Quesada's Swan

I geoboard up to the entrance of the Gaiburk Ice Field, then I warp before Meirchio's east gate...

I climb up the wall to go to the place where we faced off against the Spectral Crystal...

There's the dragon!

She's oozing malevolence...

The crew walks to her...

Laphicet: "She's hurt, just like they said..."
Eleanor: "Is this really how you mean to lift your curse?"
Eizen: "I'm not the cursed one."
Velvet: "I'm game."
Eizen: "Let's go."

Then a huge tornado jumps in between the dragon and the crew!

Zaveid!

Zaveid: "I told you that ain't happening on my watch!"
Eizen: "And if you stop me?"
Zaveid: "...I'm going to figure out a way to save her!"

He tornadoes Theodora away from the battlefield!

Eizen: "If that's what you want to try, then go ahead. But know that I'm not going to stop."
Zaveid: "Y'know, I just don't get it! How could a guy like Aifread be friends with someone so hellbent on senseless killing?" You tell me, Zaveid.
Eizen: "Sometimes to kill someone is to save them."

Oh boy...

Zaveid: "What the hell is going to be saved by being killed? There's not one damn person in the whole world! No matter what happens, you can't give up living. That's my creed!"

Eizen gears up to fight.

Zaveid shrugs, smiling.

Zaveid: "Guess we're doing this."

Even Eleanor can't believe what's happening either. They're both wanting to save Theodora.

Zaveid: "Sometimes, you just have to fight these things out."

Here we go!

---

Zaveid: "I ain't holding back, Eizen!"
Eizen: "Good. If you want to stop me, then fight to kill!"

Zaveid has no weaknesses in this round, but he's strong against earth!

And this guy can guard and attack super fast!

I switch to Velvet!

Zaveid's quick to recover from a stunned blow too!

Unleash your Mystic Arte, Zaveid! And he does: Outlaw Barrage!

After a while, almost half of the crew in battle's KO'd! This guy's a bit tougher than Milla!

And we all get KO'd!

I make a few adjustments for round 2!

We lay all of our attacks on him this time!

He still gets his chance in to cast his Mystic Arte, though! Twice!

We finally manage to win against Zaveid...

The dragon reappears again, and she breathes a fireball at Laphicet!

Zaveid jumps in!

Rokurou knows she's still dangerous! As does Magilou!

She throws a counter spell at the dragon, while Zaveid fires at the dragon! She flies away...

Zaveid collapses on to the snow...

Laphicet: "Zaveid! Are you okay?"
Zaveid: "Yeah...I'm not dead yet at least." By the way he said that he's taking that a bit too lightly.

Laphicet thanks him for jumping in the way of the dragon's fireball...

Zaveid thanks him for not getting hurt...

Zaveid: "That's right...nothing would hurt Theodora more than to harm a child. The thing is even when a child's lost their parents, their family...even when despair fills their heart...If you hold their hand, they'll squeeze back. Those hands, frozen from fear and insecurity, will start to feel warmth again. That warmth, a tiny spark deep within, can rekindle their feeling of being alive. Because they possess the determination to keep on living. That's why Theodora never turned her back, or gave up on, a child. She was more passionate about life than anyone I've ever known."

---

Laphicet: "And that's why you're protecting her."

Eizen knows she's far too gone already...Zaveid still knows that's Theodora.

Zaveid: "And that gives you the right to kill her? You talk like you have such noble intentions, but you're not fooling anyone! You just want to lift your Reaper's Curse!"
Eizen: "I'm not the one who's cursed." He's talking about Theodora.

Here they go again...

Zaveid calls him a coward, and declares that if Eizen ever kills Theodora, it is on!

Eizen stops him with one last thought.

Eizen: "Think about what she taught you about living, and consider what it really means to be alive."

Everyone walks off, with a bitter-faced Zaveid.

Eleanor: "Why does it have to be like this?!" You tell me.

Eleanor: "I get that their creeds mean a lot to them both, but isn't that all the more reason for them to try to understand each other?"

Eleanor brings up a good point. Why not talk and listen?

Laphicet agrees with Eleanor.

Laphicet: "I don't want them to fight either. But there's something else I can't figure out..."
Eleanor: "Is it about why Eizen's so intent on killing that dragon?"
Laphicet: "That's part of it...what I can't figure out is what he means when he says that killing can also save someone."

Eleanor should know. She's been hunting daemons to put them out of their misery...

Laphicet: "And how he's not the one with the curse."
Eleanor: "Maybe he feels pity for Theodora, and how she's doomed to keep on living as a dragon."
Laphicet: "Yeah. What does it really mean to live?"
Eleanor: "This topic sure got deep fast."

If I could take pics, I would use Eleanor's last line here as a reaction pic.

We get our rewards for beating Zaveid...

...and we win a Jacketless Outfit for Eizen!