Such an endless sea of blue, the sky... a limitless expanse of life and hope, the source of our joys and freedom. To a sailor, the sky is home... a mistress who will never forsake them. To a merchant, it is a limitless highway that brings wealth and opportunity. And to an Air Pirate, like myself...

The sky brings freedom. Freedom and adventure, the qualities that can make this life worth living. To the Air Pirate, the sky is life!

And from this endless sky, I have received more than could have ever asked for, or even dreamed of. Who could have seen the path my life would take from the day we rescued Fina from the Valutian armada? From a deckhand, a nobody who's only distinction was being the son of one of the greatest Air Pirates who ever lived, to a full fledged Pirate; a Blue Rogue in command of one of the most powerful airships to have ever graced the skies. Ally of other eccentric Air Pirates, and friend to exiled princes.

That is why I can not understand you, Ramirez. how is it that you can hate this world and the creatures who live in it? What has happened to you? What has transformed you into the bitter young man that we have battled with time and time again? You and Fina both had the same mission, the same destiny. But while Fina has learned to cherish life, you seem to only despise and waste it. Was it Glacian that did this to you? Or was it something else that you saw and experienced?

Regardless of what twisted you into the man you are today, I still have to stop you Ramirez. For Fina's sake, I don't want to kill you, but in the end you may leave me with any other choice. Glacian was mad enough to unleash the power of the Silver Gigas, the power of Zelos, on his own country. He burned it away with the Rain of Destruction simply to show that he was not afraid to use such a horrible power. Simply as a demonstration of his new 'might'...

What about you, Ramirez? Glacian is dead, is rebel armada destroyed in battle with my Air Pirates. And now your final stronghold, the ancient Silvite continent of Soltis, has had its defenses ripped away by the brave sacrifice and repentance of the Silvite Elders. All of you left is the ability to smash the moons with Zelos' power, and to kill nearly every living thing on this planet.

I wouldn't do it.. I don't think that I could, even if I was in your position. But you... I don't know you Ramirez. For all I know, you could revel in what Glacian saw as absolute power, and have already raised your hand to destroy the world. And I can not allow you to do that...

Ramirez... I'm coming for you. And when I arrive, we are going to settle this once and for all. Because these blue skies, and everyone who lives in them, means more to me than they could ever possibly mean to you. And I will defeat you Ramirez... I swear it.

...

How dare they... pathetic worms, a rotting disease eating into the side of the planet. Miserable humans, so smug and assured of in their own sense of rectitude and superiority. To have risen up and challenged the power of the ancients! To have turned on the one man who had the power, the wisdom, and the compassion to save them from their own miserable natures...

You were right Elder Prime... these filthy beasts who dare to call themselves human deserve nothing less than death. They deserve a slow, lingering purification, their sins repented in an inferno of blood and terror. I did not truly appreciate the necessity of the divine mission you had given me until now... I am sure that your spirit appreciate that it is the Silver Moon Crystal that I took from your lifeless corpse that will allow me to effect the final destruction of these pitiful worms that you despised so much...

Lord Glacian, you had such hopes for this world and the people in it. You believed in them more than I ever could. You saw past their flaws and forgave them... you were willing to unite them under your banner, to shelter them under your merciful hand... you were the perfect ideal, the only man that could possibly have brought peace and unity to this accursed world. But these animals refused to see that you were their ultimate savior. No, in return for you infinite generosity, they opposed you! They defined your glorious rule! And in the end, terrified of your most justified wrath and power, they turned on you like a pack of rabid animals and dragged you down from the glory that you so deserved. They pulled you into the dirt, and tore your most precious life from you...

I can never live up to your example, my Lord! All I can see when I look at these humans are a swarm of animals, unable to show even the smallest scrap of compassion for their fellow man. I can not see the light and glory that you beheld... all I can see is darkness... pain... and despair...

But I can not shed tears for you yet, Lord Glacian. Not... not until I have avenged your murder! Not until the monsters who trapped you and tore you down, when I could not be there to protect you, have been destroyed! I can do no more for you, except to give you an honor guard on your ascent to heaven that is only proper for a hero of your rank and glory...

And for you, my enemy, my opposite, my nemesis... You, who have opposed Lord Glacian and myself... You shall have the most painful death of all. The people believe that you will be their savior. But in the end, you shall not be able to prevent their destruction, Vyce...

Come to me, Air Pirate! Come and face the icy blade of my Sword of Eclipse and the almighty power of Zelos! I shall return to you and hundredfold all of the gifts you have seen fit to give me! I shall extinguish your companions as you have extinguished mine! I shall break your body as you have broken my spirit! And then when you kneel before me, broken and defeated, I will unleash the Rains of Destruction across the entire world! You will watch as each of the people you fought so hard to protect is burned to ash by the power of the moons and almighty Zelos!

So come to me Vyce! Come and embrace the fate that I have prepared for you! Come to me, and die!

Authors Note:

This story is in a few ways a bit of an experiment for me. The mood that I was trying to capture was in many ways a compairson and contrast of two quite different characters, ones that are in fact almost complete opposites. Thus the title "Mirror Mirror". Part of this was an attempt to draw items from each characters monologue to show this difference, without being overly obvious about it; Vyce representing freedom and life, while Ramirez embraces control and death. In any case, C&C is apprecaited! Thank you in advance!