ECA 92-100

This is it! The finale of ECA!

I was originally going to do this in two parts, with a break between parts 95 and 96, but decided that it'd be more fun to just finish it in one long post :)

There won't be a proper story-post next week, but I might update with a little life-rant and what not. Basically, I know there's people that are waiting for ECA to finish so they can read it all at once (because goodness knows it's hard to follow T_T)

Regardless, please enjoy!

PREVIOUS SET (87-91)

92. Innocence

While Arlin covered Anuna’s escape from the arena, Rhys directed a relentless multi-elemental assault at Arlin’s back.

“That was low,” Arlin commented, barely surviving the blow.

“Your innocence is disgusting,” Rhys spat, preparing a finishing fire spell in her palm. “Your precious moral rules crumble in battle.” 

Tagh reprimanded and warned Rhys with a growl, but Arlin ignored the taunt. “I’m sorry.” 

“You ought to be. You humiliated me not only at midterms, but all subsequent matches.”

“No…for thinking you were a respectable opponent.” Arlin stood. “I am innocent of humiliating you. You brought upon your own loss.”

93. Simplicity

“Nothing…nowhere,” Elysia murmured obsessively. She used to fear she was an unwanted nothing that would never go anywhere in life. “Nowhere…nothing…”

But watching Arlin face Rhys down so resolutely, Elysia knew not to falter now.

“I’m much simpler than you.” Elysia’s lips turned slightly up in a wry smirk. “Taurus is my patron; the Holy House is my family. That’s all I need.” 

This time, conviction filled her words with emotion. In her hand, Sye’niar saw and approved: it glowed and shifted, still elegant and strong, but closer to the rapier Elysia had designed for simplicity and speed.

94. Reality

Just as the last summon and minion vanished, Lyciar raised his staff, his obliterating laser almost ready again. Defeat clutched their hearts, choking any hope. It had been a foolish fancy, to face off the King of Dreams. They were just college freshmen; this was bitter reality: they wouldn’t always win.

Celestine gazed into last clock: it had all come true. The shattered room of clocks, ECA’s fight to the death, the prophecy—no. They weren’t finished yet.

 “Delusions?,” Celestine whispered. “No…Reality exists within the mind. This defeat…it’s an illusion. Rhys…you’re right. Willpower can equal out affinity.”

95. Acceptance

As the laser readied to fire, Rhys realized she was in the razing path. “Wai—“ 

“You’ve served your purpose,” the possessed Lyciar cut Rhys’s plea off coldly.

Suddenly, Rhys was stranded between stubbornness and betrayal.

Elysia extended a hand to her former foe, “Equality is admirable…but isn’t diversity necessary as well?”

Rhys was about to accept Elysia’s hand—and her humiliation— but a casual wave from Lyciar sent her spiraling into a wall, out cold. 

Celestine couldn’t accept that their lives ended there. Yet as the laser encroached, ECA found themselves praying for strength and a deus ex machina. 

96. Lesson

They knew it was futile. 

“All together,” Arlin croaked, raising her wand. 

“Just one strike,” Elysia echoed. Sye’niar’s armor was gone, but the smoking rapier remained.

They might not be strong enough, but they’d learned that friendship meant never giving up on each other, even in the face of the impossible. That was now.

Celestine notched a defiant arrow. “Now!”

Sword, arrow and dragon whirled about each other as they flew, combining into a single golden-blue bolt of light and metal that represented their final, desperate chance. 

As the lights collided, a second portal blazed into existence, revealing reinforcements.

97. Enthusiasm

Behind them, a twisted smoke escaped the collapsed body of Lyciar. 

Anuna closed her eyes, calling on the power of her patron, the Seraphic guardian of Somnia as she touched the diamond pocketwatch to the Curtain of Lights. 

As ECA and their friends watched, miniature auroras flowed from Anuna and the last clock and into the ethereal dark silk. 

Lights flared along the curtain, lighting up as they were renewed with energy, burning bright as the threads tightened themselves. Magic danced excitedly through the ripples of the fabric, revealing the silent enthusiasm of the world of dreams being born anew.

