Part 137: Episode CXXXIV: Becoming One

Episode CXXXIV: Becoming One

Music: Tears of the Stars, Hearts of the People




“Dad! I'm sorry...this is all my fault..."
"Fei...? You've returned to your own self... You've become one..."
”Yeah. I gave my fractured psyche a stern talking to. I think I’m okay now...”
"Thanks to you all. If all of you hadn't called out to me..."
"Urgh!"
"Dad!"
"Don't worry... This is good... This is, after all... I..."
"Dad?"
"You and..."


“You and I...”
“...must become one!!!”
“Oh...GODDAAAAAAAMMMMMIT!!”

Music: Grahf, Emperor of Darkness


"Ha ha... 'I' reached the limit of the body I possessed, on that day 3 years ago... 'I' required a body that would tide me over until your true awakening. That is why 'I' acquired the body of your father. Regardless of your awakening, your merging, and the inherited memories you had acquired...there was no way for you to know of this, since you had lost your memory at that point... At the point in which 'I' merged with your father."
"Impossible...! What about Wiseman...? What about father...?"


"Of course they were just parts of me... I couldn't hold on to Khan totally. His ego was far stronger than I imagined. When my control weakened, he showed himself to you as Wiseman."
”...How does some evil overlord’s ‘control weaken’ enough to let the body you’re possessing take over?”
“The power of a mighty bowel movement is a difficult thing to control.”
“...Yeah, okay. Didn’t need that mental image.”
*struggles* "Arggh..."
"You have awakened. This body is now useless to me. Now I must return to my original body... the reincarnation of my body that you inhabit."
"Stop it...! Dad...!"
"I hear you, Fei... You see, he and I are one. I am Khan, Khan is me. He has become one with me, so you too should open your heart and unite with me. Then we can go on to eliminate everything!"
"No... I... can't... allow... you... to... control... me!"
”I...JUST...went...through...a...stupid...regaining...control...sequence. I’M NOT DOING IT AGAIN, GODDAMMIT!”




And using the power of God Magic or something, Fei wills himself back into Xenogears.


“I'll merge with both you and your machine then. Now come, Fei! Fight me!"
”Hey! How did my dad’s Gear turn into Original Weltall?”
“They’re the same Gear.”
“...”
“...How does that work?”
“I have *no* idea. This is a really irritating body to possess. I’ll be glad to be back to my original one.”


“But that doesn't change you being my father. I could never really fight you!"
"You're so naive! Why don't you understand that your naivety is what killed Sophia, what killed your mother 'Karen'?"
"I already know that! That's why I swore never to run away again...that I must rescue Elly. So don't get in my way! Wake up! Open your eyes, father... -Lacan-!"
"If that's the case... then fight me! Fight me!!!"
”C’mon! Go for broke! I’ll stain my hands...with your blood! The mark of my dignity shall scar thy DNA!”
"I can't!"
"I see... Then there's no choice."

Grahf shifts focus on the rest of the party, who have just decided to sit this one out. This is what happens when Citan gets to be party leader...


!
*fist pumps* ”Ha! Hahaha! I frickin’ told ya! Grahf was totally gonna be Fei’s dad! I’ll take that money back plus interest, Bilbo!”
*grumbles and sifts through wallet*

Fei flies Xenogears in front of his friends...


“Don't we have the same memories? Can't you also remember that sadness you felt way back then? Why then... why must you destroy everything? If we stop Deus, won't this all be over!?"


“I came to understand after my contact with the Existence that, even if Deus was destroyed...as long as humans still inhabit this land, Miang... Elhaym, will be born time and again. Then all living things may as well perish along with Deus itself. That's the only path to freedom. The path to release us from the eternal cycles of life, the tragedies of history and the spell of fate! Once I awaken Deus as a weapon, I'll obliterate all living things... Then I'll use your awakened self and that machine to return everything to nothing... That's what I concluded. Miang and Elhaym...are not just Deus' mouthpieces. That 'woman' is its main body! Why can't you see that?"
"That's not true. She gave her life for me by shielding me from harm! Her eyes weren't Miang's! Mother came back at the last moment! Miang, mother...even Elly, were all humans born on this planet! Deus doesn't matter! You'll see... I will bring Elly back! Father... No, Grahf -Lacan-! If you won't back down..."






Alright, time for the climactic final battle against our mysterious masked mentor/father/past incarnation Grahf.


Grahf’s Gear is now going by the name “True Weltall”. It was Alpha Weltall last time we fought it. And apparently the correct translation is “Original Weltall”. It’s all the same badass Omnigear.




True Weltall retains just about all its attacks from the battle back in Mahanon where it curb stomped the entire party. This mostly includes River Dancing on our head or else busting out a flashy three-hit combo. However, unlike last time when those attacks were doing 20,000+ HP of damage...now that we’ve got a Gundam pimped out by God, it’s now lucky to do four digits worth of damage. If Xenogears doesn’t straight up shrug an attack off without taking a single hit.


