itself. Something was overtaking him, and he felt it coming on. The Mantis shrieked at Scythe's appearance. It backed away, slightly, and began to turn, but remained there. Scythe saw this and a ferocity raged through him. "Now!" he roared, "You have chosen your own destiny!" The rain began to swirl, making it incredibly difficult to see. Eternal glowed more brightly, glimmering in the deluge. Again, the Mantis shrieked and crashed itself into Scythe, only this time, Scythe laughed, as the creature bounced ten feet back into a pile of rock. It tried to get up, but its legs were broken. The Mantis was in obvious demise, and Scythe took notice of this. He watched the creature squirming, crying, trying to rise. The Mantis managed to stand, amazingly, on its broken legs. It could not walk, however, and Scythe knew this. He turned from the gruesome site. He felt no remorse for the creature, but he didn't know why. No pity arose in him, as one would expect. He stood there, while the rain continued to downpour, and remained motionless for some time. The lightning continued to strike, and tremendous thunder clapped. There would be no winner in the battle of the sky, but, there would be a winner in his battle, Scythe's battle! At that, he turned, facing the grieving Mantis. It had fallen back down from the force of the wind. He raised Eternal above his head, and, glaring at the sky, he yelled. "I am Scythe!" Looking back down at the Mantis, he continued, "And.. You are through!" Scythe leapt forward, his glare fixed on the Mantis. Thoughts of death filled his mind. Although this disturbed him, it did not frighten him. The Mantis quivered backward, but ran out of room. It screeched and cried as Scythe landed. Before striking, visions of Kaz clouded his mind. Kaz's wise face stared through him. "What!! What do you want?" Scythe screamed. In a mad rush, he relentlessly dismantled the defenseless creature. Within seconds, the Mantis shrieked and screamed for the last time. Eternal's aura dimmed, and Scythe felt himself return to his normal self. He glanced down at the creature he had so maliciously mauled. He glanced at Eternal, whose cold blade glowed a dull blue. "What.. Who.. Kaz? Can you hear me? Help me!! What is happening to me!!!" He fell to the ground, beside the remains of the Mantis. The rain began to let up, but the wind blew harder. He glanced at Eternal, then at the Mantis, and back to Eternal. "Am I going insane? Why couldn't I think? Look what I have done." he whispered to himself. The pity began to take it's toll. He sheathed his blade, and pushed himself up. Trying not to look back, he began to walk. Not in any particular direction, he just walked. There was a faint orange glow off the horizon. The sun was soon to rise. This reassured Scythe as he made his trek away from the Tower Ruins. Looking back one more time, he asked himself, "Am I capable of that?" The answer was closer than he knew.