98. Game

“Elysia, wait.” 

It was Vesper. Elysia waited until the others had passed them into the portal and they were alone in the dreamland. “What’s bothering you?”

“Is this rivalry…real?”

“Eh.” Elysia looked away, “It’s just a game.” 

“Just a friendly competition to keep us academically on our toes?”

“Like that,” Elysia agreed. 

“The whole time?”

“Eh. Just about.”

“But you still get irritated whenever I visit Celeste…”

“Her feelings aren’t a game.” Elysia stared him firmly down. “Convince her that trusting your sympathetic side is worth putting up with your idiotic arrogance.”

Vesper beamed confidently. “I will.”

“…You’ll try.”

99. Friendship

Between explanations to the other staff at the university and completing the Excursion as normal students, the rest of the month for Elysia, Celestine, Arlin, Vesper, Aldis and Rhys rushed by. They kept contact with Anuna, who was trying to heal her parents and track down the possessing villain. They would help when they could, but for now, the group just reveled in the wonder of being alive.

“It’s comforting,” Celestine mused, “Having people to count on, to support you, even after the battle. But it’s also about being there for them: it feels redeeming. Like you’re worthwhile. It’s… fun.”

100. Endings

“I’m a bit disappointed,” Celestine joked as ECA cleared out their room. Their first year at Vesper University was officially over. “We can’t expect every year to be as world-shattering and life-changing as this year was. It feels like an ending.”

Elysia smiled mysteriously. “There’ll be new challenges, definitely. The Signs always have something planned.”

As Celestine laughed, Epsilona agreed fervently through their mental link.

Arlin looped her arms around her roommates and best friends. “Chin up,” Arlin cheered. “Endings are just beginnings disguised. Life’s a cycle; a line drawn into a circle: This is only the beginning.” 

Comment Blurbs

92. Innocence

As Anuna escapes the arena to locate the Curtain of Lights, Rhys attacks and then taunts Arlin for her strict belief in moral law. Even though they are at a disadvantage, Tagh reacts, belying the anger Arlin feels as she cooly responds to Rhys’s taunt. Rhys meanwhile, looks ready to take Arlin down for beating her in every match they faced throughout the school term.

I admit, Arlin is kinda Out Of Character (OOC) in this part. She’s a little harsh, and more stubborn than considerate at this point. The indignant and firm manner of responding though, is definitely her. 

93. Simplicity

Watching Arlin respond to the taunt without fazing, Elysia gets the little boost she needs to overcome the lingering bit of insecurity Rhys had triggered. She refuses to believe that her faith is so weak that she would be shaken by simply not knowing her birthparents and decides to stick to her usual statement. This time though, Sye’niar decides her feelings are true and not just words and accepts her officially as its master, shifting to become the blade that Elysia had redesigned in part 38 (Burning). 

 This is another echo of the line Elysia gave back in the second post of the tale (Complicated), which was briefly mentioned back in part 90 (Nothing and Nowhere). Since the guiding principles Elysia had focused on in her redesign was simplicity and speed, and because she gains the insight that she is simple in that she doesn’t need to know her birthparents to feel accepted, I gave Elysia the limelight for both Complicated and Simplicity.  Finally, realizing the potential of Elysia’s latent insecurity and bringing it back at the end of this is thanks to my editor, Forsaken. (She’s also the one that’s been pushing me to finish ECA so I can finally put it to rest ;) )

94. Reality

Despite regaining their footing and facing down the taunts, ECA realizes they really can’t face off against the King of the Dream realms—especially not his possessed form. After all, they are just a handful of undergrad freshman. But as Celestine loses hope and looks desolately at the last clock, she realizes that the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. 

This concept of the prophecy as a ray of hope was best said in the unpublished Island Prophecy by AshMac: “The gods give us prophecies to give us hope. Not because we need to know exactly what they mean in order to fulfill them.” From this idea, Celestine gains the courage to draw up enough magic for a last stand. 