So yeah, Xenogears is kinda strong. And as such, this battle is nearly impossible to lose. We’ve lost System Id and those other two special attack nobody ever used. But fret not. We don’t really need it anymore.


If you’ll look at the battle statistics on the right hand side of the screen, you’ll note that there is a 99% chance of going into Hyper Mode. Xenogears ALWAYS has a 99% chance of going into Hyper Mode. So, once Fei reaches Attack Level 3, he’ll be straight into Level Infinity combos every time. Pretty handy. Especially considering now we can toss a Holy Pendant accessory on him (double status buff length) and get a guaranteed six rounds of shit ruining.








Once we reach Hyper Mode, it only takes about two rounds of god caliber super Deathblows to finally defeat Grahf. That was disappointingly easy. But, a fairly good way to convey Xenogears' strength POWER!

After the battle...


“If you don't get rid of me, then you cannot get what you want."
"It's alright... dad. I understand. You are not Grahf. You are my father. You and Grahf are one. Your will and purpose never change. I knew that once we fought. But let's stop now. Our objectives should be the same. It is the same as our becoming one. We don't have to fight."

A flash of light and the a buzzing sound envelopes Xenogears...






“It seeks to unify with you... the first to have been divided from it."

Grahf flies Original Weltall in from of the Zohar Modifier...

Music: Tears of the Stars, Hearts of the People


"This is what Lacan wanted all along. After all, I'm an imperfect existence. It was inevitable that it would come to this... considering what had happened in the past. Lacan's imperfect secondary contact with the Wave Existence split his personality into two. Eventually his body died, but the original Lacan transmigrated... Bringing the destiny of becoming a Contact with him, he was reborn as your present body. The remaining persona, just his desires, lived on separately by possessing the bodies of others. That is Grahf... that is me. I may have inherited Lacan's will, but I'm not the same as the 'Contact Lacan'. It is impossible for me to make real contact. There would be no true melding and release. Even though our bodies may be different, I am still half of you. That fact remains. Although I'm imperfect, I can merge temporarily with Zohar, and thus may be able to buy you some time. This is the only way I can be one with you."


“Before then, you have to destroy the newly perfected Deus and this Zohar modifier. You're the only one that can destroy the physical barrier that encases god's body."
"Dad!"
"As you said, that was Karen. Through many generations, Miang is beginning to break free from her bounds. Now that Elhaym has merged with Deus, she has all of her memories back. All the memories from her original birth as the Contact's complement up to her current transmigration. That includes all of the lives she has lived as Miang, and her substitutes, over the centuries. And of course, that includes your mother's memories too."
"Mother's memories...?"
"Fei, cut away all the binds on mankind... You should be able to do that now. Save her and all the other women bound with her!"








And so the Zohar, True Weltall, and Grahf vanish into the light.

A short while later...


*kneels* "This pendant... Is this Sophia's... or my mother's...?"
?
"It's nothing... I'm just talking to myself. I'm sorry, for all the trouble I've caused everyone. Thank you all so much!”
”Uhh...yeah. No prob. You umm....gonna...gonna explain what ANY of that was about...?”
“Maybe later. We’re gonna need some lunch first.”
“Anyway, let's get going! There is little time left now... for me... and for our planet!"









"Dad!"
"Oh, you're back to normal. Good job son. There's just one problem..."
"Eh?"
"I'm Grahf!"
"Say what?!"
"After you blew me up and killed your mother, I possessed your father's body to continue existing while I guided you toward my goals. But he's annoying and keeps taking over to dress like a mysterious masked mentor and entering fighting tournaments. I'm over that, so I'm going to go ahead and take your body now so I can become complete!"
"Nah. I'm not feeling that plan. Gonna go magic my way back to my Gear now. Later."

"Impressive. Now FIGHT ME!"
"I'm not fighting you..."
"FIGHT ME!"
"No. You're my dad... And my past life self or something... Why are you even doing this?"
"You talked to the Existence, right? Even if Deus dies, Elly and Miang and us will just keep getting reborn and dying. So I reckon the best thing to do is to just kill EVERYTHING. It all returns to nothing. It all keeps tumblin' down, tumblin' down, tumbling doooooown. Now fight me or I'm going to kill your allies."
"Tch. Fine!"

Xenogears kicks the living shit out of Grahf...

"Argh. Now just finish me off or you'll never get what you want."
"I said I'm not doing that."
"Argh! What now?!"
"Yeah...the Zohar's probably gonna try to eat you now to complete Deus."
"Weak!"
*flies in front of Zohar* "Look, I'm an incomplete being. I'm Lacan's will but that's about it. I can't really become a complete Contact and stop anything. But maybe you can, kid. I'll merge with the Zohar and it will probably stop trying to eat you for a while because it's a big stupid machine. That should buy you some time. Now go be a big damn hero and cut away the ties that bind mankind!"
"I'm begging you Fei! Barf!" *dies*

"...Well, that was weird... Hey, mom's pendant... Or was it past-life Elly's...? Who was artifically created by god to be my mother figure..."
"Oh gawd, I have SUCH a fucked up relationship... I need a drink."




Grahf Concept Art