95. Acceptance

Rhys is betrayed by the force possessing Lyciar. Not missing a beat, Elysia realizes this is Rhys’s least favorite feeling: the person with the advantage turns against the weaker one and humiliates them. Immediately Elysia offers her support to her former foe. Rhys, knowing she can’t fight alone, accepts Elysia’s kindness. Meanwhile, Celestine puts everything she has into protecting the four girls from Lyciar’s obliterating laser. Even so, the girls know they won’t win this battle without a deus ex machina. 

96. Lesson

This is actually the revised edition of this post! (The original ending will be posted with the other deleted and bonus scenes.) But basically in the original ending, Dr. Nox shows up at the last minute and finishes Lyciar with his infamous knockout jinx (mentioned in part 51, Troubling Thoughts). 

In this revised version, ECA decides that if they’re going down, they’re going down with a bang and they’re going down together. Celestine puts all her remaining energy into an arrow and Arlin’s dragon summon leaps forward, air churning around him. At the same time, Elysia makes a final dash forward. In the split second before she (maybe) makes impact with Lyciar or his laser, Celestine’s arrow and Tagh join forces with Sye’niar, becoming part of the blade for that charge. When they collide, a second portal opened, revealing Vesper, Aldis and Dr. Nox. 

I realized afterwards that it sounds like Elysia throws her sword. This could have worked with the one-handed longsword Sye’niar was before, but after the transformation in Simplicity (post 93),  Sye’niar now resembles a weighted rapier in Elysia’s hand. I don’t know if people actually threw rapiers, but it seems kinda ineffective. So I’m using the comment blurb to clarify that Elysia herself makes the attack. 

97. Enthusiasm

Whether because ECA’s final strike actually managed to deal enough damage, or because Dr. Nox followed up in an unmentioned few seconds with his knockout jinx, the force possessing Lyciar flees! (Pick whichever version you like more ;) )

Instead of chasing the force in vain, the group watched as Anuna, with the help of the last clock from the magical Room of Clocks, takes the place of the ancilla needed to complete the Ceremony of Rebirth. The ceremony mends the Curtain of Lights for another year. 

98. Game

Vesper and Elysia settle their rivalry as a game designed to keep them academically fit. Elysia makes it clear to Vesper that he cannot treat Celestine’s feelings as a game and constantly tease or offend her: Elysia knows that Celestine needs a dependable person to rely on as she overcomes the trauma of being labeled and treated as insance, and feels that Vesper can fulfill that role—or at least he can try. 

99. Friendship

ECA and friends (minus Anuna) return to school and finish off the school year as normal students that just saved the world (or at least the dream world). They soak up the joy of being alive and in the bond of friendship that kept them alive. 

ECA really was supposed to be a story of three friends, but also on the development of each girl in the trio. Celestine in this penultimate post verbally reveals her change. 

100. Endings

ENDINGS! It’s the day before school starts (I’m writing this literally the last day of summer) and I am FINALLY, after THREE YEARS of plodding inconsistently through this, FINISHED with Project ECA. I will be revisiting these characters at some time, but for now I’m just happy to have this story completed. I had once again come to the point (as I had at the end of the Spring Ball Trouble arc) that I just wanted to finish for the sake of finishing, but now that I’m actually finished, with everything (story and comment blurbs, this really is a relief and  happiness. 

A big thanks to Forsaken, my editor and fellow writer, who really cracked down on me these last few weeks of summer to finish. To AshMac, who encouraged me to continue writing even those 100-250 micro pockets even with the insanity of school. To Forte-Rock, who provided consistent and detailed comments on the posts. To my twin, theTATAbox, for loving my characters even when they’re silly. And if I don’t know you (comment! :D)  thank you for sticking around for all 100 themes (and comment blurbs, which total to 4,000 words more than the story itself T_T)

This is the end of this story for Elysia, Celestine and Arlin, but there are other stories I’m excited to get to writing. “Life is a cycle; a line drawn into a circle: This is only the beginning.”

In a fortnight: 

NEXT SET (Bonus Scenes!)--The story proper might be over, but I have a few deleted scenes and extra bits for your reading amusement!